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Post by aidenchristian on Nov 25, 2007 21:13:48 GMT -5
Aiden's hair was restyled by the wind as he made his way through the grounds of Hogwarts to the West Tower, where he was told his owl would be housed. His face felt like a pincushion as capillary after capillary was bombarded by the wind, losing its battle with a tiny burst of pink. The stinging in his face only damped more so the glum feeling Aiden had had upon arriving at Hogwarts, and the wind and the overcast sky weren't helping either. But how could one expect anything more with the rumors of what lurks in the forest circulating. The thought of dementors being so near him made Aiden's heart beat quicken. He hurried to the tower and a final look about him, just in case, before he entered and shut the door behind him with a sigh.
The tower was a total contrast from the cold, desolate grounds that surrounded it. The warmth of the tower was a welcome feeling on Aiden’s skin. He felt safe in the tower, this being the first time since arriving at Hogwarts. The owls fluttered around his head and looked at him intently as he walked up the steps to where his owl rested. The crackle of hay accompanied the owl’s songs as he conquered the stairs one by one. The filth of the tower, of which he was not used to, made even the dirtiest part of Diagon Ally look clean. He reached the top of the stairs pulling out the letter he planned to send.
‘Dear Undersecretary To My Father,’ He read
I figured I would address this to you since there is no hope of my father reading it. Moments before reading this I’m sure he would have tossed it on with the rest of the mail for you to read. It is ok; it has become a tradition of sorts by now. I don’t suppose he has asked but if he does, I made it to Hogwarts. Slowly I am finding my way around the school, though I have yet to meet anyone. Anyway I just wanted him to not worry have to talked to the headmistress to see if I arrived.
Thank you, Aiden
He could feel a lump in his throat as he closed the letter and tapped it with his wand, sealing it with his family crest, the silvery shape of a snake and a fox in battle dancing across the back of the letter. He gave the letter a quick kiss and handed it to the owl growing more and more impatient as it waited. It took off the second it snatched the letter from Aiden’s hand. He walked to a window and stood there for a moment, watching the bird fly off into the distance, not wishing to brave the cold just yet.
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Post by Caitlin Collins on Nov 26, 2007 15:53:02 GMT -5
Caitlin slowly meandered her way up the winding staircase that led to the Owlery. It had become her safe haven when she wanted to think. With the curfew, nowhere ever seemed to be quiet, and the soft hooting of owls helped relax her. She had met Jacques up here for the first time, she remembered. The Gryffindor boy from Africa was the reason she wanted to think. Or rather, she wanted to think about why she had been so nervous around him at the masquerade ball. She had a feeling that the reason was obvious, but she couldn't put her finger on it. She knew that if she could just sit down and explore all angles the answer would appear to her, which was why she was currently making the trek to the West Tower.
She pushed the door open and was dismayed to find someone else already up there. Within a few seconds, though, her disappointment had turned to curiosity. The boy standing at the window was a complete stranger. He towered over her by almost a foot (although that was not exactly a rare occurence, unfortunately) and appeared to be watching an owl fly away. He didn't look as though he wanted to be disturbed, though, so she went to turn away. Moaning Myrtles' Bathroom was always free, even if she did despise the damp. Before she could leave, she felt a weight land on her shoulder and let out a slight cry. Turning her head she realised what it was. The owl who had delivered some of her previous letters was perched on her arm, staring at her intently. Caity had a vague idea that perhaps talking to it, as embarassed as it had made her feel, hadn't been the best idea.
She shook her arm a bit but the owl didn't budge. Turning to the tall boy, who had almost certainly noticed her by now, she grinned sheepishly.
"Hi, uh... Mind getting this bird off me? I don't want to hurt it," she grimaced, wondering at her own sympathy for the animal. It was certainly hurting her, with those sharp claws digging in.
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Post by Wysteria Edwin on Nov 27, 2007 16:36:02 GMT -5
((OOC: OMG!!!!!! *waves at Aiden*)
The past several days had been a bit hectic for Wysteria. She hadn't been able to see many of her friends as her studies had become more overwhelming than she had expected. The ball had been interesting, and as she climbed the steps to the owlry a small smirk spread across her lips. She turned her letter over in one hand, transfering it to her other hand and back again. Even though it contained nothing more than a simple correspondance to her father, going anywhere alone nowadays made her slightly more nervous than usual.
She knew Dylan's condition was improving, but it was very hard not to wonder if or when another attack would occur. She needed to speak with the other shadow warriors and masters, and find out if they had any idea who had hurt Dylan. She knew the wounds weren't typical to a shadow solider...they were made with magic. This made her worried that the Mage might even have a spy in Hogwarts. She wanted to know who they enemy was...it was frustrating for her not to know.
As she opened the owlry door, she heard Caitlin saying something about getting a bird off her shoulder...and indeed a large owl had decided to perch on her. She appeared to be in pain, as the bird was clawing at her like it would a branch. Wyst winced, and then noticed that Aiden was in the tower as well. She had met him briefly, but it had been two months since she had seen him last. Her eyes widened in surprise, as she had been a long time since she had seen him. He seemed disquieted...but Wyst thought it would be rude to ask what was wrong.
