Zoetropes In The Snow (Open)

[Elijah-Thomas Burke]

Afternoon Dec 21, 1881

Elijah-Thomas was standing in one of the hallways of one of the towers attempting to look down on the grounds. Though the snow was coming down so fast he thought he saw ghosts in front of him then he realized they were just big chunks of snow. Then he thought he saw a blob of something below like someone attempting to fly in the snow and minutes later realized it was just the whomping willow visible as the snow had let up for a second. Which made him smile as if he could attempt a fly outside in the stuff and succeed he likely would be the only one who could get to some of the outer buildings during the storm.

The only problem was it as if the snow was one great zoetrope with him seeing things between the falling clumps.

He could have gone home over the holidays but he had stayed behind. Mostly as with the snow travel would be hard and he would have to sit in one house the whole time. He liked his freedom to move and at him his father was always keeping an eye on him due to his past trouble.

To be honest his father had just as much to worry about with leaving him at Hogwarts. He had already found himself reading an interesting selection of tomes from the library, and a few he had collected prior to coming to Hogwarts. This was certainly a time one could take out preferred reading material without worry as much about being caught. However one still had to take precautions like now he only had rather boring books in his bag as it was the middle of the day.

He saw something out the window for a second he was certain was an actual owl trying to fly towards the castle. Seriously the animal was insane as was demonstrated as the bird fell under some snow before rising back up slightly and continuing on. This meant he could fly so he looked at the broom in his hand and smiled. He moved towards the window ledge and dropped his backpack below it and took a seat in the window ledge.

Pulling his broom outside the window he placed it on his lap as he sat on the ledge of the window happy the window's glass was open enough and blocking him from being hit from the full force of the wind.

  

[Antigone Lestrange]

The key to good eavesdropping is not getting caught

Antigone had written to her parents back in November to inquire if she was to return home for the winter season, or if she was to stay at the school. Their reply, much to her relief, had been that she would be able to return home for Christmas. Tig found Hogwarts dull enough when lessons were taking place, but when half the students were gone and the castle empty it seemed mind-numbingly boring as opposed to just mind-achingly dull.

As it was, she had sent another owl two days before the school semester had ended to ask when she was expected back home, only to have the owl return the next day saying they had taken a spontaneous trip back to Luxembourg to spend Christmas with Leoni instead and that she would have to stay put. Naturally, Tig had spent the following days in a foul temper, snapping at the slightest thing. By now she had pretty much accepted the fact that she would be trapped in the castle for the next few weeks and it hadn't taken long to realize that she was quite literally trapped.

Having spent her morning writing nonsense in one of her textbooks, she finally decided to leave the Slytherin Common Room to seek refuge somewhere more 'exciting'. She was walking at a good speed down one of the corridors when she suddenly noticed an icy breeze hit the back of her neck. Frowning perplexedly, she walked over to the source of the breeze and realized someone was sat in one of the window ledges. Antigone opened her mouth to make some sort of snippy observation about how it was very silly of him to let all the warm air out when she realized just who it was. "Mr. Burke!" she exclaimed with contrived surprise, a rather mischievous grin on her face that she was desperately trying to reel in.

Tag: Elijah Words: 313

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[Elijah-Thomas Burke]

With every squint of his eyes he was not sure what he was seeing in the snow. It was interesting trying to gauge the probability of him being able to fly in the weather. One thing he could tell was landing would certainly be interesting as his polished shoes that he could see when he looked down had a layer of snow on them rather quickly. His legs also starting to be covered in the snow even if he was occasionally brushing them off.

He paused his contemplation about flying when he heard his name motivating him to look back into the hallway. With a smile he said " Madamoiselle Baudelaire. " feeling that her name rang much better with the word mademoiselle than the english equivalent. After a bit of a pause he added " To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure. "

As he had to admit that he had not expected anyone wander through this part of the corridors. Mostly as there was little interesting down the hallways from where he was sitting. Though as he considered it the appearance of his housemate was probably a rather fortunate event. After all, if his experimentation in flight was a failure he was confident she was competent enough to point an incendio at the snow to melt it.

  

[Antigone Lestrange]

The key to good eavesdropping is not getting caught

Antigone was still struggling to hold back the silly revealing expression on her face but was having little success with it. In the back of her mind she had a feeling she would probably regret not being able to force a more neutral expression on her face but there was little more she could do unless she went to some other extreme and made a complete fool of herself. And of course making a fool of herself was quite out of the question!

She liked it very much when he addressed her with the French title, any hope of holding back the smirk-y sort of grin vanishing in that instant. "Well I was in the Common Room you see, and I found myself quite bored so I thought I would seek something or someone who might be able to... cure it." She continued to smile, unaware of perhaps the slight forwardness that might be found in her words.

