Revolutions PV Finished

"Overwhelmed" - Helen Jane Long

Although Pericles had gradually seemed less lost in space as the year went on, the trip to the train felt much like a dream. He drifted among his peers in a faraway daze, only coming to when imparting a few final farewells to the Ravenclaws he'd come to know. Emotions churned in his heart, clashing like animals in a zoo without cages: excitement to see his family, preemptive lonesomeness for leaving his friends, pride and accomplishment for surviving completing his first year, frustration for the conundrums left unsolved. The swiftness with which the months had passed was utterly astonishing. Yet there was still so much to do! Who would look for Lear, if all the staff were hosting a summer camp elsewhere? What would be done about the hags, the VanCleaf brothers, the murder mystery? His heart was heavy. It was not in his nature to leave anything unfinished. Onward he trudged, his sole sustaining thought being the bittersweet chance to spend a spot more time with friends.

Friends. That was a prize which almost rivaled the knowledge he had gained that year. The formerly home-schooled lad at last got to know fellow wixes his own age, and through each incident- favorable or otherwise- they had been there. Performing errands for Griseldis. Meeting Xailah in the library. Auditioning for the Frog Choir. Writing for the Headliner. Becoming a prefect. Enthusing over art with Ruby. Attending the Liberation meeting. Having his first mass snowball fight. The S.W.A.G duel. Tarantallegra tag. Sharing the sense of living in the shadow of one's parents with Breana. Folding paper animals with Piérre. Finally talking to a teacher- Professor Lian- to jostle him out of his awkwardness towards authority. He thought of the (ongoing) scary scene in the hospital, the Blossom Ball, the (ongoing) Ravenclaw detour into the Forbidden Forest. He thought of his birthday. Learning spells. Leaning potions. Learning to fly. So many wonderful, terrible, and confusing things had happened in what felt like so little time. Trying to process it all, Pericles incidentally bumped into a fellow student, though his mumbled apology was mostly lost under the din of a jostling crowd. Everyone was searching for their friends, so he supposed he ought to be doing the same. Thoughts turned towards Xailah and Meenauh: sharing conspiracy theories over "off" Daily Prophet articles, busting students as a prefect trio... his birthday. They had invited him to ride "home" together on that day, and assured they would write over the summer. The thought was a tether to happiness, an anchor in the sea of storming thoughts. He had run out of time for solving school mysteries, but come what may, at least his friends would still be there when he returned to Hogwarts. He was sure of it.

Speak of the Gryffindor: there, up ahead in a swarm of scattered red and gold accessories, were the bouncing brown locks of Xailah. The metamorph's hair was distinctive*, like a pair of curled cat ears. Bouncing back to the present from contemplation of the past, Pericles locked onto the sight. He tried to keep a stead eye on those waves, finally falling into step with the chaotic crowd, pace picking up purpose while he wove through the masses. His trunk was towed closer, stare straying only when he was looking for signs of Meenauh, too. He nearly never saw the pair apart, so she was surely close. Peri hugged his belongings in both arms while stepping onto the train; he was not as aggressively advancing as the lioness cub, coasting like a bird riding a windy current. His glasses were presently tucked into a cloak pocket, so silver eyes squinted through each window while he went, finally finding Xailah and nimbly breaking from the flow of bodies to join her. He smiled a particularly bright grin upon entering, pausing just inside to send a sentimental look her way. Their last moment for mingling. "Hullo Xai," the boy said softly, leaning to tuck his trunk beneath a seat, "Schrödinger. D'you think Meenauh would mind if I took the window seat?""

@Xailah Alptraum and @Meenauh Silmataurea

*

Reducio

That train ride had to be different. They agreed to ride in the same compartment together as if there was any other way to ride the train home. But it was a tricky business as they all were different years and were arriving in different groups to the train station. Whoever would find the first fully empty compartment, had to save it for the others. So it didn't matter who would arrive first to the train — if one managed to find an empty compartment, it meant they arrived first and had to save it.

