Delights of anticipation

[Aaren Nightray]

Aaren's first days at Hogwarts had been, to say the least, quite enjoyable. She hadn't really met lots of friends yet, but, she was able to manage to meet a few who caught her interest. Mitchelle was one of them actually. She was quite an interesting girl, and on top of that, Aaren loved her name. Mitchelle just sounded so romantic. Aside from the few friends that she was able to make, the school itself was another thing that made her days fun. Hogwarts was just so pretty, no, beautiful perhaps. But then, those words too are not enough to actually describe her school. It was beyond pretty, beyond beautiful. Wonderful perhaps. Hogwarts was something that she wouldn't be able to improve by her imagination. Aaren is quite a dreamer. She loved to imagine things. Imagine that perhaps, one of the students that she had met was actually a princess of a far away kingdom that had been stolen from her royal parents. It sounded ridiculous, but for her, it's fun to imagine things to be different than what they were supposed to be. It saves her from her boredom. Just like now, the young gryffindor had nothing else to do. She had had explored around the castle for probably a hundred of times already, but still, that doesn't mean that she's tired of it. It was just that, she wanted to do something else at the moment. Perhaps, play around with the snow. It is, after all, something that she wasn't able to do back home. Her parents were really strict and they never did want her to do something silly as to build snowmen and snow angels.

Making sure that she was completely protected from the cold, Aaren decided to went outside. The sky was already slowly turning a deep red. The sun was setting. The last daylight was reflected on the part of the lake that hadn't been frozen from the cold. It was a strange picture in front of her, but at the same time, it was beautiful too. Putting her blue winter scarf, which was her lucky item for the day, around her neck, Aaren began to sing a song that she had heard from this muggle shop that she had happened to went into years ago without her parents knowing. It was the first and last time that she had ever went into a muggle shop. Her parents despised muggles so, she too had to despise them too. She never did understand why she had to do that though.</COLOR></FONT>

Kiss me, Kiss me
Before this winter passes
Love me, love me, as much as I love you
Hey you, can you hear me? What I’m saying?
I don't want anything else

When I see you, the bells ring in my heart
I think you will tell me today as well
Like in my dream last night


It's cold but I wear pretty clothes
It's snowing but I wear high heels
I want to walk all night with you tonight​

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She then stopped, pondering about the lyrics of the song again. "It's really weird. No matter how many times I have sang this, I really don't understand why the girl would be wearing high heels when it's already snowing. Weird~" She said, laughing to herself as she began to twirl around before she had let herself fall, her back facing the blanket of snow beneath her. It was cold, but she didn't care. She just felt so alive then. "Dashing through the snow, I search for you. This feeling of running to you. The cold wind feels so refreshing. You are a bigger present than anything in this world." She continued to sing, closing her eyes as she felt the wind embracing her. ​

 

[Katerina Montereal]

All the way down inside the castle, Katerina was walking in the corridors to explore that she had never been before. A place that would made her surprised, impressed, or either fascinated. She's not a kind of an adventurous person but something made her feel to use her feet for a long way walk that would might bring her somewhere that she had never expected. Couquette wasn't with her that day but sleeping on her four-poster bed in the common room. Katerina didn't know why she had choose a kitten instead of an owl. Owls were Katerina's most favorite animals and it was very odd to choose her third favorite animal. If she can only buy two animals maybe she wouldn't be able to care them all. And besides, a single student must have only one pet.

The little Ravenclaw had finally reached the Great Hall when she suddenly think about dungeons. Katerina was a little bit daunting person but going in the dungeons wasn't frightening after all besides, the Hogwarts ghosts were usually friendly or ignoring ones just like the other ordinary people. She walked through the Great Hall door without even rushing when she suddenly decided not to explore.

Katerina looked back.

Does she have to go back to the common room and read her lessons or novels she have again? She looked outside the door and shook her head. She wanted to do something else. Something different. And this time, she's not in mood in reading. Yes, she maybe a bookworm but she don't have to be always stuck in one place. She continued walking and decided to go to the grounds.</COLOR></FONT>

"As sly as a fox, as strong as an ox
As fast as a hare, as brave as a bear
As free as a bird, as neat as a word
As quiet as a mouse, as big as a house​

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Katerina sang in a very beautiful and dreamy voice. It was a Muggle song which was already old. She wasn't yet born when the song was published but her mom had a record of all songs she had enjoyed her teen-hood. And this song had caught Katerina's ear which suddenly made Katerina's favorite song. The song really suits for her because she wanted to be something else as better. A song that wasn't from her but from a singer that almost told her story.

