Relaxing on the Cliffs

[Katheryn Kingsley]

Katheryn was sitting on the edge of the cliffs. She had a Polo sweater on with a pair of blue jean shorts. It was still fairly warm for the autumn months. A breeze blew through her ginger hair, ruffling her curls. She shivered slightly. Kat looked up at the sun as it began to set. She still had plenty of daylight left. About two hours more, if she was guessing correctly.

Katheryn's slim dancer's figure was sitting Indian style on the ground with her sketch pad in her lap. She was concentrating on her drawing, blocking out all other noises. It was a picture of herself with her brother and sister. Her sister's birthday was coming up and Katheryn wanted to make her a painting for her room. Katheryn was a talented artist. It was a side hobby for her that she had gotten good at over the years. It helped her relax. It was a natural talent.

Katheryn's eyebrows furrowed as she looked at her picture. Something was off about it. Kat frowned as she erased Kiera's mouth. The lips were too narrow to be her sister's. Katheryn drew them alittle fuller. She smiled charmingly as she got them perfect. Katheryn's eyebrows puckered as she concentrated on getting her brother's eyes shaped just perfectly.

 

[Chace Harker]

Chace was still having trouble getting used to the weather in New Zealand. He always forgot what month it was. With the way the sun was bearing down on him know, it was difficult to believe March had begun already. Hogwarts Scotland would be frigid this time of year. He often missed his old school. Hogwarts New Zealand was both better and worse, if you got past the complexity of Chace's situation.

It had taken him ages to realize that he loved Kat. Loving someone that couldn't love them back was a conundrum that legions of men and women had suffered before him, and he thought it was time for someone else's turn. Kat was safe now; she was going to get better. The only thing he had to worry about was letting go of her. It was easier said than done.

The sixteen year old had decided not to skip any more of his classes. He had to see her there; better to suffer sickness and be immune to it later. After Defense Against the Dark Arts, he had slipped outside. It was a pleasant day for a walk, although he was sweltering beneath his robes. He found himself at the cliffs. They were supposed to be off limits, but nobody really cared. The only real danger was falling off- and in Chace's mind, you deserved it if you were stupid enough to lose your footing.

He stopped in his tracks as he discovered that he wasn't alone on the cliffs. Some girl that looked to be about his age was sketching a picture of some sort. He started towards her for a closer look, but then remembered his manners and maintained his distance. When he was sure that she had her writing utensil away from the paper, he piped up, "Do artists always frequent this place?"

 

[Katheryn Kingsley]

Katheryn's face had slipped into a pout as she tried to perfect her picture. She didn't hear the boy come up behind her. She placed her pencil down with a sigh. She just couldn't seem to get her own face right. Katheryn had always had a weakness for seeing how she looked. Her self portraits often look much less interesting than her own face. Katheryn jumped with surprise as she heard a voice behind her.

Katheryn looked up and behind her. She saw a handsome boy about her age. Katheryn thought she had seen him around occasionally. She smiled warmly at him. She had been making an effort to get rid of her natural shyness. It didn't do her any good. "To be honest, I don't know what artists do." she said in her soft, muscial voice. "I come here sometimes to just sketch. This is a rough draft for my sister's birthday present." she told him.

Another breeze flowed over the cliffs. It ruffled her hair and Katheryn shivered. It was definitely turning colder. Katheryn looked out over the cliffs. It was a beautiful view. Katheryn turned back to the boy. "I'm Katheryn. Would you like to sit?" she asked him.

 

[Chace Harker]

The girl's face was familiar, and Chace figured he had probably seen her in the school. Part of him wanted to continue on his way, but the other, newer Chace begged him to stay right where he was. He had been so dependent on Kat for companionship throughout his tenure at this school. It was about time he started making connections of his own. Friends of his own. The idea seemed almost alien, yet he was all for it. He was tired of feeling out of place in the school he was supposed to call home.

"You could've fooled me," he said, flashing a bright smile. "I think it looks perfect. Hell, I can't even draw stick people right." He nodded as she asked if he would like to sit. Crossing his legs, he made sure that he wasn't too close so he wouldn't cause discomfort, but not so far away as to be insulting, either. He rather liked the sound of her voice. "It's nice to meet you, Katheryn. I'm Chace." He extended his hand politely, not forgetting his manners. The autumn breeze was heaven to his warm skin.

 

[Katheryn Kingsley]

Katheryn smiled as he sat down. There was something very pleasant about him. Katheryn liked his smile. She laughed as he complimented her picture. She shook her head. "You're just being kind. See, "she said holding the picture up. "This is supposed to be me." Katheryn said pointing to the girl on the right side. "Something just is off." she said, her face slipping into a little pout. She lowered her picture and smiled at him once more.

Katheryn took his hand as he extended it. His hand was warm to her cool skin. Katheryn always seemed to be cold. She smiled her charming smile. "Its nice to meet you too Chace." she said honestly. Katheryn was glad with her new friendly self. Chace was definitely nice to look at. "So what brought you down here?" she asked him, trying to make conversation.

