'In the Meantime...Something for Fun' Cont..

[Nicci]

“Erm...” Kalina mumbled in reply to Lia still slightly distracted in thought. She was too busy thinking about what Alex must have been left thinking about after the near enough public declaration that she was no longer part of the house Quidditch team. Fumbling with the talon pendant that Lia had gave her, Kalina shut her eyes momentarily and hoped to believe what her friend had said about the charm.

“The Library, the Infirmary..a few shortcuts...” Kalina continued rapidly opening her eyes and trailing off as she spotted Professor Garland walking briskly towards them.
As the professor struck up a tense conversation, imaginary alarm bells began to sound in Kalina’s mind as she listened to them silently behind Lia ready to back her up if needed. Putting two and two together, she understood that Professor Garland standing before them was the individual that had reduced Lia to tears earlier that morning.
Frowning, she waited stiff and anxious until she sprung wide eyed at the sound of the Professor’s last venomous words.

Horrified, Kalina quickly followed after Lia down the corridor and placed a compassionate hand gently on her shoulder. “Are you ok?” she asked with a worried tone in her voice “That’s....”. Kalina didn’t finish her sentence but paused, she didn’t want to jump ahead of herself and assume the worst about someone let alone a Professor that she didn’t know. If she was correct with her assumption, then it was up to her friend in her own time to connect the pieces of information together to make them sharable.
Temporarily forgetting about the irritation that was named William, Kalina was now already plotting as many ways as possible to ensure Professor Garland’s last words would never come true.
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Slumping back into his seat, Wills rolled his eyes with a sigh and found his gaze falling on the confused faces of Peter and Alex opposite. Turning his head slightly, he adjusted his focus to his team mates individually. Did they not notice Kalina’s discomfort? Had Alex really just turned his back on his talented and rather engaging Quidditch equal?.

Unusually lost for words, Wills had to think hard for a moment before having to backtrack onto the last topic he had been talking about. Clasping his hands together, reaffirming his enthusiasm he continued his short debrief on ideas for himself and Ylana.
At the back of his mind he had already solidified a decision. He wasn’t going to let someone walk away from something they were so good at easily. He’d have to confront Kalina, face to face.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Having piled his plate full of sandwich halves of all flavoured fillings, Tristan had half up to his mouth as Erin bombarded him with questions. Glancing at the chicken sandwich now being held frozen in front of his mouth and across at the young woman beside him, he thought twice and gently brought it down on his plate as she continued with talk about Quidditch.

Chuckling at her pose of a question that she would have asked even if he had said ‘No’, Tristan smiled and prepared his reply.
“Some people” he began, nodding gently “Don’t always appreciate extra company...and besides I know what with Olli’s current condition having you alone might have been just what the Doctor ordered”.

Tristan paused realising that his choice of words had likely implied again that there possibly was and underlying romantic relationship between Erin and Olli.
“I didn’t mean it like that...” he quickly interjected before she had a chance to speak, looking down at his sandwich. “Sometimes it’s overwhelming to have a group of friends fussing over you, even if they mean well, but a compassionate shoulder of a caring individual can do someone the world of good. I think you are that person to him Erin...whether...”

Looking up he noticed Olli enter the room looking pale and distracted, hopefully nodding as he locked gazes with Erin he watched the haze of worry flood over her bright coloured eyes.

(My post no way compares to the two above, they were fantastic. I'll have to get churning out the posts again over the weekend as there are several characters lagging behind again)

[Jazzie C]

Lia clenched her teeth together and balled her hands up into fists so tight her knuckles went white. She breathed loudly through her nose and shut her eyes temporarily. She counted to ten slowly in her head and waited for a moment before opening her eyes again. She relaxed her jaw muscles and turned slowly to Kalina. ‘I bet your assumptions are right.’ She said darkly, seeing a tightness behind Kalina’s expression. She knew Kal was too nice to pass judgement so soon.

