Keep Your Head Up (Peyton)

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Hugo was in a fantastic mood. He just finished his studying for the day (even though he hadn't done that much) and was on his way out of the library. As much as he wanted to do well in his classes, he was not into studying as a general rule, unless he was studying something really interesting or cool. However, that didn't happen all the time with him. Hugo had a bit of a tendency to get bored in class, which he knew wasn't the best thing, but he was over it.

Hugo didn't seem to be the only one that wanted to leave the library right now though. There was a whole crowd of people leaving the room and he was trying to be careful as he made his way through them. He could just wait and follow the crowd, or he could move a little more quickly through them. He did the latter, of course. Hugo wasn't big on patience.

Once he walked out of the library, Hugo's smile widened. It wasn't nearly as crowded out here as it was in the library, which was a definitely relief to him. He walked along the corridor, trying to decide where he wanted to go when someone ran into him. Hugo froze and looked at them. "Hey, are you alright?" he asked

@peytonbainbridge

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Classes were going great, no, they were going fantastic. Maybe it was because Peyton loved reading and learning new things, or perhaps it was because the classes were just easy and came naturally to her, unlike regular school and what ordinary students probably went through. She loved all her classes, or well, most of her classes that is. But that didn’t matter right now, with the school year close to coming to an end it was just the home stretch now, and soon the classes she was taken would be long forgotten until the following school year. When she’d be a sixth year and learning more than she is this year. That was the beautiful thing about Hogwarts, they progressed in basics and opened new possibilities for learning.

At that moment, she was heading towards the library after one of her classes, she had some time to kill, and she usually liked doing so in the library or outside. And from the sounds coming from outside, she was sure it was raining. With a thick load of books within her arms, she was walking, and she was stupidly walking. Attempting to read the top book that was currently opened, she hadn’t been watching where she was gone. Because she ran right smack dab into a person, both of them seem to freeze as the book she was reading fell to the ground with a loud thwack.

‘Hey, are you alright?’

Peyton nodded her head as she quickly bounded down, grabbed the book before raising once more. “I’m fine, so is the book,” she said as she quickly sat it on top, this time closed, before looking at the young man before her. “Are you alright? I’m sorry—I should have been watching where I was going.”

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296 words ;; @hugo
hope this works!

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Hugo was surprised when the person who he collided with suddenly disappeared, but then she popped up again and he grinned. Apparently she had some energy to her and he liked that. She told him she was fine, as was the book and he couldn't help but chuckle softly. "I'm so glad that the book is well," he teased with an easy grin. Then she turned her concern to him, which was just as amusing to Hugo. "I'm just fine," he said without hesitation. Glancing down at her stack of books, his smile widened. "I'm assuming you're on your way to the library," he said with a small nod, then crinkled his nose at her. "Personally, I would not advice a trip there at the moment. It is more crowded than I have ever seen it." He looked at the girl curiously, a part of him wanting to get to know her a bit. She seemed like a cheerful person, which was his favorite type. "I'm Hugo, by the way. Hugo Weasley." There. That was a good way to start to meet someone, by telling your name.

@peytonbainbridge

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If Peyton wasn’t blushing from embarrassment before, she was blushing now all because of his teasing words and rather dashing grin. Quickly she cleared her throat, praying that her pale skin would force the pink that probably appeared upon her cheeks away, or she prayed that this guy would assume that it was just natural makeup blush that randomly appeared. She quickly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, wanting to run away and disappear into the night, never to see this Gryffindor again. She promptly swallowed, already nervous about this social encounter. “Good, good,” she breathed out as she quickly let her free hand return to cradle her books.

“It is?” she questioned as the boy told her not to take a trip to the library due to being crowded, and it surprised her. “I find that rather odd, most people tend to stay far away from the library, but there must be something that calls for dire studying in the library.” She was rambling, she could already feel it. She was about to scare this guy away before she even got his name, and once again she cleared her throat. And just as she did, she was introduced to him, or rather someone that should have already been knows. “Weasley – as in Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes?” she questioned, recognizing the last name from a very nice prank show within Diagon Alley. She had been inside the shop once or twice but never came out with anything. Quickly she laughed, “Sorry, where are my manners. I’m Peyton, Peyton Bainbridge,” she said with a bright smile on her face.

