Simon raised his right eyebrow and shot Agatha an amused smile for she hadn't explained how her Uncle had gone about fixing it. He'd play along with it and find out what REALLY happened another time for he enjoyed Agatha's company. "Well, thank Merlin, that its all fixed now," he said as he returned to the fire, warming his hands up. He shook his head. His parents didn't have a fireplace. "No, my parents don't have one. My grandparents have a fireplace though but if I appeared in the fireplace, they would probably have a heart attack." Simon didn't want to do that to his Gran or his Pa. That would be too mean.

"Sounds like a plan," he said. He'd have to brush up on how to tell how people were lying. He wasn't sure exactly how he would accomplish it but he would somehow. Simon blinked his blue eyes. How could one girl possibly feel so much resent towards such a magnificent creature as a centaur? he thought. That was too odd. "If he meant to kill us, he would have done that back at the pathways. They may not care for human kind, but Gurion did seem to care about the welfare of all of us. They're good creatures, but they will harm people that are rude or are not nice to them." Simon liked Gurion. He was nice.

Wait. Was Agatha blushing? She was so cute. He blinked at his own thoughts. No, he had NOT just thought that. Thinking that girls were cute? No. No. No. He didn't think like that. Simon quickly removed his hand, sensing that the situation was probably going to start to get awkward if he left it there. Heh. Yeah. He scratched his head. Uh.. Anyway... "Yeah, we should visit your Uncle." He nodded. Yeah. That just got more awkward.

How was that even possible?

Agatha nodded solemnly at Simon's remark. "Yes, I wouldn't like to come to Hogwarts with... that still happening." Imagine if he caught whatever that was?? Merlin, that would've been terrible. Oh? "Your grandparents don't know you're magical?" Wow, that must be really weird!! Agatha couldn't fathom the madness being a Muggleborn probably was. Wow.

So they would go talk to both professors and see what they found out. Huh... Agatha never thought she'd do this sort of thing when she came to Hogwarts, but apparently you couldn't trust all of the staff... only her uncle and two others were trustworthy, in her opinion. Tsk. Though Simon did have a point. If the centaur wanted to kill them it wouldn't have been that complicated. As much as she disliked admiting that, they were still just kids. "I suppose." Agatha deadpanned when her friend mentioned that the creatures would harm those who were rude to them. Noted. Agatha would never ever speak to any of those creatures ever, just in case.

The fact Simon removed his hand from her shoulder made it clear that he was aware of all of it, which made Agatha blush even more. She quickly looked at the crackling fire and tried her best to pretend nothing was happening. "Yes, we should." And her face should also stop blushing, URGH!! That was terrible! "Um. Yes." But she didn't move. They had just come back from the cold, it wouln't be smart to leave the Castle again, especially after those centaurs told them to seek shelter... Merlin...

Simon nodded. As a kid, it had been hard to hide it; however, now, it had become almost second nature to him. He didn't want his grandparents to think that he was some crazy unstable child that needed assistance so he was off at a special school for the 'gifted'. He just wanted to be treated normally by them. "Yeah, they wouldn't believe it anyway," he explained. His grandparents weren't exactly the most accepting of things that were non-muggle. They didn't like change at all. He nodded when he noticed her taking his advice.

Agatha turned more pink. Woah. He had never seen a girl turn that pink before. He was about to point it out, but he decided not too. She wouldn't appreciate that. They were friends after all...? Why was she blushing? "Let's go do that another day... It's way too cold to go out again." Yeah, it'd be better to stay by the fireplace.

They would believe it? How would anyone NOT believe in magic? That didn't make any sense. "Weird. But your parents know, right?" Merlin, that must be really horrible. Not being able to do magic and see magic in your daily life. Agatha hadn't got a clue how that could be.

Even though she wasn't looking straight at Simon, she could feel he was still watching her. She frowned for a fraction of a second as she stared at the fire but immediately decided to pretend nothing was happening. Or at least try to. "Yeah, we'll go some other time." She tried to sound firm and confident, she even sat up straighter and fixed her hair.

But......................... now what? She had no idea what to do or say. Agatha just... sat there. In silence. Looking into the fire but being well aware of Simon's every move.

