The lioness still deep in her thought when she heard some voice greeted her.
She found a presence of a girl around her age stood near her.Jessie returned her smile kindly.

"Hi, there. I`m Jeslyn. But you can call me Jessie like others. "Jessie patted the ground near her "I`m okay.Don`t worry. Just feel sentimental?"

Jessie laughed softly. "Wanna join me?"

"It could have been further." Rooney's eyebrow raised, and he looked at the younger girl for only a moment before going back to his satchel contents. Their conversation didn't quite need his entire attention and if he hadn't had things to check on then he would have wanted to give her his full attention. Also if she was saying anything worth the attention. Right now, she was just digging into everything that happened and all he had wanted was his bloody satchel. After putting his satchel on the floor, Rooney took off his outer robes and put them over the girls shoulders. "It's warm up. It's weather resistant." And temperature adjusting. Mama.

The Ravenclaw grumbled at her apology for her housemates and shoot his head. "What's done is done." And he knew who instigated it, he knew why it had happened. Rooney knew more about the plan than this girl knew. And he didn't mind much because he was emotionally involved in the sortings of Gryffindor. Particularly one. That, however, was another story.

"You learn things at school. Pay attention in class." Obviously.

Wow, for a moment Genny was all quiet and listening to Sam intently. This girl's accent was not common, Scotland had nothing like it before. "Yeah, wha-- haha," she continued to laugh catching on Sam's joke.... unless it wasn't a joke? Did she actually still believe what they told her? She doubted it.

Anyway. "Just sitting under the tree doing homework... and eating my sandwich. You want some?" It was mainly some white sauce, bread and lettuce now but Genny would still offer. "You like the water?" She remembered her courageous attitude in the boat despite Sharksy's repelling stories and suggestions (because it was all his fault).

The laughing told Sam that Genny already knew about the squid. Which begged the question, had she and boy!Sam already known that the squid was friendly when they shared the boat together? If so, it was pretty mean of them.

So, she'd be nice THIS TIME and assume they'd only found out since.

If Sam hadn't been getting help from her Head of House in the library, then down here did seem like a good place to do homework. "If yeh only gonna drop it on the floor ovverwise, I will," she said, nodding towards the trail of lettuce the girl had left on the way here. She'd already had dinner, but a little more wouldn't hurt, right? Her appetite had certainly grown since since living in the castle.

As for the water? Sam wriggled her toes in the sand. "I like bein' near it," Sam said, taking a moment to look out over the water. "Might like bein' in it too, if I could swim. You?"

The answer made Genny instinctively look down between her feet, spotting the few chicken bits and tomatoes that had fell, and it was pretty annoying seeing wasted food. Food that she made herself, or well rearranged herself from the great hall dinner. "'kay," she split what was left of the sandwich messily between the two of them and offered the better half to Sam.

She couldn't swim then? Genny's mind snapped back to the moment in the boat when she mentioned Sam being safer on the streets. "I like it. But I like being on the treehouse more, it reminds me of my treehouse back home." A ghost of a reminiscing smile appeared on her lips. She wanted to ask Sam about her own home but... like.... how without being too intrusive? "I can teach you how to swim if your parents don't." There. She patted herself on the back for thinking so fast.

"Fanks," Sam said, taking the half-sandwich with an appreciative smile. She'd noticed it was the less empty of the two halves, and in that gesture, the whatever it was in the boats was forgotten. Genny hadn't had to offer her sandwich, and she could have easily pretended the halves were equal and given her the closer emptier half.

"I like the tree 'ouse too. Dora took me up there first chance we 'ad." Sam nodded. She didn't have one at home, but she loved the fact that it was unexpectedly big and spacious up there, and she could sit looking at all the people below, her legs dangling between the railings. "Dere's only me pa, 'n 'e can't swim eivver," she said quietly. "I'd like ta be taught though, if ya off'ring." Did the Gryffindor want something in return? She wasn't sure that she had anything to offer.

"I've read enough Nancy Drew to know that SOMETHING is up. I'll sleuth around and try and figure it out. And yeah, I'll check with the rest of the lions." Or lionesses, technically. This was INTRIGUING.

"We could TOTALLY do it. With DISGUISES. Or big enough groups. Dynamic duo, amiright?" She held up her hand for a high five.

"She's scary," Ellery agreed.

"Nancy Drew is the best detective ever so if you do what she does you'll definitely figure it out." Which would make Ellery the best detective ever. Olly had complete faith in his sister. He just was not sure if there were any clues to find. Hopefully there were, though.

