[Lake] Sweeping the grounds

[allen]

Such debase work would ordinarily been below Allen, but always one to do precisely as ordered he had begrudgingly accepted the patrolling of the school grounds. The time was exactly a quarter to six and so he now expected pupils to make their way into the Great Hall for Tea pretty sharpish. Pupils dawdled about as he paced down to the lake to threaten off the last of them. His orders had been crystal clear, to keep the children off the grounds as much as possible. Having pondered long on why this was so necessary Allen had come up with numerous conclusions, each more unlikely as the last. Simply a steely look sent most students packing and soon he was left alone. There was a stiff breeze and he felt the urge for a Great coat. Unfortunately that had been left at the room he was letting above the preosterous inn of the Hogs head. Gritting his teeth against the cold he marched onwards eventually grinding to a halt just out of swiping distance from the old Womping Willow itself. He had fond memories of this place, remembering time when he had studied hard beneath the eves of trees, he promptly forced those from his mind and settled to a long wait...

[Uriel Levinston]

Uriel looked over at the Auror rather bored. Their line of work was exceptionally different, and under normal circumstances he knew that neither of them would have never interacted past the brief nod of recognition.

"Evening, Lamb." Uriel said at once, clasping his hands behind his back and watching the last of the students stumble into the castle at fear of seeing another well-aimed glare. "Might I ask what you're so deep in thought about?"

He, himself, was deep in thought and his own stress levels were rising. His job at Hogwarts was mildly important, yes, but Sweden was holding a meeting at that precise moment to pass the law for a new cauldron thickness, and Levinston was quite displeased that he had to send his successor to the meeting in place of himself.

[allen]

Turning as his colleague approached, he gave a curt nod of acceptance and greeting, adding a slight bow to emphasis the others seniority.
"A fine evening it is too Mr Levinston, though rather cold sir." He didn't really want to divulge his ponderings but thought it wise to let the man know just a little, being a truthful man he didn't invent some lie to lead him on a cold trail either. Flicking his upheld wand casually, he cast a spell to deter eavesdroppers and began softly;
"Though I durst not speak it too loud, I believe I speak your own thoughts aloud sir, what brings us to this place? My orders have been short and clear, I know very little of why we are stationed here at all."
Secretly thinking A mere underling I am in the eyes of the Minister of course,
"though I mean nobody any offence, a little more clarity to our orders would help greatly; it would make the job far easier." Finishing abruptly he wondered if he had overstepped the mark and looked warily at his fellow. He knew Levinston very remotely, though he offered the man his utmost respect, handling such a position as his was by no means easy, he had the reputation of an industrious man with his main shortcoming being his pure focus merely on the task at hand. Allen himself prefered to think outside of the box, as so often criminals did.
"What are your own thoughts on the matters at hand sir?"

[Uriel Levinston]

A thin smile stretched of Uriel's lips as he nodded in agreement. "Ah, yes." He, of course, had discussed plenty of the matters at hand with a familiar Unspeakable his first night arriving at the castle. He knew vaguely of the happenings surrounding the school and was aware of the threat he posed, but still wasn't satisfied in the least.

"Hogwarts has always been a grand place, swallowed in mystery, has it not, Lamb? Surely you remember what it's like." He crossed his arms over his tawny robes, seemingly engrossed with the lake, before taking a few steps forward, beckoning the other to follow him.

The mud squelched beneath their feet and Levinston made a most disgruntled sound as his robes brushed the filthy earth. "As for my own thoughts, I tend to not worry much of the reasons for doing a job, but rather that it gets done efficiently and successfully." This response obviously was to be dissatisfying, but with Vandesar's insistent claims that the Ministry workers themselves couldn't be trusted, Uriel wasn't going to be the one to dispatch such important information so easily.

[allen]

Allen sighed inwardly as he realised he would find no easy answers from Levinston, it seemed he was in the dark as much, if not even more than him. Levinston was very closed as Allen had expected, perhaps he even thought him distrustful. Knowing it was wise to be cautious he couldn't help but be curious, the very nature of his job demanded that he think of all possible options and think in the mind of criminals themselves, that was key to success in his line of work, just academic prowess was never sufficient.
"I remember my times here at Hogwarts like it were yesterday sir," he answered giving as little away as Levinston now. Though he would push the boundaries as the Minister had requested.
Following at Levinston's side he dismissed the mud squelching underfoot, though recorded that it would slow escape if necessary. Allen had expected such an unsatisfactory answer from Levinston, curt and to the point, but he had to disagree with his thoughts.
"I beg to differ sir, the very reasons for the task will help us to solve it." He countered without smiling. Knowing now that he couldn't mull things over with Levinston and rebound ideas off him he sank back into his own thoughts, disregarding the conversation for mere small talk, unnecessary and a waste of time, but not wanting to seem rude he contributed;
"Then how sir, do you plan to complete your tasks? I wonder if they are entirely dissimilar to my own." He realised with a sinking feelign that Levinston was of the view that thinking wasn't required, rather more completing a task as soon as humanely possible.

