G R A V I T Y [elita]

[EvernightPrincess]

Typing!
Thinking!
Talking!

It was finally the weekend and Eva couldn't be happier. Classes were out so that the students had a chance to study for their end-of-year exams but, with Eva staying on top of her game when it came to the coursework, she basically was free to do as she wished as she knew the material by heart. However, most of the students were not as focused as she and, therefore, she really had no one who was free to spend the weekend just hanging out around the school with her.

And so, it was in the late afternoon heat that Eva decided to take a walk around the grounds to get a better idea of her new home in preparation for next fall when she would return as a second-year student. Carrying her sketch paid and pack of charcoals, Eva wandered around the immense stretch of land that belonged to Hogwarts in search of a focus for her latest drawing. The arts simply happened to be the one thing that Eva enjoyed more than magic and she never passed up an opportunity to work with one form or another.

Where to sit? she asked herself silently, looking around at all the different options in the landscape. Suddenly, her eyes fell upon an old tree, twisted and bent with obvious old age. "That's it!" she exclaimed, the various focal points from the basis of the ancient tree fighting for attention in her brain. Eva smiled broadly as she began the trek across the terrain to sit at the base of the tall tree, her muse taking over as she thought of the many possibilities that would arise from her decided location.

[DONNA]

Elita sat down in one of the courtyards, reading a book. Wait a
second... Elita was really reading a book? Yes, she was. In fact,
she was reading several, but she would never admit it. She had
taken to a few of the books, especially some Potions and some
Defense books, a few Charms even, so she had been reading
them to see what she could possibly learn. It was interesting to
see what was written within the bindings of these books.

A Gryffindor then walked by, sketchbook in hand. She looked as if
she were looking for something. Elita watched her curiously over
the edge of her book. She started walking towards something,
obviously animated about what she had found to draw. Curiosity
may kill the cat, but from what Elita saw the girl walking towards,
it seemed like she would be the one being killed, not the cat, in
this case. Hurriedly, she dropped the books and started rushing
towards the girl. About three hundred feet away, she dropped to
a more leisure-like pace. She couldn't seem too concerned! It was
just a stupid Gryff after all. But, she wouldn't let somebody get
hurt without trying to interfere. Let it be for better or for worse.

"Hey, you there!"

[EvernightPrincess]

Typing!
Thinking!
Talking!

As Eva made her way towards the ancient tree, she allowed her mind to wander as various sketching ideas battled for attention within the confines of her brain. She looked left and right, taking in her surroundings so as to pick the best viewpoint in the hopes that she could actually capture a decent image. The fact that it had rained continuously for the past 3 days, due to the horrible weather found only in a place such as England, had caused her sketchbook to become full of random scribbles as she had been unable to find decent things to draw.

Therefore, being outside in the already stifling heat of early spring was better than being locked up in her dorm room for yet another uneventful day. As Eva drew closer to the ancient, overgrown sapling in the hopes of finding a seat against its trunk she wondered just how many basic sketches she would be able to get done. It's going to depend on the subject material, she thought to herself. Not to mention how long I've got until the sun goes down. However, she stopped main stride as she heard someone calling out behind her. Turning her back to the tree whose trunk was now mere steps away, Eva looked across the grounds until her eyes landed on a girl headed her way. It was obvious even to Eva, who was a firstie, that this girl was a Slytherin and, as a result, she was extremely confused by the fact that the tall dark-haired girl had even given her the time of day.

Whatever she wants, my guess is that it's nothing good. Still, Eva wasn't one to ignore someone who was making an effort to begin a conversation with her and so she waved at the girl who was still quite a ways away from both herself and the tree that was now directly at her back. "Hi there!" she called out, putting her hand to her mouth in an effort to help her voice carry farther than it would alone. "You're welcome to join me if you want!" Eva added with a smile, gesturing for the girl to hurry up as she waited for her to catch up.

[DONNA]

Elita saw the girl stop, but her sense of perspective wasn't terrible.
The tree had to be right behind her, or very close. It could hit her if
she made any sudden movements that should frighten it. The girl
called back, returning her greeting and giving her permission to
come with her, if she wanted too. Elita shook her head, then put a
finger to her lips, making a "shhh" sound. The tree seems to shake
itself awake, the branches leaning towards the girl. Was she
stupid? Had she not paid attention to the First Day Feast? Then
again, come to think of it, she couldn't recall if the Headmaster said
anything about the Whomping Willow. A stupid mistake on their
part. She started slowly towards the other girl, watching the tree.

"We need to get you out of here," she said, barely loud enough to
carry to the girl. The tree shifted again. "Slowly," she continued.
"Get away from the tree." Elita may have solved this issue differ-
ently, should she have been a higher year. But, she didn't know a
whole lot of useful magic for this situation, so she had to rely on
persuasion. Let's just hope this girl isn't as stupid as that other
Gryffindor girl, she thought, waiting for the girl's response.

