Samantha had decided to take a walk. She was considering her future after she graduated though that was not for another couple of years. This was a nice little spot to have some thinking time.

Angel was just walking around the castle, trying to figure out what had happened at the start of term feast. She suddenly saw Samantha and decided to speak to her friend. "So what you doing today?" Angel sighed she could use a hug but she would wait.

Samantha looked and saw Angel and decided to give her a hug. "Angel. It is nice to see you." She let go of Angel. "My plans for today? Oh, I guess whatever and wherever the day takes me. How are you?"

Angel looked at Samantha and smiled as she gave her friend a hug back. "It's nice to see you as well." Angel looked at her friends. "That's sound like the best thing to do." Angel then looked at her friend and then down at her shoes. "I'm thinking of seeing if I can transfer because everyone hates me." Angel pouts. "Even my own sister doesn't seem to like me." Angel hated that fact.

Samantha placed her arm around Angel's shoulder. "Everyone doesn't hate you. Your sister just needs some time to cool down. I think she is trying to work out how to sort everything out with you. Time heals wounds and it will heal this one as well. If you transfer there will be many people who will be deeply upset at you leaving."

Angel looked at Samantha. "I hope that you are right." Angel sighed, "We'll just have to wait and see." Angel had no idea what had happened at all. "Angel sighed. "That is true Samantha." Angel was really upset but was a bit happier at what Samantha said. "Want to do something together?"

"It may take a few days but I am sure you two will be back to being the close, loving sisters you truly are. I'd love to do something together with you. The thing is, my mind's a bit of a blank. You should decide." Samantha said to Angel.

Angel looked at Samantha and gave her a playful jab in the ribs. "I've got an idea." Angel giggled, she was cheering up a bit, at least someone wanted to spend sometime with her. "We could go see one of the statues." Angel thought it would be cool to do something like that. "You might know some amazing one's right?" Angel hoped her friend did anyway.

Samantha smiled as she thought about the statues. "I know where we can go. There's the statue of Gregory the Smarmy on the fifth floor. I'll meet you there," she said as she headed off. Samantha hoped that Angel would follow her.

Leonard had been wandering around for a bit and he was pretty sure that he was lost now. In fact it wasn't so much that he was pretty sure he was quite certain that he got lost somewhere between moving in and out of the castle and the stair cases that didn't seem to like him...

It was all a bit bothersome really.

So, as the natural thing to do is when one is lost, he sat himself down against a wall, closing his eyes to think and hopefully retrace his steps

Angel was walking around wondering what to do when suddenly she saw someone sit down against the wall. "Is everything okay?" Angel looked at the younger Gryffindor. "Do you need a hand or anything?" Angel hoped that the boy didn't mind her asking him... but well she didn't like seeing people upset and the boy seemed to be either lost, upset or scared.

He looked up at the other Gryffindor and grinned at them, running a hand through his curly hair.

"Eh... I'm alright, got lost but it's quite nice here?" he offered, smiling sheepishly at the girl. "I'm Leo by the way, what's your name?" he asked, standing up and offering his hand to shake.

Angel looked at Leo and smiled. "I got lost a lot last year, when it was my first year." Angel had no idea why she was saying that. "So I decided to create my own map." Angel had loved doing that. "I've not finished it yet, but I'm getting there." Angel thought that map was going to be amazing when it was finished.

Angel smiled. "That's a great name." Angel shook his hand. "I'm Angel." Angel wonder if she should tell him about AJ in case he confused her sister with her but then she decided against it. "Where were you looking for?"

Angel... he had a feeling that he met her before but couldn't place it, especially considering so far he hadn't met any other Angel's at Hogwarts, so he just shrugged it off for now.

"Nothing really... I was just exploring" he answered with a grin. "Though I suppose starting a map might be helpful... especially in helping get you back where you started but oh well..." he had a tendency to just get lost until he found his way around and so far it had tended to work out well enough for him.

Angel looked at the first year. "That sounds fun.... I did a lot of that last year, but that was mainly because of the snowstorm." Angel didn't want to see any snow this year. "It was really bad... I mean we couldn't get out of the castle until right near the end of the year." Angel sighed. "At one time I thought we might actually be locked in for the duration." Angel had been seriously getting ready to scream when it had got to May.

