A Blanket of Stars Closed

Rhea was tired, exhausted actually, and in desperate need of a break. The letter she'd recently received had messed with her head, and she was in no state to talk to anyone. So, thinking that there was no way anyone would be up at the highest point of the castle--the Astronomy Tower--it would be the only logical place for her to go. She wanted to be alone, surrounded by only the dark sky and the bright stars scattered across it. 

Slowly, she trudged all the way up the stairs. By the time she'd reached the entrance to the Tower, she was very much fatigued and just wanted to lay down. The door creaked when she pushed it open, and Rhea quietly made her way to the balcony, where she would get the best view. She didn't notice that another girl was already there, laying a few yards away from her. Rhea laid down on the cold ground, and immediately regretted it. She'd forgotten to bring a blanket! The sweatpants and sweatshirt she was wearing would not succeed at keeping her warm for long. The redhead grumbled and went to stand up, when a voice rang out against the silent night.

"Oh, it's just you, I was worried it was a prefect," the voice said. Rhea swiveled around to go face the voice, and saw a blonde girl in a nightgown wrapped in a blanket. Rhea stared enviously at the blanket. Want to join me? It's quite beautiful tonight!"

Rhea debated whether there was a point. She wanted to be alone on this specific night, not accompanied by a girl. But then again, perhaps this girl could help her with her problems. Rhea nodded and walked closer to the girl, her arms wrapped around her in an attempt to keep warm. She walked closer to the girl and sat down next to her, before leaning back into a 'laying-down' position. She turned her attention to the sky, trying to make out any constellations. They laid in silence for a while, before Rhea spoke to introduce herself.

"My name's Rhea, by the way," the redhead said. She purposefully left out her surname, not wanting to get into any pureblood talks or anything of the sort tonight.

The red-headed girl nodded slowly at Alina's request, and made her way over to sit beside her. Alina smiled brightly up at her new companion who she noticed seemed to shiver as another cool burst of air flew through the tower. She felt bad for her, it was an unusually cold night tonight and Alina thought that the girl looked troubled. They sat a while in silence, and Alina wasn't sure if she should say something. Inside, she could feel that there was something wrong with her, but didn't feel particularly brave enough tonight to say anything about it.

"My name's Rhea, by the way," the red-head spoke softly and Alina sat up, adjusting the multi-colored thick wool blanket around her. "My name is Alina, it's a pleasure to meet you." Her voice was soft, almost a whisper as she held out a corner of the blanket to the girl. "It's a bit chilly tonight, you can share my blanket if you want." She smiled softly at Rhea. "It's charmed to grow bigger or smaller, depending on the need. You look a little bit cold."

Another moment of silence passed between them before Alina turned back to look at the stars. "This is the first time I've come up here. I totally thought I was going to get caught, my heart was beating so fast." She laughed softly. "I had a bit of a bad day today. This place calms me," she fiddled with the hem of her side of the blanket. "Did...you have a bad day too?" The question came out hesitantly and couldn't stop herself from asking it. It was a fault she thought that she was so curious about everything and everyone. She didn't even know if Rhea even wanted to chat or just wanted to be alone.

"My name is Alina, it's a pleasure to meet you. It's a bit chilly tonight, you can share my blanket if you want. It's charmed to grow bigger or smaller, depending on the need. You look a little bit cold."

Rhea looked at the girl with a soft smile. "Pleasure to meet you too. And thanks for the blanket," she said, and huddled into the blanket. She wasn't pressed up completely against the girl, but it was still slightly uncomfortable. Rhea hadn't been this close to another child her age in... well, ever. She mostly just talked to them and never saw again.

Rhea was, in fact, a little bit cold. But this blanket would certainly warm her up. Rhea hoped to continue the conversation, but Alina beat her to it. This girl sure seemed like a talker, or at least so Rhea thought. But she liked it - her words might be able to distract the redhead from her thoughts.

"This is the first time I've come up here. I totally thought I was going to get caught, my heart was beating so fast." Alina laughed softly, her voice flowing like melody in the night. "I had a bit of a bad day today. This place calms me," it was then that the blonde looked down at her blanket, her voice trailing off a bit. "Did...you have a bad day too?" 

Rhea tore her gaze away from the sky and looked at the girl with a wide-eyed gaze. With a long sigh, the redhead nodded. "Yeah," Rhea stated softly. "I did. Or at least, it was worse than any of the other days I've ever had here. How about you? What happened that made your day so bad?"

Rhea was truly curious to know what was plaguing Alina. She seemed like such a happy and outgoing girl, there was no way she could be brought down by anything. But then again, Rhea had thought the same... and then she'd gotten the letter. She'd never been so down in her entire life, even when Angelica, her first nanny, had been fired.

With Rhea sitting next to her, there was a certain comfort and coziness that she realized had been missing before Rhea showed up. Alina adjusted her position, pulling her knees up and wrapping her arms around them. Her arm brushed again Rhea, and was gently touching her. It was then that Alina was startled. 'When was the last time I had human contact? I mean besides the time I all but tackeled my new dorm mate to the ground and my mama clawing at my face when I left for Hogwarts.' Counting back the days, she realized that it had been a long, long time. Alina could feel the warmth coming from Rhea against her arm and smiled.

