Trapped

[Alana Finch]

Alana stared, dumbfounded, at the letter in her hand as she sat in the windowsill. The phrases '...this will be great for the family" "...such a good name" "you'll learn to like him" blended together, growing warped as tears sprung into her eyes. She tried to blink them away, but only succeeded in making them fall faster, the tears flowing hot and thick until they dropped off of her chin onto the parchment. The ink blotted in spots, but Alana didn't care. If she knew the spell, she would have set the parchment on fire. Instead, she crumpled it in her fist, her other fist rubbing tears away to no avail. How could her father do something like this to her? How?

The Slytherin girl took a deep breath, her shoulders shuddering as she continued to silently cry. She kept her head towards the window, her gaze on nothing, but hoping that her blonde hair would shield her face. She didn't want anyone coming up to her to see if she was alright. She definitely didn't want anyone knowing that she was crying, though it was kind of hard to miss. At some point she began to rip the letter into pieces. After a few long minutes, her tears slowed though her body still shuddered as the last of it left her system. Now she was left with a pile of shredded paper. With nothing else to do with it, Alana stuffed the paper into her hoodie pocket before wrapping her arms around her body. The blonde girl stared out the window, her gaze fixed on the trees below, glad that it was nowhere near curfew. She couldn't imagine being confined in her common room right now.

 

[Ulysses Viteri]

Spiritless and consumed at the thought of spending another day without his telescope, the ravenclaw climbed up the grand staircase after the end of the day's last class. Ulysses was always wearing a smile that lit up his already light green eyes but now, a clear unmistakable frown possessed his face. Dark circles under his eyes denoted that he spent a sleepless night with the fear that his telescope might never be fixed, gnawing him until the first gleam of dawn. His emotional downfall started when he visited the astronomy tower the night before, to take his brass telescope outside and stargaze like he did almost every single night. He was aware that it wasn't the best night to observe the celestial objects of the night sky as it was windy and cloudy. Ulysses in the end faced the consequences of his imprudence when the wind really picked up. One of the telescope's legs slid and it tipped over. The sickening crush of broken glass that followed made his heart skip several beats. When he checked the extend of damage done on his favorite belonging, the mirror was still in tact at first sight but his heart sank when he found out that the glass on the front of it was completely cracked. He checked to see if he could still see through it and he did saw the stars among the gliding, dark clouds but he knew that if he was going to leave that broken glass to run around inside the telescope, in the end it was going to wreck the mirror.

Finally, he reached the last steps leading to the north tower. His broken telescope was carefully wrapped in cloth and placed inside a well-sealed box that he was intending to owl it to his muggle parents. He was worried if they were going to understand what exactly he was requesting them to do in his letter included in the package. Not only they had to visit the wizarding shops on their own but they were also unrelated to astronomy and Ulysses doubted if they could understand what they had the ask for when they were going to take his telescope to be fixed. He made sure he was really analytical with the guidelines he had written down but uneasiness had made its home inside him.

The owlery would have been the most appropriate place for a student to visit in similar case's but Ulysses' owl, Hoodini, was different from the rest owls. The eccentric bird which didn't hesitate to intimidate Ulysses, had chosen to make its nest at the top of the north tower, making Ulysses life a little bit more difficult each time he wanted to send something to his family. He usually had to climb up on a ledge of the tower's windows and call for his pet, something he wasn't so eager to do today when his package included something so valuable to him and fragile at the same time. Ulysses pushed the tower's door open and absent-minded stepped in the circular room. The presence of another student startle him at first and instantly made him zone in on his surroundings. "Oh, hey!" he greeted the girl in the room, a hint of surprise in his voice. Ulysses recognized the girl with the golden hair as one of his classmates. They hadn't exchanged words before. Ulysses noticed that she looked upset about something but he had his own business to take care of. The point was he didn't want to climb on one of those ledges to summon his owl in the presence of others. Hoodini really enjoyed torturing him by making him chasing him around the tower or regurgitating pellets on him. Ulysses wondered if the girl was going to stick around and witness of his frequent humiliation. "Are you okay?" he asked. He didn't matter him if she was alright when he barely knew her. He merely asked her to see was planning to stay or leave soon.

