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OOC:  If you weren't part of the original list of people interested in this little plot and would like to join just drop me a pm and let me know.

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5:30am

The port key had been set up for 5:45am just off the school grounds.  Isaac was early to make sure everything went off according to plan.   He had instructed everyone to wear layers, and done so himself.  It was a typical chilly October morning at Hogwarts, but once in the rainforest their winter attire would be complete wrong.

Their campsite had been arranged ahead of time thanks to some old contacts of his and would remain completely hidden to the outside world.  The only worry they would have would be from the wildlife which unfortunately could not be kept out completely.  It would be there for their use throughout the coming months, and he was sure it would serve them all well.  Of course, there was the concern of close quarters and the fact that Morrigan and Kendall had seemed to taken a step foreword in their relationship.  Hopefully both would be on their best behavior during the trip…after all, they were supposed to be part of the small team of responsible adults.

The port key, a dirty, beat-up book backpack lay on the ground in front of him awaiting the travelers it would take to the middle of the Amazon.  His own pack containing everything he’d need for the weekend was on the ground next to his leg.  He couldn’t help feeling a little nervous at the whole prospect.  The last time he had been there had been during the third war, and over the past few weeks it had become increasingly difficult not to dwell on the fact that the last time he was there he had experienced what he considered the worst day of his life. 

Footsteps drew him from his thoughts and he turned to see who else had arrived  a bit early that morning.  Smiling he said, “Hey…good morning.  Are you all ready?”

Sasha couldn't remember the last time he'd been this excited.  His dormmates clearly thought he was certifiable.  The work-driven, serious, down to earth Ravenclaw was driven to sleep-loosing excitement by a weekend spent camping and studying strange people in the jungle.  He'd talked about it all the previous evening - until his housemates almost demanded he go and find some homework to do.  At which time, he'd hurried up to his dorm room to pack his things. 

Normally, jungle-exploring attire wasn't normally in Sasha's wardrobe but he had a few more casual outfits.  Since his first year, he'd assured his stepfather that helping with stable chores was a requirement of being on the school equestrian team.  It was the only way he could have convinced Gerhard that a few normal pairs of jeans a, weather-resistant boots and dirt-welcoming shirts were necessary.  These were shoved in his backpack along with a notebook and a ball point pen and retractable pencil.  He forewent the quill and ink wells.  They seemed less than practical in the jungle.  The trail kit he took with him when he went riding in the mountains back home also joined the pack.  He'd have his wand but he wasn't sure if this trip qualified as "away from school" as far as the underage sorcery laws went.  Just in case, the matches would be useful.  As would the swiss army knife, first aid kit and mess kit.  He'd never actually used them at Hogwarts, yet, but he always brought them in the hopes that he might get to explore the mountains around school one day.

He checked five separate times to make sure his trusty manual 35mm camera was, in fact, in his bag.  Along with his two trusty, favorite lenses: his sliding telephoto lens that magnified up to 500mm and his wide angle lens.  The second one would, probably, be less than useful in a jungle but he knew he'd regret it if he didn't bring it. 

Having barely slept, he'd woken up almost an hour before he needed to.  Knowing it was almost impossible for him to remain quiet in the dorm room, he grabbed his things and moved to the common room.  He was certain if his excitement managed to wake his housemates up, they were going to petition Professor Frasier to leave him behind in Amazon. 

Sasha was wide awake when he hoisted his bag on his back and jogged across the grounds to meet Professor Frasier.  "Morning!" Sasha said, more brightly than the early morning usually prompted in most people.  If no disappointed or apologetic grimace developed in Professor Frasier's face, Sasha would assume the Muggle Studies Professor would have succeeded in procuring him permission.  "I - definitely!  I'm got everything.  Assuming ... I'm all in the clear?"  Perhaps it was dorky - ok, likely it was dorky.  But, Sasha couldn't resist it.  This whole adventure needed to be documented for future memories!  Sasha dropped his bag from his back and took out his camera, snapping a quick (though carefully framed) shot of the ragged backpack on the ground.  Presumably, the portkey.  Their chariot.  Maybe he'd even sneak a few of the photos home over the winter break to tug out and look at. 

