Nighthawk

[Minoas Stratis]

It was a rare sight. After that even doomsday was a very possible scenario. Minoas was spending time in the library, a place that he had only visited for small periods of time just to find quickly sources for his assignment and then leave immidiately as if he was allergic to the smell of crisp paper. Almost two weeks had passed since the beginning of the new school year and the library had began his new home. He hadn't seen his friends since last year. He hadn't even congratulated his best friend and sister Briar, for becoming a head girl. He had only seen her during quidditch try-outs but he wasn't really given the chance to chat with her. His free time was limited, having his assignments and his classes but at the same time, practising quidditch intensively, since it was given the chance to him to prove himself as a chaser. The reason why he was sparing so much of his valueable time in the silence of the library, wasn't because of some kind of demanding history essay. He was quite organized and he usually manage finishing his homework after the corresponding class, when he had the information fresh in his mind. The reason why books had became his new company was because he was determined to indulge himself in the mysterious world of spell making.

He had discovered an isolated wooden table, hidden in a forgotten corner of the library. It was blocked from the rest of the room by towering bookcases that worked like walls, offering just a small opening between them to communicate with the rest of the room. Minoas still hadn't really get used to the libary's surroundings although he had made himself feel like home. The hush of the library was so foreign, amplifying his heartbeat until he was sure that it was audible to everyone in the room. Books jostled for space on the shelves. Scrolls were covering his tables, unrolling to litter the floor with recipes and carpentry designs and the ancient smell of crumbling parchment filled the air. It was already midnight. He was sure that he was left alone in the library. He had remained quiet, he also turned off any source of light he had with him when he realised that the librarian was checking a few bookcases away, if the library was empty. Now he was using the dim light of a candle to read the book he had in front of him, among the seas of parchment, scrolls and textbooks. The title of the thick book was reading: Guide to Novice Spell Making, written in gold, fading laters against the leather. Minoas was completely absorbed, his elbow on another book refering to animagi that he was reading earlier, with his chin resting in his palm while his mouth was whispering the sentences his eyes were scanning.

He was reading about the elements and their role in spells. An important part of understanding the complexity of creating them. Even the most common spell, like the levitation spell, was based on an element. In particularly, wingardium leviosa was based on the element of wind, something that surprised Minoas who was now studying a long scroll containing the formula of that spell. It was harder than it sounded and far more complexed than the young lion was expecting. His head was aching half an hour now, since his attempt to comprehend how the spell's formula worked. However, greatness was achieved from small beginnings as it was his belief and Minoas wasn't going to give in to his horrible headache. He could use however, a short break. Five minutes now he was yawning uncontrollably and his eyes had blurred. He decided to have another look on a scroll about spells that had colorful jets as part of their effects and their differences from spells that were invisible and weren't accompanied by a jet of light. Symbolism was puzzling him. He was thankful for choosing ancient runes as his second elective subject. It was going to help in the end. As he was turning up side down the scroll to figure out a peculiar shaped rune, he didn't realise the presence that was approaching him from behind.

Out of Character:

sorry, got carried away

 

[Lola Caracola]

Maybe it was something in the was she walked that made Lola seem different than who she had been the year before. She certainly seemed different to herself. She knew that she had been developing all through the age of thirteen but it seemed like magic one morning and saw maturing young woman in the mirror instead of a hyper active little girl. She saw a healthy mix of her two sisters, Sandra and Lucy, in herself and thought that she looked gorgeous but not in a stuck up sort of way. This didn't stop her however from doing her crazy Cybergoth thing. Today being a school day she had her uniform on but some her hair was in red plastic tubing while the rest of it hung loose in her usual curls and red and black boots. The library was not a place she was usually in but it was not too long ago that she had gotten the idea for something called a MagiGoth.

She wondered if there where shapes other than runes to adorn robes with. She wondered too if it would be as dystropian as Cyber or as shiny as Steampunk. She went through what they mythology behind it would be like now her now her ADD riddled mind never letting her stay on one topic for too long. it had never been a problem for the Gryffendor before making do with tuning in and out of lessons, conversations and even music if she just closed her eyes and let her mind wonder while playing it. She looked through the shelves of books round her wondering where to start to look for something like wards and spell webs, something she had red about in passing but had never gotten enough interest in it to really focus on it. It was odd what some people got wrong about ADD, when the person who had it was interested in something they could focus the thing was getting them interested in it in the first place.

She gathered a few books that she thought would be useful then went to search for a table. It was then that Lola saw a familiar head of hair. She had hung out with Minoas a few times over the last year but hadn't seen him at all this year. Was this where the boy had been hibernating? True to her flighty self she forgot all about spell webs for now and walked over to say hello. She looked over Minoas' shoulder to see what he was reading, curiosity getting the better of her. "The lights represent the energy used by the caster being pushed out, when the energy is white or 'colorless' for a natural sort of spell then there is no light trail to be seen but it's still there." She said in what she considered to be her quiet voice but still got a 'Sh' from the librarian. Lola put her hand over her mouth and mouthed "Sorry"

 

[Madlyn Ateara]

It was late, and half the castle was already dozing away. Madlyn was the least amongst a few of them that was not tired and actually she been reading a series of book and needed to return back to the library. It was super late, there was no way anyone else would be around, unless you were a perfect like her returning a late book, she would have the least doubts there be anyone here around this time. The librarian was gracious enough to even let her in, so she wonder around setting to put back the book where it belong. It was one of those muggels book, Madlyn really got into the series. It's her actual connection to the muggel world, since she doubt she'd ever be apart of it as a normal human person, her getaway to escape to their world was through these books. Books and muggel studies, otherwise her sister Mandela decline to share her life with Madlyn, and Madlyn could never be at a normal height. Don't stop me from dreaming, don't stop me from wishing. She wished she could tell everyone about it too, but it's been her little old secret. A secret she kept to herself, afraid she would be judge by her peers for wasting her time dreaming.

