Clarity of Mind (Darien)

[Kia Brightstar]

Kia sighed listlessly, looking out of the window with obvious longing. Her gaze turned back to the homework in front of her. The homework she should have done hours ago, her mind reminded her sharply. A breeze floated through the window and the parchment drifted to the floor but Kia didn't notice, her attention caught by the moonlight reflecting off the water fountains. She bounced out of her chair, creeping toward her bag silently so she wouldn't wake up the other girls in her dorm. A quiet yelp escaped when she banged into the door causing her to clap her hand over her mouth and look around nervously. Still asleep, good.

A few minutes later, after several narrow misses with teachers, ghosts and those pesky walls that had seemed to move so she'd walk into them, Kia was finally outside and rubbing her head. She scowled at the wall next to her. "Oh yeah, you look innocent now! I bet that you're the one that made those walls isnide hit me. Didn't you?" She paused, smiling at the wall resignedly. "I'm talking to a wall. Actually, I'm yelling at a wall and accusing it of making other walls hit me...and now I'm talking to myself. I wonder when people will finally call the asylum."

Kia rolled her eyes, unable to believe that she was talking to a wall, and leaned against it before sliding down. "Ow!" She rubbed her back, wincing at the blood on her fingers. "Damn pesky wall. Couldn't just leave me with bruises from the other walls could you? Oh no! You had to make me bleed." Kia glowered at the wall for several seconds before opening her bag roughly and searching for her sketchbook. "Ahah." She pulled it out and flipped over so she was lying on her stomach, not wanting to open the cuts on her back any further.

Fingers skimmed across the page quickly, erasing lines and re-drawing them until they were as close to perfect as she could get them. She yawned quietly, moving over to the fountain and splashing water on her face to wake herself up. Kia perched on the edge of the fountain and stared into the water, looking at the distorted reflection the water showed. She smiled contentedly. Night really is the best time to clear the mind and gather thoughts, she grinned to herself, dragging a finger through the water to destroy her reflection.

[darien]

All his friends could tell that it was Ray walking up the path leading from Hogsmeade to Hogwarts at this nightly hour. Surely it was already late and after curfew but Ray couldn’t keep the smile off from his lips nor the tune of Foxy lady quiet. He had had a lovely date the light of his life had set up for him. The girl his mother had set him up with was what some people would call a bit chubby, she had worn a pair of glasses that didn’t work with her face and hadn’t been a head-turning beauty. But she had a nice laughter and a kind heart so Ray had truly enjoyed the evening spent with her. Every minute of every hour of every day that was spent with cheering someone was a moment worth while. So Ray didn’t care about curfew, didn’t care about appearances. He cared about what he had seen inside the girl. True beauty that was so rare to come by even when you believed in the good of human nature with the same sincerity Ray did.

None the less Ray quieted down when he reached the castle and not wanting to enter through the main door went around to see if he could perhaps get into the courtyard and from there into the castle itself. While he didn’t exactly fear Filch and detention there was no point in calling trouble to him either. Especially not so if the courtyard was already inhabited by a lovely young lady. Ray stopped under an old oak and observed the girl curiously for a few moments. A third year by the looks of it. And ray could have bet his head that she was a Gryffindor. He tended to know into which house most girls in Hogwarts belonged. Ray was much brighter and much more observant than people gave him credit for. Ray gazed at the girl for a few moments before changing direction and moving to her watching as his reflection appeared on the surface of the water in the fountain next to the girls.

“Do you know the legend of Narcissus? A man so beautiful he outshone every other human, outshone even gods themselves. He was doomed to die for love. He saw his reflection in a pond and fell in love so that he could never bare to part from the image again so he died and his body turned into the yellow spring-flower we love and appreciate nowadays. While there is surely much to love in the reflection you saw on water before I came, I would feel sorry for the world for suddenly lacking such beauty like you possess,” Ray grinned at the girl and took a step to the left side a little so that the girl could see him straight without having to bend her neck under awkward angles if she wished to see him. Ray grinned at the girl: “Or are you seeing the reflection of days yet to come in the mirror of moon, little seer?”

[Kia Brightstar]

Kia tilted her head slightly as her ears picked up a sound. A slight frown crossed her face as she tried to remember where she had heard that tune before, a muggle tune - she knew that much. Eh well, she shrugged, dismissing it from her mind, not caring about gettng caught by a professor. As the footsteps sounded closer, she briefly thought about springing back into the safety that the shadows provided but the second of hesitation made that point null as a voice sounded by her ear and another reflection joined hers in the water.

