There was that weirdo Professor (Gaston). Probably-no, definitely- the weirdest one here at Hogwarts. And Jeremy had heard of the famous Albus Dumbledore and his eccentrics. Jeremy smirked and tossed his head. Please. Proud is something he would always be no matter what.

The Deputy found this funny, huh? Jer usually would have scowled or made a rude comment but Paul, man. He was… PAUL. Fun and impulsive. “You Brits did a number on me to an extent. I just don’t want to leave here with your accent.’’ So he was into dudes? That’s cool, bro. “You two travel a lot?’’ Weird time to be having this sort of conversation but Jer didn’t care. “By the way, did you know Ilvermorny is going to win this?’’

Was that girl (Cassie) trying to out cheer him? Please! With another smirk, he cupped his hands around mouth. “YOU GO, VALERIE! KNOCK ‘EM DEAD, JESUS!’’ More cheers to come for his schoolmates soon.

There was Emma joining the crowd. “Come on, Emma! You need to cheer louder. Let’s drown out the Hogwartians!'' Jer grinned. “Hello, Sister.’’ He looked sternly at Sam. “Were you off snogging a guy or were you just wanting to be fashionably late? And you missed nothing good. Just the competitors being suspicious of that Tree.’’ He turned his eyes back at the screens, laughing at Jesus for his words and at that Teddy for tripping. Jesus was so fun! As a matter of fact, all the Ilvermorny competitors were. BUT VALERIE! Jer stared at her in her animagus form with an open mouth. “Did you know she could do that, Sam?’’

"So sorry, Professor Myers. Didn't mean to burst your ears!" He sent a smile to everyone's favorite Poncho wearing Herbologist.

"Looks like Aiden Jones wasn't aware that the Whomping Willow moves? Like come on, mate you've been at Hogwarts since October.. Go check out the scenery." Honestly, if you're at a foreign school that is infamously dangerous wouldn't you explore? Especially if you're in a really dangerous competition? Hmm.

"Brent Westwood has ditched the charmed armor he made for himself. Does he think the tree won't swing at him? Or maybe he knows the perfect potion to get past it with! Oh... Nope.. Never mind. He's trying to use wind to push down the knot.. I don't think that's gonna work out for him."

"Aurora Chae is quick at work making a potion, drinking down whatever concoction she's brewed up. Hopefully whatever it is helps her get to that passageway. Either way the fire she used to brew it might have rubbed the Willow the wrong way." Violent, sentient plants didn't tend to like fire.. so it wasn't a big shock.

He turned his attention to Teddy Peale. "Teddy's made it away from the tree and dropped those protective shield charms and is starting to look for the ingredients, now we just wait to see what she'll Brew." Because it was tough to tell what people had and what they'd do with it.

"Etta Kramer seems to be having a little trouble with the tree!
It's swung at her and missed and she's still pulling ingredients off of the tree.
She hasn't seemed to have skipped a beat, it's pretty impressive. Now she's trying to still the tree with Immobulus!"

"Dora Umbridge gives us another Immobulus at the tree. At least i think so.. Non-verbal magic is hard to commentate on. I mean come on everyone you're making my job harder. Her poor bird though.. that thing is gone." He'd let Kathleen handle the rest of what was happening. No need to hog ALL the spotlight, Lupin. You have a partner!

Why did it have to be so cold? Though now that Blakeney was there they could really start cheering and warm up. Hearing Kathleen's voice did things to her, but she didn't show it. She wasn't going to let that girl ruin her school spirit. So she was just going to focus on the cute boy announcing with her. She grinned as Blakeney jumped up and started cheering too.


"GIVE ME AN I, GIVE ME An L, GIVE ME AN V, GIVE ME AN E, GIVE ME AN R, GIVE ME AN M, GIVE ME AN O, GIVE ME AN R, GIVE ME AN N, GIVE ME AN Y. WHAT'S THAT SPELL?

ILVERMORNY!!!! "


No one was going to rain on her parade. "What else should we do?" She looked at her best friend. "DANA!!! HI" She waved at the older girl excited to see her. More to help them cheer! She looked at Jer and smiled a little, "I didn't bring them this time." She truthfully wasn't even going to cheer like this until Blakeney and Jer were cheering.

Oh look James was here. He got big waves. She was really happy seeing him coming to cheer. When she saw Katy she gave her waves as well and couldn't help but laugh at her comments. "I really don't know how he's doing. Since the last competition, I haven't paid him much attention. Took your advice." Honestly since the Khalil stuff and possibly the Will stuff Madelyn had fully forgotten about Brent. "Maybe you could make it brittle next time." She wasn't a fan of that girlfriend and thought Brent could do better. Thinking of the other two boys she wondered if they were going to make an appearance and if they were did she look okay?


"Hi Emma! Come cheer with us!" The younger girl was a great addition to the cheer club, she was going to help keep it going for sure.

Kathleen gave Lupin a loooooook as he spoke, he wasn’t bad? But the more he went on the more she was like… Concerned? Was he angry? He sounded waaaaaay angry and a little? She didn’t know exactly but she was really worried about him as he kept talking.

And that was making her own commentary a little slower, a little less detailed and a lot more conjecture. “Uhm, as Lupin, said a lot is happening-Uh, the Willow’s reacting with some serious power- like super saiyan levels but I mean, obviously it isn’t attacking anyone- They’re all really be smart? You know? Keeping away and using a looooot of counter spells and protections spells- And Gray- With The ANIMAGI FORM? That was crazzzzzzzzzzzzyyyy, it’s rare right?” Kathleen wasn’t sure who she was asking but she was still freaked out and tbh, like???

Yeah, YEAH.

“uHm, Oh, right- It’s my turn..” She muttered, forgetting everyone could hear her. “Louisa Hamilton- Thunderbird- Is moving like… With a lot of caution and creating… Hmm.. If I’m looking correctly it’s a green potion, Kinda could be a lot of things, We’ll see once it starts taking effect and changing up her physiology, I’m pretty sure that’s what she’s trying to do- It’s weirddddd, I was really expecting Rodriquez and Hamilton to be the, uhm, the gutsier guys but they’re definitely not boring or not men of action- I mean, man and woman of action? All the contestents are doing pretty well? Better then I would be doing but then again, like, maybe if I was staring at an overgrown-tentacle-y tree with murderous intent I would muster up some solid courage? But the Potion work is pretty solid, which is wild because I’m not sure Rodriguez has ever touched a cauldron before this??? Maybe it’s Valerie Grey’s influence, they were totttallllyyyy hanging off each other on the cruise liner. WhIChH?? OH mY gOD, that was AMAZing- “ oh, wait, she should be really getting back on course. Right, right right right. “Oh, Rodriguez cleaned his cauldron before making his potion, that’s pretty smart- You don’t know, there could be something weird in there and potions are really tricky like that.” Kathleen nodded her approval, good work all the way around. VEry hygienic.

