Ariel was never the sort of girl to relax around people. She was always on her guard for a fresh bit of gossip, her hair never out of place, her trendy outfits never out of style. If there was one thing her mother taught her it was that looks and power were all that would get you through life. Therefore, it was not often that she got to let down her guard which is why she enjoyed going to the lake.

The lake was usually one of the most popular places to visit on the grounds. But if you waited until just before curfew to go it was the perfect time to be alone. Once Ariel had passed all the other students making their way into the castle she would let down her hair, throw her shoes under a tree and set off for a walk, tiptoeing in the soft sand until she reached the waters edge. It wasn’t often that she didn’t have to worry about her soft curls getting frizzy, her clothes getting wrinkled, or what anyone would think.

Occasionally, she’d come across the random couple making out under a tree but they never noticed who she was or what she looked like. It was simply Ariel and her thoughts… it was a time for reflection and contemplation. Soon enough the school year would be over and Ariel would be headed for her grandmother’s house. Her mother was probably already in Italy with her newest fiancé… the seventh fiancé out of a long history of boyfriends, dates, and “friends”.

Ariel dreaded summer… it was just another time for her mother to ignore her until her current boyfriend broke up with her. Then Ariel and her grandmother would have to pick up whatever pieces were left and what for them to get broken all over again. Honestly, Ariel could see what was so appealing about men that her mother could never be without one. As far as she was concerned they weren’t to be trusted… too predictable in their ways of lying, cheating, and using women. Wouldn’t her mother ever learn?

Ariel kicked the water in frustration, her balance slipping until she fell into the water with a splash. She couldn’t help but sigh… the skirt she was wearing was hand-stitched from France. Instead of jumping to her feet Ariel laid back in the shallow water, content to let the cool water embrace her back and partially soak her hair. The stars were starting to come out, winking their hello in the fading twilight.

“I hate goodbyes!” Ariel exclaimed to herself, thinking how she’d be gone from Hogwarts in just two days.

Hadley was taking a casual stroll in the fading light.She was wearing a light sundress that she prayed would be easy to swim in.Her long cinnamon hair was flying about her face in a gentle gust of wind.Hadley closed her eyes and waded into the lake and let the cool water rush onto her legs.Then she stepped on something odd-feeling.It was an arm!
"Oh my God!I'm so sorry!" Hadley gasped as her eyes snapped open.

Fox was always caught strolling around. He hated being anywhere for longer than needed. He liked keeping himself active so that his head stayed clear of all thoughts of going home for the summer.

His father would be there, waiting to put Fox into whatever ridiculous routine of trouble he could think of. On top of that , Damien was around. Fox's former mentor, apparently newly re-hired, was another reason Fox's mood had grown melancholy. Everyone thought they had it bad, going home for the summer, having to deal with their trivial family problems. Other than Flame Harshing, Fox couldn't imagine anyone going home to what he did.

Fox's thoughts were interrupted by a loud splash. His azure gaze fell upon the lake. He wasn't interested if she needed help, he was interested because he could tell it was Ariel Radcliff. Fox smirked. She was a spitfire. And it intrigued him that she pretty much despised Fox for his reputation with girls.

He casually walked over, without her noticing. She seemed to be too content in the water.

"I take a stroll down from the castle and you can't help but get yourself all.." He paused and looked to the younger girl standing nearby and refrained from saying what he planned to spare that youngsters ears. He returned his azure eyes to Ariel and raised a mischievious brow. He was sure Ariel would have gotten his reference. He smirked and ran his tounge across his teeth.

He had to admit, Ariel was incredibly good looking, and her soaked clothes and hair weren't doing anything to deter that. But it was her loss that she wanted nothing to do with men.

OOC: Hadley's RP-er... just so you know. It is characteristic for Ariel to be bitchy or rude at times. Don't take it as a sign that you're not welcome to RP in this thread!

IC:

“Watch it!” Ariel snapped as pressure was exerted across her forearm. She scowled up at her assailant as the girl in front of her exclaimed, ”Oh my god! I’m so sorry!”

