It all came down to one simple fact.

Caitlin was ticked.

And she wasn't even really sure why she was so mad in the first place. She could definately give reasons, that's absolutely for certain.

First: Travis has completely vanished and who knows where he's gone off too. Irial is so concerned with the "feelings" Caitlin had developed for Travis, he's gone all typical guy and put words into her mouth, thinking things that he probably doesn't need to think about anyway. But will he talk to her about it? NOOOO. Merlin forbid he actually act like a man.

Not to mention the fact that apparently Irial wasn't an only child and failed to mention it to her. Was that going to change things even more now? Just what she wanted. More change. She didn't ask to deal with this life-altering phenomenon. It's not her fault all eternity will be forever different because of Irial.

Maybe there's a spell that can undo all of this.

Maybe she should see one of the professors. Or perhaps the nuse.

ANYTHING to get rid of everything that's happened to her over the past two years.

"ARGH!" she screamed and flicked her wand in the direction of the wall, setting a piece of it flying off onto the other side of the corridor.

"Kindly watch where you're pointing that thing, dearie," a portrait of a mother witch holding an infant in her arms scolded to her. "Some us can't get out of the way quick enough to dart away from your moments of rage."

"Buzz off," Caitlin snorted, and continued stomping down the corridor.

From the Third floor to the First, there was still no hat. But the curly, dark haired first year Hufflepuff was not about to give up, if it took searching the entire castle they were going to find William's hat. If there was one thing that could always be expected of Katie, amongst other things, it was her being determined. Stubbornly determined, but determined no less.

"We'll find it." She murmured assuringly, dark eyes that scanned over the corridor ground lifted to meet soft, blue orbs of the slightly older boy. Katie was confident while saying so, and of course sweet. Always a hint of that, unless she was around one of the 'troublesome terror trio' boys. Hearing another voice, startled, the eleven year old looked around swiftly but saw no one except the two of them. The sound of chuckling caused her to turn, facing the wall, realization struck. It was a portrait man talking to another, of which she had yet to see up til now. "Will! Think a portrait might have seen your hat?" She asked, growing excited as she took the second years hand in her own and pulled him over, closer to the portrait that caught her attention in the first place.

Kevin wandered past some of the portraits and saw a couple of students looking for something well that's what Kevin guessed and walked over to them and said "Are you looking for something"

His eyes were drawn to the stone floor as they climbed up and down the stairs. He had to admit Katie had tenacity not giving up like he would have done minutes ago. He thought he had seen it on the second floor where they had passed that weird looking statue but apparently it was a pink candy wrapper. So much for gibing his hopes up he thought as he followed her towards the first floor down a dark corridor. This place had possibilities he mused glancing around as he walked behind her, his blue orbs drifting over the ground once more.

He smiled at her, unsure now weither they really would find it or not. He still felt pretty weird looking for a hat but he needed it so here he was. A voice whispered to him behind his shoulder and he jumped whirling around to see nothing but the wall. Frowning he turned back got look at Katie before he heard a chuckling noise. Quirking an eyebrow he frowned at Katie about to ask her what was going on before she answered his questions for him. He nodded once more, this time his eyes were brighter as he gazed at the portrait, eying it closer. It appeared to be a man talking to another and before he could walk over to it she had grabbed his hand and pulled him over.

"Perhaps. I heard the people in the portraits would visit other portraits so yeah." He replied his voice sounding hollow in the corridor.

Katie turned swiftly, knowing full well that voice was too close and too normal to be an animated object. Her dark eyes landed on a Slytherin student, he didn't look much older than herself, or so she thought. Apparently their hat hunting hadn't gone unnoticed by others. "Yes. Have you seen any hats lately?" Aside from the pointy black ones some people around here wore.
The first year nodded, as if to agree to the painted people jumping in and out of other frames, watching one of the little painted portrait people unknowingly demonstrate the possibility. Yes, that could work. Now if only they could get one someones attention and hope they had some kind of clue to give them. "Hey, you. Little guy," the small girl exclaimed, attempting to strike up a conversation with a painting. The 'little guy' of whom she called looked at her with narrowed eyes, saying something about her being rude for interupting adults. ADULTS. Since when did painted old wizards count as an adult?

A dark eyebrow raised, arms crossing over her chest. She looked back to Will, her face falling just abit as she told him, "I don't like them." with a shake of her head, curled locks swishing around her face. "Maybe we should just keep searching. We'll find it," Katie suggested, abit hesitant at first. One thing was for sure, the small girl definitely prefered the non-moving, muggle portraits over the wizarding sort. The wizarding ones so far had proven to be grumpy, and loud. Except the ones in the common room, she didn't mind them.

