Lake

[[deleted user]]

"Tempting, but I'm afraid I'll have to pass. I have Potions next, and I'd rather get strangled by Devil's Snare again than skip class." Mostly because Professor Nyx was death itself to anybody who dared to come in even a minute late, much less not show up at all.

Luthien huffed in frustration, passing a quick hand through his hair as he answered Cecil's questions with just two words. "My father."

[Iviana (The Sign Painter)]

"Right, yeah, Nyx can be a problem." The potions master was far from lenient and he didn't exactly favor Cecil by any stretch of the imagination. Cecil himself found the class boring, but put up with it in order to broadened his career aspects. "I suppose a better question would be: why do you put up with your father?"

[[deleted user]]

"That's an understatement." Though several of the other professors were on the more indulgent side, Professor Nyx was rather notorious for being rather strict. But to be fair, the man was a brilliant teacher and wizard.

Luthien glanced back at Cecil oddly. "Because I have to. Or at least, I should." He shifted slightly to get more comfortable before continuing. "He doesn't mean to force the choices on me, per se, he just has..." the Slytherin paused. "...high expectations."

[Iviana (The Sign Painter)]

"Yeah, but History of Magic, mate. I mean, my dad's got high expectations but at least I can rationalize with the man." Cecil gave him an incredulous look, questioning if his friend had even thought of the idea.

[Vanessa]

"I wonder what else lives in there." Clover stared out at the dark lake, its waters churning and lapping at the pebble-strewn shore. The Giant Squid, grindylows, and colony of Merpeople were known to inhabit the lake, but she wondered if there were more magical creatures that hadn't been seen yet. But the Giant Squid was reason enough not to go in and check it out.

[Iviana (The Sign Painter)]

"We could ask Hagrid," Maybelle suggested. "He'd know." She was sitting on the ground. Standing made her feel like she needed to do something and on the weekend; she wanted nothing to do with anything.

[Vanessa]

"Yeah. I don't really feel like walking, though," she glanced down at her legs, spread in front of her and suddenly feeling like they were heavier than lead. "Or moving in general."

[Iviana (The Sign Painter)]

Maybelle giggled. "Neither do I," she agreed. "Then what do you think is down there."

[Vanessa]

"I dunno. Maybe some kelpies, but that would mean the bottom of the lake was full of human entrails," she trailed off with a grimace, remembering that kelpies lured humans into the water and then proceeded to eat them.

[Iviana (The Sign Painter)]

"I don't think so. There would be a lot of people missing if they were around," she said. "There might be some shrakes, though."

[Vanessa]

"Oh, right. I don't think there's much else, though. Except for normal things like toads and stuff. Speaking of toads, I heard someone's cat ate Neil's toad," she said, referring to a fellow Hufflepuff classmate.

[Iviana (The Sign Painter)]

((I read that as Neville at first. I was so confused))
"Really? Whose cat?" Maybelle asked. Poor Neil was probably heartbroken. No doubt he'd be sulking for days about the common room.

[Vanessa]

((xD))

"I've got no clue, but it was probably from another House." Clover didn't know anyone's cat in Hufflepuff who'd eat another student's toad. They were all quite nice, and exceptionally adorable.

[Iviana (The Sign Painter)]

((If it was Bruce's))
"Oh. That's too bad." Maybelle leaned back onto her forearms. There wasn't much else to do-- "Oh! Speaking of animals, I haven't visited Wesley in a while. Do you want to go the Owlrey with me?"

[Vanessa]

((LOL he'd probably do it, as well. Leave it on his master's pillow.))

Clover nodded, completely forgetting her bout of laziness in a heartbeat. "Of course!" Maybelle had the most precious owl, with big beautiful eyes and soft feathers.

[Iviana (The Sign Painter)]

(("I brought you a dead toad as a representation of my gratitude."
Poof?))

[Vanessa]

((XD Exactly.
poof~))

[Iviana (The Sign Painter)]

~*~

A little snowy kitten scampered through the autumn leaves, his owner strolling after him, keeping a close eye on the curious little cat. It had been so long since it felt the breeze of the open air and not the stuffy old common room. Esther smiled as Snowball began toying with a falling leaf.

[Vanessa]

Ace was the kind of cat that was very in touch with his wild ancestry. Where he was as tame and affection as any pussycat, he had an equally strong instinct for hunting.

"Stop that," muttered the cat's owner, who despite loving his cat dearly, wished he wasn't so incredibly generous with the use of his claws. The sharp points pricked his calf painfully. Ace purred playfully, rubbing against Bruce before dashing away to a tree.

