That's Not All That's New This Year

Which of these spells would you use to LOCK something?

Antilohomora	20.0%	[ 3 ]
Colloportus	66.7%	[ 10 ]
Closeitupitus	0.0%	[ 0 ]
Lockomora	13.3%	[ 2 ]
Total Votes:			[ 15 ]

[SnowMorte]

Arianna "Aria" LeStrange
Seventh Year Slytherin
[Potions Fanatic]

Aria was both pleased and surprised by his agreement. Spying his outstretched hand, she reached inside her loose black robes to the inside pocket where the three small vials were resting and pulled one of them out. "So it'll be a new experience worth discovering. It won't leave this room, I promise." She stated as she placed the potion in his hand. She watched him take the vial before glancing down at the table where a piece of parchment and a quill were waiting. She had to take the notes needed for her grade, but he also planned to enjoy this moment, as she knew he wouldn't otherwise show her the attention she craved if not for the potion.

Before he drank it, she commented with a soft smile, "Anything that happens, I won't hold it against you. I know how to keep a secret, Sir." Her gaze fell to the vial in his hand, following it to his lips with an antsy sort of excitement. Her wand was set next to her on the table top where she was sitting, just beside the quill.

[`MaliceMizer]

❶ Selfish ❷ Cowardly ❸ Awkward ❹ Unlikable
██████████████████████████████████████████████
xxxxxxxxxxABEL, potions professor
✘ Potions Classroom ✘ I found something shinier than any treasure. Look for the next page in my story!



INDENT "A secret,"repeated Abel as he lifted the vial in some sort of twitchy toast. "Okay... Here goes."

INDENT The potion was brought to his lips and the professor downed the whole vial fast, like one would take a shot of vodka. He squeezed his eyes shut, as if expecting some terrible pain to overcome him. Instead of pain, there came a sudden awareness. He needed to keep his eyes closed; if he opened them he knew something bad would happen. If he opened his eyes he would have to look at her, at Arianna LeStrange, and if he did he knew he would faint. He already felt horribly sick just being around her, like his stomach was trying to eject itself from his mouth. The potion clearly did not work! He was supposed to feel as close to love as was possible, without actually being in love. Instead he felt like he needed to run away from her because if he had to be near her any longer, smell her, hear her, and just know that she was here, something horrible would happen that would embarrass him in front of her.

INDENT "I don't feel well!" the professor informed, quite loudly, in fact. His face flushed at realizing the inappropriate volume of his voice. "It didn't work, I just feel sick, I'm going to go now, I'll clean up in the morning!!"

INDENT The professor turned abruptly and stalked out the door. Long, hurried strides turned into power-walking and that turned into full blown running. Seeming to forget all basic logic pertaining to experimental potions, he ran through the halls to his private room in the staff wing (I'm assuming the staff have their own place to stay within the school?). He couldn't risk being embarrassed in front of her. If he did, then, well, she'd think he was uncool. Uncool-er. And that would mean she wouldn't like him. And the thought of that made his brain forget to tell his diaphragm to work air in and out of his lungs.

[SnowMorte]

Arianna "Aria" LeStrange
Seventh Year Slytherin
[Potions Fanatic]

The professor, no, the man barely finished the potion before looking like he just consumed something with an awful after-taste. She noticed that he didn't look at her after drinking it, but didn't let it phase her until he complained that the potion didn't work and that he was feeling sick. Abel bolted out of the room before Aria could even pick up her wand. She stood, dumbfounded as he fled and she attempted to call out to him, but the words hit a wall in her throat. Suddenly, a wave of thought washed over her thoughts, holding out her hand as if the gesture could stop him when he was already out of sight. Her mind began going over the potion ingredients in cycles, reviewing every detail. There was no way she created a poison so what he was complaining about, she wasn't sure. No, he wasn't complaining, he was...scared?

Aria then grabbed her broom and her wand, returning it quickly to her robes as she ran after her teacher. Though she was trying not to draw too much attention to herself, or the man she was chasing, there were, of course, the occasional strange looks as students watched her dash past them. When the hallways were void of faces, she would call after him, "Professor?!....Professor Abel! Wait!" For an adult, the man had some stamina to get away from her so quickly.

