Welcome

[Gillian Wood]

Gillian was stressing horribly. She had a Charms lesson in less than an hour and she'd heard Hunnygrew was giving a spot test. Of course, the idea of a spot test was to surprise the students and see how much the really knew, but Gill felt the pressure anyway. She wanted to do well, Charms was her best subject and she didn't want her marks to drop simply because the Professor was feeling spontaneous.

She had rushed up the stairs and was heading for the common room after coming from the Quidditch Pitch where she'd been taking a break and heard the news. She held her Charms textbook in her hand and paid no attention to those around her. Strangely though, the entire second floor seemed to be deserted. She continued to walk, but stopped on hearing a very strange sound. She looked up straight ahead o her and felt the hairs on her neck stand up. She turned to look behind her, but there was nothing there.

She shook her head, certain it was just the panic that had welled up inside her. She continued forward muttering incantations and effects of spells as she went. There it was again. The faint sound of an extra pair of feet falling in step behind her. She stopped and they stopped slightly afterward. She turned again, but saw nothing. It didn't sound like the natural echo of the halls, it was too definite, too heavy. She narrowed her eyes as a possibilty crossed her mind. Peeves.

She continued to walk, pretending to focus on her work as the sound began again, she jumped round and tried to see the offender. There was no one there. She began to freak out, contemplating any Dark Magic she knew might be lurking. When nothing happened, she began to walk again, but, as she did, her footsteps changed and it sounded like she was walking in water. She stopped and looked down. At her feet lay a large pool of water and she was reminded of a story she'd once heard about the famous Harry Potter. She stared at the pool, puzzled and a little freaked out. She became transfixed as the water seemed to be moving, making strange patterns, almost like those seen on a bubble when it is observed closely.

Meanwhile, another student had come along the corridor and seen her standing there. She was not paying attention at all and suddenly, a hand rested on her shoulder to enquire whether or not she was feeling all right. She screamed, not sure what to expect. Her Charms Book went flying and she turned on the other, pulling her wand. She calmed as she saw who it was, "Sorry, I thought... Something really strange just happened to me. "

[Bo Zlata]

Bo had been studying for four days. He knew everything they had covered so far backwards. All the spells were practiced, all the effects they could produce known. He had heard rumours from semi-reliable sources that Professor Hunnygrew was going to spring a test on them and he wanted to be ready. He worked really hard to prove to his aunt that he belonged at Hogwarts and tried his best not to be caught off guard. He wasn’t Slytherin but that didn’t make him any less proud of his pure-blood heritage.

He had been in the Hufflepuff common room but decided to go to lessons early. It was far better to wait outside the classroom door and go mad there than it was to go mad here and be late. He packed up his books, made sure he had everything he would need and set off up the stairs. He was on the second floor landing when he noticed a shadow he recognised and wondered if he had time to follow. He watched the shadow disappear down the hallway but as he looked up the stairs to the third floor, he could swear out the corner of his eye was another shadow but when he looked, there was nothing there and he immediately dismissed it as one of the ghosts. Deciding he had time, he set off down the second floor corridor after the figure.

She had gone about three quarter’s the way up the corridor but she had been immersed in a book. However as he rounded a suit of armour, he noticed that she was standing in a puddle of water staring at it.

She was not paying attention at all and suddenly, a hand rested on her shoulder to enquire whether or not she was feeling all right.

Bo had recognised Gillian’s hair. She was in his year and they were in the same Charms class together. As he arrived, she was still staring at the water and without thinking, Bo placed his hand on her shoulder.

She screamed, not sure what to expect. Her Charms Book went flying and she turned on the other, pulling her wand. She calmed as she saw who it was, "Sorry, I thought... Something really strange just happened to me. "

Bo immediately let go, put his hands up and took a step back in face of a wand. Gillian was very good at Charms and he did not feel like going to the Hospital wing, he studies too hard for that. As Gillian calmed, Bo let his hands drop and listened to a very freaked out Gillian as he bent to retrieve her book. He pulled his wand out as he straightened and magically dried the book before handing it to her. “Really?” Bo was confused and looked up and down the corridor but they were alone unless you counted the remnants of one of Myrtle’s tantrums… “What do you mean? Are you okay or is Hunnygrew getting to you?”

