A Sky Full of Stars PV

The year was coming to a close. The weather was warming, classes were winding down, and Katrina was becoming more stressed. She had been continually active for a few months now. There was a hidden fear that if she stopped and thought, that the reality of everything she was trying to keep at bay would come down and crush her. It was, of course, a childish thought. The second-year was making things worse by studying too hard, moving around too much, and never giving herself time to sleep (as night terrors are much worse when they come every night).

Katrina sat in a tree as dusk began to fall. This would not have been an abnormal thing several months ago, as she was continuously finding the foliage as a place to study and read and sketch before everything became too complicated. But to see her sitting still now was a rare sight. However, she wasn't doing nothing, she was writing yet another letter to no-one. It wasn't actually to no-one, it was to no-one who was still alive.

The lioness eventually wrapped up the letter and placed it in an unsealed envelope to come back to later. For the first time in weeks, she was doing nothing. And it was unbearably odd. Footsteps alerted her of someone passing below her, and Katrina peered down to see a somewhat familiar face holding what seemed to be a thermos. If it were indeed a thermos, it was one that could feed the entire castle hot coco or soup or whatever else was in it for a month. (Might be a tad of an exaggeration)

Curiosity got the better of the 12-year-old and she watched from the tree branch, shifting around to watch the person. It was Margo! Margo had been one of the first people to hear about the fire. In fact, she was one of about half a dozen who actually knew, not from a rumor, what had happened to her. The other girl sat down and immediately looked up, Katrina found herself following her gaze. There was nothing there but the stars.

Katrina always had a penchant for the night sky. Her father used to take her out camping on weekends-- just her, not her brother-- and they would spend hours staring up and making their own constellations.

She made a decision and swung herself over the branch and let herself fall the few feet to the ground, curling and rolling to distribute the pain of the fall. Brushing off the dirt from her Gryffindor sweatshirt and black leggings, she made her way over. Katrina found herself rubbing the inside of her left sleeve, petting the back of a tiny teal embroidered dragon, a habit that helped her become more confidant.

"Um, hey," Katrina addressed Margo, taking a seat beside her, "Beautiful night tonight,"

@Margo White @Flash Holmwood @Ami Procoppio

This was it, there was no more that he could do to rescue his first year from the relative disappointment it had been. Of course, he got perfect grades, but that was hardly something worth writing home about. Everyone in his family got perfect grades, but not only that. Valerius had been head boy, Darius had fought in Dumbledore's Army. What had Flash done really, besides convince some people to tolerate him?

It had been so much work, too. He had run himself into the dirt to always be accomodating, kind, available, helpful… and he has secured bonds of loyalty, but they seemed to constantly be tested. Not only that, but his methods were constantly being questioned. He hadn’t expected to receive so much push back. At his private school before Hogwarts, most everyone was champing at the bit to be his mindless follower and do whatever he said. Perhaps wizards and witches were just too clever. Well, he couldn’t quite say that either. He had his fair share of pet sheep at Hogwarts as well.

What good did it do him, though? As he slaved away trying to earn his following, the feeling that surfaced wasn’t a hunger for more power. It was a hunger for love. He wasted so much time trying to bury that feeling, to keep it from making him act improper, that it eventually tore out of him and demanded to be seen. Tears, blood… it was all too much.

He remembered a time with Willow, when they had a picnic by the Great Lake and he wished he could have had the time to look at the stars with her. Instead, he turned in early so he would make his scheduled morning jog as usual. Then again, at the ball, with his nose broken and bleeding and fire all around him, he looked momentarily at the sky and wished he had been out enjoying himself, rather than trying to take on the responsibility of protecting the students from themselves.

Well, he didn’t have anything to stop him any more. The last day of classes had ended, and now only final exams lay ahead of him. He had studied of course, he had nothing to worry about. His understanding of the curriculum far surpassed those of most of his peers, he had studied beforehand. Instead, he leaned his head out an open window, letting the wind carry his thoughts as it prickled the beads of sweat in his brow.

