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Post by ben on May 12, 2010 21:53:42 GMT
For a Saturday, and a relatively nice Saturday at that, the grounds were surprisingly empty. Ben had been aching to get out of the castle all week; it was a desire he assumed most of his classmates had been having to quell too, but as he looked across the nearly barren grounds it seemed as if he'd been mistaken. Sure there were a few groups here and there, but nothing like what he'd been expecting. Ben set his broom down beside him and laid back in the grass, slightly crestfallen. He'd been hoping to get a pickup game going, but that didn't look like it was going to happen.
It was a bit chilly, with the breeze and all. Maybe that was why no one was around. And there did happen to be a gigantic lobster roaming across the grass. Ben blinked at it. He was hungry. Very hungry. Actually, it felt as if he hadn't eaten in days. He licked his lips, eying the gargantuan shellfish. That would make for a tasty lunch if he could find a vat of melted butter large enough. Butter would make this day just perfect, even if he couldn't get a pickup game. Ben sighed; his mouth was almost watering. The lobster was amusing itself, picking leaves and birds out of the trees. Ben turned from it. The temptation was almost too much. He'd have to go in for lunch soon if he kept thinking about the lobster, but it was too big to really exclude from his line of sight. Ben shuffled himself so that he was facing the lake. If his back was toward it, surely he could distract himself. The lake was beautiful enough to distract anyone. So golden and delicious looking... It took a long while for the realization to sink in, but as Ben looked out at the lake, the golden lake that had always been a silky black before, he knew what he had to do. With the agility of a warrior he grabbed his broom, which transformed into a spear in his hand as he bounded off toward the lobster. He'd be eating good in a few minutes. If he could just aim the spear properly, just between the armored shell plates... He leapt, and soared much higher into the sky than he would have expected. But just as he was about to plunge his spear into the lobster's neck it reared, and turned sharply. Ben was flying through the air before he realized that he'd been hit by it's tail. With a crunch he felt himself slam into the ground and skid, soil and grime forced itself between his teeth.
And then he opened his eyes. "Damn..." he muttered. He'd failed yet again to defeat that lobster. Ben had dreamed of trying to kill that lobster so many times that he'd lost count by now. But he could remember that he'd never managed to land a hit on it. And every time the lobster appeared, Ben woke up starving. He pushed himself up off the pillow and a string of drool followed, clinging to the pillowcase. "Ughheuga" Ben mumbled, slightly disgusted with himself as he wiped his cheek hastily with his hand. Apparently his mouth actually had been watering. He sat up and pulled the curtains back on his four poster. A few of his dorm mates were still sleeping, so he climbed out of the bed and pulled on a sweatshirt. A pickup game didn't sound like a bad idea. But the first order of business: he needed to eat.
A few minutes later he was down in the Great Hall. Unlike the dream version of the lawns, it was far from empty. It was peak hours; the place was packed. But as he looked up at the ceiling Ben frowned slightly. Little imitation droplets were fall from the imitation clouds. They faded into nothing before they could dampen the heads of any of the students, but it looked like a pickup game was out of the question. Getting one started in the rain was not an easy task. Ben looked out across the hall at all the tables, still packed full of food. At least he hadn't missed breakfast, he thought, as he sauntered over towards the Hufflepuff table.
