A bit of reading.

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Having found a particularly shady tree right beside the lake front, Paul was perfectly content to plop down and begin reading. Currently, he was flipping back and forth between "One Minute Feasts - It's Magic!" and "Self-Defensive Spellwork". The cookbook lay open halfway through, showing off an amazing (though, at first, a bit weird sounding) recipe for blueberry treacle tart. Currently, however, Paul seemed to be studying "Self-Defensive Spellwork" very intently.

"Hmm...'wasi', from the French phrase 'vas y', meaning 'go there'. So if that's true, then...maybe..."
 
Paul puts the book over to the side, taking his wand out of his pocket. "Alright then, so this should work...at least, as long as I'm correct in my translation of pebble..."

Clearing his throat, Paul pointed at a small rock the size of a thumbnail. With a gesture of his wand to the side, he loudly proclaimed, "Caillouwasi!"

'Thunk'.

Wincing slightly, he rubbed the small bruise developing on his forehead. "Not exactly what I was expecting, but at least I got a result..."

Trying to ignore the stinging, Paul returned to reading "Self-Defensive Spellwork".
 
Elizabeth was walking by the lake, looking for a place to read her new book The Beater's Bible. After a short while, she spotted the perfect tree! Shade to block her eyes from the sun? Yes, perfect was the word.

As she approached the tree, she noticed a boy by it. He flicked his wand and said something that sounded similar to "Kazoo" and began to rub his forehead.

She popped out from around the tree, grinning. "So, why're you chucking rocks at yourself?" she asked.
 
Paul gave a little jump, his face reddening. The twinge of pain on his forehead didn't really help with his embarrassment as he nudged his copy of "Self-Defensive Spellwork" over "One Minute Feasts" with his foot - best to save that piece of social trauma for a later date.

"I was actually just practicing some simple spells...I'm having a little bit of trouble getting the gestures down, though." He cast a glance at his wand, as if blaming the magical instrument for the mishap.

"So, I take it that you came down here to read too?"
 
Elizabeth laughed a bit, "Hey, it's better than I can do with a wand!" she said. "Usually I can't get anything to happen, aside from a simple illumination spell. I'm much more adept with potions and flying!"

She pulled out her book. "Well, I was going to read my new book on quidditch" she looked at it for a moment, then replaced it in her bag. "-but you look much more interesting than a book!"

With a smile, she said, "I'm Elizabeth Malfoy, but you're welcome to call me Liz, if you'd like."

She peered at him curiously, "Who are you?"
 
Paul grinned sheepishly. "Well, it it's any consolation, I take to a broomstick about as well as a grindylow takes to a hairdryer."

If at all possible, his face probably turned a deeper shade of red as Elizabeth continued talking. He had spent the majority of his social development in a muggle public school, so he was slightly embarrassed whenever someone did something opposite of ignoring or making fun of him.

"My name's Paul. Paul Leshere."
 
Elizabeth laughed, slightly puzzled. She assumed it was something a grindylow wouldn't be fond of. "What's a hairdryer?" she asked, still traces of laughter in her voice.

She grew a little worried about his red complexion, but was glad when he seemed to relax enough to tell her his name. "Nice to meet you Paul!" she said.

She looked at his face from a few new angles. "I think you might be getting a sunburn!" she said. She picked up her bookbag, and drew out a small bottle. "My entire family has fair skin, so it's a necesity for me to carry aloe!"
 
"A hairdryer is a muggle device that they use after they get done washing themselves. They flick a switch, hot air comes out of a nozzle, and they dry their hair with it." Even as he said it, it sounded like a weird idea. Muggles sure were inventive...

He couldn't help but laugh, however, at the mention of aloe. "Thanks for the offer, but I don't think that it's that bad..." Now that he wasn't so hung up on thinking about talking, he actually wasn't that nervous - that, and his face was slowly returning to it's normal color. "So what's your House? I'm in Ravenclaw."
 
Carrying her three thick books that she had just purchased from Flourish and Blotts, Estrella strolled across the lawn, done with her classes for the week and attempting to find a quiet place to read.

