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Afternoon

Heliotrope LeJean had come to develop a rebellious streak a mile long. Quite literally, in one instance. This was all to do with a bizarre incident at breakfast which left over a third of the castle's population body swapped. The little Hufflepuff partial mermaid was occupied by someone called Hexy.

The first rebellion was that, in a confusing day where the bodies of NEWT level students could show up in first year classes, Hexy hadn't been attending any classes. She didn't feel like she would be missing much in the third year classes. It wasn't like she knew anyone in particular, save Bruno Mastiff who was such an idiot unlike his older brother Buster. So the day was spent in other pursuits. First off, adapting to the dark wooded unusual wand of the Hufflepuff fish freak that she was borrowing. No worries there, she had been able to fold the wand to her intent and her spells had no major difference than her usual wand. Next was taking advantage of having better gills than what any bundle of gillyweed could provide.

Which almost ended in disaster because she didn't know how to swim. Learning to swim required striping down to some semi-nude manner of dress with a swim outfit and...that just never appealed to her. Instead of drowning in the lake Hexy had sort of bobbed and jumped along the shallow shoreline over to the village.

And that led to the list of things she was looking to take advantage of for as long as she had the anonymity of someone else's body to take the consequences. The list included things she had always wanted to do, such as skip class because she already knew loads of magic beyond her years and everything else was boring; or sneaking to Hogsmeade outside of an allotted weekend. Not that she had been able to do much, giving that Helio as a form was too young to draw attention, but she had been able to do a few things. Checking the cottage where her mother 'the hypochondriac aunt' had to live because of...something about family they were trying to avoid. Not an actual visit because explaining to her mother why she looked like a human who looked like a frog would be difficult to explain.

That did lead to another notable event on her list: steal something instead of paying even though she had access to all the money she ever needed. Just because it sounded fun. And even without an invisibility cloak the right set of spells got you the best from Honeydukes and Zonko's, co-operative with Weasley Wizard Wheezes.

Also checked off the list: eat a boatload of things she wasn't supposed to because of allergies she normally had, ones the body of Heliotrope did not have. Graffiti something, like all those moronic pranksters that felt school authority was nothing to them. Even 'lick a wall,' more of a whim instead of a suppressed life goal because that was something nobody else did. Though the cold abrasive stone hadn't made it fun at all.

All leading up to this moment in an out of the way corridor of the castle. Amongst her haul from the village included a Portable Swamp (to set up later), an Extendable Ear, Sticky Trainers and a can of All-Colors-Guaranteed-Unwashable-Tagger-Paint, something so brand new you could smell it, or that may have just been the fumes of paint spray.[1] The latter was in her hand but her other swipes had been hidden elsewhere for safe keeping. The Extendable Ear and Sticky Trainers, in particular, where practical things any witch would want in her 'action items kit.' The can of paint spray was putting the finishing touches on her artwork, although Hexy lacked any artistic ability. What was meant to be a basilisk looked more like a flobberworm, or a flesh eating slug if you squinted.

Still, it was something for a first attempt. Pocketing the can of paint spray, Hexy looked forward to further mischief. This hallway had a date with a Portable Swamp. She couldn't understand why she didn't do things like this more often. She knew tons of magic that, conceivably, could let her get away with anything. That dumb kid she'd hexed in the Trophy Room in her first year had never been able to identify her, for instance.

Lifting a mild security spell with the wand, to alert of anyone approaching while the 'flobalisk' had been painted, Hexy walked to where she had the Portable Swamp hidden.

1.

For use on walls, ceilings, or wall-like surfaces. All-Colors-Guaranteed-Unwashable-Tagger-Paint resists many physical and magical methods of removal. If threatened to be washed away the artwork will simply move elsewhere. Up to 89 day durability. To operate, tell the can a color before squeezing the nozzle.

Dessa as Kiba was making her way carefully down the hall. Carefully, because Kiba's inner ears did not seem to be boding well with Dessa's confusion at the sudden height adjustment. Her center of gravity was off, which had led to several incidents of an embarrassing nature that, if she were to be questioned later, Dessa would've had no problem blaming on Kiba. Most recently, she had upended the breakfast of a second year Hufflepuff--or at least, the body of a second year Hufflepuff--and had then experienced the unpleasant sensation of blushing in another's body. For some reason, it made the sensation a hundred times worse when she was saddled with the knowledge that it was someone else's blood rushing to her face.

Needless to say, she had quickly vacated the presmises, and now found herself wandering down a hallway, fiddling with Kiba's wand and trying to determine whether it would even be worth it going to classes, particularly because one of her professors was currently inhabiting the body of one of her co-conspirators, and she wasn't certain that she'd be able to look him in the eye. Also, there was the small problem of being utterly inable to produce so much as a spark from Kiba's wand, which would render her largely useless in all classes except History of Magic and Herbology.

