Hiding Away

[Alana Finch]

Alana Finch couldn't have been happier to be back in the castle. Her relationships at home were icy at best and her holiday has been filed with arguments and strange experiences. The teenager had been happy to come back to a place that felt mostly normal for her, even if she'd been immediately thrown into a strange situation. Luckily, the quidditch match had ended before she could do any real damage as Chaser, and it had ended with Slytherin victorious. Really, she couldn't have asked for a more perfect outcome. Classes hadn't been so bad either.

With practice out of the way for the day and no school work to catch up on, Alana found herself free as an owl. Heading outside of the castle, the teenager wandered around for a little bit before making her way to the cliffs. She hadn't been there since the beginning of the school year when she'd run into Chaos. Content that that wouldn't happen again, the teenager climbed up on a boulder that gave her an unobstructed view of the lake. A few brave students had ventured into it and she could hear their shouts. The girl laid back on the boulder, watching clouds move across the clear blue sky.

 

[Matthew Cosgrove]

Matthew was always a little torn about coming back to school for a new semester. He loved Hogwarts and everything about it but he loved being at home with his mother and his movie collection. He had been glad to get home after what had been a mostly uneventful opening semester, that is until the last night, the night of the yule ball. It was strange to go back to normality after such an extraordinary night but that is what he had done and since then he had lost himself in classic love stories that if anything had been a bit of downer. Matthew had come back to Hogwarts expecting not to see the girl again. At least the memory of a perfect night would never be ruined.

With classes yet to really start Matthew found himself with time to spare. Time he was more than happy to spend outside, this day in particular was lovely, the sky was a clear blue that reminded of the times he tried to fly kites with no wind. On days as clear as this Matthew was spoilt for choice on where to go, the truth was he had made his chlice before he left the common room. He would head for the cliffs, it was the spot most detached from the castle yet the view from it was spectacular. It was perfect for his post holiday blues.

Matthew was used to one thing on the cliffs, privacy but that was not what he found. When he arrived at the top of the cliff he saw a girl laid back on the boulders. From where he was standing he couldn't see who it was but he couldn't just stand there and watch. "Hey there, sorry if I've disturbed you only I don't usually find anyone up here," Mathew had no doubt other students visited the cliffs, they just didn't seem to when he did.

 

[Alana Finch]

Alana was busy looking at the different shapes that the clouds were forming. Already she'd spotted a cauldron and a pixie. The act of looking out for shapes was calming, and the teenager was happy for a quiet moment. There just weren't enough of those in a school full of people. The cliffs were usually good for some privacy though today that wasn't the case.

The Slytherin barely paid attention to what was being said mostly because she didn't want to engage anyone at the moment. This was her time and the person was, in fact, disturbing her. "There's plenty of space over there" the teenager replied, lifting her finger to point to the space well away from her. It was the only part of her that moved, and she'd already turned her attention back to the sky to look at more clouds before she'd even put her hand back down.

 

[Matthew Cosgrove]

Matthew didn't know what to expect when he interrupted the girls piece and quiet but he hadn't expected her to essentially tell him to get lost. As she spoke he knew instantly who it was, it wasn't a voice he would forget anytime soon. Smiling to himself despite being shooed away Matthew ran his hands through his hair and decided that he would go along with her wishes. It had been unfair to crash what was obviously a student trying to get some peace and quiet, exactly what Matthew had comr looking for.

Matthew placed his hands in the pockets of his jeans and turned away from the girl. "Sorry I disturbed you Alana," Matthew then made his way over to the space she had been pointing too. Maybe using her name would make her look up and see who it was. Maybe she wouldn't even recognise him, he didn't waitbto find out. He walked along the cliff just far enough that the two wouldn't disturb each other but stayed close enough so that Alana was still very much in his field of vision. It looked like this would be the day he had both loomed forward to and dreaded all at the same time.

