F r e e f a l l

If Mira had one wish it would be to get in the mood to party. Okay, that was a lie. If she had three wishes one would be the mood change. But the others would be to be able to get the courage to remove this stupid tattoo on her back and to not have been such a complete idiot to have left Elijah in the first place. For the last few days Mira had been in a reflecting mood - trying to figure out exactly where she had gone wrong in her life and how to fix this feeling of emptiness that was constantly consuming her. To be honest it was a completely dreadful place to be and she really couldn't have been more miserable. That is where this 'big party' was supposed to come in to the rescue. A distraction, nothing more.

Sure, Mira had lots of problems but addiction was not one of them. Smoking made her feel.. dirty, drinking made you act stupidly, and drugs just held no interest to her. Any crazy she had was completely her own. Mira wasn't proud of how she acted sometimes or how to handled situations. But desperate measures for desperate people right? And she was, or rather had become, very desperate. Desperate to find someone, anyone, who would make her feel even remotely close to whole again. Well, anyone who was devilishly handsome, pureblood, and the heir to any great fortune. No other man would do. Mira looked out over the rooftop edge, feeling the predicted jolt of tingling adrenaline that it would be so easy to just let herself fall over the edge. Free fall into nothing.

Silvyr lovd the night sky. He stepped into a bathroom and locked the door. He knew e wouldn't be missed and the paty was just beginning as it was. He pushed open the window and felt the breeze suck the warm air from the room. He stuck one foot out of the window and then another before closing it, leaving a crack to make sure he had a way back in.

He looked up at the sky and basked in it's beauty. The moon was in rare form tonight. Not full but close, and huge in the night sky. He was captured in it's beauty as it hung in the night sky seemingly weightless.

A soft crunch of feet on the roof some ten feet away caught his attention. He was glad he wasn't the only one who wasn't crazy about large social gatherings. He walked cautiously to where he had heard the noise being silent as he took a seat behind the girl who was standing to close to the edge for his comfort.

He chuckled softly and spoke calmly though jokingly. "Just because I cant get to you if you fal, doesn't mean I'm not taking the blame." He smiled softly at the girl.

“Peeves, when is this all going to end? I am not even a student here anymore!” Amelia pleaded, having been backed all the way up to the window, the stone still pressing coldly onto the back of her legs, covered only by a thin layer of nylon.

“You were the one who signed on for extra years, dearie,” Peeves said, brandishing the bucket of PermaPaint at her, which he had used to get her all the way to this point. The dress she was wearing was borrowed from the designer and sent to her from her mother with strict instructions not to drink anything colored or eat anything at all. That was going to be no problem, because the dress was a sample size and small enough that even the svelte 19-year-old had had trouble fitting into it and probably wouldn’t fit if she ate anything at all.

But what Antoinette probably hadn’t planned for was Peeves. No one ever planned for Peeves, and if they did, he found a way to make sure he pointed out just how useless plans were against him. Peeves had found Amelia hiding in a corner of the entryway, making the mandated appearance at the party but not really engaging with anyone, and he had quickly found a way to correct that by chasing her all the way up here with a can of paint that would never, ever come out of the dress.

“Going up?” Peeves asked, dangling the can closer and closer to her as he imitated an elevator bell boy.

“I’m not going on the roof, Peeves,” Amelia said staunchly, crossing her arms over herself stubbornly. Screw the dress, there is no way I am going up there. I’ll pay her whatever it costs.

“Mummy won’t be very happy if her daughter ruins her pretty dress,” Peeves taunted, coming closer and forcing Amelia to lean further away from him into the windowpanes, which were already open and moved at her touch, causing her to freeze in fright.

“Peeves, can you please just-“

“Not to mention being seen in public looking like a character out of a Stephen King novel,” Peeves added manically as he dipped a ghostly finger into the paint and moved it to dangle over her.

“Okay, okay, I’m going!” Amelia shouted, throwing up her hands in defeat. Her intense fear of heights was gripping every limb of her body as she shifted her weight to sit fully on the window sill, but her fear of her mother’s wrath was greater. Antoinette still hadn’t gotten over the fact that her daughter had debased herself so far as to resort to teaching of all things, and if Amelia came home covered in paint that wouldn’t come off for days, the red stains would probably no longer be due to just paint.

