a thousand things in one place,,

[Maddyson Cross]

Maddy always got to the point in the year when she wanted nothing more than to go home and see her family. For the usually optimistic girl, this was a big thing, not just for her but for the people that were around her and used to her bubbly, happy traits. It wasn't as if she was horrible, it wasn't as if she was in a really bad mood, but sometimes the nostalgia would get the better of her. For people around her, this was a phenomenon, Maddyson Cross not talking every waking second of the day. Maybe it was the halfway point in the year when the work changed and got harder and the preparations for the yearly tests began, Maddy didn't know, but it was like clockwork, every year.

Leaning back on the rock behind her, Maddy closed her eyes as she let her head lay limp on her shoulders. She found that there was nothing more relaxing than laying by the lake, hearing the water lapping up against the rocks, the gentle wind keeping her cool in the warm air. She felt that on this spot, sitting on the rock, she could think about all of those things that were pestering her, and all of those things that she wanted to do.

She wanted to go swimming, back to Australia where she could meet people that acted like her. She wanted to get away from the boring, dreary people that just moped around Hogwarts. She wanted to meet someone that lived life to the extent that she did, not the same old people that didn't smile, didn't laugh. Maddy wondered why she didn't fall for boys like other girls were doing at this age, but truth be told, it didn't bother her enough for her to care. She knew what her dream boy would be like, but she wasn't sure if it was ever going to happen.

Maddy missed her friends. She missed Jordyn. She missed Eryn. The two people in the world that knew her better than she knew herself, and they were out of contact. She didn't want to wait for a forced, polite reply in the form of a letter, she wanted to jump on them, and hug them, as they were the only people that she was truly comfortable around; they were just like her.

Sighing, Maddy closed her eyes once again, counting the sheep as they jumped over her, and relaxing her body back onto the rock.

[ closed / Derrick ]

[Derrick Breckenridge]

Derrick was finding that as of late there was no real reason for anything he did beyond the fact that he wanted to do it. It was odd really as there was usually some purpose or drive behind his actions or some future goal in sight but today he was just feeling impulsive. There was no plan, no mapped out course on which he should follow, or for that matter no solid idea of where exactly he was going which is what really presented the current problem for Derrick. He had with his guitar wandered aimlessly around the castle for the past few hours not knowing if he was looking for a place to play or just a place to sit peacefully and do nothing but stare outside. Whatever Derrick was looking for though was not in fact in the castle so after one last trip up to its towers he simply gave up and headed back down the winding Hogwart's stairs. The courtyard on the first floor didn't seem to invite him though and for that matter neither did the Great Hall. Derrick Breckenridge at that moment found himself in a very common situation. He was unable to find a place where he could just be content.

It was something that had plagued him in his younger years especially in the orphanage. The roof had been the ideal place in most cases but after just a few months there they had chained and locked the only real entrance to the area leaving him without a real place to go; at least not by conventional means anyway. No instead Derrick was stuck trying to find a new spot to call his temporary home but found no where. After a solid month of searching and desperation he simply gave up and looked back to the roof. The solution was a rather easy one as all he really needed to do was simply scale the old water pipe, he wasn't sure what kind of pipe it was really more so just assumed it was for water, and he would be on top of the roof. This was easier said then done of course which Derrick realized after the first few tries but soon enough he mastered it climbing the pipe and found solace once more in the roof top. This would once again be temporary though as after a few months the pipe itself would break.

Thankfully Derrick was scooped up by the people that would become his step parents soon after this incident. It was an odd change of pace but just as before he found no contentedness in his new surroundings. It would take countless searches around the new house until he found the attic where he could at least be at peace. Derrick of course would transform the room into his own sanctuary plastering the walls with posters and along with his new massive bed would put a hammock near the window. The attic turned out to be quite spacious after all the junk had been cleared and was perfect. With one small exception which Derrick fixed immediately. Well not immediately per say but one day when his step parents were out a week or so later. Borrowing a saw and a ladder the bow cut a rather crude hole through the roof providing for sky light. It wasn't perfect but this was soon remedied as his new parents brought in some one much more qualified then the young Breckenridge to fix it.

