"Yeah...." She knew that. Grace figured that Sophie really didn't recognize her. That was funny actually. But they hadn't seen each for a while. The girl had been at Hogwarts a whole year whilst Grace had been at home. "Kinda..." She did with a nod. "I wanted to be like my mom." And her best friends too. If she could have been in a house with Hayley it would have been so much fun. But she wasn't. And that was that. But they were still going to be in their lessons together. Ava wasn't in her house either, which was kind of disappointing too. But she'd live.

"Oh... I haven't had a reply yet.... I owled her yesterday." Well actually she had owled her Step-father. She was still kind of worried about what her mother would think. But her dad was a slytherin. So it really shouldn't have mattered too much.

Anddd finally Sophie recognized her. "I think so?" She shrugged, smiling at the girl. "I think...our parents went to school together."

Poor oak! He looked so disappointed about the whole ghost thing. She could always help him, you know? Ghost hunting actually sounded like FUN! And with a Professor that took away the possibility of getting into any trouble at all. Now THIS was a good idea.

"We could go ghost hunting, Professor?" Say yes say yes say yes!

Head scratch. Was the eye rolling necessary? Abbi got more than enough of that from a certain other someone. Pshhhht. Eye rollers. Soon there eyeballs would fall out.

"No, no. You look professional." She smiled about innocently at him. "What's the hardest potion you've ever made?" She was allowed to ask that right?

.........."no."

Wait--what was that--guilt?! Was he actually feeling guilty because he turned an excited little girl--he couldn't believe it, he was saying the word already: "Maybe." Maybe. Maybe Cosgrach was losing his mind and showing someone 30 years younger than him some... affection. Giving her some credit.

Could he even survive here?

Well, he was relieved, thank you. Merlin! He nearly snapped back, but held his tongue, and answered to the question instead.

"Felix Felicis," he said, and it was his favourite too.

"Do you like potions?"

.........Nuuuuu. He needed to say--oh..he said maybe. That was a start.

Her smile just grew some more and with that she gave him little puppy eyes, you know the ones when you really wanted to get something from someone. "Maybe some other time?" She asked letting him off for now. She'd convince him, she would, just not today.

Ohhh. Now that was an interesting one. The lucky potion. "Are you ever going to teach that to us?" Cause it would be AWESOME. "We could all use some luck, you know?" SEE what she did there? Clever, no?

Now did she? Hmmmmm.."It's like baking and I like baking. So yesh. Mostly." She nodded at him.

"Whoa, I know you," Sophie said, displaying that look of recognition most people have when they finally recognize a familiar face. "Sorry I didn't recognize you before. Blame it on Arithmancy." Because it literally killed all her brain cells last term. It was fun, though. Where was French anyway?

"Oh, ...well, sorry you didn't get the house you wanted," she said. She would normally grin and say some sarcastic comment about how Slytherin was the very best house, but...she'd spare that this time. "You ended up in a really cool house anyway. Caleb and I are there, too." GRIN.

"Oh, a surprise to your mom then. Caleb and I surprised our parents, too. My dad freaked out, which is only a shame because I didn't get to see it," Sophie said. BUMMER. Speaking of parents... "Yeah, I think they did go to school together. Makes them seem really old now that we're here." Even though they weren't really old.



HAIIIII, Professor Culloden!

Sophie grinned and waved at the man from a little ways down the corridor.

Yeeeeeeah. Maybe. Possibly. He didn't know. He chose to keep silent.

Felix Felicis? He laughed.

"I'm afraid not," he said, "not in a few terms anyway." Would he even be allowed to teach something so advanced? Were there rules to his curriculum? Questions he had to ask to Annie. Though, if she didn't say anything...

Baking?! He let out a deep breath and closed his eyes. Baking. She was comparing delicate potion science with baking--

"I'm glad you like it." Yep, as long as she liked it, she was allowed to like it in whatever way she chose to.


A motion caught his eye, and he saw Sophie Newell at the corridor. He waved back at her. He did a good job of 'winning her heart', then, judging by the grin.

Phew. He smiled back.

This was awkward.

This entire talk just turned awkward. Only because Jun got annoyed too fast at Lottie. Which wasn't out of the ordinary for him. He got annoyed at anyone really. But when Lottie denied the lollipop, he was actually surprised. Jun just nodded and put it away. Okay, he had to break the tension between them or else things might get worse. See him later? Jun hadn't even moved from where he was sitting. Not even to look towards the potions lab he had been heading towards earlier. Jun just kept looking at Lottie; only because she wasn't really looking at him. Sighing, Jun ruffled his hair a bit and stretched out his legs.

