A Hazy Evening Closed to Bloom Silverton Finish

Bloom had been writing a bunch of letters to her parents throughout the week. She wanted to let them know how she was doing, what house she got into and what has happened thus far. She was open with her father about a lot of things. She even wrote a separate note to her father that she hopes the owl will get to him when he was at work and not in front of her mother.

Climbing up the stairs to the owlery, Bloom was carrying five different letters, ready to be mailed by owl. She never had time to send them earlier in the week when things were starting, so she was beyond happy that she had time to send them when she could. Bloom finally made it to the owlery but kept quiet. She saw a familiar figure that was sitting on the window ledge. Reid...

Bloom leaned against the door frame and watched him just sit there. He looked so relaxed and to himself. It was very becoming for someone. She tore away from the door frame and entered the room loudly to let him know that someone was there.

"How's the view?" she asked, heading towards an owl that was free of messages. She paused and looked at Reid with a smile. She looked back at the available owl and began to pet it's head softly. From the looks of its feathers, she could tell that it was a barn owl, one of the most popular owls that were used as mail carriers. "Are you sending letters or did you receive them?" she asked him.

Bloom kept petting the owl. She was petting the head, but went as low as between the eyes and caressed the area in circles. She smiled at the owl and the owl hooted a few times. She wanted to make sure that the owl was feeling comfortable to send her letters. Bloom looked over to Reid and witnessed his smile. She looked away, her body feeling as though it was melting.

She took a rubber band from her sweater pocket and rolled her letters up. She connected the letters to the owl's leg. She whispered to the owl the address that she needed it to go to. The barn owl spread his wings and made it's way to another open window. Within a few minutes, the barn owl left to its destination.

"You're just special to find the alpha owls so easily," she joked. Bloom moved away from the other owls and made her way to Reid who was still sitting on the pane of the window. She saw that he ate a chewy candy and she reached her hand out to him with a small smile. "Sharing is caring."

"I sent a few letters home. I've been meaning to and now was a good time," she answered him.

Bloom looked out the window in between Reid and the window arch and saw how beautiful the scenery was. They were viewing the Forbidden Forest. It was tree after tree for what seemed like miles. The Ravenclaw tower only saw the lake as it was located in the other tower. Overall, the scenery that Hogwarts provides were always so breath-taking.

Bloom looked back at Reid and wondered to herself. The last time they talked, they were at the lake. It wasn't as good of an experience as she would have hoped. She wanted to know his and Dymphna's relationship. Obviously, there was no way to ask without sounding like a jealous person. This was Bloom's third official run-in with Reid. Was now the time to voice how she felt? Her heart has been screaming this whole time and she had been ignoring it.

Bloom got herself back in reality. She couldn't tell him anything-- how could she have the courage to say something?

"So...," she said, feeling a bit awkward. She had no idea what to say to him because if she wanted to say something to him it was her feelings and she felt like right then was not the right time.

Sharing was indeed caring, thus Reid reached in and grabbed three pieces of the nice caramel chew. Reid leaned over to place it within her hands, hopefully he didn't have her drop them. Reid pursed his lips, though it betrayed him as it curled into a smile. "So ...?" he echoed, unwrapping the caramel chew in his hand. He felt odd sitting up on the window pane and moved the pouch in case she wanted to sit beside him. "You didn't catch a cold from that dip at the Lake, Bloom?" he asked, hoping that was the case. 

He knew how cold it was there and he was worried that she'd end up going down with something fierce. Reid glanced over his shoulder to the Forbidden Forest, he didn't notice that he had been staring at it the whole time. "It's kind of alluring, doesn't it make you want to find out what's beyond the treeline?" It was a general question and he didn't exactly need a response if she didn't want to. But his interest grew tenfold as the weeks went on. 

Soon it would be months and he didn't know if he'd listen to the warning of not going into the forest anymore. "But I suppose it's not called the Forbidden Forest just because they felt like it." he sighed, still staring at the forest. Maybe he'll grow some discretion as he goes on in his later years, but for now - he was naive in thinking he could even survive more than ten minutes in the Forest.

Bloom grabbed the piece of candy and set it on her tongue. She smiled and saw that he moved over for her to sit down. She was beyond shocked. Did he want her to sit next to him? The last time she was close to him, he moved away from her. She took a deep breath and carefully climbed into the space that he left for her. It was a bit of maneuvering, but she was finally able to place herself next to him. There was for sure no space between them when sitting on the window's ledge. Bloom was both happy and nervous.