At a loss for where to search, her only other option for where he could have gone was to his personal chamber, and at the risk of being caught by teachers returning from the feast that chose to linger, she had to hurry and stay out of sight. Though students were allowed to visit teachers if invited in groups or if they had detention, but a female student in her final year of school seeking out a young teacher would undoubtedly start up the rumor mill if she was seen. It took a moment, but she eventually found the door she was looking for and Aria knocked, calling through the door gently. "Professor Abel? Are you alright?"

Her golden gaze seemed to continually scan the corridor, on high alert, though her voice didn't give away any hint of it as far as she could avoid it, "Professor, do I need to get Madame Pomfry for you? A bezoar?"

[`MaliceMizer]

❶ Selfish ❷ Cowardly ❸ Awkward ❹ Unlikable
██████████████████████████████████████████████
xxxxxxxxxxABEL, potions professor
✘ his personal chambers ✘ I found something shinier than any treasure. Look for the next page in my story!



INDENT As soon as he was within the safety of his personal chambers, the Potions Master heaved a sigh. The urge to barf also subsided and he dragged himself to his made bed, courtesy the house elves. The earlier dosage of Felix Felicis he had had earlier that day must have worn off within hours because he certainly did not feel very lucky anymore. The Essence of Time was not a valid ingredient to be trusted not to alter a potion's effects, he decided, and the failure of Aria's Amortenia potion did mean her first grade would reflect that.

INDENT But that would make her upset. I don't want to make her upset.

INDENT No sooner had his body resumed normal function was there a knock and a soft voice at his door. Instantly his heart began to race and he began to sweat. His rate of respiration quickened and there was a knot of anxiety in his gut yet again. It was Aria! She was at his chamber door and she was worried about him! She was worried about him! That meant she cared, right? Or maybe she was just worried about getting in trouble. Yes, that was it. It would be impossible for someone so pretty to genuinely care about a tactless outcast like him.

INDENT "N-no! As the, uh, the Muggles say, I just need a good night's sleep! So goodnight!!" Abel's voice was little more than a nervous squeak and immediately after speaking he buried his head under his pillow.

[SnowMorte]

Arianna "Aria" LeStrange
Seventh Year Slytherin
[Potions Fanatic]

Aria stood with her ear pressed to the door so she could hear the faint sound of Abel's voice, and his stuttering did nothing to calm her nerves in the slightest. "I don't know many muggle sayings, but I have to admit that you've got me all kinds of worried. May I come in? Even if the potion was a failure, I still need to make note of the side-effects and when you took off before I could..." she trailed off, her hand resting on the door handle. Without waiting as she could hear distant footsteps in the hallway, she turned the handle and stepped inside, pulling the door closed behind her.

The Slytherin's gaze skimmed the room in search of the man's figure, though she didn't move from the door. She listened to the steps pass slowly through the hallway, and she was relieved that she hadn't been seen, but her main focus was to find out her favorite teacher's condition. "I'm sorry for barging in like this, Sir, but I couldn't just leave you in such a state. Besides, I did promise you that I'd give you the antidote after I took a few notes." She finally gathered her strength to advance slowly toward him. If her potion had had any positive effect on him at all, he wasn't showing it besides the slight color in his face. She'd seen others doped up with love potions, and they acted all loopy - as if they had been drinking for a while. Her professor wasn't acting at all like that.

She stood a few feet away from him now with concern wetting her eyes. He still wasn't looking at her from what she could tell, and through a cracking voice that threatened tears, Aria spoke softly, "Professor, please look at me when I say this..." she began shakily, but waited until she could meet his eyes, "I'm so sorry I asked you to drink the potion. It was selfish of me...to hope that you..." Now her gaze fell away from his to the floor. The heat and color in her face rising as she slowly reached inside her robes to find the antidote. At that moment, she wished she had made some Liquid Luck instead, as that, at least, would have given her SOME chance of achieving her goals. "I hope you can forgive me...and I just hope you don't hate me..."

