The Giant Treehouse Off to one side of the lake is a copse of trees that arch so high up in the sky, it's nearly impossible to see where their leafy tops end. But at the bottom of one is a rope ladder and a winding wooden staircase that wraps around the thickest trunk of the trees and leads up into the sky. |
Aboliiiii! | K8 (and open if peeps wanna crash!) After a cold homecoming back to the Gryffindor lion room, the boy Thus the boy had scavenged a few things here and left his sad common room to go to the treehouse. And when he arrived at the treehouse - boy - was it his sanctuary. It seemed that this place had yet to be ransacked and as he entered into the room, he flopped happily onto the floor and just glanced up at the ceiling. Relief washed over him and his concerns from the prior feast seemed to leave him in that moment. |
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It was sooooo much better being outside right now in the fresh afternoon air. Being a seventh year meant they had more free time, but the free time should be spent doing work and homework. Today, though, Aboli needed to find him. Noah...she had to find Noah. They hadn't gotten a chance to speak yet at all since the train. She somehow had a feeling he'd be up here, and she couldn't explain why, but she wasn't surprised that, once she had climbed the ladder up, she saw him. Blonde hair to match hers until he changed it again. "It's just me, okay?" she collapsed next to him and kissed his cheek. "How are you holding up?" |
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He wrapped an arm around her, pulling her closer. He wanted to be close to her and just enjoy this moment because... he was terrified that this could be one of their last moments. However, he also did want to ask her (on a happier note) about all the nicknames that Bernie had told him. "In this moment? Much better that you're here with me and this treehouse is still in one piece..." he started before letting his voice drop off. He lowered his voice just in case they weren't alone. "I'm terrified, Aboli. Seventh year was supposed to be difficult." He pouted. "But this is insane and wild beyond my imagination. We can't do anything because if we do anything someone's going to get hurt... or worse killed. And i wouldn't be surprised if they were targeting us... or Minjae." He bit his lip. "I'm scared for my siblings. Evan's a second year and Maya's a first year.... Both muggleborn..." He wasn't sure if they were going to make it out alive. He paused, taking a deep breath, before leaning in to kiss her cheek. "Sorry. That was a LOT. I just have kept that all bottled up throughout the night while Bernie and I cleaned the Common Room..... How are you?" |
Quinn! (Anyone else can crash too!) As the days slowly moved along, Dahlia become more and more homesick. She really missed her mum and dad. Her crup too and all her cousins and the rest of her siblings. Gah! Sure she wasn't all alone here, four of her siblings and two cousins were here but it was still hard. And if she was this sad... how did those that had no family here feel?! It was all too much to think about and she needed to get away. Find somewhere that she could just... sit. A bit of wandering around aimlessly on the grounds and she ended up here. Big bright blue eyes trained upwards at the HUGE treehouse. This was the coolest thing ever and she hadn't even gotten up there yet! Did she want to take the rope ladder up or the tall winding staircase?! |
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Quinn had been looking for a place to do his practice. He had read a couple of books on battle magic, more advanced than even his current year, and he figured that he had enough information to start practicing the basics, but... he wanted to make sure that it was somewhere that wouldn't be easily found. For the sake of himself and those he wanted to invite. If the Headmaster found out that they were practicing offensive spells, he could figure out that it was in preparation for a face-off with his people, if it was ever to happen. Which would be very, very bad. But the treehouse was huge, and very much out of the way. Quinn thought it might work well. As Quinn approached the treehouse, he noticed Dahlia standing under it. "Hi, Dahlia. How's things?" He hadn't talked to her since the night in the common room, and a lot had happened since then. It seemed like a good time to catch up. |
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It was a lot, and the kiss on her cheek had her feeling all fuihweifheirhf, but she just nodded. "They...are absolutely targeting you. You non-purebloods," She said softly. "Noah...Noah...promise me...please...you'll do whatever they say. To stay alive. This is no time to be Gryffindor-ing around. No time to fight back. It's just NOT. Say and do whatever. You know in your heart of hearts what you feel...just comply." Aboli cringed thinking what could happen if she were ever made to turn on any of them. She could stomach it if she had to, but what if it were Noah? She wasn't at all sure how she would cope. It would be...almost impossible for her. "I wonder if we'll still have NEWTs. Think we will? I need to talk to Recard about University....did you hear about the owlery? No communication out so...I can't apply to Uni like I wanted," she sighed and slumped a little bit. |
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"Okay, I guess. Right now, anyway." There, she hadn't told a lie to him. "Being out here, away from all of that...," she waved a hand towards the castle, "the fresh air. I think I'm good. How are you doing?" He was really having a rough start here too. More so than she was. |
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Truthfully, he was doing better than the first couple days of school, but it still wasn't going swimmingly. He figured that would be the attitude for the rest of the term. "Yeah, I'm, uh... fine-ish. I don't think that I'm ever going to be 'good' so long as this is going on, but... fine-ish is pretty good, considering," he shrugged, then looked up at the treehouse. "Were you going up? I was planning to as well, so... we could look around together?" Quinn eyed the stairs and the rope. "That's... a long way up, huh..?" |
