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Gryffindoll · 06-14-2015, 04:52 AM

Everybody loves Hogwarts.
Students couldn’t be prouder of the beloved castle they get to call home for most part of the year, and those unfortunate enough not to receive an invitation, dream of racing the moving staircases and finding secret passageways behind talking portraits.
Enchanting as it may be, Hogwarts remains, above all: a school. Which means that Hogwarts students don’t necessarily spend all their time at the castle joking with nearly-headless ghosts, sneaking into forbidden forests, or enjoying a cup of hot chocolate by the fireplace. Like any other student at any other school, magical or otherwise, they have their fair share of responsibilities: homework to get done, tests to study for, grades to improve. Overall, Hogwarts students tend to be hard-working, smart individuals who surpass challenges set by each and every lesson, moving on to higher levels.
There are, however, those classes that are just IMPOSSIBLE for some to pass. And for some Hogwarts students the main culprit tends to be:
Muggle. Studies.

These students can perform a perfect patronus, handle a crying mandrake, predict your untimely demise in a teacup, but they simply can NOT figure out the workings of a “TV remote” no matter how many times they press all the bloody buttons. It looks just like a tel-uh-phony, what is even the point of this thing!? GAHHH.
For these students, a special summer lesson has been put together by Professor Willoughby, Hogwarts’ one and only Muggle Studies master. These students failed all exams and either didn’t turn in their homework, or turned in something that made no more sense than a two-headed dog with chicken legs and fire breath. If these students don’t want to end up repeating the class next term (and I’m more than certain they don’t), they MUST pass the summer lesson, which, in consequence, will take up a good half of their summer break.

So, what is Professor Willoughby’s challenge?
Surviving one month in suburbia.

The worst Muggle Studies students in every House and every year must pack their belongings (without the help of magic) and move to a standard, uniformed suburban home in the middle of a friendly muggle neighbourhood in the outskirts of London. Doesn’t sound too bad, does it? Well, there’s a catch: the students must give up their wands to Professor Willoughby at the end of term, and they may only retrieve them after successfully completing all challenges set up by the professor. So, absolutely no magic can be performed during the entire month the students spend in this home, performing their daily tasks without the aid of their wands. They must learn to live life… the muggle way.

It’s not all so bad, though. The house is large and comfortable, there’s a pool in the backyard, they get a mini van to drive around, and there’s other youths in the neighbourhood. Just next door is a house occupied entirely by muggle university students, who our muggle-challenged witches and wizards must interact with without raising any suspicion to complete some of their tasks. If they’re nice enough, they could maybe even get the muggles to perform some of these tasks for them. …Long as they’re not caught by the Professor’s ~~pet~~ assistant. There will be one student, the best student, in fact, who is already familiar with all things muggle and will be in charge of making sure that all tasks are completed by his classmates. Should anyone be caught cheating, this student will be in charge of reporting them to Professor Willoughby, and they may permanently lose their wand in consequence.

To help the students stay on track and remember all the tasks they must complete, a chalkboard has been set up in the living room area of the home. Here, the professor’s assistant has listed all the tasks the students must complete, in the order they must be performed. Also, all students have been equipped with the muggle version of a wand - a cellphone. Each cellphone is activated with its own phone number and the students are free to use them as they please, the more they play around with the gadget and experience first-hand muggle technology, the better! But please do try to take it easy on the selfies.

And so, girls and boys… welcome to suburbia! Have fun and try not to get electrocuted by that tricky muggle invention - electricity!

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Hello everyone!
So, since the general RP section of the site is pretty dead, The Amazing Ru (pinecone) and I have decided to start something new that will hopefully get more members involved in RPs outside of the school!
If you’re interested in joining, please just post a bio for your character(s) and we’ll add them to the list below!
You may RP students, muggles, or both. Ru and I will be taking care of the professor and his assistant (we may or may not have some surprises in store for you… ). You may also bring in any necessary extras if a certain scene asks for it, the more realistic we make this, the better! If you have any ideas of extra characters you’d like to add in besides the students and their muggle neighbors, tell us! Want to be a gardener that’s onto them? A thief that breaks into the house at night? A troublesome child that rings the bell and runs away!? ALL CHARACTERS ARE WELCOME. BE CREATIVE!

And for your reference, here is a shot of the board listing all the kids’ challenges. Below is a link to see a larger version.

CLICK HERE FOR LARGER VERSION!

Please remember to follow all SS rules while RPing, and, most of all, don’t forget to have FUN!!!

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CHARACTER LIST:

- Allegra Reynolds
- Serina May Souza
- Leonardo Huntley
- Adam Nicholas Kipling

pinecone · 07-16-2015, 05:11 AM

Leo was not being helpful. Often unhelpful to begin with, somehow the addition of an emergency reduced him to an even more unhelpful state, merely panicking as he searched the cabinets for who-knows-what. The noises in the room all blended together in one cacophonous jumble of painful noises - Serina's high-pitched screaming, Adam's pleas to Willoughby, and...well, okay, Allegra wasn't making any noise, but that wasn't unusual.

In fact, Allegra had found her way onto the highest possible perch of the kitchen, now standing on the kitchen's counter island and pacing back and forth quietly to herself, bright eyes now panicked as she tried to see through the thick smoke. If all other noises in the room were silenced, one might be able to hear the smallest possible scream arising from her petite mouth, at the highest possible decibel. But, with the other noises in the room, she seemed entirely silent.

It was getting hot. FAST. Leo was suddenly wiping sweat from his brow, still trying to find some kind of life-saving object in the back of this kitchen. In full out survival mode, he ripped the bottom half of his shirt and used it to fasten a headband around his head, pushing his hair back so the band might collect the sweat as he continued to fight for his life. Willoughby must've put an emergency wand in here somewhere right!? Hidden it in the back of a cabinet or behind a cookie jar, just in case something like this were to happen. RIGHT!? Despite the impressive impulse for survival, it left as soon as it had arrived with Leo. After finding nothing in the last cabinet, he had dramatically given up, determined to accept his fate and his encroaching death. He let out a loud wail of surrender before sprawling out spread eagle on the wood floors, prepared to wait there until death found him.

It was somewhere around this point that the white foam of a fire extinguisher began to rain down on the group as if by magic. Of course, this wasn't the case, it was all thanks to Serina who had found the extinguisher just in time. That would be the logical thing to realize. And yet, to Leo (who was still sprawled on the floor awaiting death's sweet kiss), it seemed as if he was awoken from death by a soft sprinkling of snowfall, opening his eyes to find his sweat now relieved by the cool foam from the extinguisher. As if in slow motion, his head lolled to the side and through the thick smoke and sudden snowfall emerged...

SERINA!
the angel of fire, the hero of his dreams, the Slytherin princess who had saved him!
him in particular, of course, must've been her intent, the others' saving must've just been collateral or for show, she cleeeearly wanted to save his life the most

She was only standing there, but to Leo's adrenaline-filled, emotional-wreck, emergency-relieved brain, it seemed as if she was shaking her hair out in slow motion like a model on the runway. A delusion, surely, and yet he was positive she had sent a casual wink his way. The young man sat up with a dopey grin on his face, letting out a sigh of admiration for his hero.

It was about that time that the foam settled on the room. The fire now successfully put out, the picture became all too clear. Leo, sitting on the floor with half of a t-shirt exposing his bare stomach, his long golden hair pushed back by a make-shift headscarf and a love-struck grin on his tan expression. Then there was Allegra, who was still standing in the very center of the kitchen island, hoping desperately the fire would've entirely avoided her, just now opening her eyes to find Serina the hero. Relief filled her expression, and then it immediately fell, her small arms crossed and a startled look on her pale face. Everyone's faces were covered in dirt and grime from the smoke, and now the entire room (which was still entirely upside down from Leo's excavation), including everyone in it, was COVERED in the white foam from the fire extinguisher.