 

[Alana Finch]

Alana jumped as she heard someone call out a quick ‘hey!’  She wiped at her eyes with her sleeve, the only thing she could really do to make herself look somewhat decent and not like she’d just been crying her eyes out.  Turning her head, Alana recognized the boy, a Ravenclaw, in her year.  The only reason she knew his house was that she’d spent an entire semester in History of Magic staring at the back of his neck, which was more often than not encircled by a tie. “Hey” she replied in a glum tone.  This guy wasn’t involved, so there was no need to be rude to him. It didn't mean she had to be overly nice either. She stared at the boy, wondering if she should say anything. She really didn't feel like it. The Ravenclaw made the first move. Alana had just begun to turn back to the window when he spoke again, so she reluctantly turned her head back to face him.

Alana hated being asked if she was ok. She'd mentioned that to her brother once and he'd explained the importance of it as a way to encourage conversation. His answer made sense but that didn't make her like it any more. Not that she had made much of an attempt to hide it, but Alana knew that she didn't look ok. Her eyes, not just her pupils, were rimmed red and she was sure that she had tear-streaked cheeks. Rather than reply with words, Alana just shrugged before turning back to the window. "Don't worry. I won't bother you" she added in a voice that sounded like she had a stuffy nose. The girl sniffled and then wiped at her cheeks to try and clear off any tears on it. She pulled her knees up, her hands encircling them as she rested her cheek on her knees. She stared out at the wind howling outside and then spoke up again. "I think the weather is spooking the animals. Good luck getting to yours."

 

[Ulysses Viteri]

His question was answered by the girl's blood-shot eyes and discrete sniffing rather than from her sullen shrug. If he was in the right kind of mood, Ulysses would have tried to cheer her up, armed with his slightly dark sense of humor but it seemed like he was in need of such a person around him this time. The ravenclaw felt sorry for intruding her space. She sure looked like she needed some privacy but he was more concerned with his own worry to bother himself with hers. The girl didn't look like she was going anywhere so Ulysses decided he had no other choice but attempt and fetch his owl to get his package. He made a beeline for the window right next to the one she was occupying by staring out of it. "That's not the problem." he replied as he climbed on the ledge of his own window. "I'm afraid I'm going to bother you. Well. Actually, he's going to." he warned for whatever was going to follow. His owl was quite unpredictable. Usually, Hoodini liked delivering Ulysses' letters to strangers just to put him in an awkward disposition. Roles were quite obscure between the boy and the bird. Sometimes it felt like he was the pet and Hoodini the owner if not the boss.

Ulysses sat on the ledge, getting one leg over it outside the window. Immediately he felt the rush of the wind. His smiled when his classmate mentioned that he was going to have a hard time fetching his owl with such bad weather conditions. He knew Hoodini wouldn't lose an opportunity to get on his nerves. The boy tuck his lips back over his teeth and produced an ear-piercingly loud whistle which traveled with the wind. No more than a few seconds past and a rare, black barn owl swooped through his window. Ulysses pressed his legs on both sides of the ledge to regain his balance and jumped off back into the room. His owl circled above them around the interior of the tower, before landing on the ledge next to the girl. Hoodini was exhibiting an aggressive behavior around males, regardless of the species. On the contrary, the black barn owl seemed to like the company of females. Actually, he liked delivering Ulysses' letters to female students, even professors sometimes. Despite their little opposition, Ulysses liked his owl.

The day he visited the magical menagerie, the boy intended upon purchasing an eagle-owl. They looked so magnificent and it could carry heavier loads. However, the moment his set his eyes on the dark-hued owl, with the jet, black feathers and the golden tufts on its face, he changed his mind right away. For the scholarly person he was, Ulysses knew that this owl's rare mutation was one in millions. He also knew that most barn owls with this genetic condition were normally killed in the wild at birth by their confused mothers, because of their unusual colouring. Ulysses didn't know exactly how this one managed to survive but he decided that deserved more than being kept behind the bars of another cage in that shop. His kindheartedness was rewarded with contempt and superiority from his new pet. It felt like a boomerang slamming on his face with greater momentum but regardless, Ulysses could justify this defiance. Hoodini might had to be like that in order to survive. In an owl world, it could have been looked like an outcast. It was no wonder why he chose that owl after all. He always stuck up with the underdogs. He just wished that his owl would deliver for once without a chase taking place before.

