Into Darkness PV Clair & Alma Closed

Clair patted Comet. "Ready to get moving? And leave this..." She tried to think of the right word "Prison, and move towards freedom? You'll get to be inside!" The rabbit looked rather bored sitting in her travel cage.
"We'll be on the move soon enough, girl." With that Clair went to tell her grandmother she was leaving.


Clair felt rather proud of herself. She had taken a taxi for the 10 minute drive over to Kings Cross from her Grandmother's house, and then had been able to navigate her way through the mess of people towards Platform 9 3/4.

Now she was standing in front of the wall. Which she knew would lead her to the wizarding world and all it's glories. Yet it was not something she had gotten used to in the few times she had done it, running straight into what looks like a wall only to come through to the other side always made her nervous. What if the wall had turned into a wall again?
She paused for a moment, waited for the muggles to load onto their trains and when it was as clear as it would ever get she raced at the wall with her trolley in front of her.

Just as she had hoped, she went through the wall and ended up in the wizarding world.
"We did it Comet, now lets just get on the train and the. We'll have a nice rest and be ready to go went we get there!"
She made her way towards the train, and eventually boarded it, (it took her a little while to get on the train due to hoards of students trying to board) She walked down the lane trying to to find a empty seat. As she was walking all her thoughts of finding a seat went out the window (poof!) as she seen Colin and another girl, Alma of she remembered correctly, Colin seemed to be upset and Alma was helping him. She wondered if they were in a relationship, or just friends that were helpful and supportive. She hurried forward and put her stuff aside.
"Colin are you ok?" she asked, concern was written all over her face and it was heavy in her voice too.
"I have some tissues somewhere, would you like them?" She asked, reaching onto her pocket to attempt to find them. Having changed into her school robes in a nearby washroom Clair was still not yet used to having as many pockets as her robes did.

"Hello Alma!" She greeted kindly while she searched for her baggie of tissues. "May I join you two? If you'd like me to scurry on my own path I can do that too. I don't want to invade." If they were in a relationship it would be the last thing she'd want to do.

Finding the tissues at last Clair held them out for Colin, "Here, you might want these." She said, concern still written all over her face.
Hopefully Colin was just really missing his family already. She really hoped that.
(Wc 518)
@Colin McCoire and @Alma Stoll

As she led Colin out into the corridor and into an empty compartment, Alma couldn’t help but wonder how she got herself into this situation. One moment, she was having a lovely moment with Finn and the new second-year, Maggie, and the next she was trying to save Colin from public embarrassment.

She gently drew Colin into the compartment and sat him down. As she was putting his belongings under the seat and frantically making sure everything was organized, she heard him whisper something. It sounded like…Blair? Fair?

She scrambled up and sat next to him in the seat, putting a (hopefully) comforting hand on his shoulder. “Just try to take a deep breath, Colin. What was that you said?” she asked, hoping that it was something that could help calm him down for the time being.

She suddenly understood what he had said as a Ravenclaw girl, Clair Fernandez, stepped into the entrance of the compartment and asked what was wrong, concern written all over her face. Oh god, what was she supposed to do?

Alma had met both Clair and Colin at the same time back in the leaky cauldron and it was obvious that Colin had a crush on the girl. What was she to do now that he was sobbing in front of his crush?

“Hi Clair!” she jumped up from her seat, trying to appear as cheerful as she could. “Colin is…well…”

She glanced over to the letter hidden away in Colin’s satchel and wondered if he’d be okay with her telling Clair what had happened. She settled on no; it wasn’t her place to be spreading Colin’s personal business, and to be honest, she already felt a bit bad for reading the letter herself.

“He’ll be alright, i’m sure!” she said. She sat down once again next to Colin, wrapping one arm around him for some comfort. “Would you like Clair to stay here?” she asked softly, trying to appear the least intimidating she could. Dealing with other people’s emotions was always something that she would take on herself, so she had a bit of practice when it came to comforting people.


