Whomping Willow & The Shrieking Shack

"I couldn't get my words out that well. I have a really big slinky that I want to roll down all of the stairs, trick staircases and all. It's- eh, it's on my 50 things to do before I kick the Hogwarts Bucket list. Dixie made one too. She saw it in my journal, made one, and now we've combined them. Tomorrow we're making a Casserole! That's her nickname for me, y'see," she said animatedly. Talking about Dixie had to be exciting, so to live up to her.

"Hmm..." Indiana remarked as he poured himself some lemonade. "So you want to roll a very long slinky from the Astronomy Tower down through all the stairs to the Great Hall... The question is if you've mapped the path well for the slinky to travel down to the intended destination in one go. Also, how long is the slinky at this moment and when will you go through with this?"

The youth certainly wanted to see this while also wondering on where he could help.

"Nah, planning is overrated, really. The staircases move, don't they? So I am wanting to see how many times it takes to go down to the bottom without starting it again. I'm wanting to do it when anyone cares to join in- I need someone to witness it for my Bucket List, and plus, where's the fun doing it on your own?"

Cass brushed Jas's hair away from the zip part of her bag which she'd used as a pillow. Opening it, she showed Indiana her slinky. "When held and let dangle, it's probably taller than us on each other's shoulder. I can fit my head in it, wanna see?"

"If there was a way to extract the memory of a successful slinky run from such a witness, I think that will be undeniable proof." Indiana remarked before seeing Cassopeia take a slinky out of her bag.

"Well, if you're going to fit your head through, just be sure to take off my helmet/mask. Don't want it to tangle or damage the slinky." the youth added before draining the last of his beverage. "What other goals are on your Bucket List?"

"Eh, I think a signature saying you've seen it will suffice for me," remarked Cass, "besides, you haven't said you'd done it, yet. I won't take no for an answer. You've helped me, I've helped you. We're adventure buddies, or at least Danger Buddies. Why does danger always find us when we're in the vicinity?" she joked as she took of Indiana's helmet and handed it back to him gently.

Cass shoved her rainbow slinky on her head. She took tentative moves to get off the mattress and not disturb Jazz, made some space, and then did a cartwheel, staying in the air, letting the slinky drop to the floor, still on her head.
"Pretty cool, huh?"

"Well, count me in on the Mass Slinky event that you're planning." Indiana replied as he took his helmet/mask back before placing it on his knapsack. "I think we're just victims of circumstance that fate loves to play with. But I think we've managed to overcome obstacles that are thrown at us so far."

He then watched Cassopeia perform what looked to be a cartwheel at first but stopped midway such that it looked like she was vertically standing on only her hands. The slinky on her head dropped to the floor.

"Nice, Cass!"

"Yeah, victims of circumstance," nodded Cass, "nothing we could've predicted with paperweights, thats for definate!"
Her voice sounded weird when she was upside down. It made her laugh, and she struggled to keep her balance.

Cass took one hand off the floor and then another, not touching the floor with any part of her body. Balancing on the floor with a slinky. Using her head. Kinda.
"So, what muggle stuff you like?" asked the Ravenclaw as she let her legs touch the ground and shuffled back to the mattress, facing Indiana again. She drank some still scolding tea.

Indiana registered the question that Cassopeia placed before him, noticing the broadness of it. "There are a lot of Muggle things in existence. I would say the electronics are the most interesting items in the Muggle world due to their apparent ease and utility for everyday life."

"What magical items do you like?" Indiana asked.

(Wow, how much coffee did you drink to say awake?)

"Hmm. I should've narrowed that question down, shouldn't I? You got any cool hobbies? Oo! I know a cool question to ask you- best Muggle invention- we can compare! I've been brushing up on my muggly knowledge," she said proudly. "Electricity was how that Bell man made a telephone, right?"
"You're funny, I get it. I shouldn't have asked that wide a question," she grinned, "but I would have to say I love me a big ol' broom. Actually, I like the really light ones that had to be recalled for being too light. They were good ones."

