Midnight Wanderings Finished

@Sapphire Riddle

It wasn't anywhere near normal to see Katrina doing anything adventurous. Sure, she had been sorted into Gryffindor, but Katrina didn't have any bravery and lacked pretty much everything else that made up any other lioness she knew. Nonetheless, Katrina found herself sneaking out of her common room. She had no intentions of getting in trouble, but she couldn't sleep and maybe walking around would help clear her mind.

The entire castle was silent. It was one of the first times Katrina had seen it this way. No idle chatting in the halls, no quiet lectures from behind closed doors, no laugher from more frivolous students. Instead, it was like someone had draped a heavy sound proof blanket over every hallway. Even Katrina's tentative steps were silent, her movements agile and undetectable.

There was so much going on in Katrina's life. Well really, 'so much' was nothing. With her parents passed on and her family still hating her, Katrina would stay here until she was old enough to live on her own meaning this summer she would be alone again. Fighting an internal battle with her mind, trying to shove away all thoughts of the memories of the Blossomball, Katrina found herself floating.

It wasn't an abnormal thing to see Katrina floating. A better word for it would be drifting. She had begun wandering around aimlessly just before the Blossomball. Now, it was a bad habit. Every time Katrina had more than a few seconds of free time she would wander with no destination just to keep her mind preoccupied and thinking about things that she wanted to forget.

Before she knew it, the lioness was climbing the steps to the Astronomy tower. Up there she could breathe and hopefully be able to clear her mind. A tiny part of her mind screamed that if she was caught she would get in huge trouble, but the rest of her urged her to go on.

Katrina reached the top and took a deep breath of the chilly air, pulling her school robes (which she hadn't taken off) closer. But she didn't go far before stopped in her tracks. There was a figure almost hunched over the side. The person was doing something, but the second-year couldn't see quite what. They spoke, most likely to themselves, but Katrina found herself afraid the words were aimed at her.

"What a shame it would be if someone were to fall."

With no words to respond to that, Katrina took a few steps and came up beside her, still not getting a good look at her face. A part of Katrina hoped that the words were aimed her and not that the girl was debating jumping off. The second-year may be good with injuries and helping people feel better, but words of wisdom weren't something she was good at. If Katrina had to talk this girl down from jumping off the impossible to survive fall, it would be a hard and likely extremely awkward conversation.

"Are you alright?" Katrina asked in a quiet voice, it was surprising how scratchy it had become from lack of use the last week. As a master of facial expressions, Katrina furrowed her brows just slightly as to indicate mild concern. Nothing crazy, just another student needing fresh air was the aura around Katrina, and she intended to keep it that way.

Normally, if Katrina spotted someone she would dart away or avoid conversation. But for some odd reason, Katrina found herself drawn towards this girl. Maybe it was necessity or similarity of souls, or perhaps Katrina simply hadn't realized how much she needed the fresh air.

I hope you don't mind me joining

“Are you alright?” Upon hearing the scratchy, quiet voice behind her, Sapphire couldn’t help jolting her head up and turning it towards the speaker. It was a girl, a little taller than her. She couldn’t discern many of her features, since the moon wasn't giving off much light and the were, after all, at the top of a dark tower.

Momentarily, she felt like saying that she wasn’t alright. She felt like spilling everything that had been bothering her. She forgot that this was someone she knew nothing about, a girl she’d never met before.

Sapphire sighed softly, then pulled her wand out of her jacket pocket, turning towards the girl. “Lumos,” she muttered, illuminating the space. She got a good view of the girl in front of her, now that she could properly see.

She was still wearing her robes, despite the late hours, and they revealed her house to be Gryffindor. Now, Sapphire didn’t have anything against Gryffindors in general, but something seemed… off… about this girl. She seemed emotionally distant. It wasn’t something visibly shown in her face, but Sapphire could sense it.

The girl’s expression betrayed mild concern, hazel eyes conveying the emotion as well. That and verbal cues, from when she’d spoken, told Sapphire that the Gryffindor girl had heard her ask herself that question aloud.

