Welcome to Gaia! ::

He nodded when she said that there were a lot of murders over the summer. He took one of her hands off the snitch and held her hand in his. "There were, weren't there? But a lot of bad things happened this summer. You're not to blame for anything. There is nothing you can do now, but honor the memory of the departed."

The way she was crying, it seemed like it wouldn't stop, and soon the feast would be ending. He knew she wouldn't want everyone to see her crying. He kissed her hand and released it. Then he put the snitch in her pocket. "You'll feel a little better in the common room, I think." With that, he put his arm under her and lifted her onto his lap. From there, he stood up, picking her up as he stood. "Ready to go?" he asked, his voice showing no strain.

Sam nodded when she thanked him and started up the steps. The steps would begin to take a toll on him and his arms would get tired eventually. But Sam wanted to carry his girlfriend up to the common room. Sam hummed the lullaby as he walked up the stairs.

♫ Feeling: Confused.
♫ Company: Kat.
♫ What I'm thinking: Why?
♫ What am I doing; Talking to Kat.
♫ Dating: Samuel Meridith.

♫ Feeling: Confused.
♫ Company: Kat.
♫ What I'm thinking: Why?
♫ What am I doing; Talking to Kat.
♫ Dating: Samuel Meridith.

♫ Feeling: Confused.
♫ Company: Kat.
♫ What I'm thinking: Why?
♫ What am I doing; Talking to Kat.
♫ Dating: Samuel Meridith.

Shina paused at the base of the stairs. "We are headed to the fifth floor. As you can see and hear, the stairs move, so stay close. Fun fact for you all," she said as she started to lead the climb, "Rowena Ravenclaw, founder of our House, was the one who designed the moving stairs. She thought it would challenge students to think more when planning their routes through the castle."

Shina checked her small clutch of ravens frequently as she climbed, making sure no one straggled behind and ended up lost. Cecille's hand on her arm was a good way to measure if Shina, long used to the stairs, was going too fast. Eventually they reached the fifth floor. After waiting for her students to catch their breath, she nodded. "Our common room entrance is on this floor. Please follow me."

Exit to the Fifth Floor Corridor

The journey was silent, whether it was fear or anger that wavered in the air and stirred with every tight breath that escaped into the air. Neither breathed a word, and while the youngest son of the Montague family was squirming inside, his mother was plotting. There lingering steps had led them to the threshold of the castle, and directly before them, was the grand staircase and it’s mysterious, ever changing design. As Mrs. Montague turned, her dark and fiery red hair bounced in its curl as she dropped her gaze to meet them both. His palm went clammy, and his heart jumped and skipped beats.

”Dominic, go to bed. Miss McHalen, follow me, we’re still quite a ways from the Ravenclaw Tower, and, wouldn’t want you to get into any more trouble, do we?” Porcelain ivory wove a mask of tranquility, and her French accent was tucked away, much more hidden and subtle now that she was calm and collected.

Dominic fought to speak and his words rammed into his throat, but it was caught and tied back, a string like a noose around his neck. He chewed on his lip, defenseless, and spared one last moment to smile assuredly towards Grace before he tucked his head down and slithered into the mouth of the dungeon entrance, his shadow bounced with every step he took as he disappeared down the staircase.

Now, it was just two. Mrs. Montague smiled briefly at Gracie, and if she lied to herself, the young girl could almost convince herself that that smile might have been sincere. Her heels clicked and echoed against stone castle walls as they journeyed up the staircase in thickening silence, that is, until the redhead had broken it. ”It’s such a tragedy what happened to you, mon cher. Losing a mother and father is never easy.” Of course she knew the girl, she knew the family well enough in black and white, on paper. She knew Gracie had had… curiously bad luck. She’d seen the girl been attended to by the head nurse on several occasions, and was ever curious when she’d brought a boy in who’d very nearly almost died. A part of her wondered if Dominic even knew that. ”My son is so sweet, such a gentle heart, always trying to fix what’s broken.” She smiled whimsically, and a small, soft, dreamy sigh slipped past her lips. ”I remember the day when his pet fish, Jacque had died, he was so young, he thought the poor fish was sick, and too tired to swim. I remember watching him climb over the tank, just to try and move it to eat with his tiny little fingers….

“He cried for days when I told him.” She paused, and that smile vanished. ”My son has a bright future, one of happiness and children. He always wanted to have children; I admit I was selfish, and I coddled him when he was so young. But he was happy, and he wanted nothing more than to be just like his father…” The higher they climbed, the more she seemed to reveal, and at first, even Mary hadn’t the slightest clue as to why she was saying all of this. It just came so naturally. ”And you, you have a family to take care of, an aunt and uncle, so many cousins, and they need you.

“But it isn’t fair, is it? So much responsibility…. I can understand. Perhaps I can help? If there’s any… monetary means that you need, I would be more than happy to help, to see you… Well, and,… well on your way.” She smiled golden. If the young girl was as smart as everyone believed, she’d take the offer now run while she still could, or, just risk breaking her son’s heart.