Bullet With Butterfly Wings;; OPEN

[Siobhan Saavik]

"Despite all the rage, i'm still just a rat in cage."

The morning wore on like more of a dreary dream, minus the resurrection of her mood. The skies still carrying that soft grey blanket over where the sun should have been warming the landscape, but instead gave the suffocating presence of a storm brewing. Constantly being moved around adapted her greatly to weather changes; from getting tanned in the city of angels, to chattering teeth in the northern Germanic regions. So here, not quite halfway, but far enough apart, she seemed like in a miniature scale of serenity. Quite odd considering all the younger years were scampering up the hill to get in the safety of the castle. Pathetic. The weather obviously wasn't going to spill it's guts quite yet; since their was no thunder, or even the far off mist of rain. Stupid children never used their brains; and that cold be said for a great majority of everyone else.

She strolled carelessly down the slope, hands in the brim of her silver and green jacket. Warming themslves in the soft cotton lining, while her eyes scanned the scenery below. There was no tme to head into the forest, since she would certainely catch the tail of the storm, but there was just enough ticking minutes for her to hope vainly for something to come out. The winds picked up a little, and brought the damp and refreshing smell of rain. She breathed heavy, before exhauling. The hood of her serpent jacket was then placed carefully over her multi-coloured hair to give her that false sense of security. Today must be an off day, or maybe the best day ever; as her hair was in a wider array of tones. The most striking being a hot pink mixed with lavendar, while the more common shades were of a platinum blonde and black.

Her light grey hues closed for a brief second, while her head was placed in her lap. But before she could enjoy the silence; a group of wailing first years broke the mood. She groaned lightly, then lifted her head to lavish over the dark trees. She was more in the mood to see a thestral of griffin, but what did in fact come out was nothing more than a small doe. Again she sighed with disappointment. Had she really expected anything amazing? Seriously, with the storm cresting overthe horizon, and an even more deadly vibe coming from the wizarding community - just about all hope went into failing mode. She had spent her fill of time in the Slytherin common room, so fresh air seemed to be her best solution. Unfortuanetly oxygen wasn't the answer to an aching heart. Everytime she was alone, two people fought for control. The side of her that wanted to just let go of her father's face, and let him stay in her memories. For her to hurt no more, and be free from the constantly closing chains around her throat. The other, more aggressive side wanted vengeance. The damn muggles she had given her secrets to had betrayed her at the same time. She foamed at the mouth for a chance to make them pay for the brutality they inflicted upon her. Even though she had a mother, she was nothing more than a ghost slipping through her fingertips. And so the isolation of her mind was both building and destroying the Slytherin serpent from the inside out.

She escaped those thoughts for only a moment to spare as she hoped company might come. but then what would she do? She found it easier to push people away than let them in; and it was a hell of a lot safer that way. Those wearing their hearts on their sleeves were bound to have them shredded into peices...and rightfully so. Ravenna stayed seated on the top of the hill, looking over the vast treeline. Beside her lay several larg rocks, one ironically being in basic shape of a lopsided heart. Slightly angered, she grabbed her wand and spoke under her breath, "Verschwinden Sie", and the rock shifted into more of a bleak figure. Even her voice was as lost as her mind, being slightly harsh for the German side of her, and mixed with a southern american accent to fulfil her dads side. Shit. Even half the Slytherins probably didn't know why she was in that house. And like she gave a moments thought on whether she belonged or not was beyond her. She was quite content on straddling the boundaries of good girl, bad girl. Pouring on her own sugarcoat while covered in thorns. Consider her a double sided blade, with one goal currently on mind - to win. At all costs of whatever she's put up with, her cold heart beating to her own funeral music will stop at nothing until she succeeds.

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[celestedeluca]

A walk on the grounds seemed fitting to her at the moment, the sky dark and threatening to thunder, the faint smell of rain in the air. Yes, it was the best time for a walk. Planning on getting a workout and practicing for Quidditch, she had tossed her broom over her shoulder, jogging out onto the grounds with a small pep in her step. The threat of an oncoming thunderstorm only brightened her mood. Practicing in horrid weather was the best type of training one could receive for a dangerous broom sport. The day had been long and dreary, classes were over, for the moment, and Celeste finally had a break. Nevermind the possible oncoming storm, outside was the place to be. On her way out of the castle, she was bombarded by scores of other students, younger years she assumed, as they rushed to safety, muttering about the ominous sky. Amusing really, there was nothing wrong with a thunderstorm, in fact, they were quite enjoyable. But, to each his own.

