Working Hard or Hardly Working? (Open)

[scarlettcooper]

Scarlett had finally found her way to the library after days of getting lost and giving up. Luckily, she was finally confident she could find her common room and the Great Hall so losing her way wasn't quite as bad anymore. Knowing she probably wouldn't be able to remember how to get to the library, she went in with the mindset to get as much done as possible.

She'd missed a few lessons in some of her classes so she set aside the day to play catch up. Though the library was large and had thousands, if not millions, of books, it was much easier to navigate than the castle. At least there were groupings of the shelves. It didn't take her long to accumulate a large stack of books. Briefly, she wondered if there was a book on navigating the castle. She decided she'd look if she had time after she finished working.

Though she was certainly not looking forward to the task ahead of her, she grabbed an empty table set to work right away. At first, she was making very good progress. Her drive began to fade though, and she became more distracted. She wanted to procrastinate and go search for a book on the castle's layout. It took all her concentrate to continue to push through her work. The fact that she'd become very thorough in everything she did certainly wasn't helping.

Without realizing it, she drifted to sleep. She wasn't sure how long she slept. Suddenly, she awoke abruptly as she felt someone tap her gently. Bewildered, she sat up and tried to take in her surroundings. Books - lots of books. She looked down and saw a half finished lesson. Now she recalled that she was in the library. She realized she must've fallen asleep.

What time had she arrived at the library? She began her search after lunch, she remembered. It must've taken her at least an hour to stumble across the library. She'd made quite a good deal of progress on her work so she must've worked for at least...maybe three or four hours. Turning to the person who had tapped her, she stammered, "Oh. I-I must've fallen asleep. Do you happen to know what the time is?"

[lydianowan]

Lydia smiled slyly to herself as she hid herself behind a bookshelf, trying to avoid the Librarian's eyes as she looked for a book. She scanned the shelf, looking for a book entitled "An unbiased index of Goblin and Ghoul behavior."

Although quite notorious for procrastinating homework, or even not doing it at all, Lydia several times actually did sincerely attempt; usually after a teacher had got after her and told her to put more effort into her academic performance. That is what had happened earlier today, and Lydia, actually feeling a little guilty and nervous, had headed straight down to the library to look for some more information to study with.

The only problem was that the last book that Lydia had checked out, which had taken place a long time ago, was still in her possession and had been so for...a long time. The librarian, of course, by now was concerned by now, or at least, Lydia assumed she would be since she hadn't seen or heard from Lydia since she checked the over due book out...and since Lydia didn't exactly enjoy lying, she avoided the Librarian like the plague...for this book, couldn't be found anywhere.

She'd started out studying in the back corner, actually doing quite well as when Lydia put her mind to something she usually excelled. But as she was rummaging through old Daily Prophet Headlines, she'd came upon an article involving a Goblin incident with Quid ditch players. This had sparked her interest, and next thing she new she was looking up information about Goblins. It was actually quite fascinating, really, creepy, but fascinating. She'd already found and skimmed a few books, and now she was looking for another one.

As she snuck into a space between another two shelves, someone caught her eye. It was a girl; a Gryffindor, surrounding by books and snoozing. She looked about the same age, but since Lydia didn't recognize her at all, she assumed that she was younger than herself.

Usually Lydia would just let another person sleep, as she herself was often guilty of falling asleep in foreign settings...sometimes in classes. But she'd heard rumors that the librarian was cracking down on "laziness" in the library and didn't want the girl to experience the displeasure of being awoken by a Hogwarts staff member as she herself so often had. So, without putting her guard down; still trying to stay alert and make sure the librarian didn't see her, she stepped over to the girl and gently tapped her. She watched as the girl slowly came to her senses, smiling a little to herself as she was familiar with the feeling.

"Oh. I-I must've fallen asleep. Do you happen to know what the time is?"

This comment made Lydia think; she didn't know the answer. And, in fact, how long had she even been here herself? She should having been studying...like she had originally planned...Well, at least she'd gotten some done. That was better than nothing. And she believed that she had made much progress; and perhaps, who knew? Maybe she could use all this information one day about Goblins on an essay or something...
She laughed a little, "No, sorry, I wish I knew too."

[scarlettcooper]

Scarlett blinked rapidly a few times. Was the library always this bright? Trying to shake her head free of the drowsiness that still lingered, she looked back up at the girl as she laughed and responded, "No, sorry, I wish I knew too."

