Hazel ran around, trying to find the perfect gnome. She found one running straight towards her. She put her foot out like the Professor showed and held her breath. When she looked down, there was a little gnome on the floor, a confused expression upon his face. Or her face, she supposed. Or maybe gnomes were only male? Hazel had no idea. Maybe the Professor would bring that up. Anyway, she picked up the little gnome's rough feet and began to twirl it above her head like a lasso. The gnome squirmed in her hand and made her slow down her twirling. She felt bad for the poor gnome. "It's okay little gnomey. You'll be fine." Then she continued to twirl it over her head. Poor gnome.

Dylan was actually quite excited to start de-gnoming. Once the professor finished with instructions, the third year eagerly began dashing about the place in search of a good gnome. There were several running about, and he could of sworn he felt a few nip at his ankles. All his classmates were rushing about, trying to catch some so it was hard to focus on which one to get. When he did find a good one, he stopped it with his foot and it fell on its back quickly. He smiled with triumph. That wasn't too hard, thankfully. Now for the tricky part, picking it up and tossing it over the fence. Oh he hoped he wouldn't get bitten!

Hayden saw a lot of people using spells to stop the gnomes from advancing. Unfortunately for her, she didn't know any spells. It was unfair. She'd just have to rely on something other than strength or magic to help her. Luckily the gnomes were only a foot tall so they shouldn't be too hard to catch. Though they had been so far so maybe she was wrong about that.

Hayden stood up and brushed the dirt off her. Well, some of it. She was sure her back was coated in dirt considering she'd fallen down twice now. She didn't know why she was even trying to get it off, she'd need more than one shower to get herself clean. At least now that she was dirty she didn't really mind getting dirtier. Now she was more determined than ever to actually catch a gnome. Hayden found a tall patch of...whatever was in the garden - She didn't really care, that wasn't her priority at the moment - and crouched behind it. She watched as gnomes ran around, some getting thrown by another student. Finally, one came her way. As soon as it was close enough, Hayden leaped out from where she was hiding and tacked it to the ground. Considering it was only a foot tall, the task wasn't exceedingly difficult. She quickly grabbed onto the gnomes feet and stood up, holding an upside down gnome. Finally she'd gotten one! It didn't like to stay still, however. The gnome squirmed and tried to kick it's way free. Hayden didn't want to wait long enough to let it get free so she started spinning it.

When was she supposed to stop spinning? Those directions hadn't been clear enough. When she felt like she was about to puke, Hayden let go of the gnome and let it go flying. She tried to follow its progress through the air but her dizziness made her eyesight unfocused. She had to concentrate really hard to determine which way was up. The ground seemed to be moving and suddenly it was really close. As in, her hands reached out just in time to stop her from falling face first into the dirt. But she had to stay there for a moment because she was too dizzy to get back up. Where had the gnome went? Over the fence, she hoped, but she would have to try again just in case.

She was laughing? Not at him, here's hoping. But it was still good to see that she wasn't lashing out. Those kind of people were infuriating. Like Merlin, there wasn't a need to take things so seriously. Jeez. "Looks like we're even now." Uh huh. He was VERY happy about this.

The fourteen year old nodded over at the Hufflepuff as a way of saying 'you're welcome'. "They're ugly little buggers, aren't they?" he said, narrowing his eyes towards the gnome that was playing peek-a-boo. Yes, he was looking at YOU, little gnome. Ugly bugger. The name seemed to fit perfectly.

It was a good thing that Lux had gone off after her own gnome because Grayson's attention was on this gnome right here. He had to wait for the right moment to strike. The. Perfect. Opportunity. It was as if he was planning his revenge and he every intention on making this a good one. Payback for the running gnome that had made him kiss grass.

Not this time. No. Way.

And.................... TIME TO STRIKE.

As if everything depended on it, the Slytherin waited until the gnome was close enough before putting his foot out and stopping it in its tracks. AHA! That was a LOT better than last time, wasn't it?

And what was it that Lux had said? A potato to toss? "Got one nasty looking one right here." Really. This one was probably the ugly duckling of the gnomes. Shame. Taking out his wand, he cast a stunning spell over at the gnome and was about to pick it up when Lux spoke again. Looking up and over at the pen, he straightened up to look at the flying gnome.

"Not bad. That might have been further than last time."

