In the first few days of being back at the Castle, Felicity had found herself gravitating to the Astronomy tower, a place she wasn't sure she'd feel comfortable: after everything that had happened recently, and the people this place reminded her of, she was surprised at how relaxed it still made her. Of course, she hadn't run into Valko or Flynn here yet, but she wasn't going to dwell on the chance that she might. For now, she was going to enjoy being here without them whilst she could.

This evening she didn't have her telescope on her, but she had brought a few snacks from the kitchen after skipping the Great Hall dinner. Climbing onto one of the window ledges, she got comfortable, chewing on her mini sandwiches as she started to create constellations from the stars she could see.

For someone with a Common Room up in the Towers and who spent most of her free time there, Jessa didn't wander too far outside a certain area. The Observation Deck wasn't one of those areas but as it happened, there was proper need today.

The Ravenclaw walked into the room, a doll wrapped in her arms and another walking along behind her. She gave a quick look around the circular room, trying to find the best spot to get things done and that was when her gaze fell on a certain Slytherin. It was a little strange, y'know, despite knowing all areas were open access to all houses...it wasn't often that she saw those with Common Rooms on the bottom floors so high up when they weren't attending lessons.

Then again, being in her lab so much, how could she know how often anyone really went anywhere?

"Getting an early start on some Astronomy homework?" She asked, sinking onto another window ledge and helping the little doll up as well.

Although she could ignore the noise indicating someone else had entered the Observation Deck, the voice dragged Felicity's gaze away from the sky. "No, I'm just...." Answering Jessa's question was put on hold for a moment when the Slytherin noticed what was joining her on the ledge, and she swung her legs round as she looked at the dolls curiously.

"...trying to clear my head," she eventually finished after a pause, her voice quiet. "Where did you get them from?" Felicity couldn't help but ask, watching the doll's movements as Jessa helped it up onto the window ledge.

Helping Lise onto the window ledge, Jessa missed Felicity's initial hesitation. It wasn't until her question that the Ravenclaw even noticed she'd noticed the dolls. Porcelain and dainty in appearance both looked in immaculate condition. Their skin, didn't seem to shine as much as real porcelain however, looking more alike to human flesh but not having quite made the transition yet. Only one moved, the other remained stationary in her lap.

"Toy store. My dad took me to get 'em...last November....I think it was." They'd be rounding on a year soon. She hoped it would mark significant progress for them by then. Still a few months to go. "This is Lise." The doll gave a curtsy when introduced but gave no further indication of sentience. "And this one's Jane."

Jessa had heard what Felicity had said earlier about clearing her head and it had marginally peaked her interest.

"School year already proving overwhelming for you?" That was certainly the case for her--but she was working on it....once she got done working on Valko things.

Lise's curtsy got Felicity's eyes widening again, her awe of the dolls obvious. "They're... Wow. Did you magic them yourself?" she couldn't help but ask, wondering if the toy store had been magic or if it was some sort of charm of Jessa's own doing. She wouldn't have been surprised if the other girl had done it herself, though - Felicity knew Jessa was incredibly clever, that much was obvious.

"You could say that," Felicity mused, casting a glance back towards the night sky. "NEWTs feel like they're round the corner, I've got to decide what I want to do when I leave here..." She trailed off as she looked back at Jessa, offering an apologetic smile to her. Of course, schoolwork was only part of the story, but she wasn't going to tell anyone apart from Junia about the rest of it. Her graduation woes were probably boring to Jessa, anyway, and she was much more interested in her companions.

"How're you getting on?"

She would be an absolutely terrible liar if she said she wasn't pleased with the awe that rose in Felicity's expression. It wasn't often that her experiments saw the outside of her lab and it was even less often that they came in contact with others. Beyond that, not everyone seemed to appreciate the intricate detailing and work that went into getting them the way they were. All they saw were either neat tricks or immoral practices.

"I did, yeah. Separate charms to fulfill separate tasks. Lise has the most freedom of my line of dolls. I'll be comparing her later on. Jane's here to test out a new spell I've been meaning to try." Just to save her the added trouble when someone did happen upon her lab while trying to find her.

