The Thoughts Of One's Self.

[Connor Manning]

(( craaaaashing. Don't worry, be in and out in a jiff. ))

" Head girl? Oh Head giiiiiiirl! " Connor's calls for Delilah echoed throughout the Great Hall. And though they were relatively pointless, that didn't stop him in the slightest from keeping it up. He didn't really need to tell her anything, but he was bored and therefor was looking for a friend to torment talk to. His first choices were Sophia and Delilah, but as Sophia was nowhere to be found, he continued his search for Delilah instead. " Head girl. Where are you? "

He spotted a couple of looks shot at him from a few younger students, the expressions varying from annoyance to detatched amusement as they watched the Head Boy search for his girl counterpart.

" Delilah - ah, there you are. " this first thing Connor noticed about the scene was that Jason was walking away, Delilah was looking very anxious indeed, and some other guy seated on the floor next to her looked very, very angry. Connor recognized the expression, it was clearly showing off the dude's jealousy. Connor knew it well because he had donned it many times before. He offered a sympathetic smile and kept his distance away from Delilah so the new kid didn't get the wrong picture.

" Looks like you've had a nice morning, yeh. I was looking all over for you. " Connor withdrew his hand from his pocket and offered it to the guy seated next to Delilah. " I'm Connor Manning, how's it goin'? " He figured that if he introduce himself to this dude first then he wouldn't shoot deathglares at him like he had at Jason's back.

[Cole Bartlet]

Cole calmed down as he heard Delilah seem to emphasize that she was going to stay right where she was with him. I just wish I wasn't such a jerk all the time...I try to be nice but that dude just gets to me... Cole thought. He knew that he shouldn't have treated Jason the way that he did but Cole also wanted Jason to treat him with respect. Even though Cole was younger than Jason he knew that Jason had underestimated him in those few moments.

Cole heard a voice call "Head girl. Where are you?" from a distance. He looked up to Delilah and quietly said "Sounds like someone is looking for you." Cole wasn't sure if Delilah had heard and was about to tell her again but he saw somebody approaching. The newcomer said "Delilah - ah, there you are." Cole instantly liked him. The newcomer seemed to give off more of a good friend vibe, and seemed to be the type that usually had a good time. Cole recognized this from the smile that the newcomer had offered him and from the amount of distance he kept from Delilah. This made Cole feel a lot more at ease.

The newcomer spoke again to Delilah, "Looks like you've had a nice morning, yeh. I was looking all over for you." Cole heard him say. Cole watched him and waited for a introduction. Suddenly Cole saw a hand in his general vicinity, "I'm Connor Manning, how's it goin'?" the boy said. Cole's face already had a warm grin on it so he cheerily took Connor's hand and shook it. Cole answered with a "Nice to meet you Connor, I'm Cole Bartlet...and I'm doing fairly good...and yourself?" Amazing how one person can change a situation Cole thought.

Cole looked from Delilah to Connor and began to think. He was wondering if he would even get a chance to talk to Delilah yet today. I'm not ready to back down, that's for sure Cole thought. Cole was feeling a lot better now that Jason wasn't around anymore, and was glad to have met Connor. He seemed like a genuinely nice guy in Cole's eyes. Cole moved the hair out of his face and just sat waiting to see what else this day would bring.

[Delilah Morine]

Suddenly, amidst all the drama going on: Jason walking away, Cole looking like he wanted to kill Jason... Delilah heard a rather familiar voice that made her smile. Well, she couldn't really help it, she knew exactly who's voice it was. "Seems like I'm popular today..." Delilah said grinning at Cole, hoping that he was cooling down by now. And who wouldn't grin because of that voice beckoning her?

Connor Manning, good friend, and now Head Boy, they made a good team, and she grinned, knowing how much trouble they were going to get into this year. Once Connor finally found Delilah and Cole in that once awkward situation, she loved how his face turned from cool, calm, and collected, to a look of... well, for lack of better words, 'I better watch what I say now...'

