[Lawns] where we sit. (paige)

[Dante Nikolas]

It was a cool day. Not too warm and not overly bright. The clouds were a mixture of white and silvery grey, though there were small patches of blue in the sky. Dante had been spending most of his time with Rosalie and Alice, just like usual. The three of them had been together since they were eleven and built up a firm friendship with each other. Though Alice and Dante’s friendship was a bit different to Dante and Rosalie’s friendship. All three of them were very different, but he figured that was the reason they got along so well.

Earlier that day, Dante had gone to the Owlery to give one of the school owl’s a note. Though upon entering the place, the soft hooting coming from the perches where each owl stood, he froze. It was no secret Dante was terrified of birds, any kind of bird. If it had wings he didn’t like them. He held the note tightly in his hands as his eyes widened, a brown owl swooped low towards him, landing on a perch in front of him and sticking his leg out. He felt like turning and running, screaming at the top of his lungs that the devil was in hogwarts. Though, he swallowed his fear, or tried to, the sweat on his head refusing to leave, and gingerly tied the note to the owls leg. ”Take this to uh… Paige Matthews… Hufflepuff.” His voice spoke weakly before he dove out of the owlery.

The note asked Paige if she would meet him on the lawns, closer to the forest on the slope at seven thirty. When he mentioned later on to Alice that he was meeting Paige, she insisted she let her dress him up. Apparently he had too look his best for his lady friend, despite the fact Dante huffed and puffed and told Alice that Paige was his friend and he doubted she cared what the hell he dressed as, Alice managed to get him into a pair of baggy dark blue faded jeans and a black top which apparently according to Alice made him look ‘sleek.’ She banned him from wearing his black jacket, and though he said he wouldn’t he knew full well that he would.

Seven thirty rolled around and Dante found himself standing on the sloping lawn by the Forest in the clothes Alice had forced him into (he felt like a prat) and his black jacket zipped up. Least he felt better about that, he didn’t look so much of a prat when his jacket covered up his shirt. It wasn’t cold outside, though there was a slight breeze which ruffled his hair. He sat down on the grass, looking past the slope. He could see the mountainous region from here and just below it the lake which looked as though it was shimmering. The lake offered a good spot to see it for all its glory. Though Dante always said you got the best view of the lake on the sloping lawn if you sat in the right place. Five minutes or so passed when he heard footsteps behind him, lifting his head around slightly he saw the blonde haired Hufflepuff making her way towards him, and with a huge grin spread across his face he beamed: ”Paige!”

[Paige Matthews]

The two Matthews sisters sat inside the library at opposite ends of a table way in the back of the room. The dark haired brunette sister Rosalind sat in her corner reading (as she often did) a book on some subject like charms. While the other sister the blonde fair haired Hufflepuff sat in her own corner with white ear buds sticking out of her ears, the ear buds were attached to one of those expensive music players. The song was loud and fast which would explain why Paige was sitting there with her pen tapping it loudly on the desk.

Of course being so self absorbed she didn't notice the looks she was getting from those around her including Rosalind. Even if she had she probably wouldn't really care. This wasn't her idea of a good time only reason she was here was because Rose begged her. It sucked being in a family sometimes all that stick together nonsense. Of course being loyal didn't help much either. Rosalind threw a sheet of paper at her to catch her attention. Looking up wondering what that was for Paige pulled the buds out of her ear. "What?" she called loudly garnering a loud SHHHHHHH from the librarian. "Paige this is the library you need to keep quiet in here."

Eyes rolling the girl wondered what else there was to do in the castle because this was getting boring really fast. Turning her head this was and that she caught a glimpse of the window and something flying toward it. The thing got closer and closer until it entered through the open window on the other end of the library. A brown owl was flying right at her. As if knowing that it was in the library the bird made no noise when it descended landing right in front of her holding out its leg. Paige couldn't help the shock look on her face. No one sent owls to her.