"Yeah," Rhea answered Alina's earlier question. "I did. Or at least, it was worse than any of the other days I've ever had here. How about you? What happened that made your day so bad?" Alina's face softened, no one should have multiple bad days. "Are you having a hard time here?" She asked softly. "I got a letter...from my papa." She let out a sigh.

"He said when my mama found out I didn't get into Slytherin, she took down all the family photos of me and my brother and us. Papa said that she is refusing to admit that she ever had children." Alina laughed bitterly. "Apparently it's her way of coping with her only living child not following the family legacy." A chill ran through Alina and she huddled in deeper to the warmth of the blanket. "What about you? What happened?" Alina felt bad, her problem wasn't even that bad. She had dealt with her mother's crazy for years since her brother died, she was used to it, she should have been used to it. It was just a simple disowning of her. Right? Yeah well, until summer came back around and she had to go back home again.

Rhea felt Alina brush against her. It was weird, feeling another person so close to her. It wasn't particularly unpleasant. In fact, Rhea enjoyed it. They shared their body heat, and the cold night suddenly became warmer. Then, the girl answered her question. Rhea stared sadly at the blonde girl as she told her story.

"He said when my mama found out I didn't get into Slytherin, she took down all the family photos of me and my brother and us. Papa said that she is refusing to admit that she ever had children." Rhea's eyes widened in surprise. Was that what would happen to her, if her parents ever found out she was in Slytherin? This statement of Alina's just reassured Rhea that her parents must never find out that Rhea was sorted into the rival of Slytherin. "Apparently it's her way of coping with her only living child not following the family legacy." Rhea felt the other girl shiver and burrow deeper into the blanket. It seemed she was really suffering with what was happening to her family.  Rhea had no idea what to say to the poor girl. Could she say that she was in the same situation - except she'd lied to her parents and didn't tell them the truth? Rhea hadn't ever been in a situation like this, where was to comfort someone. She decided to do what came to her naturally and hugged the girl. She held her tightly, and hoped that her hug would get rid of the interior pain. She hated to see others in pain.

"What about you? What happened?"

Rhea shrugged in response. Compared to Alina's problems, her letter that she'd received seemed like nothing. "Now that I think about it, it's nothing compared to your problems," Rhea said in a sad tone. "But my nanny, who's worked for my family for four years, is retiring. She thinks I don't need a nanny anymore," Rhea felt a tear welling up in her eye, but she quickly wiped it away. Bishops are strong, she told herself, Bishops don't cry. Rhea decided to continue on, "Not to mention, I still haven't told my parents I was sorted into Gryffindor. Instead, I lied and told them I was sorted into Slytherin. I'll probably be disowned or kicked out of the house if I do! I can't have that," a single tear ran down Rhea's face, but she couldn't bare it. She wiped her eyes furiously and stood up. 

It was quiet after Alina spoke, then she felt Rhea wrap her arms around her small frame and hug her tightly. Tears began to prick at her eyes and she blinked hard to keep them from falling. She wrapped her free arm around Rhea and hugged her back, warmth spreading inside her. "Thank you," she mumbled into Rhea's shoulder and laughed. "I'm sorry, I'm not usually like this, I swear." She laughed again, pulling away to rub furiously at her eyes and adjust the blanket around her shoulder.

"Now that I think about it, it's nothing compared to your problems," Rhea answered Alina's question, and she frowned. "But my nanny, who's worked for my family for four years, is retiring. She thinks I don't need a nanny anymore," She continued and Alina felt her heart squeeze. The way this girl spoke about her nanny, she knew that Rhea was close to her, really close. She saw Rhea's eyes start to sparkle with tears before she rubbed at them. "Not to mention, I still haven't told my parents I was sorted into Gryffindor. Instead, I lied and told them I was sorted into Slytherin. I'll probably be disowned or kicked out of the house if I do! I can't have that," Words poured out of Rhea and she stood up quickly, the blanket falling to the ground in a pool of soft fabric.

Alina opened her mouth to say something, anything, but couldn't find the right words. Instead, she offered Rhea what she was offered. Alina stood up and wrapped her arms around Rhea, pulling her close and hugging her tight. "Rhea, sometimes parents make bad decisions because they don't think it through carefully. I know that one day my mama will come back around. I'm her only child left and I think that even if your parents disowned you, they would come to realize how special and perfect you are the way you are. Gryffindor, Slytherin...they're just houses. Home is where you make it," She said softly and pulled away to take out a handkerchief she had tucked into the pocket of her nightgown.

"Here, you need this more than I do," Alina smiled at the girl who looked like she was trying so hard to keep it in and was having a hard time. "If your family does disown you, then you and I can start our own club of disowned children and convince the Hogwarts teachers to let us stay here for the summer." She sighed at the prospect. "I am sorry about your nanny though. I'm sure the two of you could keep in touch over owls? Or visit her in the summer?"

