Here we go again....((Elizabeth Rain))

[pandora]

The library of Hogwarts was a magnificent sight to behold for any viewer. Rows upon rows of books lined the walls and filled the partitions spaced around the vast expanse of room, ranging from ancient magical texts placed lovingly on the top shelf to Magical Me stuffed half-heartedly into a corner by a disillusioned Librarian with a lamely shattered crush. Large heavy tables filled the spaces between the bookshelves and only a few students were already hard at work studying, their heads buried in the dusty pages before them. Most, however, were thinking of the summer days still clinging to the world outside the great tall windows and were wishing they could be out there instead. A few simply gave up trying to fight it and figured they had plenty of time for homework later, so they rushed out of the rooms and down onto the lawns below. A set of blue-grey eyes watched their progress down to the lake side then stared back at the reflection of a pale white face in the window. Pandora allowed her eyes to wander down to the game of whizzing fizzbee that was now in full swing by the waters edge only once more before she turned back to the heavy old tome before her. The cover was a hard material wrapped in sickly green silk that was worn through and tattered in places, and it hung limply on the table when she opened the book. She was fairly certain the cover would have fallen off by now if someone hadn’t kept magically repairing it from time to time.

As she sat there flipping lazily through the books pages, noting each new spell she hadn’t heard of before, the soft swish of clothing became louder in the back ground. Someone was coming over to sit at her table. This thought was confirmed when the soft scrape of a chair being pulled away echoed around the space Pandora now occupied. She glanced up and saw an older student sitting down a few seats away from her at the same table. The girl was fairly pretty with soft brown hair and when the girl looked up from the stack of books she had just placed on the table, Pandora noted that her eyes were blue; not the cold slate blue of Pandora’s eyes but the bright clear vibrant blue of a winter sky. This new comer had to be at least 2 years older than Pandora and the books she had were obviously for more advanced classes.


There were many other tables in the library with no one at them, why did this girl have to sit here? ‘Well, if she thinks she’s going to just bully me away 'cause she’s older, then she has another thought coming.’ Pandora thought bitterly. The older girl didn’t seem like a Slytherin but you couldn’t always be sure so Pandora opted to play things safe. She watched the girl for a few moments longer then leaned heavily on one hand, her elbow on the table, and asked “So what house are you in?”

[elizabeth]

Elizabeth walked through the library skimming the long aisle's of dusty shelves, her finger running along the books leaving tracks on their bindings. It was the first weekend since school had began and it was a beautiful day outside, the blue skies free of clouds and blades of green grass flowing softly with the breeze. However, Elizabeth could not enjoy the outdoors for it seemed as though her professors were out to get her, loading her down with as much homework as possible. She pulled another book from the shelf and blew away the dust coating its cover before adding it to the stack already weighing her down.

After grabbing the last book necessary for her studying Elizabeth headed to her favorite spot in the library. It was close to the window and the warmth of the sunlight always made studying a stimulating process. The shuffling underneath her feet stopped as she reached the chair and pulled it out, the wooden legs groaning as the slid along they library floor. She set her books on the table and sat in the comfortable chair, quit unaware of anyone who might be around her. She pulled out a piece of parchment and her favorite quill before grabbing the advanced potions book sitting on the top of the large stack. She flipped casually through the pages looking for something that may interest her, Snape had assigned a 5 page essay on a potion of their choice due Monday and she needed to get started if she intended to finish on time.

Only a few minutes had passed and Elizabeth was beginning to get frustrated, she had not found a topic and it seemed as though there were little hope. Resting her hand in her head, she looked up to see a young lady with dark black hair and intense blue eyes. Looking at her gave Elizabeth an odd feeling like the girl knew something she did not and the feeling was not sitting well with her. She tried not to look startled hoping she could pull her eyes from the girl, however, the girl had begun to speak to her, "So what house are you in," she inquired. Elizabeth looked at her curiously, "Ravenclaw," she answered proudly, "And you?" She did not know why she was asking, it was quite clear that the girl was a Slytherin; however, it seemed like the polite thing to do. She glanced down at her book and turned the page casually before looking back up to the girl.