"I know of the legend of Narcissus, indeed some say that he still gazes at his handsome reflection in the waters of the river Styx in the Underworld. I also know of the unfortunate Echo - a nymph that fell in love with him. He was too wrapped up in his own beauty to acknowledge hers and so she faded away. Too miserable to enjoy life anymore." Kia turned to face him, her voice quiet but scornful. "Echo should have known better. Men who know of their own beauty are unable to acknowledge the beauty of the one who loves them."

Kia repressed a laugh at his next words. "I know better then to stare too long at my reflection but not for fear that I should linger too long and die. Much to my sadness, I'm more like Echo. I firmly believe that without love from another person we shall all fade away." Her hand trailed through the water again, the movement cutting through the ripples of the water and distorting the two reflections. "Oh yes, I was trying to scry into the future." Kia grinned, feeling unusually impish. "The water spoke to me. It told me that I would meet a handsome stranger..." She trailed off, looking around with mock-surprise. Oh yes, she thought laughingly, this will be fun, and I don't think he'll take it too seriously. "It appears that he took a wrong turn and was too stubborn to ask for directions, so I guess I'm stuck with you, Darien Raymond Fletcher." Kia added, knowing him from the common room and corridors.

[darien]

Ray grinned as she eyed the girl before him with some appreciation. It was good that she also knew the legend of Narcissus and Echo. It wouldn’t have had a good effect at all if Ray would have to start retelling it to her. Ray listened to her words very carefully though making mental notes of points he disagreed with. Or maybe not even disagreed but where he rather didn’t understand Kiana’s point. “Isn’t that the purpose of true beauty? To be admired until you loose yourself in it. You fade away in real beauty only to truly embrace it as a part of you. What else is beauty for?” Ray shook his head with a small grin as he walked forward and stood next to the fountain edge next to Kiani, “Men who know of their beauty? Men aren’t pretty, flower, they are handsome and handsome only to be a suitable background for the pure beauty of all females in their lives: mother, sisters, aunts, cousins, friends, a lover or a wife. Man is just a frame to bring out the tenderness and grace of a woman.”

Ray smiled at the girl before her having heard the quote about a handsome stranger before as well. It would take much more to disturb Ray or even disgruntle him enough to make him look for words. Flirting was as natural to Ray as breathing was. It was almost something he lived off. “He took a wrong turn? Ah, his lost and my victory. I will just enjoy the time spared for me to admire your beauty and the mysterious soul shining from those eyes. And, please, it’s my pleasure to serve, so call me Ray. I’ll try to be your very own Ray of sunshine to keep me warm on this misty evening.”

[Kia Brightstar]

Kia lifted an eyebrow in faint disapproval. "What, may I ask, would you have done if I hadn't known about Echo and Narcissus? That would rather spoil your attempt at flirting." She informed him curtly, disliking that he would flirt with someone he didn't even know but feeling slightly flattered despite herself. After all, what girl didn't enjoy a handsome boy flirting with her? "Beauty that lies on the surface is easy enough to admire." She agreed with slight amusement. "True beauty is beauty of the soul and much harder to find, let alone admire. And no one should be foolish enough to focus on surface beauty so much that they fade away, as Narcissus did. Foolish Echo also admired the surface beauty of Narcissus and look what happened to her."

Kia aimed a small smile at him, enjoying the simple banter that had somehow been initiated. "Men are not pretty? I disagree. Some are handsome, true. Yet other men have the more delicate looks, too delicate to be called handsome but not ugly either. Hence, they are pretty. I will admit that you make a good point about men being merely a frame but its not a point that I would expect a man to make."

Kia tilted her head as she went over his words, something had annoyed her and she couldn't quite remember what it was. Ah, yes. Flower. She shuddered minutely and looked up at him, her face filled with annoyance. "Flower? Unless I am very much mistaken, I do not look like a flower and I certainly do not act like a flower. I may smell like a flower upon occasion, depending on which perfume I use but I am not delicate as a flower is. My name is Kiana and I will be called such unless you wish to shorten it to Kia." She snapped at him, her hands on her hips in the typical female way of showing anger.

Her anger cooled slowly as he spoke again, taking the time to calm down. "It may be his loss but it is certainly not your victory. Victory would surely be spending time with one of your friends rather than a third year whom you don't even know. While I admit that I am fairly pretty, I know that there are many girls who are much more attractive than myself so it is hardly a victory for you in that aspect either." Kia's eyes rested on the fountain, her eyes taking on a dreamlike glaze as she looked into the water.

