aspen blythe

7th year bisexual hufflepuff. she/her. loves trees and cupcakes and cats. send me an owl anytime!

[aspenblythe-blog]

[funwithfrankie-deactivated20160]

Aspen & Frankie || Closed Starter

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“Maybe a tutor would help,” Frankie replied, smiling gently at Aspen. She wondered if Aspen’s illnesses could crop up again and what they would look like if they did. She also wondered how much help she’d be in those situations. Considering she knew next to nothing about these sorts of things, she doubted she could be of much assistance. She made a mental note to see what information she could find about depression and anxiety; if it would help her understand Aspen better, she was more than happy to do this.

“You’re brave, you know.” She looked into Aspen’s eyes. The fact that Aspen was trying so hard to get her life back to normal and catch up on the work she had missed was almost inspiring to Frankie. Aspen was definitely a trooper. She thought back to the times she had given up- she didn’t even have an excuse for being behind in school most of the time. If Aspen could get back on track, so could Frankie. “You’re brave for not giving up on yourself and for trying so hard. It’s admirable.” She reached over and gave Aspen’s hand a little squeeze, letting her own hand rest on hers momentarily before drawing it back.

[aspenblythe-blog]

“I am thinking of getting a tutor,” Aspen said, grateful that Frankie hadn’t up and run yet. “I just don’t know many people very well and I don’t know who to ask. Do you know of someone?” Aspen did think a tutor could benefit her, but she was still having a lot of trouble putting herself out there and not being afraid to ask for help. This seemed like something Frankie had no problem with, and Aspen thought she could probably learn a thing or two from the girl. 

Frankie called her brave, and Aspen’s stomach did a somersault. No one had ever called her brave before. And this was coming from a Gryffindor. Aspen’s eyes began to sting a little, and she internally scolded herself for getting emotional. It was just that, this had been the first time Aspen had opened up to someone in a really long time, and it felt nice to hear Frankie’s encouraging words. Aspen bit her lip to keep the tears at bay. “Thank you, Frankie, really,” she said softly. When Frankie touched her hand, Aspen felt electricity run through her body. No one had ever made her feel the way Frankie did. Aspen leaned in a little closer and kissed Frankie lightly on the cheek. “You’re sweet,” she said. 

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Aspen & Frankie || Closed Starter

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Frankie noticed how Aspen tensed up at first. How bad could this possibly be? she asked herself. Was there something awful Aspen had done or been a part of? She tried to not let herself jump to conclusions. Frankie had made the decision that no matter what Aspen might say, she’d keep a level head about it in order to ease the nervousness that Aspen seemed to be feeling.

Frankie listened carefully as Aspen spoke, trying to understand as much as she could. She hadn’t gotten a lot of interaction with people that had disorders like Aspen’s, but she knew that whatever Aspen was going through mattered; it definitely wasn’t something to shrug at. She said nothing at first, silence filling the room and making it uncomfortable. “Thank you for sharing that with me,” she said. She knew how a lot of wizards took situations like these; it must have been hard for Aspen to open up. “Are you doing better now?” she asked. Her head was swimming with questions, but those could wait. She doubted that Aspen wanted to be bombarded with queries.

[aspenblythe-blog]

Aspen let out a little breath that she hadn’t realized she’d been holding in. Frankie was a good listener, something that Aspen cherished. She loved how intent Frankie always looked, and how her eyes followed Aspen’s when she spoke. It felt good to be visible to someone. When Aspen was with Frankie, she felt seen, in a way she hadn’t felt with anyone else before. She couldn’t put her finger on what it was, but something about Frankie made Aspen feel at ease. 

“I’m doing a lot better now, yeah,” Aspen said, allowing herself to smile gently. “I mean, I’m playing catch-up now and that’s proving to be difficult. It’s hard not to fall behind after you miss nearly a year of learning. I ought to get myself a tutor I think, I’m feeling a little in over my head.” This was true, Aspen had been slightly overwhelmed lately. She spent double the amount of time one homework as other students in her year, because she had to get extra help to relearn what she had been to sick to learn last year. Sick was  a harsh word, but it was the word Aspen liked best, because it fit the way she had felt during her terms in and out of doctor’s offices, trying to figure out what was happening to her when there were no visible physical symptoms. 

