Emiliano let out a chuckle, nodding with no stop at all. Yes, he liked Piper really much. "I haven't told her yet...though I die for the day for me to tell her to come soon. I think I choose her birthday or Christmas...I don't know what to do...I just want to tell her and end this mess in my head really soon." He smiled, just by the thought of her.

"I can't verify that..." Emiliano said, commenting about Lena not liking Chris. "...time tells everything, mate...don't rush on things and everything will be fine." He told him.

"You are just so sweeeeeet to me," Myrtle sighed dreamingly, already becoming enamoured with the boy.

"I'm doing wonderful now that you're here." She giggled and put a hand to her mouth like she was shy. As if Myrtle was anything but shy.

"Who is that?" Myrtle spoke quickly, her Ravenclaw robes swishing as she turned to stare at the girl who poppd up. How did she know her Irial? This girl was a Slytherin and everyone knew that Slytherins and Gryffindors weren't friends....or, at least they hadn't been back in Myrtle's day.

Christian smiled as he walked down the corridor and encountered the ghost as he'd most wanted to meet. "Hello Myrtle. My name Is Christian Black." He introduced himself softly. She was perhaps the only creature that would understand him.

Irial grinned at Myrtle. "I'm glad you're doing well," he said, though it was odd that she was doing wonderful now that he was there. The female ghost surely was interesting though, as he watched her place her hand over her mouth. She was acting shy. He nearly laughed. She hadn't been acting shy, more like rude, in the dungeons. But he didn't mind as he watched the ghost with growing interest.

He smiled at Dru, then, who'd appeared from the girl's bathroom. "Hello, Dru," he said kindly. He turned back to Myrtle when she demanded to know who was standing with him now.

"This is Dru, Myrtle," he replied. "I met her on the train on the way here." He looked at the young first year fondly. She was a sweet girl, Slytherin or not.

Glancing at the boy who just happened to show up where Myrtle was, he frowned. "Excuse me," he said kindly. "I think Myrtle's in the middle of a conversation. Perhaps you could talk to her at another time?"

What was it with people just randomly showing up when a ghost was near? And besides. He was speaking to Myrtle. The kid was rude enough as it was. Irial had half a mind to tell him to bug off and leave the poor ghost girl alone. And besides again, HE, Irial, was talking to Myrtle.

Christian hadn't meant to be rude. He just wanted someone to talk to. "So sorry to have bothered you." He said sadly, turning around and walking down the corridor away from them, he found a place to sit and brood. Perhaps Myrtle might speak to him.

Dru remained staring at Myrtle until the ghost looked directly back at her gave Dru the chills. She very quickly dropped her gaze to where the girls feet would have been. In reality, they seemed to be a few inches higher than Dru's gaze. What was this girl? She was... see-through.

Hearing Irial introduce her to the floating girl, she realised that she didn't need to be standing out in the open. Dru sideways shuffled her way over to stand next to Irial, close enough to faintly feel his robes against her arm, but not too close. It comforted Dru and reminded her of her brother.

Dru's head remained directed towards the floor but she lifted her eyes once again to the girl. "Hi...?" she said nervously.

Danny-Boy ran into the corridors, carrying a backpack with a note in it.

He sniffed the feet of the students in the corridor. He didn't know who Christian was. He knew who Chris was though. His oversized belly swung from left to right as he ran, little by little, between shuffling feet. He saw a ghost and made a run from it. He had turned a little yellow from the sight of Moaning Myrtle. He tried to calm down behind a pair of shoes. It was Christian's shoes.

Christian picked up the rat and removed the note. he tickled the rat's left ear as he read the note smiling. "Come to me Love." He thought.

Danny-Boy turned back to his backpack and took out a little bell.He rang the bell but there was no sound coming from it. He kept the bell into the backpack and climbed onto Christian's shoe. He didn't even know if he got the right person. It must be! He's the only 'Brut' smelling one. He made himself comfortable on Christian's show by lying on his stomach, on his shoe. Jane was supposed to find him soon. He did what she'd told him to do. And he already rang the bell.

.................

In a matter of moments, Jane ran into the corridor, her hair around her face. She'd been running all around the castle. She heard the little bell when she was at the greenhouses, tending to the wild flowers there. She was pruning. There were little dirt stains on her knees, but she didn't care. Danny-Boy had found Christian! She didn't know if he had returned from Professor Dumont's place that day, so she sent the rat to go find him, while she gets a little homework done. Rawlins, her brother had sent her Danny-Boy this morning in the package, since she didn't have a pet and begged him to let her bring one this term.

Jane walked to Christian. She was giggling at Danny-Boy, who was now somewhat drifting off to sleep on Christian's shoes. She bent down to grab him and pat his head. She looked at Christian.