Simon nodded. His parents knew about his magical abilities. If they didn't, he probably even wouldn't be at the school. Plus, their neighbour (a squib) had also informed them to send young Simon to this fine institution so that he could harness his true potential. "Oh yes, they know. My grandparents are just..." he paused and tried to find the right words to use to explain what they were like to Agatha. "They aren't very accepting people when it comes to strange things or change." He gave her a smile and nodded once more. They would go see her Uncle soon. He just wished that he wouldn't look at Simon skeptically or give Simon the 'I'm watching you, kiddo' look.

Now it was really awkward....

They were just sitting in silence, staring into the fireplace. He didn't know what to do. To stay or to go. He didn't want to leave just yet because he enjoyed Agatha's company immensely. There was something nice about hanging out with girls sometimes.... "So what do you like to do for fun around here?" he asked raising an eyebrow.

At least his parents knew. Merlin, that must be a hard life, having to hide who you really are. Agatha frowned slightly as she thought about it and listened as Simon explained things about his grandparents. Stange things? "Magic is not strange." She said, shaking her head. It was so weird someone would even think that!

.....


...

This couldn't get any more awkward. Agatha kept staring at the fireplace and started fiddling with her scarf that was now on her lap. The looooong - at least it felt like it had been quite long - silence was broken by Simon asking her what she liked to do for fun. The girl grasped the opportunity to break that awkwardness and turned to face him once again as she started speaking. "Well, in the school there isn't that much to do. I like riding horses, but I can't do that here." Sadly. Agatha tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear before continuing. "So I just play with my pets and study most of the time." That second part was a bit of a lie, but she didn't think it was. The third year liked to think she studied quite a lot and would tell that to anyone who would ask her. Yep, she was totally an excelent student."What about you?"

"Agreed," said Simon as he nodded. His grandparents didn't know of his magical abilities. It seemed better that way to the young Snake. Yes, much better. They wouldn't look at him like his brother did. They wouldn't think that he was weird. It was tough but necessary.

....
Uhhh..
....

Nice weather were having, isn't it? he asked himself during the silence... Yep. There was no doubt about it. This situation had gotten seriously awkward. But how? How could he avoid it next time? Why was it whenever he was hanging out with a girl that almost everything became awkward? Sheesh.

Simon nodded in agreement. There wasn't too much to do around her. But who knows? Perhaps as they got older then they'd find things to do. He hoped that would happen. She liked riding horses. Interesting.. "Riding horses? That sounds fun... I've never done that before," he explained. He had always been terrified of heights as a small child and never ever wanted to ride horses for that specific reason. He liked helping and feeding them but that was all he'd do. "That sounds fun," he said. He paused and then Agatha asked him a question back. What did he do around here for fun? "Apart from homework and research, I've taken Feo out for walks, read comics and novels, and I spend time with Cutty, Ethan, and Zander. It's fun," he shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. It was fun. "How many pets do you have?" he asked curiously.

Agatha started wiggling her toes inside her snow shoes, just so uh... they wouldn't freeze. It wasn't like she was feeling awkward or anything, of course not, nope, not at all, nope.

...

Still fiddling with her scarf, she was glad Simon took on the opportunity to speak a bit more as well. That silence was just... Merlin. Here's to hoping it wouldn't happen again. "It's brilliant." She said solemnly as she nodded her head. "And very difficult too, but you can always learn it." She tried to sound modest in the last part of the sentence, but her main focus had been the first bit, obviously. Agatha liked to impress and riding horses was quite a mighty thing and it was quite impressive. Just like ballet. "Just like ballet. Like, it's very difficult, but if someone really wants to learn it, they can." And she did both things because she was cool. "I know this because I also do ballet." She added just in case Simon didn't know. She was so not bragging, alright.

Hair flip.

"It is." Playing with pets was fun. When they weren't crazy ravens, that was. Merlin. "Who's Feo? Your pet?" Probably, since they were talking pets now. "I have two. A really nice and beautiful cat and..... a raven." Agatha deadpanned when she said the last word. She still couldn't believe she had a pet raven. Her uncle was mad!

