» Early Morning Surprise, Open!

[Tybalt Kirke]

Tybalt descended the spiraling stairs from the boys' dormitories early that morning. Early... as in early; it was a good hour or two before even the ravenous pupils would consider going down to breakfast. Due to this little fact, Tybalt wasn't fully awake as he, nevertheless, bounded down the stairs two at a time as usual. His hair hadn't yet surrendered from its conspiracy of rebellion with the bed pillows, and the dark curls were free and unruly rather than slicked back like the young gentleman he most certainly was. Most of the time. He was dressed and all, though he hadn't yet donned his robes for the day and his shirt wasn't totally tucked into his trousers, but Tybalt had more important matters on his mind.

Such as, where his wand was. It was partly the reason he'd arisen so unusually early. He wasn't too worried - after all, it couldn't have gone far - but his five years at Hogwarts, if they had only taught the muggleborn one thing, had taught Tybalt that all magic was precious, and the means of channelling it were, in every circumstance, important. He didn't get worried about things as a rule, but his wand... well, it wouldn't do him any good to lose it.

So he sauntered into the Gryffindor Common Room and immediately began to scour the room with wide eyes, then shut them briefly to mentally retrace his footsteps. Upon opening them again, he thought he caught a stick of wood poking out from under a cushion of one of the red armchairs. He dived for it and ended up sat on the chair, brandishing the wand in order to peer at it more closely. There was an inexplicably smug smile twitching onto his lips for a moment or two, when the wand he presumed his suddenly leapt out of his grasp and transformed into a top hat. Startled by the obvious trick wand - of course, he should have known it wouldn't just be his - Tybalt let out a burst of laughter at the exact moment the sound of footsteps caught his ears.

[Elsie Beauregard]

Elsie had always been a naturally early riser- of course, it was probably due to the fact that she also typically went to bed very early. Her study habits never kept her up too late because she was always ahead in her essays and reading. It wasn't exactly a social life she lived, but it worked for her. She had a few friends, and most of them had similar habits to her, though she was sure she was the only student in Gryffindor who habitually was up around the same time as the sun.

In the winter it was a bit harder sometimes, it being so dark during the early morning and the castle so cold that she just wanted to stay curled up in her bed. Sometime she lit her wand and read in her four-poster, but often she crept down to the common room to enjoy the peace and quiet. There was always a fire crackling cheerily in the hearth during the colder months and she found the sound so comforting that was hard not to just curl up on one of the plush arm chairs and fall back to sleep.

This morning however, she sat in one of her warmer dresses, an afghan her mother had made for her wrapped around her against the chill, curled up on the window seat, watching the sun rise. She had a book nestled in her lap, though she hadn't looked at the pages in quite some time. The sun had already crept over the horizon, lighting the frosty hills and the dark like in a warm bath of sunshine. A noise behind her caught her attention and she turned, watching Tybalt descend the stairs, obviously on a mission of some kind.

He appeared not to notice her, searching for something in the common room. She wondered what he could be missing, but the answer came very quickly as he dove at the couch, surfacing with his wand in hand like it was a treasure, only to transform into a top hat seconds later. A trick wand, no doubt, had Elsie giggling at his antics. Standing, she padded quietly in her house slippers (thankfully hidden beneath her skirts) over toward him. "Searching for something Mr. Kirke?" She questioned head tilted to the side, a small smile on her lips. Elsie usually headed back upstairs about now to braid her hair and get ready for the day. Now though, her long mahogany locks fell free about her shoulders. Her roommates started to stir about this time, so she didn't feel as bad moving about the room.

[Tybalt Kirke]

Well, the giggles that surfaced at the same time as Tybalt's chuckling were not his, for sure. He stopped short in his bewildered half-nonsensical early-morning laughter at the trick wand and stood up, spinning around slowly to face the only other apparent source of life in the room.

It was one Miss Elsie Beauregard. She was dressed and probably more sensibly awake and aware than he was at this time, though she wasn't completely as prim and proper as she could have been, seeing as he noticed her hair was loose and wild - it wasn't something difficult to notice, of course, she looked quite different like this - which, at least, counted for evidence that she was partly human and not all perfect-super-studying-automaton-girl. Which was only a joke to begin with, but hey.

