To Face Ones Fears (Aurora, Open)

[Deleted]

It was a beautiful night out... Sort of. It was quite cold, but with the winter cloak she was wearing, the young Hufflepuff felt just fine. At least it wasn't pouring down rain tonight as it had been a few nights ago. Well it so happened that Nessa was having difficulty sleeping this night and so she had decided to head out of her dormitory. Now don't get her wrong. Jennessa wasn't typically the one to be out of bed or breaking school rules, but she felt this strong need to be out of the stifling dorms or common room.

And thus she found herself walking outside. She had managed to slip by Filch and those patrolling the halls, nimbly finding her way out of the castle. Careful steps took the young girl out across the sloping lawns, her mind not really paying much mind to where she was going.

Before she knew it, she had found the Quidditch pitch. And as she looked around, realizing where she was, her breath caught in her throat. This was the one place she feared. Merely because to come here meant to either be up on a broomstick in the air, or high above the ground on one of the observation platforms. Both places she usually avoided with all that was in her. And yet... Lately she had been being quite frusterated with her silly fear... Heights of any sort terrified the young puff, and yet she longed for that not to be the case... She wanted to watch the Quidditch games... Maybe not fly on a broom, but at least to be able to watch others do so.

Jennessa took a deep breath, casting a glance around her. There was no one around this lovely evening... So no one would see her quaking in her boots as she tried to overcome her fear. Steps took her to the staircase that led up onto the platform and she placed one foot gently upon it. It seemed sturdy enough and thus she drew the other foot up as well. The wind whispered through the pitch as if encouraging the girl to continue.

A few more steps up the stairs were taken, though the girl shook like a leaf at every one. Why was she doing this... Duh to prove she could! No one was around to watch, so she could take as much time as she needed. So... Step by step the girl would slowly climb the staircase, refusing to look down off the railing as she did.

[Garrett Liddel]

Garrett had sneaked out of his dorm that night, wanting to practice the Wronski Feint in preparation for the next house Quidditch match against Gryffindor. The Gryffs weren't as good as they were when Harry Potter was their Seeker, but they were still pretty formidable opponents. Besides, Garrett hated their Seeker, and hoped he could put him in the hospital wing for a while.

He had his shin guards and helmet on, just in case he didn't pull out of the Wronski Feint's dive on time, and his broomstick tucked under his arm. He mounted the broom, a sleek and modern looking Cleansweep Twelve, and soared effortlessly into the middle of the pitch. He glanced around, making sure that nobody was watching, and paused to catch his breath before he risked the daring dive. If he got this wrong, he could end up in the hospital wing - again - only a head injury could be substantially more troublesome than the bruised ribs that landed him in Madam Pomfrey's care the last time.

[Aurora Brightmore]

As usual, Rose was not in the sleeping mood tonight. Tonight was especially bad, the nightmares kept coming. She looked around the common room and stepped out the door. Sneaking down the corridor, she held her bag on her shoulder heading for the front doors. Once outside she breathed in deeply listening to the door shout with a snap.

It was a cold night, but as usual she didn't have her cloak with her. Usually on a night like this Rose would head over to the lake, but when her eyes shifted over the grounds in front of her she saw a figure moving in the distance. Making a quick decision she decided to investigate.

Rose followed the figure heading straight into the quidditch pitch and sighed. She always loved the Pitch. She loved watching the games, watching the practices, as well as flying. Though she didn't own a broom of her own yet she would sometimes break into the broom shed and borrow one just so she could feel the wind in her hair.

Having lost the figure she had been following she started to head for the broom shed, but stopped short. She saw another figure this one mounting a broom. Rose headed up the stairs wanting to watch from a higher point of view. After reaching the top she saw the first person she had been following. Nodding, Rose walked up behind the figure and tapped them on the shoulder.

"Hello!"