Yes, they were even. For now. "We will see who wins this round." Hopefully it would be her, because she didn't like losing... But it wasn't as if she would be a bad sport if he got this round too. As long as she got lots of Gnomes tossed, Lux was all good.

Lux 3, Gnomes 0.

"Yeah, they sure won't win any beauty contests." Totally in agreement with him on that one. Watching him capture and spin his Gnome, she whistled as he sent it soaring after the one she had just tossed. "Awesome, so who won this round?" Being short sucked, and it was easier for him to see. Merrr.

And…what was she supposed to do with the gnome once she'd caught it? Kate looked about, still gripping the gnome with both hands. People were spinning and flinging them out of the garden. She could do that. She'd probably make herself dizzy and fall over, but she could make the gnome dizzy first.

She gave her gnome a long, sort of tough stare.

"Are you ready, Mr. Gnome?"

Not that it mattered if he was ready. Or if he could even understand her. Kate moved her hands so she was holding the gnome by its feet. She paused a moment to feel sorry for it, dangling upside down in her grip. But they were magical rodents. They deserved it. Supposedly. Aw, but it was just a little potato man… Still holding the gnome upside down by its feet, Kate looked at it and imagined what it would be like to be a little potato man and just want to dig holes and eat plants.

Adi had spotted another gnome. Two, in fact. They were huddled behind a rock as they watched the proceedings unfold. Perfect! They were distracted. The third year headed quietly towards the rock, taking care not to step on anything crunchy or whatever it was that could attract the attention of the creatures.

Adi wondered if he could stun both of the gnomes. Hmmm...it was worth the shot. Pointing his wand randomly at one of them, he cast the spell. "Stupefy!'' Red light hit the gnome squarely in the back! It collapsed on the ground just as the other one spun to face him. "Stupefy!'' Adi said quickly. This one got hit in the chest and collapsed on the ground as well.

Awesome! Two gnomes!

His plan had worked he had managed to catch his first gnome, smiling he picked it up by its feet and he started to swing and spin it to make it dizzy, he was having a lot of fun now but he was still out of breath.

Bay counted to five and then released the little creature over the bushes just as the Professor instructed. Seeing it fly over the hedge heard is squeal and a loud-ish thud. Now he had to find at least one more, should be easy enough if he stayed in his corner and trapped one just like he did before.

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Hufflepuff? Well, Tobias saw that as a GOOD thing, and wasn't intending on stopping any time soon. Little Miss Zahra got a LOOK at that (and by LOOK, I mean Toby scrunched his nose while looking over in her direction.

When Thompson gave him an answer, Toby looked thoughtful a moment, before nodding decisively and pulling on his gloves.

"Okay," he said simply. Toby trusted Professor Thompson's judgement. Professor T was nice.

The Hufflepuff joined the rest of the students through the gate and listened as closely as he could to Thompson, though his attention was easily caught by the little gnomes scurrying around the garden. He went between watching them distractedly and trying to give Thompson his full attention, and then they were off de-gnoming the garden for themselves.

Toby, being Toby, didn't think to use magic to start off. Instead he eyed a gnome close by as it dashed past and instantly set off after it. He had to take care not to jump in front of anyone's spells or accidentally tread on stray feet or gnomes, but he was determined to catch the little blighter, even if it meant charging around this weird pen thing for a while. He appreciated the exercise.

Mo lifted the gnome up a few inches by its ear and reached down to capture its foot with his other hand. The poor creature was wriggling like a carp on a fishing line, but Mo quashed down any pity he felt over the situation. It was pretty easy, actually, once the gnome tried to take a huge bite out of his leg. All warm and fuzzy feelings were gone.

He hefted the gnome out and away from his body and gave it a shake. "You're going over the fence. Sorry, mate." Mo looked for a clear spot to spin and toss the creature... especially because he didn't want anyone else to get that nasty bite the gnome was saving up for him.

Now, for the second part. No biting this time, and no distractions from crazy Lions, either, so all clear. Marisol dangled the gnome about half a meter from her face. As far as it could be. When you looked from a distance, it was actually kind of cute!

As soon as he hit a clear spot, Mo planted his weight and spuuuuuuuuun in a tight circle. The gnome was extended from his body, and it stopped struggling and trying to bite him as soon as the wind began whipping around its little potato ears.

