Angels crying ((Elina))

[dana]

Dana walked down the rather abandoned Hogwarts hallways. It was raining outside so the grounds were empty. A few people in the school had gathered to the Great Hall playing Wizards chess, exploding snap or at some cases doing summer homework previously left undone. A lot more people had retreated to the common rooms unpacking and catching up with friends after a long summer.
Not feeling up to the regular chit-chat going on in the Ravenclaw common room Dana had made quick escape. All her things except for the few articles of clothing she had worn were still packed and Dana didn’t really even care about that right now which was out of character for her.

The 4th floor hallways were empty and in a way Dana found it oddly comforting. She had always liked company, talking, dancing, socializing. She was a diplomat at heart. Someone you could call a social butterfly. But right now all of that seemed... wrong. With Kris being in the Hospital Wing in coma because of her... without ANY clue what so ever as to when – or if – he would wake... Dana was worried sick. She looked pale, she hadn’t bothered with taking much care of herself and it showed as there were shadows under her eyes. Sighing deeply Dana placed a greenish-blue stuffed dragon on the ground. The dragon let out a grugle that was supposed to be a roar and waving it’s tail back and forth swayed around the hallway on it’s tiny feet. It was a magical toy and it was better than most. It could make that gurgling sound, wag it’s tail and move around – even though it never went farther than 3 metres from Dana unless she left it put somewhere. Firefly had been heavily enchanted and he always comforted Dana having almost developed a personality of it’s own. What was more important – he had been a present from Kris when Dana had gotten her letter to Hogwarts. As a girl Dana had never wished for a knight in shining armour or dreamed of being a princess. No, she preferred dragons and she wanted to be a witch herself, not wait for others to have adventures for her. It was just who Dana was. Yet today she felt small and in need of guidance. She needed someone to convince her that Kris would be alright. Someone to actually make it true, even though she knew it wasn’t possible.

Sitting on a wide windowsill Dana pulled one of her legs under her and bending her right leg slightly at the knee placed it on the window sill as well. Wrapping her arms around herself Dana leaned her forehead against the cool glass staring out into the rain. Her crimson-red V-necked sweater reflected on the glass with black hair tumbling over her shoulders and back contrasting nicely with the colour of the sweater and the creme pants she wore under it. One more sigh escaped her mouth slightly mistying the window in front of her as Dana stared off into the rain, not really even seeing it as her mind returned to the Hospital Wing and Kris. She had needed to get out of there for once, yet her mind and thougths kept returning to it while the light gurgling of the moving magical toy was the only sound to break the quite and calm of the hallway.

[elina]

The first few days at Hogwarts were always hectic. People milled around- being reunited with old friends, finishing up papers, and unpacking their belongings. Elina was never one of those people. She had already finished unpacking, her papers were done two weeks before school had started, and being reunited with friends she happened to do throughout the school year. In fact, some friends had already come up and greeted Elina. Most of her friends, actually. There was one who hadn't appeared. Dana. The Ravenclaw Prefect. Elina let her mind wander on that for a bit. Where could Dana be?

Yes, Elina and Dana weren't the best-of-friends, but Elina still considered Dana a good friend. Someone who would comfort her in tough times, and someone Elina would comfort in tough times. Elina wasn't very good with comforting as much as she was with reasonable thinking, but she never backed out of something that her help was needed in. She liked to be helpful, she just wasn't sure how helpful she really could be in some instances. She would give it all she could, though, and all she could sometimes was exactly what was needed. Never give up, because giving up is always out of the question... Elina thought as she stepped out of the portrait hole.

The corridor was eerily empty, and it made a shiver go up Elina's spine. She should have just turned back and gone straight into the common room, but she didn't. It was as if some force was pulling her down the corridors and leading her to some place that she was needed. Elina tucked some hair behind her ear, and turned right into another hallway that she suspected to be just as empty as the ones before. She was wrong. Dana Coran sat in a windowsill as a toy dragon made noise and movements on the floor. Dana seemed to be sad, so Elina didn't approach her like she would usually.

Instead, Elina took small quiet steps toward her. When she was a few inches away from the windowsill, Elina perched herself on it and smiled kindly; "Hey, Dana." She said in greeting. Elina could tell something was wrong with Dana, Elina wasn't sure what- but usually Dana was a very smiley and happy go lucky girl. Not today. She seemed...depressed.

[dana]

Dana couldn’t help her thoughts from returning to the train and the attack. The one moment… that moment when Kris was hurt as the curse hit him… the one brie moment, almost non-existant moments in the course of history, yet it shook Dana’s world completely. Kris had sacrificed himself to save her from possibly injury. And that was what stunned Dana most. Kris hadn’t even been given a chance to protect himself… a chance to fight back.
Soft footsteps cut through the silent. The toy-dragon made a gurgling noise happily and obviously pattered over the hallway to greet whoever had turned here. Dana didn’t even turn her head. In some part of her mind she almost wished that whoever it was would just pass over. Would walk away from her and leave her be. She hadn’t been able to stand being in the Hospital Wing next to Kris’s bed anymore. Yet she couldn’t stay away and be happy or even content either.

