These hearts race from self control [Kat&Zach]

[Audrey Hitchcock]

Audrey Hitchcock, finally away from her ever-present boyfriend (not that she didn't love Mike....it was just nice to have some time apart every once in a while), half jogged across the lawns, spotting a snow drift that looked like it needed someone to lay in it. Falling on her back into the small bank of snow, the girl watched silently, thoughtfully, as the small puffs floated lazily back towards the ground. Audrey layed in the snow, her arms and legs spread out like a scarecrow or like she was going to make a snow angel at any moment. Letting the heat from her body melt a small moat around itself, the girl's clothes became like sponges for the snow-water. While Audrey knew that her wet clothes should bother her, they didn't. She was more preoccupied with her thoughts: the upcoming holiday with her own family and then Mike's; the weeks they would spend isolated in his family's cabin; the recent lack of girl time with the only girl she'd ever really been close to, Katarina Devanport. It was quite a lot to think about. Nevertheless, stray thoughts kept creeping in. The earth is so simple in winter. Grey skies, white, snow-covered land. No green, no brown other than the tree trunks. No blue. Even the sun seems to be bleached of color. Audrey smiled at the simplicity of it all, wishing that life would give her a winter. The girl fanned her red hair out above her head and closed her eyes; she was determined to enjoy the cold day.

OOC: It got a bit strange at the end there. Sorry, lolz. BTW, this thread is pretty much open...I just made it specifically for Kat and Zach. Anyone can join.

[Katarina Devanport]

Cold weather was never anything sixteen-year-old Katarina Devanport treasured; in fact, it was quite the opposite and her disdain could not be denied. Bundled up in a double-breasted, knee-length, black wool coat; black suede gloves; and a dark blue and bronze striped Ravenclaw scarf, she walked briskly across the snow-covered lawns. If it weren't for the pink tint of her cheeks and the freckles, her pale complexion and dark hair, which did not differ greatly from the damp bark of the trees, would create the perfect camouflage in this weather.

Her gray eyes scanned the lawns for Audrey, it had seemed to be an eternity since she had last seen her best friend. It didn't take long, Audrey's red hair proved to be the only brush of color amongst the blank, winter pallet. She walked up next to her friend shaking her head "Audrey, Audrey, Audrey... When are you going to learn? You're going to give yourself Death if you continue lying in the snow!"

[Audrey Hitchcock]

"Audrey, Audrey, Audrey... When are you going to learn? You're going to give yourself Death if you continue lying in the snow!"

Audrey smiled at the familiar voice, opening one eye to confirm that it was indeed her best friend. "Kat?" The redhead sat up, pulling her knees to her chest. "Long time no see."

There was a lot that Kat didn't know, since she'd been MIA as of late, like Mike was coming home with her for the holidays. Or that she'd had a pregnancy scare. "Well, sit down and stay a while, why don't ya?" Audrey said, wringing her long, red hair out and putting it up in a high ponytail. "What rock have you been hiding under? Hogwarts isn't that big, and I haven't seen you in AGES!"

[Katarina Devanport]

Well, sit down and stay a while, why don't ya?
She looked down at the cold snow that had soaked through Audrey's clothes. "No... I think I'll just... lean against this tree" she said as she leaned her already cold body against the even colder bark of the tree.


What rock have you been hiding under? Hogwarts isn't that big, and I haven't seen you in AGES!

She let her eyes drift away from her friend and to the white snow. The milky substance somehow proved to make reflecting on the recent family drama a bit easier "Headmaster gave me a leave of absence due to a... family emergency of sorts..." She looked back over to her friend, attempting to withhold a smirk at her wet hair that would be sure to turn to ice if the temperature dropped another five degrees.

[Audrey Hitchcock]

"Headmaster gave me a leave of absence due to a... family emergency of sorts..."

Audrey caught the tone in Kat's voice. "Wha-wait. What do you mean 'family emergency'?" she asked, wondering what emergency there could be in Kat's already diminished family. "What's up? Tell me what's going on." Audrey pushed herself off the ground and wrapped her arms around herself. It really was getting cold now that her clothes were soaked through with snow in various stages of melting.

