Enjoying the View

[Professor Cyndi Kingsley]

Looking for a quiet place to sit and relax for a while, Cyndi made her way up to the North Tower. As she reached the landing to the tower, Cyndi was blinded by the rays of sunlight that were entering through the window as the sun began to go down. With one hand shielding her eyes, she climbed the steps toward the windowsill and sat down with her back to the outside as she waited for the sun to move enough that it wouldn't be blinding her if she looked out.

In a few moments, the sun had shifted enough that it was easier to look outside the window. Cyndi turned her body so that she was comfortably sitting in the windowsill and looked out at the students who were on the lawn below. The weather had been excellent today so it was actually quite crowded on the lawn, and looking further past, Cyndi could see that some were even attempting a swim in the lake.

 

[Kiera Kaster]

Kiera was bored and wandering around the castle. She had made it all the way up to the north tower. She slowly climbed the stairs. At the top, she found Cyndi. Her roommate and friend. Kiera smiled as she walked up to the older girl. "Hey Cyndi!" she said in a friendly voice. "What are you up to?" she inquired.

 

[Professor Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi remained sitting but turned her head as she heard a familiar voice. "Hi Kiera" Cyndi replied with a smile, "Didn't hear you coming." Cyndi shrugged her shoulders as Kiera asked what she was up to. "Eh, nothing much...just watching everyone" she replied as she gestured toward everyone down below, " and trying to decide if I should practice my conjuring spells."

She had brought her wand with her up to the tower, but at the moment she really wasn't motivated to do any sort of practicing. It remained in her ponytail where she had placed it after taking it out of her pocket. "How about you? Classes going ok?" she asked in return to her friend.

 

[Kiera Kaster]

Kiera smiled and sat down by Cyndi. "Watching is always amusing. Especially when people dont know you are watching them." she commented. Kiera glanced out the window. She could mostly see the lake.

Kiera considered her answer to Cyndi's questions. Kiera wasn't sure that she had ever told her friend about her mother. Kiera was sure Cyndi had transfiguration but she might not have recognized the new professor. Kiera sighed. "I suppose classes are going well. Its just now Jacqueline is here and I wish she wasn't." she admitted.

Kiera shrugged off her problems. "Anyways, how are your classes? Are you nervous about graduation?" she asked. Cyndi's life had to be more interesting than her own.

 

[Professor Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi listened as Kiera explained that she wasn't happy about someone named Jacqueline being at the school. She knew that the name struck her as being familiar, but she couldn't recall why. "Jacqueline?" Cyndi mused, "Is that a classmate of yours?" She had never known Kiera to not want someone around, so for her to not be keen on this person was pretty curious.

When the conversation turned to Cyndi's classes and graduation, she shifted uneasily on the sill. "I guess classes are going ok so far. I only have two of them this term- Potions and Transfiguration. It kind of feels like the calm before the storm though because I know the professors are going to pile on the work to prepare us for our NEWTs." Cyndi sighed. "I'm a little nervous" she admitted with a small smile, " I've been here for so many years that I honestly don't know what I'll do when I don't have to be in school."

 

[Kiera Kaster]

Cyndi didnt seem to recognize the name Kiera said. Kiera concluded she must not have shared her mother's colorful history with her friend. Kiera shook her head. "No. She is my mother." she said with a roll of her eyes. It was obvious Kiera didn't like the woman.
As the conversation continued on to classes. She said she was worried. Kiera smiled kindly at her friend. "I am sure you will be fine. I dont know what we will do next year without you around. You must promise to stay in touch." Kiera commanded sternly.
Cyndi confirmed that she did infact have transfiguration. Kiera shook her head. "Then you know Jacqueline. She is the new transfiguration professor." she waited to see how Cyndi would react to this news.

 

[Professor Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi eyes widened in surprise to hear that the Jacqueline that Kiera wasn't thrilled to see was none other than her Transfiguration professor. Now, she realized why the name was so familiar to her. "Really?" Cyndi said upon hearing the news, "I take it the two of you don't get along all that well?" Cyndi thought that Professor Burke seemed ok, but after all, she hadn't grown up with the woman and had no idea why Kiera wasn't happy about her mother being around. She figured that she probably wouldn't be happy if her mother worked at the school either, but Kiera's unhappiness seemed to be deeper than that.

