As much as Lux was enjoying her conversation with Andrew, there was a runaway cat to deal with. A runaway cat who was apparently getting to know the Ravenclaw Head of House better. Awww. How adorable! "Hello, Mr. Kitridge." He was a nice man, and got a smile from her. She hadn't seen him yet this term, but it was always nice to see the friendly staff members. "How are you doing today?" Apparently well enough, and he didn't seem to mind the feline attention he was getting.

Giggling, she watched the interaction between the man and poor Andrew who seemed to be rather embarrassed. Aww, there was no need to be! Things like this happened. Looking around, she noticed that Angel was there as well. "Hey there! How are you doing today, Angel?" She hadn't seen her friend in a little while, and it was always nice to see her.

Why was Zander wondering around the fourth floor corridor without any care? Because cold that's why. IT WAS FREEZING outside. So the lake wasn't an option. Or anywhere on the grounds actually. It wasn't like he was actually going to go look around in the library. PFT that'd be ridiculous. He had actually just visited the kitchens a few hours ago... Didn't need the elves to think he was a chubster, now did he?

Basically, he was bored and didn't want to freeze his butt off, so instead he just spent his days casually strolling along the corridors. Some days he find something interesting. Others he'd just stroll. It was the meek life of a third year Gryffindor. Sigh. But alas, what can he do about it? Nothing.

Austin liked walking around the castle recently. He enjoyed seeing the secrets it held, but mostly, it meant that he had gotten over his cold... Even if it was still a million degrees below outside. How on earth were they supposed to learn anything when the whole castle almost froze over. He had even written as a joke of course to his dad telling him not to get his hopes up on Austin coming home this summer, because he was sure they would still be stuck in ice by then!

Turning a corner, he saw a familiar face. Upon further inspection, he realized it was his pal, Zander! He hadn't seen him since their trip to Hogsmede, which was reasonable, of course. They were not only in two different years, but they were in different houses as well.

"Hey Zander." He said with a wave.

Hogwarts really was huge. But with all of this cold weather it just felt like a huge disappointment. Especially now that the grounds would only lead to frostbite and disease. And he had gone around just about every corridor what felt like a million times. Sigh. He didn't even realize that a familiar face had turned the corner until the boy called out to him. Oh? How'd he know this kid again? And how'd this kid know Zander...

O_____O

Oh wait. Hogsmeade. Ah. Yeah, that was the kid that didn't know about the Aparecium. Oooh. Zander mostly tried to block out that whole Bart and Austin thing, mostly because he didn't actually want to go through with the pranks. Not because he didn't think they were funny... Because he did... He just didn't want to disappoint Bentley. Ah Professor Bentley, only the most beautiful most amazing most lovely most-- NO. BRUSSELS SPROUTS.

Wow, Lux was right. Thinking about gross vegitables really did get his mind off of Beautiful Bentley. Ahem. Sort of. Anyways... "Oh, hi Austin." he said waving back to the kid. Now, he didn't want Austin to realize that he had been avoiding him... So how do you bring about casual conversation without revealing that much? "How have you been, buddy?" Good. That was a start.

"I've been good. Just got over a cold." There were so many questions that Austin wanted to ask this boy. Was Hogwarts always this creepy? Is it always this cold here? Did unicorns always run rampant through Hogsmeade? Was he avoiding poor Austin? But he just stuck with a simple "How about you?"

There was so much going on at Hogwarts this year, that Austin was afraid to come back next term. He had heard stories from his parents, telling him the wondrous school that is Hogwarts. They told him about the ceiling in the Great Hall that looked like the night sky at dinner. His mother told him about the magnificent common room of the Ravenclaw Tower, while his dad would argue that Slytherins had the best location for their dorms. He used to agree with what his dad said, but now he couldn't see how Slytherins could stay warm in the cold dungeons.

Okay. Deep breath. "Is Hogwarts always like this?" Hopefully Zander would understand what he meant.

