Bernie had not seen her buddy ol' pal ol' friend Blake Ryan in a long, long time. Besides in classes; classes didn't count. She'd known he'd probably want to keep his head down this term but this whole meeting-in-clandestine thing? It was a bit much.

Naaaaw, who are we kidding. Meeting here "in secret" was all Bernadette's idea. Plus she could kill two flobberworms with one poisoned apple: All she wanted to do before she graduated in a year and a half was see where the Hufflepuffs lived. That was all. She had no other reason for exploring this section of the castle.

The Gryffindor loitered in the shadows by the barrels, her hood up and her wand hand twitching to start tapping. But she'd wait for Blake and see what he wanted to talk about, and THEN start tapping them to find the trick barrel...

Blake was glad that Bernadette still wanted to 'hang' out with him. This year had been terrible. He had done everything in his power to fly below the radar and that included spending the majority of his time in the common room. But he missed Bernadette, they had travelled to New York together almost 2 years ago already and felt their friendship had developed greatly. And he wasn't even going let these muggle haters keep him from Bernadette at least.

"Thanks for coming." He added when he first saw her. "Wasn't sure given the circumstances ... people would want to intermingle." That was a dumb thing to say, Blake new better then that. Bernadette wouldn't just leave him high and dry like that.

And that's when he noticed her wand out to. Wait was this an ambush of some kind? What was happening... "What's with the wands out?" Blake peered over his shoulder and drew his own wand. Was he going to be dueling for his life here? Or his freedom ... he was 1/2 wizard he really was, he couldn't prove it!!! His dad was pure blood!!! This school year was making him so paranoid.

Intermingle?! Bernie turned dramatically as Blake approached, her robe SWOOSHING just right as she peeked at him from under her hood. How fun. She was incognito here, could he tell? "But what does that mean?" she murmured to herself. Intermingle. Was this some kind of joke because Bernie had fewer wizard parents than Blake (aka, no wizard parents)??! He didn't wanna hang out with her now??!?

Then the wands question. "Wands out ALWAYS, Blake," she admonished him with a shake of her hood back and forth. "You can't be too careful around here this year." But also, just to settle himself, since she knew he was a worrier, she added, "I was going to tap the barrels to see which one leads to the Hufflepuff common room. I KNOW it's right around here."

Bernie nodded and took a moment to get a proper look at Blake, up close and personal like this. She actually had to... tilt her head back?! "Did you get taller?" And when had that happened? Or maybe she had gotten shorter??!

Nahhhhh. She was probably going to be 5'4'' forever.

This school year was awful, and even now he was forgetting who his friends really were. "Sorry ... the intermingle comment wasn't necessary." Blake blushed his signature red color, he didn't really mean anything by it, he was just so worried about everything that most of his comments didn't make much sense anymore.

"Wands always out is probably the best option around here these days." Blake wasn't much of a dueler, he had proven that in lessons more than once, he didn't stand a chance this year, or if this turned into another wizard war, he's just offer him self up, what else could he possibly do? "I thought it was behind the painting where you tickle the pear?" Blake responded in trying to find the Hufflepuff common room - also he wasn't so sure poking around for a common room that wasn't theirs would end up well for them, this year more than any other.

And then he smiled a wide smile. He had missed her so much! "Well, a couple inches anyway ... I'm 5'10 now." There, he hadn't realized how much taller than Bernadette he has become.

Aww, Blake. Bernie saw him turning red and lightly reached out to punch him on the arm. "It's alright." She'd let him off the hook this one time, she supposed.

Bernie nodded at the comment about wands, starting her tapping on the barrels with her wand now that Blake was here. "What?" She laughed, glancing at him and then tilting her head back to the part of the hallway where the tickled pear portrait was. "You thought the Hufflepuffs lived behind the pear?! Blaaaaake, haven't you ever been into the kitchens to meet the house elves?!"

She laughed again. Okay, so he was actually proper adult-sized now and Bernie was not sure how she felt about that. "I can see that," she confirmed for him, looking UP at him again and then down at the barrels once more. "I hope you didn't outgrow me, your old Gryffindor friend...." Just saying.

And then she started tapping on the barrels, randomly, hitting them with too much force because she was feeling feelings and not liking those feelings.

Blake blushed yet again, would he ever grow out of that? Jeez!!! "Oh that's right the kitchens!!!" He had himself confused there, he had been to the kitchens once ... but had forgotten it was behind the pear! "Well we might just have to get a snack next since I don't seem to remember where it was!" He told her smiling and twirling his own wand around. He didn't have as much desire as Bernadette about finding the Hufflepuff common room.

And then he smiled an even bigger smile. "I could never outgrow you Bernadette." She was his best friend ... and Blake often felt like he blurred the lines between best friend and girlfriend. A fact that he had never brought up with Bernadette, so maybe she didn't noticed how often he flirted ... flirted rather badly he would admit, but flirting non the less.

"That was one of the reasons I wanted to see you though ....." Okay deep breath ... could he actually ask her out on a date? He wasn't sure, I mean he had grown up with her. She was one of his first friends .. and realistically one of his only friends .. what if things went south ... what if they ended up hating each other .. Blake wasn't sure he would be able to stand the thought of that ... so he kind of just went silent and tapped on a couple of barrels.

Bernie honestly loved messing with Blake so much. His blushing problem made him SO easy to read, unlike..... SOME Slytherins.

"I think you should," she agreed to his snack idea with a little smile, particularly since he confirmed their continued friendship, and that freed her up to continue to smack barrels as she tried to find the RIGHT ONE. It was fruitless so far. She didn't half hear him as he started to say something, because she was vehemently smacking barrels with her wand, as though she were smacking a bass drum, and she'd even take the vinegar to the face at this poin---

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

"IT'S IN MY EYE, IT'S IN MY EYE!" Bernie YELLED, stumbling backwards as she scrubbed at her eyeball. A load of clear white vinegar had shot straight into the eye from one of the barrels. The worst part was, she'd just been tapping things senselessly, with no real plan for this, and so she didn't even know which barrel it was to warn Blake off from tapping it...

Okay so .. they have established that they were in fact getting a snack after this crazy business, so he could make his efforts worth it and make it a date right? Run into the kitchen and grab a snack/picnic and then take it out to the grounds and have a date. Okay whew this was going to work it really was ... Taking a deep breath ... here goes nothing.

"Well I was wondering if you'd like to ....." But before Blake could actually finish his question a foul smell filled the air and Bernadette started screaming. "Dear Merlin!!" Blake screeched and ran toward her to see if she was okay. "Bernadette!!!" Blake was concerned for her safety really.... what was it ... after taking stock of the actual smell, it was vinegar. Okay so though probably very painful in the eyeball, it wasn't poison ... at least he didn't think so.

"Are you okay babe?" Dear Lord .............. he said babe ..... Blake had just bad this bad situation even worst... what in the world was he thinking.

BABE?! BABE?! To add insult to injury, Blake was now calling her BABE?!

How dare he!!!!!!!

"CAN YOU PLEASE JUST AGUAMENTI MY EYEBALL," Bernie half-pleaded, half-cried as she flapped her hands and lost her balance, landing on her bum on the tile floor. HOW DARE BLAKE PICK A TIME LIKE NOW TO FLIRT!?!! WITH HER?!!!?