 

[Alana Finch]

Her name was the last thing she'd heard him utter, so when Alana heard him say again, she knew who it was immediately. Somehow, he always seemed to make her name sound prettier than she usually found it. The teenager's red eyes closed as she realized how much of a jerk she must have sounded like. After a moment, the teenager sat up, half hoping that he had gone away and let her alone. She'd come for peace and quiet, after all. The other part of her hoped he ess still there. She'd been equal parts anxious and excited for this moment, fantasizing what their next meeting might be like. That she might insult him had never crossed her mind.

Sitting up, the teenaged girl crossed her legs under her. She was wearing a pair of shorts and a plain tee shirt. There he was. Neither of them were dressed anywhere near as fancy as they had been the night of the Yule ball, and she wondered if that might make a difference in their interaction. "I didn't realize it was you" she replied sheepishly, ducking her head in embarrassment. After a moment, she looked up again, her red eyes on him.

 

[Matthew Cosgrove]

It didn't take Alana long to realise it was him once he said her name. There must have been something about the way he said it, to it felt normal but he did like the way her name rolled off his tongue, he liked the way he sounded. Maybe he had an appreciation for the name because he worked so hard to learn it. He was glad to see that she hadn't known who he was when she told him to go away. A part of him had been worried that she wouldn't want to see him, that she would want to leave that night as nothing more than a memory. Admittedly something he had considered himself.

As Alana sat up and Matthew saw her for the first time, no dress, no heels, just her. And she was beautiful. "It's OK, you came up here for peace and quiet and my being here kind of ruins that plan," Matthew had now walked back over to where Alana was sat up on the boulders. Alana looked down for a few moments before looking up and meeting his gaze and Matthew caught a glimpse of those piercing red eyes that had been haunting his dreams ever since the night he first saw them. "I gotta saw Alana, as beautiful as you were the night we met, I think I like the real you even more," He said with a smile. Something he seemed to do a lot more when he was around her.

 

[Alana Finch]

Alana didn't think she could ever get used to someone calling her beautiful. She was just Alana. While her brother clearly took after their dad in looks, Alana was a mix of both of her parents. Her mother's hair and eyes and angry resting face, and her father's complexion and nose. It was true that she'd come to the cliff for peace and quiet, but she was pretty sure she was going to enjoy this too. "Thank you" she said, hoping that he couldn't see just how much she was blushing. He was dressed just as casually as she was, and Alana thought he looked every bit as nice as he had in a suit. "I'm glad that if someone had to ruin the peace and quiet, that it's you" she admitted, hoping that wasn't too forward.

Alana's break had been an eventful one, but she'd been happy to come back to school especially for the chance that this might happen. Suddenly, she wished that she'd spent more time thinking about what she might say if it did. It would certainly help her now. From what she had heard from some of the older Slytherins, a kiss changed everything. She didn't think it meant they were dating, she wasn't that naive, but she had no clue, what, if anything, it did mean. "Did you enjoy your holiday?" she asked, the easiest question she could think of to throw out there.

 

[Matthew Cosgrove]

The blush that had appeared on Alana's face was just as clear now as it had been in the gloomy depths of the dungeon on the night they met. It was strange to see Alana again after their last meeting, Matthew didn't have a lot of experience when it came to girls and dating but he knew that a kiss meant something, he just didn't know what it meant for he and Alana. He was glad to see that Alana was softening now that she knew he was the man who had interrupted her solitude. She had even gone as far to imply there was no one else she'd rather disturb her. That made Matthew smile even though he couldn't help but think she would still rather be alone. "I am sorry for disturbing you, but I'm also glad that I ran into you all the way out here, its nice and...private," Matthew smiled, he had enjoyed spending time with Alana and he would much rather figure out what happened next away from the prying eyes of their schoolmates.

All the time he spend at home watching his movies he had thought about this moment so many times, but now that he was standing in it he was at a loss for words. He was relieved when Alana took the initiative and spoke first. She kept it simple by asking about his holiday, which made him think she was having just as much trouble as he was coming up with something to say. "I did enjoy my holidays, it was great to see my folks and I watched a lot of movies," He paused for a moment, there was a chance that Alana may not actually know what movies were. "What about you, did you enjoy your holidays?" He asked. From everything he knew about Alana from the night they met, there was a chance that she hadn't.

