Lesson 2: Aramaic

[Cavan Mikal Weiss]

Cavan made his way straight from his last class toward the library. He had finished most of his homework at the beginning of each class and had very little left to do today, save what he had planned next. He would be meeting with D'rorah to work on his Aramaic today. He'd checked out a book in the language the week before and had been working with his Rosetta stone of a text book to try and learn all the symbols, and sounds.

He looked a little tired after all his classes, something that wasn't noticeable first thing in the morning, but had a tendency to set in after classes. He hadn't been getting a lot of sleep, and not for lack of trying. He was almost done with his 3rd year charm book and would have to owl his mother again for the 4th year book before too long if it persisted. He was tempted to stop by the hospital wing for a pepper-up potion, but decided against it, as he wanted to be able to sleep at least a little it tonight and he knew he'd have to get a dreamless sleep potion as well to counter the caffinated feeling the pepper-up potion gave him. He just wished the feeling of unease would ease. He knew he had told D'rorah he would let her know if it continued, but he didn't want to bother he with it. He could tell she had enough to deal with as it was.

He was still wearing his school uniform, though he'd taken the time to stop in his dorm long enough to lose the robes. He didn't want to have to worry about tripping in the library and bringing a shelf down on himself, or worse, making noise. He had turned his uniform jacket inside out, the pattern was bright yellow with a two inch thick silver outline along the edges. His hair today was back in pig-tails, he'd been bored during his last class and had retied his hair to see the reactions he could get. There had been a tie between the girls thinking he looked adorable and several of the boys and teachers doing double takes before quickly looking away with confused looks on their faces.

On his right hip was his messenger bag, hanging out his left shoulder and across his chest for more support, he lugged the large amount of books, held only by several, overlapping strengthening charms on his leather bag.

As he entered the library, he automatically slowed his step, nodding to the librarian before silently making his way to the back of the room in search of D'rorah. He was sure she wouldn't be hard to find, as she'd probably be hidden behind a large stack of books of several different languages, getting as much of her own translating done before she would pause to help him learn the same skill. He absently remembered that she had said they would be speaking about his apprenticing her friend, Master Xou was it?

[D'rorah Philosophy]

D'rorah seemed to spend all of her time in the library lately. She probably noticed less than any of her peers, considering that she had possessed a strong propensity for bookishness throughout her life. Having inherited the workaholic ethic of her father, it didn't seem particularly noteworthy to her that she spent the vast majority of her time working away while all around her her peers were gallivanting about the school allowing hours to trickle away like worn coppers in the pocket of a millionaire. Perhaps it was merely that she knew just how short life could really be... and at the end of it all, she hoped to have made a sizable dent into her own 'inbox' of sorts.

That morning, like any other, she had woken early... well, perhaps it wasn't quite proper to say she had woken, considering that she hadn't really done much in the way of sleeping. Anyway, she had left her dormitory early enough to enjoy a quick run before heading to the library to make the most of her time before classes began. Classes had gone by in the usual drudgerous blur, most minutes spent wishing she were learning something new. That was something she constantly lamented about the switch from Falstaff's... here, she shared her classes with students far younger than she and nearly every lesson felt like a review. Though, considering how much of her own work she had to get on with, perhaps that was really a blessing in disguise. It meant that she could focus the vast majority of her time outside of class on her translations, on finding anything that might be useful to the Lightfighters regarding the Shadow War looming ever nearer. She wasn't sure if anyone else noticed, but she could feel a nearly tangible tension hanging in the air for quite some time now. It set her nerves on edge and caused her to spend vast amounts of time translating, scrutinizing every single word that passed under her quill for some hidden meaning, some reassurance that things would work out for the best now that they were at Hogwarts.

She wore her normal attire, covered from chin to ankle by her stiff, formal robes and her hair was tied up severely. On a day like today, it didn't seem that even any unruly wisps cared to trespass against her and every last strand of hair seemed locked firmly in place. She paid no attention to the time, though she had some vague sense of it and knew that Cavan would be along at any time to work with her on his languages.

