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Jenny's gray blue-eyed gaze never wavered from the front page of the Dailey Prophet where the questioning of Mr. Adler's appalling motivations was revealed. Jenny felt that Mr. Adler's actions were incredulous and disbelieving. She usually was not a woman of strict opinions, but she could not believe the fact that he had Mr. Norlade's wellbeing as his top prioty. What of Professor Killem, then? Yes, the former Muggle Studies professor was part of the experiment, but did not Mr. Adler care about his wellbeing, as well?
<p>
Jenny sighed as she laid the day's newspaper onto the unoccupied spot next to her on the wooden bench. The day’s weather was as fine as it could get toward the end of the month of January. The snow had yet to melt and there was a frigid chill in the air around her, but Jenny did not mind the biting cold; she welcomed it. The castle was quite overbearing and stuffy, despite the scenery of the majestic castle during winter being quite appealing to the eye; and for the first time since the beginning of her Hogwarts education, Jenny yearned for her home in Brighton but her mother feared for her daughter’s life if she returned home. The residences of Brighton were slowly beginning to acknowledge the presence of witches and wizards within their society, and they were in the thorough belief that the newly found species were intent on plaguing them with their disease: magic. Thus, Francis and Eva Vanderbilt feared for their only child and daughter’s life if Brighton society were to discover that Jenny was a witch.
<p>
Jenny yearned for her home, though. In the beginning, the Wizarding universe seemed foreign and strange to her, so she welcomed the change from Brighton’s everyday activities and society; but, now? Well, Jenny cannot exactly define her emotions or her thoughts, but she began to realize that the Wizarding universe was quite similar to the muggle way of life, except with the use of magic involved and the divergent celebrating of familiar cultures. Her mother is pleading with her to reside in Hogsmeade after she graduates, but Jenny is not certain she wants to reside in Hogsmeade when her mother and father could be in danger because of her. If only there was a way for her parents to be able to set sight on Hogsmeade and live amongst their society… Jenny could not fathom her life without her parents or her cousins whom were all muggles. Was it possible for her to be a member of the Wizarding universe, as well as following the Muggle tradition of living among muggles? Was there such a thing?
<p>
Jenny’s eyes involuntarily swiveled over to Dr. Adler’s aging face. Could he have an answer to her questions? Jenny shook her head hastily and mentally chastised herself firmly, No, Jen! Of course he was a mad scientist with ingenious theories, but he killed two men because of his experiments! TWO! You would not want to risk the lives or your parents or Frederick or the lives of those with magic running through their veins, would you? No, I would not…
<p>
Quite appalled with the direction her thoughts had taken, Jenny picked up the day’s newspaper, ripped it to shreds, and took out her wand to the destroyed pieces on fire. “There has to be an answer,” she moaned in frustration, distress evident upon her fair face as she surveyed the conjured flames licking each pieces of shredded paper, piece by piece.


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tag: anyone | outfit: here | notes: open to students/anyone roaming outside the castle/professors<br/>
made by Emily exclusively for Charming</div></div></center>[/dohtml]

[Nobody else seemed to jump on this, so even though Gen & Augusta wouldn't be the best of friends, I don't see how a quiet conversation could hurt =]]

The dark and lifeless months of winter had always been a frustratingly depressing time in Augusta's life. Plenty of people would chalk it up to her family having fallen apart just as the winter months had begun to set in, but to her, it was always more of the disconnection she felt with the earth at this time of year. Not only could she not see the ground, but everything connected with the ground appeared to be dead this time of year- the trees, the grass, even the animals disappeared. Of course, Augusta was well aware that the world was not truly dead at this point in time, yet during the winter she could never seem to shake the feeling.

It was mainly for this reason that she started taking strolls outside at all times of day or night. Back home, under the close supervision of her ever-watchful governess, walks at night or even simply alone were next to impossible. However, in the months before attended Hogwarts for the first time, she worked on perfecting the art of sneaking away from those who were charged with keeping her.

Augusta was well aware of the consequences that could be brought upon her if she was caught sneaking around alone, however, in a desperate attempt to shake the awful feeling that consumed her in the winter months, she decided it could be worth the risk.

