"Huh, well, I'd like to see him sometime." Dylan said with a small nod. He was always interested in everyone's pets, he loved creatures. They were all cute and cuddly, just like Dylan! Well, maybe not the cute part...but he could be cuddly, yeah. "Got any other pets at home or anything?" he then asked.

But the one creature he did not like was that darn squid. He tried hard not to shudder as the girl questioned him about it. Was he huge? Yes, he was...huge. And frightening. Dylan was pretty sure the thing would come into the Hufflepuff common room someday and snatch him up and take him away forever. The third year simply nodded. "Yeah, it's pretty big," he said as casually as he could sound. But when she asked if it tried to eat someone he wanted to cry. AHHH. The thing was so scary and the thought was driving him nuts now. He shook his head. "N-no, not that I know o-of..." he said, his voice starting to quiver a bit. He cleared his throat. "Get a hold of yourself, Callaghan!" he thought to himself. "Sorry, voice crack. But yeah I didn't see him do much, I had to leave and such." he added quickly.

Zander was so busy stumbling over his words, and just in general, that he hadn't even noticed the sleeve grabbing. Until she let go that is. Oh. This was uncomfortable. And awkward. And.... He definitely would not say anything about it. Because that would make things even more uncomfortable. Instead of saying anymore he completely shut up and looked at the girl's hand at the sudden retraction. And here comes the blush. GAH. Stupid easily-humiliated and pink-in-the-face reactions.

He let out a nervous chuckle. "I-uh-well-I," he cleared his throat too. "Well... this is sufficiently... awkward," he smiled. "I definitely almost wiped out in front of you." And she had noticed too. Considering the whole sleeve grabbing scenario that had just happened. "I guess I should introduce myself incase it happens again..." He let out a nervous laugh. "You know that way you'd be able to identify the body," Was that morbid? He was trying to be funny and create a smooth transition at the same time. But he was too nervous to let loose. AH. "Anyways, I'm Zander," he started holding out his hand for a handshake, but midway he realized the whole sleeve-grabbing arm reaching, and retracted. He'd probably get even redder at anymore contact with this girl.

For Ethan! :)
 

As a young child, Simon had always loved treehouses. His father built one in the backyard during one summer. He spent all of his time up there with his brother and sister as they pretended to save damsels in distress and fight menacing dragons. His parents would have to lure the kids out of the treehouse with the prospect of dinner or lollies.

When he had overheard some of his fellow students speaking about a treehouse, he knew that he had to find it. Treehouses were awesome. They were fun and always a place to just hide away from the real world for a couple hours and recharge. He could think for once.

Simon walked to the edge of the forest and discovered the magnificent house. It was rather tiny upon sight. He frowned. From all the rumours he had heard around the school about how amazing this treehouse was, he couldn't comprehend how this small house could fit with everything they had heard. He started climbing up the rope ladder, refusing to look down.

Once up there, he entered the treehouse. His jaw dropped. His blue eyes widened becoming as big as saucepans. "Woah." he said and repeated it twice more. He blinked his eyes. This place was enormous! The building was much larger on the inside than on the outside. This was much more than he had expected. "This is awesome," he muttered and made his way into the room, glancing about all of it in awe.

Magic was awesome.

For Simon! :)
 

Ethan started to feel a lot better that day, as soon as he discovered this new spot. The treehouse is impressive all right, but the chair up the balcony was pure awesome. It was quiet, and doesn’t resemble any classroom, or the library or the study room in their dorm. The fresh, but cold air did help him relax and clear his mind after doing the practical part of their Defense Homework, back in the Duelling Arena. It was intense, all right? What with being disappointed with their last Potions class, he poured out his frustration and all the sad feels towards the dummy. The Slytherin should thank Professor Romanos for allowing them to blow those dummy up. Really a good stress-buster if you ask him.

The boy scrunched up his nose as he bit the end of his quill trying to remember the things they discussed in Defense the other day. See, he was doing his homework and his notes wasn’t helping. Ethan mentally slapped himself for failing to take down proper notes. He really should keep the doodling at bay. The Slytherin however, got distracted when he heard a voice. Looking up from his notebook, he saw a boy about his age appreciate what he saw. Was he a muggle born? Was it his first time to see or be in a Treehouse? Enchanted Treehouse?

Ethan grinned at the sight and threw his notebook on the table. “It is, isn’t it?” he said to the boy as he hung his arms on the railing and propped his chin on it, smiling at the new comer. “Are you new? Because I’m new too.” Hi. Hello. “I’m Ethan. Hi! Transfer student.” The boy waved at the other boy as he rummaged through his brain as to where he saw him before. He wasn't wearing his school robes, so it was harder to guess if the newcomer's a Slytherin or not.

But that face...? Yeah, he does look familiar.

Simon's eyes were still wide when he continued to gaze about the room in awe. This place was brilliant. This could be his secret hiding place. He glanced about the room. Oh, no, no, no. It would be too busy and filled with students who were also looking to get away from Hogwarts for a little while.

Hmmm..

He'd have to find another location. A more secret one.

Simon was brought away from his thoughts by a boy his own age agreeing with him about the place. Slightly startled, he turned to face the familiar looking boy and nodded. The boy looked so very familiar. He had seen him around in a couple of his classes and in the Common Room. "It is. Magic's amazing. I've been in this world for three years and I'm still taken back by all of this," replied Simon as he took in the sight of the room. It was all too magnificent for the muggleborn. How would he even begin to explain this concept to his little sister? She would be in awe and would demand to go to this place. Perhaps he oughtn't not explain it to her. What if she didn't have magical abilities too? He frowned slightly and dismissed that thought, making a note to focus on the present. "I don't even know how I'd explain this to my little sister. She'd love this place."

A small smile crept on his face when he learnt that this new boy that he was talking to was also new. He wasn't alone- hooray! There were other transfer students. There were people he could relate too. He nodded in reply to Ethan. "I'm new too. Hi Ethan. I'm Simon. Transfer student as well. I transferred from an academy in Australia," he explained with a warm grin. He paused, trying to place where he had seen Ethan before. Was it in the Common Room or somewhere else? It was one or the other... He was sure of it. "I... I think I may have seen you about in various classes and workshops. Are you a Slytherin too? I think I may have see you about the Common Room or something," explained Simon.

5 pages later. Sorry! >__<
 

It was a joy to see someone, who is in awe really. Ethan couldn’t help but think on what the other boy was thinking at the moment…or how his brain was processing all that he is seeing. The Slytherin remained in that position as he watched his fellow. Being a pureblood has its pros and cons, and one of the downside of it is that he takes these things for granted. Ethan can’t help but be a bit jealous of him. You see, he is a pureblood but had the opportunity to live in a muggle world. Technically, he is ‘new’ to the wizarding world, but the concept of it was quickly grasped by Ethan’s mind thus missing the excitement. It was safe to say the he’s got the best of both worlds, though of course, he hasn’t realized this yet.

But enough about that! Look! Potential friend! Yaaaay!

Ethan perked up as soon as the boy started talking. So he is muggleborn! How cool, yeah? Now that’s something to be fascinated about. The Slytherin always categorized himself as somewhere in the middle when it comes to blood purity. Not that it matters to him. Heck, the point system in this school doesn’t even make sense to him. “The muggle world is a fun place too! I mean…I’m a pureblood, and I grew up in that world—and it fascinates me on how the muggles make things work. Or how…they associate the unexplainable to magic. Fun stuff.” Ethan beamed at the boy, but then caught sight of his frown. Did he say something wrong? Oh. Oooh. He’s got a sister! “I’m sure she will.” Nod nod. “How old is your sister? Is she old enough to attend Hogwarts?” Is she magical too? “I have a cousin! Well. Cousins, but I don’t talk to them much.” Nod nod. “Mordred’s like my brother. He went to Hogwarts too, a couple of years ago. Same house as me!” Aaaand that cousin of his is still baffled as to how Ethan ended up in the Snake house. “He’s studying Dragons right now in Russia. Cool, yeah?” If it was possible for the fourteen year old to do a jig in excitement, he would. But that wouldn’t be proper, no?

Now there’s his smile! Good. This bloke is a good one, he could tell. The Grayson guy is a bit shady, but he’s not closing his doors. The older Snake might just be picky with friends. Like Mordred. Heh. “Nice to meet you, Simon! Yup! I’m a Slytherin…just like you!” Waves and smiles for the boy. “Why don’t you come up here so we could talk?” He asked as he gestured at the empty armchair beside him. “The view’s good here too.” Magnificent, in fact. He didn’t even wait for Simon to take his seat, and just went on to bombard him with questions. “How do you like Hogwarts so far?” Big, no? “I transferred from Durmstrang. Not my cup of tea if you ask me.” Bloody weather. That place never saw the sun! “It’s always cold in the castle, the lectures are boring, but the activities are too rigorous. And…” Ethan leaned closer so only Simon could hear. “…the girls are prettier in this place. Not like in that bloody school. They look like deadly warriors.” No kidding.

Demelza you're hysterical xD
 

Had he actually just sung to someone he had just met? No he couldn't have. But then when Demelza asked why he had stopped, he knew he had...unless she was referring to something else he had done. Nope! that was the only thing he thought he was doing silently in his mind and not out loud.

Well at least, she wasn't laughing at him. Now that was definitely a good thing. Even as he was thinking how he was going to get out of this slightly embarrassing situation, Demelza began to explaining about the when where what comment.

"Ah yes, hear you sing? Yes that would be nice. Where? Um...where would you feel comfortable performing?" Cris asked in turn. He didn't want her to sing where she would feel uncomfortable doing. Although judging from how confident she acted, Cris doubted that she would have that problem.