Scarlett laughed slightly as well, stretching out her back and arms a little. "Library tables aren't the most comfortable sleeping place," she noted. Sighing lightly, she finally took a closer look at the girl. She was a Gryffindor as well. Probably close to the same age, though maybe a bit older. Scarlett could faintly recall glimmers of seeing her around the common room.

Smiling brightly at her fellow Gryffindor, Scarlett commented, "Thank you for waking me. I guess the bore of schoolwork got to be too much." She glanced wearily at the stack of books towering precariously on the table. She'd certainly made a good deal of progress and perhaps if she couldn't find the library again, she'd run into this girl in the common room and could get directions.

"I'm Scarlett," she offered. "I just transferred here from the States. I think I've seen you around the common room before."

[lydianowan]

Lydia watched as the girl laughed, "Library tables aren't the most comfortable sleeping place," The first thing Lydia noted about her comment was the way she pronounced her words, there was sort of accent there. Probably American, although, her words were so brief that Lydia thought that it could perhaps be Irish as well. The second thing she realized was the humorous accuracy of her words.

Lydia's reaction was to laugh and smile sincerely, "I would know...I'm afraid I'm guilty of doing the same thing a few times myself." She smiled kindly. She probably would have left, and continued on her way looking for her book about Goblins were it not for the girl's friendly smile and continuation of words. "Thank you for waking me. I guess the bore of schoolwork got to be too much." Lydia laughed at this comment, for she knew the feeling all too well. It was not once but more that she had fallen asleep in here. Lydia was sure the librarian probably found her to be a real problem...but didn't the rest of the staff anyways? She couldn't help herself. Being as bold as she was, Lydia sat down across from this girl, setting a book that she had held on the table and happy staring across at this new girl.

Lydia smiled warmly as the girl continued her words, "I'm Scarlett," she said. "I just transferred here from the States. I think I've seen you around the common room before."

So she had been right, she was an American. "Oh, really?" She asked sincerely in reference to the girl's comment about the common room. "I'm Nowan. Lydia Nowan." She smiled happily and hoped that the girl would not identify her with her twin sister; Paris, the rude Slytherin that many in this school had come to fear. Most people at Hogwarts would not think so since Lydia had such a reputation of her own, but this girl was new...but, perhaps so new that she hadn't even met Paris yet or heard of her. And, she had talked about seeing her in the common room, hadn't she? She smiled once more and continued to speak.

"The states? That's exciting. I went there last year, during summer vacation. It was New York, actually. I loved it. Dunno if there is anywhere else more exciting. What part are you from?"

[scarlettcooper]

Scarlett laughed slightly as well, stretching out her back and arms a little. "Library tables aren't the most comfortable sleeping place," she noted. Sighing lightly, she finally took a closer look at the girl. She was a Gryffindor as well. Probably close to the same age, though maybe a bit older. Scarlett could faintly recall glimmers of seeing her around the common room.

As Scarlett was taking in the other girl's appearance and demeanor, the girl laughed in response to her remark and smiled. It looked to be a sincere smile and it made Scarlett feel quite at ease. "I would know...I'm afraid I'm guilty of doing the same thing a few times myself," the girl informed her.

Scarlett smiled at her companion's comment and thanked her for the wake up, making a joke about the bore of schoolwork. Her fellow Gryffindor laughed in response and seemed to sympathize. Suddenly the girl sat down at the table across from Scarlett. She set a book down on the table. Scarlett noticed something about goblins in the book's title.

Scarlett quickly introduced herself and explained that she'd transferred her. "I think I've seen you around the common room before," she added.

The girl smiled warmly and seemed to take a genuine interesting in Scarlett's words. "Oh, really?" she questioned.

"I think so. You ran in with some boys, laughing," Scarlett recalled her memory of the girl in the common room.

"I'm Nowan. Lydia Nowan," the girl, Lydia, introduced herself with a smile.

The name Nowan didn't ring any bells to Scarlett. She hadn't had any run-ins with Lydia's Slytherin counterpart and she was still working on meeting people so she had yet to be able to hear the gossip about her classmates. "Nice to meet you, Lydia," she commented with a genuinely pleased smile.

Lydia smiled as well and reverted back to Scarlett's introduction. "The states?" she repeated. "That's exciting. I went there last year, during summer vacation. It was New York, actually. I loved it. Dunno if there is anywhere else more exciting. What part are you from?"