Jun rode along the corridor on his skateboard. Well, he was sitting on it as it passed by people in the corridor. He had all the purpose since his cold was still around and Charmander was on his legs. The ferret was still wearing the sweater and hat Jun had put on him earlier. Hopefully he wasn't getting sick either or he'd have to visit Thompson soon. Wherever his office was now since they weren't allowed outside anymore. Jun didn't like that much, since fresh air and all that. But it was seriously too cold out to be there. Pulling up his blue hood, he swiftly made a turn and picked up speed. Good thing there wasn't much people around here too.

Lex didn't know where Felix was taking her but anywhere was better than her Common Room. Don't get her wrong, it was perfectly warm and comfy in there but...it was SO crowded now with people sticking to the castle. The cold outside wasn't budging and it was forcing people into other people's normal territory. Lex herself was hardly in her Common Room so she wouldn't get cranky about all the additions, nah, she'd just leave. Help get rid of the problem of over crowding.

"I'm beginning to think even you don't know where you want to go." She mumbled, watching the kneazle pounce over to the top of the corridor as if he'd caught onto something behind the corner. Of course this got her curious. She knew her kneazle well enough to know he was hunting.

Without much question she hurried after him, turning the corner seconds after he did and spotting first the ferret then JUN--considering you know, Felix was more likely to eat one than the other. "Hey you."

Jun was too busy humming to himself to notice Charmader hissing. It wasn't until he almost reached the end of the corridor that the ferret hissed louder and climbed into his hoodie. What was up with him? Giving the creature a pet under the hoodie, Jun looked up and noticed a familiar knealze. Oh hi Felix. Come to eat his ferret? Stopping the board, he heard footsteps and noticed someone else. Jun grinned, nodding at Lex. "Hey. Looks like Felix was looking for a snack," Jun looked at the kneazle. Charmander poked his out from the neck hole of the hoodie and and nuzzled himself back in.

Yeah, he was a weird one. "Getting a break from the stuffy common room. Since we're all confined indoors now,"

He was the last person she thought she'd run into. After the breakup, she'd still seen him around but they hadn't done much in the way of conversation. She was beginning to think he'd only lied about things being fine between them. For a while her perception of Ravenclaws dropped even lower but that grin was enough to convince her there really were no hard feelings lingering. Such a relief too and she returned the grin. "Pfft, Charmander's big enough to be classified a proper meal actually. My kneazle's not that greedy." Snacks were down in the dungeons, the little rodents scurring around. They satisfied Felix for a time. The ferret could do so much more.

Interestingly enough, even after the ferret had gone into hiding, the kneazle was still advancing on the boy. Yeah......determined kneazle was determined. Lex hopped forward and swooped him off the floor, holding him close otherwise he'd have pounced, trying to fit inside Jun's hoodie as well. Wouldn't that have been something?

"Yup. Never knew there were so many people in my house til the cold happened." Ironically she WAS supposed to know given she was to be at all the feasts but shhhh. "And you? Same thing?"

A cold? Awww poor firstie. Hogwarts winters always take a little getting used to. Especially because there aren't any mum's around here to give you their famous chicken noodle soup. But... There was something weird about the winter this year. So weird that even Zander was starting to feel all sneezy and stuff. So yeah. Maybe that had something to do with it? "That's gotta be rough... I think a lot of people are getting sick these days," Come to think of it, wasn't Kevin sneezing in class the other day? Poor kid. Never stood a chance.

But how about him? Well there was a lot going on in this fine third year. He was finally making some friends. So that was good. He was still in the process of getting over Professor Bentley, so that was happening. Um. The random unicorn visit in Hogsmeade. That had happened too. Pillow fights with Peeves? Woah. A lot could happen in just two seasons. "Not too bad, just sick of this weather. And all of the homework. You know, after a whole summer it's kind of hard to remember how much they give us." Jeez they had more than one class you know? Every professor just treated things as if their class is the most important and it's kind of hard to deal with. He's only fourteen for crying out loud!

Zander was starting to feel that awkward pause going on. And he was desperately trying to figure out how to get around it. He really didn't know much about this kid... Actually he didn't know anything about this kid... All he knew is that he was in Slytherin. But that's it. And that's only based on his robes. So what were they supposed to talk about anyways? Zander was about to bring up more small talk, when the kid decided to take things into his own hands. Oh? Is Hogwarts always like this? "You mean... Is it always this cold? Uh. Ha. "Nope. It's FREEZING and If you ask me, there's something wonky going on here." With those sparks flying up from the forrest and all the animals migrating. It was all some weird business.

