Bernadette COULD have had a more Gryffindor exit, what with the stomping and yelling she normally liked to do, but. Rejection of ideas was still rejection and did anyone out there in the world really like that feeling? It was one that hurt her pride more than anything else.

"No." She stopped before she ran into him and also made sure to stuff her wand in her boot before she left. Knowing her luck, she'd probably run right into a Goon the moment she stepped into the corridor and they'd target her just for the wand being out.

Also, sorry Kale, but but but. "I just didn't like your answer, that is all." Well, and not to dwell but she was mad at the whole situation the whole school was in, so.... Berns did her best to keep her face deadpan, though that wasn't exactly a strength of hers.

There were a few things Claudine enjoyed doing in her spare time. On this cold, December day, she wanted nothing more than to spend some time drawing. What better place to do so than the Art Room, particularly since she couldn’t go outside for any inspiration. It was too cold.

The fifth year settled her bag down on the centre table which mainly contained her art supplies. Her keen dark eyes surveyed the room as she checked it out for Hoods and others in general. The girl still liked her space, you know, even if she was slightly more outgoing this year. Slightly. A tad. A teeny tiny bit.

There was also the issue of her family on her mind so she was somewhat distracted as she sat down and began emptying her supplies.

Camilo discovered the art classroom by accident a few weeks previously. He had wanted to visit Finneas in his office, but walked down the wrong corridor and stumbled upon this space instead. While he had zero artistic abilities, his girlfriend was an artist, so naturally he liked looking at art projects. And the array of student work on display here was impressive! Afterward, he made it a habit to drop by the room every now and then to see if there were new projects in progress.

On this particular day, he jogged into the classroom (it was cold, okay) and brightened up when he saw Claudine at the workstation. Oooh, if he did not act like one of those obnoxious teachers who pried into a student's personal life, he might get to stay and observe the process of art production! "Hello, Miss Blaze. Here to train your artistic skills?" The phrasing was a little weird ... it was the result of working as a Quidditch coach for over a decade.

SPOILER!!: Hot Stuff <3

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sunflower

Camilo discovered the art classroom by accident a few weeks previously. He had wanted to visit Finneas in his office, but walked down the wrong corridor and stumbled upon this space instead. While he had zero artistic abilities, his girlfriend was an artist, so naturally he liked looking at art projects. And the array of student work on display here was impressive! Afterward, he made it a habit to drop by the room every now and then to see if there were new projects in progress.

On this particular day, he jogged into the classroom (it was cold, okay) and brightened up when he saw Claudine at the workstation. Oooh, if he did not act like one of those obnoxious teachers who pried into a student's personal life, he might get to stay and observe the process of art production! "Hello, Miss Blaze. Here to train your artistic skills?" The phrasing was a little weird ... it was the result of working as a Quidditch coach for over a decade.

Regular pencils out? Yes.

Coloured pencils out? Yes.

Sketchpad out? Yes.

Rapid footsteps in the room? Um… what? Jolted out of her thoughts, Claudine looked up and got even more distracted. Well, hello there, Professor Handsome Face. Naturally, guilt welled up in her. Listen, she was all about Heath but Aguilar was still rather nice to look at; exactly like Eye Candy. Not that Heath wasn’t Eye Candy. Claudine mentally sighed. This was all so complicated to her.

“Hi, professor.’’ Well, that was one interesting way to work the phrase. Th eSnakette grinned. “You can say that.” After all, she was always looking to improve on her artistic talent. Maybe that made up for her lack of talent on the Quidditch pitch. “Are you training for a marathon?’’ came her question, a slight grin tagging along with it.

Oblivious to Claudine's thoughts about his appearance (as always), he glanced at the art tools laid out on the table. It looked like they were all her personal supplies, not the school's. He didn't know that she was an artist! Well, he didn't know much about his students outside of lessons. He really had to work on that, while being careful to avoid crossing the aforementioned annoying teacher boundary.

Was he training for a marathon? Not at the moment - oh, she meant his jogging entrance. "Nope, I am not. I may not look it, but I too enjoy expressing my artistic talent from time to time." If the smile on his lips did not make it obvious that he was completely joking - what artistic talent??? - his final product would show it. Although he had only intended to check the artwork on display and leave the classroom, he now walked over to the shelves to take out some supplies for himself. He was going to do ART stuff. This was crazy, and he was excited.

"What are you planning to draw, Miss Blaze?" He looked back at Claudine, while thinking whether he should sketch or paint.

SPOILER!!: Aguilar *__*

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sunflower

Oblivious to Claudine's thoughts about his appearance (as always), he glanced at the art tools laid out on the table. It looked like they were all her personal supplies, not the school's. He didn't know that she was an artist! Well, he didn't know much about his students outside of lessons. He really had to work on that, while being careful to avoid crossing the aforementioned annoying teacher boundary.

Was he training for a marathon? Not at the moment - oh, she meant his jogging entrance. "Nope, I am not. I may not look it, but I too enjoy expressing my artistic talent from time to time." If the smile on his lips did not make it obvious that he was completely joking - what artistic talent??? - his final product would show it. Although he had only intended to check the artwork on display and leave the classroom, he now walked over to the shelves to take out some supplies for himself. He was going to do ART stuff. This was crazy, and he was excited.