The air was cold as she kicked her legs outside, and she hesitated looking back to see if Peeves was really going to force her to do this, but she really hadn’t been hoping for any sympathy from the perverted poltergeist. Amelia was very careful to close her eyes against the dizzying view from the edge, turning to stand on the sill and then hoisting herself onto the roof with significantly less grace than she would have wanted to have exhibited. And as if that wasn’t enough embarrassment, she shuddered as she stood up to the sounds of Peeves cackling and locking the window behind her.

“Perfect, just perfect,” Amelia muttered to herself, dusting off her legs and the back of her dress as she backed as far away from the ledge as possible, trying to figure out the best way not to panic. She was so wrapped up in her own discomfort that she had failed thus far to even recognize that she was not alone on the roof. But finding out who she was sharing this dangerously high, panic-inducing place with was only going to add to her anxiety, and it would only be a matter of time.

Before the woman standing near the edge could respond, Silvyr heard a slam come from the direction of the window he had just climbed out of. Damn he thought to himself without needing to look in that direction. Now he was locked out, and would have to find a new way in. At least this isn't the fist time I've had to break and enter. His thoughts continuing.

He knew that the person who had come out of the window would be appearing above him shortly. Hopefully she wasn't a daredevil like the girl standing in front of him now.

Amelia was still frustrated and out of her element, but with her wand in her hand, she felt better. She had pulled it from the hidden pocket in the skirt of her dress with the intention of casting bluebell flames for warmth, and was turning around to look for a good place to set them when she noticed two shadowy figures on the edge of the roof. The flames in the palm of her hand were beginning to warm her extremities, which was helping with her physical, if not mental, comfort, and were illuminating her face in an ethereal light as she moved a few steps closer to get a better look at the people on the edge of the roof.

That’s far enough, Amelia’s mind chimed in while she was still several meters from the edge. She would stick as close to the middle as she could, thank you very much. That is, until she could get down from here entirely.

“Hey, um… whoever you are,” Amelia said, trying to keep the panic out of her voice as she extended the bluebell flames away from herself to illuminate more of the scene around her, “You wouldn’t happen to know a way down from here, would you? I’m a little- well, I’m rather more fond of- ... ... I’d just really like to get down,” Amelia stuttered, hoping by some miracle the people on the edge of the roof had been planning to come down from here at some point and knew a way.

Then again, the only reason Amelia could think of to be on the roof in the first place was if you were suicidal.

Let’s not think about that, shall we? Amelia’s subconscious chimed in as the redhead closed her eyes against the thought.

A blue light appeared moments after Silvyrs thoughts had passed. He looked over to the source of the disturbance of the comforting solitude he had been enjoying for only a few seconds. He examined the silhouette of the person who was holding the small balls of flames. The person's body was riged, even though they stood a few yards from the edge.

A woman's voice broke the silence. It carried beautifully as it cut through the brisk air. Silvyr smiled warm heart-idly as he noticed the fear in the woman's voice. The woman was holding back her true feelings of heights as much as possible, but it still showed through heavily.

He planted his hands onto the roof and pushed off. His body rose quickly as his legs needed little time to find his balance. Silvyr had found himself in much worse situations before, and heights no longer scared him after the incident in the Scandinavian Mountains.

He pocketed his hands, in his suit pants, and walked over to the woman with grace and ease. After a few strides he found himself close to the light though unable to see the woman's face behind it. He hoped by that time she had made out his warm facial features and understood he was of no threat. A thought crossed his mind quickly of the situation. On second thought.

He spoke softly though his voice came out unaltered. "My name is Silvyr, and you are clearly scared of heights." He said, poking a little fun at the woman. He continued quickly without missing a beat. "And my way back in, happens to be the way you just, so conveniently, shut for me." His tone still matching his thoughts of the situation, rather comical. "I must ask, A. why would you lock yourself out if you are scared of heights. And 2. what are you doing out her in the first place?" He said truly intrigued .