“I guess he’s making the same potion- It looks the same and now the tree’s coming for him too- Not wasting any time at all- the Thunderbirds better watch themselves.” She was nervous for them, for all of them, even the ones Oliver was bad mouthing (maybe especially them).

“And- Meanwhile- Gray is soaring, she's flying- through the air and, Tbh Like? And I know it’s a little wild, but I kinda agree with Lupin- Is that legal in the competition? I guess as long as it’s magic you can do whatever??? But like- I dunno, it seemed like everyone had to do the same thing in the last challenge so… Shouldn’t they.. WOw- Okay I’ve never seen someone change from animal to human before- and it’s- It’s seriously something else- Like, Magical girl levels. Gray’s doing the most- weaving in and out of the branches after what looks like a serious hit- Whatever magic was keeping the Willow quiet isn’t gonna work for long!! It’s already coming back- AH!! That was a close one!” She breathed with relief as the Barn Owl veered and rolled, avoiding and just barely missing being hit. Kathleen was having a panic attack just watching. She took in a deeeeeeeeep breath.

“U-U- sh-she’s back to herself now- and- and she’s stretching- That seems like a serious waste of time with the tree preparing itself- she should be hurrying to the potion- We’ll come back to her in a minute or two- Okay? Okay yeah- So” Who was next, who was moving, Kathleen’s eyes caught on the form of Irene Avery, her name twin.

“My fellow Pukwudgie Irene Avery has been keeping up the battle- She jumped right in earlier with an Immobulus charm to freeze the tree and the last time we saw her she was gathering up a lot of ingredients and taking her time- Everyone’s kind of moving at their own pace and I don’t know about you guys but it makes me incredibly anxious- like holy- “ she covered her mouth, keeping that choice four letter word to herself because just as Irene had made to slip under the tree the willow had awakened suddenly and quite violently. “Oh my god- The willow just misses Avery and the girl looks as shocked and freaked as I feel- For sure- FOR SURE, IRENE. FORGET THE HEATING CHARM AND RUN-” what was she thinking??? OH MY GOd.

Kathleen actually covered her eyes, this was gonna be so so so so sos sos oooosoooo bad-

“Is she safe? I can’t look, I think I’m gonna be sick- “ Where was Professor Williams to offer her a sick bag??? Or a hug?? Anything.


“OH THANK MERLIN. SHE’S FINE- she’s fine everyone, she casted another immobulus and stopped the Wilow-Okay, yes, thank Merlin. I need a calming draught.”

Kathleen allowed herself a deeeeeeeeep breath. She could do this. She could do this. Another deep breath and she found the courage to look back at Valerie Gray who was… “Oh, Gray’s still working on her potion, guys. Her willow seems to be getting antsy, she needs to start hurrying…”

“Levi Kenning, who- Okay, actually, I don’t see anything wrong with all the charms he’s used? I know you thought it was overkill, Lupin, but like? Aren’t Charms one of the more reliable branches of magic? Am I making that up?” She asked no one in particular, her hands raised up as she questioned herself. “He’s taking his time here, summoning the ingredients- it’s pretty popular, summoning, but tbh, like? I can see why- it’s faster than a levitation charm and this challenge is sort-of.. Deceptive? Like, it seems slow, but you actually have to move quick or you’ll get mucked around like Avery was earlier.”

“Oh, this potion is yellow, Sunflower yellow? Mustard- Maybe, I can’t see exactly- Um, It’s steaming but he’s swallowing it right down like /nothing/- And now he’s waiting and the willow looks like it’s egging him on, OMG, That’s so WEIRD- I could almost laugh except no.”

Just no, yeah, no.

“Baker- He looks really good- Uhm, is it just me or do boys kind of get hotter when they’re dirtier???Sorry- Off topic- But You know- Uhm- Anyway- He’s gathered up his ingredients and he’s- Everyone seems to have had the same idea about washing out the cauldron’s they really don’t trust the stuff they’re being given- Kenning even sent for his own potions stuff- “ She was laughing, tbh. “What’s that thing you Hogwarts kids say? Constant vigilance! Yeah! So- speaking of, the horned serpent has performed a supersensory spell on himself- ReALLY good move considering how much attention he has to give the potion and he might not be able to really hear or feel what the Willow is up to- LOL, Uhm, He’s really fine, you guys I change my min- Oh MY gOD! Like a freaking- Like a hero in a Greek Tragedy Baker’s rushing to his station and casting an Immobulus- BUT OH MY GOD- HE LOOKS SO HEROIC AND HOT- HeLP MEEEeeeee.”

Kathleen was getting a nosebleed. Between Kyle- her nerves- Oliver’s dragging and and- and- She was dizzy.

“Can I PLEASE get a bottle of water??? I’M DYING.” she was being one hundred percent serious, you guys. HALP.



Also?? Literally, could someone get the cheerleaders to relax, she could barely hear herself over them.

First things first. All this shouting was giving her a headache. Did everyone have to shout like whatever they were saying was actually of some real importance? Probably not. So they should all just quiet down and watch what was happening. Clearly that wasn't about to happen though as a few people she knew from Ilvermorny began cheering for their fellow mates loudly, including her own brother.

Speaking of whom was currently glaring at her to which she simply smirked sweetly at him. "Maybe both." If he wanted to think she was snogging guys she'd let him. "I could be fashionably late because of that very reason." Which she wasn't. Sam was late because...well because she was late. There was no real reason. At least according to Jer she hadn't missed anything except him shouting along with a few other girls. Suspicious of a tree? HUH?!

Samara turned her attention from the twin onto one of the screens. Oooh! "That's the Whomping Willow. It's supposedly a dangerous tree since it attacks you." Yeah, she might've read about it in a book somewhere when she was bored. Animagus though? Cue her looking around for the screen Valerie Gray was on. Whoa! "No. I didn't know that. How would I know that?" She wasn't besties with the girl and there was noway the older girl would just tell her that. So no she didn't know.

"What type of potion is that?" she asked the twin nudging him as she watched the screens. She couldn't exactly tell.

EEEEEEP. Vivian was so HAPPY she got to sit with her two faaaavourite Professors here. If Professor Flamsteed were still here and sat with them, the blonde would have been so out-of-this-world hyper. Both Professors received wide beaaaams from the Slytherin.

Ooooooh! A new nickname? "I love it! Miss Vivian...." The girl pondered on it for a moment with her best thinking face. HMMM. "It sounds so classy and sophisticated!" Plus, she liked getting more nicknames and unofficial titles. It was just so fuuuun! So uhm... was he supposed to be Sir Paul now?

