At the Stroke of Midnight [Brianna Kyler, Kaden Carr]

Even in the Gryffindor Tower, his home away from home, Kaden could not sit still in his favorite chair; he kept looking at his watch repeatedly, as if time would speed up just for him in the few minutes he checked the last time. Father time was not kind enough to grant that one request. It was going on 11 and still the common room was full of kids ecstatic for the weekend to begin. They were rowdy as usual and Kaden did not usual mind them blowing off some steam after a long week of brutal assignments and horrendous quizzes they were subjected to, but Kaden wanted them to go to bed.

11:10.

He was rereading the same passage in his Transfigurations book for the hundredth time, but still the words seemed to dissipate as soon as he read over each and every word. It was like trying to catch smoke with his bare hands. One passage stayed with him, but it was not from the Transfiguration book he was attempted to read, it was a letter.

11:25.

The Gryffindors started a game of exploding snaps, and tried to get Kaden in one of their games, but he excused himself. “Where are you going?” Markus asked, seeing Kaden heading towards the portrait hole, his textbook long forgotten. “Patrol,” was all Kaden answered with before he crawled out of the hole, ignoring the Fat Lady’s protest of being awoken once again at this time of night. His mind was else were still pondering the letter.

11:40.

Hogwart’s halls were devoid of life: no ghost, ghoul, student or staff members, nothing that went bump in the night, especially Peeve’s, the poltergeist. He ran into no one. There was no need for torches even at this hour. Every bay window Kaden passed, leisurely on his stroll, saw the full moon glistening with all its majestic beauty. But the beauty of the moonlight washing everything with its lovely glow held his attention for only moments in between heart beats before he moved on.

11:55

It was not until he was up on the Astronomy Tower, that he realized that was where he was supposed to be at the stroke of midnight. Unconsciously or not, he found himself in the tallest tower of Hogwarts, overlooking the grounds, the crystalline lake and the dark forest offset in the background. It was all connect. Everything went back to that letter he received, drawing him out or maybe into something. It wasn’t too late to leave. He could just act like he never received the letter and be on his merry way. Out of habit he looked his watch one more time.

11:59…12:00

The Astronomy door open behind Kaden…

Hogwarts carries within itself an eerie silence that reverberates through the halls late into the evening. When during the day students fill up the castle with chatter and noise, the night brings with it the true evidence of the school's ancient mystique.Walking through the corridors, Brianna can only be reminded of the vast history held within the walls. Portraits hanging on the sides and ghosts drifting through the rooms give a look into a depth which she can hardly begin to comprehend. She finds herself traveling through this past on the occasional nightfall. Much of history holds little interest to her, but the hidden wealth of information about the people around her is compelling enough for her to venture out on those times she finds herself unable to sleep.

This evening, Brianna finds herself heading up the steps of the Astronomy Tower. While certainly not an expert at the subject - analyzing the mysteries behind the stars and planets would only drain away any fascination - there was a certain attractiveness to the ethereal objects that appealed to her. She pushes open the doors that open to the tower, intent on clearing her mind with the expanse of the night sky. It's only when she steps fully inside does the Slytherin notice the other figure in the room. The file in her mind identifies him as Kaden - fifth year prefect, she's seen him at various prefect meetings throughout the year. With his being Gryffindor, however, she has had little time to be acquainted with the boy besides knowing of his overwhelming "nice guy" personality. As it is, he's looking down at the watch that encircles his wrist as if waiting for something to happen. Brianna pauses at the entrance, tilts her head.

"A bit late to be out and about, is it not?" She's encountered stranger occurrences in her time at Hogwarts, yet she wonders what a role model prefect like Kaden would be doing in the midst of the night.