So, Meenauh was dragging her trunk through the train, quickly peeking into every compartment, but no luck so far. The corridors were not crowded anymore, which meant most of the compartments were full. Halfway, she got unusually worried that she missed @Xailah Alptraum or @Pericles Dralt and had to give them more thorough peeks. But the next compartment after the worrying thought was the saviour. Her metamorphic friend, her pale boy friend and her fur blob friend were reigning in the trainy realm. The compartment had enough space air for four temporary inhabitants. And four they were.

She slid the door to the side and smiled widely: "Hello, my dear friends. I thought I've missed you, to be honest." She heaved her trunk into the compartment, pushed it below the seats and basically fell into the seat near Xailah. If the cat would be occupying the seat, she'd say "May I?" and then she'd carefully lift the animal with great effort and moved it to the opposite seat, near Pericles. With total understanding the risk of being hated until the end of times.

It wouldn't take long for the two people in question, to arrive. The first to appear would be a young, Ravenclaw lad- and if the cub knew that he was able to identify her by the back of her head alone, well, she would have had a cow.

Xailah turned to meet the grey gaze, of said silver-eyed, Ravenclaw. However she did not return the sentimental look. Her stare was a tired one. And more so than usual. Her night hadn't been the greatest- so nothing really out of the usual. Packing all of her things had kept her busy. She got her regular three hours of sleep- well, two in this case; she had woken up an hour earlier than usual, to finish her packing. Who would have known a years worth of collected (mostly stolen) junk, silverware, and unfinished creations, were going to take so long to pack? Truthfully, the packing wasn't wasn't to blame for her loss of sleep. She simply had too much to think about, to the point where she had no time for sleeping. Xailah would watch the Ravenclaw boy stoop, to store his luggage under the seats. She observed that he was not wearing his glasses. It was odd seeing him without them. "Hallo ssstranger." The cub would give him a dumb, and visibly forced smile, before following suit. She slid her suitcases, and the large cat, Schrödinger, underneath her seat. Schrödinger mewled helplessly. Wait. That wasn't right. "Oh." She stooped again, this time to retrieve the misplaced feline. "Why didn't you say sssomething before I put you there, sssilly?" Schrödinger was tugged out from under the seat, his freeing was followed by a noise that resembled the popping of a cork. That was how she spent their last mingling moment. Nice.

It wasn't anything out of the ordinary. Schrödinger was fine, he always made funny suctioning noises, whenever he was forcibly removed from tight spaces. He was just really chunky, and displaced a lot of air. "I don't think Meenauh would mind. Though, if I'm wrong for once, I expect you both to duel for the window seat." She snickered, plopping Schrödinger down on the seat next to her. Speaking of Meenauh... Enter Meenauh, from stage right. The Gryffindor had impeccable timing. As the glass door slid open, the metamorph would take note that the second person, that she had been expecting, had finally arrived. The trinity was complete- quartet if you wanted to count the cat. "Hallo Meena." Xailah gave her fellow cub a sleepy wave. The metamorph bounced a little, as a result of Meenauh flumping down on the seat next to her. "Missed us? Why, Pericles and I would have no where else to be, except here on the train." The metamorph let out a pensive hum. "You have arrived just in time to fight Pericles for the window ssseat." The metamorph nodded to her Gryffindor counterpart, smiling. Schrödinger would allow Meenauh to move him, when she asked. He liked Meenauh- and by liked, it meant she wasn't the worst person in the world. The girl would feel Schrödinger's rolls of fat, push their way through the gaps in her fingers; as she heaved the limp animal onto the seat opposite of the Gryffindors. No grudges would be held this time around.

Trains had begun to hold a special place in Xailahs heart, after meeting Meenauh. The two Gryffindors had discovered each other during last years train ride home. Under some very bizarre circumstances, Xailah would meet her soul sister. Meenauh. It was a friendship Xailah never knew she wanted, but had always needed. While both Gryffindors had their similarities, there was also a stark contrast between the two. Xailah was more impulsive than Meenauh, and more prone to finding trouble. Xailah only wished she could be as pretty, and as smart as Meenauh was. Meenauh was the left brain of the duo- the thinker, and she was wonderful when it came to making rational decisions and strategizing. Essentially making her the realist in the group. Each girl tried to coax the other out of their shells in some way, even if they weren't entirely aware of it. It was truly a perfect balance. "I hope you both ssslept well last night. There were some Gryffindors that were partying down in the commons, after hours; and I wouldn't have been sssurprised if they woke up the whole school with their racket."

