This is a collection of short scenes from the point of view of Sarah Spellman while at Hogwarts and on her quest to find the cursed vaults and her missing brother.
It will include some romance between her and Barnaby Lee, scenes of her different fr...
Badeea sighed with contentment as she gazed down at the village of Hogsmeade, one of her favorite subjects to paint. The last snowfall of the season had fallen in the night, and for that morning's painting lesson, she had rushed Barnaby to the hill that overlooked the quaint village to portray it on canvas before the afternoon sun turned the snow to slush.
It was a pleasant morning. The two shared hot chocolate from a thermos and mugs Badeea had brought in her bag, and if their hands ever got too cold, they held onto the fire she had conjured that could be carried in a jam jar.
Barnaby usually chatted to her while he painted, but today he was deadly silent, focusing hard on his painting. Badeea smiled to see his tongue poking out of his mouth, as it often did when he was concentrating on his work. She didn't mind his chatter, but today she appreciated no disturbance in the peace of the snowy morning. It was like the old days--just her, her art, and silence.
"I'm coming! I'm here, I'm here!"
The crunching sound of hurried footsteps through the snow, and canvas being jumbled about. Badeea had forgotten she'd invited Sarah to today's lesson.
"Sorry I'm late," she huffed, out of breath after her run from the castle.
Barnaby's face lit up and he waved to her excitedly, flecks of white paint flying from the brush in his hand.
"It's no problem," said Badeea. "We're painting a landscape of Hogsmeade today."
Sarah looked down at the village, her smiling cheeks pink from the cold and the exercise.
"Ooh, lots of white. Easy."
She conjured an easel and rested her canvas on it, then peeked at the others and turned it from portrait to landscape. As she turned around to pull some paints from her bag, Badeea asked, "Hold on, what are you wearing?"
"What?"
Sarah looked down at herself. She sported a light blue, woolen dress. It had been bewitched so that snowflakes appeared to be falling down the material. She also wore see-through tights and knee-high black boots.
"Oh right. I only just left a fitting with Andre. He creates new outfits for me every month or so to keep his design skills sharp."
"It's pretty," said Barnaby.
"Too pretty," said Badeea. "You can't paint in that, you'll ruin it. I remember what happened when you painted the mural for the ball. You give Barnaby a run for his money."
Barnaby's green sweater was flecked with so many white dots it appeared that he had a terrible case of dandruff.
Sarah looked down at herself again. "Andre would probably kill me if I messed up one of his 'genius creations,'" she admitted with her nervous laugh.
Badeea fished around in her bag, pulling out a spare set of clothes. She handed them to Sarah.
"An artist is always prepared for when inspiration strikes with a set of art supplies and an extra set of clothes," she explained.
"Thanks," said Sarah. She looked down at the clothes, then back at the castle, a good mile back.
"We could turn our backs," Barnaby offered.
But Badeea waved her wand, and small changing room appeared, much like the ones muggles used to change in and out of their swimming costumes at the beach.
"Thanks," Sarah repeated, hopping into the room and pulling the curtain closed behind her.
Barnaby muttered something under his breath, but Badeea couldn't understand what he said.
Finally, Sarah emerged from the changing room in pants, socks, and shoes similar to what Badeea wore, as well as a blue button up shirt, and they resumed painting.
It wasn't nearly as quiet as it had been before, but Badeea found she was still at peace. Sarah and Barnaby laughed a lot, and always included Badeea in the joke. Sarah had so many fascinating stories. Badeea couldn't believe she kept so busy. Sarah shot from a cursed vault to a school event like a filibuster firework, and she still found time to catch up with each of her friends. It would have been too much for her. She was perfectly happy to only think about her studies and her art.
Sarah proved to have a natural talent. She understood perspective and light quite well, and the village buildings were nearly as accurate as her own. What Sarah lacked was patience. She wasn't bothered to spend the time to mix the colors just right, or to ensure that her strokes landed just so as she transitioned from light to dark. This resulted in her being the first to finish, despite being the last to arrive.
"This was fun," she said. "I can see what you mean about painting being relaxing."
"Its about lunchtime," said Badeea. "Shall we stop for now?"
"Yes!" said Barnaby, always eager for a meal.
He began packing up the supplies as Sarah stepped back to scrutinize her work. Badeea joined her.
"It's lovely," Badeea commented. "You've done an excellent job with the perspective."
"I'm actually a bit proud of it," she said. "Perhaps I'll send it to my mum, and she won't think I'm such a disappointment."
Badeea chuckled.
"Thanks for the lesson, Badeea. And the clothes. And the changing room. And pretty much everything. I've learned so much from you these past couple years. I'm glad we met."
"Me too," she said. "I've learned a lot from you as well. How to enjoy myself at social gatherings, for example. And I never would have gotten to know Rowan if it hadn't been for you. I'm glad I got the chance to before..."
Sarah nodded.
She looked down at her paint-stained clothes. The shirt was hopeless, specked with bits of white, blue, and brown paint, but the pants had mostly avoided any attacks.
"I'll give these back to you now," she said. She looked back at the changing room, but it had vanished again.
"Keep them," said Badeea, not eager to carry around the stained clothes. "Take it as an invitation to join our little painting class whenever you like."
Sarah grinned. "Then, you have this." She gestured to the painting. "As a sign of our friendship."
"What about your mum?"
Sarah waved the comment aside.
"She'll always think I'm a disappointment. An amateur painting isn't going to change that."
"Well, thank you." Badeea cast a spell of her own invention that dried the painting instantly, then tucked it under her arm.
The girls shared a final smile before Barnaby spoke up.
"Can we go eat now? I'm starving!"
"Of course," she said, and the trio grabbed their things, trudging through the snow to the castle.
Badeea had never been part of a group before she met Sarah's little gang, but she found she liked it very much.
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