A small, gray and black cat escaped the stony confines of the castle and
ran off into the lush, but odd landscape beyond. It ran down to the lake
and climbed up onto a large, flat rock. The giant squid was playing by the
shore opposite the rock... and it seemed to be having fun. The little cat
just watched the squid and appeared to be content sunning itself there on
its rock.
A tall, lithe young man with silvery blonde hair and intense gray eyes slipped out into the gardens. He had a scowl upon his face and a purpose in his step. A cloud of almost severe gloom radiated from him, keeping everyone at bay. He slowly weaved a path toward the lake, finally coming to rest on a large, flat rock.
The cat looked at the intruder and mewed at him. Wise, knowing – almost black eyes looked up and studied the young man's face. The cat then stretched and curled up beside him. Almost as if it was ignoring the fact that he was there. At least that is what the picture the scene painted seemed to be from a distance.
The young smiled as he looked down to the cat. Gray eyes peered into deep brown pools. "Good to see someone can keep their word." He said with a chuckle. The little cat just looked up at him as if she completely understood what he'd just said and did not find it funny...almost as if she were quite unenthused with the comment. Then, she laid her head back down on her paws... almost like she'd just given him the cold shoulder. It seemed pretty much like a usual scenario when dealing with a cat – almost.
The young man seemed to relax. The scowl melted, the aura of gloom dissipated, and it seemed almost as if a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. He reached over and scratched the cat behind her ears. "So, Allie Cat, is this the happy medium?" He asked, sounding as though he wasn't quite convinced. Something was still bothering him, but he did look to be a lot more relaxed than he had when he'd first approached the rock.
The cat looked up at him and mewed, placing a paw on his hand, as if to say – 'Getting there.' The young man shook his head. "Still too close to the school." He sighed. The little cat looked to him and seemed to be pondering something for a moment. Her tail swished from side to side as her head canted to one side... what was this cat thinking about... It almost looked like mischief... to the untrained eye.
Finally, she got up, hopped down from the rock, turned to look at the young man, meowed a 'Follow Me,' and led him deep into the Gardens. She paused, looking around and when she was sure that there was no one around but her and the young man, she changed. Where there had been a cat, there was now a young woman... and things were making more sense... She pushed on a small section of stone that was showing through the overgrown ivy. A small opening appeared and she led him in beyond it.
He was shocked. He followed her, but he hadn't expected to be shown to a place that even he hadn't known about. Once he was inside, she tapped a place on the wall that he didn't quite see and the wall closed behind him. Inside was a small, ghostly garden. "How did you ever find this?" He asked.
She shrugged. "One of the Garden Ghosts showed it to me." She replied simply.
"Why did you bring me here?"
"I do not really know." She said with a small sigh.
"You are one strange girl, Allie Cat." He chuckled though for once, it was not a malicious one.
"And you are the picture of normalcy, Draco?" She asked with a chuckle of her own. He laughed and shook his head. She'd gotten him... he hadn't expected that – not really. Though he got the impression that she was still afraid of him and the thought caused him to sigh.
"What is wrong Draco?" She asked softly.
"Why are you still afraid?"
"What have you done in the past that would make trusting you now, easy?"
"Okay, you have a point." He sighed.
"I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"I am supposed to be helping you but I am not doing a very good job of it. I am still not sure of this. Part of me keeps wondering when the other shoe is going to drop on my tail." She half laughed, half sighed.
"It isn't easy for either of us, Allie Cat. You fear the Draco Malfoy everyone around here has gotten to know and loathe and I'm not sure that I can change. This is new territory for the both of us." He sighed.
"Do you want to change?"
"I think I do. I mean I know at least something has to change. I'm not the same, not after everything that's happened. But I'm... I'm not sure how to go from here."
"Change is seldom easy but often necessary. Sometimes sacrifices have to be made... But you are not to that point yet, you still have time and options." She explained.
"What kind of sacrifices? What options?" He asked feeling more than a bit lost.
"You might have to sacrifice your pride on the altar of your happiness." She said simply and stopped to think on his other question for a moment. "You still have a few things you have to figure out before you can actually start changing."
"Like what?"
"You still have to decide what you want to change, how you want to change it, what it will change too... and if you really want to. Who are you now Draco? Who do you want to be? Only after you can answer these questions will we really be able to figure out what options you have. Wanting it isn't enough. You have to have a plan, a goal, or at the very least a direction you want to go in... Or else how will you know where you are going and what it will take to get there?" She inquired.
"Where did you learn all of this?" He asked, a little in awe and a little... disbelieving. After all, she was his age, how did she know this stuff and he didn't?
