Picnic at Midnight PV Ami Procoppio Finished

Sleep Insomnia. This damn sleep insomnia was going to kill her, one of these days. Oh sure, she could've been doing something actually productive (like homework, maybe), but she had a yearning to feel the cool, outside air on her face. To prevent the need to release some of that yearning through blade and blood, she ventured outside, this time, donning clothing suitable for the chilly nighttime.

Somehow, she found her way out of a castle (a miracle within itself), and followed the winding path down to the Great Lake. Originally, she'd debating going into the Forbidden Forest, but decided she didn't want to get trampled by whatever creatures Professor Lear was keeping in there. Therefore, she approached the lake, and saw a familiar figure sitting down at the shore, eating a... was that a sandwich?

"Fair midnight, m'lady," Ami said pleasantly, plopping down beside Lorelai. "How art thou this evening? Stolen anything as of late?" Ami winked broadly, intending it as a joke. She bit into the apple she'd been eating, carrying her phone with her. "Y'know, this thing can take pictures here. I never realized that, honestly. I guess I'll have to go on a mini-photoshoot session while I'm here."

"How art thou this evening? Stolen anything as of late?" Lorelai almost choked on her food at this.

"I haven't taken anything in over a year! Give me a break, okay?. But I'm doing well thanks for asking."She pouted comically, crossing her arms like a toddler. She wasn't really all that upset she just didn't want to be known as a crook among the students of Hogwarts.

Ami went on to talk about her intention of doing a photo shoot by the Great Lake. Lorelai wasn't a very artsy girl and had never really been into photography. Plus she never really had access to a good camera. Her mother, even though she had lived in the muggle world most of her life, still had great difficulties with their technology somehow."It's a bit dark out but if you can get past that, it's really beautiful outside. If you're any better at photography than me I'm sure you'll be able to get some cool photos."

Finishing her sandwich, Lorelai took the slice of pie out, along with a small silver fork. "Do you want some? I only have one fork but we could probably figure something out."Lorelai looked straight towards the lake. "Maybe we'll see a merperson or a grindylow in the lake. I've read that they live here. A giant squid too."

Ami grinned, taking the apple between her teeth and wiping her hands on her jeans before taking out her phone. "Moonlit shots!" she attempted to yell, but due to the apple in her mouth, it didn't really sound like it. Oh, how she adored her Samsung Galaxy S9- the lowlight camera quality being far supreme to the wimpy Apple cameras. And the storage! Oh, the storage had been the clincher. Most parents would question Ami's parents' decision to let her have a phone at such a young age, but in Chicago? There were stranger things.

Ami snapped picture after picture, focusing on different things (the looming forest, the moon, the rippling water) and adjusting tilt, lighting, and view. Photography- the one thing everyone is an amateur at.

Ami assessed the pie (flaky crust meant butter, gelled insides meant gelatin which meant pork), and shook her head sadly. "I'm sorry, but I'll have to decline this evening. If you bring fruits next time, I'll be happy to share." She bit into her apple for emphasis.

"Maybe we'll see a merperson or a grindylow in the lake. I've read that they live here. A giant squid too," Lorelai mused, and Ami's eyes widened. "Woah. I know what a merperson is, and a giant squid sounds sick, but what's a, uh, a grindylow?"

"Woah. I know what a merperson is, and a giant squid sounds sick, but what's a, uh, a grindylow?"Lorelai beamed at the girl. She had felt passionate about the study of magical animals ever since she arrived, and her many trips to the Hogwarts library had given her more information on the topic. She remembered a book that detailed all the magical creatures in and around the Hogwarts grounds. She tried her best to learn every word of it. After all, if she wanted to live her dream of working with magical creatures, she had to be quite knowledgeable and skilled.

"Well, a grindylow is this little green sea creature-demon sort of thing with sharp teeth, horns, and long fingers. They're fragile but very, very strong. They usually grow to about 5 feet or so. They've been known to eat humans, so probably best not to get too close."Lorelai chuckled. Somehow the more dangerous the animal, the more allure it had to the girl. She assumed it would be the death of her someday, not that she minded. The thought of getting close to a dragon or some other XXXXX creature was enough to exuberate her. "But, really they're not so bad. Merpeople have been able to domesticate them. I could name a million more creature more dangerous than them."

Ami glanced nervously at the lake as Lorelai explained to her what grindylows were. They sounded terrifying, in all honestly, so Ami started to rethink her plans of swimming in the lake when it got nice out. "I could name a million more creatures more dangerous than them," Lorelai said enthusiastically. Ami shuddered, but it wasn't from the cold. "No, please don't. I'd rather not pull an all-nighter in fear a giant dragon's going to come down and eat me while I'm sleeping."

Drawing her jacket tighter around her shoulders, she added, "You're pretty sweet on these fantastic creatures, aren't you? Are you going to be a zoologist when you grow up? Or does the wizarding world also have a separate term for a magical zoologist?" Ami tugged on her hair, finishing off her apple, leaving only the core.