He had to trust that the gnome was dizzy, since Mo certainly was, and he watched for a fixed spot on the horizon as his indication to let go. And... there it was. Mo opened his hand before he'd stopped moving, and the gnome flew out in a perfect arch... waaaaaaay out into the intended target zone.

That's how you do it!

Norah was still searching for another gnome when one marched its stubby legs right over her left foot. She ducked down to look at it. "Hey there, little gnome." This one looked a bit dazed and was pretty small in comparison to the rest of them. She picked him or her, she wasn't sure which, up by the arm far more gently than the one before and only spun around a couple times before tossing it over the wall. She winced slightly at the muffled thud of the little gnome's landing. Poor gnome. That one was a cutie.

Okay. Stopping the gnomes should be easy enough. So which gnome would be his first victim triumph. AH THAT ONE. The little gnome of no more than 10 inches tall was running around in circles like a little lunatic. Zander figured it was possibly just nerves. Poor little gnome seeing all his gnome friends being thrown around. If Zander were in that kind of position he'd probably doing the same thing, but with screaming and maybe even some flailing. Yeah, a lot of flailing.

Running towards the little crazed gnome Zander stuck out a foot in attempt to trip it. And WOOSH! First gnome down. Before the creature could get back up Zander quickly put his foot on the little guy's stomach. Now to grab the feet. This would be a struggle. UGH. He was kicking EVERYWHERE. Make. It. Stop. Please. Only after he finally got a hold of the gnomes feet, did Zander realize that he could've just pulled out his wand... After all he is a wizard at a school for magic.

So that was settled, and now Mo was on the hunt for his second gnome. Or third, if you counted the one he'd completely failed to catch that had ended up being someone else's gnome.

Naw, he was going to forget that little incident had ever happened. Second gnome, then.

He was on the hunt again, sticking once more to the perimeter and kicking at tall grass. He overturned a few rocks along the way, but all with no success. There were just too many people out, thinning the herd of gnomes and scaring off those who remained. What he needed was some sort of gnome-call. Did gnomes make any noises? Was that a thing?

Marigold picked up her stunned gnome quickly before the spell wore off again. She would have to practice that magic some more. She began the nice spinning of the gnome, winding up for a long throw. She let go, trying to calculate the optimal release point. She had calculated wrong, though, as the gnome hit the ground a little in front of her. It stood up and shook its head before looking at her and running away. She began sprinting again.

"THIS IS MY GNOME MINE DON'T GRAB IT!!!!"

She had to throw the gnome now. Poor, poor gnome. Kate couldn't even look at it anymore. She just felt too guilty about having to make it dizzy and fling it across the garden. She moved to a spot where she wouldn't hit anybody and braced herself for flinging the gnome. Right.

Stepping to turn on the spot, she held her arms out, with the gnome still dangling in her grip. One…. After the first turn, Kate sped up a bit. Two… three… She didn't want to have to re-catch this gnome, so she had to make sure to disorient it enough on the first try. Four turns… and… five!

As she turned a fifth time, Kate let go of the gnome's feet and stumbled a bit until she caught her balance.

Looking around to see where her gnome had landed, Kate frowned. Where had the gnome gone? Had it landed in the right spot? Kate stood on her tiptoes to try to see. Well, it wasn't still in the space with all of the students. She shrugged. Maybe it had made it to the target area. Maybe not. Nothing she could do about it now.

GAH. This stupid gnome was restless. Zander was struggling just to hold it up. Oh no. Fingers. Slipping. Gnome. Moving. Hands. Failing. NOOOO! The little gnome got away! Ugh. Now Zander would have to start all over. This was so much harder than he thought it'd be. How did people ever finish de-gnoming their gardens?! Looking around for yet another gnome, Zander set his eye on one in particular and BAM! Foot collision. Picking the poor guy up from his feet, Zander got a firm hold on this one.

"Sorry, but you're not going to wiggle your way out of this one, mate." He looked at the gnome with a smirk. Poor helpless creature. The little guy was trying so hard to bite off Zander's fingers, but wasn't able to lift it's head far enough. Thank goodness.

And then there was a gnome, running RIGHT into Mo's waiting grasp. He grinned broadly and lofted the creature above his head, by its feet, and made some sort of weird victory call. THIS WAS HIS GNOME.