And when the DADA professor gave her the go signal and permission, Vivian didn't even hesitate when she sort of flopped onto the space beside the man. "Thank you, Professor!" It was a pleasure, sitting beside the ultimate Professor arm candy today. Not everyone had this chance! HAH. Sucks for youuuu, Miss Laughing-Woman-On-Poster!

"Did we win already? Did Hogwarts win?" WHY WAS THAT WILLOW FLINCHING? Clearly the people behind the Pupil Stand-off wanted students smacked by sentient trees!




Hmmm... that man looked familiar. Dana was sure she had seen him around the corridor before, while she was roaming around. The castle was fascinating and, not to mention, really huge. The sixth year made a conclusion that he was a Professor, and so she smiled at him and waved. "Good day to you, Sir." Manners and all. They were the guests who, so she didn't want to make a bad impression to their hosts.

Oh, Madelyn. She was so bubbly and hyper and cheerful today. Literally cheerful! Dana giggled at her friend, who kept going on and on about the school spirit chant. The blonde clapped in support for her school. "Go Ilvermorny!" And LOL at Oliver and Kathleen commentating! #winner

The stands had filled quite nicely but thankfully the general mood wasn’t quite as exuberant as it had been during the first task. Though the Americans were still loud --or maybe they just seemed loud since they appeared to be there in greater numbers than Hogwarts’ students-- and there was still some cheering going on, at least there were no pompoms. Small blessings, she supposed. Maxton, though, was still screaming and now he even appeared to know her name so there was no way she could pretend that wasn’t for her. Trying her best not to scowl at him, since she honestly had nothing against him when he wasn’t getting Levi’s name wrong or commenting on her looks, she nodded at his greeting.”Maddox. Glad we’re not commentating today? There. She had even asked him a question. So polite, she was.

Said commentary begun just as she was reaching for her thermos flask with hot chocolate, and she smiled softly at Kathleen’s voice. She sounded nervous but she had called Hawthorne Baegina and seemed to be both hilarious and adorable, intentionally or not. It didn’t particularly get rid of the uneasy feeling on her stomach but for a moment, it did lift her spirits.

And then Levi had icicles -- fake icicles??-- flying at him and, although his armour seemed to have withstood most of the damage, she was pretty sure she could see blood on his lip. Her grip on her flask tightened for a few seconds, at least until everything seemed to calm down somewhat; she just needed to remind herself of what Professor Myers had said -- not nearly as harrowing. Although, well, what could be as harrowing as a Dementor, really?

Professor H, as trustworthy as he was, was completely wrong this time; letting her know just what the task involved would be much easier on her nerves.

But then again, there were always other stuff that would get on her nerves; as she listened to Lupin’s commentary, she slowly tore her eyes away from the screen to look at the Slytherin boy. That was a bit too much. She had just enough self awareness to realise that her annoyance wasn’t necessarily caused by the unbiased commentary --she could be a hypocrite from time to time but not that much and not about her bias. Instead, she knew it had a lot to do with the fact that Levi was the target there and that this … pettiness was coming from Oliver Lupin himself. Maybe it was the igloo thing, or maybe it was something else entirely. Who knew? After all, they weren’t friends and Daisy barely knew the guy -- just that he had an almost encyclopedic knowledge on wands, seemed to not appreciate the efficiency of fur coats and always seemed to follow Katherine Touissant like a lost puppy. ”Someone’s bitter.” She commented to no one in particular, rubbing her cheek. Aah, yes, Kathleen. Can she just commentate the rest of the task, please?

Eyes back to the screen, she fought the urge to roll her eyes; brew a potion and get to the passage. Avoid getting crushed to smithereens by the punch-happy tree, more like it.

Not far from where she sat, she noticed another girl who didn't particularly seem to be in a cheering mood (Jagan). Since both of them were sitting far away from the crowd, it wasn't hard to come to conclusion that she wasn't into these tasks that much. At least there seemed to be someone of a similar mind. "So. Which one of the competitors are you here for?" Was she jumping to conclusions? Yes. Were those conclusions a stretch? Not really, no.

Oliver saw Kathleen struggling. "Can someone get Kathleen a bottle of water? And some tissues, maybe?" Because they didn't need her passing out.

"Teddy continues to brew her potion. Etta Kramer's potions seem to be done.. But something, maybe the willow is moving. She's gonna have to move fast if she wants to reach that passage." He couldn't tell what the potion was. Potions was not his strong suit. But there was a lot of stirring.

"And Louise Hamilton is going for it! Her potion is completed and-
OHH! The tree smashed the rest of the phials so it's now or never for her as she runs to the trunk!" It was exciting, dangerous and scary but exciting.

"Did Brent just use wind to push in the Willow's knot?
Is that even possible? I mean.. i guess it must be since it just happened, Unless something else stopped it?
Shame though because if he'd have stilled the tree first more of his ingredients would have survived. ... Lavender and Camomile? Sounds like he's making a sleeping draught." Oliver watched as this continued.. Did trees sleep? "He seems to be trying to make the Willow nap and i guess we'll see how that goes for him."

"Aiden Jones seems to be keeping his distance from the tree,
smart while brewing up that potion. And now he's circling the tree? Ohh To look for the passage, no time wasted there. Very efficient." The potion was done and Aiden drunk it down. "Meeeerlin! He shrunk himself.. Of course, kinda brilliant really.. giving the tree a smaller target,
but also now his legs are shorter so he'll be slower.. an interesting trade off for sure."

"Valerie Gray seems to be cooking up something interesting.
The colors keep changing.. Pink? Yellow now? Ohh! She used Accio to get a watering can, wouldn't that break a hole in the greenhouse? You might wanna check that out, Professor Myers. .. The potion is being poured on the roots so we'll see how that works out." And again he'd let Kathleen handle the rest of the commentary assuming she recovered.

The annoyance was somehow subdued as River gave the commentators-- Oliver Lupin and Kathleen Yang an amused look. Whoever picked these students to "captain the ship", knew what they were doing. All of them did and were superb at this commentating thing. Baegina though...now that earned a snort from the Healer. He's heard of the American slang of course, and wondered how Regina would react to that. He turned in his seat and gave a wave back to Paul and Gaston...and a shrug at Roderik. He'd fill him in later on after they conclude the second challenge, besides, the man seemed to be busy with his fans. River smirked at his mate, and turned his attention back to the screen.

A strange and strong scent attacked his nostrils the moment Laurel arrived. River swallowed hard first and gave the Divination Professor a nod and a grin. "Please, be my guest." But maybe not her strong perfume. He's a fan of fragrances, but never the ones that are too strong for his liking. "Too bad the Ravenclaws were out of the competition early. Here's hoping none of our Hogwartians will get eliminated this time around." he said in a low murmur so as not to get overheard. "Did you get the chance to talk to Brent and Teddy before they started their challenge? How are they doing?" He wasn't particularly close to anyone except for Levi, mainly because he's training him in the art of Healing during his free time.

