The Great Lake [FREE ROLE PLAY AREA]

"Because you're an absolute...I don't know... wanker?" Claire glanced between Melanie and James, puzzled at what they were seeing that she had clearly missed. He didn't know anything about her. It was about appearances. Who wants something based solely on appearances? She blushed when Mel whispered to James that she was shy because she was very uncomfortable with her shyness. "Look, just because I'm shy doesn't mean I lack good judgment...he doesn't seem genuine, okay?"

"What are you talking about Claire?" He asked and smiled at her sister. "He seems pretty nice!" She said and nodded. "I mean, he even said he wanted to hold you or something like that! That is nice." She said nodding.

James flushed slightly when she called him a wanker, for that was a bit of a hit below the belt. He ignored the comment though and continued, "Well, I'm sorry that I'm not giving you my life story right now. I mean, would that make me more genuine? Tell you all about myself? I heard that that's what you're supposed to do when a psychotic wizard holds a wand to your head. You tell them things about yourself so you can draw out some sympathy or something. Wait!" he said, backtracking with what he said. "Not that you're psychotic and going to kill me! I just...err, I come from a big family? I like muggle films?" he said hesitantly, hoping to appease the situation. "My mum won't let me get a dog because my dad is afraid of them and they think that I won't take care of it. That's rubbish though, I'd take really good care of a pup."

Oh my god, if you are quoting Grey's Anatomy and quoting April I will destroy youuuuu.
*is an April hater, but shall deal*

"Yeah, that is nice, except it would be nicer if I did know him a bit more before he talked about all that. It's awkward...and it makes me quite uncomfortable." She did feel a bit violated when he talked that way. "I'm not holding a wand to your head?" Claire replied, now even more puzzled. "What are you even talking about? Okay, that's cool. You come from a big family. I mean, that's a start...um. Dogs? I've never had a dog. I watch muggle films, but not all the time. I don't like stupid humor. Studies have shown that there a lot of males who like the weird Epic Movie types of humor and that's - that's not me at all. So. Um. There. Yeah. Cool. I mean, blabbing like that does show that you're willing to get to know people...And that's meant to be a compliment not an insult. Sorry. I just - Melanie's better at this than me..."

I knewwww you'd get the reference <3 I hate her too though.

James let out a sigh of relief when she began to talk, herself seeming to relax a bit more when he wasn't being his ridiculous cocky self. "I don't like those types of films," he admitted. "I prefer the action and adventure stuff with an occasional side of romance...though you didn't hear me say that." He was more than pleased that she started to open up more and didn't want it to end. "My sister, whenever we go to watch films, always likes those happy stories. I...and don't tell anyone I said this for I'm basically setting myself up for mockery...I really like The Wizard of Oz."

Melanie got bored and was looking at her nails, inspecting them for dirt under them, even though there was obviously none there at all, she was just bored. "Well, I'm going to leave you two here to get to know each other more." She said, smiling and looking up at them. "Have fun. Be safe." She said and gave Claire a little gentle push, moving her closer to James. "Bye bye." She said, waving and then walked off.

Claire turned towards Melanie and opened her mouth to protest, but her sister was long gone. Bummer. She didn't really have the confidence to continue the conversation much longer. Well, alright. She could do this. Maybe. She turned back towards James and smiled feebly. "I like comedy films as long as they don't have that sense of humor in them. Witty humor is my favorite. Romantic comedies are my guilty pleasure because most girls in Ravenclaw consider them to be, well, stupid...but I think they're fun to watch." She paused and let him speak, finding comfort in the fact that she didn't have to talk all that much. She tried hard to conceal her surprise at the fact that James like the Wizard of Oz. It couldn't be true. "You're kidding, right? The Wizard of Oz? No place like home?" she asked, but it wasn't to insult or mock; it was out of disbelief. "That's...unexpected. Not lame or weird, just...unexpected. In a good way."

He honestly wasn't that shocked when she seemed to take his confession with slight surprise. The Wizard of Oz definitely wasn't known as a manly film, but the different aspects and layers to it were enjoyable. "I mean...I know it's an older film, but those are the classics. Those are the ones that have a sincere message to them," he replied with a small shrug. "Romantic comedies? Oh, you'd get along with my sister real well. I swear, she tends to love watching those. Lils loves the stories with the 'happily ever after' concept and humour as well." He soon realized that he was talking more about his sister than the two of them, so he quickly tried to get back on track with where the conversation had been. "What about horror or mystery?" he asked, deciding to try and get to know her personality a bit more.

