Morning Run Closed

It's way too early right now...

Chloe was slowly making her way out of the castle to take a walk on the grounds. She had been wanted to see the castle when it was quiet, so when she woke up at 5:30 that morning after a restful night of sleep, she decided to go for a walk around the grounds and near the lake. She had her robe on, protecting her from the cool dawn breeze. The breeze was catching her hair, blowing the long brown locks behind her. 

So peaceful... So quiet. Chloe smiled, thinking to herself. She got to the edge of the Forbidden Forest and smiled before turning around. In the distance, she saw someone- or something- moving quickly. She frowned, walking closer. She had a hand on her wand- she didn't know why because she didn't know any spells that would protect her if there was something dangerous on the grounds, but it made her feel safe. She squinted, trying to make out what it was. She realized it was another student. The student stopped moving, sitting down on a fallen tree trunk as she got closer. She released her wand, bringing her hand back outside of her robe. 

Chloe got close enough that she could see who it was, but she didn't recognize the student. "Hello? What are you doing out here? Why are you up so early?" She said as she moved closer to the boy. Had he really been running? Just for fun? Do people actually do that? 

Alex would be a bit surprised for a few seconds. As he had not been expecting anyone else to be here so early. He then stood up once again, seeing as he had rested quite a bit now. And would talk, being quite nervous at first but with it slowly becoming less. Really, really slowly "Well.......... what I am doing is that I am resting after a bit of jogging and I am up so early so I can have a fresh start of the day, contemplate recent events and have a beautiful view of the castle and the sounds and views that are around here. Of course I also jog to stay in shape and not become lazy, and from what I heard it also helps improve your learning."

 Alex says, closing his mouth eventually embarrased once he realized that he was rambling, though he was of course interested in the subject. But Alex quickly recovered his wits after threatening to descend into his mind and simply think about numerous actions without doing anything. Something he really needed to avoid. He also wondered why the girl herself was here 

"But I can of course ask you the same question, why are you up so early and what are you doing out here ?" Alex says quickly regretting what he had just said. He sounded quite a bit too passive-aggressive and he shouldn't be quite so hostile. 'DANG IT ALEX WHY DO YOU HAVE TO FAIL SO MUCH' he berated himself. Chloe would have seen this as Alex quickly looking quite nervous and embarrased, with a blush on his face as he suddenly found something interesting on the ground to look at. 

Chloe laughed slightly at his reaction, smiling at how red it was. She jokingly gave him a look of disgust. "People actually run? I thought that was just a myth..." She joked with him before shrugging. 

"I don't know. I didn't sleep well last night, and I was wanting to see the castle and grounds at dawn anyway, so I decided to go for a walk." She yawns. She was awake but didn't mean she wasn't  absolutely exhausted. She sat down on the log beside him, then realized he hadn't invited her to sit there. Too late now. 

Chloe you're so awkward... he didn't offer for you to sit there. Chloe ignored the voice in her head and looked out at the sunrise. She was sitting with a Slytherin boy. He seemed nice enough... sort of. He seemed to have a little bit of an attitude, but Chloe decided that maybe he was just tired and out of breath. She didn't pay much attention to the attitude. 

Alex would show no notable reaction to Chloe sitting down except a happy smile on his face, he would then speak in an old man impression "Indeed, centuries have gone by and most of the runners have faded into legend. Now only few remain." Alex's smile would then widen a bit at his own little joke and turn more calm a second later. As he listened to what Chloe said "I can understand, Hogwarts and everything that is going on can be quite stressfull. But it is a good decision to walk at this time to observe the castle, it is especially beatiful with the sun rising"  He would then temporarily remain silent looking at the stuning view. 

He would then rub his hands quite nervously, he was not a very social person, he should maybe try to find some common ground, ah yes names, he hadn't given his name yet. "Oh I don't think I have introduced myself yet, my name is Alex." He says with a bit of a smile, finally for one of the first time he made a comment Alex gave himself a mental thumbs up at how he had picked up the situation.

Alex would then notice the customary house badge that was on most standard robes which piqued his interest. He did not know much about Hufflepuf and he was interested. "So how are things in Hufflepuf, from what I have heard and seen all Hufflepufs are nice people but I am not a Hufflepuf so I can not entirely be too sure" And the mental hand went thumbs down again. Now he would most likely just make her feel akward. Well now it was time for him to be fed on by the lions that was failed social interaction. 

Chloe laughed at his joke, nodding. "So, the rumors and myths are true. It's very rare to see them?" She smiles warmly at him, relaxing on the log. Nodding, she gazed out, enjoying the beauty of the sun coming up. "I'll have to get up at this time every day then, cause I love this view." Chloe giggled softly. She then realized Alex had introduced himself and looked at him again. "I'm Chloe." She smiled at him again.

Chloe ignored the awkward comment and looked down at her robes, noting the badge. "I like Hufflepuff. Our common room is cozy, we're loyal and friendly." She shrugged, "I'm sure there are some that aren't nice. I've only met a few, but the ones I have met are very friendly. What about Slytherins? My parents told me when they went to school here that the Slytherins were sort of bullies almost... But the ones I've met here so far aren't." She furrowed her brows together, thinking. Her parents were also in Gryffindor, that might have contributed to the bullying they received from some of the Slytherin students when they were at Hogwarts. 

Every morning, like clockwork, Ben would be out on his morning run. Even he was a bit unsure how he managed to get away with Prefect work until almost three in the morning then be up three hours later to run. Even when he was in Muggle school he would stay up late and wake up early. Maybe it was magic, maybe it was youth, maybe it was insanity. Ben figured it was all three in combination and they would all fail him at once someday. 

Are those other students out early? I thought I saw someone else running... guess I'm not the only crazy one here.

