Brent had mistakingly thought Madelyn was done with him and was moving on to bigger and better conversations. Sure, he was anxious to talk to Skylar, but he'd never just walk away from a girl like that. Because of the confusion, though, he missed her words to him...her telling him he did an amazing job. He'd also missed the fact that someone had cast on her, or he'd come to her rescue for sure.

As it was, he was focused on Skylar at the moment, completely oblivious to how she felt about him right now. "Uhh...huh?" he asked, her first question coming at him completely unexpected. "What was what?" He turned around trying to figure out who or what she was talking about. Back together with her again? Huh? ... Oh, Madelyn?! He turned back around to face her.

"With Madelyn? No, not at all. I was actually looking for you and Kane, and she just happened to the first to greet me," he said. He left out the part about how awesome her hair had smelled, because despite the fact he'd thought about that, it hadn't made him want to leave Skylar for Madelyn or anything like that.

Just as he said that, Vivian appeared and tugged on Skylar's arm. They needed to go? "But why?" he asked her. He'd thought they would love joining in on the celebrating, especially for the Hogwarts kids who'd finished the challenge.

See, this is why Vivian was the best ever. She knew just what she was going to say without her having to finish the sentence. Sneaking mugs of hot cocoa and coffee is proof of that, despite what Daisy said about coffee.

Yes, they should go. Feeling Vivian's hand on her arm, she nodded, but then held up one finger to say 'one moment', because the headmistress was speaking. It wasn't that she cared about the results, but the woman was in charge of her schooling for the next three and a half years, so leaving in mid-speech was probably not best practice. She listened as the woman talked and finally, got to the point tallies. Which even though she said she didn't care, she found herself listening anyway and when Brent's name came up, she was internally ecstatic. 24 points!!! He was still in the competition, and she had to admit she was impressed with those Ilvermorny kids; only one had been eliminated.

But back to the present situation. "Yes, with Madelyn. Why were you hugging her? I mean, I ... one minute you're in a creepy place, shouting for the entire school to hear, asking me to date you, was that an impulse? Or did you mean it? But now i think it was just impulse, which was weird that you're near death and you're thinking about me..." she paused, "but then, then ... you hug her." Of all people to hug, it had to be the ex.

Glancing between Vivian and Brent, she sighed, "So yes, we have to go. Congrats making it to the second round." She was about to turn around again, for what was probably the third time, when she paused, realizing she hadn't answered his question. The one from when he was in the forest. "And for the record, I would have said yes." Okay, now they could go.

It didn't surprise Kyle one jot that Prof-- uh, Headmistress Hawthorne had nipped the drama and the tension in the bud in the blink of an eye, but he had been hoping that it could have continued for at least a few moments more. At least there was still some entertainment in the form of the highlight reel on the large viewing screen.

That was where Kyle kept his focus for the next twenty minutes, his eyes practically glued to the screen as clips of each competitor's challenge played, while he finished off his chocolate frog. Naturally, he immediately noticed the way in which all the fake No-Maj were different ages and genders (he wondered if the variables made any difference; how much easier might it have been had he been dealing with a child rather than a middle aged woman? probably not much easier at all, given they had all essentially been puppets anyway) but mostly Kyle tried to focus on just what techniques everyone else had gone with. Now, his mind was certainly on the scoring, on whether he had done enough to pass through to the next round.

Kyle may not have been as wildly and openly competitive like he knew some of the other Ilvermorny competitors to be, but he did like to succeed, nevertheless. Did anyone really like to lose or be shown up, to be the first eliminated from a competition upon which all eyes were on? Certainly not, especially if you wanted to stand out, to set yourself apart from the rest, something Kyle had recently become so obsessed with. He kept running through his own actions back in the forest, what he had done, what he should have done in order to complete the task faster, more efficiently, or more... impressively. Had what he had done been enough? He had his doubts.

It felt like a lot longer than twenty minutes, while at the same time it seemed as though hardly any time had passed at all, but soon Headmistress Hawthorne was back, ready to announce the scores, and exactly who would be progressing to the next stage. Discreetly, Kyle crossed his fingers and folded his arms before leaning forward on his knees, ready to start hoping to hear his name called sooner rather than later.

And then... he--... it--...

The--...

What?