 

[Alana Finch]

Alana nodded, though she had to admit that she was also a little relieved that they'd met up privately. The teenager had been a little afraid that she'd try to say hello to him one day and he wouldn't even recognize her. It seemed she had been afraid for nothing however. Not only had he recognized her first, but he seemed genuinely happy to see her. At least now, no matter how things worked out, they were doing this, having their moment, in private, away from any of the other students. That definitely had to make things easier. Nothing was easy when it happened in front of the whole student body. Glad that he bought into her question and answered it, Alana listened to Matthew talk about his holidays, her eyebrows furrowing at the mention of a movie. She heard his question about her own holidays, but ignored it in favor of a more important question. "Movies? Are those the ones that are a bunch of wizard pictures put together? Or am I confusing it with something?" she asked. That's how it had been explained to her once, but she wasn't sure if she was remembering right.

The teenager shrugged her shoulder. "It was alright. I didn't really do much" she replied vaguely. There was no way Alana was going to talk about Chaos coming to her house or finding out that he and Scarlett were an item. It'd been incredibly awkward, but she didn't think that would be anything on telling Matthew about it. She'd be an idiot to go there. "I'm glad to be back even if it means having to go to classes again" she scrunched her face in disgust, not happy about that bit. "Oh, wait. I forgot you're a Ravenclaw. You're probably looking forward to classes, huh?" her red eyes twinkled with amusement.

 

[Matthew Cosgrove]

Matthew wasn't surprised that Alana had to ask what movies were, though from what she did say she seemed to have a basic understanding of what they were which is no more than he would expect from someone raised in a magical family. "Yeah, pretty much, its like a long moving picture, there brilliant I've got hundreds and I can just sit and watch them for hours,", Matthew smiled, he couldn't imagine living in a world where movies were a strange thing, they were such a normal and important part of his life outside of Hogwarts that it was strange to meet someone who saw them as something strange. "I can't think of any other way to describe them, there just something I've always watched and never really thought much about how to explain them to someone who doesn't really know what they are, I suppose they are a bit weird to someone who grew up in the purely magical world,"

There was something about the way Alana talked about her holiday that made Matthew think she hadn't enjoyed it and that she really didn't want to talk about it. He wasn't one to push so he was happy when she moved the conversation on a little. "Yeah, I like some classes I suppose but not all. I'm not a complete nerd after all," Matthew smiled at her, Ravenclaw's did have a reputation for being a little bit nerdy and so it wasn't a surprise that Alana suspected he enjoyed being back in classes. There was something cute about the way she scrunched her face up at the mention of going back to lessons and the twinkle in her eye when she said he was probably looking forward to classes starting. Of course he denied it for the most part, he didn't want Alana thinking he was someone who looked forward to his next class all the time. "I might be a Ravenclaw but I like to think I'm not as boring as people think," Alana was the last person he wanted to see him as boring.

 

[Alana Finch]

If Matthew had mentioned his blood status before, Alana hadn't paid much attention. It was obvious that he lived closely among muggles though. "Very weird" she admitted with a nod. The teenager was intrigued though. Her parents had always kept her away from most muggle things. Sure, she wore some muggle clothes but that barely counted. It wasn't like magical apparel was that different. Alana knew that one of her grandparents had been muggle born, but she was never spoken about in the home, and if her parents knew anything muggle related, they didn't share it in the Finch household. Oddly enough, Alana had learned the little that she knew about movies from her brother who had a well hidden obsession with muggles. Alana knew about it though and kept his secret, though she'd never shared his interest. She enjoyed being a witch and didn't ever see herself living among muggles. Alana looked at the Ravenclaw through all new eyes, a bit of fear from what her parents had ingrained, a bit of rebellion at wanting to do something just to spite them, and a bit of curiosity flowing within her.

