Finding Friends

[ALEXIS TESSA THRIF]

Outfit

Alexis sat in the shade by the lake, no quite as happily as she wanted to be. She was on her own at the moment. Her and herself had all split up.

Lexi sighed heavily, not many people around here were up to what she liked to call her standard. And Lexi had a very high standard. Which was almost unreachable.

She didn't really want much from people. Alesxis just wanted then to have a good sense in style. She didn't particularly want to be seen with people who were just wearing anything they found in a pile in their room. They had to be a good quality, and in Lexi's eyes good quality meant one thing a expense! She thought that expensive clothing was the only way you were ever going to find good quality, pretty things.

Alexis did tend to struggle finding friends, though she didn't understand why. She was pretty and had money, what more did people want? They obviously didn't understand style when they saw it!

The friends Alexis, well they were all quite fickle with each other. One minute they could be the next they could all be fighting like cat and dog!

That was mainly the reason why Lexi was out here, she and her friends had had a fight! They were arguing over which family had more money. A petty thing to fight over maybe, but all the same none of them were talking to each other. And that was why Lexi was on a friend hunt!

[LEO THOMAS DARKE]

Leo sighed as Luci and Daclan began to argue again. He couldn't stand it anymore, his head was hurting and he was gritting his teeth to stop himself from screaming at the two of them. He wasn't sure what they were arguing about, it was just noise now. Get louder. And louder. And louder. Finally, he stood up and walked out of the Common Room. He heard Luci call after him, but he just walked quicker.

He needed to get away from it all, from the dirty looks and snide comments about his family. The words 'Death Eaters' and 'Dark Magic' were always the ones that popped up the most, and he'd had it. All his life he'd been trying to fit in with the Darke way, but he was seriously re-thinking that idea. His cousin, Francesca, was changing her ways, maybe he should aswell.

Dressed in a crisp white shirt his Dad had got him from Italy, with the sleeves rolled up and dark trousers which he had got himself. He sighed when he got onto the Ground Floor, it was quieter, but not quiet enough. And the dirty looks were coming back.

One, a snobby-looking Hufflepuff, sneered the word 'queer', under his breath, just loud enough for Leo to hear. He balled his hands into fists, and carried on walking in a straight route, wanting to get to the Forest and back before it got dark.

He wasn't gay, he was bisexual, there was nothing wrong with it. People were like that, his family had got over it, most of the school had got over it, but some people just couldn't get over small things like sexuality. Which annoyed him.

He grinned as girl in jogging bottoms walked past. How poor was she? Dressed up like some Muggle tramp. He must of muttered it out-loud, because she glared at him and the girl she was walking with scoffed. Oops. Oh well, he didn't really care what two girls thought.

He didn't run, he simply walked faster, and decided to walk around the edge of the Lake. It was quite, peaceful and quite beautiful. Even the Giant Squid, which was rolling around far off in the distance, made him feel at peace.

He raised both of his eyebrows when he saw the young girl sat a couple of metres away. She looked about fourteen? Fifteen? Something around there, and she was pretty. She was wearing a dress, but that was as far as Leo really got with clothes. He knew what looked good and what looked bad, but that was it.

He could tell it was expensive and good quality, but that much was obvious, because when he got closer he recongized her. Alexis Thrif, from the super-rich Thrif-family. Spoilt was the word many people had used to describe her, but Leo hadn't really paid much attention to gossip.

From what he'd heard, she was the type of person he'd get on with. She wasn't all touch-feely, only thought about herself, was a Slytherin, was rich and he could have a bit of fun, seeing as he had been told not to trust her. It had been a while since he'd had to watch his own back...

"You know, sitting out here, you could catch a cold. Especially in a dress." he called out, sticking his hands in his pockets.

Now it was time to see if the rummours were really true....

[ALEXIS TESSA THRIF]

Alexis was still watching as throng of people walk pass her, and she often did scoff at some of the outfits they were wearing.

