A lazy Afternoon by the Lake

[Providence Moore]

Providence knew full well what Tas was talking about. She also had the feeling that Barry was not being fully honest when he had spoken to her about Ajax. He hadn’t been Auror boss all that long when her husband had died and he had shown very little sympathy.

“I know what you mean,” she said. “Barry has a way about him. You never really knew where you stood with him and that makes him seem unreliable and dishonest.”

She took the hand offered to her with a smile and looked at the group of kids that were at the lake. There were three of them standing up now with one of them waving there arms as if directing the flying one. There seemed to be another 4 sitting down. She could see a dark and unusual shape propped up by the tree which Providence suspected was a guitar case. She thought for a moment about who played and would have their guitar with them and recalled breakfast and that Eddie Carmichael had his with him.

She also recalled that Eddie had been sitting at the Ravenclaw table at breakfast which meant that there was at least one Ravenclaw in the group but she had already known that considering that the initial flyer had come from Ravenclaw tower. A Ravenclaw and Gryffindor hanging out should have pleased her as students, though friendly with students from other houses, generally and notoriously stuck to their own houses when it came to socialising.

Tas seemed to appreciate the talent of the flyer and she understand why as the kid was showing good flying skills but also asked what kind of trouble he was in.

“I think the initial flyer, the one that came from Ravenclaw tower,”
she said indicating towards the tower, “would be in more trouble than that one is, and I do believe that there is more than one flyer. Definitely detention, how many depends on the students and their excuses.”

The boy had landed just as someone came from behind the tree and she noticed that it was Professor Crittendon and he had his nephew with him. She heard him ask what one of the boys who was standing up was getting the other boy into.

The boy, a Gryffindor student named Liam and best friend of Eddie, explained the situation to his Head of House and Providence groaned. Out of all the Ravenclaw students it just had to be the son of the man that was walking beside her.

“Well it seems that TJ had developed a bit of reckless side,” she said to her companion just as Liam warmed them all about her imminent arrival. She stopped a feet or so behind where he landed and folded her arms across her chest. Zeus had bounded up and came to stop next to her and sat down looking at the children with his head cocked to one side. “You are correct in your thinking Mr Grace,” she said narrowing her rust coloured eyes and surveying the mixture of students in front of her surprised not only by the different houses but the different ages.

[Tas Underwood]

Assisting her down the slope, he glanced back at the castle and the towers. He had not noted the flight out of one of the towers at the castle, but then again Providence had been surveying the place with a much more measured eye. A twinge of guilt shot through him.

TJ was a Ravenclaw and it was not a stretch for him to see his son exiting the building in just such a manner. However, Tas didn't think TJ had a broom with him. But then he'd not checked his trunks nor the packages that got sent to him.

Providence and he got closer to the group and he noted several students; boys and girls, some older than others... and yes there beside a couple standing students and in front of Will was TJ. TJ's normal ruddy complexion had completely washed out. Tas could tell that he was nervous.

At Providence's comment Tas replied back, "mmm perhaps." He thought about how TJ always felt that he had to prove himself because he was so much smaller than the kids in his year and how growing up in his father's house also set him sometimes into a limelight. Tas paused beside a small pile of loosely formed snowballs and ran his hands through his hair before settling them on his hips to consider what to do about his son.

Providence had then stepped forward to address the small group of students so Tas hung back to watch. He'd assist as needed but since odds were significant that his son was highly involved, it was probably best of someone else intervened.

He watched as TJ's slight figure slumped and then slowly squared his shoulders at Providence's voice.

[Phoebe Underwood]

It was amazing how in one moment you could be talking and smiling and laughing and having a good time and then everything pretty much goes wrong. Here she was listening as her friends, new and old, talked about Hogsmeade weekends, flying and Quidditch and the next Eddie is telling them all to leave and separate with TJ willing to take the fall for all of them having a Head of House, the Head Mistress and another adult that she didn’t know show up.

She didn’t know if she should say anything as it seemed to her that this was really between the Professors and TJ and Liam. None of them had broken the rules but then they were all friends and friends should stick together.

She looked up at the Head Mistress and then turned her attention to the unknown man beside her. She didn’t know why but he seemed really familiar to her like she had met him before or something. She frowned slightly and then looked at TJ and she couldn’t help but wonder if they were related as they looked a lot alike. Actually TJ looked like a mini-me of the man recalling the Austin Powers comedy that she and her mother had watched.