[`MaliceMizer]

❶ Selfish ❷ Cowardly ❸ Awkward ❹ Unlikable
██████████████████████████████████████████████
xxxxxxxxxxABEL, potions professor
✘ his personal chambers ✘ I found something shinier than any treasure.



INDENT Aria's words fell upon deaf ears; that is, until those deaf ears heard the soft creaking and clicking of his door open, then close. Oh no. She had entered his room. He kept his head under his pillow, hands balled in fists around the linen of its case to anchor it down. Despite the downy barrier, he could still hear her words perfectly well, right down to the little trembles of her voice which sounded as if she were on the cusp of tears. He couldn't deny that sweet, eager student anymore; it would be blasphemous! His mother would scold him if she knew, surely! Like a snail slowly, tentatively emerging from behind its operculum and from its shell, Abel removed the pillow from his head. He sat up and smoothed his hair, at first looking anywhere but at Aria. After running out of things to pretend to be looking at, his eyes finally lifted to meet his student's. A few moments stretched on at the conclusion of Aria's words, moments which Abel seized the opportunity to look elsewhere again. After a moment to formulate his thoughts and digest her words, the silence was broken.

INDENT "I don't need the antidote if it's not working," the professor argued. Realizing the uncalled for defensiveness, he puffed out his cheeks like a haughty child. Sighing and ironing his features again, Abel's eyes lifted to Aria's again. "And... hope that I what? You don't dislike me that much, that you tried to poison me, did you?"

INDENT Idiot! She'd never do that! Aria's a good girl. She's an excellent student, a good person, cute, and...

INDENT "I'm joking!" He quickly added. "I don't think you would do that."

[SnowMorte]

Arianna "Aria" LeStrange
Seventh Year Slytherin
[Potions Fanatic]

He had come out from his feather-filled sanctuary to look at her and teased that maybe she had tried to poison him, to which she quickly replied, "Oh no, not poison you Sir! Never poison you." Her gaze fell from his as a blush formed on her cheeks again. Her head screamed that it was now or never. She had to make the choice to tell him her feelings or forever wonder 'what if'. Taking a breath as he revealed his joke, Aria bit her lip. "Professor..." she spoke softly, her fingers twisting the hem of her robes.

This was it. She had to tell him, and it was going to take every ounce of strength in her to push the words past her lips. "I made that potion specifically with you in mind from the start. I had no interest in giving it to a fellow student because there is only one person in this school that has my heart...and has for a few years now, only I've been too embarrassed to say anything on the matter...until now." Her golden orbs lifted to see if the man's expression had altered to one of disappointment, or even horror at her confession but she couldn't read his face at that moment. "Professor, my selfish hope was not to poison you, but to see how it would feel if you cared for me...the way I do for you. I know it's impossible, but it was driving me mad, keeping it inside."

Aria turned with her back facing him as she fumbled inside her robes, feeling the slender glass tube's cool glass against her fingers as she pulled it out, keeping it clutched in her palm. The girl's heart raced in her chest as she clutched the vial, looking down at it, wondering if her potion really had been a failure. If so, he wouldn't need the antidote after all, but she placed it gingerly atop his nightstand. "Maybe I'm just a foolish girl with my head in the clouds, wishing for something I can never have...I'll leave if you want me to, and we can pretend this moment never happened." she noted softly with a defeated sigh.

[`MaliceMizer]

❶ Selfish ❷ Cowardly ❸ Awkward ❹ Unlikable
██████████████████████████████████████████████
xxxxxxxxxxABEL, potions professor
✘ his private room ✘ I found something shinier than any treasure.



INDENT Love was not a word in his personal vocaulary unless it was immediately followed with the word "potion." He had never really loved anyone but himself and had never been loved before. His mother was not only a few sandwiches short of a picnic; she forgot the whole basket. To her, he didn't even exist. His father didn't give two shits about anyone or anything except liquor and squeezing money from his dying grandfather. And worst of all, his brother did nothing but make fun of him and pick on him! To hear a confession of love, and for the confession to include him as the object of interest, made his brain leak out of his ear. The potions professor seemed to calm from his agitated state and found himself blank. Thoughts wouldn't form. All he could say was a simple, single syllable.

INDENT "Oh."

