· 。ﾟ☆: *.☽
▎ COUNTING STARS  ▎
»»————-　act one. young, wild & free
FIFTEEN ━━ murphy's law

ᵒ .༄ ࿐ ࿔* ✨🌙💫
♯ ❝WE SHOULD CARVE
OUR INITIALS HERE! ❞
⋆⋅ ━━━━ ‧ ༻✩༺ ‧ ━━━━ ⋅⋆

ANNABELLE ROSE LIKED MANY THINGS. OLD RECORDS, HOT CHOCOLATE WITH CINNAMON, THE SMELL OF GRASS AFTER IT HAD RAINED, BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY the large willow tree just at the edge of the Black Lake. It was here where that her friendship with the girls had been truly cemented—or better said, carved into the world.

It had been a rare sunny afternoon just before Christmas Break during their first year, which seemed so long ago now. The Hogwarts Grounds had been covered in a thin layer of snow, and Julia had all but demanded to go on a stroll outside.

At that point in time she was still very determined to see the Giant Squid swimming in the lake. She had stated with the ice covering the water, she could take a closer look. But instead the dark skinned girl hadn't even reached the ice when she had slipped down a small slope.

A slope that had directly led to their willow tree.

But instead of snow, today the sun shone brightly, light reflecting on the water of the lake as it glistered beautifully. As if fallen stars had been captured inside.

"The sun is shining, the birds are singing and the world is happy." Julia smiled contently, walking backwards, despite the numerous protest she received in doing so by a worrying Lily. "A perfect time to do absolutely nothing."

And like that fateful day down the snow covered slope, today would not be any different.

Annabelle, Lily and Marlene could only watch as Julia stumbled over a small rock, arms swinging as the girl's eyes widened in startled surprise. A small yelp escaped her parted lips and before the clumsy Gryffindor girl could save herself, she tumbled down.

"Are you alright?!" Lily shouted, already in pursuit of the girl as she made her way down the same slope.

"Told you so!" Marlene spoke at the same time, gleefully smiling as she walked down after Lily far more calmly than the redhead.

"Thank you Lily, for the concern. I am perfectly splendid." Julia grumbled as she sat up with her back against the willow tree,  sparing a single glare in Marlene's direction.

Annabelle, who had remained quiet during the whole ordeal, just shook her head. "You look comfortable down there."

"The ground needs some love too, from time to time." Julia simple shrugged, pushing stray pieces of hair out of her face.

"I'm glad you're so considered of the lonesome ground and its feelings, Jules. " Annabelle jested, dropping her own bookbag on the ground before sitting down next to her friend in the welcoming shade.

Soon after both Lily and Marlene followed, dropping their stuff on the ground before sitting down themselves.

Rummaging through her own bag, the brunette was pulling out a quill and parchment, hoping to finally get to writing to her parents like she promised. She'd fear her mother would actually figure out how to send a Howler if she wouldn't soon.

And with the continues interruptions between homework and her friends, Annabelle barely had time to sit down a second.

"What are you doing?" Marlene peered over her shoulder curiously.

Annabelle glanced up at her friend. "Writing a letter. I promised mum I would write once every week. She wants me to keep her updated more often after the little full moon incident." The girl explained, unsubconsciously rubbing the scar on her right upper arm.

Marlene, however, seemed not to agree with such things as she pushed Annabelle parchment away. "Put that away." She shrieked ripping the quill out her hand. "We haven't been able to all spend time together for longer than 5 minutes with the lot of you studying for your bloody O.W.l's" All eyes went towards a blushing Lily.

Annabelle gave her a look. "But—but my mother wants me to wr—"

"No."

"But Marls..."

"No."

Lily turned to her friend. "She said I couldn't do my essay either. Marlene was very adamant about soaking in the sun." She grumbled.

And like that, amusing glares and muttered grievances turned silent as the four girls fell into a peaceful silence. The soft midday breeze and the rays of sunshine beaming on their skin.