Neely Woolfolk was not a nervous girl, but she had begun to pace around her room after ten days of waiting for the package to arrive. Her mother had promised it would be owled by the elves as soon as it got to the London house, but it had taken an insanely long amount of time for the strange ‘truck’ to deliver everything in giant boxes. However did muggles function like this? At any rate, the package had finally arrived, charmed into a smaller container, but busting at the seams. Neely had raced it from the Great Hall, down to the dungeons where she’d flung herself onto her bed and ripped it open, nearly missing her first lesson of the day to pour over everything.

Muggle camping gear was fascinating.

Among the amenities stuffed into the designer knapsack were an mink-lined, insulated ‘sleeping bag’ (the name alone had sent Neely into a fit of giggles), a spotless set of pots, pans, forks, knives, plates, cups, and kettles, a camouflage jacket (a throwback to the paintball tournament), a pack of muggle matches, a ‘Swiss Army’ knife, a flashlight, a compass, and a portable tent (perhaps with a few charmed adjustments). She’d taken a couple of magical shortcuts to ensure it all fit, but the point was that everything was (more or less) authentic.

Now decked out in pristine designer combat boots, shabby-chic torn tights, a big shirt, and a leather jacket, Neely made her way to the meeting place where she was to meet the other students kissing up to professor Fraiser for extra credit. The Slytherin was certain she was the only student who really wanted to go camping. She’d even flicked through several camping magazines and books, and had brought along a special diary to detail the Amazonian adventure. She couldn’t wait to share with Tulo.

But when her eyes found the tall, blond, and unmistakable Ravenclaw standing beside the Muggle Studies teacher, the tiny Slytherin stopped in her tracks. Her hair swayed around her, clearly rebelling against the sudden and less-than-graceful check. Uh oh.

Despite the early hour, and the lack of blaring sunshine, Neely scrambled to pull her over-sized aviators down over her face. She reached into her miniature backpack-purse hybrid (a perfect, doll-sized version of the larger luggage on her back) and pulled out a Burberry bucket hat. It was one of the best finds of her muggle catalog scavenger hunt.

“Hello, Professor,” she cooed, extinguishing her wand as she appeared on the man’s other side. She kept her eyes averted from Sasha. Luckily, it was rather easy with the shades pulled down over her baby blues. "I can't wait to get there. This is my dream vacation."

Out of a mutual desire to not have to involve the Headmistress any further, he and Bombay had come to an understanding over Sasha’s predicament.  It wasn’t exactly the start of a ‘beautiful friendship’ by any means, but still they had managed to actually agree which must have been a first.  He was quite certain though things would be back to normal the next time they had to be within twenty feet of each other.

"I - definitely!  I'm got everything.  Assuming ... I'm all in the clear?"

“The paperwork has thankfully been taken care of,” Isaac assured him.

From the corner of his eye he say the approach of Neely Woolfolk and tried not to shutter at the memory of what he had almost been forced to wear at the fashion show.  Neither he nor Morrigan would ever admit their joint effort in making the outfit disappear.  Sometimes having a best friend who was a master of Transfiguration could be quite helpful.  There was a collection of rather out of place little knickknacks on his mantel that was filled mostly with tribal artifacts from his travels.  The sight of it used caused him to smirk when the day was over.

"I can't wait to get there. This is my dream vacation."

“Miss Woolfolk, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but our expedition isn’t exactly going to be a vacation.  I know Wizard tents have all the comforts of home, but we will be staying in the middle of the jungle, which can be quite dangerous.  So we all need to stay focused while we’re there,” he told her.

Focused….he’d mention that word to Morrigan and Kendall too.  After their evening in the Astronomy Tower the red-headed professor always had this goofy smile on her face when Fleetfoot was nearby.  The only good thing was Kendall had as much, if not more experience actually being in the field…he would hopefully be keeping an eye on Morrigan.

Myrni was excited to get out of the castle for the little trip that Isaac had set up. She was a restless, wandering soul, constantly in search of excitement. Even the early wake up call hadn't deterred her enthusiasm for the trip.

As instructed by Isaac, Myrni was decked out in layers of rather humble looking clothes and had a duffle full of extra essential gear for the trip. Myrni was familiar with camping and "roughing it" but more than likely, she had over prepared for this outing. Even so, she would rather have more than she needed than to come up short.

Myrni approached the others who had already assembled and flashed the Muggle Studies professor an easy going smile. Then she surveyed the two students who were already there with him. She was pleased to see the familiar face of Sasha, but she admitted she did not know the young fashion plate who stood beside her colleague.

