A Sky Full of Stars PV

One after the other, the girls told Flash he need not use the ‘miss’ when addressing them, perhaps a perfect bow on top of the end of the year. The truth was, most girls in Hogwarts seemed to find it strange, even though Flash had been told he would be in big trouble if he didn’t address people properly. Well, this wasn’t a rich private school, or a social gathering meant for networking. It was… a boarding school for magically gifted children. People from all over, even kids with no home at all. It had been… an adjustment, for sure, but Flash was grateful for the exposure. He liked getting to know all kinds of people, it kept life interesting and each person in it was so beautifully different from the next.

Margo handed him a cup of hot brown liquid, as though he had been some expected guest. It was such a good feeling to simply be welcomed in. The steam prickling against his chin and even the vague smell of… dusty chocolate… mixed with the lackadaisical night wind gave him goosebumps. Some of the girls were taking to lying on their backs so they could view the canvas of the sky with full clarity. He might join them after he imbibed the mystery chocolate drink. At the start of the year he might have been paranoid about a random drink he was handed, but since he invited himself, he doubted there were any machinations in place to take him down.

Ami lamented her age, despite being only one or two years older than everyone present. It was probably hyperbole… right? At least Flash hoped degradation wouldn’t happen so quickly. He knew time brought invalidation, but he was hoping it would be somewhere around the age of 60 or so before he started complaining about things like that. After all, both his parents were older than most kids’ his age, so he knew what the lives of 50-60-year-olds was like.

He wasn’t about to chide his senior, though. He didn’t know her well enough yet to tease her with any confidence that it wouldn’t come across as an insult. Thankfully, Margo took that role herself. Meanwhile, Katrina was giggling adorably at everyone’s light humorous banter. It didn’t pass Flash’s notice that he was the youngest one there, but the fact that he was so tall would have made it hard to tell unless they actually knew his age.

He also wouldn’t tell her that he had been sneaking out every night himself, it would have been bad if the conversation turned to Flash’s illicit activities and embarrassing detention. Enough people had a good laugh about ‘the demon summoning’. Even though it wasn’t a demon… just an evil spirit… well, it didn’t matter.

”Well, you’re enjoying it now. I’m glad, I’m sure you deserve to take it easy.” At the science project Ami actually seemed quite relaxed, not stressed out, but appearances were often deceiving.

The talk of age seemed to hit Katrina then, looking out into the sky wistfully as she talked. Flash regretted the passage of time like one might regret a bug bite in a sensitive area, but he didn’t want it to cloud his enjoyment of the pleasant evening. He could toss and turn in bed about it later, so as not to bother anyone with his inane belly aching. This was clearly meant to be a happy occasion after all. Even when the girls were sighing, they were smiling.

”You know… when I was very little, I would look up at the stars a lot myself. I thought there might be alien planets out there with entire civilizations that I could travel to some day.” Flash idly looked up himself, perhaps a symptom of everyone else doing the same, hypnotized by the glimmering white dots. ”So… I thought I might be an astronaut and discover all kinds of alien species. Though, as I got older I realized it wasn’t quite like it was in comic books.”

Flash would have never shared something so frivolous and personal before, but his experience over the first year taught him that it wasn’t something to be ashamed of. He was still trying to figure out what amount of information was alright-- wasn’t too hideously embarrassing-- but he also knew he wouldn’t learn anything unless he practiced. Perhaps they would all laugh at him, but it was what the stars made him think of.

She really liked this Margo kid. This wasn't her first encounter with her, of course, as her memories finally returned to her. They'd met at the pride errand, where Margo had helped her to spell "sincerely" and they'd had a very dodgy run-in with Professor Galim. It had been a fun time, running around Hogwarts and spreading love, and she sincerely hoped that Cy would let them do it again next year. But beyond their brief introduction to one another (well, Margo had been introduced to Chad, but same difference), Ami just really liked the girl's vibe. Something about her jesting was comforting and familiar, and Ami's demeanor relaxed quite a bit and her thoughts began to settle, even if it wasn't visible to the other students.

Taking another sniff at the hot chocolate in the cup, Ami decided that no, it didn't smell like milk, and opted to take a teensy little sip. Thankfully, it tasted as cheap as it could get, and the Hufflepuff was content to continue sipping at the liquid sugar while reclining comfortably in the grass. No one was being rude to one another, which she was quite thankful for; right now, if any of them started to seriously get mean with their comments, she would probably end up punching someone in the face. Yay, hormonal teenagers!

