Well, Hello To You Too

Youssuf pushed open the door of the toilets, frowning. His workload had become too much for him, especially Charms and History of Magic. He'd been assigned 2 feet of work on the Goblin Rebellions! And he had an essay on Potions to write and all sorts of stuff, plus he wanted to peruse A History of The Wizarding World, which he'd gotten from the library. The Common Room was too loud, and most nights his dorm room was too quiet. The best way to work, Youssuf had discovered, was with a perfect mix of noise and quiet. The Abandoned Toilets offered just that, because the faucets dripped all the time, but there was rarely, if ever, anyone else there.
He set down his load of books with a loud thump, raising an opaque wall of dust. As it settled, he leaped about a foot in the air and yelled rather inarticulately with surprise. There was someone across the room!
The dust cleared to reveal a Hufflepuff girl. Youssuf sighed with audible relief and looked at her closely. There was no doubt about it; she was Autumn, the girl he'd met on the train (well, one of them anyway). She was wearing a strange pair of earrings - train cars. Weird.
He said happily - "Hi, Autumn! We seem to be meeting the same way everywhere - you silent and foreboding, and me always surprised to see you! We parted somewhat...hastily, the last time I met you on the train. I'm sorry, I didn't recognize you for a second. Your hair is shorter, somehow. I didn't expect anyone else to be here."
Youssuf crossed the bathroom to sit just across her, his legs crossed.

@Autumn Agapov @Yousuff Baid @Cody Stevenson @Cody Stevenson @Della Barfield

It wasn't that Edme was trying to ignore the world. She wasn't. She had plenty of other places that she could sneak off to and hide away from the castle. Like the hole in the wall behind the suit of armor. Or her room. Their room was a good choice.

The only reason why the young Ravenclaw was standing outside of the Abandoned Toilets, looking around to make sure no one was looking, was because she was bored. It was as simple at that. They had grown bored of the common room, and the library just felt a little bit more crowded than usual.

So the abandoned toilets, almost certainly empty, was her only other idea. It was quiet, maybe a little dirty, but overall a fairly quiet, secluded area. Maybe a place for reading, or just finishing up some homework. Who knows?

Peering around once more, they pushed through to the area, looking around hesitantly. She wasn't being reclusive, she just needed personal space. And unfortunately, it didn't look like she would be getting that.

Two familiar faces were right ahead of her, chatting quietly. She looked around to make sure she wasn't interrupting some party she wasn't invited to or some get together between some group of rebellious students wanting to seem cool. Fortunately, the only present individuals were Autumn Agapov and Yousuff Baid.

They had met Autumn from the lavatory, having a very awkward, very misplaced conversation about cutting hair. She looked over curiously to see if any action had been made on that.

The other was Yousuff Baid, the boy they had met in the owlery and just kept meeting. He had recently been found in the old hole behind the armor stand, and Edme had been curious about him ever since. Now he and Autumn were right there in the abandoned toilets, clearly trying to catch up on homework or something of the sort.

Who goes to the abandoned toilets to read for a few hours and write things down? Ah.

"Uh, hello." Edme waved sheepishly, clutching her books like they were as slippery as a frog, fingers white from the pressure. "Fancy seeing you here." she gulped down their anxiety, looking anywhere but at the two. When you expect to be alone it's a bit discomforting when you're not.

WC:399

Anna is mischievous, sweet and adventurous. She mostly shows her adventurous side. She has an adventure list, from which she has visited the Dungeons with Lizzy and the next option was, the Abandoned Toilets. She has visited it earlier also, with Autumn. She hoped that this time no one was inside. Because she wanted to find the Moaning Myrtle. If anyone was there, then it will be difficult to do the search. Well, it was quite creepy to think so, but Anna wasn't going to give up.
Some students said that at times Myrtle can become crazy. But still Anna was stubborn.
After lunch, she carefully and steadily went to the Abandoned Toilets. Guessing no one was spying on her, she went more near the toilet. But what was this? She heard someone talk! Her heartbeat suddenly increased. It seemed that the heart will come out of her ribs!
"Who must be there?" Anna mumbled, careful not to speak loudly. She somehow or the other, managed to collect her courage.
She quietly opened the door, very slightly though. She peeped inside, careful not to make her visible. Hopefully, she noticed three students inside. She didn't knew all of them, only Autumn. She smiled broadly and came inside, she closed the door behind, which was enough to drive the students attention to her and know that Anna has also come to participate in their group.

