A new adventure (Jessica)

[Daniel Blevins]

Daniel lay awake, rolling around in his bed. He was, once again, unsuccessful in falling asleep. He shifted slightly, uncomfortably, to his right side and closed his eyes with uncertain force. As if the harder you close them, the faster you fall asleep. Daniel let out a small chuckle at his clouded judgment, but failed for some reason to loosen the death grip his eye-lids had on one another. His mind was wondering aimlessly, thinking upon almost everything it could imagine.

Daniel let out a huff of frustration. This wasn't the first time he was put in this position. There were many occasions in which he couldn't fall asleep for the whole night, or simply only got a couple of hours. Although he could cope with a variety of things, coping with sleep deprivation was not his strong point. Daniel sat up and looked around him. Everyone else in the dorm was sleeping without a sound. Except for the boy to the far right, whose name constantly escaped Daniel. He was snoring. Quite loudly, to be perfectly honest. Daniel reached over and swiped his wand from the nightstand to the right of him. He rolled the willow wood in between his fingers, admiring how his wand spiraled up, a few inches above to base, to the very tip of it.

It was 17 inches, and carved perfectly. With a cockatrice scale lying within it. In a quick, fluid moment, he flicked his wand and a purple glowing spark flew from the end. He held it still as he took in the beauty of the simple object, admiring how such a tiny light could illuminate such a large area, before setting it wild. Daniel, smiling brilliantly, made the little light dance all around the room. Going under the covers of his fellow Ravenclaws, gliding across the floor, and shuffling under the beds. He guided the little light up the the snoring boys area and put it in his hair, causing it to stick straight up in every which direction. Daniel grabbed his pillow and buried his face in it, trying not to burst with laughter and wake everyone up. After he was sure he was okay, he put the pillow down and took a deep breath. He retracted the little spark from the boys hair, and began to play with it.

After a few minutes of playing with the light, he once again flicked his wand, causing it to explode into a wondrous light show. With a content feeling in his heart, he layed back down and found a comfortable position in the stiff four-poster bed. His mind grew steady, his body was relaxed, and his mind was at ease. Perfect conditions to fall asleep. Until, of course...

A loud snort, followed by a grotesque noise came from the right of the room. Daniel's eyes shot open, as he shot a look in the direction of the noise. "Since you can't see this, I should inform you, I'm glaring right now..." he muttered, almost silently. A gurgling came in reply, which in turn made Daniel twitch. He took his wand and pointed it at the boy. "Silencio." he muttered without feeling. His snoring is not normal.. Maybe I'll suggest that he goes to the hospital wing tomorrow and get it checked out... Daniel thought to himself. Without thinking he slipped on his shoes, put his wand in his pocket, and wandered out of his dorm. He walked aimlessly, unaware of where his feet were taking him for quite a while. He halted, and looked around him.

Painting of a feast, a statue of a one eyed witch, a staircase, and many other paintings of people Daniel didn't know. He was unfamiliar with this area. He took the stairs up and looked to his left and right, still unfamiliar, Daniel went to his left. He kept walking, making uncertain twists and turns, until he finally reached the Grand Staircase. Daniel let out a sigh of relief. If he had gotten lost in the school at night... He shuddered, not wanting to finish the thought. He glided down the staircase with care to not make a noise, until reaching the doors tho the grounds, where he proceeded to dilligantly open and slide out. The cold night air left him in shock, but for only a moment. As the shock subsided, it was replaced with a new emotion. Excitement.

Daniel strode down the grounds swiftly, taking in the night air. He looked around at the nature surrounding him.. Even in the darkness, the trees seemed to be a vibrant green, radiating their health with the world. He looked down at the grass as it shifted slightly from the minor wind. He stopped moving, but only for a moment. He took of his shoes and held them in his hand, along with his socks. Feeling the soft green grass below him. He wiggled his toes around and smiled up at the sky as it tickled his feet. The sky. Even though it was dark and gloomy, it was still brilliant. Without a cloud in sight to block the black, mysterious beauty.

