Alec watched Penny's face as she looked at the book title in his hands. He nodded his head once she asked about the language. "Yes it is" He said to her. He sat down then at the willow that wasn't far away. Most people never thought of his as being fluent in Italian but in fact it was his native language.

He figured that he did owe Penny some kind of explanation. "Yes, before I moved in with my sister in London my family and I lived in Italy." He said to her. Alec actually didn't carry any accent. He had always worked hard in perfecting his English by practicing every summer when they visited on vacation.

Cassie breathed a sigh of relief. For a second there she thought her bestie was sad or something and she might have had to break a few heads open. Brynn was ok though, so no detention or expulsion for her, but she knew for a fact that the girl wasn't all together there when she saw her. Frowny frowny.

"hey yourself Bunny. What are you doing out here all by yourself and staring at that maniac tree?" She was curious to know because surely the whomping Willow wasn't all that appealing was it?Cassie laughed at her next comment."I'm sorry! I couldn't bring myself to climb the stairs this morning and I would have to wait for a gryffindor to be going into the common room to send for you, bleh. It was too much work too early." She sat next to her friend on the grass."I'm trying out for the quidditch team. Now I know it sounds crazy and I haven't hit a quaffle in my life or rode on a broom but I think it would be fun." She beamed.

Finally, an idea hit Presley. The whomping willow! She had heard all about it from her father, and how the passageway led to the shrieking shack, which was in hogsmeade! After two days of searching the castle for any possible way out, the 'Obvious Route' thing that her father had mentioned made sense. She stared at the tree, and the people all around it. Now she just had a few problems on her mental list: Getting into the tree, not being seen getting into the tree, getting out of the shack, proving to her father that she'd gotten to Hogsmeade faster than he had when he was in school, and finishing all of her assigned homework before it was due.
Well, as she was here now, and she didn't have anything else to do, she decided to meet new people, and continue with her goal of stepping out of her comfort zone and talking to a new person every day.
She noticed a boy, sitting a little ways away drawing in a notepad. Summoning up all of her courage, Presley walked over to him, and sat down on the grass. "Hey, I'm Presley," she greeted him. "What's your name?"

Penny listened as he talked of his past and where he came from. She was amazed that he had come from another country. Italy of all places. Her blue eyes lit up and she followed him to the willow tree and sat down next to him. He didn't have any accent so it was a bit of a surprise. Alec, it seemed, was full of surprises.

Curiosity was eating at her but she had been raised knowing that prying was rude. She herself had an accent and this was the first time she had ever been out of the states. She curled her knees up to her chest, resting her chin on her knee caps. "I've alway's wanted to go other places. Wha' was it like livin' there?"

Elyon giggled when Nika jumped, searching frantically for what caused the spark. She waved a little more, until the pink haired girl spotted her. "NIKA!" She squealed gleefully in return. She hadn't seen the quirky little lady in a while and was glad to be seeng her again.

"Nika, why do you come sit with me!?" She called to the timid Nika, who obviously did not want to befriend the Willow. She guessed it was just her and Whompy then!

Gwendolyn had been recommended a lot of books and articles about the Whomping Willow, but, since she had no passion for plants whatsoever, she never read them.

However, one thing she could do-see for herself how interesting (or not) that tree was.

Samira Spinks smiled to herself. She was loving her new style. Over the summer, she discovered something she never knew could be so fun. Fashion! She loved mixing and matching clothes and admiring the new things she would create. Her new style was slightly eccentric, but it was original and extremely unique. Samira loved it and found pride in it, even if she was a bit unsure at first.

She made her way through the grounds and towards the Whomping Willow. She didn't know why, but she was just drawn to the deadly tree. She watched from a distance and the branches thumped and moved, then moved closer. She saw a boy who looked to be about her age sitting in her favorite spot and seemed to be doodling. She felt annoyed that her spot was occupied, but pushed the feeling down. Instead she walked over and sat down. She looked back at the tree for a moment before turning to the boy, smiling, and said, "Hello."

Jamie sat and stared at the picture of the Whomping Willow that he had just drawn. His gaze lasted for a few seconds until the real tree rustled loudly, making him jump again. This was a stupid place to sit for someone who was easily frightened.

