the trouble with secrets . finished

[Bryan Kelley]

Bryan stayed true to his statement he made to D'rorah after their first training session in the room of requirement. He had told her he would take to drawing in the Library more in response to her comment that they should meet more. However, Bryan remembered how D'rorah had not want his name equated with hers which would probably end up happening if they began meeting more often, especially if those meetings were outside of the Room of Requirement. However, Bryan saw no other alternative considering he and D'rorah were not in the same year nor in the same house. It made casual meetings rather difficult. However, the library was the favorite haunt of the Ravenclaw and no one would think on his choosing to draw more in the room of tomes.

So entering the library, Bryan glanced around briefly before he walked across the main room and moved down the line of books. He had a fair idea of where D'rorah normally worked when she translating texts, however, Bryan did not choose to go directly to that table. Instead, he chose one nearby, not taking the moment to actually see if was there in her normal spot or not. Bryan was seeking a little quiet moment to himself and away from Sam -- the troubles with being in the same house as one's brother -- and drawing always proved to calm this particular Gryffindor down. He pulled out a chair and sat down before he opened his shoulder bag and pulled out his sketchbook and pencil before dropping the bag to rest by his feet under the table.

Bryan opened the sketchbook to a fresh page and placed it on the table before him. He leaned forward, folding his right arm in front of him, leaning his weight on it, as he tapped the tip of the pencil against the crisp white page. His mind was seeking an image to draw. Something from the depths of his mind to draw out and create into a solid form. For a moment Bryan wished he was in one of "moments" when he just drew without knowing what he drew. Those moments were always easy, letting his hand move of its own accord as his mind seemed just to blank out without thought to anything else. In those moments Bryan actually entered the whole "clear your mind" phase that D'rorah had told him to do when they had meditated. Bryan had never really understood that phrase as he didn't think it completely possible to clear ones mind, and keep it cleared.

Bryan did not seem to notice when his left hand began to move across the page as his own mind was still thinking things through. He was annoyed with his brother, the other Gryffindor being far more active than Bryan and even more stubborn it seemed at times. The image underneath his pencil began to take the form of a forest of some sort but Bryan didn't really pay it any mind; rather, he just continued to let his mind wander as his hand moved across the page.

Bryan understood the importance of keeping things secret; he had his own moral code to live by. This had shown itself when he had refused to tell D'rorah about the image he had drawn from Cait's past. However, Bryan had a trouble in keeping secrets when it came to Sam. He and Sam were close, having lived with one another for the past fifteen years. They knew when the other was keeping something from each other. Sam tended to seek the answer to what was kept from him more than Bryan. However, Bryan had not seen the point of keeping a little of what he knew about the Shadow Wars from Sam, seeing as he wanted to keep his family safe and knowing Sam would take this serious. However, he had underestimated how much Sam would seek the answers he wanted.

Bryan mumbled something to himself as he darkened a few shadows in the image of the forest he was creating, a forest that was appearing more and more like the Dark Forest at the edge of the school grounds...

[D'rorah Philosophy]

D'rorah was in her customary seat at the back of the library. It was quiet, close to the restricted section, and relatively secluded from others. On days when she was working on something of extreme secrecy or importance she would confine herself to the restricted section itself or to the Room of Requirement. But this table, for the most part, was given a wide berth by her fellow students. Enough people thought the Ravenclaw prefect to be sufficiently odd that they avoided her. An outside observer could hardly blame anyone for thinking so... after all, how many eighteen year old witches could sequester themselves in the library for hours on end working on something that wasn't even necessary for school? And she dressed odd. There were a hundred less innocent things whispered about her in the halls by younger students, but she had no patience for hunting them all down. She was accustomed to being set apart from others. She kept in contact with the people she was interested in, and that was sufficient for her purposes. It meant fewer interruptions.