The albino-esque second year exhaled, raking a pale hand through her already wind-tousled hair. “Yes, I’m fine,” she said. “If you’re asking whether I intended to jump off, at least. I’m certainly not fine, but I’m not suicidal…” yet, she couldn’t help but think. She didn’t know why she’d told the girl that, but she had a feeling it wouldn’t turn out too horribly…

She supposed that she should introduce herself, so she tucked her wand behind her ear, light still shining from the tip, and said, “Sapphire Riddle. You?”

@Sapphire Riddle

Katrina felt a twinge of sympathy as the girl jumped at her voice. Katrina wasn't easy to startle, but when she was, she was usually startled pretty bad. "Sorry to spook you," The second year let her face show the minor sympathy.

The girl drew out her wand and Katrina hid her spark of fright. Was the girl going to Flippindo her off the tower? From the little she could see, the girl didn't seem to be one to do that, but she wasn't sure. Katrina gave the girl the benefit of the doubt and didn't react at all. Instead of casting an offensive spell, the girl simply lit the tip of her wand with Lumos.

With the extra light, Katrina could see that the girl seemed somewhat familiar. She had vibrant white hair and intense crystal blue eyes. The second year could see that this girl looked particularly worn out, probably the same as Katrina looked like.

"Yes, I’m fine. If you’re asking whether I intended to jump off, at least. I’m certainly not fine, but I’m not suicidal…" However sure the girl's words were, Katrina couldn't help but wonder if there was more to her words than she was letting on.

The girl introduced herself as Sapphire Riddle. The last name seemed familiar but Katrina couldn't remember quite who.

"Katrina Walker," The lioness looked out over the expansive grounds, "What brings you out tonight?" The question was idle talk, not normally what Katrina indulged in, but it seemed the right moment to do so. It was still odd hearing Katrina's unfamiliar scratchy voice come out of her mouth, but it seemed she was going to use it some tonight.

SAPPHIRE LEANED BACK AGAINST THE RAILS, once again looking out at the dark surroundings as she considered Katrina’s question.

It was an excellent question, actually. What had brought her out? She wanted to? No, that didn’t seem right. She’d been consumed by her thoughts and had to get away, yes, but… Quite frankly, she didn’t know. Maybe the fact that anyone out at night likely felt as alone as she did.

She remained silent, watchful eyes lit from the side so that, if one was looking at her face from the side, the blue would likely appear white or clear. Ice-like.

“Dear old friend insomnia decided to pay a visit,” she finally stated. “I was trying to get away from my thoughts as well, I suppose.” She paused. “It didn’t work,” she muttered more to herself than to Katrina.

She sighed, looking blankly out at the forest in the distance. She was curious about Katrina, but she also didn’t want to press her for information–she was timid like that. “Do you ever wish you could just fly away?” she asked, not to anyone in particular. Her eyes were sad, and her thoughts returned to the very topics she was trying to avoid. “There are so many problems that just… come up. And I have no idea how to solve them on my own, but I don’t want to burden other people with it.”

Sapphire swore that there was something in the air that was making her say this. She wouldn’t normally speak about the things bothering her to anyone, much less a Gryffindor she barely knew. She sighed again.

As the new girl-- Sapphire-- took a moment to think about the question, Katrina asked herself the same thing. What had brought her out? The necessity to breathe? Longing for fresh air? Just chance? With the amount of wandering around Katrina had been doing, it was somewhat surprising that she hadn't already made it up here.

"Dear old friend insomnia decided to pay a visit. I was trying to get away from my thoughts as well, I suppose," As the girl turned, Katrina could see how light white they almost seemed, "It didn’t work" she added quietly after. The second-year nodded thoughtfully, same for herself she supposed.

Katrina was about to add something, say something, but she wasn't sure what exactly to say. Just as she was about to talk, Sapphire beat her to it. "Do you ever wish you could just fly away?"

"All the time," Katrina muttered quietly, resting her hands on the cold edge, almost leaning into the wind. With everything she had going on, it would be amazing if she could leave all of the pain and mourning and tears.

