Dancing with Cancer // OPEN

[amalia rose mancini]

Lia was wandering around Hogsmeade smiling. She didn't know why she was smiling, but something was tickling her fancy today. Maybe it was because she was in a fabulous mood everyday...or maybe there was a deeper meaning to this happiness. Whatever the need be, she wasn't going to let anything bring her down today. With her bright red-velvet hair in curls, and light mascara; she looked like an urban model for some underground magazine in the muggle world. Oh, muggles, how she missed her friends and family from that time. She had grown up a lot though, from a girl with brown frizzy hair to a person who was brave and willing to bet her life on things... Bravery wasn't huge in her life though, to say for sure. She was more of a bubbly and background girl; spotlights definitely weren't her thing.

"Oh mama, if you could see me now." She said, looking up at the sky. Only recently had she heard that her muggle mother had come down with a muggle sickness called cancer; something very few survived from. It worried her, for sure, but she knew her muggle mother very well. She was a tough cookie, hard to crack, and definitely hard to contain. She would pull through easily; especially since according to her muggle father, it was being contained in one area of the body. The legs, so he said. How this cancer disease worked, Amalia wasn't quite sure, but she was sure that it was something horrible, because of the fact that the survivor count was pretty low. Her mama (the name for her muggle mother) hadn't seen Lia since she was about thirteen, which made her even sadder. If mama didn't survive this, then where would Lia be in the world? That woman had raised her!

"Papa, take care of mama." She said into the wind, knowing it wouldn't carry her voice that far, but wishing that it did. In the magical world, cancer didn't exist. She didn't know why, but wizards and witches never seemed to get muggle illnesses, just as muggles didn't seem to get wizard illnesses. It was something that Lia pondered often, but she never really stayed thinking about it. There were too many other fun things to do. She was dancing today, and she danced straight into Honeydukes. Sugary sweets galore, this shop had it all. Including feathers that looked like real feathers, but were just sugary treats. She wanted a few, especially since she had a N.E.W.T test this year, just one, but she did. It was in Charms, her favorite class. Relaxing wasn't going to be on her list this year, she had far too much to do. Not that she was a slacker, but still.

[ALEXANDER TYLER DOUGLAS]

Alex whistled a jaunty tune as he walked down the path in Hogsmeade. A visit to the Herbology shop to replenish some of his personal stock of potion materials had done well to brighten the young man's day. It was the weekend and all was right with the world. He'd made a stop at Three Broomsticks, had a few butterbeers with his mates, and went on to stock back up. His father had always said it was best to grow ones own ingredients when it came to cooking, and Alex lived by that mantra well, having started a small potted garden in his dormitory. His dormmates occasionally like to ride him on his obsession, but it was all in good fun. So long as they paid him, he let them use the materials as well.

He sniffed the air, a pleasant smell brushing by him in a breeze. He was close to Honeydukes, being able to smell the freshly made sweets from where he stood. He took a look around, trying to see anyone he knew. Alex shrugged, not finding anyone remotely all that familiar. The Ravenclaw potioneer walked towards the sweets shop with a grin.

Alex was a huge fan of sweets, his father quite well versed with baking recipes. It was a small wonder that Alex wasn't bigger than he was, but he attributed it to his usual diet and exercise. One usually didn't think a Ravenclaw student focused too much on the physical aspects, but seeing as how Care of Magical creatures required a hardy physique, Alex had taken to working out some.

He walked through the store, looking around and debating what to purchase when he noticed in his peripheral vision that he was about to run into someone. The wizard stopped suddenly and had to hold onto a shelf to balance himself.

"Oh my gosh! I'm sorry! I almost ran into you!"

The young man then took notice of the bright red hair and smiled.

"Umm.... hang on. I know your name, I had classes with you... Haha..."

[amalia rose mancini]

Lia was busily picking out specific candies and sweets off from the shelves when she felt a person brush up against her. She twisted her head quickly as though to avoid collision (yes with her head). She saw a handsome boy her age blabbering on about knowing her and almost hitting her. She smiled and nodded. She knew him very well; Alexander Douglas, a kid in her year that was in Ravenclaw. He was very bright and cute, but most definitely not her type. He was more of the awkward wait until someone else speaks type, most definitely far from Lia. Not that she minded, she'd be pretty open with everyone.

"Yeah, I know you too. You're Alexander Douglas, right? We have most of our classes together." She wanted to add, 'Other than Charms.' But she didn't, because that could be considered rude beyond belief. She smiled and nodded, not knowing what else to say...that was a first. Normally she was just bursting full of information and things she wanted to tell people; but there wasn't much to say here. She thought (and this was a personal thought) that Alexander was full of himself and was a regular jerk. She wasn't very judgemental but even a person who accepts everyone in the world for who they are and stuff will have their opinions on people.

"How have you been?" A regular conversation starter, something so common and over-used that it seemed almost cliche to say. But she used it, true to her conversationalist personality. She didn't want to seem rude, because that wasn't true to her personality. Silently sighing, she looked at him with her wide eyes. She really didn't want to talk to him, but she would, because (true to her nature) she wanted to know more about people in general. Including ones she thought (pre-mature thoughts) were just jerks.

[ALEXANDER TYLER DOUGLAS]

He chuckled.

"Yeah, I'm Alex. Haha. I'm sorry about almost running into ya. Erm...Lia, right? I'm really terrible with people's names. Sorry."

The girl was a very pretty girl, her hair reminding him of his father's red velvet cakes. He blushed lightly, embarrassed at his own clumsiness.

