Wanderings PV Bridget Collins Closed

Katrina was entranced by the beautiful mirror. It was so tall and perfect and the edges were beautifully carved. It was a wonder that it was buried down here. Sharp thoughts began nagging at her conscious. Where they even supposed to see this. There certainly had to be a reason that this was down here. It wasn't like they ran out of storage. The white sheet beside her was a reminder of the fact that it was covered. This was defiantly something people weren't supposed to see.

A quick glance at Bridget was all she needed to realize something was different about this mirror. Bridget seemed so enthralled by the mirror and the Gryffindor looked back at it sure that she was missing something. Missing something; indeed she was.

Her reflection was odd in many ways. Katrina was smiling, a rare occurrence for her. Her hair was perfect and her clothes were effortlessly perfect. A closer look at the scroll in her hands showed her report card strait O's. Katrina's heart stopped, it was so perfect. Then something about the reflection slightly shifted.

Her parents were beside her and her brother, Liam, was giving her a hug from the side. Every detail about them was perfect. It was too good to be true.

Her mom was standing only a few inches taller than her. Ember's wavy auburn hair was let down so that it so closely resembled Katrina. She had those perfect emerald eyes and rosy cheeks. That permanent, proud smile left wrinkles beside her eyes that made her that much more like mom. Katrina could almost feel her comforting hand around her waist and smell the scent of cinnamon that so oddly followed her around.

Katrina's dad stood there too. He looked so unlike Katrina, but them all four standing there seemed perfect. He had the short brown hair, twinkling hazel eyes, and soft features. He had the smile that Katrina remembered from the numerous weekend trips they would take. He seemed so proud and content. The Gryffindor imagined his hand on her shoulder and the scent of his cologne that he only wore when he had exciting news.

Liam was still in the side hug in front of her dad. He had dad's dark brown hair and his mother's light green eyes. His smile was so perfect and his rosy cheeks were just so adorable. He was still the same younger brother he had always been. He was alright and standing just there.

Katrina didn't even realize she was on her knees. She also didn't feel the warm tears streaming down her face. Her hand went up to the locket hidden under her robes. They were there, they were okay. It took Katrina far too long for her to realize that Bridget had said anything. Her only response was a small grunt. The tears continued to pour down her face but Katrina couldn't bear to look away. They were okay.

"They are okay," Katrina's grief stricken voice whispered the truth the lying mirror told her. She hadn't even realized she had said anything, she was just too focused on her parents smiling faces.

@Katrina Walker

Hazel eyes glued to the obfuscated words, Bridget began generating possible ways to decrypt the cipher. The inscription seemed far too familiar to be some unknown language, so possibly it was just a typical code. Perhaps each letter was one after or before the actual letter in the alphabet. She tried that approach, but after the first word came out as 'dqhrdc' or 'fsjtfe', she ditched it. Then, she tried unscrambling them like an anagram. 'Reside star her-u toy bue farcu toy no showi' was definitely not it, especially since half weren't even words. But that method had made her feel like she was on to something… Bridget mentally repeated her unscrambling once, twice over. Show. That was it! The last word could be deciphered to show, with an i left over, so it could be 'I show.'

Another piece clicked. 'Woshi' didn’t just unscramble to 'I show'--it was I show spelled backwards. Temporarily distracted from the fear driving her to solve this puzzle, Bridget instead felt the thrill of the discovery. She raced to read the rest, to see if it all really was backwards. 'I show no tyo…' No, that couldn't be it. As quickly as it had come, her feeling of achievement and rush of excitement faded. Perhaps the last word had just been a fluke. Half-heartedly, she read the rest of the line backwards, at least to finish her train of thought and fully check it off a list of possibilities: 'I show no tyo urfac ebu tyo urhe arts desire.' Desire. That, she realized, was the important bit she needed. Bridget could've dismissed 'I show' as a coincidence, but 'desire' too? No way. Plus, a mirror showed things and this particular one had showed what she wished for or desired. So what was the missing piece? Had letters faded away with time? Or had multiple modifications been made to the inscription? The brunette reviewed what she'd already solved, muttering the fragments under her breath. He-arts. Heats. The last piece. She just needed to slide a few letters over. And finally, she had it.

"I show not you face but your heart's desire," she said aloud. It made perfect sense! And maybe this mirror didn't have completely wicked intentions. The Slytherin definitely still didn't trust the ornate object, but if the message was true, which what she'd seen in the mirror supported, such an item could be dangerous to have out in the open, likely why it was hidden. Students would surely flock to it if it was out in the open, maybe even stare into its world of perfection instead of making any of it reality.

