Cottage Hunting ((Katy))

[Myka Young R6]

Myka leafed through the mail an owl had just delivered her. A magazine of sorts fell from the pile, and Myka bent to retrieve it. It was here! She jumped up from her spot in the armchair in the common room and let all the other mail drop to the floor. The magazine for the cottages in Hogsmeade was in her hands! She could finally search for a place to live without her parents being down the hall to tell her she was filth. It was an exciting and momentous moment for Myka and she wanted Katy to be there to share the excitement. Of course, Katy would have to be there to help her pick out the cottage anyway. Myka grabbed her jacket and plopped her jean hat on her head before rushing out of the common room, juggling the other mail and trying to get it straight in her hands. When they finally weren’t falling from her grasps, she sped up and raced down to the Hufflepuff portrait. Once there, she banged on the portrait with her free hand which was balled into a fist, ignoring the protests and comments from the portrait. After a second, it swung open to reveal Katy with a confused look on her face.

Before Katy could say or do anything, Myka pulled her to her body and kissed Katy hard on the lips. Myka felt her need for oxygen rising and she reluctantly pulled away only to twist her lips into a bright smile and hold up the mail, “Ready to cottage shop?” Again, before Katy could respond, Myka pulled her down the hallway away from the portrait. Once Myka thought they were far enough away from everyone she stopped by a statue and sat down, her back against the wall. She was nearly bouncing in her spot, excitement boiling over and seeping out of her eyes and smile. “The mail came and in it was this catalogue I had asked for a week ago! It has all the available cottages in Hogsmeade.” She waved the magazine in the air and let out a laugh. Myka was ecstatic. She was finally going to be able to move out of her parents’ house. Her eyes locked on Katy’s and there was a moment of silence before Myka reached out and pulled Katy’s head to her, as odd as that sounds. She kissed her again and again and again and then broke away with a bright smile. She pushed some of Katy’s curly red hair away from her face, and tucked it behind her ear. “Do you know how much I love you?” she asked. Myka smiled softly and kissed Katy’s forehead before opening the magazine and scanning it.

“Oh, what about this?” Myka pointed to a picture of a lovely looking cottage and read off the description, “Stable Cotage is a single storey two bedroom cottage with wonderful south facing views across fields and woods. Bedroom 1 with double and bedroom 2 with twin or three single beds. Sitting/Dining Room with log-burning stove, exposed timeber beams. TV and video. Breakfast kitchen. Bathroom with bath and shower. Own terrace with picnic table and garden furniture. Children very welcome but no dogs please as we have cows and sheep in adjoining fields. Quiet location with no traffic noise. Stable cottage is not registered for disabled but ramp can be fitted to give ground floor overall access. Occasional fold up bed for extra child. Cot available. Linen included. Metered electricity.” Myka shook her head and looked at Katy, “No… I want a dog.”

[katy]

Katy rubbed her eyes tiredly, as she tucked her legs under herself. A potions book was open on her lap, but Katy wasn't focusing all too much on reading. Her brain felt like it was fried, which was making it hard for her to concentrate on anything. Just looking at the words made her head hurt. This was probably the prime reason why you should sleep. Katy’s sleeping patterns had changed a lot since the past couple of weeks. She couldn’t get to bed at night, and just laid there thinking about things. Eventually Katy would fall asleep but before she knew it classes were about to start. Maybe she was still feeling nervous about her father who was home with her mother who was taking care of him. Or maybe she was just stressed with the amount of homework given. Whatever it was, it was making Katy feel horrible and run down, and before she could know it, she could get sick with a cold or something else. The fire was crackling in front of her, its warmth making her even sleepier. Resting the side of her check on the arm of the couch, the book fell to the ground as her eyes closed. Within seconds she was sound asleep.

There was soon banging on the portrait wall, but Katy didn’t move. Her eyes were opened wondering around too see if anybody was going to let them in. It could be just a little first year who forgot the password, which changed almost every month. Katy was also too finding it hard to keep up with the changes. There was even more knocking and finally Katy stood up walking over toward the portrait hole. It swung open and to much of her surprise Myka was standing there. Before Katy could even greet her girlfriend, Myka pulled her close to her, dropping a kiss on her lips. Katy’s eyes closed as she kissed Myka back, her heart racing. When Myka finally stepped back she talked about cottage shopping. Her girlfriend was serious about moving out. Katy’s mouth opened again to say something, but soon stopped as Myka took her hand again leading her down the hallway taking a seat down the statue. She seemed quite happy that day, nearly bouncing up and down in her seat.

