Making History...or Making Trouble?

[Felicity Hjort]

Finding a little corner in the very back of the library, Felicity huddled behind a number of books, with only one open. While she knew this wasn't necessarily the best of areas to be, she wanted to find a quiet spot where she could have a bit of fun. And it was difficult enough learning how to correctly make the spell work. Thankfully she'd perfected it in the dormitories earlier that week, but now was for the real test.

Having spent hours earlier cutting out little paper figures, Felicity now had them spread out on the table in front of her, pointing her wand and hoping for the best. The worst that could happen would be that the papers caught fire, and someone closer to her likely knew how to cast a water spell, much like Celina knew how to.

History class was making her fall asleep lately, and she wanted to still learn the lessons. So, she thought what better way to learn than by letting the history lesson play out before her? Right? What could possibly go wrong as long as she didn't burn the library down?

Taking a deep breath, she released and focused her mind on the task at hand, performing a spell which was never her strong point. Making the motions, she quietly spoke the very spell she'd learned, and was amazed when the paper took a more human form (albeit tiny little figures) and began walking about, taking each other in, and then they focused on her. That was the turning point...

All of a sudden loud voices began shouting about giants taking over again. It wouldn't have been so bad, other than for two factors. One, she couldn't remember the spell to make something quiet, and two, the voices were louder than her yelling voice on a soccer field.

Maybe there was a chance no one would notice...?

[CONNOR xD]

[Connor Manning]

It seemed that as of late Connor couldn't really keep up with his homework. The workload remained the same, but the Head Boy felt more busy than ever with the school work and social life as well as quidditch schedule. It was pretty hard to balance it all, and he often ended up slacking on his own personal work rather then let someone else down for his own gain. His schedule was never very regulated as he still couldn't figure out how to make it all work to his advantage without having to give anything up.

And as the Head Boy duties were picking up Connor found himself forgetting about his schoolwork. He had been falling behind a bit in classes and now he needed to make up for it. He situated himself next to one of the windows against the far wall of the library, a small pile of school books sitting open on a work table. The only thing missing from the scene was the Slytherin himself. He stood several feet away from his seat, browsing the nearest bookshelf. It was mostly fiction novels, the subjects varying from wizarding historic fiction to science fiction. He didn't have any idea what nocels had to do with his school subjects, but he had been working for a while and was growing bored of the monotony.

Connor whistled to himself as he looked through the books, his thoughts uninterrupted until he heard a large commotion from the other side of the bookshelf. He nearly dropped the book he happened to be holding and took several steps to the left to look around the obstruction. His eyebrows lifted in a curious manner. He could only see one person, Felicity, a good friend of his. " Felicity, what are you doing? " He grew confused at the scene before him, wondering what was going on.

[Felicity Hjort]

"You there!" one tiny figure shouted above the rest. "What claims have you to this, here, land?!"

Another started in, poking one with what seemed to be a sword, only to have that figure turn on him and start shouting about insolence and other things the blonde just wished she didn't have to hear. Words were not nicely thrown about amongst the little figures, and when she moved, just slightly to see if the reverse spell was in the book she was using, they once more focused all of their attention on her.

"How dare those foul creatures try once more? Didn't they learn the first time around they cannot beat us?"

"What say you we take this monster on?"

Light brown eyes full of worry widened to an unbelievable state of shock. How was she supposed to calm them down? Make them stop shouting? Take them out? All she'd wanted was a quick look into history, and it seemed she'd gotten involved in the middle of the Giant Wars, something she hadn't planned on. All she wanted was to have a little fun and learn just enough to pass exams.

But when she heard a familiar voice, the pretty blonde looked up, terrified as to what he'd say to her about her little venture.

"Connor?" she croaked quietly, begging silently for his help. He was much more skilled than she, so perhaps he would know how to reverse the spell, or make them quiet, something. But how could she answer his question, when to her it was so obvious she hadn't the faintest clue what she was doing?