"Searching for something Mr. Kirke?" was the first thing he heard. He shot her a quick grin, realising that she must have picked up on his swift search of the Common Room, before then allowing his gaze to drop to the top hat in his hands. Shuffling it round for a minute, Tybalt answered her question by flipping the hat jauntily onto his head, pulling it over his messy curls as if it was indeed the object he'd been after. Putting on an over-the-top affected accent, he declared zealously, "Searching for something? By Jove, it seems this hat is exactly what I was looking for!" It wasn't certain where his energy was suddenly stemming from seeing as he'd been the walking dead only a little while ago when he'd stumbled from bed. Perhaps it was just the amusement of finding the trick wand, the surprise sparking his transformation from subdued to perfectly lively. Perhaps it was just that with the appearance of Elsie, he now had an audience.

Looking back at her almost mischeviously, he continued his little charade by lifting the hat off his head and diving into a deep bow. "And good morning, my dear Miss Beauregard... and don't you look especially spiffing today!" His teasing smirk faded slowly as he lapsed into his usual cheerful but slightly more sincere tone to say, "Actually, yes, it appears I've lost my wand. You haven't happened to - wait, what are you doing down here at this early hour?" He got distracted half way through his question as he surveyed her once again and peered around the room in earnest, looking for some sign of her presumably solitary activities as he waited expectantly for an interesting explanation.

[Elsie Beauregard]

There had always been something about Tybalt Kirke that had made her laugh. Perhaps it was his humorous antics, and had Elsie any realization that the boy was a complete flirt, she may have though about why he was always so amusing, but she enjoyed his personality greatly. Her giggle upgraded to an actual laugh and she automatically covered her mouth, a wide smile hidden behind her hand as he played up the top hat.

"Well I'm glad you found it. It seemed to be a blissfully short search." She chuckled, lowering her hand to hold up the afghan still wrapped around her shoulders. She flushed subconsciously at his compliment, but was unsure of whether or not he was just teasing. It was often hard to tell with Tybalt, which she rather enjoyed about his personality. "Oh yes, so spiffing while my hair is all over and I'm in my slippers." She joked, poking her slipper from beneath her skirts before pulling at her wild waves. There was nothing she could do about it at this point, it needed to be brushed, but it was as tame as she could get it at this point in the morning.

Shaking her head in amusement, Elsie shrugged at his question. "I'm always up this early." She admitted. "I like the quiet." She looked down quickly and back up. "In a house of six kids, sometimes it's the only way to get some alone time." It was sad, but true. It was also some of her favorite time spent with her mother. While Della was the main help to her mother in the kitchen, Elsie enjoyed getting up before any of her other siblings and spending that one-on-one time with her mum. It wasn't a very frequent event, so she took the chance when she could.

"Lost your wand, now how did you manage that, I wonder?" She tilted her head at him, a smile gracing her lips as she looked at him. She could very easily summon it with her own wand, but wondered if making him search for it would be more amusing. Of course, if he asked nicely, she'd locate it for him, but things were rarely ever that simple with Tybalt. The game of it seemed to be much more amusing.

[Tybalt Kirke]

At least she had a sense of humour. Tybalt liked people easily - especially the girls, and most people were aware of this - but one thing that instantly irked him was when people did not have even the slightest sense of something funny. They had no obligation to be downright hilarious themselves, but they most certainly needed to allow themselves to laugh. Which, he'd learned, Elsie did quite well, so he didn't mind her company.

It was his turn to laugh when she jokingly refuted his earlier remark. He merely offered her a sharp smile, pausing a moment or two before adding, "Well yes, the slippers do truly make all the difference." Again, appearances didn't matter extremely much to Tybalt as a rule... it therefore made little difference to him whether he was standing opposite an upper class girl, all neatly styled and elegantly dressed, or the poorest of the poor, with wild hair and less impressive dress... no, those meant little, because for one, anyone could be pretty. And two, their personalities alone often swung the balance from anywhere between desirable and detestable.

His eyebrows rose a little in bemused surprise when Elsie announced her presence downstairs at the same time as the rising sun was completely common. He didn't respond for a moment, though as she elaborated his expression reigned in a meld of puzzlement and intrigue. "I see!" He nodded as he exclaimed his supposed comprehension, still slightly shocked that a girl could be in his Year and House, for nearly five full years, Merlin's sake, without him ever noticing her strange morning antics. "But what do you do when it's so quiet?" He questioned, only just refraining from scratching his head at that sudden thought. Tybalt had a faint inkling of her answer... and it probably involved books ...but it couldn't hurt to ask.

