Weasley Swamp
 

Roulette (Felicity)
 

With a long week of lessons behind her, Rylee was more than ready to do some adventuring not that she hadn't tried to accomplish exploring every inch of this place last term. This place was huge though and she had been told that it changed...so she wasn't about to take chances. Even if that meant it had to be done single-handedly. The adventures began here and now.

She was more then prepared to get started having already eaten her breakfast in the Great Hall and dressed in her most comfortable dark blue jeans, white sneakers with the purple laces and her unicorn hoodie. In one hand was a sugar quill which she happened to be nipping on in between random twirls, spins and random dance moves down the currently empty fifth floor corridor, in the crook of her other arm was her beloved stuffed unicorn Fluffeh.

The smell let Rylee knew where she was long before she even saw the Swamp up ahead just where she was. It didn't stop her from continuing to dance and twirl her way down the corridor though. If anything it was strangely inviting. It smelled. It bubbled. It was gross but yet awesome at the same time. If this didn't say adventure than what did?

Ry walk closer to the roped off section of the corridor, which if you asked her wasn't really done all that well because anyone could step over a rope. Her nose crinkled up a bit when a particularly large bubble burst open sending up a fresh wave of putrid stink into the air around her. It wasn't enough to make her go running away though. "I wonder if anyone has ever tried crossing this... it can't really be all that hard to do... lookit Fluffeh there's even grassy patches and branches and stuff to step on.." She whispered to her stuffed companion.

Surely this was going to be today's adventure. A small grin tugged at her lips, her mind already made up. This was happening. With no one around to tell her it was a silly idea the Gryffindor glanced up and down the corridor finding it completely empty still. Perfect. If she stuck to the grassy sections where the branches and a few trees were she could easily make it to the other end of the swamp without an trouble. Rylee reached back to stuck Fluffeh into the hood of her hoodie for safe keeping before stepping carefully over the rope with her right foot onto a patch on slick gooey grass. Rather then get grossed up she laughed.

Every step the she made was a well balanced one. Up onto a branch. The base of a tree. Some more grass... something she wasn't entire sure of. Hop! Jump!

See. This was easy! She hadn't even lost her sugar quill! At least not until now.

Rylee giggled until she misjudged how slimy the grass over here, the sole of her sneaker covered in swampy goo and trying to pull her down. Huh? She reached out and grabbed hold of some strange looking tree as she tried to pull her sneaker free put it wasn't helping the green mess getting all over the bottom of her jeans. Stumbling now she continued to try to free her foot somehow knowing Fluffeh out of her hood and into the swamp. "FLUFFEH!" Rylee's blue eye's widened in surprise her own situation forgotten as she attempted to reach for the stuffed animal without any luck.

Did she remember that she had a wand? No, no she did not.

It seemed that her last year at Hogwarts was going ridiculously fast: it already felt like NEWTs were around the corner and with applications to universities due asap, Felicity was s t r e s s e d. Much like most of her year, probably, but in her mind she was the only one who was freaking out. Being in her own world, she probably would have walked straight passed the Swamp, allowing her footsteps to guide her, if it wasn’t for the voice shouting.

Fluffeh? What was a Fluffeh? Felicity’s eyes lifted from her feet and searched the vicinity, lighting upon the kid who seemed to be stuck in the swamp. The corner of her mouth lifted in an amused smirk for a moment, before she managed to get control of her features, figuring it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to let the younger girl see how funny she thought this situation was.

Of course, Felicity knew she should help, but first off she had a question.

“What made you think it would be a good idea to cross the rope?” You know, it was there for a reason, to stop this situation for being a regular occurence.

Felicity!
 

Rylee heard the older girls question but it didn't quite register with her. Did she clearly not see how serious this situation was?! FLUFFEH was stuck in and she couldn't reach him!

So the question went completely ignored as the young Gryffindor once more attempted to reach over in hopes of grabbing the stuffed unicorn. She wasn't going to complain about herself even if she was slowly sinking down further into the swamp. That wasn't her concern at all. Rylee glanced around chewing at her bottom lip. This had been a good idea... at least until Fluffeh and fell.

