Sitting Alone

[Andi Lupin]

Starla was seated at the end of the Ravenclaw table, eating her dinner in silence, just like every other day. She had just gotten out of Divination, her favorite class, so she wasn't as down about being alone as she usually was. Starla didn't always mind sitting by herself, but she did wish that she had someone to talk to, someone that wasn't there to make fun of her and her mother. Many of the students at Hogwarts only knew the crazy stories about her mother; the stories about her raddish earrings and the nargles. They didn't care about the stories that showed her mother in a different light, as a hero that helped the famous Harry Potter. But, Starla didn't mind it much, as long as she knew that her mother, and herself, weren't as bad as people said. Starla smiled and continued eating her bowl of raddish soup.

[Ophelia Rose]

Ophelia was sitting at the Hufflepuff table. She was studying for Ancient Runes, her favorite subject. She had a plate of food sitting in front of her, practically untouched. She tucked a loose strand of her auburn hair behind her ears and turned the page of her book. Suddenly a group of slytherins walked by her. One of them slapped her in the back of the head. Another shouted "Mud-blood!" Ophelia slammed her book shut and spun around. "What did you just call me?" She asked. Ophelia had the boy by his collar, his feet not even touching the ground. Ophelia let go of the boy and warned him"If you ever call me that again I will rip your insides out. I'm not afraid of you." The boy was only a first year and had no idea what that meant. He only did what his 'elders' told him. Ophelia sighed and grabbed her book. Ophelia was really aggravated with people but instead of thinking about it she went to find someone decent to talk to. Someone from ravenclaw maybe. The house that she always dreamed of being in, like her grandfather was.

[Andi Lupin]

Starla turned around, hearing a scuffle at the Hufflepuff table. Of course.. Slytherins. Who else would stoop so low as to call someone a.. Mudblood. Starla hated when people discriminated against others and could barely bring herself to think the word Mudblood. Starla watched on, as the girl threatened the younger boy. He looked like a first year, so her threat could easily be carried out. Starla laughed as the boy ran off, almost tripping over his own two feet. The Hufflepuff girl that had been made fun of was getting up and Starla smiled at her before the few people that had dared to sit close to her gave her odd looks because of her laughter. Starla sighed and turned back to her food, blocking out the other's cruel jokes.

[Ophelia Rose]

Ophelia stormed over to the Ravenclaw table and sat down. She slammed her book on the table, not caring if there was food there or not. Luckily, there wasn't. "Argh! I hate people." She said, somewhat loudly with an aggravated look on her face. She usually wasn't this mad. Although, it really didn't help that she was slapped and her head is now throbbing. She looked to her right to find a girl sitting next to her, laughing. Ophelia wouldn't doubt it if it was about her. She didn't really know the girl, she did know her name though. Well she thought she did. She didn't really associate much with the people in Hufflepuff; not that she wasn't proud to be in the house where people were considered loyal and dedicated, which indeed Ophelia was, she just didn't really get along with them. Most of her friends were in either Ravenclaw or Gryffindoor.

[Andi Lupin]

Starla stopped laughing when she realized that the girl was distressed, she didn't want her to think that she had been laughing at her. "They aren't that bad really. Well, there are some that are... mainly Slytherins. It was really cool of you to stand up to them. Though, I think you've frightened the young one away.. He could barely keep himself standing after you had a piece of him." Starla said in her usual misty voice. Starla sat there for a moment, trying to remember the girl's name. She'd heard it five years ago during sorting, but Starla's memory wasn't that good. "You're... Oh drat. I don't recall you're name, sorry."

[Ophelia Rose]

"Well, He deserved what he got."Ophelia said. She looked at Starla. "You're Luna Lovegood's daughter." She said, amazed. When Ophelia was a couple of years younger her grandfather told her about Luna Lovegood. Ophelia absolutely adored the idea of Nargles and things that most people couldn't explain. Oh and you can't forget the thestrals. Ophelia spent hours sitting with the thestrals, she just adored them. Ophelia felt awfully special that she could see them. She dreaded thinking about the reason why she could though."Starla Lovegood, right?" Ophelia said, after her long break of thinking."I'm Ophelia." Ophelia was holding her head where she was slapped. It was obviously a guy that slapped her, very hard.

[Andi Lupin]

Starla nodded in agreement. All Slytherins deserved to be put down a notch once in awhile, especially the Malfoy's. Starla frowned a bit when Ophelia knew who she was. Usually, that meant that they were either about to make fun of her or that they were never going to talk to her again. "Uh, yeah.. Starla." She mumbled. "Ophelia is a pretty name. Where did you get it from?" Starla asked. Being a Ravenclaw, when she had a question she couldn't help but ask it, even if it wasn't the best of times.

[Ophelia Rose]

"Is something wrong?" Ophelia asked. Ophelia sat there thinking about what she had said. She didn't think it was hurtful. All Ophelia had said was that she was Luna Lovegood's daughter."Oh." Ophelia said, realizing what was wrong."I absolutely adore the story about your mum. When I was young I wanted to be just like she was when she was at Hogwarts." Ophelia giggled a little, feeling a tad embarrassed."I swear I'm not obsessed or anything." Ophelia started laughing, she felt like an idiot but whatever, she didn't really mind right now. She did act like she'd had a bit too much sugar though. Ophelia was like that a lot. Ophelia stopped laughing and realized Starla had said something. "It's from my....my..dad's side of the family." whenever Ophelia said the word dad she just about burst into tears, she always thought about that traumatic incident when she was five.