"Yeah! You can wear my tie and everything." He reached up as if to take it off before realizing that it was not something he needed to do at the moment. So he left it as it was, for now. But his offer still stood. Ellery could borrow his robes and all like that one firstie whose name he didn't even remember from the start of school.

"Yes." Olly nodded solemnly. "I wish Flamsteed was my Head of House, too."

Jace hid a shy smile, and slightly turned his head away from Rachel. He needs to accept the compliment, but somehow, it didn’t sit well with him. Maybe he’s not used to receiving those? Probably. Jace looked up at her and nodded his head enthusiastically. “This just might be our term, Rachel-san!” the Ravenclaw said excitedly. Winning was great, especially if they hadn’t won one in almost two decades. “I will be there! You’re the better player, so I’d probably act as support.” Jace tucked his hands behind him and rocked back and forth, clearly, imagining themselves winning the competition.

“Now, that is even more odd, don’t you think? I suppose if someone brought a doll with her, it could only mean that it’s a source of comfort for her...like a blanket.” Jace deduced, scratching the side of his face. “What I’m trying to say is...it is a bit unusual for an 11 year old to bring one in school still, so if one brought it here, then it must be very special.” The Ravenclaw added. “You’ve also mentioned that no one reported that they lost a doll, so...it contradicts logic.” Or Jace logic, in this case.

“Of course I’ll help.” Jace said flatly. “When do you want to start it? The posters, I mean?” he asked.

Dora? "Who'sDora?Issheafriend?" Genny had to ask with her mouth full, it made no sense for her to wait until she swallowed as long as no food went flying about.

Her father couldn't swim? Genny nodded with a small smile, guessing that not all fathers were perfect like her dad who she did not imagine lacked any sort of intellectual or physical skills. "I can teach you." Before Sharksy could and drain the swimming process from every bit of fun with his comments and nonsense. "We're not allowed in the lake, but if we can find the Room of Requirement, we can ask it for a pool." She beamed and took another large bite of her half.

Sam paused from taking another bite of her sandwich to decipher what Genny was saying. "Yeah," Sam nodded at the friend part. "She's in yeh 'ouse actu'ly. Secon' year." And now for a bite of sandwich.

Nomnom.

Genny actually meant it about teaching her? Sam swallowed, before giving her a wide smile. "Fanks." It wasn't even like she hadn't anywhere to learn at home; not unless you counted the Thames, which was basically just sewage. Eww. "We're not?" Well, that was boring, but at least there seemed to be a second option. "I 'aven't found one of those in me explorin' yet, but I'll keep lookin'."

A frown soon flickered across her face though. "Can de room provide bavvin' suits too?" Because she didn't have a swimsuit either, though maybe Dora or her dorm mates might let her borrow one otherwise. She looked at her new friend (yes, Genny had officially moved into that territory) sheepishly. "Did yeh want anyfing in return?"

Sucked to be him back then. "That's why you have to train lots. My mum used to train me back home because I kept getting kidnapped. Well, attempted kidnapping." His sisters and parents were always there to save him. But he wanted to learn to defend himself and defend his own. "I've seen this cool Gryffindor dude kick butt like no other. I want to do that one day." Maybe Colt and him could train together and become invisible.

He was just curious, Cornelius hadn't meant it in a bad way. Won mostly? Did that mean he lost sometimes? Of course, Cornelius kept that to himself so he wouldn't hurt this guy's sensitivity. Losing happened, he suppose. Not for him, though.

Practice his name? Cornelius cracked an amused grin. "It's my name, why would I have to practice it?" Like...he was clever. He's known how to say and spell his name since he was four years old, both first and last name. Colt said WHAT about his handshake? Cornelius huffed. "It was firm." Colt's hand was probably just made of fluff. The Slytherin boy looked Colt right in the eye and shook his hand FIRMLY. Maybe a bit too firmly. "I'm always about business." Did he know who HE was????

Ellery grinned. Nancy Drew WAS the best. She was so suave and collected in the face of danger, though a little sass couldn't hurt."You can be my Watson. Elementary, my dear Watson." Watson as in Sherlock, not Watson and Crick, the DNA-stealing crooks.

"OOooooooOOOo. That's a good idea." She would look good in green, too. With her coloring, she looked good with everything. Except maybe yellow, but she was DEFINITELY not a Hufflepuff, let's be real here.

"I wish you were in Gryffindor with me."

Wait. wait. wait.