‘You know why I transferred so late in the day?’ She asked bitterly. ‘I mean who transfers a week into seventh year? The most important year in your school life?’ She said. ‘What kind of fool would do that?’ She put her head in her hands. ‘She made them jump, she made them jump! Virtually untraceable, and anyway, whose gonna believe the crazy girl against the angelic transfiguration professor? Who cares about the kid, crying in a corner? Corrupt, Biased magical government, they were never going to help! That woman. That Bloody Woman.’ She pointed after Jey ‘She is chasing after me and I have NO IDEA WHY!’ She yelled hysterically. ‘She got THEM! Why me too?! Why cant she just leave me alone?’ She whined the last part, her voice filled with grief.

[Nicci]

“Really?....” Kalina questioned sadly, furrowing her eyebrows. She hadn’t expected any the Hogwarts Professors to be so unhelpful and cruel. Still worried she rubbed Lia’s shoulder and listened to the rest of what her friend had to say.

At Lia’s first question, Kalina shook her head at the negative assertion in an attempt to not make the young woman feel any worse. Of course she was there when only a few days into the term Callie’s siblings had turned up unannounced and were also sorted into Ravenclaw house the same as Lia. Maybe she could introduce them to her?.
“I believe you!” Kalina stated solidly, latching onto the sound of Lia’s grief. “If she’s that bad and makes your life a living hell then you can’t give in to her. I’ll stand by you!..I might be a muggle born but I can cast a strong shield charm if all else fails.”

Summoning up an inner flame of hope, Kalina shuffled round in front of Lia and stood firmly still on the uncovered limestone floor.
“I don’t know either..” she began apologetically “But I promise you we’ll find out why, expose her somehow and find as much incriminating evidence against her as possible and take it to the Headmaster...No the Minster of Magic..TOGETHER!”. Saying it had been a lot easier then working out the plan of action to get the information they would need. Kalina was temporarily stumped for useful ideas but that wouldn’t stop her from supporting Lia and ensuring that she never felt like she was fighting the problem alone. Maybe getting involved in someone else’s business wasn’t the politest thing she could have done but Lia had given her a burst of relief from being sandwiched in the middle of a difficult relationship issue.

“I’ll also help you with Transfiguration studies..I don’t have the class with the Ravenclaw’s as it causes a clash in my timetable. So whatever Jey teaches the Hufflepuffs and Slytherins I can pass onto you. How does that sound?” Kalina asked encouragingly trying to lift Lia’s spirit. Thinking about the subject of Transfiguration had reminded her that she needed at some point to go back up to the Gryffindor girls dorm and dig out the papers about Gamp’s Law for Gen.

[Nicci]

Up in the reasonably empty round Ravenclaw common room, Callie sat alone in a high backed armchair near the large window holding a quill. On her lap rested a thick book and a long roll of parchment whilst scattered around rested several tightly scrunched paper balls.
From the look of frustration on her face it was clear she had failed several times it putting her thoughts into words.

‘Dear Kyle’ was too formal, like a proper letter. So that got crossed out and scrunched up.
‘Hi Kyle’ was to friendly, they hadn’t even got that far in person let alone in a letter.
‘Kyle’ on its own was enough, to the point but still didn’t feel right.

On the seventh attempt, Callie had got rid of actually addressing the recipient at the top of the left hand corner and had scribbled a full date instead. She paused for what felt like ages staring down at ‘Wednesday 11th September *year*’ before beginning to jot something down on the rest of the empty page.

‘I hope this finds you well, for I have all but given up on searching the castle and grounds for a visual sign of your whereabouts. Tasha is distant; Kalina caught up in her own problems and seeing eye to eye with Erin isn’t going to happen anytime soon. I can’t admit to myself that you would have left without saying goodbye but maybe that is the case.
I’m sorry Kyle, sorry that I made everything so difficult and I deeply hope that wherever you are you are safe...’