"I'll have to agree with you on that one," he was referring to the homework of course. "The professors seem to have forgotten what it was like to be a student." That was assuming they were ever students, because quite frankly, they didn't act like it. To be honest, they acted as if nothing was going on. Did they even feel the cold air that was blowing through the castle? Or see the creatures running on the grounds? Austin would not be surprised if a Centaur came running through the hall right then and there. It would be nothing compared to the semester he's already had. Wonky was right.

It was a relief knowing that it wasn't always like this, though. He wasn't sure if another winter like this was something he could handle. He wanted an explanation, and he wanted it now. "I wish I knew exactly what was going on, or see if I could help with something." He knew he was only a first year, but he seemed to be exceptional at potions, and maybe he could make something simple to cure colds. If the creatures were injuring the students, there was no way one healer in the hospital wing could cure everybody, and maybe Austin could be of some use. But again, he was first year, and he didn't want to be passed off as some small fry who got in the way.

Jun snorted. "If your kneazle is anything like you, I'm pretty sure he is," A smirk crept on the boys face. But yes, Charmander was big enough to not be a snack. He'd probably be a first course meal to Felix. And to think Jun was once considering getting one last term. Thank Merlin he didn't. It probably wouldn't get along with Uggie either. The boy was content with two pets for now. Jun eyed the kneazle as he kept moving towards him. He could feel Charmander squirm under his hoodie. Jun patted him to try and keep the ferret calm.

"But aren't you supposed to know all that already? Like when you do head counts and all that jazz?" He laughed. He obviously didn't expect more from Lex. Even in that time they were dating. Jun just would always find it funny that she was picked to be a prefect when he can sometimes not care about the duty. Though, she did get special privileges. "Yeah, plus recovering from a nasty cold I had. Fever and losing my voice again included," Because that was always the first thing to go.

Yeah, Austin totally got it spot on with that one! They definitely have forgotten how stressful everything is. Hmph. Especially with all the weirdness going on around the school. Could they tone it down just a bit? Especially with all the lessons and work and stuff. Speaking of lessons, "And I have no idea why they think it's a good idea to keep having outdoor lessons! It's like they DON'T realize how frozen everything is!" You know what else was frozen? Zander's patience for these outdoor lessons, that's what. Hmph. As if the freezing temperatures weren't enough. They just had to bring cozy runes to the great outdoors too.

Zander totally agreed. It was hard being left in the dark. Especially because he heard little snip its of things here and there, but everything else was just a total mystery. Hogwarts always seemed to go like this. Sigh. If only they could figure this stuff out. Maybe they'd be able to help! "Totally agree with you, mate." Wait... Was Austin really his mate though? O__o Zander hardly even knew the kid. Could he actually be trusted as a mate? Mate is a pretty big title to carry around. It takes some sort of trust earnage. Hm. "So Austin... We haven't really gotten to know each other properly, on-on account of only meeting once and all." Heh. Smooth. "So tell me about yourself?" Zander was feeling this whole gust of confidence stuff right about now. Maybe it had something to do with talking to a younger kid. That seemed to help. Because normally he'd shy away.

She didn't expect Felix to calm down even after she'd taken him into her arms but surely the kneazle didn't expect her to let go just because he was squirming about the way he was. Unless his claws came out he'd be staying right here and away from the obviously terrified ferret. Lex faked a hurt expression. "Jun Kim did you just call me greedy?" Though she'd hardly argue with that. Lex could eat a lot if given the right incentive or the right type of food. Didn't even have to be hungry.

Did he just suggest she know the numbers of her house? As in know all the people? "Hah. Good one. My house isn't exempt from idiots and I'd rather not meet those within our numbers. I socialize on a need to basis." Always with Firsties for curfew reasons, on the odd occasion with Second Years, need to basis with Third to Fifth years, the Sixth Years were okay for the most part and so were the Seventh Years.

Oh? "You were sick? Not surprizing with this weather but I don't reckon you went to the Healer about it?" Knowing him, he didn't even if it would have meant getting his voice back sooner and jumping back into practice. Speaking off..."How's your training been?"

