[Courtyard] Ways&Means (Addy)

[Dean Hogarth]

November was never really the perfect time to be outsidE and seeing as this was Hogwarts and it was up in Scotland Dean was cursing the time he had to go to Care of Magical Creatures. This was never his favourite lesson anyway, Professor O’Donnell actually scared him, and he truly felt that if he said the wrong word at the wrong moment in time she would bite his head off. So as normal the Hufflepuff remained silent throughout the whole lesson, standing near the back simply listening to what was going on hoping that if he blended into the background Professor O’Donnell would not even notice he was there.

The lesson dragged on, a cold breeze blowing over the lake as the Professor tried to build up some excitement over a small lizard type creature, but Dean did not care. He wanted to get out of the wind, out of the cold and sit down in the Common Room reading his Astronomy text book. Finally the lesson ended and Dean was able to trudge back from the waters edge and head back towards the castle, head down focusing on where his feet where going to make sure he did not slip on the wet grass.

The route back to the castle and the Common Room had, over the many years meant that Dean could go on autopilot and let his feet lead the way but this did not leave much room for error and as Dean stepped to one side to avoid a pack of giggling girls in the courtyard he had misjudged his positioning and before the Hufflepuff knew it he was going headfirst into the fountain.

[Adelaine Russo]

A letter fluttered onto her lap while she ate, and seemed to go unnoticed by the people around her. Adelaine set down her fork and picked it up. From what she could see, the letter was from her mother. But, she usually only sent letters near the holidays didn’t she? Addy chewed on her lower lip, debating whether or not to open it now. I’ll wait until later. She tucked the letter into her bag and tried to focus back on whatever her friends were talking about.

All through the day though, her mind revolved around the letter. Was something wrong at home? Maybe her mother just wanted her, Prue and Caleb to visit home. Or maybe it was an update on how Drea and Woody were doing. Adelaine tried to calm her nerves by focusing on something else. How about the lesson for example? Because if she didn’t pay attention she would most surely fail, and that wouldn’t make her parents happy, now would it?

Finally, after several gruesome hours, it was her free time. Adelaine tore the letter out of her bag and nearly ripped it open in her eagerness. She walked outside as she read it, and what started as a brisk walk slowed dramatically, until her feet were dragging against the ground. Addy slumped against the wall of the school and her arm fell uselessly to her side.

It seemed to be a whole minute before she finally moved. Addy shoved the letter into her bag and spun on her heels. She seemed to march through the groups of students back to the courtyard. I have to show this to Caleb and Prue. Poor Anthony. Adelaine grimaced slightly as she thought of him. In a small summary, the letter basically stated that the family didn’t have enough money to keep buying the potion her brother needed. So, he was placed in confinement basically, because her parents were afraid of him hurting someone else.

“I said MOVE!”

Addy shoved against one of the students as she pushed through the crowd. The girl let out an annoyed huff and shoved into another student. Adelaine didn’t see what else happened, but by the splash and a chorus of laughter, she could certainly guess. Grimacing, Addy turned around and walked back over to the fountain, where the boy sat dripping. “Need some help?”

( This post fails, sorry D: )

[Dean Hogarth]

It was like a thousand daggers piercing through Dean’s skin he gasped for air and only got a mouth full of rather dirty looking fountain water. Floundering in the shallow water Dean spun himself around and was greeted with the joyous, equally cold blast, of November air. The Hufflepuff tried to take a large gasp only to start chocking on the mouthful’s of water that were now flooding his lungs. Crawling to the edge of the fountain Dean hung his head over the rim and started to cough up the water, spluttering and shivering as he went.

He was quiet willing to fade away back to the Commonroom and hide out in their for a while until this whole situation had blown over (so maybe a good few days till someone else did something equally stupid) but there was a problem, a Gryffindor and a female one at that was making her way over towards him and asking if he needed any help.

“N-n-no th-th-ank yo-u” He shivered as he dared glance up at the girl who had arrived and despite the fact the boy no doubt had been turning blue due to the icy coldness of the water the tips of Dean Hogarth’s ears still managed to burn beetroot red. He could not believe this girl was here, his hope of slipping into the background had now failed so with a small sigh he stood up and attempted to climb out of the fountain.

Attempted was the best word for it because the problem with this schools house robes was that there was a lot of material and it held water really well, meaning that as a result Dean, who had not been expecting this extra weight, ended up losing his balance and toppling backwards once again…today was not going to be his day.

[Adelaine Russo]

Adelaine couldn’t help but feel a bit responsible for what happened to the struggling boy. And that sense of guilt was what drew her over to him. Or, perhaps it was just her nature to help, because several members of her family seemed to lack that particular trait. Drea and Woody weren’t around enough to care for anyone but themselves, Anthony wasn’t in any condition to help, and Prue seemed to be wrapped up in her own mess. Caleb was sometimes overly helpful, or worried, but he meant well. That left little Addy, picking up everyone’s slack.

“N-n-no th-th-ank yo-u”

The Hufflepuff—for that was what he had to be considering it was plainly sewn onto his robe—seemed that he would rather delude himself instead of accepting her help. His lips were most obviously turning blue, yet his ears seemed to be blushing for him. Rolling her eyes, Addy stepped closer to the fountain to help him. “Don’t give me that, you’re turning blue already.” She muttered as she wrapped an arm around his torso and tried to help him heave himself over the edge.

Apparently, that plan wasn’t going to work.

The Puff lost his balance and fell back into the fountain, ultimately dragging Addy with him. She plunged into the cold water, and her scream was cut off by a surge of water rushing into her mouth. Adelaine’s arm was lodged under Dean and she thrashed violently until her head finally broke the surface of the water. The icy cold breeze smacked against her face and whatever part of her water wasn’t submerged in the water. Addy let out a small gasp at the cold, before she was taken by a violent cough—her body’s way of ridding itself of the water that had invaded her lungs.

After her coughing subsided, she was acutely aware of the laughter that seemed to be surrounding them. Adelaine’s eyes slid down as she bit down on her lower lip and tried to push the voices out of her head. She instead turned her attention over to Dean, because she was sure that if she didn’t help him, he would freeze. “Come on.” Addy threw one leg over the fountain’s edge, then the other, and jumped down out of it. She extended her hand toward Dean and worked up a small smile as she waited for him to take her hand. “I’ll help you out.”