Feeling a pair of eyes fall upon her, she looked up, her senses heightened somewhat due to her internal state of agitation. She looked the picture of calm composure as always, except for a slight sharpness of the eyes which not even the best actress would have been able to disguise. "Mister Weiss," she greeted quietly, an eyebrow arching as she noted his peculiar choice of hairstyle. Her eyes quickly took measure of him, passing over him perfunctorily before automatically flicking back to her books. "Come sit. We shall begin immediately... and when we are finished you shall tell me why you are still not sleeping." She spoke the words quietly and calmly, as though the responses would be of no importance to her. They would, of course... D'rorah preferred not to waste her time on anything she considered irrelevant information. She cleared away the space before her before returning her gaze to Cavan, waiting for his questions about the translation he had been working on.

[Cavan Mikal Weiss]

"Mister Weiss. Come sit. We shall begin immediately... and when we are finished you shall tell me why you are still not sleeping."

Cavan grinned at her as her eyebrow arched in response to his hair style. He was quick to set his things down and pull out the books he would be needing, setting them in the cleared space, giving her a sheepish smile before opening his texts, at her observation. "I kind of cheated." He started out as he got comfortable in his chair. "I read that Aramaic had a parent language, Phoenician, so I looked into that language while I was looking at the Aramaic. I think it's going to be a lot easier for me to translate most languages now. After looking at the Phoenician for a while, I had no trouble with the Aramaic and even recognized other alphabets when I was thumbing through my guide book."

He showed her the book he'd been translating from, it was the bible in it's original language forms, so only a few chapters were in Aramaic. "Also, I didn't need much help, since there is a copy of this already translated... so I was able to check my work." He then handed over his notebook, full of translations in black and corrections in red. "I think I'm going to have to buy my own if I want something worth translating," he observed quietly.

[D'rorah Philosophy]

D'rorah laughed a bit and shook her head. "Mister Weiss, learning is not cheating, it is being studious and proactive. I am glad to hear that the Phoenician helped. I only wish I had thought to recommend it myself so that I might have saved you a bit of extra research." Though, she was impressed he had thought to look at another language for help. That is something that never would have occurred to most people. She was well aware, however, that Cavan was most definitely not 'most people'. In fact, that was one of his best qualities, as far as she was concerned.

She looked over at the text he showed her. "Yes, a very good idea, to use something with an existing translation. Of course, owing to the relative subjectivity of translating such an ancient language, I hope you are relying on several different translations for your checking." Hearing his last statement, she nodded. "We can leave to procure more texts one day very soon. Your translation is very good, far surpassing adequate. I can tell you have given much time and attention to detail here." She read through his translation carefully, making only two slight corrections for him.

When she finished, she handed the book back to him and considered him a bit more seriously. "Now, as to why you are not sleeping. What do you wish to tell me of that?" Her gaze communicated pretty clearly that she wasn't going to settle for being put off this time. She felt like a bit of a hypocrite, considering that she couldn't remember the last time she'd had a proper night's sleep, but she still felt the need to express her concern.

[Cavan Mikal Weiss]

He smiled as he listened, agreeing that he really hadn’t cheated, so much as thought outside the box. He shook his head when she spoke her belief that she should have thought of the idea he’d had. “D'rorah,” he spoke in playfully exasperated tones, “You can’t think of everything. You’ve got a lot on your plate you know.” He knew that with working at the wand shop, being the Ravenclaw prefect, school work, and her own personal translating, it couldn’t be easy, and he knew, that some how, there was still more she did for everyone that he’d yet to grasp. “Besides, I like extra research, it keeps me entertained.”

He nodded his affirmative at her question of his using multiple sources of translated text to check his work on the bible books of Daniel and Ezra. “Yes, I did.”

"We can leave to procure more texts one day very soon. Your translation is very good, far surpassing adequate. I can tell you have given much time and attention to detail here."

His grin widened, new books, new languages, an outing. He could walk through the book store in Diagon Alley again and see which books catch his attention this time. He looked forward to it. He didn’t say anything to her praise, he was going to have to tell her why it was so thorough in a moment, and he didn’t want to start the conversation sooner than needed. When she finished, she handed the book back to him and considered him a bit more seriously, he found himself fidgeting slightly in his chair at her scrutiny. Then the dreaded subject was breached.

"Now, as to why you are not sleeping. What do you wish to tell me of that?"

“It’s nothing, really… I’m just restless, I suppose. Maybe I’m just still excited about being at Hogwarts….” He was pretty sure that excitement had nothing to do with it, but how crazy would he sound saying the truth. That at night, when the lights went out, the air was crushingly thick with foreboding, so thick that at times he couldn’t breath unless he got up and cast lumos; at which point, he might as well get some work done. That when he did manage to get some sleep it was filled with frightening dark shadows, of a spinning ying/yang symbol, of the never ending screaming of the world and her people. He shivered just thinking about it, knowing that he would sound like a silly little kid for being afraid of the dark. He had never been frightened of it before, and he couldn’t fathom why he would be now, except perhaps because he was away from home.

