Adrenaline from the Skies

[Gwendolyn Marie Bertrand]

As Gwen slowly walked to the Quidditch Stadium, her eyes moved back left and right repeatedly. She didn't want anyone finding out that she was flying or the fact that she was breaking the rules. As much as she loved being a perfectionist, flying gave her a new rush to her brain. She couldn't explain how it felt or what it meant to her, all she knew was that she had to fly. Although she didn't enjoy Quidditch as much as her brother, she liked flying. Her perfectionist self however, thought flying was only appropriate in the right conditions, of course she agreed.

When she arrived at the Quidditch Stadium, the soft gentle breeze blew past her as she took it the scent that was the quidditch pitch. Tying her long strawberry blonde hair into a ponytail, she steadied her broom against the nearby wall. Dusting off her robes, she put on her dragon hide gloves, a gift from her brother, and mounted her broom. Before she kicked off and headed into the sky, she checked again if anyone could see her. Seeing as the coast was clear, Gwen flew into the air.

As she began at a relatively low altitude and an average speed, she went towards the goals at the other end. As she felt a rush of adrenaline, she moved faster and brought herself higher in the air as she sped past the goals. The cold air hit her cheeks and blew her hair behind as she flew laps around the quidditch stadium. Feeling the rush go to her brain, Gwen went until she was satisfied. Which was a few minutes after she had went her fastest speed. Brushing the few hairs that were stuck on her hair, she settled her broom on the nearby wall.

Taking out her silk periwinkle handkerchief, she slowly wiped the sweat that precipitated from her forehead. Folding it neatly and putting it in her pocket, Gwen then took off her dragon hide gloves. Resting on the wall that her broom was settled on, she leaned against it and began her normal breathing pattern. At the time she wasn't concerned or aware if there was anyone that saw her or anything, because the rush changed her thoughts completely...

[Stanley Coulter]

Stanley was procrastinating just a bit. Was most of his homework completed? Yes, it was, and he was fairly certain he'd receive a 99 at the very least on a couple of his assignments. Was there homework that still needed to be completed? To his dismay, yes. He knew how important it was to get your work done on time, but today he had decided to put it off a little. With a slight smile across his face, he sat in one of the secluded seats in the Gryffindor Quidditch stand, thinking absentmindedly of what his dad would say if he could see him there levitating a textbook with his wand rather than doing his assignments. His dad's expression came to mind, but it didn't bother him near as much as it used to. Stanley was at a boarding school now, all on his own; gone were the days where his father scrutinized every little thing he did and kept his nose pressed down in school books and working at the restaurant. And Stanley couldn't be happier about it. He missed home, yes, but he felt far more comfortable at Hogwarts.

But now something caught his attention. So much so that the large textbook fell on his foot as he lost his concentration and eye contact on the levitation charm. He managed to keep his mouth shut as his little toe throbbed with pain, trying to watch the girl. He had been to Flying Class, of course; but he hadn't learned what she was doing. She was obviously very talented with a broomstick, unlike many students in his own year. She was able to speed up and slow down in the air with ease, as if the broom was obeying her very thoughts. He was squinting, trying to get a better look. From his memory, she wasn't part of any of the Quidditch teams. But what did he know? He could barely see her in the sky, after all.

After she landed, Stanley grabbed his book and made his way quickly to where she was. Flying was something he was interested in. Quidditch was something he was interested in. And you couldn't play Quidditch without having a couple of flying lessons first. He wasn't going to pressure her into anything. That wouldn't be the polite thing to do. But if she seemed like a pleasant person, then maybe he would ask her...

He rounded the corner just as she leaned against the wall. She didn't seem to be aware of his presence, so he cleared his throat a little to let her know he was there. "That was amazing," he said earnestly. "Seriously, you're really good. Where did you learn to fly like that?"

[Gwendolyn Marie Bertrand]

Snapping out of her reverie, Gwen looked towards noise that bothered her. Although it was fairly dark, she could faintly see the Gryffindor badge that was printed on his robes. Unleashing her hair from the tightly bounded string that strained it, she brushed it softly before grabbing her broom. Although she had heard the boy compliment her, Gwen considered it rude that he was watching her. Taking a sharp breath and piercing her sapphire blue eyes on the boy, she examined him more closely...

He seemed fairly tall, although she could tell he was younger than her. He had short blonde hair, and blue eyes from what she could tell. She couldn't judge anything else, considering that it was fairly dark and he didn't give out too much. Considering she didn't respond to his question, Gwen decided he had waited long enough.

