Talk ((Fiona))

[Jack Rendel S5]

Jack meandered around the grounds. The first couple of days had gone by quite fast; he could still hardly believe it. He had done all the homework necessary for his classes already. He wanted to have a good beginning of the year. Good grades meant everything for Roger, who was expectant that Jack could follow in his footsteps. Father was a great wizard, but horribly wrong in the ways he used his strengths. Jack still disliked the thought of taking innocent lives. It was in his blood to lust for such things but still....He kicked a random twig on the ground, sending loose dirt flying into the air with it. The night was incredibly cool. The breeze lifted his brown hair nicely. He could lounge out here the whole time without taking notice of the time of day it was. He preferred night to the day; the sun was always a bothersome factor.

Sitting down, Jack reached over and noticed the ends of his pants were wet. It soon became noticeable as his bottom became wet too. The dew was cold and wet. Even his shoes were becoming icy cold. He shivered slightly. Fall was coming on fast. Summer was almost over and Fall seemed excited at the prospect. How it could be so cold in early September, he didn't know. The coolness of it relieved his headache quite a bit. He wandered off to the edge of the forest, hoping to find a tree stump that wasn't as wet as the ground. There were a few in and out of the forest. He picked a small one right near the ominous line of trees. Jack didn't enjoy the idea of being caught in the forest. It would serve as a detention and he didn't much feel like scrubbing floors or what not at this time. Sitting roughly on the stump, he leaned back slightly so he could look up at the stars freely. The twinkled a greeting at him slowly. Watching them drew a blanket of relaxation over Jack's shoulders, making his eyes droop slightly. Jack didn't want to fall asleep, just closing his lids and feeling at peace was even better then sleep.

[Fiona O'Reilly S5]

Fiona pulled her coat tight around her. She turned to look back up at Hogwarts. The place that had been her home for three years. Now it seemed like a prison. She wanted to go home. She wanted to see her parents again, but that was impossible. They were dead and gone. She closed her eyes and the images of that night flashed through her mind. She opened her eyes quickly. She didn't need to see those images again. She didn't want to see them. She wanted nothing more than to totally and complete forget about what happened. However, it wasn't possible.

Fiona looked up at the darkened sky. The moon shown brightly down on the grounds of Hogwarts. It was somewhat mystifying, the shadows on the ground. Fiona watched the dark shadows trying to see if anything was moving. Ever since her parents had died, she was always wondering if she was still being followed. Of course, now that she was back at Hogwarts, it would be increasingly impossible to be followed. Fiona sighed as she ignored the shadows. She knew she was overreacting and she didn't need that right now. She needed to get a hold of herself and her life. She needed to find out what she needed to do to make the Dark Lord happy. She wanted to follow him and she was determined to do whatever she needed to fulfill his commands.

Fiona continued her walk around the grounds of Hogwarts. She knew it was light and she didn't want to get in trouble. She headed toward the forest before she saw a shadow move near the forest. She froze and stared through the darkness. "Who's there?" Fiona asked loudly as she grabbed her wand. She wasn't going to let herself be caught defenseless. She pointed her wand toward the dark trees as she waited for a response.

[Jack Rendel S5]

Jack's fingers traced the rings on the open tree trunk. It was supposed to show how old the tree was by how many rings. If only people were as easy to read as they were. He found one-hundred twenty-four rings until he lost count, not that he really cared to know exactly how old the tree really was. He leaned back and let the breeze ruffle his unruly dark hair. He felt good; just sitting here, relaxing, letting the terrifying results of the last attack slip through his mind slowly to be replaced by a steady calm. Smirking, Jack shifted on the trunk, only to hear a distant shuffling in the corner. Perking up instantaneously, he reached slowly for his wand in his back pocket. It wasn't long before he breathed freely again. He recognized that voice so well.

