Exploring!

Since it was a weekend, Raven didn’t have anything in the bag slung over his shoulder except for a notebook and a pencil. And a few dog treats of course. Gil was trotting at his heels like always and the boy had to grin down at the puppy. Maybe he could help him locate the elusive kitchens. If he was to go exploring around the grounds, he wanted to make sure he had some food to take along.

Looking around he came to a dead end and frowned. There was a painting, but he didn’t see anything else. Never having a sense of direction, he put his hands on his hips and looked around. “Maybe I shouldn’t have taken that left back there.”

Turning around he frowned. Maybe he should go back and try another route? Looking down at Gil when the puppy made a soft ‘whoof’ and began sniffing around. Oh, no. He hoped he didn’t have to go to the bathroom. That wouldn’t be too fun. Trying to think, Raven wondered if there was a bathroom close by he could rush the dog to?

Whining, Gil began to paw at the wall by the painting. Well, that was new. Going closer to the painting to inspect it, he ran his fingers along the edge of the frame.

Great. A Slytherin. Why was he down here? Obviously, it must've been to destroy everything in his path; that was what Slytherins did after all, wasn't it?

"What are you doing?" Kyra asked the boy. He looked like a first year, but she couldn't be sure. She noticed the puppy scratching at the wall. "Is that your dog? It looks like it needs to use the bathroom or something." She strode toward the Slytherin. "I see you're looking at one of the finer paintings down here. But please, don't touch. It's more valuable than you'll ever be," she said, her face looking completely serious.

Might as well have some fun with the little firstie, right?

Turning guilty at the sound of someone asking what he was doing here, Raven looked at her with a bit of relief seeing that she was a Hufflepuff. Maybe she could pass a message to Pia? At her next words however his relief turned to irritation and annoyance. Sneering at her, he stated, “Well then you need to get your eyes checked or don’t know anything about dogs.”

If Gil had to use the bathroom he wouldn’t be scratching at a wall, he would have already squatted or lifted his leg and done his business. Crossing his arms as he glared at her, he felt his irritation rise hearing her say the stupid painting was more valuable then he would ever be. Eyes narrowed he looked her in the eye. “How do you know? Even Merlin was once just a child. And you don’t even know me.”

Not wanting to turn his back on her, Raven kept an eye one his pup out of the corner of his eye. Gil really wanted whatever was on the other side of the wall. It was probably one of those trick passages…

Kyra smirked. "Maybe I should get a dog then. That would go over really well with my cat."

The girl raised her eyebrows as the Slytherin boy glared at her with crossed arms. "Yes, I know that already. Of course he was a kid, he had to be at some point." Wow, this kid can't take a joke. "I don't know you, thanks for pointing that out. I'll introduce myself. Kyra Henderson, third year Hufflepuff. How do you do?" A wide grin replaced her smirk and she looked at the puppy that had this boy as a companion.

She knelt down, just watching the dog. "I never meant any harm. Just a little joke. Sorry if it seemed like something else."

Eyeing her to see if she was joshing him, Raven uncrossed his arms. Nodding he said, “Raven Drake, first year. Sorry, that just cut a little to close to home.”

Turning his full attention on Gil he shook his head and squatted down too. Nodding at the puppy that kept trying to dig a hole in the wall, Raven asked, “What’s behind the wall? Another secret passage?”

There weren’t any cracks or anything in the wall that would show that there was a door hidden anywhere. “Is it like in Diagon Alley or pressure spots or what?”

"I love your name. I would think that you're a Ravenclaw if i didn't know any better.

The girl frowned a bit. "I'm sorry. I never meant for it to be offensive or anything."

The puppy scratched at the wall, looking as if it was trying to make a hole. Raven asked what was behind it.

"To be completely honest, this is Hogwarts we're talking about. You never know what's hidden here. I found myself in a dark cave-place with burning slime dripping on me, along with a Ravenclaw, for example."

Kyra thought for a moment. "You never know. Maybe we should try to find out. Couldn't hurt to check." Her curiosity was definitely kicking in.

Turning to the girl in interest, Raven thought about asking her about the cave. That sounded completely worth checking out! For now he'd settle for trying to find out why Gil wanted behind the wall.

