Grow up, little girl! (Cornelius)

[Waterlily Rosefire]

It seemed such a befitting place for a child of her age, didn't it? The playground. Waterlily always found playgrounds, places where all children played - muggle and magical - to be such fascinating places. Filled with hard metal contraptions, just asking for broken bones. Full of sand, just asking to get sand down your pants and in your shoes. Full of laughter, happiness, and that usual thing Waterlily always found herself caught up in - imagination. She looked around as she entered the small gate of the playground and found her way immediately over to the jungle gym. She climbed her way up to the very tip top and sat down on the flat part at top, glad that she could actually see everything in the world around her.

The poor girl was quite short, there was no doubt about it, and she could hardly see over people's heads in the classrooms at Hogwarts. She could hardly see over anything, to be honest. Sometimes she would have to get onto her knees on the stools in the potions classrooms just to be able to see to the bottom of her cauldron. Frustrating, at best.

Lily, as she preferred to be called by friends, pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her chin upon them gracefully as her green eyes peered around the grounds. Of course with the warm weather there were tons of students littering the lawns and hiding from the sun beneath the shade of trees. There were students entering and exiting the forbidden forest... which was just that -forbidden, so she was shocked by this, actually. Being a new student here, an 'ickle firstie' as she'd heard Peeves call another group of students her age, she didn't quite understand that no one actually followed the rules the way they should. But apparently, from the way it appeared, no one got into trouble for breaking the rules either. Which was interesting and meant that her father had probably lied to her. He was getting her to try to control that temper of hers, but she just couldn't master it.

The young girl pushed some of her dark hair behind her ears and pulled it up behind her in a somewhat messy ponytail. She awaited the arrival of some other ickle firstie, or some other student in general, so she could climb down from the jungle gym and greet them. Would she actually be this outgoing? Not likely.

(Cornelius!)

[Cornelius Auchinleck]

Even though Niles was super uptight for an eleven-year-old, there was one thing he rather enjoyed: the playground. Every young kid enjoyed a nice turn down the slide or leisurely swaying on the swing set, and he was no different. The day was lovely. So, donning one of his Muggle outfits of khaki shorts and a t-shirt (the robes were much too warm), he decided to take a trip down to the playground of Hogwarts.

He was surprised to see that it was much like the playground at his old school. The main differences were that some of the kids were casting strange spells on each other, some were playing with owls and toads, and they all looked so much... happier. Niles scratched the top of his head and smiled. He wasn't as happy as they were yet - he somewhat missed the routine and order of his old life - but he didn't doubt he would get there.

His favorite, the swings, were all occupied. Well, aside from one... but it was next to an acne-infested teenage boy who looked like he was very sad. Niles didn't want to hear the boy's sob story, so he decided to go to the jungle gym. The Hufflepuff was quite weak, so it wasn't where he shined, but he had to improve somehow, right? He ducked through one of the openings and began to climb up it upside down. It caused the blood to rush to his head and made him feel exceptionally giggly. Chuckling for no reason, he reached the point where he was almost completely upside down. He tucked his legs above one of the bars so that he could hang there without holding on. Niles was only vaguely aware that there was a girl a mere foot away, mostly because he was so lightheaded.

He was rather enjoying himself when he was hit in the face with a rather peculiar situation. Swinging back and forth, Niles attempted to grasp at one of the bars to no avail. "Blimey... how am I gonna get out of this?" he muttered to himself. The only solution seemed to be falling, which he really didn't want to do. The blood in his brain becoming too much, he finally forced himself to pay attention to the dark-haired girl. "Errrghh... A little help, please?" Niles smiled his cheesiest grin, only he was sure it didn't look like much of a grin because of the way he was position... probably more like a grunting face.

[Waterlily Rosefire]

Waterlily was quite distracted by a male who had just walked through the gate. She was sure she'd met him somewhere before, and actually she probably had, but who knew. She'd had so much new information, so many new things to remember, thrown at her in the last few days that remembering names of all the people she met was nearly impossible. She would get it though, she was sure. She would know everyone here, well everyone important to her anyway, by the end of the week. She watched as he decided to climb the jungle gym upside down and couldn't help but slightly chuckle as he asked for help.

