Not even the clouds and the cold could keep Aoife Maeve Moffett from going outside. Dressed in her casual shirt and jeans she ran outside with her beat up red bag. Running and running, but she couldn't find anyone to play with. 'Where is everyone? losers...' She scoffed in her head.

Seriously though, where was everyone? To Aoife, it was beginning to feel like home in Feeny, where there was no one to play with. 'That might have been my own fault...' But Aoife quickly pushed that thought out of her mind when she realized her bare feet had gone into the Black Lake of Hogwarts. "Ah!" She quickly took two steps back. Aoife could handle cold, but the lake was practically frozen.

She sighed and turned around, planning to go back inside when she saw the boy. Rupert? No, Roland. She had seen him that day in January. A flash of anger had surged when she remembered how rude he had been. He hadn't even helped find out what was in the package! Aoife stared and stared at him until an idea came into her head.

Aoife tried to act casual as her bare feet walked her closer and closer to Roland, but did he even notice her?

The sun was peaking through the scattered cloud cover today, though there was still the risk of some rain showers. After the dreary overcast weather from the past couple of days broke, Roland Dylanis figured that now was as good a time as any for him to get some valuable alone time after classes concluded on Friday. Having finished his immediate homework, the boy felt it would do him some good to get some sun, even though it was still forty-five degrees. However, the lack of a wind meant that the are was crisp and cool as opposed to the wind chill making it very unpleasant.

His legs stretched out before him on top of his favorite rock back the lakeside, Rou breathed deep, contented sighs with a small smile on his face while his eyes closed. Instead of actually thinking while he whittled at his small block of pinewood, Rou instead opted for improvisation, allowing his hands to do the work as opposed to his mind. It was an interesting sensation for him; letting go of his body for a brief time and letting it do its own thing. It was something he knew his grandfather would never tolerate out of him, considering the discipline and stringent work the boy went through prior to Hogwarts.

Contentedly wiggling his toes inside of his Converse high-tops, Rou continued this new experience, for he knew it wouldn't be lasting that much longer for him once term was over.

No, it didn't look like he did notice her. Aoife huffed, even angrier now. She was about to yell when she noticed his shoes. A memory came to her of seeing an older girl with similar looking shoes. She had asked her mother for shoes like them but she had said that even if they could find ones that fit, they were too expensive.

Aoife glared at the boy, he must have come from a rich family to afford clothes and shoes like that. She stepped closer and closer to him before she gently put her small hands on his converse trainers. First was the unlacing, the laces were done up in a knot that Aoife had never seen before. Some could say it would take magic to undo a knot like that. Aoife Moffett managed to do both knots in 20 minutes.

With the knots undone Aoife started to slide them off. The shoes actually seemed sort of small up close and Aoife wondered if they would fit her. Once the shoes were off, Aoife came across plain black socks. Now this would be trickier. Aoife just stood there before deciding to bite the bullet and pinch the loose parts of both socks with both small hands before pulling gently. The soft socks slid off of the fellow Hufflepuff's feet and dangled in her hands.

'Wow...I did it...Better get out of here now!' Aoife thought before his feet caught her eye. 'They're so...small. Like mine, Hah, he has girly feet.' Now was a good time to back away slowly.

The pleasant air felt cool upon his small, bare feet as Roland continued his work, not paying much attention to the world around him as he continued his deep breathing in order to harmonize himself. When Roland stopped, he opened his brilliant azure eyes and looked down at the sculpture he had been fashioning. He was awestruck to see what was probably the best carving he had ever done since taking up his little ritual.

It was a swan: A beautiful American breed with the mottling of pure-white colored feathers implied by the carvings for the wings. The neck was graceful and gorgeous, with the eyes half-open, as if the creature was just waking up in the morning. He had rendered every detail... excellently! And yet, as he regarded this creation with wonder, he knew that he would have to throw this sculpture away. Grandpa Roland did not like that he used Robert's prized dagger as nothing more than a whittling tool.

Roland turned to begin looking for a bin to toss the sculpture into when he started wiggling his toes to find... no resistance! It was almost as if they were in nothing more than thin air! Roland turned to look at his feet and saw that his feet had been completely stripped bare, and almost as soon as he noticed Rou felt a small, noticeable chill on his spine from the brisk air as it hit his vulnerable, boyish toes. He knew he brought shoes, even when he walked barefoot he kept his shoes close by! Quickly darting his head around, he finally noticed a person slowly backing away from him, her feet also bare.

It was that Moffet girl! The one he had pushed his way past going to the aviary the other week! Quickly sheathing his dagger, Roland turned his body to face her, showing that she was definitely caught, though he didn't reach for his wand. But even when he opened his mouth to speak, he couldn't really find it in himself to speak forcefully toward her and instead just felt like turning back to his work and letting her have his shoes and socks.

"Um," he started off, his tone quiet and a bit shy, "Could I have my shoes back... please?"

Aoife froze, he had finally seen her. But she still had the shoes and socks, so maybe she could throw them in the lake. But when she saw the swan she looked amazed. There was a woodcarving shop next to the bakery Aoife often went to, so she would often see figurines of cats and fairies and buildings while helping Mrs. Delaney bake bread.

When he spoke, there was even more surprise, where was that arrogant tone that he had used when they first met? 'Maybe carving relaxes him...Oh! I know!' Aoife suddenly smiled.

"Maybe I'll give them back...If you give me that swan. Otherwise these are going in the lake." Aoife held up the shoes and socks and waved them slightly. "What will it be...What's your name again?"

