Cages or wings?

[ellie]

Sleepless nights and fretting over exams was pushing Ellie over the edge. And as much as she tried to remain calm and collected in times of trouble, these matters were very serious. She had gotten used to the feeling of anticipation in her stomach constantly as she readied herself for the O.W.L. exams. In retrospect, Ellie knew she didn't have to worry so much. She had always been smart, bright at a young age as her father often told her. Intelligence came easily to the girl, as did socializing most of the time. But as November came along, Ellie found herself closing off others, even her own brother at times.

Everything that had happened recently cross through the girl's mind as she wandered around the towers of Hogwarts. Curfew was drawing near, but the girl wasn't worried. The Ravenclaw commons were close by and if she had to, she could easily just run down to the gargoyle and gain access to the room.

The girl found herself humming as she moved slowly around one of the towers before leaning down on a windowsill, peering out to the grounds. Soon her soft humming grew to form words and she was singing softly to herself.

" Why do we play with fire?
Why do we run our finger through the flame?
Why do we leave our hand on the stove-
Although we know we're in for some pain?

Oh, why do we refuse to hang a light
When the streets are dangerous?
Why does it take an accident
Before the truth gets through to us?

Cages or wings?
Which do you prefer?
Ask the birds. "

Her voice was soft, sweet and feminine, a contrast to the mostly male voices in the original song. It came from a musical by the name of Tick, Tick... Boom!, one that Ellie was quite familiar with. Her singing went uninterupted, and she didn't notice that she wasn't alone in the tower until a moment later.

(Josh)

[Josh York]

Night was Josh's favourite time of the day. It was always quiet and it was a time where he could just be alone. Although being alone was starting to suck, as of late. He missed his family; this was the first time he'd ever really been away from them since joining the Yorks at age three. Even at his other wizarding school, he'd gone home every day after classes. It was weird to be away from them, but he guessed he'd just have to learn how to deal with it for now.

Climbing up the stairs in front of him, Josh realized that he hadn't quite explored the towers in the castle yet. When he found that that was where he'd ended up, Josh took a moment or two to simply look around. There wasn't much to see, considering it had gotten fairly dark outside and the only light came from torches lining the walls. There was, however, something that caught the Hufflepuff boy's attention. It was a voice; a soft, beautiful voice that was floating on the night air into his ears. From where he was, Josh could only see the outline of whoever it was that the voice belonged to and he wanted to see a face. But he stayed in the shadows, just listening to the girl sing.

Feeling bad about hiding, Josh came out of the shadows a moment later when the girl stopped singing. He wished she hadn't; he wanted to hear more. But he figured he should probably introduce himself before he expected any more.
"Hi there," Josh greeted the girl quietly, coming up beside her, "That was...beautiful."

[ellie]

Her singing grew a little more quiet as she continued on.
" Fear or love, baby?
Don't say the answer
Actions speak louder than words.

Why should we try to be our best
When we can just get by and still gain? "

Just as Ellie sung the word ' gain ' she heard the soft sounds of shuffling feet behind her. Quickly turning, she barely was able to catch the boy's words. She was relieved, though, that it wasn't one of the ghosts of Hogwarts sneaking up on her. She didn't mind them so much when they stayed at a distance, but having a ghost go through you is not such a pleasant experience to remember fondly. ' That was... beautiful. ' Ellie smiled slightly to the boy, wondering who he was.

" Thanks. I'm Ellie. " She said casually, as she turned towards the boy. He looked a little older than her, and around the same height as her brother. For some reason thinking about beauty reminded Ellie of physical appearance and she looked down to her own attire. Despite the cold, she was still wearing flip flops, a pair of dark skinny jeans, and a light pink polo. Her hair was thrown back into a loose ponytail, good for working, and her bangs were swept casually to the side. She looked back to the boy, a small smile still on her face.