These were the thoughts plaguing Dessa as Kiba when she stumbled knee-deep into putrid muck.

Of all the timing in the world. Hexy had yet to unleash all of the Portable Swamp before there was already someone stuck in the murkiness. Even before the plants began to sprout.

And the person sinking into the muck was...Kiba Attwood. Attwood. He deserved to be hexed because he had wronged her...somehow...

But, with the day going the way it was, you couldn't be sure that Kiba Attwood was in fact himself. Hexy as Helio plunged back into the growing swamp, shallower than her experience at the lake. But having webbed digits made navigating the muck all the easier.

"Attwood," she said, wand ready in her hand, "isn't it?"

Dessa did not immedietely respond to the voice from behind her, half because it wasn't her name that was being called, and also because she was otherwise occuppied. However, after several more long moments filled with only the sound of frantic squelching and Kiba's body's heavy breathing--he seemed to become winded quickly--it occurred to Dessa that she was, in fact, the current occupant of Kiba, and therefore was the one being spoken to.

"Erm...not exa--"  Dessa's answer was cut short by a particularly violent tug which had dastardly consequenses; specifically, her toppling over into the foul-smelling muck. "Oh come on!" she cried petulantly from her spot on what was previously the floor. A long silence passed, during which Dessa did some uncomfortable squelching. "No, no I'm not. I'm in his body, though. And his body is stuck in what seems to be your swamp, so if you could perhaps help me out of said swamp...it'd be nice."

Figures. Of course Attwood would be inhabiting someone else's body. "Any idea who he's parading about as?" If Hexy had a lead she could track him down for a vengeful hexing...but to be practical it would look weird, even in the context of today, for a half mer to attack whoever Kiba was. And the moment everything went back to normal (if it ever did) Attwood would go back to his original body he would be unscathed.

She could leave him a surprise in his original body, currently before her, but the occupant was presumably innocent.

Although watching whoever it was sink into the muck was hilarious.

"What's the matter, not adapted for an aquatic environment?" she giggled. Heliotrope LeJean was much cooler than she had previously thought of the fish freak. "Let me see where your feet are going." She disappeared under the liquifying floor.

"That would be me, Dessa Share," the First year replied somewhat warily. She had no idea who this person was, but they didn't seem to be too keen to help her out of the trap that they appeared to have set to begin with, and that was reason enough for concern.

Continuing to struggle against the mud, Dessa despaired as she only sunk deeper. There didn't seem to be any floor beneath her feet, and she felt a spark of fear. Surely this person--though seemingly a little insane--wouldn't leave her here to die?

"What's the matter, not adapted for an aquatic environment?" the girl asked, her tone mocking.

 Dessa's lower jaw shoved forward in a classic display of Share anger, and she narrowed her eyes. "As a matter of fact," she replied curtly, "I'm not. And since everyone is body swapping today, I'd be willing to bet that you aren't normally either, so let's not be all smug." She was ready to continue with another polite request for help out of this predicament, when her tormenter suddenly sunk through the floor.

Dessa Share, huh? A name she didn't recognize. Probably some younger student. Catching the last of his/her rebuff before the muck was above her ears, Hexy couldn't help but grin. Play the body swap lottery an upgrade to amphibian.

At least she hadn't wound up as a boy like this Dessa.

Although there was enough grit in this Portable Swamp that breathing, even with gills, wasn't going to be enjoyable. She would have to hold her breath. Underwater (or under-floor technically) there was cloudy water that thickened into firmer muck, the mud that gripped 'Dessa Attwood's' legs. Finding an original patch of sunken flooring for balance, she could have the footing to free the other student. Two tugs got the job done and in a split seconds inspiration to slight Kiba Attwood, however he currently existed, Hexy though of tying his shoes together but halfway through opted to just leave them untied so they would fall off trying to climb out of the muck.

She kicked off and surfaced. "So try to float or you're just going to get stuck again." Her own borrowed feet came up as she switched to floating on her back.

Dessa as Kiba gaped at her attacker, then snapped her mouth shut abruptly to avoid getting swamp water in it. "Float? Forget that, how about getting me out of here, yes?" She began thrashing about more violently, ignoring the tiny voice in the back of her head that agreed with this girl and, in fact, would have liked nothing more than to take this logical advice. She was angry which, for Dessa, meant she was also by default irrational.

Despite the male shape of Kiba's throat, despite the fact that it was most likely not a noise he had ever emitted as himself, Dessa managed to let loose a most effeminate shriek as she was sucked another couple of centimeters into the muck. Any lower and her mouth would be covered, and then she would really freak out.