"You look like your frowning when you do that. Let's turn that frown upside down." Lily half teased him as she held out her hand for him to grab and pulled him up through another whole, where his legs were wrapped around, so he could sit on the bar. She scooted over slightly on the flat platform at the top. "You can sit here if you'd like." She offered, patting the metal next to her.

Now that she thought of it, she was almost positive she'd met him before. First, he seemed like a really nice kid, and nice eleven year olds were the only type of people she was currently associating herself with. Well, technically you could get specific and say magical nice eleven year olds, typically Ravenclaws but she was branching out to Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors too. She hadn't met any Slytherins yet, but from what she'd heard on the train she was sure that was because their heads were stuck so far up their arses, they wouldn't hear her even if she did talk to them.

[Cornelius Auchinleck]

Niles was unconcerned about the way that he looked when he was hanging upside down, because he knew that it was silly. His mother had photos of him when he was even younger on the jungle gym. His dark hair possessed even more static than usual, his cheeks were even redder than usual, and he looked a good deal more strained... Basically, upside down version of Niles was just a more extreme version of real Niles.

Thankfully, she didn't babble on and on, but instead extended her tiny hand to help him. Putting all of his effort into it, he managed to perch his body rather uncomfortably on the bar. It hurt his bum, but it was better than hanging upside down in such a manner. Niles gave a half-grin at her offer to sit on the little platform with her. Meh, why not? He wasn't a huge people person... but she wasn't people, she was a person. And he was going to need some sort of friendships in Hogwarts... heck, he was gonna need some friendships, period, to make up for the nonexistant ones in the Muggle world.

"My name is Niles," he blurted as he sat next to her. "I'm in Hufflepuff. What's your name? You're not a Slytherin, are you? I heard some other first year Hufflepuffs crying about getting beat up by some Slytherins, and I'll be the first to admit that I'm not very good in combat so I give up now..."

[Waterlily Rosefire]

Lily wasn't all too sure if she liked this whole idea of sitting next to a being with cooties. Her father had always taught her that besides her Daddy and teachers, boys were absolutely icky and to stay away from them. But how much advice had she really taken to heart from her father thus far? Not a whole lot. She scrunched her nose slightly as she looked away from him, but when he started talking her gaze averted back. She had to try her hardest not to let her eyes pop out of her head. This kid talked a lot. Well, maybe he didn't talk this much all the time. Maybe it was just because they were first meeting. If luck was on her side he wouldn't talk so much and he would play in the sand with her or swing on the swings with her - if they ever opened up - in the next few minutes.

Lily sighed softly when he finished up talking. "No, I'm surely not a Slytherin. I'm a Ravenclaw. And I'm Lily. Well, Waterlily Bernadette Rosefire to be exact, but I really rather like it if people call me Lily." She scrunched her nose again, some stupid habit that she really needed to kick out the window. Now. It was beginning to annoy her. She realized that she was talking about as much as she was, and was glad that her brain had finally shut off at the whole 'here is the mouthful you could blurt out and call me' or 'you could save your breath and call me Lily' tiny spiel that she gave everyone, even if it was in a roundabout way.

"I'm assuming that means you're a first year?" She smiled slightly, glad to hear that she wasn't the only eleven year old running around this place right now. It would get a bit lonely if she was. None of the first year Ravenclaws appealed to her liking at the moment. They were all too stuck in a book. Sure Lily read a lot, but her nose was not attached to the page like some of these kiddos. She enjoyed the outdoors, eating, sleeping.. books came last on her list to most things.

[Cornelius Auchinleck]

Niles almost burst out laughing at her name, but he kept his composure. After all, he didn't really room to talk... Cornelius Ezekiel Auchinleck? He sounded like... someone horrible, Niles sincerely hoped that no one had ever had a name like his before. At least hers painted a picture, his reminded him of gray throw up. Weird, he knew, but that didn't stop him from thinking it.