[Deleted]

Jennessa couldn't believe her daring. She hadn't come out here for a game ever! Alright that actually wasn't true... Garrett had persuaded her once, and she came out... But she stood on the ground to watch. She couldn't see what was going on, and was terrified for Garrett's safety the entire time... But she came to support him once. Now she hated her fear, feeling it was unwarrented and silly. But it gripped her tighter than anything ever could.

Nessa was so focused on her task at hand, she didn't even notice Garrett mounting up, just as he hadn't noticed her. She hadn't noticed Aurora, who she only knew her name vaguely, as she arrived and started up the steps after her. She was merely focused on putting one foot ahead of the other, slowly trodding up the stairs. Finally... Finally she had reached the top. She cast her gaze out over the pitch, refusing to look down, taking in the night sky, the goal posts, just everything she could see straight ahead. It took her breath away and she gasped gently. "It's not so bad up here... It's beautiful..." But then something happened. She felt the soft tap on her shoulder and she yelped, whirling around and grabbing hold of the railing. But once she saw it was just Aurora, she grinned sheepishly. "Oh ah... Hello there." She tucked back a strand of that bright blonde hair that had gone out of place, back behind her ear with a smile. "How are you?" She tilted her head glancing over the side and cringing at what she saw so far down below. She still hadn't seen Garrett by the way...

[Aurora Brightmore]

*Rose giggled softly. She knew Nessa was scared to come up here. Sitting on one of the benches she looked out over the field*

I've never seen you out at night Jennessa. Couldn't sleep?

*She pat the bench next to her wanting her to sit down.*

[Garrett Liddel]

Garrett took a deep breath, and nearly fell off his broom when he heard voices. Terrified that it was Filch and his nasty cat, he flew towards the stands, and was suprised to see Nessa and Aurora Rose standing there. He slowed his approach, and coasted towards them lazily on his broom.

"Ladies!" he called out, greeting them with a shy smile as he hovered beside the stand. "I didn't know that my aerobic displays could attract attention even at this late hour." He gaped at Nessa, amazed that his friend was up in the stands in the first place. "Nessa ... why are you here? I thought you hated heights?"

[Deleted]

Nessa took a deep breath as she stood near the edge of the viewing area. She was trembling just slightly. But she had done it. She had scaled the viewing platform and she wasn't dead. Nothing was shaking... Except for her, but nothing was falling... She turned around to put her back to the railing, looking to Aurora. She had been hoping she was alone for this, but couldn't help but be thankful for Aurora's presence. She smiled warmly to her and shrugged shyly. "Yea... You could say that. I couldn't sleep and I figured no one would be out here..." She drew a deep breath, willing her feet to move. But they were stuck in place. "Garrett wants me to see his games..." He hadn't said anything about it lately, but she knew he would like it if she did. But he understood and respected her fear. Her words were, however, cut off by the call of the word ladies from behind her.

Jennessa whirled around in surprise to see her best friend swooping over on his broom. Her stomach felt like it dropped as she looked down from the platform, and she staggered back a little, her face growing considerably more pale. But she fought a smile into place as she tried to find her way to the bench that Aurora was patting. She seated herself a little more heavily than normal but grinned almost sheepishly to Garrett. "I-I ah... Well why not? It's a wonderful place to come and think if I had some peace and quiet." Her attempt at a snappy comeback failed miserably. She couldn't keep the slight quiver out of her voice, and since when did this puff go find somewhere quiet to think? Much less in the very place she was terrified of on these grounds. She couldn't help it, and that sheepish grin found it's way back and she shrugged a little before mumbling softly to herself. "Trying to get over that..." The words were audible but perhaps not as understandable as one would like.

[Aurora Brightmore]

"Yea...sleeping's not really my thing these days." She giggled, and fell over backwards when she heard a male voice. Her dark hair lightened to a blonde and fell in front of her eyes, hiding her red cheeks. "It's not ice to sneak up on a girl Garret." She blew some strands out of her face and looked over the boy from her house. "Seems none of us can sleep tonight."

