Midnight Inspiration

Adele moved quietly through the corridors. It was well past midnight, and the castle was silent. The perfect time for a trip to the library, she smiled to herself. There would be no one else around, no one to disturb her. Sure, the library was technically closed. Locked. Prohibited. But that didn't really matter to her.

"Alohomora," she whispered when she arrived at the giant double doors.

She heard the lock unlatch and looked around to make sure no one else heard it; to a Ravenclaw sneaking out of her dorm at night, it sounded like a war-horn. Adelaine cautiously pushed the door open just wide enough to where she could slip through and closed it behind her. She crept through the dark isles, avoiding ghosts and paintings, until she finally found what she was looking for.

"Fashion books," she said, giddy with excitement.

The big Halloween masquerade ball was coming up at the end of the month, and Adele needed ideas. As she was browsing the shelves, she heard a loud creak behind her. She turned, wand in hand and ready to fire - until she saw who it was.

"What're you doing here??" she asked.

Kolby was struggling with homework. He rubbed his eyes and decided that he needed to clear his head. So, he went walking the halls, thinking about the herbology homework that they got assigned. No doubt everyone else was doing just fine. But, Kolby was horrible with memorizing names, much less names of plants.

"Hey Kolby," a Ministry member called out to him, in the middle of the hall. Kolby smiled mischievously and waved. They did the secret handshake.

"So, did you hear about those Templar kids?" the Ministry member asked. Kolby had behind the ballot box curtain when Davy arrived so he wouldn't see him. Being a Shadow is tough... Kolby thought, lying to the Ministry member.

"Yeah. I heard it from some Puffs. Crazy, right?" Kolby chuckled. The Ministry members smiled and laughed.

"I know right. Those kids really think that they can take us down. Well, just wait. Davy has got something plan for the Halloween dance. Something big. You'll help out, right?" the member asked. Kolby felt his chest involuntarily seize up. Did Davy really have a plan? But, Kolby smiled.

"Of course! Anything for the Ministry," Kolby told him. The Ministry member smiled and said goodbye, heading off to bed. Kolby told him goodbye and continued on his walk, his head more troubled than ever. Homework was the least of his concerns. He continued to walk around until he saw Adele walk into the library. He needed to tell her and clear his mind. And, he needed an idea to ruin Davy's plot, whatever it was. He quietly entered the library and held his hands up when Adele confronted him.

"It's me. Calm down. I have bad news. Davy had something planned for Halloween," Kolby told her.

Adelaine took a deep breath and calmed herself when she saw it was only Kolby.

"I thought for sure you were a vampire coming after me or something," she admitted, embarrassed by her foolishness. "What does he have planned?? Well, you obviously don't know, or you'd have said it already."

She moaned and sat down at a table, motioning for Kolby to join her. Maybe fashion isn't what I should be looking at right now, she thought begrudgingly. All she'd wanted was a nice, quiet night out at the library to get ideas for a dress. Would that interest her Slytherin friend? Probably not.

"Say, do you have a date to the ball yet?" she asked, putting her feet up on the chair next to her. "No one's asked me. I'm thinking maybe I should do the asking this time, but who would I choose? You probably don't even know what I'm talking about." She sighed, and then smirked. "Do you have a special lady in your life, Kolby?"

Kolby sighed and sat with Adele. They both seemed tired. Stressed. School just started. Were they supposed to feel this way? Kolby groaned when Adele wanted to talk about girlie things. Thea liked to do the same thing and she was stressing about getting a date as well. She didn't need to worry. Someone would step up and asked her, or Kolby would take her himself, although he knew that she probably wouldn't like that.

"No, I don't have a date yet and I probably won't get one. Being a Slytherin has it disadvantages. Girls don't tend to want to take a Slytherin," Kolby said, looking at the surrounding books. They were all about Healing and they seemed a little scattered about like someone had been reading them.

"No, I guess I don't have a special lady unless you count my mother and my sisters. We're very close," Kolby told Adele. Kolby missed his family, but with Thea here, it was a little easier.

