Rumbling Thunder ((Nicolette))

[sammy]

Cathy looked outside with disappointment. No! Not now! Not the rain! There can't be rain, it would ruin Cathy's plans with Giselle. Quidditch was going to be their 'moment of togetherness.' Yeah, right. Cathy could only wish that to happen. Giselle would probably take this as a chance to hit Cathy over the head with a beater bat. Not that it would be surprising if that happened. Cathy was certain of her skills though, and she wasn't afraid of her twin anymore. She had decided it was time to take a stand and defend herself! Yes, that's right. But... rain?! Cathy had always loved the rain, especially in times of sadness, but now...Now?! It can't rain. Cathy had nearly forced Giselle to break down and play Quidditch with her. Now, she would take the chance to make Cathy unhappy...again. Cathy sighed and, lost the confidence she had built over the week. All because of the stupid rain!

Cathy made herself move away from the window, for staring at the sky wouldn't make the rain drops stop. She had tried that already. She pulled her hair up in pig-tails - an unusual style for Cathy, to put it simply. She hoped she could find Giselle and then parade around the castle. That would be an embarrassment for any Slytherin fifth year. Cathy knew that Giselle deserved it, but she still disliked it. Making anyone feel bad made Cathy feel sad also. Stuffing her hand in her pockets, she left the common room without a back glance. It hadn't exactly been a happy four years at Hogwarts, but she still liked it better then....The House of Dumas. Cathy smirked; she could never call that place...home. Even if she wanted to, it wouldn't taste right on her tongue.

The Student Lounge had always been a place of solitude for Cathy. Giselle barely set foot in there, so things were...safe, frankly. Everyone felt welcome in the Student Lounge because most Slytherins didn't come in. That explained Giselle's case too. If no one her 'type' went in, she didn't either. If everyone her 'type' eats ice-cream, Giselle would join in. It was sad she could be changed just by the majority of people who were real snobs, but it was just like that. Giselle couldn't help herself from being who she is expected to be. Cathy...well.... She switched her mind to a different topic. Someone - a girl - sat in a chair near the window. She went over that way first. The girl looked friendly enough.

Just as Cathy sat down in a nearby chair, thunder rumbled outside. It nearly shook the castle. Yes, it had thundered that hard. Cathy knew that meant lightening was around too. Good thing they hadn't gone outside, Cathy would later admit reluctantly, only because it looked very hazardous out there. Giselle would refuse anyway, so what was the point? Cathy smiled warmly at the girl who looked about a year or so older then herself. "Horrible, isn't it?" She said to, referring to the thunderstorm outside. Cathy smiled and reached out her hand in a formal introduction. "I'm Cathy Dumas."

[niki]

Life, Niki always thought that the teenage years were supposed to be the most memorable and wonderful years of a person's life. She was wrong. The teenage years were way off of desirable and more into miserable. At some moments of her life, Niki just didn't know what to do or how to feel. It was like she couldn't choose for herself like she had done all of childhood. When she was younger, Niki didn't have to deal with pressure. She didn't have to stress about things or fill her brain to capacity. Teenagers' lives were a wonderful mystery to her when she was little. She didn't understand them and half wished she could join in their mysterious ways. But, those years were too far in the past to think about. Niki was a teenager and she had to deal with the stress, temptations, and fears of the age. She had to learn that she couldn't change life and would have to go along with it and not let it pass her by. How Niki wished she could be that simple, freckled kid she once was. However, Niki knew better and focused on moving through her teenage years without an over load of drama.

