⊹.⋆°•*⁀➷ 𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖙𝖍𝖗𝖊𝖊 ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ
𝑨𝑺𝑻𝑹𝑶𝑷𝑯𝑰𝑳𝑰𝑨
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The wind howls as the students arrive through the gates, hustling and bustling down the corridors. Friends are greeting each other with a hug or a playful punch while first years, newcomers as Eva calls them, stand looking scared. The seventh-years stand tall and proud, a confidence born of experience. Soon a professor calls out a time warning and everybody runs except an occasional slow student or chatterbox. Everybody goes into their respective classrooms except Eva and she is the only one of those people left in the hallway.
The girl does have class, but finds herself desperately in need of a break. While she very much enjoys the silence and the calm ambiance that makes the Ravenclaw common room, she does not feel like spending time in there with other students stressing unnecessarily over homework. Yes, it has only been a week of school, but some Ravenclaws were desperate to keep up the smart reputation of their house; Eva could care less. It is not that she does not want to be successful or finish her assignments on time, but it is not worth all the stress it brings her. The girl sees how it affects others, heck, she is in Ravenclaw of all houses, so would it really be smart to subject herself to that type of frustration?
She goes to the spot she found in the late second year, a place she goes when something goes wrong, or she just needs a breather; the astronomy tower. Of course a location a bit to the side, as other students tend to crowd the main area. Cliche? Very, but calming nonetheless.
When she reaches her destination and lets her bag drop down onto the floor, she realizes the sun has already begun to set. It had taken quite a long time to get to the tower, though she hardly noticed that. She let her back slide down the wall and let out a heavy breath. Evas head soon rested against the stone as her eyes trailed the sky, changing as it always does.
The once blue and sunny sky is now pink with a slight hint of orange. The orange-gold spreads far and wide, the color of a homely hearth and ripe tangerines. She watches the glowing orb go down, down, down, until it dips below the horizon and out of sight. Her face is aglow with the last dim rays before twilight beckons the stars.
Eva does not leave at this time as other students usually do. After all, hence the sunset is over, the best part is about to commence.
Eva has always hated her astronomy class - studying the stars and creating charts - but she loves the beauty of the stars. To her, astronomy is like connecting a bunch of dots, but without numbers to guide her. She does not like identifying them much either, for it makes her head hurt. Instead, she sits with her feet dangling over the side of the ledge and continues to gaze up at the sky. Hogwarts truly is something else.
Even in the velvet darkness, there is the light of the stars. She lies under the stars, which are like a beautiful, surreal blanket above her head. There are lighter patches, clusters of faint and bold light, the constellations altered according to the time of year.
The compound should be empty by now, but echoing down the concrete walls are undoubtedly footsteps. For a moment Eva worries it may be a professor, or even Filch, coming to tell her off, though she did not think it had gotten to that late hour.
The footsteps grow louder and her breath hitches as she realizes whomever they belong to is coming in her direction. Her hickory hair brushes against her collarbones as her head whips around to the noise.
The figure comes into view. It is a boy. She is not one to assume gender, and she definitely would not, it is just that she knows exactly who the person is.
Eva could not tell if he knew she was sitting a few paces away, his eyes hidden somewhere beneath that mop of black hair that dominates his narrow face. She does not know if she had ever seen him without his robes freshly pressed or hair slickly combed back, but here he was, in just that. He holds himself like he's trying to take up even less space than he already does and his clothes, undoubtedly tailored just for him, only exaggerate his skinniness.
He looks so lost; not as in sense of direction, but thought. As the light breeze tosses his locks of raven hair backward, his blue eyes finally meet with her watching ones.
"Oh," Regulus Black says, his eyes widening for just a moment. "I didn't know-"
"It's fine," she tells him softly, cutting him off. She stands up and picks up her bag that she had placed to her side. "I was about to go anyway."
He lets out a sharp breath from his nose. "If you despise my company to that extent, so be it, and you can go ahead." His voice did not raise, and his tone did not match the seeming harshness of his words.
Her eyebrows knit tightly together as she tried to calculate the boy. His gaze breaks from hers as he shifts to lean lazily against the railing toward the edge of the rooftop. His eyes trace the sky and it seems as if he has chosen to now ignore Evas presence.