"Jasmine? I'll be sure to ask her to come along. I have a feeling you'd getting along really well," Cris nodded. Yes two pretty girls who liked dancing would definitely have a lot in common.

"So that settles the singing part what about the dancing and the acting?" Cris grinned back at her. Yes the challenge was on.

When Ethan mentioned that he was a pureblood, the topic of blood purity crossed his brain all of a sudden. Huh. Simon recalled some facts from history textbooks about some purebloods still didn't accept wizards who weren't plurebloods. Fortunately, he hadn't encountered a person like that yet. And besides, Ethan seemed as if he didn't care about blood statuses. He seemed like a genuine person. Simon raised his eyebrows curiously. A pureblood who had grown up in the muggle world? Merlin, that must have been an interesting experience. He nodded when Ethan asked him about his sister. "No not yet. She's only eight. I really wish that she gets in," he replied as he crossed his fingers for good luck. She would love this place. Simon was sure of it.

Ethan then brought up his cousins. Ethan's description of Mordred made this guy seem really cool. His jaw dropped in awe when he learnt that Ethan's cousin was studying dragons in Russia. "Dragons? Seriously? That's awesome! I wish I could do that. I'd love to do that after graduating from Hogwarts," exclaimed Simon becoming more and more drawn into the conversation. He was leaving his shell behind. He loved magical creatures and was especially fascinated by dragons.

Simon's eyes widened slightly at the mention of sitting down in the empty armchair. He nodded. "Uh, sure," he said as he made his way over. Before he could even sit down, Ethan had already asked him another question. The interrogation continued. The eagerness of the other boy had overwhelmed the Simon at first; however, soon enough, he began to feel more confident in his ability. "I really really like Hogwarts so far," began Simon before pausing. What did he like about Hogwarts? "The classes are better. The people are friendlier too."

Ethan had transferred from Durmstrang? :whaa: Merlin.

Even Simon had heard about rumours about the foreign intimidating school that always had horrid weather. "You transferred from Durmstrang? Merlin, this must be a very different change for you.. Then you definitely wouldn't want to get on those girls' bad sides," he added, chuckling at Ethan's remark about the girls here. He glanced around the treehouse and then lowered his own voice. This guy seemed pretty cool. Definitely potential friend material. "The girls are prettier here, but I haven't met many yet or made many friends that are girls."

Feeling more relaxed in his chair, he asked Ethan, "Has it been easy for you.. you know to get to know people here?"

But did he know that not all muggleborn can access to the wizarding world? Ethan would love to share that piece of information, but genuinely decided against it seeing how hopeful Simon is. If ever he had a younger sister or brother, he would love to have them experience what he’s experiencing now. Mordred had been eager (in his own way) about getting Ethan into Hogwarts. They both shared the same experience—losing their mothers, and being educated in a bloody cold school. No wonder his cousin tirelessly worked on getting him to be in Hoggies, because the place suits him…or maybe Mordred just cares too much about Ethan. “Let’s hope for the best then.” The Slytherin gave his new friend a reassuring thumbs up. Who knows, yeah?

Now they were onto discussing Mordred and dragons! One of his favourite topics, as you can see. “Yeah! He’s been telling me stuff about dragons and their awesomeness. He’s probably assisting in the Russian Local Reserve right now. It’s Rugarth’s migration month.” Nod nod. Oh. Wait, he doesn’t know who Rugarth is. “Rugarth is the creature. He’s a Frost Dragon.” Ethan has no idea on how it looked like. “All I know about it is that it’s blue, and instead of breathing out fire, it produces frost. Which according to Mordred is as deadly as fire.” Fire and Ice. Ethan nodded furiously, obviously giving him the go to pursue Dragonology. “You should if you really wanna do it. I can ask Mordred to help you!” As for Ethan, he still doesn’t know what he wants, so good for Simon that he knows what to do with his life early on. “Mordred wanted to be an Auror first, but then decided to become a Dragonologist after meeting a real baby dragon here in Hogwarts.” Cool, yeah? “He said he wanted to work with his old Creatures Professor…err…I forgot his name.” But that professor’s full of epicness. He could tell. Mhm.

“…and there’s soooooo much to explore! Like this treehouse.” Maybe they could explore the grounds further if Simon wants. What better way to explore the secrets of Hogwarts with a friend, right? Right. “And yeah, I have to agree, people here are friendly.” Did he witness his sorting a few months ago? He was sorted into Slytherin but sat with the wrong people afterwards. The Hufflepuff people didn’t mind, and they were very accommodating. Elodie even offered him lollies, so it was perfect.

And yes, he did go to Durmstrang. Weird, isn’t it? Hehehe.

“Big change, mate. Big change.” Ethan sat up straight on his armchair and stretched. “It’s like the winter season never ends in that place. Not much sunlight, and the food is…overwhelming.” And yeah. The girls. Merlin. “I’d like to think the girls there are descendants of barbaric hoodlums. They tend to dominate over the boys, and I don’t know why. I survived though, so I’m good.” And yes, the girls in Hogwarts are prettier and friendlier…and they smell nice! Ethan leaned over his seat and gestured Simon to do the same. “They smell nice too, right? Back in Durmstrang most of them girls don’t shower for days.” Gross. Ethan made a face and chuckled. Yeah, he had to escape their smell most of the time by covering his mouth and nose with his uniform’s collar. Hahahaha!

“Meh…I don’t find it hard to make friends, you know.” Shrug. “I talk to everyone.” Aside from fellow students and professors, he talks to the Sorting Hat, and recently to the owls for his Astronomy Homework. Professor Flamsteed was right. He should be thankful that the owls didn’t poop on him while he made his stellar demonstration. “It’s easy to make friends around here.” He should…know this by now, yeah? “How about you? Do you have many friends back in Australia? Do you miss them?”

Oh, he was looking at her hand. Was he upset that she'd grabbed his sleeve? Although, from Josie's point of view, she knew that she would've been actually grateful for someone preventing me from falling off a ledge. At least, she hoped someone would be nice enough to safe her from such a perilous fate. So perhaps, maybe a thanks would be coming from him soon, right? But from the looks of him simply staring at her hand from their touch, it didn't seem like words were in much favour for this boy.

Well, this was definitely seeming to be getting more and more awkward as the moments were flying by. She studied his expressions as he was still trying to come up with a sentence to give, but as he'd said (like within her own thoughts) this was sufficiently very awkward. The second year softly responded, "...T-That..would be...bad.." Actually, not even bad, more like terrible. A look of a slight terror was in her eyes as he'd tried to make a joke of the situation with him giving her his name before he'd actually fall next time. 'That way she could identify the body..' That was definitely not funny, not to her at least. She couldn't even come up with the words of how she was feeling at this precise moment right now. But those feelings had to be put to a halt as she'd found out the older boy's name. Zander. She took notice that he'd extended & retracted his hand for a shake, which made it only a little more awkward as she was just about to hold out her own hand to meet his. Instead to cover up the awkward motion, she quickly ran her fingers through her brown hair. To be polite she spoke, "M-My name's Josette.."

Simon grinned when Ethan reassured him. Yeah, Ethan was a good guy. Simon thought his new friend was pretty cool. “Yeah, definitely, mate. I’ll keep my fingers crossed.” He couldn’t tell his sister too much though. It would be mean if he made it seem like the best place on Earth (which it was!) and she didn’t get in. He’d feel horrible about the whole thing.

He sat up straighter in his chair and began eagerly listening to the dragon topics. Dragons were beautiful, power, menacing creatures that were terrifying yet at the same time inspiring. Rugarth, who? thought Simon but before he could ask more questions Ethan had already explained it. “Deadly as fire? That’s horrifying yet so cool at the same time. I wouldn’t want to ever get caught in that. Maybe they freeze your heart too like the Cold Ones that we learnt about in DADA the other day,” hypothesized Simon as his mind raced, searching for possible explanations to everything about these frost dragons. His eyes widened when Ethan, his new friend, offered to see if Mordred would help him. “Really?” he asked. No one had ever proposed something like that to him before. He nodded. “That would be really cool, mate. Thanks Ethan.” Simon continued to listen to his friend describe his cousin. Ethan really did look up to his older cousin. He wished that he had a person that he could look up to in that regard. He used to look up to his older brother until his brother decided to shut him out because Simon was too ‘bizarre’. Once again, he pushed the thought away and continued to listen to Ethan. “Was it Professor Williamson?” offered Simon with an excited grin. “He’s absolutely brilliant. I’ve read a couple of his papers on various magical creatures and their importance in the Wizarding World.”

Then they moved back to the Hogwarts grounds and all of the opportunities that lay before them. There was a lot too explore. Simon fully agreed with Ethan there. Hogwarts was a whole castle filled with mysteries that awaited them, but also homework awaited them too. :whaa: Fun and homework always seemed to be paired together for the Australian adolescent. He nodded. “Yes, I’ve heard about secret passages and stuff like that. It would be really cool to explore those,” he added. Exploring those places would be the perfect way to start or end the weekend to him.

The winter never ended? Eugh. That sounded absolutely horrible. Still not used to it being cold from November to February, Simon felt quite relieved that his parents hadn’t sent him to Durmstrang. It was definitely one of the options; however, he had managed to sway his parents to send him to Hogwarts instead. He had done his research. He smirked when Ethan continued to describe the girls. “Glad you made it out of there alive. I probably wouldn’t have.” He wasn’t sure whether or not he could have survived in that environment. Simon probably would have kept to his studies and away from scary girls. He leaned forward to hear what Ethan had to share now. He scrunched his nose in disgust that some of those girls didn’t shower for days. “[size=”1”] “Don’t shower for days? That’s gross. That sounds nothing like the girls I went to school with. They would be trying to have two showers per day.[/size]”

Simon nodded. “I tend to be a little more shy than I am here. Recently, I’ve met a couple of Professors and students. I’ve helped the Ancient Runes Professor with Feo, his excitable crup. That was fun.” He paused when Ethan brought up the questions of friends back in Australia. His heart panged slightly at the thought of his two dearest friends. He made a mental note to owl them soon.“[B]I have a couple of friends that are my cousins and family, but I really only had two good friends in school. Anna and Chris. Anna was an exchange student from Beauxbatons for a year. Chris is still in Australia. He sent me an owl last week about him heading to the beach and not having to deal with the snow or as he liked to put it the ‘freezing fluffy white stuff’,” he explained. Chris was always found a unique way to put a spin on simple stuff.