"There are so many problems that just… come up. And I have no idea how to solve them on my own, but I don’t want to burden other people with it."

"Are you sure you didn't just read my soul?" Katrina gave a sad smile and a depressed-sounding laugh. It seemed like Sapphire simply took everything that had been swirling around the lioness' head and put it perfectly into words. She was taking an incredible risk, but the second-year decided to tell her tragic past again.

"I'm not sure why I'm saying this, but I think my story might be something that, i don't know, might help you?" Katrina found herself holding the silver locket around her neck, "Last March, I got a letter. And in it, I was told that my parents, brother, and childhood home had burned in a housefire. I attended my parent's funeral and was told by my family that they hated and didn't want me." Emotion touched the edge of her voice and her voice cracked on the last word, Katrina paused so she would cry or do something equally embarrassing. "Everything just keeps getting worse and harder and I just am not sure what else to do," Katrina looked back at Sapphire, the sad smile still on her face. "I guess, I just-- know how it feels," Katrina left the conversation open if the snake wanted to say anything, hopefully Katrina's story could lead into Sapphire's.

THE NOTION THAT SAPPHIRE COULD READ KATRINA’S SOUL ALMOST MADE HER LAUGH. “It’s surprising, how similar people’s problems can be if you just look into it,” she said quietly. Having the sense that Katrina was going to say something else, she stayed quiet.

“Im not sure why I’’m saying this, but I think my story might be something that, I don’t know, might help you?” Katrina fiddled with a silver locket as Sapphire turned her head towards the Gryffindor. “Last March, I got a letter. And in it, I was told that my parents, brother, and childhood home had burned in a house fires I attended their funeral and was told by my family that they hated me and didn’t want me. Even without facial expressions, Sapphire could tell that this was painful for the Auburn-haired girl to say. “Everything just keeps getting worse and harder and I just am not sure what else to do. I guess, I just–know how it feels.” Sapphire nodded.

She supposed that such an exposure deserved the same in return. Sapphire took a breath. “When I was three, by parents were killed and my twin and I were made orphans. We were separated, and she forgot who I was. We were reunited last year, but it wasn’t a very clean reunion. It was kind of random meetings, slowly mending a relationship that started with two innocent little girls, and now we’re socially awkward people with hostility towards others a majority of the time. I moved with her and her adoptive father last summer to L.A., but I feel like I don’t really… belong with them. And then, I’ve had weird, last second precognitions. I’ve known what’s going to happen before it did. I don’t know…” She trailed off, gazing back at the forest. Her eyes were glassed over, not really seeing. Should I have done that? she thought. Was it smart to have revealed the things that had been bothering me…?

@Sapphire Riddle

There was a moment of silence where both girls seemed to be deep in thought. Katrina turned to look out over the beautiful view. The expansive green lawns that sparked in the sunlight seemed to be ominous in the dark. Tall trees shrunk to the size of ants. Perspective was an odd thing. Katrina looked out and saw the Quidditch Pitch and quickly turned away, not wanting to think about it. The second year could just pick out the shape of the Greenhouse and the trail she would occasionally run. Katrina tucked her hair behind her ears and rested her arms on the fence, eyes looking out at nothing.

"When I was three, by parents were killed and my twin and I were made orphans. We were separated, and she forgot who I was. We were reunited last year, but it wasn’t a very clean reunion. It was kind of random meetings, slowly mending a relationship that started with two innocent little girls, and now we’re socially awkward people with hostility towards others a majority of the time. I moved with her and her adoptive father last summer to L.A., but I feel like I don’t really… belong with them. And then, I’ve had weird, last second precognitions. I’ve known what’s going to happen before it did. I don’t know…”

Katrina felt her mask of calm begin to slip, letting her features show sympathy. The lioness' heart ached for the girl, she knew what it was like to loose everything, but Katrina wasn't sure how she would handle if getting it back wasn't as good as she imagined it. It took the girl a long time to come up with words to say. Katrina hated when people tried to sympathize when they truly had no clue, but she was struggling with figuring out what else to say.

