Snakes in the Moonlight

[tasha]

Tasha had been through little for much of her first year thus far, and that was something she didn't mind so much. She'd found herself interested in transfigurations and actually realized she was skilled in the subject. She found out she was a metamorphmagus and that she was unique for that. It was surely a wonderful thing to be so interesting herself, but she felt that there were a few things she still hadn't discovered. She'd been out past curfew a few times already and she wasn't so sure it was a bad thing. Tasha's mind was bordering on wether the rules were rules to follow or just suggestions. Tasha had been told by both her book and a few others that it was fine to overlook details every once and awhile. There was no reason for her to be so chained right? The fact that she was slowly becoming less interested in rules and such was not noticed as a bad thing by the little first year. Tasha was more interested in learning new spells and things then she was in abiding by the rules. It was obvious that she cared far more about the teachings then the teacher, and that having the knowledge was more important to her then using it properly.

Tasha's magical guide book had been less then helpful when she wanted to know what to do about rules she broke. At one point she had a bit of a guilty conscious, but it was apparently a waste of time to follow all the rules. As a result of her book advising her to take a walk and think about it she again broke curfew and wandered about. She was fairly relaxed about sneaking about and again her hair took to a long streaming black instead of her normal red. Her eyes were a catlike onyx color and her pale skin seemed to dull lightly as she streaked silently through the corridors and toward the astronomy tower. She hadn't worn her over-robes, so the whole of her black dress was visible. She didn't seem to be as brightly fanciful as usual as she took to the stairs and upward, instead she seemed to be lost in thought. Tasha had lost the delicate morality that had once held her bright personality firmly within the rules of others. Lately she hadn't the faintest care of what the rules said as long as she got a new lesson from it. Her parasol was held to her side firmly as she finally reached the top and came out upon the brisk air of the tower. For a moment she just stood there frozen under the wonderful gaze of the many stars.

Tasha's eyes gleamed with all of their feline vigor and she smiled. The night was a very wonderful embrace, it was cool and sweet in ways nothing else could be. Her heart pulsed in the cool calm and she sat down to relax in the moonlight. She removed her wand from it's hidden compartment inside her parasol and opened the parasol itself. The silky laced parasol made the moon's glow dapple upon the girls pale flesh. The porcelain features of the young Hufflepuff were brought out in a most intricate design as Tasha focused on something. Her eyes closed for a moment and she breathed in once. There was something that had been bothering her recently, and it was time to figure it out. Her wand was a tricky one apparently, but there was a commonly reoccurring malfunction that was causing issues. She had formed a habit of summoning snakes at certain moments, and not as rarely as she would like. Given that she was doing things recently that were supposedly bad she felt a need to avoid suspicion, and snakes bursting into existence was not a good way of going about things. Especially when those serpents seemed to be overprotective of you and violently aggressive to everyone else. She flicked her wand as she imagined the feeling of meeting someone new, the same way she'd done as she introduced herself to Dark Phoenix.

"wow, there are a bunch of you huh..."

Looking down at the ground beneath her to see the three cobras that had appeared beneath her with a light smile. It wasn't that she disliked them, but that they seemed to appear anytime she flicked her wand now. When she first got her wand it was ribbons, and this time it was snakes. It was always snakes, and it was strange that each time she'd expected ribbons. Tasha giggled at the thought that maybe the snakes were a substitute for ribbons now. She made a second thoughtless swish of her wand and waited, but not for more then a second. Barely a second after her motion was completed her recently summoned pals were accompanied by two albino Royal Pythons. Tasha simply sighed at the fact that her wand seemed to think snakes were funny. The albino pythons traveled up her legs and wrapped themselves around her arms and rested their heads on the back of either of her hands. She giggled a bit from the feeling of the smooth scales and smiled at them. The cobras that had been summoned first seemed content with being at her feet and Tasha didn't mind that at all.

With the serpents around her and the moon shining down on them so gloriously Tasha felt at peace. She closed her parasol and set it beside her and replaced her wand in it's hidden compartment. She returned her attention to the snakes that had made her a center to their play and smiled again. The dark red of her hair seemed to fall from the top of her head and curl her hair as it went. The albino pythons moved around her and one slid into her lap and curled, the other hung from her neck. Tasha ran her fingers along the smooth white skin and felt all the more at peace.

