* Harry Potter; Mauraders' Era; lunch (next muggle studies);

[Maze]

Would this day never end?

A thundercloud would flee at the dark look on Malfoy's face as he stalked through the castle. Behind him, Crabbe and Goyle shrugged at one another, sharing the occasional uncomfortable look as they followed, just a little further away from his heels than usually, because he'd snapped at them for that, already.

Someone's mood didn't seem to have improved much throughout the day..

The last class would have been dismissed by now, so Malfoy saw no use in going all the way to the Astronomy Tower just to be told to leave again. To the Slytherin Common Rooms, then.

Preferably to his room straight after, but there was the unfortunate matter of homework.

"Hey, Lucius?"

"Not now," Malfoy snapped over his shoulder and continued on his way.

Could this day possibly get any worse?  

[comfylove]

He had expected the first day back to be long, but today had been so drawn out that it was almost ridiculous. Fifth year was rumored to be the hardest apart from seventh year since it was their OWL year, and quite frankly, Remus wasn't expecting the course load to be so full. His three friends definitely would not have as much time to get their fun and pranking done like they did the years before -- they'd have to learn the horrible skill that was time management. And, with all of this work on top of being a Prefect, Remus had a sinking and almost overwhelming in the pits of his stomach that he knew was not from being hungry, although he could go for some sweets about now.

Most everyone had already gone up to turn in for the night, but Remus had decided to take the opportunity of having a quiet Common Room to get ahead on the homework that was assigned today since being behind in classes had been all too familiar to him in past years. He reached over to his bag, pulling out a half-empty box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans that he had bought while on the train. He'd already sorted out the disgusting ones from the somewhat decent beans and only kept those that would not make him feel like hurling. Dumping some beans into his hand, he tossed his head back and dropped them into his mouth all at once as a hodgepodge of flavors erupted in his mouth. Candy made homework not seem so bad. He picked up his quill, dipped it into his ink, and proceeded with his essay that wasn't as hard as he thought it would be.

Hearing footsteps coming down from the above level where the dorms were, Remus looked to the staircase and spotted Sirius. He smiled widely, he hadn't really seen Sirius much today past lunch since he had slept for most of the day. "I took some notes for you, mate." Remus said suddenly as he reaching into his bag again and pulled them out.  

[ieatwood]

Once class was dismissed, Bella shoved her things in her bag and stood, following Narcissa out of the room. She smirked at her sisters' comment, "It's going to come up sooner or later. I sort of understood it, I have no idea how your supposed to figure out yours though."

She headed in the direction of the Slytherine common room, assuming Narcissa would be going there too. She was tired, and really couldn't wait to get to the dorms.  

[ElDot]

"Allright, let's go," Gideon sighed, waving his goodbyes to the house elves as they left. Fabian suddenly looked much happier.
"So, what do you thik of your classes this year?" Gideon had personally hated 3rd year - far too easy courses, and he could only get one elective.  

[Mistril]

"It's going to come up sooner or later. I sort of understood it, I have no idea how your supposed to figure out yours though."

"I suppose that makes sense, if you want to get ahead that is." Narcissa walked with her sister towards the Slytherin common room. She was thinking about trying to start a conversation of some sort or at least keep this one going, but was far too tired to bother trying to come up with something else to say. So, she just waited to see if Bella would say anything.

Once they arrived at the Slyterin common room, she almost didn't notice the platinum blond hair in the common room. Almost. 'Hmmm.." Narcissa thought, stopping in the doorway.  

[Maze]

Said platinum blond hair belonged to none other than Lucius Malfoy, who had been suspiciously absent for most of the day. Along with his two lapdogs. Lucius was lounging in the most comfortable chair near the hearth, where a fire was already burning. His feet were propped up on the stool in front of it.

Malfoy seemed somewhat preoccupied with staring absently at the artfully decorated chimneypiece around the opening of the fireplace. The dark look from before hadn't quite disappeared, though, as there was an irritable frown still present on his face.

A cup of aromatic tea sat on the table nearby, steam still wafting from the liquid. While it wasn't necessarily possible to say how long the seventh-year had been here by now, it did, at least, show that that cup had been recently poured.

In other words, it told you very little. (But at least it filled a paragraph. AHAHAHA)

There was a long-suffering sigh from Lucius, and he sat up a little to reach for the cup, picking up the spoon that lay on the saucer as well before dipping it into the tea and stirring the liquid. He winced a little as the spoon hit the sides of the cup, but, as he then noticed fellow Slytherin entering the Common Room, he schooled his features into something more appropriate.

Like indifference with a touch of boredom.

His eyes rested on Narcissa for a moment. Well, perhaps not entirely indifferent nor bored..

