I Heard You Can Tickle the Squid pv Closed

Interacting with: @Lindsey Springhall

It was dark under the lake. The stalagmites drenched in onyx and obsidian seemed to reflect the crevices of the earth amid the cool lake water as it lapped against the windows of the Slytherin dormitories. The crashing waves would ebb and flow with the tide above: the subtle movements of air above. This earthly restraint was coupled with the motions of the creatures who laid beneath the deep. Flora and fauna, yes, but the greatest or certainly most famous inhabitant of the Black Lake was none other than the rumored squid.

In her time at Hogwarts, Elspeth had taken to watching her window for the squid regularly. The squid, as a wild being, might not have a routine to keep, but Elspeth did and she willingly made the squid a part of her own After all, as she sat there watching it, alone, she liked to think it could hear her as she spoke. She preferred to think it was, in fact, her friend. This gave her great joy and comfort as she still had yet to fit anywhere in this large, overwhelming school. Other students, especially students of magical origin seemed so much more well equipped for these learnings. Socially, some even knew each other already. Generally the others just seemed to fall in with one another, especially with in the house. But Elspeth just felt alone.

Feeling once again the need to exit the dungeons, which were cold and raw, devoid of emotion or friendliness, Elspeth choose to seek solace on the school grounds. The castle itself was frightening. It didn't have the welcomeness of Edinburgh castle with its tartan clad employees waiting to greet tourists. No, Hogwarts was an all together different place: dangerous, even. To be outside was to regain a little piece of the muggle world. That world was one that had caused her a great deal of pain, but at least it was known. It was, strangely, home.

Pulling her Slytherin robes (which had never really felt comfortable to her) close to her body, she made her way out onto the grounds, where the air was lighter and the sun shone down just so. The warmth played on her skin the way it did at home when she round the hill on Merchant's Close. The Old Town's roads were windy and confusing to those who didn't know them, not unlike Hogwarts castle and grounds. But by now, Elspeth knew the areas of the grounds that she enjoyed most. And it wasn't the Quidditch Pitch.

Instead, Elspeth made her way out towards the lake. Accustomed to watch it at eye-level, she enjoyed the opportunity to experience this serene environment from the surface. After all, there were so many organisms and wildlife that lived on the surface. The squid was not the only worthwhile animal who lived within these waters.

As she approached, she saw two girls near the edge. From their size, they looked about her age. Elspeth had no intention of speaking to them, but as she neared, she could wind of their conversation. "Squid hunting, are we?" she asked as the brunette crossed their path, "You should have been in Slytherin." The wind kicked up behind her brown hair as she stood near them. It was perhaps the one perk of being sorted this way.

Interacting with @Elspeth Gollens & @Lindsey Springhall

Elspeth turned her head at the sound of footsteps nearing her and the pianist (who she only realized now she'd managed to, once again, not learn the name of yet.) The girl standing there wasn't familiar to her, though her green robes explained that quickly enough. Despite it being toward the end of her first year, Elspeth had yet to meet a Slytherin who wasn't pompous or terrifying. When she saw a flash of green while walking down the hallway, her path would suddenly veer away, trying to maintain as much distance as she could between herself and oncoming trouble.

But, then, this girl didn't seem to be out to trick her. Her long brown hair and dark eyes even gave Elspeth the odd feeling of looking at herself. Against her better judgement, she decided to offer a small smile to the oncomer. The more the merrier in the hunt for the squid, right? "Yeah, well, that was the plan at least. Course as soon as I got here I realized I can't exactly go swimming in the water so... now we're just sitting here hoping it might come up into the shallows. Do you... do you get to hear it in your common room?" Despite her natural nerves, she was hopelessly intrigued by the idea of the Slytherin common room being underneath the lake. Could they here the merfolk singing down there? Was there a hum of sea creature sounds that lulled them to sleep? None of these were questions that she yet felt comfortable asking a Slytherin, but maybe this would be the first?

The water continued lapping at the base of the dock, gentle waves creating a rhythmic clapping sound that almost accentuated how quiet the space around them was. There was a vastness around her, even if that vastness felt remote and forbidden. The thought suddenly crossed her mind that somewhere in the forest around her, possibly even part of the forest within her view, there were acromantulas and centaurs and all manner of other animals. It was one thing to know, conceptually, that they were surrounded by danger. It was another thing to sit in silence and know that those creatures were breathing the same air and hearing the same silence as you were. The hair on the back of her neck stood up, small goosebumps rising on her arms. Maybe she wasn't quite ready to see the giant squid after all...

Interacting with @Elspeth Blaine and @Lindsey Springhall. Apologies for my incredibly late reply!

It was a beautiful spring day. Having spent the previous night sitting with her dorm mates, Leah was glad she had the chance to go outside and stretch her legs. She was in an adventurous mood today. She felt like she needed to do something daring. What better way to be daring than to head down to the Great Lake.