@Colin McCoire @Clair Fernandez

Colin collapsed onto the seat and drew his knees up under his chin. The last little while kept playing over and over in his mind --- the owl, the letter, his brother sleeping, the owl, people watching him, the letter. He began to shiver uncontrollably as he heard Alma trying to tell Clair what she knew, but stopped short. She was here? Clair? She didn't pass by the compartment?

Part of Colin wished she would pass by --- that part didn't want her to see him this way, would be embarrassed if she did. But another part of him desperately wanted for her to be here with him. He heard Clair ask Alma if she could stay with them; she offered to leave if Alma thought she were intruding. Colin's heart sank! He looked up and could see Claire through his tears.

"NO! DON'T GO!" He wasn't sure if he'd yelled or whispered. Colin only knew that he wanted nothing more than for this one girl to stay. Clair. She seemed to a very strong effect on him, and he felt drawn towards her. "Please stay. Clair!" Those words he knew were whispered and he reached out towards her. "Don't go."

"It --- it's Liam. My brother. I got a letter after I got on the train. From St. Mungo's. He --- They told me he --- Liam's dead Clair! He was sleeping when I left him. And now he's gone!"

Colin felt utterly drained. He slumped down and began rocking gently.

"I'm cold." Colin looked up again and into Clair's eyes. "Why did he have to leave me?" He shook his head. He knew she couldn't answer that. He wondered if anyone could. His heart just needed to ask.

@Clair Fernandez | @Alma Stoll

Clair watched as Alma jumped up, acting as if everything was all right. It was very sweet of her to try, but Clair could tell that Colin was upset, anyone would be able to tell if they looked at his tear covered face, the poor mite.

She nodded, he seemed to want her to stay, she hoped she could be of some sort of help, peoples feeling were always something that had been hard for her, tears sometimes scared her. That had changed a bit after her mother's death, when she had shed so many tears that she realized they were not all that bad.
She entered the Area and put her trunk up, so it would be out of the way,
"Do you have a trunk to put up?" she asked, "I can get it.'' She was not sure if both of them had gotten their trunks or not.

As soon as the words fell out of Colin's mouth Clair's heart broke for him, It was the worst way to find out you'd lost someone, it was a cruel way, she knew how it felt.
"Oh My Gosh, I'm so sorry Colin!" she was not sure what to say, she tried to think of what Simon had done for her, he had given her a hug, he had been a safe spot for her, she would do the same, should Colin want it.
"Would you like a Hug? It might help a little, I am so sorry about your loss. I know how it feels; I lost my Mum only a few months ago." her heart cracked even more, partly because of the thought of her mother, and partly for Colin's loss.
Clair nodded "It's the shock, here." she Stuck her hand into her Trunk and found her House scarf.
"It's Ravenclaw Coloured, but it might help."
She did not reply to his last question, she did not know what to say. she knew it was a question that she had thought many times, why? why did out loved ones leave us?
"Our loved ones may be gone from our sight, but their not gone from our hearts." she whispered, she had repeated it a lot when she had first lost her mother.
(wc 375)
@Alma Stoll@Colin McCoire

Alma didn’t exactly know what to do next. She kind of just sat there, her hand on Colin’s shoulder with her thumb tracing small comforting circles into his shirt. She just sat and listened to Colin and Clair talk.

She began to contemplate her options. She could head back to the other compartment, after Colin was feeling a bit better of course. He seemed to want to be around Clair very bad right now. She could also just stay here with the two of them.

It was…a little awkward, to say the least. She definitely didn’t expect to spend her very first train ride to Hogwarts with a sobbing second year and his crush. They weren’t responding to her very much anyway, but she supposed that was alright. Clair seemed to have much more experience with grief than Alma did, judging by the way she talked to him.

“She’s right you know.” Alma replied. “Couldn’t have said it better than my own Ma.” she giggled softly. Her mother had always been a good comfort person. Bringing you hot cocoa, watching movies until you fall asleep, whispering sweet words in your ear to help you feel better.

