Taking A Break

[Isabella Chaos]

Isabella had been so busy already at the beginning of the year she hadn't really had much time to stop and just relax. She was keeping on top of her studies because she was determined to get straight O's to prove that she should be Prefect next year, she was hard at work with the Hogwarts Monthly and her fashion designs for the Fashion Club that was now conjoined, which normally would've bothered her but now it didn't, and any free time she did have was spent with Thomas. Isabella didn't mind spending her free time with her boyfriend, especially since her friends seemed to be missing in action or something, she didn't know what was up with Alyssa avoiding her, but she felt that every once in a while she wanted to take some time to herself, go somewhere and just do nothing.

Wearing a new outfit that consisted of a brown blouse and pretty polka dotted skirt and some brown knee high boots Isabella left the confines of her dorm room for a change of scenery from the usual dungeons. The Slytherin girl really had no idea where she wanted to go right now, and let her feet carry her over to the cliffs. She didn't visit them often, truthfully the only 'outdoors' type thing she did was Quidditch, which seemed a bit funny when you thought of it, this prim and prissy diva girl getting dirty on the Quidditch field. She liked that about herself, the fact that people misjudged her goody-two-shoes polished look and underestimated her because of it, this way when she did fight back it usually came as a shock to them.

Isabella climbed her way up to the top of the cliffs and went to the edge, resting her hand on the railing provided so they didn't fall over. The Slytherin girl sighed softly to herself to clear her mind, though she couldn't help remembering that the last time she was her was at the beginning of her third year when she had become all 'rebellious' and met Mike up here. She almost wanted to laugh at how different everything was now. Back then when she first met Mike up here she didn't even know if he liked her at all, he certainly seemed to show that he didn't like her new rebellious look, but still, she had had her first kiss with Mike up here on these very cliffs, and it wasn't even a good first kiss. She had kissed him just to prove that she wasn't hung up on Aiden, and after that she walked away, half expecting Mike to stop her, and half knowing he wouldn't, and he hadn't. The memory of rejection hung high in the air around the cliffs and Isabella was tempted to turn around and walk away, but stopped herself before doing it. It didn't matter if Mike had rejected her then, she had ended up with him anyway, and even that did matter anymore either because she was now happily with Thomas. Isabella ran a hand through her long brown hair that was done in loose waves adorned with a pink satin headband of course and continued to look out at the scenery.

 

[Galileo Costa]

Curiosity had taken over Galileo today. He had most of the day to himself and decided to explore the castle. He lost himself in the long hallways and seemingly endless stairways. It seemed as though he would never get out. Overwhelmed, he made his way outside to get some fresh air.

The day was bright which bothered Galileo. Cloudy days were his favorite and he found himself disappointed to step out into a sunny day. He continued to wander the grounds taking in all he could. Without realizing it, he'd found himself at the cliffs. He walked to the edge and rested his elbows on the railing hunching his back and peeking over the edge. The air was cooler here and it relaxed him to feel the breeze caress his face.

He closed his eyes and rolled his head rubbing the back of his neck with his hand trying to relieve some tension. It seemed to be working. He opened his eyes and rested his elbow back on the railing. Looking to his left, he noticed he was not alone. There was a girl that he'd never seen before standing at the railing as well. It was unlike him to speak to anyone he didn't know but today was different. "Having a tough day?" he asked.

 

[Isabella Chaos]

Lost in her own thoughts, the Slytherin girl hadn't even realized that there was someone else at the cliffs already, she never knew how popular the place was, she seldom visited them. She turned and heard someone speak, glancing around her just to make sure she was the one being addressed and not anyone else. After she was sure the boy was speaking to her Isabella looked at him and shrugged her shoulders before looking back. "I wouldn't say tough is the right word to describe it," Isabella began with a shrug, continuing to look out into the scenery and not at the boy. "More like busy week," she described. Finally she turned her head to look at him again. "And you?" she asked in return, seemingly interested though not really, he was some stranger to her after all, why should she care? Though the fact that she had never seen the boy around somewhat intrigued her, so she'd play along, pretend to be interested and get the information about him that she wanted before moving on.

