Hogwarts MOO

Rathe Betrothal Feast

Winter's white cloaks the ground in silvery snow. Bleak and stark, the land is cold in its sleep but even in hibernation the holly, ivy and yew lend their glory to weary eyes in need of color. Stretching out in the horizon to the east is the pale shiver of water, the Menai Strait marking the edge of the island. Proud and stately, the Rathe manor sits alone and apart from the muggle community many miles distant. The building defies muggle architectural logic. Towers are stuck at odd angles in places where they ought not to belong and the citadel sprawls over the tall hill as if built into the ground itself. Clearly added to over the centuries, none of it is in absolute disrepair but the styles blend from pre-Roman occupation to late Victorian in a dizzying and haphazard fashion. Decked out in greens, there is also an enormous wreath above the entrance.

Through the spacious foyer is a wide hallway that has multiple sets of stairs, which like the house itself, is probably constructed with the aid of magic. The stairways lead in all sorts of crooked angles and one or two seem like they might be quite upside down. From here a maze of halls coils all through the manor and twists out of sight. Many of the rooms contain ancestral portraits, some of them depicting only one person but there are several that have couples or even couples and their adult children - all of them now gone from this world.

When the guests are finally summoned to the dinner it is within a medieval banquet hall that's been decked out for the occasion. It is the manor's own version of a great hall and stands in testament to the merry grandeur as well as bloody battles that took place once upon a time within these walls and upon the land. Long low tables are elegantly arranged but the patterns of china and crystal vary from table to table. In the far back there is a raised dais draped in green, black, and silver with the Rathe crest proudly featured. Behind the dais, and taking up the majority of the wall, is an ancient tapestry with rich detail depicting the bloody hunt of a dragon in front of what might be the Rathe manor.

To the left side of the dais is another set of doors, which are left open. Any who go in there will find a smaller feasting hall, probably the family's private dining quarters when they aren't standing on full ceremony. Within that room is a massive fireplace and tapestries cover every inch of wall space, some quite old and depicting the Roman invasion, others dealing with the capture of fanciful creatures. There is one entire wall that is notably bare and it looks as if one of the pieces were recently moved.

Satinka Rathe no longer lives in the Rathe manor, but her time here has made her immensely comfortable with the estate. This seems to give the woman an even stronger air of confidence as she approaches the front door to make her way inside. The young woman seems not to notice the decoration at all as she steps inside with her chum Nate Hunter following close behind. "My wee brother, engaged!" she comments with a slight smirk and a wave of her hand, seemingly ignorant of the irony of her calling her three-minutes-younger brother 'wee'.

In all of this excitement Astra is busy overseeing several small details before scurrying off to where the guests are actually going to be allowed to apparate onto the grounds. The one room, large enough to hold a comfortable gathering, is heavily guarded both by magic but also by hired hands to assist with any who might try to infiltrate. Gerald is in the background and taking a pointed interest in keeping things safe. For tonight he's allowed his daughter to take the lead and so she steps up to fill the role to the best of her ability. Her usual dour demeanor has faded and she puts on the face expected by society. Gone are her withdrawn tendencies but neither as she plays the welcoming host. Time passes as she circulates, making sure those who arrive are greeted duly before they are ushered further into the house to make themselves at home and find their respective rooms.

Smile is broadened as Satinka leads the way into the Manor. "Nice place you got here," Nate Hunter admires. "It's decorated. . . pretty-like." Flushing slightly as if to man-up his last comment he adds clearing his throat, "Very structurally sound. And. . . um. . . intact." He nods slightly at the notion of her brother getting married, "Just promise me you won't follow his lead and become all desperately domestic and get married yourself, alright Ms Rathe?"

Hope Rathe could not be more excited. In fact, she has been looking forward to today for weeks now. She tugs eagerly on Angelina Rathe's hand as she steps forward and takes in all the festive decorations. "So beautiful!" she comments, glancing up to Martin and then to Austin, stifling a snicker at the little boy's suit and tie, which look very out of place on him. Hope herself, if she were asked, looks gorgeous. Mummy took her shopping and they picked out the most lovely dress. Presently, Hope twirls on her toes and smiles. Her hair is curled for the occasion, and done up in pigtails. As if things weren't great enough already, Tess and Harper aren't here. They are being tended to by a nanny. Only Hope and Austin are mature enough to come to such a distinguished event. With that thought, Hope grins and looks once more to Austin. "How do you feel in that tuxedo, Austin?" Hope says with a grin.

Dressed in a fitting light blue floral gown, Vilivia Marqueen's hair is done up today in a tasteful bun rather than her normal pigtails. She wears a pair of white gloves to contrast with the blue. Around her neck is a silver necklace dangling from which is a silver butterfly. Her shoes are a somewhat darker blue than the dress and her bag matches the shoes. Vilivia enters alongside her parents her little face aglow from getting to wear such a formal dress and a tiny smidgeon of makeup and the prospect of seeing Seker for the first time. The little girl finally dawns her eyes upon him only to blush red and hide for a moment behind her mother. Melinda pushes her daughter out in front with a smile of encouragement and Vilivia curtsies to Seker gingerly.

"My tuxedo is awesome. Spies wear tuxedos. Dad told me so. I bet he wears one everyday at work--when he gets to work he changes into his tuxedo, it's like a uniform," Austin nods matter-of-factly. "Besides, I have to wear a uniform because I'm working for the Ministry. They've asked me to take on a very secret job and question /everyone/ at the party. An Auror's work is /never/ over." He nods sagely after describing his game for the night as he eyes the crowd for people to question. "/You/ can be my reporter sidekick. You get to ask people reporter questions, but the real questions are /mine/." He beams.

Olivia Geroff looks flustered to say the least as she arrives with her husband and the two oldest of her children. "Are you sure I look quite alright, Evan?" she asks her husband fussily, then almost instantly distracts herself with her two boys. "Stop tugging at your sleeves, Jason," she tells him gently and straightens the boy's cuffs, then his little bow tie. Once she seems satisfied with the appearance of her eldest children, she stands up and takes Evan's arm, looking about expectantly as they make their way into the main hall. Olivia takes a sharp breath as she takes in the grandeur of the decor and the added decorations. "This is... incredible," she tells her husband quietly, holding onto Christopher's hand a bit more tightly without meaning to.

Sylvie Winters-Geroff has been careful to dress in a most presentable and appropriate manner tonight, and from the gowns and dress robes on the rest of her family, has been careful to ensure none of them disgrace the family by looks. They've got enough going against them as it is. Upon entering, those too young to apparate on their own let go of older arms, and all the younger set bow or curtsy as appropriate - though the two very youngest have been left elsewhere. The adults, uncluding Matthew, Constance, Sylvie, and Ulaen, give more reserved greetings as equals as they are approached, then, with Sylvie taking her husband's arm, they head into the hall. Elsewhere, Evan responds to his wife's question with "You look lovely, Olivia," as he leads her in.

Satinka scoffs at Nate's suggestion. "Certainly not any time /soon/," she tells him with a grin, reaching over to take his arm and direct him further in. "The place could use a bit of updating. It is so /dreadfully/ old-fashioned, but mother and grandfather wouldn't let me touch it, I'm sure, even if I asked." She smirks a bit and, upon spotting her mother, she waves. "Hello mother! Grandfather!" Satinka approaches her mother and leans in to kiss the woman on the cheek. "You know Nate Hunter, of course," she tells them.

"Be on your best behaviour," Martin reprimands before any mischief has even transpired. He knows full well that there will likely be some mischief. Smoothing his own robes and adjusting his tie, he glances around the room. "Good turn out."

Standing alone in the grand room, Seker Rathe is noticeably nervous. He keeps looking around and checking his watch -- that is, until one family in particular arrives, and fairly offers their daughter to him, a small child in blue. Seker's heart races, not in love, but in foreboding. This was the girl he'd one day marry. His first impression is actually one of surprise. For some reason, he'd pictured her with blond hair. But, he decides now, things like that don't matter. After all, he probably isn't everything she expected, either. Seker has to bend over a little bit to offer his hand to the girl. "Vilivia Marqueen, I presume?" he asks politely, and kisses the gloved hand once it reaches his. "Seker Rathe," he states, rather obviously. "It's... it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Well we both know you'd do an excellent job. You do have excellent taste," Nate muses more to himself than Satinka. A nod is given to Astra and Gerald in greeting. "Thank-you for having me, Professor Rathe, Mister Rathe." He nods at each in turn. "Your house is splendid. I was just commenting to Satinka on the architecture."

Parents and wife both at hand, Samuel enters proudly, ignoring the guards to the best of his ability as he turns to walk into the main room with his wife and his parents likewise head in, moving their seperate ways. "Do you see the girl," he murmurs a quiet question to his wife Maple, looking about not at the decorations but the people present.

"Reporter sidekick?" Hope asks, wrinkling her nose momentarily. "Fine. I'll do it on one condition, and that's that you have to call me Winnie. Like my middle name, kind of like mum's last name before she was married. Winnie. Deal? If not, then I'll tell everyone here that you don't really work for the Ministry. Because you don't," Hope states curtly, "because you're five." With that, and a nod, Hope surveys the crowd of tall people. "Who should we interview first? And what are your... real... questions, anyways?"

Standing stiff and awkward, Quintus Helit doesn't seem to know what to do or say at this event; for the moment he seems to be moving extremely stiffly, walking through the area with a bit of a scowl at his lips and eyes constantly moving, inspecting all the little details - even though they have been checked a thousand times over by now, by much more qualified people than him, it feels like an important something to do.

Reaching for Seker's hand Vilivia blushes even deeper when her small gloved hand is kissed. "It's a pleasure for sure." She says in a small voice. Her normal talkative nature leaving her for the moment as she so mutely answers the young man. But a moment later she lets out a big breath and speaks up. "Oh you are just as handsome as I imagined you would be! This is going to be just perfect! I'll be married to you and I'll have your babies and it will be blissful! Just wait and see Seker!" And there is the Vilivia we all love and know talking a mile a minute.

As the other Geroffs arrive, Olivia looks slightly relieved. People she knows! She reluctantly lets go of her oldest child's hand and smooths her dress before she and Evan make their way over to the family. "Hello everyone," she tells them with a slightly forced smile. "Don't you all look just /lovely/," she tells them more happily, leaning in toward Evan a bit and reaching out to squeeze Constance's hand. She gives a smile to Alden Wexler, who has arrived along with Constance, though he does not look incredibly comfortable in his dress robes. "This should be an interesting party," she comments.

"Yes, I will call you Winni. Are you sure you don't want to be Win-a-fred?" Austin chuckles immaturely at his own joke. "Okay, fine Winnie. Well, we need to get to the bottom of this whole betrothal business. Like. . . who is this broad--that's spy talk for girl--that's supposed to marry Uncle Seker. And /why/ is he marrying her?" Glancing around the room, he points to Satinka. "Auntie Tinka should know something." Austin slides towards Satinka as inconspicuously as a five year old pretending to be a spy can. . . which isn't very inconspciuous.

Satinka doesn't linger long with her mother and grandfather, instead choosing to circulate. Once she is well away from them, she finally replies to Nate. "You know that and I know that, but how would I ever convince the stodgy old folks of that?" She sighs somewhat dramtically, then relinquishes Nate's arm. It is at this moment spots her brother. "Yoo hoo, Seker!" she calls and fairly skips over to the young man. "Hello, you!" she tells him cheerfully, leaning in to plant a kiss on his cheek as she had done with her mother. "And this must be the lucky miss Vilivia. Aren't you /precious/!" Satinka coos and leans down a bit. "I'm going to be your sister-in-law someday!"

He can't help but blush himself as Vilivia begins to gush about Seker's looks and their future together. He'd been a little unprepared for how informed she'd be about this whole thing. Had someone taken her aside and mentioned that she'd have his babies? And why were they always called /his/ babies? They'd be hers just as much! Seker's mind swims inside, but his cool exterior is more or less undisturbed. "It's a fine pleasure to meet you too, Vilivia. I'm... well I'm glad you're excited about... it. Us." He smiles. "I think we'll have a bright future, too."

"There's my wayward daughter! I thought you'd never arrive." Teasing gently Astra returns Satinka's kiss before stepping back and eyeing Nate with that quick critical gaze. "So you're the young gentleman who stole Abe's place tonight." There's a nod of approval before she adds, "You are more than allowed to just call me Astra. We are no longer in school." The woman turns away to greet each family in turn in case she's missed anyone, but she doesn't linger over long as the other family to the engagement arrives. "Ah the young couple have already met." Beaming at her son and the little girl she exchanges some pleasantries before looking around for Quintus.

"Thanks . . . Astra," the name feels awkward on his lips. Following Satinka, Nate gives Astra and Gerald a slight wave before heading towards the groom. He eyes the bride-to-be and just arches a single eyebrow, saying nothing. Not now, anyways. "Congrats, Seker, Vilivia. Quite the party. So--uh--how old are you little lady?"

Eyes narrowing, Hope utters, "Never, /ever/ call me Win-a-fred." That said, she nods about Austin's investigation. "Auntie Tinka should know about some things, yeah..." she agrees. "Well, you're the hot-shot auror, aren't you? Why don't you take the lead?" Hope asks, her shy nature manifesting itself at the prospect of talking to adults that aren't her parents.

"Brandon, keep an eye out for Miss Marqueen to greet her; she is in your house, yes? And remember," she lowers her voice significantly, "she /is/ 'Miss Marqueen' while here." Sylvie likely does need to be quite so worried over her children, but she won't take any chances at this feast. As Evan and Olivia approach, she smiles warmly at the couple. "Glad to see you've made it." Vanessa is already eagerly looking around for her same-age newphews, and after greeting his brother and sister-in-law, James excuses himself from the family's side to see if anyone he knows from Slytherin - or others his year - have shown up.

"Oh you must be Satinka!" Vilivia looks excited. "I've never had a sister before that'll be really great. We can share stories and do each others hair and nails. At least I think thats what sisters do." Vilivia can't seem to contain herself and her parents mingle with the other adults in the crowd, they seem to have cornered Charles Harper to talk to him for a bit. To Nate Vilivia smiles and answers "I'm eleven going on twelve." And turns her attention back to Seker "Oh it will be I just know it! If you don't believe me ask my Mummy. She can see the future and Im just sure we'll have a happy marriage!"

Sidling up beside Satinka, Austin looks up at his aunt expectantly. "Auntie Tinka! I have questions! You must answer them because. . . I'm . . . a spy." Probably not a good idea to tell everyone you're a spy, Austin. "First. . . who is the bride-to-be in this shindig? Second. . . um. . ." he lifts a finger to his lips ". . . uh . . . I forgot." Putting his finger to his lips he considers again, "Oh yes! Why is Uncle Seker marrying her?"

Eventually, Quintus moves to his own fiancee's side and places a hand, gently, on her shoulder, still looking around the party. In a soft undertone, he remarks, "There's a lot of people here, and not all that many that I know personally... or would care to." He nods his head slightly in acknowledgement to someone or another, his brow creasing slightly as he tries his best to recall why he knows that person or why they are looking at him.

Groaning, Seker goes through the motions of pushing Satinka and her sisterly kiss away, but what results is a very half-hearted effort. In truth, Seker is very happy to see his sister out and about /without/ "Abe". "S'tinka," Seker complains briefly as Satinka fusses over Vilivia. "She isn't a Pekinese dog," he mutters, but stops when Vilivia seems so receptive to the attention. Glancing back to Satinka, he remarks, "You... look good. I haven't seen much of you lately... how are you?"

As Vanessa makes an appearance, Olivia's sons seem to show more interest in the party and less interest in fussing over their dress robes. "If you're careful of your robes, you can play with Vanessa," she tells them, watching as Jason wrenches himself away from Evan to quickly join his 'aunt', and Christopher, the calmer one, merely walks over. They eye the girl for a moment before both of them smile and then Olivia's attention returns to the adults. "I wasn't sure about coming. I almost didn't fit into these robes," Olivia laments a bit, blushing dark red at admitting her own insecurity. She is over this in a moment, however. "Everyone looks simply lovely. I don't think I've ever seen the children so cleaned up all at once." The woman laughs a little bit as she says this, exchanging a look with one of the older in-laws.

Samuel Floens moves about the room, greeting people here and there as he comes to them. Soon enough Maple pulls at his arm, just gently, and nods toward the group congregating around Seker and Vilivia. "That must be her." They stand and watch for a moment, until opportunity presents itself to get a good look at her, then move on to keep circulating.

Giggling at Austin's interrogation, Hope adds, "I heard she's a first year at Hogwarts! But Uncle Seker is /old/! How come they're marrying each other?" Hope has no idea that the aforementioned first year student is standing right beside her now, and Hope pulls on her own pigtails as she waits for their answers, amused at how her hair feels.

Satinka merely manages to stare at Vilivia for a moment in a bit of shock. "Well, once you're married to my brother we can see about doing /all/ of that, if you want," she acquiesces, though she gives a very pointed look to Nate as a way of distracting herself from the uproarious laughter that those who know her quite well can likely see bubbling up. It is fortunate for both Satinka and Vilivia that Martin's children have chosen this moment to interrup. "Oh, a /spy/ are you?" She leans down and reaches out to tweak Hope's nose as she grins at Austin. "Well, why don't you tell me about it in a few minutes." Turning her attention back to Seker for a moment. "Why /thank you/, darling brother," the young woman states, patting her hair vainly. "I'm doing quite well. Busy as usual! If I'm not in the robes shop every other day, I can't seem to get them to do /anything/ the way that I want." She sighs dramatically. "How is your shop doing?" she asks him cordially, before looking with wide eyes to the youngest Rathes. "That's just how things are done, little girl," she tells Hope, clearing her throat a bit. "Say hello to Miss Marqueen, Austin and Hope-y. She's going to be your aunt someday!"

Looking down at hope Vilivia smiles wide. "Im a first year yeah. Seker and I are going to wait till Im grown up before we're married though. Otherwise it'd just be bad." Vilivia giggles at this and looks around the party seeing so many people and noticing the attention she's recieving she blushes once again. She greets a few more people as they come to meet her shaking hands and curtsying when appropriate.

People are beginning to trickle out of the guarded room, but enough people still mingle that it isn't an issue. A few children from other families run right out shrieking at the top of their lungs as they decide to go play and explore rather than stay close to their parents. Astra just fixes the smile onto her face and passes greetings to those who might say anything as they pass by. Turning her head toward Quintus, she dips her voice quietly enough to be heard by him but keeping her tone low enough that it would be difficult to overhear. "You know I'm not a social creature either Quintus, but it's our duty to see to them and their needs." Reaching up to touch his hand she smiles reassuringly. "I don't know most of them either, but to not invite certain families would be snubbing we can't afford to do. We'll get through this tonight and tomorrow and leave the rest of the affair in father's hands. Besides," she grins a little more, "shouldn't your own family be arriving?"

"A first year?" Austin wrinkles his nose. "Isn't that illegal? That seems like something I should make an arrest for." Pursing his lips together he then asks, "We have questions for you!" He wrinkles his nose as he's introduced to the bride, "I have questions!" His declaration is loud, but not overly demanding. "Bride, why are you marrying my uncle? Uncle, why are you marrying bride?"

Sylvie Winters-Geroff cannot help but give her youngest present a quick look and quiet reminder, "Manners," before she moves off to play with Christopher and Jason. Brandon also chooses this moment to take his leave, moving to join Seker and Vilivia, though he waits a step or two away for a proper chance to say hello. "Take a good look; you know what'll happen when we get home!" Evan answers Olivia, as Sylvie shakes her head a bit. "Give them /some/ credit. Olivia, we ought to have a portrait done, before they grow out of these outfits. I'd like to have something with the whole family together."

"Oh... no, I don't THINK they are," Quintus comments, creasing his brow and turning to look at Astra again. "Not right now, anyway... maybe they'll be coming along later." His tone is quite evasive, and he clears his throat and continues on with, "Oh - you," he steps towards someone else, speaking much louder now. "It's very good to see you again, it's been much too long."

"Oh, that would be just /wonderful/," Olivia agrees, watching as the three children run off. "Perhaps you could do one, Constance?" the woman asks her sister-in-law pleasantly. Though Constance doesn't look entirely /pleased/ at the prospect, she smiles never-the-less. "Perhaps I could work on it. It would be difficult, though - it's hard enough to convince adults to sit or stand still for long enough." She chuckles a bit. "Perhaps if you got one of those muggle photographs of them, I could give it a try." She snickers a bit. "But it could be done." She pauses. "I would even do it for free," she feels the need to add, as if she would consider anything else for her family members.

Relieved at having an actual quiet night away from work, Martin is just enjoying the evening. "Enjoying yourself, Ang? It's a good party. There are certainly a lot of people here." He bites his bottom lip. He's been distracted lately and he knows it. Everything going on has only compounded his exhausted appearance.

"Shop's going well--" Seker starts, but looks down to Austin and Hope (who appears none to pleased at being referred to as Hope-y) as the boy yells for attention. "Inside voice, Austin," Seker says gently as he crouches down to be more at the children's level. "This is my bride, her name's Vilivia," he says slowly so he's sure they've understood. "We thought our families should be good friends, so if I marry her, it'll be like our families are connected. Do you see? And then, if we have children," he says as if it's an option not to, "they'll be related to both families. Kind of neat, huh?"

As the five year old Auror questions her Vilivia just giggles. "Because he's handsome and because our familys would be good for each other. Why else would I marry him?" She asks the younger boy in return. Her eyes now settle on Brandon remembering him from the Ravenclaw gathering. "Hello Brandon!" She says loudley enough for him to hear her over the crowd of people.

"I don't want to have children," Austin thinks aloud. "They'd probably all scream like Death Harpy." He shudders. "Guess what, Uncle Seker?! She got to stay with the nanny so we get quiets tonight!" Of course, Austin isn't entirely quiet anyways. "Why is she so much little than you, Uncle Seker? Are you getting married tomorrow?" He frowns a bit and then adds, "I heard some people talking and heard that we're supposed to 'keep bloodlines pure'. What does that mean?"

Eyebrows are arched at the children who've approached. Nate sighs as Satinka introduces the children to Vilivia. "Nothing like observing someone else's chldren. Just glad I don't have any." That he knows about, anyways. He chuckles a bit as he glances down at the kids. "Not our usual crowd, but still entertaining," he muses.

Feeling a little overwhelmed by all the people, even if they are mostly her family, Hope decides it'd be a good idea to set eyes on her parents just to make sure they're still here. She finally catches sight of them, not too far away. Angelina Rathe is nodding, with a smile. "Not often you get so many families in one room... physically!" the woman notes, unaware that her children are interrogating the bride and groom-to-be. Hope, at her brother's chattering, turns back to the conversation and adds, "Yeah, we heard grandpa Gerald mention that. If you married someone else would your blood go rotten?" she asks, horrified at the idea.

Satinka leans back from the younger set to give a look to Nate. "Certainly /not/ our set," she comments and shakes her head. "These kids have a lot to learn if they're going to survive in /this/ family." She sighs. "I've got to teach at least little Hopey there some manners and tact or she will /never/ succeed in society!" Satinka crosses her arms across her front. "Well, it will be an entertaining evening for certain, if all this keeps up." She chuckles and watches as Austin peppers them with more questions. "That means that wizards should only marry wizards, Austin," she tells him. "So someday, you'll grow up and you'll marry a girl who comes from only wizard parents, not muggles." She smiles pleasantly to the boy.

Fondly kissing Quintus's hand Astra doesn't try to stretch up to reach him since he's now busy greeting someone else. "Thank you for putting up with this." She practically whispers it before whirling around and scanning the room. Many of those who have arrived are already here and she notes the youngest of the Rathe. "My /grandchildren/ are here!" Bursting with the joy she learned at her "greybeard's" knee, Astra mimics the Frenchman very well even if she isn't as tall or rotund as the bearded gentleman who is, more likely than not, somewhere making himself friendly with those he knows and those he does not. Swooping over to where Austin and Hope she falls right onto her knees before grabbing each one in opposite arms. "How are the littlest troublemakers?!" Acting quickly she doesn't kiss them but gives each of them a wet sloppy lick on the cheek before releasing them with a fit of laughter. "Do you think they make a fine couple?"

As he hears Vilivia's greeting, Brandon steps up to Vilivia and the rest of the group, nodding his head in greeting. "Hello, Miss Marqueen, and congratulations. Who else do I have the pleasure of meeting?" Across the room, Sylvie glances at Delaney, the only child still with her, and who doesn't seem ready to run off just yet. But she doesn't try to force, just looks back up at Olivia and Constance in particular. "I was hoping you would be in it; though, we could get a photograph," her voice is somewhat more quiet at the word, "that would solve a couple problems." Ulaen, by her side, just seems tolerant of the idea, while Matthew seems amused.

Nodding gently at his sister's answer about bloodlines, Seker suddenly thinks of Saphia, his muggleborn friend who helped him out so much in school. No use looking for her in this crowd even if she was held in some esteem by his mother. Apart from the Minister and her family, Seker could only see old wizarding blood here.

"Miss Marqueen?" Vilivia mouth silently curious as to why Brandon calls her this. But then she remembers the formalness of the event and blushes a little at her own ignorance. "It's a pleasure Mister Geroff to see you at such an eloquent little get together." Her eyes fall on Astra as she comes near. "Hello Professor Rathe. I mean um... future mother in law...." She giggles and smiles as Satinka explains why they must keep their blood pure.

And then Astra walks up to the children and licks them on the cheek. "Ewwww! Grandma Astra, that's yucky!" Austin cringes, but recovers quickly. "Oh! We're great! I'm a Ministry spy and Hope is my sidekick reporter for the Daily Prophet. And right now we're questioning Uncle Seker." And then changing his expression, he turns to Seker without missing a beat, adding to Hope's comment about the bloodlines and Gerald, "Yeah, except he used another word. . ." Austin looks up at the ceiling trying to remember. "Oh yeah! He said that mudbloods would make that blood dirty. Or something. Sounds like they would make it dirty, anyways." Of course, Austin uses this word callously. He doesn't know what it means.

"Oh, BLAH! Grandma Astra!!" exclaims Hope, wiping her cheek off with the back of her wrist. "That isn't grown-up behaviour!" The girl is grinning ear to ear even as she chides, and nods finally at the question. "They're a good couple." She listens to Austin's reply, and nods. This is what she's heard, too.

"Well, who would paint it, if I were in it? The photograph might work out that way, though I'm not sure that I could capture my /own/ essence as successfully as I could everyone else." Constance seems to only consider this for a few moments. "We can perhaps work out the details later." She smiles. "Tonight is a night for celebration for the, er, happy couple. We ought to give our regards," she comments. Olivia shrugs a bit at this, looking over toward where the group has gathered. "I suppose we should," she agrees.

