Hey Stranger ((Kyle & Sierra))

[Trinity Bleu]

Trinity scrawled her name on the bottom of the parchment and set it aside so the ink could dry. Her eyes ran over her writing, noting its messiness. Eric was used to it; he'd been reading and returning her letters for almost five years now, after all. Trinity heard from her step-brother approximately once a week, and usually her mother, step-father and even Caleb, her seven-year-old brother, would write little notes asking her how she was. The familial love emanating from the letters always put a smile on Trinity's face, but at the same time it made her yearn for home, and also reminded her of the father she had never known. When would she meet the infamous Dacien Munroe? A frown flickered quickly over Trinity's face. Did he want to meet her one day? Or was she just a forgotten daughter? Trinity twisted the ring on her right finger restlessly, before pulling it off and glancing in the inner band, where 'Trinity' was engraved. This was probably Trinity's most treasured possession, even if it had been given to her by a man she had never met.

When the ink had dried, Trinity rolled the parchment into a scroll and secured it with some string. Then she turned to the owl who was perched obediently above her in the branches of the tree she sat under. At her low whistle, it swooped down and, from her outstretched hands, grasped the letter and flew away. Trinity grinned as she watched it fade into the distance. It was one of the owls from the Owlery, but this one was no stranger to Trinity; from Day One it had been the one she had chosen to send her letters and it had become so accustomed to her, it was happy to leave its roost when Trinity wanted it to. She still didn't even know if the owl was a he or a she, though, so it would forever be 'it' - gender-less. Trinity didn't own any pets herself, though back home the men were very fond of their dogs, Simon and Garfunkel (thanks to Felix's awful taste in music, and the sheer fact that the dogs did indeed look like the music duo); she liked dogs but they were forbidden at Hogwarts. When she graduated and lived alone, she would almost certainly own a large German Shepherd. Called Bobby.

As Trinity watched the owl disappear into the horizon, the tree's shadow cast over her brow, causing her to glance up at the haze of sunlight. She didn't use a watch, she was too disorganised, but she could tell the time just by the position of the sun. Trinity had always been an outdoor person, despite the fact her childhood had mainly been constricted. Before she had returned to England with Felix, though, Trinity had run along the meadows and fields in Normandy with her grandparents. She still visited her childhood haunts when she visited them; reminisced on how her life would be if her mother had not met Felix, had not married him. But if Trinity thought like that, Caleb would not exist; she would not have met Eric; she would not be the individual she was today. None of this would have happened, actually, if Dacien had not left her and Sylvia. Her life would have been different, completely different... But Trinity didn't mind. You couldn't change the past, and right now, with the sun and wind blowing over her eyes as she leaned back against the tree trunk in the courtyard (there were benches, but sitting under a tree on the ground was much better), Trinity felt extremely content with life.

Upon re-opening her eyes, Trinity's gaze fell on a fellow student sitting close by on one of the benches. She didn't even look to see if he was busy or pre-occupied; she stood up, grabbing her parchment, sketchpad, pencils and quills, and approached him. As he looked up at her, Trinity decided that he was perfect - a handsome face, albeit with the inevitable Slytherin cockiness etched in his facial, in his eyes. She didn't usually approach Slytherins as openly as she would any other student from the other houses, but she knew this guy was younger and he seemed harmless. Trinity wouldn't pass up on a good face if she saw one and it'd been a while since she'd come across a decent model for a straightforward sketch. "Hey, kid," she addressed him boldly, her free hand relaxing on her hip. "I need a model." She held up her sketchpad, waving it around the air. "How about it?" Leaning down before he could reply so their noses were almost touching, Trinity stared right into his intense eyes. "You have a good face," she said after a short silence. Her brash attitude - especially coming from a complete stranger - was probably rather shocking for the kid, but Trinity wasn't aware of this, nor did she really care. "Good eyebrows." A finger poked his forehead. She drew away with a grin. "So how about it?"

[Kyle Reese S5]

Reese stroked the downy feathers on Dexter’s back; his tawny owl had brought him another letter…his father was getting more and more persistent. A part of him had thought that maybe he would have backed down by now, but apparently that wasn’t going to be the case. Fingers slid over the parchment, callused thumb running over the boldly scrawled name across the front. Kyle. It was just his name, nothing more to know who had written it, but Reese already knew. This was not the first time his father had intercepted a letter meant for his mother and replied with one of his own. A sigh escaped his lips, golden green eyes filling with emotion. The truth was this wouldn’t have bothered him two or three years ago. No, he would have been ecstatic to see a letter from his father, but that changed when his father died…not literally of course. Reese’s father…the man he used to be died last year, leaving in his place a bitterly driven old man determined to make his 15 year old son into a man and not just any man, into him.