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Aspen & Frankie || Closed Starter

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Frankie couldn’t help but wonder what could have possibly happened that would still be affecting Aspen’s schoolwork. Maybe something tragic had happened to her family? Perhaps it had just been rough academically. Who knew? It couldn’t hurt to ask, could it? She ate the rest of her chocolate frog as she listened to Aspen, her head cocked to the left slightly. Her curiosity was getting the best of her.

“So… I have a question. And you can tell me to piss off if you don’t want to talk about it,” Frankie stated, pausing momentarily. She picked a bit of fuzz off of her jeans as she spoke up again. “But what happened that got you so far behind? If you don’t mind me asking, of course.” She took a quick, sweeping glance around the room before her eyes locked on Aspen, hoping she wasn’t pushing her to tell her something she wasn’t uncomfortable with. “If you need help catching up, maybe I can give you a hand.”

[aspenblythe-blog]

Aspen tensed up at first, wondering what question Frankie wanted to ask her. Maybe she didn’t think this thing between them was going to work, and she was about to break the news. Aspen knew she shouldn’t have scared her off so quickly. But Frankie’s question actually made Aspen feel relieved in a way. She wanted to know more about Aspen, and surely that could only be a good thing. 

“Well, last year, I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression,” Aspen said, softly. She ran a finger along the edge of the couch as she spoke. “Basically all my anxiety and gloominess were getting in the way of my schoolwork. And my social life too. I stopped really talking to anyone and I stopped going to classes. I actually had to leave Hogwarts for a while. So I’m pretty behind now.” Frankie was technically the first person besides Aspen’s family and doctors that she had told about this, and it felt nice to get it off her chest. She was glad she was in a place now where she could talk about it freely and without shame, because it hadn’t always been that way. Mental illness wasn’t always taken well in the wizarding community. The few wizarding doctors she tried and many of her professors had claimed that “Muggle disorders” didn’t exist and that Aspen was just vying for attention. That had made her keep her mouth shut for a long time. 

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Aspen & Frankie || Closed Starter

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Frankie held back a grin as Aspen’s cheeks turned a deeper shade of red. It always amused her that her word held that sort of power. She never intended to abuse this power; Aspen just blushed at nearly every comment Frankie made about her. “You do. And you’re welcome.” She could see the gears in her head and the butterflies in her stomach. She would be lying if she didn’t admit that Aspen made her feel that way as well.

Frankie listened intently as Aspen spoke, being sure not to miss a word she said. She rested her chin on her knees as she kept her eyes on the other girl. She never wanted to make Aspen feel like her voice was unheard or overlooked. “Yeah?” She knew very well what it was like to be behind in classes. Certain classes just felt extremely hard for Frankie. “What’s got you so behind? Any way I can help?” she asked, opening her chocolate frog and taking a bite, letting the chocolate melt on the tip of her tongue.

[aspenblythe-blog]

Aspen followed Frankie’s actions and began to unwrap her chocolate frog. She unwrapped it slowly, fiddling with it as she answered Frankie’s questions. “Well, I had a rough year last year,” Aspen began. She popped the frog into her mouth a took a pause to chew and to think of how she was going to word this. She wanted to open up to Frankie, but she didn’t want to dump her problems on her. When she finished chewing, Aspen continued. “I went through some stuff last year and I missed a lot of school because of it. I’ve kind of spent this year playing catch up, and it’s not going all that well for me.”

This was a slight understatement. Aspen was having a really difficult time with her work, and she was starting to feel like she was drowning under the weight of it all. Sure, she had come a long way since the days last year when she couldn’t even get out of bed let alone do homework, but she still had a lot to balance. Talking about it with someone who wasn’t her therapist or her mother might actually be kind of nice, as long as she didn’t scare Frankie away. 