Smiling a little at the quip about his name he laughed a little. "I've been told lots of things about my name, but that is a first about Ravenclaw."

Standing up he looked around and then back at the painting. "Odd place for a paiting wouldn't you say?"

There were no other paintings in this hallway at all. Going closer to inspect it, he found no catches or switches along the frame.

The girl smirked yet again. "Fifth floor. Just keep leaning against every inch of wall and you're bound to find it." She knew he was going to find it somehow, even without her help.

She was admittedly shocked when she heard Raven say that was the first time he heard something like what she said. "Really? I would've thought that more people would associate a raven with Ravenclaw." She shrugged.

Raven stood up, and so did she. "Odd place for a painting, wouldn't you say?"

"This seems very fishy. Very fishy, indeed. Do you think that, maybe-" Kyra paused for dramatic effect, "-it's another Chamber of Secrets?" She put her face into a mask of mock horror.

Surprised that she told him about the one on the fifth floor he gave her a smile of thanks then cocked his head. “Well, I was called mallard once because of my last name. Then there was birdboy, and Pia once called me sparrow. Even gave me a ring with one on it.”

When she mentioned the chamber of secrets he also donned a look of mock horror. “Say it isn’t so!” He laughed then looked at the painting. “Think we have to press something on the painting?”

By this time, Gil was whining and sniffing along the bottom the painting and pawing at the wall again. “Gil is smart, so there has to be something behind there.”

Eyes lighting up, he turned to Kyra. Gil did tend to think with his stomach the greedy little mutt. “Maybe it leads to the kitchens.”

"Cool. Your friend gave you a ring with a sparrow on it? Huh. I'm assuming the friend is a girl, so she was probably teasing you, eh? I'd probably do that to you too," she grinned.

This was the first time she actually noticed which painting it was. Fruit bowl. Raven turned to Kyra, telling what he thought the painting could lead to.

"Gil would be right. There is something behind it. And it's the kitchen." She wiped her nose; she had just gotten over a cold. "Tickle the pear." She didn't care if he was confused, she just wanted to prove herself right. "Go on, tickle it. Yes, tickle it."

Nodding, Raven looked at her curiously. "Yes. Her name's Pia. She's my best friend and she got sorted into Hufflepuff."

The kitchen? Eyes wide, Raven shook his head with a smile. That mutt would lead him the right way. "He thinks with his stomach."

Arching a brow and approaching the painting when told to, he looked at it dubiously. 'Tickle it? How do you tickle a painting?' Shrugging, he did what the older girl told him and tickled the pear. Well, he made the motions as if he was tickling someone. He jumped back when it giggled and he heard a click. Turning to the Hufflepuff he stared. "You were right. Never doubt a Puff!"

"Pia? Cool name," she smiled. "So she's a firstie too?"

Raven shook his head, saying that the dog thought with his stomach. "Don't we all?" Kyra laughed. "Speaking of stomach, I'm starving. You?"

The boy tickled the pear and it giggled. Kyra always found it strange how it giggled like that, but, of course, it was Hogwarts she was talking about. "You were right! Never doubt a Puff!"

"You doubted me? How could you doubt me?" she asked, grinning at the first year. She stepped forward, stepping through the portrait hole. "Are you and Gil coming? Might as well give the puppy something to eat."

“Yeah, Cassopeia Marling.” Wrinkling his nose at the long name, Raven shrugged. “I just call her Pia. It’s easier and no one else does, so it works. We were hoping to go in the same house…”

Sticking his tongue out at the older student he replied, “I always doubt unless it’s someone I know. Even then really,” he contemplated then shrugged again with a grin. Eyes lighting up when she asked if he was hungry he nodded again. Of course he was! One, he was a boy, two he was a growing boy.

It was kind of embarrassing but Raven didn’t like being short so always did whatever he could in order to get taller. Whenever he saw he’d grown even just a tiny bit, he’d be happy and proud of that. His mum wasn’t really tall, but his father was, so he hoped it would balance out to a decent height.

Following after Kyra, he laughed when Gil darted ahead of them, tail wagging and tongue lolling. “Lead the way oh experienced one.”

