We are young , (CORNY)

[Charlotte Bryson]

Nobody loved Charlotte, like Charlotte. Not to say she didn't come from an amazing family, but there was a certain lack of emotional depth. Her mother craved financial security, and while she loved her daughter, it was always a shallow love. Once married to a wealthy man, she tried to overcompensate for her childhood. When she found that even all the money in the world couldn't fix the emptiness within her, she tried to fill that void with other things. Charlotte being one of them.

The wealth that provided for her, and her family came from her absent father. Business required him to live in Germany almost full time, and she saw him just once or twice a year. Daddy dearest was more of an ATM than a father, and she had a hard time picturing him as anything but a banker. Not that it mattered, she was better off without him. When Charlie did see him, he encouraged her to be better than everyone else. "Perfection is what we strive for."

And so Charlie grew up with everything she needed, and not a clue as to why she felt so empty. It almost came as a relief when she figured it out. Her parents marriage was loveless. Similar things happened with other wealthy families, the parents stayed together to avoid a scandal, as well as the dividing of fortunes. Her mother brought around strange men to try to make her feel alive, and her father estranged himself from them. It was at that point when Charlotte decided that if they couldn't love her, then she would love herself. While it may have been a sad realization to come to, Charlie didn't pity herself. She had everything, and now she could accept it and be happy. Being selfish was a better option than being numb.

Because of the high expectations she was held to, there was no partying for her. Not that she'd want to. Academics came naturally to her, and year after year her marks were almost perfect; after all, she was a Ravenclaw. Her place at Hogwarts was something she questioned often. Despite her pure blood and abundant wealth, she was a Ravenclaw. Her parents said it was because both of them had been placed in the house of intellect, and for a while that thought eased her mind. Eventually, though, she wondered why she hadn't been placed in Slytherin. Some of her closest friends, the ones most like herself were in that house, and they fit in just fine. Maybe she just didn't belong anywhere.Well, that thought was simply absurd, because she was Charlotte Olivia Bryson and she would belong wherever she damn well please, thank you very much.

As a sixth year, her classes were getting harder, the workload getting heavier, and merlin, her classmates were STILL getting dumber. Most of the time she studied in the library, to avoid the overly loud common rooms. However, on the weekends, it became unbearably crowded, and there was simply not a table to be found. For a while, Charlie sat on the floor, but got up after deciding it was too unsanitary. This irritated her to no end, and she left the library with an unfortunately large stack of books, as well as her potions homework. As she walked through the lively corridors, she tried to remember if there was a spell for realigning your back.

Finally, she settled on an empty corridor in the Entrance Hall. With an irritated sigh, she ran a hand through her hair and tried to concentrate on her homework.

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words; 613 ish
muse; sum 41
outfit; maybe later.
credits; zie @ CAUTION!
lyrics by fun.!

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[stephen alexander cornfoot]

He was late. How could he have taken such a long nap in the Greenhouse without be woke up by the next class? How had he not known they would all be working outside on that cool autumn day? Corny had slept through the first part of charms class, and would surely be given a detention for not having a good excuse. One simply didn't wander into Charms and profess they had slept in. No, he had no excuse and would offer none. He would accept the detention and hope it would have something to do with Herbology. He knew it wouldn't, but hope was all he had for the moment.

His feet raced up the stairs from the dungeon as he tried to stack papers into a binder as he moved. Corny was never known for having much grace, and his nerves were shot from being late in the first place. Now, he wasn't even positive he had the correct homework but could only try to sort it out on the way to class. His eyes were planted -no pun intended- on the last sheaf of parchment when he rounded the corner and headed toward the Great Hall. This corridor was normally empty, and somewhat a good short cut from the Hufflepuff common area to the stairway that would lead up to the Charms Class. He almost had the paper tucked away when his foot nailed the back of his opposite leg, and the book flew from his hands. Paper flew into the air like a parchment explosion, and rained down all over the hallway. Corny's eyes watched it move in slow motion as he fell hard and slid to a stop in front of someone coming down the corridor. He didn't look up to the figure, instead he turned his attention to the path of the flying book. If he could only catch it he might regain some composure before apologizing and running on to class.