The first name. His was the very first name out of Hawthorne's mouth, and if Kyle hadn't been paying such rapt attention, he would have suspected he had misheard. But no, there it had been: Kyle Baker, Ilvermorny, 25 points.

There was no denying it - though Kyle was generally fairly confident in his intellect and abilities - this took him by surprise. First place? Full marks?

It was quite possible that he was sat there, stock still and staring, ever so slightly agape.

Despite the fact that he was having a serious (and sort of confusing) conversation with Skylar, Brent couldn't help but pause and turn toward the Headmistress when she got everyone's attention. This was it! She was announcing the results, and he'd find out for sure how he ranked among all the others. He held his breath and didn't move an inch as he listened.

Kyle...Valerie...Levi...Jesus... He felt his heart start to sink as the names went on. Then he heard it---a tie for second place! Sure, it was a five-way tie for second, but it was second place either way you looked at it. "Duuuude....," was all he could say at first. Then there was the list of the four who wouldn't move on. Man, three Hogwartians and only one from Ilvermorny. That didn't look good for the school, but fair was fair, and Ilvermorny had earned their spots just as well as Hogwarts had. Oh, and his co-Slytherin had made it through, too!



"Skylar!" he exclaimed, anxious to share the excitement with her. "Did you hear that? I'm moving on!" He raised his arms to wrap her in a celebratory hug, but then he stopped when he realized she wasn't exactly sharing his excitement. "Skylar, are you genuinely worried about that hug?" he asked her, and then he sighed, because this wasn't exactly going how he'd planned. "I was honestly looking for you and Kane. I was really excited to greet you two as I came out the arena. Only, you two were nowhere to be found. Madelyn greeted me and hugged me, and even though we're not together anymore, she's still a good friend."

"I was really disappointed that you weren't there for me. Where were you?" he asked, because one moment he'd been looking everywhere for her, and the next second, he'd seen her leaving the viewing area. "That question wasn't an impulse, Skylar. Do you know why I asked you that at that very moment? Because as you know, a patronus needs a happy memory. While that dementor was in the process of sucking out my soul, I was trying to remember one of my happiest memories, and I remembered our kiss in the igloo."

But if she thought that was weird, then he guessed this was it. "You would have said yes?" he asked. So now that he'd returned Madelyn's hug, everything was over?

She had been oblivious to any of the wands because shew as more focused on cheering on her classmates and making sure they were okay, but it was when Jesus said something that she turned and saw her own housemate with a wand up and some other girl (Dora). "Are you pointing that at me?" Why would anyone be pointing a wand at her? She looked to Valarie hurt by her actions, "I was just cheering you on, I was cheering on everyone. Doing the only thing I could do to be useful and show support." She didn't pull her wand though, she stepped closer and maybe a little behind Jesus grateful that he was there at that moment.

She felt bad he was tired and now defending her though, she frowned more and turned her attention to the headmistress of Hogwarts as she talked. As much as she wanted to cheer for the ones that made it to the next round she didn't feel she was wanted to do that. She had heard Lachlan say about the wands too, but didn't get to say anything to him until the headmistress was done. "I'm sorry you didn't make it to the next round. You did amazing though.... everyone did."

She turned back to Jesus and hugged him, "Thank you and congrats on making it." Letting go she felt her eyes burn trying to hold back the tears. She hated when people were upset with her and she hated even more not feeling like she fit in and right now she felt truly like the ugly duckling in a pond full of swans so she gave all of them one last look and walked off the stands throwing her pompoms in the garbage as she left.

Well, all of this just went too fast. It should have been a good thing that they both were talking to each other, but Vivian wasn't sure that it was going to the right direction with Skylar obviously hurt and Brent fresh from hugging his ex-girlfriend. But nevertheless, she gave them a moment until Skylar had said her last words.

You know, sometimes it was hard being a third wheel because you just really didn't know what to do when it came to this situation. Merlin, send help.

And then when Brent started recounting what happened to him during the competition, Vivian would've melted. It was cute, okay? But then, maybe it was cute now and maybe not as cute later. It was a good thing that the Headmistress paused the conversation for a moment to announce the results. Aw, man. Too bad Carl didn't make it. But wow at those Ilvermorny students, though. Majority of them were still in the competition. "Congratulations," the blonde said to Brent, because he was still in the running for the title. "But... I think it's not exactly the best time for this?" Maybe give the talk a shot next time? Just not now, when Skylar and Brent were either hurt or confused.

