A Whole Lot of Fun ((open))

[Prof Grace Marks]

Grace had become bored by the recent silence that had descended over the castle. The Ministry sure had cast a dark shadow over everyone. So feeling the need to escape, she left the castle and strolled towards the lake.

The sun was sitting low in the sky and was shining coldly as she walked around the lake. She came to stand on the edge of the lake and picked up a handful of stones. One by one, she threw the stones into the lake, and watched them skip on the water three or four times.

[Professor Daniel Hubbles]

Dan had been looking out the window at the sun lit grounds when he noticed a figure moving around near the lake. With a small smile of recognition Dan quickened his pace and headed down from his office to the grounds. He had been wanting to talk to Grace now for a while and he thought that this would be the perfect opportunity, many of the students were doing last minute homework before the holidays and so the grounds were relatively quite.

“I would advice you not to disturb the waters, the giant squid might not be too impressed.”

Dan gave a small chuckle as he walked up behind one of his best Hufflepuff students. He was proud of having the head girl come from his house and although he had a bias view he could see no one better suited for it then Grace. Looking out over the lake Dan saw the ducks swimming around the reeds in the distance. Folding his arms as he stood by the Hufflepuff, Dan turned and looked over at Grace and gave her a small smile.

“Is everything ok?”

[Prof Grace Marks]

When Grace heard her head of house's voice, she jumped and dropped all her remaining stones. "Oh, professor! It's just you!" She sighed a hefty sigh and smiled up at the tall man. "Thank you," she said graciously, "for your advice but I'm beginning to wonder if the squid in nothing more then a legend meant to keep kids out of the water."

She looked over the lake and giggled, "if there were no restrictions like that, no one would ever go to classes, it would constantly a party here." Grace laughed at the thought again and smiled up at the professor. Her smile quickly faded when she noticed the concerned look on Dan's face.

She did not understand why the professor would ask such a thing. Giggling slightly, Grace looked up and said, "there's nothing wrong!" It seemed such a silly question. She looked at the professor again, smiling widely, "is there anything wrong with you? The ministry is being rather hard on teachers as apposed to students."

[Professor Daniel Hubbles]

Grace’s laugh seemed to be infectious and Dan could not help but chuckle along with her. He was waiting to find out what is wrong with her but she seemed to turn the question on him, and then asked about the ministry. If this had been any other student form another house Dan would have more then likely refused to answer and deduct points for asking such a question. But this was Grace, his little sisters best friend and a Hufflepuff. With a small smirk Dan lowered his head and looked at the grass beneath him.

“Well the presence of the Ministry is annoying to say the least. They poke there noses into peoples business and get in the way. There is even a bloody journalist walking around the castle, he interrogated poor Girty. I just hope the Ministry no when to stop, but most of them seem pig headed and believe they rule the castle. If I was Darrow they would have been thrown out faster then anything. But then that is me and the behaviour they would expect from me, the ball did not help.”

He gave a small shrug and looked up at Grace. He knew that he was playing with fire saying such things about the ministry but he knew Grace would not tell, and the only other thing around them was a few plants and a duck.

[Quinn Locksley]

Quinn had been having some difficulty avoiding her half-wit apprentice and tracking the same scummy rogue, who they were both tracking. She had, for this day, stuck to the outskirts of the forest; it seemed to be the best place for spying on the lake and the forest.

She had just come to the line of trees when she heard voices by the lake. Becoming interested she slipped closer, undetected and unseen. "What are they talking about?" she thought. It was the idiotic drunken teacher from the Ball and a student she had not seen before. Quinn listened carefully and heard the male talking.

"... hope the Ministry no when to stop, but most of them seem pig headed and believe they rule the castle," he said pigheadedly.

"What an idiot!" she thought and stormed out of the shadows, pulling out her wand. "Care to say that to a Ministry Officials face?" she spat to the back of the man’s head, pointing her wand directly at the large ball atop his shoulders. She stood four feet away from him now and shot him an electrically hateful look that would have made a fly explode.

