A Midnight Meeting PV Ruby Cazares Finished

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Ruby knew she wasn't supposed to be out this late, as it was long after curfew, but that didn't stop her from wandering – first sneaking out of the common room after she bundled up in warm clothes, then roaming the corridors, and finally coming out here. She loved nature, and the night brought some things that simply couldn't be experienced in the daytime. The smell of the spring air, especially at night and occasionally in the early hours of the morning, was absolutely amazing – or, at least, the young Slytherin certainly thought so. It was beautiful out here too, as it was a clear night and the stars could clearly be seen decorating the dark sky. The quiet and the peace of being out here and away from others brought a feeling of serenity and calmness, and it relaxed the child. In Hogwarts, a student was around others almost all the time. Sometimes, Ruby needed a break. If that involved rule-breaking and sneaking out, then so be it. It was worth it, if only to get a single glimpse of the night sky, enjoy the smells, and to be surrounded by nature in such a wonderful way. The wind tugged at her winter cloak that she had thrown on (after all, it was cold out here), but it didn't bother her. The chill was actually quite welcome, in some ways, as it was just another part of nature. Besides, her clothes were warm enough to protect her.

She made her way to a tree, knowing that this was one of her regular ones. Without much thought, she began climbing it. The leaves rustled as she brushed against them and shook the branch, adding a leafy sound to the mix that was not created by the wind. She flinched at how loud it was, but reassured herself that no one was out here, so it wouldn't matter. She positioned herself comfortably, with her back against the tree trunk and her knees pulled up to her chest, with her arms wrapped around them. Her head was tilted to one side as she craned her neck slightly to get the best view of the stars. It was then that her rustling subsided and she heard movement below her. That was human movement, and she frowned as she looked down. There was another girl there! How had she not seen? She prided herself on being observant, and she normally was. Perhaps it was the late hour… but that wasn't a great excuse. The girl below Ruby had been reading too, which intrigued her further. Was this student someone that was like-minded? It certainly seemed that way, between the reading and the sneaking out at night… She didn't want to lose the chance to meet someone that could potentially become a friend later on.

The girl was hurrying away. “Hey!” Ruby whisper-called, trying to be heard by her fellow student but not loud enough for anything/anyone else to hear. “Wait! I'm up here, in the tree. I didn't mean to startle you. Please come back.” Ruby was normally not so desperate, but this could be her one chance to meet this girl, and she didn't want to miss it when she had already discovered two similarities between them.

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"Hey, wait!" a small voice called out, bringing Marla to a halt. Was that her imagination? The girl raised a brow, concentrating on her surroundings. Thinking it was probably nothing, Marla shrugged it off and continued walking before hearing the same voice again, "Wait! I'm up here, in the tree. I didn't mean to startle you. Please come back." Huh? So she wasn't insane. The last thing Marla was expecting was another student out at this hour of the night. Either way, she was just glad that the rustling she heard in the tree wasn't anything dangerous. Marla whirled around to see a girl around the same age as her in the tree she was under just moments ago, with big green eyes and pale skin. The ginger's face turned red, she couldn't believe that she had gotten scared by an eleven-year-old. And as a Gryffindor no less. Marla looked down, (just a tad) mortified, and let out a nervous laugh. She trudged back towards the girl, entangled in a tree and actually mustered up the courage to speak.
"Oh– sorry. I just wasn't expecting anyone else to be out here."
A strong gust of wind blew the hair out of Marla's face as she stared at the girl for a few seconds, in the midst of awkward silence.
"I'm Marla." She mentioned with a small smile. It was actually quite nice to Marla that the girl was so intent to get the ginger's attention before, especially since she didn't have many friends. And maybe they'd have some things in common, especially since it seemed like they both appreciated breaking the rules, considering the two snuck out of the castle past curfew. Marla shuddered and wrapped her arms around her waist, trying to keep warm even though her efforts weren't doing very much. She was only wearing pajamas and a light coat, thinking it would be warmer on a Spring night.
"So, what are you doing out here? Marla asked, itching to hear the girl's response. It was a bit strange to be with another person in an activity that she had previously done alone, but Marla was glad she had company. They hadn't even known each other for twenty minutes and she was already extremely curious about who she was, what she liked... The girl tried to hide her giddiness by clearing her throat and carelessly fiddling with the book in her hands. Maybe she would finally make a friend?

