Past Curfew [open]

[Samantha Carr]

Usually, Sam stuck to the rules and didn't leave the common room after curfew. However, tonight, Sam felt like breaking the rules. Tonight, she just needed to get out. It took her a few minutes to convince herself to sneak out of the Hufflepuff common room but she did it, Sam was actually rather proud of herself.

Quietly, the sixteen year old girl began to walk around the halls of Hogwarts, cringing every time her feet hit the floors and her footsteps echoed. She knew she should have left her shoes back in her dorm but, Sam wasn't thinking she was more worried about getting out of the Hufflepuff common room than her noisy shoes. Sam glanced down at her shoes and smiled, even though they were a little worn her blue converse were still her favorite. Sam looked around trying to figure out were she would go.

As it turned out, she didn't find a place to spend her evening until she reached the tallest tower of Hogwarts, the astronomy tower. Sam looked around when she emerged out on top of the tower, relieved when she didn't find someone else. Sam got a slight chill over her whole body as she moved over toward the edge of the tower. She didn't realize that it was going to be this cold, if she would have known she would have brought a jacket along with her. She cringed as she looked over the side of the tower, she didn't realize how high up she was. Sam isn't scared of heights she was just shocked when she saw how high she was. Sam lifted one leg up over the side of the wall, sitting so her legs were on either side of the little wall. That didn't last long. She ended up swinging her other leg over the wall so that both legs were dangling over the side of the tower. The only thing keeping her in place was her bottom on the wall.

Sam took a deep, calming breath and peered over the edge, her mind going into action, measuring the distance mentally. A clean dive might be painless but just jumping would hurt before impact. Either way, it would result in death. And now Sam was sincerely regretting sitting like she was but she wasn't going to back out now. Hopefully if she started to fall, someone would appear out of nowhere. Sam had no plans of falling, she wanted to continue to live her life. So the Hufflepuff leaned back, swinging her feet absently for a moment as she stared at the stars, naming the constellations in her mind.

She was just finishing Orion's belt when she heard footsteps. The Hufflepuff blinked and looked over her shoulder to look at the door, her expression was a little worried and confused when she saw the person. She wasn't quite sure who else would wander up to the astronomy tower. Sam also wasn't sure whether or not they were a student or professor.

"Good evening," Sam said, wondering who the mysterious person she was talking to.

[Luke Owens]

Night has fallen of the castle of Hogwarts and all was quite as the evening stretch on into the darkness. Well it was mostly quite as in the halls of the dungeons a sole pair of feet padded along the corridor. The seventh year and slytherin quid ditch captain Luke Owens had walked out of the Slytherin dorm despite it being after curfew. He didn't see why he should have to abide to a curfew especially now since that he was of age in the wizarding world they couldn't tell him when or when he couldn't go in or out of the dormitory or when he had to go to bed as that was down right humiliating. He didn't have to watch out for any professor or prefects as after seven years of being at the school he knew there patrol routes and could estimate the times that they would pass certain points of his journey so he could time himself as so he didn't run into any of them. As he didn't care about the deduction of house points or detention he just rather that he wasn't caught.

In his hand he held his broom which he was planning on using for a nice little night flight possibly come training session if he could be bother to push himself enough. Though he wouldn't be heading out into the grounds but up to the highest point of the castle the astronomy tower so that he was seen taking off be any of the professor who had still yet to go to bed. He may not be a ravenclaw but he still wasn't dumb enough to take off from the ground. Whilst flying over the castle he would stay high up in the air before heading towards the forest and the lake where he was less likely to be spotted by any professors or students who would report him to a professor. People like that where just little snitches and could do without being in the world if they would allow him one nights pleasure of a free ride. It wasn't like he was flying down to Hogsmeade to get drunk as it was silly to do that. Madam Rosmerta would recognise him and report him to Dumbledore.

