Snow and Wind PV Errand closed

Ileen was perfectly in time and well prepared - at least she thought so. As soon as she had read about Professor Kibitzer’s errand she had decided to participate. The last one she had joined more or less spontaneously and not completely voluntary. But it had been fun and since the stargazing she was a big fan of the divination professor anyway.
Getting a fire going in a blizzard sounded like a challenge though - another motivation for the young Slytherin. She really could use a win or small success since the start of this year hadn’t been particularly good. And doing something physical would probably take her mind of other things.

So, she had put on her warm teddy coat, scarf and the cream colored bubble hat Aida had given her and made her way to the Courtyard where the errand would take place. Equipped with her winter boots and lined gloves, she felt prepared for the weather - but she still had no idea what it was actually like outside. She couldn’t even imagine the condition that Professor Kibitzer had created.
The young brunette was running through the corridors once more even though she wasn’t late, just too excited to walk at a normal pace. She had agreed to meet Dee there and since they wanted to look for other teammates, they should definitely be there in time. Not that only the idiots were left, and there were plenty of them, who found no team for a reason. She could do without that.

When she arrived at the Courtyard an icy blow took her breath away. It felt like little needles pricked her skin and she had to struggle for breath for a moment. Blinking in confusion she looked around. She hardly recognized the outside area - apart from the fact that you could hardly see more than a few inches because of the blizzard everything seemed abandoned and like an icy hell.
How were they supposed to get a fire going in this? That would be a challenge for sure that won’t be simply solved by an incendio duo. Well, that would be boring anyway, wouldn’t it? In New Zealand some winters had been rough as well, but it never had been that bad. What would make it the hardest was the wind. Every small flame would be blown out immediately again. Maybe they could build a wall of snow as a blocker or - in the worst case - use their bodies as a shield to protect the flame?

Okay, one thing at a time. She would figure that out with Dee and her team. Ileen took a deep breath, pulled her gray scarf up to her nose, slipped her hands into her coat pockets and looked around.
Then she spotted the brunette Ravenclaw she was looking for. With a broad grin that was hidden by her scarf though, Ileen approached her best friend. “Hey. This looks wild.” She made a vague gesture to the snowstorm raging outside and retreated a step into the castle to at least avoid being completely snowed in right away. “Have you ever had snow storms like that in England before? In New Zealand it hadn’t been that bad. But I’m sure we will figure something out. Because we are smart.”
She smirked and peered over to the other students waiting to get started. Did they already team up? Well, they would manage to succeed anyway, even if it was only the two of them.

Just as she was getting comfortable with the idea that they probably wouldn't have a team, she heard a familiar voice and turned around. She met the friendly eyes of Aaron, the Hufflepuff boy she had met at the Secret Santa errand. Ileen had decided that she liked him, so she returned his smile and tilted her head. He was accompanied by another boy she didn’t know yet. Well - she had seen him in class and she knew that he was a prefect, but sadly this position didn’t say much about the character. She had to think about Thomas Lestrange, a total letdown as a prefect.
But he was with Aaron so he couldn’t be that bad. She gifted him with a smile as well and her dark brown eyes narrowed to half moons as her smile got brighter. “Hey Aaron! Sure. Why not?” She looked at Dee for approving the suggestion.
After a moment's hesitation, she pulled her hand out of her warm coat pocket and offered it to Jack. "Hi, we haven't gotten to know each other yet. I'm Ileen."

