More than words Open for 1 Finished

It was only the first weekend after the holidays, and yet, Evelynn's mind was already feeling full to bursting. The classes and return of homework wasn't even the worst of it. With the extracurricular potions study she had taken on, the intellectual face-off she'd had yesterday, and the Liberation meet-up just following, yesterday had been…interesting. To say the least. Needless-to-say, she'd struggled to get any amount of sleep last night, her mind choosing instead to circle and scramble like a hamster in a wheel. Thus, the moment morning curfew had been lifted, the first-year Gryffindor had just about bolted from the dorm and common room in search of something.

In search of what, exactly, even she didn't really know.

Corridors had come and gone, paintings and tapestries flashing by with hardly a passing glance. Soon enough, she had found herself exiting the castle entirely, crossing the courtyard, and making her way to the grounds. Despite the brilliant day that promised to come, bright sun glinting through the canopy of the trees as it rose, there was still a definite nip in the morning winter air. Evelynn hardly felt it, though. She had donned cozy black leggings, an overlarge grey woolen sweater, lined leather riding boots, matching black knitted gloves and toque, and her over-large Gryffindor scarf -- a gift from her mother over the holidays.

She was dressed for the elements and for a good while, she enjoyed the peace brought by the beautiful scenery. There was always something soothing in what nature had to offer. It had an uncanny ability to quiet her mind, to help her put her thoughts into perspective. Not to mention, the crisp air served to perk her up from her sleep-starved state.

Nibbling on a croissant she had swiped from the Great Hall just prior to her exit, she found the wending of her way veer towards the lake. She acquiesced. After all, why not spend the morning at the waterside? In truth, she hadn't really spent much time along its banks; the sight of it now, especially with patches of its surface frozen to ice, reminded her of home. Her real home.

A sudden whimpering plead cut through Evelynn's thoughts. She snapped her head in the direction from which it drifted. With mixed curiosity and concern, the redhead abruptly changed the course of her ambling and made her way to the investigate the source.

"Shut the hell up! You muggle scum really are dirt!"

The words cut through the air just as she came into view of the scene. Four figures, she counted quickly. No…that wasn't right. There were five. The last had almost escaped her notice with how the others were surrounding him. Jeering, laughing. She felt a hot flash of anger, but temporary self-preservation won out. All boys. All about her size or bigger. It would do no good to dash in there without a plan. But as one of the larger boys pulled back an arm for what looked like a swing, she felt herself break into a jog while her left hand ducked to pull her wand from a hidden sleeve inside her boot.

"Leave him alone!" She shouted ahead, wanting nothing more than to come to the boy's aid.

She wasn't sure what she could do, really. But a well-placed sparks charm could blind them momentarily. Then maybe a dancing charm here and if they really chose to provoke her, she could always set them on fire…Not that any of that would be any good if she couldn't close the distance. She was still too far away. She saw one of the others hold the bigger boy back, and for a second she breathed a sigh of relief, thinking maybe it was a false alarm. Then..

Splash.

She barreled down the main path just as the main three took their leave, passing them with only enough of a sideways glance to make note of their faces. And the fact that they were Slytherin. Until now, the students she had met from that House has been just like any others. Maybe there really was some merit to the rumors that Slytherin were jerks. But there was still one student who had stayed behind and as Evelynn finally made her appearance onto the scene, she saw him retreat from the water and take a seat on the bench. And not just on the bench but on the table surface -- like a throne -- from which he surveyed the struggling and splashing of what she could now see was a young Ravenclaw.

"What the hell is your problem?" She snapped at the stranger -- another Slytherin; what a surprise -- as she hurried forward to the shallows of the lake.

Without a second thought, she sloshed into the shallows to help the bullied kid up to his feet, immediately aware of how cold the water was. It was practically freezing. In fact, by the way her muscles immediately cramped and clenched, she was willing to bet that the water was hovering right around the freezing mark. The kid was lucky, she thought. Any deeper and he might have drowned. The moment the two were safe and standing back on solid ground, however, Evelynn turned to face the figure with the emotionless expression.

"Do you think you're tough or something?" She asked, ensuring to place herself between he and the other kid. "Four on one? You're pathetic."

