|
|
Post by Darla Marsh on Jun 2, 2012 22:14:14 GMT -5
Darla was heading to the lake for one reason: to see if there really was a giant squid in there. Some third years had told her that, and she wasn't sure if she really believed it. If it was true, though, then maybe she could snap a picture of it and change science as the world knew it in the muggle world. Was the squid magical, like how the books were? Or was it just a squid? Darla was prepared to wait all day to find out. This could change her life. Of course, going to Hogwarts was enough life changing she needed.
She sat by the lake, not sure how to get to her next class from there, and got her camra ready.
Was she allowed the muggle books and camra she borrowed from another first year? She didn't know. She didn't know a lot of things about this place she was forced to live and learn at.
After about only five minutes, Darla was convinced nothing lived in the lake. It stood completely still, no movement under or above the surface. She saw nothing deep below the surface, or anything on top, either.
It took only about ten minutes for Darla to realize that it would be a lot longer before she found any life- changing evidence.
|
|
|
|
Post by Lexi Mara Kern on Jun 3, 2012 5:48:57 GMT -5
Lexi loved to walk down by the lake, it was definitely one of her favourite places that the school and its grounds had to offer especially then the autumn weather was still so pleasant. She thought it best to make the most of the nice weather and take in some fresh air before it got too cold and wet as the winter crept in and eventually brought the frost and snow.
She was wandering alone, a walk like this you didn't always need company but Lexi spotted a girl sitting by the side of the lake, clutching a camera in her hands. She looked as if she was waiting for something and Lexi was curious.
"You waiting to snap a picture of the merpeople or something?" Lexi asked with a grin as she skipped up behind the girl. From her experience you didn't see a awful lot in the way of creatures on the surface of the water, it required a dive down into the black depths so she had a feeling the girl might be waiting there a while.
|
|
|
|
Post by Darla Marsh on Jun 3, 2012 8:58:15 GMT -5
Darla turned behind her, surprised to hear somebody at the lake with her. A girl was staring at her camra Darla clutched in her hands.
"You mean, merpeople live in here too?!" Darla, asked surprised. "But no, I'm looking for the giant squid. There is one in there, right? Because some third-years told me that sometimes it sticks it's tentacles out on the surface and I want to get a picture for the scientific world because I also want to show my cousins- they're muggles- about my picture because they are all pretty little and like magical things like that. And I want to have proof and see one in real life because you know once giant squid was a legend like Bigfoot but then it got proved when they found a skeleton- but you're a wizard so I don't know if you've ever heard about that in the muggle world because in the wizard world their is obviously a giant squid alive because one lives in this lake- right?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Lexi Mara Kern on Jun 4, 2012 6:21:12 GMT -5
"Oh yeah, you didn't know that?" Lexi said as the girl seemed surprised by the prospect of there being merpeople living in the lake. She strolled closer and took a seat down on the grass beside the girl.
"Only they live really deep, you'd have to dive down to find them." Lexi explained. Ah so it was the giant squid she was looking for. "Oh yeah, there's a giant squid in there. Defies belief right? But it's there, usually sticks its tentacles out when the sun is really high and warm." Lexi looked up at the sky. While the September weather was warm and pleasant it wasn't quite as nice as the height of summer.
"Might see a glimpse at about midday." She suggested, "But summer is the best time to see it." She said, the girl could always hang around in hope if she wanted but it might not show up at all. "I'm Lexi by the way. "
|
|
|
|
Post by Darla Marsh on Jun 4, 2012 19:47:17 GMT -5
Darla wasn't upset that she wouldn't be likely to find a squid today. She could help the muggle scientists another day in the summer sometime.
"Good. Because I was hoping that I wouldn't have to wait overnight. I don't fancy sleeping outside."
Then Darla realized she should introduce herself.
"I'm Darla Marsh." She said.
|
|
|
|
Post by Lexi Mara Kern on Jun 5, 2012 6:11:06 GMT -5
"No, probably not a good idea to stay out here overnight. Not this close to the forest anyway." Lexi said, gesturing to the dark mass of trees not so far away from where they were sitting on the grass.
