Trying Times Call For Desperate Measures Finish

Terrible Presence in effect.
| Aura of Unease Present |

Quietly sipping the first cup of black coffee that he was going to brew that night, Leonardo mounted the steps leading to the Astronomy tower. He had finally shrugged off the last tendrils of sleep which attempted to coax him back to his room, and his eyes, while darkly shadowed, were sharp, admiring the dark which he had come to grow used to at this point in his life. His Astronomy classes would begin soon, and every student— meek and stubborn alike— would be escorted to the Tower soon.

Muttering a bit to himself in an attempt to remember exactly which lecture he was teaching that night, the seer had hardly noticed the slightly cracked piece of pottery that he had passed... the shoddily fixed porcelain that had fallen victim to something or other, focused solely on reaching his office and brewing some more coffee and beginning to light the black candles scattered in the classroom since his arrival.

Creaking the Astronomy door open, Leonardo’s black shadow crossed into the room before he did. Grey eyes flicked back and forth like a predator’s, a scowl deepening on his face. Something was not right. The feel of the night air did not feel right. Click, click, click, click... His shoes lightly tapped on the hard floor as he paced towards the large central orrery. His left hand was placed lightly on the head of his cane, prepared to draw at the slightest sound.

Turning in a slow circle, Leonardo placed his coffee upon a student’s desk, his brow knit as he continued to scan. His eyes settled upon a small figure on the edge of the tower, their legs dangling over the edge as if to beckon a disaster. Drawing closer on silent feet, Leonardo soundlessly drew his wand, pointing it at the figure. ”And what exactly are you doing here so early before classes and after curfew?” He quietly whispered, his voice no louder than a night wind. If it was a student, he was severely disappointed in their inability to follow school regulations. If it were a creature, it would not be long for his presence. A low rumble was in the air. “Speak.”

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@Kara Capricorn

As Kara was just sitting there, gently stroking Moonshine while tears dripped down her cheeks, she suddenly felt like she wasn't alone, and this sudden feeling left her at unease.

”And what exactly are you doing here so early before classes and after curfew?” The voice was quiet but deep, and sounded like it was a man who was older, which means she got caught.

“Speak.”

Her cat, Moonshine, quickly hopped off her lap to go and investigate the new man, sniffing his leg quickly before scampering back to Kara.

Kara quickly got up and walked forward away from the edge and towards the man, picking up Moonshine in the process. She looked at him, he was the new Astronomy Professor, Mr. Leonardo Chiadovini. From what she knew, he seemed pretty strict, so just her luck that he was the one who found her out here. He was pointing her wand at her, but she still hadn't said anything, so swallowing the lump in her throat, both from crying and fear, she let out a now quivering voice.

"I-I'm sorry sir. Please don't hurt me, I'm just a student here, Kara Capricorn. Slytherin second year specifically..." She said, her head held down as Moonshine looked at her face, still dripping tears, so the silver cat tried to lick her face, attempting to make her stop.

"I'm sorry that I've been wasting your time. I will accept any punishment you give me, but I best be going." Kara said, now trying to walk to the exit, wiping her face with her wrist and forearms.

Terrible Presence in effect.
| Aura of Unease Present |

In response to his words, a small, four-legged creature padded towards him. He watched it carefully as it drew close, its silver fur rather lovely in the glimmering moonlight. It carefully sniffed his pant leg before suddenly scampering back to its owner, no different than any other creature which was turned away by his aura. Leonardo watched it with cold eyes, his wand hand never wavering until the entity turned, revealing a young girl. Student.

She picked up the cat, and Leonardo tipped his head. Was this creature hers? He readjusted his pointing finger upon the wand, turning it slightly in his palm as he awaited an excuse which would have to be especially good in order to receive his pity.

Her voice was shaking. Second year Slytherin, Kara Capricorn. She was far from the comforting dungeons of the snake dungeons. She asked not to be harmed. ”I have no intent to harm you, but when an unknown individual appears in my classroom after all students should either be asleep or being led by a prefect to my class, I must practice caution. This school is not exceptionally good at hiding its secrets from the rest of the Wizarding world, as you know.” Leonardo watched her lower her head and bury her face in her cat’s fur.

She apologized hastily and then claimed that she had to leave. She attempted to pass by, but with his pale right hand, Leonardo grasped her shoulder, ceasing her retreat. With the same movement, he sheathed his wand back into its cane, tapping his finger upon the serpent’s jade head. “I’m afraid that you cannot simply brush off an encounter like this, Miss Capricorn. As you said, there must be consequences.” He did not make eye contact with Miss Capricorn, only looking out at the night sky. “Now that you are here, you have become my responsibility to keep safe. Not only does this cause a headache for me, but it forces a lot of additional paperwork upon me should I assign to you a detention.” His voice was still soft. “I want neither.”

