venturing off

[Cooper Lee]

Today was the first day Cooper had been allowed to explore the castle on his own. His dad had taken him around a couple times and Cooper had made a note to return to the fourth floor. He had seen a section of the wall that looked a little weird and when he's gone to look at it, his dad had scooped him up and taken him away because apparently it was too dangerous. But now Cooper was on his own and he could do as he pleased. So with his cape tied around his neck, Super Cooper made his way to the fourth floor.

Everybody looked gargantuan to Cooper. The older students he passed gave him weird looks, wondering why there was a little kid in the halls but Cooper didn't pay any attention to them. He was on a mission and would stop at nothing until he reached his destination. As he rounded the last corner, Cooper found his odd wall and began looking it over. His little basketball sneakers made hardly any noise and he walked back and for along the wall. He wondered why it looked so different from everywhere else. Cooper's small hand ran along the wall, still pondering. It wasn't until he came to the statue next to it that he got an idea. Having seen it work in cartoons before, Cooper reached up and tugged on the arm. It flipped down and the odd part of the wall slid to the side, opening up to show a secret passage. Cooper's eyes widened in surprise and excitement at his discovery.

"Cool!" Cooper hollered at the wall. Cool, 'ool, 'ool...'ol... echoed his voice down this new corridor. Now he just had to work up the courage to explore it.

[;D open]

[Tallulah Skeffington]

Tallulah was stalking the school for her free period. She knew she shouldn't but this was much too fun to pass down. Wearing her school uniform, primly pressed and nicely worn she walked along the halls by herself. The only sound she made was the light clicks from her high heels. The only thing she carried was her wand which was close to her hand at all times. Her dark eyes scanned the surrounding hall, finding no one to talk to.

As she started up a staircase she hear someone speaking quite loudly. The voice wasn't familiar. The voice sounded very...child-like. Intrigued she walked up the stairs as fast as her heels would permit. Making it to the fourth floor she ran into the hallway, hoping to catch a glimpse of the strange voice. She didn't see anyone. Arching an eyebrow she walked forward and started peeking around all the clutter in the hall. She found nothing.

As she was about to turn around and go away she caught sight of a cape? Taking a few more steps forward she noticed a young boy, not Hogwarts age yet. She grinned at his excitement. Not wanting to scare him she walked around to the over side as quietly as possible. "Hey. What did you find there?" She asked the boy, not wanting to sound like she was talking to a baby. She peered into the newly found secret passage way with the boy. It was really dark, darker then the dungeons in the worst rain storm. She looked back at the boy and gave him a smile.

[Cooper Lee]

"I think I found a secret passage," Cooper answered the girl shyly. He hadn't seen her before, so he got all shy again. Cooper always went quiet and shy around strangers and this time, his dad wasn't there for him to bury his face in. So instead, his little cheeks flushed red slightly as he looked up at the girl who had come over.
"My Daddy let me go exploring today," Cooper told the girl, some excitement coming back into his voice as he spoke, "But he said I have to be careful. Professor Raynor told him the castle had shey...shey-nanny...gans." The young boy remembered back to when he had met the Headmistress of the school and she'd told them that. She had used the word "shenanigans" but Cooper couldn't quite remember how to say it.

"Do you think it's safe?" he asked the girl with a curious look.

[Tallulah Skeffington]

She nodded along as the boy spoke to her, looking at the dark tunnel also. Dark eyes glowed with happiness. Giving the boy a wink she took her wand out and muttered a few words to make the tip glow. Pointing it toward the tunnel she illuminated only a short distance. A slight scowl appeared on her lips. Looking back down at the boy she tried to think of a spell that would light the tunnel better.

"Is it safe? Well, I should think so. I don't think anything that bad would be in there." That was true. She didn't think anything that would hurt them would be in there, but how could she be sure? This tunnel might have not been opened in years! She took a step forward, closer to the opening. If anything was going to come out it was better for it to hurt her and not the little boy.

She didn't know the little one's name! She turned back to him and bent down to his height. "I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Tallulah, but you can call me Tal. Or Lu. Whichever fancies you." Her held out her hand to the boy, giving him another smile.

[Cooper Lee]

Cooper watched as the girl lit the tip of her wand, still finding any kind of magic amazing. He couldn't wait until he got a wand and could start doing magic on his own. Every time he tried to take his dad's and try something, he got in trouble. But he really liked it when his dad did tricks for him. It was cool to watch things fly through the air.