Rubbing his nose, River turned to see Camilla, finally out of her office. "They are just about to face-off with the Whomping Willow...or well, some of them already have...take a seat." the Healer said patting the blank space on his other side with a grin. He really could use her company now. River averted his gaze back to the screen and watched the students go about their challenge. He didn't bother to mask his annoyance as he slid down on his seat and covered half of his face with his scarf. River glanced at Cam and shook his head in reply, "Not really...I'll tell you the details in a while." he said giving the Transfiguration professor a weak smile, and gestured his head towards the screen. "For now, let's just enjoy the show."

He stole another chip or two. But no double dipping from this man, no! Paul Myers was NOT A DOUBLE DIPPER. "She is she is. I'm very proud of her." He said softly, unapologetically keeping his eyes on her screen. He very well wanted all of the Hogwartiants to do well, but obviously, they couldn't all win. And Henrietta had a spark in her he had never noticed before, and he just...

Wanted her to DOMINATE.

He nodded at Cassie. "Sometimes the cold can be a freeing feeling. In an...odd sort of way," he said gently. "Well, I'm glad to hear that." He reached over and patted her shoulder a bit. "You're a very clever girl, you know. Don't ever think differently."

She was pretty astute in Herbology. He wasn't sure how she did in all her other subjects, but at least in his, she was pretty damn smart.



Paul snooooorted. "What's wrong with our accents, dude?" he asked with the air of a bird having its feathers ruffled. However, Paul wasn't really offended, more...mockingly offended. "And yes, yes we do. My husband and I live on his land in Tuscany. We own a vineyard." Hear, hear.

.....

........

Paul laughed. He openly laughed and then nodded at the screen. "You can wager all your want, m'boy, but Hogwarts has this locked." He was a professor. He was DEPUTY. BUT HE WOULD NOT HEAR TRASH TALK ABOUT HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY. NOT THIS GUY. NOT THIS HERBOLOGIST. "But you can continue to live in your dreaaaaams if you like, child," he sighed dramatically, as if he thought there was no hope for this Ilvermorny student.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kimothy

Text Cut: Professor Paul and Professor Crush!

EEEEEEP. Vivian was so HAPPY she got to sit with her two faaaavourite Professors here. If Professor Flamsteed were still here and sat with them, the blonde would have been so out-of-this-world hyper. Both Professors received wide beaaaams from the Slytherin.

Ooooooh! A new nickname? "I love it! Miss Vivian...." The girl pondered on it for a moment with her best thinking face. HMMM. "It sounds so classy and sophisticated!" Plus, she liked getting more nicknames and unofficial titles. It was just so fuuuun! So uhm... was he supposed to be Sir Paul now?

And when the DADA professor gave her the go signal and permission, Vivian didn't even hesitate when she sort of flopped onto the space beside the man. "Thank you, Professor!" It was a pleasure, sitting beside the ultimate Professor arm candy today. Not everyone had this chance! HAH. Sucks for youuuu, Miss Laughing-Woman-On-Poster!

"Did we win already? Did Hogwarts win?" WHY WAS THAT WILLOW FLINCHING? Clearly the people behind the Pupil Stand-off wanted students smacked by sentient trees!

Paul smirked over at her. "Perhaps you're more sophisticated than you think," and he winked over at her before noticing the iMMENSE amount of effort she put into taking the spot next to Hirsch.

Ahhhh.

AHHHHH!

She had a crush. Paul could see in those little lovesick eyes. Good lord, Roderik. How was it every girl and gay Herbologist in the school had a crush on him?! HUH? "Well, no, we aren't winning yet, sorry to say. We're not doing too poorly, though!"



Honestly, it did look like the young Ilvermorny girl needed water. Paul got up to go fetch her some when Lupin mentioned the watering can - wha??? He glanced at Valerie's screen and then LAUGHED. "Oh MERLIN. There's probably an enormous chunk of glass waiting for me. Thank you, Ilvermorny!" he pumped his fist into the air. "At least it isn't my favorite watering can!"

And the water was suddenly forgotten.

His eyes were glued to Henrietta's screen. Her face of despair, and then...WHAM! She was thrown backwards, and Paul rushed forward, the closest he could get. There was a railing stopping him from dipping out to run towards Henrietta. "HENRIETTA!" he shouted. WAS SHE OKAY? WHERE WAS REED? It seemed forever. Why wasn't she getting up? WHY? He couldn't tell another Hufflepuff's parents about a student in peril. He couldn't and he wouldn't. A split second decision, though, would cost her the competition. Well, bloody competition his behind! It was only once she started moving once more that he breathed again. But she looked hurt. She would need medical attention after this. He was just glad...he knew what was to come. And she'd be okay.

He stayed where he was. In the front. Leaning on the rails, eyes locked.

"Good," Katy leaned back against the bench behind her and admired the sky above, letting her eyes have a rest from all that intense screen-staring. The after image of the Willow appeared bright against the blue above, and she didn't look down again until it disappeared. Potions, though. She was so glad it was potions. Some people were really talented at potions.

She lowered her eyes, finally, and smiled crookedly at Madelyn. "Because you're so much better off moving on. Lots of cute boys around, if you want a distraction. Lots of other things if you're off romance for a while. And trust me... she doesn't need help fro my spells." Katy swished a hand at Madelyn's soft, healthy hair. Blondes had way more fun than anyone else. Speaking from experience.

She gave Oliver a stink eye at his rather rude commentary at times. "LUPIN. Behave." Pause. "Also, GOOD WORK. I like how you shout at us. You're excellent with the loudness."

So much was happening. Watching people make potions had never been the highlight of her life, but she supposed watching Valerie Gray turn into an owl made it worth it. There was such a talent in her, such a potential. She kept her dark eyes on Valerie for a very long time before switching to watch Jesus. She could tell he was nervous. She didn’t think he had a need for it, though. Maybe she would give him a pep talk before the next tone. Melanie knew they weren’t throwing the kids into anything they couldn’t handle. She wondered why her brother didn’t like to watch these challenges. She supposed he might be busy with their personal matters; regardless, she wished he were here. The Hogwartian boy’s commentary did nothing to quell the rising of her heartbeat; nor did the Deputy Headmaster of Hogwarts’ cry of despair for his student. She would be fine. Melanie knew she would be fine. She had seen true pain, the pain of the end.

And this, this was not it.

Scanning over to Kathleen, she heard her ask for water. Melanie promptly stood up to fetch a bottle, made her way over to Kathleen from behind and touched her shoulder. “Kathleen,” she said simply. “Drink.” She didn’t need a student passing out, especially one that was not competing. “Take deep breaths. Stop talking about heroic boys.” She looked serious at first, but then she winked. “The girls are quite heroic, too.” Not that Kathleen needed to be told that, but it seemed Kathleen needed a mood-lightener.