She moved around the aisle and sent in a book inside the book case. She took another as it caught her attention right away. Seriously, it was a book on Muggel's map around the world and a bit of history and economy resources in each part listed. She would take this book for now and keep for a week or maybe longer. Madlyn was bound to keep it longer, the part-giant move to leave the sanctuary of the library but something caught her by surprise. She was pulled in by a dim light, searching for the source, she saw someone else standing nearby leaning over someone else who had books and scrolls scattered all around. She obviously wanted to know who would be in here this late, and it wasn't just two somebodies, there were two of them. was that allowed? Madlyn figure not, "Hey it's getting late, time to scat" one of them she noticed by the loud mouth she carried was Lola, a girl Madlyn didn't pay much attention too, she was loud often and obnoxious. It's always a bad thing when your combination of two and out did a part-giant, really said little about the type of person she really is. "Minoas, what are you doing here?" alas, the boy whom she talked to last year about her dad's death. She wanted to speak to him, ask him if he had found anything, it was obvious she would not be asking him with Lola the whatever hanging over the third year old boy. This cause her to roll her eye when she thought about it.

 

[Minoas Stratis]

Still holding the rune scroll upside down, he scratched his temple confused. It was either to complex for him to understand or too late for his brain to process it normally. He let a sigh just before a voice touched his ears, making his heart skip a heartbeat. "Lola!" he exclaimed relieved that it wasn't the librarian or a prefect.
Minoas liked the fellow gryffindor. The girl had an explosive attitude that a few people might be able to tolerate but Minoas was finding it interesting and fun to be around. She had helped him with his badges that had created for Briar's support and he had promised in return to join her society of midnight story tellers. Unfortunately, he hadn't made it to their last meeting, where he was supposed to tell his own spooky story.

He let a warm smile as it seemed she had caught the part he was reading about spells' trails. He nodded as her comment was true. "You are right! But what determines that? I guess that's what this rune is trying to tell me but I can't follow right now." he gave up and dropped the scroll on his messy desk. "What are you up to?" he asked with a mischievous frown and a raised eyebrow. "I didn't know you like reading?" there was sarcasm in his word as it was a teasing question. From the little that he knew her, he had the impression that she was of the athletic side, rather than that of a bookworm. Currently, he could use some of her company and her laid-back nature.

There was another voice somewhere between the bookcases. A more familiar one. The dim light of his candles, showered the tall figure of the half-giant gryffindor. Minoas could swear that she had grew up taller than last time he had met her in the forbidden forest. "Madlyn!" he called with enthusiasm at first that eventually faded before finishing his exclamation. He had just remembered that she was still a prefect and he wasn't supposed to be in the library that late. A wide smile formed on his feature. The kind of wide smile, indicating that he was just been busted. Her question made him process his available excuses feverishly. "I'm doing fine, thank you. What about you?" he asked, trying to gain more time for a good excuse. "Me and Lola are working on a team essay." he began, taking Lola's hand and making her sit next to him, rather than hanging over him. Madlyn had caught them in a weird stance and there were already strange rumours about his supposedly, love affairs. He knew that he was owing Madlyn an explanation frm last time. He had disobeyed her by venturing deeper in the forest and finally getting into centaur lands. It wasn't though the right place for them to talk about it. He knew that although she might not show, she wanted to learn if he had found anything about her father's death.

"Is your shift to patrol the library?" he tried to distract her attention a little bit. She was smart and she could find out in no time that he wasn't in the same year with Lola. At least he could try. Who knew if she was mad at him from last time or not. Finding out that he was doing extra-curricular research when he was supposed to be in his bed, could be proved a good reason for a visit at professor Kingsley's office.

 

[Lola Caracola]

Lola laughed when Minoas called her name. She gave him a hug then took a seat next to him. "Don't worry about the story you where going to tell. Mr. Puff and Stuff took your turn when you didn't show up. And made it so we could sleep that night or go near the lake for the next week." She said thinking back on that night. Little Hufflepuff, big imagination for the creepy. Lola still couldn't look at the lake the same way. It was all in good fun though. It was the reason they had a Midnight Society in the first place. They had held off a few meetings because of the trouble those two girls got in at the start of the year but they where back now that things where blowing over. Lola for one knew that they wouldn't get caught sneaking out after dark.

