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Post by ashley on Oct 7, 2008 13:42:40 GMT 1
Ashley wheeled himself out of the Greenhouse after his Herbology class, a smile on his face. It had been the last class of the day, and he loved Herbology more than any other class. Professor Longbottom was extremely nice, and he had always been interested in plants, so they got along very well. He had even asked the Professor about possibilities that a plant could make him walk again, and they had been researching it for about half an hour after the other students had left.
They hadn't found anything, but Neville had been insistent on adding the word 'yet', which Ash found to be such a good way of looking at it that he couldn't help smiling when he waved goodbye and made his way to the castle. The grass was rather uneven, and it was a difficult thing to get down to the Greenhouses and back, but he was in no hurry. |
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Post by August Jensen on Oct 7, 2008 14:08:11 GMT 1
August loved his Care of Magical Creatures lessons, he really did, magical creatures were just so fascinating. It was strange to think that before he'd got his letter to Hogwarts he'd had no idea that dragons and fairies existed. It was just he found Professor Argall rather intimidating. The Slytherin Head of House seemed to have some kind of vendetta against Hufflepuffs and for some reason that meant August always ended up handling the most... temperamental... of animals.
He was making slow progress back from the pens kept near the Forbidden Forest, mainly because he had quite a pronounced limp. They'd been working with thestrals again and this time the one Professor Argall called Tenebrus had stood on August's foot for almost half an hour before the teacher coaxed him away with a hotdog. That was when he spotted the distinctive outline of Ashley heading back to the castle up ahead. "Ash!" He called out, quickening his pace to catch up and grinning ridiculously at the thought of talking to his friend. "Hey Ash, wait up!"
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Post by ashley on Oct 7, 2008 14:27:11 GMT 1
There were a few people in the school that Ashley had taken to straight away. One of them was August Jensen, a Hufflepuff his age. The guy had always been kind to him and hadn't treated him like the wheelchair-kid that many saw in him. He really liked August and grinned when he heard his voice from behind him.
Stopping the chair from moving, he patiently waited for the other boy to catch up with him. He glanced over his shoulder to see the Hufflepuff limping slightly as he tried to make it to his side. Arching one eyebrow, he wondered what had happened. "What happened? You need a ride?" His brown eyes were sparkling a little bit. |
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Post by August Jensen on Oct 7, 2008 18:52:35 GMT 1
August's face flushed light pink with delight as he saw Ash stopping to wait for him, perhaps a little too pleased that he'd get the chance to talk to the other Hufflepuff. "Thank you! He chirped one he'd caught up, slightly breathless from rushing and everything made just that little bit more difficult by his injured foot. "What?" He asked, looking thoroughly perplexed for a moment when Ash asked what had happened. He was so used to his clumsiness he often forgot that people might notice when he was hurt.
"Oh, not much," August assured, waving it off with a careless hand once he finally cottoned on. "A thestral trod on my foot and wouldn't move." He explained sheepishly with a small grin. "I'm not sure both of us would fit on your chair." He added a little concerned, brow furrowing as he tried to figure out how that could possibly work. Of course it never even occurred to him that Ash could be teasing him, or that it might involve sitting on the boy's lap.
He tilted his head on one side, still looking thoughtful. Something was missing from the usual picture that presented itself whenever he saw Ash. Usually Seth was Ashley’s constant companion, but today he was nowhere to be seen. "Where's Seth?" August asked, curious and oblivious to the fact that he was being rather tactless. Even though he stayed in the same room as the two boys, the tension between them had completely passed over his head the night before.
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Post by ashley on Oct 7, 2008 18:59:53 GMT 1
Ashley waited for August to catch up, loving how utterly and adorably clueless the other was to his teasing. It made him smile and forget about Seth for a moment. Of course though, the other Hufflepuff had to be brought up by his friend. It wasn't that he hadn't expected it - he should expect August not to notice things like this after all - but he just...he really did not want it to be brought up again.
"Me 'n Seth have fallen out" He said quietly, looking away from August for a second. He really didn't want the other to see how much this upset him. There was a hint of tears in his eyes and he swallowed, trying to wipe them away without the other noticing. "We're not friends anymore."
