Simply Hanging

The gigantic tome that landed on Lucy's bed was quickly followed by Lucy herself. Unlike the leather-bound book, however, the girl immediately bounced back into a sitting position and began to flick through the pages.

Usually, Lucy was far more enthusiastic about the things that interested her, and this subject - arithmancy - really interested her. However, she just couldn't seem to concentrate today. Her mind kept wandering off and she felt like she'd read the same sentence at least five times already.

Finally, she gave up and with a thump her book fell to the floor. With a sigh Lucy looked around the dorm. Was it just her, or was this place a shambles? Three of the other girls in her dorm were far more interested in clothes than Lucy was and on their beds were tangles of them from the girls getting dressed in the morning.

Alice was on her way down to the Hufflepuff dormitory when she heard a loud bang from one of the girl's rooms. She rushed inside, a bit worried what she might find there. But instead of worry, a smile came upon her face when she saw Lucy fighting with a huge book on her lap. It was so typical of her, to get lost in a book no one else but her has probably touched for centuries. Her mother was like that too, or so her dad says. So it would make sense.

"Hi Lucy. Is everything ok?" she asked with a grin on her face. She then realized how long it has been since the last time she spoke to Lucy. There were friends from childhood of course, with their families being close. And even in the same house together. But even so, somehow with homework and classes, they never seemed to have time free or even to bump into each other. Well Alice was determined to change that. After all, when she thought about it, she had really missed Lucy.

"I suppose that book is just for some reading? When bored?" Alice asked with a smile and she walked closer to the bed to examine the book.

Lucy twisted round to see Alice walking in the door. She shrugged and flung her arms wide.

"Does any of this look okay?" she asked. "I just don't get other girls."

With a sigh, she flung herself back into a lying position.

"I mean, I understand wanting to look pretty and stuff but doing it every single day would wear me out."

She rolled over to find Alice examining the book by the bed.

"Are you making fun of me?" she asked. "Trust me, if I'd been able to find a smaller book with the information I wanted, I'd have borrowed it. Lugging that thing around isn't fun."

Alice looked around the room and laughed. She hasn't seen this kind of a mess...well since the last time she walked into Frank's room. He never could keep his room tidy, not even for a day. "I know what you mean, not exactly my thing either" she said with a shrug. She certainly wasn't the most girly person out there. Sometimes she enjoyed make up and pretty clothes, but never in such an excessive manner.

"How much time do they actually take in the morning to get ready, I wonder..." she said curiously. She was so moody in the morning that she could barely manage to get herself out of bed, let alone spend hours on picking her clothes out.

"I'm not making fun of you at all Lucy. But tell me, how have you been? We haven't talked in a while" said Alice. She really missed Lucy lately and she never got to talk to her anyone that often as they used to.