"Why are you even doing this?" Dessa spluttered, feeling like a turtle as her spastic arm and leg movements were hampered and slowed by the muck. A horrible thought suddenly dawned on her. What if this girl somehow knew that Kiba and Dessa were two of the people behind this body swap, and was trying to kill her as revenge? "Are you, erm, angry at me?" she asked in a voice that she hoped gave nothing away.

Over-reactional, this one. "Thrashing only pulls you in further. You can actually float on quicksand or viscous fluid like substances. It's about having as much surface area to your body weight as possible." This should be obvious especially from homework about hinkypunks[1]...at least, as far as Hexy was remembering. "Hold on."

By this point a few of the swamp plants had started growing along the walls. One tree sported some low hanging vines. Hexy tugged one of them down until it was long enough to reach Dessa/Kiba. "Grab this."

"Because it's fun. Well, the setting up the Portable Swamp part. I didn't expect anyone to fall in so soon." The borrowed and rather fish-like eyes of Heliotrope stared intently at the form of Kiba. Hexy had a vendetta, as far as she could remember, against Kiba Atwood but as the day was going, Kiba was most likely somebody else.

"I'm not angry at you..." she gave a playful tug of the vine to make it twitch, "unless there's something you're feeling guilty about. Then I suppose you could chalk up this whole experience to bad karma."

1.

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Thinking it would be best not to reveal her complete and utter lack of knowledge on the subject of hinkypunks--whatever they were--Dessa remained quiet as she extracted an arm from the muck and grasped the vine, trying to ignore the way it squirmed every so slightly in her white-knuckled grasp. Under different circumstances she would've dropped it like a hot potato, but beggars stuck in the muck could not be choosers.

"Fun. Right." Dessa grumbled. She refused to say thank you for the rescue, and she certainly refused to acknowledge that under different circumstances--namely, those in which she wasn't a victim--this was a rather fun prank. She wrenched her other arm out of the mud and fumbled for a grasp on the vine, only to gasp in alarm when her tormenter shook the thing and almost pulled it out of Dessa's slimy hand. She narrowed her eyes, but swallowed a rude comment, lest the vine be dropped altogether.

"Of course there's nothing  I have to feel guilty about," Dessa replied, as nonchalantly as she could.

Hexy climbed onto the exposed root of the tree with the vines, finding a sitting position like a frog comfortable in the lanky limbs of the mermish second year.

Call it the sense of the inner businessman or Slytherin...odd that Hexy would be considered either, given her affiliation to Hufflepuff...but she found the delivery of the fake Kiba's words very revealing. "So there's nothing you have to feel guilty about. That doesn't sound like your conscious is clear. Most people would say they haven't done anything to feel guilty about, or some variation thereof. You admit to choosing not to feel guilt if you don't have to so verily, you've done something."

That arguement could have been made with fancier words but the plain language suited Hexy just fine. She pulled out the soggy almost mossy wand that belonged to Heliotrope. "Have you been doing much magic today? It took a bit of effort what with a borrowed body and wand and all but I've been able to achieve my normal skill level. I like spells, each one has a specific use but you can adapt it to variations of that use."

Hexy's signature sly grin had a rather different effect on a head of nearly grey skin and buggy fish eyes. "Take the Revulsion Jinx. The incantation is Relashio. Any guesses what you can do with it?"

"You overthink things," said a petulant Dessa, squelching. "And so what if I have done something, eh? I don't think someone that traps people in swamps has much ground to stand on when it comes to righteousness." She had more or less given up on struggling, and simply sat--or rather, floated--there, unhappily, clutching the vine.

Dessa watched reproachfully as her torturer produced a water-logged wand and began examining it. The last thing she wanted was to be hexed while she was imprisoned here defenselessly. "No, I haven't done any magic." she replied cautiously. "And I'd like to guess that it could get me out of here...but I've learned in the last few minutes not to be an optimist."

"Wait, I don't have much ground to stand on?" Hexy asked, satirizing their positions. She actually had support perched on this tree root while the 6th year boy figure was left to floating.

This one had the mind of a younger year if they'd never heard of Relashio yet. She toyed with the fish freak's wand some more. Watching the trapped individual's surprise at their grip being revulsed away would be funny...for about thirty seconds. Otherwise the point was moot as the swamp had not been fully set up before Not Kiba walked into it.

"Whatever, I can tell you've done something worse than unleash a quagmire in a hallway. But I guess you don't want to admit it so you'll just have to hang on."

Normally, Hexy would have liked to confirm something was possible, however improbable, before attempting it. She only had a set amount of time in LeJean's body and the little Hufflepuff's legs had springy muscles. When would she ever do this again.

Hexy launched into the air, grabbing the vine above Not Kiba, aiming to swing to the other side.