Parchment drifted in his way as he lurched forward to try to snag the book. His hand clipped the hard edge of the tome and sent it directly toward a girl he recognized. He sighed heavily and tried to make his feet in a last ditch effort to avoid utter humiliation at the hands of a rogue charms text, but he slipped on one of his own papers and crashed into the wall. Corny landed hard on his back with a sharp "Oaf" and the book flew directly toward the girl's head. Paper continued to rain down and obscured his view. He could only close his eyes knowing that the book was going to connect with the older Ravenclaw girl he had tried to flirt with last term. Charlie, everyone called her Charlie. Or was it Charlie Horse? He couldn't remember, but he knew that he had liked her and had a moment of stupid bravery when he walked up to her. His face started to go red as the memory tip-toed into his thoughts.

Of course she had laughed. Who wouldn't laugh in Stephen Cornfoot asked them to a dance? It was obvious she didn't think much of the Hufflepuff. Corny had no idea what her real personality was like, but had he known it could have saved him a ton of heartache. No, she had laughed and rolled her eyes at his attempt to be brave and romantic. Corny doubted he would ever actually ask a girl out again for the rest of his life, even if he did love one deeper than anything else... well maybe not plants, but- He inhaled and his ribs screamed. There was a ton of pain, but as the milliseconds rolled past he remembered the book. Turning his face he tried to get a view of Charlie Horse, whom was about to be met by a flying book released from the falling hands of Stephen Alexander Cornfoot, the boy who slept through charms.

[Charlotte Bryson]

[[If one more person called her Charlie Horse, she was going to scream (except for Mac, because she's AWESOME). Her best friends called her Char, and everyone else referred to her as either Charlie or "that blonde girl".]]

A class was being let out, she realized. Charlie's classes were all been in the early morning, so the stampede of students meant nothing to her. Thankfully, no one stepped on her. In fact, all of the underclassman avoided her like the plague, due to a seething glare. Happy as she was to not have been trampled, she was a bit shocked by how afraid they looked. She wasn't that cruel, right? Usually, (though she made a point of avoiding first years) she was nice to most people. Whenever a younger kid was being picked on, typically by the older Slytherin boys, she always tried to help. Charlotte did not like bullies.

The crowd thinned out quickly, until there was no one left but a few late-comers. Eventually, there was practically no one left at all, and Charlotte could once again focus. About half way through her paper, she heard a noise. Frowning, she squinted up at the hall to find no one there. The noise was one of sneakers against the ground, squeaking like someone was- running, was it? Why would anyone be running? Classes had already started, and even the latest students had already reached their destination. Probably Peeves chasing around somebody. She looked back down at her paper and tried to block out the noise. She succeeded, though it probably would have been better for her if she hadn't.

Suddenly, there was a boy. He looked so flustered and disoriented,it was sad. If Charlie had been paying attention, she would have wondered what he was doing, and why he was so desperately trying to make it through the corridor. He kept his head down, trying to arrange papers of some sort. Unfortunately, as he turned the corner, he tripped on his own foot. Charlotte cringed at the sound, but willed herself not to look up from the paragraph she was so close to finishing. The book he had been carrying sailed into the air, and the papers went flying around.

It was then, she deemed it to be appropriate to look up. It might have helped she finished writing a sentence. Instead of a mechanically laughing Peeves, like she expected, she found a boy lying on his back, apparently having tripped on a piece of parchment. She wondered who he was, but the parade of paper kept her from seeing his face. She tilted her head to the side, and waited for the paper to clear. Right when she was thinking about how strange the whole even had been- SMACK.

Charlotte winced in pain, realizing that the book she had seen go flying had nailed her in the side of the head. "Ow! she yelped, before being able to stop herself. Muttering curses, she picked up the offending book, something about herbology. She rubbed the side of her head and looked around for it's owner with an eyebrow raised. It didn't take her long, seeing as the boy was sitting in a giant pile of papers. Standing, she walked over to him calmly before offering him the book, "I believe this belongs to you." When she saw his face, and recognized him, her expression instantly softened.

The boy was called Corny, she learned after asking around a bit. The only reason she had any idea of who he was, was because he once approached her at a school function and asked her to dance. It had astounded her, boys were usually too intimidated to approach her. The bravery of the little Hufflepuff had impressed her, though at the time all she had been able to do was laugh and roll her eyes. Afterwards, she had felt guilty, but never really saw him. Because she wasn't totally heartless, she asked a few of the seventh years who harassed him, to leave him be. She didn't like bullies.