This was true. They had only met once, and it wasn't exactly a meeting where they could talk. At least not about personal things. "Well..." he began. "I'm from London, and I live in a little house above a shop. I'm a first year Ravenclaw, and both my parents are from the wizarding community." He wasn't sure what blood status this older boy was, but Austin really didn't want to come off as some sort of snobby pureblood, as a lot of the new first years seemed to be. Apparently being a pureblood meant that you were top of the class and better than everyone else. He wasn't sure how true that was, but to him it didn't really matter.

"What about you? Where are you from?"

This exchange seemed a little awkward.. and formal. It was a vary cut and dry conversation, and it made Austin a little uncomfortable. He liked excitement, and adventure; roaming the castle grounds. Which was hard with this cold weather... Hopefully it cleared up soon.

Zander listened to the boy carefully, taking note of the little facts. He might need them for later. Anyways, this kid was good. First year? AHA! So he was right. The possibly firstie was an actual firstie. And oh. So the boy was a pureblood... Hopefully he didn't believe in all that status stuff because then he'd be in for a big surprise. Anyways, it was his turn now wasn't it?

"Um okay..." He wasn't quite as well rehearsed as Austin seemed to be. "Well for starters I'm from Yorkshire.." What was the next part? Austin talked about his house... Okay. "I live in a house with my mom, dad, and two annoying older brothers." Ugh. Who picked on him mercilessly. "Uh, both my parents aren't from the wizarding community, I'm the only wizard in the family." That would make him a muggleborn right? All this wizard lingo was still kind of confusing and hard to get used to. "And I guess that's it..."

All this standing around was kind of awkward... So, the Gryffindor decided to sit down. Yep. Leaning against the wall, he looked up at Austin, "Wanna sit?" So.... "What do like to do for fun Austin?" Wow, conversations are hard.

Jun laughed and nodded. "You know perfectly well that I did. Everyone is greedy when it comes to their favorite food," Jun was. He would've cut someone hand off if they tried to touch his food. Any really. That's another thing he wouldn't share. Unless he was forced to but then he'd give up his food and get even more. "Obviously when needed. Like at feasts and curfews, no? I don't even talk to my prefects," Not even once. Jun didn't feel the need seeing as he could get around himself and it was just a waste. To him at least it was.

"Of course not. Pal took care of me since I was basically dying. No energy to even get up from the bed," He shrugged. No one mentioned to healer to him anyway. They knew perfectly he wouldn't go and would just use potions to get better. If only he hadn't used his last bit on Pal. "It's been alright. Doing it a bit more often to stay warm and occupied. Though, not over doing it. Don't need injuries again,"

Jun had a really solid point there and all she could do was chuckle and let him have it. "Very true. I've thrown up from eating too many chocolate frogs before and even then I wasn't inclined to stop." Chocolate frogs were pure gold wrapped in little inconvenient packets that you had to rip through if you wanted to enjoy the taste but oh were they worth it. "I don't think Felix's favourite food is ferret though so Char should be plenty safe." Besides, he didn't really think she'd stand there and let her kneazle have a go at the poor thing, did he? There was a firm nod to answer his question. "Yup, I don't mind so much at feast. People are real civil then and the Firsties know better than to question me about curfew so I'm all good there too." It was the next thing he said that got her. "Seriously? Not even once? Dude, they're epic people." Epic people that were graduating, he'd never have another chance.

Lex tilted her head to the sid, more than a little lost in what he was saying. So someone had nursed him back to health without the help of the Healer and that was grand but..."Who's Pal?" Make no mistake, context was the only reason she hadn't asked 'what'. Seriously. All these people she had no idea about though if it was another Ravenclaw it wouldn't matter that she didn't know them. Lex didn't make a habit of Ravenclaw socialization anyway.

At least he wasn't overdoing the training. "It's good you have something to do. I think I'll go mad if I don't blow up at least 10 dummies a day in the arena." It should have been illegal to keep children locked up this long. She couldn't stand it.

Austin nodded as Zander went on about his life. Parents not from the wizarding community...? That meant he was from the muggle world, right? His eyes widened a bit. "You're a muggle, right? Or well, you're obviously a wizard, but you live in the muggle world... yea?" Austin shook his head slightly. He sounded so childish and stupid, so to keep his cool, he sat down next to the older boy.

