After refusing to run alone for the first week or so of classes, Margaret had finally decided it would be okay to run alone after classes, or to attempt it at least. After depositing her bag in the dorm and changing into running-friendly clothes, she jogged out to the lake, intending to run along its banks.

But it was still somewhat warm out, so as she jogged along she had an idea. Pausing under the beech tree, she sat down to untie her shoes. She was not about to go swimming, no way, but wading a little bit...that might be okay. Just get her feet wet, literally.

The first couple of days had been busy but Simon was quickly finding his feet and getting back into the swing of the Hogwarts schedule. He was returning from sending a quick owl out with a letter to his wife when he decided to take a walk around the Grounds. Naturally, he ended up at his Favourite place. The Lake.

He looked at the Lake from afar at first and then he noticed one of his students out for a run. He didn’t know she was a runner. “Miss Turov! Fancy seeing you here today. Clearing the mind with a quick run?” he asked the younger girl before seeing that she was untying her shoes. Uhh well this was certainly perplexing, he thought.

“Barefoot running?” he questioned, amending his previous question about a run.

Oh no. Oh no no no no no.

Not the History of Magic professor. Why couldn't it be a professor of a class he actually liked? Like...Mr. Kazmi or somebody. She didn't look up at Professor Holden until she'd successfully removed her shoes and tucked her socks inside. And then stood up.

"Hello P-professor," she said politely. "Not barefoot running, no, I was, um, I was going to step into the lake. For a bit. Just my feet." She gestured at the very inviting-looking lake. They were allowed to swim in it. Or...people swam in it. She thought. "Do you? Run, I mean?"

Lia was taking full advantage of being back at Hogwarts. Every chance to be out on the grounds, she was taking it. It didn't matter if she was exploring alone or with a friend or just sitting somewhere reading. If she was keeping herself busy than she was happy.

Today's mission, spending some time by the lake with Sir Frederik Puffington was sleeping contently on her lap. Thankfully she was rather comfortable beneath one of the trees, her back up against its trunk, her bag at her side and a book in her hands. Whether or not she was truly reading it was still in question as she seemed to be staring out over the top of it out at the lake.

Aries MISSED the beach. Surfing and the sun. Swimming and Miss Minnie showing them the ocean. And even though the lake at hogwarts did not have the same feel - he found himself in front of it - ready to take a dip. He had promised Miss Minnie that he wouldn’t stop after all - not that she had asked, but he had anyway.

Slipping out of his shirt and kicking off his shoes, he wiggled his toe in the water - trying to get a feel of things - no one wanted a cold after all.

The sight in front of her didn't go unseen. She wasn't exactly reading the book in her hands anyhow. Truthfully she hadn't been for the past for minutes at least. Staring off into space, lost in her own little world as she daydreamed about her own little happy thoughts.

Or that's how it had been until a minute ago. "How is it? Is it cold?" Dahlia asked loud enough to be heard from her spot beneath the tree. Perhaps a good well placed heating charm might be in order?

Simon raised his eyebrow momentarily but then lowered it as Miss Turov explained that she was not barefoot running. "Ah... relaxing. It's not too... crisp?" he offered, wondering what the enamour with the Lake was. He had never been overly fond of the Lake or water in general.

He smiled, turning his gaze to the Lake in front of them. It was still strange to be here as an adult once more. He had often loved spending hours by the Lake with a good book or running (more so attempting to be athletic - he wasn't very athletic). "I do. I enjoy it quite a bit. Clears my mind and helps me solve problems and mysteries. Do you run?"

Crisp? Was that a fancy word for cold? She shrugged. "I dunno, I haven't been in yet!" she told Professor Holden. It was still somewhat warm outside, so she thought the lake would be not too cold. But if it was, she could just go back to running. With her shoes and socks on. She wiggled her toes expectantly, also turning to look at the lake. It didn't look too cold. And it was just her feet.

Margaret grinned. "Yeah! I run a lot, especially in the summer when I can't fly every day. It keeps me...nimble?" Was that the word? "For Quidditch." She did not run to...solve problems. Unless the problem was being fidgety. Running did help with that.

It was probably not funny but as they continued to walk - June found herself humming the most appropriate song ever, "the ants go marching one by one, hurrah, HURRAH"

Get it?

How could she not?

As they reached the lake, she turned around to the lot of them and waved her wand to set the pots down on the ground. "So - I am thinking lets plant some over there -- by the bank? and maybe over there by the trees?" she said, looking over at the kids and then at Kamran. The groundskeeper needed to have a very firm say in this after all.

