Is it a study group if there's only one person? C

@Eldridge Cunningham

Skirting around the edges of the forest, Isaac was in a huge predicament.

With every step he took, there was a crackling and crunching of dead leaves underfoot, as the faint sunlight shone through the trees. His bag was lost. Again. And to think that he'd only found it two days ago in the Gryffindor common room, only to lose it again.

Last time he saw the offending object, it was safely nestled beside him as he sat in a tree, watching the lake with a steady bird's eye view. The rumpled cloth thankfully hadn't fallen to the ground. After a while, he had nodded off to the soft sounds of rushing water, leaning against the branches. But the moment he woke up from his short siesta, it was gone. Gone, gone.

At first, he suspected some foul play. Maybe a student had snatched it from beneath his nose. But now, he started to believe that it was something far more sinister. Spotting a rock close to the woods, he headed straight for it, dashing with his feet pounding against the ground. Skidding to a halt, it was then he heard a noise. The sound of faint breathing.

Heart pounding, he stepped around the rock, only to see it was a kid. From the looks of his uniform, a Ravenclaw boy, and probably a first year at that. His heart sank in disappointment.

Are you kidding me? Well, at least he might have some idea where the bag's gone.

"Hey," he asked, hopping from one foot to the other. "Have you seen a bag around here by any chance?"

Carina sat on the ground with her legs pulled to her chest. Chin resting on her knees, she listened thoughtfully to the sounds of the birds and distant students. She enjoyed the quiet moments like this, where she could just think about whatever she wanted. At the moment she seemed to be interested in an incident that happened a few days ago, concerning Transfiguration. It was by far her favorite class, she really liked trying to change something into another thing. She couldn't figure out why.

The incident involved some kids playing around, play a game where they pretended to cast each other in something terrible or weird, and whoever did something the most undoable won. Carina laughed along, not wanting to join in but still thought up her own ideas in her head. What if someone said dementor, she wondered. Did illusions count as Transfiguration? She forgot.

Mind still wandering, she turned her head and her eyes caught sight of a boy sitting alone near the forest. She didn't look for a second too long, looking at everything else, but then she wounded looking back at him. A little flustered, she wondered why he caught her attention so.

Squinting, she noticed that he wasn't alone. It was hard to see, Carina actually needed glasses. One of them, a dark haired boy, seemed to be concerned about something.

Wait, he looks so familiar...did she see him in the hall? She started scratched a scab on her leg—it suddenly came to her; He was the one who had that bookbag! Now she remembered, he had the same exact one that her brother use to have when he went to Hogwarts. This boy probably had his back in his dorm somewhere, though she could recall someone having lost their bag...maybe she could help.

Dusting off her robes, Carina briskly jogged over, her long legs aiding in her quickness. She had a lopsided grin on her face, looking between both of the boys. Brushing hair out of her face, she said, “Uh—hi.” She lifted her finger and pointed at the Gryffindor boy. “I think I know you—” She stopped herself. Boy, she was definitely not great at greetings. “Sorry, let me start over—I'm C-Carina.” She couldn't help but smile, and she didn't know why. “Er, I just was thinking about something suddenly and came over—I actually forgot though.” Apparently she did, she really couldn't remember, and she was trying hard, too.

Lucian strolled the ground, letting her mind travel back to her days of exploring Knockturn Alley with Oberron, climbing the sides of buildings, jumping from rooftop to rooftop, peering in windows and attempting to hear secret conversation. She longed for the same heights she used to reach with her brother, the adventurous side of her that would allow itself to slightly peer through her stoney exterior when she was up so high above all other life. Occasionally, she would feel that way when staring out the window ledge next to her bed in the Dormitory, but the fresh air was blocked from her by the thick glass. She had tried to open the window multiple times, attempting to allow herself that small sliver of dangerous adventure that she hated to admit she craved; the only Gryffindor part of her that she could recognize.
As she walked through the grass, Lucian came to the Forbidden Forest, stopping at the base of a tall Oak tree. The large tree stood out against the rest of the forest, which was what had drawn Lucian to it; the rest of the forest was all pine, this one being the only exception. Looking around, Lucian placed her fingers on the trunk, feeling the rough bark underneath her fingertips, debating whether or not it would be worth it to climb a slight ways, and allow herself the height she had been craving.