With a smile at Vilivia, Brandon answers, "It's a pleasure to be here." He carefully ignores what the youngest Rathe's are saying - he was warned ahead of time - though he does bow to Astra as she comes up to the group. "Headmistress." He is not paying attention to his mother at the moment, though at Constance's comment, Sylvie does look over to see Brandon always there. "We can discuss it at home," Sylvie agrees, turning to make her way over as to the happy couple as well.

Looking /shocked/ at Hope's reaction Astra looks around "Oh that wasn't grownup? Oh dear me! Oh what. . ." the hell did Austin just say? Staring wide-eyed at the little boy the woman scrabbles back to her feet and looks around to make sure certain people didn't hear a certain term that just dropped out of the boy's mouth. She's not angry so much as truly shocked now and the earlier feigning is real now. Shaking her head seriously she grabs Austin, turns him to face her, and crouches so that she's making direct eye-contact. "Do not use that term ever again. It is not something one uses in public or in polite society. I don't care what Gerald says you are not to mimic him in /this/. Do you understand?" Glancing at Brandon she winces in his direction, but it's the only indication that she is aware of what is going on around her.

Winceing for poor Austin as he's gently reprimanded it was the same lesson Vilivia herself only learned not to long ago. She doesn't say anything but continues to greet folks as they introduce themselves to her. "Seker what do you think we should name our first child?" Vilivia asks this suddenly from nowhere as if it were just the most natural thing to bring up the first time meeting your future husband.

Entirely unsure what he's done wrong Austin nods a bit at Astra equally shocked. Pouting a bit at getting reprimanded even if it's not a harsh reprimand, Austin sulks, "I didn't mean to. I just want to know stuff. I won't say it again. I promise." He pouts some more, exposing two green sad-puppy-dog-eyes as he does so.

With a taken aback glance to Vilivia, Seker merely replies, "Oh! Um..." before looking around and shrugging a little. "I... hadn't thought much about that, Vilivia," Seker admits. "I think we should wait until we're... married... to discuss things like that, alright?" He cant help but smile. It was easy to forget she was only eleven. Seker half expected her to act like an adult, but as it were, she's rather charming.

"Oh I suppose you're right. That will give me plenty of time to think of a better name than Sue-anne." Vilivia giggles and looks into the crowd again spotting her parents moving around amongst the people. She decides to stay put in her little comfort zone built of the small group of people for now.

Ruffling the boy's hair Astra is all smiles again as she stands up and takes Austin with her. Flipping him upside down she manhandles him as she dangles him by his legs. "I've caught an Auror! Sylvie! I found a wild Auror running around my house and now I don't know what to do with him! Help! I think he might be rabid!"Astra calls out to the Minister with a beaming smile as she notices the other woman's approach. "He was caught trying to abduct Vilivia and give her a kiss and he was setting questions upon Seker! Don't you /train/ your Aurors anymore?" Clearly having far too much fun at the boy's expense she even goes so far as try to walk with him still being dangled.

Finally getting up the courage to make her way over to the Rathes, who seem to have all clumped together, Olivia looks to Evan as if to say 'let's go,' and turns to walk over to greet the guests of honor. She smiles to Brandon as she gets over to the group. As Asra turns the young boy upside down, Olivia seems slightly taken aback. This is a different side to her former headmistress than she is used to seeing, and she blushes a bit. "Er, hullo, Professor," she greets Astra and giggles a little, despite herself.

As Astra begins to manhandle the child, Quintus looks up and watches the two for a moment; his lip curls slightly with just a hint of a smile, and while he doesn't say anything or draw any nearer, he's clearly drawn in by the sight of her playing with the boy. A moment later, though, he looks up and away, his attention apparently having been drawn by someone talking, and he wanders across to go and speak with them.

A slight smile in response to Astra's look is the only acknowledgement Brandon Geroff gives that he's noticed anything amiss. His next words are to Vilivia again, a simple and quiet, "Excuse me," as he takes his leave to allow her to greet those coming up behind him. That done, he moves off to find others his age, just in time for his mother to walk up to the group in his place, along with others in the family. Sylvie for her part laughs quietly as she approaches Astra. "I try, but there's just no help for some." Nearby, Evan grins at Olivia's expression. "Sounds like he ought to go on trial; /abducting/ the bride to be?"

Giggling as Astra picks him up, Austin beams. "I'm really strong!!" he giggles some more. "Minister, I'm a good guy!" He grins. "I'm really well trained too! I can use all kinds of spells. Like. . . grow-a-long-nose-a-cus!" He grins. He knows no magic. He's heard his parents say spells but it's all nonsense to him.

Nodding cheerfully to Astra, Hope's smile fades as she witnesses her Grandma's stern reproach to that word Austin said. But, over as quickly as it happened, her little brother is suspended suddenly by his legs and being kidded around with. Hope shrieks with laughter as she points at the up-side down boy. "Austin got caught! Austin got caught!" she sings, still laughing.

Samuel Floens and his wife have not disappear, nay, nor have his parents. His parents have by now found another couple to converse with, and Samuel and Maple are still circling, mainly enjoying each other's company. They find themselves eventually approaching a group - near where Quintus is approaching from the other side - and pause to greet those they know, and make introductions to those they don't.

His son's giggles and daughters singing catches Martin's attention. He chuckles lightly at both of his children. He pads over to Hope and bends down to scoop up his daughter. In short order she'd be too big to be picked up. "He's not caught. . . just. . . being taken for questioning. Good Aurors never get caught." He winks.

"Putting an Auror on trial? Only if I get to be wizengamot and executioner." "I hereby find Austin Rathe guilty of being five years old, being a rabid Auror, and being a bag of giggles." Pretending like she's going to drop the boy on his head Astra just winds up resting him gently against the floor before setting him down. That doesn't mean he's free because she kneels right by him, "Your sentence is to be. . ." "tickled!" And as she shouts that out she proceeds to tickle the boy's side and stomach. When about ten seconds have passed she stands up, fusses with her robes and grins at everyone. "Sorry for that. The Aurors and Hit-Wizards always need to be put in their place, but I think I can handle anything they try." "I hope everyone is well?"

"Grow-a-long-nose-a-cus?" Sylvie Geroff repeats after Austin, amused. "That's not one of my spells. Who's been teaching you, sir, and what do you plan to /do/ with that spell?" Though, of course, with what follows, it may be hard for him to answer. It is Evan who is first to answer Astra, as his mother is busy speaking to the child. "We've been quite well, thank you," he says, with a glance at Olivia in case she'd like to add anything. "And yourself, Professor Rathe? Aside from taking down unruly aurors?"

"Oh, very," Olivia adds, slightly dumbly, watching as Astra plays with her grandchild. It is at this that Olivia feels the sudden urge to look about for her sons, and detatching from Evan momentarily, she puts up a hand and wanders away. It's a moment or two before she returns with Jason on one side and Christopher on the other, with Vanessa following behind. "Say hello, boys," she tells the boys, who mumble greetings in response, looking at the other little girl nearby and the boy who seems to have been caught.

Speals of laughter are emitted from Austin's mouth as Astra tickles him. "Hahaha!" Curling into a little ball the boy's laughter just gets louder. With a grin he chuckles at Astra, "I know my place! I protect the streets of Diagon Alley. Just like Dad." He stands to his feet and says this rather proudly.

Smirking, Hope adds, "Except dad does it just a little better than you, Austin, 'cause you're five." She nods at this, and looks mutely at the other children, shyness overtaking her and stepping back a few feet. She looks to Austin automatically, almost for protection, and seeing how naturally laid-back he is, stops moving away.

As six year old Vanessa approaches with her nephews and Olivia, she moves to stand beside Sylvie, who gives her a slight push. The girls looks startled for a moment, then curtsies quickly, grinning at Astra and the two new children. Delaney, on Sylvie's other side, has already done the same - though at ten, much less outgoing about it.

"I'm well enough. I can't believe we have so many people here. It's good to have company and to hear children filling the halls with laughter." Astra smiles faintly before looking down at her grandson, "Oh very good. See you remember it or the tickle-monster-of-doom will unleash its wrath upon you. I asked Quintus to cage one and now I hold it in special reserve on the grounds." Speaking very sincerely without cracking a grin she keeps the deadpan expression before addressing the adults again. "It is very good to see all of you." Looking around for Quintus, she waves in his direction but isn't sure that she's gotten his attention. "My own fiance seems to be roaming around or else I'd introduce you."

Eventually, Quintus catches Astra's eye and moves back to her side; he looks a little lost at where the conversation is going, but he smiles politely to Sylvie and nods his head slightly to her, extending a hand to her. "Pleasure to meet you," he murmurs, clearing his throat softly, before glancing at Astra; he doesn't say anything to her but his expression indicates that he's been feeling a little lost in interacting with these people.

"Yeah, Dad's bigger is all. One day I will be just as good as Dad. Or better." Austin squeezes his eyes shut determined to be better than Martin. "I love Mum too though. You can be like Mum. I'll be like Dad."

Perking a brow at her little brother, Hope only shrugs and nods slightly. "If you say so. Mum's great." She seems to sort of lose herself in thought about this, the girl is suddenly angry, as Hope realizes that Austin hasn't been holding up his end of the bargain for some time. "Wait a minute! You've been calling me Hope all this time! You said you'd call me Winnie!" the girl exclaims, furrowing her brow. "If you want me as your side-kick reporter, you have to call me Winnie. You /said/ you would, Austin Martin! You said!"

Sylvie Winters-Geroff extends her hand as well, nodding to Quintus. "Pleasure's all mine. Let me introduce some of my family..." she runs through names of those that are currently standing with her, pausing as she reaches Vanessa, at which point, for both Astra and the girl's benefit, she speaks this child's full name, "...and Vanessa Astra Geroff." She reaches to place a hand on the girl's shoulder, but Vanessa laughs and shrugs away, looking curiously at Hope. "Is your name Winnie? What are you reporting?"

Shaking her head almost sadly, Hope glances to Austin before replying, "Well, my name /is/ Hope... but my middle name is Winnifred. And my mum, before she got married to my dad, her last name was Whynn and I think that sounds lovely. I wanted my /brother/ to call me Winnie, my reporter name, while we tried to figure out why Uncle Seker, he's so old, why he was marrying... V'liva." She nods.

"Sylvie this is Quintus Helit, Quintus our Minister - Sylvie Winters-Geroff. She's an old and dear friend of mine. I'm glad you two can finally meet in person." Astra's about to speak more but the children catch her attention again and she watches them quietly before turning back to the adults. She raises her eyebrows at Vanessa's middle name before quirking a smile. "I'd make more introductions but Quintus and everyone else should know each other if in passing if nothing else." Smiling she takes the man's arm and glances up at him with as reassuring a look as she can muster.

Having been standing back watching the hijinks with the children, Satinka finally steps forward and takes a look at Quintus. "I see you still haven't taken my advice, old man," is her greeting to her future step-father. "Oh, fancy that, mother. She's named for /you/," the young woman comments with a chuckle and grins down at the girl and the other children. "My, there /are/ a lot of children at this party." She looks over to Nate, who is still standing nearby. "Must be company for the bride-to-be," she tells him relatively quietly, though Satinka has no apparent shame at her own amusement about the whole thing.

Vanessa nods quite seriously to Hope. "You've got a special name for being a reporter? That's neat. I should get a job and then I can have another name." Pausing, she looks up to her sister. "Delaney, what do you think, I could be a plant keeper." She doesn't wait for an answer however, and looks back at Hope. "So did you find out?"

At Satinka's words, Quintus looks down at what he's wearing; he has dispensed with the potato sack for now and is wearing a white silk shirt with trousers, and his nicest cloak. At first he looks to be about to justify his choice in clothing, but then he just makes a disparaging scoffing sound and looks to Sylvie, adding, "That's a... fine name for a child."

Hope simply nods, explaining, "It's got something to do with blood. And children and families. Actually, come to think of it, we didn't really find out. Austin?" she asks, looking for her brother only to find that he's run off somewhere. She feels exposed suddenly, and wraps her arms around her waist. "I think I should find my mum now. It was nice to meet you," she says, remembering her manners shortly before running off to locate the rest of her family.

"Family, my dear, means children and children are the safeguard of our future." Astra gently reminds her daughter of her own views on such things but the smile is fond. Pressing a hand to her lips she turns away to hide a fit of laughter at Satinka's words to Quintus, but she's doing a poor job as her shoulders shake to reveal the laughs that she can't quite swallow. Wiping at her eyes she turns back and straightens her posture. "Hope is also a fine name for a child. One of Erica's children had that name and I was always fond of the name." But as Hope now wanders off she gives a small sigh.

Sylvie Winters-Geroff nods again, glancing at the children as they talk. "I like to have each of my kids named after someone," she clarifies, lest it seem too strange. "Hope is a beautiful name." As Hope runs off, Vanessa falls back to stand beside Delaney, the two beginning a quiet debate over whether they should go have a look around. For the moment, Delaney seems to be winning, staying right where she is.

"Pish tosh," Satinka responds with a wave of her hand. "Looks like all fun and games to me," the young woman responds with a smirk to her mother. "I wonder. Why don't we use sensible names like... like... Agrippina and... Euripides," Satinka asks, putting on her straightest of straight faces as she looks to those around her for an answer. "I think that would certainly add more flavor to these safeguards, don't you think?"

"I like plants," Christopher agrees, looking at Vanessa with a bit of a smile. "Can I be a plant keeper, too?" Olivia smiles at her son and gives him a nudge toward his aunts, doing the same for her other son to follow. Olivia, of course, recognizes Satinka, but not having known the girl personally at all and not at all understanding the other young woman. "We've done the same until Melia," Olivia chimes in. "I just liked the names. Though, I suppose Elaine and Ellen are close enough to be related." She looks to Evan for confirmation, then glances around at the other children.

Vanessa watches Christopher and Jason come over. "I /suppose/," the girl says dramatically, then grins. "But I get the ones that eat people." Beside her, Delaney is attempting to pay more attention to the adult conversation than that of the other children, though it becomes more difficult as others cluster around. However she is still able to hear Evan say, for Olivia's benefit, "They are quite close. Both versions of Helen, if I recall."

"You're absolutely right! From now I shall refer to you as Dhumavati!" Astra grins wickedly at Satinka before smiling again, "And Quintus shall be known as Ganesha! Sylvie can be," rubbing her chin she finally settles on "Providentia". "Those names are much more interesting than our regular boring ones!" Looking around to get a good fix on who is where and what is going on she finally comments, "I have to admit to liking fanciful names. Satinka is a name from the natives of America and Seker is Egyptian. I rather broke with tradition, but if I had a second son he would have had father's name. There are just some things that I find I can't bring myself to meddle with."

Raising just a slight eyebrow at Astra, Quintus is quiet for a moment - and then, a shake of his head and the simple word, "No." is all he offers by way of response. He clears his throat, then adds, "If we have another child, she won't be named something like Aphrodite or... whatever. It'll be a good, proper name."

"Moth/er/, I already /have/ an interesting name," the young woman decides to point out before Astra gets to the point of doing so herself. "Anyway, you understand my meaning. Names should have more spice!" Satinka looks to Quintus with a pointed expression. "What's insensible about Aphrodite? It's a fine name!"

"Providentia?" Sylvie repeats, raising her eyebrows at Astra. "Very well. And what shall we call you.. do you care for Athenasia?" .. "We've mostly gone for the 'normal' names. The most unusual, I think, are Melinda's; Emilia and Justinian." And even those she's heard used before.

"Seker and Satinka *are* fine proper names - /Quintus/." "I was thinking something to match Seker like Ereshkigal perhaps." Astra's views of good strong names are perhaps touched by fancy that she doesn't often reveal in public, but tonight is not a night for her usual face. "Don't mind him Satinka, he's just grumpy that his parents weren't more interesting. They may as well named him Fiver." "If I /do/ have another son it won't have Gerald's name since it won't be a Rathe so you hardly need to worry about that, but I was thinking Saraswati for a girl would be sweet or Mohit for a boy." At the mention of Justinian she twitches involuntarily "Sanctimonia".

"It's Latin," Quintus replies gruffly, narrowing his brows at Astra with a bit of a frown. After a moment, he adds, "Yes, but at least it's a - well, anyway. Something normal would be nice. Like... Mary." He folds his arms, glancing back to Sylvie and Satinka, forcing a faint smile at the two.

"Mary?" Grimacing openly the woman wrinkles her nose, "That would go so well. Satinka, Seker, Astra, Quintus and /Mary/. Oh yes, my that works wonderfully." Grudgingly she adds, "Though it would work fine with the rest - Peter, Gerald, and Cedric all had fairly normal names I suppose but they're strong good names. Interesting and not /bland/. A name should have character. What kind of character does Mary have? It sounds like a simpering thing that I'd want to lock in a closet." "Mary simply won't do. Sylvie works. We could certainly use Erica and Sylvie or Edana. All strong fine womanly names that don't make me think of someone who snivels." While part of it is meant to be flattery it really is said with conviction. "Or we could go for /Welsh/ names." "But this all besides the point since we're speaking about theoretical children."

Sylvie Winters-Geroff smiles at Astra, taking a moment to search her memory for particularly Welsh names. "Ceridwen, Isolde, Rhianon.. Nothing wrong with Welsh names. Evan, for that matter, is Welsh," though certainly not female! She turns to look at Ulaen briefly. "I rather like Rhianon."

Banister Sliding

Keelan Wheyre desperatly tries not to let her lips twitch, but she knows something she isn't sharing(though it's about herself), and so merely nods, "Well, I hope when Ravenclaw plays against Gryffindor your flying is any good against their to-be Keeper." Keelan is confident he'll make it, after all, "or else you're in for a hard-learned lesson. Then, I suppose I've never seen you fly.. though I have heard from a person or so," she admirably doesn't flick her eyes to Emmaline, "you're remarkably good at boasting." With this Keelan slides into a seat and reaches for something to eat, completly ignoring him now. Brynne's smile is returned warmly and, after shifting a bit to settle into her seat, she inquires, "How is everyone on this lovely morning? Don't make those faces, misery loves company and he'll never leave."

Humming to herself, Eloise Peabody makes her entrance into the Great Hall jovially, nearly skipping. She surveys the room thoughtfully, attempting to recognize at least one or two faces in the crowd. As it turns out, she does in fact recognize someone- Brynne, from the sorting feast- but is thrown off upon realizing she's sitting at the Slytherin table, of all places. As she was instructed by her uninformed first-year counterparts /not/ to socialize with Slytherin, she tentatively sits at the Gryffindor table, close enough to listen in on the older students.

A grin forming on his face, Derrow Gahnarath breaks into a low chuckle, after a moment he's laughing, and soon he's laughing so hard that he's started banging his fist against the doorframe, tears streaming down his face. Derrow Gahnarath, laughing? Is it possible? He begins to hold his ribs, fearing an organ might shift within his merriment. After a few minutes, he manages to regain his composure, though his face is still quite red. He starts slowly, speaking quietly, "Emma, you're a hypocrite. You've become exactly what you call me. /My/ opinions of myself are too high? Shall I repeat /your/ little tirade from last night? Good Lord. Yes, when I see Brynne make the House Team, then I really will cry, cry for her House for having such a little talent pool. Good day ladies, keep working on those quips, I love dissecting them." With that, he turns and walks out of the hall.

Saints preserve us, will Yvonne Chamberlain never have a break? Of course not. She's the nurse. Nurses always have the worst job at the very beginning of the school year. Students falling down the stairs, then falling down more stairs. Problems with their wands and trying to be the hero, quaffing potions from potions class. Oy. The young woman strides into the hall however, with a light spring in her step, though her eyes look rather tired and battered.
Moving up to the Faculty table, she does not stop at all to speak with any of the students, but heads straight to sit down, and merely observe.

Its seems like everyone else is fighting with Derrow, and Lisbeth Vandersen isn't one to be left out. "Oh.. what is the big deal with Quidditch? Astra Rathe send =me= an invitation and I can't even fly. They probably just needed another name to fill the list. Besides, is =just= a stupid game." She then tries to get the conversation back to adventures. "You said there was more to it Brynne? Shall we go to, um, somewhere secret.." She glances back at Derrow to see if being left out of secret places might bother the boy " and you can tell us the rest?" Of course the boy runs out, "Typical" She grumbles, then turns back toward her group.

He is a snot," remarks Keelan Wheyre, now that he's gone. Later she might call him something long and nasty to his face, or perhaps she'll just continue to be polite and therefore give him nothing in which to sink his little hooks. "A scavenger for attention, my Auntie Mandy calls that type. It's too bad your team has to put up with him, Emma." She pauses to take a bite of whatever it is she's snagged for herself-a pastry, it seems. Wiping the crumbs from her mouth, Sltyherin-girl raises an eyebrow at Lisbeth, "Did she really? I'd be very excited to be asked to be on the team. However, I'll be trying out." She gives a shrug, then, and continues with breakfast.

If she were still a first year, she might cry. If she were still a first year, she might throw a nasty little tantrum. But no more shall that type of behavior rule the life of Brynne Lysaer, for she is a Second year student. (someone knock her off her pedestal, PLEASE) She turns back towards Lisbeth, Emmaline and Keelan as Derrow takes his parting shot and leaves, muttering under her breath. "What a coward. He can't even stay to hear out my word." She shrugs, and smiles again, pulling out her parchment for Keelan. "This is a letter from Professor Sanctimonia. Or Agent Sanctimonia now. We should go somewhere else so I can tell you all about it. It's just... /too/ noisy in here, and I don't want to have to raise my voice." She nods, lying straight through her teeth, and looking around the room. Eloise, the first year who Brynne Lysaer saw at the feast is given a rather friendly smile and an enthusiastic wave with her letter hand.

He's a coward, he did the same thing last night. He doesn't even have the courage of his...of his...beliefs...to stand and defend them." Yes, that was exactly what Professor Fallon would say about the likes of Derrow. Glancing up at Brynne Emmaline Braedenton shakes off the Threatening-Boy's presence. The lout. Forcing a smile she nods to Brynne. "We can go to Godwinknoll. No one usually bothers us there."

A dark mist hangs over the area as Slazzurus Khalleria bows his head in respect of those in the room, and turns to sit in a chair. No smile crosses his face. Every movement of his is tense and erratic. His is no good mood, and he frowns slightly at the merriness happening around him for he is the only morose person in the room, or so he thinks. However, he cannot blame others for their good fortune. Shrugging at this, he pulls up his hood, and fingers his vest again. Nonetheless, his heartbreaking expression is not seen for the shrouding hood he owns covers all of his face. Drawing a book from his pocket, he puts his hand on the cover and lets it lie on the table, with a sad, miserable, yet enchanting look vibrating from him. No words can define his mood as of now. Yet he is still righteous and honorable, for the good have their bad times, as well as the wicked who may also have their good times.

Slazzurus Khalleria takes a seat at the Ravenclaw Table.
Slazzurus Khalleria says, "Hello"
Slazzurus Khalleria stands up from the Ravenclaw Table.
Slazzurus Khalleria takes a seat at the Staff Table.
Slazzurus Khalleria says, "Hello, Nurse."
Slazzurus Khalleria says, "How are you doing, Mz. Chamberlain?"
Slazzurus Khalleria nods his head, and starts to leave the table.
Slazzurus Khalleria stands up from the Staff Table.
Slazzurus Khalleria walks out through `(N)orth'.
Slazzurus Khalleria comes in from Narrow Corridor.
Slazzurus Khalleria whispers something to Brynne Lysaer
Slazzurus Khalleria whispers something to Brynne Lysaer

A forced smile appears on Slazzurus Khalleria's face. The school is much too big for him to memorize such passages.

Lisbeth Vandersen shifts, then stands from where she is seated at the Slytherin table with her friends. Pausing once to scowl at Slazzurus' antics she grumbles a, "This isn't a barn. Show some manners!" Then puts on a smile and turns back to her group. "The 'knoll then? And Brynnie can tell us all about the rest of that note."

Slazzurus Khalleria frowns, and bows toward the Lisbeth. "Sorry, just got up from my dorm. Late sleeper." He sighes slowly, and eyes south with a vigilant stare.

Oh the impropriety to approach a /Second/ year student without proper introduction. You could be severely reprimanded for doing that in the real world as well, but hey, it's modern, it's 1913. Brynne Lysaer just blinks as Slazzurus approaches her, and turns to him with a rather blank expression. "I'm sorry, I was just going to leave with my friends. Perhaps you should ask one of your house prefects to show you the way around." She shrugs, then turns back to her friends. "Let's go to the 'knoll."

Keelan Wheyre finishes off her breakfast and stands with a nod, "I don't care for sticking around here past breakfast anyway, so let's go to the 'knoll." She nearly forgets her duty as part of the Welcoming Committee, and 'accidently' forgot her pin this morning.. but the Slytherin girl manages to give a weak smile and nod of acknowledgment of their prescense to the younger students. Catch her later and she might /talk/ to them, and what a privilage
that will be. Or not.

Slazzurus Khalleria nods, and wanders around the Great hall with a bored expression his face. A slight scowl appears on his face, and he flicks back his cloaks. Examining the ceiling and the walls, he raises an eyebrow. "Strange material to make a school out of." He blinks, and suddenly notices Emmaline, who he'd met in the commons room before. "Hi, Emmaline. Care to show me around the Brick Prison?" The boy grins slightly at his own name for Hogwarts.

Slazzurus Khalleria eyes the walls closer... "Make that Stone Prison."

Slazzurus Khalleria whispers something to Emmaline Braedenton

Lisbeth Vandersen hmpfs once at Slazzarus, then starts to head for the dorms. So far she is free from Secondyear-itis, but she isn't exactly showing it at the moment. Sure, she wants to be nice to first years. But does she really have to be nice to such ill bred first years as ones hat sit down at the =Staff= table? Why, its a shock that Nurse woman didn't take some points off of Ravenclaw for such disrespect. "Look, Boy." She makes the word 'boy' into an insult. "We are busy doing important things. Emmaline has better things to do then lead you around the school. You know when I was a first year, we all wandered around and explored on our own. Have you tried that." Ok, maybe Secondyear-itis is catching after all.

To the 'knoll." She liked how that sounded. Rising to her feet she glances at Slazzarus and shakes her head, "We haven't been introduced, have we?" It was so impolite to call someone by name when you haven't met them. But he was a Firstie so Emma just smiles and shakes her head, "I'm sorry. I have plans with my friends. I'm going with them just now. Maybe later." Emmaline Braedenton gives another fleeting smile and stands with her friends.

Bernard Nightingale saunters into the room, hands thrust deep into his pockets, a rather giddy smile firmly plastered across his features. Suger high? Undoubtedly, for the lad was seen to devour half-a-dozen custard tarts at breakfast. But then, when hasn't he been seen smiling?

Slazzurus Khalleria shrugs, and eyes north. Stopping to take a look at his watch, he shrugs yet again, a dark mood hanging over him. Sighing heavily, he wonders when the older termers would stop calling him 'an ickle little firstie'.