William turned at the voice, ready to defend himself if need be, only to find a small Slytherin boy approaching them. He smiled shyly, looking to Katie, then back to him. "Yes, have you seen a hat around here?" He asked frowning.

turning back to the portrait, as if he couldn't believe how rude the thing could be he glared at it before shaking his head. "You haven't seen a blue baseball hat with a pink bill have you? I'm terribly sorry for interuptting you by the way." he said politely, bowing before the man in the portrait. The man turned to glare at him before turning back to his companion and muttering about wasting time.

William shrugged, frowning before thinking he should say something. Instead he smiled a bit at Katie before shrugging. "Yeah, I guess these important portraits can't help. Too busy gossiping I bet." He replied sarcastically, casting one more glance at the offending portrait before looking around. "Perhaps we could try another portrait? Or move on?" He asked; leaving it up to Katie to decide what to do, as he was clueless on where to go next.

"Hhmmph!" Katie hummed irritatedly, eyes narrowed on the grumpy old portrait man. Surely it wasn't really alive, it had no heart beat - or didn't appear to, which meant it had to be enchanted. As in, an animated object. Brought to 'life' by magic. So why did it have an attitude? Really now. This made no sense in her little mind. Her expression softened, head turned to Will as he spoke, she grinned at his sarcastic comment.

He left the decision up to her. To try asking another painted portrait person, or keep going in search of the Ravenclaw's a blue and pink baseball hat. In all honesty, and it was probably obvious by the way she glared at the frame infront of her briefly, the small girl wasn't in much of a mood for magical pictures with attitude - it was like dealing with one of the boys, except worse. Atleast she had some fun out of that. This, this was just annoying! It would do her no good to talk back to something that wasn't even REAL. "Let's keep going. If I were a hat.. where would I go?" She murmured the last part thoughtfully, tapping her chin, her eyes directed on the floor.

"Outside! Yes, let's go outside. If it were here, it could have been carried away when a bunch of students came through on their way to Care of Magical Creatures or Herbology, and the doors would have been open - it would have gotten swept up and carried outside. Let's try the grounds," Katie said in a rush, suggesting her thoughts in one breath and inhaled quickly afterward. It made perfect sense to her, and seemed more likely than it having gone down to the Kitchens or Dungeons. And if it was in the dungeons.. well, she wouldn't even offer the idea up. The hat would be gone forever. "To the grounds we go!" She announced, happily skipping towards the huge oak doors.

Cam LOVED Gryffindors.

Why? Obviously because they had some sort of an unlimited amount of chocolate and he had like tons already because of them. They must have kept a vault of chocolate somewhere because he just kept getting more and more. The Slytherdor Common Room idea was the best thing that EVER happened to him ever since the floooood. WOOOOOT. He was nibbling on his chocolate bar at the moment and he'd left the lemurs back at the Boys' Dormitory. Right now he just wanted to roam around the castle for no reason at all.

Well, he didn't know what to do until now.

Portraits. Talking portraits--probably made for the lonely so they could have someone to talk to. He wasn't lonely but he LOVED the talking portraits because it was fun how he could talk to them, insult them, make silly faces at them and they couldn't do aaanything at all. HAAAA. An evil ickle little Slytherin second year he was.

His eyes first went to a man, around his 60s that looked... well he looked crazy. One of the most tackiest and ugliest clothes and had a lazy eye. And then that crazy face--no everything about him was crazy actually... Cam liked him. "HI. YOU. I'm bored. Talk to me." He bit onto his chocolate once again and the insane-looking doood just wiggled his head.

Boooringgg.

Pout.

How was she supposed to pick one single career if Vindictus had provided her sooo many pamphlets? It was impossible! She'd gone to talk about her possible future in Quidditch, yet Vindictus had pretty much told her to have a back-up plan. Which, of course, she thought it was a pretty great idea because you could never know what could happen in the future, but that that little fact did not make her decision any easier.

Journalism? History of Magic? Traveling? History of Magic, Journalism and History of Magic together?

How was one meant to chooooooooose? Willow could simple not pick one of those three as her back-up plan. But, she had to, given that she was a sixth year already and she only had one more year to go before leaving Hogwarts and heading off to deal with real world . . .

. . . How on earth had she managed to end up wandering around this corridor? She was supposed to go to the Quidditch pitch for the practice, for crying out loud!

Most importantly, though - why did the person talking to the portraits HAD to be Cameron Karsten?

She had such good luck. Not.

Gulp.

Willow Kovac.

ZOMGZOMGZOMGGGGG. Now why must Cam face probably the nicest girl in school? Well not nicest--one of the nicest. That little accident that had happened a while ago was seriously just an accident meaaaaning that she was too an actor and just acted that way (or so he believed). Why the heck were there so many actors in Hogwarts?! WHY?! And he was probably one of the ones that didn't know how to act and that was probably 1% of the whole entire school year! He was honest and not too mention kind, awesome, epic, wootunderful--PFTTT YEAH HE SERIOUSLY WAS. Seriously. Was.