Five and a bit lines were all she had written before she began to question herself. What if it wasn’t her fault? Why should she apologise? What if Erin was yet again a source of the problem because she broke his heart and ditched him for someone else?.
Aggravated, she felt like ripping the page into small fragments so no one would be able to decipher the note and expose one of her weaknesses. Not wanting to put ownership on the letter, Callie ripped off the small note from the scroll and stuffed it into an envelope and scrawled Kyle’s full name on the front.
<It was such a stupid idea anyway> she thought sadly with a sigh, with no address it wouldn’t go any further than the bin.

Collecting her rubbish off the chair opposite, Callie headed over to the waste paper basket and chucked the paper balls and the enveloped note on top of the discarded fruit peelings. Maybe she just had to keep her chin up and move on, December wasn’t that far away.
Turning her back on the waste paper basket and heading up the stairs to the girls dorm, Callie failed to notice the rubbish and the letter disappearing as if by magic.

[Jazzie C]

Lia nodded mutely, and in wonder of the girls kindness. She sniffed loudly and conjured up a handkerchief to clean up on. ‘That’s all easier said than done though you know?’ She said, unsurely. ‘I mean, how are we going to get to the minister anyway?’ she asked. Sniffing again she moved forwards with Kalina, and followed her friend towards what new part of the castle she was to show her.

And then something registered with Lia. Something Kalina had said. ‘Hey!’ She said, poking Kal in the side. ‘Muggle born doesn’t mean a thing! I think Hermione Granger proved that, more than once! Alright? Don’t wanna hear that one again, you silly mongoose!’ She smiled, a small, almost sorrowful smile. ‘I cant imagine life will be any easier for you though, now that Jey knows we’re friends…but I guess life sucks sometimes eh?’ Lia pointed to the necklace and her eyes sparkled. ‘That helped me through a dark time, and I think itll definitely help you…so…I guess friendship is like that huh? You can really depend on a person.’ She smiled, her smile grateful.

Kalina had shown her something that she had never had before, and she would be eternally grateful for the kind gesture. She’d been a friend when everyone else ignored Lia, made her an outsider and even just thought of her as the crazy girl. She wondered what the world would be like with more Kalinas…

[Nicci]

Having thought it best to start at the beginning again, Serena gathered up as many Transfiguration textbooks from all years as she could carry and dropped them onto an table that was only occupied by a seventh year Hufflepuff reading up on what appeared to be something related to Defence Against the Dark Arts.
Ignoring the strange looks the young man gave her over the edge of his book as she began to swish her wand whispering simple spells that anyone would have learnt in the first year at Hogwarts.
<Three times tap and a clear pronunciation of Fera Verto..Got it! I remember that one> Serena mumbled to herself flipping over several pages to the next spell whilst at the same time remembering the time she successfully transfigured Amelia’s prized Cockatiel into a pint glass that accidently smashed as it didn’t sit on the perch.
Wincing over her punishment, Serena floated back onto the topic of the next spell and continued to mumble to herself.

(ooc: This post is filler really, I don’t really have a plot for Serena at the moment)
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Shrugging her shoulders together tightly whilst expressing a cheeky grin, Kalina struggled to formulate a realistic idea.
“I...Dunno yet..” she giggled, warmheartedly as Lia dabbed her eyes “I’m sure somebody must have a connection to the Ministry of Magic. Might just take some undercover.... asking around”.

After several steps down the corridor and beaming at the mention of one of her favourite heroines of ‘Hogwarts: A revised recent History’, Kalina tilted her head to one side and let her dark curls cascade off her shoulder.

“What can you do about it though? But take it as it comes at you” she replied cheerfully in response to life having a habit of sucking before nodding in agreement about friendships.

“There are many different types of ships in the world.” Kalina continued thinking about a proverb her mother once told her “Plastic ones, metal ones, big ones and small ones.. But the best unsinkable ships are friendships”. Giggling again it was always a saying that sounded like it had belonged in a card of some description but never the less cemented the idea of how important friends really were.