She had been making an effort to attend to her physical health ever since the night Dylan had shamed her in front of the entire Ravenclaw common room. It had been a promise to Kerridon... and somehow adhering to that promise made her feel closer to him, even though they could not see one another while they were at Hogwarts. It was of paramount importance that their newly-begun relationship was kept a secret. It wouldn't do for anyone to find out, because that would mean Dark Phoenix might find out... and that would place Kerridon in grave danger. And so, the dark shadows under her eyes were slowly beginning to dissipate as she found ways to assure she slept more regularly. And her robes had begun to look more like the tailored articles of clothing they were, rather than blue potato sacks.

Though there was a slight swelling lingering at her jaw and eye after having been attacked by Dylan in the Room of Requirement, the bruises from the incident had already faded with proper care. The swelling itself was only noticeable upon close inspection. In short, she almost looked like a healthy human being... if one discounted hair that was prematurely marked with wide swaths of grey and skin that was so pale it seemed nearly translucent.

She was surrounded by texts in an assortment of languages as she focused on a problematic translation of a journal. She found herself annoyed with the author, who had resorted to a tangle of poorly written poetic language to record his days. He had been an Elemental Master of Metal centuries ago... and he had a propensity for indulging his own ideas of self-importance. A translation that should have taken an afternoon had dragged out for the better part of over a day as she first translated a literal meaning for his writing and then attempted to decipher that for a meaning that made sense by untangling his metaphors and various allusions to authors who had long since passed into obscurity. It was as her frustration was reaching a peak that she felt Bryan's presence enter the library. He stood apart from all the other students, particularly sharp against the constant background din of a thousand clamoring mental voices inside her head.

She didn't have to focus very hard to follow his progress as he selected a seat near to her. She didn't even have to look up to confirm that he was sitting there. She knew she needed to talk to him about Kerridon... it would be best if he wasn't suddenly surprised by their relationship. Surprise tended to drive people to do odd things. She waited a while, however, not wanting to approach him as soon as he had passed through the door. And then, it seemed he was drawing... but subconsciously. She wondered if this would be like the drawings he had shown her before where he had drawn things he had never witnessed before without even being aware of it at the time. She waited a long while, her attention half on Bryan and half on the translation that had been annoying her all day. When his pencil seemed to still, she gathered a text that needed returning to a shelf near his table for an excuse to head toward him.

[blue]"Good afternoon, Mister Kelley,"[/blue] she remarked as she slid the book onto the shelf amid its peers. [blue]"I had the fortune of meeting your younger brother the other day. He seemed interested in your tutoring."[/blue] It seemed as good a cover as any. D'rorah would certainly be an apt tutor. After all, she was a seventh year student and well versed in the material for her classes. No one would think to question the choice of tutor given her aptitude... even if she was odd and kept to herself.

[Bryan Kelley]

Bryan paid little to no attention to the movement of his left hand. His mind was treading a trail of its own, however eventually his mind just ceased thinking of things as the calming affect of drawing took him over. Once more Bryan didn't know what it was that he drawing but just continued to draw. Although it hadn't started like the others, his mind having been occupied with other thoughts in the beginning but it had ended just like the other times. His mind clearing and not thinking about what it was he was drawing and not even consciously having an image in his head as he drew. As he drew, Bryan forgot about his annoyance with his brother. He forgot that he was seated in the library. He even forgot the presence of D'rorah in the room which he had eventually, if only sub-consciously, had acknowledged after he had seated himself down to work in his sketchbook.

He knew not how long he sat working on the drawing underneath his hand. However, it was long enough that no one disrupted the Gryffindor. His attention on the drawing was not broken by any outside source but rather allowed to continue on as it wanted. The drawing came to a natural end as he made a few last marks on the page, sitting back in his seat and laying the pencil down besides the spiral sketchbook as he stretched the fingers of his left hand. His blue eyes trailed down to look at the sketch before him as his mind returned back to the present. A frown over took the boy's features as he looked at it. "Wonderful,"[/color] he muttered to himself as he took stock of the forest scene before him. He did not focus long on the image that he had created before he became aware of the movement of D'rorah as she came over to where he sat.