INDENT By the time his eyes found her again, they met the back of her head. His eyes followed her hand as it placed the vial of the antidote on his night-stand. Once her fingers left it, his own wrapped about the thick glass and brought it closer. It was still warm, carrying the very heat of her body within it. It made him feel warm, too.

INDENT "Nothing is impossible," Abel stated, an awkward moment later after her words. "I care for all my students, some in a good way, and some in a, uh, bad way. You're..."

INDENT really pretty, incredible, more enchanting than any spell

INDENT "...my best student, Arianna, so I care about you a lot more than the other students. Don't tell anyone that, though, that's not really proper for a professor to show favouritism." Drawing strength from asserting his official role, the professor stood. A hand awkwardly rose and hesitated to touch her shoulder. Deciding against it, he passed her and moved towards the door of his chambers, ready to show her out. "I think you should get back to your common room though. No one saw you come in here, right? That would be, you know, bad. It would look bad."

[SnowMorte]

Arianna "Aria" LeStrange
Seventh Year Slytherin
[Potions Fanatic]

Denied.

Though Abel confessed to something under her apparently failed potion, it was not what she had expected. She was not the object of his desire as he was to her, but rather, she was his favorite student. Well, that was something, right? At least she wasn't on his bad list. Though, from where she stood, she had been, what was that phrase her cousin used when his friends couldn't get with their female friends?

Friend-zoned. Or, well, technically, she had been student-zoned, but it was all just as painful. Hurt..now that was not an emotion she would willingly show in front of him. Instead of letting the crack, that seemed to have split her to the core, spread, Aria nodded and forced herself to smile that same smile she offered to him every day since he began teaching at Hogwarts. "No one saw me. I was careful coming here. And I'd just like to say thank you, Professor..." she began slowly, fighting the knot in her throat that threatened to strangle her voice and betray her. "For everything...I'm sorry for coming here tonight. I guess I'll see you in class, then."

He moved to the door as if to show her out. Was he in that much of a hurry to get her out of his sight? Sighing softly, the Slytherin rested a hand on the door handle, letting her rich, dark waves cascade around her, a small bit spilling into her face. At the threat of tears that burned behind her eyes, she took a few deep breaths, calming her nerves. His words replayed in her mind for a moment. It hadn't registered the first time when he spoke them, but one phrase reverberated in her mind louder than the rest, "Nothing is Impossible."

With that thought in mind, she turned to look at Abel with a sort of innocent curiosity etched into her features. Golden eyes studied his face as if it would be the last time, seeking any hint as to what his meaning might have been with that statement. Did he care for her after all? More than what he claimed, perhaps? His words told her one thing, while those three simple words sparked a new sense of hope, which was all that she needed. Well, that, and a new plan. Her smile returned, this time, not needing to be forced and she stepped toward Abel, a bit more boldly than she intended, locking her gaze with his for a moment. "Goodnight...Professor." Ever so softly, she bit her bottom lip, tracing the tip of her tongue across it absently. It seemed that her mouth had gone dry during their conversation, or at least, that's the reason she told herself as she opened the door, grabbed her broom, and began the trek through the corridors, back to her common room, slowly. She still had a good hour before she really had to be back with her House, and she kind of wanted that time with her thoughts.

[`MaliceMizer]

❶ Selfish ❷ Cowardly ❸ Awkward ❹ Unlikable
██████████████████████████████████████████████
xxxxxxxxxxABEL, potions professor
✘ his private room ✘ I found something shinier than any treasure.



INDENT Arianna seemed so hurt from the body language and just the general air of the room. That hurt was infectious and it made him feel hurt too, though the visible signs of that distress looked about identical to his default "uncomfortable" expression. What choice did the professor have? Even if her confession did all sorts of weird things, even though her very presence made it hard to breathe and talk and function, even if this secret meeting would have been the perfect opportunity to experience things he had never before, there was absolutely no way Abel could have said anything other than the words that fell from his lips. It would be wrong. He was a professor and she was a student. There was just so much that was wrong about the concept, and so much that could make it go even worse.

