Searching For Anything PV Ruby Cazares

~ * ~

Ruby was in a tree. This was far from a unique occurrence, but this time she was in some of the lower branches, rather than up near the top and seeing how high she could climb to get the best view. She was concealed by the beautiful green leaves from anyone that might look up, but she could still look down at them. One of the reasons why she was so low down was because she hadn't finished her observations of the people currently around. She was drawing them so that she could add them to her notebooks – these drawings acted as profile pictures, of sorts. The notebooks in question were ones that were full of all her observations and analyses of everyone she encountered or came across, regardless of whether she directly interacted with them or not. Her good memory allowed her to remember what had happened and all the information she had learned (at least until she could add it to the notebooks), but she preferred to do the sketches while she was there, if possible.

She did not carry the notebooks around with her, as she had deemed it too risky. There were too many people who could accidentally catch a glimpse of it, people who might steal them, or ways they could be destroyed. They held quite the collection of information on people, and she did not particularly want it to get into the wrong hands. So, she contented herself with watching from the sidelines and capturing the whole scene in the form of art, then moving on to do drawings of each individual separately. It was amazing how much you could learn about a person from just seeing them once, if you knew what to look for. The body language, the state of their clothes and general appearance, their expressions, how they stood (their posture), who they talked to, what they said, what they did, and so much more all gave away a lot about them.

She had just finished a portrait of an individual that seemed particularly ordinary when she noticed a newcomer. It was a Gryffindor boy, one that she didn't know the name of. He was alone, unlike many of the people out here, but there was something about him that instantly caught her attention and intrigued her. He was drawing people too. He also started to write, after that, and sat down underneath the tree that she was in. He glanced up several times, but she made sure to stay out of sight. She wouldn't be seen until she wanted to be. She couldn't quite see what he was writing, but she satisfied herself instead by quickly beginning to sketch him. Because she didn't know his name, she wanted to at least have something to remember him by, just in case he turned out to truly be interesting. When that was complete enough, she noticed that he seemed to be searching for something. What was he looking for?

She put her sketchbook down where it wouldn't fall, took off her robe and left it with the book, and then climbed down to the lowest branch where she would now be visible, frowning as she looked around. Nothing seemed to be different, so what had caused this change from him? She carefully positioned herself so she wouldn't fall, and then hung off of the tree upside down, in a way that was kind of like a bat. “Hey, are you looking for something?” she asked. She then realized that he would almost certainly be surprised – both by her presence and the fact that she was hanging upside down from a tree with her face now quite close to his. She grinned at him, as if it was totally normal for this to be happening. Her eyes shone in the way that they did when she was having fun. She was in a playful mood, and he would have to deal with that.

Thankfully, she had changed out of the skirt of her school uniform and had replaced it with shorts. Skirts were not good for climbing trees, and she had left her robe on the branch with her sketchbook so that it wouldn't flop down when she did this.

After the question had been posed and she had given him enough time to see her, she swung herself back up and onto the branch, only to replace where her feet had been with her hands. Now that she was the right way up (still dangling from the tree), she let go and dropped to the ground beside the boy. It was certainly a strange way for him to meet someone, but she did it all with a look that would make it so hard for someone to get mad at her for possibly startling them. She sat down next to him cross-legged.

Besides Ruby's admittedly strange behavior, there was something else that marked her out from everyone else. She had perfect posture, as she was constantly straight-backed. Her appearance was pristine despite her being in the tree – no hair or fold was out of place, and her clothes were impeccably clean. For years, she had been trained to constantly look her best, and that wasn't changing now. Everyone had an aura, an air that followed them, a certain presence. Ruby's was able to be sensed easily. It was one of sharp intelligence, quiet confidence, and strong ambition, determination, passion, and power. It all blended together to make something that lots of people couldn't entirely pick apart. It was something that came naturally to her and she made no effort to change it, as it didn't cause her harm and didn't reveal anything about her that she wouldn't necessarily like others to know.

~ * ~

Emile noticed a group of students who had just walked out onto the grounds. They were laughing, smiling, messing around with each other. It was 2 girls and 3 boys, all from mixed houses. They seemed to be having a wonderful time. Were they third years? Maybe they had just come back from Hogsmeade. They were carrying chocolate.

Chocolate. He fished some out from his pocket, a going away gift from his grandparents. It reminded him of home. He had already written his grandma, but still not his grandfather, despite the fact that he wanted to so badly. He never really knew what to say. 

