The Entrance Hall
 

http://www.snitchseeker.com/i/school/entrancehall.png


Welcome to Hogwarts! You enter and leave the castle through two great oak front doors to stand in the majestic Entrance Hall. There are numerous doors and staircases leading off from the hall as well as the four house points hourglasses

Why exactly had Trixie found herself here? And why on Earth was Neptune Bott dancing around with a load of butterflies without a care in the World? Riiiiiiight...

O____________o

The Blonde never usually found herself here, at this time of year she'd be out relaxing before NEWT revision kicked in and the swotty girl studied as hard as she possibly could. She wanted to do well so attending as many lessons as possible was a must. But first, to work out why exactly Neptune was floating around in her own little dream world. Hmm...

"Err.. Care to explain exactly what it is your doing?" she asked, approaching the younger student with an eyebrow raised. Some kind of..ritual.. Cos she was pretty certain normal people didn't stand there and do that, especially not in the middle of the Entrance Hall.

Woaaah.

O___O

Okay someone was happy to see her. Trixie couldn't help but to genuinely smile. Well she appreciated actually being wanted for once. "Hey Neptune" she grinned. Or would she prefer being called Neppy or something? Trix wasn't exactly good with nicknames anyway, unless they were totally obvious ones.

But then she was suddenly being pulled into a hug and the seventeen year old hugged back, not quite as enthusiastically as the sixth year had done. Sour? How could she look.. sour? Eh.. "Um.. Thanks?" she raised an eyebrow trying to work out if it was indeed a compliment, well the word pretty was anyway. She glanced down at her badge as she realised it had been knocked slightly.

.....

Well that was one of the most excitable reactions she had received since people found out she was Head Girl. The Blonde grinned back at the younger blonde whilst nodding excitedly. Sure people were proud of her and stuff, but Neptune seemed very.. happy.

"Yes I am" she glanced down at the badge and then back up. "I don't think it WAS announced, Headmaster Tate certainly never mentioned it in his opening speech, I just introduced myself to a lot of the new Slytherins" she informed her. And that took enough of her time, she didn't stop talking and running around.

Cass didn't know why she found herself at the entrance hall. It wasn't like this was some place hidden and secret...

But she had to admit...it looked less scary now that she was a second year...

Alice walked into the entrance hall feeling lost. She knew where she was, but lost mentally. Taking a couple of steps to the nearest bench Alice collapsed, staring at the doors in front of her but not really seeing them. Should she have done that? Was that really the right thing to do?

Lexi ran ran ran ran up from the grounds, her shoes tucked under her arm. Hmmmm. Entrance Hall... no shoes... slick socks. WIN! Soon as Lex hit the stone floor she started to slide a little bit and giggles escaped her throat. Total win... until

....

Yeah. That was short lived. In a few moments Lexi was toppling over and landed in a heap right next to a bench that held her little Gryffie pal. "Ooomph! Alice... did anyone else see that?" she asked through giggles as she lasy in a pile in the floor.

Alice was pulled out of her intense stare at the door by the blur of what Alice thought was a body. By the time her eyes focused the blur was gone, and instead Alice felt the bench move as if someone had crashed into it. Looking down Alice spotted the source...Lexi.

Lexi was bent over giggling. Did anyone see that? Alice looked around the entrance hall to find the people who were there were still looking and chatting the way they had been before Alice was pulled out of her staring contest with the door.

"No, I don't think anyone saw," Alice said with a weak attempt at a smile. She took Lexi's hand and helped to pull her onto the bench next to her. "That looked a bit painful though. Are you alright?"

Lexi giggled a bit more as Alice helped her up. "Ah. It was nothing. What looks painful is that look on your face, kiddo. What's up?" she said as she rubbed absently at her left knee. Okay... the fall had smarted a little bit.

Lex unholstered her wand and summoned her pink Converse to her and put them on quickly. Heheh. That was epic. Perhaps Glisseo on the Entrance Hall WOULD be worth the trouble. Mhm.

Alice shifted her gaze down for a moment, not sure whether or not she should be dumping this on Lexi, but if anyone in this entire school understood it was her.

"My mother sent me a letter asking me to send her some of her things via the owl she sent me. No explanation, just that she needed them and to do it as quickly as possible."

Alice let out a sigh, the emotions she was feeling still overlapping between sad, angry, hurt, and numb.

"So, I got the box of things from my dad and I took them out by the lake and burnt them all. They're now nothing more than a crumpled pile of ash."

Alice's face was blank when she finished. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the small pile of ashes and set it on the little bench space between her and Lexi.

A parade? Why on Earth should she get a parade? "But there's been so many people before me, why should I deserve a parade if they didn't get one?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. It was amazing, it truly was and she felt so special to have been chosen, but maybe a parade would have been a little over the top.

And.. woaaaah.

She was suddenly being tugged over to a load of butterflies. Pretty yes, but was this what Neptune did whenever she was bored or lonely? Cos surely there was better things to do. And there could be people that were actually scared of insects around here, not that Trixie was, they were gorgeous to look at. A pretty perfected spell as well.

"What do you mean?" Tell on her to the Head Girl? But she WAS the Head Girl? "No I'm not going to tell anyone, your not doing any harm are you?" she asked switching her eyes from the butterflies back to Neptune. "Just, don't keep it going for too long..It will get boring after a while anyway" she smirked a little.

Lexi chewed on her bottom lip as Alice began to talk and then sob. Poor baby. She even wibbled her lip a little bit at the utter heartbreak that child was displaying.

Without hesitation she brushed the ashes off in the floor and pulled Alice into a big hug petting her hair and shhhhhhhushing her sobs. "Alice, I am so sorry that you are having to go through this all. I know it is difficult, but I am here for you and will help you in anyway I can," she told her softly.