She shoved her shoulder into him a little. "I maybe sporty but I'm not stupid. Anyway I was looking up something I came across not too long ago. Spell webs that could be created. I don't remember if they where out of Nordic runes, Anglo - European wards or regular spells." She said putting a finger to her lips to try and remember where she had gotten the information from. If she was going to make a sub-culture she might as well make a useful one as well as a freaky one. "Why are you down here burning your eyebrows so late at night and is this where you've disapered off too. I've been looking for a soccer partner for ages." She teased back. She was happy to have a friend out this late at night. Lola usually didn't wonder but the idea that she had wouldn't leave her alone no matter how much she let her mind wonder.

Lola didn't believe the stuff that was being said about her friend for one second. One because she knew that Minoas was not like that and two because the things that where talked about where just too out landish to believe. She was about to make another comment that had popped into her mind when she looked into the part - giant prefect and smiled weakly. "What this one said, lost track of time." She said cheerfully. She really hoped that Madlyn didn't turn them in. She really didn't want to be the cause of making Gryffendor lose more points than they had already lost. It wasn't that much but still sucked to be in that kind of trouble. She was loud but she wasn't really a troublemaker. Not in the since that she knew other people to be.

 

[Madlyn Ateara]

Madlyn forced a smile on her first face, she really wasn't in the mood to busting someone tonight. Especially when that someone was Minoas, he was beginning to be noticed everywhere, and not in a good way. It's good Madlyn tolerance level for young cubs were okay, or else this would've gone a little badly. "You know what, whatever, I don't have time to know if it's true or not. Just getting a book" she strain her eyes away from Lola, she didn't have time for her either. Lately with all that's happening around school, she didn't know what to believe. There was just so much going on, Madlyn wanted to stay out of the loop and keep it that way. She wasn't confidence enough in herself to keep up with the mayhem here. All she cared about was finishing school and getting the heck out of eher, so that her dad may rest in peace and she could stop reliving her nightmares every night she went to bed.

"Minoas a word please, I really need to talk to you" she asked the boy over to a part of the library where it was more secured and no one else can interrupt their brief conversation. "Don't worry Lola, you can have your little boyfriend when I'm done with him" she said it much with a tude, when the coast was clear Madlyn sighed looking down at the boy. "So you think I'm stupid Minoas, I know you've been in the forest again, I have eyes everywhere" she said scorning him. "What I'm waiting for is something bad to happen, just so I can say 'I told you so' for not listening to me. But with that said, spill it. Have you found out anything at all?" bit of a hypocrite and she knew, but so what she was letting him get with away with everything else. He was truly lucky.

 

[Minoas Stratis]

I seemed that Madlyn wasn't falling once more for his poor excuses but thenkfully, she wasn't really into the mood to spend her time on a third years nonsenses. Minoas felt his heart sunk when the prefect requested to talk to him in private. He looked at Lola as she was searching for a way to avoid it but he wasn't going to play with fire anymore. "Excuse us Lola for a moment. Please take care of my runes and be ready to explain what spell webs are." he said with a smile as he stood up. He followed Madlyn away from his little hideout, rolling his eyes as she refered to him as Lola's boyfriend.

Madlyn guided him a few bookcases away from the dim lighted area, where he had spent his whole afternoon.
He was going to begin their conversation by asking her why she wanted to talk to him in private. In fact, the young gryffindor checked around them for any prying eyes. The last ting he wanted was more rumours of him hanging out with older girls. Before he was able to utter a word, Madlyn broke loose a torrent of scorns, making him cross his arms on his chest in defence. He didn't know how she had found that he had entered the forest again and he raised an eyebrow.
"You can say 'I told you so' since something bad happened. Well, sort of." he said as he was holding his ground, his 5'9'' height against her 7'10''. "I thought you didn't really want to learn anything. I thought you were content with what you already knew. What changed all of a sudden?" he questioned her demand to learn if he had discovered anything new. He wasn't going to spill it like that. He wanted to ensure that she wasn't going to send him at the headpeople's office once she had learnt what she wanted. He was counting her as a friend but she could easily detention him for entering the land of centaurs, to make sure he wasn't going to risk his life again.

 

[Madlyn Ateara]

Madlyn scuffed, she shook her head as if he didn't already know. "Hello, I know what you've been up to. And I could've busted your butt a long time ago. You Think I'm going to allow that to happen and you leave me with nothing?" course not. Madlyn was a part-giant, but she wasn't stupid. She noticed how much she's changed, and it was bad. She loved being her old self, less stubborn self but she didn't think she could help these growing annoyance feeling she had for students here at Hogwarts. She still liked Minoas though, so she stop huffing her chest and sighed. He didn't deserve this side of her but she wasn't being easy on him to soon, he was doing something dangerous and it worried her. If the circumstances grew to dangerous for him, and something bad actually happen to him then she will have to live with the feeling that she could've stop it a long time ago. Guilt, along with being sad. Briar would be upset, mad and angry, the professor will be the same.

"I'm only interested because I know that you won't find much, I know it won't change anything. Like in the forest, they won't tell you Minoas, they won't say why they did it. And if your able to find out the truth, how will you? You can't be stepping into their territory, they will kill you like they did to him" she was concern, greatly concern. If he won't take risking his life serious, then she will. She looked down at the boy, he was close to chest height, Madlyn sat down one of of the chair, that way she wasn't looking down at him but at the same level. She supported her chin, raising her knuckles across her bone. She looked at the boy tight lipped.