Ben was wearing muggle clothes for running because it was all he had that made sense. Running in robes seemed like a really silly choice so he had his Football clothes on. Scotland's national football team's logo was on both his shorts and his long shirt. Luckily few would see it on his run before he changed for the day. He was not ashamed of his team pride or muggle background, but being seen outside wizard garb felt out of place was all.

"Hello you two," he said in a friendly, slightly out of breath voice. "Not often I see others out so early."

He grinned at the two sitting on the log. One seemed a bit tired from likely doing the same, the other seemed to be just a student out exploring early. She seemed somewhat familiar but he had never met her. The boy was a complete stranger to him so far though. Ben jogged in place for a moment as he arrived before slowing down to a stop, deciding to remain standing for now.

"How is everyone this beautiful morning?"

Chloe stared at Ben, in shock that there was more than one student out at that time. She couldn't believe it. Running? Really? Maybe she should change then.... 

She realized she probably looked rude and looked up at the boy who was standing in front of them. He looked slightly familiar, but she wasn't sure who he was. She smiled warmly at him. "Hi! You run too?" She laughed slightly. "I can't believe it... two rare runners in one morning..." She joked again before realizing he had asked them a question. She looked back up at him. 

"I'm still exhausted. You seem chirpy. How can people wake up this early and be so chirpy and happy?" She grumbled slightly. She was friendly and liked to smile all the time, but that didn't mean she was a morning person by any means. She was not. She needed to get plenty of sleep. She yawned again and stood up, stretching. Sitting down was making her too tired. 

James, who had awoken moments before this, had decided to go outside to practice some spells. He needed a way to improve his spell casting abilities, since before getting his letter from Hogwarts he had no idea magic even existed. He became nearly obsessed with practicing spells and learning more about the wizarding world. James looked under his bed, and grabbed a bag out from under the sheets laid neatly on the mattress in the boy's dormitory. He ran swiftly through the corridors of the large castle, wearing a black hood aligned with white fur. Oh the benefits of having a broom, he thought to himself while running across the countless halls & rooms in Hogwarts. Eventually, he found his way to the beautiful outdoors, with the large, yet dangerous, forbidden forest and the qudditch field which were both adjacent to the grounds. He clutched onto a purple book with a hint of gold. The Book of Spells was its specific name, if he remembered that correctly when purchasing it. He didn't have time to look at the book for the exact name, so he didn't bother doing it.

He looked around the large field and spotted a few people running around the grounds. The prefect of his own house, Ravenclaw, Ben Eckenrode. He also saw two girls, both of which he didn't know the name of. He thought they wouldn't disrupt him, so he ignored them and found a solid rock that would more than satisfy his needs for a place to practice. He sat down, pushing his bag to the side. He took out a beige, 30.1 cm long wand with a dragon heartstring made out of chestnut wood. He flipped through the pages of the book, searching for a spell that was easy but was hard enough that it would challenge him. 

A color changing spell caught his eye- a spell called Colovaria, or the color change charm. "Huh." He said, glancing at the page containing the spell. He took out a small, white handkerchief he had gotten from home. He used it mainly to clean his glasses when they had gotten dirty in classes at his former schools, but now, he thought it'd be best for this practice. He pointed his wand at the handkerchief with a firm grip, trying so hard to not let it slip out of the palm of his hand. "Colovaria!" James said loudly, with a booming voice that seemed to stretched across the grounds from James' point of view. A small flicker was shown on the tip of his wand, but nothing more than that. He did it again, this time more confident and hopeful. "Colovaria!" He said, this time not as loud as the last. The handkerchief seemed to grow red from the corners, and it looked like a drink had been spilled and the stain was forming. However, the handkerchief soon lost its former red color, and became white yet again.

In a last attempt, James focused only on the handkerchief and the spell he wished to preform. "Colovaria!" James said with confidence, holding his wand with both of his hands. Then, the handkerchief flicked upward, as though a breeze had approached from the west. When the handkerchief came down to the rock it had been resting on, James saw that the color had changed to a deep, blood red. In his excitement, he clasped both of his hands together, and let out a large smile. He looked back at the people running, but didn't care about them as much as he did his practicing. He continued to practice the spell, hoping to perfect it in any way possible. 

Alex would send a smile towards Ben, it was good seeing a fellow runner around these parts. He would then respond to what Ben had said "Hello,indeed there are not many people outside here most of the time. Most just stay inside of the castle and take their time to sleep. Still it is a shame that many will not see the beautiful grounds of Hogwarts and the castle itself in the morning and I am doing quite alright if I may say so myself. I think I have jogged some 2-4 kilometers today already "

He would then look thoughtful for a moment before replying to what Chloe just said "Well that question has several answers. A slight lack of sanity, being a morning person, a splash of water in the face or a cold shower and more often than not drinking an energy drink or having some coffee" 

Then he noticed the symbol on the shorts of Ben. Having seen it some times on the telly though he himself was generally not interested in football his father often watched it on the TV and would look towards the symbol on the shorts. "Hey isn't that the symbol of a schottische football team ? Are you a fan of them and/or football ?"

As his own choice of wear Alex had a simple black and white sports jackets and trousers that were large enough to cover most of his body except his hands and head. It was nice since it was comfortable, flexible and it was warm enough to make sure he did not freeze to death most of the year. Though it would probably not protect him from the freezing colds of winter once it had brought the world into it's grasp. 

Then Alex remembered the question Chloe had asked earlier before "Well the Slytherins are ok in general I guess. There are some who are rather nice and others who are quite slippery and cunning. But that is to be expected of course. From what I have heard though over the last few years the situation has really been improved and as far as I know there aren't any bullies and blood status is not as valued as it previously was."