The Gryffindor common room was always quiet on days that there were quidditch matches. Almost the entire house usually went to the pitch; those that didn't had other things that they wanted to be doing than sitting inside, reading in front of the fire. This, consequently, was exactly what Ismay was doing on this relatively nice Saturday mid-morning. She was sitting in one of her favorite chairs (she had them mentally rated by level of comfort and proximity to the fire) reading a novel for her Muggle Studies course. She'd just come to the general conclusion that this Shakespeare bloke was a bit of a perv, but a generally enjoyable read, when Sascha, her cat, bounded up into her lap.
Her book was knocked to the floor (she was basically finished with it anyways and so wasn't too annoyed with Sascha for interrupting her reading) and she bent to pick it up, giving the cat a playful little shove as she retrieved it. With that assignment out of the way, though, Isa was at a loss at what to do with herself. She didn't really feel like reading anymore, not that her cat would let her; Sascha was currently kneading her stomach, begging to be stroked. She obliged, running her fingers through the impossibly soft gray fur as she contemplated what to do next. She wasn't really in the mood to interact with anybody, but she felt too restless to stay inside and continue her homework. Maybe I should go for a walk around the lake or something, she thought, fondling Sascha's ears ears, much to the cat's enjoyment. The sound of her purrs vibrated through Isa's abdomen, making her giggle.
A tap on the window startled Isa, whose head shot up to determine the sounds source. She immediately recognized the large barn owl sitting outside the glass and rushed to let her in. The owl (Artemis), silently glided into the room and perched on the back of a chair, politely sticking out her leg in order for Ismay to retrieve the note attached to it. Sascha had wandered off somewhere in the interim, probably to the owlery to annoy owls that weren't as unflappable as Artemis. She'd tried with the barn owl before, but to no avail.
Ismay was always excited to get letters from her sister, though she was slightly disappointed at the size of the scroll that she untied. It was much smaller than their normal correspondence, making Ismay wonder if maybe her sister had been too busy to write a proper reply. Ainsley worked for the Ministry (Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures), and often held odd hours. She usually had time to write a decently sized letter to her little sister though.
She plopped down in the chair with a small huff of annoyance, contemplating whether or not she actually wanted to read the note (she had a rather unfortunate habit of denying herself small pleasures just to spite other people). Artemis fluttered down onto the arm of the chair, screeching softly until Isa pulled an owl treat out of her pocket for her. She twittered happily, swallowing the treat before taking to wing again and swooping out of the window. Isa wondered at the fact that Artemis didn't wait for a reply as usual, but shrugged it off as she unrolled the slip of parchment and began to read.
Hey Izzy,
I know you've been having a rough week. Meet me at the Three Broomsticks at 2:00 pm Saturday. We can catch up and have a girl's day.
Much love,
- A.
Ismay's entire demeanor immediately changed. She checked her watch excitedly. 1:27 pm. If she got moving now, she would have just enough time to get ready and walk down to Hogsmeade before her sister met her there. Wasting no more thought on it, she promptly sprinted up the steps to her dormitory, almost knocking over an unsuspecting first year in her haste. She yelled an apology back over her shoulder as she continued on the the 7th year dorms, not giving it another thought. Her sister was much more important at the moment than some first year who hadn't had the good sense to stay out of her way. (She would feel bad for it later, but nobody had been hurt so it wasn't a huge deal).