Not many people got up this early in the morning in Hogwarts, as was evident by the sleepy atmosphere that still hung over the Grounds and the Lake as Sybil approached them. It was deathly cold, but she was prepared with a scarf and coat and everything-- even fingerless gloves for drawing! Sketchbook clutched tightly to her, Sybil began trudging up the hill to her favourite spot beneath the old oak tree. Even in the wee hours before sunrise, the snow made everything look magical and clean. In fact, ignoring the absence of other trees for some metres away and just looking at the old oak, one could believe they just stepped into a fairytale book. Like one of her favourite childhood book series, The Chronicles of Narnia. If Mr. Tumnus would step out from behind the tree this moment, how interesting that would be! But of course she was only letting her imagination run wild.

Upon reaching her usual spot, Sybil plopped down comfortably in the snow. Her bottom felt quite cold and wet, but it was a strangely nice feeling-- oh, Sybil loved the snow so! She laughed as she whacked some of the snow around her. Cold and wet yet so white and fluffy-looking... it was the stuff of dreams, for sure. She flipped open her sketchbook to a blank page, eagerly awaiting the magic of sunrise with pencil in hand.

Alice had gotten up early on that winter's morning. She wanted to see the sunrise one last time before going home. Exams were over, and finally, she could just relax and watch the sun. Though this morning, she wasn't going to watch it through a window. Alice was going outside. She got up before the sunrise, leaving Annette a note that'd she'd be back later, after seeing the sun.

From under her bed, Alice pulled her scarf, a clean pair of jeans, a sweater, a hat, mittens, a jacket, and her notebook. Everything she needed on a cold winter morning. She trudged through the snow, to where she saw another first year sitting in the snow. Sybil. Sybil was always very quiet in classes, but Alice didn't mind. She was quiet too. Quieter now after the "ted situation". She plopped down next to the girl, and offered a smile. "So I see I'm not the only one who thought to come and see the sun rise."

"So I see I'm not the only one who thought to come and see the sun rise."

Upon hearing a voice, Sybil turned to see a girl smiling at her. Alice Hunter; she'd seen her in class. Almost as silent as Sybil herself, she often kept to herself or spoke in a soft voice. She had a sweet smile though, and Sybil tried her best to smile back but she hadn't quite recovered from the shock of being interrupted in the midst of her solitude. She wasn't sure if the interruption was welcome or otherwise though, but one had to make the best of situations when they happened. Twiddling her thumbs a bit nervously, Sybil looked at Alice and gave a nod-- the best she could manage. Her face remained expressionless, not one muscle betraying the nagging anxiety she felt inside. Sybil really didn't like being alone with people because what if she said something wrong? What if they got mad? What if she made them sad? What if?

As if in answer to her sorry plight, the sun began to creep into the sky at a speed slower and smoother than anyone could imagine. Really, it looked as if a drop of solar-hued paint was spreading across the canvas of darkness. Sybil could hardly breathe in awe as she began to sketch the scene in her sketchbook.

Alice was about to start a conversation, as the sun danced above the horizon. Her mouth gaped, and slowly transformed into a smile as the sky turned a lovely shade. "It's amazing. Simple and yet, completely amazing." She said, her head trying to think of how to capture the simple beauty into words. No words could be right. Spectacular? Amazing? Stunning? None of them worked. She looked over to Sybil who was drawing furtively.

"I don't think I'm ready to go home. I want to stay and watch the sun every morning. I mean, Oulton Broad is nice, but it's nothing compared to this school." She said, looking over to Sybil. "Where are you going home to?" Alice asked. She really didn't know Sybil well, if at all, and if there was one thing Alice loved, it was friends, and making new friends.

"It's amazing. Simple and yet, completely amazing."

Yes, the sunrise would leave even the smoothest of tongues at a loss for words. Red, orange, indigo, violet-- countless hues blended together in that intricate manner only Mother Nature could have. As the sun crept over the horizon, Sybil scratched away at her sketchbook page-- how best to capture this beauty was a mystery. No drawing, let alone photograph, could truly compare to what they now beheld.

"I don't think I'm ready to go home. I want to stay and watch the sun every morning. I mean, Oulton Broad is nice, but it's nothing compared to this school. Where are you going home to?"

Sybil heard the girl speak, talking about her home and how she didn't much want to return to it since Hogwarts was fantastic. She agreed too, in a way-- sure, she was homesick sometimes. Okay, a lot of the time since Grandma made her happy and free and chatty like nobody else could. Yet Sybil knew she would miss the thousand different scenes she'd sketched in Hogwarts while she was away. Still, going home meant the immense relief from conversation with strangers-- a freedom she missed even more when the girl asked her a question.

"Yorkshire." Clenching her fists, Sybil managed to squeeze out a word before she turned her head down again and went back to drawing.

"Oh," Alice vocalized back to the girl who had given her a one word response. It seemed like Sybil didn't want to talk. She knew Sybil was quiet, but Alice figured that in a quieter setting, she may have been more outgoing. It seemed the opposite was true. "I once took a trip to Yorkshire. we visited my dad's cousins. Yorkshire's very nice." She said with a nod with her head, placing her notebook next to her. She didn't feel like writing any more.

"Sybil, I know you're really shy. But I just want you to know that I'll never judge you, okay?" She said quickly, just wanting to say it and get it over with. "I was super shy earlier this year. Could barely talk to anyone. I was worried I'd say something and no one would talk to me again. But then I realized that that was false, and that people actually cared about me, and wanted to hear what I had to say."

She looked over at Sybil. "I guess I just wanted you to know that you've got a friend in me no matter what."