Leo was the first to speak. He grabbed the nearest foam and threw it in the air as if to watch the glory of it falling once more. "My love -- You made it SNOOOOW!"

Gryffindoll · 07-16-2015, 05:33 AM

Serina, who actually looked an absolute wreck and nothing at all like Leo’s affected mind made her seem in his eyes, sighed and dumped the heavy fire extinguisher, allowing it to fall unceremoniously on the floor. She almost DIED. DIED. What the bloody hell was Willoughby thinking, taking their wands away?! What if she hadn’t thought to use the extinguisher, what were they supposed to do? Just DIE?!

Despite the avalanche of thoughts and complaints invading the girl’s thoughts, Serina was still too numb and exhausted from the whole ordeal to voice her opinion. She allowed herself to lean against the doorway and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.

“My love — You made it SNOOOOW!”

Serina’s eyes snapped open.
“…What did you just call me?” she hissed dangerously, her voice so low it was almost only a whisper. “You… YOU. None of this would have happened if it wasn’t for you!” she exclaimed, pointing an accusatory finger at the childlike boy that sat on the floor with—was that a headband? Where did he even get that?! It was kind of nice actually, she rather liked the grunge look of i—OKAY NO, if this wasn’t enough reason for Willoughby to disqualify him, then Serina was ready to lose all hope.

As an afterthought, she quickly added, hazel eyes narrowed dangerously, “And I’m not your ‘love’.” As if!

Adam hated to admit it, but… “Good job, Souza.” He looked from her to Leo and back. “How did that even happen?” Seriously, none of them had even attempted to cook anything yet, how were fires already starting?!

pinecone · 07-17-2015, 06:26 AM

Leo's blue eyes widened in pure shock as the runway model of his dreams turned against him, suddenly lashing out and blaming him for this whole fiasco. HOW DAAAAAAARE SHE. How daaaaaare she suggest this fire was caused by his button pressing!? "HEY. How was I supposed to know the cooking box didn't want its buttons pressed!?" he hollered back at her, large eyebrows furrowing in distaste. This would've been an opportune time for the young man to realize Serina wanted no part of him romantically, and yet this bickering only seemed to reaffirm to the young man that they had undeniable chemistry. He entirely ignored her remark about not being 'his love', merely sending an over-exaggerated wink her way as though to say 'Riiiiiight, keep it toned down around the other housemates, goooootcha.'

It was around that point in time that Adam wondered aloud how the fire had even occurred, and just as Leo was formulating a lie, he realized he had revealed himself as the culprit with his last phrase alone. Oops. He sent a guilty smile Adam's way and glanced at Allegra only to find a vicious glare pointed back at him. A soft 'ding!' came from the chalkboard, and a new message arrived.

"Ms. Souza, your intuition and quick-thinking in the event of an emergency have put you at the top of the house -- 15 points for you. Mr. Huntley, your lack of muggle knowledge almost killed yourself and your housemates. I deduct 10 points from your already non-existent score. Students, clean this mess the muggle way, prepare yourselves dinner without magic, and get some rest. Tomorrow, new challenges arise. And perhaps not all of you will prove yourselves worthy to continue... We shall see."

It was on the right side of the board that each of their names and their various scores were displayed, magically changing as Willoughby desired based on points and scores. After his message was complete, Serina's name drifted gracefully to the top of the list, practically glistening with the new label: "15 points". Just below her were Allegra and Adam, side by side, with "5 points" written neatly for each of them. And at the very bottom stood Leo, with a pathetic "-10 points". The standings stood as constant reminder that things had gotten serious.

Serina: 15 points
Adam: 5 points Allegra: 5 points
Leo: -10 points

Gryffindoll · 07-22-2015, 03:21 AM

Serina grabbed the nearest object she could get her hands on - which happened to be a roll of paper towels - and tossed it at Leo when the stupid Gryffindor boy had the audacity to wink at her. HONESTLY. Honestly! The absolute NERVE of this idiot, to be flirting with her after he just attempted to murder them all! The Slytherin considered walking over to him and kicking him while she was at it, but decided better against it. Not only would Willoughby immediately disqualify her, she was just TOO tired to even move. This whole experience (as in, dealing with idiots, not necessarily the having-to-live-like-a-muggle part) was just too exhausting.

Serina turned, and just as she considered the idea of heading upstairs and finding herself the biggest room with the most comfortable bed, the board on the living room wall displayed a new message. One that immediately recharged the girl’s battery with a new source of energy: immense pride.

15 points.
Not only had her quick thinking earned her a generous amount of points (quite honestly she had momentarily forgotten about the point system), but she now had more points than anyone else in the house. She. Was. On. TOP.

Smiling from ear-to-ear, Serina gracefully walked, almost seeming to float, her way over to the board. With sparkling hazel eyes, she read the message over and over, and memorized the beauty of her name with a glittering “15 points” next to it. She. Was. WINNING. She was better than all these losers combined. This was it. Her time to shine had finally arrived! Her only disappointment was that Leo was only deducted a negative amount of points rather than being completely kicked out from the competition, but it was something she could live with long as she was still above the two more capable students.

From the kitchen, Adam snorted loudly. Leo having negative points was just too much. The Gryffindor might as well just give up and walk away now, seriously. However, Serina being on top of the chart… that was a serious problem. He looked over at Allegra, as if to say “now what?” when Serina walked back into the kitchen, her earlier exhaustion completely forgotten and replaced by a whole new sense of purpose.

“Move over, Kipling,” she muttered, pushing the boy aside. “You saw the message, nitwits. It’s dinner time.” With that, she took the apron Leo had earlier sported and tied it around her waist. “You - out,” she ordered of the Gryffindor, poking him on the floor with the tip of her foot, as if he carried some deadly disease she was afraid of catching. The disease of stupidity. Also, she didn’t want him burning down the kitchen again.

pinecone · 07-23-2015, 06:21 AM

Allegra watched with wide eyes as the board reflected a new point leader. Of course, Serina had earned points for her rescue of the kitchen, but she hadn't expected her to get fifteen! That was a full ten more than the rest of the group, not to mention Leo's score in the negatives. She knew he wouldn't be true competition and yet she had hoped he might at least provide more of a buffer between her and Serina. The young Ravenclaw let out the quietest sound of exasperation before sharing a look with Adam, immediately knowing the same disappointment was on his own mind.

Watching Serina bask in her glory was enough to make Allegra want to barf on the already catastrophe-stricken kitchen. It was only when Serina forced her way into the center of the room, brushing Adam away and tying on an apron that Allegra seemed to remember that she was standing on the counter tops. Suddenly the height appeared to be an issue for the small young woman who had only climbed the massive height (approximately 3 and a half feet, max) in the face of emergency. Now, the getting down aspect was all too intimidating for her. The smallest, high pitched noise emerged from her lips as her eyes widened and she paced back and forth atop the counters. She had a feeling that if she didn't get down soon, Serina might push her off, and the added pressure seemed to only amplify her anxiety.

It was around this time that Leo found a foot poking his shoulder and he glared vaguely at the source of it. The adventure had been fun, now that it had ended safely, but his body now ached of hunger and exhaustion and he wanted to sleep more than anything else. He was just getting up as a tiny high pitch hit his ears, and he looked around, expecting to find an alarm or something going off. Was the fire alarm having issues because of the fire? It was then that he realized the steady noise was emerging from the tiniest being in the room -- Allegra.