"You must have a plan, right? I know you wouldn't just go in there searching" she said finally after suppressing two minutes of silence. She nip at her bottom lip, her arm crossed her chest, one hand touched her shoulder, as if she were wrapping herself to think of some way to help. "Will it do any good if I help you in someway? Someway that we both won't get caught and you won't get killed. Because honestly that's the last thing I want to happen, if you have anything in mind speak now."

 

[Minoas Stratis]

As Madlyn was erupting like a volcano ready to spit molten lava, Minoas was trying to figure out whether she was bluffing or indead she knew about his last year's adventure in the forbidden forest. He scratched his forehead, frowned. "How come you know?" he asked, dropping his defences since he had realised that she could have snitched on him ages ago. When he hadn't followed her during their last meeting in the forest, he hadn't said anything about sneaking in the centaur's land. He got back the rigid posture of his body when she doubted that he had found anything, referring to his admittedly reckless action as useless. He kept listening silent, just letting his eyebrow slowly raising, a sort of reply to her own doubts.

"You know what? Fine. I got the hint. It was so stupid of me getting in there and after what have happened, the closer I have been to the forest was with the class of care of magical creature." it was his time to erupt. What he had just said was true. Since the beginning of the school year he hadn't ventured inside the forbidden forest. His last hazardous experience that included among other and a pursue from the centaurs' herd, had made him reconsider what he had done and thank his luck for being alive. "You should know though that I found a little truth, I could tell you if you are still interested." now both of his eyebrows raised as a smirk formed on his face.
There was a short silence period. He wondered what she was thinking but then he answered to her question.
"Actually, I went there just searching." he admitted, athough he knew that what he was saying was sounding too childish. She was right, he should have came up with a plan first but it worked just fine for him his improvisation.

Seeing her worried, he had decided to tell her everything he had learnt. However, he had no clue how to start and his hesitation brought Madlyn's offer for help, an exchange for sharing the information he had found.
"I don't need anything Madlyn, thanks." he denied kindly as he was going to share anyways. "Just don't snitch on him. I got my lesson by now." he promised and sat opposite to her. "From where do you want me to start?" he shrugged as so many things happened that night that he didn't know what exactly Madlyn wanted to know. He knew where she wanted their conversation to end but he didn't know from exactly to start it.

 

[Madlyn Ateara]

Madlyn snorted. "What and tell you? No way Jose" she shook her head, the sources she had was the same one who help them recover Jackson body. For the most part she kept a low profile, she hasn't said anything she hasn't made herself aware amongst the rest of them who come and go near their side. She pretty much kept it low, as she would for she did not want any of the others centaurs finding her for the help she did for them. For helping Madlyn and Briar, she's made herself invisible to everyone. Aspen.

"Liar, liar pants on fire. You don't have to lie to me I mean it's incredibility stupid for doing this but I get you. Most of you at least" she rolled her eyes, since he decided to sit down she pushed up on the chair. Now she was taller them him. Great, she will put a little fear in him if her shadow hover casting down at him. "You want to know the truth, I do too. But my time here is running out and everyone has ruled it out of their mind" mainly the professor. It sicken her a little how they could go on with their lives, Madlyn tried too but it was just to hard. "You think my father did something wrong? Maybe it was an accident" she said speaking her thoughts. "Tell me what you did hear, and I won't tell anyone epically Briar. But you have to be careful, that's all I'm asking. You do that for me and I won't hound you every time" she glad that nothing bad has happen and that's all that she was counting on.

"And this centaur was exactly is he teaching you? Why do you see him?" she added.

 

[Minoas Stratis]

He was ready to tell her everything that she wanted to learn but then Madlyn seemed to have made a wrong move. The way she stood up seemed too offensive for Minoas that vigilance widened his grey eyes. He didn't move although his brain gave the command to his left arm to draw his wand from his pocket and defend himself. It would be a wrong move from his part however, and he decided to remain calm.
"I'm not lying and I'll prove it to you." he wasn't afraid as he knew that despite her size, Madlyn was the most harmless individual in that castle. Well, at least until someone was going to provoke her. He decided that he wasn't going to be that lucky one.

Still, he couldn't understand who have told her about his wandering in the centaur land. It wasn't the centaur from whom he had gotten the information last year. Since their last encounter he had tried to search and find him but he had failed. He was afraid that maybe his old tribe had captured him and eventually killed him.
"How do you know so many details?" he asked surprised as the half-giant knew that the centaur was going to teach him some stuff. "I'm sorry but that's not your bussiness." he replied simply to her question of what exactly he was going to be taught by the young centaur. In his mind he was trying to find how on earth, Madlyn knew so much. But he failed to find a logical explanation.

