Presents and Polaroid Pictures Finished

Elena was correct. Min-seo was thinking of her past. She had a love-hate relationship with it. On one hand, it reminded her of the good times when everything was perfect, and on the other hand, it reminded her that her parents were dead, and they were never coming back. Pasts shouldn't be dwelled on, but she couldn't help it. She couldn't forget the screams. She shook out of her thoughts, smiling again. It didn't matter, she had El, so she'd be okay. Lights again. She looked at her with a small smile. Elena was smiling as well. Min-seo thought that she looked happy as well. Min-seo also did hide behind her smiles, but most of them were genuine unless someone was getting on her nerves. She brushed some of her hair out of her porcelain face and took another photo, this one of Elena. She giggled and clicked the button to take the picture. She saw the picture come out the top and grabbed it and waved it so it could dry. She liked the picture. El was smiling. She sent a cheeky smile to El, who was holding the doors open for her. She smiled and walked through them with a small giggle.

Elena blinked a few times in surprise while Min-seo shook out the picture. She really was a ninja with that camera, it was sort of nice to hang out together, relaxing in a way. Especially because Min didn't mind when little parts of Elena peeked out from behind her mask. It was hard for her to drop it completely, over time it had become a part of her. Puck was the face she showed her enemies, anyone that she couldn't trust. Elena was what she showed almost everyone else, but there was something else there too, a little girl peeking out from around the corners of a fractured mind, a fractured soul. Three parts of the same lost and lonely kid.

Elena slipped inside and shut the door behind them, "Which way do you think Min? Great Hall? Or we could go looking for the kitchens, that might be fun. I don't really know where to get cake from, last time I just wandered around looking lost and the house elves found me."

Looking lost and alone was something Elena was good at, not because she'd perfected it in the mirror, or because she needed to figure out how. It was because that was how she felt most of the time, lost and all alone.

Min-seo giggled as she snapped the picture of Elena. She sent her a cheeky smile. Min-seo definitely was a ninja. A camera ninja to be exact. She looked at the picture and smiled softly. "You look really pretty in this photo."she said. She really did. El always put up this shield with other people, it seemed, but Min-seo was just observing, she didn't know really. Min-seo didn't know if she put up the shield with her, but there were definitely moments where El was vulnerable. She shook out of her thoughts and looked back at El who was asking her where to go. Min-seo tapped her chin, thinking. "Well, I know that the kitchens definitely have cake, but I don't think the Great Hall does. I mean, maybe they do and I don't know, but I highly doubt it. And hey, maybe the house elves would find you again, and it would be quite easy to get food." she said, a little confused by her own words. She wandered down the halls, sometimes taking pictures. She thought that Hogwarts was a very pretty place. The only thing that scared her was the ghosts walking through the walls when you'd least expect it.

Elena blushed a bit and smiled back sheepishly, "Thanks, you're really sweet."

It seemed they were getting back into the swing of things, rambling a little bit but making perfect sense to one another. One relaxed and one excited. Although Elena would be more excited if she'd actually slept properly at any time in the last couple of weeks. No, months, it had been a month and a half since she last managed to get a full night, although nobody had really noticed the circles under her eyes.

"How about we make our way to the kitchens and if we can intercept a house elf we should be good to go!" Elena beamed at Min-seo. Then trailed along after the other girl, watching her stop for photographs and just generally looking around. It was oddly quiet here in the halls of the castle but Elena didn't really mind. Especially since less people made the shadows a little less more warning, and the corridors feel a little less stifling.

"So, how's it been going in the castle? Made any friends?" Elena figured it might be a good idea to figure out who not to yell at if it came down to it. It's important to keep your friends happy.

So they don't leave you for better people.

Min-seo shook her head. "Not really, I'm just telling the truth." she said.

Min-seo actually had been quite busy and stressed this week. She'd been trying to get everything done early, usually resulting in not a lot of sleep. It was so much that she'd just figured out one of her friends, Rowan, had gotten into a freak accident and he was in a wheelchair. She was so worried when she figured out. Min-seo looked at El with a smile and went beside her. She looked tired. Min-seo tilted her head to the side and sighed. She hoped that El had been at least getting some sleep, she needed it. Min-seo dropped the subject for now.

Min-seo nodded. "Yeah, that sounds good. For a second I thought of American football and the house elf being the football. I was very confused, but let's not throw a house elf across the room." she said with a light chuckle. The girl was really weird if you got to know her. She just said the weirdest things.

She nodded to Elena. "Mhm! They're pretty cool. Rowan is great, Alex, I knew him before Hogwarts, so it's great to see him. There are so many more. Oh, and on this topic, do you know Aurelia Bezuidenhout? She said you knew her. She's actually quite nice to me." she asked in a soft voice. She had no idea about their relationship at all.