Enjoying the moment, Annabelle closed her eyes as her thoughts travelled back to the Winter day with fond memories.

"We should carve our initials in here."

Julia had been standing again, hair covered in snow, and cheeks hurting from the smile that she displayed for all to see.

And just like that, they had marked their spot, carved their names and in turn made the sad old willow tree their little hideout. And no... it wasn't a real hideout. It should have been hidden to count as such. But despite the tree being in full view, and a particular hotspot for a group of Hufflepuff girls during the spring months, they dupped it their little secret.

It was here, that Lily cried about her sister blatant hurtful comments after her first holiday back home. Where Julia ranted about her jittery and infuriating siblings like they were out to murder her. Where they brought Marlene during their second year when the girl had busted into tears after receiving the news of her grandmother's sudden passing.

It had maybe been more a therapy tree than a hideout, but it was the place they had grown closer. Going from acquaintances, to friends to a group of self-proclaimed sisters. 

One might even say that their tears had made the willow tree bloom and flourish throughout the year. But in Annabelle's opinion, it sounded quite...sad. And their time spend may have started out forlorn, but they always came back smiling and laughing as if there was not a worry in the world.

Thinking about it now, Annabelle expected more tears to spill when the O.W.L's would come closer though—she didn't need bloody Divination for such a prediction.

Lily had always been a stress-crier.

One did not need to be a seer to know that.

"Do you guys hear that?" Marlene suddenly sat up straighter, eyebrows knitted together as she strained her neck upwards as if to catch a glimpse of the commotion going on.

Lily bit the inside of her cheek when she heard shouts echoing from somewhere out of their sight. "It doesn't sound good." She mumbled, worried eyes flickering towards the other three girls.

"Probably someone having a bit fun?" Julia suggested, but even she sounded unsure as the commotion grew louder.

Annabelle noted that loud laughter thundered over the grounds, but the shouts in between sounded quite worrisome.

"What do you suppose is so funny then?" Julia asked trying to find the source.

The girls shrugged as Annabelle and Lily slowly stood up to climb back up the slope in hopes of spotting the source.

"Oh no." Lily mumbled running off when they spotted exactly what was taking place just a little while away.

Annabelle Rose, in her fifteen years of life, liked to think she had the pleasure of witnessing quite a lot of beautiful sights. Especially growing up in the Muggle world as well as the Wizarding World.

She had viewed magic as the most wonderous thing to have ever existed. But as she stands on the top of the hill—her innocence on the subject does shine through. Because she adored magic and what it could do and in turn it also made her forgot about the horrible acts one could commit with the very same thing.

"Lily, wait." Annabelle was propelling herself after the redhead, following after girl.

Taking note of the commotion taking place, and the sudden departure of their other friends, Marlene and Julia jumped to their feet, abandoning their bags and hurriedly went to follow the other girls.

Arriving on the scene, Lily had already placed herself between the two opposing sides. With Severus Snape floating in the air, dark hair messily strewn across his forehead and his face contorted in anger. On the other side, like always, James and Sirius stood, with their wands raised and snickering like a bunch of preteens without a sense of decency or shame.

The brunette felt her face heat up in anger, wand hand twitching by her side when the boys remained with their wands pointed up despite Lily standing in the crossfire.

And while Annabelle had hoped their would be more people with common sense, it seemed that the only people surrounding the spectacle were a bunch of students just enjoying the show.

The brunette could only watch as Lily unleashed her fury, eyes blazing as if flames had ignited in them. Face as red as her own hair as she focused all her attention on the duo taunting Snape.

Annabelle shook her head in disappointment. How could she be so idiotic? How could she so easily forget the reason why she despised the boys standing across from her friend. One kind action didn't erase the years of harmful pranks and endless teasing.

They did say what's meant to be is meant to happen.

Well... her mother said what's meant to be is meant to happen. She had after all been quite the hopeless believer of fate. Annabelle was sad to say she didn't quite believe as fiercely in the same notion as her mother.