@Carina Ranucci

A girl promptly jogged up after that, her black hair flying as she ran over in front of the rock. He was honestly quite surprised to see yet another Gryffindor he didn't know. And to think that his mission was to know everything about everyone in the school. Briefly, he counted on his fingers and found that there were at least five new arrivals in the past couple of days, and sighed. Oh well.

“I think I know you—” She stopped herself. Boy, she was definitely not great at greetings. “Sorry, let me start over—I'm C-Carina.”

"Hi Carina." he greeted casually, "The name's Isaac."

Going back to his previous turn of thought, he wondered if she somehow knew something about his unfortunate missing object. It would certainly make sense considering the way she had rushed over so suddenly. Maybe she saw whoever stole it...maybe she saw the bag itself...or maybe she had stolen it. He wasn't going to believe the last one right away, but decided to be slightly cautious anyway. It wasn't the first time that he'd been tricked, and it was certainly suspicious that she somehow knew him.

Deciding to watch her closely, he spoke in a carefully controlled tone, showing little urgency as he repeated his old question. "Hey, have you seen a rucksack somewhere near here?"

Standing at the base of the trunk, Lucian decided that it was, indeed, worth the risk. After all, the tree wasn't even inside the Forbidden Forest, but right outside of it, making it perfectly okay to climb, she believed. Making a firm grasp on the lowest branch, Lucian pulled herself skillfully up and into the leaves, suddenly hidden by their green shade. Scouting out her next move through the branches, she allowed herself a thin smirk, reminding herself of all the escapades she and her brother embarked on before she entered Hogwarts. Strategically making her way further and further up the branches, and began to giggle slightly, not having felt this free in quite some time. Soon, she reached the top, poking her head up over the leaves, surveying the grounds and the entirety of Hogwarts. It was beautiful, the soft green grass, the sparkling Black Lake, the Gamekeepers Hut just across the way, the Whomping Willow swaying and bending, the glass atop the Greenhouses shimmering. For a moment, as she stood above her new home, her heart skipped a beat, and she felt something funny, something alike to joy: a feeling she had experienced in small blips, but had never been able to identify it. It rushed through her, and for the first time since she had been here, she really felt at home. Even more at home than she ever had at the Manor. Oberron had told her of this feeling, told her that Hogwarts had a certain affect on people, but she had never understood what he meant until now.

Carina licked her lips, her bright blue eyes wide with excitement. Her body shaking a little, she fidgeted with her fingers, looking between the two boys. “Isaac? Yes—yeah, I think I've heard of you! Rucksack? What—I don't know—”

She sighed exasperatedly, cracking her knuckles. Why couldn't she get out these few words? Maybe it was the suspicious look that had crossed over his face. Did he think she had taken his backpack? She was no theif, but he didn't know that.

She had to look down to speak to him, Isaac was several inches shorter than her. That made her feel even more uncomfortable.

“Rucksack?” she repeated, this time with a distinct Italian accent. Clearing her throat, and speaking with an English accent, she said, “Um, no, but why would it be outside?” She looked around quizzically. “No, wait, I did see it! But not around here...”

She tapped her chin, thinking. Trying to remember, she recalled seeing two students, one a Slytherin and the other...a Gryffindor? They found it—or one of them did, and another came along. “Someone took it,” Carina began. “But then they ran off with it—two people!” She held up two fingers, her blue eyes glued to the boy's. “But then they just disappeared.”

