Clarke dreamed vividly that night, her whole life seemed to be crashing onto her at once. She imagined her father enveloped in a bright green glow, dark-clad figures surrounding him. A frozen expression of fear muddled his features. As her father's body hit the ground, Clarke recognized one of the figures, who had removed their hood. Professor Jaha? The vision grew fuzzy and Clarke's mind shifted before she could make out any more details, or even understand the ones she had noticed. The dark scene lightened and Clarke was sitting at the Slytherin table, surrounded by her housemates. They were pounding their fists on the table and clapping her on the back. Green and silver banners lined the Great Hall. I just won us the house cup? The final dream swept into Clarke's reeling head. She was sitting at the top of the Astronomy Tower, which Clarke had only seen in pictures, and had never actually been in. There was a large section of the wall gone so many students could study the night sky at once. She sat on the ledge with her feet dangling off, basking in the quiet sounds of the night: strange noises from the forest across the grounds that seemed to bleed darkness, a slight splashing sound carried around the castle from the lake to where Clarke was sitting. Through the noise, Clarke could hear her own heartbeat, beating like a war drum.
"Clarke," Lexa's voice broke through her dreams and guided her to consciousness.
Sitting up, Clarke rubbed her eyes. The tip of Lexa's wand glowed faintly, dispelling the green glow that perpetually permeated the room. Lexa put a finger over her lips and pointed toward Echo. She then stood up and motioned for Clarke to follow her out of the room. Clarke threw off her blankets, which were already a tangled mess, and slipped out of the room, wondering what Lexa was up to this time.
Once they were safely in the common room, Clarke asked what time is was and why on earth Lexa would wake her. Her internal clock may not have been up to snuff, but she knew it couldn't be any later than three in the morning.
"I want to explore. We've already spent a day and a half here. I want to know more about the castle, its secrets. Plus, I want to help your perfect the spell before Transfiguration tomorrow-- well, today. We have a few hours until sunrise, so let's make the most of it," Lexa was already walking toward the door of the common room.
Clarke sighed, always on the move, that one. She won't ever slow down enough to let life, or me, catch up to her. Regardless, Clarke followed the illuminated figure in front of her, praying that they wouldn't get in trouble on their second day of school.
Once in the corridor, the door to the Slytherin common room shimmered and disappeared. A tingle of excitement grew inside Clarke's heart. She had no idea where Lexa planned to go, but the girl clearly had a plan in her mind.
"I've spent years dreaming about coming to school. I practically absorbed Hogwarts: A History years ago, and I still read it occasionally. I have always wanted to know more about it, to see it with my own eyes, to explore the halls and classrooms, the corridors and secret passages. I wanted to do it last night, but I knew it would be difficult to drag you out of bed to come with me," Lexa whispered as they walked down a dimly lit corridor.
Well she's definitely right about that last part.
Clarke glanced uneasily in classrooms and around corners. It would be so easy for a teacher to be prowling the halls, awaiting the sleepless, delinquents, or adventurers who dared wander the corridors at night.
"Where are we going, anyway?" Clarke whispered, her heart thumping wildly. Something told her that it wasn't solely the fear of getting caught that caused her breath to hitch and her palms to sweat.
"The astronomy tower. I want to look at the sky and see the ground. It's different at night. You see, Clarke, during the day, the blue sky meets the green ground at a clearly definable spot. There is a horizon line, and you can see it. In the dark, the lines fade and shadows blur the separation between sky and ground. They are no longer two separate entities, but one."
"That's an interesting way to put it. I used to draw landscapes, but never in the dark. It really would be a whole different perspective..." Clarke said as they turned another corner.
"My mother told me a story once. It was about a girl who lived in the sky and a girl who ruled on the ground. The girl in the sky fell, cast out of her home. She hurtled toward the ground, expecting to hit it hard and die. What she didn't know was that the ground was soft, embracing the girl when she fell. She had fallen right into the arms of the girl on the ground. The girl on the ground accepted her, even though they came from different places and believed different things. Many of the people that the girl on the ground ruled didn't trust the girl from the sky, but their ruler did. The girls learned to trust each other one bit at a time, and eventually fell in love with each other. As their trust grew, the distinction between sky and ground began to fade. Slowly, the sky and the ground became one, unified against their enemies," Lexa's voice trailed off as her forest green eyes met Clarke's sky blue ones.
"That's beautiful," Clarke said in awe, forgetting about teachers and the possibility of being caught for a few moments as she allowed Lexa's words to envelop her. Clarke could see Lexa as the ruler of the ground. Her eyes seemed to reflect the spirit of forests: green and brimming with life. A royal air surrounded her, visible to all yet invisible to the eye. Clarke just couldn't put herself in the shoes of the girl in the sky. What made her able to fly? What about the sky held any part of Clarke's personality? How could she soar above the clouds with the weights that have dragged her down for her entire life?
