An Uncontrollable Urge [Caitlin]

[Caitlin Collins]

Perhaps luckily for Bryan, Caitlin didn’t see the smile on the corner of his lips at her suggestion. Instead she was staring into her lap, one hand still clutching the sheet of paper in her pocket. It was partly annoyance at him that was making her act like this, but a big enough proportion was due to things that he couldn’t help that she felt guilty about it. She was shy, and did draw into herself easily, but there was no way he could know that. It wasn’t his fault. So why did she feel this inherent desire to dislike him?! He’s the replacement, but it’s not his fault! She wouldn’t wish being dragged into this war on anyone.

"Given that my art stuff is rarely far from me, I doubt it, but anything is possible in the magical world. Thanks for trying, I guess it's something I'll have to look into now."

“No problem,” she replied, sending him a quick smile before diverting her eyes again. It was easier when she wasn’t looking at him, imagining the face that should be there while she was talking to the Elemental Master of Wind. Then she could just pretend he was an ordinary student. “I’m sure you’ll work it out eventually.” There were only a certain number of possibilities, so it shouldn’t take too long.

"Yeah, I am ... don't know why I took it, I guess to see what it really is about ... are you taking it? Maybe I'll ask her..."

“Yeah I am,” she confirmed, feeling a little guilty at saying that when she was turning up to so few of the lessons. She’d have to make a conscious effort from now on if there was another teacher. She certainly didn’t want to have her prefect status taken away from her for bunking lessons. It was useful when she didn’t want to sleep or had woken up from nightmares, and she needed to get out from the stifling atmosphere of the Hufflepuff common room. It was also good for the rest of the lightfighters – a position that could be used to advantage if needed. Again she shrugged when he named himself as also at fault.

"The forest doesn't seem so dangerous now. Strange how things can be so misleading and dark instead..."

Caity glanced up at him in surprise, seeing he was looking out of the window. Following his gaze, she saw he was taking in the Forbidden Forest. “It’s always dangerous, whatever it looks like...” she murmured, half to him as an added warning, and half as a reminder to herself. The first time she’d been in there had been with Jacques Broken, Zane, Alessandro and Keaira. Now, she wondered what had ever happened to Jacques. She hadn’t seen him in months, and he hadn’t been turning up to classes... Another person gone. “So many people have gone missing,” she added sadly, turning her face away from the trees. How were they supposed to protect everyone if they were stupid enough to go on an adventure into the forest? Jacques had been stupid – she knew that now. And she had been stupid to follow him in, even if it was just to get him out again.

[Bryan Kelley]

Bryan inclined his head absently after Caity had spoken in response to him on the forest. "Yes, amazing how appearance can be misleading and you never known until you get into it," he continued, still staring at the forest for a moment longer before he looked back at the Hufflepuff in time for her last statement on the amount of people who had gone missing. A frown touched the Gryffindor's mouth at the thought. He glanced once more to the forest. "The unfortunate and, unfortunately, unchangeable outcome of a war," he murmured with a small sigh.

Now that he knew so much now, Bryan no longer knew if he wanted to go back to that time when he was living in blissful ignorance. As surely it was blissful not to know there were creatures of darkness in the forbidden forest. That there were students who were putting their life on the line to protect those in the school who probably weren't even aware of these people's sacrifices. A world where people didn't even know when someone lost their life for them. This war was still only in progress in the short range, only affecting those immediately influenced by it or those stupid enough to wander into it. It was growing, there was no doubting that, and eventually it would spill out into the large playing field where it will become more wide spread knowledge. Those who lived in blissful ignorance would not live such for long if it spread.

"As much as we may wish otherwise,"

[/color] he then added silently. He had not lost anyone in this war, this battle yet. At least knowingly had he. However, he was not selfish enough to think merely of himself. His thoughts transferred to those he didn't even know instead. His thoughts did balk at the idea of fighting. Bryan knew he wasn't particularly a fighter. He would if he needed to, but he had always been a background figure.

[[ Sorry, a little shorter than I usually do, but I'm a bit blocked on ideas...]]

[/size][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Caitlin Collins]

Bryan’s description of the people going missing as “unchangeable” struck a chord with Caity. She hated feeling helpless, feeling that there was nothing she could do about something that needed changing.

“It shouldn’t be unchangeable,” she whispered, partly to him and partly to herself. She purposefully kept her voice low, because even this conversation could be risky if heard by the wrong person. “Why can’t we do something about it? It can’t be that hard to keep an eye on people we see every day in class, to stop them going into the forest. Let people know that the danger isn’t something to be trifled with or just rumours.” Telling others the truth might draw more people into the war, but at least they’d be better able to deal with shadows or dementors if they came across them. The stupid Ministry not accepting that shadows really existed didn’t help anything – it was a bit late for someone to realise their government was wrong when they suddenly came face to face with one of those dark creatures.

She could have continued her little spiel, but suddenly a loud ringing went through the corridor which made her jump – the bell for next lesson. And she didn’t have any of her books with her – they were all in her dormitory. Jumping up, she turned quickly to face Bryan, thinking it might be a little bit rude to just run off without warning. “Nice meeting you,” she started hurriedly, just about managing to keep a straight face at the lie. “But, I gotta go. Books for next class are in my dormitory...” She took a step back, ready to go as soon as he bade his farewell. She really needed to keep a better eye on the time; she was being late to so many classes at the moment.

[Bryan Kelley]

Bryan looked at Caity when she spoke in response to his last statement. He was almost surprised at the severity of her words. She had seemed almost aloof in this meeting that the strength behind them was almost a surprise to the Gryffindor. He didn't disagree with her. He knew that some things ought to be changeable but he knew that in some cases it was almost impossible. A small frown touched his lips as he thought about it.

"Death is not really something we can change. We can try to stall it, but it eventually catches up, especially when there are people or things out there whose goal is to make it come even more quickly. You'd have to stop those whose goal is death to make it changeable in this case ... as there will always be stupid people..."

[/color] he stated in response, his voice quiet. There were stupid people when death was not the final outcome that was in store for them. Instead, the stupidity was there when one was only trying to help or even in the every day thing such as class. It was part of humanity. Bryan didn't think it was possible to do away with it.

He titled his head for a moment when he heard the bell ring. His mind was trying to remember if he had a class now. However, he was pulled from his thoughts when the Hufflepuff girl continued to speak after the bell had ceased its final ring. "Nice meeting you too,"[/color] he replied to her, feeling a bit disoriented, the bell having caught him off guard. "Good luck with your next class,"[/color] he said to her before she turned and headed off towards where ever she needed to go.

Bryan stood in the corridor only a few moments longer, his eyes straying once more to the window and in turn the forest. He was lost in a moment of contemplation as he thought over the conversation he had just held with the Hufflepuff. As laughter drifted down the corridor, Bryan roused himself and slid his sketchbook into his shoulder bag and headed towards the stairs that led upward. He had been on his way to his common room, though he could quite remember why now.

It would come back to him, he assumed.[/blockquote][/size]