[quote]Pericles' need for glasses was caused by a little something called hyperopia: farsightedness. His case was moderate, in which attempting to read any writing without lenses was headache-inducing, while everything else was typically visible. For example- Xailah's voice was its usual satisfied purr, though he could see the lack of earnestness in her smile as clear as day. It caused him pause. He watched with puzzlement as she tucked her poor cat away with the luggage, but before he could question her, their third party member arrived. Peri settled into his seat, smiling over at Meenauh while Xailah declared the terms of their duel. "We'll have to be careful," he commented casually, eyes lidded in their sleepy sort of way. "Otherwise, there will not be a window left to sit by. Hullo again Meenauh." When the witch moved Schrödinger to his side of the compartment, Pericles looked pleased as punch, immediately reaching out to stroke the fat cat down the nape of his neck in greeting.

Upon hearing the Gryffindor commons had hosted their own [boisterous] party, he offered Xailah a polite, mellow little frown of concern. That explained the weary expression both witches wore, or so he believed. "Ravenclaw Tower isn't known for noisy soirees," the young wizard half sighed, sounding criminally well-rested. "But I find I've been a light sleeper since coming to Hogwarts. I'll be back in my own bedroom, soon enough...." His contented vibe dwindled. Back to his quiet room indeed, in a quiet house, on a quiet estate.... The corner of his lip dipped, then perked, and he quickly, quietly shuffled the conversation. "D'you two have plans for after summer camp?"

She exhaled after the cat was successfully moved and instantly comforted by the boy sitting on the opposite side. This time she avoided the animal's fury. Her Gryffindor friend suggested, or rather carefully insisted on a having an impromptu duel with Pericles to find out who has to seat near the window. She didn't actually plan to sit near the window anyway but drew her wand with a serious face.

"Okaaay. Petrificus-," she started high on the syllable and raised her wand (not pointing at Pericles), "joking, joking, sorry," she smiled and sat near Xailah hiding her wand in her wand pocket, "I didn't quite plan to sit near the window, so it's all yours, Pericles."

The mention of the Gryffindor party made her flinch. She deliberately let them party and have all their butterbeer, because they earned it with everything that happened at Hogwarts throughout the whole year.

"Yeah," she said after both Xailah and Pericles finished their sentences, "I came down to them before setting off for patrolling," she shook her head, "You don't want to know how much butterbeer I've seen and the games they were playing, but I still passed it because you know... They needed some rest after all the events at Hogwarts. Not that I approve, though."

She didn't go into details about what she would have to witness after the party (if the truth or dare would end how it's supposed to end). She would still be processing it.

The question about the plans dragged her out of sudden reminiscence of the events and put a smile upon her face. She'd take the first turn and answer:

"My parents and I are going on vacation to southern Europe to the Adriatic sea. Father said there's a small magical place on an island there, but I didn't get whether he meant the views or actually something with magic," she revealed her plans, "after that, I thought maybe," she turned to Xailah and subtly proposed, "Maybe you'd like to spend a week or something at my place?"

"Nonsense Pericles, there would ssstill be a window. A very, very big window." She corrected the lensless lad. "Or would it be a door? At what point would a window qualify as a door?" The question would be spoken in a whisper. It made her think. When is a window no longer a window? When is a door not a door? When its ajar. I'll see myself out. What made a door, a door anyways? Or a window, a window? Realistically both were practically the same things, one was just transparent. Usually. Both allowed the entry and exit of a person. Of course that wasn't the intended purpose of a window, but it was still relevant. Sometimes doors had windows. Maybe the thing that distinguished doors from windows, was the use of doorknobs. But if that were the case, then anyone could put a doorknob on a window, and call it a door. Which would also cause another issue, because what would you call a door without a knob- wait, since when were doors and windows so interesting?

