Bad news

[dana]

The morning was hazy. It wasn’t bad, it wasn’t good it was medium. It wasn’t one of the mornings when you jumped out of the bed ready to great a new day with all the energy in the world. Nor was it a morning where you threw your covers back and stomped away form your bed because even that was grating your nerves just like everything the day that had just began promised to bring. This morning was hazy. Dana didn’t feel like leaving the warmth and comfort of her four-poster bed. Yet once she stood it wasn’t very unbearable to part with her bed either. It was just hazy… nothing good to make it a spectacular morning, nothing bad to make it a morning difficult to tolerate. Dana yawned lazily offering a calm hello to all the other girls in the room with her but not letting herself be pulled into a more deeper or meaningful conversations today. A quick shower later Dana eyed herself critically from the mirror while brushing her teeth. Yup it was one of those lazy mornings when everything seemed to be lacking something, but at the same time you couldn’t point out exactly what was wrong either. A casual Thursday morning.

Knowing she would be heading straight to classes from breakfast Dana dressed into her school-uniform immediately. A black knee-length skirt, thick red-black striped stocking, a red figure-hugging top with a high collar and her school-sweater with the Ravenclaw crest on top of everything. Not the most correct form of uniform, but she would be having easy classes with not overly picky professors today, so she would get by with it. Grabbing her books and the long Hogwarts robe Dana barely let a brush glide through her hair before leaving the dormitory and common room without a backwards glance. Nodding in greeting to the Grey Lady – the official Ravenclaw ghost – Dana got to the Great Hall without and disruptions as she helped herself to a quick and healthy breakfast consisting of toasts with cheese, omelet, pancakes with honey, muffins and as usual two cups of deliciously smelling coffee.

Dana had just finished her breakfast and was half-way through her second cup of coffee when the growing sound of feathers signalized the arrival of morning post. Dana took a sip of coffee her eyes turning upwards as she seeked and a moment later found her own eagle-owl. Dorian floated over gracefully and Dana felt herself blanch seeing the black roll of parchment he was holding between his claws. Dana doubted that there wasn’t any pureblood at least who wouldn’t know the meaning of such a letter. Black meant death and mourning. It signalized the death of someone. Dana let her eyes glide over her widely spread family-tree and tried to figure out who might have died for her to be notified. Some closer relative for sure, as otherwise Meredith would have merely told Dana about it in one of her letters. Dorian nibbled Dana’s ear as if saying he was sorry and Dana fed the proud bird perched on the back of the chair a generous piece of beacon, leaving the newspapers Dorian had also brought untouched as Dana slid her nails under the red sealing and broke it open.

Her eyes skipped over the formal greeting and offers in the beginning of the letter traditionally. Dana’s eyes came to rest on the two names written there and felt her entire being growing cold. The two names circulated in Dana’s head. A smile a frown a wink… It had to be just a cruel joke. It HAD to! Yet somehow Dana knew that it was true. A strangled yelp escaped Dana’s throat as her fingers fisted around the black letter as Dana left he Great Hall with long strides without looking – nor even seeing – anyone in the room.

[kris]

The weather was tolerable. Not too warm as it was still only February, but not overly cold anymore either. Kris smirked and slipped spread fingers through his dripping wet hair. Not warm enough to enjoy a quick morning swim without getting chilly though. Quick spells dried his hair quickly before Kris tied the long strands back into a pony-tail with a black strip of silk. He noted almost absent-mindedly tat he should let the tips of his hair be cropped once again. He liked long hair, but he preferred to keep his hair shoulder-length. Making a mental note to get his hair cut at Hogsmeade within the week which left him 3 days to do it, Kris grinned and scratched Morrigan’s chin tenderly as the small fluffy kitten purred on his shoulder.

The walking cane in his left hand the tip of the ebony wood touching the ground from time to time as in assurance as Kris walked with a slow saunter towards the castle. The doors slamming closed behind him Kris walked straight towards the Great Hall doors for breakfast. He had already had a cup of coffee when he awoke at around 5AM, but he could most certainly do with a good breakfast by now. Breakfast was supposed to be one of the most important meals of the day after all. And Kris wouldn’t argue with that opinion at all right now. No, after spending a couple of hours outside and moving rather actively had given Kris a very good appetite. His hands finding the door-handle Kris pulled the heavy doors to the Great Hall open and with Morrigan jumping from one of his shoulders to the other Kris moved straight towards the Slytherin table. Offering a few greeting to those Slyths who had come over to the Great Hall by now and with who he got along better Kris took a seat with his back towards the Great Hall door. Eating quickly – but politely, as manners had practically almost been bred into him – Kris was already done with his breakfast when he felt the familiar weight of his eagle owl Aeolus on the shoulder that wasn’t occupied by Morrigan.

Kris didn’t order the Daily Prophet like so many other students did. The quality of the articles in that paper was highly questionable and Kris didn’t want to bother himself with reading lousy newspaper articles. If there was anything worth his attention Dana would gave him a briefing about it soon enough. Shifting through the letters Aeolus brought with him before taking off again Kris dropped them into his pocket breaking open only one bearing a seal that Kris could identify as formal. Ripping the paper open noting it’s excellent quality with only half a mind as most of his friends used good paper Kris let his fingers glide over the words recognizing the traditional beginning of the letter that informed of a family-members death. Kris took a sip of his remaining coffee his fingers suddenly finding the hand-written names.

The cup of coffee slipped from Kris’s fingers falling to the ground and with a surprisingly loud sound shattered into pieces. Not even noticing the coffee splashing onto his pants or caring about the behavior that was really unsuitable for a Slytherin for being so out of control Kris was up the letter – that was written on black paper as he now knew – crumpled between his fingers. Following the sounds of footsteps of the girl wearing heels Kris’s fingers closed around Dana’s left elbow while Kris let Dana hold onto his right hand with her own right hand creating a sort of a shield between the rest of the world and Dana. Meredith and Julien Graas dead. Julien’s cause of death was yet to be discovered but most evidently Meredith had found her. Resting her head on the chest of her partner in life Kris glumly thought that Meredith had most likely willed herself to die, not bearing to live on alone. Not offering words of comfort Kris and Dana merely hurried through the hallways finding a hidden and private place before Dana let her tears flow freely as they mourned for the couple who had raised them both. The news of them dying - as Julien was the Minister of Magic for France - would be plastered all over newspapers soon enough. But for now they could mourn in peace.