A Little Disoriented PV Moretti Finished

Standing up, the Ravenclaw winced at the pain that shot through her leg. As she fumbled with the branches tangled in her hair, Heather tried not to hiss at the small scratch on her cheek; instead, she tried to get closer to the lake, so she could wash off some of the dirt from her hands. Muttering angrily under her breath, the blonde tried to calm down. Why did she even agree to help that fourth-year finding his cat? If she would have minded her own business back then, it wouldn't be her the one who fell off a tree, just a couple of minutes ago.

Arriving closer to the lake, the girl stopped for a second, staring up at the moon. Heather let the cold breeze move past her, allowing herself to calm down as her blue orbs scanned the sky with admiration. It was beautiful scenery, and the girl was enjoying it, angry or not. Her blissful state was abruptly interrupted, though, by the pain that shot through her leg. Groaning, she pulled up her robe, inspecting her damage. "Non ci posso credere!" The girl couldn’t help but exclaim loudly. Her knee was bleeding, she had small scratches scattered on her leg, and was that the beginning of a bruise?!

Even though it didn’t look so good right now, Heather was at ease, strangely; she had suffered far worse injuries from all those years of ballet and ice skating. 'Thank God I am not badly hurt. It could have been much more-'

The girl stiffened suddenly, hearing the rustling of the trees. Who could be outside at this hour? 'For sure that's the cat, who else could it be?' Heather thought, analyzing the best approach she should use to attract the animal. Then, a strange idea popped into her head! She wasn’t sure it would work, but she wasn’t either the one who backed down from trying strange methods. So, taking a deep breath, she started meowing, hoping to attract the cat.

Her sounds were caught in her throat quickly though when instead of the small Russian she was expecting, the tall girl made eye contact with a boy. A very handsome boy. Quickly closing her mouth, the girl felt the blood rushing to her cheeks. “Wh-What are you doing here?” The Ravenclaw asked confused as if she wasn’t outside past curfew too. And on top of that, she was the one looking like a homeless person, meowing alone in the forest. Mamma mia, she was in trouble!

@Kaegan Chase

Kaegan stopped his attempts to get back to the castle as the sounds of a poorly imitated cat rang through the forest.

That’s a new one. He raised his dark eyebrows slightly, amused by this person’s way to pass the time. Since there was no hope of him finding his original path, he turned around and began to pick his way towards the cat noises.

A few unnecessarily large brambles later, the boy pushed a tree branch out from in front of him and stepped into a small clearing closer to the lake. His green eyes flitted around uncertainly until they connected with a pair of ocean-blue ones, belonging to a tall, blonde girl.

The girl flushed red upon seeing him, making the sides of Kaegan’s mouth turn up sarcastically. He was used to this reaction, after all, but that didn’t stop him from puzzling over why someone like her was in the woods at this time of day. Apparently, she was wondering the same thing.

“Wh-What are you doing here?” the blonde girl stammered out. Kaegan tilted his head and smirked at her, making a show of sizing her up. He didn’t actually care about the girl, but if he was ever going to be able to find Hogwarts again, it might be useful to have some help.

“I could ask you the same question,” Kaegan said, gesturing to the woods around them and then back to her muddied robes with a practiced grin. “Perhaps I’ve come to rescue the damsel in distress? And her... cat?” He flashed a lopsided smile, knowing perfectly well there was no other creature in the clearing.

With some effort, the Gryffindor managed to push away the sarcasm that had begun to creep back into his tone. “We seem a little lost,” he said, stepping closer. At almost 5’4, Kaegan and the girl were about the same height, give or take a few centimeters. He ran another pale hand through his hair, pushing the brown strands away from his eyes.

“Would you happen to know how to get back to the castle?”

With any luck, this girl would be able to lead him towards Hogwarts. When there, Kaegan could ditch her, in the hopes she didn’t think he owed her any favors.

Yet somehow, the boy had found, he didn’t have much luck in situations like this.

"I am not going back to the castle. At least, not until I find Misty. And I certainly don't need to be saved by you," Heather replied curtly, frowning. Her initial surprise when she saw the boy quickly turned into sourness, noticing his sarcastic attitude. What did he think, that she was embarrassed by him? No, she was embarrassed by the situation she was found in! And when he looked at her as if he were superior to her...no, the blonde didn't like this boy. And if he really wanted to get back to the castle, he better wait.

Truth to be told, Heather had no idea how to get back to the castle, either. Geography was never her cup of tea, she learned that the hard way. But she wasn't going to tell the Gryffindor that. "If you want to get back to the castle, you better help me find the cat! Otherwise, I wish you good luck in walking aimlessly through the forest."

Heather turned around, going back to the lake. Taking a look at her reflection in the water, the girl inwardly cringed. She quickly washed off her face, clearing it from some dirt- her hair was still a mess, though, and for that, she couldn't do anything. Then, Heather turned around to look again at the boy. "So, you'll help me or will you try to find the way by yourself?"