"What's wrong with the bird?" he asked the room, pointing at the Ravenclaw as if she couldn't hear him speaking about her. Allegra responded with a soft glare and a stomp of her foot, pointing incessantly down towards the floor. Now that her high pitched squeaking had stopped, Leo seemed to lose his interest and let out a sigh. "Listen, babe, you're gonna have to start using human speech if you want any help." He gave her the opportunity to open her mouth and use words, but Allegra's mouth was zipped shut in a tight, tiny frown. The young, self-absorbed man seemed unable to recognize that Allegra was trying to communicate her desperate fear of heights, even the slightest of heights, and her desire for help down off the counter. She knew that the Gryffindor boy could easily offer her a hand, and yet he wasn't -- either he was an idiot or cruel.

The answer was clear in the way Leo shrugged, his brows furrowed as he let out a sigh. The poor boy was an idiot. Or, well, perhaps he wasn't a true idiot, but the exhaustion from the day had worn him out and he was practically asleep already. In the next moment he had given up, leaving the room in favor of a nap.

Allegra's eyes widened and the high-pitched sound began yet again, a distress call a small bird might make. She turned to the rest of the room, panic stricken at being so near to Serina's kicking feet, and finally landed her eyes on Adam. Honestly, it was as if no one had seen a mute girl with a fear of heights before!

Gryffindoll · 07-25-2015, 05:31 AM

Serina was in the middle of picking up the pots and pans Leo had earlier thrown all across the kitchen floor as a small, high-pitched sound filled the room. Unlike the Gryffindor that began to look around and Adam who acknowledged the source of the sound but merely raised an eyebrow, Serina ignored it completely. She had better things to do than worry about a fire alarm (that’s what she’d assumed it to be, and left it up to the others to figure out how to make it stop. It was their turn to do something helpful, after all), like preparing a delicious dinner. Muggle style.

But, the problem with sudden feelings of superiority and near immortality? Confidence that knew no boundaries. Basically, Serina had no clue how to even fry an egg.

Like Leo, it took Adam a moment to understand what Allegra’s sudden squeaking (which seemed to be the first sound she’d revealed in front of everyone) was all about. But what confused him wasn’t why she seemed so terrified to simply hop off a countertop; rather, why she refused to explain the problem when she’d already caught Leo’s attention. The Gryffindor could’ve easily helped her, had she simply voiced the problem.

“Oh for Circe’s sake, will someone please turn it off already?!” protested Serina, who had her head in the fridge, inspecting its contents. She assumed the fire alarm was still going off.

Adam watched as Leo walked off, and knew immediately the responsibility had fallen upon him. Obviously Serina wasn’t going to be the one getting Allegra off that counter. He walked around the island and looked up at the now-much-taller Ravenclaw that looked down at him helplessly. This totally wasn’t the moment to be getting all pensive, but he still didn’t understand why she didn’t just say she wanted down, it's not like she was legit mute after all. And she would’ve been off this thing ages ago. But this wasn’t the time for wondering.

“You do know this is nothing, right?” he asked, pointing to the very short (in his opinion) counters. But even Adam, stupid as he could be, knew this probably wasn’t the best time to belittle a girl’s fears either. “…Alright, c’mon.” He gestured for her to take a step closer to the edge, then wrapped his hands around her slender waist and pulled. Just a second later, the girl was gracefully delivered from the countertop to the safety of the tiled kitchen floor. Adam wasn’t necessarily the example of Herculean strength, but the shortness of the counters and Allegra’s tiny physique made the task an effortless one.

“How did you even get up there?” The Slytherin furrowed his brows, forever amazed by the superhuman strength some people seemed to develop during moments of panic or fear. In the background, Serina was cheerfully whistling to herself, blinded by her own pride. Adam glanced at her, then back at Allegra, and lowered his voice to a whisper, “What’re we going to do about… her?” He jerked his head a little in the fellow Slytherin’s direction.

pinecone · 07-27-2015, 07:18 AM

Allegra's expression only turned more impatient as Adam reminded her that the distance between her feet and the floor was relatively insignificant in relation to the fuss she was making over it. She understood that her fear was illogical, as a fall from this height probably wouldn't truly have the time to hurt her in the slightest, and yet it was more the mindset than the reality. It was a weakness she had preferred most people not to know, and yet here she was, forced to reveal it to everyone. Luckily, Serina seemed completely unaware and Leo still couldn't figure her game of charades, so it was only Adam who understood her fear of heights truly. And he was okay, for now. Assuming he got her off this island!

For a moment she was almost afraid he would leave her there as Leo did, and a small hint of legitimate fear entered her stubborn expression. There was possibly nothing more awful and more vulnerable than another person seeing you at your weakest and walking away. Despite these fears, in the next moment Adam had gestured for her to move closer so he might help her down, and she beamed at the Slytherin as if he had just offered her the entire world on a platter.

Finally, the high pitched noise stopped!

Granted, it was a ridiculous scene but for just a moment, Adam was a superhero in the large eyes of the petite girl who made it to the floor safely with his assistance. In total, it was only about two seconds that she had no floor beneath her feet, but in that time the girl was almost positive Adam could feel her heart beating through her rib cage like she was being freed from a shark tank. RELIEF! Her mildly flushed face was already returning to its normal pale shade! She had survived a fire AND a deathly height!

As her feet reached the floor and he released her, Allegra's gray eyes found his own and a beaming smile once more flashed across her face. Overwhelmed with adrenaline and gratefulness, she had the same urge a princess might have to give some kind of token to her knight in shining armor. A princess might kiss a knight on the cheek in a rush of gratitude. And yet, she was Allegra and as such, the thought never crossed her mind. So, in her rush of affection for his help, she sort of...bumped him? Well, not truly a bump... Rather she sort of bowed her head and gently pressed her forehead against his chest as a cat might lovingly nuzzle an owner. It only lasted a moment, a small bit of thanks without needing words, and in the next second she was already turning to run away.

Before she could, however, he had gestured to Serina and she followed his gaze to the Slytherin Allegra had almost forgotten about. Oh, right. Fifteen points. What were they going to do about her?

Truly, she didn't know yet. To Adam's question, she merely showed her true frustration, her eyes rolling and a grouchy scowl appearing as she examined the other girl in the house. But she never really gave a response, rather disappearing from his side and beginning to inch closer to Serina. Before the other girl could really process her presence so near, Allegra had already grabbed sliced cheese and butter from the depths of the fridge and disappeared once more, headed towards the stove. She had expected to find it battered from the fire, and yet it appeared as if Professor Willoughby had placed some sort of charm on it, as it was good as new now. Clearly he must have decided that working with a functioning kitchen was more important than forcing them to live with their mistakes.

She found a pan from the wreckage and placed it on a burner as if she had done this every day her entire life, turning on the stove to the appropriate temperature and sliding a slice of butter onto the pan's surface. All in silence, she turned around, clearly looking for a missing puzzle piece. Brows furrowed, she turned to Adam once more to assist her, but came up short. BREAD. How do you communicate BREAD!? Her eyes locked with his own, clearly torn, before an enlightened sparkle arrived in her gaze and she clapped her hands to really get his attention. Bread. Point at toaster, point at Adam, point at toaster...

Allegra kept gesturing to the toaster, the only other device she could think of that might make a person think of toast and therefore bread. Then she'd point at him to suggest he was the one who needed to find it for her. She mimed the action of bread popping out of a toaster to put more emphasis on the bread part. FIND THE BREEEEEEAD. She herself was looking too, searching through various cabinets, but coming up short. She was more concerned with keeping an eye on the stove, as she wasn't entirely comfortable with the machine despite her act of being so, and didn't want another fire on their hands.