[Zachary Pyler]

The sky was bright, even warm looking. Yet snow-coated and cold. But Zachary had far too much on his mind to worry about little things like that. A new Ravenclaw wandering around campus, never seen before, in the middle of December was more than enough to make a soul feel like an oddball out. He thought to himself, "Classes, classes. what to take, what to take?" He didn't know how he had ended up on the grounds, he was on a path with no intention. This was very unlike Zachary, as he is normally the one to have a perfect plan, thought out, from beginning to end. The man to be not one, but three steps ahead of the game.


The dark haired young man, outfitted in imported cloaks, proudly wearing the colors of his house, walked briskly through the frosted grounds. His brand new leather shoes let no sign of the winter air inside, so the track through the snow became rather enjoyable. Rather Relaxing. Rather Pensive. The misunderstood thought thoroughly.

"I suppose I could take flight, but I've never flown for a school before. Do I have the proper flying technique? Perhaps I should look into that. I've always had an Interest in charms, that ones a definite. Maybe I should look into potions, again, it's so late in the semester. I know I'm intelligent, but I can't be sub-standard. I suppose I could look into------" He noticed the two girls sitting in the snow and hoped they didn't notice him.

[Katarina Devanport]

Wha-wait. What do you mean 'family emergency'?"

She looked up from the snow yet not at her friend; more past Audrey. Don't mention a word of this to anyone- not even the little Hitchcock girl. It could be detrimental to not only her and her family, but us and everything we stand for. The last words her grandfather uttered before she left for her return trip to Hogwarts. She was torn between her devotion to her family and her devotion to her best friend. Finally, she focused her eyes to Audrey's face. "Well... I can't tell you everything, but I'm not a half-blood as I grew up thinking and...." she trailed off noticing a figure approaching out of the corner of her eye. "Hey!" It came across curt and loud- very much unlike the usual Katarina Devanport. There was no denying the stress and emotional torment she was undergoing at the moment. "Can you not recognize two.... Oh." She was acquainted with his face- fellow Ravenclaw, same year. Not only that, but she was fairly certain that his parents were family friends.

[Zachary Pyler]

"Hey!"

"Well so much for going undetected." He thought as he glanced up in the direction of the vicious voice. In any other situation Zachary would have kept walking, and possibly even flipped the bird, but not this time. This voice seemed familiar. This girl was familiar. She was wearing the Ravenclaw colors. "Hi." He said rather bluntly. Small talk never was Zachary's specialty. "What do you need?" Perhaps this would help him clear his mind a bit.

[Katarina Devanport]

"What do you need?"

Katarina tilted her head ever so slightly to the left, not taking her eyes off of him. She had intended to say "Hey! Can't you see when two people are trying to have a private conversation" or at least something around those lines. The exact wording left her brain as soon as she recognized his face. "What do I need?" she asked him sincerely. It wasn't as if she was calling him over towards them.... but then again, having him nearby would prevent, or at least postpone, her having to tell Audrey any more details. She continued. "Aren't you new here?" Of course she knew the answer to this was yes, but whatever it took to keep someone around and Audrey preoccupied with someone else.

[Zachary Pyler]

"What do I need?"

He waited, eyebrows raised, no sincerity behind his blue eyes. She looked so familiar.

"Aren't you new here?"

This was a dumb question, he figured. She was just trying to make small talk. Something Zachary never was very good at. We were obviously in the same house, due to matching attire, and looked about the same age. She would have noticed Zachary before. "Yeah. I'm new here." He said in his proud, to-the-point voice. It was obvious that this conversation wasn't going anywhere.

[Katarina Devanport]

She glanced to Audrey and back to Zachary. "Well I'm Katarina Devanport. Pretty sure we're in the same year, so if you need any help or whatever, don't hesitate to ask." She said her last name with a bit more pronunciation so that perhaps it would register with him. However, the kind words seemed to taste bitter against her tongue at this very moment but she forced a smile on her face nonetheless.

