She was bored. Yes bored. That should have been impossible in a castle like this but whith nobody to do anything with things could get a bit...dull. Ari had decided to go exploring but besides getting stuck on the moving staircase for a half an hour nothing exciting had happened while she was out on her expedition for fun. She had somehow found herself on the second floor and besides the talked suits of armour, there wasn't anything special about this floor...

Cora skipped down the hall. She couldn't even quite recall how she ended up here. She had been thinking about classes, which reminded her of Care of Magical Creatures which would start soon, which reminded her of her missing kitten, and then she thought about all the places in Hogwarts she hadn't explore yet.

It was simply an accident that she was on this floor. But Cora didn't mind. She was having another good day. She had made friends. Yes, she finally had friends, at least by Cora's definition.

As Cora smiled, she thought about Nora a bit. They said they were going to meet up at some point, but Cora hadn't seen her so far this year. She hoped Nora was doing well, and continued skipping, humming quietly to herself.

With Elijah still safely hidden in his favourite pocket of her robe, Nora decided against going outside that day, but instead wander around the castle, starting with the very familiar dungeons and going upstairs, one floor at a time. Heh, the girl spent so much time around the dungeons to get used to the creepy halls that she neglected the other floors, which were quite new to her. Well, she'd done her exploring at some point, but she'd still get lost if she walked around the upper floors for too long.

Once she got to the second floor, she giggled as she passed the entrance to the Headmaster's suite, but soon enough sighed, remembering that they now had a Headmistress, whom she hadn't really seen, other than the start of term feast. Well, she only hoped the woman wasn't a Dragon Lady number two.

... but something caught her attention, making her forget about everything that ran through her mind right then. "Cora!" She knew her jaw would soon hurt because of that grin, but she didn't caaaaare. Her name twin was there! "You're here!" Captain Obvious. Hopefully, Cora knew what she was talking about. She remembered the time they met during the holiday, when Cora hadn't been sure that her mother would let her come to Hogwarts, but there she was!

As Cora was just beginning to notice she was no longer heading towards the common room, she heard a familiar voice and spun around. NORA!!! Cora grinned and practically squealed, "Nora!"

She ran up and hugged Nora. It seemed like so long since they had talked about Cora coming back to school. And now she was indeed back. She had stopped after her initial "Nora", and now Cora was ready to try again.

"Hi Nora! How are you? I'm glad to see you!" Obviously Cora was glad. They were both being super obvious today. "And yeah, I'm back." Cora giggled. That sounded funny. Of course, they were talking to each other. Cora smiled, glad to be back.

Dustin had JUST heard about the talking suits of armor. And, like, how could that NOT be the coolest thing ever? He was racing down the second floor corridor, on his way to find the suits, when he caught sight of that girl from the feast....what was her name again? Or...had he even learned her name? What was a name, anyway?

He slowed down a bit, letting everything process, but quickly returned to his previous speed, grabbing MissFeast along the way. "Can't talk. Must. Suits. Armor," he panted, in attempt to explain.

Nora couldn't help but grin when she heard Cora's squeal, but she was also a bit surprised when the girl ran and hugged her. It's not like she minded, though, because she was a hugger, but most of the time afraid of others' reactions if she hugged everyone. Still, she cheerfully hugged Cora back, her jaw already hurting because of that face splitting grin on her face.

"I'm good. And doing even better now, it's good to see you back here!" Perhaps her mother realised that, no matter for how long she waited, there would always be something going on at Hogwarts, so she might as well never send her daughter there, which was silly. "How about you? Glad to be back?" She smirked a little. Hehe.

While strolling throughout the corridor Ari noticed an object that was approaching fast....and right at her. Squinting her eyes so she could make out the object, she finally recognized it as that boy from the feast she had been talking to. Why on earth was he running so fast and where to?

As he got closer, Ari feared that he was going to crash into her, "Hey! Watch ou- WOAH!" She was cut off as the boy ran past her and grabbed onto her arm, dragging her with him and panting about armor or something.... "Where on earth are we going?!?!"

Cora giggled. "Yep, I'm glad to be here. Some people are even nicer than I remembered." She stopped to remember the girl who picked up her book, and the boy who helped her with her fertilizer bucket. And the other girl who helped her up after she fell over. She really needed to stop doing that.

"I've been a bit clumsy lately." It wasn't so much clumsy as easily startled, but oh well. "But classes are mostly good, too. Although I don't know about Defense against the Dark Arts. I even get to help Professor Newlin with the knarls in the barn." Cora smiled, happy to be working with animals.

"How have your classes been?" Cora really had so many questions but couldn't ask them all at once. "Happy to see some of your friends again?" Cora's only friends from first year who she still talked to were Elliot and Nora, but she had made a few more.

