(Untitled)

[niamh_gannon]

Week Name/Date/Time: 'Promises and Plans'/ Monday, 10 October / 2:45 PM
Location: corridor near the Great Hall
Open To: Avery
Currently Involving: Niamh

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[averykellaway]

Pushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear, Avery continued to look at Niamh, rather concerned. She probably shouldn't probe her too much, but still, if it was possible, she would definitely want to help.

She removed her hand from Niamh's shoulder and placed both hands behind her back. "Okay, then, if you say so." She smiled warmly at the girl, and reached out to ruffle her hair slightly. Looking at Niamh like this and feeling the urge to want to make things right for her, Avery wondered if perhaps this was the side of her which longed so much for a younger sibling, showing.

Pushing her thoughts aside, she stuffed one hand into the pocket of her robes and slung the other around Niamh's shoulders. "C'mon, let's go outside shall we? If you don't have classes at the moment, that is. Even if you do.." She checked the time. "You're already late. And, I'm beginning to think the dark interior of the castle is causing us all some major emotional breakdown." She shook her head. Slytherins, eh? Certainly didn't sound like they've been keeping to themselves.

[niamh_gannon]

Niamh smiled a little. She couldn't stop herself. Avery was just being too friendly, and when the older girl ruffled her hair, she let out a small giggle. It reminded her for a moment of something Bradan might do if he were there. Oddly, instead of bringing up her homesickness, it made her want to smile. Perhaps because it was a happy memory rather than a fear for the future.

When Avery offered to let Niamh go outside with her, Niamh gave a geniuine smile, "I've not any class. Study hall was my last class for the day. I'd love to go outside. Seems I haven't really been much lately," she paused, thinking of the one outing she'd made on Saturday and smiled a little more. That had been fun. She might be wanting to hide a lot, but the outdoors were always quite tempting to her. She pulled her bag onto her shoulder and looked up at the older girl with a grateful though still small, smile.

[averykellaway]

Now that was the Niamh that Avery had met and liked. The bright, sunshiney girl who talked with an excited voice about things that interested her. Sure, she had been rather unsure when she had first met her, but that could be understood. "There you are. I was wondering when you'd show up," she joked, laughing softly at themselves. Part of the reason she had wanted to fight against the evil which their side - the good one - believed to be threatening the school and possibly the Wizarding world, was because of these younger kids. And as Bran had said, they'd be fighting to keep everyone safe from harm.

"Oh, good then! We could go outside and get some fresh air. And did you not tell me that you like to climb trees? I'd never be able to do it, but maybe you can show me how you do that?" she asked, smiling back at the younger girl.

She led her towards the door leading to the castle, which was, by then, full of students who had finished their classes for the day - or maybe some who had skipped? - looking to get outdoors. And Avery couldn't blame them. It was exactly why she liked flying so much. Because then, she would be free, above the ground, above her worries.

[niamh_gannon]

Niamh smiled again. She really did like Avery. The older girl was one of the nicest people she'd met so far at Hogwarts, and she was very glad to see her. She felt quite a bit less sad than she had in the last few days as she stood here talking with Avery.

Her eyes went wide, nodding, "I do! I've not climbed very many here, though," she paused, looking down, "Busy with classes and studying, I guess." After a moment, she looked, a smile on her face, "But I could do that, if you'd like."

She followed the older girl to the door, but felt nervous being surrounded by so many people all of the sudden. It was a bit of a shock to remember that there really were so many other people in the castle when she'd been working so hard at avoiding them.

She hoped they could get out and away quickly, and that she wouldn't lose Avery in the crowd. If it were Bradan, she would have just grabbed his hand or belt or something, but she wasn't sure Avery would be okay with that. After all, even Bradan barely tolerated it when she did. Instead she just kept close behind her older friend, a determined expression on her face.

[averykellaway]

Avery nodded at Niamh's rejuvenated self, glad that such a small gesture on her part could result in something like this. A smile and a lifted spirit, she hoped, and smiled to herself.

"I see quite a few trees out there," she said, pointing towards the courtyard, where a few shady trees were. Hopefully the place wouldn't be swamped by students soon. She had a feeling Niamh might feel nervous again in front of many people. "Shall we go there?" she asked, turning back to the little girl.

Sensing the uncertainty in Niamh's movement - the girl was terribly close behind her and looked as if she might blend into Avery's back - Avery turned around and gently held her hand, pulling her along. "Don't worry about the other students. They won't do anything." At least, she had hoped so, since this was a public area after all. But who was she to say, since she herself had done something she would normally frown upon just a barely a week ago. But so long as the Slytherins keep out of their way, they should be fine.