"I 'ope I did not disturb you..." The faint accent she had retained from her Childhood in Luxembourg that was ever present caused her to drop her 'h' as sometimes happened, a fact which never failed to irritate Antigone. She blushed ever so slightly at it in embarrassment, hoping he wouldn't notice either the blush or the slip up. She took a few steps closer to him and caught sight of the broom he held. Was he intending to fly it? Oh she hoped so! There was something very admirable about a boy who could fly a broom well, she thought.

Tag: Elijah Words: 257

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[Elijah-Thomas Burke]

He moved to face Antigone from his position on the ledge keeping one of his legs dangling out the window and bringing the other one inside bending it on the ledge. He noticed a slight smirk on her face and to be honest it fit more than the neutral expression he was used to seeing from her and many of the more proper slytherin girls. With a smile he leaned back on the side of the window and said " I thought the same thing. "

Well maybe not exactly but he was rather certain if he had spent anymore time in the common room he would probably have hexed one of his younger housemates. Something that would not have boded well as he avoided picking on his younger housemates even if they did tempt him. There was one muggleborn fourth year Walter* in particular he truly wanted to petrify as he was always trying to plan up some disaster that he reeled other less intelligent students into.

Most of the time it was entertaining, though he could only watch younger years get swindled so much for their stupidity. Even if he thought they deserved it.

He said " I'm thankful you did. " Figuring that was the most welcoming thing he could say. Then he continued " What is your opinion on the wiseness of trying to fly in this weather. It would be quite the challenge. "

* An NPC I randomly just made up...

  

[Antigone Lestrange]

The key to good eavesdropping is not getting caught

As improper as thinking it might be - she couldn't help but feel a little twinge of glee that she had found him alone. She knew she ought not to be thinking such things at all but she couldn't help herself. It was better than saying it, she supposed. And with that, she intended not to say a word on the matter. She wouldn't be categorized with those hussies that had been printed in the Prophet about!

She barely noticed what he said, concentrating far too much on the thoughts swirling around in her own mind, though she just managed to catch the tail end until he expressed gratefulness for her arrival. She hoped the slightly intensified look in her eyes was not too obvious but she couldn't quite help herself. She thought him the most perfect boy in all of the fifth year!

"Not wise at all!" she conceded though in a tone of complete enthusiasm as if her true meaning were something different altogether. Which it was. As selfish as it might be to encourage him to take a risk in poor weather, she was loathe to pass up the opportunity to watch him fly, even if the weather would make it difficult to see. "It would be very brave of you." She fixed her pale eyes on him, a gleam of excitement in them.

Tag: Elijah Words: 225

created by kay of caution and sds

  

[Elijah-Thomas Burke]

Looking around he checked that they were still alone. As he oddly considered the simple fact if they were caught alone there would be an article neither of them wanted. Though there were a lot less people at Hogwarts now and they had a decent distance of separation so little could be said. Elijah-Thomas said " It would be fun. "

In addition if he had an accident it would give the prophet an article about something other than gossip. Some days he truly thought that paper was a rag.

He continued with a smile " When I was sorted the hat mentioned something about bravery. Thankfully being brave only to benefit oneself is not a Gryffindor quality. " He was rather happy that he had been sorted in Slytherin, and his parents had been happy as well.

He continued " Are you decent with a heating charm ? " Figuring if she could pull off a decent heating charm he could probably do a short rather show off trip near the window. After all, he was rather certain impressing Antigone could be rather advantageous since she is such a lovely young lady.

  

[Antigone Lestrange]

The key to good eavesdropping is not getting caught

She observed his looking and followed his line of sight, wondering what required him to feel the need to make sure no one was in the vicinity - as that was what she assumed he was doing. The only possible reason could be the fact that they were quite alone, though it was not as if someone would find them interacting scandalously. That was not to say Antigone did not have it in her to act scandalously - on the contrary, mischief was something she adored - but she was far too conscious on her reputation and very much the type to go through great pains to avoid being caught. Part of the reason she so easily sneered at those written about in the Prophet was not because they had been acting shamefully, but because they had been caught so easily. She fancied were she ever to get into such a situation she would find a way to make it so no one should know who ought not to.

The little smirk on her face had not yet vanished and she had by now grown oblivious to it's presence. "Being any braver than that is merely foolishness," she remarked, finding herself glad he had found himself a Slytherin and not a Gryffindor. She might not have had the same exposure to house prejudices as many of the other students had but following the crowd was something Tig was good at, professional even. If Slytherin loathed Gryffindors then so would she.

