Late Night Excursion

[Sophia Stark]

Sophia had slipped out of the Common Room and managed to get to the Owlery without running into anyone else. She could have asked Ford to come with her, and she knew he would have said yes, but Sophia wanted to be alone tonight.

The events of the Yule Ball had stuck with Sophia in the worst way. For months she simply wallowed in self-pity, depressed by how utterly awful her life seemed to her. Time had begun to heal the wounds, but she was still somewhat of a wreck inside. Of course Sophia would never let anyone else see that, and she appeared as angry as ever with the rest of the world.

Stepping into the Owlery Sophia took out a letter from the messenger bag slung over her torso. She unfolded the parchment and read it over, making sure it was satisfactory.

Bruin,

Firstly I want to apologize for not writing to you sooner.  I received your apology, but was unsure as to how to respond.  The events that occurred at the Yule Ball hurt me very badly.  For some time I was bitter about what had happened to me and refused to believe that I had a hand in it.  However now I see that I was just as much, if not more, at fault.  I should not have led you on like I did, and most certainly not in front of Ford.  Your letter of apology was nice, but I did not deserve it.  I should be apologizing to you, so, now, I am.

I am sure that my avoiding you has done you no good, but I did not know what else to do.  As I imagine you have heard, Ford and I have gotten back together.  Despite everything I have put him through and all the times I have hurt him, Ford has taken me back.  I want to make Ford happy.  The past has taught me that I cannot make Ford happy with you so close by.

Do not misunderstand me, I love being your friend.  Your friendship is something I was led to believe I had never had in my life, and it helped me a lot.  I know about Shane.  I do not blame you for not telling me, it was not your secret to tell.  I was desperate to know and I was angry with you and myself and I am sorry.  Professor King removed the charm on my memory and now I am more conflicted than ever.  I know why it was so nice to be your friend, why I was so drawn to you.  You are very much like Shane, and now that I remember him, you remind me of him.

I would very much like to talk to you about Shane, but, I do not know how.  I am with Ford, and I want to make him happy and give him the relationship he has deserved from the start.  I am not sure if I can be your friend and be the best girlfriend I can be for Ford.  I would love to have both, but I do not yet know if it is possible.

Bruin, I am so, so very sorry for everything I have done.  The pain I have caused you is entirely my fault and I wish there was something I could do to fix it.  If there is ever anything I can do to repair the damage I have done, please let me know.  Anything that is within my power to do, I will do it for you, I promise.  You have been nothing but a good friend to me and I want to do that in return for you.

My sincerest apologies,
Sophia

With a nod Sophia folded the letter, let out a low whistle, and held out her right arm. Regina quickly flew down and landed to perch on her forearm. Sophia gave the owl a treat and tied the letter to her leg. “Try and get a response, please,” she whispered. With that Regina flew off, Sophia’s golden eyes following her out one of the windows and then stopping to rest on the crescent moon.

 

[Bruin Dumbledez]

Bruin had spent the evening holed up in his room pouring through his textbooks and trying to figure out what had happened when he had slipped Bellatrix's note under Professor Heimdall's office door. A few things were now quite clear to him.

He was covered in warts from head to toe and while they were no longer getting worse, they certainly weren't getting better.

He needed to get in touch with Bellatrix and find out what she might or might not know about what had happened.

He needed to come up with a plausible excuse why he wouldn't be in classes until he got rid of the warts.

He couldn't afford to be seen by anyone until he had figured out what happened and corrected the situation.

Bruin had considered sneaking out in the middle of the night and heading off to the Owlery, but knew if he got caught that things would look very bad for him and his punishment would be worse. Instead, he had come up with an unusual plan that he thought just might work. Bruin had slipped out of Gryffindor about 15 minutes before curfew wearing a pair of jeans, his Hogwarts Hoodie, and the Headless Hat that he'd received in the Valentine's Raffle last year.

With his hands tucked firmly in his pockets protecting the notes that he had written, Bruin navigated the hallways and stairwells between Gryffindor and the Owlery without meeting anyone. He didn't assume that anyone else would be up here at this time of night, but mounted the stairs quietly just in case. As he reached the landing, he noticed Sophia standing near one of the windows with his back to him, releasing her owl.