"Having older siblings must be fun." He was an only child after all, so he had no idea how siblings were. He assumed they were people you could have fun with, although he had heard stories about older, and even younger, siblings picking on each other. "Do your brothers pick on you because you're a wizard?" It was a bit of a blunt question, but blunt was better than exploding with excitement. Loosing his cool was not something Austin wanted.

Hmm.. For fun? "Let's see..." He looked up at the ceiling for a moment, hoping to find some sort of answer. What did he like to do for fun? "Well, I enjoy wondering around the castle, although there isn't much to see once you've found a lot of secret passage ways." He had spent a lot of his winter days walking around the castle, and there really wasn't a lot around. You could sit and talk to the paintings, but after a while, they had their own lives to get to, so you couldn't talk long. "I also like healing potions..." He decided to stop himself there. He didn't really tell many people about his love for healing, for it seemed like a girly thing to do, but he really enjoyed potions, and those that had healing properties.

'You're a muggle, right?' Woah. That was kind of offensive. But then, Austin went on to correct himself and okay much better. "Yeah... The muggle world, I guess. My whole family lives there! It's actually pretty nice." It was no Hogwarts of course, but it was home. And that did mean something in the Gryffindor's book, so he wouldn't put it down. Especially because it sounded like Austin didn't really know too much about the muggle world. Zander didn't want to give the kid the wrong impression or anything.. "You ever been to muggle London? It's amazing," He figured that the kid had never been, but who knows? Maybe... Either way, Zander wanted to make sure that Austin knew how cool the 'muggle world' actually was.

Fun? More like a pain. Zander nodded ever so reluctantly. Hmph. Yeah. Fun. It sure made things interesting around the house, but fun? Meh, not so much. "Because I'm a wizard?" Well they didn't pick on him just for that, but it was definitely included in their list. "Yeah, a lot. They pick on me for everything though... They're really annoying," Ugh. And to top that they stole all the attention, always. Maybe that's why Zander kept so reserved most of the time, he was just so used to it. "I guess they're okay sometimes," But definitely not most times.

Wandering around the castle. Good answer. Zander approves. Except, when he asked about fun, he really meant outside of the castle. Sure, there's always a ton to do here, but what did the kid enjoy besides exploring all seven floors seven hundred times? "Yeah, exploring is pretty fun! Especially because this place is so huge, but like, what do you like to do outside of Hogwarts? You know... Hobbies?" Then, when the kid mentioned healing potions, Zander tilted his head to the side. Oh? "Really? Healing potions?" Hm. Interesting. "Do yah want to become a healer then?" Or was he more interested in making the potions? Either way, Austin seemed to know where his future was headed way before Zander did. This Gryffindor was a hopeless cause.

Austin shook his head. "I've never been to muggle London, although now it seems I should go." He'll have to make a note of going this summer. That's hoping his parents would take him. But he was sure he could coax his dad into taking him while his mom was at work. "Hey, at least they're family. I'm sure if it came down to it, they'd help you with a few transfiguration spells." He winked at Zander. Pranks are fun. There was the downside of not being able to use spells until they were seventeen, but they weren't going to youngins forever.

"Yea, I do." At some point that is. "My mom is a healer, so I've spent a lot of time around her when I was younger, and it seemed like a lot of fun." Well, if you didn't count the potential death involved, or the fact that you could catch a crazy disease for just being around the sick. Austin's mom had let him help with the easy stuff when he would visit, and he seemed to be really good at it. As for other things he liked to do, it wasn't a whole lot. At least not right now. "Generally I just like things that are fun." If next year was going to be this bad, he would definitely need to stock up on things from Weasley's. They had a lot of cool stuff.

"What about you? What do you like to do in your free time?"

