Her terrible, horrible, no good, very bad train ride had turned into a terrible, horrible week, and the only two ways to cure an awful week were food and exercise. Today she was focusing on the exercise.

Regrettably, the exercise at hand was a jog with Cooper. The only good part of this was that if she ran very, very fast, they wouldn't be able to chat much.

So the fifth year had arrived early to the grounds, and was sitting on a dirt pathway, legs sprawled out in front of herself. Stretching.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Waddles

Her terrible, horrible, no good, very bad train ride had turned into a terrible, horrible week, and the only two ways to cure an awful week were food and exercise. Today she was focusing on the exercise.

Regrettably, the exercise at hand was a jog with Cooper. The only good part of this was that if she ran very, very fast, they wouldn't be able to chat much.

So the fifth year had arrived early to the grounds, and was sitting on a dirt pathway, legs sprawled out in front of herself. Stretching.

Know who was not having a terrible, horrible, no good very bad week? That would be one Cooper Branxton who had someone walked into seventh year shedding a lot of the insecurities and potato comparisons that had plagued him for parts of his fifth year and the majority of his sixth year. Perhaps it had been the freedom of this summer compared to last or perhaps something else, but he was feeling quite fit as he jogged his way down from the castle to meet up with Mamie.

He felt a bit naked without his camera, but that was another thing he had told himself (and Mercer was very good at reminding him of) to be more mindful of...and that was not living live behind the lens. So far that was moderately working out for him - he had only used up two rolls of film this week as opposed to the usual five or so.

Thinking he was early (5 minutes early was already 10 minutes late, you know), Cooper slowed his pace when he spotted the brunette already out here stretching. He should have anticipated this knowing her, but it still brought a chuckle to his face and casual grin.

"Looks like I've got some catching up to do then," he greeted while moving right into some lunge stretching. "So...what are you feeling like today? A casual jog around the grounds or will we be making it a race?"

Honestly, he was just glad they were back to the occasional jog together - he did tend to prefer to exercise on his own. Things had been rocky with plenty of ups and downs between them over the past terms.

"...or something else entirely?"

Who would have supposed Cyril would have missed being part of Hogwarts as much as he had been? After the years had passed, he didn't even know there had been many memories for him TO miss. But more he wandered, the more fond memories he had. There were some sad too, naturally, and he did tend to avoid certain parts of the grounds when he was able. His main focus was just remaining positive, and connecting with both the students and the creatures alike.

And what was the best way to connect with a magical creatures? Snacks and treats of course, just as one would do with the mundane or even other humans. The man was aware he probably looked silly, gardening gloves on his hands, straw sun hat on his head, a small trowel in one hand and a jar attached via a rope hanging around his neck like that of a necklace. If one stepped closer, they could see there was already an assortment of beetles in the jar but it was not nearly enough for his bribery.

Which was why he was on the hunt for worms. Humming a jig loudly to himself, the Care of Magical Creatures professor lowered himself closer to the ground and begin to make a small hole near a bench with his trowel. He was confident he could fix any holes he made after he was done gathering (after all, last thing he wanted to do was mess with any of Javier's hardwork) but keeping it out of the way ensured no students would trip if he were to look away for a moment.

Normally, Maya would not have stopped in her tracks and ask someone what they were doing. Especially when it was none of her business. Occasionally, her curiosity would get the best of her and she would find herself asking and regretting it later. And this was definitely something that had piqued the Slytherin's interest.

It was an Amstern. And not just any Amstern but she was fairly certain this new professor was a direct relation of Kimmie Amstern. Who she adored.

And to top it all off, the new professor also looked a bit... odd. It wasn't every day you saw one of your professors digging a hole in the ground while wearing a straw hat. Professor Amstern almost looked like a farmer. She slowly moved closer to the crime scene, wondering if professors needed permission to dig up the grounds or if they were welcome to do as they wished since they were faculty. But what was he doing? Did he even hear her over whatever he was humming to himself? If he didn't, surely her shadow gave her away.

"Professor?" Maya said a bit timidly. "Are you... looking for something?"

Maybe he was digging up an old time capsule? Perhaps he had been a Hogwarts student back in the day?