[niamh_gannon]

Niamh gave a wide smile this time, "Okay!" She was excited now to climb. She wasn't sure if Avery was really all that interested in watching her, but she appreciated the encouragement, anyway.

When Avery took her hand, Niamh smiled with relief. She felt so small with all these people around and it helped to have someone to hold on to. She was always scared of getting lost or being trampled by people because she was so tiny. Niamh nodded at Avery's words, but didn't say anything. She didn't know what she could to explain her fears. Some of her fears were just normal fears for a girl her size, of course, but the fear of Slytherins and what they could do to her was a new one, and the worst one.

She held firmly, though she was careful not to hold too tightly, to Avery's hand as they made their way towards the courtyard. The smile was starting to stick, it seemed, as she thought of climbing a good tree again.

[averykellaway]

Avery nodded at Niamh's excitement, and pulled her along as they finally stepped out into the courtyard. The weather was quite breezy, but with their robes and scarf on, she figured that they would be okay. But at the same time, she wanted to make sure that the younger girl wasn't feeling too cold. "Feeling alright? If it's too cold we could head back in."

She released Niamh's hand, seeing that there were fewer people out here, and not as congested, and took a few steps forward. Pulling her scarf tighter around her neck, and stuffing both hands into her pockets now, she turned back and looked at the Ravenclaw. "So, which tree shall it be today?" She had no idea what made for a good climbing tree, so that would be entirely up to Niamh. She was, after all, there to offer her encouragement and get the girl to lighten up.

[niamh_gannon]

Niamh smiled and shook her head, "No, I'm fine. I don't mind the cold too much." She knew she'd probably start to mind it soon enough, but she didn't want to pass this chance up. A good climbing tree and a friend to talk to were just what she needed, and she knew it. She pulled her scarf tighter around her neck and grinned up at Avery.

Niamh grinned and looked around the courtyard, focusing on the trees. She scrunched up her face in concentration before pointing at one that looked particularly good for climbing, "That one!" she grinned, and walking swiftly, she made her way toward it, dropping her bag on the ground at the bottom the moment she reached it. She turned to wait for Avery to join her.

[averykellaway]

"But you'll let me know if you feel that the temperature is too low for you, yes? I don't want you to catch a cold," Avery said, extending an arm around her shoulders and giving them a light squeeze. Falling ill was probably the last thing Niamh needed, on top of all her worrying.

She dropped her hand from around Niamh's shoulders and stuffed them back into her pockets. Was it just her, or was it really that chilly out here? Choosing to ignore the cold, she looked as she pointed out a medium height tree with lots of low branches. It didn't look all that dangerous, so this time, she was just going to trust her instincts and let Niamh have a little fun.

Laughing a little as Niamh enthusiastically walked to the tree, she followed closely behind, raising her head to indicate that Niamh should just go ahead. "Go on, get up there. I'd like to see how you do it." She leaned against the tree and rubbed her nose with the back of her hand.

[niamh_gannon]

Niamh nodded in reply to Avery's question, "Sure." She knew once she started climbing that she'd probably warm up a bit, anyway. She grinned up at the older girl, thoroughly excited and unconcerned about her already pink nose and cheeks.

When Avery gave her the go ahead to start, Niamh didn't have to be told twice. She grabbed hold of the lowest branch and pulled herself up, grabbing the next branch and swinging her legs higher until she was several feet off the ground in a matter of seconds.

She paused, sitting on one branch to look down at Avery questioningly. She wasn't sure if the older girl would really watch, or would even care how she did it, but Niamh hoped she did. She missed having someone about to at least watch her climb, if not to join her. It was much more fun to climb trees with a friend or two nearby than alone.

[averykellaway]

Avery rubbed her both her arms with her hands, feeling a little cold. Nevertheless, she didn't want to spoil the mood for Niamh, so continued smiling at her as she started climbing. "Careful there," she warned, walking nearer to where she was so that she was directly beneath her. Ready to catch her if she fell, which she hoped would not happen.

"What do you do once you've reached the top? Just sit there and look around?" she asked, curious. Was it something like flying, then? Just get up there and do nothing?

Avery watched as she swung her legs upwards, laughing as she paused and looked back down at her. "Go on. I'll just watch. My coordination's real bad, anyway."

[niamh_gannon]

Niamh smiled. She looked tiny and she seemed clumsy on the ground, sometimes, she knew, but she was at home in a tree. She could climb almost before she could properly walk. She wouldn't tell Avery that, though, in case the older girl wanted to feel helpful or something. In her experience, people tended to like thinking they knew better than she did.