You might have just saved a life tonight, Amelia’s subconscious taunted, making a mockery out of the situation that Amelia was freaking out over, as it so often did. This came in response to watching one of the dark forms come over from the edge, moving with far greater speed than Amelia felt comfortable with, seeing as the person was so close to the edge, so she once again closed her eyes to hide her fear.

She could hear the footsteps coming toward her, though, and once the footfalls seemed to be at a safer distance, she opened her eyes to see a tall man walking toward her. He was dressed in a suit, but his hair fell messily brushed to one side of his forehead, grazing… blue eyes, Amelia thought, though it could have been a trick of the flames.

Amelia was going to greet him with all the courtesy she could muster given the circumstances, but before she could, the man made his introduction, followed up immediately by an assertion that was both true and exactly what Amelia had wished he hadn’t noticed. She opened her mouth to protest, but closed it again abruptly. There was no use denying it – this rooftop scenario had her shaking like a leaf in a hurricane. But just because she couldn’t fight it didn’t mean she had to like the fact that this stranger had not only noticed it, but pointed it out.

Twisting her lips up in frustration, Amelia sighed despondently at the man’s announcement that he did not have a way back into the castle, his having been lost with hers. But her desperation quickly shifted to annoyance as the man – Silver he had called himself, which was a color, not a name – attempted to place the blame on her and make a whole host of other assumptions about her ‘decision’ to come onto the roof.

“I didn’t shut it, you oaf,” Amelia spat, resisting the urge to cross her arms over one another, because she was still holding the bluebell flames out toward this stranger, “It was shut against my will, by the same person who blackmailed me up here with a bucket of PermaPaint. One of Peeves’ favorite passtimes is watching me squirm against disappointing my mother.”

Okay, perhaps too much information there. Distract, distract…

The man seemed to be squinting against the light, tilting his head this way and that as he looked toward her, and Amelia realized he couldn’t make her out because the flames were throwing her into relief. She didn’t recognize him, but maybe if he could see her, he would know the authority she had as a professor and maybe quit the comedy routine and help her get down.

“Amelia Lyons,” the redhead muttered quickly, having pulled the flames back toward herself so her face was illuminated from below, making the already sharp planes of the “Ice Queen’s” face stand out in even sharper relief.

“And I’m not scared of heights,” Amelia added defensively, “I’m scared of dying. As probably are too, which leads me to wonder if you are unintelligent enough not to make the connection between high places and death, or if you are merely too reckless to make the obvious decision where heights are concerned.”

Before barely any time had passed Mira felt the presence of another person on the rooftop. Just as she was about to turn to examine her new companion he appeared beside her and made a comment in what sounded like a joking manner. A mixture of being so lost in thought and not really caring what the man had to say resulted in Mira only hearing a few words of what he had to say. A quick "Sorry, can you repeat that please" was on the tip of her tongue when he wandered away at the addition of yet another person to her quiet rooftop. Clearly this man had a long attention span. As he wandered slowly over to greet the newcomer Mira got a better look at him. He had a relatively handsome face. And his eyes seemed kind enough. Maybe he would actually provide her some much needed company. Providing he wouldn't make it a habit of wandering off mid sentence. 

Without even really realizing what she was doing Mira had started moving towards the new figure. When her face was illuminated Mira couldn't help but take in a little gasp of recognition. Lovely. This was just who she wanted to be locked on a roof with. In retrospect it was lucky that the man, Silvyr, had started talking before Mira blurted anything unpleasant out. Instead she got a moment to assess the situation and form a proper greeting. Amelia and Mira had met once before but had disliked each other for no reason more than the stories one hears. Mira knew Elijah had once fancied the girl and this just made her another perfect image to live up to. When Mira had learned that she would be teaching at Hogwarts this year she had been less than thrilled. And it was still impossible to see a girl a year above her own a professor. 

"Professor Lyons. What a pleasure." she said into the night air, voice like honey. Mira might have found herself occasionally lost for words, but her voice alone could make angels smile. 

