Just Another Sleepless Night, *open*

[Ilyana Potter]

Ilyana sat on the stone balcony, her feet hanging out in the air. Down below, she could barely make out the path leading up to the castle. There weren't many stars out at the moment, but the clouds that had covered them moments before had already began to drift away listlessly on the wind. Although she'd never felt one way or the other about night and day, right now she thougth that midnight was the greatest thing in the world.

It felt sort of weird, sitting out here. Her normal late-night hangout was the kitchens, if she wasn't on a stake-out waiting to bomb the slytherins with water balloons or something to that effect. But tonight, she'd simply felt like a change in her routine. The gryffindor barely ever slept-she simply couldn't relax enough to drift off. Swinging her legs back and forth, she took a careful hold on the ledge so as not to fall off. After all, Ilyana wasn't exactly what you would call graceful.

She had classes tomorrow, and knew she should have tried to fall asleep for more than an hour. It just seemed pointless to try until one or two in the morning, as that was the time she finally would loose consciousness. Ilyana wrapped the blanket she'd brought with her tightly around her shoulders. Even with flanel pajamas on, the chilly night air bothered her. At least it was still too early in the year for snow-now that would have been freezing.

She swung her legs back onto the ledge and lay down, staring at the sky above her. Her brown hair splayed across the stones, the gentle wind making a few strands drift into her face. "Stupid hair," she muttered, pulling it all back and placing it securely underneath her head. Satisfied, she returned her gaze to the increasing number of stars.

[Cassandra Thomas]

Cassi was up again. It seemed like she was up more at night than she was asleep. She wasn’t really sure what was keeping her awake so she pushed it off, guessing that it was from the stress of school and her life. On the outside, people probably couldn’t tell that she was tired from lack of sleep and that she was stressed out from family pressures to do well at school and find a suitable pureblood husband. That wasn’t what she wanted in life but it didn’t seem to matter. On the outside, Cassi kept up appearances, staying her normal obnoxious self. Only a few could see through it.

After spending the past few nights being entertained by the house elves (who she almost knew all their names by now) she had decided to stay away from the kitchens. The prefects were getting smarter and started to check in every few hours anyway. She thought about causing some mischief but realized that she just wasn’t in the mood. One look out the window showed that it was a beautiful night so she headed up to the highest tower, hoping that the serene setting of the night would lull her to sleep.

Quietly she took the steps up, making sure her pajama’s didn’t drag the floor and get to dirty. Cassi knew she had class tomorrow and that she should be trying to sleep, even if she knew it would not come. But maybe just a quick run up to the towers and a few minutes watching the skies would make her tired enough to sleep. Cassi’s slippers dragged the floor and she wrapped her arms around herself. When did it get so cold?

As she entered the tower at a quick jog, she almost didn’t notice Ilyana laying there, looking like she didn’t have a care in the world. Apparently she wasn’t the only insomniac wandering the halls these days. “Hey, scar face, whatcha doing?” Cassandra asked affectionately, no meanness in her taunt. It was a simple childhood nickname that Cassi had gave Ilyana when she got her scar.

[Ilyana Potter]

Hey, scar face, whatcha doing?

Ilyana was startled out of her daydreams by Cassi's voice. Completely forgetting where she sat, the gryffindor lurched forwards, almost tumbling off of the castle to the distant ground. By some miracle, she managed to roll off the stones onto the other side, and grabbed the edge to keep from hitting her head. Pulling herself up, Ilyana saw her friend standing there. A crazy grin spread across her face. "And some people say that I'm not graceful," she joked, sitting back down on the ledge and waiting for Cassi to join her.

This time, she felt a little nervous gazing down at the grounds, and so stared down at her lap instead. "So, I'm guessing that either you can't sleep either, or you've come to warn me that there's a blood-sucking meatball running amuck in the castle," Ilyana said, managing to keep her voice steady and serious, but not able to wipe the grin off of her face.

Her hair, blowing in the wind once more, was really starting to bug her. Ilyana gathered it up and shoved it down her pajamas with a little more force than nessecary. While she often considered cutting it off, the gryffindor knew that would never happen. It was the only feature that she really liked about herself, and as much as she normally didn't care about looks, she liked having something to feel proud of.

[Cassandra Thomas]

And some people say that I'm not graceful

Cassandra giggled and took her place next to her crazy Gryffindor friend. She had been worried for a moment that Ilyana was going to fall off the castle, but luckily she had caught herself. It would have been a mess. Then Cassi would have had to save her, and it would have just been awkward. The thought almost made her laugh, but she held it in. Lack of sleep was making her crazy. Well… crazier. In moments she would probably be rolling around on the stone floor, laughing hysterically.

So, I'm guessing that either you can't sleep either, or you've come to warn me that there's a blood-sucking meatball running amuck in the castle

Cassi considered it for a moment, her expression turning serous, and her eyes troubled. “Well, actually, I came to warn you about a blood-sucking chamber-pot running amuck in the castle. It’s already got a few of the Slytherin’s. A very sad tale, I must say,” she shook her head in mock sadness, playing along with her friend. If someone had walked in on their conversation at the moment, they might have thought the two were crazy.

Cassandra watched her friend fight with her hair for a few moments, a smile playing at her lips. Her own hair was held back with an elastic band to keep it out of her eyes. It was handy to have and Cassi hardly ever left her room without one in her hair or around her wrist. It didn’t look beautiful (actually, it was the exact opposite) but it did the trick.