Maps!!

O___________________o

Could she open up a map shop... It would make loads of money right.

"That sounds awesome. Want to come and get something to eat?" Angel smiled at the boy.

Rot, bother, muck and poo! The Pied Piper threw his flute against the stone, watching it cascade off the wall. Why was no one following? There were children everywhere and yet most seemed immune to the flute's music!

He wasn't exactly sure where he was meant to lead them, though that forest looked like a proper place, but he knew he must, MUST, entice them to follow him. But if the flute could not work it's spell, then what could he do?

He paced the width of the hallway, kicking his foot against the wall each time he came to it, grumbling and muttering under his breath. His green cloak billowed behind him. There must be some other way to persuade these children!

It was too cold to wander outside and dungeons were the worst at these times of the year, so the potions master was wandering inside the castle aimlessly. He was generally checking out if something was new and all. Had to keep himself updated, you know?

Like this little fella that was kicking the walls?

"Angry at someone?" he called at him as he paused to watch the green cloak. These kids came up with the most bizarre costumes this year, didn't they?

The Piper spun around at the voice, his eyes narrowed. "That," he spat, pointing at the flute. "no longer holds the power it once did." It would not charm the mice, nor the various other creatures of this castle, and certainly not the children.

But a small voice inside told him that he recognized this man. "But, you..." he said, stepping forward excitedly, his eyes widening. "You're the potions master. You must have some draught or other means for persuading people to come along. Or a polish to once again charm the instrument?"

Tiny as he was, the Piper looked up at the man, hopefully.

If not, he was going to have to see about an enchantment for the flute itself.

Cosgrach looked curiously at the flute. What kind of a power would a flute have? Charm the snakes? Maybe it would work on the Snakes. It was worth trying. In any case, Cosgrach was feeling too cheerful to let down a kid... Thornton. Yes. He remembered.

"Come to where?" ... "Can I look at it?" He pointed at the flute. This was the first time he was seeing a magical flute, after all.

The Piper looked at the man suspiciously. "Wherever I decide to lead," he said plainly. He hesitated, before turning and picking it up. Turning the wood flute over his hands, he held it out to the man, but did not let go.

"This flute led the rats out of Hamelin and saved the village." Placing it in the man's hand, he added, "And when the village crossed me, it led their children out, too."

Cosgrach was taken aback. What... was Thornton planning? The man raised his eyebrows, but shrugged to himself in the end. It was... probably an inside joke he didn't understand. He tried not to feel weird when the kid didn't give him the flute either... but it was getting harder to ignore the obvious, uh, words of Thornton. Rats? Hamelin? Village? Cosgrach blinked dumbly at his face, forgetting all about the flute. Children?

"What are you talking about?" Cue a confused and scared professor.

The Piper looked surprised "Perhaps the story did not reach these parts," he said thoughtfully. Those in the surrounding village had certainly heard. But perhaps no one knew of the Rat-catcher piper. He regretted having handed over the flute and reached to take it back.

"I only meant to explain the power that the flute lost. Creatures of all kinds would follow its tune." Would the man return the flute? "It means a great deal to me." A thought crossed his mind, though he was not sure where it had come from.

"It was a gift from hi-- my mother."

It sure didn't, because Cosgrach had no idea what story Thornton was talking about. He wasn't done with the flute, though, so he started examining it again and ignored the boy for a while. Oh. Hmm. Well. "I don't know how to make it work." Mainly because he had little idea what Thornton was talking about, but lso because he didn't think it was POSSIBLE. He finally gave it to him back.

"You need to ask Professor Fuller, I suppose."

Would he not give it back? The Piper watched in dismay as the man examined the flute, holding his breath.

He exhaled sharply as the flute was returned and he clasped it with both hands, lest the man try to take it back. Useless, he was.

"Well, then I suppose I should go visit this... Professor Fuller." The Piper slipped the flute inside his cloak and pulled his hood up over his head. Turning, the cloak billowed out behind him as he stalked down the hall. He WOULD make the flute work. HE WOULD.