I Think We're Gonna Be Friends [Past Thread]

First year Amelia Evans had been walking outside Hogwarts her messenger bag pressed against her side. She was in conversation with a girl she had met after her sorting, Alicia Spinnet, as well as a few other girls from their grade. Amelia never really felt at home with girls, she found them to be into all sorts of things she wasn't and the cattiness and gushing about boys could get old fast, but Alicia seemed nice enough. Plus when you came to a new school not knowing anyone, lacking most magical ability, and everyone gossiping about why you were there well.. You had to take the connections where and when you could.

It was as they rounded their way into the courtyard that they heard the cackling of older Slytherin boys plus the sight of a boy in Ravenclaw garb being knocked to the ground. Amelia frowned standing there in a jean jacket, t-shirt, converse sneakers, and her Gryffindor tie poking out her back pocket (she already avoided wearing her school robe as often as she could manage). She recognized the boy as the very quiet third year she had managed to have a conversation with (or talk at more like it) her first week Lucas Hartwell. He seemed nice enough and even if he wasn't nobody deserved what he was getting. She couldn't picture him hurting a fly. Well if he wouldn't... She was up for the challenge.

"Hey!" Leaving the group of girls who had taken to pointing and whispering she marched right up to the three bigger boys who were horribly amused.

"Looks like this first year is gonna take us on, Zabini." Said one boy to the other with yellowing and crooked teeth.

"Looks like it." Blaise agreed, smirking.

"You leave him alone." She insisted stepping in front of Lucas without a second thought, her eyes narrowing. She would not budge. Stubborn already at the ripe old age of eleven.

What had he done to deserve it this time? He didn't even know. All he knew was, yet again, he was being picked on and pushed around by some Slytherin boys in the year above him. They had always picked on him, finding him a very easy target. He wasn't one to fight back, and he didn't pass any of the abuse on to the teachers. No. His father was already upset that he had the son who broke a long line of Hartwell males going into Slytherin. He didn't need to know that that son was also a wimp who let himself get pushed around by kids from that house. Even if the reason he didn't push back was because of his father's 'training' to not fight back. Even now, over a week into the school year, he still had the yellow/green patches on his torso from bruises still healing and the scabbed over mark from a belt on his back. He also wouldn't be surprised if he had a cracked rib. It sure did hurt to move. But he pushed it all down and ignored it. Just as he had been for the last 13 and a half years.

So here he was, in the courtyard of the school, trying to get his book back from the kids who had both height and weight on him. He certainly hadn't his his growth spurt yet and was a scrawny thing. Even getting onto the quidditch team as a starter that year (he had been a reserve the year before) hadn't bulked him out. Instead of physicality in the game, he relied on quickness.

But that didn't help him here. Before he knew it, he was on the ground with the other boys towering over him. It was then that he heard a voice. A voice that had become quite familiar, as he had heard it several times talking at him while he was doing work or had his mind on other things. It belonged to a first year who it seemed had all the courage Lucas seemed to lack. It was Amelia Evans. And before he knew it, she was putting herself between him and the older guys. "Don't." Is all he could see, somewhat meekly. She didn't need to fight his fights. Not that he was fighting much. But at the same time, this was the first person to even do this for a few moments. No one had ever stood up for him before.

"Don't."

"Leave him alone right now!" The first year demanded, never wavering. Amelia ignored his plea as her small hands balled into fists, her glare hardening as she stared down the older boys. The nerve on them! To pick on someone smaller than they were just because they were angry or bored. Amelia had been raised better than that by her muggle parents who had taught her (and there other children) that they should always be hardworking, kind, and understanding. She wasn't really understanding of this negative behavior though. What reason could someone have to act this way?