"Look, it doesn't matter how I found out that piece of information that I'm going to tell you. It's a long story and I don't think you care to hear it." he began and sat more comfortable despite having the Madlyn's large figure shadowing him. "The thing is, I discovered that your father was really unfortunate. I was right that centaurs as a whole weren't to be blamed about your father's death. That day when your father came across the herd, it seems that there was a power shift between the members of the herd. Previous elders were dethroned and new ones had taken over, establishing new rules." he started narrating quickly, evading her possible questions. He was going to let her ask him in the end if she wanted. "From what an ex-member of their herd told me, they decided to kill humans that were entering their land and forest. Of course the majority of the herd was against that idea but those new leaders established what you can call a tyrannic dominion." he explained further with a short pause.
"The herd was out for a hunt when they stumbled upon your father and the new leaders, I think they were two of them, ordered the rest of the group to attack your father and professor Blaze. Some of them disaggreed and opposed that command. In the end, they were killed as well by the elders and so the rest of them, afraid about their lives, joined the bloodshed." he concluded and casted a look at her to see how she was dealing with what he had shared. "It wasn't that the centaurs killed them. It was the decision of those two or three specific individuals." he said, sounding vindicated for insisting on his opinion that there was something wrong with that case. He went silent for a while, looking at her as his was wondering what could be happening right now in her head.

 

[Madlyn Ateara]

Madlyn facial expression changed stern, she observed Minoas and had notice he was becoming way to tense for no reason. Madlyn soften her facial expression and lean back into the heavy wooden chair. "Hey, I'm not going to hurt you, stop flinching every time I move" Madlyn was applaud at Minoas, out of so many students in Hogwarts he should be more relaxed around her. This upset her. Madlyn shook her head, she understood yet at the same time so many of them didn't trust her and all she wanted was for them to trust her. Madlyn relaxed in her seat, she let out a heavy sighed and lean into the wooden desk table. "I know this because there's someone out there in the woods who you may or may not know, but anyways...enough about that" she hurried the subject quickly. Madlyn sat there all that Minaos needed to dish about the centaurs.

Done, or maybe in the middle of it all, Madlyn kinda just sat there not doing or saying anything. Madlyn couldn't think straight, she was taking her time to take it all in. Honestly she could hear her heart pounding in her ears though. Madlyn mouth went dried, she had to summon a cup of refreshing cool water right besides her and drink the cup glass whole to feel her tongue moisten up again. This virtual information kept her silence, Madlyn didn't have an idea what to say. Except she shook her head, closed her eyes, and just thought of something else. Best way to calm a part - giant down. "This sounds to much of the true to be real, honestly this is what you came up with?" she said onto Minoas. She refuse to believe this all, at all.

 

[Minoas Stratis]

It was too hard for the third year to understand what the Gryffindor prefect in front of him was thinking . Her facial features were in a constant change. Sometimes she looked like doubting his words and losing her patience, but she also looked eager to give him a chance to redeem himself for overlooking her orders. "I know you're not going to hurt me but I don't like having someone over my head, accusing me with no evidences." he pointed out calmly, unlike how she had done earlier. Maybe his attitude worked to his advantage as he watched her sitting again down on her chair. He preferred having a conversation with someone when their face was at the same level as his or, in case of Madlyn, close to his.

He frowned once more and scratched his temple. It couldn't be Thraex the one who had told her about his wild experience in the forest. He hadn't managed to find him since he had returned to Hogwarts and if Madlyn had found him, she would probably knew already the whole story. Something that didn't seem to have happened. Minoas finished his narration, trusting everything to her but she seemed unconvinced. He was surprised that she didn't believed him. To him, what he had found, was something big in his eyes but to hers, was probably a farfetched story of a thirteen years old. He opened his mouth in an attempt to support his position but he shut it, no voice coming out. Recounting again the events of that night in his head, he realised that they were indeed somewhat unbelievable. He couldn't realize either what had happened to him back then and how he had managed to escape safe and sound. He could imagine how difficult would be for her to believe when she didn't even experienced the events.

In other circumstances, he would have insisted to persuade her but it was too late to argue in a dead-silent library. He didn't want to get caught and go for once more to Professor Kingsley's office. Suddenly, his features that were reflecting desperation, in his try to convince her, changed. He jerked an eyebrow, his eyes bright with irony and he let a quick, twitchy smile. "Alright, I get it. You don't believe me. Tell me then, what that 'someone' told you that I was doing in the forest that night? Was I picking potion ingredients or was I hysterically dancing naked in the moonlight?" he asked her slightly ironically, making air quotes when referring to that someone.
If there was indeed someone witnessing him in the forest that night, they would have seen him either being chased away by centaurs or being knocked out by Thraex. Both of these could help him support his story.

 

[Madlyn Ateara]

Madlyn sighed holding up her forehead, she used her big hand to support herself up. "It's not that, you should trust me enough not to hurt you Minoas, that's why I said this, even if I am accusing you or not. I mean I know I don't say it much, but you're much more of a brother as you are to Briar, just because I don't voice it don't mean I don't view you the same way" she said a little upset. He should know, he should understand. He was so much into what her dad have been into, both so curious he should understand why she had said it that way. She let it go this time and go on with his tall tale stories. It's hard to put it passed Madlyn, she was a stubborn old mule, like her dad had been. Madlyn tried her hardest to continued, but in truce all she needed was enough evidence to believe him.