He was surprised to see someone sit next to him, actually. But he smiled at his guest, nonetheless. "Hey there, Presley." Cool name, like Elvis Presley, hehe. "I'm Jamie -" Or should he say Greg? It depended on whether this girl felt his name was a girl's name. Oh yea, this was being taken very seriously on the Keaton express. If that made any sense. "What're you doing?" He asked casually. Just chilling? Just wandering? Just talking to strangers? What was she up to, basically?

The boy put his notebook away and yawned.



ARGH. The next girl startled him.

Merlin's toes, Jamie was a popular boy today. He looked to his right quickly after hearing another girl's voice appear on the other side of him. "Hey!" So random. But he would love to go back to that girl - BRYNN - and let her know that girls were actually crazy about him. Jamie had actually failed in making any guy friends yet. How bizzare.

"My name is Jamie - and this -" he motioned to Presley who was sitting on the opposite side to him, "is Presley." Awesome, the introductions were almost over. And this girl was? Hmmmm?

Oh - he suddenly took off his shades, not to be rude. It wasn't even that sunny, either.

Great. Just what Nika was trying to avoid. The one question that she had hoped Elyon wouldn't ask. Nika searched her brain frantically to find something to reply with. It's not that she doesn't like trees because she loves them. She even defended the poor trees in SHAW's class. But the Whomping Willow. That's different. It isn't a tree, it's a monster tree. Regardless this is her friend. Nika took a few steps forward until she was maybe tree feet away from Elyon.

There. Three feet is as close as she's going to get. "I haven't seen you in such a long time!" Nika exclaimed glancing at the willow ever so often. You never know when it's going to go for an attack. "Erm Elyon. Aren't you worried that, that thing is going to smash you?" Nika sure was.

" How do you like the Whomping Willow" William asked Gwen. " It looks like it is crazy" Willaim told Gwendolyn. " We just need to be careful of the tree" William said to Gwen.

Presley nodded to the girl she had just been introduced to, then answered Jamie's question. "Well, I don't know if you would tell a teacher if I told you," she said. Jamie seemed like a nice kid, if a bit quiet. But you couldn't just go telling your top-secret plans to someone you had just met. "But," she quickly made up her mind "I think I can trust you. Right?"

Alex walked down to see the legendary Whomping Willow that Dan had spoken about. He sat down a good distance from the tree, admiring his new home.

Amy had been bored sitting inside and doing homework and so, had decided to walk out and get a breath of fresh air. And then she had seen the whomping willow, and she again decided to beat the whomping willow.

Needless to say, it hadn't gone well, and rubbing her head she plopped down next to a boy, dangerous thing she muttered

Caroline walked back over to where Kita was sitting. The nerve of her just to walk up to her and say that. She had always heard that Marie was mean, but she didn't realize how much until now. Well if she wanted a fight then she'd get one. She crossed her arms and flopped back on the ground beside Kita. "I think you should. I'll help you if you want me too." She tried to change the subject, she really didn't want to talk about it, she was ready thinking about it too much.

There was no way that she would let this bother her. Or was it true? Did he really still love Marie? Would he ever love her? Was Marie just saying that? As these thoughts swam through her mind, she wondered if any of it was true. And maybe she really didn't have to worry about it. Or maybe she did? She tried to push it out of her mind, but she couldn't.

She turned away from Kita and wiped her eyes. "I gotta go. Sorry." Not wanting to let it get to her or let Kita or anyone for that matter see her cry. She got up and wiped her eyes again. "I think I just need a run." She left without saying another word. She started out in a run toward the pathways.

Daichi couldn't have blushed more than he did now. This girl was confusing him with every second! "Y-ya! Why do you give me girl names then?" he asked with a slight stutter that he had hoped wouldn't be there. Seriously, this girl is crazy!

As a natural reaction , Daichi's eyes widedened at the mention of Mr.Duckles going to the orphans. "WHAT?!" he squealed out loud and tried to grab the plushed duck while jumping up and down. "He's MY hero! not someone elses! y-you wouldn't understand... Now..now give it BACK!" He shouted the last word with force, obviously he was starting to get a bit angry. He wanted to grab his wand but since he knew almost to none spells he refused to grab it. Lola was older than him and he knew she would be better at dueling than him... aargh!

