Time to Explore!

[Eugene Smythe]

It was Sunday and classes hadn't started yet which gave the first years plenty of free time on their plates.While most of them hid in their common rooms afraid to be bold and step out of their houses, other buried themselves in their first year text books trying to learn as much as they could so that they could impress their way through the first lessons.And yet Eugene found himself wandering around the castle that day.He couldn't stay in the Hufflepuff house dorms for any longer than necessary because he was itching to explore all parts of the castle.He had asked some older students about the castle and the grounds and they had given him some good advice.Like the trick step on the staircase or the dungeons that were to be avoided.

Eugene ended up on the North tower that day having climbed so many stairs to get there.And the view from the top of the tower was so magnificent that he didn't want to return to the castle.Eugene propped himself on the window sill of huge arched window and looked at the grounds below.He could see the frozen Black lake to the west,which looked mysterious and eerie if you thought about what was below it's surface,the Forbidden forest was right ahead,with all the tree tops covered in a blanket of snow,and to the east he saw snow capped mountain ranges.

The grounds were so white, with small tracks where people had left their foot prints, and so huge that they looked like an ocean of snow.Eugene now wished that he were down there.He could play in the ice,make snow angels and throw snow balls at random people or even skate on the Black lake.Yes,it was cold outside,but no,it didn't matter as long as Eugene didn't get wet.He promised to himself that he would go down to the lake the very next day and have loads of fun.For today,he would explore the towers.

 

[Roxan Fairbrother]

Roxan had decided... That she did not like the cold. Not one bit! Not the way it nipped at her nose, or make her fingertips go red. And it had snowed as well. Snow was fun... When you were bundled up warm. But, in only jeans and a jumper, Roxan did not like snow. Especially when she accidentally got her right foot in an ice-cold puddle. She could still hear her shoe squelching, along with her sock which was drenched. She would've liked to have been in the common room by the fireplace. But, no, she was in the North Tower for reasons she could not fathom. It wasn't the warmest place in the world, especially not when it came to the soft, warm couches in Gryffindor, but it was one of the quietest at times.

Trudging up the steps to the tower, she scowled at the squelching trainer. Why did she seem to have such bad luck? It was so irritating, and not nice at all. Releasing a sigh, Roxan reached the top and rolled her shoulders back. She wrapped her arms around her stomach, and hunched over to try and keep some warmth to herself. She didn't even have any gloves with her, which resulted to them being wrapped around the thick fabric of her jumper. Well, at least the young Gryffindor could enjoy some peace and quiet.

 

[Eugene Smythe]

Out of Character:

So sorry for the lateness

Eugene wondered if anyone ever came up there.Everything was so quite around him.It was a wonder that even he was here.He had never imagined himself being able to climb so many staircases but his curiosity had gotten the best of him.Sitting there on the window sill he wondered how it would feel to fly.He had learned how to fly on a broom when he was nine years old.But he could bet that it was nothing like flying with wings.He wished he had wings so he could fly anywhere he wanted.

He heard quite footsteps coming up the stairs and hoped it wasn't a prefect or professor.Eugene had learned in his few days at the school that students weren't supposed to roam wherever the wanted to because it was easy to get lost in the castle.As he watched,a young girl of his age came up from the stairs.The first thing he noticed was that she wasn't wearing warm clothes and that one of her sneakers was making squelching noises like it was wet.This worried Eugene because it was very cold up there and he didn't want the girl to get sick or anything.But he wondered what she was doing there because she would have worn warmer clothes had she been planning to end up on the North Tower."Hey...umm are you okay?" he asked the girl with a concerned voice "You look cold" he told her hoping she wouldn't snap at him for not minding his own business or be startled by the sound of his voice breaking the silence.