The fountain in the Courtyard!

Adi liked that fountain. He flopped onto it's edge, watching the water as he awaited the little Hufflepuff firstie that was James. He had something for the boy. Yep. But James was temporarily put out of his mind as an idea came to Adi. Hey, he could try to non verbally do something to the water.

"Glacius!'' he thought when he got the Hippogriff feather core wand out and pointing it at the water. "Glacius!''

Well, hello there, failure.

-___-

EXPLORING THE CASTLE WAS SO FUUUUN! James had spent ten minutes pulling faces at a statue and another ten tickling the pear. He loved seeing it move and was practically bouncing into the courtyard looking for something else to do. He did a forward roll on the grass, laughing at how his robes moved behind him. Then he ran around the fountain before coming to a stop in front of the prefect. "HI!" WHEEE! OOH. COULD THEY SWIM IN THE LITTLE FOUNTAIN? "Can I swim in it? I want to swim." Now he just had to take a run up.

Nope, there was still the liquid form of water in the fountain. That was a...

MAJOR BUMMER.

But Adi was distracted by the small form of James the newbie Hufflepuff running around the fountain. Gosh! They had yet ANOTHER hyper person in their midst. This was AWESOME!

"Hiiiii, James!'' A broad grin for you, new Badger. Ohhh! He wanted to swim in the fountain. "Nope, not here. But you can do that in the Lake.'' Sorry to burst your hope bubble, James, but the lake would be a much more comfortable place to do swimming, yes?

Also, Adi would be keeping a sharp eye on one of the newest addition to his Hufflepuffs in case he decided to take a plunge in anyway just as Elodie had saved him back at the duck pond back in his first year.

"How are you liking Hogwarts so far?" Adi asked curiously and just for fun, he said, with his wand still pointing at the water, "Glacius!'' James might like that bit of magic. Just look at the water turn to ice!

Oooh, Adi seemed happy to see him! His face fell when he said no, though. "Awwwweee..." he pouted. "The lake? Mum said there's a squid in there! Can we be friends?" The light was back in his eyes again. He was bouncing happily again, looking around.

Hogwarts? "It's AWESOME! IT'S SO BIG AND EVERYTHING IS SO COOOOL!" Yeaaaah! Why hadn't he wanted to come? Hmmmm. He bounced over to the edge of the fountain when Adi casted a spell and peered into the fountain. "COOL!" Could he try? He got his wand out. "Glacius, right?" Oh yeah, he wanted to try!

The weather was still absolutely perfect, and Dot wanted to enjoy it as much as possible. Fall came all too quickly and then the weather was very not perfect. And then winter, which was terribly awfully long. So today, in spite of having classes started, Dot was insistent on staying outside as long as possible.

She did have a book and a quill and some scribbly bits of parchment, at least. That was practically productive of her.

Thornton wasn't avoiding the common room, necessarily... he was just seeking alternative places to do all the things he used to do in the common room.

So what if some people would define that as avoidance.

He slipped into the courtyard, the books under his arm stuffed with bits of parchment for notes. Or doodles. He wasn't exactly keen on doing any of his work, but that was the deal with his father. No more summers of will you/won't you return, so long as his grades remained... acceptable. Glancing around, his eyes settled on his friend and he smiled.

"Hey," he said, coming to a stop in next to Dot. "Can I join you?"

OH LONG LOST RAVENCLAW! Dot hopped up from her spot staring into the spinning water of the fountain and threw both arms around the Ravenclaw boy. BIG HUGS FOR YOU, THORNBIRD. He needed double, hugs, really, because Dot was pretty sure no one was hugging him properly at home.

"I was thinking that I would never see you again or that I'd have to kidnap you. I'm so glad that your father changed his mind and let you come to school. I didn't want to have to break myself out of Azkaban. I'd be good at it, but I didn't want to have to do it. You're well?"

Oh. Oh, well then. Thornton hugged Dot once he got over his initial surprise at her arms around him. The thought of Dot in Azkaban for kidnapping him was amusing, and his shoulders shook a little as he chuckled. "You'd have seen me even if he wouldn't let me back," Thornton said as he pulled away. "Just not as often. I am glad you didn't need to risk prison, though."

He paused, considering how to answer her question in a way that was truthful but didn't... get into stuff. "I'm.. doing ok," he said, the word feeling not exactly familiar in him mouth after a summer of proper speech.

"I don't know what the rules are. Anyone who is so unreasonable as to not let you come back to school might also be unreasonable whether or not you can see your friends." She was fine letting him go back into his no-touch bubble, and Dot perched back on the edge of the fountain.

Had she just called Thornton's father unreasonable? Was that terribly rude of her?

"I wouldn't last in prison. I need people to talk to and I look horrid in jumpsuits. But anyway." She splashed a bit of water at him. "You're allowed to have secrets, but you don't have to keep them. Not if you don't want."