"So she's a Hufflepuff," she said, going back to Raven had said a couple of minutes prior. "Maybe I'll meet her. She has an awesome name, it's like Cassiopeia without the 'i' in front of the 'o'. Sorry, I'm rambling, aren't I?" Kyra tended to ramble a lot lately. She didn't understand it at all.

Her grin turned into a contemplative look like the boy's. "Good point. I guess you know now not to doubt me?" she teased.

"Lead the way oh experienced one!"

"Will do O Young One. You shall be my Padawan. I shall be the Jedi. It would be epic." She hoped he wouldn't take it seriously.

She entered the kitchen, the familiar sight of House Elves greeting her. "Hi all!" she exclaimed, waving enthusiastically. "Go on Raven, just tell them what you want. They'll give it to you and it'll be really good. Trust me, I've been here tons of times."

Eyes widening, Raven’s jaw almost dropped comically and he nearly gave the girl a hug. Someone who had a sense of humor and knew about Star Wars! Okay, that just made his day. Nearly bouncing he grinned at her and followed. Gil was already eating from a bowel the elves had given the greedy gut.

“So there is another way in here?” Raven asked kind of figuring that, but you never could be too sure. Turning his attention to his stomach he thought about what he wanted then gave the creatures a smile. “Erm, can I get some sandwiches to take with me? I want to explore the rest of the castle. And the grounds.”

Watching Gil push the dish around with his head in the bowl, Raven shook his head with a fond smile. “Oh! And a bone or something for Gil to gnaw on?” It would also serve to distract the dog with if he played fetch with it.

Pulling himself up on a table and kicking his legs back and forth he watched the elves work. “How often do you come down here? And the professors don’t mind?”

"So there is another way in here?" the boy asked, looking excited for some reason.

"I think so," Kyra answered. "I think it's in the Great Hall, but I really can't be sure. You're exploring the rest of the school then? I wonder if I could come too?"

A House Elf arrived, asking her what she wanted. "Er...The usual please, Reny." She really had been here a lot; she knew all of the Elves' names.

"One banana split coming up, Miss."

Raven hopped up on a table and kicked his legs back and forth. Kyra had to admit that he looked like a little kid. "Ha, you're kidding right? I'm a ninja in training, I never get caught. Seriously though. I'm a Hufflepuff, the Common Room is really close." She shrugged. "I guess I'm just kind of sneaky."

Jessica wandered into the kitchen, She had been walking around the castle taking in all the exciting new sights and sounds. She had screamed when she saw her first ghost and ran without realising where she was going. She wandered down a corridor she had never seen before and then could smell something that made her mouth water.
She had been wandering for a while so the thought of a snack tempted her. She then wandered into the kitchens

Inside she saw the house elves cooking and washing dishes, She saw some other students sat at a table and also saw a house elf wandering towards her. "what would you like?" said the elf,
Jess thought she would be in trouble for being in the kitchens so she was surprised how friendly the elves were,
"I'll have a sausage roll if its not too much trouble," she said and the elf bowed and hurried off towards the store cupboard. Jess had missed sausage rolls since she had left the muggle world and was starting to feel a little homesick.
She walked over to the table and said "hey I'm jess, do you mind if i join you guys?"

A girl came into the kitchen, a Ravenclaw by the looks of it. Kyra smiled at her as she asked if she could join her and Raven.

"Hey Jess, I'm Kyra. I don't mind at all, though I can't say anything about him," she said, pointing at Raven. "So, how are you?"

Thinking he and Kyra would get along great, Raven grinned and was going to ask her if perhaps she’d seen Pia when another girl entered. Canting his head he smiled and waved at her. “Hiya, I’m Raven. And I wouldn’t mind. The more the merrier,” he quipped happily.

It was true. Somehow when exploring or having an adventure just seemed so much more fun with more people. More people to have fun with and it was just exciting. It was rather boring to go and have adventures alone and having no one to talk them over with later.

“And sure you can come. I’m sure there are loads more that people haven’t discovered about this place. Or at least no one in our years,” he replied to the ‘Puff’s question.