Weaving Threads (open-Ravenclaws)

[Katherine Knightswood]

Katherine was finished dealing with another spate of homework, having completed her essay for Divinations as well as prepping for the next few days’ worth of classes. She had Arithmancy, Transfiguration, Care of Magical Creatures and Charms on her schedule for tomorrow. True to Ravenclaw form, the young woman had already finished reading ahead for all four classes. She lounged alone at a table in the Common Room, parchment everywhere and inks and quills at hand, working on the translation she’d promised Dylan.

She hadn’t seen a hair of Dylan or D’rorah since the disastrous encounter over . . .well, whatever was going on. The young woman was still translating Merlin’s Epistle, and had made quite a bit of headway into completing the job, being down to the last three pages. When she wasn’t in class, asleep or practicing for Quidditch, she was chipping away at the book word by word. And what she had discovered was pretty amazing. It was difficult for an eleven year old girl to even imagine that she could be a thread being woven into the tapestry of a war between good and evil. But that’s what Katherine guessed was happening.

Apparently there was constant and ever-shifting battle between two forces, one Light and one Dark. They chose people with magical power to work through, roughly every millennium or so. The Dark force, jealous of its power, usually invested itself in just one witch or wizard. The Force of Light gave its power out by way of the elements, and interestingly enough, in the Oriental system of five elements. The Light called five mages to master the elements and five mages to fight the Shadows that hunted them.

Katherine closed the book and put down her quill, flexing her hands to crack her knuckles. Was this what upset D’rorah so, Katherine’s involvement in a war that could be so world-shattering? Yes, Katherine admitted she was young, but she was willing to fight evil, the result of her family upbringing. One didn’t just live the family motto, the Knightswoods embodied their family motto. “Honor est meam victoriam,” murmured Katherine to herself. “Honor is my victory.” She sighed.

To be true to herself and those who fought for justice was so ingrained into Katherine’s mind and heart that she couldn’t even consider fighting for the forces of the Dark. The question was how she was going to convey that to the others her at the school who were involved in this war. And just who were they? Katherine suspected certain students, such as Keaira, Dylan and D’rorah. But who else was woven into this tapestry? Katherine shook her head in frustration, failing to make sense of the threads in this complex tapestry. She had turned to the task of tidying up her books and piles of parchment when she heard the door to the Common Room swing open behind her.

[Alessandro Darko]

Care of Magical Creatures was definitely not Alessandro Orion Darko's favorite class. Interacting with foul beasts, and strange creatures was not something he was quite fond of, having to deal with the strangest of them all; the Shadow Creatures, he would rather leave all others out of the picture for the time being.

He thrust his copy of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them into his messenger bag, and slung it over his shoulder angrily as he took one last scornful look at the Quintaped that was tied scantily to a stake near the Gamekeepers Hut. With that, he was off, and he set off up the escalating terrain toward the castle, stepping over large stones and high stepping to ascend the rough ground.

Disgraceful. Absolutely incredulous and lackadaisical. He thought with a heated expression as he entered the castle. He took a right after he got to the end of the great hall and began his ascent through the corridors toward the Ravenclaw tower. How could they allow such a beast to be allowed on the school grounds?? It eats people for Merlin's sake! And to have it just tied to a stake? I'm sure if it saw someone tasty enough it would have ripped it right out of the ground and bit off one of our heads....absolutely dangerous and irresponsible. He wasn't usually one to criticize so harshly, or think on something like a CoMC lesson in excess, but after having a rather large, and ferocious beast like a Quintaped almost take his head off, it was warranted. It was enough that he had his own dangerous problems to deal with concerning the Shadow Wars, he didn't need some regular creature endangering his life.

As he took the last several steps to reach the common room door, the brass knocker asked him a question.

"What is the secret ingredient in Mystery Meringue Pie?" It asked.

He let out an exasperated breath before he gave his answer. "It wouldn't be a secret, now, if I told you, would it?" He barely waited for the door to swing open before he already had his foot across the threshold and he was entering the common room to find that it was occupied by a single first year Ravenclaw, Katherine Knightswood.

She was an interesting girl to say the least, Alessandro could recognize strength within her, but a quietness that was almost comparing to Wysteria's. He didn't really know her as more than an acquaintance in passing, the gap in years didn't help either. The most unifying thing about the two Ravenclaws was their house and their being on the Ravenclaw quidditch team together. She was an amazing beater for a first year, and he was thankful to have her on the same team.

