From Red Sneakers to Rusty Pennies Finished

Alan had been curious about one place for a while; especially after he had been talking to a young Hufflepuff student about it not long ago. But between homework and other responsibilities the young third year has not found a time yet to explore the Courtyard of the school. While he saw and walked through on it before, he had never actually taken the time to look around and admire it's beauty.

Now that he was here, he could only stare in awe. Like any other place in Hogwarts it looked magical and Alan couldn't help but smile at the sight of trees and flower beds that spread out; bird's were nesting in the trees and Alan was sure that soon he would be able to hear them sing, if the winter was finally over. It was already a hot day, especially for a february afternoon. The sun must have broken through the clouds to shine extra bright today, for whatever reason that may be. The last few patches of snow on the ground were slowly melting into small puddles.

He was wearing a red sweater above a white button up shirt and fitted black slacks and of course, how couldn't he, his red pair of sneakers. They were a little worn down at this point, which is why Alan was only wearing them, if it was for something casual, he had new sneakers for running now; but these one were just too comfy to throw away.

As Alan was looking around here and there, he spotted a familiar face and his smile widened a little, as he walked over to the girl he met in his second year. "N-Nico, right? Mind if I sit down?", he asked her with a slightly nervous smile. Just days ago he had seen her in the Tea Party, which taught Alan only one thing... stay away from events being led by the Flying Professor.

Since it was a particularly sunny day, the students flocked to the outdoors at any opportunity. They were restless in their classes, and most grabbed their food out of the Great Hall and brought it to the courtyard. It was an opportunity not to be passed up, as the mood across campus brightened with the temperature. The courtyard was packed with students from all the houses, of all different years. It seemed no one could resist the beckoning call of the sun's rays after a long day of being cooped up inside.

Flash had already enjoyed the sun as it rose in the morning in his own way, by taking his usual jog. It had been brisk and dewy, with the nighttime crickets still singing their last hurrah before daytime fully arrived. Here in the afternoon, though, he returned strictly for business. The courtyard was abuzz with conversation and activity. It was a treasure trove of information. Whatever conversation he latched onto would decide the rest of his evening, besides the usual bit of studying before bed.

It almost irked him how routine it all had become, when at the start it had felt so intriguing. He knew that not everyone was going to have something of value to him-- some people were rather plain, and had very ordinary lives, passing through their adolescence with careless wonderment. On the days when he only heard inane, pointless jabber, he would return to his dorm room sluggish and morose. With this many students gathered in one place though, he was sure to hook into something with meat.

His first instinct when purveying the scene was to focus on Nico Shymane. She was a prefect of his house, so nearly anything he learned about her would benefit him. He had seen her in passing many times, but being that she was a second year and lived in a prefect's dorm, their acquaintance had not formally been made. The more he knew about her, the easier it would be to judge future interactions and make sure to say exactly what she wanted to hear.

Luckily for him, she was approached by a boy he already recognized by now, Alan Vanes, and they struck up conversation. Flash pulled out his daily planner to pretend to read it carefully.

When she managed to draw some flowers, they gently started to sway in the wind on her paper. It was a weird little thing that she still didn't know how she did it. Maybe something subconcious? It was what got her into Hogwarts. She didn't pay much attention to it. Atleast it made her drawing experiences more interesting.

Nico enjoyed the gentle breeze that occasionally stroked her cheek. It felt quite peaceful. For a moment, she'd look up to observe the students. Even more gathered and brought their lunchbox with them. Nico quietly nodded in approval. It was indeed a lovely day for picnicking.

A familiar voice caught her attention. "N-Nico, right? Mind if I sit down?" Her head carefully looked up at whoever approached her. She'd recognise that haircut anywhere. His usual chestbrown hair gently moved in the wind, moving like a curtain above his green eyes.

'Oh! Alan! I-It's been a while.' She smiled softy, yet that wouldn't be visible - because of her quite flashy shark themed mouth mask. 'Please, have a seat.' When was the last time she saw him? It must've been a while. She remembered him clearly during last years Blossom Ball. That was... quite something... It still made a shiver run down her spine..

'Were you heading somewhere? Or did you think the same like everyone here?' With a soft giggle she'd watch the people hanging out on the patches of grass, enjoying a tasty meal.

