Lay Your Armor Down PV A. Campbell Closed

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𝓐madea shivered slightly as the brisk wind blew by her, tousling her hair and sending cold tingles all the way to her bones. Normally, Scotland was quite lovely during this time of year. It was the end of spring, so the air was warming and the flowers were blooming as the world prepared to enter summer. Unfortunately, today did not seem to represent that at all. As Amadea stepped outside of the castle to take her daily walk, she almost immediately wanted to turn right back around and head inside. It was chilly and Amadea did not appreciate the cold weather. While she could handle it during the winter, she preferred the cold weather to stay in those few months and not linger through spring.

Amadea knew she couldn't turn around now. She had already stepped outside and as much as she hated to admit it, no matter what the weather was like these daily walks always made her feel better. It was the time she had to spend catching up with whatever had happened that day and just calm herself down and ground. It was one of those techniques she had learned that she practiced as much as she could; grounding helped her feel much more aware of her surroundings and calmed her nerves. Plus it helped her not to think about all of the reasons why she could be sad about life. With a sigh, she continued on her way, pulling her jacket tighter around her body as if it could keep in the little warmth that was left.

As she made her way around the Grounds, she ended up on a path leading toward the Quidditch pitch. There weren't many people out and about today; Amadea assumed they had opted to stay inside because of the chilly breeze. As Amadea walked farther away from the castle, she noticed a figure sitting in the grass. She hesitated, wondering if she should go over. The person was reading a book, from what Amadea could tell, and Amadea knew how annoying it could be when someone interrupted her from her reading. At the same time, the person looked kind of lonely sitting there alone and Amadea was kind of intrigued.

She decided to head over. As she approached and could see better, she noticed that the person was none other than Dymphna Teague, a Ravenclaw in her year. Amadea had never really spoken to the girl but had seen her around the castle and knew they had mutual friends. Come to think of it, though, Amadea hadn't seen Dymphna in a while. Then again, Amadea had been gone for almost al of her third year so it wasn't like she had the best gauge about whether or not people were at school. And she knew how rude it was to pry. Why had she come over here again? This was so out of character for her, voluntarily going over to start a conversation with someone. Normally she was the shy one, opting to stay in the corner and not engage. But as Amadea was learning, there were multiple sides to everyone's personality and just because you were something in the past didn't mean that you would always be that way.

She cleared her throat awkwardly and smiled at the girl. "Uh, hi," she said, smiling. "I'm Amadea. Amadea Campbell." She wasn't sure if Dymphna was aware of her or not; while Amadea had a weird knack for remembering people's names or face, she knew that other people didn't have the same ability and she didn't want to put anyone in the awkward position of having to guess or ask. "What are you reading?"

@Dymphna Teague

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Dymphna was focused, in the zone. The book was interesting enough to keep her attention for the rest of the day. She likely would have read her way through it if a familiar face hadn't interrupted. Her expression went from sour at the interruption to a friendly smile when she recognized the fiery haired Hufflepuff. It had been too long since they'd last seen one another, a few years ago defending Serena against the bully Erin Ryan. On Serena's birthday no less. It was likely they'd seen each other in passing on their way to classes or in the Great Hall, but Dymphna hadn't sought her out for any reason, not even a friendly chat. They would have to change that.

It wasn't like Dymphna wasn't a friendly, outgoing girl but she had become a bit more withdrawn since returning to school. Amadea wasn't just another face in the crowd however. They got along just fine before and she believed that if given the chance, they could become friends. The book forgotten momentarily, she dogeared the page and flipped it shut. "I remember you, Amadea." The girl seemed a tad nervous, as if Dymphna wouldn't have remembered her. Or perhaps it was the Veela traits that were starting to come to light during puberty. People seemed to be stumbling over their words around her more, especially Oliver Hart. He did tend to bumble about even before she spoke to him though. "We were in book club and the orchestra together, though you might know I've decided to focus my attention on Quidditch instead." It was an unlikely hobby for someone so studious but she was also the competitive sort and surprisingly enjoyed flying on her Bluebottle broom. If it weren't for Serena, she might not have found a love for it but thankfully the other girl had spent some time helping her learn how to fly. Now if only she could spend that same energy on one of the subjects she wasn't doing so well in.