Moving through the throngs of first and second years, she made her way to the farthest off part of the grounds, stretching her muscles with anticipation. First to start off, a jog around the grounds. What better to get her into the mood for flying? With a final leg stretch, off she went, jogging across the grounds, first by the Lake. On her way around the lake, she stopped occasionally to lean over and grab a few large rocks, pocketing them in her cloak and continuing on her way. The fresh scent of rain was getting stronger as she made her way away from the lake and towards the forests edge. A grin inching across her lips, she increased her jog to a run. Just a little bit farther. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled a few stones, tossing them around in her hand gently. As soon as she rounded the Whomping Willow, she pulled her broom off her shoulder, threw her leg over, and kicked into the air, ready to begin her true practice.

The damp air around her as she glided towards the Forbidden Forest was wondrous. Now, if only it would rain, that would be the icing on the cake. The sky didn't seem to be abiding to her wishes, continuing to hold back its torrent. Her hazel eyes moved to gaze up at the still-darkening sky, clouds black and dreary. If only it would rain, it would make her practice all the better, but alas, no such luck. Snapping her neck back down to the earth, Celeste leaned on her broom, increasing the speed by a mile. With a smirk, she tossed a stone into the air, eyes following it closely. Watching it descend back to the ground, she suddenly spun around quickly, the end of her broom catching the stone and hurling it off into the trees with a soft whoosh. A frown settled on her face, her broom slowing to a stop. She was losing her touch. Frustrated at her lack of strength, she sped off again, hurling stone after stone into the trees. Losing her touch as a Beater was unacceptable, she knew Reg would chastise her for it if he ever found out. Her pockets were quickly becoming empty, until finally she pulled out the last stone, tossing it in her hand. She had to make this one count. If this wasn't her best, she would be useless on the Quidditch Pitch.

Taking in a deep breath, she leaned precariously on her broom, urging it to go its fastest. She was determined to destroy this rock, similar to how she hurled a Bludger around. The wind was fierce against her, whipping her hair across her cheeks. She ignored the sharp pain, concentrating only on her target. As soon as she was sure, she tossed the stone ahead of her, urging her broom forwards. Whipping around quickly, she felt the bristles of her broom connect with the stone, pitching it off far into the trees, a sharp whistling noise going through the air. "Lovely!" she cried out loud to no one in particular, proud of regaining her skill.

[Siobhan Saavik]

"Despite all the rage, i'm still just a rat in cage."

She blanketed the dull mood with finding her wand was begging to look more feasable for some fun. Several times she would whirl, then flick - producing an offset of coloured rocks and plants. At first it was bemusing, but just as quickly lost it's affect, as she looked around for a random thought to jus come to mind. Seeing no such thing; she stood up from the rainbow array around her, and dusted the grass that might have clinged to her behind. Successfully satisfied, she moved over a few steps to look at her artwork. But something jut wasn't fitting. The rocks ranged from periwinkle to violet, as te blades of grass were hues of green and yellow. Silver! She toyed with the thought of leaving a ruin of accomplishment for her Slythein peers. It was really just boredom hitting rock bottom, but all the same she might make use of her abilities. No one esle in her house really out-did themselves besides being malicous to others. But again that was unfair to suggest, as there were the few and far between that had more going for them than torturing the young. She grinned at the thought, and took a final swoop of her wand, "Schlange Erscheinen." And from the ground grew a thin silohette of a silver and black serpent. It hissed and rattled for only a few seconds before lowering it's head and looking as if it's eyes were closed. It was in fact perfectly harmless, since it wasn't a true summon...but no one else knew that.

She then preceded to leave her masterpeice behind, hopefully no younger kids would be foolish enough to think it was real. But leave it for time to tell. Besides, Dumbledore couldn't ban her or even really take points away from the Slytherin house for making a simple garden decoration. She walked down the slope, each footstep a soft thud on the moist ground. She hadn't really been thinking on anything until she heard something whizzing by her head. She whirled around startled by the noise, then relaxed her shoudlers and laughed. Her laughter was strained, but all the same rich in depth; as she turned her body around expecting to see either a Griffin being stupid or a Slytherin messing with her. But when she saw nothing, her face drained a little colour and the beating of her heart grew in speed. Snap out of it! She could almost hear herself hissing in disgust. She was acting foolish, since there was no one around. She toyed with the though that perhaps someone had an invisibility cloak, or that they were hiding pretty darn good. But in the end, decided it was only her mind - maybe she was spending too much time near the Forbidden Forest...or not enough.