"I figured it out, Katrina!" she exclaimed, practically giddy. There was no response. "Katrina?" Bridget looked over at the lioness, her elation evaporating. Katrina was on the ground, staring, practically not blinking, at whatever the mirror showed her. Surely it was different for each person as everyone had their own 'heart's desire'. One of the her hands was inside her robes, near her chest, but the part that jumped out at Bridget was the tears tracking down the redhead's face.

The snake crouched down, brows furrowed in concern. "They are okay," Katrina said hoarsely. "Katrina," Bridget said, her voice carrying a soft but scared undertone it rarely possessed. When the other girl didn't respond, Bridget shook her gently. "Katrina, who's okay?"

She couldn't look away. The fear of loosing them a second time was rewriting her mind. Deep inside, her conscience told her it wasn't the truth, that it was a reflection. But her heart told her that if she looked away, they would disappear into the flames forever. Loosing them once was too much for the 12-year-old to bear.

Bridget talked, but all Katrina registered was faded mumblings. The unshed tears gushed down her face. It had been all too long since she had cried over her parents-- her brother even. The part of her heart that had been encased with numbness, attempting to keep the fear and pain away; that part was brutally torn open. The warm tears dripped onto her hand.

The warmness caused her to look away from the mirror. Once her eye contact was broken, she realized Bridget was at her side. A concerned expression filled her face. The Gryffindor hadn’t even realized that she had bent down or had been calling her name. Bridget asked her who was okay, and Katrina had to stop to dry the waterfall of tears on her face.

“M-my parents. A-and my br-brother,” Katrina’s voice broke and her stutter returned.“Th-they were gone-- they a-are gone. But th-they are in there,” her voice whimpered and she gestured toward the mirror.

She felt like a little child crying with no way to contain herself. “Th-that mirror is ho-horrible,” Katrina’s voice cracked and she dissolved into tears once more. The tears were terrible, racking sobs that shook her whole body. The lioness’ stomach ached, and eyes burned but there was no way stopping it.

She drew the locket out of her robe and held it in her hands. The pain overwhelmed her and the little lion bent over still weeping. It felt silly to cry over an image, but she couldn’t hold herself back.

“L-last year, there was a f-fire at my old house. M-my parents…” it had been half-a-year, but she couldn’t say that word, “and m-my brother dis-disappeared.”

Silent sobs racked her body for there were no more tears to be shed. “I h-had to stay at sch-ool this summer, bec-because my family didn’t even want me,” The tears begun again—tears of anger. With nothing more to say, she cried again. “My f-family is there too,” again Kat pointed at the mirror.

Katrina hugged Bridget. It was spontaneous and a bit awkward, but it was what Katrina needed. She clung to her new friend. It was hard to trust, but if she couldn’t trust Bridget, she had just spilled her heart out for no reason. Pushing the doubts aside, Katrina let go.

“Thank y-you. I-I’m sorry,” she didn’t know what to say or how to say it. Words didn’t fit this situation. Instead she put herself out there as a friend.

@Katrina Walker

As the moments ticked by, Bridget's shakes became harder, more insistent. Fueled by her fear. What if Katrina didn't look away? What if she remained glued to her spot on the floor, never looking away from the mirror's enchanted surface? And worse than the rising panic was seeing those tears and not being able to comfort the lion, the girl that though right next to her felt thousands of miles away. She recalled feeling that same helplessness four years ago when Matthew had taken her to the park, just the two of them, and she'd watched in horror as he'd writhed on the ground, cradling his broken arm and screaming bloody murder.

Bridget was about a second away from tackling Katrina, to do anything if it meant snapping her out of her trance-like state, when the lion looked away and their eyes met. The other girl started talking, explaining, her words muffled by choked sobs. Thanks to their close proximity and the snake's sharp ears, she caught the speech, but the meaning of the words was a puzzle of its own. Her family had just... kicked her out? She mentioned there being a fire--had Katrina accidentally used her magic or something and burned down the house, causing her parents to abandon their uncontrollable daughter? Bridget could definitely relate to having a rift in your family, the people who were supposed to always be there for you, but her family at least let her come home and pretended everything was normal.

Just about to tell Katrina how sorry she was her parents had kicked her out, Bridget realized. Are gone. Fire. Disappeared. Words left out that said just as much as if she'd screamed them. Immediately, Bridget's guilt shot through the ceiling. Katrina's parents, her brother, were dead. Had it already happened by their first meeting in the Library? While before the Slytherin had just felt bad for her response, now she was sure she was a monster. Katrina may have very well been hoping for someone, anyone to talk to, and Bridget had stormed off like the lion was some worthless annoyance.