His grasp did not tighten, but it was cold and firm. “Miss Capricorn, what was the purpose of your venture here?” The whole time, Leonardo kept his eye on the cat, wary of its sharp teeth and claws which could unfurl at a moment’s notice.

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@Kara Capricorn

Kara's face was buried in her cat's fur, but she still heard Chiadovini speaking.

”I have no intent to harm you, but when an unknown individual appears in my classroom after all students should either be asleep or being led by a prefect to my class, I must practice caution. This school is not exceptionally good at hiding its secrets from the rest of the Wizarding world, as you know.”

He was right, so she had to respect him and his words for the truth behind them. Kara was still crying, sniffling every so often, so she tried to excuse herself, but the Astronomy Professor caught her shoulder with a firm, but somewhat gentle touch, but still out of reflexes, she tensed up, and actually smacked his hand, but he didn't seem fazed at all.

“I’m afraid that you cannot simply brush off an encounter like this, Miss Capricorn. As you said, there must be consequences. Now that you are here, you have become my responsibility to keep safe. Not only does this cause a headache for me, but it forces a lot of additional paperwork upon me should I assign to you a detention. I want neither.” His voice was low and soft, but it still sounded powerful. Everything about her new Astronomy Professor had said that he was strong and quick witted, but that was just what Kara picked up on him.

“Miss Capricorn, what was the purpose of your venture here?” He inquired, glaring at Moonshine the whole time, who was on the ground due to Kara dropping her in the middle of smacking Mr.Chiadovini's hand. Moonshine stuck her tail up and purred against the grey eyed man's legs before sitting in front of him, looking into his steely eyes with silvery green, glimmering eyes.

While Moonshine was sitting there, Kara just stared off into space. What was she supposed to say? Kara kept stuttering, more tears welling in her eyes, till she fully broke down.

"I-*hiccup*-I'm sorry sir... I just. I, um, I'm really sorry. I came out here cause, cause I...um, I." Kara just kept on crying, till her smacked herself in punishment, muttering "pull yourself together Kara," under her breath.

Terrible Presence in effect.
| Aura of Unease Present |

The strike from the girl’s surprise had indeed not fazed the professor, and he accepted that his method of trapping her attention had been a bit... surprising. He stared into the greenish eyes of the cat, who had rubbed up against him before sitting on the ground before him. This critter certainly was fearless, wasn’t it? Regardless, he continued to set it with a firm glare, wary of any change in its countenance.

The girl finally shuddered under his hand, and a stream of incoherent words and sobs left her. Clenching his jaw, Leonardo listened to the words as they came. He couldn’t tell if it was embarrassment or if it was fear of being caught by him that provoked such a sudden response. Regardless, he had to make quick work of this mess before he had to begin classes. He couldn’t have a sniveling child in the corner while he tried to discuss his lecture. His mind turned, trying to consider every option in dealing with this situation, a situation that he had little to no experience with.

The girl hit herself, and Leonardo’s grey eyes snapped to her. ”Refrain from punishing the feelings you permit to reveal.” He made no move, but glanced at the girl’s hand for a moment before returning his gaze to her eyes. “Feelings are what separates a man from a monster. Embrace them as such.” Though his own voice was flat, and his features betraying no acceptance of his own words, Leonardo attempted to appeal. These children were still young, at a time in their lives which was strange and fantastic in the same turn. They had no way of containing these sudden emotions, as a well-trained adult could; and they shouldn’t have to. His own upbringing had been unorthodox to say the least; a childhood of adulthood.

“Permit yourself pause, collect your mind, and try once again. What was your purpose of coming here?” He was focusing his steel grey eyes on hers now, watching her curiously with no betrayal or wavering in his voice. ”I assure you that you will not be the only student which I will confront here. The stars are too beautiful to not look upon now and again, but I must know the nature of your visit.”

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@Kara Capricorn

The moment Kara hit herself, still muttering and sniveling, Chiadovini's steel grey eyes shot at her, looking into her own watery chocolate eyes, which were now showing a little bit of fear at Chiadovini's sudden head turn. Kara honestly is pretty jumpy.

”Refrain from punishing the feelings you permit to reveal. Feelings are what separates a man from a monster. Embrace them as such.” He looked at her intently, but didn't move, his hand still on her shoulder.

