sunshowers | open

[lulu anne blishwick]

School was back in session at Hogwarts. While Lulu was happy to be able to play quidditch with her housemates again, and hang with her friends daily, she hated the stressful academics part of school. She always wanted to do better, to achieve greatness. Everything just seemed to take more effort for her. Lulu didn't do poorly in school, nor was she a bad student, but homework and studying was a never-ending struggle for the purple-haired snake. She was easily distracted and didn't like admitting to being bad at anything, causing her to always fight with her pride when she was wrong.

The library was a source of unproductivity for the young Blishwick, which was why she'd usually do her homework in bed, ultimately driving her roommates insane through the late hours of the night. The library had too many distractions and people around for her to talk to. And everyone knew that Lulu could talk...to anyone. It didn't matter if it were a bum, the police, or your old nan, she had a way with people and getting her way. Always.

This afternoon the sun was shining and the birds were chirping. The weather was perfect so she made her way to the lake with her book bag slung over one arm lazily and her hair down. Her intention was to read or do work, but once she got sight of the fluffy clouds up above, her agenda changed slightly. Throwing herself on the plush green grass next to the black lake, she used her book as the worst pillow in the world and watched as the clouds drifted by, taking in a deep breath and exhaling. The sun felt amazing on her skin as she closed her eyes, a small smile creeping onto her lips.

OPEN 

[Deleted]

On the one hand, being back at Hogwarts was weird. Having only been there for the spring semester prior to the start of that academic year, Chrissy hadn't had the opportunity to spend as much time around the other students in her year. She had started her fifth year with a new last name, too, so she was sort of surprised that anyone at all had remembered who she was—the perpetual foster kid who had always tried to blend into the background at Ilvermorny.

On the other hand, she had been adopted, and Alyra Pond was officially her "mother", even though Chrissy couldn't bring herself to call Lee her "mom" at all. Still, the relative stability that being adopted brought her provided her with a new lease on life. She could finally move past some of what had been haunting her for years, and not having to repeat her fourth year was a huge part of that.

Being in the classroom wasn't Chrissy's favorite thing. It was stressful, though it wasn't as though Chrissy didn't apply herself to the material. She really did try, though she felt that she was still behind in her academics from essentially having missed half a year of schooling a year before. It wasn't as anxiety-inducing to be outside of the castle, for a multitude of reasons. For one, Chrissy didn't feel as trapped beyond the stone walls of the school.

It helped that the weather outside was really nice for a change. The sun was out; it wasn't raining, and Chrissy was relieved to have the free time to spend enjoying it. She felt free, if she could put it that way, and made her way down in the direction of the Black Lake. Chrissy knew that nothing in Britain would get close to the Californian weather that she knew and loved, but it was warm(er), and the sky was blue with just a few nice, puffy clouds.

There was another student—an older girl whom Chrissy vaguely recognized—already lounging on the grass, using her book in place of an actual pillow. That wasn't the worst idea, Chrissy thought to herself as she approached, waving a little so that she wouldn't startle the other girl. "Hi. Is it cool if I sit here?" Chrissy checked with her, hanging back a few feet before she did anything.

lulu anne blishwick

[lulu anne blishwick]

A slight breeze sent hair flying into her face. She could have easily fallen asleep in the grass if she wanted to, so she tested herself as She closed her eyes for a brief moment, they flickered open to the sound of an unfamiliar females voice asking politely if she could sit down. She erupted with a small breathy giggle, "I don't know, is it?" she asked in a playful tone with a dreamy smile as she sat up slightly. She wasn't trying to be rude or offend the girl in the slightest, she seemed nice, and Lulu wasn't ~that kind of Slytherin.

The blue-haired snake smiled, propping her arms behind her head - much more comfortable than the book - as she waved her over to sit. She was always willing to make a new friend, especially if it were someone that wanted to talk. "You're welcome to hang out, mate." she offered, patting the plush grass. "I'm just lazing around, scoping out the clouds..My name is Lulu Blishwick," the snake introduced herself in a friendly, easy going tone. Her eyes darted up and to the sky as she gestured upwards to the fluffy cotton candy clouds above forming an odd shapes which sent a goofy smile to her face, "That cloud looks like a giraffe riding a unicycle." she blurted, quite excited for the discovery.

@chrissy

[Deleted]

"I don't know, is it?" Well, thought Chrissy, was it? The other girl had giggled, though she didn't seem to be mocking her. It was the pleasant kind of laughter, like she was enjoying herself, and Chrissy watched as the girl sat up.

She didn't move closer to her, however, until the girl clearly motioned her in that direction. "You're welcome to hang out, mate," she told her, patting a spot on the grass. Chrissy still hadn't quite picked up on all of the British slang, though she knew that "mate" was a word for a friend. It didn't stop her from making her think of how a pirate might speak, though. "I'm just lazing around, scoping out the clouds…" the other girl added. "My name is Lulu Blishwick."

