It was late at night in the castle of Hogwarts, not one soul roamed the cold stone halls. Well, not ones that are still alive, at least. This was their hour when they could roam freely without being interrupted by the gaggle of students of different ages all going different directions to head off to their classes. It was a nightmare of a headache for the ghosts at Hogwarts, but they did like to have some level of chaos in the halls every now and then. Makes them feel a little more alive, oddly enough.

While it was not outright the level of chaos that most of the ghosts expected, it certainly was a sight to see the Ravenclaw Prefect regularly being out and about in his night-time walks around the halls. It was especially interesting to see him holding a small bundle of books underneath his right arm, something that Sir Cadogan found to be a curious sight.

"Off to study again to with that pleasant young lady from Slytherin, are you, James?" the knight asked as he followed James alongside him through the groups of paintings on the walls, inadvertently waking up the resting owners of the painting inside as he passed by in his clanging metal armor, "I've been noticing how you act around her lately, and my senses can feel that you fancy her."

James scoffs in surprise at that, "I don't fancy Wendy, let's get that straight," he says in a mildly hushed tone.

"Hmm. Your tone says otherwise, boy, the knight tells him as-a-matter-of-factly as he moves through another set of paintings, "And the eyes, oh, they never lie. I see the way you look at her sometimes. I may be just a knight in a painting now, but I can tell when someone is interested in someone, my dear boy. And I can say for certain that she feels the same for you."

James shushes Sir Cadogan with immediate urgency as he utters that last part. They had just neared the edge of the hallway that led to the Room of Requirement, most likely where Wendy was waiting for him. James wonders to himself if she managed to catch what Sir Cadogan said, as the old knight simply chortles and goes off the other way.

"Took you long enough, mophead. What kept you?" Wendy asks him as James approaches from his end of the hallway. By the looks of it, she'd been waiting there for him for a while. She, quite literally, already had a foot in the door into the Room of Requirement, "Room's been waiting for ya, Jimmy, so let's hop to it. My homework's not gonna answer itself."

"I'm not gonna answer them, either. I'm your tutor, not your nanny, Wendy," James casually reminds her as he walks into the room with her, to which Wendy responds with a laugh and a casual elbow to his side.

"I'm just joshin' ya, Jimmy," she closes the door behind them and takes a few steps inside. She likes to think she's outdone herself with picking the look of their review room for the night. It's looked the same way it has ever since they've first started studying together. As Wendy was the one paying James to tutor her after classes, she got to call the shots on what their study room looked like. And she picked to have it look just like her room back home.

The room smelled like coffee, chocolates and the occasional smell of car exhaust coming in after her dad did a little bit of finagling with his car out front, which is just the way she liked it. James couldn't quite handle the smell of the car exhaust hitting his nose every now and then, but thankfully it just happens once a day. If it happened constantly, he'd be wearing one of those full face masks over his head for the entire night. The only saving grace about this is that coffee and chocolate usually overpowered it. Usually.

"Right, back to it," James says as he sits himself down on the chair in the middle of the room, laying down his books, quill and ink right down. Wendy does the same thing and sits opposite himself, laying down not just her school stuff but also a burger. James caught its scent right away and raised his head to look at Wendy in a slow and comical way as she started eating her burger.

"Wendy," he said.

"M'yeah?" she replied as she was chewing through her first bite of her burger. When she sees the slight incredulous look on James' face, she goes, "Oh, sorry. Did you want a bite?"

"No . . . . well, okay I am pretty hungry. But that's besides the point," he casually waves away the idea of his hunger for now, "How'd you even get a burger so quick?"

"Magic, duh," Wendy tells him as a matter-of-factly, "Honestly, Jimmy. And you call yourself a wizard." she tells him in jest.

"Hardy-har. Might I remind you that we're 3-2 in duels, I'm one win ahead of you," he answers back.

"That's a weak brag, Jimmy; that just means you lost to me twice, dummy," she laughs.

"It's the one point that counts," James tells her, to which she just laughs at again, "Having one point is a big enough reason to brag about, you know."

"Are you sure about that?" she asked him, almost tauntingly as she takes another bite of her sandwich. James knows she's baiting him into another one of her back-and-forth senseless arguments that mostly consists of 'yeahs', and while he knows her and her antics well enough, he falls right into it.

"As sure as the sky is blue," he says back.

"The sky's not blue, you're wrong again! I'd explain it but you might not understand it."

"Did . . . did you just call me dumb, Wendy?" James asked her in a mixed look of shock and genuine surprise. He felt like he wanted to get mad, but it was just so out of nowhere that it was funny to him.

Wendy doesn't answer him as she takes a bite of her burger, and then slowly turns her head to look at him, one of her eyebrows raised ala The Rock, and does a bit of a movement with her head as she grins at him.

