Jasmine arrived at the Library for the Caring for Creatures meeting and was momentarily thrown off. Seeing a rather large group of students already assembled, she checked her watch. Then she realized that the Book Club was also meeting in the Library. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Professor Thompson sitting not too far away. She wasn't late after all.

"Hello Professor", Jasmine said as she reached the proper area for her meeting. Realizing that she was the first student to arrive, she had her choice of blankets to sit on. Sitting down, Jasmine was happy to feel the toasty warmth coming from the blanket. Hopefully her classmates would arrive soon. For now, she would just enjoy being warm for a change.

There he was. A thirteen year old boy torn between information and information, his only two loves, but money. Hehehe. Butt money. Hehehe, anyway! Cutty Mordaunt made a decision. He would visit Mr. Kitridge later on and have a private talk with him about the books he had been reading. He hadn't seen Mr. Kitridge for some time, anyway and they were about due for a visit. All part of Cutty's long term plan to coerce the Librarian at a slow and even pace in order that he may win privilege to the restricted section without having to procure a Professor's note. Cutty thought he could've gotten one of those easily enough, but he preferred to do it through the Librarian. More opportunities.

Cutty took one step onto the clear space and felt the warmth radiating off of the blankets. He sat on one and took another and nuzzled into it like a cold bird. "Hello, Professor Thompson." He was getting better at acknowledging his teachers.

Hmm...books and COMC.

Both groups had been posted and both mentioned the same time and location. And both interested Benny. However anything COMC was something that got his full attention. Him and Adi that was, both besties sharing the subject as a favorite. So the third year headed past the one local and towards the other once he spotted a certain professor waiting at the second with two lone students.

Surely more would arrive, he mused to himself, the boy already surprised he had beaten Adi there. "Hello Professor," he greeted as he moved to take a seat on the heated blanket.

Emmylou walked through the library, she saw a good number of students already in there. Was she late? Emmylou wouldn't stand for being late. She hated to be late but the she walked past the group and noticed it was something totally different. It looked like a book club. The third year sigh in relief, that made her just feel so much better to know that she wasn't late. Emmylou wondered what they were going to do in this. She remembered signing up but she didn't know what everything was going to be about for this.

The blonde lioness knew that it was going to be about the magical creatures and the playmates and such but she didn't know if she had to bring anything. She didn't think that it said she had to bring anything. "Hello Professor." Emmylou smiled and waved as she noticed that there was only her and a few other students. Emmylou waved to the other students and whispered a "Hello." to them.

Caring for Magical Creatures--meh, whatever. Sophie was just here, because she thought this might her IN for fighting that Nundu she'd been wanting to fight since she was five-years-old. Okay, so that was a little bit of a lie. She did care about magical creatures. She just cared more about fighting a Nundu.

She glanced over and noted the Book Club nearby. The Book Club was just not for her. She enjoyed reading here and there, but a club? Nope. "Hi, Professor," she said, quietly and all, because...well, the library.

Cris made his way down to the library. Not to borrow a book this time, but to attend a meeting that the Care of Magical Creatures Professor was conducting there. Wait! was he in the wrong place. Cris could see Mr. Kitrege conducting a book club meeting over in another part of the library. But no, there was Professor Thompson...and Cris' face broke into a great big smile. Jasmine was also here!!

Cris gave her a great big smile, before walking over to greet Professor Thompson. "Hello Professor Thompson. I hope you're doing well. You chose a great place to have a meeting," Cris smiled in greeting before turning to join Jasmine on the blanket.

"Hello beautiful, fancy meeting you here," Cris whispered to Jasmine , giving her another special smile.

Maddie's decision on which club meeting to attend had been easy. She simply eyed both groups and noted that there were blankets at the Creatures meeting. Blankets meant warmth and warmth was something Maddie was interested in even more than books so Thompson's meeting it was. And no, she had NO idea what those pots did when she passed the book meeting. No hard feelings, Kitridge.

"Hello." She was here and stuff, yay. The small brunette smiled faintly at those already in attendance and then wandered over to an unoccupied blanket, opting to wrap herself up in it rather than use it as a place to sit. Cozier that way, yeah?

............................. Was he late?

Er.

Grayson glanced down at his watch. It wasn't late according to him. Then why in the name of merlin was there a BOOK meeting going on as well? And what were they even discussing over there? How to take over the world with a book? He doubted it would happen but he WAS planning on listening in to what they were saying over there. Unless, of course, this meeting was cancelled. In THAT case, Grayson was going to turn around and head STRAIGHT back to the common room because being in the library was NOT his idea of fun. Not at--

OH! Thompson!

