Landon was looking for the Library. He could of sworn it was here... or maybe it was on the sixth floor. He scratched his head as he stood in the hall.

" ohhhhhhhhhh Librarrrryyyyy!!!!!" Really all he wanted to do was unshelve books and leave them stacked on a table for someone else to deal with. First though, he needed to find said library full of said books to unshelf.

".................... i think im lost....." .. uh oh.

The library was a place where Julien enjoyed to go. He had a few books in hand that he needed to return and was going to grab a few others. Maybe he'd see if Leo minded if he stepped into the restricted area. He hadn't been in there and wondered if there might be some old advance charms books that could help him with his newest experiment.


As he walked along he couldn't help, but see a younger student walking up ahead. Well maybe headed to the library himself, he was a claw after all. Though as Julien got closer he couldn't help but notice the child looked well lost.


"Everything alright there?" Clearly he was a first year, so maybe he was lost and needed some assistance.

Landon twirled himself around at the sound of a voice and his eyes went wide. One because he as a professor, two because he had BOOKS!/

"Those!" He pointed at the few books the mad had in his hand. "I'm looking for their resting place!" He blinked a few times. "you know where they rest.. the uhm.. the lot of them...." Merlin he couldnt remember the --- "Library!" yes, i'm looking for the library.. i seem to have lost my way i think.

Julien couldn't help but look at the child in suspicion. Even a first year wouldn't be that lost for words, would he? Was the sorting hat finally to old to sort in correct houses. The child had Ravenclaw robes on, but was he truly a claw? It wasn't seeming that way at the moment. "Books, these are books." Was English not his language? That could be it too... maybe?

"Are you looking for the library?" Was that the problem he was having? Goodness though he might need a primary school if he wasn't sure what they were even called. Oh yes there it was he finally remembered to use his words. "You are on the right path to the library." He pointed down the corridor, but was still eyeing him. "Are you going for reading or do you have some homework?"

Another question had come to mind, "Have you been to lessons? I'm not sure I'm recognizing you yet, but I will apologize I'm still learning first year names." It was only October so he could have easily missed the child if he sat quietly in the back.

"Yes sir.. the library, that's what." he grinned up at the man. On the account of what he was going for he nodded. "a bit of both actually." he rocked on his heels as he looked back behind him towards the library. "so i was going the right way. just needed to continue onward.. good to know." he looked back up at the professor.

"Oh, I have Sir." how did he NOT know him, he was the best! "Landon Myers.." he pointed at the crest on his robes, "Ravenclaw." then he stuck his arms out. "Could i carry those in for you?" he griiiiined bigger than he had in days, seeee he was good at this. "i really don't mind sir, for you showing me where to go." it was the LEAST he could do.

Well this one was very enthusiastic, wasn't he? Julien still just eyed him for a bit. []b "What are you headed to study if you don't mind me asking?"[/b] He rarely trusted his own children let alone these students so if he was going to just let it slide that he was headed there for both. He wanted to know what exactly and maybe where were his other books. "Yes you were headed the right way. It's just up there a little further." Unless he was headed to the healer and afraid to say.

Still eye you child....

"I can see you are a Ravenclaw, but it's good to have a name with the robes. Landon I hope you are doing Ravenclaw good and earning points for them. It is my school house as well." So no funny business please. He looked at the books in his own hands, "No, I think I'm okay carrying them on my own, but you are welcome to walk with me. What is it you were studying again?" If it was charms maybe he could help.

Well.... HE wasn't a lot of fun now was he. "I was?" see, confused! He was lost and hopeless as he looked over his shoulder. Huh.. weird. As for Studying he panicked. "well, I was thinking of looking at a few runes books... I seem to struggle with them... though maybe if I did some extra care I might be better at gaining those points sir!" see, he could do this! "I do love Charms though but .... runes are haaaaaard." and his little 11 year old mind couldn't grasp it even if he wasn't taking the class yet. He wanted to know as much as he could before he even got there... See, just an over ambitious Ravenclaw here doing more than necessary!

Runes? The boy was getting major looks now. MAJOR LOOKS! "I see and what about Runes is confusing a first year?" He did know that first years didn't take Runes, didn't he? This is why it looks so suspicious and all. "Earning points is a good thing for your house, but you should want to learn for the achievement of your own knowledge and goals, not to just get house points. " He would learn that though. The first years were always the most eager to earn the points and prove themselves.

"I'm headed to the library myself, why don't you walk with me and I can help you find some of those Rune books. I did always enjoy the subject when I was younger." So he could help the boy if needed. "Do you have your own book for reference when not in the library or were there certain Runes you were trying to figure out?" Yes he was quizzing the child, but it was his job to do.

"well, clearly I don't take Runes yet." he knew that and he knew the professor knew that, "But I was just trying to learn the basics so that when I get into it I already have a foot in the door so to speak." he walked with the man towards the library. "i'd like that... if you were to look and pull some books for me. I don't have any of my own which is why I was headed there." he pulled a piece of his red hair from his head and began to twrillls it between his fingers, something he did as a nervous habit. He was cool though, he just hated all the questions!