[Jazzie C]

Gen watched Kalina and Lia leave the room. She wondered if she should go after Kalina, after all, it might seem like she was trying to replace her, but why should she have to prove herself to her? She wasn’t doing anything wrong. She stayed sat in her seat and watched Alex from the corner of her eye.

He was a beautiful person. So lovely and kind. He’d never really said a bad word to her, even now, he was encouraging about her joining the team, and he seemed happy about it. He’d always help out a friend in need, and wouldn’t complain about it. She liked his vulnerable side. Whenever something big came along, he’d get stressed about wanting to do well…like he was seeking approval. She liked that.

She toyed with the apple in her hand. She wanted to break the silence, but she didn’t know what she would say. She felt like she’d have to prove herself when she spoke. She was a little insecure around this many people. Like she wouldn’t be able to say anything meaningful. She pressed her lips together and thought about what quidditch practice would entail.

[Chris]

Alex and Peter saw that Kalina was uncomfortable. Alex turned his attention back to Wills, as Peter did the same. It may have been a bit longer to turn back to Wills, so its possible that this could be construed as odd, especially since Wills might not know about the falling out between Alex and Kal. Waiting for him to continue, it took some moments since he was still trying to get his train of thought back.

******
Seth gave a small smile as she was talking about her wounds getting better. "That's good to hear." He looked around the room. He wasn't sure what else he should say. Would she be interested in helping Peter and the others find the tree? Would he mind my inviting her along? Would she be able to, now that she is an assistant to a Professor? Should I give her an update on what has been going on?

Seth's mind was popping questions up a mile a minute. Then he shook his head and chuckled, "sorry, Katie. My mind was throwing thoughts through my brain."

[Nicci]

“It’s ok..” Katie began, putting down the cushion. “You’re allowed to have that..”. Watching Seth caringly from across the short space between them, she wished from the bottom of her heart that he could stay and chat all afternoon but sadly that would never actually become reality between them anymore, especially with them both being in Hogwarts.
Twitching her nose, she understood that painfully she would have to suggest that he continue on with his daily school routine. “Maybe you’d feel a bit better after lunch and a walk around the grounds with Peter?...” he began trying not to sound like she was pushing him away “I’m not saying you have to leave..You know you’re always welcome here”.

Furrowing her eyebrows her eyes filled with worry “I..I..I’m not..I’d like you to stay but I know you have others who I’m sure are worried about you as well”.
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“And that’s about it really...” William finished deciding maybe it was better if he saved the discussion on the Chasers until he actually had his main three sat together.
“So everyone still comfortable with their positions? No one wants to change at the last minute...”.
Glancing around at their expressionless faces, he wondered if everyone had something bothering them... “Any questions?”

[Nicci]

Facing the Gryffindor table, Juliet picked at small iced cupcake and watched Wills enthusiastically chat with his housemates. She was surprised to see him yell out after Kalina, but put it down to his passionate affection towards Quidditch. Just as she was mad about Newt Scamander, he adored all aspects of the magical sport and fitted in perfectly in his role as house captain.

Sighing and drooping her head, she hoped that her issues with Seth wouldn’t affect the Gryffindor’s too much, after all they had the best chance of beating Ravenclaw to the Quidditch cup.
Hufflepuff were really only seven players who flew about on brooms, they weren’t really a team. They didn’t bond together as well as the other houses and it wasn’t a surprise that they end up bottom of the points table every year. In all the years she had been in the school the house cup never wore yellow ribbons on its handles at the end of the season and the House banners at the end of year feast were always Red or Blue representing Gryffindor or Ravenclaw.
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Trying to keep his concentration fixed on Vixie, Lance had watched Juliet enter the Great Hall accompanied by some Gryffindor guy who appeared to have little decency as he dropped her off at the Hufflepuff table and then left.
Perplexed, he continued to watch her wondering if he should get up and talk to her. Deciding to give her space, he turned back to Vixie and monitored things out of the corner of his eye.

