Rainy Day Dreams (Lance, openish)

[Genevieve Danforth]

The rains of April had come at last. It had been raining steadily for nearly two days already, and was still showing no signs of stopping. Today was Saturday, and was supposed to have been a Hogsmeade day, but the weather had put many students off the trip. Not wanting to slog through the muddy streets of Hogsmeade, Genevieve had opted to stay behind. Of course, Lance had stayed behind as well... Genevieve would have surely braved the mud if Lance had decided to go. She wanted to be everywhere he was.

Seated in a soft, squishy chair near the window, Genevieve looked out at the bleak, grey world beyond the glass. The droplets of rain dotted the window pane, streaking downward in little tracks. Genevieve liked to find two raindrops that were close to each other and watch them race each other down the glass. She could do this for hours, actually, just taking bets on which one would win. She let out a little cheer as the raindrop she had picked won the race, then leaned contentedly against Lance, who was with her.

"One day," she said in a dreamy tone, "I want to have a house with a window-seat, so I can sit and watch the raindrops on the window pane."

[Lance Jordan]

It bothered Lance, just a little, that for whatever reason he had opted to stay inside and not venture to Hogsmeade. He wasn't usually the type for lazy Saturdays, although the rain had played a big part in deterring him.

What played a bigger part, however, was the blonde that just cheered and pulled his attention away from the Quidditch book he was reading. And really, she had been a bigger factor in this decision than the rain had been, if he was being honest with himself. When deciding if they should go or not, he distintcly remembered her giving him that doe eyed look, her nose slightly scrunched up. In a subconscious effort to make her happy, he decided it wasn't worth all the effort today.

He closed his book, resting it on his stomach as he was stretched on the couch near her chair. It was a a wonderful thing between them that they could spend time together doing completely separate things. He glanced at the window, then back at her. "Then one day you will," he said with absolute confidence.

With a quiet groan, he pulled himself into a sitting position, facing her chair. "Are you bored, Viv?"

[Genevieve Danforth]

Genevieve was the kind of girl who was actually never bored. She found enjoyment in the tiniest things. Even in class, she was entertained, though usually not by the subject. One time in Transfiguration, she spent the entire class watching an escaped snail make its way across the room. What they had been studying that day, she had no idea, but she did remember the exact spot where the snail had stopped at the end of class, and she had jumped from her seat to rescue it before one of her classmates trampled it in their haste to leave the room.

Such concentration was rare for Genevieve, though. More often, her attention jumped from one thing to another like a butterfly moving from flower to flower. While the raindrops were entertaining her now, she would probably switch quickly to watching the owls fly toward the castle in search of shelter from the storm, or trying to discern patterns in the smoke coming from Hagrid's chimney.

Sometimes she liked to just watch Lance. She noticed things about him that she was pretty sure he didn't even know about, such as the way his lips moved almost imperceptibly as he read, or the way he would stop and pinch his nose when he got to a passage that he needed to think about or memorize.

Turning to him now, she smiled warmly. "I guess so," she said. "I would rather be talking with you. What's that you're reading? Anything interesting?"

[Eve Mallory]

Eve however decided to go to Hogsmeade that day. She wanted to pick something up for her father but she hadn't anticipated so much downpour.

When she was little her and the boys used to play in the rain all the time, now however on her small frame her clothes nearly made it impossible to move. She was drenched to the bone and if not careful she'd probably catch a cold. The trip was fun and miserable at the same time and she found herself going back to the castle early.

So there she stood in the light shivering and wet and a with a slight sniffle. "I think you were right Viv...it's cats and dogs out there."

[Genevieve Danforth]

Genevieve turned at the sound of Eve's voice and her mouth dropped open when she saw how wet she was. "Oh, no!" she gasped, jumping to her feet. "Look at you... We need to get you changed into some dry clothes! And what is that drying spell again... I never remember it..."

She looked toward the common room door, expecting Josh to walk in any moment. When he did, she fully intended to give him an earful for letting poor Eve get so completely soaked. But when he didn't appear, she frowned. "Where is Josh? Didn't he go to Hogsmeade with you?"

[Josh Jordan]

Josh ran into the common room a few moments after Eve. He knew that Eve wanted to find something for her father and that was really the only reason he decided to go out to Hogsmeade although it was raining. When they first left, it wasn't raining extremely hard, just a very light drizzle, nothing that would get anyone soaking wet. However, after they found the item that Eve was looking for, it started to rain a little harder. They left Hogsmeade and made it back up to the castle. Just as they made it back, it poured down rain and they both were soaked.

A student had slipped on the wet floor, and Josh helped the poor first year up. That was really the only reason he was a few moments behind Eve. Josh ran a hand through his hair, getting the excess water from his hair just as he pulled out his wand. "I'm here," he said waving his wand in order to dry Eve off.

"Sorry, a first year slipped and the poor boy almost started crying, so I had to help him up."

[Lance Jordan]

Lance was about to respond to her, something sweet and clever and for her ears alone, when Even came in. He sighed, rolling his eyes a little and giving Eve a teasing look that said she was interrupting. It was just that, though- teasing. He loved Eve as a sister, as a best friend. He had just hoped for another few minutes alone with Viv.

Josh followed after, predictable. "More like pushed him, than fell, right?"

He hauled himself up off the couch he was on and joined the little group, pulling out his want and casting a drying spell on both of them. "I'm hungry," he announced.

[Eve Mallory]

Eve shivered one last time as Josh dried her off, her features lit up as well when he came in the room, as they always did.

She caught Lance's expression and resisted the urge to stick her tongue out at him. She hadn't meant to interrupt anything, then again she wondered when it had become about interrupting. They were all just growing up so fast, and although she was a part of that sometimes she remembered yesterday when they all were young and playing together as kids often did. Maybe she wasn't ready to grow up yet.

"Well, we haven't eaten either...We could join you ...that is unless you wanted to be alone." she said teasing him right back

[Genevieve Danforth]

Genevieve gave Lance a stern look, realizing he was yelling at Eve and Josh for their interruption. It was true; it did seem like they never could seem to do anything without the other two, but maybe Lance would finally get the hint and ask her out on a proper date.

"Of course you can join us!" she said happily. "But first, we really must get you all dried off and changed into something warm. We don't want you to catch a cold. Come on, Eve, I'll take you up to our room."

[Lance Jordan]

Lance was about to open his mouth and suggest that Eve and Josh meet them for dinner when Viv happily said hat the two could join them. He sighed, rolling his eyes and giving his twin one f those looks. Josh would probably just rib him about it. The quiet moments he got with Viv were often too short and more often interrupted.

He waved at the girls. "Hurry back down, ladies."

When they were gone, Lance settled onto the couch again. "How was Hogsmeade?"