Bruin was able to back slowly into the shadows, the rustling of the numerous owls above covering any sounds he might make. Bruin frowned a little, hoping that Sophia would leave soon so that he could call Legend down, send off his notes, and get back to Gryffindor before curfew. She should be gone in a few minutes, he thought confidently to himself as he waited, obscured by darkness.

To Bruin's utter dismay, Sophia's owl returned within moments and flew right over Sophia's head and landed on his shoulder as he stood in the shadows. Based on the expression on Sophia's face, she was as confused as he was. Bruin stepped forward a little as the owl dropped a note with his name on it on the ground before him. He bent to pick it up, keeping his sleeve pulled down so that only his fingertips were exposed.

"Oh, hey..." Bruin stated. "I didn't see you there, otherwise I'd have saved you the postage." Bruin joked, hoping Sophia recognized his voice and didn't question him about his lack of a head. "Just got a few letters of my own to post. Uh, should I open this now or can I read it later?" Bruin asked, waiting nervously for Sophia's response.

 

[Sophia Stark]

Sophia's eyes narrowed in confusion at Regina swooped back through the window and over her head. She turned around and was amazed to see the owl land on who she assumed to be Bruin's shoulder and then back to her perch in the tower. Sophia analyzed Bruin with her eyes which were glowing faintly in the odd moonlight.

"Either is fine" she said tentatively, unsure of what to think. Sophia had not seen Bruin in class today, which had begun her suspicions. It was very unlike Bruin to miss class, and now here he was with a Headless Hat on. "Are you all right?" Sophia began to step toward Bruin, worry welling up inside of her.

 

[Bruin Dumbledez]

Bruin sensed that Sophia was a little suspicious about his unusual appearance and rightly so, he supposed. In all his planning work for this late night excursion, Bruin hadn't really thought about what he might tell someone if they actually questioned him. "Oh, uh, yeah. I'm alright." He replied rather unconvincingly. "I, uh, just took a bludger off the noggin the other day and have a black eye that I don't feel like showing off. Oh, and I've got to head home for a few days, but should be back before exams." Bruin added. "Actually, that's why I'm here...just thought I'd send the profs a note explaining why I'm away..."

Bruin looked down at Sophia's envelope. "Ummm, if it's alright with you, could I read this and reply to you when I get back? I should really get these letters sent and then get going..." Bruin's voice trailed off and he hoped that Sophia wouldn't push the issue further. He appreciated her concern and would normally trust her with something like this, but he knew that the less people who knew about what had happened right now meant the less the chances of him getting caught.

 

[Sophia Stark]

A frown crept onto Sophia's lips as she took another step toward Bruin, leaving about five feet between them. Does he not want to talk to me? Is it too late? Maybe this is for the best,. "Actually, you really do not need my letter at all. If you just hand it back to me we can forget I ever sent it." If he does not want to be my friend then there is no point in him even reading the letter. Sophia could not help but feel that there was more going on than she knew, and it bothered her that Bruin seemed to evasive. It was unlike Bruin to care what people thought and not confide in her.

 

[Bruin Dumbledez]

Bruin was a little surprised by Sophia's reaction and was now very interested in what the letter might contain. "What do you mean by not need it? I mean, I'll give it back to you if you really want me to, but I'd like to read it..." Bruin replied, holding the envelope in front of him and looking at it more carefully.

 

[Sophia Stark]

"You do?" Sophia asked with surprise and confusion. What in Merlin's name is going on? "Bruin why are you going home? A black eye cannot be that bad, especially considering you are up and walking. I could take a look at it if you want." With that Sophia began to step closer to Bruin, beginning to worry that something might be really wrong with him.

 

[Bruin Dumbledez]

"Of course, I do...I've kind of missed chatting with you the last little bit and I figure even a letter is better than nothing." Bruin replied. "I didn't know if you were ever going to forgive me for wrecking the Yule Ball, I, uh, I suppose I still don't..."

Bruin noticed that Sophia was closing the distance between them and was beginning to feel a little nervous. Deep down he knew that Sophia was probably the best student in the school to help with the warts, especially with her having worked in the hospital wing. However, he didn't want to involve anyone else at the moment, at least not until he had a chance to talk to Bellatrix. "Oh, and don't worry about the black eye thing. I told my dad about it and he said he'd like to see it." Bruin lied blatantly. "If it's still there when I get back, I'll come and get your opinion on it, promise..."