[Connor Manning]

Connor was trying very hard not to burst out laughing. As he took another step closer toward Felicity, the Slytherin boy allowed for his lips to curl up into a small smile. His friend looked completely horrified herself, but Connor saw a bit of humor in the situation. He was curious how the little paper figures had come to life, but one look at Felicity's worried face told him that it had something to do with her. " Yeah? " He whispered the word, not wanting to add to the volume level that the little people were creating.

" Oh! Right. " He set his book down on the table, careful to avoid crushing the paper beings. He didn't think they would be too pleased with him if he killed off one of them. He patted his pockets, having temporarily forgotten where he had put his wand.

" Okay, hold on. " He tried to remember what spell it was that would cause the noise to stop. " Uh... immobulus! " Thinking quickly apparently didn't suit the Slytherin lad. The spell he performed only made the paper people stop moving, glued to the spot where the stood. " Crap! " The shouting actually increased a few levels and it made his head want to split.

' What is the meaning of this you big brute? '

His eyes widened with laughter as he chuckled under his breath, a desperate sort of laughter. " What do I do? " He asked, nudging Felicity's side with his elbow.

[Felicity Hjort]

The boy's temporary lapse almost reminded Felicity of the number of times boys had first met her, but he'd never acted that way before, and certainly was hoping he wasn't starting now. How horrid would it be if something like that were to happen? He was one of her best friends, and she surely didn't want to face the battle of having to tell another no again. It'd taken Michael a number of times to understand she was interested, and Lucas, he nearly broke her heart with his continuous attitude after she'd chosen Drew. But Connor? It'd likely tear her heart to shreds.

Thankfully, it did just seem temporary and he quickly regained his footing as he brought out his wand to do something for her. A spell was cast, one she certainly wouldn't have thought of, nor performed properly and a sigh of relief spread through her...until they started speaking again.

Clamping her hands around her ears, she couldn't believe the noise they were making, and they were paper figures! Certainly the librarian would arrive soon and ban Felicity from her latest hideout.

"I don't know," Felicity whimpered, nearly pulling her hair out as she clenched tighter when the group started all shouting obscenities, adding to the one who directly spoke to Connor. "This is the first time it's worked, every other time I only set them of fire!" Her whispered voice was ironic, considering it certainly wouldn't add much to the boisterous noises of the little figures if she spoke in a normal tone.

[Connor Manning]

" Shh! Shh! Be quiet! " Connor knew his efforts were for not, the stupid little men wouldn't listen to him at all. " If you don't be quiet I'll... I'll... " He didn't know what he'd do. What were you supposed to do to little paper men that wouldn't be quiet? Make them shut up, of course, but he didn't know how to make that happen.

" Maybe it would be good to set them on fire this time... " He grumbled to himself somewhat jokingly. He wouldn't actually want to set them on fire, but the idea was comforting as a particularly loud paperman started to scream at the pair of them.

' Would ya undo this ya terrible creature!? I can't move me legs! ' Connor tried very hard to hold back his laughter, and it didn't much work. He chuckled lightly, thinking that only Felicity could have caused something this humorous to happen. " Okay.. let me think. " Connor closed his eyes only to open them a few seconds later. " Got it! Silencio! " For the most part the screamed ceased, leaving a hushed silence about that particular area of the library. Out of the corner of his eye, though, Connor spotted a small group of five or so paper men scurrying around on the ground, hiding behind chairs and bookcases.

" Felicity.... " He pointed to the attack group, as he listened closely he heard their whispered plans.

[Felicity Hjort]

Perking up a little, not catching that Connor was joking about setting them on fire, she was somewhat delighted, knowing she couldn't get that wrong. Fire was her specialty, especially when she didn't mean to start one. The only thing she worried about at that moment was whether they'd run and catch the library on fire, likely, it would be her luck shining through after all. Too bad. If the library caught fire, could they really blame her, paper was just so flammable as was, and if fire spread, she could only be blamed for starting the fire. Besides, she'd likely be asked to leave the school, something she wouldn't mind so much, but knew her mum and Drew would be sorely disappointed over.

It was a huge relief when Connor was able to silence the little men, something she knew wouldn't have happened without him or another able body. It was rather disheartening to know she still had such trouble casting spells though she'd been going to school for just such the last two years. At least she was able to do quite well in Transfigurations.