He nodded and listened to how enthusiastic Agatha got when they spoke about horse-riding. Then she mentioned ballet. "You sound like a proper lady," he half-teased. Merlin. Simon couldn't do either of those two things. He had never wanted to try ballet. His sister had tried to get hi to try ballet one. Nu-uh. Didn't work one bit one him. Maybe he wore a pink tutu once but he never ever was going to open up about it. "Yeah, it does seem hard. I couldn't do what ballet dancers do when they go up on their tippy toes. What's that called?" he asked.

Why did Agatha always do a hair flip? Simon looked at the girl, utterly perplexed by her strange yet warm behaviours. He didn't know where he stood with her but they were.. friends, hopefully? He hoped so.

He shook his head. "I wish he was my pet but he's Professor Botros'," he explained. He liked walking Feo around the grounds. The over-excitable Crup had made him run into some new friends of him. Plus, Feo was just plain adorable. Simon would miss him over the summer- that was a fact. She had a cat and a raven? Wow. Those were two very, very different creatures. He blinked his blue eyes. "A raven? How did you convince your parents to get you a raven?" Agatha was the first friend to have a Raven..

'You sound like a proper lady.' "That's because I am." She smiled proudly, not understanding that he was trying to tease her. Simon looked impressed. Heh. Good. "Pointe." The girl told him, nodding solemnly. "That's really hard. But I can do it." She added, fixing her hair. She was totally cool. "Do you do anything?" She asked curiously. Like... anything cool and difficult?

Agatha didn't realise he was looking at her perplexed because she was too busy tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. Again. She also sat a bit further back in the sofa then looked from the fire to Simon.

Professor Botros'? "Oh. And what is it? A cat?" Because people could totally walk cats too or not. Agatha could not. "Do you have any pets then?" She asked, putting her scarf aside. ....A raven. "I didn't." Convince her parents, that was. "I never asked for a pet raven. My uncle gave it to me after I spent the summer helping him with his bees." Only now Agatha stopped to think... was Chess like a payment then? Could she demand a raise next summer and ask for a winged horse??? She would!

He nodded at her response. Uh, he'd attempt to make another joke later. Hopefully that one would be better received, hmm? Hopefully. Fingers crossed. "Really? Show me," he said, challenging her with a wicked grin. He raised an eyebrow. Would she be able to do it or wouldn't she? Tune in next time for the Agatha and Simon show kiddos! He laughed at her question. Did he do anything? "I do many things. I read books, cook, research, watch television series, and solve mysteries with my trusty Sherlock Holmes," he explained becoming all suave like by the mysteries comment. Oh yes. Ethan and him had started a consulting agency right here in Hogwarts. They'd be able to solve all the crimes in no time.

Why were members of the opposite sex confusing? Simon didn't know why. He liked them but they were just way too perplexing. Or maybe that was just Agatha. In any case, he was intrigued. She was like a riddle, waiting to be solved.

He blinked. "Uhhh.. Feo's a Crup," he said laughing a little. Agatha was so silly at times. Mhmmm... Besides, he wasn't sure if you could walk a cat. Sure, it was physically possible at all but would Mr. Mittens enjoy it? The walk? Probably. But being tied up in a leash? Definitely not. At her next question, Simon paused as he became more serious. "I used to have a pet. He was a German Shepherd. His name was Max... He was my best friend. He passed away a couple years ago," he explained. He sure did miss his good friend and had been trying to persuade his parents to get another one. However, with both him and his older brother away at schools, they didn't really see the point of getting another pet. It'd be too much work, they said.

"I see. That's interesting...What's your raven's name?"

Show him? "What? The pointe?" She asked, a bit confused. Or that she was a lady? Eh? She didn't need to show that, she was naturally a lady already. He probably meant the pointe. "I'll need my pointe shoes then." She nodded solemnly. "Do you want to me to do it now or later?" Agatha asked, ignoring the cold completely. She jumped right in whenever she had a chance to show off her ballet skills. Mmmmhm.

Whaaat? The girl blinked when Simon went on and on about all the different things he did. "Television series? What are those? And who's... Holmes?" What in Merlin's beard was he talking about? Agatha was uttely confused. But he cooked? "What do you cook?" She couldn't cook. She had actually never tried it before. Maybe she should someday.

