Quiet (open)

Raven slowly climbed the spiral staircase leading to the Owlry. The sky outside was light pink, as the sun had just set over the distant mountains. Raven expected that most people would be in the Great Hall, eating dinner, so she would be alone. Except for the owls of course. But they wouldn't be bothering her. She reached the top and stepped out into the wide airy room. She immediately wished that she had brought a cloak, but wasn't about to go back to the Gryffindor tower to get it. She slid her wand from her sleeve and muttered, "scourgify," pointing her wand at a corner. The bird droppings and feathers vanished and Raven sat down, curling her legs underneath herself. The owls were so used to her that they didn't even open their eyes. She noticed this and said quietly to herself, "You spend more time with owls than with humans. Wow, Raven." She rolled her eyes and looked out the window at the sky. Fluffy clouds were stained light pink and crimson, and a magenta line ran across the horizon where the sky met the mountains. She lay her head against the stone wall and sang quietly to herself, staring out of the open window as the sky slowly darkened.

Kat skipped up the steps to the Owlery, the heat shining down hard on her head. Her bare feet hopped merrily to each step, quick to not stay on one of the heated steps for too long. Teachers had told her that, if she wasn't going to wear shoes inside the castle, she must wear them outside. Kat had nodded dreamily in response, but old habits die hard. It was completely natural to Kat to walk around barefoot. She pushed open the door to the Owlery, walking straight in. Owls hooted all around her as she gazed up at them, as though seeing them for the first time. However, Kat had often visited this tower on many occasions to write letters to her 'parents'.

Raven jumped as a girl entered the Owlry. She had to stop herself before she drew her wand, sliding it back into her sleeve. She glared at the back of the person's head. They were in the Owlry. This was HER place, not their's. She scowled and quietly called a school owl over. The gray barn owl flew gracefully and landed on her shoulder, pecking affectionately at her ear. Raven laughed quietly. "I don't have any food for you Bell, I'm sorry." Bell stared at her with round yellow eyes then tucked her head behind her wing, settling down on the girl's shoulder. Raven tried to ignore the intruder. She was in the corner, so hopefully in the time it took for the person to send a letter and scram, she wouldn't notice Raven.

Kat moved slowly through the Owlery, not noticing if she was getting any splinters in the process. She didn't really have an owl, but didn't exactly know. Moving her head around to see all the different types of owls, she hummed to herself the tune of 'Joy to the World'. Her small feet began moving to the rhythm as well, and she swayed her head back in forth, her short black hair hanging over her eyes. It was though she had completely forgotten about her mission.

Raven rolled her eyes as the girl started dancing and humming. God, couldn't she just send her stupid letter. She closed her eyes and stroked Bell's feathers gently, waiting for the girl who had broken the peaceful quiet of the Owlry to leave. She was in a terrible mood and humming dancing people were not wanted here. She figured if she told the girl to leave then maybe she would. "Could you just finish and send your letter already?" she asked quietly, but loud enough to be heard.

Stopping on her own accord, Kat walked forward a bit, not quite sure how to send her letter. So many owls to pick, and they were so high...Kat got dizzy looking up, and immediately whipped her head down. When an annoyed voice spoke up, Kat merely glanced behind her shoulder at the girl."Hello," she said in a rather lost voice.

Raven grimaced. Great, she got stuck in a room with a looney girl. Just great. She considered leaving, but decided not to. The Owlry was her quiet place, and she would wait the girl out. When she spoke Raven replied coldly, "Just hurry up."

A dark look briefly flashed across her usually blank expression."I don't like being rushed," she said simply."Do you know what owl I could use? It seems I don't have one. Strange. I come here a lot. I should have one." Kat said the last bit more to herself then the girl. She pulled out a piece of large, dirty parchment from her bag, clutching it tightly in her hand.

She restrained her anger. This girl was quite annoying. "And I don't like to be interrupted." She said. When the girl started talking about an owl, she whistled, looking up at the owls perched there. "Here.....just use...Maddy." She called the owl down and got up from her corner, walking over to the girl and placing the owl on the girl's shoulder.

Kat nodded in agreement."Yes, being interrupted is not very pleasant." She flinched back from the owl 'Maddy' as the girl laid it upon her shoulder. She had never had a bird on her shoulder, and it looked quite big and frightening. Even if it was female."Don't let it poke my eyes!" Kat said in a very small, helpless voice.

Raven sighed and stroked Maddy's feathers softly, calming the large owl. "She's not going to poke your eyes." She pulled a bit of meat from a pouch and gave it to the owl. She hooted and quieted down, looking at Kat, waiting. Raven looked pointedly at the girl. "She's waiting for the letter."

Kat looked down at the blank piece of parchment."Have a quill on you?" she asked. Mad she might be, but a Ravenclaw as well. She expected people to always have a writing utensil on them. She usually did herself, but for some reason it wasn't in her pocket. Fingering her hands down in the pocket, she noticed there was a gaping hole. It must have fallen out."I have a hole in my pocket," she told the girl merrily.

Raven reached into her robes and pulled out a quill. "Of course I have a quill. It's illogical not to have one on you, we are in a school." She handed it to her girl. Looking down, she saw fingers poking out of the hole. Raising an eyebrow slightly she replied, "I noticed."

Kat smiled as she accept the quill."Pretty," she commented. Holding her parchment up, she took the quill and drew quite an enormous, beautiful heart. There was nothing else on it. She smiled at her work, obviously quite pleased."Mum and Dad will love it," she whispered happily.

Raven waited impatiently, tapping her foot on the floor. "I'm sure."

Beaming up at the girl, Kat held her piece of parchment with the odd but beautiful heart on it to her. She wasn't oblivious to the girl's impatience, but rather accepted it, and made no comment.

She stopped tapping her foot, still waiting for the girl. She wanted the Owlry back to herself.

Kat looked up at the owl with a timid expression. Birds scared her. Anything that flies really did. Quidditch especially terrified her. But, trying to be brave, Katrina rolled up her picture, and held it up to the owl. It just stared at her with its wide, big eyes.

Raven coughed. "You need string or something to attach it to her ankle." She nodded to the owl's foot. "Do you have any? There's some around here..."

String? Well, no she didn't have any on her. Who carried string on them, even people in her own house? The thought made her laugh incredulously, so long she started hiccuping when she ceased."Do you have a name?"Kat suddenly asked, suddenly very interested.

Raven pulled out a bit of string, offering to tie the letter on for her. "Yes. It's Raven." She answered. After a few quiet seconds she realized that she was supposed to ask the girl's name. Raven sighed and asked, "And what is your name?".

"Like a bird," she said out loud softly."A black, evil bird. Never more," she added suddenly, recalling a poem by Edgar Allan Poe. The poem had always frightened Kat as a young child whenever her father read it aloud; he was always a poetic buff. Recalling the terrifying poem made Kat look upon Raven with almost fear.

Raven smiled slightly. "Well, I'm not that evil. Only when I need to be." She tied one end of the string to the owl's ankle, then reached out her hand for the letter so she could tie it on.

Kat, amongst her sudden fear of Raven's name, had forgotten to say her name."Kat Finn," she said, so quickly that it sounded like catfinn. She held the parchment clutched tightly in her hand, still looking at the girl warily. Why did she have such a frightening name?

"Okay than...Kat." She noticed that the girl was looking a little frightened. It was a look Raven was accustomed with. "I'm not actually evil, you know."