"Sorry sir...I'm just used to people making fun of me for showing my emotions...and sometimes even myself..." Kara said sorrowfully, drooping her head down, not looking up till Chiadovini spoke again.

“Permit yourself pause, collect your mind, and try once again. What was your purpose of coming here? I assure you that you will not be the only student which I will confront here. The stars are too beautiful to not look upon now and again, but I must know the nature of your visit.” Kara listened to Professor Chiadovini carefully, wiping her tears, still softly sniffling.

In this small moment, the man seemed different. Kara could see something in his grey eyes. Was it sympathy, or was it pity, but whatever it was, something felt different. She didn't fully understand this feeling she was getting from the Astronomy Professor, but he didn't feel like just a professor to Kara anymore, but maybe something more.

"I..I guess to explain, it's a pretty long story, but it's mostly have been having terrible nightmares and I can't seem to ever sleep without them haunting me...I come out here to calm myself down, and as the night sky seems to be the only thing I can rely on for comfort, as people just tear me down and I get to anxious to talk about it around others, afraid of what they'll say and think of me..."

To this, Moonshine got up, meowing softly at Kara's feet, so she picked her up, scratching the fur on the silvery cat's head.

"Also, I'm sorry about Moonshine, she's an emotional support therapy type cat. I was informed of that when I first adopted her."

Terrible Presence in effect.
| Aura of Unease Present |

The girl was still fairly troubled, but that was to be expected. She had every right to be concerned that she had been caught and reprimanded in the way that she had been thus far. When she started to express her true reasons for finding solace in the Astronomy tower, Leonardo finally released her shoulder, crossing them in front of his chest as he finally placed the pieces of the puzzle into the correct order.

Closing his eyes, Leonardo recalled of his own experiences in the realms of dream and nightmare. Many of his visions had come to him in his dreams when he was younger and unable to serve as a mouthpiece for his vision. Many of them had been dark and terrible conducive to what his life had in store for him, and those that hadn’t taken the form of a nightmare had also been strange and lucid, psychedelic and reducing the young Seer to sleep paralysis. Crippling fear which had caused his eyes to remain wide and vigilant, wary of the shadows and what curses they might bring with them.

The girl mentioned that her cat creature was an emotional support, and Leonardo’s eye was drawn once again to the silver animal which was near his feet. He did his best to ignore the animal, focusing instead on the nightmare portion of Miss Capricorn’s fears. ”Indeed... Nightmares are difficult to cope with, since they reflect a part of our inner selves, sharing with us things that we must act upon or avoid.” He began to muse. “Then again, as you may discover in your divination classes in later years, dreams can be a powerful conduit for events to come.” Leonardo looked about the classroom idly, attempting to avoid eye contact as a result of his actions up to this point.

But... perhaps there was something he could do to assist in the meantime. “However...” He paused, trying to ascertain the best way to word his thoughts. “Perhaps there is something I can do to lessen these fears.. until you can better understand their meanings.” So saying, Leonardo carefully withdrew from his pocket a small phial no larger than his pinkie. It was filled with dark indigo and lavender liquid, coalescing upon the crystal confinements.

Holding the phial between thumb and forefinger, Leonardo shared with her what he held. “This is approximately three doses of Potion of Dreamless Sleep.” He said quietly, gently twisting the phial to catch the moonlight. “This is a potion you will brew in your later years, which has the ability to not only induce drowsiness, but can provide a night without dreams or nightmares alike for a sound sleep.” Palming the phial, Leonardo held it in front of Miss Capricorn at a distance. “I can to offer you this small dose if you feel that it may temper your... unpleasant nights to prevent you from trespassing in the Astronomy tower after curfew.” This had come from his own trunk, it was one of the doses that he had been going to take after classes when the morning came.

”This is your detention, Miss Capricorn: Take this phial of Dreamless Sleep. I shall escort you back to the Slytherin dormitory while you hold that creature away from me, and we can discuss the terms of how and when to use this potion responsibly.” It was a path of least resistance, the chance to move on and find fleeting closure. One sacrifice now would save thousands of visits in the future. “Tell me a bit about the contents of your dreams. Perhaps there is a pattern that you simply must find and understand. Your subconscious mind often knows more than your waking moments.” So saying, he took Miss Capricorn’s hand, opened it, and pressed the phial into her palm, closing it. ”I have approximately eight spare minutes before I must escort you back to the Slytherin dormitories and return here for classes. Please, sit. Perhaps I can assist you while we are here fulfilling your detention.”

