A Morning Run

[mariasanchez]

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Yet again, Maria Sanchez found herself unable to sleep. Tossing and turning had accompanied her restless night as well as the many aches and pains that came with any bed but the one situated in the master bedroom of her home--the one she shared with her beloved husband. When she sat up and gazed out the window and realized that the sun hadn’t even awoken yet, she let out a groan and fell back against her pillow with a heavy sigh. It was not that she hated mornings, because she loved them, but she was tired of not being able to sleep and then having to go all day on one or two cups of coffee and whatever bit of sleep she had, which tended to be not a lot most of the time. The worst part about it all was that Maria was not exactly a young woman anymore, and she was most definitely not a teenager that could stand only a minimal amount of hours of sleep and be fresh for day ahead of her; no, she was a fifty-year-old woman who enjoyed her sleep very much and could sometimes be cranky without it.

After several moments of just lying there on her back and staring up at the ceiling, Maria let out a heavy sigh and rolled over and out of bed. She almost had to force herself to get up because her body was telling her to sleep even though her eyes and mind would not let her. She was awake now, more so than she wished to be, and figured that she would start her day a bit earlier than she usually would on a Sunday morning such as that one, especially since there was absolutely no one else up at the moment, or so she assumed. So, with a heavy sigh, she dug through her dresser drawers and pulled out a set of clothing that she would wear for her morning run. She didn’t usually run but since her arrival at Hogwarts, she figured that it may be best if she did. Besides, if she was able to lose that little bit of extra weight she had, though it wasn’t much, maybe she would be able to feel young again.

After having pulled on her clothes, the woman pulled a brush through the many unruly curls of hair top her head. She winced at the pain as the brush pulled through the many tangles and yanked at her hair. This was her least favorite part about the morning. Her hair was extremely thick, especially after it was washed, and it was really frizzy and really curly. Pulling a brush through it just made it worse; once a brush was pulled through it, she looked like an over-washed poodle whose owner gave no care when brushing her. For that very reason, Maria Sanchez parted her hair in the middle and made two individual braids, one at each side, to keep her hair tame. Once her braids were finished, she reached into her underwear-bra-and-sock drawer and pulled out a vibrant, green bandana and wrapped it around her head, tying it at the back. She had decided to wear a bandana so that the top of her hair would not frizz like it had already started to do.

Once she was ready and dressed to go outside, the professor made a quick trip down to the staff lounge. There she grabbed herself a quick cup of coffee to help wake her up and then made sure to get a bottle of water. The last time she had gone running, which was the previous week, she had made the mistake of not drinking anything beforehand and not bringing anything with her to prevent dehydration. This time she was going to be prepared. This time she was going to warm up before she ran. This time she was not going to jump into something she knew very well she wasn’t ready for. This time she would be smart, not stupid, and not do what she did last time.

***

The woman had been running for about fifteen minutes. She knew that she was running on the grounds, but she had no idea where her slender legs were carrying her. She was just letting them move and carry her as they pleased and where they pleased. Just as long as they did not run her into the lake or into the creepy forest, she was quite alright. And, thus far, they seemed to be doing a great job at avoiding both places as well as the abusive tree located near the castle. Her legs were, however, carrying her to a place where she could not recall having ever been. However, upon seeing the place and examining it thoroughly, she realized that it was probably the Quidditch Pitch. There was a large stadium accompanied by tall poles with rings atop them through with the woman assumed was thrown a ball. Then there were seats surrounding the entire place; she assumed the students and professors--the spectators--sat there for the games. If she remembered correctly, she remembered Emily having mentioned this place to her before.

Emily, now a second year student, had begged her mother to buy her a broom that summer. Maria had never been one to allow her children something so dangerous as that, but dear Emily had wanted to play Quidditch so badly. Maria had tried and tried to tell her that she would not play Quidditch because of its dangers, but the young girl was stubborn and persistent, just like her mother, and stopped at nothing. So, Maria eventually gave it--only because she was tired of hearing the twelve-year-old girl’s whining. So, when try-outs started, Emily would be there at the Hufflepuff practices and such to try out for a position on the team. Deep down, being the overprotective mother that she was, Maria Sanchez hoped dearly that her daughter was not given a position on the team. As much as she loved seeing her children happy, she really did not want to see Emily on the team. She was Maria’s little girl, and the possibility of her getting hurt scared Maria to no end. The world was a bad enough place as it was, and people got hurt and killed everyday. Maria did not want to allow her daughter to chance her life as a child. That was the last thing she needed--to lose a child. But then again… Nayib was an auror at the Ministry of Magic and put his life on the line. But then again…he was an adult, too, and could make most of his own decisions.

The professor slowed her job to a walk and eventually stopped in the midst of her steps. She exhaled deeply and bent over some, putting her hands on her knees. She let out a slight cough and cleared her throat, shaking her head as she stood there to regain her breath. She placed a hand on her heart and felt it racing inside her chest. She felt that rush from running and grinned, glad that she could feel her heart beating and hear her breaths breathing for air; it just reminded her just how alive she was. She straightened her back and stood up and looked around. She blinked a few times and let out a heavy sigh and allowed her eyes to take in the entire area of the Quidditch Pitch. Then, no longer able to resist the slight pain in her legs, she plopped down on the dewy grass beneath her and just sat there.

