Just Visiting

[Estrella Drage]

Estrella did not see much sense in bringing flowers to Rose's memorial, as the bush was already planted there, of course. She admired the roses, as they seemed to be blooming once more, vibrant and red, oddly reminding her of her dead friend's bright smile.

The subject of Rose's death no longer brought tears to her eyes, although it still pulled her into a deep thought. It was so odd for her, coming back here after all of these years- Rose was now a figment of her past. It was incredibly hard to conjure up an image of what her best friend had looked like. She had not seen her ghost for quite some time now, and she was not sure how she was supposed to feel. Not that feeling was the norm for her anymore- She was more an empty, hollowed out shell than anything. She would let no one get close to her, and the friends that she had distanced herself from she now did not even put aside the time to talk to them.

Her expression blank as she stood in front of the rose bush, she looked over the lake, her eyes misted just a bit, although tears were not brought to her eyes. It was a lovely autumn day, one that she would be happy to enjoy alone- If she could enjoy anything, that was.

 

[Andromeda Fiorelli]

Andromeda walked towards the rosebush, she had been coming on and off over the last few weeks. She felt a sense of serenity here that she felt nowhere else. Flying was different, that brought it's own peace but the one she seeked here was in commune with her father and sister.

She walked in the bright autumnal day with almost a sense of purpose. Andy had always felt on finding the gravestone that she could communicate with her father better here. It was of course a stupid notion, but she was comforted by it. She needed to talk to him today.

She walked the last yard or so and only then realised that there was someone else already there. Andromeda stopped, she couldn't just walk up and interrupt the girls reverie. Andy knew if it was her she would prefer to be alone. Then she realised that now more than ever was not a time for loneliness.

Andromeda walked silently over to where the rosebush was and very quietly said to the girl.
"I'm not interrupting you am I?"

 

[Estrella Drage]

Estrella started a bit as someone interrupted her silence, her dark eyes narrowing at the girl. Stepping aside, she said, "No. Not if you're here to pay respects to Rose."

She stood a bit over the girl, wondering who would come here, a first year, no less. "Who are you?" she inquired, her Prefect's badge gleaming on her chest.

 

[Andromeda Fiorelli]

Andy hung her head and bit her lip, in truth she had never known Rose but while she was here talking with her father and sister she always said a prayer that her Grandmother had taught her. That was sort of like paying her respects she figured.

She looked up at the girl and noticed the prefect badge. Andromeda hoped she wasn't going to get into trouble for being here.

"I'm Andromeda Fiorelli. My friends call me Andy", she looked at the rosebush and smiled saying, "I come here as often as I can actually. I never knew her but I offer up a prayer for her anyway. I... I guess I find peace here".

She didn't know how else to put it, it sounded pretty daft perhaps but it's how this particular part of the the grounds made her feel.

 

[Estrella Drage]

Estrella looked to the girl with a blank expression, scrutinizing her. She seemed to be alright- Although she could never guess what was going to happen with people. "I think Rose would like that. She was my best friend when she was alive, and I was hers." She held out a hand, adding coolly, "My name's Estrella."

 

[Andromeda Fiorelli]

Andromeda smiled and shook the older girls hand.
"Your bestfriend?" Andy looked at the bush and frowned, "Do you mind me asking how she .... you know?"

Andy hoped she wasn't being rude but had often thought about it on her visits here.

 

[Estrella Drage]

Estrella eyes narrowed at the girl, and she looked to the lake, watching as the sunlight reflected off of the water's surface. After a moment's pause, she replied quietly, "The Borely Mansion. It swallowed her up." Having been there on more than a few occasions, she shuddered, adding, "Don't go there. It's not a good place."

 

[Andromeda Fiorelli]

Andy's eyes opened wide, she remembered Keira mentioning something about that house as well. 'It swallowed her up' she gasped to herself. She turned to Estrella and shaking her head in disbelief she whispered stunned,
"I... I won't. Swallowed her?" She hadn't meant to repeat herself out loud but she did and wished she could bite her tongue. It obviously hadn't been an easy ordeal for Estrella to deal with to still be dealing with.

Andromeda knelt down by the bush and picked up a leaf, checking the underneath of it.
"Greenfly. I guess we should get Willie to spray it or ask Professor Rambolt for something", she said. She mightened be the best at DADA or much of anything else magical lately but she did know something about plants and herbs, as well as animals. Growing up on a farm and animal sanctuary allowed her that much.

 

[Estrella Drage]

"Yes," Estrella replied, having since gotten over it but her tone blank and her eyes empty, "Swallowed her. I cannot tell you how, I just know that it happened, and she's not going to be back. At least, not alive. Her ghost has already reaffirmed that."

She looked to the side, a little sad that Rose did not show around these days. She missed talking with her friend, although she supposed that seeing herself getting older and older every day was hard for Rose, considering that she could not grow past the age of twelve.

Narrowing her eyes at the girl, she snapped out of her funk, inquiring, "What in the world is a greenfly?" She watched her lift up a leaf of the rosebush, her expression a bit confused. She was not that familiar with animals, however, even considering the fact that she had been raised around animals.

 

[Andromeda Fiorelli]

Andy kept looking at the greenfly on the leaves as Estrella talked, she mentioned something about Rose's ghost and Andromeda's curiousty was peeked.
When Estrella asked what a greenfly was, Andy flipped up a leaf and motioned for her to come closer.
"Those little things are greenfly" she told her.