Or maybe they won't head to Godwinknoll yet. Now that Slazzurus has decided to stay and ask Emmaline instead. Didn't Brynne Lysaer specify a /prefect/? Maybe she didn't. She nods at Lisbeth, Keelan and Emmaline, still clutching the parchment in her hands from Agent Sanctimonia. Important stuff it holds, and other secret things that other people /cannot/ see, other than her friends. "Let's go. Let's hurry..." she whispers quietly to the three girls, standing up from the Slytherin table and frowning at Slazzurus. "Of the nerve. To /sit/ at the staff table? It's just unheard of."

Perhaps stunned by the fact that Brynne was indeed sitting at the Slytherin table- how could it not be her, she waved- Eloise Peabody doesn't make much of a move to acknowledge her back, only smiling oddly after a much longer than polite while. It seems her fellow first years truly have poisoned her toward Slytherin, for the moment.

Slazzurus Khalleria comes in from Narrow Corridor.

Bernard Nightingale pauses, seemingly shocked, as the ravenclaw trots through the room too many times for comfort. "Crikey" he marvels, offering a low whistle. "What d'you suppose is the matter with 'im? Running to and fro like some sort of pop-eyed penguin?"

Slazzurus Khalleria bows his head slightly in respect, knowing the little regard the older terms give him. Striding to his table in a slow fashion, and sighs. He stops just as he reaches the table. "I'm not a bird, that's one, and I'm not pop-eyed, that's two. If I am such, then I am a spell-casting 'pop-eyed penguin'." Slazzurus imitates Bernard's voice perfectly, and grins as he reads from his book.

Slazzurus Khalleria opens The Dark Arts to Section one.
Slazzurus Khalleria sets The Dark Arts aside.
Slazzurus Khalleria takes a seat at the Ravenclaw Table.
Slazzurus Khalleria stands up from the Ravenclaw Table.

Bernard Nightingale stares at Slazzurus, just long enough to make his amused disapproval known. "Aren't most penguins spell-casting? My sister told me that they water-proof themselves so their skin doesn't get icky and wrinkled. I know /mine/ does if I'm in a tub for more than arf an hour."

Slazzurus Khalleria says, "I'm going to check out that dungeon cell, Bernard. Want to come? I'm trying to find an ickle little secret passageway."

Slazzurus Khalleria gives a very quick wave, and in a flash, he is gone, racing north at such a speed that could beat ANY pop-eyed penguin.

Slazzurus Khalleria walks out through `(N)orth'.

Lisbeth Vandersen snorts and doesn't think Slazz's imitiation was that perfect. As her friends seem to be lingering a moment under the distraction that is the Ravenclaw boy (she is starting to get dizzy herself from all of his comings and goings) she turns to look at Bernard and offers the boy a smile, then heads out of the hall with her friends.

Brynne Lysaer smiles again at Eloise, even greeting the girl. "Hi Eloise, bye Eloise," before waving again and leaving the room, her eyes trying to focus on anything /but/ the moving First Year Ravenclaw. She follows Lisbeth and Emmaline out of the room, heading for the 'knoll.

Bernard Nightingale offers an elaborate shudder that would make anyone proud. "No thanks" he calls after the retreating ravenclaw. "Secret passageways are bound to be dirty and all covered with spider-webs and stuff."

Slazzurus Khalleria comes in from Narrow Corridor.

With a sleepy looking kitten clutched tightly in her arms, engulfed in the folds of her robe sleeves, a wide-eyed Faith Menhier slips quietly into the room. "Though I'd never fin' it again," she murmurs to herself, voice carrying little farther than her own ears. She pauses to look around, assuring herself that this is indeed the Great Hall, before wandering toward the Hufflepuff table.

Slazzurus Khalleria frowns and says, "Any fellow first years want to come and explore with me? I'm a bit bored." He eyes all the cracks in the floor and walls curiously, deciding if he should pry them open and check for trapdoors. His curiousity, however, doesn't seem to be as strong as his will not to get in trouble.

Slazzurus Khalleria says, "Anyone at all?"

Bernard Nightingale gazes wistfully at the slytherin table. "Why must you go poking about in these nasty...things? I heard there are going to be fruit tortes for tea, and it would not be too improper to raid the kitchens. And I haven't had my elevenses yet."

Yvonne Chamberlain stands up from the staff table, and rubs her eyes wearily after taking her spectacles off. She was not immune to the activities of the hall, and she is about as dizzy as the next person, watching Slazzurus walk in and out of the room. She heads for the service table to retrieve herself some coffee, or some strong tea, covering a yawn with her slender hand.

Slazzurus Khalleria shrugs and frowns yet again. Wonder why he has such strong muscles? He starts to race off to the west again, wondering if any one should follow him would say 'Aye'. "I'm off to the Owlery, anyone want me to drop off their owl there?"

Eloise Peabody watches Slazzurus intently. My that boy is odd- perhaps he's one of those infernal Slytherins the other girls were going on about so incessantly. The other boy though- he's all right indeed. She stands, not wanting to be the only one reclined. To Bernard, she exclaims, "Your skin does that?! You must be a great wizard. I bet you'll have your own card in no time." This aficianado of Chocolate Frogs can relate anything back to them, it seems- without allowing any of their calories to show on her body. Perhaps /that/ is a little magical ability she can call her own.

Slazzurus Khalleria sighs and shrugs, his feet barely touching the floor as he flies out the west entrance.
Slazzurus Khalleria walks out through `(W)est'.

Bernard Nightingale stares at Slazzurus for a few more moments, then turns his attention to Eloise. "Doesn't your skin wrinkle in the bath-tub? Mine does, horribly. Uncle used to say that I would end up like one of his dried prunes." A shudder of revulsion. "I don't much like prunes, they always make me feel a tad funny. I far prefer peaches, apples, and plums."

Enter Claire McCullough, who, as always, is loaded down with books, and foreboding-looking ones at that. Balancing somehow at the top of this incredible pile is a scroll, pre-measured at five feet. She stumbles (somehow) to her table, over her own large feet and with her lack of vision, sets the books down...oh...so...carefully without them tipping over, and then sets her bookbag next to them. She sees Eloise, who she recognizes from her house, and waves at her. Then she sees Yvonne, and smiles widly, going to the Nurse's side. "Hallo Yv...I mean, Nurse Chamberlain," she says with a small giggle at her slip-up.

Slazzurus Khalleria comes in from Entrance Hall; Northern Section.
Slazzurus Khalleria says, "I have a decent knowledge now of the first and second floors."
Slazzurus Khalleria says, "And of course, the third floor, the Owlery is there."
Slazzurus Khalleria suddenly stops, and slows down. "I'm sorry, did I interrupt anything?" The boy quickly stammers a dozen apologies at the same thing, and decides to sit still for a while.
Slazzurus Khalleria takes a seat at the Ravenclaw Table.
Slazzurus Khalleria stands up from the Ravenclaw Table.

Eloise Peabody nods slowly. "Oh, yes, I thought you said something else. I wrinkle in water too." She grins almost apologetically and shrugs. "What's your name, by the way? I'm Eloise Peabody. Gryffindor. Everyone has been saying it's the best house. I think they're right, I mean, I really like it." She winces, realizing she hadn't seen Bernard in her commons or at her house table. "But the other houses must be good too. I mean, this is Hogwarts, after all." It seems she forgot somewhere along the line that she inquired of his name, as she kept talking- though were it to be volunteered, she'd be happy to hear it.

As the Hufflepuff firstie stops by her table, not yet choosing to sit, she lowers her hands to let the kitten tumble onto the seat. "Now don't you go too far," she tells it, while the creature, of course, pays no attention and scampers off across the room. As for Faith Menhier, she turns to watch the other students. Slazzurus is offered a curious look, yet she says nothing yet - just attempts to listen.

Slazzurus Khalleria smiles and tilts his head slightly toward his pet owl, who seems awkward sitting on his falconry glove. "Slazzurus Swordspell Maximus Khalleria... that's my full name. Call me Slazz."

Bernard Nightingale offers his right hand...a slender, delicate, porcelain appendage, whose grip of steel often surprises those who are unacquainted with it. "Bernard Nightingale, Slytherin" he replies cheerily. "Anyhow, how about we go scrumping? And then sliding down banisters, after which we can break for our luncheon, then visit the owls. Followed by...chocolate cake, perhaps? And then we can visit the lake and go for a swim, and by then it will be tea-time."

Slazzurus Khalleria eyes Bernard. "A swim in the lake? I'll come. I still wish I had my sword. Took some fencing lessons when I moved from the States to the London." Slazz nods slowly. "Heard there some beasts who probably want your flesh for dinner. Watch out. Like I said, can I come? Otherwise, I'd try to find someone who'd teach me how to fly. Quite dangerous, and I might need Mz. Chamberlain's assistance." He eyes the nurse gratefully, wondering what he'd probably break /trying/ to play Quidditch... A nose? An arm? A leg?

Parading about in her paper cat's eyes mask, raven locks tucked up under a beret, the Gryffindor quadruplet waltzes into the Great Hall in spirits a great deal better than this morning, and the day previous. She is still, of course, immensely distraught over the separation from her sisters...but Kitty's promises on revenge upon the hat have cheered Verdine Verlegt up immensely. "Good afternoon," she greets airily, skipping over to the
Ravenclaw table. She's Aurea. Really. Yep.

Morag Minter wanders the length of the table, trailing her fingers along the wood. Pausing near the group, she stops and smiles, giving Bernard a curious glance. The words 'chocolate cake' resonate in her brain like echos in a cavern "Some of those banisters are awfully.... curvey" she offers to anyone and possible no one.

Shaking Bernard's hand carefully, Eloise Peabody makes a concerted effort to not be affected by his house affiliation. They're all people, after all, right? Continuing with their conversation, Eloise Peabody responds, though her talk has become a bit more forced. "Er, very nice to meet you, Bernard. All of that sounds like fun." And against her better judgment, "I'd love to go do all of that."

Slazzurus Khalleria grins. "Like I said, anyone have the time for giving me some flying lessons?" He still wonders if he could borrow a broom somewhere. Pulling his raven black hair back, he shrugs, and starts to leave.

Bernard Nightingale appears notably taken aback, and lowers his voice. "They do say that all sorts of demons come from America" he confides, to anyone who might be listening. Nevertheless, he brightens quickly, and beams a smile at the entire room. "Are there any fruit-orchards? Scrumpings no good without them, you know. I s'ppose we could start on the banisters..."

Flying lessons?" Verdine Verlegt pipes up eagerly, dropping the mask from her face for a moment before remembering the reservations of her Ravenclaw sister. "I mean, uhm, flying lessons. How very droll." Raising the bit of paper to her face again, the girl slumps into her seat, peering after Slazzurus wistfully. Pretending to be Aurea is going to be harder than she
thought. Must speak to Carmine about this.

Morag Minter nods at Bernard "It doesn't matter which to do first" and she extends her hand "Morag" and continuing in one breath " I saw choke cherry trees - can you scrump choke cherries" she doesn't know.

Faith Menhier clasps her hands before her, almost fidgeting a bit as they twist into a comfortable position. The Hufflie begins to lean back onto the edge of the table, then stops, instead taking a small and curious step forward and turning her eyes on Bernard and Eloise. "I've no idea, truly," she admits in response to the question, 'drawn in' by the smile. "Would you mind overly if I joined you two? What're we talking about?"

Cecelia Remington hurries in, trailing books and other debris as she lopes over to her house table. "Gah." is the breathless greeting to the other occupants, the child having apparently little or no self consciousness. "-So- many stairs! I swear it takes me a week to get down to dinner." she complains good naturedly, a red ribboned ringlet thrown over her shoulder carelessly.

Eloise Peabody shrugs genially, almost forgetting the boy's a Slytherin. Offering a grin to Morag, she remarks, "Maybe, if there are the choke cherries, there's something else somewhere else too?" She ignores Bernard's demon comment, not knowing how to respond- and writing off the behaviour as a peculiarity to Slytherins that must be ignored. As the other students gather round, she makes sure to greet them all in turn with a smile. "We were planning on having a bit of fun. Er...scrumping? And sliding down banisters."

Bernard Nightingale sighs, the brilliance of his smile fading somewhat. "I don't suppose that fruit is in season" he confesses, conceivably crestfallen. "But...." Every misfortune has a silver lining. "That means we can slide down the banisters right away! I've even got a few wooden boxes we can use. My guardian thought them more practical than carpet-bags."

Morag Minter nods at Eloise encouragingly and then gives Bernard a worried smile "There should be something, somewhere" she agrees "It'll be fun" she adds - ready for fun now after the mad rush and panic of the last fortnight "What do you use the boxes for though - do they balance?"

Abigail Golden walks in smileing. She overhears somethin about sliding down banisters and her smile grows bigger. She walks over to the crowd and mid way there she points at her arm with her wand and there pops a huge blanket. As she reaches the crowd she smiles and says. "Hello there. NOt getting into trouble I hope..."

Eloise Peabody brightens, having not been entirely clear on scrumping- but perfectly well versed in the art of banister sliding. "Really? I didn't bring anything like that here...my mother insisted that I should only have what the letter said. Oh, and a few little things, I guess, but no boxes or anything. And she went to Hogwarts, so I figured she knew." The Gryffindor shrugs, having gone on about that more for conversation's sake than a real worry or care.

Cecelia Remington folds her arms, the table apparently empty of interesting people. Slipping off it, eyes shift over the room accordingly before landing on a bunch of sociable-looking first years. She saunters up to the gaggle: Morag, Eloise, Bernard et al. "I'm Cecy Remington." is announced with boundless enthusiasm. "Can I join you lot? I'm one of the new ones.. I assume you all are too?"

Bernard Nightingale sniffs elaborately. "The boxes are for sitting in" he replies, before turning to Abigail, his expression one of utter innocence. "Trouble? Certainly not. Trouble is to be avoided at all cost." A sage nod, before he darts towards the exit. "I'll get the boxes."

Abigail Golden 's smiles fades. "Darn I was hopeing I could join you on those slippery railings. It's been quite some time sence I have used this." She holds up the blanket and her head hangs. Abi's pretty good at acting sad.

Sounds like fun," Faith Menhier admits, smiling slightly at the group. She's spent so much time wandering around lost that she's not had time for good old fun. "I've only got bags with me, and nothing good for.." For whatever that is for, which Morag has so nicely asked for her. Stepping the rest of the way toward the other first years, she lifts her hand to Cecelia, and sets about introducing herself as well. It might be a good idea, after all. "Faith. Faith Menhier. I'm a Hufflepuff."

Morag Minter is unsure how one uses boxes or blankets for sliding down banisters, but she doesn't comment, although a worried look starts to grow and she begins to gnaw on her bottom lip "I slid down banisters at home. We had a wonderful one - very fast" she nods at Faith and Abigail, tossing her own name into the mix "Morag Millicent Minter. I'm from Cardiff."

Nice to meet you." Cecelia Remington beams at Faith, before catching snippets of the conversation in hand. "Bannister sliding? That sounds fun." she adds hopefully, inviting herself in with customary confidence. She joins the crowd of first years properly, adding to faith: "I'm in Gryffindor." with only a touch of house pride. "Cardiff? I'm from.. well, everywhere, really. I was born in Surrey, though. But I haven't been back since I was born. My Papa's a soldier, you see."

Aritt Codune walks in after a long day in his common room waiting for people to talk to, looks around and sees his friend Emma Warren from the Leaky Cauldron, "Hey Emma, you having fun here too?"

Emma Warren looks at the boy, waving. "Hello Aritt!" she smiles. "I am having a great time. I need to go to the Gyffindor towe, to find my sister. Would you like to come?"

Aritt Codune nods his head and says, "Lets go then."

Faith Menhier gives Cecelia a nod, raising a hand to flip back the hair that slides over her shoulder. "You can come, if you like. He's got some boxes, I think, and we're all going up to the top floor." She stops with a slight, worried frown, looking after the departed Slytherin. "I'd better hurry and follow him though, or I'll /never/ find my way up. 'Less you're able to lead me, of course." "If you're coming."

Sliiiide-flop. Carmine Verlegt descends the stairs on her heels, bumping from one plinth to the next, her skirts flumping with her each time. The girl wears a small white paper mask that looks rather like a cat's eyes, and a burgundy beret that obscures her hair. She glances around surrepticiously, before wandering over to the Hufflepuff table with a whistle.

Morag Minter grins at Faith and nods at Cecelia as she turns to follow Bernard "My papa is a professor at the University. It was nice to meet you". She waves "Well see you".

Still retaining her wistful little air, Verdine Verlegt, acting as Aurea Verlegt, watches (through her own mask, of course) the small crowd about Bernard disperse, presumably off to commence the bits of mischief she overheard. So preoccupied with the misfortunes of being a Ravenclaw, that she doesn't pick upon her sister's presence for a full thirty seconds. Then, of course, she perks up and practically flies from the Ravenclaw table over to the Hufflepuff table. "Ki...Zaza!"

Zaza who? Oh! Kitty turns, and winks at her sister from beyond the mask - before she fears for her safety and ducks behind the table to avoid being crushed to Verdine's chest. "Of course, Reed...how did you like the sorting?" Carmine Verlegt's chipper tones are impossible to obscure...so she may have trouble there. However, her eye colour is similar to that of her Hufflepuff sister, so she plays it off. "How are you getting along with all the
smarty-pants-puff-n'-stuffs?"

Cecelia Remington shakes a ribboned head as the students trail off, in two minds whether to follow or stay where she is. "Are you going to go?" she asks Faith as Morag disappears, dark eyes taking in the remaining students. "How are they going to use boxes to slide down bannisters anyway? Wouldn't that just slow them up?" she muses, her tone becoming lighter as she thinks out loud.

Oh, it was positively...uhm...well, it was all right, I suppose..." Desperate for her sister's ability to string together words, and uncertain of the 'new' quads' position on that horrible, horrible sorting, Verdine Verlegt stumbles over her answer. "And they're not smarty pants! We all read books together, and stuff." Well, she's getting better.

Looking toward the door as Morag also departs, and watching her means of getting upstairs disappear, Faith Menhier shrugs before turning back to Cecelia. "I mean to.. It ought to be fun, really. And I don't know what the boxes are for, but he did mention them, so I assume he knows." She reaches out the, meaning to tug gently on her companion's sleeve. "You /should/ come.. Maybe by the time we get up there, we can figure it out."

Carmine Verlegt tries not to giggle...but it comes out. "Well...we just...um...putter around, mainly." She leans close to 'Aurea,' to whisper, "My house is so BORING." True both for Slytherin, and Hufflepuff, as far as she can see. "Have you met your house head yet?"

Alright then." Cecelia Remington wrinkles her nose before making her way out of the hall, loping in front of faith. Her destination, apparently, is the seventh floor staircase.

,-[ Hogwarts - Seventh Floor ]------------------------------------------------.

Bernard Nightingale has amassed a rather large pile of wooden boxes, and is already comfortably seated in one, scone in hand. It would appear that he has come prepared, for there is a rather large, platter-ful of the pastries on the ground beside him. "Have a scone? I've got blueberry and raspberry, but that's it I fear."

Cecelia Remington appears, a tad out of breath once again. You run all the way downstairs: spend ten minutes in the hall, and then lope up them all again. She leans against the wall as Faith appears, not far behind her. "So." she addresses Bernard and his boxes. "What are all these for? Are we going to slide down the -stairs- or the -bannisters?" inquires Cecy, clearly perplexed. "Else won't the boxes fall of the banisters and we'll all slide to our doom?"

Bernard Nightingale merely offers an enigmatic shrug. "I was thinking we might to both, just to see which one is more amusing. Besides, sliding down bannisters is supposed to wear out one's pants, and I don't have many pairs."

Faith Menhier peeks in behind Cecelia, blinking at Bernard and his set-up. "Are there many more floors to this place?" She, perhaps, is also slightly short on breath. Running around and climbing stairs are definitely not the same. The girl snags one of the pastries in a hand, taking a nibble of the edge. "Where'd you get these from? And are you really going to use boxes on the banister, or just the stairs themself? I don't suppose we could manage to go /all/ the way down at once.."

What about those moving staircase?" Cecelia Remington peers down the set they've just come up, as if hoping it will suddenly turn on it's head or join to some other corridor. It doesn't, and she looks disappointed, but continues regardless: "I've heard about them. And I saw one, a prefect pointed it out. They'd be wizard fun to climb down, don't you think?"

Bernard Nightingale leans forward, causing his box to tip ever so slightly. "Crikey...why don't we slide down one of 'em? I noticed a levitation charm in our textbooks, but I've never gotten to cast it. D'you suppose it might help with the sliding?"

Morag Minter is huffing and puffing as she climbs up "Gosh it's easy to get lost in here don't ya think" and in the same breath "I just past a bunch of seconders - do you think they are plotting something and why is everyone so cranky. I would have thought that everyone would be happy to be back at school - I can't wait to start classes, can you?". She pauses just long enough to look around "They warned us against being on the moving staircases, but if they move without you knowing it, how can you tell?"

I don't know." Cecelia Remington replies wonderingly to Morag, peering down the stairs once again before turning back to Bernard. "I think we should." she agrees solidely, picking up a box and expecting it for sturdiness. "This one looks good enough. Cast a charm on it." she commands, a dimple appearing in one cheek. "I mean.. I don't know how to do any magic yet, myself."

What if you fell off the end?" Faith Menhier inquires a bit dubiously. Any doubt is pushed aside by Bernard's suggestion, however, spells being something to catch her attention. "Do you think you could manage? I've not had chance to try any charms, to tell the truth." "I don't know how you could tell. I suppose you just hope it doesn't." Another bite of her pastry
finishes off the sentence, gaze drifting to the stairs.

Morag Minter boggles a little at the thought of casting a charm or anything actually "Can we" she asks almost breathlessly.

Bernard Nightingale fumbles around in his pockets for his wand, temporarily holding his pastry in his mouth. "I dunno 'ow oo ast a arm" he mutters, finally locating the object. "But, it certainly can't hurt to try, right? They wouldn't try to teach us /dangerous/ things. Not yet."

Cecelia Remington holds her own wand out, though with less poised elegance and more 'grapple for dear life in case it escapes' in the stance of her fingers. "What's the charm then, boy wonder?" she asks Bernard cheerfully, labelling him as the bright spark of the group as the aims the willow instrument at the nearest box. "Where did you get all the food from?" she asks the crowd, looking hopefully for picniv hidden amongst the debris.

I pinched it from the kitchens" is Bernard Nightingale's cheerful reply. "As for the charm...umm. I think it is Wingidsium Levora...or something like that. Maybe if you mumble the phrase it'll work. That always worked on my old school teachers."

Faith Menhier points out helpfully, "They /haven't/ tried to teach it, yet." Oh well. Her free hand is employed in grabbing one of the boxes and drawing it closer to her, then dropping it at her feet as she pulls out her own wand. Worth a try, at least. "Wingsi-what levora?"

Morag Minter blinks at Faith and Bernard respectively and then bend her head and fumbles for her own wand "It's Levora isn't it?". Wishing she'd brought a textbook she gently holds her wand, frowning at it slightly. Lifting her head she asks suddenly "What electives are you going to take". Again, this is asked generally and not specifically.

Wingsiumardra Loveisae." is the very mumbled attempt of Cecelia Remington's, the words running in to each other and the spell, needless to say, having very little effect. "Wingadsium Levora." she repeats, the inflexions different this time but no more successful. "Oh, one of you people try." she complains good naturedly, stepping out of the way of the boxes.

Bernard Nightingale scratches his head ever so slightly, then points his wand at the box. "Wingidsium Levora...Win/gid/sium Levora. /Win/gidsium levor/a/." A pause, as he examines the tip of his wand. "Oh, you /stupid/ git!" he cries, waving his wand about wildly. A poof of smoke, a loud bang...and we are left with one very-astonished, soot-begrimed Bernard Nightingale.

Jumping back, Morag squeals as the puff of smoke eminates from Bernard. Coughing and waving her hand in front of her face she shakes her head, giggling "Are you alright Bernard!"

Faith Menhier swallows the last bit of her pasty, then switches the hand her wand is in. "Wingigidium.. no.. Wingidsium. Wingidsium Leviosa?" she murmurs, mostly to herself, after listening to the other attempts to cast it. There, she's got it. Maybe. She jumps at the bang, then peers at Bernard with an almost amused expression - if she wasn't worried, she'd not be able to hold back a giggle of her own. "Are.. Are you all right? You're awful dirty. But if you're not hurt, I'll try, maybe."

Waving away the last puff of smoke, Morag Minter shakes her head and glances between Faith and Bernard "Maybe we should just try it the old fashioned way and slide" breaking a neck, leg, or both likely "Or we could just sit in the box and slide down the stairs." she glances down the winding staircase "that might be fun" she adds, somewhat dubiously.

Bernard Nightingale coughs dejectedly...but he, too, is unable to restrain a giddy giggle. "Actually, it was kind of fun" he replies, cheerily. "Not certain how it happened...If it weren't for the soot I'd do it again."

Cecelia Remington cackles witchily at the soot encrusted bernard. "Wow. At least something happened." she comforts, nodding towards Faith. "Yours sounded right. Do it again." she commands, finding a seat on an upturned box while she waits for something to happen. Actually helping would be far too much like hard work.

Fun? Might as well give it a go, then. "Wingidisium Leviora!" Faith Menhier demands, accompanied by a rather wild wave of her wand at her own box. It doesn't seem to do much. Her second, even more insistant attempt, follows; "Wingideriusm Levoria!" As nothing still happens, she sighs. "Am I doing something /wrong/?"

Oh, I shall." Almost slipping off the railing as she speaks, Cecelia maintains a brittle smile as she replies. She lets go, the newly polish bannister taking to being slid down rather well, it must be said. Gaining speed, it is only towards the bottom that she loses her balance, a petticoat catching a nail loose in the wood, Not only does it eject Cecelia Remington from the railing, it also rips the cherished lace of the petticoat, leaving it hanging rather forlornly from the stairwell. For the child's part, she is bruised and dazed but not too injured. "I'm okay!" she calls up cheerfully to her companions, lest they be anxious.

Bernard Nightingale smiles sheepishly, and turns to Faith. "Would you like to go next, or should I?" he inquires softly.

Dropping her box, the Hufflepuff instead moves toward the banister, following the earlier lead of the Gryffindor. "Oh, let me. Unless you mind, of course. It does look fun.. We had no good banisters at home. Not long like this." Faith Menhier grabs on to pull herself to a perch, stopping there to look at Bernard. Must be absolutely sure he doesn't mind waiting.

Bernard Nightingale nods, offering a grin as he approaches the railing. "Good luck" he murmurs. "Very well then. Away with you."