Ah, some of those worries. She herself had already finished the Hogwarts syllabus in its entirety and no longer concerned herself with them. "Not sure how much I can help with after Hogwarts choices, not knowing what I want myself but I can have some of my NEWT notes duplicated for you. They're a bit in depth and you might find half the information generally useless even for the exam but I'd found them interesting at the time." Indeed, there were some subjects that, at the NEWT level, were able to keep her attention outside of the recommended syllabus.

As for how she was getting on, the question seemed a bit general leaving her unsure what the Slytherin might really have been asking. "With my studies? My experiments? My" train wreck of a , "school life?"

That was... Well, Felicity wasn't sure of the right word to use, but it was beyond impressive. Half of the time she couldn't even keep up in classes, and yet here Jessa was performing spells that she hadn't even imagined, that she could only assume took masses of skill because of the amount she read. As much as she would attempt to keep it under wraps, the Slytherin was harbouring a whole lot of jealousy - not that she begrudged Jessa of her talent, no: she just wished that she had even the smallest degree of it. What was she supposed to do about her life when she wasn't the best at anything? It wasn't like you could build a career on having really good eyebrows.

As said brows settled back to their normal place on her face (although if she continued getting surprises at the rate they'd started this year, she was sure they'd migrate permanently to the middle of her forehead), she looked from Jessa to Jane curiously. "What spell is it?" And could she watch?

"Are you sure? That would be great, Jessa, thanks," Felicity managed, grateful at the notion that Jessa would help her, even if it was somewhat of an annoyance that she needed the help in the first place. But she was trying to climb down from her high horse, realising that if she did want to get into a university it might be best to accept all of the help she could get.

"With... Anything, I guess. You're experiments are really interesting though, so tell me about those?"

She couldn't deny there was something infinitely satisfying about sharing her interests and having them validated. It wasn't exactly the more....common experience, not when so many people had so many strong opinions of their own on the things she did so those few moments when her interest was met with returned interest...yeah....those were pretty amazing. Hard to pass them up actually.

"I don't mind at all. They'd be duplicated. I'll make sure they last long enough for you to make use of them before they start to tarnish and break down." With the right amount of intent she suspected Felicity could have a good run with them. "But I could always duplicate them a second time if you needed. It's not hard." So she didn't mind. Even if it was hard, the 6th Year liked challenges and was still unlikely to decline.

Jessa shuffled a little further onto the window ledge, getting comfortable and allowing Lise to readjust as needed. "It's.....kinda like the protean charm." That was the best way to begin an explanation like this. "but not quite. The idea is, I wanna be able to see what she sees, that way when I set her outside my lab--concealed of course--I'll be able to see whoever's on the other side without having to stop what I'm doing, get up and go check." Made filtering out guests even easier. "I'd link one of my eyes to one of hers."

As for her experiments. "I think those are getting on well actually. Had to remove their charms over the summer." An unfortunate inability to maintain them when she wasn't allowed magic. "But they haven't broken down by too much. It's an easy fix. Already started making notes on some of the subtler differences between the animated dead and things that never lived. I suspect the felines will ultimately make the better progress with autonomy."

"You might have actually just saved my whole future." Okay, so maybe Felicity was being a little dramatic, but the grateful smile that graced her features was honest. Now, if only she could find a way to prevent herself from being distracted... But that was a problem for another day, she guessed. Now she was making the most of what little free time she had left. "I still need to figure out what universities I want to apply to - it's so hard to do that when I'm trying to focus on my grades, too."

So she wasn't the most academically gifted witch on the planet, but she worked hard and that would pay off, right? At least, that was what Felicity hoped would happen. Her brow furred a little as she concentrated on what Jessa was saying, nodding along as the other girl spoke. "Okay, so whilst you're inside, one eye will be on the work you're doing, and one eye will be on what's outside - on what the doll sees?" It was phrased as a question, because Felicity wasn't sure she'd followed exactly, but if she had... Well, that was seriously impressive work Jessa was doing.

So, maybe the whole animating dead things gave Felicity the creeps, but she tried not to let it show on her face, even if the hairs on her arms had risen. "Why do you think that?" Honest curiosity, what was so special about cats that made it better?

