Why wasn't it letting her in? She had said the right answer, she knew it was right, but she was still just standing her not being allowed in her own common room. This had been the third time today it had happened, but in the other times it worked the second time she answered, this was different though, she had said the answer four times and nothing was working. It was bad enough their wands weren't working, but now they couldn't get into certain rooms?

She was getting more and more frustrated as this went on. Christmas was coming, her baby brother's birthday was coming and she was stuck in this castle and not at home. She wanted to see Gunnar and Al, she wanted to sleep in her own bed and get some studying done without the castle distractions. She also was hoping to talk to a few recruits while on break, but now all of that was ruined.

Giving the correct answer for the fifth time and still nothing happening Chloe slid down the wall and let her frustration pour out with tears.

Why was he heading up to the common room again? Shouldn’t he have been in the library reading? Or maybe doing some homework in a spare classroom? Weird. Either way, he was now still heading up to the Ravenclaw common room with no real knowledge of why, his hand knitted, navy blue jumper clinging to his tall frame, keeping him cosy warm from the winter breeze that had been biting into him wherever he went lately and the sight that greeting him was something he’d seen before.

Weird.

Déjà vu.

”So why is it that whenever you get stuck outside, I always seem to be the one that’s saving you?”, an amused smile on his face as he held his hand out to her, ready to pull her up to her feet. ”You know magic has been acting all weird lately. It’s most likely just that” although he did have a feeling that the tears running down her face had a little more to do with her ability not to go home than just her inability to get into the common room. He too was disappointed that he wasn’t able to spend the time in London looking around the university campus there so he could sort of see how she might be feeling although family does hit a lot harder. ”Come on. Up you get”.

She had heard someone coming and usually the seventh year would have wiped her face and put a big smile on it before someone saw her like this. She never wanted to be the negative in anyone's day and she would hide her own issues most of the time, but today she just couldn't. Her frustration with Quidditch, studying, the storm, not going home, and now this was too much. She kept her head down hoping they'd walk past her.

When it was his voice she did look up. The sun in her storm clouds over the years and especially the past few months. One of her best friends since first year and now, well she wasn't fully sure after their few dates, but whatever it was she was happy it was there. "I guess that first time we should have known you were stuck helping me." She wiped her face and tried to smile. Taking his hand she stood up and didn't even think, but went right in for a hug and to cry on his shoulder.

"I know it's not working, but I just want something in this damn place to work. We can't leave, we can't even mirror people, now we can't get into our rooms. It's just enough." She wasn't able to fly and train now either and she was not dealing well with any of it.

Things had been so weird with the both of them over the last year and now…well they were still weird but in a good way. He wasn’t sure what was between them at the moment or what would happen next but he was happy and that really did make a world of difference if it hadn’t been obvious to the other children in the castle by the big smile that was usually on his face. Even despite the weird storm and the magic going AWOL, he still somehow managed to keep the smile on his face although that would be tested when Christmas day arrived and he’d end up missing his nieces’ first birthday. But he didn’t want to think about that at this moment. Right now, was helping a friend who was crying on the floor. ”I mean, yeah I guess. I don’t really abandon friends so you know. I guess you’re stuck with me too” a small smile on his lips as he said it.

Pulling her up onto her feet, he wrapped his arms around her tenderly as she hugged him, sensing that she was actually more upset than he had actually first feared. ”Hey hey hey” he mumbled, doing his best to actually lower himself so that she could actually hug him properly such was the height difference between them. ”You still have Morgan. I mean, MF” correcting himself with a small chuckle because that just never got old. ”and me obviously” because he wasn’t too bad either. ”You mind if I start going by EG? You know, Ewan George?”. Sure it was EG but it sounded like egg and it was funny. Wasn’t it?

”Everything will be fine Chlo. I mean, I was supposed to be going to look around the London campus and I’m missing Eleanor’s first birthday” his eyes now firmly on the wall as he tried his best not to sound too upset about it. ”But we’ve both just got to find the silver lining”.

Jina had just walked out of the common room when she ... forgot why she walked out. She rummaged in her bag to search for her timetable, but instead grabbed a random piece of cardboard. Oh, Flat Newt, hi! She had totally forgotten about this assignment, because she was so busy trying to remember all her other homework. Now would be a great time to get one more picture and some notes down. Very contrived, yes, but she thought Newt Scamander would actually have explored every nook and cranny of Hogwarts while he was here, including the entrances to all common rooms. He was probably also clever enough to answer the riddles well and gain entry to Ravenclaw tower.

