July 25th, 1890 — Padmore Park

It had taken time, but Cameron had finally managed to corral his friends into one place. It had taken nearly the entire summer, but they were here now. In the park. With absolutely nothing interesting to do. (He quickly realized that Hogsmeade wasn't nearly as interesting when he didn't have to cram a month's worth of activities into one weekend before returning to books.)

Nobody had changed that much, but a few of friends—notably Sloane—seemed shorter, but that was because of his own growth spurt rather than some mysterious shrinking sickness. They stood in a circle, and after a few moments of silence Cameron allowed his gaze to wander.

And then there was a huge splash coming from the lake, because something had to happen in order for this thread to be worth writing.

After the water settled, an overturned rowboat came into view. Nobody was on board, and—even more alarmingly—nobody was swimming in the water nearby.

"That's unsettling," was all Cameron said as he nodded towards the lake.

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Sloane Bixby + Invitational tag: Sisse Thompsett, Edison Moony, Calla Potts, Madeline Bell, Alcyone Slughorn, Meta Lestrange

  

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Sloane was very much an outside kind of girl, any excuse to hang out with her friends and either generally do nothing or cause trouble were both good by her. Alvin had been tasked with following the group around today, but at least they'd landed in the park and he sat nearby with a book on brooms, barely paying attention to anything but the words on the pages.

Tired of standing and the fact that they didn't seem to be going anywhere fast, Sloane had plans to flop flat against the grass. Her only minor hesitation had been the skirts on her dress (-boy she missed robes and quidditch gear! What she needed to do was grow so she could steal some of Wally's old pants.) and she hesitated long enough that a distraction came up before she could.

"Unsettling? They could be in trouble." Sloane tossed over her shoulder, already headed toward the edge of the lake to see if anybody had actually been in the boat or if the charm on it had got awry and caused it to flip on its own.

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Two days, two posts rule?

The following 1 user Likes Sloane Bixby's post:1 user Likes Sloane Bixby's post
   Cameron Gillenwater

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Over the summer Sisse always keenly felt the absence of her friends, so when Cam had written for all of them to meet at Padmore park Sisse had practically begged her mother to be allowed to attended. Her mother had agreed tight lipped that if Matthew attended then it was perfectly acceptable. Matthew, however, had wandered off to talk with a few of his own friends (Sisse wouldn’t be surprised if he had planned to meet them instead of watching after his sister - even if the last time he had done that she had almost drowned).

When they had first arrived Sisse found herself blushing, having not realized that Mr. Moony would also be in attendance. After all he had saved her life, and while the whole ordeal had been rather embarrassing she had found herself thinking of him quite frequently.

A splash from the lake quickly brought memories back of the events at the beginning of the month and her eyes quickly looked for what had happened. An upturned boat. There were no screams but it brought back memories and was rather more then Cam’s “unsettled” in her opinion.

“Oh no! ” Sisse gasped, a hand flying to her mouth as she glanced at Mr. Moony wondering if he were thinking the same thing as herself. She quickly followed after Sloane, keeping her eyes and ears peeled for any sound from the boat or anyone near by. “They couldn’t be stuck under the boat, could day?” Worry and a hint of panic from her own adventure edging into her tone.

She had been so embarrassed by her own ordeal she had only told Sloane and Calla about the adventure, now, though she wondered if she would have to admit the whole horrid affair.

occ: works for me

  

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Thank you Bee <3 Your magic has made Sisse bloom

The wonderful thing about growing up in a family of florist and spending most of her childhood in greenhouses? She did not care about getting dirt on her dresses. So when the group had gathered at the park, she had promptly plopped down on the grass with little regard (much to the displeasure of her eldest sister, who she talked into accompanying her to the park both on the play that Amaryllis's children could burn energy playing and the promise of babysitting on a later date).

She'd also played little mind to the addition of Cameron's roommate or Meta Lestrange. That in particular was a Calla quirk, not her family. She'd never once met a stranger. Not that Mr. Moony or Meta were strangers. She simply didn't know them as well as she did the rest. A problem she was currently working to solve. They certainly made a ragtag group though. A handful of relatively liberal middle class halfblood girls, a muggleborn, a Lestrange, and Mr. Moony. Still, she didn't mind at all, and was quite pleased at their gathering. It was nice to see the half of their group that didn't live in Hogsmeade.

