Gideon continued to wail as he was pushed back into the crowd, gradually letting it trail off into a series of heart-wrenching sobs as he trudged back to where Nott was standing, then flung himself on the boy's shoulder.

"Now what do you think of that?" Gideon said, grinning at the boy, his face shielded by his fist in which there was a crumpled and folded wad of paper. To anyone else nearby it merely looked like he'd collapsed in sorrow on the nearest student.

Ron grinned further, stepping up to the Gamekeeper. "You're right Hagrid...except our first class is Care of Magical Creatures. So shouldn't we be...out there? Unless whatever we're studying today has four hooves and a pair of fangs..."

Theodore's eyes poped open to then bright humored, to then narrow surpiciously. In front of him he could see the Auror still waving this fist with the parchment on his hand so... what did this boy had?

Maintaining his eyes on the boy, only leaving him momentarily to look around as he took the parchment from him, he turned slightly to give his back to the crowd, Gideon still leaning his weight on Theo's shoulder. He unfolded the parchment, twice, to encounter this:


(ooc: ok, any comparison to Disney will result in your characters murdered!! You don't have an idea how much effort I put into this thing.)

Nott frowned at the map and windrowed his wand, tapping the parchment in the center once. A couple of letters started to appear. He smiled satisfied and frowned just as immediately, staring at the parchment.


... and yet Nott had the feeling this was not all. Just on cue, in the very bottom of the parchment appeared the following:

"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry,
Grounds and Surroundings.
Assigned to Mathew Dawlish.


~* IN CASE OF FORGOTTEN PASSWORD RESPOND THE FOLLOWING QUESTION FROM THE USER *~
What occurs once in a second, once in a minute, twice in a millennium, but never in the course of a lifetime


For Authorized Personal only.
Ministry of Magic,
Department of Mysteries"

Nott turned to Gideon, one eyebrow raised. "Well? You are the Ravenclaw here."


"Oh, yeh, yeh," Hagrid looked back again at the door. "Ah, I was expectin' Dumbledore, seeh if we coul' stay an' have class inside. Nah, no matter," he shook his head and sighed as if it pained him, "We'll've to pos'pone classes, yer dismissed." He smiled and started the otherway obviously feeling down.


Dumbledore watched Destiny go, and stepped out afterwards. There he greeted Fudge with a small nod while the latter put his hat back on in a cracky way, plainly not humored with what had just happened. One the girl looked out of sight, Fudge hurriedly advanced to say something. The whispers died in the solicitude to the office and not much afterward, they left the office.

Gideon could have cackled and bounced around with glee if he was not still pretending to mourn over his nonexisting kitty. "Honesty, 'ave you never heard any Muggle riddles?! But le's not do it 'ere...too many people..." He took the parchment from Nott and gestured for him to follow as he slunk down the corridor, still sobbing slightly and muttering "How could they do this to poor Fluffles..."

ooc: haha, I knew this was too easy a riddle^^ Too known, and the internet doesn't help. *tsk* My second choice (apart from doing a riddle myself, but I've been too sleepy ~_~) was one which was too difficult, but no matter, the riddles will get each time more difficult as we go


Nott was about to roll his eyes at the boy at the mere idea that he should know something about muggles. (A muggle riddle. Theo shivered at the idea of only having to contest his mind with that of a muggle.) Didn't get to. He helplessly watched as he once again was dragged to Grindewald-knows-where by the hyperactive boy, moving to a more secluded area, map in hand. Theo was on two minds if to laugh or be worried by the blocke's strange sobbing noises. Sounded like a kneazle was drowning down there.

Before passing classroom 1, Theo pulled the boy back to a stop and gestured him to enter. The classroom was deserted. He held the door open for Gideon, watching for people that could be staring, careful to act as if they were nothing but a group of student looking for room to study.

Gideon was moving towards the door, by now having lessened the sobs bit by bit so that he was almost silent, when he found his way blocked by a girl. He only grinned at her, the parchement in his hand having somehow vanished during the walk down the corridor.

"Parchement? Hidin' somethin'?" Gideon frowned slightly, then continued sheepishly in a completely convincing manner. "My my...you've definately caught us red-handed this time. I guess we'll have to spill it to you, but...promise not t' tattle? We're plannin' a lil 'surprise' for Mrs. Norris, see, and it won' be a plesant lil surprise if Filtch gets ear of 't. As for this Malfoy, popular little fella, ain't he?"

"Sorry, business calls," Gideon said with a charming smile that would have rivalled that of Gilderoy Lockhart, and slammed the door in her face after discreetly kicking her foot out of the way. No need to hurt the little princess. "So," he said a little louder than necessary so that his voice would filter through the door, in case Marissa decided to evesdrop, "how's the plan B?"

