The vast sprinklings of stars in the sky attracted Daryl to the Astronomy tower whenever the weather permitted a viewing, and this evening he had been so fortunate as to catch a glimpse of most points of the Ursa Major. It was achieved with the assistance of a couple of dusty, neglected books discovered at Diagon Alley earlier that day, for Daryl could become so wistful that every once in a while he would plan a day in which he would spend almost entirely in his own company. The feeling happened upon him as he awoke and could stretch throughout the day and night but would eventually burn out with enough quiet time, or with the interruption of a friendly face.

Daryl was such a creature that he loved to emerse himself in the arts and culture wherever he could, buried beneath books of celebrated poets, amongst them of course, his own favourite, John Keats. These things which he held so dearly made him feel secure and free at the same time, without the pressures of Hogwarts or his mountain of worries to distract him.

This evening, he carried four books fastened together with a brown leather belt, old from the condition of the cracked surface. Every so often they would bang against the wall as they hung heavily over his shoulder. With every movement, a dull thud and then a small voice emitting from the empty classroom ahead of him. As he closed in, Daryl could see that it was coming from the other Almasy sister. I really ought not to call her that... Her recital of the confundo charm made him recall her antics in the charms class, to which he then let out a little laugh. It wasn't supposed to be rude but it no doubt caught her attention to where he stood.

With difficulty, he apologised. "I'm sorry, I just..." And dropped the tied books over his shoulder with an almighty thump. As he scrambled to re-tie them, he spoke in a strained tone. "I was at the astronomy tower. I heard you playing around with that charm and I..." He paused. "I thought maybe I could give you a few pointers."

The classroom was so tranquil without voices that Daryl had felt almost bad about disturbing its peace by crashing around. Before the girl could answer him, he jumped in. "You see, I'm not really supposed to be on the fourth floor. The last time I was here there was a slight oversight of one of the professors and I think he thought I was a peeping tom." He turned swiftly to point towards the girl's bathroom, then promptly defended himself. "I wasn't -- wouldn't! I mean, I wasn't even close, I just come here for the astronomy tower sometimes and he got the wrong end of the stick."

His fumbling eventually settled to a simple re-introduction, for they hadn't spoken it seemed in such a long time, ever since Sanya had passed on. "I was on the Arts Appreciation Society with your sister... Daryl?" He hoped to Merlin she remembered his name at least. It would've made things rather awkward.

"CONFUNDO!"

High and clear, Raine Almasy's voice was recognizable in its determination. Her stance was strict, her wand flicked in perfect grace. There was nothing in the room but a mess of chairs and a single table, upon which she had neatly placed a snow-white Auto-Answer Quill as well as a sheet of paper. The quill shook violently at the charm and bolted up. The Gryffindor found herself smiling, satisfied- the smile widened when the quill started to write on its own furiously. Not writing but sketching squiggly lines and absolute rubbish; it even went off the parchment, scribbling all over the table in deep crimson ink. The only sounds to be heard was its intent scretching and Raine's calm, rhythmic breaths. 

Then a low laugh to her left. The smile disappeared instantly and she turned to see a familiar looking housemate standing at the open doorway. It was Daryl Harrington- Raine vaguely knew him. They didn't speak much but they were in the same year and they shared classes. Expressionless, she stared. "I'm sorry, I just..." He halted, dropping and neatening his stack of books. Then straightening back up, "I was at the astronomy tower. I heard you playing around with that charm and I...I thought maybe I could give you a few pointers." Daryl finished awkwardly.

Raine blinked and breathed in slowly, not quite sure about this offer. Typical. Typical Gryffindor boy, courageously trying to save you or help you or comfort you. Not that she thought she needed any of that. She cleared her throat, prepared to politely tell him to leave her alone.

"You see, I'm not really supposed to be on the fourth floor. The last time I was here there was a slight oversight of one of the professors and I think he thought I was a peeping tom." The girl's lavatory was gestured at and Raine's eyebrows went up, marginally. "I wasn't -- wouldn't! I mean, I wasn't even close, I just come here for the astronomy tower sometimes and he got the wrong end of the stick." He finally stopped and for a moment, the two Gryffindors stared at each other. Raine looked down uneasily, not sure if she should renew her attempt to dismiss him or just wait for the sheer discomfort of the situation to chase him away.

Tentatively, Daryl broke the pause: "I was on the Arts Appreciation Society with your sister... Daryl?"

Looking back up, Raine nodded- she knew him. But she hadn't known about the society or Sanya. Her stomach turned painfully. A friend of Sanya's. They were always such a cheerful lot. "I see. You must miss her at your meetings," Raine murmured trivially and, realizing that she still had her wand up, lowered it. Searching her housemate's face, trying to place him in Sanya's group of friends, she tried smiling. It was a courteous kind of expression but her eyebrows were drawn together worriedly.

"I'm sorry," she apologized after another pause, for nothing in particular, "I was just practicing charms. I did not think there would be anybody else here." The young witch indicated towards her jinxed quill and the worried look cleared a little bit: "It has been a good session. Hold on," she tapped her wand on the edge of the table and the quill stopped scribbling- it fell over quietly.

Looking back at Dylan, Raine was suddenly sure that she couldn't just tell him to leave. It would have been rude- besides, Sanya would have disapproved. One did not treat a sister's friend as such. And now, with her sister gone, Merlin knows it was probably about time she had started to follow that rule."I'm... well I'm actually about to start on some other charms. You're welcome to join me," Raine tilted her head slightly to the right, as if considering him: "Unless you're afraid some professor will assume we're part of an incredibly elaborate and voyeuristic venture."