Benji was at his wit's end trying to find a quiet place just to think. He had a lot to ponder, and it seemed like there were crowds absolutely everywhere. How was an introverted guy supposed to get his solitary thinking time in when there were swarms of people around every corner? It was crucial, especially at a time like this, for him to find a thinking spot, and he was hoping this balcony could suffice for now. It was about the only empty place he could find in the whole school, and boy did he have some thinking to do. Obviously there was the shift in school leadership. That was something to think about in and of itself. However, that shift also brought with it extra baggage to consider:

1. Benji, for the first time EVER, had been told off in Divination because his answer wasn't good enough. In his three years at Hogwarts, though admittedly he was pretty much complete rubbish at Divination, he had never been outright told that his answer was a waste of time and breath. At least he had been trying. But APPARENTLY trying one's hardest is not enough...

2. He had been at Hogwarts since his first year and still practically felt like he had about... uh... zero friends. While this had not posed much of a problem for him in the past -- he liked being alone, after all -- he was beginning to realize now that he was a bit lonely. Alone and lonely are two different things, after all. He may have been introverted, but he wasn't particularly shy, and he did enjoy socializing with a select few people. But all of that select few lived in his neighborhood at home and were decidedly Muggle, so they a) were not here and b) could not know everything that he wished he could talk about. Therefore: for all intents and purposes, friendless.

3. Which led him to this problem: He made it a point to stay on good (or at least neutral) terms with all adults, regardless of how he might actually feel about them on the inside. He never let his negative feelings or opinions show, and he would never (and he meant never) dream of sassing an adult. However, he felt like a jerk for not speaking up for students who were being unjustly punished. (Notice the "unjustly" part -- the kids who were being brats on purpose deserved whatever they got.) He had seen many students get into trouble for things they hadn't meant to do wrong or didn't know were breaking rules, like not greeting the new rude, mean, balding Divination professor, and he felt sorry for them. He was worried because if he said something, that made him a target for punishment himself. But by not saying anything, he worried that other students, who could otherwise be his friends, would resent him for not helping them. He wasn't quite willing to throw himself under the bus, but he was a little concerned that it was making him look bad.

4. ...Actually, it wasn't like anyone knew who he was anyway, so maybe it didn't really matter. See the whole "zero friends" thing. Probably nobody even noticed that he basically just sat back and watch his peers endure ridiculous punishments like pushups. Who mandated exercise for punishment?

5. WHICH REMINDED HIM. He was bitter about S.O.R.E.! Not because of the running itself, but because it ruined his old favorite thinking pastime; before this year, whenever Benji needed some solitary thinking time, he went for a run. He had always been athletic, growing up playing Muggle sports, and he genuinely enjoyed running. But now that he had to run (on somebody else's terms) every morning, it really took the fun out of doing it on his own time later. Hence how he was in this situation of trying to find a thinking spot. This was generally and decidedly NOT FAIR.

Oy vey. He leaned on the balcony railing, looking out across the grounds and pondering these things.

Anna had found during the previous term that some time alone could be useful. It was definitely NOT her go-to activity most of the time nor was it the first thing she thought about doing, even when she 'really needed it'. Still, it had led her to find some interesting places around the Castle and just admire the landscape, which she could argue was a very nice thing to do.

That was probably the main reason why Anna decided to do it again. Okay, the ONLY reason, really. The autumn breeze beckoned her towards the balcony as soon as she stepped onto the fourth floor. Moving that way, the Gryffindor Captain noticed that someone had apparently had the same idea as her, and he seemed to be deeeeeeep in thought.

Like, proper lost inside of his own mind. So much that it made Anna stifle a chuckle.

That was a good thing since he wasn't about to nearly knock her over like a certain someone did the last time she was out and about trying to find a quiet place to admire the landscape. Not that she had minded it that much, but still.

The girl leaned on the balcony next to the unknown boy and looked at the grounds for a second or two before turning to him. "Alright?" She greeted him with a friendly smile.

Benji nearly jumped out of his skin at the sudden sound of a voice interrupting his miles-long train of thought. In fact, it was a bit surprising that he hadn't accidentally jumped straight off the railing and fallen to his death. Yikes. That was... embarrassing.