[pandora]

Each movement Elizabeth made was noted and catalogued in Pandora’s mind. The girl was older and therefore Pandora had to be wary, thus the title of every book Elizabeth had picked out was quickly read and she noted that the girl seemed to be looking through a potions book. The book was obviously over Pandora’s head and she envied the ability to practice those far more fascinating brews, till then though she satisfied herself with the notion that she herself would be reading from that book in the next few years. Elizabeth announced proudly that she was in Ravenclaw and then asked what house Pandora was in. Pandora glanced down at the uniform she was wearing with the obvious green and white stripe running around the collar of her sweater. Obviously this girl was just trying to be polite…..no one could be THAT stupid. Remembering a girl she’d met on the train, Pandora smiled a little inside, ‘No, I’m wrong. There is someone that dumb.’ She returned her attention and thoughts back to the girl before her and stated calmly “Slytherin.” The one simple word was said as if it were some sort of birthright.

Pandora was always small for her age and her skin held the deathly pallor of someone who rarely saw sunlight. Her features would have been fairly pretty for a young girl of 11 but her eyes held something far beyond her years. Something dark and secretive. Her voice wasn’t overly loud but it was weighty and cold; as a matter of fact, nothing about Pandora came across as warm in any way. She watched Elizabeth for a few more moments and then asked softly “What year are you?”

[elizabeth]

The dusty book felt rough and worn as Elizabeth ran her hands over it nervously, shifting uncomfortably in her seat. The dark haired girl was still staring at her and it seemed as though she would never ease up. Elizabeth gave a half smile nervously as the girl asked what year she was in, "I'm a third year," she said confidently trying her best to sound older. She knew that the girl was younger than herself, that much was apparent; however her sharp looks and ongoing stare intimidated Elizabeth.

"I'm guessing you're either a first or second year," she assumed, turning another page of her book to break the eye contact between them. Her eyes grew as she suddenly found the potion which she wanted to write about. It was a potion that intensified a persons train of thought so that there full concentration was on whatever was most important in their lives at the time. She pulled out a piece of parchment, her quill scratching uneasily as she began to write her name. She stopped and looked up at the girl, "What are you in here for today?" she asked politely.

((sorry it is so short, I am writing a 4 page essay for school... *sigh*))

[pandora]

((It's ok, I completely understand. Just take your time and I'll wait. I'm enjoying this thread alot.))

Elizabeth seemed to shift nervously in her seat and Pandora caught and logged each movement carefully. The other girl was a third year, that would make her around thirteen years old. Pandora watched her flip through the pages and settle on one potion in particular. After Elizabeth selected a potion, she began writing something down on the sheaf of parchment lying next to her. Pandora could only assume it was an essay of some sort. Professor Snape seemed to be fond of those, but then again, so was Pandora. Potions was the only class she took that she didn’t mind having homework for. “I’m guessing you’re either a first or a second year.” Elizabeth stated. Pandora cocked her head ever so slightly to the side like some strange pale bird as Elizabeth spoke and internally she smiled a little. If a Ravenclaw could be unsure if she was a first year or not, that spoke well of the manner in which Pandora was conducting herself. No one likes being on the bottom of the pile, so the simple fact that she was not OBVIOUSLY a first year was something to be glad of.

Pandora watched the gentle flow of the girl’s hand as she scratched things out on paper. Her gaze was cold but not openly threatening, as disassociated and analytical as a scientist watching a lab rat. The older students here fascinated her; some were not worth her time in the least but there were a few from which Pandora could glean some insight on the inner workings of the school. They were an invaluable source of information concerning the social intrigues and rumors that flew around the hallways. Elizabeth seemed to be avoiding her gaze as she stared at the paper, then slowly, her eyes rolled back up to meet Pandora’s own. “What are you in here for today?” she asked in what Pandora could only call a civil tone which held all the usual signs of someone trying to be nice. It was the same note of politeness that clung to the first few words most people spoke to Pandora; mind you, it usually didn’t last long. Pandora looked back down at her own book finally and released Elizabeth from her gaze; she ran her eyes over the page before her one more time and decided these potions simply weren’t as exciting as the ones in Elizabeth’s book.