The other blonde hugged Rhea, calming her down. It partially worked, and the fiery redhead was able to sit back down again. "Rhea, sometimes parents make bad decisions because they don't think it through carefully. I know that one day my mama will come back around. I'm her only child left and I think that even if your parents disowned you, they would come to realize how special and perfect you are the way you are. Gryffindor, Slytherin...they're just houses. Home is where you make it." Alina's words sparked some sort of feeling in Rhea's chest, and she slowly calmed down. Although she knew that no matter what, her parents would not accept the fact that she was in Gryffindor--'our reputation will be ruined, daughter'--the blonde's words gave her hope. Hope that she would be able to come back from her Sorting somehow. 

She was handed a handkerchief, and so she wiped her eyes, getting rid of the small flurry of tears that had gathered on her face. "Thank you," the redhead softly whispered. What was happening to her? She was crying in front of a stranger, and telling her her entire life story. But she had to admit, it felt relieving. Rhea fell silent, something that wasn't seen often, and sniffled into the handkerchief. She tried to hold them in, but they broke free no matter what. Just like everything she'd been keeping in so far did. 

"I'm sorry, I'm never like this," Rhea stated, her sniffles coming out freely now. "I dunno what's gotten into me. I'm usually so much happier. Never like this. Sorry." Rhea kept apologizing, trying to get rid of the sadness. 

"If your family does disown you, then you and I can start our own club of disowned children and convince the Hogwarts teachers to let us stay here for the summer." Alina sighed, but Rhea cracked a laugh. It was sweet that she was trying to lighten up the mood; Rhea appreciated it. She hugged the blonde once more. "I am sorry about your nanny though. I'm sure the two of you could keep in touch over owls? Or visit her in the summer?"

Rhea grinned. The idea hadn't yet come to her. Of course she could visit her! "Oh my gosh, that's genius! I could definitely visit her!" Rhea hugged Alina for what must have been the tenth time that night, and all of a sudden her mood started to lift. A small weight was lifted, but she was still down in the dumps. Although this wasn't one of her good days, it was slowly starting to get better. Thanks to this blonde right here. "Thank you."

He wasn't sure what was going on, but he knew at least one of the people here. The nice blonde girl from before, the one who helped him with the flowers. He had a few observations to make, and then he was going to try and offer help. Both help with their mental problems, and help with their physical. He wasn't good at this, but he thought that he had at least understood the basic idea of what was going on. And why it was happening. Because of which house they were put in. Walking up to the pair, in his odd, fluid way, he began.
"Houses determine what kind of person you will become. It surrounds you with like minded people. If a slytherin was put into hufflepuff they would eventually become hufflepuff."
He probably could have said more on the subject, but he hoped they got the idea. If you put kids in a group of kids that only think one way, then sooner or later that kid is also going to be thinking the same way. Their parents could just be worried that their children would change in a way that they didn't necessarily approve of.
"I have a house, if you two want to stay somewhere. Well, cottage. If you want to use it, I can let you borrow it over the summer."
He doubted that they were going to be allowed to stay at hogwarts over the summer. But his house was pretty much empty, a little cabin in the fens, full of firewood, access to good food, and plenty of entertainment. He could always sleep outside, or just go traveling and leave the house to them if they preferred. It didn't make very much of a difference to him. And they needed it more than he did. The ravenclaw boy sat down, his eyes moving between the two of them. They had been talking about something important, and then he had just sort of appeared with advice and help for no reason other than the fact that he felt like he owed the blond girl for her being so nice. This was alright, yeah? They weren't going to randomly attack?

"I'm sorry, I'm never like this," Rhea stated, her sniffles coming out freely now. "I dunno what's gotten into me. I'm usually so much happier. Never like this. Sorry." She kept apologizing, and Alina waved her hand as if to shoo away her apologies. There was no reason to be sorry, especially in such a delicate moment like this. Plus Alina was the exact same. This was one of her rare moments of weakness.

"Oh my gosh, that's genius! I could definitely visit her!" Rhea exclaimed when Alina had recommended going to see her nanny during the summers. She smiled softly, as Rhea whispered "Thank you." and wrapped her arms around Alina again and she settled into the warmth. "Anytime, Rhea! I promise." Alina whispered back before pulling away to tuck her hair behind her ear.

"Houses determine what kind of person you will become. It surrounds you with like minded people. If a slytherin was put into hufflepuff they would eventually become hufflepuff." A boy spoke from the darkness, and Alina let out a small scream, one hand clutching at her chest and the other grasping onto Rhea's arm. Her blood was pumping in her ears, before she finally took a breath and looked at the lone figuring appearing from the dark.

"I have a house," he continued, "if you two want to stay somewhere. Well, cottage. If you want to use it, I can let you borrow it over the summer." When he finally came to sit beside them, did she recognize him from before. "Ah! Kaegen! What are you doing here? You scared the daylights outta me." Alina let go of her hold on Rhea to gesture him over and handed him a piece of her blanket. "Rhea, this is Kaegen. Kaegen, Rhea," She introduced. "What about your famiy, Kaegen? Don't they need the cottage?"