Open What Is Out There

[Weston Stirling]

((Open after Charlie posts with Eoin Armati))

Before Hogwarts, Weston had never really been one for nature and the outdoors. He still wasn't, but he had learned to tolerate it, especially on days when the weather was nicer, like today. It wasn't like he had much choice, not if he wanted to see the eel again. Unlike Indi, he couldn't just watch the lake from his common room. He needed to visit in person.

Armed with a notebook and a book on songwriting, Weston made his way to the lake. Although the eel itself was exciting, keeping watch for it could be boring, especially if he was doing it alone. Weston was careful to choose a spot that gave him a good view of the entire lake but wasn't too close to the water. He wasn't looking for a repeat of his last near-death experience with the eel. Once he'd found a spot, Weston sat down and cracked open his book, only occasionally looking up whenever he thought he heard a splash.

 

[Eoin Armati]

Eoin still wasn't much of a fan about being back at Hogwarts, not even now he had been named a prefect. If anything, being named a prefect had just made his life harder and he wasn't rushing to go and thank the Professor for the opportunity. If he were being honest, he had considered instead going to ask if she could give the badge to someone else because he didn't want it. The only thing he did actually look forward to was the spare time he had to explore the lake.

Once more he found himself in his swimming trunks as he headed down to the water's edge, notebook tucked under one arm and a towel under the other. Upon arriving he was quick to dump his stuff down out of the way of the water, but when he turned around, he suddenly groaned a little when he saw who else happened to be there. "Please tell me you still aren't trying to prove your man-eating-eel theory."

 

[Weston Stirling]

At the sound of footsteps, Weston glanced up, frowning slightly when he saw who it was. Before he could even paste on a smile and try to greet Eoin, the other boy beat him to the punch. "It's not a theory, it's real. I've seen it." He knew Eoin didn't believe him, but he wasn't sure how else to convince his roommate of the man-eating eel's existence. All he had was his memory of the encounter. This was why he needed to gather additional proof.

Spotting the towel, Weston's frown deepened. "You're not going swimming, are you? It's not safe in there." He knew that he and Eoin weren't friends anymore — Eoin had made that abundantly clear — but that didn't mean he wanted to see his roommate get eaten by the eel. Weston was also a little surprised that Eoin, a prefect, would be entering the lake. He didn't know if it was explicitly against the rules, but he had definitely heard older students caution against swimming out too far before.

 

[Eoin Armati]

Eoin already felt his shoulders tense the moment Weston opened his mouth just to confirm he was still an idiot. "No, it's a theory. An absolutely moronic theory after hearing a dumb rumor meant to scare first years. Yes, there is an eel living in this lake. But it is not man-eating. It has never been man-eating. You have never seen a man-eating eel." And no one was ever going to see a man-eating eel. And there was not a lick of proof to say otherwise.

And at the apparent concern for his safety, Eoin just rolled his eyes. "Yes, I am going swimming. And no, it's not dangerous. I am very proficient at the bubble-head charm and spent most of last year exploring the depths of this lake." He decided not to mention that he had never been worried about being eaten by the eel. He would have thought he had made up quite clear by now he wasn't worried about becoming eel food.