A little corner in her chest buzzed pleasantly as the cat relented, and she recognised the feeling as her own contented purr when in Animagus form - as a human, inaudible but soothing. This was nice. Everything in this flat was smaller and cosier than her aunt's home.

"Raine?"

She turned her head to look at Zel as he reached over her to Furguson, studying his face at closer quarters than was normal. Who would want to hurt him? He was so kind and gentle. The question came out of the blue, though it was just the sort of thing that people asked or rambled about when they were feeling sleepy. Raine shifted a bit so that she faced him better

"I wasn't ridiculous when I was little," she muttered - her mind was falling backwards trying to dredge up memories. They came easily, each one inhabited by the presence of her late twin. Sanya's matchless grin and their small, soft palms when they held hands.

The Gryffindor reached for Zel's hand at the thought, thinking about how much bigger it was than her own. Even his hands seemed gentle.

"We tried to go away together." Raine said after a pause while she appraised her friend's profile. "Got as far as boarding the bus to London, and then Sanya started crying. We were six. She didn't understand that we would be going back. She thought it was forever."

"Everybody's ridiculous when they are little." Zel countered. Everyone was ridiculous, though they never thought about it at the time. One thing he loved about children was how serious they were in their absurdity.

His arm slumped, resting on Raine's side when she turned to face him. Zel's eyes, however-- were focused on Raine's ocean ones. Or were they turquoise? Either way, he was absolutely shit when it came to naming specific colors. Maybe he was color blind, maybe he was an idiot-- the writer has not decided.

Zel startled when Raine's hand rested on his. He gladly laced his fingers with her's.

"That is-- adorable." He finally replied, "When I was little, I refused to eat any apple that was oddly shaped. What I decided to be oddly shaped changed depending on my mood." Now, of course, he didn't really have any strange apple preferences. "I also used to stick Bertie Bott's beans up Emeline's nose when she was sleeping."

Raine smiled, undercurrent of a laugh as she listened to Zel's ridiculous fixation on apples - and poor Emeline.

"That was very mischievous of you," she pronounced as she unconsciously squeezed his hand, fingers intertwined. "But don't try that on me if I fall asleep first. I know some rather atrocious hexes now." One or two that she was told by her aunt only to cast when  absolutely necessary, even if that's what everyone says about dangerous spells.

Which was vexing because you needed practice to be any good at them didn't you? Professor Storm had known that. She missed Hogwarts... not that she could curl up next to Zel if they were at school right now, not with any privacy.

That seemed essential to her, being alone with him, neither of them with a reason to put up fronts.

And with a small jolt of realisation, Raine knew why. The witch unclasped his hand and gracefully pushed herself closer to throw an arm across his shoulder - she hid her face in the crook of his neck, just above the hollow of his throat, nudging comfortingly. Red curls tickled his jawline. "You're warm," she noted in a muffled voice.

He smelled nice and clean, lovely woody scents. Like something she lost had come home.