Bart wasn't lost nope not at all he meant to come down to the dungeons and end up in this passage, but now that he was here it was a great place to look for something fun to do. Did this thing go somewhere he really hoped so maybe into another common room. Maybe he could figure out how to get into the other common rooms it couldn't be that hard now could it.

Now where did this go he continued to walk down the dark passage. His mind started wondering if it could lead out of the castle some how that would be so cool, but he assumed professors wouldn't let that happen. Speaking of the professors he hadn't figured out who he was going to give the levitating candy too. He brought them to have some fun, but who. Maybe the astronomy professor, but he was cool. Bart didn't want to get on his bad side just yet. There were a few others that looked lame so maybe he'd spice up their day.

Delilah stood in the middle of the dark passage, suddenly starting to panic. She'd decided to go exploring and somehow ended up in the dungeons but this was a bad idea. For one, it was dark and STINKING. And two, she wasn't even sure if she was supposed to be here.

... She frowned when she heard foorsteps. Wait.. could it professor? The blonde turned around and looked slightly relieved when she saw a young kid walking towards her. Wait, she'd seen him before..

"What are you doing here?"

"What am I doing here? What are you doing here?" He could ask the same questions to her. She didn't seem to be a slytherin so no reason to be in dark passageway, right? "You lost? I could help go that way." He pointed at the way he came in, see he was helpful.

He started walking away when he thought of something and turned back. "Want to do something fun? I think the slytherin common room is around here somewhere. Want to find it and try to get in?" Wouldn't it be cool to go into someone else's common room? They could pretend to be snakes. His dad was one it couldn't be too hard.

"I'm Bart by the way." Figured if they were going to have fun he should say his name.

Delilah raised an eyebrow, a small smile playing on her lips. "Well, I was exploring the castle and somehow.. ended up here." On purpose. She thought it would be interesting to wander around the dungeons.. "But, you still haven't answered my question." Why was he here? Was he exploring too or..?

Yeah, she was going to leave. Delilah had wandered enough for a day and now, she just wanted to go back to her down. She politely nodded at the boy and was about to walk away when..

.. Try to get into the Slytherin common room? Interesting.. Delilah looked slightly amused. Very interesting. "Okay...how are we going to do that exactly? Enter the common room, that is. Do you know the password?".. Yeah, she was just curious. Delilah was definitely NOT going to be doing something that involved her getting into trouble.

He hadn't answered her questions, what was her question again? Scratching his head for a few moments and thinking he realized it was the same as his own. "Oh I was just wanting to see what was down here. I'm new." Did she know he was knew maybe not, but he was. "The dungeons always have something fun so I had to see what I could find and it's been disappointing to be honest." It really was there was nothing going on down here.


Lame.. really really lame..

"I don't know yet, but it can't be that hard. They aren't claws or anything." See he knew the houses well at least some of it. He continued to walk was she following? "Let's think of Slytherin type words that could be a password. It has to be not horribly hard or do you think it's tapping with the wand isn't that what Hufflepuff does?" He thought his mum had said that to him when she talked about the houses and her old house.

Oh, so he was new too. Delilah smiled slightly.. and faded a little at his next few words. What? The dungeons always have something fun? Since when? She looked around the dark and dingy passage. No, there was nothing fun around here. "I don't think there's anything here to find. It's so empty and smelly.." Yeah, the smell. Delilah made a face.

... The blonde sighed as Bart suddenly started to walk down the passage. Fine, fine. She WAS going to follow, just out of curiousity. "I don't know.." She was yet to learn a lot about this school, okay? Besides, she was suddenly starting to panic. This was NOT a good idea. "Maybe we shouldn't do this..." She was still walking, though.

Bart was laughing as he walked, yep laughing. This girl was funny see she thought there was nothing exciting down here and that it smelled. "Well there has to be something down here. Mum told me there use to be secret passages that would leave to other parts of the castle and out of the castle though those have been closed, but maybe they forgot one. How will we ever know if we don't look. As for the smell sorry that was probably from me just before you came over." He shrugged, not shameful at all.

"I think the entrance is up ahead so we can try something once we get there or we can be all super ninja spy and wait and watch one of the snakes go in then we'll know how to get in." It will be easy in his mind. Just watch and then do it after. It was his father's old house so it had to be a place he could go. You know son privileges and stuff.

Blonde girl say what?

She didn't think they should be going? He gave her a questioned look and then kept walking. "Then don't go, but I'm going it will be fun and don't you want to know what the other common rooms look like?" They weren't going to hurt the room just look at it. So no crimes being committed.

....... EW. EW. EW.