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"Mm' fair point. I don't really think any of us are going to be all that good but I'd rather say that than 'stink-ish'." She sighed softly. So far this year wasn't going at all like planned. Her typical hyper bubbly self was more subdued. "Uh-huh," She once more turned her gaze up towards the treehouse. "Sure. Beats being all alone. Yeah, but that's what's supposed to make it fun. Being up really high and getting to see everything below from a new view point." She gave him a very small smile. "Want to take the stairs or the rope ladder?" In her opinion the rope ladder looked like it could be entertaining. |
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Quinn laughed a bit at 'stink-ish'. It sounded funny, even though it wasn't really that nice of a word. He looked up at the treehouse. It probably would be pretty from up there, but getting up there would be... an experience. The ladder didn't seem that secure, but the steps would probably hurt his legs by the time he got up there. He tried to return her smile, but it probably looked a little squeamish. But Quinn really wanted to get up there. He could see that Dahlia was particularly eyeing the ladder, and he didn't want to disappoint. "Uh, we... we can use the ladder, if you'd like," Quinn said, making his way over. |
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Bouncing every so slight on the balls of her feet, Lia cast a quick sideways glance over at Quinn. He didn't seem all that thrilled with the use of the rope ladder but he had okay'ed it anyhow. Interesting. He would rather do something that didn't sit well with him then take the stairs. Dahlia like that. "Cool. I'll go first if you want? Or we can climb up together? Stay side-by-side?" They both were small enough that it should work, right? Without wasting another second, she walked over to the rope ladder and grabbed hold of it. "Ready?" Flashing him a warm smile, she put her foot onto one of the ropes and reached her hand up to grab hold of the rope above her head. Okay, so the rope ladder swayed a little, that was ummm... different. |
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"Erm, possibly?" She truly had no idea if it would hold them both or not. "There's only one sure fire way to find out, right?" Dahlia gave him an encouraging smile and a nod of her head. "If it makes you feel better I can stay a rung or two ahead of you.. unless you'd rather be ahead of me?" Either way she didn't care who went first. As long as they made it to the top! Even as she was speaking to him she had began to make the journey towards the top of the rope ladder, pausing briefly whenever she thought it was swaying a little to much. It wasn't so much that she was afraid of falling because she wasn't, she had fallen from a tree before but that was a story for another day. She was looking out for her friend, if he got hurt because of her, well... that wouldn't be good. |
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Quinn figured it was safer to go one by one anyway, so this was a fine outcome. Quinn started climbing up the ladder, but he did so cautiously, at a much slower pace than Dahlia. "Don't look down, don't look down..." he muttered to himself as he climbed. Quinn was so focused on not looking down that his foot missed a rung on the ladder, which caused him to panic and miss the rung with his hand because he's a mess. Quinn slipped off the ladder, falling backwards. "WAAH—" Quinn's scream from his initial shock of falling was cut short when he realized that he wasn't actually falling very fast. It was really peaceful, actually. He swiveled his head around to look out at the grounds. He quite liked this. He thought to talk to the groundskeeper and learn what charms they'd placed here. "Oh. Huh. Neat." |
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Dahlia paused her climbing to remain where she was, maybe just about half of the way up. "I can wait right here for you." Which is what she was going to do when she glanced down and saw that he wasn't as close behind her as she had thought. From where she was and how his body had blocked where his feet might be, Lia hadn't noticed his foot miss a rung but she DID see his hand miss one. "Quinn!" she shouted at the same moment he did, her eyes widening in fear. He was falling and it was all her fault! She should've stayed behind him... better yet... insisted they took the stairs! Her heart was racing as fast as her mind and she had already begun to climb back down before even realizing that he hadn't hit the ground as expected. Nope. Was he... floating? Dahlia blinked and used a hand to rub at her eyes making sure she wasn't seeing things. Still gripping the rope ladder with one hand, her body weight resting against it. "Cool! Whoever built this must have really thought ahead and placed protective charms on everything." Very smart. Thank you, whoever had thought ahead and done that! |
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He relaxed once he was floating and smiled up at Dahlia. "Yeah! This is really nice, honestly. I guess I was worried for nothing..." Quinn laughed awkwardly. He stuck a hand out and grabbed the rope ladder, pulling himself back onto it. "Well, it's alright now, then. You can keep going, I'll be fine!" Quinn said as he started climbing back up the ladder. Knowing now that he couldn't actually fall and die, he started climbing at a regular pace. |
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Dahlia grinned down at him. "Worrying is natural when you're unsure of what the outcome can be. At least now we know we're safe, hm?" If one of them were to fall they would be fine. One less thing to worry over. "I'll meet you at the top then!" Lia called down to him. Turning her attention back onto climbing the top was within reach in a matter of no time at all. Pulling herself up over the ledge and onto the platform, she stood up and watched Quinn climbing up. "You got this, Quinn!" |
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Quinn climbed up to the top after Dahlia. Her encouragement spurred him on, and he made it up quicker than he anticipated. After pulling himself onto the platform, he gave a small "Woot!" and laughed a bit. "Well, that wasn't so bad." Quinn looked at the treehouse. It was more impressive up close than from the ground; it actually looked like a small castle. "A lot bigger than a regular treehouse. Lots of rooms, huh?" Quinn made his way inside. |