[Silren Chalis]

It had been a long first day at Hogwarts; full of unpacking her belongings and settling in. Silren wanted everything perfect and so had spent most of the day making sure everything was in order. By the time she was done it was already evening. Without changing, she decided to walk the whole campus in order to have a good idea of where everything was. She hated feeling lost or not knowing how to get somewhere and this was her remedy.

In her dress, corset, shoes, and gloves and looking overly formal for the entire occasion, Silren walk from point to point making note of the classrooms and other key features. It did not dawn on her until she had walked most of the campus that not a single person had said anything to her. People smiled their fake courteous smiles or spoke a mere hello out of habit; no one had taken the time to converse with her and that fact began to edge on her thoughts. “What kind of school is this that not a single person contains any shred of sincere politeness?” The thought did not occur to her that it might have had anything to do with herself.

Upon making her way into the courtyard, Silren realized that it was already late and probably past curfew. As she turned around to head back inside, the moon caught her attention. “I wonder how it must look from atop the tower…” Silren pondered to herself. Gathering her dress she made her way up the many stairs and through the multitude of hallways. During the long walk she could not help but begin to wonder where Kerridon was. Silren began daydreaming of all the possibilities of the two of them as she grew closer and closer to the astronomy tower. After only a few flights of stairs Silren began growing tired of walking up the steps; well, more irritated than tired. With a brief glance around to see if anyone was there, which there was not, Silren took control of her minor flight and began floating up the rest of the stairs.

As she reached the top, the doorway to the outdoor astronomy balcony, Silren released her ability and landed softly on the ground before gently pushing open the door. She was not expecting anyone and so walked briskly outside. A few steps out onto the balcony and Silren caught a slight movement out of the corner of her eye which caused her heart to jump as she was not expecting anyone to be out here. To her side, on the ledge, was an incredibly odd picture. A girl, a very pale girl with red curly hair and a ghostly dress, sat upon the ledge of the astronomy tower. The oddity was not in the dress or the fact that a young girl was out here alone. The oddity was the fact that there were four snakes around the girl; two of which were venomous! “Are those all her pets?!” Silren quickly reasoned.

Not wishing to be rude, even though the thought crossed her mind, Silren decided to make her presence known to the girl. The girl was rather young after all; she did not deserve any form or impolite treatment. Silren announced her presence with a non startling voice and a soft tone, “I wish not to interrupt but the moonlight has drawn me closer. Is it not beautiful?” She did not want to be prying about why the young girl was up here so late nor did she wish to introduce herself until the girl had. After a moment, Silren gracefully walked to the edge of the balcony, maintaining a good distance between herself and the snakes and in one smooth motion activated her floating ability, turned around, floated up, and sat down on the ledge. Keeping Tasha in her peripherals, Silren looked out across the sky at all the brilliant stars. She did not really care if Tasha responded; the stars were too beautiful to put to waste. The last thought only made her wish Kerridon was with her.

[tasha]

Tasha played with her pets and noticed nothing as someone made their way into the place. Tasha's mind ran in circles about what she was to do, was she really right, or was she doing bad things? It was a small concern but her conscious seemed to be more powerful then it had ever been at this moment. Tasha usually just followed what was said to be right without question. It was a recent development that her mind would not agree with her actions. It was a strange thing that she had begun to realize her own changes, and it was creepy. Normally her book would tell her what to do but now she was always told to figure it out. A feeling that something important was coming started to loom over her. She felt as if she would be changing soon, and choosing something that would effect her forever.

“I wish not to interrupt but the moonlight has drawn me closer. Is it not beautiful?”[/color]

The sound of a foreign voice broke her thoughts and Tasha looked up to see who may have spoken. She had for a moment thought he had heard the speech of a serpent but quickly knew better. She looked up instead to find an interesting person before her. The person seemed so graceful and poised, Tasha was instantly struck with admiration. She smiled and all she thought was that this person was beautiful. The serpents didn't seem as vicious toward her and all at the same time they watched her, heads lifted and eyes focused. The sight of all six sets of eyes watching her as she stepped around was as cute as the little doll could get. Though, there was a slightly odd and frightening appeal to a small girl covered in snakes.