The anger hit him quickly in that moment and his hand clenched, making Dexter squawk indignantly. A fresh wave of pain overcame him as he looked down at his hand; blood already seeping out of the finger Dexter had gotten a hold of in his attempt to get back at Reese. “Very nice Dex,” he grumbled as he watched the great owl take off into the sky and head back for the Owlery, leaving him with his bleeding finger. Reese shook his head as the bird before sticking his finger in his mouth and sucking the blood of his finger, grateful for the distraction from the letter he knew he was going to have to open soon. His father would no doubt be waiting on a response and he would have to answer it just to keep his father from sending him a howler, which he was more than certain to do so if he didn’t hear back from Reese in a timely manner.

Shoulders sagged a little as he pulled his finger from his mouth, inspecting the wound and finding it no larger than the average paper cut. So much for using that as a distraction. Eyes returned to the letter and with a great overwhelming fear he slowly unfolded the letter, the familiar scrawl of his father’s handwriting clearly showed frustration in each stroke. This was definitely not a letter bearing great news…of course his father’s letters of late never did bear good news.

Your insistence in speaking only to your mother
is vastly growing on my thinning patience for you boy.
You are my first-born and you will obey me.
Time is running out. Prepare yourself for your summer
break, you will not have a chance to rebel against me again

Hands shook with rage as he finished reading, knuckles white with annoyance at his father’s stupidity. It took all of two seconds to crumple the parchment up, pull out his wand and set fire to the letter. There was nothing to say in response and, now, after reading it Reese knew his father didn’t want a response. It was meant to anger him just as much as it was meant to scare him. The summer was fast approaching and as such that meant that Reese would have to deal with his father’s attempts turn Reese into his father.

Unbeknownst to Reese another student had been occupying the courtyard and as a shadow crept over his features he turned his gaze upward to lock eyes with a rather stunningly beautiful girl. One corner of his lips turned upward as he took in her features. If there was one thing Reese knew it was that girls always seemed to wipe away the memory of his father’s annoying behavior. It seemed that he already had someone lined up to do just that. Of course she seemed to have her own agenda as she began looking him over, her finger poking at his forehead. Reese was only taken back for a second at her forwardness, but found it rather refreshing from the manipulating yet shy students he usually ran into. “Tell you what…I’ll be your model any time you want, if in return I can talk you out for tea,” Reese said returning her grin with one of his own devilishly sly smiles. Nothing would get on his father’s nerves faster than Reese seeing a girl who more than likely was against the pureblooded views his family believed in. He held out his hand for her to shake if they had a deal, his eyes dancing with amusement just before he introduced himself. “People call me Reese.”

[Sierra Greene S6]

Naturally, Sierra looked forward to spring. She looked forward to the chance to have a few months away from school, and she looked forward to getting to spend a little more time with Adam. It seemed though that this year, she wasn't looking forward to it all as much as she had in the past. Things with Adam had just grown tiring, and she was sick of his endless state of pity and bitterness. Dixie and Jamie had come back into his life, at least in the slightest sense, but it didn't seem to change his depressed mood. She knew it was hard on him, but he wasn't a teenager anymore, and he needed to get over it. Move on. Why was it that she, the younger of the Greene siblings, was the one who realized this. She could have sworn that she was the older one, or at least she tended to act like it.

Desperate to escape the castle, Sierra threw on a light jacket and left her school work behind for the time being. She just needed an hour or so to herself. An hour to just sit and do nothing. She needed to rest. Walking toward the courtyard, she put her hands in her pocket, surprised to find a piece of paper stuffed inside. It wasn't just a piece of paper though. It was a photo, one that Dixie had given her of Jamie. His tiny little smile was enough to make Sierra smile in return as she watched his arms move excitedly as he watched a frog jumping around him. It really was a cute picture, but of course it would be, seeing that Jamie was probably the cutest kid Sierra had ever met. Then again, she was his aunt, so that meant she was going to be a tad biased.

