Just a little practice ((Anyone))

[dana]

Dana stopped in front of an empty part of the wall and closed her eyes breathing deeply for a moment as she thought. Opening her eyes Dana grinned and gasping the door-handle pulled open the dark oak-door that had now replaced the bare wall. The Room of Requirement really was a brilliant place.
The large room with some practice dummies and a light quarterstaff propped against the wall would meet her needs for tonight well enough. Tilting her head Dana wished for music and a moment later quick rock filled the room blasting off the walls.
“No attorneys
To plead my case
No orbits
To send me into outta space
And my fingers
Are bejeweled
With diamonds and gold
But that ain't gonna help me now

I'm trouble
Yeah trouble now
I'm trouble ya'll
I disturb my town
I'm trouble
Yeah trouble now
I'm trouble ya'll
I got trouble in my town

You think your right
But you were wrong
You tried to take me
But I knew all along
You can take me
For a ride
I'm not a fool out
So you better run and hide

I'm trouble
Yeah trouble now
I'm trouble ya'll
I got trouble in my town
I'm trouble
Yeah trouble now
I'm trouble ya'll
I got trouble in my town

If you see me coming
Down the street then
You know it's time to
Go (and you know it's time to go
cause here comes trouble)”

Dna tilted her head and thought about a moment. It was a muggle song by someone named… Pink? She had heard some muggle-born student listening it from a magically worked I-Pod and it had been stuck inside her head for two days since then. Picking up the quarterstaff that reached her shoulder when one of it’s ends would be placed on ground Dana twirled it in her hands going through some series of exercises. Sure OWLs were coming but Dana needed to distress sometimes as well. And this was what she had chosen as a method to distress for this evening.

Twirling the quarterstaff in her hands Dana walked – almost danced actually – with it. Twirling it, moving, hitting bare air and drawing it back, hopping over one end – the possibilities were endless, even though Dana was wearing rather high heels. Dancing, throwing herself in a backwards bridge Dana pulled herself up again and twirled quickly striking behind her with the staff guided by his left hand. Half-turning her right hand guided the other end of the quarterstaff. One more hit with the quarterstaff and pushing with a tip the practice dummy flew away, broken to pieces.
Grinning contently Dana watched the broken practice dummy when she felt a sudden breeze on her back and the hair on the nape of her back stirred. Someone was watching her.

“Come in or get out, but close the door,” Dana commented dryly noticing thanks to a mirror-reflection that part of the room had changed behind her back. Exactly half of the room to be exact. Making a wish in her mind as her right hand propped the quarterstaff up behind his back, so one tip was visible behind his shoulder the practice dummy became whole again.

((That song has been stuck in my head since Sunday ))

[thieflord84]

Bee looked around, trying to find something exciting to do. She walked up and down the halls, looking for anything to get her mind off the up-coming exams. She decided to go to the Room of Requirement. She skipped half of the way, acting very unlike herself. For some reason, she felt as if she had lots of energy stored up inside, and she needed to get it out in a different way than usual. She even felt like singing. That's what I will do! Bee thought.

"I want to get away
I wannna fly away
Yeah Yeah Yeah
I want to get away
I wanna fly aw"

Bee was interupted by another singer. She was half way to the RoR. Bee was a muggle born and she could instantly tell who was singing. It was Pink, a pop/rock singer. Bee enjoyed listening to her, but she perfered classic rock like, AC/DC and Lenny Kravits and others.

Curiousity made Bee walk towards the music, wondering who it was. Probably a muggle born student. She grinned and then opened the door to the RoR.

She couldn't help herself. She stared at a girl who was dancing around in the room, until she broke something. Bee didn't notice she was staring until the girl herself saw her.

Bee stepped in tentivly, looking around. Music was pounding and the girl had put the broken thing back together. She gave a friendly smile towards the girl.

"Sorry about that. I didn't mean to stand there like that.....You just sort of surprised me...." She grinned at the girl and then said, "Nice music!"

