A Jape by the Juniper

[Alessandro Darko]

Alessandro had finished assembling his practical joke geared for Keaira up in the Ravenclaw common room. He remembered how she had a thing for apples, so he did his best to procure a rather large wicker basket. There was another basket to his left, it was shaking slightly as if to suggest there was something inside of it. Small squeaks could be heard from under the cloth covering the top. Alessandro turned his gaze to it. "Now now, you lot. Just calm down..." He said as he finished tying a green and silver bow to the basket. He got out a quill and a plain creme colored card and jotted down: For Keaira on the face.

An evil smile spread over Alessandro's face. He was feeling rather giddy inside about his up and coming practical joke he had planned. He was not really known for doing such a thing, but he felt that Keaira would be mildly amused. After all, she seemed like the type to enjoy a good joke as much as the next person. She was cracking them on Alessandro all the time, so whats a little retribution?

He turned his attention to the squeaking basket. "Now I've got my work cut out for me..." He breathed, he uncovered the basket to reveal about a dozen restless rats. "Alright, you first." He picked up one of the rats and set it on a table. He pointed his wand at it he concentrated hard on the image of a shiny green apple. He envisioned it perfectly as a three dimensional image in his head, follwing it's curves and almost tasting the juiciness of it. "Fera Verto!" He said forcefully and the rat rolled over and curled into a ball. His fur became green and solidified as his tail retracted in, becoming the piece of stem coming out the top of the apple. Alessandro was now looking at a green apple. It wasn't perfect, the shape was a little lumpy and it looked rather wide for an apple, but other than that, it was an apple none the less.

He placed it into the basket and began to transform the rest of the rats into apples quickly, turning out some perfect, some not so perfect, and one that seemed a little fuzzy. He put that one at the bottom of the basket to obscure it from sight.

He put the finishing touches on his basket and then picked it up and hoisted it off to the Juniper tree by the lake, where he had told her earlier to meet him. When he got there he set the basket down by the tree, making the card visible for her to see it. He then did his best to climb the tree and hide himself from sight, but allowing himself to have a good view and spot to cast the finite charm. He wasn't planning on her actually eating any of the apples, just when she was about to bite, he would cast the charm and they would all turn back into rats, providing him with a good laugh.

[Keaira O'Connell]

Earlier at breakfast Keaira had the slight amusement of a message delivered to her from another student. It had a very vague and cryptic feel to it as she was directed to meet Alessandro at the juniper tree by the lake. She had remembered that he had mentioned wishing to speak with her in passing the other day, however a meeting at the lake wasn’t really what Kearia had first thought of. But since boys were not her best subject she just shrugged it off. Maybe he had something in mind that she had not thought of

Kearia being the type of person she was found that although she thought Alessandro was a good guy, she was still slightly irked at him for using her full name out in public, and however, there was that nagging thought that she had earned that comment after her slights on him. He knew how to play and that was fine by her, after all she enjoyed the games, and it seemed he did as well.

Kearia smirked to herself as she recalled the ‘Wystie’ comments, and the way that Wysteria had responded. There was a lot that she had found interesting about Alessandro But she would never let him know. The sun was giving a valiant effort at keeping the day warm and the slight breeze kept it from becoming too overly hot. It was really a great day for a rendezvous at the lake. Her studies completed there was nothing left to do but to make her way to the previously aforementioned spot.

Kearia sometimes finds it a great difficulty to walk anywhere and not have something to keep her busy, so like many other days she had chosen a book to keep her attention while she walked to the meeting place. The book was old and worn, very different from any of her other possessions. The way it looked some one had used the book for reference and notes almost every day, and that was very true to form. She had been given the book by her tutor and old friend James, many long years ago, and still found its uses to be extravagant. “Latin, Unlocking the Secrets of Old.’, was the days’ book, after all when summer came around James would want to see how she had kept up on all her studies, and this one was no different. He would hassle her all vacation if she went away to school and forgot everything he taught her.