As the woman floated up and landed on the ledge Tasha was amazed. This girl was so cool, so charming and her dress was pretty too. Tasha breathed in once and nodded to the comment that had passed by her a moment ago and parted her lips to speak. The sweet and pleasant voice fitting of a doll flowed from her lips. It was not a small voice, but a kind and calm one instead.

"Are you a good person? What is a good person? If you do what you are told does that make you good? Like Mr. Paradox and Mr. Snyder.... are they good, even though they break rules?"

It was a question not normally asked of a person you don't know but it was Tasha's charm that made it fair game. She seemed to be unassuming and at the same time furiously curious. The words were stated calmly and without worry of being lied to or mislead. She easily found this girl a suitable adviser, the way she'd arrived made her seem that way.

[Silren Chalis]

As Silren watched the girl, she could not help but smile for a moment at the admiration in the girl’s eyes. There was something about the girl, a unique charm that she could not place. Silren sifted through a few possibilities in her head trying to find the reason. The first thought that Silren considered was that she was a young girl and not fearful to the numerous snakes around her. Silren was not fearful but she was also a few years older than the girl. It did say something about the girl, she was not fearful of the unknown. Perhaps that was the quality?

After she sat down on the ledge the girl released a flood of questions. Silren listened and could not help another smile come across her face. “So young and confused,” Silren thought to herself as it brought back a few memories. The questions where not ones that most people asked; most people where directed by their parents to understand what was good or bad. Normally Silren did not help others; normally she would offer a quick and simple answer and brush off their attempts. However, the charm caught her; whatever it was. Silren thought about the answers for a moment before replying to the girl in a soft almost caring tone which surprised her afterwards, “Those are tough questions... There is no universal judge for good or bad, right or wrong. Every situation is different. What decides whether or not your actions or who you are, are good or bad are not rules. Rules are for the weak, to keep the foolish in the bounds of society’s structure. Good and bad is determined by the relationships you maintain around you. Simply put, if you care for others more than yourself than you are good but if you care for yourself more than others than you are bad; at least by societal standards. Overall, I think I float around the middle and don’t think myself bound by such oversimplified and mundane concepts.”

In essence that was exactly how Silren felt. She did not think that she was evil but she did not think that she was anywhere near good. Of course, it was a difficult question for anyone to answer about themselves. Usually it was left for someone else to answer for you. Silren subconsciously did not exactly want to remain on the subject and be forced to admit her evil ways and so directed the topic of conversation somewhere else. “Now, what is your name young lady and what about you enchants these snakes of yours?” Silren asked lightly.

[tasha]

Tasha's book wouldn't have been kind enough to grace her questions with an answer. Tasha knew she had to ask another person, and this one was a beautiful and special looking person. She felt it easy to trust this female with the answer to her troubling question. She had no parents to ask these things and no real role model to look up to. For Tasha she had only herself and anyone that seemed smart enough to give her answers. The girl was easily the best choice for Tasha to ask these questions, even though there was no reason for that thought. The snakes seemed to sense her feelings toward the girl and relaxed again. The albino pythons wrapped themselves along her arms and the cobras that had seemed satisfied on the ground climbed up. One of them resting on her neck as the other two wrapped themselves together in her lap.

Tasha listened intently to the words of her companion on this night. Her face shown in the glimmering moonlight and a smile wrapped her interested look. She understood the words as they were, but it made her feel a bit bad. If actions did not determine good or bad, and it was instead who you cared for... then maybe Tasha was bad too. When sh took that moment to think it seemed that she had no one she really cared about like that. Being friendly and actually caring were different, and Tasha had no one she'd be willing to struggle for. Tasha started to worry at that point and searched her thoughts to find someone that she cared for, but found nothing. Maybe she'd just have to take time and become good later, either way it wasn't important.

