A Walk in the Park {open}

The gardens are beautiful. Exotic plants, magical and non, gracing the cobblestone paths throughout. Stephen needed them. His first week back at school, his first week back with friends, how had it turned into such a nightmare? O.W.L.'s, that's how. Teachers threw assignment, after essay, after long-term project in their faces claiming they needed to get started as soon as possible. This year would be insanely difficult.

Stephen needed a de-stress walk. And the gardens were just what the healer ordered. Despite his mounting homework, a walk seemed like the only neccessary course of action at this point. Under the light canopy of the trees and assorted flowering plants, it was just ever-so-slightly cooler, a light breeze making it's way along the same path he walked. The endorphins were already flowing through his body.

As Stephen walked, small creatures ran through the underbrush, avoiding his presence. 'If only staying away from O.W.L. courses was so easy,' he thought to himself.

As he turned a bend, Stephen came to face an enormous willow tree, which he knew marked the center of the gardens. What better place to relax? He moved closer to the tree, pushing away the great hanging branches that obscured the trunk from those standing more than twenty feet away. Finally, he pushed his way to the bark-covered center and, spotting a niche at the base between two roots, sat down with his back against the trunk, watching the wilted branches sway in the breeze. 'So relaxing...'

Melody wandered down the path toward the willow, thinking that might be the perfect place to hold the party. The idea of setting up under the willow branches with fairy lights through the branches to create a canopy sounded so wonderful, that she just had to go down to the tree to check out the idea. She was just about to the tree when she realized that there was someone under the branches, sitting against the trunk. As she got closer, she recognized him.

"Hi Stephen, what are you doing hiding under here? Trying to get away from everything?" She looked around, there was enough room to have a small party under here. It would be, well, cozy. As long as they kept the guest list small, it would be fine. The fairy lights would illuminate the whole place.

Stephen felt his heart rate slow, his eyelids becoming slightly heavy, he was totally relaxed. The flowing branches of the enormous willow were fading in his sight, becoming fuzzy. Letting loose a tremendous yawn he began to think in that dreamy, half-awake sort of way, 'Just a short nap, then it's back to, um, homework, I guess, or I could just lay here for the next week...'

"Hi Stephen, what are you doing hiding under here? Trying to get away from everything?"

A voice, he heard a voice, one of those ethereal moments when you're not quite lucid enough for conversation. Suddenly, Stephen jarred himself from the confines of semi-somnia. Someone was there, and she was looking directly at him! He sat bolt upright and saw that it was Melody Ackerman, a Malvolio seventh year. What a wake-up call!

"Oh, hey, hi Melody, yeah, it's pretty secluded here, perfect for privacy. Homework is a nightmare and I needed a break. How have you been?" Wow, strange coincidence, first running into Columbine at the beach, then her best friend Melody in the gardens, two shance encounters with beautiful women in his first week back! This year was already looking good.

"i've been doing fine, glad to be back at the old grind. Glad to see all my friends." She smiled as she went and sat next to him by the old willow tree. "I know what you mean about gettting away from everything. I didn't realize how hard this year was going to be. We'll be taking Newts at the end of the year and all the professors are really piling it on. I don't know if I'm going to survive." She dramatically put the back of her hand to her forehead and pretended to faint. "I'll have to rely on the kindness of strangers to get through it." she said in a fake american southern accent. Then she giggled.

"But really it is starting to stress me out, so Columbine and I have decided to throw a little party, just a few close friends. It will be a week from Saturday evening. I was thinking of having it here under the tree. Maybe magically enlarge the space a little bit, put fairy lights in the tree branches, so we would be hidden by a curtain of light. Set up a few tables for food and drink, have a small band playing music. What do you think? Of course you will be there, won't you? I won't take no for an answer. Columbine is in charge of the invites, so act surprised when she invites you also. I don't want her to think that I have been going behind her back inviting people, even if I have." she smirked at the thought. Of course the only people she had invited had been her two best male friends, but that was because it just came out. She hadn't like searched them out just to invite them, it just sort of happened.

