Torie was walking through the grounds, his eyes taking in everything. How could he already be a 4th year? It really felt weird, to be only a year away from his OWLs. He didn't really pay much attention to where he was walking and found himself at the edge of the wooden bridge and looked around wondering how he'd gotten there.

Shrugging he stepped onto it and started walking with his hands in his pockets when he noticed someone walking really slowly towards him. Was she hurt? "Do you need help?" he asked as he got closer, wait.....Azura? "Are you alright?" he asked moving faster towards her on the uneven floor.

Azura's purple eyes snapped up as she heard a voice from in front of her and they went wide as she saw who it was! "Torie!" She said with as much of a smile as she could muster at him. She hurried her pace a little so she was close to him before she spoke next.

"Mmmm, I'm all right.. This bridge is just a bit scary." She said softly as she bit her lip a little. "How are you? It's been forever since I've seen you? How was your summer?" Almost instantly she regretted that question.. For it was most likely the one to get turned back on her and it was the one she didn't want to answer.

It was her! He couldn't figure why on earth she was walking so slow though, then again she was a little accident prone and it was a bit uneven... He beamed at her as she hurried a little so she was closer. "Aww, well you're taking it at a good pace then." he said smiling at her.

"I'm alright, I feel preoccupied a lot but don't know why" shrugging he sighed a little. It was weird and he couldn't understand it. "Mine went fairly well thanks. How about yours? Did you get a lot of time with your family?"

Azura smiled slightly as she looked up at Torie, she had missed him! She hadn't seen him since they had seen his father as a Koala! That had been funny! "Mmmm, I thought so." She said as she looked up at him, only to frown a little as he spoke.

"Preoccupied?" She asked him, "Do you have anything specific on your mind?" She looked up at her friend, feeling some mild concern for him. She hoped nothing had happened to him over the summer! "Talk to me about it." She said as she gently took his arm and tugged on it a bit..

Though.. as he asked about her summer.. her face fell a bit before she could contain it in her calm mask that she had been attempting to perfect. Only time would tell if it was working. "Ohh.. Well.. It was.. uhh.. okay I guess." She said before she shook her head.. "No, just my Aunt, Uncle and Cousin." That part was true at least.

He beamed at her and nodded "Just wanted to make sure something wasn't wrong, like you might have hurt yourself or something." he said gently. She hurt herself a little too often in his opinion! "Yeah I have no idea why either." he responded shrugging again.

He shook his head though at her next question "Not really, I somehow found myself here when walking but really don't even know how I got here I thought I was down by the Creatures paddock." Weird...it was like he totally spaced out! He smiled at her tugging on his arm and let her do anything she wanted.

He actually nearly put it around her but then stopped himself. No that would likely be very awkward! "I'd tell you what was on my mind if I knew" he said laughing a little "It just seems to be daydreaming really." He looked her way when she said just her aunt, uncle and cousin "Did your mum go on holiday?" he asked curiously.

Azura grinned up at Torie as he spoke and she shook her head.. "No, I haven't hurt myself this time thankfully!" She said with a nod as she looked up at him, her eyes still showing concern as he spoke.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better I did the same thing." She explained.. "I was down by the lake and then I got lost in my thoughts and ended up here." She shook her head a bit as she tucked some hair behind her ear.

She nodded as she let go of his arm and she smiled.. "Well, if you figure it out, let me know." She said with a small semblance of a warm smile.. before he asked about her mom and her face fell.

"Not.. really. She was.. just busy all summer." She said as she bit her lip and looked away, she was staring off into the distance.. her eyes landing on the forest and shivering a bit.. "So.. how has school been so far for you." She asked as she looked up at him finally..

Hadley was really, really tempted to ask why he didn't talk. If she any part of her was completely Ravenclaw it would be her intense curiousity. Was it a physical thing? Like he couldn't physically speak? Or was it a psychological thing? Hads almost asked him right then, but caught herself.

"Cool." She nodded, and then glanced down at his bag. Oh, candy and sweets... but she was trying to train herself to be an animagus which meant she couldn't eat sweets. For whatever reason. No caffeine either. "I'd buy some, but I'm training myself to be an animagus, since Professor Ichihara refuses to." There was clear bitterness in her voice. She rolled her eyes as if to say, professors, right? then looked back down at his bag. "Anything I can do to help you sell them?"