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Aspen & Frankie || Closed Starter

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Frankie giggled. “You’re cute when you blush,” she said quietly, a grin on her lips. She thought pretty much everything Aspen did was cute, honestly. She blushed easily and Frankie was always a bit amused by this .She wondered if her commenting on her blushing bothered Aspen, but she figured that she would tell her if it was an annoyance. At least, she hoped she would. She took a moment to look at her smiling face, so happy and full of life. She adored the person before her and would spend all day looking at the cheery smile if she could.

“No problem! There’s more if you want more,” Frankie said, pulling out a frog for herself. She sat where Aspen was gesturing, patting the spot next to her as she pulled her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. She knew she made Aspen nervous. She could see it written all over her face. If she were being honest, Aspen made her just a nervous. Frankie rarely cared what people thought about her, but Aspen may have been one of the only people that made her self-aware. She ran a hand through her hair. She did this a lot when she was nervous. “What’s your day been like so far?” she asked, trying to start a conversation that could put both of them at easy.

[aspenblythe-blog]

Aspen’s cheeks reddened even more. Frankie calling her cute made her stomach do a somersault. “I...thank you. I’ve been told I do that a lot,” she said with a gentle smile. She wanted to tell Frankie that she thought everything Frankie did was cute, but the words wouldn’t escape her lips. Aspen wished she could be as forward as Frankie. She never seemed to be afraid to say what was on her mind, and this was something that Aspen admired about her. 

Aspen sat next to Frankie on the couch and crossed her legs beneath her. She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and smiled. This was nice. Aspen wished her nerves would calm so she could just enjoy hanging out with the person she liked so much. “It’s been alright,” Aspen said, glad that they were making conversation. “School has been difficult for me lately. I’m a little behind in some of my classes.” This was quite an understatement. Ever since Aspen’s difficult hiatus from school last year, her grades had dropped and she had fallen behind the other students. This year had been full of catch-up, and Aspen was mostly managing to stay afloat, but it was still quite exhausting. 

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Aspen & Frankie || Closed Starter

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“Hello, lovely,” Frankie said as Aspen hugged her. She put her arms around her, hugging her tightly. Aspen’s heat radiated from her body and her perfume smelled like flowers. “I’m great now that I get to be with you. How are you?” She held on for a moment longer before pulling back from the hug. Every moment she got to spend with Aspen made her like her even more. She could see nothing but bright skies for the rest of their… friendship? Relationship? Frankie made a mental note to discuss this with her at some point.

“I brought chocolate frogs if you want one,” she said, pulling one out of her bag and offering it to Aspen. The nerves began to melt away as she continued to talk to Aspen. Being around her made her forget about the world; all she could focus on was her when they were together. Frankie had always lived with distractions, but now she had found something she could focus on and commit to, if Aspen wanted the same thing that she did.

[aspenblythe-blog]

“Me too. I’m great,” Aspen said with a smile. She couldn’t help but blush. Frankie always said the right things to make Aspen’s stomach turn in knots. They were the good kind of knots, the kind that felt like butterflies. When they pulled apart, Aspen took a quick moment to really look at Frankie. She was so beautiful. Her dark hair fell so  effortlessly and her big eyes could put Aspen in a trance. Aspen felt lucky to get to spend time with someone so wonderful. 

“Thanks,” Aspen said, taking Frankie’s offering. Chocolate was Aspen’s weakness, and it was almost like Frankie knew that already. Aspen got that butterfly feeling again. “Do you want to sit?” Aspen asked nervously, gesturing towards the couch in the common room. Frankie made her so nervous, in the best kind of way. Talking to Frankie was so easy, but at the same time so hard. She wanted to say the right thing. She didn’t want to pop the little bubble the girls had felt like they were in ever since they started hanging out. 

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Aspen & Frankie || Closed Starter

Frankie tried to shake the nerves away as she walked down the hallway toward the Hufflepuff common room. She was excited to meet up with Aspen again; things had been going well between the two of them so far. Frankie enjoyed spending time with Aspen, and as far as she could tell, Aspen felt the same. She adjusted the sleeves of her sweater, trying to shake off the nerves that seemed to linger no matter how much the two saw each other. 

