Quiet atmosphere accompany that morning. It is still very early days and Aphrodite had been awake. She agreed to meet Laura here this morning for lending some of her knut to Aphrodite. They agreed that she would return it to Laura later. While carrying a small beaded bag in her left hand and carry a book to read in the right hand, Aphrodite waited patiently in the first year.

Laura came flying up-to the first floor, "Sorry I'm late." Laura handed Aphrodite the bag full of knuts. "Here you go." Laura smiled and she looked at the first year. "Are you enjoying your time here or is it getting a bit much." Laura smiled. "Just remember what I said if you need anyone just come and find me and we can go for a walk and chat."

According to the noticeboard in the common room this would soon be like a home, she was looking forward to Defense Against the Dark Arts this term but she would not want to come if the corridor was to be in this shape. Working quickly she started the vacuum "Vacavus" she worked down the corridor not missing any dust or dirt. She sighed as the excitement for the term began growing again. With all that was looking promising for this term she knew nothing was going to stop it from being great.

Receive a bag of Knut from Laura, making Aphrodite very grateful. In any peculiarities in its first year, making her think a lot, and the most important thing is she missed her parents. "Thank you, Laura. Would you like to exchange for the galleons that I bring right now?" she asked as she put the bag into the satchel she was carrying.

OH! Before she forgot, "Laura, do you want to do homework herbology lesson with me? Looks like I might need some help and we might be able to talk a lot while doing it," she said, smiling at her.

Laura looked at Aphrodite and smiled. "It's okay there on the house." Laura said truthfully, she was just happy that she could help someone out, she looked at her little friend and smiled. "So how are you enjoying your time at Hogwarts so far?"

O______________________o

"Yeah I would love to help you with your homework it would be awesome." Laura was sure that she could help the firstie with the work. "So want to go and do it now?" Laura thought it would be awesome if they could.

"So far I love it, Laura. Unless some strange things are happening," she said, smiling at the girl in front of her, "What about you, Laura? How is the of the common room is yours?" Aphrodite asked her.

Laura will help her with homework, yippie! "Sure, the faster we can finish it the better it will be. So, can we now walk to get there?" she asked as she walked with small steps.

Kace decided to walk around the castle, he managed to go from the fifth floor corridor to the first floor without getting lost or getting into magical trap doors or passages. This castle was filled with hidden secrets he has yet to explore.

"Alright Kace, this floor is dusty, it is time to work your magic." he told himself and he got the vacuum out of his bag. It was time for the little creatures to fear him. Kace managed to see little scraps of paper lying around from students. They probably fell out of their backpacks when they weren't looking. Kace decided it was time to pick them up.

Kace used his wand and said, "Vacavus!" and then the vacuum roared to life yet again. It was soo cool that he had the power to determine the dirts and grime fate. "Alright little dust bunnies get in this vacuum's belly!" he said and giggled at that.

It was sucking and even sucking up the papers and dust on this floor. He could even see the polished floors underneath. It was a miracle. Kace managed to see a mice scuttling along the floor and he accidentally sucked it in by mistake O__o.

"Uh oh..." Kace gasped and said "Finite!" and he heard the mouse squealing inside. Kace got the little compartment open and he opened his hand for the mouse to jump on. It got out alright and he managed to clean this floor up. I would say this day was successful.

Laura smiled at Aphrodite "I'm glad your enjoying it." Laura had always been having fun at Hogwarts and she was glad her new friend was having fun. "Hogwarts is awesome, I always love spending time here." Laura thought it was nice time.

Laura looked at Aphrodite and smiled. "Come on then we have to get going." Laura giggled. "The common room aren't normally like they are but I'm sure the head had her reasons and I'll follow the rule she had brought in." Laura looked at Aphrodite. "So which class is your favorite?"