"Oh, nothing special," She turned her attention back on the book, turning it so Amadea could see the cover. The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection, a book that they have used in Defense Against the Dark Arts for years now. It was something she used as a guide now and then, not that she would ever think of jumping ahead and attempting to cast a more dangerous spell that they hadn't been taught yet. "According to Miranda Goshawk in Standard Book of Spells Grade 1, the curses, jinxes and hexes we've learned are actually Dark Charms. I don't think I mind it as long as we use them defensively." Though it was highly likely that some troublemakers would turn the book into a weapon, even if it were an accident. No more balls for her, that was for sure.

"So, how've you been? It feels like it's been ages since we've seen each other last." The blonde wondered how much she knew about the ball, if Amadea noticed her absence for the last few months. Dymphna hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary in regards to the Hufflepuff, but she also hadn't been around too much. Even before she returned home for a while, she didn't feel quite right, almost like she'd been stuck in a fog. She still chatted with her friends and went for study sessions with Reid, but it felt like part of her was missing. At least there wasn't a literal chunk missing. It was only a scar. Her hand brushed over it unconsciously before putting the book away in her school bag and patting the ground beside her, a clear invitation for Amadea to sit and stay a while.

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𝓛uckily it seemed like @Dymphna Teague wasn't too angry with Amadea for interrupting her reading and she was glad. Amadea wasn't in the mood to be making more people dislike her. It wasn't like she had a slew of enemies waiting to pounce, but she also didn't like it when anyone was the least bit annoyed with her. Amadea was also glad that Dymphna remembered her. She had an uncanny ability to remember people, though most of the time the people didn't remember who she was and she sometimes embarrassed herself by bringing up memories that they didn't even remember. Amadea listened as Dymphna rattled off the clubs and activities the two girls had participated in together.

While Amadea had no recollection of the book club they were in together, she did remember orchestra. It had been a fun time, but Amadea had realized she had no room for it in her schedule anymore. "Wow yes, that was such a long time ago," Amadea recalled. "Quidditch! Sounds like...fun." Amadea cringed inwardly. She didn't want to sound judgemental at all, but Quidditch was the last thing Amadea would ever try at Hogwarts. She had always despised flying class and despised Quidditch. She hated the idea of flying around on a stick that could easily snap beneath your weight. Her anxiety spiked every time she even stepped in the stands of the Quidditch Pitch to watch a game. She hated how dangerous the game seemed, but she also understood that a lot of people felt differently than her. Her own best friend, Cecily Quinn, was on the Quidditch team and loved to talk about it.

Dymphna revealed the book she was reading to Amadea as one of their school textbooks; while Amadea was quite studious herself, she didn't often read her textbooks for pleasure. But Dymphna was a Ravenclaw, and though Amadea tried to not use the house stereotypes, she was supposed to be in the House of the witty. "Oh cool," Amadea said lamely. The fact was one that was unknown to Amadea until this point and she didn't want to seem dumb in front of the Ravenclaw. "Of course, it would be immoral to use those spells unless you're defending yourself," Amadea agreed. "Or, of course, if you're in a duel." She smiled as she spoke without being able to help it; duelling was her passion.

So, how have you been? Dymphna had asked. Without even realizing it, she had just asked a pretty loaded question. How had Amadea been? She could always respond with the simple response, "I've been well," and turn the conversation back toward Dymphna herself. But that seemed almost rude to Amadea, like she was brushing off the question. She knew she couldn't do that, but she really didn't want to get into everything. Maybe she could just keep things light and simple while still adequately answering the question. "I've been...kind of overwhelmed," she admitted. "I was away from school for a while, so I'm just trying to catch up with everything and return back to the normal Hogwarts life. Especially with the end of the school year approaching so quickly, everything feels like it's moving twice as fast!" Amadea laughed. She couldn't believe that the girls were about to be fourth years...how time flew! "How about you? How have you been?"

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