Times At The Beach (Quinn, PG-13)

Lying on top of his towel, Falcon looked on as the waves crashed against the coast. Even though he was a pureblood his mother had a fair share of muggle knowledge and going to the beach was something she enjoyed a lot. Falcon didn't mind and began to like it, and now that he was fifteen he actually came to the beach alone, and enjoyed it even more. Looking around he spotted some people he knew from hogwarts, halfbloods and muggleborns, which made him smile happily. For once everyone was being happy without others to disrupt them. Although Falcon was missing Hekate, obviously, he did enjoy the summer.

Running down the beach towards the water, Quinn was positively elated that summer was finally here! As she reached the water, she came to a quick stop and started looking for new shells to add to her collection back home. Both her parents were magical, but her father's parents were not, and they had taught her all about the Muggle world, which she found fascinating. Finding a larger shell, she put it to her ear and listened. Smiling, she found it really did sound like the water roaring inside it. Glancing at the others there, she spotted a fellow lion, and gave him a warm wave in greeting.

Falcon rose from his towel, only wearing his blue shorts that went down to his knees, walked to the younger girl that waved his way. Leaving huge marks of his feet on the sand, he smiled as he approached her, "Hey you're a gryffindor too right?" he whispered, suddenly happy he not only found someone from Hogwarts, but from his house!

Smiling as the boy came down towards her, she got up from the sand, brushing it away from the light purple linen skirt, that matched her purple bikini, she wore around her hips. Pushing her brown hair from her face, thanks to the wind, Quinn nodded at his question. "I am. Fourth year. I don't know if we've met, but I'm Quinn. Quinn Kelly," she said happily. With all the people on the beach, she was actually surprised to have found another student like herself, even if she didn't really know him.

Falcon smiled as Quinn introduced herself and then began doing the same. "Awesome, I'm a sixth year. Falcon Kofi Selwyn," he stated his name happily. He knew that many people thought wrong of him that they believed he was like his father but he really wasn't Falcon wanted everyone to have a chance in that world and thought that eventually peace would arrive. "What were you doing?" he asked referring to the way she had been holding the shells to her ear. Falcon did know some things about the muggles, but it was very basic stuff.

Quinn nodded as he introduced himself. She thought she knew his name, and while she was close, she wasn't spot on. She did however know about the rumors that were running about the school when it came to him. Just like his da, I bet... Even if she didn't know his dad, pretty sure he wasn't like him. Falcon, from what she had seen was anything but what the others were saying about him. "Oh... My Grandmother taught me that if you listen to seashells, you can hear the ocean in them. Here," she answered and held a shell up to his ear. "Listen..." she whispered. Quinn had wanted to add that her grandparents were Muggles and so they taught her all about different things like this, but, being as she just met Falcon, and the rumors of him being a pureblood bigot, whether she saw it or not, stopped her. Maybe it would come up, but she didn't want to ruin the chance at making a new friend over blood status.

Falcon's eyes widened as Quinn explained what her grandmother had taught her. Falcon found it very strange that you could actually hear the sea through a shell, although he didn't know why, considering he lived in a magical world. Maybe shells were just magical beings that sounded like the sea? Nah. Maybe he was just thinking too much. Leaning down his ear rubbed against the shell and he heard the crashing of the waves and that soft breeze that came along with it. Looking at the sea in front of him, he saw it was much calmer than what it sounded like in the shell. "...Holy shit!" he cussed and then covered his mouth with one hand. "Oops," he laughed. "That's pretty awesome!" he told the younger gryffindor ruffling her hair.

His reaction made Quinn laugh loudly. "Not heard something like that before, huh?" she asked as he covered his mouth following the curse of a reaction. "Hey!" she teased when his hands ruffled her hair. Handing him the shell, she said, "You keep it. They are all over the place here." Then her smile faded a little. "Falcon, don't take this the wrong way, but, what they say about you.... It's not true, is it?" she asked. Bold, yes, but something that she was not sure curious about, but wanted to know. Even if she was one of the only ones that would believe what he said in answer, at least it was one more to not believe the horrid rumors.