Unsure of what to do next, Daniel began to spin in place. At first with his eyes open, observing everything so still suddenly turn into a green and black mixture. Then he closed his eyes, but didn't cease spinning. He kept going around and around until his senses were killed by the sheer, freezing night air. He came to a sudden desist, and with his eyes sealed shut, bolted off in an unknown direction. A new emotion had come along with the excitement, determination. A sudden gust of wind began, and Daniel tried running with it, keeping up with it. He was stumbling around and tripping over almost everything, but that didn't stop him. He kept sprinting, with his socks and shoes in one hand, and his wand in the other.

He felt the grass begin to diminish, and felt something new come along, Something much.. Loser. Sand... Daniel thought. He opened his eyes to see his new surroundings. In front of him, the strangely inviting black lake. Under him, soft cold sand. formed from grains of anything. He quickened his pace, and threw his socks in shoes to the side, to be taken by the sand. Daniel felt the sand getting wetter and wetter as he ran faster and nearer to the lake. At last, he reached the shore. He didn't take off his clothes, there was no time to waste. Without hesitation, he kicked as hard as he could off the ground. "Waddiwasi." he muttered under his breath. He felt himself being launched further in the air. He looked down and watched the lake rush past him, until he hit the water.

An abrupt chill hit him with hard force, but it wasn't enough to keep him still. He swam down, trying to look around and see his black surroundings. He wasn't aware of what was lurking in the lake, but he didn't care. He just kept swimming. He swished around in the water for a long time, he wasn't sure how long. His lungs began to burn a little, hinting him to go up for air, but he was enjoying himself way too much to go. He ignored the feeling and proceeded to swim.

His lungs were throbbing, begging for air. And finally Daniel gave in. He began to swim up, trying not to inhale the deadly water surrounding him. It was taking too long to surface. How far down had he gone, anyway? A slight panic rose in him. He kicked his feet faster and harder. Finally, he pierced through the water, inhaling deeply the sweet sweet air that he direly needed. He kept kicking to keep afloat and kept inhaling. After the burning feeling subsided, he was content. I went down once again, swimming deep, but not too deep. He pointed his wand below him and shouted "Expulso!".

There was an under-water eruption, that sent him flying through the water, and soon enough gliding through the air. Daniel began to hoot and holler. It was the most amazing thing he had ever felt in his life. He looked at his wand residing in his right hand, and saw the droplets of water flying off of it. He thrust his arm to the right, and watched the water below him dance. He began to direct the water, as if it were an orchestra, flinging his arm in every which way and watching the water respond in the most gorgeous way. His momentum began to fade, and he began to fall. Daniel let out a full-hearted laugh as he was falling back into the deathly waters. He started flailing around in mid-air, intensifying the experience of falling. Would there ever be anything like flying?

A sudden impact made him flinch a little as he hit the water and sunk far under. The numbing cold water fixed the pain easily. He spun around in the water for a bit, and then started swimming, hoping to hit shore. Sure enough, as soon as he surfaced, Daniel saw the shore dead ahead. He accelerated his speed and reached the shore, crawling out of the water.

He collapsed on his back under the weight of gravity onto the damp sand below him. He panted and gasped for air as he lie there. His adrenaline was pumping like it never had before. He looked up at the stars above him, at the twinkling bright wonders. Perfectly content, Daniel watched the stars in his damp clothes, not moving a muscle, except for the occasion shivering.

The grip his hand had on his wand loosened and firmed up as he rolled it in his hand. It felt so warm. So right. Everything was just.. Perfect. He let out a satisfied sigh, and sat up, looking into the disturbed lake. It was still moving from the sudden disruption Daniel had caused he. He chuckled a little, and watched as it slowed in motion. Growing calmer and calmer, along with the beating of his heart.

[Jessica Durmstroll]

The first thing Jessica was aware of was a feeling of utter panic. The second, was the sound of her own screaming voice echoing through the room, and then the voice of someone else addressing her. "Cripes, you alright, Jess?" one of her fellow Hufflepuff roommates asked groggily, sitting up in her bed and lighting a candle on a nightstand beside her, which earned a loud groan from the other person in the room.

Jessica realized that she was breathing heavily, one hand clutching her blankets, the other, her pillow. "Yeah." she answered in a choked voice, releasing the blanket and pillow and sitting up cross-legged in the bed. "I'm alright." She was lying; Jessica was anything but alright. Her heart was still pounding and she had to work to slow her breathing.