"I guess. I mean, I always took the Wizard of Oz in a different light. Did you know that each of the characters represent something? Like, the Tin Man represents the Industrial Revolution and..." What did Melanie tell her about telling people facts? Right. Not to. Claire wasn't very good at this. She stopped herself by clearing her throat awkwardly. "Yeah. That. Your sister? Are you all in Gryffindor? Probably not, that'd be insane! You'd be like the Weasleys, until Rose anyhow!" she exclaimed. Something about an entire family being in one House was intriguing. "Horror? Oh, um...I don't watch those unless I'm with friends. I get scared pretty easily and watching those alone doesn't help. But mystery isn't a problem! I like trying to solve them. Not that I do. I never do. No."

Well, one thing was for sure, Claire definitely belonged in Ravenclaw. He was rather used to having random bits of information thrown at him though, for Rose tended to do the exact same thing. He couldn't help but smile when she stopped, something about the way she stopped herself he found rather cute. It was as if she didn't want to bore him, when in actuality, he rather enjoyed listening to her talk. "Well, although my last name is Potter, we're linked to the Weasley clan. I mean, my mum's a Weasley so we're automatically grouped with them. It can be...rather crazy. My brother isn't in Gryffindor though. Somehow, for reasons I'm still trying to figure out, he's in Slytherin. I mean, it's not a bad thing...I know he has a good head on him and he won't get into any of the prejudices or beliefs that run through that house." When she began to talk about horror films, he had to resist temptation with saying that he'd be more than happy to hold her during a film sometime. After all, things were going rather well and he didn't want to cock it up so soon. "I don't enjoy the blood and gore aspect of horror films...but I like things with ghosts and whatnot, that sense of fear and things popping out. I enjoy mystery films too, more interactive with your mind trying to work it all out."

Claire swayed from heel to toe and wondered why this conversation had been going so well. Most people would have left after she called them a wanker, but I guess it was a good sign that James was persistent. It forced her to re-evaluate all her previous theories she had about males. "Oh! Right! I forgot that you're all related...that must be interesting, having so many relatives at one school. I mean, I'm fine having only Melanie so I can't even imagine having cousins here as well. Your brother's in Slytherin? That's odd. Don't bad wizards get sorted into that House? Not that I'm saying your brother's a bad wizard, I'm only speaking from what I've heard through the grapevine. I mean, maybe good people come out of Slytherin. Maybe your brother will be one of those people. I wouldn't, um, worry," Claire rambled until she realized that she was only digging herself into a deeper hole and stopped. She couldn't imagine what it would be like if Melanie had been sorted into another House, especially Slytherin. Would they be as close as they were? "The blood and gore in horror movies generally are used to draw the attention away from the horrible plot. If you think about it, those muggle movies, Saw and all those, they wouldn't be nearly as interesting to the public if the blood and gore was removed. The guy's creepy, yeah, but the plot is slightly mediocre compared to that of Amityville Horror and the Crazies. Some of the really good films have blood and gore in them, but they also have their intense scary parts. Some of the scenes in Amityville Horror have me cowering in a corner. Hence, why I don't watch them alone..."

He was more than relieved that he was able to get her to talk without much hesitation now. Judging by the very first moments of their exchange, he honestly hadn't been expecting to get a real conversation out of her. After all, for some reason she had acted as though he hated his guts. That in itself was a rather preposterous notion, for he was one of the best blokes in the school. No doubt about it. He wasn't surprised that she had already heard about Slytherin, for they were rather notorious with the types of wizards they produced. "My brother won't be like one of them though. He's actually got morals and values compared to at least half of the students in Slytherin. It's just a house name...doesn't mean he's going to all of a sudden be drawn to the dark arts." He thought of who his father was and knew that Al would never support the Dark Arts. After all, he wasn't a traitor like Peter Pettigrew. Nope. Al was better than that. "I suppose you're right about the blood and gore bits," he replied, shifting slightly before deciding to sit down. After all, he didn't see himself getting pushed away anytime soon...hopefully. Though given his recent luck with girls, he wouldn't have been that surprised if she suddenly left. "I think one of the things that I hate most about them though...is how fake it all looks. I mean, I know that the whole technology and film industry has developed a lot in recent years...but to me...it just doesn't always look very real. My dad says I'm too much of a realistic and that I need to not be so overly critical and to not think about the little nit-picky details."