Exhaustion could make people think about weird things. Like doors, and windows. Xailah was often exhausted. She often thought about weird things- like again, doors and windows. She blinked dumbly at her reflection in the transparent mini-door- window. She blinked at the window. And then she smiled- not at her reflection, but at Meenauh. Meenauh's reflection was a little blurb of black and crimson, in the glass. Xailah then turned around to look at the real Meenauh. The younger Gryffindor had her wand at the ready. The act might have been slightly alarming to onlookers, but it made the eldest Gryffindor chuckle. Xailah liked when people played along, and put up with her nonsense. "Petrificus? I had always though of you as more of a Flipendo, type of person." The metamorph teased.

Meenauh would eventually drop her pseudo, defensive stance, and return to her seat. Xailah had brought up the party in the Gryffindor commons. She could have sworn she saw her other cub wince, out of the corner of her eye. She wasnt sure though. Maybe Meenauh had a brief spasm. Though if it was in fact a wince- did that mean Meenauh saw the same thing that Xailah had seen, when she wandered downstairs during the wee hours of the night? Well, wince or not, the metamorph was glad Meenauh didn't go into more detail, than what was needed. The skinchanger had seen more than she had liked to, at the party. So elaboration on the subject, was not preferred. Xailah wasn't sure she agreed with Meenauh, about a party being the rest that the Gryffindor house needed. Gryffindor would have probably benefited more from a glass of warm milk, and a drop of Sleeping Draught.

"Was the butterbeer before or after they ssstarted kissing? Because I went down too. I thought someone was fighting- I only wish that were the case."She brought her shrouded hands to her face. Her thin fingers slipped underneath her black frames, covering her eyes in a comedic manner. "I've never ran back upstairs so fast in my life..." She knew she had seen something that she wasn't supposed to see that night. It wasn't a big deal, but it had scared her. Scarred her? Both. She was genuinely afraid of most displays of affection, purely from the fact that she found it abnormal. And if schoolmates sitting in a circle, chewing each others faces off, wasn't abnormal; then she didn't know what was. Mind you, this was coming from the kid, whose hobbies consisted of collecting silverware and dabbling in taxidermy.

The eldest compartment compadre, let out a small groan. Ravenclaws didn't do loud get-togethers, but they wandered into a killer forest on their own? It didn't make much sense. She remembered she wasn't too happy with Pericles because of the forest thing. Not too happy, was putting it lightly. She was angry with him, but she didn't show it. Truthfully she was mostly angry with herself. There was guilt there. She had gone into the forest before. She was there when the first four poppets were found. She knew the general location of the hag coven. She knew of the dangers, and she had scars as proof. But she never told him about her experience, in fear that he would wander out there to see for himself. That was why she was so vague in describing the dolls, and how they were obtained; when the cub and bird met in the library for the first time. But what was done was done.

"Yes, just wait until your third year comes around, Pericles. You'll have insomnia by then." The cub murmured to the blonde, before letting out a soft yawn, politely bringing a hand up to cover her mouth. Her golden hues darted down to meet silver ones, before flickering away. She wondered what his room looked like. And Meenauhs. What color were their walls? Did they hang pictures, and drawings that they had made? Xailah did. The metamorphs walls were a dusty purple, and covered in parchments that contained smudgy charcoal drawings. Did Meeanuh and Pericles keep stuffed animals on display? Or did they prefer to display sleeker objects, like pinned bugs, and gadgets? Were their rooms big, or small? Perhaps they were just right? Were their rooms their world, their safe place? Or were they just another space to sleep?

When Pericles questioned what summer plans the Gryffindors had once summer camp was over; the elder of the two cubs would glance downwards, like a shameful dog. She hesitantly shook her head. Xailah had no plans. She was the odd one out. Picking away at a thread on her sleeve, she would listen to Meenauh talk about her planned vacation with her parents. The Adriatic sea sounded magical indeed. "Your vacation sounds wonderful, Meenauh." Xailah glanced up at the Gryffindors pools of blue. She wondered if the Adriatic sea was near The Hawaii. She wanted to go to The Hawaii one day. Meenauhs offer would come as a shock to the metamorph. But it made her so happy. A chance to avoid seeing her aunt over the summer, and spend more time with a friend? Was it even a question? A brief aura of excitement, would replace the metamorphs sleepy demeanor. Xailahs locks twisted, and curled in an upright direction. Her eyes lit up, pupils dilating. She squirmed excitedly in her seat, like a dog that had just been asked if it wanted to go on a walk.