So that had to make him and Willow friends! Nicest and epic made a good combination and that would have made them best friendssss. Wow. He eyed her as though he admired her... how you would say... sweetness and how she could act so well?

"WILLOOWLOWLOWLOW." He probably blurted that out loud and he didn't care what the portraits would do. They could do NOTHING to him. Rigght? Right. "So how you beeee? I be good. I be awesome! Watcha doooooin'? Whatcha thinkiiin'? Watcha doooooin'?" Did he feel the need to repeat that sentence twice? Well... yes. Yes he did. But then... gasp.

SHE LOOKED SADDDOMOMGOMOMGOMG?!

Like nice girls shouldn't have looked sad at all. They were suppose to be happy. EVERYONE was suppose to be happy. "Uh, hay you kinda look sad so you could have a bite of my chocolatey chocolatey chocolate if you want 'cause sad people aren't allowed in Hogwarts and they're either eaten by the professors or they're eaten by the gargoyles. AAAAAND I think they have a choice if they want to be served by the ghosts too." And he said AAAALLL of this while nodding persistently.

. . . "I don't know what you are talking about," Was all Willow gave as reply to the portrait of an old man who had scolded her for not having a particularly happy facial expression. Since when being upset was a crime? And why did a stupid portrait care whether she was happy or not? "Mind your own business," snapped the brunette, glaring as the old man opened his mouth to speak again.

Such was her annoyance with the nosy portrait, that Willow had almost forgotten that she was in the presence of The Boy Who Pokes, Cameron Karsten.

Oh, Flobberworms.

Cameron Karsten was, Willow though, a very scary person, which was why the sixth year had never quite let him know how freaky she often found him. Willow did not want to get eaten by a overly hyperactive twelve year old child, after all. "Cameron," Greeted the Ravenclaw with a polite nod at him, choosing to simply ignore his LOUD greeting. Granted, it was always nice to have someone being extremely excited to see her but this boy was just . . . she could only hope that he never met Clark Landers.

Willow would die if those two started to hang out together, for they would not doubt come up with all kinds of plans that they would find enjoyable. And, undoubtedly, she would find them FAR from enjoyable - the opposite, as a matter of fact.

Chocolate? Chocolate? "No, thank you, I am not hungry. And no, nothing's wrong, nor am I sad, or anything, just preoccupied. . . " So many questions. The kid was just sooooo enthusastic. Freakishly so. "Who's going to get eaten by a Gargoyle?" Whuuuuuut? Blink.

"Mmhmmmm," he said, ending his speech on what would have happened to sad people.

Cam's words were true because he had the mind of a genius and a genius's mind was ALWAYS true. That was a fact because he said so. Also, wasn't Willow such a lucky girl to have a friend like him?! Her life would have been so boring... so so boring without Cameron Karsten. Good thing he met her or else she would have been in tears right now... for being... without him even if she hadn't known him but really had...? Uhh. Yeah. But she seemed saaaad and he wasn't going to let THAT go. WHY THE HECK HADN'T SHE RESPONDED LAIK "HI CAMERONONONOONONOOONOOOO!" Huh? Huh? Why couldn't Willow have been more...

Outgoooing! Clearly she was sad right now. And it was his duty, like almost every other duty he had to make people happeehhh. Nature told him to! You just couldn't deny nature. Because everyone had nature. NATURE was awesome, 'nuff said.

"No seriously. Chocolate. You need CHOCOLATE because--well puhleaaase?" Preoccupied? Ohpleaaase that was just another saying of "ZOMGIMSUPERSAD". She needed chocolate or else she wouldn't be happy. "Eaten by gargoyles. Well you silly unless you get a BIG grin on your faceeeee!" He blinked back.

He took a piece of his chocolate and offered it to her. OOOH. He had an even better idea. "Choooo-chooo train," he started off, "chugga chugga chugga chuggaaa." Cam made the piece of chocolate slowly go straight to her mouth. "Open upppppp or it laik, it'll totally smash your lips and all."

Cameron Karsten was one freaky person. And he would most likely be THE freakiest, had she not met Clark Landers. Now, that kid was THE scariest and FREAKIEST pubescent Willow had ever had the misfortune of coming across with.

And there he went with the chocolate talk. Willow did not need to eat chocolate right now simply because she didn't want any. Seriously - why would she want to eat in front of a boy who could most likely eat HER for breakfast, lunch or dinner? "No, Cameron, I do not want chocolate, and nor am I going to get eaten by Gargoyles, but you will if you keep trying to make me--"

. . . CHOO-CHOO Train?