It was mildly amusing to Mira to see Amelia feeling so uncomfortable about something as petty as heights. It wasn't as if Mira was fearless but heights had never bothered her. For a second the memory of the screaming wind and Miserias laugh filled her head. Occasionally the memory would resurface out of nowhere in her daydreams and she would be like Oh yeah, I jumped off a bridge.. Mira wasn't suicidal, an adrenaline junkie, or crazy. She just sometimes needed to prove she was alive. Jumping off the London Bridge might not be the sanest way, but it sure was effective. When heights shut some people down, they made others come alive.

OOC: Sorry I'm a bit late

This cannot possibly get worse.

This was the first thought that struck Amelia when the other figure appeared suddenly from behind Silver and stepped close enough that her features could be illuminated by the bluebell flames. Mira Anderson. Freaking perfect.

Mira was the girl – or rather, one of the girls – to which Elijah had moved on since deciding she wasn’t worth his attention. Amelia had struggled with his abandonment at first, but any hurt she had felt over the situation had turned to anger or annoyance months ago. She no longer harbored any feelings for Elijah, but that hadn’t stopped Mira from hating her for the past she shared with the womanizing Slytherin boy that, as far as Amelia knew, still belonged to the blond girl that was now joining the band of misfit toys.

“Mira, a pleasure to see you as well,” Amelia replied, managing to sound somewhat sincere. When it came to business, Amelia had been ingrained so thoroughly that she could practically do this in her sleep. It was why she had gotten through first semester by the skin of her teeth. Her former peers had questioned her authority at first, but Amelia knew how to uphold a hierarchy – she had learned from infancy just by watching her mother.

“I don’t suppose you’re up here voluntarily as well?” Amelia added as she nodded toward Silver, her tone somewhat more snarky than she might have intended, though not so much so that anyone could actually call her out on it.

Silvyr stood with a slight grin, still enjoying the situation that he was now in due to the woman's decision to lock herself out. The light was beginning to hurt his eyes and bring a soreness behind them. He was forced to ignore the discomfort when he heard the woman's insult come in quickly. Followed by a story of how she was the one at fault.

His ears noticed the lack of sound in the air as the woman stopped speaking abruptly. Disappointment was the last word he could remember though his train of thought was broken again by the woman when the light was moved away from his face and back in her direction.

His eyes adjusted slightly to see the woman's face. Well if her voice hadn't give it away. Her face sure as hell would have. Her fear hid behind stern features and captivating eyes. The blue light brought a depth to them as they showed a deep blue that extended through each layer of color.

She spoke her name and then followed with an explanation that he hadn't needed to hear in his opinion. Everyone needed to satisfy someone. Be it their subconscious, the person standing in front of them, or god himself. He listened to her judge him without knowing him and instantly put him in a slightly annoyed mood.

He spoke swiftly, "It was a joke. Take it as such. As for your thoughts on heights. I find them foolish and rather sad. Do you trust yourself enough to stand in a simple place of danger, such as this rooftop, and know that you are capable of saving yourself? Or would you be the type to pray someone saves you as you fell the whole way down kicking and screaming until you hit the ground breaking nearly all the bones in your body?" He had forgotten the reason he enjoyed spending his days with his wolf Leah. People forgot what it meant to be independent long ago it seemed.

The girl standing behind him now, close to the edge, spoke towards the rude woman who he had wanted to help. Though now he could care less if she fell or not. He picked out the word Professor and understood where the woman's false since of authority came from.

He began again quickly where he left off, "There are many of higher places in this world and when you have had to deal with situations where you are alone and are hanging from one of those high places, you learn rather quickly that there is nothing to fear except your own fear or pity. And if you are finished having your pity party then I will be happy to help you back inside." He paused as he thought for a second. "Though I will not help you until you apologize. My feelings are my own and you had no right to speak on them as you did. I could care less if you're sorry but I want an apology. you may find it smart to not treat adults like your students."

Silvyr allowed the words to send past her with the intention he had been meaning them to have. He was a guest just as she was and had been trying to help her at that. He wouldn't be treated like some preteen student by the woman. He didn't care who the F*** she was.