And then Katrina was hugging her. To say the brunette was shocked would be an understatement. Every inch of her froze, and she barely stopped herself from jerking away from the touch. When was the last time someone had touched her, beyond just an unintentional bump in the hallways? Her mom had hugged her at the train station, but that had been strained, every moment of that embrace consumed by thoughts of how her family was waiting with anticipation to be rid of their freakish little witch. This time was different. Someone was hugging her because she wanted to, clinging onto the Bridget like she was the only thing keeping her from losing it. Bridget had no idea how to help Katrina. Again, she felt useless. She couldn't bring back the dead. She couldn't stop her past self from stomping away from the redhead. Couldn't make some comforting speech about how it would all be okay. And so she did the only other thing.

She hugged Katrina back. The brunette had no idea how much time passed like that. At one point, Katrina said she was sorry. "For what?" she whispered in response. The Gryffindor had nothing to apologize for. Bridget, however, certainly did, but she wasn't ready to break the moment.

Finally, she recalled something Katrina had mentioned earlier. That the mirror was horrible. Bridget internally laughed at herself, for her stupid excitement over figuring out some silly inscription when Katrina had been brutally reminded of her dead family. Careful not to move too much, her left hand fished out her wand. With a swish and flick of the laurel wood and a whisper of "Windgardium Leviosa," Bridget masterfully lifted the white cloth off the ground and draped it over the mirror.

Still crying, the young lioness let go. The embrace was kind and gentle. Finally, the tears had stopped falling and Katrina was reduced to quiet hiccups and shaky breaths. She continued to look away from the awful enchanted mirror. Fear of losing herself in it was too much for the little girl to bear. After asking why she had apologized Katrina gathered herself up.
 
"I just, I… Thank you. For being there and-- Just being you. Sorry for bringing all of-- that on you." her words were cracked and scrambled, it was just a hope that Bridget had understood any of her grief-racked mumblings.
 
Steadily, Bridget hid the mirror behind the sheet by using the levitation charm. Katrina inwardly thanked her. Words were still to raw to understand fully. The snake knew just what to do and it was comforting beyond belief. The lioness shakily stood to her feet fully and met Bridget's eyes. A thankful gaze transferred to her. Sometimes a smile, no matter how shaky, meant more than a million words. Her smile was certainly shaky, but it contained everything.
 
Her friendship with Bridget that had been developing. Her gratefulness for Bridget being there for her. The thankfulness for knowing what to say and do. The fright and hopelessness that came from the image on the mirror. The raw hurt that filled her heart. The lion's friendship triumphed over it all. No matter how new the bond was, it was still just as steady.
 
Her thought about friendship tumbled through her mind. She really didn't understand it. It had been so long since she considered someone a 'friend'. The lion toyed with the word and rolled it around her mind.
 
Slowly, she returned to reality. Her shaky breaths had, eventually, steadied out. The hiccups faded off. Katrina wiped her face and looked around the room. Her eyes avoided the sheet-covered mirror. The room was small, it definitely seemed old. Reality returned to her mind and Katrina realized something was wrong. Her robes had a large slash in the back. She took off the outer robe and stood, slightly colder, in her black leggings and shirt. She laid the shell on the ground and drew her cherry wand from the pocket of it.
 
"Reparo]"
 
 
Katrina watched as the threads slowly drew out of the tear. They fastened themselves together and tightened on their own. The large gash knit itself back together and the robe was as good as new only a few minutes later. Katrina hoisted the coat back on herself and tucked her wand back in it’s pocket.
 
Katrina wiped her face attempting to erase the proof of her tears. It was embarrassing to say the least. She had reduced herself to tears over something that happened so long ago. Her emotions turned somewhat sour as the sadness evolved into anger at herself. It was slow, but the evidence of her inner emotions was clearly displayed on her face.
 
Usually her emotions were neatly tucked away. Each feeling locked in it’s little box. When Katrina wanted to feel that feeling she opened the box carefully. Though, she was really good at hiding her emotions behind a mask. After pouring herself out, Katrina had no masks to hide behind anymore.
 
Katrina met Bridget’s eyes once more. “What did you see in the mirror?” It was prying and not that polite. But her tone was lighter, and her intentions were kind. The focus on Katrina was a bit unsettling no matter the snake’s intentions.
 
Katrina took a deep breath and was able to place a real smile on her face, it was shaky, but true.

@Katrina Walker

Thankfully, Katrina drew out of the hug first, saving Bridget from awkwardly trying to sever the embrace. The lion was saying something, thanking her it seemed, but the words fell on deaf ears. Bridget was instead staring at but not seeing the tear tracks running down Katrina's face. Her thoughts were far away, hazel eyes glazed over, as she struggled to fit everything that had just occurred with her understanding of Katrina. From before, she'd known the lioness was kind, compassionate. That she would never deserve to be liked by someone so good. First, Bridget had been rude, and it wasn't like that was a fluke--she'd been quite mean to other people too. Then, she'd been put even further in Katrina's debt after the Gryffindor patched her up following some older students attacking her because she was a Muggleborn. Whenever they were near each other, discomfort reigned, neither of them being very good at the whole social thing.

