It's Just a Spider . . .

@Ashley Coulson

Despite the bite of winter lingering in the air, Hogwarts' courtyard was idyllic as ever. While he didn't much mind the crowds, Pericles liked it best when it was like this: silent, still, a rare moment of peace. When it was like this, it was easier to admire the architecture and collect one's thoughts. He pondered his luck while passing under an old archway. Out into the yard itself he stepped, expression vacant as mind was elsewhere, gaze hooded in a sleepy sort of distraction. It was a shock of red against the stony palate which first caught his attention as he was passing by. The boy glanced over reflexively, attention moving from the ground up, stopping at the spider. Tarantula...? There his eyes went wide. Of all things, he sported a smile, the sight seeming to spark a little life and enthusiasm back into his faraway bearings.

"Oh! Is that a...." His gaze had lifted from arachnid to girl, and on seeing her expression, the line petered off. It was not the look of someone spending quality time with a pet. Now, people had never been Pericles' forte. He much preferred to read books. But after a year and a half of spending time with others his age, he had learned a thing or two. Even he would be hard-pressed not to recognize the stiff look of terror that the stranger wore. He was also very fond of certain creepy-crawlies, given that he kept a number of them back home. Stuck to the spot, now frowning gently, he finally looked to meet the stranger's stare. Slowly he ventured, "Is that yours, or... would you like a little help?" He shifted the bag on his shoulder, hand already straying to its latch in preemptive preparation.

Interacting with @Pericles Dralt

Ashley was hyperventilating. Like, actually hyperventilating, like in books and movies. It was not a pleasant feeling. Quite the opposite, in fact. Her glasses were beginning to slip down her nose, but that was the least of her worries at the moment. The spider was still creeping up her arm, and she was trying to remember everything she could about spider bites and poison but nothing was coming to mind. What was the point of reading all about dangerous creatures if the information was forgotten the moment it was really needed?
She knew that this spider was not ordinary. It didn't seem swayed by her presence in the least, and it was abnormally large. Not magically large, but large just the same.
Breathe, she told herself. Breathebreathebreathe . . . Breathe, Ashley, for the love of god!
She hated being that kind of girl who fainted at the sight of a spider. But she couldn't help it. And no one was around who could help her. No one was around at all, in fact.
Just on cue, a voice sounded behind her. "Oh! Is that a...." the voice paused. "Is that yours, or... would you like a little help?"
Ashley would have been startled, but she doubted anything would ever scare her again, not after encountering this beast of a bug. Were spiders even technically bugs? She didn't know and didn't care.
Ashley looked up hesitantly, careful not to move her arm. A boy stood over her. He was her age, a little older, perhaps, and had blond hair and glasses. He was a Ravenclaw as well, by the looks of it. He looked genuinely concerned, and also looked as if he might know what to do in a situation like hers.
"Oh!" Ashley replied, "Help would be really great, actually. And no. This . . . thing . . . is not mine. At all. It just came out of nowhere and it won't leave and . . ." Ashley trailed off. She was rambling. She hated rambling, but she wasn't exactly in her best frame of mind.
"I'm Ashley, by the way," she added.

@Ashley Coulson

Empathetic alarm arose in Peri while he watched the poor girl panic. He did his best to control it, hiding it away so as not to make her more afraid, though her hyperventilating was concerning. What if she blacked out? What if she fell on the tarantula? Pushing these thoughts from his head, he very carefully, deliberately donned a soft smile. He was doing a decent job of acting as if there wasn't a reason in the world to worry. The instant she accepted the offer of help, he was already opening his bag, rifling through the contents quick as you please. Of all things, he pulled a chocolate frog box from the satchel. It was opened with a thumb while he came closer. "No need to fret, Ashley." His voice was mellow, factual, the tone doctors take when they're chatting up a patient that they know is afraid of needles. Keep her talking, keep her distracted while he worked, and all would be well. "Arachnids have an unfair reputation. They don't go looking for humans to hurt them... they're typically quite shy. But it's awfully cold out here, much too cold for our friend. It must have been looking for something- or someone- that could warm it up. Sorry thing."