Elena blushed a little harder than before, then laughed at the football comment, "Yeah, we probably should avoid throwing the house elves. I mean, they're really nice and they are the providers of cake!"

"I think I've seen Rowan before." Elena smiled and nodded, but winced at the mention of Aurelia, "Yeah, Aurelia is, um, well, sort of the only person at this school I really don't get along with. There was a thing with Ana way back, I gave her some info on Aurelia then Aurelia came to me, and I thought I was being threatened and so I ranted at her. Then went back to Ana and it's really just gotten bigger than it should be and I think we're all waiting for the other shoe to drop. So yeah..."

Elena sorta retreated into herself, subconsciously pulling her cloak closer to her as if it would protect her from Aurelia. She regretted not having her hoodie on, instead she had a sweater she'd got the other day over the break. At least she still had her necklace, and of course the cloak which she was gripping the edges of so hard her knuckles had turned white. Elena's eyes flicked around the room, worried.

Min-seo clapped her hands together. "Yes, we shall not mishandle the providers of our Lord and Savior, cake. It is highly nutritious and is needed in daily life." she said giggling. The girl was in a way better mood. Plus, she was hungry, so of course she wanted cake. It sounded very good at the moment. She wondered what types of cake they had there. Probably millions, or was millions and exaggeration? Probably, to be honest. It was still fun to think about, a million cakes stacked in the kitchens. Min-seo brightened at the sound of Ro's name. She knew him! She tilted her head as Elena flinched at the mention of Aurelia. What was wrong with Aurelia? She was so nice. The thing was though, Min-seo didn't know that Aurelia was manipulating her to get more information on Elena. Min-seo sadly was oblivious to that stuff. She tilted her head as Elena described Aurelia from her point of view. Really? She did that? She had one big question though. "Who's Ana? I haven't seen her around." she said. She noticed Elena start to crawl back into an invisible shell, her knuckles turning white. Min-seo touched her hand. "Are you alright Elena?"

Elena laughed, "Cake protect and keep us!"

The necklace and the cloak were barely keeping her grounded, she tried to steady herself, and slowly let go of the cloak with one hand, "I'm okay, just sort of um."

Elena's eyes flicked around the hall as if she was expecting someone to come bursting out of nowhere, "I'm fine, just suddenly very aware of exactly how much Aurelia can hurt me. I'll be fine, it's one of the leftover things rattling around my head. Nothing to worry about, just need to sleep again soon..."

There was another reason why the blue haired girl was freaking out, it was something she hadn't felt properly in a while. Elena felt the need to protect her friend, to make sure Min couldn't be hurt by backlash from her decisions and the sides she'd taken. The shadows on the walls receded a little bit as Elena managed to calm herself down, she reached out for Min's hand, "Ana Beckett, she's a Gryffindor first year, minor enemy of my friend Rorie, and an ally of mine due to her being the one to drag me into this whole thing with Aurelia. Very clever, fun to have around, probably would've ended up in Slytherin if not for the fact she's so darn brave."

Min-seo laughed and smiled at El. "Yes please!"
Min-seo looked at Elena, worried. She was looking very unsteady. Min-seo tilted her head sadly. She didn't know that the nice girl that she met at the Astronomy Tower was mean to others. Min-seo would still be her friend though because she believed in second chances. Min-seo Kim was someone who was way too nice to people, even if they'd done something horrible. She could honestly make friends with anyone, to be honest. It was a blessing and a curse. People actually hate people with this trait sometimes. She didn't know why, exactly. All she wanted to do was make people happy, even if she wasn't happy herself. All people deserve to be happy, that's what she told herself. But she couldn't be too happy. Others were more important than Min-seo Kim herself. Min-seo felt her hand be taken by Elena. She smiled slightly and turned back to the other girl as she told Min-seo who Ana was. Min-seo nodded slowly. "Again, haven't met her, but she seems like a very pleasant person." she said with a smile. They kept on walking. Min-seo looked at a door with a bunch of fruit on it.

Elena relaxed a little, Min wasn't angry at her so that was a relief. She was still a little on edge about Aurelia talking to Min-seo, Elena would have to find out why. If there was even the slightest chance that she was using Min for the weird sort of politics that the blue haired girl had been dragged into, then Elena had to make sure her friend would be safe.

"Not nice exactly, more formidable, if that makes sense. If you're looking for nice you should try Talia Piper or Alan Vanes, they're like rainbows took human form." Elena joked. It wasn't up to her usual standard of snark or even very funny but Elena wasn't looking to scare Min-seo away, so being rude wouldn't work.

For some reason holding Min's hand was making her feel better too, Elena managed to stop her death grip on the cloak with her other hand but still held onto it. Walking around like this was comforting, a bit nicer to be doing something relaxing. Elena smiled at the other girl.

Elena glanced at the fruit door too, "Hey, I heard something about tickling a pear to get into the hufflepuff common rooms, do you think that's the door?"