Saturday, late afternoon, a lone  sat in the Ravenclaw stands of the Quidditch pitch.  Shade needed to be away from people for a while, he had found recently that his magic was getting a little out of control and he knew why.  He was getting anxious about the end of his school days and the thought of heading out to find a job was a little disturbing.  He didn't really know what he wanted to do after graduating Hogwarts.  His parents had given him suggestions of course, but he didn't want to make decisions based on what other people wanted him to do.

He had wanted to be a dragon keeper when he was 15, but two years later, he wasn't so sure that he wanted to do that now.  Dragon's were dangerous and he just didn't have the patience to work with volatile animals.  He could be a curse-breaker, but that too would need lots of patience.  So today, he took a break from thinking about his future and took a walk, finding himself in the stands of the pitch with a notebook and a pen. 

He often drew things when he didn't want to think about anything and that is what he was doing today.  In his notebook was the beginning of a drawing of Hogwarts, he just had the outline right now, and he had started working on the detail of the stones that made up the castle.  He didn't know if it was any good or not, but it wasn't like anyone was ever going to see it.  Truthfully, he didn't think he had any drawing talent at all. Maybe one day he would show someone what he drew, right now he just concentrated on his castle drawing.

"Bollocks! You're good."

A harsh whisper came over Shade's shoulder and into his ear.  It was Figaro Sellaphix, one of Shade's bestest chums ever.  He was practicing a Silencing Charm for Kesali's upcoming practical and so his footsteps as he'd climbed into Ravenclaw stands had been completely inaudible.  He'd seen Shade perched up in the chilly air and decided to test out his Silencing Charm on a real pair of ears.  But he'd just found something more interesting.

Fig was peering over Shade's shoulder at the drawing in his notebook, a sketch of Hogwarts castle.  He'd glanced up at the skyline to confirm it - it was just right.  Right impressive! 

"You should be an artist or something," he continued on.  "You didn't trace that? Damn."

Figaro seemed oblivious or at best apathetic that he might be a bother.  Even though he'd had brushes with both O'Connors, it didn't seem to bother him long term.

Shade paused in his sketching of the castle to look up and see who was there, "Oh, hey Fig." he said before finishing a couple lines and then closing his notebook.  He was suddenly very self-conscious about his drawings and other people seeing them.  "It's nothing, just something I do when I need to relax." 

He looked up at the castle and then back at Fig, "What are you doing out here? I didn't hear you come up?" He was friends with Fig, but sometimes they didn't see eye to eye on things, however, right now he seemed to be okay.

"You're so modest," Figaro joked and wrinkled his nose.  "Adorable."

He moved around Shade to sit on the same bench with a bit of space between.  "Saw you when I was down there and figured I'd come give you a bother.  Find out if your sister's still snogging Harcroft."

Figaro couldn't leave things lie, especially if they were hilarious.  Telling Shade that Josh and Sky were in the boat house locking lips and the ensuing fall out had been one of the funniest things that had happened all winter.  He didn't mean it to be an arsehole, but he didn't often think about how others saw things. 

It was cold out, but in this horrible, boring part of the year Figaro suffered the outdoors for some respite from all the dullness inside. 

Shade shrugged his shoulders at Figaro's question about Sky.  "I couldn't care less who my sister is locking lips with, she is 17 and can handle herself." he said out loud, but as he looked out over the Quidditch pitch he mumbled, "^{she better not be though}"

"I'll keep that in mind," Figaro said suggestively, although he was pretty sure Sky hated him and he didn't exactly have a crush on her. 

"So," he said, moving onto a new topic, "what are you going to do when you leave Hogwarts?  Right baffling that they expect teenage idiots to make that kind of decision at our age."  Figaro was a year younger than Shade, but it felt like pretty much the same thing.

"I mean, who can possibly know that.  But been thinking lately I'd go for Healer?" He nodded, seeming to forget he didn't have nearly the NEWTs for something like that.  Or the patience. Or the talent.

"Sounds like fun.  Nasty broken legs and cursed faces and all that."

"Yes, delightful."  A voice sounded from behind Figaro and Shade.  "If I were you, I'd aim for cashier.  Hell, you're pretty enough to be a barmaid."  Aaron Doyle walked the last couple of steps to their level.

"I just mean, set a lower bar for the first job.  Do you really think the Ministry of Magic or St. Mungos is going to want to hire a little fresh faced tot like ourselves?"  Wrapping his scarf tighter about him, he sat next to Shade.

"Ooh, that's quite good.  Mind if I sit?"  It was a pointless question.  Aaron had already settled in, leaning casually against the stands behind him.  He guessed that he would end up in some charm breaking job eventually.  That seemed to be all he was good for in Hogwarts, not that he payed much attention to his other classes.

Shade looked at Figaro, "I'm not sure what I want to do after school, there are so many choices and I think I'll just wait until something comes to me.  It's not like I'm going to be wanting for money and my parents aren't going to want an empty nest. I've already heard Sky talking about traveling to all the magical places in the world, I just couldn't do that to my parents."

He turned to Aaron, "I don't care if you sit down, it's a free pitch." he told him.

"What's up, Doyle? Enjoying the smell of your own farts lately?"  Figaro responded with mock cheer to Aaron's snarky entrance.  Fig was a resilient sort who tolerated teasing quite well; he was not shy about returning the favor.  Like sending your Gram a thank you note for that sweater.  With a smile.