Donning the heaviest winter cloak she could find, she grabbed her wand and casually strolled down into the common room. Near the port-hole there stood a group of fourth year girls gearing up to head down to their next class. When their chaperone arrived, it was a simple task to slip among them and pretend to be attending the same class as the rest of them in order to escape the common room unnoticed.

Once they had descended two or three floors Augusta took advantage of the chaperone's distraction and disappeared behind a tapestry that covered one of the many secret stairwells littered throughout the castle. After that, it was only a few more hidden stairwells and a few trick steps that she had to jump before she was able to taste freedom.

It was your usual winter's day at Hogwarts- snow blanketed every surface and there were a few well worn tracks leading away from the castle and down the sloping lawns. However, Augusta was not interested in a well worn track, she wanted to avoid the public eye as to not arouse suspicion as to why she was wandering about alone. So, pulling up the hood of her cloak and poking her wand out of her sleeve, she began to charm the snow out of her path around the side of the castle.

She had been walking for about half an hour when she heard something or someone making noise about a hundred feet in front of her. Rounding the side of the castle a blonde haired girl sitting on a bench came into view. After she had covered a bit more of the distance between them she realized that the figure on the bench was Miss Vanderbilt- a fellow Gryffindor. The girl was a year ahead of Augusta, and in a lower class, but being in the same house they attended many of the same classes and Augusta had spoken to her at least a handful of times since she first came to Hogwarts.

When she was just out of hearing distance she saw that Miss Vanderbilt looked quite distressed- she was even slowly burning a copy of the Daily Prophet on the bench next to her. Augusta hesitated for a moment, unsure about how to proceed, but clearly it would be rude to simply pretend that she had not been standing there staring at the girl for the past few moments.

"Oh, uhm, hi," she began hesitantly, "Sorry, I didn't mean to intrude... I didn't think anyone else would be out here..." Flashing a sheepish smile, Augusta lowered her hood and curtsied slightly, hoping that she had not offended her fellow house-mate.

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As the flames continued to lick and destroy the remains of the dreadful Dailey Prophet, Jenny hunched forward unladylike and buried her face in her palms, attempting to dispel the dreaded sobs that threatened to overtake her slim, stocky frame. Would she ever encounter her mother, father, and various immediate families once more? Would she be able to return to Bath knowing that she may endanger those close and dear to her? Jenny was suddenly quite appeased that her parents neglected to conceive another child, a child that would have been Jenny’s sibling, as it would be one less human being without magic running through their veins whose life she would have endangered. Jenny groaned as she thought gloomily, Why must Bath discover wizarding folk now?
<p>
With her face still buried into the palms of her hands, Jenny reminisced on the memories of her childhood: herself and her favored male cousin, Frederick, climbing trees and wreaking havoc in their ancestral and entailed homes; her father pushing her as she sat upon the homemade wood swing he created especially for his only daughter out of rope and a square of sturdy, oak wood; her mother rhythmically stroking her hair as the soft brush softened the small, blond curls upon her head; playing with dolls and meeting each other for tea parties with her only female cousin, Lily; and, but not least before she was interrupted, the tender goodnight kisses and murmurs of sweet dreams as her parents tucked her into bed, regale her with a tale, and kiss her temple before walking quietly to the bedroom door, and snapping it gently shut as to not awaken the small, young girl’s deep slumber, her dreams of fairies, butterflies, princes, and princesses ought not to be disrupted for fear that her innocence should be corrupted.
<p>
Evidently, the young girl, now a young woman and nearly considered an adult, was meant to be disrupted while she innocently dreams as Jenny was suddenly startled by the tone of a voice piercing through her thoughts, forcing her to sit up hastily and erectly. Adjusting her sight to regain her sense that she was back in reality, Jenny observed the newcomer slowly. Then a name began to connect with the young woman’s face: Miss Augusta Longbottom, a fellow housemate a year her junior. Jenny found the young woman kind and accepting, though rather too fond of etiquette and properness in her standards. Overall, however, Jenny had no qualms with Miss Longbottom, and thus, a smile is reformed upon Jenny’s face.
<p>
As Augusta lowered her hood from her head to reveal her identity, Jenny stood up and returned the inconsiderable curtsy that the young woman bestowed on her. “Miss Longbottom,” she announced in acknowledgement, and continued with a small smile, “I am quite appeased by your presence as it was becoming a trifle lonely out here adrift all this irritable whiteness.” Mirth shone in her eyes as Jenny offered Augusta the seat next to her. “Please do take a seat.”