She soon reached the entrance and tapped on the appropriate barrel- the entrance opened and she made her way inside. She hadn’t had a reason to enter the Hufflepuff common room until now; she took in its cozy nature, giving herself a moment to look around.

She checked her wristwatch after a few moments, making sure she was on time. Three minutes to spare, she thought. Frankie hated being late and was usually on time to everything. She kept her eyes peeled for Aspen, her heart pounding with excitement and anticipation.

[aspenblythe-blog]

Aspen and Frankie had made plans to hang out today, and Aspen was more nervous than she had possibly ever been. She and Frankie had decided to take things slowly, which Aspen was glad for, but it was still a big step to hang out for the first time as...a couple? What were they? Aspen was new to the dating game and she hardly knew anything about it. This was what made her most nervous. She tried to focus on the fact that she liked being around Frankie, and they always had fun together. Aspen just had to be herself. It sounded corny, but it was true. 

She made her way down the stairs of her dorm into the common room, where Frankie was already waiting for her. Aspen beamed and hugged her. She noted that Frankie’s hair still smelled amazing. “How are you?” Aspen asked, really glad to see Frankie. Her nerves began to melt away when she saw the pretty girl’s sweet smile. This was going to be a piece of cake, she thought. Talking to Frankie was so easy, how could she have forgotten? Aspen had definitely picked the right person to spend her time with. 

[dailyactress]

[aspenblythe-blog]

aspen & ace // the willow

[snakedtongue-blog]

“Darlin’, roll back on the attitude will you?” Ace exhaled her words into a plume of smoke. It was a slit of teeth that bit at her bottom lip for their brief glimpse of an appearance. “All that venom’s going to wind up getting a little dolly like you into trouble.”

“Sweetums,” she drawled, slow and slick. Typically, Ace was a little bit more charm. Charm and wit and plenty of other things, all to cover the nastiness that the girl consisted of but not today. Aspen hadn’t perked any lick of an interest before she went nosing into the limelight. When she moved, it was all oily smooth and graceful. None of the jagged, wobbly-way she felt. She stood and prowled forward. “You look like you need to relax, my darling. Need a turn?”

[aspenblythe-blog]

“I think I can handle a little trouble,” Aspen scoffed, turning up her nose slightly. She made a face at the puff of smoke that escaped Ace’s mouth. The girls stood in stark contrast under the willow tree. Aspen was gentle curves and butterscotch waves of hair, and Ace was harsh lines and the poignant smell of cigarette smoke. You couldn’t find to girls who were any less alike, and this fact was quickly becoming apparent. 

“I wouldn’t touch one of those things if you paid me,” Aspen snarled, her fingers curling into a tight grip. She didn’t get angry very often -- she didn’t believe that anger was a valuable trait -- but for some reason, the girl before her was evoking in Aspen a very rare state of rage. 

[aspenblythe-blog]

self-control || taurus event

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Albus was glad Aspen and he seemed to be on the same page about this. It would have been just his luck to find someone else willing to do more than just endure this whole mess, only for them to be of a radically different opinion. Not that it couldn’t be useful in case Albus was wrong about his approach, but he wasn’t, so why waste time? “True, not all mentors would enjoy this. I don’t think my cousin would, it’d be too much trouble to add to what the Gryffindors already pile on her.” Then there was the question of Aella Zabini. While the Slytherin mentor wouldn’t let a single name-calling or blood-shaming insult fly over her head, maybe the forced openness would be something she’d find useful, if not interesting. Not necessarily to the extent of casting the spell herself, but who knew.

“Yes, better not forget that or we could walk right past them and not notice,” he agreed with a nod. Sometimes the less chaotically-inclined students could, surprisingly enough, pair up with someone who, for all the world’s knowledge, was too radically different from them for the association to make sense. If anyone ever asked proof of that, a certain Gryffindor-Ravenclaw couple was all they needed to see. Wincing, Albus decided to go back over his quick dismissal of Damien Richards’ participation in this. All Jacen had to do was bat her lashes right and there wouldn’t be a thing her boyfriend wouldn’t agree to, and the ginger wouldn’t claim to know the youngest Wood offspring enough to guess whether this could be her kind of fun or not.