They were on the last reaches of summer, and Ophelia planned on spending all of it outside. Well as much as she could during classes anyway. The blonde missed the fresh air of the outdoors, the smell of trees and clouds and whatever other outdoor smells she could smell For some reason, the outdoors just made her plain happy. Happy and content. Way more than any potion could do.

Throwing her book onto the grass, the third year sat down next to her stuff and watched people move in the courtyard. This was oddly peaceful, and kind of relaxing. To be honest, the thirteen year old had never really relaxed before, being much more of an on the go person, but she could see why her mom kept endorsing it. It wasn't anything awful. Actually, it was quite fun. Especially watching first years go about and explore or watching friends talk to each other.

And the friends thing reminded Ophelia that she hadn't seen much of Austin lately. Which was strange, because they were fake-hashing out that whole plan to buy a train at the feast and discussing potions. Which also reminded her that she needed to see him about something. Sooner rather than later. But sooner was so soon, and it meant that she would have to get uupppppp! Later. Later was good too.

Reclining into a laying down position, Ophelia smiled and shielded her eyes from the sun, hoping this would make her gorgeously tanned. Probably not, as napping out in the grass usually just made her itchy and groggy, but still. It was worth the effort. Or lack of effort. Whatever, just let her sleep.

WARMTH! Hayden wasn't a big outdoors-y person, but she was warming up to it. Hehe no pun intended. What she particularly disliked was the cold, so she'd decided to venture out while it was still warm. It was really nice out, and it did seem like a good place to spend her time. But what to do? Hayden began wandering aimlessly, hoping that eventually she'd stumble across something that looked interesting. What she did end up stumbling across was the scene of a murder.

Hayden had almost tripped over the body. She hadn't really been paying attention to where she was walking, because she hadn't really expected there to be a person on the ground. Luckily she stopped herself just in time so she didn't hurt herself or the girl. Which may or may not matter depending on if she was dead or not. Hayden leaned forward, peering down at the body.

"Are you dead?" Dead bodies couldn't talk so if she did, that would mean she wasn't dead. It was a perfect plan.

Adi laughed at James's pouty face. "It will be a whole lot more fun in the Lake.'' Aw! He wanted to see the Giant Squid! what was it with firsties and the creature? But whereas Margo had been terrified of it, James was more on the excited side. "Sure! The Squid is quite entertaining and he has awesome stories to tell. I'm sure he would let you go swimming with him too.'' Because Adi thought Bartholomew was cool like that!

The enthusiasm James had about the Castle! Adi remembered that all too well. Hehe. Annnnd just as he thought, the other guy was fascinated by the spell. "Yup, that's it.'' Adi reverted the water to it's liquid state. "Go on. Take a shot,'' he encouraged.

While he waited, Adi continued, "I remember you telling me you collect Chocolate Frog cards. I've got a ton of them if you'd like some.'' Yep! Adi was giving them away, man.

He supposed. "Can I dive into the lake?" He hoped so. He loved it when mum gave them diving lessons and taught them cool stuff! Dad sucked at it because he couldn't float, but heh, that was fun to watch. "HE SPEAKS? THAT IS SO COOOOOL!" Torie would LOVE to know that!!!

Ohhh, how did he DO that?? James jabbed his wand at the water and spoke the spell "Glacius!'' just as Adi had done, but he frowned at nothing happening. He plunged his hand into the water and his frown deepened. "Nothing happened!" Should he try again? He was totally going to try again. "Glacius!'' Nope, nothing. SIIIIGH.

"Oh! Coool! THANKS!" James bounced on the spot, beaming excitedly. "I need loads! Mum said I have to save up my pocket money to get them." She would be AMAZED when he came home with LOADS. HAAA!

Thornton sat next to her, tapping his heels against the fountain as his legs swung. "Well, doesn't matter... We came to an.. agreement." Thornton could return to Hogwarts and remain, so long as he kept his grades up and consented to input on his schedule. He thought this was a small price to pay.

Chuckling at the water splash, Thornton got quiet as Dot spoke and looked down for a few moments. "I.. I know. I just.." he looked over at her, "I don't think it's a secret I can tell you."

Waitaminute,what? Ophelia has laid down to rest and enjoy the sun in the courtyard, and now there was a muffled voice nearby. Was this like a spy film? Had she drifted off and awoken in the middle of a nefarious plot? This was what the blonde was born for. Stopping spy plots that happened at Hogwarts. She was like her own superhero. Now if only she could do flips or cartwheels or any cool gymnastics moves like that, she might be able to scare the person above her away. Like a ninja.

The thirteen year old was so wrapped up in her imagination that she almost forgot the voice. The third year wasn't paying much attention, and didn't catch much of what the other person -probably a girl from what she did hear- said, but she knew it was to her. Which meant that she had to act fast. Lay still and pretend nothing happened, or awaken and greet the day and the no doubt nice person who just wanted to make conversation. She chose the latter, and opened her eyes to see what was above her.