Gryffindoll · 07-28-2015, 04:29 AM

“Uh…”
Allegra was rubbing her forehead against his chest and all Adam could figure out to do at that moment was pet her head with his hand, the way he normally would to his beloved kitten Tux. This Ravenclaw, however… She was one… strange, strange kitten.

The boy twisted a corner of his lips with amusement when the petite mute scowled, voicing her opinion much more clearly than a thousand words ever could. As Allegra went on to slyly take a slice of cheese and butter, the boy distractedly began to play with his muggle communication device, sitting on one of the barstools that stood by the island, no intention to really help with the new mission. It wasn’t just because he was lazy, but unlike Serina, Adam was perfectly aware of his own inability to even boil an egg. He did, somehow, know how to prepare coffee though.

The silence in the kitchen was deafening. Not that Serina minded, most certainly not, she definitely preferred the current church-like peace of the house over banging pots and pans. Where was the source of all usual noise, anyway? Not that she cared, of course not, it was just strange not to have her eardrums split open for a change. To not have someone to yell at.

“Where is that stupid boy…” she quietly muttered under her breath, deciding that maybe, just maybe, she wasn’t as ready to take on this challenge as she originally thought she was. For the first time since her decision to take on this mission, Serina looked up from the oven that stared at her mockingly and at her companions. Mute Girl was clapping her hands, successfully startling Sloth Boy to jump almost a foot in the air, and playing charades.

Serina rolled her eyes.

“…What?” Adam stared at Allegra, eyebrows furrowed. She pointed at him. Then at the small metal contraption in a corner of the kitchen, then back at him. Now she was doing something weird with her hands where it seemed like something was popping out of thin air. “What, what is it? Tell me,” he asked, looking wildly from the toaster to her, and to the cabinets she began searching.

Serina crossed her arms, watched the show, and snorted. “What, do you forget she’s mute, Sloth Boy?”

It was Adam who looked at her as if she was mental this time. “No, she talks,” he assured her. “A lot, actually.”

“Right, and I’m legally blind.”

Adam ignored her and turned to Allegra once more, “What’re you looking for?”

pinecone · 07-28-2015, 07:42 AM

Allegra allowed a soft scowl to overcome her expression as Adam seemed unaware of what she was asking for. Clearly they had some work to do before they became any kind of dream team. Ignoring Serina, and Adam, and their conversation about her, she scampered through the mess to finally find a loaf of bread (after several minutes) hiding in one of the topmost cabinets she could only reach from her tip toes. Once acquired, she returned to the stove to find the butter entirely melted in the pan, and immediately placed a slice of bread on top of the buttery puddle. In the next few minutes she began to silently construct a grilled cheese sandwich. And then...another. And, another. And another. She was inexplicably good at understanding how to heat the stove and how long to wait for the sandwiches to fully cook so that the cheese melted perfectly.

Without making a peep, she had produced four sandwiches in about twelve minutes, and haphazardly placed them one at a time on paper towels. It wasn't exactly housewife material, but it would do. One by one she plopped them all down on the dining room table which, of course, had four seats. She more or less made place settings, which looked a little sad as they were just paper towels with melting cheese and bread placed crookedly on top, but it was good enough for her. Once all of the sandwiches were put down, she rang a small bell that Willoughby had placed near the table, a dinner bell of sorts that was really quite adorable. In contrast to the cuteness, not a single smile crossed Allegra's face as she rang it, determined and almost pouting.

She then climbed into the nearest chair but didn't even eat the sandwich before her. She just stared at the blackboard across the room, assuming new cursive writing would appear and congratulate her for her homemaking skills. ...But nothing appeared. It would appear no points were earned through her effort, or maybe Willoughby had gone to get a snack. Either way, it seemed as if points wouldn't always be predictable.

Allegra pouted, brows furrowing.

It wasn't clear if it was his nose or the bell ringing that drew him near, but suddenly Leo the Lion was roaming towards the table, sniffing after the smell of the sustenance. Cheeeeeeeeese. In the next second he had clambered onto his own chair, not even asking questions of the food's appearance or origin, simply scarfing it down in fewer bites than seemingly possible.

And so began the first dinner they spent together.

Gryffindoll · 07-31-2015, 03:16 AM

“Oh. Bread.” Suddenly all of Allegra’s hand-waving and silent staring made sense. Well, sort of. It still didn’t explain why she didn’t just say the bloody word, maybe he could’ve helped her then!

Serina narrowed her hazel eyes, arms still crossed, watching quietly and almost dangerously as the silent Ravenclaw began to use the heating box to melt butter and heat bread and cheese with it. She scrunched her little nose in disapproval of such a high-calorie, fattening meal. Still, it wasn’t enough to distract her from the other girl’s hands, watching as she handled all the weird numbered buttons of the heating box with expertise.

A few moments later, Allegra had set the table and summoned her roommates with a small bell. Like a cartoon following the fictional trail of scent, Adam floated out of the kitchen and toward the dining table. He settled beside Leo and, like the Gryffindor, wasted no time in stuffing the cheesy treat into his mouth.

Serina, on the other hand, didn’t seem so eager. This was so totally against her eating habits - because ‘diet’ is an ugly word. The Slytherin sat down slowly, eyeing the toasted bread suspiciously, as if Allegra had secretly placed poison in the cheese, even under Serina’s watchful eye.

After minutes of hesitation, Serina finally picked up her sandwich. She was just about to bite into it when that familiar sound, not nearly half as loud as Allegra’s bell but even more effective at catching her attention, echoed from across the room - the blackboard.

“Very well done, Miss Reynolds! Your well-applied knowledge on handling muggle cooking utensils has earned you ten more points!” There was a pause in which the points list updated itself, this time moving Allegra’s name upward, right beside Serina, with an equally sparkling ’15’ while Adam stood below with 5 points, and at the very bottom remained Leo.

“After breakfast, dinner is the second most important meal of the day… I am disappointed not to have seen any teamwork from your parts. While this IS a competition, I don’t want you to lose your heads around that idea - working together is important too, and sometimes it could even earn you more points than doing things on your own!”

Serina rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath, “Then don’t make it a bloody competition.”

“I have a very exciting surprise for you tomorrow! Please wash your dishes as soon as you are done eating and try to get some rest - trust me, you don't want to fall asleep in the middle of this challenge!”

pinecone · 08-01-2015, 08:32 PM

As the blackboard lit up with a new point total, Allegra's gray eyes followed as quickly as Serina's, clearly both girls more than eager to see the standings. TEN POINTS. BOOOOOOOOOM. Take that fire starter, take that fire-putter-outer, BOOOOOOOOOOOOM. All of this, of course, took place inside of Allegra's head, not a single sound emerging from her soft lips. Rather, her eyebrows rose ever so slightly and the tiniest hint of a smile crossed her expression. She briefly locked eyes with Adam in silent triumph before turning to her meal and almost entirely devouring it, very similarly to the two boys next to her. It would appear the tiny girl had a monstrous appetite.

She was the first one done, and immediately began scrounging around the kitchen for any trace of chips or ice cream or gummy bears or perhaps some kind of cake to celebrate her victory. Yet, nothing. The kitchen was still a huge mess, and above all else, Allegra certainly didn't want to clean it. She plopped down at the dinner table once more, unsure if part of the rules was eating together like some weird little family.

Leo finished his sandwich in record time as well, his roaming blue eyes quickly finding their destination -- Serina's plate. What was wrong with this girl? Didn't she eat? Granted, the dish was covered in butter and cheese and carbs, but that's why it was AMAZING! Poor Serina...

