With a specific purpose in mind, professor Botros struggled with the moving staircases for a while and finally got on the sixth floor. He had his cane with him but no Crup, he didn't want to lose the little pet in that tropical beach room thing. He walked up to professor Bellaire's office and knocked on the door a few times. No one answered. He turned around and knocked on the Irie room's door instead before opening it and... whao.

The old man stepped inside, a chuckle rose up in his chest at the beautiful scenery that laid out in front of his eyes. When he heard about this room, he certainly didn't expect this.

Sophia was having one of those days where she missed home but had too much to do to slip out of the castle for even a day, so naturally the woman turned to the next best thing, the Irie room, which was definitely for the students but it had been made for selfish reasons as well.

Today in particular she was busy lounging on a beach chair in the shade of a coconut tree and going over list of ahem..possible candidates for stuff...comparing names with grades and all that.

She turned to look around when the door to Irie room opened up. "Professor Botros, fancy seeing you here..." alive after walking up those stairs.

Botros didn't notice the transfiguration professor until she spoke up from a beach chair a couple of feet away. He waved, grinned and took his shoes off before walking further in toward the woman, there was an extra beach chair next to her, and he could use some relaxation by the ocean/sea. "Hello Madame. I waited at your office to ask permission to enter but no one answered." He was glad he didn't turn around and left missing out on this.

Once he took a temporary seat on the beach chair by the lady (without lying back down or stretching out his legs yet), he noticed the papers in her lap. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything. I heard there was a nice library and collection of books in here. May I poke around?"

Permission for what? To use the room."Well next time save yourself the trouble of seeking permission. The Irie room is open to all." Students and professors a like. Though she was positive that Medea would be in no rush at all to find herself in this room given what happened the last time. She found herself smiling at the memory. Medea looked like a wet puss in boots when she let her out.

"Oh no you're not, just looking up possible candidates." She was sure Botros was done with his already. As it was, Sophia was taking a little longer to settle in this year. "Help yourself, I trust it will be to your liking."

Botros turned toward the ocean and nodded at the professor. He'd still want to ask for permission first but ah well, he was going to take her word now as an absolute permission. You cannot convince a mannered old man to not get permission, okay? Forget it.

Another permission for using the library. Fascinating. He excused himself, left his cane on the chair, and slowly walked over to where the beautiful library could be. It took him half an hour or a little more to come back with three books balanced in his arms, he slumped on the beach chair and caught his breath. Walking on sand, without cane, with three books in his hands was quite the exercise for his knees. "You have quite the collection back there. They're pretty modern, too. I usually keep the original extract of the runic scripts." Her books didn't have dust on them, either, that was quite the feat considering all the sand in here.

Sophia sat up a little bit to watch Botros make his way to the library. No really did she need to some how sit up an infirmary in here too just in case the old man keeled over and stopped breathing. She was a little nervous about being here with him...what if he stopped breathing?

She pushed her shades up unto her forehead when he settled again.

"Yes well, I consider myself a modern woman...in some respects." Somethings she certainly didn't approve of."Besides the students are pretty modern, what better way to reach them right?" She tried to look over at what he'd gotten to read.

Botros carefully positioned the books on the far end of the chair as he stretched again on it and started flipping through the first one. "I'm interested in what you think a modern woman is like, professor?" He was genuinely interested. As for her next statement, hmm. Ab had to stare at the ocean for a moment, "I find that students, young kids, are pretty flexible when it comes to communication and reaching out. They already live in the modern world and do modern activities with modern ideas, I find them more curious and attracted to the ancient original ways and science as well." He smiled over at the professor, "I'd say modern makes the majority of the students more comfortable, though."

Well if she was to honestly reply to Botros' question it would be something like, well for one I'm not from the stone age but that would perhaps hurt the old man's feelings and cardiac arrest may ensue and she was relaxing so she did not want to deal with that." I just think how I handle certain situations isn't exactly...conventional or traditional in some sense."She shrugged and relaxed again then sipped her coconut water.

"Some do I suppose but I know quite a few who don't and introduction to modern techniques and modern magic truly fascinates them and it's always good to be apart of that."I do see your point though professor and I agree with that...coconut water? It's good for old hearts." She sat up to pour him some.

When Cutty entered the Irie room he was unprepared for what he saw. Not only did it look remarkably like the photos he'd seen of the Caribbean, but it also felt authentic to it. He found a nearby lounge chair and plopped his bag down on to, whilst proceeding to peel off layer after layer of warm-weather clothes, until at last he was in his school uniform.