Alana laughed at Matthew's words. "I don't know about the rest of the Ravenclaws" she stated, leaning her hands behind her as she stretched her legs out in front of her, "but I don't think you're boring." She smiled at the teenager. It was true. He intrigued her even more now that she'd figured out he lived with muggles. There was so much she didn't know about him. The reverse was true too. "Divination, on the other hand..." She trailed off. Alana still wasn't sure about that class. She'd mostly taken Divination to spite Chaos who had called it a stupid class during the previous year's elective fair. She was mildly curious about what she might learn, but she still wasn't sure how much stock she could put into any of it.

 

[Matthew Cosgrove]

As Matthew rambled on about his experience with muggle movies and the like it occurred to him that Alana knew nothing about his personal life. He wasn't in a position to tell her his blood status because he didn't know it himself. He was to know about the magical world and the muggle world which seemed to be the advantage of being raised by a squib. He hoped one day he would be able to tell Alana all about his upbringing and that she wouldn't turn out to be the kind of person who was prejudice about that sort of thing, he struggled to see the Alana from the Yule ball being like that, but the real Alana was a mystery to him, a mystery that he hoped to solve no matter how long it takes.

Matthew was relieved when she told him she didn't find him boring. At least he had that going for him if nothing else. The last thing he wanted was for someone like her to get bored of him. "I'd say the rest of Ravenclaw is pretty boring, they can't all be as handsome and interesting as me," Matthew smiled at his fake attempt at being cocky, at least he hoped that's how it came across. The one thing he wasn't was vain. Alana then began to say something about Divination and that being boring. To mention the one subject out of the many she took, having already established she wasn't a fan of having to go to class appeared a little strange. Alana seemed to lose her trail of thought and Matthew wondered what divination had made her think about, maybe there was some reason she had taken the class and it wasn't living up to expectation and she was instead stuck in a class that was offering her no help and was very very boring. "Well I can't help you there, I've never taken the class myself so I don't know how boring it is, though I have heard stories, have you ever actually seen into the future or is the lesson useless if your not a seer?" Though he had never taken the class he was a little curious as to what the point of it was unless you were a genuine seer, and even if that was the case why would you need to take Divination?

 

[Alana Finch]

Alana laughed as Matthew pretended to be arrogant. It was cute, especially since she didn't think he was like that all. The Slytherin had found the Ravenclaw boy to be a lot of things, handsome and interesting among them. So, she couldn't say that she disagreed with his statement. It was his tone that she was laughing at really. Conversation was flowing easily between them, at least Alana thought so. She didn't really know how to answer his question though. She'd really only had one lesson in Divination so far and knew little else about the subject. "I haven't seen anything but then again I've only just started lessons. Who knows? Maybe there's a Seer in my family that I don't know about, and I'll start having visions of my amazing future" she finished, rolling her eyes. It was obvious that she wasn't going to be holding her breath for anything like that. "I think I'm probably more likely to see a movie than to see my future" she added with a smirk.

 

[Matthew Cosgrove]

Matthew loved the sound of Alana's laugh. He couldn't quite put his finger on why but he had a feeling it wasn't something she had the chance to do often. Matthew was stunned at how comfortable he was with Alana, of course he had been the night they met but it was different. He had gone back to the common room after the Yule ball thinking it was a one off, under a unique situation he had met someone he had clicked with but there was no way the spark would still be there in the real world. He was wrong, at least the spark was still very much there for him and this was not something that he had felt before, Alana put him at ease and he rarely found that in people especially in a girl.

All the talk of seeing the future made the Ravenclaw wonder, what did the future have in store for the two of them. Would something happen between them? Was it happening now? He didn't know, there was still so much they didn't know about each other, Matthew didn't even know how old she was or what year she was in. But they had kissed, and that had to have meant something, or maybe she had allowed it to happen in the heat of the moment. Matthew had thought about that kiss almost nonstop since it happened, replaying how it felt in his mind, adding various soundtracks to it from whatever movie he was watching at the time. Was he putting too much on a goodnight kiss? Did Alana even feel the same way he did? These were all questions that could be answered by simply putting them to the Slytherin girl, but it all felt too soon. For now he just wanted to enjoy the flow of the conversation and watch her captivating red eyes sparkle. "Oh that's a shame then, I can't really help you with the whole future telling thing, but a movie, that I can do. Not here of course...but maybe in the next holidays..." Matthew trailed off. He didn't really know what it was suggesting all he knew was he loved the idea of introducing Alana to the world of movies.