"Um...Roland," the boy replied, his toes wiggling a bit from the cold, "You could call me 'Rou', I guess..." Rou stepped onto the chilly ground from his rock and sat upon it, his bare feet in the grass. He clenched and unclenched them as he contemplated the beautiful swan he had just made, which he knew he'd have to discard anyway like he did many of his other creations. Meekly, Rou looked Aoife right in the eyes and outstretched the hand holding his carving. He did not hold the gaze long, but he did maintain it long enough to tell her that he was complying with her demands to give her the swan and not pulling a fast one on her.

"Could I have my shoes back, now?" he quietly said.

"Rou...I like that name." Aoife smiled before putting her arm out to take the swan, it was quite pretty, a lot of details and it would be hard to guess that it was made on a whim. Aoife just stood there, looking at it with a big smile on her face. She had to show this to her mother when she went back home for the summer! Of course, she might want to omit how she got it...

"Could I have my shoes back, now?"

"Hm? Oh right! Catch!" She threw the shoes and socks at Roland's arms before plopping down to the ground and criss-crossing her short legs, her bare toes wiggling as she got seated. "So is this what you do in-between classes?"

She sat down. Clearly she was not going to go away while Rou simply wanted to be left alone. Yet then again, he did not want her to go away, for whatever reason. Perhaps it was because this was the first time someone had actually struck up brief conversation with him and then stuck around afterward. She was, clearly, a bit interested in him. As he dusted off his feet and began to pull his shoes and socks back on them, Rou met the girl's eyes and replied.

"Yeah. I like enjoying a bit of time alone, you know," the boy said as he finished lacing up his shoes, warming his chilled feet right back up, "Not a lot of people like talking to the odd Welsh boy who talks like an American and makes wood carvings. Why did you take my shoes, Aoife?"

Aoife had remembered being a bit amazed when she first heard him speak. The only person she knew with that kind of accent was her mother. Not even Aoife herself talked the way she did. Maybe he was from America...Wait, he just said he was from Wales.

'Aoife! Stop being silly, obviously his parents are from America!' Aoife then nodded to herself. Yeah, that made sense.

Finally realizing she must look quite silly just standing in front of Rolan and nodding to herself she asked, "You're from Wales right? So why do you talk like an American?"

Rou noted her avoidance of his question. He would bring it up again, because something like that was not exactly spontaneous, but for now he would simply answer her question. It was odd that she would ask such a question, as he really did not pay his speaking mannerisms and accent any real mind.

"I was raised by my dad's parents. My mother was Welsh and my father was an American," he said carefully, not trying to go too deep into his life's story, "When my parents were killed by Snatchers during the Crisis, my grandparents took up the task of raising me in my birthplace of Wales. Simple as that, really. Now, why did you take my shoes?" Rou finished by reiterating his earlier question, more because he was genuinely curious than anything.

"Because you were mean that time Carmody found that box in the owlery. Also everyone says you think you're better than the rest of us." It was simple as that really. Although Aoife could be considered clever, she had yet to discover that just because people say one thing is true, doesn't make said thing true.

Once what Rou had said about his parents registered with her, she looked down. "Oh..." She had never liked talking about depressing topics. Well, except for that one time with Frank Sellaphix. But that didn't count, or so Aoife thought. She decided to move back to the shoes in her thoughts.

"They're Muggle shoes." Aoife said. A true but obvious statement.

It was clear that his remark about his parents' murder took Aoife by surprise. Rou felt a little bad about it, as he could tell that the issue affected her, but then again he did not care too much about it, considering that she had just gotten done distressing him greatly. Her last remark about his shoes, however, prompted the boy to raise an eyebrow at her for its peculiarity.

"What does that have to do...?" the boy said, his question trailing a bit as he acknowledged her statement's honesty, at the very least. Still, he was rather bewildered that his shoes being of Muggle make would prompt them to be stolen right off his feet!

"Huh?" Aoife looked confused before smiling. "Oh! That wasn't the reason I tried to steal them! I was just pointing out that they're Muggle shoes." Aoife explained. She had to think about why she thought to steal his shoes of all things...It's not like they would even fit her tiny feet. Did she hear that he liked his shoes from somewhere?

That must have been it! Of course, Aoife couldn't remember if she had really heard that or if it was an invention of her own mind. Nevertheless, it was quite rude to not respond to a conversation partner for a long time. So Aoife felt that she had to respond with something.

"Do you like your shoes?" She asked finally.

"What kind of question is that?!", the boy said, his face now looking even more astonished than before. This girl was peculiar, there was no doubting it. Her tendency to squint and her bare feet, in addition to the seemingly nonsensical question, definitely belied some form of eccentricity in her personality. And yet, instead of being revolted, Rou was more interested and curious about Aoife, he could not really tell why.

"I guess," he finally said, shrugging after he finished gathering his thoughts from the girl's question, "Why? Do you like not wearing shoes? I'm guessing that you're not carrying them with you like I do. Sometimes, I like to take mine off, but that doesn't really matter..."

"I think someone said you really liked your shoes. At least, I think someone had said that." Now Aoife was more unsure. Maybe she had thought the whole thing up and now this boy thought she was a freak. Another failed friendship. This time, it didn't even have time to evolve into a new friendship.

'No!' Aoife thought. 'I will not let this fail!'

"It's really hard finding shoes that fit me. The shrinking and expanding charm doesn't really work right on them either, so mum and me can't change the shoes I used to wear. She says she doesn't know where my shoe size came from." She said, looking down at her eight-year-old looking feet and wiggling her toes. "Mum tries, but she can't afford good shoes all the time, so they don't fit right a lot of the time. So I just take them off."