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words: 716 | tagged: augusta (& sophia?) | credits: lyrics- Julian Casablancas, graphic- me! |
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Post by augusta on May 13, 2010 0:03:10 GMT
 take me into your darkest hourWHEN THE NIGHT FALLS ON YOU, YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO- - - - - - - - - - [/b][/center] [/color] She apologized guiltily and forced a small smile as her victim just grunted and made his way towards the Gryffindor table. At least it wasn't a Slytherin or anything. The students sitting closest to where she was standing gave a curious look behind themselves, wanting to see what'd happened. Blushing furiously, she gave a sheepish smile and hurried off to the Hufflepuff table. Well wasn't that lovely start to her morning. Scanning the long oak table, it didn't look like Sophia was there yet...but Ben was. A grin made its way across her face, she'd recognize that head anywhere. She walked up to the empty space beside him, and tapped him on the shoulder before sitting down. She always did that to let people know she was there, a habit that Ben and Sophia had surely picked up on throughout the years they'd spent together. "Good morning, Benedict." Augusta remarked softly, using his full name, attempting to get his attention. She found it amazing how you could never get tired of seeing the same person everyday. Ben and Augusta were very different, but they managed to stay close all through first to sixth year. With Sophia, it was easy because they'd just always been the best of friends. Ben was different because of his gender. Now Augusta isn't sexist or anything, it was just a known fact that she didn't really socialize with males as much as females, let alone become close with them. This could be problematic if she truly thought about it. [/size][/ul] - - - - - - - - - - [/SIZE][/b] ben peakes music! i'll stand by you - glee words! 758 outfit! click!graphics! heretemplate! La-La-Lianotes! loved your post =P [/ul][/color] |
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Post by ben on May 13, 2010 18:34:44 GMT
Though the table was almost full, it seemed that neither Augusta or Sophia had come down to breakfast yet. His usual seat around the middle of the table was empty and waiting for him though, so Ben slipped onto the bench and pulled a plate toward him. Saturday breakfasts, Ben thought, were always a little better than the rest of the week. The menu wasn't ever really different from the weekdays, save for a few extras every now and then. Ben presumed that this could be chalked up to what the house elves had in the kitchen, not to the fact that they might have wanted to give the kids a treat. But everything about the food on the weekends seemed a little more appealing to Ben. Maybe it was that he had more time to enjoy it. It would be difficult for someone to enjoy food as much as Ben did. He regularly enjoyed two helpings at breakfast and lunch, and perhaps three at dinner if it had been a long day. His metabolism and energy level were such that going more than a few hours without food made him grumpy.
He especially hated going to bed hungry. Not only could he expect to have the lobster dream, but it was an unpleasant sensation to wake up feeling like there was a black hole in his stomach that promised to eat his other organs if he didn't provide it with something actually edible. And unfortunately, that was a feeling he'd come to expect if he didn't eat like a dump truck at every meal.
Ben pulled a few different dishes toward him. Hash browns, assorted fruit, scrambled eggs, two slices of toast with jam, bacon, sausage; it all got piled on his plate with a complete disregard for organization or separation. It was just a mound of food, and Ben took his fork to it.
He was mid-forkful when he felt someone tap him on the shoulder and he paused; a few potatoes fell back to his plate as he turned around to see that it was Augusta. Ben put his fork down. "Oh hey Gusta." he said with a smile, scooting over so that she could sit down. Ordinarily, the use of his full name would have given Ben a twinge of irritation. But for some reason, Augusta and Sophia were above scrutiny. They both used his real name on a regular basis, and it had stopped bothering him after he realized they weren't going to stop just because he objected vehemently. Besides which, they were his best friends; they could practically do no wrong in Ben's book.
"What's good?" he asked casually, picking up his fork to shovel in another bite. He'd long since gotten over being self-conscious around Augusta. There had been a time, earlier in their years at Hogwarts, when he'd made sure he wasn't totally acting like a guy around her. As in, he wouldn't shovel food into his mouth off of what basically amounted to a trough of food in front of him. But they'd gotten past the fact that Ben wasn't going to be all dainty. They couldn't have maintained a healthy friendship if he wasn't being himself around her. And Ben was far from anything close to dainty. He would hazard to say that she should have been thankful he was using a fork at all, but he did have at least a slight grasp on dining etiquette.
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words: 577 | tagged: augusta (& sophia?) | credits: lyrics- Julian Casablancas, graphic- me!