She put Newt down, making him lean against the door. She thought he looked like a tourist posing in front of a famous landmark. Ah well ... Smiling, she snapped a picture with her camera.


The photograph unfortunately did not move due to whatever was happening at school. It was still decent, so Jina nodded and put the camera into her bag again. She moved some distance away from the knocker so that she was not blocking the way and sat down on the floor. She then took out her notebook and pencil (her self-inking quill had ceased to self-ink) and scribbled her ideas down:

That was not the most interesting story, but she thought it was quite plausible. She packed up her things and continued down the corridor, before realising that she still did not know where to go. She looked in her bag once more and - oh no, Flat Newt! She hurried back to the knocker to pick up the cardboard cutout that she had left behind.

She hugged him tight as she cried a bit longer. It was when he said Morgan's nickname and then added his own that she looked up and started laughing. "I can't with that name of his." She shook her head, Morgan was very much a person that loved fun and she couldn't help but wish she was more like him at times, but that name. She couldn't understand why he liked it. 'No, no, no.... No EG." Laughing a bit more she wiped her tears, Ewan always had a way of making her feel better.

Silver lining, what was the silver lining? She couldn't play quidditch, she couldn't see her family. He was missing a uni visit and his nieces birthday. Where was the silver lining, being in a castle that magic couldn't even be done in. She glanced at the door again. 'I'm sorry you can't see your niece." She did feel bad about that, she knew it wasn't just her missing things and she needed to stop feeling bad about her things.

Taking Ewan's hand she gave it a little squeeze. "Silver lining I guess is we get to spend Christmas together and maybe do a castle date or something." That could be a fun idea or something, if he wanted to.

Still laughing a little at the whole MF name, he just looked down at her, just to make sure that she was feeling better. If there was one thing he could it was make light of a situation. It was like an uncanny gift of sorts although he did have to admit it was one that he hadn’t exactly used it in a long time. In his first two years at Hogwarts, he had been shy sure but he had also been so much more fun. Between cracking a load of terrible dad jokes and making light of things, he was always so happy but now that he was wiser older, a lot of things had happened which had lift him more withdrawn. Still, he could break out the light-heartedness from time to time should the need arise.

It did really hurt that he couldn’t really speak to or see his niece. That was honestly the worst part about it all. He could always deal without the magic because he’d already done that for eleven years of his life so what was a few months without it? Nothing. Sure, it was annoying that all of the portraits and common rooms were just super unreliable but he’d make do. It’s okay. I wasn’t going back home this winter anyway but I do miss talking to my family out there”.

Giving her hand a small squeeze in return, he thought about her proposal for a moment. They hadn’t really discussed them much after the whole Halloween date so maybe it was about time they did? ”Sure. We can do something fun around the castle sometime”, the smile on his lips getting a little wider now. He wasn’t exactly sure what if anything would ever happen but that was a good start.

This did make her smile. His smile was sweet and this term he was showing it more, she couldn't help but enjoy that. Her hand staying in his she thought a moment, "Maybe this stuff will be gone by Easter and you can have a visit then." She wanted him to like the London Uni more so than she would admit. She wanted him to stay close and not be clear in Canada away from her, especially when things seem to be going in a direction she really wanted.

Now, the thought crossed her mind, what could they do as a date around the castle. If magic wasn't working the Room was out, if the storm was there outside would be out. What could be something they could do....

"uuuuugh" She had just thought about gifts, she didn't have anything yet for him or Morgan. She usually had them all ordered by now and sent either to the castle or home. "I won't have a Christmas gift for you." She frowned at the thought a bit. She was hoping to do something special. Maybe she could make something between now and then.

He really was smiling more this term although if you’d asked him, he would deny it, or rather, he wouldn’t know if he was or was not. He was just living his life one day at a time and if that included smiling at a short, pretty blonde girl then it did. ”I mean I hope so. I don’t fancy spending all summer here and then another year after that. I think eight years here is a little too much honestly”, a small smile on his face despite the fact he was being deadly serious. He was ready to leave and start the rest of his life and another year here would be just beyond frustrating, even with the company of her. With his mind set on London now, he was ready to stretch his wings a little and see what life was like on his own. He’d done it before at a young age but that had been so different. He didn’t have a choice, a home or magic. Now, he could get a job and he’d have a place to live.

”It’s cool. I don’t have a present for you so really it just makes everything easy”, so her saying that was something of a relief. He’d honestly meant to get her something and yet, he just always seemed to forget about. Sure, he’d taken a few hits to the head as a child because he was suuuper accident prone but even he knew he wasn’t this forgetful. Besides, being stuck at Hogwarts to force them to actually spend time together so it wasn’t all bad. If there wasn’t a storm, they wouldn’t have even seen each other properly until after winter break. A silver lining if ever he’d seen one.

