A Ferret Good Idea
If there were one spell Jrue was dying to try out- she'd be able to tell you in a heartbeat. No other spell was able to turn you into such a cute animal, one with sleek soft fur and adorable little round eyes. A ferret- the animal she would've bought in Diagon Alley if she didn't already own a kitten and numerous budgies. The only problem was that she couldn't transfigure herself, she'd have to transfigure someone else. And she was absolutely not sly about it. Was she at risk for getting in trouble as a perfect? Possibly. But she wouldn't be able to use the spell in a truly handy situation if she hadn't attempted it.
Scanning the library one week, the book containing the spell was lying on the ground, carelessly open. The Prefect hadn't even thought of learning a spell like that until she saw the tabbed page, flipping it and finding the instructions written into 1001 Useful Spells for a Cheeky Witch or Wizard, Cheeky wasn't a word Jrue would use to describe herself, but you couldn't pass up a spell like Furitas!
The girl has hung a couple cleverly placed posters in the hallway. Studying Partner Needed: Must be handy with a wand, and willing to study late. Meet on Second Floor in the Western corridors, third door on the right. Compensation available. That was vague enough, right? She couldn't give the mysterious project away immediately. She was sure she would scare away anyone who had any sliver of wanting to help if she just stated her intentions: Must be willing to be a ferret for a little while. Can not bite me, no matter what.
Jrue was pacing about in the abandoned toilet, spell book tucked under her arm. It was an advanced spell, far too advanced for a First year like her. But again, what use was a spell if you didn't use it? Much to her dismay, she had also acquired one mouse. It was sitting in a little napkin in the sink, wrapped softly in the fabric, but tightly enough it was unable to escape. If someone showed up to be her loyal test subject, would they be hungry as a ferret? The thought to grab the mouse just in case had occurred, nabbing at the back of her mind as she sat in her bed in the morning. Better over-prepared than under!
The soft clicking of her shoes echoed around the old bathroom's walls, mindlessly pacing back and forth. Maybe nobody would show up, and she'd have to try it on some unsuspecting firstie next year! ... But Jrue wasn't a bully, so that idea was absolutely ridiculous also. The clock tower of the school chimed just outside- nine o clock. It was awfully late, but her best bet at a safe enough place to be. She didn't know who's responsibility the abandoned bathroom was- or even if a Prefect was supposed to keep their eye on it, but she figured anyone of importance would steer clear... hopefully.
511/200
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A Ferret Good Idea
Credit to Maisie Gemmell
@Jrue Peterson
It was early May and Aislin was on a mission to do nothing. Though this was terrible news for her grades, which already suffered from a string of rushed or incomplete homework, her brain had turned to mush this week and the summer holidays were still dreadfully far away. So today was a holiday, just an unofficial one. She was doing nothing and she was doing it quite successfully: sleeping in, laying out on the grass for hours. Then she decided that was enough doing nothing, so she'd climbed a tree, just to see if Taliesin was still right about everything being better in trees (it seemed so). Now she was hunting for bugs indoors, to shore up their hiding places or relocate them so a someone cruel wouldn't find them, and had quite possibly (definitely) lost track of time in the midst of all her good efforts.
In truth, she hadn't noticed the posters and likely wouldn't have responded if she had. It took a very specific mental state and considerable effort to get herself to study, she was in no position to answer requests for study partners. Compensation may have done the trick, the first year had consistently empty pockets while so many of her peers seemed to have them stuffed with gold, but again, she hadn't seen them.
The second floor's abandoned toilets were generally avoided -- that was what abandoned meant -- and so they were an excellent spot for emergency spider rehoming. This little guy had been in a different toilet stall, one that saw considerably more traffic, and was one stroke of poor luck away from shoe-smushing, hand-swatting, or worse. "You'll be cozy in here," she promised, trying to sound soothing. She knew she'd spooked him with all the movement, but at least he had plenty of room to roam on her left shoe, which she'd removed as a makeshift spider carrier. He wasn't in her boot, mind you, since she was unsure she'd be able to coax him back out, but the leather and purple laces provided a large clinging/climbing zone, and when they arrived he could crawl right off.
With the boot cradled in her hands, she bent the handle with her elbow and pushed in the door with her shoulder. "Here we are." A spin revealed that the abandoned toilets weren't so abandoned after all. There was a girl in here, pacing. She was vaguely familiar from classes, but Aislin was semi-horrible with names. Still holding her shoe and now feeling a bit silly about it all, standing in one boot and one stripey sock on the stone, she froze as the door swung shut behind her. "Eh, hi?"
Bridget Collins (1st gen) • Alejandros Espinosa (iNPC) • Phylicia Stanwood (1st gen iNPC)