"Come back here!" Ace took that for, Go, quickly, climb the tree. And did so eagerly, disappearing into the orange foliage. Bruce stood at the base, brow furrowed in annoyance.

[Iviana (The Sign Painter)]

"Mew?" Another pair of figures were not two far away, and Snowball quickly identified another cat (in a tree, no less). He scampered over quickly, pausing at Bruce's legs and letting out a tiny, "Mrrow?"

Quickly making her way after her pet, Esther recognized the Gryffindor, and offered an apologetic smile once she was close enough. "Sorry about him."

[Vanessa]

Bruce had heard the meow before he'd seen the cat, and he'd turned to the owner first. "Oh, hi," he said as an afterthought, recognizing Esther. "No, it's alright. I - " And then he saw the little piece of heaven, the puff of cloud that was Snowball.

"Hey, little guy," Bruce cooed in a high-pitched voice, kneeling down to pick up the little kitten. His heart had positively melted into a loving, emotional puddle of goo. He scratched the kitten gently under his little white chin, glancing at Esther.

"He's yours?"

[Iviana (The Sign Painter)]

Snowball let out a purr, resting his head against Bruce's hand. He enjoyed the company. Esther always took him away from other people upstairs. He just wanted to play, and the dancing feathers in their hands didn't help to suppress the urge.

Stifling a laugh, she nodded. She hadn't expected him to fall for the cat so easily. It didn't seem to fit his personality. "Yeah."

[Vanessa]

The sweet purring made him feel as if he'd been hit by the Jelly-Legs Jinx. It was so damn adorable, Bruce didn't really care how it looked to anyone. "I'm going to steal your cat," he said, stroking its soft feathery head. "Also, my love of cats does not reflect my extremely, ridiculously high macho quotient," he added with a wry grin.

[Iviana (The Sign Painter)]

"Oh yeah, it's definitely up there. Sky high," Esther laughed. It was almost adorable, Bruce's soft spot, and also hilarious. The kitten nuzzled up against his hand.

[Vanessa]

Before he could respond, he was affected by another dose of cuteness. "Who's a good kitty?" he told Snowball, rubbing against the his velvety fur with his cheek. Bruce cradled him in the crook of his arm, unwilling to let go of it. "I'll trade you," he offered, glancing upwards.

Ace looked curiously back at the group, his green eyes wide and inquisitive, tail swishing back and forth. He perched himself on a branch, sitting regally and respectably in his fluffy black-and-white tuxedo pelt.

[Iviana (The Sign Painter)]

"Sky high," she repeated with a grin. She looked up at the cat sitting in the branches of a tree. He seemed to be much more mellow than Snowball, though there was no way Esther would be able to give up the little ball of fluff, no matter how annoying he got.

"Never," she replied playfully.

[Vanessa]

"I think we should let him decide," Bruce stated in a serious voice, too serious for him to be actually, genuinely serious. "Isn't that right, small adorable cat whose name I don't know?" He asked Snowball, holding the kitten up to his face. He gave the little cat's forehead the smallest peck, and set him down.

[Iviana (The Sign Painter)]

"His name is Snowball," she replied. The kitten looked up at the both of them, and let out a little mew, head cocked to one side. And then he bounded up to the tree and tried to climb up to the nearest branch.

[Vanessa]

"Alright, well, it looks like Snowball chooses the tree. I'm heartbroken," Bruce said, his voice breaking with mock emotion.

Curious about the smaller cat, Ace rose from his perch and hopped from branch to branch, finally landing neatly on the ground beside the kitten. He leaned in and sniffed Snowball quickly, unsure of him.

[Iviana (The Sign Painter)]

Snowball butted the larger cat's nose with his own, letting out a quiet purr. There weren't too many cats around the common room, mostly toads and other creatures that he never took a particular liking to.

Esther laughed again. "I think he picked your cat, not the tree."

[Vanessa]

Ace flicked his ears, pulling his head back to look curiously at the small cat. He was only mildly interested in it. Instead, scampered over to the new person, rubbing himself against her legs with a loud purr.

"Rejected," Bruce laughed, shaking his head. "Merlin's pants, Ace, you sound like a freaking motor boat."

[Iviana (The Sign Painter)]

Snowball ran after Ace, still curious about him. Esther laughed alongside Bruce, kneeling down to pet his cat. "He sounds just fine," she replied, chuckling.

[Vanessa]

Ace rubbed his head over her hand, though his purring stopped when he saw the little cat again. He stepped away from Esther, prodding Snowball with a paw. "Mrrow."

"He also has the most feminine meow ever," Bruce complained, though it was clear that he found it more amusing than anything. A big cat with a small, high voice akin to a kitten's.