Faith Menhier clambers up onto the railing, not managing the best of grips before she starts to slide down. And she has not the luck to stop herself and hang on better, either, which provides for a rather wild ride down.. at least, as wild as sliding down a banister is capable of getting. She makes it a good deal of the way before coming to a landing, ending seated on one of the stairs, one arm still above her holding on. "Not the best of tries, I think.." She calls up, letting to scoot away from the rail.

Bernard Nightingale impishly tosses a leg over the banister, then slips away with a wild shriek. Nevertheless, to his credit, he offers Faith a tip of an imaginary cap as he sails by...and out of sight.

Look Out Below!

A nice Mid-August day in 1906 finds Charles Harper wandering away from his father Abbot as the auror goes up to the Rathe's townhouse paying a visit. Charles seems a bit more healthy looking than the last time anyone has seen him in London his trip to Paris having done him well. "Astra!" He calls for his younger friend knowing she must be about somewhere. "Im here. Come on out!" The boy's glasses glare in the sunlight and his thick black hair is combed straight back to keep out of his face. He has with him a small pinwheel that he lifts to his mouth and blows against causing it to spin some.

The Rathe townhouse is fair in size and although it is their city dwelling it still has enough land to keep an active child busy out-of-doors for a little while. Left unattended by her own parents Astra has been occupying herself by tree climbing and so has seen the whole business with Abbot, Charles, and her parents. Once the adults are safely out of earshot and eyesight the girl comes clambering down a few branches, grabs a handful of leaves and twigs and giggling drops them where she hopes will land smack on top of Charles. "Hi CHUCK!" The girl shouts this welcome and then proceeds to climb out onto the branch. "Whatchya doing here?"

Nice day that it is, Dwight has managed to escape for a bit of a walk - and a sketch. As he walks down the road he carries with him a couple rolls of parchment, a bottle of ink in his pocket and the end of a quill peeking out. Nothing else, for the stout child prefers to avoid the extra work of lugging things around whenever possible. Presumably parents must be somewhere nearby, but the child is walking alone, and slowly, looking at each of the townhouses critically as he moves.

The twigs and branches collecting in his hair are of course a surprise and Charles looks up into the tree while brushing them from his scalp. "Hey! What are you doing up there Astra?" "My father came to visit your father so I'm out here visiting you." He rolls his eyes as he thought it was rather obvious why he was there. "And don't call me Chuck. Charles is a highly distinguished name. Chuck is what you call riff raff and we don't invite them round for tea." Without wasting another breath Charles begins clambering up the tree as well, though admittedly in a clumsy sort of way. Grunting as he finally makes his way up to Astra's branch Charles is somewhat out of breath already. "My this is high up....." He grins taking notice of the boy walking alone down the street. "Watch this..." He whispers fiendishly to Astra. He takes some sort of gooey green blob from his pocket and tosses it out of the tree at the other boy before quickly scurrying away inside of the foliage.

Already performing gymnastics of a sort Astra has maneuvered herself so that she's hanging from her knees. Fearless of possible injury is it is part because she knows the trees on the property very well but also because she's confident in her childishness. She doesn't immediately see what Charles is about because she's busy hanging upside down in the most uncivil of fashions, but the lone boy has caught her attention too. It isn't until the green blob goes flying in Dwight's direction that she shrieks a laugh and grabbing for another branch takes the time to pull herself right side up. "Chuck! You're going to get us into trouble! I can't *believe* I'm stuck babysitting such a /brat/." She is always so well behaved, like for instance, now as she calls out. "Someone has flying boogies!"

Dwight Floens stops short as he is hit with a.. well, a green, gooey, blob-y, disgusting sort of whatever-it-is. His eyes dart upward in the direction the blob-y what'sit must have come from, and he stares up at the tree, trying to see through the branches. "I demand that you stop this -instant-." Having issued his command to whomever happens to be up there, his attention turns his now dirty sleeve. He raises a hand as though to brush off the mess, but hesitates, not wishing to touch it. Finally he pulls a handkerchief from a pocket and carefully removes the goo, frowning the entire time.

"Careful! That stuff will eat through your shoes!" Yells Charles in a high voice trying to sound like Astra but failing. He giggles and peers out from the branches, his balance on the branch somewhat wavering. He looks to Astra and laughs at her flying boogie comment. He whispers to her "It's just molding clay. I made some" He watches the older boy from the safety of the tree feeling quite invincible due to it's hiding him.

"Don't you go mimicking me Chucky!" Astra pretty much bellows that out as much as a little girl /can/ bellow so it's actually more of a shriek but she's trying very hard to impersonate her father and his infamous temper. Even so another laugh escapes from her at Dwight's words and his fussy ways. "We have a right little proper gentleman in our midst!" "We'd best be careful or he might want to *duel* us." "Be careful knave! You know not the twin terrors that you address!" Hopping just a little on the branch to give away their location, the girl eyes Charles sidelong and then gives another wicked little jolt. "Don't fall Chuck! You wouldn't want to break that skull of yours and have all your smarts leak out onto the ground!" "Then your dad will cry because you'll be the class dummy!"

Dwight Floens finishes taking care of the problem on his sleeve, shakes the handkerchief out, then carefully folds it and returns it to his pocket. Only then does he resume his scrutiny of the tree top, glaring up at those who address him - or attempting to, if only he could see them. "Knave?" The poor child is competely astounded by the word. "You mustn't call me that. -My- family is one of the most important in all the world, and also -we're- pureblood, and also my father will kill you." He finishes this little speech, and almost as an afterthought, adds, "And you two aren't scary at all."

In a mocking tone, much worse than the mock Astra tone Charles replies "My Daddy is the bestest wizard in all the world and you better watch out because he's got a big wand and he'll kill you with it! Also I am so scared that Im going to stand in the street and argue with the trees in someone's front yard." He giggles some before continuing. "I think I might just go get my Daddy to kill this mean old tree but not before I wet my pants and run home crying!" Charles holds the branch tighter rolling his eyes at Astra's comment.

"Knave knave knave who lives in a cave and isn't at all brave and certainly can't shave." Astra is having fun with words and happily plays with their sounds as she calls out to taunt Dwight some more. "The knave he rants and raves but all we do is wave." "He doesn't bathe and kind of smells like a grave!" Another fit of delighted giggles finds the girl scrambling around to hang by her knees again. "Hello mister-flying-boogies! I, the fearless mastermind am not afraid of /you/ or your father. /My/ father is bigger n' braver n' meaner n' scarier than both yours *and* Chuckles's dads put /together/. Plus he's got top secret stuff at the Ministry *and* he can kill everyone!" "Plus, I'm also a pureblood and so is my henchman Chuckie. I could use another henchman and since you're pureblood I *guess* I could let you be one." "But I don't know. You're kind of fussy. It /was/ just boogies."

Too astonished by this turn of events to fully comprehend what is going on, Dwight has a rather delayed reaction to the teasing. First, he just stands and stares some more. "If you're scared of the tree then you shouldn't be in it." Is the idea that /he's/ being teased that hard to wrap his head around? "At least I know how to be/have/. I don't think /I've/ acted like that since I was /seven/." His voice softens just a bit, to a more considering rather than just angry tone, for the next comment; for with all of his many years, he has to come up with a proper answer. "I won't be your henchman. That's like a servant, and I'm going to own servants one day. But I could be your..." he trails off, his nine years' experience failing him. "We could have tea when we're older."

"Im not her henchmen. She's my henchmen." Comes Charles' protest. He takes a chance on dangling from his knees as Astra does. "You can be my Henchman. Don't let Astra fool you her dad isn't that tough. My father is the one who is a real man. He's an auror and everything." Charles adds a moment later "I'm going to be an Auror too some day. And all Astra is going to is marry someone and have their babies because that's what women do!" He giggles looking sidelong to his friend. He doesn't seem to notice at first that his glasses are slideing off his face due to gravity. Though eventually he does and pushes them back up on the bridge of his nose.

Scowling at the other boy Astra does the mature thing and sticks her tongue right out at Dwight. "I wouldn't want to take tea with a stinky boy who thinks he's so smart. You're too fussy and I bet you can't even climb a tree." But it's what Charles says that gets her off-guard "Why you stupid little boy!" Shrieking again the girl scrabbles up and gives the branch a nastier jolt as she hangs on as tightly as possible. "I hope you break your skull you little brat!" "I am not going to be a baby machine for /anyone/ not /ever/!" "My mother isn't and she works in the Ministry too! Top secret stuff but different than father's." For all her claims the girl really doesn't /know/ what either of her parents /do/ for work at the Ministry. She's still as mad as ever though and to make her point she bounces again on the branch so hard that she very nearly topples herself headlong onto the ground. Even so, she's not deterred. "Chuck Harper is the stupidest boy to ever live!" Grabbing her
own fall with both hands she has to take a moment before scrabbling down to the next branch. To those who might be watching it's clear she knows exactly what she's doing and doesn't seem the least bit worried that the boy might fall out of the tree and hurt himself.

"I won't be anyone's henchman," Dwight answers proudly, "not hers or yours. And I don't wish any either; I have house elves for that sort of thing, so /neither/ of you may be mine." So there. Stepping closer, he tilts his head farther up, really perfering to have an unobscured view of who he is talking to. "I wouldn't /want/ to climb a tree; it's dirty, and I bet you've got bugs all over you. You're no better than dirty bug infested mudbloods with, with, with spots on you!" He takes another step closer as he continues to speak, voice rising, until Astra begins her shrieking. As long as someone is keeping the silence away, he can quiet down - and he's already given the worst insult he could think of.

"Hey quit it Astra!" Calls Charles franticy trying to scramble up the branch again. But each times she gives it a jolt his grip is broken. "Stop! You're going to make me fall!" And then as if fate were listening his knees let go and the boy drops to the ground like a sack of potatos. An ugly thud is heard followed by the boy's wailing as he lies on the front lawn beneath the tree. He reaches for his face to find that his glasses have fallen off and as he crawls slowly to his knees to find them there is an ominous crunch in the grass beneath his knees. "Oh no...." He says through his tears. "My glasses..." He turns pale and lifts his leg showing that the glasses are crushed. "My father is going to kill me Astra!" he shrieks.

"You deserved it you little brat! How /dare/ you insinuate anything!" For her age Astra has a great grasp of vocabulary, but that isn't terribly surprising given the era and the quality of education. Jumping to the next branch down, the girl is surveying the damage with absolutely no remorse for the boy who went and got hurt. Looking to the door of her house and then over to Dwight she narrows her eyes. "And I amn't a mudblood either you filthy little wretch." Dropping to the next branch she's still high enough up that a tumble will hurt and certainly filthy her clothing, but she isn't so terribly high up that it's absolutely dangerous. Glancing to the door and back to Dwight she makes a huffing sound before letting *go* of the branches that support her and tumbling down near to, but not on top of Charles. The fall may have been planned, but her injuries are not staged. What she did she did on purpose. Her own screams are loud, shrill and piercing and she screams as she grabs
one leg. "You're a big meanie head Charles and I'm going to /tell/ on you!"

"I'm not the one who's /filthy/," Dwight replies, but that's about all that he has time for. He stays for a moment to watch the ensuing scene, but is smart enough at nine to show a better side of himself around adults than those his own age, and he isn't going to wait to see what these two say about him when the commotion draws out a parent or two. "Told you," he remarks into the middle of the screaming, then turns, not bothering to run with his bulk but walking back down the way he came at, for him, a fairly decent speed.

Its about this time between the two children yelling in pain that a parent does show up. Abbot Harper though not as impressivley built as Astra's father, still quite imposing. "Whats going on out here Charles?" He says impatiently looking to his son. "Why are you wallowing on the ground....." Then he sees the shattered glasses and Astra. "Dad Astra pushed me out of the tree! And I fell and my glasses broke." He is quick to tell the truth, a lot of fear playing in his voice. "I asked her to stop but she wouldn't!"

Hiding her face if not her own yelling, Astra took to the time to weigh what was going on. Her own parents are again absent, which really isn't unusual and she's quite used to it by now, but Abbot is another story. With her parents still in the house she decides to put on the full waterworks. This would never /ever/ work on her parents but she's hoping that maybe someone other than Arnauld will fall for the act. Shaking, crying, and now yelling Astra doesn't get up or move much other than to rock back and forth to support her injured limb. Her own tumble may not have been as bad, but she's still small for her size. "Did not! I did not you little liar! You were the one being mean to /me/." Wiping at her eyes the heels of her palms the girl snivels. "Charles Harper is a big old meanie head!" "I don't like you anymore!" Scuffling among the two isn't unknown and the girl has vowed enmity upon Charles ten times in one day and the very next minute forgetting this and putting it beh
ind her, but that doesn't stop her now from declaring: "You're my nemesis Charles Harper!" Because that doesn't sound at all ridiculous to her eight year old ears.

"Charles Danforth Harper!" Yells Abbot seeing the crying mess that Astra is. "How many times have I told you that you are to treat girls with respect and dignity!" Abbot walks past his own crying son and moves to pick Astra up off the ground. "There there dear. Let me get you inside. Then Im taking Charles home. I think you've both had quite enough for the day." Abbot glares at his son before walking with Astra in his arms toward the Rathe town house leaving his son sitting and crying in the dirt until he returns.

Discussing Misbehavior

(OOC: 1907-08 school year. One of the more amusing aspects of coded spells. If I recall, Philip had disconnected, and so we could NOT have cast anything to stop the spell.... but it's much more amusing (even if out of character!) picturing them just standing over the poor kid having a casual conversation about his affliction.)

+---[ Hogwarts - Marble Staircase ]------------------------------------------+

Philip Tsang struggles about, gasping for air and laughing simultaneously.

Philip Tsang struggles about, gasping for air and laughing simultaneously.

Philip Tsang struggles about, gasping for air and laughing simultaneously.

Philip Tsang rolls about, laughing hysterically.

Philip Tsang squirms about, giggling and sobbing for breath.

Philip Tsang rolls about, laughing hysterically.

Daryn D'Arcy arches a careful eyebrow. "Thank you for your prompt response, Prefect." A finger is outstretched towards the...ticklish Gryffindor. "Look what the bird dragged in for us."

-----------insert same coded spells effects as above----------------

Sylvie Winters comes quickly into the room. Eyes go to Daryn, then just as quickly to the Gryffindor. "Most interesting."

Philip Tsang squirms about, giggling and sobbing for breath.

Philip Tsang struggles about, gasping for air and laughing simultaneously.

Philip Tsang rolls about, laughing hysterically.

Philip Tsang squirms about, giggling and sobbing for breath.

-------------insert even more coded spell... a couple left in here for effect--------------------

Philip Tsang struggles about, gasping for air and laughing simultaneously.

Philip Tsang struggles about, gasping for air and laughing simultaneously.

Daryn D'Arcy clasps his hands behind his back, eyeing the Gryffindor dolefully. "What do you recommend that we do? I suppose we could tell the headmaster about this...incident."

Philip Tsang struggles about, gasping for air and laughing simultaneously.

Philip Tsang rolls about, laughing hysterically.

--------------- honestly, this poor kid...more laughing!------------------

Philip Tsang struggles about, gasping for air and laughing simultaneously.

Philip Tsang rolls about, laughing hysterically.

Philip Tsang rolls about, laughing hysterically.

Philip Tsang rolls about, laughing hysterically.

Philip Tsang struggles about, gasping for air and laughing simultaneously.

Sylvie Winters nods slightly. "I do think he would do something about it." She falls silent for a second, regarding the laughing boy. Then, "Do we know it was a Gryffindor who cast the spell, or merely that this one was affected by it?"

Philip Tsang struggles about, gasping for air and laughing simultaneously.

Philip Tsang rolls about, laughing hysterically.

-------------and we're not going to recommend helping him---------------------

Philip Tsang squirms about, giggling and sobbing for breath.

Philip Tsang struggles about, gasping for air and laughing simultaneously.

Daryn D'Arcy shrugs a little. "Does it matter? No Slytherin would have cast it, of that I am utterly certain." Eyes flicker to the boy in a little amusement. "And even if he blames it on someone else, would the Headmaster necessarily believe him?"

Philip Tsang struggles about, gasping for air and laughing simultaneously.

Philip Tsang rolls about, laughing hysterically.

--------------------cut out an entire page worth of rolling and laughing-----------------------

Philip Tsang struggles about, gasping for air and laughing simultaneously.

Sylvie Winters smiles a tiny bit. "Not nessisarily, and as he seems to be.. all alone here... I doubt he could lay blame on anyone else effectively."

Philip Tsang struggles about, gasping for air and laughing simultaneously.

Philip Tsang struggles about, gasping for air and laughing simultaneously.

--------- and yet still more -------------------------

Philip Tsang struggles about, gasping for air and laughing simultaneously.

Daryn D'Arcy smiles again, a little more than Sylvie. "You are quite correct in that...I doubt he can blame anyone without an extensive search into his previous behavior...which I have heard is not as...spotless as it ought to be."

Philip Tsang squirms about, giggling and sobbing for breath.

------------------- really, it's amazing this kid hasn't fainted... cut another page worth-----------

Philip Tsang rolls about, laughing hysterically.

Sylvie Winters watches the Gryffindor a bit more, and nods. "Oh, I know his record isn't spotless. Any search into previous behavior would.. not help him at all, if he tried to prove innocence."

Philip Tsang rolls about, laughing hysterically.

------------- aaaaaaaaaaaaaaand... more laughing, about 2 pages this time ---------------------

Daryn D'Arcy bites his lip a little. "In view of my possible imminent departure, perhaps you ought to send a notice to the headmaster...This is an...interesting development."

Philip Tsang struggles about, gasping for air and laughing simultaneously.

--------------- we're all really quite lucky he's still alive ---------------------

Philip Tsang squirms about, giggling and sobbing for breath.

Sylvie Winters sighs and nods slightly. She quickly starts to look for her supplies, not wanting to look at Daryn, she hasn't said anything about his.. departure.. yet. Pulling out the ever-ready quill and parchment, she starts to write a quick message.

Philip Tsang struggles about, gasping for air and laughing simultaneously.

Philip Tsang struggles about, gasping for air and laughing simultaneously.

------------ one more page... I finally @gagged him --------------

Marjorie Prestilda comes in from the exit called `(Up)stairs', looking pretty cheery.

Marjorie Prestilda sighs lightly, going down the stairs. "Hogwarts."

Herbology Treasure Hunt!

(OOC: 1912-1913 school year. Pre-Hogwarts students are visiting; snippets of the treasure hunt are viewed through the designers and some of the puppets.)

,-[ Hogwarts - Library ]------------------------------------------------------.

Bad day." Nancy Derwent-Sinclair returns emphatically. "We're losing, and I've got all this work to do and it's my N.E.W.T year and my trial for the Rochester Rifles is next week and the school is full of -small children-." the prefect makes a face, her words running together in their urgency. It is clear that the Quidditch Captain thinks of little but sport. And small children.

Hestia Davies shakes her head, "I've seen you play." Hestia herself was Quidditch-mad, a Beater on her house team, "I should think you'll do fine at your tryouts. Rochester would be foolish to let you go." But as for N.E.W.Ts...Hestia was still thinking about her own O.W.L.s. "Not many of the Littles have come into here." She flashes a beaming grin, "Melissa and I are giving them a treasure hunt." Looking up as the Slytherin arrives, "'Lis! There you are! I haven't fed Nosfer all day. He's hungry!"

A head peeks through the door into the room, taking a moment to look around before the rest of Melissa Talison comes into appearance. The Slytherin shoots a grin at Hestia, with a smaller but no less cheerful nod of greeting to the Hufflepuff with her. "Hungry? Oh, he'll do a /lovely/ job, then!" With a short laugh, she brings herself closer to the others present, careful as always not to trip on the edge of her robe as she moves.

Nancy Derwent-Sinclair smiles wryly, her tea coloured locks shaking at the movement. "Well, I wouldn't if I was them. And if Sennet wasn't cracking the homework whip at me." She stabs uneasily at the desk, shoulders rolling back. "My parents say they won't keep me while I'm looking for a professional Quidditch contract unless I get decent NEWTS." she explains. "They think it's too risky, gambling everything on a sport like that--" she breaks off at the news of a treasure hunt. "Really? In the castle? Do you think any of them might fall down the pit room and get stuck until the trip is over?"

Ahhhh." Hestia Davies's own mother was Quidditch-mad herself, so she couldn't imagine any such ultimatum coming from her. But then, Hesti wasn't the player Nancy was, nor that Andrea had been. Of course, Hesti was still only a third-year. "Well...I'd offer to help you study for the NEWTs, but, I'm just preparing for my OWLs." She moves, clearing a seat for Melissa. In front of the Gryffindor are maps of the castle, and plans and plots for the treasure hunt. At The Hufflepuff's last question she shares a mischievous grin with 'Lis. "We certainly /hope/ so."

Melissa Talison plops down in the offered seat, legs curling under the chair as she leans forward to study what Hestia has laid out. "We don't have OWLs for another year yet. Do we?" Worried look switches quickly back to a smile. "I haven't wanted to think about those.. Or NEWTs. But I'm sure you'll do fine," she adds quickly, to Nancy. Not that she's ever really talked to the older girl before. "I /know/ your good enough at quidditch, anyway.. I wouldn't miss a game if I could help it." Ever rambling, she easily switches topics to her and Hestia's plotting. "/Some/ of them should get stuck, I'm sure. Or lost somewhere else, at any rate.. it'll be just splendid."

Nancy Derwent-Sinclair's stabs her quill onto paper, breaking the nib with no little delight. "Oh dear. No nib. Can't really do my essay now." she considers, the prefect's usually stringent goody-two-shoes appearance shattered by exam and quidditch stress. And the small children. "How will it work then, this treasure hunt? Are you going to have enchanted clues and things?" she inquires, interested despite herself.

Take a look at this map 'Lis...is that where the Tub 'O Bladderwrack is going?" Shaking her head at the Slythie's question, Hestia Davies admits, "No. End of next year. But, I thought I'd get started early." Because Kieran was likely to do /very/ well. And Hesti liked to keep up with the boy. Turning to Nancy she grins, and doesn't offer a spare nib (because really, she would ask if she wanted, wouldn't she?) "We're using plants. Nipping Narsium, Vanishing Vines. A living Topiary....it's that one that should lead the littles to the Pit."

Hand is raised to shove back hair, keeping it out of her eyes as the Slytherin girl tilts her head toward the indicated area. "There?" Finger is shoved at the map. "That's where it should be, so they'll see it when they come down the stairs." Melissa Talison slides back on her seat again, just a bit, looking back up at her companions. "Owls, too. But mostly plants. They're not all so interesting," or as dangerous as she would like, one can suppose, "But we've got some good ones."

,-[ Hogwarts - Roof Balcony ]-------------------------------------------------.

Hestia Davies grins as she leads the little ones up onto the roof. "Everyone, please stay away from the edges, we'd probably loose points if we let one of you fall off. And Gryffindor is only in the lead by 3 points!" Hestia flounces over and stands by Melissa. "Welcome to the great Herbology Treasure Hunt! The prize will be something very unusual, and very tasty. Oh. And candy too. I've already introduced myself. This is my partner, Melissa Talison. She's a Slytherin. I'm a Gryffindor."

Shiara O'Shay makes her way up onto the roof, hanging neary Clover and Carmen as she looks about, nearly tempted to peek over the edge, but she heeds the warning, and doesn't.

Carmen Elle blinks a bit as she trails in behind Hestia and nearby Shiara. Glancing at the edges - what fun that''d be to just jump off of. A wave is offered to the two girls and muttering, "Claira..is in Ravenclaw..Naiya is too..they're related to me..y'know.." Once again announcing softly to Clover and Shiara.

Melissa Talison turns from looking out over the roof as the group arrives, offering a smile to Hestia and to the younger ones following her as well. As she is introduced, one hand is lifted in a wave to the group. "Hello, and as she said, welcome! Oh. You can call me just 'Lissa, if you like." Curious eyes dart over the young ones.

It looks like a chimney forest up here..." Turning, the little girl grins at Carmen and Shiara. "I've never been this high before ever in my life." Then, lowering her voice, she glances at the older girls. "I wonder what the tasty prize will be, if it isn't the candy?" Clover Davies nods toward Hestia, "She's related to me. I think."

Yeah. Uncle Mai and his cousin look alike but are as different as I am from my younger brother." Donovan Boru says looking at Lissa,"Hello 'Lissa. Slytherin. Hrm." Mental note. Slytherin.

Carmen Elle shoots a glare at Donovan as she mutters something quietly to the two girls she is standing with, "He is so nosy an' annoying." Ugh! Fists balling up some before avoiding any attention drawn towards her by habitally smoothing out her dress..

All right. This treasure hunt will lead you to some room in this castle where we have hidden the prize. First prize goes to the first child down. The rest....who make it...will get a consolation prize. If you get lost in the castle though..." Hestia Davies just shrugs. "Three rules. 1) Always use a staircase you come to, 2) Never go backward, and 3)If you come into a room with just one other door. Use it. Any questions so far?"

Shiara O'Shay shakes her head slightly before turning towards the other girls. "So, we're not supposed to backtrack then?" She enquires softly of, well, no one in particular. "That makes very little sense."

Clover Davies glances at Donovan and shrugs to Carmen's whispers. She had been mad at him before, but Mr. McCullough had helped her understand a little better. "I think he knows her. That Hestia girl." That cousin of hers. "Will we get lost and....be lost?" Would Mr. McCullough come looking for her, if she did? Would her daddy?

Carmen Elle shrugs yet again, "Oh well." Silencing herself as she listens to the questions. "Alright." Shrugging yet again, "Simple..rules.." That fact she could get lost doesn't really bother her..yet..

Right. Don't backtrack. You have to go forward to go back." Oh, Hestia Davies was sure that made so much more sense. Grinning over at Melissa, then down at their charges, "You begin on the landing below. My owl is waiting there. If you find a way to feed him...he'll give you the first clue."

Melissa Talison grins back at Hestia, having finished her scan of the visiting students, and determining she knows none of them yet. "Have fun!" she says, her own little instructions to add to the more helpful ones that Hestia gives. "And good luck."

Carmen Elle smiles some, before she pivets on her heel, facing the direction towards the landing down below. Tilting her head at Clover and Shiara, "Coming?" Obviously she doesn't care to be doing this alone at the moment.

Smiling faintly at Melissa, and less so at the other girl, Clover Davies gives a quick nod. "I'm coming..."

(OOC) Hestia Davies: They just fed the owl! Now they have to scramble for the card to get the next clue.

(OOC) Hestia Davies: They're being followed around by the Headmaster of the boy's school. Who has made an enemy of all of them. Especially after forcing the girls into a debate with a boy on who was better. Witches or Wizards. LOL

(OOC) Hestia Davies: Now he's trying to get the girls to tell him who their alts are. He finally left. He was slowing the RP down terribly.

(OOC) Hestia Davies: I got them moving, they're in the pit room now, finally. I'll try to keep them moving about.

