amid the falling snow [OPEN]

[Klaus Audley]

Although it seemed as though winter had only just began, it seemed at once that it would soon come to a close. People were spending more time outside since the snow this time hadn’t brought with it the stifling cold. Since he wasn’t outside that much and was still sensitive to the weather, Klaus wore a scarf that was over his nose a little bit. Otherwise he knew that he would come back to the dorm with a red nose… as if he didn’t look goofy enough in his oversized clothes.

It had literally been years since Klaus had built a snowman, but he was working on one. It reminded him of the days before he went to Hogwarts… When he used to play by himself. He didn’t have that many friends even though he had been there for six years, but he had more friends than he had before he came to the magic school. He expected that it was because he was better at hiding his peculiarities. For example, he sometimes liked to pretend that his sister Kimberly who had died twelve years ago had instead survived and was with him here at Hogwarts. Like an imaginary friend… time swept him up from time to time, and he wouldn’t ‘talk’ to her for months at a time. For some reason, though he knew that it was insane, he would feel guilty.

It had started because he didn’t have anyone else that he could relate to, and his sister’s absence had left a hole in his soul. Or so it seemed, anyway. Twins were said to be two halves of the same person. Maybe there was some truth to that. Klaus had an idea that subconsciously his mind had driven him here so that he could spend time on his own… time with his sister. It was his greatest secret because he knew what people would think if they knew that he thought this way.

Before long he had gathered together the three different sized balls of snow, and was searching for pieces to craft the face and coat from. He was more creative about this than a lot of people, using his wand to add temporary color to the chest to resemble a button-up shirt and jacket. He couldn’t think what to make the face from since he knew that coal was the standard thing among children. He remembered that he had some candy in his pocket from the common room, and he brought it out and placed two chocolates for the eyes and a licorice wand for the nose. It wasn’t perfect, but it was something. Nothing left for the mouth…

“Don’t worry about that, I have an idea,” Klaus said aloud, though there was no one there but him and the memory of his sister. With a laugh he took the scarf off of his neck and put it on the snowman, wrapping it around his mouth like he had been wearing it himself. He examined it for a moment, deciding that the sacrifice of a little warmth had been worth it. “What do you think?” he asked with a smile on his face. It was a bit strained. He knew, even though he didn’t want to admit it, that there would never be an answer.

[Meggera Tepes]

Meggera was walking around the school and grounds aimlessly. It was one of those days where she just needed a break from everything. Usually she would find something to draw, but even that seemed to hold no appeal for her today. It was odd, she hadn't felt like this in a long time. Restless, yet having no desire to work on her usual hobbies or homework. The last time she felt like this...she can barely recall. Possibly in first year, but she couldn't be sure. So after a failed attempt to practice her violin and several failed attempts at drawing she had resigned herself to wandering around, sketchbook under her arm.

After wandering the castle for some time she had moved on to wandering the grounds. She had started with the forest edge, picking along the outskirts where the leaves usually landed during the fall. After that she had moved on to the lake, looking out at its glassy surface that hadn't completely frozen over. She half wondered how thick the ice along the edges of the lake had become this year, she recalled a few students skating on it last year it had been so thick. She wasn't about to test it though. The last thing she needed was to fall through and have soaking feet all the way up to the common room.

So now she came up the lawns and back into the courtyard and couldn't help but notice a snowman being built and decorated. She paused for a moment to watch Klaus finish it then speak to no one in particular. “I think you're going to have a very wet scarf once the sun comes out.” she said, unsure at first if she should answer or not, but she figured it couldn't hurt.

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Mood: Restless
Outfit
Tag: Klaus

[Klaus Audley]

Klaus looked startled to hear a voice, to the extent that he nearly fell into the new snowman. Knowing that his surprise was written clearly on his face, he gave an awkward laugh and looked around to be sure at least that the embarrassment had been shared between them only, and not some onlooker. Then he looked back at her and smiled a little bit, in a small way relieved that he was brought away from his thoughts.