"I'm from Connecticut," Scarlett answered. "I love New York as well. It truly is exciting," she agreed. "What did you do while you were there?"

Scarlett was pleased with how well she and her new Gryffindor acquaintance were getting along. She was beginning to like this girl. She was bold - naturally for a Gryffindor. She was very outgoing and nice. Scarlett felt fairly confident she and Lydia would become friendly with one another.

[lydianowan]

Although Scarlett had tried to narrow down how she had seen Lydia in the common room, Lydia couldn't remember that particular day...since she "ran into the common room with a bunch of boys, laughing." everyday; mostly, several times a day.

As a younger girl, Lydia had always preferred hanging out with the boys; the girls, for some reason, had detested her. Perhaps it had been her boldness or tendency to get caught up in competition; or maybe it had just been the fact that they were jealous that she was such good friends with their objects of affection...Well, whatever the reason, not much had changed now. The great majority of Lydia's friends were guys; they were the ones that stood by her, laughing, as they all created trouble. They were the ones who enjoyed throwing wild parties as much as her, and they were the ones that didn't think her odd for obsessing over Quidditch. It wasn't as if Lydia didn't like hanging out with girls; it actually was the other way around. Lydia sometimes internally struggled with the fact that many girls were either jealous or just simply didn't like her. But she put these feelings aside and focused on other things.

She listened as Scarlett elaborated on where she lived.

"Connecticut?" Lydia echoed, not recalling the name of the state. Although in her school prior to Hogwarts they'd studied the United States, she admittedly had slacked off and because of this, her memory was failing her.

"I love New York as well. It truly is exciting," Lydia listened to the girl speak, a warm smile still on her face. "What did you do while you were there?"

Lydia's eyes widened with excitement as she began to speak, "Oh, so many things!" She laughed. "Well, for starters, we went and saw all the muggle sights; Statue of Liberty, Madison Square Garden, Central Park, Broadway...Wall street..." Her voice trailed off but she still held a smile. "It's kind of amazing...you know, technology? I don't understand why we don't take advantage of it, too. Like, computers..." She made a face of mock anger. "Why don't we have computers?!" She giggled at her last words.


Lydia took this time to analyze the girl in front of her. She was definitely skinny, although not deathly thin. Lydia wondered why she had transfered to Hogwarts, although, decided right now was not really the time to ask. She was having too much fun talking about other things. This girl seemed very sincere; a girl that she could perhaps become good friends with. She smiled in a friendly manner. One of Lydia's trademarks was her confidence and outgoing behavior.

"But, just so you know..." She smiled guiltily. "I kind of have experience falling asleep in the library..." She turned her head for a second, to look around for the librarian. "And the librarian isn't the most...compassionate of persons." She laughed, remembering being awoken by the librarian a few times herself. "And now that you're talking to me...well, when she sees you." She laughed again. "You won't be on the top of their list of favorite students."

However, deep inside, Lydia was concerned that Scarlett would care about what the librarian thought and thereafter avoid Lydia because of her reputation; then, it would just be another girl that was annoyed by Lydia's fun-loving ways. She hoped that it would go differently with this girl.

[scarlettcooper]

Scarlett observed Lydia as the fellow Gryffindor most likely tried to recall the event Scarlett had mentioned. The girl seemed to take on a reflective look and Scarlett wondered if she was still just thinking about her common room example. Her expression seemed to take on an almost slightly pained look and Scarlett quickly launched into a reply of where she was from, hoping to distract the girl from whatever might have been bothering her.

As Lydia responded with confusion, it dawned on Scarlett that the United States could be as foreign and confusing to these people as the castle was to her. She found that thought oddly comforting and smiled. "It's in the northeast. In New England. It's close to New York as well," she elaborated. "I love New York as well. It truly is exciting. What did you do while you were there?"

Scarlett watched as excitement lit up the other girl's face. "Oh, so many things!" she gushed with a laugh. Smiling, she continued, "Well, for starters, we went and saw all the muggle sights; Statue of Liberty, Madison Square Garden, Central Park, Broadway...Wall street..."

"Isn't Central Park gorgeous?" Scarlett remarked. "I love having this huge, luscious park right in this packed and busy city."

