pick your battles | kinsey

[Deleted]

high flyers.

THE WHOMPING WILLOW WAS AN INFAMOUS OLD wretch. No student was unawares of its temper. Like a gnarly old lady. So, more or less, people avoided her. And so did Ana. She had no intention of her obituary reading Death by Tree Limb. But, maybe sometimes she forgot to be careful. Maybe sometimes Ana lost herself in a mindless game of keepy-uppy. A distraction from her mounting pile of homework, and the practical presentation she had due in Transfiguration the next day.

It just so happened that Ana's mind had a bad habit of wandering. Her thoughts drawing closed as she bounced the football off the tip of her foot, her knee, even her head once or twice. And it made her feet wander, too as she counted. Her personal best had almost reached 70 once. With a few near misses. So, when that intense focus drew Ana to the edge of an incline, it ended with her precious signed World Cup ball rolling down in to it. And at the bottom of that little incline... 

"No!" Ana spluttered when she lifted her head. But a tree limb was already creaking down to investigate the intruder. Her poor ball caught in a thatch of sticky brambles. Ana's first instinct was to run for it, already on the balls of her feet when the extended branches of that large, hideous tree limb almost decapitated her. Sliding on to the ground, Ana's heart raced, cheek in the dirt.

She lifted her head just in time to see that awful tree side swipe her precious ball, its sharp outreaching branches spearing it on to one. And upward it flew before being shook off in a shower of autumn leaves. Ana whimpered, her lip catching dirt as her eyes followed its great pirouette before the whomping willow shook the ball off. It soared in to the air and well out of sight, already half deflated by the time it disappeared.

Ana stood, her face turning red as she swiped a rock from the ground. "You stupid, overgrown house plant!" She yelled, winding her arm back and launching the rock at the trees body. It landed with a thwack and if the tree had eyes, its whole head would have snapped around to where Ana stood. And with it came the realisation that Ana had just picked a fight with the biggest bully in Hogwarts. "Sh-" She cursed, turning heel and running in an attempt to outrun the trees mighty reach. 

@kinsey

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[Deleted]

Kinsey needed to get out of the castle. The warm days were drawing to a close and she just wanted some fresh air before the cold really came. She wasn't really a fan of winter, so since today was a sunny day she determined she would spent as much of it outside as she could. She considered going to the pond, but rejected the thought almost immediately. Where the pond had once been her favorite place at Hogwarts, she hadn't been able to go back since the night term started, the night Riley broke up with her there. The place was tainted in her memories and while she thought it was beautiful, she knew going there would make her think of him, which she did not want. She thought about Riley enough as it was. 

So she wandered the grounds, not really going anywhere in particular, but finding herself somewhat close to the Whomping Willow when she heard some sort of commotion. She heard someone shouting and when the tree came into view she froze, shocked by what she saw. A girl was throwing rocks at the three? What in the world was going on? Only moments later, the girl turned and started running away. She was still in the trees reach. Kinsey raced forward, pulling her wand out and pointing it at the Whomping Willow. "Immobulus!" she shouted. The spell was intended for living things, but trees were living, weren't they? The limbs froze and she looked to the girl, gesturing for her to keep going. "Fast, come on! I'm not sure how long that will last!" The branches started to twitch slightly and Kinsey was jumping now, telling the girl to hurry. "Quick!" she had her wand out, still pointing at the tree, but she didn't know if it would work twice. Almost in slow motion, the tree started moving again and Kinsey stared, hoping the girl- who she wasn't paying enough attention to recognize- would make it far enough away in time.

@iliana

[Deleted]

high flyers.

ADRENALINE PULSED THROUGH ANA AS SHE RAN, sparing one look over her shoulder as she did. When she turned back, it was to see a girl standing a little ways away, Ana gestured with her hands wildly, too busy panting to tell the girl to run away rather than toward. Instead of interpreting her wild movements, Ana watched in complete shock as the girl took out her wand and fired a spell over her shoulder.

Ana's curiosity overwhelmed her and she looked back to see the tree halted in its pursuit of her, slowing her run as she did. "Brilliant!" She gasped, but the girls warning rang clear in her ears and Ana picked up her speed once again. "Good- good idea..." Her eyes catching hers only to see her face tighten, a clear indication that something was going on over her shoulder.