"If in fact these tales are true Minoas, prove it to me in someway. I mean there has to be someway you can prove it otherwise I can't go on by your words. I'm not saying I don't trust you, it's just these accusation are serious as if saying a normal person had murder my father, as if Blaze did it himself. I'm not saying I don't believe you" she said to the younger cub, although imagining him dancing in the moonlight made her chuckle, she almost had to clamp her mouth shut in case she roared out in laughter. Than there was Aspen, Aspen could tell her too, although she did not give in her source of information, she sort of just pushed it away so he wouldn't bringing it up anymore. Madlyn would've have to go down personally and ask Aspen if it was true or not. "In the meantime stay out of trouble, do the best if you please and I'll see you around later" she stood up once more, with her wand she set her chair in place and made the cup vanished, she smiled down at Minoas. "Bye baby brother, I have to go and so should you. Don't keep the young lady waiting" she left without another word, walking out of the library heading towards Gryffindor's dormitory.

 

[Minoas Stratis]

Sometimes Minoas had trouble understand what was going on other people's mind. He had noticed that mostly about girls but he wasn't sure yet if it was just them or a general phenomenon. Madlyn was outraged few minutes ago, her voice stern and imperative but suddenly turned soft and emotional. For a moment he thought that it was some kind of trick, a final attempt of her to make him say the truth. However, he realised that her words were genuine and he was at a loss of what to say. He was trusting Madlyn although they hadn't hang out like he had with Briar and he had always the impression that she wasn't the kind of person that would tolerate him. That's why he was surprised to find out that she was actually seeing him as a little brother. Despite her nice words and her attitude against him softening, she still seemed unconvinced, asking for evidences. He pursed his lips trying to find out a way to bring evidences to her but the smiled as he saw her amused with his joke about dancing in the forest. Although his tries to convince her went in vain, she surely wasn't in the right mood to lead him to the headmaster's office for being out of his bed. As he watched her vanishing in the darkness for Gryffndor's common room he shouted, "Bye and thanks!" he raised an eyebrow as he had detected some kind of mockery in her voice while telling him not let Lola waiting but he didn't commented.

He returned back to the dimly lit area and the covered table with papyrus and books. Lola had been waiting for him and he felt the urge to apologise for leaving her there alone. "Sorry about that. I always have troubles with prefects." he smiled and sat next to her. His smile vanished for a moment, replaced by a frown as he was trying to figure out a way to prove Madlyn he was telling her the truth but in the same way it had vanished, it immediately formed on his lips again. "So, you were telling me something about web spells." he began and attempted to tidy up a little bit the mess in front of him. "What's special about them?" he asked, hearing for the first time in his life about that term.

 

[Lola Caracola]

Lola had had time to think as the two talked outside the library. Her like Minoas? It was a possibility she could already see that he was going to grow up to be very handsome indeed not to mention that he was smart and talented to be able to create his own spells. Lola herself had no clue what she was going to do with herself after she left school. She kept changing her mind about what she wanted to do and if her family had any way in it Lola was meant to grow up to be a Latin mom with twenty million kids in toe and able to juggle all their homework, birthdays and lives all from to while still getting breakfast, lunch and dinner on the table. Lola didn't like that image of herself though she could see herself in that roll very clearly.

No Lola may no have had many plans for her future but she knew that she was going to be more that typical. Minoas was going to be quite a looker by maybe next year but then again so where a lot of other boys in the school She didn't know what it was but Lola suddenly realized that there was a whole lot of hot in this school and she wanted some for herself. Her sister Sandra had been boy crazy too and it had landed her with a boy that their mom had to beat with a broom because he had risen a hand to Sandra. Lola remembered that because she remembered Lucy and Carlos laughing in the background as the boy tried to shield his face. After he was gone Sandra had landed herself a good man whom she settled down with. Lola hoped that what she was going through too was going to go away soon too.

She had gone off into space with her own thoughts when Minoas came back to the table. She smiled wide at him then addressed the questions that he was posing to her. "Spell webs are runes carved in a way that they create what's known as a spell web. It's basically used protect objects or make the base spell one it stronger. It's a way to make sure that the spell lasts after the caster dies. The example being the Egyptian wizards. Ten thousand years and the curses still don't die." She said looking up. Lola remembered reading about them but that about all she could reiterate off the top of her head. She needed the book in order to really get all the details right. "The designs that I saw for a method called Warding where cool and was wondering if I couldn't make them into a cloak or something." She said looking up. Lola seemed to always be looking for the strange to try out.

 

[Minoas Stratis]

Minoas was listening Lola's description devoutly. His mind was abstracted by her face's, earthly features that were supporting her answer with expressions. He rolled his eyes when he realised that he wasn't paying mutch attention and tried to absorb her last words as she was closing her statement.
"Oh yeah! Warding! I found about it here." he said and hauled a heavy book out of a stack, without collapsing it. He opened at the page where he had used a piece of parchment as a bookmark.
"Here it is. The pattern of Warding is used on the glyph of this protection circle." he passed the book to her. On the page there was a small text, a sort of description and the image of a witch with her wand, casting some sort of circular glyph imprinted on the ground. The Warding patterns were also within the glyph, at the external parts of the circle. "I guess they offer some kind of protection but how you are able to project the runes into a glyph made of light. That's what I was trying to figure out tonight but I don't think I'll be successful today." he said as he was smothering a yawn.