She had overheard Isaac's comments to her and barely could contain an amused smile. Myrni hoped the girl would not be too shocked by what they encountered.

Myrni nodded to the others and dropped her duffle to ground. She bent down and rummaged through it. As she did so, she asked, "Anyone want a snack while we wait for the others to show up? I have some beef jerky in here...." After she came up successful with a package in hand, she looked from Isaac to Sasha to Neely and asked, "No one's a vegetarian, I hope?"

Sasha beamed at Professor Frasier, relieved and thrilled to hear that permission had been obtained.  "Thank you," he offered, earnestly appreciative of the Professor's efforts. 

With his eye pressed against view finder on the camera, Sasha was unaware of the second student's arrival until he heard the familiar voice greet Professor Frasier.  He peeked out from behind the camera and looked in Neely's direction, clearly surprised to see her there.  He looked her over a moment, taking stocks of her choice of attire and the abundance of luggage.  Awkwardly, he glanced from Neely to Professor Frasier and back to Neely but it was clear the Slytherin was still giving him the silent shoulder.  With a sigh, he disappeared behind the camera again and finished snapping a shot of the portkey before busying himself with stowing the camera back in his backpack. 

For some, strange reason, his previous excitement was dissipating, slightly.  Dream vacation?  Was that what she was hoping this would be?  Granted, Sasha was looking forward to this excursion immensely, but he didn't delude himself into thinking it was a vacation.

But, she knew all that, didn't she?  Despite their disagreement, Sasha couldn't help but point out Neely's previous experience to Professor Frasier.  Why he felt the need to do so, given her continued shrug off, he didn't know - but, he'd always been impressed by Neely's mother's philanthropy.  "She knows, Professor.  She's been to the Amazon before," he offered.  "Her mother does volunteer work there."  Surely, she was well aware of the hazards of the trip.

"Oh," Sasha said, awkwardly, as Professor Lavartian joined them, offering them all some jerky.  "I am ... I don't eat meat.  But, I'm not really hungry."  It felt like it was far too early to eat. 

Kat was excited. No, she was more than excited; she was bouncing off the walls ecstatic. Those who knew her knew that Kat was typically calm and aloof, nonchalant about everything. She had always been a fan of the outdoors; when Kat’s mom had gone on Pureblood rampages, the forest behind her house had been her only respite, her true home. It had begun with building a tree house with James and Asha in the branches of a strong Oak tree, so Kat could spend time with them without her mom yelling at her for spending time with muggles. As she had gotten older, her mother’s hypocritical rants had become more frequent, and as a direct result, Kat began living out in the woods—quite literally. Her longest streak had been a weeklong journey into the woods, a particularly tough time after James had abandoned her. She had eaten and slept out there, surrounded by the only things in her life that had never judged her. Kat shook her head; yes, it would be great to be back in the woods. That was the only drawback to Hogwarts, the only woods around housed dark creatures, and the rest of the grounds held leagues of students.

Thankfully, having spent so much time in the woods as a child meant Kat already had all the necessary supplies thrown into her old lacrosse duffel. The only additional thing she decided to toss into her bag was her magical sketchpad and a pencil. While Kat was absolute rubbish at taking pictures, she could draw in more detail than any camera—muggle or magical—could ever hope to capture. She realized how late she was before tossing on under armor, a hoodie, and her snowboarding jacket. Before heading out of her dorm, she decided that she would rather keep her sketchbook, pencil, and wand with her at all times. She shrunk the pad and stuck it in her pocket before tossing the bag over her shoulder and bolting out the door, jogging to the meeting place of the campers.

By the time Kat arrived, her breath was coming in short puffs and her under armor felt itchy against her skin. She felt a growing sense of dread as she approached the group; Neely was so dressed up that Kat immediately questioned her own outfit-was she actually underdressed for an excursion into the woods? Surely the only photographs being taken would be for documentation only, not for publication, right? Still, when Kat had finally reached her destination, she glanced down at her own outfit miserably. She should’ve realized that teenagers would naturally use this as a social event. Kat hazarded a glance to the rest of the members in the small group; well, perhaps she wasn’t underdressed. She managed a small smile and nodded at each member individually before tossing her bag onto the ground. When she saw Sasha pull out his camera she decided now might be an opportune time to take a step farther away from the boy; Kat wasn’t what you would call ‘photogenic’ and as such, she stayed away from cameras.