Now that the immediate danger of a fight had passed, or so she hoped anyway, the flare of anger within her had subsided. In its place, her typical calculating air. She stood, straight-backed and tall, her wand hanging relaxed to her side. Ever the one to notice the smallest of details, scrutinizing grey eyes washed over the seated boy. The features of his face, the way he dressed, his expression, accessories, mannerisms…With her keen eye, she made note of them all. She needed to make sure the situation was diffused before she sent the Ravenclaw boy up to the hospital wing.

Interacting with @Evelynn Decipio

"What the hell is your problem?" snapped a girl from behind before rushing past him towards the bank. Without hesitation she threw herself into the lake, coming to the poor Ravenclaws aid as he continued to struggle getting out of the frosty waters. Just what he needed, a wannabe white knight had come to claim glory from his expense. All he wanted to do now was relax by the lake at this point, yet these two buffoons were ruining the view by splashing everywhere like a couple of wild hippos. He watched on as she slowly got him to safety, his body shaking and pale from the below freezing temperatures. The Ravenclaw slowly sat down on the floor and leaned up against a nearby tree, huddling up in an attempt to get warmth back into his body while the girl confronted his attacker.

"Do you think you're tough or something?" she questioned over to him, making sure to get in between the two of them "Four on one? You're pathetic." Percival stared at her for a few seconds blankly, almost as if he didn't process the harsh words until a later time. Eventually, he shook his head and looked downwards to the floor, his blue eyes soon picking up on the wand that hanged loosely to the side "Pathetic? That's a big word to use for something that was perfectly warranted" answered the boy clearly, while he calmly wiped some dust off his black overall coat "The kid is a muggle, all you expect is uncivilised behaviour from them..." added Percival when he finally looked up to the Gryffindor girl, his face still stone cold from the incident "And now standing before me is a "hero" who thrives off having all the glory put on her. I bet you're itching to use that wand of yours, just so you can say to everyone that you embarrassed a so called bully sticking up for his ideals. The situation was over, yet you came to scavenge whatever you could to make a big deal out of it. If anything, you're the pathetic one here. Percival said with some authority this time, making sure to make his point known. Percival quickly darts his eyes over to the muggle who was shaking more than ever now, his clothes and hair soaked through "Why dont you take stone age boy to the hospital wing before he freezes to death, or are you going to continue being that hero you always wanted to be?" he said but with a small grin this time. Not from being cocky or confident, but from the fact this situation had happened in the first place. These kind of people never seemed to grow up from that fantasy...

Interacting with @Percival Gray

They stared at each other for a few seconds after she had spoken, gray and brown boring into each other. She didn’t have time for a staring contest, however, and when no reply came forthwith, she tutted and turned her attention back to the Ravenclaw boy. She wasn't immune to the cold that had sept into her own robes and skin, but she wasn't certain she didn't feel nearly as thoroughly chilled as her peer. Crouching next to him, she took quick stock of his state. He was pale, clammy and cold, shivering despite the bundling, and what should have been pink lips were a concerning hue of dusky grey.

"Can you stand?" She asked, trying to grab hold of the boy's elbow even as the start of the Slytherin's retort washed over her with almost as much of an icy chill as the lake's waters. Try as she might, she was not one known for strength. The boy's legs were shaking too much, his limbs weak. He had managed only to lift his rear from the root before slumping back down to the base of the tree, teeth chattering. Anger well within her again as the boy's attacker began to spew some nonsense about her "heroism" and desire for "glory".

"Glory?!..." She laughed incredulously, snapping a cold glare in the direction of the one seated upon the bench throne. Pulling her own scarf from around her neck she moved to tie it around the boy. How she wished she could dry him with magic. There must be a spell for it. The closest thing she could do would be to conjure fire. Which…actually…could work.

"Hang on…" She murmured to the boy, rising. "Tuck your hands into your armpits. I think I have an idea.."

They were close to the woods here. Close enough, at least. With the chill of winter, she was bound to be able to find some branches that had snapped under the weight of the weight of recent winds and snowfalls. She tried not to allow the Slytherin boy's continued speech about her supposed misguided ideals to mess with her and interfere with what needed to be done. Rising to her feet, she raised her wand to point straight up in the air, calmly stating, "Periculum." A red spark of red light shot from its tip and flew straight up into the air like a flare.