Clumsy? She smiled at that, because it seemed that Cora had no idea how Nora could be sometimes. Since she was left handed, it seemed that she had two right hands from time to time.

When she heard about classes... "Do you need help with Defence Against the Dark Arts?" It happened to be one of her favourite classes, so she'd be more than glad to help. "I take it you're having a good time?" If she said that others were nice to her and classes went well... Nora was happy to know.

And her classes? "They've been okay. Good thing we don't have to take the flying classes after the first year." Pffft. She was awful at flying. And, well, she took it during her second year, since that was her first one at Hogwarts, but that was all. As for her other question... "Yep," she grinned. "Even happier to see my name twin here." Heheee.

"I'm just a bit intimidated by it, I guess. But I could definitely use help." Cora wasn't sure how Nora could help her, even if Nora was great at it. Cora just didn't want to hurt ANYTHING, and this would no doubt be a problem.

"Most of my classes are good. People are really helpful. And there's this boy I met in Herbology," Cora blushed. "He was really sweet and helped me move my bucket of fertilizer." It was nothing. He had just helped her because she was weak and she would never see him again. That's all. Cora could still feel her cheeks getting warm, and got a bit embarrassed.

Cora laughed at Nora's comment. "I WISH we were taking flying lessons again," she said with a smile. "I was actually GOOD at that. No quidditch for me though." Cora hoped she would be good at some of her classes. She knew that Nora would understand the whole no quidditch thing. Cora just couldn't be that aggressive or competitive.

"So, what have you been up to?" Cora asked politely, eager to know more about Nora's everything.

Nora knew perfectly well how rude or nosy of her it was, but she couldn't help it, no matter how hard she tried; she had to smirk at Cora when she started blushing while mentioning something about a really sweet boy in her Herbology class. "Who is that boy?" Nora was in full teasing mode. Hehe.

As for the flying class... "Well, you can still attend, can't you?" Of course she could. Nora was just glad that those days were over, and she didn't want to get anywhere near a broomstick. Neverrrrr. Besides, all those things professor Vindictus made them do... pffft. As if being terrified of heights was not enough.

"Me?" Err... yes, you, a voice echoed in her head. "I just feel like time passes so quickly while I do nothing at all, to be honest." And the OWLs were getting close... but she didn't want to think about them. Wouldn't want to risk Gwen overhearing their conversation and see that Nora was actually starting to get nervous.

Uh oh. Cora knew she had said too much. It was only natural for Nora to want to press for more now. "Well, his name is Ethan. And he helped me in Herbology. I wasn't strong enough. He's really nice, but it's nothing really." It wasn't anything. But Cora was still looking forward to the next Herbology class. She knew she wasn't fooling Nora, but she continued anyway.

"Yes, I suppose I could. I understand you not wanting to do it anymore. I do get rather nervous with a broom anyway." Cora did not want Nora feeling bad, and tried to fix things a bit.

Cora knew how Nora felt about time moving quickly. She didn't really put much thought into it, though. "I know how you feel," she said. "But what do you mean by 'while I do nothing'? Is that anything I could help with?" Cora was curious as to what was bothering her friend. She would help with ANYTHING.

Helped her in Herbology? Well, that surely was nice of this Ethan guy, because Nora knew well enough how challenging some things could be in that class. She couldn't stop smirking, though. "Mmmmhmm." Of course she believed Cora that there was nothing. That's why she blushed when she mentioned him. Heheee.

As she heard what Cora said next, Nora huffed. "Pfft. Me being nervous would be the understatement of the century," she giggled. She'd rather describe it as the most terrifying experience in her life. Flying, that is. She wondered how Apparition would be.

At Cora's next question, Nora found herself shrugging. "It feels like I have many things to do and not enough time... I think." And she knew that the OWLs were just some other exams. They were just special because they had a name, such as the NEWTs in the seventh year. But they were juuuust exams. Not the end of the world.

Nora's smirk made Cora slightly embarrassed. It was Cora who volunteered this information though, so she had no one to blame but herself. Cora was just thinking about their latest encounter in Hogsmeade.

"You know what I do when I have too much to do?" Cora offered. "I sing." She smiled. "It may not help 100% with the work, but it helps to stay calm and focused. Or humming." Cora realized this may not be what Nora wanted to hear so she added, "If you ever want a hand getting anything done, I have two of them." Cora joked. But seriously, she loved to help people.

"We should go out on an adventure sometime when you want to take a brea from being busy," Cora said. Well, not really an ADVENTURE, but go somewhere to maybe take a walk, or just chat. Cora smiled, hoping that she would have a calming effect on Nora.