"Was it the same one?" the other Hufflepuff girl, whose name was Kathrine, asked softly. Jessica nodded. It was, indeed, the same nightmare that been haunting her ever since her trip into the forbidden forest with Mary, her best friend since her first year at Hogwarts. Kathrine's eyes darted to the bunk above Jessica's which had been Mary's bed until three months ago. It now sat empty, looking very forlorn in the dancing candle light.

As hard as she tried, Jessica could never seem to remember the dream when she awoke, but that just seemed to make it all the more frightening. Perhaps it was better that she not remember it. After all, anything that could scare Jessica Durmstroll so much must be something truly terrifying.

Knowing she would not be able to get back to sleep tonight, Jessica slid out of bed, grabbed her wand from her nightstand sitting by the headboard, and walked quickly to the door. Kathrine looked concerned, but she didn't say anything. Jessica listened at the door for a moment to make sure that no one else was awake, and then opened it as quietly as she could manage. "Don't get caught." Kathrine whispered as Jessica stepped out of the door.

"Don't rat me out." she replied, flashing her roommate a grin before easing the door closed, cutting off all light and making the darkness complete. "Lumos." she whispered causing the tip of her wand to light up, illuminating the whole corridor. She made her way down the stairs from the dorms to the common room. The large, fluffy sofas and luxurious chairs were all empty now. There was no sound except for a soft hissing from the lightly glowing embers in the fireplace.

Jessica made her way to the entrance, which was concealed behind a portrait in the basement. As she approached the door, she was startled by a grumpy mrrrrrow! and as she spun around she spotted her oversized, black and white cat, Orion, lying comfortably on one of the chairs in front of the fireplace. His expectant expression seemed to say I hope you weren't planning on leaving without me.

"Oh, come on, then!" Jessica whispered at the old tom, who leapt down from his spot on the chair and trotted at a leisurely pace over to where the young witch was standing by the portrait which served as a means of getting in and out of the room. The two of them stepped out of the Hufflepuff common room and into a long, stone hallway in the basement. The smell of food was very strong here, for the kitchens where house elves cooked and prepared the food for the students was at the end of the hallway a little farther ahead. Personally, Jessica enjoyed this smell, and smirked at the subtle brilliance that took the form of Helga Hufflepuff. Who else would think of putting their dorm down here? The smell was different every time Jessica walked this hallway. At that moment, though the house elves were fast asleep and no one was cooking, it smelled of roasted turkey and something sweet that Jessica could not quite place.

As the young Hufflepuff girl emerged from the doorway to the side of the grand staircase, she took a quick look around, making sure there were no other wanderers or even ghosts that would cause her to be revealed. The coast looked all clear, so she walked farther into the grand entrance hall, the light of her wand illuminating her path. At the base of the giant staircase, Jessica paused. Where was she to go? Nowhere really seemed appealing at that moment. Well, nowhere inside the castle.

Jessica turned around toward the large, oak doors at the front of the entrance hall and began walking toward them, Orion padding along at her heels. After a bit of difficulty with getting the large doors open, she slipped out of the school and onto the grounds. The night was cool, making Jessica shiver, for her only apparel was a loose t-shirt and fluffy pink pajama pants. Her bare feet felt very cold on the stone steps, and she hurried down to the green grass of the yard, which was soft and almost warm compared to the steps.

Jessica walked aimlessly for a while around the castle. She did not need her wand light, for the moon was bright tonight and made the whole campus glow with its light. It took her a few moments to realize that Orion was gone, had slipped away somewhere, and that she was now completely alone. Fear slowly crept into the young girl's heart. She tried to stifle it, tried to block it out, but it was there and there was no stopping it. Her footsteps became quicker and she kept looking behind her as if someone was there. Jessica was, as it happened,was utterly terrified of being absolutely alone.

As she approached the black lake, she was startled by a figure suddenly erupting from the depths of the water. Her immediate thought was, It's a mermaid, but for some reason, that idea didn't quite seem to fit. Jessica had never seen a mermaid, for they rarely ever came above the surface from their aquatic kingdom. And the shape was all wrong. Mermaids had tails, didn't they? This figure seemed to have legs. And even with their tails, could mermaids get that high above the water?