It sounded rather harsh, but that was the truth. They weren't friends, he wasn't sure what they were, but things had changed. The world had rearranged itself and they both would have to find someone else to fill the best-friend position. Ashley shrugged one shoulder, not wanting to feel so alone and miserable over Seth fucking Hevulen. |
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Post by August Jensen on Oct 7, 2008 19:14:12 GMT 1
"What?" August said dismayed, his brown eyes were wide with surprise and his mouth turned down in an upset pout. There were plenty of things that August had grown used to at Hogwarts. Comforting routines that made Hogwarts seem all the more like home. One of them was that Seth and Ashley were best friends, the two Hufflepuffs went everywhere together and he'd never even seen them argue, let alone fall out.
"What happened?" He asked, voice wavering with hurt. It was ridiculous that he was getting so worked up over an argument that didn't even involve him. He couldn't help it though, August got so invested in other people's happiness. Of course he missed the way Ash was so clearly upset about the fight, and his oblivious nature didn't allow him to pick up on the fact that the other Hufflepuff might not want to talk about it. Still, something made him reach out and rest a hand on Ash's shoulder, squeezing gently in a comforting gesture.
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Post by ashley on Oct 7, 2008 19:20:31 GMT 1
Ashley didn't mind August asking. Well, he did, because he didn't want to think about it, but he knew slightly how the other worked and knew that he wasn't being intentionally mean about anything. And besides, the hand on his shoulder helped, if only a little. He reached back towards him, putting his own hand on top of the others.
"We just...He didn't like that I was hanging out with other people, and then we were both yelling at each other-" Seth never yelled at anyone. He hated fighting, and Ashley wasn't sure if he could blame him for the nasty things he'd said. "I was horrible to him, but he didn't understand why. I just...he shouldn't be stuck with the kid in the wheelchair. He shouldn't feel forced to take care of me." |
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Post by August Jensen on Oct 7, 2008 19:46:49 GMT 1
August shot Ashley a concerned smile, momentarily forgetting that they'd come to a standstill in the middle of one of the lawns outside Hogwarts. It was pretty cold as even in September it felt like winter in Scotland and August had forgotten his coat again, but all he could really focus on was the contact between him and Ash. The way Ashley's hand felt warm and August's heart was doing a strange awkward flip in his chest.
"Yelling?" August echoed, still shocked an confused about the whole thing. He just couldn't wrap his head around the fact that Ash and Seth could go from being friends to not friends practically over night. "That sounds bad." He hung his head, hair falling from behind his ear at the movement, thoroughly despondent and quickly becoming determined that he should find a way to make them friends again. "I don't think Seth feels forced to do anything." He said uncertainly, not wanting to contradict Ash. "He talks to you, but he never says anything to me, so he must want to be your friend."
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Post by ashley on Oct 7, 2008 19:52:35 GMT 1
"But he shouldn't want to be. It's...I love him so much, he's the only one I have, and I don't want that for him. I just...I just want him to be happy and find someone he can be in love with and not worry if his stupid crippled friend will ever get a boyfriend again. Because I won't." The last sentence ended rather quietly, and Ashley looked away again, though he didn't let go of Augusts hand which was still on his shoulder.
He had changed, not just internally but on the outside as well, and no matter how hard he tried to believe that he would walk again one day, it didn't seem to be in the cards for him. He went to physical therapy every day, but his Muggle doctors kept saying that maybe he ought to accept it just wasn't going to happen. Sometimes Ash just wanted to quit the whole thing, but that would mean accepting himself like this, and accepting the fact that he was going to remain alone his entire life, just watching his friends pair off and start families. |
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Post by August Jensen on Oct 7, 2008 20:10:10 GMT 1
"You love him?" August's voice was a high-pitched squeak of surprise, it wasn't that he was uncomfortable with the confession, but everything about this conversation was confusing. Just as August had never expected Ashley and Seth to fall out it have never occurred to him that the two of them would ever stray into romantic territory. Everything Ash was telling him was a tangled mess in his head that upset the carefully balanced world August set up around himself. It didn't really help that Ashley's hand was still on his and it felt like tingly sparks were shooting up his arm, drawing his attention away from the more important conversation.
"Ash you will get a boyfriend!" He disagreed hotly, ignoring the way his cheeks were turning slightly pink. "You're amazing and adorable!" August pointed out totally earnestly, his brown eyes practically imploring the other Hufflepuff to believe him. "And you're hardly crippled." He said, not even thinking it might sound like an incredibly stupid thing to say to somebody stuck in a wheelchair. "Sure you can't walk." He waved this fact of like it was hardly important. "But you can get around. Better than me most of the time, think how often I land myself in the hospital wing."
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