Old Friends

Karma wandered into the famed second floor bathroom.
"Myrtle?" she called softly. "Myrtle?" She smiled when the ghost-girl appeared. "Hey."
"What do you want?" Myrtle sniffed.
"Oh, sorry. I didn't know you were busy with... whatever ghosts are busy with. I thought you could use some company." Karma made to turn away, saw the sink, and went there instead.
"Don't play stupid. All of the kids here are the same. They come to tease me, and on dares." Myrtle's reflection appeared in the mirror behind Karma's head.
"I'm not here on a dare." Myrtle gave her a disbelieving look. "There's no one to dare me anyway. I'm out of place, a second year that wasn't here last year... I don't know anyone. I'm sorry, alright? I was lonely."
Myrtle looked a little less menacing and floated down beside Karma as she sat on the floor. "I'm sure you'll make friends." Myrtle said.
Karma nodded. "I'm Karma Black." she said. She frowned. "My father couldn't even look me in the eye to take me to the Hogwarts Express."
"I'm sure he had his reasons."
"Oh, don't. He didn't."
Myrtle went silent. She then nodded. "Alright. Tell me all about yourself, and I'll tell you all about myself."
Soon they were talking like Old friends.

Alessa finished her meal early, so she decided to roam around the castle. She still hasn't made any friends- maybe because she seemed anti-social. Which is kinda true, considering she was an introspective wallflower.
But she still hoped she wouldn't spend her whole year at Hogwarts alone.

She heard a sound in the bathroom located at the 2nd floor. She knew a rumor about this bathroom- she overheard some 1st year Slytherins that there was a ghost living in here today at the Great Hall. And she loves ghosts. So without hesitation, she opened the door and saw a 2nd year Slytherin talking to what seems like a transparent girl wearing huge circular glasses.

"Oh!" Alessa gasped, "I'm so sorry! Did I interrupt something?"

Karma stopped talking and gulped. "uh... no." she gathered up her things. "I... was just leaving actually."

"What? No-!" Alessa yelled, "I mean... sorry. Um, please don't leave yet? I was hoping I could find someone to talk to..."
Alessa's words were drowning as her eyes settled on the ghost those Slytherins were talking about this morning.

Karma stopped with her hand on the door. "Umm... what do you want to talk about?" She walked back the girl. "I'm Karma. Karma Black."

"I just, um... nothing. I just had the impression I could finally make a friend. I've been lonely lately, and it's my first year here." she said while looking down. "Hi Karma, I'm Alessa. Alessa Romano."

Karma looked at the Ravenclaw with something that was almost like pity, only as a Black and half-Malfoy she wasn't raised to feel any such emotion. She did, however, feel lonely, so she returned to her position of sitting on the floor and smiled invitingly at Aleesa, patting a spot on the floor next to her.
"Well, I don't become friends with anyone without knowing about them at least a little." Karma's eyebrows furrowed. "Only thing is, I don't know much about anyone." The bathroom door opened a sliver and there was a small meow, then a black kitten wandered over and crawled into Karma's lap. "This is Nightmare. She's my kitten."

Alessa felt relief. Could she finally make a friend? I hope I wont screw this up, she thought. So she accepted Karma's invite to sit down beside her and her kitten.
"Hi there Nightmare!" she patted the kitten's head gently. "I have a cat, too. But I think she's sleeping. She's rather lazy, sometimes I regret buying a cat instead of an owl... Well, let's see- I grew up in Italy with the rest of my family. My parents are both Healers, but they don't work here in England. They're in Italy with my sister." she said the last word with dismay. "I hate my sister, so I decided to study here, in Hogwarts. Everything's different in here- like I'm an outcast. Well, I've always been one anyway, so it doesn't make much of a big deal. How about you? You seemed lonely a few minutes ago. Is everything alright?"

Karma sighed and looked over at Myrtle, who was now floating cross legged a few inches above the ground. "My father, my real father, that is, died before I was born. Regulas Black was his name. Somehow, my mom had me later than expected. Way later. So here I am. But my mom died when I was little too. So my father, the man I call my father, Draco Malfoy, raised me. I stay at Grimmald..." she trailed off then sighed. "I stay at my family house, the House of Black, and last year, when I should have been here, I snuck away to one of the lesser used holiday homes. It took almost all of the school year for father to notice I was missing, and he was angry."
Frowning again, then a wry smile snuck across Karma's face. "He caught me as I was trying to sneak off again this year. Made me come, but was too busy running around with his friends to drop me off. Muggle Transportation..."a frown once again darkened her features. "But I'm burdening you, aren't I? I guess I'm a little bit happier now that he made me come here. I met you, after all." Karma smiled at Aleesa. "Did I burden you? You can forget it all, if you want."

