Looking Out The window

It had been a really long day. The rain fell really hard. "Well I wanted to go outside." Zoe said as she stood in front of the window looking out onto the grounds. She let out a very deep sigh. She had been cooped up inside the school for so long. If it wasn't the school she was cooped up in it was St. Mungo's. She really wanted to be back outside. Free. But the rain kept her confinded to yet another building.

Zoe leaned against the wall and crossed her arms. At least this way she could at least look out the window if nothing else. Figures walked along the grounds. They weren't very clear. Looked like a few students scattered here and there. She could see the grounds keeper, probabley dealing with some of the animals or something. Another group of students, looked like a bunch of young Gryiffnodors, probably first years rushing toward the castle.

Zoe laughed at the sight of them when they entered the castle. They looked like a band of drowned rats. She couldn't help herself. "You guys do know the school has showers. Unless you just prefer taking them outdoors. IF so I will be more than glad to get you a bar of soap." Zoe's said through her laughter. She always did enjoy picking on the younger students.

Sue walked in the Entrance Hall hoping to be alone. She had been away for quite long. She wanted to see the Entrance Hall once. She didn't know why. She kind of liked it actually. It always had people rushing in and out of it, and she preferred quiet places, as she was really reserved. But she liked the Entrance Hall for one or the other reason. Leaning outside to have a look of the rainy season, Sue got half wet. "Urgh!" she pulled out her head of the window. She was so vain and ignorant these days, she herself didn't know why.

Maybe it was the reason that coming back after such a long time, she couldn't properly adjust with her most hated place in the world other than her home , that was Hogwarts. Or maybe she was sad that she got demoted from the Head position in the Death Eaters. But someday ago she had been quite relieved and happy about it. Whatever it was, Sue was confused, and a lot. She felt like she needed company right now, but caught herself off-guard for thinking such things. Didn't Sue always regard friends as a wastage of time? How could she even think about company?

She smacked her head with her hand. Let the younger students stare shockedly at her insanity, as if they could dare to smirk at Sue. Still, right now, she wasn't in the mood of bullying. Looking around, she saw Zoe, and thought she had just found the right person. She didn't care if she was a Hufflepuff, but she was not dumb, she wasn't like other Hufflepuffs. Sue wouldn't say she liked her, it was obvious that Sue hardly liked a soul. She would say that she didn't dislike her. She was OK. Walking up to her, she stood beside her and stared at the rain pouring outside the window. "Hello." she said without making any kind of eye-contact.

Zoe watched the first years as they saw her standing there with wide eyes. She contined to laugh at them. It didn't take them long before they ran off. She shook her head at them. One day they would learn. If its raining stay inside. Duh. But she didn't understand why this concept was so hard to grasp. She could hear them talking and sliding all along the corridors. One of them, she had no idea, but at least one was going to fall. She knew this without a doubt.

Slowly Zoe turned back to the window and continued to stare. She watched the rain fall. As it hit the dirt. How it hit the buildings and grass. She was somewhat amazed at it. She must have been so out of it that she didn't hear a new set of footsteps until the person that footsteps belonged to spoke. Zoe was drawn out of the trance by a voice that she had not heard in a really long time. And that voice was speaking in her direction.

Zoe turned her eyes from the rain and saw Sue. Zoe quickly scanned the rest of the hall checking to make sure the words she heard were being directed toward her. They were. She looked back at Sue and then followed her gaze. She was staring back at the spot that Zoe had been. "Uhm. Hi, Sue. Long time no see."

Staring blankly at the rain pouring outside Sue looked at Zoe. She appeared confused like her. At least it was natural for her. She might be thinking that what Sue had to do with her. Sue always talked to Zoe when she had any important business or just to be formal. Seeing the student run in and out she started to feel irritating. She wanted to go to a quiet place. But then again she couldn't ask Zoe to move from the place. Blocking all her thoughts, she decided to reply to Zoe as it would be rude not to.

"Oh..." Sue said remembering what Zoe had said in reply. "Oh yes..." she said again replying, "Actually I was away...for some reason...uh...family business." she lied thinking for long enough. She was sure that Zoe could know that she was lying. And if she wouldn't, then she would know that Sue was mentally imbalanced. "Where were you?" Sue asked gaining back her sense. "I didn't see you for long before I was gone..."