He rolled up the sleeves on his shirt and loosened the tie to let a little of the breeze hit him. Great Merlin! It was almost HOT in here. He looked over towards the horizons and saw the beautiful Transfiguration teacher, Professor Bellaire & another much older professor who Cutty had seen around but never spoke to. What did he teach? What was his name?

Cutty's eyes scanned over towards some shelves containing books. A useful note to himself went something like this; A functioning library that might just have what you need and it's FREE!!! Take what you have and turn it into something you can use. Transfiguration fascinated him and he moved over to miniature library, which he noted seemed cooler than the sand surrounding it. Not outright cold, but definitely cooler. He peered amongst the selections and chose something studious. He was tired of some of the noxious older students being...noxious and better at magic than he was as part of the natural design of things. He carried the book back to his lounge chair flipping through it and searching for a good shutter-up spell.

Tora smiled as she stepped into the bright warm room full of books. She had come here instead of the library because it there was no fee and because she wanted to do a little more research on Animagi. She wandered the shelves a bit, trailing her finger lovingly along the spines. Although she was here for a purpose, it didn't mean she couldn't enjoy the warmth!

She heard voiced behind her and half turned to see Professor Bellaire herself! She was standing with who she recognized as the Ancient Runes Professor and they were speaking. She wanted to go over and ask Professor Bellaire where she might find a book on Animagi, but she didn't want to interrupt them. So she decided to wait until they were finished and then make a move to ask; in the meantime, she might as well enjoy some fiction. She perused the fiction shelves and pulled out one that looked interesting before wandering over to where the lounge chairs were.

As she had been walking with her nose in a book, she didn't see the Slytherin boy until she was nearly on top of him. When she finally glanced up to see who it was she had nearly run into, the Irie Room didn't seem quite so comfortable. Wasn't this that snake that was idiot Benzi's friend? She didn't remember liking him much at all.

"Oh. Hello." she said a little coldly. She wouldn't say sorry to this kid. No way, no how. If it weren't for Professor Bellaire and Tora's question, the Ravenclaw would have just walked away. She narrowed her eyes at Snake, as she had decided to call him.

Cutty looked up to see...well, no surprise there. Tora Gallaway, who Merlin seemed to have gifted all the grace of a drunken goose. Everytime he'd seen the girl she was always jumping in front of things, interfering, in trouble and getting in the damned way. He wanted to reach up and give her a Kirkby Kiss, but then there was the problem of height, not to mention the two grown Professors in the vicinity whom Cutty had a feeling twould not believe a yarn about him being magically controlled by Tora into doing it. And it was Tora. Poor, incompetent Tora without judgement skill whatever. Cutty narrowed his eyes right back in a glare that seemed to say: Get the Hades out of my way and STAY THERE, Tora Gallaway!

A moment of quiet passed over the boy before he spoke, a smirk playing across his face might have been belying for the words he was about to say, "Tora Gallaway. I didn't know you could read." He said in a sort of feigned blankness. She didn't know how smart or stupid he actually was. He hadn't said much to her at all before now.

She matched his glare with an amused expression, her reply obvious as if she had said, You can't make me move anywhere, Snake. Try harder next time. She leaned over him, intimidating, to place the book she had been reading on the coffee table next to him, emphasizing the fact that he had no control over her. She stood back up to cross her arms and continued looking at him with that amused smirk.

So. Snake remembered her name. Good. However, him remembering her name was the only positive quality she could find at the moment that was as his weak insult obviously showed his lack of intelligence. For one, as she went to Hogwarts so she needed to read. Two, she was a Ravenclaw and if that didn't make you think 'Books!' she didn't know what else would. Three, she was carrying, nay, reading a book right before his very eyes. Obviously she could read. "Let's be more observant, shall we?" she said just as cold as before, raising her eyebrows slightly.

Cutty stood there as Tora loomed upon him. Having come from a household in which he had to deal with an older sister, he hardly found Tora intimidating in the least. Instead, he paid attention to the passage in front of him and turned the page deliberately from his lounge seat on the sand, not bothering to look at her and missing entirely the crossed-arms gesture. What was she going to do? Prove her stupidity...yet again...by stomping on some other part of his body in front of the Professors...actually, Tora might do something like that. She wasn't the most surefooted thing and Cutty got the impression that she didn't like to well, think.

And there she was again. Doing that thing that she did in the corridors. Giving out advice that she would best herself follow. He wondered if she were even over the fact that Forrest didn't even like her. He liked Fern. Or maybe that's what this whole thing was about. Her being all butt-hurt that she didn't get Forrest to like her.