"Do you have anyone you miss from Durmstrang?"

Okay... Maybe that joke was the wrong move... Really wrong move? He watched as she shifted uncomfortably and didn't laugh. Okay, yeah very wrong move. But he didn't know what to do, let alone what to say and he had never really talked to someone after such an embarrassing moment and this is why Zander preferred to stay all by himself and it's not his fault okay? Ah. Zander started to play with the end of his robe's sleeves uncomfortably. H-Hi, Josette..." he responded, a little relieved that she actually introduced herself instead of running away. "It's, uh, nice to meet you. I mean... not like this, but still nice... and uh... sorry about... uh... I'm not normally... I guess I just.." SPIT IT OUT, ZANDER! Jeeeez. The poor boy kept on trailing off mid sentence as his nerves kept on kicking in. This girl was probably wishing that she had run away because Zander definitely was.

"Sooo...." How do you swiftly change the topic without cracking another offensive joke? "You, er, come here often?" he said shuffling his hair out of his face. DOINK. What a dweeeeeb. You come here often?! What the heck, Zander. You're trying to meet new people, not repel them. He should've asked about her book or something. Merlin. "Maybe we should step away from the edge?" He suggested moving away from where he had almost fallen over. At least he said one thing that wasn't completely stupid? That's a start.

Connor looked back at her, seeing her smile. She was cute, but he hadn't really noticed until she'd smiled at him like that.. he nodded a little. "And it'll be warmer out, not so freezing!" He was aware he was being a bit of a baby about the cold but whatever!

"See, i keep hearing about all these weird things but i never see them, nothing that weird at all. I mean..i saw some Thestrals the other day at the stables, those are kinda weird..I hadn't seen them before. But..Nothing weird has happened?" He was confused, was he just missing it? or did they have a different definition of the word?

“Here’s a great idea.” Ethan said as he leaned forward clasping both of his hands in front of him. “Mordred told me that Hogsmeade weekend usually happens this time of the year. Maybe you could get your sister something from the stores.” Because it looked like Simon really, really cares for her sister. Whether she gets accepted or not in Hogwarts, at least she’ll get a taste of Hogsmeade. “What does she like? Sweets? Or…maybe she likes to write and stuff? My cousin told me that Hogsmeade is a quaint village with shops. Like a mini Diagon Alley.” They should totally go together and see what the village has to offer. “And maybe I could invite Mordred over so you guys can talk about dragons all day. How about that?” Ethan grinned at the idea and sat back comfortably on his chair. To be honest, he really misses the older guy and he can’t wait to tell him his accomplishments in school. He was sure Mordred was dying to know all about it. “Like what I said earlier, migration month is around this time, so he’d probably pass by Scotland on their way to the North Pole where Rugarth stays until spring.” Ethan got his notebook and pulled a picture of him and Mordred. “Here’s my cousin. That was taken before I left for Hogwarts earlier this year.” Really, it was nice of the former Slytherin to actually see him off. Busy bloke and all that, but he did exert extra effort to see that Ethan actually got to Platform 9-3/4 safe and sound. He didn’t want his cousin banging random barriers, no? Save him from unwanted embarrassment and such. Yup.

“Yeah, you wouldn’t want to be caught up in that kind of situation. Or be on the bad side of dragons. Jeez. That’ll be a nightmare.” The Slytherin shook his head wondering how Mordred deals with such creatures. He did mention years ago that he will be a Dragon Lord one day. The boy reckons that his cousin wasn’t joking. “I guess Rugarth’s wrath is more powerful than the Cold Ones. Those zombies can only freeze you once they made contact. But Rugarth! Wowzers. He could kill from a mile with his Frost Fire Thingamajig!” Dragons= 1 point. Cold Ones=0.

Professor Williamson! “He’s the one! Yeah, Mordred told me all about their CoMC class with Roro.” Funny name for a dragon actually, but then again, what do you expect from a bunch of Hogwartians, no? “They practiced how to hatch the dragon egg, walked a real baby dragon and gave it an oily bath.” Pool and all. Haha! Ethan hoped that they will have that much fun this time.

“I’m just happy that I’m out of that bloody school. Can you tell? My nose agrees.” Ethan propped his feet up the table and laughed. “It is gross. MERLIN. The cold weather was their excuse.” Understandable, but…very uncivilized. GranGran and Gramps Mordaunt wouldn’t be pleased. If he was one of those people, he was sure that he will be disowned in no time. That might be too much, but his family on his real father’s side observe strict rules, tradition, and all that elite stuff one could think of.

And did Simon say Crup? “I’ve seen the Student Noticeboard! I haven’t met Professor Botros, but I’d love to meet him AND his crup. I like them creatures, you see. I’ve got a dog back home. His name is Momo; a black French Bulldog. He’s Mordred’s Christmas present to me a few years back. MERLIN. My pet FARTS a LOT.” Ethan shook his head in disbelief and laughed at the same time. Even his dog has a sense of humor. “Do you have a pet?” Maybe they could share care tips and such, yeah?

Durmstrang? “Meh. None really. Well, I have cousins there who is in the same year as us, but I don’t really talk to them.” He’s got…painful and weird reasons as to why. Maybe Simon will get to know about those things in the future. Removing the slight frown on his face, he replaced it with a quick grin. “To be honest, I somehow miss the snow. I always go outside of the castle to go snowboarding on my own back in Durmstrang.” See the beauty of growing up in the muggle world? “Are you into sports and such?” Because he's got his snowboard and skateboard tucked away under his bed back in their dorm. He ought to put it into good use soon, yeah?

Adelaide laughed. "Winter's gonna take some getting used to for you huh?" Poor guy. She was a little chilly and she was used to this type of weather. Had to suck coming from somewhere so warm and then having to deal with this.

Addi was intrigued by the mention of thestrals, even if she knew what that meant. "You can only see thestrals if you've seen someone die." Meaning she'd never seen one. Hopefully she wouldn't have to for a very long time. "The quidditch threats are weird but not really. Oh wait. I lied. Everyone started getting really old last term. That was werid."

Connor nodded. "Yupp, probably will be..I'm planning on not leaving the castle when i don't have to." He joked a little, it wasn't too bad yet, but he knew it would get there very very soon.

He nodded. "That's what i was told. We didn't have any at Salem, so this is the first time i've seen any.." They were odd looking creatures..kind of like horses but more skeletal. Hmm. "Old? Like...elderly? Or just older? And..the students? And teachers? Like everyone?"

This really was getting more and more awkward. That was the only feeling she could come up with right now. There was no other way to describe it. It was actually more curious to know who was feeling more awkward right now, because he was seeming to fumbling more so with his words than she'd ever done. Looking a bit puzzled as she tried listening to him come up with an actual sentence, which was only making her start to...sympathize with the older boy. Although according to him, he's not normally like this. She bit her lower lip as she silently waited for him to finish...introducing himself? "..I-It's..um..nice to meet you too.."

A bit of puzzled look as she'd noticed he changed the subject. It might have been the best idea to do, since the both of them were both feeling this terrible awkwardness. Josie had to think about that for a moment to his next question, but then it didn't take long to come up with an answer. "I-I guess not..T-This has only been my second-second time here.." Now he definitely couldn't have been one of those terrible people her father had been continuously warned her about before she'd left home last year. From the looks of it, he didn't seem dangerous at all. So far at least. Although by all of this nervous fidgeting & fumbling of words he was doing, the second year was feeling a little..comfortable per say? The second year looked at him as he spoke once again. She nodded in response, "..W-We could go..um..there", pointing back inside the tree house inside itself..away from any ledges or balconies.

"You say that now. Wait until you see how much fun it is to play in the snow." Adelaide did not care that she was seventeen years old. Playing in the snow was still the most fun thing she could think of. She grinned.

Addi nodded, biting her lip. Poor Connor. He was too adorable and happy-go-lucky to have to deal with something like death. "Yes. Very elderly. Most of the students. I lucked out and didn't get it. But yes greying hair, bad eyes sight, awful joints, the works." She was glad all those people had been fixed.

Hogsmeade sounded like a nice quaint village. A good escape from the castle when there was nothing to do other than homework. Plus getting something for his little sister would be perfect. As much as Allison loved books, she always would prefer candy as a gift. She was a proud self-proclaimed choc-aholic. "She love love loves candy, especially anything with chocolate in it." Extra emphasis on love there. His sister's favourite holiday was halloween because their parents would give them a bag of candy each. Simon didn't have a really big sweet tooth growing up so he'd always end up giving a third of his candy to his sister. Simon blinked a couple of times when Ethan said that he'd see if Mordred would come and visit. Seriously? He'd get his awesome cousin who worked with dragons to come and visit??? Meeting someone in the field of dragonology would be a dream come true for Simon and also getting something for Allison would make him feel better.

"It certainly would. I hope that the dragons aren't too moody. It would be hard to keep them in line," he said, thinking about how hard it must have been for people who worked with dragons to make sure they didn't do anything too damaging to the muggle world. Simon nodded at Ethan's observation about how Rugarth was a much powerful creature. "Well then, I'll make sure to have a Frost Dragon on my side if I ever run into one of those weird zombies!" he laughed lightly.