Being glad to have back her senses Sue looked back at the rain waiting for her reply. She didn't like eye-contact. These days, eye contacts made her nervous. They made her feel like as if she had committed some wrong.

Zoe glanced at Sue. She wasn't really sure why she was talking to her. Not that Sue ignored Zoe completely or anything. But Zoe wasn't the person Sue often chatted with. Unless it was business or something like that. Feeling a strong urge to look away Zoe went back to looking out the window. The rain continued to fall. This was really soothing. Realizing that Sue might want to look at the window a little better she slide over to the side. Giving her the chance to stand in front of the window without asking. That much she could do without a problem.

Making sure not to look back at Sue Zoe started to think on what she had said. She had been gone. Family issues. The way Sue had said it seemed that she was holding back something. Not really sure what it was. But who was Zoe to pry. It wasn't really any of her business. If Sue wanted to hide something it was her right. "Nice." Zoe finally muttered. Not really sure why she said it but it was all she could think of at the moment.

Then she realized that Sue didn't know about her stay at St. Mungo's. Sometimes she forgot that not everyone knew she had been sick. A few people came to visit but that was it. "I was sick. I spent a great deal of time at St. Mungo's. It took the healers a while to get me back to good health. But finally, here I am." Zoe said holding her hands up a little.

Sue shifted in front of the window when Zoe gave her space. Zoe was pretty cool, and not annoying as she knew the other Hufflepuffs were. Touching the water a little she withdrew her hand. Seeing her hand wet she concentrated on it. There were lots of things going on her mind. she couldn't properly concentrate on Zoe. It would have been better if she had stayed away for a few more days. Hogwarts was surely unwelcome for her and she neither expected to be welcome.

"Oh well, glad you're back." sue said without thinking. She was glad that Zoe was back? Sue surely needed a mental check up. She decided not to look at Zoe at all, and thought o something to say. "You're taking NEWTs this year right?" she asked.

Zoe couldn't help but look at Sue for a moment. She saw her reaction to the rain on her hands. Was Sue really ok? She thought to herself. She wouldn't ask but wondered it still. But since Zoe didn't really know Sue that well, so Zoe didn't know if this was normal, or if something was wrong. Zoe didn't want to draw attention to the fact that she was staring so she looked back out into the rain.

"Trust me you are no more glad for me to be back than I am. For a while there I thought all I would be seeing soon was the inside of a box." Zoe told her. Zoe had been very sick. Almost to the point that there was no help. BUt she was back and better.

"No I'm still taking my OWLs. With me being sick so long I missed a lot. So I'm catching up. and you?" Zoe decided to finally ask Sue a question. Even if it was a small one.

"Oh well, me too. I didn't miss a lot, but still I caught up." Sue said. She wondered if Zoe liked Hogwarts. Well, why wouldn't she? Everyone could not be like Sue. Well, anyone was not like Sue. Sue was different. Weird. REALLY weird. Even she herself knew it. Thank God Zoe didn't know her well, if she had then she would have asked what was wrong with her. And Sue would again stammer.

"Well do you like Hogwarts?" Sue asked hoping the answer would be no. "And Hufflepuff?"

"Depends on how you mean do I like it here. Do I enjoy some of the stupid classes we take. Then the answer is no. I hate it. I do enjoy being outside so, Herebology and CoMC are not as bad as the others inside here." Zoe said pointing to the inside of the castle. "If you mean the people. Well the jury is still out on that. I hate when I have go to the burrow or even to the my parnets. So being here is great because I don't have to deal with them but there are people here I don't wnat o have to deal with either." Zoe said looking out hte window.

"Well then our views quite match. I also agree Hogwarts is better than Home. At least here you can talk freely and have freedom. No one wants to feel like a prisoner by going back home. And about classes," Sue said pausing to breathe and think a little, "I like the only ones in which I can excel. The others are stupid like Divination. That subject has no meaning at all! ComC and Herbolgy..." at this point she cleared her throat, she didn't like them, but she didn't want to hurt someone's feelings right now, "they are fine. Well, I also like that they mostly happen outside. After the stuffiness of the Divination class, they are relief."