Closed In the darkest hour of the night PV : Novalie Moon

Novalie brushed dirt from her robes, catching her breath as she surveyed the quiet, shadowed corridor.
One time she’d tried to sneak out, a prefect had spotted her in the common room before she'd even set foot outside. One close call was enough - tonight, she'd come up with a foolproof plan:
If she wasn’t in the common room, no one could catch her sneaking out of it! Genius!
So, she’d been out past curfew, lounging in a tree, watching the animals busily stash food for the winter. Eventually, she’d even dozed off, waking to find the stars bright above her. That’s when the Ravenclaw realized she’d better hurry back, nearly tumbling out of the tree and breaking a few bones while at it.

Now inside, Novalie dusted off the last traces of earth and glanced around the darkened hall. She'd have to stay especially quiet if she wanted to avoid any night patrols.. the last thing she wanted was an interruption before the gargoyle adventure she and Oliver had planned.
Tiptoeing through the corridors, her footsteps faintly echoed as she made her way up to the first floor where she was supposed to meet her best friend. Sure enough, she was convinced there was a shadowy figure standing down the hall..
That had to be him!

“OLLIE, HEY!”, she called, abandoning all pretense of stealth as she waved and dashed over. She noted with amusement that he’d come in his pajamas, while her own uniform was rumpled and streaked with dirt, “So you did sneak out of bed! Bold move! Not that I ever doubted you'd make it.”

Flashing him her sunniest smile, she chirped, “I didn’t want to risk getting caught again, so I stayed outside for, like, hours! Oh and I met a squirrel! I named him Tommy. Anyways, Tommy had the biggest, fluffiest cheeks, probably from stashing nuts or something. I tried to bring him along, but he bolted and didn’t come back ever again - not even when I woke up on the tree I first found him on.”
She absent-mindedly combed her fingers through her long, tangled red hair, chattering on without a care, “I might try to find him again tomorrow. He was probably off searching for more food. Hey, Ollie-!”
She suddenly leaned in with a sparkle in her eyes, “Wanna come with? You won’t believe how cute he is - I bet you won’t be able to take your eyes off him!”

Ollie had been waiting in the hall for what felt like forever, 'What was taking this girl so long?' That had been what filled his thoughts, up until she came out of no where shouting his name. Quite as a quidditch match Novalie was. "Are you trying to get us caught?" He almost hissed out at her. Merlin's beard if she kept up that volume they would be found before they even reached the gargoyle. He shook his head, why did he ever agree to this? It was so stupid. But she was hear now, tragically, it was to late to turn back. "Yes, yes. Quite bold." He sarcastically agreed with an eye roll. Unlike the Ravenclaw seemed to be doing, Oliver was at least making an attempt to be quite.

What was she going on about now? Oliver's eyes widened a little, she stayed outside? How did she get away with that? I did explain her appearance. Something he would have critiqued if not for the situation at hand. Her robes were covered in dirt for crying out loud. He really was starting to think the girl might have been able to say a thousand words on anything, no mater the subject. Was she talking about a squirrel? Why was she so interested in something as common as that? "As much as I would just love to do that," He would not 'love to do that.' "Can we focus at the task at hand? Before we get caught?" He asked her, even though he felt the answer was quite clear.

He did not want a detention, the shame that would bring him... The howler his family might send. He shuttered at the thought of it. He was sure Aaron would also lecture him on it, he wouldn't be able to look him in the eyes. How would he explain that he only did it to prove he was brave? 'your an Armani,' he could just imagine Aaron's voice right now. Picturing what he would say. 'that is proof enough at bravery.' No. Nope. Cant think of that. It was worst case scenario. He couldn't spend his time thinking about what may happen. And should focus on preventing it in the first place.

He took another deep breath. "In for it now Ollie.." He whispered to himself, to late to turn back, couldn't just tell her he changed his mind. She thought he was a wimp. That was about what she had said in class. The audacity of her to call him scared. "The plan is to go to the gargoyle, you can do whatever you want." He wouldn't admit it, but he had not been paying much attention to why she wanted to sneak out in the first place. "You need to keep quiet, or where bound for detention." He already had to be in class with her, was not fond of the idea of detention with her to. "And I will prove I'm not scared. Then we go back to our dorms and not tell anyone. Got that all?" He asked her. Making sure this plan at least made some sense. Wasn't really a plan, more so goals, or an outline. It was easer to call it a plan.

OUTFIT & INVENTORY Reducio Gray pajama pants, and grey t-shirt. Wand.

OOC NOTE & STATS/ABLITIES Reducio Fearless - Oliver does not scare easily, not effected by terrible presence or unsettling aura { Stamina: 7 }{ Evasion: 5 }{ Strength: 10 }{ Wisdom: 3 }{ Arcane Power: 2 }{ Accuracy: 8 }

Interacting : @Novalie Moon |||| @n/a : Mentioning

Novalie could barely contain her excitement and started to bounce at the spot when Ollie agreed to visit Tommy with her.
She knew he’d love it as much as she did! But he was right - as of now, they needed to concentrate on their stealth mission. The last thing Novalie wanted was another detention - well, maybe not the last thing, but she didn't consider it a possibility at that moment.

