A string of memories

[Faerlain]

Whistles the wind, blowing my way,
Sweeping me back, back here to stay.
Can winners be losers running on the same track?
Some head for glory...

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The leaves of autumn crunched underneath her boots as Faye slowly walked along the path that lead to Hogsmeade, clutching her scarf tightly to fight off the light wind. It was no longer summer; that was something she had come to realize. The long and lazy days were now over, leaving behind nothing but a long drone of schoolwork until the winter holidays. It wasn't the work that she minded. She rather enjoyed expanding upon her talents, discovering what she wished to do once she graduated. There was something in her that leaned towards some kind of work with lycans, perhaps, but the other half leaned towards defense against the dark arts. Wasn't that what she had been doing her past few years at the school anyway?

So I'll do as I please like the well-tempered breeze.
Blowin' which way I see fit.
But take my advice; you'll have to bury me twice,
Cause the first time I won't rest easily.
But don't let die still wondering,
What it was I left behind.

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Her feet gradually and almost unwillingly lead her into the center of the village, back to the little coffee shop where she used to sit and nurse a cup before classes. The old wooden bench seemed to be the same as when she was last there- the worn handles looked as though a hundred hands had passed over them and the boards still creaked when she sat down. She could almost imagine the warm cup of vanilla hazelnut in the palm of her hands, the tingling feeling as she wrapped her fingertips around the steaming cup. Sighing a little, she smiled and closed her eyes. The air was sharp and full of fall as she inhaled, suddenly giving way to a more distant memory.

Beautiful dawn - you're just blowing my mind again.
Thought I was born to endless night, until you shine.
High; running wild among the stars above.
Will you be my shoulder when I'm grey and older?
Promise me tommorow starts with you.

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It was before Forgoil. It was back when she was a bit more carefree and innocent, a bit more trusting. Her heart was less guarded than it was now. Maybe she was a bit more little-girl back then; still full of fairy tales and of princesses and their prince. But it was on a day not unlike this when she had met the Ravenclaw boy, a day of leaves and the start of fall. They had watched the sunrise, an explosion of color. Her head had been tilted back just so when his arms were around her, reassuring her in a way that didn't even involve words. The simplistic beauty of it struck her so; she was forced to jerk open her eyes and look around just to realize that it was all in her mind.

Close your eyes.
And take your last breath.
Rest your head inside,
The end is the beginning.
And every point inbetween.
Some are lost.

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Wishful thinking. The old boards creaked underneath her as she slowly shifted her weight, watching as various other students passed along right in front of her eyes. They must think her to be crazy, sitting out here on a bench with her eyes close and reliving a time that was nearly a year ago. But to her, it was real. More real than anything to her. More real than the people in front of her or the ground beneath her. It was a time that she could remember, one of the few times that she could remember ever being truely happy.

So this is what it comes to.

[Forgoil Halifirien]

"And what is such a fair flower doing out in the dull colors of Autumn? For those dull and sere leaves will envy the beauty of the flower as it passes over them and then Nature will be put to shame. Now we cannot have that, can we?", said a voice from behind Faerlain. If she were to turn around and looked behind her; she would see the tired and somewhat worn face of Forgoil Halifirien. Even in such a state, Forgoil was able to smile as he saw his love after he came out of a nearby bookstore with Herman Melville's Moby Dick in hand. How he had changed from when he had first met Faerlain and the other Hufflepuffs. Then he was a shy and quiet boy that tried to keep his thoughts, feelings and emotions under lock and key. Now he had become quite the livily one, but school was taking it's toll on the boy.

He pressed himself to the limit to do his best and even then that left him with little to no free time. So he hadn't seen Faye or any of the other Puffs except for a few times in the Common Room, but aside from those few and amusing meetings; he had not been privilege to any of the grand times that he had over the Summer. And it seemed that with the arrival of school, the grey-haired lad had neglected Faerlain; much to his great dislike. How he dreamed of her at night sometimes; when he was haunted with unreadable dreams of pure black and shadow; she was his light in the darkness. The thought of her drove off such thoughts and dreams.

And how did Forgoil repay her? He hardly had seen or talked with her since school started and now he regretted that he hadn't talked with her sooner. With his book held in his right hand, Forgoil walked foward until he was alongside Faerlain and he rested his left arm on her shoulders. With out a sigh, his green-grey eyes flashed with both sadness and happiness as he rested his head on Faye's and asked her, "Well; how has Fate been treating you Tinuviel? I trust that it is well, for you still are in one piece and you are as beautiful as ever."

[Faerlain]

Some people search for a fountain,
That promises forever young.
Some people need three dozen roses,
And that's the only way to prove you love them.

A sudden and brief gust of wind caused her to tug her scarf around her neck ever tighter and then to draw closed the folds of her robe, fighting off the small autumn chill. The previous desire and longing was almost gone from her hazel eyes, replaced by an acceptance. It was the past. What was there to think about? Absolutely nothing. It wasn't like the boy had actually cared for her. He'd gone off and gotten himself killed. Stupid. It was so stupid.

Tossing her head to shake the stray hairs from her eyes, she heard the distinct sound of a bell tinkling as someone left the bookstore. She had just come to the conclusion that it was time to be moving on when she heard Forgoil's voice cutting through the folds of grey, cutting through all the memories and truely bringing her back to reality. His hand upon her shoulder was like a gentle push back to life, the very thing she needed. It was the soft touch she'd been missing that month and the voice of the person she most wanted to talk to.