If Claire could read James' thoughts, which she can't obviously, she would have agreed that there was a very low chance of them ever having a decent conversation. Somehow, in a way unknown to her (at least for the time being), he had been able to keep Claire's attention. She didn't understand how she couldn't loathe a person for being as arrogant as he was before, but after he had toned it down and acted like a real person he wasn't so bad. Claire had done some research on the Slytherins after her transfer to Hogwarts because she had been told that they were not a dreamy house, but they were still accomplished wizards and witches who came from there. After analyzing their behaviors, it became clear why she was not sorted there and it wasn't because she wasn't witty or cunning, but she wasn't sly or sneaky or devious enough to be a part of their regime. She listened intently to James' views on Slytherin and on his brother's being in Slytherin before sitting down beside him. This felt very awkward and she suddenly grew nervous. What would Melanie do? Oh, who cares. She wasn't Mel anyhow. "I'm sure your brother will turn out alright. I haven't met him, but from the way you talk about him he must be an awfully good bloke!" she said with a reassuring smile. Something told her that James had been slightly bothered by his brother being a Slytherin and she hoped that she could provide comfort. "Blood and gore is mainly used in unrealistic amounts, hence the reason you feel that it's unrealistic. Even some films that aren't horror films use an unrealistic amount of blood to create action or disgust. I like the old supernatural horror movies. I liked the muggle film Signs, despite its crazy length. I did like some of the old 80s movies, though a lot of them had some blood and gore...I still think Amityville Horror is spooky. A haunted house like that is certainly not one I'd like to live in...." She was rambling again, but she didn't think it mattered at this point. He would have stopped her if he cared. "Oh. I don't - well - I don't mind people who are nit-picky. I'm that way myself and Mel says it can be annoying, but it's a quirk of mine and that makes it acceptable. So, you have a quirk. It's acceptable."

James couldn't help his arrogance, for it was something that truly came naturally to him. The comments he made often slipped before he could even take them back, though he never really regretted the things he said. The only time he wished he had some sort of filter, was for after he encountered a girl that did not handle his arrogance so well. That was a bother. Once he realized that Claire wasn't the type of girl that dealt with flattery and suggestions, he toned himself down and worked on trying to make himself sound genuine. It wasn't as if he forced himself to become this person that he usually wasn't, he just let down his guard to, for some unbeknownst reason, let her get to know him. Why was he still trying? She had made it clear that she wasn't interested and yet here they still were. He shrugged off the comment about his brother, for he really wasn't all the concerned about Al. If anything, he was more concerned about his brother's mood lately. Usually the two of them had been able to have a good laugh now and then, but something seemed to really be bothering Al and James couldn't decipher what it was. Listening to her ramble, he couldn't help but grin. There was something extremely comforting in the fact that she was much more relaxed around him. In fact, he found himself very much so liking her rambles and how much she seemed to know about films. "There's this great place in muggle London that plays good films every Saturday afternoon. Maybe....sometime over holiday... I mean, just as friends...it's just a suggestion," he said with a small shrug, not wanting to scare her away again. "A quirk...I like that," he said with a grin, happy that he could at least look at his criticalness in a positive way.

Claire hated to admit it, but she had wrongfully judged James. At first, he had seemed incredibly arrogant and normally she could handle small does of confidence, hell she'd seen it in Mel all the time, but with some males it had been different. Like James, at the beginning of their conversation anyway, they tended to try to seem as if they were 'all that and more' for women by complimenting them profusely. James had tried that technique, but when it failed he seemed to change and actually, well, talk. She liked that. Claire smiled and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, hoping not to ruin anything that could potentially become a good friendship. "Really?! I've never - well I usually watch movies with Mel at home. She'll bring some of her friends over and...yeah. Going to a theater sounds like fun! I like, um, new experiences." Oh, that sounded dumb. She liked new experiences? Cool. Way to go, Claire. "As friends. Right. Good. Um, yeah. Quirks. They're nice. I think people without them are bland."