With that thought, she slid the cover closed and watched with a measure of vague interest as the tattered green silk pulled taught once more across the book’s surface. “I was doing some extra studying on Potions.” She noted, using the same polite tone as Elizabeth, though for some reason, it just didn’t seem as warm or inviting. “It looks like we seem to share that task in common at the moment. How many pages did he want?” Once more, Pandora’s eyes fell back on Elizabeth. The warm light coming in through the window did little to remove the darkness that seemed to cling to Pandora. It wasn’t darkness you could see so much as feel. She looked like a life-sized doll, her hair was soft and perfectly cut, her face was smooth and as pale as living porcelain, her lips were tinted just the slightest pink as if an artist had swept down and touched on them with water color paint. Pandora was dressed impeccably, as if someone had carefully placed each fold of cloth around her. A little doll all dressed up. And from that alabaster face, her gray blue eyes stared out with all the unfeeling coldness of a doll’s glass orbs.

[elizabeth]

Her fingers ran over the edge of the parchment, pushing slightly, trying to smooth it's curling corners. She hated when her papers had curls, or any imperfection for that matter, it dug at her until she could not bare it anymore and she gave in to the urge to fix it. Her family often told her she was a perfectionist, however, she simply refused to believe that tidiness was a crime. She looked down at her parchment and sighed at her essay, or lack there of, the hardest part of an essay is always the beginning.

She looked up to see Pandora, now more comfortable in the situation, "Yeah, it's for professor Snape," she confirmed, "5 pages, aren't I lucky," she said sarcastically, laughing a little. Elizabeth was very good in school, taking several advanced classes; but she never let it weigh her down, she didn't take it too seriously. She looked back down to her paper and scrolled a title on, tilting her head slightly to get a good look at it. She smiled satisfied, "What is your assignment?" she asked curiously.

Elizabeth watched Pandora, fascinated, she was both creepy and beautiful, mysterious and straight forward. The sun was shining on her face and the creamy alabaster tone of her face was reflecting the light elegantly. Her short black hair shined smoothly in the light and her eyes seemed to almost glow. Her soft pink lips seemed shimmer naturally and her posture gave her an air of perfection. Reaching into her bag, Elizabeth pulled out a small black leather book and opened it, "You wouldn't mind if I sketched you, would you?" she asked quietly, "I love drawing and I like to remember people." She titled her head slightly trying to imagine the best way to capture Pandora, running her hand over the book and flipping it's penciled pages to a clean sheet. She ran the feathers of her quill over the smooth paper before looking back up at the girl, "You don't have to say yes."

Elizabeth felt the familiar rose color rising in her cheek, why had she just asked that? She did not know this girl very well. A slight wind blew in from the crack in the window and Elizabeth's hair danced with it lightly, tickling her face. She smiled and looked away momentarily, sliding her long brown hair behind her ears. She looked back at Pandoral and decided she wasn't going to back down with her question, after all, the worst possible answer was no.

[pandora]

Elizabeth had answered Pandora’s question about her homework with a note of sarcasm. It obviously wasn’t directed at her but Pandora didn’t quite understand how anyone could NOT enjoy doing an essay for Professor Snape. She, personally, was always thrilled to accept any task he set before her; she would dive into her work with utmost devotion often writing an extra page just to be on the safe side. Potions was the only class she did this for. It wasn’t that she slacked off in the rest but she put so much more heart into the work she did for him. She remembered rather fondly how he swept around the room on their first day of classes. Her first impressions of Professor Snape were of a great black bird moving gracefully around the room and she only just managed to stop a smile from coming to her face. He was the head of her house and she thought the world of him already. He was everything a good Slytherin should be in her opinion: bold, strong, intelligent to a fault, elegant, secretive and graceful. She was always looking forward to handing in essays just so he would have to come over by her desk to get it.