"Looks like you were right about class being dismissed, Lucius. Good thing we didn't go." Crabbe spoke, a little impressed. Lucius rolled his eyes and threw a look at the sturdier built boy and his equally broad companion sitting on the settee across from him.

"Yes, and who's fault was that?" Malfoy sounded less than impressed himself.

"Me?" Crabbe flustered, "But, you fai.."

"I did no such thing. That was a gross dramatization on that lack of a medi-witch's part, and I'll thank you not to spread such lies about me." Lucius glared at them from behind his cup of tea, cutting off any more remarks from the pair.  

[Mistril]

Lucius caught Narcissa's eye right before she made her decision to ignore him, as punishment for disappearing. In that moment, however, she changed her mind and decided to ask him exactly where he had been hiding all day. He was talking to the baboons when she finally started to walk towards him.

After taking about three steps, she realized that she needed to regroup. Making sure he wasn't looking in her direction, she conjured up a mirror, checked herself, got rid of said mirror and then the final touch. She put on her 'mask' of indifference. Once that was all finished, she continued her walk towards Lucius.

"May I inquire as to where you were all day, Mr. Malfoy?" She asked, making sure that she sounded completely bored, and not the least bit worried or upset. She was angry with him and had been worried about him, but she wasn't about to let it show. She did, however, let a slight look of disgust grace her features when she looked at the great oafs sitting across from him.  

[Tendara]

"So, what do you think of your classes this year?"
Fabian grinned. He knew Gideon hadn't liked his third year classes, because they were too easy. But Fabian was taking advanced classes, and was with the older students. "They're wickedly entertaining. I love taking classes with older students." Fabian looked at his stuff. "I just wish all of this stuff was back in the common room." He knew he couldn't perform a vanishing spell powerful enough to get rid of everything he had, so he turned to Gideon. "Vanish it for me?"  

[ElDot]

Gideon flicked his wand casually, taking all his and Fabian's things into the Common Room. As they passed a window, Gideon looked outside and saw the sickle moon in the black sky.
"Heavens, what time is it?" Gideon looked at his watch. "We need to get back, Filch will skin us alive if we're caught-"
"Meeeaow..."
Gideon and Fabian turned slowly on the spot and looked down. Mrs. Norris, Filch's cat and herald was looking at them with luminous eyes. Gideon heard Fabian's breathing stop, and Gideon found he couldn't speak either.
"Run," croaked Gideon softly. "RUN!"
Gideon pelted for a tapestry at the end of the hall, grabbing Fabian with him. He ripped aside the scene depicting an outdoor banquet, causing the people dining to scream of a Giant attack. They fled full speed down the secret passageway, Gideon pointing his wand behind his shoulder to put the tapestry back up. Gideon slammed his shoulder into the door at the end, slamming it open. He threw Fabian through and locked the door with his wand.
He heard footsteps tapping behind the door, and Gideon looked around frantically in the dead end hallway they had entered with a particularly ugly tapestry of a man trying to teach a group of trolls to do a ballet.
"Door, door, where's a DOOR?" he moaned. He was just starting to come up with excuses in his mind when he heard Fabian.
"There! Right there!" Gideon whipped around, spied the door immediately, and sprinted towards it, opening it and ushering in Fabian and going through himself just as he heard the footsteps stop.
"Close it!" hissed Fabian. Gideon pulled it close and locked it with a series of padlocks found on the inside of it.
They stood breathless, listening at the door. The heard Filch's wheezy breathing on the other side.
"Where've ye gone, little devils?" they heard him muttering. Finally, it seemed Filch had given up searching. They waited until they heard him leave before making noise.
"Where ARE we?" asked a bewildered Gideon.  

[Tendara]

Fabian blinked. It had all happened so fast. One minute they were planning out their adventure, the next they were silently hiding behind a door away from Filch.
Silently, Fabian started to move away from the door. If Filch decided to try that door he didn't want to be standing near it, even if it was padlocked.
The room seemed vaguely familar but he couldn't remember why. Perhaps he had heard about it before. He looked at the padlocks.
Fabian pulled out his wand, and wrote out his words, so he didn't make any noise.
"I don't know. I've never seen this place before. Someone told me about a place that sounded like this.. but I don't remember what they said. I think we are still on the same floor as the kitchen. So, we'd be around the dungeons. Maybe we can find another way out of here?"
Before he got an answer, he quietly whispered "Lumos" and went to the side of the room, to start looking for another way out. Hopefully filch couldn't see the light from his wand.  

[Le Papillon Pleurant]

[Been totally lost the past few days, so I'm placing Hestia randomly wherever. ><;;]

Class dismissal came to be a great relief for Hestia. The lack of sleep she had gotten overnight certainly had not assisted her in staying alert in class. Grabbing her bag, she shot from the room quickly and made her way down the hall. Free period, yay! Now she could get to reading that book she had been craving for the past few days. She headed toward the courtyard to find herself a place to sit and relax for awhile.  