“Yeah, you might be right about that. I didn’t think it through before I came here,” he said with a light laugh. “And I didn’t think that anyone was out. You probably think I’m crazy for talking to myself, huh? I guess it is kind of weird, but I don’t do it that often.” Right. Because that made it so much better.

He was glad despite his embarrassment that it was her that found him. She was not an ordinary girl. Instead, she had seemed interested in his comics in the past, unlike many students. Most witches and wizards were just like muggle children in thinking that he was immature for his interests, and those that weren’t that way thought that the comics weren’t terribly exciting because they stayed in one place rather than move in the way that they were used to.

It wasn’t because she was interested in something that Klaus knew a lot about that made him like her. It was just something that always blew him away when he thought about it. She was a Ravenclaw, for one thing (some but not all seemed to think that Hufflepuffs were morons), and a pretty girl, and had seemed so ‘cool’ when he had first seen her. But she was pretty normal in the best way possible.

“What are you doing out here? I mean… It seems like you would be studying or something. Err, not just because you’re a Ravenclaw, I mean because it’s cold outside. N-not that I mind. I was getting kind of bored of myself anyway…” He was so terrible at speaking with girls. He honestly wished it was physically possible to kick his own ass sometimes.

[Meggera Tepes]

She almost giggled when Klaus nearly fell into the snowman, but she wasn't one to giggle senselessly so she merely smiled slightly. It was obvious he hadn't been expecting an response and she had given him quite a surprise. She shrugged, shaking her head at him, “No, not crazy. I think everyone talks to themselves every once in a while. Even I do sometimes while playing violin.” she added, hoping to make him feel a bit more comfortable. Though usually when she was talking to herself it was because she was frustrated over not being able to get a piece of music right.

She walked over to look at the snowman, impressed that he had colored the snow to look like the school jacket and cardigan. It made the snowman unique, which was kind of cool. She had only ever made one snowman, and it had been rather small and plain. Definitely not colorful or at all interesting. Heck her's had bits of rock and twigs for a face and one of her fathers old hats on.

She couldn't help but laugh slightly at what he said next, not to be mean or anything but it was amusing that he seemed to think he might have offended her. She shook her head, rocking back on her heels, “I actually like the cold a lot. It reminds me of Romania... I honestly didn't feel like studying today, or doing anything productive really.” she said, it probably sounded really odd for someone like her to be saying that, but she couldn't help it. She just felt so restless today, nothing she usually did seemed to satisfy the feeling either. “How about you? Granted I see the appeal of building a snowman, but I expected everyone to be inside on a day like this.” she asked. It wasn't everyone who liked such cold weather like her.

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Mood: Restless
Outfit
Tag: Klaus

[Klaus Audley]

“You're probably right,”

[/color] Klaus said with relief. He didn't want to tell her that he wasn't talking to himself – not exactly – when she had given him a good enough excuse. Maybe it meant that she talked to herself sometimes. He had the suspicion that some Ravenclaws had built in filing cabinets in their brains, and had to talk themselves into finding things. He grinned a little bit at the thought, the lonely feeling leaving him slowly now that he wasn't left with his thoughts.

For some reason, Klaus was a bit self-conscious when Meggera started to look at the snowman more closely. It wasn't as though he had made it to impress anyone, just to waste his day away, but he couldn't help the feeling anyway. “This was kind of a rush job. You know, I wasn't expecting to make a snowman until it happened... I guess that it could be worse... Some Slytherins came by and made one, then used another kid's clothes to decorate it. You know... They do that sometimes.”[/color] He was aware about halfway through that he should shut up... He just couldn't.

