Magical Hogwarts

Rita was in a most delightful mood. She was outside, the sun was shining, there were few clouds in the sky, and she was wearing the new yellow raincoat that her father had bought her for a going-away-to-Hogwarts present. Coupling that with a pair of yellow sunglasses, Rita was sure that this day would be amazing. As she skipped through the grounds, she knew that she had to find something entertaining. Her last visit to the grounds had been spectacular, and there had been so many other kids out and about for her to chat with. Where were they now?

The fifth year pulled the hood of her raincoat over her head and walked slowly towards a tree in the distance. Oh, glorious tree, what great shade it must bring! She continued her skipping until she made it to the base of the gigantic tree. Crossing her legs, she plopped down onto the ground and placed her hands in her lap. Looking around, she sighed impatiently. No one was around. No fair! Placing her hands on the ground, she hoisted herself up and dusted off her raincoat. Maybe she had to explore the area if she was ever going to find someone.

She soon pushed the hood of her raincoat off and went off in search of others. Passing a tree, she spotted two boys. But... okay, maybe she shouldn't go to them, for it looked like an older student beating up a first year, and that wasn't quite the entertainment that she was looking for. Seeing another tree in the distance, she ran towards it and immediately started to climb its branches until she found a sturdy one to sit on. Now she could spy on anyone who came towards her; that was definitely exciting!

Patrolling the grounds�not because anyone asked him to, but because the Prefect took his badge quite seriously�Jari became curious when he saw a yellow streak of raincoat dart across the lawns. The witch ran from one tree (where she sat), then to another (where some boys were) and finally to another, before climbing straight up. Jari was impressed at her speed and daring, and a part of him wanted to join her on the adventure.

He should have been paying better attention to the grounds he sought to secure, but the Hufflepuff missed the two boys picking on a younger student. He took his role seriously, but he wasn�t super vigilant. Jari had always been a brain half in the clouds sort of wizard, and as he approached the tree, his eyes literally looked to the sky. �Hey, whatcha� doing up there?� he called, using his hand to block the sun as he looked upward.

The teenager wondered if he could climb as high as she had, but he hesitated. Younger Jari would have climbed up in a second; he was quick to play games and make new friends. But older Jari was simultaneously more outgoing and shyer. He was comfortable around his friends, but he didn�t know her well, and that made him nervous. Plus, she was a really good climber.

Oh no! Her position had been compromised!

She glanced down at the person whose voice had distracted her. She vaguely recognized him from a class she'd had... or maybe she'd seen him around in the Great Hall. Nevertheless, she had wanted to find anyone, right? And it still counted if someone found her first, right? Of course!

"I am," she started, cocking her head to the side as she tried to decide if she wanted to tell him the truth or if she wanted to make up some fantastic lie. She was always an honest person, but it wasn't like a lie would be a bad thing. Especially if it was a rather outrageous lie.

"I lost my teapot the other day. I think I left it up in one of these trees," she proclaimed, not sure who she was trying to convince more. "And it's a family heirloom that came all this way from India. My family would disown me if they found out I lost it." Smiling shyly, she then raised an eyebrow at him. "You haven't seen it, have you?"

Hyacinth typically did not enjoy winter as much as the other three seasons, but today was exceptionally warm for the middle of January. The sun was shining and she was feeling a little better. Usually, when it was cold and dreary, she found herself with a bit of the wintertime blues. Of course, this Christmas had been lovely over-all. While Hyacinth had not enjoyed being cooped up around the house as much as she had liked spending time with her sisters the previous years, Hyacinth had been excited to find out her youngest older sister was engaged to be married–not arranged, like Cassia and Iris, but truly out of love and connection. She was eager to be a part of the wedding and liked Azalea’s choice of husband. Christian had been very nice to her when they met.

Due to the unseasonably warm weather, Hyacinth was out for a run, and was even getting a little warm in her leggings and jacket combination. She stopped to pull her hair back into a low ponytail when she glimpsed Jari across the grounds and jogged over to say hello. Jari was a good friend. He was a sweetheart and she liked that about him. He was never mean to her, never judgmental about her family. He was a nice person, and she fancied him a little bit–to her utter horror. While usually not her type, Jari was also dating Abby, one of Hyacinth’s closest friends. She would never intentionally try to take him from Abby, or, realistically, take any boyfriend from anyone, but she felt a little guilty for finding him so charming, cute, and sweet. He was off-limits, and even her imagination didn’t seem safe enough.

“Jari, hi!” She greeted, then followed his eyes up the tree to see Amritleen sitting up there. This surprised her, but she blinked and smiled, then waved at her. “Having fun up there?” She wondered. She was very high up! She heard the other mention her teapot and she wondered why on earth it might be up a tree–but didn’t question her about it. That was not her business.

“I haven’t seen it, unfortunately, but are you sure it’s up the tree? Maybe it got accidentally put into the kitchens?” She wondered, not sure if that was a thing that happened or not. She wondered what an India-originated teapot might look like and how it might differ from the ones they had at her home. “What does it look like? Can I help you look?”

"Your... teapot?" Jari smiled as he asked the question, despite being confused. "How did it get up the tree?" The Hufflepuff's eyes moved from Rita toward the tall branches of the tree she'd climbed so quickly. He'd been about to offer to climb up and help her look--that two sets of eyes were better than one--but Hyacinth joined them and Jari waved at his teammate. Three sets of eyes were better than two!

"Hiya Hyacinth," he said, turning to offer her a smile before looking back up the tree. "We can both help you," he offered, because that was what good Hufflepuffs did. They were very good finders (Jari especially, but that was because he lost things very often). He fidgeted with the zipper on his jumper, unsure if he should still offer to climb the tree, or if he'd be better off searching on the ground level. He thought about it for a moment, and they shouted back up at Rita.

"Are you sure you're in the right tree?"