"Thank you, but shouldn't you be else where? It's turning dark and younger students aren't suppose to be here. I don't think any student is supposed to be here in this hour actually..." Gwen paused as she looked to see if anyone else was around. "I have a bit of quidditch in my blood, so flying comes natural. It also helps that I went to some quidditch training programs during the summer. Those small facts and well, my brother is the current captain of Puddlemere United, so it would be embarrassing if I was a bad flyer."

Walking towards the castle, Gwen paused a few meters away from the boy, forgetting she never introduced herself to him. "Oh, I'm Gwendolyn Marie Bertrand by the way. Just call me Gwendolyn though. I would let you call me Gwen, but you're younger than me and it seems improper. Anyways, I don't want to get caught being here, so I'll be off now. Perhaps I'll see you around the castle." Waving a short goodbye, Gwen slowly continued her walk towards the castle.

[Ryan Adler]

Ryan stepped out of the greenhouse, and glanced at the grounds around him. What they were doing in Herbology that week was important, and he had wanted to make sure his plant was doing okay. Despite being in Slytherin, Potions was not his favorite subject. Herbology was. He felt a kind of satisfaction from being able to take care of something, and have it live and thrive. Oddly enough, his plant seemed to like him, too. Most people would say that was absolutely crazy, but at Hogwarts, nothing was impossible. Smiling at the thought of his beautiful little plant, Ryan slung his bag over his shoulder and leaned against the side of the greenhouse, breathing in the scents of the night. The sun had already started to set, and it was rapidly growing dark. Ryan closed his eyes for a moment, focusing only on the sounds and smells of the grounds. Opening his eyes, he was surprised to see he wasn’t the only one out at that time of the evening. Somebody was flying laps around the Quidditch Pitch.

Ryan watched the figure for a few minutes, watching every turn it made, every acceleration, every deceleration, every move. Whoever it was was very good on a broom. He or she had complete control, and perfect precision. Ryan respected anybody who could fly that well, especially since he himself wouldn’t get on a broom if his life depended on it. Well, he may in that case, but if he had a choice, he refused to fly. The figure took a few more loops around the pitch, then descended towards the ground, falling out of Ryan’s line of vision. Rather than taking that as his cue to go back up to the castle, he just stood there for several more minutes as the night fell around him and the crickets began to sing. Finally, he pushed his way off the greenhouse wall, and took a few steps towards the oak front doors. He was stopped, though, by a figure moving away from the Quidditch Pitch. Ryan sank back into the shadows as it came closer. He didn’t particularly want to get in trouble if it was a teacher or an older student. As the figure approached, Ryan noticed that it was a girl who didn’t look too much older than he was. She looked just as nervous about being caught out this late as he did. Out of bravery or stupidity, he wasn’t sure which, Ryan stepped back into the little bit of remaining light and approached the girl.

“Uh, hi,” he said, somewhat uncertainly. “Were you the one flying around the pitch just a few minutes ago? I’m sure you’ve heard this more than once before, but you’re an excellent flyer. If you aren’t already on your house’s team, you should be. You would make a great addition.” Ryan didn’t recognize the girl’s blonde hair and athletic build in the fading light, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t on the team. All he knew for sure was that she wasn’t on Slytherin’s team.

[Gwendolyn Marie Bertrand]

As a figure began to speak to her, Gwen squinted her eyes to adjust to the darkness that surrounded them. Although Gwen had twenty-twenty vision, she couldn't tell much in the dark. Pulling out her rosewood wand, she whispered "lumos", as the end of the wand sparked a blueish light. Using the light, she could she the figure better. For a moment, Gwen observed the boy at distance, with his green robes, she speculated that he was in slytherin.

Gwen couldn't exactly tell what year he was in, but guessing from appearance, she guessed he was younger than her. He had dark brown hair, that appeared black in the night and from the distance she could tell he had very light gray eyes. Walking closer to the boy, but keeping her distance still, she gave him a small smile.

"Hello. I've it heard it once before, but thank you. I'm not on the house team nor will I be. I don't want to head into a career of Quidditch, I'd be too much like my brother if I did. That and I'm not too particularly fond of bludgers, not that anyone is of course. Before I forget introductions, I'm Gwendolyn Marie Bertrand. Call me Gwendolyn though. Oh and before you ask the question if I'm related to Ephraim Bertrand, current captain of Puddlemere United, I am. Now, seeing as its after hours and prefects will be in the halls soon, I'll be headed off now. I'm sure we'll see each other again, bonsoir." Gwen nodded curtly before continuing her walk towards the castle again.