"Yeah, the Gryffindor Common Room and Girls Dormitory very dusty at first, Laura,"

but after doing duty Astronomy, like Hogwarts started again as usual .. well .. except food,

"So far I love the whole, it looks like I have to catch on Transfiguration and I like Herbology and Astronomy and you Laura?" she asked as they moved to the Student Garden.

Laura smiled. "Well I love Muggle Study, that is my favorite lesson by far, which confuses me since I was brought up like a muggle even though I'm half blood." Laura giggled, it was an interesting story but long so maybe she would tell her new friend another time.

"Anyway I'll race you to the Herbology garden if you want?" Laura giggled, she was having loads of fun and was glad that she could help her friend, "Just remember if you need help with anything I'm always around."

Theo was excited about this homework, not only because it was set by Professor Bellaire, but because he got to teach his gargoyle things, and it was cool! He rushed through the first floor with the gargoyle under his arm, until he stopped in the corridor. What a perfect place, since it was so spacious and stuff.

He rested the gargoyle on the hard ground and stared at it.

........
Yep, it was still as a statue.

The Slytherin pulled out his wand and had to pause and remember the spell for a moment. Once again, it was one of those mouthful ones. "Pier... totum... Lococo...." No, that wasn't it. "Piertotum." He paused, having got the first part down, "Loco-mortor." Okay, cool. He pointed his wand at his gargoyle and.....

"Piertotum Locomortor!"

But, nothing. He couldn't quite understand that since he had done the spell SO well during class. Theo pouted and continued to stare at his gargoyle. Maybe it was broken.

With three potion ingredients inside vials in his bag, Daichi headed inside the castle and began to search around for a specific creature. A spider could be used as a potion ingredient right?

He walked around the corner as his brown eyes scanned the area. There had to be spiders here. Somewhere... A movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention and just as he turned around he saw a spider trying to climb out of the window.

Flicking his wrist, the Slytherin grabbed his phoenix wand and pointed it at the spider. With a wave , he said "Immobulus" and... the spider continued running off in a fast pace.

"Stupid wand" he mumbled as he now had to search for a different spider. Luckily, there was another one and the Prefect hurried to follow it around the corner. "Immobulus!" he shouted and the beam of light hit the spider.

This time, the spider seemed to freeze on the spot and Daichi quickly picked up the spider with a pair of clippers. He couldn't kill the spider so he placed the spider in the vial and with four ingredients he checked his watch, almost paled when time was almost up and quickly ran to the classroom.

Bliss sighed, walking slowly down the corridor, unable to get those imagines out of her mind. Alice and West. Really, Boggart? Really? A bit mean, if you asked her. Even the maze was nice in comparison. She'd take that maze hundred times over, rather than having to face that scene again.

Dabbing her eyes again with Mo's handkerchief, she glanced around. There were portraits looking at her. Staring, even. Some looked concerned, some looked bored and some looked amused. She ignored them all and carried on walking, wanting to reach the stairs to the ground floor, then head out to the grounds, but ... what was she supposed to do with the handkerchief? Wait until class and give it to him, or maybe see him in the morning, or give it to one of his friends to pass along? Bliss walked and pondered ..

Fearless wasn't quite exactly a word that could be used to describe Alice, but it was rather difficult to actually name things that frightened her. It wasn't as if she was enamored of those creepy crawly creatures that others seemed to be so afraid of, or fond of the solitude that petrified others. The fact was just that she wasn't baffled by them. It took a bit more than insects or abandonment or death to disorient her, she supposed, but what she didn't know.

Did she even want to, though? She was in the corridor, peeking round the corner at all the people waiting for their turns to go into the defense classroom and inspecting the ones that came out. Some were crying, or shaking, or looking emotionally traumatized. Was that going to happen to her, too, if she went in there? It wasn't like she was scared of finding out what it was or anything, but it seemed like putting herself through a lot of pain that homework just wasn't worth. Was there even an it like that? Something that terrified her right down to the bone?