Now that kind of trouble was what Luke didn't want to be in as it would be a really bad example for his younger siblings. Especially Jimmy who every much was the embodiment of the phrase monkey see, monkey do, though most often he just need to hear about something before he wanted to try it out. Sighing Luke made his way thought the silent castle ascending ever upwards until he reached the floor where the entrance to the astronomy tower laid. The he continued though the halls careful that he didn't straying into the paths of any patrolling professors or prefects before he reached the base of the astronomy tower. He didn't rush up the tower but when he got the the door at the top he stop as he saw he was not the only person in the tower. Sat in one of the window ledges was a girl. She must have heard him coming as she turning towards him and greeted him. "Good evening to you too miss." He said stepping out of the shadows of the door way and leaning on his broom. "What brings you hear on this fine night?"

[Samantha Carr]

Samantha Carr was having a wonderful night sitting on the edge of the Astronomy Tower, then she heard foot steps up the stairs. She wasn't sure if it was Umbridge coming up to check the place out or maybe Dumbledore coming to look at the stars. Whoever it was Sam decided to face them but was greatly relieved when she noticed that it was a student but was rather curious when she noticed that he was carrying a broom. He asked her a question and she actually wondered the answer herself what did bring her to the Astronomy Tower on this beautiful night? Then she figured it out. "I could't get to sleep so I went on a walk to find some place were I cloud relax and think." Sam said it was the true answer. She really did need a place to relax and think she needed to unwind and let her mind run wild. Up here she didn't have to worry about the rules or anything it was just her.

The broom in his hand caught her eye and she wondered why he had it so she asked, "So, why did you come up to the Astronomy on this beautiful night and why did you bring a broom along with you?" Sam was actually rather curious about this but thought it was a good idea flying would be a lot of fun right now since it is a beautiful night and the stars are shinning bright. Sam wished she would have brought her broom but she figured that whoever she was currently with would probably be flying off solo in a minute so she would be back to her lonesome self. She slightly frowned at the thought of being alone again even though she didn't know who she was currently talking with she still enjoying having some company with her.

Images of everyone she knew flew through her head, she was trying to figure out who this kid was talking to was. She figured he was probably a year older than her since she did now recognize him from the first year sorting hat processes. She just couldn't put a name or house to his face. Sam got tired of trying to figure out who the mysterious person was so she asked, "my name is Sam, I'm a sixth year hufflepuff. What about you? I don't recognize you from anywhere." She didn't know if he knew her but thought it was best just to introduce herself while she was at it. Sam looked at the young man one last time and then see looked back out at the sky.

[Aidan Wraith]

Aidan slowly slid the Slytherin common room door open, glancing up and down the corridor he checked to make sure it was empty before slipping out of the dorm, he was wearing loose black pyjama pants and a blackish green tank top, he'd remembered to cast a warming charm before he left so he wasn't cold as he walked out into the winding corridors of the dungeons, bare feet ghosting over the stone floor as he walked

Checking every corner as he walked he made his way to the top of the castle, for the tallest tower, he wanted somewhere to think. He'd been at this school for six years now and beginning to regret his decision not to make friends, it was kind of lonely, sure he knew some people but not enough to call them friends yet. With a sigh he pushed his hands deeper into his pant pockets as he climbed the last winding staircase to the Astronomy Tower, however he slowed as he heard voices ahead

Frowning he paused behind the door, thinking to himself that if they sounded like teachers of Filch he was leaving quickly, but as he listened he realised they sounded too young for teachers, and he gave a soft sigh of relief when one of them, a girl, said she was a sixth year, so taking a deep breath he gently placed his hand on the door handle and turned it, causing the door to slowly swing open

Looking inside he spotted two people, one the Hufflepuff girl who he had heard speak and the other was a surprise, his Quidditch captain Luke stood there with his broom, looking ready for a late night flight. Keeping his mask up he slowly entered the room and nodded in greeting to the two people already there

"Good evening, don't mind me, I'll just sit over there," he said quietly pointing towards a dusty cushioned chair sat in the shadows surrounding one wall, a light blush creeping across his cheeks at being the centre of attention so he quickly walked over to the chair and sank into it