The small girl noted how Connor gave her a smile, not really a friendly one, but it was still a smile. She smiled back, also not a friendly one, one that said she wished she could be any where but here. Delilah let out a small laugh, "Define nice..." She said, looking from Cole to Connor, knowing it was anything but the term he used. "Why were you looking for me?" She added, wondering what could be so important that it caused Connor to walk through the halls looking for her... He was probably just being Connor and looking for trouble... Yeah, they really did make a great team... great for the first years to look up to.

Delilah did owe Connor a big thank you though, for getting her mind off of the drama, and maybe making things fun, or at least normal. She watched as Connor bucked up the courage to introduce himself to Cole, and let a smile spread. Now, she was happy. Seeing Cole finally act like the person she knew and cared for, made her happy. This whole thing had really turned around... Maybe Delilah wouldn't run off to her room as she had previously thought.

[Connor Manning]

Slowly but surely, the mood was changing. Connor could see it more than he could feel it, he could tell from the way D sent an appreciative sort of look his way, and he could tell because the new fellow, Cole Bartlet, didn't want to kill him. Or if he did, than he was doing a fine job of masking it behind a friendly grin. " I'm doing rather well myself, and it's good to meet you, too. Why... are you two on the floor? "

The question had barely been out of his mouth for two seconds when he plopped down onto the floor, welcoming himself into their little circle while hoping that he wasn't interrupting too much of anything. " Nice as in... pleasant, lovely, good in general. " He flashed Delilah a small grin, his voice only holding the slightest amounts of sarcasm. He continued on, though, in a genuine tone. He quirked his head to the side slightly as he attempted to explain why he was looking for her.

" Ah... no reason in particular... something to do. " He shrugged slightly, still curious about what had really happened between Jason, Cole and Delilah. He raised a brow at Delilah, wondering if she was intentionally causing trouble. He didn't think so, though, so he shrugged slightly and dropped it. More than likely, it wouldn't matter too much in the grand scheme of things. Connor tugged absently at the lace of his shoe, his thoughts running on without him.

[Cole Bartlet]

Cole continued to look up at Connor. As he heard his reply he could tell Connor wasn't just faking it, he was trying yes, but he seemed to be a genuinely nice person. Cole began to answer Connor with a simple point to Delilah but before he could lift his arm he found Connor on the floor beside them. Cole smirked a little bit and then proceeded to finish his point at Delilah. There was something about how Connor had changed the mood so quickly that made Cole wonder what Connor had planned for his future.

When Connor said that he didn't really have a reason for looking for Delilah it made Cole realize that Connor had probably been looking for a friend to harass or just someone to hang out with. It really put Cole at ease to see that he didn't need to feel hostility towards Connor.

[Delilah Morine]

Delilah was just about to explain why they were on the floor, but she didn't get the chance to. It seemed to her that Connor thought it was a good idea too. Or at least he wasn't being rude about it and pretended it was a good idea. She looked around as a few others students passed by, giving the trio odd stares and she grinned right back up at them. Silly little ones, didn't they know how cozy it was down here? It seemed to Delilah that Connor was in an exceptionally good mood, and this made her buck up. Delilah noticed Cole pointing at her as a way of explanation to Connor, "And what are you pointing at?" She said, her voice signifying anger, but her smile said otherwise.

When Connor went on to say a few definitions of the word nice, she wondered if he was trying to describe the floor he was sitting... She had completely forgotten that she had asked him to define in it the first place... She sat there with a stupid expression on her face, until realization hit, and she could reply. "Let's go with: nice - there's nothing better to say about it, so let's use 'nice'." She said, her attempt at being funny may or may not seem funny to anyone else, but hey. She gave it a shot.

"Well you found something to do it seems..." She said, her thoughts going back to when Jason was here... Ugh, she really needed to learn to let things go sometimes. When she looked back at Connor, he was raising an eyebrow at her. Did he suspect something? Could he be someone she'd talk to about her... drama going on? She kept the thought tucked away in her mind, as Connor seemed to shrug it off.

