The Art of Purr-Suasion

[Minerva Khulik]

Tagging: Ulrich Snyder
Wearing: outfit
Location: Hogwarts garden
Time Frame: Third week of new term (Saturday)

Minerva sat cross legged on the grass levitating a feather absently in the air, watching it rise higher and higher in the balmy sunny air. She had grown up in New Zealand so was used to the intense heat of its summer season, so much so that much to other people's amusement she often wore long jeans and a hat. While other students milling about the grounds seemed to be donning shorts and t-shirts, Minerva wore her a hufflepuff t-shirt, a hufflepuff hat, her skinny jeans and trainers. Her grandparents seemed to be under the impression that she needed every bit of Hufflepuff merchandise that was available in Obsidian and so besides her t-shirt and hat, she also had upon her wrist a Hufflepuff bracelet. She had also received a scarf and mittens but had to write and tell them to not be spending all their money on such frivolous items, that's when it had occurred to her to ask her grandfather to head to the joke shop and maybe get her a few bits from there instead! Her grandfather did have a great sense of humour and would not question his grand-daughters choice.

Glancing over to where Odin her Bombay cat lay basking in the sun she smiled affectionately, watching him suddenly stretch before rolling over on to his stomach and standing up. He came towards her, sauntering like he owned the Hogwarts gardens and circled her, purring and leaning against her as he moved - of course it was all to distract her until he pounced upon the feather and made off with it. Minerva sighed and shook her head, watching the foolish cat make a beeline for a tree and climb it without hesitation. Minerva knew what was coming next though, Odin could get up a tree without any worries but getting down was another matter altogether! She stood up and dusted herself off before moving towards the tree with her idiotic cat now looking petrified on a branch.

"Odin ... jump!" she told him but of course he wasn't going to listen, an older group of students had helped the previous three times and a professor as well but there was no one close by this time and so Minerva took out her wand and attempted to levitate Odin from the high branch. Nothing happened other than her cat looking ever more terrified at her. She thought quickly for a moment before attempting to summon Odin to her instead but for some reason that failed also. Bewildered she wondered how she could levitate a stack of books, summon large heavy objects to herself and yet not be able to do it now with Odin!

"Right!" she said aloud to herself and the black cat in the tree, "I will just have to get you down myself!" Pocketing her wand carefully, Minerva looked about for a decent foot hold and on finding one began hoisting herself upwards using tree knots and short branches. Twice she slipped, she wasn't the greatest tree climber in the world but if it meant getting her infernal cat down safely, then she had to risk it. It took her another few minutes to stretch herself outwards to the branch that Odin was perched upon but as she couldn't reach him that way, Minerva sat herself down instead and wriggled closer and closer until her cat meowed satisfactorily and moved to sit on to her lap.

"Alright silly, time to get down" she told him, glancing downwards and realising that this was probably the worst decision she had ever made! The ground seemed to swim up to meet her as she saw how far she had actually climbed. This wasn't like quidditch, she couldn't descend neatly down, she would have to attempt to climb back again. Holding the cat under one arm she gingerly made her way back to the trunk of the tree and latched on to it for dear life but trying to stand and get a foothold was so much more difficult now with Odin with her. Minerva bit her lower lip, trying to logically work out how she should get them both down without doing themselves an injury - jumping was out of the question and throwing the cat to the ground was not even contemplated ... she didn't like the sinking realisation that dawned on her, that she was now just as stuck as her cat was!

 

[Ulrich Snyder]

Ulrich had spent so much time with Leila since their first flying lesson that it felt strange to be without her, but that was the position he found himself in. Bore and alone, Ulrich decided to venture to the grounds where it was bright and sunny which was a refreshing change of pace from the dark and dingy Slytherin common room. He liked his house well enough, but too much time in the dungeon was rather soul destroying. As it was the weekend there was a lot of students outside, younger students ran around playing games and older students sat with their backs against trees reading or studying either alone or in groups. All in all it was a pleasant day, Ulrich just didn't know how he wanted to spend it.

The Slytherin boy found himself walking away from where most the students outside had congregated and closer to the garden. He could hear a voice that sounded like it was coming from the direction of some trees but he couldn't see anyone or anything that the voice could belong to. "Hello?" Ulrich said. If anyone saw him it would look like he was talking to himself. He walked further into the garden and closer to the trees to see if he could see where the voice was coming from. The closer he got and the louder the voice became, the clearer it became that it was coming from up in the tree. Ulrich looked up to see a girl, with her cat in her arms. "You get stuck?" He asked with a smile, though struggling to hold back a laugh.

 

[Minerva Khulik]

Minerva was all but ready to scold Odin ferociously for getting them both into this predicament but for now her mind was attempting to work out the best possible solution to the matter. If she were a lesser person, perhaps she would simply toss the cat down, it would after all land on it's legs but she couldn't very well throw herself down after it and knowing Odin, if he suspected even for a moment that her plan was to send him hurdling - no matter how gently- to the ground below, he would most likely scratch her eyes out and shoot his way further up the tree. No, something else would have to be done but all reverie was interrupted by a boy from her year, asking the most insane of questions!

She could not help but stare at him, wondering if he had cotton between his ears instead of a brain but as she noted the mirth that he was so deftly attempting to hide, Minerva could only reply in true Minerva style.
"Yes ... to this cat has he climbed the tree, I couldn't pry myself lose in time to stay on the ground. So now both cat and I find ourselves stuck as you so quaintly put it up this marvelous tree. It has a wonderful view, really great actually, you can see it for yourself if you want to come up and rescue the cat!"

She would probably have snarled to boot but Odin was already doing a bang up job at hissing at the boy as it was. It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him to get lost or go find someone else to make fun of instead of trying to help!

 

[Ulrich Snyder]

Ulrich folded his arms and raised his eyebrow as the girl seemed to snap at him. Her reaction surprised him, sure what he asked had been rather obvious but even so, the way she received someone who appeared to be there to help was not as warm as Ulrich might have expected. "Hey if you're gonna be rude I can always leave you up there," Ulrich suggested, but before the girl could respond his expression softened. "Fine I'll help," He added and listened as she told him her story. "So I get the cat and you can get yourself down?" Ulrich sighed and took out his wand. "I don't know why you didn't just try this,"
He pointed his wand at the cat, who didn't seem too thrilled. Swish and flick "Wingardium Leviosa," He muttered and the cat lifted off the branch slightly and Ulrich was able to levitate him out of the tree and down to the ground, where he promptly ran away.

 

[Minerva Khulik]

She hadn't asked him for his help had she?! But she knew she needed it but she didn't think she had been rude .. really. Minerva turned to look at the boy as he took out his wand to aim it at her or Odin in her arms, she really couldn't tell which but now it was his turn to be sarcastic and rude in her opinion and she glowered at him as he actually managed to levitate Odin down from the tree. The cat of course ran away as soon as his legs touched the ground and Minerva swiveled her head to see him scamper off through the garden in the direction of the forest where he seemed to really like going. Frowning she turned back to look at the pompous oaf on the ground.

"It hadn't worked ... I did try" she told him, wanting nothing more now than to wave her own wand at him and give him a dose of the leg locker jinx that herself and Alistair had been practicing but she didn't, instead she turned to face the tree and attempt her climb downwards. Getting up was usually easy, she wasn't a great tree climber but she could do it, getting down was always the tricky part but now that Odin was no longer with her, she should be able to manage it fine enough.

Clinging to the tree and moving her feet from one tree notch to another and then moving her hands to compensate, Minerva slowly made her way downwards until she felt safe enough to jump the rest of the way. Dusting herself down she chose to ignore the boy as she regained her equilibrium.