"Look, I'm sorry about what I said earlier. It just feels that way because you get mad at anything I tell you," Which was sometimes true. But he was the one who provoked it anyway. Still, it made him feel weird and strange. He didn't like it at all. "How about we go somewhere else and not stay in these corridors? How about the grounds?" Maybe then Lottie could remember the password. Getting to his feet, Jun dusted himself off and offered a hand to her. Hoping she'd take it.

She could feel his eyes on her but she just tried her hardest to pretend like he wasn't just waiting for her to do something. Why was he staring at her anyway? Didn't he have somewhere he needed to be already?

But when he started talking and he was apologizing, she got really confused. She was pretty sure this whole thing was all her fault and now he was being nice and she just didn't understand. Charlotte stayed quiet for a bit, trying to figure out if she was supposed to accept the apology or not. "I don't mean to get mad. I try not to get mad, actually..it just doesn't work." So maybe one day she'd go to anger management classes but for now there was nothing she could do about it. "I don't...not like you." Because telling him she liked him to his face was just far too weird for her.

She finally looked up at him now and she watched as he got up and offered her a hand. She supposed if he was willing to pretend like things hadn't just gotten weird then she could too. Charlotte took his hand and stood up, making sure to let go of his hand once she was balanced. "Thanks." She kind of smiled at him a tiny bit and then looked down the hallway towards the staircase. "Let's go outside then?" She doubted walking around would help much but at least being outside was better than staying on the grimy dungeon floor. And she had been wanting to make it to the lake since she had gotten to Hogwarts. Walking down the corridor, she decided it would be best not to tell Jun where she was headed. As long as she didn't push him in the water, she didn't see why he could just be around it.

Fern exited the potions classroom in a hurry, but as soon as she entered the dungeon, she immediately took up a much slower pace. Had Professor Culloden noticed her rude departure? Fern hadn't dared look at him as she was leaving, so she didn't know for sure if he had seen her or not, but it wasn't as if he had verbally called her out on not saying good bye. That meant...that HAD to mean he hadn't seen her. She had snuck out under the radar.

Oh, Fern hoped so. Guilt gnawing at her gut, the second year stared down at the cauldron loaded with supplies in her hands. This had definitely not been her best class ever. First she had made a fool of herself in front of Ella, then she gave an incorrect answer, then that idiot Bart made her mess up her potion, then that idiot Slytherin boy beat her to volunteering, then both of those idiots farted and belched only a few feet away from where she sat, and then WORSE OF ALL, she nearly spat out her potion like a real sissy.

"I'm not a sissy!" Fern cried, and she kicked the dank dungeon wall. Then she kicked it again.

Well that was encouraging. No smiles, no answer no nothing. EH. She'd ask him again, another time. She'd make sure of it.

So no Felix Felicis? No luck for them then. Seemed like Professor Potions wanted to keep the luck all to himself for now. Didn't he ever watch barney as a toddler? Sharing was caring you know?

"Is it because you don't think we deserve to be lucky?"She asked frankly, feeling there was nothing wrong with what she had just said. And she didn't trust his whole 'In a few terms' story. He hadn't agreed to her maybe earlier so HOW was she supposed to trust that?

"I do." Now could she get an O for when she did OWLs in a few years? Nudge. nudge. Wink. Wink. "Why'd you come teach here?" She wanted to know.

Excuse me? Cosgrach checked her robes again: Gryffindor. Of course. Only those were ridiculously brave and couldn't know where to stop. So, instead of snapping at her, he shrugged.

"I think you should deserve your luck by yourself." Which was true, actually. "And the potion takes months to brew." He couldn't teach only one potion during the whole school year, after all.

Could they move on? He didn't want to discuss what to teach with a little Gryffindor, thank you.

"Because I could." No, really? Was she an undercover agent or what? Did she work for--

"I mean, I thought I could be useful here." LIES. He had far better reasons to be here, all personal, but he wasn't sharing any with anyone, let alone with a student.

She would make an excellent detective. Merlin. The more he tried not to break her heart, the further she pressed on.

"You said you were looking for someone? I don't think you should make them wait."