Margaret looked up when she heard Cooper's voice, smiling slightly out of habit as she watched him start stretching too. Lunges...good idea. She pushed herself to her knees, then joined him in the lunge stretching. "I like the sound of casual," she said, casually. "Or racing."

She steadied herself, then balanced on one leg so she could stretch the other.

"Something else? Like...what did you have in mind?" There were very few things that sounded better than running right now. Flying, maybe. Swimming, then she wouldn't have to talk to him at all. If he suggested photography like they'd done sometimes, she'd probably say no...although it would be a good way to get him to talk and let her think and stew.

Truth be told, her relating him to that of the look of a farmer was not that far off. He'd tried his hands at various crops over the years on his land in Ireland, but vegetation wise not much had flourished under his care. He had always been far better with his various horses, but that didn't mean he didn't still have all the attire. Which came in handy for moments like these, as he finally found one of his squirmy friends he had been hunting for. "Aha, there you are!" He pulled it out of the ground, before turning and looking at his jar and realizing...

He had not yet opened it.

He stared at the offending jar for a moment, perplexed on how to remove the lid now that he was holding the worm. Gloves hardly gave a good grip, let alone one handed in order to open something. Perhaps if he let his worm down... even if it burrowed again, it shouldn't be too hard to unearth. He supposed that was his best option for the present.

Well... it was, until a student addressed him. Glancing up, Cyril smiled at the younger student and her question, giving a nod. "I am, yes. Worm hunting. I didn't plan ahead and order a sufficient amount for treats for some of the creatures but... lucky for me, these happen to be aplenty in the earth." Hopefully anyways. He squinted a little, trying to determine if he had any inkling to the girl's name before thinking that he did and going for it, hoping he was accurate. "Nam, was it? Would you mind opening that jar for me so I can drop this little guy in?"

Quote:

Originally Posted by Waddles

Margaret looked up when she heard Cooper's voice, smiling slightly out of habit as she watched him start stretching too. Lunges...good idea. She pushed herself to her knees, then joined him in the lunge stretching. "I like the sound of casual," she said, casually. "Or racing."

She steadied herself, then balanced on one leg so she could stretch the other.

"Something else? Like...what did you have in mind?" There were very few things that sounded better than running right now. Flying, maybe. Swimming, then she wouldn't have to talk to him at all. If he suggested photography like they'd done sometimes, she'd probably say no...although it would be a good way to get him to talk and let her think and stew.

He was accustomed to her smile being a bit...brighter than that, but doesn't press the observation just yet. Shifting from lunge to some standing squad stretches, he couldn't help but chuckle as his friend agreed to...everything. No preference was not necessarily a bad thing either, but it did put more pressure on him to pick the 'right' non-preference. Maybe a combination of casual racing then? Though Mamie had a competitive streak, even when she was being quiet and relaxed, so casual was not always out of the equation - and that wasn't a bad thing. Her competitiveness was something that gave her a certain strength that he admired, particularly because he lacked it. That specific drive. So, casual or not, it was always a privilege to take a jog with her.

"Oh, well, I dunno," he chuckled again and moved one of his hands from his foot to run through his hair (which was particularly floofy today). Only that was a half lie, because he did have a few little ideas and, remarkably, none of them involved a camera. "Making up out own variation of Pingo." She had heard of that, right? Casting colors at each other in what he was pretty sure Professor Schmoe had called paintball once. Only there were no balls involved. "That is...assuming you've got your wand with you and aren't too intimidated with the idea of duelling with a seventh year."

The last bit was entirely said in jest, as hopefully the playful wink he offered after conveyed. He hardly considered himself to be intimidating at all - especially now with Mercer at Hogwarts and climbing all over him like a baby monkey on the daily

She was very competitive, he was right about that. She switched which leg she was stretching, holding an arm out for balance with this one. He wanted to duel? That seemed unlike him. But it also seemed...somewhat appealing. She watched him muss his floofy hair, remembering he'd promised to let her braid it sometime. She'd have to go for that offer sometime.