Tugging Sky's arm another time, she looked at her dorm mate first for permission to escort her back to the dorm. Marshmallows, hot cocoa, and coffee sounded good, yeah?

That other people had finally started to try and make sense of the situation (that the Hogwarts competitor (Dora) and Valerie started) gave Jesús a moment to breathe and reassess. He kept his eyes on the girl (Dora) watching her to see what her next move would be. If she even sneezed his way, he was ready to send a hex straight in her face. Lachlan's voice didn't help to sate Jesús' annoyance either, but it did enable him to lower his wand just a bit. And, as luck would have it, Hogwarts' very own, Hawk-eyes Hawthorne, had made her way over to them.

As she spoke, his jaw clenched tightly. She was barking commands and Jesús had no choice but to follow. With his wand carefully stowed, the sixth year narrowed his eyes slightly at Hawthorne before taking a seat. Just like she asked. After taking a deep breath, Jesús reminded himself that making a scene (or, an even bigger scene, anyway) would just make things worse for him. He was only half-listening to Hawthorne's spiel, and focused solely on the names of the competitors who'd qualified for the next challenge. He closed his eyes briefly, to process the information.

When he reopened them, he glanced over at Lachlan, wondering how and why he wasn't moving on to the second challenge as well. His thoughts were interrupted once he felt someone hugging him, Jesús was momentarily taken aback but he returned the hug. Madelyn was sweet, he didn't see anything wrong with how she chose to support their school. "Don't worry about it, and, thanks." Jesús didn't usually enter the personal affairs of his peers, but he did feel bad that Madelyn was upset, and he completely understood why. Watching Madelyn walk off reminded him that he needed to talk to Valerie about keeping calm, especially when they were around students from the competing school. Jesús shot a look at Valerie, hoping that she caught it quick enough to understand that he didn't agree with her course of actions.

On second, Madelyn was making a FOOL of herself with the cheering - the next, all hell had broken loose. At least, that was how Aurora saw it from her vantage point. Seriously? And what a surprise, Valerie was involved, because apparently she was incapable of stopping herself from hexing anyone who looked at her funny. She rolled her eyes and heavily sighed. Her peers were seriously SO embarrassing sometimes. They were being welcomed in to their castle, and this is how they repaid them? Seriously??

She turned to Irene and frowned. "I don't know about you, but I need a LONG bubble bath, followed by about...twenty hours of sleep," she grumbled. As long as she got away from all this DRAMA, she was fine. Normally she was all about the drama - but most days, she wasn't reeling from a dementor attack.

Also, the drama wasn't revolved around HER. So it was her LEAST favorite kind of drama.

Just as she was about to get up, Hawthorne got up and started to talk about the results. Aurora had almost completely forgotten! She plopped back down, big brown eyes focused on the Headmistress. She held her breath as she started to rattle off the names.

KYLE was first? That...was unexpected. But good for him. He WAS a Horned Serpent after all, and they were obviously the smartest house. Still, she never pegged him as a particularly...daring type. Huh. Then came Valerie, UGH. She waited, and waited...and there was her name! It barely registered with her that she was only two points shy of a perfect score. That had to mean she was moving on...

Yes, she was moving on! One step closer to the scholarship! But then...it dawned on her that Lachlan wasn't moving on. Wait, what? Was that possible? She bit her lip and gave him a quick glance. What did she say to him about that? Anything? Or did she just...focus on the fact that she was moving forward?

This was all so exhausting. Could she leave now? They were dismissed, so she stood up without another word and beckoned for Irene to follow before heading down towards the beetle.

Mason ignored everyone despite that he saw and heard what was happening around him. At this moment, the Ravenclaw was too tired to warn Dora before she really did something stupid and instead leaned back in his seat to watch, biting on a piece of chocolate frog he had summoned earlier during the task.

When the Headmistress arrived, his stomach did a little nervous flip. He knew he was out of the race. He knew it the second the Ministry official appeared next to him and had told him that time was up. If only the old man hadn't been such a whiner he could have finished in time. Yes he was blaming a dummie, he was aware of that.