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Lia would've held her hand out to help him up onto the platform but there was no need to. With Quinn now standing beside her, the Ravenclaw allowed herself to really take in this treehouse and how HUGE it truly was. Much larger then it looked from the ground. "Yeah, now that we know a fall won't land us in the hospital wing." She grinned over at him lightly. "This is awesome. It would make a great place for parties or study sessions." Lots of open space and fresh air. Dahlia followed alongside him from room to room, taking everything in. "I think I'm going to be coming here a lot." In case he ever wanted to find here, looking here might be a good place to start. |
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Quinn looked around at the spacious rooms, and in the tower and up at the loft. "Yeah, I think so too." This would be perfect for his practice sessions. Quinn thought about inviting Dahlia, but he didn't want to start off with too many people. Only the two people he was closest to, Atlas and Eden. That way it wouldn't be as dangerous—less people to know, less ways for it to get out, less people to be hurt for knowing. Though he hoped that, even if they were found out, they could play it off as innocent practice for classes rather than practice in case of a rebellion. "I really like it up here, honestly, so I might come up here, too. Plus, that floating stuff was kind of fun. Maybe I'll just come up here so I can float back down again," he giggled. |
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The more Lia looked around, the more she liked it up here. This would make a great hideaway spot when she needed time to herself. "We can celebrate our birthdays up here. A little bit of enjoyment away from all of...that." She waved a hand in the direction of the castle. Any other reasons for being up here would remain unspoken, chances were low that she would use this spot for practicing though. Too much damage could happen should a spell go wrong. Lia smiled at him. "It did sorta look like fun. What did it feel like?" |
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Quinn's eyes lit up. "We could totally celebrate birthdays here! My birthday is in July, so we couldn't celebrate mine, but definitely our other friends! I could bake a cake!" He thought about his previous attempts at baking—they hadn't gone super well, but the more recent ones weren't inedible, at least. "A-as long as I don't burn it..." Quinn thought for a moment. "You know that feeling when you're on a rollercoaster, and right before a big drop you lift up in your seat and you get butterflies in your stomach? It was kinda like that, but it wasn't as exciting. It was more peaceful." |
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Oh. She was VERY worried about him. He listened to her, nodding. He knew she was right and if she had seen what happened in the Gryffindor Common Room last night then.... Yeah... Talk of rebellion and stealing dessert had transpired... He reached for her hand, taking it in his own and sighed. "Don't worry. I won't be so openly.... Gryffindor around. And I agree we should be safe and compliant," he nodded his head, just in case someone was listening. He gave her a different look which he hoped to telegraph that he would be careful but he wouldn't go on with everything completely. They'd have to be safe. "But... if anyone comes near you or lays a hand on you... they'll have to deal with me." He'd risk it if they threatened her... Her and his family and his friends. He nodded at her question about NEWTS. "I think we may. I don't think that they intend to stop our education... I think they'll change its course slightly to exclude some subjects and embellish others... What's that quote about history again? History's written by the winners or something like that?" He paused, frowning. "No. That's not quite the quote I'm thinking of...." But the subject of University was exciting and terrifying to him. He... He hadn't thought much about university. Her question about the state of the Owlery perplexed him. He hadn't heard the news yet. He frowned. Merlin. Of course, they'd cut off the Owlery too. Firepalces, owls - no communication to the outside world."Did they destroy it? Are the owls still... alive?" He knew not being able to apply to university would have been nerve-wracking to Aboli. She was always so focused on the future and just aceing everything. She was a rockstar when it came to academics. Brilliant, beautiful, and just perfect in her own Aboli way. "Maybe we'll be able to apply but it'll have to go through the new Hogwarts Administration? If not, we can just take a gap year and apply next year to university...." |
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Deal with him? Aboli gave him a look. "Firstly, I can handle myself. Secondly, do not lose a hair on your head over me. Worry about yourself." Not that Aboli was good at taking this advice. The only reason she was so high on her own list was because she felt like she owed it to the littles and to her friends to survive. She was better ALIVE than DEAD, yeah? Well, so was Noah. "You just have to be extra careful because of your muggle-born-ness, Noah, okay? SO please...please be careful." And as he said, no 'Gryffindoring'. No OVERLY doing so. "The victors." She finished his statement for him. "History is written by the victors. That's why so much British history makes us look like the good guys even though...you know colonization and whatnot," she plucked her gloves off to rub them together. "But you're not wrong....and...maybe they WILL let us finish education stuff." Her shoulders slumped once again as she let out a deep sigh. "They...just aren't there. Don't know what happened to them. I...I am hoping they're....just elsewhere," her voice was hardly above a whisper now that she was speaking of the animals. It was hard to think that they might be....dead. She kept her voice steady, though, because she didn't want it to quiver in emotion. Aboli HAD to be strong and steady. Hmm. A gap year had definitely crossed her mind. A gap year with Noah, however, had not. Now that sounded delightful. "Where would we go? If we took this hypothetical gap year?" A smile again graced her lips before she took his hand in hers, gloveless, and squeezed. |
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