She took a seat next to her.

Also, why was little Jer bothering Professor Myers? She shot him a glare that very clearly said, Calm down.

Irene was moving quickly, more quickly than the others, but she wondered if the girl was being careless. She certainly wasn’t a stupid girl. Come on, Irene. And let the rings of that incessant song Come on Eileen! be ever stuck in her head now. It began to play in her brain, over and over, and she grumbled to herself. Aurora was a Horned Serpent, like herself, and she had no doubt she would perform excellently. Kyle….Kyle was taking so long, and it worried her. He was a potions master. Perfectionist. Of course he was taking long. Louise was also not as ahead as some of the others, but still, she wasn’t worried. At least the girl had made her potion. Aiden needed to put some pep in his step.

Be more social. That's what his mum said.

More social... everyone was watching these silly challenges. He could have stayed in his room, in his bed, and played with his toys.

Stupid School...

Stupid Students...

He shouldn't have to make himself available to them... it should be the other way around...

... Be more social.

He tried to smile at someone beside him.

...He probably looked like a total creep.

Whatever... he was trying.

Now what was going on there? Potions? The Willow? He would be so good at this. He wouldn't need anyone else... he's chop down the tree with his bare hand... he knew Karate...

... he sort of knew Karate...

... he watched a muggle movie once.

... part of one... BUT THE PERSON IN IT CHOPPED WOOD WITH HIS HAND!

Same deal...

So she hadn't missed all that much of this task. That was certainly good. Camilla wanted to show her support. "I hope they're all alright..." she commented in reply taking a seat beside River when he patted the open spot on the bench. "Hello Laurel," she greeted warmly looking around the Healer at the other women. Oh, no. Something was wrong. "Walk back with me after the task and we can talk then?" Unless one of the students needed him afterwards then they could always talk later. That smile she was just given was pathetic but that didn't stop her from giving him a warm smile in return. "That I can do." Brown eyes drifted away from her colleague and back onto the screen.

Gaston gave the other students he saw (Samara and Sebastian) a quick hello when he saw them, and a hello for Cami, of course. He smiled at Miss McNally as she returned his greeting, and another smile for the Ilvermorny girl (Dana) who spoke to him. At least some of the Americans had manners, unlike... Oh, great. There was that annoying kid (Jeremy) again! His bright blue eyes narrowed in disdain at the sight of the boy's smirk, but he remained silent. Besides, he thought Paul had done a great job of putting the boy in his place!

He smiled at the deputy headmaster. "I'm fine, thanks for asking, Paul," he replied. Well, maybe fine wasn't the right word, but now wasn't the best time to go into it. "Glad you're feeling better." He'd been worried about him at the last challenge! The next words got a slight chuckle from him. He could relate; these brutal Scottish winters were a far cry from the climate back in France! His thoughts turned to his home and his family, and his expression darkened.

Hirsch's voice jerked him out of his thoughts before he could become too lost in them. "Uh... yeah, thanks for asking," he said offhandedly, giving the other professor a small, slightly sad smile. He appreciated the concern. Maybe one day he'd tell him what was going on, but he doubted he'd understand. After all, Hirsch had the admiration of everyone at Hogwarts (and probably Ilvermorny too). How could he possibly know how alone and disliked he felt?

Gaston sipped his coffee as he watched the screens, trying to block out the students' shouting that rang in his ears. He had a mind to turn his enchanted ipod on full blast to drown them out, but then he wouldn't be able to hear the comentators. Speaking of which, that Ilvermorny girl (Kathleen) didn't look well at all! He watched her with concern. He wanted to help, but somehow he didn't think barging in on the commentators would go over well. and was it even his place to do anything? He wasn't a healer or her professor... Before he could react, the Ilvermorny woman (Melanie) intervened, and he gave her an approving smile. Oh well, back to watching the competition...

Emma gave Madelyn a BIIIIG smile when she invited her to come cheer. It was nice when the older students included her! And another smile for Dana too, and one for the Hogwarts girl Madelyn was talking to (Katy) as well. She seemed nice. "Hi, I don't think we've met," she said, giving the Hogwarts girl a friendly smile. "My name's Emma; what's yours?"

Then Jeremy was talking to her; it made her laugh when he mentioned drowning out the Hogwarts people! Though she wasn't sure how much louder she could be. Her voice probably wouldn't carry as far as the older kids', and she didn't know how to do the Sonorus charm. And besides, loud noises, not cheering obviously but really loud noises, made her nervous. But she was still going to try. "GO ILVERMORNY!" she shouted, a bit louder than before.

The blonde Thunderbird's eyes widened when Valerie took her animagus form. WHOA! That was amazing! She didn't know she could do that! Now that got her talking! "WHOO! GO, VALERIE! THAT WAS AWESOME!!!" She even threw in some more umping and flag waving for good measure. Man, this challenge was getting good! She couldn't wait to see what everybody would do next!

“GO, AURORA!’’

So what if he was cheering for her more? She was Jer’s favourite competitor. Jesus was a close second with Valerie bringing up the third position. Of course he was very supportive of the other Ilvermorny competitors too. He was keeping a close eye on the Hogwartians. One must always know what the competition was up to… like that attention seeking Professor (Gaston). Were those narrowed eyes supposed to scare him? Oooh, the Wampus kid was shaking in his sneakers!

“Your accents are weird.’’ There. Jer stated his opinion. “I mean, yours is okay but there are some here that I can hardly understand, yo. I need to decipher it.’’ WaaaH? A vineyard? “Man! You’re like cooler than I thought! Dude! The students here must really like you!’’ Was he too cool to not be offended by whatever Jer said? “No, no. I strongly disagree. More of the Hogwartians will be knocked out after this round.’’ He gave Paul a genuine grin. “You wait and see. I’d bet you a dozen hot dogs if I had any.’’

Ummmm. Why was Professor Melanie glaring at him? It took him a moment to realise that she was telling him to calm the heck down. And so, poor Jer, afraid of getting in some sort of terrible trouble with the scary Melanie Williams, shrank a little in his seat.

Jeez, he really needed those pom poms. “Next time right, Madelyn?’’ But they were rocking this cheering thing without the pom poms so he’d survive. “We should spell out their names,’’ he offered as a random suggestion. Not the Hogwartians’ names. Duuuh. “Awesome, Emma! Be my cheering buddy, yo!’’

In the meanwhile, he rolled back his eyes at Sam. “Whatever you say.’’ If he wanted to boast, he definitely needed to boost his snogging game. Maybe he’d be able to claim one of those friendly Hogwarts girls after this challenge was over… “Well, you girls like to gossip, don’t you? I just figured you heard something.’’ Jeez, Sam. As for the tree, Jer was not the one bit interested in it.