She was quickly approaching their meeting point and with only a fleeting glance she knew that Alessandro was not there waiting for her. However to her surprise she was not left alone, for there seemed to be a basket of sorts waiting where he should have been. With in a few moments she had reached the tree, and discovered the contents of the basket were a whole bushel of green apples. She took a secondary more vigilant look around the area to see if there was any one else in the vicinity, ‘maybe he’s not coming’, she thought to herself.

With a quick exanimation of the basket she noticed the green and silver bow, and the note that simply said ‘for Kearia.’

"Thats kind of sweet now isn't it." She stated out loud for her self.

A smile spread across her face, as she searched the top layer for the most perfect looking apple. Her eyes landed on one of them, and she pulled it out. Looking it over carefully, She then proceeded to wipe it off on the inside of her light cloak. Shinning it up perfectly so she could take a bite down in to it.

[Alessandro Darko]

He was writhing with glee and anticipation as he saw her silhouette approach the Juniper tree. He pulled out his wand slowly and delicately as he got himself ready to reveal the secret of the apples. He watched as she drew near and admire the basket for a moment. She seemed to be waiting for him to arrive by the way she was glancing around every so often. He watched as she bent down and looked at the card.


"Thats kind of sweet now isn't it." She stated out loud for her self.

He struggled to keep his laughter inward as he was watching on. He usually gave himself away by laughing PRIOR to any prank, or if he was trying to fool someone. He called it his annoying nervous laughter. This time he was able to repress it. His eyes followed her hand hungrily as she plucked out one of the more perfect apples he had transfigured. She shined it on her robes and looked as if she was about to take a bite. He quickly aimed his wand at the basket as he readied himself to say the incantation. He didn't really want her to bite into any of them, seeing as they were really rats.

Finite Incantatem! He whispered. On the turn of a dime, the apple Keaira had held in her hand, inches away from her face, began to churn and change color to a ruddy brown. The stem at the top rotated and began to elongate, moving down the side to where it formed the tail. Fur sprouted out of the apple as the rodent took more of its natural form, and then finally the transformations were complete and she was standing over a basket full of rats, with one inches away from her face.

[Keaira O'Connell]

Her mind was quietly contemplating how this had happened; after all, she had been a bit mean to him. Shouldn’t her karma, be kicking her right now? She thought it was odd but soon found that she had pushed it from her mind. He seemed to have forgiven her for the slights, and the jokes, and so maybe it was her time to do the same. This was a nice surprise, and he deserved the same treatment didn’t he? Cruelty for cruelties sake got you no where… so she would have to make sure she wasn’t mean to him for a bit. After all this was so nice.

She smiled as the apple came closer to her lips, inches from her face, ready to be devoured at a moments notice. She could practically taste the sweet and sour juices from the apple. As it was poised, ready to be consumed, she noticed it seemed to shake, and then it happened, it began to change. With in seconds of almost eating the apple she was face to face with a small, dirty, brown mouse.

“Ack!” She screamed, dropping the apple/mouse on the ground and stepping back from the rest of them. It was actually a relatively stifled response to having your nice snack turned in to a mouse. But she wasn’t done yet. He had to be here somewhere. And she knew how to find him. She reached out with her mind, searching for him, knowing he wasn’t far. With out too much trouble she located his mind, in the tree above her.

Anger boiled inside her, this was not something that she could just let pass. There needed to be some retribution. Her eyes had a fierce and wild look to them, one that she was sure he had never seen.

“You think that’s funny now do you??! You like little mice?” she lost control, not only had she said those words but she had forcibly thought them at Alessandro as well, pushing them directly into his head, and probably giving him a bit of a head ache in the process. “So does Artemis, let’s see how funny you think it is when you spend the rest of your life as a squishy mouse, cat toy!! Hominis Verto!!”