[EvernightPrincess]

Typing!
Thinking!
Talking!

Eva couldn't help but be confused at the girl's gestures. If she didn't want to join me then why did she yell after me in the first place? she asked herself, trying to solve the unspoken riddle the Slytherin before her was posing. She couldn't help but wonder is the other girl was attempting to pull a prank on her but, from what Eva could tell, the Slytherin was dead serious about whatever she was motioning about.

As she saw the girl put her fingers to her lips, Eva wondered what on Earth she meant. I'm not being too loud, she thought, noting the fact that they were outside. So that can't be it. What is it then? As the girl began moving towards her, Eva noticed that she seemed overly cautious and wondered just what the heck was going on.

"We need to get you out of here," the girl called, just loud enough for the wind to carry it to Eva's ears as she slowly made her way towards the spot where Eva stood. She simply stared at the Slytherin, not understanding in the slightest what was going on. Slowly, get away from the tree."

At this point, however, Eva was fed up with the games and nonsense. "What the hell are you doing?" she asked incredulously, not understanding the seriousness of the situation as she turned to motion to the tree behind her. "It's just a stupid t-" Her words were cut short as she looked up at the willow, shocked into silence by the branches moving angrily of their own free will. "Holy crap!" she yelled before taking off away from the tree, dropping her art materials in the process as she ran for safety.

Finally stopping at a spot that was out of reach of the moving tree's branches, Eva turned to face the way she had just come from. Her eyes searched the grounds before her wildly, looking for the girl who had pretty much just saved her butt.

[DONNA]

Elita tensed as the girl yelled at her, but not because of what she
had said. The tree twisted towards them, fully acknowledging
their presence, and the branches wound up as the girl turned
around. She took off then, the other girl, dropping her supplies in
the process. She didn't know quite what she was doing now, but
she did know she needed to get the stuff out of the way. And
herself! She swooped down, scooping up the materials and
tucking into a roll as one of the branches swung out at her.

"Awwh, shi-!" she exclaimed, stumbling away as another branch
launched at her. She dove away, just out of reach, and the tree
shuddered, going back to it's normal tree state. She looked at the
girl, who seemed rather bewildered, and Elita held out the art
supplies she had collected, breathing heavily from her slight
escapade. Almost dying does that to do. "I believe... These... Are
yours," she got out, giving a half-assed grin towards the girl.

[EvernightPrincess]

Typing!
Thinking!
"Talking!"

Eva watched in a mix of frozen terror and awe as the other girl practically risked her life in order to grab the sketchpad and other materials she'd dropped when running for her life. Secretly, she felt really bad for losing them in her moment of panic seeing as that was the reason the girl was still out there battling a tree that was about a million times her size.

Still, it was only when the Slytherin finally escaped the long reach of the tree's branches that Eva was able to release the breath she hadn't even realized she was holding. Taking her supplies, she smiled gratefully at the other girl in response to the grin she had received. "Thank you so much!" she said, her words genuine as she cradled the materials to her chest. "I honestly don't know what I would have done if I'd lost these. If you don't mind my asking, what the hell kinda tree is that?"

Realizing she hadn't introduced herself, Eva quickly added on, "I'm Eva, by the way. What's your name?"

[DONNA]

Elita gave a laugh at the girl's face as she came up to her. The girl
took her stuff and Elita returned the smile. The girl said thank you,
saying that she didn't know what she would have done if she had
lost them. Elita nodded. She understood about things dear to
oneself. The other girl turned her attention to the tree, asking
what type it was. "It's a Whomping Willow,"
she explained, standing to her full height again, giving a smirk.
The girl intro-duced herself to be Eva. Elita couldn't help but laugh.
Did all the girls in Hogwarts have "E"s as their first letter of their name?

Elita brushed her hair back, off-handedly. "Elita
deLaima," she said formally, her eyes sparkling to life.
"You should be more careful around those trees,"
she explained, giving a smirk. "You don't
know what is going to get you!"

[EvernightPrincess]

Typing!
Thinking!
"Talking!"

Eva nodded at the name of the tree. After seeing what it could do, Eva didn't think a better name could've been chosen. "Well, that's definitely the right name for something like that," she replied, nodding towards the overgrown sapling that cad nearly just killed both of them. "I don't think anyone would have been able to choose a better name if they tried!" Eva laughed nervously, still not sure how to act towards a Slytherin, even though the girl seemed nice enough.

As the other girl said her name was Elita, Eva smiled warmly. "That's a beautiful name," she replied, genuinely meaning the compliment. "My real name's Evangeline but no one ever calls me by that except my parents when I'm in major trouble. Most people find it to be a mouthful." She couldn't help but grin as she thought back to the last time her mom had used her full name; Eva had accidentally blown up the pot roast that was going to be their dinner and it had been an absolute horror to clean up.

Dragged out of her thoughts by Elita's last comment, Eva grinned at the other girl's comment. "I guess!" she said with a laugh. "Believe me, I'll watch where I sit from now on."

