Benji sighed as he found a nice spot under a tree to settle into, looking out on the lake. He was a little peeved about having to wear his uniform when he wasn't in class and just wanted to chill out somewhere, but rules were rules. Still, he did kick off his shoes. He wasn't entirely sure if that was against the rules or not, but he figured he could just put them back on if it seemed like anybody important was coming. It felt almost like an act of rebellion, which put him on edge. He just wanted to be comfortable, and he hoped nobody would see him who would read it as an act of defiance.

He pulled out the book he was currently engrossed in and set it on his lap. He'd open it in a few, but he wanted to admire the view first. Truthfully, the boy usually liked being alone, but today he was feeling a little lonely. The new regime at Hogwarts certainly wasn't making him feel any better. He was a certified Good Boy at heart and always, always, ALWAYS followed the rules -- and he would NEVER sass a professor, or any adult for that matter -- but that definitely did not mean that he liked the way things were going around here. Compliant? Yes. Approving? Not even a little bit.

Still, better not to put up a fuss. Acting out was just never worth it. He had learned that a long time ago with his parents. But as much as he loved escaping his home and coming to Hogwarts usually, now it was just... hard to be here. He didn't know who he could trust and who he couldn't, so he never felt like he could be honest about what he was thinking, even in the privatest settings. (He was coming close with Penny, he thought, but that was a different story entirely.) He also felt like he was constantly looking over his shoulder, paranoid about accidentally breaking a rule that he didn't even know existed and getting in trouble. Thinking about it all had left the Ravenclaw feeling a little melancholy and pensive today.

He sighed deeply once more and rested his chin on his fist, elbow on his knee, staring at the lake.