"Uh....maybe you could just..." Wysteria walked up to Caitlin and began making "shooing" motions at the bird to try and make it leave, but didn't actually touch it. She wasn't sure if it would work, but knowing her previous encounters with animals she knew it would probably fly as far away from her as it could if it thought she was threatening it.
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Post by aidenchristian on Nov 27, 2007 22:04:17 GMT -5
Aiden sat quietly listening to the coos of the owls and the flutter of wings. The quiet was welcome. He had been through a lot in the past month; another move had gone by, another blow out with his father, and not to mention the gnawing feeling in the pit of his stomach that grew larger and heavier each day. He felt the stinging in his eyes as he watched sad sight of the sky. As he stood he fought to keep back his tears, a battle which was fruitless, with the shimmering path of destruction being his sign of failure.
Aiden quickly wiped his face as he heard the crunching of stale hay under the foot of an oncoming student. He tried to compose himself before the imminent confrontation. The room was too small to avoid it, it was too small to hide, and between the bird waste and the temperamental owls there frankly wasn’t any room. He took a deep breath and was ready to turn, composed and slightly forcing a smile, until the cry. Although it was small, it startled him, making his heart race.
He felt bad, but he had to laugh, for some reason the sight of a student shaking her arm, to no avail whatsoever, to get a deranged owl off of her was one of the funniest sights Aiden had seen in a while. But before he could get over to her, a second figure seemed to just appear. A smile crept onto his face as he saw there Wysteria Edwin, one of the only people he knew from Hogwarts. He let out a “somewhat” louder laugh as the sight of the two shooing and shaking the bird filled his eyes.
“Well this is quite the predicament,” he joked. He looked at the two and saw that the girl being hounded by the owl was in pain. Quickly, he pulled out his wand and pointed it at the bird. As he did, a small puff of air jetted from the tip, startling the cantankerous bird causing it to release the poor girl. After a moment and another small laugh, he held out his hand. “He’s a pesky little bugger isn’t he? The name’s Aiden.” He looked over at Wysteria,” And I think we’ve met, how are you? It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you!”
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Post by Caitlin Collins on Nov 28, 2007 9:45:43 GMT -5
The boy laughed at her predicament; although Caity understood the humour it was still a bit annoying. It was rather painful being used as a perch and she had requested his help. Another girl entered the room whom Caitlin knew to be called Wysteria, but she had never really met her except for that one incident by the lake. It was one of the many soaking occurrences she had experienced within her first month of joining Hogwarts, although they seemed to have lessened in number now. Wysteria always seemed to find her in the most embarrassing situations.
”Uh...maybe you could just...”[/color]
She attempted to shoo the bird away but it just dug its claws deeper, determined to stay. Caitlin winced at the stinging in her shoulder.
“Well this is quite the predicament.” [/color] The boy had contained his laughter and pointed his wand at the owl. For a moment Caity was alarmed, thinking he was going to harm it, but all he did was release a puff of air, startling it into relinquishing its claws. Before it could settle again, she ducked away, forcing it to fly back up to what it was supposed to use as a perch. “He’s a pesky little bugger isn’t he? The name’s Aiden.” [/color]
“Most definitely,” she agreed. He seemed friendly enough and his laughter had been harmless. “I’m Caitlin. Thanks for the help with the...” she gestured at the bird now staring down at her with beady eyes. She kept a wary eye on it while keeping her ears open for any questions directed at her.
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Post by Wysteria Edwin on Nov 28, 2007 15:19:49 GMT -5
Wysteria was relieved that Aiden's spell made the bird leave the girl's arm and fly up to its appropriate perch. She raised her eyebrow at the animal, knowing the owls were more intelligent than the common blast-ended skrewt. She almost wondered if it sensed that she didn't want to actually go near the owl, and knew it wasn't in any real harm.
"Well, nice spellwork Aiden," she said, giving him a small smile. She peered over at Caitlin's arm and looked at where the bird's claw marks had been. There was some bleeding, but nothing too bad. Wyst took out her wand and sealed the wounds with a silent charm as she scanned the owlry for a bird that didn't look aggressive. She picked out a large, serene-looking barn owl and lured it down onto her forearm. She liked using that bird since it was used to her, and she could count on the bird not deciding to flutter back up to its perch.
"That's very odd behavior for an owl, have they done that to you before?" Wyst said conversationally as she pulled out her letter to attach to the bird's leg. She turned the letter over a few times in her hand, some silent worry going through her as she wondered where the line between revealing too much sensitive information and not giving enough of a warning lay. Wyst made a mental note to ask D'rorah when she would need to pull a Hermione and send her father to Australia.
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Post by aidenchristian on Nov 29, 2007 22:45:15 GMT -5
Aiden smiled at Wysteria’s praise. He had tried hard to master his basic spell work and did so, yet rarely did he receive his rightful due. He could feel himself blush for the first time in a long time and he turned back towards the window, the power of a bit of attention enough to clear his skies and watch the clouded skies with new found wonder instead of contempt. After regaining his composure he turned back into the conversation, trying to hear what Caitlin was saying.