When she spoke again, her voice was soft and quiet. "Nice to meet you, sunshine. I have a jacket to keep me warm but I wouldn't mind your company if you wish to stay. But first I believe an apology is needed. I apologize for snapping at you before but I do not apologize for wishing for you to use my name." She grinned at him to soften the slightly harsh tone of the words and lightened them with her next remark. "How else would I know that you actually remembered my name after I had told it to you?"

(You may want to look over your spelling of Kiana. )

[darien]

((Terribly sorry about that. I fixed it.))

Ray grinned and seated himself comfortably on the edge of the fountain. Crossing his legs at the ankles Ray reached them forward and wriggled his toes inside his shoes while Ray glanced thoughtfully towards the Hogwarts castle. It was after curfew so they should hope that Filch didn’t feel the need to come and stroll out here tonight. Or that he didn’t happen to glance out of a window that opened to the Courtyard. Looking back at Kiana ray sent her a charming smile: “However you knew the story of Echo and Narcissus. And true beauty is in the soul. Yet it’s much easier to find that pure beauty if the appearance of a human doesn’t resemble that of a Frankestein monster. At the very least everyone should take care to appear proper, with their clothes clean and without tears. That’s why I do need time to spend with you, so I could find where your true glory lies.”

Ray laughed and shook his head disagreeing with Kiana’s point. “Ah, but it’s the point men were created to fulfill in the first place? Without the love of my life I wouldn’t be alive. I owe every good emotion, every smile in my life to my mother who carried me in her wound for 9 months and then gave birth to me. I will always be a frame to her inner and outer strength and beauty.” Ray grinned and raised his arms in a sign that he surrendered as he laughed a little at Kiana’s completely feminine display. Didn’t girl know it didn’t work really? Placing one’s hands on her hips only brought out their shoulder and chest-line all the more and that movement was so stereotypically Mary Sue-ish that I never worked. Ray kept his eyes calmly on Kiana’s eyes none the less as he humoured the girl. “Through my eyes you seem just as beautiful and tender as a flower.” Besides if the girl was self-centered enough to call herself beautiful, then there wasn’t even any other option really. Not hta Ray minded. It was perhaps even a bit refreshing.

“Really now, flower, ah, sorry,” Ray smiled at Kiana as the word flower, instead of her name had slipped out again but didn’t make any no move to correct it. He had a lousy memory for names. He recalled the nicknames he himself gave to people and never had Kris used the same nick-name for two different people. “I assure you that I won’t forget you. And friends? Who are friends? If I don’t take time off to get to know you, then perhaps I would be missing my chance to gain a good friend?” Ray dipped his fingers into the water of the fountain and was surprised to find the water still warm. There must be some charm on it. Flicking some water-droplets towards Kiana Ray just smiled simply at her.

[Kia Brightstar]

Kiana watched Ray sit on the edge of the fountain and followed his gaze to the castle. "Scared of getting caught?" She taunted him laughingly. Kia didn't care whether or not they got caught but if he was worried then they should move further away from the windows. "I knew but many others might not." Kia smiled at him before turning her attention to his words about appearance. "The appearance of the human may distract a person from their goal of finding the beauty of the soul and I don't really think that it matters either way. My younger sister rips her clothes while climbing trees but is still considered an angel by my father whereas I could spend all day fussing over my appearance and Kaelae would still upstage me." Her words may have made her sound as though she resented her younger sister but the fond smile on her face said otherwise. Kia adored her sister and would do anything for her. Kaelae, it seemed, could wriggle her way into anyones heart and was firmly lodged in Kia's heart. Death didn't seem like a high price to pay for the life of her sister and indeed it was the price that her mother had paid. To hate her sister would be to betray the memory of her mother and Kia was just glad that it was so easy to love her sister.

Kia bowed her head slightly to concede to his point. It seemed that he was true to his belief that men were only walking the earth to compliment the beauty of women and Kia admired that. To stay true to ones belief while another attempted to challenge it was an admirable feat and one that Kia respected. She dropped her hands from her hips as she just realized that she had placed them there and shot an apologetic smile at him. She wasn't usually so defensive, more of a playful and laughing nature than challenging and defensive. "I appreciate the compliment and in return will give you some advice. Buy a pair of glasses or use a potion or spell to correct your eyesight." She grinned at him. Kia didn't think herself beautiful but believed that confidence was everything. With confidence you could pull off anything.