[dana]

Some girl had obviously entered the room Dana decided upon hearing her voice. A younger one. Turning around Dana eyed the Gryffindor calmly.
“Nice music? It’s interesting I have to give it that. Don’t have a clue who’s singing or what song it is – I just heard it randomly the other day,” Dana answered calmly lowering her quarterstaff and turning in front of her, so she took hold of it with both hands, “Were you coming here to study, so I would have to tune the music down?”<br>
Dana really did want to move and practice some more – she had spare energy and a lot of it, but being a Ravenclaw Dana was used to studying as well. And that most people couldn’t really concentrate with music blasting around them - even though Dana herself always seemed to learn better with some back-ground noise.
Tilting her head Dana waited for the girls answer calmly.

[thieflord84]

She smiled as she entered the room. The girl looked older by two years or more. She looked around the room, wating for the girl to say something else. Apparently, she was waiting for Bee's answer.

"No, I wasn't coming in to study. I was just bored and roaming the corridors when I heard the music. You can keep it on loud if you want. I personnally like loud music." She grinned as she continued. "...I think that singer you were listening to is Pink. She's a muggle......."

She looked at the girl, trying to guess if she was a muggle born or not. She decided that the girl must be a half- blood or pure. Bee thought that because the girl had said that she didn't have any idea who was singing and she had also said she had just heard it somewhere. Bee then remembered about introducing herself.

"Oh, my name's Bridget by the way. Bridget Vreeland, Bee for short." She grinned at the girl, waiting to see what her name was.

[dana]

“I’ll keep it loud then. Helps me concentrate,” Dana said easily, taking the information about the singer into account with a nod as she recorded it in her memory. Dana didn’t really want to concentrate on her thoughts – she just wanted to reach a point of physical exhaustion and then she would think about the changes concerning her. Even though it hadn’t changed Dana’s attitude to find out that her biological father had been a wizard – a squib, but still a wizard – making Dana a pure-blood, it did bring some changed with it none the less.

Blinking the thought away, Dana smiled at the girl and stepped closer to her holding out her hand: “PLeasure to meet you, Bridget. Bee. I’m Dana Coran. Ravenclaw, in case you were wondering. And a fifth year.”<br>Dana still lowered the volume of the music a little still – it was hard to speak over it either-wise.
“Just came here to relax a bit myself. OWLs are murderous and then there are the every-day details as well – not really bothersome or troubling, but sometimes they are just stressing and time-consuming if you know what a mean. This kind of physical practice actually kind of works for me, as I didn’t want to dance alone,” Dana said calmly closing the door and walking back inside the room while holding up an easy conversation.

[thieflord84]

Bee smiled at Dana. She seemed easy to talk to.

"Nice to meet you to, Dana! I'm a Gryffindor third year, just to let you know. I'm really studing hard whenever I get the chance. I have to get good grades on those exams or else......" Bee said this in a fairly calm voice. Her father wouldn't mind if she didn't pass. He was a muggle, a very uncaring muggle that was her father. She grimaced at the thought of him. Her brother, Perry, had gotten into an accident, and her father seemed to care less. The music was still blaring, which made Bee feel energized. She smiled at Dana, wondering if she studied a lot.

"Are you nervous about the O.W.L.'s this year? I mean, you have to study a lot don't you? I personally never like to study for a long period of time; I just get bored. I perfer to do something that will take my mind off work...." Bee sure was talking a lot. She felt like talking would help her take her mind off of the exams and her family problems.

[dana]

“Nervous? Well, I have prepared for them. And unlike most people my grand-parents won’t freak if I don’t get ‘O’s on all of them. Then again – if I don’t get maximum two ‘E’s and everything else ‘O’s I will freak. But studying is not that bad. Something you get used to doing a lot in Ravenclaw,” Dana muttered with a twirl of her quarterstaff as she stared at the Gryffindor. She seemed faintly familiar from somewhere. Squinting her eyes thoughtfully Dana slammed the quarterstaff in the middle of a practice dummies chest without turning.

A quick twirl and the end of the quaterstaff slammed against the practice dummy again and again as Dana turned to face Bee again.
“Not having seen anyone walking around supporting boils, or weirdly colored hair so I presume you haven’t been sneaking into the dungeons anymore. Or at least you haven’t gotten caught which would be quite remarkable as well, as the Slytherins are very protective of the dungeons,” Dana remarked casually, finally knowing from where she knew the girl.