Chrissy nodded and sat down on the grass, right where Lulu had indicated. She was glad that Lulu didn't seem to mind the company, and she watched her as she focused on the clouds again.

"That cloud looks like a giraffe riding a unicycle," Lulu pointed out to her suddenly.

Looking up to see the cloud in question for herself, Chrissy thought that it did actually sort of look like how Lulu had described. If she sort of squinted at it and angled her head the right way, she could see the resemblance—not that she had ever seen a giraffe on a unicycle before.

"I'm Chrissy Cr—Chrissy Pond. Sorry," she apologized, glancing quickly back over at Lulu. She had had to stop herself from giving the girl the wrong last name. Because she had changed it upon her adoption, it was still new to her, and she had only had it for a few months. Stopping herself from writing "Crawford" instead of "Pond" on all of her school assignments took some effort, but she was glad to have switched her name to match Lee's. "I'm a fifth-year in Gryffindor," she explained—and obviously an American.

lulu anne blishwick

[lulu anne blishwick]

Lulu dug her fingers into the grass, enjoying the feeling of the dirt on her fingertips. She pulled a couple of clumps of grass out of the ground absentmindedly, listening as the girl introduced herself as Chrissy. She wasn't sure if she had a stutter, or maybe just a little awkward, but either way she seemed nice. Lulu wanted to make her feel comfortable. 

"Nice, I'm in sixth year." she told her, forgetting to tell her those details in her introduction. Her expression darkened in jest, "I'm a Slytherin though, so like, watch out. We're supposed to be rivals, y'know..." She warned her playfully, feigning a tough expression that faded into a smile and giggle. She was only trying to break the ice for Chrissy. Her head tilted to the side, her accent didn't sound like it were from the UK or anywhere near there.  "Are you one of the American students, Chrissy?" she asked her in a quick and curious tone, not trying to sound judgey, but definitely sounded a little...well, judgey. She followed it with a smile though and she waggled her eyebrows. 

@chrissy

[Deleted]

Chrissy knew that she probably should have expected that not everyone at school thought that she was some freak, especially the Hogwarts kids who didn't actually know anything about her, but she had developed a habit of going into every interaction as though everyone knew that she was the girl with the tragic past. It was easier that way, because it meant less disappointment when people did give her funny looks. Starting a new year with a new last name also wasn't something that really happened, and she had gotten some interesting looks from a few of her teachers. She wasn't one of those people who got married really young or anything, but she wondered if that was the suspicion.

Lulu said that she was in her sixth year and a Slytherin, which she said meant that they were supposed to be rivals. Some of the Slytherin students did seem to take that seriously, Chrissy had observed, but Lulu seemed to be poking fun at the idea that they shouldn't be socializing with one another just because of their Houses. The transfer to Hogwarts from Ilvermorny had probably interrupted some of that dynamic, Chrissy thought; students from all of the Ilvermorny Houses had ended up in each of the different Hogwarts ones, so hopefully the rivalries weren't as bad. She tried to stay away from all of the House politics regardless, so maybe that was just her perception.

"Are you one of the American students, Chrissy?"

Chrissy nodded, cracking a genuine smile when she saw how Lulu was moving her eyebrows. "Yeah," she laughed. "I'm one of the Ilvermorny transfer students. I'm from California."

lulu anne blishwick

[lulu anne blishwick]

"California, eh." she repeated after her, shaking her head up and down because she knew where that was. "That's one of the states I've heard of." she shared, probably sounding like a complete ditz but not caring. They were just hanging out and conversing anyways. She gestured with her hands, flailing about, "The land of the golden tans and Muggle celebrity folks.." she said with a wicked smile, wondering if it were actually true.

Lulu sat up on her elbows a little bit, turning to her new friend Chrissy. "Do you like it here?" she asked her, seeming to genuinely care. As much as it was uncomfortable having so many extra bodies at the school, she got used to it last year, so she didn't mind having the Americans around. Plus it meant the possibility of more friends and more people to recruit to play quidditch with her.

@chrissy

[Deleted]

"California, eh." Chrissy wasn't sure how Lulu had taken it. There were a lot of things that came to people's minds at the mention of her home state. "That's one of the states I've heard of," Lulu mentioned, which got another laugh out of Chrissy. She knew what all fifty states were and could name them, but it would have taken up a decent amount of time to make sure that she hadn't repeated any or left any of the others out. It was sort of funny to her, though, that there were only a handful out of that fifty that people from outside of the United States could name with ease. California, she guessed, and probably some of the more unique-looking ones, places like Texas and maybe Florida. "The land of the golden tans and Muggle celebrity folks…"

Chrissy smiled. Hailing from Southern California, she knew that that was very much the perception, and maybe it wasn't completely untrue. There were even magical celebrities living in California, with people like the Weekly family, but she didn't really know them or hang out with them or anything. Pasadena was just far enough away from the mess of Hollywood and the supposed glitz and glamour that came with it to be peaceful, though she had been in so many foster homes that everything just blurred together at some point beyond the years that she had had with her parents.