“Think about it this way, Colin.” she started, scooting back and being extra careful to say the right thing.

“I don’t know much about your family, but i’m positive that your brother had a wonderful life. You got 100% of the time you could’ve spent with him. He got to spend his whole life with an amazing big brother like you!”

She hoped this was enough to calm him down at least a little bit.

@Colin McCoire @Clair Fernandez

Colin shuddered but took several deep breaths. He looked up at the poor firstie, Alma. What a way to get yourself introduced to the magical world! And Clair spoke, offering him a hug. He could only nod as he collapsed into her embrace. He only hoped she didn't feel weirded out by him.

Alma reminded him that, indeed, he and Liam had a pretty wonderful life together. He could only hope he was as amazing as Alma seemed to think he was! His sobbing subsided as Clair comforted him. He had felt like he just going to shut down, but there was something about her presence. He felt buoyed up. He remembered how his friend Quinn had felt after nearly drowning last year and how Kim had saved her. Colin felt that way now.

He felt his heart fill up as Clair talked to him. She wrapped him up in her huge Ravenclaw scarf. Blue and Silver. Like the trim on the robes he'd received from his Seanmamó. He looked into Clair's face. She seemed so compassionate. She told him about her own Ma --- wait! Her own Ma just died recently!? he said to himself.

It seemed to Colin that the entire world shrank down to himself and this girl. The rocking motion of the train and their shared grief.

"Y---Your Ma just died? Ohh --- no!" Colin couldn't imagine that pain. His broken heart broke for her in turn. "Oh, Clair! I'm sorry too!" And he returned her hug. "I'm so sorry!"

He listened intently as she said to him: "Our loved ones may be gone from our sight, but they're not gone from our hearts."

Colin wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "Aye." His eyes felt a little drier and he stared across the compartment. "I--- In my heart, Clair, I know that's true. I'm glad you said it to me and I'm glad you stayed."

He paused for a while, then turned to look at her intently. "Tell me about yer Ma, Clair! What was she like?"

@Clair Fernandez | @Alma Stoll

Clair hugged Colin with a strong embrace, it was the kind of embrace that Clair had wanted when her mum had just died, the kind of embrace passed between two people who have both lost something very close to their hearts. In one way it helped her feel just that bit better, about her own loss.

"Oh don't you worry." She said softly, in a almost coo, the way her Mother had talked to her as a toddler when she had cut her knee or she had found a little bird hurt in the fields.

"I'll stay as long as you'd like, it's hard I know it is." She patted his back.

"Well, she was super sweet, always would help me if I needed it, I remember following her around when I was six or so, and we found a small baby mouse in the barn, when we were pitching the hay, I hot upset because it's home was broken, but together we fed the baby mouse, and raised it till he was old enough to live on his own." It was no wonder where Clair had gotten her passion for animals from, "She used to live in Canada, but then when she met my Dad she fell in love, and after they had Me, they decided to move to my Dad's farm in Carlisle, that was were she really found out she loved animals, she had trained as a Vet in collage, but had never finished it. Well at the farm she could use that training, she was a amazing person. I miss her everyday, I often will write letters to her, but not send them. It makes me feel as if she is still with me." She smiled softly, "maybe you could try that? Write letters to your brother?" She shifted her weight a little, "so tell me about him, your brother."
(316)
@Alma Stoll & @Colin McCoire

Clair spoke about her Ma and her love for animals and her obvious love for her daughter. Colin didn't know what a vet was exactly in this context. He knew that people who had fought in wars were vets, but that didn't seem to fit. This kind of vet seemed to have something to do with animals. He determined she must have been some kind of animal healer. Colin imagined a younger Clair tagging after her Ma as she looked after sick bowtruckles and augureys and possibly even chickens and cows!

