Horse Whispering

Christine had a fascination for horses for as long as she could remember. There were almost as many pictures of them as there were fine ladies locked away in towers and other similarly themed pictures decorating her bedroom. However, she'd never had a chance to see one up close until the first time she was to travel to Beauxbatons. Not ordinary horses either. Winged horses! That made them better in her mind because how many girls from her old school could say they'd been up close to a horse wearing wings? Certainly not Celeste who put on such airs over her riding abilities it'd made Christine sick.

She gave a small enigmatic smile at the thought of that stuck up girl going to an ordinary school whilst Christine went to a school where you learnt magic and flew on brooms and rode in a carriage drawn by winged horses. "It is a most tragic pity I cannot tell her all about the things I have seen and can do," she said in a low voice to one of the horses. "She would be ever so jealous." Christine smiled and reached up to stroke the horse's nose. This was a most wondrous event and if it were not for her broom and flying Christine might have been more than a little upset that she would not be able to fly on the back of one of these beauties.

Malachi had a lot of respect for the winged horses that their school kept in stables. They had a job to do about four times a school year, transporting kids two and fro school and the first time Malachi had laid eyes on them, he couldn't help but think how majestic of creatures they were.

He didn't visit the horses often, slightly intimidated by them as he was afraid, but the one time he had, one of the horses smelled he had food in his pocket and had eaten it. This time he intended on feeding them and brought a few apples and a knife to cut them up with so everyone would get a fair share. However, once he had entered the stables, he had heard a voice and almost turned around. Instead he took a deep breath and decided instead of cowering from strangers, to approach them.

He pulled the knife out and an apple and cut it into fours, offering a fourth to the girl. "W-would you like to feed one?" He offered.

Christine could hear someone else entering the stable's and turned toward the sound. She smiled graciously at the boy who offered up a quarter of his apple. "Yes I would. Thank you." She took the offering and turned to the horse she'd be whispering to earlier. "Here is a special treat from the young gentleman who has entered the stables," she said and held out the offered piece of apple.

"I do believe he is ever so grateful," she said as her attention returned to the boy. "You are the one who helped me with my books last year are you not?" she asked as she finally had a good look at the boy. "And you are in my year." It would be difficult to not recognise him for the red hair did tend to stand out in a crowd but it was more polite not to point that out to him.

Malachi smiled to himself and then turned to a different horse from which the girl in the stable was talking to. He petted the long white nose of the beast and then offered with his other hand the apple. He chuckled as the horse playfully nipped his hand when taking the apple and licked it afterwards.

"Uh, Malachi," he interjected, when the girl referred to him as the other boy in the stable. He supposed better introductions were in order, but then again, he was proved wrong when moments later the girl relayed an incident they shared before.

His cheeks flushed slightly as he was negligent to recall. He had only recognized her as a face in his year when he had first spoke to her, but at the mention of the book searching in beginning of the previous year, Malachi suddenly remembered. "I do believe so," He replied, running a hand through his red hair nervously. "Forgive me, but I can't remember your name." He was never quite good with faces and names in the first place, but he always felt embarrassed to admit so. After all, he didn't want anyone to think less of themselves because he had forgotten them. "It would be wrong to not know the name of someone in my year, correct?" He added, and then jumped as one of the horses nudged him with their nose and then attempted to take an apple from him. Malachi turned around and gave them the apple anyway, forgetting the reason why he was there in the first place.

"Malachi," she repeated softly and smiled at him. "Yes. I will remember that I believe." It was such a nice and unusual name and Christine always kept her ear out for unusual names. There were a few variations of her own she would have preferred over the common Christine but what could one do with uninventive parents such as her own. She then felt a twinge of guilt at thinking ill of her poor dead mother. Well she would apologise to her grave next school holidays for such bad thoughts.

"It is Christine," she replied. "Christine Henrau." And again that wish for a much more interesting name to introduce herself by came to mind again. If it weren't for the fact she knew she would have been found out eventually she may have given a little more exotic version of her name. But alas. There were times when professor would call out one's name. Especially when she refused to get her hands dirty in such subjects as potions or herbology.

She gave the horse's nose another pat and nodded. "Yes it would be in very poor taste but since neither of us were aware of the other's name we are both guilty of such poor taste." Christine then smiled at the boy. "But now we have good taste." She smiled at the horse trying to take the apple. "These lovely darlings do not have many manners do they?" she remarked, the smile still in place.

"Such a pretty name," Malachi noted in response to the introduction. "It's nice to see you again, Christine." How he had ever managed to go on a hunt for books with a girl and then leave the shop without proper introductions was beyond him. Usually he was well mannered to everyone he met, regardless of how they treated him, but he supposed the overwhelming crowd and novelty of the place made him a bit too flustered to be taking care of such formalities at the time. Fortunately, Christine seemed understanding of the situation.

He chuckled as he gave the apple to the horse who had surprised him by trying to take it from his hand. The beast licked his hand as it consumed the fruit, which felt ticklish and he didn't mind. He adored animals, afterall. "You'd think they were raised in a barn or something," Malachi joked and then moved on to another horse to feed. After all, he wasn't going to favor just one. "Want some more apples to give them?" he offered Christine more fruit. "Do you often spend time with the horses?" He inquired. This might've been his first time there, but it could be a regular thing for Christine and he never knew because he only saw her this one time.

Christine blinked at the comment Malachi made regarding her name and she believed he meant it. She smiled at him and said, "thank you and it is a pleasure to see you again also." And it was true. Malachi, in her opinion, was a true gentleman. There were not many of those around in this day and age which often left Christine feeling as though she had been born in the wrong time. Things were just too ordinary in this day and age.

She smiled at the joke as weak as it was. "Oh yes thank you," she replied and accepted the offered apple. "Now which of you has not received any?" she asked before finally offering up the apple to the end horse. "Yes. You are at a disadvantage down there you poor dear." Christine shook her head as she patted the horse on his nose. "I come down here whenever I am able. The horses are so lovely."

With the apples split between the pair and the horses consuming the apples like a small child would candy, Malachi found his pockets empty of fruit. He patted the velvet feeling nose of the horse which accepted the last fruit from him as he looked at Christine while she spoke.

"This is my first time coming here. The school is so big, I often wonder if I'll ever be able to see all of it in its whole before I leave," Malachi noted. The horse he was petting seemed gentle enough and allowed him to stroke it's neck as well. "I only discovered your favorite place by coincidence today, if you will. It was a, how do you say, spur of the moment decision to come here today?" He jumped as one of the horses grunted. Horses were beautiful, but they were also powerful and dangerous and shouldn't be messed with. "I do hope I didn't disturb you," He added, apologetically as he dropped his hands into his pockets. Now that the apples were gone, he hadn't much reason to be there anymore.

Christine nodded in understanding. "Yes. I would love to be able to see the entire castle before I graduate. Do you not think it is possible when we have years before us?" It was big but Christine could see many more years ahead of her to explore the depths of this wonderful palace in which they stayed.

"Oh no," she replied hastily. "It was no inconvenience at all. I have rather enjoyed your company." A horse nudged her in the shoulder and Christine giggled. "I do believe I am not the only one who was happy to see you. The horses really enjoyed the treat you brought with you." It really had been a very enjoyable time for all and Christine would hate for Malachi to feel that he was an unwanted necessity.