A window was placed but at the end of the day Derrick missed his crude hole. It was his and he after quite a bit of difficulty he had made it. Something about that gave him a small feeling of satisfaction. Pushing open the doors that lead out to the grounds Derrick couldn't help but still miss the hole he had created but let his mind drift to other things. In the end Derrick figured the reason he was wandering as he was at the moment was because he was simply trying far too hard. He was waiting for some form of random happenstance that he should have most likely not expected to come at all as things like that only happened to him in the presence of Maddyson. The name trailed off in his mind silently and as if on cue he saw her down near the lake. Thankfully though he didn't stumble but instead steadily walked down next to her standing awkwardly with his hands in his pockets. Not sure what to say he stood speaking calmly hoping that his voice sounded alright.

"Hey Maddyson how's it going?"

Immediately Derrick regretted what he had said for a large number of reasons. The first being that he had been stupid enough to use her full name and the second being that maybe she didn't want to be bothered. After all she was sitting alone next to the lake with her eyes closed and Derrick had just waltzed up and opened his big stupid mouth. He was such an idiot or at least he felt like one if only because he had expressed no real thought before he spoke. Impulsively and stupidly he had just waltzed up and spoken thinking not for a single second that she may want to be left alone. Derrick Breckenridge had always lacked any serious amount of tact but at that moment it was defiantly showing.

[Maddyson Cross]

There really was nothing better to clear the mind than a little rest and relaxation. For the first time in her journey at Hogwarts, Maddy felt that she was growing up. She never had to rely on others to make herself happy, she loved her independence now that she had finally stumbled across it. She didn't feel like she always had to be on, Maddy had realized that everyone took time off just to relax every now and again, and to perfectly honest, she was a little sick of always being the person to initiate things, whether it be just a conversation or even a friendship.

For once in her life, she wanted someone to talk to her, not someone that just listened and played along with everything she said. If there was one thing in the world that she hated more than anything, it was those people that always tried to do right by others, even if they weren't being right to themselves. People that hesitated before doing anything, and always thought before they made a move. She considered those people to be fake, and she had always promised herself that she would never become involved with on.

In a friendship, Maddy didn't want someone who poiltely laughed at her jokes, skipped only when she skipped, agreed with everything she said, and even someone who told her she looked pretty, not because they meant it, but because it had become a formality that you complimented someone when you saw them. Maddy wanted to meet someone that was competitive, attention hungry, and someone that disagreed with her, someone where there would be a spark, a certain fun element about their friendship. She wanted someone different to the sycophants that walked these halls.

As her mind played through scenarios of what she thought the perfect friend for her to be, she was surprised by Derrick, who had obviously joined her during her period of relaxation. Groaning jokingly, Maddy closed her eyes again, however she was not ignoring the boy.

"Pretty good." She said simply, moving her hands up under her head, the sun beating down heavily on those exposed parts of her body; her neck, her arms, her legs. "You?"

[Derrick Breckenridge]

Derrick couldn't help but feel nervous about the whole situation now. Seconds began to feel like hours and he himself began to feel like a complete idiot. Why couldn't he have just continued trying to find whatever he was trying to find? Sure he didn't know where he was walking but before at least he wasn't teetering on the edge of impending doom. Now he was stuck here and knew that he couldn't simply run off because that'd be rude to say the least. He had no interest in messing with Maddyson in that matter and for the most part figured that at this point it was best to stay. What had he gotten himself into though? Derrick discarded all those thoughts though and decided that for once he wouldn't doubt his actions. After all this was Maddyson not some random stranger and even if she didn't feel the same way about him, not that he would ever ask, she was still decent to Derrick. If it wasn't for her he wouldn't be where he was now as far as even talking to people went. Her company was refreshing to say the least and even if she told him to bugger off Derrick knew not to take it personally.

Derrick wasn't exactly all that sure on what Maddyson's reaction would even be. As is her eyes were closed at the moment so she could very well be asleep. All this would mean was that he could go on his merry way and not have to worry about whether he really bothered her or not. Sure this would be a huge load of his back but it was best to just continue to wait a few moments and see. Staying too long could in fact be a bit creepy seeing as if she was asleep and she woke up with him standing over her it didn't really send the right message. Derrick had no intentions of being known as some form of creeper and was about ready to just up and leave when he heard Maddyson's voice. It was soothing almost to hear the mock annoyance when she groaned although he doubted that many other people would label it as such. It was weird he knew because lets face who else found something like a groan soothing? Only in the world of Derrick Breckenridge was this possible.

"Too be completely and totally honest I'm not entirely sure. I'd say good but I'd probably be lying if I did. I'd say rotten but I have no reason to be. At the moment I suppose I'm just in limbo. If that makes any sense at all."