Keeps trying to tug her leg free nearly knocking herself over again but she was getting closer to getting Fluffeh. Small hands out stretched, fingers just barely grazing the plushie fur of the stuffed creatures ear. "Almost there.." she muttered trying to lean over more falling sideways into a grassy section of swamp. "NOOOOO!" The moment she fell she knew Fluffeh was gone and she couldn't even bare to look and see if she was right.

So there she lay, half in the swamp, half on some mushy grass, bottom lip quivering and blue eyes shining with tears as she tried not to cry. She wouldn't cry. Nor would she look at that older girl. Whoever she was could now please. Just go and leave her alone.

…………. Ignored. Okay. Felicity was used to being looked over, but outright ignored by a little kid was just rude. What was more important than answering her question, or even requesting some help? Maybe the kid was fine and didn’t need help, and Felicity could go on with her day and not have to worry about some child stuck in a swamp.

But said kid had fallen, and Felicity had to turn her laughter into a coughing fit because she didn’t want to make her cry, and peering at her, the younger girl looked already on the verge of tears. Forcing a serious face to replace her smirk, the seventh year moved as close to the swamp as she dared (wouldn’t do for two of them to get stuck, now, would it?) and was glad to see that at least part of the girls body was on the grass.

“Do you want any help?”

If she got ignored this time, she was leaving. Sorry, not sorry.

Felicity!
 

So maybe ignoring the older girl hadn't been the most polite thing to do but this was an emergency. That made it somewhat okay. Alright, it didn't make it any better at all and she knew that, truly she did but in that space of a few seconds, there had been a decision to make, answer the girl or save Fluffeh. Clearly the lioness had chosen the latter of those and now she was paying the price.

Her efforts had been no use. The situation really couldn't get much worse. Everything paled in comparison now that she was sure her stuffed creature was gone for good.

Surely whoever had been there had seen her fall, had seen Fluffeh sink down into the swamp just out of her reach, seen how close she already was to crying. She expected to hear laughter but instead heard coughing followed by an offer of help. Did she want help? Yeah. More like she kind of needed it now.

"Can you see the stuffed unicorn? Is he gone?" Rylee still couldn't bare to look but she would have to sooner or later. "Can you get him out of here?" Here as in the swamp. She didn't have to help her get out if she didn't want to if she was able to save the stuffed creature.

That was what the kid was worried about?

A stuffed unicorn.

Felicity rolled her eyes. She should have just left as soon as she happened upon the scene. For a moment, she actually considered just turning on her heel and walking away, leaving the younger girl for the next unlucky passerby, but with a sigh she started forward again, pulling out her wand.

"Honestly, I'm more bothered about you right now," she managed, looking down on the girl, a sight that was somewhat pathetic. "Are you stuck? Can you get up?" They'd sort the currently drowning stuffed unicorn out after the young girl.

Felicity!
 

Yes it was.

Of course Rylee didn't expect the much older girl who she now managed to fully look up at as she spoke, to understand the significance of the Unicorn. That was okay though. No one really did. Most just figured it was a stuffed toy that she was silly enough to be carrying around. She wasn't even going to make an attempt in explaining. Not now. Not when the only person standing here and able to assist her in saving Fluffeh was insisting on saving 'her' first.

Was she stuck. Actually she didn't even know anymore. She had been before she had fallen... which was why she had fallen. If she hadn't have been stuck she would have rescued Fluffeh on her own and not still be where she was in the swamp. The question though had Rylee shifting around on her belly on the wet patchy clump of moss she was partly laid upon. Slowly and carefully she wiggled one leg up onto the moss and the-

Nope.

She was still somewhat stuck. Her one foot anyway. The same foot that had been stuck, the one she was trying to pull free from the swamp when she had fallen. "I can get up but I'm still somewhat stuck... at least my foot is anyhow..." she replied with a deeper sigh than intended. To prove her point that she could get up however she slowly got to her feet on the moss section of swamp. Holding onto the tree that was there to keep from toppling over. Maybe now that she was trying to show the older girl she was listening she would help her get free and save Fluffeh...

