Simon nodded as he could see how people would feel as if Hogwarts was a second home. As the days went on, he too began to feel that way. "I can see that. I think I'm slowly starting to think that too," he explained as he paused, thinking about the end of the year. He didn't want to leave just yet. He had only started. Going home would be fun, but he wouldn't be able to hang out with all the new friends that he had made. His blue eyes widened at Kace's next comment. "Bellaire? No, I haven't come across her yet. Is she mean?" Cause if she was, Simon did not want to have too much to do with her. He nodded and stuck one hand in his pocket. "Sure. We really only say 'G'day'. Or 'how's it going mate'? Or 'Hey'." 'Twas all pretty simple- thank Merlin.

"Nearly Headless Nick? I haven't met him personally but I've seen him interact with some people. He seems nice," he said with a nod and a grin. As Kace checked behind his shoulder, Simon too took a look. He didn't see anything. "I can't see anything. Can you?"

Being clean was something to toot your own horn over. Didn't she know that? Probably didn't. Probably stunk too. Or will do once puberty kicked in. And THEN he'd laugh.

Grayson wasn't sure why he was giving away the secrets of the common room. Were they even secrets? Probably not. And how could he keep his mouth shut about this when the girl looked like she was so interested in this topic? A small smirk spread across his face. "Big fan of good ol' Squiddy, eh?" This was an interesting note to keep in mind. Uh huh. ANYWAYS. "Oh yeah, plenty of times!" Maybe that was a lie. Or a stretch of the truth. She didn't need to know that. "He likes to swim past. As do the mermaids and grindylows."

A fellow smirker. Heh. "You should hang out with some more Slytherins, then. We're not a bad bunch." Some were weird and lame-os but you could probably find some in every house. What did she need to do to get into the common room? Grayson snorted. "Bribe someone, probably. Or ask very nicely." And she COULD bribe him. It would probably take a lot, though. Like a week's worth of cleaning his dorm. Or he might be nice to this little Claw. MAYBE. "You're welcome." Manners. Both of them has them. Who'd have thought it.

"His name is Bartholomew, apparently." NOT Squiddy and no, Maddie didn't know why she felt so defensive at the moment but it seemed like the snake boy was belittling the giant squid and she DID NOT like that. The thought of getting to see him as often as this dude claimed to WAS sort of interesting, though. And so Maddie would play nice for now. "I think if I were them, I wouldn't like being watched." She could imagine the Merpeople in particular would find it annoying, as if they were in a giant fish tank. Seemed insulting the more she thought about it. Still, she wouldn't mind taking a look.

"Some snakes seem cooler than others." More smirking happened and Maddie tilted her head, eyeing the wall boy curiously. She wasn't exactly sure why he was being so forthcoming with information and because her first experience with him hadn't been pleasant, it made her suspicious. "What SORT of bribes?" Because suspicious or not, if he was giving information, she'd take it with a grain of salt. "And WHY are you being so helpful?" HMM?

Kace nodded and patted him on the back. "Knew it would become your second home. It usually is for everyone." It was the truth. I mean who doesn't love the food, the warm beds, the secret passageways, the competition of the houses? There was always something to do here. It was never boring. Unlike it is at his home however. He saw his eyes grow wide when he mentioned Bellaire. He chuckled and told him, "Relax mate, it is fine. I will give you a piece of advice, she is very strict. She is not someone you want to cross.." he nodded seriously. "I try to be on my best behavior in her classes and not make too many jokes." Because if he did, he might get detention or on her bad side.

Ah so he got the greetings down. So maybe he should practice on him? "G'Day mate! There how was that?" he asked his buddy. "Or I will try...how's it going mate?" he chuckled at that one. His southern accent didn't help at all. He nodded when Simon mentioned Nick seems nice. He usually was. He has yet to see the Fat Friar though. "Nah I can't see anything yet. I don't think Peeves is here so we are lucky." he grinned.

Simon nodded and gave the Hufflepuff a friendly grin. Bellaire... She...She taught... Simon completely blanked on what she taught. Errrr... It wasn't Potions nor Charms nor Arithmancy nor Astronomy....Wasn't she the
Transfiguration Professor? "She's the Transfiguration Professor, right?" he asked. He barely knew her at all compared to some of the other faculty. He sighed. "Strict? I'll be quiet and courteous. I don't want a detention. Thanks for the head's up, Kace." This Hufflepuff was nice. Perhaps they could be friends! Yes, a Hufflepuff friend would be nice. perhaps they could take over the world as ninjas?

