Caroline had been up all morning and last night looking for one of the letters she had written over the summer, it was gone or well one of them was. The first one, the one that was missing had some very personal things in it. She was putting the rest of them in a safe place, when she realized that one was gone. Why did she even bring those stupid letters with her? She definitely didn't want Asher her little brother to read them. Honestly she was regretting writting them in the first place now.

The only one who knew about the letters was Kita, which was now why she was in the kitchen level corridor Kita should soon be going up to breakfast. She would just wait here until she came by. If someone found it, or possibly even worse what if Carter found it. The thought scared her to death. The letter was still true. Sure he needed to know what was in the letter. But not from reading it in a letter like that. She evelope had his name on it so maybe if anyone found it they would gave it to him. She lean agaisnt the wall of the corridor and waited to Kita to come by.

TIME FOR FOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!

With a huge grin across her face, Kita ran out of her dorm, through the common room and out into the corridor outside. It was a fresh new year and she didn't want to start it off being late for breakfast. No way. Imagine going to class with an emp-

"Hi Caroline!" she chirped, running past her- wait... "Caroline?" She doubled back and looked at the blonde girl who was leaning against the wall.

... Bliiiiiiiink.

Was there something WRONG with the girl? It's not everyday that Caroline came down to see her before breakfast. Maybe this is was her change for her year? Was she going to come down and see her every day...?

But something seemed... wrong. Caroline wasn't the bubbly type but she wasn't the depressed type either. Was she? Kita walked back towards the girl leaning against the wall. "Caroline, is something wrong?" she asked.

Caroline heard footsteps runingish coming down the hall. It turned out to be a few younger probably first years by the look of them. She sighed, and covered her face with her hands. KITA LEWIS where in the name were you? She was on the venge of a memtal break down. She said that this term would not be any crying. And so far none but this was only the first full day back. So She'd just have to see how it when. Hearing footsteps for the second time she didn't move hands still covering her face. She heard someone chirp up a Hi Caroline and the continued to walk. Moving her hands away from her face. To see Kita doubling back to her.

Thank Merlin her best was there for her. Before Kita had even gotta a chance to ask what was wrong. Caroline already had her in a hug. She let go "I've been looking for it since I got to my dorm last night. One of Carter's letters that wrote him over the summer is missing." She spoke quickly out of pure panic. He couldn't see that letter or anyone are that matter.

Epecically with the next person that was her list to go find this morning and the talk that they would have. She had made up her mind, it wasn't easy of course but she felt like she needed this. The missing letter was still every much true in her heart. But it seem that Carter had moved on and she supposed she should try to do the same. But she wasn't quite at peace with the decision yet. Even with the amazingly normal time with Carter that she had with him on the train. Which gave her plently of second thoughts. truthfully she had changed her mind and she wasn't going to go through with it. After finding out that him and Marilyn were together, well the orginal plab was back on. She still cared and loved him every much but she'd just have to deal, the opportunity was there to move on and she was going to take it today.

...

Her hands were covering her face. Why were her hands covering her face? That was definitely a sign that something was wrong. After all, no one covers their face with their hands when they're happy! No!

Wait... WHAT?! What in the name of merlin had Caroline just said?

Wait... One of the letters was missing?

o_O

"A-are you sure?" she asked, "I mean... have you checked your bag? Your trunk? Maybe it's in your robes..." Kita looked at Caroline's robes, as if the missing letter would just pop out. It was a possibility! It's what happened with one of her chocolate frogs. She had thought she didn't have any left and it turned out that it was in her pocket all along! That had been a nice day...

No. Back to Caroline. "Where did you have it last?" she asked, "I mean, did you have it on the train?" Maybe it flew away? Maybe an owl picked it up, read who it was addressed to and decided to send it?

o_O

No! No, no, NO! Owl's can't even read! Can they...? "Maybe someone picked it up by accident," she said, "Maybe they're looking for you right now..." The brunette looked around at the corridor, half expecting someone to run along and hand the letter back unopened. Pfft! If anyone in Hogwarts had picked up a letter, they wouldn't hand it back to the person who sent it without reading it. No! Merlin! She dreaded to think what would happen if the letter got into the wrong hands...

Caroline blinked a few times thinking back to the last time she'd seen them all six of the letter were together when she packed them on her bag. She nodded "I checked everywhere, I have all the other ones they were in my bag." They were tucked safely away. Thank Merlin She had nearly thought about sending them home with snowball, Asher reading them wouldn't be half as bad as someone here finding them and reading them.