She returned a book to the shelf, speaking lowly to him. His frowned deepened at the mention of his brother. "No doubt he was looking for a tutor of his own by the end of it, even though he promised me he wouldn't bother you," the Gryffindor said lowly. "I should have known better than to believe he would let it go... Sorry about that,"[/color] he told her. Bryan was sure that Sam had gone and tried to do the same thing that he had been trying to do to the young boy: keep him out of trouble. It certainly showed that each teenager had the best intentions at heart but of course the other brother was not going to take those intentions to heart but try to fulfill it their own way. Bryan had sought to warn Sam but keep him out of it, and Sam had seen that Bryan would not drop out of the group so he had attempted to contact D'rorah, as Bryan assumed by the older girl's words. He sighed quietly.

"It's part of the Kelley charm; we're taught to look after one another." It was certainly what made Bryan so loyal to those he associated with. He transferred the family loyalty over to those he either deemed friends or apart of his family. The Lightfighters were a mixture of this. D'rorah was moving into a second family category, but the rest of the members... he did not know them well, did not interact with them much. The loyalty he felt towards them was result of the loyalty he had given to D'rorah. Either way, the protectiveness that he felt towards his family, that he learned from his father and relatives, had transferred into this part of his life as well, just as it had with Sam.

Bryan leaned back in his chair. When he had spoken to D'rorah, he had turned his head to look up at the Ravenclaw but for a moment he dropped his gaze back to look at the drawing. "It's another one,"[/color] he stated quietly. He still disliked the feeling he received from doing these drawings. The forbidden forest one held much more detail than many of his other drawings, if just from the fact he had been able to finish this one to completion but one was still left with trying to figure out what was going on in the image from the clues drawn there. Bryan picked up his pencil once more, tapping its eraser end absent-mindedly against the top of the table before sky blue eyes once more rested upon the Ravenclaw girl.


(( feel free choose the subject of the drawing, I only emphasized that it takes place in the forest, as I don't want to add anything I shouldn't or whatnot)).

[D'rorah Philosophy]

D'rorah noted the way Bryan's frown deepened as she mentioned Sam and had to resist the urge to smile and shock the entire rest of the library. She slid into the seat beside him. [blue]"I cannot say I find fault with his intentions,"[/blue] she replied after he had finished speak. [blue]"He seemed quite concerned that I might be leading your education astray. He is very devoted to you, and to your entire family, from what I have observed."[/blue]

She touched the wand within her sleeve and muttered a silencing charm, convinced that no one around them was listening closely enough to their conversation to notice the spell. [blue]"You do realize that his knowledge of the very existence of our group brings him within its circle? He wishes to have an active role."[/blue] She paused, having gathered from Bryan's remarks that he had not yet heard the outcome of their conversation and uncertain he he would react to her next statement. [blue]"I agreed. I found no dispute with his intentions... and I gathered the feeling that he would do as he pleased, whether I acceded to his wishes or not."[/blue] She pursed her lips. [blue]"I want your family to be safe. I would prefer not to involve anyone else. No one outside of our group knows what you are... as long as that statement remains true, they are safer kept as far away from this conflict as possible."[/blue]

She was accutely aware of the fact that all of the people involved were students, and that all of them had people they cared about and did not want hurt. She didn't want that hurt and destruction running rampant among the group. Already too much tragedy had been endured and too many of their allies had been fractured by the loss of those they loved. There were parents, siblings, romantic significants... these were the connections that made people human. Lose too many of them and it was only a matter of time before the members would lose sight of exactly what it was they were fighting for. Even a sense of selfless duty to the world at large could only be stretched so far.

Her eyes shifted to the drawing before Bryan as he stated it was "another one". She knew what he meant. Her eyes moved to the page and scanned it. The Forbidden Forest itself was immediately recognizable, as was the figure of Zane Bishop, one she knew well. Of course, she had seen him in the context of the forest on more than one occasion. The difficulty of these drawings was that she had no way of knowing their time frame. Was this a warning of something to come in the future? Was it something that had already occurred? She could see the vague outlines of Shadows against the darkness of the forest. Was he in danger? Would he be in danger soon? She attempted to access the mental link she had with Zane, concerned for his well-being, but found it was obscured. Her brow furrowed in a mixture of concern and and frustration. It was hard to know whether he simply wanted privacy or if there was something else there. She couldn't even be sure where he was, though she could tell he didn't seem to be in physical danger. [blue]"Do you know anything about it?"[/blue] she asked, suspecting the answer would be in the negative again.