"Wow, that's a lot to handle." Katrina spoke quietly, biting her lip in indecision, "How much do you talk to your twin? Do you know if they're also struggling? I mean, if I still had my brother I would probably go to him to talk. Not sure about you, but I've been struggling finding people to talk to that have actually been through similar things." The second year was afraid that she had crossed some sort of line, social interactions were still not her forte. Should she not have brought up the sibling? Katrina didn't even know who the other person was, but now that she thought of it, one of the prefects kind of looked the same as Sapphire.

Katrina sighed and turned towards the girl, "I want to give advice or words of wisdom, but I really don't want to give empty words..." Katrina's voice trailed off, it was only her hope that the girl would know what she meant.

“Wow, that’s a lot to handle. How much do you talk to her twin? Do you know if they’re also struggling? I mean, if I still had my brother I would go to him to talk. Not sure about you, but I’ve been struggling finding people to talk to that have been through similar things.” Sapphire sighed.

“I’m pretty close with Koko, but I’ve always felt sort of detached and I don’t really feel comfortable asking people questions. I don’t really know all that much about her past,” she said after a few seconds, hesitation evident in her voice.

She heard Katrina sigh, and the hazel-eyed female turned to her. “I want to give advice or words of wisdom, but I really don’t want to give empty words…”

Sapphire simply shrugged. She considered the words. “If I’m being honest, it felt good to tell someone the things that keep nagging at me. I always keep everything bottled up inside, never telling anyone. Sometimes, the best thing you can do for someone is listen.”

She cracked her knuckles, but not in a threatening way. It was a habit of sorts that she did when she was lost deep within her thoughts, an attempt to keep her tethered to the real world. Her eyes locked on the stars, still not really seeing them. She breathed in the warm night air, emotions hidden by a veil of neutrality. What an odd turnout to this night.

@Sapphire Riddle

Koko. Koko Riddle. That's right! Katrina hardly contained her happy victory as she put it together. It was silly, priding herself on putting things together. But her face showed no change in expression, it was Katrina's talent, master of facial expressions.

The lioness was relieved that she hadn't crossed a line with the comment about Sapphire's sister. It did seem like there was more to the story, but Katrina figured she would hear about it at a later time, it wasn't her place to ask anyway. Katrina was just glad the girl trusted her enough to say something.

“If I’m being honest, it felt good to tell someone the things that keep nagging at me. I always keep everything bottled up inside, never telling anyone. Sometimes, the best thing you can do for someone is listen.” Katrina nodded, grateful that Sapphire figured out what she meant. That feeling was mutual, simply being able to tell someone else helped so much. The red-head was really bad at bottling up her emotions, most Gryffindor's weren't very good at listening, Katrina had found.

Both girls were silent, looking up at the stars. It seemed like they both were trying to find the answer in the heavens. Katrina marveled at the expanse of the universe. And just to think that all of her problems were really that small compared to the skies. It was sort of humbling to realize. Perspective still tripped her up sometimes.

The night was cooling and Katrina found herself rubbing the inside of her left sleeve. An odd nervous habit to an onlooker. What they wouldn't know is inside was a small teal dragon embroidered into the fabric. The little dragon was her comfort and meant more to her than the universe overhead. It may as well have been the only thing that kept her sanity together.

Everything that had happened to Katrina should never happen to a 12-year-old. She wasn't even a teenager yet, she was still a kid trying to find her place in the big world around her.

"I wish Hogwarts would stop pushing us to grow up. Sometimes I just want to be a kid, but it seems like my childhood is already over," Katrina said, almost to herself, that was something that kept nagging at her. Just the feeling that she couldn't be a kid. She had to deal with losing her whole world and acting right and saving lives. Magic was so incredibly awesome, but it came with a heavy price.

"But, I suppose, I really wouldn't be me if I hadn't lived through what I already have," She added quieter, for some reason, Katrina wasn't really done talking. She could have left, but there was still a huge part of her that wanted to stay and talk and just get everything out for once instead of keeping it all inside.