Smirking at the sound of her laugh, he shrugged. "Nope, and it's pretty great, really, amazing, and it's even cooler because it ain't magical," he answered with a soft whisper so no one heard him. When she told him to keep that shell, his eyes widened, "For real? Thanks. Don't have any of these at home, I'm sure mom will like'em," he mused and then scratched his head before his smile vanished completely. "No. I'm so sick of that. I'm not my father!" he answered a bit more loudly this time though no one's attention was brought to the pair of lions.

"That's what's so amazing about it," Quinn whispered to him as she winked, pleased that he enjoyed the magic of the seashell so much. "Where are you from that you don't have any of these? Maybe you could find one just for your mom. They come in all kinds of colors and shapes and sizes," she mused pointed to several of them alone the water line. Her bright eyes grew wide at his outburst in answer to her question of him. "I didn't mean you were. I never thought you were. I guess.... I guess I just wanted to be sure that I was right about you. You've never done anything to make me think otherwise," she said to him with an apologetic smile for upsetting him. She was glad she was right about him. He certainly didn't come across as a boy like his father, and for that, she was happy.

Falcon smiled as Quinn agreed with his statement and now that he thought about it seashells had their own magic, one that only they knew how to produce because in his sixteen years of life he had never heard any other object or being mimic the sound of the ocean so well. "Well I'm from the wizarding world and purebloods don't usually know much bout seashells," he answered glancing at where Quinn was pointing. "Well I'm glad you don't think I'm a killer, or a murderer, or a racist," he answered looking at the ground. He was old enough to keep calm when his father and him were 'compared' but it was getting tiring and he couldn't handle all the bullshit thrown at him.

Nodding, Quinn understood what he meant. "I think if I was a Pureblood, I'd be in the same boat. I'm just lucky that my father parents are Muggles. Kind of got the best of both worlds," she said with a shrug. Raising her bright eyes to Falcon, she smiled timidly, happy that he was happy she didn't think as many of their peers did. "Of course I don't. Your father might be that way, but you aren't your father. You're....well.... You're you, Falcon," Quinn said happily. She could only imagine what it was like for him to have to deal with the rumors and snide comments all the time. Perhaps it was a relief to finally have someone understand that he was his own person and not necessarily like his name would suggest.

Falcon grinned as Quinn explained her muggle heritage - which again he held no prejudice against - "Kinda yeah, now that you point it out," he responded nodding accordingly as he thought about his parents. What ifs were frequent with Falcon and today's one was what if his parents were muggles? Maybe his life would be easier considering he wouldn't be called a fake lion all the time. "Yeah, I'm a freaking bird," he rolled his eyes at the name his father gave him but shrugged and offered Quinn a gentle grin. "Wanna go into the water?"

Quinn couldn't help but laugh at Falcon saying he was a bird. Well, his name was. "It's a fine name," she said, giving his arm a friendly squeeze. Looking towards the waves when he asked if she wanted to go for a swim, she glanced back at him, a mischievous grin touching her features. Taking off the linen skirt, she moved to a matching purple towel and set it and her shells on top of it. Walking back to her housemate, she paused a moment, before taking off at a run and shouting over her shoulder, "Last one in is a manticore!"

As Quinn looked over her shoulder Falcon was already behind her - being older and having a manly body allowed him to be faster than her - and swooped her up in his arms, running to the water whilst carrying her, "Seems like we'll both be manticores then," he grinned down at her with a small tilt of his head.

Even before the words were out of her mouth, she was scooped up in Falcon's strong arms. Laughing with delight as they splashed into the water, she playfully flinched away from the wet and into his strong chest. Smiling brightly up at him, Quinn nodded, "Guess you're right. Two manticors in the wide, wide ocean." Wiggling out of his arms, she dove into the water before resurfacing in front of him, brushing her long brown hair out of her face. The water felt great on this hot summer day. "So, how's your summer been so far?" she asked as she tread water.

Quinn's question made him think about the summer overall, but really he hadn't done that much for it to be considered great. Diving into the water he swam towards a rock far from the sand and made a canon ball into the wide ocean. Swimming back to Quinn underwater he came up right in front of her, his large stature towering over her. "Not too interesting, yours?" he questioned her with a cheeky grin.