"I- yes!" She bounced happily. "I would- I would love to ssstay with you for a little-" Her voice would suddenly grow quiet, and eventually drown itself out. Her sleepy state would return, as she remembered that she would have to ask her parents about this first. They would most likely say no. They had never been too keen on letting their daughter go places, as they were afraid of how people would react to her. Unless... unless, she lied to them? Maybe she could forge a couple letters, and say summer camp had been extended. She could do that. She didn't like to lie to them- she was deathly afraid of disappointing them. But anything was better than seeing her Aunt. "Are you sssure your parents won't mind? Because I can't imagine they would be happy to have a uh- someone of abnormal countenances, in their house."

She bit her lip, and shrugged; an uncharacteristically sheepish glare, gravitated downwards once again. Her dark mane fell slack, against the soft angles of her milky flesh. "Thank you for the offer." The lioness exhaled, a inaudible sigh escaped her lips. "Anyways." Her eyes wandered around the compartment, looking for something to comment on. The pools of molten gold would gravitate to the boy sitting across from her. She squinted, in an accusatory way. It was an unintentional look. She sent him a sleepy blink, after a long second of staring. "You look funny without your ssspectacles." She said simply. It didn't- it didn't come out right. It wasn't that she thought he looked funny; he just looked a little different. Xailah wouldn't bother with rephrasing, or correcting her statement. It didn't even occur to her that it should have probably been corrected. She instead started to pat herself down, and check her pockets.

She was looking for something. It was in the inner pocket of her robe. Ah. There you are. It was a small hairbrush. Some thin tufts of grey fur, were clinging to the bristles for dear life. She would reach across the compartment, and offer it to the boy. "Would you like to brush Schrödinger?" The large feline, who had been placed next to the boy, perked up at the sound of his name. He saw the hairbrush, and rolled over. The ball of lard wiggled expectantly, sending a cloud of cat hair into the air. "I usually brush him in the mornings, before we start our day. He looks like a little Wollbär*, when he wakes up." She side-eyed the feline. He mewled. "Yes you do." She said, momentarily adressing the cat. The feline sneezed in response. "But I didn't have time to this morning." She admitted.

*Woolly bear.

@Xailah Alptraum / @Meenauh Silmataurea

It was fortunate, for all three, that they were one-another's Herberts today. Who else would have indulged in such nonsense as this on the train ride home? Buzzing with elation for finishing his first year, Pericles watched Meenauh raise her wand with wide eyes, a curious smile tugging up the corner of his mouth. It seemed that he weighed the possibility of being struck with a spell as somewhere in the improbable range, for he did not move, though that was not to say he hadn't weighed the likelihood at thirty-seventy. "Thank you, Meena," the young Ravenclaw spoke with satisfaction upon receiving her blessing for the window seat. He settled into it, resting a hand on the grey cat's limitless fluff, glancing to its owner with wry amusement. "Flipendo is perhaps overrated. I hope to have a chance to practice creativity with my spells, come the next S.W.A.G game." The look turned into a quizzical expression once she was deliberating over doors. "Well... a window is meant to admit light and air. A door is designed to admit people. Climbing in or out of windows is often considered an act of infiltration- it isn't proper, but that doesn't mean it isn't done. I believe, what we would have, is just a very big hole."

Though they were friends and acted as equals, Pericles still tried to learn a thing or two from the older prefects. He listened with care, looking innocent and wondering when games and butterbeer were mentioned, though this quickly turned to shock when it was revealed exactly what sort of games the Gryffindors got up to. The young wizard looked between them both as if trying to discern whether or not they were toying with him, then he issued a soft scoff and shook his head. Evidently he wasn't keen on even acknowledging the idea, but upon hearing he'd have insomnia by his third year, he smiled weakly. Peri had gone out of his way to avoid handing detentions throughout his prefecthood, though he believed he'd hardly seen anything yet from the way they spoke.

