Approaching the Black Lake.

[Roxas]

Andrew was used to being rather secluded and did not mind being out of sight; he found the peace and quiet of silence rather appealing and soothing, he could concentrate much better then on his Charms studies. He rather haphazardly made his way down from the main perimeter of the castle towards the 'Black Lake' as he had heard some of the upper years mention when he feasted in the grand hall. Cautiously minding his step he trudged his way through the grassy patches towards the waters edge, admiring the shimmering crystal-like water as he got closer. Rather reluctant to get too near, due to the icy-cold nature of the lake, Andrew perched abut 50 metres or so away and withdrew a pad of paper and some drawing utensils from his bag. He firstly wanted to do some drawing before he explored further down the lake, wanting to capture the essence of it's beauty to send back to his parents. And so he began to sketch the rough basis of his drawing;

OOC: Open RP; just thought I'd like to do some RP of my own before I begin butting into other peoples. ^_^

[Kip]

Weatherby Wiggins enjoy taking strolls outdoors during the downtime between classes - while the castle was (quite literally) enchanting, there was something about being under the sun that made the world feel like a larger, better place. The Lake was one of his favorite places to pass by - ever since the boat ride from the platform on their first night, he desperately wanted to encounter the Giant Squid again. So far, he had no luck, barely seeing more than a ripple every now and then.

On one stroll, he saw another student sitting beside the waters. From a distance, he could see that the boy wore a yellow tie - the color of Hufflepuff, the House he had nearly been sorted into. "Hello there," he called out from a safe distance, hoping not to startle the student from his revery.

[Roxas]

Andrew at first thought the voice was just a figment of his imagination; however he quickly realized that Weatherby had called him from behind and laid down his utensils to face the unexpected visitor.

"Ah; Sorry. I was concentrating too hard on this drawing, shame I can't seem to draw that well."

He laughed rather mildly, waiting to see if the student would approach him or not.

--------

Andrew also noticed the other student; nodding to him rather courtly as he approached them.

[Kip]

Andrew at first thought the voice was just a figment of his imagination; however he quickly realized that Weatherby had called him from behind and laid down his utensils to face the unexpected visitor.

"Ah; Sorry. I was concentrating too hard on this drawing, shame I can't seem to draw that well."

He laughed rather mildly, waiting to see if the student would approach him or not.

Weatherby approached closer, smiling at the boy's joke. "We haven't met - my name is Weatherby Wiggins. I was almost sorted into Hufflepuff, you know. The Hat decided I'd look better in red though, I guess. Say, what are you drawing? Can I have a look?"

[Xion]

Two girls stare at the lake a small distance away from the group of students. One has the yellow of Hufflepuff on her uniform while the other has green. The two seem interested in the lake, while the Hufflepuff of the two is instead looking at some of the small plants that grow at the edge of the lake, curious as to what they could be, and whether or not the creatures that live in the lake perhaps use them for food. The other girl seems to have an umbrella in one hand, and a wand in the other. She is staring down at the lake, but does look over at the group of students for a few seconds before resuming her observation of the lake.

[Roxas]

I'm not sure we've met before, my name is John John said boldly, with new found confidence, as he extended his arm.

Andrew kindly responded by accepting the shake, smiling as he looked at John.

"Ah; from the Defense against the arts class. Why are you down here today?"

Weatherby approached closer, smiling at the boy's joke. "We haven't met - my name is Weatherby Wiggins. I was almost sorted into Hufflepuff, you know. The Hat decided I'd look better in red though, I guess. Say, what are you drawing? Can I have a look?"

Andrew was in a rather calm mood that morning and was more than happy to do so; murmuring "Wingardium Leviosa" to levitate the pad towards Weatherby for him to take a gander at.

"Mainly the Lake; I was hoping I'd be able to catch a climpse of the fabled Squid though. Guess that will have to wait for another time though;"

Andrew then peered around for a moment before continuing; realizing how rude he had been.

"Sorry; I forgot to mention, I'm Andrew Fieldsbridge. "What brings you down here anyway?"

[Kip]

Andrew was in a rather calm mood that morning and was more than happy to do so; murmuring "Wingardium Leviosa" to levitate the pad towards Weatherby for him to take a gander at.

"Mainly the Lake; I was hoping I'd be able to catch a climpse of the fabled Squid though. Guess that will have to wait for another time though;"

Andrew then peered around for a moment before continuing; realizing how rude he had been.

"Sorry; I forgot to mention, I'm Andrew Fieldsbridge. "What brings you down here anyway?"