Quinn watched him swim out to a rock and splash back into the water where she lost him. When he surfaced in front of her, she had no choice but to look up seeing how he was so much taller than she was. "About the same.... Uneventful so far. But, after last year, I think uneventful is alright for now," she said happily, diving under the water and swimming out to the same rock Falcon had just cannon balled off of. Taking a mark like a diving block, she launched herself off the rock in perfect form and into the water with hardly a splash at all. It felt good to be free in the water. She had missed it greatly. Coming up for air about three feet from where she had been with Falcon, she commented, "Maybe next year will be an uneventful year. The last two have been rather....exciting. Hopefully they don't come in threes." Laughing lightly at her joke, she smiled at her housemate.

Falcon shrugged as Quinn spoke of how the last two years had been eventful - to say the least, considering students nearly died, and that Voldemort had been walking in the school. "Or in more than threes, imagine if they came in fours, or fives, or sixes...or heck, even sevens," he joked with a bright smile as he swam around.

Swimming up to him, Quinn playfully punched his upper arm. "Don't joke like that! I don't know if i could handle more than a couple of years with students almost ending up in coffins. It's just crazy!" she said both serious and jokeful. First is was Potter and his friends, doing who knew what and almost being killed, then is was Weasley's sister almost getting killed... What is the world could be next?! Nothing she hoped.

Falcon punched her arm back with a little bit more strength than he planned. "Well if you want to know if something eventful is gonna happen or not, just ask Harry, considering he's in the center of it, all the time," Falcon laughed but weirdly enough it was true.

Wincing and rubbing her arm at the light twinge of pain his playful punch left behind, Quinn couldn't help but agree. Harry did seem to be in the thick of all the events that were occurring as of late. "Why do you think that is, Falcon? It's not like he goes looking for trouble," she said, pulling herself onto the rock nearby and sitting, feet still in the water. It was odd, now that she thought about it. Everything had been quiet before Harry arrived and now... Two years in a row, and Harry right in the middle of both events... Coincidence?

Resting his arms on the rock he looked up at Quinn and shrugged slightly at her question. "I dunno he just seems to always be in the middle of it. I mean last year, he went down to the philosopher's stone chambers and fought a troll, and came out alive, this year, he fought a basilisk and won, plus saved Ginny Weasley," he answered as he smiled when a small wave waved him slightly making him have to hold onto the rock with more strength. "It's just weird, ya' know," he asked as he looked over Quinn and noticed a gigantic wave making its way to them.

Listening to him explain about Harry being in the middle of the messes they had been faced with the past two years, Quinn couldn't help but agree that is was weird for someone like Harry to be able to face so much so young and come out on top each time. As a wave washed over Falcon, Quinn stiffened to keep from being washed off the rock they were on. "Weird indeed," she said looking out towards the shore. "Guess we can only hope that nothing big and dangerous will be there for us this year. Harry's luck might run out..." she mused with a sigh. Harry had come across as a really sweet kid, and she didn't want anything to happen to him, House Mate or not. Looking back to Falcon, she was just about to speak, when a large wave smashed hard into her back, knocking her off the rock with ease and forcing her down under the water. As much as Quinn fought and did everything she had been taught about swimming with waves and currents, the power of the wave and current that seemed to grow stronger thanks to the wave that surged around them, she couldn't get free.

Falcon had enough time to react when he saw the wave coming and tried to shout the girl's name, before diving towards the wave, going right through it and coming out on the other end. He was advanced swimmer and his built allowed him to easily navigate through the ocean, within reason. As he came back up, he began paddling with his feet to stay on the surface, "QUINN?!" he asked as he began to panic, "QUINN?!" he shouted for her again his tone increasing and worry vibrating off him. For a moment he thought she was playing around, and was about to surprise him by poking his leg or something underwater but that thought quickly left him as he saw one of her arms on the surface, trying to wiggle away from the current that was taking her far off into the ocean. The local lifeguard catapulted himself from the sand into the water but he'd take too long, and Quinn would be taken away. Taking a deep breath, Falcon threw the water behind him as fast as he could and hurled himself towards her not caring if the current took them both away: at least Quinn wouldn't be alone. Swimming towards her and against the current, smaller waves tried to stop Falcon, sending him a few feet back. But he didn't give up, and in true Gryffindor style kept pushing on. Diving right as another larger wave tried to hit him, he swam to where Quinn was and extended his arm for her to take so he could try to take them both away from there...