[Professor Daniel Hubbles]

Dan continued to look at Grace but it was not her voice that answered back, this voice was harsher and sounded rather angry. By the way they were talking it was not even a student. With a deep breath and an attempt to put on a tough persona Dan slowly turned around with a grin on his face, only to be greeted by a wand in his face. Taken aback by the women’s attitude it took Dan a few moments to get his concentration back.

“No, I think I will fine thank you. But if you happen to see one could you please tell them that I sent an owl to them 3 months ago and have yet to have a reply. Maybe a young lady such as yourself may know?”

Dan was trying to move the conversation down a different path, he did not really expect a ministry official to jump out at him, but then again they are everywhere. Trying to put on a smile, it turned out more into a grimace as his focuses reminded on the witches wand.

[Quinn Locksley]

Quinn grimaced and tilted her head, "oh please," she spat, "maybe you should send them an owl about it." She held her wand steadily and took another step towards the man. "You don't remember me, do you?" Quinn lift the other hand and stroked the man's chin. "You certainly looked like s**t the last time I saw you."

She dropped her hand abruptly, narrowing her eyes. "Is getting so slobbering drunk that you can hardly see an inch in front of your nose an everyday occupation for you or merely something you wipe out for special occasions and funerals?" As she spoke, she lowered her wand to below his chin so she could see the man's face properly.

[Professor Daniel Hubbles]

When she asked if Dan remembered he strained his mind to try and picture where he had seen her face before. However she answered her own question before he could work it out, as soon as she mentioned the ball he felt his blood begin to boil and he ground his teeth as she continued to describe his actions that night. Dan found his hand reaching into his pocket and searching for his wand, but the thought came onto his mind, he needed to resist.
Taking a deep breath Dan stepped forward and reached out taking hold of Quinn’s wand. Struggling from the ministry officials resistance, Dan managed to lower it slightly, but still kept a grin on his face.

“Now please there is no need to resort to violence. We need to set an example for the students.“

His left hand was still tightly wrapped around his wand, ready if needed to strike. Dan was refusing to look away from Quinn. He did not trust her, if she was willing to threaten a teacher while his back was turned what would she do when they were facing each other. However it was difficult as a lot of noise was coming from the lake behind him.

[Steven Mallard]

Steve had been swimming around the lake, tidying up the stray bits of weed and placing them on the side of the bank for them to decompose safely. However he was distracted by the noise of a student from the school throwing stones into the lake. Swimming closer to get a better look Steve noticed she was soon joined by another human, an older one this time. This human however seemed to have something against the ministry. Felling rather put out he thought he would adopt the cute duck routine and began to bob about in the waves getting ever so closer.
His feathers really became ruffled when a Ministry official turned up and stuck up for what she believed in but then the man attacked her. Steve found it hard to float there and do nothing, with one loud QUACK he spread his wings and took off from the water and flew towards the group of people.

He dropt dramatically low and hit the man in the back of the head, as he pulled up he let out another loud QUACK as the mans stupid head was hard and actually hurt him. After the third dive bomb was over he thought he would state his authority. Landing on the ground below them all Steve began to quack, however if you could speck duck you would have heard this.

“You sir are breaking law 196 paragraph 5. You should not attack a ministry official, and if caught the punishment is 4 months in Azkaban or a fine of 1000 gallons.”

With a final quack he lower his beak and pecked the man in the foot and then waddled to the side of the other ministry member.

[Quinn Locksley]

Quinn smirked as the man touched her. Quinn never liked being touched. But to add insult to injury, the man said violence was unnecessary then grabbed her wand. Naturally, Quinn pulled back, frowning intensely.

She was just about to take a swing at the man's jaw when a duck came out of no where and attacked the teacher. Quinn stood in utter amazement as the duck dived for the man again and again. She smirked evilly, enjoying the sight.

"Thank you Mr. Duck," Quinn said over his incessant quacking. "You should come work at the ministry, you stealth tactics are astounding." She was not saying this for the duck but merely to insult the teacher who had become undermined by a simple duck.

[Girty Hubbles]

Girty had spent the long afternoon in Hogsmeade and her pockets were now bursting with almost every type of chocolate that Honeyduke’s sold. Also in the shop she had bumped into Jac and so the Hufflepuff and Gryffindor were making there way back to the castle feeling rather full after devouring a whole bar of there finest chocolate.
Girty gave a nervous glance at the setting sun and increased her pace, however she got distracted as by the lake were three figures, one she recognised instantly as being her brother, who was being attacked by a duck.