Or was, until Cam pointed out a upturned boat floating on the surface of the water. Last time she'd been on the lake, it had been with Sisse in a giant pumpkin and they'd near been in the same boat, twirling around in circles. It wasn't a memory she cared to repeat. But that didn't mean that they could just ignore this.

"Maybe it washed out in the last storm?"

  

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look at the pretties mj made me!!!

Although Ned was used to larger gatherings at school, the summers were generally quieter. Usually, he only met up with one or two friends at a time, so it was a bit strange to be standing in Padmore Park with seven other teenagers. It was also odd to feel a certain sense of ease without academics or important quidditch matches looming over their heads.

The fact that they were loitering around doing nothing didn't bother him. He did, however, notice how such idleness affected Sloane and Cam. Thankfully, something grabbed all of their attentions before he had to begin wracking his brain for some sort of entertainment. Bored Gryffindors were a dangerous combination.

The splash had Ned's gaze drifting to Sisse. It hadn't even been a month since the incident, and he thought of it each time he took a stroll near the lake. She could have drowned that day, and her brother would have been the only witness. He had yet to mention that day to anybody, even his family when they had questioned why his clothes were soaked through. Ned wasn't a braggart, nor did he think it right to embarrass Miss Thompsett.

Catching Sisse looking in his direction, he glanced away and instead strode after the group, up to the water's edge. At least there'd be more of them if they had to dive in to save someone else. "If they were under the boat, wouldn't we hear them struggling?" There should be an air pocket under there, and the boat really wasn't large enough for them not to hear panicking limbs knocking against it. Unless the person simply sunk like a rock.

He lifted a shoulder at Calla's question. It seemed odd for there to be a splash if it had simply drifted. "Maybe we should check." They couldn't just leave someone in peril. Ned started to unlace his boots. Was swimming in the Black Lake fully clothed going to become a habit?

The following 2 users Like Edison Moony's post:2 users Like Edison Moony's post
   Sisse Thompsett, Sloane Bixby

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Pretties by Bee <3 <3

Oblivious to any exchanged looks behind her, Sloane was the first one to reach the water's edge. She looked furtively at the surface and saw nothing. That worried her. The boat wouldn't have made a sound if it just drifted there. Somebody must have fallen off. "What if somebody hit their head or something?" She reasoned, honestly a little worried. This outing had taken a quick turn!

Ned was already taking off his shoes and Sloane started to do the same. She didn't even think about her brother sitting nearby or what her friends would think. The Gryffindor in her dictated she do something. A simple cotton dress, void of layers of petticoats and bustles was not all that hard to swim in, she'd done it before. Kicking off her boots, she waded into the water without hesitation, soaking the hem of her green dress thoroughly. "Keep up Moony." She said just before she plunged forward and started swimming toward the boat.

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Cameron opened his mouth in protest as he followed the group down the hill towards the lake. "We've got to be smart about this, guys. A small rowboat isn't large enough to make a splash like that," he reasoned, watching everyone kick off their boots and do the exact opposite of the logical thing. (Since when was he the logical one?)

But then Sloane went into the water, stubborn and impulsive as she was (and with Moony, which exasperated him for reasons he couldn't quite identify), so Cameron naturally began taking off his shoes. He looked over towards Calla and Sisse and then back at Moony and Sloane, and internally groaned.

Things were going to get crazy—he just knew it.

"Calla, go get your broomstick. Someone has to hover above if something goes wrong," he directed, and then to Sisse: "And Sisse, please don't go into the water. Fly with Calla." It was more of a request than a demand, and he cast her one last wary look before following the two Gryffindors into the water.

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As everyone seemed to be deeming this something of importance - and not a stray boat - Calla pushed off the ground finally catching the concern the rest of the group seemed to host. She hovered, slightly unsure of what to do. She'd never been in a situation like this, where someone could really be in danger. Initially, she had wanted to find a boat, but then Sloane and Moony had already started to remove their shoes and plunge into the water. She did suppose finding a boat would take to long, but if there was more than one person in the boat or if they were too big for Moony and Sloane to carry back? What if they pulled her friends down into the water? Or the merfolk decided to make an appearance or the giant squid?