(Sorry such a bad filler post.....)

[Chris]

Seth gave a small smile and nodded. "You're right. It'll probably do me good to walk around the grounds with my friends." Standing up, he added, "I understand what you mean. I get some food in my, and see what the others are up to." He takes a breath in and lets it out, "thank you, Katie. I'd love to catch up more. I'll see ya around." Seth wasn't sure if she wanted to hug or not, so just gave a small nod to Katie, and started heading to the door.

*******
Peter nodded and said with a smile, "you'd probably kill us if we were to ask for a position change." Alex smiled, and thought, 'only Peter would joke about that.' Peter waved his hand through the space in front of him, and said, "I'm happy where I am." Alex nodded, and said, "I'm happy where I am too."

[Nicci]

“Too right I bloody well will..” William joked, picking up an apple and tossing it down the table at Peter to test his reflexes. “There isn’t a better keeper in the school that I know of yet and we are sailing to victory if you stay put.”

Turning his attention to Alex, he retained his smile but nodded proudly. Alex dominated the left wing in the last two games of the season last year and it made perfect sense to keep him where his was. The difficult bit this year wasn’t going to be Gen; if she took the centre position the Chasers on either side of her would be able to lend their support and hopefully the opponents wouldn’t tag her as a critical new weakness.

Determined, William gritted his back molars putting a hundred percent confidence behind Gen that she’d fulfil the position to the best of her ability. As Ylana nodded, shaking her fist in delight that she’d get to kick some Slytherin behind again with her Bludger Bat, William folded his arms roughly and gave her an affirmative nod in reply.

“Look I’m not stupid, I know you can all count and from the sour look on all your faces if the fact Kalina has quit the team is bothering any of you I’d rather know about it. I’m personally not happy about it either and I'm not going to give up on her or your ability to work fantastically well as a team together to let it just slide...” he spoke formally, sharing the bottled information he hadn’t officially confirmed with anyone else other than himself.
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“WAIT” Katie called standing to her feet and stepping away from her chair “The locket...If you need to come back in at anytime just hold the locket to the door handle....I..I’ll enchant it”.
Pausing, she dropped back into a hunched nervous pose and waited for a reply as he walked out of the door.

(Reference FBpg90)

[Chris]

Seth turned as she beckoned him to wait. As she mentioned the locket, he remember when he did in fact open it. He read the note initially, but refrained from opening the box until he felt the time was right. Taking out the locket from his pocket, inside it there is an eagle and the swan. Smiling as he held it in the palm of his hand, Seth nodded, and said, "that's great, Katie." Seeing her drop back into a nervous pose, Seth added, "would you like to come down to eat something? I won't break protocol by sitting with ya, but just curious?," he added just tossing that out there.

*******
(I'll wait to post Alex or Peter until Jazzie posts for Gen)

[Jazzie C]

Gen was tentative, and quiet. 'Maybe...maybe itll do the team good to rebuild our team relationship for the start of the season...have a better flow...' she said quietly. she knew the start of term would indicate many, many team building excercises, but her being new to the team, it would be more thorough training than ever. The team would have to work harder to extract the full extent of her capibilities and see what they would have to work with. She pressed her lips together stared, waiting for a response.

[Chris]

Alex and Peter both looked at William as he mentioned about Kalina quitting the team. Alex looked down, since he knew it must have been because of him. Peter shrugged and said, "if she didn't want to be on the team anymore, its best that she quit and let someone who does take her place, I suppose." Alex looked up and spoke, "if she didn't want to stay on the team, its alright with me. Did she say why?"

In the meantime, Gen spoke up about trying to rebuild the team relationship. Peter turned to Gen and nodded, "I think that's a great idea."