Sure enough, when the winners were announced, Mason couldn't help but notice that all of the winners were the ones who were trying to start a duel with each other a moment earlier and the Ravenclaw raised his eyebrow at that. Except for that dude...what's his name? kyle right? He had seen him being the only sensible one and he even got first place.

Mason would have clapped but he wasn't in a cheering mood. His name, like he had thought, hadn't been mentioned until the elimination round and he looked down at his feet, holding his head low. He did not want to be seen, did not want an applause. It made him feel worse than when he was being attacked by the dementor. He felt humiliated at the very least. So all this training, all the textbooks he had re-read had all been for nothing.

Battling with his own mind to not let his frutrated tears fall, Mason took in a sharp breath before looking back up. From somewhere in the crowd in front of him, the seventh year spotted his parents trying to make their way towards him and he mistook the looks of relief and concern that their son was out of the race for dissapointment. He had not known that his parents had been on edge with nervous breakdowns the moment he had mentioned that he had signed up. The emotions only got stronger when he got chosen but they did not want to let their son think he wasn't good enough so they supported him. But reality they were just glad that he was out and safe.

It was a shame therefore that Mason thought they were coming over to scold him for being a dissapointment that he couldn't even get past the first task. He stood up suddenly, clutching the box of chocolate frogs to his chest and quietly left the area. He wanted to be alone.

River had his eyes glued to the screens before him, when Daisy happened. The Healer blinked, as he readjusted his vision to focus on the Slytherin commentator who was begging them to stop the challenge. He perfectly understood why, considering that his friend was in the competition. He too would've been very worried if he didn't know what was really going on. River was about to answer the Slytherin when Levi jumped into action. The kid was smart, and he knew that Levi would answer the call. The Hogwarts Healer simply grinned at Daisy and pointed at the screen behind her. She really ought to trust Levi more.

A few gripping moments later, and the first challenge was over. Soon, the challengers came back to the Viewing Area one by one, and by instinct, the Healer scanned each student for visible injuries. From where he sat, however, everyone seemed to be in good condition, sans a disappointed Mason Winslow. His eyes lingered on the young man for a moment and then moved on to the rest of the gathered students. River had been busy scrutinising each of the participants, ready to give medical assistance when the drawing of wands happened. The Healer snapped out of his focus when Regina told them off and stared at the students involved. Merlin. Are they at each other's throats this early in the competition? Huh. Interesting.

As soon as the qualifiers were announced, River gave his applause to all the participants, giving them an approving nod and smile as he caught their eyes. the Healer sighed as he saw Mason storm off from the stands, and soon enough River followed suit to check up on his patients.

When Brent said Dude and then her name again, in an excitable tone, Skylar perked up, listening to his explanation. Wait, wait, he was looking for her and his brother? Madelyn hugged him? There was something in his tone that told her he was genuine about his words. Where was she? Hiding under her seat, because it felt like everyone was looking at her after that question. Duh.

She had no words though for a response. Her lips open to form words, but nothing came out. Because she felt like an idiot. Because Madelyn was only here another six months, so how stupid would have been to think they'd get back together, when they broke up over the distance in the first place. Especially when he reemphasized on the 'for the record bit'. Because it shouldn't have been past tense. It wasn't past tense.

"I ..." She inhaled and exhaled, before whispering the first thing to come to mind, ignoring Vivian's tugging. "We only kissed on the cheeks." Friends kissed on the cheeks, which technically they were at the time, but that made him happy? "No, no, I would like to date you." There, she said it. And with that, she reached her arms around him and gave him proper kiss.

Now they could go. She was pretty sure Brent needed to change after his challenge. Although she was kind of curious as to what his patronus was, since it seemed to work and since she kind of totally missed it. But there was time for that on that walk back.

Not in the mood? That made two of them, Lachlan. Unfazed for the most part, Valerie left her housemate alone with his thoughts. He was entitled to those as well as his mood and would not argue otherwise. She would expect the same to be reciprocated.

And while they were on the subject of not being in the mood...

