TERM 6 - Coming to Conclusions - Owlery - Hunter VanDerberg, Seren Pierce

The sun had just risen over the horizon, casting a soft light over the snow-covered grounds. The day was warmer than most, and water dripped from the rooftops as the snow began to melt. It had been a long time since Hunter had written home, and a lot had happened! So, the moment he woke up, he grabbed the letter he'd written the night before and rushed off toward the Owlery.

He climbed the stairs that led up to the tall building two at a time, and the hooting of owls reached his ears as he stepped through the doorway. As usual, Hunter began to search for one that Lynnie and Lyra would like. He was getting used to the place, and had a general idea of which owls were friendly and which ones weren't. Once, he'd sent a rather ornery one home and it had bit Jack quite a few times. He stepped past a group of rather mangy looking barn owls - they were quite ugly. The twins wouldn't appreciate it very much if he sent them an ugly owl. He was concentrating on a few nicer looking ones huddled in a corner, and didn't notice when someone else stepped into the room.

Seren always woke up early. She usually used the time to get in some extra studying, but today she was going to go to the owlery instead. She had to tell her parents all about the castle and her classes and how well she was doing in them AND THAT CRAZY ANIMAL OF A GIRL WHO HAD TRIED TO RIP HER HAIR OUT AT THE CHRISTMAS BALL! Honestly, how could anyone be so barbaric? Her parents would never get after her again for her manners after hearing about Aoife's lack of them.

It didn't look so cold for once, so Seren pulled a sweatshirt over her head, slipped into her lighter jacket and headed out to the owlery. One hand held the letter she intended to send, and the other played with the dragonfly necklace that she ALWAYS wore. It wasn't a special necklace or anything. Just habit. She felt exposed without it. The breeze was chilly, but almost pleasant, and she actually smiled as her hair fanned out behind her. She made it to the owlery in no time.

The moment she entered the building, her eyes were drawn to someone standing a little bit away, looking at a few owls on the other side of the room. It was Hunter. And for once, he didn't have his STUPID LITTLE PSYCHO SHADOW with him. She'd never seen him without Aoife before. It was a little strange, seeing him there by himself. But this was her chance to talk to him without the stupid red-head there to make her look bad. Of course, she had to use it to her advantage!

Putting on her biggest smile, she approached him to say hi. She was just about to announce her presence in her typical, confident, everybody-look-at-me way when suddenly, she faltered. Suddenly, she was wondering what Hunter thought about her. Did he hate her after the ball? And to her frustration, when she said hello, it betrayed her weird, sudden hesitation. "Erm... Hi, Hunter..." Seren could have kicked herself. Shy people were weak, and Seren wasn't one of them. But now she looked like it. Well, she couldn't take it back now. "I didn't expect anyone else to be here this early."

Hunter only turned around when he heard a voice from behind him. Seren was standing there. He hadn't seen her since the Christmas Ball, where she and Aoife had gotten into a fight. It was a little debatable who was really at fault for the scene, but Hunter was inclined to take Aoife's side. Seren had instigated, although Aoife had definitely let her temper get the best of her. But all of that aside, what kind of best friend would he be if he didn't stand behind her. It never would have happened if Seren hadn't egged her on.

"I'm always up early," Hunter said shortly. The scabbed scratches on his face from the girl's fingernails still irritated him. The words didn't come out as harshly as he'd intended them to, because for some reason there was a different, softer tone to Seren's voice than usual. He tilted his head curiously - he'd only ever heard the girl sound superior and bossy. If he was this easily distracted, he apparently wasn't very good at being mean. Well, he needed to learn, because some people deserved it.

Deciding to try again, he chose something that would probably sound a bit condescending no matter how he said it. "Here to cause more trouble?" There, that sounded a little better. Rather than keep his attention on her, Hunter strode a little further along the wall while waiting for her answer, inspecting a few more owls. The twins didn't like the plain colored ones, so he passed up a few of the solid brown ones without a second thought. Maybe a speckled one?

Hunter turned at Seren's voice and informed her that he was always up early. He didn't sound TOO mad... that was good. Then, he continued by asking Seren if she had come to cause MORE trouble. Her temper flared a bit at his words, and she responded in a clipped tone. "I'm here to send a letter." So he WAS mad. Seren could tell by how awkwardly he had spoken that he didn't get mad often. And she could see why. It didn't suit him. It was wrong. Yet he seemed to be putting forth a special effort to make it clear that he wasn't happy with Seren.

Normally, Seren would have pushed back with some snide comment, even if he WAS cute. Seren wasn't a pushover. Most likely about his TERRIBLE CHOICE OF COMPANY. She would have then, if he hadn't turned so that she could see a few long gashes running along his cheek. Gashes that she had given him during her fight with Aoife. When he was trying to break it up. They looked pretty bad, too. Her expression might have displayed a bit of the guilt she felt while she struggled internally with how to react. While she was considering her response, Hunter turned away from her... ACTUALLY TURNED HIS BACK TO HER... and browsed the owls along the wall.

