Topic: The Shoreline

[Zack]

Zack walked around the shoreline of this familiar lake of the school, his hands clasped behind his back, as his eyes watched the earth before his gaze. Mud crusted over his entire form; reasonable, as he had just crossed through feet-deep muddy country-side; beneath and over the mud, red flecks stained. He was aware of the first years, yards away, gathering their belongings and scurrying away in dead fright. They would not recognize his rugged self; even so, it amused him, just the slightest.
He stopped and turned to gaze at the pristine lake, pausing. Then, he removed his worn black cloak, letting it fall to the ground. Upon his cloak, he dropped his many sheathed blades: removed from his arms, back, legs, and sides. The last, his favored long sword, he lowered to the top gently.
He removed his [what once was white] blood red shirt, revealing a well muscled abdomen, and dropped it to the ground next to the pile of weapons, squatting down next to the waters. He dipped his hands into the lake and threw up water into his face, washing off the dried dirt and blood, wiping the tricking waters off on the back of his fore-arm. He sighed, brushed his dark hair out of his eyes, and stared down into the lake, resting his elbows upon his knees.
He had been away too long.

[Ginny Weasly]

A large gray wolf runs out and stands before him. The wolf does not growl, nor bark, as it simply stands still. Ginny walks up beside it and smiles warmley. "Hi Zack. Nice to see you again."

[Zack]

He turned his head and watched the wolf, recognizing her, though he did not move any more than that, for his muscles were sore and weary. He chuckled.
"Hello Ginny. Been well?"

[Ginny Weasly]

"As well as can be expected for a teenage psychic." Her eyes looked tierd, but happy as her smile held. "And what of you, you seem to be a bit bloody."

[Zack]

Something flickered behind the grey eyes of his, but the glint left rather quickly.
"Battle is not as beautiful as it has been told by poets." He replied darkly. Then, after a slight pause, he laughed slightly.
"And this? Ha. I thought I looked quite dandy!"

[Ginny Weasly]

She laughed. "If you wanted to see dnady, you should have seen the girls at the last ball. Everyone was dressed up to the max."

[Zack]

"Thanks, Gin." He said, in friendly sarcasm.
He turned back to the lake and washed off the remainder of the filth [though it would take a great deal more than that simple washing to get all of the dirt off his hands, and inside the little nicks in them], then he stood, now towering a few inches taller than when he had left.
"So, my old friend, how has life been at this old castle? How has it been with the inhabitants?"
He moved from standing, to sitting at the lake's edge in a fluid motion, yawning, watching Ginny for an answer, chuckling.

[Ginny Weasly]

She grinned and put her hand on the wolves head. "Mostly the same old stuff. Except now I've allowed students into the foret."

[Zack]

"You've allowed students into the forest?"
He frowned. Of the many things, his wasn't what he had been expecting to hear. There were a certain amount of others who deserved to their dying breaths to go into the forest, but letting others in there?
"Has there been any trouble with that?" He asked quietly, wondering, if he was just being too protective.
She forced himself to stand, again, so he wouldn't doze off, scratching his left shoulder absently; it was yet another habit he'd formed, scratching that shoulder, when he wasn't thinking about it. It just burned, for some reason, over the long [new] scar there. Again, so very odd.
"I would think there must be.."

[Ginny Weasly]

She sighed. "With some definet students, the ones who insist on crossing the barrier. Then I put them 9in a cell for a night. Not away from the real crimenals, though. It scares the wits out of them. No big p[roblems though"

[Zack]

He grinned.
"Good. I should have remembered you'd beat the tar out of them if they caused a disturbance."
He chuckled quietly, and suddenly caught himself in another yawn. He shook his head.
"So everything's been calm? Nothing big?"

[Ginny Weasly]

"We still havn't managed to get Voldy out of our hair. Not that I've been around to help, but you know. "She smiled once again.

[Zack]

He laughed suddenly, his voice echoing it, "Nah, I don't expect you would have. Kind of like a tick, he is. You have to kill him completely before he's all the way gone and done for. Yes'm, I know it."

He continued to laugh, wondering to himself why he found the situation of the mass-murderer so funny. But alas, when one was in a tured and near uncaring state, it really didn't matter to make something suddenly so strikingly hilarious. Finally, he regained himself.
"Good, then. I was almost worried of what I would return to. I am glad, that nothing too exotic had been changed."

[Ginny Weasly]

She laughed then snapped her fingers, "Oh, but I forgot to tell you, my little brother Josh has come to Hogwarts."

[Zack]

"Another one?"
He grinned. Yet another Weasley. They were a great family, after all. He would like to meet this new arrival.
He scratched his shoulder again absently, then turned to the castle. This large place was once his home. If he had his way, it would be so again. He smiled, and returned his eyes to Ginny.
"Would you care to walk with me up to Dumbledore's office? It's up to you, but I must go, upon orders to do so, as immediately when I'd returned from-, well, you get me."
He sighed, running his hand through his sandy hair.