.... Was this boy for REAL? Gosh. That was just gross. She slowed down so that she was a few steps behind him. You know. IF he decided to stink up the place again. And by this point, she WAS curious to see if they or rather, he could get in. That's all.

"Okay, listen. I'll come with you.. but I'm not going to be a part of this. It'll be great if you manage to enter the common room but if not, we're just headed back. Sorry if I sound a little selfish but.. I'm new here and term has just started and I don't want to get into trouble already."

So. She cleared her throat and eyed the boy walking in front of her. "Deal?" And interestingly enough, she'd heard that there was a Slytherin party going on so.. That was probably why she agreed to this. Kind of. Ahem.

Why had she slowed and was behind him he shrugged before grinning, "You know I wouldn't stand back wind if I were you. Just saying." If that's why she stopped walking with him. The smell would go down the hall and hit her anyway.

He stopped to look at her. Was she for real, "Fine but if I have to do all the work you aren't having the fun of seeing what it's like." No way was she seeing the common room once he got them in. Not if he was the only one trying, but she could tag along he didn't care. "We have to be close." He couldn't help but laugh. "I'm new here too you don't see me worrying about a little trouble. It's boring if you just do what you are told. Honestly you always do what you're told?" He cracked another smile before walking again.

He stopped to see if he had been going to the wrong way, no he thought he was right, but before he started again he looked at the older girl. "Fine deal, but you aren't going to have any fun just watching. You'll want to get in there. One of the girls bakes great brownies." So now how were they getting in and where was the entrance.

Okay, seriously! Delilah glared at him a little before she decided to walk ahead of him. "Just... don't do it until I leave, okay?" Because, ugh. That's just gross. And she couldn't help but roll her eyes. REALLY? Did she HAVE to participate? Yes, Bart, she almost always did what she was told.. mostly only at school, though. She never broke rules. But, this.. she was still not sure. She knew for a fact that if she didn't participate, she wouldn't get into trouble. But, she didn't want to say anything. Bart probably thought she was lame already.

"Let's try getting in first, yeah?" THEN, she could think about going in or not. Most likely not. Okay, so. ".... Now, what?

He was laughing, really laughing. Girls they really didn't know the fun things in life. Always being all eww gross and stuff. Whatever it was always better out than in, because in just hurt. Whatever he wouldn't do it again, plus he didn't feel like there was any so she was lucky.

He looked around, "The entrance is over here.. I think." He started headed towards the way he figured the wall was. At least where he thought it was. His mind left the girl and started trying to figure out how to get in. "A password.. what type of password could it be." He knew his own password, but could it be something like that. "Maybe Acid pops" That sounded like a cool password and went well with the dungeons.

"Maybe it's a few taps with the wand. What do you think?" This was her chance to chip in some advice. What does she have come on?

... Delilah was really starting to get annoyed with this kid. She just didn't understand him. Like, at all. What did she say that was SO funny? Ugh. She looked away from him and continued walking until they reached the entrance. Okay, great. She ignored the sudden feeling of nervousness as she turned to look at Bart.

She could think of a few password suggestions but first.. "Why don't you try tapping the door with your wand? If it doesn't work, we'll try the passwords." Sounds good, yeah?

"T-tallulah?" Fern cried, "Talluuulah, where are y-you?" A part of the second year realized that simply calling for Talullah wasn't going to do anything, but a bigger part of her thought that her cousin would magically appear simply because Fern needed her. Fern needed her cousin. She needed her cousin bad.

"Tallulah? Tallulah please? P-please please h-help m-m-meee!" Fern took a few steps forward before sinking to her knees and sobbing uncontrollably.

It was a nice day for Cosgrach, because for the first time in ages he had gone to bed early and felt fresh. Sure, just seeing the old students was enough sadness, but he had also decided to stay at his office that day and enjoy him -

Someone was shouting and they were in need of help -

He rushed out of his room and followed the voice hastily with his wand drawn and his heart beating in his mouth. What was going on? What happened -

He didn't acknowledge it was HER but simply went to kneel beside her.

"What's wrong?" he asked in distress. He didn't dare touch her, but he was close enough if he had to.

When Fern heard the sound of running steps, and then heard the soft rustle of someone beside her, she thought it was her cousin. Had she been thinking clearly, she would have realized that the unless her cousin had suddenly taken an incredibly strong liking to the house-elves cooking, there was no way Tallulah would have possessed footsteps that heavy sounding. "Tallulah, you came!" And had the person not spoken, she might have thrown herself on what she thought was her cousin.