"Fiona?" he called through the seemingly ever-lasting darkness. It was quiet but he was positively certain it was her. He frowned slightly; it should be an interesting talk with her, if she came out of the shadows. Her parents had been killed...or killed themselves...? Jack wasn't exactly sure on the details of the situation. He preferred not to read up on deaths of his friends' parents. It wasn't the most pleasant topic in the Daily Prophet. He had only noticed it because of the headline on the front that stated the death of the two of them. He shivered slightly as the cool breeze came to comfort him. The poor girl; without parents! He had no real ideas about the fiasco yet, but Fiona was his friend, and he planned to talk it over with her, perhaps to get a summary of the horrific events in her shoes. He pulled himself out of his dreary thoughts and gazed over at Fiona, his brilliant blue eyes almost like headlights. "It's Jack. Come on over here, Fiona." he called, spotting another stump close to his left. That was where she could sit....He waited patiently for Fiona to show herself and come to him.

[Fiona O'Reilly S5]

Fiona breathed a sigh of relief as she heard her name. The voice was familiar enough. Definitely someone from Slytherin. She didn't move very fast at all until she found out exactly who it was. "Jack," she said as she started toward his voice. She squinted and made out his outline sitting on a tree stump. There was another one next to him and she gracefully took a seat. "What are you doing out here so late? You startled me," Fiona said as she pocketed her wand. She was sure that she was safe now.

Fiona looked up at the sky and sighed at the starry night. As much as she hated Astronomy she still couldn't get over how beautiful the stars were. She wondered if her parents could see her now. Were they proud of her or were they disappointed? Fiona shook the thought from her mind. It was the last thing she needed to think about right now. She needed to be strong. She would not let herself become weakened over such a trivial matter. She turned to look at Jack. She wondered if he had decided to follow his father or if he was still rebelling against him. "How are things with your da?" Fiona asked with a shrug. She didn't want to look to curious over the situation. She ran a hand through her hair as she waited for Jack's answer.

[Jack Rendel S5]

Jack smiled slightly as Fiona appeared and sat on the stump beside him. Strange that two Slytherins would sit on such things at night near the forest...He smirked slightly and rubbed off these thoughts. "Just enjoying the night time and the smell of trees. I never get to smell this in the big city where I live in Scotland. It's always crowded and all trees are torn down. Sometimes I wish it was different but it makes it even more special when I arrive at Hogwarts." he shrugged indifferently, and smiled sadly at the memory of his dreary manor. This also brought up troublesome thoughts of Roger and what he could possibly be doing. He had acted so strange before he dropped of Jack...was there all a meaning behind it? He picked at the stubborn bark before looking up slowly to face Fiona. The gentle sway of the gigantic trees made him feel relaxed. He let his shoulders slump gently so he was in a comfortable position. He shook his head when Fiona asked about his father. Oh gosh, why did she have to ask such a thing? Jack stumbled slightly as words gathered to exit his mouth. What to say? He decided to answer only because he didn't wish to prod Fiona about her own life first. Let her be the questioner.

"My father has been acting strangely lately. What with the problems with my mother and sister, there's no doubt about it that he would be under some stress, but not nearly enough that could pay back for what he did. He seemed rather excited about dropping me off and when I asked about it, he said he had some unfinished business to attend to. At first, I hadn't thought anything of it but now, after the attack, I wonder what it was that had gotten him so...up-beat. Was he one of the people on the train? I really hope not, even though there's a good chance it was. I just don't fancy the idea of my father blasting my classmates to smithereens. Mudbloods and half-bloods would be fine, but my very own Slytherin friends? Did you hear about that Kris Graas? What happened to him? The Death Eaters don't care who you are. If you get in there way, it's a good chance it'll be the last thing you do." Jack ended, with droopy eyes. Death Eaters were really sad people. Jack felt miserable for them at some points, but he supported them all the way in the end. They were like family to him, what with Roger being one. Jack glanced at Fiona one last time before looking back at the stump, the darkening sky making his eyes glaze over slightly.

[Fiona O'Reilly S5]

