It's Hard to say I do, When I don't [openn to all]

[Brayden Christiansen]

The year had gone by way too fast for Brayden to comprehend it. It felt to him like it was only yesterday that he had become a second year. Realisticly, his second year was long gone, and he had already dived into his third.

The boy was sitting in a couch in front of the fireplace in the Gryffindor Common Room, working on Potions homework, which has become more and more boring as the minutes went by. Brayden sighed, and closed his Potions book, even though he wasn't even halfway through finishing, and looked around. He happened to be the only student in the Common Room. Where was everyone else? Brayden stood up, and stretched. He glanced out the window, and looked out towards the lake. Surprisingly, it still had not frozen over yet, and the grounds were basically deserted since you couldn't ice skate.

It was a good idea. Brayden was going to walk down to the pier, so he would have some time to himself...without homework. He hadn't done anything since he last saw Nessa at the park, which wasn't a very happy memory of the two. He put that out of his head, and walked up to the Dormitory to grab his jacket and put some food in his kittens food dish.

Brayden walked out the Portrait entrance of the Gryffindor Common Room and began walking down the seven flights of stairs to the Entrance Hall. He took his time, watching the stairs move repeatedly back and forth from different floors. He said hello to a couple of people he knew on his way down. Finally, he reached the Entrance Hall. He opened the Oak doors and walked outside.

It was suuuper cold out this day, so Brayden pulled the coat even tighter around himself. He flipped the hood up over his head, and walked along the beach towards the pier. Only the very edges of the lake were frozen. Hopefully, the lake would completely freeze soon, so that Brayden could slip and slid across it, which sounded very fun, making Brayden laugh at the thought.

He reached the pier, and walked on. It began to wobble, like it always did when someone went on it. He lost his balance, and fell right on his butt! Good one, Brayden! He laughed at himself, and got back up. He walked slowly this time, making sure that he wouldn't fall again. Brayden made it to the end of the pier, and sat down, and stuck his hands in his coat pocket.

He looked out to the lake. It seemed to be un-inhabited at the moment, for there was not even one ripple in the water from a fish, or a grindylow. They all were probably near the bottom of the lake, trying to find a warm spot. Brayden probably looked a little weird, himself, sitting out on the pier, all by himself, while everyone else was nice and warm inside the castle. Oh well...

[gabriella]

Gabriella let a small sigh escape her lips as she walked through the almost empty corridor, it had seemed like ages since she had actually gone out of her common room to do anything. But today she wanted to do something... anything. The question though was what? What exactly was there to do when you were alone in a corridor and no one seemed to be around.

She hadn't talked to any of her friends in ages, or what seemed like it anyways. She was too busy with school work most of the time, it seemed to be taking up all of her time lately, which she disliked.

A small chill ran up Gabriella's spine, making her shiver a bit as she walked down a staircase to the main level. Looking out a nearby window she saw the yard was pretty much uninhabited. Where was everyone? Barely anyone was in her common room, not many people were in the corridors and no one seemed to be outside, where else was there to go?

Giving her head a small shake as if to shake away the thought she zipped up her jacket and walked outside, what did it matter if no one else was outside. She could still go outside... sure, she may look like a loner but it gave her some 'me' time, some times just to think about everything going on right then. No one was there to bug her and disrupt her thoughts she may as well consider it a good thing.

Letting out a breath she ran her fingers through her hair, thinking about home, and everything that was going on there. She had no way of knowing, which made the worst possible ideas float through her mind, had he been hurt? Did anything bad happen? No... that wasn't it, if something bad had happened, someone would have told her right?

Letting out another breath as she put up her hood, she shivered again, seeing as it was freezing outside. Kicking a stone on the pier she watched as it went skidding across the planks and came to a stop as it hit something, or was that someone? Squinting her eyes a bit she came to realize that it was indeed someone and she instantly felt bad for hitting them with the rock. She had no idea of telling how much it had hurt, if it all, but she was hoping it hadn't hurt the person that much. "I am so sorry," Gabriella called to the person taking a few steps nearer to them, hoping they weren't going to be angry. She hadn't even realized that anyone else was out there, but apparently she was wrong.