[DONNA]

Elita nodded. Whomping Willow was a perfect name for a tree like
that. "It was planted in 1971," she commented, giving a smile.
She didn't usually pay a lot of attention in school, but she had
always been fascinated with dangerous things. "It's endemic to
the Forest of Dean, but Hogwarts has one because there's a
secret passage that it's covering," she continued. "They're very
rare." Her voice was musing, looking over the tree with fasci-
nation. It wasn't that she was scared of the tree. She just wanted
to be able to find a way to get to what it was guarding...

Elita gave a smile as she said that her name was beautiful, and
introduced herself fully as a name that she couldn't pronounce, so
she just let it slip her mind. Eva was much easier.

The girl agreed that she would watch where she tread from now
on, and Elita was a bit lost. Did a Gryffindor just take her advice
without fighting her? Interesting. She gave a smirk. "Y'know, for a
Gryffin, you're not half bad," she said easily, a cocky grin on her
face. It was true. This girl wasn't like some of the others.

[EvernightPrincess]

Typing!
Thinking!
"Talking!"

Eva's face lit up like a light bulb at the mention of a secret passageway. "That is so cool!" she said in response, her brain spinning as she thought of ways to try and get past the Whomping Willow. "You and I should definitely try and find a way to get in there so we can see what all the fuss is about. It could be like a secret mission or something." Suddenly, she laughed as she realized how lame that sounded and silently hoped that Elita wouldn't see it that way. After all, the girl seemed pretty cool and Eva didn't want to look like a total nerd in front of her.

Eva was a little confused at Elita's statement about not being bad for a Gryffindor. Still, she was new around here and, though she knew that Slythie's and Griffie's were supposed to be mortal enemies, she didn't really know why. Still, she accepted the compliment without complaint.

"And for a girl who's in Slytherin, you seem pretty nice," she said in response, returning the favor with a grin. While Eva wasn't sure what all the big fuss was about when it came to the battle of the Houses, she simply judged people by their personalities, not where they were located in the Hogwarts Sorting System.

[DONNA]

Elita laughed light-heartedly at the girl as she said that they
should go on a secret mission to get under the Willow. It wasn't
that it was an absurd idea, it had passed through her mind once
or twice, it was just how she worded it. She had grown up around
more mature audiences, so some things that children her age said
would make her laugh. But, don't get her wrong. It was rather
obvious she wasn't laughing at the Gryffindor.

The girl continued to comment that for being a Slytherin, she was
rather nice. She gave a grin. "Oh, contrare, my friend. You have
just caught me in a good mood," she joked, spinning around in a
small circle as she spoke, arms outstretched towards the sky.
"What have you accomplished thus far on campus?" she queried.
She wasn't asking for good accomplishments either. Elita liked
troublemakers, and she needed to see whether this girl's friend-
ship was worth chasing after or not.

[EvernightPrincess]

Typing!
Thinking!
"Talking!"

When Elita replied about having just been caught in a good mood, it was Eva's turn to laugh. She'd actually never had a conversation with a Slytherin that had lasted even half this long since she'd arrived at Hogwarts so she was kind of enjoying the moment. As the other girl spun around with her arms raised to the heavens, Eva couldn't help but notice just how graceful the move appeared. Sadly, it was something she would never be able to achieve, seeing as she was the kind of girl who tripped over air.

Eva shook her head, however, when Elita asked her about her accomplishments. Knowing that, by the looks of the girl standing before her, she didn't mean the positive stuff, Eva simply smiled shyly and shrugged her shoulders. "Apart from nearly getting killed by a tree just now," she began with a grin. "There's nothing really noteworthy. I mean, I was the one who TPed the prefects' bathroom and released the dungbombs in the Great Hall at the Christmas feast but that's about it." Eva honestly didn't think she'd really done anything of consequence. Still, she counted herself pretty lucky not to have been caught for the last thing she'd mentioned.

"How about you? Anything to brag about as far as pranks are concerned?"

[DONNA]

Elita gave a smirk towards the girl. She wasn't a complete trouble-
maker, figures seeing as she was in Gryffindor, but she wasn't a
teachers pet like Emily could be. She talked of the Prefects Bathroom
and the Great Hall pranks and she laughed. "How did you manage
to get the password?" she queried, truly intrigued. The girl had to
be sneaky if she was going to get the password from the Prefects!
They never slipped up. Never! That's why they were in the position
they were in. It was their job to be... Well, perfect.

Eva asked what she had done. Elita gave a sly smile. "My friend, if
you've heard of anything you haven't done, it was more-than-likely
moi," she said easily, tossing her hair back. There were numerous
things she had done, but she couldn't actually remember a lot of the
stuff she did. It was something of a problem of hers, but she knew if
she thought about it, she would remember. She just, didn't want to
think about it right now. It wasn't worth the time, in her opinion.