Cutty left the classroom feeling damned good about hisself. Yes. He was diggin' this Culloden cat and felt like he'd have a lot to teach them. He liked that. The boy had a tendency to take mentors. And that bow thing? He was totally stealing it and using it on some poor unsuspecting recipient of the Cutty Mordaunt brand of suck-uppery. He turned the corner to leave the class and thar she was! Little Fairn Quimbley. Kicking walls like it owed her dosh and insisting on...did someone call her a sissy?

For someone reason this ignited a reaction in Cutty Mordaunt. Was someone else teasing Fern Quimbley?!!! Like hell they were gonna get away with...WAYO! Fern was dumb enough to try and fight a ghost and maybe that's why he didn't immediately see who'd been on the receiving end of her ..AhaahhaahhhaHa-AhAHaa!...fury for having called her a sissy. Whoever it was, though, they were gone now. Probably sunk into the next room over beyond the wall which Fern was now kicking.

"Ehye Quimbley! I think ya lost that fight, girl." He laughed and wore an amused smile that made him look condescending.

Later, Fern would lie on her four poster nursing a bruised right foot while some soul healing Celistina Warbeck played in the background. But as she whirled away from the wall with a shriek and look of pure loathing, pain was the last thought on her mind.

CUTHBERT.

Judging her.

Calling her a sissy.

Fern started yelling. "I didn't LOSE ANYTHING, you gillyweed brain! And I'll prove it to you!" Dropping her cauldron to the ground, Fern got onto her knees and dug through her supplies. After a few seconds, she held up a vial filled with dark blue, viscus fluid and waved it around for him to see. "I'm going to DRINK this, and I'll prove," she scrambled to her feet and pulled off the stopper, "I'm no sissy!"

But Fern did not raise the vial to her lips. She would, but not yet. Instead, the Hufflepuff stomped her foot, then she pointed with her free hand at Cuthbert, "The only sissy here is YOU! I dare - wait no! - I TRIPLE-DOG-DARE you to drink your's too!"

He just loved her passion. It was quite calming to him to see Fern Quimbley in hysterics over the simplest of things, really and it showed upon his countenance. His large eyes heavily hooded as they drew in the information from the scene and his mouth turned slightly upward in a calm but neutral smile. Fern Quimbley was fast becoming one of his favourite people. All he had to to was utter a couple of words and she was out there pulling out a potion and threatening to drink it. Whatta gift! Whatta complete and utter gift of a Hufflepuff.


In the face of her challenge, Cutty remained cool. Did she think he didn't think of himself as a sissy? Or that he cared. He had no krup in this fight.

"K'uh! Like you're so brave. And like I said to you in the dueling arena: Ladies first." He did rather well hiding his amusement as he spoke, though it wasn't entirely gone as his neutral smile had morphed into a smirk.

What the hell. Could be fun. Just to see Fern's reaction.

"I AM TOO BRAVE!" Fern screamed, and she poured the vial's contents into her mouth. Years of having Uncle Carl tell her, "you go first," only to never go second should have made her insist on Cuthbert drinking his potion at the same time, but the Slytherin's insult had pushed her over the edge. Fern was so angry she could not think straight. She was hardly aware of her surroundings. Everything was red and hot, and she was MAD.

The potion was the same as it had been in class - heavy and warm and metallic. Fern automatically gagged, her eyes bulging, and a little of the dark blue liquid leaked out of the corner of her mouth and dribbled down her chin. But she curled her hands into fists and swallowed the liquid anyway. IT BURNED, and a cry escaped before Fern could slap a hand over her mouth. The flobberworm mucus made the fire breathing potion's progress down to her stomach unbearably slow. She squeezed her eyes shut and bared her blue-tinged teeth. She could feel it, as the burning, heavy lump traveled from her throat to her esophagus - it was right behind her sternum, then it was down, farther. Her face was tight with pain, and she had lost all of the color which had earlier flushed her cheeks. Her skin was damp with perspiration.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, the potion reached her stomach, and the burning pain disappeared and was replaced by an, in comparison to what she had just experienced, pleasant warmth. Fern wiped her brow and when she opened her mouth to take a shaky breath, smoke escaped.

The next thing she knew, she was nauseous. She was going to vomit.

She was going to vomit in front of Cuth-

NO SHE WAS NOT. FERN WAS NOT. Fern clenched her teeth.

Cosgrach got out of the classroom while wiping his hands on a tissue. He had just finished cleaning up the shells off the desks and the class after lesson, and was on his way to his office when he heard a scream--words--something not right. He drew and lit his wand with immediate effect and ran to the scene of trouble. The wand shone on a boy's face first, then he illuminated the girl, and lowered it so as not to blind them.