"Rats!" He mumbled, almost forgetting to document all of his feelings and all of what was happening around him in his small leather notebook. "Two girls...three boys...having a good time..." He said outloud as he scribbled. Anyone would be able to see that his handwriting was awful, and anyone that wasn't him would never understand the way he organized his mess of a notebook.

Unlike the girl who had been sitting above him for quite a while, he was much less pristine, much less well kept. His hair was a mess, per usual, and as he had sat down, his shirt became untucked. His grandmother would probably be at his neck if she were here right now. "Emile, you little scoundrel! Wash up. Always look your best, and go from there." He imagined her saying. He looked sadly at his chocolate, then stuck it back into his pocket of abyss, which was probably filled with other little knickknacks. 

For quite some time–the entire time he had been sitting underneath the tree, actually–he had felt like there was someone else there. And after a couple of minutes he felt like he was being looked at. He looked up into the tree, around the back of the tree, forward, side to side. Nothing and no one. "I must be going crazy." He said to himself. He took a deep breath, let it out, and continued writing everything down, but he still felt like something was there. 

Suddenly, he was brought back to reality when a girl dropped upside down from the tree right next to him. He looked at her for a moment, then his eyes widened, and he let out a scream internally. No! He was not about to look stupid in front of this girl. He always somehow managed to look like an idiot in front of everyone, but this girl had just come down from a tree. Upside down. He had to keep his cool, even though she could probably already tell he was freaking out. 

"Oh my. You just came from a tree. The tree I was sitting under. Yes. This is normal." He rambled breathlessly to himself before nodding, and looking back at her. 

"Am I looking for something, you ask.." He said, repeating the question, still in a bit of shock. This question did make him think a bit though. What was he looking for? Anything, really. "I'm not sure, honestly. Anything." He answered.

The girl swung around and sat next to him. Immediately he could tell she was 110 times more confident than he was. He got his notebook out on instinct and started writing some things down about possible characters. Dang it. He thought, just noticing he was writing in his notebook instead of talking to her. 

"Well, who exactly are you?" He asked, curious of who exactly would randomly come down from a tree.

~ * ~

When Ruby got closer, she was able to see some of what the Gryffindor was writing. Luckily, she had had practice reading handwriting that wasn't so good. So, he was jotting down observations! That was cool. She hadn't met anyone besides her that did that. Perhaps the boy was like-minded and someone after her own heart.

When he noticed her, she bit her lip slightly to stop herself from laughing. Would it be too rude if she went ahead and laughed? Probably. She hadn't exactly been nice to the boy so far – between startling him and then almost laughing at him – but she could truly be kind. She wasn't even like this normally, but she was in a playful/mischievous mood, and that made her a lot more open and lively. In some ways, it could be fun, but it would be annoying for some people.

“Sorry for startling you. I'm well aware that people don't regularly hang upside down from trees, but I pride myself on being different to most people. I bet you didn't expect to meet someone in this way,” she said with a grin. She did truly feel bad about making the poor boy jump and probably causing him unnecessary stress, but it had been fun to hang from the tree. Besides, at least she'd probably made a unique first impression on him. She wanted to be memorable, anyway. He could also be considered somewhat lucky, as he had managed to find her in a mood where she would be a lot more genuine and not closed off.

“Well, if you're not looking for something in particular, and you say you're looking for "anything", how's this? A girl dropping out of a tree to come sit beside you, now that's something you don't see every day. Were you looking for an object? A person? A companion? Someone to talk to?” Those who had met Ruby but weren't close to her might have marveled at the way she was acting. They might claim that it was so different to normal. It was true, she generally acted in a cold manner when meeting people for the first time, but this open playfulness was always there. Sometimes, it was just buried deep under layers of seriousness and indifference.

She watched him write in his notebook again and took interest in it. After all, this was based on her, and it could be worth looking at. “I observe people and write it down, too. Are you a writer, perhaps, or do you do this for your own purposes?” She was noticeably calmer when she said this, and she seemed genuinely curious. There was now a healthy balance of curiosity, calmness, and playfulness. This was possibly one of the best moods to catch her in, now that she had calmed down slightly. This was a warm, kind, intelligent, inquisitive girl, with a passion for learning as well as having fun.

“I'm Ruby Cazares, Slytherin first year, and you?” she replied with a smile.

