What on Earth was he doing, bouncing around a person who looked already like they were on the brink of murder. DON'T PULL OUT YOUR WAND, PLEASE CLARA IT WASN'T HIS FAULT. He was just really jumpy and bouncy and extremely chatty today and it was weird. He felt totally calm before the potion. Well, bonus point for Clara.

"Yup, I know. And aren't I lucky you didn't?" It might not end well for her if she did, but even excited Brian knew enough not to tell her that if she had killed him she would probably have been sent to prison. Was there a Wizarding prison? Or maybe she'd be locked in the Hogwarts dungeons for life. Scary thought. No murder in Brian's future, nope. "And definitely zero doubt. No, negative five. It's not even an option. Not even remotely close to a chance!" Clara was smart.

"WHAT ON EARTH DO YOU DO, THEN?" Brian was intrigued, which was probably another word for excited. Excited and curious. That's what he was. "I kinda thought potions was like cooking. Is it not? How would you do it, then?" Did she have to teach him everything there is to know about the Wizarding world? "You don't have to, but it would be much appreciated! It's so different from the Muggle world!" YES, CLARA. PLEASE TEACH HIM ALL THE THINGS. HE WAS INTRIGUED.

OOH CRAp. Now, she must really be mad. "Of course not, very sorry Clara. A THOUSAND APOLOGIES. It's the po- Oh. Right. I'll stop now. Yup, starting RIGHT NOW." Brian nodded violently, making a zipping the lips motion and throwing away the figurative key. And stop bouncing? Was he bouncing?

STOP BOUNCING, BRIAN. Right, stay. On the floor. You are a tree with roots. HOW EXCITING! Brian was way too excited to stop moving, so he settled for some very serious fidgeting. Hey, she said stop bouncing.

Clara glared at him persistently. Would he not shut up?

GET. A. CLUE.

As she'd remembered earlier, the antidote would stop him from talking so much. She would seriously hex him if he didn't stop talking soon. Ugh. The redhead then found the small vial from her pocket and all but jumped on him. "OPEN YOUR MOUTH," she growled, practically forcing him to do it and poured the antidote (hopefully) down his throat. There. Was it done?

UGHHH. She climbed off the smaller boy.

Brian was being ATTACKED. Sweet bejeezus, what was this woman doing? IT WAS ABSOLUTELY THRILLING, WASN'T IT? Next thing he knew, his mouth was being forced open and a liquid - presumably the antidote - was being poured down his throat.

Gagging a little, he swallowed hard and then slumped against the wall of the treehouse. That was exhausting. Brian dug around in his pocket for Clara's antidote and held it out for her, smiling thinly. "Yours." Mmhmm, less words were a good idea. Please take the antidote, Clara. You're not normally this mean.

Once she took the small vial from his hand, he slid down the wall and sat on the floor with his back against the wooden panelling. "That was something."

Eyes narrowed, Clara watched Brian carefully as his babble came to a stop. The antidote had worked. "Thank Merlin, you were giving me a headache," she grumbled ....... but, as soon as she stopped being angry about his talking, other things began to aggravate her. "You call that a smile? You should happier now that you're no long annoying." Honestly.

............. "So ungrateful."

And what was that? An antidote? "Don't tell me what to do," she warned, grabbing the vial from him.

She unstoppered it, and ONLY BECAUSE SHE KNEW SHE NEEDED TO, not because he had any power over her, she downed it. Ew. That tasted even worse that the original potion, but ..... now that didn't anger her. In fact, she felt relieved and calm, even more so than she usually did .... she wondered how Brian felt ............... oh, Brian.

Poor Brian. "You can say that again," she said, smiling almost sheepishly. "I'm sorry. You're not an idiot, or annoying, or anything I said you were. That was just the potion talking." Promise. She actually thought he was a lovely kid.

Brian nodded sombrely. He could imagine why she was getting a headache. Heck, HE was getting a headache. Too much excitement for just 10 minutes. WAAAAY too much excitement. But at her next comment, he raised an eyebrow. Happy now that he was no longer annoying? Uh no thank you. He was a bit preoccupied being exhausted, if you couldn't tell.

Instead, he busied himself studying her facial expressions as she took the potion, noticing how her face went from purple to normal skin colour and then very, very pale. He was just about to go get help - because being THAT pale was in no way natural - when she spoke up. Then, he smiled and shrugged one shoulder.