Ana began sprinting once again, not stopping until she rounded the corner of the herbology green houses. She hoped her saviour was close behind, because Ana wasn't sure she had the guts to turn back. Bracing her hands on her knees, she spat a foamy mouthful of spit on the ground, breathing heavily. When she straightened, she swiped sticky strands of hair out of her face. "That... was close..." She sighed, sagging against the side of a greenhouse and reaching out blindly to pat the other girls shoulder encouragingly. "Thanks for that, mate." 

@kinsey

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[Deleted]

Kinsey couldn't help but smile when her spell worked, though that was short-lived. The girl stopped running and actually looked behind her until she heard Kinsey shouting at her to keep it moving. She kept her wand up, though she wasn't sure how effective it would be to use the spell again. Luckily, the other girl was pretty fast, telling Kinsey it was a good idea as she ran past. 

Once she was out of danger, Kinsey turned to follow her. She was pretty sure the tree hadn't touched the other girl, but she wanted to make sure. She hurried around a green house to see the girl breathing heavily, saying that it was close. Kinsey gave a short, relieved laugh. It seemed like the other girl was fine. "No problem. You ... mind me asking why you were throwing rocks at the Whomping Willow? It doesn't really like being attacked, you know." At least, she'd know that now, but Kinsey couldn't help but ask. That wasn't something she saw every day, after all.

@iliana

[Deleted]

high flyers.

ANA LOVED TO RUN BUT IT WAS DECIDEDLY LESS enjoyable when she was running for her life. Although, she had to admit, the adrenaline rush afterwards almost made it entirely worth it. Slumped against the greenhouses side, Ana squinted at the girl as she tried to recall her name.

"You're a... Bainbridge, right?" She asked between breaths, her tongue poking out to swipe across her dry lips. "Katie, or something?" Ana wasn't the best at names, but she was good with faces. She recognised her from around campus, but Hogwarts was massive, she could only store so many names.

Though, when Kinsey asked why she'd been throwing rocks at the Whomping Willow, Ana groaned and leaned her head back so far it rattled against the glass behind her. Pouting, she reached up to massage the back of her head. "It stole my ball." She muttered, thinking back to her prize 2022 World Cup ball. Her top half fell forward loosely and she braced herself on her arms, head hung low as she grumbled something about "Limited edition," and "never get another one." It was a wonder Kinsey stuck around to listen to her whine, but Ana was feeling rather sorry for herself.

@kinsey

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[Deleted]

Kinsey watched the girl try to catch her breath, not entirely sure what she should do, but deciding to stay for at least a little while. Maybe if she left the girl would go back and try to attack the Whomping Willow again ... yeah, she'd better stay for a bit. 

She nodded at the girl's question. "Yeah, I'm a Bainbridge. It's Kinsey," she offered with a smile. Then she grimaced. "I should know your name too ... you're a Krum, right?" As to the first name, Kinsey had absolutely no idea. It wasn't that she was bad at names, but she only really made the effort of learning people's names if she interacted with them and she and this girl hadn't really ever done anything together. Kinsey was fairly certain she was a seventh year though ... maybe in Hufflepuff? Maybe she'd ask about that next. 

The girl started to moan and lean against the building at Kinsey's question and her eyebrows furrowed curiously. What was she so upset about. "Your ... ball?" Kinsey whispered the words to herself, expecting the girl to explain more, but she could only catch a few words. "Sorry, I didn't get that. How did the Whomping Willow get your ball?" Apparently the ball was very special, which didn't quite make sense to Kinsey, but she wasn't going to judge the girl for it. Everyone liked different things, after all.

@iliana

[Deleted]

high flyers.

CLICKING HER FINGERS ANA NODDED ONE AS she recalled her name. She knew Kinsey, sort of. There were just so many of them, though Ana was sure she shared a class or too with Kinsey. "Right!" Ana said, feeling a little contrite at fudging her name, but recovering quickly as she waved off Kinsey's own battle with her name, it wasn't like she had a leg to stand on. "It's Ana."

Though Ana certainly had a lot of friends, she and the Bainbridge girl obviously ran in different circles. It occurred to her that she should have spoken to the girl sooner. She seemed nice, and a real saviour in times of need. But, better late than never. Her ball, however, was a complete lost cause.

"I was having a kick about and I... got a bit ambitious." Ana said, kicking the glass behind her in frustration before standing up and pushing away from it before she broke something. "I'm such an idiot..." She rolled her eyes skyward and tugged on one of her braids roughly, peering around the corner where the Whomping Willow was still ruffling its branches in irritation.