“Everyone is inside, mostly... That's why I'm out here. I don't know... sometimes I just don't like to be around the crowds. I'm not anti-social or anything like that, I just think that I get in the way sometimes. Besides, I think that being out in the cold makes you stronger... Was it really this cold in Romania? Or is it only certain times of year?” [/color]While Klaus was a nerd, his knowledge was almost entirely about things that didn't matter at Hogwarts. Comics, random facts that he would bring up when the rare opportunity presented itself.... [/blockquote][/size]

[Meggera Tepes]

She nodded as he talked about his snowman and the one some of the Slytherins had made. “Yeah...some of them aren't very nice are they? Luckily I've had few run-ins with the nastier ones.” she said, shaking her head and glancing over to the other snowman in the area that still had the students clothes draped over it. Really, she couldn't stand bullies. If she were a more outspoken person she might say more about it, or try to stop it. She wasn't, unfortunately, very outspoken. Though she often wished she was.

“I'm not a huge fan of crowds either...people are always in someone elses business when everyones in close quarters for to long. Though I'm not sure you'd get in the way to much unless people are just looking for trouble.” she said. From what she had seen in class he didn't seem one to actively get in anyones way. “And yes, where we used to live in Romania its somewhat cool most of the year. More so then the rest of the country because we're in a valley surrounded by mountains.” It was a beautiful place, but it only really warmed up during the summer and even when it did you could count on any rivers or stream to be ice cold from the mountain snow melting. Which was fine with Meggera, she wasn't a big fan of hot weather anyways.


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Mood: Restless
Outfit
Tag: Klaus

[Klaus Audley]

Klaus was surprised by Meggera's words. Not that she had avoided Slytherins, she seemed like she would generally keep to herself... But the way that she had worded it! As though there was such thing as a less nasty Slytherin. Maybe it was only his own experiences, though. It was stupid to assume that there was only one kind of Slytherin at Hogwarts, just as there must be some kind of life elsewhere in space... even if no one ever really saw them. “You're lucky... But maybe I could learn something from you. I have a bad habit of sticking out only when I shouldn't. Then again, Slytherins are more tolerant of Ravenclaws, especially when they're beautiful.”

[/color] Although he'd just said something a bit embarrassing, he just smiled at her, because he was proud of himself for being forward without being insulting... so he hoped.

“I do blend in most of the time, which is good, I guess. When people are in big groups, especially their friends, they tend to do things that they wouldn't do on their own. That can turn bad sometimes, too,”[/color] Klaus said, clearly speaking from a past experience. He rather admired the way that Meggera seemed to know what was going on around her without getting herself in danger or trouble.

“Used to live? Oh, right... You probably had to move when you came to Hogwarts. I don't mean to pry in your business or anything like that, but do you miss it there?” [/color][/size][/blockquote]

[Meggera Tepes]

She smiled lightly at the compliment, “Thank you, you're sweet.” she said, though she doubted her looks had something to do with not being teased. She knew plenty of girls who she considered far more attractive then herself that were teased quite frequently. She just had a habit of making herself fall into the background when she noticed bullies around or extracted herself from the room if possible.

Meggera nodded. “It certainly can turn bad quickly. Thats why I end up outside so often, I leave when people start acting...ridiculous. Nothing good tends to follow when they do.” she said, taking one step back so she was no longer leaning close to the snowman. She rocked back on her heels again in the snow, hearing the satisfying crunch of the ice. “Mmm yes, we moved to England a few years before we started first year. I do miss it, but I must say I enjoy the urbanism of England. Romania is still very old fashioned in some ways, so its nice to have the change of pace.” she said with a smile. “How about you? Where is it you live?”


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Mood: Restless
Outfit
Tag: Klaus

[Klaus Audley]

Klaus laughed a little bit. “Right! That's why Ravenclaws seem to be in the hospital wing less than the other houses... Because they know when to disappear. Gryffindors are too brave, Hufflepuffs like to think that it is going to end better than it does... and Slytherins are usually the ones that are causing the trouble.”

[/color]He knew that was a very general way of thinking, and quite narrow minded. But he wondered if it wasn't the truth. After all, stereotypes were there for a reason as he always said, and what he'd observed had proven them right.