 

[Alana Finch]

Alana was finding that the conversation was moving a lot easier than she thought it would. She thought they would immediately jump to discussing what had happened after the ball. After hearing some of the older girls talk, it was what she had come to expect. But, it wasn't coming up at all. Alana didn't know if that was a good or bad thing now that she was thinking about it. It didn't seem like a bad thing though. They were both smiling, and they were still in the same space, enjoying each other's company. Her eyes widened, disbelief because what he'd said had sounded an awful lot like he was asking her out on a date. She looked away for a second, out at the water, as she nodded. "I'd like that" she replied, a smile on her face. It was nice to dream that something like this could happen, but she didn't know how she'd manage it. She certainly couldn't ask her parents for permission for something like this. That awkwardness that she'd hoped to avoid had finally caught up to her. Just like that, her mind had come to a screeching halt as Alana struggled to find something to talk about to continue the conversation.

 

[Matthew Cosgrove]

All of a sudden the free flowing conversation that Matthew had been enjoying with Alana had almost come to a halt. He knew suggesting they see a movie together would be a risky move and potentially halt their flow as it would make the two think about maybe even discuss the events of the Yule ball. Matthew had been keen to steer clear of the night they met, not because he regretted but because he didn't want to make things awkward by going straight for the jugular as it were. He needed to be sure that the two of them could get along outside such a relaxed formal setting. It had been so far so good which had led Matthew to taking a risk, it had paid off it seemed when she agreed and Matthew struggled to hold back how happy her answer had made him. "That's great, I suppose there would be some minor details to work out along the way, but err we can cross that bridge when we get there I suppose," There was also the small manor of the fact they had only just come back to Hogwarts and so the next holidays was a long time away, he may have secured a date with her in the near future but he needed to see more of her while they were still in school. "The thing is, the holidays are a good few months away, and I kind of want to see more of you in the meantime... you know, if you feel the same," Matthew suspected that she did but he had to be sure, he could exactly start planning their next date until she had agreed to it.

 

[Alana Finch]

The next holiday was months and months away, which was great for Alana. She would need all the time she could get to think of a plan to convince her parents to let her go somewhere on her own. The Slytherin wasn't allowed to sleep over at anyone's house aside from her Aunt Irene's and Larissa's. They barely even let her go outside alone! That's why she preferred school. Here, she had certain freedoms that she wasn't sure her parents would ever give her. As Matthew continued, Alana looked over at him. She nodded her head as he agreed to discuss the logistics of it all closer to the date. By then, Alana hoped to have a plan. "Sure" she stated good naturedly.

The teenager heard the boy's next words and her heart nearly skipped a beat. It was one thing to imagine a very future date, but another thing that he wanted to see her before then too. Alana ducked her head and then tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear. Looking up, she nodded her head shyly. She did want to see more of Matthew, and she was happy that he did too. This had to me that their kiss had meant something to him too, Alana was sure of that now. It was funny how she hadn't even known who he was just a few short weeks ago and now she had the feeling that she wasn't going to be thinking of much else. "I do. The holidays are far! It would be a really long wait and I think it would be weird to like do nothing in between" she rambled.

 

[Matthew Cosgrove]

Matthew's face almost hurt from smiling he had done it that much since meeting Alana. He was glad she seemed up for seeing more of him. Maybe he wasn't reading too much into their kiss after all. Though the movie was a long way off he hoped that in the meantime they would see each other, in face he hoped he would see a lot of her over the coming months. He certainly wouldn't be thinking of much else during the semester so he might as well have her around while she fills his conscious mind. "The holidays are far, that would be way too long to go without seeing you," He half smiled, not because he was any less happy but because his jaw was in so much pain from smiling that any more would have caused an outburst of pain, which he suspect would make Alana feel a little uncomfortable.