While Katrina and Margo traded thoughts on Hogsmeade, Ami groaned inwardly. The one time she had actually ventured into the wizarding village, it had been to pay off her gambling debts, which wasn't an experience she particularly wanted to let the others know. And so, she stayed silent, simply smiling and nodding along. Her foot was wiggling subtly as the girls chatted, as if it were digging itself a hole to bury itself in, but froze as she realized that Flash had shot a quip her way.

But she opened her mouth too late, as the conversation was swimming along faster than she could keep up. But unlike every other conversation she'd ever had, she kept her mouth shut, instead of jumping in with a topic that had already passed. If she was attempting to change, she might as well start here, right? She kept quiet as Flash reminisced about his childhood, and Ami struggled to keep her mouth shut while he talked. But once it seemed that he had nothing left to say on the topic, she chimed in, saying, "But isn't it better than the comic books?"

Pausing, as if to collect her thoughts, she continued with a shrug and a rueful expression. "I mean, we get to use magic and everything. It's no NASA, but it's pretty close. Plus, I can turn anything I want into a duck with magic! That's so much better than Batman or Superman. Wonder Woman can't turn things into ducks, can she?" Suddenly remembering Margo's comment about the stars and guessing constellations, Ami pointed towards the sky, her finger aimed at Cassiopeia. "I actually know that one!" she exclaimed, not noticing how abrupt the topic change had been. Having a conversation with Ami was... well, interesting would be an understatement. Already, her eccentric nature and bubbly energy was a lot to handle, but with her scatterbrain and multi-track mind? It was probably as confusing as a lecture from Cy.

"That's Orion, right?" Pausing, her eyebrows narrowed as she studied the constellation again. "Or maybe not. Can we even see Orion in the summer? I can't remember."

Turning to Katrina helplessly, Ami's eyes begged her for help. "Is that Orion?" she whispered under her breath, realizing that she was probably losing face in front of a bunch of students who were younger than her. There went her whole guise of being a Cool Older Student. "I have no idea. Shit... I'm terrible at Astronomy, aren't I?"

Because Margo was an oblivious and foolishly optimistic creature, she thought that the evening was going swimmingly. They had yet to jump in the lake, much to her disappointment, but the cocoa was hot and the conversation... warm. At least, Margo felt as if it was positively stifling. She had to work hard to keep from sinking below the surface of their discussion because of all the terms that she was unfamiliar with. Like... what in Merlin's name was NASA? The Non-earth Academy of Sorcery and Astronomy? Nasty Articulate Space Arachnids? Margo had no clue. And there was more she didn't understand too. Flash had mentioned aliens which she'd as least heard of. But she knew little about the kinds of magic muggle science had picked up around the stars. Did they even use wands in space? Drink tea?

"Wonder Woman, Batman..." Margo coughed, trying unsuccessfully to mask her confusion. "Well I agree. Turning things into ducks with magic is epic. They're such friendly creatures." She nodded along to Ami's words, trying to ignore her childhood memories of a young, curious Margo who was pecked on the nose for her, well, noseyness towards a certain duck. She absent-mindedly rubbed her the end of her nose.

"And Katrina, you're right! Hogsmead is gonna be such an epic place to hang out and plan prank- ehem, fun and non-mischievous activities." She wasn't sure if it was a good idea to enlighten the group about her growing love of bending rules. Katrina was a quiet girl who seemed accepting enough, but it was so hard to predict people's reactions in such a diverse magical community. Ami, Margo hoped, wouldn't have a problem with some rule-bending. And even if she did, their combined love of glitter, dazzle and drama would exempt her from Margo's admittedly non-threatening disappointment. So it was Flash who was the question mark in the equation, not that Margo knew a whole lot about equations and their unknowns. Flash was a stranger, a boy whose figure was silhouetted by the moon but whose heart was shrouded with darkness. Margo couldn't get a grip on any sort of morality underneath his polite tone and idle glances. And, even though she liked to believe the best in people, she wanted to know more about the distant boy.

Which was why she smiled sincerely and prepared to share something about herself. Although Flash's thoughtful demeanour contrasted her chaotic one, they'd finally breached a subject which she could shed light upon.