"Roro? Who's Roro?" asked Simon curiously as he couldn't tell whether Roro was a person or a dragon. Strange name for either a person or a dragon... But everyone has their own preferences, of course. "Wicked! I hope we get to do something as exciting as that soon. Working with dragons in COMC would be so much fun. Terrifying but exhilarating."

He nodded. "Yeah, I can." admitted Simon, chuckling. Just from listening to Ethan's description and other's opinions about the school, Durmstrang sounded like a scary place to be in. Hogwarts seemed much nicer and reasonable.

"He's a pretty cool guy. I haven't spoken to him much to be honest, but I know Feo quite well. I'm taking him out for a walk tomorrow around the Lake if you'd like to meet him. He's very very very friendly," explained Simon as he thought about the first time he took Feo out for a walk. The Crup darted back and forth between older students about the Black Lake. He couldn't sit still. The amount of energy that the creature had was impressive. He almost felt as if 'over-excitable' may have been an understatement. Ethan had a dog back home? Nice. Simon laughed as he mentioned that Momo farted a lot. "Mine used to do that too. He was a german shepherd though. We all thought it was something in the food that we gave him, but no matter what the kitchen would smell horrible. So then my parents built a doghouse in the backyard just for Max." He missed Max a lot. Max had been his best friend as a young child.

Cousins who wouldn't speak to him but were in the same year? Ouch, that was rough. However, Simon sort of understood what Ethan had met. His own brother refused to speak to him because of his 'strageness' or magic. They hadn't spoken in years. His old best friend had become a perfect stranger. "I've never been snowboarding before. I went skiing a very long time ago; however, I'm afraid I'm not that good at it." Then Ethan asked him what sports he played. Simon wasn't too much into sports as he had always leaned more to the academic side of school. His brother had played almost every single sport offered at their school. Was research a sport? No, he thought not. "I swim and have played cricket occasionally. I'm not too good at cricket though. I'm out of shape," he laughed. Swimming and research were his sports.

"Do you do other sports? Or have you ever tried any of the magical sports?"

Connor chuckled a little and nodded. "All right, we will have to see what i say when it snows. Maybe I'll change my mind about being inside." He hadn't seen snow that many times and when he had seen it at school he had been too cold to care about it, or too busy with friends and stuff, but he would be making new friends here, friends who liked to play in the snow.

Connor made a face, that sounded dreadful! Being old and junk. "Why did they turn old? What happened?" Were they cursed or something? Was it dark magic? Or just a prank gone wrong? Either way, he didn't want history to repeat itself.

"I'll be sure to find you. I'll drag you out if I have to." Addi figured she probably could. She still had most of her beater's strength in her. She really couldn't wait for the snow though. Snowmen and snowball fights were definitely a necessity.

"It had something to do with one of Professor Botros' potions going wrong. I don't remember exactly what though." It hadn't really concerned her, just a couple of her friends. So she didn't think it was important to remember.

Connor laughed a little bit. "Oh? I'll have to try and make it a challenge then.." He joked, She wouldn't have to. He wasn't avoiding going outside that badly. He was sure he'd have to do it eventually anyway.

Oh? Something with a teacher, that was...interesting. Yupp, not strange at all, nothing to worry about. This was not a normal school. "Oh, Well..I'll have to keep that in mind. In any case, i haven't seen any of the weird stuff yet." He said and pulled away from the window, leaning against the wall, it felt warmer inside, no cold air on his face.

Zander was so uncomfortable and by the way this run-in was going this Josette girl was probably beyond uncomfortable too. Who wouldn't be? This was bad. This was not going well at all... Zander rocked back and forth and fidgeted around a little. He was starting to sweat and it seemed like the redness in his face was becoming a permanent color in this ever-so-lasting state of awkwardness. When would it stop?! At her remark Zander visibly softened. Wooh. It was nice to meet him too. Okay. That was something good. Except she was probably making it up. Because this situation was anything... but nice. Or at least, that's what Zander thought about it. "Yeah, uh, I can't believe we haven't met before... You know with all the classes and... stuff," he had totally seen her in classes before. That definitely happened.

"Oh, really?" SEEE his sentences were becoming more fluid. He's making an improvement. "It's so nice up here.... I just love the view," he admitted with a shy smile. There was smiling going on. And not the forced kind either. Can the redness go away now? Pleeeeaaasseee. Yes. Josette! Over there is a wonderful suggestion. Away from any chance of falling and sleeve holding and whatnot. Yes. Wonderful.

"Yeah, that's a uhm, good idea," he started walking over to wear she had pointed, hoping that the girl was following behind. This would've actually been a great time for her to run away. But that would've made things even worse for a future run-in. So Zander was desperately hoping that she didn't. The Gryffindor noticed that the questions he had asked didn't really ignite a conversation in the least bit. It was all just silence. And not one of those reliving nice silences, but one of those awkward, uncomfortable ones. "Sooooo... What book is that?" he said gesturing to the one that the girl had been reading earlier.

"Gonna have to try pretty hard with these guns." Adelaide flexed her kinda there muscles. They were definitely a bit more prominent than most of the girls her size, but not ginormous. Enough to get by as a beater.

She shook her head. "Me neither. The only weird thing is those quidditch threats. I mean, who would threaten children?" Someone was playing a cruel sick joke and ruining her last year here.

Connor laughed a little and nodded. Though he could tell that she did have a bit more muscle than most girls. Maybe he'd have to arm wrestle her eventually. He wasn't puny either, though without weights or anything he hadn't been working out much other than running laps. "I'll have to look out for that, then." He told her.

It did seem strange, though given Hogwart's history it wouldn't be the first time the students were threatened. "I don't know, but you're right..that is strange. it's not like that's your typical thing to get threats.."

Adelaide grinned. Even with her bit of muscle she was pretty positive she'd still lose that battle. He had a lot more muscle than she did. Closer to most of the guys she knew.

She shook her head. "No. Not to mention it is ruining a lot of students chances for getting scouted for the pros." Like her. Open tryouts were looming in front of her and scared her. What if she wasn't good enough because she was out of practice?

Connor saw her grin and smiled back at her..He felt like he was getting better at this, talking to pretty girls..pretty older girls.. Yupp..That was the challenge, but that's also what he seemed to like so far.

"I'm sure they'll take that into account..they'd have to..it would be stupid not to." He said and shrugged. "Did you play? Quidditch?"

She doesn't know about it yet xD
 

"Anywhere? Really? Well then how about the Room of Requirements. Jasmine wished for a dance studio and it's really awesome. Maybe you could dance there. I'm sure it's suitable for singing and acting too," Cris quickly suggested before Zoe revealed that she had already decided where she would demonstrate her singing, acting and dancing prowess.

"The spare office on the sixth floor? Hmm...I'm going to have to look for that. I haven't had much opportunity to check out the entire school grounds yet. Sunday at Four?" Cris paused for a second as he ascertained whether he would available to meet up watch her performance.

"Is it okay if I tentatively say yes? I don't know whether Jasmine will be available and I really don't want to make decisions for her. I'll try to meet you there even if she can't," Cris informed Demelza.

Yes he would have to speak with Jasmine. First about his meeting with this girl and then about the performance, Demelza would be showing the both of them. Knowing Jasmine, Cris suspected that she would be interested in meeting Demelza, being a fellow dancers and all that.

Cris couldn't believe how confident Demelza was in her talents. Rarely had he met anyone who not only was multi-talented but self-confident at the same time. She was definitely someone exceptional...at least that's what he thought.

Oh, he was rocking back & forth now.

But WAIT, why was she staring at him? Stop staring at him, he'll probably think you're being weird.

She nervously began to play with the ends of her hair as she tried to think of something else to do instead of stare at him. Anything would do than staring at somebody, daddy would say that it was entirely rude & very dangerous. You never know what someone might do if they saw you staring. Hearing the sound of his voice brought her out of her thoughts, causing her to look at him, but not stare. It was rather odd though, that they've never met before especially in class. Although it was a pretty big school, & there were a LOT of students here, at least from what she had seen in the two years of attending this school. But she could swear, she has seen him in some classes, although she probably wouldn't have noticed too much, since she normally keeps to herself & puts her main focus on the Professor.

Giving a simple nod once more when he seemed to be surprised that she had only been up here two times. She did have to admit though, she actually did enjoy the view up here, particularly in the spring time. "I-It's very...um.." Words, Josie, words, you know you have them. "It's...perfect...for...reading.." There were go. She smiled a little bit again as she referenced to her book.

It was definitely a good idea to get off of the balcony. Especially after what had happened obviously. So best to move, before Josie fell over too. Moving was nice, yep, it was. Closing her book, she took a moment to stand up & was soon following after him slowly back into the Tree House. Josie stared at the floor as she walked inside & couldn't help but jump a little bit as he'd asked her another question. A question about the book she was reading...before he almost fell to his death. She looked down at the book & then turned it so he could see the title of the book. "It's um..called...'Quidditch Through the Ages' ...And...hmm..yes.." And it was very informative, a lot stuff she was going to try to remember...for Quidditch...hopefully when it came back.