James couldn't help but beam when she said she would like to go to a theatre with him. He knew better than to push his luck and make it out as a if it would be a date, because he had been seriously failing in the date department lately. He wasn't quite sure what it was. He knew it wasn't because he was ugly...because he really wasn't. He was friendly, charming, rather bright...why couldn't he score a date? It was then that the reminding that he was overly confident clicked. He was going to have to work on that, for otherwise he would never get a girlfriend and never get to...that level. Eeks. What a sad thought. "Right...so to see a film...as friends," he said with a smile. "I mean, that is...if you think you can put up with me for an entire afternoon. Though, I must say...we are getting along swimmingly well right now, aren't we?"

Claire wasn't aware that James had problems with dating and, frankly, didn't care at the moment. She was happy that she had made a friend, or at least was on the way to developing a friendship. Technically, their potential movie outing was still in the hypothetical stage seeing as there were no plans made at all. It was a suggestion. A suggestion that made Claire hopeful, but a suggestion nonetheless. It wasn't until they actually made plans that Claire would consider it Phase One and, thus, prepare for trying to pass a 'friendship' type of test. I mean, what if they went to a movie and they ended up having nothing in common? Or different opinions of the movie? Their friendship could end right there. She smiled, still hopeful. The odds were in their favor after this conversation. Claire had never been to "that level" either and wasn't even thinking about that type of intimacy at the moment. Actually, Claire hardly ever thought about that type of intimacy because it made her extremely nervous and she'd turn bright red and hide behind her books and try to distract herself by reading the page over and over. "As friends, right!" she said, in an awkward high-pitched voice. She cleared her throat because now she had no book to cram her head into and there really wasn't any place to run. "I can put up with you I think. I mean, you aren't acting as, well, cocky as you were before and that's definitely an improvement. I might be more of the problem. I can be annoying...but you're quite right. We're doing alright now, so why not give it a go?"

Le. Gasp. James does not have dating problems. He just...has dating difficulties. Really, it wasn't his fault that when he found a girl he actually really liked, she seemed to have no interest in him. It was rather sad really. James looked at her for a moment, a grin on his face when her tone had so obviously changed. "Mhmm, friends," he repeated. He didn't quite know where things could possibly go from here, but his first concern was making sure that Claire felt comfortable in his presence. Sometimes he could be a bit of an obnoxious handful. He had quickly learned to tone it down with her though. In fact, just getting to know her and realizing that they shared the same love for Muggle films, he'd be alright with at the very least being friends. In fact, he didn't really have many of those that were females. Of course that was his fault, for every girl he attempted to get close to was for romantic reasons. "Well...I can hardly see how you'd be annoying," he remarked, curious as to what it was that made her think that. "I mean, if you think it's because you inject lots of facts or information about certain topics...then I don't see why that's a bad thing. Like I mentioned before, it's like my cousin Rosie. I kind of like learning about things from a different angle. Kind of like how I'm learning about you now," he admitted, for this conversation thing was definitely something he wasn't quite used to.

Parvati skipped down to the lake and saw James Sirius Potter with some girl. She waved at him from a far and then sat down and now anyone who wants to join her can.

Lavender skips up from the beach, where she is still making out with her boyfriend..oops? She see's Parvati and runs up to her. "Parvati! Hi!!" She gives her BFF a hug then notes the other people there. She had never seen them before. She couldn't help but notice how attractive the boy was. No! Louis! Think of Louis..

Parvati smacks her BFF for thinking about her future boyfriend that way. LOLJK "Hey Lavender!" She said with a grin and gave her BFF a big hug. "I haven't seen you in FOREVER!" She said, saying forever a bit dramatically. "What's new?"

Lavender thinks Parvati is the luckiest bitch at Hogwarts. She smiled widely. "I know! I've been spending a lot of time with Louis." She blushed a little and grinned. "What about you? What have you been doing?" She sat down and looked out at the lake.

"Umm, Nothing really." She said and shrugged. "I've just been hanging out with Sirius, saw a little bit of Dead and Ron too." She said and smiled.

She nodded then stopped. "Wait, Dead? Who's dead?" She was insanely confused.

If you are doing that to make fun of me for my typo then I hate you...*fixes*

"Umm, Nothing really." She said and shrugged. "I've just been hanging out with Sirius, saw a little bit of Dean and Ron too." She said and smiled.