"Excuse me, for a moment," she said politely, standing up. She sniffed the air, and decided the weather was pretty nice (no frost likely to come about), and walked off a few feet away, testing the soil with the heel of her boot. Deciding it was soft enough, she knelt down, poking a few holes in the ground with her, each a meter or two away from each other. She inserted the apple seeds one by one into the ground, gently covering them. 

Marking the places with sticks, she ran down to the water, taking a large shell and filling it with water. Remembering the grindylows, she hurried back to the seeds, tenderly watering the seeds. "There. Maybe those will grow. Maybe they won't. We'll see," Ami said satisfactorily, walking back to Lorelai.

"No, please don't. I'd rather not pull an all-nighter for fear a giant dragon's going to come down and eat me while I'm sleeping." Lorelai shook her head no.

"There aren't any dragons near Hogwarts."She chuckled. "If there was the school wouldn't be located her. But I'll spare you...at least for now."She winked, jokingly.

Ami continued on, "Or does the wizarding world also have a separate term for a magical zoologist?"

Lorelai nodded, putting down the empty plate that used to have the slice of pie on it. "Yup, they're called magizoologists. I'd like to be one someday. Or something of the sort. Maybe a dragonologist, I don't know something like that. Magical animals just seem so...enchanting!"

"Excuse me for a moment," Ami said, getting up to do something. Lorelai started to gather up the empty plates, and dining utensils, ready to hide back under her cloak for when she would go back indoors. She watched as the other girl planted the seed from her apple.

"I hope they do grow. It'd be so cool to have an apple tree on the school grounds. I bet it'll confuse the staff about how it got there though."She mused, stretching her arms out. She was fond of plants as well. Much less exciting than dragons, but still beautiful, and more relaxing.

"You want to be a mazoo- what's his face?" Ami snapped her fingers, trying to remember. "Magizoologist. That's right. Like the Salamander guy, right? What's his name...?" Ami scrunched her face up, trying to remember. "Poot? No, that can't be it... Newt. That's right, Newt Salamander."

"I hope they do grow. It'd be so cool to have an apple tree on the school grounds. I bet it'll confuse the staff about how it got there though." Ami paled. "Frick!" she groaned. "I'm already at an A in Herbology- Wright's- er, Professor Wright's gonna strangle me if she finds out about this," Ami moaned in despair. "Lorelai, be a doll... don't rat me out if she asks," she pleaded. "I cannot afford to get another bad grade in her class; losing house points and all that. Oh my god, I might get kicked off of the Hufflepost team! That was such a stupid, stupid idea, planting those apple seeds."

Ami buried her head in her hands, mentally cursing herself. Her mother was never going to forgive her if she flunked out of Hogwarts, disgracing the perfect Abella Marie's pristine reputation. And the disappointment from her father... that would be too much to bear. She sighed- well, she'd just have to cross her fingers and hope Professor Wright didn't ask too many questions.

"No, that can't be it... Newt. That's right, Newt Salamander."

Lorelai laughed at the other girl's silly mistake. "Close...kind of. It's Newt Scamander, not Salamander. But yes, something like him."

Amy started to freak once she realized that a teacher might find the apple tree. "Oh my god, I might get kicked off of the Hufflepost team! That was such a stupid, stupid idea, planting those apple seeds."

"Don't worry I won't say a word."She did a lip stealing motion and threw away an imaginary key. "Anyways how would they even know who did it, huh? And we're assuming it'll even grow, or the teachers will even care. Anyways, what happened to that carefree rule breaker I know?"She teased, playfully punching the girl's arm. "Scared to plant a tree but not scared to sneak out at night. If anything will get you in trouble it's this."

Lorelai shrugged. She had never gotten in trouble for sneaking out before, although she wasn't all that happy that it was becoming a routine for her, but hey it's okay every now and then right? As long as she doesn't get caught. Unlike Ami, she wasn't a part of any teams or anything she could get kicked out of, but her mom would be upset. Her mom wasn't the type to punish, she was the kind to silently shake her head and say how disappointed she was. For Lorelai at least, that was a hundred times worse than any punishment.

"Scamander, that's it," Ami said, nodding sagely like she'd known that all along. "Newt Scamander. That's so cool, Lorelai. Maybe you'll write a sequel to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them... hey, you can call it Fantastic Beasts and How To Prevent Them from Killing You! Like... a Defense Against the Dark Arts books crossed with Care of Magical Creatures. A double-whammy textbook! You'll make millions."

"Anyways, what happened to that carefree rule breaker I know?" Lorelai teased, and Ami blushed. "Scared to plant a tree but not scared to sneak out at night. If anything will get you in trouble it's this." "Okay, but I can usually explain my way out of sneaking out," Ami laughed. "And besides- Hufflepost. It's a really big deal, I don't want to be kicked out. I didn't even know if my application was going to be accepted this late, it's a miracle they let me join the team." Ami looked around furtively, and added in a hushed voice, "I don't want to let Serena down." She tugged on her hair self-consciously, looking out at the lake. "Hey, is that....?" she said slowly, standing up. "Lorelai, quick, how good are you with Herbology? It's of the utmost importance."