"What a great drawing, Andrew!" Weatherby murmured, his eyes scanning over the parchment. "I certainly wish I could do one as good as this. Funny that you've been looking for the Squid - that's why I come down here too!" He said happily, handing the parchment back to the Hufflepuff. He didn't feel confident enough in his Charms to pass it back magically, and had a brief waking nightmare of levitating the drawing straight into the lake by accident.

"I saw it on the first night before the Sorting - he helped my friend Atticus back into the boat after he'd been tipped over. Been dying to see it again ever since."

I just came here to relax and to think, that may sound weird but that's what I like doing

"That's not weird," Weatherby said. "In fact, its why I'm here too! I'm Weatherby."

[removeduser_456323]

John seeing two other students converse openly, went over, desperate to make friends. Hello

[removeduser_456323]

I'm not sure we've met before, my name is John John said boldly, with new found confidence, as he extended his arm.

[removeduser_456323]

I just came here to relax and to think, that may sound weird but that's what I like doing

[removeduser_456323]

I hope to see the squid too and yeah, it definitely does, especially it being such a nice day.

[Roxas]

"I haven't seen you about before that much; where about's are you from?"

Andrew was inspecting the lake as he asked the question, still hoping he might see even a quick glimpse of the squid.

[removeduser_456323]

I'm From Chelsea, London and I'm in Ravenclaw. And you?

[Roxas]

Weatherby tapped his chin, recalling the memory. "It was dark out, so I didn't see much. At first I just saw a big shadow in the water, and before I knew it Atticus had been swept back into the boat. It was all very peculiar."

"It seems I shall just have to lay off my hopes of seeing this magical creature until I am more trained in magic."

Andrew began to pack his utensils and pad away, smiling as he rose up; dusting off the dust from his robes.

"I heard some of the other students gossiping your name earlier; it seems they are rather talkative about you association with a certain Slytherin. It seems that nothing goes unnoticed here, which is why I try to keep to myself."

I'm From Chelsea, London and I'm in Ravenclaw. And you?

"I'm from Wales, it's nice to see someone else from the muggleworld. Perhaps you would know a bit about soccer? I used to enjoy watching muggle sports as a child."

------------
[Timewarp a few mins later]

Andrew then turned to both of them;

"Now I was wondering if you two would care to join me for exploring downstream, It gets rather boring doing by myself, it's rather nice to have company."

[Kip]

"It seems I shall just have to lay off my hopes of seeing this magical creature until I am more trained in magic."

Andrew began to pack his utensils and pad away, smiling as he rose up; dusting off the dust from his robes.

"I heard some of the other students gossiping your name earlier; it seems they are rather talkative about you association with a certain Slytherin. It seems that nothing goes unnoticed here, which is why I try to keep to myself."

Weatherby shrugged. "So I've heard. If anyone has a problem with it, they can come find me. I've been dying to practice a few Hexes."

Realizing that threats probably didn't make for great first impressions, Weatherby coughed and gestured for Andrew to lead the way - after all, he was out here for a walk anyways.

[Roxas]

Andrew nodded to both of them before pacing out in front; not really knowing where he was going except for away from the Castle grounds. He would stop every so often to check where they were in relation to the castle, before continuing on at a brisk pace.

A little while later the group came to an abrupt halt, they had followed one of the many tributaries of the lake and impeding their way was a rather omniscient looking cave entrance which loomed ahead. Andrew nervously turned to the other two, unsure as to what they should do.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

"Err; it seems we've hit a snag. Do we go in or just head back?"

[removeduser_456323]

Yes I would love to

[removeduser_456323]

I suggest we continue, does anyone know a spell to create fire? If so carry on, if not then we can track back to the last branch and follow the other Tributary.
I think the spell is
Incarnum Inflamarae

[Kip]

"Well, Professor Gaputa taught us some useful Charms - I'll give us some light. Maybe one of you could conjure some flowers, and we can use them as breadcrumbs to make sure we don't get lost in the caves?"

Weatherby withdrew his wand and whispered "Lumos", and waited for his two companions to decide which spells, if any, they would choose to use.

[Roxas]

Andrew nodded at Weatherby's suggestion;

"Orchideous"

He carefully pulled off a number of petals from the resulting flower to use as 'breadcrumbs' leaving the first on the ground as he swiftly followed up with another spell.

"Incarnum Inflamarae"

Andrew aimed towards the darkness ahead of them, hoping to give them a bit more insight as to what lay ahead. The resulting fireball rocketed forwards and ended in a loud thud, revealing nothing too suspicious as it did.

"After you; I dont think I would be most suited to leading..."