"What...is going on?" Trouble? Was the boy bullying girl? Or was the girl guilty here, although it had been her scream?

The light from Culloden's wand shone on Cutty's face and more than likely it was his serene expression. Cutty was a happy boy at the moment. Topping off this serendipitous joy was their new Potions Professor. The gears in Cutty's mind twisted and turned and before he knew it, words came.

"Professor Culloden. Thank Merlin you're here. Fern tried to drink her own potion outside of class." He said, stepping around Fern to be beside their Potions Master and looking upon the struggling girl as she dealt with the vicious aftermath of the Fire-Breathing Potion. "Don't take points from Hufflepuff. Fern just ...Well, she's got feelings for me and she was only doing it to impress me." And I'm not even really sure if Cutty believed this to be true or not.

A whimper escaped from behind Fern's gritted teeth, and her legs began to shake. Only a minute ago, she had felt almost completely better, and now her stomach was twisting and tightening, and new drops of perspiration formed on her clammy skin. She wanted to sit down. She needed to sit down, but she couldn't, not in front of Cuthbert.

Sissy sissy sissy sissy sissy.

Fern shook her head furiously. She wasn't a sissy. She wasn't a sissy.

A bright light flooded her vision, and Fern was temporarily blinded. Her stomach heaved, and the Hufflepuff took a stumbling step forward before hunching over and grabbing the trouser fabric above each knee in tight fists. Vaguely, she was aware of people speaking. Fern's stomach heaved again, and she felt the bile rise up, and she -

she burped.

It was loud and long. It made the very ugliest mountain troll look like a lady in comparison, and had Uncle Carl been present, he would have given his niece a perfect 10/10 with a standing ovation besides.

Fern sat down. Then she burst into tears.

His appearance was a good thing? Cosgrach turned to the boy to listen to the explanation, but it was hard whie the girl looked like she was dying. He didn't even know what to do, though judging by the boy's calm and collected demeanour, the Professor believed his story. Why someone would take a potion that caused belching, to impress a boy, was beyond Cosgrach's logic, but he didn't argue.

"Okay, then--"

...

Oh. Oh. OH! Was she even going to STOP burping--

Yes, she was. To cry.

He didn't even know what to do! He usually just disappeared at the sight of anything liquid on someone's face, but he was a professor now. That was out of question, but he really didn't know how to make her believe the boy would still fancy her after that... that... inconvenience. Obliviating the boy was out of question either, because they were in a school and he could lose his job. He signalled the boy to stay (Slytherin was going to lose points if he left!) and sat down with Fern on the cold stone.

Man, it WAS cold!

"I, uh, it's okay. I'm sure he... doesn't think you are... I'm sure he's impressed, I mean." He also attempted to pat her shoulder, but it felt so awkward that after the second pat, he stopped.

WHO wouldn't be impressed with that burp, really?

Cutty could see Fern struggling. She seemed to be getting worse and by the examples he'd seen in the class, he knew what that meant. Something foul was coming hither and the boy could not stop them as the corners of his mouth began to twist and turn upways into a faint, and then a large smile.

By the time Quimbley grabbed her knees, Cutty's mouth was agape. She was prepped and positioned and her form was exquisite as she bellowed a doomsday belch that could've been birthed from the depths of Tartarus...not to mention have reopened the gates.

Cutty stepped back because the smell was killer. Still wearing his grin he gagged, but it was quickly worn over by his monkey laugh, which was coming so hard he had burst into tears as well.

"Oh, I AM! I am impressed!" And this was a rare time Cutty didn't have to lie. He fell to the ground -jumping a bit as it was INCREDIBLY COLD- besides Quimbley and put an arm around her. "You know what Quimbley? You are brave!"

Fern was a sissy. She was a sissy through and through, and even worse than that, she was - she was no better than that disgusting Bart and that awful Slytherin boy! Fern's whole body shuddered at that thought, and she cried harder.

She could hear Cuthbert laughing, and for the very first time since she had met him, she had absolutely no urge to fight back. What could she possibly say to him? 'Stop laughing! I'm the bravest person at this school, you loser!'? That would be a complete lie, and not only would she know it, he would know it.

No, no, he was right to laugh at her. She deserved it. Fern covered her face with her well-manicured hands. She had painted her nails dark orchid. That was her signature color.

A new color, for a new me.

If this was the new Fern, she wanted the old one back.

