[Hogsmeade] Old Sights New Times

[Kim Rivers]

Kim walked into Hogsmeade, seeing as it was one of the places she used to come to frequently. Nothing much had changed apart from there was a few shops that werent there before. She kept her hood up on her long coat so hardly anyone could see her face. She walked up the street, past Madam Puddifoots and the Three Broomsticks.

The wind wasnt that bad where she was, either that or it was cause she had her hood up covering most of her face from view. As she walked down the path, hearing her boots against the cold stone floor, Kim stayed silent. Not many people knew she was back, the only person who knew she was back was Helia, and two others whom Kim didnt know.

She made her way over to the barren landscape she had once crossed with Jerred and on a seperate occasion with Draco. Once with Jerred to go to the Shrieking Shack, and with Draco, well that actually hadnt gone the way she had planned. She tried to think back, she was sure it was for fighting reasons thy them two went. Didnt they get attacked by a dragon? Or was it a wolf? No... Definatly a dragon. I think... She thought to herself as she climbed over the fence.

She ventured over the wasteland, past a cave and over a few hills. It only took her about ten minutes to get here. Kim didnt walk faster than she usually did, but she wasnt exactly slow either. She didnt know what would happen if she was found out here, the last time she was caught was with Draco and it was Apronia who caught them. Kim laughed at that thought. Her hood still up and a scarf around her face. The only thing that was visable were her eyes. Nobody would know it was Kim if they saw her.

[Dax Simmons]

Dax walked, he did not know where, and he did not care. The events of the past few days had been taking his toll on him. He had not entered the Great Hall or gone to any lessons, he avoided walking in the corridors at peek times in hope not to bump into certain people.
With a heavy heart he looked up trying to fight away the tears that were threatening to take hold. On the horizon he saw a figure, the person was wrapped up and had no features showing. Unsure whether this person was a friend or a foe Dax lowered his head and carried on walking only letting the odd sniff ring out.

As the figure walked beside him Dax held in his breath refused to move his gaze up however, once she was behind him Dax found himself stopping and looking over his shoulder at the other person.

[Kim Rivers]

Kim had stopped walking for a while, hearing someone else coming up behind her, not knowing who. But she could tell it was someone she didnt know. She kept her eyes on the ground, the earth beneath her feet dead. As it had been the last time she was here. Some things just dont change.

Kim listened as the person was coming up close to her, a few sniffs ringing out here and there. She didnt know who it was, so instead she waited until he was level with her before looking at him. She gave off no expression, not that you could tell because of the way she was dressed if you did.

Kim smirked a little as she noticed he kept looking back at her, she took off her scarf and pulled down her hood. The least she could do was show him who the strange-person-in-the-wasteland is.

[Dax Simmons]

As Dax spun around one last time to see how the mysterious person once he noticed that she had taken down her hood, to revel her face. With a small smile in her direction, Dax was about to start talking when sense took him.
‘No Dax, this is the kinda thing that got you in the mess you are now in.’

With a shrug he turned around and started to walk off again with his head hung low. Guilt started to fill him up inside, it was defiantly not the way to act, it simply seemed he had been staring at the girl. Knowing things could not get much worse Dax spun around and gave a small wave.
“Hi. Excuse me but where does this direction lead off too? I seem to have got lost.”

[Kim Rivers]

Kim didnt have her robes on or anything that signalled what house she was in back in Hogwarts. She tilted her head a little as the boy seemed to just... Stare at her. Kim noticed him smile at her and gave him a small one back.

Kim watched as he walked away. Stopped. Spun around... And... Waved? What is he doing? Kim thought to herself as she laughed a little bit, he sure was amusing. Kim heard him talk to her and she smiled at him, "Well it depends on which direction you go in" She told him, "Carrying on the way you were going would lead you into the most dangerous part of the forest, going down that way" She pointed to the left of her, "Would lead to the shrieking shack... and finally, going right would take you to the only grassy area on this wasteland" She smiled at him again.

[Dax Simmons]

Dax looked at the girl and listened to her instructions carefully. She must have been from around here, she knew the area better then Dax did anyway. After running the options through his head one last time he gave a rather disheartened sigh.
“So the options are; death in a forest, a hunted house or open wilderness for me to die of starvation in.”

With a yet another sigh Dax looked down at his watch.
“There is not enough time left today to die in the wilderness so death in the forest will have to do. Thank you very much Miss…”
Dax looked at the girl with another small smile, this had been the most social contact he had had in a few days and it had not made him feel better one bit.