"The nads on this one." One of the Slytherin boys cackled, horribly amused by the pint sized girl who thought she had a snowball's chance of swaying them. He nudged his friend trying to get Flint to join him in his laughter. "And what are you going to do about it huh? Screech at us like a banshee, huh?" Pulling his wand out and at the ready he twirled it lazily between his fingers. "Do yourself and everyone a favor pip squeak. Scadaddle." That's when, without warning, Amelia socked him right in the nose. The older boy staggered back and to the grass. Flint stared wide eyed in shock. Amelia wasn't about to give them more time to react though.

"Come on." She said hurriedly, reaching down to take Lucas' hand and pulling him to his feet running away from the courtyard and dragging him with her. Luckily they were both above average athletically so they made good time and soon the group behind them was nothing but a blur and memory. Panting ever so slightly she turned to face the third year boy, brow raised. "Can't you run any faster than that?" She asked in her flat, American accent before taking in her surroundings. They were by the lake just by the outskirts of the Forbidden Forrest. She wasn't about to go in there unless forced. "You okay?"

Over his thirteen years his father had beaten whatever fight he had in him out of him. There was no emotion displayed as he was pushed down on to the floor. Another byproduct of his father's abuse. Sure it hurt, but pain wasn't an excuse. He couldn't remember the last time he had cried. That just got him more punishment. As did whimpering or crying out. He had learned quick. He knew eventually the older boys would just leave him alone and he could brush off his clothes and carry on, as if nothing happened.

But it seemed this little first year had other plans. He tried to warn her off, but she apparently didn't listen. This couldn't be good. Even if they left him alone right now, they'd probably get him again because he needed a first year to stick up for him. And a girl at that. He appreciated it, but it wasn't how it normally went. He had enough problems with the older kids. Why did she even care anyway?

And then all of a sudden she punched one of them in the nose and he staggered back. Before he could blink or say anything, she grabbed his hand and pulled him up so they were running away from the courtyard. What on earth had just happened. "I kept up didn't I?" he said when she asked if he could run faster. He was a little out of breath, not used to running quite that far just yet, but otherwise okay. He looked over to the lake, taking in the waves on the water. It was always something a little calming to him. "I'm fine." he said with a nod before saying "Why did you do that?" She didn't need to save him. He was doing 'fine' by himself.

"If you call that keeping up." She shook her head, brushing his comment aside not really having the time to take it personally. He had just been beaten up by two, stupid older boys of course he was a bit testy. If he kept pushing things though she would definitely put him in his place. She was there to help not to be his lightning rod of hate because he was miffed about what dumb old boys had decided to do with their spare time. "You need to toughen up kid." She warned, and as a muggle girl thrown into this crazy world and her newfound Quidditch profession she knew this from personal experience.

"Because you looked like you needed help. You're welcome by the way." The American said bitterly, turning to face him with narrowed brow eyes both hands on either of her hips. "You don't need to a be a jerk about it. Now I see why those boys were kicking you around." She murmured, fixing her jean jacket and dusting some dirt off of it from the earlier scuffle. "Fine. If you don't need my help I'll just go then. Alicia wanted to go to the Dining Hall anyways." She turned her nose in the air, not really wanting to go for whatever reason but too stubborn and proud to stand there and take anything from anyone, and she began to walk away from the lake and forest. Hopefully he'd stop her... But then again why did she want that to be the case?

"I'm here right? Must have meant I kept up." Clearly he wasn't lagging behind. He was still a little flustered over what had just happened, and he didn't need the first year pushing his buttons on his running anymore. After all, his forte was in the air, not running on the ground. It didn't help that his rib cage hurt every time he took a deep breath. That cracked rib and bruises suffered the night before he had boarded the train didn't make exerting himself that easy. "Fighting back just causes more trouble." He said brushing some dirt off his arm. Of course he believed that. That's how it had been his whole life.