The third year smiled softly at the girl, before nodding and sitting down. "I-It truly has been some time!", he agreed, smiling at her. He had to listen even more carefully than usually to her voice, as the sound was slightly dampened by the mask covering the Slytherin's face. Alan wondered why she would be wearing it, was she sick? He had no idea, but he could ask that later, if it came up. "Y-you are incredibly busy as a p-prefect", he added, his smile slightly widening to the point of showing a bit of teeth.

When he was asked, whether he had been heading somewhere, the Gryffindor just shook his head lightly. "No, no... j-just wanted to check this place out, b-because I don't think I have d-done so before...", he explained to her with a slight shrug and a light chuckle. Now sitting on the ground, he relaxed slightly, feeling the soft grass beneath his palms and the rustling of wind as it shook bushes and trees gently in its breeze. Shifting a little, he pulled something from the pockets of his robes and it was indeed some piece of candy that the Gryffindor always has with him. Paying little thought, he removed the wrapping paper of the bonbon and put the treat in his mouth, before pocketing the wrapping so that he could throw it away later. "D-do you also want something?", he wondered and turned to Nico, taking some more candy from his pocket and displaying them on his opened palm.

It was a chill day, not much had happened and Alan assumed that not much would happen this day either. Maybe he would meet someone new, but who knew and who cared as long as the day stayed pleasant? It seemed nice, that he had met the Slytherin prefect again and Alan hoped they could catch up a little.

The two greeted each other fondly, clearly having already long made their acquaintance. Both had been at the school for more than a year, so Flash figured he must have been the friendly type to approach nearly anyone. Many Gryffindors harbored a pre-existing distrust of Slytherins by nature of their often diametrically opposed approach to solving problems.

Alan didn’t seem like the type to be hung up on stereotypes. Nico as well seemed to be open and friendly. Even with a face mask on, one could see by the wrinkling around her eyes that see was smiling genuinely. Not that Flash has the greatest view of her face, trying to act inconspicuous, but the first few moments of interaction were important.

There didn’t seem to be anything scandalous about their meeting. A bland, average meeting between two friends. Even when his target was someone high profile, he couldn’t seem to escape the banality of life. He didn’t know how people could stand to sit around idly and exchange meaningless banter. Partway into the conversation and it felt like they had said nothing at all.

He would stick it out a bit longer, but he worried he was only wasting his time again.

@Nico Shymane @Alan Vanes

'Oh...' Her eyes saddened abit. 'Yeah... I've been quite busy. Alot of new students have rolled in this year. They need some guidance. And well... I-..I wanna do my best to be there for them. Just like the former Prefects were.' That atleast lightened her mood again. Nico wasn't sure if it was the unusual sunny day that caused her to have intense moodswings -- or if it was just how she was. Not paying much attention to it, she looked back at Alan. It's kind of strange how they just... ran into each other. This castle was so incredibly big. And yet. Even two students from two different houses - only one of them being a Prefect - could once again meet.

'The courtyard is indeed lovely. No doubt.' Resting her back against the cold, stone wall, she watched the nearby students. Nico often wondered what they were thinking. Not because she needed to know. Just... out of sheer curiousity. 'It's nice. Seeing small crowds of people, flocking together when the sun comes out.' Gently playing with the end of her frenchbraid she closed her eyes. 'I've been here before. A few times. One encounter was more pleasant than the other but... that's just how it is.'

Slowely opening her eyes again by Alan's proposal, Nico looked down at his hand filled with little sweets. How could she refuse that. 'I'd... I'd like one. Yes, please. E-Ehm.. which ones do you have?' Her hand carefully hovered near his, puzzeled by what options she got.

The third year nodded at what the Slytherin prefect told him. It was true, there had been a lot of new first years and Alan had the luck and opportunity to meet a lot of them and get to know some of them. Only recently he had been through some adventures and it would probably just be followed by more of them. "I... I am s-sure you are doin a f-fine job! I h-have seen you d-do your job well twice a-and am sure p-people are glad to h-have you as their p-prefect" Alan hoped that this may give her some reassurance. He vaguely remembered the events during the blossom ball, but could remember that Nico handled them well with the help of another student by her side.