[D'rorah Philosophy]

D'rorah's eyebrow arched slightly as Cavan stated that his sleeplessness was nothing. She had a fair mind to doubt that he would lose sleep for this long simply from being excited to be at Hogwarts. In any case, he wouldn't be so uneasy about it if that were true.

She leaned closer, lowering her voice. "I am going to tell you something Mister Weiss. You may respond or decline as you see fit; however no matter what you choose, I hope you will keep it in mind for the days to come."

And now she paused, thinking of how to word what she wished to say. She seemed to be having conversations of this genre far more frequently of late than she could recall in any previous part of her life. She decided to begin with the factual--something she was more comfortable with--and work her way up to something that would likely be a nit more helpful.

"First, excitement, even extreme excitement, might cause sleeplessness... but rarely does it cause the haunted look I sometimes glimpse in you. Like everyone else, I am certain you have heard the rumors of Dementors and such in the Forbidden Forest and perhaps you are worried about that." She shook her head slightly. She was saying everything wrong, she was certain of it. She wasn't at all communicating what it was she had intended to communicate when she had first begun. "We all need friends, Mister Weiss... no matter how much I have resisted the notion myself throughout life. What I mean to say is that... you need to have someone you trust to speak with freely and completely. I would not presume to be that person for you; however, I would be willing to be that person if you wish me to. There are many things happening at Hogwarts which most of the student body is blissfully unaware of... and well, I only wish you to know that sometimes things which may sound crazy within the context of your own knowledge are really not crazy at all."

She sat back again, still certain she hadn't really said things correctly, but knowing it was as close as she was going to come at present. She waited quietly to see if Cavan had any repsonse, but took up her quill so that she might continue her work and avoid any sort of awkward silence in case he didn't.

[Cavan Mikal Weiss]

He knew immediately as D'rorah's eyebrow arched slightly as he spoke, that she didn’t believe that his sleeplessness was nothing. He didn’t want to lose the respect he’d gained because of study childish fears, but he knew that lying wasn’t going help his case either. He took a deep breath as she confronted him.

"I am going to tell you something Mister Weiss. You may respond or decline as you see fit; however no matter what you choose, I hope you will keep it in mind for the days to come. First, excitement, even extreme excitement, might cause sleeplessness... but rarely does it cause the haunted look I sometimes glimpse in you. Like everyone else, I am certain you have heard the rumors of Dementors and such in the Forbidden Forest and perhaps you are worried about that. We all need friends, Mister Weiss... no matter how much I have resisted the notion myself throughout life. What I mean to say is that... you need to have someone you trust to speak with freely and completely. I would not presume to be that person for you; however, I would be willing to be that person if you wish me to. There are many things happening at Hogwarts which most of the student body is blissfully unaware of... and well, I only wish you to know that sometimes things which may sound crazy within the context of your own knowledge are really not crazy at all."

As she sat back again he frowned slightly, taking in everything she had said, weighing it before he slowly decided on his wording. When he was done, he looked up from his hands, D’rorah had been writing for several minutes. Finally with a sigh of defeat, he spoke in a soft voice, “You’re right of course, I should discuss the reasons for the sleeplessness to someone I trust. I only hope, that as you are the only one here who I do trust, you won’t think any less of me when I tell you. I couldn’t bare that, as hard as I have worked to be seen as I am. It’s not the rumors that worry me, though I don’t dismiss them, as some do. I think I am a little worried because of how concerned you are with whatever is going on in the Forbidden Forest.” He stopped, taking a deep breath and shifting in his seat as he looked around to make sure no one else was close enough to hear what was bothering him.

When he was sure that no one else would hear him, he began again, “I am restless, as I said before, but not for the reason I stated, as you well know. What’s bothering me is just silly childish nonsense that I can’t seem to get over, and truly I’ve never had a problem with it before. I… well I’m rather uncomfortable in the dark… and it’s odd because I love the dark. But lately, it’s hard to breath when the lights are turned out, like something is, crushing me, it’s like trying to breath molasses. It only abates when I cast lumos, and then the light is on and I find myself keeping busy so I don’t think about the need to sleep. It’s how I finished my translating so quickly, the need to keep busy. The dark wouldn’t be so difficult to bear if my sleeping was pleasant, but I’ve been having continuous, repeating nightmares about things that don’t make any sense. There are large dark shadows everywhere, it’s forever night, and the moon is just a big spinning ying-yang in the sky. There’s no real light in this empty place and all I can hear is screaming, people, trees, the whole planet, screaming.”