"I was doing fine." He really wasn't, but his mind was racing, trying to figure out if this would mean he would endure more torment from the older boys. He was an easy target already, and now he had had this 1st year girl stand up for him. Clearly she had a lot more courage than he could ever think of having. But it seemed like his flustered and nervousness was getting the best of him and driving her away. She had just stood up for him, and now here she was turning away saying she was going to head to the dining hall. He looked down at his feet, his hands nervously rubbing together and quietly said "No one's ever done that before..." No one had ever stood up for him. Why had she? He wasn't exactly worth saving was he? "Thanks." Even if it would create more issues, it had gotten him out of that situation. At least there was that.

"No wonder they were kicking your butt." She murmured already bothered by his candor. She didn't expect roses or a parade but a thank you at the very least would have been nice. Maybe she just should have left him there but that wasn't in her makeup. She was a Gryffindor and the pack mentality was strong with her long before she was ever a Quidditch prodigy and scouted right out of the muggle way. She was still adapting being new. Maybe this kid was too and this was how he showed it. Being defensive and annoying.

"No. Fighting back saves your butt." She corrected him firmly with a roll of her eyes as she turned back to face him removing her small jean jacket with ease as she handed it to him. His clothes were slightly ripped and disheveled. Didn't want him going back to the school looking like a mess. It would also probably be embarrassing for him. Lucky for him she didn't wear super 'girly' clothes so it would just look like a tight fit which his clothes didn't seem to have much effort put into them anyways. "Yeah sure. You were doing fine on the ground getting dirt thrown on you. Fine. Sure. Shut up and put this on." She shook her head and tossed the jacket at him not really expecting him to catch it. "Put it on." She insisted as her eyes widened. Man, boys had listening issues or what?!

"No one's ever done that before..."

"Well, then they're wrong and stupid." She stated simply with an unamused little shrug. Gosh, what was wrong with magical people? Did they not have hearts? They sure acted high and mighty enough when compared to muggles (the world she was from). Finally! A thank you. "See? Was that so hard? That's all you had to sat. You're welcome." It was the polite response to give. At least that's what her mother and father had taught her. She missed them and her siblings already. "Lucas Hartwell, right?" A beat and she then grinned, beaming. "I'm Amelia. Remember me?" How could he forget? 

He wasn't sure how to approach someone saving him. Or really doing anything nice for him. So far the only time he hadn't been curled up with a book or doing his school work, he was playing quidditch. He had spent the year before really learning the ropes, and was going to be starting this year. It was the only time he was really out of his shell, and even then it wasn't that much. But he still was in the background more often than not. He lived in the shadows, and felt invisible. And he wasn't sure if her standing up for him was a good thing or a bad thing. He supposed time would tell.

"Believe me when I saw it just always causes more problems." At least it had for him. She wouldn't get it. She probably actually have a loving family. Plus with that courage she'd probably defend herself. He was too chicken to even think of standing up for himself. He watched her take off her jean jacket, wondering what she was doing. He was confused. He didn't really care if his clothes were ripped. He'd probably head to his dormitory before going to dinner. If he didn't just nip down to the kitchens. Sometimes that was easier than being in the crowded dining hall. "They get bored quickly." He said. They usually did. It wasn't fun for them when their prey didn't fight back. He caught the jacket, but just held it in his hands. He wasn't really sure how to take this. But then she almost demanded he put it on, so he grudgingly slipped it on. It was tight, but not overly. Especially not with his still small frame.

"So the rest of the world is wrong and stupid?" That didn't necessarily compute in his Ravenclaw brain. He knew people had seen him get pushed around by the older kids several times over the last couple of years, and yet no one had done anything or even said anything to him about it. "No I guess it wasn't hard..." he said looking down at his feet. He had probably said more words to her in this little stint that he would for a while. He was certainly far into his shell at this point in his life. Quiet, reserved, and more comfortable with books than people. "Yeah Lucas." he said with a nod before looking up at her. "I remember who you are." He wouldn't be able to forget who she was. Not that he wanted to. "How are you.. uh.. like it here?" That's what people asked right? He didn't even know.

"So the rest of the world is wrong and stupid?"