“Ahhh!” Niki called as she crumbled her paper and threw into in to the trash can. She had been doing the same thing for days and wished she could just unfold the letter and send it. Of course she couldn’t do that. After all, it was Niki’s curious ways that put her in the predicament she was in. If she hadn’t written that letter to Helen, she would not have to wait for a response. Helen hadn’t even replied to the letter and Niki wanted so badly to send her an owl and ask her why. There had to be a reason why Helen would miss her usual weekly letter to Niki that she adored. Niki knew her letter might have been a bit harsh. Actually, it was beyond harsh, but Helen could still reply. She wished so badly for her aunt to reply and tell her something, anything. But, Niki knew Helen too well. She knew Helen would never utter a word about Niki’s father unless she had to. To Niki, it seemed like that day would never come.

Niki finally gave up the battle. She was tired of wondering and wishing. Niki was ready to forget about her little fantasy and move on. She wanted to know about her father, but Niki was smarted than to linger on the impossible. She finally plopped off her bed, and changed out of her white tee-shirt and sweatpants. Helen was not going to ruin Niki’s happiness. She would write her when she wished so Niki decided to go somewhere, anywhere. She slipped into her Hogwarts winter gear. The castle was freezing in Niki’s opinion. It was like it was placed under a permanent cold front. She decided to go to the Student Lounge. It wasn’t usually loud down there and she could work on her writing. Niki was a writer at heart. She loved to put her many thoughts down on paper for people to read. She was a complex individual and was often said to over analyze things. Niki disagreed she didn’t over analyze things. She just viewed them in a different way and that was one thing Niki loved about herself.

Niki left her icy dorm room and made her way to the student lounge. She could see rain forming through the windows. Niki personally liked rain. It brought change to the world. It made the simple landscape into a different world and Niki loved nothing more than change. She pulled her sweater close around her neck. The cold air made her neck shiver. The only bad thing about rain was that it made the air colder. Niki walked down the large stairs into the student lounge. Few students seemed to be there so she took a seat near a window. Niki pulled out her parchment and smiled as she began to write about her whole ordeal with Helen. Writing soothed her. It made her calm and normal. Then, Niki heard a loud rumble of thunder which made her wince. She then continued to write. She heard someone talk to her and turned towards the girl. She seemed a year younger than Niki but just as friendly. “I actually like rain.” Niki shrugged with a smiled on her face. The girl introduced herself as Cathy and reached out her hand. “Niki Varasoe.” She said warmly. “So, you don't like rain?” She asked. Niki was curious, but not overly curious. She waited for a response.

[sammy]

Cathy smiled at the girl while letting her eyes wander around the room. It wasn't terribly busy, but she didn't know the people that were there. Cathy hadn't been very social her past four years at Hogwarts. Hopefully - as Giselle would say - she could talk more like she talked at home. Loudly, and talkative chatter. Cathy wasn't sure if she could do that around strangers, but everything was worth a try. She brought her eyes back to the girl before her and smiled as she introduced herself as Niki. "It's really nice to meet you," Cathy replied with a grin spreading across her face. Niki was a nice name. She liked it. Not overly original and not overly plain either. Catherine was original. She wished she had a better name then that, but lo-behold, she would never get one.

Niki then asked if she didn't like rain. Cathy frowned before realizing that must have sounded like she was saying. She shook her head softly, not aggressively, and looked out at the rain-dropped splattered window. "No, I like the rain. I guess I'm not overly fond of it, like some people are. It just depends what situation is going on. Like today, I had something special planned and it was going to be held outside. I was just getting ready when it started pouring but," Cathy shrugged, "it's not really a big deal. It might have been a once in a lifetime occasion though." She added, more to herself then Niki. She let her lips turn up again, but she didn't smile this time.

The fact she had missed out on (possibly) some quality time with Giselle made Cathy's stomach hurt. It had been such a chance... But the rain had ruined it. She glared at the window, pushing a thin strand of blond hair out of her vision. If only the clouds had decided to not rain at Hogwarts, or had moved on a little more so the Quidditch pitch would avoid getting wet... Cathy sighed and realized she was thinking like a silly little girl. Things like that don't happen, whether you want them to or not. She looked back at Niki, wondering if she was already scaring the girl. Cathy seemed rather good at doing that to people. Either having a melancholy break down or doing something entirely out of the ordinary made her unique; sometimes in a not-so-good way.

