The sun had set so long ago that in fact it had been yesterday. It was Saturday night--or, rather, Sunday morning now. She was certain it was at least one AM, and a cool night breeze chilled her slightly; she longed for a jacket in that instance. The need to step out had struck her, the need to be alone, and she hadn’t wasted time to dress at this hour, so instead she wore her long-sleeved, ankle-length blue nightgown.

Ava glanced towards the black sky, only lit carefully in patched where the stars poked through the clouds. Her mind was often weighed down with worry, but the wind blew it away. It didn’t seem like she needed to worry now, anyway. Blake and Will were both asleep, and neither seemed like they’d be waking up any time soon. Sometimes her favorite time of day was night, but only the parts when they were asleep, even though she knew Will hated sleeping. His nightmares were too awful for that.

Sometimes she wanted nothing more than to bawl up tightly and cry. It would accomplish nothing she knew, but she still felt like grieving. Ava's favorite brother was dead, and though she knew Mathias would have hated to see her so upset, she... just missed him. A lot. He had been her pillar for strength for all twenty-nine years of her life, but now he was gone, nothing more that a memory. Those would fade one day.

Of course, he did live on in his daughter, Cassondra. Ava remembered when Cassie--it had bugged Mathias so when a nickname was used, but the Archaeology professor used it all the same--was just a little girl. Now the younger redhead was considerably grown up; a seventh year at Hogwarts, she was betrothed, to be married perhaps the summer after graduation. Still, the wedding wouldn't be the same. Oliver, her brother and Cassie's uncle, would likely walk her down the aisle.

When she was away from everything, the “out of sight, out of mind" philosophy took affect, and she could pretend that all was well. Osman Court featured a play park for any and all children residing there, but who was to decide who was too old? Ava sat on a swing, the only sound that of her breathing as the night was still.

The stillness was interrupted by a shuffle of feet. Someone else was awake. Considering the late hour, she felt the urge to grip her wand--her nightgown had the most convenient pocket for night-travel--defensively, but she did not. If this person was a threat, there’d be time later, but if they were not, the red-haired professor didn’t want to frighten. Her smile cut through the darkness, and she asked, “Couldn’t sleep?”