"Good!" he said beaming at her and just took a breath looking around them at the bridge "Doesn't feel all that safe honestly." His eyes went back to hers, though and gave her a smile but then looked curiously at her "You did?" he asked blinking at her. "I guess it's easy to do so if you're lost in thought..." Heh, he had and normally didn't do that either. He was usually hanging in the dorm or the library though too, not often out on the grounds.

"I promise I will" he said with a soft smile. Letting her let go of his arm he watched her face as it went from a warm smile to falling and looking like something was wrong. "Did...you have a roe?" he asked gently as she bit her lip and looked away. He heard the question but stepped closer "What's wrong?" he asked softly.

Leo liked being outdoors and even the cold. He had been taught since an early age that the weather couldn't hinder your interests if you just dressed appropriately. He did like some types of weather more than others. He disliked rain almost to the point of loathing since it just made everything wet, sticky and cold.

Pausing over his fishing pole to glance sideways at Ansley he said. "I'm glad to hear it." Taking a deep breath Leo said quietly "The library is what's got me troubled. The restricted section have been attacked twice in a short time. I'm at a loss on what to do to protect it from damage. It seems lke a magnet. No matter what I do nothing helps." Last time it had been Peeves that been causing the disorder and damage to the precious tomes. Reeling the line in without a fish on the hook Leo cast the line out again through the window making sure to not hit Ansley with the pole.

Ariadne had no real reason to be on the bridge. She hadn't gotten out much this school year, and a quiet walk just seemed like the way to go. Her shoes with inch-tall heels made tiny clicking sounds as they met the wood of the bridge. She missed her mom and dad. She kind of wanted to be home-schooled, but at the same time, being at Hogwarts and in Slytherin was pretty awesome, too.

She had done so well last year, but this year, she just wasn't feeling it. Maybe she'd talk to her mom when she got back home. Her best friend always knew what to say. She probably should have rounded up at least one friend to take this walk with her. She was getting further and further away from the common room and the walk was getting a little lonely. Meh.

Waful soared over the grounds, knowing the hooman was around somewhere. His senses for these things were awesome, just as much as he himself was. He wouldn't fail.

And right there, he was proven right. As always. The hooman girl was right there.

Swooping down toward the bridge, he flew toward her and landed gracefully on the ground. "Hoo." Here, hooman, this letter and package are for you.

He released his hold on them, and then, with another "Hoo," he ascended back into the air, flying away.

Ansley nodded lightly and glanced out a the lake. He wondered how much fish was actually in the lake, if it was suitable for eating, and if Leo might catch anything. And also what the man might do with any fish that he might catch. These thoughts had been going through the man's mind, distracting him a bit, until Leo spoke, causing him to look up.

"Attacked? What do you mean?" Ansley gave the librarian a concerned look as he thought over his words. "Like vandalized, or... ?" That was the first thought that came to mind but he supposed he could mean something else. "Are there not already charms put in place?" When he was a student, he vaguely remembered some protective wards in that area, though maybe he was remembering wrong or they were no longer there. "If they aren't strong enough, I am certain there are stronger ones... You might want to ask Julien about putting some in place." Of course, that might make it more difficult for students to check out books from that section but if there really was that much damage, it might be necessary.

She wasn't really doing anything at that second aside from talking to him, though she assumed transfer boy meant what was she going to do out on the bridge in the cold. People should really say what they mean.

"I might do some sketching if inspiration hits." She shrugged, gaze shifting to her bag before returning to him. "But mostly I'm taking a study break."

If he could read her thoughts, he would tell her how bloody literal she was being and how that, also, was annoying.

"Oh." Eh. She was one of those artists which explained so much. He shoved his hands into his pockets and leaned against the bridge's railing.

He wasn't going to get down on the ground 'cause that would be joining her, and he didn't have any intentions of that. He was just gonna lean, and watch.

If she could read his thoughts, she would tell him that no such invitation to join her was going to be given so he needn't worry. She quite preferred spending time alone to spending it with strangers. Moody ones at that. And since transfer boy seemed intent on watching her, Maddie decided to take advantage and use him as a sketch subject.