 

[Galileo Costa]

Galileo watched the girl as she tried to determine whether he was speaking to her or someone she he not yet noticed. He lifted his hand and brushed his hair to the side, something that had become a habit whenever he found himself in an awkward situation. He observed her carefully as she replied to his question as though being forced to be polite. Staring at her face, he had to admit that she was very pretty. Letting out a small chuckle, he answered her question, pretending she had fooled him into actually thinking she cared about how his day was.

"Well, I've spent most of my day exploring the school and the grounds trying to familiarize myself with everything. I was growing tired of losing my way around this place." he replied as he turned his body to face the school, still leaning against the railing. For a second, he took in the sight and sighed. He turned his head towards her and continued, "I transferred here from Beaxbatons so I'm still trying to get used to everything." Galileo would be surprised if she stuck around any longer. He knew this small talk could only keep her attention for so long.

 

[Isabella Chaos]

Isabella looked at him as she waited for him to reply, arching an eyebrow up in curiosity as he said he was familiarizing himself with the school after being so lost many times. Isabella was proud to say that she'd never gotten lost in the castle, but then again, her common room was in the dungeons, it wasn't exactly hard to find the place. She opened her mouth to ask what school he came from but he had answered before she even uttered a word. She closed her mouth as she nodded her head slowly as if in approval.

If he had been from Durmstrang she probably would've been less interested in talking to him, she liked to pretend she had no hard feelings for Durmstrang students, her father was a graduate from there, but she could never get over the fact that Aiden had left her twice for that damn school and her ex-friend, who had gotten together with Aiden a few days after they had broken up, was now attending there too. Isabella shook her head subtly, wondering why the heck those types of thoughts were running through her head, it wasn't like she still had feelings for Aiden! The former Gryffindor boy rarely ever, if ever, crossed her mind, so the fact that this stranger caused him to cross her mind made her furrow her eyebrows angrily to herself for a moment, angry at the boy as if it was his fault, before she looked at him again with a calm expression. "Where are you from?" she asked instead with more interest than she had so far shown, hearing a familiar accent.

 

[Galileo Costa]

Galileo stared at her for a second, surprised that she actually sounded interested. He had half expected her to find an excuse to retreat back to the school but the fact that she'd asked him where he was from caught him off guard. He was reminded of Beauxbatons where he had plenty of encounters like this one with the girls there, another reason why he didn't miss his old school.

"Italy. More specifically Pisa." he answered slightly grinning from the thought of his home. It had been a while since he'd last thought of it, but it didn't mean he'd missed it any less. "What about you? Where are you from?" he asked as he made a mental note to send an owl to his family as soon as he could.

 

[Isabella Chaos]

Uncharacteristically (at least when around strangers) Isabella flashed her pearly whites upon hearing the boy's answer. She had recognized his accent that was so much like her own Italian, but she just wanted to make sure. It was the Beauxbatons thing that had thrown her off at first, and she tried hard to listen to his voice and hear hints of a French accent but hadn't been able to, now that she knew it was Italian only made her smile. When he returned the question she said, "I'm from there too, Firenze," she clarified her beloved hometown with a tone of pride. Florence often seemed rather 'grey' in comparison to other Italian cities like Rome, but it was full of culture and she loved it for that.

 

[Galileo Costa]

Galileo regained a bit of confidence after being consumed by the beautiful girl's smile. "Italy is a popular place to be from here." he thought to himself realizing it was where he was from that made her smile. He raised his eyebrows when he heard where she was from. "Wow! Pisa and Firenze are not far from each other at all but you probably already knew that." he said containing his excitement. "I go there often and I love it there although I have to admit, Pisa will always have my heart!" he added proudly. Talking about his home made him feel a little more comfortable around Isabella.