First her corporeal patronus and now her hex. The miss only fueled her annoyance with everything and she could feel all the muscles in her face tightening as her jaw clenched. Tempted to cast again, her eyes caught those of Jesus' briefly and rather than a silent incantation the Wampus was groaning in her head. He better rethink his actions if he was planning on lecturing her right now, which was just the sort of look she shot him back as he moved closer. Only it seemed as though his intended target was not her for once. Far too caught up in her own annoyance to notice that one of the Hogwarts champions had also been pointing her wand at Madelyn, she was quite perplexed when it seemed as though Jesus were drawing on her when she had already holstered her cherry wood wand.

Thankfully the Hogwarts Headmistress had risen and was announcing the results along with fussing at them all about this and that (the latter of which mostly fell on deaf ears). Kyle in first was palatable, she supposed, and her indifferent exterior gave way to a satisfied smirk when she heard her name called for second place. But then there were four others called along with herself in the second place position. A five-way tie?Interesting. Still, satisfactory results for now.

Someone please teach Brenton more vocabulary? Perhaps this girl, Skylar, could do them all a favor? She quickly decided she was paying far too much attention to the lopsided love triangle evolving before her eyes and was about ready to leave when Madelyn had other plans in store for her apparently. "I was not aware you had noticed," she stated plainly. Seeing as the blonde Wampus had been preoccupied with hugging Aurora and such. She was on the verge of continuing to make her digs (apologizing for missing) at others when she once again caught Jesus' look and felt herself deflate just enough to hold her tongue.

As the crowd began to disperse, Valerie too began making her way out and stopped by Kyle to grab him by the collar of his shirt to drag him along with her out of there. Maybe she could unleash upon him before Jesus eventually found her.

The competition was over.

Noelle felt immense relief when everyone came back safely.. or.. as safely as they could after that first competition. She watched as competitor after competitor popped in the stands. Before she knew it though, Ava was pulling her into the stands further and towards Levi and the competitors. Noelle waved bye to Sean before following Ava.

She didn't get too close to the competitors though. Because she figured after all that, they wouldn't want to be bombarded. She gave Levi a smile. "Good job. Holy merlin. Good job." Because that's all she could say. Ava had offered him chocolate which was the brilliant thing to do. Then there was Daisy who pushed past everyone to be by Levi. Noelle smiled at that.

Hearing a cheer, Noelle looked back and saw Madelyn cheering for everyone. Thoughtful. Sorta. It should be celebrated that they made it, but if truth be told.. it was a little annoying. Then Dora was moving past. And then things happened in a blur. Wands were being raised. The headmistress was speaking. The results were in. Ilvermorny students. Brent and Skylar. Merlin's beard. It was enough to make you crazy.

Taking a step away from Ava, Noelle was very aware of her wand at the moment. She eyed things that were going on just in case she needed to step in. But with the Headmistress' words, and River showing up.... Noelle did a take around. She eyed others with interest.

But first, the results. "Wow! Congrats Levi!" She said. "24 points. Wow!" That was a feat in itself. He was going to the next round! Noelle's eyes scanned the crowd then for Etta. Seeing her, Noelle let go of Ava's hand to go over to her. Again, she didn't get too close if she needed some space. "Hey! Congrats! You made it! You're going to the next round!" Both of her friends DID IT!

Needing to venture out and congrats others, she didn't stay long. But she would be back around. She wanted to meet the Ilvermorny guy that got full marks. "Kyle right?" She asked as she went close to him. (Again not too close). "Hey congrats! You got full marks."

She saw Mason not too far away. Crying. Oh... her heart. Noelle would be seeing how he was doing. Maybe later since he left

Irene was silent. The smile was gone from her face as she watched the interaction. She was about to duck behind a seat if the tension got worse but then a saviour appeared. Lachlan Wheeler stepped in. Good. Good. She was so glad that he was here to break up the tension. If she had done something about it, perhaps the groups would have laughed and ignored her but Lachlan.... Lachlan was good. She made a mental note to thank him later.

Headmistress Hawthorne got up and began reading the scores. Before she started, Irene crossed her fingers, hoping that her fellow Illvermorny students would make it to the next round, especially Louise, Lachlan, and Aurora. Yes! Louise had made it through. Yay! When she heard Aurora's name being read off, she reached out and grabbed her friends arm and gave it a squeeze. Well done! Well done indeed! Aurora was going through. Hooray. Then she heard her name being read off. Her smile vanished and the girl was left gaping. That wasn't a mistake, was it? No, no, no. There had to be a mistake. She must have been dreaming. Then the Headmistress moved on to read the eliminated students. Aw Lachlan. She frowned. What to say? She was at a loss of words. She was upset. "Lachlan," she said, approaching him. Irene was about to offer him a hug but was unsure if he would take said hug so instead she resorted to touching his arm gently. She was sad that he wasn't going to be competing in the next round. Sometimes actions did speak louder than words though most of the time Irene preferred to use her words.