It didn't take long to retrieve her sketch book and pencils from her bag and once she had, she set to work. Brown eyes stayed mostly on her drawing, though she glanced up every now and then to check she was on the right track. If one were to look up brooding in the dictionary, this sketch could accompany the definition.

Azura looked around the bridge with slight trepidation. "Mmmm, no it doesn't look at all safe.. but uhh.. It has to be right?" Surely they wouldn't have something here that would get people hurt..Right?

She nodded at him. "Mmmm, So you see it happens to the best of us." She said as she looked around and then back up at her friend for a moment. It was nice to see his face again. Torie always seemed to have a calming effect on her..

Though as he asked about her mom, she sighed and turned away. She bit her lip and put a hand up to her chest, trying to quell the constant aching that was in her heart. "No, we didn't have a fight, if that was all it was.. I would be okay.. I could take my mom being mad at me.. at least she would still be alive." She placed her hands on the edge of the bridge as she looked out over the woods..

Juno sat at the very entrance to the Wooden Bridge where no one else was. There were a bunch of other students further down the bridge and she really didn't want them to see what she was doing. Yes, she had permission to do this, as it was a class assignment, but she didn't want anyone to steal her ideas.

She pondered for a moment, exactly what she wanted to paint on the inside wall of the bridge. it had to be something cool. Then it suddenly came to her. She grinned and pulled out her wand. She thought long and hard about the shape and color that she wanted. "Figura Star." She said, and her wand immediately began to trace the outline of a large purple star. Of course the center was empty.

She figured that she would do the same thing that she had done in class and fill it with yellow. She placed her wand tip in the center of the purple star and said, "Colovaria!" The star was instantly filled with a beautiful yellow that complimented the purple beautifully. She grinned a little and admired her artwork for a moment.

She decided that this piece should also be animated.She traced the star, and repeated the incantation, "Animatae!" As soon as the word passed her lips the star started dancing around the inside wall of the bridge. It was absolutely dazzling.

She loved magic so much. This was definitely the way to paint! She put her wand away, and quietly stood up, dusting her pants off. She gave her beautiful star one last smile before walking back towards the castle to report to Professor Primeaux.

This was a fun day!

Ariadne had just decided to turn around and start the long walk back (not really long, but it seemed that way), when the fluttering of wings caught her attention. She stopped abruptly and was still other than the fact that she jumped a little out of surprise over the sudden visitor. "Oh, hello there," she said. She couldn't be receiving a package, could she? She wasn't really expecting anything. Sure enough, though, the owl 'Hoo'ed' at her, letting her know that this wasn't really a mistake, and he had in fact been looking for her all along.

She watched as he dropped a package for her, and she might have given him a treat had it not been for that fact that he flew away a split second later. "Okay, well...thanks," she mumbled to herself.

Her parents had taught her to be careful of these things...sudden, unexpected packages. She didn't think she had any enemies, though. She used her wand to poke at the letter until it opened, and she held it there as her eyes scanned the paper. "Andrei!" she exclaimed, and then she stowed her wand back in her holster and picked up the package. So he HAD remembered! She still kind of hoped he had been a first year HERE, but he had in fact gone somewhere completely different.

A chocolate sponge cake?! YUMMY. She gathered the package and letter and tucked it carefully in her hands as she scurried back toward the castle. She had a cake to eat! ... And a friend to respond to!

Glancing out at the lake as he pulled the line Leo hoped that the giant squid was sleeping and didn't decide to give him a scare. He knew that the fish in the lake shouldn't be eaten. He just enjoyed the calm it gave him to throw out and pull in a fishing line now and then. It gave him peace and time to think and mull over things that troubled him.
Turning to look at Ansley he nodded solemnly "When I got back after our summer break it looked like someone had unleashed a whirlwind in the restricted section. Books had been thrown about, shelves had been ripped off their hinges and everything was a mess. I got the sense that someone had been looking for a book on plants but no books are missing. So I don't know who did it or why."

Leo paused for a moment to throw the line out again before he continued with a sigh. "And then last week Peeves thought it fun to throw books about in there too." He had never been a fan of the poltergeist and after this that wasn't changing. Shrugging Leo said "I do have numerous charms and protective spells in place but I suppose I can ask Julien if he can strengthen them somehow."

"Have you got any christmas plans?"

He raised an eyebrow at her but didn't say anything. She was going to sketch him? Okay. Whatever. He would continue to stand here silently and continue to brood in her direction.