"What, your parents rich or something?" Figaro prodded Shade.  "I'd probably kiss a Dementor before I moved back in with my mum.  Summer holidays were well enough for me.  No way - I'm going to get a flat with some mates in London or something.  Freedom.  No curfew, no professors, no uniforms..."

He leaned back in the stands and put his hands behind his head.  It was the dream of adulthood that everyone harbored.  Hell, Fauna Blake was living the dream already - living in that big house with the Fayettes? Partying all they wanted? Becoming Aurors? The life...

Aaron grinned at Figaro.  He had always liked the Hufflepuff; he didn't take much seriously, which suited Aaron's sense of humor quite well.  He wasn't too familiar with Shade, however; he was quiet every time Aaron had seen him, but he wasn't a bad artist, it turned out.

Aaron had been taking a post-breakfast walk when he spotted Shade and Figaro.  He would never admit this, of course, but he had some admiration for Figaro.  He had never seen anybody who disliked Sellaphix, except for maybe that Slytherin Woolfolk girl.  Feigning aloofness got tiring, and sometimes the Gryffindor wished he could open up like Sellaphix.

"Yeah, I'd wanna live like that," he said, without being asked.  "I bet the girls'd really go for a guy with his own flat."  He put his feet up against the seat in front of him and breathed in deeply through his nose.  "Some day though, I want my own house.  In Scotland or something.  Somewhere you can smell the fresh air."  Not that I'll ever have that much money, he added in his head.

"I wouldn't mind having my own flat with a roommate or two." Shade commented, "It would be nice not living under my parent's law anymore." Truthfully Shade had thought of moving into his own flat, his father had approved of the plan, his mum - not so much.  She didn't want him living far away, but Shade felt like he needed to live his own life.

True, he didn't have a reason to work, he wasn't filthy rich, but he had enough money to live comfortably well for the rest of his life should he choose to take what his father had offered. 

Usually Mysti would get to the quidditch pitch somewhat early on Saturdays, but today she opted to sleep in a bit and finish some classwork beforehand. Plus the weather was supposed to stay particularly nice all day. So it was sometime in the later part of the afternoon when she was running out to the pitch. She found it nice to get the blood pumping a bit before doing some flying, and she enjoyed the running. 

The Hufflepuff girl was used to there not being many people around when she was at the pitch early in the mornings. Once she got there, she noticed there were a few people up in one of the stands. Mysti ignored them at first, and did a few laps.  As she flew around, she realized she knew one of the three figures in the Ravenclaw section. Figaro Sellaphix. The other two she somewhat recognized,  Gryffindor of her year, and one a year above. 

“Hello Fig. Gents.” Mysti said upon reaching the trio, hovering just above the ledge of the Ravenclaw box. “Enjoying the lack of rain as well? Good weather for flying, despite the chill.”

Stepping onto the ledge, then hopped onto the floor of the stands.  Taking her broom into her hand, she walked a bit closer to the boys. Hoping they wouldn’t mind her intrusion, she decided to try joining their conversation.  Mysti and Fig were fairly good friends, so she figured he wouldn’t mind, but the other two she wasn’t so sure about.  She’d heard a bit of the end of the conversation, so decided to jump in.

“So were you all talking about after graduation? I definitely can’t wait to be on my own. It’ll be another adventure.” Mysti smiled. She enjoyed adventures.

Shade had just opened his notebook again when he heard another voice join the ones around him.  It was Mystique, a friend of Fig's that he'd met once or twice, but never really talked to.  His shyness, which chose inopportune moments to pop up, was doing so right now. He looked up at her, "'Lo Mystique." and looked back down to his notebook which had fallen open to an empty page.  He just stared at it.

Shaking his head slightly to clear it, he quickly found the drawing of the castle he'd been working on, and began to fill in some of the other spaces he needed to before the drawing was finished, "I haven't really thought about what I want to do when school's over for me, I know I should, but nothing interests me at the moment." he said to her, shading an area behind one of the towers and then looking up at her, a piece of hair falling into his eyes.

Fig was pretty happy when the figure that had been doing smooth laps below decided to join them.  Mysti was pretty much always awesome to hang out with.  He asked her out once, about a year ago[1], but that never seemed to chill things between them. 

"Looking good, Ketteridge," he said by way of greeting, referring to her flying. 

"Yea, after graduation.  Was telling these blokes that I'll probably get into Healing.  Sounds exciting.  Probably do werewolves or something like that." 

He grinned and feigned smugness. "That's a medical term.  'Doing werewolves.'  Very technical.  Very specialized.  Got werewolf friends, anyway, so figure it'd be a good fit.  Help some people out."

It was a pretty Hufflepuff way of looking at it.  But if he'd have a more Ravenclaw view he might realize he didn't have the courses or marks to come even close to Healing.

1.	Crazy Like a Fox?

Misti was a pretty girl, and Aaron was a boy who rather liked pretty girls.  When she joined them on the stands, he stood, offering his seat and smiling coyly.

Despite the new addition, however, he found himself bored with the conversation, and decided on a more fun course of action.  Maybe it would catch on, or maybe he would go back inside and eat three platefuls of scrambled eggs.  Either way, he would be entertained, which seemed to him the most important thing at the time.

"Alright!" he said suddenly, rubbing his hands together and interrupting the conversation.  "Who here can fly?"