"What are you planning to draw, Miss Blaze?" He looked back at Claudine, while thinking whether he should sketch or paint.

Claudine wondered if Aguilar was used to students having a crush on him. Surely he would have at least heard rumours during his teaching time? Wait… had he even taught prior to Hogwarts? She didn’t know much about practically all of her professors. But it seemed that was about to change. While Aguilar was not training for a marathon, there was artistic talent lurking within him? Claudine was about to get really excited about this until Aguilar’s smile really sank in; he was only joking. This realisation made her laugh. “Maybe this is the beginning of your art career then.’’

The Snakette flipped open her sketchpad to the next blank page. A look in Aguilar’s new direction told her that he was examining the supplies in the room. She tried to figure out how he was coping with all that was happening at Hogwarts; normally, the man looked so downcast during his lessons. Would it be inappropriate for her to ask? Probably.

“I was thinking my family,’’ she mumbled, looking down. “At the pool at the mansion or something of the sort.’’ They had been on her mind a lot lately, especially since she knew they would side with the Neo-Alliance.

Camilo chuckled, thinking that this attempt would be the beginning AND the end of his art career. But if he could find an (easy) art style that worked for him, he was willing to take it up as a new hobby.

Deciding to start with a sketch, he took a pencil, eraser and sketchpad as he listened to Claudine's reply. Oh ... her family. She sounded dispirited, which he thought he could understand. Being away from their family in a normal boarding school was tough enough, and this year the students were held hostage by a cult and not allowed to talk to anyone outside the school. He was upset too, but wanted to appear fine. It was his job to cheer students up!

"Hmmm. I'll draw my family too. At the dining table, having a meal together," he said with a smile and took the spot opposite Claudine. His family did not live in a mansion nor own a pool, but the thought of them enjoying a warm meal together lifted his mood. "I guess I'll start with my sister. She won't mind even if I make her look like a camel."

Hogwarts was a big place and it had a lot of classrooms and places where one could go if alone time was needed, something that she had found she’d needed more and more as the year had gone on and sure enough, one of her favourite places was the art room. Surrounded by art and usually quiet, it was a safe haven, a place where she could relax and express herself usually without anyone else around and it was there that Ingrid found herself today.

Hidden in back, surrounded in darkness, the second year Ravenclaw sat in the corner on the floor, arms wrapped around her legs and her head nestled on her knees. If anyone asked, she was in there developing some of the photos she’d been taking around Hogwarts, which wasn’t a lie because she actually did have photo’s developing at the moment, but that was nothing short of an excuse. No, she wanted to be alone. Alone to cry without judgement so that is what she did as she sat on the cold, hard floor.

Unluckily for Mamie, being Muggleborn meant her newfound flying hobby had to be put on hold.

Luckily for Mamie, she was a Hufflepuff which meant it was only a short excursion to the art classroom for her other hobby. She needed to do something fun after...well, everything. She hoped that Rosier and those folks wouldn't decide art was too "Muggle" and take this away from them, too. Or worse (for Mamie, at least), that the art classroom was some sort of reward that Muggleborns didn't deserve.

It was dark inside the art classroom, so Mamie shut the door behind her and cast a big Lumos so she could see. She did not see or hear Ingrid or anyone else in the room, but walked straight to the shelf of paints, lit wand held high, and started perusing them. What colors was she feeling today???

Red and black, probably.

Deep at the back of the art classroom, Ingrid sat quietly, almost asleep if she was being honest when the sound of a door alerted her to the presence of another person. Sitting up quickly, she pulled out her wand in the darkness of the dark room where photos were generated, unsure who was disturbing her crying time photography session. Scooting the door of the dark room open, she popped her head out, sure that she’d left the other part of the room in darkness but there is was, a bright light illuminated the room and attached to it was someone.

Why oh why couldn’t she master the disillusionment charm yet? Oh, right, because she was only a second year. Quietly, unsure if she was exactly allowed there, she silently scooted through the door to escape so no one would see her tear-streaked cheeky or her blotchy eyes when suddenly, out of nowhere, she was sent sprawling over the floor of the room as her foot hit something hard and metal.

OoooOoOoOOosHhshhHSHH

“Shoot! she grumbled as she rubbed her knees and waited with baited breath for the light and the person attached to it to discover her.

Mamie had found a tube of black paint and was choosing her shades of red when she heard a BIG noise. She jumped, dropping several paint tubes. Had the Hood Squad been hiding in the back of the room, just waiting for a Muggleborn?! She spun toward the noise, holding her wand defensively in front of her. "Who's there?!" she said nervously.

At least it wasn't soundproofed like the music room. If she screamed, someone might hear here.

She took a few cautious steps toward the noise. OH! "Ingrid," Mamie said, suddenly realizing and hurrying forward. "Are you hurt?"

SPOILER!!: Aguilar <3 I wanna keep this precious bby.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sunflower

Camilo chuckled, thinking that this attempt would be the beginning AND the end of his art career. But if he could find an (easy) art style that worked for him, he was willing to take it up as a new hobby.