"Do you mind if I ask what you're working on there?" Cathy asked, motioning toward the paper Niki had. She could see that there was writing on it, so possibly homework or some other pass time. Cathy liked writing; it busied the mind for a period of time that was usually long enough to take away bad thoughts and crude memories. She smiled at Niki and leaned back, trying to show that she wasn't demanding to see the paper, just interested in what exactly she was doing.

[niki]

Niki looked out the window for a moment. She liked to watch the rain pour. She aways had. It had all started when she was six. Niki, you could say wasn't the average six year old. Most would be outside swimming or playing games at that age. Niki however observed the rain and named the species of birds that flew over head. She was interested in things in a way that others weren't. Niki was a good observer. She noticed things well. She was also a little fact machine. Niki knew the strangest and silliest of facts about animals, plants, magic, and more. When she entered Hogwarts, Helen was sure Niki would be placed in Ravenclaw. Niki however, knew better. Upon learning of Hogwarts, Niki looked up information about the houses. She learned the characteristics of the students in each house. Niki then decided to guess which one she would be placed in. She ruled out Slytherin and Gryffindor from the start because she wasn't a pure-blood nor brave. After reading about Hufflepuff's history, she found that Hufflepuffs are kind and loyal, but they also possess some of the qualities of the other houses. They had all the house traits in one package. From that moment, Niki knew that's where she belonged.

Niki turned her gaze back at Cathy. She seemed nice to Niki. Cathy defiantly wasn't a Slytherin and Niki was certain she wasn't in Hufflepuff. So, she knew that left Ravenclaw and Gryffindor. However, Niki wasn't sure which house she was in. Cathy then said it was nice to meet her and Niki smiled again. She was like that. Niki smiled often and was nice to anyone including Slytherins. The only time she had ever turned sour towards one was when she cast some charm on her. Niki of course hit her night back with a worse one. Cathy then shook her head to Niki's comment and sad she wasn't too fond of it, but didn't dislike it. She then said she had something going on that she missed. The last part of Cathy's comment Niki couldn't really hear. Niki smiled sympathetically and looked at Cathy. "I'm sure you will get another chance at it. There is a second chance for everything. Some people just deny it." She said softly. Niki firmly believed in that comment. She knew one day she would get a second chance with her dad. It just had to happen.

Cathy sort of frowned and looked sort of weird for a second. Niki wondered what she was thinking. Niki did that often. When Cathy finally spoke, she asked if she could see Niki's paper. Niki looked at her. She really didn't have a problem with people seeing her writing. Sometimes she just thought it could be better. Niki criticized her own writing. She loved to put her thoughts on paper. Niki usually said them out loud, but if that was a problem she always had parchment handy. "Umm, it's just a poem I was writing. I'm a writer. Well, kinda. It's not that good, but you can read it. It doesn't rhyme though. I'm more of a free verse person." Niki explained. She then passed the paper to Cathy hoping she would like it. The paper read:

Pain

Hidden in her thoughts lies the secret,
The secret, I have been searching for these sixteen years.
It never leaves her weary soul,
It remains in her broken heart where it is destined to stay
Why can she not release it to me, the one she has loved all these years?
What is she afraid of, why must she hide this thing from me forever?
I lie in the grass confused and pale,
because she is alone scared and afraid.
This is hurting her, I can tell.
Sometimes I wish it would just go away and leave her be.
Why can't the pain attack me instead?
I want it to attack me.

[sammy]

Cathy grinned full out at Nicki's reply to her disappointment at not being able to do something again. She had never really gotten a second chance, and if she had, she didn't notice it coming along. Giselle was something entirely different and no one really knew what to expect from her. Not even Cathy knew, but Cathy and Giselle weren't close enough to even know what the other was feeling. It was sad, and Cathy knew that if they had grown up together instead of parted, they would have been real sisters. Oh, Cathy could only wish that was true and yet she knew that wishing did nothing except create false hope. And Cathy had enough false hope to last her a lifetime already.

