*Aiden was sitting in a chair by one of the windows of the library. Snow was gently falling through the sky and people could be seen out of the the window having snowball fights and ice skating on the lake amongst other things. He despised the cold, though, so he was reading in the warmth of the castle. The book was "Wizards for God", a critically acclaimed piece about witches and wizards and their involvement in religion. Their lack of it, their desire for it, the evolution of it- a very controversial piece, but it was just the type of thing that he liked to read. He was completely engrossed in the book, unaware of the happenings around him.*

The sky might as well have fallen to the ground. Felicity was in the library. More than that, she was being quiet in the library. She was frowning as she searched for a book she needed...the book she actually wanted, you see, was already in her arms. It read Ooze Slime, and 101 Other (Almost) Harmless Hexes. Felicity didn't necessarily have a list of people whom she would like to hex, but she enjoyed learning them just in case they came in handy one day. However, not even the thought of an enemy oozing slime out their ears and nose could bring a smile to Felicity's face as she resignedly pulled down Advanced Potions: A Remedial Overview. Felicity's lack of attention in class combined with the fact she rarely finished her homework essays had made her professor suggest she invest her time in some serious studying, lest she be dropped from the course.

She turned and began to make her way to where Madam Pince sat waiting, but her attention caught on a familiar Ravenclaw boy sitting at the windowsill, his head buried in a book. A smile spread over her face and she immediately changed her course. She flounced up to his table, plopped her books down, and sat with a rather loud exlcamation of "Hey Aiden!" Then, remembering times she had formerly been thrown out of the library, she ducked down a little as if to hide her bright blonde head and whispered, "I mean, hi. How are you?" She glanced at the book he was reading - it looked familiar; she swore she had seen it in her house. "Ooh, is that Wizards for God?" she asked, "I've heard it's really good." She paused, knowing that staement was only partially true, and Aiden was sure to know as much - he knew her much too well. "I mean, my parents read it...I think," she corrected sheepishly. She grinned up at him in the hopes that he would be willing to abandon his reading for a bit in order to entertain her.

*Aiden looked up at Felicity with a slightly annoyed look on his face before he realized that it was her that had screamed. It would've only bothered him if it was anyone but her, really. Or anyone he wanted to see. His expression quickly turned to a smile.*

Aiden:"I should've known it was you from how loud it was. I'm good. Oh, and I wouldn't be surprised if your parents have read it, a lot of people have. It's better than they say, because it mentions some really interesting stuff."

Felicity was relieved that the annoyed expression faded from his face so quickly. She felt as if she hadn't talked to him in forever, even though it hadn't been that long. And she hoped he didn't ask why he hadn't seen her, because the reason was detention. She needed to start doing her homework in Potions if she wanted to have weekends free, she had discovered. Although she would have normally tuned out anybody that was trying to tell her about a book like Wizards for God (after all, her parents read it!), Aiden held her attention.

"Really?" she asked, snatching it from him and flipping through the pages. From what she could see, it didn't teach any neat spells - perhaps you had to read very closely. "Don't worry, I saved your page," she assured him as she handed it back, her pinky finger revealing the page he had been on.

"I'm so glad you're here," she announced, beaming, "I was looking all over for you this morning at breakfast, where were you? Oh yeah, I was late, never mind. But anyway, I have something to tell you!" And she paused for dramatic effect, wanting to gauge his reaction.

*Aiden watched anxiously as she flipped through the book. It wasn't his, and if she ripped it or did something to it, which God knew was very possible....*
Aiden:"Thanks." *he said when she handed it back, unharmed, and with his place saved.*"And what would it be that you have to tell me?" *he asked with a raise of his eyebrow.*


OOC: sorry I haven't replied in so long. :ph43r: :unsure:

Being friends with Aiden meant that she knew and loved some of his tendencies, and knew and tolerated others. When she handed the book back, she knew that at the moment, he was tolerating hers. And so she made a mental note next time to simply ask him if there were any cool spells in it instead of looking for herself.

"Okay, well, two things," she replied, "And the first is that I've decided to try out for Quidditch!" This time, the pause was much shorter. She wanted to head him off before he reminded her why she wasn't on the team in the first place. "I know I'm a little, um, forgetful about things like practices," she said quickly, "But I think I'll be able to remember this year! And you know Mum said no new broom unless I make the team, so...I'm going to!"

She gave him a short bit of time to digest this information before moving on. "And also..." hmm, what was a good way to say this? "Well, Casey likes a Slytherin," she said carefully, "One that I happen to be annoyed by. So, I talked to her about it and I figured that it was okay, you know, as long as he makes her happy and all that, but I just needed to tell someone because I think he's ridiculous." She gave a sigh and then eyed him suspiciously. "So if you happen to be having a love affair with another annoying Slytherin boy, this would not be the time to tell me," she warned, and then, anxiously, "You're not, right?"