Her wand was poised towards him up in the tree, even with the branches obscuring him she knew she had enough force of will to pull the spell off, whether or not she would hit him was another thing. She really didn’t intend for him to spend the rest of his life as a cat toy, only a few minuets… long enough to let Artemis have a bit of fun, besides at most the spell could only retain its transmutation effects for 20 minuets. And by then she would be in some public place with Artemis playing with a new toy that would soon transform back to Alessandro

[Alessandro Darko]

Up in the tree, he snickered as she shrieked and dropped the rat. He was giddy with glee as he watched her frett. Something shifted in her thought and she looked thirsty, thirsty for retribution. He saw her scan the area and then a peculiar minute "tug" was felt at the back of his mind. He suddenly could feel anger, although it wasn't his own, and then in a heartbeat, as Keaira cried out to him. He heard the voice come from two places; her mouth, and his mind. A wave of pain exploded from the core of his brain, and he lost his stability up in the tree. As he desperately grasped out to regain his hold on the branches, he heard her say something about being turned into a mouse, and then fell. He cringed as he heard the incantation, and then felt a peculiar sensation all over his body

He was shrinking fast, his clothing seemed to hug him tight as it began to transform into fur. His front teeth elongated to his dismay, and his ears slid up higher on his head and expanded. His hands condensed and his fingernails grew out, solidified, and sharpened. The next thing he knew, he felt an odd "popping" sensation as his spinal cord extended past his lower back forming a tail.

A dark brown mouse with grey eyes fell to the ground and emitted a rather high-pitched squeak of anguish.

She turned me into a mouse! That curr! he screamed in his mind. I'm a fool for thinking I could get along with a Slytherin!! He continued his slew of angry private thoughts.

[D'rorah Philosophy]

D'rorah had been out on the grounds, watching, surveying for anything out of the ordinary. It seemed so much out of the ordinary happened these days. She walked along, eyes and ears alert for any sign of the Shadows and Dementors which had been plaguing the grounds of Hogwart's. She was passing by the lake when she heard yelling and saw a girl holding what appeared to be a basket of rodents.

She followed the girl's gaze up into the tree to see Alessandro. She only had a brief moment to wonder why he was in a tree before the Slytherin girl had transfigured him into a mouse. At the same time, she noticed an owl not too far away. Eager to prevent having their Elemental Master of Fire end up as an owl treat, she hurried over to where the confrontation was happening.

She could feel the girl's anger radiating like the bands of a supernova. She reached out her mind, Keaira O'Connell, she thought to herself. "I do not know what has transpired here, but we do not use transfiguration on other students, Miss O'Connell," she remarked calmly as she approached. Brandishing her wand, she pointed it at the mouse and with a quick flourish set him back to normal. "Now, Mister Darko, Miss O'Connell, I expect an explanation from both of you." Her eyes lingered for a moment on Alessandro, though her expression betrayed no emotion, she did not bother to hide the coldness in her voice. "I should hate to be forced to deduct points from my own house, Mister Darko. For both of your sakes, I hope your explanations are compelling..."

[Keaira O'Connell]

A wicked smile seared across her face as she saw him lose his balance and slip away from the tree, transforming as he went. She was aware that he would probably live with out too much damage if she just let him hit the ground… and God knows that he deserved it. But she did feel the pang of regret as her locket flashed red hot seconds after the spell was released. That really was an evil thing to do.

“Aressto Momuentum.” A quick spell sent out to cussion his fall to the earth. Luckily he was small so there seemed to be more time to react before his collision with the ground. Although he had deserved the moments of life as a mouse she felt that he did not deserve a broken rib or more. She could at least minimize the suffering he would endure before handing him over to Artemis…

She noticed that he tried to scuttle away, so she stepped forward, about to summon poor Alessandro in to her hand for safe keeping. However she didn’t manage to get the spell off in time, because at that moment a very authoritative female around 18 stepped forward, and released Alessandro from her spell. The only explanation that Kearia could come up with was she must have been head girl, and therefore held the authority to do as she threatened.

The glee that she had over the thought of Alessandro being transformed from a mouse to a man in front of countless out lookers was quickly fading, she wouldn’t get the revenge she sought at this point in time, but the games were on. Sooner or later there would be plenty of time for a joke on him… the thought lingered in her mind for a few moments before she cleared both it and the anger splayed on her face.

She turned to the girl, a smile cheerfully on her face as if it was all a misunderstanding, and D’rorah just had bad timing.

“Oh, well you see, Alessandro and I were just playing a game, weren’t we? He had decided that it would be fun to turn mice in to apples and have the poor things almost eaten. So I thought that in the same manor, that maybe he should be shown what it must have felt for them to go through the feelings of near consumption… I would never have let anything happen to him, it was all in good fun.”