[Maze]

Narcissa was approaching. Lucius hushed Goyle and Crabbe again, and sipped his tea in as elegant a manner as he could. He smiled up at her, knowing she'd come his way the moment he set eyes on her, and.. then realised she had a very good question there.

How to proceed now, though? Obviously, he didn't want to just come out and say he'd fainted and had spent quite some time waiting for Madam Pomfrey to decide that he really was well enough to leave.

Crabbe and Goyle hadn't been helping either, informing the mediwitch that Malfoy had been slightly out of it all morning. Payback for the fact that he'd kept the chocolate frogs, no doubt. Well! He'd show them!

He'd share them with Narcissa now! He'd intended to give them to the lugs later, for this or that, but if they insisted on this, why, then he had no reason not to resort to methods of payback that were appropriate.

Still, what else could he tell her? Madame Pomfrey requested his assistance for the day? Oh, like that would go over well. Not only was it a completely ludicrous lack of an excuse, it would also be one easily dispelled..

Curse them! This was all Crabbe and Goyle's fault! If they'd just let him catch his breath for a moment, he'd have been fine! But no..

Lucius caught himself before he snorted in derision at the pair sitting opposite of him, realising he wasn't answering Narcissa question. He sighed, just a little, then and resigned himself to telling what had happened in as vague a manner as possible.

"I had a minor accident, and spent some time recuperating under the watchful eye of that vulture, pardon, mediwitch Pomfrey. I assured her, and these idiots," he glared balefully at Crabbe and Goyle, but especially Crabbe, "that I was fine, but she insisted she examine me far more often than is probably legal, and honestly, it was just a dreadful waste of the day without your ever charming presence," Malfoy figured it wouldn't hurt to add that last part, at least.

"But, please, if you don't mind, I'd rather not discuss the particulars right now, the day has been tedious long enough." But if he ever figured out what his homework was, it might end up even more tedious.

Ah, he heaved a mental sigh, it was hard work being a Malfoy.  

[Freak Show Excess]

Sirius heard Remus' voice and looked up, smiling. "Ahh, I thought I'd find you down here!" He sauntered over to where Remus was sitting and took the notes from him, slinging his bag off of his shoulder and setting it on the ground. "Thanks, mate! I owe you one." He sat down close enough to Remus so that his thigh was pressing against Remus', but so that if someone looked at them, it didn't seem weird.

"Ugh.. Astronomy is so dull." Sirius said as he finished the last of his notes. "Who cares about those twinkly bits in the sky, anyways?" Sighing, he leant back in his chair and stretched his arms above his head, arching his back, which was sore from being hunched over so long. "Hmm... I'm knackered. Maybe I should go up to bed," he said, but didn't move. He looked over at Remus, studying his face: the way his hair fell delicately into his eyes, his slender wrists that lead to his elegant hands, and those long, nimble fingers gripping his pencil so elegantly; Remus always left Sirius quite breathless.  

[un de plus pamplemousse]

As Severus continued doing his Astronomy homework, his ever-present sneer deepened into a scowl. How loud did his fellow Slytherins have to be? Honestly, they were acting like a bunch of Gryffindors. He realised that the first day of classes were done, and they were rejoicing a bit, but still. He glared at anyone close enough, and they promptly quieted down. He didn't have as much pull as Lucius, but he was a force to be reckoned with. People didn't like crossing paths with his biting sarcasm. He was simply too quick and too scathing for them.

He finished up the work, glad to have it done with. He noticed that Lucius was busy with Narcissa, but he had been eyeing him up earlier for what Severus presumed was class notes and the assignment. As Severus rather respected Lucius and liked to be on his good side, he decided that he would just write up the notes for him. He took out his notes, copying them down neatly on another piece of parchment. This done, he copied down the assignment, along with a few notes about it, onto a piece of scrap parchment and, before heading upstairs, walked over to Lucius and set it quietly down on the table in front of him, not wanting to get in the way of his and Narcissa's discussion.  

[ieatwood]

Bella made small talk with her sister till they stepped through the portrait and Narcissa noticed Lucius. She left her sister to it, quietly heading up to the dorms, she was tired anyway. In the morning, during study, she planned to catch up on the homework from last night, but for now, she just didn't feel like it. She quickly climbed the stairs, and headed for her room, parting the curtains. Thos greeted her enthusiastically, mewing and bounding across the bed, purring loudly. After sitting with Thos for awhile, she grabbed her pajamas and headed for the bathrooms, taking a shower and brushing her teeth. Once she was through with that, she went to bed, Thos curling into a purring ball against her stomach.