Ok so things didn't often venture out of the forest at night, they tended to stay within the trees. But she couldn't say for sure they wouldn't be tempted upon seeing a little girl sat alone by the side of the lake in the dark.
"Nice to meet you Darla," She said with a smile, "Aren't you in Ravenclaw too? I'm sure I've seen you in the Common Room."
|
|
|
|
Post by Darla Marsh on Jun 5, 2012 8:24:55 GMT -5
Yes, now that Darla thought of it, Lexi did look familiar. She must have seen her sometime in the common room or something.
"Yes, I'm a Ravenclaw."
Darla looked back at the lake. She decided that the squid wouldn't be out around midday, if any time today, so she would come back later. She stood up and brushed herself off. It was a little disappointing, though, even if she didn't want to wait, to know that she failed. She knew that she would have to be back around midday, so that she would have at least a chance.
"Midday, I'll be back. but I better get back to the common room. I heard some other girls have found something amazing in their textbooks that was never before discovered. They said it was something about potions, but I'm not sure i believe them. I'll see you later. Maybe you could come to the lake around midday?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Darla Marsh on Jun 5, 2012 12:23:45 GMT -5
It was around midday, and Darla had just came back to the lake. The girls in the common room had only her and some other first years believing them. It was something about a kind of plant Darla couldn't pronounce, but then a fifth year spoke up that herbologists already knew about that, and blah blah blah, nothing else interesting.
Darla's camera was ready, the lake reflecting the sun, and the wind she didn't notice before didn't make the day too hot. The lake was as silent and still as ever. Nothing noticeable, anyway. She had been reminded that life lives deep below the surface. There was only one problem. Darla couldn't go that far without drowning. She had no idea where they were exactly, anyway, and this lake was huge. Her best chance of getting evidence was at the top right now.
Darla sat down. She wasn't going to be bored now. She had brought along her owl, who was named Simone, after one of her muggle friends. As Darla watched the blue waters, she scribbled a note to her cousins, one addressed to England, another to America. Some of Darla's cousins lived in England, where Darla was born. Some lived in America, where Darla, her aunt, her uncle, and Darla's parents moved to. Now, she had a chance to talk to both.
As Darla wrote her note, almost as fast as humanly possible, she kept checking on her camera and the lake.
|
|
|
|
Post by Lexi Mara Kern on Jun 6, 2012 11:54:53 GMT -5
Lexi had agreed that she would wander back down to the lake at around midday, after she'd had her lunch, to see both if Darla had come back and also to see if the giant squid wanted to make an appearance that day.
The weather was pleasant enough, pretty nice actually for being so far up north when the potential for the weather to be bad was more common than not. Lexi was Scottish and lived in a small Scottish coastal town, she had it on good authority that you grew and new perspective on bad weather depending on where in the country you lived.
Sure enough Darla was there, sitting in the same spot she had been earlier, though this time she seemed to be writing something while she waited. Well needed to do something to pass the waiting time.
Lexi skipped over and plonked herself back down in her spot on the grass.
"So no sign of anything yet then?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Darla Marsh on Jun 6, 2012 13:36:06 GMT -5
Darla jumped at the sound of Lexi's voice. She was so engulfed in her writing she didn't hear anything else except her own words in her mind. The wind blew her paper, but Darla kept a tight hold.
"No, not yet," Darla answered, after coming back to real life. "I'm writing to pass the time. My cousins in England know not much about me, and my cousins in America have no clue where in the world I am. They are little enough to be satisfied with a 'I'm going to a magic school' response. So, I decided to write to them."
Darla put her quill down and faced the water. If it was warmer and Darla had some kind of scuba gear, she would dive down herself. But no giant squid appeared. She had half a mind to quit and go back to her common room, have a snack, the end. But now, after waiting this long, wouldn't it be a waste to start everything over?
