Ink and Parchment

[allison]

Alice smiled, many thought it was strange, being raised by house elves. "Don't worry, you're the not the only one who feels that way. Almost everyone who knows thinks its odd." she smiled slightly, she thought it was kind of the house elves to help raise her. She loved them dearly though, they took care of her and Alec when they were growing up; she owed them much, but they wouldn't accept anything but more work. "They did a pretty good job though. I mean, I didn't turn out differently than everyone else 'cause of it." Alice smiled at the Hufflepuff across from her. ...Right?" she added, laughing slightly after. "So, your...great aunt Kelly? What was she like, if you don't mind my asking. Must've been a lovely woman, if she helped raise you I'm sure."

When he talked about playing with something called Legos, which she guessed to be a muggle toy for younger kids, Alice smiled. "Legos? I'm afraid I'm not very familiar with those. Muggle toys, are they not?" She was curious; there were so many little differences, such as the toys they played with when growing up; but that didn't matter. The similarities were much more than the petty differences many seem to let cloud their judgement.

"Yeah, I do like horses. It's fun to ride them," Alice answered, smiling as she thought of the times she went out riding. When he asked her if he invited her to his house over the summer to go horseback riding, Alice blushed. She wanted to, seeing as she hasn't gone in such a long time; but she was afraid of what her parents might think and say. She knew they disapproved of anyone lower than them, but without being taught their morals, Alice didn't know what being lower meant. Did it mean intelligence? Blood, like so many pureblooded families believed? Did it mean by power?

"Ah, I'd love to, but I'm afraid that's not up to me right now. Even though I will be of age by the summer, my parents still have the final say." she replied softly. She really wanted to go; but she couldn't. The way the pureblood did things wouldn't allow her to. Alec would have more rights than her, mainly because he was the oldest, and because he was a male. Being a female, and in a high social class pureblood family, Alice was subjected to listening to her parents. It was only that their father agreed, that their mother was working, otherwise she'd be a housewitch like every other pureblooded wife.

"Being a pureblood is not as great as many make it seem." she told Leon, a slight frown on her face.

[Leon Stark Kennedy]

Leon looked at her, "no, you did turn out kinder than most," he smiled looking at her. She then asked him about about his great aunt kelly and he thought about it. "She's the reason I am who I am, why I'm so caring and why I don't brag about things," he said, "she cooked dinner for us, she was my only living relative other than my parents and brothers before she died, now it's just us, but she was amazing, one of the kindest women you could ever meet," he told her.

She then questioned his toys and he chuckled. "Legos are building blocks with prongs to make them fit together, but yeah they're muggle toys," he told her, "amazing little things, maybe I'll send an owl to my mom to send me some so you could see them." He smiled but then saw her blush when he asked her to come down to his house. "I figured you wouldn't, but either way, you're welcome to come down any time," he told her softly. His smile had slowly went away. He had enjoyed the idea of her coming out. Any chance he could show someone to ride he would.

"I never really thought that being a pureblood is any better than being a muggleborn," Leon told her, "both have their pros and cons," he said. He smiled and watched her, "the one big downside is when you're muggleborn and you have no clue if you plan to work with magic or with everything else," he noted.

[allison]

Alice smiled, "Sounds like your great aunt Kelly was a lovely woman. Wish I could've met her, seems as if we would've gotten along fairly well." she pondered about it. Yes, from the way that Leon described her, she seemed like the type of person that she would get along with. By the way Leon spoke about his aunt, Alice could tell he cared for his great aunt very much. 'It must've been hard, to let her go...' Alice never really lost anyone important to her; everyone was just a constant in her life; Alec, her parents, and the house elves. For that, she was grateful. "Do you miss her?" she asked without being able to process what she said until she said it. Her eyes widened in shock at herself, "I-I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to-- I--You don't have to answer." she apologized furiously. That was something she shouldn't have asked.

When he talked about his lego toys however, her head snapped up. "Really? They fit together...like a puzzle? Can you build things with them? Can they come apart?" Alice couldn't help but ask. Curiousity about the interesting muggle toy got the best of her. Her eyes were thirsting for knowledge, even if on a petty subject like toys. Alice was just the type of person who needed to, well, know about things. She didn't like being clueless.

When he told her he was expecting she wouldn'tbe able to go, Alice felt very bad. She wanted to go; but the decision was out of her hands. However, when he told her she was welcome, her eyes lit up considerably. "Really? I'm sure I'd be able to talk my parents into letting my go, even if just once. Or I can talk Alec into talking my parents into letting me go." Alice was happy, and excited. Leon still held up the offer; and she hadn't gone horseback riding in such a while. Plus, she'd get to see the muggle trail, but she figured it was similar to the trails in the wizarding world. Still, the thought of being in the muggle world, riding horses again; it made her excited.

