Seventeen Years Ancient

[Kerridon Paradox]

Seventeen years old. Seventeen years young. Seventeen years ancient. It certainly felt like the last one to Kerridon, as he rose through the steps leading to the owlery. In one hand was a letter, and in his pocket were several keys to Gringotts vaults. Coming of age was certainly a plus so far as inheritance went for him. Being the sole heir of two old, pureblood families with large estates meant that a lot had suddenly come into his possession.

It also meant, as far as he was concerned, that he no longer had to live with his godmother. Nellie was nice enough, but... unrealistic. And uncomprehending. And downright commanding at times. She was always particularly angry when he disappeared without warning on a mission for Dark Phoenix, sometimes for days at a time much to her distress. The fact that she didn’t have a clue about the existence of any Shadow Mage probably didn’t help. Living alone would be much more convienent, and it wasn’t as if he didn’t know how to look after himself. He was sending her a letter now to tell her. She could always come visit if she really wanted.

Calling down a school owl and handing it the letter, he considered that he should probably get an owl of his own. His father had owned a particularly visious eagle owl that he wasn’t too keen on using, and he very much doubted the owls belonging to his mother and grandfather would still be alive after all these years.

Watching the owl fly away, Kerridon considered the next step. Just the question of which estate to live at, really. Taylor Manor had more pleasant memories in general, but Paradox Hall was practically next door to Silren’s home. It could be nice to have contact with other magical folk, rather than in the middle of nowhere. Although, there was the fact that no one had been to Taylor Manor – as far as he knew – in seven years. It would likely be in some state of disarray. For that matter, nobody had entered the Paradox estate for over a year either. So long as the house elves had stayed, hopefully it wouldn’t be too much of an issue.

[emma]

Carrie made her way to the owlry with her letter to her friend, though she had been a muggle, she was a muggle with magic parents. She made her way there, cluching the letter tightly as it had been in her hand. Hoping for a reply. Though she didn't get a reply from the last five letters she had written. She had decided to write another one. One more wack. Carrie never was one to give up. Not on herself; not on anyone.

Carrie, like almost aways was in her own world. She didn't see Kereidon there, and again being her clutzy self. She bumped into him, and fell backwards. Though thankfully she had saved herself. Just by putting her hands behind her. Though in a way her butt broke her fall. She looked up to see Kerridon. No she really didn't know him. Not even knowing his name so well at this time. "Hi" she sayed looking up from her spot on the ground. "Sorry" she stated sencerely. She had that at that time picked herself up from the cold hard ground that she had been sitting on. Well not sitting but, fell on.

She had felt a little bad for running into him. Not only was it her fault. It had been because she wasn't paying attention. Not that she ever really payed attention. That had been one of the things she would never and never did. But she did on occion. When it was in class. But never in real life "I should really pay attention more when I'm walking" she stated shrugging. And called her owl, Ramsy to her, and than a white snowy owl had come on to her sholders. And she attached the letter to his foot after he, the owl, had held it out for her.

She had thought she did well on training the thing but, other wise with the loyalty of the owl now. Ramsy was the best, well atleast to Carrie.

[Kerridon Paradox]

Still lost in thought and leaning against one of the many window sills, that didn’t prevent Kerridon from hearing the door open again. It was a bit of a shame – he’d been enjoying the silence, or at least the human silence. It was difficult to get complete silence when standing in an owlery, with hundreds of birds all around you. Some were sleeping, but a big enough proportion was awake and hooting away to each other and themselves. He didn’t acknowledge the new person, but instead just waited, still staring out of the window, and hoping they would go away soon.

No such luck. He felt himself being bumped into and turned quickly, immediately on the defensive. Although there was actually no need for it. The girl had been the one to end up on the floor. He let out a little sigh and was about to offer her help being picked up from the ground, but then she was up again already. He was more than a little annoyed – this room was more than big enough to avoid bumping into him. Had she done it on purpose, or just been so out of it that she really hadn’t noticed him? With how alert he always was, Kerridon found it difficult to relate to this.

"Hi. Sorry. I should really pay attention more when I'm walking."

He didn’t return the greetings, but did nod once, shortly, in acknowledgement of the apology. That didn’t mean he’d forget it. “Yes, you probably should,” he confirmed in a solid tone, leaning his back against the wall behind him but ready to move again at any moment. He kept an eye on her as she called down an owl and attached a letter, memorising her face but not saying any more. If she wanted to get into a conversation, she could be the one to start it.