Instead of divulging that he had a strange name as well (bonding was overrated), Niles said, "Waterlily? That's a little weird, isn't it? My name is Niles Auchinleck." Did you extend your hand for girls to shake? Niles wasn't sure... The first and last interaction he had ever had with a girl other than his mother was with Caroline Rogers, and it ended with her shrieking uncontrollably because there were worms in her hair. Needless to say, he had stayed away from girls after that, and girls had stayed away from him. But he figured it wouldn't hurt.. so he thrust his hand out into the open.

"Yeah, I am. That noticeable?" His cheeks turned a rosy shade, though hopefully she didn't notice that. Niles had a horrible habit of blushing at any opportunity his cheeks saw fit; it was rather embarrassing. "How about you? You look like you're, like... nine."

Hey... she was tiny.

[Waterlily Rosefire]

Lily cocked an eyebrow as he called her name weird. "Well, to be honest.. I've never heard that name before. I heard some kid named Cornelius Auchinleck being called at the sorting ceremony, but who knows. Could have been your creepy cousin. Although I could see how Niles could be short for Cornelius." She smirked at him with a small chuckle. "Sorry, I don't even know how I remembered that with everything else that's being thrown at us right now." She shook her head. She was from magical background and her father had taught her everything she needed to know (or so she thought), and even she was driven mad with all of the new information.

"And yes, Waterlily is weird, I suppose. But it's not like I picked the name, my parents did. And I go by Lily. Only Lily." She peered at him through her small eyes before looking down to the hand he thrust out at her. She shook his hand cautiously, pulling away almost as quickly as she shook, never having even touched a boy besides her Dad before. "S-sorry. I just.. didn't know guys and girls shook hands?" She questioned, her face blushing bright red, the same way it always did when she felt dumb or was embarrassed.

"And no, not noticeable. Just remember, I'm a Ravenclaw after all and I pick up on the small things like 'other first year Hufflepuffs', which means that you are one of them - but you were referring to the others." Lily logically stated, taken a bit by surprise when he mentioned that she looked younger than her age. "Yeah, well it's not my fault I'm small. Blame my mother, who is also short. I'm eleven years of age, sir. And I am in first year. Now wouldn't it be weird if I was like a seventh year and you had just disrespected me?" She couldn't help but laugh slightly.

[Cornelius Auchinleck]

The cheeks of the Hufflepuff, which had recovered in the past minutes, blazed as they had never blazed before. Niles quickly ran a hand through his hair, trying to distract from the fact that he was beet red. "You caught me," he said, awkwardly. "My name is Cornelius, but it's wretched so I've had people call me Niles ever since my first day at school." Dark eyes wide, he turned to face her dead-on. "Please don't tell anyone. It's really the last thing I need..." And by the last thing he needed, Niles meant that he really couldn't afford to be made fun of at this point in time, least of all for his dreadful name.

"They should've just named you Lily, then," said Niles, quirking an eyebrow. "Bit more practical, and it's way prettier."

The awkwardness in their handshake could basically be seen radiating from their tiny hands. Niles decided that he would never ever ever EVER shake hands with a girl, ever again. It must not be... right, he supposed. Making sure that she couldn't see, he rubbed his hand against his shirt and pants to get rid of anything that could've been on her hands (i.e., glitter... girls loved glitter).

"Right, Ravenclaws are smart, forgot about that," he said. It was where he had somewhat hoped to be sorted, but it wasn't a big deal... After all, it's not like he had anything to live up to like some of the other students here. One girl was crying in the Hufflepuff common room because her parents expected her to get into Slytherin.

"If you were a seventh year and this short," Niles declared, "you would deserve to be disrespected." As a smirk spread across his face, he hoped that she didn't take that too harshly... He didn't really mean it like that, just that she was super small.