"I promise."Cyndi said emphatically holding up her hand as if she were giving an oath, "I'll send you guys owls whenever I can." Cyndi looked down for a second and then back up. "I'm going to miss you guys so much."

 

[Kiera Kaster]

Kiera smiled. "Good." she said satisfied with her answer. "I will miss you soo much too!" she said hugging her friend. It would be weird around her with all the current 7th years gone.

Kiera sighed. She might as well tell Cyndi the whole story. She hadn't realized that she had yet to tell her anything about her past. Kat and Andy knew most of the story so Cyndi should as well. Even Bruin knew the earlier parts. "You might want to get comfortable. This is a long story." she warned her friend before she began. Kiera took a deep breath and began her story.

"When I came to Hogwarts, I was under the impression my mother had died. I didn't know she had been a witch. I thought she had died in a car crash when I was very young. Later on, I happened to mention my mother's maiden name to Bellatrix Green. Bella informed me that Jacqueline very much alive. She was a death eater. Bella arranged a meeting. It turns out my father was just a rebelous stage in her life. She had fabricated the car crash evidence in order to flee back to her pureblood family." Kiera said shaking her head. She was still upset that her mother had abandoned their family.

"Anyways its been a long road with lots of ups and downs. Katheryn believes our mother in that she is trying to change. She went and lived with her for a year, dropped out of school and everything. We didnt speak during that time. During christmas break, she called us all to her house and introduced us to her boyfriend." Kiera said rolling her eyes. She didn't understand how her mom would be happy with him and not her dad. It had to be because her new boyfriend was magical.

"Get this, her new boyfriend is an auror. And she is a death eater. How ironic! Supposedly he knows she is changing because he is a seer. I still dont buy it. Then she sent me an owl saying she was to be a Professor here. Let's just say its not my favorite thing ever." Kiera said rolling her eyes again. She had only told Cyndi a few things. Not the whole story. She had skipped over the worser parts of Jacqueline's relationship with Kiera.

 

[Professor Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi returned Kiera's hug and then sat back again as Kiera began to talk about her mother. Cyndi's eyes widened as the story of Kiera's mother progressed. When she finished, Cyndi did not know what to say to her Gryffindor roommate. She herself never would have guessed that Professor Burke was a death eater and she couldn't believe that she would abandon her family. "Wow..." Cyndi said in amazement and shaking her head sympathetically at Kiera, "I can see why you aren't happy about all of this."

The older Gryffindor stood silent for a moment and then hesitantly suggested, "Maybe her whole reason for teaching here was to get closer to you and your sister?" She certainly didn't know the professor well enough to have any idea if this was true, but perhaps it was her way of being with her children and proving to them that she was indeed changing.

 

[Kiera Kaster]

Kiera nodded her head as Cyndi said she understood. It wasn't an ideal situation. She never liked her mother. Kiera just couldn't see how she was changing. Kiera shook her head at Cyndi's question. "She doesnt need to be here to get closer to Katheryn. Kat has believed everything she said since she met her. You know Kat dropped out of school and went to live with her. That's why she is a year behind now. We didn't speak during that year." she said pausing. That year had not been a fun one for her family. "No, if my mother is here to convince anyone, its me." she said.

 

[Professor Cyndi Kingsley]

"So, she just up and left to stay with your mother?" Cyndi asked, not sure if she herself would do the same if she was in Kiera and Katheryn's situation. Kiera seemed to not be happy with her sister's decision. She quickly realized that she would probably be a lot more like Kiera and proceed with extreme caution, especially if she knew that her mother was a death eater and had abandoned them in the first place.

Cyndi didn't know what to say to Kiera because she had never been in a situation similar to this. "So, I guess you have to just wait and see what she does then, huh?" Cyndi said with a small frown and she looked down at her fingernails. "Has she tried talking to you since she's been here?" she asked, looking back up.