“I love a little danger on my holidays, Professor,” Neely assured him, a sparkle in her eyes. Granted, her own definition of danger included sneaking into places with clearly defined age limits, staying out past curfew, and gossiping about the unholiest of subjects. The jungle couldn’t be all that different. “Focus is my middle name. Well, it’s actually Heloise, which is prettier, but it would be Focus if I was a boy and sort of ugly,” she explained. “Do you need any pointers on matching your boots to your eyes, sir?”

Neely couldn’t help but tilt her head in Sasha’s direction. Her eyes did not show suspicion so much as surprise. He was defending her. Even after the ‘falling out’, as she’d taken to calling it this week. “Oh, I--” She stumbled for a moment, but quickly caught herself. “My mother does volunteer work, yes,” she agreed. Volunteering herself to the world’s finest and most exclusive beauty regimes. “But I’ve never been personally. I just know loads about it. I have all of her pictures and-- and travel diaries, and things. Souvenirs.” Amazonian facial creams. Witch doctor beauty brews.

“What’s a jerky?” She asked, giggling at the pretty Arithmancy professor. Neely could already tell she would be the perfect project. Professor Reid would be so proud!

She didn’t notice the Gryffindor until the Gryffindor noticed Sasha. Neely watched her, silently, wondering why she looked so nervous. Weren’t lions supposed to be bold? Complete rubbish! They were so silly. Except for George. Although, he was silly, too. He’d almost drowned Neely, after all. Sort of.

“So when are we arriving?” She asked, looking back the male professor. “What time is it over there?”

Ayla had been beyond ecstatic when she had gotten her invitation so to speak for the field trip to the Amazon. Not only was Muggle Studies one of her favourite subjects - partly because it reminded her of home and partly because Professor Frasier was the hottest of the hot - but it had the coolest extra credit assignment. A camping trip to the Amazon was so cool Ayla was finally at a loss for words. She had sent an owl to her mother the first chance she had gotten asking her to send all of her muggle camping gear. Having grown up with a muggle mother and in a muggle community Ayla had spent every summer with at least one camping trip. Algonquin, Muskoka even Grand Bend, camping the old fashioned way.

Her pack had been ready to go the night before since Ayla wasn't exactly a morning person. She had a rough time trying to get out of bed but knowing that she'd be seeing Professor McHotty she pressed on and dressed for the occasion. Right on time Ayla trudged across the front lawn of the castle heading toward the small group of people. She had her sleeping bag rolled up under one arm and her backpack hanging off her other shoulder. She was wearing a tight pair of black pants with thermal underwear underneath and thick and comfortable looking jacket all topped off with knee high hiking boots that were currently on top of her pants. Her short raven hair was pushed back by a Hufflepuff yellow hairband.

The first thing she noticed about the group, other than how gorgey Professor Frasier was looking was that she was the youngest student there, "Am I in the right place?"

Kendall tried to pull himself together again since he looked such a mess.  He wondered what the students and Isaac might think knowing where he had been and where he had just come from. 

This morning Kendall had left Morrigan's rooms, their two pets on leashes as he headed toward where they were having them kenneled while they were away as chaperons in the Amazon.  Being pulled across Hogwarts lawns at six in the morning was not one of Kendall's favorite pastimes, which was why typically Amat was not leashed, but with the two he was spinning and untangling himself as the two near-dogs romped and played around him.

Now that they were secured (or at least he hoped they were still secured) in the kennel in Hogsmeade he could meet up with the group for the trip.  Coming across the lawns he caught site of the group, but not of the auburn tresses of Morrigan.

'She is taking her time in getting down here isn't she?' Kendall thought as he approached.

"Morning Isaac!" Kendall called as he was close enough "Hope Morrigan and I aren't keeping everyone waiting?"

((OOC:  I just want to make sure none of the other students who showed interest plan to join and then I’ll get us going.  Please feel free to post again though.  ))

Seeing Myrni, he returned the smile. Without her advice they wouldn’t be doing this trip, and he was trying not to let feelings of friendship and gratitude turn into anything more then that.  She was engaged, and he was not the type of man who sought to cause complications.  He noticed the change in her expression when he explained to Neely the realities of the trip.  At least he wasn’t alone in his assumption that perhaps the girl had the wrong idea what their weekend would be like.  They would have a few hours to get settled, but once the sun came up they would be launching straight into research.