He chuckled at his friend's attempt at saying the greeting. It was pretty good. He gave Kace a thumb's up. "Spot on. Now all you have to do is copy my accent and everyone will think that you're a true Australian." Both of his phrases worked well. With accent coaching, perhaps the Hufflepuff could pass for an Aussie? It was very likely. But right now, he sounded like an American trying to sound like an Austrlian.. Ehh.. They'd work on it. "I notice that you have an accent too.. Are you from the US?" he asked curiously. Kace's accent reminded him of Emmylou's slightly.

He grinned. Thank Merlin, Peeves wasn't here. Peeves was a troublemaker. Complete and utter no good troublemaker.

Bartholomew. Wasn't this interesting information? "You think he minds being called Bart?" Bartholomew was a bit of a mouthful. Besides, who could say no to a nickname? And was this tiny one getting defensive? If so, he didn't care. Nope. Look at all the cares he gave in his currently empty hands. She wouldn't like to be watched? "We're not oogling at them like a bunch of creep-os." Who did she think they were, anyways? "Besides, they knew we're there. They wouldn't come by if they didn't like us." There was a lot to like about them too. Uh huh.

Some snakes seem cooler than others. WELL. "Smart. Some are cooler." Grayson's chest puffed out just a little at that because he KNEW that he was one of the cooler ones. As were Cassia and Cutty and Soph and Ethan and a couple of others he knew. What sort of bribes? Grayson smirked and looked her up and down before saying, "Depends on the person. What do you have to offer?" Sweets? Offering to clean his dorm? What? "Why not?" he said, shrugging his shoulders, "Believe it or not, I can be nice sometimes."

......................

LOOOOOOOOOOOOL. What a joke.

"I wish I could talk to him and find out." The twelve year old tried not to sound TOO desperate but she really really REALLY wanted to meet the giant squid. Who WOULDN'T want to, right? I mean GIANT SQUID, HELLOOOOO. "Sometimes watching CAN be construed as creepy." Being helpful by offering this information, she was. Maddie was sure this boy had the capability to creep out ALL KINDS of people and creatures but she was being nice FOR NOW. "Maybe you're right. Maybe not. You'd know for sure if you talked to them. Ever heard Mermish?"

He didn't think she was talking about HIM, did he? Awww, he did! That was SO cute. Misguided but cute. The claw smirked and crossed her arms over her chest, amused. This one thought very highly of himself, mhm. "Things." She had things to offer but she wasn't going to put all her cards on the table just yet. Getting into the Slytherin common room didn't guarantee that she'd see the squid or anything. As for Grayson being nice, the first year shrugged. "There always seems to be a catch with you lot, is all. Or that's what I've observed." And she DIDN'T believe him, not really. Her eyebrows raised and she considered him for a moment or two before adding, "Whatever you say."

Kace nodded, "Yeah she is the Transfiguration professor." Simon was golden on that one. Maybe she had a face that wasn't too hard to miss. Before going any further he smiled and replied, "No worries just helping a fellow third year out." he winked. He was starting to see a nice side of slytherins. Not all of them were bad. He knew Cassia, Grayson, Simon and Sophie. They were all cool in his book. Maybe Simon and him could be like ninjas in their lifetime. Who knew?

Woah!? He did well with his greeting. Score one for Kace. Now all he had to do with copy his Australian accent. Then he could fool the people his first meets. "You're right. I might need to hang around with you a lot and then pick up on it." he shrugged. Not that he would. Simon might get sick of him. Oh? He noticed his accent. Kace hardly knew he had an accent. Maybe that was the same for Simon. He grinned and said, "Yeah I am. I am from Kansas. So you might hear some countryness in my accent." he grinned sheepishly. He hoped a ghost would show his face soon, that might be pretty cool.

"Well then, we'll have to be super careful around her. We'll have to be..." he paused as he searched for the word. Cautious? No, cautious was the same as careful. His blue eyes widened when he found the word. "We'll have to be like ninjas. Quiet but observant." Yeah! That's was he was going for.. More or less. Being a ninja would be cool, he figured. Just so long as he got to also do some research too.

Simon gave him a thumb's up. "Yeah, definitely. We should hang out more so you could pick up my accent and I'll pick up yours," he said with a grin. He liked Kace's accent. It was so different yet so cool. Simon chuckled as Kace said that he may have heard some country-ness in his accent. He nodded in agreement. "Oh yes. Like those country singers that you hear on the radio." Or those wild west movies when two cowboys had a face off. This town ain't big enough for the two of us. "It's a pretty cool accent.