"Are you alright? That sounded like it hurt." Curiosity got the best of her, and she had to ask, "Why were you running?"

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words; 660 ish
muse; sum 41
outfit; maybe later.
credits; zie @ CAUTION!
lyrics by fun.!

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[stephen alexander cornfoot]

How could life be so unfair? He knew it wasn't, exactly. But, it seemed he had been having his own bit of bad luck these days. First he had been bitten in Care for Magic Creatures, then he lost his favorite quill and had no idea where it ended up, his time had been short and his mind flared by testing so early in the term, and now running late for Charms Class and literally running into... her. He frowned as he looked to the book in her hand -his book- and back to her eyes. He let out a long sigh, and shrugged lightly.

"Look, I am mighty sorry about that. It's just, well I am late for Charms and I was trying to get my lot in order. Wasn't paying attention to where I was running, and boom." He felt like a child when compared to the girl standing over him. The girl whom had laughed at his expense when he asked her to dance had been hit solidly in the head by his falling book. His heart sank when he realized what position this placed him in, not to mention he was smarting himself. His luck was always working against him.

Much like last year when he misplaced a book he had borrowed and had to search for it as part of detention. The book ended up in the Library under a pile of other books and not lost at all. But, nine hours on a Saturday had been spent searching for a not lost book, and had ruined Corny's evening that had meant to be spent in the Greenhouses working on a new crop of... He stopped thinking and looked to the girl who had laughed at him. Why was he blundering on in his own head when he seriously should have apologized for making such a mess of things, again.

He needed to get his priorities straight.

Better said than done really, considering his attention span was almost as long as the life of a butterfly. Butterflies probably made more sense, considering he couldn't keep a clean train of thought for a long period of time and butterflies always had some reason to be, or did they? One simply didn't know these things because butterflies never tend to speak to humans these days. Do they even have mouths? Corny didn't know, but he did know that he had done it again.

"So sorry about the book there. I am a ditz when it comes to things sometimes, and it seems I have made a mess of it again. Do you need attention for your head?" Of course in his mind he meant medical attention, but what he heard with his own ears made it sound like someone should pay attention to her, especially her head. This wasn't at all what he meant. He wondered if she would understand him, and his heart began to pace within his chest. How did he always find himself in these sort of rubbish messes.

It is no wonder no one really liked him. Who could understand him enough to like him. If he were Charlotte, he would probably laugh at himself too. However, he was forever forced to be Stephen Cornfoot, and at the moment he saw nothing to laugh about at all. "Might I get that back, please?" He motioned to the book as he crumpled more of the parchment he had been trying to attend to while running. Corny tried to offer a friendly smile but figured he only came off looking ill. Which, honestly, wasn't far from being true.

[Charlotte Bryson]

It was almost comical how ill Corny looked. In fact, Charlotte had to concentrate so she didn't let out a giggle. The stricken look on his face further proved her theory that she was quite frightening. Like Charlie was going to reach out and smack him across the face with the book she was holding. "Look, I am mighty sorry about that. It's just, well I am late for Charms and I was trying to get my lot in order. Wasn't paying attention to where I was running, and boom." Boom. Quite literally, she thought.

Despite her best efforts to maintain a straight face- no one hurdled a book at Charlotte Bryson and lived to tell about it- she did have a soft spot for the brave little Hufflepuff. He was like the Little Engine That Could. The corners of Charlie's lips turned up, forming a small smile, "You're more than just late, classes started about fifteen minutes ago. What were you doing? Her head tilted to the side, a wave of yellow hair falling with it. She saw his longing gaze at the offending textbook, but decided he wasn't going to get off that easily. Nu uh, now she was curious, and no one left until Charlie got answers.

"So sorry about the book there. I am a ditz when it comes to things sometimes, and it seems I have made a mess of it again. Do you need attention for your head?" Charlie almost burst out laughing once again. He just looked so damn uncomfortable. Instead of laughing at him (once again,) she offered a larger smile. "I've been known to let things get away from me as well," she paused for a second and raised an eyebrow, "Though not in a literal sense, as you have." She chuckled, and at the mention of her injuries she raised a hand to the spot she'd been hit. It didn't hurt as bad anymore, just a bit tender. "I'll assume you're talking about medical attention, because my head is, metaphorically of course, large enough as is. And no, I'm fine."