It was warm, nice. The sky was brilliantly bright, the sun and the moon illuminating the nearby sparse clouds, giving them a silvery blue and gold glow. He could feel the muscles in his back slowly relaxing, though his eyes were never so complacent. They took in their surroundings diligently, spotting a figure walking out into the middle of the grounds, not far from the castle. From that vantage point, it was impossible to make out much detail, but her actions were clear enough. She was sitting down to relax. Looking up at the stars.

Moved, Flash felt an immediate kinship with her. Didn’t they all need to relax and look at the stars at this point? He was surprised when she was joined by another, having tumbled out of a tree. Not wanting to miss this moment of collective unconsciousness, Flash felt the urge to join them. They had the same idea he had, and he knew now that sulking around the castle never filled his heart quite like delighting in the company of others.

As if they would turn him away, he was delightful company himself. He had built himself that way, to be completely inoffensive. Hastening down the many flights of stairs, he looked forward to the moment that he could sprawl out on the grass and let the earth soak up all his pain. Who knew when he would allow himself the time to do it again.


@Margo White @Katrina Walker @Ami Procoppio

Ami Charity Procoppio was a lot of things, but reflective was not one of them.

She was confident and bold, and it showed in the way she spoke, in the way she walked into a room like she expected everyone to kneel at her mere presence. She had always held her head up high, like she really was wearing a crown, and she was never afraid to speak her mind about whatever topic might've been running through her head at any given moment. She was hyper and scatter-brained, which made having a conversation with her really one of the most ridiculous ways someone could spend their time. The way she could compartmentalize her emotions and flip them on and off, like a switch, could be alarming to people who had never met her before, even when it was hidden beneath layers and layers of extroverted flirting and over-confidence. She was narcissistic, attention-seeking, and had a tendency to bulldoze her way through people's lives without a care in the world.

And yet, never before had she looked into a mirror and realized any of this. She only saw herself as the world's savior, and angel from the heavens who had come to sprinkle rainbows and sunshine on everyone she met. After years of bullying as a child, she'd decided to completely ignore it all and focus on building up her self-esteem. Unfortunately, that also meant that she ignored everyone who rightfully told her that she was too much or she was being mean, and she'd become something of an asshole over the past few years. It took almost losing her best friend to realize what a selfish little piece of shit she really was.

As she made her way to the grounds, Ami was alone. This was always a dangerous sign- the redhead was rarely seen without her feline companion, but the fact that she had left him behind in her dorms tonight meant that something was boiling beneath the calm exterior that she wore on the surface. Because, for the first time in her life, Ami was self-reflecting. She finally recognized that she needed to change, but to be completely honest, she had no freaking clue where to even begin. Dressed for the weather, although looking a bit more dapper than normal, she made up her mind that by the time she returned to her dorm, she would be in a better mood. She wouldn't return until she was sure that she wouldn't do anything drastic.

She could see figures in the distance- mere shadows, but they were clearly people. Without hesitation, Ami began to make her way over to them, deciding that if talking to other people wouldn't lift her mood, nothing would. As she neared, she picked out two new silhouettes- two girls she had never met before. Clenching and unclenching her jaw, she ran a hand through her hair as the tall girl strode towards the two chatting girls, swallowing her emotions and placing a wide grin on her face. Oh, how she reminded herself of that annoying little Slytherin worm... what was his name, again? Whatever, he was always fake smiling and aiming to please everyone. And yet here she was, acting just like him. Disgusting.

Unfortunately, it was something that needed to be done, so Ami pushed her shoulders back and let her thoughts fall away. "Evening!" she called cheerfully, grinning jovially at the two girls sitting in the grass, their heads tilted up towards the stars. "You two are gorgeous, aren't ya?" she added, her mouth moving of its own accord. She didn't even recognize the words coming from her mouth, right now, but she supposed that it sounded enough like her. Besides, she didn't even know these two, so it wasn't like they knew what she normally acted like. Ami's gaze lingered on the blonde one, painstakingly reminded of another blonde in her life. One Alexxandria Séverin really hadn't paid her much attention this year, which was quite the jump from last year, and Ami couldn't help but feel despair at that certain predicament. Really, she just seemed to be losing everyone important to her at this point in her life.