Pulling the note off the birds legs Paige watched as it flew off again gaining her another "SHHHH" from the librarian even though there was no need for it. Rose was staring at her now wondering who that note was from. Paige figured she'd better open it or risk being bombarded with questions in t minus ten seconds. So quickly the letter was unfolded and a smile appeared on the blonde's face. Dante was asking to see her. This was so much better then sitting in the stuffy old library with Rose.

The explanation was quick and Rose didn't seem too thrilled but for once Paige didn't seem to care much. It had been some time since the two of them had seen each other and it wasn't like she was doing anything more then getting into trouble. "Peace out big sis I've found something more fun to do outside. Enjoy your book babe" turning the younger Matthews left the library excited about seeing Dante. He was the first cool person she had met since arriving at Hogwarts. They weren't more then friends which suited her fine even if she thought he was cute. Looking down at her clothes a pair of dark blue skinny jeans, with an off the shoulder bright pink punk T, a pair of high top sneakers in the same bright pink to match Paige wondered if she should change. Then she thought nah, they were just hanging out no need for that. She would need a jacket though, so she quickly went to get her black jacket, the one with all the crazy zippers her mother hated so much. It was just so rock and roll Paige had to have it.

Geared up and ready to go Paige was out the door walking toward the lake. There he was right by the forest. A smile brightened her features, before she could say a word Dante caught sight of her and then she wasn't the only one smiling. "Dante" she said laughing. "Thanks for the note, I really needed to get out of there my sister was boring me to death with all her studying. Ravenclaws sure love the books" giving him a wink she sat down.

[Dante Nikolas]

It was a long day. This year Dante couldn’t remember having a short day. Everything seemed twice as long and he seemed to have to put in ten times as much effort. Still, today he decided to actually do something worthwhile. Hang out with a girl he had not seen in forever. A girl who actually wasn’t one of his best friends but just as important. A girl Mr Nikolas had been neglecting. Tut tut. Now, standing once more in the room of requirement with Alice, a bunch of clothes and some rather sharp looking pins, Dante remembered why he never told Alice when he was heading out to meet Paige. ”OW!” He yelled as a pin struck his side, ”Im going to sit around on the lawns… this is not a date!” He told her, ”No, Dante. You’re going to sit around on the lawns above the lake and show Paige how the sun looks from there when its setting. That’s a date. And I’m sure she thinks the same.”
”The word ‘date’ was not in my letter.” He argued.
”Yeah but I bet it was in your mind.”
”Twisting my words. I’m telling you its not a date.”
”Who’re you trying to convince here? Me? Or yourself.”
”Shut up.”

Dante didn’t say anything else to Alice as she poked about with the clothes. Sometimes Dante felt like a human mannequin. Humiliation, it was like having a younger sister sometimes when Alice insisted on shoving him into the tops she bought for him because she was convinced he would look ‘cute’ in them. Why couldn’t she just understand shirts were not his thing? He liked baggy jeans and t-shirts with dark jackets. He was going to meet Paige, not to a wedding.

Once he was done, or should he say once Alice was done, Dante ran from the room of Requirement and into the Ravenclaw common room where he saw Rose. He spent five minutes venting at her about how ‘ridiculous’ he looked but how he didn’t want to hurt her feelings by not wearing what she shoved him in. Rose of course found it funny, she more saw it from Alice’s side. Heaven knew Dante had been Rose’s guinea pig before now.

Now Dante was lay on the grass, away from Rose laughing at him and Alice poking him with extra sharp pins. It was a wonder he didn’t have loads of little red dots all over him the amount of times she had accidentally pricked his skin. The sun was still quite high in the sky and feeling quite warm on his face, a bit too warm. So he shifted position slightly so the forest’s shadow would be over him. After five more minutes, he decided he was cold again and lay back in the sun.

