Azura smiled over at Jasper at he beamed at her and for a moment the heart flutters were back as she looked at him. She liked that smile on his face and she wanted to keep it there. "They really are great." She said again before thinking a bit..

What did she want him to draw for her.. Ohh!

"I want you to draw your favorite view at Hogwarts for me.. that way I can look at it and know you really enjoyed drawing it, because you loved the place you were." Mmmmhmmm. That worked well! Then she could go to that place that he drew and look out over the view and some how.. feel closer to him!

She grinned at he said he wanted to hear her music. "Good! I just need to play for you regularly as well, so you can hear me and make sure I'm a good player." She teased him a bit..

She hadn't had a doubt about his drawing ability, but seeing the sketches really made her realize how truly talented he was! Hopefully he would think the same about her!

"We should meet in the piano room sometime.." She said with a nod.

A view that Jasper really enjoyed?

So far the main one was probably the fourth floor balcony. There was a bit of exploring left to do though before he could possibly decide. Still he grinned and nodded at the girl in front of him. He'd have that, and his other painting, ready for her by the time the year was over latest.

"I can wait," he assured her as she spoke about having to practice before playing for him. "You'll have to wait for your sketch..."

"Definitely," he agreed when she spoke of meeting up in the piano room. Then they'd actually be able to practice. He'd have to remember to bring his guitar.

Then they could start their music lessons!

Azura smiled as Jazzy grinned at her and she nodded, she knew she had made the right request and she looked over at him happily as she pulled her hair over her shoulder to play with it a bit.

"I mean you will have to wait for the music I write.. I can play a song for you any old time." She said with a warm smile as she looked over at him, her purple eyes shining.

"And of course I will wait for my sketch! I'll wait forever if I have too." She said with a warm smile, before she realized how that sounded! Fwoopers!! Not again!!

She tried to play it off like it was no big deal and she moved right on to the next thing he said!

"Great! I'll look forward to it! She said with a warm smile.. She had almost said it was a Date! But all that would have gotten her was neck scratches and her wanting to run again! So.. none of that now!

She also wanted to bring up teaching him how to fly.. but.. Who knew how THAT would go over!

"Art takes time," he answered with a shrug as Azura clarified that he'd have to wait for her to finish writing the song. He had figured as much anyway. Though a smile grew on Jasper's face. "In that case we'll definitely have to meet up at a place with a piano sometime soon!"

So far they knew of two possible places.

Better chances than they had originally anticipated.

"I'll make sure you have one by the end of the year," Jasper said with a grin, and a determined nod. Who was he to make someone wait forever?

That's just downright rude!

Though he supposed if he came back as a ghost, and Azura did too, and they resided in Hogwarts together then he could theoretically make her wait forever. Even in that situation he'd probably have it done in a day though. Ghosts don't need sleep... do they?

So one sketch, and one painting on his to do list.

He really had to write that down somewhere.

Azura nodded as Jazzy spoke.. Art did take time. She was glad that he understood this.. Yet another reason why they worked so well together! "Yes we totally will! She said with a warm smile as she looked at him, before smiling.. "What's your favorite song? So I can make sure I know it and play it for you." She had a pretty long list of songs she knew by heart.. but if she didn't know it.. she was going to memorize it quickly!

She nodded as he spoke. "The end of the year sounds great." That would give her plenty of time to finish his song for him!

She leafed back through his sketchbook and paused on the sketch of courtyard and smiled. "Looking at this almost makes me feel like I was there." She said with a smile over at him.

"Have you been meeting anyone new?" She asked him curiously. "And what did you think of that Charms class? I smiled at you.. but I don't think you saw me!" Also she had nearly died in the second part.. So there was that!

Favourite song?

That was an impossible question. One with an answer that constantly shifted... but what was a song that he could often listen to? A song that no matter what he would like....

That was still too focussed for him. It'd have to come down to genre. More era.

"Anything Jazz or swing related... from the 1920's to the 40's" was the final answer after about half a minute of deep thought.

"Good," he said, smile on his face. Jasper knew that she'd understand, but it was good that she had confirmed that it was fine. It put a bit less pressure on him to get it done. In fact, chances were he'd finish it early. Not that that mattered. He smiled at her comment about his own art though. "In that case it'll be a good memory for you over holidays, or after we finish when I get you your sketch!"

And she'd remember him waaaaaay in the future if they ever lost contact.

That was also a bonus.