There was something about the man that also reminded her of her mother. She recalled what TJ had said when they had been in the Great Hall about her looking like his sisters. Her frown changed to a confused look and she turned her attention to the dog beside the Head Mistress thinking it would be safer to look at him than at the Head Mistress or the man.

The dog, who she had heard from the Hufflepuff prefect’s name was Zeus and apparently accompanied the Head Mistress wherever she went, seemed to sense her attention and looked her way. Its tail started to sway from side to side and when she smiled at him he got up and headed her way. He sat beside her and Phoebe got up on her knees as he was bigger than her with her seated the way that she was and started to pet him.

“Aren’t you a pretty boy then,” she said softly to the dog as it licked her face and pushed his head into hands as she scratched him behind the ears.

[Liam Grace]

“Oh crap,” he said for the third time in a matter of minutes before gulping and turning around to see the narrowed eyes of the Head Mistress.

She was tall and slender and though he was no way short, he was of average height for his age; he felt like he was mouse to her giraffe. There seemed to fire in her rusty eyes but he wasn’t sure if that was just a reflection of her hair that definitely was the colour of fire.

He was no coward though and met the Head Mistress’s gaze full on though he was sure the Professor Moore could see the beads of sweat that were gathering at the top of his forehead and trickling down his face. He gulped again.

“I have already explained everything to Professor Crittenden,” he said in more a defiant manner that he wanted to. “I wanted to fly and TJ lent me his broomstick so that I could.”

Feeling that he had been looking into the eyes of the Head Mistress too long he tore his gaze off of her and instead looked towards the man standing beside her. His own eyes widened and then he frowned and he looked over his shoulder towards TJ and then for some reason Phoebe who was petting the Head Mistresses dog before returning his gaze back to the man.

“Aren’t you….” he said trailing off.

[TJ Underwood]

Spinning around at the deep male voice behind him, TJ's stomach rolled over and he felt like crawling under a rock. Taking a deep breath he was about to respond when Liam stepped in and answered. He wanted to cringe at the way it sounded about feeding the squid. He really didn't understand why it was a big deal.

The lake was frozen solid. People were out skating on it and riding in sleighs just the night prior. The only way to safely feed the squid and see if it hibernated or not was to feed it through the unfrozen bit. If they'd tossed the toast on the ice, the squid could have been injured when breaking through to get the toast and then the ice itself would have been too rough to skate on. Really, if they were to feed the squid then the manner in which they had was the safest and fastest as he didn't have skates. Besides getting close on skates to the unfrozen bit wouldn't have been safe either.

Taking a sigh he was about to speak to the adult male when yet another adult voice had him turning his head. The Head Mistress was there... and if matters weren't already bad, so was TJ's father.

TJ gave up the brave front and his shoulders slumped. Liam responded to the Head Mistress in a manner that had TJ again glance at him from the corner of his eyes. This was bad. Really REALLY bad. It stank to be called out, but then called out in front of a group of kids who he wanted to hang out with and then in front of his dad. Plus - he must have drunk stupid juice earlier, because he could not figure out just why he was in trouble.

When Liam trailed off and ended with his question TJ stepped in.

"Yeah dude he's Tas Underwood, my dad." He said under his breath as he stepped up beside and slightly in front of Liam toward Headmistress Moore.

"Sir." he said initially to the first man who had addressed him and not exclude him. But since Headmistress Moore was, well Headmistress and he had no clue who the man was, he preferred to speak with Ms. Moore and turned more fully toward her.

"Ma'am." he began respectfully. "Liam and I were the only ones flying. The others weren't involved in my experiment and Liam only because I brought it up. "

He maintained eye contact with the Headmistress until a movement behind her had him glancing that way to see the new girl petting Zeus. He sighed and wished that he could do that and get out of this pit of angry scrutiny. He looked up again at his father, then the Headmistress and then the new man. There was a tall guy, an older Gryffindor student by the looks of it present as well. Ducking his head he looked down and nudged a snowball that he had dropped in his dash to get Liam's attention. He wished fervently that there were fewer people around.

[Deleted]

Everything happened so fast, one moment they were sitting quietly talking then that horrid Ravenclaw boy just had to show off by arriving on a broom. And to make matters worse he had offerd it to Liam and Liam had gone out over the frozen lake to feed the squid.

She rolled her eyes, the stupidity of boys she thought. But then as some of started to notice, the Headmistress and another man were headign their way. But before they got there, their own HOH stepped out from behnd the tree with a another student she recognised from the dorms.

