Mid-morning Sunday, and Ambrose Pepper was wrapped in his warmest coat, which he had got for Christmas. A stripy Gryffindor scarf was wound up to his neck above the black coat, and he sported a matching woolly cap. Just the thing considering the weather, it was below freezing, but at least it wasn't snowing, or raining.

The fourth year was quite glad to be back. He was back amongst his friends, back to see Cyhirae, away from family and all the strangeness, back to some routine and normality. He'd also been itching all Christmas to get back to working on the technique Professor Kesali had shown him that final week. Wordless magic was the hardest thing Ambrose had ever attempted, and since arriving back at Hogwarts he'd devoted as much time in short bursts as he could.

With his face screwed up like he had severe constipation, Ambrose growled exasperated at a pebble on the bank of the lake which refused to move despite his mental cajoling.

"Bah! Not like I wanted you to move anyway!" Ambrose snapped at it, and then stalked away down the side of the lake, huffing. His eyes picked out a familiar figure up ahead, and his features turned into a smile which was half smothered by his scarf. He liked Moira, but that fuss over what she'd done to Winnie had rather soured the attempt at being friends. But, she was still cool.

Raising a hand to wave, he called to Moira,
"Hey, hope I wasn't disturbing you." Ambrose greeted, disturbing her now anyway. He glanced around them, just in case one of their classmates jumped out from behind a rock.
"How are you? How was your Christmas...? Did you go riding?"

Sunday evenings were the saddest part of the week. It meant the start of another five days in which she would be stuck in a group of people unable to hide as often or be to herself. Fortunately, she still had the rest of the day before evening fell and she planned to enjoy it. It was far too cold for many people to be wandering out about the lake so logically it was the place she decided to go.

Moira sat under her usual tree not too far from the lake with her sketchbook to a blank page, staring at the water. Or she did until a familiar voice called to her. Turning her head she looked to see the 4th year Gryffindor boy, Ambrose, moving toward her. Well, apparently he was one of the few who didn't mind the cold so much, and he was rather bundled up.

Hearing his questions she gave them a few seconds thought before they fully registered. "Um, I'm alright. Christmas was good and yes, I did." Moira was silent for a couple moments before her uncle's words about being polite came back to her. "What about you?"

Ambrose was pleased to hear Moira was generally alright, with the end of last term and her general wish to be alone he had been wondering. Then again, didn't even sad people say they were alright?

"I didn't get to ride winged horses, if that's what you mean." Ambrose smiled, pulling his scarf down from his mouth so he could speak more easily. "Spent it with family, which was nice, visited Mum in St Mungo's Christmas afternoon. Few surprises along the way,"

The Gryffindor raised his eyes to the sky, not sure how to quite explain things. "My uncle and aunt came back from their trip to America, so been hearing all about that, oh, and got a new coat. Handy for when I'm playing spot-the-thestral at the pens in the next few months."

He tilted his head, seeing her sketchbook.

"What's the subject today? Invisible fish jumping in the lake?" That was a joke. Ambrose was pretty sure the trend of invisible animals had to stop with the thestrals in terms of what Moira could see, and he couldn't...

Moira listened as he told her about what happened over his holiday break and silently wondered why his mom would be at St. Mungos. She either worked there or she was a patient, and Moira wasn't about to ask which. It wasn't really her business, anyway.

Glancing up again when he asked about the subject she blinked. "The giant squid, actually." She'd only seen it a few times, but when it came to animals, Moira had a fantastic memory. In an odd way, the animal was rather... magnificent. Normally she preferred fur or hair instead of slimy and squishy - not that she was squeamish about such things - but there was something rather... unique about it.

"Um.. what brings you out here then?" It was possible it was for the same reason that brought her out there. No other people.

"The giant squid, actually."

Ambrose's eyes bulged a moment, thinking she had him on and then noticed Moira's deadpan expression. The girl either would be a menace at card games or she was being serious.

"Oh!" The Gryffindor replied, "Really, well, blimey. Not sure I've ever seen it... I haven't scared it away have I...?" He cringed, looking out to the lake, and then back at Moira, but she didn't seem overly fussed.

"Um.. what brings you out here then?"