Turning to Aurora now, she sighed. She needed a bubblebath and maybe a handful of chocolate. She was still in shock. "Before that bubble bath and sleeping for twenty hours, can you pinch me, Aurora?"

Well.. that has been interesting..

Kalen had finished his burger while watching the screens with interest..he had to hand it to these kids.. they were doing so well with these tasks, though he couldn't help but think they might all need some serious therapy after all the challenges were over.

Especially as they finished and all started to aim their wands at each other..

Kalen wasn't exactly sure what to do about all that.. he was only a librarian after all. Sure he would be an expert at telling them all to be quiet, but really.. he felt an actual Professor should difuse the situation...

Thankfully a glance from the Headmistress calmed them all right down.

He listened to the results and smiled as the two Slytherins made it though, couldn't help but chuckle as the Ravenclaws didn't make it though.. didn't think they would be super good at this..

Ahh well..

Kalen stood and after nodding to his fellow staff and telling Tristan he'd see him later, the librarian headed out of the stands and back to the sanctum of his library..

Since the competition had ended, Cassie had been in a sort of a daze as she took it all in. The so-called girl hadn’t been what she had thought and the Ravenclaw couldn’t help but wonder if she felt better about the outcome when she feared being in trouble for casting magic in front of a muggle. At least she had registered THAT fact, albeit wrongly. But not the fact that it was a dummy. The fifth year had been lost in her own thoughts until the headmistress’ voice rang above the din of the gathered crowds of spectators and recovering competitors. The names and points being read out one by one.

And then in one moment…Ravenclaw no longer had any competitors.

Her face fell at the news. She couldn't help it. She knew she hadn’t been the best…she had been one of the last if not the final one out…but Cass hadn’t thought she failed. At least not that miserably. She hadn’t even made it past the first shot. And judging by Mason’s reaction, she wasn’t the only one severely disappointed. The housemates were out, left to watch the rest of the events from the sidelines.

Her gaze passed to Hirsch but it couldn't last long on the man. As much as it hurt personally...Cassie felt worse letting her house and by extension, her school...in the process of her failure. Major sigh.

Honestly, Lachlan....was relieved he wasn't moving forward. His moral compass was too strong to carry on with everything they were expecting him to do in these tasks. It'd been manipulation this time, but...next time? He wasn't naive to think they'd get any less taxing. Sure, everyone was giving him looks, as if there was going to be an outward showing of disappointment, but not from him.

As had been thought at the very beginning, he only wanted a shower, to brush his teeth, and then sleep.

Not saying a word to anyone, Lachlan stood and made his way out of the stands. That shower was calling his name.

The competitors' teeth may or may not be chattering as they walk along a pathway that is covered in a layer of freshly fallen snow. The pathway soon comes to an end beside a large stone, a subtle warning that treading any further will mean putting oneself at risk. Standing before them, in all of her glory, is the Whomping Willow. Currently the tree remains still, icicles glistening from her branches. But something about them seems a little off...

What is their next move? Dare they take a closer look?

And why is the screen you are looking at blurred around the edges for each of the competitors? Only time will tell.

THE COMPETITORS

• Aiden Jones, Ilvermorny, Pukwudgie
• Aurora Chae, Ilvermorny, Horned Serpent
• Brent Westwood, Hogwarts, Slytherin
• Dora Umbridge, Hogwarts, Gryffindor
• Henrietta Kramer, Hogwarts, Hufflepuff
• Irene Avery, Ilvermorny, Pukwudgie
• Jesus Rodriguez, Ilvermorny, Thunderbird
• Kyle Baker, Ilvermorny, Horned Serpent
• Levi Kenning, Hogwarts, Gryffindor
• Louise Hamilton, Ilvermorny, Thunderbird
• Tejashree Peale, Hogwarts, Slytherin
• Valerie Gray, Ilvermorny, Wampus

THE COMMENTATORS

• Oliver Lupin, Hogwarts, Slytherin
• Kathleen Yang, Ilvermorny, Pukwudgie

Well, here we were again, only Paul came prepared this time. He had a bucket. A vomit bucket. But he wasn't as worried with this challenge since...well, he KNEW the challenges, and this one seemed less sinister to him personally. Come on...it's a Willow...you all have got this... he thought to himself. It was very cold, so he was bundled up in very warm clothes PLUS a warming charm...and his teeth still shivered.

