Open The Owls Are Gone

[Padme Hume]

Breaking up with Ilija at the valentines day celebrations hadn’t really been her intention. It wasn’t what she had wanted really, but it had unfortunately happened. She hadn’t wanted to do it, but when he’d turned up late, and the frustration about it had really deeply bothered her, she had hated her own reaction to it, and knew that she wasn’t ready for that relationship. She liked Ilija a lot, but a year had passed since they’d first started going out and her feelings hadn’t really changed. She had found it frustrating at times with him, where she got an odd feeling he wanted to say something and never did. It was hard to get back from him having left her completely alone at the yuleball, It had been maddox’s words earlier in the day after getting the rose from Ilija that had struck her, it had stuck with her. And now, she was single. It didn’t seem all that bad, she knew that she hadn’t behaved like she had wanted to with Ilija, and she could see this as an opportunity to just get back to how she wanted to be, to use this occasion to just be better, figure out what she wanted, to be more understanding of others. To remember how to trust properly and not in her own mind be fairly quick minded. She’d left the dance and retreated up the steps, by passing the common room and instead continuing all the way up to the owlery. She hadn’t known why she’d come here, but it had been where she’d first met Ilija and now it was over between them it was where she thought would be good to go. The room was largely devoid of owls, with only a few lingering around. Padme took a seat on the window sill and just looked out over the grounds.​

 

[Diana Hollis]

Diana had enjoyed the Valentine's Dance, it was fun that she finally had a boyfriend again to spend time with. But the knowledge that he would graduate at the end of the year put a damper on her mood a little, and the fact that she was a little nervous about how his family would react to their relationship. But those were all problems for the future. In the meantime, Diana thought it was time to let her family know about her new relationship. Well, just Rose for now. Phoebe would tease her, and her parents didn't really need to know that information yet, but Diana's oldest sister was someone she knew she could confide in, even if she might tease her a little bit too. Armed with a letter for Rose, Diana headed up to the owlery. She hated the owlery, but it Alice had already sent a letter home with their shared owl. So unfortunately, Diana would have to borrow one of the school owls. But as she stepped into the owlery, she noticed most of them were gone. Diana sighed in annoyance, then glanced at a girl who seemed to think this was a good spot to hang out. "What has you in such a bad mood?" She asked, frowning a little. She was clearly upset, but that still didn't excuse her horrible choice of place to spend her time in Diana's opinion. Diana called one of the owls down and started to attach the letter to its leg, glancing at the girl again with a slight frown on her face. What was her deal?

 

[Padme Hume]

Padme had to admit when the door to the owlery opened and an older girl walked in, Padme was a little surprised. She heard what the girl said, and felt her eyes well up, it wasn’t that she was hurt by the situation here, or by the words but more just the build up of everything that had happened with Ilija, of everything that she’d been pushing away a little it was just catching up. She frowned a little and hoped they’d go away, ”Why do you care,” she retorted - though it lacked punch-, not wanting to actually admit to this girl what was wrong, not wanting to get this girl involved or run the risk of this girl telling everyone. She had to think that ilija probably wouldn’t be shouting about it and nor was she. Padme would try her best to be mean or harsh with this girl, even if she didn’t really mean it, mostly Padme was hopeful to be left alone. What was this girl doing sending a letter at this hour anyway. ​

 

[Diana Hollis]

Diana frowned at the girl's attitude, turning to her again once she had sent the owl out of the window. "I don't." She said lightly. "But you're upset enough to sit in an empty room full of owl poop late at night, so I thought you might want to vent. to someone that doesn't have a beak" She said, tossing her hair back with a slight smile. "And who better to talk to than someone who doesn't know you, or care? I can't use it against you." She told the girl, curious about what was making this girl so upset. "Listen... if it's a boy, there's no boy worth crying over. I learned that the hard way." She added in a softer voice. "Most of them are terrible."