"Stars are pretty, too," she added suddenly as she sat down by the girls. One of them wore a Gryffindor sweater, which was another piercing stab in her heart as she remembered Scott. No, not now... clenching her jaw slightly, Ami quelled her emotions before introducing herself to the two of them, as was customary at Hogwarts. She couldn't help but feel like at least 70% of her interactions during her first year were all just introductions; introducing herself to people who didn't care anymore. What a total waste of time, but she figured that she might as well introduce herself to these two again.

Wait, hang on... she knew them. Her brain seemed to have been moving slower that evening, as she finally recognized the two faces in front of her as two faces who had been present at a completely different and unrelated event. "Heh..." she scoffed quietly in disbelief, shaking her head slightly at how long it had taken for her to put two and two together. "You two were at the Elephant's Toothpaste thing with Cy, right? I guess it's nice to officially meet you, then. I'm Ami, third year Hufflepuff."

@Kristina Walker, @Flash Holmwood and @Ami Procoppio

It wasn't until a mane of red hair swished down beside her that Margo realised she might have to share her hot chocolate. But, for some unknown reason, she was okay with that. Her hands deftly unscrewed her thermos' cap and fished the packet of paper cups out of her pocket. She handed the girl a steaming cup without a word, allowing her curious gaze to flit across their face as she did so. A jolt of recognition crossed Margo's features as she stared at her companion's familiar complexion in shock.

"Katrina." She breathed, taking a sip of her hot chocolate to try and hide her whirlwind of emotions. Surprise, confusion, regret... pity. She'd be damned if she let Katrina see that last one. She was no expert in the art of subtlety, that was certain, but she had a strange feeling that it wouldn't be a great idea to discuss the Gryffindor's bad luck upon greeting her. Whilst Margo didn't always feel the need to filter her thoughts from her speech, some people were touchy about that sort of thing. She tried to search her memory for some random little fact about Katrina from their last encounter - something aside from the girl's crying patterns. "Astronomy." She announced triumphantly. "You like Astronomy. I do too, ya know, hence this little, uh, session with the stars."

Margo turned her gaze skyward once again, tracing the line of Orion's Belt with her fingertip. "They have all these elaborate meanings, constellations." She mused, her tone light. "And it's great to learn about, don't get me wrong, but they're just figments of someone else's imagination. I mean, look at Orion. That's not a warrior battling a lion! It could just as easily be a fish falling in love with a seahorse. Or an eagle chick taking flight upon a cloud, though I do prefer the seascape theory. It just depends on how you see the world... but maybe if you were descended from Romans you'd have more of a knack for it." Margo winked. "So what do you see in the sky?"

Margo was just about to add something about the unfortunate lack of food in constellations when another flash of red caught her eye. It seemed that Hogwarts had more redheads than she'd previously been aware of. They'd have to be careful or it would look like half the heads of the student body were on fire... Okay, so maybe Margo was slightly jealous of the two girls’ obnoxiously bright hair, but at least she didn't have as many freckles as the newcomer. They covered her face as if they owned it, adding an impossible amount of cheer to her grin... but maybe that was just her naturally jovial persona. Oh, how Margo wished she could vanish her own dusting of freckles...

Once she had finally finished being vain, Margo registered what the new girl had actually said. She had called them gorgeous. Well, two could play at that game. ”Aye, we both know it’s true.” She smirked. ”But they say there’s also beauty in bravery, and you certainly ain’t shy. I’m Margo of thy kingdom of snakes, by the way. And that’s right, we did foam the Quidditch Pitch together.” Margo shot a toothy grin into the dark.