[Kim Rivers]

"Well yes... Basically" Kim said looking at the boy. She could see quite easily he was upset about something. And he clearly wanted to hurt himself or get hurt, Kim could be mean, but she wasnt always like that. "The shrieking shack is quite fun though, we could go if you want?" Kim asked

[Dax Simmons]

With a small laugh Dax shook his head. He looked around at the surroundings again and then back at the girl. She was trying to show sympathy to him, and in fact her was coming across as a typical, loner, emotional wreck as Hufflepuff’s could be made out as.
“Well it may be fun. I’m simply trying to find somewhere where they will be nothing to remind me of my humiliation. And trust me Hogwarts is not the place for that, especially when what I was roped into was rather public.”

With a small laugh Dax looked to the ground and scuffed his foot in the dirty causing a small cloud of dust to rise.
“I was not looking for death on purpose, heck I’m not suicidal."

[Kim Rivers]

"You dont need to explain yourself, you know" Kim said with a small smile. Though she was curious about what had happened, she wasnt going to press on it and make him feel worse than he already did. All Kim could think is it must have been a pretty big thing to be humiliated about to want to just... Go away.

Kim's mouth fell open in a small -o- like shape when she realised thats how it must have come across. "I didnt think you were" Kim stopped herself from going into complete overdrive with explaining. "Uhm..." She mumbled to herself. "Well... The shacks this way" she said pointing and turning to walk, "Do you have a name?" She asked with a smile "Mines Kim"

[Dax Simmons]

With a cheeky smile Dax looked at Kim seeing her shocked face and her stuttering. Trying to put on his most famine voice Dax copied Kim.
"You dont need to explain yourself, you know"

With yet another laugh Dax started to walk off in the direction of the shack.
“Well Hello there Kim, my name is Dax Simmons. If you go into Hogwarts mention my name at either the Ravenclaw or Gryffindor table and you will hear about me.”

His smile slowly faded as Dax thought about what happened, heart sank once more as the pain started once again when he thought about Loren. Trying to shake it off Dax put on a rather pathetic ‘I’m ok face’.
“So what brings you here then? I’m guessing you are not a muggle.”

[Kim Rivers]

Kim raised an eyebrow at him when he imitated her, she wasnt amused by it but she figured she had to let him have his fun somehow, besides, she had only just got back. She didnt want to make a big fuss about it all.

"Arent you a hufflepuff?" Kim asked, "Wouldnt it just be easier if i asked there, if i get curious enough to ask?" She said. Keeping a smile on her face, she looked down at the floor as she walked, What brings me out here... What brings me back here... Different question same meaning right? She thought to herself as she looked back to Dax "No... Im not a muggle" Kim told him, "Dunno why i came out here..." she said with a smile, brushing back a piece of hair that had blown its way into her face.

[Dax Simmons]

“Well you could ask at the Hufflepuff table but you will not get all the fun stories and extravagant retellings. Besides I hurt no one in the Hufflepuff house.” Dax hung his head and continued to walk along, watching his feet step on the blades of grass forcing them to bend then spring up once more.

Silence fell over the two as they continued to walk in the wilderness.
“Why does anyone go anywhere? Why did I come out here when it would have been just as easy for me to stay in bed all day….and it would require less energy.”

With a half hearted laugh Dax pulled his robes around him tighter and took in a deep breath allowing the fresh air to fill his lungs.

[Kim Rivers]

"Because thats simple" Kim's tone was matter of factly on this statement, "Humans dont do things by half..." Kim looked around as they were walking, it felt like they werent getting anycloser to the shack, even though she knew they were it was just a little walk away. She didnt pay much attention to her surroundings anymore, more to the sound her feet were making on the muddy earth. A horrible squelching noise.

Kim looked at him in a questioning way, "But you've hurt people from Ravenclaw and Gryffindor?" She asked. She didnt know any Hufflepuffs, the only other house people she knew were from Ravenclaw, or at least, she couldnt recall knowing anybody else. Kim had spent that much time away she had begun to forget people, things, adventures... Even the bad times.

[Dax Simmons]

As Kim broke the silence once more he glanced over at her with a sideways grin. Guilt was inside of him but he knew that the mood had to be lightened up.
“I did not mean to hurt either of them. Heck they are both my best mates. But I suppose it is the way things go. People say and do things they should have thought twice about and then BAM! Everything falls to pieces.”

Dax clapped his hands to emphases the ‘Bam’ and shrugged hoping to get off the subject. While looking at Kim he was convinced that he had not seen her around school before, but she looked to young to have left school. Dax knew a frown had appeared his head as he studied the girls face, however he suddenly became aware of how rude he was acting so dropped his gaze once more.

[Kim Rivers]

She nodded, showing she understood what he meant by things just falling apart. She had the feeling he wanted to get off this subject so she tried to think of something else to talk about. Kim had never gone out of her way to talk or be nice to anyone before, she whole thing was quite strange but she didnt press it.

Kim went to say something, looking at him however she closed her mouth, looking at him as she, once again, found the boy staring at her. "...Do i... Have something on my face?" She asked, not really knowing why he was staring at her.