"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Sebastian came tearing down the stairs of the Gryffindor Common Room, ducking and dodging as the firecrackers shot past his ears. Almost burning them off, no doubt! The exploded and popped just as he managing to jump onto a couch and duck for cover. There was hollering from all around the room, some students upset because they were trying to study, or have a conversation, or snog, but that only lasted a few seconds as the display of red and gold cheered everyone greatly. It was never a bad time for some House pride, yeah?

He squirmed on the couch, flipping over to stretch across and push his feet into the arm of it. Sebastian's hands went behind his head to give himself more of a pillow, and he watched the fireworks crackle and finally die down. He'd need to go back to Zonko's to refill his batch, and wondered when the next Hogsmeade weekend was, it felt like ages since they'd been allowed out of the castle, but it really must have been only a month.

The boy flipped again, stretching the upper half of his body off the couch to try and read the bulletin board for the Hogsmeade schedule. Sebastian put a hand to the ground to keep him steady, face twisting as he tried to force his vision to be better.

"Oy, when's Hogsmeade?"


ooc: Fluid time thread, open to Gryffindors (and their various guests) of all years!

Phoebe rocked back and forth on her heels, finding herself quite nervous.

"It's really late and I've been studying very hard for my exams, so if I could get a hint, please?" She knew it was to no avail, and for the third time the Eagle knocker on the door of the Ravenclaw Common Room slowly let out the night's riddle,

I'm the part of the bird that's not in the sky. I can swim in the ocean and yet remain dry. What am I?

She let out a puff of air and dropped down flat on her feet. Okay, okay Pheebs, think! It couldn't be an impossible answer, because she heard voices beyond the door, so someone must have answered it already. Knowing that the riddle had already been solved made Phoebe flush slightly; she should be able to do this, dang it, she was a prefect! Okay, okay. Let's talk this out.

"Part of the bird? I suppose the first question to your question is that how could it be a literal part of the bird if it's not up in the sky with it? It can't be, there for it's not a literal part, but what, is it its mind? Or more like the soul?" Phoebe waited a beat but when the door did not open she continued to question the question, "It's not a physical object, that's for sure---you can't swim in the ocean without getting wet, unless, again, you're not an actual....if it's not in the sky, it's on the ground, is it always with the bird?"

Her mind shot to the image of the Ravenclaw eagle soaring through the sky, and her thoughts helped her travel down to the ground; what would she see? Phoebe's eyes lit up and she puffed her chest slightly, "A shadow?"

The door clicked open and Phoebe let out a properly pleased sound as she skipped into the common room.


ooc: Fluid time thread, open to Ravenclaws (and their various guests) of all years!

The green light cascading through the windows of the Slytherin Common Room made Katerina sleepy. She wondered who had thought it would be a good idea to build dorms under a lake, let alone give it windows where the sun would only be able to reach its occupants by piercing through the water. It was beautiful, though, she couldn't deny that. And different, and unique, and she supposed not many people got to see the creatures of the Great Lake swim by. And it was secluded, away from the rest of the annoying common rooms, who had no class when it came to decor and---

Okay, she'd convinced herself. The Slytherin Common Room was indeed the most brilliantly laid out one.

Her eyes pulled away from the window and Katerina gave a long glance across the somewhat busy common room. Though, you'd never call a group of Slytherins busy; they all did things on their own time, at their own pace, in their own manner. Plotting Slytherins might work better, but contrary to popular belief, not everyone in her House was concocting a plan to take over the world.

Even though they'd manage to do it quite fast and effectively, she might add.


ooc: Fluid time thread, open to Slytherins (and their various guests) of all years!

Tim was doing his very best to be sneaky. He felt like tiptoeing around, but if anyone saw him do it he might get embarrassed and made fun of for the rest of his life. In his arms were a bundle of snacks and treats from the kitchens (what upstanding Hufflepuff didn't have a house-elf food source to help them through those tough exam weeks?), and a few bottles of butterbeer were hanging between his fingers, lighting clanging. Oh boy. He only had one more flight of stairs to go before he was Scot-free and when he finally reached the painting, Tim let out a sigh of relief. Home.

Or, at least, his home for ten months out of the year. Well---okay, this was home

The still-life painting seemed to tease Tim for a moment, not opening to him and he had to shake his thoughts away from his mini, five minute adventure to remember how to access the dorms. "Oh. I'm Timothy Greengrass, 6th year Hufflepuff. I have snacks."

He waited for the painting to determine if his statement was true, and as he indeed was a sixth year Hufflepuff, it shifted to the side and allowed him through. The Common Room was brightly lit, even at a somewhat late hour, and student lounged on the cozy, over-sized arm chairs. Most of them waved a hello to Tim, and he grinned, making a beeline to an empty couch.


ooc: Fluid time thread, open to Hufflepuffs (and their various guests) of all years!