Sunshiney Days and Old Friends

[Katalina Harker]

Spring time in New Zealand was absolute perfection. Never too hot and never too cold, of course the latter part was the one that Kat was thankful for as the Gryffindor hated the cold. Not really in the mood for flying the blue eyed seventh year headed out across the school grounds and to the cliffs, the one place that she knew she really wasn't supposed to be, but she loved it there anyways. As usual she perched precariously close to the edge, letting her legs dangle over the side. Kat leaned back on her hands and looked over the horizon absolutely stunned by just how beautiful this spot was and knowing that after this year she'd never get to see this view ever again.

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

Now that Spring was finally here, Cyndi wanted nothing more than to spend her days outside. She hadn't been able to be outside much lately though because she had been busy grading papers and patrolling the halls. Today, nothing was going to stop her though. She was in to good of a mood and the sun seemed to be calling to her.

Almost instantly, Cyndi's feet carried her toward the cliffs, mostly because she knew there were never that many students there. As she arrived there, the young professor could see someone else, sitting on the cliffside. It was a very familiar someone else and a grin appeared on Cyndi's face as she walked as quietly as she could toward the girl. Not wanting to startle her friend from her seat, Cyndi spoke gently. "Only a Gryffindor would be crazy enough to be that close to the edge" she said with a grin.

 

[Katalina Harker]

Kat looked up and grinned. "Not just any Gryffindor...just this one. Guess I've always been a little too brave, most people would call it sheer stupidity I suppose," she said laughing. "So tell me...are you going to bust me for being up here? Or are you going to be the cool professor and hang out here with me?" Kat patted the piece of earth next to her with a devilish smile as she raised her eyebrows.

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi shook her head and laughed along with Kat. She always towed the line between bravery and stupidity too so she definitely knew what Kat was talking about. She supposed that not always paying attention to the risks involved was part of what made them Gryffindors.

Crossing her arms across her chest, Cyndi pretended to consider her options. There was really nothing to think about though because she knew that it would take a lot for her to think about giving Kat a detention. After glancing around the cliff to be sure that no one else was around, the young professor sat down beside Kat, moving forward so that her feet were hanging off the edge as well. "I guess someone has to keep you out of trouble" she said with a shrug and then smirked. "So, what's up? I can't believe you're in your last year already" Cyndi said with a shake of her head. Time was flying so quickly.

 

[Katalina Harker]

"Oh many have tried and they usually fail, but you're welcome to give it a shot. Keeping me out of trouble is a full time job," Kat said nudging Cyndi's arm playfully as her friend took a seat next to her. The Gryffindor missed this and thought back to a time when there were the four 'Dorm Room Four' girls. Now it was down to just herself and Andy, but of course in less than a year their red headed friend would be on her own so to speak.

"Nothing much. Already stressing about NEWT's, but I was the same way during OWL year," she said thoughtfully, though she figured Cyndi remembered just as vividly as she did that she had had much more going on that year than just the stress of exams. Just then Kat remembered the piece of a parchment in her pocket that she'd been carrying around for a week or so. She pulled it out of her pocket and held it up saying, "I got this last week. It's a letter from the captain of the Wimbourne Wasps. He said that there would be an open spot on the team that was pretty much mine if I wanted it. All I have to do is go for a formal tryout over our Christmas holidays...said it was just a formality." Cyndi was the first and only person who knew about it. Kat hadn't even discussed it with Chace because it meant that she'd have to move back to England to be closer to the team and she didn't know if she wanted to leave him...they had just found each other it seemed and the thought of having to leave him behind made her sick to her stomach.

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

"Don't I know it..." Cyndi murmured loud enough for Kat to hear as a smile spread across her face. She loved that no matter how long it had been since she had seen any of her dorm four girls, any time they saw each other it felt as if they had not been apart. She recognized it as a sign of close friendships and knew that even though she would miss Kat once she graduated, they would continue to be friends.

She nodded sympathetically as she listened to Kat speak about her upcoming NEWTs. Those tests certainly lived up to their name, but she also knew that Kat would survive much like she had. When her friend held up a piece of parchment, Cyndi glanced at it curiously and then listened to what Kat said. When she finished, Cyndi stood silent for a moment. "You're going to take it, right?" she asked with a glance at Kat's face. "I can't believe it...you and Kiera going pro" she mused unable to hide her grin and hide her excitement for her friend, "This is such a great opportunity for you." She put her arm around Kat and gave her a one-armed hug.