How was she ever going to find herself some worthy of her friendship in all of this?! She looked around again and let out a heavy sigh. She jumped when she heard a voice. When she turned around there was a familiar face that she saw. A Mr. Leo Thomas Darke. Not that she knew him persoanlly, but it was a well known last name, especially since her father would talk about them.

She raised her eyebrows at his comment, "And why would you care?" she asked him with a slight tone of spite in her voice.

It was known that Leo wasn't particularly a person who really cared about others or what they thought. So why in the world was this sixth year even attempting to make conversation with Lexi who was only in her fourth.

[LEO THOMAS DARKE]

Leo smirked and sat down nex to Alexis. Why did he care? He didn't know, it wasn't clear to him, so he tried to think up a lie. Alexis was pretty, he could see that, and then shook the thoughts from his head. He was a Sixth Year, she was a Fourth.

"I don't care, but I would hate to see such a pretty face with a runny nose." smirked Leo.

He breifly wondered what his friends and family would think of him chatting to a Fourth Year. Vulcan would tease him, Frankie would laugh, Rosa would also laugh. He wondered what Luci and Daclan would say, but he didn't really can anymore.

[ALEXIS TESSA THRIF]

Alexis just rose her eyebrows at him again. She shuffled away from him as he came to sit next to her, she wasn't entirely sure what her opinion of him was just yet.

More people passed, dressed in yet more ridiculous outfits, Lexi smirked slightly at these people. She looked at Leo again, there was something wrong here, no sixth year Darke would ever be seen with a fourth year, in Slytherin or not!

[LEO THOMAS DARKE]

Leo smirked as Alexis shuffled away from him. She obviously wasn't too fond of him, but he didn't blame her. He was a Darke, not the type of person you wouldn't to hang around with. Then again, he didn't think she'd be as hostile as she was.

"You know, I'm trying to be nice. Not something I usually do, you seemed lonely, I was trying to escape it all, I though I'd speak to you. If I'm pissing you off, just tell me, I'll leave." said Leo, raising his eyesbrows at the young girl.

He hoped she told him to stay, Alexis seemed different from other girls, the girls that dressed like her and threw themselves at him. She was a challenge, and Leo was the type of person who loved challenges.

[ALEXIS TESSA THRIF]

"Who am I to tell you whether to stay or not?" Lexi said to him.

She turned to look at the lake, nice and the Darke's just didn't seem to mix very well! Not well at all. She was sure her friends, or so-called friends wouldn't be happy with her hanging out with Lep. And Lexi wasn't a hundred per cent sure she could trust him.

[LEO THOMAS DARKE]

"You're right, you have no right to tell me what to do. But I was interested in your response. After all, you're a Fourth Year, I'm a Sixth. However, you do have the right. You were here first, I invaded your space.

And don't worry, I won't tell anyone. Your friends would mock you, hanging out with a Darke. Not just any Darke, but Leo Darke. The bisexual. Yeah, I'm not the most liked person in the school, another reason why you have the right to tell me to leave.

Besides, its in my interests not to tell anyone. And I hope you don't mind me saying, though I'm gonna say it anyway, you and me are similar. Cold-hearted and we don't like wasting our time with stupid people." smirked Leo.

He knew the Thrif family in general were very judgemental and hard to get to, but he didn't know they were as cold as this. He wasn't sure if Alexis treated everyone like this, or if it was just the fact that he was a Darke.

After all, his family was respected good enough amongst the Wizarding World. Sure, they weren't the most popular family, but he had thought they were more respected than this. He was tempted just to walk away, go find some girl who would fall into his arms, but he didn't want a relationship. He was fed up of them. Besides, he still hadn't cracked Alexis, and he wasn't leaving until she told him to or until he worked her out.

[ALEXIS TESSA THRIF]

Leo was infuriating Lexi, and that was a hard thing to do since she prided herself on keeping composure, well she prided herself on a lot of things.

"Similar, you maybe right there!" she said to him. "But why exactly, and this is something that has been bothering me since you came to talk to me, are you even bothering to talk to me? I mean what would your family say if you were to be seen with a little fourth year?"

Hopefully now she would get some answers, because even when Lexi had tried to brush him off he had stayed here, it just didn't click.

