Getting Away From It All

The  chilli autumn breeze mixed with the mild temperature wasn't exactly Jonathan's cup of tea. Autumn was never really his favorite time of the year temperature wise but he did admire the colorful leaves it brought along with it.

With the lessons being over with for the day, Jonathan took to retreating to his usual spot, under a shady tree by the lake, he had grown attached to over the years. It was better to get out and enjoy the fresh air than to be cooped up inside. He had always come here after lessons to get away from the craziness that filled the castle and do homework, study, or just have some alone time. It was less likely that anyone would bother him either, then again who ever did? Jonathan was always good at keeping to himself.

Having friends would be great though, he admitted. He assumed he had already made two new friends when he got to Hogwarts this year but he had yet to see them again. Muttering to himself over the nonsense of the subject, he pulled his novel out of his coat then began to read more on the many different types of defensive spells. It fascinated him, considering he had a knack for spell casting, but he would never grow the courage to go full out and join the dueling class. Being watched by all those students would make him choke and look like an idiot.

"Maybe if you weren't so shy, you'd be normal," he complained to himself aloud as though no one could possibly hear him.

Well, this was awkward.

Casey had been napping in a tree down by the lake, because that's what she did while she waited for her cousin to get out of class. The return to Britain had been hard, and Casey was not the sort to say "well, let's get down to business and make some friends." She did not care seek friendships - she had Lily Potter, who else did she need for company? No, she was a loyal girl, so she should would simply wait to hang out with her cousin - and that had been her intention.

But blondie below her seemed intent to ruin that. She had been lounging in the tree, her eyes closed, an apple clamped between her teeth. Bite, grab the apple, let her arm droop, chew, swallow. And... repeat. Then the stranger arrived. Casey stared down at him and bit the apple between her teeth, quietly sitting up and perching on the branch. She deftly climbed up to the next branch and settled, laying back down. She lifted the apple to her mouth when-

It slipped.

She immediately sat up and stared in horror as the apple fell to the ground (wondering vaguely if this was how Newton had felt) and landed right on the blonde boy's head.

Jonathan had managed to indulged himself into his novel for a good while when he suddenly felt something thump onto his head.  He looked around quickly, expecting to see some upper-class men probably having a good laugh from hitting him with something but no one was in sight. Surely he couldn't have imagined it, could he? There's no logical reason for why he should have.

He looked around on the ground in search of the object but only saw the arranged warm color of the dead autumn leaves below him. Closing his novel, he got up to his feet to get a better look around as his eyes scanned his surroundings and then he saw it-- an apple? The young Ravenclaw wondered over and retrieved the apple, examining it. It was far too late in the year for there to be apple trees still growing and most of them had already been picked, so where did this come from?

He noticed the bite mark in the apple then raised an eyebrow. There was no one around, at least to his knowledge. He thought it through for a moment then paused. How stupid of him! "If not around or below..." He began to mutter to himself. "then above...". He lifted his head up and spotted the blonde Gryffindor girl perched up in the tree. He gave her an unamused expression, clearly upset that she disturbed his reading. "I believe you dropped this?" He asked, holding up the apple in his right hand.

Casey was briefly frozen with surprise, preparing to fight the boy off if he decided he was mad about the accident. She and Lily had been in their fair share of fights, after all. Typically, something happened with Lily and the other person initiated, before Casey swept in and used her give-them-hell attitude to make them regret the decision. Casey knew how to land a punch and drop a kick, but she had hoped to avoid a fight so early into her Hogwarts career.

The boy began glancing around though and Casey rolled her eyes, relaxing. Yes, the apple fell from above, so please continue to look left and right, that makes the most sense. The girl could not help her internal sarcasm, but it made her feel much better about the potential of a fight. She doubted the boy would last very long. Besides, he seemed relatively harmless. She could easily take him.

The boy began muttering and she raised an eyebrow. She raised an arm and caught the branch ahead of her, before leaning forward to see if she could catch what he was saying. She vaguely heard the word above, and before she could scramble up or out of the tree, the boy looked up at her. She leaned back in surprise, looking very much like an animal caught in the eyes of another creature. She stared at the apple and nodded. "That is mine. It slipped."

She paused, making no move to retrieve her fruit. Suddenly, her spunk rose within her and she asked, "Do you talk to yourself often?"

Jonathan flinched uneasily, taken aback by the question. He hadn't noticed he had spoke aloud to himself; he often talked to himself in his own thoughts. "Not too often," he answered, avoiding eye contact as he usually did. "I tend to think more than speak." It was not like the boy had anyone to talk to exactly and even if so, he didn't talk much. Jonathan, being the timid boy he was, rarely came out of his shell unless it was mandatory or just by curiosity.

He switched his attention back to the apple in hand, thinking silently to himself for a while; thinking wether it be worth it, conversing with the younger girl or not. Most Gryffindors he often saw were very prideful or loud, though some were alright. This girl seemed alright to him, or perhaps it was her youth and somewhat innocents that made him assume this. The boy's hazel eyes flickered over to the girl as he began to analyze her more. Keeping his thoughts to himself, he drew up some courage and spoke again. "How long have you been up there? This area is often empty around this time apart from my occasional visits."