{Open} The Wallflower

It was a cold, but sunny day as Angela walked out of the castle. She squinted her blue eyes at the sudden brightness. Being in the dungeons most of the time and being locked up often at home made the sun an unfamiliar friend. She held her hand up to sheild her eyes as she braced the bright light that shone down, trying to warm the Earth, but failing.

When her eyes finally adjusted, she lowered her hand and covered them with the sleves of her long, black turtleneck that she wore over her uniform. Thick black stockings adorned her legs to shield her from the cold and to hide her bruises.

It had been at least a week since Hogwarts had been back in session and after all the drama with teachers and students getting attacked, it was nice to have some piece of mind. She was finally glad to see her parents leave, feeling uneasy over them being here. She had seen enough of them - mainly her mother - over Christmas break. She had been berated and beaten over various reasons - low grades, not sitting up straight, not smiling to the company, talking to the help. All stupid reasons that apparently made her seem weak and un-Alexander like.

Angela let out a small sigh as she made her way over to her favorite tree on the lawns. She was glad, though, that her brother was okay. He had been one of those who had been attacked, and she wasn't even quite sure why. Jasper had his suspicions that he was being tested, but Angela felt worried that Voldemort was out to get him and she wasn't sure why. Hadn't Jasper been loyal and dutifull?

Angela sat down, pulling her legs up close to her and making sure that her skirt was covering all that it should be. The light breeze tugged gently at her shoulder length red hair. She had her book placed next to her, but she honestly didn't feel like reading at this moment in time. She just stared out over the Hogwarts' lawns. She did really love it here; it was beautiful and calming and safe.

Ange let her head rest against the trunk of the tree, staring up at the bright blue sky. A lone bird flew towards the forbidden forest and she couldn't help but relate. She wasn't a people person and even when she wouldn't mind being around others, they didn't seem to want to be around her. All she really had was her brother and Brian.

Pippa poked her head out of the tree she was sittling in and looked at the girl sitting under it. huh. who was sitting under her favorite tree? Pippa had retreated to the lawns to get away from her father, who seemed to be finding everything she'd been doing scream-worthy. it was getting annoying, but she still wanted someone to talk to. Pippa wrapped her tail around the branch she was laying on and went upside down, just behind the girl. good thing she had pants on today, and not her usual dress. "hi! you look rather sad. wanna talk?" she moved her robes and scarf out of her face so she could see the girl better and crossed her arms and legs, ignoring the pain her tail was in. it could hold, she'd done it before

Angela had been so lost in her own little world that she hadn't quite noticed the Hufflepuff girl who had descended down from the tree behind her. Ange leaned forward, stretching her back out a bit and making sure that the shoelaces to her boots were tied.

When she heard a voice, she jumped slightly, taken by surprise. She turned around curiously to see her hanging from the tree by a... was that a lion's tail? Did that girl honestly have a... lion's tail? How odd.

Angela scrunched up her face a little, more out of confusion than anything else. "N-no..." she said hestantly. She didn't know this girl... why would she suddenly gush her feelings out to her? Yes, she wanted to have more people to interact with, but Merlin, that's not what she meant. She blinked at her, wondering if she was going to hang there all day. "U-uhm... is that a... lion's tail?" She couldn't help but question softly.

Pippa’s tail unwrapped from the tree, more from exhaustion than anything else, and she landed on finger tips and tip-toes. Her tail waving in the air. She looked up and grinned at the other girl. “yes, yes it is. Somebody didn’t do a spell right, and wasn’t aiming right, and it hit me instead of their teacup, and I got me a tail!” she giggled and it waved lazily. Pippa tilted her head to one side. “no? you sure? because it looked like you were sad. Way sad. Like, the kind of sad you feel when people hate you sad” Pippa knew that sort of feeling probably better than most. She offered her hand out to Angela. “Pippalene Filch, but most people call me Pippa. You?”

Angela gave a slow nod. Okay, so she got jinxed into having a tail... but why did she still have it? Perhaps she enjoyed it too much to get rid of it, she figured. Though, Angela would definitely never want to have a tail. Goodness knows what her family would think of her then. Angela pursed her lips, not sure if she quite liked this Hufflepuff girl all that much. "People don't hate me..." she muttered. No, people didn't hate her... they just... didn't feel the need to be around her. And most of the time she found that to be perfectly acceptable.

Angela looked down at Pippa's hand before letting out a very small sigh. She reached out and gently shook it, as that was the polite thing to do. "Angela Alexander," she said, her voice still quiet. She hardly ever spoke loud. She was taught to be soft spoken and that it was much better if she was seen and not heard.

if they don't hate you then why are you sulking?" she never was one to mince words. Pippa titled her head. "oh, like Professor Alexander? you related to him?" she shook Angela's hand firmly and then sat across from her, head on fist. "you're different than most people I've met. they usually make comments on my last name, because of my dad. but I guess since I sorta did the same to you, I'm sorta a hypocrite, huh?" sh giggled softly.