After fixing her hair, the third year looked at her friend and caught him just staring at her. "What?"

Professor Botros had a crup then. "Oh, okay. I didn't know you could bring crups to Hogwarts." She said, tilting her head a bit. "It's probably because he's a professor." And Simon did have a pet... but it passed away a couple of years ago. "Oh. Right." That must be sad. Agatha had never lost a pet, but it was probably nto very nice. She tried to imagine what she would feel if Lady died. ....She couldn't quite fathom it, though. "You didn't bring any pets to Hogwarts?"

Merlin, did he really want to talk about her raven? Agatha wasn't the biggest fan of the bird. "It's Chess. It used to be my uncle's but he gave it to me. I think he doesn't like it." It was the only reason Agatha could think of, to be fair. "I didn't really want it, but he made me keep it because it was a gift. I wish it would stay with him in his hut though." Frown.

"Yes, the pointe, silly!" he said as he folded his arms. He was well aware that she was a lady. Simon began to hum an old muggle song by Lionel Richie. You're once, twice, three times a lady... Yes you're once, twice, three times a lady he sung in his head and tapped his foot softly. He didn't even realize that he was doing it. "Do it now! I want to see how you do it. That is if you don't mind," he said with a suave smile.

"They're..." he began and then found him speechless. He didn't know how to explain it really. It was far too difficult to explain it. Being a muggleborn, Simon had assumed that most people knew how a television worked. "Uhh.. well its a story thats acted out and then you watch it on the television. Do you know what a television is?" It was an important question after all. His jaw dropped when Agatha asked him who Holmes was. "Sweet mother Merlin! Sherlock Holmes is the best fictional detective known to mankind. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created him. I have some novels about his adventures. I'd highly recommend reading it!" Sherlock Holmes was a classic after all. "However, I have a Holmes at Hogwarts. I'm Watson and Ethan's Holmes. We solve crimes and save the Herbology Greenhouse." They were basically superheroes.

Merlin. She had seen him looking, hadn't she? Simon blushed furiously. "Uh nothing! You play with your hair a lot," he observed and then glanced away. Awkward just got more awkward. Hah, yeah... Anyhow...

He nodded and then shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know how. Exactly. Probably because he's a Professor." And Professors could get away with anything, huh? Maybe he ought to be a Professor one day... But what would he teach? There were so many subjects that he enjoyed. Simon bit his lip. Meh. It was a thought for another day. He shook his head, frowning slightly. "No, I didn't... Maybe I ought to get someone to keep me company?" he said. Maybe an owl would do?

Chess? He quirked an eyebrow. That was a rather nice name. It was nice of Agatha to keep the raven in their room. "I'm sorry to hear that. Maybe you can ask to keep Chess in the Owlery or send him or her home? Is she living in the dorm room with you?" Because if so, that wouldn't be good. Ravens could be noisy.

So he wanted to see it now. "I need to get my shoes first then." She obviously didn't mind. Showing off was one of her favourite hobbies anyway, especially when it came to ballet.

But she would wait to find out what television series were first. A short story acted out shown on television. Ohh. "Oh yes, I know. My grandmother used to have one of those paintings. They show a lot more than just one picture, don't they?" Very odd. She blinked several times when he went on to explain who Holmes was. Agatha found the name 'Sherlock' cool, and listened intently as Simon told her things about him. Her fellow Slytherin did sound quite passionate about it, so it might be good after all. "Why's ethan Holmes? Why aren't you Holmes? And who's Watson?" They solved crimes and saved the Herbology Greenhouse? "What?" From what?? Agatha raised both her eyebrows and gave him a questioning look. Oh no... maybe Ethan was already working his magic and turning Simon into a weirdo too...

And he was blushing like whoa now. Agatha stared at him and blinked, letting go of her hair. She played a lot with her hair? Well, she did. And that wasn't a bad thing. More questioning looks were sent his way.

