Exploring the Grounds (Victoria)

by **Luke Sullivan** Mon Feb 20, 2012 9:11 am

Walking down towards the grounds, he found himself once more try to find himself some adventure. He loved getting some time to himself and explore the grounds. He had so far found three salamanders, two toads and had left them be. He liked finding slimy things, but not keep them for himself.

Seeing the Whomping Willow, he back up a few feet and simply stared at it in curiosity. It was really interesting to see how this tree was so ferocious. Smirking at the thought, he believed it could represent people. Taking out his notebook, he began to sketch the tree.

"If anyone saw me right now, they'd never let this go" he said shaking his head.

by **Victoria Rossmund** Mon Feb 20, 2012 9:20 am

While she had fun in potions class, for once in her life, she needed to get the smell of it all out of her system. She loved the freedom of the outdoors and the smell of it all.

She really didn't want to be followed, so grabbed the invisibility cloak she had found in her now-empty dorm and made her way down to the grounds. She wasn't really meaning to go anywhere specifically, but found herself, nearing a strange looking tree. It almost looked like it had clubs for limbs that could crush a man in one blow. Crazy imagination. Stop it!

Just as she was about to head down to the lake she caught a glimpse of another student on the opposite side. Carefully making her way around the tree (she didn't know what it was and didn't really want to find out), she saw that it was Luke.

She only just realized that she still had her cloak on and grinned. Going around him she came up from behind and tapped his right shoulder while standing to his left. She had to stifle a giggle. Since when do I giggle?

by **Luke Sullivan** Mon Feb 20, 2012 9:26 am

He heard something and immediately lifted his head. Had he heard a giggle? He tilted his head and looked around, but nothing. Looking back down, he looked back at his drawing and began to shade it. Soon enough he heard something and then a tap!

A tap?!

He immediately got up, lost his balance and fell looking at nothing behind him.

"The hell" he whispered breathlessly.

by **Victoria Rossmund** Mon Feb 20, 2012 9:33 am

This was going to be more fun that Victoria had thought. Not wanting to actually scare him she adopted as deep of a voice as she could muster.

"I am the spirit of this here tree and wanted to say that is quite a good picture. Never mind how magnificent the subject is." She had to restrain herself from putting her arms above her head to make herself feel creepy because it would lift up the cloak.

She couldn't hold herself together for more than two seconds before she bust out laughing and dropped the cloak, revealing herself.

"But, really. It is quite good." She hoped she hadn't annoyed him. But she couldn't resist a bit of fun.

by **Luke Sullivan** Mon Feb 20, 2012 10:01 am

He was wide-eyed as he heard the voice. Spirit? No you could see ghosts and spirits! He glared at it trying not to find it scary so he kept his cool. He was a Slytherin after all.

"Enough joking around" he said glaring. "Xander if this is you I will hex your bollocks off!"

His defense mechanism soon diminished as he saw Victoria.

"Victoria" he said surprised.

He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed.

by **Victoria Rossmund** Mon Feb 20, 2012 11:19 am

"Sorry if I disturbed you. I just couldn't resist. There doesn't really seem to be anything to do for fun around here. So I had to make my own."

She wandered closer, taking a closer look at his picture.

"Do you know what this tree is? I've not a clue." She normally didn't give away that she was raised with muggles, but she didn't mind telling him. The wizarding world was full of wonderful and dangerous things that she really needed to learn about.

by **Luke Sullivan** Mon Feb 20, 2012 11:26 am

Luke admitted, to only himself of course, that he wasn't as mad as he expected himself to be over that prank. If it had been Xander...well he would be beaten to a pulp right now. He sighed and let out a small smile at her. Somehow it didn't anger him like it should have.

"It's fine...wicked prank really" he said complimenting her.

Funny enough this was about as much as he had ever really spoken to a girl. Shaking those thoughts away, he got up and dusted himself off and picked up his notebook.

"It's the Whomping Willow" he said.

He was surprised that she didn't have a clue about it, but he didn't want to admit that.

"The Whomping Willow is a very valuable, very violent species of magical plant. Whomping Willows attack anyone and anything that comes within range of its branches."

by **Victoria Rossmund** Mon Feb 20, 2012 11:48 am

Victoria looked at the tree will a little bit of nervousness. She took a step back. "Nice to know." She made a mental note to steer clear of it, not wanting to see it in action.

Trying to change the subject, Victoria started walking away from the tree. "So how are classes going for you?"

She was really bad at getting to know new people, being lucky in a way that Tess and her had gone through the battle together. It had been a quick way to bond without the awkwardness. She felt really clumsy conversation wise, especially with boys.