While he said that, he pulled out his wand and locked the door, placing a silencing charm over it. He then produced the map from who-knows-where he was hiding it and smoothed it out on the desk, tapping it with his wand and muttering, "the letter 'n'". He reached into his right pocket, rummaged around, and pulled out another scrap of parchment of similar size, and on it was written crudely "Operation Canned Potatoes". Apparently he had spoken some truth about wanting to prank Mrs. Norris.

Ron paused, looking at Hagrid, then at Hermione and Harry. "He's doing it again," he muttered, rolling his eyes. Hagrid's imability to lie was both a blessing and a curse, and it was only a matter of time before the three of them squeezed the information out. In the meantime...Ron looked around. Both Nott and the crazy wailing Ravenclaw were gone.

"Okay, that's odd," Ron muttered to himself.

I feel dumb... I didn't figure out the password -.- Hehe


Hermione's eyes cast over Ron quizically. "Doing what again?" she asked, before looking up at Hagrid. "Class dismissed? Hagrid, you can't do that... Why in the world would you want to just... dismiss the class?" She looked over at Ron, brow furrowed. "What is going on here?"

Unaware of what he has done, this boy Gideon, by the look of it, new letters started to appear on the map. Nott casted a look around at Classroom 11 and then at the boy, raising one eyebrow mostly out of surprise at the Operation Canned Potatoes plan plarchment. Shaking his head, his attention redirected at the parchment from where what looked like the *final version* was appearing. He watched attentively, frowning at the so many foot notes around which on top of it all moved and quivered as if underwater.

Not sure when this boy had become his ally on this quest, Theodore shoved the transforming map where Gideon could see it and said, "I will be just up for your prank to our feline friend in minute, once I find out what does this means." The map was doing some strange glowing, and some of the letters tended to dissapear, but most of it was clear enough.


Hagrid turned and smiled at the girl, his eyes kind of watery. He knew that, if sombody would indeed be disappointed with his class being cancelled was, of course, Hermione.

"Yeh'll 'ave many other time' fer that, Hermione," he said. "Beside', I didn' 've that interestin o' a class plann'd, so yer not missin' much." He said and his eyes saddened again. For real he had this huge surprise for them and somethnig he was sure would make an interesting class, but he didn't want to put them down. Just as suddenly his eyes brighten again but because of anxiousness, "Listen," he said, "don' yeh go to the grounds, Ok? I don't know what you've bin told, but don' get out!" He added, for a minute putting aside his obligations as staff over the kids' safesty.

Just then he looked up at the kid's backs, his eyes popped open at the appearance of the figure just before him...


"Rubeus," Dumbledore greeted as he climbed down the stairs by the side of Fudge who looked both nervous and mad (a common expression on him nowadays) that the Headmaster would, again, plan on leaving such pressing matters second to that of some silly student of a couple of them. when noticing the massive CoMC teacher he looked to think better of commenting.

Dumbledore approched them, reacing the end fo the stairs with a calm smile yet one that might have a parent when seeing the child steal cookies from the jar, Hagrid being the child by his expression. Hagrid tried to explain himself ("No, we wer' jus' - only chattin', like with Care of Magical Creatures -") but Dumbledore interrupted him to calm him down, "It's OK, I am not here other than passing by. But you would do well to show the Aurorus some hospitality, Rubeous." He added as he passed by. Hagrid, at the mentioning of the Aurors, had this mad glimp on his face.

"Afternoon," Dumbledore said to the trio of Harry, Ron and Hermione as he passed them to reach the Entrance.

Sorry for the wait!

Gideon's eyes widened at the new letters on the map. Yes, he knew the riddle had to be some sort of password, but really, an Auror relying on a Muggle riddle? Daft. He scanned over the information, piecing it together with the letters on the parchment the Auror was waving about--he'd gotten quite a good bit of info from a few glances while he "borrowed" the map--and an odd expression crossed his face. Like the wheels and cogs in his dynamite house of a brain were whizzing around frantically. By some sort of mistake or fate, he'd landed himself in something major...

"What do you suppose..." Gideon coughed, moving the Operation Canned Potatoes parchment aside where he could easily slide it over on the map in case someone broke in, and lowered his voice-- "this has somethin' to do with your mate Malfoy?" He pointed to the part of the map which was the Forbidden Forest. "What's there? A big beastie of Hagrid's or the one everyone seems to be talkin' about?"

"Yeah, I know..." Ron glanced at Hermione, who was evidently still very confused, then back at the shouting Auror. "Not allowed outside...then..." Maybe the thing that Nott was screaming about is still lurking around on Hogwarts grounds!

"Okay, Harry, Hermione, since we have our first lession off, let's go somewhere quiet to...erm...finish off our potions assignment," Ron said, with a quick wink to show that he didn't really mean exactly what he said.