"I think it is, too." Lexa paused to open a door, which the girls then began their ascent into the highest tower at Hogwarts. Their footsteps bounced hauntingly off of the brick walls, drowning out their breathing, which gave Lexa a chance to think. Lexa had never considered herself to be the girl from the ground. What made her capable of ruling others? How could she make others follow her and obey her commands? She knew that Clarke, of course, fit the role of the girl in the sky. Her eyes could seem cloudy if she's in a bad mood, but were otherwise clear and bright like the blue sky on a sunny day. Clarke could make art, similar to how the sky paints the sunrise every morning and the sunset every night. It creates beauty for others to see.
Upon reaching the top, the two went inside the room and peered around, admiring the telescopes, star charts, and other classroom items.
Clarke's breath hitched in her throat as she realized this was exactly like her dream, only instead of being alone, she was with Lexa. She walked over to the other side of the tower and sat down with her feet dangling off into the night sky. She scanned the sky, as well as the dark forest as Lexa sat down next to her.
"I guess this isn't as much of an adventure as you probably thought it would be. I wanted to explore the castle more, but after I told you the story about the sky and the ground... It inspired me to stay here," Lexa, for seemingly the first time since Clarke had met her, was stumbling over her words. She seemed almost awkward.
Clarke smiled and let her eyes wander the scene in front of her, "Don't worry about it, Lexa, I prefer this over anything else."
"Drink up the view now, Clarke. And then we'll work on that charm for Transfiguration. You need to be able to do it," Lexa pulled a few matches out of her pocket and laid them on the floor next to her.
For a long time, the girls sat in silence, each admiring the inky picture that spread out in front of them.
To her far left, Clarke could barely make out tall stands and a few hoops, which she assumed to be the quidditch pitch. In the murky shadows, Clarke could barely make out the different colored banners on the stands to hold each of the four houses' students. Much closer to her sprawled the long bridge that spanned the small gorge on one side of the castle. Although it looked ready to collapse, Clarke knew it had withstood centuries of students traversing the worn wooden path. Her eyes followed the bridge to a small stone hut at the edge of the forest. Wells had told her on the train that it belonged to the groundskeeper, Gideon. A small swirl of smoke curled out of the chimney and climbed into the sky.
Finally, Clarke's eyes took in the expanse of the Forbidden Forest. Small, spread out trees flanked the edges of the shadowy place, but they were merely guards of the monstrous trunks, expansive branches, and opaque leaves that formed the heart of the forest. It was home to perhaps hundreds of different kinds of magical creatures, most of whom you wouldn't want to meet.
Clarke managed to pull her eyes away from the entrancing sights. She turned to Lexa, pulling out her wand. Lexa handed her a match.
"Before you start, I want you to do something. I once read that the happier you are, the more effective charms are. It is also similar with dark magic, except one must feel rage and hatred. Think of a time when you were happy, and try to imagine the happiness you will feel when you succeed in casting the spell. Do you feel happiness?"
Clarke nodded, looking down at her match, a faint smile playing about her lips. She closed her eyes and commanded the match to change.
Clarke wasn't sure what she had expected. A burst of fireworks from the tip of her wand signaling that she had accomplished something? A voice in her head singing a song to commemorate her? A magical shiver down her spine accepting her into the world of magic?
Instead, Clarke didn't feel any different. A shiny needle now rested in her palm. It hadn't moved, it hadn't given off energy, it hadn't done anything special. It merely was.
Lexa, meanwhile, was gaping at Clarke, "you managed to do that on your first try tonight, but not any of the other hundreds of times yesterday? What am I going to do with all of these matches?"
Lexa pulled another handful of matches out of her pocket.
"First of all you're going to stop being a fire hazard." Clarke picked a dozen of them up in her hand and moved them to her other side, away from Lexa. "And second you're going to learn proper fire safety. You do not keep dozens of matches in your pocket."
Lexa stared at her for a moment, and then let out a laugh. "You're right, that was a bit excessive, and dangerous."
Clarke picked up another and turned it into a needle, and then another.
"You know, Clarke, it won't be months until we learn to summon fire. I need those matches to light my candles. Leave at least some of them as matches."
It was Clarke's turn to laugh. She let her head fall back and allowed a feeling of bliss to envelop her.
Clarke and Lexa talked until the sun began peeking over the forest, painting the landscape before them in a million colors. They sat in awe as the tendrils of light crept further along the grounds, dispelling shadows as it went.
"How often do you draw sunrises? You said you drew landscapes, how many of them were pictures of the sun painting the view?" Lexa asked, her eyes trained on the forest ahead of her.
"Definitely not enough." Clarke dragged her eyes away from the light in front of her to look at Lexa. Her hair was down for the first time since Clarke had met her. The soft waves lay on her shoulders, moving slightly in the subtle breeze. Clarke vowed to draw Lexa one day. She knew she could never fully capture the aura of regality around her, but she could certainly manage the slight tilt of her head, the firm set of her chin, and the wildness of her hair.