Bending her arm to make sure it was indeed still attached Ariel ran a quick eye over her unfortunate companion. The girl looked younger and for some reason was wearing a sundress instead of the school uniform most people wore during the day. It made her hard to identify what house she was in, but it really didn’t matter. The only people who used the expression “oh my god” had to be Muggle-born; any person of legitimate blood lines would never use that Muggle expression.

“It’s still attached…barely,” Ariel replied in response to the younger girl’s apology. She knew that she had a reputation for being stuck up and somewhat of a bitch to people who didn’t know her. The other girl stepped on her arm, however, and Ariel wasn’t really inclined to be friendly at the moment when her solitude was so rudely intruded upon.

“I’m sure I will miraculously live through the experience of getting my arm stepped on,” Ariel stated, lying back in the water once more. “You can go on with whatever you were so intent on doing that you didn’t notice a human body lying right in front of you. I’m sure that whatever it was must have been important.”

Closing her eyes she hoped that she could find that moment of tranquility she’d been so close to experiencing.

"I take a stroll down from the castle and you can't help but get yourself all.."

Ariel’s eyes flew open at the familiar voice to stare straight up into the face of Fox Canning. A brief moment of mortification and embarrassment went through her as she realized she was laying there in her soaked white school blouse, her skirt riding high up on her thigh, and no shoes in sight. Then the implication of his statement sank in and her embarrassment instantly turned into anger. Ariel bit her lip to keep from giving him a tongue lashing.

Breathing slowly in an attempt to play off her cacophony of emotions, she smirked up at him. “Hello Fox. Come to sweep me off my feet by twilight? How romantic! Not your usual style though… as you can see my assailant beat you here,” Ariel said dryly, nodding towards the younger girl who stood nearby.

There was something about Fox Canning that made Ariel uncomfortable. It wasn’t that he was a wizard necessarily, for Ariel had met her fair share of wizards just like him; powerful, rich, charming and annoyingly flirtatious. They were all characteristics that her mother’s many male companions shared and the way they used women are what made her so disgusted with flirters like Fox.. The thing that was different about him, however, was that Ariel found him intriguing and to her chagrin she also fond him attractive. If ever there was a combination in a man that Ariel tried to avoid it was those two put together. She knew that one day they would get her into trouble, no matter how much she tried to avoid falling in her mother’s footsteps.

It didn’t help that Fox insisted on bating her by flirting with her any chance they met. Ariel had tried to get him to stop flirting by being rude or acting uninterested, but apparently it wasn’t working. Sometimes the only way to fight fire is with fire, Ariel thought to herself as she studied Fox. She couldn’t help but smirk at the thought – flirt with Fox Canning?

"It’s still attached…barely,"

Hadley was taken aback by the girl's rude response.She took a few cautious steps back.

"You can go on with whatever you were so intent on doing that you didn’t notice a human body lying right in front of you. I’m sure that whatever it was must have been important."

Hadley gritted her teeth,trying to stop herself form saying anything mean to the girl.She honestly didn't want to pick a fight with another girl,especially one that,she thought,could certainly drown her in the lake. Hadley pursed her lips,turned on her heel,and walked to find her shoes and wand.

'My swim can wait one more day.' she said to herself.

"You only wish I showed up first.” Fox grinned at Ariel. He liked toying with her. Fox remained fascinated by Ariel because of the fact that she resisted him. He didn’t like her more than any other girl he’d met, but she provided him with a challenge unlike the others. He enjoyed her assertiveness and her un-too-kind nature. To Fox, it was pleasant.

He watched uninterestedly as the younger girl, much too young for his tastes, decided to turn tail and slip back away towards the castle. Fox shrugged at the Gryffindor who had at least half a brain to avoid two Slytherin upperclassmen while traveling alone.

He turned his gaze back upon Ariel who was still submersed in the lake water. His eyes trailed over her and an idea struck him. “Alone at last…” He smirked and shuffled closer to the waters edge.

