It was one of those days where a person couldn’t help but be outside and enjoy the good weather Mother Nature had blessed Hogwarts with today. Even if that certain person was behind in most of her classes and should be studying. It was on that day that Chloe was outside in the front of the school. It really was a nice day, considering that it was nearly Christmas time and should be snowing for God’s sake. Still, she wasn’t going to complain, for cold weather just…well, sucked. There was no other way to put it. She could deal with winter, but it usually brought her mood down a notch or two as compared to the summer, when she was usually glowing with happiness. The sun was shining down right on where she had spread a blanket. A slight wind was blowing in from the east, preventing it from getting too hot.
Chloe stuck her head up into the wind and let it run through her already wavy hair. She had figured out by now that her hair was never going to be perfectly straight, and to be honest, she actually preferred that. Who wanted to look like everyone else without any individuality? There would just be a world of clones, and that would seriously be no fun. Chloe closed her eyes in contentment…just as a raucous group of first-years shattered her bubble of silence. She glared after them for a moment before her eyes began to twinkle in amusement. She had been a first year not too long ago. She would’ve been one of those happy little kids, running through the front of the school without a care in the world but whether she could run as fast as the other kids, whether she could get that stubborn teacher to give her a good mark, whether- Chloe shook herself out of thoughts of the past.
It wasn’t like she had had a bad childhood; in fact, her childhood had been one of the best times of her life. But still, she needed to concentrate on the present, maybe the future, but definitely not the past. She had too much going on in her life right now to have time for that. Anyway, there were only a few more weeks until the break, when she would have time to think about stuff like that. A small smile broke out across her face at the thought of getting to see her family again. Maybe her brother would be able to make it back for the holidays, which would be great. She would get to hang out and just talk with him, something she hadn’t gotten to do since he graduated from Hogwarts last year. He was on to bigger and better things now while she was stuck at Hogwarts for two and a half more years. She loved Hogwarts with all her heart, but she wanted more adventure in her life than just school; she wanted to do something with her life.
A brisk wind swept across the area, making goose bumps pop up on Chloe’s bare arms. She had neglected to bring a jacket with her, since a friend of hers had told her earlier this morning that it was really warm outside. Her friend had been right, but now it was beginning to get colder. She sighed a bit in annoyance; good things never seemed to last for long, even the simpler things like warm weather. Winter was showing who was boss, apparently, as the air began to slowly cool. It was probably time to head back inside now that it was getting colder. Chloe quickly gathered up the blanket she had stolen off one of the couches in the Gryffindor common room and began to stride towards the door that led back inside.
She walked slowly, not wanting to officially admit to herself that she had to leave this place of happiness and probably get some of her homework done if she wanted to pass this year. The teachers were already getting on her back about it, telling her that she was too smart to go down that path of laziness. Maybe they were right; maybe they weren’t. She reached the door too quickly and reluctantly opened it. She glanced into the open Great Hall, debating whether or not to grab a quick bite to eat, but she decided against it. That would just waste time she didn’t have and definitely needed. By now, Chloe obviously knew her way around the castle, considering it was her fifth year here and all. A person would have to have a horrible memory to be able to get lost in this castle after five years of being here. Chloe was not one of those people.
She jumped aboard a staircase as it was leaving the ground. That was a risky stunt that could lead to broken ankle or worse if she missed the staircase, but there was no fun to life if you didn’t take a risk or two. Those who lived life safely and by the rule book didn’t live life at all, at least in Chloe’s opinion. She climbed up the staircase and reached the top as it led to the next staircase. She easily traversed up the moving set of stairs, a nearly impossible feat for a first or second year but a relatively easy one for a fourth or fifth year. After a few minutes of walking up the stairs, she reached the painting of the Fat Lady. The Fat Lady boomed, “PASSWORD!” Chloe laughed and told the painting, “You don’t have to yell so loud. I’m right here you know.”
The Fat Lady scowled and yelled again, “PASSWORD!” Chloe could almost swear that the lady in the painting had yelled it even louder just to be annoying. Chloe yelled back, “Toadsnap!” quieter than the lady in the painting but still pretty loud. The painting door silently swung open. Once inside of the common room, Chloe tossed the blanket back onto the couch and headed up to the girls’ dormitory, where all her books were right now. She easily got upstairs and was about to head over to her trunk when she realized that she wasn’t alone in that room. There was another girl, just lying on the bed. Chloe studied the girl for a moment, wondering if she recognized her before she spoke. After a moment, the familiar name came to her, and Chloe said, “Millie? Hey, what’s up? I didn’t recognize ya there for a minute. Guess I must be going blind in my old age of fifteen.”
by 
