Until next time

[Sapphire Bookchild]

Something had happened to young Sapphire Bookchild this year. Something far greater than being thrown out of the only home she had ever known, greater than finding people that actually cared for her. Sapphire had found herself somehow, not totally to the point where she could say that she knew herself compleatly but she had a confidence to herself now that had not been there before. May have come from not having to go back to Bella-Donna Manor that did it but Sapphire could see an entire life in front of her now.

Sapphire had not seen her friend in the evening after 'Rumor' had torn through the school like hell fire. Not the next night ether. She had every intention to get in contact with him but first classwork, then O.W.L had gotten in the way. Now she was out excuses she had to see him before school ended. More over she had to see him before the yearbooks went out. They had gotten nominated for cutest couple when there was not couple to speak of. The very thought of it brought the pinkest blush to her cheeks. If they won they it would be all the more embarrassing. Sapphire choose a spot on a window still and looked out at the sky. She was actually looking forward to the winter vacation this time around. Even if she was going to stay local.

 

[Jeremy Thorne]

Grateful that exams were over and he'd be on his way back to the States tomorrow, Jeremy had just finished his last minute packing. He was fairly certain that he had packed everything, though he also knew that he would be doing a last minute sweep of the closet, the space between his bed and the wall and the underside of the bed. It was just his habit. Deciding to go for a walk as he left his roommates to finish their packing, Jeremy headed up to the North Tower, oblivious to who he would find there.

When he spotted her, Jeremy almost froze in place. He recalled that he'd promised to meet up with her the day the magazine had been released, but then he hadn't. It had completely slipped his mind and by the time he'd remembered again, it had been several days later. It wasn't that Sapphire wasn't his friend, but all of the insinuations that they were a couple or ought to be one, first in the yearbook nominations and then in that dreadful magazine and then from his friend, Dymetris, were confusing and a bit annoying. She was his friend, and he had liked it that way, though now the idea of being around her was becoming awkward as he still wasn't exactly sure how she felt. Does she even still want to be my friend? he wondered. That was something he would have to think about some more. Jeremy knew that he had to speak to her now before their friendship suffered because of all of this unnecessary drama. "Are you all packed up then?" he asked as he strode closer and leaned against the wall beside her.

 

[Sapphire Bookchild]

Sapphire smiled wide when she heard Jeremy's voice. She was happy to see him even though everything between them was now very aquward thanks to public opinion. He knew how she felt, that was never going to change though she could try and lessen the hurt of him not liking her back. Sapphire had survived many things a broken heart wouldn't be much different though he had not given her an answer back at the Owlry. Sapphire nodded then the smoke ascended from the back of her collared shirt.

"And you? Bet you can't wait to get home and away from all this trivia. You would think those with magic and understanding of another world would mature faster that those with out. I had always been told that those of magic blood are superior to those without but school is school. Worse here that we live together most of the time. Dympna wrong yet again." Sapphire's smoke formed, ever sentence staying just long enough to be read before it was reformed into another thought. It was conviniant to say the least. Sapphire placed a hand to her lips to signal that what she was saying was supposed to be funny.

 

[Jeremy Thorne]

Jeremy nodded as he watched the smoke's words. "You can say that again" he mumbled. Jeremy was certainly very eager to go home. Older students had warned him before that lessons got more difficult but noone had ever warned him of the difficulties that came with being an older student that weren't school related. Schoolwork was actually the easy part. It was everything else that was extremely difficult. The rumors, the stress, and the confusing conversations with girls were all things that Jeremy wasn't sure he'd ever get used to.

Chuckling, Jeremy replied. "Please...having magic just adds another layer of craziness to our lives" he began, "sometimes, I think that the muggles have it much easier." He nodded his agreement, "Yea, I think things would be a little easier if we didn't all live together, but..." he shrugged his shoulders. Most of the time, Jeremy didn't mind his roommates and everyone else but sometimes he felt like strangling his roomies. "Is everything ok with you?", and Tyler he added silently. Even though Sapphire denied that she was involved with the Ravenclaw, a lot of other things in the magazine had been true so there had to be some truth to what had been written. Still, Jeremy wasn't forward or blunt enough to simply ask. It wasn't his style.

 

[Sapphire Bookchild]

Sapphire saw the question in those sky colored eyes of his. She waived it off. She didn't mind talking about it with Jeremy. "Other than some light teasing I've been fine. I dealt with worse, you know somewhat why." She said looking over her glasses at Jeremy. She was still cursed despite everything that happened so she wasn't exactly at liberty to talk about it but she had shown Jeremy some of what she had been though. "And none of it came from that disgusting son of a toad so again I'm fine with it. Jeremy I know how the ugly trash of a magezene painted what was going on between me and Taylor but it't not like that. Taylor nearly violated me." The smoke formed. Instead of it's normal yellow color it had turned an vivid red to show how she felt.

Sapphire shivered at the memory of the events that happened that day. She wrapped her arms around herself and brought one knee up under her chin because she needed to other one to keep her on the window still. "Trust me if I had wanted to date a creep I would wait for Phobos, an other one of Dympna's children." The smoke spelled out. Sapphire shivered again when she though of Phobos. She was lucky that the terror child had never taken an interest in her. Not not as much of one as he had taken in her brother Jasper anyway. Ruby got the blunt of the cruelty that was Phobos and Poppy. Sapphire had gotten some of the torment that the two of them dished out but not as bad as those two. Still she feared the glitter in had been in the eyes of Phobos the last time she had been in the Manor.

