Ludo hurried back down to the Common Room. He stopped once more at the Annoucement Board and saw the Charms homework posted. A quick glance made him smile. "Good. A practical assignment." he thought.

Someone mentioned dueling behind him. He turned to find a boy in his year talking about the Room of Requirement. "How lucky." he thought.
"Hey Antwone!" he walked over to the boy lowering his voice. "Did I hear you talking about the dueling club?"

"Right, Kate." he made a mental note of her nickname. "But no, I'm a sixth year," he said, looking at her cricket.

Jezz frowned. "If only she were gone." She sighed and played with the sleeve of the jacket she had become accustomed to wearing. "She's here as an intern this term. I saw her at the feast."

She blushed when he complimented her and answered Kates question. "His name is Ishni. He's so cute, you'll love him."

Antwone's gaze drifted to the window where the sun was setting over the mountains. He looked to his watch, eyes wide.

"I'VE GOT TO GO!" He shot up, looking down to Jezzabell intensely. "I'll be away ... for ... the night or so."

He took her into a large hug, not really wanting to go but he had no choice.

"Hey, next time there's a Hogsmeade visit you want to go out together? Hopefully this time Daph ..."

Antwone paused with another small blush then remembered the short time he had left.

"Merlin, I really do have to go. I swear I'll be back as soon as I can. Take good notes for me in Muggles Studies, I should be in a little later."

He bent down to kiss her gently on the forehead, smiling down to her, his brown eyes almost as bright as yellow.

"I really have to ..." his voice was deepening and becoming more husky. Before anyone could react he was out of the common room.

Jezz looked at his eyes as he said goodbye. Why did he wait so long to leave?! She had only ever seen him like that once before and that had been a disaster. Sadly she looked outside. It was going to be while before she saw her friend again. She wrapped her arms around herself and turned back to the girls. "So what have you guys been up to?" She asked half-heartedly, not wanting them to ask questions about their friend, she was a horrible liar.

Kate smiled gently at Jezz.
"CANT WAIT TO MEET YOUR SQUIREEL!" she exclaimed, her cheeks turning pink in enthusiasm.

She looked up at James Carter.
"Oh wow! I'm horrible at guessing peoples ages! I am sooo terribly sorry!" she said, apologizing as she blushed. Stupid! she thought to herself, her eyebrows furrowing.

She raised an eyebrow...something was up...and she would find OUT.
"wheres he going this late? He sure is acting strange..." she mumbled, and glanced at Jezz. "are you two...?"

Jezz grimaced. "He has a meeting with a Professor I think he said, Muggle Studies." She looked at the floor, blushing. "And no we aren't..." She trailed off.

Ponessa laughed as Antwone hugged her briefly, wanting to burst out in happiness, as her friends seemed to appear all around her.

Giggling, she rolled over onto her back for a moment, but even in a moments time, Antwone was gone. "That was a little strange..." She trailed off a bit, as she looked towards the sunset.

She stood, taking a seat next to the fireplace, "Oh, my, summer was...quiet. I read six plays, fifteen books, and only left the house once..." She looked to her forearm, which was very pale, "Henrick says I could blend in with snow, if I tried."

It was true. Her skin was soft like a china doll, and pale like bleached parchment, but she never thought of herself as 'beautiful', despide the fact that he was constantly telling her so.

She suddenly jumped as she had a sudden thought, "Ooohh-ooh! Kate, you haven't met Pulcinella, have you?" She smiled, wiggling in her chair.

Ludo was about to speak again but Antwone was already out the door to the Common Room.
"Oh well..." he sighed, "Guess it's back to the hard way about finding the Room."
He looked at his watch. Amazingly he actually had spare time.
Hmm... I suppose I could try this Charms homework... he thought.

He walked over to the study tables, sat in the same high-backed chair and took out his textbook and wand.

Mari had finished up her Arithmancy, something that left her feeling quite accomplished when she looked up and saw Ludo again. She wondered if he had been at all successful in finding out about the room, so she got up and walked over to him where he was sitting. " Hello, Ludo." She said quietly. " Find out anything about the Room of Requirement?" She asked, already intensely curious.

Kate simply cocked an eyebrow at her, not beleiving that balony at all. Kate may be zany, silly, and even downright dumb sometimes, but she wasnt right now. She knew something was up. She didnt press her though.

"And why NOT?" she asked, glaring at the girl. They were perfect! Simply perfect for each other!


Kate looked at Nessa and giggled.
"Ohh...you big nerd, Nessa!" she exclaimed jokingly, standing up and putting her hands on her bony hips. "Why did you doo that!?" she asked. She would have loved fresh air where she was at...


"Pulcinella? NO! IS IT A KNEAZLE OR A KITTY!" she screamed, the excitement flushing her face a bright red. Oh the little things in life...
"I got a new kitty too...but I miss my kneazles..." she muttered sadly.

"Because I like plays.", she replied, although she knew perfectly well that's not what Kate ment.

At the sound of his name, a small, black and white kitten with no tail, and large, round eyes, bounded into the common room. He stopped between Ponessa and Kate, looking up at her, and trilled quietly.

He sniffed around at her feet, trilling again, and running irratically about the room. "That's him.", she smiled, " 'Pulcinella' is Italian for 'Stupid little chicken'."

Jezz shrugged. "I don't know Kate.. We just aren't." She looked out the window, lost in thought. She was growing to miss how easy life had been before.