Katerina didn't noticed she had walked far away from the castle. She's now walking in the lakefront when she had finally realized that she had walked that far. Reached it without planning to go in that place. Katerina looked around, it was already afternoon. She didn't know what time already, she had forgotten to wear her watch. She sat under the big tree and sighed. The place, the school... it really made her happy as she had never been before. She got lots of friends that she had never expected here in this wonderful wizard school and also, she had met her very first crush, Lionel, who became her close friend on the very first day they met. Katerina finds Lionel handsome. The boy who had a brownish back hair, paled skin, and had a pair of bright gray blue eyes who used to wear round glasses just for fun even though his eyesight was still clear.

She looked at the sky. The sky was red. It was like an oil paint as she imagined. She leaned on the tree and sighed once more when she heard someone singing as the voice drifted through the wind. Katerina had never heard the song but it sounds pretty. She looked back and saw a girl to the next tree. Katerina stood up. There's a feeling that she wanted to make friends with this girl.

"That's a pretty song." hailed Katerina as she finally reached the girl.

 

[Aaren Nightray]

Aaren was halfway done with the song when she heard someone talk. She didn't really expect that there would be someone there with her. Pushing her self off in the ground and sitting upright as if she had been caught doing something wrong, the gryffindor turned to look at the owner of the said voice. She can't really recognize the girl and from the looks of it, she was from another house. If she's a gryffindor just like her, she would have known right away. Aaren is quite a friendly and talkative girl, and she always make sure that she knows everyone whom she's staying with. This girl, however, she couldn't recognize. "You heard me?" She asked incredulously, her face flushing a deep shade of pink as she realized that someone had heard her sing. She loved singing, she really do. Music had always been a part of her life, it was one of those things that her parents cannot take away from her no matter what. But still, knowing that someone whom she doesn't know had heard her, it had quite embarrassed her. That embarrassment, however, was quickly replaced by enthusiasm when she realized what the girl had just said. The girl had just told her that the song that she was singing was pretty. She might not have praised her voice, but praising the song was even more better than that. "You think it's pretty too? I do too. I mean, it was such a melodic song and I really love it even though some of the lyrics are pretty weird. I mean, who would walk in the snow wearing high heels? It's pretty silly don't you think? But still, I find it really romantic that the girl was dressing up and had even go as far as to wear high heels just to impress the boy that she was meeting with. I don't understand love, but still, I think it's really sweet. Did I just talk too much? Would you prefer if I don't talk at all. If you do, I wouldn't mind. I don't want you to get angry after all." She said without stopping, rubbing her hands together to warm herself up. Despite the layers of clothing that she was wearing, it was still cold. But she wouldn't mind staying there if it would mean that she'd gain another friend.

"Kiss me, Kiss me, A present that’s better than you? I don’t know what that is. Will the day I’ve been waiting for be today? Like in my dream last night?" Aaren sang once again, giggling as she finished. "Sorry, I just love that song so much that I needed to really finish it. Would you mind telling me your name Miss? - " She wasn't able to finish her statement though as she realized that she had missed to do something. Standing up, Aaren bowed her head and curtsied, "It's been really rude of me to not introduce myself to you. I'm Aaren Nightray, though I wouldn't mind if you would call me something else. Ren's been a popular choice lately though. But if you would like to call me something else, I would greatly appreciate it too." She said in a graceful and quite elegant manner just like she usually do at home, before straightening herself up again and flashing a friendly smile towards the girl. "Now it's your turn. What's your name?" Her tone suddenly changed to that normal tone of hers, dreamy and a bit childlike. She was actually interested to know who this pretty girl in front of her is.​

 

[Katerina Montereal]

The girl was seemly to be talkative for Katerina which made her amazed because of the unexpected thought. Katerina wasn't really fond of noisy people who used to speak in a loud voice and screams, but this girl was different. She's talkative but not noisy. "Well, I would prefer for you to stay talking." Katerina chuckled. Actually, much better if the girl would be more chatty, after all, Katerina didn't know how to start a conversation. She thinks that a quiet person like her and a chatty girl would be compatible to be friends or best friends. Besides, she might get influenced with this girl's confidence.

The girl sang again and it seems that Katerina likes the girl's voice as it drifted along the breezy wind. Katerina didn't know if her own voice was beautiful as the professionals, but she hope so. Singing was her talent aside of being witty and her only dream was to be a singer someday. A famous singer and pianist in the whole Wizarding World, but that's too imaginative for people even for her. However, she wouldn't let this dream fade. Music is her life and she will try her best to reach it.

"Um..." Katerina stammered a bit when the girl asked her name. But before this little Ravenclaw could speak, the girl spoke in a split second. Katerina smiled back sheepishly. She would prefer to call the girl whose name was Aaren, by her nickname 'Ren'. But Katerina wanted to call her with other name but she didn't know what name. So she chose 'Ren'. And now it was her turn, she started to clear her throat which wasn't noticeable. "Nice to meet you Aaren, I'm Katerina Montereal. But you can call me by my nickname, Kate if you want." she said with a smile. Actually, she have plenty of nicknames to call her; Katrina, Rina, Rin, or Katerine but it would be better to call her Kate because of too short and kind a nice name.