ice and fire (eustace)

This time of year it was the coldest, but Harriet's coat had a thermal charm to it so she could keep fairly warm so long as she kept moving. She was going for a morning walk out to the lake on a Saturday, just because she liked to wake herself up with the cold wind on her cheeks. It was certainly working, but now she was getting a bit too cold. She saw remnants of a camp fire that had been lit the previous night, probably, so she used Incendio to make the fire thrive once more. Sitting on a log, she overlooked the frozen surface of the lake, smiling from the lick of warmth now setting her cheeks aglow.

@Eustace Potter

Winter was her favorite season. Why? The cold made it harder for people to enjoy the outdoors. It was also far more cooperative with her choice of clothing; she only had to worry about overheating when indoors. Eustace was outside to take in the frigid, crisp air and to get away from some of the most annoying of her schoolmates. For it being the start of the day, some of them were way too loud and perky for her liking. Just two more years, and she wouldn't have to deal with those fuckers ever again.

She was walking towards the direction of the lake when the scent of smoke suddenly hit her nostrils. Wasn't it a tad early for a fire? Nonetheless, she continued her trek until she was at the scene of the campfire. On one of the logs was another girl. Eustace sat on one of the other logs staying quiet; at least she didn't appear to be irritating thus far.

@Harriet McDougall

A girl sat down, didn't say anything, and Harriet glanced over her shoulder as though hoping they'd be an explanation there. It was a free country: she could sit wherever she wanted, but she had a look that suggested conversation wouldn't go too far. Like she woke up on the wrong side of the bed.

"Hi..." she said nervously, smiling weakly. "I hope I won't get in trouble making the fire and all. Do you think it would be all right?"

@Eustace Potter

"It's fine..."

As they weren't in an enclosed room full of people talking, the fire sufficed for some degree of warmth. Eustace just looked at the other girl finding her refreshing; she didn't appear to be one of those dramatic bimbos that only cared about dick. If she was on the shyer side, that meant she was less likely to blabber on about stuff. Just the way she preferred it.

"Why are you out here?"

Even when she didn't intend to, her voice had a sting to it. Who could blame her when she had Steph for a sister and Tovy for a cousin? She stuck her hands inside her coat pockets.

@Harriet McDougall

"Phew, good. I can't get detention this early on in the semester! I already got fifteen million things I gotta do!"

And even saying it out loud sent her blood pressure sky-rocketing.

She looked back at the girl. She was a little intimidating, but not in the way Tiffany was intimidating. She hated sharing a dorm with her.

"I just like getting out in the mornings sometimes. The lake's froze over again, but I've never skated. There's way too many risks with that, and most of them involve me falling on my butt."

@Eustace Potter

"Did you think I was going to tell a professor?"

She couldn't be bothered to do such things; she wasn't a snitch, and she could take care of things by herself if it came down to it. The other girl seemed a bit neurotic, but Eustace supposed some people just enjoyed being busy. What was the kind of busy work did she like to do anyway?

Sniffling slightly, Eustace resisted the urge to deal with the small nasal drip. Her hands were quite cozy in her pockets.

"Do you even have ice skates?"

Eustace never bothered to ice skate despite it being easier than rollerskating; she probably would've managed to cut a hole in the ice.

@Harriet McDougall

"No I didn't think that! I mean, I don't know you... you coulda, but..."

She was eyeing her up nervously now. What was she getting so worked up about? She laughed skittishly.

"Uhm, I don't, but I know a charm to make your shoes into skates..."

Probably one of her more redeeming qualities.

She looked out at the sheen of thick ice on Azure lake, and wondered.

"Would you ever try it?"

@Eustace Potter

Yep, she was definitely neurotic. At least it seemed to actually affect her positively; that new Cartwright bimbo showed how badly it could come out. First day there, and she was already a huge disruption. She should've just stayed at Hogwarts...

"There's a charm for that?"

At least she was smart. That quality felt a bit underrated considering who she often had to deal with... Tovy had his shallow health fads, Jace thinks he's superior despite being as bad as his twin, Zachary was er... Eustace often didn't find good company to say the least.

How thin was that ice?

"I'm hesitant."

Again, she'd manage to cut a hole with her luck. And get stuck in that frigid, cold, icy water...

@Harriet McDougall

"Yeah, I'll show you!"

Taking out her wand, she swooped her leg over the other so she had a good sight of her feet. Concentrating on the idea of the heel of rubber being made to a metal blade, she recited the incantation and a skating blade morphed out from the boots she was wearing. Touching it, confirming it was definitely solid, she looked up in triumph at the girl.

"See!"

She was more enthused by that actually working.

"Yeah, I mean, I have my worries too, but it would be kinda fun..."

She charmed the other boot and tried standing up. The blade dug into the lawn and she wobbled slightly.

@Eustace Potter

Her eyes widened as she watched the other girl demonstrate the spell. There really was a spell for anything...

"How did you find out that spell existed..?"

Damn, maybe she should be more curious. Or inventive. Eustace never bothered trying to be out-of-the-box. Why would she want to when some dickhead would try to take all the credit? There was probably some new age Gilderoy Lockhart waiting to start their career...

"And they work just as well as real skates?"

Eustace grimaced watching her wobble. She could've fallen into the fire if she went the wrong way!

@Harriet McDougall

"I mean, I sure hope so!"

She hadn't actually tested it out.

"Wanna try?" she asked, laughing as she swerved again.

@Eustace Potter

"You hope so?!"

Well, that was promising. She looked down at the skate blades, then up a couple of feet, then towards the icy lake. Eustace gulped nervously. The bit of warmth in her coat pockets weren't going to be enough to keep her warm in the scenario that she ended up in the water.

No, she mustn't worry. Was it possible for neurotic tendencies to be contagious? Or was she just-

"Only if you promise to pull me out if the ice breaks."

The thought of being in that water, cold or warm, always gave her some sort of fright. She wouldn't admit to it though, nope. She didn't like bodies of water in general, however...

@Harriet McDougall