INDENT "Yeah," was all he could say, weakly, in response to that crushed voice of hers. Abel just barely managed to drag his eyes back to her face, staring first at her lips, then up to her eyes when she seemed to draw closer. As if afraid of staring at her eyes for too long, he looked back down again to watch the subtle movements of her mouth. Eyes widened, his face flushed, and his rate of breathing suddenly increased speed. There were no words that could escape his own mouth now; the potions professor could only gawk as his prized student left his room.

INDENT Once the door was closed and he was once again left alone, Abel returned to his bed. He lay there with a hand tugging at his hair as if to pull his improper thoughts out of his head.

[Kuro the Unicorn]

S E L E N A ☾ L O V E G O O D
Seventh Year Ravenclaw
[Seer-in-Training]



⌚ ☕ ⌛ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ ★ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄


Selena's lesson began with her explaining her vision from earlier that day. Firenze explained that sometimes a death that needed to be averted for the greater good would be shown to a Seer, and sometimes a death that needed to happen for the greater good would be shown. The trick was knowing the difference. He gave her a few tips on this, and explained that he believed this death had to be averted, so would therefore patrol the lake. He also reviewed how to interpret a date and time from a vision, using her own as an example. Then they moved on to the sky. The stars and planets visible were spectacular, and the way they lined up gave a Seer much useful information, and could even help to further explain a vision. Both Selena and her Father were fascinated by this, and payed rapt attention to the tutor. About an hour before curfew, they took a break and Firenze and Neville talked about the properties of plants in the Forbidden Forest while Selena meditated again to help filter images related to the one of the first year who might drown, in order to find even more information. If she found anything she reported it to her teacher, and by the end of the lesson they had a good picture of what might happen. Finally, a half-hour before curfew they were done, and all made there way to the front door to see Firenze off, with the understanding the student and teacher would meet up tomorrow for early morning meditation, and perhaps even reading of the mist. The girl beamed as she waved him off, then walked with her Father until their ways parted.

Selena came to the top of the stairs just as two other girls who had been out a bit late talking with people from other houses solved the riddle, so she entered with them. The two girls immediately made their way upstairs, likely to the fifth year's floor. Selena went over to sit a bit closer to the fire and organize and review all her notes from the day. she sat on the floor and spread her parchment out around her, piling each sheet according to order and subject. When she was finally done, fifteen minutes before curfew, she stacked them all so that each section was separated simply by placing them at intersecting angles. She picked the pile up, stood, and turned to spot the boy from this morning sitting on the same couch again, reading. She smiled, floated over and tapped the top of his book. When he looked up, she was still smiling gently. "Don't fall asleep reading again." The boy stared blankly at her for a moment, still coming out of the book's world, before he registered what she said. "That was you?" The girl nodded. "Thanks!" Selen's smile widened. "Not at all. What are house mates for?" The boy grinned. "Not really sure. But yeah, I'll be careful not to fall asleep down here again. My name's Oliver, by the way. Oliver MacMillan." He offered his hand. "Selena Lovegood." She took his hand and shook it. "Oh yeah, Professor Longbottom's daughter. Pleased to meet you." "Likewise. Well, I'd best be getting upstairs and off to bed. Goodnight Oliver." "Good night." With that, Selena made her way upstairs. Even though her pictures struggled for her attention, she could sense his eyes on her as she walked away.

Once in her room, Selena unlocked her trunk, put her belongings away, pulled out her nightgown and proceeded to execute her bedtime routine, rather pleased with her day and ready to get a good night's sleep. The other girl's were gabbing again, about this cute boy and that clingy girl, but Selena didn't pay attention. She didn't put much stake on that, talking about others and judging them based on what you heard. It was petty. Finally, her routine done she went and sat by the window to calm her mind before bed, watching the mist around the Forbidden Forest. When the images stopped, she crawled into bed, closing the draperies and fell asleep to the gentle whistle of the wind through the tower. A perfect lullaby.