Leonardo withdrew, indicating to the desk which would soon be reserved for incoming Astronomy students. Perhaps he could deal with this student’s presence for a bit longer...

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@Kara Capricorn

After Kara's explanation, Chiadovini released his grip on her shoulder, now crossing his arms on his chest, no longer looking into her eyes.

As Kara mentioned that Moonshine was a therapy cat, and the short, brown haired girl picked up the cat, his gaze almost never left the cat, until he almost forced himself to look away. He either likes cats, or was wary of them, similar to Kara's friend Hanako. But once again, the stern man was difficult to read, so Kara didn't really know.

”Indeed... Nightmares are difficult to cope with, since they reflect a part of our inner selves, sharing with us things that we must act upon or avoid. Then again, as you may discover in your divination classes in later years, dreams can be a powerful conduit for events to come.” Chiadovini informed her of future classes, and of course, about nightmares, as an attempt to explain this to her.

Luckily, Kara understood fully. Kara was always fearful of disappointing others, so she learned the skill of almost never needing help and figuring things out by herself, especially when it came to comforting herself, so when people explained things to her, it was a new feeling, but she'd just imagine it as if she was talking to herself, helping herself out.

“However... perhaps there is something I can do to lessen these fears.. until you can better understand their meanings.”

Chiadovini pulled out a small crystal vial out of his pocket. It was filled with a thick looking, dark purple liquid, which made Kara curious of what it was.

“This is approximately three doses of Potion of Dreamless Sleep.” Chiadovini gently twisted the vial in between his fingers, letting the moonlight catch it, making it shimmer softly.

“This is a potion you will brew in your later years, which has the ability to not only induce drowsiness, but can provide a night without dreams or nightmares alike for a sound sleep. I can to offer you this small dose if you feel that it may temper your... unpleasant nights to prevent you from trespassing in the Astronomy tower after curfew.” He added on further, now letting the crystal vial filled with the potion lay gently in the palm of his hand, the liquid slightly moving due to the vial itself getting moved.

"That would be nice..." She said, looking up at the twinkling stars for a brief second before looking back at the grey eyed man.

”This is your detention, Miss Capricorn: Take this phial of Dreamless Sleep. I shall escort you back to the Slytherin dormitory while you hold that creature away from me, and we can discuss the terms of how and when to use this potion responsibly. Tell me a bit about the contents of your dreams. Perhaps there is a pattern that you simply must find and understand. Your subconscious mind often knows more than your waking moments.” Chiadovini explained to her what her "detention" was.

Kara was surprised how simple it was, but hey, she wasn't complaining, and her suspicions of the man not really liking cats, even if the said cat was never of any harm...at least, not that Kara knew of as of now.

Professor Chiadovini took Kara's hand, making Kara jump slightly, but he still was unfazed by most of Kara's skittish reactions. He placed the Potion of Dreamless Sleep softly onto her palm, balling up her fist afterwards. Kara saw a sliver of gold from the ornate cap of the vial peeking out of the space between her thumb and pointer finger.

”I have approximately eight spare minutes before I must escort you back to the Slytherin dormitories and return here for classes. Please, sit. Perhaps I can assist you while we are here fulfilling your detention.” Chaidovini led her to a seat at one of the desks, and Kara followed, sitting down on the wooden chair, slightly squirming to get in a comfortable position.

Kara had to now face the inevitable. Her nightmares had to be explained. They were quite personal, as they included traumatic experiences from the previous summer, and times before that. Adaptations of her fears lived inside her head, and just thinking about them almost made her burst into tears again. Taking a deep breath, she started explaining, trying to keep her voice as stable as possible, but it cracked every one in a while.

"Back in this summer, my whole house burnt down while me and my brother were home alone. It was a...a terrible time, as flames engulfed all my childhood memories with it, it also took my brother. I had to watch some of the closest people in my life die, and it's how I got this." Kara lifted her sleeve to show Chiadovini the large burn scar on her left forearm, but she put it back down to continue.

"Earlier in my first year here, I had also gotten news that my sister had died due to cancer, so my parents are the only surviving family members I have, and my nightmares just have the fire repeating constantly, forcing me to watch my brother die over and over, and later, my whole family blames me. And the thing is, I realize, it probably is my fault that both of my siblings are dead..." Kara's voice only came out as a whimper after that. Her tears had once again returned, and she hated herself for it. She grabbed her wrist, trying to stop her hand from shaking violently.

Moonshine knew something was wrong to she immediately hopped onto the table to get to Kara's lap, and when she did arrived, she laid on her lap, purring while licking her shaking hand.