 

[Chace Harker]

Chace shook his head. "I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it. If I didn't know better, I'd say someone had trapped you on that sketchpad," he laughed. It was crazy how comfortable he was feeling around a complete stranger. He didn't even know her house, what year she was in, or her last name. At this point, these formalities were starting to melt away from his previously frigid demeanor. He wasn't cooped up in his dorm room, and he was actually holding a conversation with someone for once.

Katheryn's hand was chilly to the touch. She really did have a nice smile. And she was cute, he had to admit. It was becoming easier and easier not to have his mind occupied by Kat all the time. Grinning, he gave a casual shrug of the shoulders. "It gets too stuffy in that castle for my liking. I thought a walk would do some good." And it had, it seemed.

 

[Katheryn Kingsley]

Katheryn laughed with Chace. She was completely relaxed around him. He was kind. His words told Katheryn that much. She grinned at him, letting her guard down completely, something she rarely did around strangers. "Well thank you." she said with a slight blush coming to her cheeks. Oh my gosh...he is sooo handsome.... she thought, biting her lip.

Katheryn looked up at him with her crystal blue eyes. Something about his grin made her want to grin. It was infectious. Katheryn laughed. "I know what you mean. Sometimes I can't even think inside those walls. It's much better out here." she said to him, her crystal voice almost ringing. Katheryn was glad Chace had come out for a walk. She was enjoying his company.

 

[Chace Harker]

Chace could not seem to stop grinning. He had wasted so much time being miserable over Kat that he hadn't attempted to make friends of his own. It was quite a shock that he could relate to a completely random stranger. The OWLs were coming up soon, and though this wasn't the ideal time to make some changes in his life, he felt they were necessary. I don't even know what house she's in. It didn't really matter though. For a person as lonely as Chace, a friend was a friend.

The Slytherin chuckled lightly. "I know, right? I'd much rather be outside anyday of the week. I hate sitting in class, especially now." Chace really loved how musical the girl's voice was, though he would be damned if he was going to admit it.

 

[Katheryn Kingsley]

Katheryn thought that things were going well between the two of them. He was still practically a stranger to her but definitely on the road to friendship. Why else would he be smiling so much? Katheryn was just happy to be sitting here talking to a friend. She didn't have many real friends at Hogwarts. She wanted someone she could trust more than anything.

Katheryn's blue eyes shined with amusement. She could relate to this boy! "I agree completely. Class are such a pain sometimes. Some of them just bore me to death!" she said, her southern accent really coming out. "The outdoors is so much better than those stone walls." she said grinning at him.

 

[Chace Harker]

Chace nodded to Katheryn as he leaned back just a bit. "Boring to death is an understatement," he laughed, "Boring to hell and back, maybe. There are only a few that don't make me want to scoop out my eyeballs." The stress of fifth year made the Slytherin slack more than anything. He ran a hand through his cropped hair. Nervous habit always got to him. His eyes lit up in interest as he detected the girl's accent. "You're not from around here, are you?" She didn't sound like she was from England, like he was, though he could be just terribly wrong.

 

[Katheryn Kingsley]

Katheryn grinned as Chace agreed with her on the boredom level of classes. That was definitely the worse part of class. Kat noticed Chace run his hand over his short hair. She couldn't help but admire the boy. Katheryn had always been fairly good at detecting people's facial expressions. She saw the look of interest in his eyes as he picked up on her accent. Katheryn laughed. A light, pleasant sound, almost like a windchime. "Not at all. I'm from Georgia originally but we moved to California before I started school. My sister, Kiera, is a gymnast whenever she isn't here. We moved so that she could stay with her coach who was moving." Katheryn explained. She felt slightly weird telling her boring life to this beautiful stranger.

 

[Chace Harker]

Confusion dominated Chace's features as Katheryn said that she was from Georgia. Where in the world was Georgia? When she mentioned California, however, he registered that Georgia must be an American place. Chace didn't know much about the States, but he had always been interested in visiting the country. "Ahh- you're from the States. I haven't been there, though I'd like to visit one day." Having been raised in a completely magical home, the Slytherin boy had no idea what a gymnast was. "I feel kind of stupid asking this- but what's a gymnast?" The fifth year tried to remember Katheryn's sister. He had yet to meet a Kiera at the school.

 

[Katheryn Kingsley]

Katheryn smiled at Chace as it was clear he was confused. She often forgot that muggle knowledge was something she took for granted. It was hard for her to fathom the idea that people grew up knowing nothing about the world outside of the wizarding world. Katheryn grinned at Chace as he said he would like to visit the States. "You should come visit sometime..Kiera always has her friends coming in and out. Dad loves having people over." she said. It was different for her to invite people over but for some reason she just felt like she could trust Chace. She liked him.

Katheryn felt stupid once again when Chace asked what a gymnast was. Another muggle thing. "I'm sorry. I am always forgetting that so many people her don't know much about muggles." she said, blushing slightly. She was silent for a moment as she tried to think of a way to describe gymnastics. "Gymnastics is a muggle sport. Its extremely difficult to succeed at. It is made up of four events, beam, uneven bars, vault, and floor. Basically, it is a performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, balance and grace. Its kinda hard to explain. My sister, Kiera is one of the best her age. She has a national competition in July. If your interested you could always come. Kiera has invited four or five people from Hogwarts New Zealand. She likes to preform." Katheryn said, thinking he was probably twice as confused as before.