Alcyone liked parties. She enjoyed being the center of attention, the warm glow she felt bubble up inside when she was able to rouse amused responses from her peers. She liked the opportunity to decorate herself in finer colours than that of a peacock's tail, but for all that the extravagance and attention was fun... Well, Alcy quite enjoyed being alone, too. She lived a glamorous lifestyle to say the least, and she wouldn't deny it if someone questioned her, but that didn't mean she had to always be draped in ivory and silk. Sometimes, though very rarely, Alcyone would don a pair of jeans and a baggy hood, and slip down to the forest that wasn't quite so frightening as the forbidden one had been at Hogwarts.

The brunet's lips twitched with a smile at the thought of her old school, a stray seam loose on the hem of her jumper snagging her finger's attention whilst her mind wandered past the trees of Merlin's Academy, and to the trees of somewhere that felt more like home than the walls of the manor in Wiltshire. She did miss Hogwarts, in that way one missed a childhood friend or a soft toy that had long since been abandoned to the trash. Still, while Merlin's Academy wasn't Hogwarts, she had no doubt that she'd come to love it too. Settling down on a log by the edge of the forest, Alcy drew her knees up to her chest and rested back against the trunk of a tree. It was sturdy and firm behind her, helping the brunet huddle into her comfy clothing and fight away the cold. She could light a fire in her hands. She didn't. For some reason, the cold bite of the wind was somehow comforting.

Really, Alcyone knew she shouldn't sit out in the cold. She despised being sick, and this was surely the kind of weather to encourage a cold, but the desire to move had been overwhelmed by her desire to stay where she was and preserve her body warmth. Had she just been lamenting the comfort of the cold? Hm. She must be losing her mind, clearly. Already, she was scarcely an adult, but she was exhibiting sure signs of madness. Her lips tugged up at the corners as she stifled a giggle behind her palm, a quick glance around revealing no one to see her laughing at herself. Right. She wasn't mad, and if anything had been going to drive her mad, it would've been living in the Malfoy Manor. As it were, she'd survived that.

She could survive anything. Except this cold. Sitting up a little, Alcyone pulled out her wand and muttered as she pointed at a branch. It caught aflame and she gripped the non-burning end, pulling it a little closer and holding out her mittened hands to warm them. Ah, that was somewhat better. Settling back into her huddled position, the brunet rested her chin on her knees and then startled violently at the sound of a voice. It was vaguely familiar, sending another tug at the nostalgia inside of her for a reason she couldn't quite place until her head lifted and her eyes met his face. Blinking rapidly, the honey-brown of her irises seemed to melt into liquid as the corners of her eyes crinkled with her delighted smile. "Humphrey? Humphrey Williams, is that you?" She knew the answer to her own question, already leaping to her feet and kicking some snow over the burning branch so she or Humphrey wouldn't accidentally catch on fire as she tackled him with a hug.

Her boots scuffed in the most satisfyingly soft way against the very thin layer of snow which padded the ground, and would likely melt when it was later on in the day. Early morning was the perfect time for the frost from the night before to solidify itself. She grinned vividly when their bodies went crashing back against the powdered ground, golden-brown locks of straightened hair halo'ing her features when she pushed herself up onto her hands over him. He looked as she remembered him, but then different all at once. Humphrey had been awkwardly tall in their youth - lanky, and almost stretched, far too skinny for his own good. It'd come with those growth spurts he'd gotten in sixth year.

Now, he looked like he'd recovered from them. He'd filled into his own form, still skinny but in a less alarming manner. His cheekbones were still sharp though, eyes as soft and warm as they'd always been, and his hair a rumpled, curly mess on the top of his head that had always been endearing. "You say that like I don't make a habit out of tackling strangers," it was simple to slip back into being comfortable with him. They hadn't talked in at least a year, but she still remembered the comfortable familiarity, the warmth of his presence that was almost as soothing to her as being alone. After a moment of just beaming at him, all bright smile and bright eyes, she collected herself off of the ground and held out a hand to him. "How have you been? I can't believe we both ended up here!" And of course, it made sense that she didn't know where he'd ended up after school now. He couldn't have told her, even if he'd wanted to.

"Humphrey, dear, where would the fun be in me telling you all of my secrets~?" She teased with a coy smile, lifting a hand up to fix her hair. Old habits were old habits, and Alcyone had no intention of breaking the habit of preening herself constantly.

Even so, if she was just wearing her comfortable clothing, she could at least look good whilst doing so. "Lonely?" The corners of Alcyone's lips turned down a little at the suggestion, the meaning laced heavy in his words. Oh, she didn't quite like the sound of that. She did like her loner time, hence why she'd been tucked away in the forest, but being lonely was not a feeling Alcyone was accustomed to. Then again, she'd had Jaycie by her side for as long as she could remember, and her tiny little pocket of sunshine chased away the darkness even on the rainiest, British days. "Oh, you do dragon training? Fascinating! You did always love dragons. Do tell me, how are your classes? Are you doing well?" She asked, enthusiastic as always.

A bright pink painted her cheeks when he complimented her intelligence, and she laughed, waving a hand but feeling delighted under the praise. "Oh hush, you, always such a flatterer," she laughed, flicking an idle strand of hair away from her face.