Flames and Arachnids PV Finished

@Katrina Walker

Bridget wasn't entirely sure why she'd ended up wandering the corridors of Hogwarts. It had been a mindless thing, the Slytherin drifting down the hallways like a phantom. This time last year, she had been so alone she may very well have been a silent apparition no one knew or even noticed. Now, though, she supposed that wasn't true. She had a friend. She was on her House Quidditch Team. Beyond her teammates, she knew numerous other students from finally working up the courage to talk to people, or at least from being in the right place at the right time. No, Bridget was not a nameless phantom.

But that didn't mean she was okay. Didn't mean she wasn't mostly just a broken shell. The girl she'd been, artistic and determined and diligent, had slipped away. Maybe those parts of her were still there, but she couldn't find them. If she was the old Bridget, she wouldn't have spent the last hour staring at the two sentences of the Charms essay she'd managed to write. She wouldn't have left the library until she was done. As it was, the brunette had accepted her utter lack of concentration and decided to take a break.

And so, here she was, nearing the long-empty Great Hall she'd eaten in earlier that evening. Except... it wasn't empty. Passing the Great Hall, her hazel eyes didn't miss the plume of fiery hair. Just as she stopped to see who it was, a loud noise much like someone slamming a book shut sounded from the person, making Bridget jump. Frowning, the small girl put together the pieces--red hair, sitting at the Gryffindor table--and realized the lone figure was Katrina.

Bridget couldn't do this today. Couldn't help Katrina with whatever was wrong, because, clearly, something was wrong--people didn't usually sit alone and hang their heads if they were happy. Sighing, Bridget knew she couldn't leave the other girl like this despite not being at all prepared to comfort the lion. She was no stranger to guilt, after all, and this was something, if ignored, she would regret.

So, she forced herself to take one step forward. She didn't want to talk to anyone. Another. She'd been avoiding everyone for a reason. One more. Would she even be able to say anything? Too late to turn back--she'd made it to the Gryffindor. "Katrina?" Bridget asked, her voice small, tired, and, if Katrina paid close enough attention, scared. Scared she would ruin this.

Closer up, Katrina looked more than sad. The lion was far too thin, a plate of untouched food in front of her. Holding her breath, Bridget sat down next to her. Paused for a moment, trying to think of what to do but finding her mind annoyingly blank, devoid of any ideas. She was too distracted by the stab of guilt as she realized just how horribly Katrina had been doing. Although they weren't very close, this was the girl who'd shared with Bridget how her family had died in a fire. Who had cried in front of her and hugged her. That left the snake with some responsibility to make sure she was okay, didn't it? But she'd been ignoring Katrina, ignoring everyone, and look where that'd left one of the few people she trusted.

Bridget opened her mouth to speak, but words refused to come out. Instead, she simply pushed the plate of food back towards Katrina. It wasn't enough. But she didn't know what to do.

@Bridget Collins

Katrina Walker was so deep in her mourning and pain that she had blocked out the world. She didn't see the concerned figure make her way down to her. The lioness didn't hear the snake take tentative steps closer to the distraught girl or her wavering voice say her name. The red-head didn't feel the bench shift as she sat down beside her. The only things she noticed was the plate moving closer, and that movement snapped her out of her temporary fog.

Katrina's eyes darted frantically about, searching for the source of the movement. She felt her body seize up in terror, ready to flee. The lioness was more of a rabid animal than the human she was made and supposed to be. She acted like a baby lion cub who had just been woken up by a venomous snake.

As soon as her eyes landed on Bridget's worn face, she calmed. Thank goodness. Bridget was the only girl that she could talk to. They really didn't know too much about each other, but the snake put Katrina at ease. She was able to open up last time they were together, and she had seen Bridget quite vulnerable a while back after being physically and emotionally bullied. They had found a patch of solid ground when they were together, even though both were terrified to mess anything up. Bridget kept extending an arm to help her up, even when the 12-year-old had been somewhat insensitive.

"Bridget," Katrina opened her mouth to say more, but no words came. They seemed to stick to her mouth and refuse to come out. She wanted to thank her, or cry, or ask her why she was here, or tell her everything that she was thinking, but nothing came out.

The student found her fingers fumbling with the small, oval, silver locket that was on a chain around her neck. She pried the door open and turned the two pictures to face Bridget. One was of Katrina's parents standing side by side, smiling and waving to the camera. The other was of Liam, everything about him perfectly portrayed by the small picture. His grin, the sparkle in his eyes. There was also a strand of Boomerang's fur curled on the inside edge, but that would mostly be hidden by the shadow of her hand.

"Liam, my brother," Katrina's voice choked up and she couldn't find anything else to say. Instead she pointed to his smiling face in the locket. "He-he's gone too," Her words were flat and mostly emotionless, with a hint of hopelessness. At least when you cry, the emotions come out, but they wouldn't. Instead they festered and grew and she couldn't find any way to let them out anymore.

