Drinking Alone ((Angel Simons))

[Julia Meadowes]

Today the students at Hogwarts were allowed to visit the wizard city Hogsmeade. Students rushed out of the school with groups of friends. Julia was among them, except she was alone. Julia had friends, except they weren't real friends. No, they were not imaginary, they were more of fellow Gryffindor's then friends. To Julia, they were just overly perky girls who knew nothing. They were nice, but Julia would never really fit in with them.

After wandering down the main street for a bit, Julia decided to stop at the Three Broom Sticks for a drink. Although it was a bit to popular and crowded for her, Julia was completely obsessed with the butter bears they sold their. Julia ordered one and sat down at an empty table toward the back. Looking around, she recognized a lot of Hogwarts students.

[Angel Simons]

Angel walked into The Three Broomsticks and ordered a simple Butter Beer. Looking around, she noticed quite a few Hogwarts students, then realised there must have been a trip today. I remember those... They were fun... Angel recalled, smiling a little to herself. Her eyes scanned the room some more, and then settled upon a girl who looked a little lonely. She was alone, and Angel didn't like seeing people alone. She walked over there and coughed politely. "Do you mind if I sit here? Everywhere else is taken..." She explained, only telling half a lie. In fact, there were no other seats, but the main reason Angel was over there was to keep the other girl company.

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[Julia Meadowes]

Julia looked up from her butter bear that she was staring at it with surprisingly a lot of concentration. She scanned the room and saw that the girl was right. Everywhere else was full. "No I don't mind if you sit here, seeing as every where else if full, but just so you no, I am not some lonesome little girl who is too weird to have any friends. Just slightly antisocial at the moment." Julia said bluntly.

[Angel Simons]

Angel laughed. She saw a lot of herself, or what she used to be, in this girl. "You saw right through that, huh? Well, I didn't think you were some lonesome little girl who is too weird to have any friends. Trust me. I was like you once, you know," she told her. Angel had only known this girl a minute or two, if that, and yet she could already see the resemblance between them. This girl was obviously outspoken, honest and straight to the point. Also, she had days like Angel did where she just wanted to be alone, even though she had friends. She didn't quite know how the girl would reply to that, so she just sat down and waited patiently for her reply.

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[Julia Meadowes]

"Yeah, it was a bit obvious. Although I have no idea who you are, I sort of see what you mean with being like me." Julia said. This girl was an adult. She probably had tons of other things she could be doing, yet she came to the Three Broom Sticks alone like Julia did. "I still doubt though that I'll ever find one really like me though." Julia added. Even her twin Theodora who was like Julia's other half was not even close to like Julia.

[Angel Simons]

Angel nodded, agreeing with what the girl was saying. "There's no one quite like anyone else in the world. That's the beauty of it. You can search the whole world and there will never be anyone quite like you," she said, an almost dreamy smile on her face. It was at this point that Angel felt it was time for introductions. "I'm Angel Simons. I'm 27 years young, and proud of it. I am currently unmarried and have no children. How about you?" She asked, for some reason providing a lot of information that probably wasn't needed in a general introduction. Still, it was nice to know about a person before you started talking to them normally. It saved any awkward questions later on in the conversation.

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[Julia Meadowes]

"I guess." Julia said with a smile. :People always say I'm just like my mom though." she added knowing it wasn't true. Her mother was an auror. Julia could never hope to achieve the smartness to become one. "I'm Julia Meadowes. I'm 13 years old, and fine with it. I am currently not married or in any relationship for that matter, and thankfully have no children." Julia said with a grin. Although most of that stuff she had just said besides her name and age, because she was very tall, was obvious, Julia said all that stuff anyways.

[Angel Simons]

"Who was your mother?" Angel asked, wondering if she'd have known her. Angel worked out that since she was thirteen, it was highly possible that Angel would have known her mother from Hogwarts, if that's where she had gone before, however there was still a chance that she didn't know her. That was why she asked.

Angel found herself laughing at the replies the girl had given her. The girl was indeed, a lot like her, but as she had said, she had her own way of doing things. Her own style, as they say. She couldn't quite believe this girl was thirteen, due to her height. "What year are you in at Hogwarts? I assume you do go to Hogwarts, yes? That's why you're here? School trip?" She asked, wondering if she had guessed right.