Kace chuckled at the reference. "Yeah you are right mate! We will have to be like ninjas. We can be knowledgeable but still be quiet and observant. Excellent idea." he nodded. "Will we have to dress like them in her class?" he asked. He had to know.

Oh lord. Simon speaking with a country accent. That would be interesting. An Aussie speaking country. He chuckled at that idea and replied, "Sure mate we can make that happen." he nodded. He rolled his eyes at the stereotypes. "Well I would say that is a stereotype. The western movies, no one really talks like that..." he began when he heard his imitation. He laughed at that once. "Then you have to grab your belt buckle and walk like this..." he said almost walking widely like a penguin. He was waddling with his legs going wide. "You will also need your country hat too which I have at home.." he said missing it. He was starting to feel a little homesick.

"Same. Bet he's really cool to hang out with." And could probably tell them some great stories about all the things he had seen in his time here. Some juicy stories, not the boring 'I saw a really colourful fish swim by one time'. Also, this girl sounded a lot like one Delilah, did she know? Blah blah staring is creepy blah blah you should find another passtime. "By people who don't want to be seen. Besides, it depends on how you do it." Of course he was right. PSH. "Nah! Someone told me that it sounds like a bunch of banshees screaming bloody murder. Have you heard Mermish?"

Things. That was all she had to say. Things. Girl of many words, wasn't she? Grayson raised his eyebrows at her before saying, "That could mean anything." Meaning be a bit more specific, mkay? Otherwise it was going to be very hard for her to find someone who'd willingly take her into the Slytherin common room to see the Squid. "We just like to make sure to get our fair share out of a deal. Nothing wrong with that." Shrug. It didn't stop there either; there was a lot of house support with their 'lot', as she put it. And look who was being the creepier one with the word 'observing'. Just saying. Smirk.

"Plus he probably knows loads about Hogwarts history." So he could dish all the dirt on the happenings at the castle. Well, those he'd HEARD about, anyway. Because besides the ghosts, he was probably one of the oldest things here, yeah? Maddie thought so. "I didn't know there were different ways to watch someone." Apparently Grayson was an EXPERT on the subject, though. Good luck putting THAT on a resume. "Really? That doesn't seem right. I bet they sound different underwater." Besides, who knew how the Merpeople thought THEY sounded. "I've never heard them but I'm going to learn when I'm older." 'Cause you can't rule the world and not be able to communicate with those living in it.

"Exactly. I'll let people know what I have to offer when they need to." And she was SURE that Grayson WANTED to know but he didn't NEED to know. "I guess." Though Maddie wasn't sure how Slytherins made friends if that was the case because from what she'd witnessed with Kyroh and Dima, you weren't always meant to get something in return when you helped someone.

That smirking thing? He could STOP now. Maddie glanced down at her wrist and exclaimed, "Oh look at the time!" Was she WEARING a watch? No. He'd given her all the information she wanted for the moment, though. Time to move on. "I've got someplace to be. Thanks for being SO helpful, Snake."

You see this is what happens when you start daydreaming about pizza on the way to the kitchen. You take one wrong turn and you end up in the dungeons. He was even in that not so secret passageway. It was pretty cool expect for the smell. Though he did not know how the Slytherins did it living here in the dungeons.

Probably because he has lived in a tower for seven years.

Since he was here and all. Might as well try for the Slytherin Common Room or Potion Lab and mess with ingredients and see what happens.

Explosions were fun on occasion.

The thing that was great about the sometime-stench that lingered in this particular passage way was it tended to discourage nosy Ravenclaws and reckless Gryffindors from poking about looking for the entrance to the Slytherin common room if they hadn't otherwise been blessed with the privilege of an invitation. It didnt work on Hufflepuffs, West had noticed, since they were either Slytherin enough to have worked it out themselves (your classic missorted puff), invited in for their food bribes (the takes-advantage-of-living-by-the-kitchen-and-sometimes-delivers puff), or chose not to judge a corridor based on its occasional stink (the all-corridors-have-a-purpose-dont-make-it-feel-bad puff). This meant that West rarely came across anyone down this way, it wasnt even the most direct route to get to Slytherin, though it had been a quick way to bypass Lafay's office back in the day, if you thought you needed to avoid her.