Jer continued to watch the happenings with interest. A watering can? Animagus? Wind to stop the tree? IT WAS ALL HAPPENING! Whatever next???

Her eyes focused on the screen and she watched the competitors. It was so intense and she hated the intensity. They needed to support and she only knew one way to support them. Damn her for not bringing her pompoms, but she knew why she hadn't. She did glance at Kathleen as she seemed like she was going to have a nervous breakdown or something. Madelyn couldn't help but roll her eyes before focusing back on the screen.

Grinning she leaned to Dana, "You can be louder than that. I know you can." She was happy they had gotten closer this term. It was nice to have great friends. Katy was the sweetest, Madelyn couldn't help but smile brightly at her. "Moving on happened, but it seems to have to keep moving on from others now." Her eyes glanced over the stands. No Khalil and no Will, maybe it was a sign from above to stop liking boys all together. "There are lots of cute boys here." She would admit that. "What other distractions are you talking about?" She was interested.


Emma had it right, this was great! She gave the girl a smile before turning to Jer as he spoke about saying their names. "I think that's a great idea!" They needed some cheers that could get everyone going.



"GO ILVERMORNY!!

LET'S GO AIDAN!!!!


LET'S GO AURORA!!


LET'S GO VALARIE!!

LET'S GO IRENE!!

LET'S GO Jesus!!


LET'S GO KYLE!!

LET'S GO LOUSIE!!

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ILVERMORNY!!!!!"

She was absolutely hyperventilating and wow??? Lmaoaoa, she was embarrassing herself and Ilvermorny in one fell swoop and it was all because of Kyle???? And his stupid perfectly shiny brown hair and and and-

BREATHING, SHE WAS BREATHING- it was shallow and painful, but air was getting into her system and that was the important thing- merlin marcy may marlene, she’d been doing sooooo well- using real words and not one Naruto reference, but here she was- betrayed by the booty. Kathleen Yang felt like crying, but that would only have made it all so much worse. The Korean-American was suddenly not happy she’d left her glasses behind- they would have hidden her red eyes and maybe given her some kind of fake dignity- BUT NooooOOOOooO- she’d wanted to look cool-

STUPID. So dumb.

Professor Williams was walking over and for a second Kathleen was sure the older woman was gonna kick her off the podium and take over the commentary herself- but no- it was worst. She was being super mega mondo nice and smiling, and WINKING.

Kathleen swallowed hard. She kept her mouth tightly shut and nodded, taking deep breathes through her nose as she took the water the Professor offered. Kathleen gulped it down immediately, just managing not to choke as she did so and it felt- well, she felt better or she thought so. Professor William’s beautiful presence was… Well, a toss-up between un-helpful and actually helpful, but regardless she was thankful. “T-Thank y-you, Professor- thank you.” she muttered, forgetting the sonorus charm was still, in fact, in effect. “You’re right- the girls are heroic- Like- Like Tejashree Peale. After being whipped into the air she’s back on her feet and running up the field- Just like Utena, she’s gliding across the snow thanks to a feather-light charm and- and- s-she’s really nice too and I heard she was dating Corbin Stemp and he’s really handsome, like- Nice couple. She's down the alide, but she's not.. She's not where the other's are yet...”Kathleen glanced again to her side to Williams and then glanced to her partner Oliver Lupin, offering him a small, but very unsure smile.


So much had happened in the brief time of her thirst-induced hysterics and she wasn’t sure where to look now or where to pick up- one of the Hogwarts Professors was screaming Henrietta Kramer’s name, but she seemed to be find- albeit bruised up. “Uhm- Okay, Uhm, so-”
“Hogwarts Herbology Professor- It’s okay, Kramer’s gotten herself up and through tree- right through a tiny nook just big enough for a human- that hit looked really bad but everyone’s looking beat up in this second half of the challenge as they slide- A slide, I was not expecting that- as they slide down into the… Uhm, I’m not sure, it’s like some rundown haunted house looking set… Uh, do you know what that place is?” Kathleen said, turning to Oliver Lupin with confusion and pink cheeks.

Literally, she had no idea, all her hogwarts read-ups had let her other ways, definitely not to haunted ransacked houses.

“There’s a few in the haunted house, but still a couple taking on the Willow-

Aiden Jones- He’s just slipped in, and he looks disheveled and confused, but mostly unhurt- I mean, externally anyway. Valerie Gray is in too, after using a spell I’m not actually like, I have no idea, but she sent sparks at the door handle and it opened up. She’s been pulling out a lot of wild moves, tbh and I dunno, she and…. Ahem, Baker are both ones to watch.” FOCUS KATHLEEN, DAMNIT.

“Westwood is… He’s cleaning the house???? That’s so weird- What about clues?? He might be cleaning them all away, I heard Slytherin’s were supposed to be like-the sneaky guys but Westwood moving through the house as loud as he can. He’s repairing……….. The sink???? And the fridge and the stove and I guess he’s just trying to clean because he’s banishing the food and the smells. We’ll get back to him???”

“Hamilton- not Alexander but Louisa- she looks… Normal??? Really normal- I don’t think the willow ever hit her? She must have taken some liquid luck before this- I mean, Just kidding- I’m not saying she cheated- Uhm-” but it was a possibility considering how the others were all nearly dead and Hamilton seemed just fine. “She’s not in just yet, though- maybe she didn’t drink something…” considering how far back she was? Yeah. <__<

“Chae’s in and she’s Oh! She’s working the stove- or trying to and- and-” kathleen nearly jumped out of her seat. “There’s smoke!! She’s got something happening- Is she the first? I think she’s the first- The knob’s broken off, but that’s- is that bad? Did she break it???” YIKES. “Uhm, maybe false alarm, you guys.”

“And there’s Umbridge, she kind of scares me- she keeps mentioning fire and like…. OKya, anyway, she’s in and she’s moving through the house. Starting upstairs firs, which, tbh, Good Move?? I think? But like, i guess ether way something can sneak up on her- But yea, she’s using a bubble head charm like Kenning and Westwood and the others, seems the popular choice.” What else would they have even used? UGH, KATHLEEN, GET SERIOUS. “Uhm, Kenning, like I mentioned is like- well, like, he used a human revealing charm and then a bubble head charm and now he’s walking around and everyone is walking around and looking for… I dunno, I couldn’t read the scroll, but they’re looking everywhere. Sink, Lamps, in the food- GROSS, BLAEGH, That’s so nasty, who put that out there… I would throw up, but like, obviously I don’t have the best constitution- I throw up easily, but I don’t really have a gag reflex? It’s weird.” she said this thoughtfully, wondering if she was some kind of medical miracle. Kathleen needed to maybe think about seeing the healer.