The 12-year-old was so distraught, she didn't hear someone sit down with her. It was only when she felt someone touching her back, and then heard - Fern gave a gasp, pulling her face out of her hands and staring with wet, wide eyes at her potions professor. What was he doing here!? When had he arrived!? Had he seen!? HAD HE HEARD!?

Professor Culloden was going to call her a sissy, Fern knew it. She cringed away, lips trembling and vision growing blurry as she waited for him to say it. But though she listened carefully, that wasn't what she heard. 'doesn't think you are,' 'I'm sure he's impressed.' Fern couldn't believe it. She assumed the 'he' Professor Culloden was referring to was Cuthbert, and Fern knew that Cuthbert was definitely not impressed, but the fact that the professor thought he would be... "Y-you, you mean you, d-don't think I'm a sissy?"

Maybe her life wasn't over after all.

Then Cuthbert lied.

Then he sat next to her.

Then he TOUCHED her.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" Fern screeched at the same time he spoke, wriggling out of his arm and crawling away and to her feet. "Don't, don't, DON'T EVER TOUCH ME!" Oh, Merlin. Fern held her arms stiffly out from her sides, fingers splayed. Cuthbert had touched her with his slimy, dirty hands. He had been so close that she had FELT his breath on her skin. She needed to take a bath. Then ten more baths and several showers after that. And she needed to burn her robes.

Okay, maybe they ought to get out of there, because the smell was probably intense enough to poison them. Cosgrach had valiently fought it back, but now he felt suffocated. Being a professor sucked in this matter: he couldn't do whatever he wanted with the kids. He had to stick with them till the end. He sighed, tried to think of daisies, and swallowed the urge to puke over the stench.

Should he say something to the girl? Maybe talk to the boy to make him say it was okay and he would still fancy her--but WHY was he laughing?! Didn't he see this was a delicate point? That a girl's PRIDE was at stake? He, himself, had said that she fancied him--why was he being cruel now--

Cosgrach didn't think she was a sissy? WHAT was she talking--

"Of course not, love,--!" He hurried to say, but before he could finish what he had to say, the boy cut him off and the girl--Fern Quimbley--was on her feet screaming her lungs out.

He jumped to his feet then, and although he was even MORE confused now, said "Okay, he's not touching you! He's not, see? Please--stop crying? Please?" Did he sound pathetic? Because he was! She was crying and he was being mean and there was very little Cosgrach could do because deducting points would be useless and just get the boy even more cruel--

Wait a minute! "Are you the girl who said--" She WAS that girl who said they could use the potion to blow at newly painted nails!

He could see the light at the end of the corridor. If he just RAN AWAY and act like none of it had happened? Would they mind?

The pain in his back had slowly but surely faded away and the Gryffindor was able to walk straight again. He was a little slower than usual though but he did not notice it personally. For his pace, he went fast. He reached the dungeon corridor, knowing that the Bloody Baron was here somewhere because he was Slytherin's ghost and being a pureblood, his parents had already told him where the common rooms were and the snakes room was in the dungeons....somewhere...

Also the Potions Professor's office and the first year groaned at the thought of having to help the man out sometimes as a punishment for being rude to him. MWEH! Looking around the dark corridor, he turned his gaze to Bart and grinned. "My back feels better, i think..." he said. "We should make a plan to call the ghost" Like one would be calling and the other would be hiding in ambush or something. Or just call him?

This took forever... but it might not have been his pace as much as it was Bart wanting to be there already. He had been to the dungeons before so he knew how to get there and he knew where some of the passages were. The second year had never seen the ghost though, maybe there really wasn't any other ghost than Nick. Would a ghost lie though? Bart didn't think he would but maybe.

Good one ghosty dude if he did. "Glad your back isn't hurting anymore bro." He nodded to Kevin. Kevin was cool in his book hopefully it stayed that way. Some where falling off that list left and right lately. "Call the ghost. hmm I've never seen them other than the feast. Think they'd come just by calling?" Maybe if they said his name like three ties or something. "Hey.. HEY.. Bloody Baron you here? BLOODY BARON?" Was that how you called them?

"Bloody Baron come out come out where ever you are..."

Cutty McCuthbert had released Fern upon her outburst, but his big, stupid grin was still present. His face only bent slightly towards a sort of apologetic surprise when Culloden spoke. And, as if it emphasized the professor's point, Cutty's hands went up-palms forward in a surrendering gesture. But e'erybody here know damn well he wasn't for real.

'The girl who said...?' He stood up and took a step back from Fern and Culloden to eavesdrop.