The climate was quickly becoming the arctic tundra that was Hogwarts campus during the wintertime. Zia was spending as much time as she could allow herself outside. Midterms would be coming up just before winter break, so it was time to start implementing her strict study schedule. This year she needed to be more committed than ever, because even Zia had noticed a recent pattern in her behavior: procrastination and more.

It was too cold to be wearing what she was, but Zia stubbornly refused to feel the chill. The goosebumps on her arms and legs showed up without shame, apparently ignoring Zia's obstinate denial of the cold. Eventually she started to shiver, so Zia made a compromise with her cold-intolerant body and started heading towards the greenhouses. They were usually much warmer than the weather outside. Many of the plants required tropic conditions, although there was one greenhouse filled with plants that thrived in ice that was meters thick.

She opened the door to the room that she knew held the most vividly colorful flowers. Perhaps it was just her opinion but she always found those plants to be the most personable. Today she felt like sitting among brightly-colored, friendly-looking flowers that would maybe put her in a more productive mood.

Before she got the chance to walk very far into the room, Zia heard a BANG behind her. She quickly to see the rusty door to the greenhouse fall to the floor and make another loud CLANG.

Still feeling the effects of the party last night, in the way of having fun and not studying as he probably should be, Gabriel crossed over the school grounds. He could always practice charms but most of those came easily to the young man it would really only be a touch up more than studying. The Gryffindor wasn't sure what he wanted to do as of yet but this was Hogwarts! Something was bound to be happening somewhere.

Sure enough a loud clanging sound came from the greenhouses and from the sound of it the one where the door had a tendency to get stuck from the cold. Curious he made his way in that direction and as he came closer he saw the door lying on the ground completely off the hinges. It was probably an easy enough of a fix but he had to wonder why the rusty old door would have fallen in the first place.

Seeing Zia inside he grinned broadly at her expression and leaned briefly against the vacant door frame. "Breaking doors now are we, Zia? I wonder what you'll be breaking next," he said good naturedly to his classmate. She was in a different house but he never had any qualms about her.

Zia was so shocked by the fallen door that she didn't even react. She just stood, frozen in place, wondering what she could have done to make the door fall. She panicked a little, thinking about what the Herbology professor would make of this. It wasn't her fault, but since she was the most recent person to touch it, maybe the professor wouldn't see it that way.... this year the professors weren't as big Zia fans as they once had been. She already heard footsteps -- someone was coming! Her eyes grew large as she remained statuesque.

"Breaking doors now are we, Zia? I wonder what you'll be breaking next."

She breathed a sigh of relief when she realized it was not the Herbology professor but Gabe, another seventh year. "Professor Strangely's heart, I expect," Zia quipped. She smiled at Gabriel as he leaned in the doorway. So many of the boys in her year had returned from summer vacation looking like entirely different people. Handsome ones, namely. "Wanna help me with this before she sees?"

According to the look on Zia's face when she saw him Gabriel assumed she had been worried he had been the professor. Had he been the cause of the door's condition he might have worried about the same thing though probably not to the same extent. At her statement he offered another grin.

"I think that might take some actual effort, though. Nothing like a rusty old door." Gabriel nudged the aforementioned object with his toe and moved inside to test how heavy it was before Zia even started asking for his help.

It wasn't too much on the heavy side. However, he felt levitating it might be easier all around. Standing up fully he offered her a nod of his head allowing himself closer to her and putting distance between him and the door. "Right. I'll hold it steady in place and you repair?"

Pulling out his wand Gabriel waited until Zia confirmed she was ready. Silently he cast the levitation charm and set it where it was supposed to go. "You're turn."

Since they were both seventh years, Gabriel and Zia had been competing with one each other for the head of Charms class. They both had a natural knack for it, and Zia's natural determination to be the best had definitely given her many opportunities to one-up Gabe. That was just in class, though. He was nice enough to be helping her now, and Zia would have done exactly the same if she'd been in his place.

