Of Fudge And Warm Drinks, #Bradley#

[Isabella Fabiano]

Isabella walked into the kitchen all the while unbundling from her excursion outside. She couldn't resist the snow that lay pristine and beautiful outside like a blanket covering all the evil in the world. She'd gone out and built a snowman, the traditional way of course with a carrot and the top hat to match. It'd given her the childish joy that she missed with all the happenings that been going on with school. Laying her black wool coat aside, along with her white scarf and leather gloves and sat down for a moment. Before too long she was up again and at the stove putting water on for tea. Once the water was heated and boiling, she poured herself a generous mug of her warm, chamomille tea. Sitting down at the table again, a house elf walked over and offered her a plate of fudge, taking it she thanked it and smiled before sitting back in her chair.

Leaning forward, she rested against the table and wished for her book. Looking into her tea, she thought for a few moments of her family. She thought of her brothers and how they would be out in the snow throwing snowballs at each other, causing mischeif and all mayhem. Laughing at the thought, she made a note to write a letter to both of them later, she knew how much they liked it. Nodding herself, she was so in depth with her thoughts she didn't hear someone else come in.

[Brad Collins]

Brad had somehow managed to forget dinner. How on earth had he forgotten something like eating a full course meal? He had been out in the snow having a massive snowball fight with some of the underclassmen. Yes, he had gone and picked on people who were smaller than him, but it happened. They'd get over the massacre he just served them eventually. He still had all of his winter clothes on and he immediately began peeling off the layers as he stepped through the doors leading indoors. Even though it was freezing outside, you could sure get your body heat up by running around and pegging little kids with snowballs. His stomach grumbled loudly. Psh, as if he didn't already know that he was starving! He peeked in the Great Hall, even though he knew nothing would be there, and then trekked his way down towards the Kitchens. Those house elves were bloody fantastic! He could go down there at any time in the day or night and they were always willing to cook him up some grub. Did life get any better? He didn't really think so.

He tickled the pear on the portrait that would allow him access to the kitchens. He always thought that was funny. He stopped dead in his tracks when he remembered that right before he had gone outside, which he had only intended to go out for about an hour, he had told Nic he'd be back soon. Oops. She had been being really mean to him anyways that day. He never really knew what to expect from her. He knew that he could trust her and that overall she was a good friend but still! She didn't have to be so moody and bitchy sometimes. She really took it to another level today. He had only been joking when he asked her if she was bipolar, it had been a joke. He didn't deserve to get slapped across the face! Thinking about that he walked into the kitchen in a huff, it was apparent that he was a little upset about something. But then he saw Isabella and he gave her a quick smile, "Hey you! What's been going on? I haven't seen you in forever!" He squeezed her shoulders as he walked past, headed right towards the group of house elves. He asked them to whip him up some dinner and in just a few minutes, presto. It was there. Brad tried to maintain his normally happy attitude but he could still feel the side of his face stinging just a little bit. Crazy woman. He looked at Isabella, "So what's up? What's new? How's life?" he asked quickly before taking a bite of his ham.

[Isabella Fabiano]

Isabella couldn't remember the last time she'd had fudge. She hadn't eaten much either at dinner, she'd been to anxious to get back outside again. She'd thrown a few snowballs at some underclassmen that she would help in class, but she mostly just enjoyed being out in the snow. Thinking of what her friend had told her earlier, about not getting enough fresh air and that she was working too hard and she was going to burn out...she'd been right. And Isabella hated that. She thought she'd been ok with working the way she did. Then again, freaking out because it was raining and one wasn't going to be able to do one's astronomy homework probably wasn't a very healthy thing though. Shrugging it off, she bit into the peanut butter fudge and reveled in the creamy feel of it as she savored it. Laying her head in her hand, she smiled as she saw Brad walk in.

Smiling at him, she noticed how there was something different about him. Like he wasn't telling her something that was bothering him. She'd handle that matter in a moment though. Looking at the dinner, she presumed that he'd skipped dinner. Shaking her head she held the warm mug between her hands. "I've been ok. Just working on school work, but my friend is forcing me on a mini vacation because she's worrying that I'm going to burn myself out. So today I walked around the grounds, built a snowman, threw a few snowballs, and did some ice skating. What about you?" she asked reaching out, she gently touched his hand and gave him a warm smile. "Are you ok Brad? You seem like there's something bothering you." she murmured full of concern.

[Brad Collins]

He smiled at her before taking another bite out of his ham. Blimey that stuff sure was good on an empty stomach. He leaned back in his chair, "Pretty sure that I gave you similar advice. You haven't been cooping yourself up in the library all this time have you? I've barely seen you in the common room," he replied, bending forward to put another bite of food in his mouth. He gave her a sheepish grin, "And er, sorry mate, didn't realize that was your snowman out there. After me and the boys got through with it well," he took a dramatic pause, "I regret to inform you that your snowman is no more." He held one hand up while putting the other over his heart, "We'll take a moment of silence for him." He had actually been the one who had rammed into it. He had been trying to dodge an ambush of snowballs and well, he hadn't really noticed it there. Whoops. He was going to keep that little secret to himself.