She walked, a little unnerved, and at a faster pace. But she heard it once more, this time zooming off into the forest itself. She stopped, thoroughly annoyed, as she looked all around her. "Alright, you got me...you can come out now." But when the silence followed, she had a good feeling no one was around her. Yet again, the crack came, but this time followed by a human's voice. She sighed, slightly angerd, but looked up into the sky to see whom was probably enjoying the phobias radiating off the Slytherin. She half-expected to see an older Griffindor boy cracking up, anxiously waiting for a verbal punch. Or perhaps even a duel if he was thinking of taking this to his common room for a jeer. Or maybe the culprit had fled the scene like a badger or raven probably would. But when she looked up, she saw the green and instantly knew it was not a joke on her. Relief sped upon her like a waterfall, as she could tell it was a Quidditch player - but which one? By the sound of the voice, she narrowed it down, and then caught a glimpse of the face. Ah yes, Celeste, my dear. Man would she crack a smile when she found out she rattled Ravenna. They never spoke much, but kind of held a mutual respect. She seized the opportunity for a little company, and a chance to speak with a fellow sly serpent.

"Oi! Celeste!" she bellowed with a thick accent.

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[celestedeluca]

She had been spinning around wildly, broom firmly within her grasp, ecstatic about her victory over the stone. She had no idea as to why she was so proud of defeating a poor, defenseless rock, but was happy all the same. Her usual Slytherin guise had been dropped, expression similar to one of the stereotypical Hufflepuff. She wouldn't drop her facade often, only in times of pure joy, in the sanctity of her own home, and at times, even in the Slytherin dorms. Her spinning soon slowed, eyes closing, face upturned to the sky. She imagined the fierce onslaught of rain pattering against her face, soaking her through her robes and into her skin. A most wonderful feeling. If only the sky had abided to her wishes, her victory would have been sweeter. Alas, there was plenty of day left for rain, and even if the heavens continued to darken with night, there were still Quidditch matches. One could only hope that at least one match would have rain.

Finally, she ceased her spinning, the ground below her rotating uncontrollably, making her dizzy. Teetering slightly, Celeste shook her head, ridding herself of the spinning images, the earth below her returning to its natural flat self. Finished with her fun, she once again draped her broom over her shoulder, continuing on her walk. Her pace was a slow one, feet soft against the grassy ground. She was in no rush to return into the castle, eager on prolonging her walk. There was nothing to do inside anyhow, the students most likely in their final classes or at dinner, stuffing their faces with the mountains of food prepared by the house-elves. Hunger hadn't pierced her belly just yet, giving her plenty of time to remain outside. Her eyes soon rose once again to the sky, this time, not wishing for rain, just enjoying the quiet scenery. The Forbidden Forest was unusually silent, the stillness in the air slightly unnerving. She constantly expected something to suddenly come barreling out of the brush, possibly a centaur, maybe even one of the lovely Thestrals. The latter more appealing. The girl had always held an interest in the winged, skeletal horses. Sadly, she was unable to see them, only having read about them in books. Thestrals can only be seen by those who have witnessed death. She remembered the words exactly, oh how they infuriated her. Sighing in irritation at the memory, she was finally resolving to her fate of loneliness when she heard it.

"Oi! Celeste!"

Her head snapped back to the ground, glancing around the area. Her eyes finally fell upon the familiar pink hair of her fellow Slytherin, Ravenna. Celeste hadn't spoken to the girl much throughout their years at Hogwarts, only the occasional hello and acknowledgment as members of the same House. She had always loved Ravenna's hair, a symbol of her individuality one would guess, an interesting trait that seemed to draw in many other students despite their House differences. Celeste waved, jogging over with a grin. "Ravenna, pleasant surprise seeing you out here. Waiting for the rain also?" Wonderful way to begin a conversation, talk about the weather.

[Siobhan Saavik]

"Despite all the rage, i'm still just a rat in cage."

Was that the reason she would settle for coming out here? Waiting for the rain? It would be a little more than those exact words, but she swallowed her tongue and smiled with those full devilish lips. Her eyes were a little bleak, but when hadn't she had an ounce of attitude mixed with anxiety? When she got the greenlight to proceed to the older Slytherin, her feet made a move before her mind had time to catch up. Jogging a few paces, before stopping and looking up at Celeste. Since she was in fact in the wake of a brewing storm, she figured nodding would be a polite answer to Celeste's question. "Yeah, seems like we're in for a show.

