As soon as the girls heard the click of the classroom
door closing, they spilled out of the closet like a human avalanche. Apolline
tugged urgently on Rae's robe. "Is that what I think it is? Did that just
happen?"

      "Yes!" Aranya nearly shouted, "She
SAID YES!!!"

      "I know, I heard!" Addie extricated herself
from beneath the cauldron, oblivious now to the grime that coated her.
"SHE SAID YES!!!"

      "You guys!!!" Rae said, trying to breathe
normally, "We have to tell everyone! 
We have to narble quick five yellow!!!"

      Apolline looked at Rae strangely. "No no no no
noctambule!" She immediatley put a hand on her mouth, horrified.

       Rae was
too excited about the news to stop, and was frantic to get the words to come
out. "Zap scarf in shoe block!!!!"

       "Many buy birds in blocks!" Apolline tried
to talk with her hands to make herself understood but stopped as she was
knocking over phials and making noise.

      Aranya started jumping up and down. "Oh mac and cheese blob!"

      "Pop corn with pepper!"

      Frantic to find a way to talk, Rae began pantomiming
the proposal. "Dark yet hot potato Nivestorm bat gravy!"

      "Flibber maybe tell ball gravy! Now!"
Aranya jabbered, trying to motion that they should probably leave.

      The girls flew into the corridor, determined to make
someone understand them, only to crash straight into Professor Afolayan.
Slightly taken aback, the professor studied the girls intently. 

      "Good evening, ladies. Why are you all out of
bed?"

       Apolline shook her head back and forth, "Merde
de de de de!"

      "Adurdurdurdurdur." Aranya said, trying to
look innocent, while Addie hid behind her, too afraid of the professor to speak.

      Apolline pointed at Rae and nodded her head, then
pointed at herself and shook her
head. "Banana!"

      Rae began frantically waving her arms to negate
Apolline's implication. "NO hat tree imp Quaffle Afrolayan! Woot snape
camel...." She suddenly stopped, silenced by the professor’s glare.

      "I do not even want to know what this is about.
Back to your dorms NOW! I will write up your detention slips immediately and
hand them to you at breakfast."

      "But peanut butter," Apolline whined.

      Aranya looked at the professor pleadingly, "But
owl race fly nothing rice!"

      "Kracken monkey!!!!" Rae shouted, stomping
her foot.

      Professor Afolayan was fairly bursting with fury.
"TO YOUR DORMS NOW! Before I put you in detention for the rest of the
year!"

      Aranya began to shuffle down the hallway, mumbling,
"Boar gum knife fight shield," followed closely by Addie.

      Rae started to follow, but then stopped as soon as
the Professor was gone. She pulled the others around the corner, pointing out
the window to the marquees that Professor Darkstorm had set up the other day.
"Bubble gum snargaluff yesterday! Go Nivestorm yo-yo grass
pickle!!!!"

      Addie looked at Rae in confusion, then pulled a
handful of jellybeans from her pocket and threw them at Rae. This was not an uncommon occurrence, but a strange look crossed Apolline's face. "Go Nivestorm! Bucket sweet road draw!"

      Addie just shrugged, "Nivestorm love sweet cute
wah."

      Rae pulled Aranya over to the window and began
pointing between the jelly beans and the marquees. Realization dawned on the
group; they began to sneak their way outside.

------------------------------------------------------------

       Meanwhile, back in the Curious ‘Claws dorm room, Anne
looked up from her latest attempt at Extra Credit and noticed something moving
down on the lawn. She went to the window for a closer look.

      "What in Merlin's beard are those girls doing! I
need to go find Professor Afolayan!" She immediately ran out of dorm to
the hallway, and, to her surprise, bumped into the professor in question.

      "Professor! There are students on the
lawn!" she announced, pulling the professor to the window.

      Professor Afolayan looked where Anne was pointing,
first in shock, and then in absolute fury. "What in Merlin's beard are
they doing out there?" she sputtered. "I sent them back to the dorm
after catching them in the Potion's class room!" 

       "The Potion's classroom? What on earth were they
doing there?" Anne looked at the professor, full of curiosity, but the
professor was far too angry; she stormed out of the dormitory without
answering, but Anne was fairly certain she caught the word
"Darkstorm."

      Her curiosity getting the better of her, Anne slipped
out of the dorm and headed down to the Potions room to see what her dorm mates
were up to.