"I don't think we always have to let go of our childhood dreams." She started."When I was a child I wanted to be a different thing each day. An obliviator like my Mam, an adventurer who rode on giants, or even someone who swam with Merfolk. Now, though, I just know that I want to work on the go and have some excitement in my life. What about you? Do the mysteries of space still call you or do you want to be the person behind the pages of the comic book, inspiring the next generation? I don't know if astronomy is the best path for any of us, apart from you Katrina, considering our lack of knowledge. But who knows. I certainly can't tell what the future holds."

The future was a curious thing. And, in that moment under the stars on a quiet night at the end of the year, it almost felt reachable.

Katrina’s wistful, nostalgic emotions faded as the conversation—more like conversations—went on. Flash admitted that he had wanted to be an astronaut. Such a deep and personal anecdote, Katrina had the feeling that it was probably something he didn’t do often. She herself tended to shy away from personal stories, or social interactions in general. But this, this meeting was like an isolated bubble, no danger, no angry people, no flying spells, not even that much hormonal angst, just quiet chatter and reflections of the past.
 
Ami mentioned that magic was better than any comic book. That got Katrina thinking, now, she could change the color of her clothes with a few words, she could levitate herself up and down, brew potions to heal even the worst of poisons. They really were become more and more like superheroes as time went on. Magic was such a fickle thing, but with it came so many wonders.
 
Katrina snapped to attention the instant Ami mentioned the sky. Astronomy was probably one of her favorite classes. “Yeah, Orion is the one over there,” Katrina pointed to the faint line of three stars just to the left of where the sun had just set. “Those three stars make up his belt, then the other two big ones are his feet and the four in a squiggly line is his arm. He’s an archer that went after the bear,”
 
Katrina looked directly up, arm pointing the way to the second constellation, “Then the bear, the one, right above us, that’s Ursa Major, it has the four dots and the handle thing, sometimes called the Big Dipper. Its actually a ferocious bear, although, the constellation doesn’t really look like it. But the baby bear, the little dipper, is a little to the North—er—a bit in front of us its basically the same shape, but it’s pretty faint,”
 
“And Cassiopea, the one that Ami pointed out is just beyond Ursa Minor, the little bear. It sort of looks like a lightening bolt, those six bright stars way out in front of us, just coming up past the trees,” Katrina had a smile on her face as her fingers traced the constellations.
 
“And Leo and Cancer are out too, they are just behind us, although they are a bit faint,” Katrina scootched herself around so she could better point out the constellations, “Leo is the lion, his face is made of those three bright stars making a triangle, then his tail are the stars that look sort of like a question mark,” Katrina paused and breathed quietly, “Wow, the stars are coming out fast,” She shook herself from memories, “And just to the… left of Leo the lion is Cancer, it is made of those sort of faint stars making a… you know the muggle fidget spinners, yeah, it looks like that. Three prong things out of that really bright star,”
 
“Oh, and you can also see Libra, the diamond shape just over the trees past Leo and on the opposite side of Orion? Libra is a set of scales, like the ones we use in Potions. My best friend was a Libra…”
 
“I—sorry that all just came out. I’m sure you guys didn’t want a tour of the sky. I just—think that stars are fun and, you know, interesting,” The darkness of the summer night hid Katrina’s embarrassed blush. She really hadn’t meant on going on such a tangent. But there was no way to take back her rambling now.

Reducio

@Margo White @Ami Procoppio @Flash Holmwood

FYI: The star map I used is probably not 100% accurate, but it’s the best I got…

The steam started to simmer from the piping hot beverage as the cool night air swiftly robbed it of its heat. It wasn't nearly as cold as the dungeons that the Slytherins had to sleep in, so he had no reason to complain. To his personal admission, Ami was the first to pipe up in response, saying real life was better than comic books. She explained her delight in the power of magic, to which Margo replied with mild confusion and confirmation of the greatness of the duck spell. He hadn't heard of it-- it must have been something they all learned in second year. The idea of being able to turn things into ducks seemed frankly... unpro-duck-tive. Sorry not sorry. They seemed quite pleased with it, though the draw he had to alien planets and comic books was certainly not shared with his peers. Not that he wanted to diminish their enjoyment of reality. He smiled weakly at Ami's response.

It wasn't exploration nor curiosity that he sought from extraplanar travels... but an escape from his life. A chance to start over. A hope that somewhere existed where he actually belonged, and was wanted. To wit, the appeal of comics wasn't the things the heroes could do, but the way that good always triumphed, or things always worked out. Their lives always had meaning, their friends were always loyal. He didn't find reality in any way more appealing than that. He would, naturally, keep that to himself.