Just about to open her mouth to ask Connor's opinion on what she should do, her eyes followed where he pointed and her jaw dropped. How many had she made? Eleven, she was sure of it because she grew bored cutting them out after a while. Counting the ones on the table, there were five, plus the ones on the ground. Could her day be any worse?

"Well...the worse they can do is give us paper cuts," she answered with a weak smile.

[Connor Manning]

Their little bodies continued to move, swiveling about without taking another step, waving their fists around in fury. They opened their mouths to holler at the two seventh years, but of course no sound came out. It was comical to watch, small bodies moving but not able to really do anything else. He sort of felt bad for having to trap the little buggers in a motionless world, but they were causing a bit too much trouble to stick around for long.

' Well...the worse they can do is give us paper cuts. ' Connor grinned sheepishly and turned to look at his friend.

" Felicity I have a confession to make... " He paused for effect, a small play-frown causing his features to look downtrodden. " I'm terribly afraid of paper cuts. " Once he finally spoke the words he grinned again, not really able to keep his good-nature about the situation at bay. Out of the corner of his eye he once again noticed the little troop of men on the move. What were they doing...?

[Felicity Hjort]

As soon as the words left his mouth, Felicity uncharacteristically groaned. He was going to say it, just like so many other boys she'd known, he was going to say something and she was going to have to say no. Maybe something was leaking into the water again, Connor of all people, she thought he was a safe bet, a friend and comfort, nothing else. Well, that wasn't true either, but she thought she was safe from having to have this conversation with him of all people. What about Celina, didn't he still like her? And she him? Or had she really missed that much in the last few months?

Breath sucked in, held as she waited, she burst into a fit of giggles when he finished. The giggles shook her violently enough that her body visibly shook, her face turned red (whether due to the laughter or the embarrassment of thinking Connor was going to say that she couldn't honestly say).

Gently shoving him to the side, she covered her mouth, trying to muffle the noise. Maybe, if she were quiet enough they'd be able to understand exactly what the figures were going to do. Terrified still that the librarian would venture to the depths of where they were located, she couldn't help but hope Connor would be brilliant and get rid of the figures to keep her from getting banned from the library.

"What do you think? Can we get rid of them easily enough? Or should we get help?" Maybe a Professor would have better luck, well, more so than she but Connor was awfully skilled.

[Connor Manning]

Connor continued to chuckle at his own joke for a couple seconds, finding himself much more funnier than he actually was. Relief seemed to sweep over Felicity's face and he grew slightly confused, wondering what she thought he was going to say. He shrugged his shoulders just as the girl shoved him a bit, catching him a little off balance he stumbled a few feet away, still laughing. " Jeez. Just push me over why don't ya? " He quieted his laughter and spoke in a hushed voice, not wanting to disturb people anymore than necessary.

" I think we've got this... you hold 'em down and I'll get the rope. " The Slytherin boy spoke in a joking manner, knowing that using tiny rope probably wouldn't work on tiny paper people. His fingers would be too big to tie the knots.

" Maybe not. How about... we corner 'em, then we can just perform the same spells on them that we did on the other ones. " He motioned to the somewhat frozen paper beings, still shaking their fists but unable to move from their present spots.

[Felicity Hjort]

"Maybe next time I will," Felicity threatened, her giggles cutting her words into sounds of divided hiccups. And if the thought ever really crossed her mind, she knew she'd have to be pretty angry...or in the middle of a very trying game with him. While his height was towering over hers, she thought they were about the same size otherwise, she could take him on.

Perhaps tying them could work, if one or the other of them had rope, or string. Unfortunately Felicity carried neither on her person. But when he mentioned cornering them, she had to wonder how well it would work. They were small, not extremely dangerous, but they could easily slip by. Maybe if he couldn't catch all of them with his wand she could damage them by stepping upon them. It could work.

"All right, but how about you perform the spells and I'll keep an eye out for any that try escaping in the process?" Surely her friend would understand with her track record in classes when it came to wandwork.