As Jessica stood watching in the shadows of a lone oak tree, the figure hit the water and reemerged a moment later. It swam to the shore and collapsed as soon as it reached the dry land. Curious, her initial terror forgotten, Jessica walked rather quickly over to the figure, convinced now that it was not a merperson. Her steps were silent, the grass and then sand softening the impact. As soon as she was close enough to observe the figure, about a yard away, she stopped.

Recognition glinted in her dull blue eyes. The boy, who's name was Daniel, was a fifth year Ravenclaw if memory served her correctly. He seemed like a nice boy, but Jessica had never really spoken to him. In fact, she never would have given him a second glance if it weren't completely obvious that he was infatuated with her. Indeed, she would often catch this boy sneaking glances at her in the hallways and then looking away quickly.

For a moment, Jessica considered just walking away while she still could, for the boy did not seem to notice that she was standing there. However, a tiny, tiny part of her felt somewhat guilty for just leaving him there on the ground like that, and the rest of her simply didn't want to walk back to the dorm alone. So, getting a good grip on her nerve, she opened her mouth and greeted him as politely as she could. "Hello there."

[Daniel Blevins]

Daniel was still. His arms were placed behind him, supporting the rest of his body as he watched The Black Lake. As it grew more and more still, he could see the moon better and better. His mind was still racing from the activity he had just participated in. The feeling of using magic was just.. Incredible to him. There was no better feeling in the world. Now... If he could only get transfiguration right... Then maybe he could be a powerful wizard.

That was his dream. To become a powerful wizard. One that the future generations of Hogwarts would study, and praise. His throat swelled up as he thought about having his portrait hung somewhere in the castle. Possible somewhere where everyone could see it... Like in the great hall. Yes, that would be a perfect place. He closed his eyes and envisioned it. It was too perfect. Right behind the Headmasters chair. Where it was perfectly visible.

But, if he couldn't manage Transfiguration, then it would never come true. The image of his portrait hanging, all of the students surrounding it, began to fade. He scrunched up his nose and opened his eyes. He could launch himself into a lake, force the water below him to explode, causing an eruption that sends him flying in the air, then, after going considerably high, staying air-born for an impressive amount of time, and then plummet back to the lake unharmed.

But he couldn't turn a watch into a whistle without something blowing up in his face, a strange liquid ooze from the object, whatever he's transfiguring begins to disintegrate, or in his worst experience, he somehow managed to turn his skin a light shade of purple with bubbly little green boils popping up randomly. He remembered how many potions it took to finally return him to normal... And not all potions taste as good as pumpkin juice.

He shuddered slightly as he remembered his hideousness. With a huff, he layed back onto the sand. His arms shifted, until they were laying limp next to him. He gently closed his eyes and attempted to get his perfect picture back in mind. While laying there, a light breeze started. It his hit skin, causing the already ice cold coating of water on his skin to grow colder. He gave a little shiver. His toes were growing colder. Numb almost. He dug them into the loose sand under him in an attempt to warm them up.

His forced his jelly arms to rise, only to flop back down over his stomach. He clutched himself into a tight hug, attempting to maintain a comfortable temperature. His eyes slightly opened, and he looked into the moon. It was big, bright, and brilliant. A month prior to this night, they studied the moon in Astrology. The moon was believed, by some, to have some sort of power. An unexplained magical force. This theory was still yet to be proved, however. Daniel decided not to look any further into it.

Astrology was quite a useless subject, in Daniel's opinion. It did him no use to know the regular moon patterns, and when the eclipse would occur. Much like Divination. Seeing the future, never spiked Daniel's interest. The only thing that mattered was what was happening right here and now.

"The only thing happening right here and now is me freezing my ass off..." Daniel though to himself. He was now constantly shivering and his teeth were on the verge of chattering. Perhaps if he made it to the Common Room soon... He would be able to sit by the fire. "No, I'm quite content freezing out here." he thought to himself, yet again.

