A Bit of Fresh Air (Open)

[shanekelsall]

A young man's frame stood in the shadows away from the beaming rays of sunlight that shot through the open door. Particles of dust billowed through the light, as Shane's eyes danced from random speck to speck. He stood there as if preparing himself for this, perhaps not unlike to someone afraid of jumping into a pool of water. His left foot was the first into the beam before the rest of his body was engulfed in the warmness brought on by the sun.

He stood there with his eyes closed for a few moments, basking. He'd been rather cold up until now within the castle of cool stones. He inhaled sharply, holding it before letting a sigh escape his lips. His dark brown eyes seemed to be enlightened by the sun pouring into them, making him seem far more jovial. His left hand raised to his head and the digits combed through his messy hair in an attempt to curtail the beast, but to no avail.

His feet moved swiftly; the pattering of foot upon stone seemed to echo back into the castle as his Wizarding robes billowed behind him. He proceeded as if with caution, but in truth was taking in his surroundings: the clouds moving sluggishly in the sky, the grass in front of him waving this way and that and a light breeze kissing his exposed skin.

He smiled warmly, closing his eyes once more and walked toward a rather quaint tree with its leaves rattling against the wind. His hands were jutted into his trouser pockets as he leaned against the tree; he felt a slight discomfort from the jagged bark that caused him to adjust his stance ever so minutely against it.

This was Shane's favourite part about Hogwarts. His eyes glanced in the direction of Hogsmeade. He couldn't see it from here, but he knew it was there. Small wisps of smoke eroded into thin air over the copse of trees that obscured Hogsmeade from Shane's position. He stared unblinkingly, lost in thought.

[Susan Bones]

Susan had thought maybe going for a walk would help her with her headache from all the homework she had. She refused to worry her friends about how worried she was. She felt like there was no way she'd ever live up to her family name.

She loved how the sun felt on her fair skin, maybe she'd tan so she wouldn't look like a ghost. She felt like she was sun deficient. She felt the urge to start dancing in the sun, as crazy as it sounded to even herself.

She wondered if the trees here were good climbing trees or not. Then she could see what was going on if she could get up in a tree, obviously not a pine tree. She tried to get into a younger oak tree but couldn't reach high enough to climb up. She didn't stop trying until she was able to sit on a large branch. She sighed when she realized she hadn't thought of a way to get down.

All she could think about was how she would spend the rest of her young life in a tree, she'd die in a tree. She laughed at her own stupidity. Someone would find her, she hoped. She started to hum Stir The Cauldron, even though she hated the song it would get someone's attention. She hoped not a Death Eater's though.

[shanekelsall]

Shane crossed his arms across his chest as he continued to stare, his thoughts elsewhere. He was track of mind led him to what homework he still needed to complete, but mostly lingered on his family. He missed his parents and siblings immensely. I ought to write dad, he thought to himself. It had been some time since he wrote home. He had been busy, though. He pushed himself against the sharp bark for a short second and lazily nudged himself away from the tree.


As he snapped back to his surroundings, he noticed something very faint; it sounded like a voice. Interested in this curious matter, Shane progressed toward where he thought the source was. He came upon a younger oak tree, carefully stepping around it so as to not trip on a renegade root, placing the palm of his right hand against the hardened bark. He finally looked up into the tree to find a teenage girl humming some song he was unfamiliar with.

He paused for a moment, wondering if he should interrupt her as she seemed to be enjoying herself as far as he could tell. Stepping gingerly again away from the tree, he stepped into the plain of view of the girl. His eyes looked up into the shades of the tree to see a girl he knew by face but had rarely come into contact with. She was a year older than him and in Hufflepuff, as far as he knew. His brown eyes looked up at Susan from below, eyeing her facial features.

"What's that you're humming?" he asked in a slightly posh voice with a pleasant smile on his face and his hands comfortably resting in his trouser pockets. "It's kind of a nice one," he remarked.

[Susan Bones]

Susan nearly feel backwards but caught herself. She peered down the tree trying not to lean too far forward. She didn't want to fall on her arse or face. She saw a Gyffindor boy looking up, she believed his name was Shane or something.

"It's actually a horrid song that is played on the Wizarding Wireless Network, the song is ancient," said Susan.

She swung her feet around kicking the air, she wondered how long of a fall it was going to be if she jumped. She debating asking for help to get down or asking if he wanted to come up. The tree looked old enough to hold both of their weight combined.

"Want to join me up here? There's a nice view," said Susan in a soft voice.

Her long brown plait whipped from one side of her head to the other so she got a mouthful hair. She spat out out her hair and pushing it back to the other side.

[shanekelsall]

Shane chuckled at her response. He wasn't very up to date with these sort of things, being more attuned with the Muggle world due to his upbringing. He continued to look up at her, wondering if she recognised him in the slightest. He watched her feet fidgeting about with a raised brow wondering if she might fall and if he could get there in time to break the fall for an instant. He looked up at the tree branch when she asked if he would like to join her up there.