 

[Jeremy Thorne]

Jeremy put his hands into his pocket as he listened to Sapphire's answer. He was glad that she seemed to be doing alright. He was a bit surprised at the ferocity of her response and that more than anything else made him believe that she and Tyler were nothing. "I know it wasn't" he stated quietly, an odd tone to his voice. That the guy had done something that Sapphire hadn't welcomed upset the Ravenclaw more than he let on. His friend had been through more than enough with people violating her, and the fact that a student, especially a guy, thought he could force himself on any girl was infuriating to the sixth year. He had been raised to give women the utmost respect.

Hearing the name of the woman who had tormented Sapphire for who knew how long reminded Jeremy of something he'd been wanting to ask his friend. "Are you still going to do what you told me at the beginning of the term? About turning Dympna in?" he asked, his hands coming out of his pocket as he sat in the space beside her on the window sill. They were sitting pretty close but he wanted to have a view of people coming up the stairs. This was a sensitive topic and he didn't want anyone overhearing, especially not the stupid magazine person.

 

[Sapphire Bookchild]

Sapphire nodded. "I sort of already have. I sent the book I was working to Morgan who is going to show to the Ministry so they can do something about it. I hope they can. Dympna needs to be stopped." The smoke said now turning a soft blue. She hoped that whatever happened that Ruby would be able to make it out of there safe and without worry. Ruby had be on the very edge of crumbling by now. Her sister had been so fragile when Sapphire had been thrown out. What had the house done to her now.

"Will get an update on what's going on when I get to Morgan's cottage. Want me to write you letters to keep you updated too? She asked tilting her head. Sapphire smiled at him though her eyes where sad. Though he could never love her, in her mind, it meant a lot to her that he was hear and talking to her. Really talking to her. He was here for her now that she had the whole Bella-Donna thing going on. She also wanted, for the first time, to keep in contact with him over the vacation. After all the coming year he would be a seventh year and she would be a sixth year. Who know where life would lead them but she didn't want to lose contact with Jeremy. At least she would have that much of him with her.

 

[Jeremy Thorne]

Jeremy's eyebrows raised as he watched the smoke. He continued to listen silently though, his blue eyes staying on the blue smoke as it wisped around. He hoped with all of his being that the ministry would be able to do something about the woman. She had to be stopped. From the sound of it, Sapphire wasn't the only child who had resided with that woman and who knew what tortures they had endured or were currently enduring. It was dreadful to think that someone could do something like that. "It's in their hands now then" he murmured.

Reading the last little bit of smoke, Jeremy turned his head so that he was looking at Sapphire. Had he been more aware, Jeremy might have noticed the hint of sadness in her eyes as she looked at him. Although he had been told first by Sapphire and then by Dymetris about Sapphire's feelings for him, and although he was aware of the depth of her feelings, Jeremy didn't feel the same way about anyone so he didn't really understand how she felt. To him, it was just a harmless crush, one that he hoped would not ruin their friendship. He'd had crushes before and currently had one now, though it wasn't on the Hufflepuff before him. Shrugging his shoulders, he replied. "Sure. I'll be back in the states but I'm sure your owl will find me." The Ravenclaw knew that he should probably say something more. "Try to keep yourself out of trouble over the vacation" he said, before smiling and adding innocently, "and stay away from creepy guys."

 

[Sapphire Bookchild]

Sapphire could guess. The Soul children where thriving, well three of them where. They where her pride and joys. Violet and Poppy had once tripped Sapphire when she was carrying a tray full of the potions that they where supposed to take as a part of her expirament so she would get in trouble. Sapphire was riving on the floor for hours afterwards from the pain of her punishment afterwards all the while Violet, Poppy and Zeal watched her and laughed. Dympna had been pleased with this so, leaving Sapphire on the basement floor to collect herself, she took them up to the kitchen to get them treats before she completed the trial herself. Sapphire put her head on her knee and waited for the flashback to stop before going on. It was times like this she wised that someone would Oblive her so she could have a normal life.

The memory left her just in time to tune into what Jeremy was saying. "I think Doodle would be up for the job. The smoke formed as she thought of the owl that she had been allowed to get since she got to the Le Fey household. She had called him Doodle for a lack of creativity. That and he looked a bit like the sketch of an owl that she had done at one point. Sapphire had found the most friendly beast in the shop it seemed and she was happy for it. "I think there is just enough time to give my room a once over and to check up on how my Indian friend is doing." the smoke said then gave Jeremy a friendly kiss on the cheek. See you here when semester starts. Sapphire left trailing behind her as she slipped off the window still and went on her way back to Hufflepuff dorms.

 

[Jeremy Thorne]

Jeremy smirked at the name of Sapphire's owl. It suited an owl that she would own. Thinking of his own owl, who was now off delivering a message to his quill pal, Jeremy realized that Avalon would be extremely busy during this vacation. It would be good for her. Jeremy thought that she was looking a bit on the plump side. Reading the wispy smoke, Jeremy figured that he had better get back to his room. He had to make sure his roommates didn't take any of his stuff, claiming that it had found its way into their bags. He blushed slightly as she placed a kiss on his cheek. Holding his hand up as she slipped off the window sill, Jeremy called out, "See you then."

The sixth year Ravenclaw remained on the window sill for a few moments, turning his body to gaze out the window and watch the students who either were done packing or didn't care enough to be inside packing. This time next year, he would be almost out of school and ready to start his career. Jeremy didn't like to think too far ahead, so with a sigh he rose from the sill and slowly made his way back to his dorm room.