(OOC) Hestia Davies: They're cute! It's too bad you can't see them RPing. Spike had to drag them to the pit room practically. (I want to keep Spike!)

King Arthur> ,-[ Hogwarts - The Circle ]------------------------------------.

King Arthur> Dusting herself off...as best she could, her white apron was soiled and /ruined/ now, Clover Davies looks around with a sigh. "Where are we now?" Looking around the room she shakes her head, "Eight doors. And...there's another owl. Does Hestia have two?"

King Arthur> King Arthur is sitting peacefully on the floor, head tucked down, perhaps resting. At the group drops in he raises his head, staring at them with large owl eyes. After a moment, wings start into motion, and he rises into the air above them.

King Arthur> Shiara O'Shay falls through and lands on her but, yet again. "Oy, I'm going to need an ice pack after this," she states as she stands and rubs at her rear. "Okay, another owl, what to do now? What does this one want?"

King Arthur> Carmen Elle falls from the trap door unsuspectingly and then landing yet again. Cringing some, before standing up. Deep breaths are taken to keep her from screaming in pain. The first thing she notices is the owl which flys upwards. "Oh."

King Arthur> Dusting himself off again,"Is ea. Shall we see if we can figure it out?" Donovan Boru says examining the owl while rubbing the arm he landed on."We're all taking beatings from this that's for sure."

King Arthur> Clover Davies sighing, Clover eyes the new owl. "Well then little owl? I'm afraid those owls up in the attic got all the bread. What do you want?" Could owls, even magic ones, understand speech? Clover had no idea. "I hope it won't send us down anymore trap doors!"

King Arthur> King Arthur takes off in a small, slow circle above the place where he had been resting, taking the time to wake up his wings. That done, he seems to peer down at the students for a moment, then silently swoops toward the south door, stopping to hover where he is when he reaches it.

King Arthur> "Shall we then? Looks like the next course of action is to head south." Donovan Boru says smiling slightly at the rest of them,"/Hopefully/ it won't involved any more falls but we'll see. Maybe we're getting close to the end." Hope. Pray. Ok. Breathe. TIme is wasting.

King Arthur> Shiara O'Shay chuckles and watches the owl. "I suppose that's where you want us to go?" She enquires. "I really hope there won't be anymore trap doors to fall through, my rear hurts enough as it is," at this a chuckle is offered and she moves onward.

King Arthur> Clover Davies sighs. "Very well then Owl." Glancing dubiously at the south door, she nods to the other children. South it was. But if she fell somewhere one more time, she wasn't going to be very happy. "Let's go. Come on Carmen..."

King Arthur> Carmen Elle nods some while watching the owl hover over towards the Southern exit, "I know what that means." She speaks quietly, after being dragged along by the dog-plant-thing earlier. Trudging on aftter the trio. "I hope it's the end soon.." Sighing some as she points to her dress, the poofy-slip completely torn off now.

(OOC) Melissa Talison: And they're off! All you again until the.. something floor. Until they pass the twisty passage. :P

(OOC) Hestia Davies: Akc! We didn't need the Singing Senna in that room after all. It has only one exit, the children would have gone west anyway.

Vanishing Vine> ,-[ Hogwarts - Southwest Circling Corridor ]----------------.

Vanishing Vine> Shiara O'Shay makes her way in, somewhere amidst the group. "Okay, now we're here, where to from this point?"

Vanishing Vine> Clover Davies gestures to the Vine. "Another plant. That seems to be the kind of clues we get." Shrugging, "Hestia and Melissa must like them."

Vanishing Vine> Vanishing Vine is lying on the floor, for all the world like someone had taken a vine and just dropped it. Except for the fact that it is crawling, slowly, northeast. It vanishes as it nears the door, not able to be seen for a moment.

Vanishing Vine> Stepping into the room the plant is noticed fairly early on,"What's this? Well it is an Herbology Treasure Hunt." Donovan Boru says laughing slightly and looking at the Vanishing vine more carefully,"What do you think this one is?"

Vanishing Vine> Clover Davies giggles and points to the north east. "I think it crawls. I guess it wants us to use that door? Did it just disappear?" Disappearing plants? And she thought Mrs. Porter's was an exciting place!

Vanishing Vine> Shiara O'Shay watches the vine. "Where did it go?" She enquires slightly as she peers where she last saw it, in an northeastern direction.

Dungeon Dandelion> ,-[ Hogwarts - Entrance Hall; Northern Section ]---------.

Dungeon Dandelion> "Well...there's another of my cousin's plants." My cousin now. How easy it sounded to say that. "I've seen that in a book. Donovan...Clover Davies looks at the only boy in the group, "You read a lot...do you know what it is?"

Dungeon Dandelion> Dungeon Dandelion is not a mobile plant; he's in a pot. Poor thing. He - it - is not doing much except sitting near the wall by the eastern exit, 'enjoying' the amount of light available in the hallway.

Dungeon Dandelion> Shiara O'Shay looks at the plant. "Yeah, certianly seems like she has a things for plants and what not, but this is a herbolagy thing, or at least themed in the manner. At any rate, doesn't look like it can move very far," she states stepping a bit closer to the plant.

Dungeon Dandelion> "Dungeon Dandelion... Ummm..." Donovan Boru says raking his hair while he examines it trying to remember something more than the name,"I thought they prefered darkness but I could be wrong... It might be able to move provided it isn't in a pot... See how the leaves are so pale, usually you don't find that in sunny plants."

Dungeon Dandelion> "Right. Dungeon Dandelion. I knew I'd heard of it. The poor thing. It doesn't look happy here at all. It should be in the dungeons...." She stops, and looks at her compatriots. "Maybe...that's where we're meant to be?" Clover Davies looks back at the plant, "Does anyone know where the Dungeons are?"

Dungeon Dandelion> Shiara O'Shay shakes her head softly. "I dunno, but perhaps we're supposed to go in the direction of the plant," she offers with a shrug.

Dungeon Dandelion> "Well I think the entrance is by the Southern Section of the room.... But they usually place them near the exit they want us to use so why don't we head to the east?" Donovan Boru says biting his lips between sentences.

Dungeon Dandelion> Clover Davies shrugs, "As good an answer as any I guess." East then, it was. "Ready?" Clover was American. They most definitely did not have dungeons in America.

Tub O'Bladderwrack> ,-[ Hogwarts - Dungeon Center ]-------------------------.

Tub O'Bladderwrack> Clover Davies peers into the tub and wrinkles her nose. "That....looks as bad as the Mushy Peas they make us eat for dinner sometimes. I...what do you suppose we do with this?"

Tub O'Bladderwrack> Shiara O'Shay peers and shudders. "It does, doesn't it? And honestly, I have no idea what it may be," yet another shudder is offered as she looks about the dungeon center.

Tub O'Bladderwrack> "A little like dulamon." Donovan Boru says slipping into Irish for a moment,"It seems to move most when something approaches." He comments as it begins squirming even more as he approaches,"What to do with it though..."

Tub O'Bladderwrack> Tub O'Bladderwrack rests in the middle of the dungeon. A tub of sorts, filled with slimey looking greens. And these /do/ move, as if the contents of the tub needed to be any more disgusting. There may be an occasional glimpse of.. something.. inside, other than just the walls of the tub and the plants, if one is looking quite closely.

Tub O'Bladderwrack> Clover Davies moves closer to the tub. "I...." Was that something..."Do you two see something glinting in that tub?" Grimacing, but determined to win this hunt now that she had spoiled her dress, Clover splashes her hand into the center of the tub.

Tub O'Bladderwrack> The contents of the Tub O'Bladderwrack wriggle, sqirm, and twist around the hand that makes its way into it, but at the same time yield before it, giving way to the note resting at the bottom of the slimey soup.

Tub O'Bladderwrack> Clover Davies snatches the note off the bottom of the tub. Hmmm...must be spelled to keep it dry. Very clever. "We go east." Because that's what it said. East, and South. Hestia and Melissa must have taken pity on them by now.

,-[ Hogwarts - Dungeon Cell ]-------------------------------------------------.

You made it!" Hestia Davies is standing in the center of the dungeon's cell with Melissa, confetti at the ready. Tossing the little bits of red, gold, green, and silver paper over the trio's heads, the older girl grins. "Congratulations. Melissa, do you have the brains?"

Brains?" Donovan Boru asks brushing a little bit of the paper from his hair and looking at Hestia as if she were a little off her rocker.

Melissa Talison pulls a container from her pocket just as the students come in, adding her out exclamation on "Congratulations!" as she withdraws it. Resting the container, which is filled with a whitish substance, on the palms of both hands, she holds it out ceremoniously.

What..." Looking up dubiously at the white stuff, Clover Davies backs away from Melissa's hands. "What on earth is that. What..." Was that their prize?

Ummm... yeah... what /exactly/ is that stuff." Donovan Boru asks a little wary of the substance. He's not sure whether to take it or run away from it.

It's brains," Melissa Talison repeats Hestia's words, shooting a grin at her Gryffindor companion. "Go on, try some. You really couldn't ask for a tastier prize."

Brains? You want us to eat Brains?" Taking another step back Clover Davies bumps into the door of the cell. "Donovan can eat brains if he wants. But I'm not." Then, blinking, she asks, "Whose brains?"

You expect him to do /WHAT/? Donovan Boru looks at the pair nervously following Clover's lead of backing to the back of the room,"What /kind/ of brain? Are you nuts?! Normal people don't eat the brains of things. Well unless you're in India and then you eat Monkey Brains but... That's different." He doesn't sound fond of the idea/.

Hestia Davies shrugs, "Suit yourselves then. But to get the real prize, you have to eat these Lizercundium brains." Grinning, Hestia moves to stand beside Melissa. "Trust us. Have we steered you wrong at all? You'll /like/ them."

Lizard brains! WE," and she includes Donovan in this, "Are not eating lizard brains. That's....well that's very unladylike." Clover Davies grins over at the boy, "And it's not gentlemanly either."

Lizercundium... That's a plant isn't it?" Donovan Boru says blinking slightly and smiling at Clover."If you tell us what Lizercundium is, I will try a bit and that way Clover will know if they are poisonous." Hehe Gentlemanly, no? Boy dies, girl knows it is poisonous.

Melissa Talison pushes her hands, and therefore the container of brains, farther forward. Almost an insistence that the two try some. "You really /will/ like them, promise. It /is/ a plant; I've never tried /lizard/ brains.. could always feed some to Jamie, see what he thinks.." Somehow, she remembers the actual topic at hand. "Yes. Plant brains, just plants. And not poisonous, neither."

You just performed a double negative...." Donovan Boru says a tad bit warily, "Does that mean that they are indeed poisonous or was it simply a slip of the tongue that caused you to negate your negative statement." Ok. The boy is too much a fan of brains. He does reach forward for the brains. Oh dear. he might as well get it over with.

Right Dono. Plant brains. You /know/ how I like plants." Well, he would if Maidhc had ever mentioned her. How could one mention Hestia Davies and /not/ bring up plants or Quidditch. "Go on, try them. 'Lis and I love them. And we eat them all the time."

A double negative? Clover Davies peers at Donovan and grins. Her grin widens in surprise as he takes a chance at the Brains. He was going to eat them! There better be a /big/ prize for eating brains! Would Clover Davies have to? Well, Donovan would tell her if they were terrible...

Melissa Talison just blinks at Donovan. "What?" Oh well; at least he's trying them. 'Lissa nods after Hestia's comment, a definite agreement to what the other said.

Shiara O'Shay peers at the lizercundium brains. "Umm, are these, edible?"

Very cautiously Donovan Boru takes a bit of the 'brains' and pops it into his mouth very quickly before smiling slightly,"Hey these are actually tolerable. The substance tastes vaguely familiar..." He pauses for a moment as if searching his brain for more info,"I can't remember why the name feels familiar..."

As she watches Clover take a tentative bite of the sticky white goo, Hestia Davies grins. "They're used to make candy. Scrumdidyumptious and the like. And that really /is/ the brain of the plant. It's semi-sentient." As the younger girl grins, apparently liking the substance, Hestia Davies's face brightens. "Excellent. Now you," she nods at Shiara.

Shiara O'Shay shrugs slightly and takes a bit, if Clover can do it, she can do. "So, they make candy out of this stuff or something?"

It's what makes the candy sweet," Melissa Talison replies, pleased with the general reaction. "I think that's what it does, anyway, wasn't it Hestia?"

Hestia Davies nods. "Yes. Magic candy anyway. Some of it." She grins at her year-mate, "So, should we give them the real prize now? We didn't think three of you would make it together. So we're sorry but you have to share the prize."

I don't think any of us could have done it by ourselves." Donovan Boru says smiling at Shiara and Clover,"We all had talents." yeah like Encyclopedia boy, fearless girl, and Shiara. Sapphire eyes sparkle slightly,"Give me only a small amount. I don't eat it but I'll send it to someone who does and they can only have small amounts."

Melissa Talison chuckles quietly. "I suppose they deserve it, don't you? How'd it go with all.. everything, anyway?" Second part of course being directed to the younger, yet-to-be Hogwarts students. With another blink for Donovan, as well. "You don't eat it? But.. How?"

Shiara O'Shay grins slightly. "This is good stuff," she notes with a grin. "And he's right, none of us could have done this without everyone elses help, I'm sure we'd have all ended up lost otherwise." A nod is offered to afferm her statement. "It was quite fun as well, exploring the school, I expect we all know our way around here just a little bit better than we did when we started out."

Oh! And maybe we won't get as lost when we come to school here..." But then Clover Davies wouldn't be coming to school here for more than a year.

I guess they do. Give them the prize Melissa." Hestia Davies reaches out and takes a snip of the brains for herself.

Melissa Talison shifts the container of brains to one hand, finding and then offering a bag of candies with the other. "Here you are. Enjoy!" And as soon as they take the bag, she's going after a bit of brains for herself as well.

Watch Where You’re Going!

Transfiguration class has just ended and, it being the last class of the day for the newest batch of first years, many of them are in a hurry to get out and start going about their own business for the day. There is one boy, however, who is dragging his feet about leaving, taking several sluggish minutes to get his things together and wander out into the hallway - the reason is quite plain; he has his nose stuck in a book. His blonde hair is shaggy and really too long to suit him, and his bright blue eyes scan the page quickly, clearly anxious to get to the end of the book, or at least the end of the chapter. He's a little small for a first year, but his feet are quite large; someday, perhaps, he'll grow into them. Once Joseph Wexler, the young boy in question, finally makes his way out of the classroom, he plops himself down in the hallway just outside the room, kicking his feet up on his bookbag and settle down for a good, long read.

Emerging from the class few moments later, Carrie Whittier is her own usual self, trailing behind the rest of the students as she goes about her way. Red hair long and in plaits, she's a tall, gangly girl; the sort of girl who stands out amongst her peers. She hunches herself a little as she walks, trying to fit the average profile. Her robe is already looking wrinkled early into the year, and her gaze never leaves the floor, which is one of the reasons she rams straight into the slow-poke reading a book. "Oof!" She tumbles forward, and turns about, her eyes going wide. "Sorry," she mutters. "You dropped your book."

"Hey!" Joseph jumps to his feet in annoyance as someone trips right over him; not even bothering to right his book, he plants his hands on his hips and looks at her. "When you walk, you have to look /down/ as well as /ahead/, or else you're going to trip! Do you tread in pooh all the time as well?" Only after this chastisement does he hold out an arm to her and asks, his tone still rather annoyed, "Are YOU alright?" He bends down to pick up his book, cheeks flushed red.

"I was looking down!" Carrie snaps back, angry. "You watch where... you're sitting! We have a library!" Looking about, she brushes down her robe. "I'm fine. I'm really fine." Glaring at Joseph, she steps back a few times and hits the other wall of the hallway. "And I didn't hurt you, right?"

"Can't have been looking down too careful!" Joseph retorts, crossing his arms across his chest and hugging his book closely. "Or you would have seen that you were about to /trip over a person/."

"Hallways aren't for reading!" Carrie sniffs back, holding her wand up against her chest and hunching over it. "Use the library like NORMAL people." Looking back and forth, she watches for teachers.

As Joseph notices that Carrie has her wand, he presses his lips together closely and grips his book all the more tightly. "Hallways also aren't for... tripping over people!" He retorts, but a little lamely; he doesn't have much to add, and he's just watching her wand carefully. "There's no /rule/ against reading in hallways... but there's a rule against using that wand, so you watch out." He starts craning his own neck looking for a teacher - but he can't see any yet! Rats!

"I'm not going to use it!" Carrie snaps back. "I'm right worthless with it anyway." Her tone drops to a mutter, and she slides down to the ground as she does so, peering over the hallway at Joseph. "You're the Wexler boy, right?"

"One of them," Joseph replies, a little warily, eying Carrie awkwardly. He relaxes just a little, but still seems to be watching her quite carefully. He sits back down as well, confirming, "Yeah... Joseph Wexler. What did you hear about me?" There's a bit of a demanding hint in his voice, but he tries to keep it in check.

"I know you're from that huge pure blood family." Carrie shrugs. "I don't hear a lot. I don't have many friends." A pause. "I'm sorry I tripped over you. I wasn't looking forward. I looked down, though. I always look down. I'm Carrie." She responds, not looking at Joseph while she says it.

"We're not that huge a family," Joseph replies matter-of-factly, turning his gaze up towards the ceiling (so she can't see his faint smile). "That's just a facade that we put on to coverup the huge crime syndicate that we run out of our family home." He glances back down to her, though, eyes narrowing slightly. "Still reckon if you opened your eyes you would have seen me. I was sitting /right there on the floor/."

"My eyes were open enough to know you're not a bunch of criminals," Carrie mouths, barely speaking. "That isn't the kind of 'family' you are. Sides, your aunt's the nurse, I know." Pausing, she looks about and slides a chocolate frog pack out of her pocket and then skids it across the polished floor to Joseph. "Sorry again."

At this, Joseph's brow creases a little. "How do you know I'm related to - ohhh," it dawns on him a moment later. "Oh. She's not my aunt." He furrows his brow, and adds, "Dad explained it to me when I started. She's my... uh..." He frowns, unable to think of it. "She's something. And anyway, how do you /know/ we're not a crime syndicate? Are you an expert on crime syndicates?"

"I know enough to know that you're no criminal. You're just some ... some hallway reader. Ravenclaws. Always some nose in a book." Carrie sniffs, and points. "I said sorry with it! Quidditch set. Current year. You like Quidditch?"

"Oh!" Joseph's family is quite distracting, but the chocolate frog just as much so. He tears the wrapper off it in delight, but only licks at the frog slowly, not even bothering to check who it is on the card; why would he care about that? He looks up at Carrie, adding, "I'll forgive you, but only - only if you take back what you said about my /always/ having my nose in a book. You don't know that."

"Alright." Carrie agrees immediately. "I don't know it." Pausing, she mumbles, "You probably think I'm some dufferpuff, anyway."

"'Course I do," Joseph replies, licking at the chocolate frog again, and turning his gaze up towards the ceiling - again, trying to make his expression less than obvious. "Everyone in Hufflepuff is a complete idiot and I wouldn't even deign to talk to you 'cept you tripped over me because you're such a ridiculous Hufflepuff. I heard that the Dark Lord Versita turned evil solely 'cause she was in Hufflepuff and was so sick of being surrounded by twerps."

Carrie Whittier sniffs back. "Shut up." Looking away, she finds a particular spot on the wall apparently fascinating and stares at it for thirty-odd seconds before announcing, "I should get back to the dorms. I need to do my homework for the night."

"Have fun, clumsy Carrie," Joseph chirps in response, rising to his feet again and pulling out the chocolate frog card only now, handing it back to her. "You can keep this, I don't want it anyway." He turns and wanders off away from her, presumably off on his way to find his own common room, licking at his chocolate frog as he walks.

Twink with Style!

(OOC: 1912 flashback scene... serious twink style this time.)

ADMIN NOTE: This log does not officially occur in the game's timeline. It was meant to be a fun scene in which all parties make fun of themselves. Nothing in this log is to be taken seriously, and none of it is canon as far as the game is concerned.

Basically, none of this ever happened.

,---------------------------------------------------.

Jessa Luna hovers into the rose garden humming to herself, her wand pointed at her feet. Her hair is straight and unstyled and falls to her mid-back. She is wearing a Slytherin school uniform and a robe that is undone and displays the hint of her feminine curves.

John Winters is in the rose garden trying to escape all the evil magic. He is sitting with a history book because history is not evil. He wears black robes and does not have his wand, but is safe because his cousin is a teacher.

Sitting up in the tree, Astra Rathe has somehow managed to get up there. The hood of her cloak is actually not pulled back for once and she watches the other students from her high perch. A backpack hangs off another branch nearby and she seems pretty comfortable where she's at. She isn't wearing the mandated school uniform, or if she is it can't be seen because her black inky robe is not the kind that opens in the front and it is very long.

Eva Wexler walks into the rose garden with a gaggle of boys behind her. "Go /away/," she tells them with a slightly dramatic sigh. The young girl is wearing a Ravenclaw uniform which follows her curvy body, and her skirt is too short because of a gorwth spurt that she had recently. "I don't like any of you, go away," she tells them again before going to sit down and crossing her legs then opening a book she was carrying.

Jessa Luna stares at Eva with a slightly annoyed expression, partly because of the boys but also because Eva is a Ravenclaw -- and if there's one thing that Jessa has never liked here at Hogwarts, it's Ravenclaws. She makes a point of turning her nose up at Eva and, with a bare glance to John, distracts herself by trying to climb the tree along with Astra. Because she is quite good at magic even though she cannot read, she does this by waving her wand and making her Wingardium Leviosa spell work even better, and she floats up into the branches of the tree, wrapping her legs around one branch and greeting Astra with a supercilious, "Good morning."

Why are you floating?" Eva asks Jessa, looking at her with a haughty expression. Eva doesn't like Slytherins. They're evil. "Hi, there," she tells John.

John Winters glares at Jessa as she is using magic to get around, which he would never do. He sighs dramatically and keeps glaring at her as she is up in the tree. John doesn't mind Eva, because she has not done anything but read. "What book is that?"

Eva says, "It's a muggle book - Pride & Prejudice. Have you read it?"

John says, "I haven't but my sisters like it. I have read the Bible and I read about nature and cultures and history."

Staring openly at the other Slytherin Astra back up just a little on the branch because she doesn't want to fall off and be thought of as clumsy. Pulling up the hood of her cloak the girl shrugs up her shoulders in a defensive position and stares in awe at the Jessa. Hi. She waits a little longer before adding, in an affected and raspy whisper You're really good at that. You must have practiced a long time. Looking down at the ground to see what's going on down there she watches the other students with the same guarded body language as if afraid of the entire world.

Eva says, "You should come down form the tree, you could fall."

Of course I haven't read it!" Jessa replies defensively, though she does not fall out of the tree. She just glares at Eva a little more and with a very supercilious smile she informs the stupid Ravenclaw girl, "I like doing it," because she just knows that the Ravenclaw isn't capable of doing something like that. Just to show off, she stands on the branch with one foot, keeping herself perfectly balanced with magic as she comments to Astra, "I haven't practiced very much, no."

John Winters is not afraid of anyone. He is going to convert the entire student body when they realize how wrong they are, including his cousin, even though she doesn't agree with him. "Your soul will get hurt. You should climb down and skip classes tomorrow with me. I am going to learn to swim in the lake."

You should read it," Eva says to Jessa with a nod then looks at John again with a shrug. "I like it. I've never read the bible. I don't think I care to. I heard it's just tragic stories. I like romance stories. History is fun sometimes but it gets boring."

Eva says, "I like swimming! Can I come too?"

John says, "Yes! But you should read it because it is not just stories. We could have a picnic at the lake with swimming."

I don't want to read it!" Jessa replies scathingly and superciliously, flipping her hair over her shoulder and smirking in a self-satisfied way at the idiot Ravenclaw girl. "I have better things to do in my time than read books."

Eva says, "Like climbing stupid old trees?"

I won't fall! I climb trees all the time at home and I climb on everything. Father says I'd be a squirrel if I were an animal." Astra responds quietly even if the remark wasn't meant for her. Looking at the boy curiously Astra decides to pull back the hood of her cloak, maybe these other students aren't so scary after all. "I can swim a little, but fishing is better." "Did you ever see the big old squid?"

Jessa Luna flips her hair again, but smiles with just a hint of chagrin, nodding her head at Eva in a very condescending way. "I know it hurts you that you can't do things like this, but that's just because you're freak girl." To John, in a stage whisper, she adds, "Eva is a freak girl because she has a clone."

Eva says, "She's not a clone she's my twin sister!"

Eva says, "You're just jealous."

John Winters looks up at Astra even thought she is in the tree and evil. "It is a lake, we can go fishing too. You should come to the picnic. What is the squid?" John is not scared of a squid but maybe it would be cool to see it.

Eva Wexler moves over to where John is. "I like picnics and swimming. We live near the shore so I'm very good at swimming. I even brought my bathing suit to school this year!"

Jessa says, "The only reason to bring a bathing suit is so you can show off your body which is a bit SINFUL," %n opines in a supercilious way, raising an eyebrow at Eva and pursing her lips disapprovingly. "I suspect that we know already who the first pregnant girl is going to be, don't we?" She looks to the others for approval, then folds her arms and glares at Eva. "Unless her /clone/ does it first.""

John Winters smiles at Eva and is happy that she will be friends with him. "You live near the shore? Where do you live? I don't have a swimsuit but I have some pants and I cut the legs off them because they were getting too short." He looks up at Jessa and glares at her again because she spoke to him. "She is not a freak, you are a freak. You are using magic in a tree."

Eva says, "Your just jealous because you dont have a nice body like mine, you meanie slytherin. I have a nice body and I like to show it."

Eva says, "That will work for swimming clothes. We live in Bournemouth. Well, close to it. I have five brothers and my twin sister who live there with me."

I have a nice body and I like to show it is just another way of saying that you thrive on male attention," Jessa opines in response, though she does pull aside her robe and pose a little for Eva. "I have a nice body too, but I do not show it off to BOYS."

Eva says, "Why?"

John says, "I have a lot of brothers and sisters but I forget how many. They are all farmers."

Jessa says, "If you don't know, I'm not going to tell you."

Astra Rathe looks down at John and scrambles over to another branch but not to get away from Jessa, she's just enjoying climbing around. "It's a big lake. With a squid and merpeople and everything! But Scotland isn't Wales and I miss home." Looking to Jessa she sighs, "You're so good at charms."

John says, "Jessa she is not showing off, she wants to come swimming. Everyone wears a swimsuit to swimming. Astra, are you coming tomorrow?"

Astra says, "I can't swim very well and I don't have anything I can swim in. I can make a fishing rod and then maybe if we catch anything we can have fish, but we'll have to put it back if we catch merpeople or something like that. I don't think they'd make good eating."

Eva says, "I don't think so either."

