A Way Out PV Ruby

~ * ~

Ruby was up early, out of bed and patrolling. The grass was damp with dew and a beautiful mist drifted across the land. A deep breath escaped her lips as she looked around, at peace for a moment. Quiet mornings alone with chilly air and soft birdsong always soothed her. It was serene in a way that couldn't be matched. She was out here because of her role as a prefect, sure, but also because she enjoyed it.

She didn't actually expect to find anyone, she rarely did. Normally, these were just her morning walks, with time to herself, and she didn't have to do anything. Apparently, this time would be different. She sighed as she spotted a peaceful-looking girl under a tree. She could walk past and pretend that she had seen nothing, but then she wouldn't be doing her job and shouldn't have come out here in the first place. She walked up to the girl, trudging through the wet grass. Face blank and tone cold, she said, “You're not supposed to be out here. You're not allowed to be out of your common room until after 6. It's 5 right now. I have to give you detention.”

The prefect seemed emotionless, but she was not hostile. She wanted this to be over with as quickly as possible, and while she would have preferred not to interrupt the girl, she didn't particularly care what happened to her. She didn't have to, and it wasn't her business to figure out why the girl was here, just to deal with it.

She remembered the times when she went out after curfew as a first year. She always wanted to see everything, experience nature, look at the stars and the sunrise. That was how she had met one of her best friends, Marla, on a cold night in the trees. A soft smile almost appeared on her face before remembering that she had company. Right. Ice blue eyes stared at the younger student as she waited expectantly for the defence that would inevitably come. Maybe she would try to rebel against Ruby, maybe she would try to persuade her. It didn't matter.

Another memory—her second meeting with another of her best friends, Margo. Margo had been out after curfew with a friend, and Ruby had caught them. At that time, the two were not friends, and Margo had shoved Ruby into the lake. The freezing cold lake! The nerve of that girl. Unwavering despite their pleas, Ruby had brought them inside anyway. It was foolish of them to expect otherwise, especially after the incident with being thrown in the water.

Luckily, this girl didn't seem like she would be trying any of that, and she was carrying some sort of book, likely an object that was precious to her. Surely she wouldn't dare to start any sort of fight or drama when there was a chance that it could be ruined. Ruby had notebooks of her own that were extremely important to her, and because of that, she wouldn't go out of her way to try to damage it unless it was a last resort if this girl wouldn't listen and angered her. Hopefully, it wouldn't come to that.

~ * ~

Still caught in her thoughts, Ileen didn’t notice the light footed prefect until she approached her. The steps in the dewy grass were hardly audible in the calm of the morning. Her heart skipped a beat when the clear voice, cool as the morning dusk, broke the perfect silence.
Ileen flinched slightly and turned her head only to meet the pale blue eyes of a girl who she vaguely recognised as one of the prefects of her own house.
The younger girl looked up at the brunette Slytherin, just taking in the scene not showing any emotions. The prefect girl was intimidating with her clear and clipped speaking, the straight posture and perfect hair, but she didn’t attack Ileen or did anything to harm her. All she did was point out the rules and to impose the consequences on her. That was reasonable. Something that was rather surprising than scary to Ileen. Especially for a Slytherin.

Ileen should be worried, scared maybe. But she wasn’t. She had known that she could get caught and she had accepted the price. She was willing to pay it for the peace and quiet time outside - for the escape from her nightmares. She couldn't beat that with punishment anyway.

After Ileen had overcome the first shock, she tried to return the look of these piercing blue eyes firmly. She cleared her throat and made sure there was no mocking in her tone since she was a hundred percent serious about her next words. She was not the type of person to talk herself out of such situations. Nope. The poor girl was way too honest for something like that. So what would she bring up to her defense? Nothing. She would just tell the truth. There was no point in denying anything.

“Okay.” Accepting her punishment she glanced wistfully to the lake and the first signs for the rising sun.
“I - could I just stay until the sun is rising? Then I’ll go back inside.” She didn't beg. She wasn't whiny. She knew she wasn't supposed to be here. She just couldn't stand the thought of the peace only lasting so shortly.
Suddenly she had to swallow and looked back at the lake. Maybe she had to explain herself a little more clearly. “This may sound stupid, but I just wanted to escape the dungeons. Seeing nature in the morning helps me to clear my head.” And bringing some distance between herself and these idiots housemates.