"Do you like it here?" Lulu wondered.

It was better than the alternative, thought Chrissy to herself, but she didn't know how to bring that up without coming across as weird. She was grateful that Lee had been able to bring her to Hogwarts and even more grateful that she had chosen to adopt her. she was grateful that she didn't have to move again unless it was with Lee, but she still wasn't used to Hogwarts completely. "It's okay," she settled on as her answer, stretching herself out upon the grass. She had begun not to hate every second of being there, but she knew that it would take more time before she would be comfortable. She had a friend and sort of a sister in Mazie, who was legally her aunt, but she hadn't ever wanted to bother her too much by spending time with her. "I sort of have an… aunt who came from Ilvermorny with me," she admitted, halfway puzzling over if "aunt" was the word that she wanted to use, "but she's really more like a sister, I guess?" Yet she and Mazie hadn't really known each other as Ilvermorny students; it was only because of Lee.

lulu anne blishwick

[lulu anne blishwick]

Lulu's head cocked to the side with interest, her mouth going small. "Juuuust 'Okay', huh?" she asked in a blasé tone, meant to be take comical but she kind of wanted to know. The purple haired snake chuckled and smiled. Chrissy went on with explaining she was staying with an aunt who was more like a sister. That sounded cool. She always wanted a sister but was stuck with two stupid brothers.

She nodded her head along, "That's wicked" she told her, actually meaning it. "Is she like your legal guardian or something?" Lulu asked curiously, always excited to learn about new people. Especially Americans. They were kind of weird but she liked that. They were certainly more friendly than most kids from Hogwarts, that was for sure. Her eyes tore away and shot back up to the sky to a more questionable cloud she couldn't decipher.

@chrissy

[Deleted]

Lulu seemed almost skeptical when she said that Hogwarts was okay, but Chrissy didn't really know what else to say. It could have been a lot worse, but it could have been a lot better. In short, then, it wasn't fantastic… so it was just okay.

The reaction that she got from the older girl about having an aunt who had come to Hogwarts with her wasn't what Chrissy had expected it to be. If she was understanding her right, she actually thought that it was… cool? "Is she like your legal guardian or something?"

"No, um…" Chrissy shook her head, glad to see that Lulu was looking up at the clouds and not directly at her, waiting for an answer. She wouldn't have been surprised if there were a number of people who were mostly just under the care of their older siblings or other relatives who also happened to be teenagers, but that wasn't the case for her. "I'm… I was adopted," she explained. "So her sister is, uh, legally my mom…" Some of her classmates probably had been wondering about her relatively sudden change of surname, though at least nobody had really asked. At least they hopefully hadn't thought that it was because she had gotten married or something. Explaining that she had been adopted was sort of better than explaining that she was a foster kid, Chrissy felt, too.

lulu anne blishwick

[lulu anne blishwick]

Lulu's expression flickered into a more happy expression when she put the dots together after Chrissy shared that she was adopted by her sister. "That's lovely that she could step up and do that for you. She's probably a fantastic and responsible lady." Lulu chimed, trying to keep the conversation lighter. She had a feeling like Chrissy had a rough childhood by the way she presented herself and the information she was sharing with her. The purple-haired snake loved to learn about people, she was straight up nosey at times but never meant it in a malicious way. She never planned to use the information against people, well, unless if they were jerks but Chrissy didn't seem like that type of person, thankfully. She seemed timid an shy, but nice. Lulu liked nice people. It was nice to be nice, she didn't understand why her other classmates weren't on the same page when it came to bullying.

Lulu sighed to herself, propping her head behind her hands and her eyes flickered back up to the quick-moving clouds, " I've always wanted an older sister, but alas, I have two rowdy brothers.." she lamented, making a barfing sound as she pictured their stupid faces. Her eyes brightened when she seemed to remember something. Lulu rolled to her side to fetch her shoulder bag and dig inside, she pulled out a pack of sealed Caldron Cakes, "Want one?" she asked her, offering her new friend a cake treat.

@chrissy
(OMG!! I just saw I never responded to this....I'm so sorry!!!)

[Deleted]

"That's lovely that she could step up and do that for you," Lulu told her. Chrissy had heard that from a few people, but it tended to be more around the lines of older people who were fawning over how lucky she was to have been adopted. She guessed that she appreciated the sentiment, though she occasionally got frustrated by it. It was complicated, without a doubt, but Lulu's comment also wasn't patronizing like some of the reactions she had gotten. It didn't sound like Lulu was pitying her. "She's probably a fantastic and responsible lady," she said of Lee.