"She sounds grand, Clair, yer Ma!" He smiled when she told him about taking care of the baby mouse --- at home that probably would have ended up as an owl or falcon snack, but he could tell she had big heart all the same! "McCoire House --- that's the name of our house --- there we keep mostly hunting birds and horses. But we've got chickens and a couple cows for milk. And there's loads of farms around us! Me and Liam used to run or sometimes fly our little brooms all around to visit them."

God, how could Colin tell the entire story of himself and his brother? Clair seemed like she wanted to know, so Colin would tell her! "Liam. He was really grand, Clair. We were twins! I was the elder by two whole minutes, and Ma said I screeched like a banshee until he came along and settled me down." Colin laughed at the thought. "She said the whole time she was pregnant we were either wrestling and carrying on or else sound asleep; and that pretty much held true for all our time together!"

"I still remember the time we got out our Uncle Colin's old broom --- I was named after him! --- and we argued over who should have first go. Naturally, I said I ought to go first, but he thumped me and after a while we just decided to get on the thing together. And whoa! That broom could fly! Twas all we could do to hang on Clair! We shot straight up, high above the highest parts of the house, and then plummeted again and then zoomed just above ground all way down to the loch! Ma and Da were out riding that day and they chased us down to the water's edge. We got dumped into the water and had to swim for shore, and lucky too, because the broom decided to impale itself on the beach! Ma was livid and went on about how could've killed ourselves, but Da said we'd make fine broom racers one day, if only we'd learn how to fly properly! Liam and I were so happy that Christmas when we each got a wee broom we could fly ourselves!"

Colin sighed deeply. He felt so much better just for talking about Liam with Clair. "Last year was hard, though. He was sorted into Ravenclaw and meself into Slytherin. He never had many friends and he spent most of his time in the library studying. We both love to read --- mostly history and mythology, but also faerie stories and legends of the old days. He loved reading about potions and chemical sciences, and I love wild creatures and herbology and astronomy most. We shared an interest in muggle magic, though! We used to spend hours with Da in his workshop as he worked to get their magic to work with ours. Liam always said he'd crack the code one day and get the lexitricity to work with charms. But now..."

Colin slumped again as he thought about their first year at school. "I didn't see him much last year, Clair. I missed him so much! The games we played, the secret languages we made. Just simple things like being poked in the ribs and laughing together; the sound of his breathing and mine syncing as we fell asleep, waking up to find him ready and waiting to tickle me senseless! At least our last summer together was grand."

Colin fell silent for a while. He looked up into Clair's eyes of blue. "Hey! Clair! I'm not crying anymore!" He wondered if she had some kind of magic that could help calm him down. He blushed, and changed the subject. "Um. Is that your rabbit there? What's his name?" He reached down to grab his new bottomless pocket satchel. He rummaged around in one of the pockets. "I --- I've gotten pretty good at making treats for cats and owls and such creatures." He towards the corner where his Indian eagle owl snoozed. "But, I've started trying to make treats for herbivores, too! Could I meet your bunny?"

@Clair Fernandez | @Alma Stoll

Alma slumped back into the seat and sighed, noticing Colin finally wasn’t crying anymore. Funny, all she really had to do was get him with Clair. She thought she was going to have to be here a lot longer.

Realizing this, she stood up, ready to go walk back to her original compartment with Finn and Maggie and meet that new girl! She turned to say goodbye to the two of them, but soon found she didn’t need to. The two were chatting away, as if they completely forgot she was there.

Overcome suddenly with a wave of slight bitterness, she frowned a little. She was the one trying to help in the first place; I mean, here they were chatting away as if she didn’t just save Colin from public humiliation in that compartment. By the way Maggie was so obviously snickering and Finn seemed slightly angry, he would’ve been made fun of for sure!

But her Ma always taught her to never be bitter, and never hold grudges, as it weighs heavy on the heart.

So, she simply walked out, speed walking back to the original train chamber to explain the embarrassing situation.