Katrina looked at the plate in front of her. The plate that Bridget had pushed toward her. Katrina should eat. All living things were supposed to after all. It was a miracle that Katrina wasn't sick from her lack of eating. So, despite the fact that she wasn't hungry, she grabbed a roll of bread off of the plate and bit into it. The roll was fluffy and toasted on the outside, the inside was buttery and delicious. Even through her tangle of emotions, Katrina actually tasted some of it. She chewed slowly and found the roll gone in only a few bites.

"I-I don't know what to do. How do I go on? I have no one left. No one cares," Katrina found the words tumbling out before she could stop them. She buried her guilty face behind her hands and let her hair fall in front of her face. She paused another moment before adding, "No one cares about-- me."

@Katrina Walker

It took Katrina far too long to notice Bridget. The redhead may have very well been staring at the Mirror of Erised again for the complete lack of acknowledgement of the Slytherin's presence. When at long last the Gryffindor realized she was there, she was clearly spooked. Bridget frowned, concern eating at her thoughts. She was far from a master in the realm of people, but this wasn't normal behavior. What was wrong?

Katrina was either a mind reader or far more open to sharing than Bridget, because what she did next answered her unspoken question. Pulling a locker out from under her shirt, the lion flipped it open and showed her the pictures of three people who were unmistakably Katrina's family. All of them dead. Gone forever. The gravity of that thought was scary; death wasn't a foreign topic anymore. Bridget had been fortunate to not lose anyone she cared about, but the black still in the veins of her right arm was a constant reminder of the cruse that would kill her if she didn't get treatment every week for possibly the rest of her life. Bridget tugged the sleeve of her hoodie down, an act that had become habit now. She didn't want to let people see the blackened veins, and between her long-sleeved attire and the thin black glove she'd begun wearing on her right hand, she'd hidden them well.

Her frown deepened. She'd already known Katrina's brother was dead. At least, she thought she'd known that. Perhaps she'd misinterpreted Katrina. Whatever the case, this was news to the lion. World-shattering news that had vanished the girl's appetite and left her as more of a corpse than a girl. No wonder she was so thin. Katrina at least took her prompting a devoured a roll, and while it was far from enough, it comforted Bridget a little.

"I-I don't know what to do. How do I go on? I have no one left. No one cares. No one cares about-- me." At those words, all Bridget could think was 'Oh, great.' This was the exact thing she couldn't deal with right now. Even at her very best, the Slytherin didn't know how to help someone through such a loss. And, quite frankly, Bridget didn't know how Katrina had gotten "No one cares about me". She was right there, was she not? True, Bridget had been so busy dealing with her own trauma to notice the lion's state, but she did care.

"Merlin!" she exclaimed. She couldn't help it, couldn't help the frustration. "Katrina, I have no idea how you're supposed to deal with this. I'm sorry, but I just don't. And you have every right to be all down and whatever, but what do you mean no one cares about you? I care! I literally right here!" Bridget stood up, only emphasizing her exasperation. "So, look, if you want to have a pity party about how you're all bloody alone, then be my guest. I can leave it you want."

Now she'd really messed up. She'd snapped, and she knew it. Katrina didn't deserve this. Bridget just couldn't do this today. She dropped back down to the bench, deflated. "I'm sorry," she muttered. The apology wasn't enough. She wasn't enough. But how did you fix someone who was so broken she couldn't even see the people there for her?

Katrina sat in the vulnerable state with her head buried in her hands. Everything ached and burned and she wished that crying would let the messy emotions out instead of festering them. A knot of embarrassment wound itself tighter in her chest. Bridget hadn’t done anything to deserve the weight of her troubles.

"Merlin!" the outburst caught Katrina’s attention and jerked her head out of her hands. Bewilderment crossed her face. “Katrina, I have no idea how you're supposed to deal with this. I'm sorry, but I just don't. And you have every right to be all down and whatever, but what do you mean no one cares about you? I care! I literally right here!" At this, the snake stood up looking like she was going to walk away "So, look, if you want to have a pity party about how you're all bloody alone, then be my guest. I can leave it you want."

It took a moment before Katrina understood what she meant, “Wait, wait no! Please don’t— don’t go!“ Against her better wishes, a tone of desperation leaked into her voice. Katrina reached out for Bridget’s arm and caught her wrist, “Please,“

Bridget sat back down on the bench and apologized. But there had been something that had changed, almost like someone had smacked her on the face. It stung and it hurt, but for some confusing reason, it helped. Her attention had shifted. It was almost like Bridget had picked up all of her shattered pieces and put her back together again.

