A Night To Remember

The sky outside the library windows had turned into a black blanket stitched with stars by the time Aiden next glanced up from his sketchbook. He'd been here for a few hours now and his dominant hand had started to ache. Putting the pencil away, he stretched his wrist, rolling it a few times to ease the tension. Normally Aiden stuck to his dorm where he could pull the curtain around himself to keep prying eyes away. Not that Aleks gave a shit about his privacy. The guy crashed into his bed to talk shit more often than anyone should. Especially when the curtains were closed. But it was by far less crowded in there than the library — he could deal with one nosy guy.

The reason he'd picked the library today was because he'd made plans. Plans, technically, with himself, to join that meteor shower watch. He'd seen the posters, but it wasn't his interest in astronomy that summoned him. Aiden had no interest in astronomy; You either fell into two groups, the young boys obsessed with space, and the young boys obsessed with dinosaurs. Aiden had been more of the latter, if he had to pick. It was actually when he'd spotted a certain pretty Ravenclaw looking at one of said posters, advertising the gathering, that he'd decided on a whim to attend with the single purpose of seeing him there.

It was easier to keep track of time when he had a real window to look through, instead of nothing but fish and murky waters filled with seaweed from the Slytherin common room. He'd made sure to arrive after the main cluster of students was long gone. He couldn't stand the crowd of giggling, too loud kids. There had been an increase in those since the new first years arrived for the new term.

Figuring that it was probably an appropriate time to leave but with no real concern for whether he was late or not, he collected his things and made his way to the Astronomy tower. The walk was long. First finding the staircase in the first place among endless corridors, but then also to walk up several flights of stairs. After reaching the top, he swore to himself that it better be worth it.

There were two younger students (to him they all looked small) standing ill-placed right outside of the wooden door. They were chatting about the event they were there for to see. Why they couldn't do it inside and not stand in the way was beyond him, but he was not in the mood for small talk. Without sparing the two much of a glance, seeing they were busy regardless, Aiden pushed past them with a simple irritated, "excuse me," to get them to step out of the way so he could go inside.

Even when Lorenzo had first seen the flyer, the time had practically leapt into his blue eyes, the numbers glaring back at him like bright warning signals printed across the paper. In his understanding, October was, in terms of season and weather conditions, anything but warm. Compared to the south of Italy, the air in England around Halloween already carried a distinct chill, the kind that let him shiver. In addition, Scotland was colder than England. The winds swept down with the cold breath of the polar maritime air masses—if he recalled correctly from the geology book his private tutor had made him read years ago.
So the first-year, with all the sense of responsibility he could muster, wound a thick Ravenclaw scarf carefully around his neck. He flipped one end over his back and tucked the other neatly under the collar on the left side of his throat. The residual warmth from the radiator—where he’d left the woollen garment to heat up beforehand—soothed his skin and instantly relaxed his jawline. In truth and despite it, he was a nervous.
Reason is, it was rather late at night and Lorenzo wasn’t entirely sure he understood all the rules about the school‘s curfew yet. With the uncertainty wrestling his senses, the Italian boy forgot his coat, hurrying out his bedroom. Lorenzo was nearly a little too brisk, as he left the Ravenclaw dormitory eventually and walked his way toward the meeting point at the Astronomy Tower. The air along the way felt thin in his lungs, as if the masses of studious pupils had already breathed it all out in their fervour, using the oxygen to learn. Lorenzo just felt a growing sense of doubt and brushed his hair neatly in place. He saw hardly any other students—almost none at all pass him by. The night and the scatter of stars adorned the horizon whenever he managed to catch a glimpse out of a window. And so, he climbed the last staircase, ascending into the tower.

