Define Light

[Cairo Savage]

The last few weeks had been incredibly stressful for Cairo. They were filled with drama that only involved him by association but he had somehow been dragged into the middle of it. Being in the centre of a problem was the last place Cairo ever wanted to be and it did nothing but drain his inspiration and patience to deal with it all. By the time his classes were over that day, he felt himself becoming stir-crazy, wanting nothing more than to find a distraction from everything, and immerse himself in something else so he could run away from his problems. Or at least pretend like they didn't exist for a few hours. Photography had never provided a decent distraction in the past as it was something Cairo did for Accio, rather than for his own entertainment. But that day photography seemed to be his only option as an apt distraction. His usual routine of studying for classes, or talking to Rome and even Charlotte would only make his problems worse because his problems solely involved them. Hiding behind the lens of a camera was tranquil in comparison and was the reason he grabbed his camera on the way out of the castle that evening.

Cairo headed to the lakefront a few minutes before sunset with intent to capture a photo of the sun on the horizon, reflecting off of the water. The cold began to set in as he stood on the edge of the lake but he tried to ignore the feeling as he brought his camera to his face, moving his hand around the lens to twist his view into focus. He stood as still as he could manage while waiting for the most opportune moment to snap the perfect picture.​

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[Matthew Harper]

Matthew had had a busy few weeks, getting used to Hogwarts, doing homework, making friends, and finding out who his sister was. He hadn't really had time for his favorite pastime: photography. Tonight things were different, though. He had finally caught up on his homework and he had nothing else to do until he had to go to bed. He had the perfect idea of what to capture. The sun was about to set, and he figured it would be a great idea to photograph the sunset on the lake.

He was running a little bit late, and when he got outside he saw that the sun was already setting. He hurried the lakeside while taking his camera out of his bag, and he spotted another blond boy who seemed to have gotten the same idea as him. He instantly wanted to talk to him and meet someone else that liked the same things he did, but he could see the boy was focused. He himself needed to focus as well, or he was going to miss it. He stood somewhat near the boy but not enough to startle him and raised his own camera to his face. He focused the lens and waited for a few moments before snapping a picture. Then another and a third. He grinned to himself as he lowered the camera. One of these had to be decent. Then he looked at the stranger with a small smile. "Seems like we had the same idea." He said, hoping to befriend the boy.

 

[Cairo Savage]

Cairo was so focused on his task, mind completely immersed in the view through his camera lens and adjusting the focus, contrast and colour balance to the best setting to snap the most perfect photos, that the didn't notice someone had appeared near him until they spoke. He wasn't startled by the noise, yet he reacted by looking from his camera and to the other boy, taking in his appearance while raising an eyebrow curiously. "Yeah, clearly." Cairo responded, huffing quietly before returning his gaze to his lens and snapping a few extra photos of the sparkling water for good measure. He then moved his camera, allowing it to hang on his side by the strap as he pulled the sleeves of his sweater over his hands to keep warm. "The sunset was definitely photo worthy today." Cairo said, keeping his gaze on the horizon as the sun slowly set, the perfect moment to take photos past them. "Do you usually take photos of the sunset?" He then asked, looking back to the boy and attempting to make polite small talk. The entire reason he was at he lake that day was to distract himself from other people, not to talk to someone. Yet he did not mind being around the other boy and was more relieved than anything to have normal conversation after being involved in so much drama.​

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[Matthew Harper]

When the other boy reacted to Matthew's presence after taking his photos, Matthew wondered if approaching him had been a good idea. He seemed a bit cold, but at the same time, they had an interest in common. And it was something he really wanted to share with someone. He had made a few friends and met some nice people at Hogwarts, but he still felt a bit lonely and lost sometimes. "It sure was." He said with a grin. He adjusted his camera strap a little awkwardly as the boy turned to look at him again.

"I don't usually, I tend to take photos of different things. But I've never lived near a lake before, so the sight of the sun reflecting on the water is something I haven't had the chance to capture before. It's a lot more beautiful than I had expected, honestly." He glanced at the water again, already thinking of other good photos to take here. "I'm Matthew, by the way." He said as he glanced back at the other boy. "I think we're in the same year, aren't we? We share classes right?" He was pretty sure he recognized him from a few classes, but he had never talked to him.

 

[Cairo Savage]

Cairo crossed his arms over his torso in a further effort to keep warm while he listened to the boy speak. Growing up in the middle of London meant Cairo understood what it was like to live away from a lake, and the natural beauty that was New Zealand's countryside. He liked to spend more time indoors than outside, but did often miss the views whenever he returned home for the holidays, and could wholeheartedly agree that the sun reflecting off the water was furthermore worthy of being captured in a photo if the other boy wasn't used to a sunset looking so stunning. Cairo wanted to share this, but chose not to, and instead nodded, only speaking to introduce himself in return when the other boy introduced himself as Matthew. "I'm Cairo." He said. He did recognize Matthew but wasn't able to place his face until he mentioned them sharing classes. "Yeah, I've seen you in Potions." He said. "Our professor this year is pretty good, don't you think? The one for the younger years is a bit flaky." It still felt unusual for Cairo to have such a seemingly normal conversation, after all the drama that had unfolded for him that semester, but although it was unusual, it was also relieving. Believe it or not he was actually enjoying speaking to Matthew and it was a welcomed change.​

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[Matthew Harper]

Matthew smiled when the other boy introduced himself, he held out his hand. "Nice to meet you Cairo. Like the city?" He grinned, unable to stop a joke. "I guess the Nile is not just a river in Egypt, but a river that flows through your name too." He tried not to laugh at himself, knowing it was a bad joke, he just couldn't help himself when it came to these things. Hopefully Cairo wouldn't turn and run. "And I've seen you in potions too. I actually found the professor kind of... cold? Strict?" He shrugged. "Like, the way she looks at you when you make a mistake is kind of scary, isn't it?" He had met the professor for the younger years only once, though he seemed quite nice. Matthew just shrugged slightly. "I have only had this one here. I can't really compare." He told the boy. "I quite like the professor for Muggle Studies, actually. I think I've seen you in those classes too, right?" He was pretty sure but he didn't want to say the wrong thing. "How long have you liked photography?"