Watching the girl, Cooper took a couple steps toward her, nodding as she said it was probably safe. When she turned back, Cooper stopped where he was. He smiled at her when she bent down and introduced herself to him.
"I like Lu," he answered, placing his little hand in hers and shaking it like his dad taught him to, "And I'm Super Cooper." he grinned broadly up at her, that grin that was so mischievous, anyone who saw it would know he was up to no good.

[Tallulah Skeffington]

"Super Cooper? I like that." She winked at the Cooper. She could tell he was a little shy around her and wanted him to be as comfortable as possible. She got back up and turned to the tunnel yet again. She looked back at Cooper, "Wanna explore a little?" Her grin was playful and a bit mischievous, something the boy could understand. When it come to dark places Tallulah was one to explore them. She took a step forward and entered the hidden passageway.

It was pretty dark in there, much darker then the dungeons. She lifted her wand up to illuminate the floor and area around them. From what she could see there was nothing in their way, but she couldn't see very far. She turned back again and looked at the boy. He seemed pretty adventurous, not like many other kids his age.

"So, I guess you don't go here? Does one of your parents work here?" She kept her wand pointed at the dark, keeping at bay whatever was out there for them.

[Cooper Lee]

"Yeah, I wanna see what's in there!" Cooper said excitedly, rushing to the girl's side so they could go in together. Sure he was brave but there was no way he was going to go in just by himself. Standing beside the girl, Cooper's hand instinctively went up to hold hers. His dad had always taught him to hold hands when they were crossing the street or doing anything, really. And his mum had always been there to hold it too. When Cooper thought about her, he got a little sad but didn't want to show it to the girl. But then she asked about his parents and the boy went quiet.

Looking down at his shoes, he answered her softly.
"My daddy works here," he told Lu, "He's the groundskeeper. It's just me and Daddy now..." Cooper didn't really want to say anymore and he kept looking at his laces. He hoped Lu wasn't going to ask anything else.

[Jason Williams]

Jason watch the little boy and the Slythern from a dark Connor. He recognized the boy as being the grounds keepers little boy. He had been walking around the school to clear his head and stopped when he saw the small boy, then the girl appeared and he stayed put. He often the small child playing with his father on the hogwarts grounds,but this was the first time he saw the boy running around on his own.

As for the Slythern, he recognized her from passing her in the halls off and on and at meals in the great hall, but never really talked to her.

"He's the grounds keeper. It's just me and Daddy now..."
Jason's eyes narrowed, "I wonder what happened to his mother" he asked him self in a low whisper so they couldn't hear him.

[Tallulah Skeffington]

Cooper's excitement really got her pumped for this little adventure. She didn't know if they were going to explore much, but it seemed like they could have some fun with this. She gave him a huge smile and gave his hand a little squeeze. "This is going to be so much fun." Her eyes beamed with joy as she looked down at the boy. "Maybe we'll find a secret room or something that we can hide stuff in or something!" The possibilities are endless when it came to this school.

She started to walk further into the tunnel, holding her wand high so they could see around them. She listened to the boy as he spoke about his family. She could hear the sadness in his voice and didn't press further. She squeezed his had to tell him it was ok. "Your dad is the grounds keeper? Wicked. He must know all about the school. Must have some great passageways to have fun in!"

As they walked down the passageway she felt something tingle in her back, the one that tells you someone is behind you. She didn't turn back, not wanting to scare Coop. But she was sure someone saw them, was watching them.

[Cooper Lee]

Cooper looked up at Lu as she mentioned about a secret room. A sly grin crept it's way onto his lips again and the sadness he'd felt a moment ago was gone. The excitement of an adventure cheered him right up. Cooper looked ahead of them, seeing only a short distance in front with the light above them. When Lu spoke again, Cooper shook his head.
"My daddy doesn't know anything about the school," he complained, his young voice echoing in the tunnel, "He doesn't like exploring like I do." He glanced up at Lu again with a smile, but noticed that she looked a little bit scared. Cooper stopped and looked behind him to the doorway, seeing someone else there.

"Who's that?" he asked curiously, pointing in the direction of a boy who was a little ways behind them, still in the hall. He looked like he was spying on the explorers and Cooper wondered if maybe the boy wanted to come too.
"Maybe he wants to come with us," the boy offered, repeating what he'd just thought to himself.