This kid used to be kidnapped!?

"Dude where did you live if you were always attempted to be kidnapped?" Questions and curiosity were burning at his insides right now. A cool gryffindor? Who was he? "Who is this cool gryffindor?" Now he needed to know names. Look at this guy being nosy. Colt was never usually this nosy. "You bring a good point." He laughed at this kids wit. "I mean that seems like a mouthful to me is all." Just stating his opinion.

He chuckled when he seemed to be offended when his handshake wasn't firm. "Well I am so used to firm handshakes with my father, I wanted to test you but that was great." He nodded in impressiveness. "You will make a great business man one day." he told him to lift his spirits. He guessed what he was going to be. I mean he had no idea. "Do you want start practicing dueling stuff now?" he suggested. "What spell do you want to learn?" He hoped not a really hard one.

Sam wandered down from the Gryffindor common room to the lake. He was bundled up in his red and gold scarf and a thick, puffy jacket that made his upper body look twice his normal weight. At least.

But he wasn't trekking down and out into the cold for nothing. He had recently discovered the hole in the Beech tree, the one that was filled with books. Aand although he had already been down to check it two days ago, he was back again to see if anyone had replaced one of the old books with something new.

Maybe someone had taken interest in the shark book he had left! The boy stood on his toes and filtered through the stack of spines, only to find that his book was still there.

Haddie shivered a little and bundled her winter robes tighter. It was so cold, but being from California she hoped that meant there might be snow soon. Oh to actually have snow and get to build snowmen and have snowball fights!

For now though, she was making her own fun. Hunting the giant squid.

"Here Squid!" She banged a random log she'd found on the back of a pan she'd managed to smuggle out of the kitchen. She banged them together a few more times as she walked the shore of the great lake. "Here Squidy, Squidy, Squidy!" Okay so maybe it wasn't a great plan, but like she knew how to hunt a giant squid. She's only 12 after all.

The weather was chilly and Ruby knew that it meant that winter was most definitely on the way. Wearing the woolly scarf that her grandma had knitted her in her favourite colour blue (which happened to be her house colour anyway) and wrapped up in the coat her parents had bought her last Christmas the little brunette wondered down towards her second favourite spot in the school.

With the exception of the cosy common room up in the towers, Ruby spent a lot of time reading, or thinking or just generally sitting around by the shores of the Great Lake. She liked watching the wind blow ripples across the water’s surface or waiting for something exciting to swim by. Ruby had never seen a mermaid or the giant squid that supposedly inhabited the waters and she longed for the day in which she would.

Spotting a familiar person nosing about in a tree trunk she silently headed over. “Samuel, what are you doing?” she giggled. What on Earth was he looking inside a tree for?

Despite the fact that no one had taken his shark book, Sam was still checking the rest of the titles to see if there were any new ones that were deposited between two days ago and today. There was one that must have been new, for it was a distinct lavender color all along the spine. He pulled it out, and as he read the title, his eyebrows knitted together.

The Complete and Detailed Guide on How to Win Him Over.

..What?

But with impeccably inconvenient timing, someone had come over to speak to him. His head swiveled to see who it was. His cousin, of course.

"Wh- nothing," he said, quickly shoving the book once and then again until it stuck against the others in the tree hole. "Er, what are you up to, Ruby?"

Smooth.

Second year Dora? Genny was thoughtful for as long as her mind let her without being distracted by this delicious mash of soggy bread and tomato. "I think I've seen her around in the common room." She couldn't put names to every face in her house yet.

Now that she finished her half, her hands were quickly dusted on her skirt and she stretched her arms out. "The Room didn't appear to me yet, either. I think we need to make peace with the castle and be her friends first before it lets us into its secret rooms." Genny knew that Hogwarts had its own soul and mind. Her mother implied it. "We should not go looking without each other because... what if I find it alone and then it disappears when I go looking for you?" It'd be pointless.

... in return? She blinked at the Ravenclaw smiling, "Like... what do you mean? I don't want anything except helping you to swim well."

Sam nodded. It was understandable, really, with so many new faces and names. It's not like she could claim to knowing all the Ravenclaws yet. "I'll poin' 'er out to yeh sumtime, if y'ain't met yet." Cos obviously, Dora was awesome.

She took another bite of sandwich, taking the time to savour her half. "'ang on," she said as soon as she swallowed, not waiting to waste any by spitting it in Genny's face. "What d'ya mean, appear?" She knew of secret doors that were hidden, unlocked by a word or a touch or a key, but ones that came and went as they pleased, with swimming pools in them? That sounded far more like a dream than a reality. "I guess...," Sam said, hesitating. The whole thing was a bit much to get her head round, really.

