The Roses of Hogwarts | Cedric Diggory [1]

Chapter Twenty-Two: The Liar

Easter Holiday wasn't much of a holiday for any of the Hogwarts students. Oriane had elected to spend the two weeks worth of break in the castle (mostly in fear of Sirius Black tracking her down should she return to Esme) and boy was she glad she stayed. The pile of homework she received was endless and felt cruel to assign to a young student attempting to enjoy a well deserved vacation.

Most of her time was spent studying, or completing tasks assigned to her by her professors. She often found herself in the library, or even in the Hufflepuff common room, sitting in silence with a variety of her friends; a troubled Hermione, a quiet Cedric, a frantic Emerald.

The first day Oriane actually felt as if she had caught up on all her work was the second to last day of break. It was mid April and every single patch of lingering snow vanished, instead providing moisture to the spring grass that began to grow amongst the still dead leaves. It wasn't exactly the warmest, but Oriane found that she no longer needed her large coat or hat and mittens in order to step foot outside.

And so outside she went.

The Black Lake was perfectly still, with only small waves rising and falling against the shoreline every now and then. Oriane sat on a rock, doing her best to not get wet on the damp spring soil. Ducks quacked somewhere off in the distance as they floated on top of the water where they dove beneath the surface into the depths every now and then.

She didn't bring anything with her. Not a book to read, or a journal to write in; nothing but her own mind to keep her company. After the last two weeks her brain felt like mush. It was a large relief for her to just stare out at the water in front of her, ignoring everything else in the world.

"Haven't seen you out here before."

Had Oriane's brain not been fried, she probably would have jumped at the sudden voice that spoke up behind her. Instead, she was rather lethargic in her movements. She leaned backwards and did her best to turn her neck to the side, trying to get a glimpse at whoever was joining her.

She was rather surprised to find that it was Charlotte. She wore her normal attire of a loose fitting shirt and baggy jeans. Dark bags under her eyes showed that she was just as tired as every other student in the castle was. Their holiday certainly hadn't treated either of them kindly.

"It's my first time here, actually," Oriane admitted.

All Charlotte did in response was hum as she walked closer to Oriane. Glad to not have to crane her neck anymore, she turned her attention back to the water in front of her as the girl took a seat next to her.

"I come here all the time," Charlotte explained. "Well, not all the time. It's not so nice in the winter. But it reminds me of home, so I stop by when I can."

"Do you live near a lake?" asked Oriane.

Charlotte shook her head. "The ocean. But the lake's as close as I can get to that here at Hogwarts so..." She leaned forward, hand skimming over a few pebbles and rocks that sat embedded in the mud in front of them. "It's much more quiet, but the water is nice to look at."

"The ocean," Oriane echoed. "I've always loved water. There's a small stream near my home that I like to visit in the summer when it's warm. Makes for a nice swimming spot."

A quiet chuckle escaped Charlotte's lips. "I wouldn't swim in this water," she said, nodding to the lake. "Even in warm weather the water is terribly cold. Besides, there's nasty Grindylows. Even a giant squid."

She turned to look at the girl, eyes wide as if challenging her words. "A giant squid?"

Charlotte shrugged. "The squid's the nicest of all of them, actually. Likes to hang out in some shallower parts of the lake in the summer. If you're lucky it might let you tickle its tentacles."