Shane shrugged, "Eh, why not?" he asked himself rather enthused. He grasped onto the tree's rough bark, finding holds with his fingertips before pulling himself up with relative ease. As he made his way to the branch, his actions were slower and more deliberate; he didn't want to make her lose her balance. He placed a hand upon the branch and helped himself sit, giving her about a foot and a half of space.

His eyes glanced around, letting his neck crane to allow his eyes to take in everything they could. After a moment he spoke, "This is rather nice, aye," his eyes darted to the branch just to make sure it was still holding well and then turning his gaze back to the view. His eyes darted to hers, but he didn't turn his head to face her. He noticed his hands were clenched upon the branch rather tightly and his knuckles were beginning to turn white. He released his grip but still supported himself with his palms.

"D'you always climb up random trees to hum to people walking by or should I feel honoured?" he asked with a half grin, leaning his head toward her direction as he spoke but continuing to look off into the distance.

[Susan Bones]

Susan was the least bit concerned about the branch, she had sat on this very branch with three people on it, mind Hannah was light as a feather in her mind. She looked up as to see a mother bird feeding her babies.

"I love climbing trees, humming is rather a special treat. I'm a horrible singer. I've been climbing trees since I was six, I asked my auntie to teach me and she did," said Susan rather distant by the memory of her aunt.

She knew that she should ask him his name, it would be rude not to ask. She was totally sure what his name was as bad as that sounded. She didn't talk to anyone besides Hannah these days.

"Hi I'm Susan by the way. You are?" she asked with a smile.

[shanekelsall]

Shane grinned as she talked about her history of climbing trees. He turned his head to look at her, scanning her face yet again as she spoke. "Well then, consider me honoured by such a special treat," he said playfully. "And your aunt seems to have made you a master tree climber," he said and looked down to the ground. It was a rather sizable height to fall from that had the potential to break bones, so he looked back up and was more relaxed.

He turned his head back to her as she introduced herself, "I'm Shane," he said with a slightly bow of his head. Against his better judgement, he offered her his hand to shake. He didn't realise it but he was smiling in return to her. He probably looked silly with such a large smile. He sighed a little and his smile faded as a flock of birds flew over the Forbidden Forest nearby, "I always wonder what's in there. Aside from what we know is there, I mean. I've heard...well, rumours about things in there. Maybe one day I'll go in there and nose about," he thought outloud to Susan.

His eyes looked down at the ground again and he seemed less daunted. "Well then, Miss Susan. D'you reckon I can make it down without breaking something?" he asked with a smirk, but before she could answer he slipped off the branch and landed on his feet with a thud. His frame bent at the knees a little and he pushed against the ground to stand upright. "Coming, Miss Susan?" he called up to her with a boyish grin firmly on his lips.

[Susan Bones]

Susan hesitated jumping from such height. She knew the risks but she also knew she couldn't stay here for the rest of her life. She bit her lip to keep herself from changing her mind. She slipped down slower then she had watched Shane do.

She landed ungracefully on the ground. She was happy it at least wasn't on her arse. She hadn't hear any cracking or popping noises so she must be fine.

"Where are you going now?" she asked quirking her head slightly.

She wanted to know more about this Shane guy. She needed to get out more so why not now. She knew her family was looking down shaking their heads about her recklessness or maybe even proud of the fact she was taking risks.

[shanekelsall]

He watched her descend a little slower than he had, making sure she wasn't going to fall face first into a patch of grass. He raised his eyebrows when she spoke to him again. He tilted his head back a little in his response, his adam's apple jutting out from his neck a little. "Not sure. Not sure if it matters, to be honest," he looked out into the distance back at the Forbidden Forest. His stomach seemed to erupt in a growl, prompting him to look down and then back up at Susan. His cheeks turned a slight shade of scarlet.

"Er, sorry," he muttered and cleared his throat, but still a half-grin was present. "Where are you going?" he asked with interest, he had to tilt his head down a little at her as she was a good deal short than him. The light shone into his brown eyes causing him to squint just a little and he took a step closer to her to get into the shade of the tree. "I reckon I might try to nick some food from the Kitchens before dinner, though. I might pass out and then you'd have to carry me," he said as he placed his hands into his trouser pockets.

[Susan Bones]

“I’m not sure what I’m going to do,” she said softly “I know I don’t want to go back to the Hufflepuff common room. I could do without my friends bugging me to see if I’ve heard anything about a friend of ours.”

Susan accidently let a giggle escape her lips, she was laughing at her own longwinded statement that she would do when she was nervous.

She covered her mouth up quickly turning tomato red. She couldn’t believe she giggled like a thirteen year old girl, she doesn’t giggle. Her hazel eyes glued down to ground and refused to move up for several minutes.

"That's embarrassing" she admitted.

[shanekelsall]

Shane watched her face carefully, furrowing his brow in interest. He merely nodded in sympathy; he wasn't sure if he had ever felt like that toward any of his friends, though. He wanted to ask why they were asking about a friend of theirs, but decided he shouldn't prod as it wasn't his business. As she giggled, he didn't really mind it. Quite a few girls he knew were very giggly and he had learned not to bother asking what they were giggling about as it would be met with either more giggling or refusal to answer.