"Why hasn't Symon asked you yet? Do I need to talk to him for you?" Kolby asked, trying to help. His mind was on Davy's possible plans. Of course, it would be the Halloween dance. A big thing, where everyone would be. But, would he try to hurt people or just try to kidnap someone? Someone important, like Symon or Adele or both of them. How would he hurt people, though? Kolby knew that Davy trusted him, thinking that he was his double agent. Kolby sighed and ran his hands through his hair.

"I need to get on the board that helps Davy with his plans. There's a meeting tomorrow. What do you think I can do to foil his plan?" Kolby asked Adele.

(OOC: Adele can suggest the musical idea to Kolby. Kolby will suggest the musical as a ruse to keep the staff entertained and Davy will like it and try to incorporate it into his plan. But, it will actually be a musical lol)

"You should ask Elsa," Adele suggested with a grin. "Wouldn't that be a laugh?"

She groaned when he mentioned Symon. "I don't know why he hasn't asked me. Seamus hasn't either. Ugh, I feel like such a doxy talking about them like that, but still. It doesn't make sense!"

With a sigh, she flipped through the pages of her book. A shiny teal style caught her eye, and she earmarked the page. "I feel like at least Symon should ask me. We are betrothed, after all." She paused and stared at Kolby. "I haven't even given thought to the fact that he may be interested in someone else. I mean, he is allowed to, he was forced into this betrothal."

Then her thoughts went back to Seamus. Could he have someone else? He wasn't tied to Adele in any way, and there were plenty of fish in the sea. The prospect made her sad.

"Okay, back to Davy," she said, shaking her head. "Hm...Oh! Suggest a ruse of some sort!"

Kolby sighed and ran his hands through his hair. Being a double agent was different. But, he thought about his pranks and how he could use one of them as a ruse. He laughed at hearing Adele so insecure.

"Please. Adele. Seriously?" he asked her when she talked about Symon liking someone else.

"He likes you. A lot. Don't worry about the dance," Kolby reassured her. Kolby scanned his brain. Something that would be eleborate and look like it hurt people, but actually doesn't. Something that would fool Davy. He would probably also use a fall guy; someone Davy could take his anger out on. He stopped when he heard singing in the hallway. A ghost floated by, singing a wonderful song. Then, he had a great idea!

"I got it! I got it! I'll propose a musical with the ghosts as a ruse. We'll do a musical number and Davy would think that his plan would happen during it. But, actually, something will go 'wrong' and it won't hurt anyone," Kolby proposed to her.

Kolby's reassurance that Symon didn't have his eye on anyone else did help Adele...a bit. She looked at him, wondering if she could trust him with this information. Had the two of them ever even had a real conversation?

"Can I tell you something?" she asked, not waiting for a reply. "I'm more concerned about Seamus. Don't get me wrong, I really care about Symon as well, but..Ugh, I don't know. Seamus and I have been friends since the very first day, and..I guess there's kind of...a history?"

Adelaine stared at Kolby and blushed. She couldn't help but let out a laugh. "I can't believe I'm telling you this. We were mortal enemies, for goodness sake!" She smiled and sighed, thinking about Seamus again. "It sucks being a noble, doesn't it?"

Kolby didn't want to alarm Adele so he didn't tell her that he spotted a certain Ravenclaw a few rows of books back. It was Seamus. He must have been getting some midnight reading. Kolby tried not to let Adele know, by occasionally looking over his shoulder. It was obvious that the poor Ravenclaw had been eavesdropping. Kolby saw his shoulders slump and walk further back into the library, overhearing the conversation and assuming it was about Symon. Poor thing, Kolby thought. But, he didn't want an argument to break out or for Adele to be embarrassed and express her feelings even more; so, he kept his mouth shut.

Kolby honestly didn't know how to respond. He was used to hearing about problems, from talking to his sisters and mother. But, he never really had a solution to any of their problems. So, he REALLY didn't have any answers to Adele's problem.

"I can agree with that. It does suck being a noble. So many rules and responsibilities and restrictions. I'm lower down, so I can only imagine it's worst the higher up you are. As for your feelings....." Kolby started to reply. What's right to say here? He can't tell her to ignore her feelings for Seamus. He might be still listening. But, he also can't tell her to just give up Symon. That's impossible.