Then it seemed a sif all hell broke loose as both Laim and the Ravenclaw boy started to explain. Eddie had stood up and was urging them to split up and re meet later in the library. Lucy groaned. Why had she agreed to come down here with them. Fo r abit of company , she was so tird of being alone. Yet in that instant she regretted. Mothew would be furiosu if she heard she was mucking around with such people.

Lucy stood up an glared at them all. Like he said sir, it was their fault, we had nothing to do with it. she told the adults. Why was TJ's dad here she wondered.

She did not hang around to find out though. She was over this. She was over Eddie and she was definately over the others all fussing over some first year. What was so important about her name anyway. With a another huff, Lucy picked up her things. "Forget it Eddie, dunno why I thoguht I could have friends" she said and without another word, walked off and back to the dorms.

[Deleted]

((to the Headmistress - I had grabbed my guitar so it was no longer against the tree and I have said nothing to Professor Crittendon for my last post was before he showed up))

They might have got away with it but unfortuneately for them, Professor Crittendon stepped out of nowhere with one of the older Gryffindor guys that Eddie only knew as Jessie.

As TJ and Liam seemed to be explaining, Eddie decided not chip in two cents worth. Especially after the Headmistress showed up with the new man who turned out to be TJ's father. This was getting confuing he thought as Luch chipped in her thoughts.

He turned to look at her. Was she serious he thought but seemed she was a she pointed out it was TJ's and Liams fault them promtly walked off. He blinked once, then blinked again, 5 minutes ago they had just been a bunch of kids on a cold winters day enjoying each others company. Now for the stupidity of TJ, (and he had thought Ravenclaws to be smart) they could all be in trouble. But he was not about to desert his best friend.

He stood watching them, not saying anything. If Liam got detention over this Eddie thought . .

[Tas Underwood]

His son looked so uncomfortable, but TJ appeared to be taking responsibility for his behavior and not trying to shift the onus onto anyone else. Although TJ's comment under his breath to the other boy who appeared to be in trouble made him pause. Why should it matter to the other young man that he was TJ's father.

Tas watched TJ intently and smiled to himself. Actually he seemed to be holding up pretty well. If you were willing to take risks and go outside the rules, then you have to accept responsibility for that behavior. Good for TJ.

As he watched a young girl announced rather tersely as she glared at the lot of them, that she was leaving. He almost stepped in to stop her rather dramatic exit as he was certain Providence would want to speak with everyone to confirm for herself who was involved and in what degree. But he stepped back as she walked briskly by. Providence knew who the girl was and did not need his involvement in the situation. After all no one here knew his connection to the school. After watching the girl stalk up the hill to the castle he turned back to look at the other students. Were they also going to leave. The boy who had been standing closest to the girl was facing him and it seems that he too had watched her exit, but with more confusion perhaps.

He studied each of the students in turn. They appeared to range in ages, but most seemed young. No upperclassmen then, but they were generally pretty intent on studies or off at the pitch. As his gazed moved over the group he made brief eye contact with one of the girls and he felt chills go through him.

The blond girl looked so very similar to Paige and Piper. But it was more than that. As the girl was distracted by Providence's dog, Tas was struck by how even her movements reminded him of them. Maybe it was a girl thing, but the eyes ... yeah that was unusual. He furrowed his brow and then realizing he probably looked like his father before a conniption reverted back to a more bland face.

He coughed slightly and watched TJ's face. Catching his eye briefly Tas nodded solemnly to his son. Clearing his throat, he thought about offering Providence his assistance with 'crowd control' as it were. He and Will weren't really needed to deal with the two boys.

Perhaps he could offer to take the group back up to the castle and find out from them what happened. Before another kid bolted off.

[Jesse Crittendon]

Jesse had been more tied up in his thoughts and feeling about his uncle, and what he had told him and hadn't told him about his own family history. He had a right to know, didn't he? Whether it was good or bad, since he was a part of it, especially now living in Britain, he had a right to know. however, something else had occurred to him as they walked. He had not made much of an attempt to talk to his uncle about how things had been going, really, ever since he has had arrived.

It was not that everything had been a disaster, or had even gone bad, but he had never fit in. He had never really tried it was true. In the beginning, especially, he had just wanted to be left alone. The last thing that he had wanted was to be uprooted from what he was familiar with in the States. He had just been happy enough to stay behind in the Commons Room, or to spend time in the Library reading his afternoons away. However, that had all changed after his first Flying class. He had been exhilarated by the feeling of freedom it gave him, and he was immediately attracted to the Quidditch team ... Gryffindor, of course.