For once she had nothing to say for a few moments, though she did tilt her head back ever so slightly to nuzzle her nose against his neck. He smelled almost like the books that he must have been browsing among, those older novels that had been gathering dust for centuries- but she hardly minded. Why should she? He was there, and that was all that she cared for. It might have been impossible for him to see her smile based on how she was facing, but that ever-so subtle grin was there.

"I have been well." She replied, adjusting her head slightly to allow not to smother him. "And you? I certainly didn't expect to see you here, Beren. But I suppose every day must have a certain number of suprises in it."

Hand me the world on a silver platter,
And what good would it be?
With no one to share; with no one who truely cares for me.

[Forgoil Halifirien]

"Well; tidings have been better as have the times. School isn't exactly easy when you try to master one area of expertise and neglect the others to a degree. And because of neglecting them I am forced to study all the harder to merely memorize the material and from there it is just a crazy maelstrom of work and stress. Not something that I would like to bring into this nice and quiet gathering of ours.", said Forgoil as he breathed in the fragrance of Faye's hair.

Such things always seemed to come the grey-haired lad and put him at ease. The smell of Faerlain's hair, Lottie's laughter, Carmen's craziness and Wyl's mishaps; they always made him feel so different and he treasured those few things. But as Faerlain nuzzled his neck with her nose, Forgoil couldn't help but let a smile crack on his weathered and tired face. His eyes sparkled with joy as he felt Faye's warmth against him and he let his eyes close; knowing that while he was with her nothing could go wrong. At least nothing that the two of them couldn't handle.

Pulling Faerlain in a bit closer, Forgoil lifted his head off of her's and quickly kissed her on the fore head. "Do you know how long I have so desire to talk with you like this again? It seems like ages when we walked along the edge of the lake. Perhaps you would like to stroll the town for awhile before returning to what you were originally out here for? Or would you rather do something else? Because whether you like it or not Miss Faye; you are stuck with me for the moment since all of my business in town is done.", said Forgoil with a little laugh as the wind rippled his grey hair gently.

[Faerlain]

So excuse me forgetting, but these things I do,
You see I've forgotten if they're green or they're blue.
Anyway the thing is, what I really mean,
Yours are the sweetest eyes I've ever seen.

Ah, school. That was one thing that she wished that she could forget, considering the heaps of work that was often piled upon the sixth year prefect. She loathed it, however accepted the fact that she needed it to have a life once she had graduated. And yes, that was constantly on her mind as well. Graduation day, though it was a good one and a half years away, was even something that she was starting to look forward to. She would certainly miss her House and Common Room, but there was always that constant feel that she needed to slowly begin to move on. There was so much of the world that she had yet to see.

But there was a part of her that didn't want to leave; the school provided her with some mild amount of protection. Outside, there was obviously a lycan who wanted her dead, as well as perhaps a few vampires who wouldn't mind sucking her dry. But other than that, there was so much of a world out there that she had yet to experience. And she wanted to. There was such the desire in her to see the whole world and to be that kind of independent person, contrasted by an equally strong desire to have a family life and ties to one home.

A quick smile flitted across her face as he placed a kiss upon her forehead, which she returned. The town continued to pass by the pair, oblivious to the words he spoke to her. His words were like food for the hungry, for she fed upon and listened to his every syllable. Why had she let it go so long before seeing him again? It only made her all the happier when they did get to spend a few moments together; those few moments really did mean the world to her.

"Just strolling the town would be nice, I think. I wasn't really here for anything in particular." She replied with a smile, tossing her scarf around her neck once more. "And spending time with you is no burden to me, though I am sure that you know that already."

It may be quite simple, but now that it's done,
I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind,
That I put down in words,
How wonderful life is, now you're in the world.

[Forgoil Halifirien]

"Of course I know that Faerlain; I just am joking when I said that in the first place. But it still makes me wonder why you are here in Hogsmeade for no apparent reason. Unless you have some reason that you wouldn't care to tell me, and in that case I will either wait for you to tell me or just drop the subject entirely. What ever choice puts you at ease; go with it", said Forgoil in an airy voice with just a tint of playfulnes. Still it was odd that Faerlain was walking about Hogsmeade with nothing to do. There were students in the Common Room that she could be talking to; friends that she could be spending time with. Yet she choose to come here.

This puzzled the grey-haired Scot. Faye was one of the people that he would never imagine aimlessly walking around; that was a job for someone like him to do. And she should be enjoying her last few years at the school yet it seemed that a dark cloud hovered over her head in a sense. When she was talking with him, it seemed that the cloud vanished into thin air yet the moment that conversation stopped; it seemed that the cloud returned and covered Faerlain in it's folds. Well; there had to be something that he could do...but what?

"Well", said Forgoil awkwardly, "Perhaps I should tell you why I was in the Village today. As you know; I was in the Bookstore acquiring something new to read and I was in luck. They had the book Animal Farm in stock and from past recommendations; I take that it is a good read. And from what I read in the introduction, the book revolves around a revolution; one in which the monarch figure is thrown down and the common people rule. It seems so perfect; everyone is equal and everyone has everything that they could ever need to live in comfort. Oh; if that was only a reality."

With a sigh, Forgoil hugged Faye and his eyes clouded a bit with his next words, "Yet I heard that in the story; that society doesn't last for long; that someone always needs to be in power and those power struggles caused strife, pain and death. But it is interesting to compare such thoughts to the school in a sense. In light of the Danawi affair; it almost fits our school to a tee. Don't you find such thoughts interesting Faerlain?"