By the Lake || Quitt

hpbrittany:

“The only reason I didn’t break into Ravenclaw tower first thing the next morning is because I promised not to tell anyone,” Brittany gushed, wrapping her arms around Quinn in a bone-crushing hug.  “You know I can’t break promises,” she said.  “Don’t be mad at me, please Quinnie?  I kept trying to find some other way to talk to you because I just knew if you saw me, you’d know and this is huge and I want to share it with you.”  Tucking her hair behind her ear, she nodded, looking down and then back up at her oldest friend.  “It was the only way,” she said with a shrug.  “I mean, I don’t really understand her family, but I can tell how much it scares her.  I think some of it is that I’m a girl, but I think even more of it is because I’m a Hufflepuff,” she explained.  The blonde took a deep breath, letting it out in a sigh. “She’s so amazing, though.  She’s sweet and romantic and kind and the things she makes me feel…  I don’t even have words for them.” 

Quinn hugged back with a smile, a genuine one. “I’m not mad, Britt,” she assured her friend. “I get why, and I’m so happy that you’re together, even though it is a secret.” In her heart of hearts she wished that she could understand what her friend was feeling for herself, but she kept on telling herself that that person would come along someday. It’d happen, so for now her job was to be here for her friend. Thus, in that capacity, she pulled back from Brittany a bit and looked into her eyes, concern in her own. “How hard has it been so far?” she asked, squeezing her friend’s hands. “I can’t imagine it.”

By the Lake || Quitt

hpbrittany:

“Quinnie!” Brittany said with a laugh, exasperated at her friend’s seeming obliviousness.  “New things like things that I promised not to tell anyone about,” she finally admitted, lifting her hand to play with her bottom lip, tugging on it a bit.  “Can’t you just look at me and be, like, all insightful or something?” she asked, turning to stare hard into amber-green eyes.

Quinn gave a bit of a smile; so that’s what it was. “I was hoping to hear it directly from you, as it is something important,” she admitted, the slightest bit hurt, but she was quick to deduce before she got too upset about it. “You guys are keeping it secret, then, huh?” If Santana didn’t want to say anything and Brittany didn’t want to say anything straight, that seemed to be the only logical explanation.

By the Lake || Quitt

hpbrittany:

“Yay!” Brittany exclaimed with a bounce and a few claps.  “I knew I could count on you,” she said and pulled her friend down beside her on one of the benches that were spaced out around the lake.  At her best friend’s question, she looked out over the lake, trying to formulate a response.  “I guess it’s just…” she started, trailing off as she still didn’t know quite how to continue.  “I guess lots of new things.  Good things, for sure, but it’s been…  interesting adjusting to everything,” she finally said, tucking her hands into her robe pockets, shrugging with a bit of a shy smile as she looked at Quinn. 

Quinn gave a laugh as she got pulled down to the bench. “It sounds like fun,” she replied, also looking out at the lake as she awaited Brittany’s answer. When she finally did answer, she looked over at her friend, her eyebrow raised. “New things like… ?” Things weren’t known to be new all of a sudden very often in Hogwarts, and she hated feeling like she was egging the taller blonde on, but she didn’t know how else to ask without coming off as too blunt.

By the Lake || Quitt

hpbrittany:

Brittany smiled at the question and wondered how she could possibly answer it.  She shook her head, smiled, and shrugged.  “Crazy.  Awesome.  Totally crazy, but totally awesome,” she finally decided on.  “How about you?  Oh!  Before I forget, I met with Rachel Berry this week, she’s a Slytherin sixth year with us, and we’re planning a party,” she said with an excited grin.  “I might need your help charming the invitations and setting up something that will pass for wizarding karaoke.  You up for that?” she asked. 

Quinn smiled to hear that Brittany was doing well. She was fixing to inquire about the crazy, but that would come later because of the sudden announcement about a party. She knew Rachel well enough, she had just offered to give her violin lessons. She seemed nice enough for a Slytherin. “I know her,” Quinn replied, “and that sounds like fun. I’d love to help.” Her mind was already buzzing with ways to charm invitations and rig karaoke - she’d done it once or twice and it was so much fun - but she had to stay focused on what she was here to talk to her for. “So how’s everything been crazy?” she inquired.

By the Lake || Quitt

hpbrittany:

Brittany made her way from the castle, barely clearing the huge doors before kicking off the ground on her broom, laughing an apology to some startled fourth years.  She went higher and higher, just letting the chill wind sting her face as she thought about what she was going to say, or rather what she wasn’t going to say, to her best friend.  The blonde didn’t want to keep her relationship with Santana a secret from Quinn, but she had promised the Slytherin she wouldn’t tell anyone.  No matter what, Brittany did everything she could to keep promises.  However, if Quinn were to guess or infer that they were, indeed, in a relationship, Brittany wouldn’t lie to her best friend either.  She had never lied to the smaller blonde, and she sure as hell wasn’t going to start now.  Nodding to herself, her thoughts a bit more clear, she turned toward the lake, doing a few flips as she reached the far side of it, then leaning sideways as she crossed it so just her fingertips skidded across just the top of the water.  She had started doing it in her second year, sort of as a greeting to the many creatures that lived in the lake, and sometimes they would surface to give her a greeting in return.  Pulling up short as she reached the shore, she set down gently beside her best friend.  “Hey, pretty lady,” she said with a smile, pulling the Ravenclaw into a tight hug. 

Quinn’s look of focus dissolved into a pleasant smile when she saw her friend fly in. She always loved watching Brittany fly; she always rooted for her friend even when her team was going against Ravenclaw, and whenever she could she’d stop by Hufflepuff Quidditch practice just to watch. She had come by often enough that the team knew she wasn’t there to spy on practice and thus didn’t treat her like a threat. Her eyes sparkled as she watched the taller blonde sweep across the lake, and the sparkle traveled to the rest of her face as it broke into a grin and she reciprocated the hug. “Hello yourself, pretty lady,” she echoed her greeting, giving one more squeeze before she let go. “How’ve things been?” This she asked not only to see how her friend was, but also to see how she’d respond; would she come right out with it or do something else?

By the Lake || Quitt

Quinn strode with purpose towards her designated meeting place with Brittany, the Black Lake. It was a place that she loved to frequent, as she enjoyed looking out on the water and collecting her thoughts. She also loved looking out for the giant squid, having never seen one up close and always hoping for a glimpse of it, although as of her sixth year the squid had yet to make an appearance. 

However, the squid was the last thing on her mind as she made her way to the lake. Her mind was instead still fixated on fixing the current puzzle before her. Here are the pieces: her best friend is in love with her fellow prefect who has a penchant for malice, but this malice was not unleashed upon Quinn this morning despite their turbulent subject matter shortly before their class. She was hoping that her best friend would be the missing piece to this puzzle.

She reached the lake and found that she was there first, so she looked out on the water as she waited. No squid.