Instead he sipped at his drink as Margo continued, talking about childhood dreams. He regretfully swallowed the mixture, trying to hide the shock of its taste. He had never imbibed hot chocolate that tasted so... well, he had difficulty describing it. It was... grainy? Watery? It was slightly sickening. When no one was looking he poured the rest out into the grass nearby. Still, he was very interested in what Margo was saying. She even asked after him, as though she were actually interested to know more about him. He hoped he hadn't made her feel that way out of obligation, she couldn't possibly want to actually hear more about something so trivial.

"I... I don't know. I don't think I'm very adept at Astronomy either. I certainly couldn't draw or write for comics..." It was something of a bad answer, simply saying no to everything. He knew from his readings on proper conversation that this was generally frowned upon-- one was supposed to build on a conversation, not cut it short. "I still have no idea what I want to do for a career. I was hoping something would stand out to me, eventually. It's wonderful that you already seem to know what you enjoy, Margo."

He was glad that the focus hadn't been on him for long, as Ami asked Katrina about the constellations specifically. The tightness growing in his chest relaxed as Katrina started to explain them one after the other, illuminating the names in the sky. Flash followed along, trying to find the stars she was mentioning. Professor Equinox had explained a few of them before, and the students were given a chance from time to time to use the telescope, but this method was far more appealing to him. No pressure to remember for the test, occasional personal reference. He noted as she mentioned her friend that there was no mention of the stars apparently associated with his birth, Aquarius.

He wasn't sure whether the stars were meant to have any real influence on anyone's life, though it certainly seemed like many thought so. The connection with magic made it seem more plausible, yet to him they had only ever stood for the potential of the unknown. He heard from his older sister that space was ever-expanding and vaster than he could even imagine. The mystery of it was far more interesting than the truth, he thought.

"No need to apologize. I like listening to people talk about things that interest them." Flash spoke up again when it seemed Katrina was becoming self-conscious. "These classifications are quite old, aren't they? It's amazing that humans thousands of years ago named them, and today you're continuing their tradition. You could almost think of it like the stars are their legacy, like their thoughts are immortalized by them."

Now that his drink was mysteriously empty, he lay on his back as well and drank in the sight of the glittering, clear sky. After Katrina's guidance, he was starting to see all kinds of patterns inside them. It was a bit funny to think that those patterns were completely dependent on perspective, as so much in the world was.

"And now when I look at them, I'll probably think of tonight, and my first year at Hogwarts."

@Ami Procoppio @Margo White @Katrina Walker

The future was strange. She figured that there was a reason that she hadn't been drawn to Divination, even if taking a glimpse at the future was something that appealed to most of her fellow students. She knew plenty of people who were always focused on the future, and what their lives would look like after Hogwarts. But not Ami. Why fixate on the future when you could live in the moment, and appreciate what you were already living through? She'd either heard or read somewhere that sometimes it was hard to remember that sometimes you were only in love with a moment, not a whole person or a whole concept. There would always just be certain moments that would bring her pure joy or an unmatchable sense of bliss, even if the people she'd experienced them with were no longer people she was close with, or even on friendly terms with. She didn't know what her future would hold- she just knew that right now, all she wanted to do was fall in love with as many moments as possible before graduating.

She had no doubt that this night was certainly shaping up to be one of those moments.

As Katrina explained all the different constellations that Ami had attempted to identify, she could already feel her concentration slipping. She'd gone through an alarming amount of Astronomy professors during her time here at Hogwarts, and while all of them were certainly wonderful adults who were kind and patient (for the most part), she had learned next to nothing from them. At least, she didn't really retain anything past whenever their homework was due. How she had managed to pass her final exams each year was beyond her, but she always managed to just barely scrape by. Now, as the Gryffindor girl went through a quick recap of the night sky above them, she couldn't help but feel a little ashamed that she well and truly didn't remember anything from her first year Astronomy classes.

Interestingly enough, it seemed that both Ami and Flash were Aquarii, although, at first glance, it was hard to find any sort of similarity between the two. If you asked Ami, she rarely put much stock into Astrology and horoscopes, although they were certainly fun to read in the Headliner on occasion. But other than that, why should the stars dictate what kind of a person you were? Just because you'd been born on a certain day didn't mean that you had to act a certain way, or have specific personality traits. So as cool and gorgeous as the stars were, Ami would simply see them as they were- flaming balls of gas that were rapidly forming bigger elements before inevitably imploding. Cynical? Maybe... or maybe it was simply a byproduct of spending too much time around Cy.