But WAIT. A VOICE. That meant he was -- GASP -- not alone anymore! Noooooooooooo!! Just when he thought he'd figured it all out and found a spot! There were no safe places in Hogwarts, let that be known to all introverted witches and wizards across Britain! Better just go to Ilvermorny or something, bet they let people be alone sometimes there!!!

He regained his composure pretty quickly -- for all his flaws, he was a pretty good actor -- and looked over at this unfamiliar thinking-time-interrupter. "Um. Hello?" he said, the greeting sounding like a question without him meaning for it to. Geez, how stupid did that sound? Like he was answering a Muggle telephone or something, he'd heard them do it just like that. Oh, well. He may have sounded like an idiot, but it wasn't his fault. He wasn't at his best when his SOLITARY THINKING TIME got interrupted by random girls! (Not that he was interrupted often by random girls. Or, well, any girls, really.)

...Aaaaand she was still standing there, very much too close to him, he might add. Was he... supposed to keep talking? After all, she had started this interaction, so it must be her turn to say something... Right? He didn't even realize he was staring at her (or kind of glaring, to be honest), but he definitely was.

Once again, Anna couldn't help but laugh out loud, but this time she didn't stifle it. She hoped that wouldn't make him feel even more awkward, but it had just been SO FUNNY! Placing a hand on his shoulder to assure him it had been HILARIOUS hadn't been that bad, the girl shook her head. "I'm sorry," she said apologetically although she was still laughing, "No need to worry, I won't hurt you." She added juuust in case the kid had already been scarred by the new leadership of the school. Pulling her hand back, she crossed her arms to lean on the railing again. "I won't make you do anything to do with fitness either." She said, the target of her laughter switching from the guy to the crazy new regime.

Amused, she was.

"Hi!" The Gryffindor greeted him again with a bright smile, not really being intimidated by his stare - or glare. He did seem like one of those socially awkward characters, so Anna gathered she should start the whole conversation thing. "I'm Anna. What's your name?" There! Starting with the basics shouldn't throw him off.

Unless this guy was like, super weird. Anna would give him the benefit of the doubt, though.

Zoryn Spinnet was just about done with these stupid laps. These stupid rules. And the stupid, BALDING divinations Professor from hell. The motivation the #resistance had suddenly taken a complete 180. It started for fame, but now it was out of sheer hatred and revenge.

The best kind of revolts always were.

The Gryffindor made her way to the balcony (boils and glitter on her forehead, of course), looking around to make sure she wasn't being followed. The last thing they needed was to get caught before anything was even set in motion. They were trying to rebel, not land in detention for life. Not yet, anyways.

Jessa was still coming, right?

Because Zoryn really was serious when they set up this meeting time.

She looked around for the girl before realizing that she must have made it here first. Guess there really is a first time for everything. Walking towards the edge of the balcony, the sixth year sat against a column, stretching out her legs, making sure to look effortlessly model-eque as she lounged. Who said rebellion couldn't be glamorous?

Wow, that was a lot of words in a short amount of time. He tried not to jump back when she touched him because whyyyyy were people always trying to touch him, she must be an extrovert. "I didn't think you were going to hurt me. You just startled me is all..." Benji raised an eyebrow at her. For some reason, it seemed like she thought he was tooootally socially inept. What the heck? Why would she thi-- Oh, yeah, he had just acted like a totally bizarre dungeon-dweller and nearly leapt to his death. Yeah, okay, he got it. Better try to redeem that pretty quick... "I'm Benji," he finally answered her, still looking at her like she was an alien or something. He wasn't a freak. He just hadn't been prepared for human contact, OKAY?!

He didn't acknowledge her comments about the new regime because he didn't want anyone to hear and for him to get in trouble. NO SIRREE. Not gonna happen on his watch. You know, come to think of it, this interaction was not starting off well. Scared him? Check. Interrupted his alone time? Check. Cracked a joke that could get him in trouble? CHECK. Merlin's pants, he may have acted like a weirdo because she'd scared him, but this Anna girl had a lot more to redeem here, in his opinion...

Jessa was both very serious about this “rebellion” experiment and terrified by the fact she would ever dare to do something so bold. The Ravenclaw, for as long as she could help it, was not one to rock boats or make waves. If she could bland right into the wall and entirely disappear, she would’ve done it ages ago but, alas, the laws of physics prevented such dreams.