~ * ~

Luckily for Emile's pride, he didn't catch her biting her lip. His face would have been tomato red if he had known she was laughing at him, or trying not to laugh at him. Emile was the type of person to sometimes read too much into things. He was good at perceiving things, but if he thought too hard about it, that was where it all went down hill. Maybe becoming friends with someone like Ruby would help him be more...free. She had been climbing in trees, after all. She seemed like a free, intelligent girl.

“Sorry for startling you. I'm well aware that people don't regularly hang upside down from trees, but I pride myself on being different to most people. I bet you didn't expect to meet someone in this way." She said, grinning. Emile, oddly, appreciated this. She seemed to be being playful with him. Usually most of the people in his life were all too serious. He liked a little play in all his work. He could see that Ruby was confident. Something he definitely was not. 

"Well, you're definitely correct, to say the least. I don't think when I woke up this morning and decided to go for a walk I would meet someone who came down from a tree, but it's something different." He said wholeheartedly. He had already started to like this girl. She was quirky, in the best way. He was also quirky, but usually didn't really ever get the chance to show it. The only way you'd know he was if if you looked at his notebook, and most people didn't think to do so. 


“Well, if you're not looking for something in particular, and you say you're looking for "anything", how's this? A girl dropping out of a tree to come sit beside you, now that's something you don't see every day. Were you looking for an object? A person? A companion? Someone to talk to?” She said. Emile nodded, and got out his notebook and pen. 

"I think I was just looking for a change of pace. Something different!" If anyone knew his parents, they'd day he was just as crazy an author as they were. "So all of those things. An object, a person, a companion, someone to talk to." He continued. He had a look on his face that said, "It's there, but it's not." And then he started to write in his notebook, just about the whole ordeal. 

"Hold on, I need to write this down. Girls falling from trees could be the start of a novel, don't you think?" He asked, but it was one of those questions that was meant not to have an answer. 

"You do too?" At this school, he hadn't met any people that did the same as him. The observant types. "I..I want to be a writer. But I also do it for my own purposes. For my parents." He said, with a determined look on his face. His green eyes got a sparkle in them. "If you write about people, why do you do it? Are you an author?" He asked, seeming curious.

"I'm Emile Yorke. A first year Gryffindor." He told her, and smiled back at her. Ruby seemed to be someone Emile would get along well with. She seemed like one of the few people that actually understood why he might write in his little notebook so much. Also, she came down from a tree, and that was pretty cool. 

~ * ~

Any lingering nervousness or worries regarding how he would react to her instantly dissipated when he seemed to ease up a bit. Thank goodness he hadn't taken it too seriously, got weirded out, or simply walked away. She was slowly being convinced bit by bit that she had made the right choice by choosing him to interact with. However, as she spoke, there was still a small, lingering bit of uncertainty that she could see in his eyes. She didn't think it was to do with her, instead it seemed to be some kind of confidence issue. From her perspective, she saw no reason not to be confident. She had people who hated her, and she was well aware of that, but none of it bothered her. She had stopped caring about what most others thought or felt about her, and it had been surprisingly liberating. It had allowed her to feel free and to truly be proud of who she was without having a giant ego. Confidence was different to arrogance, after all.

Everyone was far too serious. She could definitely be serious, too, but it would be so much better if all these people could relax a little. It was important to have fun, no matter what someone's age was or how good they thought they were. She found herself grinning again when the boy replied to her comment. “Who would actively seek out girls dropping from trees, anyway?” She laughed a little as she pictured someone getting up and going on a hunt for girls in the treetops. She imagined them saying "oh yes, today I shall go and find members of a rare female species… girls who hang upside down from trees". Honestly, her imagination was strange sometimes, but at least it entertained her.

The way he said his next few sentences amused her. "Something different" had been announced in a very theatrical way, and Ruby wondered if the boy just seemed somewhat shy and quiet because he didn't have people that understood him or that he truly wanted to talk to. That was the main reason why she could sometimes be so closed off, anyway. Why wouldn't people want to be friends with this boy? He seemed rather kind and talented. Ruby herself liked him because she felt like she had finally found someone that she just clicked with. He didn't seem like someone that she had to be careful around because they were either too fragile and hurt easily or too cold and willing to hurt her the second they learned something that could be used against her.