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⌚ ☕ ⌛ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ ★



INDENTWhere I am ☞ Ravenclaw Tower, Seventh Year Girl's Dorm
INDENTWho I'm with ☞ Dorm-mates
INDENTHow I feel ☞ zzz
INDENT

OOC: One post to sum up the past few hours. Considering making Oliver a regular thing, like Selena's Ravenclaw buddy. Maybe not, we'll see. ★

[SnowMorte]

Arianna "Aria" LeStrange
Seventh Year Slytherin
[Potions Fanatic]

The dark-haired Slytherin girl's thoughts were racing in circles around a single idea; that nothing is impossible. Those words gave Aria all the motivation she needed to keep tending the flames of passion within her for the man that she was so determined to win over. As she wandered the halls of the dungeon, she tried to formulate a new plan. She was no fool. She knew there were rules - laws, even - against teacher/student relations outside of an academic atmosphere. She knew that it was inappropriate on multiple levels because of the situation, but her mind processed the challenges at face value.

The age difference - it wasn't a big deal for her. She was more mature than most girls her age, and her relatives told her that all the time. The man could be in his nineties, and she'd still feel the same for him. She realized this by imagining Abel as a really old man, and the thought just made her smile to herself. Her next thought was about the school relationship. Arianna understood why such a rule would be in place, to avoid *****, but she was seventeen. In the eyes of all Europe, and in the Wizarding world, she was legally an adult. She didn't even have the Trace on her anymore. So she simply couldn't wrap her head around why that would be an issue, so the thought was pushed aside.

Speaking the password to a large, blank, brick wall with an airy, spacey tone, she passed through the wall and into the Slytherin common room where she was greeting by a lone boy with hair white as newly fallen snow, perched on the arm of a couch. The green glimmer from the Black Lake above, danced dreamily across his features, though the girl barely noticed, still lost in thought until he spoke. "Well, hello Aria. You were out late. You almost missed curfew. Where did you bugger off to after dinner?" Scorpius, ever the snoop, questioned, running his fingers through his pale hair.

Blinking, she seemed to drift back to reality half-way through his greeting, though even so, it was reluctant. A momentary shift in her gaze, Aria's golden orbs quickly focused on her cousin. "Your memory must be going earlier than expected, Scorp. You know I had a few things to do tonight." Though there was only a hint of annoyance to her tone, the faint smirk on her lips told of anything but.

"Ah, that's right. So what happened with that potion you made? Did it work?" the boy asked, oblivious to the events that had occurred that evening. Aria merely pursed her lips in thought, wondering to herself. She never did get a better understanding of her potion's effectiveness because she didn't really stick around long enough to take notes. She'd spent most of the time confessing her love to her teacher than studying his reactions under it's influence. However, Abel had said that her potion didn't work, which, to her, was utter nonsense. It had to be...not that that mattered now.

"Whipped up an antidote, if that's what you mean...but I, uh, didn't test the other one out yet." she lied, but to make it seem true, she pulled the second vial of love potion from the pocket of her robes, revealing the shimmering, pale pink, mother-of-pearl potion inside the capped tube. He had no idea that his cousin had filled two vials during class, so how would he know that she had given one to their teacher?

Scorpius seemed mildly skeptical at first until she showed him the vial of love potion, then he nodded, convinced. "Guess it's just a matter of finding a sucker to try it out on, aye?" he teased innocently, to which she simply nodded, returning the vial to her pocket. Although she had the urge to confide in him, but make him into a secret keeper, about the events of that night, because frankly, she was just bursting to tell someone, she forced a yawn. The white-haired male took the hint and gave her a half-hearted hug around the shoulders as she explained that it had been a long night and she just wanted to get some sleep. The two parted ways and she ventured into her dorm and after returning her broom to the wall beside her bed and dressing for bed in a large t-shirt and cotton shorts that became invisible beneath the shirt's hem, Aria fell, face down, on her bed and hugged her pillow to her head with a heavy, exaggerated sigh. The rest of the night was painted by vivid dreams, that she would have remained within if she could.

[SnowMorte]

After a long night of peaceful slumber, the sun shall rise again over your home away from home...

Rise and Shine sleepyheads! It's wake-up time!

