Casual Reading (open)

Ian pulled himself out of the water and climbed towards the others, trying not to glide down again on the slippery stones. "Wow..." he gaped, "that looks great."
He couldn't believe that they really had found something wonderful as this and all that because they wanted to find Slytherin's secret chamber.

Mio rolled his eyes at David and shrugged. "As if that would actually bother you." he said chuckling. So far the rocks seemed solid enough not to burry them in the tunnel, so he would take the risk.
He grinned at Artemis and Ian and nodded. "Yeah, it looks cool. Any ideas what kind of stones that might be?" he asked them, not knowing much about gems and the likes.

Artemis smiled and kept looking up, trying to figure that out. ''Probably some crystals but i suppose i'll have to come to analyse them.'' She mused. ''Seeing by the blues and greens...We've got some rough emeralds and sapphires. There are also some drawings on the wall like what cavemen used to do but obviously a bit modern.'' She inspected, tilting her head and chewed her lip like she would in class.

He smirked at Mio "you got me there mate" he then glanced at the stones, then back at his friends.. he decided they were his friends now.. and said "I have no idea what they are. I just know that they will make us very, very rich." he smirked. He wasn't in this for the money, but it was kind of hard to ignore

Ian looked over the Slytherin's shoulder at the drawing ins awe. That was so fascinating! That meant that some human beings had actually been down here before and if they actually bothered to draw at the walls, then these caves had to hold some importance for them.
He couldn't help but bounce back on his heels in excitement. "Let's go, let's go!" he exclaimed eagerly. Now he couldn't wait anymore to explore everything down here.

Mio grinned at David and looked back at the gems. They really did look quite stunning, but he wasn't too interested in them. He much rather would go deeper into the tunnels and see where they led them, or what secret they held.
He laughed at Ian's childlike enthusiasm. It seemed that the boy had finally figured that the fun far outweighed the risks of this adventure. "Yeah, let us go." he agreed.

Artemis smirked and sorted out her claw gloves, scraping them against the small pile of picks which produced a slight shrieking noise. The sound echoed and she got excited immediately. ''Well boys...I don't know about you but...i'm off.'' She smirked and walked towards the tunnel, using her wand to check the floor. If someone had been there before, it's best to be cautious. The boys were different. Ian; adorably childlike, Mio; cheeky and funny with a hint of serious...and then David; serious but in a joking fashion. Oh and infuriating at the best of times. Artemis chuckled under her breath at her thoughts before meeting the end of the tunnel. It was...beautiful. It was a giant cave now, filled with moss and there was a waterfall at the back of the room, Crystals everywhere. Gasping, she turned towards the boys. ''Get your asses here....'' She called out before trying to look past the waterfall where she could see there was an alcove behind it. Grinning madly, she began to look at the walls for more runes in case of warnings.

Cheering, Ian hurried after the Slytherin, careful not to fall or trip over some random rocks as he climbed into the tunnel. He was very curious to see where it led them, his nervousness mostly forgotten. As long as there weren't any dark creatures in there, the four of them should be safe together.
When he heard Artemis call out for them from the end of the tunnel, Ian grinned even more. Obviously she had found something interesting and he couldn't wait to see it as well. Standing next to her, he looked in awe at the beautiful cave. "Wow...." he breathed, completely stunned.

Mio clapped David on the shoulder and grinned at him. "Let's go, mate. The Gryffindors can't be outdone by these two, huh?" he asked teasingly and went after Ian and Artemis who seemed to be admiring the view at the end of the tunnel.
Whistling shortly, Mio stood amazed by what he found when he arrived next to them. "That looks fantastic! Like a small oase in the middle of these stone tunnels." he said, then bumbed shoulders with Ian, who stood completely stunned. "Let's go down to the waterfall and explore a bit more." With that, Mio started to climb down from where they were standing in the tunnel.

Ian was pulled out of his shock when Mio gave him a little shove and grinned at the other boy with a mischievous expression. "Hey it's you and David we were waiting for, right Artemis?" he said cheekily and then climbed after the Gryffindor. He hoped that this cave was as peaceful as it appeared, then they could actually make a great hiding place out of it.