Stephen chuckled deeply at Melody's imitation. He had heard about America's 'Southern Belles'. Gentle ladies in full dresses, no matter the weather. "I'm sure you don't need that much help. I should hope English women are made of tougher stuff than American tarts." He wasn't even quite sure he believed his own statement, N.E.W.T.'s were going to be brutal on her. But he still believed Melody had the tenacity to get through it.

And a party? Here under the tree!?!? That would be perfect! Exactly what Stephen needed to calm down the stress of the impossible year ahead! "A party sounds great! Secluded here, select friends, fairy lights, sounds like an amazing idea! Sure I'll be there! Or, here, as it were." He turned to Melody sitting next to him, smiling. He grinned back, just thinking how much fun it would be.

Melody would be there, and Columbine too! This year was turning out better than he could have imagined. "So, is it going to be formal? Semi? Casual? Can't be caught dead in the wrong outfit."

"I don't think formal, that would be too much but us girls will be wearing dresses, so not too casual. Pair of slacks and a nice shirt would be fine, I would think. Garden Party sort of clothes." she suggested. "But you would look good no matter what you wore. I just thought that we needed to get together with a few friends that we hadn't seen much of during the summer, to get reaquainted so to speak. And it is my last year here, so I want this year to be one to be remembered."

She stood back up, looking around, getting a feel for the size of the space, mentally planning where things would go. Perhaps that enlargement spell for the evening to give them a bit more space would be a good idea. It would give them all a bit more room to move about, and would be necessary if they were going to dance.

"I'm glad that you will be coming, it wouldn't be the same without you." she grinned. "It ought to be a good time for all of us."

Stephen chuckled. "Well thank you for that. And don't worry, I'm sure we can make this the most memorable year yet." He smiled from ear-to-ear. It really start to hit him, a lot of the people he knew were going to be leaving! Even though he and Melody hadn't done too much together, he felt that he could make it a good year for her. It was never too late to be good friends.

Stephen began to think of who was going to be at the party that night. He was sure it would be primarily older students, probably a number he didn't know. But he knew the three hosts would be very personable, especially Columbine. Hmm, knowing their reputations for flirting, he also assumed there would be a significant number of older boys, probably Alec, Andrew, guys like that. It would be a pretty good time.

'Time? Oh shoot! How long have I been here?!?!' Stephen jumped up, he had been there way too long, he needed to get back to his homework! "Oh man, Melody, I'm sorry, I've been here too long, I have an assignment to start tonight. Don't worry, I'll be at the party, and we'll all have a great time. Gotta go!" He ran out from the tree trunk, pushing his way through the hanging branches and towards the path.

She watched him dash off to who knows where. She sat where he had been sitting, the ground warm from his body and sat there staring at the space she had picked for their little get-together. She really needed to find someone to call her own. Most of the boys in school were her friends because she threw wonderful parties and because she took the time to really become their friends, but as much as she would like to have one that was in love with her for her, she didn't have one. She really liked Alec, but he was infatuated with Dani Hale. She would do her best to break them up so that she and Alec might have a chance to be together, but she might lose Alec in the struggle. Not that that would stop her, it wouldn't, but it might leave her out in the cold again. She just wanted some one to love her. Just one of them to say those three little words. She had friends, but it just wasn't the same...

She snapped out of her reverie and stood up brushing the back of her clothes to get the loose leaves and dirt off her rump. She was going out with Alec on Friday, so she had better cheer up and get with it or he would get away. That was so not going to happen. She would play the friend, the close friend, that had no ulterior motive other than to go out with her friend occasionally. Then when Dani became jealous, it would reflect badly on her, not on Melody. After all she hadn't done anything, if anything it was Alec who had invited her to a wonderful fancy dinner just the two of them. He had volunteered to help with the decorations. She smiled. Her little plan was working so far, now to put the rest of it in motion....