It was after hours and she couldn't believe she bumped into two students already. It was bad enough she snuck out and was breaking the rules! Sighing and shaking off the thoughts, she disenchanted her wand and put it back in her pocket before she made too much attention on herself.

[Stanley Coulter]

The girl seemed to be trying to brush Stanley off. As she walked away and began to make towards the castle, he rolled his eyes slightly as he looked at his wrist watch. He then swore under his breath, however, when he saw what time it was. Gwen, or Gwendolyn as she thought she ought to be called, was right; it WAS late. He had spent more time in the seclusion of the Quidditch Stadium, playing with the levitation charm, than he had originally thought. He looked up into the sky and realized for the first time just how dark it was beginning to get. He cursed himself for not paying better attention and ran to catch up with Gwendolyn, who was now talking to another boy.

Stanley made it up to where Ryan was just after she gave him a curt nod and left. Stanley knew that she was older than both of them, but he found it a little surprising that she was giving the new boy somewhat of a cold shoulder, too. She didn't seem to be very sociable, nor did she try to hide her rudeness much.

"Have a good evening, Gwendolyn!" called Stanley, sounding sincere. It wasn't too long after that when Stanley looked at Ryan, nodded his head towards Gwendolyn, and rolled his eyes.

[Mason Wishart]

After having already been a prefect for a while before reaching his seventh year and being promoted to Head Boy, Mason was long used to his duties concerning the other students. He was only too happy to coordinate patrol schedules among the prefects of other houses and his Head Girl and girlfriend, Jacqueline. Patrols were a little bothersome, but he never really minded them. It always gave him time to think.

And after all, it wasn't as if they could throw him anything new and horrible he hadn't already seen. He really disliked taking disciplinary action against his fellow students, but when necessary, he would take points and assign detentions, as was his duty. He had already been forced to that before. He usually tried to keep the points low, more of a rebuke and a second chance than a real punishment, as long as any rule-breaking students he caught were reasonable and polite about it.

Really, Mason thought to himself, the problem was just that he didn't like having to grow a spine. He never thought of himself as a very brave person, and standing up to his classmates and taking away house points required quite a bit of courage. Still, he could fake it for a little while before his patrol was over. He glanced to his watch. He only had another half hour before he could head back to the commons and sleep. He had to get up early tomorrow for Potions anyway.

As he headed along the outermost east corridor, a flash of movement caught his eye through the window. He turned with a frown and cupped a hand over the glass to see through the glare of the candles into the dark. Was that... those were silhouettes flying about on the Pitch. There were students out on the Pitch at this time of night? It was unquestionably past curfew. With a sigh, he tugged his cloak higher on his shoulders against the nighttime chill and headed out onto the grounds.

As he tramped across the dew-stained grass, the silhouette banked and drifted down onto the grounds of the Pitch. They had at least stopped flying. It was rather foolish of them to be so flashy, attracting attention like that. But he didn't see anyone leaving, at least from the distance he was at, so somebody still had to be there.

It took him a while to make it out to the Pitch, but he finally pushed open the gate and headed out onto the grass. There. He was right. Three of them, huddled together. One had cast a lumos charm, and in its light, he could see their house colors. A Slytherin, a Gryffindor, and a Hufflepuff. Though as he watched, one of them, the Hufflepuff girl, pulled away from the others and started heading towards the gate to leave, broom in hand. He swiftly stepped in front of it to block her way.

"Excuse me. What are the three of you doing out here? Curfew was ages ago."

((So sorry this took forever to post!))

[Gwendolyn Marie Bertrand]

As Gwen headed towards the castle, she looked back and saw the other boys were still in the dark nearby the pitch. Rolling her eyes, Gwen wondered whether or not it was good or bad if she got caught late at night. Before she could contemplate the pros and cons, an elder student blocked her path to the castle. When he questioned the three of them, after much deliberation Gwen spoke up and said "This time of night offers the best conditions for flying, I simply wanted to test whether or not it was true. I don't know about their reason for after hours, but I'll honestly tell you that they weren't flying on the pitch. Logically, the one you should punish the most should be me, because not only was I was out after hours, but I was also using the Quidditch Pitch without permission. You can take me to the Headmaster or deduct as many points as you want, but I'd rather write an essay on my misbehavior and attend detention than worry my parents. Although, since your the Prefect, you decide what is appropriate or not."

After her honest and sincere speech given to the older student, Gwen contemplated whether or not she had made the right decision. Sighing, she wondered why her parents had wanted her to attend Hogwarts in the first place. Sure, it was deemed to be a prodigious school for young wizards and witches, but had Gwen really learned anything? As far as her parents were concerned, she was a very talented and gifted child. She excelled in her studies, was fairly artistic, and somewhat athletic. Then again, her brother was the same and had made it to his dream career.