She tried to sound sincere, and convincing, as if that was all there was too it, but some things were less than perfect. Although both her words, and her thoughts when she mentioned that she would never let him get hurt, were the truest thing she had said. After all where’s the fun in permanently damaging someone as interesting as Alessandro? She kind of liked him, and hoped that this encounter wouldn’t turn him away from her completely.

Kearia looked over at Alessandro, and smiled weakly, almost in a ‘sorry I lost it’ kind of apologetic look. Hoping beyond all hope, that he would agree with her and that they could talk that over with out losing points for either house.

[Alessandro Darko]

Alessandro was fuming. She had turned him into a mouse for his trickery. How cliche of a witch to turn another into an animal. He felt anger boiling up inside of him. He had meant his little present to be a joke in retribution to Keaira constantly ripping on him. He felt that maybe after the fact she would laugh, like he had. He began to feel hot and his eyes flickered for a split second with fire dancing along the iris.

He clenched his jaw tight as D'rorah approached them. He was thankful that she had released him from his mousey prison, yet resentful that she threatened to deduct points. This was all in good fun and SOMEONE had to go and get touchy... He thought scathingly. His blood was boiling and his temperature was skyrocketing. He dared not retaliate in front of the prefect of his own house, so he struggled to maintain his hand at his side, inches away from his wand.

"Dee...it all got out of hand..." He said through gritted teeth. "I was playing a practical joke on Keaira...we joke a lot. I thought she would have found it funny after the fact....however I was wrong." He said glaring at Keaira. Alessandro held his head down as he talked to D'rorah as he felt her gaze might make him feel more shamed by the minute.

He then looked up, not looking at Keaira at all he said: "And they were rats, by the way. I should hope one could recognize the difference between rats and mice, if one can tell the difference between a crumple-horned snorkack and a blast-ended skrewt..." He hissed at her.

[D'rorah Philosophy]

"Practical jokes?" asked D'rorah, looking from one to the next. "Very well. As the two of you have proven yourselves incapable of spending your free time in a constructive manner, I believe we will be deducting ten points from each of your houses." She shifted her gaze to Alessandro. "Mister Darko, pratical jokes which incite anger on the part of others are not humorous." She shifted her gaze to Keaira. "Miss O'Connell, retribution which manifests itself in transfiguration of a fellow student... magic which can be quite dangerous, by the way is not an acceptable form of retaliation."

She was rolling her eyes internally. "Before we progress any futher, you will both apologize to one another... sincerely," she added, placing a heavy stress upon the word. Her tone of voice left no doubt that she expected her words to be heeded. "Really, you both exhibit the shameful behavior of a pair of first year students."

[Keaira O'Connell]

Her weak smile faded from her face soon after glancing at Alessandro, he was not a happy person, although he had only spent a minute as a mouse, he seemed to have taken it pretty hard. As she looked at him, she thought she actually saw a flash of red in his eyes, but it had passed so quickly that she assumed it must have just been the sun glancing off of them. The eyes that she found quite attractive had looked so menacing, and threaten right now.

Kearia was once again close to bursting, how he dare insult her intellect after such an ordeal. She had only let him be a mouse for a minute, and here he was stating that she was about as smart as your average rock. Whether he meant it as a joke or not she was going to respond, maybe this would blow over with the right words. “And one should hope that after 5 years that they might have been better at transfiguration, I swear one of them was still fuzzy.” A small barely noticeable smile crept back on to her face, as the words were released in a low whisper.

But then the words seeped out of D’rorah’s mouth and seemed to form a haze around Keaira's brain. 10 points, already, she had lost 10 points for her house, and it was all his fault. For spending her time poorly. It seemed so unfair. “But can’t you give me detention instead; after all it was my time I was so careless with. PLEASE??!!” Anything was better than losing points, it didn’t matter what it was.

AND an apology??!! She sure was asking for a lot. Keaira's face was covered with anguish, what more was she going to ask for. Detention would have been a much better punishment. Her face went from D’rorah to Alessandro; she really had to apologize to a boy who had almost allowed her to eat a rat… Her face was at war with herself, she didn’t want to lose more points, but she hated the fact that she had to apologize… Choking away her pride, she looked at Alessandro, strait at his face, knowing that she needed to be looking at him to feel as if it was sincere enough.