[emma]

Carrie had let her little white owl go into the air and she turned back to Kerridon and he had spoken again “Yes, you probably should,” he had sayed to her, Carrie had swallowed something in her throught, something that felt like the little lumpy thing. But Carrie knew it wasn't "I really am sorry" she repeated, she than noticed how big the room had been. She could have bumped into nothing if she just went the other way. But, no, she was like a people magnet. Aways bumping into them, she hated it.

She didn't usualy do that in the owlry. Mostly in the halls or something, or some place thats flodded with students. But other than that she might go into a bush. For a moment she wondered why he had been standing there, leaning, really. Carrie had checked her watch for a moment to see the time "I'm Carrie. Carrie James" she stated her name, only to be polite. She may be sly but she deffinitly was not rude. As well as partly wanting to know his name. He was a year younger than she, she wouldn't really know his house if she hadn't ever spotted him at his house, Ravenclaw's table. but she knew that he was a Ravenclaw sixth year. The only thing she didn't know, was his name.

Thats something that aways bothered her. She could be smart enough to know his house and year, but so dumb not to know his name. God did she feel stupid. Though not for action but for her thoughts.

[Kerridon Paradox]

He tipped his head to the side and shrugged when she apologised again. It hadn’t hurt him when she knocked him. It was just... annoying. You’d think people would look where they were going. If she was this oblivious when she was walking through the grounds, she could easily end up in the Forbidden Forest, surrounded by dark creatures she would probably prefer to never meet. Not that the idea concerned him in the slightest – he could be particularly callous when it came to other students who were irritating him. More than one example easily came to mind.

"I'm Carrie. Carrie James."

It seemed ridiculous to tell Carrie it was nice to meet when it plainly wasn’t as far as he was concerned, so instead he just replied with his own name. “Kerridon Paradox,” he said shortly, holding out a hand for her to shake. Annoyed he might be, rudeness was something he found difficult to tolerate from others, let alone himself. “6th year Ravenclaw.”

Letting out a slow breath of air, Kerridon stayed where he was. He liked it up in this tower, with (for the most part) no other students wandering around. Hogwarts was the rowdiest place he’d ever lived, and it was nice now and again to find somewhere quiet to just think for a while. The library was okay, but with exams slowly approaching it kept getting busier. The common room was frequently crowded, what with the curfew, and there were always certain people he would rather not come across. He waited patiently, wondering if she would leave or try and engage him in further conversation.

One owl flew down from above and landed on his shoulder, pecking once at his hair before going still. He stretched out his arm slowly, still keeping an eye on Carrie as the bird hopped down a few steps before pausing again at his elbow. It was quite heavy but not too bad; the worst part was the way its claws sunk through the material of his robes and into his scarred skin. The marks from Gat’s torture were still there, and unlikely to fade away completely any time within the next decade. He could already tell that some of them would be there for the rest of his life. Having icicles punched through your hands, arms and shoulders was bound to do plenty of damage. Taking a step back to the window, he lowered his arm so that the animal could hop onto the ledge; his arm was beginning to ache quite a bit now. Not allowing the wince that wanted to escape his lips do so as it dug its claws in one last time to bounce onto the windowsill, he could observe it easier now. He thought it was one of the ones belonging to the school, but was really quite exotic compared to the barn owls they might normally use – it was a crested owl, if he was correct in identifying it. Perhaps this might be the type of owl he could buy for himself.

[emma]

Carrie nodded after he had stated his name year and house. She had thought that she should do the same. So she didn't look rude or anything. "7th year, Gryffindor." she sayed after him. Though she was outgoing and all that. Sense it had been her fault for bumping into him, she had been a little shy. She really didn't have much to say like the other times. And she had been thinking that he might be waititing for her to start a conversation. That made her a little more shy. After Ramsy flew off she looked back over to him. "Was that your owl?" she asked him. She was rather nosy when it had come to belongings, and such.

She looked out and watched some owls return from previous letters that they had delivered. None seemed to be carring any letters for retun, nor packges. "So how did you like the O.W.L.s from your 5th year?" she asked not really thinking of anything else to say. What it had been the first thing that had cralled into her mind. Usualy Carrie was filled with things to talk about. But one moment... Finily things were coming into Carrie's mind. Though they were rather stupid, she'd use them.

As she awated his ansor she looked at all the owls calling one down. though she didn't need it. she loved to pet them. Ya, they might be crazily infected with something but, Carrie absulutly loved animals. She loved to watch them play with eachother and loved to pet them. though the owls were her favorite to pet. Their sofe fethers agenst Carrie's softly strokeing hand.

