Kennedy warily made his way down to the duck pond. He hasn't been to this part of the grounds for a reason, but since Aurora wanted to meet here he gave in. Really, when wouldn't he give in when it came to her. Silly boy.

He grinned as he approached the pond and heard her humming. "That's a pretty melody- ", he didn't get to finish his statement. A group of three ducks waddled their way between him and his girlfriend...

...

Gah! Those things were EVIL!

He stepped backwards and waved. Kennedy was NOT getting near those yellow, evil birds.

Taryn was well pleased. "They totally like me." Though she had stopped bringing Clara with her, which had made the ducks feel more comfortable. Or so Taryn thought, she couldn't actually talk to them or anything. "But I think they need NAMES. Do you suppose the groundskeeper has named them?"

Maybe that was a good excuse to go bother look at talk to him... HEHE!

"That's why I brought extra." She pulled one out and handed it to him. How many? "People or ducks?" Taryn laughed, "I'm not sure, I would think they would be migrating soon or something.." Or did the groundskeeper have other plans for these ducks?

Aurora was still throwing bread for the ducks and smiled as she heard Kennedy's voice. She turned to see him step away from her... Seriously..? Ducks? She raised an eyebrow. "They're not going to hurt you..." she said, trying not to smile. Then she placed a few breadcrumbs in her hand and held it out flat. One of the older ducks came right up to her and started eating the crumbs from her palm. She giggle and looked back to Kennedy. "Look, see! Come oooon, sit down." He could always get his wand out if it made him feel better... though she didn't see why. The ducks were funny!

Jez giggled. "I'm glad you still think so." She kissed him lightly on the cheek. "And to answer your question, Mr Stone, it was a matter of great sensitivity which your law-abiding ears won't like to hear." She paused. "He tried to sell amulets that were supposed to protect you against vampires or werewolves, I forget which. Actually they just made your skin turn blue and your legs dance the Irish jig uncontrollably. I should know, I tried one on, after another couple hundred people. I told the Wizengamot Kieran didn't know they were cursed, exactly what I told them for Lex about the stolen cauldrons. They owe me a few more debts." Yep, a few more bails.

She rolled onto her back, still looking at Nate. Suddenly she couldn't keep her secrets anymore. "Nate," she said softly. "If I told you I ... stole stuff, during the holidays, would you still think I'm adorable?" She bit her lip, wincing as she remembered picking pockets and nicking stuff out of Muggle shops. She regretted it all, but it was a hard choice she had to live with.

Jory met up with Ari at the Duck Pond. He had neatly wrapped the framed photo he had just created. He hoped she would like it.

“Hey, Ari,’’ he said after he spotted her sitting and throwing crumbs for the ducks. He sat next to her and gave her a one armed hug. He had also brought some bread for the ducks which he started to crumble into pieces. Instantly, a duck swam over. He had a feeling it was the same duck that followed him that day he was with Gwen here.

“Haven’t seen you in a while. How are you?’’ Jory asked throwing some crumbs into the pond. He was stalling giving Ari the photo. He didn’t know why, Ari was a good friend after all. “What if she doesn’t like it?’’ kept repeating in his head.

Ari and Jory chatted on for a while. Still Jory didn’t give Ari the present. Not wanting to wait until she asked why he had something wrapped up, Jory blurted out “I’ve got a present for you, Ari.’’

Ari looked surprised. “Its not occasion,’’ Jory replied to her question and bewildered look. “It’s just a little something to for you to remember. Especially after the trip.’’ Jory handed her the almost neatly wrapped present- he was no good at doing stuff like that.

He watched Ari pull off the paper, feeling even more nervous. For a while Ari just stared at the photo and Jory thought she hated it. “I…er made the frame myself. I hope you like it,’’ he told her, silently willing her to like it.

He waited for her reaction.

Nate couldn't help but chuckle. "Jezabel, there is no way I'm law-abiding. Remember, we duel every day. That's against the rules. As for you being adorable, I don't see how there is any direct causation between thievery and adorableness. Perhaps there could be a correlation, but not a causation. That question, my friend, is irrelevant!" he said, returning the kiss to the cheek. "So, yes. I undoubtedly would."

Aspen had learned Taryn's schedule and knew it as well as she knew her own. It often came in handy, and today was no exception. Admittedly, she hadn't calculated that August might also be with her friend- but Aspen probably should have.

Since August was her boooooyfriend.


She approached the Gryffindor and Slytherin from behind and sort of hovered quietly.... Aspen didn't want to interrupt, so she'd just wait until they noticed her. If they noticed her.

"Well it's good that they like you. An old friend of mine was bitten by a duck once it wasn't very plesant I hear." he chuckled and then felt horrible as the image of one of these ducks biting his girlfriend. That would not be good at all.