Maybe she was just a canker. Although, she had as much as admitted to being a bully, whilst trying to stand up to people she thought were...bullies.

He concluded that she didn't like to think.

"After you." He uttered mockingly. "Age before beauty 'n all."

It took a looong time for Snake to answer her. What had he been thinking about? She couldn't see his face hidden in his book, so she invented her own Snake train of thought.

Oh no. What will I do? That comment was so good, I can't even think up a response. Maybe if I pretend like I'm reading and ignore her she'll go away. Or not. Now she looming over me! What will I do?! Ok. Breathe Snake. Breathe. Turn the page, that's it! Just ignore the big bad Tora Gallaway-

She stopped here. Not because Snake-boy had come up with an answer for her yet, but because she had just called herself big and bad. She chewed her lip slightly before quickly stopping just in case the Slytherin below her decided to actually follow her advice and be more observant. He would certainly have some cutting remark to say about that.

Tora didn't want to be a bully, really she didn't. It was just that she couldn't stand a bully, and Snake was definitely a bully, in all forms of the word. She scowled to herself, this would probably keep her up all night. Didn't she start this one? Wasn't she the one who tripped over his feet? He had probably put them there in the first place to make her trip, but she had been reading and walking....

She let her eyes wander around the sunny room, avoiding the figure in the chair purposefully ignoring her, and finally settled on looking at the book where she had placed it on the table. Ok, now she felt a little bad. But only a little. Snake had definitely been a bully the other night, so even if he was only defending himself now, he was still mean. Speaking of which, he finally answered her comment.

Oh bravo. Little Snake, since you're so unobservant, you have to know that I don't care about beauty. Not that you're much of a looker either. Tora thought as she gave a little 'heh' noise in response.
"If you insist," she replied smiling a little, determined to be nicer this time. "You're not reading fiction. So you're in here to study, which means that you're probably either behind or aren't where you would want to be in schooling or some particular subject." She couldn't quite read the spine since he had the book on his lap so she couldn't tell what subject. Ok. Im done now, Snake. I was nice and now it's your turn, let's see what you come up with.

Though she doubted it would be any less mocking than anything else he had said.

On any rational person, a calm, honest remark would've been read and reacted to as such. On Cutty Mordaunt Tora's logical response pushed terrible buttons within the boy. What manner of reverse psychology witchcraft was this?! She was at least doing a good job of hiding the suffering of having just been called old and ugly as invariably every witch Cutty had met thus far had been more than a little concerned about her looks. Or maybe that's what she wanted. As a bully that WOULD be considered an asset.

From his reclined position on his lounge chair, Cutty could feel his expression change to a burgeoning frown and side-glance towards Tora. He allowed his book to flop spine-down against his lap all drama-Slyth-like. Who said he wasn't reading fiction? Defensive Magical Theory by Wilbert Slinkhard, which he had picked for the title, might just as well have been though Cutty had found use of in it's utterly hopeless passive aggression.

She had been right, of course. He wasn't anywhere near where he wanted to be with his magical education by now. He was impatient for perfection. But this, he gathered was merely a case of a 50/50 chance of getting it wrong. Fiction or non-fiction. Tora Gallaway was not observant enough for that. Not from what he'd seen. He wanted to ask her what sort of potions she needed to take for her particular type of mental disorder and had she forgotten to take them that day, but that might start a conversation with this wildebeast and he would just as soon not. So what he said was, "Yerokay." Which was as good as Shut up.

Yerokay. YEROKAY? That was IT? Obviously this kid was just like his pal Benzi and didn't know how to appreciate logic. Or proper conversation for that matter. He wasn't even speaking real words! Yerokay my.... Gram wouldn't have approved of the next several words that went spilling through Tora's young mind. "So you can't be observant." she said flatly. Called it. CALLED IT, called it, called it. He couldn't observe, could he? There was no other reason for him just throwing off the conversation unless he didn't know how to respond. He was really getting on Tora's nerves now, and she wouldn't accept such a thing for much longer. She glanced over at the Professors still talking amongst themselves and thought better of blowing up in Snake's face while they were around. But just watch out little snake boy, when they're gone.....

Did Tora Gallaway have any friends? Cutty thought not as the girl had clearly never been taken aside and explained things to. Things like the definition of observant and how to have a conversation, or even how not to when plainly the sound of ones voice was anything but welcome. His snortly laugh was followed by a crooked smile up at her. "First of all, you didn't ask me if I was observant, which if you were yourself you'd've caught. You're just spouting out random ideas that have occurred to your teeny-tiny bird brain." Would she be as sensitive to her intellect as the other Eaglets were? "You might have also noticed that I told you to shut up. You know. If you were observant."