Shrugging Dana crouched down to retie the lace of her heeled-boot before it would get stuck somewhere.

[thieflord84]

She smiled at Dana, lost in thought. No wonder she was put in Gryffindor instead of Ravenclaw! Bee had to keep her grades up herself and for herself, seeing as her father didn't care. He would just laugh if she didn't pass. Bee was brought down to Earth with an unpleasent bump.

"Oh, uh, yeah. I decided I wouldn't go in the dungeons anymore after that little....er.....run-in with Kris. Or at least not for a while....." She grinned at the girl. She was just joking around. She had heard that those Queens of Slytherin can be rather cruel to younger Gryffindors, or in fact, anyone else that got in there way.

"That was his name right? Kris? He wouldn't tell me his name but I thought I heard you yell out for his sweater and you said his name....I ws just wondering because, it made me wonder who he was." She smiled at Dana in a thankful way.

"Thanks a lot for saving me from the suffactating spell. I was starting to get a little worried that that boy would do something worse to me. Like a bigger spell or something....." She trailed off, feeling lucky Dana had been in the dungeons herself.

[dana]

“A smart decision. You could have ended up a lot more worse than Kris, especially since he was in a relatively good mood and really feeling up to bothering with you – no offence,” Dana smiled at Bridget – talking of her cousin always improved Dana’s mood, “Kris. Kris Graas – he is arrogant, but in some ways he actually has a reason to be. He’s my cousin. Brother. Best friend. If I could have a best friend for a soul-mate, then Kris would be that too.”
Dana smiled softly as she spoke of Kris. She would do practically anything for him. And most of the times Kris wouldn’t really even have to ask.
“Krissy bear – like Mary calls him – needs some skill to get around with. A Gryffindor third year – Cass – knows him relatively well. But don’t go looking ofr his friendship without safety precautions. And even I might not be good enough protection if you go around calling him Krissy bear. Only ‘his girls’ can call him that.”<br>
Dana shrugged and smiled at Bee while throwing her quarterstaff in the air and letting that and the practicing room vanish into a pleasant lounge.
“But lets talk about something a lot more fun. Hey, do you know something about muggle board-games? A friend – a muggle-born – sent me one for my birthday but I don’t really have a clue how to play it. There were a game called hmmm… Alias, Monopoly and Twister if I recall correctly.” Tilting her head Dana waited for Bee’s answer – maybe the girl could give her a quick insight as to what the games were actually supposed to be like.

[thieflord84]

Bee laughed at the thought of somebody calling the boy she had met at night krissy bear. It seemed strange that some people can think of him as a best friend, while Bee was a little afraid of him. She would never let that show. Mostly if she was around him. Bee smiled at Dana.

"Believe me, I have no intentions of calling him Krissy bear. That's probably the last thing I would call him. So, he's your cousin? Tell me, does he have a good side?" Bee laughed at her own question. She knew that everyone had a good side, sometimes it was just harder to see. She grinned at Dana as the room changed into a lounge.

Dana had asked if she had known about muggle games. Bee smiled at Dana, wondering if Dana knew that she was a muggle-born.

"Actually, I know one of those games very well. Twister is really fun, I use to play it all the time with my brother, Perry. It's were you spin this pointer that has all these different colors on it. Whatever color it lands on, you have to put your foot or hand on the color circle which is on the mat. It will tell you wether to put your hand or foot on there. It kind of goes like that for a while, and whoever you are playing with will get all tangled up with you. It's a really easy game to learn. The others I haven't really played before..." Bee grinned at Dana as she sat down in a chair. Bee wasn't great at explaining things, and this proved it. She might have made Dana more confused than ever.

"So, just out of curiousity, are you a pureblood?" Bee felt like she had to know this information. She guessed that Dana was, since Kris had to be.