She never said that she knew the way, but let it seem like she did. If they found the cat and had to go back, then this kid would probably get angry, and he seemed to be the easily- annoyed type. Serves him right, Heather thought.

Despite their first meeting, the girl was struggling to be optimistic. Maybe he wasn't as bad as she thought, maybe he was just tired. Heather shouldn't judge anyone just by the way they are staring, after all. Trying to be positive, she smiled faintly, chanting a positive mantra in her mind. Though, it seemed like her gut feeling wasn't going away; she had a hunch that her relationship with this boy would be a strange one.

Kaegan’s green eyes steeled as the girl began to prattle on about how she wouldn’t accept help from him. Was his act that easy to see through? The boy scowled at the tall Ravenclaw, a small smirk flashing across his face as she mentioned the lost cat.

“Oh, is that why you were meowing just recently?” he asked mockingly, done with the politeness. “Your imitation is probably what’s scaring the poor animal off in the first place.”

He crossed his arms and clenched his jaw, furrowing his brow as she continued with her rant. It seemed like she knew how to get back to the castle, but there was also a possibility that it was all a bluff and the girl was just too much of an idiot to find the cat.

Kaegan sighed and stuck out his hand with a sarcastic air of courtesy. “Well, if I have to be stuck with you, we might as well get to know each other. I’m Kaegan. Kaegan Chase. And you are...?” The Gryffindor purposely put a condescending tone on ‘you,’ making it clear he was only helping in order to find his way back to Hogwarts.

His eyes scanned the forest, looking for any signs of an animal, but there seemed to be none- just the little path he had carved in his wake when trying to fight through the undergrowth. Was it her cat they were trying to find? Or was it an elaborate hoax set up by some higher year that enjoyed watching people like this girl venture into the woods for absolutely nothing?

Kaegan squinted at the Ravenclaw, trying to see if there was any hint of a lie in her face, but he had to admit it- she seemed like the honest type. That just made him dislike her even more.

Probably some sort of Mudblood who thinks they’re special, Kaegan thought bitterly, looking away from the Ravenclaw.

Heaven forbid if she didn’t know the way back.

Heather furrowed her eyebrows, hearing the boy’s sarcastic remark. So he already got rid of that polite mask?! I knew there was something fishy about this kid from the moment I saw his gaze! Her blue orbs were fixated on the Gryffindor, trying to guess what he was thinking. There could be a chance he was going to see through her lie, but the blonde girl was pretty confident in her acting skills. After all, she had years of acting all happy-go-lucky behind her.

Noticing that she let her mind wander again, she looked back at the Gryffindor- Kaegan. Kaegan Chase. Heather almost puffed, hearing how he phrased his previous sentence. What did he think, that he was James Bond? Even though she wasn't fond of the kid, she had to admit his name sounded quite nice, though. Such a pretty name, for a pretty boy. Too bad his personality is making him so rotten. Still, she reminded herself, she didn’t have to act in the same manner as him. She was better than that. Staring at the brunet, she tried to smile, though it came off as a bit forced. “I am Heather. Nice to meet you, I guess.”

Noticing that the Gryffindor was scanning the forest, the girl guessed he was looking around for the cat. So he believed her! The blonde smiled faintly. She shouldn’t be so happy deceiving someone, but this boy deserved a bit of his own medicine, even though she wasn’t outright mean to him. Glancing at Kaegan once more, she let her gaze down when she noticed him turning back to her.

She tried not to judge him, in spite of his attitude, she really did. Instead, the girl felt a bit of pity- he must have experienced something bad in his past, that’s why he was so false. But, people experience horrible things every day, and they still manage to be nice to others. Being a mean person is not something you’re born with or something you become. It’s a choice. Heather grinned faintly, remembering this quote from that TV series her sister was watching. She made a mental note to add it to her watchlist. Now that she thought about it, could she use the internet at Hogwarts…?

Heather snapped out of her trance, piercing Kaegan with her gaze. “I guess he is following that phrase, if you are gonna be two-faced, at least make one of them attractive,” muttered the girl, not noticing she said the last part out loud. Sighing, she did a spin on her toes, like the ones she was used from ballet, and winced a bit at the pain. Looking around for any sign of the cat, she sighed in defeat. “I guess we have to get inside the forest, we won’t find the cat sitting all night here.”

Kaegan squinted at the girl. Heather, was it? He’d never really liked the looks of the purple plant, and he couldn’t find anything to admire in this girl either. How ironic, he thought bitterly to himself, tightening his jaw.

The scowl on the boy’s face only deepened as the heavy realization that he was stuck with this Ravenclaw until they found the supposed “cat” sunk in. But there was nothing he could do about it, unless he wanted to take his chances and keep wandering aimlessly through the woods.