 

[Katalina Harker]

When her friend asked if she was going to take the position Kat shrugged. "You're the only one who knows though so don't tell anyone just yet. I haven't told anyone yet. My parents don't even know and neither does...well I haven't told Chace yet either," she said wrinkling her brow slightly. "Don't get me wrong, I want this badly it's just...I didn't think this would all happen so fast. I swear it seemed like life just snuck up on me when I wasn't paying attention." Kat looked out across the horizon and thought about what life would be like. She could be a well known chaser for a popular quidditch team. It would be a dream come true, but dreams changed and now she was certain that she didn't want a life that didn't include the Slytherin who held her heart captive.

Smiling slightly, Kat hugged Cyndi back and said, "I'm going to go for the try-out in December, but as far as taking the position, well, I'm probably going to have to wait a while to give them an answer." Shaking her head and breathing deeply she asked, "So what's new in the life of Cyndi Weasley? How's teaching? Everything you hoped it would be?"

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi was surprised to hear that she was the only who Kat had shared the news with. She would have at least thought that Kat would have told Chace even if she hadn't told anyone else yet. She nodded as she gazed out toward the horizon as well, understanding just how big a decision this would be for Kat. This was certainly not a decision to be taken lightly because of how life-changing it could all be. She smiled when she heard that her friend was at least going to go for the try-out. "Good. At least if you go to the try-out, everything will be left in your hands. You won't have anything to regret." Cyndi glanced back at Kat and raised her eyebrow. "Are you waiting until after the try-out to tell everyone?" she asked.

When the conversation turned to what had been going on in Cyndi's life, she shrugged. "Oh, the usual. Teaching is great. I'm really glad I took the job here. Now that I'm teaching, I know I couldn't ever have worked for the ministry." She glanced down at her feet which she was swinging as they dangled over the edge. For a few minutes, Cyndi was silent as she looked at the wonderful view. Shyly, she spoke up once more, " I met this guy a couple of days ago..."

 

[Katalina Harker]

Kat shrugged. She wasn't sure when she would tell everyone. "I'm going to tell Chace before because I want him to go with me when I go over the holidays and of course I'm going to tell my family before I go, but as far as everyone else then I'm not telling anyone so just keep it hush hush for a little bit," said the Gryffindor to her friend. It wasn't that she didn't want others to know it was just that she wanted to be the first to tell the people that meant the most to her.

"I know I for one and so happy that you're back," Kat said with a big grin at Cyndi. Then her friend said something that made her drop her jaw and and give a light nudge saying, "You're just now telling me this? That should have been the first thing you told me you twit."

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi mimed zipping her lips up and throwing away the key. Since it wasn't her secret to tell, she knew she would have no problem with not telling anyone Kat's secret. In addition to being extremely loyal to her friends, Cyndi was also pretty good at keeping secrets that they told her. "It's safe with me" she added with a smile as she swung her legs slowly.

When Kat nudged her, Cyndi chuckled easily. "Sorry" she said in a sing-song voice. "The only bad thing is that he lives in England, but he comes here pretty often, so..." Cyndi said with a shrug. "And, he's agreed to be my guide when I go to England during Yule break to visit my parents" she said with a twinkle in her eye. A light blush crossed over Cyndi's cheeks as she spoke about Brayden. Just thinking about him brought a smile to her face.

"So how are you and Chace doing?" she asked, figuring that things must be going well. If they weren't, Cyndi figured that she would have heard something from Kat.

 

[Katalina Harker]

Kat breathed a sigh of relief when Cyndi zipped her lips and promised to keep it a secret. She knew Cyndi could be trusted with it which was part of the reason that she'd told her in the first place. The seventh year needed to tell someone or she was going to explode and who better to tell then one of your best friends.

"Oh sweet Merlin...Cyndi that's wonderful. If he's got you all a flutter he must be pretty terrific. So what's his name? What does he do? I want details...don't leave out a thing," Kat said with her eyes wide with excitement. In all the time she'd known Cyndi she couldn't remember the older girl having dated anyone.

When asked how she and Chace were doing the Gryffindor went dreamy eyed. How did you describe perfection? You couldn't, but you could see it written all over Kat's face. "Cyndi, I can say without a shadow of a doubt that that he is the person that I want to spend the rest of my life with. He's my everything and I'm nearly one hundred percent sure that he feels the same way," she said with a huge cheesy grin on her face.