"I sure hope he comes soon. It is a he, isn't it? And does it have a name? You know, like squidy or something?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Lexi Mara Kern on Jun 6, 2012 15:27:39 GMT -5
"Oh that's nice, having a big family you can send messages to." Lexi said with a smile. "Reminds me actually, need to send another owl to my Dad now he should be home from his fishing trip." She said aloud, mostly making a mental note to herself.
"Well we can hope he makes an appearance, you see really keen to snap a picture of him, you making a collection or something?" Lexi asked with a frown, finally wondering why the girl was so desperate to get a photo of the squid of all things.
"I've never actually asked anybody, I just say 'he' automatically, just an assumption. No idea if its got a name at all, it might have. Should ask some of the older people here, maybe a Professor or someone might know."
|
|
|
|
Post by Darla Marsh on Jun 7, 2012 9:07:55 GMT -5
Darla shook her head. "Maybe a collection could be started..... but no, I'm going to prove to the muggle scientists that giant squids are real."
Darla looked up at Lexi. "You think they'll believe them, right? I mean, they are pictures, I mean, If I get pictures."
|
|
|
|
Post by Lexi Mara Kern on Jun 7, 2012 16:19:37 GMT -5
"Oh right..." Lexi said with a frown, not sure that was such a good idea.
She knew that the Ministry of Magic had strict laws and practices in place to protect the muggle world from finding out about the magical world that existed alongside of them, but would that stretch to the giant squid that lived in the Hogwarts lake?
Lexi wasn't sure, I mean was it classed as a magical creature or not? It was a mythical creature if you were a muggle, but then so were dragons...
"Look I don't know if you'd be allowed." Lexi had to say with a sigh, "I couldn't say for sure, but it might interfere with the statue of secrecy." She explained to Darla, "The ministry might not let you share the pictures, or they'll modify some memories so the scientists all think its a hoax or something."
She thought the girl might be pretty disappointed with this news so Lexi patted her on the shoulder, "Sorry, I know it'd be amazing to actually prove something like that to the muggle world," Lexi was half-blood but had been raised by her muggle father, so she knew just how 'amazing' and interesting the whole magical world was from a muggle POV, but wizards didn't really like sharing this too much.
|
|
|
|
Post by Darla Marsh on Jun 7, 2012 17:04:25 GMT -5
Darla felt that the whole day had been a waste. After trying to take a picture of something that wasn't magical, or was it? Maybe this giant squid wasn't just a squid after all. Now what was she supposed to share with her cousins? She promised them something that would amaze them. But if she can't take a picture of something magical, what is in a magic school that isn't magical? But she didn't let herself feel bad by not getting a good picture.
"Yeah, I guess you're right. That collection doesn't seem like a bad idea now."
And as Darla thought about it, it didn't seem like a bad idea. She could keep it right here at Hogwarts, and by not sharing it, that was legal, right? She needed a good cover picture, and where else to start then the giant squid? So rather than getting up, she smiled and looked at the lake.
She placed her parchment and quill on her lap and started writing.
It is midday. Warm Autumn breeze, still and warm waters. Lake outside of Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Day of Observation 1. Goal: Snap picture of Giant Squid. Hypothesis: I will not see it, but if I do, it will be
Darla thought for a moment.
big
She would place this writing in her scrapbook, the one her cousins said to fill with all the adventures she had. On the opposite page was a place for a picture, and that was where she could place her new picture, which she reminded herself, wouldn't be shared with anyone else.
|
|
|
|
Post by Lexi Mara Kern on Jun 15, 2012 15:51:10 GMT -5
"It's a good idea." Lexi nodded, "The collection." She added just in case Darla wasn't too sure what she was referring to. "There are loads of different thing here that you'll find and want to record in your book with photos, and I'm sure the Ministry won't have anything against you sharing those just with your family." Lexi added, after all the family had to know she was going to a magical school they weren't entirely in the dark to the whole wizarding world like your average muggle.
"I'd just be careful how many people get to see it." Lexi added, didn't want the girl to get into trouble on the back of her advice now did she.
|
|