She had to make a decision. Did she want Hunter to like her or not? The answer had to be yes for a better reason than that he was cute. But that WASN'T the only reason. Hunter was nice. He was obviously a good person. And if she became his friend, he'd protect her like he protected Aoife the other night. And of course, the most important reason of all, which was that IT WOULD ABSOLUTELY DESTROY HIS WEIRD LITTLE SHADOW FROM THE INSIDE OUT! Really, that last one was the only reason she needed. So, decision made.

"I'm sorry," she blurted out. It almost pained her to say it. It certainly felt uncomfortable. Seren didn't apologize easily. But she did feel bad about marring his otherwise lovely face. She stood there for a moment, crossing her arms awkwardly, before continuing. "You know, for scratching you..." She would NOT apologize for what happened with Aoife. But she could bring herself to apologize for drawing blood when he tried to stop the fight. But she wasn't going to go on about it. She wasn't the type to beg for forgiveness. Instead, she tilted her head curiously as she watched him looking intently from owl to owl. "What are you doing?"

When Hunter implied that she was there to cause problems, Seren responded just as shortly by saying that she had come to mail a letter. Hunter didn't comment, mostly because she probably had just come to mail a letter. She had no way of knowing he'd be there. Hunter didn't turn to acknowledge the girl until she spoke again. And this time when she spoke, it was an apology. Hunter turned to look at her when she said that she was sorry - was she really? She actually sounded like she meant it, a little bit at least. He didn't have to think about it long, because she clarified pretty quickly. She was sorry for cutting him. Not sorry for instigating the fight.

Still, he couldn't help but glance at her in interest. She seemed uncomfortable - almost awkward - standing there apologizing to him. But she'd still done it. "You didn't mean to," he finally responded. He wasn't just bad at being mean. He was terrible at it. So he'd just keep his answers short, and hopefully Seren would get the picture. "Well, you didn't mean to scratch me at least." She'd meant to scratch Aoife. Although, it was technically in self defense. "It doesn't hurt."

What was he doing? "I'm trying to pick an owl to send a letter home with," he answered, gazing carefully at a grey one to his right. "Only, I always try to pick one that Lynnie and Lyra - my twin sisters - would like." Because they cared more about the owl than the letter. "They like pretty ones, whatever a pretty owl looks like. And it can't bite, because they'll want to pet it."

"No, I didn't mean to scratch you," Seren agreed, her hand coming up to fiddle with her necklace. She had DEFINITELY meant to scratch Aoife. "Look, she started it," Seren said irritably before she could stop herself. Because Seren knew that Hunter thought she was the one at fault. "The moment I got near you two, she tried to make me look bad. Did you expect me to just stand there and let her say whatever she wanted?" Surely, he wouldn't expect her not to stand her ground. "And in case you've forgotten, SHE attacked ME."

Hunter had to realize that it had been Aoife who had started the fight. Seren had done nothing but defend herself. "She tried to rip out my hair and she PUNCHED me," Seren continued. "That's a bit extreme when I just asked her what happened to her dress, don't you think?" Okay, so her apology hadn't lasted very long. But the fact that she'd apologized at all was a small miracle. "I mean, why would you even WANT to be friends with somebody like that?" Seren scoffed. "It's embarrassing."

He was looking for an owl that his sisters would like. Seren couldn't help but giggle a bit. That was SO CUTE of him! "Well, then," she said, stepping toward him. "You don't want to send them a SCHOOL owl." Seren was a girl, so she knew EXACTLY what Hunter's sisters meant by a pretty owl. "Come with me," she said, grabbing his arm and pulling him away from the disgusting, hand-me-down school owls that he was looking at. She made her way up the spiral staircase that circled the owlery and stopped about halfway up. "This is Zeus." Seren indicated a regal looking bird with brown and white feathers. She reached over to pet him and smiled. "He's an eagle," Seren informed Hunter proudly. "He belongs to mum, so he doesn't stay here. I was just about to send him back. If you'd like, he could take your letter as well. I bet your sisters would love him!" MAYBE NOW HE'D SEE HOW NICE OF A PERSON SEREN ACTUALLY WAS.

A moment after Seren apologized, she was trying to defend herself. "You egged her on," Hunter said irritably. "And she didn't go after you because you asked about her dress. If I remember right, it was because you said that you didn't get why anyone would hang out with someone like her." Or at least, that was the last thing that Seren had said before Aoife lost her temper completely. "She never would have hit you if you hadn't insulted her." After a moment's pause, Hunter added reluctantly, "But I suppose she still shouldn't have hit you."