"Might I get that back, please?" He offered Charlie a smile that looked so forced she pitied him. God, he looked like he wanted to die of mortification, and normally she would have found it appropriate. Not that she had a habit of getting hit... Anyways, Charlie normally had no pity for anyone for any reason. As her father would say, "you can't be a shark if you're toothless, honey."Of course, there was nothing normal at all about that occourance, from the incident to the people involved. With every passing moment it felt more and more surreal, and she once again felt guilty about laughing at Corny.

She handed him the book, though rather hesitantly. He mentioned he was late for charms, so after getting his book back and deciding she was as normal as ever, he would probably be on his way. It made her sad for reasons she didn't quite understand, and she wanted him to stay. Maybe she was sad because to him, she would always be the girl that shot him down. Just another reason to tack onto a long list of things people hated about Charlotte. Just another person who would see her as a bitch. Nothing different.

She did, however, take it as a good sign when he crumpled up a paper in his hand, presumably homework. Maybe Charms wasn't that important. It was because of this that she put on a big smile and told him, "Here, just try not to let it slip from your grasp again."

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words; 613 ish
muse; sum 41
outfit; maybe later.
credits; zie @ CAUTION!
lyrics by fun.!

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[stephen alexander cornfoot]

He half nodded his way through the conversation as his stomach rotated. He felt like he might literally be sick soon. How could he tell her what had kept him from Charms class? He was too old to be taking silly naps like he had been, but he had also been tired from sitting up the previous night writing his next secret admirer letter to Olivia. Now, he was standing in front of a girl who turned him down in the past, and feeling as awkward as ever. This one had such a way with words that Corny had no clue at all how he would be able to keep up with such elegant conversation as she was giving him. He couldn't. It was as plain as the nose on his face, and the book in her hand. He was certain that he wouldn't be getting his book back, and just as he thought it she handed it back to him. He blinked down at it, and thought he should be on his way.

Yet, at the same time, he knew that he was too late to simply wander into class unnoticed. He was going to get a detention either way, and going to class now was practically pointless. He would turn himself in later that night, gather his work assignments, and accept whatever punishment was made for him. Detention over falling down. Well, it was a little more complicated than that, but basically he was still standing in front of the girl who had laughed at him. He tried another smile and nodded to her in thanks. He looked as foolish as he felt, and gave up on trying. "Yeah, well thanks. Um, listen, I am already too late for class. I am going to get a detention, might as well make it worth my while. No? How about tucking into the kitchen with me for a snack? If you're not suppose to be somewhere, that is." Had he really just asked that?

He just asked the girl to join him for a snack. This, the same girl who had laughed at him at a dance when all he wanted to do was spend time with her. Was he a blubbering dolt, or what? She really must think he had gone mental for hitting her with a book, stumbling around with words, then boldly asking her to join him for an illegal stop in the kitchens for a snack. Maybe Stephen had hit his head when he fell? That could be the only reason why those words would have fallen out of his mouth and been delivered to her ears. He felt mental at the moment, and it was decidedly so. He shook his head. "Sorry," he mumbled. "You've probably something better to do."

ooc: Sorry this is so short. I wanted to get caught up on posts as soon as I could. I know this probably smells like rubbish, for that I apologize too.

[Charlotte Bryson]

He didn't answer her question. She noticed this first, because she never liked people that avoided questions. Or people that got so nervous. Corny was either really nervous, or on drugs. Though, he didn't look like a drug addict. So it only made sense that she made him nervous. By the looks of it, incredibly nervous. For the third time that day she wondered if she really was scary. Maybe he was up late studying. The irony of studying late, only to sleep through class was not lost upon Charlie, whom had done exactly that several times. Or, he was with his girlfriend. If that had been the case, Charlie thought, theoretical girlfriend wouldn't like Charlie talking to her boyfriend. No matter, he was late, and then he was there talking to her.

"Yeah, well thanks. Um, listen, I am already too late for class. I am going to get a detention, might as well make it worth my while. No? How about tucking into the kitchen with me for a snack? If you're not suppose to be somewhere, that is." Really? She was sure he was going to try to duck out, and get as far away from her as possible. Maybe she wasn't so evil, after all. She must have looked really surprised, because suddenly he was shaking his head and saying, "Sorry, you've probably something better to do." Guilt flooded through her once more, and she was compelled to shake her head. "I haven't got anything to do," She gestured to the abandoned schoolwork behind her, "i was trying to find a quiet place to study for the day, but nothing else." Theoretical girlfriend was going to be pissed.

