During the brief time students had after classes but before dinner Juni had invited Obderedria out to the front courtyard. The weather was getting somewhat warmer so the walks to the greenhouses weren't as cold.

Apprehensive wasn't quite the right word to describe what Obderedria was feeling. She still felt like she had to apologize to Juni although she had done so numerous times since the middle of January when Obderedria's hair had--

--flared up for lack of a better term. Her hair had simmered some since then. While it didn't try to strangle and throttle everything it grew quickly--Obderedria needed it cut once a week. And sometimes depending on her mood it got frizzy or a lock might whip about like a cat's tail but it was mostly harmless.

And Juni had been there to help her with the hair problem. And Juni was also there when they spent a day trapped in each other's bodies along with most of the school. Obderedria never would have thought of it during her first year but she was liking getting to know Juni better, a semi-older friend.

"Hello Juni," Obderedria said when she got to where the Ravenclaw was standing by the doors. "You wanted to show me something?"

Juni rather liked Drea’s company.

Though they were only thrown together during the most ridiculous of times. Times that aggravated and outright bothered Juni to no end. She had hated being in Drea’s body. She had despised having to help the second-year deal with her nasty hair problem. In a way, she was glad that they went through that together, even if Juni didn’t exactly enjoy it at the time. It had allowed her to get to know the girl whose hair was as freckled as Juni’s skin.
It was time for them to interact in a situation that wasn’t totally weird.

Juni’s loving father had sent her a box of candies (as well as a pair of shoes, but Juni wasn’t going to share that). Drea had a fondness for all things delicious. And, like she always was, the Ravenclaw wanted to be generous, to share her goods with anyone around her. Usually, it was members of her own house.

“M’dad sent me chocolates.” She said, “Different sorts, all kinds.” Juni shook the box around, “Want some?”

"Chocolates?" The mere thought and box rattle almost made Obderedria salivate like the namesake pavlovian bell--dog. Chocolate was one of the many things that could pick up her mood and the wizarding world considered it very important as well. Having a Chocolate Frog or a bar on hand after exposure to some monsters and magical shocks were encouraged--insofar as Obderedria could make sense of her Defense homework sometimes, a subject that periodically scared her.

It had been a while since she had enough allowance for an order from Honeydukes so the thought of sharing perked her right up. She'd have to share something with Juni when she next got some sweets.

"What kinds are they? That must have been a fun post receiving, can't remember the last time I got something from mum." Because of Patricia Pieneas continued jumpiness around owls. Obderedria's face fell blank in thought for a second. What really had been the last thing she'd even gotten mailed out, food-wise? She wanted to say pizza delivery but that sounded ridiculous.[1]

1.	Takeout Delivery - Oct 19 09

“There’s some fruity ones. Some color changing ones that change which aftertaste it has depending on the color it is when you eat it. Um, got some sea salt caramels…” Juni shrugged, “Cream filled chocolates. No chocolate frogs, though. I already shared those with someone.” And they had, of course, let the frog escape. They only had one good jump in them, and the chocolate frog had used it to flee. Why someone decided to leave a window open in the Ravenclaw tower was beyond Juni’s comprehension, and why someone would open a chocolate frog by an open window with a steep drop was even more baffling.

And a total waste of a perfectly good chocolate frog.

At least he had gotten to keep a card (that one depicted Harry Potter himself!).

Juni gave Drea a sympathetic look, “Your mum doesn’t send you things? How awful. My dad sends me enough for the two of us. I’ll always be more than happy to share.”

"Well, it's not as if she doesn't care--" Obderedria was fiddling with her bangs. Now that her hair was always longer than normal sometimes, just the right slip could bring down a brown and green curtain to hide her face when she was embarrassed-- "It's the owls, in particular, that she's never gotten used to. I don't even know if she knows that, well, magic owls can carry a whole package by the wrapping string. So I usually get stuff from her at the holidays."

At least the school owls didn't nip at fingers to demand tips in their coin pouches on their legs, like the newspaper ones. Which is why Obderedria ever only had the one magazine from Witch Weekly and her mother needed a visit to the emergency clinic.

"Your father must be nice. I don't really know how many others in my house get packages from home." Typically Obderedria was focused on other things when the post owls came at breakfast. As for some of her roommates, say Heliotrope, the care package would literally have to be 'shipped.' And probably be smelt.