She’d thought about what she and Zoryn were trying to do, spent days thinking about it, hours pacing in circles up in her lab trying to figure out what could possess her, but the answer was simple. Jessa was a sucker for a good experiment, social ones especially. Once the idea had been planted, she realised she genuinely wanted to know how a full scale rebellion would be handled by the current Headmaster. He was a man for no nonsense and had already put some measures in place. How much worse could worse actually be?

It was a serious sort of question, one she found herself morbidly curious about. There was just something infinitely more appealing about knowing the answer to even the most hypothetical of questions.

It wasn’t long after Zoryn’s arrival before Jessa showed up too. She’d have been there earlier but had a few things to finish up in her lab.

“Hey.” She greeted, taking a seat opposite her at the next column and drawing her wand to cast a muffliato on the surrounding area. “Don’t need anyone hearing this.”

Surprisingly, or perhaps all too unsurprisingly, Zoryn hadn't thought about the possible repercussions at all. IF they caught (which the wouldn't), but IF they did she could handle a couple more detentions. She probably had the all time record by now anyways, so how could a few more make any difference?

Either way, Zoryn loved a good thrill. And this rebellion? Thrill guaranteed. "Jessa," she turned, greeting the older girl with an appropriately placed mischievous smile. "And that's why you're the brains." Zoryn the brawns, obviously. And the pizzaz. And the chutzpah. Zoryn brought many things to the table actually. She was a jack of many (useless) trades.

All in all, the combination would play to their advantage, she was sure. They both had what the other lacked. And where they fell similar was in bending around morals to make their end. Jessa, for the greater understanding and Zoryn, for the sake of drawing attention. Though both were equally as shady a rational, Zoryn had absolutely zero problem with it.

"So, I was thinking. Whatever we do, it's gotta be BIG." And, she had been brainstorming names ALL week. Hawthorne's Army sounded slightly too predictable, but tbh she didn't hate it. The Resistance also had a preeeeetty nice ring to it not gonna lie. There also had to be a clever way of incorporating the word 'Troll' into their title. But obviously there were more important things to handle.

Zoryn had ideas for those too.

A meeting space, for example. They may do well in the Room of Requirement, or perhaps meeting off campus in Hogsmeade... Breaking off into smaller groups to save face... All possibilities. The only thing she couldn't figure out was how they'd even round up troops while keeping their heads low. That's where Jessa would have to come in. Maybe she'd come up with a secret code or something.

So for now, Brawns waited for Brains.

Jessa hadn’t missed the mischievous smile that was sent her way, not at all. It served to remind her that what they were doing was very risky and likely to cause a ton of problems.

That’s why it needed proper thought. That’s why Zoryn wasn’t going to be planning this entirely on her own. Don’t get her wrong, when it came to rebellions, her friend was on top of her game but there was a lot more to a rebellion than the actual point of rebelling when everything came to a head. If they were gonna do this, if they were going to collect useful data then it would need to be done correctly. Couldn’t really test the full capabilities of the regime while they were half hatting things now could they?

“Of course. Too small and we risk having the resistance crushed without seeing the full extent of what these men are prepared to do.” Which amounted to a failed experiment that would need to be done again. Problem with that was, it would be harder pulling it off a second time once those in charge realized what was likely to happen. They would be even more prepared and the resistance would be crushed even faster.

It was kind of exciting, in its own little way. All those years learning about rebellions in History of Magic and now they were planning one. If she stopped worrying about every little detail long enough, Jessa could almost feel her own excitement feeding off of Zoryn’s—but only almost.

“So here’s what I’m thinking.” She began, laying out a few pieces of parchment for the Gryffindor to take a look at. Notes mostly, a few drawings to show positions and maps of the castle. General information on the staff. “We wait until after the winter break—hear me out. I know you’re ready to get this going now now now but think about it. They’ve just taken over, they expect initial resistance so they can quickly crush it. Wait til after the break, they’ll think we’ve finally settled. Might even make them lower their guard a bit. So long with nothing major, they might think we’ve learned to just roll over and accept it all. It’s the perfect ambush. That’s when we strike. Gives us more time to rally troops and be prepared for the HUGE thing we’ll end up doing.”

Anna chuckled again when he said he didn't think she was 'going to hurt him, she just startled him is all'. "Well, nice to meet you, Benji!" The girl said happily with a grin. So far so good! The kid has survived talking to her this far! Well done, kid! Lol.