Ami, was the freckled girl’s name, apparently... which Margo had obviously known due to her stellar memory. The Hufflepuff’s voice had a twang to it that Margo managed to link with the United States of America. It was a strange place, she imagined, where they lengthened their ‘a’s in order to sound like a yowling cat and seemed incapable of pronouncing the ‘ch’ in’tube’. Scotland seemed more than a mere ocean away, in her humble opinion. And yet, she found Ami’s thick accent somewhat endearing. If everyone introduced themself with the bold air that this girl did in the USA, then Margo needed to look into International Flooing.

But, instead of shooting a hundred, American based questions at the girl, Margo handed her a cup of hot chocolate. Ami’s tongue definitely didn’t need any loosening, but a starry night couldn’t possibly be allowed to slip by without a bit of sweetness. ”The three sisters.” Margo murmured, staring back up at the three bright stars which supposedly formed a belt. A movement on the steps caught her eye, and for the first time that night, Margo found herself being semi-observant. ”And is it me or do we have an Orion approaching?”

--||o||--

Katrina rested with her hands behind her back and feet pointed forward. The cool grass pressed under her hands was calming and almost grounding. Her neck turned up to see the sky, the feeling of humbleness that came with realizing how small you really are coursed through her, bringing out honesty and a sense of calm that she hadn't felt in months.

Margo drew out a cup from her pocket and the second-year tilted her head down so she could see what Margo was doing. She reached out a cup of steaming hot chocolate and Katrina took it with a smile. Noting, as she took a sip, Margo's expression of surprise upon recognizing her. It was sort of nice to see Margo offering the cup without even seeing who she was.

Katrina hid a smile, a thing she had to do along with hiding pain-- in fact, she was incredible at hiding her emotions. Margo managed to remember that Katrina loved Astronomy as well. The Slytherin was stumbling over her words and Katrina was able to nod without smiling. An entire year had passed, and along with it, the lioness had grown up some. She wasn't going to cry today, at least, she wasn't planning on it, but Katrina knew that the closure that would come of this would be immensely rewarding.

Katrina nodded along with Margo's almost philosophical musings. It was a cool perspective to think about. When they went camping, it was often at her grandparents' old place back in the US, the stars looked much different there. Her dad used to have her make up stories to go with the constellations they would spot in the night sky. Even though about 90% of her stories were about dragons, her dad would always draw out his idea of what the constellation looked like for her to add to her sketchbook. Nostalgia. Should she share? Margo turned the conversation to her and Katrina paused to collect her thoughts.

"My dad used to take me out camping. We would go out and gaze up at the stars. He would always ask me to point out what I saw and then we would spend hours spinning stories about them. Before we drove back home, we would draw out what we thought they would look like. Dad's were always better than mine," Katrina laughed somewhat sadly. "I really miss doing that,"

Katrina had the uncanny feeling like she was being watched and turned to see another student walking towards them. Good thing Margo had brought so much hot coco. Katrina didn't recognize the girl, but noted that she had similar colored hair. There was a twinge of recognition, but she couldn't quite put her finger on who the girl was.

At her comment about being gorgeous, Katrina stifled a scoff, she never thought of herself as pretty. Thankfully Margo came to the rescue with a witty comment that Katrina was looking for. "And I'm Katrina of the lions," she turned her head to her sweater, "As I guess you probably figured out," Katrina nodded remembering that was where she had recognized the upper year from.

Katrina nodded at Margo's comment about Orion. "Looks like it," She added somewhat quietly. Her mind went back to the tale they had spun about the dragon's mighty tail and how it was so hard to hide when playing hide and seek. The stories were childish, but as they were some of her last memories of him, she clung them.

It was nice, just resting in the grass. Something she never really had done before. Sometimes it seemed like she had done everything in the school. Been in all of the rooms, looked at all of the paintings, noticed every little thing, but then it would feel like she had done nothing. And Katrina would be out doing something she had never thought about before with two other people she knew nothing about.

--||o||--

@Margo White @Ami Procoppio @Flash Holmwood Sorry for the late reply!

