The best thing about the tournament making the school open over summer was the fact breakfast was a much less crowded affair. Fawne was currently sat alone at the virtually empty Gryffindor table. There were a few other students that dotted along the benches but it was too early in the morning for more, and the others were visiting family before the first task.

She looked tireder than usual, the lack of sleep showing under her eyes but failing to lessen the dreamy look she carried. She also seemed to have tied her long curly hair up for the day in a messy braid; never the less it was still obvious who she was. She was sat eating a bowl of fruit and yogurt her mind obvisouly elsewhere.

Shane sighed as he entered the Great Hall, looking to his table for familiar faces and seeing few. It was kinda nice that the school was almost empty but at the same time it made things rather dull. However he would gladly take the boredom at school over the nightmare he would endure back at home. Pushing the thoughts of home out of his mind, he recognizes Fawne and takes a seat across from her. He'd be a liar if he said he hadn't been bitter when Fawne was chosen over him, but she was still a friend of his and Shane had decided to put the glory of the Gryffindor house and the success of a friend above his own personal feelings.

"Hey how you been Fawne? Tourny going alright so far?" he asks, grabbing a bowl of fruit for himself. He does it with his left hand without problems and allows himself a small smile as he snatches up a fork.

*Melanie was beyond grateful that Hogwarts was open over the summer, now. It made everything easier for her...no worries about finding a place to live, or food, or any of that. Melanie had gotten up early that day because Mark couldn't sleep, so, naturally, that meant that she couldn't either. Once it got to the point that he was able to go to sleep...breakfast was starting. Melanie headed down to the Great Hall, and, since she didn't have to worry about wearing her school uniform since it was summer, she was wearing a pair of blue jean capris and flip flops with a white tank top layered under another one in dark purple. Her hair was in a side ponytail in an attempt to keep a little bit cooler.

Melanie spotted Fawne and (her stomach did a backflip when she noticed this) Shane at the table and sat down next to Fawne. It was a lot less awkward than sitting next to Shane....The emotional effects of what had happened to her a few weeks ago were still obvious, but...she was getting better.*

Melanie:"Morning, Fawne, Shane." *she greeted her sleepily.*'Can't wait for today..." *she added, trying to start conversation.*


~Mel

She had been dragged from her wandering thoughts when someone sat in the direct path of her gaze. It took only a moment for her mind to register Shane's arrival and a smile quickly spread onto her features. It didn't even cross her mind that she had beaten him in the race to be gryffindor champion. She was not naturally competitive just stubbornly determined when she choose a path to follow. With a little more energy than required in the morning her soft voice replied.

"Oh good morning Shane. The tournament is rather...difficult but i shall do my very best for our house." The pause in the sentance implied she couldn't quite think of the right word but she didn't get to think any further on it since Mel had plonked down next to her, Fawne's smile growing at this knowledge as she turned to face Mel. She was Happy she was no longer alone and had friends to sit with.

One of the first things Fawne noticed aside form Mel's words was the fact Mel was out of uniform. It took a moment for her to remember she was too, it was strange to be at school but not in uniform. Fawne had dressed today in black 'skinny jeans', a butterfly belt a yellow blouse and a matching ribbon holding her hair in its braid. It seemed strange to see her out of her dresses but her look was still oddly girl-y.

"Hello Melanie, today shall be delightful; of that i am sure."

Shane dug into his fruit bowl, a look about him that made it obvious he was having a great day so far. He was dressed casually, wearing a red American Eagle shirt that formed to his build in the right places, a worn pair of blue jeans, and white sneakers to seal the deal. "Well winning would be no fun if it were too easy I suppose. You know I'm here if you need help with anything," he says with a smile, eyes flickering over to Mel as she approached. He quickly stuffed his mouth with a piece of apple to avoid having to say anything to Mel for the moment. He did, however, nod in acknowledgement as she said hello.

To say their new friendship was awkward was a massive understatement at best. He had mended her horribly wounded, pantyclad body in the middle of the night in the Gryffindor common room; a memory he would rather not have. To top it off, with the way she had been acting lately, he was beginning to get the feeling she was devoloping a crush on him. "You sound awfully confident in that Fawne," he says with a smirk, looking up at the hexed ceiling which showed the beautful morning sky laced with the occasional whispy cloud. His baby blues dropped to Mel. "What about you Mel, got something special planned for today or just feeling as optimistic as Fawne here?"