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi blushed again and chuckled at Kat's words. She was eager to share her news though as she hadn't had the chance to tell anyone yet. She had only just met him during the Brightstone weekend when she had decided to head home for a bit instead of staying in the castle. "His name is Brayden" she said with a small sigh of happiness, "and he works in a shop in England. We were kind of just standing near each other in the harbor and just started talking and then we ended up going to the Leaky Cauldron for a couple of drinks."

When Kat began talking about Chace, Cyndi listened with a smile on her face. It was touching to listen to her speak about him as if he meant the world to her, which she knew was completely true. A small part of Cyndi was jealous and hoped that she could one day find such happiness. The other part of her, the larger part, couldn't help but be happy for her friend. It was easy to see how happy Kat was. "Oh Kat" she said, turning to give Kat a hug "I am so happy for you honey." Remembering when they had sat on the nearby lawn as Cyndi had done a reading for Kat, she recalled them having a talk much like this one about relationships. "I guess my runes were right, huh?" she added, pleased with how accurate her readings always were.

 

[Katalina Harker]

"Oh Cyndi that's too adorable. So when are you going to see him again," Kat asked her friend curiously, hoping that Cyndi had found someone that made her as happy as Chace made Kat. "You do realize that he's probably going to need to be subjected to the best friend test right? Can't just very well let one of my besties just go off and date some random guy that I haven't had the pleasure of torturing," she added with a wink and a nudge.

Kat hugged her friend back and nodded. "Couldn't have been more on the money I'd say. Glad that you were right too," she said with a warm feeling covering her.

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

"I don't know. I don't think I'm going to be able to see him again until the holidays" Cyndi said with a slight frown on her face, unhappy that circumstances weren't going to allow them to see each other before them. She would to busy with lessons. "We're going to send each other owls until then though" she added, brightening slightly.

She groaned when Kat mentioned the "best friend test." "I don't know" Cyndi said with some doubt in her voice though she had a smirk on her face. "Only if you promise to be gentle" she grinned, knowing that Kat could be quite intimidating if she chose to be. When it came to her girls, Cyndi was very overprotective and she knew her girls were the same way.

 

[Katalina Harker]

"Owls work too. At least you'll be getting to talk to him so that's always a plus," she said with a nod of her head. Kat really hoped that Cyndi would be happy with this Brayden guy...if not then she'd have to kick some serious arse, but she was pretty sure it wouldn't come to that. The seventh year grinned innocently and replied, "Now Cyndi, when have I ever been anything other than gentle? I'm always the perfect picture of poise, grace, and class am I not?" Kat had to bite the inside of her cheeks to keep from busting out laughing knowing that every word she just spit out had been pretty much a lie.

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi tried to not bust out laughing when Kat began to question her lack of being gentle. Finally, when her cheeks began to hurt her from the strain of holding it in, Cyndi let it out loudly and then turned to her best friend. "Oh Kat!" she said, not having laughed this hard in a while. "Yea...except for the time when you showed your bloomers to everyone on the pitch" she said with a nudge to her friend before breaking down in laughter again.

It felt good to sit with her best friend and laugh at memories that she knew she would carry with her forever. "You know I love you though" she said as the laughter subsided into random fits of giggles that kept bursting up as she thought of various times when Kat, the other dorm 4 girls or Cyndi had been less than gentle.

 

[Katalina Harker]

Kat feigned a look of hurt and then her face went scarlet. "Sheesh, you lose one little bet with your ex and you're scarred for life," she said shaking her head and laughing. "I know you do. I love you too, but it's not like I'm the only one who has a string of embarrassing moments in my past. I do believe that the four of us girls had our fair share of them if I'm not mistaken," Kat said cocking her head to the side slightly and grinning devilishly.

Glancing at her watch she knew that if she didn't get up and go now then she'd be late for meeting Chace and she still had to run up to the castle to change. Groaning loudly she said regretfully, "Sorry to do this Cyndi, but if I don't go now then Chace is gonna be waiting on me and he's not really keen on waiting for too long. Of course he kept me waiting for months so it would kind of serve him right to wait for a few minutes." Standing up she dusted herself off and squatted slightly to give her friend a big hug. "I miss you. We need to do this more often," she said certainly before adding, "I'd better get going. I love you and I'll catch up with you soon, okay?" With that Kat turned and headed back up to the castle.