@Dealla Prince | @Aaron Jones | @Jack Warren

Wordcount | 765

[font=Tempus Sans ITC]H[/font]aving firmly planted his ass into the warm Hufflepuff common, The scarred prefect had only just thrown on his worn boots. Jack knew about Kibby's stupid blizzard project, and he was probably going to participate because it was better than just sitting around and being bored inside. He could cast spells as well as anybody else, but by no means was he a prodigy. Why was it so difficult to remember the wand movements and the vocalizations of the words! It was like multitasking but more annoying. Atop his head sat a black and yellow beanie with a large puff of fabric at the square center of his noggin. Jack's mess of brownish-red hair curled swiftly upwards as if trying to hold onto the edges of the hat for dear life. His clothes were unusually worn down compared to his usual well put together attire. He didn't mind to terribly, considering that the shabby green military-style army jacket was his father's. A present from Christmas that he had received from its owner. Only for a moment, he let his thumb run across an old patch that sat on the right shoulder. Sadness showed only for a moment, before anger, and then he suppressed it entirely. It was best to bottle up painful emotions. Jack felt very adult for knowing how to do that because that's what all adults do.
[font=Tempus Sans ITC]A[/font]s quickly as it reared its ugly head, the emotions were bottled and corked. It was lucky that he did, because the Quidditch team superstar, @Aaron Jones , had found himself in the common room. With a grin and wave, Jack stood up with some forced pep. Of course, Warren would bear the 'dangerous' storm with Aaron! They were friends! (You have to be friends with people that you whoop in wizard's chess and play Quidditch with, right?).
[font=Tempus Sans ITC]A[/font] casual conversation, of course, ensued as Jack prepared his mind for the cold winds that Kibby was absolutely about to pour down on them "An owl? Damn, mate! Tha's cool as hell! Imagin flyin' with your owl, betchya that was awesome. I don't think I could ever deal with un considerin' how Cadmus, George's bird, is a royal prick. Did I ever tell you that he has stolen at least five of mah letters to ma'." The prefect had pointedly made sure to say ma' and not parents. Maybe he couldn't bottle up his frustrations completely. Jack didn't have much to say about his Christmas, so he just happily listened to Aaron talk with little more input about his own. The conversation was suddenly pushed into a new direction as Aaron caught sight of @Dealla Prince and @Ileen Knight. "Oh, for sure!" Jack was playing a yes man, because honestly he didn't know Ileen, and he remembered an absolute crap show of duelist chess with Dea. As his friend called out, Jack echoed the sentiment, as he waved his arm in the air wildly to beckon them closer!
[font=Tempus Sans ITC]T[/font]he boy removed his beanie from his head, only to send his mop of hair going everywhere before his hand dropped from the air. The frantic waving may have been a bit too much, but he returned the smile that Ileen gave him. The thing about Jack is that his smiles always had a devilish curl to the edges of his lips, it had been compared to the Grinch in the past. He could be a mean one, Mr. Warren. Thankfully not with cockroaches in his smile ""Heya, Illeen!" Mrs. Warren, Jack's mother had always told him that if you said somebody's name after they introduce themselves, he would be more likely to remember it or something like that. "Jack. Jack Warren, Huff' in Puff' Prefect, at ya service! And it's good to see ya' again, Dee...right?"

WC: 624/600

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@Ileen Knight | @Aaron Jones | @Jack Warren

It was a miracle in and by itself, and spoke volumes about how excited she was for this event, that Dee had managed to arrive before Ileen had. She was actually there before she had to be, so she'd chosen to stay inside the safe, (reasonably) warm castle for a few minutes longer. Usually [read: always] it was the other way around, her friend early [read: punctual], while Dee stormed in just a little late and out of breath from running.

Now she was bouncing on her toes impatiently, scanning the crowd for the Slytherin girl to arrive while the groups around her were heading outside to brave the freezing torture Professor Kibitzer had devised for them. The ends of her scarf were bouncing with her, hanging loosely from her neck. While she was dressed just as warmly as the rest of the students around, the interior of the castle didn't really call for it, so her warm winter coat wasn't buttoned up yet, the pink rabbit fur gloves Aida had given her for Christmas stuffed into the pockets. The colour clashed cheerfully with the teal of her coat, not that Dee cared. She was, however, wearing three pairs of socks in her sturdy boots. Frozen toes were not a prospect she fancied. She'd also gotten a girl in her dorm to help her braid her hair, which was now tucked into her coat--long hair whipping into her face from the stormy winds were also not something she looked forward to.