"That must be what ancient wizards and witches in ancient civilizations were using for their long-term curses." he added, repeating what Lola had said earlier but he didn't manage to hear while he was distracted watching her features. "Why would you like to make some sort of protection cloak?" he wondered if she had enemies or something and wanted to protect herself. "If I were you, I would be more interesting in an invisibility cloak." he said with a wink, knowing that she was entering the forest as much as he did, for her story-telling society.
He had recently stumbled on a book about magical artifacts and objects and he had no idea that invisibility cloaks really existed. He didn't know how they were created but he was going to guess a combination of disillusionment charms and demiguise fur. Both would be quite a challenge to find and use so he had low expectations of dealing with invisibility. For now.

 

[Lola Caracola]

Lola caught Minoas' eye for a second then looked down at the book that he was talking about. "Sh!t I would never be able to remember that and my drawing is, for lack of a better word, crap." She said looking at the complicated looking pattern. Suddenly she got an idea. She took the quill that had been holding her hair in place aside for some of the plastic tubing making her natural brown curls spill forward and the effect of tubing less rigged. She closed the book then quilled it's name into her exposed forearm. Blew on the ink once to make it dry a bit faster then looked up in time to catch Minoas' wink. For some reason she found that there was a bit of a lump in her throat like the kind that she got when she didn't drink enough water.

Lola was happy that the lighting in the dim in the library this late at night. "There now I can come back and get the book when the librarian is here so I can check it out." Lola said with a broad grin. "As for right now I suggest we get lost before a real Prefect come around tags our butts for being out of bed after hours." She said. Lola may have gotten into a bit of mischief here and there but she never did anything bad enough to get in into some real trouble. "The way I heard it there is only one real invisibility cloak. This is that the way most people make replicas of that one the spells break down after a while. I guess if you could Ward a protection cloak, you can Ward one to chameleon yourself." She said looking up. "I just think it'd look cool." She said laughing a little at her own silliness.

 

[Minoas Stratis]

Listening to her desperation about the complexity of the symbolisms, he glanced once more at the drawing.
Admittedly, the runes were creating such a complex pattern that it would be impossible to memorize by heart.
He watched as she noted down the name of the book on her skin and grinned as she blew on the fresh ink to dry it out. "Let me try this." he said and took the book in front of him. He drew his wand and aimed at the picture.
"Alosis." he murmured, his wand tip tracing the frame of the image, completing a rectangular. A tiny orb of light zoomed with a soft pop in his wand tip. Holding his wand as if he was holding something fragile, he searched blindly in his backpack and pulled a piece of parchment. "Ensfragisis!" he uttered and aimed at the blank parchment.

There was nothing happening. Minoas waited for a moment but then looked at Lola who probably was looking at him bemused. He let a chuckle of embarassment and felt a wave of heat ran through his face. "Ensfragisis!" he insisted and the orb of light shot out of his wand, right on the parchment, making it burst into smoke. Ashamed of his failure, he tried to clear the smoke. Thankfully, the little explode wasn't really noisy. "I'm sorry." he couphed through smoke. "I just wanted to help." he continued with an apologetic look on his face. "I just tried to transfer the image on this piece of parchment for you to have it." he finally explained what he was trying to acquire.
He kept quiet for a moment, listening for any kind of sound in the darkness that could give away the arrival of a new prefect or even worse, the arrival of a professor. "You are right. We should get going." he agreed with Lola. He didn't want to risk it any further. He was already lucky enough that Madlyn had let him go just like that.
He gathered the scattered papyrus and parchments in his backpack and shoved the books he had taken back to their bookcases. He then returned back to their table, casted a lumos charm and blew out the candles. "Are you ready to go?" he asked her as he took the smoking candles to his right hand, his left one casting light with his wand to help Lola get her things.

 

[Lola Caracola]

Lola watched Minoas' attempt at a spell that she had never heard about before. She watched with interest as the small bead clung to the wand tip them exploded on to the paper softly. She saw that it didn't work but the fact that it could be done seemed to have wound Lola up to the extreme. "That was so cool! Even if it didn't work I know that your going to because your so smart. Is that your's? Did you make those spells up? Did it take you a long time?" Lola asked one question after the other rapid fire until she heard footsteps coming towards them. "Sorry thank you." Lola whispered as she haphazardly stuffed all of her things into her bag and slung it over her shoulder. She dodged into one of the bookcases, taking Minoas' wrist without thinking so that he would follow her. She peaked around the corner to see if she could see the outline of anyone.

"Alright we're good. Let's go." She said when she didn't see anyone. Lola was careful to keep her footsteps light as she walked towards the entrance of the library and her mouth shut. Though everything she never let go of Minoas. It was as if she where borrowing calm from the boy because Lola had none of it herself. Lola liked to be around Minoas. She hadn't been flattering him when she had said that he was smart. To be able to make up spells and make them work even half right one had to be smart and talented. She admired him now. Lola looked left then right before slinking out into the hall way. "Getting upstairs should be easy now. We've both made the journey before." She whispered with a soft laugh. The Midnight Society would not have survived half as long if they didn't know fast ways back up to their common rooms.

