The world's a stage, and this grass is the grass in the painted background.

Vanessa turned to look at Cass making sure to not turn away completely, lest she trip.
When she saw Cass jump over the root easily as well, she knew she would not be able to outrun her with just speed. She looked around briefly and noticed they weren't even headed towards the doors, anymore.
In fact, they had kept running and were now going around the Great Lake at top speed.
If its an endurance race she wants, it's an endurance race she'll get
Despite that fact that if she lost she would be forced to eat the horror of all horrors, sweet and spicy chiken dumplings, she found she was not at all disappointed.
In fact, she was having the time of her life.
Grinning at Cass' remark she said, "I wouldn't count on it, Cass. Oh by the way, the land is muddier here. Should probably be carful, you don't want to fall in."
She had no bad intentions, but she thought about how hilarious it would look if either of them were to fall in.
Ignoring the the dull ache in her throat fromm the dry air, Vanessa wondered if Cass knew how to swim.

Cass listened to Vanessa's remark about the mud, and thought, Oh, bugger it.
She pumped up to Vanessa- her height obviously being the contibuting factor on how the Gryffindor was always an inch ahead- and dragged her to the left.
"Let's swim, lion! Watch your mane!"
And that was the last thing she said as she began a rhythmic swim, fluidly gliding through the water.
It was hard to tell if it was cold or warm, Cass didn't take a second to stop and think about it.
She shuddered as water flooded through her ears as she turned to take a breath.
Where was Vanessa?

Vanessa smiled, glad for once, that she was rather tall for the average eleven-year-old.
Suddenly, she was yanked towards the side and was falling head-first into the water.
"Cheat!"
That was the most she could get out before she had to take a breath nin preparation fo the water. She was really lucky she had been given lessons the year previously. Else, she would've been in quite the situation. The water felt freezing, and perhaps it was due to the fact she was burning up from all the running. Nonetheless, the chill was very welcome. She tried to stay underwater as long as her breath could hold, but the longest she could stay was about two minutes.

She rose above the water silently, and carefully tread water. She watched with a tiny smirk as Cass swiveled her body around and around looking for her. She rose her head a little higher and said,
"I'm right here. In case you forgot, you pulled me in as well..."

"Oh," said Cass smirking, her breaths coming in fast.
"You know, you could quit now, and save yourself the humiliation,"
just as she said 'humiliation', her arm- still in the back stroke zone- flung a great wave of water fell onto her face.

Vanessa smirked, but her smrik quickly turned into mock-hurt.
She squealed when Cass splashed her, and decided it was time for some pay-back.
"You're gonna get it!"
With that said, she floated onto her back and kicked her legs hard. She sincerely hoped the water splashed her, not that it would make much of a difference. They were already as soaked as they could be.

Cass knew that water was wet.
Infact, it was probably the wettest thing in the entire world.
She gathered, at a young age, that being submerged in water, and then being wet, you wouldn't be any wetter.
But right now, as Vanessa kicked galleons gallons of water in her face, Cass felt soaked to the bone.
Au contraire, Vanessa, you are gonna get it.

Vanessa smiled at Cass's expression, and laughed a very girly laugh.
She was, afterall, still a girl.
Knowing that if she stayed in the water any longer her life would be in danger, she made her way to shore. Hopefully her extra inches would come ot her advantage once Cass starts chasing her back.
She tried to remember everything she had learned in the swim lessons.
"Scoop once, scoop twice, breath sideways, hold breath, scoop"
Despite liking swimming underwater better, it was faster to swim above the water.
If only she had stuck around in the lessons long enough to master the butterfly stroke. She had learned that once mastered, it was the fastest way to move in the water.
She didn't dare look back as she reached the shore, ignoring the appalled looks from other students.
She had run towards the Great Hall...now!
Not looking back, lest it slow her down, Vanessa kicked off her cloak and ran.
Soaked as she was, it was harder to run fast, but it felt amazing.
Cold....but amazing, nonetheless.
Vanessa turns the upper half of her body to the side and yells over her shoulder, "I told you already! I'm not going to be eating that infernal food! Prepare to eat duck, my friend!"

Satisfied she was finally near the shore, Cass threw off her cloak, leaving it to stew in the water which she'd come back for later.
There was no way a munchkin like her would overpower Vanessa, the long legged gryffindor. She needed all the help she could.
Cass' heart dropped, and she could feel a lump in her throat. There was no way she could let that happen.
But she was tired. She was.
She dug her feet harder into the ground, more determined than ever that she succeed.

Vanessa forced her legs to move faster. They protested, but kept her running.
All the top-speed endurance running, and the long swim was getting to her. She knew she was going to be terribly sore the next morning, so she figured she might as well go all out.
Cass hadn't said anything, and like herself, was probably incapable of speech.
Its running like this that made speech useless, and rendered it impossible to as well.
You didn't really need to speak to understand each other.
They were both hell-bent on not eating the food they detested.
Vanessa was breathing is gasps now, but tried to force her breathing to slow down. It wouldn't help anyone to pass out from lack of oxygen...