"Family... books... but mainly – experience." She sighed.
"What happened to you?" He inquired.
"I had to grow up." She said simply as if that explained it all.
A tall, lithe young man with silvery blonde hair and intense gray eyes slipped out into the gardens. He had a scowl upon his face and a purpose in his step. A cloud of almost severe gloom radiated from him, keeping everyone at bay. He slowly weaved a path toward the lake, finally coming to rest on a large, flat rock.
The cat looked at the intruder and mewed at him. Wise, knowing – almost black eyes looked up and studied the young man's face. The cat then stretched and curled up beside him. Almost as if it was ignoring the fact that he was there. At least that is what the picture the scene painted seemed to be from a distance.
The young smiled as he looked down to the cat. Gray eyes peered into deep brown pools. "Good to see someone can keep their word." He said with a chuckle. The little cat just looked up at him as if she completely understood what he'd just said and did not find it funny...almost as if she were quite unenthused with the comment. Then, she laid her head back down on her paws... almost like she'd just given him the cold shoulder. It seemed pretty much like a usual scenario when dealing with a cat – almost.
The young man seemed to relax. The scowl melted, the aura of gloom dissipated, and it seemed almost as if a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. He reached over and scratched the cat behind her ears. "So, Allie Cat, is this the happy medium?" He asked, sounding as though he wasn't quite convinced. Something was still bothering him, but he did look to be a lot more relaxed than he had when he'd first approached the rock.
The cat looked up at him and mewed, placing a paw on his hand, as if to say – 'Getting there.' The young man shook his head. "Still too close to the school." He sighed. The little cat looked to him and seemed to be pondering something for a moment. Her tail swished from side to side as her head canted to one side... what was this cat thinking about... It almost looked like mischief... to the untrained eye.
Finally, she got up, hopped down from the rock, turned to look at the young man, meowed a 'Follow Me,' and led him deep into the Gardens. She paused, looking around and when she was sure that there was no one around but her and the young man, she changed. Where there had been a cat, there was now a young woman... and things were making more sense... She pushed on a small section of stone that was showing through the overgrown ivy. A small opening appeared and she led him in beyond it.
He was shocked. He followed her, but he hadn't expected to be shown to a place that even he hadn't known about. Once he was inside, she tapped a place on the wall that he didn't quite see and the wall closed behind him. Inside was a small, ghostly garden. "How did you ever find this?" He asked.
She shrugged. "One of the Garden Ghosts showed it to me." She replied simply.
"Why did you bring me here?"
"I do not really know." She said with a small sigh.
"You are one strange girl, Allie Cat." He chuckled though for once, it was not a malicious one.
"And you are the picture of normalcy, Draco?" She asked with a chuckle of her own. He laughed and shook his head. She'd gotten him... he hadn't expected that – not really. Though he got the impression that she was still afraid of him and the thought caused him to sigh.
"What is wrong Draco?" She asked softly.
"Why are you still afraid?"
"What have you done in the past that would make trusting you now, easy?"
"Okay, you have a point." He sighed.
"I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"I am supposed to be helping you but I am not doing a very good job of it. I am still not sure of this. Part of me keeps wondering when the other shoe is going to drop on my tail." She half laughed, half sighed.
"It isn't easy for either of us, Allie Cat. You fear the Draco Malfoy everyone around here has gotten to know and loathe and I'm not sure that I can change. This is new territory for the both of us." He sighed.
"Do you want to change?"
"I think I do. I mean I know at least something has to change. I'm not the same, not after everything that's happened. But I'm... I'm not sure how to go from here."
"Change is seldom easy but often necessary. Sometimes sacrifices have to be made... But you are not to that point yet, you still have time and options." She explained.
"What kind of sacrifices? What options?" He asked feeling more than a bit lost.
"You might have to sacrifice your pride on the altar of your happiness." She said simply and stopped to think on his other question for a moment. "You still have a few things you have to figure out before you can actually start changing."
"Like what?"
"You still have to decide what you want to change, how you want to change it, what it will change too... and if you really want to. Who are you now Draco? Who do you want to be? Only after you can answer these questions will we really be able to figure out what options you have. Wanting it isn't enough. You have to have a plan, a goal, or at the very least a direction you want to go in... Or else how will you know where you are going and what it will take to get there?" She inquired.
"Where did you learn all of this?" He asked, a little in awe and a little... disbelieving. After all, she was his age, how did she know this stuff and he didn't?
"Family... books... but mainly – experience." She sighed.
"What happened to you?" He inquired.
"I had to grow up." She said simply as if that explained it all.