Sierra put the photo back in her pocket, entering the courtyard and scanning the benches for a place to sit. It was quite empty, leaving her the choice of almost any bench that she wanted. Her gaze stopped on a couple though, as she quickly recognized the unlikely pair. It was Trinity Bleu, a fellow fifth year from Gryffindor and Kyle Reese, a Slytherin just a year behind Sierra. She found it odd that the two of them were together, but she was also curious at the same time. Sierra watched as Trinity moved her face awfully close to Kyle's and the two of them were clearly conversing about something which put a grin on Kyle's face. It was a familiar grin, one that Sierra could recognize almost instantly. It was one of those grins that a guy gives when he's clearly interested in something. Whether it be a girl or just a piece of pumpkin pie, a grin like that was the one sign that all girls had come to recognize. Sierra smiled in amusement, deciding to approach them out of sheer curiosity.

"Hello Trinity, Kyle," she greeted, taking a seat opposite the pair. She noticed a sketchbook in Trinity's hands and a crumbled piece of parchment in Kyle's. Even more curious. "What's going on?" she questioned, not necessarily trying to sound nosy or intrusive. She hoped the two of them wouldn't be angered at her presence. Sierra could take a hint though, as she was careful to gage their responses. If the two of them wanted alone time, then so be it. She knew where to draw the line. "Am I interrupting?"

((If the two of you don't want me here, I am fine just deleting this. I didn't think you would mind though. Sierra was eager to be written, so I figured this was worth a shot. Just yell at me if you want me to leave. ))

[Trinity Bleu]

Trinity's eyebrow quirked at the boy's reply. Typical cocky Slytherin, she thought. "Typical cocky Slytherin, huh?" she grinned, still amused despite the fact she despised most of the arrogant, stuck-up prigs in Gryffindor's rival house. Trinity would not be fooled by this boy's handsome looks and devilish eyes that no doubt drew in most of his female peers, but she was eager to make him her model. He was, admittedly and rather irritatingly, perfect for sketching, and Trinity's hand ached to put pencil to paper. She could relent against her hatred for Slytherins just this once, right? Right. "I don't like Slytherins, kid," Trinity announced after a moment's thought, staring him down without batting an eyelid. "The majority of you are smarmy and disgusting, and I'd rather not associate with you. But, you have a great face - I'll give you that." Trinity rolled her eyes; it hurt to say the truth sometimes, even for her. "So, if you really mean anytime I want, then you have yourself a deal. I can survive tea with a Slytherin. As long as you don't make a move on me - 'cause you've no chance - I think this crazy partnership might just work out." Mirroring the boy's smirk, Trinity shrugged off her reluctance to work with a Slytherin - and a cocky one at that - and grasped his hand firmly in hers to shake on the deal. "Trinity," she offered equally briefly. "And I would say it's nice to meet you, but I'd be lying."

After an innocent smile at Reese, Trinity sat down in the middle of the Courtyard path, completely at ease despite the fact she was blocking the way for passerbys. Well, they'd just to walk around her. "Three warnings for you, kid," she started to say as she laid her materials out on the floor in front of her. "I call you 'kid', not 'Reese'. You're younger than me and we're not friends, so you're just 'kid' to me. Don't complain, otherwise I'll down-grade you to 'squirt'." She smirked challengingly at Reese before continuing. "I don't care what people think, so I will give you a piece of my mind anytime, anywhere. I'm blunt, what can I say. And lastly, if you don't keep up your end of the deal - since you Slytherins are famous for being slimy - I will be severely p***ed. And trust me, you don't want to piss me off." Trinity proceeded to open a new page of her sketchbook and flashed Reese a smile. "Any questions?"

After picking up a pencil, Trinity pointed at Reese's face and motioned to the left. "Sit that way a bit, kid. I need a good angle. You're welcome to move, but not too much, all right?" And then, with concentrating eyes, Trinity began to sketch Reese's likeness on her paper. "By the way," she muttered as she worked, "if you want them, I can do copies of any pictures I do of you. They technically belong to you." A few minutes later, someone's presence interrupted Trinity's concentration, and she nudged her eyes to the side to see the familiar figure of a girl in her year, Sierra Greene. She happened to be a Slytherin, and related to the professor of Ancient Runes and Arithmancy, Adam Greene; his little sister, Trinity had heard and guessed. "Hey Sierra," Trinity nodded, her eyes still peeled on her art. "Before you ask, kid, Sierra's an exception to the 'I-hate-all-Slytherins rule'," Trinity directed at Reese. She didn't talk with Sierra on a frequent basis, but they shared classes and the Slytherin girl had never quite fitted into the social hierarchy of Slytherin. Trinity remembered her brother, Adam, had been similar when he had attended Hogwarts, since she had already enrolled when he was still studying here, also in Slytherin. It was odd; Trinity didn't understand why the Greene siblings were even in Slytherin. Adam was a good teacher, Sierra was a good person. Odd indeed. Perhaps it was blood?