Cutty's crooked smile twisted into a smirk as he tore his gaze away from the girl to continue scanning the book. "Now scarper off, Tora Gallaway. Or I'll tell Professor Dursley that in addition to disrupting learning in class, you also tried to distract me as I studied independently." He said with a sigh doing the shoo thing with his hand and not bothering to look at her.

He might have been content with simply letting her draw whatever conclusions she wished to and then using her own perspective to exploit her. If she wanted to think him unobservant, it wasn't his intention to prove her wrong as he didn't care for the opinions of others. Though, clearly, she thought he did care, and perhaps did herself. Else how could she have imagined it even an insult?

Snake obviously didn't understand that saying "scarper off" to Tora Gallaway was not going to do anything for him. In fact, it was about to make his situation worse. Especially since he threatened using a Professor to get what he wanted. Unsurprisingly, Tora didn't move except to open her mouth to argue; but first a logical dress down.

"You implied that you considered yourself observant, but I was just pointing out that you weren't," she said, just as blunt as ever. He needed to disillusion himself if he thought he was observant. Honestly, Tora didn't care a whit if Snake was observant or not. That's why she never asked if the kid was; because she didn't care.

And calling her bird brained? Seriously? "Shows how creative you are when all you can come up with is 'bird brain'. Really. If you're trying to insult me, it's not working." The second year paused here to roll her eyes. "I know I'm not a genius like some of the other Ravenclaws, but I'm a hell of a lot more curious! I'm in Ravenclaw so I can learn about stuff and improve my knowledge. So get this! "Insulting" me in this way doesn't work! 'Cause it just tells me that I've got more to learn and I'm happy about that. So, thanks." she finished off with a HUGE grin just to prove that she wasn't bothered. And she wasn't. Mostly. It did bug her a bit that she was "spouting out random ideas"... and it wasn't like she was stupid or anything. Her smile didn't falter as she ran his words through her head again, but inside she could feel them punch her. Gently though, since when she really thought about it his words weren't that harsh and it was Snake saying them, so they didn't even count as an insult.

And yes, I noticed that you told me to shut up. Have you noticed that I've ignored you?

But then he brought in Professor Dursley and specifically last lesson. The one she had been late for. Her grin turned into a glare as she thought about how the professor had asked for a shoe, which she had nearly thrown at his head, and about how Snake boy here had laughed at her. "You can't handle your own problems?" she growled, taking the book right off his lap so he had no choice but to look at her. "Since when does a snake need someone else to fix their problems for them? And what you suggest as the solution to your problem is calling a teacher? That's called tattling, haven't you heard?" She scoffed. She finally found out why Benzi seemed to be his only friend, nobody wants to be friends with a tattle tale.

When she finished her spiel, she put the book on the table, making a mental mark of the page it had been on. Other than not wanting this tattle tale to go yell on her to any Professors about her taking his book, she wanted his full attention, and the book on the table meant that he didn't have anything to look at while he dismissively waved his hand next time. She understood, however, just how annoying it was to lose ones place in a book, which was the only reason why she remembered the page number Snake had been on. Not that she would tell the little bugger.

Minerva made her way to the transfiguration rooms she was headed to the Irie Room specifically. She really needed to stop by Professor Bellaire's office to talk to her, but that could wait she wanted to a place to study and possibly practice. Entering the room she noticed a few people there. She hadn't been in here since that term with the tropical storm. Not her fondest memory, but not horrible either. Taking a deep breath in as she stood near the door she smiled, winter outside, summer inside. She really wanted to go to a beach soon. This would do for now though.

Making her way over to an empty Hammock Min worked, not so easily into it and pulled open her transfiguration book. She really was working hard on her extra studying lots of extra studying. Flipping through the book she was coming across so many different spells which ones did she want to try. The human ones really intrigued her, but she probably wouldn't test them out afraid to harm herself or someone else, but you could really transfigure someone into a chicken. She thought about when she would ever like to see this happen and quietly chuckled.

Oh, no not again.

Another dizzy female trying her damnest to get his attention even if by force. He knew this because she had even fabricated her own reality of what had happened and had twice gotten too close for comfort, this last time grabbing his book from him. Perhaps an attempt to try to make him look at her. Well, he was looking at her now and wearing an arrogant little smirk that was halted by the added presence of another.