[Andi Lupin]

Starla looked at Ophelia almost unbelievingly for a few moments, then replied "Really, you don't need to say that just to make me feel better. I've come to accept that pretty much everyone in the school is going to treat me like a freak and think that my mother was a freak. She wasn't though. Maybe a tad eccentric, but she had her head together. She was one of the bravest Ravenclaws to walk these halls, she helped Uncle Harry..." Starla trailed off, knowing she was going to have a full on rant soon. She shook her head to calm herself down and concentrated on not making herself look like a wack job. "That's neat. My dad's side.. well.. I don't know them." Starla cut of her sentance before her thoughts trailed to that again. She'd alredy spilled her guts to Aiden, and wasn't sure she could handle doing it again.

[Ophelia Rose]

"Starla. If you're considered a freak then I should be worried. At least your parents were magic." Ophelia said."I actually find your family interesting, no matter how hard that is to believe. I sit outside for hours, all I do is talk to the thestrals." Ophelia hated that people didn't believe or trust her. She was way to sympathetic too, most people who were sad came to Ophelia for sympathy. Ophelia sat there, in a daze, thinking about her father. She sighed, finally entering the real world. "Geez I loved my dad." Ophelia hated being like this. She wasn't in the mood to cry, she hated being sad.

[Andi Lupin]

"It doesn't matter if my parents were magic or not, you're probably just as good, if not better than the rest of these people. The word.. Mudblood is just a word they use because they're jealous. They were raised around wizards and they're still pathetic at magic and life in general. Don't ever think that being born to Muggle parents makes you less of a witch." Starla ranted on. She was a very opinionated person, and if you got her started on a subject, it took a lot to stop her. She felt especially strong about the rights of Muggleborns, as the people she hated most were always tearing them down. Starla grabbed the pumpkin juice that she had in front of her, and took a few sips as she collected her usually calm demeanor. "Sorry.. I get carried away a lot of times. And, interesting in a good way.. or a bad way?" Starla asked hesitantly, unsure if she really wanted to know. Starla was glad to say that she herself couldn't see the thestrals. As interesting as they sounded, she wasn't keen on the idea of watching someone die. She thought it was horrific that such an animal existed. Her ears perked up when Ophelia mentioned her father. "You.. you could write to him? And, Christmas break is just a few weeks away." Starla tried to be kind about the matter, but to be honest she was quite jealous. She wished that her dad was just a letter away. That she could talk to him whenever she wanted.. That she at least had the chance to know him.

[Ophelia Rose]

"It's okay. Most of the time when I start talking about something I don't shut up." Ophelia said laughing. "But I was just saying that people make fun of me for being a freak and for being a mud blood." If Ophelia had to explain something she could go on for hours about it, talking over you even if you told her to shut up. It got pretty annoying sometimes. "It's not fair." She said.

Ophelia heard Starla tell her she could just write a letter to her father. She had written letters to her father, even after he died. After Starla said this Ophelia started crying. "M..M...My father died. He d..died when I was f..f...five years old." Ophelia didn't really like being dramatic but she couldn't help but tell her story. "After he told me my bed time story. I went down stairs, said hi to him and went to get a glass of water. Then I..I heard..." Ophelia got choked up and stopped talking. She started breathing funny and the finally continued"I heard a really loud noise and turned around."Ophelia looked down, teardrops falling on her book. "I-I-I'm sorry, I can't do this." She said sadly, trying to make the tears go away. She didn't want Starla to feel bad but she hated telling this story, every time she pictured it.

[Andi Lupin]

"No, it's not fair. Someone needs to do something about the Slytherins, they're always up on their high horses, knocking everyone else down. It's kind of pathetic really."Starla chuckled. She held the opinion that the only reason Slytherins acted like that, was because they knew that they weren't better than everyone else. The only thing they were good at was convincing others that they were superior.

Starla felt terrible for mentioning it. She knew exactly how it felt to be reminded of her father, and she didn't want to bring up the memory for Ophelia. "I.. sorry. I shouldn't have mentioned it. You don't have to say anything else, I know it's hard. I know how you feel." Starla wasn't going to go into her own sob story, she didn't want to cry anymore. She put her hand on Ophelia's back, and rubbed it, hoping to comfort her a littl.e

[Ophelia Rose]

"It's okay Starla. You didn't know. I probably would've said the same thing." Ophelia said, still crying. It obviously wasn't okay but she only said it to convince herself. It was easier for her this way. Ophelia lyed her head down on the table and cried. She didn't like to cry but at this point in time she really had no choice. Ophelia felt something on her back. When she realized that it was Starla she just quietly sat there, not saying a word. She was too choked up to talk anyway.

[Andi Lupin]

"No, it was wrong of me to say. I should have thought before I spoke." Starla murmured. She knew what it felt like to be constantly reminded that she didn't have a father, and it sucked. "Is there anything I can get you? Water or.. something?" Starla was trying to be helpful, but she wasn't really sure what to do.