"Heating charm? Oh yes, certainly. I do not care for charms much but not because I am poor at it." Antigone could only imagine what he intended to do that might require her to use magic but she was eager to see.

Tag: Elijah Words: 290

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[Elijah-Thomas Burke]

Antigone certainly had a point that being braver was foolish. However foolish things were sometimes fun to do. Such as flying on his broom in the snow seemed like a challenging adventure. Antigone could do a heating charm which was really the riskiest part of this adventure. Since while he could do a heating charm the heating charm would be needed if he happened to fall.

Elijah-Thomas said " I was thinking I could give it a try. " then he paused and said " flying in that. "

If he was correct a heating charm aimed into the snow might make it easier if he got stuck. Mostly as he had flown in the rain plenty of times before and being little drops rain was rather easy to see through. Looking towards her he stopped before offering to try together as two of them on a broom would just not fit out well. He continued " If I pull it off you could use my broom and go next. "

Perhaps he was not being respectful by wanting to go first, but he was nervous. He already had enough trouble and Antigone freezing herself for flying in this mess on his broom would probably be worse than Azkaban. At least with that the dealing had little effect on anyone who mannered. Antigone was a proper upper class girl meaning unlike many at Hogwarts she actually mannered.

He continued " I was thinking if the snow got to much aiming a heating charm into it would make it rain. " Then with a smile he aimed his wand out and muttered a heating charm out the window and the heating charm made some of the stuff look like rain. Little did he realize it was probably icy rain. Elijah-Thomas said " I think it could work. "

  

[Antigone Lestrange]

The key to good eavesdropping is not getting caught

Antigone was more than happy to watch him fly his broom; she couldn't deny watching boys playing quidditch had it's thrills. It was something she had only started noticing in the latter half of the previous year. She had found it boring up until then but now she rather enjoyed it though not really for the pure sport of it. She had also toyed with the idea of sabotaging the opposing team's brooms but hadn't worked up the courage to do so. Or the desire to be reckless enough. After all, she was sure to get in huge trouble if she did it, even if it did turn out to be hilariously funny to watch afterwards.

Her eyes widened a little as he suggested she have a turn. She certainly hadn't expected to be directly involved if there were to be any flying. Tig knew how to fly well enough but she generally thought it improper for her to do so, even if sometimes watching the girls play quidditch (back when it was allowed) brought up a little jealousy. Her parents certainly wouldn't approve of her playing sports. That being said, she couldn't turn the opportunity down when she saw an opportunity to impress him.

"That's very clever," she remarked, finding herself rather easily impressed as she watched his example, taking out her own wand in case she needed it. "Do not worry, I shall take care of it."

Tag: Elijah Words: 237

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[Elijah-Thomas Burke]

Clever meant that it certainly could work. Though he was personally of the opinion anything he thought of could work. The catch with this was he would only have one chance to make it work. Looking outside again he noticed the snow and realized it was not slowing down. The only comparison he could think to make was it was what someone would see if they got hit with an exploding pillow in a pillow fight. Not that he would have vocalized that example due to the fact pillow fights were not very dignified.

He always tried to appear dignified to a point.

Then he looked back towards Antigone and aimed a warming charm at himself. Since it was best to start out warm. Then he said " If I dip below the window aim a warming charm at me. " Swinging his leg so they were both out the window he gulped doubting his idea slightly. Then he pushed off with a jump onto his broom and hovered in front of the window.

A hover that quickly turned into him being blown sideways a bit before he managed to right himself and begin to fly towards the window again. He pulled his wand in front of him and started casting warming charms to try to turn the snow he was flying into water. However what he felt when it hit his face was ice due to the cold and the warming charm not protecting in front of him and his face.

Elijah-Thomas shouted " No warming charms it is making it all ice. "

He needed a new plan and he needed one quickly. At least now he was managing to keep himself at an even height with the window. Plus he had to admit it was rather fun.

  

[Antigone Lestrange]

The key to good eavesdropping is not getting caught

Antigone nodded enthusiastically, eager to show off her resourcefulness and reliability to him. She would watch him like a hawk whether he wanted her to or not. Had he been anyone else, she probably would have taken advantage of the trust being put in her hands but she did not feel particularly inclined to cause any mischief in terms of his safety. Bones might be easily mended by Madame Black but somehow she didn't see him appreciating her for it.

Observing as he climbed out of the window and onto his broom, she walked over to the window to lean out slightly and keep closer watch. The smile finally fell off her face as he announced that the charm wasn't working as he thought after all. She wanted to suggest something really clever but he had a whole year of education more than her, anything she knew he probably knew already anyway. And then she had an idea. "Would the Impervius charm not work? Could you not cast it on your robes? That way the snow would be repelled! " It was perhaps the most resourceful she had ever been in her life. She actually surprised herself that she had been paying some sort of attention in charms class but apparently she had.