"I've been rather well, thanks for asking. I just got back from the Herbology shop down the street and wandered in here. I have a bit of a weakness for chocolate!" the potioneer said, a warm smile growing on his lips. Few people really talked to him, he had a few people he could call friends but for some reason, he never really clicked with anyone. He supposed that he could be considered a bit intimidating when it came to learning, but that could be said of any true Ravenclaw.

He didn't really know much about her, but she seemed to know something about him, and Alex felt mildly guilty he hadn't remembered the girl's name right off the bat. His mother had once said that if it wasn't a potion, Alex didn't have an interest in it. It was usually true. His social skills weren't always the best as such, so he definitely missed any signs that she didn't really want to talk to him.

[amalia rose mancini]

Lia was smoldering inside. She didn't want to talk to this guy at all, and he seemed completely oblivious to the fact, whereas any other human being would have realized that she was avoiding any true conversation with him. She gave him a polite smile and nod as he remembered and said her name. Most people in class knew her as Amalia though; not Lia. Not that she cared, people also knew her as a weirdo. She saw him eye her red-velvet colored hair.

"So, I see you noticed my hair. Pretty weird right? It's not anything magical, for sure." She was surprised that he actually got that much as a conversation out of her. She felt awkward and forebearing as she half turned back to the shelf of candy she was looking at. She saw a licorice wand and reached quickly for it. They were delicious and fun to trick people with, so it was something she'd enjoy using in class for sure. Because, nobody ever has wand failure, it just never happens. So it would amaze everyone if she pulled this prank.

Being sixteen was difficult, at least, for Lia it was. She wasn't exactly readily into guys really, but she definitely was showing signs of wanting to have something to do in their lives. Just, apparently not this guy. Although, she didn't know him very well, just going off from base reactions.

Even if she hated it happening to her, she did it, unconciously, so.

[ALEXANDER TYLER DOUGLAS]

"Haha, yeah, your hair's interesting. Reminds me of a red velvet cake. My dad makes a lot of them. It's hair dye, right? It looks really good. Did you do it yourself with Muggle dye, then?"

Inwardly, he chastised himself. Of course it was muggle dye, if it wasn't magical. Idiot. Alex hated letting a stupid question slip, and honestly felt that if you asked an obviously answerable question, you deserved a smartassed answer.

Finally looking away from the cute redhead, he looked towards the candy before grabbing a pack of 5 boxes of chocolate frogs.

"I wish they served Muggle sweets, too. Not that Wizard candy isn't great, but I miss the stuff I usually only get in the summer."

For some reason, it was starting to dawn on him that the girl was getting irritated. She didn't seem like she wanted to really talk to him. It felt... kinda lonely, to be honest, and the potionsmaker sighed. Maybe it was best he leave? The young man's shoulders involuntarily slumped a bit and he nodded.

"I guess... I'll see ya in class or something. Sorry to have bothered you!" he said, trying to be polite. After all, it was best to treat others the way you wanted to be treated, and that was one of Alex's rules for dealing with people. He awkwardly went around the girl, and went to stand in line to pay the cashier.

[amalia rose mancini]

Lia turned and watched him walking away. Half of her mind was relieved that he was gone, but then the half that had a concious instantly felt guilty. So with a pent up groan and a roll of the eyes, she chased after him, ending up in line right behind him. She fought inwardly against talking to him, it wasn't something that she really wanted to do right now, but she was going to have to anyway; otherwise guilt would rain down on her concious like a thunderstorm.

"Hey, Alexander. It's fine, we can hang out. Sorry if I seem irritated, I just haven't had a lot of time for people lately." She said it; and it was a pretty honest remark. She hadn't exactly had a lot of time for people lately, she had been really insanely busy. But she wasn't going to be rude to Alexander, even if she didn't want to be with him much. Common courtesy was something that her Mama had raised her with, and it was something that she would live on forever.

"So, what do you want to do now?" She asked once she got done paying for her licorice wand and her sugar quill. She didn't know what she was supposed to do, and even if any of her friends would consider this a date. She hoped they wouldn't, because if any of them caught her out here with him she would be in loads of jokes for the rest of the year, at least, until Christmas. Not something that Lia wanted to put up with for a good few months.

She looked around. The world outside was kind of wet and dreary, but inside it was nice and warm. Not that she minded, she loved the rain. It calmed her down, almost like a cat. She could fall asleep during any storm and not be woken up by even the loudest crack of thunder. Something that she was quite proud of, actually.

[ALEXANDER TYLER DOUGLAS]

Alex frowned as he paid for his frogs, walking outside with the girl. He didn't really know what to say.

"You don't have to talk to me if you're busy. I totally understand!" he smiled politely, "I usually never have time for people, I'm so busy studying, you know?"

He did legitimately understand. Ravenclaw students were notoriously irritable near exams and major tests, and he was no exception. He switched his bags to his left hand, trying to consolidate his burden.

"Haha... I've really got to get a bag with an undetectable extension charm on it," he quipped, looking down at the two bags. The boy shrugged, and looked around.

"I didn't really have anything else planned. I was thinkin' about going to the Three Broomsticks and passing the time, but I'm more than welcome to any ideas you might have. I don't come to Hogsmeade that often, to be honest, unless I need something or need to take a break. My mum calls it a "brain break". I find it to be calming when I do come out here."

The wet and dreary atmosphere made Alex stifle a yawn.

"Madame Puddifoot's has good tea, but it's frilly and rather... not my favorite place to go. It being a big hangout for couples and what not. You know any decent tea shops around here, or would you rather do something else?