She started rummaging though her bag again maybe she had over looked it the first fifty plus times she had looked it there. NO nothing there. She looked up at Kita. "It was in my bag before I went to the food trolley on the train, I was checking for my coin purse to see how much I had. That was the last time I seen it." So she at least had it on the train last, when she was going to the food trolley.

"His name was on the evelope, Kita" Her voice paniked. "What if they handed it to him?" She shallowed hard. "I poured my heart out in that letter, Kita." She plopped down on the floor. If Carter knew how she felt by reading the letter, wel she didn't know what would happen.

Looking up to Kita from the floor"I'm telling Jai that he doesn't have to wait for me anymore." She hated leading him on and dragging him around and honestly she didn't have the guts to turn him down after all she put him thought this summer. "Carter is with Marilyn" She sighed and turned her face away. Saying it out loud, and hearing her voice say it hurt her so bad. She wanted to cry.

All the other ones in her bag... So just one dropped out? "That's better than all of them falling out," Kita said, trying to look on the bright side. What? She was a Hufflepuff! It's what they do. Kind of. "Which letter was it?" she asked. 'Cause... there had to be a couple of letters that would cause more havoc if they fell into the wrong hands than the other ones?

Wait... WHAAAAAAAT?! She gasped. This. Was not. Happening! She watched as Caroline plopped down on the floor. Merlin, it all happened to her! "Er..." she said, trying to find the correct words, "Maybe they won't," Er... What? "Maybe they'll open the letter, read it and give it back to the person who sent it..." Not helping, Lewis!

Wait... WHAT?! Tell Jai? Wait? What in the name of merlin was-

o_O

"You're going to start dating Jai?" she asked, "Caroline, that's great!" Squealing, she crouched down on the floor next to Caroline and gave her a hug. Jai was going to be so happy! Letting go, she looked at Caroline as she told her the piece of news about Carter and Marilyn. "Oh," she said, "Carter seems to like your family." Marilyn, Marie and Caroline... all cousins and all dated Carter. Merlin! But wait... "Didn't you and Carter kiss? On the train ride before the summer?" she asked, looking at Caroline. If her memory was right, SNORT! they did... so what made him date Marilyn?

Caroline nodded. Yes. It was good that she didn't lose all of them. She sighed when Kita asked her which letter it was. "The first one I wrote." She flashed Kita a serious look. Of course that was the most important letter that she had wrote over the summer. Minutes later she was on the floor, well at least she meant to sit down. It wasn't like she had fainted.

She smiled slightly to her. She loved how Kita was always so optimistic. Caroline on this subject was to worryied about someone finding it and giving it to Carter. What was what she was worryied about. "Or they could've given it to him."

Bitting her lip she looked down at the floor. "Yeah, I am." And then Kita was hugging her. When she let go she said Carter seems to like your family. She manged a very poor laugh, it was true and it was funny kind of.

"Yeah, we did." she beamed thinking about that kiss. "I didn't get a chance to tell you that I ran into him at the food trolley." She smiled, remembering what happened when they ran into each other on the train.

Alyssa felt all rested after a good night's rest in her own bed in the dorm...instead of the couch in the common room, like she thought she was going to have to do!!. "Thank goodness for Penny,"Alyssa thought to herself. She was very grateful to Penny for looking out for her and saving a bed for her. Alyssa knew that she owed Penny BIG time!! If it wasn't for her friendship and her introducing Alyssa to the others....no she wasn't going to think about what could have happened. Things all worked out eventually and for that she was glad.

"But today's a new day,"Alyssa thought to herself. The start of a new school term and she realized that she was famished. As she made her way from the dorm, through the common room out into the corridor, she smelled a waft of cooked food and her tummy began to rumble. She belatedly realized that she hadn't had much to eat the night before and was looking forward to grabbing some breakfast before heading off for her first class which was Herbology. But she didn't want to be the first student at the breakfast table, so she decided to hang around the corridor until the others caught up with her.



She noticed Kita with another older girl standing further down the corridor. They seemed to be discussing something private, so Alyssa decided not to interrupt them.

Kita's eyes grew wide. The first one. NO! That one had to be... the worst right? No, it couldn't be! But then Caroline gave her that look. The one look that said: this is bad. "And that's the worst one, right?" she asked. But she already knew the answer to that. Merlin! But she still had to check.

Smile? Was that a SMILE?! Woohoo! Oh. But Caroline's words contradicted the smile. "Maybe..." she said, sighing, "Maybe you can go and see Carter? You know, find out whether he got the letter or not." Ok, maybe that would be awkward as well. "Or you could ask someone to do it for you," Not Kita, not Kita...