"Look. Feelings are difficult, especially at this age. Just do what your heart tells you to do. Not your brain. Not your parents. Not a piece of paper that locks you down to someone. Your heart. When did you last let your heart decide?" Kolby told her. That was honestly the best advice he could give her. He smiled.

"And, you know, maybe we're not mortal enemies after all," he told her, remembering their duel from last year. What had he even done to get on her bad side? He couldn't remember. He just remembered that Professor Harcourt had to break up that duel. That was also the first encounter with Davy. The year's time saw that they both had grown up, although Kolby still kept his rebellious side, using for good rather than for just misdeeds. But, if he did pull a prank every once and a while, who would blame him? He sat down and made a list of suggestions for Davy and how to trick him. It would have to big, flashy, and all of his devious mind to make it perfect.

"Wha's everyone up so late fer?"

Adele froze and turned around. "Seamus!" Oh no, oh no, oh no, she thought, completely mortified. Had he heard? Why didn't Kolby tell her to shut up??

"I jus' tought I'd come an' finish up an essay," he said blankly, gripping a large tome.

"Would you like to join us?" she asked, eyes wide.

"Sure," he nodded, sitting across from her.

She couldn't read him at all. What if he had heard? Wait a minute, Adele reminded herself. I didn't say anything wrong, only that I still have feelings for him. So I shouldn't be worried, right? She hoped that was true, anyway. There was always the chance Seamus had misheard and thought she was talking about a certain Slytherin.

"So, what's your essay on?" she pried, smiling.

"Um, it's on ta diff'rent mermaid species," Seamus replied, fidgeting uncomfortably.

Adele looked to Kolby, wondering if he could read her mind. Say something!

Kolby felt awkward. He was thinking about his plan and barely noticed that Seamus came up to them. He must have found the courage. But, Kolby to tell that he was a little standoffish. Kolby sat there for a moment, before picking up on the hint that he needed to help some conversation along.

"There are different mermaid species'?" Kolby asked. Seamus nodded and perked up a little bit. Seemed like he liked to talk about magical creatures.

"Well, there's sub-species, which depends on where they live. In Greece, mermaids are actually Sirens an' they tend to be more beautiful in warmer waters. It's the ones tat reside in Scotland tat interest me. They like in colder waters, so they're more albino an' are considered selkies. Also, there are freshwater mermaids. They're not as warlike as their saltwater counterparts," he explained, his Ravenclaw-ness coming through. Kolby nodded and noticed that he kept rubbing his shoulder.

"That's interesting. I'm sure it'll be a great paper. You sound like you really want to know more about them. Have you ever seen the merpeople who live in the Lake? They tend to keep to themselves but occasionally, they'll come a little close to the Slytherin dorm, looking for fish and stuff," Kolby asked, a little interested. He continued to think about his plans, though. Seamus perked up a little bit.

"No. I haven't got to see them an' I'm not sure that I want to. I here tat they're quite fierce an' a little dangerous," he told Kolby, going back to his essay and actually writing bits and pieces of it. Kolby went quiet, knowing that some people wanted the quiet as they worked. He started writing down his own ideas.

"So, what are you two doin' here anyway?" Seamus asked, remembering that it was in the wee morning hours and none of them were supposed to be there.

"Oh. I just needed help with Herbology homework and came in to see what I could find," Kolby lied. Seamus nodded understandingly. Herbology seemed to be hard for everyone.

Seamus asked them what they were doing at the library so late, and Kolby was quick to lie about Herbology. Adele, on the other hand, had a giant fashion book open in front of her, so it wasn't so easy to cover up.

"I, um..I'm just looking at clothes," she said awkwardly.

"Clothes?" Seamus asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, just getting some ideas," she nodded.

He leaned over and studied the page she was on. The chapter was literally called Ball Gowns. Adelaine swiftly closed the book.

"Oh, I see," Seamus sighed, not making eye contact with her. "Gettin' ready fer ta dance, then?"