[Hannah Fairley]

Hannah was on her way to see Professor Monroe. She was not convinced that she had deserved the mark she had got on her latest essay. It hadn't been a bad essay, and Hannah certainly wasn't an A student. She was an E student, at least. She had just reached the second floor when she heard a scream. She stopped, her heart racing. Was it just one of the ghosts? She paused, but there was no further sound, except for what sounded like a murmur of voices. She started heading in the direction of the voices, sincerely hoping she was not about to find two depraved murderers standing over the corpe of a freshly-murdered victim.

She paused, listening for a moment. She thought she had heard footsteps. But the corridor was silent now. Hannah took another few tentative steps and the footsteps continued again. Had she not been Hannah, she would probably have been freaked out by this. A few years ago, it would have been enough to make her panic and run for the common room, but she had grown so used to the weird things lurking around Hogwarts that the occasional ghostly footfall wasn't about to put her off. Nonetheless, she gripped her wand more tightly as she continued in the direction of the voices. There was something decidedly eerie about those footsteps.

At last, she rounded a corner (half-wondering whether she had just let the owner of the footsteps lure her into a corner to be murdered), and saw Gillian and the Hufflepuff boy Hannah had met a few days ago down by the lake. Bo was looking at Gillian rather intently, and Hannah hoped she wasn't interrupting something. Well, that wasn't entirely true - Hannah did rather enjoy making couples feel awkward by wandering casually past and telling them not to feel awkward. She wouldn't have minded interrupting something at all. But the conversation looked more serious than idle corridor flirtation, and Gillian looked pale.

"Hey, what's up?" said Hannah. "Everything ok? What's going on?"

ooc: I gatecrash topics because I'm cool like that.

Oh, and it's a strange strange world where A students are worse than E students.

[Gillian Wood]

“Really?”

Gillian took her book back from him as he dried it. She smiled gratefully, happy that she was no longer alone in the corridor. After the incident with Juliet’s book she hadn’t quite been her confident self. There seemed to be a number of strange things going on in the castle. Well, more so than usual and she was beginning to worry that something was drastically amiss. Bo seemed unafraid and slightly unconvinced. Perhaps Gill was simply being paranoid.

“What do you mean? Are you okay or is Hunnygrew getting to you?”

She realised she hadn’t spoken, “No, it’s not that… I swear I just heard,” she looked up and down the corridor herself, to make sure. “Footsteps,” she said immediately realising how silly this would sound. There were probably dozens of people walking around, of course there were footsteps. Still, Gill felt unnerved by this and continued, “I was just walking and there was no one around and suddenly it sounded like someone was walking behind me… then there was this water…” she began to rumble as her nerves and insecurities poured out, “Does that look normal to you?” She pointed to the strange puddle.

"Hey, what's up?" said Hannah. "Everything ok? What's going on?"

Gill turned and noticed that Favian’s sister had appeared. Gill’s nerves kept a greeting smile from her face. “Hey, it’s probably nothing…” said Gill as the presence of more people seemed to make the ghostly footfalls seem more unreal. An idea struck her, “It wasn’t you was it?” It would be difficult for a person to create the effect Gill had heard, but Hannah proved far less outrageous an explanation than the other things that were buzzing in Gill’s mind.

ooc: Ha ha sure Hannah. So cool.

It is indeed a strange world. E’s and A’s and strange footsteps in abandoned corridors. All in a day’s work for Hogwarts.

[Edgar Grant]

"Lily-livered Sailors Fear Pot Plants," Edgar recited under his breath. He'd recently discovered the joys of acronyms, and knew he needed to ace the charms quiz if he was to maintain his academic record. As he strode swiftly through the halls of Hogwarts, his nose buried in the scroll he was trying to memorise, he didn't notice the first year girls who were preening and primping and clearly trying to get his attention.