However the person didn’t leave but greeted her instead. “Hey, Dana” came greeting words and Dana recognized Elina. Elina Hill - she was a year older than Dana, but Dana liked her. They didn’t have too many familiar hobbies, but they both shared a love for books and dance. Dana stared at the other girls mirror-reflection on the window. Elina was smart and logical. Perhaps talking to her would help take Dana’s mind off of her worries, even though she had originally escaped her to avoid conversation.
“Hey,” Dana almost winced upon hearing how hoarse her voice was from tears. Tears she had yet to shed, tears she had already cried at Kris’s hospital bed. Closing her eyes, Dana took a deep breath and concentrated for a moment. Her pride would never allow her to look weak, even when it was in front of a friend.

A moment later Dana’s upbringing kicked in as Dana shifted her head lightly so she was looking at Elina. Brushing a few strands of hair out of her face Dana offered a weak smile: “Hey. Haven’t seen first years yet? Anyone especially good that had caught your eyes this year?” Dana had been missing from the Sorting ceremony and welcoming feast. She had stayed at Kris’s bed. The memory-reflection made Dana swallow again but her voice had been steady and strong with most traces of any sadness and worry gone from it. She couldn’t hide the black shadows under her eyes anymore without using a charm. And doing that in front of Elina wouldn’t matter. Dana trusted the other girl not to share the news of her lousy appearance and troubles further.

[elina]

Elina shook her head slowly, "Not anyone terribly special, but I'm sure the first years will turn out wonderfully." She smiled reassuringly and took in the full state of her friend. Dana had a natural beauty all in her own, and although she was crying and there were black circles under her eyes- she still had that beauty. Elina sometimes found herself envying Dana, but realised that envying her wouldn't help in any situation. Dana was a lively person, someone Elina was not- and seeing Dana like this...surprised Elina. What was she to do? What happened? Should she ask why she wasn't at the Sorting Ceremony? Or would that strike Dana the wrong way?

Dana was trying to be strong, and Elina knew that it must have been something bad to make Dana this upset. She was strong in her voice, but her body language spoke volumes. Elina thought quick as to what could cause Dana such sorrow. There was the attacks on the train. Was she harmed during that? She appeared to be physically well. Elina recalled Dana having a cousin, Kris. Actually, now that Elina thought of it- Kris had been missing from the ceremony as well. Elina bit her lip, could Kris have been hurt? He wasn't dead...he couldn't have been- or else Dumbledore would have mentioned in the speech...along with Laura Pennington, the Hufflepuff Fourth Year.

"Dana...are you okay? I mean, that seems to be a stupid question to ask...it's just...do you want to talk about it?" Elina didn't want to seem to be pressuring her to spill her story. Of course, Elina would never do something like that. But, she knew that talking sometimes helped. Or maybe, Dana just needed a shoulder to cry on or someone to hug her and comfort her. Elina could do all of those. She just wasn't sure which Dana needed, just yet. So she sat, patiently, and waited for Dana to either agree to talk about it- or just shake her head and look away. Or maybe she would do something entirely different, Elina had no way of knowing; she had never seen Dana like this.

[dana]

Dana recognized the hesitation in Elina’s voice when she asked if Dana was alright. It must have been very uncharacteristic – must look very uncharacteristic for her to be so… crestfallen. Dana felt a shiver go through herself as her arms wound even tighter around herself. Firefly – her dragon – gurgled softly on the ground and Dana lowered her eyes to the dragon before reaching over and picking the dragon up. Firefly curled up happily in her lap sending an absolutely cocky sneer at Elina from her safe place on Dana’s legs.

Dana turned her head looking out in the rain once again as she bitterly laughed at Elina’s question: ”That’s the whole problem, isn’t it? That I’m completely alright, while…” Dana thought of Kris again. She still couldn’t believe it. How could he – Dana’s brohter, his best friend and most loyal guardian – how could Kris be the one laying in coma in the Hospital Wing right now? He had always been out and about, romping in the Forbiddne Forest, swimming in the lake, racing against wind on the wide-spread Hogwarts Grounds. He had never been down, he always seemed to have some strange energy in himself even when he was tired. HOW was this possible?

“You know how many legends are connected with rain? Rain that gives life. Rain that washes away sins, rain that makes crops grow, rain that takes lives. There have been gods dedicated for rain in ancient cultures and civilizations. Rain is important even nowadays too so many people. But a saying about rain I perhaps like most is that it rains when angels are crying. Why should angels cry? They are angels, shouldn’t they be happy swinging on clouds, laughing, bringing joy? Angels are practically immortal and they are powerful - what makes them cry? The world? The sins of people and all the crimes? Are they crying for us because we have became too cold-hearted to cry for ourselves… for others?” Dana mused out loudly. She knew that she was avoiding Elina’s question, but she stalled time anyway. She didn’t want to face reality right now. She knew she had to, but she was dreading it none the less. So she bought herself time by pondering over random questions. Certainly Dana knew the scientific explanation what exactly caused rain. But what would this world come to if people couldn’t loose themselves in dreams and beautiful fantasies sometimes?

“Can’t angels cry it better?” Dana almost whispered as her breath misted the window before her as one lonely tear so unbearable slowly slid down her cheek without Dana even noticing, “Doesn’t it matter anything? Can’t the tears of angels make time turn back? So the attack wouldn’t have taken place. So that girl hadn’t been killed. So Kris wouldn’t be laying in the hospital bed in coma right now. They are angels! Can’t they actually DO something?” Dana didn’t even notice her voice getting louder as she tried to get used to this unfair happening in her life while her eyes stared outside into the rainy night without seeing it.