He immediately went back to his work. Adele frowned at Kolby. There was an incredibly awkward silence over the table now. Fortunately, it was quickly broken.

"Wow, did we miss the invite?" Asher and Gavin slid into the empty seats and smiled.

"What's everyone doing?" Gavin asked with a grin.

"Wha' are ye doin' here at this hour?" Seamus wondered, smiling for the first time that night.

Marigold yawned, as she trudged around the halls of Hogwarts. Adele was missing. If she was found out of bed, she would be in trouble. So, Marigold went looking for her and they could get in trouble together. Yay! So excited for detention! Marigold rolled her eyes and kept walking around.

"What are you doing up?" Robert asked, as she checked the Hospital Wing, making sure that her friend hadn't gotten unexpectingly sick.

"Couldn't sleep. Just walking to get tired again," Marigold lied. Robert chuckled and gave her a hall pass so she couldn't get into too much trouble. She met Peyton in the hall, who was looking for Gavin and Seamus. She groaned and they walked together. They kept walking until she came to the Library. The door was unlocked, which was weird because it was normally shut tight. Why does the library close anyways? Why isn't it open later? Marigold thought as they came in. They saw that it was a big group of their friends. She groaned and they walked up to them.

"Guys, we're going to get into trouble. We all need to go back to bed," Marigold reminded them, rubbing her eyes and yawning. Peyton immediately took a seat, not really concerned.

"We can't get into too much trouble. We're just here doing homework," Gavin countered.

"Come on. Come sit down," Asher told her, patting a space on the couch next to him. Marigold grumbled and sat down. She was tired. She wanted her bed.

"Someone definitely doesn't like being up late," Peyton joked. Marigold rolled her eyes. It had been a long day. A mini outbreak had broken out and Marigold had been juggling classes and patients all day. She had the right to be tired.

"So, anyone have any Templar news?" Peyton asked.

Kolby looked at the group. Practically the whole executive board was there, minus a few Slytherin, two Gryffindors, and a Hufflepuff. He could tell them about what he overheard and what he planned to stop it with. He cleared his throat.

"I have received intel that Davy had something planned for the Halloween ball. I don't know what he plans to do. But, he will be holding a committee to help him do something diabolical. So, I will volunteer to be on the committee and propose my idea," Kolby told the group. They seemed a little tense by the new. He looked at the group. The people doing homework had stopped and was giving him their undivided attention. Asher seemed on edge and Marigold....well, she just looked sleepily surprised.

"Already? This early in the school year? Sheesh. I thought he would at least wait until after Christmas," Asher commented. The group seemed to nod. They all still so young. The oldest one of the group right now, Finn, was only 15. That was so young. And, yet, they all had to act so old and deal with these problems.

"But, like I said, I have a plan. I'm going to get on that committee and come up with a musical, with the ghosts. I'm going to propose that it be big and loud and gaudy so that it has everyone's attention. Then, towards the end of the song, that's when Davy will "strike". But, something will go wrong and the plan will fail and everyone will be safe," Kolby told them. Everyone seemed to nod and agree with his plan. Some even threw in suggestions. Suddenly, the Bloody Baron popped into the library.

"Oh! Children! I know you are friends of Arya's so I thought that I should tell you that a staff person is coming to the library. Apparently, one of you were spotted entering. I advise you hide and then leave. Oh, and when you see Arya again, do tell her to come visit me! I miss her," the Bloody Baron told them. Kolby and Peyton ducked behind the nearest shelves of books, while Gavin raced towards the door and relocked it. Asher pulled Marigold under a table and Gavin joined them, after blowing out the candles in the library. It was quiet in the library. Kolby heard someone rattle on the door and look into the library windows with a lantern.

"It must ....... a ghost. Stupid first ....... Always reporting......," the staff member grumbled quietly, walking off. Kolby waited a few beats and then reappeared.

"Alright. Time for bed. Let's get going," Peyton proposed. Everyone nodded and they all left the library together. Kolby waved good bye and he trudged off to the Slytherin dorm alone.