Maybe he WOULD have to stay in this weird place, then.

Tucking his hands into his pockets, the fourteen year old made his way over towards the Care of Magical Creatures professor. "Hey, Professor!" he said, giving the guy a nod and sitting down on a blanket right...........

........... near.........

.................. Cutty Mordaunt.

"'Sup, Mordaunt." Cool and casual was the way to go.

Jasmine was enjoying her seat on the warm blanket while watching the other students arrive. She began to smile when she saw Cris coming her way. "Hi there", Jasmine said to her boyfriend. "I'm glad to see you. I didnt know if you would be coming to his meeting."

Looking over at the Book Club group, Jasmine suddenly turned serious. "I just couldn't go to the Book Club meeting because of.......you know.......reasons. It's still too fresh. But on a brighter note, I'm looking forward to this meeting."

Book Club or a creatures club? As if there was any doubt which one Mo would choose. He had plenty of time to read books, and usually he wanted to hit other members of a book club with that month's selection... it didn't really interest him at all. Creatures, however, those interested him immensely.

And if 'playmates' meant they got to play with creatures, then... this was where he wanted to be. For sure.

"Hey, Professor. Interesting meeting location." Made it seem less likely they were looking at anything other than bookworms.

So book club? Or Playmates? Decisions. Sneaky Professors making students choose. Sneaky sneaky. Well this lion knew right away which he'd go to. Although he did like Kitridge, the man had offered to help him with career paths! But, he did take a liking to all that magical creatures nonsense. So better stick with the gut right?

Wow. This was actually kind of rough. As the third year walked by the other meeting he felt a twinge of guilt. Man, was that potion still having it's effect on him!? Because woah. Guilt. Just then Zander spotted Professor Thompson standing in the middle of the room, "Hi Professor," Would he mention the book club? Naaaah.

She was TORN.

How could they do this to her?! Book club concerning her MOST favorite book in the world and a meeting for caring for magical creatures. It was INHUMANE making her choose. It was like asking her: What would you rather live without water or air?

Okay, okay, that was a biiiiit over the top, but it HAD been a tough choice. The youngest Wayne stood by the tables switching her gaze between both groups until her feet took her toward where she most desired to go.

Picking a spot and flopping down, Beverly jerked the blanket from the spot next to her and wrapped it around her. One for sitting on and the other for warmth.

And suddenly, the room was lit brightly as if it was storming outside . . . but a closer inspection from the windows would reveal it was a wand shooting sparks. Before dying out, the sparks also illuminated a shadow of a human fleeing inside . . . who would go out while it was too cold to breathe outside?

OH, MY MERLIN, they were going to die!

What was that? Seriously--WHAT. WAS. THAT. Sophie had stalked away from Grayson and Cutty, both of whom she'd thought about sitting by, but suddenly she found herself sneaking back over there.

Scared? No, not her. HECK, yes!

"Professor?" she asked.

Was she still alive?! Somebody was running around, but in all the chaos, Sophie couldn't tell who. Truth be told, Sophie felt like running around, too.

Where had that bright light come from? West hadn't seen much, and he went ahead and joined Mo. Easy choice, West had never enjoyed the book club stuff, least of all because of his opinions about the librarian's knowledge of magical books.

He was wrapped up all warm, even though they were indoors. All this cold was getting annoying. The professor got a slightly awkward nod in greeting for reasons, but otherwise the newly eighteen year old didn't say much.

Cris nodded in understanding when Jasmine explained her reason for picking this meeting over the Book Club one. He recalled the incident at the Great Hall and it still stung that the librarian had admonished them in front of others because of some hand kissing. Oh well!!

"I have to admit that I was really torn. Too bad both had to be held at the same time. The book they're discussing is my favorite all time book about creatures, but Professor Thompson's discussion topic also caught my attention. So here I am and I'm glad you're here too," he whispered to her bumping gently bumping his shoulder with hers.



Was that lightning? Cris noticed the sudden flash of light coming from outside keeping an ear out for the sound of thunder that usually followed. But when he didn't hear it, he got up and stared out the window.

Alarmed, his eyes opened wide in surprise when he realized it wasn't lightning he had just seen, it was the sparks coming from a wand. For the briefest of moments, Cris saw the shadow of a human illuminated. What was going on here?