Plans were shared. The idea of traveling to the Adriatic Sea immediately elicited a wistful look, and Pericles nodded his agreement with Xailah, thinking that the vacation sounded plenty ideal. His smile was mute yet warm while they discussed visiting, though this was not something the young heir would speak up on. He had never had a "sleepover", and wagered it would be treated as an impropriety. Xailah brought him back with the comment about his spectacles, and Peri summoned a smile, saying "My eyes look smaller without them, I think." He briefly compensated by opening them as wide as he could in a way which wasn't at all pretty. At the offer to brush Schrödinger, he glanced at the cat as though seeking his permission, grinning at the exposed belly. "Yes please." The remainder of the ride was spent with bits of fur floating about, talk of what he would eat once he was home again, idle interests of books and wizard's chess, more wistful comments about camp. For a time it seemed as though he may drift off into slumber then and there, head eventually resting against the window pane, eyelids drooping. He was lulled by the rhythmic churning of the train and the blur of rainy scenery, across which he imagined thestrals and dragons racing the Express. Not a word was spoken when they came to a halt. Pericles wore a light grimace, glancing from Meenauh to Xailah with the expression of one about to attend a funeral, morose and reluctant. A final pet glided over Schrödinger's head, then the lad leaned against the wall by the window. He scanned the crowd for several seconds before a finger leapt to the pane, pressing with a whispered "There!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Despite the melancholy Pericles harbored for parting from his friends, the excitement with which he identified his father implied that their relationship was positive. The target of his pointing was a tall, ominous figure of a man with long limbs and broad shoulders.His face was cast in the shadow of a hooded cowl, gloved fingers curled around an umbrella. Only a hint of white beard and deathly pallor could be perceived through the shadow. The ensemble was of clear quality and indecipherable origin, seeming to border between modern and Victorian fashions. His vest was lined with brass buttons. Gleaming against the dark fabric was a white pin: the Ouroboros coiled upon itself, symbolic of life's eternal cycles. Though they shared the same strange silver eyes, Pericles' were almost always sleepy and soft. Isaac's were narrow and sharp, slicing this way and that like a gleaming blade which could dismantle the train and locate his heir. The man seemed to suspect he would spot his son on the station's side. After all, his boy was keen on practicalities, so it was easy enough to assume he would aim for a scenic seat. Isaac spied his small doppelganger looking back at him. He remained apart from the crowd, but beckoned encouragingly.

Pericles was quick to snag his trunk with one hand, muttering "I'd best be off, he doesn't get on well with throngs of people, or the day." Before he could barge out the door, he was rooted to the center of the compartment. The boy blurted: "Please don't forget to write to me. I'd like to hear all about Summer camp-" to Meenauh "-and the magical isle-" to Xailah "-and any mischief you two get up to without me." Seeming to struggle with knowing precisely what to do with himself, Pericles lingered in front of them for a moment more before thrusting out his hand, meaning to give them both overly long and overly enthusiastic handshakes. His smile was strained and cheerful tone tremulous as he admitted, "I'm going to miss you both."

Starting to exit the scene.

Reducio

Permission granted from Meena and Xai to fast-forward through the ride.

"Hm. I am a Flipendo kind of person, indeed," she hummed thoughtfully confirming her usual straightforwardness, and laughed over the overly-bookish comment on the doors, windows and holes.

"Kis- what? They were what?" Meenauh exclaimed, but for a reason. It was the matter of education, the matter of growing up in a certain environment. Those students there, from a quick glance, were first and second years mostly. Why were they kissing? Were they all feeling love to each other? How many boys and girls of that age were feeling strong feelings that raise the necessity to go beyond the platonic relationship? Meenauh was thinking all that because she was raised as a princess. Not in terms of royalty, but in terms of how to treat herself as worthy and deserving. Not to do and perform to please others. She was raised to not prove anything to anyone. She was raised in love and trust, in complete wholeness of the parenthood. She was valuing herself very high as a girl and her mind was protected from any sort of disturbance. Hogwarts, though, tried very hard to destabilise her core. But she had the nicest background to stand still.