Her next remark was the only thing that re-alerted Tybalt to his reason for having actually gotten out of bed. (He didn't know how Elsie Beauregard did it, but apparently she didn't have the same prolonged love affair with the soft crimson Hogwarts bedsheets as he did, an affection which he often raved about most seriously.) Nevertheless, Elsie seemed amused by this predicament, for some odd reason. "I don't - quite - know..." He began, his words in potent fragments as he tried to recall exactly what he'd done with his prized possession. "I definitely recall having it after supper last night, but..." A lot went on between supper and sleep, and Tybalt had some prank-inclined friends whom he wouldn't put it past to have taken it purposely. Unless he'd just lost it himself, though he wasn't keen on admitting to that tedious story. "Who knows?" His grin became a little crooked as he quirked one eyebrow at her. "Perhaps it sprouted legs and raced away... So have you seen any sticks with legs? Hm, unless it decided upon wings instead, of course..."

[Elsie Beauregard]

"Slippers must be the newest accessory." She joked, letting out another short laugh. Usually coming down here for the quiet, but she was certainly enjoying having company as well. She was sure that if the company was anybody else it would not be quite as desirable. Though she could think of a person or two she'd like to spend more time with. Those thoughts of Grip, combined with Tybalt's look of confusion at her statement about getting up early, caused Elsie to blush slightly, pulling her blanket up to her nose quickly before realizing she probably looked ridiculous, though no more silly than Tybalt in his top hat.

Reminding herself that Tybalt was not in fact judging her, she settled her blanket back around her shoulders. "I read or write in my journal." She shrugged, knowing that sounded like she really was a complete nerd. "Sometimes I just stare out the window." She had never encountered anybody but the odd house elf now and then at this time of day. It was funny, to have a castle full of people around you, but to have them all oblivious of your habits. She was sure her roommates knew she got up early, but they probably had no idea what she did after she left the room.

"Honestly, I come down here so that I don't disturb my roommates." She paused, tilted her head, thinking about it. She was only trying to be respectful after all. "Just because I wake early doesn't mean I have to interrupt their slumber." She subconsciously smoothed down her wavy locks, chuckling as the conversation turned to his wand again.

Pondering as to where he could have lost his wand between supper and coming back to the common room, unfortunately there were several possible locations. If it was in the halls somewhere, it was probably as good as gone. "Oh, I've heard they grow wings rather easily." She joked again, thinking about how to go about locating his wand. "I'll help you look for it if you'd like. I can try summoning it if you think it's in here." Elsie knew there were limitations on how far and through what a summoning spell could bring something to them. If it was somewhere in the common room they would be easily able to get it, but if it was in the Great Hall or somewhere in the corridors they would have to wander around and try the different areas to have much luck.

[Tybalt Kirke]

"Mm, I'll have to remember that about them," He added with a grin about the slipper banter. Of course, there was a good chance he was being serious - he probably would remember something to do with slipper-wearing, and he did have a tendency to take a joke a little far. Still, at present he'd forgotten about that supposed trend and found another - her blanket level with her nose was certainly something new. His eyebrows high as he looked at her, Tybalt sidled over to a folded blanket that was draped over one of the armchairs, burying a hand aimlessly in one of the folds as he glanced back at her, still chuckling slightly but with hazel eyes narrowed in thought.

Eventually, he came to a decision and swept the rug up around his own shoulders, after having found himself wishing for the warmth of robes or more layers that he'd been too lazy to put on so early. But mornings were unfortunately chilly and it seemed Elsie had the right idea. At least this top hat was keeping his head toasty warm. Nodding slightly smugly to himself for sensibly keeping warm while managing to look more ridiculous than his housemate did, Tybalt peered back at her while she explained. It was a moment of utmost enlightenment, he realised wide-eyed, suddenly aware of the fact that other people really could lead their own lives while he slept, oblivious. How odd. "The secret life of Miss Elsie Beauregard, eh? To each their own, I s'pose..." He remarked, amusement falling into continued consideration. "You're a considerate creature." His comment was an announcement of the obvious, apparently, but it was the sort of outburst he couldn't consciously contain as it slid silently into his head.