Honestly, the fact this had been organised by Professor Kibitzer of all people might have been a reason for Dee to stay away from this event--while their encounter in summer had gone slightly better than the first one, she was still not particularly fond of exposing herself to the old woman's sharp eyes and judgement--but in the end, it had just sounded too intriguing. A challenge, an adventure, one that for once didn't have anything dark clinging to its edges. It was too good to pass up on. Not that she doubted that Ileen and her and potential team mates would manage to start a fire just fine.

Her impatience finally getting the best of her, she buttoned up her coat with quick fingers, and wrapped her scarf around her neck and half her face. She made sure her token House Pride Hat covered her ears, pulled on her gloves, and stepped outside the safety of closed doors. And stopped breathing for a second. "Oh, hell," she choked out, struggling to draw the icy air into her lungs with the way the wind whipped around her. What was it, the ninth circle of hell is cold? She wasn't sure where she'd gotten that from, maybe her dad had quoted it at her at some point, but looking at the borderline apocalyptic blizzard going on out here, she was inclined to believe that this was it. She had stepped from Hogwarts directly into Hell.

Still, a smile spread on her face when she finally spotted Ileen in the chaos, even without her signature red hat. "Wild is one word for it," she replied diplomatically, trying to project her voice enough that the words weren't immediately ripped from her lips, lost in the storm. The Slytherin's question received a decisive shake of her head in return. Having grown up by the sea, snow hadn't been all that common, and certainly not like this. "Somehow I don't think there is much practical application to trying to start a fire in this. Professor Kibitzer probably just wants to see us suffer." There was a slightly whiny edge to her voice, but in truth, her excitement hadn't faded. Never one to run from a challenge, this only raised her determination.

At the sound of a familiar voice calling out to them, Dee turned around, her smile brightening up. "Aaron!" she greeted the boy. "Teaming up sounds good." Her eyes wandered over to his wildly flailing companion, and she paused for a moment before her eyes lit up in recognition, and she snapped her fingers at him, although the sound was swallowed by her gloves, shooting him a brilliant grin. "Right! Jack!" Her memories of the chess match they'd been in mostly consisted of teasing Everett and being set on fire, but Jack had been there, talking big and proposing bets. He'd seemed like a fun one, too. She cast a glance at the storm going on, her eyebrows quirking up in amusement. "What do you think, wanna build a snowman?"

Word Count | 757

WC: 412 + 731 = 1143/600
Errand Complete

Ileen’s smile deepend and painted little dimples on her smile as the other boy introduced himself. In contrast to some other prefects his exaggerated waving and whole behavior made Ileen relax. She didn’t know him, of course, but all of that told her that he might be fun. “Nice to meet you, Jack.”
As Dee and Aaron mentioned the snowman Ileen made a disappointed face. “There was an event for building a snowman and I missed it? Damn!” She turned to Dee and gave her a determined look. “Let’s build the most amazing, fire guarding snowman ever!”

That said, everything was ready. The small team was ready to go. Ileen escaped a soft giggle as Aaron stormed off and was blown over right away. Not that she was mean, it had just looked very funny.
But, yeah - holding hands was probably a good idea. Ileen was not the type for physical contact. It had taken a while before she had accepted hugs by Dee, but now, she was more confident. So, she reached out for Aarons hand and grabbed Dee’s with her other one. With a glance over her shoulder and a grin, she squeezed her hand.
As far as she knew her best friend, she wouldn’t mind grabbing the hand of a total stranger, but Ileen was more comfortable between two people she already knew. Hopefully, Dee would just grab Jack’s hand and pull him with them.

As soon as they left the shelter of the castle, the wind made Ileen stumble and she grabbed Aarons hand tighter. Blinking to protect her eyes from the snow she could barely see where they were walking. Hopefully their self-chosen leader Aaron had a plan. She trusted him.
“IS THERE A SHELTERED PLACE AROUND HERE?” The words were ripped from her lips and got lost in the wind unheard. Most likely at least. It really was more intense than she had expected.
Maybe Aaron had heard her after all, because he turned around and shouted something she couldn't understand, but he looked hopeful. So maybe he had found something.
And indeed he had found a snow mound where they could take cover.

