Back to December [[OPEN]]

Jocelyn was taking a much needed break from her studies to walk around the frozen grounds of Hogwarts. She had not been able to find Evan, so that left her with some time to just be on her own. That was a good thing, she had a lot to think about. First on her mind was always her boyfriend. And he was going through a difficult time with his family right now. She didn't know all of the details, but she knew it wasn't like him to be so depressed. She wanted to find a way to help him, but then again, she also wanted to let him open up to her when he was ready.

Another thing that kept her thoughts busy was the internship that she had coming up at St. Mungo's. She felt like her whole life had been building up to her becoming a healer. And if it didn't go well with her healer at the hospital, she didn't know what she would do. She felt so much pressure to do well, not necessarily from her family, but from herself. Her father had passed away three years ago, and now money was tight for her and her mother. She knew that if she did become a healer, the money she earned would be a big help to them. She only prayed that she did not mess anything up.

She wasn't really paying attention to where she was going. She was just watching the breeze blow up little flurries of snow. And every once in a while, she would see a pixie or a dragonfly flitting across the ground to get to their home. She looked up as a small sparrow flew from a bush up to the sky. And that was when she saw Warren in the quidditch stands. She smiled at her friend and housemate, but as she got closer, she could tell that something was going on with him. She wouldn't pry...it wasn't like her to do so. But she did want him to know that she was there if he wanted someone to talk to.

"Hey, Warren. It's beautiful today, isn't it? Bloody freezing...but beautiful. Mind if I sit?"

Jocelyn

Jocelyn smiled and blew hot air into her hands, then rubbed them together, trying to warm them. God, it was freezing out here. But it almost felt good to be so close to the elements like this. She felt so small and insignificant out here. It was the perfect way to make her problems drift away, as if they were traveling on the wind with the snowflakes. And to be completely honest, her problems were not that monumental in the first place. She had a wonderful mother, a loving boyfriend, a promising internship...all in all, everything was fantastic. She was just a bit overwhelmed, nothing more. And she had never been one to whine or complain needlessly. So she just smiled at Warren and shook her head.

“Nothing much. I just like getting away from all of the hustle and bustle, you know? Even this seems better than the common room. And look, I’ve found myself a friend.”

Her smile deepened and she gently linked her arm with his. She hoped he wouldn’t mind the closeness, but it was very cold. And she knew he wouldn’t take it the wrong way. Neither one of them was interested in the other as anything more than a friend, and Jocelyn had to admit it felt nice to have someone near without any tension.

“What brings you out today, love? Is everything alright? You don’t have to tell me. Only you look like you could use a friend right now.”

She suddenly remembered a charm to create a small fire, so she pulled out her wand and created a small, glowing ball of blue flames in front of them. Then she put her wand away and rested her head on Warren’s shoulder.

“You don’t even have to speak if you don’t want. Hell, you could tell me to leave you alone, and I would. But if you’d rather have someone close by, I don’t have anywhere else I need to be right now.”