~ * ~

Ruby watched carefully after she spoke, looking for a change in expression or anything that could tell her more about the girl that sat before her. She flinched—so she was a little startled or at least displeased, and while she seemed a bit uneasy, she also seemed… accepting. She stared back into Ruby's eyes, not backing down, and the prefect appreciated that. Courageous, willing to stand up for herself, sensible, respectful. The slightest tilt of the second year's head was the only thing that could possibly give away her curiosity and mild interest in the younger girl. She wasn't a lot like the other rule-breaking students that Ruby caught. Foolishly, most of them decided to try to get out of punishment and fight back, or they went over the top repeating themselves again and again as they apologised.

This girl did neither of these things. She accepted it, but laid out her request in a polite manner, her reasoning made clear. Cold blue eyes searched for a sign of dishonesty, and upon finding none, she gave the other Slytherin a final once-over before considering what she had asked for. She could approve it, or she could just march the girl back inside and that would be the end of it. Yet there was no whining, there was no disrespect. Finally, she found an answer. “Fine,” she began, “but I haven't finished my patrols. You can either walk with me while I continue, which would let you stay out here, or I can lead you back inside. The choice is yours. You can do whatever you want when it reaches 6, but I will be sending you an owl regarding detention. I hope you understand that I'm not willing to leave you out here alone when you've already broken one rule.”

Ruby thought it fair—it gave the girl an opportunity to remain in nature while allowing the prefect to continue her patrols without having to worry about a rule-breaker on the loose. She stared expectantly and continued talking. “I understand your need to be in nature, I really do. Most of my time is spent here, and not just because of my patrols. But why did you have to break a rule to do it? Couldn't you have waited another hour? There's plenty of time between 6 and the start of your classes, and that's factoring breakfast in as well.” If the girl had chosen to stay out and come with her, Ruby would start walking now, gently beckoning her with a flick of her wrist.

~ * ~

Ileen swallowed, the movement hardly noticeable, when those cool blue eyes looked at her searchingly. But she didn’t look away. Her chocolate brown eyes were fixed on the older girl. She had nothing to hide, so why should she look away? She knew she had broken a rule. And she had made her request. Now there was nothing she could do - it was up to the other Slytherin.
Waiting for an answer, Ileen looked back at the lake. She felt the gaze of the prefect resting on her and the young girl wondered what would happen next. Would she yell at her or walk her inside because of her request? She didn't really expect anyone to understand her urge to stay outside, but the thought of having to return to the common room in the castle contracted her stomach painfully. It was like all her fears and the pain of the last year was waiting there for her, ready to slash out as soon as she would return. Only outside, it couldn’t reach her.
So, she couldn't stand the thought of going back. Tensely she bit her lower lip and did not dare to look away from the lake. The peace of the moment was already slipping away, like the morning mist pervaded by the first pale rays of the setting sun. But it was not yet completely gone.

When the girl finally spoke, Ileen looked up in surprise. The young Slytherin hadn’t expected to be allowed to stay outside, even if she had to walk along. She met the older student with an inquiring look. Probably it was already a big concession that she was allowed to accompany her instead of being sent straight back inside. With a nod she stood up, tore off her pants and stuck her book under her arm. The choice was not hard to make.
Ileen always kept herself very straight. Although she was a bit taller than the average girl of her age, she did not hide, as some people used to do. “Sure. I understand. And yes, I would rather walk along.” She stroked a strand of her brown hair from her eyes and rubbed her palms over her arms in an attempt to stave off the chill. It was colder than she had assumed. “Thanks.”

When the second year explained that she could understand the desire to stay outside, a light smile plucked at Ileen's mouth and her eyes narrowed to half moons. As she followed the girl's gesture, she thought about an appropriate response. For a moment she would walk silently beside her. Then she shrugged. There was no point in covering it up. So far her honesty had met with surprisingly much understanding. Maybe the girl would get at least a part of her issue, too? Even though she probably couldn’t put it into the right words since she didn’t get all of it herself. “Well,” she started slowly and looked down to her diary and then back at the prefect. “I don’t feel comfortable with the other Slytherins.” It was weird to say that out loud. A doubt that she had carried around for too long. “I-” A restless gesture of her hand showed her uneasiness. “I don’t fit in there. And today, I wasn’t able to take it anymore. So I left.” A crooked smile without any humor appeared on her lips. “I just needed to get out of there.” It wasn't the whole truth, but a start.

Ileen gritted her teeth. She knew that she was harshly critical of her own house. But so far they had proven as a bunch of creepy loners and psychopaths. She would never fit in there. And she would not be like her parents. Her facial expression became harder at these thoughts and she stared sinisterly at the ground before looking up at the girl. “How do you even manage to be a prefect with all of them?” She really sounded more curious than angry. She was rather impressed. She herself would probably have jumped off the Astronomy Tower after only two days, if she had to take responsibility for them. Within those few minutes, the girl next to her had already gained more respect from her than almost any other student she had met before.