"Anyone want a snack while we wait for the others to show up? I have some beef jerky in here.... No one's a vegetarian, I hope?"

“Sure, thanks,” he said in reply as Sasha began to explain that Neely did indeed realize what she was in for.  He gave a slight nod, trying not to raise an eyebrow slightly since the young man was clearly sticking up for the girl.  Perhaps it wasn’t just the adults, specifically the other pair, he had to really worry about while in the field.

The little group was growing larger when Neely mentioned enjoying a little danger.  Hopefully they could avoid most of the hazards of the jungle.  If they all did as instructed and didn’t wander off on their own he didn’t see any problems arising.  He was drawn back to the current conversation though when she mentioned his boots to his eyes.  He raised an eyebrow, trying to give her a little warning that he didn’t need dating or fashion advice, but he doubted it would come across that way and the conversation turned again.

“What time is it over there?”

“We’ll be arriving shortly before two in the morning,” he told them.  “It will give us a few hours to get settled in camp, since we really don’t have that long when one considers it’s only a weekend.”

He didn’t expect to get terribly much done that day.  His plan had been to begin by showing them around the ancient monument that was a short hike from the camp.  Of course short was relative, but he had thought it would be worth it for the students to spend their first day exploring instead of launching straight into observations and note taking.  He hadn’t revealed that part of the plan yet though, so he merely added, “I have a bit of a surprise for our first official day.”

One of the youngest students he had invited along, Ayla Collins arrived.  The young Hufflepuff had seemed eager, and given she was from his own former he house he hadn’t refused.  He gave her a friendly smile as he nodded that she was indeed in the right place, and it was then that Kendall arrived surprisingly along.  Somehow he had assumed Morrigan would be with him, but they still had a little time before they needed to leave.

“Morning, Kendall,” he greeted.  “We have a few more minutes, so hopefully Morrigan will be along shortly.”

The other man was a bit disheveled and there were several possible explanations he didn’t want to know about.  Instead he said to Kendall, “So, I think everyone’s heard the basics of what to expect from me, any fresh insights you can offer?”

Kendall's mind went nearly blank.  Morrigan had told him they were helping Isaac with the trip to the Amazon, but little else about where exactly in the Amazon they would be going.

Having visited the Amazon some five years previous now, Kendall was familiar with most of the tribal cultures in Brazil, but which ones should he possibly make reference to.  "Well err.. I suppose..." Kendall struggled.

"Watch out for snakes I suppose? Not just on the ground but also in the trees.  Yes Watch out for snakes.  Oh! And monkeys!"

Even as he was saying it he was smacking his head against the invisible wall of Hogwarts.  Luckily Morrigan had not come up at this point and decided to add an acerbic comment, teasingly but still it could put a damper on the way things had been progressing between them.

"I was sure Morrigan would have been down before now.  She was nearly finished packing when I left her rooms...." Kendall noticed the eyes all upon him "...this morning.  Oh muttering magpies that is not what I meant."

Kat stood around, watching the interactions warily. She was beginning to think this trip was a bit awkward of a situation. Not only did she not want to hear her Charms professor admit he had spent the night with Ramsey, her transfig professor, but she didn’t want to imagine what could happen during the weekend trip. Now Kat knew why Neely would think it to be the perfect vacation; lots of juicy information was bound to be revealed. Kat shuddered a bit, before composing herself once more. Then, in addition to the teachers, she watched Sasha stick up for Neely. Not only was it painful to watch the way he got treated by her, but it was painful to watch ANY interactions between the two. No, Kat thought she would just stay far away from the rather awkward situations. She got enough of the Hogwarts drama while at school, let alone—voluntarily—spending more time around it than necessary.

“So,” She turned to Levartian, “D’you… Do you think Arithmancy will get any, ah, extra credit a-assignments?” Kat mentally cursed herself; there were far few people she felt comfortable interacting with, and none of her teachers were included in that. After all, she rarely saw them outside of class, though she felt this trip might remedy that. Hell, Kat was going to be spending time with the Muggle Studies professor, on a Muggle Studies extra credit assignment. She almost snorted with the irony; perhaps she should talk to Fraiser and ask if she could join his class… Nah, she thought, she had lived in the muggle world as much as her Purist mother would allow—she figured she probably didn’t have much to gain from the class.