Then, there was Rose. As Aspen had said, the big pranking names of the school should be interrogated, and something that tactless and undignified could absolutely be his cousin’s work; he said so to the blonde, everything in his body language screaming exactly what he thought of the matter. “Yes, this is something she’d do, and with all the pranksters right under her nose in the Gryffindor common room, she could have found someone to help her out easily.” Now to figure out who.

“This sounds like the most practical way to go about it, yes,” he replied with something akin to relief. The sooner they got to the bottom of this, the better. “We could either interrogate them together or split the list in two, depending on who’s there exactly.” He didn’t think Rosie would admit to anything to his face, but then again he wasn’t about to send Aspen to his cousin on her own– poor girl didn’t deserve that.

[aspenblythe-blog]

“So if not your cousin, which of the other mentors are capable of this kind of mischief?” Aspen asked, shrugging. She knew the mentors just about as well as she knew the other students. Her year as a hermit had really caused her to feel out of place in such a big and bustling school. Sometimes she wished she hadn’t been so anti-social back then. Maybe she’d have more friends, and her grades would definitely be better. Aspen often wondered if it was too late to turn things around. 

“What do you think of the possibility of one of the mentors working with a studet?” she asked, deep in consideration. The mentors had an important tool which the students did not: power. If a couple clever and trouble-hungry students teamed up with the resources of one of the Hogwarts staff members, they could be unstoppable. With a trick as widespread and intricate as this one, Aspen guessed that this would have had to have been what happened. There was practically no way this was a one-man job, and there was also no way that it was only students involved. Or so she guessed. Otherwise, how would they have had access to the food in the way that they did? And how would they have created such a strong charm on their own? Aspen smiled, starting to get excited about their leads. 

“Think about it, do you think students could really do something like this on their own? And I also don’t think it was just one mentor. A prank like this took time and resources. Am I wrong?” Aspen was speaking quickly again, ecstatic to be playing a game of detective with her new friend. She hoped Albus was as excited as she was about the prospect of solving this puzzle and catching the source of all of today’s discomfort. 

“Maybe we start with Rose, then,” Aspen suggested. She didn’t know the Weasley too well, but she’d heard the rumours. Rose could be intense. Aspen wasn’t sure she wanted to go down that road alone. “We could interrogate her together. Or, even better, we could interrogate some of her friends. If we start with the weakest links, we can work our way up.” Aspen had a feeling that someone like Rose wouldn’t admit to a crime like this one straight up, but they could get to one of Rose’s lackeys. They could destroy the hierarchy from the bottom up. 

[aspenblythe-blog]

the library || open

[faith-wilcox-blog]

Faith didn’t spend too much time in the library these days, a lot of the time it was too quiet and she’d been shushed by the librarian more times then she could count. Not for talking though, more for laughing too loud at what someone’s just said. These days Laughing was all Faith felt she could do, she knew reverting back to her childhood ways wasn’t the best thing for her…To live in her own mind, somewhere that wasn’t reality and she couldn’t just go flying to take her mind of things, not when being up in the air brought back those memories of last summer. So instead the brunette turned to humor and laughter, she’d always had a humorous nature but this year it was one of the more dominant aspects about her.

Faith wandered into the library, trying to think of what it was she was looking for. She knew it was for divination but she couldn’t remember what the book was called. Out of the corner of her eye, not too far away from her, Faith spotted someone about to put a book away, she caught a glimpse of the word divination and figured that was the one she needed. Walking up to her she tapped her on the shoulder. “Yeah, I was just wondering if I could have that book you just put away please” she smiled “at least I’m pretty sure it’s that one, all I know is I need a book on divination”

[aspenblythe-blog]

Aspen smiled and pulled the book off of the shelf once again. “You’re a seventh year?” she asked, clarifying. The divination textbook had a label which meant it was a seventh year read. The girl looked to be about the same age, so Aspen figured she must be. She didn’t recognize her though, so she was probably from a different house. Gryffindor, maybe? She looked like a Gryffindor. Aspen knew there was no such thing as looking like a house, but she always had a knack for guessing which one students resided in.