She had no further comment on the topic as it seemed to be one not worthy to be a decent topic by itself. Especially, considering the fact, neither of them were there to witness the unfolding events of Sodom and Gomorrah.

The train was going smoothly as their further conversations with occasional laughter and exclamations. Meenauh lacked what is called 'socialisation' during her early years (and she was thankful for that), but now she had friends. It didn't make her a worse person, as she thought. Picky — yes, but it sounded more of an advantage to herself. With the infinitely different people around, it really was not a bad one. But in order to know the people, one needs to study the people, which wasn't possible to do in isolation. Childhood was slowly blossoming into adolescence — and that feeling grew stronger and stronger as they were steaming away from the school. It was the milestone of another year ending and a border between 'before' and 'after'. As soon as they step away from the train, they enter a new life.

As the brakes finished halting the wheels, Pericles was already staring in the window, most probably in search of his parents. Meenauh and Xailah couldn't boast with the same, as Kings Cross was just a temporary stop, a transit point on the way to the Summer Camp. Based on a quick comment Meenauh realised his father was not a patient anticipant. She forgot all the reasons of why Pericles wasn't attending the Summer Camp but there was no time to ask — they still agreed to write to each other so she would have more opportunities to ask. Over the year, as she was getting to know Xailah, she was getting to know Pericles better as well. His handsome intellect and manners added him some age, which was why she didn't feel the age difference between him and herself, or between herself and Xailah. She still somehow saw Xailah as an older-year compared to him, but mostly because she experienced too much as she was studying. Too much, really. Not that she wanted Pericles to experience anything of that.

As he was pulling his trunk and giving final goodbyes, she nodded with her eyes closing and opening in agreement when he addressed her. When a hand of the not enough discomfited boy appeared in front of them (with the other one occupied), she widened her eyes and looked at Xailah with a surprised and merry stare, before bursting into a delicate chuckle. She stood up to ignore the hanging hand and hugged Pericles for a short period of time: "I'm going to miss you too, Pericles."

She plunged back into her seat, freeing the space for Xailah to give him her own proper goodbye. The trunks would wait. The train wasn't going anywhere for now.

"It might be overrated, yes- but Flipendo is an extremely effective spell." She stated, in a matter-of-factly tone. "Quite unpredictable too. You never know how far you will be thrown- or if you will be thrown at all. It makes the spell an exciting one- and an old favorite of many." She looked to Meenauh. "Of course. You are practical, but equally intimidating. Flipendo is only fitting." Yes. Meenauh was indeed a Flipendo type of person. "But since we're talking overrated spells, I'd say that Incendio is far more overrated than Flipendo." Truthfully, she thought spells in general were overrated. An odd opinion to come from someone raised in a wizarding household- or mayhaps the opinion was expected. Monotony could grow boring after awhile. It was only a matter of time until the metamorph would begin to develop her own opinions, and slowly stray from what she knew. Pericles conclusion on the door and window matter, did little to help quiet the metamorphs buzzing mind. Well then a window could be categorized as a hol- nevermind. She wasn't going to continue questioning the thought.

Meenauhs exclamation was met with a solemn nod. Yes the Gryffindors were kissing at their party, and it was horrible to witness. She would have liked to say that, but decided to keep quiet. There was no real reason to continue that conversation- so instead Xailah took a moment to try to repress the memory of the party. She spent most of the ride in silence, she chuckled when Pericles made a funny face in response to the spectacle comment. But she was mostly quiet after that. Sometimes she would softly mutter something completely inaudible. But what could be heard, was the occasional strange comment about the train- usually along the lines of how the vessel worked, or its design- if it could be improved. That sort of thing. Other times a soft clinking noise could be heard, as she shuffled through some of her luggage. It was nice knowing that she didn't have to talk. Comfortable silences existed. The group shared a few of those. They were a rare breed of people.