"My name is Tasha. Tasha Tessa Thomas. I summoned these snakes, and every time I've ever made them come out they protect me. Maybe I'm just good with snakes..."

She smiled, pushing her thoughts of good and bad into the back of her mind for later. If she was bad then so be it, but for now she'd simply think about it later. Tasha had much more to learn and many more years to figure out if she was good or not. The world wasn't so harsh on a little first year that she had to know her position instantly.

"Thank you for answering my question."

[Silren Chalis]

Aside from the snakes, the young girl in front of her brought memories of the past back. At first she did not see it but as the girl spoke and her little idiosyncrasies came out, Silren could not keep the memories of Taisy from bubbling up from the surface. Of course, there were things about the young one that did not match but there was something that just tugged at her mind. Silren could not place it but the memories still crept forth and with them sadness. “Now is not the time,” Silren thought to herself with an edge of command. Luckily the girl began speaking and so Silren was able to distract herself from the memories before they affected her physical features.

Ah, Tasha was her name. “Tasha Tessa Thomas? Someone has a fancy for ‘T’s,” Silren chuckled inside her head. So she summons snakes, guardian snakes; that could prove useful some day she noted. “You must be,” she remarked with a fake playful smile “I find snakes fascinating but poisonous ones I tend to keep at a distance… They almost seem a part of you and I would not be surprised if there is something hidden which you have not seen yet.” She continued to study the girl and the snakes. She had to admit that this was probably the most fascinating event she had seen with snakes.

Her hands were beginning to get numb from them resting on the cold stone and so Silren pulled them up onto her lap. Before she did however, she patted the stone to her left for Tasha to seat herself. “You are most welcome,” Silren replied to Tasha’s thanks as she finished folding her hands in a resting position on her lap. She was not afraid of the snakes biting, the core fear was a childhood one, since then she had learned a spell that removed toxins recently admitted into the body. However, her right hand was her wand hand and she still preferred if that was not tainted in any manner. Nonetheless, she believed that the snakes would not harm her; at least, not unless Tasha wished them to.

As Silren sat there she let her head wander up towards the sky at the beautiful setting. Doing so she let herself think for a moment, “A girl is not one most suspect, I wonder what other talents she may have….” After a moment, she turned back towards the girl with a soft smile that barely touched her eyes. “You seem to have a very unique talent, how long have you been practicing magic?” Silren asked in hopes that she could quickly learn what the girl was capable of.

[tasha]

Tasha had yet to realize the lethal nature of the creatures wrapped so intimately to her skin. To her they were interesting accidents that happened to like her. She hadn't thought that she might be able to rely on them. Tasha hadn't once considered making them attack anyone either. Though, of the few times the serpents had been summoned, they were only violent to the lighter of heart. Kerridon and Dark Phoenix hadn't warranted much threat from the beasts, and neither did Silren. It was as if the serpents only reacted to those naturally aligned with their master. Though, Tasha was still yet to understand exactly why this would be, let alone recognize the behavior as odd. The pythons coiled in a way that made Tasha blush, it was an odd sensation that she couldn't say she hated. The white scales massaging her snow white skin and the cobra's body around her neck made her quiver as if brushed by a feather.

The weird intimacy between Tasha and her pets was likely just a beginning, but for now it was simple. she was not so infatuated by them, though she truly enjoyed their company. The snakes were so loving in a way, to hold and protect her in the way they did. Tasha felt mildly calmed by the presence of the enchanted serpents. When Silren tapped the stone beside her for Tasha to sit the girl smiled widely. With a majestic motion that came as natural to the little doll as it came to running water the girl rose. The serpentine pair in her lap coiled around her thighs to avoid falling from the one they so adored. Without a missed beat, Tasha stepped as if to float and hopped up onto the stone beside Silren. Her dress flitting around her as she'd jumped and resting calmly as she sat.