What did she mean? Sam gave a little frown. "Like...a faveh or payment or sumfin'." Did Genny really mean she'd do it just for Sam, no strings attached? Well then. "Dat's very nice of ya. 'pecially cos I ain't got much teh offer 'nyways."

Although it wasn't snowing yet, the Gryffindor wore his winter clothes and had wrapped his House scarf around him so that his nose was covered. It was only a matter of time before he got sick again. He always did during the winter. Why was he outside then? Good question... one that he could not answer other than that he wanted to go for a walk.

With his hands in his pockets, Yoongi arrived at the Lake. How beautiful would it be if it got frozen over and they could skate on it? As much as he hated the cold, he still something like that would happen before he left here.

He was about to walk further when something caught his attention. Being the Head Boy, he was getting pretty good at spotting odd things and a girl banging a log on a pan was definitely....odd. More even, that pan belonged to the House elves in the kitchen. Had she stolen it? Didn't the girl's Head Of House talk about Elf rights at the beginning of the term or was that just his House? "Excuse me" he called, moving forward before he stood close to the girl and he looked down on her. "That belongs in the kitchen, i hope you did not steal it" he said, pointing at the pan. ".... what are you even trying to do?" Seriously, this kid had written 'weird' all over her face.

The first year shifted in a way that looked a lot like she'd just rolled her eyes with her entire body. "Borrowed. Borrowed it." She turned to face the speaker, and seemed relieved. He was Gryffindor. She loved Gryffindor. They were her people. The Sorting Hat was an idiot.

She failed to notice the Head Boy pin. Not that it would have changed anything for her if she had. He was Gryffindor. "I'm trying to lure the squid," she said it in the same tone one would say "Duhhhh," in, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. But she was grinning as she said it. "I want to train him to eat a second year boy in my h... in Ravenclaw." She turned away from the Head Boy, and banged the pot a few times again.

Yoongi raised his eyebrow at her behavior. So she had borrowed the pan from the kitchen? Suuuure. "And if i go to the kitchen right now , the elves will tell me the same thing?" He asked, crossing his arms over each other and a hint of a grin played on his lips. Honestly though, they wouldn't probably even have noticed that one pan was missing but thieving wasn't tolerated at Hogwarts.

He was about to ask her to hand the pan over to him but he stopped when she mentioned what she was doing. Luring in the squid? Yoongi laughed. That was priceless. "I think you need to do a little bit more than just bang on a stolen pan" yes he said stolen. He did not believe for a second that she had borrowed it. "And it will probably eat you before you could have trained it to eat someone else so my advice is to not get its attention" he said with a sigh. "Besides, who are you even going to "let it eat"?" more importantly , what for?

Haddie stopped, and looked back at the older boy, puzzled. Was he like the one uncool Gryffindor that ever existed, or... Then she saw the pin. Ohhhhhh. So that's a yes then?

"Borrowed," she reminded him. "Stealing is with the intent to keep. What am I going to do with a pan after this? Nope. Borrowed. I'll put it back." Obviously. She banged the pan again, undeterred, but then stopped. The Head Boy was right, banging a borrowed pan wasn't working. Still, she seemed content to ignore the second half of his warning. "Okay, how do you suggest I lure the squid?" Oh, yeah, she wasn't going to give up on this plan at all. And she wasn't about to tell the Head Boy who it was. She was sure he'd be uncool enough to immediately go and warn Davie or something. That wasn't going to happen. No way!

Melbourne just raised a little eyebrow at the Ravenclaw boy as he gave his things another look over. “Thank you,” she muttered when he gave her the robes to use which was nice, “that’s really cool where’d you find the spell for that? Or was it a charm?” She asked curiously because that seemed like a good idea for her own robes.

Mel just raised an eyebrow at the Ravenclaw boy and just huffed at him a bit. Yes she was warmer now but that wasn’t due to anything other than the cloak and the warming charm she had cast on her own legs. “Yeah I do pay attention in class we just haven’t learned anything quite like that yet in any of my classes” she huffed a bit.

“Thank you for the cloak again,” she muttered before taking it off and handing it back to him after casting a quick cleaning charm on it…you know, didn’t know if he wanted her hairs on it. “I’m not cold I charmed my socks to have heating charms on them” she admitted with a grin.