*Melanie poured herself a bowl of corn flakes as Fawne greeted her. Before she could respond, Shane had asked her how she was as well. She tried her best to remain calm, after all, it was awkward for her for all of the same reasons as it was for Shane. Only...she had been the one in her panties bleeding all over the place and she was the one who was a little bit unsure of her feelings for the other.*

Melanie:"Well, I don't actually have much to do today." *she answered quickly, dipping a spoon into her cereal and absentmindedly moving it around.*'I'm just thinking about taking Mark on a walk through Hogsmede, which will of course lead to me spending money on him. So, a typical day, really." *she joked, smiling afterwards. She stared at her cereal for a minute before deciding that it was probably a good idea to actually eat it. She took a small bite, but still didn't look up.*



~Mel

Fawne was totally oblivious to the nervous reactions of Shane and Mel despite the fact her gaze was, for once, fixed on her friends and not a point in space. Her eyes showed she was aware and not day dreaming but it just seemed she was still oblivious to it. She didn't speak as Shane addressed Mel but instead she took another spoonful of her yogurt covered fruit, ending up with a grape. She chased another round with her spoon as she spoke.

"Thank you Shane, your help would be wonderful for i am not the most...offensive of people." what Fawne was trying to say was that she didn't duel and his help would be invaluable. The last time she did duel it had led to her being bruised all down her side and being saved by Dorien. A flicker of emotion ran through her eyes at the thought of him, still hurt by his disappearing act.

The emotion was quickly repressed back into nothing and a smile was back on her face within seconds. A look of mischief flicking through her eyes now, her tone light and melodic.

"I am always optimistic, thank you"

The way she spoke suggested she was mock offended by his comment but it was always hard to tell with Fawne what she actually meant. By the time Mel had spoken Fawne's tone had returned to normal though flashes of humour, or maybe happiness, ran through her eyes. She did like spending time with friends.

"That sounds like a delightful day Melanie; Mark is such a adorable child...Do you have plans for this glorious day?" Her gaze shifted from Mel to Shane as her question was directed at Shane.

Shane nodded, doing his best to avoid unecessary eye contact with Mel as she spoke. "Sounds like fun Mel, just don't spoil the kid," he jokes, stabbing a piece of watermelon. He almost choked on it in response to Fawne's comment. Laughing, he looked to Fawne, perking a brow. "Offensive? I get what you mean though. I can show you a few tricks I've picked up." The tournament had been enough of a disappointment that he had not been chosen, but now he was catching flak for not helping his friends in other houses. It had been a difficult choice but not offering his assistance to the girl wearing his colors to the tournament seemed more traitorous than turning friends down. Maintaining eye contact with Fawne, he thought he saw a different emotion flash acrossed her features, but said nothing about it.


"Plans? Eh, no. Went for a run this morning and didn't really think any farther ahead than that." He paused, eyes flickering towards another table for a moment before looking back to Fawne. "You offering to keep me occupied?" It sounded little more flirtacious than Shane would've liked, having at this moment in time, no interest in being anything more than friends with Fawne.

*Melanie continued to eat her cereal quietly; It gave her an excuse not to look at Shane, which would probably lead to a good blush or two. She quickly looked up at Fawne and smiled when she mentioned Mark, but that was the all.*

Melanie:"I'll try not to." *she replied quietly after Shane advised her not to spoil Mark.

...And then he said it. You offering to keep me occupied?. That could be taken innocently, but in the mind of someone as confused as Mel, oh, it wasn't. Her spoon fell loudly into her bowl, splattering a bit of milk as it did. Melanie gave Shane one of the classic stern 'what did you just say?' faces before catching herself. She quickly looked back down at the table, trying to pretend like nothing had just happened. Noticing that there were milk splatters on the table, she picked up a napkin and occupied herself with cleaning them up.