Jun laughed, rocking back and forth on his skateboard a bit. He could just picture Lex throwing up from eating too many chocolate frogs. And then going ahead and eating more again. Nothing would ever stop Prefect Candy from eating her life away with chocolate frogs. Not even this ice age they were stuck in. It were as if Charmander understood what Lex said because at the same time, the ferret popped his head out of Jun's hoodie and blinked up at the blonde. Jun still knew the ferret was uneasy by how quiet he stood. "Felix's favorite food is whatever animal he can fit into his mouth," He joked. Like this mice in the dungeons. "Welp, looks like I'm missing out on the chance," He didn't mind not meeting his house prefects. The boy was perfectly fine with it.

"She's a house mate. I had given her the last of my potion for sore throats. So she made me a home remedy for that," Jun made sure never to get sore throats around Pal again. That tea was probably going to make him sweat out all of his body water in one sip. "You should try practicing hexes and jinxes on people. I'm sure it would give them something to do too,"

Ah, of course he had never been. Zander really hadn't expected it really. The way the boy had slipped up with calling him a muggle and all. It kind of struck the third year as ignorant, but then Austin was quick to amend that and hm. Maybe Zander was a bit too quick to judge. The guy seemed okay now. "Yeah it's really nice, everyone here seems to think that life without magic is impossible, but it's actually not that bad," especially when he didn't know this magic stuff really existed. Help him with transfiguration spells, huh? "Well... I guess... But they're not wizards... They-they just went to school back home," he kind of wished they were wizards though. It would've given him a way to connect to his two elder siblings.

"Oh, that's cool, I guess." Zander really didn't see the appeal of becoming a healer, but hey if the kid had his heart set then let him go his own way? "It's nice that you know what you want to do with your future even though you're in first year.... I still have no clue," Oh poo. Being reminded of all this future stuff was pretty intimidating, but he still had a while... So hopefully it'd all be okay. "So is your favorite class potions then?" Because Zander's certainly wasn't. Just because he wanted to get back on Culloden's good side did not mean that he liked the professor, OR the class. As the boy went on to the next bit and mentioned things that are fun, Zander raised an inquisitive eyebrow. Well, that was pretty generic.

As for what he did in his free time, "Uh..." What did he do in his free time? Well at home he just stayed in his room out of his brothers' way. "I like the outdoors," he said finally. Well, not the outdoors now, but before the snowpocalypse. "Just sitting outside by the lake or going out to the treehouse, it's just nice," It was a great change from sitting inside around all the noise, even around his obnoxious brothers. The outdoors though, it was quiet and serene and no one was there to yell at him. It was his happy place. And that's why he found himself taking strolls through different corridors every day. Because he wanted to find another happy place now that they were stuck inside.

Did it work? Lex could see Char slowly coming back around. There, that wasn't so bad now was it? At first Felix struggled but he settled down soon enough, resigned to the fact he wouldn't be having the ferret for lunch. The Gryffindor paid only a little attention to this. She was too busy grinning as her amusement was made evident. "Pffft, I'll I have you know my kneazle is ambitious. He's not only after easy prey." Which, ironically, was nothing to be happy about because sometimes he took on things that were likely to kill him if she didn't step forward. "Looks like you will--or not. We're all locked inside now and I reckon you're in your common room for at least a part of the day?" Surely some kind of run in happened, unless he'd started avoiding that place now.

The moment he explained she was a housemate it became clear why she didn't know her. "Home remedy? Sounds horrid." But only by virtue of the fact that most home remedies were. You'd think that in the comfort of their homes people would think of my delicious ingredients but apparently not? It just didn't make sense.

Lex shrugged at his suggestion. "Too easy to get caught now that everyone's inside. There'll be a million witnesses at least, all having had nothing better to watch." It was hard word hexing people so scared they were afraid to report and she wasn't interested in it coming to that anyway.

The Slytherin Common Room had gotten to the point where even sitting in front of the fireplace wasn't helping warm up Adelaide. So she decided to drag her charms book up to her little window sill on the fourth floor. She'd always loved sitting here. She had a decent view of the grounds and it was kind of out of the way from all the people passing to get to the library and such. She was pretty shocked Oreo hadn't followed her up her. He even seemed to be spending less time in the dungeons then usual. Unless it was bed time.

She sat against the wall and sat crosslegged on the sill, setting her book open on her lap. Addi sighed as she read over some simple charms. Just a refresher but still. She needed the highest mark she could get if that's what she was going to study in WU.