Elspeth wrinkled her nose as she entered the owlery and found herself nearly stepping on owl droppings and what might have been a dead mouse. She looked around the place until she spotted the shoddy post owl she had paid to deliver her letter. She noticed a letter tied to its leg and, a spark of hope igniting in her chest, walked towards it before realising that it was the letter she had sent and not a reply. Her mood significantly dropped and a stab of anger coursed through her.

Seriously!?

"How bloody heartfelt does the letter have to effin' be?!" Elspeth burst out, effectively scaring off some of the nearby owls. She tore the letter off of the owl's leg, much to its annoyance, and shooed it off. She ripped the letter open, rereading her words through tears that were threatening to spill:

Dear Mum and Dad,

Please, just hear me out. I really am sor—

Before she could continue, she heard footsteps outside. She hastily wiped away her tears and turned away from the door, pretending to be busy with something.

Thana had been wanting to write a letter to one of her friends for ages but hadn't had the time, with everything that went on in her first week she had been pretty preoccupied. Walking up to the Owlery stairs reminded her of the trips she used to make at Hogwarts and Salem.

Walking in she noticed a girl, a fellow curse breaker if her memory served her. Well at least a curse breaker in training anyway. " Hey." She said politely, before taking a second look at the girl, she looked sad. " Are you alright?" Thana asked softly, immediately concerned for the other girl . That was one of her best traits, at least that was what she had been told. No matter what her life was she always looked out for others over her.

/So sorry for the late reply! I was busy /

Elspeth was slightly annoyed that the girl was prying, but realized that she was probably just trying to be nice. She appreciated the concern (did she really?), but she knew nothing about the girl, except that they had the same major. She wasn't about to go tell the girl her life story. And, let's be real, the Owlery isn't exactly the best place to do that.

"Of course I am," she said, her words coming out harsher than they should have. She didn't care much if the girl was hurt by her words, but she mumbled a half-hearted apology anyway. She supposed that she could drop the bitch act for now, where no one else would see. "No need to pretend you care," Elspeth said and rolled her eyes.