 

[Padme Hume]

Padme wondered why this girl cared about her, why she was asking about it. Admittedly, it was true that she didn’t know her and that meant that she was unlikely to tell others, but how could she be sure of it. The fact the girl had figured it was over a boy though, perhaps she’d be a useful person to talk to, ”Well, I broke up with him,” she said, ”He stood me up before the yuleball and was a little surprised that I’d be a bit upset at him being pretty late for the valentines dance,” Padme knew she was being a little unfair to Ilija, that there were other factors that did prevent him from going along, but it would be more unfair of her to tell this girl about Ilija’s problems than it would be to just omit a few details about them. She couldn’t say that all boys were terrible, this had been her first experience of them, but she could admit that it wasn’t what she had expected it to be, it wasn’t what she’d thought her first relationship would be like. ​

 

[Diana Hollis]

Diana hadn't really expected the girl to open up to her, but she had apparently guessed right about it being about a boy. It hadn't been a wild guess, as Diana figured many of the girls at Hogwarts had boy problems. Or at least relationship problems, if it wasn't with a boy. She listened quietly, then nodded. "Honestly, you did the right thing. Don't go feeling guilty." She told her firmly. "If he stood you up once, that's honestly enough to break up with him already. The fact that you didn't dump him just meant he should have been early for your next date, with some sort of gift or surprise to make up for it." She said, frowning. "Not leave you waiting again. A boy who doesn't make you a priority isn't worth your time. Believe me." She didn't know why she was giving this girl actual advice, something she had told Alice not too long ago after her breakup with Blake. But while she had been curious about this girl's situation, she now felt strangely protective. She had been around this girl's age when Edmund had shattered her heart, and if she had been the one to break up with him instead, maybe she would have been less hurt.

 

[Padme Hume]

Padme listened and considered what she was saying. She could agree with it, though it reconfirmed what she had thought about it. Leaving out key details she knew it was far easier to get on to her side of things. It was far easier to agree with her than with him. She felt like if people knew his role in it, how he felt that she wouldn’t come off as the person who was right, but that didn’t matter much now. She shrugged a little, it didn’t mean she didn’t feel sad about it, or even a little guilty, if this girl knew more perhaps she’d understand why Padme felt a little guilty but she didn’t, expressly because Padme wasn’t bringing it up. She sighed a little and looked at the girl. ”Thanks,” she said, ”I don’t mean to be rude, but if you’re done, could you leave?” she tried to get her tone to be not too demanding, ”The boy is in the same house as me, so I just need to be sure he won’t be hanging around there when I try to go to sleep and I'd really like to be alone,” She hoped the explanation would help encourage this girl to leave. ​

 

[Diana Hollis]

Diana thought she had given pretty good advice, but the girl only thanked her with one word, before asking her to leave. So much for doing good and being nice and helpful. Diana rolled her eyes. "Tip for you, you can be rude without meaning to." She snapped at her. "And you are being rude. But it's not like I want to stand around in this disgusting room for any longer anyway." She flipped her hair back. "If you're avoiding him, that's kind of weak." She muttered, stung by the girl's abrupt dismissal. But what did she care what some child thought anyway? She was just some Hufflepuff kid. Diana turned on her heal and walked out of the owlery, a little frustrated by this interaction. Why hadn't she just ignored her, which had been her first instinct.

 

[Padme Hume]

Padme knew she was being rude, but it was just that she needed some space, her mind abuzz with what had happened and a general sadness sitting on her mind. She sighed a little, looking towards the girl as she muttered, calling Padme weak and Padme knew she was but at least then the girl had left, leaving Padme alone again. She just didn’t want to see him, she didn’t want to run into him and really she didn’t want to run into anyone. They would all think less of her, they would all know about it. Even if they didn’t know, they would know. She felt a little paranoid but in her mind it was just that obvious that something had happened during her valentines dance. She also just felt a little sad, and she didn’t want to be surrounded by other girls, other hufflepuffs who’d want to know what was wrong, would want to seek her out to speak to her. She wiped her eyes a little, she had liked Ilija, she had wanted it to work. Their first meeting had been nice up here, he’d seemed nervous at the time, but it had been nice. How things changed. She knew though she’d said she wanted to go back to being friends that she wouldn’t actually manage it. Not yet. The other girl left and Padme was just left to stew in her own thoughts. ​