Eva says, "Jessa you should just mind your own business. I like looking the way I do and boys like me better than you so you're missing out."

I know," Jessa tells Astra, looking her over and affecting a small smile. It is a very affectionate smile, perhaps even romantic, and she purses her lips a little as she looks at the other girl, a hint of longing in her sea-green eyes. This is the first time she has ever been in love. All thoughts of swimsuits and slutty pregnant Ravenclaw girls are completely gone from her mind and all she can think of is the fact that Slytherin girls are cute automatically even if they aren't all that cute or you're not interested in girls

Astra Rathe pondres over what Jessa said and bites her lip before piping up, "Do you show it off to girls then? Arnauld says some boys like boys and some girls like girls and some girls kiss boys and girls and some boys kiss boys and girls. It all seems kind of confusing and I don't know why anyone would want to, but I know they do. I've seen it."

John Winters agrees with Astra because he would not want to eat a merperson, they might poison him because they are magic. "I would like to go fising too. We will have fun, but I hope we don't catch a squid. I want to see the squid from a boat."

Eva Wexler is not pregnant!

John says, "Eww that's gross. Why would you want to do that Jessa?"

Eva says, "I like kissing boys."

Jessa says, "I want to kiss Astra."

Jessa Luna blushes FURIOUSLY because she did not mean to say that out loud.

John says, "That is so gross I would never kiss a boy, only girls."

Jessa Luna covers up her faux pas by saying, "That is why you will get pregnant, Eva. John will get you pregnant."

Astra Rathe shrugs and just continuing to talk because she doesn't know better. "Arnauld says it's normal so I guess it is. He likes everyone and he kisses lots of people." Looking at Jessa when she says that the girl goes ashen and shakes her head. "I'm sorry Jessa. I don't want to kiss anyone yet. I don't even have curves or stuff." "Besides," here she rolls her eyes, "if Thomas D'arcy found out he'd yell at me for /days and days/ because he thinks I belong to him or something stupid even though he's muggleborn."

Astra Rathe knows better than to say mudblood now.

John Winters glares at Jessa again and doesn't want her to come to the lake with them. "I don't think we should invite Slytherins Eva. Except Astra so she can go fishing."

Eva says, "OK, that sounds good. Jessa can't come because she wants to kiss girls instead of boys."

Astra says, "There are good Slytherin! Ruth Cohen is good and she dates a Gryffindor."

John says, "Astra I said you could come!"

Eva says, "It's okay, astra, you can come"

Astra Rathe looks between Eva and John. "But Arnauld *says* it's okay to kiss anyone you want. He has all sorts of books with naked people in them and stuff. He says we shouldn't be ashamed of our bodies, but I don't get most of it."

John Winters just doesn't want Jessa there because she is weird.

Eva says, "That sounds like he's trying to get you to do wierd things."

Astra says, "Jessa should be able to come even if she does want to kiss girls. That's like saying Thomas couldn't come because his parents are muggles."

John says, "Also she's evil and uses magic."

Jessa Luna starts to cry a little bit because she is heartbroken and left out, so she stomps her foot and points her wand at John and yells out a spell that makes his body go all stiff.

Astra says, "Arnauld wouldn't do anything to me. He's sweet and he takes care of me better than my own parents!"

Eva says, "I bet he wants to,though."

Eva says, "We all use magic, John. duh."

Astra says, "Nuh uh. He likes girls with curvy bits."

John Winters is all stiff and starts sobbing because Jessa used a spell on him and now he wont go to heaven and he will die.

Astra says, "And I don't have any and I'm not very pretty like you and Jess anyway."

Jessa says, "My name is Jessa not Jess."

Astra says, "I'm sorry, I meant to type Jessa."

Astra says, "That was meant to be OOC. >

From Fire to Ice in Ten Seconds Flat

In a castle the size of Hogwarts, and with the number of teachers on staff, there's a few rooms about the place which apparently haven't been used in some time -- except by students like lanky sixth year Lowell Marchand, who makes his way into the fifth floor classroom, peeking over his shoulder as he does so as if to check that no one has been following him. It's mid-to-late afternoon, now, and it is with purpose that he steps across the canvas to the blackboard. A wave of his wand clears a patch in the middle, where he slowly begins to chalk in a sketch - a pretty rose, with a long stem, around one side of which he sketches the name 'Eva Wexler'. He pushes his glasses up his nose with the them of his non-drawing hand, and his eyebrows are furrowed in concentration as he sketches.

Eva Wexler has finally escaped from her friend and her older brother who have been trying to pull her into a game of exploding snap. The girl has managed to fob off their excuses, and although she is later than planned, she skips merrily up to the fifth floor, where she has planned to meet with her newest boyfriend: Lowell. Peeking around the corner and looking both ways in the corridor, she quickly tickles the underside of the doorknob (the secret to getting this one to open, which she discovered quite on accident one day) and sneaks in, closing the door fast behind her. "Hi, Lowell," she says sweetly, grinning widely at the boy. She looks to where he is and approaches him slowly, almost deliberately. "That's very sweet," she tells him with a giggle.

"You're late," Lowell replies plaintively, lowering the chalk; the picture of the rose isn't quite done yet, so perhaps it's a good thing that Eva ended up running a little bit behind schedule. "Did your other secret boyfriend keep you?" A smile curls about his lips, though, and it's quite plain that he's just joking; he looks her over with a slightly raised eyebrow, and he reaches out for her with one hand.

"Don't be mean," Eva pouts coyly and crosses her arms across her front, only managing to keep up her front for a moment before she skips over to him happily and takes his hand. "It really is a very pretty drawing," she repeats with a giggle, coming to stand closer to him and tilting her face up toward him. "I had a hard time getting my friend and my brother to let me go. They wanted me to play exploding snap with them, but I said I needed to go practice my charms with another friend..." She trails off with a grin, remaining silent as she lets the full double-meaning of her statement sink in.

"Oh?" Lowell asks, smirking a little and drawing her in still closer by gently tugging on her hand, positioning it neatly on his hip as he asks, "What kind of charms do you need practice with? I'm sure I can offer some assistance in practicing your... romantic ones," he shakes his head at the end of that sentence, adding, "I can't pull off stuff like that, the thought sounded sexier in my head." He chuckles, at this, and leans forward to kiss her, just gently.

Eva responds with a giggle and leans up to kiss him back. "It was alright," she tells him and wraps her arm around his back. After a moment, Eva seems not to know quite what to say or do next - beginning is always awkward. "You're so tall..." she tells him quietly, looking up at him. She stands up on her tiptoes and leans up to kiss him again, perhaps lingering a little longer this time.

In response to her complaint about his height, Lowell casts his glance around the room, eventually landing his eyes on the teacher's desk. With a soft murmur of, "Give me just one second," at her next kiss, he extracts himself from her and motions for her to hop up onto the desk, one eyebrow raised encouragingly, and with just a hint of a suggestive smile at his lips. "Now I'm not so tall, am I?"

Eva giggles again and shakes her head as she sits up on the desk and reaches her arms out toward him. "No, not quite so tall. I wonder if I'll grow any taller. I feel so /short/. And /fat/." She sighs dramatically and shakes her head then waves her hand. This is followed by reaching up to touch his cheek with a slight air of awkwardness. "Alone at last," she sighs happily. "So, about that charms practice."

"You're not short or fat," Lowell tells her seriously, frowning slightly at her. His frown fades to a rather more satisfied smile, though, as his hands move to her hips, just gently resting there for a moment as he observes, "I think you look great. And who else's opinion matters except mine, hm?" He doesn't give her a chance to answer that, though, as he moves in to kiss her again, the same sort of lingering kiss that Eva herself attempted before Lowell decided to move it over to a desk instead.

"Thanks," Eva whispers just in time for her lips to come back into contact with his for an extended moment. "Isn't there anywhere more comfortable to sit in here?" she asks, looking about before she spots a plush armchair pushed back into the far corner of the room. "There," she suggests, sliding down from the desk and pushing him back so she can stand, then basically dragging him across the room toward the chair. "More comfortable, don't you think?" she suggests, gesturing for him to sit.

"Oh, but haven't you always wanted to make out on a teacher's desk?" Lowell asks, an almost mischievous note in his voice. "It's a little... naughtier than an armchair." For all that, though, he is willingly led across the room and, as they reach the armchair, he nestles himself down into it, taking her arm and pulling her down into his lap. "Although, the chair has some added benefits," he adds, after a moment.

"Armchairs are comfier, though. Better than a stodgy desk, anyway." She beams at him mischeivously and settles in comfortably on his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck comfortably. (For her, anyway.) She settles in to kiss him again, leaning against him comfortably. This lasts for several uninterrupted minutes, until the door opens unexpectedly. At first, the girl doesn't even notice, but then "EVA!" is shouted into the room and she is so startled that she nearly falls off of Lowell's lap. "FREDDIE!" she shouts back. "What are you doing in here? Go away!" she calls to her older brother.

Lowell has been getting pretty comfortable himself, to the point where Eva may have noticed just how much he's enjoying the closeness and physical intimacy. This all fades - as it were - when Freddie bursts in, though, and the fact that Lowell just about jumped out of his skin at the sudden shouting does not help Eva's balancing act, and he has to tighten his grip on her to stop her from indelicately falling to the floor. As he rights himself, and his girlfriend, he relaxes his grip on her again, his cheeks flushing red. In a rather deep, unnatural voice, he offers, "Freddie. How you doing?"

"So, about that charms practice," Freddie asks his sister, crossing his arms, ignoring the fact that he has his own female companion trailing behind him in the doorway. "It's none of /your/ business," Eva tells him, crossing her own arms. "I was here first. /We/ were here first. Go away." "Marchand, what are you doing here with my sister?" he asks the other boy in a slightly threatening voice. "I swear to you, Freddie, if you don't get out right now, I'll tell mum!" Freddie scoffs. "Tell her what? That you were necking with a lowlife sixth year?"

Keeping out of it for the moment, Lowell just cranes his neck to see whoever it is lingering behind Freddie in the doorway. Maybe if he doesn't say anything else, Freddie will mistake him for a part of the armchair - no, apparently not. As his name gets dragged into it, the blush on his cheeks rises still further, and he gently tries to coax Eva out of his lap as he retorts, "Exactly what you were planning to do with her," he gestures with one hand, readjusting his glasses with the other. "Some other guy's sister, I'll have you know."

"No, I'm staying /right here/," Eva tells Lowell with a strange level of confidence in her voice, at least for her lately. She has been playing the coy, subdued girl with her latest boy, and with the approach of her brother, a little more of her full personality comes back. She leans in and gives Lowell a solid kiss on the lips. "There. We were here /first/. I thought you and she were going to play /exploding snap/," Eva counters to her brother with a pointed look. "Nobody asked you, Marchand," Freddie counters, though not without blushing first. Apparently he is not as brazen as his sister about his 'flings'.

Astonished into submission by the kiss, Lowell doesn't really respond to it (her /brother's/ in the room, man), but also doesn't do much else, either. Eventually, he offers a slightly annoyed, "I think you did when you bust in on us, /Wexler/." He looks very much like he wants to stand up and have this out with Freddie a little more directly, or at least not offend him further by continuing to feel up his sister right in front of him, but Eva's weight on his lap isn't really helping that.

"You come over here and say that to my face," Freddie shouts to the other boy, stomping his foot. The boy is tall, but incredibly thin with little bulk to him, so his calls to the other boy would be laughable by most. Eva, however, does not think this is funny. Climbing out of Lowell's lap and the chair unceremoniously, she stomps over to her brother, pointing her finger into his face. "You have some nerve, Frederick Herbert Wexler," she tells the boy loudly. "We were here /first/, and it's none of /your/ business, who I'm with and how I spend my time!" Freddie wrinkles his nose at Eva as she uses his full name, then steps around her, walking toward Lowell. "Come on, be a man. Say it to my face."

Also being tall and lanky, Lowell isn't what you would normally call a fighter either - but as Eva finally clambers out of his lap, he stands up and pulls his wand out, though he keeps it pointed towards the ground and not actually /at/ Freddie. He walks over towards Freddie, standing about four or five paces behind Eva, and tells him in as firm a voice as e can manage, "You brought me into when you bust in on us! Wexler!" Yeah, that sure is saying it to his face.

Freddie draws his own wand and instead of safely pointing it at the ground as Lowell is doing, he points it at the other boy. "You keep your hands off of my little sister." "LITTLE SISTER?" Eva shouts. "Eighteen months! Eighteen months is all! You're not even that much older than me!" Eva stamps her foot much in the same way that her brother had. "You leave Lowell alone! We were here FIRST!" the girl is starting to shriek loudly at the boys, angrily rather than out of fear.

As Freddie draws his wand, Lowell raises his own very sharply, though the tip wavers a little, as his hand is shaking a bit. With now just a hint of a stammer, he explains, "She came onto me, Freddie, you have to understand that." He glances sidelong at Eva, and bites at his lower lip a little; a lot of the romance has gone out of the scene now, and his expression indicates that he's a little put off from pursuing romance with her for some time, even if Freddie does go away. To Freddie, he adds, "I wouldn't actively pursue your sister, you know that."

As Lowell makes this protestation, Eva gapes openly at him. "Well aren't you /something/!" she tells him angrily, walking over and pushing him herself. "You are a liar and I never want to see you again!" she tells the boy, then turns to Freddie, drawing out her own wand and pointing it at her older brother. "You /ruined/ my afternoon. You are horrible. I'm writing to mum about this, see what she has to say about /that/!" Eva's cheeks are red as she stands with her wand pointed directly at her older brother Freddie keeps his wand pointed at Lowell and looks incredibly puzzled now, as if he isn't quite sure what to make of this new development. "What were you doing in that chair with her, then? And what about /that/?" he points to the blackboard.

Harried, busy, tired, and above all not planning on spending what little free time she has chasing after more students, Sylvie Winters-Geroff yet finds herself drawn into the doorway of the empty classroom. The yelling might've had something to do with it. Never one to immediately walk in and start yelling, Sylvie takes one further step into the room, then stands there, a slight frown on her face and eyebrows raised. Her last step was just slightly louder against the floor before she stops moving.

"Isn't that proof that I wasn't just messing around?" Lowell asks Freddie sharply, changing tack suddenly, gesturing to the board with his non-wand hand. "This is clearly more than me just feeling her up in a chair, I don't draw roses on the board for just anyone." As Eva shouts at him and pushes him, he has to make a grab for his wand to avoid dropping it, and he shouts back, "Fine! Fine! If you're never going to see me again, I guess it doesn't matter what your brother thinks!" Then, to Freddie, "You hear that? Your sister's a little -" he cuts himself off, though, as Sylvie walks in.

"I don't know what it means?" Freddie protests, shrugging, and lowering his wand slightly. Eva gasps loudly, even though Lowell doesn't finish his statement. "What? What am I?" she asks him, turning to point her wand at him instead of at Freddie. After a moment, both she and Freddie seem to realize that there is a reason for his silence before turning to see the distraction. As she spots Sylvie, she gasps again, dropping her wand hand to her side and putting the other over her mouth in pure shock.

"You might as well put those wands away," Sylvie notes rather mildly to the students, once she has their attention. "No one is going to be casting anything today. I should hope that at least /Slytherins/ should know better than this." As she speaks, she walks further into the room, until she is standing with the students. "Now.. would anyone care to explain what's going on in here?"

"Eva and I were studying," Lowell blurts out, glancing from Eva, to Freddie, to Freddie's girlfriend, and then back to Sylvie, slipping his wand back into his pocket. "Studying... charms. And then he burst in," he points an angry, accusatory finger at Freddie, "and started yelling! And then she started yelling!" He looks wildly from person to person, trying to make himself look as innocent as possible.

"He brought me here under false pretenses!" Eva butts in pointedly. "He said we were going to study charms and then he started to take advantage and then my brother came in here and started THREATENING him meanly!" Eva's sacrificing her own brother for her reputation in this case, but he's having none of it. "They were /kissing/!" Freddie says in pure horror, leaving out any mention of why he's even come to this empty classroom, while his companion, Veronica, merely stands dumbly, inching a way slowly from the group of them as if the distance will dissociate her from the situation. "I was protecting my sister's /honor/!" Freddie insists, then looks puzzled. "I think."

"False pretences!" These words burst out from Lowell's mouth before he even stops to think about them. He looks utterly horrified by this allegation, and he looks to Sylvie for confirmation. "I don't think it counts as false pretences when a GIRL says to come and meet you in an empty classroom so you can have a private chat and you just happen to kiss her!" He glares back at Eva and adds, spitefully, "I heard you were snogging Adrian Turner in here last week, even though you'd already agreed to be MY girlfriend! Is that true?"

Sylvie Winters-Geroff is quiet for a moment as she listens to the various explanations, taking a moment to brush a bit of imaginary dirt of the side of her robe, and looking no more concerned than when she walked in when she finally responds. "I'm sure, if you need extra Charms help, I can ask your professor to set you up with some extra work." Her first remark is directed specifically to Lowell and Eva, though at her next, she glances at the other two as well. "A couple seventh years might even be spared to watch over your sessions - of course, you may join them - and it would certainly save all of you from having to fight over which.. extra-curricular activities.. to enjoy in your free time."

"Oh..." Eva replies, sighing a bit and trying not to make a face as the teacher offers down her 'suggestion' for the group of them. "We didn't mean anything, professor, promise! It was just... a misunderstanding. Right?" She looks to the others and nods as if telling them to go along with it. The last thing the girl wants is /more/ homework, particularly in a class that she's already fairly good in. "I'm - I'm sure we don't need any extra work, really!"

Lowell calms down somewhat when Sylvie offers her suggestion, and he shakes his head firmly. "No - no, you see, actually, I was just helping Eva out, I definitely don't need any extra help..." And although he shoots Eva an absolutely venomous look, his tone is as even as he can manage as he confirms, "Just a misunderstanding." In a bit more of an undertone, he adds, "/I/ understood that we'd be alone. Wexler clearly didn't."

Sylvie Winters-Geroff nods once to Eva, her gaze resting firmly on Lowell now. "I'm not so sure about that. I hope I /never/ catch another of my students in this situation... or attempting to lie to me." That said, her attention turns back to the group at large, eyes settling for a few seconds on each of them individually. "If you are sure you don't want to take me up on that offer..." "Very well. I suggest you go find somewhere else to spend your time."

Eva doesn't have to be told twice as Sylvie suggests that the students take their leave. She offers an icy glare to Lowell, then another to Freddie before looking to the professor. "Er, thank you, professor!" She says slightly dumbly before running past the woman out the door. She doesn't even wait to see what the others do. Freddie is soon behind her, nodding to the teacher before he leaves slowly, giving a significant look to his friend, who then follows him out.

"Yes, professor," Lowell replies quickly, lowering his gaze and scurrying - oh yes, scurrying - out of the classroom. Once he's out of sight of the teacher, he risks another look up at Eva, and he fixes a rather nasty look on her again, making a bit of a face at her as she hurries away. He makes his own way briskly down towards the dungeon, however, not another word falling from his lips until he's safe in his own common room.

Who Invited the Fairies?

(OOC: 1910-1911 school year.)

-[ Hogwarts - Great Hall ]---------------------------------------------------.

Bertrum Wooster rushes in with a gaggle of other Gryff's and leaps to a chair, the sound of the dinner bell only just recently passed.

Food appears on the Hogwarts House Table and the Staff Table, having been delicately prepared.

Jason Simmons chants.

Jason Simmons a large grin crosses Jason Simmons face.

Melissa Talison slides into the room, carefully holding the edge of her robe an inch or so off the ground. The hat she usually wears has been removed, and her hair might almost seem to ripple as she moves toward Slytherin's table and climbs into a seat, eyes already scanning the dinner selections.

Creaking as doors so often tend to do, the doors of the magnificent Great Hall seem to have not been oiled in quite some time. Poise and grace in her step, Violet Nyholm is seen into the Great Hall; her petite stomach awaiting food, although just a small amount. Waving hair, adding to the lass' elegance, the young professor brushes away stray strands away from her brows as she makes her way toward the Staff Table.

Jana O'Conner clasps her hands together and rests them on the edge of the table as she sees the food. Head bowed, the girl closes her eyes, and quietly says grace to herself. Just like how her parents taught her how to. When she finishes she looks up and a waits for others to start first, feeling impolite if she started before others.

Hog, pig, and food-a-holic may are surely not the first three things you'd think when you see Violet Nyholm. Of course, people do get a certain monstrosity of a craving here and there, and sadly, this was one of her times. Nonetheless, unaware of how much she had piled onto her plate (five sausages, three slices of toast, a side of pealed tomatoes, and two pouched eggs).

Mandy Brocklehurst slips into the room, certainly not looking like most Hufflepuffs, which are usually full of cheer and good humour. Mandy is certainly not either of these today, as her glum expression might indicate. The reason behind the foul mood isn't obvious, though her gloom may possibly be caused by the books she holds underneath her arm - though a hard worker, Mandy never really did like homework. Stalking over towards her house table, Mandy plops herself clumsily onto a bench and scowls around the room.

One of Bertie's companions point out Professor Nyholm as he's just starting into a large potion of yorkshire pudding. Bertrum Wooster raises his eyebrows and smiles happily. "That's the charms teacher? What's she like? I can't wait for charms classes to start."

All the events in the room are ignored in favour of the book that rests before Kieran MacNessa. His emerald eyes follow the words very carefully.

From afar, a slight buzzing sound seems to be heard; very quiet, almost like the hum of a bee just within the hearing distance.

Hearing something, Jason Simmons raises his head from where he is at the Ravenclaw table.

Mandy Brocklehurst is rather in too foul of a mood to pay attention to any buzzing noise, and she dismisses it as just another sound of the Hogwarts castle.

Jason Simmons continues looking around the room.

Melissa Talison pulls one of the many dishes closer to her and begins to scoop a portion of the meat onto her plate, pausing to grin at one of the students across the table from her. Once she has that helping, the dish is shoved toward the other student and Melissa reaches for one a bit further away. It's at that point that the sound reaches her consciousness, but she dismisses it quickly as she starts to form a small pile of vegetables on her plate.

Isaiah Chum creeps through the Great Hall's entrance several minutes late. He gives a few greetings to people, if they catch his eye, but otherwise, he heads straight for the line where he gets himself a sparse (but nutritious meal) and, oddly enough, and extra little dish of fruit salad. His food on platter, in hand, he heads over to the Slytherin table where he seats himself quietly with an apologetic look on his face and begins to eat his supper.

The buzzing noise does seem to awaken Kieran MacNessa from his revelrie looking around as if trying to track down the noise.

Seeming as though something were growing closer to the Great Hall, the buzzing increases lightly. But it's a small buzzing; whatever it is seems to be small.

Jana O'Conner frowns at the noise and curiously glances about the room. Seeing Kieran she gives him a puzzled look and shrugs, showing that she had no clue as to the noise. Wondering whether or not to ignore it she looks at the other students to see if this is new to them as well.

The buzzing noise had already begun when Isaiah Chum entered the Great Hall and although it caught his attention immediately , it didn't register as something strange. As it grows in intensity, a quizzical look falls upon his face and he looks around to the other Slytherins. "Do any of you hear that?" he asks, afraid perhaps that the answer will be a unanimous 'no'.

Jason Simmons stands up from the RAvenclaw table and mutters something which sounds like 'pixies."

Jason Simmons looks at Isaiah. "You hear it too?" he asks.

Bertrum Wooster leans over to nab a golden gravy boat and pull it closer before lifting it to drizzle over his yorkshire pudding, roast beef, potatoes, and other items of food which he quickly grabbed upon sitting to dinner. The buzzing in the distance causes him to twitch up, his head jerking about like a bird. Finally he leans over nearer Kieran, "I say, bees? I wouldn't think they'd let /bees/ in here. Nasty blighters. Got stung once on my bottom."

Mandy Brocklehurst scowls as she looks around the hallway, now deciding perhaps it's worth listening to this strange buzzing noise. Didn't something like this happen before at school? A buzzing sound? Talk about deja vu.. Mandy listens carefully, but doesn't stand from her seat. Looking over at Isaiah, she gives a slight nod of her head.

Jason Simmons's brows knit worriedly. "Maybe it's pixies." he says sounding like this is a definite possiblity.

Growing louder exponentially, something bursts through the door leading to the Great Hall from the north... What looks like rather large fire flies (several inches tall) come loudly into the Great Hall. The 'large fire flies' appear to be fairies.

Melissa Talison pushes her second dish away and closes her hand around an eating utensil, ready to dig in. She's stopped with the food halfway to her mouth though, and raises her eyes to smile at Isaiah. "Suppose I do. Didn't realize this place was infested with bugs, now, did you? Wonder where that reporter went, I'm sure she'd do a story about the living conditions.." Her words come to a quick halt, of course, at the entrance of the fairies.

Val Goldrian sees, sadly, a potato falling away from his fork to the ground. He was gesturing speaking to Erick. He looks at the potato rolling under the Slytherin table. "Oh no" he murmurs.

Rowdy and glad to be free, the fairies, and there are probably a dozen of them, go wild at the sight of all the people and the food. Splitting up, they start to dive at the table. A couple of fairies fall into the mashed potatoes, while others swim in the goblets. Still, a few more begin to swarm around the Hufflepuff table, buzzing aruond the heads of those seated there.

Spotting the fairies, Kieran MacNessa's eyes go wide and and he nearly jumps out of his seat,"Umm... We may need to hide.. Some Faeries are /mean/..." His light treble voice quivers just slightly as he speaks his thick brogue lilting and fast.

Jason Simmons stares at the fairies for a moment. "I don't think those are pixies. At least they don't look like the ones in Defense against the dark arts class...."

Jason Simmons looks at Kieran. "Pixies are mean...and Hinkypunks sometimes...but I don't think they'll hurt us."

Poor Jason, little does he know that some unsuspecting student was playing around in the Defense Against the Dark Arts class and let the fairies free...

Val Goldrian , who was half turned towards the Slytherin table, falls to the ground surprised. He rolls following the same path of his little potato. "WHAT'S THAT?" he exclaims aloud.

Jason Simmons looks at Val. "Shhh..." he says putting a finger to his lips and lowering his voice, "You'll frighten them away!"

Bertrum Wooster slips down from his chair and kneels on the ground, his eyes at table level, watching the fairies fly about and cause mischief with the dinner. "W-What should we do?" he calls out looking between Kieran and Jason.

One of the intruders dives towards the first years at at the Hufflepuff table, pulling at ears. Most are not bothering the wizards, but are they're into a party mood.

Jana O'Conner is a bit startled and quickly moves away as if bitten by something. Her books are forgotten and her face pales even more (If that is even possible) She frightened but tries to hide it by moving in a calmer way. Turning to Jason she asks "Is there some way to be ride of them? I'd like to eat if I could..." Her voice wavers a little, but it still keeps her calm tone.

