A Nighttime View

[Genesis Radcliffe]

It was night time when Genesis arrived in the Astronomy Tower. She’d climbed to the very top and even though she was tired she hadn’t come all this way for nothing. So refusing to turn back she entered a large, dusty room at the top of the tower.

The room had a high ceiling but most noticeable were the torn posters of the planets and the stars. “So this must be the Astronomy classroom,” Genesis said curiously as she lifted up a poster. Dust flew up in the air and Genesis fanned the area around her head and coughed, it was obvious this room hadn’t been used for a while. Then she decided to turn her attention to the four large windows located on the left wall.

Looking out one of the windows she saw that the Astronomy Tower had one of the most amazing views she’d ever seen. Much more magnificent than the view from the tower at Beauxbatons.

“Wow…” Genesis whispered to the darkness and she rested her arms on the window seal to get a better look.

[Mandalah]

The Slytherin student wasn't the only one discovering the Astronomy Tower for the first time. Shortly after the entrance of the dark-haired girl, quiet footsteps could be heard again, padding their way over cool stone and up the spiraling staircase into the circular room that awaited at its peak.

A pair of chocolate brown eyes opened wide as they surveyed the interior of the room. Mandy hadn't been here all that long, and the Astronomy Tower was one of the places she hadn't yet gotten around to exploring... and now as she entered the room, she was thinking that perhaps she should have made the arduous trip up here sooner. It was a sizable room, adorned with star charts where not with double-paned windows that afforded an amazing view of the grounds.

It was only as her gaze completed its survey of the room that Mandy realized she wasn't alone. Realizing that she'd been gawking, Mandy self-conciously pulled her russet tresses out of her eyes and cleared her throat. A warm smile touched her face, but when she spoke it was a trifle shyly. "Hi there..."

[Genesis Radcliffe]

As Genesis stood at the window looking up at the stars she didn’t notice the door open. It wasn’t until the girl who came in spoke that she first realized that she was no longer alone.

“ Hi there..."” The girl said and Genesis whirled around and looked. For a second she felt nervous. Then after realizing that it was only a student calmed herself. “Bonjour,” Genesis replied with her light French accent.

[Mandalah]

Mandy's smile turned apologetic when the other girl turned quickly on her heel, obviously surprised to hear another's voice. The tawny-skinned girl spread her hands. "Sorry if I startled you, I didn't mean to." Her voice held an accent too, but unlike the other girl's it was lightly spiced with the accents of New Zealand, should anyone actually recognize such an inflection here. It was, after all, slightly more obscure than France.

Suddenly realizing that she was still standing under the arched doorway, the Gryffindor girl stepped fully into the room, clearing her throat sub-consciously. After a brief moment of awkward silence, she hurriedly got around to introducing herself. "My name's Mandalah," she said, another faint smile flitting across her features. "Mandy for short. I'm in Gryffindor." She tilted her head to one side ever so slightly, waiting for the Tower's other occupant to fill the expectant quiet.

[Genesis Radcliffe]

“Mandalah,” Genesis repeated. She much liked the name, she’d never heard a name so original before. The Gryffindor girl who stood before her had an accent like she did, however Genesis couldn’t place it. She just knew the girl must have been from some where else like her. “My name is Genesis Radcliffe-Baulair,” Genesis introduced herself grandly, “Although due to recent events I’ve dropped the Radcliffe.” Genesis wondered if it had been weird to add the whole name drop to her introduction but quickly dropped the idea out of her mind and hopped that Mandy didn’t notice.

For a second Genesis turned away from Mandy and stared out the window. Then she turned back and started to walk closer to her. Instead of walk right up to her she sat down on an old, sturdy desk. “So what brings you up here?” Genesis asked casually.

[Mandalah]

Mandy looked curiously at the other girl for a moment, wondering just what 'events' might have caused her to drop the name Radcliffe. It wasn't a name familiar to her, in any case, though that wasn't really surprising. She hovered uncertainly for an instant, on the brink of saying something, and then changed her mind. She and Genesis had, after all, only just met--quite literally. It would probably be far too easy for any inquiry to be taken as prying, even if the other girl had brought it up.

"Oh, not much." Mandy shrugged her slender shoulders, then leaned back against one of the many windows that adorned the room, feeling the coolness of the pane seeping in at her back. "I'm just exploring, you know." She offered the other girl a bright, slightly crooked grin. "I haven't really been at the school that long, and I've never been up here before."

It wasn't the most original return question, but it seemed as good a query as any to keep the conversation from lapsing back into one of those frequent, brief but awkward silences that were all too common in a conversation between two people who were only just getting acquainted. "What about you?"