[Kuro the Unicorn]

S E L E N A ☾ L O V E G O O D
Seventh Year Ravenclaw
[Seer-in-Training]



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Selena woke up early again. Six am, to be exact. She got up stretching and rubbing her eyes groggily as she went to go take a shower. The hot water woke her body up as the images flooded her mind. She was finding them particularly irritating this morning, like having a swarm of mosquitoes buzzing in your ear. It was one of those mornings were she hated being a seer. Grumpy, she slipped out of the shower and toweled dry, using a convenient spell on her hair to keep it from dripping down her back. Moving back into her dorm, she pulled out a fresh set of robes and slipped into them, not bothering to tie her tie but simply letting it hang under the not-quite-buttoned-up collar of her shirt. The Ravenclaw stuffed parchment, ink, and quills into her bag with an undetectable expansion charm, grabbed her wand off her bed, locked her trunk and made her way downstairs to the common room. Oliver wasn't there this time and she found herself disappointed despite the fact that he had taken her advice. Realizing her disappointment, she shook her head to clear it and headed downstairs to the Great Hall, peaking in to see it unprepared for breakfast again. Sighing, she made her way to the kitchen slowly and again requested assistance from Winky who brought her something to eat and a warm drink yet again. The second day, and the seventh year was already back into her routine.

Upstairs, outside, towards Hagrid's Hut, past it to the Forest, find a place to sit and eat, go to the meeting place. When she got there Firenze was waiting. She stared at her tutor as she stopped about ten feet away from him, her expression unreadable for the moment. The images were becoming more and more irritating... she wanted to scream, and to strangle something, to live like a normal witch for one day in her life! Her teacher had been staring back at her, and promptly trotted over to put a hand against her shoulder and begin escorting her somewhere. She moved along grudgingly, grumbling a bit, and certainly a tad whiny. Finally, they stopped on the shores of the Black Lake. She turned to her teacher, annoyance clear on her face. Before she could say anything, he held a finger to his lips, then used the same finger to point. The Hippogriffs were flying out over the lake, the mist making them that much more magical. Selena caught her breath, her annoyances forgotten. There was Raeleus and his mother, flitting around splendidly. The girl couldn't help but smile. She felt better already.

However once the Hippogriffs flew over them towards the feeding site, she was again reminded of her stupid images. How she loathed them some days. They were giving her a headache. She turned to her tutor, rubbing her temples. "Firenze, how do I make them stop?" The teacher stared at her a moment, then smiled. She hadn't asked that question in years. "You know what Selena? I do believe you've advanced enough to grasp that method now." And so the lesson begun. About an hour later at seven thirty, the lesson was done and Selena had reduced the image flow to a small trickle. According to Firenze, if she kept up at this rate she'd be able to stop them completely as long as she processed them once a day. The only danger with that was visions that needed to bee seen immediately, and her tutor stressed that if she wasn't feeling grumpy she should attempt to allow them to flow as usual. The girl found it hard to listen to her tutor at this point, but the lesson would likely sink in soon. Fir now, the girl was content to have an almost silent mind. She went off for a more nutritious breakfast and relaxation during her free period - perhaps a visit to the Greenhouse, or studying in the Library or Great Hall. No matter where, she had four and a half hours to kill.

So, once she was in the Great Hall, she sat there reviewing her notes until breakfast appeared, sitting right on the far end of the bench close to the professors table between Slytherin and Ravenclaw tables. When breakfast presented itself she ate her fill, then again sat there sipping orange juice - as good as pumpkin juice might be, it got monotonous if one had it too often - and taking notes on her findings for this new method which consisted of building a damn of sorts in her mind when it seemed particularly noisy up there. And oh, how true the saying 'Silence is Golden', for it truly was.

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INDENTWhere I am ☞ The Great Hall
INDENTWho I'm with ☞ No one in particular
INDENTHow I feel ☞ Relieved
INDENT

OOC: And another post gets put up. (to the tune of another one bites the dust). ★

[SnowMorte]

Arianna "Aria" LeStrange
Seventh Year Slytherin
[Potions Fanatic]

When the Slytherin girl awoke the next morning, there felt like a slight weight had been lifted off her, making her morning routine that much easier to accomplish. With a slight pep in her step, Arianna had gathered her clothes for the day and took them into the bathroom with her. Whilst in the shower, her thoughts drifted to the night before, bringing a small smile to her lips. Not only did she confess her feelings for her teacher to the man, he had also given her hope that, one day, he might feel the same. Granted, the intrigued student preferred a 'sooner rather than later' play-out, but all good things come to those who wait, or so she had heard.