Sitting down next to Myka, Katy smiled as she dropped short, repeated kisses on her lips. Happiness surged through her as she heard the word love. “I hope you love me just as much as I love you,” she whispered kissing Myka’s check before leaning her back up against the wall. Katy listened as Myka talked about a nice cottage, but denied it because dogs weren’t allowed. Taking one of the magazines from the stack, Katy flipped through them coming across one that sounded really good. “Here’s one,” she said pointing at it before explaining more. “A one bedroom cottage, with a sitting room, kitchen, and even a porch, dogs allowed…That sounds good, unless you want the two bedroom one, just to make the second bedroom into a storage room.” Smiling, Katy flipped through the magazine, resting her head on Myka’s shoulder. Kissing the side of the girl’s neck softly, she closed her eyes while sighing.

[Myka Young R6]

Myka smiled lovingly at Katy and then returned to the magazine in front of her. Katy then took it and looked through it before stopping on a cottage. She read the description, and Myka nodded in agreement. “I like it, how much is it?” She peered down and saw it wasn’t too much to rent it out. Myka smiled and tapped her wand to the page, where a red circle appeared around the cottage. Her eyes were still fixed on the image of the cottage. It was a moving picture and it showed the outside first and then took you through the inside of the house. It was a beautiful place and small enough for her and Katy if she ever wanted to visit. Myka’s parents’ mansion was so large, and she didn’t like it, although the closet was quite useful. “It’s pretty isn’t it? I like how quaint it looks.” Myka stared at the picture as it showed images of the bathroom, and then looked back to Katy. “What do you think? I want your opinion because I’m going to be expecting you quite a lot.” She kissed the top of Katy’s head and smiled.

Flipping through the magazine, a few more cottages caught her interest, but they were all too big. Myka sighed and returned to the one with a circle around it, “This is the only one that wouldn’t make me feel lonely. It’s not large enough to make me feel lonely. It’s just the right size for me and you if you ever want to come over. Besides,” Myka sighed and traced a circle on Katy’s leg, “it’s the only one that allows dogs.” She grinned and then stopped tracing shapes on her girlfriend’s leg. “I can’t believe I’m actually going to move out from beneath my parents’ gaze and I’ll be able to live on my own and be happy. “Mne Eta Ochin' nrAvitsa!” Myka spoke fluently in Russian. She grinned brightly and started to wiggle in her seat. She was so happy she just wanted to get up and dance. Instead she broke out in song, “Just – la la la la la – It goes around the world. Just – la la la la la – It’s all around the world. Just – la la la la la - and everybody’s singing. La la la la la – and now the bells are ringing.” She started to dance in her seat as she sang a song that seemed to fit the moment.

One look at Katy, though, and Myka stopped singing and dancing. “Are you okay? You don’t seem to be celebrating with me. Not that I usually am so perky, but I would think especially since I’m being all bubbly you’d want to join me.” Myka tilted her head as she waited for Katy to reply, concern was riddled across her face.

((Mne Eta Ochin' nrAvitsa! = I really like it!))

[katy]

Katy took a sideways glance at Myka as she commented on the cottage. It did sound perfect for her. The cottage was semi cheap, in good condition, and dogs were allowed. Myka liked dogs, but how was she going to take care of it while at school? That would be a good present for her girlfriend, and her birthday was in August, which might be the time she was settled in. Looking back at the magazine, Katy watched the moving picture. It looked absolutely beautiful. There was a garden with different colors of flowers, and every morning when Myka woke up, she could smell the roses. “I really like it,” Katy began, continuing to watch as the picture moved into the various rooms. “It’s no where near as huge as your parent’s mansion…and just imagine waking up every morning to the smell of the flowers,” she said with a small smiling feeling overwhelming love rush through her as Myka kissed the top of her head. Katy was already beginning to feel slightly better, and was glad that Myka could silence her worried thoughts. “You’ll have to always clean the floo chimney everyday. I might just pop a visit when you least expect it.”