Especially with Luke. Most boys in her classes were preoccupied with their own selves and never paid her any attention. But she felt like Luke was actually paying attention to her. Something she found odd...and exciting.

by **Luke Sullivan** Mon Feb 20, 2012 11:59 am

Luke was surprised by her comment and then he laughed lightly. Victoria loved small talk apparently that or.... perhaps she was thinking that she wanted to keep talking to him? That made him smile all the wider.

"Small talk really?" he teased.

Gosh you sound a bit too much like Xander he thought.

He smiled at her, a genuine smile and nudged her softly.

"I like my classes" he began "Xander's a bit too distracted by girls to really be a good partner in classes but all in all it's good. And you?"

by **Victoria Rossmund** Mon Feb 20, 2012 12:50 pm

Victoria blushed. And then mentally chided herself for it. She was acting like all the rest of those giddy little school girls.

"Ok fine. I'm making small talk. I'm bad at this." She looked down at the ground, slowing her pace, hoping to take as long as possible to get to the castle.

She didn't quite know why she was acting so shy. She was normally so confident...

She smiled. "Classes are ok. Actually they're quite interesting. I think the teachers are stepping up their lessons and expectations after the end of last year." She trailed off, not knowing if he knew about the battle or not.

by **Luke Sullivan** Mon Feb 20, 2012 1:23 pm

Luke patted himself on the back at the fact that she blushed. He knew blushing was a good sign and he smiled confidently. He liked seeing her blush, that was the first thought in his mind and he placed his hand over hers lightly.

"It's fine...I'm just as bad" he said shrugging.

Hearing her answer, he looked at her curious.

"Last year? What happened last year?" he asked.

by **Victoria Rossmund** Mon Feb 20, 2012 3:13 pm

Victoria tried not to react to his hand on hers. It made her heart flutter oddly, but in a good way. It was a good distraction to the next subject matter.

She was slightly reluctant to talk about it, but figured Luke should know. "Last year we had a ball to celebrate the end of classes. During it the Headmaster and some professors from Durmstrang attacked. It was pretty horrific, for me at least. I'm actually muggle-born," she waited for his reaction, "so I've never really seen that much magic used, and in such a hostile way. It was actually how Tess and I really met. We had started talking at the ball, and then it all started happening, and she got me to safety."

It felt good to talk about it. It seemed like a lot of people at Hogwarts opted not to talk about it, and she never told her family back home.

"But Tess and I actually got to save some other students who were outside of the Slytherin common room alone. So it wasn't all bad. And I got a best friend out of it." She smiled weakly, trying to show how strong she was. In truth it still haunted her.

by **Luke Sullivan** Mon Feb 20, 2012 3:21 pm

Luke briefly wondered if he should have pulled his hand back, but since she didn't react negatively to it, he kept it there and tried to play it cool, as if he did nothing in particular. Though that all changed hearing her story.

"Hogwarts got attacked?! That wasn't in the Daily Prophet...I never heard of it"

He didn't react like he thought he would when he found out she was a Muggleborn. He expected a pang, something that would immediately make him reject her, but it didn't. It just made her a bit more intriguing.

But hearing her comment about the attack that's when he got inwardly mad. He hated Durmstrang; because of those damned witches and wizards had his mother died. He didn't want to dwell on that. But what did surprise him was that Victoria mentioned how she and Tess both ran off to save people.

"Well you sure are brave aren't you?" he said surprised.

by **Victoria Rossmund** Mon Feb 20, 2012 3:57 pm

Luke did make a good point, that the attack hadn't been in the Prophet. At least from what she had seen. It hadn't struck her then, but thinking back, she couldn't image why it wouldn't be. Adult politics.

She smiled at his compliment. "It helps when you have a friend at your side," she looked him intently in the eyes, hoping they could become really good friends, "but I guess I really am a Gryffindor at heart."

It struck her then, how odd it was that her only friends at this school were Slytherins. But that it didn't seem to really matter. Sure, it meant that she sometimes had to be the brave one. But that was ok.

Her stomach rumbled and she realized how late it was getting. "Better get inside before they deduct points," she joked.

by **Luke Sullivan** Mon Feb 20, 2012 4:16 pm

Luke's stared right back at Victoria and a small smile painted his face in a charming fashion. Her eyes were so bright, and big like an innocent doe and he felt that he needed to protect, but she was a fighter that much was obvious.

"You have a good heart in general" he murmured not thinking about what he said.

Looking up at the sky, the sky was beginning to turn red from the sunset, and the wind was much more chilly.

"Come on I'll walk you there milady" he said getting up.

He stuck his hand out to help her get up and smiled brightly.