"Yeah I've met a couple of other people," he said with a grin on his face at he looked at his first friend. "Mainly other Ravenclaws though... what about you?"

Jasper's face scrunched up at the mention of charms. "It's something that's very... exact..." if you didn't do it perfectly, he found that things just didn't work. "That and I didn't know the charms so that didn't help at all..."

What growing up in the muggle world and all.

"How'd you go?"

Hmmm..

Jazz or swing from the 1920's to the 40''s.. She could do that! She thought.. What year was the Entertainer? She would have to look it up, but she was sure she could find something!!

"Okay, I can do that." She said with a nod. She couldn't blame him for thinking so long at the question.. She too didn't fully have a favorite song, though she usually had a song stuck in her head at the moment.. Usually Muggle boy bands..

But she didn't tell anyone that! They might think less of her!

"Holidays.." Now THAT was a scary thought.. leaving him for a whole two months! Whatever would she do without him? Though they did have the trip to Diagon Alley planned, so there was that. She bit her lip a little though, trying not to panic at the thought..

Just Breathe Azura.. breathe. She repeated in her head. "It will be a good reminder." she said with a nod.

She nodded as he spoke.. It didn't seem like there was anyone of interest.. so that was good. "About the same, mainly first years.. I met a Gryffindor girl who helped me up when I tripped at the lake.." She said with a smile.. "And another Ravvie firstie who thought I was part fairy because of my eyes." She said with a laugh..

Azura groaned as he asked how her charms went.."The spell part went fine.. The uhh... other part.. not to much.. I fell off a wall." And she was STILL sore from all that..

Grrrrr

"It's a genre that actually sounds good on piano too..." he commented in response to her saying that she'd be able to do something in that style for him. He'd tried on guitar once. For him the guitar didn't capture swing and jazz in the same way. Jasper cringed at the memory.

He really should've tried when his mother tried to teach him how to play. But hey, now Azura was planning to teach him!

Part fairy?

He smiled at the thought.

Studying her features for a second, or probably a few, he tried to imagine what she would look like as a fairy and see any other 'fairyish' features. She was pretty enough to be a fairy.

What was up with that thought????

He immediately pretended that never happened.

"You'd make a good fairy," he joked, a grin crossing his face.

She FELL off of A WALL?????

His eyes widened, not really in surprise, but just at the thought of it happening. Moving forwards he lightly grabbed onto her, to see if there were any signs of her injuries. "Are you alright? Did you hurt yourself badly? Did you go to the hospital wing this time?"

For Compooter!
 

Oh, how Garreth loved to explore. For the last couple of days, he'd wandered the halls of the castle for most of his free time, and now that he was beginning to become familiar with the layout of the school, it was time to get lost in the grounds outside it. He'd found his way to a small pathway leading through the woods, and had begun to feel lost. Of course, he wasn't afraid of truly losing his way out here. This was Hogwarts, and he hadn't felt so safe in years. Getting lost here was all the thrill of adventure without any of the danger.

He'd been walking for a while though, and had begun to feel tired at this point. His eyes scanned the path ahead of him for a bench, but found no such ting. He glanced over his shoulder and was equally disappointed. What he DID see there, however was a girl sitting all by herself. Normally, he would never dare to walk up to a stranger and strike up a conversation, but his recent experiences with getting to know people at Hogwarts inspired him to walk over and sit down next to the girl.

"Hey there." he smiled. "I'm Garreth."

Kitty had just finished applying make up when a fellow raven (this one a first year) approached her and kindly introduced himself.

"Hi Garreth" she said with a smile, snapping her mirror shut. "I'm Kitty DuGray Valentine, but you can call me Kitty for short." She had stopped being ashamed of her middle name ever since talking with Julia at the start of term feast. Standing up, she held her hand out to Garreth. "Nice to met you."

Since he was a first year she did not think he would know the answer to this question, but since he had already introduced himself to her she decided to ask - to make conversation more than anything else. "Do you know where Professor Black is? I'm looking for her but I can't find her."

Azura nodded at her friend. "Mmm, it does sound good.. I can play the Entertainer.. but I'll look for something else that isn't so.. overdone." She said with a wink at him.

She liked doing research.. and maybe this might help her with writing her song for him!

So really it was a Win/Win if you asked her.

She giggled a bit as Jasper looked at her almost as if he was studying her to see if she could pass for a fairy!