"Fine. Fine. Flower it is." Kia held up her hands in laughing defeat and succumbed to the nickname with silent laughter. It wasn't in her nature to fight about something so small and insignificant. "You could be missing out on a good friend. Or perhaps not. Unless this water actually speaks to you then you'll never know." Kia gasped as the water hit her face and started laughing quietly. It would do no good to have Filch or one of the professors find them breaking curfew. Kia walked over to the fountain and smiled at Ray wickedly, her naturally playful nature showing in the shower of water droplets that were flicked toward Ray in good-natured retaliation.

[darien]

Ray smiled back at Kiana if she teased him. Getting caught? No, Ray wasn’t exactly afraid of it. But Gryffindor was behind with points anyway so why make the loss even more painful? And time spent in detention could be used in much better ways so while Ray wasn’t afraid of getting caught he most certainly didn’t want to be seen here right now by Filch either. “Enough people think that Gryffindors are reckless already. Why prove this by not taking care and running into filch just so to rebel against some non-existent reason?” Ray replied easily not feeling the need to share his previous thoughts out loud. He wasn’t afraid but he wasn’t anxious to be slammed into detention either.

“Physical beauty might distract some. But those who let it happen might just be fickle and therefore would their opinion even be worthy? But at the same time a person’s appearance can also enhance their inner glory. It depends on your perspective,” Ray smiled calmly at Kiana. He didn’t agree with her point. Maybe they were both too stubborn to back away, but Ray had been taught to find beauty inside people and believe in the greater good. It was a nice dream so Ray didn’t want to give it up. “I’m rather happy with my eye-sight, flower. Never had any problems of reading what was on the blackboard in class, even if Snape writes everything down in small print. Eyes of the eagle. Or rather the capability of a sunray.” Ray grinned charmingly at Kiana closing his eyes as she flicked some water his way. He didn’t try to pull back or shield his face from the water-droplets. He had done it first after all. Opening his eyes again Ray blinked to get one water-droplet that was stuck to his lashes off.
“The water doesn’t speak to me unfortunately. But you do. I’m not trying to befriend the water, so it doesn’t even matter if that talks to me or not,”Ray stated simply with one more smile towards Kiana.

[Kia Brightstar]

"We have the reputation of being reckless because most of us are. You only need to check how many points we have to see that. But all houses have a reputation and most of the time, that reputation is completely false." Kia shrugged, she didn't really care that her house was considered reckless. People should be judged individually, not by their house. Not all Gryffindors were reckless, Hufflepuffs certainly weren't weak, Ravenclaws may be smart but they didn't spend all their time locked up in the library and Kia was certain that Slytherins weren't as cruel or as cunning as people made them out to be. Kia didn't judge a person on their house and she wanted people to do the same for her.

"Physical beauty probably does distract a lot of people." Kia agreed quietly, acknowledging that he probably wouldn't back down from his point of view but refusing to abandon her point of view either. It would be hypocritical to back down now when she had always despised those who abandoned their beliefs at the first time of trouble. Yet she didn't feel like engaging in an argument over beliefs, it was simply too nice of a night to spoil with silly arguments. "I'm glad that you're happy with your eyesight. I'm sure that I'll sleep so much better tonight knowing that you're pleased with your eyesight." A tinge of sarcasm entered her words and she didn't bother trying to disguise it. If everybody was upfront about their feelings and what mood they were in then the world might be a much simpler place. Of course, it could also have more fighting and arguments but at least everyone would be honest. "Ah well, the water can't speak to everyone." Kia grinned at him easily, "but it was certainly talkative before. Wouldn't shut up for a second. I think its rather upset that we flicked it at each other so the water might not wish to talk for a while. So I guess you're stuck with my company." Kia blinked at him, a question rising to her lips. "What are you doing out here so late anyway? It must be around midnight now."

[wormy]

They wandered to the courtyard, where was Potter? They scanned the area and found another boy and girl. Were they always together or something? Peter smirked and raised his wand toward the boy; "Incarcerous!" The boy was bound in ropes and Amycuswas handling the girl, probably just stupefying her. Next step was to remove a finger. He grabbed the boys right hand and pointed his wand at the pinky finger. The finger slowly fell away from the hand. The pain could be heard in the boys cries, "Silencio!" Amycus silenced the boy before Peter could utter another syllable. Peter stood up and stupefied the boy before turning to Amycus.

"He's not here. Let's go." They left the courtyard.