He turned his annoyed gaze back to Heather, raising his eyebrows mockingly as she threw in the “I guess” to the end of her sentence. Kaegan didn’t need to guess to know this girl wasn’t somebody he wanted to be friends with. She had too many mood swings- seemingly forced politeness one minute and a generic insult the next. It wasn’t like he was any better in that area, though.

Out of the blue, Heather said something along the lines of ‘two-faced’ and ‘unattractive.’ Kaegan smirked at her, cocking his head with an air of superiority. “Ever heard the phrase ‘takes one to know one?’” he muttered sarcastically.

”I guess we have to get inside the forest, we won’t find the cat sitting all night here,” Heather said with a sigh. Kaegan let out a small, sharp laugh, green eyes flitting over the girl and past her shoulder to the woods beyond. “Oh? Another incredible observation on your part. I’m glad the Ravenclaw is finally living up to her house,” he mocked.

Kaegan turned away from the girl and started towards the forest, knowing there was a likely chance she would follow.

“Where did this “cat” go, anyways?” he asked, making it painstakingly clear he didn’t believe that Heather was actually looking for a live animal. “You’re great company, but what would the student body think if we came back together after dark?” he continued satirically, obviously displaying his disliking for the girl.

“We better get started. I’d rather not miss dinner.”

When Kaegan indirectly made her two-faced, Heather almost lost it. How dare he compare himself to her? She may be sometimes hiding her real feelings, but she has good reasoning, and she is nowhere as mean as him! Scoffing at his remarks, she decided not to take his words to heart. His next phrase made the blood boil in the girl’s veins once more, though. The nerve of this boy! He judges me for not being the perfect Ravenclaw, as if he is a real Gryffindor! No, a real Gryffindor would never be this mean, two-faced and selfish. Heather knew it because her father was meant to be in Gryffindor. And he would have never wished to be in a house where people like Kaegan were.

Following the boy, the blonde looked around for Misty, stopping abruptly when she heard, once again, Kaegan's incredulous tone. “You’re great company, but what would the student body think if we came back together after dark?” Smiling mockingly, the blonde crossed her arms. “Oh, are you scared of being outside this late? Or is it that you are distressed because of the possible punishment? I’m glad the Gryffindor is finally living up to his house, so brave and daring!” said the girl, repeating his words from before.

Sighing, the Ravenclaw closed her eyes, frowning. Her leg was hurting really bad, this boy angered her with every breath he took, and the cat was nowhere to be found! Frankly, Heather didn’t care about the punishment she was expecting when she came back, she just wanted to find the animal once and for all! She wanted to help Madoc, the fourth year who lost it, especially since he was pretty down these days. The blonde liked making people smile, so she did everything in her power to help the boy. Also, he was handsome and helped her with spells pretty often, it was only fair to-

Wincing loudly, Heather fell down. Looking at her ankle, she sighed, frowning. It was swollen, and she instantly knew the fall she had was worse than she first thought. The girl had no way of going back to the castle in time for dinner, even if she stopped searching for the cat right then! Groaning, Heather looked up to Kaegan. “Uh-oh. My ankle is broken, I think.” Not knowing what to say anymore, she looked down. She was pretty bummed- if she hurt her legs, she may not be able to do ballet properly. And ballet was the only thing she loved.

Kaegan watched with one eyebrow raised derisively as Heather began to snap at him, imitating what he had said earlier. "Oh, did clever monkey learn how to copy human speech?" he asked with a scowl, his tone clearly patronizing. The boy looked around at the darkening sky, his frown getting deeper. The cold wind pushed up against the button-down he'd had on underneath his robes, and he began to regret not bringing something more substantial.

A crack from the woods sounded behind him, and Kaegan turned around, scanning the clearing. Maybe one more halfwit decided to take a nightly stroll, he thought to himself, his eyes piercing the trees. Suddenly, a noise came from a patch of bushes to his left- soft at first, but gradually getting louder. Kaegan tensed his jaw and leaned forward slightly. There was a cry behind him that sounded like it came from Heather, but the boy put out one finger behind him in a quieting manner, not bothering to look lest the sounds disappeared.

The noise came again, increasing in volume with each... meow?! "Oh, you've got to be kidding me," Kaegan muttered. Keeping his eyes on the shrubbery, he sarcastically called over his shoulder to Heather: "Don't go wandering off and getting lost again. I'm only saving you once."

He crept towards where the mewing had started up, pausing momentarily at the edge of the bushes and peering in with a grimace. There, surrounded by leaves and various prickly things, sat a small, disgruntled cat. Good. Now we can finally go back, Kaegan thought bitterly, lunging into the bush without contemplating the possible consequences. His fingers closed around the cat, but instead of surrendering itself to his grasp, the feline started to squirm and lash out with its claws. One long nail caught Kaegan right next to his eye, and he winced irritatedly as a drop of blood ran down his cheek.