She didn't miss the wink. Blushing for the slightest moment, Margaret put both feet on the ground and shrugged. "I have my wand," she said. Didn't go anywhere without it, not since second year. "Is it okay, though? You might get colors in your hair." She gave him a slightly more genuine, but still small, smile. He wasn't the only one who could make jokes. And speaking of hair, she fidgeted with her own ponytail. Whether they jogged or played magical paintball, she needed her hair securely off her face.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Waddles

She was very competitive, he was right about that. She switched which leg she was stretching, holding an arm out for balance with this one. He wanted to duel? That seemed unlike him. But it also seemed...somewhat appealing. She watched him muss his floofy hair, remembering he'd promised to let her braid it sometime. She'd have to go for that offer sometime.

She didn't miss the wink. Blushing for the slightest moment, Margaret put both feet on the ground and shrugged. "I have my wand," she said. Didn't go anywhere without it, not since second year. "Is it okay, though? You might get colors in your hair." She gave him a slightly more genuine, but still small, smile. He wasn't the only one who could make jokes. And speaking of hair, she fidgeted with her own ponytail. Whether they jogged or played magical paintball, she needed her hair securely off her face.

Well...it was less a duel and more tag. But leave that to her competitive side to immediately file it under the former. Her question had him laughing again as he dropped his one foot to the ground and switched up his stretch, this time making a real display out of ruffling his hair since it was the topic of conversation. "I am sure it can survive a bit of magical coloring," he mused, pulling a bit of the front of the floof down towards his nose and crosses his eyes to look at it. "Nothing a shower or Tergeo couldn't fix in any case."


Thighs sufficiently stretched, Cooper planted his feet firmly to the ground about a shoulder's width apart and twisted a little at the waist to loosen up some more. Maybe when the weather was transitioning from spring to summer instead of conjuring paint they could conjure water instead. He really just...wanted to have some lighthearted fun this term. Nothing too crazy...but the burden of responsibility he kept shoveling on to himself was becoming heavy even for his sturdy shoulders.

And maybe he and Mamie could rope some others into their little fun too. Ahem, ahem. Like a certain professor and little Nam meandering around nearby...

"So...we're on then?" he asked with a cheeky grin.

At the 'aha', Maya took the smallest of steps back wondering if maybe... just maybe this was the deranged side of the Amstern family? Every family had their odd one out, right? She watched the professor as he pulled something from the ground and look at... a jar? Odd.

She was reassured by the smiling face of the older gentleman. When he smiled, Maya couldn't help but think that he looked much warmer when he did so. When he wasn't, the new professor looked like an angry Santa much grumpier and intimidating. She smiled back at him politely. Worm hunting. Her nose wrinkled at the idea of it and at the worm. Sure it was something that she had seen in basic muggle science classes but she had never actually thought about where they came from and how they were... harvested? If that was the right word.

"Worm... hunting..." she muttered. Was there not a catalog where he could order everything the way a muggle teacher could? Odd.

She gave him a smile when he said her surname. Maybe he had heard of her if the professor was indeed related to Kimmie? Not wanting bad news to make its way to the former Hufflepuff, Maya gave a nod of her head and knelt on the ground with the professor. She was careful not to sit in the dirt thought. "Sure," she said as she reached for the jar and popped open the lid. Easier than a jar of pickles. "Do you do this often, professor?" Winter season was coming so there much be a lot of worms he was looking for.

It was well past time for Delilah to head out for some fresh air. Classes had gotten underway, homework had gotten underway, and she was just exhausted. She wasn't ready to sleep necessarily, but her mind just needed a break from schoolwork. Having been homeschooled, she was used to a different pace. Hogwarts had been full speed ahead.

The Gryffindor headed out toward the pathways and did pretty much nothing but enjoy the scenery. It would have been nice to have a friend out here, too, but that kind of thing had been just the opposite of her Hogwarts classes--slow speed head. Why did it seem like everybody knew everybody else...but her?

She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice the tree root growing out of the ground and into a sort of rainbow-type arch before it sunk back into the ground again. Her shoe went right under the root, resulting in her stumbling a few feet and nearly falling flat on her face. She did end up catching herself, though.