The cobras crawled along the stone from her thighs and then again made their home in Tasha's lap. The girl seemed to be relieved for the time being and the deeper thoughts that had plagued her were set aside. Tasha looked at the sky and felt the kinship to the night that she had grown accustomed to feeling. Recently she felt more and more at home in the darkness, as opposed to the strangeness of being watched in school. Tasha never understood what was so interesting about her. Nobody told her that she dressed funny, and even then she had so many boys that carried her books and payed attention to her that she felt was awkward. For a large part she wasn't used to so much positive attention from others.

"I'm a first year... I didn't know I was a witch until this year either. I was raised in an orphanage, so I don't know my parents either. And um... how did you know.."

Tasha's question refereed not to her affinity with summoning snakes, but with another thing she'd thought she hid rather well. Though, she remembered that her eyes were currently that of a cat and she closed them. She looked down at the snakes in her lap and took a breath. The snow white counterpart on her right arm slid away and made way to the other girl. Tasha's eyes turned back to normal, the blue of her iris running around the ocular ring as it reshaped. She looked up quickly, her red hair flipping back over her shoulder. Her eyes focused on Silren and in not only curiosity but in slight worry. It might not be the best idea for her to be known as a metamorphmagus, and Tasha wondered if she was giving herself away.

"About my ability?"

The white python calmly flicked its tongue at Silrens wrist as if to test her resolve and see if he was allowed to go further. The approach of the serpent was as a friend apparently, but as likely suspected, the serpent was a friend to Tasha and Tasha alone. The cobra on her neck and the albino beauty on her other arm rose their heads to gaze along with Tasha into Silren's face. The two in her lap stared as well, coiled together coolly and unmoving as Tasha. Maybe Tasha had mistaken the knowledge of the girl before her but her worry seemed to be taking hold. As another first of the small hufflepuff, she was now unconsciously threatening a fellow student. she was not purposely acting intimidating, but the effect was apparent. A loyal python was approaching and lethal serpents were staring menacing at the orders of Tasha's will.

"I was trying to keep it a secret for now... so how did you know?"

Again it was a naive nature that took Tasha through life. Her questions were spoken in the same sweet and whimsical song that she always spoke with. The only thing about it now was that Tasha's eyes seemed a slight bit dangerous, and the snakes mirrored that. The girl was a creepy doll to begin with, as cheery and sweet as her smile was she still seemed to be a possible danger. Though, the girl seemed to be unintended on intimidation to get her answer, it may seem that she meant to be so.

[Silren Chalis]

Smiling, Silren waited patiently for the young doll to take her spot next to her. As Tasha moved to where Silren had motioned, she noticed that the girl walked in a buoyant, carefree manner, almost as if her mind did not pick up all the occurrences around her. Of course she was young and Silren had forgotten how she was four years ago; probably very nearly the same. Many aspects of her had changed in those four years; many things she had learned about herself and the world. It would seem that she had matured more rapidly than the thought she had. The last thought was a bittersweet one.

Listening to the girl’s reply, Silren brushed her hair gently with her right hand before letting it rest back with its counterpart. The moment her hand was at home she heard Tasha’s tone of voice change as she asked how she had known. Silren immediately ran through her memories and frantically tried to piece together what happened while her expression remained calm and curious. “Apparently this girl thinks I know more than I do,” she concluded after seizing nothing from her memories, “To be honest or play this a little further?”

Silren watched the snake and noted the lack of reaction to the cold stone as it moved toward her. As it did, Tasha’s voice brought Silren’s attention back to her. There was something strange, out of place, and as Silren thought about it and what Tasha had asked, the situation suddenly fell into place. Her eyes were not the same! The girl was a metamorphagus. “How did I not see this sooner? Her eyes were not normal,” Silren rhetorically and mentally asked herself.

She sat there a moment considering how to reply to the girl’s question, when the snake came all the way up to her wrist and flicked its tongue, grabbing Silren’s attention. Thankfully the snake was one of the pythons and not one of the cobras and so worry or fear entered her mind. She calmly opened her left hand in a welcoming posture for the snake to slide into. As she returned her gaze to the girl next to her she noticed the girls’ eyes along with the eyes of her snake companions. The eyes felt as if they were brimming with a threat. Silren felt as if she was welcomed into a trap. “Why is this girl so fearful?” Silren thought to herself quickly. This girl may feel threatened but she had no idea what she was getting into if she was going to start a fight.