During her time at Hogwarts, Leah used as much of her free time to roam the castle, taking in every inch. She was a Muggle-born after all, she wasn't used to spending her nights with four other girls her age every night. Nor was she accustomed to eating in the Great Hall with the members of her house. They were one, big, tight-knit family, Gryffindor house. House of lions. Leah adjusted quickly to having friends and people who cared about her well-being. She'd even managed to make friends with other students from different houses. One she'd grown to love most was Elspeth, who was in Slytherin.

The separation between houses didn't bother Leah. She only cared about the other person's personality. She couldn't care less if they were growing wings or were ten feet tall. At first glance, despite being only eleven, Leah seemed intimidating. She looked like she was ready to break someone's nose (which she'd never done, of course). She didn't mean to look intimidating, no one at eleven does. Leah was a sweet girl. She was kind and open, accepting of all. It's no wonder she always ended up hurt.

Leah didn't bother putting her robes on. Her shirt, trousers and tie would suffice for today's adventure. She didn't feel like grabbing a bite before she left the grounds, so she set off! Walking through the Entrance Hall and making her way outside on the school Grounds. As she casually walked across the grounds, she rolled her shirt sleeves up, letting them rest just above her elbows.

Upon arriving at the Great Lake, Leah's eyes landed on a group of three girls conversing. She immediately recognized one of them as her friend Elspeth Blaine. Shrugging her shoulders, Leah walked over to the girls, housing her usual friendly grin, her hands neatly placed in her pockets. She caught wind of what one of the girls was saying, an idea sparking in her head. "Hey, Els," she greeted her friend before looking at the other two girls. "Hey, I'm Leah," she introduced herself, giving them a friendly wave before placing her hand back into her pocket.

Having heard one of the girls talk about not being able to swim in the lake, Leah simply grinned. She looked towards Elspeth, a wild look in her eyes. "Let's see if we can wake him up!" Leah clapped her hands together walking past the two girls, looking over the calm water. Taking off the round-framed glasses that sat on her nose, she tossed them towards Elspeth before turning back to face the lake. Taking a deep breath, Leah leaned forward, diving head first into the lake.

Interacting with @Elspeth Blaine, @Elspeth Gollens and @Lindsey Springhall

Do you hear it? A light smile crept up on the Slytherin's face as she thought of her friend, the squid. Darling, more than you know. It was rather funny she thought how other pupils tended to hunt the squid as though it was this evasive mythical creature, dangerous even. But for Elspeth it was a lot simpler than that. In fact, in some ways the squid reminded her of herself as someone who received unwanted attention: curiosity for the animal in question and pity for its human counterpart. Why ever was it people couldn't just let things alone and hold space?

"Hear it. See it," she admitted coyly, tucking her hair behind her ear, "When it chooses of course. It's not a tame animal." This was (or should have been) obvious. But too many people it seemed came to hunt the squid like it was sport, forgetting it was a wild creature trapped in a school. Elspeth knew she was somewhat guilty here for she enjoyed watching the squid spurt through the water on the other side of her window pane. But she sought the beast out as an emotional comfort to get herself through the difficult transition that was Hogwarts School, not as a game to pass the time or because it might be interesting.

She was debating on whether or not to sit down with them (or simply continue a leisurely walk around the lake) when an all too familiar face arrived on the scene, calling out her name. "Hey Leah," she greeted her Gryffindor friend. The brunette had always held a special place in Elspeth's heart as one of the first magical people she had ever encountered on the train. Although louder and bolder than Elspeth might ever be, the Slytherin had a great deal of respect for her as someone who seemed incredibly determined and true to herself. That was why she got the privilege of calling her by her nickname 'Els' rather than her full given name. It wasn't something many did, but she liked hearing it and was glad that her friend had arrived by the lake too. Things always got interesting once Leah got involved.

And right on schedule, with a wild look in her eye, Leah turned things up a notch: with a plonk, she dove head first into the water. "Haha," Elspeth giggled as she clapped. No matter what happened, she could always count on Leah to make her laugh. "See anyone down there?" she said rhetorically for when Leah's head resurfaced. There was probably a lot more life under the lake than the squid, if only people would pay attention to it. There was likely a lot that could be learned.

"Hey Lindsey," the Slytherin returned the introduction, "It's good to meet you. I'm Elspeth." The girl hadn't moved, but perhaps she was just shy. Or maybe Leah's sudden swim had been she wasn't sure how to respond to, which was probably the case for most people. But Elspeth wouldn't have it any other way. But there was still one person she didn't know. "And what about you; what's your name?" she asked the last girl, the one who had seemed so inquisitive about the squid to begin with.

Elspeth had yet to meet many students with whom she could get on, so it was was nice to see some new faces even if it was this somewhat awkward squid hunting that had brought them all together. But who knew, perhaps they would wake up the squid...


For @Elspeth Gollens, @Leah Holmes & @Lindsey Springhall