 

[Minoas Stratis]

Lola's enthusiasm was the best vindication for his effort that he had put into that couple of charms. He was glad to create something that it was so well accepted by others and he was eager to share it with them. However, the storm of questions coming from Lola's part made him feel awkward, especially when she called him smart. He felt his face getting warms and scratched his head in embarassment. He made an attempt to reply to one of her first questions but he waited until she had put all her questions. "Yes it is. I came up with the idea since I don't have a camera, I decided to make an equivalent charm. It turned to be two of them in the end." he said as he was illuminating the area with his wand. When she was done gathering her things, he followed her. "It took more than a month to get to this results and it seems that I'll have to spent more time to get it right. I was however processing the whole idea during last year and throughout holidays." he continued until he was pulled suddenly by the wrist, dodging one of the bookcases. He didn't mind Lola holding him.

Fortunately, it seemed that tonight's patrol wasn't well organised and the two of them managed to sneak out of the library without any undesirable meetings. Minoas thought of casting off his lumos spell but the corridor's were pitch black and they needed some light to navigate back to Gryffindor common room. "I'm afraid I have made this journey, that time of the night, far too many times." he chuckled as he was following her to the staircase. Portraits on the walls were complaining about the strong light, blinding them but thankfully their complains weren't too loud. Reaching the seventh floor, Minoas thought that it would be a major misfortune for them to meet professor Kingsley wandering around the corridor. Luckily they made it in front of the fat lady's portrait witout meeting anyone. "Guardian spirit." he said the password to the tenant of the portrait who had been awaken from her deep sleep. "I am afraid that the password has changed." the fat lady said in a monotonous voice, letting a huge yawn that was reminding that of a lioness. "Are you kidding me? What are we supposed to do?" he asked the lady, a little bit irritated that this tiny detail was ruining their strike of good luck.
"Say the password of course."replied the fat lady that leaned her head against the frame of the portrait, struggling not to fell asleep again. Minoas hoped that Lola knew the new password. He was too tired to start guessing or try to social engineer it from the fat lady.

 

[Lola Caracola]

Lola listened well. There was something about Mioas voice that somewhat captured her because she could say focused on it. It was odd but Lola thought nothing of it really. Lola bumped into Minoas' shoulder when he said that he had made this journey too many times. They both had really but then again what was life without a bit of risk involved. Lola shushed one of the pictures that complained about the light from Minoas' wand. She didn't light her's because she thought it better to have only one light going at the time. Lola walked close to the sliver of light though to better see where they where going. Ideas of what they could do in the night while dodging the attention of the overnight patrols ran across her mind even though she knew they had to sleep for tomorrow. Well he had to sleep for tomorrow. Lola was rarely tired unless she had just been studying or she had been running around all day.

They got the picture that covered the entrance to Gryffendor tower and heard her say that the password for Gryffendor had changed. At first Lola was surprised but then she remembered that she had been in the common room when the announcement had been made. That meant that she may have written a memo to herself about it. "Min shine the light down on me I may have it somewhere." She said looking down the front pocket of her book bag which she used to keep notes to herself. She too out strip after strip of paper. Most telling her what assignment she was meant to turn in on what day or what was going to be happening the following week. Finally she found one that looked like it could be it. "No that was last week." She said with a frown and continued to search.

"This thing is about as organized as my brain. I should really have a sort of system to this wait I think I have it." She said taking out another bit of parchment and found that the first part had been smugged out by her hast to get out of the common room. "Berry, berry, berry something to do with berry. Dingle Berry? No that doesn't sound right, Twinkle Berry? No no male in their right mind would want to say that I don't even want to say that. Oh no I remember now Sage Berry!" Lola exclaimed a little too loudly the portrait of the fat lady swung open only after the fat lady shushed her another voice came down the hall and Lola pulled Minoas inside before they got caught on the last leg of the journey.

 

[Minoas Stratis]

He felt a wave of relief inside him when Lola started checking the pockets of her bag. He used his wand closer to shed some light and help her find it as quickly as possible. He was glancing around them nervously since the little conversation with the fat lady wasn't that quite and maybe someone had heard them. He watched her as she was taking out of the bag's of pockets strips of parchments but none of them was the right one. He let a smile form on his face when she looked like she had found it but he frowned when she mentioned that it was last week's passwords.

At that rate, Lola had almost emptied her whole bag, searching of the piece of parchment with their current password. Their unfortune continued as the last strip remaining in her bag, had the password but only half.
"Gooseberry, wolfberry, elderberry..." he started shooting the most unusual kind of berries he knew, in an attempt to find the correct password. It seemed that Lola found it before him and finally the fat lady disappeared, revealing the opening behind the wall. He heard distant voice somewhere at the end of the corridor but before he was able to react, Lola pulled him inside the opening before the portrait sealed their entrance. "Phew, that was close!" he said and tried to catch his breath. It wasn't the climbing of the staircase that had exhausted him. It was just the possibility that they could have been now in a professor's office, coming up with excuses, rather than in the safety of the common room. "I swear next time I will have checked the password before planning to wander around at night." he made a note to himself and noxed his illuminating wand before pocketing it.
"We should do that again." he said with a mischievous grin as he lingered at the foot of the stairs that were leading to boys' dormitories. "Good night Lola! Sweet dreams." he said and without further adieu he headed up the stairs, smothering a yawn.

 

[John Moon]

Hi, all! John shouted.
He slowly went into library.
What's up? he asked.
Boy really wanted know answer to question "What's up". It was interesting. At least for John - yes.