(Untitled)

[jackie_zhang]

Week Name/Date/Time: A Moment's Peace / Sunday, October 2 / 4:30 pm
Location: Lakeside
Open To: Avery
Currently Involving: Jackie

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[averykellaway]

Avery heaved a sigh of relief as Jacqueline stopped walking. She had been a fairly good flyer, but never a runner. She walked briskly all the way up to the other girl, all the while trying to catch her breath.

"Oh, thank you. I didn't know if I was doing it right, because well, you know, this was my first time and all," she admitted, smiling sheepishly at Jack. "But I'm glad you enjoyed yourself."

She looked at Jack carefully, somehow remembering that she had briefly considered asking her about the DA. Is this a good time? she wondered. She casted a look around them, trying to figure out if they could maybe go somewhere else instead.

"Jack, can I just have a word with you? Not here though. I don't wish to have anyone overhearing us." She thought for a while, trying to decide on a good place to go. The castle would be filled with students at this time, so that was not an option. Suddenly an idea came to her. "Should we go to our secret spot?" she asked, referring to the place that Jack had shown her when she first had first arrived to Hogwarts.

[jackie_zhang]

Jackie forced herself not to shake her head at Avery's modesty. When would the girl be confident in herself? Or perhaps, she was... and Jackie just didn't realize her silent self-assurance. Whatever the case, she gave her friend an encouraging smile. "I think everyone enjoyed the party. You didn't have anything to worry about."

When Avery mentioned speaking to her in private, Jackie nodded. The secret area, though, took her by surprise and she widened her eyes slightly. She hadn't been to the secluded spot on the castle's grounds in a while, not since the beginning of her third year. It must be serious, if Avery didn't even suggest the girls' dormitory or the library's restricted section.

"Sure." she said, leading the way as she veered off the direct path to the castle and started making her way to its opposite entrance.

[averykellaway]

Avery nodded slightly as the girl reassured her that the party went well. It wasn't like her to be over-confident, especially when it concerned her social life. She was just glad that whatever she had promised Gabe she would do, she did it.

A smile of relief broke out on her face as Jack began to lead the way to their spot, as she had earlier thought the other girl would have somewhere to be. In that case she might have to schedule the meeting some other time, but there was always the risk that someone else might find out if they planned things for the next time, and Avery just wanted to get this done as quickly as possible. She knew it wouldn't be as easy as when Soren approached her, if that could be condisered easy, but she trusted Jack enough.

"So," she started, trying to make small talk, "how has your weekend been?"

[jackie_zhang]

Jackie gave her an easy smile. "Besides the party? Pretty uneventful."

She slowed her pace to allow Avery to walk beside her rather than forcing her to follow her lead. "I saw Ari, Saff, and Letty earlier today. That was nice, too. So much to catch up on, you know? I mean, we've only been in school for a month, and it's been so hectic, it's hard to keep track of everybody. And OWLs aren't just the same as talking in person, or even on the phone."

She grinned. "What about you? Did you finish your errands yesterday?"

[averykellaway]

"No shopping for candies? I'm utterly surprised, Jack!" Avery exclaimed in a faux-shocked voice, grinning widely. After all, Jack's.. interest in Chocolate Frogs could easily matched Avery's own in nut-filled chocolates. She smiled at that thought.

Glad that the girl slowed down slightly, even though Avery's breathing had returned to normal, she slipped both her hands into the pockets of her muggle pants, which she had chosen to wear today. "I know exactly what you mean. I miss Da so much, and even until now, it's strange to not be able to pick up a phone and listen to his voice. But I guess all that distance between us only brings us closer to each other. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, isn't there a saying?"

They continued to make their way towards the secluded spot, walking briskly but not in a rush. "As a matter of fact, I did. Well.. Actually that errand was what I want to speak to you about."

[jackie_zhang]

Jackie laughed at Avery's candy remark. "Well... I think I bought my weekly quota from Honeydukes for the party. I thought if I went back, the shopkeeper would have a heart attack - thinking I ate all of that in less than an hour. Well, either a heart attack, or she'd be insanely jealous that I'm not gaining any weight from it."

She nodded and smiled at the thought. "Yup, that's the saying. I want to convince Dad to get a moving portrait done, so I could bring it to school and he could talk to me when I needed him... but he's a bit uneasy with the magical process. Of course, that doesn't mean he doesn't try to convince me to do the same..."

Jackie blinked in surprise when Avery mentioned her errand, part of her cringing inside. Was she going to ask her to post bulletins around the school or sell Jumer for Julian? She really wouldn't mind doing either, but the thought of an 'errand' brought a sense of 'responsibility' and though she was responsible, Jackie didn't want everyone to know that.

She cleared her throat. "Oh? What was it?"

[averykellaway]

"Well, yes, you did buy a lot of those. Did you manage to finish everything that day? From Julian's face when he saw what you've bought, I thought he was going to have a heart attack," Avery noted, laughing lightly. Speaking of which, that Julian really did seem like a very interesting person. Not many people she knew could come up with a concoction like his Jumer.

Avery turned to Jackie with a smile as she mentioned a moving portrait. "Oh that would just be scary. It's like having a hollogram in your room, except this one's in a frame. Ack!" She shuddered at the thought. As much as she'd like to see her father everyday, she still couldn't imagine his father as a portrait. Even the Fat Lady scared her sometimes.

As Jackie's expression showed curiosity when she mentioned her errand, Avery ran a hand through her hair, trying to think of a better way to put it. They were reaching their destination, but she didn't want to alarm Jackie or anything. "Um, I'd like to tell you now, but I think it's safer for us to speak in private." Granted, there wasn't actually anyone around, but human traffic is generally high around the grounds, especially on a weekend, and she didn't want to run into anyone she couldn't trust.