He had a hot cocoa in his thermos, and he waited for others to arrive to see the start of this challenge. He was very proud of all the Hogwarts kiddos who had made it this far. <3 Love YOU GUYS!

Paul would share his snacks if anyone asked. He had some peppermint bark in his pocket!

They were back out for the latest challenge in the IMPS competition. Only this time Cassie got to be one of those stuck watching from the sidelines. It was with mixed feelings that the fifth year approached the viewing area all bundled up against the cold. Safe…and free from the challenges her friends and classmates would face…but also in clear view of the other watchers as a failure in her absence from the playing field. She sighed softly and pushed herself forward. She’d just have to support those she chooses whole-heartedly.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kayquilz

Well, here we were again, only Paul came prepared this time. He had a bucket. A vomit bucket. But he wasn't as worried with this challenge since...well, he KNEW the challenges, and this one seemed less sinister to him personally. Come on...it's a Willow...you all have got this... he thought to himself. It was very cold, so he was bundled up in very warm clothes PLUS a warming charm...and his teeth still shivered.

He had a hot cocoa in his thermos, and he waited for others to arrive to see the start of this challenge. He was very proud of all the Hogwarts kiddos who had made it this far. <3 Love YOU GUYS!

Paul would share his snacks if anyone asked. He had some peppermint bark in his pocket!

She seemed to be one of the first few to arrive, spotting Professor Myers there looking all set to be the perfect spectator. “Good day, Professor,” she greeted the man with an acknowledging nod, adding a hint of smile at the end in her attempt to feel better about things. Her gaze turned forward as she debated her own spot, catching sight of the remaining competitors and the Whomping Willow.

Now what would this entail?

JEREMY WAS HERE AGAIN!

How could he not be?

"GO, ILVERMORNY!" He shouted at the top of his lungs and not caring in the least if he damaged anyone's ears. "YOU GOT THIS, AURORA!'' She was one of his favourite competitors, ya know. And even if she couldn't hear him, he was going to let everyone know how much he was supporting her.

"Hey,'' he told the old man as he finally decided on where to sit. Unlike its Charms professor, Hogwarts's deputy Head was cool. "Sup?'' he asked the other girl (Cassie).

And where on earth was Sam?

The twin sister was being fashionably late?

It was the day of the second challenge and Hirsch wasn't about to miss it for anything. The first one might have included Patronuses, which had instantly piqued the man's interest, but this was the next stage of the competition and it would be interesting to see how they fared against that. Just remember: constant vigilance.

And try not to get hurt.

Bundled up in warm clothing, the Defence Professor wandered up the stands and towards a good seat. The Gryffindor scarf was back - Max Edwards hadn't asked for it back just yet - along with a Ravenclaw pin that he usually wore to the feasts. Unsurprisingly, there was a cup of coffee in one hand and, this time, some nachos in the other. Both of these were set down on his lap the minute he sat right near.... "Paul! You're here early. Are you feeling okay?" Because there was no mistaking the teeth chattering and the way he looked as though he was sitting in the Haraldur's igloo.

His eyes glanced over the surrounding area, only really taking in the number of people there. There weren't many, just an Ilvermorny student (Jeremy), who received a smile of acknowledgement, and one Cassandra McNally. It was weird, and it gave him a slightly unsettling feeling to know that neither of the Ravenclaw champions were taking part today. That Defence was what failed them, in a sense. The thought had been brewing in his mind for a while now but it was only now that he was seeing Miss McNally that the feeling was coming back in full swing.

"Hello, Cassandra! How are you doing?" An innocently posed question.

And here the were again.