She realized she should probably answer. With a smirk, she replied, “I guess I'm your change of pace, then.” She proceeded to watch as he wrote, hoping he didn't mind people looking at what he was doing while he did it. Some people had a serious issue with that, so she just wanted to make sure. He made a comment about girls falling out of trees being a good start to a novel, and although she was aware that it was probably meant to be a rhetorical question, she felt like she should answer anyway. “It depends on what type of thing you're considering writing, I suppose. If you wanted it to be really weird and different from our culture, you could have a society where girls dropped out of trees at a set time. Perhaps this could be explained by them working or living there or something, or you could go with a totally random explanation like "that's how girls entered the society" instead of being born. There are lots of possibilities. You could also have it be quite normal and just have some adventurous girls that climbed trees a lot. Maybe there could be a group of them together, kind of like a mini club or a strange friendship circle.” She shrugged.

Ruby was definitely an observant type. She spent a decent amount of time simply watching, listening, noting, calculating, analyzing, and observing, and she remembered these things, gathering more information on each individual until she had a small collection per person. She frowned when he talked about his parents. The way he spoke about them was a bit… odd. “Yes, I definitely do too. It's cool that you want to be an author. I know that you might not want to answer this question, and that's fine, but what happened to your parents? The way you speak of them shows that you want them to be proud, but you also make it sound like they're out of your life – whether missing, gone, or dead… In answer to your questions, though, I suppose I'm a bit of a writer, although I haven't done it much recently. Also, I have my own kind of notebooks similar to yours about people, but they're more detailed and like a master collection of everything I learn about anyone here, from the way they act to what they've said. I do it because… well, I suppose it's because I love learning, no matter what the topic is, and different notebooks with the same kind of topic have also been very useful in other schools I've been to.”

Finally, she knew the boy's name! Emile Yorke. It was a nice name as well as unique, and it had a nice ring to it. She could see that he was a Gryffindor from his robes, though, and she had only added the bit about her house because she had left her robes with her house crest up in the tree. She had also added her tie up there as an afterthought, as she hadn't wanted it to fall in her face when she was upside down either.

~ * ~

Emile quite liked Ruby's personality. She seemed sure of herself, but not in an annoying way. She had this aura to her, and it made you want to sit up straight and be on your best behavior. Not in a bad way, but he had never met anyone like her before. He felt like she was someone who would decide what they wanted to do, and then do it, and do it well. All of the their people in his life always thought about what they were going to do for too long. His parents, for example. In Ruby's case, she seemed free, quick witted, and unique. She was the type of person Emile wished he could be, but probably never would be.

"I hope I never meet anyone seeking girls in trees. That's just...extremely weird." He said with a grossed out look on his face. Emile's imagination also ran wild, but not in a funny way. He imagined a middle aged man wearing a mask who would seek girls, and then kidnap them or something even worse. He blinked a couple of times and decided to try and think of something else as quickly as he could. Though he had grown up with a horror author for a mother, so you couldn't blame him.

"Yes, I guess you are my change of pace." He said with a grin. He was starting to feel more comfortable around Ruby. When she started talking about all the possibilities for the story with girls coming from trees, he immediately got out his notebook and wrote it all down as she said it. These were good ideas, but his favorite was the strange friendship circle. He could definitely make that into a novel about a cult or something. Maybe he would go into horror like his mother. "Maybe in this new society, the girls who come from trees form a friendship circle and climb trees because they knew they're different. That could be something." He said to himself and quickly wrote it down. 

He then looked up at Ruby, his eyes sparkling a bit again. "I think this could be something!" He said again. And he could incorporate fantasy, and romance, and fantastical creatures, and everything into this book. But he decided he still needed to gather more information. This could be the start of a good novel though.

"Oh..my parents," He said, but stopped mid sentence. "How do I explain this..Let's just say I wasn't enough adventure for them, and now I'm living with my grandparents." He said. "Sorry if I came off depressing." He said with a weak laugh. "Anyway," He said, changing the subject, "how did you come to climb on trees?" He asked.

Wow! She had notebooks too. More detailed, she said, but that was understandable. His was just a bunch of scribbles. "Knowledge is power, they say. I also love learning." He said, after she had finished speaking. Emile was excited to find someone who actually wrote notebooks too. Maybe she wouldn't let him see hers, (He didn't let many people see his either) but it made him feel relieved to know that he wasn't the only one. Many people he'd met in the past thought his notebooks were kind of strange. 

"Sorry. You probably already knew I was a Gryffindor." He said, gesturing to his tie. "Wait a second, where are your things?" He asked, just noticing her robe and tie weren't on.

