Starlight |Neville Longbottom|

~Chapter Seven~

I had never really taken notice of Neville's friends until now. After everything that happened between us last night I was drawn even closer to the mystery that was Neville Longbottom. As much as I wanted to run away screaming and just lock myself in a small room far, far, far away from him, I still wanted to crack the puzzle of the funny boy who kept staring at me.

As bad as it sounds. I thought Neville was just friends with Ginny and the boys in the dorm. I didn't pay much attention to the curly headed girl in Ravenclaw robes he was constantly sitting around. As the day kept creeping on and on, I started to wonder about her too. "Great," I thought to myself, "Now I have two puzzles."

At lunch that day, I didn't eat. I just focused on that girl. No matter how hard I stared I couldn't figure anything out. I eventually gave up and went to go put my dishes still stscked with food away.

"You know staring is very polite," A strange voice said from behind me.

I turned around and my eyes went wide as I realized I had been caught. The strange voice was Neville's friend.

I stayed very quiet because I didn't know what to say but it wasn't much of a problem because the girl spoke up again. "I'm only kidding ya! Hi, I'm Jada Arwen, you must be Starla."

"How did you know my name?" I asked.

"I'm friends with Neville and I hate to break it to ya hon but he is sort of stuck on you."

"Oh right," I sighed, "Did he send you over here?"

"Yeah but lucky for you I have a big issue with people bossing me around. I came over here because I wanted to. Not because Neville is too scared to talk to ya," Jada explained.

"He wasn't too nervous to talk last night," I mumbled under my breath.

"Sorry what was that?" Jada interjected, "I didn't hear ya."

"Oh, I just asked what year are you in," I lied, feeling sort of embarrassed that I was almost caught twice today.

"I'm in fourth year," Jada answered, "I'm assuming you are a fifth year like Neville?"

"Your right," I smiled, "I should be in sixth year but it's complicated."

"It's all good. I don't need to know," Jada replied.

"Thank goodness," I giggled, "You are the first person who hasn't made me explain everything."

"Well anyways," Jada changed the subject, "let's skip the rest of classes and hang out."

"Wait, you are a Ravenclaw. I thought Ravenclaws don't skip classes!" I exclaimed.

"Heck yeah we do!" Jada chuckled,"Sometimes classes are just too boring!"

"Okay sure," I agreed which caused Jada to clap her hands and smile really wide.

"Perfect, let's go to my dorm. I'll show you pictures of my niece. She is adorable!" Jada explained, grabbing me by the arm and pulling me in the direction of the Ravenclaw dorms.

Once we had actually gotten inside and settled on her bed I took in my surroundings. Pictures of her and a little girl were pasted all over the walls alongside pictures of her and people who looked to be her parents and brother. The pictures of her and the little girl outnumbered the pictures with the other people by far.

"This adorable little bean is my niece! Her name is Anna. Isn't she so adorable!" Jada pointed out.

"She is a very cute little girl," I agreed. The little girl she was talking about was maybe three years old at the absolute maximum. She had adorable little curly pigtails, much like her aunt, and big doe eyes you could just get lost in. Her aunt didn't look much different. She had the big curly hair, doe eyes, and a radiant smile. The only difference really was that Jada's skin was a tad bit darker than Anna's, "She looks a lot like you!"

"Yeah," she smiled proudly, "My brother says she is my mini me and not his."

"Is that your brother?" I asked pointing to a man who was posed in a picture by her. He looked to be quite a bit older.

"Yes, that's Jason. And they are my mum and dad," Jada smiled as she fondly stared at a picture of a middle aged couple.

"You guys are such a sweet family."

"Thank ya!"

After that, Jada asked me about my family. I told her about Stephen and my aunt and uncle, but I left out what happened to my parents. I just didn't want to get into it all.

"What should we do for the rest of the day?" I asked.

Jada's smile quickly warped into a mischievous smirk as she suggested, "Let's go swimming!"

"What?" I expressed, "I didn't know there was a swimming pool here."

"There isn't," Jada answered.

"So how are we going to swim then? I really don't want to swim in the lake," I replied.

"There may not be a swimming pool, but I know the password to the prefects' bathroom. That bathtub is big enough to be a swimming pool," She explained.

"Can't we get in trouble for that?" I dismissed, "Plus I don't have a bathing suit anyways."

"Oh come on Starla! Live a little," Jada begged.

"Okay, but if I get in trouble you owe me some Honeydukes," I relented.

"Yay!" She cheered, "You can borrow one of my bathing suits." Jada quickly sprung off her bed and ran towards her trunk. She tossed a purple bikini top and some white bottoms my way as she went to change into a white and black checkered one piece bathing suit.

Once we were both in bathing suits, Jada and I crept to the prefects' bathroom, extra careful not to get caught.

She whispered the password and we were granted entrance.

Jada immediately ran and cannonballed into the deep bathtub but I stayed back to take in the view of the magnificent marble bathroom. Beautiful fountains were constantly flowing and the stained glass windows shimmered with the mid-afternoon sun shining through it.

"Oh my goodness! The water feels great!" She squealed.

"I'm sure it does," I responded, "How did you figure out the password?"

"I listen," she shrugged.

"You mean you hid and waited for a prefect to say the password so you would know it," I guessed.

"Yes," Jada said point blank.

"Seriously?"I gasped.

"No," she burst out laughing, 'I'm friends with the prefects this year."

"Haha very funny," I rolled my eyes as I jumped into the bathtub.

"You are so gullible," Jada cackled.

"Whatever," I said as I splashed her.

"Hey!" Jada yelped.

"What do you have a problem with me splashing you? I giggled, mocking her.

Jada didn't answer me, Instead she just splashed me right in my face.

We went on swimming around and splashing each other until we both decided it was getting late. Classes were about to let out and we didn't want to get caught.

We decided that I would introduce her to Ginny, Hannah, Tracie, and Stephen the next day but we decided to say goodbye for the rest of the day so we could get changed before everybody else got back to the dorms.

Once I was all dried off and changed, Gryffindor students slowly started to trickle into the common room. I found Stephen pretty quickly and let him know I was okay. I told him I just needed a break day and explained that I had somebody to introduce him to the following day. He agreed and I decided to settle down on the couch until dinner.

I needed this day.