~ * ~

The girl spun around and Ruby's eyes rested on her face long enough that she could save it in her mind and remember who this girl was later on. The Slytherin had certainly scared her fellow student – that much was sure – but the other girl seemed embarrassed because of it. The first comment she made was fair enough. Ruby hadn't expected anyone else to be here, either. She hadn't come across anyone so far during any of the times she had been somewhere other than her dormitory or common room during curfew, so this was a rare occurrence for her, too.

The girl smiled and gave her name, and Ruby provided a nod of acknowledgment. A slight smirk appeared on her face, but it was not unkind. “Nice to meet you. I'm Ruby Cazares.” As an afterthought, she added, “Would you like to join me up here so that we can talk more easily?”

Ruby was surprisingly friendly right now. The night and being in nature made her relax more than normal, and there was no social pressure besides any that this girl – Marla, she had said her name was – brought. It was just the two of them, having an amicable interaction away from others. When Marla asked a question, it lingered in the air between them for a moment. What was Ruby doing out here? “Well...” she began, pausing to collect her thoughts and debate how much to tell the other girl, “I came out here because I wanted to see the stars. I wanted to be in nature in a way that I can't be in the daytime when crowds of noisy students are outside. I wanted to smell the night air of spring and enjoy its crispness. How about you?”

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~ * ~

By now, Ruby decided that her cold, calculating, distant air could vanish for a night. She had realized that she considered this girl to be interesting… different from most. That intrigued her and made her curious. She was always searching for people that stood out slightly, even in subtle ways. Of course, everyone was different in their own way, but there were still those few that Ruby couldn't help but feel interested in. There were many different types of people that could spark this interest, and Marla fit at least one of them.

Ruby was starting to like this girl. She had already realized that they shared similar interests and probably somewhat similar opinions, based on what had happened so far. She realized that she didn't just want Marla as a potential ally or acquaintance. She wanted to be her friend. Ruby had grown up with three of her cousins, who had basically acted as her best friends and older brothers. She had formed extremely close bonds with them, but had had a tendency to push people of her own age away. Too many of her favorite activities were things that she did by herself. Adding another person into the mix would simply be accepting something that could ruin everything – her experiments, pranking, rule-breaking. Other people were dangerous and didn't always follow the plans. Ruby was now wondering, however, if it would be all that bad. Marla seemed capable, interesting, friendly, and liked reading, and they hadn't been caught during this little escapade.

Although Ruby normally avoided making friends with most people, keeping them as allies or acquaintances, she had recently found that she wanted more friends if the right people came along. Here was a good person for her. This was her chance, yet she worried that Marla wouldn't feel the same way about the possible friendship. She probably had lots of friends and didn't need someone like Ruby. Ruby was cold, unfriendly, and pretty self-serving, but she also knew that she could be incredibly sweet, loyal, and fun once she opened up to someone. Who was she kidding? She had barely even met this girl! She was going way too far ahead, yet that still didn't change her inexplicable desire to learn more about Marla and to be friends with her.

Ruby nodded in response to Marla's comment about it being suffocating. “I agree. This place is wonderful, don't get me wrong, but we're around people almost all the time. We sleep and then wake up in the dorms with other people, then head to breakfast where we eat with other people, and then classes with other people, and more meals together… and almost everywhere where we can go has other people nearby. I'm sure that there are some places that we haven't explored yet, but it's nice to be here for now. Away from most others. Could a prefect really blame us?” She sighed as she gazed out at the night, the sky unfolding like a blanket made of pure nothingness for miles upon miles – darkness so deep that the world seemed like it could be sucked in, just like it was disappearing into a black hole. Then there were the stars, the wonderful glimmering stars that speckled the sky and shone brightly back at her. It was a breathtaking sight, and she whole-heartedly agreed with Marla's comment on its beauty. “I don't think that can be disputed,” she whispered, “It's stunning.”