[Ilyana Potter]

Well, actually, I came to warn you about a blood-sucking chamber-pot running amuck in the castle. It’s already got a few of the Slytherin’s. A very sad tale, I must say

She couldn't keep up the pretense any longer-Ilyana cracked up laughing. The image of a chamber pot swallowing Stewart Acklery head first stuck in her mind as if it had been super-glued there. She could simly imagine his legs flailing about in the air and his muffled cries for help. "If only it was that simple," she sighed, finally managing to stifle her laughter. "Of course, I'm sure it wouldn't be that hard to find a group of opressed blood-sucking chamberpots that are forced to slave away day and night. We could promise them freedom, and in return that could get rid of all the slytherins. Then, the chamber pots can run free!" she exclaimed, sounding exactly like all the anti-bloods running around Hogwarts.

Ilyana would have mentioned this to Cassi, but they always did their best to avoid mentioning blood and such. It was always a delicate subject with the gryffindor, but even more so when she hung out with her best friend. It'd be nice if the whole thing simply went away-not because she felt opressed, but simply so that everyone would stop making such a huge fuss over it. School had only been going on for a week, and already she felt that she couldn't stand another speech from the gryffindors.

[Cassandra Thomas]

… We could promise them freedom, and in return that could get rid of all the slytherins. Then, the chamber pots can run free!

Cassandra burst out laughing too, almost sounding like a drunk. She knew that Ilyana was making a reference to the anti-blood crack heads running around Hogwarts, attempting to do just that. Well… not really but it was just as foolish in Cassi’s opinion. But it wasn’t something that Ilyana and Cassi talked about, so she didn’t push it. The Ravenclaw knew that some of Ilyana’s family was anti-blood and she didn’t want to say anything that would offend her.

Her giggles slowly started to die away and she finally gained some composure, she decided to move the conversation to safer ground. “What brings you up her all alone in the middle of the night? I’m not interrupting a snog-fest am I?” Cassi looked around the room, acting like she was trying to find Ilyana’s secret partner in the shadows. “Come out, come out, wherever you are!” Cassandra called before starting to giggle again.

[Ilyana Potter]

What brings you up her all alone in the middle of the night? I’m not interrupting a snog-fest am I

"Why yes, you are. I've been stealing away into the night to spend time in the arms of my secret slytherin lover. We're both so tragically misunderstood-we have to stick together to get through all the hardships. Like Julia and what's his name....Ramen or something? No wait....I think that's some kind of muggle noodle," she giggled, realizing her mistake. Her stepmom had practically forced her to read the book and then talk to her about it, but Ilyana had just looked up a summary about the book online.

Come out, come out, wherever you are

Ilyana gave a melodramatic sigh. "Alas, he fell off of the ledge when you came, plunging to his tragic death. I wished to follow him, but fate's cruel hand kept me from leaping after him and caught my robe on a snag," she narrated, sniffing at the appropriate times. It might not have seemed so funny to her if it didn't sound exactly like a muggle soap opera. They had awful story line, and a lot of the time people ended up marrying their true love's evil twin, or their own sibling. They were a lot like the wizarding world, now that she thought about it.

[Cassandra Thomas]

Why yes, you are. I've been stealing away into the night to spend time in the arms of my secret slytherin lover. We're both so tragically misunderstood-we have to stick together to get through all the hardships. Like Julia and what's his name....Ramen or something? No wait....I think that's some kind of muggle noodle

“ROMEO!” Cassi snorted loudly at Ilyana’s seriously lacking skills when it came to Muggle classics. It was a hard story to read, no doubt, but a good one. Sort of. Cassandra had picked it up at a bookstore on a summer day when she had been completely bored with life. It was a good romance. But then again Cassi didn’t really believe in love, so it wasn’t that moving for her. “ROMEO, ROMEO! Where art thou, ROMEO!” Cassi stated, throwing her hands out in a flourish and leaning out her window like a mad woman. It was a shock that she didn’t fall off.

"Alas, he fell off of the ledge when you came, plunging to his tragic death. I wished to follow him, but fate's cruel hand kept me from leaping after him and caught my robe on a snag,"

“Oh! Woe is me, woe is me! How sad! How very, terribly sad!” Cassi continued, falling down onto her knees as she threw her arms around her friend, fake-weeping on her shoulder dramatically. “How can you ever live another day?” If she didn’t know better, she would have said she was drunk. The tiredness and stress of the days drained out of her and she was just happy to spend some time with her friend. Acually, her bestest best friend in the whole entire world. And there was nothing weird about that, was there?

[Ilyana Potter]

ROMEO!

What kind of a name was that? Name the poor kid something like George, or Andrew. But Romeo? No wonder the guy killed himself-it's not his fault that he had severe issues. That'd be the equivalant of naming a muggle Ronal McDonald or something like that.

ROMEO, ROMEO! Where art thou, ROMEO

At this rate, they were going to wake up the entire castle, but Ilyana didn't care. "What sunlight through yonder window comes, For it is the nor-east, and you are the sun," she quoted, stumbling over all the words, but still managing to use a Shakesperean accent. Had anyone seriously ever talked like that? Even more to add to the list about why people in the 1400's, or wherever they were from, had definite mental problems. If they spoke like normal people, the book might not be quite as much torture to read-not that Ilyana would read it even if you could understand what everyone said.

Oh! Woe is me, woe is me! How sad! How very, terribly sad! How can you ever live another day?

"Weelllll....I've actually been considering running off with Professor Malfoy and eloping. I'm madly in love with him, too. That is, unless he's run into an unfortunate incident with a chamber pot." Ilyana sighed after the last sentence to add dramatic effect, but began to laugh half-way through, and so it sounded more like a part sneeze, part snort. This sent her once more into peals of laughter, clutching the ledge for support.