Apparently she had passed the test and she smiled a bit shyly.."Well, thank you." She said with a smile as she tilted her head a little..

And then her purple eyes went wide at his reaction to her falling off the wall!

She smiled a little at his reaction and his hold on her he cared about her.. that made the heart flutters come back and she smiled warmly at him.."It was awful, I was so glad you weren't in the room with me then.." She said as she sighed a little. "Austin was supposed to help me get up the wall, but he left me for another firstie.. and I can't climb! So I tried to climb the wall and get the box.. and I was crying and it was awful.." She bit her lip.. "Once I got the box, my arms and legs were shaking so badly that I couldn't even hold on anymore.. so I fell.. but the floor was charmed! It knocked the wind out of me..

But I think I'm fine." She was still sore.. Should she had gone to the hospital wing??

Pat!
 

If Bastien was outside he was running. And if he was running, he was free running. Bounding and flipping over every obstacle in his path. No obstacle in his path? He went off the path. Swinging off low tree branches, and flipping off of the trunks.

That boy resting on the bench? He flipped over him too. Twice. Why was he sleeping outside like that? "That's a good way to get killed."

Was someone jumping over him because that is what it felt like to Dante and was there actually people who could do that at this school? That was probably the better question. He picked the book off his face and laid on the spot next to him.

Get Killed, taking a nap outside????

Okay Mister Paranoid. Dante turned to look at him. Oh it was the one who always plays the violin.

"What, taking a nap outside? Well i can think of worst ways to go. But you don't have to worry about death unless you go in the Forbidden Forest. Some idiot did die there two years ago."

It was true.

Thank goodness! His plan hadn't backfired completely! He'd introduced himself to a stranger, and it had been altogether pleasant... so far. Well, maybe she wasn't a COMPLETE stranger. He'd seen her at the feast, and in the common room, but they had never spoken. Besides, they were both in Ravenclaw! Surely, that had to account for something. It meant they had more things in common than the color of their ties. The boy kindly shook the girl's hand and spoke with a friendly nod, "It's very nice to meet you too!"

"Kitty? That's an unusual name." he meant it in a good way, of course. He'd never met anyone named Kitty, and he wondered if it was the girl's real name or if it was a nickname that she had adopted for herself. Of course, it didn't really matter. If the girl wanted to go by Kitty, then that's what he would call her.

"Professor Black?" he repeated the name, not sure who the girl was referring to. Then it occurred to him. His smile took a bit of a blow as he recalled the presence of a rather unsightly elderly woman at the staff table during the feast, and the headmistress introducing her as a member of the staff. Although, he couldn't for the life of him remember what exactly it was she taught. "N- No, I don't know where she would be." he shrugged apologetically. "Does she hang about the woods a lot? Why would you want to find her?" all good questions that needed answering, but not necessarily in that order.

"Thank you!" Kitty giggled when Garreth complimented her name, not offended in the slightest. "I love everything strange and unusual." Like someone else. "Your name is also cool too" She said it to both politely and sincerely.

"I heard some of the students say she was outside, I don't know because I haven't seen her since the start of term feast. I want to ask her something about the Tapestry in the fourth floor corridor." Kitty crossed her hands in front of her and turned to look up and down the Pathways to make certain no one else was close enough to eavesdrop. Then she lowered her voice and spoke in an excited whisper. "Some of the students thinks she eats children, but I don't believe that. If she was dangerous the teachers wouldn't let her near us, and if she was ever convicted of a crime that serious then wouldn't the Ministry of Magic have locked her up? I bet she's perfectly nice, people are just scared of her because of how she looks."

Jasper nodded in amusement. "If it's overdone it proves it's a good song doesn't it?" he joked. Though there was quite a bit of truth behind that theory.

Even if it wasn't always true.

Recent radio pointed that out to him.

He shrugged as she thanked him. "It's not like I made you look like a fairy..." He didn't understand why compliments were followed by a thanks. It made no sense...

"He left you?" Jasper was surprised at that. He'd always been so forthcoming in helping Azura like telling her he could take her to the hospital wing. Jasper could also do that. It wasn't that hard. He didn't have to get involved!

He felt bad for abandoning her in that class at that moment. Not that he actually abandoned her... considering she had advanced a lot quicker than he had...

"Well... at least you're alright..." he let go of her, taking a step back. There was no obvious damage.

Always a good start.