He hadnt been expecting to see anyone at all this time either, especially not Nigel. On account of the ravenclaw prefect and TDK bass player was more likely to be found splayed out somewhere in his own common room. Apparently with as few layers on as possible or so West had been told. Personally West didnt spend all that much time cataloguing the degree of nakedness of his male friends in the way that certain Ravenclaw females did. They could probably give you any statistic on the matter that you wanted with pinpoint accuracy.

Ravenclaw girls were great... but exhausting, so maybe Nigel was taking refuge here for that reason?

Or maybe that up-to-something expression meant something else.

"Come to borrow a Hawaiian shirt?" West asked with a perfectly straight face. He DID have plenty... too bad the weather wasnt cooperating with the notion.

There was plenty of time to think things through once you get use to the smell. Better than a Quidditch locker room at least. Like it was a really long walk from the tower to where he was now. Like seriously long. It was his work out since quidditch was not around to be his one workout for the year. Back to this passage way. It did make it the best spot to actually set off fireworks. As long as nobody comes on by. But he would never do that.

Never.

He was not terribly surprised to hear West's voice. It would have been really random if it was a Gryffindor. Hufflepuff was understandable because they were puffs. He kids, He kids. Nigel laughs. "Oh, i would take you up on that if you were serious. The one piece of clothing i lack is Hawaiian shirts and you know the cold will not stop me from wearing summer clothing"

Or most clothing. It was true he liked as few as layers as possible. But never outright gave credence to the rumors.

More fun that way.

"Broheim, you can borrow my clothes any time you like. Maybe we need to do Hawaiian shirts on stage." Pause. "unbuttoned." for the laaaadies or... Y'know. Whoever. If others wanted to perve then who was he to judge?

"I only brought three with me this term... And I'm not letting the weather get in my way stylistically either. Warming charms and insulation charms are ideal."

Mhmm.

"Since you never visit me and Scan, I'm guessing you aren't down here socially? "

"Randomly just show up on stage wearing unbutton Hawaiian shirts.....We would look good in Hawaiian shirts, buttoned or unbuttoned."

Fact.

One was more than enough. Nigel forget to bring his only one up here with him and has been too lazy to learn the spells needed to make clothing. He was becoming more in the mind set that the only real work he had left was NEWTS and everything before them did not matter. "One is better than none. Though some lei's would be needed just cause" The more thought to this insane idea. The more fun it sounded.

"Actually, I was on my way over there now, after daydreaming into the passageway. I don't want to walk all the way back to the tower. Plus it is way easier to get food on the way back up than walk all the way back down later."

He would never let the house elves bring the food up for him. It was his only exercise beside getting up from the sofa and jamming out to weird songs.

"Well I've got one picked out for the Irie room party, so that's a start." West answered. Was Nigel gonna go? West assumed so, it was warm in there so obviously better for starfishing than a freezing tower.

"Me and Scan were talking about a luau party at one point actually. I have a couple leis too... because accessories are important." Just saying. leis weren't blingy but West did like his accessories, it showed that you cared about taking that extra step with your appearance and let you be all creative and stuff too.

Food? That was always good. "The best thing about the Slytherin common room is that there's pretty much always food. Between Derry's shortbread, Adelaide's brownies, and Cat's everything else," especially the lasagna, "There's always a batch of something and I'm usually the taste tester." And sure some of Cat's food made its way up to Ravenclaw because of Mo and all, but West got a massive chunk of it... and when they could receive post, Cat's aunt Lily sent him food all the time too. Moretti food was the best food, no contest.

"If you're gonna get food now, I'll come with."

Leah was wandering around the castle, looking for places that needed insulation. Well the whole place was freaking cold but where was the coldest inside the castle? Probably not the kitchen level. She WAS going to get there later on but before that she walked down into the dungeons. She thought about insulating the potions classroom for the professor. Whoops, apparently the Hufflepuff needed a map to get to her destination because WHERE WAS THIS PLACE? Dark and smelly, the very place Leah wanted to avoid. But also a place that needed warmth.

She kinda practiced the spell in her leisure time and could do it in a couple trials. Leah fished out her wand, aiming it at the wall in front of her, pulled her cloak closer to herself and said, waving her wand in a sideways figure eight, "Caelum Saepio." And a whole lot of.. nothingness. "Caelum Saepio!" she repeated with the wand movement, and a small warm fog appeared.

After enjoying the warmth for a moment, Leah quickly left the passage, wanting to be away from the darkness.