[Iviana (The Sign Painter)]

"I think all cats sound like that," she replied, standing. "It's adorable."

Snowball butted his nose against the paw, giving it a little lick. He replied with a much smaller mewl, leaning back onto his haunches as if he were about to spring.

[Vanessa]

"That," said Bruce, watching the two cats play with each other. "Is adorable." Ace crouched immediately, his tail lashing back and forth eagerly. "Cats are the best. Just brilliant."

[Iviana (The Sign Painter)]

"You are such a girl, Bruce," Esther laughed. Snowball sprung forward onto Ace.

[Vanessa]

Bruce looked offended, and let out a scoff. "Did we not establish earlier how my love of felines did not reflect my machismo? Because I'm sure we did. Also, cats are badass. Gryffindor, and lions. Logic, Esther, jeez." Ace rolled over onto his back, wriggling under the kitten.

[Iviana (The Sign Painter)]

Snowball let out a purr, then he hopped off of the larger cat and settled down next to him.

"Oh please. Squealing over a kitten is hardly 'macho.' And besides, this one," she nodded at her kitten, "is practically scared of its own reflection," she replied, still laughing.

[Vanessa]

"I did not squeal," he said pointedly. "And that's hilarious. I couldn't have mirrors when Ace was a kitten because he was, and still is, crazy. He would attack his reflection, claws and everything." As if to prove him wrong, Ace stared calmly back at his owner, lazy licking his fur.

"He also brings me dead things, which is disgusting," Bruce said, less amused now. It was not fun finding dead mice in his room.

[Iviana (The Sign Painter)]

"It's because he likes you," Esther replied. "And you may as well have. Guys sound weird when they squeal anyways."

[Vanessa]

"Whatever. I have no sexual insecurities," Bruce said confidently, leaning against the tree. "And would it be so hard for him to just purr or something? I mean, god, you try explaining to someone that your cat killed their toad as a present for me."

[Iviana (The Sign Painter)]

Shaking her head, Esther bent down to stroke Ace. He seemed like a nice enough cat. "Can't you just keep him in your dorm or something? You've got magic."

[Vanessa]

"I could, but he really hates being cooped up," Bruce said, shrugging. The cat was used to a big living space, having the entire Ackerman mansion to run around in. Also, when he had tried that, Bruce had returned to a torn up bed. "It's only happened once, though. He's a fairly good cat."

[Iviana (The Sign Painter)]

(("He's a fairy good cat." XD))
"Yeah. Snowball hates lingering around in the dormitories, but he gets in everyone's way in the common room. He always manages to get himself covered in ink half the time," Esther sighed.

[Vanessa]

((xD whoops.))
"That sucks," he said with a laugh. Considering that he was white-furred, and also the fact that he was a cat. Cats and water usually didn't mix well. "Can't you charm his fur?"

[Iviana (The Sign Painter)]

"He never sits still long enough," Esther replies. "It's like he knows that I'm trying to do something to him whenever I get out my wand. He goes and hides somewhere."

[*~Silvypoo~* (Chaser of Artemis), Witch of Rebirth]

A lone figure with bedraggled caramel hair pulled back into a messy bun sat on the cool pebbles just near the surface of the great black lake. She had managed to finish her astronomy project with some time to spare and, taking advantage of her spare time, had decided to come and seek out the beauty that Hogwart's nature had to hold. Primrose suddenly stood up and pulled out her wand, eyes inspecting the colorful pebbles on the ground. Her eyes sought out a medium sized pebble that didn't look Tom heavy and was a deep russet color. Her wand swished in the air and the rock rose with a flick of the wrist and a quiet "windgardium leviosa." The she waved her arm out like she was going to bat at a ball and the pebbles soared over the lake, sinking into the water before it could skip on its first try.

[Iviana (The Sign Painter)]

((It'd be more like a flicking motion))
The slashes of something not-too-far away caused a rather curious kitten to sprint towards the water, his owner following in suit, though she was looking for who had thrown them to begin with (they sure weren't the best at skipping pebbles). As soon as she spotted her fellow housemate, Esther smiled, and gave a little wave.

[*~Silvypoo~* (Chaser of Artemis), Witch of Rebirth]

[Well then we know why the pebble sank xD]

Primrose first heard the small sound of paw steps scurrying across the multicolored pebbles and turned to see a kitten sprinting towards her followed by her Housemate, Esther. Primrose waved back and offered the girl a bright smile. "Hi Esther, what brings you down to the lake today?"

[Iviana (The Sign Painter)]

"Nothing much. You?" Esther replied, scooping up Snowball before it tumbled into the water. She made her way towards Primrose. The little white kitten mewled in protest, trying to hop out of his owner's arms.