Just to make Ariel a tad less comfortable, Fox tore off his tie hastily and began unbuttoning his white collared shirt. He whipped his belt from his waist with a smooth prowess as if he’d done it a million times before in a heated moment. The tall blond left a trail of clothes behind him as he finally reached the edge of the lake and was now wearing nothing but his boxers. Fox wasn’t a fitness guru, but he was in pretty good shape for not doing much to achieve it; he had a damn good genes, that was for sure.

He waded out into the water, moving past the point where Ariel was until the water came to about the middle of his torso. Fox leered at Ariel from over his shoulder and dove under the water. Submerged, Fox swam further into the lake before resurfacing in a spot where he needed to tread water in order to stay afloat. He shook his head, sending water droplets in every which direction from the tips of his blond spikes.

“Come on…” Fox paused. “You won’t.” He smirked daring her to make a move. Fox was 99.9 percent sure she’d either keep her distance or run the opposite way. He ran a hand down his face, wiping the lake water from it and away from his eyes.

OOC: This is a beastly long post... sorry! I like to be thorough with conversations, replies, etc.

IC:

”My swim can wait one more day,” Ariel heard the girl mutter to herself as she turned to go. She could really care less what day the girl went swimming as long as she didn’t step on her again.

”You only wish I showed up first,” Fox’s voice made her look up at him again in contemplation.

She was still toying with the idea of what he would do if she actually did bite his bate and flirted with him. 1) he would be too shocked to follow up on it 2) he would get bored now that he had finally got her attention and leave (that had its appeal) 3) he would follow up on it (which would have interesting results and not necessarily good ones).

Ariel was acutely aware of Fox studying her with interest. “Can I help you?” Ariel asked sarcastically, pulling down the edge of her skirt which had been riding up.

”Alone at last…” he drawled, smirking at her.

“I’m practically swooning at the thought,” Ariel remarked, her words dripping with sarcasm.

Not much seemed to phase Fox as he headed towards the waters edge while loosening his tie. Ariel shifted uncomfortably, not liking where this was going at all. “What are you –“ Ariel never finished her sentence as he continued to strip in front of her.

For all her prejudices and distrust of men Ariel was oriented or attracted to the opposite sex; and here was Fox Canning clad in nothing but his boxers before her. A blush crept up Ariel’s neck and into her cheeks as she couldn’t help admire his great body. The fact that she was even more fascinated by his near nakedness did nothing to improve her temper and in that moment she couldn’t have told you if she felt more angry or attracted.

Settling for being frustrated she continued to watch him in a shocked silence as he walked into the water. Waste deep he looked over his shoulder before diving in. He resurfaced quite a distance away and yelled, “Come on… you won’t!”

Ariel was in no way an outdoor girl. Given the opportunity she chose to stay away from heat, sports, or anything else that would make her look anything but fresh and pretty. Unfortunately Ariel was also not the type of girl to back down from a dare… which left her in a sticky situation. Leave it to Fox to be so damned annoying that he would dare her to do something he knew she would rather die than do. Her clothes were already wet, though, and by damn she wasn’t going to let him have another victory over her!

Standing decisively Ariel considered him. “Two can play at this game,” she muttered to herself, tearing off her clinging skirt to reveal long slender legs. She reached up and started to angrily unbutton her shirt. Like everything else about her appearance even Ariel’s undergarments matched and were fashionable… then again black lace never went out of style. Too bad they were the more expensive of her garments, but water shouldn’t ruin them.

Ariel kept an eye on Fox from lowered lids as she took off her shirt. She was certainly no bathing suit model, but like all the other lessons her mother had taught her looks were everything and Ariel was slender and curvaceous if not lithe and athletic. Well aware that Fox would probably be looking on in shock Ariel put her arms up above her head and stretched languidly fully intent on teasing him. It wouldn’t hurt for him to get a look at what he couldn’t have.

Walking out to meet him, her curls now drenched around her shoulders, Ariel submerged herself in the cool water. She couldn’t remember the last time she went swimming and the water felt great. When she resurfaced she found herself only a few paces away from Fox. “Keep your hands to yourself!” she informed him in case he got any ideas. “Now what genius? You got me out here so you better make it worth my while.” The words were out before she could stop them and Ariel could only wince at the sexual innuendo he would no doubt be able to call her out on.