Daichi stopped jumping but still had his eyes focused on Mr.Duckles. He crossed his arms in defeat. "THERE IS NO SECRET!" he shouted before he could stop himself, this wasn't like him but if anyone messes with his plushed duck...! "EVERYONE knows that the tree is called WHOMPING WILLOW!" he had made fists of his hands as he continued to stare at the plushy. "ASK anyone! now give it back" he said it quietly and wanted it to be scary . Because if you said something quietly it had more effect than someone who was yelling...

And it wasn't because he was scared she would donate Mr.Duckles to the orphans!

Ellie laughed at her adorable blonde friend. "You do sound like a Gryffindor. But don't worry; you've still got your inner Malfoy." Ellie said with a smile. She sighed a little and smiled. She was glad that Emma was still there for her, even though Ellie considered herself a terrible person. But still, it was hard only having two friends in a school of thousands of people. SuperBrae, huh? He was pretty cool after all. "It seems like you two are getting along pretty well." She said with a smirk.

Looking at her hands, Ellie cleared her throat. "Well, my brother is... He died, a couple weeks ago. That's why I was late coming to school. And Alex pretty much hates my guts now. And I don't blame him, I mean it is my fault." Ellie looked up and tried to prevent her welled up tears from falling. She'd gotten used to crying lately, but she didn't want to make Emma sad for her. It was Ellie's fault, anyway.

"Sorry, I don't mean to do this; I know you wanted to have fun, I just... I don't have anyone to talk to anymore. They all hate my guts." She said quietly, looking away and wiping a stray tear. Merlin, she was pathetic, wasn't she?

Fee made her way to the whomping willow.Actually the blonde neeeever walked there but right now it seemed to be a good place,to be alone,to think.Whatever.Everything turned so complicated now?Why?Why couldnt things be easy for once?!Sighing the Slytherin sat down in the middle of the grass and placed her head on her knees. Maybe she should stay here and never go back?Hiding somewhere seemed to be a pretty good idea to her.Ohh how mature.

As the girl looked around she couldnt spy many people around her and was thankful for that.Seriously,Fee loved having people around her and getting to know new people but right now wasnt the time tp be all happy and cheery.No one should get to know her in that bad state.

Coming up from the lake with slightly red and puff eyes, Kurumi felt surprisingly better considering the amount of crying she had just done while in Connor's arms. Still, she couldn't help but feel even more confused by her feelings.

Not to mention now she wasn't even sure that her feelings were true after talking with Connor about...his uncanny ability.

Removing the remaining tears from her cheeks, Kurumi blushed a bit when she felt her forehead where Connor had kissed her several times.

Then, she noticed Fee sitting down...and looking rather distressed and she was pretty sure she already knew the reason why. Kurumi had run into Edmond in the Gryffindor common room.

"H-H-Hello," she stammered coming up next to the blonde and taking a seat.

This is the first time Aiden visits the Whomping Willow ever since she got into Hogwarts. She once overheard her uncle telling her father that it is the shortcut to the Shrieking Shack.

She has thought of exploring the Shrieking Shack, but Aiden knows very well that she will get into deep, deep trouble if she does so. Disappointed, Aiden just stare blankly at the larger, bonsai-like tree.

Fee sat there thinking about everything that has happend to her today.Such a weird day.Sighing the blonde put her hands into her hair.Everything seemed to be so messed up and it scared the Slytherin.The way Edmond had looked at her when he asked about Hugo.Why the hell did he even know she had a new boyfriend?What had he expected her to do?!So many questions were running through her head and the blonde was sure she was growing a massive headache over the day.Gaahh.

Deeply lost in her thoughts the girl noticed someone sitting down next to her,who would sit down next to her, looking like that?!Looking up the third year saw Kurumi sitting there and a small smile grew on her face."Hey Kurumi",she said,"whats wrong?"The Gryffindor looked terrible,her eyes were red and there was definitely something going on.