Flopping on her belly next Aaron, Ileen’s bubble head slipped over her eyes and blocked her view. A strong gust of wind blew snow into her face and she pushed her hat back up before wiping the flakes from her face.
She gifted Aaron with a broad and cheeky grin. “Yes, good spot. Wisely chosen, boss.” If it hadn't been so cold, she would have stuck her tongue out at him. It was clear from her twinkling eyes that she was just teasing him.
She turned to Dealla and Jack and wrinkled her nose. “I guess we should find something that we can set aflame. Anyone willing to sacrifice a glove?” She looked down at her own hands. No, that won’t work. Her gloves were already soaked and besides that, she did like them.
Perhaps she could manage to make her way to the edge of the courtyard. There were trees and she could break off a few branches. But would she find the others again? Doubtful.

Suddenly, she had an idea and her face brightened up. There was a spell she had taught herself not that long ago. She had never tried it without actually having sight of the target, but technically, it should work that way, too.
“Wait, I have an idea!” With her heart pounding, Ileen drew her wand and cleared her throat. She was a little bit nervous. What if it didn’t work?
She flicked her wand and pointed in the direction where she thought the edge of the courtyard was. Ileen had completely lost her bearings. Not that it really made a difference. “Accio branches!”

Reducio

Ileen casts Accio to summon some branches
Ileen Wisdom (DC 9 + 2 (can’t see target)): 20 → success

Nothing happened for a second and she was already worried that it hadn't worked. But then something was blown directly into her face and she reflexively squinted her eyes. Some loose branches scratched her skin and with an indignant snort she plucked them from her face and blinked, half angry, half proud. It may not have been elegant, but it was effective. With a broad grin, she presented her prey to the others. "Tada!" After Aaron had brought them here, she was proud to have contributed as well.

@Dealla Prince | @Aaron Jones | @Jack Warren

Wordcount | >765

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The corner of Dee's mouth quirked up when Aaron took command, titling them squad and throwing around orders. Honestly, probably a good thing someone else took charge. Events like this were much more entertaining when you weren't the one trying to keep everyone in line. "Fire-guarding snowman it is," she replied, grinning brightly, and burst out laughing when Aaron was literally whipped off his feet by the wind on his first step out of the relative safety of the castle walls, much less discrete than Ileen's chuckling. "Blows you away, doesn't it?" she asked, giggling. She was almost bouncing on her feet, energy and excitement flowing over and around.

Still, the idea to hold hands to keep from getting lost seemed like a good one. Ileen grabbed her hand, which left Dee reaching for Jack's. Good thing she wasn't shy or self-conscious, holding hands with someone who was barely more than a stranger not worth a thought or moment of hesitation. Her mitten-covered hand wrapped around his and she grinned up at him cheekily, daring protest or maybe just hoping for any reaction, before she was tugged forward, out into the storm, and her fingers tightened around both hands she was holding.

Had it been hard to breathe before, it was almost impossible now. Wind whipped snow into her face, harsh and cold, making any attempt at drawing in air almost painful. It was hard to keep her eyes open, too, and she was glad that her hair was braided and safely tucked below her scarf into her coat. She wasn't sure how Aaron knew where they were going, considering she could scarcely see - or could he? Maybe they were all just stumbling blindly - but she was happy enough following where Ileen's guiding hand pulled her.

The wind was whistling in her ear so she could not make out what was being shouted in front of her, could only guess that it was Aaron and Ileen's voices, but the intent became clear when they took cover behind a relatively large bank of snow, providing some semblance of shelter. Dee crouched down next to Ileen, letting go of her friend's hand to wipe the snow out of her eyes and shaking her head a little. "Set my glove on fire and I'll set you on fire," she quipped back, snorting at the suggestion.