Oh. So she was right about the kiss. Wait... WHAT?! She ran into Carter at the food trolley? But the girl was smiling. Was this a good sign...? But more importantly: was Caroline going to continue talking and tell her what had happened? "And...?" she asked, trying to hold back a squeal.

Merlin, it was quiet. Too quiet. But then again, they were sneaking around after dark so it'd be odd if she expected a fanfare. Nevertheless, the sounds of an old castle at night were just borderline spooky. A younger Ivory might have been anxious but now that she was older...well it was pretty exciting.

Sneaking forward on silent footsteps, the Ravenclaw prefect made her way down the Kitchen corridor eyes taking in the multiple sleeping paintings. Suddenly, she came to a sudden top her nose wrinkling. "Is it just me," she whispered to the boy behind her. "Or does it smell...odd?"

Walking down to the kitchen, Dallin had a small smirk on his face. It was amusing to watch Ivory sneak down here like she was going to wake up the castle with one wrong step. Although... maybe it wasn't such a bad thing to think, ya know, with all the stuff going on in the castle.

With that thought, Dallin mentally told himself to be quieter. So he sneaked behind Ivory, stopping only when she did. At her question he took a big whiff of air. His nose wrinkled.

"Ew." That kind of summed it up. It was like... burnt. Frowning, he went closer to the pear painting. Then he saw the note. "Ivory," he said quietly, "Look at this!"

Quote:

Originally Posted by Syd (:

Walking down to the kitchen, Dallin had a small smirk on his face. It was amusing to watch Ivory sneak down here like she was going to wake up the castle with one wrong step. Although... maybe it wasn't such a bad thing to think, ya know, with all the stuff going on in the castle.

With that thought, Dallin mentally told himself to be quieter. So he sneaked behind Ivory, stopping only when she did. At her question he took a big whiff of air. His nose wrinkled.

"Ew." That kind of summed it up. It was like... burnt. Frowning, he went closer to the pear painting. Then he saw the note. "Ivory," he said quietly, "Look at this!"

Ew was right. The acrid smell wafting from the direction of the pear painting was...intriguing to say the least. A smell that made her wonder what breakfast would be like in the morning.

Resisting the urge to hold her nose with her fingertips, Ivory stepped forward to examine the front of the painting. A note?

"No students?" she read aloud her voice incredulous. "What in the world?" Sharing her look of disbelief with Dallin, the prefect crossed her arms. "This just gets stranger and stranger. Now we'll never know if they're okay or in the midst of punishing themselves." With a small growl of frustration, she tried to think of what to do next. Counting off possible ideas with her fingers, she went over their options. "We could stake out the entrance and see what happens...or perhaps go question Tate and see what he knows about this....or maybe even," Her face turned into a grimace as she mentioned her next idea. "Well, this might sound weird, but we could make a mess...a slight mess in the common room and hide. Wait at night to see when the house elves show up and maybe...question them?" Saying it aloud, sounded a lot different than in her head.

Listening to Ivory list off their options, Dallin frowned. Yes, they were all good ideas and would probably accomplish what they wanted to find out, but it would just be so much easier to stroll into the kitchen and find out what was going on.

So. Stake out the entrance, talk to the headmaster, or make a mess in the common room and hope the elves come to clean it up. Dallin immediately dismissed the second idea; he'd never spoken to the headmaster before and he didn't really want to start now. "The first or second option," he muttered, biting his lip. Even the first one didn't sound appealing. Staying in this horrible-smelling corridor until something came out of the kitchen?

But... he had seen the way she'd looked when she mentioned making a mess in the common room. She was a prefect after all and probably didn't want to go doing something she shouldn't do just to cure her curiosity. "What do you say we do?" he asked, looking at her and still chewing on his bottom lip. Maybe if they stayed down here to stake out the entrance the smell would get better...?

Caroline gave Kita a small nod. Yep. Well she really wouldn't call it the worst one, but it did have a lot of meaning behind it. "Well it was the one I poured my heart out in it, after that kiss during the train home." She frowned, it was the best one and the worst one. More like the make or break type, but there were a lot of possible out comes if Carter was to ever see it, and if by chance he did see it she would hand over the others. That would only be fair right?

Staring a bit horrified, What she just couldn't good look for him and ask him 'Hey did you get a letter recently stating that I want to get back together with you followed by a lot of pouring my heart out to you?' "NO, no Kita, I can't." Now someone asking for her that was the perfect plan. Now who ever done this *cough* Kita. She smiled at Kita, well more of a plead.

