With her arms full of bags of new lithomancy stones and tarot decks Laurel started her ascenion of the stairs toward the tower that she had begun to call her second home. The blond Divination professor had just picked up a shipment of new classroom supplies from the caretaker Flynn. Instead of irritating him, by making him come up all the way with the bags she had gone down to pick it up since she had already been down there after a chat with Art.

Not really seeing where she was putting her higheeled feet on the stairs Laurel slipped on stair when she was about halfway up and fell backwards. "OOOOOOOOOUF!" she gasped out letting go of her bags in panic to soften the impact with her hands. Probably not the wisest given that the bags of stones opened and stones started to fall out.

"WATCH OUT!" She managed to call out before she landed on the stair in a heap.

Harriet had been heading up towards the Divination classroom. She had been reading her divination textbook, and had a few questions to ask. She wanted to get ahead, and to be good at the lesson. So she wanted to go and ask the Professor some questions.

She was heading towards the staircase, when she saw a few stones rolling down towards her. "That's weird..." The second year murmured, bending down and picking them up, before continuing walking. She was just at the staircase, when she saw the Professor on the floor.

"Oh Merlin!" She murmured, hurrying up the stairs towards the blonde lade. "Are you okay Professor?"

At least it wasn't Viktor or one of the other men on staff that had found her in a heap on the floor. That would have been so embarrassing. It was thankfully a student of Paul's house if Laurel recalled correctly from lessons that was called Harriet. Raising her gaze to meet that of the young woman she said waving dismissively with a hand. "I'm fine sweetie, I just slipped on the steps and fell backwards. I'm uninjured, i might get a bruise or two, but that's to be expected." Smiling, she giggled at little to herself as got herself up on her feet. "High heels aren't the most suitable footwear for walking on steep stairs it seems."

"You're all right Harriet? No falling stones hit you on the head?" Laurel asked worriedly. A considerable amount of lithomancy stones had after all fallen out of her bags.

There was no reason for the seventh year to be coming this way. None. She wasn't even taking Divination any longer but yet here she was walking this way. Or well climbing the stairs anyhow. At least that was until she had heard a noise like something being dropped and rolling down the steps above her.

What in the world?!

Hady jumped back as what appeared to be rocks? tumbled down the steps. A few rolled to a stop near her while others rolled down more steps. Bending down and picking one up to study it that was then she heard the voices above. One voice she knew very well (Hattie) and the other not so much but she knew it was a Professor.

Collecting the stones that were closest to her, cradling them all in her arms she made her way up the steps. "Hello Hattie, Professor, do these belong to you Miss?" The stones that is. "Is everything alright, I found these towards the bottom of the staircase."

Still not another professor or staffer. Laurel was relieved. It was however a prefect, the head girl Hadleigh that joined her and Hattie around the middle of the staircase with stones in her arms. Concealing a blush she responded with a smile pursing her lips as she got to her feet. "Yes everything is all right Hadleigh. You know i used to be snake myself in my school days just like you are."

Gesturing to the lithomancy stones in her arms Laurel affirmed. "Yes, those lithomancy stones belong to me. I just got them delivered to the school. Walking up the stairs i slipped and lost my handle on the bags and the stones rolled out and down the steps." It was probably unneccessay information but she felt like she needed to supply it anyway.

"How come you aren't taking Divination lessons Hadleigh?"

Hadleigh smiled softly upon hearing that Laurel was indeed uninjured. Thank Merlin for that, a tumble down stairs was no joke at all. Oh! She had been a Slytherin?! "Really? I really would not have guessed that you were a Slytherin. My parents were Slytherin's as well when they attended." Main reason why she had felt like she was truly a snake deep down.

So the stones were hers. Alright then. Hady passed them over to her as she listened to what was being said to her. "These stairs tend to trip up lots of people. I myself have tripped many times, at least you weren't hurt at all." That there being the biggest most important part of what she was hearing.