A gust of wind blew through the tree and Ruby clung desperately to her branch until the last of the breeze passed. Yes, she was wearing warm clothes and prepared herself for this, but that didn't mean that she was totally fine when the strong wind was attempting to blow her out of the tree. Marla's thoughts seemed to echo Ruby's own as she half-yelled about the chilly temperature, although Ruby was more concerned about the strength of the wind. A small giggle that couldn't be heard over the noise from the wind escaped from her lips. She didn't truly mind if a prefect caught her right now. She had got to enjoy the night, and was meeting a new person. So, due to that, she took the volume of Marla's voice very well and didn't mind it. A peaceful smile danced across her lips as the wind died down, her normally cold blue eyes now warm and shining merrily.

Marla talked about the way rule-breaking made her feel, and Ruby turned her head to face the other girl, watching her expression as she spoke of the topic that she was clearly passionate about. It made her content to see the look on Marla's face, discussing something that she so obviously loved, but then some embarrassment appeared. Why? What was there to be ashamed of? Was it the slight rambling? Ruby didn't consider that to be rambling, and even if it was, that wouldn't have mattered because it was still something that Marla liked to talk about. The Slytherin nodded encouragingly. “I definitely know how you feel. I'm pretty similar in that regard, but I also enjoy the thinking part of it. The mental stimulation from trying to figure out how to avoid being caught or talking my way out of if I do get caught. I like doing some of that on the spot, but I also do like the simple feeling from breaking the rule in the first place, like you said. It's good for everyone to have something that they enjoy in that way, but rule-breaking can be dangerous. Rules exist for a reason. I think you'll be fine to continue doing it as long as you don't put yourself in too much danger and as long as you stay careful about it and which rules you break,” she said softly.

Ruby hoped that Marla didn't think that Ruby was trying to intrude on her life or anything, or stifle her or her passions. She just wanted the girl to be safe, but she was wondering now if it would have been best for her to just not say anything in the first place. Oh well, it was done now, and she would learn more about Marla from the way that she responded, both through her actions and verbally. She was lost in her thoughts by the time that the next powerful gust of wind hit, so she was taken by surprise and slipped closer to the trunk, ending up clinging to Marla as she tried not to fall. For a moment, their shared body warmth helped to heat them both, but then Ruby realized what had happened and she quickly detached herself, even though she privately thought that it hadn't been that bad. A slight blush had formed on her delicate cheeks, sharply contrasting with the rest of her pale skin.

She hadn't shuffled away, though, as she figured she was here now. If Marla was freaked out, needed more space, or was scared away, Ruby would understand and leave the girl alone or move away. She hoped that she hadn't messed up too badly. “S-sorry,” she mumbled, a rare stutter slipping into the one word. She took a brief moment to compose herself again, then continued. “The wind caught me off-balance. I had to stop myself from falling.” With the hand that was further away from Marla, Ruby rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly, then let her hand fall beside her again. Her hands gripped the branch, and she rocked back and forth slightly as she thought, trying to calm her nerves after basically cuddling a stranger.

“I… you know that penguins huddle together for warmth, right?” she said nervously. She felt obliged to fill the silence after she had done something so awkward, and her way of coping with her nerves was to start talking about facts or random knowledge. Usually, it was pretty relevant to the current events or conversation, and this wasn't really an exception. After all, they were still fairly close together and both needed warmth, and Ruby had just accidentally hugged Marla. “They form a circle and press their bodies together. It's the warmest in the middle, and the coldest and the only weak place in the circle is around the outside. Still, though, they're pretty prepared for the cold anyway because they're covered in dense, thin feathers that help with providing heat and insulation. With the whole circle thing, the group also rotates positions so that they'll take turns being on the outside as well as being further and having warmth.” She realized what she had just been saying and that Marla would probably not be interested, so she promptly apologized again. “Sorry. I'm not always like this, I promise. I can leave, if you want.”

It was not normal for Ruby to apologize at all, let alone multiple times, and she didn't normally feel so nervous. Why did she care so much if Marla thought she was weird? It didn't matter. The physical contact had seriously thrown the young Slytherin off, as she wasn't used to it. Playful punches and nudges, she was totally cool with. Big bear hugs from her cousins? Also cool. But an unintentional cuddle with a half-stranger? That was not anything that she was accustomed to. Spouting facts was not necessarily unusual for her, but she generally did it at a more convenient time or made sure that the other person would be fine with it when she wasn't nervous. Right now, Ruby Cazares was a mess.