A girl swam into focus, one she had never met before. She was pretty and seemed nice, though the youngest Clarke child didn't very much trust people who talked to those taking naps on the ground. Still, it might be worth it to engage.

"Yes." She hoped that the was the right answer, considering she still didn't entirely know the question. Looking the girl up and down in the nicest way possible, Ophelia took her time getting off of the soft grass. It was sooooo comfortable! "Definitely yes."

As she stood, the short girl felt the presence of water drying on her cheek and realized she had been crying a bit. Stupid nightmare! Wiping it awa casually and staring at the grass until it was all gone, Ophelia hoped that she would understand that this was never to be talked about, ever. 'Ophie Clarke didn't cry. She might have looked like she was going to sometimes, but the short haired girl never cried. Okay? Okay.

"I'm glad. What would I do without you here? And if you say anything like... I'd be fine without you... I'll hit you in your dumb Ravenclaw face." She menaced Thornton with a fist that wasn't particularly ferocious at all. Just so he knew, she really did count herself lucky to have him at Hogwarts.

"You keep your secret. I wasn't trying to pry just 'cause I'm cause I'm curious. I was trying to be a friend." She gave him a very friendly elbow to the ribs and nearly fell into the water.

Caleb could not BELIEVE that Aparecium had the NERVE to make up such scandalous lies about him!

He never gave that stupid parchment any thought. EVER. He saw it, he skimmed it occassionally, and usually just chuckled and moved on. Other people's problems were a waste of his time - but this time, HE was mentioned, and not just that - they said he was BALD.

BALD.

THAT was why Cutty was collecting hair. For HIM. Who on Earth thought of something so ridiculous?? No, the fact that Cutty was just a weirdo who liked experimenting with Polyjuice - that was too SIMPLE. Let's drag Caleb and his HAIR into it.

So, he needed fresh air. Something to take his mind off of things - hopefully. He wasn't sure what to do, really, expect to sit down and take a few deep breaths. Just breathe, Newell. This will pass - everything does, right? So he sat down on a nearby bench and leaned back, closing his eyes.

Also, his dad was NOT bald. He'd checked.

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaawn.

That was a good nap. Evie had fallen asleep while kind of trying to do her homework. But when she had woken up to finish, she was too sleepy to focus. The best option was to go outside to get some fresh air to wake up. And because outside was pretty.

She went out through the open corridor and into the courtyard and the first thing she spotted was a familiar head of hair leaned back over the back of a bench. Speaking of HAIR, apparently his wasn't REAL. The Aparecium was nothing but amusing to Evangeline; she didn't really dive into the gossip too much. She couldn't resist the urge, though, and snuck up behind Caleb. Evie leaned down and carefully grabbed a lock of his hair and TUGGED on it. Hmmm, nope. Firmly attached to his scalp.

Hmmm. Well was she or was she not dead? HMMMMM? It took a while for a response to come, so long that Hayden had almost come to the conclusion that there was, in fact, a dead body laying in the courtyard. Or maybe she was just being impatient. Both were equally likely of course. Luckily it did not come to the test, because the girl laying on the ground opened her eyes. Dead people couldn't open their eyes, so that was good. They also couldn't sit up by themselves, these were all very good signs.

But wait. Yes? She said yes? YES? Yes she was dead? Yes there actually was a dead body in the courtyard. A dead body that could walk and talk and think for itself. Hayden stepped back a few paces, more out of curiosity than fear. If this girl was some sort of undead creature, at least she hadn't yet shown signs of being dangerous. Hayden simply peered at her curiously. She didn't seem dead. But she had said she was. Was she lying? Or trying to trick Hayden? Or telling the truth? Or was she hoping Hayden would think it was a lie when it was actually the truth just to throw her off? There were so many possibilities and though the truth should have been plain they were at Hogwarts so Hayden didn't know for sure.

"What, then? A Zombie? Vampire?" Hayden stepped forward again and reached out tentatively. She gave the girl a soft poke on the arm. Her hand did not pass through a transparent body. So not a ghost then. At leas that narrowed it down a little bit.

While Ophelia hadn't been listening much the first time, it had been obvious by the other girls reaction that she had said something wrong. Maybe it was the fact that she was napping in the courtyard. The little blonde had always been a sound sleeper, much more so than her siblings, and the weather was so nice that ... she just couldn't help it. It was sooo comfortable! How could grass, something that was basically little plant sticks protruding form the Earth, be so comfortable? It was strange.