He was brave, she could tell. Or maybe he really was a drug addict, and so came the impulses. Or maybe he hit his head. All three were less likely than the idea that he wasn't afraid of her. Either way, food sounded good. She tried to remember the last time she ate. This morning? Something like that. When studying, that kind of thing got away from her. She had more important things than basic needs on her mind.

She held up her index finger. "Just give me a minute to get my stuff." Her papers had scattered, and she'd lost the page she was reading. Sigh. The essay, the one she'd spent so much time writing, had gotten ink all over it from when she stood up. She stared at the parchment, now just a blob, and tried not to flip out. It was due the next day. Gathering the rest of her disheveled belongings, she wondered how an ordinary day could possibly have changed so much, so fast. Lastly, she put her essay in her bag, gingerly. Maybe the ink would dry, and she would be able to salvage some of it. Too much of it was covered, she knew, but there was a part of her that couldn't help but be hopeful. Slowly, she stood, with her bag hoisted over her shoulder. She walked back to him and tried to keep her face as neutral as possible. He didn't need to feel guilty about her paper, he looked so sick as it was. She offered him another thin smile. What a strange day indeed.

"I'm Charlotte, if you, err, didn't already know that?" She said awkwardly. The last part was supposed to be a statewment, but instead came out sounding like a question. She knew who he was, and she was sure he knew of her as well. Why else would he have asked her to dance? He didn't look like the type who asked a girl to do anything, ever. Especially not just based on looks. Yet, Charlie never underestimated the power of her looks.

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words; 660 ish
muse; sum 41
outfit; maybe later.
credits; zie @ CAUTION!
lyrics by fun.!

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[stephen alexander cornfoot]

"I remember you." He said it on impulse having not wanted to actually spit it out like he had. He closed his eyes and rubbed his head. Now it was time for damage control. "I mean, I know you. I had asked you to dance once. No need to think of that though, it's fine. Sorry again about the book and stuff." He motioned to her belongings and tried to half smile. To Corny she seemed a like she looked at him from the top of a high horse. Did she think she was better than him? Probably, he thought. She probably was better than him. They came from two different lives, that was certain. He wouldn't hold it against her, but she did make him feel less like an equal and more like... Well, a slug. He swallowed, and turned away to make sure he had all his things together. He did.

He mumbled over his shoulder as he gained his bearings and started to make his way to the kitchens. He knew the way by heart, after all he spent his whole career as a student in the dungeons or the Green Houses. "Yeah, I sort of slept late because I was up studying some last night. He changed the subject as he moved. "Testing and all. I am pretty good with some things, but I hate Charms. I just can't get it sometimes. Now Herbology! That's my thing. I can manage Herbology and Potions with no problems. What were you going to study? If you don't mind me asking?" He glanced back to see if she was coming and paused. He wouldn't have been surprised if she had not came along with him. He honestly didn't know what to expect from this girl. He was almost positive she hated him, or at the least disliked him a good deal. Why else would she have laughed at him. He was slightly pitiful, he already knew this. After all, he had sent secret letters to a girl he fancied for years instead of just asking her out. How much more pitiful could one get?

He needed to get those thoughts out of his mind and just go one with whatever the day held for him. That was going to prove to be difficult since he was being followed by a complete and total mystery. Oh how Liv would laugh at him if she saw his current predicament. Corny didn't know what to make of the situation, but he was going to try to show her that he was not the most pitiful person in the world, and hopefully make a friend in the process. Charlotte certainly thought a lot of herself though, and that was going to be the issue with Stephen. The more she thought of herself, the less he would think of himself. It was a bitter pill to swallow, but he would work to try to change his own self image in her presence. It was all he could really do. He coughed lightly.

"So, what sort of snacks do you like? I make a killer peanut butter pie. Well, it wouldn't really kill you, unless you're allergic to nuts or something. Um, are you allergic to nuts?" He couldn't help it. No matter what he offered in the way of conversation made him sound like a complete fool. Why couldn't he just relax around her? Yeah, she had hurt his feelings in the past, and she made him really nervous; but, why couldn't he just remain calm and act natural? Well, he was Corny for one thing. He was always foolish, or shy, or simply an odd person. Maybe she wouldn't make too much fun of him after today was over.