(LOL. I had one its 4:49 am. WOOT.)

Indiana rubbed his forehead. "Electricity was only a part of the reason as to why Alexander Bell's telephone was able to work. He simply made improvements to the ideas of the telegram in hopes of transmitting audio voice and clear speech. But if there was a good invention that I like, then it's the hydrogen combustion engine since cars containing them won't have to use gasoline and are close to going green."

"As for hobbies, reading and exploring new places, the latter after coming to Hogwarts." The youth answered.

"You're into your cars, aren't you. You fixed Elise. She's top notch now. What's a carbouretta?"

Cass sat patiently as Indiana explained that. "I like... Bird watching, my Greek mythology, wand making's fun. Reading's always going to be there, at the top!" she said, looking at nothing in particular.
She looked back at Jaz. She looked so cute.

"I don't know everything about cars, just enough of the basic maintenance after seeing May and Nonette inspect their vehicles while working on them. Transportation in the Muggle world is a very important necessity so that no one had to always walk on foot to their destination." Indiana replied. "As for a carbouretta... do you mean carburetor because I never heard of the term carbouretta."

"I know Nonette's May's best friend, but is she in the same field of work? So was that their work car?"
Cass' Mum always said that an inquisitive mind never wanders but Cass' mother was never to be taken seriously. She spent a week in Albania sat on a tree her Dad was whittling for wand wood just sat there watching Snakes. She'd brought no food, no nothing.
She also said an inquisitive mind was never out of work, but that was right.

Cass pulled a face when she was wrong, as Indiana spelt it out. "Oh."

(a/n LOL. I've only ever heard it in passing XD)

Indiana shook his head. "Nonette is an environmental engineer, working in the Terra-Forming Protocol. It's a project that involves changing the conditions, climate, and the land for people to live and settle on comfortably. Both she and May have separate cars. Whenever one of them is doing maintenance, I'm always there either way."

"Regarding the carburetor, it's just a unit used to blend and regulate the air and fuel into the engine, controlling the car's speed."

"Ahhh. Right. They have people in a new department of the Ministry of Magic for that too, not that I'm saying her job is superfluous. I mean that it's cool how both muggles and wizards have the same kind of ideals," Cass hoped he didn't put her face in it.

Jaz turned around in her sleep. "That reminds me," whispered Cass, "she needs a blanket."
Cass untied the blanket from around herself and pulled it over Jaz. "I'll just nip to my dorm and get another for her- it's freezing."

Cass jumped up and out of the Whomping Willow, stradling the root as she climed higher.
"Indiana," she hissed to the gap in the Earth, "Bradley's gonna look after you while I'm gone!"
She maintained a brisk jog to the castle, reveling in the crisp air.

(BTW AM REPLYING THE MINUTE YOU DO :3)

After watching Cassopeia leave, Indiana looked at the sleeping Jasmeet before looking at Bradley, who was still sitting on his shoulder.

Placing the helmet/mask back on to become Zero once more, the MASKED Hufflepuff stood up with his walking stick in hand but remained in the cool and dark corner of the cavern not far from the campfire.

The MASKED Hufflepuff then looked at Bradley and spoke in an altered voice. "From what Cass said about meeting you at the circus, it's good to hear that she saved you from that life. Would've been even better if she also managed to free the others too."

Bradley replied with a soft croak.

Minutes had passed and Cass was now on full flouncing mode- running with her legs all over the place.
Peeves you---! GAH!

But as Cass had sprinted closer and closer to the Whomping Willow, blanket in hand, Cass had a new found hope about Peeve's threat.
Obviously it was an empty one- he's only trying to worry and get back at me because Theresa and I got him good last night.

But hope wasn't good enough. Cass was still worried. Which was why as Cass took a second to calm the hell down before she jumped between the roots, she cast a Protego charm on the entrance, hoping that such a charm would stop him.
"Back," she said happily.

Only Cass could hear the distort in her voice.

