The Icy Lake Activity Closed

Mentioning @Xailah Alptraum

It was the first time that an errand could make Griseldis very serious and she had a bit of a heavy heart due to knowing what had been happening in the Muggle world. When she received the owl from her mother who informed her about the COVID-19 outbreak, she was so worried about her relatives and friends in China. Even though they told her and her mother that none of them were infected so far but this dangerous virus was way too unpredictable that it could happen anytime without any warning and it would be extremely deadly. But when she heard an announcement from the wizarding world that they decided to help the Muggles by creating the Grand Pepperup Potions for them to cure this virus. Griseldis couldn't express enough how happy she was about this news. However, there was still one problem. They didn't have enough supplies to produce a huge amount of the Potion and it must be in a disguise of some sort of Muggle like food or tonic.

Griseldis and another fellow Gryffindor Prefect, Xailah volunteered to supervise this errand together and made their way to the Great Lake. She and Xailah only knew each other as colleagues and not really friends yet. So the third year Gryffindor was still a mystery to her but at least she seemed nice and even helped her with one of her errands before. She suspected that Xailah could be a Pure-blood based on not knowing much about the Muggle world and her fancy out-worldly outfit, she even brought her grey cat with her made her kinda wish that she could bring her own owl with her as well. It looked very wicked, unlike her, still in her normal Gryffindor robe. While they were waiting for the participates to finish their first task, the two Gryffindor Prefects set everything down and prepared the supplies. Griseldis knew that the students need to go swim in the lake so she was able to ask the House-elves to give them a lot of dry towels. Xailah then pointed at a pile of wooden sticks and asked if she would like to start a fire first, "Ah, sure. I can start the fire and you can go prepare the supplies for the participates.", with that being said, she went to gather the sticks together like they were making a campfire. Griseldis wasn't sure if this would be enough to keep people warm cause she wasn't sure how many participates would be there, she might consider making a bonfire big enough for a larger group. Then the lioness took out her wand then aimed it at the pile of sticks, and shouted the incarnation with a crystal clear voice, "Incendio!".

As the flames started to flicker from the wooden sticks, she turned around and saw Xailah looking at the Minnow Trap like a curious cat. The elder Gryffindor might have noticed the other lioness staring at her, she asked her if the equipment she had in her hands was called trash can. "Well, it's a...", before Griseldis could explain to her what was the equipment really called, Xailah saw her cat playing in the bucket and went to pull the playful cat out. Griseldis covered her mouth with one hand and giggled when Xailah just decided to call the Octopus with a unique name, Octopi. She sure is interesting, perhaps I should invite her for some tea after this errand is over, she thought while watching how Xailah continued to exam the object and when she took it apart she thought that she broke it, at first she looked worried but her expression instantly changed to excitement. And what she said next caused Griseldis burst out of laughter.

"Oh Griseldis! Look! Its two trash bins! Why, thats quite sssmart."

"Ahhahah...Y-yeah, it kinda does look like two trash bins...", Xailah wasn't completely wrong though, it did look like it to her as well which was why it was so funny. It took a few minutes for her to calm down before she could finally explain to Xailah what a Minnow Trap was.

If a student who finished the Mandrakes task arrived at the Great Lake, Griseldis or perhaps Xailah would tell them what their next task was, giving instructions and borrow them the needed tools to capture the octopus in the icy lake.

Despite the unsettling concerns over the Coronavirus in the muggle world, Ruthie had never been so excited for an errand. As uncomfortable as she had felt during Gris' recent baking errand was as confident as she felt walking over to the Icy Lake. As the fishman's daughter, this was her world, the environment and circumstances that both bore and raised her. Not to mention swimming in the Black Lake was something she'd always wanted to do and she'd never understood why swimming was forbidden. But not today. This was her time. This was her errand.

She arrived in an oversized hoodie, which draped over the black wetsuit she'd put on before setting out. Over her shoulder was was a small navy dry-bag, containing among other things, a change of clothes, a snorkel, fins, gloves, a small probing rod and a dive light. The westsuit she kept at school despite knowing her chances of swimming in the Lake were limited, but she had dreams. The rest had come via owl when she'd explained the task at hand. Coming from a fishing family, these were readily available and she was not about to dive without the proper equipment. Indeed, she wanted to see the Lake in all its glory.

"Hey Gris! Not diving in?" she greeted her friend as she sat down on the stones near the water's edge and started to take out all her dive materials. As she did so, she gave a small nod to Xailah, who she really didn't know other than she was another Gryffindor Prefect with an extraordinarily peculiar sense of dress. Near them both were metal bins, presumably what they wanted students to use as a a trap. By the grating and inner cones, they looked more like a minnow trap. It would probably work, but it wouldn't be easy going for students as octopi were skilled at moving through the smallest of spaces. "You'll want a clay pot next time, preferably an earthenware one," she suggested with a knowing smile to the event organizers.