After another minute of raucous, colorful struggling with the cat, Kaegan managed to pull it out of its bramble patch, the both of them covered in thorns and very displeased. He held the cat out in front of him, glowering at it, and then stalked over to Heather with one hand still wiping at the cut by his eye.

"Good God, you and this mangy vermin are going to be owing me for- Oh," Kaegan spat out distastefully, regarding Heather's crumpled form. What had she said? Her foot was hurt?

"Perfect," he snapped ironically. "Can you walk?" Kaegan eyed her swollen ankle. "No, doesn't look like you can, does it?" For a split second, he considered leaving her and her cat out in the woods for someone else to take care of, but then he thought better of it. At least if she was with him, Kaegan would have an explanation as to why he looked like he'd just rubbed up against a cheese grater.

He tucked the cat- which had rendered itself surprisingly docile in the last few minutes -under one arm and offered the other to Heather. "Which is it- find the cat or drag you back to Hogwarts?" he said scornfully, feeling another drop of blood from the scratch run over his jaw.

Rolling his eyes, he beckoned for her to take his hand. "Come on then, just tell me the way and you can go play with your cat in the infirmary."

At first, Heather thought that Kaegan was having yet another one of his sarcastic moments. Then, as the boy seemingly stood still, not even looking into the girl's direction, she started thinking that he was contemplating leaving her there- alone in the woods, with a broken ankle and no one to come back to her. That faintly sounded like it would be against the school rules, but then again, this Gryffindor seemed to care more about his reputation than about someone else's life.

But then she heard it too. A small meow, immediately followed by another, louder one; Heather doubted that another cat escaped in the forest that night, so it must have been Misty!

"Don't go wandering off and getting lost again. I'm only saving you once." Kaegan spoke over his shoulder and although she sensed the sarcasm in his tone, Heather's happiness made her forget about any anger she'd previously felt. "Yeah, yeah- just go and bring the cat!"

To watch the boy struggle to catch Misty was a real show- at first, the Gryffindor was obviously, as anyone would be, cautious- peering and walking slowly, as to not scare the cat. The blonde girl was actually impressed by his skills for a few moments, but then he had to mess up everything by literally jumping onto the poor pet. What was he even thinking? It's a cat, not a rabbit- of course it will react when being caught so violently.

Now, Heather didn't see what was happening that well from her spot, but she was sure that Misty would fight- and for such a small pet, the feline knew how to use her claws. As the movement lessened around the bush Kaegan was in, the blonde feared that it ran away once more. Though, when the Gryffindor turned around, holding the familiar pet, Heather clapped her hands together in order to show her excitement- maybe a hypocritical gesture, since the boy also spotted a fresh scratch next to his eye, but she was too happy to hide her joy.

"For a moment I was scared that you lost Misty," Heather spoke cheekily as Kaegan returned to her. "By the way, if you ever have to catch another pet again, don't lunge at them as you did a few moments ago. Not only you'll make them try to escape, but you'll also get another one of those," She said, pointing at the boy's cut. Now that she looked better at him, though, the Ravenclaw noticed that his wound was deeper than she first thought. "Does it hurt? I think we should clean the cut with some water, at least until we get back to the... castle," The blonde said, stopping mid-sentence as she realized what finding the cat meant. Just as Kaegan did his part of their collaboration, now it was her turn too- and she had no idea how to return to Hogwarts.

Ignoring his ironies and small jabs, Heather contemplated what should be her next move. Should she tell Kaegan the truth? Probably, but this guy seemed capable of leaving her alone in the woods if she came clean now, and that wasn't an option. But then what other options did she have? Involuntarily, her eyes caught the cat's form, getting tugged under Kaegan's arm, just as he mumbled something and offered her his hand. Taking it and helping herself stand up, Heather realized something. Misty had been around the woods with Madoc before, and cats usually know how to find their way back home, so what if...

"Hey, let me hold Misty. She's seen me before and probably she'll feel more at ease if someone she's familiar with is holding her." Heather said, hoping that the small innuendo she made- that the pet would probably try to hurt him again, would scare Kaegan enough to give her the cat. As she looked at Misty, whose head was turned longingly towards a certain spot, Heather prayed to all gods that her plan would work. "We need to head that way."

Glancing at Kaegan, as to see if he suspects anything, Heather furrowed her brows. No matter how bad they were getting along, it just didn't sit well to let him bleed without trying to help. "I think I have a handkerchief. Just a second-" Searching through her pockets, the Ravenclaw soon found the cloth she'd been looking for. Taking it out, she moved her hand closer to Kaegan's face, in an attempt to clean the blood that dripped down his cheek. "May I?"