Hoodini's huge, black eyes examined the strange girl next to him. He also tilted his head in a comical way in an attempt to have a better look of her face. He seemed to have sensed that she had been crying and she was in distress. "That's what I was speaking of." he gestured at Hoodini who plucked a black feather off his right wing and dropped it close to the girl's hands. It could have been a move of compassion, much like a human offering a tissue. "Hey mister! I'm here as well!" he waved from a distance to gain his owl's attention. Hoodini merely glanced at him indifferently and remained next to the girl. Ulysses approached with a sigh to receive a warning hiss from his owl. "Fine." he grumbled defeated and reached for his backpack. He took out carefully the package with the broken telescope and offered it to her reluctantly. "Could you please wrap it around his leg?" he requested and gave her also a piece of thick cord. "He won't let me do it. I usually have someone else doing this for me." he explained and hoped she was alright with that. His eyes remained fixed on the package. It felt like he had ripped his heart and had given it to someone else to hold it. That was how much important this telescope was for him.

 

[Alana Finch]

What the Ravenclaw said next caused the red-eyed girl to turn to look at him once more, this time with a curious expression in her eyes. The owls hadn’t been a bother the entire time that she’d been in the room bawling. In fact, they had all seemed to give her space, none of them bothering to come near the window that she was seated at. It probably had more to do with their reluctance to get their feathers all disheveled, but Alana liked to think that they’d somehow just been nice enough to leave her be. Alana looked around, wondering which owl the boy was getting ready to go after. There was no way to tell though. She’d just have to sit and wait. Now, she was curious though, and rather than leave him alone and give him her back like she’d intended to do, Alana was now more interested in watching the events play out. As the boy shrieked, Alana was tempted to tell him that it was a horrible way to call an owl. She almost did, her mouth opening to tell him exactly that when one of the prettiest owls she’d ever seen came swooping into the room. It seemed to show off for a second, taking a lap around the room before settling itself beside her.

Alana gazed down at the owl, her face filled with awe. Aside from the few times she’d come to use the school owls, this was the closet she’d ever been to an owl. The owl seemed just as curious about her and stared at her as if it was trying to decide if it liked her or not. While it did, Alana remained stock-still, afraid that it’d scratch her or worse if she made a sudden move. The Ravenclaw had warned her that it was trouble, after all. He could’ve been joking, Alana thought to herself and then dismissed the idea. The Ravenclaw had seemed pretty serious, and they didn’t know each other well enough to share a joke. And, he had to have seen that Alana wasn’t really in a joking mood. From this close, Alana could see that the owl wasn’t totally black. Its face was marked gold, feathers that made it entirely unique. At once, Alana knew that had she seen this owl in the store and had the money for it, she would have chosen it too. Or, she’d have begged for it anyway. Almost as if it understood the kinship between them, the bird moved closer, dropping a single black feather beside her. Alana slowly unclenched her hands and reached out for the feather, her fingertips grazing it when the Ravenclaw boy yelled out. Alana jumped slightly, her heart thudding, as the boy stepped closer and the owl hissed. She didn’t know that they did that. The hiss wasn’t directed to her. At least not yet.

It took a moment for Alana to catch up to what the Ravenclaw boy was saying as he held out a package and asked her to take it and tie it around the owl. She reached over the owl, slowly, hesitantly. A quick glance down at what she was holding told her the boy’s name – Ulysses Viteri. The girl reached for the owl’s leg and then paused, biting her lip. “Umm…he’s not going to attack me, is he?” she asked nervously. It was only after his assurance that he always got others to do this for him that Alana moved the package towards the owl’s leg and began to attach the cord. “You’re a sweet owl, aren’t you?” she murmured to it as she worked. “Is that ok?” she asked, her red eyes looking up at the Ravenclaw. Whatever was inside seemed pretty important to him.