Alan just nodded slightly, when she began to talk about the Courtyard. He also liked that it was a place of nature and some students that just needed a break from their daily life. He liked being on the Grounds, they were his safe spot and a place that resembled freedom. He could go anywhere from there on, if he chose or wanted to, so it was a place he loved to spend time at. Especially on the small hill that let you see over a huge part of the terrain the castle was build on. Again, Alan could only nod along. "H-how are you doing th-though? Ex-experienced a-anything fun lately?", he wondered smiling curiously.

When Nico asked him what kind of candy he had, he glanced down on his palm that displayed some of the options he had. "O-Oh uh... s-some chocolate f-frogs, sherbert l-lemon and u-uh... some drooble's gum, pe-peppermint toads and sticky c-caramel.. u-uh... j-just take any?", he mumbled as he offered her to take some from his palm, that displayed the various treats he had recently bought from Honeydukes.

Flash wasn’t sure what to think. For a Slytherin, wasn’t Miss Nico a bit… demure? She wore a mask for some reason, and was kindly acquainted with the ever-helpful Alan Vanes, while Flash could extrapolate from if he was desperate for leads. He knew Alan had a penchant for being incredibly useful given the right parameters, and any Slytherin would be happy to take advantage of that if they knew about it. Instead, they were chatting idly about how decent the courtyard was, and picking through flavors of candy to eat. It was enough to drive Flash up the wall.

Weren’t Slytherins sorted there for a reason, namely their ruthless ambition? Flash had looked into the houses and sorting hat before he arrived at Hogwarts, it was something he wanted to be well informed about. It was an important part of Hogwarts’ history, as well as a largely defining factor of one’s life going forward. He found that people who learned that he was Slytherin were often put on the defensive, or if they were also Slytherin, instant understanding and trust. Miss Nico was a Slytherin prefect, shouldn’t she have extolled the virtues of their house more than most?

He thought of Professor Jensen, calm and confident, always watching, ready to strike. That was what he thought of when he imagined the ideal Slytherin. Instead, Nico was relaxed, open, and even cutesy. Not that Flash had such an ironclad understanding of the houses that he couldn’t see the avenues for a diverse population, but he couldn’t help but think there had to be something more to it. There had to be more to her, some set of fangs she was hiding.

As much as he wanted to give up and continue on his way, he decided to stay just a tiny bit longer.

@Nico Shymane @Alan Vanes

Directly interacting with @Flash Holmwood
Mentions @Nico Shymane and @Alan Vanes

It was a perfectly normal thing for two friends to greet each other in the courtyard and talk. When red-haired Slytherin girl and a Gryffindor boy with brown hair began to speak to each other, Ivy thought nothing of it. But this was not the case for the strange Slytherin boy sitting near her, who was watching the pair from over a planner.

Ivy frowned. What was up with that? It was not only rather creepy and unnerving, but also just plain weird. Normal people didn't watch and listen to two people have a personal conversation. It was just social etiquette. Shaking her head, Ivy tried to signal from across the courtyard for him to stop. It didn't work - the boy didn't even see her, that was how absorbed he was in stalking his housemate and her friend. Ivy tried to return to her book, but she couldn't, knowing that the creepy Slytherin was... well, being creepy.

Finally, unable to bear it any longer, the young Gryffindor made her way across the courtyard to confront the boy. "Excuse me," she said, lowering her voice in order to preserve the boy some pride. "Why do you keep staring at them?" She gestured towards the pair nearby. "It's really very rude, you know. They could be having a private conversation."

Ivy was well aware of how snooty she sounded, but her aristocratic family had brought her up expecting the best mannerisms out of everyone, and she couldn't help but get annoyed whenever she saw someone acting otherwise. Also, she was sure that the pair would have found it creepy as well. Who wouldn't?

"Didn't your parents ever teach you not to stare?" she snarled. Too harsh, she told herself crossly. But instead of apologizing, she continued, her pale cheeks flushing as she spoke. "It's rather creepy. You really ought to know better." She glowered at the boy before glancing over at the Slytherin girl and Gryffindor boy she had caught him staring at. "You know," she hissed, "I would love to know how they'd feel about you stalking them."