And yet he didn't seem to feel too bad, as in the next moment his hand was veeeeeery slowly making its way across the table. Tip toe, tip toe, tip tooooeeeeeee.... TARGET ACHIEVED. In the blink of an eye, his grubby little thieving hands had latched on to half of Serina's dinner and made off with it, quickly flying into his mouth to be consumed only moments later. It's possible he never chewed.

"Well," he mumbled through his last bites, letting out a sigh as he raised his arms in a grand stretch, his right arm resting on the back of Allegra's chair with ease. "Sounds like we'll all need some sleep for whatever's happening tomorrow. I've already checked out the rooms... Thought there'd be four but --" Allegra's sharp eyes found his in mild alarm and he grinned. "There's only two. So." He looked at Allegra and wagged his large eyebrows at her. "Who needs a bunk buddy?"

"OOOOOOOWWWWW!" It would appear that Allegra had made her feelings known by biting Leo's hand, which was dangerously close to her to begin with. That made the young man shut up about bunking, as did the note that appeared on the blackboard with a small bell ringing.

"Nice try, Mr. Huntley. There's a boys' room and a girls' room, just like the dormitories."

Allegra almost fell out of her chair. She'd almost prefer to deal with Huntley's snoring than be stuck sharing a bunk with Serina. Ugh.

Gryffindoll · 08-04-2015, 03:29 AM

Adam wiped his lips with the back of his hand (to which Serina scrunched her nose disapprovingly) and read over the contents of the blackboard. When Allegra’s name graciously traveled up to sit proudly beside Serina’s, the boy grinned, turning to the quiet girl. “Well done.” That put team AA (Double-A, A², Allam— they seriously needed to decide on a team name) at the very top of the food chain. Adam shifted his attention to Serina and flashed the girl a sly smile, like the Cheshire Cat waking up from a pleasant nap.

Serina was too distracted glaring daggers at the board to notice the silent celebrations of Team AA, or the sneaky paw of one lion cub.

Adam snorted, amused and unbothered by the crumbs that fell onto his plate when Leo devoured Serina’s sandwich.

“I don’t mean to be critical, but that was hardly worth an entire ten points,” decided Serina, flipping her hair over one shoulder. She had even more reason to disown the greasy snack on her plate now, however, she hadn’t had a proper meal since breakfast. Letting hunger get the best of her, Serina reached out to grab her sandwich.

Except it was gone. “What the bl—!?” “OOOOOWWWWWW!” Serina squeaked and bounced in her chair when the obnoxious sound filled the room. She’d never admit it, but she was secretly fond of Allegra for that one quarter of a second. “Ugh. Pig.” Whether she was referring to his lack of manners at the table or his intentions to room with a girl, it was difficult to tell.

“Well. Thanks for a delicious dinner, Miss Reynolds,” started Adam, sliding his chair backwards and standing. He stretched his limbs with the pleasure of a man who’d had a loooooong day at work. Except he’d actually spent most of it on the couch. Yawning, the Slytherin absently patted his belly, gave the group a peace sign, and signed off for the night, disappearing up the staircase leading to the bedrooms.

Serina rolled her eyes. Of COURSE Sloth Boy wouldn’t be helping with the dishes. Normally, she would have hexed him right back down those steps, breaking a few bones in the way, and forced him to do his part. HOWEVER. As much as Willoughby insisted on calming the kids’ competitive spirits, Serina had no intentions of sharing points with anyone. Much less any of these three, unworthy buffoons.

“You two must be tired, why don’t you head on to sleep now?” she started, almost sweetly, as she stood and went around the table picking up the dishes. “I’ll be taking care of this.” And earning myself the points you lazy idiots are giving away. Serina was definitely no housewife type. But she WAS a competitor, and that meant making sacrifices. Like ruining a beautiful manicure.

pinecone · 08-07-2015, 03:40 PM

Allegra gave a brief nod of pleasantness towards Adam as he thanked her for the meal, clearly rather pleased that the easiest snack in the history of history had brought team Adegra (??) into the realm of first. As he disappeared to bed and Leo too began to slink out of his chair with a few yawns, the young Ravenclaw girl was tempted to do the same. That was, until Serina made it clear she was going to clean up in the sad hopes of earning a few straggling last-hope points. How sad.

A lesser competitor might've slumped down onto her level and perhaps bitten her in order to win over the plates to clean herself. And yet, Allegra had class. Allegra was already up near the lead. ~~Allegra really didn't want to clean up.~~ And so she merely flashed Serina what could only be described as a condescending small smile, her gray eyes squinting ever so slightly in vague amusement before she hopped down from her perch and began making her way upstairs.

The house was relatively average for muggle suburbia, and pretty nice on the inside. The first level, of course, housed the kitchen, the living room, a single bathroom, a dining area and a couple hallways to connect it all. A modest hardwood spiral staircase led the contestants up to the second level which was ultimately a loft -- truly only large enough for the two bedrooms it held, and a small bathroom nearby. Allegra chose to take a shower before bed, feeling the weight of the day already on her, and certainly not wanting to fight for bathroom time with Serina the next morning. When she was done and changed into her pajamas, only about ten minutes later, she headed towards the farthest bedroom, noting already that the boys had settled into the first. It was an amusing sight.

Leo had already changed into his PJ's, which consisted of a very worn white tank top and large red pajama pants which may or may not have featured little cartoon lion cubs. She could only imagine that inside the castle's walls, where magic was still prohibited, that the little lions probably leapt and bounded across the crimson red fabric of his outfit merrily. Yet, here, they stayed still in a variety of poses, mostly sending noiseless roars to anyone who noticed them. The thought made her a little sad, and for a moment she almost wished to be back in the castle, in her own room or perhaps the library, or even sitting in a small corner of a hallway, talking to one of the paintings. She snapped out of it as Leo noticed her, his golden locks still tangled in his make-shift headband which he'd apparently taken a liking to.

"OI -- no changin' your mind now, darling," he warned, pointing to the petite Ravenclaw who had been leaning up against their open door frame for several seconds, merely observing silently. "Just because you waaaaaalk in here, and take a gooooood look--" he gestured to his lanky frame, his golden eyebrows raising as if she should be impressed. "--doesn't mean you can just kick Adam out of here and mooooove in. You had your chance." With that, he began to pull the mattress off of the lower bunk and slide it onto the floor, grabbing a few blankets before curling up on it like a cat. Once done, he peered once more at Allegra as if to double check she truly wasn't going to kick Adam out and jump into his arms. Little did he know that Allegra disliked him almost as much as she disliked Serina. And it was even a little hard to tell where Adam fit in on the scale, her ally -- did she like him as a person or merely because he was convenient?

The answer was difficult to come by, as often her actions were varied and strange at best, difficult and random at worst. Tonight was no different. Perhaps it was merely to mess with the lion cub who wouldn't stop staring at her, or perhaps she just wanted to make Adam's night more difficult, but either way she silently crossed the room, ignoring Leo's ever-constant stare. She approached Adam with mischief behind her gaze before she leaned onto her tip toes and placed the most gentle of kisses onto his surprised lips. It was hardly a kiss, really, almost as gentle as a butterfly landing on the skin, but it was enough to make Leo's jaw drop to the floor. It was over as quickly as it began, the young Ravenclaw returning her heels to the floor, her gray eyes fluttering open as she sent a warm smile Adam's way. She made brief eye contact with one of the two cameras stationed in the room, a slight smirk on her face, before she scampered from the room in that weird way she did, almost like a fairy who had lost a wing or something. She was so strange.