 

[Ulysses Viteri]

Ulysses couldn't blame the girl's reluctance but she had nothing to fear. Usually when he was attempting to have his owl deliver a letter, he was treated with pecks and sinking claws, bearing him scars on his hands. There were a few old ones on his fingers to testify his owl's aggressiveness but Alana wasn't going to experience that while she wasn't of the same gender. "Don't worry. You're a girl. He seems to tolerate females. Whether they have wings or arms." he reassured that Hoodini didn't pose any threat to her and thankful watched her using the cord he had provided to her. Hoodini remained still while Alana was attaching the package and hooted softly. In a way it sounded like he was encouraging her to continue her work. When she finished, Ulysses checked from a safe distance if she had attached his package adequately. "I think it's okay." he nodded. The girl had done everything right. It was his owl he didn't trust enough. "Okay Hood. Please, deliver it to my parents." he told his owl the recipients of the package. Hoodini spread his wings and took off. He flew around the room letting a high-pitched screech and darted out of a window. The cringing sound of cracking glass followed the owl's exit making Ulysses throw up his hands in despair. The package might have scraped the ledge as the owl soared over it but it probably was enough to cause extra damage to his already broken telescope. "I bet he did this one on purpose." he murmured defeated and let a sigh.

Ulysses hoped that his parents were going to take care of his telescope. He wished he could get permission and leave the school for a few hours and visit the village to find someone who could fix it. He couldn't simply wait for the next Brightstone weekend. It was a long time away and he couldn't do without his daily peek at the night sky. He could be patient for a couple of nights but he didn't know now what he could do with all the free time he suddenly had in his hands. Perhaps he could socialize a bit more. He was spending so much time at the towers, concealed in the shadows or the darkness not to get caught out of the bed, looking through a telescope. He had only a few friends and perhaps it was about time to make a few more. He looked at the girl that helped it him and a soft smile touched his features. "Thanks for lending a hand. I would have lost mine if I had tried to attach the letter myself." he chuckled and scratched his head in awkwardness. "I'm Ulysses." he said his name. The two of them had never properly introduced themselves before. They were sharing classes but nothing more so far. "Are you alright? You look like something has been really bothering you." he asked out of politeness. He thought that he could help her in return now that he couldn't do anything else about his own problem.

 

[Alana Finch]

Alana didn’t really believe it because she didn’t think that animals could be that intelligent, but it was almost as if the owl was trying to make her feel better with its soft hooting and gentle demeanor towards her. Towards its owner, the owl was an entirely different creature altogether. The boy seemed almost resigned to his owl’s behavior as he explained to her that she was in no danger. Alana allowed herself to give the boy a small smile as he confirmed that she’d done a good job. Her cheeks felt tight, probably from the tears and crying she’d just been doing. Alana rubbed at her cheek once more, hoping that there were no tear stains on them. If there were, the boy had been kind enough to ignore it or at least not mention it. The Slytherin girl was grateful. Leaning back, Alana watched the owner and owl have an exchange. She cringed as the owl let out a high screech that, she had the feeling, was meant as one last annoyance towards the boy. A moment later, she was sure that was true as there was the faint sound of broken glass from within the package. “That didn’t sound too good” she agreed.

Now that the owl had gone from the room, Alana felt awkward. She didn’t think it would quite right to turn her attention to the window again. She’d just shared the past few moments with the Ravenclaw boy, so to ignore him all of a sudden would be just plain rude. But, she wasn’t really keen on conversing with him. She had been homeschooled for ages and ages, and she still was getting the hang of being around other children. The boy seemed to be in a similar struggle, but unlike Alana, he broke the silence. Alana ducked her head, a smile on her face after she’d seen him smile at her. She listened to his thank you and nodded her head in acceptance of it. As the boy introduced herself as Ulysses, a very nice name though one she’d never heard before, the girl found herself feeling…something. It wasn’t anything like the crush that she had on Ivaylo, the older Slytherin boy who seemed to pull her out of trouble time and again, or the feelings of sibling rivalry that she felt for her brother, Lorin. It wasn’t even the deep hatred and anger that she had been feeling for this boy, Chaos, that she was now expected to get to know and one day marry.

“Alana” she responded easily, her gaze lifting once more to the boy. The word came to her then. Fellowship. Yes, that was it. By leaving her alone, distracting her with a task, the boy had done exactly what Alana had needed in the moment. As he asked her how she was, Alana gave the boy a half shrug. She didn’t typically burden anyone with her problems, but she’d never had a problem like this before. “Parents are just…” she paused, allowing herself a heavy sigh before continuing. “Just so…unfair” she responded, the word heavy with injustice.