Ohhh, yeah right. Kita wanted some details. "Oh yeah, I'm going to tell you the story." She smirked. "Well as I said we ran into each other at the food trolley." She pulled out a sugar quill out of her bag, one of the ones she'd bought on to trolley and handed it to Kita, and got one for her self. "Do you remember how I told you about how we made up afater our first and only fight." She grinned and took a second to open the sugar quill and nommed on it.

Getting back to the story."I grabbed up a hand full of sugar quills. And said ' How many of these will it take...' I didn't even get to finish the question before I seen something shiny on his shirt. He's Gryffindors Quidditch Captain." She squealed the last part but quickly threw her hand over her moutn Thank Merlin that was nothing like she scene she made when she first seen it. It would've been a crazy sight to see. She giggled. It was just so amazing to be like that with him again. But it wasn't going to last like that now, was it? Her smile slowly faded.

"Anyway back to the story. I seen the badge and every single sugar quill went in the air and on the floor." The smile soon return to her as she continued with the story. "I gave him one of those toppling over hugs. And we landed on the floor." with the sugar quills. She lean over against Kita, and dreamly said "Oh Kita, it was like nothing had changed with us. I was so normal, so natural, so magical." Turning to see Kita's reaction to the story. She couldn't help but smile. But she started to think about how things would between them, now. What if he had gotten his hands on the letter somehow? Would that change the way they were on the train? Or now that they were both starting to see new people? could they be friends at the least?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Syd (:

Listening to Ivory list off their options, Dallin frowned. Yes, they were all good ideas and would probably accomplish what they wanted to find out, but it would just be so much easier to stroll into the kitchen and find out what was going on.

So. Stake out the entrance, talk to the headmaster, or make a mess in the common room and hope the elves come to clean it up. Dallin immediately dismissed the second idea; he'd never spoken to the headmaster before and he didn't really want to start now. "The first or second option," he muttered, biting his lip. Even the first one didn't sound appealing. Staying in this horrible-smelling corridor until something came out of the kitchen?

But... he had seen the way she'd looked when she mentioned making a mess in the common room. She was a prefect after all and probably didn't want to go doing something she shouldn't do just to cure her curiosity. "What do you say we do?" he asked, looking at her and still chewing on his bottom lip. Maybe if they stayed down here to stake out the entrance the smell would get better...?

Distressed at their lack of options, Ivory began to pace slightly running through different scenarios in her head. "Your right, dismiss going to Tate. It's late." Didn't want to disturb his sleep and all that jazz. Besides she didn't want to scare him with coming into his office so late on the first day. It wasn't an emergency. At least not a life threatening one. Well, at least she hoped not.

"We could always...try tickling the pear anyway. See if by some off chance it lets us in?" At least then they'd know for sure they'd exhausted other avenues before doing something drastic.

Mickey stepped out of the common room to start going for a walk. She was quite bored, and was hoping she would bump into someone who could entertain her for a little while. Hopefully Fai would be around, Mickey hasn't seen her since they got off the train and went their seperate ways. She actually hasn't seen any of her friends since she left for the Hufflepuff table.

Watching Ivory pace, Dallin frowned. He was glad she agreed with not going to the headmaster. She didn't seem too keen on the other two ideas, though. So... what would they do?

Dallin leaned against the wall, thinking. At the prefect's suggestion he turned his head to look at the painting at the entrance to the kitchen. Tickle the pear? Pushing himself away from the wall he went over to the painting. After staring at it for a few seconds he reached out to tickle the pear. It giggled and moved a bit, as if thinking about doing something, but it stopped abruptly and went still again. The frown line on Dal's forehead got bigger and he tried again with the same results.

"It doesn't seem like it's gonna open." He said, turning back to Ivory.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Syd (:

Watching Ivory pace, Dallin frowned. He was glad she agreed with not going to the headmaster. She didn't seem too keen on the other two ideas, though. So... what would they do?

Dallin leaned against the wall, thinking. At the prefect's suggestion he turned his head to look at the painting at the entrance to the kitchen. Tickle the pear? Pushing himself away from the wall he went over to the painting. After staring at it for a few seconds he reached out to tickle the pear. It giggled and moved a bit, as if thinking about doing something, but it stopped abruptly and went still again. The frown line on Dal's forehead got bigger and he tried again with the same results.

"It doesn't seem like it's gonna open." He said, turning back to Ivory.

Oh fiddlesticks." The prefect cursed glumly as she crossed her arms again. Sighing, she straightened her back. "Alright I guess we could camp out here for the night," For lack of another word. Though thinking about it, did the word 'camp' entitle a tent? "Ooooor we could go ahead with the mess idea. I mean technically we don't have much to learn staying here, since thinking about it," she added sheepishly. "House elves can just apparate every where. So they have no need for the door," Nodding determinedly, she continued. "Besides if morning comes around and no house elves show up we can always just clean it up ourselves, right?"