"What if I did, Jimmy? What are you gonna do, huh?" she asks. James scoffs again and curls his lips a little at her in amusement at her antics. When she didn't get an answer, Wendy laughs, "Just like I expected, can't bring it when the situation's callin' for it."

James bites his tongue a little as he holds back a bit of a snarky retort, not wanting to be a downer and let his tongue loose. So he just goes back to looking at his book to finish up his homework. Wendy looked disappointed by his non-reaction, and goes to do the same thing.

Twenty minutes go by, and while they weren't saying a word, the quiet was becoming incredibly unbearable for the two of them. And then half an hours passes, James finally couldn’t take it anymore. He needed a break from the quiet. He needed something loud to break the silence, so he looked around the room for something that could do just that, and he happened to find an old stereo that played cassette tapes. He looked through them all to find what he liked, and found Michael Bolton's name through it. Jackpot. He slides it right into the slot, plays track one and sits right back.

The first few notes played, and Wendy immediately shot up her head in surprise when she realized what James just did. She didn't know if James was well aware of the fact that 'Soul Provider' was one of 'those' songs. Ones that heated up the room with passion and love between people. She couldn't help but grin at first, then chuckle, then started laughing. James looked perplexed as she started laughing, finding her laughter a little infectious as he started to laugh himself.

"What's funny? You don't like Michael Bolton?" he asked him, his laughter growing a little. Wendy immediately shakes her head no in between laughs, raising her hand so she could ask for a minute to let her laughter out.

"No, no. Dude, I don't like Michael Bolton; I fucking love Michael Bolton," she cleared it out, which got a huge smile on James' face. Suddenly, Wendy's not as annoying as she can be. She's still annoying, but much less so now that he found out she's also a fan of the man, "My dad used to play this often when he was out working on his car, give himself a little bit of a pick me up when work was getting a little too much on him."

"Your dad's got good taste. I heard Michael Bolton through my dad, too. It's a favorite of his during his Sunday morning yard work," he says, "You know, I didn't take you as someone who loves ballads."

Wendy chuckles and tilts her head at that - almost adorably, James noticed - and then goes to ask, "What do you mean?"

"Well, you always sing these mildly angsty songs whenever you're at a party," he mentions, his voice lowering a little bit as he has an idea why she kept singing those kinds of songs.

"I like those kinds of songs, but they can't really hold a candle to Michael Bolton's talent. The man single-handedly made sex in the bedroom more than just a way for people to pass the time," she says. James curls his lips inward awkwardly at that, which Wendy notices and laughs.

"Which brings me to why I'm laughing; You do realize that 'Soul Provider' has big 'I wanna do it' energy, right?" she asked him.

James almost went a little haywire at that. He heard the song a little differently, but maybe it's just him not having a dirty mind. It was a romantic ballad, maybe it could be one of those bedroom songs people use, but for him it's like a poem.

". . . . not really," he answers finally, which gets Wendy giggling.

"Well, now you know," Wendy replied after her giggles had subsided, "But anyway, back to Michael Bolton; That man has got soul. No one can belt out a love song like Michael Bolton.”

And then the two of them fell into a lively discussion about Michael Bolton's music as well as other artists from that era of songwriting, casually swapping stories about their favorite songs while singing along to some of the choruses. Time passed so fast they already forgot about their homework, they were honed in on the conversation that they hadn't realized that they were already sitting next to each other.

As the music changed again and again until the song 'Once in a Lifetime' played, their conversation gradually grew softer as the seconds passed, becoming more and more intimate. She didn't catch herself doing it, but Wendy’s gaze lingered on James a little longer than usual, and she noticed the way his eyes sparkled when he laughed. The way the side of his face grew creases as he smile and laughed, how he kept swishing his hair off to the side when it got in his face.

Without even any second thought, she reached across the small distance left between her and James, placing her hand over his hand. The touch felt electric, sending a sudden shiver up James’s spine. He looked at Wendy's hand over his own, and then back to Wendy herself. The air between them changed, the playful banter fading into something deeper then he ever thought it could.

In the background, Michael Bolton’s voice crooned about heartbreak and love, his smooth tones wrapping around them like a warm blanket.

Before James could overthink it and ruin the tender moment happening between them, Wendy leaned right in, her lips gently brushing his own. It was tentative at first, almost shy, but then James decided to grow a backbone for once and responded, pulling her closer as he wrapped an arm around Wendy's waist. The kiss eventually deepened, slow and tender, as if they’d both been waiting for this moment for a long time. Perhaps the old knight was right; they did have a thing for each other. It only took a song and a night to get them to actually do it.

When they finally pulled apart after what felt like a minute, they were both breathless, the room suddenly feeling too small and too warm.

“I didn’t see that coming,” James said finally, his voice rough as he went to catch his breath. His face had gotten red, his cheeks almost as red as an apple, and his skin felt a little hotter than usual. The same could be said for Wendy, although she seemed to have better control of herself.