[font=century gothic]"MUHAHAHAHA!" You would hear Cody down the hallway. Cody just tripped a boy walking by, then ran down the corridors and appeared in the Abandoned Toilets to hide, hopefully no one saw him, besides the tripped victim. Perhaps prefects won't find him. Or professors. Or worse... Headmaster Lear. In there, he came across a Youssuf Baid, a boy he met back in... November? Yes, perhaps it was November. That was when they first met, just to play a campaign called Morgansfort. But, he also saw a boy that he only saw once, Edme Achillian. He saw him for a talent thing that Professor Tuesday was there to monitor.

Then there was Anna Washington and Autumn Agapov, who Cody knew nothing about. His first comment would be upon his entrance rather rushed.

"Y'all. Say nothing to the rule enforcers. But- I did something thrilling! I tripped someone! YESSSSSSSS my bucket list is now complete!"

Perhaps it'd surprise the others, but Cody just had to laugh. If Cody had to perform the Sneezing Hex on one of them, Cody would do so. He had such a desire to proof that he was intimidating but apparently, to everyone, he wasn't as scary as he wanted to impose. [/font]

Youssuf blinked and grinned. "Nice to see you too, Edme. We just keep meeting, eh?" And what should he see, but ANOTHER person coming through the door. A Hufflepuff kid, he didn't know her.
And of course, what should he see NEXT but another person coming through the door?! But this time it was Cody Stevenson, the part-goblin dude. He said something about them not telling to the rule enforcers that he'd tripped a person. Apparently his bucket list was now complete.
"Shit, dude, ain't you never tripped somebody before? Why the excitement?" Youssuf thought Cody put up a good show of being menacing and unpredictable, but it was just that - a show. He wasn't scary or intimidating, not to Youssuf. He was just another bravo, puffing his chest up and walking down the streets.
But, be that as it might, Cody was still a duellist. While no one could call him wise or cautious (or in fact physically strong, like Youssuf), he was certainly smart. As such, Youssuf stood and gravely bowed to him - a shallow bow (Respect Towards An Equal). He grinned to himself. These people knew nothing of the subtlety and intoxicating complexity of court wars (neither did he, but he'd read about them and seen them in old lessons). The bow he'd just made would have been construed as the most clear and obvious sarcasm a person could throw to a more skilled wizard by an etiquette master or by anyone back home.

He said cheerfully - "Not the Abandoned Toilets anymore, are they? More like the...ah...crowded Toilets. I heard the Chamber of Secrets was hidden somewhere in the school. I already searched the Dungeons thoroughly. And," he gestured at their surroundings, "it doesn't get more Slytherin than this."
"Imma get on some work and then search for the Chamber. Y'all can do what you like, I guess. Cody, just try not to pulverize anything."

Reducio

@Autumn Agapov @Anna Washington @Cody Stevenson @Edme Achillian @Della Barfield

BTW Song of The Moment (what's currently playing in Youssuf's head -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIBeny5wq6M

[font=century gothic]Cody looked astonished. "Twas only a few days ago when I got pushed up against a wall and slapped for tripping someone and throwing mashed potatoes at them. I think my bucket list was never officially complete." He said, his mouth still gaping.

He shut his mouth, fast enough to feel a thud between the upper and lower jaws.

"Listen man. I don't intend on doing anything wrong... it's just- you know- uh- I- uh-" Now he was mumbling?

"Youssuf. I think the two of us need to- wait- that was a clever joke!" Cody said, laughing. He didn't think he'd be able to do that so easily. Laughing to a joke and not to another's unfortunate event, such as being tripped, and well- you get the idea. That was a interesting feeling. Last time he laughed was when Freddy actually made him laugh for once.

Cody smiled, and decided to try to tackle Youssuf Baid to the ground, not knowing if it'd work or not. A small 90 pound boy against a bigger boy was a bit terrifying if you cared enough to view the details.

Should he have tackled Youssuf, he would hug him tighter.

Should he have missed the tackle, he would run into one of the stalls and pound on the door. [/font]

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Interaction: @Edme Achillian @Youssuf Baid @Cody Stevenson @Della Barfield @Anna Washington

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And just like that, her secret little spot turned out to be not so secret. First had come Youssuf, the boy she has met on the train. Then Edme, whom Autumn had had a brief, and rather awkward, meeting with, taking place in the girls’ bathroom. And people were still coming! Anna Washington, another Hufflepuff she had previously explored the bathroom with, and a… rather small boy she didn’t actually know. Honestly, Autumn was beginning to wonder if she had stumbled into some club
meeting for something. First to come in, Youssuf almost immediately started talking.

