"Yup," Phyre replied. "It's only a rumor, but there are crazier things in that forest. There are werewolves and centaurs and unicorns... Some people say there are even thestrals. They say the thestrals are the ones that pull the carriages up to the school, that only people who have seen death can see them. But while I haven't seen death, I can't see anything. So while people discredit that, I don't. Seeing isn't always believing."

She nodded, smiling. "Yeah, I can hear and feel and even taste better," she said. "I mean, I miss sight, but magic is also a sense. It's one that muggles don't have... So I got a lot better at magic after I went blind. And I can use it, too, to see. If I touch something or someone, I can send my magic through it.... Wandless, of course, though that was tricky to learn to control... And then it appears in my mind. And if I hit something with a spell? I can see it the moment it affects the object. If I use a continuing spell, like Wingardium Leviosa, I can see the object until I remove my control of it... So I haven't lost anything... and I don't need an aide, either."

Selena just found out what was drawing the carriages. What she had seen. "So... it's thestrals that pull the carriages..." Selena said softly. "That's good that your senses are better, especially magic," Selena smiled. "It's nice that you don't need an aide, it would be quite annoying at times," Selena said. "You must've been really powerful even before that happened to be able to do wandless," Selena said. She was amazed.

"Yeah," Phyre replied. "Did you see them...?" Leaving the question alone, she shrugged. "Yeah, it really helps. I love my governess, Calpurnia. She was going to be my aide, but the thing is if I didn't learn wandless magic, my father said that I wouldn't come back here... that I'd be homeschooled. Though, I only managed to use wandless magic at the end of the summer break, thanks to all of the tutors that my parents hired for me. It took all summer... And Calpurnia and Teegan - this girl that just transferred from a Grecian school - told me that students in Greece learn wandless magic rather early. I'm not so much powerful as I am a mix of hard-working and gifted, thanks to my blindness."

Selena wondered if she didn't answer the first question would Phyre notice. Hopefully not, she didn't want to be questioned. "Wow, still, even with all the tutors and everything else, it takes a lot of skill to become a wandless at such a young age," Selena said, Selena had many tutors who taught her theories. They were all boring.

"It was so I could come back here," Phyre replied, smiling sadly. "If I didn't come back to Hogwarts, I would have nothing. I made my first friends here! I couldn't just... not come back. No one likes me at home, and I'm not allowed to see anyone while I'm there."

Selena was shocked. "Why weren't you allowed to see anyone?" Selena asked. She was curious. Ugh. She was being nosy again.

"My parents don't like children," Phyre replied, shrugging. "That's why they only had me. Though, they wanted a male heir, but mother doesn't want to raise another child, so she told father that there are other Blacks to keep the like extant in the male lineage. They hired Calpurnia to take care of me since they didn't want to... It's just never been a priority to them. Though, Mother sometimes brings me to her luncheons now that I'm blind."

"Oh," Selena said quietly, almost inaudibly. "I'm an only child too," Selena didn't know why she said that, "... my parents... they're... they're never home... my mother and father actually divorced," Selena admitted, "my mother remarried... and well, there's still no one to watch after me besides Mixie, she's my house elf," Selena admitted, "my parents just keep apologizing for never being there for me... they're always busy... even my stepfather," Selena sighed. She wondered why Phyre treated it like nothing. "And, well... my mother is in Milan right now buying a million pairs of shoes and dozens more dresses, my stepfather working on another legal case and my father working on something for the ministry," Selena said. She didn't know why she was telling Phyre this. She rarely told anyone about it. Selena didn't want to cry though. She wasn't going to. She just forced a smile on her face.

"I'm sorry," Phyre replied, frowning. "What's it like, having divorced parents...? I know my parents never will, but it'll be better for them if they did. I don't have to be able to see to know that my mum's been having affairs for most of my life. Your mother sounds a bit like mine, only she prefers Paris to Milan."

"It's not your fault," Selena said, it wasn't her fault so she didn't need to apologize for anything. "Having divorced parents... well... I miss my father loads, he used to have more time for me... but now... I rarely see him," Selena sighed. "I don't know though... since they never really loved each other... it was an arranged marriage, you see," Selena explained. 'Like the one they're trying to arrange for me now...
Selena thought to herself. "My mother shops a lot in Paris too," Selena said, "Milan, Paris, Korea, Japan, New York," Selena rattled off, "She's always shopping," Selena said.

"Oh," Phyre sighed. "I'm sorry. It must be really tough... I don't see either of my parents, either. But I don't really want to. Mother is always in France, Father is always in his study, and Calpurnia is always with me. That's just the way it is around my house."

"But... don't you want your parents to just notice you sometimes? Even just the slightest?" Selena asked. Her parents treated her like she didn't exist most times. She just wanted her parents to treat her like she was their daughter, not an outcast.