By the time Flash had left the confines of the stuffy castle walls for the fresh open air, another girl had joined the two he had seen from the window. Reducing his speed to something more of a brisk walk, the proximity allowed him a measure of clarity. It was Margo White, Katrina Walker, and… Ami. He didn’t know her last name.

That had been what Professor Lian had called her at the science experiment that they had all coincidentally attended. That was, it was a coincidence, right? Perhaps the kind of people who were drawn to a science experiment with no promise of any award besides the experience were exactly the kind of people who decided to sit back on an evening before the end of the year to look at the stars.

All the more reason to get to know them better.

Having been easily noticed as he jogged up, he bore a large smile at the snippets of their conversation. He couldn’t hear much, but it seemed they were all in a jovial, conversational mood. He fed off the positive energy, any tiredness from the lateness of the hour vanishing from his features.

”What’s this, an impromptu science experiment? Are we discussing celestial bodies?” The one thing he had heard for sure was Margo’s remark about the approach of Orion. ”As I can assure you, my body is anything but celestial.”

Given their acceptance, Flash would sit beside the older girls on the grass. He was quite comfortable in the company of older women, as it so happened. He was practically raised by his mother and older sister in tandem. The comfort had sometimes been mistaken for something else, even sometimes mocked for his own femininity, but such mockery was trifling. He had too many allies, too many defenders, for such a weak insult to hold any water. It wasn’t as if being feminine was something worth being ashamed of, Flash embraced his interests regardless of arbitrary gender assignment.

”I hope I’m not interrupting anything private. I would love the company.” Flash realized in the moment that they had no real reason to know his name, having shown up to the science event and introduced himself before any of them had arrived. ”Oh, my name is Flash Holmwood. I’ve introduced myself to you, Miss Katrina, but I’ve been robbed of the honor of meeting you both properly… Miss Margo, Miss Ami.”

@Margo White @Katrina Walker @Ami Procoppio

"Aye, we both know it’s true. But they say there’s also beauty in bravery, and you certainly ain’t shy. I’m Margo of thy kingdom of snakes, by the way.

"And I'm Katrina of the lions, as I guess you probably figured out."

Ami inclined her head slightly at the two girls, offering them a wide smile in the settling darkness of the night. "Lady Margo, Lady Katrina... it's a pleasure," she said warmly, laughing internally at their creative introduction. Kingdom of snakes... of the lions... she'd have to save those for later, for her own personal use when she had to introduce herself to people. Her tensed up shoulder began to relax as she let the thoughts consuming her mind slip away, letting the comfort and familiarity of chatting and bantering with two new strangers wash over her like a blanket. The extroverted girl had always sought solace in conversation, even if that conversation had previously always been with Scott or Leo. Now, with neither of them here at her side, she would have to make do with these two unassuming second years. They seemed pretty alright, though, so it wasn't like she had anything to complain about.

Grinning at Margo handed her the cup of hot chocolate, she muttered her thanks quietly. Ami set it down in the grass beside her, rather than immediately taking a sip. While it was all fine and good for her to assume that the Slytherin had used cheap powdered hot chocolate, like Swiss Miss, and hot water to make the hot chocolate, she had no idea if Margo was a woman of class and had made high-quality hot chocolate with hot milk and real chocolate. If it was the latter, well... Ami would not be a happy camper. There was no way that she was going to risk completely ruining her body by putting dairy into her system after close to 8 years of veganism just to be polite, and she just wasn't in the mood to ask about the ingredients in the hot chocolate. After all, she was no Karen.

"The three sisters... and is it me or do we have an Orion approaching?”

"What’s this, an impromptu science experiment? Are we discussing celestial bodies? As I can assure you, my body is anything but celestial. I hope I’m not interrupting anything private... Oh, my name is Flash Holmwood. I’ve introduced myself to you, Miss Katrina, but I’ve been robbed of the honor of meeting you both properly… Miss Margo, Miss Ami."