"And I hope everyone remembers the basics of transferring a potted plant to the ground" she added, though her tone was light. Because by no means this was a lesson.

Was June... well, she was. Kamran could hear the humming, and shot her the most curious side-eye as they walked down to the lake, just about managing to keep the amused smirk off his face. Just.

Setting the potted plants down by carefully cancelling the levitation charm, Kamran stood and looked out over the lake, momentarily shielding his eyes from the autumn sun, though it only ended up bouncing off the water anyway. What a place, honestly. Best decision he'd made, coming back here. Wait. Second best.

Maybe third. But a close third.

He turned back to the others, looked from the trees to the way down the bank, and nodded. "Sounds good to me. If you all think there's a good place to start planting, then I'm all for it. Go right ahead." It would be nice to give the students some kind of ownership of the place, even if it was just the placement and arrangement of some plants. A sentiment Kamran had also thought would be case the year before, with beautifying up the school but... well. This would be different.

Reaching down, he picked up one of the plants and took his time inspecting it. Bad time to own up to the fact that his thumbs were not exactly on the green side?

Ash was... tolerating Professor Flamsteed. She was NOT an ant! She was an Ashley! But it was sort of funny, because they all got treated like ants, and Kazmi was here, soooo... she'd tolerate it a little longer. "What's your favorite color, Mr. Professor Kazmi Sir Mr.?" She paused as she thought for a moment. "I like blue the best. All the different shades. I'll go plant some blue flowers! But I also like pink, and red, and purple, and a very nice delicate gray color. And all the other colors ever to exist. I'm an artist, you know." He did know. She walked over to Flamsteed. "Can you show me how to plant these right? Pretty please?" She gave the herbology professor her best puppy eyes. She already knew how to do it, but maybe Flamsteed would be happy to show off.

Look at Ashley Fox. Being a helpful helper. No reason for the board to look twice at her! No reason at all! She didn't hate them or distrust them Haha why would anyone possibly think that?

Margaret didn't realize, not until they were on their way, that Ashley was also in the Flamsteed-Kazmi group. But...she wasn't changing her mind. She could plant plants and not bother Ash. It would be fine. She'd just...ignore her??? She followed a little behind, lugging the plants she'd grabbed because she was too nervous to try to levitate them.

She put her plants down, looking from Flamsteed to Kazmi to Ash. Why was she acting so strange? She'd certainly changed a lot since the two of them stopped being friends, she supposed.

"Do these want shade? Or sun?" she asked, gesturing where she'd put down the plants... mostly aimed at Kazmi since Ash was over trying to show off for Professor Flamsteed. And she wanted to stay away from Ash. She didn't want the plants to get cold or swampy or something. Flowers always seemed grumpier about where they were planted than tomatoes. And these didn't look like tomatoes.

Shuffling along with the crowd from the greenhouse, Atlas tried to stay close to Auntie June Professor Flamsteed without being TOO obvious that he was. He was still mad at her ABOUT THINGS but obviously not mad enough to discredit her soothing presence. Maybe that made him a worse person than he was already anticipating...he was just sticking to her because he needed something now...and the Board Goons had menacing quills with them to write stuff down.

Really, if they were so concerned with perfection or whatever their purpose was...they could just do the planting themselves. He would have asked, but he figured the response would be much like what the candle doing was last year - bonding and all that.

"Don't tear the flower from the stem of the plant," he offered the Herbology professor in response to her, er, 'trust' statement. "Maybe I should just dig holes."

He was pretty good at digging them for himself.

Dahlia may have been a bit on edge with the board members being around, okay, that was a lie. She was a lot on edge but she was doing her very very best to not let it show. How bad could it be if they were planting beautiful flowers? Nothing was wrong with all of these flowers.. right? Right? RIGHT?!?!

The stress was real but when Professors Flamsteed and Kazmi split off from the rest of the large group and headed towards the lake, Lia knew that's where she would be going too. So doing as told she carefully had selected some potted plants and carried them along with her as she kept in step with everyone else.

Oooooh! She knew that song! SHE. KNEW. THAT. SONG!

An instant smile tugged at her lips and she began to giggle but only a little. It was very hard not to join along in the quiet humming of the 'Ants Go Marching'. Can't help it that it was a catchy little tune.

Lia set the potted plants down at her feet and glanced around. "Professor Flamsteed? Can we plant these wherever we like if we know that they will grow up healthy and strong in that spot?" Just double checking before going ahead and doing anything.