 

[Isabella Chaos]

Isabella allowed a chuckle to escape her lips upon hearing his excited response. "Yes, I did know that," she commented softly, a genuine smile on her face now she knew he was from Italy. There were too few Italians at HNZ, at least that she knew of, and he seemed to be rather nice, so she didn't see a real reason for her to be mean to him. She smiled even brighter once he said she visited her city, but said that his hometown would always have his heart. She giggled a little and replied, "Same here! I've been to Pisa numerous times, it's lovely, but Firenze will always be better in my opinion," she stated matter-of-factly before laughing it off and grinning at him playfully. "What brings you all the way to New Zealand?" she asked the stranger, not yet realizing she didn't even know his name.

 

[Galileo Costa]

Galileo's smile faded slightly. "When am I going to get over this?!" he thought to himself, frustrated with the fact that he couldn't tell anybody. Not even his old friend could know why he was sent here. He hated to lie but he had no choice. Until he himself could accept the situation, he was certain neither could anyone else. "I just needed a change of scenery." he said he said nonchalantly hoping she wouldn't ask about it anymore. "What about you? Isn't Beauxbatons closer to where you live? Why come all the way over here?" he wondered.

 

[Isabella Chaos]

Isabella watched Galileo with curiosity as she waited for his response, noticing that he seemed to pause just slightly in answering her question, but didn't notice his smile quite fade. The subtle pause between her question and his response was so minimal she had already forgotten about it when he finally answered with ease. She nodded her head in understanding when he said he needed a change of scenery.

When he asked why she hadn't gone to Beauxbatons, Isabella sighed softly but not in disappointment, more in contentness. "My mother graduated from Beauxbatons," she stated fondly as she looked over at the scenery in remembrance of her late mother, completely ignoring his question for now as thoughts of her mother took over. But just because she had graduated from there didn't mean she had attended all seven years there. She, like the entire majority of her family had attended Hogwarts Scotland and was sorted into Slytherin as well.

"Well, I got a letter from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang," she began her story, finally getting around to answering his question. "As I said, my mom attended Beauxbatons, and my father Durmstrang - so when it came time for my education, they were constantly fighting about which of their schools I would attend," she explained with a slight eye roll at her memories. "And then came the letter from HNZ, a school no one before me had ever attended, and I saw my opportunity to start fresh, not living in the shadow of someone else, and a place where I could make myself and the Chaos name known," she stated proudly with a smirk on her glossed lips as she looked over at Galileo. "That's why I chose to be all the way over here," she stated with clarification.

 

[Galileo Costa]

Galileo breathed a sigh of relief as Isabella seemed to accept his explanation without any question. He wasn't proud of it but he'd gotten pretty good at lying. Nobody seemed to notice his subtle tells which, in his case, was a good thing. He just didn't want to think about the day when someone would.

Staring at the scene in front of him, Galileo looked over to Isabella as she began answering his question. He knew it was rude to stare but he found it quite difficult to take his eyes off her. He took in the beautiful view as long as he could before looking over to the scenery once more. "That's enough of that." he thought to himself not knowing what was getting into him.

He had come to his senses just in time as she had began her story about which schools her family attended and how she had ended up at Hogwarts New Zealand. He listened very carefully as though he was expecting a quiz on what he had just heard. It was all he could do in order to pay attention to what she was saying and not what she looked like. He raised one eyebrow and looked over at her as she mentioned coming to this school in order to make her name known. "I'm not gonna lie, that's mighty ambitious." he joked. "I will have to say though, there's one problem with that. I don't know you're name." he added with a smile waiting for her to reply.

 

[Isabella Chaos]

Isabella giggled as he said it was mighty ambitious, "Well it's not that hard seeing as I'm the most ambitious person I know," she said with a smirk on her face. "It's what got me into Slytherin," she added, realizing it was the first time she had stated her House. She seemed to be doing a good job of getting the Chaos name known, lots of people knew her, whether for good reasons or bad, as long as they knew her she didn't care.