The door closed almost immediately after she had scampered through the frame, Leo having leapt from his mattress in order to slam it after her. He turned on Adam with wide blue eyes, looking as if the whole world as he had known it exploded into the abyss. "You're HOOKING UP with the MUTE GIRL!?" he bellowed to the other young man in the room, his gaze filled with surprise, jealousy, and primarily reluctant, disbelieving admiration.

Gryffindoll · 08-07-2015, 06:59 PM

And so, as Serina covered her perfectly manicured hands with soft-pink gloves downstairs in the kitchen, her fellow Slytherin had already settled in his comfortable bed upstairs.

Adam was in a plain white t-shirt and grey sweatpants, legs crossed and back against the wooden headboard. He wasn't sleeping just yet though, and instead his thumb traveled smoothly over the surface of the magical brick Willoughby had given him earlier, which lit his face in a cool, blue glow. He seemed to have adjusted to muggle life - at least the cellphone-addict part of it - rather well.

The Slytherin was vaguely aware of his Gryffindor roommate until the latter spoke up, something about ‘no changin’ your mind.’ Adam looked up, assuming he was being addressed, and found the lion boy showing his physique off to Allegra who, unsurprisingly, had snuck up on them as quiet and agile as an alley cat. He snorted at Leo’s speech. “Hey, if you two want to room that’s fine, just don’t make me sleep with Serina.” The mere thought of having to share a room with the fastidious girl showered him in genuine terror.

Perhaps, despite Leo being incredibly stupid (not that Adam was some genius either), he could join their team. The more people against the Slytherin princess, the better.

Adam considered this, eyebrows furrowing slightly at the thought, when, out of nowhere, Allegra approached his bed, got on her tip toes and, like it was the most normal and fitting thing to do at that moment, kissed him.
… WAIT—WHAT?! It took Adam a second too long to realize what was going on, and by the time he did, Allegra had already pulled away and made her exit, door slamming shut behind her.
…WHAT!?!?! The whole thing had been so brief and out-of-the-blue that Adam was almost certain he’d imagined it. Perhaps hallucinations were a side-effect of being without magic for too long?????? But Leo confirmed the reality of it with his following accusation.

“What?! Hooking—No!” Adam sat up, frowning at the door as if Willoughby’s magical handwriting was about to appear and explain how this was all secretly part of his plan.

“Oi, keep it down, will you?! SOME of us are trying to sleep!” came Serina’s voice from beyond before there was the slamming of another door down the hall.

Bewildered, Adam turned from the closed door to the Gryffindor whose surprised expression was a reflection of his own. “I’m not ‘hooking up’ with her,” he explained calmly. Where’d Leo learn this American slang anyway? “And she’s not mute.”

pinecone · 08-07-2015, 07:58 PM

This whole fiasco might not have been a part of Willoughby's secret plan, but it certainly was some part of Allegra's secret plan. And it was unraveling in just the way she had imagined, as now Leo was seeing Adam in an entirely new light -- one of legitimate admiration.

Someone like Leo wasn't easily convinced into an alliance, mostly because of his lack of common sense and long term planning skills. And Adam wasn't his usual brand of friend, rather Leo's friends consisted of guys, well...more like Leo. Mostly athletic lanky fellows rolling around the grounds causing chaos. Adam wasn't exactly who he would even nod at while walking down the halls.

And yet, suddenly, the popular young man's blue eyes were now wide with recognition.

The sloth boy got some GAAAAAAAME!!!!!

The following half hour was filled with Leo's questions, refusing to believe that Allegra and Adam weren't an item. He completely ignored the 'not mute' comment and moved onto more pressing questions, such as: "How long has this been happening!?" "Were you guys together this WHOLE TIME?" "Is it a secret romance?" "Did you have to learn sign language to communicate with her?" It went on, and on, and on until Leo finally realized that Adam was going to stick to this whole not-hooking-up cover up.

After several minutes and many frustrated sighs, Leo finally let out a last aggravated sigh. "Fiiiiiiiiiine, if you don't wanna tell me all the gritty details of your relationship with the freak, that's fiiiiiiine," he decided finally, rolling his eyes as he plopped back onto his own bed after turning out the lights. "But we both saw what we just saw, and there's no way that lied."

Poor Leo, so easily manipulated.

After that, the lights switched off, and the whole house eventually fell into sleep, not knowing in the slightest what the next day might hold...

Gryffindoll · 08-07-2015, 09:04 PM

Naturally, Serina was the very first one up the following morning. She hopped out of bed with entirely too much energy for someone waking up at six in the morning, walked over to the nearest window, and pulled the curtains wide open. The sight of Hogwarts castle filled the frame, its towers filled with empty classrooms and sleeping students peaceful under the wash of the morning sun.

She grabbed the outfit she had picked out the night before, and disappeared into the bathroom for the next two hours.

Meanwhile, sometime during the Slytherin’s unnecessarily long bubble bath, Adam had snuck out of his room (making sure not to attract Leo’s attention, as the Gryffindor had become something of a pest since Allegra’s surprise kiss the night before), and hid in the comfort and safety of the kitchen, where cheese and crackers and coffee made up his breakfast.

The boy was wiping the crumbs from his lips when a message appeared on the blackboard across the room:

“Good morning, students! Hope you got some rest last night (though judging by the surveillance video it seems that wasn’t the case), as today you are to face one of your greatest challenges yet!

Please be ready to leave by 11 o’clock.

See you soon!”

Adam frowned at the board.
Ready to leave? LEAVE? They were… they were leaving the house?! This jail?! They were FREE?! Is this the real life?! Is this just fantasy?!

pinecone · 08-07-2015, 09:23 PM

Leo, of course, was out like a rock. Despite the movement around him, he remained knocked out on his mattress in a deep and contented sleep. Half on the floor and half on his bed, his snores seemed to roar through the house as the young lion slept merrily.

Allegra, on the other hand, wasn't even in her room. Where was Allegra? It was rather difficult to tell what the girl had done throughout the night. Not much of an easy sleeper, the girl was most comfortable sleeping in forty minute increments with breaks in between. She liked to remain entertained before falling asleep for the next forty minutes, and so had spent the night making craft snowflakes with spare paper and craft scissors whenever she couldn't drift back into dreamland.

By day break she was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the living room, overwhelmed by an avalanche of paper snowflakes. They were everywhere. Draped on the lamps, flung around the TV, decorating the windows, all over the floor and tangled around the small girl herself. And there of course was Allegra, still cutting away at a new piece of paper, attempting to make a more beautiful and complex snowflake to top all the rest.

That was, until, she heard the ding of the board. Eyebrows raising, she glanced towards the kitchen but couldn't see the new message from her comfortable place on the floor in the living room. "What does it say?" she called out softly, her gray eyes never leaving the snowflake currently at hand. Somehow, she knew it was Adam in the kitchen. It seemed rather creepy actually, as if she could hear the difference of his footsteps in comparison to Serina's and Leo's, or even that she just had some kind of extra sense that allowed her to know these sorts of things.

In reality, she could still hear Leo's snores upstairs and hadn't heard the bathroom door open to indicate that Serina was out and about. As such, only one contestant was left -- Adam. And she could speak to Adam, at least for now.

Gryffindoll · 08-07-2015, 09:42 PM

A LOUD, crashing noise followed Allegra’s question. In the kitchen, Adam stood by the remains of his coffee mug, the hot liquid clinging to his bare feet and sweatpants, and his heart hammering in his chest. What the hell?! Was Allegra a ghost or something?! The boy poked his head from the kitchen, looking around the open space of the living and dining room with huge blue eyes. It took him almost a whole minute to spot the back of her head, sitting on the couch and covered in what looked like very legit, large snowflakes.