Ahem. Nobody saw that, did they?!

In her defense, Cooper was the one who'd called it dueling. Which probably helped Margaret agree to it. She squinted, watching his hair. It was too floofy. And would look good purple, probably. Purple was the best color.

"Okay, then. Yes, let's...play," she said, reaching for where she'd tucked her wand. Drawing, it, she too squared her feet. A quick glance around gave her some ideas for where she could duck behind, if she needed to. "Um. Who goes first?" Was this like a...taking turns type of thing? Or should she just go for it? It didn't seem quite fair to just...start casting at him...

Cyril might have been the tiniest bit offended if he could have heard her thoughts. Deranged? He was most certainly not! Although, he supposed if there did have to be one in every family he was probably a better candidate than his daughter in law, grandchildren or great grandchildren whom were all perfect. Perhaps the black sheep status could have been pinned to one of his siblings or their lines?

He'd been told many a time he looked mean with his resting face, which was why the Care of Magical Creatures Professor attempted to keep himself smiling more often than not. He was not here to intimidate the children unless they were mishandling creatures or bullying each other. He was here to teach. And who was going to put their all into studying for a teacher who was MEAN? Flies preferred honey, wasn't it? He saw the nose wrinkle, and the man couldn't help the small chuckle. He was well aware it was not everyone's favorite activity, though he certainly did not mind it.

"Worm hunting!" He said again pleasantly, showing off his catch as it wriggled between his fingers. "It's not the most pleasant of tasks, but not the worst either." Still far preferable to mucking out the stalls.

He gave a small relieved sigh when she knelt to the ground and began working on the jar lid for him. He had not been sure the Slytherin, at least that's what he believed she was, was willing to assist given the beetles already gathered within the glass. "Much obliged, Miss Nam!" He dropped his worm friend in, before turning to go back to the small hole and see if he could catch another. Luck was on his side, as he could see the faintest amount of movement in the earth and reached back in. "Not too often. I generally just order them by the buckets, but in my haste to get ready for the term I seemed to wait to long to do so. This is just a small collection to tide me over until my delivery comes in." He grabbed the pink crawler from the dirt and turned again to drop it into the jar with the others.

Glancing up after he did so, he smiled again at Nam before looking behind her and spotting a few other students who appeared to have just completed some stretches. The grounds really were a lovely place to go for a run, as he assumed they would be doing so.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Waddles

In her defense, Cooper was the one who'd called it dueling. Which probably helped Margaret agree to it. She squinted, watching his hair. It was too floofy. And would look good purple, probably. Purple was the best color.

"Okay, then. Yes, let's...play," she said, reaching for where she'd tucked her wand. Drawing, it, she too squared her feet. A quick glance around gave her some ideas for where she could duck behind, if she needed to. "Um. Who goes first?" Was this like a...taking turns type of thing? Or should she just go for it? It didn't seem quite fair to just...start casting at him...

Touché. And maybe they could both write that off as his subconscious being intentional with the wording, knowing that it would entice her a bit more. She did seem like she needed a jolt of something and, well, he loved a good water fight and other sorts of playful shenanigans when he was feeling a bit stuck on the mud.

Also? He did fancy purple. But for her...he felt he may stick with something a little brighter. Though he was also very likely to change it up a bit. He was just going to try not to think too deeply on it.

Wiggling his brows at her, he twirled his wand between his fingers while leaning forward a bit. "We start in 3...2...1..." And he lifted his wand so it dangled above both their heads, voice lowering to a whisper. "Pingo Orange."

It was just a little poof or orange that showered over both their heads, but at the last second he pulled away and turned around to start his dash in the opposite direction.

Lisa needed to be away from the castle. She loved her friends but sometimes she needed some quiet time to just think and walk. Stuffing her hands into her sweater, she continued down one of the many paths, exploring it as she listened to the wind rustling the leaves in the trees. She wondered if a weather change was due in with the wind picking up. She’d have to ask Stewie about that…

Unfortunately for Delilah, Lisa had witnessed the almost fall. Oh no! She found herself rushing towards the younger year to see if she was alright. She did wonder why she was alone… where were her friends? “Hey, that was a good catch… are you okay? Where did your trip take you?”