The Gryffindor honestly couldn't help but be SUPER amused at this boy. For some reason, he was giving off this terrified vibe and it was hi-lar-i-ous indeed. "How old are you?" She asked out of curiosity. Maybe he was only young and the whole new... leadership and how they were conducting the school now was freaking this kid out. Anna thought she should feel sorry for him, but for now all she could feel was amusement. "I'm guessing you don't like running in the mornings." She said with a furtive smile as she tried to figure this boy out a bit more.

Zoryn nodded along, not entirely sure that seeing “the full extent of what these men are prepared to do’ was actually what she wanted. But, like, YOLO. She wanted a rebellion and Jessa did too, so that’s all that really mattered to the Gryffindor. That and having a good name.

“Most importantly. We need a name. SO I say we call ourselves Hawthorne’s Army!” Because forget all the other stuff. Names were VERY important. The first impression, if you will. It’s how they’d draw in their participants. And the chutzpah would help with that too. “Y’know, like when Harry Potter made a Dumbledore’s Army to rebel against the… pink lady,” who had a name which Zoryn couldn’t remember at the moment. But she somewhat payed attention in History of Magic SO the point was made and that’s what mattered.

But Jessa was thinking now, which made Zoryn keen on listening. If the Ravenclaw had an important contribution to make, Zoryn Amari Spinnet would be all ears. She did want to see their plan succeed, after all.

…… AFTER winter break??????

The Gryffindor opened her mouth to argue the point, but before she could Jessa had already started rolling out a defense. And you know what… “That’s actually…. A pretty good idea…” She was right. They needed to build strength and numbers. “We’ve gotta set up meetings all before Christmas then! Before people start leaving the castle.”

Just one question though…

“Got any brilliant ideas for how we’re gonna advertise them without getting caught though?"If only she had payed more attention to that Harry Potter story. Professor Curtains was right. History did repeat itself. Geez. Talk about major de ja vu.

WHYYYY did she look like she was laughing at him on the inside?! GRYFFINDORS. Ugh. Benji frowned slightly, feeling a bit insulted without really knowing why.

And now here she was with the personal questions. Geez, he had just wanted to hang out on the balcony. ALONE. "Third year," he answered her. He didn't ask her anything in return. Maybe she would take the hint and take her TROUBLEMAKING WAYS elsewhere.

...And before he finished that thought, she was asking him a leading question that could get him into trouble, too! WHAT THE HECK, LADY. "Actually," he said, raising an eyebrow, "I love running." That much was true. He did love running. Running in the morning as ordered by Il Duce? He could do without it -- he liked to make his own running rules. But teeeeeeeechnically he had just told the truth and not said anything that could lead to trouble at the same time.

He was not particularly afraid of the new headmaster. (Okay, well, he was, but not any more afraid of him than he was any other adult. They were all potential LIFE-RUINERS. You could never be too careful.) Still, he wasn't about to go talking loudly about how he disapproved of the new regime's way of running things.

Ah, third year. "Right." Anna nodded, turning to look at the landscape again because that WAS the reason she had gone there in the first place and it was indeed very nice. The grounds were in fact one of the best areas of Hogwarts. Benji wasn't as young as she thought and was at least thirteen by now. Hmmm... Maybe he had been too sheltered hence him being so jumpy. Or it could be just a personality thing. At that thought, the Gryffindor turned to him and gave him a quick smile before turning back to admire the landscape.

When he said he 'actually, loved running', Anna couldn't help but chuckle. Again. "In the morning?" She repeated as a question, the amused smile back on her face. "With the entire school running with you?" She added the second part of her question, her amusement only growing as he seemed to be the type of kid that liked peace and quiet. Just by the way he was reacting to her and what she was saying and doing, she could tell he was one of the people who hated group activities like that. "I don't know, you don't seem like the type that would enjoy this kind of thing." She said, giving him a knowing look before turning back to face the grounds. "Just sayin'." The girl added, her amused smile never leaving her face.

Trust Zoryn to think a name would be the most important part of an entire rebellion. Jessa couldn’t even say she was surprised. What’s more, she didn’t care what they were called as long as they succeeded so she nodded along. “Hawthorne’s army it is.” There were far too many details that needed actual consideration for her to be hung up on this. As far as she was concerned, this was one of the Gryffindor’s contributions. She was, afterall, the face of this little rebellion. She was the one with the energy and charisma that would draw people in.