Her chest deflated, as if the disappointment really affected her. She brushed her hair back, glancing at the other guy, then looked back Isaac. He was actually good looking, but she wouldn't say that, ever Her face flushed a little at the thought.

She was about to add something else when someone caught her eye. Her arm flew up in the air as she cried out, pointing, “Look—why is she up in that there tree?”

Eldridge had been listening this entire time, embarrassed he hadn't replied sooner, but the information was still useful, even if he wasn't exactly part of the conversation. A missing bag, 2 people, possibly stolen, he would have to remember all of this. It could be helpful. It seemed the boy, a Gryffindor based on the robes, had been the one to break the branch and the girl, also a Gryffindor, came after. Then he heard what the girl, apparently named Carina said. Another person was in a tree. Whether it was to hide or adventure, I don't know. Still, he should probably join in on this search, a missing bag could be serious in the long run. I'd stand up, put my things in my bag, take out my wand in case I needed to cast that dancing feet spell. I would walk up to the boy named Isaac, and introduce myself. "My name's Eldridge, Eldridge Cunningham. Sorry I didn't introduce myself sooner, I'm not good with conversation." I'd ask him one question in particular that might be helpful, and the most typical question in this situation. "So, have you made any enemies, or even people that don't like you during the year so far?"

@Eldridge Cunningham | @Carina Ranucci | @Lucian Grey

At Carina's cry, he swiftly turned his head to look at the tree. She was right. A dark-haired girl was perched among the branches, small giggles streaming from her lips. She had no belongings in her hands, nor were there any nearby, but it was strange nonetheless. From the color of her uniform, he guessed that she was also a Gryffindor, and from her wonderment at staring at the school - likely new to Hogwarts. It wasn't abnormal to enjoy being around the Lake, but there was something weird about the way she was laughing.

“Someone took it,” Carina began. “But then they ran off with it—two people!” She held up two fingers, her blue eyes glued to the boy's. “But then they just disappeared.”

Two people, he pondered, looking at the tree again. Perhaps this girl was one of them? He wouldn't yet scratch Carina off his list of suspects, but he'd move her further down. Casting another glance upwards at the tall girl, he found that it was hard not to trust her. There was something open and honest in her blue-eyed expression.

Even if the girl in the tree didn't take anything, she may have had a hint about the whereabouts of the rucksack - after all, she had a birds-eye view of the entire Grounds.

At Eldridge's words, Isaac was pulled out of his thoughts. The Ravenclaw asked a pretty decent question.

"So, have you made any enemies, or even people that don't like you during the year so far?"

"Well," he began, twisting a curl behind his ear absently, "there was this Hufflepuff." Upon remembering Dinara's infernal screeching, Isaac winced. "But I don't think she'd take anything from me. She's a prefect now. There's also this Slytherin boy, but I don't think he hates me enough to steal." In truth, he'd be surprised if Warren took anything from anyone.

"It's probably someone I'm not too familiar with, then."

Lucian sat up in the tree, surveying the grounds, enjoying her few fleeting moments of freedom, before noticing the small, growing group of people down beside a large rock. She watched them for a moment, too far away to hear their conversation; however, one of them, a young boy, looked sorely disappointed.
Suddenly, Lucian grew embarrassed of her activities, and for letting her childlike side get the best of her; she prayed they hadn't seen, or else she would have to do lots of cleanup in order to regain her impression. She made a point to head hurriedly down the tree trunk, slipping on one of the branches in her haste and creating a thin slash along her forearm, pain rushing through it. From her mother's earlier tantrums, she had been used to toughing out pain, and continued to make her way down, flinching every time she used her arm to balance herself. Soon she made it to the bottom branch, encased in leaves as they were fuller down by the base, and leaned against the trunk, breathing heavily, tucking her legs up onto the branch as well so as not to be seen. Anger rushed through her for allowing herself to be weak and succumb to her desires; she never should have climbed this tree in the first place. It was foolish, and childish, two things Lucian prided herself on not being.