The whole conversation seemed a little strange. While they were connecting and flowing, Matthew was still some distance from her. He decided to close the gap and make his way closer to the boulder that Alana was no sitting on. "Mind if I join you?" He asked motioning his hand generally over the boulders. Matthew wasn't expecting anything just yet, but he wanted to be close to her. That was what he had enjoyed most about the Yule ball, they had never been more than a few inches from each other at any given moment from the moment they met to the moment she darted away from him after they kissed. Not a moment went by when he didn't replay her disappearing into her common room in his mind.

 

[Alana Finch]

It had been a lot easier to converse with Matthew when he was still some distance away, standing rather than sitting beside her. As he asked her to sit, Alana found herself immediately nodding her head in consent and even moving over slightly so that he would have more room. Her heartbeat kicked up a notch though, her nerves increasing. The last time that they had been this close, Alana and Matthew had kissed. She didn't think she'd mind if it happened again but it still made her really nervous. As Matthew settled in, Alana crossed her legs again and then uncrossed them. Finally, she changed her position altogether.

The Slytherin knew that she should say something. Anything. But, she didn't know what to say. She looked over at him, smiled faintly, and then spoke. "Do you come up here a lot?" Alana didn't and she said added that she didn't. "If I knew I was going to run into you, I would have brought your jacket with me" she gave him a faint smile. The Slytherin would never admit that she'd gone to sleep with his jacket covering her, falling into sleep thinking about how perfect the Yule ball had been. It really had been one perfect moment in the middle of what was one of the craziest years in the Slytherin girl's life.

 

[Matthew Cosgrove]

Matthew could tell that the closer he got to Alana the harder she found it to speak as fluently as she had been. He was all too aware that the last time they had been so close together they had kissed, the thought of doing it again had crossed his mind but he didn't want to make Alana do anything that she wasn't comfortable with. Matthew was perfectly happy sitting next to her and talking, or at least trying to talk to each other. He watched in amusement as the Slytherin girl fidgeted in place, crossing and uncrossing her legs several times before she finally got comfortable. Did he make her that nervous?

A few moments passed without either of them saying a word before Alana finally broke the silence. She asked if he came up here a lot, there was a time when he would have said yes but this was his first time coming up this year. "I used to but not anymore, I only come up here when I want to get away from that lot," He nodded his head towards the castle. "There was no way you'd have known you'd run into me, what would you have done wore my jacket everywhere until you saw me again? Now that sounds like something out of a movie now I mention it," Matthew was rambled but he suspected that Alana wouldn't mind him doing all the talking as she seemed to struggle coming up with something to say with him in such proximity. "You should probably hang on to it anyway, I think it looked a lot better on you than it did me," Matthew smiled, the sight of Alana walking through the dungeons, heels clicking on the stone floors with his jacket draped over shoulders falling almost in line with her dress, was an image he would hold dear for the rest of his life.

 

[Alana Finch]

Alana wasn't that crazy. Thankfully. She chuckled at the thought of wearing Matthew's jacket around everywhere. What a sight that would have been. "You really do watch a lot of movies, don't you?" she smirked, more out of amusement than anything else. She could understand hobbies. She just didn't understand enough about movies to know if they were hobby worthy. Alana's brother liked making things. That was his hobby and he could spend all day doing that if left to his own devices. Alana didn't have any hobbies. She'd liked playing with dolls when she was younger, but she had outgrown them after her first year in school.

As the Ravenclaw told her to keep his jacket, Alana smiled at him. She was definitely going to take him up on that offer. "I don't think I did, but the jacket was warm. The dungeons were freezing that night" she replied. As the conversation winded its way back to that night, Alana wondered if they'd talk about the kiss or if they would continue to dance around it. She wasn't going to bring it up, that was for sure. She wasn't even sure she'd be able to talk about it if he did.

 

[Matthew Cosgrove]

Matthew laughed at Alana's comment about how many movies he seemed to watch. She was right, he did watch a lot of movies, some people could call it his hobby. It was a strange hobby to have he supposed for someone growing up as a wizard. "Yeah I do, what I do find funny are movies that are about magic and wizards, mostly because they always get it so wrong," Matthew had never really thought much about those types of movies until he started at Hogwarts and he saw them in a whole different light. Matthew had noticed that when he talked about his hobby with people he met it was often met with looks of confusion, he suspected that not many kids growing up around magic knew what movies were so the fact that Alana had even a basic understanding of what they were was amazing.