[athenalestrange]

Athena was deep in thought as she mindlessly walked the grounds. Her father was old and ill, she didn't like to think of the possibility that he could drop dead at any time. Being away from him made her sick to her stomach. Then she fell out of her trance like state when she saw two men talking by her favorite tree. She knew she had wandered into some important talk so she decided to cure her boredom and to take her mind off her father, she would hide and listen to what these men, who looked important had to say. She thought "Who knows maybe intrigue is just what I need to fill out my days here until I can go home and be with father." She registered the chill in the air, and drew her cloak around her. Nobody would know that she was missing so in her mind she would be safe here for hours just listening to the men speak.

[allen]

Being a trained and successful Auror Allen immediately heard the soft footfall of a student approaching behind them. Using discreet hand signals to Levinston he realised with a sinking feeling that the man didn't have the foggiest idea what he was doing. Having momentarily forgotten or rather wished Levinston were an Auror he had used the good old hand gestures to warn him of the impeeding danger. He would have to be less discrete now though, whispering urgently in a voice that would be totally inaudible to those fewer than a foot away he notified Levinston of their being watched with the hushed words "we're not alone...sir" with a somewhat delayed 'sir' added as an afterthought. "I'll deal with it," pointing at the lake so as not to arouse their listeners attention he exclaimed now in his normal carying voice
"there's been a lot of unauthorised activity down by the lake, perhaps we should look into it sir?" Though that was indeed true it was a minor point and hopefully served it's purpose of distracting the onlooker. Suddenly wheeling around he bounded swiftly over to their rather poor hiding place; simply behind the nearest tree. Holding his wand out before him he muttered "lumos" to get a clear view of his victim. Of medium height and build she was probably in her later years of hogwarts he deemed, perhaps even her final year, though why she had the stupidity to try creeping up on trained Ministry officials was quite beyond him. Thankfully she hadn't had the chance to choose a suitable hiding place otherwise Levinston would probably have never even noticed her presence.
"What are you doing here child?" He asked in his best authoratitive tone.
"The grounds are strictly off limits for students after the hour of six o'clock, it is precisely a qaurter past six now. Were you eavesdropping?" He asked icily hoping she would just leave now before he had to force further misery upon her. "Your teachers will here about this outrage directly, what did you hear? Hmm speak quickly we haven't the time for this." He stared menacingly at the girl his wand outraised and ready at any moment to take her own wand before she even had chance to think of doing anything stupid. "Your wand please, it is forthwith confiscated, you may pick uit up at the end of the week from the Minister's office." He outstretched his hand commanding her to hand it over.

[athenalestrange]

Athena looked up and saw the man towering over her. She didn't want to admit to him the real reason she had been listening to them. She'd rather die than admit her own weakness, her own inability to cure her ailing father. Thinking quickly on her feet she came up with a lie. "I meant no harm. I simply lost track of the time. Please have mercy. I just wanted some solitude. I didn't mean to be nosy. I'll head back to the castle just give me a chance please!"

Athena hoped the man believed her so she could scamper back to the castle and possibly find a better hiding spot than the one she has found. Mad at herself for not being more careful in selecting the spot. Looking up at the man she shot him remorseful eyes, hoping they had the same effect on him that they always had on her father.

[pixie]

It was a beautiful evening and Amanda was making the most of it, strolling along the spacious grounds, irridescent hair flashing different colors in the setting sun She was also, surprise surprise, singing a new song.


Take the world
Shake and stir
And that's what I got goin' on
I throw my cares up in the air
And I don't think they're comin' down
Yeah, I love how it feels right now

This is the life! Hold on tight!
And this is the dream
It's all I need!
You never know where you'll find it
And I'm gonna take my time, yeah
I'm still getting it right
This is the Life

Takin' in a whole new scene
And I'm swimming with a new crowd (crowd)
Breakin' down the old four walls
And building them up from the ground
I love how it feels right now

This is the life! (life!)
Hold on tight! (hold on, hold on!)
And this is the dream! (dream!)
It's all I need! (hold on!)
You never know where you'll find it
And I'm gonna take my time yeah.
And I'm still getting it right
This is the life

Gonna follow my own lead, yeah!
Kick back and feel the breeze!
Nothing but the blue sky!
As far as I can see!

This is the life
Hold on tight!
And this is the dream!
It's all I need!
You never know where you'll find it
And I'm gonna take my time, yeah
I'm still getting it right

This is the life! (life! Yeah!)
Hold on tight! (hold on, hold on!)
And this is the dream! (dream!)
It's all I need! (hold on!)
You never know where you'll find it
And I'm gonna take my time yeah
I'm still getting it right
This is the Life

She sang softly to herself, experimenting with the melody, her clear, strong voice rising on the still, silent air. Suddenly she heard voices up ahead. It sounded like two men, and a girl... a student maybe? She approached the group apprehensively. "Is everything allright?" she asked softly gazing up into the forboding face of one of the men towering over her.




