What! So it was HER fault now?! From experiece with Fern, she knew that yelling would get her nowhere, and this gitl was friends with Forrest so Tora should at least try. She jumped to her feet so she would not be disadvantaged and said quite coolly, "On the contrary, I don't think anyone is at fault here. I was being an obstacle, and you weren't looking." she said taking the harshly logical approach to express her anger instead of screaming at the Hufflepuff.

"Neither of us need to say 'sorry'," she let out a scowl then. Even if she wouldn't get an apology, Tora was most definitely not going to make one. She wasn't the one not paying attention here.

Henric happened to walk by when he saw the hufflepuff girl tripped onto a ravenclaw girl. Whether it was intentionally or not, he wasn't sure. How odd, the hufflepuff girl accused the ravenclaw it seems for tripping her. Now, the ravenclaw was defending herself.
Henric was not a person who like to butt into people matters but he didn't want the ravenclaw girl to think the hufflepuffs had no manners. He just stood there, contemplating his actions whether to stop the hufflepuff from accusing the ravenclaw girl.

She had been out in the grounds for a while and had almost covered good distance and she'd only succeeded in finding what she was looking for in two places. She still had one more to find. Her hands led her to the ducks pond and before she knew, she was collapsing near the pond her bag falling with her with a thud. That got Cassia to wince and quickly reach for the bag and checking on the telescope which was fortunately intact. Phew.

With her bag perched on her knee she rummaged through it until her hand found what she was looking for. She pulled out the sandwich and set her bag aside then took a huge bite of her sandwich. Her eyes glanced around making sure no one had a close look of her as she wolfed down her sandwich.

Luckily, no one seemed to be interested in venturing out in this cold weather. She found herself wondering why she was out. Glancing at her bag she saw the telescope peeking out of it and that reminded her what she was out for. Half way through her sandwich, she reached out for the telescope and put it against her eye. Stargazing and eating didn't really work out together so she put her sandwich down for a bit and held the telescope with both hands looking more closely and carefully now.

The sandwich perched on her knee was kind of distracting and her stomach was telling her that finishing the sandwich was far more important but she was ignoring this. She had no idea how long she could put it off so when her eyes found Orion she was too happy that no one would understand what was all the fuss for. She double checked to be sure it wasn't her hunger showing her stuff then put the telescope back into the back and grabbed back her sandwich enjoying it while gazing out at the ducks. She'd feed them after she got fed herself.

Adi skipped towards the duck pond. It was his favourite spot to go because he adored the duckies. He liked watching them swim and he'd even named one of them. A white with a few spots. His name was Donald. Adi did not care if it had been named before. He liked calling it Donald.

He had also brought a piece of bread- just in case the container that was usually there was out of any. Reaching the pond, the first year glanced around. There was Donald! On the far side. Oh well. Adi would feed the others that were closer until Donald decided to come over and quack a hello.

Elodie probably should have spent her day doing something studious. Instead she was going for a walk to pretend that she didn't have anything remotely educational to do, and that Hogwarts was a holiday. It wasn't, of course. It was home. Hands in her pockets, she just walked. And then she walked some more until she reached the duck pond.

She supposed this was almost like a holiday. Ducks. She wasn't particularly fond of them. Maybe it was the fact they didn't seem to have any wholesome issues or anything. Except who got the bread. They were all getting some though, she noted, watching another student feed them. "Don't fall in, okay, little'un?"

Yeah.

Fern hopped up seconds after Tora, and stood there with her feet planted apart and hands on her hips. Face streaked with dirt from her fall, the first year angrily replied, "That's stupid! I wouldn't have tripped if you hadn't been there in the first place! And yes you do! You need to say sorry!"

Catching a glimpse of someone in her peripheral vision, Fern turned to see who it was. A boy. She knew that boy! He was a Hufflepuff! "Hey! You! You saw her trip me, didn't you!? Tell her she has to say sorry!"

Henric felt startled when the hufflepuff girl called him out. Oh why oh why... did he have to get involved in this situation. His brain was telling to run and away from this place as fast as he could but his traitorous kind heart telling him to stay put. He winced,finally making up his mind Fine...let's just get this over with...he thought dreadingly.