“We have a whole divination section I can show you, but this particular book is a pretty common textbook, so it’s probably the one you’re looking for. Do you have the title written down somewhere?” Aspen asked. She started to file some more books into their proper places as she spoke to the girl. Asp

[kiernanbshipka]

[aspenblythe-blog]

the library || open

It was Aspen’s first week volunteering at the Hogwarts library, and she was really enjoying it. She spent her afternoons sorting through books and making mental notes of which ones to read next. She loved giving recommendations to her peers, and helping select the right read. Aspen was thriving. On this particular afternoon, she was sorting through a cart of returned novels. She’d place each one carefully in its spot on the shelf, treating it with importance. Aspen touched the books gently and tentatively, as if they had feelings.  

Aspen knelt down to place a textbook about divination in its nook, and she felt a tap on the shoulder. A fellow student looked back at her with curious eyes and she smiled, jumping at the chance to help someone. She was so glad she’d started this volunteer position, it gave her something to look forward to each day. She loved being around books and it was also an opportunity to meet new people. 

She pushed the book into place and got up off her knees, rubbing the dust off of her robes. “How can I help you?” she asked, smiling. 

[aspenblythe-blog]

by the lake || aspen & frankie

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Frankie’s insides shivered as Aspen’s fingers intertwined with hers. She hadn’t felt a connection like this in a while, and it was a pleasure to feel this way once again. “Good, I’m glad you would,” she admitted. “I know I can be brash and I don’t want people to be afraid of offending me.” She closed her eyes, taking in the moment, feeling Aspen’s chest rise and fall with her breathing.

“It’s probably dinner time soon,” Aspen had said. That made Frankie’s heart sink a little. It was such a beautiful day and she had the honor of being accompanied by such a beautiful girl. This day had been perfect and she wasn’t ready to leave Aspen’s presence. Still, they would be able to see each other soon. Goodbye- even for a short time- was just something Frankie wasn’t very good at. “I don’t want to go either.” She sat up slowly, keeping herself close to Aspen. She looked in her beautiful eyes and smiled softly. “We always have tomorrow,” she said, squeezing Aspen’s hand.

[aspenblythe-blog]

“Yeah, tomorrow,” Aspen said softly. She looked into Frankie’s warm brown eyes and felt her stomach do a somersault. She hadn’t felt like this in a long time, maybe ever, but she didn’t want it to stop. She wanted to sit underneath Willow’s shade and hold Frankie’s hand and watch the sunset. But tomorrow would have to be good enough. Aspen knew they couldn’t stay here forever. 

“Can we do something tomorrow?” Aspen asked. It would be there first official date, she guessed. Did this count as a date? She wasn’t sure, but either way, she was excited for tomorrow. 

[aspenblythe-blog]

self-control || taurus event

[absitomxn-deactivated20170809]

It hadn’t occurred to Albus that the motive of whoever was responsible could be mere entertainment. Who would find it funny to hear people insult each other or say hurtful things at random. You do, his conscience butted in uninvited, so surely there must be plenty others who do as well. Still, it didn’t justify causing such a fuss. Had several teachers and staff members done it? Would they even be allowed, even though the prank was mostly harmless? “Mentors more than a teacher,” he said with an air of finality. “If anyone found out, a teacher would be in more of a fix than a mentor. Who would hire a teacher who jinxes their students? Whereas a mentor, well, I guess there are many other jobs they could go for, mentor is somewhat less vocational.” He concluded, all the while thinking of his cousin Victoire. Even though her career choice had surprised most everyone in the family, she was outstandingly good at it. Still, Albus could easily picture her working somewhere else with little to no trouble.

Then there were the top students, those who excelled at spells of all kinds. His first thoughts were for Damien Richards, Daphne Nott, and Fairfax. Despite what he thought of his own skills the kid was tutoring older students, and maybe it was just blatant favoritism on Al’s part but he was sure Fax could manage something like that. The only thing was, he wouldn’t. There wasn’t a reason Al could find that his friend would go around doing something like this, and as much as he loathed to say it, neither would Richards. He had other, more toxic things to do. “I could name a few, but those that come in mind I can’t see doing something like that, it’s not their style. If they have the skills they lack the motivation, at least for those I know.” He shot a lopsided smile at Aspen, something slightly discomfited as he shrugged. “Then again, I don’t know that many people in school, family notwithstanding.”