Hunter furrowed his brow when Seren asked why he was friends with her, and commented that it was embarrassing. "Don't talk about her like that," he said angrily, shooting a glare in Seren's direction. "You don't know her." Seren had, so far, only managed to bring out Aoife's temperamental side. "Honestly, I don't think that either of you was right at the ball - you were both being stupid. But Aoife's still my best friend. Don't insult her." Hunter didn't really hate Seren - not like Aoife did - but he wasn't going to give her the time of day if all she was going to do was complain about Aoife.

When he told her about looking for a good owl, she actually laughed despite the tension and pointed out that he shouldn't send them a school owl. "I don't have another owl - " Hunter cut off his sentence as Seren beckoned him to follow her in the opposite direction. He might not have followed her, since he was still irritated, if she hadn't grabbed him by the arm and dragged him with her. He couldn't help his curiosity as they came to a stop halfway up the stairs. Seren pointed out a particular owl - only it wasn't an owl. It was an eagle. And his name was Zeus. And Seren would let Hunter use him to send his letter. "He's amazing," Hunter said before he could stop himself.

Eyeing the magnificent bird, Hunter debated declining Seren's offer, choosing the nearest school owl and escaping the owlery. After all, he was angry with Seren. That meant that he shouldn't really be accepting favors from her. But at the same time, he could picture the excitement on the twins' faces if an eagle swept through the kitchen window. He couldn't really say no. "Erm, sure... Thanks," he said a little begrudgingly, holding his letter out for Seren to take. Hopefully she realized that he was still unhappy with her.

"BUT SHE HIT ME," Seren said indignantly, as though Hunter hadn't heard her clearly enough the first time she said it, when Hunter defended his friend. Why did he like her so much, anyway? There wasn't anything special about her. But Hunter seemed serious, angry even, when he told Seren not to talk badly about the stupid brat. So she didn't push the subject. "Fine then, I won't bring it up," Seren said, shrugging. BUT THAT DIDN'T MEAN SHE COULDN'T THINK IT! She'd just have to keep her thoughts to herself. Well, basically to herself.

Seren smirked as Hunter complimented Zeus. "Of course he's amazing," Seren said brightly. "He better be, mum paid a fortune for him." Her mother was very much like Seren. She always had to have the best things. "I didn't like any of the owls in Diagon Alley, so mum and dad are going to get me a really good one for my birthday!" Seren REALLY wanted a snowy owl. Because they were just so pretty. She grinned as Hunter handed her the letter. "I thought so," she said, taking it from him and tying it to Zeus's leg next to her letter. After giving the bird his instructions, Seren carried him on her arm to the window and watched as he flew off.

Turning back to Hunter, she noticed that he still seemed to be a bit short with her even though she'd  just been SUCH A NICE PERSON by letting him use her beautiful eagle. With a slightly frustrated sigh, Seren offered him a tight smile. "You know, I was really hoping we could be friends," she said bluntly, tilting her head. "But who knows, maybe you'll come around," she added with a shrug. It didn't seem to be worth her time to try to talk to him any further today. He didn't seem to be budging. So she turned to make her way down the stairs.

She had to be the one to walk away from him of course. It couldn't be the other way around. As she passed him, though, she hesitated. Seren took a step closer to him and boldly raised a hand to Hunter's hair, smirking as her fingers brushed through it before he could stop her. "Aoife and I can agree on one thing, at least," she said, meeting his eyes defiantly. "You do have very nice hair." Without another word, she turned on her heel and strode away, down the stairs and straight out of the owlery. She'd get him away from Aoife somehow, if it was the last thing she did.

Hunter ignored Seren's words about Aoife. He didn't feel like talking about it, and he'd made his opinion quite clear. He wouldn't stand there and listen to her complain about his best friend, no matter what happened at the ball. He listened to Seren go on for a bit about the eagle and how much he'd cost, and couldn't help but follow her to the window and watch as the majestic bird took flight. He couldn't deny that the twins would absolutely love the eagle. Seren quickly turned back toward him once the eagle was out of sight.

Hunter raised an eyebrow as she sighed and smiled a bit irritably. Had she only just realized that he wasn't very happy with her? She couldn't be that dull, being in Ravenclaw. Then she said, rather boldly, that she was hoping to be friends with him, but that maybe he'd come around. "Or maybe you will," he suggested evenly as Seren began to take leave of the owlery. To his surprise, however, she stopped and neared him, putting a hand to his hair before he could say anything. She commented that his hair was nice, and then left for real.

Hunter stood there, his mouth slighly agape, and watched her as she left. What the hell just happened? Why was everyone so obsessed with his hair? Aoife could never find out about what had just happened. Hunter was fairly sure that she would try even harder to murder Seren if she knew. As his shock wore off, Hunter shook his head incredulously and made his way down the stairs and out of the owlery himself. Girls are so stupid.