~ * ~

~ * ~

When Ruby glanced at the girl beside her, she met her eyes for a moment again and took a second to properly look at them. They were stunning, breathtaking. There was a liveliness in them that seemed to be amused, mischievous, full of life and fun. Flames seemed to flicker and dance in Marla's eyes, and yet those deep brown eyes full of emotion and mystery also seemed to contain a storm. Thinking about it, Marla herself did seem rather akin to fire or storms, and that intrigued Ruby. She loved those things in their normal form, but to see that in another human was very, very interesting indeed. The sheer amount that this girl held inside her – in her eyes, the way she acted, and her appearance – made Ruby determined to unravel these mysteries. The moonlight cast an eerie, pale glow onto their faces, but if anything it just made Marla seem more hauntingly beautiful – or perhaps it was like the glow that a fire emitted. The way her bouncy, bright red curls framed her head, flying around in the breeze carelessly just added to the sense that Marla contained a flame. The colors, the ceaseless movement and flickering, the beautiful nature… all of it was there in the girl. Marla was undoubtedly unlike anyone Ruby had ever met, and her personality shone even brighter and was even more wonderful than her appearance.

Ruby was no longer looking at Marla, as she didn't want to make the other girl uncomfortable by staring, but she would have happily gazed at her for a little while longer. Instead, she looked down at the grass below and watched the way it rippled in waves when the wind blew. The shadows of the trees and bushes were cast across it in places, and the light from the stars and the moon added an almost silver tint to the blend of many different greens, although it remained predominantly dark green due to the night and the shadows. Ruby swung her legs as her gaze was directed upwards once more – the left leg swinging forward, then the right leg, repeating in a seemingly endless loop. Her hands gripped the branch of the tree, the coarse, uneven bark digging into her slightly, rough beneath her palms. She unconsciously tapped her fingers in a random pattern, not realizing that she was doing it.

Some silences are awkward and uncomfortable, but this one was… peaceful for Ruby. Comforting. The type where one can feel at ease. The type that normally happens around friends. She nodded in response to Marla's comment on prefects. Ruby herself would make a decent prefect – and maybe she'd try to become one later on – but she knew that she would likely never overcome the risk-taking, mischief-making, rule-breaking streak that remained such a prominent part of her. Would she just give that up if she ever became a prefect? Probably not entirely. Was honesty also required in a prefect? Ruby would sometimes lie to experiment, to improve, to manipulate people, to get herself out of trouble… dishonesty was a trait in herself that she hadn't totally noticed, but didn't really mind having. It helped her, after all, and she didn't just do it for no reason. She wasn't lying now, she hadn't lied at all to Marla. She was more open and relaxed than normal with the other girl, too.

Marla explained more about what she thought of rule-breaking, and Ruby nodded again. “I do like being able to just… let go sometimes. To switch my brain off and just live in the moment, to go with the flow and stop analyzing everything. I do that sometimes when I break the rules, but other times it will be carefully planned out and executed, with a lot of calculations and precision during the actual act.” She gazed up at the stars and remembered an interaction with one of her cousins where she had learned some of the constellations and had then gone to do her own research on it to learn more of them. Thinking about it as she breathed in the cool night air, this wasn't such a different experience. Both times she had been in a tree with someone that she liked, and it had been a night with a clear sky. Perhaps she could point out a couple of the constellations to Marla, although she supposed that it could be a bit awkward if the redhead already knew them. Well… it was worth a shot.

“One night when I was younger, one of my cousins came to sit with me in a tree.” She paused for a second and began to explain who this cousin was. “There are three of my cousins that I know the best and this is the Ravenclaw of the bunch, the one closest in age to me.” Now, she could resume the story… “Anyway, the sky was clear of clouds that night and many stars were visible. His two brothers went ahead inside, but he stayed with me when I was staring at the stars and after I had climbed a tree to see them better. He taught me about a few constellations and pointed them out to me, continuing to teach me about them until I was ready to go in.” She stopped to warily glance at Marla's face, seeing how the girl was reacting. “I'm not sure if you know any, but… here are a few of them.”