When he began talking again, saying there was a problem, Isabella looked at him with furrowed brows in confusion. As soon as he concluded that the problem was the fact that he didn't know her name, Isabella laughed as a pink tint rose on her cheeks. "Oh sorry!" she exclaimed through her laughter. She walked over to him, smoothing out her skirt in the process and held out her hand for him to shake. "I'm Isabella Chaos," she stated regally with a proud smile on her face. "And you are?" she inquired in return.

 

[Galileo Costa]

Galileo looked over at her as she approached him to introduce herself. He smiled at her as she smoothed out her skirt. It was obvious that she cared about her appearance which was something he liked. "I'm Galileo Costa." he said as he took her hand and raised it to his lips, planting a small kiss on it. He'd never done this before and was unsure how she'd react to it. "You have a really interesting last name if you don't mind me saying." he said releasing her hand. "I like it." he added with a small wink. He had already forgotten that he'd agreed with himself to keep the flirting to a minimum but he just couldn't help it. "I definitely need to calm down!" he thought to himself.

"I'm in Ravenclaw by the way." he said trying to get his mind back on track. He had to admit that this probably wasn't the smoothest way to do it.

 

[Isabella Chaos]

Isabella had to admit she was rather surprised when Galileo took her hand a kissed it softly, no one had ever greeted her in that way. In an attempt to hide the blush that was now more prominent on her cheeks, the Slytherin girl ran her free hand through her brunette locks as she hid behind her hand. "Nice to meet you Galileo, that's a nice name," she replied to him after she hoped the rose color in her cheeks had cooled.

When he commented on her last name, Isabella laughed and shrugged her shoulders in a 'Well, what can you do?' sense. Truth be told she didn't know the origins of her last name, just that it obviously came from her father's side of the family and they seemed to hold true to its meaning, whereas her father was the complete opposite, making sure Isabella grew up with rules and restrictions and guidelines, rights and wrongs, the list could go on. "Well thanks," she replied when he assured her he liked it, willing herself not to blush as he winked at her. "It's not a name you forget very often, so I'm not forgettable," she commented smugly with a small smirk on her face.

When Galileo said he was in Ravenclaw, Isabella nodded her head slowly in acknowledgment. She had never really had problems with Ravenclaws much, in fact her boyfriend was a Ravenclaw, but at the moment the second she heard the word Ravenclaw, it left a bitter taste in her mouth, the taste of disappointment and failure. Ravenclaw had won the Quidditch Cup whereas the Slytherins had come up just short of a win each time, so she was unknowingly holding a grudge against them. Trying not to portray or worse, voice, her opinions on his house, Isabella instead asked, "What year are you in?" Certainly he wasn't in her year because she hadn't yet seen him in her classes, unless he was in her year but he was just the type of person who skipped class all the time.

 

[Galileo Costa]

"Thanks!" said Galileo with a smile. He was somewhat relieved that she had reacted so well to his kiss and wink. He couldn't help but think that today was his lucky day when he noticed her blushing, making sure to pretend he didn't.

There was something about the way she reacted to everything that drew him to her. "She's so cute!" he thought to himself trying to figure out if he had ever met anyone like her. He hadn't. "You're right, I could never forget you." he joked and let out a chuckle. His last compliment had felt less intentional and more natural which meant he was finally calming down. He had learned, through trial and error, that is was always nice to compliment girls but not excessively.

When Galileo informed Isabella which house he was in he couldn't help but notice a slight pause in he response. It was hard to tell what she was thinking but he could only assume it wasn't the best due to the slight subject change. "I'm a fifth year." he said answering her question without thinking leaving plenty of room for error. After rolling his eyes to the side he realized he had said the right thing and looked forward again feeling relieved. "What about you? What year are you in?" he asked remembering this was the first time he'd ever seen her.