It was probably a good thing that the kid wasn't expecting any understanding, because the Slytherin wasn't coming close to it any time soon. Honestly, Felicity was annoyed she'd even gotten into this position, and for a moment she wished she could be more like Flynn - her ex-boyfriend probably would have laughed for a little, and then walked away. The moment didn't last long, though, before Felicity was feeling guilty about thinking such a thing - both for the kids sake, and Flynn's. It wasn't really very fair.

Her thick eyebrows rose higher on her forehead as she watched the kid wriggle around, Felicity willed herself not to laugh at the sight. She succeeded, too, although maybe that was because the girl had finally answered her and she knew she had to do something to help her free her foot. "Okay," she managed, taking a deep breath before pointing her wand at the area of swamp around the girls foot. It took her a couple of attempts, but eventually she did manage to cast a spell that repelled the mud away from the girls foot.

Hopefully for long enough for the kid to pull her foot to safety.

Felicity!
 

Right then at that very moment all, Rylee had in mind was getting her foot free and saving Fluffeh. And for any of that to happen to had to rely on the older girl who was willing to help her even if she didn't appear as willing as some others who could have walked by.

Now that she was on her feet, somewhat, she took a second to look around. There was Fluffeh! He was most definitely stuck and sinking slowly into the swampy ickyness but he wasn't completely gone. It was this little bit of knowledge that allowed the second year to focus more on what the older Slytherin was doing. Watching and waiting the very second she felt the swamp loosen around her foot she yanked it free and up onto the patch of grass! "Thank you! What spell was that?!" Whatever it was she needed to learn it.

Quickly glancing back at her stuffed unicorn she pulled her blue eyes away and turned them onto Felicity. Very carefully she made her way back towards the rope that separated the swamp from the rest of the corridor. "Would you be able to cast that spell again.. so I can get Fluffeh out, pleeease?" The older girl would help her get him, wouldn't she? She was cooperating now and even almost at the rope to climb out swampy area.

"A version of the repelling spell," Felicity answered, her gaze watching the younger girl pull her foot free and the mud resume its normal position. Smiling softly at her, she watched as she came closer, and then offered her an arm to help her step out of the swamp.

She'd take it, right? Because honestly, if she didn't and she tried to go back for that unicorn... Well, Felicity would still be helping her, that was no lie, she'd just be even more grumpy about it. "Step out first and then we can see about getting... Fluffeh... back." What sort of name was that, anyway? Besides, they'd probably be able to get the toy out with a simple summoning charm, but Felicity really needed the kid to be ready to catch it because she didn't plan on getting her robes dirty.

Felicity!
 

"Is it hard to learn?" Rylee gently took hold of the older girls arm as she stepped fully out of the swamp and back onto solid floor. "Thanks..." She knew the Slytherin didn't have to help her but yet she was. A thank you wasn't much but it was all she could offer right now. There would be no hesitation in doing what was asked of her right now if it meant she would be getting her stuffie back in her arms soon.

Once she was safely out of the swamp her blue eyes wandered back to to where Fluffeh was. "How do we save him?" Were they going to repel the swamp away from him as well and somehow pull him free? This little second year was ready!

Had the little kid missed her multiple attempts? Felicity could hope, with a little relief, that that was the case, but she also figured it had taken her a few attempts because she was trying to completely master non-verbals. Which was taking her an embarrassingly long time, in her opinion.

"It depends," she managed with a shrug. "Depends what your spell forte is, what the substance you're repelling is..." Although, Felicity would be mortified if the younger girl got it quicker than she had when she'd first tried it.

Now she was still on about the stuffed animal, and the seventh year guessed she would have to deal with that. "Can you do the summoning charm?" she asked, figuring that would be the easiest way to get the toy back.

Without her catching it, because it was still filthy, and she didn't plan on ruining her robes.

