Set Fire to the Rain Open Closed

Anastasia Beckett generally loved the rain. Not thunder and lightning rain, but most other rain. It was perfect reading and sleeping weather, and somehow, when the rest of the world was gloomy, her life seemed to go better. Of course, that was when she wasn't trapped in the rain. Which she currently was. She was soaked to the bone, and the normally perfectly put together Gryffindor looked more like a wet kitten than a 13-year-old girl. She was also seriously regretting the decision to wear her skirt as short as she did. Sure, it looked loads better, but at the moment, everything between her socks and her skirt was freezing and wet. Actually, everything was freezing, but her bare legs were colder than freezing. Her mascara ran down her face, and her long thick hair was sticking to her neck and face as she ran towards the castle.

As she shivered, she cursed at herself for decided that today was the day to see just how close to the Forbidden forest she could get without getting into trouble. She hadn't even gotten an answer to that question since the rain had gone from a nice calming mist to a violent torrential downpour in a matter of minutes after she had neared the edge of the Hogwarts Campus. Her teeth chattered as she felt for her wand. Her normal quick thinking had been replaced by panic when the rain had intensified, but now that she was getting closer to the castle, her mind was a bit clearer. She could hardly see two feet ahead of her. However, she thought of a charm that would be helpful. "Pluvia Velo!" she said. She was shivering so badly that it took her a moment to position her wand correctly for the umbrella charm. Not that it did much to keep her from getting wet since she was already soaked to the bone, but it was far easier to see now.

She reached the castle and the giant wooden door wouldn't budge. This was the second time that she had encountered a door at this school that was impossible to open. It wasn't locked, so she couldn't use the unlocking charm or anything. That was unfortunate. She decided she would have to just go around since she was sure there was somewhere else she could get in. As she walked about the side of the castle, she encountered another student. A first-year, by the looks of her. She looked worse than Ana did.

Ana's umbrella was proving to be more and more useful since she could now feel her fingers, toes, and nose again. Nevermind that all she could feel was cold, it was far better than the numbness from a few moments ago. Since the rain was pouring, she didn't try to speak to the other girl, only motioned for her to follow her. Whether or not the girl did was up to her. Ana was only trying to find a way in or at least a place to wait out the storm. Finally, she found a small alcove. It was better than nothing, and could probably fit three or four students. Once she was under the shelter of the alcove, she flicked her wand to undo her umbrella spell and glanced to see if the younger girl had in fact followed her lead.

Mentioning: @Ana Fox | @Anastasia Beckett

The younger girl that Ana had first spoken to seemed to have disappeared, but there was a different younger girl that had appeared. She was still shivering as she waited to see if the girl was going to join her. The girl considered trying to cast incendio, but seeing as there was nothing dry that would keep the flame going, she decided against it. Still, she kept her wand out as she waited. The small Gryffindor hated the shivers that kept making their way through her body. The cold was terrible. She vastly preferred heat in any scenario. Burning to death was quicker than freezing, and typically, the person burning would pass out pretty quickly. If she had to pick one, she would choose to burn every time. Twisting her wet hair in a half-hearted attempt to dry herself, she squinted into the rain to see if the other girl was any closer. However, due to the near ocean of rain that was coming down, she couldn't see more than a foot or so in front of her, so she ducked back into her alcove.

As she waited to see if she was going to have any company in waiting out the storm, her thoughts wandered to her parents. She couldn't even begin to imagine what they would have to say if they saw her in a mess like this. Her mother would likely lecture her for ages about the necessity of never traveling alone and how a young lady ought not to be frolicking outside anyway. That wasn't even count the earful Ana would get if her mother had known that she was trying to go to the Forbidden Forest. That would be a never-ending lecture.

OOC - I'm so sorry for the short and late reply!

Percy had been on his usual long walks around the grounds and seemed to not worry about the immanent bad weather that was destined to rain hell on him. He was wearing a summer coat, one of which that didn't have a hood and some black jeans, a choice that would soon make him regret doing the walk all together. When he first made his way out onto the grounds the weather only had a brisk chill and bleak atmosphere, now it was almost as if hell had opened up their doors and threw storm like conditions upon them.

Rain pelted against his pale face as he quickly walked back up the path towards the castle doors, which should still be open. His body was visibly shaking from the harsh conditions being throw at him, however his mind was still calm. Back home him and his father used to do long travels on the broom, places where conditions were not ideal or humane by any means. Although, it did have a positive. Percy learned to understand and cope in conditions that would turn your mind against you, a trait this father unintentionally taught him. Through the wall of rain, he could see the outline of the entrance and quickened his pace. But, like others who had come and gone he would soon be disappointed.

The entrance to the castle was shut tight, and prevented anyone from entering or leaving. With a shallow sigh he put two hands to his mouth and breathed into them, trying to get some sort of feeling back into them as he looked around him for a place of shelter. His frosty blue eyes stared down a path to the right of him, and forced himself to begin moving. He jogged along the path and looked for anywhere that could keep him dry for a few hours at most, hopefully after that time they would reopen the doors. In the distance he could see two figures, hidden underneath an alcove of some kind. They seemed to have the same misfortune as he did and were shivering from the storms effects. He slowly walked over and put a hand threw his drenched hair, not even bothering to try and fit it as he walked up to them "I see... i'm not the only one then..." he muttered calmly through the clattering of his teeth.

Ana's teeth chattered as the other girl finally reached her. She shook her head slightly in reply to the girl's question, hugging herself and rubbing her hands up and down her arms to try to warm up a tad. She could think of a few other ways to get in, but they weren't exactly safe, and probably not entirely legal either. Not that there was a rule against scaling the castle in the rain, but there was a rule about endangering other students that Ana had already broken far more times than she would willingly admit.

Motioning to the girl, she saw something of a cove that would likely fit four or five students. It would keep them somewhat dry, or rather prevent them from getting much wetter. "What's your name, by the way?" Ana asked once her teeth stopped chattering. There was no knowing how long the storm would last, so she figured she might as well get to know the person she was doomed to spend it with. Anyway, maybe they could think of some way to get in together.

Wringing out her scrunchie from her wrist, she pulled her dripping hair back into a ponytail to try to keep it from sticking to her face. She couldn't stand hair in her face ever for any reason, much less hair sticking to her face. That was somewhat better, although now it meant that most of her wet hair was sticking to her neck.

She wrinkled her nose slightly at the girl's sneeze. She tended to get colds at home, so if this girl was already sneezing, Ana was pretty much doomed to a nasty cold for the next week.

A figure approached them and as he neared, Ana could make out a boy that she vaguely recognized as a Slytherin, maybe a first or second year, but beyond that, she had zilch. She nodded slightly to acknowledge his arrival. "Well, you know what they say about misery and company," she said, smiling slightly at the irony. "Don't suppose you know any safe-ish way in?"