Xailah temporarily shared in the sullen feeling carried by those in her compartment. She didn't peer up at either of them- just packed away the luggage she had been messing with. She would be left with a oblong, wooden box in her hand. It looked like one used for storing jewelry. Xailahs head shot up, at Pericles excited tone. She followed his finger to find a tall man, with an umbrella. His father? Most likely. Yes. When she saw the man there was one thing that she knew for certain: this journey was now over. It was time to say goodbye. Goodbyes were always a challenge for the young metamorph- because she never knew when she would get the next chance to say 'hallo'. Or if there would even be a chance. She quietly watched her companions get up. Pericles was quick to gather his belongings- didn't want to keep his father waiting. It was understandable. "We won't forget- promise." She extended her pinkie finger towards the boy, for him to take it. She had once seen some other children link pinkies after a promise had been made; she didn't understand the meaning of it, but figured that it was an important step in promise-making.

A brow arched at the mention of mischief. "Meenauh and I- getting into mischief? Oh please, why we are well behaved little angels. Isn't that right Meenauh?" Xailah reached out to the other lioness, and gave her a gentle pinch on the shoulder. The metamorph would later watch the girl, as she went to say her goodbyes to their mutual bird. Meenauh ignored the lads outstretched hand and opted for a hug instead. Xailah laughed softly. When it was her turn to say goodbye, she gave Pericles a rather sullen look. "I-" She wasn't really sure what to say. She looked at him, with glum eyes. Some things peeped out of the hair, on the top of her head- they resembled two very, small, and fluffy antennae. Like ones belonging to a moth. She frowned.

"Here." She shoved the small box she had been holding, into his open hand. "I was originally going to give this to you, on your birthday- but when I thought about it; I decided that it wasn't something to gift a boy, on the day he was born." That and, she had chickened out at the last minute because- well, it was an admittedly horrible gift. From the Gryffindors viewpoint, at least. She looked down, gesturing to the box. "I remember you had said that it didn't have any 'old sssignificance'- or something ridiculous like that. I say ridiculous, because I've always thought that everything has some significance. Everything has a meaning in some way or another. This may not have a universal meaning- and it is most probably insignificant to others. But so long as it is sssignificant to you, that is all that matters. If sssomething has no meaning- take that something, and give it one." Her hand would part from the wooden container. Should the Ravenclaw open the box- be in that moment, or at another time; he would find.... His carnation from the spring ball. The flower that everyone had forgotten about- it wasn't as insignificant as it seemed. The carnation was still the same shade of baby blue- it had changed little from the night the boy had received it. The stem was tied with one of Xailahs striped ribbons. It hid an ugly glue job, from where part of the stem had broken off, and she had tried to fix it.

Xailah had a knack for finding things that weren't meant to be found again. As she walked through the stands that night, looking at all the creatures that had been killed; she stumbled upon the bundle of blue, that had been cast away. Blue in reality, but grey in the moonlight. So, how did the carnation stay blue, if the ball was months ago? Easy. The young metamorph was well versed in the art of preservation. She dabbled in taxidermy. Her father did mortuary work. A thin coat of a paraffin, and beeswax, helped the flower retain its blue hue. It was delicate work. Preservation wasn't something that could be rushed. Everything had to be just right. It took a lot of thought, some heart, and a gentle hand. The process was rarely taken into consideration, by those unfamiliar with it. It was understandable- the mindset was applied to most hobbies. No one really cares about the process. Just the finished product.

"Anyways." The Gryffindor stared down at the boy, and let out a sigh. Their time was up. "Well. I'm not going to shake your hand Dralt." Her gaze brushed over the lads pale hands. "We're not business partners." It was a mild surprise at first. She didn't expect it- but she honestly didn't know what she had been expecting. When her eyes resumed their wandering, Xailah caught sight of a small group of students off in the distance. They were hugging, and they looked so happy. Maybe they could try that. Usually such things were just a wee bit out of the metamorphs comfort zone. Xailah couldn't bring herself to outright hug the boy, like Meenauh did. She was very averse to contact. But, if there was one thing the Gryffindor was learning; it was the fact that, it never hurt to ask for things. The worst Pericles could do was say no- which honestly, may have been preferred if she found herself chickening out. "May I hug you? Unless of course you feel that you are obligated to hug me- which if that is case, I don't want to hug you."