And Annabelle Rose was certainly not happy about what was taking place before her eyes.

"Those twats." Marlene's voice is shrill as she comes to stand next to Annabelle, Julia flanking the girl's other side. "It's like first year all over again. Do they ever just grow up?"

"Leave him alone, Potter!" Lily demands fiercely, drawing her own wand.

This does make the laughter around them falter. If one knew Lily Evans, one knew the girl rarely resolved to violence. That had always been Marlene's pick of potion with the help of Julia.

Lily was a peacekeeper, a talker, hell—she could probably debate Grindelwald to dead if she wished.

Lily with a drawn wand, was a very dangerous thing indeed.

James, however, as oblivious or as stupid as he was, just smiled lopsidedly at the redhead in front of him. An air of nonchalance around him as he remained with one hand tucked away in his pocket, the other waving his wand around. "Why?" He implored carelessly.

"What has he ever done to you." Lily shouted, taking a step closer to the bespectacled boy.

"You see, the greasy slimeball can't keep his big mouth shut." James twirled his wand, the boy falling in a heap on the ground. "It's rather rude."

But as James eyes remained trained on Lily, Severus dashed towards his own wand. But before he could mutter his spell, James had already jumped into action once more.

"Semper-"

And James was quicker. "Levicorpus."

Severus shot up in the air, an invisible force dangling him by his leg his robes falling by his head.

"Leave him alone Potter." Lily pressed, voice dangerously low.

"If you go out with me." James proposed cheekily.

Annabelle cringed at the words, eyes fluttering close for a second, knowing Lily was bound to explode at any moment now.

"No way I wouldn't even go out with you if I had to choose between you and an Erkling, I'd chose the Erkling every time." Lily bit back, her whole body shook, her hand tightly bawled around her wand in anger. "Now let him go."

With a shrug James let Severus fall to the ground with a thud making Annabelle flinch. She watched as Severus tried to grab his wand but before he could enclose his hand around it, Sirius stopped him this time with another hex.

In that moment Annabelle couldn't watch and stand by. Even if Severus wasn't as nice to her as to Lily, she knew the boy meant a great deal to the redhead.

"She said, leave him alone Black." Annabelle glared, shoulder tense and wand drawn out in front of her.

"Really Anna?" Sirius raised an inquisitive eyebrow at her. "It's Snivellus we're talking about."

"Just listen for once, and leave him alone." Annabelle argued.

"Don't make me hex you, Lily." James pleaded the playfulness in his tone gone when Lily remained standing in his way every time he tried to aim a spell at the Slytherin boy.

"Leave him alone, Sirius." Annabelle demanded once more

"Anna, it is nothing serious." Sirius replied grinning lazily.

"I will hex you." She stated.

"Let him go."

James sighed and muttered the counter-spell.

Severus was released and picked up his wand.

"You're lucky Lily and Annabelle were here, Snivellus."

"I don't need help from dirty half-bloods and Mud-bloods like them." Severus snarled in a fit of rage

Annabelle gasped when her gaze fell on Lily's pale face. Annabelle turned to Severus a deathly glare on her face just as she was about to draw her wand when James and Sirius did.

"Apologize now!" James snapped.

"Apologize." Sirius demanded.

Severus stalked off leaving Lily standing with a frown on her face. James turned to Lily to speak but she put her hand up.

"Don't." She shook her hand. Lily turned away from the scene and rushed to the castle.

Sirius stepped forward looking at Annabelle.

Annabelle glanced at him. "And I thought you guys weren't as bad as I believed. " She shook her head backing away. "Clearly you proved me wrong."

Just like that Annabelle followed after Lily's disappearing figure with Julia and Marlene trailing behind.

Annabelle liked many things, old records, hot chocolate with cinnamon, the smell of grass after rain, most importantly their little willow tree.

But Annabelle truly, completely, fully despite the sight she had just witnessed.

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