When Dante caught sight of the blonde head of Paige Matthews, he jumped up. A little quicker than what was necessary and turned to face her. A smile on his face, grinning from ear to ear. Though when she said Ravenclaw’s love books, Dante just shrugged. He was a Ravenclaw but he hated books. Honestly, Rose was right, he didn’t belong in any of the houses here. ”Ah well. Us Claws are just so bookwormy. Why be outside on a sunny day like this when we can be cramped in the common room or in the library surrounded by musty old books?” His question was rhetorical and a roll of his eyes suggested he was joking. He wrapped his arms around Paige and pulled her close for a hug, giving her a light kiss on her cheek. He was sure if Alice had seen that she’d have laughed, raised her brows and looked at him meaningfully. ”How’s my darling Paige? Not missed me too much I hope?” He laughed, showing he was only teasing.

[Paige Matthews]

Paige didn't really know why she was keeping her friendship with Dante from her sister. True they didn't share everything with one another but making a new friend well that was something big. Dante wasn't her best friend but he was someone close someone she thought of a lot. Then she started to understand her reasons for not saying anything. How could she have been so daft. Book smart as her sister was she was the kind of person who held the belief that girls and boys couldn't just be friends. She figured that if a boy wanted to "be your friend" it was code for he wants to get into your pants.

If Paige had mentioned Dante to her Rosa's immediate reaction would have been "oh you have a new boyfriend" then she would have ran and told their parents. Her mother would have said she was too young, and her father would threaten to come to the school and skin the boy alive. Just the thought of him showing up at school mortified her. Then if her cousin Will found out he would probably flunk Dante in class just cause. Not telling anyone was the best thing she could do for her own sanity. Plus she liked having a friend no one else knew about. It was one of those cool mysterious things about her that made her seem cool. At least in her own mind.

So she didn't say a thing to Rosa and now she was outside in the cool air. Headed toward...Headed toward....Well she didn't really know what she was headed toward. The word date didn't seem to make any sense, Dante never did anything to make her think he liked her like that. Date was a silly word right, he just wanted to hang out with her all alone by the lake near the time the sun went down. Nah, she wouldn't think that way it would only lead to trouble.

So when she got to him and he joked back with her and it was fun, and easy being with him. Around him she could be herself and that's why simply being around him made her happy she could be Paige. At first that's how it was but when Dante got up and seemed so happy to see her that he hugged and kissed her cheek Paige sort of froze a minute. No one had ever been that happy to see her. Still she wouldn't read too much into it he was being friendly. "A welcome like that might make a girl blush" she surely almost did. Hugging him back she grinned "Of course I missed you there was no one for me to bother" she nudged him trying to lighten her mood and make things more playful.

[Dante Nikolas]

The wind blew at his face but it wasn’t unpleasant in any way shape or form. In fact he kind of enjoyed it, asides from feeling uncomfortable wearing the shirt that Alice had practically shoved him into. Sometimes having two girls as your best friends could be highly annoying but he tried to play it cool, put on a good face and yes, he let them dress him up occasionally when nobody else was around to see it but it was all part of the fun! It wasn’t as though he would allow them to shove him into a dress unless he was very very highly intoxicated. Which, he had not been in a long while and needed to do very soon.

The two of them hadn’t seen each other in what seemed to him like an age, so naturally when he saw her blonde head bobbing along his face lit up and a rather large grin spread across the dark haired boy’s features. So, being who he was he got up and gave her a large hug and kiss, felt her freeze and sort of froze himself. Inwardly yelling at himself for doing that. Sure, he did it to Alice and Rose but they were used to it. Paige wasn’t, and even he wasn’t stupid enough not to notice the base attraction between the two of them, he didn’t want to pull her under a false security after all, Dante being Dante, he would only end up doing something completely stupid and messing everything up. Like usual. ”By all means blush. A girl blushing makes a guys ego grow.” He winked at her as she nudged him. Pulling her down next to him as he sat back on the grass, his eyes gazing to the landscape in front of them. ”Ah, so that’s why you enjoy my company? Its not because of me, really, is it?” He teased ”It’s because you like the play fights!” On that note, Dante proceeded to jump onto her and began to tickle her at a rather rapid pace, laughing as he went. It had been, or it felt like it, a long time since he had relaxed properly.