Many of those who had been just as happy to ignore him, now, he found were encouraging him. He found, especially by his Third Year, to his vast surprise, that they had been ignoring him primarily because he had ignored them. He was not known yet as the friendliest of boys, since he was still deathly shy, but he did talk to people at least. He was as shocked as anyone, first to see the group of younger students, then to see someone flying over the Lake, and then landing, and then seeing the Headmistress walk up. He recognized TJ ….. everybody knew him ….. and the man behind her looked like an adult version of him.

“Do you know that man, Uncle Will …. He looks a lot like TJ doesn’t he?” Jesse knew that it was not allowed to fly over the Lake, even when it was frozen, and he didn’t like the look on the Headmistress’s face. He knew Liam and TJ by sight, and although they were neither friends or enemies, he didn’t want them to get into serious trouble over this. “They aren’t in serious trouble are they, Uncle Will …. not over this …. are they?,” he said a bit louder than he should have.

[Will Crittendon]

"Yes Jesse, that's TJ's father, Tas, and I have no idea why he's here, unless its about the topic that I was talking to the Headmistress about. Instead of me spilling the beans, though, perhaps we should leave it to him, eh?" Will, for one had not been expecting to have his original train of thought interrupted by all of these various students, the Headmistress, and Tas, and this .... flying. He had just been relaxing himself with their walk and now he had to transition himself back to being HOH.

"I don't know, Jesse, we weren't here for most of whatever happened. I'm afraid that I'll have to rely on input from others, including students. Liam, after all is a Gryff, and therefore, I should be responsible for any discipline that's set out for his behavior." Will looked quickly up at Tas, and seemed to see by his expression that he has a proposal to make. So Will stopped and waited to hear what Tas and the Headmistress were going to offer as a solution, because for the moment Will was stumped by the suddenness of being presented with this misbehavior.

[Providence Moore]

Providence watched as one of students, a Gryffindor girl, got up and seemed to abandon her friends. She frowned slightly at the divaishness of the girl as it seemed to be very un-Gryffindor of her. Though loyalty was not a main trait of the house like it was with Hufflepuff it did play a part within the house of the lion more than it did with Ravenclaw and Slytherin. The girl was correct in thinking that it was only TJ and Liam that were in trouble but to storm away like did not bear well on her and Providence might just have a little talk to her about her own behaviour.

She was also not impressed with Liam’s tone of voice. When did the students get so snarky.

“Just because you want to fly doesn’t mean that you should,” she said sternly. “There are times and places to fly and both of you not only were flying outside of the restricted area but were doing so in a reckless and dangerous way that could have seen you seriously hurt if something had gone wrong.”

She looked over at TJ with slitted eyes.

“That roof is probably icy and slippery if you had slipped and fallen you could have broken your neck and gotten yourself seriously injured or killed,” she said before turning her attention back to Liam. “You on the other hand could have fallen off your broom and onto the ice or even into the water where at the least you would have broken bones or at most drowned.”

She sighed and looked at TJ.

“I am especially disappointed in you TJ as I was telling your father of what a good student you are and then to have him witness you being reprimanded upon his arrival at the school.”

She didn’t really want to announce his appointment but she had a feeling that the students would want to know what TJ’s father was doing here in the first place.

“I am going to announce this properly at dinner but since you are all here and are probably wondering what Mr Underwood is doing here I might as well tell you all that he as agreed to teach flying and Herbology to you all though Herbology is on a temporary basis until we find someone more suitable.”

Looking at Professor Crittendon she smiled grimly at him.

“It is good that you are here and you are correct in thinking that you will have a part in the disciplining of Liam though I think that you along with Mr Underwood and Professor Quinn could discuss what the punishment should be as Professor Quinn is TJ’s Head of House. May I suggest there punishment be something in relation to the state of the school broomsticks?”

She sighed and looked towards Zeus who was getting attention from the blonde Hufflepuff girl who she had seen earlier and whose name was Phoebe. She stared at the girl and once more noticed the resemblance that she had to TJ and Tasgall and frowned slightly. With a whistle Zeus after given a lick to the girl turned and came back to her side. She glared once more at the boys and then looked from Professor Crittendon and then to Tas.

“I will leave them with you. I will return to the castle and inform Professor Quinn of the developments and have her come and see you. May I suggest that you use the flying instructor’s office?”

With that she turned on her heel and headed back to the castle with Zeus following her. She rubbed her temple as the headache that had been threatening that morning strengthened. She hoped that she would be able to find Professor Quinn quickly so that she could have a lie down before dinner.