"Yeah, it's the right place," Sasha offered Ayla.  Their group was growing as more students and Professors Fleetfoot and Levartian joined them.  Sasha was grateful to see some friendly (and not angry) faces in the mix and he offered both the other two girls a quite wakeful grin.  Professors aside, as Kat and Ayla both joined the group, Sasha was finding himself painfully aware of the distinct lack of other boys.  He was still looking forward to the trip - the work, itself, and the experience was going to keep him occupied.  Hopefully, they'd stay busy enough to not really notice the social awkwardness.  He could hope, right? 

Luckily, between setting the f-stop, shutter speed, lens length and focusing, the camera offered a convenient distraction.  And, of course, stowing the camera and lens safely back in his bag once a few shots of the portkey - his first portkey - had been snapped. 

Sasha noticed the hesitation in Neely's voice as she glanced his way.  She seemed surprised by his contribution and he muttered a quiet, "oh, sorry.  I'd thought - "  He wasn't sure if he had made a mistake in speaking up - he'd been under the impression that Neely had gone as well.  Had he misunderstood that, as well?  It wasn't always easy to tell the difference between right choices and mistakes.  He turned his attention towards double checking the contents of his bag. 

They'd be arriving at two in the morning - which, with a few quick calculations, meant it was going a long day.  He was eager to get going - eager to see this new place and world.  He'd always wanted to travel but horse show schedules always meant that he was tied to Western Europe.  He hoped, one day, he'd place high enough that he'd be invited to more national competitions.  This summer was a possibility - though he had a lot of catching up to do when he got back home.  "I can't wait," he admitted, aloud.  "We'll see monkeys?" he asked, enthusiastically.

Sasha glanced, awkwardly, at Professor Frasier, before wishing he hadn't.  His face bloomed a brilliant red as he heard Professor Fleetfoot speak and quickly turned to dig his pocket knife out of his bag, as if he needed to check all the various tools were there.  Desperately seeking a different thought to linger on, he voiced the first question that came to mind.  "And, we're trying to be inconspicuous, right?  Magically speaking?  And we're outside of school.  So, we aren't supposed to use magic?"

Ayla couldn't stop the blush that rose to her cheeks when Professor Frasier had nodded at her. It was stupid and silly but she couldn't help it and she wasn't awake enough to stop it. Normally, at least in class and the rare encounters outside she kept her emotions in check and she had gotten rather good at not blushing or giggling uncontrollably whenever he spoke to her. She quickly looked away hoping the early morning light wasn't enough to see the pink tinge her olive skin had taken.

She felt a little More relaxed when one of the older students concurred that she was definitely in the right place. She had been nervous that she had gotten the time or date wrong and had shown up at the gathering for another class trip. Then again the more the thought of it the more she doubted anyone else in her year would be interested in coming along. There seemed to be some sort of stigma against muggles and those that liked the company of muggles and so Muggle Studies wasn't always the most crowded of classes. For someone to go out of their way to attend an extra credit field trip for Muggle Studies probably seemed lame to those her age.

She plopped her sleepingbag on the ground and perched herself on top of it. If they were going to be waiting for others to arrive she didn't really feel like standing around. It probably gave the others the wrong impression about her but she was too tired to care. Once they had gotten to where they were going she'd be up and going again eager to learn what she could and experience a brand new place but for now slumping down on her sleeping roll seemed like the greatest idea ever.

A burst of laughter broke through her lips when Sasha mentioned monkeys. She couldn't help herself. She had never seen anyone so excited about seeing monkeys before. She loved monkeys herself but she got to see them on a fairly annual basis when her parents took her and her siblings to the zoo. Sometimes she forgot how different it was to grow up in a pure wizard family, "I don't think you'll wanna get too close to those monkeys. I hear they throw stuff, and you don't wanna know what I mean by stuff."

When Sasha brought up the use of magic Ayla's at tenion piqued again and she addressed Professor Frasier since he was the one that was in charge of this little outing, "Yeah how exactly does that whole thing work? Are we going to be able to use magic while we're there or will the Trace be coming down on us big time?"