"Practise. I'm less likely to do damage to people's stuff out here." Ambrose grinned bittersweetly, moving his feet to perch on a nearby rock, not too close to Moira, but close enough to hold a conversation without shouting. The rock was freezing against his buttocks, and he yanked his coat down and sat on it.

"Before Christmas Professor Kesali told me I'd about failed my charms exam, y'know the one we did with the Headmistress? But he gave me a chance to try again, like, when nobody was watching. But thing was, he made me do it without speaking. Thought he was crazy -" Ambrose lowered his voice and leaned towards Moira, "- well, he kinda is isn't he?"

He sat up again and grinned.
"Anyhow, it sort of worked but it was the end of term. I've been trying to get the hang of it ever since. Not really happening, but at least I'm not blowing things up."

He tilted his head, sneaking a look at the sketchbook.
"So uhm, what does the squid actually look like?"

"No, you haven't scared it away. I've only seen it a few times when I was sitting out here so I'm drawing it from memory." Moira shrugged some and resumed drawing as he took a seat and told her what he was doing there. Not blowing things up was good. She wasn't likely to forget the time he blew up the apple anytime soon, if ever. It had sort of helped in a roundabout way but she wasn't telling him about that now, if ever.

When he asked about what the squid looked like though she finished the line she was doing and turned the book so he could see. "It's good that the wordless spell casting is helping a little bit. I'm sure you'll get better at it... I only manage it sometimes."

"Oh." Ambrose offered in response to her explanation about the squid, which he listened to, captivated. Moira knew all sorts of wonderful things about creatures, and he was sure he could listen to her for a whole afternoon, but as it was, it was cold, and his bottom was feeling the cold as he perched.

"It's good that the wordless spell casting is helping a little bit. I'm sure you'll get better at it... I only manage it sometimes."

"You can do it?" Ambrose exclaimed with excitement. "Really? Proper wordless magic? How did you learn to do it? That's incredible, its impossible!." He jumped up a little as she told him, his eyes wide and expression keen.

His excitement about her wordless spell casting told her he had likely forgotten all about the time he, and several others, had witnessed the after effects. The spell had been great... but completely unnecessary. Winnie hadn't intended ill will towards her and now she thought Moira was out to really harm her even if she had apologized.

"So far I've only managed it reflexively.... like in Professor Kesali's Extra Credit Class. With, ah, Winnie." Moira had to admit. She was curious as to what his response would be. Would he pretend she hadn't said anything and move on to a different topic, ask what had happened, leave, or do something else?

Righting her sketchbook again she resumed drawing and waited to see what he would do next. The way he had been shifting about hinted that the cold was bothering him sitting on that rock, but she had stopped feeling the cold by that point. She'd notice it again when she went back in, likely.

When she explained, Ambrose's mouth made an oh just above his scarf which he'd pulled down to speak more clearly. He hadn't thought about it in that way.

"Oh, right then, oh yeah..." His eyes studied the ground a moment, uncomfortable, "That sort of took me by surprise, and everyone else I think. I hadn't realised that's what you meant." Biting his lip softly he looked back up at Moira reproachfully.

"I know everyone was angry over it, but it sounds like it was more reflex, right, and you weren't meaning to hurt her, or planning to do it before that moment. It was like jumping in alarm, only your wand was in your hand, right?" Ambrose suggested and sighed, looking as sympathetic as possible.

"I know it made things difficult with people. Winnie's been my best friend since first year, and well, I tried to make her see, but I think you gave her a shock. She thought Moira McBoid was pretty harmless." He smiled and chuckled, "I dunno, apart from the whole drawing blood - though that was an accident - I rather like Moira McBoid."

Moira had to admit inwardly she was surprised at his response. With a small nod she responded, "It was reflex. Everyone being angry didn't really bother me, still doesn't. Perhaps it is a little... annoying what with Winnie's caterwauling  charm set up around her bed and the glares from her friends." At that she just shrugged. She didn't think that highly of those who hadn't earned it, and that was most anyone. Ambrose... seemed to be going up on the list.

"I know nastier hexes, but even reflexively I didn't intend to hurt her. I just wanted to get away. ...It wasn't her fault." Annoying as her fellow Hufflepuff could be... Moira couldn't blame her. His comment about liking her had her looking up at him again with a slightly confused look in her eyes. "Why?"