Changing her direction at once Girty broke into a run down towards the lake, she stuck her hand into her chocolate full pocket and after first pulling out a liquorish wand she finally pulled out her real one and pointed it straight at the duck.

“Stupefy!”

Her voice echoed around the empty grounds as a jet of light came out of her wand and hit the duck straight in its back, it suddenly became very rigid and feel to the floor. With a small grin Girty ran to the side of her brother and Grace before noticing someone else was there, and she was not looking very impressed.

[Jac Shaw]

Jac was glad for the company, as always, and was happily walking with Girty back to the castle when suddenly she disappeared. Jac whirled around stupidly, calling "Girty!" Then she saw Girty running towards the lake. Jac watched her for a moment then the sky flashed pink and purple; the sun was setting.

Realizing she was missing something very cool when she heard Girty cry stupify, Jac sprung into action and ran after Girty. She arrived in the middle of the group, doubled over, huffing and panting. "Oy! Girt," she huffed, "what's the big idea ..." She trailed off. Jac had just noticed the frozen duck, the professor, the Grace and the ... lady? Jac frowned around then stood up straight.

"Hiya!" Jac said to the lady, and the professor, "prof, ma'am." She winked at Jac and looked quizzically at the duck. "Girty? Why did you do that? The poor duck!" She crocked down next to it and poked it softly.

[Professor Daniel Hubbles]

Dan was feeling very confused, not only had he been threatened by a ministry official but also he had been attacked by a duck. The duck had actually been effective, his head was now spinning and his foot was sticking, he was convinced the blooming creature had drawn blood. Dan was about to kick the duck away when Girty came running into the scene and seemed to have the right idea. With a small nod of his head and returning Girty’s smile Dan was about to say a witty come back to Quinn when a Gryffindor turned up.
Dan knew this Gryffindor to be Jac and Girty’s friend so he reframed himself from saying something to vicious to her.

“This ‘poor creature’ as you put it attacked me. Girty was just protecting me, and she was right to. I do not think that it is a normal duck. It seemed to be shouting…well it was quacking…but ordering me.”

Dan blinked a few times trying to work out what he had just said, he did not believe it himself. He was normally a man of rational thinking but this was absurd. As he looked up into the eyes of Quinn the smile filled his face once more however he could not remember what he was going to say, so Dan simple stood there smiling at her.

[Prof Grace Marks]

Grace had jumped when a ministry official jumped up and had her wand at Prof Hubbles. Speak of the devil, Grace thought, breathing slowly. She stood back, not wanting to get in the way when suddenly a Duck flapped right past her head. Grace got such a fright that she fell backwards into the lake.

Sitting in ice cold water, Grace sighed and splashed around. What a day! she thought. Looking around, Grace saw Girty running towards her followed by Jac. Grace smiled at them both then turned to the professor as he spoke. "Why do you think he did that, professor?" Grace asked.

[Professor Daniel Hubbles]

Dan continued to look at Quinn in the eyes, he was unsure if he was making himself more threatening or making himself out to be an idiot. His thoughts were disturbed when he turned around to see Grace sitting in the lake asking about the duck. With a small smirk Dan walked closer to the Hufflepuff and stepped into the shallows of the lake and held out his hand to help pull Grace up.

“I have no idea. He looks like a normal duck, but does not act like one. I would not put it past the Ministry to be putting even animals under the Imperius Curse.”

Dan turned around and shot a glance at Quinn before looking back at the rather wet looking Grace. Trying to stifle another laugh he pulled on her arm and soon they were both standing in the water. He could feel the coldness of the water penetrating his socks and as he made his way onto dry land the squelching noise filled the silence. With a quick glance down at the duck Dan gave a final shrug and shock his head.

“I can not think of any registered Animagus who are ducks…live ones that is. Unless the ministry is hiding more information from the public?”

He raised his eyebrow and looked at Quinn once more, he was slowly working out ways of getting to this woman and he was enjoying every moment of it.