Bless the heavens for not giving Ethan a sweet tooth. He’s a ball of energy to start with, and if ever he had a big liking to sweets, then it can only mean disaster every single day. “Mordred said they’ve got loads of chocolates up there. I’m guessing it’s homemade and stuff.” Which makes it yummier, yeah? His mother used to bake and cook for him and she always whips up the tastiest meals in the whole wide world. The Slytherin sat back, his grin slowly fading. The thought of his mother gone forever? It was still painful after all these years. He’s just thankful that he’s got Mordred to run to. Just…well, don’t ask about his cooking. He is bad at it. Bleurgh. “I guess it’s high time that we save up for Hogsmeade weekend. Looks like we’ll be hoarding the sweets shop, yeah?” Now that was something to look forward to. “Mmm…how about your parents? Will you be getting them something too?” He’s thinking of giving his dad a gift for Christmas. Hogsmeade just might be the place to get it. Oh! And Mordred too! Ethan’s sure that his cousin has ran out of inks and stuff.

“Yeah, he did mention about looking after ancient dragons. They are the hardest to contain.” Ethan shifted in his seat and looked at the ceiling of the tree house. “I guess it’s easier to bond with a dragon while it’s still an egg…” recently his cousin has been training a young dragon to glide. Mordred almost killed himself training it, but Ethan was pleased to learn that his cousin and his charge are okay. “Pssh. The Cold Ones won’t stand a chance against the Frost Dragon. I’ll bet my life on it.” Oh, yes of course! “Roro! Yeah it’s the dragon they hatched when Mordred was in his fourth year. The creature was their topic for the whole term. Watch it grow and stuff.” Really, really cool if you ask him.

“Yeah, Mordred thought it has something to do with Momo’s food too!” That dog really. “He’s got a big belly and very short legs. Momo’s like a fart machine or something.” Ethan laughed at the thought and wondered how his little buddy is doing. “I really wish we could bring our dogs here, yeah? I’m sure my pet will deadpan at the sight of the vast grounds.” He did deadpan when he first saw Hogwarts. Mhmm. But they built a dog house for their dog? That gave him an idea. Summer project! Woohoo!

“Oh you haven’t? I’ve got a snowboard and a skateboard back in the dorm. I can show you how it’s done.” Ethan furiously nodded at the thought. Skateboarding and snowboarding is his life. Yeeep! “I don’t know about you, but why is the weather suddenly chilly?” Yeah, it’s December and they’ve got snow and stuff, but the chill is different. Is it because he’s sick? Or something else is going on with the weather? Or Hogwarts? Ethan wasted no time and zipped up his jacket and jammed his hands inside its pockets.

Sniff.

“Skateboarding and Snowboarding are my sport. I swim too, so there’s that. If you consider running as one, then we can add that to my list.” Pause. “I’d like to learn how to surf though. It seems pretty neat.” Ethan grinned and scratched his head. “I’m not into Quidditch that much. I don’t play it, but yeah, I do watch it when I’ve got nothing else to do.” Oh and…what was that he played? “Cricket? What’s that?” Ethan scrunched up his nose. “Isn’t that a bug, or something?”

Homemade stuff?- that made it sound even better! He remembered when he was about nine that his mother used to go on and on about how homemade food was much better than store bought. During those years, Simon would spend hours helping her out in the kitchen, making delicious dinners and desserts. He had just wanted to eat everything at the stage since he was a growing boy. Simon laughed and nodded. “Yes, good idea, we’ll need to save up for the shops.” As Ethan asked him about what he would get for his parents, Simon could have done a faceplam. Christmas was around the corner, of course! How could he have forgotten? He needed to get something for his parents… but what? “I don’t know what to get for my parents. Something cool for them, but that’s not too confusing for my mum… She may not remember it… ” he paused, looking away for a moment. He had really hoped to learn how to make that potion by now to help her memory improve. “She has a bad memory” he added, explaining it to Ethan.

“Yeah, they must be really powerful.” All of this talk about dragons just made Simon want to do some more reading up on dragons later today. He nodded. That made sense. Bonding with an animal at a younger age made it trust you more because you raised it. Simon blinked again when Ethan told him that he’d bet on his life that the Frost Dragon would destroy the Cold Ones. Yeah. The Cold Ones had no chance up against a Frost Dragon. Perhaps Hogwarts should invest in one if the Professors had taught them how to fight a Cold One. Hmm.. That could be useful. Simon smiled when he learnt more about Roro. “Wait. Seriously!? That’s amazing. They got to spend a whole term watching a dragon grow? Now why can’t we do that?” he pouted slightly. That sounded awesome. They should be doing that.

Simon laughed with Ethan and felt a pang in his heart. He really did miss his dog. Perhaps he could get a crup next year? Feo, Botros’ dog, was fun to play with. He figured that it would be nice to have a companion here. “Yes! I wish we could too. Max passed away a couple of years ago and I’ve been trying to persuade my parents to get a new dog. They’re a little hesitant but they’ll come around eventually.” He knew that it would only be a matter of time before his parents agreed to get another dog. He knew that the both missed Max’s company immensely.

Simon nodded less enthusiastically this time. He had never done snowboarding or skateboarding before. Both prospects had always seemed a little scary to the less coordinated Slytherin. “Sure, let’s give it a try. I’m not that good at keeping my balance though,” he admitted. And he also had a fear of heights. :whistle: Simon paused for a moment when Ethan brought up the weather. He shivered a little bit and put on his gloves. Ahh.. much better.

He shrugged nonchalantly. “Honestly, I don’t really know the difference between the weather here. I’m used to it being warm during December and cold in July!” he explained laughing a little. “But I have heard a couple people say that the wind has been more bitting than usual.” He paused again and racked his brain, trying to find correlations between the weather being cold and the lessons that they were learning. “Do you think that maybe the weather made the Professors teach us about the Cold Ones? They’re from Antarctica so perhaps if the climate is changing- do you think that they would be up in this area?” It was only a hypothetical thought but Simon couldn’t help but wonder if it were slightly true… Oh Merlin.

“Surfing’s pretty cool. My brother loves to surf. He’s really good at it,” added Simon. Simon was the exact opposite. He was horrible at surfing due to his inability to balance. He laughed when Ethan asked him whether cricket was a bug. “It is a bug, but cricket is also a game. It’s only the best game in the world. It’s sort of complicated back in the dorms I do have a couple books about it. Each team takes its turn to bat, attempting to score runs, while the other team fields. Each turn is known as an innings.” He flushed for a second when he realised that Ethan probably was confused. “I know it sounds confusing but I’ll lend you a couple of books if you’re interested.”

Adelaide had to admit Connor had a pretty nice smile. Him being younger than her meant nothing. He was pretty attractive.

She bit her lip. "I hope so." Addi was really out of practice, aside from the bit of work she'd been doing with West. Which wasn't as much as she would like to do for tryouts. "Mhm. I was the second best beater in the school last term."

Connor saw her biting her lip..was she nervous about something? "I'm sure it'll be fine." He said and put a hand on hers, as a way of reassuring her that yes things would indeed be fine. He was just that kinda person, he looked for the good in every situation.

"You were? Wow...so is that you telling me you could beat me up?" He asked jokingly, trying to lighten her mood, As much as he found the lip biting cute if it meant something bad he didn't want her to.

BLINKS. Is she staring? Oh no, was there something in his teeth? Was the rocking weird? More importantly why did the staring freak him out? Why did it make him so nervous? Could he just stop being nervous? First the stumble, then the red cheeks, and now the nerves. Can't this all just stop for a few minutes. AH. The Gryffindor could feel the blush burning on his cheeks.

Zander let out a small breath in relief when he noticed how hesitant she was to speak too. At least it was the two of them and Zander didn't look like a total idiot. "Yeah, uh... Yeah, I'm sure it is," he smiled and ran his hand through his hair, ruffling it just a bit. "I just uh... I love coming here to... just kind of.. Take a break from everything," he admitted. Was that lame? Would she think he's lame? "It's.. a nice breath of.. you know, fresh air," Coming up, lying on the couches, taking in the view. It was beautiful. It was such a great place to come to, in order to escape all the chaos that goes on below.

Quidditch through the ages. So she was a Quidditch gal then? "Oh," he said looking at the cover. "Do you play?" He asked regaining just a little self assurance, as this time he didn't hesitate! Of course, Zander didn't really care too much for the sport, but he finally had a steady conversation starter going. So he'd carry on with it. "I'll have to borrow it from you sometime... maybe... I mean... If you'd let me.." Ahem. Oops. "Because... I-I should... probably learn some more... about Qudditch. I'm kind of.. Really... hopeless," Maybe she could give him lessons about the sport or something.

"That can probably be arranged." Maddie would have to check her schedule and all but if this guy wanted to meet her ferocious little one, who was SHE to deny him that small favor? She wasn't going to promise he wouldn't get scratched, though. That possibility was a likely one. "We've got a German Shepherd at home. His name is Bruno." And unlike Zeus, Bruno was a BABY. A big cuddly baby.

The subject of the giant squid had clearly unsettled this boy and Maddie couldn't help but wonder why. Did he not like big creatures or just big squids? Seemed silly to be scared of something you didn't even have much contact with. The brunette tilted her head as his voice cracked and raised her eyebrows, realizing he was trying his best to cover his fear. It made her smile. It was perfectly fine to be afraid of things as long as you didn't let that fear cripple you.

"Well I plan on meeting him properly one day, the squid." YUP. "I just need to figure out the best way to get him to talk to me."

Adelaide smiled, forcing back a blush as he reached out to her hand. It was just a natural reaction. Honestly she should be used to this kind of stuff by now. "I hope so." She gave him a soft smile.

Addi laughed. "Oh yeah. So you better watch it. Stay on my good side." She probably wouldn't ever use her strength against anyone off the pitch. She still had moral issues hurting people on it.

Connor saw her smile and thought that was a bit better, she should be smiling. She was young and supposedly talented and pretty..her future would most likely be bright and she should see that. "Good.." He said softly.

"I'll have to try my hardest then, i'd hate to get hit with that bat of yours." He laughed along with her though he was sure she wouldn't hurt a fly, unless the fly had a quaffle..