[jackie_zhang]

Jackie laughed, thinking about Julian's shocked expression. "I think between the... eight of us, was it?... that we finished most of it. I took the rest home, and stuffed them under my bed... for future use, of course."

She winked, then tried to explain her portrait concept. "Yes, but you could cover up the portrait any time. It's like telling Dad to shu-- 'be quiet!' and having him actually obey you."

Jackie found herself nodding again, when Avery reiterated the need for privacy. "Sure." Well, that certainly ruled out poster boards and advertising Jumer, unless it was a surprise for someone. Her eyes lit up with curiosity. Avery was always considerate about people; Jackie wondered if she was planning another party or maybe a special gift for her somebody special.

[averykellaway]

Avery gasped in surprise and giggled at the thought of all of them stuffing themselves silly with freezing whizbees and Bertie Bott's beans. Not her favourite past time, that was for sure.

"Oh, I don't think my Da would like that very much. He might not want to cook for me anymore when I go back, and I don't think I can live with that!" Avery scratched the back of her head as she admitted that. She had grown up eating her father's cooking, and she had a feeling if she were to ever find someone to share her life with, he would need to be able to cook as well. Now that's not an easy task to accomplish.

They finally reached the far side of the lake, where the numerous trees and old abandoned sheds meant that very few people would make it there. Avery didn't know why that was the case, seeing that it would be the perfect spot for couples to.. get to know one another.

She slowed down and leaned against a nearby tree, clearing her throat in the process. "Well, I guess here we are." She looked around them once more before going on. "I'm sorry to keep you in the dark, but I need this to be between the two of us. It wouldn't do to have someone who is not trustworthy listening in."

Taking a deep breath, she tried to collect her thoughts. "Right, on with it. I need to know what is your stance when it comes to the whole blood issue." There, she had said it. She just hoped Jackie wouldn't freak out.

((OOC: Oh my, what a long post. Haha. Forgive me! I go crazy when I get the inspiration to write XP))

[jackie_zhang]

Jackie blinked in surprise at the question. Not really surprised per se that Avery would ask, seeing as Avery was always more serious than she, but that the subject was even brought up. She suddenly felt hot under her collar, as if she was placed on the spotlight. She usually kept this particular opinion to herself, especially considering there were aurors and death eaters and Slytherins and... well, the war so close to school.

She studied Avery for a moment. She knew she could trust her... Avery had never done anything to betray her, and so she doubted Avery would say anything to anybody. After all, it was Avery who wanted to ask in private.

Jackie glanced around their surroundings, making sure no one was nearby, and cleared her throat. "I think it's despicable what so-called purebloods, the Death Eaters, are doing. Not to mention the fact that being truly 'pureblood' is sickening, with all the inbreeding needed just to stay 'pure'."

[averykellaway]

Avery watched, worried, as Jackie seemed to be in shock at her question. Which wasn't surprising. Now she was beginning to wonder how Soren accomplished what he did the previous week. Talking to one person was already hard enough.

She just hoped Jackie could trust her.

As the other girl spoke, she kept quiet and merely tried to evaluate the situation. It sounded as though Jackie would want to do something about the situation, but one couldn't be too careful here.

"So.. are you saying that you would want to do something about it?"

(OOC: I'm going for lunch!! Catch you later if you're still around.))

[jackie_zhang]

Jackie blinked again, a bit surprised. Wow, the questions kept getting harder. She didn't figure Avery of all people to be the active type, to want to do something and possibly get her hands dirty in the process. Charlie, yes; Keeley, maybe; but Avery? Still, Avery was a Gryffindor, just like her, so it wasn't too far from basic reasoning.

"Sure..." She said slowly, but confidently. If her dad could hear her now, she knew he'd be giving her a stern disapproving look. But she couldn't hide from the war no matter how much he wanted her to. She wanted to fight, to make a difference, and she was never one to back down. "But I know I'm not Auror-material. I was thinking about maybe becoming a healer... or work for the Ministry after I graduate from Hogwarts. You know, use my strengths in potions and charms that way. Kind of like Q in James Bond."

She bit her lip, wondering if Avery would get the muggle reference, and shrugged. "There's only so much I can do by myself."

[averykellaway]

Jackie seemed to take a very long time to ponder Avery's questions, and it was making her uneasy. She fought back the urge to play with her fingers, but instead only looked expectantly back at the other girl.

"Well, know that I'm not asking these for fun. I've to know what you really think before I proceed to the next part of what I'm going to tell you." She looked around them once more, making sure absolutely noone was around.

She smiled a little at Jackie's James Bond reference. "Oh, you could really do that, especially with your talent in potions. Anyway, my next question is," she paused, "have you heard of the DA? And what do you know about it?" This is turning out to sound like an interrogation.

[jackie_zhang]

Jackie noticed Avery fidget, and wanted to ask her what was wrong and why all the serious questions. She was even going to throw in a joke, like Who are you, and what have you done with Avery?. But when Avery popped another question at her, Jackie felt her jaw drop.

The girl certainly was Avery. After all, no one else would know about the secluded spot. But the question? She felt a chill in the air as the mood suddenly turned even more sober.

"The DA?" She swallowed. "Do you mean Dumbledore's Army?"

Noting Avery's reaction, Jackie continued. "It was a group formed about ten years ago... founded by Harry Potter while he was attending Hogwarts. Rumors have it as a precursor to the Order, but there are no official documentations and naturally, the Ministry disavows any such group."

She paused, narrowing her eyes. "Avery, is everything okay? Are you in trouble of some kind?"