"It's alright. I was probably too excited to take you very seriously, anyway," he confessed. He'd somehow found it all very stimulating. "I did give you an anger potion. It's totally understandable." And it was. After stuffing the empty potion vials back into his pocket, he looked back up at her. "Any residual anger?" Which roughly translated to: Do I need to beg Culloden for a proper antidote because mine didn't work?

Eden just sorta' shrugged. "Well...I mean..." she shoved her lollipops away. "I just hope I haven't disturbed you is all--" she would hate that. O_O "I just came up here for some...alone time. But it's OKAY--" oh no. She didn't want him to think she was kicking him OUT. "But it's really okay. This is good enough for a good brain wash, you know?" Brain scrub. Brain RELEASE.

The Ravenclaw glanced out one of the windows...and saw the movement out of the corner of her eye. Had he had his WAND out? Did he want to HEX HER? "I can leave...." she wasn't sure....how good of a hex a younger student could do...but if she was distressing him THAT much..

Sigh.

She was overthinking all the things again.

You see, when the sun is up, the weather is nice and you have lot of homework to do, it is a universal truth that you have to go outside. And that's exactly what Hugo did because responsability could wait.

The third year made his way to to the treehouse, expecting that there would be no one because he didn't wanted to be around people. Luckily he was alone. Yay. So, he proceeded to plopped into a pool of large cushions and took out his bag of sour gummy worms. See? You don't need much to have a perfect relaxing moment like this. Also, it would be cool if Dante was here but he wondered where was he.

And then, he closed his eyes ready to take a nap. A very deserved one.

Marigold felt good. The sun was kissing her face (which would probably result in more freckles) and there was a zephyr moving her hair off her face. But she did have to write a letter to Moo, so she moved off her bum and climbed up to the treehouse.

On the way up, she considered a couple things - prefecting, university, what was going to happen after Hogwarts - but then she stopped, because it was a nice day and she was going to enjoy it.

As she walked in, she realized she was not alone. She could try and leave without bothering the boy, but she realized it was Hugo, so instead she grinned and prodded him lightly with her toe.

Damien needed to talk to Rorie. He felt like his life was falling to pieces and he just... He needed her, his best friend the only person who knew him better than he knew himself, who had seen all the less gallant bits of himself and yet still cared enough to even love him...

The ache was still there, replacing the space where the warmth and happiness that being with her had once occupied, but he needed to ignore it because despite what Damien had said; he knew he couldn't survive properly without at least her friendship.

They were a part of each other, two halves of the same apple, the biscuit and the jam... That didn't go way even if they weren't... A thing anymore...

To be honest, Rorie at first thought this was some kind of a sick joke. She was good at not making her feelings be shown, but it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out how much Damien meant to her. And Damien, himself, was avoiding her like she was the Black Plague. Why the sudden calling for, then?

Climbing up the ladder to the treehouse cautiously, she listened for any voices conspiring her demise until finally popping her head in.

It would have been hard to miss the rainbow hair even if Damien hadn't been looking for it. His breath caught harshly in his throat and he had a bit of trouble speaking or looking away or doing anything.

Stupid, he was so stupid, he was not ready for this, to see her.... But, it was a bit too late now. ".... Rorie," He called out, forcing his voice to remain even and calm. Would she even want to see him? Or rather, listen to him after what he'd done? Damien wouldn't have blamed her if she didn't.

The sixteen year old instinctively glances towards the corners. Maybe he had gotten Nemo or Phe to jump her or something. "Damien…" She spoke clearly.

Hoisting herself up, Ror scooted towards a corner opposite of him. She was only assuming he still didn't want her up close. "Need me for something?"

The cushions were really comfortable and Hugo had no problem in falling asleep, except that someone interrupted his nap. Why?. His back was facing the person, the human who had the nerve to do such thing, so he opened his eyes and with a very serious expression he turned around. "Haven't someone told you that-" he stopped half way through the sentence because he just realized that Marigold, pretty Marigold, was standing there.

Nice. Mhm. Don't panic. Act cool.