Oh shut up, Calla, she told her self, fist tightening. She didn't need to go down that track. Her horrible habit of letting her thoughts sprawl out of control would do no good here. Was she supposed to follow them? She could swim perfectly fine, so she wasn't worried about drowning, at least not on her own, though she had never tried to support someone else's weight as well as she swam. And then Cam started to take off his shoes as well and mind made up, she moved to pull hers off before Cam speaking her name caught her attention. Her broomstick. Yes. That was something she could do. Flying was very much in her element. Well, she hadn't ever flown with someone else on the broom either but she would feel far better doing that.

"I'll grab one for Sisse as well."

Nodding, she paid little mind to anything else other than turning and running in the direction of her home. Well, she supposed it was a good thing now that she lived on the edge of the park. It wouldn't take her long to run home and it would take her even less time to fly back even if she was carrying a second broom.

  

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look at the pretties mj made me!!!

"Bixby, wai--"

Ned barely had his shoes off before Sloane decided to dive fully in.  He let out a bit of a sigh since he had hoped they'd discuss a plan before they started swimming, but it seemed that was too late.

His gaze drifted to Cameron who seemed to be taking charge, and he shot him a grateful look, though Ned appeared somewhat exasperated about it all.  From the way his eyes flicked toward Sloane, it was likely clear why.  However, he couldn't blame her quick thinking.  If someone had been in that boat, they'd need to act quick.  "Have your wand ready, Gillenwater." 

Why did he suddenly feel like they might end up rescuing Sloane instead?

Ned checked to be sure his wand was still holstered on his forearm before making the dive.  Sloane was already starting to gain some distance. No matter how well she swam, she shouldn't be out there alone.  He started to close the gap between them. Length of limbs seemed to give him at least some advantage when it came to speed. At least his sudden, new gangliness had some sort of use.

  

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Pretties by Bee <3 <3

At Mr. Mooney's glance Sisse blushed and quickly looked away, knowing precisely what he was thinking about. It was a vain hope that he had forgotten the ordeal. Thankfully none of the others noticed.

The best plan would be to get an adult, but Msttthew could hardly be considered that and the respective relatives who had escorted them had scattered. Before Sisse could suggest anything further on the matter Sloane and Mr. Mooney's shoes were off. A cold fear gripped her, she couldn't swim, and after the last time she had no intention of getting into water again. But what would her friends think if she didn't get into the water. Her mother would be irate if she did, but what other choice did Sisse have. She could hardly stay idle on the side of the lake.

Thank Merlin for Cam's directions, Sisse felt the threat of frightened tears (how embarrassing) fade. But then it seemed to be her only other option was flying. She had never been a great flyer, or flown on her own out of the safety of the flying clubs boundaries her first year. And flying over the water? Luckily no one noticed her hesitation so fixated on the tasks at hand.

As Calla took off she called out to them, "I'll stay here for Calla, shout back if you need help!" At least she could run for help then.

  

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Thank you Bee <3 Your magic has made Sisse bloom

Sloane was already a few yards out when Cam started giving orders like the bossypants he could be. If somebody was hurt, they didn't exactly have time to stand there and dither about! She could hear Ned coming up beside her, but she was nearly to the capsized boat.

As soon as she reached it, she took a deep breath and went under the cold water and up underneath the boat. Surfacing in a little pocket of darkness, it took a minute for her eyes to adjust, very little light coming in from the surrounding water. At first she couldn't see anything, then she heard it; a little tiny mew. There was no way a kitten had caused all of this ruckus, but then she saw it, soaking wet and huddled on the underside of the seat. All that panic for a kitten. Well Sloane was glad at least she'd just gone for it and not worried about getting help. Who knew what could have snagged the kitty from there before she'd gotten there!

"Come on little one, I've got you." She reached up to take the little thing when something bubbled up across from her under the boat.

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The following 3 users Like Sloane Bixby's post:3 users Like Sloane Bixby's post
   Cameron Gillenwater, Edison Moony, Sisse Thompsett

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Cameron was a few yards behind Sloane and Moony as they approached the boat, but he was almost glad he was. Something wasn't right about this. He wasn't afraid of water, but the Black Lake was the Black Lake; there were plenty of stories of what lurked beneath its surface, some even perpetuated by the Hogwarts professors who wanted them to stay away from it.