"We ought to get moving. Breakfast will start soon and I don't want to be seen leaving the tower by the hordes of students that pass by from the Gryffindor common room," Lexa stood up and offered a hand to Clarke.
Soon the girls were slipping unnoticed into the Great Hall. They sat down, grabbing the same breakfast as the day before.
As they were getting settled, another student plopped onto the bench across from them. Clarke groaned as she looked up and saw the one and only ice princess.
"Where did you two go last night? One moment I'm asleep, and the next my eyelids are being burnt off by some idiot's lit up wand. And newsflash, you suck as whispering."
Lexa was the first to speak, "I'm sorry for waking you up, Echo. I couldn't sleep and I wanted someone to talk to. I also wanted to help Clarke practice her spell for Transfiguration. Have you been able to do it? I could help-" Echo cut Lexa off, clearly noticing she was trying to deflect the original question.
"I don't care about some stupid homework. You two went somewhere, and I want to know where," Echo's frosty tone indicated she wouldn't leave without an answer.
"We didn't go anywhere, and what does it matter to you?" Clarke jumped in.
"It doesn't matter to me, but it might matter to a teacher," Echo's words struck a chord with Clarke. She knew she couldn't get in trouble.
"We snuck out to an empty classroom down the hall from the common room to practice the spell for Transfiguration, okay? We didn't go far and we weren't causing any trouble," Clarke blurted out, hoping there even had been a classroom nearby.
Clarke watched as Echo mulled the information over. Her eyebrows were drawn together and a sneer formed at her lips.
"Whatever, just don't wake me again. Next time I won't be so forgiving," Echo snatched an apple from the fruit basket in front of Clarke and walked away down the aisle between tables, tossing the apple into the air and catching it. She soon disappeared from the Great Hall.
"That bitch," Lexa snarled. "Why, I wouldn't be surprised if she told a teacher anyway. She's a loathsome, haughty witch. Her whole family is. They run around acting like they're better than everyone else because they're purebloods. It isn't blood status that makes you any better, it's how you treat other people."
"Lexa, it's okay. I don't think she'll tell, but I don't doubt she will next time. We just need to be more careful. Come on, let's go to Transfiguration," Clarke tugged on the hood of Lexa's robe, urging her to stand up.
Lexa grudgingly obliged, standing up and stepping over the long bench. They silently made their way to the Transfiguration classroom.
When they entered, Clarke noticed an odd sight. Echo was already there. She leaned back in her chair and put her feet on her desk. Every movement of her body screamed smugness. What had she done?
Clarke sat down at her desk, pulling out another match. She focused on changing the match into a needle and whispered the spell. Almost immediately, a shiny needle was resting on her desk. Clarke smiled, confident that she will pass the first challenge in this class. Lexa nodded her approval.
Without warning, a paper airplane flew onto Clarke's desk, unraveling itself as it touched the worn wood. Clarke picked it up and read the neat handwriting:
Is it true? -Wells (P.S. Write your response and fold the airplane up again, it will fly back to me.)
Confused, Clarke stared at the paper for a long time. Finally she picked up her pen and scribbled back:
What are you talking about?
She folded up the paper and watched it zoom back to Wells. This time, she watched the boy curiously as he deliberately wrote every letter in his careful handwriting. He then folded it a second time. The airplane was just starting to fly back to Clarke when an invisible force snatched it out of the air, sending it flying straight into the hands of none other than Professor Roan, who had just entered the classroom.
"I must inform you that the minute I step into this classroom, class has begun. And I will not have any form of note passing in my class," Professor Roan began unfolding the paper.
Wells stood up, breathing fast, "Please don't read that, sir. It's... It's personal."
"Any note that can be shared between two can be shared with the class. Now Mr. Jaha, would you please come forward and read your note to Miss Griffin to the class?"
Jaha shuffled forward, his back hunched over. When he reached the front of the classroom, he took the note from the professor and turned around. Clarke could sense Echo having a fit at the back of the class. Of course she would enjoy other people's embarrassment. Wells gave Clarke a deeply apologetic look as he began to read. Clarke's stomach dropped as she connected the dots. Echo must have told Wells about Clarke and Lexa sneaking out in the hopes he would try to talk to her about it. She probably expected the professor to enter the classroom, and there had been a tiny chance he would force Wells to share their conversation. The tiny chance turned into Clarke's biggest nightmare.
"I wrote, 'Is it true? From Wells. P.S. Write your response and fold the airplane up again, it will fly back to me.' Clarke responded, 'What are you talking about?' I wrote back, 'Is it true that-'" He broke off, unable to continue.
"Please, go on Mr. Jaha," Professor Roan prodded him. Clarke's cheeks reddened in anticipation. She knew a detention was coming her way.
"Is it true that you and Lexa snuck out last night to snog in an empty classroom?"