Good the boy knew that Julien knew he wasn't in the class, but it was good to get a jump start on things. He was a bit impressed by this. "Well there is no harm in taking up an interest. I always enjoyed expanding my knowledge on things. Still do." He was always one to like to learn more. Continuing to walk towards the library, because no sense standing around any longer he glanced at the young lad to see if he was was following.

"Of course I can help you, plus you have wand to levitate if need be, but I can fully show you some basic runes book that could help get you started." If the child was really into the subject Julien would very much encourage the thirst for knowledge.

Azura moved to the fourth floor corridor and once again, she found that she had it all to herself. She bit her lip a little as she remembered the time she had talked to Garreth here last term! So much had happened between then and now, that it seemed like it was life times ago!

She shook her head as she looked up at the wall and thought for a moment, wondering what she should do. She had already done a blue sky with moving suns and clouds..

So maybe.. Ahh! She knew that to do!!

She pointed her wand at the wall and thought of a dark blue color, and then said "Colovaria!" Instantly the entire wall was a dark blue and she smiled a little as she moved up to it and started to think up a white color, she traced a small white star and then said "Figura star." And there the star was, a white outline against the dark blue. She pointed her wand at the center of the star and said "Colovaria." The star filled in white and she smiled.. Well that was one down! Many more to go! She created Star after star, until the entire dark blue wall was filled with them, and then.. She filled them all in, making tons of white stars in the dark blue..

She smiled as she looked back at it.. Simple enough and yet... just looking at it made her happy! If not a little tired! She didn't want to animate them all, so she picked about six starts at random and traced them before saying "Animatae."

There!

Her Starry wall was complete! Now it was time to tell the Professor what she had done!

"That would be great, sir!" he nodded as he followed behind the man and listened as he spoke. "Mums always told me it's better to be a step ahead than 3 behind." hence why he was eager for there... Runes books you see. "Mhhhhm. I'm pretty good at levitating." Charms were easy for him, you know, when he was able to do them right.

They were headed to the library then?

Yes?


"Well follow me." He was ready to be there and start doing what he had first intended, though he was going to take a detour and help Landon so that he knew the boy wasn't getting into any trouble first though. "Your mother seems like she has some good advice." He felt the first year was very energetic and if taken on the right path would work very well in his favor.

"Good we will need that charm for the higher up books."

It was the almost-end of the school year and as Declan saw it, he hadn't even touched the veritable tip of the Hogwarts-Iceberg-of-Mysteries. His common room was quite a bore, dreary and colorless. Not that he could see it as otherwise, after all, his eyes only allowed him to observe the world in shades of gray.

Declan rubbed his one brown eye.

He had lost Charlotte at the beginning of the year and had started the search for her many times but always ended up getting distracted. It was only proper to at least try again before leaving.

"Althea, you did check under your bed, right?"

If someone were to ask Althea about her life--as many were oft to do, because Althea Kenning was a very interesting young woman who had many interesting and important opinions to share--she would simply gesture dramatically with her hands and motion at the two idiots she had for brothers. If up to her, she'd abandon them and start life fresh. But she couldn't, because Declan was hopeless and Levi was pathetic, so that left Althea with the task to make sure they graduated in one piece.

She couldn't hide her annoyance and she certainly couldn't stop the frown from appearing on her face as she nudged Declan roughly with her bony shoulder. "Don't go pinning this on me, I have full control of my eyes thank-you-very-much."

It didn't stop Althea from helping her older brother, however. "Okay, let's go through this again: where was the last place you saw Charlotte."

"Are we absolutely sure you didn't step on it and just didn't notice, Declan?" Levi didn't have a lot of tact because there was possibly a sensitivity chip that had gone missing up there a hundred insults ago or so (Althea was just GREAT) but even he could recognize that sounded pretty bad. Especially because, well, it was not only a mean suggestion but also a completely inaccurate one. "Or maybe one of your roommates did and just didn't tell you. Isn't dark down there in the dungeons, anyway? Even someone with two working eyes could miss Fat Charlotte." MUCH better.

The important thing was that he meant well.

Just as he had not been blessed with the amazing ability to discern red from blue, Declan had seemingly been passed up on the 'siblings of the century' blessing as well. Arguing back with his younger siblings for their disrespect had never proven useful so he merely flashed a painful grin at them, wrinkled nose and all.

"I don't know," he answered Althea simply, patting down his pockets. "If I knew I wouldn't have spent all year looking for her and--NO--I didn't step on her! And she's not fat. She's expecting."

Declan was amazed Levi was even alive with his mouth. He thought living in a house full of equally foul-mouthed people would have been the end of him years ago when he first started Hogwarts. Maybe Gryffindors weren't all they were rumored to be.

"You know, I have a bloody brilliant idea," he started and reached into his robes. He pulled out a noisy satchel. "Someone draw me a circle. We'll ask the bones."

"Brilliant deduction Levi, but in case you forgot: Declan is blind and not an amnesiac, so unless someone fuddled his memory I'm sure Charlotte has just run off somewhere."

Unless Declan or his rommates had stepped on her, and he just simply forgot due to the terror of it all. She paled at the thought.