Zombie..... Vampire? What was this other girl ON about? the thirteen year old was literally just a teenager who had found a spot to nap while she was observing people. Was she okay? Or was it something to do with her napping style? To be honest, the short girl thought it all to be slightly weird, but she smiled and dragged herself up to a standing position. The youngest Clarke child was pretty sure that her uniform was all dirty now, but that could be taken care of in time. Right now, she had to deal with creepy, supernatural girl.

"Well, if I was a vampire, the sunlight would be killing me, wouldn't it?" Yes, she was being sarcastic. No, it wasn't meant to be completely and utterly mean. "I guess that means I'm a zombie then, huh? Well, I guess I would be a vegan zombie, because instead of brains I just want like pizza. Then again, I don't really understand what being a vegan IS." She giggled at her own joke, running her hand through her short blonde pixie cut. Hopefully the other girl understood humor too.

"I'm Ophelia by the way. I guess you can call me 'Ophie, sounds a bit more like a zombie or like a hunter or something. Plus it's kind of my nickname." She had another nickname, but he was currently doing something else and no one else was allowed to call her that. So Queen Blondie was off limits. Not that she would call the other girl queen blondie, but still. Off-limits.

It was a nice breezy day. The sky was partly covered by clouds making the sunlight vanish and reappear. For the past half hour Beverly watched as the courtyard grew dark then light, dark then light. The parchment on her lap was still empty and the tip of her quill was probably drying up.

How does one write a letter in which there are a million words to be said but none of them are perfect enough. 'I miss you' fit just perfectly, but how lame of a letter would that make? A waste of parchment. Even worse considering how much Jeremiah had written.

Maybe she'd just write those three words in LARGE print so it won't look so stupid, but...the idea itself was stupid.

Sigh. Writing letters sucked.

Having some spare time between lessons, homework and meals Hady made her way out into the courtyard for some much needed fresh air. Making her way across the lush green grass having spotted a tree with no one under it the third year let her bag drop from her shoulder onto the ground beside her feet. This seemed like a decent spot to just relax for a little bit.

Sitting down with her back resting against the trunk of the tree she pulled one leg up to her chest, the other remaining stretched out. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear she reached into her bag and removed a sour apple jolly rancher unwrapping it and popping it into her mouth setting the wrapping back into her bag. Quickly checking a small watch that was hooked to the strap of her bag she grinned pulling out her two-way mirror and looked into it. Hopefully her friend was on time today.

"You sure can! And the best thing is, no one is going to mind you working on a cannon ball if you want to do that.'' Hehe. Because that's how Adi preferred to get into ANY body of water that was deep enough to have that done. Onto the topic of the Squidy! "Yup, yup. He does! He's quite cool. Margo was afraid of him but she met him last year and she got over that fear.'' James did know who Margo was, right?

Did we mention how MUCH Adi enjoyed helping out with spell work? It was partly because he remembered his own struggles as a first year. "Try pointing your wand.'' James was practically jabbing his wand at the water. "Don't get discourage if you don't get it right. It can take some time.'' If only he would heed his own advice. LOL!

The sixth year grinned. "Use that money on some other sweets.'' Hehe. Such a good person he was, encouraging James to have even MORE sweets in his body. Out of his pocket came a HUGE stack of cards. Actually, they were spread across two of his pockets but when he put them together he got that huge pile. "You can have alllll of that if you like or you can just choose which you want to take.'' The choice was yours, James!

Quote:

Originally Posted by sarahlooo

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaawn.

That was a good nap. Evie had fallen asleep while kind of trying to do her homework. But when she had woken up to finish, she was too sleepy to focus. The best option was to go outside to get some fresh air to wake up. And because outside was pretty.

She went out through the open corridor and into the courtyard and the first thing she spotted was a familiar head of hair leaned back over the back of a bench. Speaking of HAIR, apparently his wasn't REAL. The Aparecium was nothing but amusing to Evangeline; she didn't really dive into the gossip too much. She couldn't resist the urge, though, and snuck up behind Caleb. Evie leaned down and carefully grabbed a lock of his hair and TUGGED on it. Hmmm, nope. Firmly attached to his scalp.

OUCH!

Caleb jumped and let out a squeaky sort of gasp as someone VERY RUDELY grabbed his hair and pulled. Wow. Ironic that he had done the same thing to his dad when he was younger to test if he was bald...that wasn't pleasant at all. He owed his dad an apology!

"Oi! What do you think you're doing?!" he snapped, ready to give detention to the person who had done it nevermind that he totally could NOT do that as a prefect but to his surprise, it was Evie. Huh. He did NOT expect HER to do that, being so RUDE and all, but for some reason he wasn't as upset anymore. In fact it was kind of funny, finding out it was her and all.

"Hey! You should be more careful...I was about to give you detention for assaulting a prefect," he told her confidently with a smirk. "Why were you, uh...pulling my hair?" he asked, even though he was positive he knew why. In fact he'd be surprised if she said anything OTHER than 'I was testing your hair to see if you're bald like Aparecium said'.