Cass' thoughts mirrored Vanessa's own- not wanting to speak out of the shared assurance they didn't need to to pass the time, that and the fact that if Cass said anything, she'd probably drop dead.
The doors were only a few metres away, now. Opened only enough for one body to slip through...
Cass spent the last burst of energy to get through the door first.
Only to catch her ankle on the side of the door.

Vanessa watched awe-struck, her feet still moving, as Cass outran her, then tripped herself marvelously.
Vanessa tried to stop and she skidded a bit, showering everyone within a five feet radius with water.
She trudged back to Cass, too tired to walk normally, and gave a hand.
"How about we call it a truce? We're both equally tired..."

"Those words in that order are the most beautiful things I have ever heard in my entire life."
Cass wove an arm around Vanessa's shoulders and proudly walked through the Great Hall.
This Gryffindor was a keeper.

Vanessa smiled and together Cass and herself made their way through the Great Hall. She was positively famished, and exhausted.
She had no doubt whatsoever that she would be feeling extremely sore for a couple of days.

"As long as you don't eat duck, or those sweet and sour chicken dumplings I've heard you fondly prattle about all day, I think it's safe to say this friendship has been officially consumnated," said Cass, slapping Vanessa on the back. She felt her shoulderblades tense. No wonder. She had thrown the girl into the lake. It made sense.

"Come sit with me on the Ravenclaw table for a spell."

Vanessa grinned at Cass.
"Trust me, I won't be trying either of those...food dishes..."
She shivers and turns back to the Ravenclaw girl.
"Sure. I'm sure you Ravens already know enough magic to ba able to make me dry fairly quickly..."

"I wouldn't dream trying any of those spells on you..." said Cass, as she drove Vanessa to the Raven table.
With her wand arm on her back, she perfomed a quick drying spell- subtly, in the next ten minutes, Vanessa would eventually be dry.
"You fancy anything? I'm going Califlower Pureé, again," she said without shame, as a couple of Ravenclaws stifled groans around her. That was a surprise.

Vanessa grinned, "I'll try it, but if I die or get indigestion you have only yourself to blame!"
She giggled and sat down next to Cass, she wondered if all Ravens were as fun.

"Trust me, the only way you'd die through eating Califlower Pureé would be if you ate all of it in the world and there was none left for me!"
Cass found a bowl of fresh, warm Califlower Mash Pureé and placed it in front of Vanessa.
She twisted to sit sideways, crosslegged on the bench. "Tell me about yourself, Vanessa."

Vanessa took the bowl of the food, or whatever it was, and looked up at Cass' question.
"Um...What do you want to know?"the question had sort of caught her off guard. But she couldn't make heads or tails of it. It wasn't that she hated talking about her past, but the question was just so out-of-the-blue...

"Anything," she said with a wide eyes smile. "your favourite toothpaste, the best present you ever had, your favourite lesson, your favourite witching band, your favourite thing to dance to, what Quidditch team you support. Anything. Everything!" she grinned again.

Vanessa smiled at her enthusiasm.
"Um. Okay...Well, my favorite toothpaste is any that can clean my teeth well. The best present?; probably my viola or chihuahua. My favorite lesson has so far been the debate in DADA. That was loads of fun. I like to listen to muggle music, instead... I prefer to dance to anything but Classical music. I still remember my four years in dance classes. They were terrible!-Well, I'm not that into flying. So, I haven't really seen any Quidditch. I've only heard about it..."
After having answered Cass' questions, she was quite out of breath. It was very hard talking for so long without breathing...

"And breathe," reminded Cass, clapping her on the back. "Cool! I learnt all that stuff about you in like, what? Fifteen seconds. Can't believe you're not into flying, though. That's just odd. Ahh well, you'll end up loving it."
Cass saw a different pot of Califlower Pureé on the table- this time, this Califlower and Mash had cheese on top.
Cass stuffed it in her bag and awaited it, eagerly for dinner.

Vanessa smiled again, and took a deep breath. She really had said all that very fast...
"I prefer to keep my feet steady on the ground..."

She noticed Cass stuff something that looked suspiciously like the food Cass had given her, and she couldn't help but giggle. Cass really liked that stuff, didn't she?

"Oh don't mind me," she said to Vanessa, winking, "I'd just prefer to take my dinner with me and go, you know. So you've never played Quidditch before. You taken the flying lessons? You know, we're all at the Quidditch pitch- you could come, find a broom, join us in the air." Cass nodded and for the first time since she arrived here, she ate a mouthful of food that wasn't Califlower Mash Pureé. Califlower Mash Pureé with cheese

Vanessa gave Cass a blank look.
"I am taking flying lessons. Now, I don't know why I signed up for them! Its nervewrecking!"
She took another spoonful of the califlower puree, and absentmindedly lifted it to her mouth...