Ever so slowly, Pericles turned til they were side-by-side and knelt into the soggy grass. The box was tilted, letting its enchanted morsel tumble to the ground, where it promptly hopped away. "You can have the card once we're finished," the boy was offering as incentive, cheerful as could be. In the meantime, the little paper drifted down, emptying the box. From his coat he drew a pale wand, which was immediately tapped to the container with a murmured "Engorgio." And just like magic- for that is what it was- the box began to grow. It swelled in size until essentially doubled, making for a handy carrier that could comfortably fit the creature. Now all he had to do was coax it in without it panicking. If he had any luck, it might willingly seek shelter in the box. To stop it from skittering further up Ashley's arm, Pericles ever so tentatively stuck the open end of it on her shoulder, then slowly slid it towards the target. His freckled face was relaxed, though his eyes were unblinking, fixed on the arachnid with intense concentration.

Seeming to remember his manners at the moment of absolute tension, he added "I'm Pericles Dralt, second-year Ravenclaw. Though, you could call me 'Peri' if you like."

@Pericles Dralt

Ashley tensed. The spider was climbing higher, it's thick legs creeping up her arm. The boy - Peri, he had said - was trying to get the horrid creature off of her, and she had a feeling that the movement in her body, which was rising and falling rapidly with tense breaths, was not helping to catch the spider. Ashley closed her eyes and tried to take a deep breath. She understood that the spider needed to be warm, but couldn't it have found heat somewhere else? Preferably not on an innocent person? Ashley cracked her eyes open and watched with interest as Peri took out his wand and enlarged the box. She had a feeling that watching magic would never grow old for her. It was just so, well, magical. Peri stared at the spider, trying to find a way to get it into the box. The spider seemed to have no idea that they were trying to help it, so it only moved faster. It was rapidly closing in on her neck, and once it got there, it would be only inches from her face.
"Don't think about that. Don't. Don'tdon'tdon't!"
Too late, Ashley realized she had been speaking out loud. Flushing, she looked at her feet. She was being extremely unhelpful, she could tell.
Ashley felt something tickle her neck. Oh, no. The spider . . . Ashley's breathing increased again. Dang. She wanted to smack herself for being such a damsel in distress, just sitting there freaking out while a boy saved her from the creepiest spider she had ever seen. But . . . There. Was. A. Spider. On. Her. Neck!!!! So she would make an exception.

@Ashley Coulson

The boy was being cautious rather than quick. He was afraid to spook the critter more than it already was, worried it may lash out if startled, though that lack of speed cost him. It bolted up the girl's arm before he could block it, nestling precariously in the crook of her neck. He could hardly judge Ashley for her worried whispering. As much as he adored his personal collection of tarantulas, they weren't like a pack of puppies. All animals deserved a degree of respectful caution, and when it came to arachnids, one couldn't be too trusting. His lips pressed into a tight line. Ignoring the wet earth seeping through his pantleg where a knee was braced against the ground, he lifted his arms, leaning in close enough to catch it, careful not to brush the witch nor put himself into the thing's jumping range.

Pericles drew a steadying breath, then mustered up every ounce of soothing presence he could, speaking with certainty and gentle coaxing. "It's alright. I know how frightening 'the unknown' can be, and right now it seems like you're in danger, but I promise: I'll make sure that you come out of this just fine." Any onlooker would have difficulty discerning whether he was speaking to the spider or his fellow Ravenclaw. Whichever it might be, he at least looked to be confident in his oath. Large box balanced in his right hand, he used the wand in his left, delicately prodding the arachnid towards the container in front of it. With a scuttle and scoop, the weight of it was lifted from Ashley altogether. "There!" Peri clapped the lid closed before it could change its mind, then heaved a short sigh of relief, smile glowing through as tension melted away. He cradled the box as if it contained precious treasure, then pocketed his wand and plucked the chocolate frog card from the grass, offering it out with a triumphant gesture. "And not a scratch to show for it. You handled that well!"

Permission given to "godmode" the NPC spider.