It has long been known Ravenna isn't the greatest with words, usually trying to say something else and they come out so wrong. She was really relieved to see someone else who wasn't afraid to get a little wet. And to boot Celeste didn't seem irritated to have the companion around. Sometimes it just felt like Ravenna was just a brightly coloured puppy running in for circles to find somewhere to belong. But those thoughts were easily disposed as her lips parted again in a smile. When she didn't really have the words at the tip of her tongue, a smile would do just fine in it's place.

She looked over into the forest again, but when nothing appeared, she just renounced a little sigh. She had hoped for even a small shred of understanding from the forest; but still yet, no thestral. Nothing to show she had lost someone. Like it was still in smog under a blanket. No one ever left, no one ever came in. Funny little thing death is. She wondered if they were all just on a list, with the grim's check in tow. When would be her day? Tommorow? Today? What about everyone else? How could they just go about in life, not so grief strickened like Ravenna? Oh yes...thats right love. She suffers from severe Phobias. Ha!

She pushed those thoughts out of her mind. It seeme like even the simplest of conversations was burdened by her over-active brain. Proccessing speech that didn't even need to have time spent on it. She returned her long gaze back to Celeste and tried her best at not to say somethng stupid. "Hoping to see something from there...but I guess the storm has everything hiding." To the end her vocals were more of a cynical laugh, but she didn't know why. It seemed like she had been in a sour mood for quite some time, and with no one to talk to; it just festers like a sore. She reminded herself that she was not to pour out her feelings to poor Celeste, as that was a pity-party she would have nothing to do with.

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[celestedeluca]

She came to a halt in front of Ravenna, a grin set on her lips. If was odd to see the younger Slytherin, and so close to the Forbidden Forest. What had she been doing? She shrugged mentally, deciding not to question the girl's antics. It wasn't her business, right? And she wasn't about to make it her business. Her gaze rose once again to the ever-darkening sky, waiting a moment before she replied. They were locked on the heavens, finally returning to Ravenna, nodding softly. "So it seems. If only it would just begin already..." Her voice was longing, having expected the rain ages ago. Some would find it odd that she enjoyed rain, who would want cold drops of water falling on them? Celeste had always found rain and thunderstorms to be a sort of outlet, something to calm her when she was troubled. It was wonderful therapy, just listening to the patter of rain against the glass of her window, the low rumbling of the far-off thunder. Truly amazing.

"Hoping to see something from there...but I guess the storm has everything hiding."

Celeste's brow arched at the sound of the slight cynical nature of the younger Slytherin's voice. She decided not to question it, finding it to be of little interest. "It seems so... it would be wonderful to see a Thestral or even a stray centaur." She laughed softly, thinking back to her earlier practice. "Perhaps...I scared them off with my Quidditch exercises." She glanced over at the far off trees, slightly expecting something to burst from the foliage in response to her confession. No such luck. She returned her gaze to Ravenna with a disappointed sigh, switching her broom to her free hand, the other one beginning to lose feeling.

Sighing once again, she smiled gently, tapping her lip. "Care to finish my walk with me?" She was incredibly antsy, legs itching to move from her stationary position. Simply standing and talking was boring her to tears, she had to walk, to move somewhere. "I can't bear to stand here for much longer." Her previous excitement was slowly dying down, and she was finished with her practice, nothing more to do than finish her walk. And what better to do than finish it with a companion? Besides, it was getting dark and it was her job as a Seventh year to make sure the lower years did what was expected of them...well, that was the excuse she would use if it was necessary.

[Siobhan Saavik]

"Despite all the rage, i'm still just a rat in cage."

In the back of her mind, she was contemplating why Celeste was practicing in the nearing thunderstorm; but innocently figured she enjoyed the smell as much as she. The Slytherin Quidditch team seemed to be bloodthirsty for victory; and it shows through their ruthless practices and hard work. She was anxiously awaiting this years season, since the payoff would be gracious. After hearing the yearing in Celeste's voice, she figured the welcome relief of ice cold beadlets had come and passed already. She nodded slightly, scratching her hair under the novelty hood of her jacket. "Yeah...I've learned long ago, that I don't melt." She allowed a small chuckle, but stopped after a few breathes. Even though Celeste was a Slytherin and talking to her, it didn't mean they were close friends. Ravenna figured if she was to build any bridges, then the least amount of her odd words would do.

