Watered Skies Closed

[font=Comic Sans MS]It was early in the morning, and the sun was just newly above the horizon. The temperature was a little lower than it had been all year, with a brisk wind that promised the fall of rain and possibly even snow. Thundering, grey clouds left the world beneath it dark and shadowed, projecting a tired feel that most people seemed to pick up. It was a dull morning, with everyone tiredly moving from class to class in a haze. Wren, on the other hand, was enjoying herself. The smell of rain reminded her of the forest next to her muggle school, where she would often climb the trees and think. It was the most wonderful feeling, and she hoped it would stay like this long enough for her to go outside.

Wren wove her way around the students coming out of transfiguration. She ran down the hall, not bothering to drop off her books, in the direction of the stairs. The staircase was bustling with students going to the great hall for lunch, and she had to use every ounce of maneuvering skill she possessed to get through the crowd. She had noticed a few raindrops on the window in transfiguration, and she wanted to get outside before the raining stopped. Reaching the ground floor, Wren turned in the opposite direction as the rest of the students. A cold wind washed over her like a wave as she stepped out on the grounds. The air smelled like rain and trees, and she couldn't remember feeling more alive since she came to school. Placing her books along the wall so they wouldn't get wet, Wren ran as fast as she could out to the lake. She had missed this feeling. The wind blowing in her face and the feeling of speed as she ran. She didn't really know if she was supposed to be out on the grounds, but she didn't care.

The raindrops were a little more steady when she reached the lake. Sitting down on a large rock, Wren looked out at the forest behind the lake. There had been one like this at her house. She and her brother, Merrick, used to explore in there all the time before he went off to Hogwarts and eventually became an auror. They would climb up into the trees, watching the forest animals and daring each other to climb higher and higher until they each the top. Every once in a while they would even find a magical creature, such as a bowtruckle. One time they even met a hippogriff. Her brother had come home for the summer, and the day had been slow going until they came across a hippogriff. Merrick had learned about them that year, and they decided to work with the creature. Eventually it came to trust them, and they would go hang out with it in the forest every day. It became Wren's companion after Merrick went back to school.

Wren smiled at the memory. It had been a long time since she'd seen her brother. She was still lost in thought when she picked up the sound of footsteps behind her.[/font]