G A Phillips
Hufflepuff
First Year
Anything worth doing, is worth overdoing.
Posts: 34
|
Post by G A Phillips on Jul 4, 2009 2:22:25 GMT -5
G had not been planning to leave the school grounds when she got of this morning, but a series of events starting with the Whomping Willow and ending with the crawl space of the Shrieking Shack had lead her to Hogsmead. She did not know what this place was, exactly where it was, or if it would be an unusual occurrence for an eleven-year-old girl to show up here. She was not dressed in her school robes but in camo cargo pants and a handed down brown T-shirt, so if this was a muggle village, she could move about easily. But if this was a wizard village where everybody wore robes, then she would not blend in at all well.
She knew this type of thing took time and was prepared to spend the entire day gathering information and then come back more prepared tomorrow or next weekend. After a while of watching the main section of the town she decided that it was in fact a wizard dwelling. Most the people were dressed in robes of one type or another but there were some who were dressed in muggle clothing like herself. Another hour and a half she drew up the courage to skirt around the town to the less populated side where the hills began to rise up again and the shops turned to houses.
There was evidence of magic in the houses. Magic openly used, magic children ridding toy brooms, and so on. Her watch told her it was nearing 3 o’clock and her stomach confirmed the fact. She had skipped breakfast and now lunch, before this had not been a problem but not the initial thrill of finding this place was wearing off she was becoming much more aware of the pang of hunger in her stomach. She decided she would return to the castle in time for dinner. That still left a little more time to explore however, and she sneaked down into the village.
Staying to less traveled streets and smiling in a friendly but forgettable manner when she did see someone she slowly worked her way back towards the heart of the village. Whenever she started to see too many people she doubled back and took a road closer to the outskirts of the village. G nearly made it to the shops before somebody stopped her.
|
|
Drew Thornton
Ministry of Magic
Auror-in-Training
I didn't do it and you can't prove otherwise...
Posts: 14,114
|
Post by Drew Thornton on Jul 5, 2009 23:43:23 GMT -5
Drew was actually on duty. Anytime there was an opportunity to get to Hogsmeade, he usually volunteered, owling Felicity with the hopes that she could meet him later by the school gates for just a little bit.
There wasn't a heck of a whole lot to do in Hogsmeade, which is why his supervisors usually had no problem sending a rookie Auror. The town was small and pretty quiet unless it was an open weekend for Hogwarts. Drew was strolling along the less busy outer streets, when he spotted a young girl who may or may not have been Hogwarts age. If she was a student, what was she doing there? If she wasn't.... well, why was she wandering alone? The Deva had been pretty quiet, but still it wasn't very safe for a little kid to just go out on their own.
"Hey," Drew called out, needing some answers, but not wanting to startle the kid. "I don't think you're supposed to be over here, are you?" He spoke kindly and gave her a small smile, hoping that she understood that he wasn't a threat and he wasn't going to tell on her if she was out of bounds. If she was a student at the school, she'd hardly be the first kid to sneak off to town.
|
|
G A Phillips
Hufflepuff
First Year
Anything worth doing, is worth overdoing.
Posts: 34
|
Post by G A Phillips on Jul 6, 2009 0:07:10 GMT -5
G started and looked around to see who had spoken. Feeling guilty that she had been caught she stuck both her hands in her pocket, a habit of her when she was nervous or unsure of the situation and didn't know what to do with her hands. She wasn't sure if the boy was telling her she wasn't supposed to be here, or questioning her. But he was smiling and didn't seem all the threatening so she smiled vaguely back at him and said, "Oh.” Meanwhile her mind was racing. Should she pretend that she had just moved to the village and was simply out exploring or should she just fess up to sneaking out of the grounds. “Well, I suppose I’m not.”
Her deep seated desire to show off won out and she decided if directly questioned, she would confess that she was a student from Hogwarts. He was questioning her about being out where she wasn’t supposed to, but he seemed to just interested instead of like he was interrogating her. She was normally an ok judge of character and, at the moment at least, he did not seem like he was gathering information so he could run off and report her. She smiled a little more warmly at him.
“What about you, are you supposed to be here?” She asked, glancing around. Still unsure of the situation she figured the sooner she got the focus off herself the better.
|
|
Drew Thornton
Ministry of Magic
Auror-in-Training
I didn't do it and you can't prove otherwise...
Posts: 14,114
|
Post by Drew Thornton on Jul 6, 2009 1:47:59 GMT -5
Drew laughed at the honesty of her answer. Most kids would have come up with some sort of excuse explaining how they got there and what they were doing. He knew that's what he would have done for sure.
"What say we at least get back to the main road?" he susggested thinking the back alleys were really no place for a little kid. "My name's Drew. You a student at the school, or are you here with someone?" Again, he hoped that he was being non-confrontational. He didn't want to bust the kid, just get her back where she belonged.
|
|
G A Phillips
Hufflepuff
First Year
Anything worth doing, is worth overdoing.