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tag: augusta | outfit: later | notes: none<br/>
made by Emily exclusively for Charming</div></div></center>[/dohtml]

A small smile spread across Augusta's face when she was offered the seat on the other side of the bench. She was very glad that the situation hadn't made a turn for the worse- her psyche would not have been able to handle any kind of negativity at this point in time. "That would be very nice, thank you," she grinned, extending her curtsy a little bit farther this time.

She crossed the remaining distance between herself and the bench- with a quick flick of her wand the remnants of the paper that had been burning were whisked away and Augusta lowered herself onto the bench on the left of Miss Vanderbilt. "I know exactly how you feel," she began with a small nod, "I absolutely despise this time of year," she said gesturing towards the blanket of snow that had them surrounded on all sides.

"It's actually why I came out here," she confessed, the realization slowly dawning on her that her companion was also wandering around unaccompanied. "Getting out on it on my terms always seems to make it just that little bit less daunting," she continued with a light laugh, the gears of her brain quickly processing how to handle the situation.

Augusta was mostly concerned that the Vanderbilt girl might say something to anyone about meeting Augusta outside the castle completely unaccompanied. Of course, it was a far cry from being seen with a man or something to of that dreadful nature, but rumors were viscous and often made large leaps from small bits of information.

She took a small comfort in the fact that Genevieve was also unaccompanied at the moment. It occurred to Augusta that she might be able to use that fact to encourage Miss Vanderbilt not to talk about the encounter with anyone else. It was a last resort option of course, but there was quite a bit more at stake here for Augusta than for her companion. While the Vanderbilt girl was of a decent social rank, she was a muggle-born, and the idea had always made Augusta uncomfortable.

If something were to happen in the magical world to tarnish Miss Vanderbilt's, or any other muggle-born's, reputation, they could probably just return to their quiet Muggle life and just pretend like nothing happened. Augusta did not have that option. Her only remaining family member was a wizard, if an incompetent one at that, and she would have absolutely nothing should her name get dragged through the mud. Her father might not talk to her much right now, but he would certainly banish her from the house should something scandalous reach his ears.