Fiona sighed as she listened to Jack. She knew that some things were hard to accept. She was curious about whether or not Jack's father had been on the train, but she didn't feel in pity about it. If he had been on the train then he had been doing what the Dark Lord wanted. At the same time, though, he could have been the one that had hurt Kris or killed that Pennington girl. Fiona thought about what to say before she said anything. Her reaction to his comment needed to be well thought out. "I heard about Kris. It's tragic that he got in the way. I've only talked to him a couple of times, both of them this summer. He seemed like a nice guy who knew what he wanted. I'm only sad for the fact that he won't be able to see again, at least from what I've heard. On the other hand, he did get in the way of what needed to be done. He brought it all upon himself. Those Death Eaters had their jobs and they were prepared to get it done no matter what. If your father had been on the train and you had gotten in the way, what do you think he would have done? Would he have done his job? Or would he have saved you? You don't have to answer that. I shouldn't have even said it, but I was thinking it. I guess I was thinking more of what my father would have done. He probably would have sacrificed me to get his job done. It's just like him to do such a thing. However, I don't really know. I have nothing to base my claims on anyway. He's dead and there's nothing anyone can do to change that," Fiona said with bitterness. She was still hurt over her parents death and she was getting more and more angry about it. Her anger was causing her to lose what little compassion she had gained. It was causing her to become as heartless as her own father had been.

Fiona looked back at Jack as she took a deep breath. She needed to calm down before she exploded. She was getting so angry though. She couldn't help but feel neglected and betrayed by her parents. They had left her to fend for herself in a cruel world. At least, she still had her uncle and aunt. Though, they weren't very powerful wizards. They were rather more like squibs. They had learned to do things the muggle way, because of their poor abilities in magic. It had been quite annoying to live with them for a month. And to think she would have to live there every summer until she was of age. She shuddered at the thought. Maybe she could find a way out of it. She sighed as she looked up at the moon. It was so bright that night. Almost as if it was trying to light the grounds in an eerie sort of color. She sighed again and turned her attention to Jack's response.

[Jack Rendel S5]

((Please forgive me that it took so long! I've been awfully busy and when I am able to get on, I suffer from writers block with almost all my characters! I think their over-working my brain at school....))

Jack frowned as Fiona started talking about Kris after taking a few moments of thinking. Kris was a Slytherin, and the Death Eaters should have spared him, in Jack's opinion. He must no enjoy supporting them as much either, which could have been a rather basic need of life for him, back when he hadn't been hurt. "I don't know what Kris did and how he got in the way, but it must have been for a good reason. Kris Graas, I have never actually talked to much, but he seems to be a person who will put his mind on something and then go until he reaches it. It must have been important, whatever he did." Jack shrugged; it was just his analogy on Kris as he knew him, which wasn't very well. Fiona was talking about his father and how he would have to do his job. Jack wasn't sure where Fiona's questions about if his father would have saved him or not if he got in the way, came from, nor did he want to know. She was already explaining herself though, and what Jack heard hurt. Fiona's father would have sacrificed her. He would have killed her. Was Roger the same? Jack remained still, so still he appeared a statue. Fiona said he didn't have to answer, and he most certainly wasn't going to. He wasn't sure what Roger's priorities were anymore. He was a strange specimen to Jack know; someone he hadn't known in years. A whole new Roger. A whole new dangerously unpredictable Roger. He sighed and shook his head. Who knew what Roger would do if his own son got in the way? Kill the only heir of the Rendel fortune? But if he knew about Padme...

His thoughts were jumbled and jammed into his brain until it hurt. How was he supposed to think of anything through the mist in his head? He looked back at Fiona curiously, arousing his questions about her parents. What had really happened? Jack sniffed a bit and settled more comfortable on the stump. Was this the right thing? To ask her about it? He shrugged. "So, Fiona, do you mind telling me how your parents died? I would really like to know and considering I'm your friend, I think you should tell." he smirked slightly, but it wasn't that mean smirk that usually adorned his features. It was just an expression for him to wear. No pity, no emotions would be seen tonight on his face. Fiona didn't enjoy seeing his feelings, he knew that, and planned not to show any. Good thing it was dark too. It would help. For now though, he would let the smirk remain, although the intensity of his eyes must have given something away. "It might make you feel better too. Some people are like that. I don't know you well enough to realize what kind of person you are but, I think it helps all categories with this. Even the high royalty. They speak and it helps them, somehow. It helped me before and it makes someone there for you. It's just how things are in life. It might help you, it might not, but you never know until you try."

[Fiona O'Reilly S5]

((I'm so sorry that I didn't respond sooner! I've been so busy! I am really sorry. ))

Fiona listened to Jack's response about Kris. She knew Kris from the several of run ins they had. He knew what he wanted in life that was for sure. He also knew that anyone and anything that got in his way would regret it later. Fiona sighed. She was thinking about going to see him, but she didn't know him well enough to go. Fiona looked over at Jack as he started to talk again. He was asking her about her parents death. He hadn't read the Daily Prophet then. She sighed again as she looked up at the sky. It was a cold night and the sky was black. Fiona pulled her jacket tighter around her as she took a deep breath.