And she was feeling helpful, too! He snickered at the thought of his wand just flapping round people's heads somewhere, wondering if perhaps it being gone was just for a joke in the first place - hopefully so, else he was in trouble. And therefore, he wouldn't refuse assistance... "Well, worth a try! I'd do it myself, but..." I'd need a wand for that! His grimace was more of a rueful smile anyway, as he shrugged and tried to joke about it. He was dead certain he wouldn't have just left it lying around, but perhaps someone else had left it in the common room for him? Doubtful...

[Elsie Beauregard]

If she didn't know any better, she would think he was mocking her, the way he wrapped a throw blanket around his shoulders like she had. Fortunately for her, she knew Tybalt didn't have a mean bone in his body, so he probably had something else, like warmth, in mind. Though he did look quite silly, in his top hat and cape. The pair of them probably looked ridiculous, but nobody else was ever up at this hour, so she figured they were fine. It was quite amusing, to think, that after being in school for nearly five full years together, she wasn't sure if she'd ever had such a long conversation with Tybalt, outside of class that was. They'd been partners in class before, surely, but outside of that, she wasn't sure they'd really had a conversation. It would be her fault, surely, because she hardly ever spoke to anybody outside of class, unless it was about class.

Wow, she needed a life.

"Yes, it's a very exciting, secret life I lead." She chuckled because it couldn't be any further from the truth. She never did anything exciting. Ever. Well, until Grip wormed his way into her life. Then things got a little too exciting, perhaps. He had certainly managed to flip her world around entirely. Though, now that he was no longer at school, things had settled down again. She only had to sneak out to see him every now and again from home, or while on Hogsmeade visits. It wasn't her favorite thing to do, but she liked seeing him. If only things were different, like he hadn't gotten kicked out of school for something he didn't do, then it wouldn't be quite so difficult. Of course, she still wasn't sure if her family would exactly be thrilled about her affections for him, but at least if he hadn't been falsely accused, then it wouldn't be nearly as hard.

Turning her thoughts back to the situation at hand, she pulled her wand out from her skirt pocket, struggling to get it out of the blanket. Summoning it would be easy enough if it were in the room. If not, well, they'd have to try somewhere, or something else. Elsie had never misplaced her wand, though Harvey had, several times. She couldn't imagine what it would be like not to have her wand on her at all times.

"Accio wand." She commanded, having had lots of practice with the charm. It had given her quite a bit of trouble when she first started practicing, so in true Elsie fashion, she spent quite a bit of her spare time trying to get it right.

[Tybalt Kirke]

For being in the same house and year and all, Tybalt really had very little of an idea if Elsie's life could possibly be very exciting or not... based upon her performance in classes and her almost Ravenclaw-like bookwormish tendencies, reading hadn't been a hard guess as to her ordinary pastimes... but other than that, Tybalt would have had to admit that he was stumped. Granted, he didn't spend that enormous a proportion of his life wondering what the fairer sex of about his age preoccupied themselves with - unless it was him, of course - and beyond having an idea of where he could find a gaggle of girls if he wanted a good flirt, Ty knew very little about what they actually did. Elsie was seemingly nice, oh, he'd known that, but she didn't seem the type to rise to the flirting table very readily so Tybalt really hadn't pushed it, over the years. And back to his stream of thought, he realised he couldn't exactly judge upon the exciting-ness of her life. His, on the other hand, well, he sometimes made sure there was enough unpredictability, spontaneity and surprises to keep him satisfied, but then again, he didn't often need to liven up his life because it was generally fun enough already.

He chuckled along besides, his gaze drifting around the room searching for his wand, though he looked a bit aimless... until he returned to peering at Elsie expectantly as she fumbled around to get out her own wand. He would have been worried if she hadn't been able to find hers; that would suggest there was something of a greater magnitude afoot... not that Tybalt would have known what. And he was wasting precious seconds of his life contemplating strange conspiracy possibilities, so he shut down his brain and watched her cast a Summoning Charm.

Nothing happened.

"Are you sure you've got the right incantation?" Tybalt asked, a mischevious glint in his eyes. Of course he was joking... of any of the Gryffindors in fifth year, he was sure she'd have the spell down pat. Obviously nothing would happen if the wand wasn't in sight to begin with. He grinned despite the anticlimax, though he shoulders were tense with anticipation for a moment or two more in case the wand was zooming his way from further afield. Apparently... not. Perhaps he was being impatient but, "Oh well." He sighed. "Maybe it's too far away. Maybe I dropped it in a corridor. Maybe it was stolen... No, perhaps someone's just hidden it for a prank." He brainstormed aloud, energetically blurting out any theories that popped into his head, while subconsciously trying to stifle the slowly swelling panic and worry of the powerlessness of being unable to practise magic, and the idea that he'd never see his beloved wand again. "Thank you for your assistance, anyway, much obliged..." He expressed his gratitude to Elsie with a tip of his fake-hat and a half-smile, just about ready to adjust the blanket over his shoulders and march out somewhere on a real expedition to find his wand.