[Tallulah Skeffington]

"He doesn't like exploring like I do."

A smile graced the older girl's face. "Well maybe after this you'll show him a thing or two!" Coop was easy to please, Tallulah liked this. He didn't expect anything amazing from her, just a good friend. She could hear the faint echo of her voice bouncing off the walls. The effect was quite cool. It made it seem like they were in some mummy's tomb or exploring some ancient temple. This was her kind of fun.

She felt Cooper turn his body around to face the entrance way of the tunnel. She didn't hear any fear in his voice as he spoke about the person behind them. Tallulah turned her head to look back, her dark locks flowing out behind her. A boy around her age was standing there in a dark corner. She had never seen him before, but that could be because she didn't really try to meet anyone new. Her eyes looked him over, then turned into slits. Was this boy trying to scare them? A small smirk formed as she turned fully to face the boy. She let go of Coop's hand, grabbing it with the hand on the other side.

When Coop asked who the boy was she shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know him. Never seen him before." She shrugged her shoulders again, the act made Cooper's hand go up a little as she was taller then him. Her eyes went over to the boy again, still smoldering with annoyance. "What are you doing?" She asked the newcomer, slightly bothered by his presence.

[Jason Williams]

Jason walked out of the Connor where he was standing and walked up to the two standing looking at him. He could tell the Slythern girl was not happy with him watching them by the look in her eyes. He walked up to the boy.

"Who's that?"

Jason Crouched down to the Boys hight. He held his hand out for the boy to shake. "My names Jason, whats your name" Jason asked him smiling.

"What are you doing?"

Jason stood back up "I'm sorry" Jason said looking at the girl " I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable, my name is Jason Williams" Jason said offering his hand to her to shake.

[Tallulah Skeffington]

She watched the boy and he walked forward coming closer to her and Cooper. Something about him made her not like him. It was probably his sketchy entrance to this little adventure. Any real gentleman would have announced his arrival as to not scare the people he saw. Dark eyes still held their glare at this boy.

His name was Jason. Inwardly she shrugged, not caring much. Jason shook Cooper's hand and smiled at the boy. A nice gesture indeed but Tallulah didn't care. She looked away and rolled her eyes, knowing neither of the two boys could see her do this. She wondered what exactly he was doing here. Did he follow them up here? Was he trying to play a prank on them? These thoughts flashed through Tallulah's mind, making her annoyance turn to a more evil kind. She didn't want to hurt the boy, just make him go away.

When he turned to her she looked back over at him, a perfectly managed eyebrow raised. He rattled off some sorry and introduced himself to her. Sticking out his hand she looked down at it for a second before putting her wand away and bringing her pale hand to his. Shaking it light for a second she brought hers back, eyebrow still raised in a sort of questioning glare. Giving him a smug smirk she finally introduced herself. "Tallulah." She didn't need to say more, her thought he didn't deserve more for such a creepy entrance. She really didn't like the way he came upon her and Coop.

[Cooper Lee]

"Hi Jason. I'm Super Cooper," Cooper said brightly, smiling at the older boy and not seeing the distaste Lu seemed to have for him. He shook Jason's hand firmly like he was taught to and then reached back up to hold Lu's. He liked holding her hand. Actually, he just liked her. He was glad he had made a friend, even if it was with one of the big kids. Turning his head, Cooper looked up at his new friend when she spoke to Jason and he frowned slightly. He didn't see anything wrong with Jason, so he tugged lightly on Lu's hand.

"Be nice," he told her with a frown and then looked to Jason with a smile, "We're exploring." Cooper was happy to tell Jason what it was they were doing in case the boy decided he wanted to come too. He hoped Lu wasn't going to mind him coming along, but she seemed to not like him very much.

[Jason Williams]

Jason could tell the girl was not please with him, just coming out of know where like he did, and Jason wouldn't be happy if someone did the same thing to him so he couldn't really blame her for being annoyed with Jason.

He turned back to the girl "Listen, um Tallulah, really I didn't mean to make you angry really I was just walking around and happened to be in the corner when I came up on you two" Jason said. Just shut up Jason your making a jackass outa yourself he thought to himself



Jason smiled at the boy. "Super Cooper huh?" Jason said crouching down back to the boys hight "Well Super cooper is honor to me you"

Jason couldn't help but laugh a little when Cooper told Tallulah to be nice. "well Cooper theres alot of fun places to explore in the castle" Jason said with a smile.