Kamran would take the non-plant related question from Fox, even if was a little unexpected and came with that strangely ordered form of address. But she had all the right components there, and an address he accepted in amongst it all, so it was no bother. "I don't really have one, Miss Fox. Difficult to pick just one... I suppose it depends on the context. Muted colours, perhaps." As an artist, she'd know what those looked like. Otherwise, a total non-answer, perhaps, but them's the breaks.

As Fox moved on to June, Kamran instead turned to Turov, setting his own potted plant down - having confirmed that it was, in fact, certainly a plant, which probably also had some kind of scientific name - and checking over those she'd brought along. "Hm..." He looked up, scanned the banks of the lake, and considered the plants again. "Both, I'd say. If we get them planted near the trees, they can get a little of both throughout the day..."

Well. No time like the present. As Kamran scooped up more plants again, and started for the nearest of the trees, he spoke directly to the Gryffindor. "Feel free to pitch in with the digging, Mr Flamsteed. Plenty of trowels to go around." And magic. That too. Catching Donovan's question too, Kamran glanced at June and quietly nodded his approval, as opposed to wading in and intercepting a direct question.

After the professors and students had split off into groups, a handful of board members weren't far behind. They watched closely even as the group was in transit, jotting down copious notes about everything from the Herbology professor's humming, to the loose rock that caused a board member to almost stumble. No stone left unturned. Literally.

Once at the lake, one woman pursed her lips at this anywhere we like business. If ever there was a school full of children who needed boundaries. "No trip hazards, if you please. Nasty business." Nobody wanted to turn this place into a death trap.

Another board member glanced at that young man (Atlas), as though expecting another comment, before making a note of the Ravenclaw girl (Ashley)'s question, with a quietly ominous, "Hmm."

Tadhg knew quite a lot about flowers thanks to his girlfriend Lia, so he wasn't a stranger to them by any means. Although the board of governors that were here was making him feel uneasy, very uneasy if he must say. Although pushing that aside he followed Professor Flamsteed and Kazi as well as with Lia holding his hand in hers. Giving it a light squeeze he chuckled at the song Professor Flamsteed was singing, he knew that song as well.


Humming the song to himself he grabbed some flowers and looked for the perfect spot to plant them, he knew you couldn't just plant flowers had to be a certain perfect spot for them. Looking at the blueish purple like flower he looked around for a place to plant it. "Right here seems like a perfect spot to plant it and right by the bank, what do you think Bubbles?" He asked his girlfriend wanting to think what her opinion was on the issue.

Once they had reached their destination, Rosalie, amused by June's choice of marching song, carefully set the levitating potted plants on the ground. The lake really did seem like a great place to plant some of these.

It was great to see that some of the students were excited too, even if the board members' note-taking seemed a bit on the overboard side. But certainly thorough, at least, if nothing else.

"I'm certain we'll all take that into account." She smiled at the board woman. Rosalie doubted any of the students were planning on putting the plants anywhere they could be tripped over in the first place, but duly noted either way.

"Think I'll join in on the digging too," she added, this response more toward the younger Flamsteed student and Kamran, picking up one of the trowels as well. This would be better with a more hands on approach, no magic necessary if there was a possibility she might damage the plant. She felt confident enough in her abilities to think that it was unlikely to happen, but better safe than sorry. She didn't mind getting her hands dirty anyway.

After selecting one of the potted plants, Rosalie knelt down next to one of the spots by the bank June had suggested to begin.

Okay, near the trees, then. Mamie gave Mr. Kazmi a nod of understanding and proceeded to move her potted plants closer to the trees. Who needed levitation when you had good old-fashioned carrying things? Once situated with the plants, she overheard those board people saying no tripping hazards. Which...she'd never heard of somebody tripping over plants. Tree roots, maybe, but not little plants.

Adults were weird.

She began digging, just one hole to begin with, then looked up. Flamsteed wasn't watching her, right? She removed from of the plants from its pot, not being super gentle with the roots or the stems or the leaves, and deposited it in the hole. There. Happy plant. She used the trowel to pile some of the dirt back over the roots, to fill in the hole the rest of the way. That looked good. Right? Right. Planting plants wasn't hard.

Kins was here! She really, really was! She was just ... taking her time making her way from the greenhouse to the lake. Because. Well. It was just. She didn't want to use magic to levitate the flower pots in case the spell went some disastrous way (or no way at all...), something her spells often tended to do. And she really didn't want to look silly in front of everyone. So as a matter of precaution, she had to carry the pots all the way to the lake.