If there was, that was how she got rid of that weakness, right? First finding it, then conquering it? Did that mean basically, facing a Boggart somehow translated into becoming infallible? It didn't seem like it was worth that either, though, even if it did. So she carefully slipped away to write an essay, because she wasn't a TOTAL slacker. Alice just knew what was best for her mental health and didn't want to become a deranged child like all those other children leaving the boggart room, okay?

That was it. Clearly.

Mo was still a bit shell-shocked from his encounter with the boggart, and he was trying to move as quickly away from that blamed classroom as possible. It was probably how he miraculously managed to overtake Bliss in the hallway. Mo slowed down so he wouldn't over take her.

Bliss. West's girlfriend, but he'd somehow managed to never have a conversation with her. THIS sort of thing was probably what West was referring to when he suggested a lack of interest in his life. Now was as good a time as any to make amends, right?

"That was rough, wasn't it? Sorry about the running away earlier. I'm not a Gryffindor, so I don't handle... danger very well." And yes, Mo was categorizing women in tears as DANGEROUS.

The last person Bliss had expected to see after leaving the classroom was Mo. Perhaps not the last, but definitely not the first. Hadn't he just gone in to face his boggart? She wondered what his had been, but, what ever it was, he couldn't have dealt with it that quickly, could he? Either that or he had walked fast. Or she was walking slow. Which she was. But, you know, any one of those three options. She turned around and smiled a little for him.

See? No more tears.

"That's an understatement. I never want to have to do that again," she sighed. That was a half-invitation to ask about it, though, not all of the experience would be explained. "Oh," she frowned, "that's no problem. Don't we all wish we were as brave as a lion?" She grumbled and instantly regretted it. Definitely not making a great impression. "Sorry, I'm coming off bitter, aren't I?" There was only one Gryffindor to blame for that. Not pointing names or naming fingers, but, yeah, Alice.

Smiles were much better than tears, and even if her eyes were still a bit red, Mo accepted that she was fine at the moment. He shoved his hands into his pockets and grinned broadly at her. "It'll be easier next time, don't you think? You'll know what to expect and how to defeat it faster, and you can laugh..."

But maybe Mo's fear was different than Bliss's or anyone else's. Maybe some people could get over the shock of their fear after the first encounter, while for other people, it just reopened a wound every time. And Bliss had wounds that Mo didn't really understand... not just on account of her dad, but Mo knew that because she'd been crying like she was broken, and Mo hadn't felt like crying at all. Screaming, yeah... like a little kid.

He was quiet for a moment, just eying her, before finally offering, "Lions are brave, but brave isn't always needed. Sometimes it's good to have smarts. And sometimes it's good to have heart. So that's us. Bet those lions sometimes come out of things and wish they were a bit more Badger and Eagle. Beagles... that's us." Or they could be Bagels. He was hungry.

"You hungry?"

There was going to be a next time? Was he joking? "Please be joking," she muttered and stared at her feet. Maybe he was right about next time being easier, but once had definitely been enough for her. Not that it had been that emotionally taxing, maybe just a little, but she couldn't deal with it. Couldn't, ok? Boggart!Alice and Boggart!West haunted her thoughts for a second or so, but Bliss shook them off as quickly as she could. Shoo.

"What if it changes, though? You wouldn't know what to expect then." Huh? She looked up from her feet and saw his grin; kinda infectious. "I think you're a little bit right, though. The basics of it would stay the same." In that sense he was right. It would be easier to face once you knew WHAT you were facing and how it would feel. Before, you were told that you were facing your deepest fear, but that was much different from actually facing it - y'know in real life. Which was where the theoretical verses practical learning argument came in.

Ouch, her head hurt from thinking.

"We're Beagles?" She asked, eyebrow raised slightly, but beaming nonetheless. That could work. "Heart and mind, they do work together very well," and that wasn't just an opinion, it was FACT. Nod, nod. Wait, food, hunger, what? She pushed back her hair from her eyes, looked at Mo straight on. BEAM. "I'm always hungry."