"Alrighty, then! Cool." Dylan replied with a smile. OOOH THEY HAD A GERMAN SHEPPHERD! Those were one of Dylan's favorite kind of dogs. Sigh. He wished he could have a dog...they were so cute and so fun to play with! Maybe this year he could really convince his mum to let him have one. Hmm. "That's cool, I love dogs." he told her.

Glancing at Maddie, he noticed her smiling. His cheeks grew slightly pink. He hoped she wasn't making assumptions about him being afraid of the squid. Because erm, that totally was not true at all. He then wondered why she would want to meet the thing. Oh well. People were strange... "Awesome, well, let me know how that goes then." he said.

Adelaide smiled. She was glad she'd decided to meet up with Connor. He was a genuinely nice guy and just the ball of sunshine she needed in her life right now. She was going to have to keep him around.

"Just stay on my good side and no one gets hurt." Addi smirked. Yeah she probably wouldn't be able to do anything to that face of his if she tried.

Her mom’s got a bad memory? Ethan would trade places with Simon anytime. He misses his mother a whole lot, and he’d rather have a forgetful mother than none at all. Another idea came to mind! “How about we ask Professor Culloden for help? I’m pretty sure he knows a lot about Memory Potions and stuff.” What’s better? “I checked the dungeons the other day and we actually have a Potions Laboratory. We can practice brewing there, yeah?” See? Win-win situation right there. He gets to help a friend, and he gains experience in brewing. Brilliant! “I don’t think we’ll get it in time for Christmas, though. Maybe we’ll finish it just in time before you go back to Australia for the summer?” Either way, Simon has a big probability that he will have something to bring home to his mother.

“I know, yeah? They got the chance to hatch it and all!” Mordred most definitely had a grand time. That lesson made a huge impact on his cousin that he decided to take up Dragonology. “You guys will have a great time talking about them beasts. I can tell.” Ethan sat back and chuckled. The idea of Mordred talking a lot is actually funny. Poor chap doesn’t talk much unless of course it’s his girlfriend Sophie. Mhmm.

You know, deaths are no fun. Ethan’s already had enough dose of losing someone really close, and he can genuinely relate to Simon when he said that his dog Max died and misses him. Dogs and/or crups are the most awesome pets ever, because it has nothing to give their owners but attention and affection. “You can always bug them. Make sure they won’t forget?” He did mention that his mother forgets things, so maybe reminding her and his dad would help? Just a suggestion.

“Hey that’s exactly what Professor Flamsteed taught us. The seasons, yeah?” Smart man, he was. “It must be scorching hot back in Australia right now.” Seeing that the weather in Hogwarts is just…bloody cold at the moment. “So…do you spend your Christmas at the beach?” Because it’s hot…or? “I’ve seen muggles sandboard before.” Cool, huh? Ethan just loooooooves boards and the things he can do with it.

And…why didn’t he think of that? “You know what…you’re right. All the lessons we learned in the past few days have something to do with weather. First there was the Seasons in Astronomy…then the Ice Menagerie in Transfiguration…then the Reductor Curse to beat a Cold One.” Definitely there’s a pattern, and it didn’t help that the air inside the Tree House was dropping further. “I have a bad feeling about this…” he said as he subconsciously felt the wand up his arm. “It’s a good thing that we’ve been taught how to defend ourselves. Just in case…you know?” The school had a field trip prior to the present term and they did encounter zombies and such, yeah? It is possible that the Cold Ones would pay them a visit.

MERLIN.

Lemonade!
 

Nigel was taking a walk and getting away from the dorm for a while. He should find a better place to spend his free time besides The Prefects' Bathroom. But reasons, effort, and such. Wandering about the school, his eyes spotted the Tree House. It has been years since he was here at this thing. It does look a bit different. Probably just Kirby's own personal touches or whatever. You would think the whole thing would be honey colored or something. Or have like a rope and that is the only way up into the tree house. Would be harsh but awesome. It got Nigel thinking on another bizarre thing on the grounds a couple years ago. That weird duck pond. It was just so random. Though one does miss the oddity that was the duck pond.

Because really why do those even exist.

Looking at the Tree House raised a couple of question for Nigel. What would it be like to snog in there and was he too tall to enter?

He did not know which was more important.

She hadn't changed her behaviour? WELL. Logic was saying that she sort of DID, though it wasn't for a bad cause. Was he going to say this, though? Not at all. "Maybe it was just a nice coincidence that you met someone who introduced you to other people and so on. It just happened on its own." Shrug. SNORT. "I guess we're just good at attracting a different gender." Wink.

"Yeah, I do." He didn't give out compliments often so it was one to take or leave. And then Vinne went on to say something that Grayson FULLY agreed with. "'Xactly! Merlin, it's annoying when someone acts differently around strangers. Or differently around a certain group of friends," he said, shaking his head, "Uh huh. They're not exactly going to like you much after that. There's no point." Basically, treat people equally: hate everyone. Strict and rough? POPULAR AND TOUGH? "MAN, that doesn't sound bad." It would be a good way to kick out some of the less tough ones. Or to toughen them up. Stop them from becoming human versions of marshmallows. "Does that mean you were a rough and tough kid back there?" This was interesting, actually. Uh huh. "Believe me, it really was. This place seems like a mix between the two, doesn't it?" he asked, leaning back a little and looking out at the view of, huh, Hogwarts.

One of each kind of friends to make a balanced group was something that Grayson could agree with. Uh huh. "'Xactly. It'd get dead boring if you were in a group of people who were the exact same as you." Besides, you never know what situation you're going to be in; one of the weird bunch of your friends could come in handy at any moment. SNORT. "I'm gonna hold you to that, you know." JUST saying. "Bet that made it even better. You didn't really need it to be a bonanza of a day. It just happened." Was this nice of him? Eh. He was also 'eh' about the idea of getting there when it came to making friends. "We'll see. I don't care if I don't," Lie. "But it doesn't sound bad."

Grayson smirked at the wink. Flirty or not, it was a wink and he liked it. "I can share if you can share any food you bring up here." Juuuuuust saying. Who wanted to people-watch on an empty stomach? Not him! "Yes! I don't understand the freaking point in pretending to like something just to get someone's approval." Unless that person was someone in a higher position of power. THEN he could understand but otherwise? Not so much.

That sweet smile was nice and while they would have made him smirk in any other situation, the boy was now raising his eyebrows at her. This was amusing. Really. "I couuuuuuld but what's the point when you already have the number?" More charming smiles for the brunette. LOL. Mediocre brains. LOOOOOOOOOL. MAN, this girl was definitely one to keep around. "Because we don't have mediocre brains." WINK.

She didn't mind. Er, alright. He nodded at her and gave her another smile, just in case she needed one. Vinnie didn't look like the type to ask for hugs, from what he could tell, but he was still hoping she wouldn't reach over and hug him randomly. Only because he would NOT know what to do. "Are you doubting my chaaaaaarming nature, Miss Vinnie?" All the dramatics were being pulled out for that. LOL. Hide him somewhere? Hide his BROTHER?! "Nah, he'd just find a way out and then run after me."

How did Ethan come up with all these great ideas? Brewing Potions was right up Simon’s alleyway. He preferred working with Charms; however, after speaking with Piersie, he had learnt that the safer path with working with memory loss would be to use a potion. Simon grinned at his new friend. “Piersie- I mean- Professor Fuller suggested me to go speak to Culloden about it as well. We should definitely go see him,” he nodded. They had a potions laboratory? How cool was Hogwarts? Way cooler than he had expected. He weighed the options out in his head. Rush to have the potion by Christmas and have it be a little wonky? Or have a perfected potion by the time he went home? The latter seemed better.

He nodded excitedly at the idea of speaking to Mordred. Hearing that Mordred would have a good time to discussing all of this would be brilliant. It made Simon feel more comfortable about meeting the intimidating yet cool cousin of Ethan. Simon chuckled at Ethan telling him to bug them about the dog. Yes, he had been trying that for a couple months and had even persuaded his sister. Maybe he could find a way to get his brother on the same side too? They hadn’t spoken in a while though. Perhaps his sister could help? Yeah, Allison could do the job easily. She was a professional at getting their older brother to side with her. “Yeah, I’ll have to get my siblings on the case. With all three of us, there’s no way that they could say no,” he laughed. Peer pressure. In that instance, it worked in their favour.

Simon nodded again with a wide grin playing on his lips. “Oh yes, it is definitely scorching. My family are probably heading to the beach tomorrow and having a nice picnic.” He loved spending the summer at the beach. It was the best place to relax. He shivered as a cool breeze passed into the treehouse. Ooh, that was one thing he didn’t particularly like about Hogwarts. The winter. Merlin, it was horrible. At Ethan’s next question, he paused. Sometimes they spent Christmas at the beach. Sometimes they went to their grandparents’ house down in Mornington Peninsula, which was an hour away from where he lived. The trek was always a momentous occasion where they’d pack up their car two days before and spend a whole week down there with their Gran and Pa. “Sometimes we do. My favourite Christmas’ have been the ones that we have spent playing on the beach. Other times we go to extended families’ houses.” Simon paused and rubbed his hands together to try to keep them warm. “I’ve seen people sandboard too. It looks pretty fun. My daredevil of a cousin, Jack, loves to do that. He’s a lifeguard.” Jack. Now he had always been a cousin that had excelled in everything. Simon had been thoroughly envious of his cousin for many years. He had often wondered why he couldn’t be better or at least the same as Jack? He dismissed that thought from his head and refocused on Ethan. He smiled. “What about you? How do you usually spend your Christmas?”

