Even though she was still sticking with her resolve not to go any closer to the hag than she had to, that wasn’t keeping Brooklyn from enjoying the grounds when she so chose. She just had to make sure she didn’t end up walking too close to a certain area near the forest, but then after the acromantulas she wasn’t exactly apt to wander too close to the forest anyhow. Anything spider-related was bad to her, and the forest counted. However, the lake didn’t count, and she’d walked out to the shore to sit and read for a bit. Maybe the ground wasn’t as comfortable as the chairs in the common room, but it was quieter. Besides, one little charm and it was easy to fit a blanket into her bag to sit on.

She’d been sitting out at the lake for a while, occasionally looking up as the squid poked a tentacle out or some other creature made itself known but for the most part tuning everything else out. After awhile though, especially after reading about feasts and such, she had gotten hungry and that meant having to head inside. She’d stood, balling the blanket up and shoving it inside her bag before setting her book inside as well and starting to walk back up toward the castle.

As she reached the pathways, a familiar figure paused several feet in front of her and she stopped. She’d seen Frankie out running, but then as long as he’d not noticed her, she hadn’t chosen to acknowledge him. Until now, as she started walking closer and scrunched her nose slightly at the sweat staining his sweatshirt. “Ew,” she said softly, otherwise not really saying much. Honestly, she didn’t even particularly care if he’d heard her.

He knew he was right. Bastien was practically right all the time.

"Day's too nice to be wasting on sleep." The third year never napped. The one time he got knocked unconscious didn't count. "It's parkour. Or free running. I like to spend my time doing that rather than sleeping."

"I don't know if they ever caught whoever did it, that's one of the things I'm trying to find out." Kitty felt even more excited now that Garreth seemed just as excited as she was. "I'm going to talk to as many professors as I can until I find out the answer." Actually, the thought of doing that sent a shiver down her spine - Kitty was very shy in front of grown ups. But this was something she really wanted to know, and it was worth getting a little embarrassed about in order to find out the truth.

Then an idea hit her. "Hey I know! We can team up to find the answer. You can talk to some professor's and I could talk to others. We could go together. That is, if you want to." She added that last part hastily, after realizing with embarrassment that she might have misinterpreted his enthusiasm.

"Some might say the Night is too nice to waste on sleep. But here we have classes and a curfew. So you would have to be an idiot to believe that here"

And imagine their Head of House catching them after curfew. It would not be fun or even something Dante wanted to think about. Though Dante had no opinion either way. If he had free time and he was tired. He would take a nap. Simple as that.

"That's what i thought. Reminded me of what a friend could do. Don't know if he still does it. So parkour and violin. Interesting"

Very Interesting. Since he had never meet someone doing both of those things.

Brooklyn didn’t care if he had every reason to look the way he did currently. She knew Frankie had been running. She had seen him, although she’d chosen not to acknowledge that fact. Obviously he hadn’t seen her, so she didn’t see a reason to say anything. Just as she hadn’t seen a reason to apologize if her little reaction had been heard. It wasn’t as if she’d really been approaching him anyhow. Just a complete coincidence that she had ended up on this specific pathway back to the castle from the lake, a coincidence that he’d stopped there. Not to mention, there had been the moment of amusement when she’d sensed him tense up. As if she’d come just to hurt him, or who knew what. As if she was someone else, which thankfully she wasn’t. Nor did she want to know who he might have thought she was.

Obviously her voice, had he heard her little murmur, would have revealed her identity. All that was left was to find out if he would react, or if he’d just pretend she wasn’t there. A part of her honestly would have been disappointed if he’d ignored her, really. Some people were just amusing to argue with. Especially when there wasn’t any risk of her losing.

“Of course it is,” she replied, instinctively taking a step back as he had turned to face her. The eye roll had been seen and filed away for later ammunition, thank you very much. She was going to remember that. She sent him a glare as he’d started moving, too. “Don’t you dare even think about touching me when you’re all sweaty and gross.” It would be like if the hag tried to hug her, although if she had to be honest, he smelled marginally better. It could have been because they were outside though. The smell was masked by all the fresh air.

"Sometimes night is too nice for sleep, but we gotta sleep sometime, and that's when I choose to do it." Because it was a choice. And he chose not to waste precious daylight with his eyes closed in a bed. He wasn't worried about a curfew or anything.

He hand-walked himself over to Dante, then rolled to his feet and jumped up on the back of the bench, balancing himself with practiced skill. "Your friend sounds cool. What do you do when you're not sleeping?"

A mystery! Oh, how Garreth's mind raced with all the possible answers! There were so many questions to answer! So much truth to uncover! Who could have been behind the mysterious and dangerous events of Hogwarts' past school terms? What was behind the tapestry? Who had hurt the professors? Garreth knew no greater pleasure in life than the feeling of discovering the answer to a question previously unknown. Learning the truth, uncovering secrets, and solving the mystery of whatever came his way. It was the reason he loved reading so much, and no doubt, it was also the reason why he'd been placed in Ravenclaw in the first place!