So the Ravenclaw nodded earnestly, tuning in to his instructions with full attention. To her, the boy was the master planner and she his eager student. Oliver always seemed so clever, so smart - and whatever he said went without question.
When he outlined the plan to meet the gargoyle and stressed the importance of silence, Novalie nodded again, though she barely caught the end of his explanation. Her thoughts wandered, replaying his reassurance that she could do anything she wanted.
Did that mean.. he’d protect her, no matter what? Keep her safe through whatever they faced?
Her eyes sparkled as she looked up at him, a wave of admiration washing over her.
Oliver was like a guardian - her own personal protector! Her saviour!
Not only was he smart, but he had to be strong too. She wanted to be just like him - so cool and collected!

“Got it!”, the girl whispered with a soft smile, holding her index finger to her lips to show her commitment to staying quiet.
Then, eager to start the adventure, Novalie gently took his hand without hesitation and began hurrying toward the History of Magic classroom. They’d need to move not only quietly but quickly - the longer they lingered, the more likely someone would spot and snitch on them. But even if they did get caught and ended up in detention, Novalie... was sure now that it would be worth it. Any moment with Ollie was a blast in itself.

The redhead giggled at the thought, glancing over at him with her signature, bright grin, “Have you ever been to detention, Ollie? Depending on who catches us, it can actually be fun! Should we try getting caught after our mission?”

Date: October 3rd, 2024

Melisande Lennox's mind sometimes - many times - was a whirlwind of thoughts and questions looking for answers. Her path brought her to Hogwarts, to be a professor, but she would forever have a scholar's soul. And that was the reason why, after dinner and after spending her whole day teaching inside her classroom, she decided to go to the library finding some books to help in her research about the new findings in south Europe. She had left her life as an archaeologist on stand by, but that didn't mean that she would not continue to learn and keep in contact with her former team. She missed them, even if she tried to ignore the feeling. She also missed the sense of adventure and actually working outside, in the field. But she knew that her call was different now, that her role in the world has changed. And she would also learn from that.

Dressed in her white sleeping robe, with her rose-pearl slippers and her dark-brown hair done up in rollers and covered with a thin white net, professor Lennox looked like a ghost walking through the softly illuminated corridors. The flames of the ancient candles and torches make her figure flicker, giving more of the impression of a lost soul wandering the ancient castle, rather than the living body of a woman. She carried three hardcover books under one arm and in her other hand held a piece of parchment with her most recent notes, which she read as she headed to her classroom.

The first thing that caught her attention was the sound of giggles, but she attributed that to the portraits that decorated the walls, so she didn't pay much attention to it continuing to walk relaxed and focused on her reading. But after a while, she noticed that the sound of laughter was followed by voices, young voices, that seemed excited about something. Meli frowned, focusing her attention on what was coming from her classroom's corridor. What was going on in there? She thought, while she accelerated her steps until she was able to see who the culprits of that unusual disturbance at that hour were.

She found a petit girl with a bush of beautiful red-hair and beside her was a young boy. She recognised them as two of her first year's students. Why is it always the young ones who are so willing to break the rules? Those who could least defend themselves if something happened. If they only knew half the things that have happened inside that castle... the horrors and nightmares that have happened within those walls...

Meli heavily sighed, perhaps it was a good sign that they didn't know, it meant they never had to live through things like that. But it was her responsibility to take care of them, to make sure they would never find themselves in the threshold of such dangers. So, despite the little devil on her shoulder begging her to pretend she didn't see them and keep walking until she found the comfort of her fireplace and sofa, Melisande Lennox put on her more stern expression and gave the last few steps until she was behind the little imps.

"Ahem!" The sound left her mouth as she cleared her throat to call the young students' attention, "What are you two doing in here?" She harshly asked. The tone of her voice and her current attire make her seem like a crazy grandmother in a scene that most would find quite comical. But hopefully, for their own good, non would dare to laugh. "Are you not aware of the curfew rules? No?" She asked looking from one to the other, "Maybe you think yourselves so smart that rules are beneath you?" She continued with a slight irritation, waving her hand that was holding her notes, "I will accompany you both to your respective common rooms and tomorrow, after classes are over, you will both come to my office. Move." She informed them, signalling with her hand for the two to start walking in front of her, "Your parents will also receive an owl from me and be grateful if you two don't get expelled after this." She told them in a serious manner, but obviously, they would not get expelled...for now. "But why not scare them a little?" She thought hiding a smirk.

Oliver sighed as Novalie nodded, just having a gut feeling that she didn't quite hear what he had said, There was no time to tell her again, not if he didn't want them to get caught. "I'm going to trust that you did." He responded to her 'got it.' At the very least she'd been quite about it. Something he could at least be happy and thankful for. He was fairly certain it would take a great deal of effort for her to stay quiet for long.