[dana]

Dana just grinned as Bee started laughing and then seriously pondered about her question. Did Kris have a good side – well, he was fantastical with animals and he was smart in his own way, if he bothered to study. And of course Dana adored his singing voice, but all of there were more personal details that Kris certainly wouldn’t appreciate a Gryffindor knowing.
“He would kill for me and Mary, no questions asked,” Dana answered with a shrug, “Take it as a bad or good trait. I know the good things about him, but it’s not really my place to discuss them right now, is it?”<br>
Dana let out a breath of relief when Bee said she at least knew one of the games. You’d get tangled up with someone else? But who would win in that case? And what exactly was the point?
“Halfbl…,” Dana started to answer automatically, before shaking her head – she was still not used to the news, “Pureblood. Just heard the information that my biological father actually had been a wizard a couple of days back. I’m not completely used to the idea yet.”<br>“But about that game -Twister, was it? If I get all tangled up, then what is the point of it? How do I win the game?” Dana asked curiously.

[thieflord84]

So she was a pureblood. Bee had thought so, so she wasn't too surprised. She was surprised that Dana hadn't known that she was a pureblood until a couple of days ago. She didn't mind that Dana didn't want to say what made Kris good; it was a personal question. Bee laughed when Dana asked what the point of the game was.

"Well, when you get all tangled up, whoever falls first wins. So, whoever can keep their balance and not fall will win. It's a fun game." Bee said.

[dana]

“Wait, wait, wait – I’m still not satisfied,” Dana stated raising a finger and tilting her head as she let out a string of questions, “Why do we get tangled? Is the board that small then? And why should anyone fall – I’d understand if people fell if they could only stand on their hands for example, but both of your legs and hands are touching ground – how could you loose balance? Besides, if we are all tangled up, then can the person falling pull others with him or her? As sense everyone are supposedly tangled up, touching someone in the game isn’t against the rules. Or may you tickle a fellow player to make him or her loose balance?”<br>
Dana’s quick mind was once again sprouting questions quicker then she could even ask them, so she forcefully made her stop so Bee might have a chance of answering some of them. Letting herself fall into an armchair, so her legs were tangling over the arm-rest Dana tilted her head and smiled at Bee: “If you don’t mind answering some more. I’m just curious. And not every one of my friends actually knows about muggle board-games as most of my friends do come from Slytherin. I have friends form Gryffindor and Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw as well, but most seem to be from SLytherin.” Dana didn’t comment furhter– she was pretty much the only one from the school outside the house itself who sometimes sat with the Slytherins and could walk off without a scratch on her as well. But in a way Dana even felt more relaxed in the company of Slytherins than with Gryffindors as weird it might have seemed.
Shrugging the thought away- that was just as things were – Dana turned her full attention back to Bee swinging her legs a little.

[thieflord84]

Bee grinned at Dana.

"Let's slow down a little. I have to think about it." Bee paused. She hadn't played twister for a while, so it took a while for her to remember the game.

"O.K, I'm going to try to explain the whole game to you, and maybe that will answer some of your questions." Bee sat down in an armchair close to Dana and closed her eyes, thinking. She opened her eyes and looked at Dana.

"Alright, there's a mat on the floor and on the mat is circles of colors. The mat is where you have to put your feet and hands. Then there's a little cardboard peice that has the same layout as the mat; you know, with all the colors. The have different sections on the cardboard for your right hand, left hand, right foot and left foot. In the middle of it, there's a little spinner. You spin the spinner and whatever it lands on, you do on the mat. So, let's say it lands in the right foot section on the color green. On the mat, you would put your right foot on one of the circles that has green in it. Then the other person goes and they would spin the spinner and do whatever it lands on. In twister, the colors on the mat are all mixed up, so it becomes difficult to reach a color. Once you're on a color then you can't move unless it names the foot or hand your using again. After a while, you will have to get in positions that you don't usually get in, and so will the other player. Soon, you might have to work over the other player and bend all over the place. Whoever falls first wins, and you can't do anything to the other player. If you accidentally fall into the other player, the other player can just get up and go back in their position. I hope that answers some of your questions and sorry that I talked so long." Bee took a deep breath. It was surprising that a simple game to play can take so long to explain.

(( I haven't played twister for a long time, so sorry if I got some stuff wrong! ))

[dana]

Dana listened to Bee’s explanation carefully while pulling her bag to her and searching in her bag.
“An apple?” Dana asked after finding what she was looking for and tossed Bee a nice red apple while biting into one herself, “I know I just ate a couple of hours ago at lunch, but I’m a growing child and need food!” Dana stated with happy grin towards Bee, “Alright I think I got the main point of twister. I only have to try out sometime then. And you didn’t talk long at all – I would be sad for a shorter answer. There is a reason why I’m in Ravenclaw beside being helplessly addicted to books. I need to know things to details.” Dana grinned happily at the third year and feeling that she wasn’t able to calmly sit down today bounded to her feet again.