"Names? How on earth will we name them all? We don't even know which ones are the boys and which are the girls." he said incrediously. She was a tad barking today wasn't she? He took a cookie as he waited for her response, completely unaware of the newcomer who was hovering behind them.

Ryan wandered down to the Duck Pond with his guitar and sat down.He started to play a song he learnt back last year.Uh,it sucked when he was in first Year but now he could just relax as a Second Year and earn points for the marvellous Gryffindor.

"That's terrible!" The thought of one of the ducks biting her had never even occurred to Taryn. That was such an awful thing! She did NOT want to be bitten by a duck. She tossed a pout in his direction. If a duck was about to attack her, obviously he should sacrifice himself for her safety. Wasn't that what boyfriends DID?

Errr... right. That was a bit problematic. Taryn took a cookie for herself and bit off a little piece, chewing thoughtfully. "Maybe there's a way to tell without snooping too much... this is definitely something that Aspen would know." As she spoke, she caught sight of the person behind them from the corner of her eye.

"Speaking of.." She waved at her BFF! "You're a bit creepy for a Ravenclaw, you know." She grinned and offered the girl a cookie.

Being 'creepy'... might have secretly bothered Aspen before. But instead of shying away from that descriptor, Aspen looked away.... off to the castle with a little secret grin on her lips.

"I know," Aspen agreed. Griiiiiiin.


...


"Hello, August," she greeted the Gryffindor, not quiiiiite gotten around to look at him yet. "I didn't know you would be here." But he was, so hiiiii. She was off in la-la land and sort of drifted away without really meaning to.

Jez smiled back, basking in the warm moment for the time being. Well, the emotionally warm moment; physically, it was cold. November sucked, because it was cold without being cold enough for snow. Jez glanced up at the sky, lifting her hand straight up to trace around the outline of a cloud. "Hippogriff," she mumbled. "Or a teapot." Her arm wavered and fell across her stomach, her breathing slowed in a way it can only achieve if a person is extremely relaxed, and her eyelids fluttered, threatening to close. Jez wasn't quite asleep, but rather half-dozing, still gazing at the sky, thinking dreamily about life and death and weird things that people only stop to think of when they're in the twilight time between awake and dreaming.

Kennedy EYED the ducks. He was watching them. M'hm.

Then he stared at what his girlfriend was doing. She was feeding them. "They... you don't know that," he said, still inching toward the tree behind him. If he climbed up there they wouldn't reach him for sure. He stared at the ducks eating from Aurora's hand which caused flashback to resurface.

SHUDDER.

Okay, so the ones here didn't seem dangerous, but that's what he thought the last time he encountered ducks. Slowly, he began to inch closer to Aurora, but avoided the ducks at all times. He took a crumb from the ground and threw it far from him causing some ducks run toward it. "I hope they don't come back," he said, sitting down next to her.

Kennedy wrapped his arm around her, bringing Aurora closer to him and kissed her cheek. He liked it when they were like this...and no ducks.

Nate simply smiled over at Jez. It turned out he was right: he still thought she was adorable. "Definitely a hippogriff," he conceded with a small smile. Despite the cold, this was one of those moments that Nate, Jez, and Pam didn't get to experience so often anymore. Sadly, Pam had missed this one, too. Jez's arm falling snapped Nate back to a more aware state, and he looked over at Jez again to see her eyes dreamily unfocused, staring at the sky. "Hey, we still need to send that letter..." he said quietly. "Elijah, commere." The owl fluttered and landed on Nate's chest, the letter already in his beak. "Good boy. Take it to Kieran, and be fast, okay?" Elijah seemed to nod at Nate before taking off and speeding off.

"Nevermind, Jez, I took care of it..." Nate said, watching his small owl fly off to the horizon as his hand slid across and took hold of Jez's.

Zhenya skipped down to one of her favourite places at the Hogwarts Grounds.. The Duck Pond. She had a full loaf of bread to feed the little quackers and a book, just in case she got bored. But she loved sitting with the ducks, with her legs in the pond.

Laura was walking around trying to figure out where she was going to go next when she suddenly saw Zhenya. "Zhenya!!!!!!!!!!!!" Laura screamed as she ran upto her friend for life. "Where have you been?" Seriously Laura hadn't seen her since talking to her in the girls bathroom. "What have you been doing lately?"

Zhenya had a bit of a shock when she heard someone calling her name. The voice was familiar... she turned around and saw... "LAURA!" Zhenya screamed back. She gave Laura a big hug and sat back down, clearing a space for Laura to sit if she wanted. she had better lol

Zhenya tore a chunk of the bread from the loaf and handed it to Laura. "I've been studying in the Slytherin common room," she said. "Oh I wish you were a snake too! And I've just been busy in lessons. Finishing homework..." she said, in a daze.
"How about you? I haven't seen you much either. Well, obviously," she said and laughed. Her face still had a small bruising on it, and the scratch was healing but apart from that, she was dirt-free.