Gah! There it was. The Head Girl was being put on the spot by a professor. Honestly she had expected this day to come up much sooner and with other professors as well...like last term the moment she had begun dropping lessons. With a small sigh Hady looked at the women and gave the honest truth. "I completely overwhelmed myself with my lessons and extra activities leaving no times for anything else. It wasn't until I lost a close friend for awhile before I realized it all, I stopped taking a few lessons to focus on the ones that I needed for my career." It was nothing at all personal. Just simply what she had felt was best.

Perfect. She had surprised the younger woman by sharing something personal about herself. Affirming Laurel said "Yes, really. I was a Slytherin just like your Ancient Runes Professor Sokolov. We were in the same year at Hogwarts." Bending to pick up the bags Laurel asked curiously as she straightened up. "What house did you think I belonged to?" Probably Hufflepuff. It wasn't so farfetched considering that she probably had some puff in her which she had inherited from some ancestor but she was foremost a snake.

Smiling Laurel reassured. "No injuries." Glancing around for more stones on the loose she commented dryly. "At least this isn't the moving staircase. That staircase I personally believe was designed to injure students and staff." She avoided it as much as she could. Hadleigh then admitted to why she had dropped Divination. It was fortunately not the only subject so it wasn't because of her teaching methods. Good to know. "What career is it that you wish to pursue after graduation? Have you found a healthy class balance now?" Without consulting her cards or crystal ball she was going to assume something in the minstry.

Professor Sokolov had been a Slytherin too? Now that actually didn't surprise her in the least. She wasn't really sure why but some people just looked like they would belong in a certain house but most of the time that just wasn't the case. "I'm really not sure but I wouldn't have expected Slytherin, then again most people say the very same thing about me." She had lost count years ago on how many times she had been told this very same thing.

"That's good." No injuries were always good. No need to get the healer. The mention of the moving staircase had Hady nodding her head in agreement. "Sometimes I really think so as well and we're not the only ones." Those stairs tripped people up all the time and a few terms ago when they had gone haywire several people and a professor if she recalled the memory right were injured. Laurel seemed to understand her reasoning for dropping the class and didn't appear all to disappointed. This was a major relief to the teen as it had been hard enough for her to drop the lessons let alone think about the professors feelings at her doing so. "I have thank you. It wasn't easy doing so as I was so used to taking them all but it's much easier on me now." Her health that is. "I plan on becoming a Creature Healer." So every single lesson and or program that could push her a little closer to that goal was going to be taken.

Laurel was pretty curious to hear what house Hadleigh thought she had belong to in her Hogwarts school days but she got no answer. Instead she had to settle for something cryptic about both of them being sorted into an unexpected house. Tagging on to that train of thought Laurel asked "Why would they have said that about you too? You belong in Slytherin since the hat sorted you there just like he did me. Does it bother you that your peers think you should have been sorted into another house?" For a growing girl it could be a pretty big thing for her self esteem and identity building. It had been for her.

Smiling she said "Just remember to always be alert when you are walking on the moving staircase then you'll be fine." Unless lady luck was taking a break and you slipped or got caught on the stair when it decided to move. That was up to chance but you could always be alert.

Nodding Laurel responded. "I'm so glad to hear that dropping a few courses has made it easier for you, and it also frees up more time for you to really focus more in-depth on the subjects you require good grades in as a step in your dream to become a creature healer doesn't it?" She didn't poke her nose in further as to what had brought on the need for Hadleigh to lighten her class load. It was the younger woman's buisness but she had a guess.

"Why would you like healer to become a healer of creatures?" Laurel wondered. Out of all the jobs out there, why healer?

When asked why this would have been said about herself as well Hady simply smiled. "I'm sure it's to do with happy, helpful nature. No one has every really seen any other side of me." Which would be kept that way if she could help it. "The sorting hat didn't exactly want to place me in Slytherin, it did so because that's where I asked to be." Did it bother her that others thought she didn't fit in her house. Not really. She was going to be who she was and that was that. "No. I'm a proud snake and I doubt I would've been truly happy anywhere else."