It was no surprise then, that the boy found Kitty's offer utterly irresistible. "Of course, that sounds awesome! If you're going to ask some professors, I want to be there too! I don't want to miss the answer!" How exciting!

"Okay great! I knew you would be interested" Kitty beamed at her new friend and ally. Now that she had help she wouldn't have to worry about asking the professor's all these questions on her own, Garreth would be there too. He didn't seem shy at all, surely his presence in front of the teachers would help her to feel less nervous and more collected for what she had to do. And having a partner made solving the mystery seem like an epic adventure.

"Shall we look for Professor Black then?" She asked. "I think I know where in the grounds she might be."

Dante nodded. You had to sleep sometime and it was up to you when you wanted to. Not a curfew or a terrifying Head of House. Oh well enough about sleeping. He was wide awake now and was not going to be sleeping for a while. Dante started watching him do whatever he was doing because it was impressive. He would have clapped but that would have sounded or could be seen as sarcastic. Dante sat up straight and inched away to give him more room for the balancing act he was doing.

"I have a sweets business i run in the school. I don't advertise or anything because trouble. Other than that i like trying to get in the Prefects Bathroom. It is really nice in there"

It does help when your mate is a Prefect and you can bargain with another.

For Amur!
 

It wasn’t as if she’d intended on insulting anyone when she’d headed back up to the castle. As far as Brooklyn was concerned, that was entirely Frankie’s fault. She only said what she thought, and for some reason he usually seemed to bring out the irritated side of her personality. The negative side. There were a few others who that could have been said about, but there were also just as many who saw the opposite side of her. The important part, as far as she was concerned, was respect. Respect gave her power, and she liked that. Although, some weird part of her also enjoyed sparring with people when it happened.

Once again, that usually was whenever she was around him. The unfortunate part was that it seemed like she couldn’t escape it this time, and she didn’t even have a lesson to blame. Just the fact it would have been much too obvious if she turned around and left, not to mention she hardly wanted him to think he’d won. She didn’t give up that easily.

“If you didn’t care, why does it seem to be bothering you so much?,” she asked, feigning a sweet tone that she knew he wouldn’t fall for. It was just for emphasis anyhow, and to point out a flaw in his logic. He obviously tried to pretend that what she said didn’t bother him, but he was the one who was getting all snappy right now. It made her wonder if he really knew what he felt, or at least when something got under his skin.

Conversely, she knew quite well that her warning hadn’t hurt him one bit. The very fact he had kept advancing proved that. “You do smell marginally better than she does,” she admitted, her tone hardly flattering. She refused to retreat, to show that he was getting to her. That might have actually counted as another point in his favor. She wouldn’t have had any problem whatsoever in retreating far away from the hag, even if she did give her weirdly complimentary predictions. The smell was just way too much for her to want to be around that.

Open
 

Just because he was a professor didn't mean Julien Primeaux didn't like getting out and getting fresh air. No he quite enjoyed being outside most of the time. Today was no exception and he took to a more casual look in sweats and tennis shoes. The pathways were always a great place to take a jog as long as they weren't fully crowded by students.

He started out at a walk and soon was into a jog before long. It felt good to get out and do something. He had kept himself in the castle doing rounds and learning students for so long. He needed the fresh air and the workout. Time for his mind to clear.

This was the perfect way to start the day.

One month into school and Carl still had not managed to explore the grounds. He needed to fix this. That was why he was crossing through the pathways early in the morning. He wanted to enjoy the fresh air in the quiet when nobody else was there; don't get him wrong, he liked company, but it was just the feeling of calmness that he craved that day.

And so he walked, autumn leaves crunching under his feet. Then, from behind, the Hufflepuff heard jogging footsteps. He stepped away from the main path, about to let the person go first. To his surprise, Professor Primeaux appeared in sweats and tennis shoes. For some reason, he had never expected to see Professors exercise in the morning. This was awkward. Maybe he wanted to be alone? Or maybe he wanted a jogging partner?

Either way, it would be rude to not greet him. "Hello, Professor!" Carl said when the man neared him.

Oh boy, Garreth sure hoped he wasn't getting in over his head. The usually shy boy had made a conscious decision to do his best to not be so afraid of social interaction, and so far, it was working well! But what if he was signing up for something super scary? It was an uncomfortable thought, for sure, but he'd agreed to it. There was no turning back now! Besides, it would probably be a fun experience, especially with a partner. They could share the load of having to ask questions and being nosy.

"Where would she be?" The boy had to admit, the thought of going out specifically to find the hag was not thrilling in the slightest, and if he was perfectly honest with himself, he would probably have elected to leave her out of the investigation altogether. However, Kitty seemed certain that she knew something about their mystery, and it wasn't as if he had any better ideas.

Kitty pointed past Garreth's head in the direction of the Lake. "I think she's somewhere in between here and the Lake. That's the only place left I know of. She couldn't be the Forbidden Forest because we aren't allowed to go there, and I know a few of the students already visited her."