Laura sat down next to her friend for life Zhenya. "I've been busy." Laura sighed as she took the chink of bread Zhenya gave her, before going into her bag and getting out a parcel with some chocolate cake in, she was hoping Lana had gotten her parcel, though why their mother had made two she didn't know. "My mother made me and Lana one each." Laura giggled. "But I couldn't eat it all on my own, you should share with me." Laura smiled.

Laura looked at Zhenya. "I wish you was a Badger, it would be fun, I also wish you was a first year." Laura sighed, seriously Zhenya would leave a year before she did and what would she do in that year, Laura had no idea.

Laura took out the Defence against the Dark Arts book and smiled before opening the first page. "Vant, I Vont to Know is Vhy the Professor thinks reading the Defence against the Dark Arts book is important." Laura sighed, of course Zhenya probably didn't know what she was on about but well it didn't matter.

Zhenya poked Laura's arm and said "Don't worry about me leaving a year before you. We can still hand out at Summer, and then I can meet you at Hogsmeade. And when you finish we can hang out ALL the time! What do you want to do when you finish, anyway?"

She saw that Laura had chocolate cake and her eyes lit up. She took a small piece and ate it, "Oh that's so good," she said. Truly, it was amazing. "Your mum likes to cook?" she asked.

There was a book - "How come you got that book? Maybe you're just really bad at DADA," Zhenya said, with sarcasm, laughing as she said it. "Oh I'm joking. Maybe she thought you would be interested in it?" she thought.

Laura looked at Zhenya and smiled. "I know it's just well, why couldn't you be in your first year." Laura sighed. "That is true, and I have no idea what I want to do when I have grown up, at the minute all I want too do is stay a child for as long as I can."

Laura looked at Zhenya and laughed. "Sometimes she does, but then other times she doesn't, I tried cooking once when I was 6 but well let's say mummy wasn't happy with the mess I made, it was suppost to be a suprise for her." Well her mother was suprised alright.

Laura giggled at what Zhenya said next. "We sort of had a conversation about why I shouldn't be forced too read the Defence against the Dark Arts book because it is boring." Laura sighed. "And she said I had to read the first chapter and write a summory about it or I will lose points, well she's going to be in for a bit of a suprise with the summory." Laura didn't want to tell Zhenya anymore because she didn't want Zhenya to get into trouble when she did.

Zhenya remembered her first year. She missed a lot of great lessons, and it took her a while to get the hang of School. She liked this year much better. More lessons, and Laura! More friends.
"Hmm.. maybe we will end up working together one day," she said.

Zhenya laughed, "I have the same problem. I'm only allowed in the kitchen to cook on my birthday, but that's more to lick the cookie dough bowl! It's fun though, except for when a speck of food gets out of the bowl. My mother goes crazy," she laughed.

"Wow, hopefully you don't lose any points. Maybe you will get points for writing it." then she laughed - "Do you get in much trouble with the teachers? She remembered her saying something about the Healer... "Were you in trouble with the healer a while ago?" she asked.

"Yeah of course I did. Why wouldn't I?" he asked. Then he smiled. "Good to hear." he said, kissing the top of her head. He then frowned a little. What about Taylor?! He liked her too...but not as much as Ella. But he still liked her. He sighed and thought about it. He couldn't have both of them...he could only have one. He looked down at Ella and blinked. She was the one. Deffinitely. He smiled at her and pulled her closer, tightening his arms that were wrapped around her. He dreaded the moment he'd have to let go.

Laura smiled at Zhenya. "Well if I do it won't be my fault." Laura then giggled. "Oh she just threatened too take 50 points off me for defending a friend." Laura sighed, "I seriously couldn't believe it, she's not very nice but i'm hoping to stay out of her way now." Laura smiled at Zhenya. "Have you ever been in trouble?"

"Bye Elijah," Jordan muttered tiredly, watching the owl fly away. He caught another duckling waddling it's way from the pond. He scrambled up and ran after it and returned it to the pond.

That was before he noticed a small note land on front of him, he looked up at Nate and Jez. "I think you need to look at this..." he said, opening the note slowly.



"That's a nice touch," he muttered looking at the small picture of Benjy.

Ella was beyond happy. Logan had enjoyed the kiss too and she didn't have to wonder or worry anymore. She felt like some immense weight had been lifted off her shoulders and it was wonderful. Then, Ella heard Logan sigh and she felt his arms pull her closer. Wondering if something was wrong, she glanced up at his face. He was smiling and she smiled back warmly. "Everything okay, Logan?" She didn't want to ruin the moment but she was a little concerned.