[Elsie Beauregard]

Fear and embarrassment momentarily gripped her as nothing happened after she summoned the wand. Her face tinged a deep rose at his words and she had no idea what to do. Elsie had never failed to summon something. "I uh, oh..." She stuttered, utterly embarrassed, eyes wide as he called her on it. Yes, yes she was sure she had the right incantation, the right wand movement, everything. She'd practiced so hard at that one.

"I'm sorry." She whispered before he spoke again. Had she been paying attention to the mischievous look in his eye, she would have known she was just teasing her, but Elsie wasn't very good at noticing things like that, especially when she was mortified that she'd gotten something wrong. She could try again, but now she was nervous she'd get it wrong. He smiled, halfheartedly at him when he wondered aloud at all of the other possibilities as to where his wand could be. "Oh, I hope it wasn't stolen." That would be awful. She felt bad that he couldn't find it. Hopefully he'd get some leniency in class today if he needed it. Surely people misplaced their wands more often that she could have thought.

He looked like he was getting ready to leave and she felt bad that she hadn't been able to help him. She should be getting ready to head down to breakfast, but if she hurried upstairs and just braided her hair quickly and grabbed her shoes and book, she could spare a little time to help him look.

"Do you want help looking?" She offered. "If I run upstairs and grab my books we can look around the corridors before breakfast." If it was possible to blush any deeper, she probably would have, but since her cheeks were already stained red, she doubted it could get any worse. Maybe she did need to spend more time with people and less time with books. She felt silly and hated the sensation of it. Feeling silly was part of the reason she read so much; she never wanted to make a fool out of herself in class. Unfortunately, that was no help in social situations whatsoever.

[Tybalt Kirke]

Tybalt had carried on speaking, not noticing, at first, her reaction to not having Summoned his wand, but when he heard her stuttering and apology, he couldn't help but do a double-take at her, wondering why she sounded more upset than he did. Mouth slightly open to finish off the bewildered expression on his own face, Tybalt was surprised to see she'd gone pink and looked... nothing less than mortified. His eyebrows rose - as in, why the hell would that be? - but settled back as it dawned on him. Oh, right. A tiny twitch of an amused smile appeared, but he tried to conjure up a hastily reassuring tone as he stopped right in his brainstorming tracks. "Cheer up! I was only joking..." He explained, keeping a momentarily straight, earnest face. "Of course you did it right; I'd never expect you to be able to do it wrong..." He added matter-of-factly. In fact, there'd been a much higher chance of Summoning working with Elsie casting the spell instead of him, and he really wasn't annoyed at the fact it hadn't worked. Though perhaps they should have been more specific; asked for Tybalt's wand in case the thought of which particular wand hadn't been explicit enough. No; what worried him more was the thought of the wand being somewhere a Summoning charm wouldn't or couldn't reach...

"Don't worry," He reiterated, deciding she had no need to feel bad about the spell, or his wand; because the latter was most definitely his problem. And just when he'd thought the anxiety about his wand had sobered him up, he remembered the redness of her cheeks and acidentally spluttered out a chuckle. Tybalt wasn't in the business of making people feel bad on purpose, so he sincerely hoped she'd see the funny side as he lost all control of his jaw muscles and carried on laughing for a minute more.

Her offer to help him, however, came a pleasant surprise, not exactly an obligatory action to take... but Tybalt couldn't help but admit he'd appreciate it immensely, conveyed through a slow nod. "I'd... that would be marvellous." He replied, though he hastily added, "But only if you have nothing preferable to do, of course. After all, you weren't the one stupid enough to misplace your wand..." He cocked his head sideways, glancing from her to the door and back again, his crooked smile stuck between a smirk and a grimace.

Waiting for her answer, and her bringing her books and stuff in the event of her coming along to help, Tybalt leaned against the arm of one of the armchairs patiently, thinking he should probably fold up the blanket again but a little reluctant to let it drop from his shoulders - even though, yes, he could easily run up to the dormitory to fetch his ordinary school robes to put over his clothes as most pupils were accustomed to doing.