By the time he was done describing it in the same low tones, he was shaking, just thinking about it to explain it to her was affecting him. He reached into his pocket, pulling a half eaten chocolate bar and immediately began nibbling on it with shaking hands. His eyes looked haunted, like he’d seen someone die right before his eyes and he was next. He took slow deliberate breaths, trying to calm himself as unknowingly, tears slipped down his cheeks. Finally, between bites of chocolate, after his shaking had calmed a little, he spoke again. “But it’s just a dream…” the last was spoken full of uncertainty and he looked up at D’rorah again, hoping against hope that she wouldn’t think him some silly kid, or worse, crazy.

[D'rorah Philosophy]

D'rorah listened to Cavan quietly. It seemed he was particularly sensitive to the Shadows lurking nearby. Or, there was also the possibility that his association with her was causing something to take particular notice of him. Either thought wasn't a good one for her. He had described the Shadow Realm almost perfectly. As he began eating his chocolate, a haunted look on his face, she reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. "It is not just a dream, Mister Weiss."

D'rorah took a deep breath. Grabbing her wand, she muttered a silent mufliato so that they would have some privacy to speak. "The place in your dream actually exists. It is known as the Shadow Realm. I understand just how disturbing it must be to have such dreams..." she knew all too well, considering that she had once been a guest of the Mage there. If he wasn't sensitive to their presence, if something was really trying to recruit him to the Mage's side, then she had a difficult task ahead of her.

"Are there any others in your dormitory?" she asked, leaning closer. "I have something which might help, thought it could possibly disturb your dormmates." She looked around, having the feeling someone was watching them. Sure enough, the librarian was shooting her a warning look. "Let us go somewhere to talk more freely," she remarked quietly, slowly gathering up her research materials. "We should find somewhere to talk more openly anyway."

[Cavan Mikal Weiss]

Cavan nearly choked on his chocolate as she spoke, or rather, he might have if he hadn’t stopped breathing, his eyes wide with shock. The Shadow Realm? Some how as soon as she’d said, he knew it was true and that of course just confused him more. He took several deliberate deep breaths before finishing the chocolate in his mouth. He was packing up his materials before she’d even mentioned leaving.

He shook his head silently when she asked if he shared a dorm. He was lucky enough to be the only boy in his age group or most age groups, so he was lucky enough to have his own room. That was why he’d been able to cast lumos and no bother any one with his almost constant studying. Once her materials were gathered, he stood and waited for her to lead the way.

So many thoughts were whirling through his mind at the moment that he couldn’t grasp any of them and was in no shape to do more than listen at the moment as he tried to figure out how he could have known and dreamt about a place that truly existed, yet he had never been. He paused for a moment to thank Merlin that he’d never truly been to such a place.

[D'rorah Philosophy]

D'rorah finished packing her things and waited for Cavan before leading the way from the library. As she passed by, the librarian gave her a glaring, disappointed look. D'rorah valued quiet in the library as much as anyone else, but the couldn't have possibly been disturbing anyone as there were really very few people in the library that day to begin with. She passed through the heavy oak doors without a backward glance and headed for the stairwell. Several destinations flashed through her mind... her own common room, the astronomy tower, the Room of Requirement. They needed somewhere where they would not be disturbed... but they also needed somewhere where they wouldn't seem suspicious coming and going if they were seen.

D'rorah was halfway up the first flight of stairs when she decided on the astronomy tower. It would be quiet this time of day, and it wasn't unheard of for students to spend time there for studying or relaxing. She only hoped that no one else had the idea of using it for privacy, as she did. She spoke little, occasionally checking beside her to make sure Cavan hadn't fallen too far behind. She knew that he was already feeling unwell from lack of sleep, and certainly her news had done nothing to really improve his condition.

As they neared the astronomy tower, she stretched out her mental awareness, lightly scanning to see if anyone else was in the area. Finding no one, she proceeded into the tower, making her way up the interminable steps to the main landing of the tower, where classes were usually held. In a few long strides she had crossed the room and was seated in one of the large windows which graced the stone walls. "So then, where shall I begin?" she said, almost to herself. Her eyes traveled to Cavan. "Perhaps I should start with your questions. I am certain you have many."