"A lot of the time, yeah. Other times I bring a book and read. Sometimes I just hang upside down or swing. There's lots to do in a tree!" she laughed. It felt wonderful to be up in the branches again.

Niamh shrugged, but smiled, "Okay, but you're really missing out. You can see the whole world if you get high enough." She pulled and swung her way ever higher, nimbly and delighted. This was her element and now that she was in it, she didn't want to have to leave any time soon.

She was almost to the top, just a few more branches to go!

[averykellaway]

"So you could just sit there for hours and read or do nothing? Well, I suppose it's like flying, just that the latter needs more concentration, and well, you can't really read up there," Avery said, sticking her tongue out just a tad, thinking how silly that must've sounded. Well, in actual fact, the two thing seemed similar, just that with flying, one was secure above a broom, and tree-climbing, well, you could slip and fall if you're not careful enough. Which wasn't a nice thought at all.

"Oh, I could see almost the whole world when I fly, too. Have you learnt flying yet?" she asked. In her first year, they had flying lessons within the first month, but she hadn't been paying close attention to the classes held outdoors this year to remember if she had seen the first years flying rather clumsily for the first time.

It was certainly nice to see Niamh so happy and carefree. "Enjoying that, aren't you?" She smiled up at the girl. "You should come out here more often. It's so beautiful isn't it?" she asked, looking around them. Indeed, it was quite a sight. The grass was very green, and low branched trees were everywhere.

((OOC: Sorry, Laura! I was kinda busy at work just now :P))

[niamh_gannon]

Niamh nodded, though Avery probably couldn't have seen it since she was so high up, "I love to just sit and look around. There's so much to see and sometimes birds will come close and you can watch them. It's also a wonderful place to sit and think or be alone." She settled into a spot where the branches formed a sort of cradle that was just the right size for Niamh.

She sat up and leaned over to call down again, excited to talk about flying too, "No, we haven't yet. I've been so excited to try it, too. It sounds really wonderful. I hope I'm good at it. Especially if it's anything like tree climbing because then I'd have two things to do whenever I felt like being up high!"

There was nothing in the world that made Niamh feel better as much as sitting high up in a tree did. She didn't feel her usual tiny size near as much. She felt as big as the tree, which was a comforting feeling for a girl her size. She didn't worry about falling out of trees any longer; she'd spent too many years practicing and learning the best ways to keep hold. She was much more nimble and graceful in a tree than she'd ever be on the ground.

But flying was something she was eager to try too. It sounded like a wizarding version of tree climbing in her mind, so she was completely certain it would be as worthwhile. Plus, it was another reason to be outside, a place where she felt happiest.

Niamh nodded again, "Mmmhmmm, I am! It's lovely! Thank you for bringing me out here. I'll try to come a lot more. There's lots of trees out here that look just right for climbing! Maybe I'll come out here to study sometimes instead of the library," she wore a brilliant grin.

[averykellaway]

At the mention of birds, Avery looked out into the skies and actually saw a number of them circling around. Such freedom was hard to come by. For humans, at least, but birds, they did get it all, didn't they?

She looked up at Niamh. "So what does our Niamh Gannon think about when she's up there?" She offered another smile, fingers still playing with the bark of the tree. "And I'm sure you'd love flying, if you like climbing that much. You get to move around and feel the wind in your hair. It's brilliant." That was exactly why she had liked flying so much, even though most of the time, she wasn't what someone would call terribly adventurous.

"Don't mention it. I was actually thinking of coming out myself, before I bumped into you. But don't think for a minute that you've intruded or anything, because I could really use some company today." She grinned up at the girl. It was the truth. Avery knew that if she had come out on her own, she would have let herself think too much, and that wouldn't be good.

[niamh_gannon]

Niamh shrugged, "Oh, anything. Everything. Sometimes nothing. There's always lots of things to think about. Sometimes I think about classes, other times I think about home. I suppose I think about what anyone thinks about when they're alone. Trees are like my thinking spot, I guess. Do you have a thinking spot? I think everyone ought to. They're dead useful," she rambled on at high speed, completely at ease with Avery. Niamh considered the older girl a real friend now.

"Flying sounds absolutely wonderful! I can't wait to try it!" She imagined it was something like sitting in the top of a tree, only the tree moved. Which sounded amazing, really. She was eager for their first flying lesson.

Niamh blushed, but grinned, "I'm glad." She was glad to hear that because she really did hope Avery would consider her a good friend, too. It would be nice to not have to worry about bothering someone, for once. She hated being so much younger than everyone; she couldn't help but feel in the way every now and again.