Deciding to start with a sketch, he took a pencil, eraser and sketchpad as he listened to Claudine's reply. Oh ... her family. She sounded dispirited, which he thought he could understand. Being away from their family in a normal boarding school was tough enough, and this year the students were held hostage by a cult and not allowed to talk to anyone outside the school. He was upset too, but wanted to appear fine. It was his job to cheer students up!

"Hmmm. I'll draw my family too. At the dining table, having a meal together," he said with a smile and took the spot opposite Claudine. His family did not live in a mansion nor own a pool, but the thought of them enjoying a warm meal together lifted his mood. "I guess I'll start with my sister. She won't mind even if I make her look like a camel."

Multitasking {at least when it came to her art and balancing something else} was something Claudine kept finding easier to do. Holding a conversation and sketching was easy for her. As she listened to Aguilar, the outline of the front of the Blaze mansion started to take shape. But as her professor took a seat, the girl looked up. She was intrigued. After all, there wasn’t much knowledge on her part about the man.

“Do you have a big family?’’ Claudine questioned, wondering if he was going to draw his family as stick figures. A lot of beginners started off that way, herself included. Before the girl could stop herself, a hearty laugh escaped her and made her hastily cover her mouth. “Oh no. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to laugh.’’ But the camel joke was funny. But you know what? It had felt so good to laugh! There wasn’t much of that these days around Hogwarts.

Drawing and talking at the same time was easy for the flying instructor too, only because he was not taking the former too seriously. What he hoped to gain from this art activity was not a perfect family portrait (obviously) but just some relaxing time and a chance to remember the people he loved. Noticing that Claudine's mansion was starting to take shape on her sketchpad, he changed his plan of drawing his sister first and decided to establish the setting in his own sketch. Never hurts to follow the expert! With a few rough lines, his dining room had a ceiling, walls and windows. Perhaps he should tackle the table and food next, and then move on to his family.

Speaking of whom ... "Not really. It's just my parents, my twin sister and her husband." Which suddenly seemed like a LOT now that he was about to draw them. "They live in Argentina, did you know that's where I'm from?" He smiled, looking up from his dining room sketch. He did not think he mentioned his background to any student at Hogwarts, though he did have a flag of the Argentine Quidditch team in his office. As for drawing his family as stick figures, he was hoping to avoid doing that. His sister Denisse might disagree, but he thought horse-like faces were much more fun than stick figures. This thought also made him laugh a little, and the fact that he was laughing out loud with a student over a silly joke brought him an unfamiliar surge of joy. "That is quite okay, Miss Blaze. I give you full permission to laugh at my drawing when it's completed. I'm interested in hearing about your family too."

SPOILER!!: Mr. Soon-to-be-pro-artist <3

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sunflower

Drawing and talking at the same time was easy for the flying instructor too, only because he was not taking the former too seriously. What he hoped to gain from this art activity was not a perfect family portrait (obviously) but just some relaxing time and a chance to remember the people he loved. Noticing that Claudine's mansion was starting to take shape on her sketchpad, he changed his plan of drawing his sister first and decided to establish the setting in his own sketch. Never hurts to follow the expert! With a few rough lines, his dining room had a ceiling, walls and windows. Perhaps he should tackle the table and food next, and then move on to his family.

Speaking of whom ... "Not really. It's just my parents, my twin sister and her husband." Which suddenly seemed like a LOT now that he was about to draw them. "They live in Argentina, did you know that's where I'm from?" He smiled, looking up from his dining room sketch. He did not think he mentioned his background to any student at Hogwarts, though he did have a flag of the Argentine Quidditch team in his office. As for drawing his family as stick figures, he was hoping to avoid doing that. His sister Denisse might disagree, but he thought horse-like faces were much more fun than stick figures. This thought also made him laugh a little, and the fact that he was laughing out loud with a student over a silly joke brought him an unfamiliar surge of joy. "That is quite okay, Miss Blaze. I give you full permission to laugh at my drawing when it's completed. I'm interested in hearing about your family too."

Claudine would have been flattered to know Aguilar thought of her as a pro. The thought never occurred to label herself as one. Anyway. It was needless to say that she was enjoying the conversation despite the topic. You know how there are a rare few persons introverts take to almost immediately? Well, Aguilar seemed to be one of them.

Twin?

This fact intrigued the girl further. As did his country of birth. Claudine shook her head, tilting it slightly. “Well… I do hear a hint of your accent though I couldn’t place it.’’ It was a nice accent, by the way. Would it be appropriate to say that aloud. Definitely not. “Is it nice there? Do you miss it?’’ She believed that the country was in South America, a continent she’d never visited yet.

Aguilar was actually…cool as the kids say. Claudine found herself grinning out of sheer happiness, quite sure that everyone at Hogwarts had forgotten what that felt like. “You just might regret those words,’’ came her warning. And her family… her gaze dropped back to her sketchpad. There was no way she’d be telling anyone, with the exception of Heath, that they were aligned with the Neo crew. “It’s a huge family. I have one sister and a considerable amount of extended family members. That includes Morgan McCarthy.’’ #FunFact