“Circe’s sake…” muttered the boy, turning back into the kitchen and grabbing some paper towels to clean up the mess he’d made. “That was a bloody fright, mate,” he protested, as if Allegra was just another one of the guys. Soon as her question registered though, the boy’s spirits lifted.

“We have to be ready to leave by eleven, so… in…” He checked the clock on the wall and counted his fingers, then tossed the dirty paper towels in the trash. “An hour.” Yeah, he had to count his fingers for that. Adam hated those analog clocks without numbers. What a nightmare. “I think Willoughby’s finally setting us free,” he added with a cheery grin, poking his head from the kitchen again to flash his pearly whites at the girl.

Adam disappeared back into the kitchen for a couple minutes then traveled over to the living room with two cups of coffee. “Coffee?” He offered one to Allegra, though he had no idea if she was a fan of the drink; she certainly didn’t seem like she needed the extra burst of energy like he always did.

“Eurgh, what happened to you?” Serina stood by the foot of the stairs, her nose wrinkling disapprovingly at the mess on Adam’s sweatpants and walking right past the pair in the living room, into the kitchen. “EEEEEEK!!! WHY IS THERE BROKEN GLASS ALL OVER THE FLOOR?! UGH!!!”

pinecone · 08-07-2015, 09:56 PM

Allegra gave a very slight jump at the sound of something crashing in the kitchen but didn't let out a peep of fright or even move really from her seat. She merely raised her eyes as Adam announced that they had to be ready in an hour for Willoughby to release them from their prison. Her eyebrows rose just slightly at this but she didn't say anything, seeming to have heard Serina approaching the area.

And, just as she had sniffed out, Serina appeared just seconds later, asking what had happened to poor Adam and the kitchen floor. Allegra glanced at Adam's pants and allowed the faintest shadow of a giggle to emerge from her lips before she eagerly reached for the cup of caffeine he offered her in the next moment.

She seemed to look at the young man in a similar way to how she'd admired him yesterday for getting her off the counter. COFFEEEEEEEE!

Clearly over-joyed, she allowed her snowflake supplies to fall into her lap as she grabbed for the mug gratefully, beginning to drink it in large gulps like it was the oxygen she breathed. She grinned softly at Serina's squeal of disapproval for the kitchen floor before gesturing for the young man to sit next to her on the couch.

She looked from her own coffee cup to the room surrounding her, as if looking for something. She paused, setting her empty mug down before picking up her most recent craft and cutting away at its papery exterior. Shards of paper flew everywhere for about thirty seconds before she set down her scissors and turned to the boy at her side.

Allegra stared at him for a moment before gently taking the tiny wad of cut up paper in her hands and carefully unfolding it to reveal an incredibly detailed, incredibly large snowflake. The designs within it varied from basic triangles to complex swirls and sunbursts, the page cluttered with intricate patterns. It had possibly taken up the last hour or so of her life to make. She smiled ever so slightly from behind it before gently placing it into Adam's hands. A gift, for him.

Gryffindoll · 08-07-2015, 10:12 PM

Adam smiled faintly when Allegra took the cup of coffee. As a caffeine addict himself, he wasn’t sure he could live with the idea of teaming up with someone who couldn’t appreciate a hot cup of coffee in the morning. But it seemed the Ravenclaw was full of surprises, and her latest involved the most impressive craftwork he had ever witnessed, in the form of a snowflake the size of his head, so intricately detailed that had it not been because they were in the situation they were in, he would’ve never believed she had done it without magic.

From his seat beside the girl, Adam placed his cup of coffee down and took the gift she offered him. He examined it, assuming that she just wanted to show off her paper-and-scissors skills, but when she just stared at him without asking for it in return, he realized she meant for him to keep it.

“Cool.” The Slytherin grinned stupidly, as if witnessing a buddy’s awesome new skateboarding trick.

Sounds of cabinets opening and closing and forks and knives hitting the delicate ceramic surface of plates echoed from the kitchen, though Adam seemed unaware. He looked from the snowflake in his tattooed hands to the tiny quiet girl beside him. Now, Adam was usually the definition of laid-back and distracted, thoughts didn’t invade his mind for too long before he found another distraction or took his next nap, but he just HAD TO KNOW. “…Y’know, about last night…”

He put it as delicately as he could: “What was that about?”

pinecone · 08-07-2015, 10:38 PM

Allegra didn't seem to be waiting for his reaction in the slightest, now working on yet another paper as she heard him call it cool. Yes, it was cool. Thank you for noticing. Her ears only perked up once more as he asked about the previous night and what it had all been about. After a painfully long moment, she finally turned her large gray eyes to look at him, seeming blank without understanding. It almost seemed like she didn't know what he was talking about.

In her defense, a lot had happened the night before. Grilled cheese, Leo's pajama pant lions, and about twelve hundred paper snowflakes. It was clear she hadn't gotten much sleep by the soft dark circles beneath her bright eyes, stark in contrast to her pale skin. And so it took a moment for her to even recall what he was thinking of, before it finally dawned on her. Ohhh, the kiss.

For a moment she considered really messing with the poor young man, thinking about whispering a confession of love for him in all seriousness before throwing a snowflake in his face. But that seemed rather rude. It was something Allegra would've done outside of this house, though she probably wouldn't have found herself kissing Adam outside of these walls to begin with...

Either way, she now had to keep him in the loop because they were a team. Kind of. And it would be rude to mess with him or scare him with the idea of her undying love. Sigh. Life was so boring nowadays.

Through this entire internal debate thought process, she had been staring at him with glazed over gray eyes, clearly thinking about something that didn't really have to do with him. Finally, after several long moments, she brought her gaze back to his own before choosing to answer truthfully.

"Leo respects you now," she stated simply, her voice barely above a whisper, close enough so that only Adam might hear. "One day we might need him, and we'll need to get him through you." She spoke quickly and clearly, though incredibly softly, and waited just a brief moment to see if he was following before she clarified: "He'd never ally with me, because he'd sooner throw the game away entirely if he had the chance to 'hook up with the mute girl'. Like I'm a conquest." She scowled. It would appear she had heard part of the boys' conversation last night. "He thinks I'm attractive, which is flattering but I'd sooner jump off the highest cliff in the world than ever find myself locking lips with a neanderthal fire-starter." She seemed to realize she'd gotten off track and re-aligned herself with the point: "You're the only way he can be an asset to us. And he doesn't like you as you are." Her gaze softened, seeming to realize how cruel that sounded. "Because he's stupid," she reminded him before continuing. "Now that he thinks I'm attracted to you, you become viable in his eyes. He respects you now. He might help you, and therefore me, eventually. Maybe."

Her gray eyes searched his own for some kind of understanding, almost seeming anxious before her expression broke into the smallest of teasing smiles. "Why? Did you think I was in love with you?" She continued smiling for a moment before her expression settled into a more serious calm, as if she might truly be confessing her feelings for him. A moment later, her smile was back, totally amused and contradicting the intimate moment that had preceded it -- she had to have some fun, right?

Gryffindoll · 08-07-2015, 11:27 PM

These had to be the absolute LONGEST moments of Adam Kipling’s life. Not because he was eager for a response, but because Allegra’s silence was accompanied by the kind of stare that made him, to put it simply, a little uncomfortable. It was like the day before, just before he heard her speak for the first time, she just came out of nowhere and almost sat on his lap. Just when the Slytherin thought he was getting to know her, she stared at him blankly with those large, silver eyes of hers and he wasn’t so sure how much of what he thought he knew was true anymore.