Isaiah Chum peers around at the pixies enjoying themselves in the food. He's startled by the fairies,b ut even more startling (to him at least), is the sudden struggle that ensues inthe hood of his cloak as his bat, excited by the commotion, tries to get out into the open to fly around. He gasps and claps a hand down on the little critter so she can't get away. "Oh, no Ruby! Those pixies could be dangerous. You can't play with them. No! Bad bat!"

Melissa Talison scoots toward the edge of her seat, eyes widening a bit as she watches the little beings move around. "Hey, lookit /that/," she murmurs to those near her, pointing at one as it dives. Quickly, she grabs a random filled goblet and holds it up. "Here, little.. thing. You can come swim in this if you like! C'mon, c'mere.." Just like calling a pet.

Well, the intruders are either fairies or pixies, whichever are more eeeevil. ;)

Val Goldrian doesn't stop watching the fairies over his house table. Without looking at Jason he murmurs to him: "What?.. I could scare then? THEY are scaring me.. What are they? What are they doin gwith my food?"

Obviously fascinated by the presence of magical creatures in a non-learning enviroment, Jason Simmons goes over and peers into the gravy boat where the fairies are swimming.

Val Goldrian is still seated on the ground near the Slytherin table. Now he doesn't seem to be scared, but curious and surprised. From his position he watches what older students are trying to do with those creatures.

Three fairies jump out of the gravy near Jason, lift it with all of their might and start to fly off with it. Unfortunately, they drop it. The gravy douses Jason and the dish lands on the ground, shattering.

Jason Simmons looks slightly shocked. "Oh dear...." he mutters in a dazed sounding voice as if he wasn't expecting something quite that dramatic to happen.

Melissa Talison eventually stands up and takes a step back from the table, goblet still held high. She spins at the sound of the breaking dish, and gives the whole scene an amused look before gesturing toward a group of faries with the glass. "If you don't want to swim in it, you can break it?" she calls hopefully, having so far failed to attract one. Of course, she wasn't making it quite so obvious before, either.

April Katzowski comes in from Entrance Hall; Northern Section, her auburn curls bouncing behind her back.

Jana O'Conner is more frightened than curious and looks around for some safe place to be. She's heard many terible stories about pixies and fair folk that she'd rather not be in the same room with them. So long as they don't get mad...it should be safe? Maybe not.

Isaiah Chum gulps. "Golly," he murmers. "They're sure causing a lot of trouble. Maybe we'd better fetch a teacher or something so they can put a stop to this." He yelps and draws his hand to his mouth and sucks upon a little cut on his finger where Ruby just bit him. Triumphantly, the bat escapes from the confinement of Isaiah's hood and takes wing, gleefully flying among the pixies, several of whom seem delighted by this new playmate.

Similar to what just happened, desperately trying to lift the mashed potatoes, they drop them... Mashed potatoes go all over the Hufflepuff table. Meanwhile, at the Ravenclaw table, the two who accidently dropped the gravy go back to the table to find more, but knock over goblets...

Bertrum Wooster slowly retakes his seat and chuckles nervously, holding his hands over his meal to protect it. "Seems those things must be Gryffindor house" he jokes. "We're gettin' off pretty well here."

Seeming unconcerned about the fact that he is drenched from head to foot in gravy, Jason Simmons goes and collects the pieces of the broken gravy boat. He leaves the room with them, headed dtward the kitchen.

Melissa Talison lowers her goblet to peer at it, then jams it back onto the table, splashing out a bit of the liquid inside. She turns toward Isaiah at the yelp and moves toward him, trying to grab the boy by the sleeve. "Let's catch one, maybe they'd let us keep it. Be better then a trained daisy!"

April Katzowski meanders slowly into the Great Hall, pausing by the doorway to peer inside. Her eyes widen at the sight of the fairies. Not in fear, but more in fascination; she's never seen a fairy before. She stays in the doorway for a few moments, however, just watching the chaos in the hall. An amused smile lights her face as she observes.

Val Goldrian observes a fairy passing near him. He slowly stands up, trying not to be noticed too much. Then he looks hopefully at the Ravenclaw boy who went out and back: "Is someone coming?" he asks.

What seems to be a food fight amongst ... fairies -- yes, fairies -- is wrecking the Great Hall. Laughing fairies are now throwing food about playfully, disregarding the humans below them who are now getting pelted with sausages and pie.

Jason Simmons comes back into great hall and looks around at the fairies.

Jason Simmons says, "Oh my..."

Jason Simmons looks completely at a loss for words. He thought only piexies were evil....

Val Goldrian is suddenly lightened by an idea. " My old ghost Lippo always says: give them what they are looking for. Are they looking for food? So let's see..". He runs to Hufflepuffs table and catches a couple of goblets. Then he looks for a near fairy and throws a goblet aiming to it.

These fairies aren't evil, they're just having fun. Too much fun. Wheeing, they continue to throw food at each other. Well, unfortunately, basket of strawberries pelts Val Goldrian.

Jana O'Conner ducks as food is thrown her way. She whimpers a little as she longingly looks at her books. Praying that they don't get messed by food or drink she stands fixed in her spot. She's taken a few steps forward, but seeing that it was no use, and that she was unable to get to her books without getting food on her, she stops and looks around the room for help.

Jason Simmons goes and takes some sweet honeyrolls from a platter at one of the four tables and holds it up to the firies in offering.

Isaiah Chum claps a hand over his mouth at ZMelissa's suggestion. "Oh, we can't do that!" he says. "These fairies belong somewhere, I'm sure, and we'd get in so much trouble if we tried to hide on from the teachers...and they don't look at all tame. I think we'd be best off just leaving them to do what they want and going to find a teacher who can take care of this." Pause, Inhale. "And what are we going to do about Ruby? I'm sure they're going to play too rough with her and she's going to get hurt and then I don't know what I'd do...She's so little and fragile..Oooooh!"

Val Goldrian exclaims: "OhO!" being hit by a basket. Then he sadly looks at the remains of his wonderful meal and got angry. "Go out! Go out!" he yells, throwing all the potatoes he can take towards the fairies.

The fairies seem to like strawberries, and get a great kick out of throwing them at one another like baseballs. Strawberries begin hitting the students in random places.

April Katzowski finally allows herself to move from the doorway, strolling into the room to take a seat at the edge of the Gryffindor table. She stares up at the fairies in interest, not seeming to care as a bit of gooey pie crust lands in her hair. Or perhaps she doesn't notice. "Where'd those /come/ from?" she asks, not directing her query to any one in particular.

Melissa Talison shakes her head, shrugging. "It'd be fine. We'd get permission, and everything..." She leaves Isaiah, though, to head toward the middle of the room. Arching her neck to look up at the fairies, she quietly slips her cloak off her shoulders and grips one corner of it loosely. Focusing on one above her, a grin on her face, she tosses the other end of the cloak up into the air, attempting to loop it around the little creature.

Val Goldrian isn't so good in aiming. One potato is flying directly towards Marie Drache's face and another one is falling on Isaiah Chum.

A potato that Val Goldrian throws hits one of the fairies directly... It falls to the floor, out cold. Perhaps dead.

Isaiah Chum is too busy trying to find Ruby amidst the myriad flying creatures to notice the potato coming at him. The spud beans him right in the forehead, and, surprised as all get out, Isaiah falls backwards off of his stool and lands with a thunk on the ground, groaning. "Those fairies sure pack a wallop," he manages. "That thing was like an artillery shell."

Bertrum Wooster lets out a cry of surprise and general all around astonishment as strawberries start to fly this way and that. Reaching for a plate on the table yet to be used, he holds it up as a shield, strawberries occasionally bonking off of it. One strawberry flips off towards a bowl of soup near a few other Gryffindors and splashes the beef broth up and possibly onto them. A particularly boisterous little girl calls out with a laugh, pointing at the soup, "I think I had a Bertie Bott's bean that tasted like strawberry-beef broth on-" and she's promptly bopped on the forehead with another strawberry.

Still obviously concerned to for the safety of the creatures, Jason Simmons rushes over like a daft idiot.

Val Goldrian takes quickly a goblet from his house table and run towards the fallen fairy, to trap it under the goblet.

Marie Drache lets out a slight scream as she comes in and hides behind the door as the potato hits it. She looks around in amazement "Nothing happened to me like this last year. Good thing it's happening now!" she says grinning and stepping into the room, watching the faries.

The fallen fairie recovers quickly, however, and swarms up to Val angrily, chomping at his nose. Hurt, she scurries out of the Great Hall. One down, eleven to go.

Melissa Talison watches her cloak float back down, the end not in her hand landing on the food-covered floor. Not stopped for long, she steps back toward the Slytherin table and climbs up onto the seat, cloak dragged after her. Again she tosses the loose end up, when one of the fairies comes near.

Jason Simmons says, "Oh my..."

Just as the chaos ensues Kieran MacNessa decides it is probably better to be under the table and away from the flying food and wacked out faeries. Ok. Hiding is a good thing. His emerald eyes are wide as can be seeming to take up his small face. However, when he sees what Val is doing he's coming out from under the table and running at the other first year,"Stop! We should get the teacher for magical creatures!"

Two fairies grab the end of Melissa's cloak and pull sternly, glaring at her. Attempting to fly out, it's like they're walking on ice. Shrieking, they summon more of their friends over to help pull on the cloak which is threatening them. They'll teach her.

Val Goldrian trying to hit the fairy who swarmed upon him hit himself with the goblet. Some blood flows from his nose. He let the goblet fall to the ground and puts his hands quickly on his nose, looking angrily at the fairy that leaves the Great Hall. Then, when something flies near his right ear, he turns looking for another target.

April Katzowski continues to watch the fairies with interest, even as food is flying all about her. A few more pieces of pie land on her shoulders, arms, and hair, but she simply brushes them aside. She turns towards Kieran at his exclaimation. "Who /is/ the care for magical creatures teacher?" She's not in the class, and hasn't even a clue who teaches it. "It probably /would/ be good to get them here, if anyone knows who it is."

Still brandishing a plate as a makeshift shield, Bertrum Wooster tries to scramble towards the staff table, too busy with fending off flying food and fairies to see if anyone's there or not. "Kieran! I'll check for one...t-try and...oh, I don't know. D-Do something?"

Isaiah Chum rolls over and, being on the ground already, does as Kieran has done and scampers underneath the Slytherin table, seeking shelter from the bombardment of strawberries and potatoes. He rubs his forhead, where a potato-shaped bruise is forming, but for the moment ignores it otherwise. He peers out cautiously to see what the rest of the fairies are doing.

Melissa Talison hurriedly raises her second hand to the cloak, gripping the cloth as tightly as possible. "Stop that! I only wanted to catch you.." As more come, she twists her head to look at the students closest to her. "Help me! I've almost got 'im."

Jason Simmons suddenly seems to trealize that these faires are obviously not friendly. He drops his platter and runs for the stairs to avoid being pelted. "I'm going to go find a teacher!" he yells frantically.

Jason Simmons dashes up the stairs in a mad frienzy. I wonder what made him realize that they weren't friendly.

Yes, she does almost have them... But, the fairies constant pulling causes the cloak to rip in half--the fairies go flying out and land on a table, dazed.

Jana O'Conner bites her lip as she gathers herself up. She wraps her courage around her like some cloak that might help her not get hurt and starts to stride over to her table, dodging food left and right. Reaching her books, she quickly picks them up and was about to move out of the way once more, but a bit of mashed potatoes gets flung at her and hits her, smearing her dress. "Mon Dieu!" She yells as she wipes the food off and starts to run over to a safe place with her books.

Flying back up, the fairies, who conveniently landed near strawberries, look angrily towards the students who are attempting to capture them. They begin to fling strawberries at them... Having little regard for the difference between student and faculty. They merely feel threatened, now.

Melissa Talison, after pulling so hard, doesn't fare much better then the faries when the cloak rips. From her perch on the seat, she ends up sprawled on the Slytherin table, half of the cloak still in her hand. "Oh no, Mother's not going to be happy.. Hey, where'd they go?" She sits up, on top of the table, and looks around the room.. only to be hit with a strawberry.

Alex Wylde wanders in from the hall and blinks in astonishment at the rather odd sight, remaining still near the door. "What on earth...?"

Val Goldrian has still an unrevealed skill against this flying annoying things. He takes a fork, ignoring his bleeding nose, and some potatoes. Then put one of them on the top of the fork. He pushes the top of the fork near his face. "Fight my catapult!" he yells and let the fork free to throw the potato with a surprising speed.

April Katzowski moves her eyes temporarily from the fairies to look about the Hall, noticing the immense mess that the creatures have made. Her smile turns into a half-smirk as she realizes the reality of the situation. "This mess will take /forever/ to clean." She notes, her eyes continuing to move about. Eyes falling on Melissa, she half winces as her cloak is torn in half. /That/ idea won't work. Eyes moving to Val, she frowns a bit deeper. She stands from the table, moving towards him, but is stopped short as a strawberry hits her in the back of the head. "Yeowch!" She yelps, her hands moving to the spot, now splattered with strawberry juice. She crouches to the floor, hiding beside the Gryffindor table, using perhaps as a sort of barricade, though it protects her very little. "Stop trying to /hurt/ them," she moans, "You're only making them upset at us."

When the professor comes in, Bertrum Wooster makes a shout of relief and dashes towards her, plate held behind him, spattered with food. He's not all that clean himself as mashed potatoes and various drink drips down his robe. "Professor Leysee!" he calls out, hoping to get her attention, not that the fairies wouldn't.

Erick Hartwall tries to settle everyone down, "Guys stop! This looks more fun then anything but what if David Porter or someone important comes?

Erick Hartwall defends himself with a plate and heads for the door.

Melissa Talison half stands, half slides back to the floor, placing her arms in front of her face to protect herself from any incoming berries. The ripped cloth still hangs from one hand as she heads toward the faries once more, peeking out between her forearms to see where she is going.

Isaiah Chum watches as Melissa falls back onto the table under which he is hiding and he reaches up to indicate he's down there, quite safe. "Get down here!" he says. "It seems a terrible mess up there and it'd just be easier to sit tight down here until those fairies get bored or the teachers fix this.

As I 'ave said, zis teacher, I am not feeling 'er qualified..." Florymond LeFay prattles on to her little cloud of Ravenclaw girls, indulging in fantastic gesticulations as she does so. She shuts up immediately, however, as she catches sight of the great hall beyond the stairwell. "C'est quoi, ca?" The little girl barely has time to duck a renegade pudding.

"Cuir Uait!" Kieran MacNessa cries out rather loudly at everyone currently in the room, emerald eyes sweeping the room angrily,"Don't try to catch them! All you are doing is making them angry?" He's cut short by a bit of strawberry hitting him in the mouth.

Val Goldrian doesn't look at Erick but answers to him: "Erick, come here, they will not stop messing up!" then stops for a while the fighting just to see that noone else is protecting the tables. He doesn't have the time to think about this, however, since a strawberry basket hit him on the neck, knoking him to the ground.

Quickly having run out of strawberries, the fairies seem to have claimed the end of the Ravenclaw table for themselves, and are ready to defend should any more students try to catch them. Irritated, they use a spoon to flick a portion of a casserole towards the head of the Ravenclaw table.

Melissa Talison mostly ignores Isaiah as she heads off, except for a stubborn, "I want one!" which may be directed at either him or Kieran. Either way, when she nears the fairies she climbs up onto one of the vacated seats at the Ravenclaw table, ignoring any protests, and reaches toward the fiesty beings. She only half turns toward them, not wishing any more food in her face, but her hands remain extended at arms length to try and reach them.

Naiya Blackheart steps in glancing about rather annoyed..or..yes. The second year pushing her way through the crowds of first years while trying to feed an owl. Not the best combination. Her eyes darting towards Florymond, gahd..yes, that rather annoying child..that..oh fine. Lips pursed a bit to continue pushing her way through before settling down at the Ravenclaw table, nearly dropping her bag on the fairies, eeps! She chuckled a bit before settling down with her COMC book.

Florymond LeFay's head shoots up once more, her eyes wide. The girls behind her disband with much shrieking, though Flo remains, thwarted by her unbuckled school bonds and the books that it summarily released. As if engaging in chemical warfare, Miss LeFay attempts to roll beneath the onslaught of the fairies, rescuing her things as she goes.

Becoming frightened at Melissa's approach, they are able to tilt a pot of tea so that it pours on her hand. Mind you, this tea was boiling when it was brought out. Thankfully, it's had a short time to go from boiling to scalding. Another fairie launches a French desert towards Florymond.

Jana O'Conner whimpers a bit, this was just too much for her. Clutching her books as if they were her life (though that is partialy true ^-^;) she hides under a table. Let braver folk fight the fay. She eyes the door out of the great hall longingly and wonders if it's possible to excape that way without getting food on her, or worse, getting hurt.

Val Goldrian raises his head to look over the Ravenclaws table, apparently looking for a new tactics. He moves slowly towards the professors table, looing for something useful in trapping fairies.

Isaiah Chum sighs as Melissa ignores his advice, but doesn't say anything more about her stubbornness. . o O (She's adventurous. I'll keep her in mind, should I need someone to help me in my mischief.) "Oh!" he commiserates as the tea is poured on Melissa's hand. "Maybe now you'll listen to me!" he calls. "I'm sure they're capable of much worse than that!"

April Katzowski glances up as she notices a sudden cease in the strawberries that had been raining upon the Great Hall. Hands gripping the chair which she hides behind, she glances about the ceiling, unable to find any sign of the fairies. She stands up, slowly, whipping strawberry juice from her arms, still looking around. "Are they gone?" She asks slowly, then locates the group of creatures on the Ravenclaw table. "Oh," she adds, watching the fairies. Holding her elbows in either hand, she begins to chew on her lip. "Oh, what are we going to do? What are we going to do?"

Melissa Talison shrieks as the liquid hits her hands, and hastily pulls both back. However she tries, she can't seem to fit both in her mouth, though she does make a rather good attempt as she tries to nurse her poor fingers. "I just wanted a new pet," she murmurs, sniffling a bit. "My hands /hurt/."

Oh non, you don't," Florymond LeFay mutters, compressing herself into a tight ball and rolling away as the blancmange nears her, splattering against the floor. She ends up with a few dollops of whipped cream in her hair, and rather dizzy, but it's a glorious manuever to behold, and she knows as much. Grinning, Flo pulls back her book binding, dragging everything along with her. She then rushes towards the Ravenclaw table, wondering if this is some sort of game.

Emerald eyes flash angrily at Melissa,"Cuir Uait! Leave them be!" Kieran MacNessa says hotly,"Faeries are not pets!" There is no kindness in the young boy's eyes. He wipes a bit of strawberry mush from his cheeks and drops it down on the ground.

Naiya Blackheart glances at the younger ones whimpering about wanting a pet. Oh pity! Her books now sprawd all about the Ravenclaw table..trying the avoid the fairies about the table. A curious brow is raised, hmm.. as she leafed through her COMC textbook and coming across the several pages about fairies. /At least/ they weren't pixies. Glaring at the first years, "/Who/ brought them in?" Demandingly she stood up, eyes narrowing towards Kieran and then towards Florymond seeming those two were incharge of this so-called-brillant-activity.

The fairie that left earlier, having been hurt and having to leave, flies back in and rushes towards the other fairies. Communicating with each other, in what sounds like jibberish, they excited buzz up and flies towards the exit. The larger fairies fly behind to protect them, and hurt grapes at the students from the exit doors to give the other time to get away. After about three or four minutes of peltering the hall with grapes, they, too, fly off, hurridly to catch up with their friends...

Mitchell Freeman wanders toward the hall... the common room was getting a bit stuffy, and besides, there was no one there to pester. He halts just outside, however, surveying the carnage within. Raising his voice, he shouts, "What exactly is going on here?" Typical prefect mannerisms; step in and take charge.

Melissa Talison pulls her hands down from her mouth long enough to shout at Kieran, "I'll do as I like. 'E's a pet if I want him to be.. you're upset /you/ didn't think of it." Hands go back toward her mouth, clutched there as if it will somehow make them feel better. Still standing on a seat at the Ravie table,she watches her quarry leave, head tilted.

Alex Wylde, having no desire to be pelted, nor, particularly, to try to capture one of the little beasts, ducks quickly to the side as the faeries begin their approach.

Florymond LeFay pants as she rests her books at the Ravenclaw table, catching the brunt of Naiya's pejorative. "I just came down, ask Angela and Zelma...I 'ave not been 'ere...what 'appened?" She seems generally ignorant of the events, especially as the little creatures now buzz away, leaving the hall in ruins.

Val Goldrian looks at the fairy leaving, surprised. He was taking up a book under the Ravenclaw table and he was ready to throw it. Suddenly he remembers his own condition: a bleeding nose and his robe covered with strawberries. He stands there, confused.

Naiya Blackheart glances at Florymond..no..staring her down, "Oiye, so it is? Weren't ye' the one just rolling 'bout, eh?" A brow is arched, "You must've known something, eh?" Snorting some to flicker an index finger at Florymond..trying to direct her to begin picking up the grapes. "Start cleaning up. Now." Sneering a bit she wasn't in the mood, today. Naiya's attention then turning towards Melissa, "Don't act like a brat, one would /never/ be able to tame a fairie. Stubborn."

In ruins, indeed. The hall is littered with broken pieces of glass about the tables and floor surrounding them. Mashed potatoes, casseroles, and creamy deserts have ended up splattered everywhere--on people, on the floors, on the walls... Mangled strawberries and grapes lie everywhere, having been the primary defense that the little creatures used to keep the students away. And of course, spilled goblets are making a sticky mess all over the tables and no the floor.

The fairies gone, Isaiah Chum leaps out from beneath the slytherin table and begins to look around frantically. "Where's Ruby?" he wails. "She's not flying around so she must be on the ground somewhere. Everybody watch where you step! Ohhh! I just knew that she'd get hurt, trying to play with those evil fairies."

Jana O'Conner is cowering under a table, shaking and curled up in a fetal position. She just wants her grandmother. She'd know what to do...maybe...Still shaking the pale girl looks up cautiously, blue eyes still showing the hint of terror. Hoping that they are gone she looks about, trying to gather her wits together...it was just a foodfight after all, no need to be so scared...or so she tries to convince herself.

I tell you," the French girl reiterates, "I 'ave just come down! I was rolling to get away from ze...zat fairy zing tried to throw a desert at my 'ead, I did not want to be 'it! I will not clean up. It is not my fault, so...so keep your tongue to yourself, you 'orrid girl." Florymond LeFay curls her arms before her chest, and turns her nose to the ceiling, mouth held in a thin, obdurate line.

Moving into the Great Hall, apparantly in a relatively good mood this evening, David Porter's calm and welcoming experssion fades--immediately--when he sees the sight of the Great Hall. As though a wave washed over him, a promiment frown, and an expression of confusion goes upon his face. Naturally, with all the standing students, it seems to him that ickle students have begun a food fight. "What the devil happenened in--" he begins to say, as he trips on a despoit of strawberries, ending up landing on his back side with a thud.

Melissa Talison, of all thing she could possibly do, turns away from watching the door to stick her tongue out at Naiya. "Don't you, then. Dolt." She holds her hands out in front of her, to anyone who might care. "Someone find the nurse, they're all burned up and they might fall off if she doesn't fix 'em." If she notices the Headmaster come in, it's not until after her pained plea.

Alex Wylde just continues to stare from his position by the door, subconsciously shaking his head... what a mess. It slowly occurs to him that perhaps the scene of the disaster is not the best place to be... oops, too late. He cringes as the headmaster walks in.

Naiya Blackheart chuckles a bit at Florymond, "Oiye../please/. If that is /so/, dear child. Would you be so /kind/ and begin cleaning up." Eyes narrowing at the first year..yes..another brat, just like Thomas had suggested. "Me? Horrid? Nuh! You /must/ be mistaken." Eyes rolling a bit in which she added a ting of sarcasim into her tone. Only to glance at David..and then back to Florymond, "Be a good child and clean." Lashes fluttering before glancing at Melissa..and she moved off..flipping her wavy hair at the first year Slytherin. Oh yes words really hurt her.

April Katzowski turns quickly at the voice of the Headmaster, her face immediately brightening. Someone to get rid of these fairies! Her smile quickly turns to a frown, however, as he falls to his back. She begins wringing her hands nervously. "Oh goodness, oh goodness," she mutters softly to herself.

Isaiah Chum finally spots Ruby, happily dragging herself on the ground, too fat to fly. She was knocked down early by a flying strawberry and realized that she'd be a fool not to take advantage of all of the fruit lying around so the little bat spent the entire fight glutting herself on any fruit that came her way. He rushes over and waggles his finger at her. "You naught, naughty..." The sight of the rotund bat is entirely too much for Isaiah, who simply can't scold her in her present state. Instead he bursts into a fit of giggles, scoops up Ruby, and drops her back into the hood of his robe.

Val Goldrian raises his eyes towards David Porter. He is still with a book in his right hand while his left hand is trying to stop the blood flowing from his nose. His eyes looks suddenly terrified. What if Mr.Porter thinks that he was the one who messed all up? He blushes violently.

Jana O'Conner cautiously starts to crawl out from under her table. She manages to stammer "Fair...fairies s-sir....they were in here..." Jana apperantly still hasn't recovered fully from the excitement.

Florymond LeFay is about to say something to Naiya once more - and in fact, has her mouth poised to do so - when David falls. Her attention immediately grabbed, the girl hurries over towards him, tucking her hands behind her back as she comes to stand beside him. She is, after all, probably the closest to him in the hall - she can suddenly /love/ Professor Addorine if it will keep her out of trouble, and besides, she /is/ innocent for once. "Oh, 'Eadmaster, Porter, are you all right?"

David Porter places his hands, carefully, on the floor where he shan't get them in any bits of pumpkin pie, or break his neck while slipping on strawberry juice. Carefully, he stands up, brushing his hands off as he looks back, a distinct glare in his eyes. Smiling, dolefully, towards Florymond, he nods quietly. "Yes, yes, I think so." Turning slightly, he speaks to no one in particular, "What was I saying? Ah, yes. What the /devil/ happened here?" He shoots a glance towards Naiya and Melissa, having heard their exhange; however, he doesn't make anything of it for now. The hall is a much bigger concern.

Melissa Talison opens her mouth, about to attempt again for attention and help, when she sees the Headmaster fall. Trying to keep from having a fit of giggles, she nearly succeeds, though a few tears find their way to her face instead. Jumping down from her perch, she calls, "Sir, my /hands/. They're probably all black and dead by now," she doesn't bother looking, hands curled up again, "And they need to be fixed. And it wasn't our fault; there were a lot of little.. flying things."

April Katzowski stands by the Gryffindor table, staring wide-eyed at the Headmaster, now silent. She continues to wring her hands in front of her, squished strawberries splattered on her arms, and pie filling dripping from her brown curls. Her eyes move about the room momentarily; what a mess! She returns her gaze to David Porter.