Aiden listen for a moment before he began to feel slightly lightheaded and he leaned against one of the only clear spaces on the wall to catch himself incase his knees gave out. He looked at the two hoping he had been nonchalant enough to have them not notice. Slowly he closed his eyes and a rush of light befell his thoughts. His could see before him shifting shadows and smoky images before a burst of clarity silenced the visual noise. He felt the scene with his eyes as a blind with Braille hoping to find something familiar. Instantly, his thoughts were filled with the sounds of party, of loud music, of laughter. He was standing in a great hall, not unlike the one at Hogwarts, decorated in winter fashion and Christmas glee.
Aiden’s eye was drawn to a fairly tall woman and boy laughing and dancing to the Parisian style waltz being played. They danced freely and joyfully across the floor as others watched on. Aiden could feel his heart drop as the vision shifted into his memory, the reason he was at Hogwarts, the reason he no longer smiled truthfully, the reason he felt alone. He knew what came next but continued to walk towards the two figures. Slowly he matched the steps of the boy as he led the woman across the floor. In one fluid movement, Aiden took the woman’s hand, and without thinking uttered the same words he did those many eves ago. “Thank you for bringing me mum, this is so much fun. I’ve missed you.”
“We shall be together now, Aiden. I’ve resigned as headmistress,” She told him quietly and with a smile. She hugged him close and held him for a long moment. “I’ll always be with you.”
With that Aiden’s heart dropped again, he shut his eyes as the tears began to fall. The lights and sounds of the ball faded away. He had to stop the memory before he lost his feeling of joy.
The smell of ginger and Christmas faded into the stale scent of hay as Aiden sat back against the wall on the highest level of the West tower, slow tears falling from his eyes. He kept his eyes closed for several moment to try to compose himself, and to think before having to confront the two in the room with him, hoping he had enough strength to keep the tears from falling and a silenced scene from creeping back.
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Post by Caitlin Collins on Nov 30, 2007 9:17:00 GMT -5
Caitlin smiled gratefully at Wysteria when she healed the claw marks on her shoulders. She hadn’t really noticed them, having been concentrating on keeping an eye on the owl, and had thought that the twinge was just an ache from carrying the weight of the owl. Still watching the intrepid bird, she had a vague impression of Wysteria picking a different one, probably to send the letter in her hand. "That's very odd behaviour for an owl, have they done that to you before?"[/color] Caity looked over, momentarily distracted by the question as she thought about it. “Um... not really... but I know that’s the same owl I used to send some letters before. I... uh... I was told that if you talked to an owl it was more likely to understand where it had to go, and I wanted all the letters, including the ones addressed to India, to go to my parents to forward using muggle post. It was so the Indian climate didn’t kill the stupid bird, but I thought it might be quite confusing so I did as that person suggested and explained verbally. I’m not sure... it might have formed some sort of... attachment to me?” She caught sight of movement from above and stepped out of the way just in time to avoid the owl landing on her shoulder again. Instead it swooped up and landed on the same perch, glaring down disapprovingly. Keeping a firmer eye on it this time, Caitlin didn’t notice Aiden’s sudden change in composure. ((lol – “pull a Hermione and send her father to Australia” ))
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Post by Wysteria Edwin on Nov 30, 2007 22:30:40 GMT -5
Wysteria secured her letter to the bird's leg as she listened to Caitlin's explanation. Her mouth formed something between and smirk and a grimace; Wyst never really had the experience of an animal to get attached to her. Granted, she had never owned pets, but her practical lessons in care of magical creatures never gave her warm and fuzzy feelings. She eyed the bird that had dugs its claws into Caitlin, wondering if it realized how sharp its talons were or if it enjoyed the slight discomfort it had caused the girl. Some animals had a sense a mischief that way.
Taking a couple seconds to check the address on the letter, she walked over to the window to release her owl. As she did so, Wyst saw Aiden retreat to the wall out of the corner of her eye. She turned to face him after watching her owl fly out of sight. His posture was a bit slumped, and his eyes were closed tightly. Wysteria had the sudden uncomfortable feeling of intruding on something very private. She wondered whether she should leave immediately and let Aiden be alone or as him if something was wrong. Wyst didn't WANT to ask if something was wrong, because it went against her natural inclination to keep to herself. But his face looked so...pained. She felt guilty at the idea of just leaving him there without trying to make him not look so solemn. After all, she was supposed to be an example of Light and good...for whatever ironic reason.
"You know Aiden, I think that the professors need to ease up on your homework. You're falling asleep at the drop of a hat," Wyst said, smirking. "I guess NEWT classes for 7th years really are more difficult." She folded her arms and made a sideways glance to Caitlin, noting that the girl was still keeping watch on the bird. With any luck she could convince Aiden that he had simply looked fatigued with his eyes closed.
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