Felicity!
 

Indeed she had. Rylee had been more focused on getting unstuck, getting out of the swamp AND her stuffed unicorn. With her focus on those things she hadn't been paying much attention to how many times the older Slytherin had to cast the spell in order to get it to work. Honestly she wouldn't have cared even if she had noticed... some spells were just more trickier to cast than others.

Her spell forte? Huh? Rylee blinked up at her. "It's probably not in my spell range right now... but that doesn't mean I can't try it some time." Not today though. Unless she really needed to. The older girl already knew how to cast the spell so that meant she could get Fluffeh.

Anyhow hopefulness in her eyes quickly faded. "I-... well um... no not yet... but I've been trying..." She muttered crinkling her nose. The summoning charm was one she really wanted to learn but it was currently above her magical ability even with all the practice she was doing and how easily she managed to cast some other charms.

"If you could summon it to me I can catch him. You wouldn't have to touch him or anything." That would work, right? It had to work!

Felicity nodded when Rylee said that she could try it some time, offering what she hoped was an encouraging smile. "It took me ages to master it," she admitted, almost as an afterthought, whether to appease the younger girl or something was unknown.

"Doesn't matter, I -" Felicity began, but then she smiled a little as the Gryffindor offered the idea she'd just been about to suggested. "Sounds like an ace idea," she finished with a nod, moving to stand closer to the younger girl. "Okay, get ready to catch..."

After a deep breath, Felicity cast the repelling charm and the summoning charm in quick succession, watching the toy as it became loosened from the mud and sailed through the air towards where they were stood.

Felicity!
 

Hearing the older girl say it had taken her ages to master the repelling charm didn't dampen her spirits at all. Rylee was very much used to the fact that not every spell was going to be easy. Most times she had to try several times to be able to cast anything correctly. It was hard work and dedication. Nothing came easy and honestly that's what made it more enjoyable. Finally succeeding at it after spending hours, days, weeks or even months at it. This wasn't just about spells either it was about anything in life, like her dancing or Quidditch skills.

Rylee nodded firmly stepping closer to the older, much taller girl. "I'm ready." Standing tall or as tall as she could for someone her age that was on the shorter side she waited with open arms and baited breath. Blue eyes never once strayed from her stuffed creature that was stuck in the swamp. Watching as the repelling charm work and the summoning charm took hold, her stuffed unicorn slowly floated through the air towards them.

"Got him! I got him!" she exclaimed throwing her arms around the icky slimy stuffed toy and clutching it tightly to her chest. "Thank you! I owe you big!" Rylee turned her gaze up onto the girl a brighter smile now on her young face. Somehow she was going to repay her for helping free Fluffeh.

An amused smile quirked the corner of Felicity's mouth as she turned to look down at the younger girl, the stuffed toy practically squelching with mud when she held it against her. With a small shake of her head, she decided she couldn't leave her going around the castle like that - the toy was practically oozing a trail of swamp onto the corridor floor.

"Here, let me clean it up a bit," she said, indicating that the girl should hold it out slightly. It wouldn't be perfect, and would still probably need the help of some House Elves to get it completely clean, but she could help a little. "Scourgify," she muttered, aiming the cleaning spells wand movement at the unicorn.

Felicity!
 

It didn't matter at all to her that the stuffed unicorn in her arms was covered in swamp goo and smelled horribly. The fact that it was out of that mess and back where it belonged, in her arms, was all that mattered to her. If she had to scrub him with a scrub brush and soap in the girls bathroom sink over and over again until he was clean she would have.

The offer of having her stuffie cleaned up was a nice one that she wouldn't pass up. Nodding her head of long ginger locks, she held Fluffeh out in front of herself to be cleaned. Once 'scourgify' had taken affect, Rylee clutched the unicorn back to her chest. Sure it was still icky and badly matted down in some spots but it was better than it had been.

"Thank you! Thank you!" She smiled up at the older girl bouncing a little on her heels to keep herself from hugging the girl in appreciation.