“Kennings moved to the piano, and Umbridge too, and Rodriguez. They’re playing with the piano keys and??? Like, I was really expecting something to jump up at them, like a no-maj horror film but everything’s just…. Quiet, too quiet.” Kathleen was staring hardddddd at the screens, she was sure something was coming. “Rodriquez is playing them all, one by one down the line. He didn’t do a bubble charm but he seems okay- not bothered at all??? Actually?? Maybe? I don’t know- he’s doing better than his fellow Thunderbird so far? Also- Ohmy gosh- do you think the contestants from each house are helping each other out? Can their be two winners if they’re from the same house or like…. No? I can’t remember what Bae- Hawthorn said, Uhm. Uh… An- OH!! A KEY! Rodriquez managed to get a key out of the piano! Are you guys still watching? Are you guys bored? Because this is getting like- Like down to the wire… “

Kyle was not but Kathleen didn’t think she could handle talking about him. He looked even better than before- dirtier and bloodied and uhpigrthguiprhmjr, Nope, Nope, she couldn’t do it- sHE NEeeded to look away and just- Blah THink Gross things. That gross looking food, toes, pencil shavings, melted candy bars, armpit hair. She glanced again at Kyle Baker and started the whole gross thought process again. “Baker is.. He’s doing something, and he’s.. You know, he’s… Uhm, Piano too, it seems like… Uhm, He uses a lot of magic and uses it really well, Armpit hair, melted candy bars- Okay ListeN-LiSten- HIS SMILE IS SO SWEET, OMH SO PURE- SO GOOD- SWEET CINNAMON ROLL, LET ME- UGH, NO TOOTHPASTE CRUST, toothpaste crust and dentures- “ she couldn’t keep it together, she couldn’t even look in Kyle Baker’s direction and now her nose was beginning to itch, and Kathleen was completely unaware but blood was trickling down. Yes, her nose was bleeding.

“Uhm, he’s got a key too- c-c-cool, yeah, Uh, I’m gonna move on now, okay? Okay.” Before she lost control again. “Kramer- You guys remember her- she’s in the house and like, going through the house cautiously, she seems seriously beat up. I feel so bad, She looks so sweet??? What is she? Is she a… What was the nice one??Saffron’s one, a Puffy thing. She looks like one- NOT IN A BAD WAY, IN A GOOD WAY- I’ll Just- I’ll carry on.” something was trickling down her lip, Kathleen, thinking it was snot from her earlier near-cry-experienced rubbed it away with the back of her sleeve, not even bothering to notice the dull red stain now on her blue robes. “She’s found the stove knob? Okay, so it is important than, Like- Not a red herring, Unless it’s still a red herring- It seriously could be- Kramer seems confused as I am and that’s like, saying something. There’s gotta be a red herring, there’s always one at a time like this- Right???” Right.

“Oh, and then there’s my Nameeee Twin, Irene Avery, the Pukwudgie is… Sneezing, and she’s being SUPER polite to no one, which, tbh Is even more polite, because she’s being polite when supposedly no one is there to hear her, but wait, we are? She knows that- Okay, I retract my Point, but still- anyway, again- OKay, she’s rushing through this, and like, not even messing with the food or a bubble head charm or a lumos or a- or anything! She’s just going straight for the puzzle, I guess she knows how little time there is left over- and Avery’s trying the keys, C’monnnnn, FOR PUKWUDGIE. FIND IT, IRENE.” she waved her arms in the air, knowing full well Irene Avery could not see her, but that wasn’t the point okay.

The point was.

Well.

She didn’t know, but it stood. MerLIn, she was tired. “Professor? Can I have another water? Pleaseeeeeeeeeee?”

River kept silent, and instead just nodded in agreement. Their safety...all of them were his top priority now, considering that Ilvermorny didn't bring their own Healer. Or maybe they did? River sighed, knowing that it doesn't matter at this point. Participating in such competition always has its dangers; enough for River to be on his toes. "Sure, in fact, I will have to show you the thing that bothers me right away." Was that a sense of urgency? Yes. The Healer leaned closer to Cami while his eyes were still on the screens, "Thanks." he really really needs to vent this one out.

"And just like that, duty calls." River excused himself from Laurel and Camilla, and darted his way over to the Deputy Headmaster. The Healer had his right arm cross against Paul's chest and gently pushed him away from the railing. "Henrietta will be fine, Paul. Please, calm down." After gently forcing Paul to sit down, he summoned a water bottle and placed it in his hands. "Drink. I will check on her as soon as I am allowed to." River gave the Deputy Headmaster a squeeze on his shoulder, and was about to sit beside the man when he heard a plea for help. "Bloody hell...and I mean, literally." the Healer had his eyes on the Ilvermorny professor and her charge who's having a nose-bleed. "Excuse me, Paul."

Earlier, River was amused by both the commentators, but if one of them was in need of medical attention, he simply had to abandon such entertainment and focus on the emergency at hand. "Sorry, excuse me miss?" he said tapping her on the shoulder and pointed at her bloody nose and front, "You're bleeding. Please, take a seat." River was quick to lift the Sonorus Charm on her, summoned another clean water bottle and offered it to the Ilvermornian.

Assuming that they didn't bring their own Healer, River thought it was best not to wait until things turn out for the worst. "I'm River Reed, Hogwarts' Healer. Do you feel faint?" he asked, as he expertly syphoned off the blood from the Ilvermornian's face and uniform with his wand. "Are you allergic to any kind of healing potion?" he didn't have her medical record, so he'd have to ask first.

Why were people so bothered by strong scents? River hid it behind a swallow which was commendable of him unless that was to mask his bad mood? Laurel loved scents and strong ones were better than bland perfumes that didn't smell anything. She was peering up at the action on the screens when River's voice cut into her thoughts. Turning to him Laurel murmured quietly. "I agree, it was a right pity that both the Ravenclaw competitors were cut after the first challenge. It will take a lot of luck and skill for no hogwartian to be cut after this challenge round."

Nodding Laurel shared with River, "I did talk to both of them before they went into the stadium. Both Teddy and Brent are nervous and anticipant for the challenge ahead of them as they should be. Some nerves will be good, it will keep them on their toes since you never know what they can be facing or needing to do this time." When River excused himself to help Paul out Laurel came eye to eye with the woman sitting a seat away from her on the bench smiling she greeted. "Hello Camilla, I heard you taught a popular lesson recently, was the topic really daggers?"

SPOILER!!: Brother!

Quote:

Originally Posted by FearlessLeader19

In the meanwhile, he rolled back his eyes at Sam. “Whatever you say.’’ If he wanted to boast, he definitely needed to boost his snogging game. Maybe he’d be able to claim one of those friendly Hogwarts girls after this challenge was over… “Well, you girls like to gossip, don’t you? I just figured you heard something.’’ Jeez, Sam. As for the tree, Jer was not the one bit interested in it.