[Bryan Kelley]

"Sam would have found out in one way or another," Bryan told D'rorah after she had seated herself down and ceased speaking. "We've always been close and know when the other is hiding something," he continued. "I have no intention of telling my sisters or the rest of my family, but Sam is different. He'd have striven to find out what I was hiding to the point he'd probably put himself in danger from it," he told her seriously, knowing the older Ravenclaw would understand what he getting at. Being close to his family, Bryan knew how each would react to anything they told him. He knew how Sam would respond if Bryan suddenly started to act strangely. And after the first meeting, when Bryan had still been processing stuff, Sam had wheedled some information from him, but since then Bryan had been a bit tight lipped around the younger Gryffindor. It was difficult as the two boys were close and used to talking about things together.

"I would have preferred him not to get actively involved, but he's more of a fighter than me, and Sam, like me, knows the value of keeping a secret and the importance of loyalty," he said quietly. "He would have gotten into some sort of mischief; it's probably better he approached you than by some other method he could have possibly come up with," he finished shaking his head with a grim expression. He dropped his gaze back down to the sketchbook, remarking on its presence to D'rorah.

His eyes transferred back to the Ravenclaw when she studied the image that was there. He knew the question that came to her lips before she had even voiced it. However, rather than answering in a negative, he asked a question. "You were here for the entirety of it," he said, "Did you pick up anything from my mind?". From their connection, Bryan assumed she might have picked up something, if there was anything to be picked up. Bryan had not had any active thoughts in regards to the image, but perhaps D'rorah might have picked something up he wasn't aware of. She had known when he was in the library, as it was not likely she would have noticed him other wise if she was immersed in her translating she might never had looked up from her work to noticed him if not for their connection.

Becoming aware of his unconscious action of tapping his pencil against the table top, Bryan ceased the motion and twirled the pencil over his fingers and marked the page as he had towards the other images that had been produced in the same vein. He stared at the picture for a moment longer before he set the pencil down and then carefully tore the page from the spirals of the sketchbook. He had felt the scattered thoughts that passed D'rorah's mind as she contemplated the image that he decided it would be best if she kept the image to refer back to and study at her leisure. He passed the sheet of paper to her with a shrug, presenting to the outsider that it didn't matter if she wanted the drawing or not, not that it was anything important.

[D'rorah Philosophy]

"You were here for the entirety of it. Did you pick up anything from my mind?"

D'rorah realized it was a valid question. She had only halfway been paying attention to Bryan as she had waited for him to finish. Nothing had been at the forefront of his mind during that time... but she hadn't delved any deeper into his subconscious. [blue]"That is a very good question. I did not notice anything... but then, I was dividing my attention between you and my research. Besides that, I am loathe to invade the privacy of your mind any more than our connection naturally promotes."[/blue] She couldn't believe she hadn't thought of looking more deeply. It would be helpful to know what these drawings were trying to tell them. She scanned her memory for anything that had seemed anomalous, but couldn't think of anything at present.

She accepted the page as it was nonchalantly passed to her. She would look at it more carefully later. Perhaps in the privacy of her dormitory she would be able to see something she didn't see here. There was no telling. Certainly, it wouldn't be wise to sit here in the library and openly scrutinize the piece of artwork, thus drawing attention to it and herself. She blithely slipped it inside a book she held in her hand and closed it.

