Around a mouthful of apple, Siobhan grinned at Kyle. Even though the air was chilly -- it was September after all -- she was sure that nothing could dampen her perfect mood. Potions with Slughorn, though horrible, still allowed her time spent with her [i]friend[/i] rather than Gryffindors.

As Kyle had told her about his dorm, Siobhan informed him of how Gryffindor tower was [i]so high[/i] -- it had a view of all the grounds and the Quiddich Pitch; even if everything was all red and gold on the inside. It felt like summer inside, the crackling of the fire and the bright lights.

Siobhan stared out across the lake at the gathering of Slytherins, noting Maggie's presence. She wondered what the book was in her hands -- whether or not it was something [i]dark[/i]. Not that it mattered of course; Alistair probably read things like those as well.

And there he was, her brother, bent over to read over Maggie's shoulder. His sleeves were rolled up, presumably because they were on the far side of the lake and nobody could see the Dark Mark that stained his arm. Siobhan didn't know what it meant, only what it was called. Of course, she got a plain view of it when he waved Kyle and her over. She wondered whether that meant he was in support of her new friendship with Maggie's brother, or at least trusted him enough to keep his mouth shut from the teachers about whatever taboo the tattoo symbolised.

"We should probably go and see what they want, right?" Siobhan twirled her hair around her fingers nervously.