Looking at the older student in front of her, Gwen wondered whether or not she could get going anytime soon. Although it was the beginning of the year, she wanted to get ahead of her studies and ace her OWLS at the end of the year. Sure, she had a photographic memory and could remember things that was spoken after hearing them, but she still had to study to keep up her grade point average.

[Mason Wishart]

Mason hated having to interrogate the students at all, but he kept up hope that they would at least go along with it and be polite. It would make his job easier and let the entire process go smoother. In fact, it would work out best for them in the end - arguing with a prefect about points, let alone the Head Boy, was a sure way to land in more trouble. But it was surprising how many people tried to fight back. Fortunately, it looked like this wasn't going to be one of those times. The Hufflepuff girl that had been flying appeared to consider for a moment before speaking up.

"This time of night offers the best conditions for flying, I simply wanted to test whether or not it was true. I don't know about their reason for after hours, but I'll honestly tell you that they weren't flying on the pitch. Logically, the one you should punish the most should be me, because not only was I was out after hours, but I was also using the Quidditch Pitch without permission. You can take me to the Headmaster or deduct as many points as you want, but I'd rather write an essay on my misbehavior and attend detention than worry my parents. Although, since your the Prefect, you decide what is appropriate or not."

Well. That was a pleasant surprise. He supposed it was part of her Hufflepuff personality that led her to show such loyalty to the students she was sneaking out with. He didn't know if they were long term friends or if they had only met minutes ago, but at the very least, her attempt to take the blame from them earned his respect. Were she a Slytherin, he might have suspected that she was only pretending to be selfless in order to reduce their punishments. As it was, he was just impressed.

"Nobody's going to the Headmaster tonight. That would be overkill for a few students sneaking out."

If they had snuck out with the intention of getting into more trouble - sneaking into the Forbidden Forest, perhaps, or plotting a dangerous prank - things would have been very different. He would certainly have brought in their Heads of Houses at the very least. But sneaking out on the grounds after curfew... well, they had all done that, hadn't they? Even Mason had broken curfew once or twice, and he was a paranoid follower of the rules. It was practically a part of being a student at Hogwarts.

That didn't mean it wasn't against the rules, though, and it was Mason's job to enforce them. He couldn't just let them off the hook, but it was a relatively minor offense, all things considered, and at least the Hufflepuff was being mature about it. He didn't need to make their lives miserable.

"I'm only taking ten points from Gryffindor and Slytherin each for breaking curfew if you two go back to the castle now with no arguments." As far as punishments went, Mason thought that was pretty generous.

"And as for you," he said, looking back to the Hufflepuff girl, "ten points for breaking curfew, another fifteen for flying alone when the Pitch has been closed down." He sighed, casting her a grave look. "Because that's not just about breaking the rules - flying alone here at night is incredibly dangerous. Nobody knew you were out here; it was pitch black. If something had happened, nobody would have been there to help. You could have died out here tonight and nobody would know until tomorrow morning. So I'm not involving your parents or making you do detentions. But what I do want you to do is go to the library and spend a few hours researching all the injuries you could get flying solo like that. I'm not saying you're a bad flier. I'm just saying that things happen, and I don't want you getting hurt. Okay?"

[Stanley Coulter]

Stanley swore in his head. His staying out past curfew had been entirely accidental. That wasn't an excuse, of course, but he had hoped he would get off a little easier than this. Though it was only 10 points, he couldn't help but feel guilty for his lack of responsibility. Gryffindor wasn't doing so well this term, as far as points were concerned. Now, they were going to be even worse off because of him. His thoughts vaguely drifted off towards what his parents would say if they could see him now, but he quickly made himself think about something else. He felt bad enough about disappointing Gryffindor; he didn't need the burden of knowing what his parents would say to him, least of all his impossible-to-please father.

Trying to not to look too put down, Stanley spoke to Mason. "Understood, sir," he said. He called him "sir" because he looked like he might be 18, and out of a slight fear of more retribution, he thought it best to be overly respectful than not enough. "I apologize; I was reading in the stadium with a book. Even though I wasn't reading it, I guess I lost track of time while playing with it. Err, is it all right if I have a quick word with Gwendolyn? So I can apologize properly?" Stanley looked Mason in the eyes, appearing hopeful. "If she hadn't stopped to speak with me, she might have made it to the castle before you got here. I won't feel right until I make somewhat of a, albeit weak, gesture of friendship."