As her hand touched his, he looked up to see her smiling at him. She really was a warm and comforting person. He gave a half-smile before letting out an exasperated sigh, "That obvious, eh?" He shook his head slightly for a moment. Should he bother going into details? That was Nic, his best mate, and thats just the kind of person she was. But she hadn't slapped him for at least six months now! That had been some sort of record and he had been intending to keep up his streak. "Well, its just my friend. She's got it out for me sometimes. There will be days where we get along great, we laugh, we joke, we have good conversation, and we just have fun together," he leaned forward. "And then," he said darkly, "There are days like today. She's snappy and rude, moody, and sarcastic. It happens pretty frequently. For best mates, we row all the time. If she weren't such a good friend, well, I don't really know what I'd do but yeah. Pretty much it's one of the days where we drive each other crazy," he paused for a moment, trying to collect his thoughts. "Do you have any friends like that? All the old good buddies I see walking around normally get along great except for once in a blue moon. But not me and her. I swear its about every three or four days that we just jump down each others throats. I don't think its normal," he added with wide eyes, shaking his head.

He wondered if Isabella knew her, maybe she knew how freakin' bonkers Nic could be sometimes. "Do you know Nicole Whitney?" It felt weird saying her whole first name. He couldn't remember the last time he'd done that.

[Isabella Fabiano]

Isabella felt a tug of frustration when he told her about her snowman. She'd worked hard on that thing! Being a perfectionist, she had made sure all the parts were rounded and that they looked good before she'd worked on his facial features. Sighing, she sipped her tea and shook her head. "Poor snowman. Looks like he'll never get to march through town with all the children." she bowed her head to hide the smiled that tugged at the corners of her lips. She was tying to be serious! Looking up she tried to hide the guilty look that crossed her features. "I wasn't just in the library! I mean I went elsewhere to study like...ummmm...the towers to work on that kind of work!" she argued. It sounded just as bad to her though. Laughing at his moment of silence announcement, she too bent her head and closed her eyes, looking as if she could be thinking deeply, but really she was trying not to burst out in laughter.

Nodding at his question, she sat back a moment and listened to him speak. Looking at him sympathetically, she thought of a friend back in Italy who one minute they would be laughing, and the next at each other's throats. That was because she had chosen to go to Hogwarts though mostly, and she was glad she did in the end. Sighing, she nodded and patted his hand comfortingly. "I know what're you going through. A friend of mine, in Italy, her and I have our days just like you and your friend. I mean...one minute we'll be laughing about old memories from when we were young. The next she's mad at me because I moved to England to get a better education." she sighed softly and lowered her eyes for a moment before stealing a carrot off his plate. "The thing you have to remember though is what first drew you to them as a friend in the first place. That's what keeps me going with her sometimes, and it really does help. Try giving her some space, or let her come to you and tell you what's bugging you. That might work the best." she commented and stood to pour herself some more tea. "Would you like something to drink?" She asked from the stove.

Thinking a moment, she tried to remember her. Then it came to her, she'd had a class with her. "I have a class with her, but we don't necessarily talk too much." she answered.

[Brad Collins]

He chuckled awkwardly. He didn't know if she was upset with the fact that her snowman had been demolished or not. He'd never been good at reading peoples' expressions and that was evident at the moment. He took another bite out of his food before responding with, "Well, he lived a good, short life. He went out with a blaze of glory, that's what you have to remember." He gave her a quick wink before taking yet another bite out of his food. He was bloody starving. He shot her a suspicious look, "I don't believe you for one second Izzy," he replied, pointing his fork at her. He'd never really used the nickname before but it rolled off the tongue nicely. He liked it. "Remember what I told you? You need to chill, you need to relax. School is important but its not everything." He hoped that she took his advice seriously. He was a Ravenclaw too after all, the intelligent ones, right? Right.

He felt bad for her when she told him her story but it was really nothing like him and Nic. At least her friend had a logical reason to be upset, her friend was choosing to move away, whether it was for good reasons or not. Nic on the other hand just blew up at him because of well, nothing. He gave her a sympathetic smile, "That's horrible but I think its kind of a different situation. Nic, she changes all the time and its really for no reason at all. Its like I'm the person who she chose to take out all of her extreme emotions on. Either she's really, really nice and happy and just a great and wonderful person to be around or she's the devil's child," he told her seriously, his eyes wide. He took another bite out of his food because he wasn't sure if what he had said was offensive. He wasn't trying to say that his situation was worse than hers or anything like that, just different. Sometimes it was really hard to remember what he had seen in Nic in the first place. They had gotten in a debate in class, a very heated debate, and they had carried it out of the classroom and had spent most of the day arguing. Then the next day she had come up to him and they talked nicely and was incredibly civil towards him. And their complex friendship began. What did draw him to her? She was like a benign cancer or something. "I don't really know how to explain why we clicked to begin with. Our relationship started off with a fight and then she wanted to be friends and then she wanted to fight and then she wanted to be friends. Honestly, our relationship is like watching a ping-pong match or something. I don't understand it at all." He looked down at his food, no longer feeling all that hungry. He knew that he talked a lot of smack about Nic and it probably sounded like he hated her but she was his best friend in the entire world. He didn't know where he'd be without that crazy girl.

He snorted, "Well, I'd probably try and keep it that way unless you want to find yourself in the same situation I'm in," he advised.