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[Julia Meadowes]

"My mom was Cassy Meadowes. Shes dead." Julia said bluntly with a hint of bitterness. If Julia was her twin right now, she'd be in tears at the mention of her mother, but Julia was stronger then that. Normally Julia didn't go around telling people about her mother, but up until now she was honest with Angel, so why not now? The main reason she didn't tell people was because she didn't want their pity. She didn't want to be known as the poor little girl whose mother died, and father was never there. "Please don't pity me." Julia added.

"I'm a proud third year Gryffindor" Julia said trying to smile. She couldn't bring herself to. "Yeah I go to Hogwarts, and you guessed right probably by the mob of Hogwarts students here. Its a school trip."

[Angel Simons]

Angel felt herself gasp, but she didn't quite realise she was doing it. "Cassy... She was one of my best friends. I could trust her with everything," she explained, smiling a little. She then let out a small laugh. "She's a great woman. Tell me, who's your father?" She asked, a little curious as to who Cassy hooked up with. She was more in it for the gossip than anything else. Smiling at the fact that she was a Gryffindor, Angel thought about how Cassy was a Gryffindor. Indeed, she was a lot like her mother. It was odd how alike the two were. Still, like mother, like daughter, as Angel always said.

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[Julia Meadowes]

Julia frowned. In the four years she had known her mother, she had known her to do a depressed work addicted women who was hardly home. It was only after her death that people started telling her she was just like her mother. Julia also hated to talk about her father for good reason. "I don't know." Julia answered simply. It didn't really bother Julia. If the bastard hadn't left, Julia wouldn't be living with Shelby, and would probably be living worse off.

[Angel Simons]

"Your mother was a wonderful woman. Full of life, fun. She never failed to make me laugh or smile, and was always there if you needed her. A true Gryffindor. You should be honoured that you're like her. She was a good woman. I don't know if you saw the side of her that we did, at school, but if you did then you'll know what I mean," she said, remembering all of the fun they used to get up to. And when Cassy dyed her hair pink. Good days for Angel. They brought a smile to her face every time she thought of them.

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[Julia Meadowes]

"Then we must be talking about different people." Julia said. There was no way that her mom could have ever been like that. "The Cassy I knew was a sugar addicted, depressed, work addict who was never home." Julia explained why she felt they couldn't be the same. "And to be frank, I doubt you were that good of a friend, because you obviously weren't there when she needed you most." Julia added after a moment of hesitation. Maybe that was crossing the line of it being good to be honest, but Julia couldn't help it. The only friend she'd ever even met of her mothers had been her god mother Shelby.

[Angel Simons]

Angel found herself glaring at the girl, not at all pleased with what she had said. "That was not my choice," she snapped. "If it were up to me, I'd have been with her to the end. That was out of line and out of order." Angel's volume had started to increase. "And how the hell should you know? You weren't me! You aren't me! Me and your mother were close. She was my best friend, of course I'd have liked to have been there until the end. But of course, you never wait for an explanation from anyone. Your mother was a wonderful woman. Maybe you didn't see the side of her that I did, but she helped me so much throughout those years. She was an amazing person, and you of all people should get that. She was your mother. My mother wasn't around for me, and then she was murdered. The only thing I ever regret is not appreciating her more!"

After Angel had finished her rant, she stood up quickly, knocking the chair over that she was sitting on. After everything she had done to try and be a good friend, it had all gone up in smoke and a girl who didn't even know her was calling her a bad friend. That was out of order. She quickly started walking away, not wanting to spend another moment with the girl in front of her. Leaving her drink behind, she left The Three Broomsticks with tears of anger streaming down her face.

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[Julia Meadowes]

Julia could feel the tears well up in her eyes, but she knew she wouldn't let herself cry. When Angel left, Julia knew she couldn't end the conversation like this. That would be just wrong. Julia knew she was being extremely rude, but Julia had always been like that when it came to family. She followed Angel outside, and found her crying. "Don't you dare walk away from me!" Julia yelled not caring that people on the streets were staring.