Of course Kaden was expecting someone, but who he was expecting and who came were two entirely different people. Brianna Kyler, like always, seemed to be entirely at ease with this unlikely encounter at the peak of twilight, Kaden was not. A knot formed at the base of his throat the size of an oversize strawberry, which would not go away no matter how many times he swallowed. “I was out on patrol,” he answered, hoping his voice remained casual even through his lies. Brianna, like himself, was a prefect and she knew the Prefect’s schedule as well as he did. Patrols ended at eleven, unless something catastrophic happens pushing the patrols even up to the wee hours of the morning, and plus, today was not even his day to patrol Hogwarts’ corridors. Nor was it Brianna’s, but he did not think about it right at this moment.

“If you will excuse me, Ms. Kyler,” Kaden said, shoving his hands deep into his pocket, crumpling the life out of the letter, which was in his jean pocket. As he got closer to Brianna, his face infused with red pigment. He felt hot and flush at the same time, as if in the midst of a fever. It quite possibly could have been a fever, seeing as how the world itself was spinning. The only image that kept the world from spinning out of control was Brianna herself. The cool night breeze rippled goose bumps up and down his skin, making him shiver in her presence.

He did not realize he stopped walking. He was a few paces from Brianna. Close enough to see stardust twinkle in her eyes. Even moonlight bathing her in its glow did not do her justice. She radiated her own inner light all her own. “I-I should go,” he said finally, taking a clumsy step toward the door.

"Please, do not leave on my account." Brianna takes a step back, as if blocking the door from the Gryffindor. She raises her hands in a placating gesture, giving the perfect imitation of a sheepish grin. If he is already here, then she may as well confirm whether or not the circulating rumors are actually true. "You are a prefect, Mr. Carr. I am sure that you have more than enough responsibility and right to be here if you wish; the night is beautiful, after all." Her head nods towards the open view in attempt to distract him from leaving. "Shall we 'patrol' together?" Brianna's smile takes on a sly edge as she steps towards his direction and away from the entrance of the tower. She put on her least imposing manner to make the boy feel more at ease, clasping her hands behind her back and shifting from foot to foot as she lets uncertainty bleed into her tone. "Unless, of course, you were waiting for someone else...? Feel free to tell me to leave if so, I would hate to be a bother." It's doubtful that he will take her up on her offer, what with his personality and all, but there is no harm done in exemplifying her supposed innocent nature.

His thoughts and actions were shards of broken glass strewn across the floor in Brianna’s presence. Kaden did not know if he was coming or going, but one thing was certain; Brianna’s illustrious aura captured his attention. By her command, Kaden stopped in his tracks. Unfathomable guilt rose up from the pit of his stomach, and he berated himself for having impure thoughts of leaving her at this time of night, alone and unprotected. “I would be honored to have you accompany me,” he finally said in a surprisingly steady fashion.

Kaden stepped aside allowing Brianna access to the Astronomy Tower. The tower was oval in shape, with great big archways open to the elements outside. Kaden’s eyes gravitated towards the center of the room where a sundial caught the sun’s rays perfectly, and even now catching the reflected light from the moon, allowing it to still tell time even at this late hour. Above the sundial stood a mental sphere of a planet, several bronze rings orbiting around the center mass. The planet and its rings hung freely in midair. At times when he gazed deeply into both sculptures he could feel the infinity of time turning on its axis and that at the dawn of time, every atom in his body once was part of a star.

Focusing on those thoughts cleared away some of the mystic that Brianna held over him, but the desire to be near her did not dampen. In fact, it grew. Even in this moment of clarity, Kaden was not in the habit of lying or leaving unanswered questions linger for too long. To answer Brianna’s question, he admitted, “Yes, I came here waiting for someone, but she did not show. I guess it is over between her and I.” Instead of mourning the loss of a relationship, Kaden felt relieved. He was off the hook. He did not have to feel bogged down with guilt for not reciprocating her affection over the last few weeks.

Kaden wished his lost love for a brighter future, and hope beyond hope that she finds what she is looking for in life. That brought a gentle smile onto his face that suited Kaden perfectly.