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DaniDiNardo · #1 (**permalink**) 12-05-2018, 11:49 AM

The Courtyard is where the students spend their time between lessons if they’re not in their Common Room or the Great Hall. Its architecture reveals the Courtyard to be one of the oldest parts of the castle. It connects the castle with the Grounds and also leads to the Wooden Bridge. In between classes, the Courtyard is usually filled with students enjoying some sun before heading back into the castle again. Whether you choose to occupy one of the many stone benches or enjoy a picnic in the warm lush grass, the Courtyard is the perfect place to relax with your friends from all houses.

In the middle of the Courtyard stands an antique ceramic fountain, perfect for admiring your own reflection or making wishes at. Be aware that once your coin has been tossed into the water, you may never get it back as it will continue to sink. Be careful not to fall in as an attempt of retrieving it, the staff does not usually fancy a swim in the fountain to fetch little students.

Felixir · 05-05-2019, 10:02 PM

How long had it been since term had started? Not long, but certainly long enough for Kaiser to start feeling antsy again. It was all very well and good being back here and safe and settled, but he had never been very good at staying settled. It was like as soon as he stopped still and found himself in a routine and that kind of thing, everything started feeling all wrong again.

Today, like most days, Kaiser was restless, agitated, and didn't dare stay still for long, lest his mind start drifting to undesirable places. Since returning to school, he had gone back to his habit of wandering around the castle and grounds for long periods of time, letting his feet take him anywhere just so long as he kept moving, and today they had brought him out to the courtyard. Kaiser wasn't surprised; this was one of the places he frequently went to start climbing the castle buildings, given how scalable the architecture was out here. For a moment he stopped, and considered the wall of the castle. It was tempting to climb right now, as that usually helped him to clear his head, and it was a nice day for it, weatherwise...

Mind more or less made up, Kaiser glanced surreptitiously around the surrounding area, checking to make sure there were no professors or particularly rule-abiding prefects nearby before he attempted an ascent.

laurange · 05-06-2019, 01:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Felixir

How long had it been since term had started? Not long, but certainly long enough for Kaiser to start feeling antsy again. It was all very well and good being back here and safe and settled, but he had never been very good at staying settled. It was like as soon as he stopped still and found himself in a routine and that kind of thing, everything started feeling all wrong again.

Today, like most days, Kaiser was restless, agitated, and didn't dare stay still for long, lest his mind start drifting to undesirable places. Since returning to school, he had gone back to his habit of wandering around the castle and grounds for long periods of time, letting his feet take him anywhere just so long as he kept moving, and today they had brought him out to the courtyard. Kaiser wasn't surprised; this was one of the places he frequently went to start climbing the castle buildings, given how scalable the architecture was out here. For a moment he stopped, and considered the wall of the castle. It was tempting to climb right now, as that usually helped him to clear his head, and it was a nice day for it, weatherwise...

Mind more or less made up, Kaiser glanced surreptitiously around the surrounding area, checking to make sure there were no professors or particularly rule-abiding prefects nearby before he attempted an ascent.

It had been a fantastic meal the house elves had made, better than any curry she had in late years and didn't have to cook. She did quite love cooking, though, and hoped that her grandson was eating well without her sending idli and chutney over to him and Amrita every so often. Merlin and Morgana knew that Altair was far too skinny to be true. If her mother could see him, she'd think Simran didn't love the boy. Amrita as well. Goodness gracious, what was it with her family and their unbelievably skinny joints? One could only hope that little Jasmine would grow to be slightly less skinny than her mother.

A little less foolhardy too. As though it hadn't been enough to sign onto the Auror force at the earliest opportunity, but to return even after she'd had her daughter. Hmph. Simran had given her this lecture enough times, but Amrita was such a stubborn child. Always had been. Nothing like her sister, Anita.

Speaking of children with a death wish. Children scaling the walls was certainly not something she had expected to see at Hogwarts. "Oh my stars!" she exclaimed, preparing a cushioning charm for whichever Gryffindor this was. Was it even a Gryffindor? Her eyes weren't quite what they used to be.