As always, Hugo was speechless because let's be honest, WHO could talk in front of her? He couldn't, he was always nervous but right now he needed to say something. He smiled. "I-I...sorry" perfect. Come on, Hugo Foster act like a man. "I thought you were someone else, someone annoying...because you aren't, you-you are...err... very...nice?" it always surprised him how dumb he could get when talking to Marigold. "I mean, you are cool. Sorry for that..." and for speaking nonsense "Want some?" he offered his sour gummy worms and took a deep breath.

"I.. I just really needed to talk to my best friend." He said, the words came so naturally, the truth came naturally, he hoped she would see that because right now Rorie was staring at him like he was about to put her in a cage.

Damien paused, unsure what to say about his mother, or where to even begin and really, there was only one thing he wanted to say now that Rorie Hazelwood was in front of him. "I'm sorry, Roria. I shouldn't have acted that way, before, I was mean... " to Damien it felt like an understatement, he was certain he had treated the rainbow-haired girl with a cold cruelty. "I'm really sorry, please forgive me." He said again. this needed to be fixed, they needed to be fixed.

Ok, this was NOT ok anymore. Caleb hadn't seen Beans in what was definitely over two weeks - he was starting to get concerned! Sure, his rat was pretty much on auto-pilot, not really having any connection to him other than the guy who filled his food and water dish, but this was just RUDE. To just leave and not come back eventually?! Didn't the rat know Caleb would be worried sick?

"Beans! BEANS! Where are you, you stupid rat!" Caleb called as he clambered up the treehouse. He figured this would be as good a place as any to start - if he had made it onto the grounds, his chances of finding him were PRETTY slim. But there were lots of fun places to hide and climb in here - it was a rat's dream!

He sighed. "I'm sorry, you're not stupid. I'm just worried, ok?" he muttered. Where was he???

Kate had no idea what she was doing back out on the grounds. It was January, and she belonged inside next to a fire. Despite that, here she was, making a beeline toward the treehouse, because she'd recently decided constant trips outside was the only way to make more friends. She wrapped her coat a little tighter across her chest as she climbed into the treehouse.

...and automatically, she was amused.

Some guy was looking for food...in the TREEHOUSE of all places. "Are you looking for the Great Hall or something?" she asked. Because BEANS. Kate hadn't heard the part about Beans being the name of this boy's rat. Then he was apologizing, which Kate thought was directed to her question. "Oh, it's okay. Are you new? Do you ned help finding the Great Hall?" she commented. It wasn't often she got to feel like somebody who wasn't the new kid.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anna Banana

Kate had no idea what she was doing back out on the grounds. It was January, and she belonged inside next to a fire. Despite that, here she was, making a beeline toward the treehouse, because she'd recently decided constant trips outside was the only way to make more friends. She wrapped her coat a little tighter across her chest as she climbed into the treehouse.

...and automatically, she was amused.

Some guy was looking for food...in the TREEHOUSE of all places. "Are you looking for the Great Hall or something?" she asked. Because BEANS. Kate hadn't heard the part about Beans being the name of this boy's rat. Then he was apologizing, which Kate thought was directed to her question. "Oh, it's okay. Are you new? Do you ned help finding the Great Hall?" she commented. It wasn't often she got to feel like somebody who wasn't the new kid.

Caleb heard someone come up behind him, and unless they were here to help with the search, he was NOT in the mood. It was a girl...and whoever it was, she would not LEAVE. Finally, after she started asking him if he needed to find the Great Hall, it clicked with him - she thought he was looking for FOOD. As in actually BEANS. Did she think he was an escaped loon from St. Mungos or something? Why would anyone be looking for FOOD in the treehouse in the middle of January??

Clenching his jaw, he looked up and realized it was that blonde girl from Ravenclaw. The one he'd helped with duelling homework that one time. Taking a deep breath and wondering how a Ravenclaw could honestly think he was looking for FRIED BEANS or something up here, he sat up and brushed some snow off of him. "I'm trying to find a RAT. His name is Beans. I haven't seen him in a while and I don't know where he got to," he explained.

Now LEAVE, child.

A relieved breath burst out her thin lips in unison with a small dosage of warm tears pushing at the edge of her eyes. She had been so certain that she had lost him for good. That he would go the rest of his life hating her for hurting him. Just to hear him call her his best friend made it feel like her silent prayers to the unknown were answered by somebody or something.