[TJ Underwood]

TJ respectfully listened to the Headmistress. At her comment about how treacherous the slick, icy roofs could be and how Liam was in trouble as well, he almost interrupted.

"But ma'am..." he noted that his father's gaze intensified upon him at that time so he snapped his mouth shut .

Her next words, directed at him had him wanting to cry. But then that would just compound the issue. She'd pulled out the big "D" word. He hated it when his mom or dad used that word, disappointed. That Headmistress knew him from outside of school made the guilt at disappointing her even worse. He felt his cheeks grow warmer. Maybe she just didn't understand what he'd been trying to do.

He was so mired in his thoughts that her statement about his dad coming to work at the castle were all but lost on him. He was going to have detention, Professor Quinn, his dad and the new guy were going to decide it.

He glanced over at Liam. AND he'd managed to get Liam in trouble too.

Ducking his head down he muttered to Liam. "Sorry you're in this as well. I shouldn't have offered it." He gestured with his broom.

[Liam Grace]

Liam had known his tone of voice with the Head Mistress would not go down well and her response was typical and also correct. He knew what he had done was wrong and he should not have taken the offered broom but the opportunity to fly and the challenge and adventure of flying over a frozen lake to feed a giant squid was just too tempting. He was a Gryffindor after all and they were known for their daring and courage.

Liam felt bad not only for himself but for TJ. He looked over at his friend and noticed that he seemed particularly upset when the Head Mistress spoke about her disappointment with him. He understood how that must be for if either his parents had been there while he was being told off by the Head Mistress he would probably feel like crying also.

She then announced that Mr Underwood would be teaching flying and Herbology and at any other time he probably would have thought it was the coolest thing to happen ever. To be taught to fly by such an ex professional Quidditch player was great but to had it also be one of his personal idols was even better.

The Head Mistress departed after leaving their punishments to their Heads of House and Mr Underwood and TJ apologised to him for offering the broomstick. Liam shook his head.

“Dude just because you offered didn’t mean that I should have accepted,” he said. He looked over at his new Head of House and nodded at him. “I seemed to have started on the wrong foot with you. I am sorry for the trouble that I have caused.”

[Deleted]

It seemed as if both Liam and TJ would get detention over it and he felt for his friend. Stupid Ravenclaw he thought, just had to show off and now his friend was in trouble over it. Still Liam was taking responsibility for his actions and Eddie knew he was being Honorable, after all Liam did not have to have done it. He felt a pang of pride in his friend.

The headmistress announced that man (who turned out to be TJ's dad was going to be the new Herbology professor, as well as their flying instructor. Flying was more Liam's thing though Eddie did not mind it. He was looking forward to apparating when he was old enough.

Must be embarrassing for TJ he thought, being caught by his father like that but Eddie had no sympathy for him.

"Sir" he asked to his HOH after the Headmistress had walked off. "Do all we have to come, just we never had a part it in it. It all happened so fast we never had chance to stop it" he said to Professor Crittendon. Now that would not be fair if they all got detention, when they never had a chance to do anything.

[Tas Underwood]

(TJ is god modded in this. He and I spoke and he ok'ed what I wrote so that we could expedite this)

Tas watched the brief exchange between TJ and the other boy who seemed to be involved in this farce. Although he was careful not to show it, he was pleased with both boys' responses. Neither tried to wiggle out of it, TJ attempted to take blame and the other boy's response was very mature. Mentally Tas applauded them

Stepping forward he gently took TJ's broom and held it in his left hand with his own broom. "I don't think you'll be needing this for a while mate." He said in a neutral tone.

Looking over his shoulder and then back at both of the boys in front of him he asked. "Is this accurate that you two were the only ones flying?" He watched the other boy for a minute and then scrutinized TJ's face.

TJ looked up at him and stated emphatically, "No dad. No one else was involved. But the only reason Liam ..." Tas lifted his hand abruptly to stem the flow of emotional words from his son.

"TJ that's enough."

Tas turned and looked at the other students. They seemed young and other than the one young man, none had spoken. He sighed and gestured toward the castle.

"I need you guys to do two things. One if you had nothing to do with flying out here today, head on up to the castle..." he paused and then continued because it was still nice out "or wherever else it is you are headed. Just stay out of more trouble. Secondly, if you have something to add to the story the speak with either Professor Crittendon or me."

He looked at the group for a minute more and then sighing turned back to the two culprits and Will. "Let's head on up to the castle and catch up with Professor Quinn."

He gestured for TJ to walk with him and they headed toward the castle.