Always the Same Sky Closed

Kyden smiled at the girls sudden interest in his sketches. "Yay I sketch everything really. The professors, students, the classes, the grounds and especially the constellations I create. Sketching is something I can do when I am nervous to calm me down.  I have always loved sketching and drawing really." He looked at Amadea. He felt calm when he was around here. She was just the type of person that anyone would love to hang out with. She wasn't like some of the odd people here at Hogwarts. Like the screaming girl for example, he couldn't see Amadea doing something like that. He laughed to himself and then turned back to look at Amadea. "So you come up here to be close to your Grandma that is kind of cool. I wish I could go somewhere to be close to my parents. If only we knew were my parents where that would be a whole lot easier." He looked down and sat on the ground opening up his sketchbook he started to draw but then changed his mind he closed the book and looked at Amadea. "Hey would you mind if I draw you? I would really love to if you don't mind." He smiled at her.

Sketching seemed like such a cool thing to do. Amadea had never had the skill to make something look as good on paper as it did in real life, and she admired anyone who had the talent to do so. She loved how sketches not only showed the image, but also conveyed the emotions and told a story. Unfortunately, she was much more skilled at other things in the arts rather than sketching. She really should come up here one day with her journal and write out a song. The stars were very inspiring for everyone; she didn't know why she hadn't had the idea before. Maybe it was because Kyden was here too.

"You don't know who your parents are?" she asked, hoping she wasn't prying on sensitive information. "Do...you know what happened? Are you adopted?" She hoped she wasn't asking too many questions at once. When she was curious, she was very good at bombarding people with questions that messed up their mind and then they couldn't answer her. She tried hard to not ask millions of questions, but her curiosity always got the best of her.

"And um, sure you can," she answered his question. "Like...now or later?"

Kyden smiled at her and let her asked all her questions before he started to answer them. He didn't mind all the questions. He just simply mentally cataloged each one so he could be sure that he answered each one. He preferred that people ask questions instead of just assuming.

"No I don't know where my parents are, what happened to them or for that matter even if they are alive.  Well I know who they are but I don't really know WHO they are. If that makes since. Really all I know is their names. Nope, I wasn't adopted either. I grew up in a wizarding orphanage. I was left there by somebody who we can only assume was my mom when I was three. I lived there until I came here. I can only assume I will go back there for the summer and then back here. It doesn't bother me. It's my history. It makes me who I am."


He smiled at her and waited to see if she had anymore questions about his parents. When he was pretty sure that she didn't he lifted his sketchpad. "Well unless you have someplace to be now would be as good a time as any for me to sketch you."

Ami tucked one of her earbuds back into her ear, smiling at Amadea and the other boy discussing the stars and sketching. How adorable they would be as a couple! But, Ami wasn't the intervening, match-making type; she'd leave that to other people any day. As the boy who held the sketchbook continued to talk about his love of stars and art, Ami mentally decided to name him da Vinci in her head- at least, for the time being, until she learned his actual name. A boy who loved science and art... most definitely a da Vinci. All the composers and musicians that she knew would do this boy's hobbies no justice, so she had to resort to her role models.

As per usual, Ami found herself tuning out, and she started to tap out the beat to her song (Friction, by Imagine Dragons), as if she actually knew how to play the drums. She decided that she wouldn't intrude on da Vinci's and Amadea's perfectly civil conversation unless she was invited to- why ruin a perfectly good jibber-jabbering, an adorable jawing if she didn't have to? She giggled to herself at the use of those ridiculous "British" terms (jibber-jabbering, jawing) her mother had taught her. How proud she would be now!

Amadea listened to him explain his history, nodding along as he went. She felt for him; not knowing your parents was a burden that only those in the same boat could understand. She wished there was something she could do, but he seemed okay with his situation, which made Amadea like him even more. Those who could make the best out of any situation were people who made good friends.

"Okay," she said, referring to his comment about sketching. "Should I just stand here?" she asked, unsure of what to do. "No one has ever sketched me before." She stood awkwardly, not sure of what she should do next. She decided to make some more conversation, continuing on their conversation about his history.

"So you have to go back to the wizarding orphanage?" she asked. "There's no one else you can stay with?" She felt bad; not having a home to go back to must be terrible. Then again, the wizarding orphanage was probably like a home to him.

She glanced over at Ami, who seemed to have tuned the two of them out. She felt badly again, wanting to include her in the conversation as well. "Hey Ami!" she called over to the Hufflepuff. "What are you listening to?" she asked. She hoped Kyden didn't mind her adding Ami to the conversation; she just wanted everyone to be included. And to be happy. Unfortunately, sometimes that was a lot harder than it seemed.