It took 2 minutes for Alessa to realize that she was staring at Karma for too long. She didn't expect Karma to have such a horrible past- it made her almost guilty. To think that she, Alessa Romano, considered her life horrible for so long- she didn't realize how other people got it worse. She felt so selfish.
"I'm sorry... If it helps you feel better, I can accompany you throughout this year? I mean, that is if you want to, or if you need any company. If you don't- I mean, that's okay. Everybody needs their own space." she gave a weak smile. "And no, you didn't burden me. I enjoy listening to other people's stories, after all!"

Karma smiled a true smile this time: the first one that entire year. "Of course you can come with me!" She looked down as Nightmare crawled out of her lap and into Aleesa's. "Nightmare seems to approve of you, and that's good enough for me." With a small meow, Nightmare began to fall asleep. Karma laughed.

Alessa gasped. "Really?! Oh my God, yay!"
She yelled so loud that her voice echoed around the room, ergo Nightmare was disturbed.
"Oops," she said covering her mouth. "Sorry, Nightmare."
She carefully patted Nightmare's head as the kitten fell asleep once again, and then she faced Karma.
"It's just that the feeling of having a friend- it's nice. Knowing I'm not going to be alone this year, y'know? And that I'll finally have someone to go to whenever I need someone's help- or just someone to hang out with."
Alessa talked so fast that the words came out as a babble.
"Karma?" she said in a light tone after her babbling. "Thanks. For accepting me as a friend."
She smiled happily- probably the happiest smile she ever made.

Karma smiled. "Yeah. Friends..." karma's smile turned devilish. "So who do you wanna prank first?" Nightmare opened one eye and meowed softly. "Nightmare suggests a Gryffindor."

Alessa's smile transformed into a strong, loud laughter. Nobody asked her to prank anyone before- her parents chose her friends, careful not to let their darling Alessa be mixed with other kinds of people. Alessa personally thought her parents are exaggerated- what's wrong with having a little fun?, she thought.
"Sure!" she said, "but sadly, I don't really know a lot of Gryffindors- in fact, I don't know any Gryffindor... so I guess you and Nightmare will have to choose?"

Karma shrugged. "You have all the classes with them. I have my classes with Hufflepuffs. Ive never talked to a Gryffindor."

Karma shrugged. "You have all the classes with them. I have my classes with Hufflepuffs. Ive never talked to a Gryffindor."

Nightmare meowed and karma shrugged. "Nightmare said someone named Hayden. Do you know a Hayden?"

"Hmm... Hayden?" Alessa's eyebrows furrowed. "No, I don't think so. There's only one Gryffindor in my classes- it's Diane Scamander. I usually take my them with Slytherins and Ravenclaws."

Karma shrugged. "There's always Arsen, if we run out of ideas." She said shrugging. "Or we could hang out near the lake and just prank the person who comes to us first."

"The Lake's a brilliant idea! But how will we prank them? I haven't really mastered any fun spells yet- I only know the Summoning Charm and the Wingardium Leviosa. My father taught me when I was 8, I used his wand. Perhaps you can teach me a few tricks, if it's alright?" she said, successfully showing a hopeful smile. "To the Lake?"

Karma shrugged. "We should wait til Winter Breaks over. You can come over my house if you want."

"Oh, alright." she said gloomily. She really hoped they could do the pranking earlier. I guess a week wouldn't hurt. "I would love to go! But My Aunt is going to pick me up for Italy. My father's throwing another of those boring parties again and he wants the whole D'Angelo-Romano family tree to join. I wish I could sneak out, or something- the only thing they do is talk about their lives in general and drink firewhisky and I'm not yet even allowed to drink some! I think I'll just be hiding in our library."
Alessa shrugged.
"Well, make the most out of your break!" she said with a smile.

It made Karma feel... odd... to not have her friend come and visit. "I could help you sneak out. Last year, I snuck for a whole school year. Im kind of an ace at it.

"Oh! Will you?!" she said happily. "Are you sure? I mean, I don't want to burden you... Oh, but visiting another's house is just so cool!"
She was never allowed to stay at a friend;s house before. Her father always ordered her to stay at the family's manor. This could just be her first big break!
"How are we going to do it?"

"Just tell me where the party is, and get me an invitation. Owl me. Ill take it from there." Karma said confidently. She pulled her bag onto her back. "Alright. Pranks and a jailbreak. I couldn't be happier." With a smile and a wave, Karma left the bathroom.

This will be the best Winter Break, ever, she thought. For 15 years, she'd just lock herself in her library and drown herself with books, vaguely thinking of escaping and now it's finally happening before her own eyes!
"Oh my God, thanks!" she said while gasping gleefully. "I'll give you an invite as soon as I get one!"

As Karma collected her things and waved goodbye, Alessa looked at Myrtle, who is now officially described as a floating poker-faced ghost.
"Hi there Myrtle!" she said while collecting her things, "Bye Myrtle! Enjoy your Winter Break!"

And she was the happiest Ravenclaw in the castle.