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269 words ;; @hugo

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The girl didn't seem to know how to handle Hugo, which he couldn't help but find amusing. Was he making her nervous or was it the teasing? There really wasn't any way for him to know ... unless they kept talking. The girl questioned when he said that the library was busy and Hugo nodded, confirming that it was. "Yes, it's busier than I've seen it in a long time. Maybe everyone's starting to get nervous about the end-of-year exams?" He suggested. After he introduced himself, she seemed a bit surprised, asking if he was from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. Hugo smiled and nodded, "Yeah, my dad and Uncle Fred run it," he told her with a shrug. He knew his family was famous, but to him they were family. "You like the place?" She introduced herself and Hugo smiled back at her. "Nice to meet you Peyton," Hugo responded easily. "So are you still going to try the library, or are you going to go somewhere else?" He asked curiously. Hugo couldn't help but be curious. People intrigued him.

@peytonbainbridge

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‘Yes, it’s busier than I’ve seen it in a long time. Maybe everyone’s starting to get nervous about the end-of-year exams?’

Peyton thought about it for a moment, and she concluded he was probably right. “Most likely, because of the Tournaments, many people stayed clear of preparing in advance,” she said with a small amused laugh. It was true when something interesting was going on, many people didn’t want to keep their grades and waited until the last minute to do things. That was not Peyton, even during the tournaments timeline she was quick to disappear to the library and do work. It was then that her question was answered, and she learned that Hugo’s father and uncle owned the place. It was, however, followed by a question of liking the place. “I’m not much one for pranks and jokes, but I’ve been inside. It’s a fascinating place,” she said with a smile. She smiled at him rather brightly, “It is nice to meet you as well, Hugo.”

“I think I’ll be going somewhere else,” she said “If it is as busy as you say, it won’t be as quiet as I want it to be,” she quickly concluded. Perhaps she’d go outside or back to the Great Hall where it would be quiet. The last place she’d go would be the common rooms if the other two weren’t as silent as she hoped.

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234 words ;; @hugo

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The girl agreed about his assessment of why the library was probably busy and Hugo grinned at her again. He liked it when people said he was right. Not that he was conceited or anything, it was just a nice feeling. He let the subject drop though, figuring there wasn't much else to say about the Library that hadn't already been said. "There's stuff in there that's not for pranks and jokes," he told her with a teasing shrug. Of course, if she didn't like the style of objects found in the shop, he wasn't going to try and convince her otherwise. The thing was, Hugo was big into pranks and jokes. Not many people knew it, but he loved them. "But I'm glad you've gone in at least. If you hadn't, I'd have to be offended," he winked to make sure she knew he was teasing. 

"Where are you thinking? I can show you a few places on the grounds that are good for studying," Hugo suggested. He really didn't want to interrupt her, but hoped that maybe he could help if she was interested at all. If not, that was fine as well. He could always find someone else to do things with. Maybe Xan was around somewhere ...

@peytonbainbridge

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Peyton concluded that this was the most awkward encounter she had ever had the displeasure of being in. Though, she only had herself to blame. She was the one acting rather awkwardly around him, but she was never really one for social conversations when it came to those that she didn’t know. She was a shy young thing, but eventually, she got over it. As he once again teased, she wanted just to rip off her cheeks, “Is there? I only walked in for a little bit with my sisters before we had to leave, didn’t get to explore much. Maybe one day,” she said with a smile on her still somewhat blushing face. She turned even redder when he winked at her after stating that he would have been offended if she had never been inside. The teasing was endless with this guy, and Peyton’s cheeks were going to be warm by the end of the conversation. “Well it’s a good thing then, I wouldn’t want to offend,” she said in her teasing tone.

‘Where are you thinking? I can show you a few places on the grounds that are good for studying,’

Peyton smiled, “I was going to head back to the Hufflepuff common room, but if you are offering to show me, I don’t see why I can’t pass up on a new place to study and read in peace.” The sounds came out softly but loud enough for him to hear. She was always looking for a new place to dwell within peace, and yet the library was always the place she went to. Now that someone was offering another place, or other places if there were more, she couldn’t say no. Plus, maybe she could get to know the guy so the next time she runs into him, she wouldn’t be a blushing blubbering mess of words. “Lead the way, kind sir,” she said teasingly with the same grin on her face that she wore moments before.