Finally, Katrina managed to come to a stopping point in her mini-lecture on the heavens, and Ami mentally breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't know if she could've stood another minute of listening to a second year recite information that she definitely should've already known, and her superiority complex simply couldn't take someone one-upping her so spectacularly. She had no idea people liked Astronomy so much, and she mentally agreed with Flash- it was nice to see someone talk about the things they liked. Ami just wished that Katrina hadn't done it at night when she was already yawning slightly. Shielding another yawn from the younger students with her hand, she nodded along to Flash's strangely wise and poetic words about the twinkly little lights in the night sky. Who knew the little squirt could be so eloquent?

"And now when I look at them, I'll probably think of tonight, and my first year at Hogwarts."

"Ew," Ami said immediately, before clearing her throat awkwardly. "Sorry, uh... yeah, no. Maybe you, but not me." Emptying the contents of the cup in her hand into her mouth, she swallowed as she glanced up to the sky full of stars in question, arrange her thoughts in a way that would make sense to someone other than herself.

"Stars are just... stars," she said simply with a shrug. "When I look at the stars, sure, I'll remember some moments with friends that were really special, but I think just that that feeling of seeing all those stars up there is greater than all of that. I don't look at all those constellations and think, oh wow, I remember when Kyden drew Dea and me together on the Astronomy Tower, or, I remember when Lorelai and I snuck out and flew around the Quidditch Pitch... None of that comes to mind first, you know? I look up at the sky, and I just feel... at peace, even if I'm a little lonely.

"A sky full of stars, and I'm sitting on a grassy hill in Scotland drinking hot chocolate. What a life we're living."

Any wisps of dusk on the horizon had long since faded and damp, dark night had settled in upon the four figures on the hill. If not for the damp grass and chilly breeze, Margo would have quite happily snuggled into her coat and slept there. As it was, she knew they'd all have to stumble back to the castle sooner or later.

It surprised the Slytherin how much Katrina knew about stars off the top of her bright red head. "You know, I'm Major-ly Ursa-stonished, Katrina." Margo ginned. "I've no clue what a spinny fidget is but... I would hardly call the rambling unnecessary at all." Her best friend, after all, exuded intellect about almost any subject her voice touched upon. So it would be silly for Margo not to hold even a little bit of admiration for those who were clearly very adept in their subject.

Flash seemed a little like that. He was, as Margo's grandma would have solemnly proclaimed, wise beyond his years. Which was utterly admirable and all, but Margo just hoped that he remembered to have some fun amongst all of his time spent being insightful. He had enjoyed the hot chocolate at least, Margo was pleased to falsely infer from his empty glass. She drained her own cup in a final happy gulp and returned to trying her hardest to analyse the young Slytherin. Which... was a difficult task since Flash probably remembered oodles more about Margo than she did about him (which she shrugged off because, to anyone who could tell, she was not exactly a shy creature). The names of his favourite comic characters had already, to her utter disappointment, slipped her mind. No matter, though. She was sure someone in her dorm would be able to entertain the idea of cape-adorned, superpowered muggles.

The boy in front of her, however, was a bit more of a never-ending mystery. Didn't mean she wouldn't try to crack at it, though. "Y'know Flash, if you're ever struggling career-wise - something which I really doubt would ever happen, by the way - you could definitely earn something of a living by twisting stories. Or- oh, I know! You could be the ringmaster and leader of a circus. Katrina would be the mysterious fortune-teller who uses nothing but the open sky as her guide. And Ami and I, well, there'd probably be a bit of a scuffle there about who would be the clown and who could get away with a solid stand-up comedy act."

Margo smirked. "Know how to juggle, oh wise elderly one? 'Cause I do." Merlin only hoped Ami didn't actually ask her to prove it...

Hopefully, if Margo's non-existent calculations were correct, Ami was a complete and utter sweetheart. Not that she would dare say so, for fear of being shot down (figuratively) by a head of ferocious ginger curls. In fact, the 'tough' (insert disbelieving snort here) exterior and bubbly persona seemed rather familiar. She couldn't imagine why...

Margo leaned a little against Katrina for comfort and warmth - it really was getting frightfully cold. She snuggled into the girl's shoulder and hoped she didn't mind. Margo was an affectionate soul at heart. "This'll make a nice memory." She yawned - the group need not fear, her teeth were surprisingly un-wonky. "Anyone got any jokes?"

@Ami Procoppio @Katrina Walker @Fash Holmwood