Clearly, Mel was not good at hiding emotions.*




~Mel

It was only now that Fawne was beginning to notice the odd looks Mel shot Shane and the way he tried to avoid her eye. She couldn't help but be curious about why, though not in a nosey way It was mostly becuase she couldn't fathom why Mel was being so quiet...

She was drawn from her musing by Shane's words and she shifted her gaze to meet his, still smiling her half smile in response. Her mind didn't register the other sense in which his words could be taken until she had already replied.

"I would be delighted too... If you would like my company that is."

She had enough grace not to turn bright red from her own words as the other view of his finally sunk in; however there was a little pink tinge to her pale cheeks. The whole situation was not helped when Mel's spoon clattered into the bowl and she shot Shane what Fawne could only class as a dark look. Fawne paused slightly not sure how to react or why everyone was acting the way they were to each other. Attempting to act normally she grabbed a napkin also and lent over the table slightly to clean up the spills Mel hadn't quite reached.

"It seems we are all being clumsy this morning."

She giggled lightly, a bright musical sound, to show she wasn't being mean. Although the giggle might have just been a ploy to diffuse the situation, that and hide the fact Fawne hadn't been 'clumsy' at all yet and Shane had only really done that laughing thing with the watermelon.

Shane smiled back at Mel, wishing he could do something to alleviate the tension between them. He hoped that everything would work out over time; if not he had no idea how long he could stand being around her if things were going to be this weird. Looking back to his fruit bowl, he quickly finishes off the last few pieces. It might be a good idea to make this a fast breakfast after all.

A broad smile crossed his features as Fawne agreed to hang out with him, opening his mouth to say something just as Mel dropped her spoon. Startled, he accidentally crushes the bowl in his left hand, blinking at the broken shards still in his grasp. Realizing he was dripping juice on himself, he quickly drops the remnants of the shattered bowl on the table, brushing smaller pieces off his lap.

"It appears that way Fawne.." he says with a grin, trying to shake off the embarassment stemming from what just happened. Drawing his wand from an obviously enchanted front pocket, he quickly cleans up the mess he just created. "But yeah..we should hang out. In a completely platonic way." The last remark was an attempt to avoid having something edible hucked across the table at him, which he feared would be Mel's next course of action.

She flinched slightly when the bowl shattered, not out of fear but shock. Other wise her appearance was unharmed, her eyes didn't widened and her smile didn't falter. Sometimes she could be truly odd. Satisfied she cleaned the bits of milk Mel missed she lowered he self back down into her seat. Watching absently as Shane cleared the mess from his lap. She noticed he used his wand and she almost groaned, despite being a pure blood she still always forgot to use cleaning spells.

Fawne suddenly seemed to notice the reasoning behind Mel's reactions when the words platonic crossed Shane's lips. If it hadn't been clear before, she was now sure Mel had and attraction to Shane. Fawne, who could be blunt to the point of tears, wanted to point out she currently held no such feelings for Shane but she wisely thought that she probably shouldn't blurt such things out with all the current tension. She instead choose to smile merrily at the pair, eating another spoonful of her once deserted breakfast. Though honestly there wasn't much fruit left in the sea of yogurt any more.

"Perhaps we have all be hexed with a clumsy spell this morning." she giggled lightly, a soft bright sound that seemed ethereal. She still seemed to purposefully referring to all three in terms of clumsiness, despite the fact she hadn't been clumsy; yet. "I am glad you wish to 'hang out' in a platonic way. Perhaps i could use your delightful offer and we could work on the tournament?" her words was constantly polite and she seemed to use the word platonic too as if she had picked up on why it was used.

*Envy overpowered Melanie, despite the assurance given by the word 'platatonic'. Description given beforehand did not necessarily determine what would actually happen. She frowned and realized that she didn't feel hungry any more. If Ian asked if she had eaten breakfast, she'd lie. He was always worried about her eating so she wouldn't get sick. Honestly, she loved that he cared about her, but it was annoying. She could take care of herself...or so she thought. She frowned and slouched a little bit, discontent evident. Shane obviously liked Fawne a lot more and was paying so much more attention to her. She hated even the idea of it and accidentally glared at Fawne.*

Melanie:"I could help, too. I'm very smart and...helpful...and friendly." *she offered, as if trying to advertise herself...and failing.*




~Mel