"The situation is hardly over," she replied as she made her way towards the treeline and after he had finally finished. "Look at him! He's hypothermic." She gestured at the shivering lump of dripping robes as though to emphasize her point. "Or do you not know what happens when your body gets plunged into freezing cold waters in freezing cold air? I would love nothing more than to get him to the Hospital Wing; that's where he needs to be right now, otherwise he might go into shock."

As she spoke, she stooped for any twigs and branches that she could find, bundling them into the crook of her right arm.

"Why don't you make yourself useful and help?" She said with frustrated urgency evident in her tone. "Or do you want to be responsible for the hospitalization of a classmate? I'm sure Professor Equinox would love to hear about what happened to one of his students."

Interacting with @Evelynn Decipio

"Glory?!..." she laughed back at him with a cold glare unimpressed by the way he handled this whole situation. Even though pushing a muggle into a freezing lake was mildly amusing, letting him freeze to death would be a terrible shame. The blame was likely going to fall on him if anything else happened, so maybe it was time to be slightly lenient on the lowly muggle that was shaking like a ringing phone. Percival observed the girl as she did all she could to look after him, even giving him her own scarf to keep warm. Then, for whatever reason she pointed her want up to the sky and said "Periculum." which sent a bright spark into the sky, alerting anyone in the area of their presence for miles. The Slytherin boy simply shook his head at this move, not only has she revealed this not very known spot, but has drawn more people into a situation than intended.

"Look at him! He's hypothermic." she gestured over to the lump of wet robes covering the boy to make a point "Or do you not know what happens when your body gets plunged into freezing cold waters in freezing cold air? I would love nothing more than to get him to the Hospital Wing; that's where he needs to be right now, otherwise he might go into shock." she said while searching for any dry twigs on the floor, an indication that of her making some kind of fire. He slowly got out of his bench throne and took a few steps forwards, his eyes looking down to the muggle "believe it not cupcake, but I do know what hypothermic means" he said with a small sigh, his eyes soon meeting hers once again. They had seemed to hold no emotion throughout the conversation, as if he didn't have a care in the world about what was happening in front of him "For all I care this muggle is getting the punishment he deserves. Throwing rocks at students and acting like an uncivilised brat is not welcome here, especially by us pure bloods..." grunted the boy as he thought about the lads that had the muggle in the first place, who would of known what they would of done to him he didn't come over.

"Why don't you make yourself useful and help, Or do you want to be responsible for the hospitalization of a classmate? I'm sure Professor Equinox would love to hear about what happened to one of his students." she said with some frustrated urgency in her voice now, impatient by his lack of care and cooperation. Unexpectedly, Percival brought a hand up to his coat and slowly zipped down his coat, revealing a warm black sweater underneath when he took off the coat "I dont give a damn about what that animal will think of this, it isn't even his business to get involved in the first place" he said out loud as he shoved the coat over to her, his name plastered along the inside to have an idea of who it belonged too "When this is all done and dusted that boy will probably come out in one piece, and with a valuable to think about. It's better than getting your teeth knocked down your throat and nose broken by a couple of boys, dont you think?" he said before looking to his coat and pointing at it "I also want that back in one piece too" he said uncaring as a boy sat beside him was shivering and in need of aid.

Behind him, a big group of students were coming along the main path in search of the spark that disturbed them. They soon noticed them and began walking along the side path towards them curious as to what happened. Percival looked behind him to acknowledged the group as they approached, their eyes glued on the boy leaning up against the tree "I'm done here..." he said back over to the girl as he prepared to leave the scene, his frosty hands going into his pockets.

@Percival Gray

It had taken her quite a bit of effort not to burst out angrily at the Slytherin boy. Cupcake. The belittling set her hackles on end, and she shot daggers at him with her eyes as he spoke audaciously about what he presumed the muggle deserved, as though the Ravenclaw boy were some kind of wretched beast.