Chrissy nodded her head in agreement with that statement. "Yeah," she concurred. Lee was fantastic and definitely responsible. Some people might not have thought so without knowing her, because she was relatively young, but that wasn't the case for anyone who knew her and knew how accomplished she was.

She was glad that Lulu didn't press her on anything. Instead, she said that she wished she had a sister; she had "two rowdy brothers" and didn't sound overly thrilled about them, judging by the gagging noise she made. Chrissy smiled and forced a little bit of air out of her nose as if to laugh.

Just then, Lulu rolled over. She appeared to have become distracted by something, and Chrissy wasn't sure what she had gone looking for in her bag at first… until she pulled out what was clearly a pack of Cauldron Cakes.

"Want one?" Lulu offered her.

After a second, Chrissy blinked and pulled her legs back in. She looked at the cake and then to Lulu. "Oh, um, sure," she replied. "Thank you."

lulu anne blishwick

[lulu anne blishwick]

Chrissy agreed to a cauldron cake and Lulu's eyes widened excitedly. Satisfied that she'd enjoy a treat with her. Eating was one of her favorite past times. She smiled when she took one, "You're welcome! Thanks for coming by to say hello" she told her happily, cheers-ing cakes before taking a bite.

Lulu smiled into the sunshine like a leisurely sunbathing cat, chomping into her cauldron cake in pure bliss before devouring the cakey goodness. After a quiet moment of serene cauldron cake eating, she had a thought. She turned to her new friend for story time, "Yesterday as I was taking a stroll by the Forbidden Forests edge, jammin' to some tunes like I usually do when the weather is nice, I made a discovery..." she shared, eyes widening into a curious grin as she stopped. "You've ever seen a fairy ring before, Chrissy?" she asked, already prepared to sprint off to show her something cool.

Well, she thought fairy rings were cool...some people may just think it was nothing but a weird ring of mushrooms in the forest. Lulu didn't know much about the Fae but she enjoyed discovering their presence in every day scenarios and enjoyed that they had a reputation for being tricksters. She was a little curious if it was still there untouched by her schoolmates, she hoped so.

@chrissy

[Deleted]

Lulu told her that she was welcome for the Cauldron Cake, and she thanked her for having come over and said hello. Chrissy nodded thoughtfully as she took a bite out of the Cauldron Cake that Lulu had given her. Maybe it had been a good thing to approach someone new after all, she considered, even if it had been outside of her comfort zone to take that step. It made her think that maybe not everyone at Hogwarts was as bad or as judgmental as she felt they were.

Neither of them said anything for a little bit, but it wasn't because of tension or awkwardness. Chrissy didn't mind not being made to talk constantly, and it was Lulu, anyway, who spoke up first.

She said that, as she had been walking by the edge of the Forbidden Forest the previous day, she had made a discovery, but she left it as a cliffhanger at first. At first, Chrissy didn't know how to take that and braced herself for something really dramatic. But what Lulu asked wasn't as frightening as Chrissy anticipated. "You've ever seen a fairy ring before, Chrissy?"

"…A fairy ring?" Chrissy echoed. "I mean, I know what fairies are," she added, though they weren't exactly how people in the No-Maj world thought of them and tended to be used for decorative purposes in the magical world. "But a… ring?" She wasn't sure what Lulu meant by that. "They're, um, kind of small to wear jewelry, aren't they?"

lulu anne blishwick

[lulu anne blishwick]

The purple haired snake bobbed her head up and down when she mentioned that fairys would be too small for jewelry. "Aye. They certainly are, I'd imagine." she agreed with a fervent nod. Her nose crinkled into a smile at the thought of fairies wearing hand made jewelry. She grabbed her new friend by the arm and squealed, "I wonder how small their jewelry may be.." she mused excitedly, eyes widening at the thought. She chuckled a bit before springing to her feet and chopping the air because it made her feel like a ninja. "Coooome with meeee, Chrissyyy" she sang in a beautiful opera style accompanied by interpretive dance. She flailed her arms as she skipped toward the area she mentioned before. It was closer than she thought. 

She led Chrissy toward the edge of the Forbidden Forest, though some Ego Tripping Power Prefects may disagree and state that they were technically inside. Lulu would fight for an adults opinion, or more realistically, tell them to eat shit and die, making the detention more worth it now. Though she agreed that route was harsh... She enjoyed breaking rules when it was more, well, intentional.

Lulu crouched down as she gestured with wiggy jazz hands toward a beautiful ring of mushrooms under a willow tree. Her eyes widened as she grinned, "Look how cool they are!!" she exclaimed with another squealed, pointing and gawking at it excitedly with a little shimmy dance. This girl was too hyped over mushrooms.

@chrissy
fairy ring for your viewing pleasure lol