A big tree near the lake looked nice, allowing shade and privacy. However, as she walked further, she saw a girl and boy in conversation, the boy rubbing a bruise on his head grumpily. "This looks interesting, what the heck, I'll introduce myself," she thought.

Not shy in making friends, she smiled weakly as she walked up to the pair, and said to them, "Everyone's out to read today, I see. Mind if I join you? My name's Estrella Drage, geez, I almost forgot to introduce myself. I'm in Ravenclaw." She waited anxiously upon their replies.
 
At the sound of someone else approaching, Paul turned and smiled warmly. "Hey. My name's Paul Leshere...I think I've seen you before in the common room."

"I don't mind," he said, looking over at Elizabeth. "Do you?"
 
"oh cool!" she bubbled happily. "I know I just walked into the middle of a conversation, though. Was it something about muggles? I lived with mugges after I turned five."
 
Elizabeth smiled, "Oh, I'm in Gryffindor."

She turned to the new girl, "Hello!" she grinned. "I'm Elizabeth Malfoy! And of course I wouldn't mind if you join us!"

Liz turned back to Paul for a moment, "And a hairdryer sounds like an interesting contraption." She suddenly paused for a moment, looking slightly mollified, "Did they find some way to harness magic?!"
 
"Muggles? The closest they've gotten to magic is cheap parlor tricks. They use a form of energy called electricity to power their little gadgets."
 
"Yeah, but you have to admit, for not having magic they get along pretty well," Estrella commented.
 
"Yes, yes they do."

He paused, thinking for a second. "Uh...Mr. Ghost, where are you, anyway?" He spared himself the effort of looking around, guessing that the ghost wasn't in plain sight.
 
Estrella could see a faint, transparent form if she looked into the shade of the tree, but it was invisible in the sun. She pointed under the tree, right next to where Paul was sitting. "He's to the left of you, Paul," she said.
 
Paul looked where Estrella was pointing, a bit surprised that the ghost had been that close. He was also curious as to why it had taken him this long to see one here - with the ability to just pass through things, he thought that they would have been everywhere.

"So what's your name? And I apologize in advance for asking, but just how long have you been standing there?"
 
Desmond beamed, bowing and tipping a non-existant hat to the small group of students. When he spoke, one could hear a faint Irish accent rooted in the depths of his speech, and he seemed to be a very jovial man. "Desmond Maccafferky's the name, kids. I'm the Hufflepuff House Ghost. My phantasmal friends were getting to be a bit stuffy, so I decided to scope out the new generation of scholars."

He winked knowingly in response to Paul's question. "Long enough to notice you reading recipes, my boy. And that was a pretty good try at the 'Wasi' charm, though next time, you should practice with something softer."
 
"Well, nice to meet you, Desmond," Estrella replied, beaming. "Do you know if there are any Ravenclaw House ghosts?"
 
"The Ravenclaw House Ghost? Ah, that'd be Sheila. She's about, yea tall, with brown hair and a wedding dress. Even if she wasn't transparent, she'd be rather hard to miss."

He suddenly plopped down on the grass, crossing his legs and lacing his hands behind his head. "So, how's this place been for you so far?"
 
"I'm loving it!" Estrella exclaimed. "I've been waiting to come here since I was little. Living with my muggle cousins was okay, albeit being boring."
 
Elizabeth's eyes widened a little at Estrella. "What was it like living with muggles? I mean, how did they play quidditch?"
 
Estrella threw her head back in laughter. "I think that my uncle did see my dad flying on a broom once, but if any other muggle saw someone flying they would probably have a heart attack or something. They haven't heard of Quidditch, and they are blind to magic. They do have sports though. Baseball, basketball, soccer, boxing... You get the picture."
 
Elizabeth paused for a moment, her mouth falling open. "N-n-no quidditch!?" she exclaimed, eyes even wider. "That must be hard for them." she paused. "Basketball sounds kind of like quidditch. I mean, basket and ball. We have those! Except hoops instead of baskets..." she trailed off.

Liz turned to the ghost. "Is there a Gryffindor Ghost???"
 
"I haven't seen any ghosts lately, actually," Estrella said. "Well except, you, Desmond."
 

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