Kurumi blushed when she saw the worried look Fee was giving her and she immediately turned her gaze towards the Whomping Willow. "N-N-Nothing," she said lying though an innocent smile. Everyone was so quick to run to her aid and put their worries to the side, this time Kurumi was going to have Fee get whatever was wrong off her chest before Kurumi spoke. "I-I was just talking with Connor. He is a new transfer student in Slytherin."

She turned her gaze to Fee when she felt that her eyes could no longer reveal what her smile hid. "What about you? You...look a bit frazzled..." she said slowly as she hugged her knees to her chest. "Does it...does it have anything to do with..." She paused. "Edmond coming back?"

Nothing?That was such a lie and Fee would find out what this was about.Kurumi was her friend and the blonde didnt wantto see her sad,no matter how she was.Conor?A new Slytherin?Was there something going on with a new guy and Kurumi?That would awesome."Who is Connor?",the girl asked smiling a little,"do you have to tell me something?"The Slytherin nneeded to get to know this boy,to check if he was good enough for Kurumi.The Gryffindor only deserved the best.

The third year turned her head,so she was facing Kurumi who was sitting the same way.But as she mentioned Edmond,the blonde closed her eyes for a second and sighed."Yes its about him",she said tears forming in her eyes again,"he just showed up at the lake as if nothing had happend and said hey."hey and nothing else,well at first.But it still shocked her."I dont know what to do Kurumi",the girl whispered.

Kurumi's cheeks flushed a bit more as Fee pressed the issue just a bit, but it was a bit refreshing to be honest. The somewhat young school girl feeling that was bubbling in the pit of her stomach.

"Connor is a 5th year, from the Durmstrang Institute," she explained. "I-I met him in Diagon Alley over the summer." And who had been there in ways many others, including a certain red head, hadn't. She pulled her legs in a bit closer and leaned her cheek on her knees to look at Fee.

Then the blonde spoke again and Kurumi felt that she knew exactly how the girl was feeling, for she was feeling at this very moment. "Does it feel like your heart is being torn in two because you feel like you have to chose someone, um, something over another?"

Fee smiled at Kurumi as she noticed how the girl next to her blushed at the thought of this Connor.Now the blonde had REALLY to get to know this boy.Oh and he was a fifth year.Smiiiirk."Thats cool",the girl said,"i met a lot cool people at Diagon Alley too.Just have fun for once Kurumi."Hopfully the Gryffindor would get the hint,she thought too much about others.

Taking a deep breath the Slytherin nodded silently."You know i was so angry at him,i hit him,i screamed at him,i was sooo mad",she said tears running down her face again,"he left me alone.Just like that.Everyone knows how hard that was for me.And now i cant even be seriously mad at him for more than 5 minutes?Something has to be wrong with me,i mean it all ended with us sitting there and holding onto eachother and he knows about Hugo and i dunno why."
Woah,Fee should stop blabbering everything out in one breath.This was so confusing,she had a boyfriend and she was actually happy with him,even though she had heard what he had said to Kurumi in the kitchen.Stupid Life."Are you feeling like that too?",the blonde asked,her voice softening.Maybe Kurumi had feelings for this Connor but still liked Adam?!

Have fun? Well, she was a bit too preoccupied with trying to keep herself busy and take her mind off everything to have fun. There were also Quidditch practices looming that made her sick to her stomach. Maybe Fee meant that she needed to spend more time in the kitchens baking? She was pretty sure that she could do that.

Kurumi nodded as she pulled her knees even closer to herself and sighed. "I made a promise, Fee, that I would wait..." she frowned hiding her face for a moment. "But he doesn't write and I haven't heard anything from Adam since...since we parted ways after the train ride back to London. And now..." she frowned thinking about Selina and her vision of Adam and Cece together, and Kurumi an empty shell of herself. "Well, you know how he was. Adam was a bit of a flirt and...and...I want to believe in him...I just am not sure I can..." Kurumi's eyes watered a bit and she buried her face in her knees again. "I don't think he is going to wait, Fee..."

And now she had someone who was telling her that he would wait forever.

She wasn't ready for all this. She was only thirteen!