[Garrett Liddel]

Garrett looked quite shocked to see Nessa there, especially seeing how pale she looked in the moonlight. He listened to her speak, and frowned. She was his best mate, and he hated when she was suffering or in pain, and he could see as plain as day how difficult this was for her. She was the only other one whose feelings he took into account, and the only one whose feelings he could understand.

"You sure you're okay up here?" he asked. "I know I told you that you should try to get over your fear, but take it in baby steps, yeah? Like try climbing a ladder or something before you try getting into the Quidditch stands!" He gently coasted his broom into the stand, and slipped off it to stand next to her, looking concerned.

He grinned ruefully at Aurora. "Hard to sneak up on someone when I'm on a broomstick, Brightmore. And I'm actually here to practice a few of the more difficult Seeker moves. Sleep can wait until I perfect it!" he explained, but then glanced at Nessa. He was sure that if she saw the move he was going to attempt that she would have kittens. "You, er, may not like the move I'm going to attempt."

[Deleted]

Jennessa watched as Garrett hovered there. She had enjoyed watching him from the ground that one Quidditch game she attended... Though she always feared for his life with him swooping about so far above her head. She knew she wouldn't be able to catch him if he fell... Not for the lack of trying mind you. Nessa was a very caring person by nature, but there was no one person outside of her family that she cared more deeply for than for this boy right here. They had grown up together, became fast friends, and been practically inseperable ever since.

The attention of the Hufflepuff was soon drawn back to Aurora as she jumped and fell backwards in the stands. She yelped lightly and couldn't help but give a giggle, even if it did sound shaky. She reached over and grabbed the hand of the now blonde Ravenclaw girl to pull her back upright. "You okay?" She managed to say between giggles, before glancing back and forth between the two.

She nodded a little in response to Aurora's words. "So it seems... But hey that's alright by me. I'm glad to have company out here to be honest." And she honestly was... At first she had been rather nervous about such, but she was glad to have someone, specifically these two, out here with her.

A sheepish grin floated back into place as Garrett spoke. A warm pink crept into her cheeks. Of all the people to catch her doing this... It had to be Garrett. She grinned rougeishly up at him as he hovered there asking her if she was alright. He was the one risking his neck all the time on that acursed thing... She had her feet planted firmly on the Quidditch stand. "Oh yea, I'm fine-" She stood as he coasted over and dismounted his broom, only to catch her foot on the hem of her robe and trip a bit, right into her friend. She flung her arms around him, her light weight likely hardly making an impact. She grinned a little, those pale cheeks now tinted with red as she looked up at him. "G-go big or go home right?" That seemed to be the spunky little puff's motto a lot of the time.

She released him and straightened up, clearing her throat a little as she looked between the two. She looked back, still seeing the concern in her dear friend's eyes. "I'm alright Garrett... Really. I don't have to look down from here. I'll be fine." At least until I try and climb down... That thought was quickly shoved from her mind as Garrett turned his attention to Aurora and her words.

She giggled a little at this. She had to admit, Garrett had a point. But as he spoke of practicing, Nessa gave the tiniest of winces. But she nodded a little, complete interest in her eyes as she listened. She grinned a little at him. She was feeling mildly reckless tonight... And she wasn't about to stop her friend. Her eyes twinkled a little in the moonlight as he spoke of her likely not liking the move he was going to try. "Go big or go home..." She repeated in a mildly wistful manner before nodding a little. "But if you die I swear I'll kill you." She smiled sweetly to him and glanced to his broomstick, curious of this move he was to try.

[Aurora Brightmore]

((I'm sorry for my late reply my loves.))

"It's not that hard. My brother used to sneak up on me all the time, Liddel." Rose giggled, watching the two. She smiled, pulling herself with Nessa's help, back onto the bench. She listened to them for a moment, putting in her two sense every now and then. "Yea, don't worry about her. When she's ready to go down we'll get her there...safely." At one of Nessa's comments she cocked her head to the side. "Nessa...If he dies...You can't kill him. He would have already done it himself. But, He's a great quidditch player, and a brilliant seeker. He may get bump's and bruises now and then but, thats the price to pay for a win. Right Garret?"