Derrick had spoken far too soon and hadn't thought about the words at all. He had given himself no time to process them and simply spit them out which was just plain stupid. What in god's name was wrong with him today? Derrick wasn't entirely sure so decided that it was for the best to just not venture for an answer what so ever. Over all what he was supposed to do in general was lost on him. In a way he wanted to sit but felt that he shouldn't that he still had something to find. Derrick didn't want to just leave Maddyson though after all it would most likely be considered bad form if he walked over rambled off some incoherent sentence and then proceeded to just walk away with no explanation. After all what was he supposed to say if she asked where he was going? To the place with the most allure was an easy answer but where exactly that was Derrick didn't know. Sighing he stood awkwardly still uncertain of what he should say or do.

"I didn't disturb you or anything did I? I mean that groan sounded pretty real to me so if you want me to bugger off I won't mind."

The chuckle added in was half hearted but with Derrick such things were hard to tell. No one really knew his laugh well enough to be the judge of such things. Well Maddyson might but he doubted this after all why would she bother paying any attention to him? He wasn't really all that important and what did he really bring to the table besides his music? The answer in his opinion was nothing and running a hand through his hair he found himself staring at the girl. Why she even associated with him was something he was quite uncertain about. She was beautiful to say the least everything from her toes to the tips of her hairs. Not that he could actually ever recall seeing her toes but still they had to be. Charming in her own unique way was how Derrick would define it all but he stopped at that thought and didn't go any further. There was something tugging at the back of his brain still telling him to go find......well whatever it was he was supposed to be finding. Regardless Derrick stood in the same place still not sure on what he should do.

[Maddyson Cross]

Maddy was tempted to pretend that she was asleep. Derrick was her friend, yeah, but he
definitely wasn't her closest. She didn't feel like talking to anyone, she didn't feel like being judged for not being the bright, happy spirit that she seemingly always was. She knew, whether it be Derrick, Matty, or even someone else that knew of her, she was going to be judged. That was what they were like; Maddy didn't hate them for it, it just annoyed her. She wished that everyone could be like her, that there were no wet blankets. But even though she was magical, she couldn't change everything.

"Okay Mr. Limbo man. Let's enjoy this serenity of the lake, and see how long we can go without talking, aye?"

She joked, a smile forming on her face, something that she knew the boy would notice. Maddy wasn't stupid, but she had no idea that Derrick liked her. Maybe if she was as boy crazed as all of her class mates, she would have put the slightly-too-long glances, and the compliments to the fact that he had feelings for her, but to be honest, none of that mattered to her in the slightest. She knew how temperamental boys could be, and she was in no hurry to let one of them intrude on her life and her freedom.

"It's okay Derrick."

Maddy spoke, in a final way, her eyes still shut and enjoying the sunlight that was bathing her. She felt like going swimming in the lake; she had her swimmers on, but there was something that told her that Derrick wouldn't like that very much. For some reason, he just didn't seem like the kind of person that would tango with the giant squid, or the cold water, for that matter.

"So what actually brings you down here?"

[Derrick Breckenridge]

Derrick wasn't all that positive on a lot of things at that exact moment. The main one being why exactly he was down at the lake but there were in fact other things he was left wondering about. For instance why he was wearing sandals at the moment. It was small trivial and something he had just slipped on before he exacted the room but they were something that just usually never wore. Derrick's life wasn't all that regimented but when it came to dress he kept it ridiculously simple. White v-necks, jeans, a pair of slip ons and if it was cold enough a scarf. Sure he wore his robes to classes but they weren't the kind of things he could usually move around in and feel comfortable in free. It wasn't as if he didn't own other clothing either he had tons to say the least it was just what he felt best in. They weren't all white either he had black, gray, blue, and yellow (because really it'd be a shame not to represent his house) but usually he just stuck with white for the simple blank look it gave.

It wasn't in definition what most people considered a "blank look" so to speak. Derrick looked on blank looks with hope and optimism as if it was a blank sheet of paper in which he was about to scribble something down on. While he would never even begin to imagine that he could write the perfect poem or something like that it was the general gist of what he was going for. White was supposed to be a color of hope and that's how he viewed it. Creating was something he had always wanted to do but so far Derrick just hadn't found the way yet maybe after he did he'd stop wearing the white shirts? It was a stupid thought process he knew but it helped as he stood there wearing sandals he never wore, next to a girl who would probably never know that he liked her, and both on a day where he had no idea what he was supposed to go or what he was supposed to do. Everyone looked for some form of rationality in things and Derrick Breckenridge in that moment found it in his shirts, as terribly lame as that was.