Leon noted the biggest con about being a muggleborn was whether or not you'd plan to work with magic, or just continue with your muggle life. Alice thought about it, yes, that was a big decision but you could live in both if you choose. "Oh? Well, at least if you do choose the magical life of a wizard, then you can always visit the muggle world. It's the same thing around too." Alice added, but then she thought about the pros and cons of being a pureblood. For females, there seemed to be more cons than if you were a male, or an only child. "The worst thing about being a pureblood, well, about being a female pureblood is that the pureblood ways are very old. My family goes back a while; and they've followed one tradition. If you were to have a male, he'd take the family name, and live on his own if he chose to. If you had a female, however, they were to marry into another family, one that was chosen for them." she explained. The 'laws' of the pureblood society could be traced back centuries ago. Not many decided to go against the traditions of their families, which mostly seemed to include arranged marriages for the daughter.

"It's like they want the perfect match for their daughter, so they have many suitors try and court them; it's whomever she chooses out of them that gets her hand." she said ruefully. Her parents were already talking to some other pureblood families about it, especially the ones with males around her age. One she knew, he was a friend of Alec's before he moved to Italy, his mother's and father's native country. She just hoped for once, her parents would give her a choice; but she highly doubted that. "Sometimes, we purebloods are too narrowminded." she shook her head in exasperation.

[Leon Stark Kennedy]

Leon looked at her and nodded. "It's pretty obvious that I do," he smiled. He moved over and opened a book to the front cover and he drew a picture of a lego, "that's what they are, and yeah just like a puzzle a three demensional puzzle, and they do come apart," he smiled. He looked at her when her eyes lit up, "you can always wait until the end of your seventh year," he said softly, "as long as you stay in contact of course," he told her.

He nodded, "yeah, I just worry about it with my parents and brothers, but now I guess it might be easier," he said softly. She then began to explain the pureblood ways and looked down, "so have you already been arranged to be with someone?" he asked her. He would hate to be arranged into a marriage, never would want it. He glanced up at her and then down. "Us muggles court people, we try and get the girl we want, not our parents choosing who they want," he said softly.

He smiled and changed the subject to the best of his ability. "So about those Legos again, would you like me to send an owl, so I can show you how to use them?" he asked her. It wasn't the greatest change, but he had been upsetting himself thinking of the pureblood ways.

[allison]

Alice smiled softly, of course he'd miss her; especially since he cared much about her. How could she have thought differently? It was like asking her if she missed staying next door to Alec, with their rooms connected by a single door. Of course she missed it, much more so than anything else really. Leon then grabbed a book and opened it to the front cover, and began drawing in it. Alice wondered what it was. It looked like a rectangle with cylinders at the top of them. He said that was a lego toy.

"Are they small? Do they come in different shapes? Oh, and do they only fit one other kind of lego?" that muggle toy, the Lego; it was fascinating. She wanted to see what one was like. She felt a little silly about it, but she figured, she'd never really get another chance to learn about the toy the muggles funnily called a Lego. "Sorrr I'm acting a little...childish. But the Lego toys do seem interesting." she laughed at herself. She was such a kid sometimes.

"Oh, I'll be sure to keep in touch! Your brother will still be here though, so maybe I'll keep in touch with him. You know what, I'll keep in touch with you both...once I meet your brother of course." she laughed slightly. She meant it though; she did plan on keeping in touch with Leon. Everything he told her about the muggle world, there was some stuff that wasn't even mentioned in Muggle Studies. Like the...ferm? Something like that. "And yeah, it's like an arranged marrriage basically." she frowned. She didn't like the idea, but coming from an old family, things like that happens.

"My parents haven't made it official that I be courted now. I think they're waiting until I'm in my seventh year, my last year of Hogwarts..." she trailed off. Even just thinking about it made her sad and angry. She was glad she had Alec though; there was no way he was going to let her marry something neither of them liked. Thankfully, though, Leon changed the subject, back to the interesting toy known as the Lego.

"Really?" the spark returned to her eyes, "If you could, that would be amazing! Thank you!" Her eyes glowed like a child who was just told they were getting a new toy for Christmas. Though it was similar; she'd just be seeing and possibly playing with a new toy she's never heard of before. "They're not dangerous toys, are they? I mean, I won't get hurt playing with one? Otherwise, I don't think Alec would be too kind during the practice..." she pondered about it. The more she thought about the lego the more excited she got.

Yup, sometimes I am definitely like a child...

[Leon Stark Kennedy]

Leon smiled. "Most are small, but there are many different sizes," he said softly putting down the book. "There's long ones, thin ones, wide ones, squar ones, one piece ones, they are mostly small though," he smiled. He thought of the legos. "They are a very interesting toy, been around for a long time too," he told her.

He listened to her speak about stayng in touch. "That sounds good, I'll always be glad to stay in contact with you, I hope I will be able to see you after I leave Hogwarts," he told her with a smile. She asked him if legos where dangerous. "I've been pinched when I had tiny fingers, but they're not dangerous and you most likely wouldn't get hurt unless someone would throw them in your eye or something," he chuckled.

"Even though I totally changed the subject I kind of wonder, if you weren't going to be committed to marrying a man whom you probably don't even know yet, would I ever have a chance with you?" he asked. He wondered this sitting here most of the time. He was always thinking of what kind of chance he'd have with a girl. He'd never had a real girlfriend, and a girl he was actually liking was going to be committed in another year.