notations: heh thanks! Sorry it's a bit short. I had to go to class but I wanted to get it up first. I'll be super busy all weekend. I'll still be around, I just have a massive project due on monday and I'm not sure I can switch from drawing to writing so quickly. |
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Post by augusta on May 15, 2010 0:00:38 GMT
take me into your darkest hourWHEN THE NIGHT FALLS ON YOU, YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO- - - - - - - - - - [/b][/center] [/color] She cradled her head in her hands, closing her eyes while she did so. "I hate this time of year." What she said had been slightly muffled by her sleeves. Augusta usually never whined or complained, her philosophy usually always had her back. However, her bottled up stress had to come out some time. Prefect duties were always at the top of her to-do list. She hadn't asked for the position, but her father sure as hell was expecting it. Now Neville was rooting for Head Girl position next year. Augusta was not going to let that happen. Well, she could hope. Besides...she was a Hufflepuff. Not many Hufflepuffs got to be Head Girls. They usually did a Gryffindor and Slytherin, probably for their entertainment. She frowned, thinking about the stereotype. Augusta looked to Ben again, not bothering to smile again. She was just really stressed. Her father thought that if you kept on pushing and pushing, she'd get somewhere. From Augusta's view, if he continued to push her and push her, he'd push her down. She knew that if she told him to relax, he would, and then apologize. Unfortunately, Augusta wasn't one for disappointing people. Being a Longbottom was hard. Especially when you were named after the late Augusta Longbottom, Neville's grandmother. She knew it wasn't necessary to meet his expectations. If only she wasn't such an over-achiever. She tried to do things that were way in over her head. That, however, was just the person she was. And plus, she didn't think anybody HATED her. "How about you, Ben? How are you these days?" Augusta asked in a brighter tone, a sincere one as well. She wasn't putting on an act, she truly did hope her good friend was carrying on better than she was. "Well, you look to be...patient. You're actually using a fork." She added teasingly, gesturing to the utensil in his hand, also hoping that he wouldn't take it offensively or seriously. Getting in a misunderstanding with Ben was not the greatest thing. Especially over something so small. Her life seemed to revolve around misunderstandings. She had a good SENSE of humor, but she was absolutely horrible at jokes. And people knew Augusta often didn't make jokes, but when she did, they took it very seriously. Same went for sarcasm. [/size][/ul] - - - - - - - - - - [/SIZE][/b] ben peakes music! i'll stand by you - glee words! 624 outfit! click!graphics! heretemplate! La-La-Lianotes!quite all right. same goes for me. i have an exam tomorrow =| [/ul][/color] |
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Post by ben on May 25, 2010 21:32:01 GMT
"Heh. You can say that again." Ben said between bites. He wasn't sure why he was so relieved that it was the weekend, but then again, Ben had never been a fan of his classes. Any time the weekend rolled around it seemed like it was long overdue. It occurred to him that this could have been the reason he fancied his Saturday breakfasts so much; they were a combination of two things that made him exceedingly happy. Food, and free time. But Ben had anxiously anticipated this weekend in particular. It was getting to the point where he couldn't put off his work any longer if he wanted to pass his classes. He always seemed to find himself in this situation at the end of the year. So he'd spent the majority of the week with his butt glued to a chintz in the common room, trying to finish about five different papers he'd neglected to work on, even though most of them had been assigned weeks before. He still hadn't finished them, but it was Ben's philosophy that homework wasn't meant to interrupt his weekends. And he found it very easy to just put them off and not worry about them until Monday. His weekends were precious.
Ben finished chewing his most recent bite before turning towards Augusta; he smiled as she frowned in an attempt to encourage her to imitate it. And whether it was because of this or not, her next words were a little brighter. "Meh, can't complain I guess." He said, taking another bite and chewing slowly. "Oh Ha Ha." he added with a slight smirk. "Do you want me to use my hands? I don't mind. What do you think people were eating with before forks were invented?" Ben put up his hands and wiggled his fingers around. "We have thumbs for a reason Augusta." His smile gave the sarcasm away.
It had never surprised Ben that he and Augusta had become such good friends. He wasn't a negative person most of the time, but even when he got in one of his moods, she could always bring him out of it, almost instantaneously in fact. Sometimes just the sight of her made Ben let go of whatever happened to be stressing him out. But he'd never been able to figure out exactly why she could do this to him, and it had never occurred to him to even question it.
"So what have you got goin' on today?" he asked. Ben hoped she would say she had nothing going on so they could hang out. Now that a pick up game was out of the question he'd be hard pressed to find something to do. Well, he could have found a lot of things to do. But at this point in the year while his head was on the chopping block, if he was going to slack off he needed a decent distraction. He could no longer get away with some half-assed attempt at procrastination. These were the big leagues, and Ben was a pro. But procrastination as a team effort was so much more effective and enjoyable than him just trying to let his mind wander by itself. He took another forkful from his food pile, which had started to look like it had been hit by a meteor. There was a hole dug out of the middle of it; the food at the edges was still stacked up rather high. Ben shuffled some of it around so it would lie flat and not tumbled off his plate. There were already crumbs scattered all around him; he thought it might be a little impolite to let whole chunks and gobs of food litter his area.