[Waterlily Rosefire]

"Trust me Niles," Lily emphasized with a small smile. "I won't tell a soul." She knew the feeling of having a dreadful name. She didn't exactly hate her name, but she certainly hated when anyone besides her mother or father called her that. Waterlily. It sounded like her parents had pulled it right from some Mother Nature book or something. She'd always wondered why her parents hadn't just named her Lily, or why they chose such an abstract name, but she never bothered to ask. She didn't want them to think she hated it. She acted as though she was perfectly fine with it when teachers said it, but she always said 'I prefer to go by Lily, please!' And right now, she was happy that she'd met someone else who didn't like their name. At least they had one thing in common so far. No two, they were both first years.

"I understand the feeling of having a strange name." She shrugged, happy that he hadn't poked too much fun at her name. "And yes, I suppose they should have just named me Lily, but they didn't." She said matter-of-factly. That was obvious, so she didn't even know why she said it. But it was Lily and who knows why she does half the things she does? and it's way prettier For some reason that was eating at her, but she couldn't put her finger on why. Did he really just say that it was prettier? Was he calling her nickname pretty and did that mean he thought she was pretty? No.. boys didn't think about girls that way. At least, not at their current age, they didn't. Thinking people were pretty was more like for the salt and pepper haired fifty year olds wasn't it?

Before letting on that it had bothered her, she laughed at his comment. "I suppose you're right, Niles. I surely hope I'm not still this short as a seventh year." Her eyes nearly bugged out of her head at the thought, cringing slightly. "OH my goodness.. wouldn't that be terrible. Would you still be friends with me if I was this tiny?"

[Cornelius Auchinleck]

Niles sighed in relief when she said that she wouldn't tell anyone his real name was Cornelius. The tension eased from his shoulders, and he instantly liked this girl more than a lot of the people he had met in his eleven years of living. Like, one time, he told a boy his name was Cornelius and soon, his whole class knew and teased him about it for several months afterwards.

"... they should have just named me Lily, but they didn't."

Niles snorted involuntarily, then said, "Obviously." Maybe this was why no one was friends with him... He was kind of a jerk when it came to interacting with other people. He didn't mean to - he was only eleven - but it wasn't really acceptable to other people. Swallowing his pride, Niles manaed to mutter, "Sorry." He didn't know if she was insulted, but... now it would be okay because he apologized!

"So wait... we're friends now?" His pale cheeks flushed pink as he tried to wrap his brain around the concept. Then, before she could notice his awkwardness, he said, "Of course I wouldn't be! You're barely cutting the mark now!" Niles blew a raspberry in her direction.

[Waterlily Rosefire]

Lily managed to ignore his comment about what she said being obvious. She had learned over the last eleven years to ignore people when they were rude. Sometimes it couldn't be helped, but then there were other times that she knew it was an accident or that they didn't really mean it. She could tell by the way that Niles said it, snort and all, that he had just said it based on his normal instinct. As Lily would have called it, it 'spilled from his lips'. It was sort of like drooling on yourself. If you really were that far off in space, it could happen. "It's alright, Niles." She smiled a little weakly in his direction.

"If you don't want to be my friend Niles, I won't call you my friend." Lily noted, looking a little grim at the thought. She had thought this conversation was going fairly well. She wanted to be friends with Niles, no denying, but he obviously took no interest in having a girl as a friend. Or at least, it didn't appear that way. She scrunched her nose slightly as she looked down. She had helped him off the jungle gym, shared the small space of seat she had with him, and had just had a short conversation with him about how they both hate their full first names. And he didn't want to be friends? Well, that was all fine and dandy with Lily.

She laughed a little at his comment. She would expect that no one would want anything to do with her if she was this small come seventh year. She had been reassured many-a-time that her growth would come in her second or third year. Her mother had been this tiny until about that age in life and finally grew to a normal average woman sized height. Lily was ready to get to that height already so she didn't look like she was eight when she was actually eleven. It was frustrating.

[Cornelius Auchinleck]

((Since this thread is a little out-dated, perhaps we can start a new one? Once I get some freetime, I will do so. I understand that you are on LOA but still.))