Azura smiled at Jazzy as he spoke. "Well, when it comes to old classics, then yes.. it does prove that, however I guess when it's modern day music, it means it's popular and so they play it over and over again until you hate the mere sound of it." She said with a giggle.. She used to like this one song by a popular band, until they had overplayed it..

Now she couldn't stand it!

She giggled at his words and she nodded at him. "No, you didn't make me look like a fairy.. but you thought I could pass as one.. so.. Thank you for that thought." She said with a warm smile in his direction.

Azura nodded. "Mmm, he left me! He went back down to help another student, cause apparently wall climbing is super easy." Grrr! "I didn't see him again for the rest of the class." She shook her head.. at least some help up the wall would have been appreciated if nothing else!! She still wasn't sure if she was mad at him or not!

She nodded as Jazzy let go of her and she smiled at him. "Somehow I always managed to be all right." At least she was with him around!

"I'm just glad you didn't see it.. I wouldn't have wanted to worry you!" She said with a warm smile.

Bast stilled long enough to look at his house mate considerately. "I can too, but it's still not a way I would want to go ever." He shrugged, and then started to walk on his hands. "I heard about that, and I read about all the other deaths. This school's practically a walking death trap." And yet Bast seemed unfazed by this knowledge. What was death but the next great adventure?

"Why are you napping outside though?"

Now this seemed like a sensible person. She managed to not be horribly offended when Garreth accidentally said something that would probably have been seen as rather rude by anyone else, and she made a convincing argument about professor Black. Not to mention the fact that she liked his name! "Thank you, I'm quite fond of it too." he giggled. She'd given some serious thought to her reasoning, and it was hard to overlook the fact that if the Hag was dangerous, she wouldn't be a Professor at Hogwarts, now would she?

"Well, that makes sense." he shrugged in agreement. "But what do you think she'll be able to tell you about the tapestry that the other professors couldn't?" the first year had visited the fourth floor on several occasions on account of the library, but he hadn't gotten a chance to investigate the tapestry yet! He was sort of hoping Kitty would go into detail, as he really did want to learn more about it. He just hadn't had the time.

"Well one day I was reading Hogwarts a History, and three sheets of newsprint fell out of it." Kitty began excitedly, happy that Garreth had asked about the tapestry. "They were from the school news paper and were about something that happened a long time ago at Hogwarts. In the newspaper it said that three professor's were injured and had to be carried off to the Hospital Wing because of some 'mysterious force' coming from behind the Tapestry. They were okay, but then later one of the students owls was injured and the Care of Magical Creatures guy was almost killed by a red beam of light when he took his class out to look for Mooncalves! Headmistress Loryen said she knew what the attackers wanted, but she couldn't tell anyone! That was all the information I could get. After reading that I peaked behind it but there was nothing there."

"That means there is a secret passageway that they sealed off!" Kitty beamed at Garreth, so wrapped in the excitement of telling the story that she didn't care if anyone else heard. "So I thought Professor Black might know something. I'm also going to ask Professor Kitridge since he's our librarian. But yesterday I had to clean the library with him and Haddie, so I don't want to visit him right away."

He did have a point. He would probably not want to die at all right now but dying while taking a nap. Well now that was probably not the way Dante wanted to die. This was getting to morbid for Dante to think about.

"You're right though i would find it quite boring here if it wasn't."

Or maybe he should thank his parents that dont really follow what has been going on at the school. All that matters to them are if he has any friends and his grades. Oh why he was taking a nap.

"Did not feel like going back to the dorm. Also it is a pretty nice day. Too nice to be in the library studying spells. Seems like you are enjoying it too with all the parkour or whatever it is you were doing."

Garreth's eyes widened at Kitty's story. How terrible! It seemed this year was not the only year at Hogwarts that hadn't gone exactly as planned. Although, Garreth would much rather have a foodfight and some puffskein attacks than three people and an owl almost dying! Perhaps he should count himself lucky that he wasn't around when all that stuff was going on! It made him worry that if things like that were happening at Hogwarts years ago, maybe it wasn't as safe as he'd been lead to believe... Eh, either way, he was here to stay, and a little danger wasn't going to scare him off.

"Woah!" the boy exclaimed at the end of the story, obviously intrigued at the prospect of a mysterious secret passageway. He had been to the fourth floor quite a lot, and he'd seen the tapestry. He'd wondered about it quite often, but it hadn't occurred to him that there might be a story that spectacular and mysterious connected to it. "Did they ever find out who was responsible?"

Brooklyn / Kristin