Twirling happily in beat to the movie almost automatically starting to add different dance-moves Dana grinned at Bee: “Thanks a lot. I know about muggles in some areas, but in others I’m absolutely clueless. A friend just recently tried to explain what on earth an oven mitten was and I still don’t really get it. Mittens are warm enough and so is the inside of the oven. So why should I wear mittens while taking something out from an oven?”<br>Dana grinned at Bee, feeling how her mood improved: “So how have you been? Hey, are you playing Quidditch? That was partly why I came here today - to think and to try to calm myself a little before the game."

[thieflord84]

Bee grinned at Dana.

"Thanks! I'm always hungrey!" Bee laughed. "Yeah, I'm on the Quidditch team. I'm a beater. What position do you play?" She grinned at Dana again, trying to guess what position she played. Chaser, probably chaser, Bee thought.

"I'm just guessing here.....Chaser?" Bee paused for a second, thinking. "Is the next game Ravenclaw against Gryffindor?"

[dana]

“Beater? Never liked the position. Flying cannon-balls coming flying at you and you can’t even escape properly but have to hit the wretched balls,” Dana shuddered and grinned, “As you can see, I’m not too brave. And can’t fly as a chaser and the quaffle. Actually I’m best as a seeker. But I put Chang as a seeker – it is her last game, as she is graduating – and I’m playing keeper myself this game.”<br>Dana stared off into space for a moment that list of players and their positions going through her head once again. Savannah had dropped the captain position on Dana’s shoulders just this year as well and that made Dana even more nervous about the upcoming game.

“Yes, Ravenclaw is playing Gryffindor. And nothing personal but I’m really hoping we’ll humble your house. Hufflepuff against Slytherin is coming first though – I think I’m cheering for Slytherin there. I have a lot of friends from that house and some are on the team as well. As for Hufflepuff – barely know any of the players there,” Dana told with a warm smile towards Bee slowly stretching her legs and doing some more warm-up exercises as she spoke, “What about you? Are you on the starting team? And nervous about the upcoming game?”<br>

[thieflord84]

Bee smiled as Dana told her what she thought about the beater position.

"That's why I chose it actually. I thought it would be more exciting." Bee said, smiling. She loved to take risks, as Dana could probably tell from catching her in the dungeons. The part about Dana hoping that Ravenclaw would beat Gryffindor made Bee grin.

"It will be a good game, I think. And of course you want your team to win! I want mine to too." Bee paused and then added, "yes, I am nervous about the upcoming game. It's my first game ever, so it should be...different." Bee said. She smiled at the game about Slytherin V.S. Hufflepuff.

"Personally, I would like it better if Hufflepuff would win, since I'm not a big fan of Slytherins.... But Slytherin will probably win anyway."

[dana]

Dana wrinkled her nose a little, but laughed rather merrily back towards Bee after hearing she had chosen beater position: “Well, good luck. Or actually I should suggest you wouldn’t break any bones. But bludgers scare me.” Dana admitted it with a calm smile, not ashamed of the feeling at all.

“About Hufflepuff and Slytherin,” Dana let her head drop back and let out a low whistle as she thought about it, “I think I’ll still be rooting for Slytherin. I have many friends in that house – and on the team as well; while I know practically no one from Hufflepuff.” Of course the fact that Kris was a Slytherin also added to the fact that Dana would be rooting for Slytherin. Even though Hufflepuff deserved to win, even just to spite the arrogant trollops of Slytherin. Really was an interesting spot Dana was in.

“Yes, I think I will be cheering on Slytherins. They are good friends and I know I will have their support when Ravenclaw plays,” a wicked grin appeared on Dana’s lips, “Even though that might also come because we are playing Gryffindor. Even though I don’t get it why I always have to play the peacemaker between Slyths and others. It would be much more fun to play the bad girl from time to time.”<br>