[blue]"There is something else I should discuss with you,"[/blue] she murmured, not looking at him as she rose from her seat and selected a book from the nearby shelf, returning with it after a few moments. The book itself was not particularly noteworthy. In fact, it was just an old potions textbook. D'rorah opened it to a page on healing elixirs and placed it on the table as she resumed her seat. She turned the text around so that it faced Bryan and pointed to a passage as she continued to speak. [blue]"This must remain in the strictest of confidence,"[/blue] she remarked blandly, gesturing to a particular step in the preparation of the potion. [blue]"In fact, after I tell you, it would be best not to even think about it."[/blue] She paused, leaning down over the book as though reading a passage aloud upside down to Bryan. [blue]"I have begun a relationship with Mister Paradox."[/blue] A pause. [blue]"Given the nature of his role, no one must know. It would be dangerous for both of us. However, I wanted to pass the information along so that you would not be surprised by it if you learned of it through our connection."[/blue] She settled back and kept her finger on a passage in the book as though marking it and waiting to see if Bryan had any questions.

[Bryan Kelley]

Part of Bryan expected that D'rorah had not sensed anything from him during the time he had been drawing. He had sort of expected that she had not dug into his mind to analyze what had been going on during the time either. He listened to her tell him as much after he had asked his question. He nodded his head slightly in understanding. "I'll take this moment then now to say that if it occurs again and you're around, feel free to dig around in my mind," he stated. "As it'd be nice to know if there is anything to learn about these drawings hiding in my head..." he said trailing off. He couldn't be sure if D'rorah would dig deeper the next time without his telling her it's alright. Instead of leaving that to chance he decided to clear the matter of up now. Perhaps Bryan should had been a little squeamish at the thought of giving D'rorah complete permission to wander his mind in those moments, but he felt the need to understand why he was drawing these things was more important. As it was, Bryan knew most of D'rorah dirty laundry from when they built their connection that it seemed right she'd be privy to any of his memories she may find in those moments. Though in truth, Bryan didn't really think he had anything to hide from the Ravenclaw.

Bryan did not watch as the Ravenclaw took the drawing and placed it into the book she held as he was cleaning out the spirals of his sketchbook. However, he glanced up at her when she moved to take a book from the shelf, her murmured words reaching his ears. He was somewhat curious as to what else the older girl felt she needed to tell him. He looked at the book she pulled from the shelf, opening and laying it in front of him. Bryan picked up what she was doing a beat after she had turned it towards him. Picking up her intentions, Bryan placed the proper amount of interest into the potions book before him as she pretended to read from it and point passages out. Bryan tapped the pencil against the table top in an unconscious movement as he listened to what the Ravenclaw related to him.

He arched a brow for a moment. It was a surprise to say the least. Bryan knew that D'rorah still seemed to harbor feelings for Dylan, and even he was unsure what was up with the Elemental Master of Earth that his attitude would flip so suddenly. However, he didn't begrudge the Ravenclaw girl before him in building up another relationship, just the seemingly suddenness of it. He did not even question the person she had chosen to enter into a relationship with. He supposed he should, remembering the day when D'rorah had informed him via their mental link that Kerridon had transferred sides. However, he trusted that D'rorah knew what she was doing, and if Kerridon was helping her to heal from the wounds Dylan left in the older girl, than Bryan could only approve.

He nodded his head in response. "It's a surprise, the seemingly suddenness of it, but I trust that you both know what you're doing. If anything, I'm happy that you're healing," he told her, tapping a section of the text before he had looked up at the Ravenclaw. Bryan did not expand on what he meant by healing knowing D'rorah would infer the correct response to his use of the word. Although Bryan had not commented upon the sight of her slightly swollen jaw and the bruises that still graced her features had not meant he hadn't notice them. It was the same in that he noticed the subtle changes in her physical appearance towards one more healthy, as she had placed on some weight and the circles under her eyes had lessened some. Bryan had noted these small changes in D'rorah almost every time he saw her, considering he did not always meet with her enough for the changes to seem subtle.

[D'rorah Philosophy]

D'rorah nodded slightly as she was given permission to look more deeply into Bryan's mind the next time she witnessed him making another one of these drawings. Inexplicable phenomena certainly fell within the realm of things they wanted to keep to a minimum, so finding an explanation for what was happening made sense. She never felt comfortable delving into people's minds... there was no telling what might be found. On a few occasions, she had occasionally found information she would have rather not had, but that had been when she was younger and less able to control her ability.