The girl nodded. It was probably because Botros was a professor and they could do whatever they wanted. Agatha wished she was a professor. "It must be really cool to be a professor." She commented as she stared at the wall behind Simon thoughtfully. "Pets are really fun. I love mine." She nodded as she looked back at her friend. Regarding Chess... "Yes, he stays in my room, but I'll take him to the owlery soon beacuse he's making a mess!" The girl rolled her eyes. Speaking of her room... "Hold on, I'll fetch my pointe shoes." She added getting up and walking towards the third year girl's dorm.

He nodded and then grinned. For some reason, he couldn't wait to see Agatha slip on those pointe shoes and show off. He figured that he'd enjoy that just as long as Agatha didn't make him wear them. If she did, it'd be bad. Very bad.

Paintings? That was a really cute analogy to make. He smirked a little and then chuckled. "They're kind of like paintings but without the frames. They're more like the computers in the Muggle Studies Technology Centre," he explained with a friendly grin. Why wasn't he Holmes? Well long story short.. Where would he even begin with this explanation. Well.. Hmmm... He raised his index finger several times as he was about to start explaining the concept to her but every time he stopped. Then he found the correct way to explain it. "I'm Watson because Watson's the Doctor and likes to fix things. Also Holmes likes to march to the beat of his own drum. He's a little strange but cool." Then she was looking at him more intrigued. Oh? She wanted to know more then, eh? "We and several other students found a note from Bentley so we grabbed our things and helped save the plants from the extreme weather. The wind had shattered the windows in the greenhouses," he said with a frown. They had to transport ALL of those plants up to the temporary greenhouse in the castle. It had taken a lot of work but they had completed it in the end.

Simon gazed at Agatha with his bright blue eyes. He nodded. "It'd be pretty swish to be one," he said, trying out a new phrase. Woah. He sounded like Professor Airey using that language. Ahem. Anyway. "Yeah, it'd be good to take him to the owlery. He'll have a lot more room and everything will be cleaner." Plus, Agatha would probably feel more happy without the raven making such a mess everywhere. He nodded and watched her head off then his eyes made their way back to the fireplace. He stared at the dancing flames.

Agatha came back from the third year girl's dorms with a pair of pointe shoes and a proud look on her face. She also had left her thick coat on her trunk, since she wasn't feeling as cold as before, thanks to the fire. She sat back down next to Simon, took her right shoe off and put her foot up on the sofa to start putting the pointe shoes on. It was a whole process, you see? She would continue talking as she worked on that.

Back to the computers. She had no idea what those were either. "I don't take Muggle Studies." Maybe she should start next term? It did sound like they had loads of things Agatha didn't know about and she didn't like not knowing about things. "Do you take it?" She asked him curiously. Wasn't he a Muggleborn? Why would he take that subject??

As she started tying the strap around her ankle, she listened to Simon explaining why he wasn't Holmes, but the other guy. It sounded like he liekd being Watson better. "Isn't he the sidekick though?" Why would anyone want to be the sidekick? Agatha raised an eyebrow at him before going back to making sure the little lace was hidden behind the strap. There, one foot done.

Now onto the second one. She took off her left shoe and propped her foot on the sofa in front of her as she turned to face the fireplace now. She was still listening to her friend, though. Right, the plants were dying because of the weather and such. "Oh, okay." It was all she said on the matter. To be fair, she was too busy tying the strap again to even think about said plants.

Pretty swish. Agatha eyed Simon. "Right." She looked back down at the lace she was working on. Merlin, he was hanging out way too much with Ethan... "I will." Take Chess to the owlery, that was. The sound of her room being cleaner was nice. She hoped it would indeed get cleaner as soon as Chess left. She doubted it.

Pushing the tiny lace behind the straps like she did to the other one, Agatha moved her feet up and down a bit before getting up and standing in a preparation position. Nevermind the floor. "Okay, watch." First position, demi-plié aaaaaaaaaand relevéPOINTE! HAH. She was awesome. The third year then did a fifth arm position because it made it all look nicer too. She was a BEAUTIFUL ballerina and she KNEW it. Her uncle told her that all the time. Okay, third arm position now. Ahem. She was amazing. Too bad she wasn't wearing the full outfit. And too bad there wasn't a stage there either. Merlin, she should totally start practising ballet in the Common Room like, every day. That would be brilliant. She almost forgot Simon was there, but she didn't really because he was an audience and she loved having an audience, no matter who it was. Except if it were Chess and Lady because they were terrible at sitting still.