When he reached the door and carefully pushed the handle down, a silent Italian curse came to mind. The cold metal felt unruly uncomfortable between the boy‘s fingers. On quite feet he wandered into the Astronomy Tower. There, he already heard a boy’s voice drifting through the space: “…McCorie trusted me as one of his interns and I would like to keep that trust, but with that being said—I’ve made a cake and other delicious sweets for you all, so help yourselves!” The voice was calm and composed in the room. With a quick glance at the speaker, Lorenzo couldn’t help the relieved sigh that slipped past his usually so carefully arranged features. It broke free of him, quiet but undeniable a sign of relief, because the boy was another Ravenclaw—someone who, apparently, hadn’t only prepared a cake but also occupied some sort of responsible position to warrant this outing. The suffocating sense that Lorenzo might be breaking rules eased off of him, like rain soaking into overheated earth. He closed the door as quietly as possible and approached the gathering. Unfortunately, he’d missed the first few minutes of the speech. He instinctively hoped nothing essential had been said.

Settling close by, Lorenzo attentively studied each person present—though, of course, his blue eyes lingered on the speaker first. The other boy had pale skin and black hair, a contrast Lorenzo almost watched with a twinge of envy. Next, his gaze drifted to another Ravenclaw. A faint smile ghosted across his lips—apparently, his house was rather fond of the sky and all that‘s above their heads. He counted himself among those who liked to look up and quietly observe the presence of something not yet fully understood.
Besides, the student looked younger too—perhaps even around his own age. Another wave of relief rolled over his heart, similar to the peaceful ocean every time he went to the southern coast. With a second first year student present, surely no teacher could have anything against this. Lorenzo allowed his wandering eyes to continue. A little further off stood a girl whose dress was adorned with artistic patterns of stars and moons in sun like contours. The design pulled his thoughts away from the creeping chill that was slowly curling around their group. And then, at last, Lorenzo’s eyes settled on Aiden. The high cheekbones sat unmistakeably on his face, leaving the other boy every bit as striking as Lorenzo remembered. The Italian‘s smile spread almost imperceptibly, settling into his blue eyes and glinting quietly across to the other boy. One shoulder gently lifting, he pressed the blue wool of his scarf up under his chin. With Aiden here, this night certainly will be a safe bet of rule-abiding, interesting night.

They were all greeted at the door by a cheerful Ravenclaw boy, with a head of unruly dark brown waves - a stark contrast to his otherwise pale skin and light blue eyes. At first sight, he was quite eye-catching, though Aiden thought that he had nothing against a certain other Ravenclaw with an Italian accent a year below them, of course. Lorenzo, who - he noted in bitterness - wasn't there. Damien was obviusly the organizer of this event. "Aiden," he introduced himself and accepted Damiens hand in a firm handshake. Bemused by the formality, he watched Damien make the rounds to shake everyone's hand.

To be honest, Aiden hadn't really considered the rules regarding this outing when he'd decided to join - he would have showed up regardless. Anyway, it seemed like Damien had earned his favor with the Astronomy teacher and had gotten permission to host an after-hour meteor shower watch. To him it didn't matter, but he could tell that some were relieved that it wasn't as illicit as it had sounded. Aiden noted it with a slightly amused smirk. If anyone would be a teachers pet, it was a Ravenclaw. They were in the clear, as long as they didn't touch anything but the provided snacks. His gaze swept between the other guests, since he would be the least of their concern. Restraint was his middle name.

As he glanced between the others, he paused at the sight of a timid figure by the door that he hadn't noticed until now. A late-comer, but he was not a stranger to him. Enough to be noticeable in his otherwise indifferent expression, his face lit up by the sight of him, his expression softening a bit. The whole reason he was here, really. With the blue scarf adorably tucked under his chin, Lorenzo was already looking at him with a smile too gorgeous for his own good. In that moment, he kind of resembled a lost puppy to him. A bit shy, but eager and begging to be peppered with affection. It was something endearing about him, beyond the pretty face. He would never say that out loud, of course.

Aidens presence was obviously unexpected to everyone, but clearly not unwelcome to the only person that mattered. Good.

Instead of waiting for him to join the rest of them - not wanting him to feel awkward among strangers (and before anyone else could beat him to it) - Aiden left the group and crossed the room in a few strides towards Lorenzo. "Hey," he offered a soft smile, nothing his lack of outwear. "You sure you won't be cold?" Aiden placed a gentle hand on the small of his back, preparing to guide him over to the rest. "I didn’t come for the meteors, if you were wondering.” A beat passed, in which he studied his face. “You look good.” As always.