Artemis heard Mio and Ian converse before laughing. She simply jumped and landed perfectly and felt the spongy moss on her feet. ''This is beautiful...'' She whispered and knelt down, touching the crystals. The moment she did, they began to glow and lit the entire room. Grinning wildly, she picked up a round stone and tilted her head whilst walking towards the waterfall. ''I wonder...'' She began to say and hit it against a boulder. It smashed in two and revealed a purple crystal on the inside. ''An amethyst...'' She said, happily and placed it in her short pocket. Walking closer to the waterfall, she went underneath it laughing and ran her hands through her hair as she leaned back. ''This is incredible!'' She called out to the boys and looked at them with a bright smile.

Mio kneeled down next to Artemis and looked at all the glowing crystals with a wonderous look on his face. "Amazing..." he said and ran his hands over the soft moss. He loved the feeling and at home often would lie down in the soft ground and just watch the sky. Unfortunately, that was not possible here, as the sky wasn't visible, but it was still very nice.
With interest he looked up and watched what Artemis was doing. That girl always was up to something, or so his father would probably say, he thought smirking.
"What..." he started when he saw her throw the stone, but only shook his head in amusement when he realized what she was trying to do. Mio walked over and jumped into the water next to her. When he came back up, he shook his hair, sprinkling water everywhere. "Yeah it is! I can't believe we found this down here."

David had been dreaming about being rich for the rest of his life, but was jolted back into reality when Mio clapped him on the shoulder. He smirked at Mio then said "oh.. the horror" he then followed Mio to the end of the tunnel. He ignored Ian's comment just to say "well we are here now, so what are you waiting for?" He then followed the group through the waterfall, shaking the water off on the other side. he smiled at the sight "Incredible, my dear little snake, is an understatement"

Ian nodded excitedly, this really was bloody fantastic! He walked over to the waterfall and swam towards the others. He let his green eyes move across the cave they found themselves in and smiled happily. "Do you think we can dive under the waterfall or is the pressure too big?" he asked curiously

Artemis smiled brightly at Mio and nodded. ''There must be loads here! This is a great place for them...'' She mused and wiped the water off her face that Mio splashed on her. ''Watch where you shake your head, lion.'' She teased and turned to David with a smirk. ''I ain't your little snake, lion. Be sure to remember that...'' She said holding up her gloved hands, revealing the wolf claws on them. ''Never know when an animal can attack.'' Artemis winked before turning towards the waterfall. ''There's an alcove behind the waterfall...I'm gonna check it out.''

There was a ledge and she looked back at the boys before lifting herself onto it. Walking into the waterfall, she grinned at the alcove. There was a dozen chests and it seemed someone was mining the crystals as there was crystal remnants all over the floor. On the walls were book cases and in a corner, a bed. It was as if someone was living here, right under Hogwarts. ''Guys...Come check this out.'' She shouted over the noise of the waterfall.

Mio chuckled at Artemis and sleeked his long brown hair backwards with his hand, so it wouldn't stick to his face. Not that it would hold for long, it was just too messy sometimes, he thought with a sigh.
He laughed when the Slytherin held out her claws at David. "Better be careful, mate, this one is not to be messed with." he said grinning at the other Gryffindor, as Atemis vanished behind the waterfall.
When she called for them, he followed after her and found himself in an alcove. "Looks comfy..." Mio said jokingly, as he sat down on the bed. It was surprisingly soft though.

Ian pulled himself onto the ledge and carefully followed the other two into the space behind the waterfall. "It's not as loud in here as I thought it would be." he wondered out loud, looking around. It looked inhabitated, but it was hard to tell if recently or if everything was just under some sort of charm to keep it clean and protected from the wetness.