Her Dad would always ask them after they tripped or stumbled on where in the world that they visited.

Delilah gripped the side of a nearby bench to steady herself. When she was sure she wouldn't faceplant, she let go of the bench and took a deep breath. Well. That had been graceful. She was still holding on to the hope that nobody had seen her little mishap, when a slightly older girl came rushing up to her. Great. Somebody had seen it after all. Delilah felt her cheeks flush just a little. Why did that have to happen to her? Just when she was trying to fit in and make friends, she makes a complete fool of herself in front of an older student.

At least the girl seemed to only want to help her. "Thanks," she said, trying to laugh it off. She was still sure she was blushing, though. Her eyebrows wrinkled in confusion. "Where did my trip take me? What trip?" she asked. She'd just been taking a little walk around the grounds. Maybe that was what this girl was talking about. Maybe she meant that she tripped and almost fell? Hmm. "I'm Delilah, by the way. First year Gryffindor." She hadn't been wearing her robes or tie, so she decided to throw in what house she'd been sorted into. She didn't think this girl was a Gryffindor, and if she was, Delilah hadn't seen her around the common room yet.

Still somewhat distracted by his hair, Margaret lagged a bit on the countdown, so she did not manage to dart away from the poof of orange he'd conjured. Instead, it landed on her shoulder. "Cooper, come back!" she shouted, finally smiling as she ran after him. It was a good thing they did all that stretching, if this was what they were doing.

"Pingo...pingo purple!" She aimed her wand at him to cast the spell, then ducked behind a bush.

He supposed he was moderately disappointed that it had only powdered her shoulder with color, but there would be plenty of time for the rest as they just let loose and gave Hogwarts a splash of color. Literally. And magical color was environmentally safe, which had been something he had wanted to be considerate of too.

The smart thing to not be hit would be to dash around serpentine, not a straight line, but the thing about to right now was that he really did not care about being hit. In fact...he rather welcomed it. Which is why when Mamie's Pingo Purple smacked him square between the shoulders, he simple laughed loudly before squaring up and casting a blind Pingo Green in the direction he calculated was where Mamie had come from...only when he finally turned around and his eyes refocused, the Hufflepuff was no were to be seen...but his blast of color was heading towards someone very much not his jogging buddy.

Okay...but now this begged the question as to where and what had she just dipped behind? Finding himself a tree, Cooper positioned himself behind it and out of view for the moment. Upon counting to twenty, Cooper did peek his head around to see if he could spot her movements.

Once the second worm had been unearthed, Cyril reached out and grabbed it in his gloved hand, pulling it from the dirt and rotating his body in order to drop it in amongst his other worm and beetle friends. He was just about to the jar when...

Splat.

Where there once was a clean, albeit it strangely dressed Professor, there now was a man under a smattering of green. His beard was now quite the jolly color, matching his newly colored hat, which had protected the majority of his skin. Who knew sun hats could manage to be so multiple purpose? Perhaps it should be a standard for all his lessons.

There was the shortest pause as he finished his task, dropping the worm in the jar and closing the lid, before turning towards Ms. Nam, the amusement evident in his eyes. "Might I suggest coverage, Ms. Nam? I believe we are under siege. The bench should offer some protection." In a pinch.

Professor Amstern reached for his wand from it's holster. "And remember. Pingo." He showed the wand movement, just in case it was not a spell she was familiar with. Better to be safe than sorry. And with that taken care of.

He stood, brushing off the dust of his knees and raised his wand "Pingo Blue!" Just for you, Mr. Ravenclaw. He did not wait to see if the spell hit it's mark, as he was already on a mad dash towards the nearest bush to try to hide within it.

It was good the years with his horses and grandchildren kept him agile, despite the barrel roll into coverage not being quite as fluid as it once would have. He might feel that one in the evening.

She wrinkled her nose as she watched the worm get plopped into the jar. "You're welcome," Maya said politely, holding the jar out at arms length in case the professor had another worm to drop in there. Considering the jar had only just been opened, she had a feeling they were going to be here a while. The Slytherin was ready to commentate on the professor's preparation but she heard a splat.