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Genevieve cast a grateful smile Miss Longbottom’s way as she proceeded to vanish the burning remnants of the day’s headlines with a flick of her wand. She had truthfully not thought of dispelling the remains of the dreaded Dailey Prophet, and was quite concerned that she had made blight upon Augusta’s overall opinion of her. While Jenny usually came across as a young woman whom cared not for other’s perceiving of her manners or appearance, she was actually quite affected if they were to find her disagreeable or a nuisance. However, Jenny always brushed away their pointed stares of disapproval or disapproving sounds as she attempted to conceal her concern as fretting over her actions would only serve for her to become a more undesirable acquaintance. Jenny’s conclusion of this quality that has become a part of her must have stemmed from her mother’s excessive complaints and yearnings for her daughter to marry well, and therefore, must be acquainted with those that were worthy to ensure that an inevitable betrothal be agreed upon- however, this never became an actuality as Jenny was soon sent off to Hogwarts to begin her magical education just as her mother was about to secure her a respectable betrothal between herself and a certain Mr. Brighton Donwell, whom was a year her senior.
<p>
Jenny shivered with displeasure as she recollected the first of many times she had been in Mr. Donwell’s presence. The Donwells’ of Bath were a family with a secure fortune and a stable home- quite everything that a concerned mother would turn to if they were desperate in marrying off their daughters or sons- and therefore became the main obstacle of when she would envision her only daughter and child’s future. Mr. Donwell was a disagreeable young boy with impertinent manners (well, impertinent for Jenny’s standards, anyway) and possessed a likeness so unattractive that Jenny began to fear for her future when word reached her ears of a betrothal forming between herself and this ridiculous young boy! Even at her tender age of ten, Jenny had always envisioned her future marrying a handsome man of respectable status and wealth, and who would be able to love her unconditionally, despite her lack of gracefulness or ladylike pursuits. However, after many months of praying to the Lord to thwart all plans of gaining Mr. Donwell as a fiancé (and attempting to escape Brighton’s pranks), it would seem that Jenny’s prayers had been answered as her Hogwarts acceptance letter arrived unexpectedly, and in the worst way possible that Mrs. Eva Vanderbilt screamed in fright: an owl.
<p>
“Well,” she went on to assert soon after Augusta had seated herself and gave her opinion of the weather, “I do not quite despise the weather; the frigid does not bother me in the least as I quite welcome it, but the winter is just too bleak and…white. I am such a woman whom favors vibrant colors, and the color scheme of the winter months just does not agree with me.” Her statement was quite true. The winter months seemed to lack in color, and it took all of Jenny’s willpower to resist the urge to alter the irritable whiteness of the snow into a shade most preferable to her tastes; a red, perhaps, to indicate her loyalty and her proudness of being part of the Gryffindor house? However, Jenny resisted the urge still as she realized (quite astonishingly, if you will) that Miss Longbottom was unaccompanied much like herself was, and tilted her head down as to conceal her small, amused smile from Augusta.
<p>
It was not often that Jenny witnessed Miss Longbottom unaccompanied by a chaperone or two, and it amused (and astonished) her greatly. Of course, then she had to remind herself that as a young woman with a influential surname in the wizarding world, Miss Longbottom had to uphold the rules and etiquette of society as to not tarnish hers or her family’s good reputation. As the only daughter and child (much like Jenny herself) of the Upper-Class Longbottom line, it was expected of Augusta to marry and marry well whilst still upholding the essentials of propriety. For Jenny’s situation, she had no fear in tarnishing her reputation in the Wizarding Universe as she could easily withdraw from Hogsmeade’s society and retreat to her childhood home in Bath. However, Bath was beginning to acknowledge the presence of witches and wizards in their society, and her parents deemed it unsafe for their only child to return home for the summer, or for the remainder of her status as a single woman. But if she could not return home, then where would she reside come after graduation and the Coming Out Ball?
<p>
“Oh, this is a dreadful situation…,” she sighed, quite forgetting the presence of Miss Longbottom. “Shall I ever be able to walk the halls of my home once more?”

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tag: augusta | outfit: here | notes: sorry...i had lost my Jenny muse for a while<br/>
made by Emily exclusively for Charming</div></div></center>[/dohtml]

At first, everything seemed to be going quite smoothly- Augusta listened attentively to Miss Vanderbilt's take on the weather and nodded appreciatively. She too was a very big fan of colors, especially deep, rich ones and shared the woman's sentiments of the bleakness of winter. Compared with the summer's vivid greens or yellows, and the splashes of pure color among the flowers, the winter was truly abysmal.

Then, the Vanderbilt girl paused, looking down at her knees. It was a simple gesture, but it was the silence that followed it that made it stick out in Augusta's mind. It was as if she had gotten completely lost in thoughts over something.

It was what came next that really troubled her. Augusta was fairly certain that no part of that comment could have anything to do with herself, a confused expression crossing her features. "Is... everything alright, Miss Vanderbilt?" she asked, concern replacing her confusion.

While Augusta couldn't consider her fellow Gryffindor a friend- she would not be so cold hearted as to completely ignore the fact that something extremely heavy was weighing on the girl's mind. Plus, Augusta thought to herself, it's never a bad idea to add something to the collection.

What this gossip-fiend meant by this, was her endless list of various tidbits Augusta had come to discover about just about everybody she knew. She never acted on it though- Augusta was more the type who just needed to know what was going on. It wasn't like she went telling everyone and their mother about it- others had to earn the knowledge, just as she had.

The list had grown quite long recently- it was almost like someone had drugged the water and everyone was just acting out their wildest nightmares! Who or what was causing this, she did not know, but now was not the time for thoughts on such things. Now was the time for rapt attention, as the tiniest detail could betray volumes of knowledge. Crossing her legs, Augusta folded her hands in across her knees, waiting for Miss Vanderbilt to say something.