~ * ~

Ruby felt surprisingly at ease around Emile – more so than around almost anyone else she had met here so far. It was like she could truly be herself and totally relax, free to talk about whatever they wanted. She wondered absentmindedly if they could become good friends. Although there were others she had met that she now had positive relations with, Emile was one of the first that she really wanted to have as a true friend. Did he have lots of friends already? Maybe she wouldn't be as noticed if he had already formed some strong bonds... So many people seemed to have formed strong circles of friendship, and those who weren't included in pretty much anyone else's were forced to wander around, searching for the right people for them, and becoming more and more independent as time went on. She had become quite self-sufficient over the years, and had the feeling that she didn't really need anyone else. However, it didn't mean that she didn't want a true friend.

She nodded in response to his comment. “Yes, in this world it would be really creepy. Perhaps not in other ones, though.” That then sparked more ideas, allowing her brain to rapidly fire off situations where it might be normal, even, in societies quite unlike their own.

She smiled as he wrote down some of her ideas. If she helped Emile at all, then it was worth something. “You could make it even more interesting by the trees being forbidden to go in, or something. Maybe they could be under government protection, if not that. It could be a sign of... a witch? A devil? I'm not sure, but maybe it's something very negative to come from trees, if it's a thing that people know about. What if the girls had magic because they came from the trees? Nature-themed magic, that is. Maybe they're strongest when they're in forests or trees.” She shrugged again. She could come up with ideas for hours – some good, some not as good for using in writing – as she was constantly thinking and creating, and her vivid imagination helped greatly, although she didn't normally voice any of these things.

When Emile explained what happened, Ruby frowned deeply. “Hey, I'm sorry, Emile. Are... you okay? Has it severely affected you?” She looked genuinely concerned about him, and she very quickly mumbled, “I know how it feels to grow up mostly without parents.” Ruby wasn't sure whether he was meant to hear that or not, and she wouldn't know if he did unless he replied to it or his demeanor changed. He wanted to change the subject, so she'd go along with it. “I climb trees because I love nature, the feeling it gives me, the beautiful views, and adventure. Three of my cousins who I'm very close to have often climbed trees with me before, and they showed me how when I was little. I love heights, and it just feels right and nice when I'm up there.”

She saw his excitement when she talked about her notebooks and it made her smile. Maybe she'd show him her notebooks at some point, but not yet. Besides, she didn't even have them with her. “That's awesome that you love learning. I hope you don't mind me saying this, but I've never really met someone before that seems to be this similar to me.” She gave him a slightly unsure look, with a small smile still lingering on her face, wondering how he'd react to it. She knew that it would certainly make some people just walk away at that point, but, to be fair, he hadn't walked away so far – even when she dangled upside down from a tree, startled him, spoke about her notebooks, and shared some of her slightly strange story ideas linked to what had happened.

She did know that he was a Gryffindor, but it didn't mean that he should apologize for the fact that she had seen it on his outfit. As for his question... “My stuff's up in the tree still. I didn't want it to get in my face when I was upside-down.”

~ * ~

Much like Ruby, there were people at the school that Emile felt comfortable around, and got along well with, but he also felt like he couldn't quite be his true self around them. Of course they were nice, but he just never really...connected with them on a deeper level. Even though it sounded cheesy in Emile's head, it was the truth. Emile felt like everyone should have a good friend they can go to for anything, someone who makes them feel like they really can be themselves. Someone who was okay with strange things about them. In Emile's case, many people perceived him as strange, and so he hadn't really found anyone to truly accept him yet. Maybe it would change?

He also wondered if he would be able to become closer with Ruby. She seemed social and was fun to talk to. She probably already had many friends. Maybe he also wouldn't be able to get into her circle, he thought. He would try his best to though! Ruby was someone he definitely wanted to be friends with. He made a mental note that he would do that. 

"Other worlds, huh?" He said. The possibility of other worlds and universes had always interested Emile. What if there was another version of him that had become a Slytherin? A Hufflepuff? A Ravenclaw? Maybe in another universe he didn't even go to Hogwarts. Being someone with a huge imagination, thoughts like these kept him awake at night. Are there other me's? What's my purpose? What caused magic to be brought into society? Things like that. It all made his head spin so he let those thoughts go for now. 

As she started to talk about even more ideas Emile got out his notebook again. He was fascinated with the way she could come up with so many ideas on a whim, and they were good ideas too. "I think you should be the one writing a novel." Emile said as he wrote. "You could seriously make something awesome." He told her, in complete honesty. "I'll be sure to credit you if I'm even able to write my novel." He said with a smile. In all honesty, he wasn't completely sure he would even be able to go through with finishing his book. It was a confidence problem. He didn't really know how to get over it. 