"I'm sketching," Trinity explained to Sierra. "I was bored and I liked the look of this kid." Her eyes flickered up at Reese. "Don't let my compliments get to your ego. So, Sierra, what you up to? Isn't it wonderful how the professors are working us like donkeys this year?" she added sarcastically, thinking about the ever-increasing workload in preparation of their OWLs at the end of the year. "They're acting like it's the end of the world if we fail." Trinity snorted. "I don't see why they're so bothered. With professors like Binns, we're bound to get abominable grades. Oh!" Trinity suddenly remembered something and looked up at Reese. "Hey kid, when are you planning on taking me out to tea?" A light scowl dusted her lips. "I'm not at all enthusiastic, but keep in mind I have exams soon."

[Kyle Reese S5]

Reese couldn’t help smirk at the girl’s words. She was definitely going to be a challenge…not that he was interested in anything, but having some fun pushing her boundaries, still this was quickly turning into one of the most entertaining days he’d had at Hogwarts lately. Especially if you counted in the letter from his father it would certainly only get better from now on. He shook her hand like he would anyone’s and he knew she’d appreciate not being treated like some dainty girl. “Trinity…well I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t nice to meet you,” he grinned at her. “I think you’ll find out that I’m not much like the majority of my house. I actually find the rest of the human race somewhat interesting as opposed to the lot of them.” Reese wasn’t one to go about pretending he wasn’t different than the rest of them. Sure those times in the beginning, before everything had changed him, he had been just as cruel as they were, but now he was completely different. It was hard living down a reputation you had tried so hard to create.

After he released her hand she moved to take a seat in the middle of the path. He could only laugh silently as she did this. Several people actually had to jump out of her way to keep from running her over. It was the perfect sight and Reese laughed before his attention was drawn back by the girl’s sharp voice. She was definitely business like in everything she was doing and it intrigued the kid, made him interested in knowing just a bit more about what she was about to do and if the picture would look any good when she finished. Of course he was going to have to wait awhile before she was finished…unless she was one of those speed-drawers that ended up with an elaborate picture in less than five minutes.

“Yes I do have a question…” Reese said with a grin as he leaned forward. “What’s your favorite flower? Or do you prefer chocolate on a date?” Reese was absolutely relentless and he knew it. There was a part of him that knew his charm would get him into trouble some time and still he couldn’t keep his mouth shut for all of ten minutes to make sure he didn’t say anything out of line. It was partly this girl. She was just too much fun. She was so straightforward, so lively. Reese hadn’t met a girl like that ever before and he was definitely in the mood to play around to see just how far he could go with her. There were qualities about her that would amuse him for a long time and he half hoped, a part of him, that one day this ‘partnership’ would actually turn into a friendship. After all, Reese wasn’t much for that whole Slytherin war anymore…he could deal with being friends with people outside his house, the other houses did so, why couldn’t he?

Trinity was quick to tell him how to sit and Reese was quick to obey, the same arrogant smile still on his face as he turned his head a little to his right, her left. There was a moment of doubt in his mind over whether he was going to be able to hold still for long enough to have her draw him, but the fact that he wanted to impress this girl was too much for him to pass up. It was merely a few seconds…or maybe it was minutes before another voice joined that of Trinity’s. His smirk widened at Trinity’s immediate response about Sierra being an exception to her rule, but what amused him the most was that Sierra didn’t call him Reese. For the most part he was always referred to by his last name, even by his closest friends, yet Sierra was quick to call him Kyle. Maybe he’d left an impression on her once before. “Nice to see you Sierra,” Reese said with a smirk and nod of his head in her direction.

There wasn’t much for Reese to say as he sat there, his ears concentrating on picking up every emotion that was used to speak with by the two girls. He wasn’t very good at communicating with girls…always saying the wrong thing it seemed when it mattered most, but he still couldn’t help trying to pay attention and understand them. It seemed a fool’s folly, but it made for good people watching skills. He grinned as Trinity made a reply about his looks. If there was one thing he’d let go to his head it was that. “Oh of course I won’t let my ego become affected by your words of kindness and rebuke…” he snickered to himself in almost a silent sound. How Reese found this all so entertaining was anyone’s guess. After that letter he had just received one would think this whole thing would get to him and yet it just seemed to challenge him, make him want to lash out at his father even more. “How about this two weekends from now? It is a Hogsmeade weekend and the last one before exams start up.”