Her heart skipped a beat when thestrals were brought up; but she realized that it was just simply Celeste's voice, not a sighting. Her soul bottomed out for a second, then regained composture and she looked over at the forest with cold eyes. "You've never seen a thestral, have you?" Her words weren't nearly as bitter as her stare in the general forest direction. A stray centuar would be fine, but the sight of a thestral brought mixed emotions. At times they showed her the reality of life, and other times brought haunting and sketchy memories of a love lost. She kept it togethor quite nicely though, since she was a Slytherin, and showing much emotion wasn't a specialty of theirs. Even though she didn't follow the herd of blind sheep, she shared many qualities. After a moment of silence, she forced herself to chortle after Celeste's words on her successful Quidditch match. She didn't see her while she was praticing, but defianelty knew some stones didn't go where planned.

She paused again, looking at Celeste and really noticed that daydreaming and lulling hourse away as Ravenna sometimes does, would never fit Celeste. Her stone eyes unglazed their coldness and filled with a sort of mystery. She was accually asked to accompany the older snake, unlike what so many others did. She had deep mixed emotions on muggles, and for that, she usually was considered low on the totem pole. Even thinking about some of the brash comments she had recieved made her blood boil. A new rush of respect filled her body for Celeste. At least someone can overcome differences to show an ounce of friendliness. There was no book that said all Slytherins had to be malicious idiots, and so Celeste would never be viewed as one. She still held her stance without showing too much happiness for the invitation back up to the hall. She looked over her shoulder and beyond the trees was a deep midnight black colour. A shiver ran down her spine, knowing they had better hurry. "Of course..." She responded to Celeste absent-mindedly as her eyes fixed themselves carefully at the darkening horizon. She could handle rain just fine, but much more than aqua was going to be brought - and soon.

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[celestedeluca]

OOC: Forgive my lack of postage, I have been so caught up with school and the accursed learning had drained me of any muse I possibly had. I'm going to apologize if this post is uber crappy, but I completely brain my homework load (a poor excuse, I know).

Celeste grinned at the small joke, nodding in agreement. The younger Slytherin was an interesting character, probably one of the oddest Slytherin's she had ever known, but maybe that's why Celeste enjoyed her company. Ravenna's personality was refreshing from the standard Slytherin apathetic facade. It was a shame that she was a fifth year while Celeste was in her seventh. Saddening that Celeste's departure from Hogwarts at the end of the year would prevent the two from becoming close friends. She would have enjoyed befriending the pink-haired Slytherin. But, que sera, sera, she would have to make the best out of the time she had at her dear school.

At Ravenna's question, she shook her head, dissapointment obvious in her eyes. For years, Celeste had wished to see a Thestral, having read many books about them. Her father had seen one when he was younger, and his wonderful depictions of the skeletal horses ignited a spark of curiosity in her. In order to see a Thestral, she had gone to odd lengths to watch something die. She had stared at a seemingly almost dead cat until boredom finally caused her eyes to blink, and as if teasing her, death claimed the poor feline. There were many other occurrences where death eluded the seventh year, angering her to a large extent. Her memories brought a frown to her lips, head snapping up at the sound of Ravenna's laughter. She arched her brow, still focused on the query of Thestrals, a hand slipping into her pocket. "I'm assuming that with that question, you've seen a Thestral?" Her tone was bitter, seemingly towards Ravenna. She couldn't help it, something about others being able to see the magnificent beasts made her blood boil. One would suppose that she was simply jealous, and essentially, she was.

A sigh passed her lips, her free hand running through her deep-brown tresses. There was no point in becoming angry with Ravenna, she had done nothing wrong, right? Celeste calmed her nerves, letting her hand fall back to her side and stowing it in her other pocket. Her gaze lifted to the now black sky, miniature stars shining at their brightest to reveal themselves in the darkness. The smell of the storm had long since disappeared, but she had long since gotten over her craving for rain. At the sound of Ravenna's approval of continuing on towards the castle, Celeste let her head drop to its proper place, nodding. She followed the younger girls gaze to the forest, feeling a bit anxious to return inside. You never know what will leave the Forbidden Forest, and in most cases, you were better off not knowing. With night and the curfew approaching, Celeste decided she would rather not be caught outside by a teacher, or by something else from the forest. Celeste smirked and began to move away, leaning her broom on her shoulder and glancing back at Ravenna. "Well, I suppose we should be on our way?"