“I uh-I’m sorry I turned you in to a rat.” She said the words clearly, and softly, with as much emotion as she could muster. “But you did almost let me eat one. Which was a vile thing to do.” She looked down at the ground quickly, and mumbled again “really sorry.” Hoping that would suffice both D’rorah and Alessandro.

[Alessandro Darko]

Alessandro's eyes flew wide as he heard the insulting nature of Keaira's retort. I'M IN ADVANCED TRANSFIGURATION!!! He screamed inside his head. He felt like he was about to explode. He grabbed his head instantaneously as he felt a massive surge of pressure build up. He had never felt like this before in all his life. He usually was more calm and collected when it came to matters dealing with difference of opinion, and now, he felt like he was as volatile as an Erumpent's horn.

He decided to glue his mouth shut and not defend his shoddy work at transfiguration, after all, he knew that he had not given it his heart and soul, and felt he had nothing to prove to her. At the mention of ten points being deducted from each house, his heart sank. He had not wanted to cause all this. He was surprised D'rorah would go as far to deduct from her own house, yet, she was a prefect after all.

He twitched erratically as Keaira began to beg for detention instead of points deducted. He despised the thought of being holed up in a dungeon with her, for if he was given a moment a lone with her, he feared he may do something he would regret.

As Keaira gave her half-hearted apology to him, he scoffed slightly and and looked away as she finished. It was now his turn. But how was he to feign sincerity in his current state. His eyes flickered and he closed them tight and took in a very deep breath. He was drawing upon something deep within himself. He opened his eyes.

"Keaira, I am so very dreadfully sorry to have made you think that I would actually let you eat one of those transfigured rats." He began as he actually sounded quite convincing with a tone of defeat in his voice. "I just wanted to prank you, I thought you might have laughed..." He trailed off as he shook his head. "I really wasn't going to let you eat one..." This was the most sincerest he could have sounded, for it was in fact the truth. "I truly am sorry Keaira, I didn't know this would escalate like this....would you forgive me?" He almost died as he spoke those last words. He was furious that he had to seem like this was all his fault, even though in reality, it was. Fire flashed in his eyes again as he stared straight at Keaira.

[D'rorah Philosophy]

D'rorah shook her head slightly. "I suppose that will have to do." She looked from Alessandro to Keaira . "Your sincerity is a bit... lacking, but the deduction of house points should be adequate punishment. And no, Miss O'Connell, I will not accept detention as an alternative. The very fact that you would bargain for it demonstrates to me that I have chosen a suitable punishment. So then, I do not know how this all began, and quite frankly do not care. You will both bid one another good day for now." She shifted her gaze back to Alessandro, her left brow arching. "Mister Darko, I believe I have some translations you can assist me with if you are unable to find something else with which to occupy your time," she remarked calmly.

She turned to walk away, as she did, she called behind her. "I will expect to see you in the common room in ten minutes, Mister Darko!" She walked away without looking back. And that is absolutely no way for an Elemental Master to act, Mister Darko, she added, sending the thought to him. I truly am disappointed... I expected much better. She smiled wryly as soon as the thought was out... her actions and words just then reminded her so much of her old sword master. She made a mental note... perhaps Alessandro... well all of the Elemental Masters, really, would benefit from weapons training... it had certainly served her well several times.

[Keaira O'Connell]

She felt somewhat at a loss. It was not every day that a new friend became such a bitter rival. If only he had been a bit more thoughtful, and instead transfigured birds or even lizards or newts in to apples she might have been more understanding, and perhaps even had laughed, but to turn a bunch of rats in to apples was just malicious, something worthy of some of the more loathsome Slytherins.