"Sorry about all that. I think nobody expected it, that's all… you're so quiet in lessons people had underestimated, and you couldn't have picked anyone more vocal than if you perhaps went for O'Doherty." Ambrose shrugged, "And Casey uses long words I don't know to insult people, so we'd only have to grab a dictionary to know what he was on about."

Ambrose scuffed a foot on the ground.
"Why?" He asked, tilting his head and frowning. "Uhm, well, you're cool. You like magical creatures like me, and you told me all about thestrals before Christmas. You can draw brilliantly, but differently to Zeta, y'know," he referred to his cousin who was also in their class, "you're clever, you're nice to me and don't treat me like an idiot…"

Ambrose's voice had trailed off behind his scarf again and his foot was busy scuffing the ground still.

"Am I not allowed to like you because I'm Cyhirae's boyfriend?"

Moira shrugged when he mentioned people had simply underestimated her because she was so quiet. "Not your fault. You shouldn't be sorry." The idea of accidentally hitting O'Doherty instead of Winnie brought a faint smile to her face though it faded quickly enough. That tirade would have been amusing and it would have ended much worse, more than likely.

When Ambrose went on to explain some of the reasons why he liked her she nodded a little. Even if she disagreed with some of what he said, like being clever, it made sense. When he mentioned being Cyhirae's boyfriend, however, she had ta blink and stare at him. Shaking her head some she answered, "I wouldna know about any of that. I have a... habit of tuning out people as they talk ta each other. It doesn't bother me."

"I wouldna know about any of that. I have a... habit of tuning out people as they talk ta each other. It doesn't bother me."

Ambrose stopped scuffing his foot and looked up.
"Huh? Sorry, I don't know what you mean..?" He looked confused by the expression Moira had used, more than her accent. His was a Southern English one, which was generally clear and was easy for the foreigners to understand. Ambrose wished he could say the same for the foreign contingent, who he struggled to understand on a daily basis - though his ear had tuned in of late, and the Salem students weren't that hard.

"Ok, I'm glad it doesn't bother you. I hoped it wouldn't, and we'd be cool. I do like you. I'd have... I'd have asked you to the ball, but stuff happened, and well, it was just awkward. And I didn't realise Cyhirae would say yes when I asked her, or become my girlfriend, which is really great, and all but... I erm, I liked ... I like talking to you, but it just seems like you don't want me to when we're around everyone else."

The Gryffindor gave a shrug, wondering if that were true.

Moira shook her head a little bit. "Ah just meant that Ah din-nae always listen teh people when they're talking around me." Most of the time their conversations were entirely irrelevant and unrelated to her, informative or not though they might be.

Blinking when he spoke of asking her to the ball, Moira sat back and looked to him once again. "Din-nae feel bad. Ah likely would have turned yeh down simply because of the crowds. Ah din-nae really do social events.... As fer talking ta me, ye can any time ye wish to. Ah just..... Even after being here at Hogwarts fer four years Ah still din-nae do well surrounded by people." Moira had, and likely always would, prefer to be surrounded by nature and creatures rather than people. It was why she always longed for the spaces of home.

"Oh! Oh right, I get you." Ambrose exclaimed after her initial explanation, and he let her continue.

"I dunno, sometimes listening to what's going on can be helpful. Don't you worry what other people say sometimes?" He asked Moira, curious, "I suppose you don't give people much reason to talk about you?" Ambrose shrugged, considering the tactic.

"Well, we're cool, anyhow," He explained as if there was any doubt. "I like talking to you, I'd do it more often, but I kind of feel I'm invading your space and your..." he tried to click his fingers a little unsuccessfully because of the amount of layers he had on, "solly..." what was the damned word, "you know, being alone stuff?"

He laughed at himself,
"Even if I can't find the right words anyway. That's me, trying to talk but tongue-tied, and you, the one who can talk great stuff but keeps quiet." Ambrose gestured with his arms out as to how they were polar opposites.

"Course I'll talk to you, and if you don't want to talk, I can always do it for us both, and you can shove me off my seat if you get bored of me." He grinned at Moira genuinely, really very glad he was finally getting to know his quiet classmate.