[Connor Manning]

Connor frowned jokingly, pushing his bottom lip out just slightly in a pout. When she spoke her reply though he couldn't help but chuckle at the words. " I'd like to see you try. " He didn't think Felicity could handle shoving him over unless she was in some sort of rage. He'd seen her angry before, but never violent. He figured it would take a lot to get her angry enough to push him anywhere, really.

' All right, but how about you perform the spells and I'll keep an eye out for any that try escaping in the process? ' He nodded his response, hushing his own laughter and clearing his throat a bit before he spoke. " Sounds good... How 'bout we go this way? " he pointed to his left, indicating that they should go around the nearest book shelf and then corner the little buggers by the wall. It was a decent plan, he supposed, but he wasn't so sure how it would play out in actuality.

Connor once again retrieved his wand once again from his pocket, holding it at the ready. The tiny humans weren't hazardous, really, he just didn't want his friend to get into trouble for the humorous incident. He started walking towards the left, beckoning Felicity to come with him. He didn't want any paper people getting around him.

[Felicity Hjort]

If they hadn't had more pressing matters at hand, Felicity would've been more than happy to show him she could handle herself. Connor was a good friend, and she was rather comfortable playing with him as long as he wasn't scaring her with some of the words that came out of his mouth. A few of those things reminded her of the too many times she'd heard that same speech from a number of boys since arriving at Hogwarts; and being as she could only remember a spattering here or there at home of that talk, there had to be something in the water at the castle.

Grinning at the Slytherin, Felicity gladly followed, staying close this way, if he needed her in a specific position he could shove her where she needed to be, or pull her. It made perfect sense in her mind, as long as he was the one who performed magic and didn't ask her to.

The group of paper men were still 'whispering' and arguing over the best way to take she and Connor down, and thankfully they seemed to be distracted. It would give Connor the advantage so he could make his move, and hopefully in one sweep take them all out. Wouldn't that be nice?

[Connor Manning]

" Alright... let's do this. "

Connor lowered his wand pointed down at the ground in case the little men decided to do something drastic ( xD ), inches forward and to the left in the direction he had been pointing at only seconds before. Occasionally he would glance back at Felicity with a finger raised to his lips in the universal ' Shh ' sign. He didn't want to send them running this way and that all over the library. Granted they were just tiny men made of paper, but the small amount of hysteria before had ignited a feeling of adventure in the boy. Plus it was still kind of fun to sneak up on someone.

He took another few steps forward, taking special care to not walk loudly, " Okay... " He peeked around the bookcase to see the backs of the little men. " Silencio! " It took most of the tiny people a few seconds to realize they were left without sound. One particularly intelligent paperman realized it before the rest and ran for it.

" Immobulus! " The group of five was left unmoving and silenced, much to their disappointment. " Where'd the other one go? " He was hoping Felicity had spotted the rogue man and was working on a plot to catch him... Hopefully.

[Felicity Hjort]

Tip toeing along, Felicity nodded her agreement to Connor. The sooner they froze and quieted the little men, the better the chances would be she wouldn't get into trouble, at least too much of it. It was rather surprising to the blonde the librarian hadn't arrived to investigate, but she was thanking the lucky stars she hadn't. Right now, her focus was supposed to be on Connor and the little paper figures, knowing that they were of utmost importance, but her mind kept drifting to little thoughts, such as how this reminded her somewhat of going into the Forest with Celina and Drew; and how much Celina would be enjoying this little rendezvous if she were with them.

As soon as Connor had the paper men froze in spot, she clapped her hands in an excited little girl fashion, jumped up and down, and was about ready to cheer on Connor until she noticed the number that were in place.

"Four...five?" she gulped as the Gryffindor counted them once more. "Where...?" her word was expressed the same time Connor asked. "I don't know!" she answered in a loud whisper. "I thought they were all right there."

Whirling around, Felicity scanned the immediate area, but this little guy was rather tricky. Or well hidden in the library full of paper! Dropping down to her hands and knees, she crawled looking under tables, chairs, in little nooks and crannies limited the the eye perspective when standing. Where'd he go?