The Art of Stone Skimming

Spencer wasn't sure why he had decided to take a walk. It was too cold for his liking and he wasn't as bundled up as he probably should have been. The frigid autumn air was nipping at his cheeks and he wished he had brought his scarf along. The Black Lake had always been one of the more peaceful places that he enjoyed going. It was a good place to just go and think and he loved to watch the ripples the wind made in the water when it blew. Sometimes he could be there for hours, just sitting on the rocks beneath the willow tree. The Lake had a haunting presence but in a way it comforted Spencer. He was content when he was sitting near the small lapping shore.

Today he had once again found himself out there, needing to clear his mind. He had to do that a lot. Clearing his head was something that had become almost second nature to him. The Ravenclaw had so many things he wished that he could forget but knew he never would and the only thing that made it better was finding something else to take his mind off of those thoughts when he was having them. Though it was becoming harder and harder to find things that he could use as distractions.

He was just about to sit down when something hit his arm - hard. "OW! Bloody hell!" he hissed in discomfort as pain shot through his bicep and down to his forearm. It felt like someone had pelted him with a rock. He grabbed his arm with his free hand, rubbing it to try and soothe the ache as he turned around, sensing someone behind him. The person was a girl, a familiar girl, actually. He was pretty sure her name was....Sage or something like that. She was a Gryffindor in his year and he'd known her since they started at Hogwarts but they hadn't ever really spoken before, just acknowledging each other in passing. Now she had a guilty look on her face and Spencer instantly knew that she had been the one to hit him with the stone - or whatever it was but it was clear she hadn't meant to.

For some reason, Spencer lost his train of thought as he stared at the Gryffindor. Her long tousled hair was blowing gently in the breeze and her face was full of concern for him, her emerald rimmed eyes practically shining in the sunlight that was glinting off of the lake. She introduced herself as Sage and he mentally patted himself on the back for his good memory.

"No worries, I think I'll live," he joked casually, offering her a smile. He was hardly hurt, the sharp sting had already begun to ebb away. "I'm Spencer, I believe we're in the same year together." How had he never noticed her before? Sure, they'd been in the same classes since their first year but they'd never actually interacted before. "Mind if I ask what exactly just happened?" he said with a chuckle, taking a few steps closer to her. He felt the strange need to be near her and he couldn't help but follow it.

Spencer couldn't help but chuckle at her explanation, especially when she playfully insinuated that it had been his fault because he'd scared her. He hadn't expected her to have been levitating the stone - no wonder it stung his arm so bad. He bent down and picked up the stone that was at his feet, tossing it up in the air in front of him and catching it with ease. He examined the small, flat stone and realized that it would have been perfect for skipping across the water. That was always a favorite past time of his, he and his sister used to do it all the time when they would visit their grandparents in the country. They had a pond in their backyard and he and Abby would spend hours just throwing stones, catching frogs and playing by the water.

Her voice brought him back to the present when she asked for the stone back. "That depends," he said with a playful smile. "Are you going to hit me with it again?"

Their playful banter was really entertaining and Spencer couldn't shake the feeling of comfort he got just from being near this girl. It was something he hadn't had in a long time. Too long and it felt good to finally feel at ease around somebody other than his sister. He eyed her mischievously, holding her gaze as he tossed the rock up into the air again, almost as if he were taunting her. He noticed the way she was standing with her hand on her hip and he secretly thought she looked kind of....cute. She was pretending to be annoyed but he could easily see through her facade. "Hm, I'm not sure I should when it's going to be hazardous to my health."