[allison]

Alice smiled as he talked about the lego toys; all the different sizes, and a two different shapes. The more she thought about it, the more she realized there was a large number of things she could build should she ever play with some. "Oh? That must make it much more fun. If it's been around long, then I bet it is fun, right?"

When he told her he'd like to keep in contact, she smiled brightly, "Great! Of course you'll see me, we can make plans you know. Alec might be around, but it's his job as the older brother to make sure I don't go getting into trouble." she smiled softly. She was excited to hear they could continue their ever growing friendship even when he left Hogwarts at the end of the school year. She laughed with him as he told her about the 'dangers' of playing with legos. "That's always good to hear, though I'm sure you wouldn't be throwing them at me, would you?" she asked smiling cheekily.

His next question caught her off guard, and made her blush heavily. He asked her whether or not he'd have a chance with her, if she wasn't to be committed. Alice avoided his gaze, thinking about it. Did he have a chance? Did she like him? Finally looking up at him, then back down to her hands, which were in her lap, she answered, albeit it was shyly and quietly. "I'd think you'd have a nice chance."

[Leon Stark Kennedy]

"It has to be fun," he smiled looking at her and nodded. He enjoyed legos, even as an adult, Legos were just one of those things you should always have around. He smiled and nodded, "we'll have to make plans," he told her. She then noted that it was good as long as he didn't throw them at her and he chuckled. "I wouldn't throw them that you," he said, "although you may also want to be careful not to step on them, that can really hurt, probably worse than them thrown in your eye," he chuckled. And then grimaced at the though of the pain of the little plastic bricks.

He saw her get caught of guard and then she stopped looking at him. "Well I'm glad I know I could have had a chance," he smiled and blushed softly. Then he leaned back in his chair and looked at her again. "Your parents wouldn't approve though would they?" he asked, "I'd assume not if they want you to marry into pureblood relations," he said softly. He didn't speak in disgust of her family's ways. Each family had a tradition. He was more sad than anything to know that he'd have a chance but couldn't take her up on it. "But friends can still go a long way," he grinned.

[allison]

Alice laughed, "Legos; I thought you said they weren't dangerous!" She was grinning; excitement was catching up to her. She couldn't wait to get her hands on those little toys for the first time. When he said they had to make plans sometime, Alice nodded, "Of course we do! Maybe I'll go with your brother to find you; sounds reasonable?" She wondered whether or not Leon's younger brother would mind, but she figured she'd befriend him anyways, so she'll drag him out to see his brother if she had to. Though she highly doubted she'd have to.

When he talked about being glad about having a chance, Alice smiled slightly; 'Leon's so sweet...I wonder, if my parents didn't follow the tradtion, then...what would happen?' She looked back at the seventh year, her eyes sorry. "I don't think they would...my family has been around for a while. Our history with muggles and muggleborns is not good." she answered softly. True, the Matthews family history with anything muggle, was horrible, to say the least.

"I just wish my parents wouldn't follow the tradition. Though I'm sure Alec wouldn't let me marry some pureblooded jerk. I think he'd be the one to truly choose; seeing as he can be pretty frightening when he wants to be." she smiled slightly. Of course Alec would look after her, as he always did. Maybe he'll convince her parents to not follow the tradition, though he might have to scare away the suitors first.

She smiled up at him, "Friends do go a long way." Alice agreed with that statement. Should they have not worken out, Alice would've hated to lose a friend like Leon. Perhaps, it's just better this way. Become another constant.' She looked out the window of the library, and she just watched the scene from there, "I would've never guessed the library could hold one of the most amazing views I've ever seen." she stated softly.

It was true. The sun was up, and sparkling against the Black Lake like tiny stars trapped underneath the surface. The students running around and just hanging out added to the serene scene. The birds and owls that flew around, the way the wind swept at the grass and even the Whomping Willow.

[Leon Stark Kennedy]

"Well they're not dangerous," Leon smiled, "I'll send my parents that owl tonight. Jonathan probably wants to send mum and dad a note also, so I'll find him around here and get him to write his letter and then send it off." He nodded and smiled, "you'll like Jonathan," he told her, "he'll like you too." Leon had shook his head telling her not to be sorry. "I know how it works, I know how most families in this world are, but I'm just glad to know I would have had a chance," he told her.

She spoke of Alec not allowing her to marry a jerk and he nodded. "Well I'm sure your brother will have your best at heart, that's what matters, is that someone will make sure you aren't goingt to be with someone like that," he wanted to add in that most purebloods were jerks, at least the ones that followed this tradition, but he held that back it would have been rude of him. He smiled when she agreed that friends went a long way and he looked at her, "well as long as I can say that we'll still be friends than I'm happy," he told her.

She had looked out the window and spoke of the scene. He moved over and looked out as well. "Yeah I never realized it either, though you're in Ravenclaw, how's the Ravenclaw Tower's view?" he asked. He watched everyone outside. Even though it showed the beautiful day outside he was glad to be right here talking to her.