She wanted to hug him close and stroke his wondrous hair. He looked twice as dead as his normal appearance. The girl had a feeling she knew what this was about. Barton had notified her about Mrs. Anderson. It hurt to find out Damien didn't tell her about this first. Some side of her understood, some side of her was wounded and furious. "No..." Ror started, looking down at her feet. "It was appropriate." She did mess everything up. However much she regretted it, she was still trying to convince herself that this was the right thing to do. It was. It was. It was.

"Oh," was all Kate could think to say at first. She was a little embarrassed that she'd mistaken his call for Beans to think he was looking for actual BEANS, but it didn't bother her too much. After all, it was a perfectly logical question! Kate also didn't want to hurt this guy's feelings, but looking for a rat all over the grounds of Hogwarts was pretty much a lost cause. "Well, maybe you'll find him then. I read once where some boy lost a pet toad and randomly found it around the castle somewhere. Have you tried laying out some food?"

...and then it hit her. "Wait, don't I know you from somewhere? I mean, I know we go to the same school and all, but it seems like I've talked to you before," she said. "I missed the first half of this school year, and since I was only a first year last school year, I don't remember many people." She remembered this boy from somewhere, though. Who knew where. "You kind of look similar to this sixth year Slytherin girl I know..." Way to compliment a boy, Kate. Tell him he looks like a GIRL.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anna Banana

"Oh," was all Kate could think to say at first. She was a little embarrassed that she'd mistaken his call for Beans to think he was looking for actual BEANS, but it didn't bother her too much. After all, it was a perfectly logical question! Kate also didn't want to hurt this guy's feelings, but looking for a rat all over the grounds of Hogwarts was pretty much a lost cause. "Well, maybe you'll find him then. I read once where some boy lost a pet toad and randomly found it around the castle somewhere. Have you tried laying out some food?"

...and then it hit her. "Wait, don't I know you from somewhere? I mean, I know we go to the same school and all, but it seems like I've talked to you before," she said. "I missed the first half of this school year, and since I was only a first year last school year, I don't remember many people." She remembered this boy from somewhere, though. Who knew where. "You kind of look similar to this sixth year Slytherin girl I know..." Way to compliment a boy, Kate. Tell him he looks like a GIRL.

Food? Hmm. Maybe this girl was on to something. Perhaps Beans had gone to the kitchens...but he was not about to admit that he hadn't thought to look there yet. So he was going to fib instead. "Yeah, I've left out his favorite snacks - jelly slugs - for the past few nights. And nothing," he said with a shrug. That was sort of true...meaning that he had left a bag of them open under his bag for a few months and had just been too lazy to clean them up and pitch them...but she didn't have to know that.

And toads and rats were TOTALLY different - right? Who was she even talking about anyways? He was positive he'd never read about that anywhere in any Hogwarts history books. Who was stupid enough to lose a TOAD? They were so lame and literally did NOTHING. At least rats were slippery little things.

"What? A girl?" Caleb asked, wrinkling his eyebrows at the girl and looking at her in confusion. She really was not trying to tip toe around his feelings, was she? First thinking he was stupid enough to be looking for baked beans out in a treehouse, now calling him a girl..."Wait, you mean Sophie Newell? That's my twin sister. I'm Caleb. The prefect," he told her with a grin. AKA the important one, obviously. "That must be who you're thinking of," he said as an afterthought. Who else could she be talking about, really??

He had no idea what to do, or what to say to that. The woman he loved was agreeing with him, agreeing and thinking that she'd deserved the way he had spoken to her and.... and he hated himself and he hated the situation, but he could never hate her. "Even if it was... It wasn't okay, I'm sorry." He wanted to tell her he loved her too, but he... Couldn't manage the words.

"Rorie.. My mom is... she'd really sick." The words tasted bitter and cold like black coffee left to sit for too long. It hurt to admit them, almost as much as it had hurt to keep them locked up in his chest. He said nothing more, he couldn't it was too hard. Damien was only a boy after all, and one who had lead a charmed life... and now? Now it was all going to pieces.

Kate nodded in reply to Caleb's first remark. "Your rat eats Jelly Slugs?" she commented, not really asking a question but just surprised. "That sounds about right, though. I read somewhere that rats will eat just about anything." She gave him a sympathetic look and added, "Well, I hope you find your rat." Kate just had an owl here at Hogwarts, and she really only say it when she sent a letter home to her parents.