 

[Sophia Stark]

Sophia stopped once more, now about three feet from Bruin. Her expression was pained, which surprised her. A black eye was not a serious thing and she could not shake the feeling that Bruin was hiding something, which ate at her. Sophia had no reason not to trust him, but he did not seem himself. Instead of focusing on the pain of having Bruin not confide in her Sophia decided to go back to the letter.

"You...missed talking to me?" she asked softly. Sophia took another step closer, leaving about two feet between her and Bruin.

 

[Bruin Dumbledez]

"Well, yeah... I mean, I don't exactly have a lot of close friends here and well, you and I used to talk quite a lot..." He said, stating the obvious. "I haven't been spending much time at the Brotherhood lately either, so haven't seen Ford or Kale either..."

Sensing that he needed a distraction to keep Sophia at a distance, Bruin offered up a whistle. Hoping that Legend would know it was him without being able to actually see his face. Fortunately, his Northern Spotted Owl swooped down and landed beside him and Bruin handed him a treat with his left hand, barely exposing his fingertips and luckily, ones that didn't have any particularly noticable warts on them.

Bruin was becoming desperate at getting his notes delivered and getting back to Gryffindor before curfew, but couldn't risk pulling up his sleeve to consult his watch. He wondered if he could make use of his time turner in what was quickly becoming a more difficult situation than he had hoped for.

 

[Sophia Stark]

"I do not imagine you would see Kale much anyway, what with all the time he spends with Kaela," Sophia said offhandedly, trying not to let the contempt she felt seep into her voice. Kale did not generally bother her, but his choice in girls was not her favorite. Kaela was particularly annoying to her, considering she was the only other girl Ford had truly dated. But it did not matter, because Ford belonged to Sophia once again.

"It is odd to imagine you without many close friends. You are such an open and friendly person, I would think you would have plenty of people to talk to." Sophia was in some ways the exact opposite of Bruin. Where he was warm and inviting she was cold and closed off. It had always perplexed her how well they were able to get along.

 

[Bruin Dumbledez]

Bruin managed a non-commital "Yeah...", although it was unlcear whether he was referring to the not seeing Kale much or the fact that it was odd he didn't feel he had many close friends. He was trying desperately not to be rude to Sophia, but was more desperate to get his notes off.

Bruin withdrew five short notes from his pocket and began affixing four of them to Legend's right leg. "Alright there big fella...", he said comforting the owl. "At first light, I want you to take these to Professor Keller, Professor Manteia, Professor Heimdall and Professor King. When you're done with that, come to my room in Gryffindor and pick up this one and take it to Bellatrix Green, alright? Don't worry, I'll make sure the window is open for you." Bruin said as he held the fifth note out for Legend to see. "They'll be an extra treat in it for you when you get there, just don't scare the cats alright?" He added with a chuckle.

Bruin then gave Legend a treat, who then promptly returned to his perch up high in the rafters, waiting patiently until morning when he would begin his deliveries. Bruin turned back to Sophia. "Sorry Sophia, but I really need to get back to Gryffindor and pack a few things before I head off. I'll see you sometime next week, assuming everything goes well." Bruin added as he began to make his way to the stairs.

Bruin knew that this would likely seem a little too cryptic for Sophia to just accept, but he hoped that she would let him go and allow him to explain later. He also hoped that she hadn't noted any of the warts that he had probably exposed briefly when tying the notes to Legend.

 

[Sophia Stark]

Sophia watched Bruin in silence as he sent off his letters. She was getting the feeling he did not want to be there with her, and so she had resigned to let him go. When he said he was leaving Sophia merely watched after him, not saying a word. If Bruin wanted to talk to her he could reply to her letter. Sophia had said all she could and there was nothing left for her to do now. It was up to Bruin, and it seemed at the moment as if he was determined to get away from her.

Sophia stayed rooted to her spot for a few minutes after Bruin had left. She wanted to be sure he was good and gone before she made her way back to the Dungeons. It did not phase Sophia that she might be out past curfew, she no longer cared about getting in trouble as much. Besides, she was a Prefect and had her Time Turner, she would be able to find a way out.

After about ten minutes Sophia let out a small sigh and began back to the Dungeons. Her excursion had not quite gone as planned and it left her feeling a bit down.