She could feel Bryan's surprise as she told him of Kerridon. Of course, knowing how devoted she had been to Dylan, she completely understood that it might come as a shock... But then, he had left her first. The slow torture he had inflicted on her since his return to Hogwarts had proved too much for her to endure. It had been Kerridon who had brought him back to her in the first place. It had been Kerridon who had quietly been by her side for various tasks since then. And it had been he who had followed her and taken her to safety after she had dashed madly from the castle in the wake of Dylan's humiliating her in front of the whole house of Ravenclaw. He had been the one to heal her injuries from the fall she had taken as she just barely escaped the castle before her mind got out of her control.

She needed the emotional connection. [blue]"Thank you,"[/blue] D'rorah replied quietly, her eyes cast down upon the book between them. He was right, it was good to finally be healing. Losing Dylan, being unable to find him, and then having him returned in such an unrecognizable state had broken her down. She had been mentally in pieces. And she knew she had been physically declining as a result. It was nice to hear that she wasn't only imagining the changes in her body as she slowly regained her physical health. [blue]"It is good to heal,"[/blue] she agreed.

She carefully closed the potions book and looked up at Bryan as she released the silencing charm. [blue]"Was there anything else you wanted to review, Mister Kelley?"[/blue] If there was, the charm could be easily enough cast again, but if anyone was paying attention, they were less likely to notice the exchange if they could hear the closing line of the conversation. The good thing about hiding things out in the open was that most people didn't bother to scrutinize anything they saw that looked commonplace.

[Bryan Kelley]

Aside from the initial surprise, Bryan did not question D'rorah's relationship with Kerridon anymore. Bryan was not about to begrudge D'rorah any ray of happiness in her life. The Gryffindor had a good grasp of how much time, effort, and just how much of herself that the Ravenclaw placed into the endeavor in protecting the world, the light fighters, as well as attempting to lead them. It could not be an easy life for the Ravenclaw, for a witch of her age. She may had been seemingly brought up for the life but it still could not be easy. The Ravenclaw needed moments of relief and relaxation away from the stress of the war. She needed moments to remind her that she was a young woman with a life to live outside of the war. A life where moments of affection or even love were indeed possible. Bryan certainly was not going to begrudge D'rorah any of that, especially after what ever was going on with Dylan, if she found it in Kerridon. She deserved moments of peace, of acceptance and love.

The Gryffindor appreciated that D'rorah took the moment to take Bryan into the confidence. He could assume that the only reason she had was probably due to their connection than any strong inclination to let him in on the secret. It could not be a good idea to keep something from someone who could perhaps gleam a whiff of it from the connection and worry over it, unsure exactly what was going on. Bryan certainly did not know how he would have reacted if he learned of it from their connection. He could not really see himself confronting her about it or telling anyone else on it. This was apart of D'rorah's personal life, and the fact remained that Bryan still did not feel like a strong presence within this group that he felt comfortable questioning anything D'rorah or any other light fighter did. Bryan could only see himself just keeping a background eye on things, making sure nothing happened to the Ravenclaw prefect as a result of this new relationship. However, unless something was glaringly wrong, he could not see himself interfering or going about spreading it around. He was not like that.

A smile touched Bryan's lips when D'rorah acknowledged that it was good to heal. "It's good to see it as well," he added with a small nod of his head. He wasn't sure if he actually noticed or just picked up her intention from their connection, but he noticed that D'rorah had released the silencing charm she had placed around them. He turned slightly in his seat, laying his arm across the top of his chair, to look up at D'rorah as she asked him if he had any further questions. He shook his head. "Only feel free to torture Sam if you end up tutoring him," he commented with a wary smile. "He's smart in his own right, but it doesn't extend towards book smarts," he told her, adding it more for the tutoring cover than anything. Bryan did care to some extent if D'rorah put Sam through hell in training, but for the moment he didn't care too severely unless she ended up killing him. It was one matter explaining to parents one of their boys died protecting the world, but when they died via training and at the hands of said trainer? It might be a little more questionable. However, Bryan wanted to make sure Sam knew what he was getting himself into. As it was, Bryan was sure Sam would turn into the better fighter than himself. Sam had always been more athletic and go getter than Bryan; the training would probably come easier to the younger Gryffindor than it did Bryan. Bryan decided that was a trail of thought he wasn't interested in pursuing, so he turned his mind away from it.