"No, no, anything but the bones bones," Althea said tersely, holding her head in her hands. But once Declan had a thought in his mind, it was hard to change it. "Levi, you draw the circle, I want to have the least amount of involvement as humanly possible."

"Thea," Levi began to argue, as a reflex, one of the many talents he had inherited from his mother. But then he stopped himself because there was no point to argue. Levi prided himself on knowing which battles were his to pick and win, so he merely smiled quite blandly.

Then he stopped smiling, said: "I will do no such thing, Thea." Mostly because it was ridiculous and they were out in PUBLIC. Levi had a healthy opinion of himself, enough that he didn't care about what other's thoughts TOO much but he was still a teenager with an equally healthy need for attention so he expected strangers to give him their validation whenever they could for absolutely nothing in return. Which was a ridiculous thing to expect from ANYONE when he was constantly running his mouth.

Anyway. "I really will not do such thing, Thea." He said, as he did exactly the thing he was ordered by taking out a piece of chalk from the insides of his robes and bending down to draw a circle for his brother. Did this count as vandalism? "And you know what?" Stop, stop, stop. "Maybe you just want to dissociate from us--" He really was interested to know where he'd gotten that word from, "--because you actually have something to DO with Fat Charlotte's disappearance." YEAH, Levi, place the blame on someone else. GREAT idea.

Declan was not deaf just colorblind. He shot an accusing stare at his only brother and sister. It wasn't like he even had options. He was stuck with what his mother had decidedly pushed out into this world. Declan gave the satchel a decisive shake.

"Really, Levi, only cowards insult others when they're not present to defend themselves," he said in a semi-gentle voice. If Charlotte was around Declan was sure Levi's attitude would turn 180 degrees before Charlotte could even twitch a hairy leg--and she had seven more of those to twitch.

"Thea, do you have anything you wanna say before I throw the bones?" Declan asked as he shook the satchel with both hands. He closed his eyes as he did so humming in concentration. "Hmm?" Declan peeked at Thea through one slanted eye before closing them again.

"But you're doing it, aren't you?" She asked in a smug voice. Althea was very satisfied with his work, too, but her mirth soon turned to annoyance at Levi's betrayal. In truest Althea-fashion, she rolled her eyes and smacked Levi's arm. "Don't," she said sternly, finger pointed at him, "just don't okay? And must you talk so loudly?" she inquired rather loudly herself. Which didn't count, because it was Althea, after all.

Inhaling deeply, Althea had to remind herself that she was not here to argue but to assist because Charlotte was the true victim here. "I am a neutral party, only here to assist and observe, that is all." And she motioned for him to continue with his ridiculous ritual that was bound to land them in trouble. GREAT.

In less than a minute he had been smacked, ignored and insulted and he felt this was just the beginning. Grandpa was absolutely right; it was truly amazing what people could accomplish if they REALLY set their mind to it.

He shot Thea a sour look from over his shoulder. "If I bruise, Althea, I'm telling mum." Levi stood up, pocketed what was left of the chalk and dusted off his hands on his robes. "Who made you the authority on what's cowardice or not, Declan?" He pointed ostentatiously to the LION pinned to his robes for his siblings' sake. "Last I checked, the only expert here on THAT is yours truly."

Levi cast sidelong glances, checking the perimeter. Not that it was weird at all to see him indulging and going along with Declan's plans, but he dearly wished he wouldn't have to explain to any curious onlookers what was about to happen.

"That's fine," Declan said opening his eyes at last. He held the satchel close to his heart with gentle hands. "Just concentrate. You know how it goes." Declan fully believed that the power of three was stronger than the power of one even if the other powers were usually powerful pains on his brown butt.

"Yes, yes, brave Gryffindor you," he muttered trying to keep his concentration. "I'm sure that's the only reason you were sorted into Gryffindor. Nothing to do with your bullheadedness. Now everybody shut up. I'm throwing them."

He tugged on the cords opening up the satchel and in a practiced move, Declan tossed the bones, shells, and dried nuts kept in the satchel towards the circle. They flew past the circle, skidding across the floor. They laid there still for several seconds before a loud swoosh collected them and they flew back into the circle on their own accord, tossing and moving noisily before finally remaining still once more.

"It never gets old," Declan said in amazed voice, eyes sparkling, as he stooped near the bones, waving one hand carefully over them without touching. "Okay, shush. I gotta concentrate. Last time I read them wrong and we ended up trying to dig our way to the bottom of the lake through Greenhouse number three."

Oho, Levi the tattletale! What a BRAT. Eyes wide, Althea shot Levi an accusatory stare, and remained silent. She mouthed a few foul words at Levi, mostly out of anger and mostly because she knew that there would be no way to prove that she said them. Althea also knew that in order to placate Declan that she would have to comply with his demands and keep quiet no matter how much she wanted to speak; plus, she couldn't really deny the power that the bones held. No matter how much she wanted to.

Pressing closer, Althea eyed the objects within the circle. "Okay, but what if it tells us that Charlotte is somewhere in the lake," she grasped Declan's shoulder gently, "I don't do water."