Terrible Presence in effect.
| Aura of Unease Present |

Leonardo retrieved his cup of coffee, inhaling its burly aroma as he tried to continue maintaining his typical schedule. Miss Capricorn had chosen a seat, seeming to be deciding how to approach this inevitable conversation. Leonardo was standing directly before her about a yard away, unmoving save for sipping at his coffee occasionally as he kept an eye on both the girl and the cat. Finally, Miss Capricorn broke down her dam, the snakelet obviously insecure of her words as a signature tremble in her voice attested to.

Fire, last summer, death of family, recurring themes of watching those that you loved being torn violently away from you. Trauma of not only the mind, but of the body, as a scar on her left arm that she had flashed to him attested to. Guilt in believing that she was responsible for these terrible events. During her confession, Leonardo had closed his eyes, his brow furrowing and his face creasing in an expression that may have been easily misconstrued for intense anger or else of disgust. He was still inhaling the vapours of the coffee, as slowly, his mind cleared and the symbols of her dreams and nightmares aligned one by one.

There was no vision or supernatural insight; only clarity. He had been taught by his father, his god damned Seer father, how to interpret these signs early on in life. He ha been taught how to properly share and voice these things aloud; to enlighten those who were willing to listen.

”I sense intense emotion here, a delicate history on which I must tread lightly. And I shall indeed try.” Muttering to himself and aligning the symbols correctly, Leonardo began his assessment. ”There are several layers of meaning that I can assign to your description. But... perhaps the recurring bit of the nightmare is where I can begin.” Taking a deep breath, the Seer attempted to put his exact musings into words. “Recurring dreams are the most desperate of these dreams; they scream for closure and constantly return at the time you least expect, and desire to be paid attention to, especially when they take the form of lucid dreams or in nightmares. You cannot simply ignore them, else they grow stronger in your ignorance.”

Sipping from his coffee, he put the mug aside when finished, and pinched the bridge of his nose, rubbing his eyes. “What I feel is a sense of survivor’s guilt in the form of being the last person found within a flaming house, where unity and protection should have been found. You have already said that you feel that the fire was your fault. I know not how you feel this way, but that is something that you must come to terms with on your own.” A beat, and he opened his eyes again, staring at his empty cup of coffee. He would need more before this night was done...

“You are wrestling with self guilt, as evidenced with the symbolism of fire and the literal nature of your nightmare. Trauma is the culprit, mental and physical, the lack of parental figures in your dream testifying that you feel that you were the only one who shaped that course of history. Others escape... while you remain behind, only to be ridiculed by those who had survived the disaster. Perhaps you wished that you had been sacrificed instead; a life for a life.” A small, humorless laugh left him. “Which would, of course, have solved nothing.”

“Fire is a curious symbol, for it can be interpreted in many ways. In this interpretation, I believe the symbols of transformation and the ability to let go.” He watched her curiously, affirming that she was indeed still listening to him. “Dreaming of something on fire, usually something of value or even yourself, is an image of transformation. Like a Phoenix, fire represents a change in life, an event which marks a person and drives them forward, a fuel for their ambitions. By reducing an item to ash, it is burned to be unrecognizable. The result of this transformation depends greatly on how you approach this new part of your life.” He tipped his head to one side, pressing his fingertips together. “Alternatively, fire represents a need to let go.” Leonardo emphasized the last two words. “Yes, tragedy is tragedy, no matter who it afflicts, but in the midst of the tragedy, you realize what you care for the most, what you appreciate the most. It is a self sacrifice to let these things go gracefully; to acknowledge that the time you had with them is over, and to appreciate the time you did have.”

Quite finished, Leonardo rolled his shoulders back, closing his eyes again as he turned his chin to the sky. “My final conclusion is this, Miss Capricorn: Embrace your grief, but do not let it define you. Your own mind is trying to tell you to let go of these events, embrace the pleasant times and remember the moments that you had fondly, but let go. Fixating upon these vents will bring only grief and further damage not only to yourself, but those that you care about that still remain. Find closure in knowing that you shared memories with your loved ones, not loss because you can make no more.”

With a deep sigh, Leonardo looked upon the young snakelet. His eight minutes were assuredly over. It was time to depart. “It is time now to return to your dormitory, Miss Capricorn.” Offering a hand, Leonardo would help her to her feet. “My time is over. I must prepare for my classes.” With a swift incantation of Lumos, Leonardo’s wand lit the room as he crossed to the Astronomy Tower’s door. ”After you.”

Reducio

@Kara Capricorn