"Aren't the dungeons always cold, then I don't go down there very often so I don't know, but you might need the jacket too keep yourself warm down there," It was true, the night he met Alana was the first time he went down to the dungeon other than to go to Potions class. As the conversation seemed to drift towards that night Matthew felt like there was an elephant in the room or rather on the cliffs. Matthew never imagined he would have his first kiss in the dungeons but that was exactly what had happened. "Alana, we don't have to talk about what happened that night if you don't want to, we could just forget about it if you wanted to," He smiled weakly at the Slytherin girl. That wasn't what he wanted to happen, but if she wasn't comfortable with it then that's what he would be willing to do.

 

[Alana Finch]

Alana was surprised to learn that there were movies about magic and wizards. She thought the ministry would be all over something like that since they seemed to care about controlling everything else about magic. At least, that's what her parents told her. Matthew mentioned that they were usually wrong in their depiction of magic though, and she figured that was why the ministry didn't care. It wasn't like they were giving anything away if they were so wrong in his they portrayed witches and wizards. Muggles were such odd people.

The Slytherin nodded. "Usually. It was really cold that night" she replied. Or maybe she'd just been that nervous. That was very likely too. Alana was just as nervous now, her heart beating in her chest, especially when Matthew finally broached the subject they'd been spiralling towards all along. She started at him for a second and shrugged her shoulders, looking away towards the lake again. "It seems stupid not to talk about it now that you've mentioned it, but I don't know what to say" she replied softly. Anything she might say sounded stupid to her, so she definitely wasn't going to say it to Matthew. Alana pulled her legs up, hugging them to her chest and moving her arms around them. Magic made loads of things easier, but it offered no help here.

 

[Matthew Cosgrove]

As Alana told him how cold it had been that night Matthew wondered how long she had kept his jacket on after he had left. He had an image of her huddled in bed with the jacket still on and maybe even falling asleep in it. The thought of it made him smile though if it was true he doubted that Alana would ever admit to it. Matthew was nervous as he had approached the topic of that night and he could tell Alana was too, she continued to fidget in place, never seeming to look comfortable.

Matthew wasn't sure if he wanted to talk about the kiss or not. He was almost worried what Alana would say or how she felt about it. She had darted away from him straight after the kiss only stopping to shout back her name. With no indication of how she had felt at the time, the Ravenclaw had no idea how the conversation would go but he had mentioned it now and there was no going back. "It's difficult to know what to say, it's not something that needs to be talked about really, but I liked it and I hope it happens again," Matthew didn't know what else to say about it, it was all true. He really did want to kiss Alana again, he thought it had taken a lot of self restraint not to have kissed her already.

 

[Alana Finch]

The lake really was beautiful on this day. The teenager listened to the boy as she watched the scene below, her head turning slowly when he'd finished. She looked at him for a second before smiling, the blush returning to her cheek. She'd been wondering for the entire vacation about what had been going through Matthew's mind since that evening, and now she knew. She'd run away so quickly after their kiss, her fear of Styx and of what had happened sending her scurrying to the safety of her common room. Alana had never kissed a boy before and now that she had, she was finding it to be a lot more complicated than she'd thought it would be. Perhaps it didn't have to be though. "I did too" she smiled.

There were still so many things the two didn't know about each other. Alana knew Matthew had no clue about her situation with Chaos, no one really did, and she planned on keeping it that way. As far as she was concerned, it was a temporary situation, one that she intended to get out of as soon as possible. So there really was no reason to talk about it. Until then, she planned on continuing to live. This was part of that. "I think it will" she added with a sly smile. She slid off of the large boulder she'd been sitting on. "But first, you'll have to catch me" she finished before she darted down the path back to the castle. Alana was tiny and fast, especially when she could see roots that might otherwise trip her up. She pumped her arms, running as fast as she could. It felt good to do something fun.