“Hi, Autumn! We seem to be meeting the same way everywhere - you silent and foreboding, and me always surprised to see you! We parted somewhat...hastily, the last time I met you on the train. I'm sorry, I didn't recognize you for a second. Your hair is shorter, somehow. I didn't expect anyone else to be here."

Autumn, not sure whether or not to be offended by Youssufs words decided to ignore the majority of his words.

“Hello, Youssuf. And yes, my hair is shorter.”

And then Edme had entered. The other girl was visibly surprised, offering a small wave before returning to holding their books like they wanted to crush them. Before Autumn could react, two more people showed up. Anna, who simply entered the bathrooms and sat down, and the new boy, who, much like Youssuf, started talking, gloating about tripping someone.
Rolling their eyes at… well, all people present, Autumn opened their mouth to say something, only to be immediately cut off by Youssuf.

"Shit, dude, ain't you never tripped somebody before? Why the excitement?"

Autumn raised an eyebrow, glancing at Youssuf.

“You’re one to talk,”

They muttered. Turning toward Edme, they rolled their eyes again, making a small gesture towards Youssuf and the blond one, as if to say ‘boys’. Proving her point, Youssuf announced he wanted to find the Chamber of Secretes, instructing the other boy, whose name was Cody, apparently, not to pulverize anything. Wonderful.

“You’re not going to get anywhere, you know. You need a parselmouth to enter the chamber. And Cody, was it? If anything gets broken, I will personally dismember you.”

Aside from not wanting to get in trouble, Autumn had formed a sort of attachment to the Abandoned Toilets. Or, as Youssud had dubbed it, the Crowded Toilets. And then Cody tackled Youssuf. Because, you know, why not.
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Youssuf winked at Cody and Autumn simultaneously. "Hoohoo! I got Cody, notorious Mr. Tough Guy, to laugh! Who da man! And don't worry your innocent self, Autumn. I got a tip about a Parselmouth. I'll deal with it. I just asked whether you want to find the entrance. Chill - "
He would have continued, expanding at great lengths on the Chamber of Secrets, its history and more recent events (he liked mysterious things), but he was rudely interrupted by Cody rushing towards him.

At that moment, his javelin training kicked in, right along with his street sense. His teacher would have been proud. He stared at Cody, as if in stop-motion, for a split second. His mind was involuntarily calculating at the speed of...well, not perhaps light, but sound. Then he snapped back into reality.
Flexing smoothly, his whole body snapping like a rubberband, Youssuf calmly stepped just aside Cody, who was still rushing head-on at him (DUMB move, dude) and grabbed him by the scruff of his neck lightly. He turned around sharply, reversing the flow of Cody's momentum, sending him straight into the wall.
Then he winced. Cody had managed to scratch him slightly, just below the his left wrist.
"You should be proud, Cody. Nobody's managed to draw blood from me for the last two years." It was the unvarnished truth. Nobody messed with Youssuf anymore, not since he beat up Simon Varakker, his class bully. He smiled reminiscently. Varakker had been beating up on a 1st class kid. So Youssuf, ah...returned the treatment, as it were. The last person to make him bleed was his brother, and even that was an accident.

Anna was the silent member of the Crowded Toilets (Abandoned Toilet's new name) for around 30 minutes. She was just observing them all, doing all sorts of, yes, chatting. Anna got more shocked when she noticed the fight. She wasn't a duellist for sure and yes, also didn't wanted to be one. That's why it was quite shocking for her to see them try to hurt each other. Yet, they played well. Not able to control her patience any more, she spoke up.
"Hey guys, I think we aren't here for a duel, right?" Anna said, seriously yet calm, "I came here to see Moaning Myrtle."
She was silent for a moment and then again spoke up.
"Ah yes, I know it's quite odd to do so, but you see, it's exciting. Autumn, will you come with me please?" Anna requested, she thought Autumn will be quite interested in it.
She noted it carefully in her mind, that if Cody and Youssuf were in search of the Chamber of Secrets, then what about Edme?
"Edme, if you want you can join us." Anna said, trying to show him that he is not forgotten, because he was also silent while all the activities went on.

Mentioning:
@Edme Achillian
@Autumn Agapov
@Youssuf Baid
@Cody Stevenson
@Della Barfield