“Do you know what kind of dog you want?” Tucking her legs under her, Katy leaned more into the girl. Myka had taken the magazine back and was looking through all the other ads. “I personally like collies. They may shed a lot, but their so pretty. Depends on the size of dog you want…but you not going to get a viscous Chihuahua dogs.” Katy shuddered at the thought of coming over to hear the sounds of constant yelping. It wasn’t that she didn’t like dogs, just not that kind of breed. When Myka had decided on her suggestion of the cottage earlier, Katy smiled feeling circles caressing her legs. Closing her eyes, Katy’s head was still on Myka’s shoulder but she nodded in agreement. “You’re already happy now, and you haven’t even gotten the cottage…I think I need to learn a little Russian so I could understand what you’re saying sometimes,” she said while taking a deep breath. Myka would always say something in the language and Katy wouldn’t even know what she was saying. It felt strange not to know what your girlfriend was talking about.

Her eyes were stilled closed as she listened to Myka’s singing and trying to ignore the constant movements the girl made that made her head jerk to each side. When Myka stopped and asked what was wrong, Katy sighed raising her head from the girl’s shoulder. “I’m alright…Just really tired and stressed. I probably only gotten five hours of sleep in the past week…My minds just worried. You know me, a worry freak.” Smiling at her, Katy kissed the side of her neck again before resting her head back down on her shoulder. “I’m really happy for you, my minds bouncing around for joy…so is this ‘the house.’

[Myka Young R6]

Myka smiled and pushed some of Katy's red hair out of her face, kissed her forehead, and looked back down at the magazine just as it was showing a picture of the garden. "I don't know, I'd rather wake up in the morning smelling pancakes. At least then I know I'll be able to settle my rumbling stomach." She grinned and rested her head on Katy's. She didn't say anything when Katy told her she would have to clean the chimney a lot. Myka groaned at the thought, though, her whole life she had a house elf to help out with house cleaning. Now she wouldn't have anyone to help. You can do it, Myka. You clean your room on your own. But secretly Myka knew that cleaning her room was nothing like cleaning a whole house. She would worry about that another time so she kept it locked up for another day.

"No, actually, I don't know what type of dog I want. But I agree with you, no chihuahuas. They are the most annoying things on the planet. All they do is 'yip, yip, yip!'" Myka shuddered along with Katy and slid her right arm behind her. She played with Katy's hair as she brought the other mail on her lap and looked through it with her left hand. There, on the top of the pile was a letter from her parents. Myka hadn't returned home over the break, she had just went back to Hogwarts. She knew what that letter said and she didn't want to read it. Not in front of Katy, at least, who seemed to be more stressed or tired or something than Myka was. She stared at the familiar handwriting of her mother as Katy continued to talk. Myka smiled as she tore her gaze from the letter and shoved it to the bottom of the pile. "I said, 'I really like this!' And sure, I can teach you some Russian. You might not be fluent in it, but anything you don't understand I can translate for you." Myka twirled Katy's hair around her finger and then tugged before releasing it.

When Katy gave her explanation about seeming out of it, Myka sighed and pulled the girl closer to her. "I'm sorry, do you have any idea as to why you're stressed?" Myka paused and then bit her lip before asking, "Could it be because of your father? I'm sure he's fine, Himemiya, really. He's in good hands, your brother's there isn't he?" She looked at Katy out of the corner of her eyes and then kissed her temple. "And yes, I think this is 'the house.'"

[katy]

Katy closed her eyes as Myka pushed a couple strands out of her face. There was a peaceful smile on her lips as she felt the same overwhelming feeling of love rush through her. Myka's love always seemed to fill her up with warm fuzzy inside. It felt good to know someone cared about her so much. Opening her eyes as Myka talked about waking up to the smells of pancakes in the morning rather than flowers, Katy laughed. "I don't think you wouldn't want me making Breakfast then. You'd be waking up tot he smell of burning pancakes….or even a small fire on the frying pan," she joked, her blue eyes sparkling with the mental image. It was true. Katy couldn't cook anything even if her life depended on it. Anyway, it was so much easier to order take out. "I'll help you clean. It isn't that bad once you start to build up a routine. See, you just pick on day each week and make it your cleaning day,” she responded to Myka’s groan when Katy told her she had to clean the chimney every day. “Just make sure you wash your dishes every time you use them, and take out the trash. If you don’t....then lets just say your house will be very stinky.”