[D'rorah Philosophy]

D'rorah smirked as Bryan said to torture Sam if she ended up training him. [blue]"Yes, I gathered the impression that the library was not his preferred environment,"[/blue] she replied with a slight shake of her head. She rose from her chair, resting her hand on the table for a moment. [blue]"I intend for his tutoring to be mercilessly grueling... but only to build him up."[/blue] She picked up the book and headed to the shelf to replace it.

She knew Bryan's concern for his younger brother's safety and she understood it. It seemed each of the Lightfighters was bringing his or her own special quality into the equation. She would only make Sam a part of that equation if she had confidence in his ability to hold his own in battle. She had seen enough good people die in the past year to last her the rest of her life and then some.

[blue]You can be in the background without having to stand in anyone else's shadow, Mister Kelley.[/blue] It was the parting thought she sent in his direction as she turned to head back to her table. Even if Sam was the more athletic of the two brothers, she knew that Bryan had his own talents that lay elsewhere. His calm, steadfast manner was just the emotional anchor she needed to keep her from drifting off into corruption... and no hot-blooded fighter could have provided that. In fact, she had been reading about a past pair of Lightfighters where the Elemental Master had learned to retrieve his Shadow Warrior's emotions even from a distance... which would mean they would not necessarily have to be together to fight. Bryan's temperament seemed just right for that sort of ability, and she fully intended to see if they could develop that ability between the two of them as soon as she had a bit more information.

For now, however, it was back to the endless litany of texts and the secrets they held. She pulled back her chair quietly before depositing herself in it and retrieving her quill. It was going to be another long day in the library. Luckily for her, that didn't bother her in the least.

[Bryan Kelley]

"He'll probably end up enjoying it," Bryan commented when D'rorah told him she had plans to make Sam's training merciless grueling. Bryan had the idea that he wouldn't mind watching that, but then perhaps that would mean he would probably end up getting dragged into said training, or put off onto training of his own. Not that Bryan would protest such a thing, but like any lazy student, he would like to avoid it. Bryan did not have the physical energy that Sam had. While Sam had been busy running across foot ball fields, Bryan had been pursuing more creative venues. There was little doubt in Bryan's mind that unless D'rorah put Sam through actual hell then the younger Gryffindor would more than likely enjoy himself.

When D'rorah turned to return back to her table, Bryan had turned back in his seat back to his sketchbook. A light smile touched his lips at her departing thought. Tell that to the owner of the huge shadow, he replied to her with amusement, however it was apparent that D'rorah's message was delivered. Bryan knew that he had qualities of his own that came out in their own right, however it was easy to become over shadowed. Bryan knew this all too well. He and Sam came from a large family after all. It was easy to be forgotten or overlooked, especially in the Kelley family get togethers. Bryan knew this and it had been one of the reasons he chose not to follow down that train of thought, as it seemed so easy just to under value one self, and Bryan wasn't interested in doing that. Especially when he had came to the library to calm down, which he had accomplished with a mixture of drawing and D'rorah's presence.

Even though D'rorah had returned to her table, Bryan did not pack up to leave the library. Instead, he turned his attention back to the sketchbook and began to sketch the librarian who was shifting through a stack of books across the way. His mind turned to contemplate the image he had drawn earlier; it was certainly strange he had been wishing he could do a drawing like it and had done it but he did not believe it was done because he thought it. It was more likely a coincident more than anything else. It had not happened the other times he had thought about it. Bryan turned his mind away from it and just worked on drawing while D'rorah returned to her texts.