"I guess," Cathy said finally, speaking slower then usual, "things can come around a second time. You just have to be able to see the chance, if you know what I mean." Cathy smiled and shook her head. "I don't think I'll be able to see it that well, since I'm always looking for the best out of the worst and am too interested to actually be able to find out if it's come around again." Cathy shrugged and closed her lips tightly. She hated sounding like a babbling loud-mouth, which was one reason some Hufflepuffs were amusing and annoying. Cathy liked Huffles for their free spirits, however. She wished at most times she could be more like them. Now, she was only wrapped up in her own affairs, even being a little selfish. Cathy was brought back to earth as Niki talked about her piece.

"Free verses are actually more creative, I think, since you can do whatever the writer feels like doing. They aren't restrained by rhyming." Cathy commented with a soft smile as Niki said it might not be that good. She knew that feeling; giving a piece of work to someone else for criticism. Cathy didn't like doing that until she was perfectly ready, and she realized she hadn't given Niki this chance. But Niki gave her the paper anyway, which made Cathy feel a little better. As her gray-blue eyes read through the verses, she remained silently impressed until she got through it all. Looking up, she stared at Niki a little with a completely blank face. "It's very interesting. It makes you wonder what pain would feel like for the person you mention in there, and it makes others realize that you will do anything for this person. It shows affection and...remorse, I suppose." Cathy concluded, blushing a little as she realized she had just babbled quite a bit. "That's what I get from it. Is that what you were really putting into the poem?" Cathy asked with a soft smile.

"This is your hobby right?" She continued, looking very interested. "I've written quite a bit, but not much poetry. Instead, I like to write letters and things that relate to me personally. I guess poems do that too, but..." She paused, thought, but couldn't produce the right word so she went on. "Anyways, when I'm bored, I do the ballet. Have you ever danced?"

[niki]

Niki heard Cathy say something about her own comment. The one about her missing out on something important. "I understand." Niki paused. "Things will happen if they are meant to happen." Niki paused. She sounded like some greeting card. She couldn't help but chuckle inside. Niki often sounded that way. She didn't mean to of course it just slipped out and she couldn't control it. Helen always said Niki over analyzed things. Which was probably true, but Niki would never admit it. She didn't want to be some smart girl everyone went to for help. True, Niki knew her facts and was good at calming people down, but she would hate to say the wrong thing and mess them up. That would be mean and even though it was unintentional, Niki wouldn't be able to handle their pain.

Niki smiled when Cathy talked about her poem. It seemed Cathy liked it and Niki couldn't help but smile. She then sighed when Cathy asked her if it was showing her love and concern. "Yes, it's about my aunt, Helen. Umm, she's all alone in the muggle world." Niki paused. That didn't really explain what the poem meant. "She is all I have. I don't wan to loose her. Especially to something as stupid as this." Niki said more to herself. She was referring to the letter she had sent Helen. It was rather mean, but at that moment, Niki had to know. She wanted answers that Helen was unwilling to give her. Niki didn't understand why. If Helen told her all the pain and weight would be off her shoulders. But, Helen was stubborn and Niki knew she wouldn't tell her anytime soon.

Niki was glad when Cathy started to talk about hobbies. She didn't particularly feel like discussing Helen at the moment. "Yea, that's my hobbie." She smiled. "Yep, I've been writing for years. It's how I best put my feeling down without screaming them out." Niki couldn't help but chuckle. She had never really screamed to think of it. No, she wasn't some out of control giggling fit, she was a calm nice girl. "I understand, poems are good, but in letters and papers you have more space to write things down. It gives you more imagination and freedom." Niki paused. She had written many poems, essays, letter, and even few short stories over the years. None of them were publishing material, but Niki loved them all the same.