"And what if it is?" She was all too quick to quip right back, hands on her hips and feet dug in the lawn with no intent on budging physically or verbally. She was a leader not a follower. She wasn't going to believe someone just because they told her something so what was there to say that the world wasn't wrong? Clearly this boy wasn't cut from the same cloth and that was just fine as long as he didn't overstep and was respectful about it. "I swear, you Ravenclaws are all the same." She hadn't been at the school for very long but she had already managed to understand who got sorted where and why. Lucas fit right in with his Ravenclaw brethren. 

And then he asked it how she was and how she liked it here. Well, at least he was trying to have a civil conversation now. "I like it enough. It's fun." Sure there was a learning curve, especially since she was muggle born, but everyone seemed nice enough and some of the teachers seemed to like her. She couldn't ask for anything more than that. That was a blessing in either world. "What about you? You've been here longer. How do you like it?" He was one of those magical born kids, she remembered from one of their short conversations, he probably loved it here even with the occasional bouts of bullying.

"I find it hard to believe the entire world is wrong and stupid." Always the analytical one. Facts never lied or made him feel unwanted. Growing up he had enjoyed learning facts as well as reading books. Books had really been his only friends up to this point. He would get lost in the stories held on the pages of those books for hours at a time after finding somewhere quiet to read. It especially helped his coursework wasn't as heavy at the moment. Plenty of time to get some quality reading in. "How so?" he said curious as to why she thought all the Ravenclaws were the same. It was that innate curiosity that came with a drive for knowledge. Always looking fro the answers to things.

He figured that why she was here and seemingly engaged he might as well talk to her. Be civil as it where. After all she had just put herself in between him and several bigger and older Slytherins. "Having fun figuring out all the surprises the castle has?" He was still finding things around the castle he hadn't previously found. He had grown up in a pureblood family, so magic had been in every aspect of his life, but coming to Hogwarts was a whole different ball game. "I like it. There's plenty to do and it's always interesting to explore the castle." Plus it kept him safe from his father. The bullies at the school were nothing compared to the Puddlemere United owner who had spent Lucas' childhood so far terrorizing the young boy while at the same time appearing to be a doting father on the outside. "And I get to start for Ravenclaw this year, so that'll be fun." He had loved the game since one of Puddlemere's coaches took him up on a broom for the first time when he was probably around 4 or 5. He was excited to actually get to play for real this year.

"I don't really like surprises." She responded honestly with a little hug briefly shoving her hands into her jeans pockets. Other people might like that sort of thing but not Amelia. For someone so spontaneous she certainly didn't like having things sprung on her when she wasn't expecting them possibly because she was already out of her element as far as the magical world was considered. 

"Oh. That's cool." Starting for Ravenclaw sounded not all that exciting considering the person he was telling was scouted straight out of the muggle world to come and play professionally. She hadn't made her debut yet but had already attended more than a few practices. Whispers around Hogwarts halls said as much and then some. "Quidditch seems fun." It wasn't exactly soccer but it would do. And she better find the fun in it soon because it was about to be her whole life. "Any teachers that you like?" She might as well prepare for the coming years. There were still probably teachers who did didn't know despite eating dinner in the same room. "Trelawney's a bit odd but she seems super nice. Hooch is cool, McGonagall too... I like Snape." And she was one of the few Gryffindors who did. Chances were he cut her a lot of slack because her last name brought up some memories for him... Not that she knew any of that.

"Do you have any friends?" She asked bluntly, out of the blue. Judging by how he was talking with her right now (like he was speaking with a monster) she somehow doubted it. Without missing a beat she straightened her posture proudly. "I'll be your friend then. Ok?"

"Well once you get used to the place, there aren't too many surprises. As long as you don't run into Peeves." Ah yes the school's poltergeist who's job seemed to be to annoy people. He loved the magic of the castle. He had spent time in his first year exploring the castle and admiring the charms and work that must have gone into designing and making the castle work. But then he was a nerd like that.