She recalled the times she'd been around the city wistfully. It made her sad to think of all she'd had to leave behind. Scarlett was homesick. She'd always lived in the U.S. Being in England...and at school away from her family...and while her brother was still in America...it hit her suddenly with a wave of sadness. Quickly, she tried to mask it catch what Lydia was saying.

"It's kind of amazing...you know, technology?" Lydia was saying. "I don't understand why we don't take advantage of it, too. Like, computers..." Scarlett nodded weakly in agreement, still trying to shake off the sudden realization of just how far from home she was. Suddenly, Lydia had a slightly angry look on her face. Scarlett panicked for a moment, thinking she'd done something wrong, but the other girl continued speaking, jokingly ranting, "Why don't we have computers?!" She concluded her statement with a giggle.

Scarlett tried to mimic the sound, but it came out more as a strangled nervous laugh. She mentally scolded herself and made one more attempt to fully pull herself out of her homesickness. "I know!" she agreed, successfully putting more vigor into her voice. "You'd think since we've got magic on our side, we could come up with a quicker way of mail than owls. And a quicker way of looking things up than massive libraries," she declared, gesturing at the many shelves of books around them.

Scarlett was relieved. She felt much better now that they were back to joking and laughing. This time she laughed a normal laugh. Hopefully Lydia hadn't noticed her sudden strangeness. As if on cue, Lydia gave her a friendly smile which Scarlett gratefully returned.

"But, just so you know..." the other Gryffindor girl began, her smile changing from friendly to guilty, "I kind of have experience falling asleep in the library..." Lydia turned her head and Scarlett followed her gaze, spotting the librarian peering harshly at the student in front of her who was attempting to check out a book. "And the librarian isn't the most...compassionate of persons." Lydia laughed and, as she observed the library and the check out situation again, Scarlett laughed as well. "And now that you're talking to me...well, when she sees you." Lydia laughed again before continuing, "You won't be on the top of their list of favorite students."

Scarlett smiled. "I'm used to it," she assured her fellow Gryffindor. Putting on a voice of mock authority, she quoted, " 'Scarlett is very bright, but needs to socialize less.' " She laughed. "Or 'Scarlett has a great talent, but she needs to focus on following directions.'," she added. "I don't know how many detentions I got for talking or showing off. Or both." Her smile faltered for a moment as she remembered why she started getting detentions during her fourth year. Pushing the memories out of her mind, she plastered a smile on her face and hoped the other girl hadn't noticed.

She searched her mind for something to say, to distract the girl if she had noticed Scarlett's slip up in her smile. "My Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher hated me," she blurted out. "I've always been awful in that class. I actually felt I deserved to serve detentions for showing off in that class. Most things I tried backfired." She wasn't sure whether to smile or frown at that memory. Scarlett certainly wasn't proud of her utter failure in that class, but it did bring back a number of funny incidents.

As she brought herself back to the present, she hoped her attempt to distract Lydia from questioning her had worked. For a final good measure, she asked the first question she could think of, "What year are you in?"

[lydianowan]

"Isn't Central Park gorgeous?" Scarlett remarked. "I love having this huge, luscious park right in this packed and busy city." Lydia nodded excitedly in agreement to this. "Oh, yes, I loved it! But what's more...all the cool...what's it called?" She searched for the word. "Technological advancements they have in New York." She laughed at her own words but Scarlett for some reason...all the sudden seemed in her own world...Not understanding what had prompted such disconnect, she attempted to bring Scarlett back into the conversation. "It's kind of amazing...you know, technology?" She continued to talk about the subject, sincerely trying to bring Scarlett out of her...well, whatever she was in.

But Scarlett's response was dissapointing...it sounded...nervous? Lydia couldn't understand what had lead her to act this way...perhaps Lydia had mistaken her for being more friendly than she really was? Or maybe it was all in Lydia's head? However, as soon as Lydia's concern had dawned, so had Scarlett's dismissal of her odd behavior, and she seemed just as fun as before.
"I know!" The girl agreed. "You'd think since we've got magic on our side, we could come up with a quicker way of mail than owls. And a quicker way of looking things up than massive libraries," Lydia laughed at this comment, for it was very true. Lydia loved her owl, Arthur, to death but had to admit the system was flawed and overly traditional...as well as the whole old book library thing...She smiled warmly at Scarlett, glad that someone else had picked up on this. Some others who she had discussed this with just rolled their eyes at her and thought her ideas "typical of an immature teenager."