((I've made a slight change to Amanda's apearance. In order to make her look more pixie-like, she has pointed, Elfin- like ears (think LOTR). Just thought I'd let you all know))

[allen]

Allen blatently ignored the puppy dog face and watery eyes of the girl, how could she believe such simple tricks would work against him? Though admittedly the weaker minded Levinston would probably be more inclined, simply for not being trained as an Auror like himself.
"I asked for your wand," he said grimly flicking his wrist and watching with satisfaction as her wand flew from robe pockets into his own outstretched hand. He didn't have time for such nonsense as simple excuses and whinnings. Slipping the girl's wand into his own robes he asked "your name child? I'm afraid it's my duty to report you directly to your teachers."
About to frog-march the girl back up to the castle he was interupted by a voice apparently singing floating on the gentle breeze. Raising his eyebrows at yet another interuption. A less focused man unable to control their emotions would have ground their teeth in frustration, but Allen simply turned on the new arrival allowing his inward frustration at his tasks to seep into his voice, to imporve the effectiveness of his words and with any luck send them scarpering back to the castle without further ado.
"Are you all incapable of reading the time?" He asked patronisingly "By educational decree number 37 recently instated by the Minister you are forbidden to be in Hogwarts grounds after the hour of six. You should know this information, please be off directly otherwise I shall add your wand to the bargain." He stated simply, the new rules and regulations would have to be abided by directly; there was zero tolerance. Pointedly talking to the latest arrival to the absymal scene of impudence he asked "And what is your name?"

[pixie]

Amanda flushed with embarassment. "I- I'm sorry sir, I didn't realize a new decree had been passed." she admitted sheepishly. "I'm Amanda Leveque sir." she added as he had asked her what her name was. "Well.... I guess I'll be on my way back up to the castle..." and with that she turned and walked away.

[athenalestrange]

"My name is Athena LeStrange, daughter to Rupert LeStrange perhaps you have heard of him. I suggest you return my wand this moment, I haven't done anything wrong, except lose track of the time, as you can see I have no watch, and I cannot clearly see a clock anywhere, so it is perfectly reasonable that I lost track of time!" Athena stated with confidence, seeing as how the puppy dog look didn't work, she thought that she'd try to use her ability to convey an air of authority. She stared at the man, thinking to herself, "this guy is kinda attractive." The chill in the air seemed to lessen as she stood up to the man nearly 3 times her age. "I'll head back up to the castle as soon as my wand is returned! I have classes to attend that require a wand to be used! I refuse to fail any class because I lost track of time! Now my wand please!"

Athena glared at the man awaiting his reply.

[Deputy Head Morley]

Professor Morley strode out on the grounds. For all the times she wished she was a student again, this was not one of them. All the new decree's set up by the Ministress of Enlightenment, it was ridiculous! As if it wasn't enough to further attempt to keep students out of the forest--though she had heard through a very reliable source that, as with many past attempts to close off the forest, this one was not going over so well--but now they had to initiate an earlier curfew as well. She felt sorry for the students, through no fault of their own they were being mistreated, held captive within what was once a haven for them all. It near broke her heart to see the students faces these days, forlorn and aged, as if they'd lived a thousand years these past few months. She could almost hear their riotous voices now... wait... she could hear their riotous voices now! Or at least someone's voice...

She walked forward with more hurried steps now, worried at what might be happening. If one of the students were out of the castle, and one of the Ministry guards had caught them... She didn't even want to think about what might happen; what the Ministry might do to try and further reinforce their ridiculous, outlandish tenats.
Up ahead she saw four figures, one standing in a bush, one begrudgingly headed back up to the castle, and two more. Two men by their silhouettes it seemed. One who seemed to be enjoying his impinged authority a bit too much, the other who seemed a stately sort; not over imposing, and trying to keep the peace, but having trouble with the ostentacity of his colleague.

She heard only bits and pieces of their conversation as she moved forward. "That's quite enough gentlemen. I think you've beleaguered these girls more than aptly for one night," she stated plainly. "Miss LeStrange I'll let you borrow my wand for your classes, it won't be perfect but it will be enough to get you through class until the end of the week," she nodded to the girl, as if to say 'I'm trying to help you out here, don't blow it.' She then turned and stared icily at the man who had been so trying her students a moment earlier, "Now if you'll excuse me, I think these young ladies may need an escort back to the castle."

She looked at the two Gryffindor girls, linked arms with both of them and headed back towards the bright mouth of the castle.

[Uriel Levinston]

(( Erm, I wasn't content with "steering clear". I was going to post a reaction actually... ))

[allen]

(Allen is no longer active as he's more trouble than worth and is apparently disliked, but I won't delete entirely cause it makes the site messy)