 

[Ulysses Viteri]

The girl was slowly putting down her guard, putting a soft smile on his face when he noticed it. Ulysses could have attached the package himself, a difficult task but he could. The reason he asked the girl to help him was to make her forget her worries, even for just a little. The ravenclaw had discovered at first hand that helping other people was the best mood booster. The fact that she opened up and shared her name was a proof that she was feeling a tiny bit better. "Ah yes, I remember you! History of magic class." he recalled her name and her house, also pondering which other subjects they were sharing with slytherins. He frowned as he hopped to sit on the ledge and listened to her confessing that whatever was troubling her mind was related to her parents. Ulysses had heard many children of his age calling their parents unfair but he was a bit mature for his age to recognize that most parents had a reason to be strict to their children. He couldn't tell what was the problem with her parents but she also didn't look like the spoiled brats who were getting upset with their parents because they weren't granted everything they were demanding. "Hmm, maybe." he mused as he leaned back against the window's frame and his eyes glazed over for a moment. "I would describe mine as irrelevant." he said about his own who were non-magical. "They are both muggles." Ulysses explained. "I have to describe everything to them extensively. They don't understand magic. Even now that I want them to go to Diagon Alley for an errand, I had to write them what they have to do analytically." he rolled his eyes and rested his head back on the wall. He couldn't really blame them but sometimes there were moments when he was back home for holidays that he need someone to talk about the charms he had learnt or the potions he had brew throughout the previous semester. Ulysses didn't know exactly how come Alana's parents were unfair but he thought that a conversation with them could solve her problem. "Why don't you talk to them?" he suggested with a shrug. "Let them know what's bothering you. Talking and expressing oneself, helps most of the time." he advised and glanced at her to see how she had received his recommendation.

 

[Alana Finch]

Alana gave the boy a small smile as he recalled their seating placement in History of Magic. The Slytherin girl didn't know anything about the boy, other than the state of the relationship with his owl. That wasn't much, though it wasn't long before she learned more. The Ravenclaw was a muggleborn. The girl's red eyes gave the boy a once over at this revelation, looking for anything that made him look different than other witches and wizards. There was nothing on his outward appearance that would have given that away. Alana didn't know what to make of this. He'd been nice to her, but her parents had always cautioned her against people who knew little or nothing of magic. Well, I don't care what they think right now, she reminded herself. Ulysses had been nice to her, after all. And, at least for today, she wouldn't hold being a muggleborn against him.

At his suggestion to talk to them, Alana nearly laughed out loud. "My parents aren't exactly the listening type. They talk and my brother and I listen" she explained quietly. Well, she listened anyway. Sometimes, she got the sense that while her brother heard what their parents said, he didn't always blindly obey them. Another shrug came from the girl. "I'll figure something out" she replied, though she didn't think she would. The letter had made it sound like this was already signed and sealed. And, she'd be the one stuck delivering. Hopping off of the window ledge, Alana stuffed her hand in her pockets, feeling the ripped up pieces of paper, the weight of the future before her heavy. "I'll see you around" she replied, her guard coming up once again. She headed off, but stopped at the door. "If you ever need help with...Houdini, did you call him? Um...you can find me. I'll help" she added, hurrying off before she could hear his reply. The Slytherin headed for the stairs, taking them as quickly as she could down to the dungeon. She had a lot of thinking to do.

 

[Ulysses Viteri]

Alana's reaction to his advise and what she said, left a frown on his face. If it was true then this was sad. This could also explain why so looked so upset. Whatever her problem was, possibly her parents weren't willing to listen to her. "I'm sorry to hear that." he said thoughtfully and pursed his lips in sympathy. He wished he could do more to help her but she seemed determined to deal with it on her own. He watched her leaping off her ledge and he knew she was about to leave. Didn't blame her at all. Perhaps she needed some privacy to think. "Okay. See ya." he said from the ledge with a hint of concern in his voice. He smiled when she offered to help him if he had trouble again with his owl. "Thanks! The same goes with you if I can help." he offered back in case she felt like talking to someone. "Take care." he said but she had already hurried out the tower. She left but his worry about his telescope returned. He stayed there watching down at the ground while thinking of how he could kill his time now that he couldn't stargaze. A few minutes later he leaped off the ledge as well. He was going to find his friend Doriana and see what she was up to.