"If we don't treat them they will harm the rosebush" she told her. Andy sat back on the grass beside the scarlet rosebush and looked up at Estrella.

"Rose appeared as a ghost to you?"

 

[Estrella Drage]

Estrella only nodded as Andromeda showed her the greenfly, turning up her nose at it. Insects did not bother her, although she had to admit they were a little creepy to find crawling over one's skin in the dead of night, leaving one in mystery as to what their real purpose was.

Turning to Andromeda with her dark eyes empty as holes, she replied quietly, "Yes- But it's been about a year since I've seen her."

 

[Andromeda Fiorelli]

Andy nodded her head when Estrella told her she hadn't seen Rose's ghost for nearly a year now. She brushed some of the greenfly away from the rosebush and bit her lip. There was now a question burning it's way through her but would this prefect think her silly or even rude for asking it. Andromeda couldn't help it she needed to know.

"Estrella" she said the girls name respectfully yet loaded with a up coming question, "Do ghosts always appear? I mean does every person who dies get to become a ghost at some point?"

It probably sounded completely ridiculous but Andy really wanted to know, she had never seen her sisters ghost but she had figured that was because she had never survived her own birth. But if there was a chance she might see her father again, even as a ghost she would gladly take it.

 

[Estrella Drage]

Estrella shook her head, looking back at Andromeda with a blank expression. "Only if they leave imprints of themselves, I think- I'm not entirely sure how the paranormal works." Her mouth dry for a moment, she inquired, "Has someone close to you died recently?" She remembered that these same questions had resurfaced a while ago after her mother had died.

 

[Andromeda Fiorelli]

Andy kept her head down as if inspecting the rest of the leaves.
"My dad" she said realising how empty her voice sounded like a hollowed out sound floating around her, "before school started. I still miss him."

She looked up at Estrella and asked simply, "does it get any easier?"

 

[Estrella Drage]

Estrella nodded back at Andromeda, acknowledging her loss but unable to say anything more about it. She did not know this girl, after all. "It gets easier over time," she replied, "It is better not to focus on it at all. My mother has passed also."

She of course had hardened herself to her mother's death- With age came a need to let such things go. She looked over the lake, admiring the reflection of the sun as it bounced off of the water in ripples.

 

[Andromeda Fiorelli]

Andy sighed, she had been afraid Estrella would have said that, that time did make it easier. She listened as Estrella said she had lost her mother. Andromeda did not know what to say, how could you not focus on such an important person missing from your life.

"Does that mean you end up forgetting them?" she asked, she didn't mean to drop all these questions on her but for some reason she was finding it easier to ask this complete stranger. Andy bit her lip though, she probably had over stepped the mark.

 

[Estrella Drage]

Estrella wondered why this girl was asking her so many personal questions, however, she was surprisingly not moved by them. "Some days, yes," she replied, "Actually, most of the time I forget about it entirely." She shrugged a bit, her mother's death no longer phasing her. "It happened when I was five, so it isn't a big deal to me anymore."

 

[Andromeda Fiorelli]

"Oh!" was basically all the reaction Andromeda had in herself for that answer. But perhaps at five you hadn't quite built up the memories that an 11yr old would have, maybe she wouldn't forget him as quickly. She knew she didn't want to ever.

"Sorry about your mom" Andy said as she stood up from the grass and brushed the dirt from her knees.

 

[Estrella Drage]

Estrella shrugged, her expression a bit more relaxed than it had been lately. "Nothing to be sorry about, Miss- Sorry, I don't think I caught your last name." Her eyes blank, she added, "I got over it a long time ago."

 

[Andromeda Fiorelli]

"Fiorelli" she smiled at her, "but you can call me Andy, everyone else does".

She looked about the spot where they were standing and felt peaceful again. Andy always did when she came here.
"You picked a lovely spot for the rosebush" she said simply.

 

[Estrella Drage]

Estrella shrugged, not sure whether she would be on close enough terms with this girl to call her by a nickname. "Just call me, well, Estrella," she said softly, extending a hand to the girl, noting that she had not formally greeted her, "Estrella Drage."

She did not mind the look of this girl, and she inquired, "So, what house are you in, anyway?"

With a sideways glance to the rosebush, she said, "Thanks. It was fitting, considering this was practically the place we first met." The memory flickered through her mind for a moment, and she thought, Maybe it's a place I meet other potential friends too?

 

[Andromeda Fiorelli]

Andy held out her own and and shook Estrella's.
"It's been really nice to meet you Estrella. I'm in Gryffindor" she smiled at her.

There was something about this girl, Andromeda couldn't quite put her finger on it but she liked her. Perhaps she would give it more thought later but right now it was just nice to be here and talk.

 

[Estrella Drage]

"Nice to meet you too," Estrella said, her voice quiet, as she smirked and added, "Fourth Year Ravenclaw and Prefect. I take it you're a first year?"

 

[Andromeda Fiorelli]

"My extremely tall height gave me away huh?" Andy smiled, she was your average 4'7" girl but liked her small size as she had always considered it perfect for flying.

"Yeah first year. Is it hard work making it to prefect?"

 

[Estrella Drage]

Estrella smirked back at the girl. She did not usually judge people by their height, but the girl had made a good point. She supposed that at 5'3'' she was pretty tall compared to most other girls here. When next to some of her peers, though, she felt quite short.

"Hard work?" she mused, smirking, "It wasn't hard work at all for me, although I don't know what you would consider hard work either. If you're talking about striving academically," she chuckled a bit, "That just comes naturally to me."