Ami's mind scrambled to try and pick out the three stars of Orion, not turning to look at the new arrival until her name was called by the approaching boy. His wit clearly matched well with both Margo's and Katrina's, and the Hufflepuff faltered slightly as she realized that there was a good chance that she wouldn't be able to hold her own against these children in front of her. She considered herself to be social and amicable, yes, but there was absolutely no universe in which she was witty or sharp. However, she still grinned at Flash, clearly game to take the three younger students on.

"You know my name," Ami said, with a hint of surprise lining her voice. She was by no means popular, despite her extroverted nature, and it truly shocked her that even this random first year knew who she was. Or, maybe he was just more attentive than most, which was way more plausible. "Well, it's nice to officially meet you, Flash. And seriously, you can lose the 'miss'. I may have wrinkles, but I'm not that old, man." The crow's feet in the corners of her eyes appeared as her ever-present grin shone through again, clearly becoming more comfortable in the presence of the three intellectuals. Usually, when she was around nerds like these (say... like Celynne!), she would simply say whatever nonsense that came to mind, they would correct it, and she would continue to say the wrong thing. But in front of students that were younger than her? No. She had more self-respect than that. She wouldn't say totally dumb and crass things... on purpose, at least.

"To be completely honest," she said, shifting slightly so she was laying down completely, with her hands interlocked behind her head as a pillow,"I'm always falling asleep in Astronomy. It's annoying, really, because usually, I'm awake until the wee hours of the morning, tossing and turning. And yet, during the days when I actually have to stay awake, my body decides that it finally wants to sleep. It's bullshit! You guys are lucky," she added, pausing to crane her neck at the three younger students. "Still young, and all that. When you get old like me..." The Hufflepuff sighed melodramatically, turning her gaze back towards the sky.

"I don't get to do stuff like this much anymore," she grumbled, clearly annoyed by that fact. She sounded like an old grandma, comparing her "childhood" of two years ago to the "childhood" of the kids now. Really, how much seniority did she think she had over the younger students? "You know, I used to sneak out at least twice a month, even if it was only around the castle. But now I have to study my ass off, and be responsible. It's ridiculous. I hate it... I miss days like this, y'know. Enjoy it while you can, I guess." Sighing melancholically, she shook her head in defeat, clearly playing up and over-exaggerating her "seniority" act.

@Katrina Walker, @Flash Holmwood and @Ami Procoppio

A memory. Katrina was reliving a memory. Margo relaxed slightly as she listened, seemingly oblivious towards the tinge of sadness in the other girl’s laughter. She thought suddenly of her own starry recollections. Bonfire nights in November with the last blackberries of the season and her brother, Toby trying do tricks with the sparklers. Their family dog, Mimi would sniff at her grandmother’s knitting and the old woman would swat at her with her walking stick and say ‘I thought witches had cats, not overexcited pooches.’. All in all, Margo’s memories highlighted the happiness of a family whose arguments were small and whose smiles were large. They had experienced loss and hardship, of course, but in the end, Margo didn’t know quite how lucky she was.

And perhaps that was why she saw the solution to Katrina’s sadness so plainly. She had decided she wouldn’t pity the girl, just help her appreciate the evening. And that meant doing something. ”Maybe we could hazard guesses at the stories in the sky right now?” She suggested with a small smile. ”If there are no opposing parties, of course.” She glanced at Katrina wearily, looking at the rest of the group in turn. A disturbing afterthought had just crossed her mind. What if the Gryffindor didn’t want a group of near strangers marring her memories? What if she was actually looking for pity and was now going to be upset because some strange girl with hot chocolate was trying to change the past? When you put it like that, it seemed reasonable — even to Margo.

But Margo was soon distracted because it seemed that another of their party was not quite acquainted with what most people considered ‘reasonable’. And that was Flash, and, even more specifically, Flash’s politeness.