He was sure they studied a "Warming" spell in Charms class... Now if only he had paid attention, and not slept... He raked through his thoughts, trying to remember the charm. Frustration was taking over again. He noted in his head to ask someone for the charm later on.

"Hello, there." a soft, yet very clear voice chimed, disturbing his thoughts. Daniel's heart gave a jump and his eyes flew open in full alert. He got a grip on his wand and lept to his feel and spun around, expecting to see either a teacher, a creature, or a Ravenclaw that followed him out. The sudden though of a creature entered his mind, and bloody images followed with it. He aimed his wand at the unknown figure. What he did not see, was a teacher, a creature, or a fellow Ravenclaw. Instead, he saw the gorgeous Jessica. Standing there, right before him. His jaw dropped, and in the sudden shock, he lost his footing.

His feet slid on the sand, and he began to fall back wards, plummeting to the ground. He winced a little as the ground met with his head, causing is wand to fly a few feet to his right. "Arrghh... Damn..." he groaned in pain. He began to swear a little under his breath, and then remembered that he was in the presence of someone. His feet were planted in the ground, with his knees in the air. The rest of him was now covered in sand and in pain. He slowly sat up with one eye closed, and rubbed his head a little.

"Er... Hi there..." he said, feeling a little stupid, and embarrassed from falling. Sometimes he could be such a klutz. He swore again under his breath and stood up, walking over to his right searching for his wand. The light that the moon provided was just enough to see it sticking out of the ground. He walked over to it, and yanked it out of the ground. He turned around and looked at Jessica.

Her beauty was unsettling, every time he saw her. It was a natural kind of beauty. He opened his mouth to say something, but began to blush a furious magenta. He looked down at the ground, even though he was sure she couldn't see the pink in his face. It would be impossible to talk and look at her at the same time. So, he plopped down on the ground, in a criss-cross position, and pretended to check his wand for any damages it may have received. Even though he knew perfectly well that it was in great condition.

"Why're yo-u-u out on t-t-he g-g-rounds this late?" he muttered, keeping his attention down at his wand. Didn't she know that it was dangerous? Didn't she know that she could get hurt? "You know it's d-d-dangerous out-t-t- here.. Don't y-y-ou?" he asked simply. His teeth chattering from the freezing cold wasn't the only thing making him stutter. He face grew a little warmer. He began to trace the runes he was learning about into the sand with the tip of his wand.

[Jessica Durmstroll]

Jessica couldn't help but let out a giggle at the Ravenclaw boy's clumsy antics as he lost his footing in the loose sand and fell backward. That was just the Slytherin in her. Of course, she immediately felt a pang of sympathy for this boy, Daniel. That was the Hufflepuff in her. It was apparent that her sudden appearance had unsettled him. "I didn't mean to surprise you." she said kindly, an apologetic grin forming on her lips. Although this was obviously not the time for such observations, Jessica couldn't help but notice how cute the boy was now that she actually made the effort to look. It wasn't really his appearance that made him cute though, it was his personality. He seemed like the shy, thoughtful type, although he was apparently very flustered at the moment. Not her usual, but nice.

He seemed to be a bit chilled from the lake water which still clung to his hair and clothes. As she watched him trace runes in the sand, Jessica considered casting a simple charm to dry and warm him, but decided that it would not be a good idea to make any large movements or cast any sudden spells as to not frighten the boy even more. "You're Daniel, right?" she asked in a cheery, friendly tone, ignoring his warnings about how dangerous it was out here. Of course she knew how dangerous it was. Who would know that better than Jessica?

Cocking her head slightly, for the boy was looking down at his feet, Jessica tried to get a good look at his face. The only thing she could really see at this angle was his hair, which was long and dark, in contrast to her own strawberry blonde locks. That morning, she had taken the liberty to make it a bit brighter with a little transfiguration. She did that often, for reasons unbeknown to even herself. Perhaps she was simply looking for a change every now and then, or perhaps she just enjoyed flexing the muscles of her magical knowledge. It didn't really matter at the moment, in any case.

The young witch followed Daniel's lead and plopped herself down on the soft sand below her feet, sitting criss-cross like her companion. "I'm Jessica. Jessica Durmstroll." she stated politely. She figured that he already knew her name, but a proper introduction was always nice.