Catching up

[Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi stepped in the owlery and looked up at the group of school owls that were sleeping. I've really got to get my own owl, she thought to herself as she walked over to one and petted it gently. When its eye opened slightly to take her in, Cyndi held up the parchment she had in her hand. It was for her roommate, Riley, letting him know that she would be heading home as soon as the students were sent home for the holidays. Cyndi was looking forward to spending some time at home with Riley. He was a really great friend and she enjoyed his company. There were so many people she needed to catch up with and he was just one of many who belonged on that list.

As the owl stuck out its leg, Cyndi attached the parchment gently and then fished inside her pocket for the owl treat she had placed there. She held it in the palm of her hand and smiled at the owl as it chomped up the treat and then ruffled its wings, getting ready to take flight. "Thank you" she murmured as it took off into the sky. With nothing else to do, Cyndi walked over to the window and looked out. The view from this high up was simply spectacular.

 

[Kiera Kaster]

Kiera was on her way to the owlery with a letter for her father. Her former plans for Christmas break had greatly changed. She would not be going home for the break but instead heading to Godric's Hallow with James. The events that had happened over the last weekend were crazy. It had thrown Kiera into a whirlwind of happiness. It was tough to keep her news a secret when she was so blissful. Kiera practically bounced all the way up to the Owlery.

When she pushed open the door, Kiera found Cyndi in the room. A wide grin was plastered on her face, just like it had been since James asked her for her hand in marriage. "Good morning Cyndi!" she said brightly before she called to her owl. She handed Pharaoh the letter and sent him off towards her house.

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi turned around, a huge smile on her face as she was greeted by one of her very best friends. She was happy to see Kiera smiling again. She had been worried about her ever since the article about her and James had broken. It looked like she didn't need to be though because Kiera certainly looked bright and chipper.

"Morning Kiera!" she said back cheerily, "I was just thinking about going to look for you. How've you been?" she asked as she watched her friend send her owl away to deliver a letter.

 

[Kiera Kaster]

Kiera turned back to Cyndi as the older girl asked her how she had been. There was no point hiding anything from Cyndi. She was going to have to know sooner or later. Plus if she did end up eloping this Christmas, she wanted Cyndi there. James had agreed that both Cyndi and Kat could come to their secret wedding. "Oh Cyndi! Everything is simply wonderful." She said as she went closer to her best friend. She lowered her voice but did not lose the lack of excitement in her eyes. "James proposed to me. I'm getting married!" Kiera said, glowing with happiness.

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi's eyes widened and she knew that if she had been drinking at the moment, there would have been a spit take at that precise moment. "What?!" she shrieked, which caused some of the nearby owls to take flight into the rafters. What have I missed? Cyndi asked herself, knowing that the last time she had spoken to Kiera, she had still been with Alex. The eighteen year old knew that James and Kiera had had feelings for each other for a long time, and they had obviously decided to stop denying them.

Her friend looked as if she had finally found her piece of heaven and Cyndi was happy for her. "Congratulations!" she said as she pulled Kiera into a hug, "I'm so happy for you sweetie!" She pulled back and held Kiera by the shoulders. "I'm invited to the wedding, right?" she asked, knowing that Kiera knew Cyndi wasn't exactly crazy about James.

 

[Kiera Kaster]

Kiera laughed at the expression on Cyndi's face as Kiera told her the news. A few Owls flew off, obviously not pleased by the girl's shrieking. Kiera grinned as Cyndi pulled her into a hug. "Thank you! I'm so happy." she replied. She hugged the older girl back, simply ecstatic that her friend wasn't upset by the news. Kiera knew that Cyndi wasn't James' biggest fan.

Kiera laughed and rolled her eyes as the older girl asked if she was invited to the wedding. "Of course you are. I want you to be a bridesmaid in the wedding at the end of the summer." she told her best friend. Cyndi had been there for Kiera on countless occasions. No way would the older girl not be invited. "Actually, James wants to have a private wedding next week in London, only for our close family. I told him that you and Kat would kill me if you weren't invited too." she said, in a low voice. The wedding was going to be a secret, much like her entire relationship with him.

The secret wedding hasn't been approved yet. So it may or may not take place.

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi let go of Kiera's shoulders and smiled as her friend she wanted her to be a bridesmaid in the wedding. She had never been in a wedding before, though she had attended a few. The thought of standing by the altar as her best friend got married was very exciting to Cyndi and her eyes lit up. Her next words shocked Cyndi incredibly. It was one thing to hear that her friend was engaged to be married and planning on having a wedding in a few months, but it was quite another to hear that they may actually be married over the break.

"Yea, I would kill both of you" she said, shaking her head and then looking out the window. "Do you want to be married so soon?" she asked, noticing that Kiera had mentioned that it was James who wanted the wedding to occur sooner rather than later. She didn't know what the rush was, though she had a feeling it probably had something to do with the article that had been written. Another thought popped into her head and Cyndi abruptly asked, "Uh...does Alex know?" She didn't know what was going on between Kiera and Alex, if anything, because she had been so busy with work and other stuff.