Cathy then said something about dancing. She said that she liked ballet and asked if Niki had ever danced. "I can dance a bit." She smiled a little crocked smiled. "I took classes when I was younger, but I don't really remember a thing." she said calmly. "When I do dance, I do less traditional dancing." She said. She like ballet, but it took years of practice. Something Niki didn't have time for. "So, how long have you been dancing?" She asked curiously. She just wanted to know a bit more about Cathy. She seemed like a nice girl to Niki.

[sammy]

((I am SO SORRY it took me so long to reply. It seems I have forgotten about Cathy and I still have yet for her to talk to me. I'm really sorry I haven't replied sooner! ))

"Oh," Cathy said, feeling that Niki didn't really want to talk about the Helen subject anymore. Cathy could understand that, and she didn't want to be the person to poke and pry at it. She was really cautious of doing that, actually, since it had been done so many times to her. She couldn't help but wonder if people knew that Cathy was doing many favors every day. Like not asking stupid questions when other people would shoot them at you like a machine gun. Cathy smiled wearily, knowing that many people didn't realize what she was doing, or care. Niki seemed very soft and intelligent, so maybe she would know. Cathy doubted it, and if she didn't, that was perfectly fine as well. She smiled and shifted in the armchair.

"I've been doing ballet for many years," Cathy started out, thinking back to the first time she had started. "I think maybe when I was around four I started, and I've been practicing ever since. Lately...my studies just get in the way of such a thing, and I have a lot of stuff to think about." Cathy grimaced. Yes, many things to think about, but none to talk about. She hoped Niki didn't catch on to that. If she did, well, she better not poke and pry. She shook herself out of it and continued. "Ballet takes many years, but I feel like I'm doing really well so far," Cathy bragged. "I've done many performances already, but none of them have been major, you know? Just Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty, but I got the head role all the time." Cathy smiled at her memory. "I might get the main role for the Nutcracker during winter break!" Cathy grinned and flopped back in her chair. "I'm planning on being a prima ballerina when I grow older. What do you want to be when you grow older? A poetry writer or just a writer, or something else?" Cathy raised an eyebrow at Niki. "I'm just curious...."

[niki]

Niki looked at Cathy curiously. "That's a long time." She said. Niki didn't think she could spend years like that on ballet. Unless of course she really loved it. It seemed like Cathy did, but Niki wasn't absolutely sure how much she loved it. Niki shook her head in a funny manner. "I don't think I could ever practice like that for years." She said thinking. Niki had be a writer for years, but she didn't have to make herself practice every day. It just seemed to come to her when it did. Niki could never really choose a set time to write. It didn't seem to work like that for her. "Wow, you are very dedicated to it." She said in a friendly voice. Now, Niki was sure she could never do that. Niki wasn't to patient to begin with. She would never mentally survive years of constant practice. No, Niki was more of an unset time person and she liked herself that way.

"Well, you defiantly seem like the person for the job." She said when Cathy told her all the ballets she had been in. It was an impressive list and it sounded like the perfect person to become a ballerina. Niki gave a weak laugh when Cathy asked what she wanted to be when she grew older. "Oh, well I'm border line. Either a writer or reporter for the Daily Profit or work for the ministry." She shrugged. Niki wasn't quite sure what exactly she wanted to do. "If I work for the Profit, I what to make it print the truth and become at least a bit polite. As for the Ministry, something lite that doesn't involve contact with things that make me queasy. Maybe a job for a not majorly important office. Though, it seems they are all important." Niki had always been crazy with decision making. It was hard for her and she had never been fond of making them. But, Niki would soon have to bee good at making them because she only had a year and a half left at Hogwarts. "So, is that all you want to do? Anything else in mind? I was just wondering." She said politely. Niki didn't want to know everything about Cathy, just a few simple facts.

(No problem, I haven't been focusing on Niki lately either.)