"You won't get it, it's cool." Ana said, shaking her head glumly as she turned back around. "It was a limited edition World Cup football?" She looked at Kinsey, not really expecting any form of recognition. The only person who would under was Landon, she couldn't wait to complain to him about it later. In the meantime she slung an arm around Kinsey's shoulders and drew in a large breath, painting on a smile.

"It's old news now!" She said in manufactured cheer. "C'mon, I owe you an iced coffee or something." She began to guide Kinsey away from the greenhouses and her precious, abandoned ball. More than happy to forget all about it. "I can usually beg a couple off the elves." She shrugged one shoulder proudly. "If... they're feeling generous." 

@kinsey

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[Deleted]

"Ana," Kinsey repeated, trying to get herself to remember the name. It probably wouldn't be too hard, since she didn't normally meet people when saving them from being murdered by a tree. Also, she was pretty sure this conversation would be a stand-out one. She wouldn't forget Ana.

She listened carefully as the other girl started to explain what happened, that she was kicking her ball around and got ambitious. Kinsey figured that meant she probably wasn't really paying attention to where she was and what tree was close by. Still, she wasn't going to ask for clarification. It was obvious that Ana was quite distraught over the loss of her ball. "No, not an idiot," Kinsey argued, unable to help herself. "Everyone makes mistakes like that sometimes." Maybe not with a special ball, but with messing up things that were important to them. Kinsey seemed to make important mistakes with people all the time, though that was decidedly different than ruining an important ball. 

She said that Kinsey wouldn't get it, but went on to explain that it was a World Cup football. "Wait ... like a Muggle World Cup football?" Kinsey asked, her eyes widening slightly. She wasn't super into sports, but her father was a muggle and he loved football. Sometimes he would rope Kinsey and others of her siblings into watching, which meant she knew all the rules and such. She didn't find the game as exciting as Quidditch, but it wasn't bad either. 

The girl wrapped her arms around Kinsey's shoulders and Kinsey felt her intentions. They weren't negative or anything, she just wanted a distraction. That wasn't a surprise. Kinsey laughed at her words, ready to go along with the girl. "Sounds good to me," she agreed instantly, then chuckled a little, "Well if they're not in the mood to help you out, maybe they'll be in the mood for me." Kinsey was such a regular in the kitchens, from all her years of avoiding the crowds in the great hall during meals that the house elves basically accepted her presence and got her whatever she wanted without any fuss. "I've spent a lot of time down there over the years," she admitted, figuring she might as well say it now so Ana wouldn't be too surprised once they were actually in the kitchens and it was obvious. 

@iliana

[Deleted]

high flyers.

THOUGH ANA WAS NOT CONVINCED SHE HAD company when it came to her stupidity, she admired Kinsey's attempt to make her feel better. Everybody did make mistakes, but did they start a fight with the Whomping Willow? Not likely. Ana couldn't help but dread the coming conversation she would have when she retold the event to Landon. She wouldn't stop hearing about it for months.

"Yeah..." Ana said, nodding her head. She almost always forgot to add 'Muggle' in front of her football chatter. Time and exposure had blended the lines between wizard and muggle, especially when it came to sport. They were both so equally important to Ana. "Have you heard of it?" Ana asked, almost hopeful as she looked at Kinsey. Unable to rein in her excitement at the prospect of a girl to talk footie with.

"You got an in with the elves?" Ana asked conspiratorially, arm still slung around Kinsey as they walked. "Cause I could use an in..." She quirked her brows with a smile. Though Ana was often trying to sneak snacks from the kitchens, it was with an unpredictable amount of success. She was a little bit full on for them at times. "They're a bit choose-y, you know?" 

@kinsey
we could potentially end this here? maybe do something else with them next?

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[Deleted]

Kinsey grinned when Ana confirmed her question. "Yeah, I've heard of it. My dad is a muggle and he loved football. Growing up, we always watched the World Cup, along with a bunch of other games." There! Something that she and Ana had in common. Maybe Kinsey wasn't as into it as her dad was, but she definitely knew the sport and watched a fair share of it growing up. 

She nodded when Ana asked about how Kinsey got along with the elves. "Yeah, you could say that," Kinsey answered with a sly smile. "I eat there a lot, so they're used to me. I like to think that they like me," though she technically didn't really have proof of that. "You're welcome to come with me whenever you want. They always get whatever I want for me." Kinsey had a bit of a theory about that, actually. Maybe the house elves could sense about her gift and knew she struggled in large crowds and that was why they never seemed to mind her coming. She knew that others hadn't been so lucky with them, but was grateful she had.

@iliana  (end? Or you want one more?)