He didn't notice the first, second, third, and fourth year boys who were glaring at him, and desperately gazing at the besotted girls. Well, most of them were. After the stump incident Edgar had realised that the social scene at Hogwarts had more than a few underground levels than he'd realised. Ever since he'd accepted his. well, identity, he'd noticed more and more boys giving off signals that he'd never even noticed before. And while he was still very much interested in girls, he couldn't help but wonder if the boys were as much fun as he imagined too. He was too shy to make the first move, though, so his speculations had not really progressed very much. although he did spend an awful lot of time thinking about it.

But not today. He sternly turned his attention back to the scroll, and so did not notice the two girls and the rather good-looking Hufflepuff boy who were standing - in the way, mind you - in the middle of the corridor. Honestly. Who stops to chat in the middle of a busy walkway, obstructing the path of the distracted and thwarting any possible disaster-avoidance?
Edgar looked up at the last minute, skidded to a halt, and dropped the scroll, which fluttered to the floor, landing in what appeared to be a puddle of water.

"Oh Merlin's damp drawers!" Edgar cried, as he tried to rescue the scroll. He lifted it out of the water and wiped it with his sleeve. The water came off easily enough, but unfortunately so did the ink. Edgar let out a small groan of despair, and looked around to see who was responsible. "Why on earth are you standing around in the middle of the - Oh, hello Gill!" Edgar beamed, forgetting the lost notes for the moment, as he saw his favourite platonic friend. "Bo, good to see you again," he added politely. Edgar did not know Bo very well, but he'd never heard anything too bad about him, and, well, there was no denying Bo's attractiveness. Edgar turned to the last girl, and nearly fled. Hannah. "Hannah..." he said weakly, a polite smile frozen on his face as he wondered exactly how open a relationship Favian and Hannah had, and what had been discussed if anything, and whether she liked two spoons of sugar in her cocoa or three.

"So, why are we standing about in the corridor chatting? Gill? You look like you've seen an erkling!" Edgar exclaimed. He put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, and asked, "Are you all right?"

ooc: Ah, Edgar, Edgar, Edgar. Must he hit on everyone?


Yes. Well, maybe not Gillian. Not that there's anything wrong with Gillian. Edgar's just not particularly alert.

[Bo Zlata]

Bo handed Gillian’s book back to her as soon as it was dry but couldn’t understand why she was still spooked. Something must have really scared her and in Hogwarts Castle, that must have been a something and a half. He watched Gillian but was a little confused by her answer to his question.

“No, it’s not that… I swear I just heard,” … “Footsteps,”

Bo said nothing for fear of sounding dismissive but he was afraid his face betrayed what he was thinking. Footsteps in a corridor had scared her? A public corridor? He still said nothing as she continued.

“I was just walking and there was no one around and suddenly it sounded like someone was walking behind me… then there was this water…” … “Does that look normal to you?”

Bo looked at the puddle for a few seconds before looking back to Gillian. “Sorry, looks like a Myrtle puddle to me. Don’t see anything else in it.” Bo was staring at Gillian, trying to assess if she was okay when he heard someone else coming up the corridor. It didn’t even occur to him that he and Gillian were standing alone in a deserted corridor; Bo was a little preoccupied with making sure his pale classmate was not going to pass out on him. As the footsteps neared, Bo turned to see the newcomer and was surprised to see the girl he had met down by the lake a few days earlier. He was about to greet her when she spoke first.

"Hey, what's up?" said Hannah. "Everything ok? What's going on?"

Bo could not, for the life of him, remember the new girl’s name but smiled in recognition of her face anyway. She seemed nice enough by the lake and Bo was always happy to have a new friend. He did however not have a chance to greet her when Gillian beat him to it and then asked a question that made him whip back around with incredulity.

“Hey, it’s probably nothing…” … “It wasn’t you was it?”

How could it have been her? She wasn’t anywhere near the corridor when Bo was so if anything, he was the better person to ask if the question needed to be asked at all. It was in that moment that Bo realised what Gillian was doing in her mind. Even an unlikely explanation was better that no explanation at all. He was waiting for the girl from the lake’s answer when yet another joined their group. This time Bo remembered his name. Edgar he had met before, nice guy but a little odd at times. Still, Ravenclaws were better than Slytherins in his book any day, well better than most Slytherins anyway. Bo watched as Edgar came to a halt at the last second but dropped the scroll he was holding with a very interesting profanity as it landed in the puddle.