It looked as though she was in the process of getting her things together, as he had entered the room, his inertia still carrying him from his aggravated walk from the grounds. He shot her a smile with a slight nod as he slowed his pace and moved over to the table she was at.

"How are you today, Katherine? That was some loss we had, eh? Damned Slytherins...they got lucky..." He said, feeling the bitterness of having had lost to Zane. In reality, someone not fixated on competition between he and another male in regards to a certain girl, would not think of it as losing to a single individual, however, Zane represented all things Slytherin to Alessandro, and therefore, he lost to Zane. A fact that Alessandro did not care to think about, for it seemed as though he had been steadily losing to Zane ever since his staggered return from being mentally tampered with by his parents.

All the more, he kept the facade of his smile going for the first year.

[Katherine Knightswood]

Katherine looked up from her near-obsessive tidying of the table as she recognized the voice of the person who had come into the Common Room. She smiled at Alessandro. She liked Alesssandro Darko for his quiet demeanor and his love of Quidditch. He didn’t tease her or harass her like Anton Tarasov did, which earned him even more points in her eyes. Katherine caught the smile on his face and frowned, puzzled. Alessandro didn’t sound happy and something in her gut told her that he didn’t feel happy either. Why was he putting on a false face for her? He didn’t have to do that. If he was in a bad mood, he ought to get it out of his system and relax, not bottle it up. Maman had always told her that stifling one’s feelings wasn’t good for you.

“Hey there, Alessandro. How are you today? You seem a little . . .um, out of sorts, if you don’t mind me saying so.” Katherine flushed a little, suddenly feeling awkward. “Your voice doesn’t match your smile.” She gave him a sympathetic grin. “If you’re still miffed about losing our first match, don’t be. We just have to work harder for next time, that’s all.” The first year kept cleaning up her papers as she talked, trying to hide the translation papers and the book she was working on. “I just finished my homework. Need some space? I can clear out for a while. It wouldn’t be a problem.” Katherine gave Alessandro a look full of self-depreciating humor. “Or, if you don’t mind the fact that you’d be talking to a Firstie about your troubles, I’m willing to listen.”

Katherine watched Alessandro nervously as she got her things together, not knowing whether he knew anything about what she’d been reading or not. Broadmoor’s Bludger, she wished Dylan or D’rorah had introduced her to the other people working for the good guys! Not knowing who she could trust was making things very tricky. Katherine had a sense that Alessandro was someone trustworthy, even if he did try to hide his moods. So she tried not to look like she was hiding anything more than perhaps her own journal pages. Katherine finally got everything in a neat pile, putting the book she’d been translating in between two of her Divination texts. “Honest, if you need some privacy, I can find another chair and go upstairs and grab my knitting. But if you want to talk . . .” Katherine left the offer hanging.

[Alessandro Darko]

"N-no, Katherine, you don't have to go, you can stay." He said putting up a hand to gesture her to stay put if she pleased to do so. He waited for her to stop collecting her books and resume a comfortable position before he continued with addressing her.

Putting his own books at the table, and dropping his bag at his feet, he pulled a chair over to him and sat down himself, propping his elbows on the table and holding his head up in his hands, allowing his eyes to wander over to the young Ravenclaw. "I'm not really that miffed about the match....just the fact that Slytherin won...and the fact that he's on that team..." He said absentmindedly, not really thinking if she understood who he was. "So infuriating, that one...." he scoffed as his mind forcibly continued to dwell on the subject of Zane Lucifer Bishop. His steel gray eyes darted to Katherine, realizing that he was just ranting and she probably had no clue as to whom he was talking about. "Sorry...do you know Zane Lucifer Bishop? The Slytherin Seeker?" The word seeker sounded insincere, and his eyes rolled as he said it. Zane wasn't the most adept at flying, he knew that much, well, at least in the past, but it infuriated him even more to have to compete against him within the boundaries of Quidditch as well. Had he known a little bit more in advance that Zane was going out for the Seeker spot on the Slytherin team, perhaps Alessandro would have been a bit more prepared for their first match.

He shifted in his chair, bringing himself upright, and pulling a hand back through his dark hair, allowing it to flop back down in front of his face, and then swept it over to the side as he glanced out the window behind Katherine. The Dark Wood was looming behind them, and Alessandro eyed it with wary focus.

What ever became of you, Wyst? Do I even have a Shadow Warrior anymore?