Her curly blonde hair was tied up in a high bun, exposing the moon of her face. Snapping her fins on, she adjusted the mask and snorkel on the her face. Feeling the material fit onto her skin was like coming home, and she couldn't wait to get into the water. Placing the small metal probing rod in her gloved hands, she was ready. With one last look at her Gryffindor friend, she approached the water, raised her arms over her head and dived head-first into the water.

The cold water rushed over the crown of her head before trailing down her spine and tickling the heel of fins. Water was always coldest in the spring, after the many days and nights of freezing temperatures, and she wondered how the others might fare without the proper equipment. But then most people would likely be using the awkward minnow traps, and then they wouldn't have to actually dive. They wouldn't have to look for where an octopus might be hiding deep amongst the rocks and seaweed like she was now. Ruthie was so in awe of the underwater world: the flowing vegetation, the wee fish floating past, and the way the light strewn in from above. She had to resurface for a breath before continuing the search for an octopus.

Diving a second time, she pushed herself lower and out towards the Lake edges, where she noticed lots of lovely rock piles. Her legs propelled in her a strong, fluid flutter kick as she looked around, careful not to touch rocks, coral or other parts of the natural environment. Eventually, she saw something near a small crevasse that looked just a shade off the surrounding rock. Carefully, she took the probing stick and moved it into the cave. Within a matter of seconds the octopus escaped into open water. She was quick to reach out and grab it, if only just. Once she had a grip, she moved her hand to grip it above the tentacles. "It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you," she tried to say to the octopus, despite knowing Gris, Xailah and the other staff might kill him for its tentacles. They could, of course, re-grow limbs so hopefully that's all this little guy would suffer.

With the octopus firmly in her grip, she swam up towards the surface and then out towards the edge. Pushing herself up onto the rocks, she pushed off her mask and snorkel before walking over to the two Gryffindor prefects. "Where do you want me to put him?" she asked, putting emphasis on the pronoun. After all, an octopus is a living creature with feelings and a personality to be treated humanely, not just as a means to an end. Looking down at the creature, she hoped for a better future for both him and the humans suffering.

Interacting with @Griseldis Edelhardt | Mentioning @Xailah Alptraum | WC: 820

Interacting with @Breana Oliveire, @Xailah Alptraum, @Griseldis Edelhardt, and @Ruthie Greer
Continuing from Mandrakes for Medicine

Pericles wandered down the bank, carefully navigating the grassy slope on towards the Great Lake. Breana, presently suffering in a state of perilous exhaustion, had seized his sleeve. He crooked that arm a gentlemanly gesture, offering his elbow, lips pressed into a small strained smile while worriedly helping her along. Telling others what they could or could not do was an arduous obstacle to the boy, and she had seemed so desperate to provide her help in the effort for ingredients. He couldn't possibly bring himself to say go to bed. The bulk of their trek from greenhouse to lake had been a silent one. Given the girl's poor head was struggling against sleep, he endeavored not to put a strain on it by engaging conversation. However, as they came into view of their destination, he made a pass at rousing her brain. "Did you know," the Ravenclaw was carrying on casually, trying to keep her tethered to reality with an obscure observation, "that the lake's giant squid is believed to be a magical creature? Its mundane counterpart couldn't survive in this freshwater, nor at lake pressures, and I read that it once saved a student from drowning. I wonder if it will make an appearance today...."

They arrived in time to see Xailah (dressed in a most stately costume) fishing Schrödinger- not an octopus- out of a bin. Griseldis giggled at the ordeal, the sound of laughter and enthusiasm trickling towards them like bells. The two looked like they were having a good time, in spite of the dour circumstances under which they worked, and it warmed Pericles from the inside out. His voice came clear and content, calling from a ways up the trail: "Hullo Xailah! Gris!" The Ravenclaw raised the arm not occupied by his knackered housemate, waving with a wide smile. Griseldis' presence was practically expected at this point: they always encountered one another at errands, for it seemed she was always on deck for facilitating them, carving an impressive impression in the first-year's mind. To Pericles, she was every bit the ideal prefect. Xailah was a surprise, but certainly not the negative kind. While he and she seemed strange in their own ways, their parallelisms were many: curiosity, class, and abnormal appearances being the most prominent. They had also decided (in a fashion fitting their age: through letters) that they were friends. Between Breana, who was very sweet (if sleepy), his friend Xialah and the admired Griseldis, Peri could not be more comfortable with the current cast.