[Cavan Mikal Weiss]

He followed her out of the library and to the astronomy tower, still trying to understand how such a horrible dream could be a real place, but more than that, how he could have known about it without knowing. He barely paid attention to where they were going as he struggled with this new knowledge. He never once wondered how she knew or doubted her word, it made perfect sense. That knowledge was what she dealt with, he wouldn’t be surprised if whatever was in the forbidden forest was related. Even if she told him she fought it, he wouldn’t be surprised, that just seemed like the kind of thing she would do to protect people.

Cavan managed to keep up with D'rorah though he paced himself when it came to the stairs, he was glad he wasn’t wearing his robes for this excursion. He’d rather not end up in the hospital wing with nothing to do but sleep, when there was so much to figure out right now. He didn’t mind the silence as they traveled, where ever it was they were going he would trust D’rorah and her sense of direction at the moment. Once they had reached the astronomy tower and she took a seat at one of the windows, he let his legs collapse as he plopped onto the floor in front of her.was halfway up the first flight of stairs when she decided on the astronomy tower.

"So then, where shall I begin? Perhaps I should start with your questions. I am certain you have many."

He really didn’t have a clue where to begin his questioning, his mind was already swirling so fast he was dizzy; he hoped that whatever she revealed, it would ease his uneasy mind. There was only one question that came to mind, and so without thinking, he asked it. “Is that why you’re afraid of the forbidden forest?”

[D'rorah Philosophy]

D'rorah thought for a moment about how to answer Cavan's question. "Afraid, perhaps, is not really the proper term. Rather, I have a healthy respect for the creatures which currently call it home. There are very few who have the ability to effectively defend against them or destroy them. When I warned you against going in there, it was because I knew it would be impossible for you to defend yourself from them." She took a deep breath.

"Mister Weiss, considering the dreams you have told me about, I can only conclude one of two things. Either you are particularly sensitive to the Shadows and they are beginning to affect you, or you are part of what is happening in the Shadow Realm and will come to play a larger role." She took another deep breath. "I will feel incredibly guilty if your association with me is what has brought you into this conflict." From D'rorah, this was a large admission. Though there were things she sometimes felt guilt for in life, she didn't usually tell others of them aloud and most definitely didn't believe in feeling guilt for logical progressions of events. Cavan's involvement was merely part of a logical progression of events. His talent with languages would have been discovered--either by her or by agents of the Shadow Realm. She shuddered to think how things would have turned out had the Mage been the one to discover Cavan. But now, now she shuddered at the thought of what this conflict might do to him, of what it had already done to her and to so many others.

"You are perhaps familiar with an old legend of Yin and Yang?" she queried, continuing on. "Many know the symbol, but so few know of the story behind it. Indeed, the original legend has been skewed so far from its original beginnings that it is nearly unrecognizable." A dry grimace, a twisted parody of a smile found its way to her face. "Perhaps that distortion was done for a reason though. If you know of the original legend, you would have heard of ones called Elemental Masters and Shadow Warriors." She paused, looking for any sign of recognition from him.

[Cavan Mikal Weiss]

Cavan waited as D’rorah thought through her answer. He hoped that not only would she answer the almost obvious question, but would also keep him from having to ask anything else he more information to ask about. He was not disappointed as she began.

"Afraid, perhaps, is not really the proper term. Rather, I have a healthy respect for the creatures which currently call it home. There are very few who have the ability to effectively defend against them or destroy them. When I warned you against going in there, it was because I knew it would be impossible for you to defend yourself from them."

There was another pause as she gathered the rest of her thoughts and took a breath to ready herself for the task at hand. He couldn’t help shifting slightly as he suddenly felt the weight he normally felt alone in the dark; the only difference in the feeling now was that it didn’t seem as heavy as normal. He couldn’t fathom why that was, but he sat and listened, knowing that D’rorah would probably answer the question without him answering.

"Mister Weiss, considering the dreams you have told me about, I can only conclude one of two things. Either you are particularly sensitive to the Shadows and they are beginning to affect you, or you are part of what is happening in the Shadow Realm and will come to play a larger role. I will feel incredibly guilty if your association with me is what has brought you into this conflict."