He was quite displeased for her lack of compassion of how the other party must had felt when she kept demanding for an apology.
"... you sort of trip into her first..." he muttered softly. But soon realizes his mistake, he prayed the hufflepuff girl didn't quite catch that. He needed to come up with a more diplomatic and most reasonably honest conclusion.
"I mean..uh.. what I meant to say is..umm..its getting dark and the grass here are quite tall to pass through...so you might not have seen her sitting down there..and its rather muddy around the area too..uh..I can't say anybody is at fault here..."he explained.

Exactly. Tora nodded at the Hufflepuff that had come to be drawn into this mess. A smart Hufflepuff since he didn't take sides. "That's right. I don't see that anyone is at fault here, so let's all just move on with our lives." This was really getting tiring; having Fern hate her guts for some stupid comment was more trouble for Tora than it was worth and she could feel exasperation roll through her. Seriously, couldn't everyone at least try be more mature here? It's not like they would get any respect if they continued to act like the ten year olds. Especially with the way that Fern was commanding everyone else to do things. Seriously?! Not cool. And just a bit annoying. Tora flopped back down on the grass and just looked up. Gray sky. Lovely.

Adi had not as yet attracted the attention of Donald though he certainly had gotten the attention of a few of the other ducks which were now in a feeding frenzy. They were even flapping their wings causing water to splash on Adi. But he was laughing, enjoying the droplets of water hitting his skin and clothing. That charm he learnt for Herbology homework would come in perfectly to dry his clothes.

He leaned over the pond, watching the ducks dive for their bread. It was interesting how they found the little pieces so quickly. Just then he heard a voice. As more water splashed up on him, he craned his neck looking for the source. "Oh hiii!'' he said to the girl who was watching him. "I won't!'' Grin. Nice her to be so concerned. "Wanna feed them too?'' Adi asked holding out the bread he had left, enclosed in his small fist.

If he leaned any more, she was going to have to spend her day saving a life. And she wasn't feeling very life savey today. SO NONE OF THAT FALLING IN, CHILD. NONE OF IT. Elodie watched him carefully, more than she would have liked to be watching a person, to make sure. One loose footing and she was going to grab that arm of his before he even hit the water.

She just needed to be closer. Gah.

"Watch your footing, then. And the leaning. Your mama never tell you not to lean over water? You ever drowned before?" HM? Had he? Did he know what she was currently protecting him from?!?!

"I'm okay just watching." Did they bite?!?!

"I won't fall in,'' Adi said to the girl, quite determined to show her he wont. "And actually no. Maybe yes. I dunno. Maybe she told me when I was younger but I don't remember.'' He shrugged. "They won't hurt you, you know.'' Yep. He had an idea that she might be afraid of the duckies.

Adi continued leaning more over the pond, trying to tempt Donald towards him by waving the piece of bread towards the duck. "Yo, Donald! Come get the nice bread!'' He flailed his hand.

And it was the flailing that caused him to suddenly to become unbalanced. Uh oh! The boy was heading straight for the water! And the ducks!

"I know they won't hurt me. I'm just not a duck person." She was a cat person. And a toad person. And an ANYTHING OTHER THAN A DUCK person. Gosh, children.

Donald....? Elodie considered questioning the name of the duck he was trying to flirt with, but before she could things moved into somewhat slow motion dramatics.

THE KID WAS GOING TO DROWN IF SHE DIDN'T PLAY HERO.

Which meant she needed to.

Because she'd seeeeeeeeeeeeen him. Around her own common room. AROUND HER LIFE. Which meant she NEEDED to. Someone needed to stop her ever leaving the castle if this was what was going to happen every time she did leave. Thank Merlin she had moved closer, huh? She left it close enough for him to take a little bit of a dunk. Not all of him though. She'd only been able to catch him by the scruff of his neck, so no doubt he had wet legs. That was all depending on whether he was smart enough to tuck them up or whatever.

"Now sit down over there. On your bottom."

CHILDREN.

AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! He was falling! He was falling into the pond and he was gonna die! Oh Merlin! Why had he decided to be such a show off and not listen to his Housemate? Why, why, oh why? Adi's little hands were already soaked as well as the front part of his T shirt.

But suddenly he felt a hand grab him around the neck area and hauled him back towards shore. Sit? Don't mind if he did. Adi obediently followed the girl's order and sat his bottom down on the edge of the pond.

"I should have listened to you,'' he said shakily. "I'm sorry.'' He shook his head to get some of the water out. Even more water had been splashed on him when the ducks tried to escape when he unceremoniously decided to drop into their pond.

Lifesaver.

She was a lifesaver now. Did she get a medal or something? Like..seriously. She could have walked away. THE KID WAS STUPID ENOUGH NOT TO LISTEN TO HER. She had given plenty of good advice. Idiot child. Gosh. She frowned though, and sat down beside him.

"Don't be sorry. You're okay, alright?" And he was ALIVE. That was allllllllll that mattered, right? Elodie shook her head for a moment, and took her coat off, draping it over the kids shoulders and putting an arm around his shoulders, giving him a little squeeze.

She couldn't lie. He was a cutie. And he had sat down.

Fern was about to let the boy know she hadn't heard him, but before she could tell him, he started talking again. It didn't matter, though. Based on his displeased expression, she could totally tell he was upset with Tora too. Obviously.

Yes. That was right. It was getting dark. And the grass was tall. And it was muddy. What kind of a loser was Tora for lying in the dark, tall, muddy grass? It was like she was asking for Fern to trip over - WHAT!?

NO. No. That was not the right answer. Somebody was at fault. Somebody who was a second year Ravenclaw with blonde hair and terrible taste in music.

TORA.

Who was once again denying what she had done, and was - was falling back into the grass? That was not okay. "Hey. Hey! What do you think you're doing, huh?!" Fern stomped over to Tora and gave the older girl's elbow a nudge with her foot. "You can't say sorry, AND you're gonna keep on tripping other first years?!" What a jerk.

Adi shivered a bit even it was a warm day. Hot chocolate would be nice. But the main thing was he was okay. And so were the ducks. A glance at the pond told him that much as the ducks seemed to have returned to diving for their food.

The boy looked around at the girl again when he felt something warm fall over his shoulders. Oh! It was her coat! "Thanks,'' he said. He was feeling much better now. "Yes, I'm alright.'' He smiled. He had seen her around the common room and classes but he never did speak to her. Adi wondered if all the older Hufflepuff girls usually took this good care of the younger Hufflepuffs. Min did a great job making him feel at home when he just got to the Castle.

"You're like a over protective mother hen,'' he blurted. He meant that in a good way and was secretly pleased she had been around. "I'm Aditya Rehman by the way. But you can call me Adi like everyone does.''

Blair was yet to explore this area of the grounds. She made her way over to the pond and took a few slices of bread then tentatively stepped closer to the edge. Looking out across the water she could see the ten ducks. She broke off small pieces of the bread and threw them into the pond. She watched as a few ducks came over to her to claim their food. It reminded her of her childhood. Whenever her father had a rare day off work they would take a walk and then go and feed the ducks.

Once she had used up all her bread Blair retreated to one of the wooden benches. The October breeze was cool, she could feel herself starting to shiver. As she pulled her robes closer around her an idea came to her head. Seeing the opportunity to practice her herbology homework she took out her wand.

"Siccus Aerous."

Just as before the warm air started blowing out her wand. She pointed her wand at her other hand. Ahh much better, who needs gloves eh?

Kace decided he wanted to go and visit the duck pond. He wanted to see these little guys again. As he made his way, he noticed one duckling was wanting food. It walked up to him and quacked. Good thing Kace brought bread from the great hall.

He crumpled it up into little bit sized pieces and gave him a little bit of the bread. Good thing none of the other ducks saw it and he ate it and walked away. It swam away pack into the pond. Kace just sat there with his legs to his chin and just looking into the pond lost in his thoughts.