“I’m really not sure why. But, thank you,“ Katrina looked back at Bridget with puffy red eyes and a confusing mix of emotions; thankfulness entertained with surprise still written on her face. “I needed that, I think”

Katrina began again slowly, “I guess I was wrong. I do have a friend, I have you” The word friend surprised her as it came out. The warm comforting feeling that came with the word wrapped her up. She had a friend. An actual friend. She never thought she had any people here that cared for her but Bridget had been standing there for her. True friends are those who care for you, tell you when you are wrong, and are always there for you. And Bridget filled each of those roles.

Her eyes drifted over to the, now somewhat eaten, plate of food. Her hand grabbed a carrot stick and she bit into it. A shaky breath and a wipe of her eyes later and she actually felt better. She had a friend. A friend who had been sitting right in front of her for an entire year now, but a friend nonetheless.

@Katrina Walker

At least she hadn't completely ruined their friendship. Bridget didn't really know how her yelling at Katrina helped, but if it did, that was all that mattered. So... now what? Over the past year and a half, she could definitely say her social skills had improved. She was actually talking to people, after all, and there was less awkward silence than before. For the first time in her life, she was starting to feel somewhat confident talking to people even if they weren't close. Talking to Katrina, for some reason, still stressed her out. Sure, she trusted the Gryffindor. Bridget would even go so far as to say after everything they'd been through together they were friends. But with all the tragedy the redhead had dealt with, knowing what to say was hard.

What did people usually do in this sort of situation? Certainly she'd seen some sort of pattern in all the books and movies she'd watched. You were supposed to ask the person if they wanted to talk about it, right? Would Katrina want to talk about this? She had started to open up a bit, but that didn't mean she was ready to share her feelings or whatever. And if she did, would that even be a good thing? It wasn't like Bridget would now how to respond to an outpouring of emotions.

Fortunately, Bridget was saved from having to say anything at all. On the downside, the thing that drove any thoughts of pursuing a conversation with Katrina and trying to make her feel better was a spider. If the lion was looking at her, she would see the Slytherin's hazel eyes widen, her muscles tense. No, of all things, why did it have to be a spider? Heart hammering in her chest, she watched the scary eight-legged creature's movements. Before her eyes, scenes from that night played out again--her housemates lying unconscious on the ground, the spider biting her, getting caught in her hair. The screaming, the terror, the pain.

The spider started to crawl towards her, and that was the moment she decided bailing was a very good idea indeed. In an instance she had stood up again, scrambled over the bench and backed up until her back was against the wall. Poor Katrina... she'd probably think Bridget was leaving. She wasn't. Well, not really. She was getting away from that table, that spider, that much was for sure, but she didn't intend to run out of the hall screaming and leave her friend all alone.

Katrina picked at the plate, her appetite still not up to normal. Quickly, she felt full and pushed the plate out a bit so she could rest her arms on the table. Her locket swung back and forth, her hazel eyes tracing it's movement. The Gryffindor turned her head up, aware that she had completely forgotten Bridget was there. The realization embarrassing enough to bring a blush to her pale cheeks.

The second year turned to see Bridget seemingly as lost in her thoughts as she felt. Katrina wanted to say something, a thank you, a change of subject, anything really, but words were trapped in her throat. A small sigh escaped her mouth and Katrina looked back down at her locket again. There was a physical aching in her stomach, as if it were tying itself in knots. Her mind drifted around thinking about how mindset has the ability to create physical responses.

Suddenly, Bridget tensed and scrambled over the bench and backed right into the wall. The look of sheer terror on the Slytherin's face was one of seeing a dementor or basilisk or something equally terrifying. Katrina turned her alarmed face, following Bridget's line of vision. There was nothing there? Concern bled onto the second-years face, what was wrong?

"Bridget?" Katrina managed to get out, eyebrow raised in concern.

That was when she saw it. A tiny black spider crawling over the table. Katrina almost laughed at the thought that Bridget was simply that terrified of the tiny creature. There must be something she didn't know. A giant spider eating Bridget's friend or something.

Katrina grabbed a spare cup and gently covered the eight legged arachnid in a prison. For the sake of Bridget's terror, Katrina put a bowl over the cup. Katrina didn't really want to kill it, but she would without a second thought if it helped Bridget. However, the second-year would rather use a paper under the cup and take it outside.

Katrina left the spider under the cup and bowl and stepped over to Bridget. "Hey, are you alright?"

@Katrina Walker

It was funny how when you were scared, you're brain amplified the spookiness of what you were seeing. So while Katrina saw a small, completely harmless spider, Bridget was seeing something twice as big with long, sharp, glinting fangs. Maybe your brain did it just to justify your terror of what really couldn't hurt you. Whatever the case, Bridget was nearly petrified with fear of the arachnid. No, not entirely petrified... she just had to grab her wand, and then she could set the horrible creature on fire, or send it flying across the Great Hall...