Jana O'Conner finally stand up away from the table, books in hand. Seeing a teacher has seemed to have calmed her down quiet a bit and though her knees are still quaking, her face returns to it's normal marble mask like apperance, her emotions carefully tucked safely down inside so as to not appear on the surface. Nodding to Melissa she says "Yes, Fairies sir."

Isaiah Chum turns around to depart the hall with all possible haste and sees the Headmaster near the hall's exit. He hurries forward. "Oh, Headmaster Porter, somebody must hurry! The little beasts that did this - pixies or fairies or some other such creature - broke into the hall and caused such a commotion. They left not five minutes ago! If they're not caught soon, some other part of the school will be destroyed."

Victoria Bennet comes in from Entrance Hall; Northern Section, ice melted away, her clear navy blue eyes sparkle brightly from underneath their blanket of thick lashes. Her lips are twitched upwards in a smile, making her features emensely more beautiful. Her hair is up in a half ponytail, clasped in place with a barret made of wood, which has been carved into a beautiful serpent, about to strike it's prey.

Florymond LeFay points straight at Jana, as she corroborates the story. "Oui! Fairies! All colours! And zey threw food at us..." Of course, Flo only has a few specks of whipped cream in her hair, but she holds the brown locks out at length to prove that they were besmirched with sugary goo. "Zey were running mad!"

Val Goldrian tries to explain: "We have been attacked! A bunch of flying things tried to steal our food and to hurt us with furnitures and we fighted and.." he looks at the floor sadly, not feeling so believeble. He keeps his hand on his nose, so his voice is very mute.

Naiya Blackheart nearly cracks as she twiddles her digits into a wave as Melissa runs off whimpering. "Innocent..right..o'curse." Naiya murmured softly before turning a bit as David falls. Seeing the little mischief makers toddles towards David, she wouldn't bother. In which she turned her attention back to her books where she had original been seated. Moving past a few other second years..exchanging several familiar glances; settling back down. Finger tips taking ahold of each page of her Care for Magical Creatures book leafing back through the pages where it was once on fairies and then back to the Jarvey.

David Porter nods quietly as all these students attempt to explain what happened. "Where did the fairies come from, then?" he asks, pursing his lips. Glancing towards Naiya, hearing the tone in her voice, he clears his throat. "You believe it was not an innocent accident, Miss Blackheart? Praytell."

Surprised gasps come from a small group of children, including a rather disoriented-looking Victoria Bennet; of course, the softest, yet most disgusted gasp comes from the young girl upon her entrance. "What on earth happened here?" The girl asks no one in particular, her voice quiet, and disgusted as she looks upon the food splattering with a critical eye.

Melissa Talison heads over toward the Headmaster, stopping halfway there to frown at him. She doesn't much care for being ignored. Hands go back up to her mouth and after noting helpfully, "They left," she begins to suck at her hands. Lissa halfway turns to see Naiya, or rather, figure out who it was that was asked and /then/ look at her.

Mmhm. Yes sir." A brow is arched as Naiya Blackheart glanced towards the first years. "Innocent..o'course not." With hardly any expression across her face, not having any feelings..hardly. "/I/ had just come in..o'course trying to finish up several things..though I only made it to my house's table." Motioning a digit towards the Ravenclaw table, "But o'course there are several..no..more than enough fairies swarming about. The next m'nute I note is that that girl.." Pointing to Florymond, "..Florymond..was rolling around on the floor with whipped cream giggling." And then a digit is motioned towards Melissa, "And /her/..whining like a brat that she wanted a fairie for a pet." A wry smirk forms glancing towards both the girls and then towards the others, "O'course I noticed that..those two boys.." Motioning towards Kieran and Alex, "Were trying to defend themselves." Pausing to glance about..and then o'course Mitchell walked in."

Florymond LeFay glares at Naiya fitfully, reaching up slowly to secure a hand on the pocket of David's robe, if she can. Time to turn on the charm. "Non, non, 'eadmaster...believe me. I was not /giggling/...I was trying not to get my clothes mussy, so as to trouble ze 'ouse elves!" Remembering her time spent as part of the seedy Paris underground, she adds, "Besides, Naiya 'as not presented reasonable doubt, as we all say ze same zing, while she 'as decided zat I was /giggling/." Her voice is nearly a purr, as she attempts to dissuade David from even regarding Naiya as human, much less accepting her version of events.

"I do not condone persons who mark themselves as a tell-all," David Porter says, glaring slightly towards Naiya, "However, if this was caused because you all would not leave the fairies alone," he says, trailing off... "Were people trying to hurt them?"

Alex Wylde blinks many times in rapid succession as he is pointed at. His mouth works for a moment, but it seems he's not quite capable of making a sound just yet. The rest of him remains stiff as a statue, with that deer-in-headlights look.

Jana O'Conner decides to speak up at this "Yes, I was here when before it started. They came in just a few minutes after the food was layed out. They started throwing food at us and such. No furniture though. Kieran, the Gryffindor boy was trying to stop those..yes some were offending them, and Kieran was trying to stop them sir..." She trails off, she certianly didn't want to be called a tell all and tries to be very clear with all the details.

Naiya Blackheart a brow is raised towards Florymond, "Oh child, sh'ud up!" Hardly even remembering David was around, "Oiye..I was giving /my/ part. For you hadn't ask anyone else what had happened." A brow is arched as though to laugh, "O'course defending themselves." Motioning off as Jana began to talk..yes..that was it.

Melissa Talison says indignantly, "I was /not/ whining. I only wanted one, that's all.. And I would have asked permission first!" The last sentence is directed at the Headmaster, not Naiya, and the whole thing is rather mumbled because of the hands the word must go through. "Din't want to hurt anything."

April Katzowski steps closer to the Headmaster, deciding to take part in the discussion and not stand in the background like a worried child. "A few people were trying to hurt them... Catch them, too. That's when they started throwing strawberries at us..." She speaks in a somewhat upset tone, whiping more strawberry juice from her sleeves.

Hearing his name mentioned Kieran MacNessa jumps and looks around as if trying to find some rock to crawl under. Ok. He's not exactly the herotype anymore.

Victoria Bennet's attentive ears catch tiny bits of the conversation, although her attention is mostly aimed at Headmaster, and the few students crowding around him. "Faeries?" The girl perks, her lips moving unintentionally in question, and her voice slipping out from her grasp. "What, and how did they get into Hogwarts in the first place?" The girl asks, a bit louder then she intended to, attempting to get a few answers to all of her questions.

Nodding quietly, David Porter eyes the Great Hall with a sigh. "Clean up this mess," he says. "And have the kitchens end some house elves up here to help." Sighing heavily, he moves over to a table and pours himself some tea, about to take a drink when he notices a brownie floating in the tea, having been in the cup before hand. The man merely sighs.

Florymond LeFay nearly snarls at Naiya, but she'll take orders from a higher-up. The girl looks down at the floor, and bends thus, her skirts and petticoats going up in a poof behind her. Picking up an entire strawberry leaf, she glances around for somewhere to deposit it.

Melissa Talison takes a glance around, scowling at the mess. "I can't clean 'less my hands are fixed," she decides. "And my cloak." Not that she needs her cloak to clean, but might as well add mention of that. Biting her lip, she walks the rest of the way up to the headmaster and inquires, "If I can get one sometime, /can/ I have a pet farie, Sir? I'd take good care of it and all. Please, Sir?"

"Headmaster? There were people throwing things at the Faeries but the Faeries tried to start things when they came in ser." Kieran MacNessa says softly as possible as if not /really/ wanting to speak up but feeling the need anyway. He points a finger at Melissa and says,"She was trying to drape her cloak to catch them."

April Katzowski turns once again to look over the state of the Great Hall. What a huge disaster; she wouldn't even know where to start cleaning. Her eyes move to the other students. When they start moving to clean up, she'll follow.

Jana O'Conner sighs inwardly, she doesn't wish to clean up this mess...it was just soo big. However, she quickly get to work, placing her books in a safe clean place on a seat. The two tables in the worst state seemed to be the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables. Seeing that there weren't any Hufflepuffs around, she decided to clean their table first and she picks up the soiled dishes.

"Okay, first of all. Go to the infirmary. Second of all, you'll have to buy a new cloak. And thirdly, you most certainly may /NOT/ have pet fairie," David Porter says, almost glaring at Melisa. Then, he turns to Kieran. "I understand."

Victoria Bennet's eyes travel over to Melissa, disgusted. "A faerie?" The girl breathes out, almost hissing. "A /pet/ faerie, that would sneak away from you and run around Hogwarts causing ruckus?" The girl almost snarls. That would be horrible, unthinkable; messes all over the place, a faerie giggling madly... The thoughts running through her head are less than happy.

"Is there a... mop?" April Katzowski wonders aloud, twirling a strand of hair with a finger. Her eyes glance towards the smashed peices of food about the floor as she asks this.

Melissa Talison shrinks back a bit, nodding quickly. "Yes, Sir. Won't think of it again, Sir. I'll just settle for a daisy, or a dragon, or one of them water creatures.." Her voice trails off as, still mumbling, she hastily makes her way to the exit. Somehow she manages not to trip on her robe, and she's just intent on being off. At the doorway, though, she turns back and asks softly, "Someone tell me where the 'firmary is?"

"/I/ certainly won't show you." Kieran MacNessa says glaring at Melissa before looking at the Headmaster,"Ser, Were any of the faeries hurt? I saw one of them go down after being hit by a potato. Is my behaviour going to get me in trouble ser?" The very last bit is said with the greatest amount of apprehension.

Jana O'Conner looks up from collecting plate, her ice blue eyes turning towards the injured girl "Sorry, I don't know." Comes her soft calm respons. After collecting as many plates as she could carry, she hurries off to the Kitchen, for surely that's where they get washed. And while there she'll ask a few house elves to help.

David Porter peers at Melissa. "You must take Care of Magical Creatures. Having a dragon for a pet is /illegal/," he says, scowling. "Now, start cleaning," he says, furrowing his brows while house elves trot in.

April Katzowski, her query unnoticed, turns to the nearest table to her, Gryffindor, and begins collecting dirty plates and utensils. She brushes crumbs and other food items off the edge of the table onto a plate with a hand, then stacks them neatly to take to the kitchen.

Melissa Talison, from the doorway, gives Kieran a rather sweet smile. "How kind of you!" she exclaims, giving Jana.. who seemed a bit more polite.. simply an understanding nod. Almost on top of her other words, she calls to the Headmaster, "Not a dragon, then. What if I got one of them funny looking animals, with the long necks? I've seen 'em in pictures, and I'm sure they can't be too big.." Well, she doesn't know where she's going, might as well make conversation until someone comes who can show her.

"You," David Porter says, glancing at Kieran. "Take her to the infirmary. And be quick about it." He shakes his head, looking at the wreck-of-a-hall he is standing in.

Jana O'Conner watches the elves come in and walks into the kitchen with the plates thinking that she should've advised Kieran about forgiving for brief moments of time if not all together when she heard the headmaster order him to take Melissa. Comming out of the kitchen she goes back to the Hufflepuff table to take out more plates.

Melissa Talison tilts her head at the adult, and has to stop herself from giggling again. "I'd make sure to bring you one, too, Sir.. Only two big-necked things anywhere in England, they would be." Her eyes dart back to Kieran, as still smiling, she looks at him expectantly.

April Katzowski follows Jana into and out of the kitchen with the plates from Gryffindor, then proceeds to collect the remaining dishes from the table and bring these to the kitchen as well. Noticing that the Slytherin table has no one tidying it, she moves to this table, collecting plates and brushing crumbs from the surface.

David Porter looks towards Melissa and frowns slightly, just tsking. "Get to the infirmary." And with that, the headmaster sighs. "I'll be in my office." He strides off, eager to get out of this disaster.

Being ordered to show the Slytherin to the infirmary is not high on Kieran MacNessa's list of enjoyable things,"B-b-but... Oh very well ser. " His thick brogue colouring his rather /unhappy/ treble voice.

Melissa Talison holds her hands together in front of her, one curled inside the other. The pieces of her cloak are forgotten, likely lying around somewhere in the Great Hall. The girl keeps her eyes on Kieran, asking quietly.. and politely, now.., "Shall we go? I do wish to get these taken care of, and I'd be so horribly lost trying to find my own way.. never been there, no need to.."

And you think I have?" Kieran MacNessa says rather icily and begins leading the way. Well ok so he's not being the /perfect/ gentleman but he dislikes Slytherins and this one was trying to catch Faeries.

Melissa Talison shugs helplessly. "I don't know. Well, 'least we won't be lost alone. Imagine, what if someone got so turned around and lost that they got stuck, and had to wait to be found? Could take /days/." As she talks, she turns, following at Kieran's heels.

Jana O'Conner shakes her head as she listens to Melissa and Kieran. "Just don't get into any more trouble?" Come the plea form her. She looks at the two and then goes back to her cleaning.

April Katzowski carries another plate into the kitchen, then returns once again to the Great Hall. Passing by the Hufflepuff table, she pauses, turning to Jana. "Need any help over here?" She asks her, looking at the partially-tidied table."Those fairies sure made /quite/ a mess."

,-[ Hogwarts - Entrance Hall; Northern Section ]------------------------------.

Fuming just a little Kieran MacNessa is /definitely/ not happy about being forced to lead Melissa to the Medical Center.

Melissa Talison, though completely aware her fellow student isn't happy with the situation, continues to chatter pleasantly as she follows. "'Course, it could take longer if you were somewhere they didn't know to look. Or what if you ended up out of the building completely?"

Under his breath Kieran MacNessa says something probably not very nice in his native tongue before he says,"Will you stop? I am taking you into the infirmary, that's it!"

,-[ Hogwarts - Southwest Circling Corridor ]----------------------------------.

Melissa Talison scowls at Kieran's back. "I know, I was just saying, what if it happened to someone? I mean, wouldn't that be bad? You could starve to death."

No you wouldn't. Obviously you don't read." Kieran MacNessa says icily,"Now please be quiet."

Melissa Talison protests quietly, "I do so read. And you could, if you were left long enough." After that she falls silent, planning to remain that way unless given something to respond to. After all, there's hardly any use in talking to /this/ kid.

Spinning on his heels, Kieran MacNessa says icily,"If I weren't long enough? I read everyday. If not for the faeries I could have maybe finished my book on the Nipping Narsium Rose. " His emerald eyes shine as cold as his stones,"Now if there is nothing more I want to get you to the Infirmary so I can get back to helping my friends clean up that mess you incensed those faeries!"

Melissa Talison replies in a cool tone, "I /meant/ that one could starve to death if left long enough. But take it however you like.. /I/ certainly don't care how you interpret anything." She motions forward with her hands. "Let's get there, then, unless you don't know the way."

Spinnings on his heals and muttering darkly under his breath, Kieran MacNessa is slipping back to Irish and saying judging from the tone rather nasty things.

,-[ Hogwarts - Medical Center ]-----------------------------------------------.

Here you are. I lead you here. Now you're on your own." Kieran MacNessa says rather irritably and begins heading out the door.

Melissa Talison looks around as she enters, and comments to herself, "How lovely." As she steps farther in, she calls after Kieran, "I do thank you for your help. Tell them all to send gifts, perhaps I'll be here a while." With that, she wanders off to find the nurse.

OMG Twink Scene!

(OOC: 1912 flashback scene.... twink style!)

,-----------------------------------------------------.

Jessa Luna hovers into the courtyard with her wand pointed at her feet humming a song to herself

The beautiful Eva Wexler strides confidently into the courtyard with a pack of boys following after her, although she isn't paying attention to any of htem. :)

Astra Rathe walks in, her hood over her head as per usual and aping her elderes who are far better at being spooky. SHe'd be mocked and be called the littlest Nightgaunt if JRR had written his books, but he hasn't so yeah.

John Winters rides in on his completely non-magical horse that he smuggled here in his bag to protect him from EViL

Astra Rathe thinks or whatever it is. Because I'm gone. Ring Wraith.

Astra Rathe is so here.

Astra says, "OMG! A horsey!"

Eva Wexler is really beautiful and thinks John should be fawning all over her. "HI!"

Hi Eva" Jessa said amicably looking at Eva. However secretly she was thinking Eva is a SLUT.

Astra says, "My dad has better horses. He breeds warhorses. *she says with a raspy whisper that is totally affected and crap*"

Eva says, "HI JESSA" Eva thinks but she doesn't like Jessa. She thinks Jessa is an Evil Slytherine."

I am not an evil Slytherine.

Eva says, "What's wrong with your voice?"

thinks Jessa.

Eva says, "Are you an evil tangerine?"

Eva says, "I don't like tangerines."

Astra says, "You're a tangerine."

Jessa says, "Who are you going to the DANCE with, Eva?"

Jessa says, "Is it all the boys?"

Eva says, "I think JOHN, if he asks me. Ask me, JOhn!"

Eva says, "NO, they're mean."

John says, "My horse is the best in the world."

Astra Rathe sticks out her tongue from under the shadows of her hood so her emo 11 year old self can't be seen.

Eva Wexler thinks Astra is kind of weird.

John Winters makes everyone fall in love with his horseman ship skil.

Jessa says, "Nox!"

Astra Rathe falls in love with the horse by mistake.

Eva says, "Lumos!"

Jessa Luna falls to the ground and stops hovering.

Astra says, "Avada Kedavra!"

Jessa Luna dies

Eva says, "I'm telling!"

Astra Rathe suddenly has swirling red eyes!

Astra Rathe flies away.

Astra says, "BWAHAHAHAHA."

Eva says, "OMG, how cool! My eyes are as GREEN as EMERALDs. ARen't they pretty???"

Jessa Luna is dead

Astra Rathe comes back and revives Jessa because she totally didn't mean to kill her and stuff.

Eva says, "And all these boys are in love with me but I don't love them. THey just think I'm so beautiful and gorgeous."

Jessa says, "You're nice Astra"

Astra says, "We can be best friends!"

Jessa says, "Shut up RAVENslut."

John Winters's horse grows 3 sizes though it not magic and he hides begind it from spels and stuff

Eva says, "Hey, you're mean! I'm not a slut!"

Jessa Luna high-fives her new best friends. "Let's hex the Ravenslut."

Eva says, "I'm a virgin!"

Jessa says, "A virgin wore."

Eva Wexler just likes to wear only corsets.

Astra Rathe thinks John Winters will grow up to be Jonathan Winters and sing songs with the Muppets. Even though they aren't around yet.

Eva says, "Am not!"

Jessa says, "Whore"

Eva says, "You're a whore, whore."

Astra says, "I can be a virgin whore if I want!"

Jessa says, "You're a whorier whore. Whore."

Eva says, "You're the whoriest!!!"

John says, "I don't even like muppets whut are u saying to ME!!!?"

Astra says, "I'm too ugly to get any boys to like me."

Jessa says, "Yeah well!!!!!!"

Jessa Luna likes you Astra.

Astra says, "I have an idea that you'll all love!"

Jessa Luna is a lexbiann.

Astra says, "Let's go to the Hogs Head!"

Astra says, "With the Horse!"

Jessa says, "Okay!"

Eva says, "IT's becuase they're all in love with me, I'm sorri."

Astra says, "Yay!"

Astra says, "Come on Eva, you can come too!"

Eva says, "Okay!"

Astra Rathe giggles and runs to the Hog's Head.

Jessa says, "Only if she doesn't bring all the boys"

Jessa says, "hey lets ts astra"

John says, "let's go."

Astra says, "They can get drunk."

Jessa says, "lets ts all night long"

Eva says, "I don't want to ts with you your mean"

Astra Rathe walks out.

,--------------------------------------------.

Eva says, "Wow, the hogs head its so cool in here"

John says, "omg we are in hogsmeade"

Astra says, "We are like so kewl."

Astra says, "And no one notices us!"

Jessa Luna gets real drunk on firewhiskey

Astra Rathe dances on the bar because that would be /totally/ ic.

Jessa Luna takes off astra's clothes and has teh sechs with her

John Winters feeds his horse beer and gets it drunks.

Eva Wexler giggles at Johns horse. "It is drunk! Funnie!"

Eva Wexler is beautiful, in case u forgot.

Astra Rathe eyes Jessa. "Nuuu Father wanted me to save myself for my husband. He's like 20 years older than me and I don't want to marry him."

John Winters is in luv wit eva

Jessa says, "Sorry you can't so no"

Eva says, "Yay!"

Jessa says, "I already did it"

Astra Rathe cries.

John says, "but U are eviL"

Astra Rathe gets drunk.

Eva says, "Evill?????????"

Astra says, "I thought we were friends! Now Mordred won't try to rape me so I guess that's good!"

Jessa Luna saved you from Mordred yay

Astra says, "YAY!"

Eva says, "ew rape is bad and gros"

Jessa Luna refuses to rape Eva

Astra says, "I'm a wanton slut at 11!"

Eva says, "Your mean jessa"

Astra Rathe will rape eva now and drunk too!

Eva Wexler wouldn't like Jessa anyway.

Jessa says, "Why am I mean??????"

Eva says, "Yay!"

Astra says, "Let's get David Porter!"

Eva says, "u just are"

Astra says, "He can have the horse."

Eva says, "but wont we get in trouble?"

(OOC) Danielle Baker: OMG EVA WHY DO YOU HATE ME

Eva says, "Haha!"

John says, "all u is evil and magik. eva luv me don't be magik we can rids my hors."

(OOC) Eva Fallon: I JUST DO OKAY?!?!?!

Astra says, "No as long as he has sexors he won't hate us."

(OOC) Danielle Baker: YOU SAID YOU HATED MY CHARACTER WHY DO YOU HATE HER

(OOC) Danielle Baker: SHE IS HOT

Eva says, "MAgic is not evil11!"

(OOC) Danielle Baker: AND FRIENDLY

Astra says, "John has a whore?"

(OOC) Danielle Baker: AND EVERYONE LIKES HER

(OOC) Eva Fallon: OMG WHY DO YOU HATE ME?!?!!

(OOC) Eva Fallon: AND SAY MEAN THINGS ABOUT ME???

John says, "I AM NOT A HORE!!!?!!?!.1"

Astra says, "OMG JOHN HAS A MAGJICKAL WHORE!"

(OOC) Danielle Baker: OMG THAT IS ROLPLAYING EVA

(OOC) Eva Fallon: YOU SAID IT FIRST!!!1

(OOC) Danielle Baker: I R PLAYING A ROLE

(OOC) Danielle Baker: IT IS OTHING PERSOSNAL

(OOC) Astra Rathe: OMG PEEPLE I WANT TS!

Jessa Luna tses astra

Eva says, "I like horses but magic is not evil, ur evil for saying it is."

Astra Rathe has hawt T$.

Eva says, "But im a virgin."

Astra says, "sexors is evil."

John says, "ur evil for saying i'm wrong, I am so smart"

Eva says, "Nuh uh, im smarter cuz im rabenclaw."

Jessa Luna is also a virgin

Eva says, "and ravens are smart, duh"

Astra says, "John is evil for having sexors so the magik down'snt matter nemore."

(OOC) Brandon Geroff: i did not you dont no about me!

Eva Wexler shusn john and becomes best friends with Jessa.

Astra says, "My mum was a ravenclaw. I have a tragick past. This is why I hade under my cloaked hood and speak in a fake whisper."

Astra says, "I iz sad."

Jessa Luna is best friends with eva and astra

Eva says, "Why so tragic???"

John says, "My sister is a teacher an dshe will KILL U!"

Eva says, "U shoul be happy, boys like happy.;"

Jessa says, "Mordred did naughty things to hr"

Eva says, "Ew!"

Jessa says, "Because Mordred is naughty"

And suddenly GRINDELWALD WALKS IN.

Eva says, "OMG I THOUGHT HE WUZ DEAD."

Jessa says, "Avada Kedavra Grindelwald!"

Eva says, "And curcio1"

Astra says, "My dad beats me up because he don want me to be crazy like my brother. Next year mom will leave us. Then I will get dragged into helping Quorvalitians and be forced into crap I don wanna do cuz the admin maked me. Then the admin allt will want to rapes me but not anymore because Jessa save me from that but Artemius Darkblood will still torture me. Then the Malumaximi will attack Hogwarts...and that doesn't count the other Dark wizards I saw attack Hogwarts either."

Grindelwald dies

Astra says, "Oooh."

Astra says, "YAY!"

Astra says, "Now David Porter can't beat up Grindelwald!"

John Winters stares at Grindy with Ebil eyes and makes him scared

Eva says, "Oh, I just want to be with lots of boys and have ltos fo kids someday. and candy, i like candy."

John Winters even though he is ded

Eva says, "Do you like cndy? its god"

Jessa says, "one day I will disappear"

Jessa says, "but I will be replaced by a cranky old man"

John says, "i want some candi"

Eva says, "Oh, jon is scarey!"

Jessa says, "and also a very angry girl"

Astra says, "I can't have nun cuz it makes my hyper. Father says I get drunk on it."

Astra Rathe has a tradgick life.

Eva says, "ill give us um anyway"

John says, "u shuld get drunk with my an my hors it is awsom"

Eva says, "How many hors do you have?"

John says, "213308765"

John says, "and a baby"

Eva says, "OMG!!!!!1"

Astra Rathe sings the Headmaster song. "Little boy. Little Girl. Don't worry...I'm here for /you/." *shimmies in David Porter fashion*

Eva says, "EWWWWWW"

Jessa Luna tses with david porter

Astra says, "It's for David Porther. Thomaas D'arcy told me that David had sex with his niece Nell."

Eva says, "i want to have a baby. i thnk im old enuff now."

Astra says, "And then he had sex with a bunch of teachers."

Eva says, "ew!"

Astra says, "I don't want babies but I gotta have 'em."

John says, "eva u shuld have david baby"

Astra says, "It makes me sad."

Jessa Luna is pregnant.

Jessa says, "Did I not mention that?"

Eva says, "ew no i don't want one!"

Eva says, "omg u are?"

Eva says, "is it a girl or a boy???"

Jessa says, "YES! It was a boy dummie"

Astra says, "OMG Is it triplets?"

Jessa says, "You cannot get pregnant witha girl."

Eva says, "omg"

John says, "i want 1 will u be my frend?"

Eva says, "ok!"

Eva says, "I WANT BOYS AND GIRLS OBTH ALOT"

Astra says, "I want to be scandalous and drunk with lots of sex but I grow up to be insane because of Lucas Geronicus. I get twins though and they are PERFECT!"

John Winters IS GIVE EVA BAby in hodshead

Eva says, "YAY!"

Astra says, "And everyone gets babies and sex and becomes absolutely perfect!"

Eva says, "Yayayayay!"

Eva says, "The end!"

John Winters is perfect!!!

Jessa says, "Yay!"

Astra says, "THE END!"

Eva says, "Good sene guz!"

Astra says, "That was so gud."

John says, "that was kul thanx"