Admittedly, she did feel slightly taken aback by the claim of the boy having been throwing rocks, and her gaze slipped briefly in the direction of the shivering boy to glean insight as to any reaction he might have made to the accusation; but he was far too absorbed in his misery. The small abatement of spite conflagrated almost immediately afterwards with the following pointed remarks about pure bloods and Professor Equinox ─ although, she couldn't deny, part of her inwardly agreed about him ─ being an animal. Nonetheless, the point still stood. It was his business if a member of his house was injured or made ill.

"It is actually his business," she had retorted in annoyance, referring to Alaric. Her gaze turned wary as she made note of the stranger's approach, but she continued with her sentiment. "He's the Head of House for Raven...claw..."

She trailed off, her gaze dropping to his hands as he worked at his zipper. "What are you─"

But she had her answer soon enough as the impressive coat was unceremoniously shoved towards her. Taken aback, she just stood there and listened to the boy's final sentiments. When he had finished, however, her expression had become slightly strained once again, the corner of her mouth turning down into a faint grimace. Her gaze reflexively followed the trajectory of his pointing. She hesitated only a moment before dropping the soon-to-be-fire wood to the solidly frozen ground at her and the boys' feet, and lowering herself to crouch beside the shivering Ravenclaw. Pulling the coat snuggly about his shoulders, she fussed with the collar, pausing briefly when she noticed the name Percival Gray labeled neatly within it.

"I'll make sure you get it back," she replied, her voice significantly less fired-up as she shifted her attention from the boy to the logs. Beginning to arrange them appropriately to start a fire, she hazarded a glance up to Percival. She was just about to say something when the tell-tale tromping of students stole her attention. Straightening, fingers gripping the handle of her wand tightly just in case it wasn't help arriving, but rather the gaggle of Slytherin boys returning to finish what they started, Evelynn waited for the reveal. Her silent sigh of relief was almost palpable.

"Hey! Over here!" She beckoned, raising her right hand to wave them over.

If Evelynn had been feeling even remotely appreciative for the obviously taxing effort of relinquishing a coat to one in need, it vanished the instant of the Slytherin's interjection. Gray eyes snapped to him appraisingly. Now that he had doffed his coat, she could get a better look anyway. They scanned his face, clothing, accessories, and the way he carried himself, making note of anything that could give additional insight into his character. When satisfied, her gaze flicked up to his.

"I might suggest that next time," she began coolly, "you don’t even bother starting."

Interacting with @Evelynn Decipio

"It is actually his business," she retorted back, annoyed by the comment he just made. Percival was amazed that Hogwarts had let in a literal monster be a teacher, it was a great marvel that he was promoted to a head position too. If the girl even dared to tell him, he'd know the monster would want to talk about this certain event, something of which Percival would hesitantly oblige too. After all, he wasn't the one that started the fire "He's the Head of House for Raven...claw... What are you─"" Evelyn trailed as Percival had taken off his coat for the shaking Ravenclaw, taken back from his sudden act of mercy. If the group would of come earlier, the thought of giving his coat up would of been none existent. Even though the lad was a muggle, it wasn't in his nature to let anyone die, getting someone to suffer from from their misdeeds was more humane and worthwhile. Evelyn had a quick peek at his name labelled along the inside of his coat as he placed it over the shoulders of the boy, before looking back up to him and "I'll make sure you get it back," which forced a small sigh from him "Sure you will..." he thought to himself.

"Hey! Over here!" she beckond over to the approaching crowd, who started to mumble and talk amongst themselves as they got closer. Percival took a brief glance behind him to acknowledge the crowd, all of which were from different houses around Hogwarts. He looked back to see Evelyn studying him, her eyes gazing all around him. Whoever the girl was, she had quite a staring problem that's for sure. Eventually, when she had seen enough her eyes finally met with his "I might suggest that next time," she said coolly at first "you don’t even bother starting." finished Evelyn in response to his earlier comments, but with more venom this time. The crowd that was behind them had finally arrived, but they didn't dared to interrupt what was going on in front of them. A small grin slowly appeared on the corner of his lips as a hand when up to his sleeve, straightening it to make it more presentable "Déanann tú sin..." muttered Percival in a different tongue as he turned around, beginning to walk through the crowd that stared at him, more confused than anything.

If not stopped, he would walk through the crowd and exit the scene, allowing the crowd to come in and begin helping.