It wasn't a given thing, but Bliss had to realize that she could run into a boggart anywhere. Wasn't that the point of the class? If she could recognize the boggart for what it was and make it go away successfully, then she obviously had learned something. Or so said the highly logical and Ravenclaw part of his brain. "If it changes... I think the idea is that you know when you see one and don't get all... overwhelmed and helpless? So it's okay if it changes a little. Or a lot."

Hopefully. OR he was just making stuff up.

Like the Beagle thing. "Yeah, beagles. Smart and kind. Deadly combination." Because it meant that they could change the world through caring, even if that sounded really sappy and had him mentally rolling his eyes at the very thought. "Let's go to the kitchens, and I'll whip you up a cheer-inducing snack. It's my specialty."

So, he wasn't letting go of the 'it could happen again, any time' thing, huh? Did he know something she didn't? If he did, he should really spill. Like, NOW. Kidding, kidding. Though, knowledge was always good, mostly. Yes, that made sense. "You mean, you'd know it's not real and that it's just a Boggart? My Boggart felt VERY real, even though I knew it wasn't." Maybe it was different for him, but hers had felt scarily real.

Possibly because it was ... a future possibility. Possibly.

"Are you, yourself, a beagle?" She asked absently, although she kinda knew the answer. He was definitely kind (despite West's occasional grumbles), which reminded her, she still had his now-tear-stained hankie. That could wait, though; back to the beagle thoughts. He definitely seemed smart. Ravenclaw, duh. Wait, food? Rewind .. now he had Bliss' full and undivided attention, if he didn't before. "Sure! That sounds perfect!" Plus, she desperately wanted to get AWAY from where she knew the Boggart was and food .. well, no one sane turned down food.

"D'you... think you want to talk about your boggart?" Mo turned around once before heading toward the nearest staircase. They could just zip on down to the kitchens right now and enjoy a snack. And if Bliss wanted to chat, well, Mo was a great listener. Although... it was sort of awkward because of Wst reasons. Obviously, he was putting Bliss into an awkward position. West was probably forbidding people from talking to him, the way he'd been forbidding Mo from talking to Lex last year.

"I mean... if you're allowed to. It's okay if you can't go with me to the kitchen. It won't hurt my feelings." Much. Mostly. It would hurt a lot. "But yeah, I'm probably a bit beagle, although I'm sort of a mixed bag mutt more than straight beagle. I have Gryffindor in me too." But not really any Slytherin, to be honest. Or... not so much that he could tell.

Laura decided that it was time to go for a walk around the castle, she wanted to make sure it was clean enough for everyone and she had to walk because she was so hyper after all the ice-cream she had, only problem was Nigel hadn't come when she had wanted him to, because he wasn't there now was here, she had sent the letter she couldn't remember now.

Nigel could not remember why he was mad at Laura. Could have been for something down at the lake with the Whomping Willow or just something she said at some point.

Can't Remember.

Nigel had received and read the letter and thought of a little prank to play. It was Laura after all. She could have not changed that much over a summer or two. He had just read up on an interesting spell and wanted to try it out. Lets see if it works.

Nigel came down the corridor with Laura's back to him. Perfect. Nigel silently cast "Calvorio" at her.

"What's up Laura?" Nigel said walking by. Now to see if the curse worked.

Laura was looking around, she had no idea why Nigel was mad at her but she wanted to apologise to him for upsetting him but before she could say anything she looked down at the floor and saw.

"OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Laura screamed, as she looked at the floor. "NIGEL WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!!" Laura was hysteric now, her hair, it was well it wasn't on her head, this wasn't right, she wasn't bold was she, if she was she'd so, eh he was in trouble now.

"NIGEL WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY HAIR!!" Laura screamed again she didn't care who heard her, she was seeing it fall onto the floor around her, her beautiful blonde hair was on the floor, surely this was a joke on Nigel part it had best be.