Except that Marigold girl was saying it was HER gnome. That couldn't be right... this was HIS gnome. He'd caught. "My gnome," he told her, keeping it up over his head so she couldn't steal it.

Jasmine was angry now. That little gnome had gotten the best of her and she was not happy about it. She felt sorry for the remaining gnomes because she was ready to send them all over the fence. After she tended to her bite, Jasmine was ready to tackle more of the critters. They should be afraid, very afraid.

Nigel was beginning to appreciate the fun in chucking gnomes. Though he would still rather have no garden. Which in effect means no gnomes. Or a pet Jarvey would help. Which raised the question of how do you get one and is it legal.

Nigel will forget these questions in a matter of moments and now had to do the repetitive task of finding another gnome or stealing one like Mo had just done.

Impressive.

Now come to the man who will throw you into tomorrow gnomes.

Now that he had a grip on the gnome He started spinning. Woaaaah. The gnomes were supposed to get dizzy, but was Zander supposed to get dizzy too? How was he supposed to throw the gnome if he couldn't even walk straight? And here goes nothing. He swung the gnome and let go. Oh no. Oops. He watched as his sorry attempt for a throw failed to take the gnome into the pen.

Keeping an eye on the one that was his, he made a run for it.

Hayden was ready this time. The second she saw a gnome she snatched at its feet and held it up in the air. It squirmed a little, but not as much as the other. It looked resigned to its fate, probably because the gnome had seen all of its comrades being snatched by the other students and thrown over the fence. Good, Hayden deserved an easy one after the time she'd been having. She moved as close to the fence as she could so she wouldn't have to worry about throwing very far. When she was ready, Hayden spun around, swinging the gnome with her. This time she didn't spin as fast or as many times. She'd have to learn by trial and error. Not the most efficient way but it worked nonetheless. Just as she was beginning to feel dizzy she let go and the gnome flew through the air, landing somewhere on the other side of the fence. Hayden smiled but she couldn't do anything else to celebrate her victory because the world was still spinning slightly.

Alright it was time to throw the gnome over the fence. He smiled and was glad to get rid of this little rascal. He took his stance and start swinging the gnome like pitching underhand in softball and then he released him when the time was right and then he flewwwww over! He smiled and was glad to get rid of him. But he seemed like he was done because there seemed to less gnomes left. Or unless they are all hiding in their holes. He shrugged and decided to go look for more in the meantime.

He saw the professor still watching the class and Kace went over to take a break and get some water. He was quite thirsty.

Eyes trained on the retreating gnome, Cris' main goal was to capture this gnome and send it over to join the gnomes on the other side of the fence. Like before, he chased after it, bent forward at the waist, as he tried to grab hold of it. However, like before the gnome managed to evade capture, occasionally turning to glance back at him as it stuck out its tongue, taunting him.

This only fueled Cris' desire to catch this pesky pest. Deciding that it was time to stop playing Mr. Nice Guy, Cris pulled out his wand and aimed it at the little fellow. When he had the gnome in his sights, Cris cast the Freezing Spell, this time non-verbally. There was no way in heck he was going to give the gnome a warning of what was about to happen.

Immobulus! A blue beam of light shot out from his wand and landed squarely on the gnome's back, immobilizing it in its tracks. The creature fell over face down on the grass. Quickly picking it up by its legs, Cris carried the gnome over to the fence and then with the creature in his hands, launched into a series of spins that would have rattled anyone's brain, making them see stars. Which is what he hoped the gnome was feeling right about now.

It was time to start the launch sequence. Five...four...three...two....one...take off!!

Cris released the gnome, sending it speeding up and over to the other side of the fence. Brushing his hands, and giving himself a mental pat on the back for having successfully dispatching the last gnome, Cris ventured back into the crowd of running students and gnomes.

He wondered how Jasmine and his other friends were doing and stopped to search for them. And that's when he saw her.



She didn't look happy at all. In fact, she looked fiery. Frowing, Cris walked over to join her. "Looks like you're on the warpath. What happened? Did one of them kick or bite you?" Cris smiled teasing her.

"These gnomes are pretty sneaky and I was thinking that if you were interested maybe we could work together and catch them together. It's our turn to play sneaky now. Are you game?" Cris asked Jasmine hoping that she would agree to team up with him.