But she also didn't want to look like she wasn't pulling her weight or like she wasn't trying to participate or like she didn't want to help. So she had to carry a LOT of pots in her arms. Like five. And the only way to do that successfully was by hugging them all tight and walking really, really, REALLY slowly.

So she was here, but a little later than everyone else. BUT! She still had lots of pots in her arms, so! It was fine. Except. She hadn't figured out how to set them all down without dropping them all at once, so when she came to a stop... she just. Sort of. Lingered. With the hopes that a good idea would come to her, as they sometimes did.

But first, she had a question for the Governor people because she happened to settle in a spot near the one who was hmmmming. "How do you become a governor?" Did someone pick? Or was there an election? Not that Kins would ever want to be one herself, but she could maybe help Emm campaign for a spot one day. Maybe. If Emm wanted to do that. She'd be good at it, probably.

He knew they'd been following along behind, and he knew the board members were only here to make sure the project went off nicely, and to ensure all the kids were happy and healthy, and in a good environment, but Merlin...

Well... Kamran would leave that thought unfinished and unuttered. Would just do his job as usual, which was exactly what he was meant to be doing anyway.

They had a nice little group over here, so the actual planting was likely to be done in no time. Kamran too had dug out a couple of holes ready for the plants to be set into, but as they had a good effort going there, what with Rosalie helping out too, he made a conscious effort not to get too carried away. Then again, all it would take was a return trip for more plants, if they ended up with a surplus of new homes for them. Or just... filling the holes back in, much as that would be a wasted effort.

Kamran brushed his hands off, looked around, and noticed James stood there laden with more plants. "A few more incoming," he said to Rosalie, Turov, and whoever else was pitching in there, before pushing to his feet. He headed over, passing O'Neill and Donovan on the way, nodding subtly to himself in approval as they also got stuck in.

"Need a hand, Miss James?" Kamran asked the Gryffindor, holding out his hands to relieve her of some or all of the plants, while she predictably questioned the board members.

Trowel.

Now would be a bad time to admit to not knowing what one of those was...probably. Out of his element enough as it was, the third year simply gave the man a thumbs up and would rely on his observational skills of monkey see, monkey do to sort out what a trowel was.

Plus...he didn't want to make Auntie June Professor Flamsteed look bad in front of the Board members who just had this scowl about them that made Atlas assume that they were assuming the worst. The fact that he too was assuming the worst of them was unrelated and absolutely did not make him a hypocrite at all, just so everyone was clear on that.

Eyeing up the new Muggle Studies professor after her declaration of digging, Atlas sorted out just what exactly a trowel was and grabs one for himself to start digging. Dig a hole, space out three Atlas hands on the ground, dig another hole.

And again and again and again.

Lia crinkled up her nose a tiny bit. Trip hazards? She would never do that. Not with a plant or anything else. It wasn't her intention to harm anyone or anything while she helped find new spots for some of the plants. Just hearing the board member say that made her feel a little sick to her stomach and like all eyes would be on her now. They had completely taken her question out of context. All she had meant was, if they could plant the flowers anywhere around the lake or near the trees. Not that she was purposely going to stick them where someone would fall over them.

With her previous smile certainly now diminished and choosing to keeping quiet for the time being, Lia simply nodded her head at Tadhg. Getting a trowel she joined him over by the edge of the lake and sat down on her knees to get a real feel of the ground beneath her. "This is a good spot," she agreed once more this time in a verbal whisper as she began to careful dig a hole for one of the flowers.

The quicker she got to work, the better.

But would they? Would they take it into account? This board member was still thinking about that near-stumble back along the path, and had her doubts. All the same, she gave a curt nod, and stood by with the others, observing. Making a small note about children walking about hand in hand, too, as though there hadn't been enough distractions from their studies to be getting on with.

At the girl (Kinsay)'s question, the board members present looked up, but the Hmm-er provided the answer. "Governors are elected, from a pool of eligible candidates." He drew himself up slightly. That's right. Elected official. But, given the tendency of these children to cast doubt on the board, he decided to shut down this line of questioning before any of the students became tempted to overstep into impertinence. Already the signs were there (and plenty of notes had been made).

He pointed his quill between the student, the groundskeeper, and the plants. "I'm sure you'll be wanting to get these planted, hmm?" Surely it wouldn't be too long until they were finished, plenty of helping hands here.