moments.

As Paloma sat in the Entrance Hall, she watched the snow falling outside. It was such a beautiful thing, even if she didn't particulary like winter, though at Hogwarts it was much more pleasant than at Durmstrang, where it was far too cold.

When she felt someone sit next to her, she smiled. "It's so beautiful, isn't it?" she asked, turning to face the person.

Kait was heading outside, to escape the feel of walls all around her, it made her feel she was kidnapped again.

When she ran into a girl who looked like a year younger than her, she was a bit frustrated. She wanted to get outside. She took a deep breath, she needed to calm down.

Deciding a good conversation was needed, she sat down by her. "It is, although I prefer the scene of a beach... with the sun shining down..." She started daydreaming about her home, Greece.

Laith, her snake, hissed softly from her sleeve. Stop daydreaming, child She just rolled he eyes.

"I am Kaitlen Gem." She hoped the girl didn't recongize her from the rumors, the girl who had been kidnapped for six months.

The girl looked familiar to Paloma, she'd seen her somewhere. But after about five months at Hogwarts, she couldn't tell if she recognized her from this school or Durmstrang.

She nodded in agreement, "Beaches are better, they're usually sunny and warm. I'm not a big fan of the winter, though I love snow."

When the older girl introduced herself as Kaitlen Gem, Paloma caught her breath. That was Lora's friend, who she said had been missing. So, apparently she was found. . . that was certainly a relief. Not wanting to scare her away, the Uchitel smiled and introduced herself. "I"m Paloma Poots," she said, "Durmstrang exchange student."

She heard Paloma catch her breath, but ignored it. "I am a Durmstrang Transfer too. Hrabrost, fifth year," She told her, wringing her hands together.

"So what are you doing here?," She asked. "Besides watching the snow."

Paloma nodded, "Maybe that's where I recognized you from. I'm Uchitel. I think I've seen you around there a few times."

"Just. . . thinking," she said, shrugging, "What about you?"

"I felt... trapped," She told her, hesitating. Heck, this girl knew she was captured, so why was she hesitant? "The stone walls makes me remember bad memories."

"So, do you like Hogwarts? Have you seen Hogsmeade? I haven't, at least not a good look at it. I had to go through Hogsmeade to get to Hogwarts," She told her, desperate to change the topic.

Paloma looked at her with sympathy, though she would never be able to understand what the girl had gone through. "It's okay, you're here now and you're safe. Whatever you went through, it's over," she told her softly.

"Oh, I love it!" she exclaimed, smiling, as Kaitlen changed the subject, "It's so different than Durmstrang, but it's nice. What about you? Oh, and Hogsmeade is nice as well, though I didn't get to look at all the shops and everything."

"It doesn't mean that I don't remember it. Remembering it, it feels like you are living it," She pointed out.

"I miss Durmstrang a lot. Is it just me, or the Hogwarts kids seem a bit soft?" She asked, curious. "I can't wait to get into Honeydukes, I want to try their chocolate." She told her, smiling.

She started humming a Greek Lullaby that was stuck in her head, that she heard mothers sing to their children back in their village. Her mother was always to stoned, or drunk, to do anything like that.

"Definitely," Paloma said, nodding, as she thought about all the bad things she remembered. Of course, nothing could compare to what Kaitlen had gone through, but they were still things she wished she could forget. "But with time, that's all this will be: a memory, not a reality. It's going to be hard," she said, with a small smile at the girl, "but in the end, bad things just end up making us stronger."

"Soft," she mused and shrugged, "Hm, maybe. I don't know too many of them, though, so I can't really tell." She exclaimed, "Honeydukes is the best store in Hogsmeade, in my opinion. Their chocolate is de-licious!"

The girl started humming a tune, but Paloma couldn't place which one it was.