Juni frowned. It seemed, from her point of view, that Drea’s mother just didn’t care enough to get used to the owls. Yeah, the whole magic thing took some getting used to for muggle parents, but… Still. Juni’s mom had always sent her letters and newspaper clippings. Afterwards, she’d moan and complain about owl post. But still, she made an effort that extended beyond only holiday contact. Juni missed that, though she wouldn’t ever say it. It was easier to pity someone else, than it was to focus on your own losses.

“My dad is the nicest dad ever.” She grinned, “I’m so lucky to have him. He sends me gifts all the time and doesn’t treat it like… I owe him anything in return. That’s what gifts should be! Freely given, without expecting anything in return.” In return though, Juni sent him letters and tried to draw, though she wasn’t very good. Her creativity was focused more on music.

“Do you have a dad, Drea?” She had never heard her mention her father.

For all that Obderedria and Juni had become friends after shaky starts--like mutual freak outs over their brief body switch--there were some noticeable differences in their perspectives. A complementary kind of contrast as Obderedria tried to think. Even though Juni may have her own opinions on Obderedria's mother, Obderedria was confused about what Juni was saying about her father, even if she was gushing about him.

"You--owe your parents something after gifts?" She almost understood what Juni was talking about--after all, her and her mum would never be considered rich by muggle or magical standards--still even though Obderedria knew that there were many thinks she might like or want to have the times her mother Patricia managed to find a way to give something as a present it was 'freely' given even if it wasn't free--

"--a dad?" Obderedria hugged an arm across her torso, folding lengths of her hair between her fingers. "I do--well, I guess, technically everyone does because of that, um, birds and bees business--" Pollination? Regurgitating food? Obderedria couldn't guess why those animals were in the euphemism, even if some of their child-rearing practices sounded fitting to, well, the big unmentionable "--but, no, I don't know who he is. Mum's never talked much about him."

Juni gave Obderedria a bewildered look.

Was this girl serious? Was she really this easily confused?!

“No. I don’t owe my dad anything for giving me gifts. I’m saying that’s what I appreciate.”  That was the point of gifts! And some people liked to feel like the other people owed them a favor for their kindness.

She frowned, “It must be sad then. Not knowing your dad.” Juni herself couldn’t imagine her life without her father in it. In October, she wouldn’t have been able to imagine her own life without her mother in it. But now she was forced to, and it was sad. Juni wondered if Drea was sad about not knowing her father in the same way Juni was sad that she’d never know her own mother again. Juni shook her head at the thought. Impossible. Drea can’t miss something she never had.

"Oh." Obderedria went back to twirling some hair on the fingers of her left hand resting at her torso.

"I guess." A corner of her lip curled into her mouth, her tongue investigating it in deep thought. Obderedria couldn't remember if she had ever felt sad about her lack of a father. All she had even known was her and mum. The time mum worked from home when Obderedria was very little; when she was a little older and mom took an office presence job again, Obderedria getting watched by neighbors but eventually content to being alone in their flat. All of this before she found out she was a witch. But never once, even when she discovered that two parents was the normative, Obderedria hadn't known anything else.

She opened her mouth to say something else but was interrupted by a stomach gurgle. Obderedria further bit her lip in embarrassment, her hair almost could have grown another to inches to cover her face.

“You alright? Am I making you uncomfortable or upset or something?” Although the wording was not as good as it could have been, her tone was gentle. She meant well, though she was not very good at showing it. Juni rubbed Drea’s back awkwardly in hopes that it’d help. Merlin’s beard, that girl was so easily made nervous. Or maybe she just looked nervous. Who knows. Juni wasn’t a legilimens. She left that to people who actually wanted to read minds.

Juni felt everyone was better off if they could keep their thoughts to themselves and share only when they wanted to share. The idea of legilimency felt intrusive to her. If she ever became a minister, that’d be one of the magics she’d work at getting rid off. People had a right to the privacy of their own minds. Her dad was an obliviator, so he was a legilimens. But he was a good person, and Juni liked to think that he never used it. Or only used it in dire need. Like life-or-death sort of situations.

"N-No, I'm fine, it's just--" Obderedria had her mouth open but couldn't phrase her next thought. There was something, maybe something big that she couldn't actually comprehend in that moment.

"--I guess it's something I've never thought about. It didn't appear unusual to me." Her hair was starting to itch, another irritating thing it had done since its accelerated growth. She raised a hand to rub the back of her head.

"Could we have those chocolates now?"