He to started to move with some vigor to the classroom, And gave Novalie a small glare at the giggles, that would not help at all. He almost, almost stopped dead in his tracks at her words. Yet he kept his legs moving. "No, I haven't. And I would not like to have one." He forced himself to take a deep breath so he didn't 'snap' at the red head. "Let's not get caught? hm?" He asked her, wanting to avoid detention at all means possible.

The first year duo had made it closer and closer to there goal of the classroom when a sudden noise in the quite broke there steady rhythm of moment. Oliver didn't know what it was at first, just knew something was there with them, involuntarily he pushed Novalie behind him in case it was dangerous or something like that. He had a feeling he was much stronger then her. He may not like her a whole lot, but he wouldn't let her get hurt. Oliver was cruel at times but the boy was not heartless.

What had found them, it might as well have been worse then a blood thirsty monster. A professor. His heart dropped. As well as his arm from pushing Novalie behind him, no danger. No danger at all. Just a full confirmation of the shame. "I- uhh...." He didn't have an answer. Not one, He was there to prove himself brave. No good reason. Stupid. His stupid ego, he looked at Novalie, an 'I told you so.' look. Maybe if she'd been more quite- maybe if he'd tried harder to talk her out of this nightmare expedition. No. No one to blame but himself.

Dressed in an outfit he felt like his great, great, great grandma would were, based on what his grandfather had told him about her; Professor Lennox went on to almost lecture them about curfew rules, like they didn't already know them. He bowed his head in shame, biting his lip, for why? To stop him from telling her off? To stop himself from telling Novalie off? He didn't fully know. All he really knew was he couldn't look either of the two of them in the eyes.

He started to walk next to Nova when she motioned them to move, Stupid. They didn't even get to the 'goal'. This whole thing was pointless, and only ended in disaster. They hadn't made it to the gargoyle and they got dentation. He had stupidly thought that would be the end of it. It was just his luck that she said she would owl there parents to. Oh. God. And did she say expelled to?

His parents had asked, they had asked him to not get any owls from the Hogwarts staff. Novalie. Damnit Novalie. This had to be at least partly her fault. If she wasn't so hard to not like, he wouldn't be in this situation, if she hadn't insulted his ego. His parent's wouldn't care. "Sorry..." He grumbled somewhat angrily under his breath, as the only other option was to cry about it. He couldn't cry, so he would be mad. Anger was easier then sadness.

OUTFIT & INVENTORY Reducio Gray pajama pants, and grey t-shirt. Wand.

OOC NOTE & STATS/ABLITIES Reducio Fearless - Oliver does not scare easily, not effected by terrible presence or unsettling aura { Stamina: 7 }{ Evasion: 5 }{ Strength: 10 }{ Wisdom: 3 }{ Arcane Power: 2 }{ Accuracy: 8 }

Interacting : @Novalie Moon, @Melisande Lennox |||| @n/a : Mentioning

Novalie’s grin grew wider with every hurried step. Ollie had told her he trusted her!
The boy was, without a doubt, her best friend in the whole world - no one else could compare!

But just as they neared their destination, a sudden sound made her pause. Novalie barely had time to register what it was when Oliver stopped abruptly, pushing her behind him protectively.
There was danger?! Where?!
Instinctively, the Ravenclaw reached under her robe for her wand, ready for whatever was coming-
That’s .. when she saw who it was: Professor Lennox.
Novalies green eyes widened. Not out of shock or in fear of being caught, but because of the Professor’s outfit.
Before she could stop herself, the girl let out a high-pitched laugh, quickly clapping a hand over her mouth however. God knew how much trouble she had gotten already when she had laughed in the face of adults, but the grin behind her hand was impossible to hide.
Professor Lennox, in her white sleeping robe and - what was that in her hair? - looked ancient. It reminded Novalie of something she’d seen only on old people.
Wait - could it be? Was Professor Lennox secretly an old woman, using powerful magic to appear young during lessons?
The thought struck her like a bolt of revelation.
Wow.. she must know some seriously powerful magic! Very impressive for a History of Magic teacher.

Being very skillful in not listening, Novalie halfheartedly nodded along as the Professor scolded them, barely registering a word. Then, she followed beside Oliver obediently when they were instructed to leave, though her mind was far from the lecture.
Leaning close to the boy as they walked, Novalie whispered conspiratorially, “Do you think that’s her true form? I mean - her looking like old gramps. It totally makes sense, right? The reason she knows so much about history and stuff is probably because she experienced every past event herself.”
The idea sent her into another quiet fit of giggles.
“She also kind of reminds me of Big Momma.”, the redhead added without a care, quickly glancing at the Professor out of the corner of her eye.
It wasn’t that Novalie was trying to be cheeky - she genuinely never thought her words could be insulting. The comparison wasn’t even very accurate, Professor Lennox wasn’t a man, nor did she have a blonde wig or any other traits of the character of that old movie. But-!
“Big Momma always wore a nightgown too.”, Novalie mused, “Maybe we should get her one with a flower pattern. Might make her less strict!”