Wow. He blinked, watching her put on her pointe shoes. The shoes seemed rather extensive. Biting his lip, he watched her with wide eyes. Ballet was a strange concept to the boy. "I do take Muggle Studies but not as a credit. It's fun," he said. He could show off just how smart he was. It was more of an ego boost than anything else really.

"Side-kick? Sure, I suppose if you look at it like that. However, he's just as important as Holmes. Without Watson, Holmes wouldn't be able to do anything," he explained. Holmes and Watson needed each other. They were like ying and yang. Like Ethan and Simon, eh? Did that make sense?

Then Agatha stood up, ready to demonstrate all of her rather fancy moves. He waited as she moved between first to fifth to second position. She was so dedicated and precise with every movement. It was brilliant. Simon watched her with wide eyes. "Woah. That's pretty awesome," he said giving her a kind smile. Hopefully she wouldn't make him try it. He crossed his fingers behind his back.

Sophie had been avoiding the Divination homework assignment ever since it'd been posted. She'd done enough random Valentine giving in class, and really, that had been pushing it for her. She just wasn't the type to do that kind of thing for fun unless there was someone REALLY special she had in mind. She'd actually already given him his card.

So now which professor could she give a random card to? Sophie opened up the parchment which contained the list of professors and their signs. She'd made a copy of it to have when she did her card. Pisces only had Professor Glendower, and even though she seemed like a good professor, Sophie didn't know her well.

That was when Sophie happened to look one section up on the list and noticed that Professor Culloden was a Pisces. Awesome! She knew him pretty well, so he'd be the one!

He took Muggles Studies for FUN? What???? Who DID that?? Agatha gave him a look like if Simon was crazy. Merlin, what an odd boy. At least he wasn't rude. And maybe that meant he was clever and liked studying? Hm... still, that was strange in Agatha's point of view, but to each his own.

Suureee, that was what all side-kicks would say. But Simon seemed to like being a side-kick, so Agatha would let him be. "Okay." It was all she said. If they ever paired up to do anything, she would keep that in mind. He could be the side-kick while she was the main person. That sounded pretty cool.

The third year was concentrating on her moves, but she was obviously aware of her audience. And HE said she was AWESOME. Well, that was what she heard. She proudly flipped her hair - she could rarely do it because her hair was always up while she was in ballet lessons - and continued with her improvised show. It wasn't a proper choreography, but more like some excercise moves, really. But it didn't matter, they still looked beautiful.

Oh, there was a BOY there! Agatha could totally take advantage of that! Simon didn't do ballet, most probably, but no matter. She got down from the pointe and approached him, grabbing his hand and making him stand up. "You need only to stand still, okay?" Okay. She placed his arm in a sideway arch as if he was doing a second arm position with only one of his arms - she only needed his one arm anyway - aaannd!! "Okay, stay still." The girl emphasised, before going to pointe again and placing a hand on his shoulder and the other one on his forearm.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaand ARABESQUE PENCHÉE!! A full 180 degrees one. BOOM! Merlin, she was AWESOME at this. Oh yes, she was. Too bad she still needed to hold onto someone to do it, but soon enough she wouldn't need that. Yep, that was her goal for next year. She could do that, mhm.

Now that Sophie knew who she was sending her card to, she needed to actually make the card. She'd brought a few pieces of parchment and some color-changing quills with her, so she'd use those to make the card. She picked up a dark red quill and tapped it silently against the parchment as she thought about what she wanted it to say. She just wasn't the mushy type, even if it was just a friendly-type mushiness.

Finally, she grinned, as she knew just what to say. She knew Culloden would appreciate her humor. She kept it short and sweet, because that's usually what cards were like. When she was done with the letter, she switched to a different colored quill and began drawing a speech bubble, so it would seem like she was the one saying the words on the card. She did this a few more times with different colored quills, until she had four speech bubbles.

Lastly, she switched to a plain, black quill and wrote words to describe Culloden on the speech bubbles. With that done, she was finished with her card. All that was left to do now was deliver it, so Sophie quickly collected her things then left the common room.