"Sometimes my father," Phyre replied. She still loved him, and he still cared for her. He just didn't have time for it. "I don't care at all whether my mother notices me or not. She doesn't want me for anything but to make her look better, and I don't want her for anything. Calpurnia is my real mother, even if she isn't related to me."

Selena smiled. "I know how you feel, my mother just doesn't care about anything besides her looks, her status and her wealth. If I broke my bones she wouldn't care unless it benefited her in any way," Selena sighed. "Mixie may be my house elf... but she's like my mother, she's been caring for me since as long as I can remember," Selena smiled. Mixie was watching over Serene right now. She ought to write to see how her little kitten was faring.

"Too bad, huh?" Phyre asked, frowning. "Some of the oldest, most-influential familes in wizarding history and here we are, the ones with the worst home lives. I don't want to let it stop me, though. I don't want to be weak because of my disability, either... I want to be a hit witch! What about you?"

Selena smiled slightly. "I wanna be either a writer, an artist or an Auror," Selena smiled. "Hit witch, just as dangerous," Selena said, "but I'm sure you'll be the best out of them all," Selena said.

"That's cool," Phyre said. "I like writing, but I'm not very good at it. Creative writing, or journalism...?" She drew her wand, twirling it around her fingers absently. "I don't know about that... I need to learn how to block despite my blindness. It's kind of hard to avoid something you don't know is coming... So I have to work on all of my magic."

"Creative writing, though I did talk to the woman at the Job Fair and journalism seems pretty interesting as well," Selena said. "But even though you're blind, I'm sure you'll do well, besides, aren't there surgeries now to help you get eyesight?" Selena asked.

"I didn't actually go to the Job Fair, but I know that I want to be a hit witch," Phyre said, shrugging. "Well, there are surgeries, but the catch is that it's in my brain and it'd be extremely difficult to fix it. It might not even be possible. I'd like to work around this, truthfully."

"You'll find a way to be the best one ever," Selena said. She lived through the trauma of being blind. She had to be. By then she'd have amazing powers and she'd be able to figure things out more quickly. "Perhaps over the years, you'll be able to see with your mind. You'll be able to get more images even without doing anything," Selena tried. That could be possible, or at least, Selena hoped so.

Saiyomi walked into the dormitory and sat down on her bed. She heard something kind of crumple when she sat down, she stood up and realized that she had sat on her brother's letter. She sighed and picked it up, sitting down as she opened it, taking the seal off of the letter.

Saiyomi, it began. I hate to be the one to send this to you so soon after your departure, but it seems that I will be coming to Hogwarts to watch over you. I am only coming because I fear for your safety, our parents' killer is still out there and I could not bear it if your were to be hurt by him or her. I should be getting there a week or two after you receive this letter. Wishing you well, love always, your brother, Ulquiorra.

Saiyomi gasped and looked around the room to see if anyone had noticed her, she saw Selena, but she was talking to someone, she liked the fact that her brother was coming, but she didn't like the reason. She laid back on her bed, closing her eyes, as she tried not to let the tears fall.

Selena was talking to Phyre when she heard a soft gasp just close by. She looked up and saw Saiyomi. She looked a bit sad, scared even. She wondered if she should go over. "Phyre, I'll be right back," she told the other girl before walking over to Saiyomi. "Are you alright?" Selena asked softly as she sat down next to her and placed a hand on her back, "you don't seem very well," Selena said.

Saiyomi sat up and wiped away the oncoming tears, she smiled weakly. "Yeah I'm fine," she said. "I just finally read my brother's letter." She handed the letter the Selena and said, "There are some good news, but only because of the bad news, my brother is coming to Hogwarts, I'm glad about that, but only because my parents' killer is still on the loose and he doesn't want to see me hurt, he's coming to protect me."

Selena's mouth formed an 'o' shape. "It'll be alright, Hogwarts is the safest place to be," Selena promised as she scanned the letter. "you need to tell the headmaster," Selena said. That way everyone could be ready for it. That way... the murderers wouldn't get away with it again... that way... they couldn't destroy anymore families. Selena gave Saiyomi a hug. She needed it.

Saiyomi nodded and said, "I will, I just don't think I want to move right now, I'll tell him tomorrow, this bed is way too comfortable." She grabbed one of her green silk pillows and hugged it to her chest. She smiled at Selena and said, "You know, I think you'd like Ulquiorra, he has this odd thing about him, I'm not sure what it is, but when he talks, its subtle, but he has this morbid sense of humor that I think you'd like." She took her letter back and stored it in the drawer of the stand beside her bed, making sure it was safe before she locked the drawer. "I'm mostly curious about when he's gonna get here, he doesn't usually stick to what he writes in letters."