Then it struck Silren, why would she need to assume there was a fight? Then it occurred to her, if Tasha was afraid of her ability then perhaps Silren could offer her protection and gain trust in doing so. Quickly, before the girl let her fear take complete control and override her sense of control, Silren replied, “There were little hints here and there; nothing more but enough that an astute, perceptive person would be able to pick up.” She smiled softly even though those words were not encouraging but she wanted to balance them out somehow. Continuing Silren added a caring tone to her voice, “Though you should not be afraid of your ability. It is a gift, not a curse. Do not fear others; be yourself and if someone threatens you or harms you, come to me and I will protect you. It should not be you who has to suffer for the jealousy and fear of others. Soon you will no longer let the fear in you control you and at that moment others will understand and not fear you. Their fear is a mirror of what is inside you. Take me for example; did you fear me when you saw me float up onto the ledge?..." Silren let the question sink in for a moment before continuing, "I think not, and that is because I did not fear it. So fear not,” Silren finished with a warm smile that actually touched her eyes slightly, “I am here for you.”

Silren knew that the strongest and true connections were ones that you had to seed when young and watch grow. That is why she did not suggest that the secret would remain between the to. Plus, Silren did not think that she would be able to hide her abilities much longer. The girl should flourish now and Silren had a connection of strength; she would have her uses soon enough. The smile and warmth in it was more due to Silren’s excitement at knowing how well this was turning out. Deep down however, Silren was not aware that she might actually protect the girl for more reasons than her usefulness. Silren, having restored her trace of confidence that she had lost, softly pet the snake on her lap with the back of her right hand.

[tasha]

Tasha continued in her course of action without noticing the way she was behaving. She suspected this girl of spying or some other such thing and was acting on that. she had never seen her before and if Tasha wasn't able to keep secrets then it was troublesome. Though, it was nothing so major, and no one really needed to worry about it. the fact that she was a metamorphmagi was simply she thought would be more fun as a secret. The python noticed that this person wasn't a threat though, and apparently thought attacking was unnecessary. the serpent's actions more or less lightened Tasha's worries and made her relax a tad. Though, the words of her senior were also a factor in calming the first year. Tasha sighed as Silren told her not to worry and felt she'd been worried for nothing.

The white serpent that made it's place in Silren's lap more or less relaxed and enjoyed the stranger's touch. Tasha relaxed and returned to sitting normally and looked up to the sky for a moment in thought. The three more lethal of the group of pets for some reason kept an eye on Silren. the three were most likely just keeping a look out for the girl that tended to be too trusting. The other of the two pythons laid it's head it's head in Tasha's small chest as it's body remained wrapped along her arm. The cobra around her neck laid itself in the same place, making the two seem connected . The girl seemed to be dressed in snakes and though the snow white snake held a near same color as Tasha's flesh it was a lovely decoration that stood out.

The white scales of the python's took a glimmering light from the moon on their glossy scales. The interesting effect made Tasha look down to see them. Tasha smiled at the serpent collection she'd so recently made and moved her snake-less arm so she could pet her pets. After a moments reflection Tasha returned her eyes to Silren, remembering the question from earlier. though the question was likely long forgotten Tasha smiled and spoke in her sweet and charming tone. The musical melody of her voice floating out and into the air. It was likely her voice was something that lured the snakes along with something else about her. as she spoke the serpents writhed lightly as if trapped by her words.

"The moonlight is beautiful, you're right." Tasha smiled and leaned over to put her head on Silrens arm. Though she knew very little about Silren she felt at peace and comfortable near her. The declaration that she'd protect the little first year was one reason that Tasha felt safer.

"You don't scare me.. cuz Silren is a nice person. It's just that, I wanted to keep my abilities secret. It's okay if you know, I think you knowing is perfectly fine."

The note in her voice held a light form of endearment not unlike a younger sister. Tasha's habit of bonding easily was not commonly noticed. She wasn't in the presence of those she'd bond with in her home at the orphanage so no one realized it. This school however might hold a few such people.