[Kerridon Paradox]

Kerridon nodded in acknowledgement of her stating her house and year. He recognised her, but would not have been able to place her if asked. So she was a year older, nearing the end of her NEWTs and time at Hogwarts. And supposedly one of the braver students at Hogwarts, although personally he wasn’t convinced about the Sorting Hat’s ability to accurately pick a house based on someone’s personality, considering its fickleness with his own sorting.

"Was that your owl?"

“No, I do not own an owl. It belongs to the school,” he replied, stroking his finger gently down its beak. A smile flitted across his beak as it hooted once then fluttered its wings and turned from him. Withdrawing his hand as its head swivelled back to give him a sharp glare, it took off, heading downwards then swooping across to the Forbidden Forest, apparently going to hunt. Yes, a crested owl would do very well. He’d have to go into Diagon Alley in the holidays to get one for himself.

"So how did you like the O.W.L.s from your 5th year?"

“Ah. I was not at the school for my fifth year. I only joined earlier this year,” he explained. “Before I was homeschooled,” he added, foregoing the probable following question as to where he had been. People could be extraordinarily nosy at times, he had discovered. They seemed to think that questions where a necessary part of making the acquaintance of someone, and it didn’t occur to them that certain things might rather be left unsaid. The only person he’d met who seemed to appreciate this was Mami. He managed to make conversation perfectly well with her without asking personal questions, and liked her well enough. More than he liked most people at Hogwarts, if not all. The fact that he didn’t want to answer more questions than most people probably didn’t help. “And how are your NEWTs going?” he inquired. As long as she was asking questions of him, he would do the same back.

[emma]

As he had asked her about her N.E.W.T.s she gave a sigh. Though she was doing well, she absulutly hated that it took away from her fun time with Lydia. The two were like best friends, and thats the way it goes. They were aways in mistef. Though they knew sooner or later they'd get cought and have to pay the price. "N.E.W.T.s are ok, just a little frustrateing" she nodded slightly. She absulutly never wanted to go back to the Larsons, but surely enough she was going to have to sooner or later.

Carrie let the owl go, as it carried a package that was a Bertie Bots, she was sending them to Ruth Larson, telling her that they were just jelly beans. Yes, Carrie loved to play pranks. Have fun in the world like it was going to end the next day. She surely believed that people should start to live their lives rather than worrieing all the time about whats going to happen the next day or the day after. That was something that compleatly bothered her. When people worried to much. It was a waste of time, and life.

Carrie nodded in the scilance trying to think of something to say. It was aways hard for her to think of something to say when meeting a new person. Kerridon seemed a bit....the way some might put it as, hard to talk to. Or at least the way Caroline saw it. She really mostly stuck to her circle of friends. Who were Lydia, and some like her. Aways kinda goofing off. But they can be serious at times. Like when studing for N.E.W.T.s or O.W.L.s.

[Kerridon Paradox]

Kerridon nodded as she told him that NEWTs were frustrating for her, not really concerned for how pleasurable, or not, as the case may be, she was finding them. As far as he could make out, the Ravenclaws were almost the only students in the school, with a few exceptions, who actually enjoyed the lessons for the sake of learning. Although, having never taken a formal examination in his life, he could not entirely relate to the idea of revising all day long to sit in a room and answer questions for several hours. Shouldn’t education be about increasing your own knowledge, rather than trying to remember how to best write an essay for a compulsory exam?

Sensing the silence growing a little awkward, Kerridon realised that Carrie was not going to be leaving him in peace any time soon. She seemed to be either lost in her own thoughts, or waiting for him to say something, or both. But frankly, he wasn’t in the mood to be making conversation so the idea of hanging about until she left wasn’t the most appealing. He was sure there were plenty of other places that would be quieter, without other students walking into him. Nodding again once more, he rose from the wall he had been leaning on and made his farewells. “Goodbye for now. I am sure I shall see you again in class.” Petting the owl softly once more, he turned and made his way out of the owlery. His purpose in going there – to send the letter to his godmother – had at least been completed. And there was homework that needed doing... perhaps finding a time to sit back in the quiet would have to wait.

((Sorry I ended it so quickly, it just seemed that both of us were finding it difficult to find things to write. It was all I could do to get ten sentences hehe. And Kerridon isn’t one for making a lot of conversation... he’s a pretty unsociable bloke really lol))