"I'm hoping I do okay" He said. Sure she was the girl who got scouted, but for him it was a big step. Of course at this point he didn't have the weight of the older guys, so he had learned to be scrappy and use his lighter weight to his advantage in the speed department. He was just glad to get a chance to play the game her loved. "It's fun for sure." He had grown up around it, and there weren't many other sports he knew, so he was a little biased but it was a start. "I like McGonagall, Flitwick and Sinistra. Hooch was pretty fun too. Defense Against the Dark Arts depends on what teacher teaches it that year." He had noticed the DADA professor had been different every year so far. This one seemed okay he supposed. Sinistra, who taught Astronomy, was interesting. But that was probably more because he enjoyed astronomy. "Snape isn't bad, if you don't talk back and just follow instructions." Both of which were easy for him. However he also knew his father knew Snape from the various pureblood events. He wasn't sure to what extent or if it influenced things, but it couldn't hurt right?

At her next question he looked down at the floor, watching his toe move in the grass. "Not really..." he said quietly. He had spent more time with his books than with people. Sure he conversed with people, but he didn't really have any friends. "You don't have to do that." he said to her offer. She didn't need to take pity on him.

"I know that I don't have to. I want to. I want to so I'm going to." She responded with a carefree shrug as though it wasn't a big deal and that was that. She didn't see the need to make a big fuss about it and luckily Lucas didn't seem to. "You know my name so we're practically friends already anyhow might as well make it official." Her brown eyes followed his gaze to the ground. "Where are your shoes?" She asked outright already not listening to what he was rambling about. Somehow the fact that his feet were bare took more of a precedent. "They didn't take them did they?" She frowned looking back up at his face as she pointed at his uncovered feet. Maybe his parents were hippies and let him walk around barefoot. That was all fine and good but Amelia doubted it.

"I can go and get them back for you if you want." True she didn't know how on earth she would manage that but she would give it a go. She didn't like to see the bad guys win. That was the Gryffindor in her... Or so the Sorting Hat had told her. She wasn't sure she entirely understood how that worked out yet. "Just let me know who took them." 

"I don't know why you'd want to..." he said quietly. He didn't know why anyone would want to spend time with him. He was quite the nerd, was the reason he had never known his mother, and was apparently a horrible person. At least his books didn't care about that. He could escape somewhere. "Everyone knows your name..." She was the muggle born who was poised to be a big shot in the quidditch world. Of course everyone knew her name. When she asked about his shoes, that's when he realized he wasn't actually wearing his shoes. Good riddance. Those things, which had been bought by his father, had been the uncomfortable 'trendy' shoe. "They must have fallen off running." He said looking up at her. He didn't quite know when they had fallen off.

"No it's okay. I didn't like them anyway." he said with a shrug. She didn't need to go running after his shoes. He had a few more pairs up in his dorm room anyway. "It doesn't matter if someone did. They can have them. I have ones I like more anyway." He'd just have to figure out how to get around that one with his dad. He hoped it wouldn't end with him getting beat up again.

She didn't buy that they had just fallen off. Shoes didn't just fall off unless someone was running at an unrealistic speed and didn't know how to tie their laces. Lucas was an older boy so that wasn't the case here. "We're going back to get them." She announced ignoring his bartering as he attempted to get her to do anything but. Her mind was made up though and she couldn't let this injustice stand. "It doesn't matter if you like them or not it's the principle of the thing." What principle that was she couldn't be sure she just knew that she didn't approve of it. "They can't just take your shoes." She went on complaining as she began to walk toward the courtyard already trying to figure out what she was going to do when she finally bumped back into those older boys who were pissed already. Oh well. She'd figure it out when she got there... Or maybe never!

"You can't just let people pick on you like that and then let them get away with it." There was that Gryffindor heart again as her hands balled into small fists. A seemingly unafraid first year ready to take on the world. Turning around to face him with a huff her eyes locked on the older boy. "Are you coming or not?"