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333 words ;; @hugo

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The girl looked positively flustered and Hugo started to feel a little bit badly for her, even though he wasn't trying to be mean. He was just teasing a little bit, wasn't he? He shrugged, "Yeah, there are a few things, but you don't need to be in any rush to check them out. They're not going anywhere. The next time you go you could check them out is all. No pressure." He hoped that would make her feel more comfortable because he really wasn't trying to make her so embarrassed. He was a bit proud of her for teasing him back, even though he was teasing her. 

Hugo wrinkled his nose when she said she was planning on going back to the common room. "Naaaaah! You can't just go back to the common room! That's boring! I'm sure we can figure out a decent place for you to study in no time. Come on!" Hugo gestured for her to start following him, a grin creeping over his face. This could be fun, looking for the perfect study location for a relative stranger. At least, it'd give him something to do for a while. "This way!" he declared, turning to the right and making a decision whenever they came to a turn or staircase. After a while he turned to her, "Anything here looking good to you?" Hugo asked curiously.

@peytonbainbridge

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Peyton knew that Hugo was teasing her, from the tone of his voice and the way he presented himself. Though from her flustered demeanor, it probably didn’t display that she knew or that she was in on the teasing. She was just so bad at many social interactions; things ended somewhat awkwardly on her part. She smiled at him as he told her, under no pressure what so ever, that she should check the place out more in-depth. “I will, it’ll be one of my many stops over the summer when I go school shopping once more. I’ll make sure if it,” she breathed out, the same smile still plastered on her face as she looked at him.

In the very moment that she mentioned possibly returning to the common room, she watched as his nose wrinkled as in disgust or something along that line. She wanted to laugh at the way his nose scrunched up, instead it resulted in a small amused grin on her lips, “Wha—” she started but was interrupted by his words of her not going back to the common room, calling it boring, and that they would be able to find her a decent place to study and all that. She wanted to laugh, she was used to studying in the common room, but what the heck? New places were always welcome. “Alright,” she said with a small laugh, especially after he declared for her to go in a certain direction. She followed closely behind, her body on autopilot as she followed him through the halls. It wasn’t long before he asked her curiosity if anything looked good to her and she frowned, tapping her chin almost playfully. “I don’t knooow,” she said as she looked over the location that they were currently in.

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300 words ;; @hugo

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She looked so nervous that Hugo kind of felt a little bad about teasing her. He should probably lay off a bit or she would avoid him for the rest of her life probably. Still, she didn't say anything about being embarrassed. She only said that she'd make sure to visit Weasley's Wizard Wheezes sometime during the summer. Hugo nodded, a smile still on his face. "Good. I'm sure it won't disappoint," he told her confidently. 

She seemed confused at first by Hugo's insistence that she find somewhere else to study, but she agreed easily enough and he smiled at her, still trying to be careful not to tease her too much. He didn't want to freak the poor kid out. She followed him through the halls silently and Hugo wondered if ordering her around was the best thing to do either. He really didn't want her to think that he was always this bossy, he was just in a mood today. She looked around, saying she didn't know if she liked anything around here and Hugo smirked at her. He had the feeling she was playing at him. "All right, we'll try somewhere else then. You have any qualifications you're looking for that I should know about?" He was teasing, but also a little serious as he started going up the stairs. He had an idea of another place, but it was pretty high up so it might take a while to get there. If she didn't find something she liked on the way.

@peytonbainbridge

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‘Good. I’m sure it won’t disappoint,’

A smile fluttered onto the blonde’s face, her flesh pink lips, and while it wasn’t the same teasing tone as before, it was nice. While she was embarrassed for part of this encounter, it didn’t mean that she didn’t like the guy, he seemed nice, and it was just his personality. But she always kept her promise, and maybe she’d see him at the store over the summer, or maybe not; who knew until it came to pass. They moved through the hallway, and after stating that she wasn’t sure about the location they currently were in, he smiled and teasingly asked about qualifications for what she’s looking for. She laughed and shrugged her shoulders, “Quiet is at the top of the list,” she said in her teasing tone. She was keeping up with him as they began the trek up the stairs. “So…Hugo, do you know what you want to do after you graduate?” she questioned, wanting to start some small talk as her eyes wandered around the area and her feet continued.

