The Black Lake

"Well, do they still use it if they rip it?" she asked, touching the money with one finger.

"They can tape it up and use it. I've seen it." Chris said.

"How very peculiar."

"Yeah. Can you transform any thing?"

"I can, actually," she said, walking over to the nearest tree and breaking off a small branch. "Amplifico alacer," she mutters. The branch grows in her hands, shiny and steel, sharpening until it was not longer a branch she held in her hands but a sword.

((Amplifico means to enlarge in latin and alacer means quick, sharp, rapid.))

"Cool." Chris said.

"I have a thing for swords," she said, swinging it around.

"That is very interesting." Chris said.

"Can you transform anything else?" she asked.

"I can change myself into a bird." Chris said pointing his wand at himself. He said a spell and he suddenly transformed into a Falcon.

"Thanks." Chris said. "Do you want to try?"

"Ok." Chris said. He picked up his wand and made some water come from the lake and change into the form of Chris' patronus.

"Yes, I have never seen that done before," Azelina said, sitting back down and looking at the watery form.

Catherine walked down to the Black Lake to get away from the pandemonium of the school. As she walked she noticed a couple students near a watery figure above the lake. She walked closer with a confused expression. As she neared she noticed the watery figure was that of a stag.

"It's beautiful," Cat spoke in awe. She noticed it was being made by a boy. She turned to him and asked, "How are you doing that?"

Catherine smiled and shook the girl named Oddie's hand. "Nice to meet you, my name is Cat," she replied.

"Just came to get away from the chaotic school," Cat said with a sigh remembering how busy the corridors were that day.

"What about you guys?" she asked.

Azelina gazed apprehensively at the newcomer. "I'm Azelina," she said.

Cat smiled at Azelina. "Hi Azelina. Its nice to meet you."

Azelina didn't return the smile, merely gazed at her, almost as if she were sizing her up. "Nice to meet you, too," she said, her voice and eyes showing that she didn't mean a word of it.
"What brings you here?" she asked, sitting back down in the grass and looking out over the lake.

Cat could tell Azelina wasn't what one would call friendly. Her smile faded a bit, but still tried to pretend she didn't notice the girls behavior.

"Just trying to get away from the annoying, overcrowded school," she replied. "And you?"

"Pretty much the same thing," she replied, eyeing the girl again. "Too many people bugging me."

"You'd think I'd be used to being bugged," Cat spoke. "But no, everyone seems to find a way to get on my nerves these days. Especially those always begging me for advice."

"Mind if I hang out with you guys?" Cat asked.

"Not alot of people bugging me for advice, but bugging is bugging," she said, pulling a ponytail out of her pocket and pulling her hair up. She eyed the girl once more, seeming to be deciding something. "I don't mind if you hang out with us," she finally said.

"Everyone seems to ask me for advice," Cat sighed. "Don't know why. I mean I can't even keep my own life together."

"Thanks," Cat replied. She sat next to the group and looked out at the stag. It was gorgeous.

"Well, I'm telling you ahead of time, I will probably never ask you for advice," Azeline says, smiling at Cat.

Cat chuckled. "I am glad," Cat replied smiling back.

"So what were you all up to before I interrupted?" Cat asked.

"Just practicing patronus' and transfiguration. I believe they were practicing disarming before I arrived," she replied, watching the waves of the lake. "We can practice some magic, if you'd like."

"Sounds like fun," Cat replied. "What kind of magic do you want to practice?"

"It doesn't matter to me," she replied, stretching her legs out and pulling the ponytail out of her hair.

Cat thought for a second. "How about nonverbal spell?" she asked. "I haven't quite mastered them yet."

"Sounds good to me," Azelina replied. "I can't say I've mastered them, but I'm not that bad," she said, standing up and brushing the grass and dirt off her robes.

"I am alright, but not as good as some others," Cat spoke. She pulled out her wand. "Any particular spell you want to try non-verbally?"

"Nothing in particular, no. Whatever you want to practice is fine with me," she said, pulling out her wand and rolling up the sleeves of her robes.

"All you have to do is control the water with your wand and shape it the way you want it to be shaped." Chris said. "You try, Oddie."

"It was good." Chris said. "It looked nice."

Cat thought for a bit and pointed to a tree. Mobiliarbus, she thought in incantation. The tree didn't budge so she tried again, focusing more on the nonverbal spell. Mobiliarbus, she thought again. This time it seemed to work, the tree she was pointing towards had moved.

She smiled and turned back to Azelina. "Your turn."

Azelina watched as Cat pointed her wand at the tree. She watched the girl's face and could almost see her thinking furiously. Azelina looked back at the tree in time to see it reposition itself.
"That was impressive," she said, glancing back at Cat before pointing her wand at the girl.
She cleared her thoughts and focused on what she was going to do. She closed her eyes, picturing it happening. Opening her eyes, she flicked her wand towards the girl and thought, Expelliarmus.

Cat's wand jumped from her hand. She smiled at the other girl. "Good job," she said.

She thought of the next spell to try. She finally thought of a spell she hadn't tried non-verbally. She pointed her wand to the other girl when she figured it out and thought to herself,Petrificus Totalus.

"Oh so you all are practicing too." Chris said.

"Thanks," Azelina said, giving Cat a small smile that didn't even reach her eyes. She watched as the other girl retrieved her wand and pointed it at her. Azelina instantly became defensive, she did not like it when people caught her off guard and it did not happen often, but she made no move to stop the girl, merely eyed her catiously.
Suddenly, her entire body stiffened as her legs and arms locked tight against her body. She looked up at the sky as she fell onto her back in the grass.

"Or dueling." Chris said to Oddie.

Cat was surprised it actually worked. It was a harder one than some she had been failing to do.

Cat undid the the binding spell and offered Azelina a hand to get up.

'You okay?" Cat asked hoping that when the girl fell on the grass she didn't break anything.

"Interesting"Chris said.