Mad scientists and necromancers seldom gained the support of the people.

“I’d like to think these men aren’t up to Umbridge’s level, but even then the woman seemed pretty harmless. She made rules and had questionable punishments but those were all dependent on the students going along with them.”

A part of their goal here was to see what would happen when they stopped going along with everything. She couldn’t wait to see the results.

Thankfully, they were on the same page with the time of the rebellion. Gryffindors had a tendency to be rash, she didn’t wanna have to think of how else she’d convince Zoryn that waiting was the smarter option. This was good. “We’ll have as many meetings as we can cram in before the break. It’s best to have everyone on as much of the same page as we can get them before D-Day.” A war term, quite fitting here.

As for how they’d get the word around. Easy, our common rooms. They’re never in there. It’s our last firm hold. There’s curfew when everyone’s required to be back in the common room, we’ll have the attention of everyone. Recruit a Hufflepuff and a Slytherin, they can pass the word when curfew hits too. Important messages will also be conveyed during that period where everyone is returning for curfew.”

Okay, so it seemed like this interaction was destined to last a while. Benji sighed deeply and resigned himself to the fact that he would have to continue this conversation, which had already gone on too long in his opinion, for an indeterminate amount of time. (Again, GRYFFINDORS.) It was all he could do not to rub his temples like Anna was giving him a headache, but he was innately a polite person -- apparently except when startled -- and couldn't bring himself to be that outright unwelcoming. So instead, he just looked a little exasperated as he spoke to her. (However, he was a good actor, so this look was definitely a choice. Sorry, Anna.)

"I love to run," he said simply. She couldn't trick this Ravenclaw, NO SIRREE. He knew what she was up to. Trying to get him to say something bad... Sneaky sneaky. "Usually when playing football, but other times -- yes, including mornings -- as well." Well, "other times" and "mornings" could conceivably mean SORE. They didn't. But they COULD. So there.

He mentally braced himself for the next barrage she was sure to unleash on him. (Did he have to say it again? GRYFFINDORS.) What personal question would she ask next, the name of his beloved baby blanket that he sometimes still slept with when he was home for the summer and having a bad day? (Pipsy Blankie, if anyone was wondering.)

But, like, wasn't it though?? A good name would be the easiest way to recruit people. Because teenagers were all superficial like that. She would know. "Excellent," Zoryn counted that as a victory. See, they were already getting along just great. What could possibly go wrong!?

"Right," she nodded along, despite the fact that her history knowledge both started and ended with whatever she had said before. She didn't know actual facts or details about the Umbridge person. Just that there was a regime in the past and that Dumbledore had an army. Duh. The important stuff. And some how, she had still managed to pass that OWL. "There isn't a detention cell big enough for all of us. So we've just gotta make sure we're all in." Most, anyway. She was sure some people would sit out just to spite her. Like Sylvie, probably.

"Okay where are we meeting?" Room of requirement? Hogsmeade? Somewhere Zoryn didn't know about??? And the window of opportunity was much smaller too, thanks to the new curfew. Could they trust everyone to sneak out and not get caught? Probably not. Especially if Derf was planning on joining them. He didn't have a sneaky bone to his name.

As for the use of Common Rooms for announcements? "Genius." There was a reason why she had let Jessa in on her planning team. Mhm. "Cameron can be our in for Slytherin..." As for Hufflepuff, this one stumped her for a few seconds before, DUHHHHHH. "And Derf." She saw him growing more and more defiant by the day. Surely he'd join in. And they were all friends too. Derf loved supporting friends, right?

Well. "To be entirely honest, I'm hoping the man is more creative than wanting to attempt locking everyone down in the dungeons. Such a wide scale revolt, I'd like to think he'd employ a bit more imagination for all our efforts." All the work Jessa was prepared to put into this rebellion!experiment. All the people who'd be likely putting themselves on the front line. It would be almost insulting if the man just waved his hand and ushered them all down the stairs.

He was capable of a lot. His missing arm hinted at as much. It was only right he show them just what he was prepared to do in the face of such blatant defiance. Anything less and she'd be utterly disappointed.

That next question was an important one. With how this "new regime" was already being run, it would be difficult to find a meeting spot that could hold everyone that wouldn't be crashed. "The RoR might be our best bet there. It worked fine in the years of Harry Potter, I don't see why we'd tried finding something else when a tried and true location is already at our disposal." They could make it as large or as versatile as it needed to be.