It was weird how two months could be so much time, enough to make her doubt everything and allow the slightest hint of despair to settle in, and, at the same time, it could be close to nothing. The two months that had passed since the first IMPS challenge had gone by in a flash, probably because so much thing had happened during that time. Some bad but most fantastic, but it didn't stop the feeling of uneasiness growing in her stomach at the thought of what expected her in these stands.

At least this time she wouldn't be commentating on the task so she would be able to fully focus on Levi. And speaking of which.

There was a slight uncomfortable feeling at the sight of both Professors on the stands. She had rather made a fool out of herself in front of them the last time they had been in a similar situation and, just like she had felt during the first DADA lesson of the new year, Daisy felt the urge to apologise to Hirsch. Not that she believed she had been in the wrong because if she had learned anything was that feelings were not always --almost never, really-- logical, but she did feel like maybe she could've gone about it in more respectful way.

Still, not the time or place. She would have to swing by the Professor's office one of these days, she supposed.

"Professors." She nodded at them both respectfully, stopping in front of their places and taking advantage of the fact the task didn't seem to have begun yet. "I suppose neither of you can tell me what the task will be, hm?" She was joking, for the largest part, and there was an amused twinkle in her eyes as she focused on the Deputy Headmaster. And so, as soon as the question was out of her lips, Daisy moved forwards, only remembering Hirsch's scarf once she was halfway across the stands. "Nice scarf, Professor H!"

It would be a weird thing for a Slytherin student to say about a Gryffindor scarf in normal circumstances. With things the way they were, however -- well, house loyalty wasn't everything.

A loud American was there already and Daisy ignored him completely; supporting the competitors, in her mind, was quite a different thing from cheering on them, especially in tasks that had proven to be quite challenging and dangerous. The thought of what had happened last time, though, with drawn wands and jinxes sent, still played on her mind and, while she hoped that the spectators wouldn't ignore the danger the competitors faced, she also hoped that if they did choose to cheer them on loudly, the most they would get sent at them would be deadly glares.

Probably by her, to be quite honest.

Cassandra was there too, a remind that this competition was moving, cutting people out and throwing balls in honour of the others. She couldn't say she knew the Ravenclaw that much, or at all really, but the fact that she was sitting here and not out there wasn't a nice one, from a competitive point of view, only. Hogwarts, after all, had lost three of its competitors against Ilvermorny's one. "Hello, Cassandra." She smiled, but kept moving, to the other end of the stands.

If she didn't have to commentate, it meant that she didn't have to talk to people, right? As talkative as she was, she had a feeling it wouldn't be easy to make small talk as she watched her boyfriend face whatever he was facing this time -- Whomping Willow?

She sat down and immediatelly shuffled, restless. Her hands fixed the Levi pin on her chest as her eyes found the blurred ends of the screens. The Whomping Willow wasn't harmless per se, but it was harmless when compared to Dementors -- though one could argue everything was. And yet she leaned forward as soon as the screens showed the Gryffindor. Safer or not, there was no way to know what they would throw at them. Unconsciouslly, the corners of her lips twitched upwards at the audible huff. Mystery just wasn't one of his things, she supposed.

It was time for the second competition of the IMPS already.

Blakeney was decked out in her best winter jacket and furry boots. She had become rather attached to these two pieces of clothing. It was just a tad to nippy for her here. Even with Ilvermorny being in a cooler climate that she was used to being from California. The fifth year Thunderbird headed to the viewing area. When she got there it was just a few of the Hogwarts professors and a Hogwarts girl. And Jeremy. Hi boy

She walked past all of them of to the other end were there was no one else around yet. She sat down and waited for the others to get there and for the games to begin.

Calm. Cool. Collected.

Jagan Peale's exterior was far from what she was feeling in this current moment as she climbed the stands. There was nothing easy about watching your younger sister compete in trials that could potentially injure her... or worse. But that was not to be dwelled on right now. No. Why? Because Teddy needed her support and her confidence in her abilities and so that was what Jagan had to provide for her.

No matter how difficult that would be.

Reaching the proper viewing area, Jagan's eyes scanned the area, spotting a few professors as well as a few students. In all honestly, she still couldn't tell the difference between the Hogwarts students and the Ilvermorny ones. So for now she gave a short nod in greeting and continued keeping to herself, moving far down one of the unoccupied benches where she had the perfect view of her sister. She needn't have any distractions.