Posts: 34
|
Post by G A Phillips on Jul 6, 2009 2:06:40 GMT -5
“I’m fine sticking to the back roads, mister.” She said, becoming a little more wary of him. He still seemed nice enough, but even if he had good intentions she felt that being on the main rode might lead to more questions which would lead to her getting in trouble.
Moments before she had decided that, if asked, she would just right up and admit to having snuck off from the school. But having she had snuck off, the guilty instincts of really any child who was not where they were supposed to be kicked in and she became a little more evasive. She bit her lip, torn between being caught and showing off. “I’m Phil, and no, I’m not here with anyone.” This was the truth, but she wasn’t exactly admitting to being from the castle either. To go along with the introduction she stuck out her hand to shake.
|
|
Drew Thornton
Ministry of Magic
Auror-in-Training
I didn't do it and you can't prove otherwise...
Posts: 14,114
|
Post by Drew Thornton on Jul 6, 2009 23:30:08 GMT -5
Drew frowned at the small girl. He really didn't want to scare her about the dangers of walking along back streets, even in a relatively safe place like Hogsmeade, but still he felt like she needed to be more careful. Too many kids thought they were invincible... heck, he had been one of them... and look where it had gotten him.
"It's not Mister. It's just Drew," he told her with a crooked smile. He was pretty sure he'd never get used to that. "And I'm serious. It's not a good idea to be hanging out back here. Safer to be where people can see you. Unless... you're up to something. In that case, you're probably better off back here." His expression hinted at a tease, but there was a sense of seriousness to his intentions. The Deva had been recruiting younger and younger and while he was pretty sure this kid was harmless, he wasn't going to let his guard down.
"So, you're from the school?" he concluded when she said she wasn't there with anyone. He realized he was starting to come off like he was interrogating her and really didn't want to sound so nosy-grown-up. He really had no intention of busting her. He just wanted her to be safe. "How'd you find yourself here? Gregory the Smarmy or the Humpback Witch?"
|
|
G A Phillips
Hufflepuff
First Year
Anything worth doing, is worth overdoing.
Posts: 34
|
Post by G A Phillips on Jul 6, 2009 23:58:04 GMT -5
G bit her lip nervously as he continued, lecturing her on how it wasn’t safe to be back here. This place certainly seemed harmless enough, and she didn’t earn the reputation as the bravest girl at her old school by staying away from somewhere just because it might be dangerous. She was not sure if he was joking when he added that the back roads were better if you were up to mischief, he could be trying to get her to admitting that she was doing something wrong.
She nodded cautiously when he asked if she was from the school, carefully observing him. He was old enough to be out of school, that was certain, but he didn’t look all that much older than some of the seventh years. After a few moments of considering him she decided that he must have been a student recently. But the real thing, other than wanting to brag, that got her to tell him was his mention of other ways out of the castle. If he could tell her of more secrete passages she would have the run of the castle, and this town, in no time at all.
“Neither,” She admitted, grinning a mischievously. “Whomping Willow.” She paused for effect, before continuing, “So there are more ways out of the castle, eh?”
|
|
Drew Thornton
Ministry of Magic
Auror-in-Training
I didn't do it and you can't prove otherwise...
Posts: 14,114
|
Post by Drew Thornton on Jul 8, 2009 0:15:23 GMT -5
He smirked a bit when she admitted... barely... that yes, she was a student at the school, but his expression turned to one of awe when she told him how she had gotten past the gates.
"The Whomping Willow?" he echoed, obviously impressed. "That's a pretty tough route. Not to many people get past the tree. Yeah... I probably shouldn't be telling you this, but there are a couple of easier passages out if you wanted." He wasn't sure he would give them to her though. Even if he had already let the specific statues slip, he didn't need to tell her where they were.
|
|
G A Phillips
Hufflepuff
First Year
Anything worth doing, is worth overdoing.
Posts: 34
|
Post by G A Phillips on Jul 8, 2009 1:29:12 GMT -5
"Ah, well, it wasn't that hard," She said with the slightest nod and a smirk as she crossed her arms in a confident manner. His obvious awe of her gave her a very satisfying feeling that came whenever she managed to impress somebody. Still, she had to repress the urge to launch into a story about doing something more complicated or deadly than getting past the tree.
"And how would you gain access, to said passages?" She asked. She got the feeling that more than just knowing about these passages, he had probably used them more than once in his school days. Surely no student who had strictly followed the rules would be able to talk so casually about sneaking out of the castle. She could probably learn a lot from him, she decided, if only she could coax him into revealing all his secretes.
|
|
Drew Thornton
Ministry of Magic
Auror-in-Training
I didn't do it and you can't prove otherwise...
Posts: 14,114
|
Post by Drew Thornton on Jul 10, 2009 0:39:10 GMT -5
"Ah, Young Grasshopper! The secrets of the castle are many, and the road to enlightenment is long and dangerous." He would have gone with I'd tell you, but then I'd have to kill you, but he found that some people actually thought he was serious. This kid looked pretty smart, but you never knew.