Cris turned away from the window and quickly walked over to whisper in Professor Thompson's ear. "Professor something is happening outside. I just saw someone shooting off sparks from their wand and then they came running in here," Cris informed the Professor.

Now THAT was something you didn't see everyday.

Maddie eyed the sparks outside, thinking it was lightening at first but no kind of lightening she'd ever seen. It took her a second to realize that a wand would be the more likely source of such a light and just as she DID come to this conclusion, an older boy was being all secretive with the Professor. He DID know he wasn't the only one who'd seen the light, right? No need to keep it on the DL, dude. Share with the class.

SPEAKING of the class, Maddie scooted closer to her big buddy Mo and that tall boy with the long hair from Slytherin. She didn't KNOW him but he was bigger and therefore knew more spells in case this light business was something to worry about. Being with two older boys could only help her if something went down. Hiiiii boys.

One moment she was hogging the blankets, the next the window was being illuminated and--

O__________O

There was someone...right THERE.

Several things happened at once: Beverly pulled the blanket over head head as if to shield it, she flicked her wrist for her wand and hugged it to her chest. Where'd it/he/whatever go?

"Professoooor... There's a creepo..."

Was it time to bust out her moves?

O________o

IT WAS HAPPENING.

The Hogwarts thing. The curse. The castle. Something wonky was going on here. First the crazy lightening. And then a flailing body. WHAT IS GOING ON!?!

Zander's eyes shot wide open as he grabbed the blanket nearest him. He wrapped it around himself, partly because of the cold, but mostly because uh what was going on. Blanket felt like the only protection he'd have around here. And oh yeah, his wand. Duh.

Is it too late to go to the book club?....

Emmylou blinked and looked around from where she was sitting. What was going on? The third year looked over at the window. WHAT HAD SHE JUST SEEN? Emmylou blinked and rubbed her eyes? She was seeing things, she really was seeing thing. Emmylou shook her head and stuck her hand in her pocket. She pulled out some emergency jellybeans, she put them in her mouth and ate them. Emmylou was so scared that she could pee herself but she was a Gryffindor a.d she just had to put on a brave face. Emmylou looked over at Zander. Would he share the blanket with her?

More and more people were showing up and Benny was absently watching who stepped into the area. Still no Adi. WHich was definitely strange. Come to think of it, no sign of Angel and AJ either though there were other housemates joining the mix and sitting down. Had they decided to go to the other meeting? STill on their way? Not that he wasn't still feeling awkward around a certain first year.

Benny was suddenly feeling left alone, the third year shifting a little in place. Getting distracted, he wasn't watching anymore, instead his mind had wandered. And it was then that there was a flash of bright lights outside causing him to perk up, his fellow classmates seeming to notice it as well.

What in Merlin's beard was that?

Would anyone care to explain what just happened? Because uh... this was really weird and verging on insanely creepy. Who was that person/thing that had run out of the forrest? And why was it in the forrest to begin with. WAS HOGWARTS UNDER ATTACK!? No. Breathe. Brave Gryffindor. He was a man. A big, strong, brave, Gryffindor man! He totally had to pretend like he wasn't all nervous. He needed to prove that he was a Gryffindor. Once and for all. Straightening up his back, Zander did his best to make sure his terrified self wasn't showing.

Zander pulled at the ends of the blanket even tighter than before, but noticed Emmylou sitting nearby and looking at him? "You... you wanna share?" he asked inching towards her. He remembered the time she shared the candy with him. So, it was only common courtesy. Plus, the girl was always super nice to him. And body warmth. And two is stronger than one. They could totally take down that flailing creature thing together. Yeah. Totally....

Well, books were cool and all, but Cat hadn't found it particularly hard to decide between the two places, of course she was going to where Hottie Javy Professor Thompson would be. He was a very nice guy, after all, teaching people how to care for creatures.

Yeah!

She wasn't sure if she was late or not, considering there weren't too many people around, but it didn't sound like anything had started yet. Though Cat was relieved of not being tardy, she was surprised at the light, like everyone else seemed to be. What was that? Weird.

Emmylou jumped when she heard a voice, she loved back over at the window. Brave, Emmylou, be brave. She wasn't going to be brave. Whatever that was out there just scared the poop out of her...if she had to poop but she didn't have to so there would be no pooping. Anyways...Emmylou looked over towards the voice, so it wasn't at the window. It was Zander. Phew. Emmylou got off the chair and sat over near him. "I have some emergency jellybeans. Do you want some?" she whispered to him.