Was this the lengths these children went to in order to escape the certain death Hogwarts had in store for them? Heavens above, this was a problem. But for now she would stay here, in case Arresto Momentum would need to be cast and save this skinny child's neck. Was this child skinny? It hardly mattered, they would hit the ground at the same speed regardless of their mass.

Felixir · 05-06-2019, 03:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by laurange

It had been a fantastic meal the house elves had made, better than any curry she had in late years and didn't have to cook. She did quite love cooking, though, and hoped that her grandson was eating well without her sending idli and chutney over to him and Amrita every so often. Merlin and Morgana knew that Altair was far too skinny to be true. If her mother could see him, she'd think Simran didn't love the boy. Amrita as well. Goodness gracious, what was it with her family and their unbelievably skinny joints? One could only hope that little Jasmine would grow to be slightly less skinny than her mother.

A little less foolhardy too. As though it hadn't been enough to sign onto the Auror force at the earliest opportunity, but to return even after she'd had her daughter. Hmph. Simran had given her this lecture enough times, but Amrita was such a stubborn child. Always had been. Nothing like her sister, Anita.

Speaking of children with a death wish. Children scaling the walls was certainly not something she had expected to see at Hogwarts. "Oh my stars!" she exclaimed, preparing a cushioning charm for whichever Gryffindor this was. Was it even a Gryffindor? Her eyes weren't quite what they used to be.

Was this the lengths these children went to in order to escape the certain death Hogwarts had in store for them? Heavens above, this was a problem. But for now she would stay here, in case Arresto Momentum would need to be cast and save this skinny child's neck. Was this child skinny? It hardly mattered, they would hit the ground at the same speed regardless of their mass.

Picking his way up the castle walls was easily - easily - the best way Kaiser had found to pass the time, especially when he was feeling particularly emotionally turbulent. Climbing was just one of those things. He couldn't explain it, and didn't want to try.

Having established the coast was clear, Kaiser had begun to effortlessly scale the side of the building, picking out a familiar path as easily as he might have walked down on the ground. This was always the riskiest part in his mind, because anyone could come along and see what he was doing before he could climb to a decent height. After a certain point, he was generally safe; people rarely looked way up at the castle walls.

Unfortunately, he didn't make it that far on this particular climb. Not long after he had started climbing, Kaiser heard that exclamation from down below. There was a chance that it had nothing to do with him, that someone had simply noticed something extraordinary down on the ground, but he looked down to find that he was out of luck on that score. One upturned face stared back at him.

Cursing his luck, Kaiser considered his options. Keep climbing and escape up the castle wall on the off-chance that the person below did not and would never recognise him, or climb back down and de-escalate the situation, such as it was. For a moment, he didn't do anything, then, reluctantly, he started making his way back down, taking much the same route he had on the way up. Once he was about six feet off of the ground, he jumped down and landed, catlike, on the stone ground of the courtyard.

Now, he just needed to... act natural. Nothing to see here, normal everyday Hogwarts things, that's all. Kaiser straightened, shoved his hands into his pockets, and pretended to admire the architecture like nothing out of the ordinary had just happened.

laurange · 05-07-2019, 04:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Felixir

Picking his way up the castle walls was easily - easily - the best way Kaiser had found to pass the time, especially when he was feeling particularly emotionally turbulent. Climbing was just one of those things. He couldn't explain it, and didn't want to try.

Having established the coast was clear, Kaiser had begun to effortlessly scale the side of the building, picking out a familiar path as easily as he might have walked down on the ground. This was always the riskiest part in his mind, because anyone could come along and see what he was doing before he could climb to a decent height. After a certain point, he was generally safe; people rarely looked way up at the castle walls.

Unfortunately, he didn't make it that far on this particular climb. Not long after he had started climbing, Kaiser heard that exclamation from down below. There was a chance that it had nothing to do with him, that someone had simply noticed something extraordinary down on the ground, but he looked down to find that he was out of luck on that score. One upturned face stared back at him.

Cursing his luck, Kaiser considered his options. Keep climbing and escape up the castle wall on the off-chance that the person below did not and would never recognise him, or climb back down and de-escalate the situation, such as it was. For a moment, he didn't do anything, then, reluctantly, he started making his way back down, taking much the same route he had on the way up. Once he was about six feet off of the ground, he jumped down and landed, catlike, on the stone ground of the courtyard.