He liked being told that he was right. It made Simon feel more confident in his ability to make deductions almost as good as Sherlock Holmes. :eyebrows: He nodded at Ethan’s comment. Something did feel wrong with the winter. The wind was too biting and the cold too frigid. He folded his arms and shivered as he glanced at the window. A frowned wiped the smile right off his face. “So do I.” Simon squinted his eyes into the snow-covered forest. He peeled his eyes away from the view and back to Ethan. He chuckled. “Thank goodness we have. Though I hope its enough to help us fight whatever may be a threat. Perhaps we could see what the Professors think about the winter? Maybe they know more.”

With the possibility of danger lurking close by, would the students even get to go to Hogsmeade?

Connor smiled back at her, he was just the slightest bit bashful still when he got a smile from a pretty girl, but he wasn't as bad off as he used to be. So that was good.

"All right, deal. As long as no one gets hurt." He said and nudged her a little. She was cool, had a good taste in books and she got his sense of humor, for all intents and purposes he liked her.

"I think I'm okay with that promise." Addi figured it wouldn't be that hard to keep. She couldn't see how she could be mad at this ball of sunshine.

The wind picked up a bit, chilling her in her window seat. "It's getting chillier. Maybe we should head inside."

"Yeah, dogs are okay. Bit too cuddly for my liking but good listeners which is helpful." And Maddie ONLY told her secrets to things and stuff that couldn't talk back, THAT way they'd never reveal them to other people.

"Yeah, sure. I'll give you a FULL report." Maybe. Also, did he KNOW he was blushing? Maddie had noticed, yup.

Handing Ginger back over to the boy, the small brunette stood up and dusted herself off. "I think I'm going to head back now but it was okay meeting you. You too, Ginger."

She didn't like all that cuddling? Weeeeird. Dylan loved cuddling. He'd cuddle doggies all day if he could! "Oh huh, interesting," was what he replied to what she said. Because yes it was quite interesting. But people had their preferences.

"Okay, very cool." Dylan said with a nod, taking Ginger as she handed her to him. He looked up from the cat to Maddie and smiled. "Alrighty, I'll see you around then! It was nice meeting you as well," he said, scratching Ginger behind her ears. Maddie seemed pretty awesome so far, he hoped they'd talk more.

Wrapping it up. :3
 

Ethan puffed his cheeks at the mention of Fuller’s name. Piersie. Haaaaaahahaha! The Slytherin did find a copy of the aparecium stuck to the dungeon’s wall and lo and behold. He thought it to be a prank or something, but with Thompson actually calling him that was…well, did it prove anything? Maybe? Heeeehehehe. “I’ve seen the laboratory and it’s open for everyone who wishes to brew…or practice brewing.” And the fact that Culloden might help them with their quest? That’s going to be more awesome. “We can research in the library first. See what actually goes in that potion.” Ethan said as he scratched his head. He got the feeling though that the potion is a hard one to brew…and that they will have a hard time getting the necessary ingredients.

See, that’s the cool part of having siblings. You have people who actually understands you, and that you have them to back you up when things go wrong. Well, not all siblings do that, but the idea fascinates the boy since he’s an only child. “Or maybe you can ask your parents to give you another pet for your birthday.” Right? “When’s your birthday by the way?” Ethan asked as he mused at what he should ask Mordred for Christmas. Hehehehe. He’s sure he won’t turn down his request. The Slytherin’s kind of…spoiled, you see. Mhm.

Beach during Christmas? Now that’s something. “That is soooo weird, Simon.” He said as he sat back with a grin, obviously fascinated with the idea. Scorching hot weather in December??? “I just can’t imagine myself in a pair of board shorts in December.” Ethan laughed at the idea, but hey! That’s just so cool. Not everyone can spend their Christmas holidays at the beach, yeah? “I’m pretty sure sandboarding is the same as snowboarding. The only difference would be the clothing, yeah?” And if given the chance, he’d love to meet this Jack person. Teach him a thing or two about sandboarding. Ethan nodded as he listened to Simon. Well, holidays are usually spent with the family right? Although he looks forward to spending time with them, he still has reservations about it. “The usual, I guess? We don’t go anywhere for the winter break, just chilling and relaxing at home with the family.” He wondered if it’s the same with the Mordaunts? You see, this is going to be the first time that he will be spending the holidays with his real dad and real grandparents, uncles and cousins. He’s sure though that he will be hiding behind Mordred most of the time. Heh.

“I don’t know, mate.” Ethan said as he sat up straight. He reckons that the professors don’t have a clue about how extra cold it is now. They barely get out of the castle, yeah? Unless the cold air finds its way inside the school, then probably they will take notice. “How about we get inside the castle now? I really do have a bad feeling about this.” Besides, he still got more homework to do. “Why don’t we head to the Great Hall and get something to eat? I still have to finish our homeworks too…” he said as he showed Simon his parchments with half-done assignments. Ethan chucked his things inside his satchel, buttoned up his coat and wrapped his scarf around his neck, ready to head out. “Let’s go?” And yeah, pee break sounds good too. The cold weather’s doing crazy things to his bladder.

"RIGHT?" Everything Maddie said was interesting, pretty much. She just had TONS of things to say and ideas to share so to hear that response, well, she AGREED.

"See you around." The first year smiled a little and waved before turning on her heel and heading for the ladder. Perhaps she'd make a trip to the library to do more research on the squid. YUP.

For my lovely Jellybean <3
 

Josette could definitely agree with him as he said that. That was another thing that was wonderful about this place, a break from everything. She actually couldn't describe it any better that. Josette slowly ran her fingers through her hair as she walked over towards a couch to sit down, unsure if he'd follow or not, so she remained silent as she waited for him to do what he'd like. If he ended up just wanting to stand, that'd be alright, she wouldn't question it.

Feeling a little proud she couldn't help but nod her head a little quickly, "M-Mhmm..I played last term...I was a Beater & a C-Chaser.." But it did make her upset though not that long after saying so, since there wasn't any Quidditch this term. Merlin, she missed Captain Mo & her teammates. She was brought out of her thoughts when he'd said he'd want to borrow the book from her. Josette paused & then slowly offered the book outwards towards him & said softly," I-I actually..already finished it..I-I was just brushing up on so tips I-I might try.." Was he interested in playing Quidditch too? ..."H-Hopeless?

Zoe/Demelza. How many pages after am I? xD
 

"Okay, okay, okay, I stand corrected. I'm sorry that I implied you weren't as talented as you most surely are. I guess I've never really met someone who is talented in all those forms of art, that you are," Cris quickly apologized hoping that he hadn't totally offended Demelza.

So he was most happy to change the subject to something more interesting. The Room of Requirement. "You haven't been there yet. How come? To be honest, the only way I found the Room of Requirement was through my brother. Sander's girlfriend told him where to find it, when he was here last term attending Hogwarts. I told Jasmine about it and it was she who wished for the dance studio," Cris explained how he had managed to find it even though Demelza in all her time at Hogwarts, hadn't.

"I'll be happy to show you where it is, right after I find that Sixth Floor room ," Cris grinned conspiratorially at Demelza. "...and I'm looking forward to seeing you perform your acting, singing, dance routine."

Yes he was and he hoped Jasmine would be able to see her performance too.

Zander followed the girl, carefully this time as to not have another surprise fumble. Oh, the couch? Should he sit? Or would she get uncomfortable? Maybe he'd just stand? But then she might think that he doesn't like her. Okay then sitting? No standing? No sitting? No. AHHH. Why did girls make him so nervous ALL THE TIME!? "Uhm, do you... Do you, mind if I sit?" he said gesturing to the cushion beside her. Yeah, asking was always the safest bet. He didn't want to make the girl anymore more uncomfortable than she probably already felt. Ugh. Girls.

"WOAH!" he exclaimed easily. He was pretty much so impressed that he had forgotten to be all nervous and stuff for a second. "Beater and Chaser?!" Was that even possible? To do BOTH? "You... You must've been, uh, really good?" he said nodding. Woah. All Zander could do was cheer on the sidelines. Before he could think about the matter even more, Josette had already extended the book towards his hands. "No way.... Erm, really? You'd let me... Borrow it?" For real? Weren't Ravenclaws like really attached to their books? WAS THIS A SUDDEN ACT OF FRIENDSHIP, HE SMELLED? "I'm a muggleborn," he explained. "Even though I've been here for two years...." he started to trail off a little, being embarrassed of his lack of Quidditch knowledge. "I haven't really, erm, uh, had the chance to... You know, uh, get aquatinted with the rules," he admitted, blushing even further.

Hopefully this didn't make him look like a TOTAL loser.

Josette couldn't help but take notice of his, awkward stance as he didn't sit right away. Did he not want to sit? Would he prefer to stand? She wasn't going to argue or make any kind of trouble for him if he'd prefer to stand, it really wasn't a problem at all, honest. He do whatever he wished. But just then he actually asked if he could sit down. Josette looked at the cushion beside her & then back at the boy quickly shaking her head. "O-Oh, n-no, not at all.." The second year taking a quick moment to adjust herself giving him all the room he might need.

O__o

Her eyes widened a bit as he suddenly spoke very loudly with one word. Josette hadn't anticipated that at all & her heart actually had quickened from the boy's sudden burst of energy. All she could do in response to his sudden excitement, was a soft nod. But to asking if she was really good was where she'd felt a little unsure. Which was why she ended up giving a shrug of shoulders. Was she good? Honest, she didn't know, she didn't really feel like she was. Maybe her teammates though otherwise? Perhaps he might find out better from Captain Mo? Josette stared at him briefly and then at her book when he seemed to be caught off guard when she'd offered him the book. "I-I don't mind.." ..Just as long as he gave it back though, right?

A muggleborn, this was the second time she'd heard this word.

But she didn't want to make a big deal of this word, it might come across as rude.