Summer or another Year? Morgan had the same fear and even though Chloe had denied it so many times she couldn't help but worry about that too, but this was Hogwarts. They always figured it out and the Professors didn't want to be stuck with kids all summer so they'd probably dig their way out if they had to. Chloe slide down the wall again to sit on the floor, but this time had a hold of Ewan's hand to hopefully pull him down with her. They could just sit and wait for maybe the door to open for them.

Present? "Oh no, I don't have a present for you. I'm sorry, I would have, but with everything going on." Why had she not thought about getting something before all this happened? Her thoughts had went to the fun they did have together and she thought a moment.

"Would a kiss be a good present, I can give that." She was joking, but not really joking. She could give him that gift anytime he wanted.

Watching her slide down the wall, the Ravenclaw prefect just followed her lead and sat down next to her, his back up against the cold, hard stone of the Hogwarts castle. He didn’t mind waiting for someone to let them in or for the stupid door to finally start working but he sort of felt weird just sitting there. He’d been so busy of late that simply taking a break and sitting somewhere felt almost wrong. Slipping his hand out of hers and into his lap, he just sat there with his eyes closed for the moment and enjoyed the quiet and peace of the castle.

”You know I absolutely don’t mind so don’t worry about it. Like I said, I don’t have anything for you either so don’t worry about it”, his eyes still closed as he smiled a little at her suggestion of the kiss as a present.

”I mean, don’t feel like you have to give me a present Chlo” because he really didn’t want her to feel like she had to. With everything that was going on around the castle, it was honestly the last thing on his mind.

She was glad when he took a seat next to her, but when he avoided her thought on the gift, whether joking or not, hurt a little. She looked away and just looked at the floor. "I was kidding Ewan, I mean you don't have to kiss me." She knew they had kissed a few times, so it wasn't that big of a deal and obviously not a great gift.

"I like giving gifts. I hate not having anything for Morgan either. I'm trying to figure out something to make. He seemed so upset when I went to check on him." She hoped her mother and father had gotten him a cat if that was what he was truly hoping for. She missed talking to them through the mirror and talking to Gunnar.

"Maybe we can just hangout in the Common room or Great Hall on Christmas." Trying to fully change the subject from kissing and gifts.

If he had been paying attention to her, he may have noticed the hurt in her eyes and how quickly she looked away but right now, he was simply staring off into space with a look of bemusement on his face. ”Uh…what? Oh…yeah”. Kiss…her? What was she talking about? And why was he sitting on the floor outside of their common room? Scrunching his eyes a little, he leaned his head back against the cold, hard stone wall and tried his best to remember.

”Yeah. Gifts. Morgan. I’d be upset too” his reply only half-hearted as his eyes open so that he could actually look at her when she was talking to him. Why was he having so much trouble remembering?

”Uhh…Chloe, why are we sitting on the floor outside our common room?”, the look on his face now one of embarrassed confusion. God, he hoped she didn’t think he was weird for forgetting all of a sudden. He would happily hang out with her on Christmas but judging from his lack of memory, he’d most likely forget way before then.

Getting to his feet quickly, he straightened his robes and turned towards the great hall. ”I…I’m not feeling very well. I think I need something to eat honestly. You wanna go grab something from the Great Hall?”. Was he just hungry? When did he actually have something to eat last?

All she could do was just look at him. She didn't understand what was going on. One minute he seemed to be all into her and the next it was like he didn't remember why or if he liked her. She was starting to feel when she remembered like last term all over again. "I couldn't get into the common room." She looked at the wall hoping it would just open. Why hadn't anyone left the dorms lately, everyone couldn't all be out, right?

Food? She had just ate, didn't she? She had to think about it but decided she wasn't in the mood either way so she just stayed on the floor. "Okay, well I'll see you later." She was going to just sit here and wait for someone to come out or she was going to just take a nap in the corridor, either way she wasn't moving.

Oooooh, they couldn’t get into the common room. Okay, now sitting outside of the room made sense to the tall prefect. His memory somehow just seemed to be getting worse and worse at the weekends went by and it was honestly starting to scare him a little. He did his best not to let the worry spread over his face though. He didn’t fancy breaking down and having a panic attack in front of Chloe. ”Well, that does explain it”.

Standing there now, he couldn’t help but feel a little awkward as she turned down his offer of food. What had he done wrong? Biting his lip, he just nodded and headed off towards the Great Hall. If there was one thing that would make him feel better it was food. Or rather…chocolate.