Margo thought it safe to say that most young boys did not refer to their female classmates as ‘lady’. Flash, it seemed, was an exception. It wasn’t that Margo didn’t appreciate that other people had different cultures than her, she just didn’t feel as if she deserved the term. Ladies... now, ladies walked gracefully. Ladies had tact. And, most of all, ladies kept their opinions to themselves. It was all of these things and more that had made Margo realise that she actually had no desire to be a lady in the first place. She had just opened her mouth to say so when she hastily shut it again. Perhaps she was reading too much into the lines. Maybe Flash saw the word ‘lady’ as a synonym to a girl, instead of some high and powerful being with skills far beyond humanity.

”I’m sure we too would all love your company.” Margo shot Flash a hesitant smile. By golly, this regal and polite business was fun! She’d better take close note of the boy’s words for when she really started learning to act. She was already anticipating how much of a dramatic flair her acting would have. Perhaps she could look into that muggle guy who like to kill off romantic characters. What was his name? Larkspear, Spearshake... something like that. But for now, Margo only had an audience of three, and her theatre was the never ending expanse of the starry sky.

”It’s like Ami said, though, Flash. There’s no need to refer to us as Miss when we are referring to you as your name, no title in sight.” She grinned.

And with that abrupt dismissal of formality, Margo handed Flash a cup of very powdered, very cheap hot chocolate, as Ami would be glad to taste. Margo, however, was not so thrilled by the older girl’s words.

”Old?” she laughed nervously. ”I certainly hope not. I have heaps of fun planned for next year where we’re actually allowed to go to Hogsmeade. Besides, the moonlight hides most wrinkles. Your face looks young to me, grandma.” Margo grinned. She’d only just managed to pull herself short of calling Ami out as the kindred soul she was. The Hufflepuff had the fiery spirit of a fellow drama queen.

--||o||--

It wasn't too long before another person had joined them on the grassy hill. A boy whom Katrina recognized, Flash-- was it? The second year remembered him from a brief interaction a few months back but hadn't really gotten to know him.

With his comment about 'celestial bodies' Katrina sufficed a snort. Was there even a good response to something like that? Thankfully, Ami came to the rescue with the witty comment Katrina was lacking at the moment.

Flash introduced himself and Katrina inwardly praised her correct guess at his name. It was nice to actually know someone's name for once. He addressed her as Miss Katrina. "Please, just 'Katrina' is fine," she commented with a gracious smile. It wasn't that she didn't want to be formal, but more she didn't want to stand out. With Ami's comment about being old, she sufficed a snort, hiding a smile in the cup of steaming hot coco.

With Ami's act of seniority, there was a moment where Katrina wondered if she actually was that much older than them. "I honestly am so excited to go to Hogsmeade. I mean, I won't have to bribe other students to pick me up candy when I need it. I can actually go myself," A sly smile pulled at her lips.

For a moment, Katrina simply leaned back to gaze at the appearing stars. Her mind reeled with thoughts of her childhood. For some odd reason, this seemed just as right as being with her dad had. It was an odd feeling, especially since she thought she would never truly enjoy the night sky the same. But sharing the blanket of stars with these students she hardly recognized was refreshing. Katrina allowed her introverted self to appreciate the moment she was in. Usually she put pressure onto herself to be extroverted so much that she wasn't truly being herself. But this was different.

The red-head took a long sip of the hot coco, glad it had cooled enough that she could. "It just hit me. I'm going to be a third year," Katrina almost whispered the last bit. It sounded so weird. Since when was she old enough to go to Hogsmeade or learn new classes or be older than two grades of students. Katrina absentmindedly rubbed her left arm, memories of why there was a large scar there flying through her mind. "It's been a long year," Katrina was sort of talking out loud. As soon as she realized she had been, she bit her lip. Why was she talking? There was no reason to talk.

Katrina took another sip of the chocolate and leaned her head back. There was an odd part of her that was glad she could just say whatever was on her mind. But there was still a part of her that was puzzling with the thoughts of why she felt so at home here. Perhaps it was simply the calm of the night and the comfort of a familiar drink. Or perhaps, she was actually enjoying company.

--||o||--