"How old are you anyway?" asked with a slight tease in his voice. He had no problem sharing his knowledge with the next generation, but was also a bit concerned about contributing to the delinquency of minors.
|
|
G A Phillips
Hufflepuff
First Year
Anything worth doing, is worth overdoing.
Posts: 34
|
Post by G A Phillips on Jul 10, 2009 10:29:04 GMT -5
"Long and dangerous, eh? Sounds just like the kind of road I like." She laughed before adopting a serious voice and continuing "Please, impart your wisdom of mischief on me, o wise master." She bowed deeply.
"I'm eleven," She added with a laugh as she strained up, her somber mood gone. "But I could be a lot older." She looked around, if not for her fear of getting in trouble, she would much rather be in the main part of the village where there was more to see. But maybe she didn't have as much to worry as much as she had previously thought. If most of the residents were as lax as he was about students being out of grounds she might risk it... and if not she could always lie and say she was just visiting with her parents.
|
|
Drew Thornton
Ministry of Magic
Auror-in-Training
I didn't do it and you can't prove otherwise...
Posts: 14,114
|
Post by Drew Thornton on Jul 11, 2009 1:43:27 GMT -5
Drew laughed back, thinking back to his own first year at Hogwarts. He had pestered the older boys mercilessley for their secrets until they kicked him out of the room and made him sleep in the hall with Ol' Stoney. Ah... those were the days...
"Could be, but you aren't," he answered back with a raised eyebrow. If she wanted the secrets he knew, she'd have to work for it just like he did. Of course, how could he do that? He wasn't at school anymore and it wasn't like he could make her sleep in the hallway, clean the bathrooms, or give up the good chair in the common room. He stroked his smooth chin trying to figure it out. "See, I wasn't just given this knowledge," he told her, wondering if she could help come up with a solution. "It took me a couple of years to earn the privlidge of having it."
|
|
G A Phillips
Hufflepuff
First Year
Anything worth doing, is worth overdoing.
Posts: 34
|
Post by G A Phillips on Jul 13, 2009 13:50:29 GMT -5
"Ah," she nodded, pretty sure what he was getting at. "So I'll need to earn the knowledge somehow, some sort of test. Like sneaking into someone's house to steal one of their shoes or breaking into somewhere?" G was familiar with the concept, her older brother and older boys at school had set tasks for her and her brother to do in order to earn knowledge or just increase their standing in the social hierarchy many times. She herself had also helped organize such tests for her younger brother and his friends.
"What is it you would have me do?" She asked thinking of all the things she had done before. The time her and Brother Jacob had stayed the night in a haunted house, when they switched around the movies playing at the theater, the time they had climbed down a three story building, or when she crossed the frozen river one December. But as she thought of these things she realized with a pang that almost any trail she had done before been done with the help of her brother. "Bring back the headmistresses hat? Steal all the socks from one of the common rooms? Or something we can do here, today?"
|
|
Drew Thornton
Ministry of Magic
Auror-in-Training
I didn't do it and you can't prove otherwise...
Posts: 14,114
|
Post by Drew Thornton on Jul 21, 2009 1:21:05 GMT -5
That was almost exactly what Drew had in mind when he had mentioned earning the privlidge, but as the kid spoke the words out loud, he saw himself getting in pretty deep trouble for encouraging slightly unlawful behaviour just to get the information. Seriously, how would it look on his record if it was discovered he was luring firsties into the back alleys of Hogsmeade and convincing them to do dastardly deeds? Yeah, not so good. Better to find something less illegal and more publically acceptable.
It reminded him a little of something that had happened to him as a third year. Maybe he could work with that.
"I'm thinking of something we can do here today," he said with a crooked smile. He started wandering in the direction of the Three Broomsticks. "Ever eaten live goldfish?"
|
|
G A Phillips
Hufflepuff
First Year
Anything worth doing, is worth overdoing.
Posts: 34
|
Post by G A Phillips on Jul 21, 2009 15:07:18 GMT -5
GA grinned after him and followed. When he asked if she’d ever eaten a live fish she nearly missed the ground on her next step; now that was not something she’d been expecting. She had been hoping for something a little more thrilling than that, but since she was not even supposed to be here, avoiding trouble was almost certainly a good thing, “No,” she answered, recovering from her almost-stumble. “But, I did eat a frog once.”
Well, it was just a large tadpole, G thought to herself, but he doesn’t need to know that…and it had barely been alive. She had eaten worms alive though. The rest of the strange things she had eaten had all been cooked first. Her stomach gave an involuntary little turn at the idea of eating a fish. Maybe it was just a question, though, maybe he had something else in mind. But G already had it set in her mind, whatever he said, she’d do. Partly out of pride, out of want for respect and bragging rights but more so because she wanted to know all the secretes of the castle.
Her step hesitated again as she realized they were moving into the more populated area oh Hogsmeade. But it would be worth it if she got a few secretes out of it, so she kept up with Drew.
|
|