[Elsie Beauregard]

El felt a little better when Tybalt assured her he was only kidding. She hadn't had trouble with a summoning charm since she first learned it. It was silly of her to be so embarrassed, but she couldn't help it. He obviously wasn't fussed by it. She forced herself to relax again. She was being ridiculous and that wasn't helpful at all, it was probably a little annoying in all reality. Perhaps she should put some effort into her socializing skills as well as her wand work. It definitely couldn't hurt.

She couldn't help but giggle quietly as he laughed about it. She had no idea what he was finding so funny, but at least he wasn't annoyed that she hadn't been able to summon his wand. In fact, he seemed rather amused by it, which was a relief, really. Elsie was sure she probably looked quite silly, continuously blushing like she was, but there wasn't much she could do about it. She knew that could also be misinterpreted for another reason as well, but chose to just chalk it up to his immensely kind and kidding nature.

"No, I don't mind at all." She smiled. "Be right back." All she needed was her books and to put on her shoes. She could braid her hair at breakfast or on the go. It would be quick and easy. As she scooted upstairs to grab her things, she tried to be quiet, seeing that none of her roommates were up and about yet. Quickly gathering her things, she hurried back downstairs, pulling on her shoes as she went and tucking a ribbon for her hair in the pocket of her robes.

"Okay," She said, trying not to look like she had rushed too much. "Any ideas where to start?" If he had an idea as to where he might have left his wand they could start there and move on. Retracing his steps may be another way to help find his wand faster. She could try summoning everywhere they went. Failing only made Elsie want to try harder and now she was kind of determined to find it, seeing as that it was being elusive and she hated that.

[Tybalt Kirke]

She really had been blushing rather a lot... he was even starting to wonder whether it was his fault. There was something appealing about a girl's blush to the sixteen-year-old boy... but only if it was in a good way and he was sure why it was there, and with Elsie, he just couldn't tell what was making her cheeks flush red. A paranoid voice at the back of his mind brought up the suggestion that all his teasing was the cause, and that it had not gone down well... Perhaps he shouldn't have commented on the spell, perhaps he should just stop commenting on everything in an attempt to be humourous. Perhaps she was just so uncomfortable around him that he was making her nervous.
But then, she had been giggling quietly and smiling a little, so her embarrassment - or annoyance - couldn't be too damaging or overwhelming. She had even offered to help him, and Tybalt - not personally believing in myths of doing something out of mere politeness - just assumed she wouldn't have done so if she couldn't bear to spend another minute with him. So there. Happy again, he resolved to not waste another paranoid thought on it and just enjoy it for what it was. Besides, he was sure soon enough she'd be comfortable enough for it to disappear.

Amidst his turbulent reflections, she'd gone upstairs and he'd slowly draped the blanket back on the chair and re-tied a shoelace while he waited. A moment later, she'd returned to view and he shot a sidelong glance her way, noticing absent-mindedly that Elsie's hair was still unbraided and still looking remarkably pretty around her face.

Back to business, Tybalt told himself firmly, nodding to reiterate their readiness for this little quest. He grinned slightly and began striding over to the portrait hole. "I s'pose we can just retrace my steps..." He began, trying to sound confident that he'd actually be able to remember all the places he'd been. He stopped talking for a moment to exit the Common Room, but when he'd sprung out into the corridor on the seventh floor, he glanced back at Elsie. "Er, I was in that empty classroom - just down this way, by that ugly tapestry..." He explained, recalling an idle half-hour spent in there with some friends, aimlessly having a throwing competition with pieces of chalk at the blackboard. He must have had his wand there; they'd all been levitating things... Despite hoping she'd know of the classroom, Tybalt bounded along in the lead. Until he realised that fake top hat was still settled on his head. So he whipped it off in wonder, raised an eyebrow at it and wheeled momentarily off course to cheekily place it, instead, on the head of a marble bust of some deformed-looking wizard, rather happier to leave it there for someone else to find than continue to sport it - though it had been dashingly, of course. With that, he swiftly returned to Elsie again with a jauntily apologetic smile, continuing on their course. "I think it's... right around this corner?"