"If you want I could visit Professor Black by myself and we could do the other professor's together. That is, unless you want to come." Kitty had the feeling that Garreth didn't really want to see the Hag, and she didn't want to force him to if he was scared.

Enjoying his morning jog, Julien hadn't seen too many students out yet,which was a good thing in his eyes. Students needed their rest and a good breakfast before classes so any out side at this time of day were probably not doing what they were suppose to. Just as the thoughts crossed his mind he noticed a student standing on the side of the pathway.

Well the alone time was short lived, but that was alright. He slowed as he got closer. "Good morning Carl, out exercising as well this early?" He couldn't think of another reason the boy would be out early unless he had Herbology this early or possibly Creatures. Though he wasn't sure the classes started for another hour or so.

it was a beautiful day. So beautiful that time was better spent outside, in the sun, in the fresh air, among nature. Specifically, for Amur Neverwinter, among the leaves. There really was no more comfortable spot for spending the day than nestled up in the branches of one of the trees off the main pathway. It served as a wonderful seat, backrest and if she needed it, napping spot.

It also gave a great vista, from which she could watch other students come and go. For instance, the boy with the skateboard and a nack for drawing. It was the later that interested her most, and while Amur was quite aware that she was intruding on someone's private time, she couldn't quite help herself from watching his sketching from above. While of course, trying to remain as quite as possible.

Silence, however, was not her best friend and it could only last so long before her curiosity lost all patience and tolerance for it. Tilting her head to the side, Amur considered the top of the boy's head, not sure what to call him or how.

She supposed just speaking would be good enough. "Where'd you learn how to draw like that?"

Lessons were over for the day, so Esme decided that she wanted to take a walk and clear her head. Thank Merlin the workload wasn't extreme because otherwise she might have to hole up in the library. As nice as Mr. Kitridge was, she did not want to spend most of her free time with books when there were so many better things to do.

Shame there weren't wild flowers that she could pick...

Instead she was on the lookout to see if any of her friends were nearby - or her sister who so happened to be her best friend anyway. No Juno around, but she DID hear a familiar voice just up ahead.

"Hey, Garreth!" she said as he came into sight. He was talking with a girl she didn't know. "Hello, I'm Esme." She wondered what they were talking about, but felt that it was better not to ask; this wasn't any of her business and they would tell her about it if they wanted her to know.

Colt was really into the zone of getting his drawing done. He was so focused that he didn't even hear the girl coming up from behind him. He jumped a little bit but he didn't scream. "Bloody merlin.." he muttered and stopped his doodling. Well it looked graffiti mostly. He was quite proud of it. He heard her question and he faced her. He grinned and thought she looked cute. "Oh I actually learned from both of my cousins. I have no idea where my cousin learned the skill. He taught me the basics and I kind of picked up on it. Do you want to learn how?" He might as well offer since she was curious.

He wondered if he should introduce himself. He figured might as well. "Come pop a squat.." he patted down the seat next to him. "I am Colt by the way."

Between here and the lake? Well, that didn't leave much space for her to hide at all. Was she really that close? Eugh. The thought alone sent a shiver down Garreth's spine. "Of course not, I'm coming with you, I just..." the boy mumbled nervously. It was quite obvious that he didn't like the thought of going to see the Hag, but the intrigue of the mystery was too alluring. He turned his head towards the direction that Kitty had pointed, but instead of a hag or any sign of one, he spotted the favorite only Hufflepuff he knew! "Esme!" he waved with a smile. Fancy seeing her here! Was she looking for the Hag too? Nah, probably not.

"Esme, this is Kitty!" he beamed up at the older girl. He got to introduce to of his friends! How fun!

"Hi Esme!" Kitty smiled at Esme as Garreth introduced them and held out her pale hand to shake. "It's nice to meet you. We were just talking about visiting Professor Black. Have you visited her yet?" Kitty was feeling really happy now that she had just made two friends in a row. So far this term was going much better than last term.

Carl stood for a while on the side of the pathway, wondering if Professor Primeaux was going to continue jogging or slow down and make a conversation. Apparently, it was the latter, as he was greeted with a friendly question. "Nope, I was exploring - there is so much to see around here!" He replied.

"But I could certainly exercise with you! If you don't mind, that is." Carl was in casual clothes, so he could do some physical activities too. The problem was whether he could keep up with the Professor's long strides ... and if he could get back to the Castle in time to attend his morning lessons.

The girl's name was Kitty. Esme made a note of that.

"Hello! Nice to meet you too. I like your name." It - obviously - made her think of cats. Since she didn't own one herself, the closest thing she had was Hagan, who was friends with her and Sparkle. It was a unique friendship and she embraced it.

What she did NOT embrace was visiting the Hag. "She's evil. She threatened my sister." Esme frowned. "She said that she would be cursed during the Hogsmeade weekend and I needed to protect her. Wait, more like say goodbye."

THE WOMAN WAS EVIL!!!