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Genevieve mentally flinched and bit her lip as she realized that Miss Longbottom was still in her presence, and must have acknowledged Jenny’s distress as an expression of concern flit across her fair face. While Miss Longbottom was a kind and virtuous young woman, she had a yearning for gossip and society rumors so profound that she had to be cautious about what she should mention to Augusta that was distressing her. It was not that Augusta was such a woman whom would retaliate every detail of gossip she could to anyone whom was patient enough to listen to her rambles, but she was concerned that should she confess her dilemma that Augusta would find her unworthy as an acquaintance. Would Miss Longbottom view her as lowly if Jenny were to have no access of funds to her name?
<p>
As she contemplated on whether or not to assert to Miss Longbottom of her troubling dilemmas, Jenny could not help the feeling of change circulating through the biting, cold air of the outdoors. Change was evident in everything her eyes had landed upon: the bench she was sitting upon; the young woman next to her, either feigning or displaying genuine concern; the birds that refused to head south began to chirp…everything. Genevieve was never usually a philosophical woman, but she felt the change in the very core of her being, and she was uncertain of whether or not she should embrace the change with welcoming arms or to dread it immensely. Change was a heavenly and disastrous essential of life, Genevieve knew, but whether she should fear it or embrace it was something of a mystery to her. It may always be as such.
<p>
“I-,” Jenny began, and then ceased her speaking, her fingers absentmindedly twisting the heirloom ring upon her left finger, a ring that her father had bestowed upon her at the tender age of fourteen when he finally came to acknowledge the fact that his wife would, in fact, be unable to bear him a son. Becoming saddened by the thought of never again seeing the handsome, warm face of her dear father, Jenny continued, “Miss Longbottom, I appreciate the concern; but it is quite a personal family matter and it would be quite pertinent of me to regale you with the troubles of my family.”


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tag: augusta | outfit: here | notes: Let's have Augusta discover the secret the challenging way, shall we? xD<br/>
made by Emily exclusively for Charming</div></div></center>[/dohtml]

The smallest of frowns flashed across Augusta's face as Miss Vanderbilt explained that she did not wish to talk about her problem. Unless someone was watching her like a hawk, it was extremely unlikely that they would have noticed the break in her expression. As quickly as it had come, it was gone- replaced by the usual impenetrable mask that her mother had taught her before she had died.

However, the entire exchange had not been a complete loss. As Miss Vanderbilt snapped back to life, Augusta picked up on several pieces of body language that the other young woman had displayed.

First, of course, there was the fact that she had completely zoned out in the first place. In Augusta's experience, things like that only really happened when the conversation was truly boring, or when they had something particularly worrisome on their mind. As their conversation had only just begun a few moments before, she could only assume that the latter was true.

Then, there was the ring twirling- it truly did seem that Miss Vanderbilt had absolutely no idea that she was doing it. Oftentimes, when someone's mind is occupied by something particularly stressing, they exhibit what is referred to as a "tell." Augusta had a pretty strong feeling that the ring played a part in whatever was bothering the young woman, but how it fit into the puzzle, she could not be sure.

Miss Vanderbilt did mention that it was a family issue, but how could a ring be related to the young woman's family? Augusta pondered for several moments, attempting to collect additional pieces to the puzzle. Well... she thought, she is a seventh year- the coming out ball is happening in just a few month's time. Perhaps her family is planning on marrying her off to some lowlife- they are only Middle Class after all...

However, without additional information, such speculations could go round and round for some time, and Augusta did not wish to make it obvious that she was attempting to pry into her companion's personal life. Instead, she dipped her head slightly, apologizing for her actions, "Of course, I understand completely- please do excuse my intrusion, I did not wish to pry..."

No matter how much Augusta yearned for information, it would be extremely unladylike to force herself into someone else's personal business. And, of course, giving anyone, even some Middle Class Muggle-born, the impression that she was anything but an upstanding society woman was completely out of the question.

In order to keep the conversation flowing, and perhaps attain further information, Augusta decided to switch topics. Pausing for a moment, she racked her brain for a more innocent subject. "So, have you gotten up to anything interesting since term started back up? I know I've pretty much had my head buried in books, but I can only imagine the workload you have with NEWT exams right around the corner!" She shuddered, "I can't believe they're only about a year away for me- I've barely recovered from my OWLs!"