"So, have any mischevious plans yet?" She asked, the question was more so directed at Connor, Head Buddy and good friend, yet she was also curious to see if Cole had any creative genius in him aswell.

[Connor Manning]

Connor grinned slightly as Cole pointed a finger at Delilah, blaming her. The head boy quickly began to wonder why the lad wasn't in Slytherin... Ah, well... you win some, you lose some. Connor tapped his fingers lightly on the soles of his shoes as he moved, situated himself to be seated Indian style. " Nice, I see. Sounds nice. " He joked, his sarcasm showing through as he spoke to Delilah. He tried his best not to ignore Cole, but he wasn't really sure what to say to the dude. He didn't know him very well but figured that any friend of Delilah would be a friend of his own.

" Mischief? I haven't time for mischief. " He feigned a scowl, pretending to take offense to her question. " What about you two, though, stirring up trouble? " He asked curiously as he dropped the act long enough to smile once again. He wasn't sure what his deal was today, but he felt very... sporadic and a bit random. Usually he was a bit predictable and a tad on the boring side, but now he felt hyper and in need of something to do.

[Cole Bartlet]

Cole couldn't help but chuckle as Connor tried to play the offended act when Delilah asked him about the mischief he had in mind for the year so far. This guy is really genuine...he is who he is and doesn't act like someone he's not.... Cole thought. Cole decided that he planned on getting to know Connor better throughout his time back at school. As Connor asked about him and Delilah and their plans of mischief Cole's mind began to race to all of the possabilties. Cole's mind had always been something of a problem when it came to causing problems. Not really a problem for Cole but a problem for anyone who was unfortunate enough to be elected as Cole's latest victim. Needless to say Cole had a mind for pranks.

Cole simply smiled with a very sinister and mischevous smile at the question and replied "I haven't been to thorough yet but...well I was thinking about something that would involve every house here..." Cole knew they would want to know more than just that but he had decided to make them wait or really pry to get the rest out of him. He scratched his head quickly and turned to Delilah and Connor and continued on to say "I don't have everything worked out and figured yet...but let's just say that the end result will come to be...most satisfactory."

[Delilah Morine]

Delilah heaved a big sigh, "Connor! Can we pleeease get off the topic of nice?" She said, with a huge grin, knowing that her words her supposed to sound angry, but the smile on her face betrayed her. Delilah looked at Connor with surprise, "No time? There's always time for causing trouble..." Delilah said, glad that this conversation was going somewhere.

As Cole spoke of having an idea that included all the houses, Delilah had to smile at Connor. Didn't they have something like this sort of thought out already. "Sorry Cole, but that grand idea has already been thought up." She said, smiling brightly at Cole, then gesturing towards Connor, "Just ask Connor. We havn't done anything about it yet, but seeing as it's our last year here, we have to go out with a bang." Delilah said, raising an eyebrow at the both of them. Delilah's thoughts were the same as Connor's... Why wasn't Cole in Slytherin?

[Connor Manning]

Indeed, Cole's idea did sound very familiar. From the extremely vague details, it sounded rather like the plan that Connor and Delilah had sprung up last year when they had first met. They had never really followed through with ' the plan, ' but it was always there, waiting for the perfect opportunity.

" Fine, no more nice. " He shrugged his shoulders, his smile still present as he listened to Delilah rattle the Hufflepuff boy about the plan they had already thought up. ' We have to go out with a bang. ' Connor flashed a small grin at D for her word usage. He thought ' go out with a bang ' was a term that was a bit overused, but it did illustrate what the two seventh years had in mind.

" We were thinking... courtyard. All houses, for some... games sort of thing. Attendance not mandatory by any means, but suggested. "

[Cole Bartlet]

Cole couldn't help but grin. He knew that Delilah and Connor's plan would probably be something he could easily get into if he wished. When they both seemed to emphasize going out with a bang Cole could tell that this was going to be something big. The only thought Cole had was FIRE!...this is going to be so freaking awesome. He didn't leave room for his mind to debate getting out of it while he had a chance. The first words Cole spoke after Delilah and Connor went quiet were "Your letting me in on this right? Cause yeah, I want in."