Aspen’s offer to partner up made him perk up, and her enthusiasm at the idea was palpable. She had gradually started to talk faster, too, which made her sound more upbeat and wasn’t disagreeable or off putting in any way, as far as Albus was concerned. He was used to obnoxiously loud people, so the blonde’s bubbly ways were a field trip in comparison. Smiling, he nodded at her, trying to outwardly match her excitement. “Count me in, Sherlock. We will solve the Treacle Tart mystery in no time!”

[aspenblythe-blog]

“A mentor then, perhaps,” Aspen concluded after listening to Albus’ well-thought out deduction. He seemed very interested in getting to the bottom of this school-wide mystery. Aspen was glad she was not the only curious one around here. Plenty of strange things went on at Hogwarts, but this was by far one of the strangest to have happened in a while. “The thing is, which of the mentors would find something like this amusing? You’d have to be a certain type of person,” Aspen explained, fidgeting with her hands. She often fidgeted when she was deep in thought. 

“We can’t forget that this may not have been a one-man job,” Aspen added, pulling at a hangnail on her thumb. Albus had a point that many of the capable students lacked the motivation, but Aspen thought that they could have had help. For all they knew, there could have been a whole group of culprits. It was best not to rule anyone out at this point. “Someone who is bright and capable of such an intricate charm could have paired up with someone with the motive to do it. We don’t know how many culprits we are dealing with.” 

Albus said he hardly knew many people in the school, a statement which Aspen could relate to. His comment about his family made a light go off in Aspen’s brain. “What about the school’s notorious pranksters? Your cousin, Rose, could you see her doing a thing like this? Maybe in a partnership with another bright student?” Aspen knew little about Rose, but she had definitely heard of her various shenanigans over the years at Hogwarts. Aspen herself had been fortunate enough not to suffer at the hands of one of Rose’s pranks. 

Aspen smiled when her new friend agreed to play detective with her. “Where shall we start?” she asked, beaming. “Perhaps we should compile a list of suspects and interview them?”

[aspenblythe-blog]

by the lake || aspen & frankie

[funwithfrankie-deactivated20160]

“You’re welcome.” Aspen’s mannerisms were charming; the way she blushed, how she tucked her hair behind her ear, how she picked at the grass. It all just pulled her deeper into the person that Aspen was. As she laid against her shoulder, she took in the way she smelled, the way her skin felt, how warm and soft she was.

She looked up at Aspen, her hair brushing against the other girl’s neck. “Me neither. I could stay here all day, as long as you’re with me.” She smiled, reaching down to hold Aspen’s hand. “Is this too much? Am I making you uncomfortable? Please tell me if I am, that’s the last thing I want to do,” she said, speaking quickly and nearly tripping over her words out of nerves. She hoped that even if Aspen didn’t care for it, she’d be honest about how she felt. Frankie desperately enjoyed honesty; it was one of the values she admired most in a person.

[aspenblythe-blog]

“No, no,” Aspen laughed. She laced her fingers in Frankie’s, and it sent an electric surge through her body. “If you were making me uncomfortable, I would tell you,” Aspen said honestly. She wasn’t the most confident witch, but she prided herself in being upfront and honest. She hoped that Frankie would appreciate that. 

Aspen looked out at the lake, where the sun was slowly disappearing. The lake reflected the pink sky and she sighed at the beauty of it all. Her heart tingled with the feeling of content. “It’s probably dinner time soon,” Aspen said, kind of sadly. She looked down at her hand, which was still grasping Frankie’s. She really did not want this afternoon together to end. The sun setting was pushing her back into reality, and she didn’t like it. “I don’t want to go.” She hoped that they could do this often. Just sit together, talking and holding hands. Aspen liked this. She hadn’t been so content in a long time.