"Fiddlesticks?" Dallin laughed, unable to stop himself. That was one he'd never heard before.

He looked around, nodding slowly. "We could..." Oh. Until she pointed that out. She was right, though, why would the elves use a door when they could just poof to wherever they wanted to be? "You wanna make the common room dirty, then?" There was a bit of a mischievous look in his eyes as he asked this.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Syd (:

"Fiddlesticks?" Dallin laughed, unable to stop himself. That was one he'd never heard before.

He looked around, nodding slowly. "We could..." Oh. Until she pointed that out. She was right, though, why would the elves use a door when they could just poof to wherever they wanted to be? "You wanna make the common room dirty, then?" There was a bit of a mischievous look in his eyes as he asked this.

Huh?

Turning her wide eyes on him, Ivory grinned. Ooh, right.

"Hey, it beats my old curse. I used to say 'Merlin's belly button lint.'" Shaking her head sadly, she turned the dramatic frown upside down. "It never went well with somber occasions." As could probably be imagined.

Eyeing the mischievous look in his eyes warily, she nodded. "Yes. Dirty-" she swallowed on the word a bit, stomping down second thoughts. "Enough to make the house elves want to clean." Holding up her pinky though, she looked him in the eye waiting for him to do the same. "But you have to promise we'll clean it up because if Professor V were to find out we didn't..." she gave a shudder and left that hanging. There was no need to elaborate on that, for sure.

Food. Sarah smelled food and she was hungry.

There were a few people standing in the corridor... Person, person, person that she vaguely remembers.

Yup. She knows that person. They only met briefly... who is that? Ah, now she remembers. That was... Alyssa. The girl who helped Sarah get through the barrier without dying a painful death of BOREDOM because of missing the Hogwarts Express.

Sarah walked up to her, "Hey, I never gave you my name. I'm Sarah Oliver." she smiled crookedly.

Alyssa turned when she heard a familiar voice. "Oh hi, Sarah. Did you sleep well? I know that I slept like a log. I'm waiting for the others to show up because I don't want to be first at the breakfast table. We definitely dont want people thinking that all I think about is food." she grinned at Sarah. "I'm definitely hungry and I hope that we'll have something to eat today, although from the weird smell I've been smelling coming from the kitchen, I think we might have a long wait again.

Kita blinked. The one she had poured her heart out on? That meant it was the worst right? The one that could start arguments, cause break-ups and make people cry? "Merlin!" she whispered, "Sounds important." Well, obviously! "Now i really hope it doesn't get into the wrong hands!" Imagine if it did. Someone like Carter or one of Caroline's evil sisters.

She couldn't. That was... understandable. Heck, if Kita had been in her shoes, she wouldn't have been able to go up to her ex and ask him whether he found one of her letters. Wait... Why was Caroline smiling at her like that? Did she... want something? "Er... Caroline?" she asked, looking at the girl with a confused expression on her face.

Oh goodie, story time! Food trolley? The story takes place by the food trolley? Well, obviously. All good stories take place in close contact to food! That's just the way things work! Kita looked at Caroline as the girl pulled out... a sugar quill? "Thanks," she chirped, taking a sugar quill and putting the end in her mouth. How they made up after their fight? "Er..." Caroline was asking the girl to remember. She was asking a FORGETFUL girl to remember.

SHINY?! Wait... "Merlin! He's been made Quidditch Captain!" she said, "But... are you trying out for Quidditch?" Carter was now her competition on the Quidditch pitch... admittedly, they had never played against each other but still. But imagine if Caroline made it onto the Slytherin team? Merlin! How was she meant to go against her best friend in a Quidditch match?!

Wait... Sugar quills were spilled on the floor?! WHAT A WASTE OF PERFECTLY GOOD SUGAR QUILLS!

Ahem!

Situation at hand. Wait... Toppling hugs? Landed on the floor? HUH?! "On top of the sugar quills?" she asked, trying to imagine the scene. And now the girl was leaning over towards her. Just... WHAAAAAAAAAT?! Wait... WHAT?! Normal? Natural? MAGICAL?! "Caroline, did you guys... kiss?" she asked. After all, that's how you know about these things right? A kiss. "Or did you just... have a moment." Another way to know.

Juniper notices Alyssa in the hallway and trys to catch up with her. "Hi, Alyssa. Do you want to sit together and get something to eat?" Looking hopeful, Juniper trys to catch up to Alyssa, who is speaking to another person.