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words: 625 | tagged: augusta (& sophia?) | credits: lyrics- Julian Casablancas, graphic- me! |
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Post by augusta on May 28, 2010 0:47:16 GMT
take me into your darkest hourWHEN THE NIGHT FALLS ON YOU, YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO- - - - - - - - - - [/b][/center] [/I] Augusta watched him amusedly. Oh good old Ben. He always acted like he had no other care in world but for that present moment. Such a carefree and friendly fellow. Augusta didn’t know how she’d get on without him, really. There were times these days that she’d always want to talk to him. Just randomly. If she was upset about what some random student said to her, or had gotten into some form of trouble. She’d just think, ‘I wish Ben was around.’ It’d always been like that with Sophia, but Augusta felt like she needed more of his company. People always said that sixth to seventh year was when you lost touch with most of your friends. She couldn’t have that happen. Imagine being alone and friendless upon graduating out of here. The THOUGHT of graduating even scared her. It was good that she still had a year. A year to prove to herself and others that she was capable of handling the real world. And that it wasn’t just an act. “I hope you’ve been doing your homework, Ben.” She remarked with a mock stern voice and purposely furrowed eyebrows. Her face resumed to the pout/frown it was in before. She had no energy to smile at the moment, which was no common feat. She puffed out her cheeks, but sighed afterwards. Well wasn’t she exhausted? Ben turned towards Augusta with a smile. And such a great smile it was. His were contagious, like it was at the present moment. A little and hesitant grin creeped its way across her lips. She bit her lower lip sheepishly and looked at her hands. It was typical of her to be shy, even with her closest friends. Augusta looked back again as he replied to her question. “Well, I suppose that’s good to hear.” She offered a cheeky grin. Ben smirked at her as he wiggled his fingers. She laughed shortly before adding, “Yes, and there was a reason why forks were invented in the first place, Ben. Hands are not exactly the most convenient tool…rather messy actually.” Ah boys, them and their antics. Augusta sat up straighter, trying to seem awake. In truth, she was still sleeping inside. This was weird however, she was usually the early bird, perky at six thirty am in the morning. This of course, wasn’t really such a good thing. It was only natural. Augusta was a fan of coffee, however not in the mornings, so there was really no excuse for her enthusiastic mornings. Today really did beat all. She grinded her teeth together for a few seconds, noticing people around her cringing at the sound, she stopped. Augusta used to do that in the middle of class on purpose. Their reactions were quite amusing. "So what have you got goin' on today?"She was sort of glad he asked, Augusta wanted to hang out with Ben again, just like the old times. Ha, that made her sound like she was some old duffer, reminicing their childhood. It’d only been around a month or so. A month could determine a lot of things. Being reminded of them made her sort of confused. It was like she’d changed or something. Ugh. The word made her wince. Change. How she detested the concept, however Augusta was secretly fond of it as well. The anticipation was killer but she liked to be on her toes. Made everything so much more exciting. “Well, prefect duties are on for the weekend. I have night patrol tonight. The head boy has to do a make-up test or something.” She started to squirm uncomfortably. “To tell you the truth, I’m sort of scared. I mean, I’ve done this in the evening…but definitely not past midnight.” That was one thing that made her not want the head girl position next year. There’d be all sorts of jobs she wouldn’t feel comfortable doing. Augusta didn’t really feel embarrassed at admitting this to Ben. He knew she wasn’t scared of the dark, just scared of the dark at Hogwarts! Who wouldn’t be? “You know how the hallways are at night. Plus, there are paintings and statues everywhere.” She shivered a little, even just thinking about it. [/size][/ul] - - - - - - - - - - [/SIZE][/b] ben peakes music! i'll stand by you - glee words! 732 outfit! click!graphics! heretemplate! La-La-Lianotes! --- [/ul][/color] |
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