"I felt off in the morning. Nothing like a good cup of tea to help warm up the body. I feel fine now," she answered, smiling at him. Her arms were on her lap. She began to play with her fingers. First she would clasp them together then she would play with each finger-- all showing signs of nervousness.

Bloom listened to his thought about the Forbidden Forest. It was alluring. The Forest was not just forbidden, but it was mysterious. Not even the greatest of wizards and witches knows what lies within the forest. There are creatures that may not even have been discovered yet. Most likely, creatures that we would not want to be confronted with. And yet... It made Bloom even more curious about the place.

"Is that your ideal adventure?" she asked, seeing how fixated he was on the forest. She knew that look. It was one she had for the lake. If she could, she would have swam as far as she wanted in the lake. But just like the forest, there were creatures that she did not want to meet. Bloom leaned her head against the window pain, her body pushing every so slightly towards Reid. Her brunette hair began to flow back in the wind. Some parts of her hair was not cooperating and little strands went over her eyes. She tried her hardest to move the strands away from her face, but they always seemed to flow back. Oh well...

Bloom laughed with him. It was true. If they played with fire for too long, they will get burned. Perhaps it was time to take the adventures on hiatus for a bit. But that thought bothered Bloom. She needed to be out in the open. Perhaps that was the hidden Hufflepuff in her. She scavenges the need for adventure and yet, she is closed up in a tower as a Ravenclaw.

Bloom watched him push his hair back. She was glad that she wasn't the only one who was dealing with the treacherous wind. But realistically, it did not bother her because she was sitting next to Reid. She was, nonetheless, comfortable. Should she make the first straight-forward move? Bloom looked at the forest and looked at the alluring rows of trees like Reid had talked about. It was endless. There was so many theories and possibilities as to how far the forest would go. What if this was a possibility for her? Bloom took a deep breath and let it out slowly. When she had the courage to say something, he had already spoke.

Bloom blushed. She looked at him and immediately looked away, hiding her bright red cheeks. That was the first compliment he's ever given to her. Was he finally noticing her? Granted it took a few days, but did it take her this long to stop being invisible? Does he even know what he's doing? She wanted to scream.

"Thanks. Your hair, um, looks nice, too," she replied, shyly. Your hair... Really Bloom? she thought to herself. She wanted to kick herself for such a comment. She could have said anything else but instead commented on his hair. She sighed and began to slightly kick her legs out and in, feeling a bit of the wind that was exploring around the tower. Her hands shifted from playing with each other to playing with the edge of her skirt like she did when she first met him. She was beyond nervous now.

"Reid... There's something I want to tell you...," she began, her eyes not daring to look at his. She focused on the row of trees from the forest closest to them. She could not bear to look at him straight in the eye.

Still looking at her skirt, Bloom's heart was pounding faster and faster. Was she actually going to tell him that she liked him? Was it even a good idea to tell him now? What if it ruins what we have? she thought. Bloom began to sink deeper and deeper into her mind, seeing the negative that expressing herself to him may do.

She could feel her palms sweating ever so slightly. She wiped them off on her skirt and finally made eye contact with Reid. How long has he been staring at me? Wait, how long have I been silent after I told him I needed to tell him something? Bloom could now feel the awkward environment kick in. She did not want to have it feel this way. I can't tell him... Not now..., she thought and she looked back at him.

"Um...," Bloom tried to cover up the silence, but also was thinking of what else she could say. What was there to say? She looked at his nose, his mouth, his forest green eyes... Bloom was beyond attracted to him, but she could not say anything about it. Not yet. She needed to come up with a cover.

Her brown eyes looked back at his eyes and she knew exactly what to do. There was a piece of eyelash that was right below his eye-- a place where eyelashes liked to fall. Bloom decided to cover her desire to tell him how much she liked him to an eyelash.

"You have an eyelash on your cheek. Hold still...," she said, and she slowly raised her hand to grab the eyelash. She hoped that it would be okay as it was intruding into his space and she's never  done this before. Gently, she grabbed the eyelash from under his eye, above his cheek and balanced it on her index finger for him to look.

"If you don't know this, you can now make a wish by blowing it off my finger. It's a weird tradition I grew up with. Here. Make your wish before the wind takes it away," she smiled, hoping he understood the tradition of eyelashes. She wondered if this was a good save of the situation or not.

"What did you wish for?" she asked.