[josie]

It was freezing, an icy element was lingering in the air. A threat perhaps . . . or maybe a promise. A promise of things to come. Soft white blankets covering the vast castle grounds, the towers dusted like decorations on a cake. Snow globe moments as the snowflakes made their graceful way down to earth.

Wrap up warm kind of weather, scarves and gloves, breath dancing on the wind. Rosy cheeks and red noses. Hot chocolate and dark nights, short days and the start of the Christmas Season. The stone walls of the castle would be extra cold and the fires in each common room lit round the clock.

Josie smiled as she walked round the perimeter of the lake. It might even ice over, she'd heard that was known to happen here, and then they could go ice skating, she could have that snowball fight she'd been waiting for rather impatiently. She would ensure Issac enjoyed the snow one way or the other. She grinned at the thought, it was still a little perplexing to her to find someone who didn't love winter as much as she did.

She let out a deep sigh and watched as her breath made patterns on the icy wind. Her eyes were sharp and her nose was cold but she had no intention of returning to the castle. It was so peaceful out here. The lights from the castle glittered and the odd voice could be heard floating through a forgotten open window.

The lake was eerily still, not a single ripple disturbing its cool surface. She shivered at the thought of how cold its depths must be. Approaching the end of the pier she looked up and spotted the lone figure sitting at the other end. They were wrapped up so tightly against the elements she couldn't work out who it was.

She watched as another figure appeared, it was freezing, she had thought she was the only one mad enough to be out on a day like today. She watched from the sidelines as the new comer kicked something to wards the person at the end of the pier. She smiled as she listened to her apology. And watched for a few more seconds.

She toyed with the idea of walking in the other direction, she didn't know how the person was going to take being hit with whatever they were hit with and the peace and tranquility she had been feeling moments earlier was now shattered. She didn't know how welcome her arrival would be to either party but the side of her that wanted to stay won out in the end.

Taking a few steps along the pier she felt her left foot slide out from under her. A klutz by nature Josie would pick the one spot on the already unstable surface that happened to be coated in ice. Luck appeared to be on her side today as she managed to steady herself with a relieved sigh. She grinned more to herself than anyone else and carried on walking to the edge of the pier. A little more slowly and with an air of cautiousness about her.

She stood a little way back and coughed, a grin playing about her features, "Is this a private party," She commented cheerfully, "Or can anyone join?" She hoped her intrusion didn't bother anyone to much

[Brayden Christiansen]

Brayden let out a sigh, and watched as his foggy breath floated away in the cold, almost winter air. It felt great to be outside, and not having to care about anything else in the world, no worries at all. He picked up a pebble on the pier, and threw it into the lake, interrupting the smooth and silkyness of what it had just been. Hundreds of ripples glided along the surface of the water now.

The sun had begun to set, and Brayden shifted in his seated position, wrapping his jacket even tighter, for the air had gotten even cooler than what it had been when he had first walked out onto the pier. He should probably go in soon, he thought to himself. Brayden definitly did not want to catch a cold, he hated being sick! Who didn't? Hopefully, no one liked being sick, if they did...well, than they were just a little weird.

After finally resting with the conclusion that no one liked to be sick, Brayden felt something hard his him in the back. He let out a little yelp, almost like a puppy dog, and turned around. At the foot of the pier, a girl stood, hands clapped over her mouth. She called to him, saying she was sorry, and took a few steps closer. He stood up and walked over to her.
"It's okay. I'm sure you weren't trying to hit me, or were you?" he eyed the girl suspiciously. After a couple moments, he cracked a smile, and laughed a little.
"Heh, only joking, I know you didn't do it on purpose. I'm Brayden Christiansen, 3rd year Gryffindor, and you are?" he asked her. He was sure she wasn't in his year, she wasn't in any of his classes. She seemed to be in a younger year, he thought.

Waiting for the girls reply, another girl stepped into view, someone Brayden already knew.
"Hey! I think I've seen you a couple times, your...Josie, right? he said to the girl, with a cheerful smile. "...of course you can join us, take a seat, hehe." he said, point to the floor of the pier. He plopped down, and waited for the other two to join him.

[Brie Alley]

[ooc: hope you don't mind]

This wasn't the way, she wanted things to go. Her, and Brayden. There whole lives had fallen apart. Well, she didn't kn ow about Brayden, but she knew about herself. But she couldn't help but come to a single conclusion, stop talking to Brayden. Yet, that was quite hard for her. But she believed she could do it. It would be simple. Don't even think of that name. She took out her book, her scrapbook, of course. And scammed through the pictures.

