speak {jace}

[grace]

Grace walked slowly down to the paddock where the hippogriffs were kept, her cloak drawn tightly around her against the bitter January cold. The winter holidays had just ended, classes would resume on Monday, though unlike the masses Grace was not scrambling to finish homework left until last minute, nor was she huddling by one of the fireplaces in the castle to stay warm. She had come to see the hippogriffs, she was sure that they had missed her while she was gone. Her suspicions were confirmed as she swung her leg over the waist-high fence to step into the enclosure and she was immediately greeted by Athena, the filly that had been born last spring.

She was growing quickly, by her first birthday she'd likely be full size. She looked just like Ludwig, the alpha male of the group, though she had inherited her mother's bluish eyes rather than the fierce orange the dominant male had. Grace smiled, the gesture still felt awkward on her lips even after more than a year had passed since Caleb had raped her, since the horrific attack on the school... Grace still pondered the what-ifs, what her life would look like had she not been so weak after she had found out that she was pregnant. The baby would have been born the end of August, she'd have a five-month-old baby...

Grace swallowed, she tried not to think on it, but she couldn't always help it. She felt the weight of what had happened still heavy on her heart- it still plagued her, she still laid awake at night, or otherwise woke with a start after the nightmares... But she was healing, or at least that was what she liked to think. Grace no longer entertained the thoughts of death. She had come close, gone so far as to hide away in the astronomy tower and fashion herself a noose in the dead of the night, but she had stopped, tapped the rope with her wand and set it alight.

She couldn't do that. That would mean that Caleb had won. He might have broken her, but she would mend. Grace gently stroked Athena until Ludwig approached, he impatiently nudged his daughter aside, looking for the blonde's affection. Grace smiled again, obliging to his request and petting his feathery neck as he rested his head on her shoulder. Grace had been mostly accepted into the herd, she didn't have to bow to them anymore, though she still minded her manners, hippogriffs were proud, polite creatures...

Once Ludwig had had his fill of her attention, he walked around her, placing his head in the small of her back and nudging her to the elderly tawny female. She had gotten thinner since Grace had seen her last, she was beginning to lose feathers and the coat on her hindquarters was dull and lifeless. She likely wouldn't last the winter, she was very old... Grace knelt in the snow beside her, gently taking the tawny's head into her lap. The slowly dying female simply looked up at her with grateful eyes and was lulled to sleep as Grace gently pet her, the other hippogriffs inched closer, though she paid them no mind. She did however, look up when she heard the sound of human footsteps crunching in the snow...

[jace]

Jace hadn’t braved a trip home over the holidays. Bella was certainly secure with her new love, he had made sure of that. There was going to be no repeat of last time if Jace had a say in it. After hours of her reassuring him he should stay and tend to the animals, he knew he had only been bluffing. He couldn’t bear to leave Nadina alone, especially when logic told him she didn’t have much longer. Although he’d spent the entire dark morning out by her side, he found himself walking out again, cloak barely around his shoulders as he began towards the Hippogriff pen. It wasn’t long before he recognized the blonde head of who was quite clearly his most favored student.

Jace hadn’t intended to like teaching. Students hadn’t intended to like Care of Magical Creatures. His quiet, gentle mannerisms didn’t make him a great teacher, especially when he knew none of them cared. But Grace seemed to enjoy what he had to say. She saw the magic of animals, magical or muggle. He had to admit, her nightly absences near the Hippogriff pen were quite noticeable, both in scenery and in the behavior of the herd. She’d become almost an honorary Hippogriff, which Jace knew was good for her.

”Morning Grace!” He grinned, swinging both legs over the pen, hoisting the bucket of ferret pelts high above his head. Even the Hippogriffs deserved some treats when holidays rolled around. Already having bought a mountain of gifts for his nephew, he’d splurged on the daily ferret pelts, which were beginning to make an appearance in many of their rounding stomachs. The youngest of the herd were quick to greet him, stomping their hooves impatiently, but the elders remained faithfully around Nadina and Grace, who wasn’t looking super herself.


”They’ve been missing you,” he gently pushed the foals to the side, who playfully tried to rear back, taking it as another day of games. He sat across from Grace, folding his legs, hands running gently over Nadina’s trembling sides. ”Had a nice Holiday?” Jace had taken to using yes or no questions with Grace, although they were already a dominant part of his vocabulary. He didn’t enjoy speaking much, not when he could simply be on his own sketching. His eyes glanced up at Grace, gauging her reaction. It was hard not to ask what had been plaguing her. Of course there were boundaries as a Professor, making prying a dangerously gray area, no matter how concerned he was for his favorite pupil.

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[grace]

Grace should have known that it would be Professor Kaper, who was indisputably her favourite teacher, and it wasn't just that she adored the subject matter of his class and was arguably the strongest in her year when it came to the animals, but his demeanour. He was soft and gentle, and the quiet sort of passionate, she could see in his eyes that she loved the animals as much as she did. Professor Kaper didn't try to talk at length with her, never expected her to say anything in return. In her experience, many people in positions of authority had tried to force her to speak out of their concern.

What happened to you? Where did those bruises come from? Why are you limping? Grace would simply shake her head, or sit motionless and not say anything at all. She could feel his concern, but he never tried to force even a sound from her. Grace appreciated that more than she could possibly describe. Nadina gave forth a shuddering breath in her sleep, which made Grace carefully analyze her a moment before returning Professor Kaper's greeting with a nod and a quick smile. Oddly, she couldn't feel that same reluctance in her throat anymore, maybe she might be able to open up to him...

The idea was frightening, as it always was, but it didn't entirely immobilize her with fear... Grace smiled and nodded again when he commented that the hippogriffs had missed her during the holiday- she had been half-tempted to stay at the school, though she wasn't keen on being alone, none of her siblings had stayed. Honestly, Grace didn't think that anyone had, the massacre at the school the December before last was still fresh in everyone's mind. It had certainly put a damper on the holiday spirits of everyone, the masses had all been quite sombre as Christmas approached.

"Um, it was all right," said Grace- she hadn't imagined her first words to Professor Kaper would be those, but she supposed it was better than what she had given to Marvel. "I'll mend" was the first thing he had heard from her... Grace couldn't say the holidays had been good, not with two people missing from the picture. Of course, everyone else only knew that Kevin was missing, but there was another person who should have been there, one that had never even gotten the chance to live... Grace swallowed heavily, waiting to see what Professor Kaper's reaction might be to her speaking to him the first time- not many people had gotten to the point where her favourite teacher was at.