"I bet it's all very confusing. Seven years here, knowing with certainty where you'll be when September rolls around then suddenly having to figure out the next place you'll be spending a few years." In theory, there was nothing too difficult about it, change was a part of life...progress...and development but honestly it sounded a little stressful for the Ravenclaw. Getting used to one norm then having it shift entirely? Considering all the new ways you'll have to see your friends because they wouldn't be down in the Great Hall anymore or over by the lake? "Terrifying really." She thought aloud, now giving the issue serious thought despite having another year here after this one.

"Yes, precisely." Jessa continued with a nod, happy Felicity had gotten even the basic idea of it. "For surveillance mostly. Almost like......having a peephole to the outside without having to get up to go peep. I suspect I could use her in other ways too. Walk the the castle through her eyes without having to leave my lab then either." Huh. Not a bad idea actually. It'd certainly make it easier to go find her friends and ask them to come see her without having to stop what she was currently doing.

It was something to look into.

As for the why, Jessa gave the faintest of shrugs, unsure she could fully explain. "Well...when you think about it...the dead....had a capacity once for autonomy....and independence. They had the necessary faculties in place. In theory, getting those faculties up and running again SHOULD bring back some amount of the same function. Inanimate objects...had no such faculties. You have to give them all instructions. You can charm them to react to prompts...but it wouldn't be the same thing. It's still only a theory though, and Professor Hirsch and I are also looking into the possibility of them throwing the spells altogether and somewhat taking on a "life" of their own." The man had already done a ton of research on the topic on his own.

It was time to try again. The sky was clear, no winter storms that night, and she had gotten a good night sleep the night before. Just after dinner, she padded up to the Observation deck, hoping to catch an Aurora Borealis. Once she entered the area, she quickly grabbed a blanket and set up a comfy spot on the couch near the far side of the room.

The air was cool, but not nearly as bad as the evening she took the trip down to the igloo to view the sky. No, it wasn’t nearly that cold. Still, the blanket was firmly wrapped around her body, holding in what heat there was. Shivering made sky viewing far less enjoyable.

As she watch the sky, her mind wandered to the fun she had over the summer. The warm days spent at quidditch camp, flying around the pitch until the sun went down. The sweet smells of flowers blooming and large slices of ripe red watermelon. Those were wonderful days that she couldn’t wait to get back to.

Just as her mind was about to head off in a different direction, a small patch of color caught her eye. Her attention was pulled to the present and her focus was directed towards the color change. “Could it be?” She mumbled aloud as she rose from her soft seat on the couch and crossed over, closer to the window.

With her face all but plastered against the window, she stared, partially in disbelief, at the forming Aurora. Her jaw dropped at its beauty. There were greens, reds, and almost purple looking streaks of light coloring the night sky.

After taking in the beauty for a while, she decided it was time to take some notes before forgetting what she saw.

Felicity nodded as Jessa spoke, chewing on her bottom lip as the Ravenclaw seemed to know exactly how to express feelings she couldn't even manage herself. "I mean, I've only been her for four year, but still," her voice was soft as her gaze moved from the other girl to the window, staring out over the grounds. "It's strange to think that I won't come up here anymore, or wake up and go to breakfast with everyone..." Honestly, terrifying was exactly the right word - Felicity's stomach was doing backflips just thinking about it, and she couldn't imagine how hard it would be to actually do something different.

"If you heard something was happening, you could send her to see, and if it wasn't particularly interesting, you haven't wasted the time or effort yourself," Felicity mused absentmindedly, wondering if that was the epitome of lazy or just a strategic use of time.

Probably a bit of both.

Her eyes were drawn back to Jessa, curiosity settled on her brow. She nodded along as Jessa spoke. "That... I think I get it," she mused, glad that she didn't seem completely lost at the explanation. "That's really interesting, and complex. Is it what you want to do after you leave her?" She knew the Ravenclaw still had another year in the Castle, but with a mind like that, it would be a shame to not continue the research she'd started here. Or, at least, that was what Felicity thought.

Dorian had used the very handy Undetectable Extension Charm that he had learned during the joint lesson with Muggle Studies and Charms. It had been one of the spells that Dorian had become handy in as he used it nearly every day now. It was just so convenient to be able to drag his stuff with him without breaking his back.