But now--now, Katrina had trusted her with something huge. If Bridget's family had died, she wasn't sure she'd be able to tell anyone, except maybe Thora. She would be too scared of how someone would take advantage of that weakness to tell someone she didn't know that well, especially someone who had been a major git the first time they'd met and had just lied to her and led her to a mirror that showed her those same deceased loved ones. So, with this new development, where did that leave them? Could Bridget maybe trust this girl back?

No. No she couldn't. That much was apparent when Katrina asked her what she'd seen in the mirror. But... she wanted to trust Katrina. Gulping down her rising panic, she settled on at least telling the Gryffindor something. "Um... well, I was a prefect. And I had a really nice broom--I'm not sure what model it was. And--" she turned pink. "And I was taller." She let out a slightly nervous laugh, hoping she'd done a decent job. It was obviously not the whole truth, but it wasn't a lie, and maybe that last piece would make Katrina laugh too.

Standing up and praying the lion didn't question her about the mirror anymore, she brushed the dirt off her robe and noted Katrina had fixed her shredded one. "We should probably head back now... I'll check that the pixies are gone." Crossing to the door, she pressed her ear to the cold wood. She couldn't hear anything. Clutching her wand in one hand, Bridget used her other hand to twist the knob, pushing the door open just a crack. Peeking through, she didn't see any pixies nor did any of them dart at her face, thankfully. "All clear," she said, swinging the door open the rest of the way and stepping into the corridor. Still, nothing attacked. Closing the door behind Katrina, she muttered, "Colloportus," locking the room once more. Although it was unlikely students would journey into the bowels of the castle and find the mirror, anything that would prevent another unsuspecting student from stumbling across the rather cruel and dangerous bit of magic seemed worth doing.

Bridget led Katrina back down the hallway that had previously consumed her curiosity, this time following the path back to the familiar parts of Hogwarts and ignoring all other turns, however much they beckoned to be explored. It was funny, really, how of all passages she could've chosen to wander down she chose the one with not only pixies but an enchanted mirror too. Then again, she recalled all the times she'd had a feeling about things, a tingling in her gut, so she supposed being drawn to the passage wasn't all that strange for her.

Emerging near the Potions classroom, Bridget stopped and turned to face Katrina. There were all sorts of things she could say. More apologies. Telling the lion how sorry she was about her family. Still, today had been an adventure and Bridget was glad she'd got to share it with Katrina. "You can go the rest of the way, right?" She paused, clearing her throat. "Um... I'm glad we did that together. I guess it wasn't the nicest adventure but... well, I'm glad it was with you."

Feeling her face, yet again, heat up, she gave a little wave and backed away. Several minutes later, she collapsed on the four poster bed in the Slytherin dormitory, smiling at the picture of Katrina still playing in her memory.

Bridget Collins exits the thread.

Bridget admitted what she had seen. Katrina then realized that what she had said had probably been taken the wrong way. The lioness noticed the snake stiffen and look a little uncomfortable. It was too late to apologize, so Katrina was going to be much carefully with what she said. It seemed they were dancing on a tightrope, one wrong move and they both would fall and be unable to get back on again. She knew how that felt and had no intentions of repeating the guilt.
Katrina watched and followed as Bridget put her ear to the door. Katrina came up to her side and cleared her mind to listen. When no sounds came through the door, Bridget opened the door. The 12-year-old was cautious of the noises and followed Bridget with much fear. The snake locked the door with a muttered charm. The precautionary measure was greatly appreciated, hopefully no other students would find refuge there.
Katrina wiped at her face again, glaringly aware of the fact that her face was red and blotchy. She steadied herself with a deep breath and followed Bridget down the hall. She took note of the time they had turned the wrong way. Familiarity began to tickle her conscious.
Once the daylight filtered down the windows, and the hallways were clean and not ominous, they stopped. Bridget turned towards Katrina and asked if she could find her way back from there.
“Yeah, I know my way from here” she stopped, wanting to completely formulate what to say before blurting it out. Bridget beat her to it and recapped the adventure.
“I hope we can do this again—not all of the fearing for our lives stuff… but another adventure would be fun” Katrina waved her goodbye’s as Bridget walked away.
The lioness shuddered as she took a backwards glance at the dark hallway. She slowly climbed the stairs and entered the bright common room. She settled on her bed and took out a piece of parchment. Time to write another letter to Liam.