Pandora felt the slightest tint of heat climb into her cheeks and quickly squashed any silly ideas about the head of her house, turning her thoughts back to the older student in front of her instead. “I rather enjoy his essays,” she said simply, “but I’m not here on any homework. I’m just looking up new recipes.” Pandora’s eyes followed Elizabeth’s hand as the girl reached for her sketchbook. She raised one elegant eyebrow and when Elizabeth opened the book to a blank page and asked to sketch her, Pandora sat for a moment in silence and stared at the book. A book very much like the one she kept carefully hidden in her own dorms, it’s blank pages half filled with various images stolen from unknowing subjects who had no clue their likeness was being recorded. So this girl was an artist too? She mulled over the idea of being in someone else’s sketch for a change and decided that she didn’t mind. After all, she rather thought her self lovely (though not as lovely as Ariane) and decided it wasn’t so bad a thing if a Ravenclaw saw that too.

Ravenclaws are supposed to be the smartest house so it would only make sense that one would eventually decide she was beautiful. Pandora finally folded her hands neatly on the table and nodded her assent. “I don’t mind. Are you sure the others of your house won’t think you odd for wanting to sketch a Slytherin?” She watched Elizabeth very carefully to judge her reaction to the question. Most people in Hogwarts looked on her house with a mixture of hate and fear that Pandora had come to simply expect. Even the teachers seemed to simply wait for a Slytherin to make a mistake. Pandora had almost laughed out loud when the Sorting hat had sung it’s tune about unity among the houses. Her only thought on that matter was ‘You first.’

[elizabeth]

Her dainty hands ran over the smooth sheet of sketch paper and excitement seemed to be running through her. She loved drawing, it was as though she were capturing pieces of someone... learning more about them. Her mind was racing, imagining the possibilities. Her quill seemed to swoop down as her hand made several circular motions across the paper. She looked back and forth from the girl to the paper, a smile adorning her quaint little face, she giggled slightly at Pandora's question, "Well, you're not the first Slytherin I have drawn," she stopped momentarily, thinking of Jack and her once petty crush on the older Slytherin boy. She sighed slightly and looked back to the paper, "I draw people from all houses, professors, students and sometimes even there pets." She flashed a friendly smile at the girl as she looked up, "Do you draw much?" she asked curiously.

She studied the girl vigorously intending to catch every detail in her sketch, she wanted to remember this girl. Pandora was unique and interesting, something about her attracted Elizabeth's sense of curiosity and adventure. Elizabeth did not have many friends at Hogwarts, only Kathryn. She never had the courage to open up to people, the only time she had did not turn out so graciously. "How have you been enjoying Hogwarts?" Elizabeth asked suddenly, trying to make friendly conversation, "I remember my first year here... it was very, interesting." Her first year was the hardest year for her, she did not have many friends and she had not yet grown to her current height; in fact, she was rather short.

She concentrated on her paper, drawing Pandora's eyes in an almond shape and the frame of her face in a perfect oval. She concentrated on the girls lips, determined to capture their arrogant but elegant form. Her hands worked gracefully, a shaded image of Pandora becoming more and more clear with each stroke of her quill. She paused and sucked on the end of her quill before getting back to work on pandora's smooth black hair. She smiled at her sketch as she continued to work, it was coming along rather nicely.

((Im sorry it took so long and this is not a very great post, I have been in the middle of a move and haven't had much time on my hands.))

[pandora]

((No problem at all. Just post when you can. ļ ))


Elizabeth began the first few flowing lines of her drawing and Pandora allowed herself the opportunity to scrutinize the girl a little closer. Deft hands moved swiftly with a graceful practiced ease, leaving thin black trails of ink behind as they rushed across the page. Elizabeth seemed lost in the sketch, her eyes darting up and down to measure her progress against the subject of her drawing. Pandora wondered if she, herself, looked so utterly absorbed when she was drawing. No one had ever watched her draw anything to her knowledge so she didn¡¦t have anyone to ask and Orpheus, her cat, wouldn¡¦t be talking anytime soon. Elizabeth was a fairly pretty girl, her shoulder length brown locks were full and held a slight shine to them that caught the sunlight and reflected it back in tiny slivers of auburn light. Pandora was suddenly reminded of another Slytherin girl whose hair also grabbed sunlight this was, but Ariane Dianne¡¦s hair shone with the cold gleam of solid gold; Elizabeth¡¦s was the warmth of sunny afternoons. These little plays of light seemed fitting to Pandora and the artist in her suddenly wanted to capture Elizabeth in her own sketchbook; mind you no one must ever know.

