Mischief Not-Quite-Managed (Currently being revised and edited to the extreme)

Chapter Three ~ Katarina Black

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Chapter Three ~ Katarina Black

Kat giggled as she stepped into the carriage, finding Rose's hand gestures as she explained how a rather dreadful date over the summer had gone hilarious.  Rose was one of those people that spoke with their hands, too, and her gestures were always more elaborate than anyone else's, adding comic relief to whatever it was, also.  Comic relief was becoming somewhat of a necessity where they were, after all.

Sighing, a smile still upon her face, Kat looked out the window at the nearly-full moon and thought of her friend.  Casting a fleeting glance Stella's way, she noticed the way the moon's light shone on her face, showing off the bags under her eyes and making any faint white scars glow slightly.  Stella's blue eyes held both wisdom and weariness beyond her years, and Kat felt a pang of empathy for her friend, who was discriminated against because of what she was born as - a werewolf.  Kat, on the other hand, had experienced insults and glares for years because of who her father was.  Harry was spared the experience because he was 'The-Boy-Who-Lived', but Rose knew the feeling all too well.

A ghost of a smile appeared on Kat's face as she looked around at her best friends.  At the same time, Stella's experiences and the scars (which Rose and Kat had decided to call her 'Battle Scars') gave her character and made her who she was.  Rose and Kat had bonded through their similarities through discrimination and had become fast friends with each other and Stella because of it.  A nice band of merry misfits they were.  A giggle escaped her lips, and both of them turned to her.

"What's so funny?" they both asked in unison, and sent each other a glance, surprised.

"We are such misfits," Kat giggled, and Stella sent her an amused look while Rose looked affronted.

"Misfits?" she said, as though testing the word on her tongue.  She was silent for a minute before she grinned, "I like the sound of that."

Kat grinned with her, and saw Stella roll her eyes as she looked out the window.  "Yeah, we're misfits, but we're amazingly popular misfits, am I right, Rose?"

"Right you are, my dearest Kat," replied the raven-haired girl, pulling Kat into a one-armed hug.

"You guys are idiots," announced Stella shamelessly, and the two girls gasped over dramatically.

"Stella?  How - how could you?" Kat choked out, clutching Rose.

"Our own friend!  What is wrong with the world?" cried Rose, burying her face in Kat's shoulder and heaving huge sobs.  Kat wiped the silent tears she shed away dramatically, adding in little sniffles.

They eventually got Stella to chuckle and roll her eyes at them.  "You guys are so weird, you know that?"

"Misfits!" supplied Rose, who seemed to like the term very much when it came to describing the trio.

"Yeah, misfits, and you're one of us whether you like it or not, Stella," she spoke up, before leaning over and whispering loudly to Rose, "She so likes it."

She and Rose laughed while Stella grinned over at them.  They calmed down, though, and Rose seemed to feel that it was the proper time to ask questions, as she looked at Stella seriously and asked, "So what was up with you and the new Professor?"

Stella visibly stiffened, and Kat grew more worried for her friend.  "What about him?"

"Stella, come on," Rose murmured, looking a little hurt by their friend's willingness to keep secrets.  "We're your best friends."