Marigold loved the duck pond. It was always so serene, and she could sit there for hours just listening to the quacks of the ducks. Well okay maybe not hours, but you get the picture. Today Marigold went to the pond with a specific purpose in mind. To think. Her mind was getting a bit confused about her emotions, and about being so happy all the time. She WAS a happy person, but some people like Tora seemed to be sad sometimes. You can't just be happy all the time, so Marigold had sat in her dormitory and cried for a bit. Her eyes were still a bit red, but she was quite happy with just strolling across the grounds. She spotted a familiar poof of hair and skipped over to it.

"Hey Kace," she said, ruffing his hair with her hand and taking a seat next to him. "What's up?" She brought crackers out of her pocket and started throwing them at the ducks. Siiiiigh.

When he was deep in his thoughts, he felt a hair ruffle. He jumped and turned around and saw who it was. Ooooohhhh it was Marigold! "Hey!" he said with a cherry smile. He was glad to see her again. It has just been hetic with lessons and homework they haven't been hanging out lately.

He noticed something else too.....her eyes were red and puffy. It seemed like she was crying. "Are you alright?" he asked her with concern in his eyes. He didn't like seeing his friends upset. Especially the ones he liked such as Marigold.

Marigold smiled at Kace's energy. Just like that, she felt her confusing mood drain away. "Yeah, I'm okay. I'm just thinking." Marigold carefully lifted her legs up (to not accidentally brush against Kace) and curled into a ball. She untied her black shoes and took them off, then her knee high socks that reached the edge of her skirt. She dipped her toes into the water and sighed.

"Kace?" Her voice broke the quiet. "When did we meet? And when did we become friends?" She had a feeling it was a Charms lesson, which would be funny 'cause he was so charming—

Cough cough.

Kace nodded and he knew she was acting strange around him. He saw her dipping her toes into the water and knew to let her be. He just had that gut feeling and he was just watching her.

Then he heard her calling his name. He perked his ears up and went over to her. "Yeah?" he asked questionably. She did break the silence so at least he knew it wasn't his company that made it awkward. She was asking when they met and he racked his brains and remembered!

"I think we met in charms class briefly and then we really started talking at the prefect event for halloween." he said if recalling it correctly. "I think we just became friends through lessons and all." he said giving her a quizzical look. "Why you asking?" he hoped he didn't sound rude.

He was alright? He had better be. She didn't have any other life saving techniques under her belt. She gave his arm a rub and pulled her coat a little more around him. "I told you to be careful, didn't I?" But it was okay. He was okay.

And she was hero.

No applause, please.

Mother hen? Elodie laughed and nodded. "I have nieces and a nephew at home. I mother them a lot." Not intentionally, but their parents worked and she was old enough to babysit. Not that she'd ever complained. They were practically her siblings, considering she lived with her brother and his wife. It all depended how you looked at it. "Elodie Robertser. But you, Adi!duck, can call me Els." Like everyone else did. But he needn't know that.

"Yes, I know,'' Adi said ruefully. But noooo. He had to be a show off. Without realising it, he snuggled closer to the girl. She was taking care of him like his mother would. "I just wanted Donald to come closer but he was being stubborn.'' Sort of like he had been. Oh well. A sudden though occurred to him. "I won't catch the cold, will I?'' For he hated being sick.

"That explains a lot then,'' the first year said. "It came in handy today.'' And she was now his own superhero! His own personal superhero...how cool! AdiDuck! He liked that! Adi grinned. "So, Els, what year are you in?''

When the kid ended up a little closer, Elodie frowned and put her other arm around him. "He might just be too tired to come over to you today. But that didn't mean you had to lean ooooover, did it, huh?" Donald, though. He was officially Elodie's least favourite duck. Ever. And if she saw him, she'd probably growl at him and give him annoyed looks. The cold? She shrugged. "I don't know. It's cold and you fell in. We can go inside if you'd like? Get you some warm soup or something?" He needed to go inside, for real. She wasn't being held responsible for any pneumonia cases.

She smiled and nodded, thinking of the kids back home and resting her head a little against his. "Fifth. I'm a fifth year." Which meant she was older than him and totally capable of bossing his little bottom back into the castle.