It was a thought longing for a concrete answer, an immediate answer, yet, he could not feel her anymore. He could not hear her like he used to, and now, the only echo of her voice that still remained in his mind was just of memories.

He straightened his face up a bit, allowing a shallow smile to slip over his lips. He turned his gaze toward Katherine, trying to focus on her for a moment. A first year. When Alessandro was a first year, he remembered that he was so excited to be at Hogwarts, a touch overzealous, yet, he still was, but to a lesser degree. He wanted to know everything, and every spell, and his motivation gave him tremendous fruits for his labor. He was a snarky, know-it-all, back then, and the thought of which made him wish that he knew it all now. How to handle the business which concerned Dark Phoenix, and the battle between dark and light.

Feeling a bit overwhelmed with his thoughts, his smile faltered and he found himself in a moment of weakness.

"Katherine..." He said with a small gulp. "Do you find that you become...overwhelmed with yourself at times? Like you have so much to do, and you've already come miles, but the finish line is so....far, and it's so daunting that you ask yourself: "Is it even worth it? In the end? There's always the temptation of giving up, and surrendering to those...dark desires, those horrible thoughts at the back of your mind which you just can't seem to shake. Urging you to give up...."

At that moment he stopped, closing his eyes and turning his head to the side, in a similar fashion to one who would be about to restrain his or herself from crying, but did not cry.

"Damn those Dementors..." He scoffed softly as he looked up and out of the window at the Forbidden Forest with an accusatory glare. He knew that his question to Katherine was most definitely influenced by the sorrow and despair that those horrid, creatures of darkness spread through the grounds by their mere presence in the Forest.

[Katherine Knightswood]

Katherine stopped gathering things up as if to leave and simply piled all her notes and books together neatly. She sat back down, and leaned back into the warmth of her chair and sighed. Alessandro put his things down and sat down next to her. He started talking about their losing match with Slytherin, but Katherine got the sense that his mind wasn’t on the game. There was something more. Katherine waited patiently, knowing she’d find out more if she kept quiet.

When Alessandro mentioned Zane, Katherine rolled her eyes. Oh, yes, she knew all about that particular Slytherin. Bad enough that she had Anton Tarasov driving her completely around the twist, now she had the older Slytherin to deal with in Arithmancy. What was it with some of the older boys picking on Firsties? They were even worse than Peeves sometimes. Katherine looked over at Alessandro, concerned by the sadness and seriousness she heard in his voice. He was running a hand through his hair unconsciously, shifting in his chair as if he or maybe what he was thinking about was uncomfortable.

Katherine watched as Alessandro’s emotions flickered across his face like the firelight on the walls of the Common Room. He seemed to be remembering something happy, then grew more wistful. And when Alessandro spoke about feeling overwhelmed, she nodded. “Oh, yes. I sure do think about that sometimes.” Katherine heard Alessandro mutter about the Dementors, and she shivered. “I hate them too. I can’t wait to master a Patronus, but in the meantime here.” She tossed Alessandro a Chocolate Frog. Thank Merlin and Morgan that she adored the candies. “My father told me these help against those misbegotten things. Have one. Havens, have several; I have a rather large stash in my trunk upstairs.”

Katherine kept talking, trying to reassure Alessandro that he wasn’t alone in feeling out of sorts. “Here I am the “Ickle Firstie” in all these advanced classes with you older students, getting picked on by the older boys . . .” Katherine shook her head. “Some days I want to transfer to Beauxbatons or try something across the pond. I hate being teased and made fun of, just because I’m smart and I won’t hide it and my Family trained me well.” Katherine gave her fellow Ravenclaw a sideways grin. “But I won’t give up. I’m too bloody stubborn to quit, even at my age. And I understand there are some good things to be fought for, and I intend to help with that, somehow.”

Katherine leaned forward in her chair, and took a deep breath, daring to place one of her hands over Alessandro’s lightly. “I believe we are worth fighting for, all of us. It’s hard, it’s often bitter, but life is worth it. Fighting to protect each other is worth it.” The young woman gave his hand a reassuring squeeze and then let go. “We all have a Shadow to deal with. It’s just a matter of being brave enough and wise enough to make the right choices. At least according to my Father, anyway.” Katherine smiled, and her blue eyes sparkled. “I like the world, thank you very much, so I’m choosing not to let it go to hell in the proverbial hand basket.” The young woman looked right into Alessandro’s eyes, smiling shyly. “And Gods willing, I won’t let you or any of the other ‘good guys’ go there either. If you’ll all let me help, that is.”