[Elsie Beauregard]

"Sure, sounds like a good idea." Elsie agreed to retracing his steps. She had given herself a stern talking-to on her way back down the stairs from her dorm room. Relax. Be yourself. Be normal. She kept reiterating in her head. Elsie was not always aware of what everybody else was thinking, but when she did, she became self-conscious. She knew the girls her age were judging her for her hand-me-down clothes and simply for the fact that her nose was always buried in a book. It should have been obvious to her that not everybody was doing that, but she had a hard time separating everything in the crazy social world.

Following him out of the common room and into the almost eerily-quiet halls, she simply nodded when he suggested that they start with the empty classroom he'd visited yesterday. She chuckled quietly, afraid to disturb the stillness in the hall, she found his comment about the ugly tapestry rather amusing. There were so many ugly tapestries in this place, she wasn't sure exactly which one he meant, but figured, by the direction he set off in, which classroom he meant. El watched him bound off ahead of her, arms wrapped around her books, as she wondered why she had bothered to bring them. Well she knew, why, she was terrified that they would take a while, or get lost and she'd be late for class, or had she left them behind, unprepared and late for class. Grip had shown her some of the castle's secret passages, which she wasn't supposed to share and since she wasn't so sure Tybalt had lost his wand in one, it was unlikely they would get lost, but who knew, they could always be late. Being late for class was one of Elsie's worst nightmares; she hated having everybody's eyes upon her as she made minimal noise on the way to her seat. It hadn't happened since second year when she'd been showing Harvey to his class and became late for her own. Since then, she was always five minutes early at the very least.

She watched Tybalt for a moment, farther up the corridor as he stopped briefly, apparently remembering the top hat on his head finally. El hadn't been sure if she should mention it, but figured he was enjoying wearing it, so said nothing. Laughing aloud this time as he set it atop a suit of armor, she caught up quickly admiring his work. "It's a brilliant addition." It was rather amusing to see the ancient armor now sporting a top hat. She fell into step very easily beside him as they continued toward the unused classroom. "I think you're right." Els did not spend any of her free time in empty classrooms, but figured he knew where he was going. "What were you doing in there anyway?" She was honestly curious as to what people could get up to in abandoned classrooms. Well, she could think of a couple less proper things, but had more faith in Tybalt than that.

As that train of thought struck her, she sincerely hoped that there were no professors out and about this early. Their curfew was not very strict when it came to the morning hours, but Els had no intentions of being labeled a 'Hogwarts Hussy', despite the fact that their adventure was completely necessary to find her housemate's wand, anybody could say anything about the two of them being out together unchaperoned. Relax. Be yourself. Be normal. She told herself; nobody was out this early, they would be fine.

[Tybalt Kirke]

If he had been thinking, he might've offered to carry her books for her. Tybalt did try to be considerate or whatever, after all. It was just difficult to be thoughtful when 'thinking' had been relegated so far down the list below 'doing', and he was too busy in mid bound to realise she had her arms full. Of course, it might have been wise of Tybalt to bring his own books so as not to ask for another detour before the day's lessons began, but he wasn't entirely sure he remembered where they all were, either. That he wouldn't mention, of course, because it was all too easy to borrow a textbook from a friend, and he was far more concerned about his wand.

He was absently pleased that she appreciated his handiwork, and the corners of his mouth quirked up at her laugh as he took a slight lead once more; just a pace and a half ahead so he could properly remember where he'd been the night before. He turned his head slowly sideways at her question, his mind now examining the idea of empty classroom uses from a different - or Elsie's - perspective. He shrugged a little, brainstorming the possibilities, everything from trouble-making schemes to a little privacy with a girl... but honestly, a spare classroom would not be the place of choice. Anyway, Tybalt answered perfectly honestly, if a bit sheepishly at the fact it sounded like such a waste of time, so that perhaps it didn't even sound utterly sincere, but "Just... you know, having a chalk throwing competition..." He made a face, suddenly realising that all this free time in the evenings had a proper purpose... and it started with OWLs and ended in revision. Oops.

His mind had not been whirring so much on the question of creeping out in the corridors in the mornings as his housemate's until he was at the door of the classroom he recalled being in. Before pushing it open, he swore he heard a sound in another corridor, possibly approaching... his eyes widened slightly, wondering whether or not to make anything of it. "You didn't hear anything, did you?" He asked uncertainly, staring at Elsie for a moment. Whether or not she had, the best course of action still seemed to him to search the classroom, so he gave an offhand shrug, a quick grin, a small nudge to his co-questor, and then he creaked the door open to slip inside. He even remembered his manners to hold it open for his helper.