Angela pursed her lips slightly, pulling her knees up to her so that she could rest her chin on them. She wasn't sulking... was she? Was she honestly that much of an open book? She truly needed to work on that... if she ever wanted to truly be an Alexander, that is. It was almost a family trait for them to be able to mask their emotions from all. Angela must have a gene missing or something. She wanted to say that she wasn't sulking, but this girl seemed more aware of things than normal people, but what could Ange tell her? That she felt lonely sometimes?

If you're feeling so lonely, talk. Honestly. You've got a person sitting in front of you, willing to talk to you... and you're sitting here complaining about being lonely. Seriously, woman, get your act together. Angela stiffened for a moment, hearing Brian's words loud and clear. He always appeared at the most inappropriate moments. She wanted to tell him to shut up, but didn't need more weird looks today, and so she simply ignored him.

"U-uhm, yes..." Angela finally said, giving the young girl a small nod. "Professor Alexander is my... brother." She never called her brother by his first name, ever. To her, he was always Professor, Professor Alexander, Brother, or Master. It was just the way she was. Angela then blinked, tilting her head to the side slightly. "Oh... Filch..." she hadn't really made the connection until now. So this was Filch's, the squib's, daughter. She wasn't much to care about blood or status or anything like that, but she wouldn't let that on to her family. Ange just shrugged. Whether or not she was Filch's daughter made no difference to her.

“he’s your big brother? Lucky…I wish I had a brother or a sister. It must be nice, having someone to look up to and go to for advice” she sighed. “yea, Filch” obviously the girl had made the connection now. She was a really clammed-up person, wasn’t she? And for a second, it looked like she was listening to someone, but there was no-one else around…oh, well, Pippa had a tail and skated through the halls on scrub-brushes. Who was she to judge? “um…hey! Cool, a book! My mom’s Madame Pince. What’re you reading?” maybe she could get her to come out of her shell through books? Dad said that was the way he’d gotten mom’s friendship…

"Yes," Angela told her, hiding her smile indefinitely. Yes, she thought she was very lucky to have him, as she was so deluded to believe. She loved him with everything she had. "Yes, I quite enjoying having him as an older brother." When talking about him, it was one of the few times she was able to mask her emotions. Such as the emotion of humor that she though it that sentence. She may be deluded, but she knew what they had done and probably would do was wrong. That, however, did not change her feelings.

Angela blinked once more, glancing down at her book. Her lips parted slightly. "Oh... it's... it's really nothing... just a novel..." She paused before figuring she should describe it. She couldn't just leave it at that... it felt too awkward, even for Angie. "It's... a... murder investigation book... suspense thriller, I suppose. Good thing to make you want to sleep with the lights on," she shrugged. She enjoyed the thrill of it, to be honest.

"I bet, he seems like a cool guy. I'd like to have him as a big brother. or, well...anyone really. it gets lonely when you're left alone at home all year except on vacations..." she hadn't been with her uncle all the time on the sea, and the times she hadn't she'd been stuck alone at their home. she looked with interest at the book. "like...Wallflower and Sherlock Holmes and Inspector Lewis and Zen and stuff? those are some of my favorite kinds of stories" she grinned. "what's this one about?"

Angela pursed her lips. Yes, he was, but she too knew that loneliness. All she had was Jasper, and he wasn't always home... and sometimes... she was locked in the dark, windowless room. All she really had to keep herself company was Brian and sometimes he could be a major pain in the ass.

Angela blinked then, cocking her head to the side. "Uhm... yes?" She said. Those titles hadn't seemed familiar to her... perhaps they were muggle titles. She didn't read muggle books, they weren't really accepted in her family. She looked down at her book, picking it up and turning it about in her hands. "... there's... this girl... and she witnesses something... something she's not supposed to... and so now she's the target... and she has to... run... and things like that..." Angela shrugged.

"guess you know what it's like too?" Pippa sighed. "gets real lonely without someone to talk to. even my neighbors couldn't play with me all the time. Emily, who goes here now, had muggle school and stuff. so I just had me and the ghost and my thoughts. and my uncle's monkey Mr. Norris, of course. but he wasn't a very good conversationalist" she tilted her head at the description. "um...sounds fun?" man, it sounded like most mystery thriller stories. "here. take one of mine. it's one of the Cat Who series. it's a cat who solves murder mysteries and stuff, way cool" she pulled out a worn and well-loved book and offered it to Angela. "if you like thrillers, you'll like this one. "The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern" you don't have to read them in any order, that's the fun of it" she giggled.

Angela listened, though hardly said anything. Some of what Pippa made her question somethings. A ghost? She supposed that must be interesting. She didn't find it too terribly strange, as she herself had Brian, and he wasn't even that. However, the monkey was very odd... she was unsure of what to think of that. Angela rested her head back on her knees, tilting it to the side so her cheek was pressed against one of her knees.