Inside of the bag he was carrying now as he walked up the stairs to the Observation Deck were a blanket big enough for him to lie down on. Some packages of orange juice that his father had send him with the owl post some time ago and two peanut butter, jelly, fluff and banana sandwiches that Rosie, eh Rylee had showed him how to make once. Although he doubted his was as good as she had made it but it was something. Also, he really thought she had to chance the name because peanut butter, jelly, fluff and banana sandwich was way too long.

Reaching the top of the stairs, Dorian was pleased that he was the only one on the observation deck for now. He liked the quiet, crowds weren't his favourite thing anyway. He walked over the somewhere in the back a bit in the shadows. The weather was cold but not as cold that he was shivering. He wrapped his Ravenclaw scarf better around him and then pulled open his bag and he reached inside with his arm completely vanishing inside to reach his stuff and his finger tips touched the soft fabric of the blanket. He pulled it out with a unnecesarry flourish and placed it on the ground.

Sitting on top of the lime green and pink blanket with the words 'summer vacation' on it in big bold letters, Dorian reached for the drinks and pulled one out. He could check out space in a moment first he needed to drink. As he put the straw in the drink package, the fourteen year old sat with his legs in an indian pose and then lazily looked up at the sky.

He was in luck. Well, he didn't see the Aurora Borealis like he had come to do but the sky was clear. He then checked his watch for the time and was pleased he was here exactly at 10pm like he had scheduled. He had read that between 10 and 11pm he had the highest chance to see the northern lights. Waiting from 6pm to 4am was just too much. He still had other classes in the morning.

Drinking the last drop of orange juice, the Ravenclaw crushed the package and placed it beside him. No worries, he would clean everything up later. He then leaned back and used his bag as a cushion. Five minutes past and Dorian found that he was enjoying this. It was just lying down and staring at space but it was very relaxing. He was definitely doing this more often. After at least 20 minutes, the Ravenclaw became bored. As much as he enjoyed it he was also really glad he had taken his comic book with him.

He reached inside his bag yet again and fished out the comic book in question. The moon did not provide enough light for him to read but he was a wizard and even he was able to use the wand lightening charm. "Lumos" he said after taking his wand from his robe pocket and then placed his comic book on his lap and with the wand light he continued reading.

He did not know how much time past and although he did occasionally look up at the sky, he did not see any sign of the aurora borealis yet. He also figured that a big colorful phenomenon in the sky would get his attention even from the corner of his eyes so he looked back down to continue reading his comic book.

Apparantly this had been a mistake because the Ravenclaw got a shock when he checked his watch for the time and he gasped when it was already around 1:30 am. Awww man, the comic book had been so good that he had gotten distracted by it. He looked up at the sky and sighed. It was getting late and he was getting tired. Not to mention that he had Transfiguration first thing in the morning and he wanted to be mentally present. Also physically duh...

He packed his things except for his blanket and after he was done he grabbed a piece of parchment and a muggle pen to write down his day one observation.



He felt bad and guilty for leaving out the fact that he had been too distracted by his comic book but...what they did not know did not hurt right?

Skylar had gotten slightly distracted with her readings that night, which meant she hadn't been able to head up to the Astronomy Tower until thirty minutes to midnight. The weather was crisp and the skies were clear, which left Skylar optimistic that it would be a good night. Not to mention that the Astronomy Tower was one of the highest points in the castle that she could do without using her broom.

Stepping out onto the observation deck, she noticed the chill to the nighttime Spring air and quickly cast a warming spell over herself. The seventh year set down her bag and found a place over in the far corner to watch and wait. Astronomy seemed to be much of a watching game and hoping it would be a good night to see something spectacular.

Curious, she moved one of the telescopes on the deck and peered inside the eyepiece. Perhaps it was due to it being Spring, but the use of telescope, there were greens and purples and blues streamed in rays across the sky. It was a display where Skylar was unable to stop watching and simultaneously wishing she was not alone during this witnessing. This was it. This was no spell or replica, but this was really happening. Unlike the spell that lingered for longer, this phenomenon was present and then it faded almost as quickly as it came, dissolving into the night skies.