His levitation charm snapped her back into the reality of the situation and she shook her head and laughed. She flipped her braid over her shoulder and walked back near the vicinity of where the door should have been. She readied her wand and nodded as Gabe got it into place.

She did a quick spell to freshen the latches, rust flaking off like it had been magnetically repelled. Now the professor should thank them, really, for fixing her rusty old door. She smiled at Gabe, her partner in repair. "Thanks! That was so weird," Zia sent a confused glance to the door. She turned, and he was closer now that he wasn't standing in the empty doorway. "It just fell off, I swear." She looked up at him,  giving her most honest face.

Between the two of them it took no time at all to get the door back where it was supposed to be. Perhaps their competitive natures had something to do with that, but it was all in good fun. Win or lose there were no hard feelings and they just looked forward to the next chance to outdo the other.

Looking down at her he chuckled, "Are you sure you didn't look at it wrong? Antiques are sensitive you know." He glanced at the door as though afraid it might fall over again at his statement then looked back grinning.

"I suppose if you ever knock down another door I could help you out again. It will give us more practice, not that we really need it as far as charms go." Learning a new charm didn't count in that statement. One always had to practice using a new charm, or else the consequences could be very unfortunate.

Putting the door back entailed more flourish than it probably needed, but with her Charms class rival present, it felt like it had to be done. Zia gave a professional smile and small curtsey. She then proceeded to to walk over to a bench near where they were both standing, and with a gesture invited Gabe to join her. After all that magic they could use a rest, right? She flashed a friendly smile to show she wouldn’t be sending him flying off his hinges like she had the door (unless he really wanted it).

"I suppose if you ever knock down another door I could help you out again. It will give us more practice, not that we really need it as far as charms go."

“Well, I could teach you charms a la Zia,” she said smartly. “That’s ‘the right way’ in Italian.” With a smirk she crossed her legs and looked off innocently. She couldn’t last long without a small giggle, and she looked back at Gabe amicably. “That would require us spending more time together - are you sure you want that?” Zia asked teasingly. She batted her long eyelashes coyly, playing the full act.

Once invited Gabriel joined Zia on the bench, keeping a respectful distance between them. He had been raised to be a gentleman and now it was practically ingrained in almost every action. It was second nature to him by now.

Hearing her remark about being taught Charms 'the right way' had him raising an eyebrow at her, though. Sometimes she got the better of him in class it was true, however he definitely kept her on her toes and made her earn those moments. So he had to grin when that giggle finally escaped her. Staying serious during playful moments wasn't exactly an easy ordeal.

"If we did I believe you'd be the one doing most of the learning, Ms. Piselli." He winked at her.

"If we did I believe you'd be the one doing most of the learning, Ms Piselli"

When Gabe winked, Zia's belly did a flip-flop and she blushed. Actually blushed! Normally she tried not to do that too much, since it camouflaged her face into her massive pink hair. But like several other boys in her year, Gabriel had really grown up, and it made Zia feel flush. It's been said that growing up with a lot of boys around makes a girl develop more quickly -- and Zia believed she definitely fell into that category. She'd always been a little bit 'boy crazy.'

"Yes, I think I'd be learning how terrible you really are at magic," Zia smirked coquettishly. A little light teasing, twirling her hair, and laughing at their jokes were Zia's tactics for flirting. As an Italian she was a natural flirt, but this year she'd really put the play into overdrive. Not only were there suddenly a plethora of fit-(ish) young men swarming around. Plus, the rush of it all -- was just so fun. She leaned a little closer to Gabe.

"Are you even good at anything Sabern?" she said in a raspy whisper. She added a playful smirk to top it off -- hopefully Gabriel would take the bait. Some boys needed a bigger hints, forcing Zia to become less subtle, which never really felt classy. Mostly it felt desperate, and if there was one thing Zia was not -- desperate would be it.