Sighing as she petted the girl's hair again she squeezed her tightly and continued, "Is there anything I can get you... anything I can do to help? You just want to talk?"

Alice rested her head against Lexi's shoulder, thankful to just have someone hold her. Her sobs were quiet, but violent, her whole body shaking. The sound of Lexi's shhhhushing made her feel better, but they didn't stop the tears from flowing.

"What do I do Lexi? My mother is just gone and my father is not holding it together. I worry about him, being all alone with nothing but his thoughts. And it certainly doesn't help that the whole town is talking about it," Alice mumbled into Lexi's shoulder once she had gotten the ability to speak.

Alice pulled away slightly so she could look Lexi in the eyes. "I thought that by burning her things I was getting back at her somehow, but really it doesn't change anything. It doesn't change what she did or the fact that my father is hurting. Why couldn't she have just given some kind of explanation?! Hell make up a reason why she had to go instead of just leaving! Does she not even care about my father enough to at least have that much decency?"

Alice was fuming now, the sadness leaving her again and a violent look going in her eyes. "I don't care that she's out of my life but my father....I don't know that I can help him through this Lexi. I don't know that I can convince him that it wasn't anything that he did. Every letter that I get he is just getting worse and worse."

Alice was quiet for a moment, a blankness returning to her eyes. "What if...." Alice trailed off, not wanting to think of that.

Lexi listened to Alice and realized... she had NO clue. She had broken down too many times to count... unable to deal. Her parents were gone and she had no idea where. "Honey. YOu need to focus on you. How do YOU feel about all of this? You are obviously hurting and while, yes, it is important to think about your father's well being, we don't want you to break too." Something like that? Sounded like sound advice to her.

"The truth is, I can't answer this for you. People do things without any logical reason that we can see sometimes. YOur mum is the only one that can answer those questions. And until you are prepared to ask and she prepared to talk I have no idea," she said in all honesty as she released Alice from the hug and tried to wipe her tears away best she could.

Smiling a bit sadly she shook her head. "The BEST advice I can give you is to focus on making yourself happy right now. Try to deal with it, work through it and get past it. Then you can help your dad deal," she offered with a nod. Yes, that was the key.

Alice looked at Lexi just longing and wishing that she could somehow make this all better. She had no idea how nor was it really fair for Alice to look at her that way but she couldn't. She wished that if she asked her mother why she left and why she was doing this that her mother would answer, but Alice knew better. Alice knew that there was no way that her mother was going to explain any of this to her, but Alice was done needing her to.

"I don't need her to explain it to me, I need her to explain it to my father," Alice said, wiping away a tear with her sleeve. "He's the one that needs her to say something. And Lexi...my father is all that I have. If something happens to him I'll have no one. I have no other family that I can turn to...I'd have no home left if something happened to him."

Make herself feel happy first? Alice's face showed nothing but confusion. How could she make herself feel happy knowing what she knew?

"Make myself happy?" Alice whispered, it coming out more like a question than a statement. Alice looked at Lexi, hoping to find some kind of answer in her eyes, but sadly she found none. She knew Lexi understood and she could tell that Lexi was still trying to find an answer herself.

"I understand, Alice. Moreso than you realize, I understand the fear of losing the only people or person that you have to count on." SHe had in fact lost her family... in the literal sense. She could not find them. Well, one of her families anyway.

Hearing Alice whisper the question Lexi pulled her back into a hug and petted her hair some more. Pulling back and bending down that little distance to look Alice right in her eyes she tucked a piece of hair behind her little ear and smiled. "I know it sounds SO out of order. But look at it like this. What good are you going to be at making others happy if you aren't happy yourself? Trust me. Find some peace inside of you first... then try to help others," Lexi told her in all seriousness.

Alice rested her head against Lexi's shoulder again when Lexi pulled her in for another hug. Alice wasn't crying anymore she was just kind of numb to it all. She leaned back as Lexi pulled her out of the hug and gave a tiny smile as Lexi tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear.

"That is true," Alice said with a little smirk. "I guess I can't really help my dad move on from this if I'm not happy either." Alice looked down at the ground a couple of minutes before looking back up at Lexi.

"I don't know what I'd do without you Lexi. You're the only one who seems to really understand it, you know? I mean, other people care, but you understand."

Alice looked at Lexi for another moment before reaching into her jean pocket and pulling out the pink handkerchief Lexi had given her. She tied it around her head before giving Lexi another smile.

Lexi watched as Alice seemed to process what advice she had given her. It was a lot to digest, she knew. Once the little Gryffie seemed to mull it over and agree Lexi smiled at her brightly. Thata girl.

"I try, kiddo. I try," Lexi said with a small smile touching her lips. Her smile brightened further as Alice tied the pink handerkerchief around her head. "How are you enjoying classes so far, Alice? Been having a tough time concentrating or is everything fine where that is concerned?" she asked, concern clear on her face.

"Classes have been going alright," Alice said with a little shrug. "My magic has been a bit off lately, but I suppose it's because I can't concentrate really...at least that's what Professor Descoteaux says. He really is a very nice Professor," Alice said, smiling in remembrance of how nice he had been to her during class and in his office. "How are your classes going? Are you getting ready for your O.W.L.s?"

Lexi nodded in understanding. "It happened to me once, you know. My magic not working properly or whatever. It was just a lack of confidence, my own trauma, and no concentration. It will get better," she reasssured the girl. Ooooh professor hot stuff! Rawrrr.

"Classes have been... not great to be honest. I have been having trouble concentrating. had a lot of silly stuff on my mind," she admitted with a small frown. "OWLs... I am dreading them SO much. Runes is just... terribly difficult for me, although this term it is getting easier," Lexi replied with a certain amount of disappointment in her voice.