Wendy grinned, looking down at his hand as she reaches out and intertwines his hand with her own. “Me neither.”

The two sat there on their seats for a moment longer in complete yet comfortable silence, staring at each other with a new understanding of one another. The world outside the Room of Requirement seemed to fade away like dust in the wind, and all that mattered was this connection between them. Neither of them knew where it'd take them just yet, but they were excited to know. They were nervous as well, but that's just a part of that journey.

And as the music played on, they knew that things between them would never be quite the same again. This wasn't just a partnership or a friendship between them anymore; It turned into something more, something deeper than they thought possible. Wendy leaned over onto James' shoulder and rested her forehead onto his arm, feeling his arm wrapping around her back. She looked up at him slightly, grinning a little at the dopey expression that James somehow had on neutral all the time, and then looked past his shoulder and saw the bed behind them.

Wendy considered it for a second. It was such a huge leap for her to even think of it with James in mind. She thought of him as a friend for such a long time now, Wendy never thought it'd come to this. Though she admitted to herself in silence that James was quite the looker, the fact that he was always overthinking about things made her not really think of him as a partner. But now, things changed, and she wasn't sure of what's next.

“What do we do now?” Wendy jumped a little in her seat as James whispered, his voice barely audible through the music. The song seemed to fill the air with a quiet urgency, a soft but insistent pull toward something more. Wendy looked up at him, and simply just shrugged her shoulders; she usually had all the ideas, but right now, she was stumped.

James gazed into her eyes, and for a moment, neither of them moved, caught in the warmth of the moment and the uncertainty of what came next. But then James leaned in again, his lips brushing against hers, this time with more confidence, more surety. Wendy responded in kind, deepening the kiss as the music swelled around them once more, creating a bubble of intimacy in the dim room.

They broke apart once more, their foreheads resting against each other, breaths mingling, eyes searching. There was a number of questions there meant to be answered in their heads. It was all so confusing right now, but the music seemed to be pulling them towards one direction, and it felt like it was a good decision to follow it.

As the last notes of the song lingered in the air, Wendy’s lips curved into a soft smile, “I guess some moments only happen once in a lifetime.”

James chuckled, his hand brushing over the back of her head, “Yeah. I guess this was one of them.” Wendy once again became quiet as her eyes looked over James' shoulder and at her bed again. She bit her lips as she thought about it, and then decided to throw caution to the wind and see what he thought about it.

"You know, Jimmy . . . James . . . there's a bed behind us," she says slowly, her finger twirling a circle on his arm, "If you wanted it . . . we could . . . you know?" She moved the placement of her hand and poked his leg, much to James' surprise as he bounced a little in his seat.

James looked down at her in surprise, wondering where did that come from. He had a confused expression on his face as he wondered what to say next. Was it wrong to say yes, was it right? James had no clue. But then, his lips started to move as words began to form.

"Yes," was all that he managed to say. James wanted to say a lot, but his mind wanted him to be direct to the point, and made him say what was the first thing on his mind.

Wendy nodded her head slowly at that, and then got herself up to her feet. She moved her hand's placement and wrapped it around James' wrist, pulling him up slowly to his feet and leading him to the bed. She'd forgotten how tall James actually was when standing up, and so had to look all the way up just to stare at him with a wispy smile as she put both hands on his wrists.

Wendy let go of him and sat right down at the edge of the bed, waiting for him to take the next few steps forward towards her. She could still hear the song 'Once in a Lifetime' playing outside, almost like the Room itself was goading them both to do something.

"Get a move on, James. If this is just a once in a lifetime thing, then we might as well make the best of it," she tells him, beginning to kick off her shoes as she lets out a laugh. James laughs along with her as well, and reaches for the doorknob and slowly closing it shut behind him, wrapping the room they're in in total darkness.

"Wendy?" James said as he took a few short steps towards Wendy, who looked at him with patient eagerness.

"James?" she replied back, looking up at him with those bright blue eyes that shined even in the dark. James couldn't help but smile at the sight of her as he placed a gentle hand on her face.

"Wendy," he says.

In the summer season, the rules regarding students travel to the village is less strict, and students are welcome to come and go from the village as they please. First and Second Years must still be accompanied by a Fifth Year or higher, and all students must be back within the castle gates by 10pm, unless they have written permission.

Standing by the gates of Hogwarts are several professors, making sure only third year and above students are leaving the castle and each of them has handed in a permission slip.

Standing by the gates of Hogwarts are several professors, making sure only third year and above students are leaving the castle and each of them has handed in a permission slip.

Standing by the gates of Hogwarts are several professors, making sure only third year and above students are leaving the castle and each of them has handed in a permission slip.

Standing by the gates of Hogwarts are several professors, making sure only third year and above students are leaving the castle and each of them has handed in a permission slip.