 

[Kiera Kaster]

Kiera nodded her head at Cyndi's first question. "Yes, she did. Our mother told her that she could teach her magic and get to know her better. Katheryn always felt out of place in elementary schools when the other girls would talk about their mothers and there would be mother daughter parties she was left out of. Kat jumped at the chance to get to know her mother. Plus Katheryn has a kind, forgiving, warm heart. She believes mother when she says she wants to be different." she tried to explain. She didnt know if Cyndi knew her sister or not. It was just Kat's nature. It irked Kiera when it came to forgiving her mother.

Kiera listened to the second part of Cyndi's questions. "I guess thats what I will have to do. I just don't think I will be able to forgive her." she answered honestly. "I didnt go to dinner the whole first week back. I figured she would try and stop to talk to me then. Alex talked me out of that. He was right. It was dumb to go without eating just to avoid her." Kiera said, blushing slightly as she mentioned Alex.

 

[Professor Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi nodded her head as she listened to Kiera explain why her sister had left. She could certainly see why Katheryn would have jumped at the opportunity because she knew how cruel school children could be. This was one of the reasons why she loved Hogwarts so much because everyone was so much more accepting of being different seeing as they were all different from muggles.

She listened to Kiera discuss not being able to forgive her mother. "I'm sure it'll be hard to forgive her right away but maybe she really will prove to you she's changed..." Cyndi hoped that it would all end up working out between Kiera and her mother, though it certainly looked like it would take a while before that happened.

As she continued listening to Kiera talk about skipping dinner the whole first week, Cyndi couldn't help but notice the blush that rose on her friend's cheeks as she mentioned Alex convincing her not to. "I'm glad Alex convinced you to not avoid her...if you do that, she'll probably be on the lookout for you even more anyway" Cyndi said seriously and then smiled slyly, "And speaking of Alex...is this the same one who took you to the Yule Ball?" Cyndi knew that it must be because she didn't know another Alex besides Alex Cullen but she figured that she would allow Kiera to talk about him in her own time if there was anything to talk about.

 

[Kiera Kaster]

Kiera listened to Cyndi's hopeful thoughts. She hoped the older girl would be right. She just didn't know if it was possible for Jacqueline to learn kindness. Maybe Raziel would change her for the better. He seemed like a decent sort of guy. Kiera didn't understand how he could have fallen for her mother. "I think that proof is the only way I will ever be able to forgive her." Kiera said certainly.

Kiera nodded her head at Cyndi's first comment. She and Alex were both right of course. Kiera just hadn't realized it at the time. "I know. It's not going to happen again. I promise no more skipping meals." she said, her words reminding her of Kat's skipping meals. Kiera was worried about her younger friend. Kiera blushed again as Cyndi asked her if she was talking about the Alex that she went to the Ball with. Kiera nodded her head. "That very same one. Do you know him?" she inquired.

 

[Professor Cyndi Kingsley]

Nodding her head at Kiera's question, Cyndi smiled knowingly as Kiera blushed again and replied, "Yea...we met last year out on the lake when I was swimming. He started racing with me and, unfortunately, he won. Oh, and he saved me from the mud." Cyndi said with a shake of her head as she recalled running into a bit of mud and getting stuck. All of that had occurred last year when Alex had first entered the school. "I'll beat him one day though." Cyndi said confidently.

"Speaking of not eating though," Cyndi said casually though her brow furrowed as a thought came to her, "Do you think we ought to talk to Kat?" Cyndi was very worried about her younger roommate. Ever since the Yule ball when she had seen Kat changing, Cyndi had become increasingly worried about her friend. She didn't know how best to approach the situation though because she had a feeling that Kat would not be happy with them either way.