HA! Since Cora didn't say anything else about that boy, it only meant that she might actually like him! But Nora was not that cruel, so she decided to let the subject go. Surely the girl will tell her anything if there is anything worth telling?

"Singing!" She exclaimed happily, after listening to what Cora told her. "I love to sing and dance!" And, truth be told, she wasn't awful at it, either. Perhaps her dancing could be compared to a six year old's, but she was far from breaking glasses and windows with her voice, so it was acceptable. "You just helped a lot," she giggled at her joke. "Thank you."

As for the going out idea... "That would be great," she grinned. "Maybe on a Hogsmeade weekend? I'm running out of sweets." Heheee.

He was in a hurry, but he decided that it might be a good idea to fill her in on what his plan was. Er well...plan? LOL what is that?

He slowed down just a little bit to be able to say, "Talking armor. Must chat."

And then, unexpectedly, he decided to stop dead in his tracks.

"Have you heard about them?" he asked, still trying to recover his breath. "There are talking. suits. of. armor. HOW COOL IS THAT?! I've always wanted to talk to one. I wonder what they're like. What should we ask them?!"

OHHHHHH he was getting giddy! The energy was building up again...

Oh! Nora liked singing too. Cora wasn't an INCREDIBLE singer, but she had been told she was good. "I'm glad you like to sing too. I used to take singing lessons and ballet lesson. Now I just like to sing or dance for fun in my room. Turns out my ballet lessons payed off, too, in Defense Against the Dark Arts. All that yoga requires some balance. I'm lucky I at least had THAT part under control." Cora did not really want to be talking about that class.

"A Hogmeade trip sounds like fun." Cora was NOT one to pass up sweets. "I could buy out the all of Honeydukes if you left me there long enough." Cora giggled. "If you're not busy now, we could head for a walk or something." Cora suggested. She tried not to sound too enthusiastic. She didn't want Nora to feel like she had to go somewhere. Cora was perfectly fine staying here, or leaving, or whatever. It was just like Cora to try to put the decision on the other person. "Whatever you want, really," she added, in case her original tone was not clear enough.

Ooooh, she had singing and ballet lessons? That was pretty awesome! Nora only learned how to play the piano, but that was something, wasn't it? As for the rest... she sang and danced where no one could see or hear her. For their own good, that is. Hehe. "I actually like the yoga in the Defence Against the Dark Arts class," she giggled. "Well, except for the boat position." Now THAT was an awful and rather painful one.

"A walk sounds good," Nora grinned. "I could use some fresh air." And so would Elijah, who was still behaving like a good lizard and remained in his favourite pocket of her robes. Should she reveal the little creature? Would Cora freak out? Maybe she should wait until they were out... "Why don't you lead the way?"

Minerva made it as far as the corridor and she couldn't go any further. She was happy to be far enough away that Maxwell and bratty Elliot wouldn't see her so upset. Plus it was a plus that maybe Ethan wouldn't see her cry like a stupid little girl either. She leaned against a wall and let the tears free. Why was he such a jerk.. She didn't do anything to him and he had a new girlfriend so what was his big problem. Minerva couldn't figure it out and really didn't care to at the moment. She just wanted to calm down before seeing any of the other students.

Ethan moved swiftly through the corridor with his head spinning somewhat from recent events. So many conflicting emotions were swirling around in his mind that it was hard to focus on any of them. He did his best to push everything to the far corner of his mind so he could focus on the one thing that mattered most - his friend was upset and he needed to make sure she was alright. Green eyes searched the corridor for any sign of Minerva, as he moved along the corridor, until they landed on a figure up ahead leaning against the wall.

Ethan slowed his pace until he stopped in front of the Puff. Oh, Merlin, she was crying... The boy's face fell a bit and he swallowed hard. Crying girls made him especially uncomfortable. "I... just wanted to make sure you were alright," he started slowly. Well, obviously she wasn't... but he didn't really know what else to say. Things had escalated so fast at the party... he tried to wrap his mind around it all... but it was such a blur of events.

He saw a few tears roll down Minerva's face. Maybe she just needed some time to herself to work out her own emotions. "If you'd rather be alone... I understand. Just say the word."

Minerva heard footsteps coming near her, but tried to hide her face hoping they would just pass. How could Maxwell have turned so cold towards her, it wasn't like she meant to leave this summer and why did it matter anymore they weren't together and he had a few girlfriends since then anyway.