This whole thought process had of course been brought on by her last statement which Derrick had not expected even as a joke. Derrick of course had no problem what so ever keeping his mouth shut he had done it nearly his whole life whenever he felt that he needed to. Maddyson though was a completely different story in the aspect that she always seemed to be talking. Not that this was in anyway a bad thing actually Derrick quite enjoyed how she spoke even if on occasion it was in random sporadic bursts. It was endearing and something he would say that she alone would do. Granted other people probably did it to but Derrick didn't know them and even if he had she did it so well that it was her own unique quality no matter what. Turning his head he bathed in the girl's smile though and knew that any questions he had about such a simple thing as her joke would not come out of his mouth. It was all lost there in her pearly whites in that quick instance. Mesmerized was the word Derrick was looking for but couldn't think of it even if he had wanted to.

"I think I'll last longer then you if that's the case Maddy. You know full well I have no problem keeping my mouth shut."

This of course was the cold hard truth and something that most would have considered a safe statement. Derrick didn't though seeing as it could either be taken as a challenge by her or she could get offended by it. He didn't mean that she never shut up just that she talked more then him but how exactly was he supposed to explain that? In the name of Merlin what hole had he dug for himself now? Derrick shifted his thoughts though after he last statement which he was ultimately happy for. She was okay with his presence which made him a happy camper to say the least but he began to feel the creeping suspicion that he was some how intruding on something. It was best though in his opinion not to push and to just let it be at the moment. Nothing good could really come out of him pushing.

Derrick stared down now at his toes wishing he hadn't worn the sandals. They weren't his most endearing feature and even if they had been toes weren't exactly something you showed off to people. Alright maybe in certain countries they were but in Derrick's own small world toe's were usually only admired on babies. It was a phrase he had heard constantly in the orphanage and every single time he couldn't help but think that it was a rather shoddy reason to adopt children. What bearing did how cute their toes or fingers were have on what kind of child they were going to be? None, at least not in his opinion, seeing as toes didn't display how someone would act or how successful someone would be. Unless they were going for some kind of world record or looking to be a professional athlete. With the latter though that was more so size and height and the former was really a luck of the draw kind of thing both of which were, once again, shoddy reasons to adopt a child. Derrick left those thoughts drift from his mind as Maddyson's sentence penetrated it.

The silence hadn't been a long one at all but her question was expected he supposed. It was a totally logical one and it wasn't as if he was up to something weird like stalking her. The question though was a tricky one seeing as he really didn't know what he was doing down here. He had been wandering and saw her and while Derrick sort of just gravitated towards her beauty he wasn't about to say that. It would just make the stalker theory seem a little to real. No the best way to approach this all was to just be honest and say what he was really up to. No matter how stupid or pointless what he was really up to sounded. What was the worse that could happen? She some how point him in the right direction.

"I really have no idea. I'd love to say I knew I really would but I don't. At the moment I'm just kind of wandering waiting for something to strike me as a good idea to do or for my mind to say that it is. Hell at the moment I'd take someone telling me what I'm supposed to do because I honestly don't know. Maybe I'm supposed to climb a tree or maybe my feet lead me down here because I'm supposed to turn and figure out which angle would be best to scale the castle from. Whatever I'm supposed to be actually doing I'm probably not and I'm just waiting for it to hit me in the head."

It felt oddly pleasant to be so open and honest about the situation. Almost relieving but at the same time not quite. Setting his guitar down gently he flopped down now laying opposite from Maddyson his head near her feet which were beautiful much unlike his. Not that he was really looking but more so assuming after all how could any part of her not be? It was stupid thinking and picking Francesca up he began to pluck at the strings not thinking what so ever about each note as he stared into the sky the guitar resting on his chest. It was an odd feeling he had at that moment one that he could not put into words if he tried. Sighing he continued to stare above and muttered to himself not really caring if Maddyson heard or not.

"I'm really not sure if I love the unknown but I know I don't hate it. I think."

It was utter nonsense and rambling as he thought about it but it had been said. She probably hadn't heard him and even if she had what exactly could she make of it? In Derrick's opinion nothing and he continued to pluck at the strings as he had before still wondering where he was supposed to go.

[Maddyson Cross]

As Maddy lay there, her mind went through many problems that she had had in her life. Her mothers almost death, being separated from not only her twin and her brother, and the departure of Sally, Summer, Jethro, Larissa and Benjamin, all gracing the top of her list. She couldn’t decide what one struck her the deepest, as they had all struck her at different places.