[Mike Blaze]

OOC: Hope y'all don't mind. Mike can never pass a chance up making an appearance when it comes to Audrey, and seeing as Zachary and Mike will be a dynamic duo... Mike may as well make himself known. My post is kinda pathetic, idk why. Just seems like it to me. >.> xD

Mike Blaze came out of the Castle, putting a hand over his mouth stifling a yawn. He let his eyes scan along the grounds and lake. He wasn't quite sure what he wanted to do today, maybe get some Flying in? Anything to take his mind of the letter from his father. It wasn't so much the fact that joining the pack bothered him, it was the idea of making the decision of the good side.... or bad. Mike had been considering just giving in and joining the bad side, but he still didn't know what Audrey would think.

It wasn't until he spotted two figures near the frozen lake that he knew what he probably was going to be doing, one of the figures wasn't very hard to recognize. One very beautiful girl with red hair, who of course had to be his own girlfriend, Audrey. The other with darker hair.... wait, could it be? Kat.... ?? He looked closer and recognized her, he hadn't seen her in ages. Putting a hand through his hair, hoping to maybe to not let it look as though he had just woken up, which he had, he walked down to the group. Before he reached them, another figure had joined the two girls, Mike recognized this guy as Zachary Pyler. Walking up behind the group, he kissed Audrey on the cheek, "What's up guys?" he said. Seeing the rather small hostility between Kat and Zachary he put a hand on Zachary's shoulder looking at Kat, "Do you honestly have to hassle the new students too?" he said with a smirk.Turning his head to Zachary he said, "Don't mind her too much." he commented, with a small laugh.

[Audrey Hitchcock]

"Well... I can't tell you everything, but I'm not a half-blood as I grew up thinking and...."

Audrey was about to object, but was interrupted by Kat's accosting of the new kid on campus. Zachary Somethingorother. She'd heard some younger girls in the Common Room whispering giddily about his arrival, but in Audrey's eyes, he was just a scrawny little boy. Audrey's gaze once again fell on Kat's face as she waited for this episode to finish. She wanted to know what the hell was going on.

Of course, Audrey should've known that it wouldn't be long before Mike fatefully found his way to her side, planting a small kiss on her cheek. "Hey babe," she said, sounding preoccupied because she was. Then Mike, as well, apparently knew the new Ravenclaw boy. Zachary. Audrey wrinkled her nose both because it was numb and because she tended to do that when she was uncomfortable.

Instead of standing silently, waiting for one of the two Ravenclaws that she was familiar with to introduce her, she did it herself. "Zachary, right? Hi. I'm Audrey Hitchcock." Her usual friendly tone was missing from the introduction, however. The irritation of being out of the loop on so many levels was getting to her and leaking into her voice. Oops. Not. It wasn't like Zachary was being overly friendly either. Whatever.

[Katarina Devanport]

"Do you honestly have to hassle the new students too?"

A small smirk tugged at the corner of her pink lips. "Me? Harass new students? No! Never!" she traced an "x" across her heart "Honestly, I was just offering Pyler here my assistance if he needed at." She examined Mike- still following Audrey around like a lost puppy. She rolled her eyes and looked back at the newcomer. "Chosen your classes yet?"

[Zachary Pyler]

What's with these guys, they seem like a cult. Everywhere you go they're in a pack, or at least talking about each other... He examined the dark haired girl, who looked oh-so-familiar for a bit then his eyes moved to the redhead. She was soaking wet. She had snow plastered in her hair and seemed a bit, odd. for lack of better word.

He payed little attention to what anyone was saying, closely examining the body language. Mike showed a bit of trust with a tap on the shoulder, but was clearly marking his territory with Audry. Zachary showed no interest in either of the girls, so there was nothing to worry about.

"Zachary, right? Hi. I'm Audrey Hitchcock."

"Yep, Zachary Pyler." His voice was hinted with a bit of annoyance, This Hitchcock girl didn't seem friendly, and Zachary was used to jsut being known, he wasnt keen of introductions.

"Chosen your classes yet?"

"Yes. Charms, Transfiguration, and Potions." Again his answer was short and sweet. Straight to the point, The fire-ball was giving the Ravenclaw girl glances as if she wanted to know something. Zachary was a simple distraction, and he didn't appreciate it.