There was a few of her and Bryce. Wow, that was the past. Then there was one of her and Gabriella in the leaves. And then, there was one of her and Brayden. In the haunted house. She slammed the book down, and through it across the room. It hit her truck, and then she heard music playing.

That sweet music was the music box her Mom, and Dad had given her. She got up, and pushed in the wooden chair. An made her way over to the music. She picked up the box, with tears in her eyes. This was once a pleasure to look at, now it was a disappointment, The music was sweet, but to her, it was horrible. It only sounded of the past. Which right now, she hated. She opened the box, and then felt her Mom's gentle sweet touch. It brought her back to the time when her Mom had given it to her. She then shut the box. The pain was just too much, her poor little heart couldn't take it in.

She laid it gently on her bed, and reached for her winter cloak. She put it on with great care, because it was so cold out. She grabbed her simple, an plain hat. Outside, it was freezing. So she had to be prepared. She walked out of the room.

Approaching the wooden doors, she pushed as hard as she could, just to get them open. She sighed as the cold air reached her face. This winter was going to be a long one. She hated that. She walked along the path that lead to the Lake. She wasn't really in the mood for talking to people. But when it came to her friends. There was an exception. She saw someone almost fall, and then tried to make-out the figure. Her eyes widened. It was Brayden.

Brie approached the group of people, and then smiled at one of them. Gabriella. She looked to the girl next to her, and then up at Brayden. "Hello Everyone. Hope you don't mind that I am joining." She didn't seem to have a friendly tone in her voice. But that would makeup something else. Right now, she was staying out of the past.

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[josie]

Josie smiled as she recognised the face now before her, scanning her memory she searched out his name, "Yea thats right," She said nodding when he mentioned her name, "Brayden isn't it?" She asked confident she was right, he was right they had seen each other before, but this would be the first time they had really talked.

She grinned as he sat down on the floor, she had found herself doing alot of that recently, she shrugged and joined him. The ground was rather cold but she soon got used to it, it wasn't much of a surprise considering how cold the day was.

She smiled to the other girl, she'd never met her and from what she'd heard neither had Brayden. She waited for her to introduce herself. It seemed thats where Braydens brief conversation with her had been leading.

It was getting a bit dark now, Josie loved how the nights were getting darker earlier, and she watched as the moon began its slow rise in the night sky. Casting them all in a silvery glow. More lights were shining through the windows of the castle and the odd fire could be seen flicking merrily in the common room windows.

That would be where she would be sitting when she finally decided to make her way back inside, straight in front of the fire. She smiled as if the thought alone could warm her and maybe it could, she felt her cheeks glow a little and bringing her knees up she wrapped her arms around her legs and rested her head on them.

She tilted her head at the arrival of yet another student, who knew this many people would be venturing out tonight? She threw her a smile, she didn't know who she was though, if they had met before it must have been fleeting as she didn't recall who she was. She shrugged at her comment, she didn't sound too happy but maybe that was Josie reading to much in to things.

She smiled well wasn't this nice.

[Brayden Christiansen]

Did girls like cold weather or something? Obviously, or else they wouldn't be outside at the moment. Brayden liked the cold weather, but only when there was snow on the ground so that he could have snowball fights and make snowmen! But Brayden was happy to have company to talk to, none-the-less.

He was right, it was Josie. They hadn't talked much when Brayden had seen her before, so maybe they could get to know each other this evening, along with Gabriella. They sat down on the pier, when someone else came over, too. Man, Brayden didn't think so many people would be outside tonight, since it was so cold.

As the person got closer, he was able to make out the delicate body of Brie Alley. He froze, what was going to happen? They hadn't talked in forever. Would she be mad at him, he didn't want to get in a fight with two other people there. Brayden wanted to be Brie's friend, but he didn't know if they could be, after all that has happened.

She made her way down to the end of the pier, she asked if she could join them.
"Uhm, Hi Brie. Yeah, you can join us. Take a seat." he said to her, scooting over so she could take a seat by him.
"This is Brie Alley, she's a 4th year, Ravenclaw." he said to the other two girls. [/font]