The near-death of Maddy’s air hostess mother was obviously something that cut her deeply, because it was her mother. To this day, she still had nightmares about the day, and her mother had not yet recovered from the accident. The smoking inhalation was one thing, permanently affecting her lungs with no chance of repair, and the way she walked was still distorted and odd; her brain still hadn’t picked up the basic function.

Maddy missed her brother and sister more than anyone else. She was always quite close to Jordyn, but Eryn, her twin, was her best friend. They had their fights, as sisters did, but there was always the bond that twins would share; Maddy would tell Eryn anything and everything, nothing was kept a secret between the two.

And the friends that she had made at Hogwarts, Jet and Sally being the closest of the five, had all left her. She felt abandoned, betrayed. She occasionally got a letter from each of them, but that was quite rare. Of course, Maddy always rushed to write back, but out of hope that they would return. She knew this would happen; they had all left her, without even letting her know of their plans.

"I think I'll last longer then you if that's the case Maddy. You know full well I have no problem keeping my mouth shut."

As the boy spoke his words, Maddy sat up. She didn't know what to say, whether this boy was saying it in a harmless way, or whether he meant something about it. "Whatever Derrick. If you've got a problem with me, solve it. Don't just take cheap shots." She said, rolling her eyes at the boy, the smile wiped off her face. Yeah, the way she interpreted it, she got offended.

Maddy was a bright, loud person, but that was the way she was. Everyone knew that, it was needless to say that she smiled and talked. A lot.

As she listened to what the boy had to say, she again rested back on the rock, still angry at his comment. She listened to his words, but she didn't take them in. Maybe it was insensitive, but she thought of his previous words to be tasteless. She missed what the boy was mumbling, though not by ignorance. It was just because he was, well, mumbling.

[Derrick Breckenridge]

Derrick had he been capable of it at the moment would have much rather preferred to hurl himself off a building then hear the hurt tone in Maddyson's voice. It wasn't the way he had meant for her to take it and he had hoped that she wouldn't in fact take it that way. He had thought about it, if only briefly, but figured that she could take a joke. It was in her nature to joke around and be the one that didn't mind taking a jab or two from her friends at least from his experience. Derrick of course could be totally wrong and he should have thought of this before hand. It didn't help that it was his usual tone laced with his usual blunt honesty which was becoming more and more of a pest around her. It's not that he wanted to lie to Maddyson but the way he spoke about things before had just been, well, like a self defense mechanism. Enchida's had spines and Derrick Breckenridge had the blunt honest truth which he wielded like a drunken knight. It just made things...safer if he acted that way.

Before Maddyson situations like this wouldn't have ever had happened to Derrick. Before Maddyson, Derrick would wait for one opinionated question and level people with his blunt and brutal honesty when it came. People didn't like when people actually told them the truth at least not in his prior experiences. They didn't want to hear how god awful their hair looked or how terrible their poem sounded but regardless of this Derrick would butcher away so they would leave him in peace. This of course was like he said all before the girl in front of him had entered his life. Sure she had her flaws, at least Derrick thought she did, but it wasn't as if he actually wanted to scare her away like everyone else. She was different some how and Derrick couldn't help but like it that day they had met on the Hogwarts Express. He didn't care that she talked to much because it just seemed to suit her and how she should be. For christ sakes she could yell directly into his ear and he'd probably enjoy it as long as it didn't cause him to go death.

Now though Derrick found himself facing the very real reality that this would never happen. It wasn't something he wanted to really imagine or think about but still he found himself faced with it because he had to open his stupid mouth and think he could joke. It was just an idiotic move on his part and the more he thought about it the more he realized it. He shouldn't have even come down here it was just plain stupid of him to do so and the fact that he had opened his mouth was even stupider. Sitting up, the look of desperation that crossed his face obvious, Derrick spluttered out words to try and make her understand. He just hoped that this time they were the right words and not more that would simply get him into trouble.

"Maddy I didn't mean it like that I swear I have no problems with you what so ever. It's just I don't know it's not exactly a secret that I'm probably the quietest person in all of Hogwarts. That's all I was saying...I'll just um you know leave."

Derrick with a sigh lifted himself up and decided it was all for the best that he just got out of here. She obviously wanted nothing to do with him at the moment especially since he had just managed to insult her without even knowing it. He was such a git. Placing his guitar on his back once more Derrick began to wonder and hope that his stupid feet would lead him somewhere that would keep him out of trouble. After all his feet and his mouth had just managed to land him in the bad books of the one person he didn't want to hate him.