Cassidy went back to the dormitory to work on her bo staff. She changed into a pair of overalls and a scrubby tee shirt, and hefted the heay chunk of maple onto her shoulder. Down the hallway she went, carrying the log easily. She was searching for a place...somwhere where she could be by herself and work on her bo.
Suddenly, she found a door that she could have sworn was not there yesterday. Curious, she pushed the door open with her free hand, and inside was a woodworking room! Cassidy narrowed her eyes in confusion, wondering how on Earth something like that could end up at Hogwarts, but decided to go in and work on her bo anyway.
She planed the wood first, stripping it of its bark. Next, she whittled it down to a slim, six-foot rod, and spent the next few hours shaping it carefully, pouring every ounce of concentration into making it perfect. When that task was completed, without help from her wand, she brought it to a tub of laquer, and spent the rest of the afternoon painting it.
She worked well into the night, but took little notice of the time that passed. When she had put two coats of balck laquer on the staff, she set it to dry.
Cassidy gazed at her handiwork sleepily, her admiration shining through her drooping eyelids. It was there in the mysterious woos shop that she fell asleep.
***
Cassidy awoke in the middle of the night with a start, nightmares had plagued her dreams once more. She looked up from the woodworking table to see her bo, completely dry and ready for combat. She smiled, feeling a little more awake, and took the bo from its hanger. She hefted it in her hands expertly, surveying the craftsmanship with a critical eye.
It was perfect.
She longed to practice, to swing the bo around at invisible enemies, to feel the rush of combat.
And suddenly, the room began to change.
The walls ebbed in strange waves as they transformed into bamboo instead of pine. A window to her right looked out onto a shinto rock garden, and adorning the walls of the woodshop-turned-dojo were carious scrolls of kanji.
Cassidy looked around her in awe, testing the hardwood floor with her now bare feet. She stepped into the middle of the room, and began to practice. She swung her bo staff in graceful arches, sharp stabs, strong parries. Each movement was more confident than the last. She smiled to herself, and glanced at her watch. It was nearly dawn once more. She got her things together and headed to the owlry.
"Kaze!" she hissed quietly, so as not to disturb the other owls who had just returned from their nightly flights.
Kaze spun his head backwards to look at her, slightly annoyed, as he was about to go to sleep.
"Kaze, I need you to take something to the wand shop in Diagon Alley, and get it back to me as soon as you can!" she told him urgently. She tied her wand to the bo staff, and held it up for him to grab. "I've enclosed a note. Bring this back as soon as you can."
Kaze flew off with the long, heavy package. Cassidy watched him leave quetly, a smile spreading across her face. Suddenly, she remembered her brother's arrival was today, and a disgusted frown replaced her cheery mood. She went back to Gryffindor tower to wash up before breakfast once more.
***
OOC: Enter, Andrew!!!
Name: Andrew
Age: 12 (2nd year)
Gender: Male
Description: very fair like Cassidy. He stands two heads taller than she does, and is built muscular, but not like a body builder! He has deep, darker blue eyes than Cassidy does, and his hair is cut short in a spiky buzz. He has a very sharp, angular face, that mkes him look older than he is.
Personality: Andrew is a lot more outgoing than Cassidy. He tends to enjoy getting into trouble, and doesn't mind getting one anyone's bad side. He is very competative with Cassidy, and is jealous of her calm, reserved attitude, because she is recognized by her father for that a lot, and he is punished for his rash attitude. He plans to make her life diffecult at Hogwarts.
Pet: a barn owl named Screech
House: Slytherin
(Don't misjudge him too much...because...well...you'll find out!)
IC: Andrew walked confidently through the doors of Hogwarts, and Screech, his owl, flew to the owlry to chat with Kaze. Andrew put on a smirk. He couldn't wait to see hsi sister, and bother the heck out of her.
He saw the Great Hall up ahead, and decided to get some breakfast. He sat down at the Slytherin table, with a group of well-to-do looking chaps. Andrew ran his fingers through his hair, glancing at the door, as a very tired-looking Cassidy walked through to doors. She sat down at the Gryffindor table, and did not awknowlege him.