"Oh Merlin's damp drawers!"
Merlin’s damp drawers? Bo smiled wryly as Edgar groaned. He wandered what was on Edgar’s mind as he whipped his wand out again and pointed it at the scroll. He used the same spell as he used on Gillian’s book and the water vanished. Another wave set the ink back to its original position and the note was as good as new. As Edgar looked around, he didn’t seem to notice what Bo had done to the scroll but he did notice Gillian.

"Why on earth are you standing around in the middle of the - Oh, hello Gill!"

These two were apparently friends if a greeting like that was in order so Bo decided that moving out from between them was in order. This did however cause Edgar to notice him as well.

"Bo, good to see you again," he added politely.

“Hello Edgar. Likewise.” Bo wasn’t really friends with Edgar but they were on friendly ground and Bo wanted to keep it that way. As he moved, was it his imagination or did Edgar stare at him for half a moment longer than was necessary. Bo did not have time to dwell on this though when he simultaneously was given the girl from the lake’s name and an interesting piece of information.

"Hannah..." he said weakly, a polite smile frozen on his face…

Hannah, that was her name! He couldn’t believe how bad his name-to-face memory was but at least he now knew it. Edgar however seemed very taken aback by Hannah’s appearance. Was there some history between them? Bo made a mental note to ask Nina to find out. He loved knowing about people and it gave her a reason to push people around and look like the cold-hearted Slytherin she pretended to be. If there was anything there, Edgar did the intelligent thing and changed the subject, recovering beautifully.

"So, why are we standing about in the corridor chatting? Gill? You look like you've seen an erkling!" Edgar exclaimed. He put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, and asked, "Are you all right?"

As Edgar moved closer to Gillian, Bo took a step back out of the way and to the side toward Hannah, his robes brushing past Edgar’s back as he did. He seemed to know Gillian better and she was recovering her colour faster with people she knew around. Bo came to stand on Edgar’s left between him and Hannah as he waited for Gillian to answer.

OCC: Merlin’s Damp Drawers… the paragraph just for Edgar…Move over Favian, the clueless Bo’s arrived.

[Eris LeFey]

Eris was lost. Though, naturally, she would never admit to this. She was vaguely aware that she was somewhere on the second floor...but damned if she knew exactly where. This was, to say the least, ridiculous. Her History of magic class had been temporarily moved due to some impressive damage to the room, incurred during a midnight wizard’s duel. From what she’d heard someone had seriously mis-cast the bat-bogey. Unfortunately, Eris couldn’t remember where it was moved to. Which is why she could now be found wandering around the castle looking like a flake, hoping to stumble across a classmate. Or anyone at all for that matter.

So far the second floor appeared deserted, and Eris felt resigned to missing her History of Magic class. Which wasn’t all that much of a loss, seeing as it was History of magic. She was also getting bored, which brought an unsettling glint to her eye. Hearing muffled voices ahead, Eris cheered up, and upon rounding she saw an unfamiliar group of people mulling around. Getting closer, she recognized Hannah, the Ravenclaw from the snow-ball fight. Everyone seemed to be clustered around a brown-haired girl, who Eris thought looked severely spooked.

Regarding the group curiously, and lacking shyness, Eris decided to speak to them. Who knew, this looked to have much entertainment potential.

“Hello.” She said brightly, nodding at Hannah, whom she’d already met.


A/N: Hallo! Am i gate-crashing a private thread? If so, apologies and cookies!

[Hannah Fairley]

“Hey, it’s probably nothing…” said Gill as the presence of more people seemed to make the ghostly footfalls seem more unreal. An idea struck her, “It wasn’t you was it?”

"Doing what?" asked Hannah, nonplussed. Then she remembered the footsteps she had heard on the way down the corridor. Could Gillian have heard them too? Her friend certainly did look as if she had just seen a ghost. Well, heard one. She didn't get the chance to have her question answered, because at that moment Edgar Grant made his appearance, with some reference to the undergarments of Merlin.