Aiden:"No, don't worry about it. He's a Gryffindor." *he added the hint about Tristan. If she wasn't paying attention, she probably wouldn't have noticed it. He smiled slyly. He had been waiting to tell someone about Tristan, but the time and place never seemed right.*"But you're signing up for Quidditch? That's really cool- we'll be playing against each other! What position are you playing?"

"Okay, good," said Felicity dismissively, "I'll be playi-" But suddenly, a rather confused look crossed her face. "Wait, what?" she squealed excitedly (and rather loudly). Catching herself once more, she quieted her voice and asked, "A Gryffindor? Who? When?"

Now she looked half-exasperated. If Aiden had someone to tell her about, he should have told her that he had news, as well. In fact, he should have been up and looking for her right that moment rather than reading Wizards for God. Just the same, she was excited for her friend - still thankful it wasn't another Slytherin, though. Gryffindors weren't half bad. In fact, Felicity often got teased that she should be in Gryffindor (by people who mistook her loudness for bravery rather than airheadedness).

Aiden:"Calm down, or you're going to get us both thrown out." *he scolded, but not meaning it at all. Her over-excitement made him extremely happy.*"His name is Tristan. I met him about a week and a half ago in Hogsmeade. Apparently he's in our year, I just never noticed him before or something really ridiculous like that. He's keeper for the Gryffindor team, so playing him is going to be pretty interesting." *he smirked.*

Felicity didn't mind the scolding at all. In fact, she rarely minded scholding of any sort. She simply stuck her tongue out at him, knowing he didn't mean it, and waited with a rather demanding expression on her face for him to spill the details.

A week and a half! She rolled her eyes at this. Aiden would make her wait. She beamed at him when he finished. "Tristan," she repeated excitedly, her voice barely above a whisper, "Oh, Aiden, this is great! Hah, and he plays Keeper, you say? Oh by the way I'm going to try for a Chaser, so I'll be kicking his butt, but anyway...so how serious is this Tristan thing?"

She racked her brains to try to remember if she had ever met this Tristan guy. She had had many classes with the Gryffindors before, but leave it to her to not pay attention unless something was right in front of her face. Oh, well, now she knew who to keep an eye out for.

*Aiden shrugged. Serious? It was far from it.*

Aiden:"It's not, to be honest. We met in the streets and I was already sort of drunk. He was freezing and looked like he was starving, so we went for a drink. It got to the point that we were both p*ssed out of our minds and...you know how I get." *he smirked. She'd been around him when he was drunk plenty of times.*"But we both like each other a lot. So it's not exactly official yet."

Felicity giggled at Aiden's explanation. She hadn't really expected them to be dating or anything - she would have absolutely killed him if he had not told her about it, but she was pleased to hear that they both liked each other. She was also remembering previous times when Aiden had been drunk, which were more than reason to laugh.

"Well, that's definitely exciting news," she declared firmly, "In fact, makes my news seem only mildly interesting in comparison. But anyway, you have to keep me updated on this you know," she added sternly, finishing in a mutter, "A week and a half."

She leaned back in her chair, grinning at her friend. It looked like things were starting to get interesting - for everyone except her. But perhaps her time was soon to come. In any case, she tended to create enough adventure by herself; she wasn't sure she needed anything else going on in her life. Which reminded her of a current problem...

"Oh, by the way," she said offhandedly, "I've been trying to make a Spell Resistant Draught. It's not going so well - I think I added the lacewings to soon - but I thought maybe you could help me out a bit?"

She gave him the most winning smile she could muster. She knew he would not be shocked that she was breaking the rules, but there was always the chance he would try to change her mind about it. Hey, the potion was brewing, there was nothing she could do about it now. However, it was very disappointing to brew a useless potion and with Aiden's help, she could probably fix it and get some very good use - er, experience - out of it. Besides, she had chosen a very good hiding place.

Aiden:"No, the thought of you playing Quidditch is much more amusing." *he teased, laughing a bit.*"And since I don't want you to do something that would end with your death, I'll help you with the potion." *he added. They'd be able to find some way around the problem...eventually.*

Felicity stuck her tongue out at the mention of her Quidditch skills. She raised her eyebrow at him and gave him a look that could well have said, Yeah? Just wait til we play each other.. But when he agreed to help her with the potion, she beamed.

"Ooh, you're the best," she declared. She glanced at a large clock on the wall and suppressed a groan with difficulty. Sighing, she stood up. "Well, I guess I have to leave you to your reading," she declared, although she knew Aiden wouldn't necesarily be disappointed about this. "I have to study," she added dully, as if the torture had already begun, "But anyway, you know that old classroom on the third floor that nobody uses cause someone cursed smelly fungus onto one of the walls? Meet me there tomorrow night, kay?"

Yeah, it wasn't the best spot in the castle. But it was definitely an ideal place for brewing a forbidden potion. She flashed Aiden a smile as she tucked her books under her arm.