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180 words ;; @hugo

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The girl still seemed super reserved and Hugo was trying to figure out if there was something he could do to make her feel more at ease. He hated making people nervous, so it was just his personality to try and help. He chuckled as she explained that she wanted to study somewhere quiet. That was a given, but he assumed from her tone of voice that she knew that. Was she teasing him back? He was glad, but didn't comment on her tone to try and keep himself from embarrassing her yet again. "I think we can make that work, somehow," he said, making his way up the stairs. "Let's try something a little further up." Maybe up a few flights of stairs. He knew a classroom that was almost always empty ... maybe that would be a good place. He smiled when she asked about his plans. "I want to be a cursebreaker or work in the ministry." He paused, "Probably a cursebreaker though, since my mum is the Minister of Magic. Find some freedom, you know?" Hugo glanced at the girl again. "What year are you? Have you thought about jobs after graduation yet?" 

@peytonbainbridge

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Hugo mentioned going a little further up, and Peyton nodded her head with a smile and quickly followed suit. It wasn’t until he mentioned being a cursebreaker or working in the ministry that she seemed to perk up. The thing that had her floored, however, was that his mother was the Minister of Magic, and she stopped almost on her track. “That is so cool!” she exclaimed, almost startling herself. She realized then that she might have seemed a little foolish that she hadn’t realized right away, but there were a lot of Weasley students at Hogwarts, he could have been the son of anyone. “Though—it wouldn’t it be called Ministress of Magic?” she questioned jokingly to ease the tension that she felt growing between them because of her awkwardness.

The topic quickly changed back towards her, and she smiled, “I’m only a fifth year—but I’ve thought about doing something with magical creatures or even something that involves using the wand…though I’m not sure,” she said with a smile, “I’ll figure it out eventually though,” she finished. “But you know—just because your mom is Minister doesn’t mean that you’ll always see her if you did end up working there. You’ll still have some freedom, but I get wanting to be away from family to do your own thing,” she said with a smile. While she didn’t feel that way about herself, she did understand some people’s want to be free from their family. She was extremely close to many of her siblings, so she hadn’t gotten to that point yet.

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263 words ;; @hugo

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Hugo tried not to grin when Peyton got so excited about his mom being the Minister. It was still weird, admitting that. Sure, he knew it was true and that she was working hard and doing a good job (as far as he could tell), but he hadn't been home since she became minister so it didn't feel real yet. He was positive that would change this summer though. She asked if his mom should be called the "Ministress" of magic and Hugo laughed, not trying to hide his smile anymore. "Honestly, I have no idea. My mum's kind of stubborn, so I can see her keeping it "Minister" just because she can ... but I haven't really thought of that. Nice point." It really was though. Maybe he'd ask his mom about it this summer, see what she preferred. He chuckled as he thought about that potential conversation.

She mentioned that she was only a fifth year and Hugo felt surprised for a second, until he realized he was a sixth year. She was only one year younger than him. That wasn't so different. And she had an idea for what she wanted to do. That was good. "That's cool. So you like creatures and wand lore?" Hugo never really got too into wands, but he never really learned much about them. He was sure that the subject was fascinating, if one made the effort to learn about it. He nodded when she mentioned that he could have some freedom even if his mom was Minister and he worked in the ministry. "Yeah ... I know I'd have some freedom, but I'd always feel like I was being compared or watched or something," he gave a short chuckle. "Yes, I know that's probably all in my head, but it's how I feel. I just need some space at work." Especially since his family was so close. Outside of work, he was sure he'd spend a good portion of his time with his family, so it seemed like a reasonable desire to Hugo. He stopped walked once they reached another landing. "Okay, let's look around here," he suggested, looking at Peyton to see if she liked the look of this spot.

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