Robert walked into the common room carrying his Charms book and sat in one of the chairs. Practice levitation? He sighed and opened the book not really reading. Wonder whether Sabrina's practicing or not... His eyes passed over the room to see if he could find anyone he knew. With a sigh he leaned back and stared into space not really seeing anything.

Mari walked through the common room, thinking about the Room of Requirement. She wondered briefly if she'd ever get into it, and then she wondered briefly if she should join the dueling club. It would be fun, she thought. Then she looked down as she heard a sigh, whereupon she saw a younger boy staring off into space. " You know, books are more effective when you read them, rather than use them as lap warmers." She said, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

Robert looked up as someone spoke and saw an older girl standing by him. He laughed and looked down at the book in his lap, "So I've heard. I guess I just can't focus enough to be bothered. Not that the subject matter is really interesting at the moment." He looked up at the girl again and smiled, "I'm Robert by the way."

Mari tilted her head to the side a little. This boy seemed to have a better grip on the English language than others his age, and that automatically gave her a reason to continue the conversation. She smiled a little and stuck her hand out. " I am Mariska. If you like though, you can just call me Mari." She said, and then she looked at his book again. " Charms? Are you studying Wingardium Leviosa?" She asked with a quirk of her brow.

Robert chuckled a little at her expression. He got that look a lot when people talked to him, but after having tutors from an early age so that his father 'wouldn't look bad' it was second nature. Though that was probably why he didn't have many friends now that he thought about it. He smiled and shook her hand, "Mariska, nice name." He nodded as he glanced down at his book, "Yeah, well I'm supposed to be studying it." He really hated studying and always had which was probably why he was so excited when he got on his broom.

Mari smiled. " I think so too," She said when he complimented her name. " Robert...that's a good name too." She pronounced it in a French manner, and she smiled again. " Supposed to be, which means you aren't.Do you want to? I could help." She said, and she sat down in a chair across from him. It was so odd, being able to have a discussion with someone three years her junior that didn't annoy her in any fashion. " You're much more eloquent than the other boys I've met your age." She said, remembering Biff. Well, Biff was eloquent, but he was just so...weird.

Robert laughed as she pronounced his name, "Well it is when you say it like that. Otherwise, it just reminds me of my father." He laughed and shook his head, "Not really but I guess I should. Only if you want to help though I'm very big on procrastination." He smirked and fiddled with the spine on his book as she sat down, "Umm...thanks, I think." He laughed again and looked at her "My father believes that, for him to make a good impression I have to act more like an adult. Result being...I've had tutors since the time I was able to talk. Quite annoying at times and very hard to get away with things. But it is possible if you're sneaky about it," he added as he thought of how Sabrina had stored his new broom at her house.

Mari nodded. " Almost everything is better when you say it in French." She said, with another smile. She then listened as he spoke, giving him the floor so to speak, before doing so herself. " Well, I happen to be very good at Charms, not that I'm bragging," She said. " So I'm willing to help." She took out her wand and looked at the book. " Why would your father have a need of good impressions made by you? Is he very important?" She asked. " And I know all about being sneaky...when the situation calls for it, of course." She said with a smirk.

Lisa came into the common room, really tired.She spotted an empty sofa, took out her muggle fashion magazine and lay down to read.

Robert smiled, "I'd agree with that. Hmm...maybe I should learn to speak French." He smirked and opened his book up as he took out his wand, "Well at least one of us is or otherwise this would be pointless." He looked up and frowned, "He thinks he is. He wants to work his way up in the Ministry." His frown turned into a grin as she mentioned being sneaky and he turned toward his book. "So how exactly am I supposed to perform this charm?" He looked at his wand and tried to copy the movements in the book but it looked a bit awkward and definitely not right.

Mari laughed quietly and nodded. " You should, especially since there seems to be an abundance of transfers from Beauxbatons here," She said." Of course, but even if I weren't it would be fun to stumble through it with someone rather than alone." she said.

As Robert spoke of his father, she detected a hint of dislike, something she knew about. " My parents irk me as well." She said, smiling a little again. " Ah, see the charm is all about how you pronounce the words and give the flick of your wrist." She said, not needing the book. " Watch." She said, and she took off a bracelet she wore, a silver one with a few little charms on it. She lat it flat on her palm and looked at it. " Wingardium Leviosa!" she said and with a little flourish of her wrist the bracelet moved up and floated, the charms dangling as it hung in the air. " Now, I'm concentrating a bit to keep it there, but do you get the idea better now?" She asked, feeling quite accomplished in helping someone else learn.

Robert smiled, "I didn't know that. Wonder why they all transferred." He laughed and nodded, "You're right about that. That way we could both laugh at our mistakes as we destroy the common room."

He frowned thoughtfully, his issues with his father was a bit more than just 'irking' him but he wasn't going to go into that. He focused on what she was telling him and watched as she preformed the spell. "Wicked," he said as the bracelet floated in the air for a bit. "Yea...I think.... Let me try." He looked around for something to use and then just took off his watch with a smirk. It was something his father gave him so that he'd be on time more often. He pointed his wand at it, "Wingardium Leviosa!" The watch lifted slightly and then fell back down limply. Robert stared at the watch with a frown and then tried again with the same response. Looking up at her he frowned, "So what am I doing wrong?"