Fortunately, nothing bad happened in the few seconds it took Cameron to catch up with them once Sloane came to a stop at the boat. She disappeared under on her own accord, but her voice could be heard just a moment later. He took a momentary pause and sighed in relief, hoping that they could just get the fuck out of there without any more trouble. (He'd already have to explain why they were all soaking wet—over what? A "little one", as Sloane was calling it from under the boat?)

"Come on, guys," she said, sort of impatiently, but was cut off from further speech by the feeling of something brushing against his leg. His eyes widened, and he knocked on the side of the boat.

"Come on, there's something down there."

Bossypants or not, he didn't intend for them to die out here.

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He didn't follow Sloane when she disappeared underneath the boat. Instead, he worked at trying to lift up the side of the rowboat, intent on tipping it back over. Without his feet being able to touch the bottom, Ned wasn't able to get much leverage in which to push from.

"Help me with this?" He suggested to Cameron when he caught up with the pair of them. Surely, the two of them could right the boat. He swam closer to the bow of the boat and motioned for the other boy to remain nearer to the stern.

Sloane's voice alerted them to the presence of some sort of 'little one,' but Cam's concern had him becoming a bit more insistent. "C'mon, let's at least lift this so she doesn't have to dive again." That seemed a bit more dangerous than hovering near the surface of the water, and he wasn't sure if said 'little one' would do well being submerged.

Ned started to urge the boat upwards again, his foot kicking out at something that he was sure wasn't a human leg. Startled, he shoved hard, now able to at least glimpse Sloane. "Once she's out, maybe we can get on top until Calla returns!" It wasn't ideal, hunkering down on top of a capsized boat, but it was the only idea he had to at least buy them some time. He hoped.

This is why they should have had a plan. Too late now.

With Cam's help, they'd lifted the side of the boat a good foot, enough room for Sloane to swim out without having to become submerged. He didn't yet spot the cat or what else lurked, just their friend. "Quickly, Sloane," he stated, jerking his head to the side, urging her out from underneath.

  

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Pretties by Bee <3 <3

Sisse felt utterly helpless standing by the edge of the lake while all her friends actually did something. Even Calla was off being useful. She was simply standing here, trying very hard to not blame her fear of the water. She well knew she didn't know how to swim, but she was even more concerned at the icy cold that started from her stomach to her mind merely looking at the water. Gryffindors weren't supposed to be scared and here she was grateful to have an excuse not to face her fear and at the same time..... another feeling nagged her but she couldn't place what it was.

"Every thing alright?" She called to the group hoping they could hear her. It was unladylike to yell, but what else could she do? Feel helpless?

  

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Thank you Bee <3 Your magic has made Sisse bloom

The soaking wet, white fluff ball was not very big at all, but it did pose the problem of trying to swim with her in hand. Oh well she'd figure it out. Carefully Sloane reached up to pick up the terrified kitten and just in time- the boys rocked the boat up so she could get out without going underwater again.

Awkwardly, she swam as best she could out from underneath the boat itself; that was when she felt something brush against her leg.

Eyes wide, she looked between the boys in surprise, pretty much tossed the kitten to Cam, who just happened to be closer before she was pulled underwater without even managing a scream.

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The following 1 user Likes Sloane Bixby's post:1 user Likes Sloane Bixby's post
   Eloise Scrimgeour

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Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.

He was now holding a kitten and Sloane was missing. He looked up at Moony with panicked eyes, and then back towards the shores with hopes that Calla might be making her much-needed entrance. Not willing to allow the kitten to drown but unwilling to hold it at the expense of Sloane's life, he perched the kitten on the ridge of the boat and looked back to Moony.

He went under next, but it was willingly. The Black Lake lived up to its name—it was murky, and near impossible to see anything at first. His eyes slowly adjusted to the surroundings, and soon the image of Sloane, struggling against something, came into view. There was so much seaweed that he could hardly move an inch without brushing up against it, and he'd heard rumors that merpeople hid in the seaweed.

Merlin's beard. This was going to be a two-person job.

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