This train of thought was shattered when Elizabeth asked if Pandora was an artist as well. All of the little walls and self defense mechanisms of Pandora¡¦s mind sprung into action and any thought of her little beloved black sketchbook were stuffed away. No one was allowed to know about her secret hobby, it¡¦s discovery leading to horrors Pandora dared not think about, and a small flash of something dangerous ran through Pandora¡¦s eyes for a brief moment. The room itself might have become a little colder and if looks could kill, several birds outside might have died from the proximity. The look was quickly squashed though and Pandora¡¦s blank features smoothed back out leaving no trace of the thoughts still swirling within. ¡§No.¡¨ was all she said in answer.

Elizabeth suddenly switched conversations and eased some of the tension suddenly hovering over their little table. "How have you been enjoying Hogwarts? I remember my first year here... it was very, interesting." Elizabeth¡¦s tone was light and friendly still and Pandora allowed herself some thought over the question. The drawing before Elizabeth was coming along quite nicely and Pandora measured each stroke of the quill with some interest. The girl seemed to have quite some talent. Her own features, cold and pale, stared up at her from the page of the sketch book, small swift lines slowly grew across the paper, each adding some small amount of contour and form to the image. The depth of cheeks began to appear, the darkness of her hair seemed to flow up from the page itself as the quill passed over it; all in all, the image was coming along quite well. ¡§The school is indeed¡K.interesting. The faculty is adequate enough I suppose and there are a few teachers who seem to excel at their vocations. There are some who should have been more carefully screened before being invited here, but I¡¦m still in the process of learning who to stay away from and who is worth the effort.¡¨ Pandora left the statement open and without obvious scorn to any group in particular; it left no room for incrimination and allowed Elizabeth to come to her own conclusions on just what Pandora meant by that.

The first test had just been laid.

[elizabeth]

The light scratching of her quill continued as the paper quickly began to mirror the girl across from her. She examined it easily before running her fingers along certain lines to smudge them, manipulating the sketch with her dainty fingers. She smiled satisfactorily as her eyes scanned the context of the image, 'it's near perfect,' trying not to give her self too much of a compliment. She closed the weathered pages of her sketch book and carefully tied the ribbon around the bindings, leaving the pages longing for the stroke of her the quill. She tapped her fingers lightly and sighed casually, "Thank you for allowing me to draw you," she said politely.

Elizabeth giggled softly as Pandora's mouthed leaked the word 'interesting' in such a manner. The school was far from boring, it was never lacking adventure... maybe that was one of it's many problems. She remembered during her first year when the tri wizard tournament visited the school, that was nothing but chaotic in Elizabeth's thoughts. However, Pandora was right, there were many skilled Professors and thousands more skilled students which left life at Hogwarts anything but predictable.

Her eyes scanned over Pandora curiously, examining everything from her smooth black hair to her green embroidered Slytherin badge. She reminded her of a girl Elizabeth had gone to elementary school with, quiet and reserved but obviously profound, though she seemed to keep it to herself most of the time. Elizabeth pondered Pandora's statement for a moment and then sighed, "I find it easiest to learn things about someone when I sketch them. I can see it in there eyes," she remembered Jack and the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen. She hadn't talked to him in quite a while which saddened her. She looked up at Pandora and smiled, "I find that everyone is worth the effort, there's always something you don't know about someone.... they could be in desperate need of your consideration."

She looked away, her eyes floating over to the open window that was bringing in the fresh smell of outside. She closed her eyes and smiled, running her hands through her long brown locks.