Hady nodded her head in reply. "It does. I have much more time to focus on the things I was having trouble in but that I needed to learn to understand. Like Runes...there's so much confusion in that lesson. It also gives me time to really get out there and spend time with the creatures." Which she did daily if she could.

Ah, the question everyone always asked. Why a Healer. Why a Healer for Creatures. "It's where I feel most comfortable. I've always like all creatures since I was small, spending hours outdoors just watching them, learning what I could. I also like helping everyone that I can so why not combine the two things I enjoy most and I'm good at." Hence wanting to care for creatures well-beings.

Smiling Laurel agreed. "I'm sure you are right, but you aren't one dimensional sweetie you've got more sides to your personality. I hope you let at least your closest friends see all your sides?" Otherwise they didn't see the whole Hadleigh and that would be mean they missed out on what Laurel assumed was a great girl.

The next revelation came as a surprise. Eyebrows raised Laurel said. "Interesting, you did what the famous Harry Potter did when he sat under the hat. He actively chose his house too. It takes a great deal of personal strength to do that." Something that she admired in those around her.

"Runes can be tricky and confusing." She stated thoughtfully. "Is any of your friends good at runes? If they are can't they help you practice and understand runes better?" The other option Laurel supposed was to speak to Professor Sokolov for help but not everyone was comfortable approaching their professor for assistance.

Smiling she said "Then it seems like a match made in heaven. Combining something you love with something you enjoy can never be wrong. Its why I teach Divination now here at Hogwarts."

A small smile played across her lips as she listened to Laurel speak. "Oh, I do. My closest friends know how I truly am." From her fun loving carefree side to her overly protective mother bear side and then everything in between. The ups the downs and even the bumps along the road that made her into who she was.

Yes, Hady saw the look. The one of surprise. It only made her laugh quietly to herself and nod her head. "I didn't see it as anything more then me wanting to be placed where I knew I belonged most." That was all it was at the time and she had been right. Slytherin had always been her home long before she even was old enough to attend Hogwarts. No other house would have done her justice.

Laurel was indeed speaking like a professor. Suggesting that Hady get help from a friend whom was good in the subject or go to her professor for help. It was typical to hear this from a professor but it was nice anyhow. "Zeke. He helps me out. We've been helping one another for years now." It's what besties did and when she wasn't studying with Zeke she was with Frankie. Failing was never an option for her or her guys. They'd help each other pass even if it meant they stayed up all night in doing do.

"Was Divination always your favorite? Did you always have that special touch in the subject?" Curious. Very curious.

Good was Laurel initial silent reaction to Hady's assurance that her closest friends knew all the sides to her personality and background. As it should be. If friends didn't all the pieces to a life puzzle they couldn't support when they needed to.

Smiling she observed. "That view which in itself sounds very Slytherin-like to my ears was probably what put you in the home of the snakes in the end." Another view of things had most likely put her in one of the other houses. "Slytherin is your home and its evident by how you carry yourself and speak about being a snake." It was hard to not see the love since she was one too.

If Laurel wasn't speaking as a professor and just as a snake then she wouldn't have suggested asking for help from anyone. A snake could manage on its own. Friends weren't needed but they were welcomed.

Nodding she said "Divination has always been my most favourite; it interests and intrigues me in a way no other subject can. I'm a seer if that is what you mean by special touch? I've known I was one from a very young age. Do you have a special touch for a certain subject?"

Hadleigh was always about her friends. She was one of those that would do anything for a friend (probably non-friends too) if she could, no questions asked.

A small smile graced her lips as she listened to Laurel. "I like to think so too. Just because I might not show it on the outside doesn't mean I'm not a true Slytherin inside." It was who and what she was for as long as she could remember. Being in any other house just wouldn't have suited her well at all.

She nodded her head. Being a seer was different but not something Hady could imagine for herself but then again maybe if she had been born with the ability she would have felt different. "Charms. I find charms are easiest for me to learn. Transfiguration too usually." Which really came in handy for her when she was training to become an animagus.