Adam furrowed his eyebrows a bit, grabbed his cup of coffee, and took a long sip, staring right back at Allegra as he did so. While her stare was blank, his was inquisitive and confused.

Just when he thought he’d have to be more specific, the Ravenclaw spoke. “Leo respects you now.”
………………………….. WELL. THAT wasn’t the answer he was expecting. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting, actually, but not something about LEO OF ALL PEOPLE. What did the Gryffindor’s respect have to do with anything, anyway!?
And it was as if Adam’s deeply confused expression spoke for him, as Allegra spoke again, going into a more logical explanation of her actions.

Leo. Respect. Conquest. Jumping off cliffs. Neanderthals. Asset. Doesn’t like you as you are (“Hey…!”). Viable. Respect, again. And finally, the keyword: help.
Not all of what Allegra said really registered to the Slytherin; let’s not forget that Adam wasn’t exactly the brightest bulb in this house either, and had quite a bit in common with Leo when it came to that department. Though the lion’s antics made his lack of smarts a little more obvious, whereas Adam’s slightly more mature nature made his more bearable.

After a moment, in which Adam tied the points together in his head to form the complete thought, he leaned back into the pillows with a frown. “So what, you think Leo’s going to help us now because he thinks we’ve been snogging behind his back?” Adam wasn’t really known for chasing skirts, so some of the logic was lost to him. When Allegra asked if he thought she was in love with him, he turned to look at her with narrowed eyes. The question alone was mocking enough.

“Yeah, actually,” he admitted, taking another sip from his coffee. “Needless to say, I’m disappointed.” He smiled, seeming playful. Setting his empty coffee cup on the table, he got up and headed upstairs to shower before the big hand on the clock marked that one line they’re supposed to be ready by.

……From inside the kitchen, a quiet and forgotten-about Serina poked her head, watching team Adegra before the boy departed. Quickly, she pulled herself back in and out of sight. “Hmmmmmm……”

pinecone · 08-07-2015, 11:57 PM

Allegra expected her mischievous question to get a startled reaction from Adam, or at least cause some kind of unease or discomfort. Something amusing, a way of messing with him. She hardly expected a level-headed and dare she say it, cool response from the sloth boy...

Her smile faded just slightly as he calmly informed her that he had, actually, thought she might be in love with him and was rather disappointed in the reality of the situation. Suddenly the tables had turned and it was now Allegra who was growing confused -- disappointed?? Her eyes narrowed at the side of his expression. Ha! She understood, he was messing with her. It was a joke. A laugh, of some kind. He was doing to her what she had tried to do to him! Of course he wasn't disappointed, it was a joke. Look at them! Friends who joked and laughed and things.

She paused.

It was then that another possibility dawned on the young Ravenclaw. Was he serious?? Was he actually slightly let down at the realization that the kiss wasn't genuine? That would have to mean that he had hoped that...or sort of enjoyed the possibility of her...genuinely kissing him!?!? WITH AFFECTION!? This was a very new concept to the young woman who had only ever gotten compliments from the more charming paintings in the corridors. And something about the way he said it made her feel like it was a compliment of some kind, though one she couldn't quite fathom right now. The mere idea of it sent her into unease. Was he kidding or wasn't he!?

It was then that he set his mug on the table and made his way up the stairs, not before flashing the petite girl a playful smile that only made his comment more difficult to decipher. Perhaps the most deeply unsettling aspect of it, however, wasn't his smile or even his words, but rather the way his words forced some kind of hope to emerge in her that she hadn't been aware she was harboring.

Her brows furrowed and the young woman actually looked rather heart broken as he disappeared up the stairs, away from any questioning that could set her mind at ease. She quickly sat up, ruining her mountain of snowflakes, and set off determinedly to get all of this out of her head. If this was flirtation she wasn't used to it and she didn't like it at all, and most of all she hated herself for even wondering if it was flirtation in the first place. Boys are stupid, they say stupid things that don't mean anything. And she left it at that.

Gryffindoll · 08-08-2015, 01:09 AM

“Lover’s quarrel?” a smug Serina commented casually, as if making a point about the weather. She walked out of the kitchen, cool glass of water in hand. She sat on one of the sofas in the living room - no way was she going anywhere near where Sloth Boy’s dirty, coffee-stained sweatpants had been or Mute Girl’s bacteria-infested snowflakes. Grabbing the remote control, the girl turned the TV set on with little difficulty.

The evil sparkle to the Slytherin princess’s large hazel eyes gave away the fact that she knew. She knew about the kiss and, though she hadn’t been able to hear Allegra’s voice, as it was so quiet and Serina didn’t really expect to ever hear it anyway, she did hear Adam’s random responses to silence. She’d assumed Mute Girl was probably communicating with him through sign language and he was responding normally. She wasn’t deaf, after all.

Exactly how Serina knew about a kiss she hadn’t witnessed, was a mystery.

“Oh goody, just thirty more minutes before we’re liberated from this hell-hole.” She admired the clock on the wall. “Oh, and by the way…” She returned her attention to Allegra, a sweet smile on her face, “You’re not on top anymore.” Serina pointed toward the blackboard, where Willoughby’s message had disappeared to be replaced by the scoreboard once again. Serina had somehow earned five points overnight. Those dishes must’ve paid off, after all.

pinecone · 08-08-2015, 01:43 AM

Allegra's silver eyes widened as Serina waltzed into the room and wondered casually about something she'd dubbed a 'lover's quarrel'. Immediate panic flooded into Allegra's already confused mindset, her expression remaining calm as best as she could force it to. Lover's quarrel!? She couldn't have possibly have heard their conversation moments ago, she had kept her volume so low, and she wasn't in the room last night when the planned kiss was planted on Adam. WHAT DID SHE KNOOOOOOW!?!!

Her large eyes flicked back and forth silently as her mind reeled, quietly trying to pinpoint when Serina had become privy to their plans and discussions, but -- nothing. How did she know!? Also, they weren't lovers! Well... Wait -- NO! What!? No. Not lovers, where did she even get that from!?

It was then that she was distracted by Serina mentioning something about thirty more minutes and not being on top anymore. Allegra looked up and followed Serina's pointed finger to the scoreboard in the kitchen. Her eyes grew wide. FIVE POINTS!? For what!? Cleaning a stupid kitchen!? Anybody could do that, muggle or not. A monkey could do that if you showed him where you kept the dish cleaner! GRRRRRRR. Her light eyes returned to Serina, now gazing at her through a slightly narrowed perspective.

Of course, she didn't say anything, merely evaluating her new found enemy through the silence. Serina had an evil sparkle in her eyes now, more evil and more dark-sparkly than ever before. WHAT DID SHE KNOOOOOW!? Allegra tried her best to conceal her disdain but the whole Adam scenario had left her shaken and her lack of sleep didn't help either. She merely glared into one of the many surveillance cameras as though to scold Willoughby for his weak point-giving skills.

She sincerely hoped today would be a true challenge. She had almost forgotten why she was here -- not for Adam, not for the lion boy, and certainly NOT for the Slytherin princess. She was here for her. And today would show that.

After glaring at the camera she seemed to regain some of her cool, merely staring at Serina mercilessly. There was no way she'd go upstairs, on the off chance Adam might be there or Leo chose to demand answers of her. She didn't want to leave the room, it felt as if she was giving Serina the upper hand. But she had to change out of her pajamas and so left her with a startlingly sharp glare, one harsh enough to remind anyone that she was born in a long line of Slytherins. And then she disappeared up the spiral staircase.

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