Now, he just needed to... act natural. Nothing to see here, normal everyday Hogwarts things, that's all. Kaiser straightened, shoved his hands into his pockets, and pretended to admire the architecture like nothing out of the ordinary had just happened.

Simran had begun musing about how regardless of the speed this child hit the ground at, it was likely better for them to weigh less than to weigh more, considering that it was the change of momentum that determined the force they smashed into the ground in. Final momentum would, naturally, be zero, and their initial momentum would undoubtably be the product of their terminal velocity and their mass. The greater the mass of said child, the greater the change of momentum, and subsequently the more force they would smash into the ground with.

Of course, Carmine would not be happy to hear her reason that "it could have been worse if he were heavier" if Simran were to have to carry a student who snapped his neck to the Hospital Wing anyway. Perhaps it was fruitless to think for too long and too hard about such thi-

The child was down. Right. Now to seem the imposing authority figure that she was hired to be.

"I'm sure there are better ways to get into the girls' dormitories than to scale the entire castle, Young Master --" oh, her age was doing her eyes in. Simran squinted a little at the name on the robes. "Kaiser." A small smile twitched at the corner of her mouth -- it had been a while since she had seen such a name. "What a beautiful name."

Anyway. Back to business. "Do you often scale up the side of the castle without climbing equipment? It seems unsafe." Just asking.

Felixir · 05-08-2019, 10:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by laurange

Simran had begun musing about how regardless of the speed this child hit the ground at, it was likely better for them to weigh less than to weigh more, considering that it was the change of momentum that determined the force they smashed into the ground in. Final momentum would, naturally, be zero, and their initial momentum would undoubtably be the product of their terminal velocity and their mass. The greater the mass of said child, the greater the change of momentum, and subsequently the more force they would smash into the ground with.

Of course, Carmine would not be happy to hear her reason that "it could have been worse if he were heavier" if Simran were to have to carry a student who snapped his neck to the Hospital Wing anyway. Perhaps it was fruitless to think for too long and too hard about such thi-

The child was down. Right. Now to seem the imposing authority figure that she was hired to be.

"I'm sure there are better ways to get into the girls' dormitories than to scale the entire castle, Young Master --" oh, her age was doing her eyes in. Simran squinted a little at the name on the robes. "Kaiser." A small smile twitched at the corner of her mouth -- it had been a while since she had seen such a name. "What a beautiful name."

Anyway. Back to business. "Do you often scale up the side of the castle without climbing equipment? It seems unsafe." Just asking.

Huh? What? For a moment, Kaiser forgot to act natural as what the onlooker - who happened to be a professor, brilliant - said fully registered with him. He looked nonplussed for a moment, then broke into a bit of a laugh at the idea. "I would never," he replied, though left it firmly unsaid that, as it happened, it was actually a really good way of getting into the Gryffindor common room, provided someone left a window open. He imagined the same could be said for the Ravenclaw common room, or any of the professors' offices, not that he'd tried. Ahem.

Kaiser smiled at that comment about his name. "It is German." Like him. Well, he was half German, but fluent all the same. It was one of his two first languages, the other being Italian. His accent kind of betrayed both.

Oh. Uh. Right. Pushing his hands deeper into his pockets, Kaiser craned his head back and looked up at the castle wall. He wasn't sure that the 'this happens all the time at Hogwarts' defence would actually work out so well for him, but he also didn't think an outright denial would be accepted after he had climbed so expertly up and then back down again. "I never fall," was the response he provided instead, which he realised was sort of an admission in and of itself. Well, the worst she could do was tell him not to climb again, and he would agree... and then be more careful to not get seen next time.

laurange · 05-08-2019, 10:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Felixir

Huh? What? For a moment, Kaiser forgot to act natural as what the onlooker - who happened to be a professor, brilliant - said fully registered with him. He looked nonplussed for a moment, then broke into a bit of a laugh at the idea. "I would never," he replied, though left it firmly unsaid that, as it happened, it was actually a really good way of getting into the Gryffindor common room, provided someone left a window open. He imagined the same could be said for the Ravenclaw common room, or any of the professors' offices, not that he'd tried. Ahem.