Well let me know.

 

[Kiera Kaster]

Kiera laughed as Cyndi said that she would kill them both if they didn't tell her. She had know that her two best friends would have similar reactions. As Cyndi asked her if she wanted to be married so soon, Kiera paused to think about it. She knew that she wanted to be with James forever. He was her perfect for her in every way. She didn't think it really mattered when she married him. Kiera knew it was a complicated answer.

"Well, I love him. I know I want to be with him forever so to me it doesn't make a difference if I marry him now or if I don't marry him until the end of the summer. To James, it matters. He wants our wedding to be about the two of us and not a public show. He's afraid if we just wait to the end of the summer it will become a spectacle. I think he just wants it to be special." Kiera told her best friend with a smile on her face. "I just want him to be happy."

As Cyndi asked another question, Kiera's face fell. Alex was a complicated situation for her. She loved him but her love for James out shone her love for Alex. Besides, Alex didn't want her anyways. She had heard rumors of him cheating on her. Kiera shook her head. "No I haven't told him yet." she admitted softly.

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi listened to Kiera's answer and nodded slowly. "Well, he has a point. The minute everyone else gets wind of the two of you being together, it's going to get crazy." Cyndi could only imagine what that was going to be like for the pair. She figured that James was used to it, considering he was the son of Harry Potter and famous in his own right for his quidditch playing. But, she wasn't sure Kiera would be ready to handle all of that. "Of course you'll make him happy" Cyndi said with a small smile.

As she saw her friend's face at her question, Cyndi's own face fell. She felt like crap for ruining her friend's good mood. "Sorry...I shouldn't have brought him up" Cyndi apologized and then fell silent. "So...When did James ask you?" she asked curiously.

 

[Kiera Kaster]

Kiera nodded her head at Cyndi. She could only imagine how crazy it was going to get. Reporters like Cynthia Vandervoort would be trying to hunt her down to write their own stories about the engagement. Kiera hoped that James' friend, Erica, could stop most of it at the Prophet. Kiera was suddenly reminded of a girl's howler. A look of horror flashed across her face. "Cyndi, this is going to be just as bad as the article was. He has a fan club for crying out loud. I bet I get hundreds of howlers." she said with a groan. Kiera was not looking forward to that part of her engagement.

Kiera shook her head as Cyndi apologized for bringing Alex into the conversation. "Its alright really. I need to tell him. I just...I hate hurting him." she said slightly upset. She didn't know what she was going to say to Alex. There was a moment of silence before Cyndi asked another question. "Oh well he asked this past weekend in Brightstone. We were in a room at the Three Broomsticks hiding from Vandervoort when he just asked me. I wasn't expecting it at all." she said as a bright smile returned to her face.

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi frowned slightly. She hadnt realized that James probably had a fan club even though she should have. He was a quidditch player after all. "We'll worry about that when the time comes. I've gotten pretty good at my vanishing spell and maybe the school can do something to help you out..." she suggested, not knowing if they would be able to or not. "You'll just have to keep the one next week super quiet to buy yourself some time to enjoy each other first before it becomes the biggest event since the quidditch cup."

As the conversation shifted away from the awkward topic of Alex and onto how the engagement had occurred, Cyndi had a soft smile on her face which widened to a smirk. "So Cynthia actually did something good for once, huh?"she joked as she imagined the pair running away from Cynthia. One day she'll get what's coming to her, Cyndi thought to herself. "I bet she'd take all the credit too, as if you and James wouldn't have fallen in love if it weren't for her" Cyndi shook her head as she finished.

 

[Kiera Kaster]

Kiera grimaced as Cyndi told her they would worry about the fan club issue later. She wondered if there was anything the school could do. Could they restrict access to her? She almost hoped they could. Kiera didn't want anymore cursed letters. "Thanks for your help. I'm sure I'll be taking you up on that offer. I guess when I get back from break I can talk to Professor King or Professor Rambolt." she said, forgetting to use Cecily's married name.

Kiera was glad when the topic of Alex dropped. She didn't want to talk about her current boyfriend. Kiera snorted as Cyndi said Cynthia had done something good for the pair. In a way, she had. Kiera laughed. "As if she had anything to do with me falling in love with James. James was already in love with me before her stupid article. Though I guess the article is pretty accurate now. It said there would be wedding bells." she said with an amused smile. At the time, the article was nothing but lies. Now, it seemed the article was right on track.

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

A wave of sympathy washed over Cyndi as she took a look at Kiera's face. She hoped that something could be done. "You should"Cyndi said with a nod, knowing that if anyone would be able to help, it would be those two.

When Kiera snorted, Cyndi giggled. "Guess you have to give the devil her due then" Cyndi said with an exaggerated grimace. Giving Cynthia any sort of credit was difficult. She had never met the woman and hoped that she never would. "Oh man! I've got to find you two a wedding present. I've got your christmas present at my house because I haven't wrapped it yet" she mentioned as the thought came to mind.