Hannah wasn't really sure what he was saying, because her head had gone strangely fuzzy. She was remembering an incident involving a broom closet (or was it the Room of Requirement? Or had the Room of Requirement been a broom closet?). She wondered whether Edgar remembered it too... It really had been a while ago, but she had hardly seen him since then, for some reason. Was he avoiding her?

His stilted greeting seemed to imply that this was true. Hannah was mortified. Edgar quickly shifted his attention away from her, so at least he wouldn't notice her blushing. She was rather relieved when Eris joined them.

"Hey, Eris!" she greeted the Slytherin girl. The two of them had become quite good friends since the snowball incident, and Hannah was happy to see her. Although this was at least partially because it gave her someone to talk to who wasn't Edgar.

[Eris LeFey]

"Hey, Eris!" she greeted the Slytherin girl. The two of them had become quite good friends since the snowball incident, and Hannah was happy to see her.

Eris grinned at Hannah and nodded to acknowledge the greeting, curious as to the relieved note in the Ravenclaw's voice. She wondered if it was her bored (and therefore overactive) imagination, or if there was a certain air of awkwardness between Hannah and one of the boys.

Faintly amused she wondered if one of them was going to cough awkwardly. She looked at the remaining members of the little group curiously.

"Its rather deserted here isn't it? Did everyone at Hogwarts decide to start attending their classes all at once?" she addressed Hannah mainly, not knowing any of the others, "You look like you've seen a ghost." She then casually observed to the edgy girl, still thinking about the uncanny lack of giggling couples in any of the shady alcoves located along the hallway.

[Gillian Wood]

“Sorry, looks like a Myrtle puddle to me. Don’t see anything else in it.”

What? Bo couldn't see the strange colours writhing on the surface? The weirdly mesmirizing tangle of spirals and fractals churning inside and out? Maybe Gillian was going crazy, why on earth would only she be able to see that? "O...k..." she said slowly, trying to sound nonchalant, she didn't want to sound insane, "Myrtle... maybe you're right." She smiled wanly before Hannah showed up behind them. She was immediately struck by a strange idea.

"Doing what?" asked Hannah, nonplussed.

Gillian went paler. Maybe all the stress of Charms was getting to her. "Nothing..."

"Why on earth are you standing around in the middle of the - Oh, hello Gill!"

Gill turned to see Edgar, very happy to see a more familiar face. "I'm so glad to..." she stopped as Edgar continued to greet the others and blushed slightly. She always felt embarassed when people talked over her. She just felt insignificant. She listened quietly as awkwardness descended over the conversation. But people seemed to be missing the point here! There was something extraordinary going on! Either that or Gill needed serious medical attention and no one seemed to notice... Paranoia? She'd never felt so angsty in her life. Perhaps it was a side effect of being the only one one privy to a mystery?

"So, why are we standing about in the corridor chatting? Gill? You look like you've seen an erkling!" Edgar exclaimed. He put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, and asked, "Are you all right?"

"Its rather deserted here isn't it? Did everyone at Hogwarts decide to start attending their classes all at once?" she addressed Hannah mainly, not knowing any of the others, "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Gill had been slightly lost in her world of being ignored and wasn't listening when Edgar's attention returned to her. She'd even missed the arrival of a new face to the conversation. A young Slytherin girl had appeared and begun talking to Hannah, it was only when she addressed Gill directly that she focussed and, once again, became a part of the actual conversation.

"Wha?" she turned to the Slytherin, "Uh, no... not a ghost." She wished she'd seen a ghost, knowing Peeves was behind this would give her a lot of peace of mind. Just then, a strong wind struck up as if something invisible and also rather large had swooped past the small group. It was gone as quickly as it had arrived and Gill lifted her wand a split second too late and stared at the empty corridor. "Please tell me I wasn't the only one to hear that." She was quite sick of being the only one possibly going insane.

OOC: Ha ha, poor Gillian. She's never been angsty in her life, but I couldn't imagine another way to get her through that intriguing conversation. Maybe it's a little Potter Syndrome. Sorry for the delay! (Also, please let Gillian not be insane and at least one of you feel what just happened. It doesn't have to be everyone, but I'd like her to stay mentally stable. )