Give Me A Break

Looking back on it, it was probably Kate's nervousness that dispelled Rika's paranoia.

Otherwise, there could be no other logical reason why she, world-proclaimed Queen of wary, shifty eyes and sweaty hands could have relaxed so easily. Because that was what she was right now, relaxed, as she casually leaned against the wall and heard Kate talk. Kate had gone off on a rambling tangent again- what, was it thrice already? -and looked to be in considerable discomfort of sorts, as if Rika was going to judge her or something.

Oh, what a ludicrous thought.

Rika smiled comfortingly, "I know what you mean. My life....it wasn't all that great before, but being forced to come here all of a sudden in the middle of the year.." Her expression grew discontented, and slightly irate. "One of the bloody worst things to ever happen to me."

And then, inadvertently, her face darkened at Kate's next question. The relaxed body language which she had earlier exhibited, stiffened up. Her voice was blank, emotionless, and calm, too calm, "My twin. Reid Dixon. He's in Durmstrang."

Oh, she wasn't angry at Kate, the girl couldn't possibly have known that the topic of conversation introduced would be so sensitive to Rika. But when that sharp, piercing-eyed, scowling face of her twin emerged before her mind's eye, it was difficult to remain detached. The strange mixture of love, sorrow and hatred which his thought aroused in her heart was too heavy, and choked and suffocated the beating organ like a python. And where this had all started, the third part of their trio....

No. Don't think about her. Stop it.

Kate resisted the urge to smile; well, more like jump up and down. Finally, someone who felt the same about Hogwarts and magic. None of her friends understood; they tried, they really did, but most of them came from wizarding families, and so magic was a way of life for them. Even her muggle-born friends were much too excited about magic to remember that this wasn’t always how they’d been.

She wanted to ask Erika about Durmstrang, about why she had transferred but her brother hadn’t, but saw in the way Erika’s face became stony, that it was probably a topic better to be left alone. Kate didn’t want to stir up any old demons, yet it looked like she’d done just that.

“Sorry,” Kate said hastily, “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I mean, you didn’t say you were but I can see that…”

Kate mentally smacked herself. Hadn’t she wanted not to mention anything? Apologising had probably just made it worse.

“I think I should go; thank you for watching, and for being so good about it. I’m just going to dig myself in a deeper hole if I stay, I can see it now.”

How exactly, has that made it any better?

Kate really hated it when she was nervous.

Rika would probably have been stormy for quite some time, but it was surprising what a person's words, or rather their behaviour could do to you.

Kate looked highly uneasy, and apologised fervently for something definitely not her fault, and proceeded to extricate herself from the scene with a nervousness that somehow coaxed Rika to smile in spite of her mood swing. The last thing she wanted to do in the world was to talk about her twin, but Rika specialised in compartmentalizing her emotions, so she shoved the bitterness and poison back to a room in her head where they belonged, and turned to the rather endearing Hufflepuff before her. Her voice wasn't as bright as before, layered with feelings, but still welcoming, "That's alright. We..uh..got our letters on our eleventh birthdays, and due to some p-personal reasons, couldn't attend. Reid went to Durmstrang. I was tutored at home."

The ideal thing to do to calm Kate, would be a friendly pat on the shoulder, but since Rika would initiate physical contact over her dead body, she settled for the next best thing. Uncaring of robes, she wriggled up a trophy cabinet, settled on the the top and patted the place next to her, "I've got a better idea. Sit here, and we can rail against our mistress the world and all our misery."

Quoting Shakespeare? Rika hated it when Brenda sounded like that...it made her feel like a first-class idiot. Classic dear........provided she actually got it.

"Umm..uh sorry 'bout that." Rika ran a hand through the tangled mass that was her hair, gnawing on her lower lip slightly, "I'm a....book aficionado, you could say."

“Shakespeare; I like it.” Kate relaxed, glad that Erika was open to a conversation, and took up the seat next to her. “My best friend from home’s studying him at the moment. She’s in love with Romeo and Juliet, all that tragedy and such.” Kate paused. Erika had said she was muggle born, so surely she’d understand the struggles of one, right? “It’s kinda hard sometimes, when I go home, having to lie to all my friends about where I am. They all think I got a scholarship for some prestigious boarding school, with very strict rules, and that’s why I can’t use my phone, none of them can visit and why I can’t go see them all on weekends and stuff. I’ve lost a few friends because of it, as I can’t stay in touch with them as often.”

Kate sighed. It was difficult to think about, how different her two worlds were. Back at home all her friends cared about what new movie was out, or the Number 1 song, or what technology was up and coming. But here, in the castle walls, it was all about the next Quidditch match, what new spell or potion they’d learn that day, and trying to keep mischievous Poltergeists’ from stealing your belongings. It was so confusing trying to keep up with it all.

“I guess,” Kate added, “I just keep putting off the fact that I’m going to have to ‘chose’ either the muggle world, or the wizarding world, and that I can’t have both. No matter how much I want to.”

She got it. She actually got it.

Rika wondered if it would be overly weird if she got up all of a sudden and started prancing about the room.

Oh, it wasn't that great surely. Lots of people understood Shakespearan quotes, he was after all the most famous dramatist of all time. But a point had to be considered. Rika wasn't all that much of a social butterfly, people tended to avoid talking to her. So all those times she quoted Anne of Green Gables and Three Men in A Boat, people got confused and she got woefully disappointed. This time though......Rika directed a rather beatific smile at Kate. All thoughts of her being a witch was currently wiped from her mind.

"Romeo and Juliet? No offense to Shakespeare, but I hate that thing. Utterly unfeasible." Rika wrinkled up her nose. "Love at first sight is a lovely concept, but completely illogical. Lust, not love if you ask me."

Kate began to talk about her friends at home, and Rika felt strangely nostalgic. Oh, she remembered her friends. All before the age of eleven of course, before she started talking to Brenda aloud. Songs, laughter, complaints if one did not share one's lunch, or text a 'goodnight'. Magic. Magic entered her life and ruined everything. Rika tried to repress a bitter tone in her voice, "I understand. The Muggle world is your- is our home, but magic fascinates us." No matter how accursed it is. A bitter-ish tinge swept over her smile. "But my decision is made. After this year, no more magic. I'm back to the normal world."