Reading the Time

The week had gone by fine but not smooth. On the contrary, she had been in the middle of an argument over Muggles and their opinions on them, some snootie people as well, and she had met half-bloods who taught her about the Muggle world.

She sat down beside the window, that was tinted green because of the lake. She admitted that while the common room was dark, it was beautiful to look out the window and into the lake. Her lips twitched as she fought a smile, seeing the giant squid swimming by.

It was a lot different than she expected, people were so different, all their own opinions, prejudices and they all were brilliant about the magical world, as for her, well she grasped anything that they talked about, for all she knew was what her parents had told her. It seemed disgraceful really, a pure-blood being somewhat ignorant towards some magical aspects of the world, but she was too sheltered.

So now, now she was curled up by the window reading more about Hogwarts and the magical world surrounding her. Currently she was looking at the little object her mother had given her. A Time Turner, she called it.

From what she read it was complicated. The little silver thing was dangerous if she wasn't careful. According to the book:

The Time-Turner is a device capable of time travel. The Time-Turner resembles an hourglass on a necklace. The number of times one turns the hourglass corresponds to the number of hours one travels back in time. It is extremely important that the user of a Time-Turner not be seen by past or future versions of themselves unless, of course, said versions are aware of their usage of a Time-Turner. A possible scenario is a wizard/witch killing their past or future selves by mistake.

Charlotte hurried into the common room and stopped as she saw Tess, she didn't want to interrupt her reading or anything so she quietly went upstairs to her dorm to put her bag up there even though she didn't really feel safe with the new girl Corrine there either, she was really quite horrible and she was nervous around her.

Once she had taken off her robes and put on her ordinary clothes which werent anything special just some jeans and an old tshirt with her black and red striped Cardigan over the top, Charlotte came back down to the common room with Tess still being there. Wondering if she would be able to talk to her Charlotte bit her lip, nervous.

"Hello Tess, are...are you doing homework or can I stay and talk to you?" she asked nervously, her white hair hanging around her face obscuring her shining red eyes slightly.

Tess lifted her head immediately and her hand discretely slid into her pocket and she let out a pleasant smile.

"Of course you can talk to me Charlotte" she said and closed her book placing it on her lap neatly.

She smiled because she liked Charlotte especially because she didn't instigate anything.

Charlotte smiled widely and hurried to the seat in front of Tess. Teds was one of the first people she had met here and she liked her very much, she seemed very nice from the conversation they had together.

Sitting cross legged on the chair in front of her Charlotte grinned happily.

"Thank you, I didn't want to interrupt you you see."

With a small sigh Charlotte leant back in the chair and turned her smile into a slightly shy one, she had meant to ask Tess something last time but never did, so she thought she would ask it now, no time like the present after all.

"I meant to ask you, what's America like? I've never been and I have wanted to go for ages, just never had the chance."

Tess shrugged good-naturedly.

"It's nothing that can't wait till later" she said kindly.

She was surprised by the question, but a soft almost sad smile reached not only her lips, but her eyes as well.

"Oh...America is definitely different" she said chuckling lightly. "Personally, I lived in Los Angeles, California. Full of people always running around doing something or another, but what I do miss most was the nighttime. It was still so alive with bright lights from the skyscrapers...oh!" she said getting lost in her thoughts. "And the beach....the warmth there was fantastic, I miss it now, especially in the cold..but the beach was so beautiful, especially at sunset"

She looked out towards the Black lake and sighed.

"If you have a chance, definitely go there" she said smiling.

It wasn't a mistake coming here, she was meeting knew people, and getting out of her bubble.

Charlotte noted the sad smile that graced Tess's lips and she wondered for a moment if she had said something wrong, then it became obvious, she missed her home, where she was from and Charlotte felt guilty for bringing it up.

Yet, as she described America Charlotte could see herself there, see her drawing, painting, sculpting the buildings and she was filled with a notion that it was a beautiful place, like any, who's fleeting nature could not be captured.

"It sounds magnificent, I really do hope to go one day, maybe when I've finished school here I shall see about a job over there."

Biting her lip Charlotte remembered Paris, how beautiful that city was, yet so painful, the memories connected to it made it hard to return.

"Are you enjoying school? I am, although most of the time im off drawing things."

She nodded and turned to face her with her expression returned to normal. She did miss the West Coast, but then again she wouldn't trade what she had now, always living in darkness, even when it was bright, blind to the magic around her, viewing it as the norm.

"I do enjoy Hogwarts" she said nodding. "Especially the classes, and the people I met in and out of classes"

She smiled and thought of her friend Alice.

"I've made friends...well one out of the house" she said smiling. "But art did you say? That's right, I remember you showed Pyxis something"