The MASKED Hufflepuff looked up amid hearing footsteps before seeing that it was only Cassopeia returning with a blanket in her hands.

At the same time, his instincts were warning him that something else was also present. The sound of a very faint cackling laughter caused him to narrow his eyes as he held his walking stick with his left hand and his wand with his right hand. He checked and saw that Jasmeet was undisturbed and her wand still in her possession despite being asleep.

'Peeves?' the youth thought, looking around the vicinity and wondering if the poltergeist had returned.

"Yo," she greeted Indiana as she swapped blankets with Jasmeet, after returning with a fluffy Puffskein Duvet. Not that Cass knew.
She smiled at Jaz fondly. She looked so defenceless when she slept.
Before Jaz bent it, Cass moved her wand arm down to rest against the pillow-bag, noticing she was still holding it.

"You seen the new Dueling Club room?"

After taking his helmet/mask off and placing his wand away, Indiana relaxed a bit while watching Cassopeia tend to Jasmeet. He hoped that there weren't any other unknown entities present.

"No, I haven't seen it yet." Indiana replied, wondering on what had occurred in the Dueling Club. "Did something happen while you were up there?"

"Mr. Lamperouge! Ms. Marling! Just what are you two doing out here at this time?!" a masculine voice spoke and Indiana turned to see Nearly Headless Nick appear from the walls.

"Cass, were you followed by chance?"

"What you taking your mask on and off for," asked Cass, amused. "No, no. I think Professor Mitchell has just cleaned up all the papers and stuff. All the Duels are cleared. Clean slate and all that."

Listening to Nick's booming voice, Cass jumped up, startled it'd wake Jaz. She turned to the Gryffindor.
This girl could sleep through a Quidditch Match.

"It's you!" she whispered, "the little devil that didn't catch me in DADA!"

"Well, I apologise, Ms. Marling, but you didn't give me time to finish my s-
"Oh, hush." Cass dug in her heels and narrowed her eyes, hiding a smile.

"No particular reason." Indiana replied before feeling Bradley jump off his shoulder towards a wall that he clung to for a moment before jumping once more, this time towards Cassopeia.

He sighed amid hearing on what the Headmistress did to the Dueling Club. "Well, I'll check it and see what changes came about."

Indiana then turned to Nearly Headless Nick. "Sir Nicholas, you wouldn't have to have seen Peeves around here just now, have you? Is there any other ghostly presence around here?"

The ghost shook his head negatively. "He was on the grounds of the lake just a while ago when the Bloody Baron came and dragged him back to the castle. Besides myself, there-"

The sound of crashing furniture in the Shrieking Shack erupted above, causing Indiana to grip his walking stick tightly as he quickly placed his helmet/mask back on to conceal his identity.

"You just like being in stealth mode," said Cass knowingly. "Me too! It is pretty cool. Eugh, Bradley, you have cobwebs near your eyes..."

Cass took the time to wipe the cobwebs away and shake them of her hand.
As she stopped with a fierce wave to rid them, a tumult above shook the room. She saw Indy at the corner of his eye grab his walking stick, and place his helmet on his head.

But I broke mine!
"Nicholas, are you sure no ghosts are up there?" she asked, walking closer to the transparent entity, talking as one would calm a hippogriff.

"None and Peeves was dragged back to the castle." Nearly Headless Nick answered. "I did see someone entering the shack, though, and is probably rummaging through the place."

Peering through the circular opal visor of his helmet/mask, the MASKED Hufflepuff looked up at the trapdoor-like entrance to the Shrieking Shack, wondering on what presence or person is up there.

"Can you describe on who is up there?"

"Eh, that might have been me, you know, what with just coming back..."
That acidic taste had returned in her mouth, and that dark surprise feeling when you expect another step on a staircase came again.
He's not here.
I refuse to believe it.

"Indiana," hissed Cass, "don't go up there. Nick, do you think we should leave?"




(HAPPY THOUSANDTH POST TO MEEEE!)