ᵗʰᵉ ᵍʳᵉᵃᵗ ˡᵃᵏᵉ

@p. jimin Perfectly content to spend a few more moments just coddling the dog, it took Isabella a half-a-second longer than it should've to realize that that dog was urging her to continue on. Once she did, a soft sound of understanding escaped and she stood back up to full height and started walking. She glanced around to make sure the dog was still around, seeing as he'd retreated back to the shadows, before ascending the rather long staircase from the basement. "We're going to the lake," she informed softly once they made it to the landing on the main floor. "There's a lot of pretty things to draw at night." She wasn't really sure why she was telling the dog, or talking to it like it was a person, but she'd chalk it up to nerves. The basement entrance wasn't very far from the main entrance, so she scurried over to it and opened the castle doors as quietly as possible. The opening was just wide enough for her to slip through, but she waited for the dog to leave first.

@p. isabella panting softly, much like a dog would, there was almost a smile on jimin’s face as he made his way over to the girl. it was dark, but in his animagus form it was always easier to navigate in the dark. the hand outstretched proved to be a sort of relief for isabella, it seemed, and jimin was glad she had no idea who he was. with a brief sniff of her hand, and a small little given to her fingers in response, jimin wagged his tail, ears perking up as he walked nudged isabella’s hand. it was his own way of telling her to get moving, especially if she didnt want to get caught. he didnt dare let out a sound, even trying to keep his panting as quiet as he could, for if they gave away their position and either ms norris or filch himself came around, they’d be dead meat. quietly, jimin walked forward, sticking to the shadows with the soft little clicks of his paws on the ground.

@p. jimin She hadn't said it very loudly at all, but the question seemed to echo through the hall which made her falter a bit. She seriously hoped no one heard her, but she didn't have a lot of time to dwell on it as the footfalls from before continued. Straining her ears a bit, it was clear that they were coming toward her. She swallowed her nerves and adjusted the grip she had on her wand, waiting for whatever it was to reveal itself. Much to her surprise, however, this mysterious creature was merely a dog. An incredibly cute one at that. "It's just a dog," she said under her breath, letting out a sigh of relief as her entire form relaxed. She returned her wand to its usual place and in the same motion, she crouched down to the dog's level. "You're just a dog," she repeated, holding out her hand to the furry creature. "What are you doing here, little guy?"

@p. isabella jimin froze in his spot. he didnt mean to get caught, really, especially not this late at night. but if his housemate was going to end up getting them both caught by calling out in the darkness after curfew, he knew he had to just step out of the shadows. perhaps it was bad timing on his part, but in the silence he slowly came down the hallway, sticking to the shadows. there was quiet tapping of his paws on the ground, growing closer to isabella as he almost ominously made his way over. and once he stepped from the shadows, there was his little corgi form, ears up and tongue hanging from his mouth while he looked expectantly up at the girl before him. she looked a little scared, but jimin couldnt place why. he was just a dog, after all. a small one, at that.

@p. jimin The basically non-existent game of chase continued on for a bit more. Completely convinced that she had head something, Isabella stopped to look around a few more times but saw nothing but the shadows cast by the occasional torch. She'd completely forgotten about trying not to be caught at a certain point and was more focused on losing whatever seemed to be following her, but it only continued. By the time she'd reached the stairs, she was a little ticked and she her heel to confront her stalker. "Who-- or whatever you are, just come out now and I won't hurt you," she called into the semi-darkness, retrieving her wand from where she'd stuck it into her boot. She couldn't exactly tell, but she'd hoped her voice didn't come out as shaky as she felt. Waiting for a response, she looked out at the expanse of hallway she'd just walked through, hoping to spot something.

@p. isabella jimin's paws were cold due to the corridor floors, and the only thing he could think was how happy he was he didnt have to deal with the staircases. when the girl before him stopped, so did he. he froze, ears perked and listening, to wait, hoping that the upperclassman didnt see him. he was curious, that was all. when the girl picked up her speed, he waited a moment before following, cursing the canine claws that tapped ever so slightly on the floor as he trailed after her. as he followed, he wondered just where she was going and kept an ear out for anything that might be following the two of them, especially that of a professor or even filch himself.

@p. jimin It was safe to say that she'd grossly underestimated how far the castle entrance was from the basement, but her ridiculously slow gait could have had a lot to do with that. The 7th year had just started to get comfortable with things, her rigid body-language loosening ever so slightly when light tapping began echoing through the corridor. A soft gasp escaped her lips and she stopped in her tracks, straining her ears to listen whilst her eyes darted around for whatever it could be. Seeing nothing she continued on at a quicker pace, hoping to lose whatever might have been following her.

@p. isabella jimin wasn't supposed to be out and about. he was usually a good kid, stayed in his dorm at night, all the good stuff. but sometimes, he got just a little too distracted by the books in the library, and he found himself wanting to return there. so it wasnt long before he shifted into his animagus form, the little corgi that most people knew toddled around the grounds, and made his way off toward the library. the only thing he had to look out for was mcgonagall, of course, the only person who knew what he was. but tonight was different. the library doors were closed tight, and there was no way he was going to make it in there. so instead, he began to make his way back to the common room, but he saw a familiar figure walking past. staying in the shadows, the little corgi began to follow the girl, curious as to just where she was going and what she was doing.

@p. jimin Considering the fact that the Hufflepuff commons were in the basement, it was nearly impossible to tell just how active (or not) the castle was at any given moment. Poking her head through the barrel entrance of the common room, Isabella was surprised to find just how quiet the kitchen corridor was. At nearly 10 pm, it was deathly silent and most of the candles that usually lit the underground space quite brightly were put out, leaving only one every few feet. Still, the space was deserted and the young witch took her chance to climb all the way through the barrel. After straightening up to her full height and dusting off her robes, Isabella shouldered her bag began walking toward the stairs. Each step she took seemed to echo in the stark silence enveloping the basement, causing her to slow her footfalls and nervously clutch the strap of her bag. This was her first time sneaking out past curfew, but she was determined to get to the Great Lake to study the will-o'-the-wisp she'd been told about. She never really realized how creepy the castle could be at night.