[Jakatra Lenox (HM)]

Jakatra had wandered through the corridors of Hogwarts at least a million times, remembering how her mother had got her enrolled into the grand school. She could remember the echoes of how lively the school had become when students from around the world, from different backgrounds, from different families had come together to learn the basics of the wizarding world. She remembered how she looked in the uniform the school made them wear. Surprislingly she wasn't picked on for being the Headmistress daughter, mostly because some respected her mother. She continued wandering the corridors that seemed to be long; until she stumbled upon the grand portrait of her mother.

She gazed for a long time at the portrait. She always thought her mother was beautiful. How her eyes, as silver as hers, how deep they could lead anyone who gazed into them. How long her sleek black hair was. She sighed as she lifted a finger up towards the portrait and smiled. "You got your wish mother..your daughter is the Headmistress of Hogwarts. I only wish you could have been here to see it." She said to herself, remembering the last thoughts of her mother.

She had remembered how the Ministry critizied her for many things, about being a Death Eater, for being in alliance with the Dark Lord. Jakatra hated that. Her mother was brave the way she was and Jakatra held no anger for that, for what she did. Even with their last conversation, Jakatra had accepted the fact that her mother had sent her and her brother away, just to give up the fact that she may not ever get to see them again, but just to know they were out of danger. Jakatra smiled up at her mother and left, having the sudden urge to go outside.

Jakatra wandered down from the dim litted corridor and followed towards the moving staircase where she walked onto it and let it lead her down to the first floor, where she would be able to get off and wander outside the great big doors. She took a while to look around. How the lavish portraits filled the walls all the way up. There the other staircases moved along with the one she was on. She got off each floor, knowing this was meant for patient people. Not many people were as patient enough to wait for the staircase to ground, and ended up severly hurting themselves. Once she finally hit the ground floor she wandered down from the staircases, her feet lightly tapping the marble floor and out into the morning sun, where nothing seemed to be awake.

Jakatra didn't mind the mornings, but hated when the sun stared her right in the eyes. She strenched as she walked out into the grounds and walked along the grass, that was drenched in dew. She smiled as her soft, flowing skirt, brushed across the green grass. Her dark hair shimmered in the morning sun. The autumn air smelt so nice. She kept on walking, wondering how this year was going to be; wondering if the forever peace will ever be broken. She sighed again as she looked over to her left to see Hogsmeade Village, starting to arise for the morning customers. She just simply smiled and knew she was going to go there some time today.

She continued to walk along the grounds, passing up the gardens that had bloomed magificently over the spring and summer seasons. Longbottom, who had been the Herbology Professor had kept the gardens blooming, properly grooming them and taken good care of them. Her smile only got wider when she passed them and headed towards the Quidditch pitch where she knew, she would be alone to think about what lingering thoughts she may have. So there she was, at the Quidditch Pitch, and was now climbing the stairs up onto the benches, and sat up in the stands where she knew there was silence.

It had only a few minutes to when she saw a figure jogged into the arena. Jakatra watched for a moment as she wondered what the professor of Charms was doing outside in the morning. She crossed her leg over her knee and continued to watch her. She saw her lay on the grass, seemingly to enjoy herself. Since Jakatra hardly got to have conversations with her staff; she snapped her fingers and apparated down to the ground of the arena where she lingered in the shadows. "Good Morning, Professor Sanchez." She said in her smooth, calm voice.

[mariasanchez]

A gentle breeze blew across the grounds. As it brushed against the professor’s slightly rosy-colored cheeks, the woman allowed her dark eyes to close slowly and gently. It was so peaceful and quiet out that morning, and the professor was easily able to allow herself to get lost within it. Most people would probably think her odd for allowing herself to become engulfed in weather and the outdoors, but she felt that it was just a better way to get in touch with her inner self and God--perhaps even better than praying or meditating. She could not really vouch on which was best for her since she didn’t pray as often as she should have and since she didn’t meditate at all; but, of the two things that she did do, she felt that becoming lost in weather and nature was the best way to find out who she truly was. It was profound to her, and she like it when things were profound. It gave them more of a meaning.

For a moment she just concentrated on her breathing. She was still trying to catch her breath from when she was running only moments before. The concentration seemed to help, for her breaths eventually started to slow until they were at their normal rate again. She swallowed some and inhaled one last time, deeply, and allowed her nose to take in the scents of the early autumnal weather that was taking shape around them. Indeed, it was somewhat chilly out, but she had taken no notice of it since she had been running, which caused her to feel hotter than she actually was.

Yet another gentle breeze blew against her face. It carried within it the same feel as the other breeze she had felt, but this time it also carried a loud popping sound, which caused the professor to jump. She let out a slight gasp of surprise and opened her eyes quickly as she placed a hand over her chest where her heart was. The pop of apparition had scared the living daylights out of her!

She looked at the woman who was now standing before her and offered a gently but somewhat forced smile. She had wanted to smile in greeting to the headmistress, but she had wanted to frown because her heart was still racing.

“Good morning,” she said to the younger woman, squinting her eye sand tilting her head as she looked up at the woman from the ground. The woman was many years younger than herself, or so she assumed, and she was quite pretty. Of course, Maria thought that all people were beautiful in their own way, but she had to admit that this younger woman was stunning compared to many of the women she had seen just in passing.

“You’re up early,” she commented, taking note of how early the headmistress seemed to have gotten up. Maria was up early, too, but that was really a habit for her. She tended to wake at the somewhat early hours of the morning, just not as early as she had awoken that morning. “You can sit with me if you want, but I’ll warn you that the grass is a bit wet…”