Cole was definetly curious about what was going on and he couldn't wait to find out how he coul help. If there was one thing in this world that he really loved to play with when it came to pranks it was usually fire. Most people learn their lesson about getting Cole excited about fire. Connor and Delilah however, didn't seem to know this little piece of information about Cole. "So when do we get started?" Cole asked excitedly. As a small wicked smile spread across his lips.

[Delilah Morine]

Delilah smirked, "You want in, hey?" the small girl said, looking at Connor with a mischevious grin. "Well, you might have to pass a bit of an initiation..." She said, leaving her statement open so Connor could jump in at any time. Delilah thought it very brave to Cole to be medeling in the plans of two older Slytherins, but hey, he seemed pretty like them, and she figured they could trust him as much as he could trust them... that was a lot, right?

"Assuming you pass initiation..." Delilah started up again, "we'll only need someone from the Ravenclaw house." She said, looking from Cole to Connor and back again, "I'm fairly certain that Sophia is going to want in on this." She said more to Connor, then looked at Cole so she could give him more clarification, "That's another friend of ours in seventh year." She said, grinning, knowing how close herself, Sophia, and Connor were. There were a couple good times she could recall off the top of her head.

Delilah shifted her position slightly, pulling a knee close to herself. Perhaps sitting on the floor wasn't as comfy as she had anticipated.

[Connor Manning]

So Cole wanted in? He was a bit young, but Connor thought the Hufflepuff would make a great addition to their little group. Despite the fact that Hogwarts had less cliques than most ordinary schools didn't mean that it lacked them completely. The groups tended to mingle together with the lines blending slightly, though still there. " Initiation, oh yes. As soon as you survive that, you're in. If you survive, that is. " It was an empty threat, one that Connor had zero intention of actually pulling through on.

Connor nodded, acknowledging that Sophia would probably want in. " As long as no one gets hurt, she'll want in. " One of the more admirable traits that their Gryffindor friend possessed was her compassion. The Slytherin boy knew she wouldn't want in unless it was just for fun and not causing harm.

" When should we get started? It depends on how long it takes to hash out the details I s'pose. " He grinned in a slightly devilish manner, excitement growing inside of him.

[Cole Bartlet]

As Delilah and Connor spoke of initiation Cole couldn't help but puzzle at what he would possibly have to do. However he kept his cool and refused to display that he was slightly nervous. "Initiation eh? So what do I have to do?" Cole said in a calm voice. Man...this is getting a little bit intense...I only hope its worth it... Cole thought. He looked back and forth from the two Slytherins waiting for a answer. There really wasn't a whole lot that worried Cole but this could definitly turn into quite the adventure.

Cole was wondering who this Sophia girl they were talking about was. He decided to keep his mouth shut and just wait to meet her if she happened to take part in all of the trouble they were planning on making. He was just glad to know that he would be doing this with good people who didn't intend harm to the victims of the prank. Just knowing that put Cole's mind at ease. He felt himself shiver and covered it quickly before anyone else would notice. This whole business was turning into something rather exciting for him.

[Delilah Morine]

Sensing Cole's uneasiness, Delilah smirked. "Don't worry Cole, we don't bite too hard..." She said, figuring that herself and Connor would have to get everyone else together, and actually start planning this thing.

She wasn't sure if the conversation about the pranks was over or not, and as her mind went back to her previous thoughts, she wondered if things would ever get solved for her. "So, whatever you dudes up to today?" She asked with a smirk. Dude really wasn't a word in her vocabulary, but she enjoyed throwing in a random word here and there just to throw people off.

Delilah stood up then, and smiled apologetically at her male friends, "Sorry, the floor isn't the best place to sit..." She said, sighing, a little disappointed.