Breaking a Sweat (Jack and anyone)

[Cassandra Blackfire G7]

With her feet pounding against the ground, Cass ran up to the front door of Hogwarts with seat pouring down a very red face. Slowing to a stop, she bent over at the waist to catch her breath. She hadn't realized how out of shape she was until Quidditch practice had started up, and she was ashamed of the fact that she nearly wheezing every time they finished a play. So, of course, it was time get back in condition, and she had been pushing herself by running a mile around the grounds every day. Of course, she had to do it before night fall because of all the safety measures that had been placed at the school, but that didn't bother her that much. The only thing that did bother her was the fact that the first quidditch game was coming up, and she didn't want to fall of her broom.

Cass wiped her brow with a towel and made her way into the Great Hall. She was looking forward to a hot shower, and a cool drink of water. Letting her black hair down out of its ponytail, she saw some younger Slytherin boys stare at her. Wondering what had them so intrigued, she continued to walk. No matter how young, she didn't want to garner any Slytherin's attention. She did admit that she was a member of the Gryffindor Knights, but she wasn't looking for a fight.

Cass' blue shorts swished as she went up the stairs that led to the seventh floor corridor where the Gryffindor Common Room, and thankfully the showers, were. She was starting to think about her homework when she exclaimed, "Hell!" She had left her library books near a tree at the front entrance. Retracing her steps, she found herself at the tree where she had left her books. Unfortunatly, she saw someone holding her carry all bag which held her books. Trying to be as polite as possible, she said, " Um, those are my books. Thank you for finding them but may I please have them back?"

[Jack Rendel S5]

Jack's eyes wandered around the Forbidden Forest, restlessly wishing he could explore it. No one was allowed in there however and Jack was set on helping Slytherin win the House Cup this year in any way he could. It was tempting and appealing at the same time, but Jack resisted it's wild calls and stalked over to the lake, which had always been one of his favorite places to be out on the Grounds. The waters welcomed him with sparkling delight. Jack gave it a small smile, flopping down on the green grass for a rest. Lots of other people liked the lake too, but everyone had enough sense to avoid his resting spot. Stretching out his legs, Jack fell back into the lush green and closed his eyes against the bright sun. Drinking it in, Jack put his hands behind his head and let a smile cross his lips. This was about the only time Jack actually relaxed and enjoyed. It felt as if no one would be watching him, and if they were they would take his expression as forlorn and expectant. After an hour or so of laying there, Jack sat up and surveyed the surroundings. The lake was becoming dull as the sun went lower in the sky. Jack glanced around, glad that people weren't as numerous as before. He was done getting sun though; his skin must be nearly sunburned.

Stretching and yawning widely, Jack managed to stand and saunter off toward the looming castle. It welcomed him by a soft flicker of shadows, which relived him from the sun. He closed his eyes half-way, making him look nearly drunk. His foot stumbled on a rock in his way, making him nearly trip over. Jack snarled and his electric blue eyes shot open. After balancing back into his pose, Jack kept his eyes open even more. Focusing on a tree near the entrance, Jack saw a hazy figure near the tree. He couldn't pick up details at this distance, so he neared it out of pure curiosity. It turned out not to be a person but a bag. The owner was no where in sight, so Jack approached with a gleam in his eyes. The bag appeared full, and when Jack inspected it, books were revealed inside. Not a bad find, but he already had all these books. Most of them were the same he had. The owner must be in his year. Jack shrugged and picked up the bag, not sure of his intentions. He wasn't just going to keep it under the tree. As soon as he grasped it, a girl came running out, sweaty and nasty. Jack wrinkled his nose in disgust as the girl approached him, saying those were her books.

"Oh, these are yours?" Jack peered down at the bag once more with renewed interest. The girl wasn't in Slytherin, that he knew. So, he could torment her somehow if he wanted to. At the moment though, he had no exciting notions to do so. He shrugged and let go of the bag, which dropped to the ground with a thud. Jack wasn't about to hand it to the girl. "All yours. Now, what have you been doing to work up such a sweat? Exercising or just running back down here to get your precious books?" Jack's eyes swiveled and eyed the girl closely. Her clothes gave no identity to which house she was in, so he decided to greet her a little warmly. "Jack Rendel, Slytherin fourth year. Who are you?"

[Cassandra Blackfire G7]

Cass picked up her bag without turning her back to the Slytherin. She knew that he would know who she was the moment she uttered her name. She was pretty sure that Blackfire was the most infamous name at the school Swallowing, she said, " Cass. Cassandra Blackfire. You probably know my cousin, Pyro." Cass looked at the boy with a little more scrutiny, and was caught a little off guard by his warm greeting. " So, what are you doing out here today? Enjoying the weather or something else. I've been trying to get in shape for Quidditch since the season will be starting soon. I don't think you are on the Slytherin house team. Dawn usually only puts the older students on the team."

Cass blushed, hoping that she hadn't insulted the boy. Cass was waiting for the onslaught of insults and attacks by the boy, but they seemed not to be coming. After last year, she didn't really want to trust Slytherins. Cass had tried to make friends with a few Slytherins, and it pretty much blew up in her face with two exceptions. One was Pyro, but he had changed alot during the summer. Of course, he had stayed with Mary Evans, and she was probably considered her nemesis by most of the student body even though they shared several mutual friends. The second would be Mack Holden, and she would probably put herself in harm's way for her. Rubbing the back of her head, she continued to address the fellow fourth year, " Do you know Mack Holden? She is a friend of mine from your house. I haven't seen her since we got back to school. Have you seen her? Is she okay? I don't mean to pry, but I am worried about her."