At the sound of his next question, Kate's look grew even more sympathetic. Great. He'd lost his pet, and here Kate was adding insult to injury by basically calling him a girl. Then, lucky for her, everything came in to place and made perfect sense. "Sophie--that's it!" she said with a smile. He was a twin, which was pretty cool and also saved her from seeming like the most uncaring person in the world.

"Sophie's really pretty...and fun to be around, too," she said. "I had no idea she had a twin." Kate had met Sophie on the train ride home her first year, and she'd most recently seen her again in one of the classes. One day, Kate hoped to be able to apply makeup as good as Sophie did. "Do you think she'd help me learn how to put on makeup the way she does?" Caleb would know if his sister was the type to be helpful.

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

Alone time.

But clearly he was here. That meant that she wasn't alone. Unless she didn't count him as another person, which made sense to Dalton. He sighed slowly and cocked one of his eyebrows. "If you want to be alone, surely it's best if I leave?" he managed, although he didn't make any effort to move, just stayed with his hood pulled up and his arms folded across his chest, the sleeves of his hoodie covering his hands.

Seriously, girls were so weird. Like, not even just girls. People. He couldn't deal with people. Hence why he was up here. Now if she'd just be NORMAL, maybe the could get on with their alone time all fine?

Rorie looked away. His eyes looked like the dog's peepers when they watch you leave for the day. The kind of look that carries no hope. It hurt her. It hurt that she couldn't tell him how much she loved and cared for him without giving away her game.

She only turned back when he spoke again. "I...know. Barton told me...". Barton himself seemed to be surprised as well that the boy hadn't told her. It was almost humilating how much people knew they depended on each other. Ror kept still and quiet for a few moments, before moving in to embrace him tightly. "I'll send for my healer brother, so that he may keep tabs on her." She spoke softly, stroking his hair and back. "She'll be alright. I promise."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anna Banana

Kate nodded in reply to Caleb's first remark. "Your rat eats Jelly Slugs?" she commented, not really asking a question but just surprised. "That sounds about right, though. I read somewhere that rats will eat just about anything." She gave him a sympathetic look and added, "Well, I hope you find your rat." Kate just had an owl here at Hogwarts, and she really only say it when she sent a letter home to her parents.

At the sound of his next question, Kate's look grew even more sympathetic. Great. He'd lost his pet, and here Kate was adding insult to injury by basically calling him a girl. Then, lucky for her, everything came in to place and made perfect sense. "Sophie--that's it!" she said with a smile. He was a twin, which was pretty cool and also saved her from seeming like the most uncaring person in the world.

"Sophie's really pretty...and fun to be around, too," she said. "I had no idea she had a twin." Kate had met Sophie on the train ride home her first year, and she'd most recently seen her again in one of the classes. One day, Kate hoped to be able to apply makeup as good as Sophie did. "Do you think she'd help me learn how to put on makeup the way she does?" Caleb would know if his sister was the type to be helpful.

"Beans will eat ANYTHING," Caleb nodded in agreement when Kate remarked that they would eat anything. Even socks. Yes, he'd found some socks that had been eaten before...but he apparently only wanted half a sock because he would eat away the toes and then stop. Silly creatures. Smiling to himself a bit at the remember, this just made Caleb miss Beans MORE. He had to find him!

"Read anything about how long rats can live in the wild before they die?" he asked, sitting up and scratching his head. Chances were Beans was in the castle somewhere still...but just in case, it was good info to know. And who better to ask than a Ravenclaw??

Oh, but she was talking about Sophie now. She should be focused on HIM, HE was the one missing a rat! But he'd humor her. "Wait, Sophie wears makeup? I've never noticed," he told her with a shrug. It was true, the only way he'd notice something different was if she chopped off all her hair. "Are you even old enough to wear make up? I mean, I didn't even realize Sophie was old enough to wear it...we mostly talk about taking over the world," he joked with a sly grin. Since Slytherins were all so evil and everything.

But how cool would that be though if they could take over the world - or at least a government or something. OOOOOH! WHAT IF THEY WERE TWIN SUPERHEROES...that would be AWESOME....