Feeling Myka’s arm rest securely behind her, Katy nuzzled her head on the girl’s shoulder. It was a good thing Myka didn’t like Chihuahuas. Katy didn’t know if she would even go over to the cottage is with a little yippy rat dog was there to greet her everyday. “I remember going out trick-r-treating once, and I dressed up as a cat. Kyle was of with his friend’s, so my mom took me around the neighborhood. I remember ringing the door bell and right as the door opens this little dog attacks me.” Katy laughed as her picture the memory so clearly in her mind. “I was running like crazy back home and ended the night with my bag only half way full. See I go for two bags of candy, but it’s too much walking and not enough time.” Smiling she stared at the envelope that Myka was holding. It clearly was from her parents, but Katy wondered why she wouldn’t open it. “Why don’t you open it? I’m a big girl. I can handle what you mother has to say,” she said, buffing her face to make her look stronger.

Biting her bottom lip as Myka pulled her closer, Katy sighed, listening to Myka’s reassuring words. “I know…I just feel so guilty for not being with him right now. But, I think I’m more afraid of my mother being with him more than I can be. It’s not like I’m jealous, but I can’t ever forgive her for what she did,” Katy said looking up into Myka’s eyes. “I’m fine whenever I’m with you and my dad surely knows that as well because he wants me happy.” Staring at the mail in front of Myka, an idea flashed through her mind. Slowly standing up from the ground she quickly scooped the mail up into her arms and grinned back at Myka as she ran off. “See! I’m already starting to act more like myself!” she called over her shoulder wondering how long it would take for Myka to catch up.

[Myka Young R6]

There was just something about Katy that made Myka act on instinct instead of thinking things through. She was sure it didn't quite matter, though, because all were good things. As Myka played with Katy's red curly hair, she didn't even realize she was doing it. It was just a natural reaction, it just seemed to fit. A blissful smile remained at the corner of Myka's lips as Katy spoke about burning pancakes. "Hmm, perhaps I would like the smell of flowers then. Well, now we have a list. Teach you Russian and teach you how to cook. Phew, I've got my work cut out for me." Her smile appeared on her lips as she tugged on a red curl. No matter how "easy" Katy made cleaning sound, Myka knew it wasn't going to be fun. Cleaning was the worst thing ever, next to exams. Perhaps she would be fine with cleaning the cottage. It was nearly the size of her bedroom, if not a little bigger and Myka cleaned her room on her own. She wasn't certain, but no matter the size of the house it was the size of the mess that frightened her. Me and cleaning are like me and boys. I can't stand them. Myka smiled at the analogy, it was actually a pretty good one.

Myka's blue eyes twinkled with joy as Katy told her story. Myka had never gone out trick-or-treating. Her parents thought it was a stupid Muggle holiday that deserved no celebration. Myka had asked them one time that if they felt that way about Halloween why did they celebrate Christmas? After all, that fell under the 'stupid Muggle holiday' category, too. They shut up about it then. She laughed along with Katy, glad that she seemed to be in a better mood. Katy then asked about the letter and made herself look stronger. Myka shrugged with a small laughing smile on her face. "I will. Just not now, they already ruined one special moment, I'm not going to let them ruin another." She squeezed Katy's arm and rested her chin on the top of her red hair. Myka didn't want to read her mother's ranting or her father's groveling, so she would save it for another time. Perhaps later tonight, or maybe in ten minutes. Her parents knew the right way to ruin everything about Myka's life. It was one of the main reasons she never told them about being gay. They wouldn't understand. And they would just say she was ill. Exactly like they had Christmas Eve. Oh well, that was all in the past. This was now. She was in the hall with Katy, talking about cottages and annoying dogs. Good things.