"Y-YOU!?" Fern wailed at the sound of Professor Culloden's voice, scooting back and away, "What are YOU d-doing here!? W-why can't you just leave me a-a-alone!"

Had she been thinking clearly, Fern would not have addressed a professor in that manner either. But she was heartbroken; she wasn't thinking clearly.

Well, that was unexpected.

Cosgrach had imagined a "MY SAVIOUR!" yell, or "Thank you for coming." at the very least. He wasn't expecting this reaction at all, though, even though it was Fern Quimbley. He just looked at her dumbfounded. He wasn't even angry - why should he? The girl looked out of her mind and he was honestly fearing for his life right now. He seriously considered leaving her alone, but that wasn't very professor-y. He had to help her.

Good gracious. If only he wasn't paid to do this...

"We-we can talk about it. Tell me what's wrong?"

That... communication was the key?

"I-I don't waaaaant to talk about it!" she cried, "Just l-leave me alone and-and l-let me DIE HERE!"

And with that Fern went from her knees to her stomach as she threw herself on the damp, slimy stone floor and sobbed even louder.

...

Maybe he really should? It wasn't like... Cosgrach truly didn't think...

He got to his feet, because his knees hurt from the kneeling over.

"I can't leave you to die, I'm a professor." He tried the soft approach and it clearly'd failed. Maybe this sterner voice would be more effective.

"Speak, child. What is it?"

Also, he didn't really... think that position was very healthy, but she was one student he wouldn't dare touch, so he was too afraid to wasn't going to do anything about it until it got fatal.

Fern snapped her neck up to look at Professor Culloden as he spoke. Her face was red, and her hair was a mess - some of it was stuck to the sticky mixture of tears and snot on her face. "Yeah!? Y-YEAH, W-W-WELL!!" Fern didn't really have an argument for that statement, so she simply dropped her head, kicked her feet and at the word "child," she gave a shriek and scrambled to her feet, "I am n-not a C-CHILD! I-I am a-a TWEEEEEN!!! A-and I'm a-almost thirteen too-too!"

...did Dante think Fern was a child? Was that why - the Hufflepuff's face crumpled, and she buried it in her hands, "I-I-I'mnaachildI'mna!"

..........

.................

COULD HE PANIC NOWWW?

"TWEEN, of course! You're--you're a tween!" Cosgrach was PANICKED and took one step backwards towards freedom. Pretend this never happened. Actually find this Tallulah girl. ANYTHING! JUST--just not this!

"You're a tween that's going to calm down and tell this professor what has happened, okay?"

OKAYCHILDPLEASE?!

"B-buyousaidchiiiiiild," She cried, "I l-look like a chi-ild! I a-act like a child! I," Fern yanked out the sparkly purple clips in her hair, pulling chunks of hair out of her ponytail in the process, making it even messier than it had been before. She threw the clips on the ground, then she looked at her matching purple nails and moaned, "D-dark or-orchid! I-it was s-suposed t-to - "

"Ic-c-can - I can't CALM DOWN!" The Hufflepuff gasped between sobs, "I can't! It's im-im-possible!"

Talk about childhood crisi -

Cosgrach winced when she pulled her hair like that and stepped forward, but she'd already done it. Worse, he doubted she felt the pain.

...

Then he did something he never would have done had he been thinking clearly: he closed the gap between her and himself and hugged her tightly on a whim (not too tight to suffocate her of course). He hugged her and said softly "It wasn't your fault. You are a great teenager. It wasn't your fault."

She wanted Tallulah. She wanted GG's cauldron cakes. She wanted to climb to the top of the sweet smelling hay bails and lie up there in the barn forever, where no one could find her except for Uncle Carl, but she wouldn't mind even Uncle Carl right now.

Fern also wanted a hug. She didn't know that until she was being hugged. And it didn't even matter that it was Professor Culloden who had zero fashion sense and hated her.

Fern sobbed into the fabric of his robes, "But he d-doesn't love me! H-he never loved m-me! H-he's the o-only b-boy I've e-ever lovedanhedoesnlovemebaaaaack!"

...there was probably going to be a crusty snot stain on Professor Culloden's robes after this was all done with.

Cosgrach softly pressed her head onto his bosom like a caring mother would do. He also subtly rocked from left to right and vice-versa. He wasn't actually so terrible with consol -

......she was..... leaving her bodily fluids onto his robes. He - it - he couldn't breathe - sure it was pretty simple to clean with magic but what about his psychology? What about the trauma HE was going THROUGH right now?

........WHYWASHEHUGGINGHER?!

"And - who is 'he'?" If it was Cutty, the boy was DEAD.