Kaiser smiled at that comment about his name. "It is German." Like him. Well, he was half German, but fluent all the same. It was one of his two first languages, the other being Italian. His accent kind of betrayed both.

Oh. Uh. Right. Pushing his hands deeper into his pockets, Kaiser craned his head back and looked up at the castle wall. He wasn't sure that the 'this happens all the time at Hogwarts' defence would actually work out so well for him, but he also didn't think an outright denial would be accepted after he had climbed so expertly up and then back down again. "I never fall," was the response he provided instead, which he realised was sort of an admission in and of itself. Well, the worst she could do was tell him not to climb again, and he would agree... and then be more careful to not get seen next time.

The crow's feet at the corners of Simran's eyes deepened as she watched the young man process her statement. It was always a wonderful feeling when one successfully forced another to make a double take, even if she was no longer doing it the way she did in her youth. Oh, the good old days, when she wore her hair much longer. That was, of course, before the hair fall that came post-menopause. Her crowning glory, and she had to watch it go.

"I know a great many of your peers who would, dear. It would say less of your character than it would of your age. Although it is quite possibly not the most convenient way to do things." Simran was young once, and a resident of one of those towers. It was, of course, over a half century ago. But the point bore making. "Unless you're of the other persuasion, in which case, I don't think you'd be bothered with the jinx on the dormitory staircases at all."

As the smile spread across his face, it occurred to Simran that she had not seen him quite as happy as often as she would like. Of course, Hogwarts had his own traumas, but there seemed to be something more bothering this one. She was willing to chalk it up to teenage angst -- it wasn't just the Ravenclaw students prone to that disease -- but decided it would be best not to discount any signs until she (and the students) had settled into more of a routine. Would not be good to go around making premature judgements.

"I know," she said, eyes twinkling. "Are you?"

The boy turned back towards the castle wall, and Simran followed suit. It truly was a majestic castle, and for it to have survived all that it had was surely something in itself. But most of all, how entirely normal (for a castle of this size, of course) it appeared from the outside. As well as the fact that no curses had been placed on the walls to deter one from climbing.

His words brought a laugh tickling up her throat, but she swallowed it down and nodded. "Rather, you haven't fallen yet," she quipped. She knew better than to tell him not to do it again, of course. She had been a Gryffindor once, and not an unathletic one. Magic only made it all the more interesting, with more rules to bend. "Why don't we head up to my office?" she said, jerking her head towards the castle. "The orthodox way, if it's all the same to you? We can have a spot of tea."

Hopefully, a solution would occur to her on the way up.

MunchyBubbles · 06-28-2019, 07:24 PM

Kamryn was barely even paying attention to what was going on around her, She was rather lost in her own thoughts, and needed to get some air, though she stopped just at the edge of the courtyard, she leaned against a pillar and sighed softly as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath of air.

She wasn’t sure if it helped or not.. but at least it was a small escape from what was going on.

She took another breath and kept her eyes closed as she leaned against a pillar. She just needed a minute.. just a minute before heading back inside.

**The Narrator** · 06-29-2019, 12:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MunchyBubbles

Kamryn was barely even paying attention to what was going on around her, She was rather lost in her own thoughts, and needed to get some air, though she stopped just at the edge of the courtyard, she leaned against a pillar and sighed softly as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath of air.

She wasn’t sure if it helped or not.. but at least it was a small escape from what was going on.

She took another breath and kept her eyes closed as she leaned against a pillar. She just needed a minute.. just a minute before heading back inside.

The thick fog that settled all around the castle took immediate notice of the girl, almost as if it was a living, breathing entity. Her inattention to detail would be her downfall.

Impatient and eager hands reach out from within, several pairs of hands to impede any attempts at escape. Their grip is firm and unwavering. They grab the girl and pull her away from the pillar, yanking her deep into the pits of the mist. Which way is left? Which is right? What's real? What isn't? Where has she gone?

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