As she turned red in the cheeks, he merely grinned. "Are you blushing?" he asked coyly as she stared at the ground. His brows furrowed again trying to comprehend why it was embarrassing. "Not sure why it's embarrassing, Susan. At least you weren't giggling amongst a group of girls over a boy because he waved or smiled at you!" he teased her trying to make her cheer up. "C'mon then, chin up," he encouraged.

He turned back to face the Forbidden Forest once more with desire. He smiled to himself as his eyes dropped; he felt like a mental archaeologist, wanting to go rooting around that old forest in search of something secret. He stood there in silence for a moment before remembering he had company and turned to her to speak. "When I first started here..." he said slowly as if showing extreme caution in his words, pausing after those first five words.

"...I was really stupid about the Wizarding World. I'd ask questions about things that most people took for common knowledge. I used to get made fun of and told that I didn't belong here. At first I thought it was some Pure-blood fanaticism or something like that," he said with half a laugh, lost in his memory. "I can't say I didn't consider leaving Hogwarts. But then..." he paused yet again, smiling rather big. "But then, we started to get to know each other, myself and the others that thought I was so ignorant, so inexperienced. I realised then that I should never be ashamed of who I am or where I come from, the things I do..." he paused again, looking at her face for a moment.

He looked up skywards. "Don't be embarrassed around others, especially me," he finally said.

[Susan Bones]

Susan smiled faintly, at least she hadn't started crying. He was right, it wasn't like it was she was giggling over a guy that smiled or waved at her but still she never giggled. Her aunt told her it made her sound childish to do that after the age of thirteen.

She watched his facial expressions careful as he started talking. She couldn't help not tearing up thinking of how horrible that would have been to be horrible being teased like that. She had been teased before but when you make fun of one Hufflepuff they all attack.

"I'm sorry. That's quite horrid. Didn't you friends care?" she asked, she felt part of her heart ache thinking of Justin being missing.

[shanekelsall]

Shane shrugged for the most part, not her comment but the fact that he didn't have many friends at that point. "Didn't have many friends," he said with a smile, trying to ignore her tears. Even if he had mentioned it, he wouldn't have known what to do or say. "But I've got loads of friends now. I'm trying to get rid of some actually. Too many to keep up with!" he teased with a warmer smile. "Besides, I was tough as nails then, still am," he said as he jokingly puffed out his chest before laughing.

"Eh, don't be sorry, Miss Susan. Be happy! It's made me better for it," he said pleasantly to her. He hadn't wanted to make it some sob story or a gimmick for pity; he just hadn't wanted her to be embarrassed about giggling. He extended onto his toes to create a chain reaction his muscles stretching, his arms raising into the air and small pops came into the air from his bones.

He turned to her and smiled again, "Don't look so down."

[Susan Bones]

Susan could have yelled at him for being insensitive to a girl's feelings but she didn't since he barely knew her. She wouldn't start yelling at him when he didn't know what was truly going on. She'd just have to say this kindly, if possible.

"Listen Shane, it's sort of hard not to be down when one of your closest friends is missing, possibly dead and the only living person in your family in a mental institution," she said coolly as she could.

She took in a deep breath. She wasn't going into the whole murdered family thing but she just wanted him to understand what was going through her head at this moment.

"I'm not trying to be rude or anything, I just want you to know what is going on with me right now so this doesn't end badly," she said looking Shane straight in the eyes with sincerity.

[shanekelsall]

Shane was rather floored by this revelation that was just divulged to him. His insides squirmed and plummeted, feeling very horrible about this. His eyes dropped to the ground in shame and he felt very warm all of a sudden. As Shane heard her take a deep breath, he became aware that he was not breathing; he wasn't sure how long he had been holding it in. He exhaled sharply in disgust with himself as his hands became clammy and hung loose at his sides. Upon his lips there was no smile, but only a grimace of pain. His throat felt very dry right now. He wanted to move but his feet were rooted.

He pulled his lips inwards and bit down on them for a moment before breathing deep to say, "I...I'm very sorry," was all that he could muster. He looked up to see her eyes upon hers but quickly looked back down at the ground. "I didn't...I...I'm sorry," he attempted. He hadn't been expecting this, but on the same hand how could he know? He was horribly upset with himself that he could be sick, but he refused to do that.

He inhaled and exhaled once again as if preparing himself to look her in the eyes. Shane didn't know what to say, he wasn't experienced with this sort of thing. He didn't know what it felt like to lose anyone. He glanced up into her eyes for moment before looking back down; it was a great pain to look into those brown eyes of hers having just injured her so. His breathing was sharp and painful, as if every time he was breathing in shards of glass.

He licked his lips quickly, raised a hand into his hair, running his digits through the folicles. He looked off over to the castle, "I reckon it's getting late...I should go," he said curtly before walking away, trudging off through the grass. He brought his palm to his head, creating a loud smacking sound and muttered to himself quite lowly, "You're a twit, Shane," still heading toward the castle.