[Angel Simons]

Angel smirked a little and turned around to face the girl. "What are you going to do about it?" She asked in a sweet tone that everyone could tell was fake. "You insulted me to my face. I try my very hardest to be a good friend for people, and then you, without even knowing me, go and tell me that I wasn't a good friend to her. If I had a choice over the matter I would have been! But no. You don't know what it's like, do you? You don't know how it feels to have your life ripped away from you without a seconds notice. I couldn't even say goodbye to the people I cared about most! I've lost most of my friends and for what? Nothing. I wish I could go back and change things, but listen to me, sweety, life doesn't work like that!"

Angel could feel the anger welling up inside of her even more, and she was completely oblivious to the obvious stares the two girls were getting. There was a small circle of people around them now, and she couldn't care less. Angel knew she couldn't be able to fight the girl at all, since she was only thirteen and that would be child abuse, but she could still use a few bad words now and then. That couldn't hurt.

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[Julia Meadowes]

Julia couldn't help but grin slightly. Being brutally honest was what she did best. "Can't say you're any better! You know nothing of what I've been through and don't even give me a chance to explain! And I can't say I know what it feels like to have everything ripped away from me, because I had nothing to start with. My father is an asshole of a death eater who failed miserably at killing my mom, but he as good as well killed her! Given the chance if he's even a life I doubt he would hesitate to kill me and my half blood sister!" Julia continued yelling. That was more then she had ever told anyone. No body, but Shelby and her sister knew anything about her father. It was at this point that Julia started crying, and she hated when she did that. It made her feel so weak, but she couldn't be for her sister's sake.

"I can't say I've had any other real parental figure! My mom was never around, and I don't think an elderly baby sitter counts too! Home was no where! It wasn't here, or at my great aunt's house in Ireland!" Julia continued. Julia never got as bad as her twin when it came to family stuff, but she came pretty close. "I'm a reject. Thats all I'll ever be. My father never wanted me along with my mom, and certainly Shelby never wanted me. She has enough things to deal with." Julia said more to herself trying to calm down, but still crying.

[Angel Simons]

"Yes, but I never judged you before I knew you. There's a difference between accusing someone of something they didn't do and just not knowing about someone, yeah? Do you actually think that I would want to be away from my friend's death? Of course not! Do you think that I wanted to leave for ten years, leaving friends, family and relationships behind? No. I didn't."

"Besides, You're less of a reject than I was. I was living in an orphanage, my husband didn't want me so threw me away, and then I ended up being moved away to France for ten years because not even the orphanage wanted me. You call yourself a reject.. Ha!" She yelled, tears streaming down her own face, however hers were not of sadness, but of anger.

[Julia Meadowes]

"You think you know what its like to be a reject but you don't! For 13 years I've known that my life has been a mistake! For 13 years I've known that my parents would have rather me be dead." Julia yelled. No one would ever yell at Julia and get away with it. "And for 9 years I've known that its my fault moms dead." Julia added quietly to herself.

Deep down Julia knew it was the truth however much she tried to deny it. Her mother had been an unknown order member until her 'father' exposed her. If it hadn't been for her kids, her mom probably would have been half way to Peru by the time the death eaters came to kill her.

"You call yourself a reject, I don't deny it because the truth is no body cares about anyone anymore. In fact, I'll be the bigger person, and let you be more of a reject, but at least you're no one whole big regret." Julia added calmly wiping away the last of her tears. "Have a good life, hope for both of your sakes that you never meet my sister, and good bye." Julia added turning to leave. She didn't want to deal with this any more.

[Angel Simons]

Angel glared at the small girl, remembering what her mother's temper had been like. "You've definitely got her temper," she told her softly, before turning to leave herself. She couldn't stand to be there any longer. Any longer and Angel knew she'd break down, and she definitely didn't want that.

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[Julia Meadowes]

Julia stopped in her tracks. She had never before heard about her mothers temper. Julia was always told that she looked like her, played quidditch like her, was nice like her, fun like her, and crazy like her, but never anything about the negative side Julia had known of Cassy until now. "Thanks." Julia said not looking at her.