There it was again, that gleam in his eyes that begged for retribution. It was like a fire burned behind those eyes, and she just kept feeding it turning it, kindling the flame. Letting it grow with each remark she made. Hoping that he would blow up and lose some more points for Ravenclaw, after all he deserved a bigger loss. But then again Kearia felt vulnerable, she had not been a victim of such a vicious prank in a very long time, and yet here she was. Her guard down for only a few moments, and he struck her in a way that may be slightly irreparable. If she pushed him too far, and he exploded would it cause her to burst aw well? Her mental barriers were even lower than her emotional ones now. It would have been easily to invade her mind and siphon out most knowledge you were after, her will was so low. All she felt like doing was returning to her dormitory, and settling in for a few hours of meditation, and relaxation.

Kearia took note of the scoff that Alessandro had made of her apology, and sneered distinctively at him, knowing that he would not miss the contemptuous look across her face. Although the apology sounded honest to an extent she felt that it was also forced, and had he not been given the order to do so it would never have come. Then when he finished the look in his eyes showed once again that rage inside him. A fire, nearly uncontrollable, was held just out of reach burning behind those eyes.

Her Latin book was on the ground where she had dropped it in the moment that the apple turned in rat. She glanced at it slightly dismayed at the way it looked abandoned and distraught. It had been her favorite book as a child and yet here it was treated as poorly as she then wished upon Alessandro. She should have chosen a different method of attack, something that would have left him in more discomfort, and would have not lost her such points. Maybe using Oppugno to send his own rats against him, that would have been a laugh… or perhaps, she could have thought of something worse. Possibly even something involving fire, which he seemed to have a slight fear of.

The apologies were accepted, but she felt a bit disheartened, she lost points, and trust, and possibly a friend. At least she still had her book and the thought of the solace awaiting her in her room. She kept her eyes pinned to Alessandro’s as she leaned forward to retrieve her book, not wishing to let him out of her sight. That look to his eyes left her feeling a bit unnerved.

“Ave et vale. Volo vobis, a mirus dies.” Kearia had let the words flow out of her mouth like a silvery whisper on the wind, rolling off her tongue and in to the space between them, and if he had any real knowledge of Latin beyond its uses for magic he might have been aware that she had just told him, ‘Good bye, I wish for you, a wonderful day.’ Although she barely meant a word of what she said, and she felt quite certain that he would fail to grasp her meaning.

Then although entirely weary of her actions she turned her back to him, and began to walk away, her wand at her side, and her thoughts reaching out for any advanced warning of an attack from behind. She would not allow him the upper hand if she could help it, and she would not fall victim to his treachery.

[Wysteria Edwin]

((OOC: We have reached critical angst mass.  This thread will self destruct in 5... 4... 3... 2... 1...))

[Alessandro Darko]

As D'rorah said her final piece, she implied that she wanted to see him up in their common room soon. He had heard the mental thought she had pushed into his mind. He started to calm down a little bit, letting the internal inferno subside greatly, as shame conquered the flames. Great...now she thinks I'm immature... He thought.

He kept eying Keaira as he didn't know whether to curse her or not, but finally let his guard completely down as the whole ordeal was utterly ridiculous. He disapproved of the way she had retaliated against him and felt that it was a rather hostile backlash at a practical joke. After all, he hadn't transfigured her, just some rodents.

He noticed that she dare not take her eyes off him as if he was going to pull his wand on her and give her a taste of her own medicine. He was not thinking anything of the sort as he did not wish to remove any more points which were already non-existent.

Her clever latin quip she had so disdainfully remarked to him took him a second to figure out. He wasn't brilliant in latin, but learned enough to slowly understand or pick apart roots. He had taken etymology lessons a couple summers ago and knew several latin and greek roots, amongst his favorites caco-, helio-, -pheme, -alg(ia), and -latr(y). She had said something to him along the lines of good day.

"Noli unquam oblivisci mures." He muttered under his breath as he contemptfully watched her walk away from him. Once she was gone and all that was left were him and a bunch of rats running around next to the juniper, he cursed loudly. "Why am I such a screw up!?" He exclaimed to himself. "Why did she have to take it that way!" He angrily asked himself as he fumbled for his wand. He slashed it over the rats and spoke. "Wingardium Leviosa!" He said the spell with ferocity as each individual rat rose into the air and hung there suspended. He picked up the basket and grabbed each rat and placed them in the basket. Once he had collected them all he stomped off toward the castle.