Nicholas hated being cooped up in the castle at the end of the year.  But he also wasn't fond of freezing his arse off in the rain or snow.  And it had been raining or snowing, and always cold, for what seemed like forever at that point, but it had really only been a few weeks.

Not that it mattered really.  There were too many spells to practice and essays to avoid doing to get out of the castle even if it had been great weather.  He was just thankful that he wasn't on the quidditch team and forced to practice, or play, in the weather.  That said, after most of the day in the common room he had grown weary of the looks some of his housemates  were giving him when he tried to turn up the wireless or practice a not particularly quiet charm.  Which included all the fun ones too.

He would have smoked some gillyweed to relax and try to enjoy the Saturday, but he was out.  And he didn't think he'd be able to get more before the end of term.  Everyone's supplies were running low, or gone completely.  It was the worst part of the end of term.

So instead, he had camped out on one of the window sills where he could see the too sexy to be a Professor, Professor Donovan, if he was going in and out of his office.  If he had an opportunity, he'd try to claim the 30 points.  Otherwise, he was just going to keep practicing the different charms and transfigurations that might show up on the mid-terms.

He was having no problems conjuring small animals, as the sound of squeaky mice could attest.  But he was having a problem getting any larger than that.  Changing their hair length and color had been easy. And as far as he was concerned, the rainbow colored one had been on purpose.  He just hoped that they disappeared before one of the cats ate them.  Since all but one had gotten away from him before he could vanish them.

He leaned back in the window frame, legs up on the sill and back resting on the wall and cracked the window before lighting an already half smoked cigarette.  Probably not the best location to do it, but he was bored, and he wasn't about to go chasing down the mice that were up and down the hallway.