The Witching Hour

The sharp clack of her heals on the deserted street became a music to guide her forward. The dead of night, she should be asleep, safe in her bed at Beauxbatons, but instead Ninette was prowling the vacant streets of France beyond the magical protection, and free to her own thoughts. Free from everyone really. None of her school mates knew she she was out, nor had any of the professors. She liked to think she was free of the headmaster as well, but she was more inclined to find the man wiser than that.

He might be perfectly aware where the granddaughter he had inherited was.

The soft glow of electrical lights were the only thing that illuminated her undetermined path. Along the more rough streets, the drunks could be heard spilling out of the bars, the 'professional' woman were lurking around, though Ninette was being careful not to be confused with any of them. So far any of the drunks that had have received a sharp blow to sensitive places. She saw them getting what they wanted. She was after all making contact with just the part they had thought she was after - and free of charge.

Really it was a deal. They should be thankful.

She liked to be away from the confines of the school, to be free to be herself without judgement - to be free to be herself without an expectation.

Of course...

"If you want to keep all your body parts in working order," she didn't turn around as a set of foot steps fell into time with hers, creating a new set of music, "I'd recommend you think about it again, Casanova."

A wave of blonde hair trailed out behind Crystal as she tried not to draw too much attention to herself. What the hell had caused her to leave the warmth and safety of her bed was really anyone's guess. For some reason, with almost a skip in her step, she had pulled on a coat and a pair of ballet pumps, leaving the castle.

Now, walking down the street with her coat over her arm, she still didn't know what part of her brain had said 'hey, you know what would be fun? If you went for a walk.' She was torn between slapping that part of her, and thanking it, because the fresh air in her lungs and her camera in her hands was something she'd missed a lot. Shakily raising it to her eyes and focusing it on a lone flower on the floor,Crystal took the picture. She hated not having been out over the course of... Well, ages, really. It wasn't fun. Taking pictures of the castle was fun, sure. But she really needed something new to show her parents...

The young girl's breathing was already faster than it usually was, through the utter terror of possibly being seen here. She wasn't mean to be out at all, let alone at night, and if she was found... She didn't want to think what the consequences would be. She might cry so much that her eyes would fall out of her head and run away. Metaphorically speaking, of course.

Because she was scared, her senses were on read alert, and she found herself creeping along as quietly as she could. Clearly being heard by someone else, evidently a girl, she froze. Her breathing stopped and she swore so did her heart rate.

"S-sorry," Crystal whimpered, swallowing heavily. "I-I don't want to get hurt, or into trouble... I was... Uh," she stammered, hands twisting behind her back.

Ninette stopped out the sound of the voice, raising an eyebrow as she turned around to look at the girl around her own age. She gave her a slow one over before shrugging and turning around again.

"Sorry kid, thought you were somebody else," she stated, though she didn't sound all that sorry about it. "You know, its not safe out here. Especially if you're going to go around acting terrified like that."

She snorted softly and started walking, assuming that someone as young and frightened as the other girl seemed would probably follow her - though she hardly cared if she did or not.

"Gotta show a little more backbone around here. At least some self respect."

Crystal tried to fight the blush appearing on her cheeks, but knew it was going to fail the second she started scrunching her face up. She sighed and held her hands tightly behind her back, closing her eyes for just a second to try and take in what the older girl had said. Initially, the second year took offence, and tried to act relatively tough.

"it's okay, I guess. I just don't like the idea of getting caught where I'm not meant to be," she said, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms. "And I was not terrified!" she added in a squeak, indignant that she had been accused of something so... Actually, something exactly like what Crystal would do.

The right thing to do would probably be to walk away from the older girl, who didn't look to be in the kind of mood to be harassed, especially not by someone a few years younger with wide eyes and a bloody camera. So what did Crystal decide to do? But of course, she followed her down the pavement. "You go to Beauxbatons too, don't you?" she asked in a voice she hoped made her sound mature and less like a crybaby twelve year old.

"Yes, um... Miss..." she said weakly, hoping for the older girl to fill in at least her last name.

"Then maybe," her voice was dripping with sarcasm - there was a light in her green eyes that said she was enjoying this, "You shouldn't be out where you are not supposed to be."

She just snorted at the girl's squeak, not feeling the need to point out that it proved exactly what she was trying to say - the girl was terrified. It was cute really, actually still getting frighted by things like the dark, the night - the creatures that could be lurking around that one really should be frightened of. In a way, perhaps the girls fear would have kept her more safe.

"You should be more observant to your prefects kid - especially when you are so concerned with getting in trouble for being in places you are not supposed to be." Ninette supposed it would be cruel to also point out that she was the Headmasters granddaughter - at least by marriage - as well. Also, she was trying to keep that little fact as down low as possible.

"Fontaine's the last name, but for the love of god don't call me Miss Fontaine. I'm not a school teacher. Ninette will work just fine."