Everything was cold and wet around here, the ground covered with a thick layer of snow. How were they supposed to start a fire here, anyway? Except... if someone melted the snow first.

While Ileen was busy being helpful and productive, Dee pulled her wand out with an entirely different idea in mind (letting go of Jack's hand in the process if he hadn't escaped her grip before that). "Aer Calidus!"

Reducio

Dee casts Hot-Air Charm!
Wisdom Check (DC let's say 11): 20 + 10 = 30
Critical Success

Immediately, her wand started blowing out hot air with the force of an industrial-strength hot air gun (although with much more tolerable temperatures), and Dee was startled enough that she almost dropped it. Maybe she had put a little too much enthusiasm into that spell. But instead of directing the stream of air at the ground, where it might actually have done some good to create a snow-less space for their fire, her first silly impulse was to point it at Ileen's face, giggling as she watched the bobble on her friend's hat bounce back and forth in the warm wind. And then Aaron's. And Jack's, because, you know, equal treatment for all. Wouldn't want anyone to feel excluded. At least they should all be a little drier afterwards, right?

She was giving herself a turn - honestly, with the freezing air around, the warmth was nice on her skin, thawed the frozen tip of her nose - when she noticed Ileen's stare. Oh no. The mum glare. It was uncanny, really, Ileen's ability to make Dee shrink into herself with just a single look, no words spoken, and Dee immediately looked a little sheepish as she turned her wand towards the ground to be at least semi-useful. She was also suitably impressed by the branches Ileen had summoned. "Oh, that's neat! Can you teach me that?" she asked, fascinated, aquamarine eyes bright and hopeful, before snapping back on task.

"Right! Fire." Ending the constant stream of air from her wand with a quick thought, she pointed it at the branches Ileen had provided. Gotta act fast, before the semblance of dryness there disappeared as fast as it had come. "Incendio Duo!"

Reducio

Dee casts Incendio Duo.
Wisdom Check (DC 12 + 2 (b/c windy and wet and stuff) = 14): 4 + 10 = 14
Success... barely.

What her previous spell had gotten in power, this one lacked. A few small, green flames flickered up and began eating at the wood, hissing with its dampness and obviously struggling to survive. Whoops. Maybe there was something wrong with her priorities.

But still, there was fire... Kind of. Now only to keep it burning for more than a second.

@Ileen Knight | @Aaron Jones | @Jack Warren

[font=Tempus Sans ITC]O[/font]f course, Jack was there to do well. There was a competitive edge that he always forced upon himself. Honestly, if you wanted the boy to do something, all you really had to do was challenge him. Quite literally, saying no to a direct challenge the hardest thing for Jack to do. His ego was his greatest downfall. "Fire or death." Super inspiring, I'm sure we're all aware. However, all of that bravado disappeared the moment that he laid eyes on Aaron walking into the storm. There wasn't much restraint when Jack let out a belly laugh as he watched a certain Quidditch superstar eat the floor as soon he took a step into the maelstrom of white particles. "Better watch your step there, mate! Unless you're lookin' to make a you-shaped hole in tha' snow!"

[font=Tempus Sans ITC]T[/font]he whole idea of a daisy chain wasn't a bad one. However, what he hadn't expected was for somebody to just willy nilly grab hold of his hand! A sudden burst of pink bloomed on his already red cheeks. He had only held hands with Willow before their big argument and subsequent end of the hand holding relationship. He didn't even have a chance to recoil his hand away from the girl before his hand was enclasped with his own. "Oi! What doya' thin- Wai-Wait a bloody second!" was all he managed to say before being dragged into the blistering cold hell that the old evil witch had made to torture her students. As the howling wind and cold nipped at his nose and cheeks, the thought of Kibitzer cackling as she watched all these students nearly die in what felt like sub-arctic temperatures. Even with his mind set on the task, it didn't mean that Jack wouldn't drag his feet a little bit. The cold hands of the storm were ripping at Jack's exposed head. He hadn't even thought of pulling his beanie back over his head, before being thrust into the winter wonder hell.