"Mmhm," she hummed. She quite enjoyed the book. She blinked when Pippa offered her one of her books. It was about a... cat... that solves... murders? She pursed her lips, glancing down at the book now in her hand. Well, she supposed she could give it a try... but... she was unsure if she'd enjoy it. It seemed very childish. Hopefully it would prove to be well enough to intrigue her. "Thanks..." she murmured, still inspecting the book.

Pippa grinned. "no problem. it's an adult book in the Muggle world, isn't that silly? but it does treat the reader like a grown-up, so that's good. if you like normal murder stories, read some Agatha Christie. she's brilliant" Pippa looked at Angela curiously. "you're not really used to people, are you? would you like to be friends, then? I can help you, if you want. get better with people"

Angela couldn't help but purse her lips slightly at the giddiness of the fellow red headed child. She was incredibly happy and she couldn't help but find it odd. How was one ever that happy? She would probably never understand it. Ange tended to be reserved about her happiness... mostly because it had to be secretive. It was just how her life was.

"O-oh, uhm, okay," Angela mumbled as Pippa mentioned that she had to leave. She gave her a kurt nod goodbye. "Yes, thank you... goodbye..." she couldn't help but notice her use of Angie. Not many people called her that. Not that she didn't quite like it... it was just odd and new - much like Pippa.

Pippa giggled. “you don’t talk much. I like you. I bet we can be really good friends, but no sleep-overs or anything, since I bet your mom and dad wouldn’t be happy with a half-blood for a friend, BUT” she giggled again and leaned in a little closer, emerald green eyes dancing excitedly. “I know all the secret passages in the castle! I can go anywhere! I could show you where they are, if you want. Only other person who knows them all is daddy, but he doesn’t go through half of them. It’s fun, exploring. Like a real mystery”

Angela pursed her lips. "No... I suppose I don't," she gave a small shrug. She didn't often talk a lot. It was just how she was, she supposed. Always meant to be seen and not heard; that was how she was raised. Ange blinked and bit her lip. Pippa was dead on, if her parents ever found out... that would not be pleasant whatsoever. She'd have to keep this whole "friendship" or whatever it was a secret.

Angela raised her eyebrows. The secret passages? That could be interesting. She could find more secluded places. "That's pretty cool..." Angela admitted, though softly. It was always hard to find a place where no one else would bother you. She had a tendency to hide in the abandoned girl's bathroom, but sometimes others had the same ideas. It was a pain most of the time.

“yea, the passages. I know one that’s sort of like a tiny room, behind a mirror in the great hall. Actually, it’s more of a secret little house, because there’s two levels. (going off of a HP computer game, yo XD) I put bean bags and things in there, but I haven’t gone in much. If you want, I can show you where it is. Bet you’d like that, huh” she giggled. “it’s very nice, and rather cool, and there’s a secret little window that looks out over one of the gardens by the castle gates. It’s really a nice little spot, I always like wondering who made it, and what they were like. Don’t think you’ll get anyone to bother you but ghosts, there. And me, but not often. The secret door always closes on my tail”

Angela blinked. That... actually sounded quite nice, to be honest. It sounded like the perfect room... somewhere she could esape from everyone. Angela rested her chin on her knees. "Mm, yes, that sounds pretty nice..." she finally said after a moment of silence. She really needed a place like that to read. Everyone seemed to be bothering now-and-days. Sure, her encounters weren't always that bad, but it would be nice for just a moment to herself. She wondered, curiously, if someone had switched her perfume with a potion because lately more people were talking with her. It was odd.

the red-head clapped her hands. "oh, goody! I was worried if you'd like it or not. I'll show it to you later, if you want. thre were bookcases in there already, and a little table, right by the window, perfect for tea. but like I said, I don't go in there much because the door closes on my tail" she giggled. "well, I've got to go, but I hope I'll see you again, soon. and when I do, remind me to show you the hidden room" she stood up and brushed off her dress. "have a good read, Angie!" she began racing her shadow back to the castle. she'd promised she'd help in the library, today.

Angela couldn't help but purse her lips slightly at the giddiness of the fellow red headed child. She was incredibly happy and she couldn't help but find it odd. How was one ever that happy? She would probably never understand it. Ange tended to be reserved about her happiness... mostly because it had to be secretive. It was just how her life was.

"O-oh, uhm, okay," Angela mumbled as Pippa mentioned that she had to leave. She gave her a kurt nod goodbye. "Yes, thank you... goodbye..." she couldn't help but notice her use of Angie. Not many people called her that. Not that she didn't quite like it... it was just odd and new - much like Pippa.

((you posted in the wrong thread dear <3))

[bahaha. thanks. this is what I get for pre-writing them... and keeping all three Angela posts in a row. xD and posting early in the morning. All fixed <3]