 

[Kiera Kaster]

Kiera couldn't help but laugh as Cyndi told her the story about Alex. It sounded just like him. He always kept her interested. Kiera grinned. "Alex is competitive." she said pulling out her photo from a few nights previous. She handed it to Cyndi. It was a picture of Kiera grinning and Alex sticking out his tounge. They were completely white with flour. "We had a flour war." she said laughing at the picture. They both looked ridiculous. She smiled sheepishly at Cyndi. Cyndi was a smart girl so she had probably already guessed what Kiera was about to say. "I sorta like him. Quite a bit." she admitted to her roommate and friend.

Kiera frowned as Cyndi brought up Kat. "I know. I noticed that when she changed before the Yule Ball. Its getting very serious." she said thinking of how deathy skinny Kat was getting. "I dont know what the best approach is but something needs to be done. Fast." she said seriously.

 

[Professor Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi nodded her head in agreement as Kiera said that Alex was competitive. When she saw the picture that Kiera passed to her, Cyndi burst out laughing. The pair of them looked like ghosts with how covered in flour they were, but Cyndi also noted that they looked like they were having a ball. When Kiera finally admitted that she liked Alex, Cyndi eased up on the laughter but kept a great big smile on her face. "Well, I think the two of you look so cute together. Does he know?" she inquired.

Growing serious again, Cyndi sighed heavily. "I know. We have to talk to her and try to get her to see what she's doing to herself. I'm just afraid she'll be mad at us." Cyndi bit her lip as she thought about what they would have to do in order to help their friend.

 

[Kiera Kaster]

Kiera grinned as Cyndi laughed at the picture. It was pretty comical. She would never show this picture to anyone she wasnt friends with. They wouldnt understand. Kiera smiled at Cyndi's compliment. "Thank you. Do you really think so?" she asked. Kiera shook her head at Cyndi's question. "I don't think so or at least I haven't told him. I'm nervous. What if he doesn't like me?" she said, worried.

Kiera's face grew serious again as the discussed Kat. "I think that is just something we will have to deal with. No doubt she will be pissed off. Bella was when I made her go to the hospital wing. She had the same problem." she said thinking back to when Bellatrix fainted.

 

[Professor Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi nodded earnestly as Kiera asked whether she thought they really did look good together. "A guy would be crazy not to like you Kiera" Cyndi said encouragingly, "and besides...you guys seemed to have a great time at the ball together and if that picture is any indication, I'd say you have no reason to be nervous." Cyndi hoped that Alex did indeed like Kiera.

"You're right" she said with a sigh as the conversation drifted back to Kat, "We should try and get her alone one day soon."

 

[Kiera Kaster]

Kiera smiled, a little more confidently. She hoped Cyndi was right. After all, she was older and probably knew more than Kiera did. "Thanks Cyndi." she said to her friend. "We do have fun together." she said more to herself than Cyndi. Kiera sighed as the conversation turned back to Kat. "I think our best chance would be to corner her in our room." she said thinking.

 

[Professor Cyndi Kingsley]

"Yeah, you're probably right" Cyndi began with a shake of her head. "The less people that are around, the easier it will probably be for us to get her to listen to us. Otherwise, she'll probably just try to get away from us." Cyndi's brow furrowed as she was lost in thought trying to come up with a plan. "I'm so worried" Cyndi said sadly.

 

[Kiera Kaster]

Kiera nodded her head. She was sure that was the best plan. Kiera looked up at Cyndi as she said she was worried. "I am too. I hate sitting around watching Kat starve herself to death." she murmured sadly. There had to be something we can do.

 

[Professor Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi slowly nodded her head in agreement and then stood up. In a more somber tone than when their conversation had started, Cyndi said, "I think I'm going to head outside and see if I can feel the last bit of sun. Are you going to stick around here for a while?" All of the Kat talk had left Cyndi with a slightly sad feeling. It was one thing when she suspected what her Gryffindor friend was doing to herself, but to know that there were others who were suspicious as well, made it worse. She had no doubt that Kiera would help her do something, but she wasn't sure whether Kat would listen to them or not. She knew that they had to find a way to make her listen though.

 

[Kiera Kaster]

Kiera's heart was heavy. She nodded at what Cyndi said. "I think I will go back to the dorm." she said standing up. She smiled at Cyndi as they parted ways.