"Oh no. It's okay. I've gotten over it mostly. I mean of course it's hard knowing that you'll never be enough for them, but I know they like me." He said, in regards to his parents. 

“I know how it feels to grow up mostly without parents.” Ruby had said quietly, and Emile looked over at her. "Well then, I know exactly how you feel as well." Said Emile with a weak smile. 

"If I were as athletic as you, I would probably be climbing trees too! Those cousins seem pretty cool." Said Emile, giving her a nod. "I love nature too. And I love heights. I can't wait for flying and herbology." He said excitedly. He also was really noticing how similar him and Ruby really were! The notebooks, similar interests, parents. 

“That's awesome that you love learning. I hope you don't mind me saying this, but I've never really met someone before that seems to be this similar to me.” Said Ruby with perfect timing. "That's exactly what I was just thinking." Said Emile with a warm smile. "Genuinely, I think it's pretty crazy how much the same we actually are!" He said. "In a good way of course." Emile added quickly. 

"Oh smart." He said with another nod. "You seem to be an expert tree climber." Emile said and pointed at her jokingly. "Really though." He said with another smile. 

~ * ~

Ruby had literally just met Emile. Why was it that she started caring about him so quickly? How did he manage to be so different to everyone else? Perhaps it was because he seemed to fulfill her requirements for traits in a possible friend. He was quite unlike most others that she had met before. He was also kind to her, and had just accepted the fact that she was different to most people, too. A lot of people wouldn't like that fact, and they were the ones that shunned her, frowned at her, looked down on her, saw her as an enemy, or various other things. Perhaps she was finally beginning to find some of the people that she really got along well with – people she might one day be able to open up to, and have fun/laugh with. All the happy people with their groups and good friends sometimes made Ruby feel a little jealous, knowing that her cousins were really the only people she had. Maybe that was changing now. Little did she know that Emile was feeling similar things.

She shrugged with a smile. “Perhaps. It could just be other worlds meaning fictional worlds, or it could be parallel universes. It's a bit weird to think about… I've sort of forced myself to stop thinking about these things because I can't have answers to them, and they kind of make me feel weird and confused… I'm not sure how to explain it. Besides, even if there are other worlds, we still have to go on with our lives here.”

She was a little surprised when he said that she should write a novel. She certainly had enough ideas that it would probably be somewhat easy, but she hadn't really considered it before… “Or I could just continue to give you some ideas and inspiration, if you want it. Also, what do you mean if you're even able to write it? Of course you are! If you like writing so much and you've been gathering ideas for a while, you should definitely do it.”

Emile made a comment about not being good enough for his parents, but then saying that they liked him. That didn't make much sense. She also felt a small twinge of... well, something. Disappointment? Regret? Sadness? Anger? It was a reaction to the mention of parents, and what he had said. She didn't seem to be good enough for her parents, either – but it was more of a case of them trying to force her to be someone she wasn't. She was quite sure that they didn't like her, especially not after they had found out that she was a Slytherin. She hadn't heard anything from them since she had finally sent the letter telling them her house, and she had gone with her aunt, uncle, and three cousins over the Christmas holidays. Her aunt and uncle had avoided the topic of her parents, and she had tried to let it go. Perhaps her parents would get over it eventually... “I'll be here if you ever need someone to talk to or to support you.” Ruby said without thinking, and then realized the significance of what she had just said. Maybe he wouldn't notice?

Moving on! Athletic? Was Ruby truly athletic? “Well, I'm not sure if I'm really that athletic, but I guess I do like some things like climbing and running. I'm really not that strong though, or particularly good at Muggle sports, but I'm decently fast.” She shrugged. “I bet you could do it too.” A mischievous grin crossed her face as she got an idea. “Would you like to try now? I could help you.” Part of her hoped that he'd accept her offer, but she wouldn't be offended if he didn't – perhaps slightly disappointed, but that would be it. “Also, yes, those cousins are cool. I love them – they're basically my best friends and older brothers,” she explained.

Emile proceeded to reveal even more similarities between them. Wow! It was wonderful to finally have someone that she so strongly related to. “Hey, I love nature and heights too!” She then laughed. “Is this just going to keep happening?” she asked with a smile.

~ * ~