That seemed sorted.

"You're right, Cam and Derf are easy ins as long as we can convince them to join the cause." Though if she was being honest, she didn't think that would take too much. Jessa pulled a piece of parchment from her bag and a quill to write down the small details they'd already decided. "Okay, let's not linger here for too long in case we gain unwanted attention but before we split, anything else to start?"

"Wouldn't put it past him," Zoryn commented offhand, though she was slightly uneasy about what Jessa had implied. It was a hard thing to do, you know? Making Zoryn Spinnet uneasy. Not many were capable of it. Even fewer were capable of making her admit to it. But the point of the matter was, it almost sounded like Jessa wanted to land into trouble. Zoryn was all for trouble, in fact, trouble was basically her middle name. BUT she wasn't planning a revolt to get expelled. She was planning a revolt to reach ultimate Hogwarts fame AND overthrow this stupid regime.

But the Gryffindor didn't linger on the thought any more than she needed to. Consequences weren't worthwhile to think about yet. Do now, think later. That was her motto, anyway.

The Gryffindor shrugged, agreeing with her counterpart. "Works for me," she liked the Room of Requirement anyhow. Hogsmeade would be too risky. "Just gotta brief the idiots and first years," (((these two things were not mutually exclusive FYI))) "so they don't screw it up before we even get our chance." Didn't need any nosey Professors following them around the castle. And it seemed like there were more and more nosey Professors every single day.

"I'm very convincing," she gave Jessa an innocent sort of smile. Zoryn would handle corralling the troops as long as Jessa came up with their masterplan. Sounded like a fair enough plan. "Let's meet again in a couple of days, maybe focus on sorting out the details and I'll have a list of volunteers." The Gryffindor got up onto her feet before pausing, "on second thought... You go first. I'll wait a few minutes before I leave too."

The less suspicious they looked, the better. Right?

Penny had not long since gotten out of classes for the day and it was well before curfew so she had begun wandering a bit, trying to clear her head before lights out. LIGHTS OUT. Ugh. This place was ridiculous now. It was being run like a bloody Auror camp or... military school or some such. Not that this particular Puff spoke up about such things EVER. But MY OH MY did she ever think them!

Meandering up to a spot near the railing the young brunette folded herself into a sitting position and pulled her History of Magic text from her bag and began thumbing through it. Ugh. This was the pits. Not being able to read for pleasure was such a drag, but whatever. She still found ways to keep herself occupied and entertained... and one way was to pretend to be reading while actually daydreaming about her boyfriend. HER BOYFRIEND. The mere thought made the corners of her mouth twitch upward just a tad. Now she sat thinking about their date in Hogsmeade and what they planned to get up to at the summer.

Hanna definitely needed to get out of the castle, without actually leaving it. She didn't feel like the grounds were somewhere for her to enjoy anymore, besides the Quidditch Pitch. Her joy lasted approximately 12 hours prior to a match, and 12 hours after. Even during the match, she found herself completely forgetting what was going on in the castle. But she didn't want anything bad associated with the Quidditch pitch, so she refused to go down there on anything but Quidditch business.

As she excited the castle, with her intent of the balcony, she spotted Penny! "Hello," Hanna said in little more than a whisper, as she sat down next to the Hufflepuff. She had her Transfiguration textbook with her, and was planning on doing a little revision. Away from the confinement of the common room. She saw that Penny was reading History of Magic, and asked "Is that really the textbook? I heard some people are swapping covers over." Hanna hadn't been brave enough to do it.

Penny didn't have anywhere on the grounds that was like... HERS, ya know. She enjoyed many places on the grounds and in the castle, sure, but not somewhere that was like HER SPOT like that. Except maybe the garden in the Hufflepuff Common Room. Most of the time, anyway. Other times it felt like no place was safe or sacred to her here. Which was the pits.

Glancing up, Penny offered a smile to Hanna. "Hey, Hanna," she answered in a whisper as well. Who knew if they were allowed to speak above a whisper in the corridors or balconies now. Who knew if they were even allowed to READ out here?! "It is the textbook... and I would never try my luck in swapping the covers. Not with the... professors and Prefects around," she added quickly, looking over her shoulder to see if any of the aforementioned people were indeed around. This whole term set her nerves on edge on the best of days, to be honest. "What brings you out here?"