She does not say anything. She simply placed her bag back down and lowered her body to the ground. She chose a sitting position this time, then watching the stars as she had done before. This time, though, the girl found it difficult for her to focus on the gifts of the night sky. The boy a few paces away from her is curious. His presence was so abrupt, she did not really know what to make of it.
The whole interaction is...strange. Maybe awkward even. Well, for Eva, not him. He could stand there lazily with his cold facade all he wants, while she simply watches with unbridled curiosity.
Eva likes to think of herself as observant. She has forever been a person who looks 'too deep' into something or someone. That is because she realized from a young age that there is always more than what meets the eye.
People are just so easy to read - they bleed emotions even in the way they drink their morning cup of tea. No one seems to notice, though. They are all too busy drinking their damn tea.
While some people think it is strange, somewhat stalkerish, Eva thinks her way of observation is more empathetic. That could mean that if someone insists they are fine, she could tell whether or not they are lying. But she would not lie, she sees how some things may seem a bit more than being observant.
The marauders were a great example, though Eva thinks it is more of a not well-kept secret. She has known all along that Remus is a werewolf. The girl has never mentioned the fact, she would not want to make Remus worry about one more person knowing his secret. The one month at Hogwarts that seemed to be full of bliss was when the remainder of the four was turning into animagi; limiting the use of their voices. Nobody else seemed to notice, but she did. It was quite obvious really. Their nicknames, the monthly hospital visits, the whole mysterious vibe. She knew it, but they still do not know she is aware.
A chill breeze brings Eva back from her thoughts; something she can easily find herself lost in.
Regulus has still yet to say something, leaving them in silence. As a quiet person, it may seem she enjoys such silence. That is true, she can enjoy bits of silence, but she would much rather not. Silence to her is like a gaping void, needing to be filled with sounds, words, anything.
The first thing she can think of is the stars.
"That is Sagittarius, right?" Eva questions, causing his head to swivel in her direction. She moved her hand again. "Regulus is...that one?"
He walks the few paces over to her in silence, grabbing her wrist carefully and pointing her extended finger toward the correct star. His hands are surprisingly soft, though large and wrapped in veins.
"You must know where Sirius is then," he says in his deep silvery voice.
"Never shuts up about it, Sirius. It's the brightest one," she shifts her hand a bit higher.
"Couldn't forget it if I tried." She lets out a breathy laugh and the side of his mouth quirks up.
She moves so her elbows are on her knees, her chin propped up between them.
"Why are you talking to me? Even if it's so little, why?" She asks nonchalantly, now observing the stars.
"What, do you want me to leave?"
"You just got here, you aren't about to go, are you? You just don't strike me as a person to tolerate somebody else's presence."
He let out a light scoff. "Why are you up here?" he asks, shoving his hands in his pockets. He avoided the question, quite obviously, but she does not push on the subject.
"Stressed," she sighs lightly.
"What for?"
"I do not know. School, teenagers, drama, the war, my brother," she answers, running her hands through her knotted hair. "He is a twat."
"Mine is too," the boy responds with a low chuckle.
"He sure is. I would know that because he and my brother both make it their first priority to make sure I'm annoyed and uncomfortable. I would not say it is only myself, though if they are bored, I seem to be the first option."
Both Regulus and Eva have a few things in common, at least of which she had observed in the four years she has been aware of his presence and the small period of time they have had together on the astronomy tower.
One would be the relationship they have with their brothers. Needless to explain, it is a negative correlation. She does have a love for her brother, as one could assume he does as well. Deep down at least. Deep, deep, deep down, but it is there.
Evas brother, James, does not understand her. He may think he is doing the right thing, what is best for her, but more often than not, he does the polar opposite. Though, sometimes, it is not unintentional. Sometimes, it is clear he means to be annoying and hurtful. That is why Eva can not bear the thought of her popular stuck-up brother, and she is sure Regulus feels the same way.
"Why are you being nice to me then?" Regulus questions, most likely figuring it was his turn to ask a question. "I don't suppose you owe me anything."
"We are similar people I guess," Eva hums. "In the shadow of our stuck up brothers, misunderstood. I don't know, really. But from what I have observed, you're not half-bad of a person as he is."
The girl stayed there for an hour longer, feeling his heavy gaze on her for the entire time.