"You aren't expected to forgive her. No matter what your brother says. You can hate her all you want. She lost your trust, it's going to take awhile to get it back. Your brother might not completely understand that because it's a mother daughter thing." Myka sighed as she held Katy close to her. She hated seeing Katy all stressed out. She was there for her though, regardless of what mood she was in. Myka was about to say something when Katy jumped up, grabbed the amil, and took off. With a smile tugging at her lips, Myka stood and took off after her. Her feet slapped against the stone florring as she raced after Katy. She was dropping letters so Myka had to be sure to snatch it up before going past it. Soon Myka was just behind her. She reached out with a large smile and grabbed Katy's arm. Myka pulled Katy back and slipped her arms around her waist, "I caught you." She whispered into Katy's ear before kissing her cheek. Myka laughed and lifted up with all her strength, causing Katy's legs to fall slightly as she was spun around. It was as if they were the only ones alive. Myka was so happy. Happier than she had ever been, even with Crystal. The feelings that she had for Crystal coudl never match up to the ones for Katy. Myka smiled. Never.

[katy]

Katy smiled as her blue eyes stared at the stack of mail by Myka’s feet. She was really curious in what Myka’s parents wrote. It was probably something about getting mental help, or that they were disgraced by her. Why did parents go up the wall over who their child loves? If parents wanted their kid to grow up and be themselves, what was wrong with being gay? It was who they are. Sighing contently as her thoughts, Katy soon smiled when Myka spoke about her burning the pancakes. Well, Katy wasn’t much of a cook she believed that you had to be born with cooking skills to actually be good. Now her father was a phenomenal cook. He made the best chicken noodle soup, and the Hudson had the tradition of having grilled chicken strips with mashed potatoes on Sundays. Katy sighed as she felt sadness overwhelmed her. Would he dad even remember that? He didn’t remember her, but he is different now. A hundred percent improved in the mind, better than his brain a big bowl of mush. “How about I’ll do the cleaning, and you’ll do the cooking?” she asked informing Myka she might go over almost every single day of the years they were together. Katy grinned happy that Myka was going to teach her how to speak Russian, since her girlfriend was Russian. “What do you think they’ll say?” she asked, referring to the letter that Katy had asked Myka to read. “Maybe…Myka, darling, honey, please come home. We can help you. What you are going through now is just teenager curiosity. Please let us help you,” Katy said in a deep, womanly voice. Laughing she kissed the older girl on the check.

She was running within seconds, trying to get ahead of Myka. Katy dropped a few pieces of mail after going a short distance. It would keep from the older girl trying to catch up with her earlier. With only two pieces of mail in her hands, she decided not to drop anything else, but just continue to run. She was only running for a few more seconds when soft hands grabbed her gently around the waist. Katy squealed happily as Myka spun her around in a circle, her red, curly hair following the swift motion. When the spinning stopped, Katy slowly took a few steps back so Myka was up against the wall and Katy against her. Her head was spinning in all sorts of directions making everyone look like they were walking around in circles. Rubbing her eyes and laughing as she looked over her shoulder at Myka, Katy grinned. “I can never run away from you.” Leaning in closer to the girl’s face, she dropped a short sweet kiss on her lips. Turning back around, Katy rested her palms over the top of Myka’s that were still wrapped around her waist. Leaning more back into the girl, she crocked her head to the side, looking out the window. There wasn’t even any snow outside and it was close to the end of January. Sighing, Katy than turned her thoughts over to another topic. She had to show Myka her little surprise.

Breaking free from Myka’s arms, Katy slowly untied the scarf around her neck. “I have something to show you, but you need to be blindfolded first,” she said folding it in half before tying it around her girlfriends head. Taking both of the girl’s hand and resting them on her waist, Katy led the way down the hall. When reaching the familiar room, she opened the door, keeping it open so Myka could walk inside. Gently taking the girl’s hand, Katy led her to the back of the room. There was a large table, with rose petals across the Mahoney colored wood along with a small basket filled with sweets inside, and there was a sign floating in the air that said the words V-day ball. “You can take it off now,” Katy said sitting down on the table, her legs crossed and dangling in the air.