Ascanius, as of late, hated the Common Room. Just 'cause the castle was frozen over and everyone was practically FORCED to be on top of one another did not mean that underclassmen had to hang out here. Near his seat. Where he looked like a ruling God perched on his throne. Or, the light just hit his really pretty face from this angle. Pictures were allowed, yeah?

No, the underclassmen coud go find holes to swallow themselves in or hang out in the halls and cuddle up for warmth wherever they found company. But the Common Room was not a place he wanted to congregate with them. S'his last term, y'know? Which meant that he should have been going out with his friends, spending time on the grounds for the last time as a student, snogging by the lake. The endless list of things he wanted to do were stripped of him 'cause of the frigid weather.

And to make matters worse UNDERCLASSMEN had to breathe his air.

Whatever.

He closed his eyes and tried to focus on anything else then the one thing he wanted to be doing right now. He needed to take the edge of.

Peace. Zen. No, not zen. Ugh.

.........

SO MANY SMALL PEOPLE?!

Where did they all COME from?

...

Ugh.

Derry picked her way through the common room, accidentally kicking at least two or three of the younger students in the head or shoulder as she walked past them. Clumsiness and busy rooms didn't mix. She dug into her pocket for food as she walked, popping a few of the sweets into her mouth as she went...

...

and then she saw Ascanius. Looking... hmm.

She was tempted to chuck one of the sweets at him whilst he had his eyes closed, but he was looking... yeah. So she walked over towards him, shoving an unfortunate second year out of the way and sitting next to her best mate. "You alright?" she asked, shoving another sweet in her mouth.

He was silently pleased when Snaps arrived. It was like magic. With a push and a shove she made an irritating, little mongrel disappear. First the kid who lit him on fire wanted to hover and now more of them were starting to think it was a trend. No. He didn't want to talk to them, yeah? He wasn't their friend.

Barely easing his one eye open, Ascanius mumbled, "I'm trying to find a state of zen without being zen. M'not having much luck." Not since, well, they had all gotten back from break. For obvious reasons.

Rubbing at his nose, a nasty left over habit, he sat up and looked at her properly, "And how're you? Besides, y'know, being freezing." For such a HIGHLY respected institution, Hogwarts did tend to mess a lot of stuff up.

Like a lot, a lot.

Like the Staff was run by monkeys.

Nah, if that were the case things wouldn't be FROZEN OVER, yeah?

Derry was a little tempted to yell at all the kids to skidaddle, but she just couldn't be bothered. So she settled for giving annoyed looks and DARING them to annoy her. Go on. I DARE YOU.

...

Hmph.

But... yeah... she got that... sort of... to... a very mild degree. She shifted a little closer and rested her head on Ascanius' shoulder. Derry did affection and comfort like a cat... he was used to that by now. "I tried meditating the other day." she said, the corners of her mouth twitching up into a tiny amused smile. "Not easy when it's this cold. Distracting."

How was she? She shrugged. "Eh. Restless. Driving myself mad without the outside. Worried about my horse. Craving fresh air." 'N' stuff. "But m'better, y'know? Sort of." Better than she had been. She wasn't wearing the gloves anymore. Success!

He watched as she flipped her hair again. Wasn't that like the twentieth time she'd done that since they started hanging out? Simon stared at her, perplexed. Before she could look over again, he turned his head to briefly gaze at the fire as he was feeling awkward. Merlin, she must have been quite proud of her hair or of her shampoo. Simon didn't know which one it was. Turning a blue-eyed gaze back in her direction, he continued to watch her execute her moves.

Simon just stood there, watching Agatha as she positioned his arm to a weird position. "Uhhh...?" he mumbled but then she placed her HAND on HIS shoulder. Okay. He blushed slightly and then took a deep breath to reduce the pinkness that had touched his cheeks. "Woah, that looked very, very difficult but awesome," he said with a grin. Yeah, if he had done that- he probably would have embarrassed himself (which was something that he DIDN'T want to do in front of her). "If I had done anything like that I'd probably fall on my face."

"How long have you been taking ballet for?"