Kyden smiled at her and listened to her talk . "Yeah I will go back to the orphanage when school is out. It sucks really but at least I have the fact of knowing it will only be a few months before I can be back here. So really it won't be to awfully bad. I mean the orphanage isn't horrible but it still isn't a home. "

He looked around trying to find a good backdrop to sketch Amadea when his eyes fell onto Ami. Actually right behind her would be a perfect spot. "Why don't you go over by Ami and sit with her. I can sketch the both of you. Also don't try to pose all special just act natural. Talk to Ami, have fun and I will capture it."

He flipped through his sketch book to find a blank page. It looked like he was going to have to make himself a new one out of parchment paper soon. His current one was pretty full. However in the back of the book he found 1 empty page. "You ready?" He smiled at her. He couldn't wait to sketch her. He had thought about asking to sketch her when he first met her on the Quidditch Grounds.

Ami coughed awkwardly in response to Amadea's question. "Um... rock music," she said quickly. "You probably haven't heard of it- the song, you probably know Imagine Dragons?" Her words started to blur together, a result of her talking too fast in anxiousness. "I like them a lot- I have all of their albums."

Her eyes widened when Kyden asked Amadea to sit by her, and Ami nearly fainted when Kyden said he'd sketch the both of them. "Don't- don't sketch me," she whimpered, and added quietly, "P- please. I... I'm sorry, I'm just not- just not really c- c- comfortable with- with that...?" She sighed, mentally slamming her head against the wall. Rude. Rude. Rude. Rude. How rude of you, Ami. You probably offended the poor boy, what have you done? Did your mom raise you to act like this? What happened to the perfectly mannered daughter your dad raised? And on, and on, and on...

"I m- m- ean..." Ami trailed off, trying to find words to soften her previous ones. "I- if you really... if you really want to? I su- suppose- I suppose that you can, if you really wanted to dr- draw the both of us?" She sighed, adding, "I- I'm just not... I'm just not pr- pretty e- enough to be drawn." Oh, how she hated her stutter. She'd mostly learned to be able to control it after loads of practice, but some situations (like this one) could bring it back out again in an instant.

Amadea felt so badly for her fellow Hufflepuff. She remembered the days when she had first come to Hogwarts and stuttered like she was constantly freezing. Her nerves had gotten the best of her, but now she felt more comfortable around the other people, albeit she didn't always enjoy being with the other people. Now, of course, was not one of those times. She loved being up in the astronomy tower, especially with these two. They would make good friends, she thought.

"Imagine Dragons!" Amadea exclaimed. "They're a good group. I like them." She walked over to Ami after saying this, following Kyden's instructions. Unfortunately, this was before Ami began to freak out. Amadea took a step back, letting Ami get her feelings out before comforting her.

"I wouldn't want to put you in an uncomfortable position," Amadea told Ami, "but you should never think that you are not pretty enough to be drawn. You are beautiful. I don't know you very well, but from what I can tell, you are a beautiful person both inside and out. Take pride in who you are because there is no one else in the world like you, and that's something special." She took a deep breath after she said that, realizing she hadn't taken a breath at all while speaking. She just felt so passionate about making sure everyone understood how valuable they were. She looked over at Kyden who looked ready to sketch both of them.

"It's up to you, Ami," Amadea said. "If you don't want to be sketched, that's fine with me."

Kyden let Ami finish her freak out moment. He found that he was already getting used to her odd personality. At least she didn't scream again. "First off beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I think you are both beautiful young woman. Second off take a deep breath and chill neither of us bite. Well I might what with me being a snake and all." He winked at the two Hufflepuff girls trying to throw out some sarcasm to lighten the mood.

"If you don't want me to sketch you I don't have to. But I think you are most definitely pretty enough to be sketched. Like I said beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Ami, don't sell yourself short. But it is up to you."

He looked at her waiting for her decision. He really hoped she would change her mind and let him sketch her. He wanted her to know she was pretty. He hated when people self doubted. Sometimes the demons inside of ones self were worse then the demons that were out in the world. Kyden knew quite a bit about that. He almost opened up and say more to the two girls but decided to just keep quite about that matter.

Ignoring their words about beauty and associated terms (no one would truly be able to make her feel better about that), Ami thought over da Vinci's words. "I-" Ami sighed heavily, tugging on her hair. Yes, or no? Yes, or no? Slumping her shoulders and twisting her mouth, she shrugged, releasing some of the tension in her muscles. "I... I guess I'd be okay with that. Y- you dra- drawing me, I g- guess. Just... just don't draw..." Ami tugged her sleeves lower on her arms so they covered everything, the sleeve hem nearly reaching her fingertips. "Don't draw- don't look at my- my arms." Nothing would be visible, she assured herself. She'd be fine.

She shifted over on the ground, taking out her earbuds and pausing her music. "What- what do you want us to- want us to be doing?" she asked da Vinci, still stuttering slightly. She took a deep breath, trying to calm down. In through her nose, out through her mouth. Come on, coherent sentences now. One at a time. "I know you said to a- act natural, but did you want us sitting? Standing? Positioned a certain way so that it's easier for you to draw us?"