"I watched it happen. It was horrible," Fiona breathed quietly. Her voice was hardly a whisper and it shook. She hadn't really explained to anyone what had happened. It had been so hard to witness let alone talk about. She closed her eyes and the vision of what happened came to her. She abruptly opened her eyes and shook her head. "My da and I were arguing again. We had been the whole summer. He took out his wand. He was going to make me pay. I knew he was going to use the Cruciatus Curse, I was prepared for the pain. Suddenly, I was frozen. I couldn't move and then a green spell went past me and hit my da. It was the killing curse. I saw my mum walk into my view and she started crying. She had done it. She had killed my da. She told me she couldn't stand to see me get hurt anymore. The next thing I know is my mum ran out the door in front of me and I watched as her body jumped off the cliff next to my home. Within seconds I could move again. Yet they were both dead. It had been my fault. It was all my fault," Fiona sighed. She angrily wiped away the tears that had cascaded down her face during the story. She hated showing weakness. She was glad that it was dark. She didn't want Jack to see her like this. She didn't want to appear weak and helpless.

[Jack Rendel S5]

((I'm really sorry for this LATE reply. It's been so long and I was really busy.... ))

Jack swallowed down the hard lump that had risen to his throat. Shocked described his features as he became waxen in the moonlight. What a horrible thing to witness! Fiona had been close to her Dad - Jack knew that from their last talk. She had refused to even think that her Dad could be leaving his family. Becoming a Death Eater was leaving your family to return to another family. Jack sighed and scuffed his foot against the ground, clearly worried about Fiona's story. Silence engulfed them as he fought to think of something to say. With ears ringing, he brought his knees closer to his chest and hugged them close, afraid that he might lose himself in Fiona's pitiful story of her parent's fatal end. Finally, Jack spoke.

"I'm," he said with a sorrowful note, "terrible sorry that you had to witness that. It must have been horrible to stand and be powerless to stop those things from happening." He breathed in the fresh evening air deeply, clearing his mind. "It wasn't your fault," he said with more strength and power. He couldn't stand for Fiona to blame herself. "Your parents set this upon themselves. I have never met your Mother or Father, but they must have been very strange and emotional. It wasn't your fault that your father liked to torture you. It wasn't your fault that you mother couldn't stand to watch it happen over and over again....It's their fault that they left you. Not yours. Never think it's yours." He sent a powerful glare Fiona's way, although the darkness nearly engulfed Fiona and it was impossible for him to see her. Only her figure was prominent in the darkness. Jack gave her the tightest smile possible, but could think of nothing else to say.

[Fiona O'Reilly S5]

((I guess we are both full of late replies. Sorry about that))

Fiona sat listening to Jack's response. She didn't want his pity, though it was nice to know he cared. However, Fiona had left any part of her human self behind. She didn't want to be considered a human anymore, she was a witch and a powerful witch at that. She didn't want anyone feeling sorry for her or telling her that things were not her fault when they were. Her parents death had been her fault. If only she had kept following her father's footsteps then maybe he would be alive as well as her mother. Maybe if she had agreed to find the darkness within her, then maybe, just maybe they would still be alive and well. However, they were both dead and there was nothing Fiona could do about it. There was no way to bring them back unless she could some how defeat death. To do that would mean to delve into very powerful and deep feelings that could harness that power. It was the only way and yet she wasn't even sure that would happen. She would have to follow her father's footsteps and talk with the Dark Lord, her master. She would need his help to return her parents to their bodies.

Fiona pulled herself together enough to respond to Jack. "Thanks Jack, but I don't want your pity. I don't want you to feel sorry for me. My parents are dead and there is nothing I can do about it. They're gone and frankly I should be happy now. After all, I've seen someone die I can now see threstrals. They are truly dark creatures. Evil in a way, if only that stupid Oaf Hagrid hadn't trained them. They would truly be mean creatures, but they are not anymore," Fiona said as she turned to look at Jack's outline.