[font=Tempus Sans ITC]A[/font]s they moved Jack forced himself to breathe in the frigid air. If he wasn't strong enough to handle a little bit of cold weather, how in the hell was he going to be an adventurer who finds the wizarding world's most ancient secrets! Sadly he was wholly unprepared for the oppressive storm and wind. Sadly a huge ego and bravado can only get a person so far, so in this certain situation, it stopped at the edge of the tempest. Honestly, Warren couldn't see anything ahead of Dea. It was a white wall of pain that only made Jack irritated.

[font=Tempus Sans ITC]I[/font]t only took a moment to realize that the group was halting and diving down in a sanctuary behind a small mound that had somehow built up in this flash snowstorm. It was probably some poor first year's corpse under all the snow. "I don' know- Those pink ones you got look pretty flammable!" The devil's grin was back as he glanced at Dea, Ileen, and Aaron. As the yelling over the screaming wind continued as Ileen whipped out her wand and summoned forth wood! "Ah shite! Good work, Ileen!" The thing about Jack is that he wasn't shy about cursing at all. it probably put some people off, but honestly... he didn't give a shit. However, it only took a moment for Jack was still holding onto Dea's hand as she let go to subsequently blasted an air jet directly into his face. Thank god his face was already red from the cold. His ego couldn't handle being made fun of. Raising his arms, he swatted at the air that was hitting him in the face, before returning focus on the task at hand. "Aaron! Let's build the wall up ta help block tha' wind!" He turned from his backside onto his knees. Sticking an armful into the snow, he began packing and stacking more snow. Without something to stop the wind, the fire would for sure die!

Having a have snow day with @Aaron Jones,@Ileen Knight, & @Dealla Prince

“Yup, looking pretty flammable to me as well.” Ileen agreed with Jack and made a face at Dee as a reaction to her cheeky reply. “Me? Not so much. We need all of our fingers after that is done, we will come up with something different.”

Something different were the branches Ileen had summoned. She smirked at Dee and shrugged, still having a proud sparkle in her eyes. “Sure, I can teach you. I know you are a better student when it comes to spellcasting than dancing, thankfully.” She stuck her tongue out at her friend and grinned back at Aaron and Jack who also appreciated Ileen's effort to 'collect' wood for the fire.
The grin was swapped from her face when a stream of hot air hit her right in the face, making her gasp in surprise and then giggle as she noticed that it was Dee's doing. The stream of warm air was a relief for her frozen face and for a second she enjoyed it before Dee kept fooling around with it causing a special glare on Ileen’s end.

It turned out they were kind of a winning team. Everybody contributed something to finish the task. “Hot chocolate sounds like a very good idea!” They deserved it for sure after this frozen hell. But the young girl was not so sure if it actually was already done though the guys were doing a pretty good and fast job in building up the wall to protect the small fire from dying in the strong wind. She watched the small flickering flames in concern, quickly making up her mind how to protect it even more. Knowing herself and Dee’s physical condition, the wind would kill the fire before they managed to do a wall as Aaran and Jack.
Then, her face brightened up and she waved through the air to get Dee’s attention. Even though the spot Aaron had chosen for them was better protected the storm was still very loud making every conversation somewhat difficult. “I have an idea!”
She one more raised her wand and gently tabbed it with one finger. “Pluvia Velo.”

Reducio

Ileen casts umbrella spell (DC 11): 9+9 = 18 → success

Proudly, she noticed the transparent umbrella that sprang up from the tip of her wand and she looked up at her team with sparkling eyes. “I guess like that we can.. woah!”
An unexpected gust of wind had caught the umbrella, and like a sail, it nearly swept Ileen off her feet. Just in time, she managed to grab the wand with both hands and was dragged through the snow only a few centimeters before she could catch herself again. With a concentrated face, she knelt down to get a more stable position and looked for a position to offer some wind protection to the fire as well as to Aaron and Jack.

@Dealla Prince | @Aaron Jones | @Jack Warren