Her head shot straight up, eyes wide as she looked around and saw the green on her professor's beard. "Professor Amstern, I swear it wasn't-" Maya was ready to apologize and say it wasn't her. In looking around she could see two other students - Cooper and Margaret - who were the culprits. The professor also didn't seem all too mad about it? Instead he actually seemed rather amused.

Still holding the jar, she quickly fumbled to get the lid on it to ensure none of the worms would crawl away. Not that they could climb over the sides.

He reminded her of her Appa when they got into a lightsaber fight with her other siblings. The way he showed her the wand movement and the advice was similar to that of her Appa that she couldn't help but giggle and nod. "Yes sir! Is it us against them?" she asked, hiding behind the bench and pulling her own wand out. "Are there any rules?"

Was it a... free for all...?

Lisa smiled warmly at the younger year. Her confusion was endearing. “It’s a joke. My Appa would always ask me when I tripped so I’d reply with somewhere I wanted to travel too like Naboo, Paris, or Japan to see my friend Misa,” she explained. Hopefully the joke was still kind of funny after explaining it but she was glad to share her knowledge because it was SOMETHING she LOVED to DO! Teeheehee.

Lisa liked her name. It was musical. “Nice to meet you, Delilah! Gryffindor’s a cool house. My eldest brother was a Gryffindor.. He’s graduated but he loved his house,” she nodded and then she paused, realizing she hadn’t introduced herself. “I’m Lisa. Lisa Nam.” The one and only Lisa. “Third Year Ravenclaw.”

“So first things first - what do you think of Hogwarts so far? Like your dorm mates? You can be honest if you don’t..”

When no paint found her behind the bush, Margaret leaned up and peered out over the top. Cooper had gone...somewhere. Had she even hit him? It was hard to say. It was obvious, however, that the new professor...creatures, maybe? Had been hit with some green, presumably from Cooper.

The older man looked kind of funny, joining in on the game.

She followed where the professor had pointed her wand, assuming that's where Cooper had gone, and aimed her wand in the same direction, trying to decide on a color. But then--she saw Maya Nam had ducked under a bench.

Maya she wouldn't feel bad about spraying with magical paint. Well. A little bad. Maya had always been very nice to her, especially recently. But still. It was all in good fun. Margaret aimed her spell at Maya instead, whispering, "Pingo pink." It would be a good color on the Slytherin.

....either Mamie had done something to disguise her voice, swallowed a frog, or there was someone else who had just joined the fray. Watching a burst of blue fly right by his hiding place and smack the trunk of the tree in front of him, Cooper blinked a few times before peeking out from behind his own tree trunk to see none other than the Care of Magical Creatures professor performing a barrel roll of all things. It was certainly an unexpected turn of events, but one the seventh year welcomed.

Popping out from his hiding spot, and with a very prominent purple splat on his back, he spotted Mamie casting towards Maya and decided to try and go for a double whamming himself. "Pingo Yellow!" That one directed at Mamie. "Pingo Red" That one directed at Maya. The Ravenclaw's eyes then darted to the bushes, wand in hand and an entirely too amused expression on his face, to keep an eye out for any particularly unusual rustling.

Did that answer your question, little Nam? Absolutely a free for all.

Had it not been imminent to find coverage before he'd managed to end up with another color, one that likely would have clashed terribly with his now green look, the man would have had more time to assure Ms. Nam he had not concluded it was her fault. But even if it was, the Care of Magical Creatures Professor was not opposed to having some fun and getting dirty. It kind of came with the job description. Some of his creatures could be playful, or unruly.

Perhaps before running he should have established some type of alliance. But that was hardly fun, was it? And while he would have loved to help the young Slytherin establish some rules of the game.

... Frankly he did not know them.

The man popped his head just barely from the top of the bush, watching the spells shooting between the others. He knew Mr. Branxton had likely seen where he'd gone, but Ms. Turov was probably unaware. At least, that was the assumption he would go based on. Raising his wand he cast a spell off in her direction, "Pingo Pink!"

He couldn't resist leaving his head up to see if the spell hit, giving away his location.