The nervousness Lydia had felt when she had openly admitted her reputation was immediately gone when Scarlett responded the way that she did. Glad, and actually pleased that such another girl existed out there that occasionally broke the rules she laughed as the younger Gryffindor mimicked her teachers.
'Scarlett is very bright, but needs to socialize less.' " She laughed along with Scarlett. "Or 'Scarlett has a great talent, but she needs to focus on following directions.'," Lydia couldn't help but chime in her own part.
"How about 'Lydia is an absolutely horrific influence in my classroom. She's yet to put her best foot forward and prevents other students from achieving their full potential. '?" She laughed after confessing the words her mother had received from a letter from one of the professors here at Hogwarts. Although her mother had sent Lydia a howler for it, upon returning that summer Lydia had found the note, read it, and found the whole thing very amusing. She had ended up switching out of the class anyways...the professor was paranoid and easily angered; not a good match with Lydia.

She also laughed when Scarlett confessed that her old Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher had hated her. Lydia understood how it felt to be despised by authority...She didn't intend for it to happen but it usually did. That was why she carried around such a reputation...She didn't like being the object of disapproval but she usually couldn't help herself...at least some teachers here recognized that there was more to her than bad grades.

She looked at Scarlett head on as she asked Lydia what grade she was in.
"Sixth, you?" She turned her head around once more to look for the librarian. After hearing Scarlett's response in whatever she deemed necessary, Lydia added more. "Well, I'm glad I met you. It's good to know that at least someone else falls asleep in the library. Just be careful you don't get caught." She winked after saying her last words. "Other than that, I think you'll like it here. It just takes some getting used to. Hogwarts can be really fun, if you let it. And if you ever get bored, come find me. I'll hook you up with something...if you're up for it." She truly meant her last words. She was always open to having some fun with a new friend, but she wanted to make sure that they liked to have the same sort of "fun" as she did...often times, it was risky...as in, you could get into trouble. Other times, not so much...but one thing about Lydia Nowan, she loved to laugh and everyone that knew of her knew that.

[scarlettcooper]

While Scarlett initially had felt quite at ease talking about her previous rebellions, doubt suddenly began to flood her mind. Her parents would be furious if she started getting into a lot of trouble at school again. Lydia laughed at Scarlett's recollection of teacher comments sent to her parents and offered up, "How about 'Lydia is an absolutely horrific influence in my classroom. She's yet to put her best foot forward and prevents other students from achieving their full potential. '?"

Scarlett forced a laugh. Thankfully, this one didn't come out strangled or nervous sounding, but there was a tinge of lightheartedness that was now missing. Oh, yes, her parents would be absolutely livid. She wondered what her parents would do if they began receiving horrible letters about her again. They'd sent her here to try to get her away from it all.

Realizing that she should probably say something, she quickly blurted out, "My Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher hated me. I've always been awful in that class." She relaxed a bit as she told of her blunders in her most dreaded subject. Lydia laughed and seemed to sympathize with her.

They wouldn't send me to muggle school if something were to happen again, would they? she wondered. Scarlett shook the thoughts out of her head. "What year are you in?" she asked abruptly, attempting to distract both of them from their previous topic.

"Sixth, you?" Lydia answered.

"Fifth," Scarlett replied, frowning slightly at the age difference, however minor. If it happened again...

Her worried thoughts were, thankfully, cut short as Lydia spoke again. "Well, I'm glad I met you. It's good to know that at least someone else falls asleep in the library. Just be careful you don't get caught," she advised with a wink.

Scarlett smiled. "Thanks. I'll keep that in mind," she commented.

"Other than that," the other Gryffindor continued, "I think you'll like it here. It just takes some getting used to. Hogwarts can be really fun, if you let it. And if you ever get bored, come find me. I'll hook you up with something...if you're up for it."

Scarlett smiled once more, but her new friends words only reminded her of her concerns. Maybe it would be alright, as long as I keep eating, she attempted to reason. As if on cue, her stomach suddenly growled. "I think I'm going to go see if they're still serving dinner in the Great Hall," she decided with a small laugh. She packed up her things before flashing Lydia a genuine smile, forgetting her doubts and remembering the fun conversations they'd had. "I've never had so much fun in a library," she remarked. "I'm sure I'll see you around the common room and I'm sure I'll take you up on your offer someday." As she picked up the stack of books she had to return, she added, "Oh, and I promise I'll wake you up if you ever fall asleep here."