&& TRAPPISTINE eyes [open]

[narcissa black]

She was Divinity's creature that kissed in cold mirrors
A queen of snow
Far beyond compare, lips attuned to symmetry
Sought her everywhere

[/color]

Mother and Father,

I thought you would like to know that these first few days in school have been going decently well. I promised you that my grades would be at least satisfactory this year, and so far, I have kept to my word. I'm sorry for the shortness of this letter, but I have somethings to attend to, and I don't want to miss out on anything. Bellatrix and I love you dearly. I think she does, at least...

Narcissa Black

After having put the letter to her parents in an envelope and wrote down the address of the Black Manor, Narcissa had made her way from the Great Hall up to the Owlery. The tower was swarming with owls already, even though it was morning. Then again, it was a Saturday, and since students didn't have to worry about attending classes, they often took that opportunity to send out owls to their friends and families that were back in the Muggle world. As a dark, brown owl swooped down to gather her letter, Narcissa gave it a short stroke on the back of its head before letting handing the envelope to him. He took the letter with his beak and took into flight, swooping out of one of the windows gracefully.

With a small smile, Cissa turned on her heel, giving a small flex of her body. It was nice to be out of that school uniform, considering it was a tad bit discomforting for her, material-wise. The weather was still somewhat warm, though not nearly as heated as the summer months. Narcissa had to cope with a black medium-length dress, which was quite simple, yet a compliment to her curves. She didn't often wear these sort of clothes - at least it still passed the fingertip test - though considering the abnormal warmth of the weather, she didn't want her legs gathering a sweat.

Narcissa leaning against a window for a moment, simply watching as the owls either left or arrived the tower. No one else appeared to be in sight, and nor could she spot anyone on this side of the stone structure that would be coming to the tower. It was all good. She figured she could have used a bit of privacy.

[mairead ó fearghail]

Two letters were scrunched up in her hand as Mairead climbed the stairs to the owlery door. With each step, there was the distinctive crackling, crunching sound of dried, crumbly bird droppings under her feet. The sound she found amusing though even she found the abundance of cemented bird feces a bit disgusting if she thought about it too much. Which, for someone who'd grown up on the road actually said something.

By the top of the stairs, the rhythmic crunching of her steps on the stairs had lost its brief novelty and Mairead had turned her attention to rereading one of the letters.

Tito -

I can't believe you all are in Donegal already. I'm jealous - I miss the beach. It's probably bloody cold. Don't go swimming, if you haven't already. You know your mum will go mental on you. So, they know Tuatha is in foal? Do they know when the foal is expected? I hope it's over the summer; I hate when I miss foalings - especially hers. Most of the people here still don't get why I get so excited out of normal horses...

As Mairead read, she shoved her shoulder against the door of the owlery and stepped inside. She hadn't expected to find anyone in the tower, so when she found the tower otherwise occupied, she hesitated in the doorway. Even out of uniform, Mairead recognized the other student as a Slytherin in her year. She didn't know her name; most Slytherins didn't think she needed to know it. Since her first year, Mairead had been a prime target for Slytherin trouble and even here, in her fifth year, the reasons for it were blatant.

In contrast to the Slytherin opposite her, Mairead's clothes were simple, ragged and clearly had had several owners before her. There was nothing flashy or contemporary about the tweed traveling skirt and linen shirt. They were just as much used as the few sets of school robes she'd managed to scrounge. She'd brushed her hair that morning, but that was about the extent of the effort she'd put into readying herself - it was more than she'd do at home. Aside from the obviously lower-class appearance, Mairead's parents were both unemployed muggles and she was at school completely on scholarship. And, as many in her year knew, Mairead had not been to any school prior to coming to Hogwarts. Neither had her parents. Her first year, she'd been the first of her family to learn to read. She had been, quite obviously, the resident poor, muggleborn Hufflepuff.

"Allo," Mairead said quietly. She almost asked if it was alright to be here but caught herself; she didn't need permission to be in the owlery and it didn't look like this girl would give her too much grief. She glanced up at the birds. She really wasn't fond of the owls and the dislike was, usually, mutual. Apparently they understood people, too. "Alright - who wants to - ouch." She reached for the nearest bird but a sharp beak pinched her finger. "Bloody hell," she muttered. "Just take the effing letter. How do ye get the ruddy birds te not be such ars...?" She glanced over her shoulder at the other girl but let her voice trail off with a sigh.