Le Stalker

He had been watching her - both attentively and sometimes without noticing that he was. But everytime it was her, and even this time, she was all he was looking for. Ethanael wasn't even sure that she was going to show up there, he had basically exited the common room and made his way down here, hoping that he would catch a glance of her. It wasn't because he liked her - maybe he did - but mostly he liked the way she talked, and how she smiled.

Walking to the tree ahead him, he sat down, leaning back onto it for support. Slowly sighing, he raised his eyes to the lake.

Apparently looks can be deceiving, because when ever she saw the lake, she thought it looked still. Maybe something is wrong with Cass' eyes, but from where she is standing, right now, she can't actually see the ripples. Reason-- or what little she has of it-- tells her there is supposed to be ripples in the water.

Cass jumps off the ledge back onto the floor, and continues her descent down the Clock Tower. She'd better discover this all for her self.

Approaching the water, she's a little disappointed now. So much for her Harry Potter worthy adventure. There are ripples in the water, and seeing as no one is running around pointing at the water she's guessing it's been like that for ever now.

Sigh.
"You like the water?" She says to a boy nearby. She says it quite loud, he is a little of a distance away.

You like the water?"

Ethanael froze at the voice, and a blush rose up his cheeks. Looking back, he saw the figure of the girl he had been searching for, and the blush darkened. Uh oh.

"Y..yes, ma'am" he answered back, willing Wizard God to help him. He wished more then ever that he could disapparate already, but alas, he was not old enough.He tried to stand, but he could feel his legs shaking, oh god, why did this have to happen now? Using the tree as supposrt, he stood up, still watching her.

"Ma'am?"
Cass likes this. Authority. Already that one word has given her a grin. She doesn't get much of a say in stuff, at home and the like, with a brother and a lively set of parents and a well-storied uncle and a best friend with the best ideas you could have in one body, it's difficult to speak up. Which is why most of the things she says aren't fully formed when they come out of words rather than fester in her head.

"Ma'am sounds lovely, Mr Hufflepuff, but I'm sure a more informal name will do just as well. Nice robes," she says brightly. "I swear I have just the same pair in my trunk somewhere."

Ethanael chuckled, "I'm sure you do ma'am," and then realising what he had said, quickly tried to cover up his mistake.

"I'm sorry ma'am, oh no did it again. I just ... I just tend to call that to those I like, but I'm not saying I do.... Not saying I don't," oh Wizard God, he was getting nowhere. What was he doing? It wasn't this hard to speak to a girl, or was it?

Glancing away for little less then a second, he looked back at her again, "My name is Ethanael. Ethanael Fitz".

Cass is surprised the boy has manners, and ones she actually notices. That's a bonus.
"Oh, I do," she says, unsure if he is humouring her or not. First years are certainly tricky. "I'm a Hufflepuff you see."

He is more awkward than she is and it makes her feel confident and grin. So she grins. "Nice name. Bet you have a galleon full of nicknames, don't ya?"

She sits down and crosses her legs, facing away from the water; they've fallen out now and she doesn't want to bother with it. Instead, she is facing the trees, and debating on whether to get her notebook out and do a few doodles.

Watching her sit, Ethanael takes this as a sign, and seats himself beside her - not too close ofcourse, bit not too far away either. "Well I do have a few nicknames, but mostly I just get called Ethan".

He knew her name very well, and wondered what it would feel like calling her Cass, that was when he wasn't calling her ma'am. Ethanael smiled at that thought, and started to hum a tune. He had been working on it for awhile, but wasn't sure how it sounded.

She hasn't heard of the name Ethan before. Maybe she's just never in the hub of gossip in the Hufflepuff common room but that's just her. "Nicknames? Oh, I find that they're always best found on a journey. Don't you?" she encouraged.

As Ethan hummed, Cass found it very casual and easy to be in his company, at which point she decided some doodling was in order. She was going to draw some sea side picture. Sea sides, and buckets and spades. The best things you could draw.

After humming for what seemed like a few minutes, Ethanael turned to watch the girl beside him, drawing. She seemed peaceful, and he couldn't help the grin that crept up his mouth. If she chose to tilt her face towards him, she would only see eyes and a grin.

But it didn't matter to him how much of a fool he looked like, all that mattered was that he was getting the chance to talk to her.

"Are you from a Pureblood family?" he tried.

Just as Cass finishes the tentacle like grabbing families of seaweed on either side of her simple picture, he asks a question. The pencil nib breaks.
"Oh, I er-" her cheeks pinken as she tries to furiously explain or even remember.
"I am not, no," she says, eyes downcast.

It was a stupid thing to come unprepared to Hogwarts on a question like this. Her brother would have told her a nice witty retort to anyone that came knocking. Her brother was always so protective.

Oh he shouldn't have asked a question like that, what if it was something she didn't want to talk about. Why hadn't he thought of that before?

"I'm not either," said Ethanael, smiling slightly, "I'm Half blood - wizard father, witch mother".