That's when she heard the voice that made her feel even lower, Ethan had followed her. She didn't only get humiliated by Maxwell and Elliot calling out her crush on him, but she showed a horrible side of her pulling a wand and then slapping Maxwell. Looking up at Ethan she tried to dry her face with her hands. "I..I'm fine, really.. Sorry about that." She wasn't sure what else to say or if she should explain anything about what had just happened. "No..NO you don't need to leave me alone, I just needed to leave there before I did something that made me lose points or get detention. That was not an option in her eyes, no one was worth points lost.

"ummm.. you probably got that Maxwell is an ex and that's where all the tension from Elliot and I kind of started from." she shrugged trying to explain a little at least. "They had no right even being there. Elliot hates all Hufflepuffs and especially Laura, so she had no reason to even be there and Maxwell doesn't even know Laura." She glared back the way they had just come. "I just feel bad they ruined Laura's birthday." Yuup just going ignore the liking comments.. That sounded good to her at the moment. Looking up at Ethan she felt the blush coming back in her face. She had to look horrid after just crying.

An eerie echo wafted down the corridor on the second floor:

Ethan raised an eyebrow. Mm, no.. she was most definitely not fine as she said. But he was sure there was more to it than a poor-in-taste joke gone a little too far.. because he didn't believe she would have reacted like she did if that were the case. The fifth year merely stood back and listened as Minerva did her best to explain. He said nothing while she talked, though eyebrows lifted again when she called Maxwell an ex. "You dated that guy?" he asked when she finished, with a touch of incredulity in his voice. So the guy wasn't trying to be funny.. or maybe he was, but it was clear he was trying to be mean to Minerva with his she's into you comment. He didn't really get all the venom that seemed to be present after relationships ended... if it's over, it's over. Why carry the resentment? Although he didn't know what went down between the two of them.. "Must've been a bad breakup," he mumbled. And that would make sense about the tension between her and Elliot.. at least he now knew he wasn't imagining it. Yet, that didn't explain why they were always found together.

Shrugging that thought away, he thought about what she had said next - Elliot hates Hufflepuffs. Ethan wasn't sure that was true. He didn't get the sense that she had crashed the party.. "Wasn't she invited though?" he asked slowly. Laura was a Puff.. and they must've been friends for Elliot to celebrate her birthday, right? He nodded as Minnie said she felt bad about the party.. he did too. "Yeah.. that really sucks that her birthday got ruined." He knew it wasn't his fault, but felt slightly responsible as he had been put in the middle of the scene that caused the birthday girl to run away. Though he did feel that it was a bit dramatic.

"Well.. I'm glad you're alright," he said, noting that she seemed far calmer than she had a few minutes ago. Though it was still evident she had been crying, he saw as he looked at her for a moment. Was she into him? The lovebirds' words still echoed in his ear. Minnie did seem to blush a lot when he was around.. but a lot of girls did. He figured that was just a girl thing..

Minerva made a sarcastic laugh, "Well if you can believe it Maxwell was a nice guy at one point, but ever since he has been with Elliot he has become a jerk." she shook her head. She couldn't believe how much he had changed and why he hated her so much anymore. Minerva then shrugged without looking up, "Well.. I don't know how you define bad, but my first year my parents and little brother had died in a plane crash going back to the states. Since then I have been living with my wizard cousins, but right before term ended my cousin decided she couldn't handle being 28 taking care of a 14 year old, so I went to live with my muggle grandparents in the States. I left kind of without warning, because I didn't even know I was leaving. I came back to school late after convincing my grandparents I had to come back, by the time I came back Maxwell had dated my best friend and was actually flirting with Elliot when I found him." she glared down the corridor towards him. "I've moved on, so I don't know why they think it's necessary to always pull mean things on me when they are around." She shook her head not believing she had just spilled all that and then blushed hoping he wouldn't mind her telling him so much.

Minerva couldn't help but give a chuckle when he asked about Elliot and Laura, "Oh no they do not like each other, I'm assuming Elliot was invited because of Laura's mom and Elliot's mom being friends." She then shrugged, "I think me being there to annoy was just an added bonus for her." Minerva looked down, she knew she didn't help anything by her attitude towards either of them, but how were you nice to people who hated you. "Sorry for throwing you in the middle of this all the time. I feel like every time you are around Elliot shows up.." Then she thought of Laura, "I will find her later and hopefully fix her birthday before the day is over."

Then she looked up, should she say anything about what was said or just leave it. He probably would just walk away from her if she admitted what Maxwell had said. Looking back at the ground she felt super nervous. Fidgeting with her fingers she looked up at Ethan, "Ethan.. I'm sorry for what happened back there. I..I'm never mean to people..Yes I can have a little temper when pushed, but I'm usually not mean to anyone." she felt the blush coming back, "and well.. what Maxwell said that started this..sorry about that." she wimped out in saying the truth..