Jer continued to watch the happenings with interest. A watering can? Animagus? Wind to stop the tree? IT WAS ALL HAPPENING! Whatever next???

Samara grinned at her little brother. "Jealous?," she teased lightly. She knew he wasn't but teasing one another was their thing. They probably teased each other more than they actually got along. "Mmm yeah but that doesn't mean I know anything about it." And she didn't. If she ever became an animagus she wouldn't go around just telling everybody. Seriously.

Her attention shifted from Jer and back onto the screens. So much was going on it was hard to take everything in and remember who all was currently doing what.



Camilla only noticed the nod of his head out the corner of her eye as she watched the screen in front of them. Dear heavens some of these students looked like they could use River's help right about now. There was no doubt in her mind that at least a couple of the students would be in the hospital wing after this getting themselves checked out. It was so hard to watch at times but she felt as if she couldn't look away either. Oh, good he had no problem with them walking back together. "Alright." This had her curious about what the problem was but she was sure to find out soon enough. "You're welcome," she whispered lightly patting his hand with one of her own gloved ones before setting her hand back on her lap, the gesture just a show of comfort between colleagues. If someone needed her help, a listening ear or just anything in general, Cami always tried to be there.

Cami nodded when River excused himself to go help Paul out and then one of the Ilvermorny students. Her attention was pulled from the screen so she could give Laural a warm smile. "I'm not so sure it was very popular with a few of the students but a handful or so did seem to enjoy it." That had been a lesson she wasn't to happy about once it had finished. "Daggers yes. I thought them to turn smoke into daggers."

Oliver managed to keep himself from chuckling at Katy's comment. He thought he was behaving just fine. He was here to offer his opinions and comments and that's just what he was doing. But he'd also take the compliment. He nodded at his friend and then looked to his partner, Kathleen smiled at him but something in her smile seemed unsettled. He smiled back anyway, not having a care in the world really.

"That place looks like the Shrieking Shack, Kathleen. It's rumored to be HAUNTED. But i mean.. we all pretty much live with ghosts here at Hogwarts.. so big deal." The whole school was kinda haunted.

"Jesús has some fixation with the piano and i'm sure he's onto something there.. Honestly is a weird riddle but it mentioned Scores and Keys and that sounds like a piano to me! But what could be inside? It's a Grand Piano so it's a decent size." Plus magic was a thing so it could be even bigger on the inside.

"Valerie Gray is reading the riddle very carefully. It's very important. Every word in a well crafted riddle is there for a reason so memorizing those words could be key here. .. She's draining the bathtub?
Huh.. Interesting. Oh! I think she's found the Piano!" Clearly it was something they needed to find here.

"Apparently Brent Westwood thinks this is a cleaning challenge...He's got no concern for being quiet and he's using the bubblehead charm? Out of water? What is he doing..?" Oliver was concerned for his housemate, he also wanted to laugh a little but that would probably be too mean. "Now the house seems to be throwing him a bone, the piano and the stove are trying to get his attention since he isn't sure what he's doing... and now he's messing with the Piano? Nope.. now the stove.."

She hardly noticed any of the professors enter the space. So when Professor Marchand said hello, it went in one ear and out the other. Her full attention was on Tejashree and no one else.

..... Except for the occasional super loud obnoxious cheering going on around her. Honestly. Shut up and pay attention. Screeching was not needed, thanks. Her eyes darted briefly in the direction of one particularly loud screecher and her eyes narrowed before finding their way back to Teddy just in time to see...

Oh...

Oh, Merlin no.

Her heart skipped as the Willow, as gorgeous as it was, found a grip on her sister, sending her flying through the air like a rag doll. Her fingers curled tighter around the edge of the bench as her torso leaned forward, icy wind finding the small gap created by her movement, sending a shiver down her spine. She was on the edge of her seat.

But then Teddy hopped back up and ran into the tree like nothing happened and her heart started up again. She was okay. She was fine. Have more faith, Jagan.

It was then that she was able to sit back up and almost relax a little, that a voice came through. Which one of the competitors are you here for?

Her head turned toward the voice, matching it with a gorgeous brunette (Daisy). Wow. Hello.

"My sister's down there.. Tejashree Peale. The slytherin." She might have been staring. Briefly. But not creepy or like too much, you know? A tasteful amount of staring at someone extraordinarily beautiful. Like that taken aback sort of staring. Nothing crazy.

After a beat skip, it dawned on her to ask the same. Be polite, Jagan. You're supposed to be good at that. "Who are you here for?"

Kyle didn't understand the riddle AT ALL! Though, the score and keys made sense with the piano. He wasn't sure what was going on with the stove. The announcers were helping him make sense of what was happening, though just barely. Watching Brent mess with the stove was interesting. Something about clockwise and counter-clockwise was in the riddle, and Brent was dealing with something that turned. Made sense. Kyle wished he could shout something to help, but not only could Brent not hear him, but Kyle had nothing that would be helpful. He sat on the edge of his seat and pulled out a sugar quill to nibble on as a distraction.

Weirdly, as soon as the competitors got into what looked like the Shrieking Shack, the cheering seemed to increase in volume and intensity. Maybe it shouldn't be weird, actually, just annoying. After all, all the champions had to do now in order to be able to get out of there and get a shower and food was solve a riddle; nevermind that they had had to fight an ancient Willow with the temperament of one of her teammates in order to get there.

And that most of them seemed to be bleeding, limping or, frankly, exhausted.

Had Kathleen Yang forgotten to bring water? Maybe the staff should just provide these things for the next task. Daisy watched curiously for a moment as Healer Reed approached her and soon enough her attention was back on the screens. It was hard not to stare, really; Levi was being awfully impressive. But the blurred screen edges were still intriguing her -- especially with the fact that there was only one Whomping Willow. Was any of these even happening live?

Honestly, Hirsch and Myers should have just told her what the task was.

Going by the look on the girl's face before she faced her, everyone would be more comfortable knowing just what would happen. Sister. The grimace on Daisy's face was visible, even if fleeting. "You're Tejashree's sister." Obvious, really, but in her defense Daisy had been busy thinking about how Tejashree had been thrown around by the Willow. Wasn't the competition fun? "She has the riddle now, things should be smoother, I guess."

Hopefully. What could come next, really? This task felt like it had lasted a whole day already.

The staring at been somewhat noticed, but she didn't really think anything of it. Instead, Daisy moved seats and sat closer to the girl. Her bag on the floor between her feet, her now empty thermos flask back inside it, Daisy pointed to the screen as Levi's face appeared. "Levi Kenning. He's my boyfriend." The words should be familiar by now and yet they still felt new on her lips and she smiled. "I'm Daisy. We should stick together during these and avoid all that cheering, you know."