"What are you doing here, love?"she hoped he didn't run from her.

"I was trying to talk to Myrtle but I accidentally interrupted someone so I came right here to sit by myself and be miserable." He said softly. He looked up at her. His eyes showed his misery.

Chris chuckled slightly when Emiliano said he hadn't told her. "That's the problem with everyone isn't? You always like a girl and you just can't wait to tell her. Hoping that you don't make a fool of yourself." He said and smiled slighty. "Well hope everything works out for you." He told Em.

"Yeah I know not to rush things." He said nodding. Time will tell? Where had heard that before. Thinking thinking... Then click! Mel had told him the same thing this past summer and other times. Wait and time will tell everything. "Weird." He said under his breath.

Jane winced when she saw all that misery in his eyes. She didn't like it any more that he did. She went to sit by him. She was still holding Danny-Boy who was tugging at her sleeve at the moment, begging for a snack. She reached into her left pocket and dropped him inside. She had taken a few sunflower seeds from the Great Hall this morning when he arrived and put them in her pocket just in case. She looked over at Christian.

"Are you always alone at Durmstrang? I mean ... are you always sitting in corridors, sulking by yourself?" Jane didn't mean to pry, but she just needed to understand what he was like.

"No, I'm never this way. I'm usually a happy go lucky guy." He whispered. "I'm just scared Jane. I don't know if I can handle all this. I don't know if I'm strong enough." He whispered.

Jane was wondering with all those probably forbidden things like spells and curses that they learn in Durmstrang that he was used to it. Maybe it's more than they learnt.She thought. But she knew he was strong. She just knew.

"In Durmstrang, don't they try curses...really terrible curses on each other?"She was wondering what the difference was, between some curses that make you think really painful things and the voice in his head. She didn't understand how bad the voice in Christian's head was.

He nodded. "So we can learn them and how to control and block them." He muttered. He'd had the cruciatis curse used on him so many times. The pain he felt was the same as that. "This feels like the cruciatis curse." he muttered.

Jane had her mouth wide open. She thought that that was terrible! To have to teach students that way. Now that she knew Christian had gone though all that, she had no doubt that he was strong enough for this. He had to be. She tried to swallow but her thoughts were firing up again. She was now thinking how young Christian must have been, even at 15 or 14, that he had that curse used on him, but she couldn't imagine him suffering under that curse. She didn't want to.

Jane was blinking. Still looking at Christian. They had gone to Professor Dumont for some lessons. She was really glad she could assist. She was glad also, that Christian didn't have that voice in his head now.Don't be scared love. We're here.

She wanted to bring him to the Great Hall for some food and enjoy some happy time with him while it lasted.

"You know, Christian, I'm hungry and I know you are too!"Jane looked at his arm, which was around his stomach, but he didn't notice.

"Come with me, to the Great Hall, love,"she said again.

Christian stood. "Ok let's go." He was hungry but he did not know if he could eat. He would try for her though.

Jane led Christian away from that spot he was seating to go down to the Great Hall. The spot they sat on was somewhat indented. The carpet was flattened. They'd been there for quite some time.

Jane skipped while swinging her hands. She smiled. Today was a good day and she knew it!

Varius Numerus Tipps was a weird one and he now seemed weirder than ever as he walked the second floor corridor... covered in flour. He was on the hunt for Myrtle, but she proving a difficult ghost to find and Varius had to move slowwwwwwwwwlyyyy and waddle so that he didn't lose too much flour. He needed to stay as ghost-like as possible. "MYYYYYRTTTTTTTTTLLLLLLLEEE" he called out, hoping she may hear him.

Myrtle had the tendency to do this 'disappearing' thing when too many random students just popped up in her corridor. Or her bathroom. Or anywhere in the halls of Hogwarts where she happened to be. At her core, Myrtle was a loner and a nerdy little shy Ravenclaw. It was only since she had become a ghost that she had become more outgoing, so it was no surprise that when another Gryffindor tried to join in her conversation with the other Gryffindor and the Slytherin, Myrtle turned to flee to her stall.

Thankfully, however, the Gryffindor left and she still had her Irial, her Irial Darkkkkkk, who was now standing far too close to that girl. Too close for Myrtle to like.

*sniff* "Irial," Myrtle moaned, "Is *sniff* Dru your ggggirlffffriend?" *sniff* "If she issss," *sniff* "Why dddidn't you just saaaaay soooo instead of..of...," she turned her head away and folded her arms like she was hurt. "You led me onnnnnnn."

"BOOOHOooohooOOOHooOHOooooo," Myrtle started her snifffffling more loudly as she thought she saw another figure coming down their corridor. "Boohohoo.....hoooooo OOOOOOOH!"