The Slytherin cautiously leaned in closer, now situated to the left diagonally behind Marla, her arm coming up by Marla's side to point over the redhead's shoulder in a way that the girl would be able to see better than if Ruby had just pointed from where she had been. “That over there? That's called the Little Dipper,” she murmured near Marla's ear, tracing the constellation with her finger. “And there? The Big Dipper. Over here are the Pleiades, also known as the Seven Sisters. That's Orion, with his belt being those three stars there, and his bow is up here.” She pointed to and "traced" all the ones that she talked about, continuing to others after Orion, sometimes going more in-depth about the constellations and the stories or facts behind them. When she figured that she had talked enough and was nearing a good stopping point, Ruby wrapped the little lesson up and subtly moved away again.

After the incident with the wind had happened and Marla had let out a yell, Ruby instantly felt bad. She was guilty, embarrassed, regretful, and now things were awkward. She mentally scolded herself, an unpleasant feeling settling in her stomach, reminding her of previous experiences involving dread and disappointment. Had she messed things up between them? She fiddled with her hands, staring at them intently as she did so, doing whatever she could to distract herself. “It's alright…” Marla had muttered, which made Ruby feel even worse. She was overthinking things, absolutely, but the reply left so much to the imagination and felt slightly dismissive. Marla probably thought that Ruby was a weirdo now and likely wanted nothing to do with the young Slytherin. There had been a chance at a glorious friendship, and Ruby had ruined it because of the stupid wind. The silence was causing her to anxiously jump to conclusions and exaggerate things, the dreadful pit in her stomach getting worse.

Then came her comment about penguins, and to her surprise, Marla began laughing. It didn't seem to be an unkind laugh, and it certainly wasn't the laughter of a person who hated her and would never forgive her. The tension that had built up in her mind and body was partially soothed. A smile tugged at her lips at the sight of Marla seeming so happy, and at the thought that she had caused that and was able to make the girl laugh. When Marla clarified what she was laughing about – Ruby had thought it was fairly obvious but confirmation was always nice – the Slytherin began laughing as she pictured it properly as well. “It does seem a little funny,” she agreed with a smile on her face, which widened slightly at Marla's promise. The sincerity, honesty, and the way that Marla had done it caused a mildly warm, fuzzy feeling of amusement and gratitude as Ruby grinned at the girl.

Marla protested against the idea of Ruby leaving, which helped with a sense of validation. Ruby truly did not want to leave, although she would have if Marla had wished it. However, the girl had replied quickly and loudly, which showed that she genuinely wanted Ruby to stay. Perhaps their blossoming friendship hadn't been destroyed by Ruby after all. It was a nice feeling to have some confirmation for the hope that Marla did enjoy Ruby's company, and that there was a possibility of friendship. Ruby played with a fold of her winter cloak, trying and failing to wipe the goofy smile off of her face. “Sometimes on cold nights like these, humans also huddle for warmth,” Marla said. Ruby felt her heart leap at that. That line was incredibly sweet and somehow unexpected, and something fluttered inside Ruby as she realized what was about to happen. Sure enough, the hug from Marla came. It was warm and comforting, and although Ruby wasn't typically one for things like that, she couldn't help but think that maybe it wasn't so bad. What had the world done to deserve someone like Marla? Ruby wrapped the cloak around Marla as well so that they shared it and its warmth in addition to the heat from their bodies, finally realizing how unprepared Marla had been for the weather when she dressed like this.

She hoped that the redhead didn't mind, but, after all, Ruby hadn't been the one to initiate the hug, so surely Marla would be fine with this. It was nice, really, this whole scene, and Ruby finally felt the sleepiness begin to settle in. A head rested on her shoulder, which surprised her at first, but she quickly adjusted to it. Maybe she should just grow accustomed to surprises, as it seemed as though Marla was full of them. The head was suddenly removed as the other girl apparently was jerked back to reality, and Ruby watched as Marla stuttered through an apology. After the comment about the possibility of weirding Ruby out, the Slytherin scoffed. Her features then softened as she grinned at the apologetic redhead. “You'll have to do more than that to weird me out!” she declared dramatically with a sparkle in her eyes. She then averted her eyes sheepishly but kept a soft smile. “Besides, I don't think it was that bad.” She turned back to the girl, one end of her mouth curved into a half-smile as she finished speaking. She was now too sleepy to be embarrassed, anyway, and that wasn't a bad thing.

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This is a concluding post to explain what happened in the rest of the thread, as we have decided to focus on things closer to the present.