That was not to discount the lesser-known Ruthie, who rose from the depths looking like she was born to execute this errand. "She's incredibly prepared," the Ravenclaw remarked with impressed inflection, closing the gap with those gathered on shore. Peri had the basics: dragonhide gloves from the former errand, as well as a pair of knee-high rubber boots. He patted Breana's hand in a delicate attempt to dislodge it from his elbow, then shed the uniform winter coat to reveal a rather sporty ensemble. Shorts and sleeveless tops were hardly his norm, but they were ideal for swimming or jogging. Why not slogging through the shallows? "I'm so happy t'see you both," the boy beamed, fishing into the coat's pocket. "Look!" There in his hand, shiny and new, was a Ravenclaw Prefect badge. It was presented proudly for a mere moment before returned to the coat, which was then draped over a fallen log near the fire. It seemed the station still hadn't sunk in entirely. "I'd very much like to man an errand with you two sometime," he was saying in that soft way with a smile between them both, "but for now, I've come to help! I've brought Breana too- have you all met?"

WC: 628

Open to interactions

The following students have reached the word count requirement and have been given 15 unopened chocolate frogs:

@Ruthie Greer
@Pericles Dralt
@Jo Morgan
@Aura Lee

Dealla was dragging her feet coming to the shores of the Great Lake. She would have much preferred to stay with the Mandrakes - but then she had looked around her, and realized that most of the other students were probably thinking the same thing. And, well, they needed the octopus legs, too.
Still, she stood there for quite a while after receiving instructions from the two Gryffindor prefects, just trying to work herself up to actually entering the lake.
Dee grimaced. Under different circumstances, she would have been excited to enter the lake. She was sure that it contained a fascinating and unique ecosystem - just the existence of octopi in the lake proved that.
However, she was less than excited to have to catch octopi. First of all, she was not that big a fan of animals. Second, she was even less a fan of having to catch animals who would likely not survive the encounter. And third... they were so squishy. And slippery. And weird. Frankly, they freaked her out.
Also, the lake was probably freezing.

Dee hadn't brought a bathing suit or something similar to Hogwarts, so she'd only stopped by the Ravenclaw dorms to get a towel and put on the lightest attire she could think of under her robes, which hopefully would dry rather quickly and not weigh her down too much if she had to swim. It just so happened to be pajamas, but hey, whatever worked, right?
Unhappily, she adjusted her grip on the fine dip net she had picked out of the supplies provided for them, and took a deep breath. Might as well get this over with.
The first step into the water proved her right: it felt like liquid ice around her foot. The second was worse. By the third, Dee wondered if she would just freeze to death in the lake, but the other students in and around the lake seemed to have survived just fine so far, so that was encouraging. A little, at least.
With dismay, she realized how far out she would probably have to go to get to a place where octopi were likely to hide. She was only in up to her knees so far, but she was already shivering. Violently. This sucked and she had half a mind to just wade back to the shore.

But then, she would never let anyone think that she was a quitter, so when she was up to her thighs in the icy water, she just took a deep breath of air and dived, before swimming farther out.
The lake was magical, she had to admit that. It was like a different world, everything tinged in green, and she really had to come back at some point to explore. Preferably in summer. Provided the Giant Squid didn't eat her first for trying to catch its relatives. Were squids and octopi related? Probably.
Remembering the instructions that octopi liked to stay near the ground and between rocks, Dee tried to stay near enough to the edges of the lake that she could still reach the ground, but also took care to not touch the ground, because if she ended up raising too much of the dirt on the bottom of the lake, she would not be able to see anything.
After a few minutes more of poking her head under water and trying to spot anything, the task was starting to feel impossible. If the octopi just stayed still and hidden, she would never be able to see them.

However, just as Dee finished that thought, she saw a tiny movement in the dirt, between the rocks, and reacted without thinking, although it might have been anything. Somehow, she was not sure how it had happened, but it had definitely been more coincidence and the octopus' bad luck than any semblance of skill on her part, a few seconds later she was standing again, up to her shoulders in freezing cold water, and the octopus wiggling around in the net she was holding just above water-level.
Her stomach turning, Dee covered the net with another one to keep the animal from escaping, and headed back straight to the shore, to put it into the provided bucket, and then warm up near the fire. One of them was enough, she decided. No one would be able to make her get back into that lake and look for another one. Noooo thank you.

Word Count: 744/400 - Completed

Open to interaction, but leaving the thread otherwise.

WC: 511 Words
Errand complete!