He hadn't had the chance to get acquainted with the rules. Well, most of them were right there in the book for him, once he'd read it that was of course. "T-There's a lot...B-But once you understand them, it's p-pretty easy..to u-understand.." Also the flying, the flying was the best part though, as long as you were aware of what's going on around you. Especially when you play beater, but Josie wasn't going to go there at the moment.

Zander felt like a complete idiot just standing there looking so nervous. What an utter fool. There was always time for an escape? He could jump off of the treehouse before she said anything. And then run up to the common room. And never come back. Yeah, that sounds like a good plan-- Just as the thoughts started bubbling up in his head, the girl had started speaking again. Dang it. But oh? He could sit. Okay, that's a start. Zander awkwardly got down on the cushion and wiggled around a bit to get comfortable before looking at her with his big green eyes. "Thanks," he smiled warmly and tugged at his collar a little. Was it starting to get hot up here? Or was it just him....

Zander could tell that he threw her off just then... Oops. He did not mean to do that... He must've just gotten all excited all of the sudden. AH OOPS, sorry Josette. "Sorry, uh, I... Didn't mean to startle you," he apologized to the girl. And then the shrug. She was probably just being modest. Not many people can be BOTH a chaser and a beater. "I... I bet you're just being humble.... You're, erhm, probably really good," he said trying to smile again. Why was this so hard?! Talking to Simon was EASY. But girls. Girls, man, they were hard. "Thanks, I-I promise I'll give it back soon," he assured her. Zander would make sure to take extra good care of it. That way she wouldn't regret letting him keep it for a bit.

A lot? She could say that again. If this book was just filled with rules... Then there was definitely a whole ton of them. How could he remember any of it!? On second thought... Maybe he'd just skip the book and watch a Quidditch game instead. That'd probably be more useful... Shame that they had to cancel it this term. Awh. The one time he would've actually been interested. "Is it hard... you know, trying to f-fly and score goals all at the same time?" he asked. Because if anything, that was definitely the most intimidating part of Quidditch. All the multitasking. You had to steer clear of budgers, try to score with the quaffles, dodge other players, and fly high above the ground all at the same time. Just thinking about it gave the boy a massive headache. How did Josette do it?

He still wasn't sitting. Was it she that was causing his urge to refuse to sit? If he wanted the couch to himself, she really would've been more than happy to get up. All he had to was to say so, she wouldn't be offended. Josette was about to offer her standing up until he'd moved...to sit on the couch with her. She tensed up a little bit as he awkwardly sat down beside her, taking notice of a slight wiggling motion he did in the midst of sitting. Without looking at him, looking at the floor, "N-No problem.."

Josette did turn her attention towards him though when he apologized to her for startling her. She shook her head quickly, "I-It's not your fault.." From the looks of it he hadn't meant to, so that she supposed was alright, so how could she be upset at him if he hadn't meant to? If he had meant to though, she probably would've just simply gotten up & left to leave him there without a word. But, that didn't seem like that would be happening, because he had apologized. "H-Humble? ...I-I don't think so..." She really wasn't being humble, honest. Did he ever see her other teammates play? Like Sophie? Or Captain Mo? Benjy? Vesper? Honest, the list went on, ALL of her teammates were so skilled, all she felt was that she was still learning. Especially her aim as Beater. But again, she was going to get into that. Josie looked at Zander & smiled a little bit as he promised he'd give her back her book, that was quite the relief she had to admit.

Was it hard trying to fly and score goals at the same time? Taking a moment to go back in her mind so she could think about trying out, practicing, scrimmaging, even playing matches. There was a lot now that she thought about it. How had she managed to do all of that? It was quite interesting. But perhaps the best answer she could come up with for Zander was, "B-By having l-lots of practice? I-I suppose not...B-But my first match..I-I was very scared.." Although it did make her think of something more, "L-Last term though, I-I accidentally an o-older girl with a Bluger-B-BUT I-IT WAS AN A-ACCIENT, I SWEAR!" She covered her mouth feeling embarrassed about suddenly bursting like that...and for hitting that girl. Actually come to think of it, "I-I think she's a school P-Prefect..." What was her name again?

His mother had told him over the summer that the first step to making new friends is eye contact. So Zander tried his best to look in Josette's eyes at every opportunity, but it just looked like eye contact was the one thing she wanted to avoid. Did that mean that she didn't want to be friends?! What is a boy supposed to do in these kinds of situations!? Does he just accept the fact that she doesn't want to be friends?! Or was his stare too intense? Okay maybe he should look at the floor too... Maybe she just liked how the floor looked. No, okay thinking too hard again. "It's a uh... very comfortable couch," VERY COMFORTABLE COUCH!? IS THAT ALL YOU CAN SAY, YOU IDIOT!? Ugh. Friendship is hard.

Zander let out a small breath, that he had been holding in, in relief. Phew. The last thing he wanted to do was upset the girl. That would definitely ENSURE that she didn't want to be his friend. And then she'd never make eye contact ever again. So yes, it's a good thing she wasn't angry or anything. "Practice?" he repeated as if it were a foreign concept. "So... did you, practice before you came to Hogwarts?" he asked curiously. It was intriguing. Especially because Josette did not strike (heh) Zander as the aggressive type. She was almost even as shy as he was. It was just neat to see that the girl had a totally different side on the Quidditch field.

Now it was his turn to be all startled and such. Zander definitely was NOT expecting Josette to jump so suddenly. But the worst part was, that the girl looked even more terrified than Zander did in that moment. He could really tell that it was bothering her. Without realizing what he was doing, he instinctively put his hand on her shoulder and gave her an earnest look. "Hey, it's okay," he said nodding his head attempting to reassure her. "I'm sure that the girl isn't holding a grudge...... It's not like you were trying to hurt her though, so it's okay," He nodded his head again. Besides I-I may not know a lot about Quidditch, but isn't the beater... supposed to send bludgers towards other players?

Was this the kind of boy her father had been warning her about? Was he dangerous? Josette couldn't quite figure that out at the current moment, although, she was having a bit of difficulty thinking that he might be, mainly because of what had happened just a few minutes ago on the balcony. But she couldn't help but feel that feeling of a bit of cautiousness when he was looking at her more times than she could count, well from what her peripheral vision was telling her was anyways. What was that he'd said? The couch was comfortable? Josette slowly turned to look at him before feeling the couch with her hand to test that herself. She bit her lower lip before nodding in agreement, "Mhm..I-It's pretty comfortable.."

Taking notice of this breath he had just made, had been a bit curious to the twelve year old. Was he trying to hold his breath or something? Wasn't that particularly dangerous to do? Wouldn't he faint from holding his breath so long? Well, at least that's what her father said would happen, or worse. But he won't tell her what that worse thing is though -Oh he was talking. Her attention being brought back to him as he'd questioned her answer to his question about Quidditch. Wasn't practice the answer though? "Mhmm.." But then he asked another question, had she practiced before coming to Hogwarts, to which she shook her head no. "N-No, I'd n-never played before I started c-coming to school here..M-My father wasn't very happy at the t-thought of me flying..H-He says it's too dangerous.."

Josette quickly adjusted herself & tried calming herself down after seeing that it was she who had startled the boy this time. Just as she was preparing to apologize again, she froze almost instantly as she watched him suddenly reaching out towards her to place his hand on her shoulder & give her this...look. With a bit of a confused & upset look, she looked back at him as he spoke. It looked like he was trying to comfort her or something, OH- that was what he was doing! But still she was very upset about the whole thing. "I-I know..I-It's just...I felt s-so bad after it had happened..Before then I-I had never actually hit someone with a bludger...I-It was pretty scary..."

Zander was kind of freaking out on the inside. Not that he could show it on the outside though. That would probably freak Josette out too. But she was probably already freaked out. There was just a lot of freaking out going on at the moment. Mostly because he didn't know what to say. Or what he should say. Or what she'd what him to say... And that was mostly because he didn't really know how to talk to girls at all. They were so complicated and confusing and stuff. Just. Girls. You know? The Gryffindor bit his lip as he waited for her response.... PHEW! She didn't laugh in his face at the lameness of what he had said about the couch. If it were some other chick, they definitely would've laughed. "... So... Besides reading and Quidditch, wh-what other things do you like to do?" he said with a nod to the book. That's a good way to keep a conversation going right? Asking questions? Maybe. AH.

"Oh..." So she hadn't practiced before she came? "So you must just be a natural then?" Because if she could actually play when she just started, WOAH. That must take some talent. Some talent that, Zander didn't have, heh. "But... but I bet your father is proud now... after-after seeing how you did and stuff?" Was her father still upset that she was playing Quidditch? Because he wounded pretty protective. And if Josette liked playing, then he might be holding her back or something, which the Gryffindor did not like. Nope. Because he knew all about being held back by family. And it is not fun.

O__O What was that look she was giving him?? It almost threw Zander off his game. Almost. But his attempt at the "comforting" look did not falter. Because he would not be thrown off his game. He was really trying, okay!? "Well I'm, I'm sure that she's not angry still..." he said trailing off a little bit to think some more. "And, you know, if you still feel guilty... You-you could still go to her and explain that you're sorry?" He had never done this comfort thing before. So he wasn't really sure if he was doing it right.... But he was giving it a try? So that should count for something.

This icy, frigid, snow-filled virulent winter is beginning to esclate toward blizzard levels with a polar vortex wind chill suddenly sweeping the grounds on top of the already high snow drifts. Brrr! Best get indoors now before the snow covers you to your frostbitten nose! It looks like Hogwarts may already be in the process of being snowed in....

OOC: All grounds threads will shortly be locked in light of this snowpocalypse. You have about 24 hours to finish your RPs and get in the castle!