What?!!

"I am NOT three years old" Because that was the last time Willow had heard someone using that little . . . thing to make her eat. Until now, of course.

The water began seeping through the floorboards and into the corridor with the talking portraits.

The power of the water becomes evident as the sound of it starts to get louder and it begins to churn upward, but oddly, it stops at the castle windows, even open ones, and does not spill a drop outside of the castle.

The water fiercely rose to shoulder level and the sound of the rush was deafening. In the water potion vials and corks were floating in it. A GO SNAKES banner floated by, followed by a fancy green compact with the initials P.G. on it, and a Yellow notebook with a badger on the front.

The water was rushing harder and more things were showing up in the water. A piece of parchment was floating in the water... It said:

Also in the water was a Badger scarf with the words "I love the Dominator" embroidered in it and lots and lots of hearts around it.

Also a photograph of a boy in hufflepuff robes leaning against a beatup, rusted Ford Anglia on the outskirts of the forbidden forrest.

The water splashed about pushing all the people in the first floor corridor where the portraits were to the staircase as it rose to touch the ceiling and stopped.

As Arethusa said, the water was drained out, the injuries healed, and everything was restored to normal.

Reese wandered all the way up to the first floor from her common room. Has she mentioned how much she LOVED having her own common room back? Not that she didn't like sharing with the Gryffindors, she just missed her own common room so much. And now that she had her common room back and ALL of her possession and the fact that all her injuries were gone, she was very happy.

Happy enough to even ask Jack Fritzera out. The question was now: where was he? She hasn't seen him in ages since the conversation at The Three Broomsticks. Yes, she felt bad for yelling at him and everything and she was going to apologize for that. But also, she has been thinking about what he said about her liking him. She has actually taken the last few days to think about HOW she was going to ask him out.

"Jaaaaack," she called out. Maybe he was nearby and he would hear her voice...and hopefully not think she was mad at him and run for his life. She continued down the corridor, hoping to run into Jack sometime or another.

Jack Fritzera wandered down the corridor, wrinkling his eyebrows as he walked. Huh, that was funny. It sounded to him like someone was calling his name. But there was no way they'd be calling for HIM Jack...no one was ever interested in finding him. They had to be looking for the Ravvie Prefect Jack, or another kid who went by the same name as him.

As he turned the corner, he saw Reese walking along the corridor a few feet ahead of him--luckily, she wasn't facing him. EEEP! Things were still awkward after their little conversation in the Three Broomsticks...letting out a small squeak, he quickly turned on his heel, prepared to bolt.

Reese continued to walk down the corridor until she stopped by one portrait of a very cute guy. She tilted her head at the portrait and just stared at the boy for a few moments. "You're cute," she told the boy. The boy in the portrait was about the say something until a little squeak was heard.

Raising her eyebrow, she turned around to face Jack Fritzera. Ah, there he was. "Jack. Gosh, I've been looking for you," she said. She walked towards him, not even noticing that he looked like he wanted to run away. "Do you have, um, time to talk?" She asked.

EEP! She had called him cute and they hadn't even said hello to each other yet! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH the...boldness of her. Not even noticing that she was talking to a portrait, he tried to jump behind a suit of armour and accidentally ran into it, clunking his head on the helmet pretty hard.

The sound of the bang issued throughout the whole corridor. He stumbled backwards and rubbed his forehead, groaning. He looked up at Reese and sheepishly chuckled. "Oh, uh....hiiiiiiiiii Reese. What's shakin?" he asked.

Ouch! Reese closed her eyes when she heard the banging sound when Jack's head met the helmet of the suit of armor. She opened her eyes and asked, "are you okay?" She sure hoped he was okay and wasn't going through any major brain damage.

She looked around the empty corridor, except for the portraits, and took in a deep breath. It was now or never. She needed to say everything she needed to say before someone showed up. Looking back at Jack, she smiled at him. "Okay, Jack, there are some things I've been wanting to talk to you about since our talk in The Three Broomsticks," she started off. "First of all, I want to apologize for yelling at you. And also..." She couldn't do this! She just stood there for a few seconds, trying to think of a good way to say this. "And, well, I like you too. I thought it would be better to hear that from me than from Torin. Because, I know he told you," she added.

"I would also like to thank you for what you did during the battle. You had enough courage to get in front of me to save me from the pointy trident," she continued to talk. "And, you said you didn't know why you were sorted into Gryffindor. I think you do have some hidden courage. If you didn't, you wouldn't have done what you did. Plus, I've NEVER seen anybody risk their life to save me. That merpeople could have stabbed you or something." She stopped talking for a moment to gather all her thoughts. "I just need to ask something now..."

Gulp.

"Jack, will you be my boyfriend?"

There. She did it! Ha.