Anything for art.

Fishing seemed like such an unproductive and frustrating hobby to Ansley. And it was a thought that ran through his head as he casually watched Leo with the pole and line. He knew fishing was a necessary way of life for some, especially to feed the masses with seafood, but on a personal level it would never be for him. He just couldn't see himself standing around and futilely casting the line again and again with no result. But it must be relaxing for some, including Leo.

He raised an eyebrow as the librarian explained the situation at the library. "Hmm, that's very odd... Why plants though? What makes you think that?" No matter what the reason, that sounded disturbing and he couldn't help but think about how he might feel if he found one of his rooms in such disarray. Perhaps he should think about tighter security charms on his rooms as well. "I'm surprised none of the alarms alerted you to an intruder. Perhaps it would be wise to talk to Julien about that." Or even Hirsch, though he wasn't so sure it was necessarily some dark force at play.

And Peeves, though relatively harmless was awfully annoying at times and could just add to the aggravation. So he understood and he nodded his head to convey that. "Yeah, I probably would.. They obviously aren't strong enough or perhaps are starting to wear off." Even the most powerful of magic had to be reinforced from time to time as far as he knew.

He blinked as the sudden change of subject surprised him slightly. "Uh, nothing too exciting. Just spending time with family. What about you?"

The silence was appreciated and aside from her pencil hitting the parchment and the whistling of the wind, it remained that way for quite some time. Sketching people she didn't know always took longer as she wasn't as familiar with their quirks. Capturing the way someone's smile always seemed to be lopsided or the way their brow furrowed while they concentrated was important and it was as if she was denying the subject in some way when she wasn't aware of these types of habits.

Once done, Maddie glanced up and eyed the brooding boy for a moment before turning her creation towards him. She didn't care much if he liked it or not but she was curious to see what his reaction would be. She thought she'd captured his aloof air quite nicely.

"You can keep it if you want." The sketch.

Echo wasn't smiling. He didn't have any reason to. She didn't appear to be doing anything impressive, and he was very much bored with this standing out in the cold thing (why was this even a spot for her to pick to sit?). His gaze had traveled away from her more than once while she sketched him, catching glimpses of passerby's and the occasional creature.

Only when she spoke did he settle his eyes back on her, or rather the sketch. One brow raised impressed. "It's not bad." A small complement from him was all she would get. And in return he would get the sketch.

He held his hand out for it.

Since she did say he could have it.

"I know it is." She'd been doing it for long enough that she felt confident in her abilities by now.

Carefully ripping the sketch from her sketchpad, the brunette handed it to the boy. She considered the fact that he might simply throw it away when they parted ways but figured it was his decision to make now that he was in possession of the piece.

"So what do you think of this place?" Maddie had started packing her things, eyes on what she was doing when she asked. She was still mildly curious about the guy and had had her fill of silence. After fastening the buckle on her back, her eyes found his again.

To most fishing was patience testing, unproductive and in some lights probably frustrating too but not to Leo. He had always enjoyed fishing for its relaxing influence on him. He didn't need to catch a fish, he didn't throw out his line just for that. He just liked the art of fishing and that it soothed his mind and was predictable. Too little on a daily basis at a school like Hogwarts was ever predictable but fishing or reading a book was.

Pulling the line in Leo answered Ansley's question with a shrug "Plants books were the only books thrown about and lying damaged on the restricted sections floor, so that's why I naturally drew that conclusion unless someone just randomly started their search there on the hunt for something completely different and then left because they got interrupted." There were some dangerous book in the section Merlin knew so Leo hoped that they would get to be untouched and undisturbed in the future.

Putting his fishing pole down on the bridge floor Leo said to Ansley as he raised a brow in confusion. "Um, which time do you mean? Peeves I caught in the act. The other incident happened while we were away on summer vacation. Is there an alarm strong enough that can alert me of an intruder in the library if I'm not currently inside the castle?" He'd have to ask both Roderick and Julien about that when he saw the two of them at dinner later that night.

"I'll take your advice though and strengthen all the magic surrounding the section. It can't hurt." Leo reasoned. It was better to be extra safe than sorry. As for Christmas plans. Well. "Same here. Family time with my wife and son. Cassie wants us to start looking at houses."