[Angel Simons]

"Why are you thanking me?" She asked, a little confused. Wiping away the tears of anger that had fallen, Angel sighed and walked over to a tree. She leaned up against it, watching Julia stop dead in her tracks. "Why did you suddenly stop?" She asked, more than a little curious. She had never gotten that sort of reaction before, and she wasn't used to it. If you don't understand something, what better to do than to question it?

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[Julia Meadowes]

"I don't know." Julia answered honestly wondering why she did. No reason came to her. Julia couldn't possibly be thanking her for being rude to her. "And I hardly ever do, but at the time it felt like the right thing to do." Julia explained. Angel deserved an answer, so Julia thought harder. "I guess its just because you made me realize some things." Julia decided.

[Angel Simons]

Angel raised an eyebrow in response. "What did I make you realise?" She asked, confusion still showing on her face. She didn't really expect that kind of answer at all. She expected a sarcastic comment of some kind. Such as 'Thanks for being a bitch' or 'for nothing', certainly not that kind of response. Still, it was a welcome change from all of the shouting being done. She was happy about that. Angel really didn't know what to say to that, or what to do.

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[Julia Meadowes]

"For starters thanks for actually yelling back. Its nice not to have to do all the yelling for once." Julia said actually smiling. She didn't want to explain why no one talked back to her in school. She didn't want Angel to know that everyone thought of her as the poor girl with the dead mom. "And thanks for helping me see another side of my mom." Julia added. When ever people like Shelby talked about her mom, it was always just positive.

[Angel Simons]

Angel smiled a little. "Your mother was nice, but my God she had a temper on her. She wasn't one to mess with, was Cassy. Still, it made her all the more special," she laughed. She honestly couldn't imagine her life without Cassy. She was always there when Angel needed her. "It's a shame that you didn't get to see the sides of her that everyone else did. I wish you could, but you can't turn back time, so there's no point in getting upset over it. And, just to let you know, I always yell back," she laughed. Angel was smiling now and she walked a little closer to Julia.

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[Julia Meadowes]

Julia smiled because she liked when people talked about her mother. No it did not make Julia miss her more, but it made her appreciate her more. "Life for everyone in general is a shame and full a misery, making me no different. Its how we deal with it that makes us special." Julia laughed too and said, "I thought so. You seem like the type to yell back."

[Angel Simons]

Angel nodded, realising just how mature this girl was. She had knowledge about life far beyond her age would suggest, just like her mother did. Angel was nothing like her mother or her father. She was more like her grandmother, but she soon passed away due to illness. Angel wished she had spent more time with her mother, growing to appreciate her more and more, however she never did. Her whole family hardly ever spoke. Angel hated that, but it was the way things were. She didn't think they could ever be any different. Of course, now she realised quite how wrong she was. "So, where would you like to go?" She asked, looking around the place and noticing how many hundreds of Hogwarts students were walking around.

It was so different than the quiet village it normally was. Angel wondered if she used to look like that when she visited. All happy and care free. Walking around in great big groups of friends, even though Angel used to go to Hogsmeade alone most days. She highly doubted it about the care free, though. Things had gone too wrong for her in school. Still, she was happy with how things happened, because otherwise she wouldn't be who she was today if things had been different.

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[Julia Meadowes]

Julia looked around. The streets were filled with care free Hogwarts students. Most people in a situation like Julia's would wish to be anyone of them, but Julia just wanted to be herself. "Anywhere works for me." Julia said with a smile. When she had finished at the Three Broomsticks, she had intended to go back to Hogwarts. After all, hanging out in a place you've been tons of times all alone was no fun despite Julia's hate for school. Now it was different.

[Angel Simons]

Angel thought for a moment before shrugging. "I don't really remember any good places to go around here. It's been a while," she said, sighing a little and trying to think of somewhere to go. "We could always just walk about a bit and see if we can think or find something to do, yeah?" Angel suggested, offering a warm smile to a couple who looked at her with a puzzled face. She assumed that it was because the girl she was yelling at just moments ago was now talking to her and they actually appeared to be getting along. If it wasn't that, Angel would have worried about what it was.

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