Probably for the good of keeping her from detention and the room intact, the Slytherin never got the chance to Incendio Duo the spider into a premature death. Instead, it was covered by a cup, and then a bowl. As Katrina finished saving the day and turned to her, Bridget eased off the wall a bit. She still kept her distance, though, attempting to casually lean against the stone blocks, arms folded, and disguise her continued need to be as far away from the horrifying beast as possible. Sure, the threat appeared to be eliminated, but it could still get out. And if it did, she would stop it. No hesitation. Her eyes darted down just to check her wand was still there. It was. So now all she had to do if the spider escaped was grab the strip of laurel wood, do the wand movement, say the incantation, and the demon creature would be no more.

It took her a few seconds to realize Katrina was still there, that this wasn't just a show-down between her and the spider. The redhead was asking her if she was okay. Well, as the Gryffindor could already tell, no. Bridget was not okay. Okay people didn't freak out over spiders. At least, she didn't think they did. She'd only had this potent fear of spiders for about a month now, so she had no real way of knowing.

What should she say in response if she didn't know if she was okay or not? "Uh... yeah. I'm fine. Just freaked out for a second. Everything... everything's okay now." The words honestly sounded more like she was trying to convince herself of that than Katrina.

Katrina was still a bit worked up from her epic meltdown. She could still feel the aching in her stomach, stupid nerves. The instant Bridget was in trouble, however, Katrina found herself pushing down all of her emotions, putting anyone that was hurting ahead of herself. A deadly downfall in the wrong circumstances.

"Hey, it's okay" Katrina could clearly see how shaken up Bridget was. She seemed to be almost talking to herself rather than the person standing right next to her. Katrina scrambled for words, searching her mind for anything that could be relatively helpful or, at least, not worse. Instead, the lioness stood unhelpfully against the wall.

There is a point in your life, when things just get too much. Katrina had already past that point. So when her luck just took a horrible downturn, it was really bad. As if in slow motion, Katrina turned her head up to see a candelabra against the wall tip. The lit candle slowly spiraled downward. It seemed to have the majesty of a long exposure picture as it came down. Instantly, Katrina wasn't seeing the flame catch on her school robes. She was seeing her childhood home with the large windows and blue paint burst into flames. Her vivid imagination heard the screams of her parents and the crying of her little brother. The heat licked her robes and crawled up the fabric, a creature never satisfied. Fire, death, pain, tears. Katrina was frozen.

It was a surreal experience to be on fire. Well, she wasn't really on fire, the tip of her school robes were. But Katrina was so sucked into her thoughts that she was on fire. Her eyes were wide in fright and her hands clenched at her side. She watched the yellow creep up her robes, petrified and unable to take her eyes off of it or say anything.

They had gone from a fear of spiders to a fear of flames. Hopefully the duo of troubled kids could make it out of this without anything else going wrong. Katrina managed out a squeak as the flames leapt to her knee socks, beginning to warm her skin, not yet scorching it.

@Katrina Walker

At this point, Bridget was convinced Hogwarts saved up its bad luck so they had a bunch of completely normal days and then, every so often, a day so terrible it required every possible ounce of bad luck. This, of course, just had to be one of those days. Usually the bad days were balls or out-of-the-blue attacks on a House in the middle of the night, but sometimes it was one unpleasant thing after another for just a couple people. Strangely, all of the bad days seemed to entail fire. The Hogwarts motto should honestly be changed to 'It's all going down in flames' about now.

So on Bridget and Katrina's horrible day, in which they were both feeling awful and had already dealt with dead families and tiny, harmless creepy spiders, it was almost stupid of them to not anticipate the flames. The truth was, Bridget hadn't even seen the candle fall. How did that even happen? Had she hit the wall hard enough in her escape from the arachnid to knock it loose? Whatever the case, Katrina's robe was now ablaze.

As far as fires went, it wasn't that bad. Bridget had been on fire way worse in her duel multiple times, so in comparison this small flame licking at the hem of her robe was nothing, but for Katrina... One look at the Gryffindor's face and it was clear this small fire was much more than that to her, just like the spider had been terrifying to Bridget. While her fear stemmed from personal experience with spiders, Katrina's had to do with the fire that had wiped our her whole family. It only made sense for her to be petrified.

Drawing her wand not to murder the spider as she'd planned but to quell the flames before they could do any damage, she muttered the incantation of the extinguishing charm and made the wand movement. But for the first time, her spell failed. Nothing came out of her wand. For a minute, Bridget just stared at the length of laurel wood. Had she actually, really just... failed? Sure, the Slytherin had missed plenty of times, but her spells had never just not worked. She was sure her wand motion had been correct, and she knew she'd pronounced the spell perfectly, so where had she even gone wrong?

Oh. Concentration. The third aspect of a successful spell cast, and something she'd been mostly devoid of. Her focus had still been on the spider. And now, she couldn't go back and fix this. She'd failed. Still in shock, all she managed to get out was, "I'm sorry."