Tag: Elijah Words: 213

created by kay of caution and sds

  

[Elijah-Thomas Burke]

He felt himself flying forward, but going backwards. It was odd almost to the point of scary. Though as a rule he did not get scared - he just got concerned. To be honest he was extremely concerned at this point as freezing would probably be worse than tea with a dementor. Not that Azkaban served tea it more handed people dirty cups of water.

Or they had always seemed dirty to him.

An impervius charm could be useful. Though it was not being hit that was the problem. Sure it stung but it was the wind that was more the issue. Since he already had done the brave impressive thing of flying in this mess, so he wanted back into the castle. Elijah-Thomas said " Snow isn't that bad actually now that it isn't pellets. "

Making himself smaller on his broom he leaned right into the snow then aimed himself towards the wall. Reaching the wall he said " Wind isn't so bad by the wall. " The truth was it was only coming from three directions now. One of which was hammering into the wall every now and then with loud thuds.

Finally he got back towards the window and pulled himself into the tower window. Once inside he fell inside the window onto the floor and said with a chuckle " You want to try. "

  

[Antigone Lestrange]

The key to good eavesdropping is not getting caught

She kept her eyes on him to make sure that she would know instantly if he were to fall. She didn't think he would but he would surely be grateful to her if she were to save him. Antigone couldn't help but admire him even more so for his reckless decision to fly in the nasty weather. She barely absorbed his words about the snow, at least not properly. There was of course, no verbal reply as a result as she hadn't an answer for it anyhow.

Tig wasn't surprised the wind was brutal, she could feel a small fraction of the breeze outside from where she stood which probably classified as more of a gale than a breeze.

He neared the window to come back inside and Antigone immediately backed away from it, watching him and feeling the somewhat cheeky grin from earlier creep back onto her face. "You want to try?" Antigone knew what she had been told and knew she ought not to but she also knew declining and being a 'good girl' probably wouldn't win her any respect from him and anyway, she was a glutton for mischief. "I bet it's easy really," she declared with a daring expression on her face.

Tag: Elijah Words: 204

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[Elijah-Thomas Burke]

Any girl who would watch his previous foolishness and set herself up to show him up could be respected. Standing up properly he leaned his broom against the wall as he straightened out his robes. He was soaked, but he did not allow the fact he was cold to show on his face. The fact that he was freezing and every movement hurt when his clothes touched his skin hurt was something he just put out of his mind.

He had always been good at putting pain out of his mind and Azkaban had made him an expert at compartmentalizing such things.

With a smile towards Antigone he said " Wasn't as bad as I predicted. " with a shrug looking outside and determining he would not do such a stupid stunt again. Of course there was no way that Antigone needed to know that thought was in his mind. Then he added " Now know warming charms with blowing snow are not a good idea though. " Having little issues admitting a mistake that was as obvious as the one he just made.

Elijah-Thomas said " Are you planning on trying. Perhaps conjuring the snow into an ice wall of sorts to block the wind might help? " The bigger question with such an idea was if it was even possible. Yet he was much to cold to doubt the crazy idea he just suggested.

  

[Antigone Lestrange]

The key to good eavesdropping is not getting caught

Despite the fact he was more or less soaked through which was highly improper, Tig couldn't find it within her to criticize. She was almost more inclined to think the opposite, though she wasn't going to make that public knowledge, not by a long shot. His seemingly cool indifference to the harsh weather he had exposed himself to made Antigone think him very brave, though she fully intended to try and rival him. "It should be a piece of cake then, no?" She exuded an air of self-confidence that would have come across as complete arrogance were it not for the twinkle of amusement about her. "I shan't make the mistake of using that charm then."

It was so very improper, she thought. So improper that it made it delightfully forbidden and thus something she felt inclined to do. Under normal circumstances, were she with Brynn or any other group of girls, she would have declared it a stupid activity and only for the lower class girls but she wasn't with a group of female friends.

"Mais oui! I cannot upstage you otherwise." She had no intention of making little walls of snow, however, if he could handle the strong wind then damn it, so would she. It wouldn't seem fair otherwise. "It might," she added almost dismissively. Walking past him to the window, she hesitated a moment as she considered the fact that she might very well be seen and accused of indecency. Glancing over her shoulder down the corridor, she concluded it was safe. Turning her back to the window, she placed her hands behind her on the cold stone and lifted herself onto the ledge, luckily succeeding first time in doing so.

Tag: Elijah Words: 283

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