It was the female Hufflepuff prefect. Minerva Wheatborn.

Cutty was going to remind Tora, with quotes, what they had actually said and go on reading his book as he considered how she seemed to be retaliating for something, but a gallant defender was right up his alley. At least for now that Tora was older, bigger and more advanced at magic than he. The dark-haired boy looked up at Tora Gallaway with a quivering lip that was soon followed by a production of tears that could rival any WADA graduates. He then quickly lept from his seat and didn't walk, but RAN over to the Hufflepuff prefect.




"Prefect Wheatborn!" He cried out, distressedly, his voice cracking as he fast approached from the side until he was touching Min's arm in a pleading manner. "Tora Gallaway snatched my book and she won't let me read in peace and I need to study, but I think she's afraid that I'll get better and she won't be able to pick on me anymoo-oore." A solitary tear ran down the boys pale and freckled face as he explained the entirety of the drama to the hammocked prefect.

Minerva was reading more about this transfiguring a human into a monkey or chicken. It was so interesting. She really wanted to try it out, but fearful of not doing it right and giving someone a permanent tail that she figured she would just read about it. As she jotted some notes down on her parchment she felt someone take her arm and she looked up at the same time she had heard Prefect Wheatborn. Wow had anyone other than Lafay called her that yet this term? She actually thought she might get away with not hearing it that often the term had been going so smoothly only a fairy wing issue she had to deal with so far.

Listening to the younger student she glanced at Tora, she had worked with the younger girl before and never noticed her being mean to anyone. Maybe it was just a misunderstanding. Min looked at him a few more moments before getting up and placing her book upside down not to shut the page. "No one should be afraid of others getting better at being a wizard." She glanced at Tora and wondered what was really going on. "Tora do you have his book?" First things first just give him the book back so we can forget this happened and Min could go back to studying alright? Please.. She was hopeful at least.

Billywig rot..... Snake was now crying off to a Prefect- and she didn't even have his book anymore! She hadn't had his book since before Minnie came in the room! But lo and behold, the kid was now crying and running from her. Honestly, she didn't know she could be so scary!

She distinctly remembered what page the Slytherin had been on (page 58) and she distinctly remembered putting the book down on the table next to him. She double checked to make sure she hadn't just imagined putting the book back. Yup. there it was on the table. Right next to the very same chair in which he had been sitting.

"His book is on the table right next to him!" she said a bit incredulously. She walked over to where Snake was sniffling a bit pathetically, but only looked up at the older girl. If she looked at that kid she might punch him which would certainly not get her out of trouble. "I think it would be great if-" here she gestured to the Slytherin boy as she still didn't know his real name and "Snake" might not go over well in this case. "If he learned. I'm a Ravenclaw- it'd be kind of weird if I didn't want people to learn," she wrinkled her nose slightly at the thought of non-learning. She didn't care if Snake wanted to study, she just didn't like how dismissive he was when they were having a conversation.

Cutty took a few steps back stepping around Minerva as Tora approached to show his reluctance to be anywhere near her. A sentiment which had been true the day she'd shoved and shouted at he and his friend Benzi in the corridor. She was, as his father might put it, 'a piece of work', uttering statements contradictory to her actions. Only mad people did that, or perhaps liars. Neither of which, Cutty really minded when you got down to it, but given the situation he had to protect himself. And he did that in the only way a small snake knows how.
"She put it there! She put it there after she snatched it out of my hands!" He explained in between small huffs. "And she even lost my page too." He said all extra-sad.

Minerva watched as Tora come over and pointed at the book. Well it was right there so what on earth was the problem, really? She glanced at her own book and sighed a bit. Maybe she could turn one of them into a monkey or a chicken. Maybe then they would get along, no that wasn't very puff to think nor was it very prefect. What had gotten into her thoughts, maybe the extra studying. Well anyway. "Well it seems maybe it fixed itself if she put the book back." Yes could it be that easy? "Tora I'm not sure what happened before I came in, but I know as a second year you are trying to be a good role model and help this boy, right?" At least she hoped that would happen.

Looking back at the book she turned to the boy, "First you seem to know my name, well part, call me Minnie please Prefect Wheatborn is just.." not accurate at all she wanted to say, because it's how she felt all term, but first and second years didn't need to know that. "I don't know your name though, so what is it?" She had seen him in classes, but it was nice to actually know a person. "Second what are you studying, maybe I can help or at least help find the page again." See nice and easy the problem could be fixed and even if Tora (who got a few eye glances) was being not so nice she would probably stop now that someone else was in the room.