Quick like a whip, Myrtle's demeanour changed from mopey to curious as her eyes widened at the sight of this shockingly white ghostly apparition!

"LOOK! They finally killed off one of the detentioneeeees! They did it they did it they diiiiiiid! YAAAAY!" There was no mistaking the glee in her ghostly tone. "Great Dumbledore's ghastly dungbombs HELLO THERE, FELLOW GHOST! I AM MYRTLE! The marvellous meeeee Myrtle ohhhhh RIGHT HEEEEERE!"

She started bobfloating up in down in her spot of the corridor, flapping her robes a little as she waited for this ghostly boy to float up to her. He could be her friiiiiiiend.

Irial frowned. "No, of course she's not my girlfriend, Myrtle. She's just a friend of mine." He glanced at the young girl. "Besides, she's too young for me. She's only a first year, and I'm a sixth year."

He paused, then opened his mouth to say more, but then she started bobbing around wildly and he turned his head and groaned. Yet another student was coming to interrupt his conversation with the ghost. This time, however, he stayed quiet, a sour look on his face as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Perhaps he´d just back off, and let her visit him, since she was so popular.

Oh there she was! In all her transparent beauty! Varius' face grew a rather large smile. Trying to be as ghost-like as possible he began taking giant leaps through the air, closer and closer to her - this looked like gliding, right? "Hello Myrtle," he reached out his hand and rubbed her head, trying hard not to actually go THROUGH her head, "I'm Varius... Varius Tipps."

His plan was working! She thought he was a ghost too! It still didn't help how he was going to explain to her when the time came to produce his physical form, but surely it was the thought that mattered? Right? Surely she would see past that and realise Varius liked her? Right?

"I thought... I would come and see you..." he began, not quite sure how to say what he wanted to say, "I watched you the entire of last term!"

Oooohooh never mind him, ghosty detention boy was too distracting for Myrtle's little brain to handle.

She looked at the pale-faced visitor from beyond and then back to Irial, then to the ghost boy, and then Irial again, just briefly sneering at his Slytherin 'just a friend' before glancing back at ghosty.

"Irial," she stage-whispered, completely ignoring the bit about them just being friends or whatnot, "Did you meet this ghostyboy in detention too? OOHOOHOOH was he the one screaaaaaaming while you and your friend were drowwwwning?"

She clapped her hands twice and, without waiting for him to answer, turned back to ogling the really really white kid.

"Vaaarius." Myrtle did the whole swishing-her-robes and flicking-her-pigtail thing again. "I liiiiiiiiiike that name."

Varius the V. No no, Tipsy Tipps? He needed a catchy nickname now that he was a ghost, like the Fat Friar or Moaning Myrtle or Nearly-Headless Nick.

And he was touching her head! Like...like he was showing her love for her hair! SQUEE!

"I like your floaaaating," Myrtle echoed, starting to bat her eyelashes now. "Right now you seem so human....but don't worry, it will wear away in a few decades...."

*Giggle giggle.* They were just going to get along grrrrrrrreat.

"I....I used to have Knight in Shining Armour last term," Myrtle started to sniffle in reply to his comment about last term. "But he left me...he went on to possibly greater and more death-defying things...though I don't think he's died yet nor has he even visited me this term..."

A few pearly tears bubbled up from her eyes and started to cascade down her transparent cheeks. "Boohoohooooo I would have ssshhashhhared my loo with him had he aaasked."

Her lips started to tremble as well and Myrtle glanced down at the corridor floor, perhaps maaaaaybe hoping someone would offer her a floury white shoulder to cry on?

Irial frowned as he watched the exchange between Myrtle and this boy. Who was covered in flour. He arched eyebrow, shocked that Myrtle would even fall for this. Sighing, he glanced at Dru, who was quiet, and leaned against the wall.

He wasn't going to leave, but he wasn't going to get involved either. Myrtle was all but ignoring him by now anyways. Ah well. At least he'd get a show out of this. He crossed his arms over his chest and watched the two, wondering if Myrtle would ever catch on that this kid was obviously not a ghost.

As if on cue (), Jake came pelting down the corridor at full speed. He wasn't looking where he was going, nor looking back at what he was running from... because... well, he wasn't too sure. He just felt like running away... terrified...

WHAM!

POOF!

That was the sound that was made as Jake slammed into Varius. Into him... not through him, and became engulfed by the resulting cloud of flour. So thiiiiiiis was what the guy had been up to in the kitchens.

"Varius," Jake spluttered, coughing the flour out of his lungs, blinking as he did so. "Why are you covered in-" he stopped, a familiar face catching his eye. "Myrtle!" Jake cried out, face breaking into a grin. Now he was covered in flour too... would Myrtle recognise him? Had she even seen him run into Varius?