Once the tickling had finished, he ‘phewed’ and wiped some of his dark hair from his eyes so he could watch the sun slowly descending in between the hill’s and over the lake. Truly a brilliant site and as usual, Dante had found one of the best spots to watch it. ”You look nice, by the way.” Always be polite to a girl, his mother always told him, tell her she looks nice when she looks nice, but after that she sort of fading into a hum as Dante stopped listening to her. ”So, Rose is your sister eh?” He hadn’t known this until recently. Rather strange really, Dante had spoken to Rose quite a bit but only recently had he learnt she was Paige’s sister. Of course Dante hadn’t said he knew Paige, just he knew of her. He supposed she had a reason for not telling him her sister was in his house, and a reason for not telling Rose the two of them hung out every once in a while. Where Paige’s family was concerned, Dante was growing anxious. Him and Will didn’t get along at all, the potions master had it in for him bad style, he always had ever since Dante began but Dante didn’t let it bother him anymore. ”Must be… nice?” More of a question than a statement. Honestly, he didn’t know if they got along or not.

[Paige Matthews]

Paige needed this time away from the school, and studying, and Rosa. Being out here with her buddy Dante was just what the doctor ordered. He was simply fun to be around. He had a good aura about him. Fun to be around, a bit mischievous, and sweet at least to her. They got along great and Paige was glad to have found that. Coming to school she worried often it would be just her and Rosa hanging out together the weird Matthews sisters. Dante befriended her and they just clicked. Sometimes it was hard for her to just want to keep it a simple friendship there was no denying that the two of them were kind of attracted to each other, at least that's what she liked to think. Just like when he hugged her she felt something but had been trying to brush it off. She had brushed it off a little which allowed her to just be there with him.

Then he did his signature move and made her laugh in no time, his comment about girls blushing boosting a guys ego. "Good thing I didn't blush you're ego's big enough" she followed the words with another laugh because she had only been joking. Dante was cool he didn't get all cocky like some guys around school. He retaliated with a joke about her saying she only enjoyed his company for play fighting. Paige would easily say that was as far from the truth as you could get but the words never made it out of her mouth before she was being tickled. Paige was so very ticklish it was impossible for her not to laugh even if it was only a slight tickling. She squealed with glee as Dante hit all the tickle hot spots. Soon her stomach started to hurt from the laughter, but she toughed it out and in no time it was over but Paige was worse for wear. Her hair was disheveled she could feel it, and her pale cheeks were probably a nice deep red now. She probably looked like a clown, but she didn't mind another good thing about Dante was she could be herself around him. Trying to fix herself anyway Paige shook her head glancing at him "now you know my shameful secret I'm extremely ticklish do try not to use it against me. I would probably reveal the location of the crown jewels if you tickled me like that again." winking and laughing Paige felt at ease.

The feeling didn't take hold for long. He told her she looked nice which did gain him an actual blush this time, but then he mentioned Rose. He found out they were sisters. Technically Paige wasn't trying to hide that fact from him, in reality the topic of family sort of hadn't really come up. Also, it wasn't that she was embarrassed by Rose or anything it was just that she wanted her friendship with Dante to be hers and hers alone. Pitiful plan on her part since the two were in the same house they would know each other and it would get brought up, so it did and now she felt kind of bad omitting the truth to him. After he said it must be nice Paige nodded. Then figured she better explain. "Yes she is my sister. Its cool to have her around even if she can be an insufferable know it all. We're just different you know she's the type who loves to study and I'm the type who thinks school is a drag. She reads all day and I just want to have a good time. She takes life seriously and I think its too short to do so. I guess I never mentioned her since it sort of never came up and since well I sort of like that I have a friend that she doesn't know about." There she said it, now he knew she was a silly girl.