Though her hair was naturally a little wavy, today felt like a dress-up day, even if it wasn't, in reality. With the use of a few well placed spells, Aria's hair was filled with curlers, tightly bound against her scalp and set to speed dry while she went about getting ready fr the day. Girls were flooding in and out of the bathroom as she stood in front of a mirror in a towel, carefully applying black liner around her lids. A loose black shadow powder with flecks of green less-than-glitter were smudged across the lids as well. With her eyes ever being the focus, a simple nude gloss was painted on her lips before she slipped into her uniform. As she worked on her tie, she glanced at her schedule and noticed that she needed to talk to the Headmistress about dropping Care of Magical Creatures for the following day, as it didn't much apply to her chosen trade, with the exception of certain animal parts becoming potion ingredients.

The schedule was placed within her robes, and a swish of her wand had the curlers falling from her long, black hair and returning neatly to their bag on the counter. The curls left behind were pulled back loosely with a silver clip into a half ponytail of sorts. Tucking away her wand once she was content with her appearance, Aria made her way back to her truck where her books were sitting, as well as her bag. There was also one other thing hiding alongside the pile...the remaining vial of potion. It must have fallen out of her robes when she took them off before bed, though, she was relieved that it hadn't gotten broken or lost. She had intentions for that vial. It was slipped into her inner pocket, with her wand and schedule.

Convinced that she had everything, Aria wandered out to the common room to meet up with Scorpius. When she found him, he was sitting on one of the chairs, looking a bit vague and spacey. "Scorpius? Everything okay?"

The white-haired boy didn't say anything at first, only held up a piece of paper. The writing was inked in a dark pink color, so she knew it was from Rose before she even read anything in the letter. Taking the letter from her cousin, her gaze skimmed it, getting the general idea of it's contents, though it wasn't a particularly long letter, either. The line that stood out most contained the words, "We need to talk." Aria knew anything that followed those words, when coming from a female, were never good. Seeing the basic summary of a break up and the mention of needing to return home for a while, she sighed sadly.

Putting her hopeful joy aside for her cousin's sake, she wrapped the boy in a warm hug and leaned her forehead to his temple, as he was still staring blankly ahead. "Scorp, listen to me, you'll get through this, it'll be fine. Maybe she just, you know, has family issues to work out and needs some space. You know the Weasleys...one little glitch and Mr. Weasley blows a gasket, especially when Rose or Mrs. Weasley are involved. Give it some time, cousin. You'll see, things will turn around." Scorpius didn't move, as if caught in a body-bind curse, but with a far-off look in his eyes.

Crumpling up the letter and tossing it into the waste bin, Aria moved so she was standing before her cousin and she held out a hand to him. "Come on. Let's go get something to eat." Bright blue orbs slowly lifted to meet her golden ones before the globe in which they floated bobbed a bit in a nod. He was sluggish and bothersome when she was secretly still in such a good mood, but she wandered to the main floor with the boy, keeping with his slow pace. There was a time to push him, and this was not it. He needed to absorb what had happened, and she was in no place to give him any further advice on the matter, especially since she had never really had that problem. At least, not in the same way he did.

Depositing Scorpius at the Slytherin table amongst a group of his friends, she whispered to one what had happened in as few words as possible, and let her tell the others. Her attention, however, had been pulled toward the end of the room, close to the staff tables. A lone Ravenclaw girl sat drinking from a cup. With a quick glance back at her cousin, maybe to make sure he hadn't simply run off, Aria wandered down the aisle and tapped Selena on the shoulder gently, hoping not to startle her. "Good morning, Selena. Did you sleep well?"

Giving the girl a moment to reply, Aria continued, "I'm sorry for not sticking around last night. I had to take care of something important that would have driven me crazy, had I let it go. Would I still be welcome to a lesson sometime?" Smiling softly, Aria sat across from the girl at the Slytherin table. In the silence, she ventured a glance around the room to see if Abel had made an appearance yet. Not that it was of great concern. She had another long class with him first thing after breakfast.