When she admitted her guilt, he was surprised to say the least. He had never for even a moment thought that there were any outside reasons for the dreams, and when she had told him it was a real place he’d just assumed that he as picking up on the energy. His godmother was after all a reader, so it wasn’t unthinkable that he himself might not also be one. Now that she’d expressed the thoughts, he decided that while he might just be sensitive to the Shadows, or have some more important role in whatever was going on, it was in no way her fault for either option. He was about to say so when realized that he would feel the same if it were one of his siblings that were suddenly involved in something that he’d rather they not be, that he was already involved with. Then she was speaking again.

"You are perhaps familiar with an old legend of Yin and Yang? Many know the symbol, but so few know of the story behind it. Indeed, the original legend has been skewed so far from its original beginnings that it is nearly unrecognizable. Perhaps that distortion was done for a reason though. If you know of the original legend, you would have heard of ones called Elemental Masters and Shadow Warriors."

Yin and Yang? Well he knew of the symbol, it after all haunted his dreams. He had in fact after the first few nights of the dreams gone to look up anything to do with shadows and yin-yangs and had found almost nothing. It had been frustrating, but then he figured that maybe the items in his dreams were more manifestations of something that was bothering him. Now he racked his brain for everything he’d read.

“I’ve read a little bit about Taijitu, the balance that they hold. Each separate yet together, one is weak where the other is strong and vise versa…. Each is the opposite the other in every aspect. Passive, active; dark, light; feminine, masculine; negative, positive; night, day; cloudy, sunny… But what do Muggle videogames and movies have to do with that, or with what’s in the forest, how does that have anything to do with my dreams?”

He knew that there had to be a reason, maybe he was missing something. He noticed at times that the more obvious answers were more difficult for him because it was much easier to come up with several complicated answers to the questions. Was it something obvious or just out of his spectrum of thought? He’d just have to wait and see if that was the case.

[D'rorah Philosophy]

D'rorah listened and nodded as Cavan explain about his reading of Tajitu. She shifted slightly, thinking she had heard a noise in the stairwell outside. She listened for a moment before shaking her head slightly and reaching into her bag. She extracted a small, careworn notebook. If Cavan opened it, he would find pages and pages filled with her handwriting.

"This book contains the history and beginnings of everything I have begun to explain to you here," she remarked quietly. "It will explain more than you could ever possibly care to know about the history of this conflict... I have a feeling you were meant to be a scribe. You seem to have the talent for scribal duties." D'rorah sat up straighter, certain she had heard a noise in the hallway this time. "Mister Weiss, we should continue this conversation at another time. I have translations to return to and you have your own things to attend to... reading to attend to, if nothing else, I am certain."

She hurriedly gathered her things and made her way toward the door, leaving the small notebook behind with Cavan so that he could read it at another time. She stretched out her awareness to scan for whomever had been trying to get close enough to listen. Perhaps she was merely being paranoid, but in the present atmosphere it hardly seemed foolish to be careful. Satisfied that no one would be lying in wait to ambush Cavan when he left, she hurriedly made her way to her common room.

[Cavan Mikal Weiss]

Cavan noticed that she turned her attention to listen for a moment to something else, before shaking her head slightly and reaching into her bag. When she extracted a small, careworn notebook, handling with care, he knew it was of great import, then she was speaking.

He listened intently, suddenly feeling a strange foreboding, but he ignored it, knowing that the words she spoke were some how vital. It was then that he realized that she wasn't staying to explain, he didn't mind. He would enjoy reading the book and was sure to have many questions when he was done. He appreciated that she felt he was meant to be a scribe, not just that it was something he could do. He wanted a purpose and in those few words, he felt he'd been given one.

He nodded, clamoring to his feet a little less gracefully than he'd hoped as she hurriedly gathered her things. Cavan threw his bag over his shoulder and took the book she had laid on the windowsill into his hands, he turned as she was about to step out of the room. "Thanks D'rorah, see you later."

She looked slightly worried, so for her sake, though she wouldn't know the difference, he descended the stairs slowly, carefully and then made his way straight back to his common room. He wouldn't chance anything when she had that look.

Silently as he made his way back to his common room, he wondered if anyone else noticed that look she sometimes had. It wasn't very noticeable, only the slightest change in the arch of her brows, a slight frown in one corner of her mouth, her eyes seemed to harden more than they normally were, as though she were fighting to hide her emotions more than normal. Finally he shrugged, he was probably just imagining things anyways.