[LEO THOMAS DARKE]

"My family? I don't know what they'd say, they might disapprove. But they were fine about my sexuality, I'm sure they'd get over it. And why am I bothering to talk to you? I don't know, I thought you looked lonely. And I wanted to talk to someone, and you seem like the type of person that would provide an interesting conversation.

After all, most people I speak to are either in love with me or hate my guts. You don't fit into either, and I was interested why. I wanted to know your opinon. And now my time to ask questions. What do you think of me?" asked Leo, shuffling closer to Alexis.

[ALEXIS TESSA THRIF]

Alexis gave him an unimpressed look as he shuffled closer.
His sexuality didn't bother Lexi, Leo himself though annoyed the hell out of her!

"I don't think my opinion would matter much to you, and on the contrary, how do you know I don't hate you? You shouldn't assume about these things you know!"

Though people may of thought this was light teasing, it wasn't. Alexis was actually being quite truthful with him, though she wasn't one hundred per cent sure how she did feel about Leo, thought they were very much leaning towards one side!

[LEO THOMAS DARKE]

Leo scoffed. Oh, he shouldn't assume things? Yet she was assuimng he had ulterior motives. Amusement and bafflement were the feeling he was feeling. So speaking his mind wasn't enough to persuade her?

He racked his mind for anything he knew about her. Maybe his sister knew her. He doubted that, girls like Alexis didn't mix with girls like Rosa. Anyway, his sister was in her Fifth Year. What did he know about her? She was Thrif and nobody really trusted her. What else? She liked things that looked good.

He glanced down at his clothes. They were reasonable, though maybe it wasn't smart enough. He raised an eyebrow at that. He wasn't trying to impress Alexis, was he? Leo shook his head slightly at the mere idea. She interested him.

Apart from Luci and his family members, he had no girls that were friends. They were all people that wanted to date him or have a quick fling. And he wasn't up for that, especially with a Fourth Year. Though judging her by her age wasn't fair, seeing as she had proved to be much more intelligent than most of his Year.

Though, she was pissing him off. And was proving his point that being nice got you no where.

"What do you want me to be like, hmm? Do you want me to be nasty, sarcastic and bitter? Because I can do that. Easily. And if you hated me, you would of commented on something by now. You would of told me to leave. You would of scoffed, called me a 'queer' like the rest of Hogwarts, and then stormed off.

You didn't. You stayed here and talked. Maybe not as much as I have, but you still talked. Anyway, you're probably fed up of me and I've just made a prat of myself. Its obvious you don't want my company. So I'm gonna carry on my walk around the Lake. You're welcome to join me." said Leo, standing up and holding out his hand for Alexis to take.

[ALEXIS TESSA THRIF]

Alexis just watched as Leo got up and extended his hand for her, she must be crazy for doing this, but she took his hand and got up.

"Actually, I'd rather you be nasty, sarcastic and mean, because if I was honest with you, you're throwing me off guard!

And really, how are you to know that I would say anything if I did hate you. For all you know I could be saying little to find out more, then think of what I could do with that information! Haven't you heard around school tat you shouldn't trust me?!"

Alexis thought she could at least confirm all the rumors, she was cold-hearted, harsh, dark, and cynical. It was who she was, and Lexi didn't really care what people thought about that!

[LEO THOMAS DARKE]

Leo laughed. He hadn't thought about that. He started to walk, hoping that Alexis follwoed.

"You could do that. If you wanted to. But I'm hoping you don't, though. Maybe I'm putting my faith in the wrong person. And you want me to be nasty? I'll do it. Your nasty and cold, and from what I've seen here, I agree with the rumours. But, I'm hoping you'll prove me wrong. Though, just a warning, I'm not too fond of being wrong." smirked Leo.

[ALEXIS TESSA THRIF]

"Well, I'm sorrry, but I don't think I will prove you wrong, I'm just as bitter as everyone says, and if I'm honest I couldn't care less about what you thought of me!"

Alexis thought that if she was going to show her true colours why not do it properly? After all she didn't want to "be friends" with someone if they didn't know what she was like.