He wondered if her parents had moved just so that she could start school. Maybe there weren't magic schools in Romania, but maybe it was something more complex than that. Especially since it was a few years before she started school that they moved. Some people just moved from one country to another, though Klaus couldn't imagine his parents ever doing that. “Well, my family can be old fashioned sometimes too. I'm from Scotland. Just a small place... You know, not many muggles around. Which is kind of funny seeing as my family is made up of muggles. Still, they know that I do magic and I don't have to be so careful when I do it. Or... when I did, before I could control it.” [/color]Unfortunately, it wasn't such a remote area that there weren't people stopping by once in a while. If it were, then... well, there wouldn't have been any cars around the day that his sister died.[/size][/blockquote]

[Meggera Tepes]

“Mmmhmm, thats true in most cases it seems...though I have seen some Gryffindors causing trouble from time to time. They seem to be more harmless though.” she mused lightly. Their pranks tended to be more harmless and less cruel then the pranks she'd witnessed some Slytherins had pulled. Especially in the recent years it seemed. People just seemed to be getting more rambunctious lately, perhaps it was because of the Triwizard tournament?

So he was from Scotland, that was interesting. She had read some celtic mythology last year, she wondered how prevalent it was in peoples modern knowledge but she wouldn't bother her about that just yet. After all she hadn't looked at those books in a few months, she didn't want to get it wrong. “Its nice that they accept it. Magic that is. It must be a real shock coming to Diagon Alley and such for your supplies every year for them. Just as its a shock for someone like me when traveling into Muggle London.” she said. She couldn't help but be a bit curious. She and her family had dealings with Muggles, but it was usually in their own house, not out in the world except on a few occassions.

“So do you live in a remote area like the country side? Or by the coast?” she asked curiously since he said there weren't many muggles around despite his family. She had seen pictures of Scotland, it looked like a very pretty place to grow up.

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Mood: Restless
Outfit
Tag: Klaus

[Klaus Audley]

Klaus nodded softly. There were people in every house that caused trouble. For him, it was mostly Slytherin with some Ravenclaws that just didn't like him and his housemates because they were the opposite house, but he was sure that there were people in Hufflepuff that got on the nerves of others. They weren't known as the party house for no reason, after all, and those that earned the reputation never seemed to slow down. It was like another world for the loner Klaus, though.

He laughed, remembering the first time that he and his family had gone to Diagon Alley. “Yeah, it was interesting. It almost felt to me like I was showing off to them the world that I had always known, even though as a muggle I didn't know something like that ever existed. We went there in the morning and we stayed as long as we could. My parents sometimes aren't sure what to think about it, but... My little sister cried when she didn't get a letter when she turned ten.”

[/color] His smile faded only slightly because he did feel bad for little Danielle.

“It's a remote place, a lot of plant life. It's beautiful there, I guess, though I got used to it. I only realized how nice it was when I came home at the end of the year. We were lucky that we lived there since I think my magic would have attracted more trouble than it did. It was probably easier for you, huh?”[/color][/blockquote]

[Meggera Tepes]

She smiled slightly as he explained about showing his parents everything and how they had stayed all day. It must be exciting to experience such a new world with so many possibilities. “Your poor little sister...I can't imagine how that must have been for her, but at least she can still experience things in the wizarding world through you. Have you brought her any of the candy yet? My little brother used to go insane over the candy I would send him.” she said with a small laugh.

She shook her head, “It was a bit easier, yes. We live in a mostly magical area just outside of Brighton so we didn't have to worry to much. The only muggles in the area are rather old and retired, so they don't notice much or just write it off as their eyes playing tricks on them.” she said with a smile. It was fairly lucky too, as her brothers loved flying around on their brooms. She was fairly surprised they hadn't been seen when that old couple was out and about.

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Mood: Restless
Outfit
Tag: Klaus