Standing by the gates of Hogwarts are several professors, making sure only third year and above students are leaving the castle and each of them has handed in a permission slip.

Standing by the gates of Hogwarts are several professors, making sure only third year and above students are leaving the castle and each of them has handed in a permission slip.

Standing by the gates of Hogwarts are several professors, making sure only third year and above students are leaving the castle and each of them has handed in a permission slip.

Standing by the gates of Hogwarts are several professors, making sure only third year and above students are leaving the castle and each of them has handed in a permission slip.

Standing by the gates of Hogwarts are several professors, making sure only third year and above students are leaving the castle and each of them has handed in a permission slip.

Standing by the gates of Hogwarts are several professors, making sure only third year and above students are leaving the castle and each of them has handed in a permission slip.

Standing by the gates of Hogwarts are several professors, making sure only third year and above students are leaving the castle and each of them has handed in a permission slip.

Standing by the gates of Hogwarts are several professors, making sure only third year and above students are leaving the castle and each of them has handed in a permission slip.

Standing by the gates of Hogwarts are several professors, making sure only third year and above students are leaving the castle and each of them has handed in a permission slip.

Standing by the gates of Hogwarts are several professors, making sure only third year and above students are leaving the castle and each of them has handed in a permission slip.

Standing by the gates of Hogwarts are several professors, making sure only third year and above students are leaving the castle and each of them has handed in a permission slip.

A general room near the Great Hall is being used to host an arts night.

Various colors of chalk, whiteboards, painting, clay, jewelry making, embroidery, all sorts of stuff.

There's also s'mores, and s'more accessories.

There are many signs, in warning yellow and danger red that read: "NO GLITTER" "A GLITTERFREE ZONE".

Full name: Ember Dortha Collins

Age: 16

She's gone by Edie for nearly as long as she can remember, but it's not her real name. Her memories are very fuzzy on the details, but she does recall throwing a big ruckus over her name when she was very young. It must've went on long enough that her parents did stop calling her Ember, but she doesn't know why it started in the first place.

Edie was born into a fairly closeknit family with deep roots in farming and animal husbandry. Their farms aren't as big as they were a few generations ago, but they're still sizable enough to employ others.

She has two older siblings, and as such, is not expected to carry on the legacy or maintain the homestead. This is all well and good since she's only the second known witch in the family, and spends much of her year at Hogwarts. She still has a decent amount of farming and animal knowledge.

Personality: While she was never particularly chatty before, she has become significantly quieter over the last few months. She rarely uses words if she can get away with a smile or nod or eyeroll. She does send notes quite a bit. Creative, has grand designs for frivolous projects that are rarely followed through to completion.

Interests: textiles -- she can often zone out for quite a while looking over the various banners and tapestry that fill the castle. Sports -- very interested in flying, and acrobatics. Not nearly as skilled at either as she'd like to be.

Quirks: She doesn't wear her hair down, instead wrapping in silk scarves of various colors. She puts quite a bit of work into both her hair and the wraps she sports, and has become quite adept at styling with cloth. Her current favorite is a braided wrap. Sometimes she will wear hats. She in very skilled and enjoys styling others hair. She's the go-to for braids of any kind, but particularly fishtail braids.

She hasn't shown any great skill in particular schools of magic. She does do well in history and divination, and very much enjoys magical creatures, but she is painfully average.

She picks up and drops hobbies like it's her job, though they all stick to a general craft theme.

Standing by the gates of Hogwarts are several professors, making sure only third year and above students are leaving the castle and each of them has handed in a permission slip.

Standing by the gates of Hogwarts are several professors, making sure only third year and above students are leaving the castle and each of them has handed in a permission slip.

Standing by the gates of Hogwarts are several professors, making sure only third year and above students are leaving the castle and each of them has handed in a permission slip.

Standing by the gates of Hogwarts are several professors, making sure only third year and above students are leaving the castle and each of them has handed in a permission slip.

Standing by the gates of Hogwarts are several professors, making sure only third year and above students are leaving the castle and each of them has handed in a permission slip.

Standing by the gates of Hogwarts are several professors, making sure only third year and above students are leaving the castle and each of them has handed in a permission slip.

Standing by the gates of Hogwarts are several professors, making sure only third year and above students are leaving the castle and each of them has handed in a permission slip.

Standing by the gates of Hogwarts are several professors, making sure only third year and above students are leaving the castle and each of them has handed in a permission slip.

Standing by the gates of Hogwarts are several professors, making sure only third year and above students are leaving the castle and each of them has handed in a permission slip.

Standing by the gates of Hogwarts are several professors, making sure only third year and above students are leaving the castle and each of them has handed in a permission slip.

Standing by the gates of Hogwarts are several professors, making sure only third year and above students are leaving the castle and each of them has handed in a permission slip.