David had raised an eyebrow at her claws, not sure exactly what she was.. but decided to let it pass, who was he to judge anyway? He then turned to Mio at his words "All Snakes are not to be messed with, most pull knifes on you" he chuckled, smirking at his mate, then followed him under the waterfall. when he saw the scene, he whistled through his teeth "nice place to live... wonder who lived here, lets check out the books." he suggested walking over to look at the book shelf, it consisted of a lot of books concerning the dark arts, but some other useful books as well. "you think this is where Salazar lived?"

Mio looked up at the others, leaning back on the bed slightly. "Could be..." he answered David thoughtfully. It would make sense that it was a Slytherin who made this place down here, which could be entered through the dungeons.
"What do you think, guys. Shall we makes this place our own? Our secret hideout? Cause whoever made this is probably long dead." he said, grinning at the other four. It would be brilliant! Nobody would get the idea to check for them down here and they could bring some more blankets and cushions to make it a bit more comfortable in this alcove.
Not that he didn't like his dormitary, but sometimes it could get a bit crowded in there and even the rest of the castle was usually bustling with students.

David grinned at Mio "why, are suggesting a friendship here? With a Snake?" He looked Artemis over with a smirk "And a badger?" He then took his turn looking over Ian "well... I guess we could do worse.. i think its a great idea!" He smiled a genuine smile

"Hey!" Ian exclaimed loudly, although a huge grin was covering his face. "We badgers make great friends! And everyone needs a cunning snake, right?" he grinned at Artemis.

Artemis grinned at Mio and Ian before turning to David and shook her head. ''No...I don't think Salazar would've kept this place uncharmed if he did live here.'' She told him and scraped her claws against the walls, making the shriek echo. She smirked and then turned to one of the twelve chests. ''I like that idea, Mio..'' She mused after hearing him. ''What's so wrong with me and Ian? Ian's right...You need a badass girl like me around to keep ya on your toes.'' She winked.

She knelt on the ground and softly ran a finger on the chest. ''I wonder...'' She whispered and stood back, pulling her wand out from her thigh sheath, right next to her dagger one. Artemis didn't care that they could see her mass amounts of scars or that she was weapon-ed up to the brim but it's also good to be cautious. ''Alohamora..'' The chest opened up wide and revealed clothes but to Artemis they looked a bit odd. Using her claws, she lifted the clothes up and it revealed gold and some jewels. ''Oh my Salazar...'' She whispered, stepping back. ''Boys...'' She called to them with a wide smirk.

"Than it's agreed!" Mio said, clapping his hands and then pushing off the bed again. "Our private den." he grinned and walked across to the bookshelf, looking over David's shoulder. He definitely had to check some of these out later, but that could wait till next time.
Now that it was agreed that they would come back here, they could take their time with everything.
When the Slytherin called them over, Mio curiously looked into the now open chest and gasped. "Damn! ... that must be worth so much!" he shook his head, not able to believe that this was actually real.

Ian had moved to kneel next to Artemis and he watched her as she opened the chest. He couldn't believe his eyes when she removed the clothes. "Wow..." he breathed. "What shall we do with it? I mean, we still don't know who this belongs to." he said slightly unsure. He would feel bad for taking something that wasn't his, especially if the person might still be alive. "Maybe there is a note or something in one of the books?" Ian wondered out loud. He always wrote down his name in his books in case he lost them.

Artemis nodded slowly at Mio's and Ian's reaction to the chest. ''I believe..we leave it for now. Checking the books is a good idea.'' She mused before rushing to the books, picking up one and began flicking through it. ''Check everywhere in the book...There could be hints about this place.'' She then gasped and looked at the bed. Running to it, she tried not to knock over Mio as she moved the pillow seeing a notebook. ''Thought so!'' She said and turned to the first page, getting comfortable on the bed so she could read it.

David smirked at Artemis "well.. fine then, I guess we could be friends.. just no more pushing armor on me, deal?" he winked playfully. David then admired the pile of valuable jewels and such. "well.. I think we should leave those alone.. for now. We have 7 more years to go at Hogwarts, and who knows when we will need some extra dough.." He then picked a random book off of the book shelf, he checked for a name, but found none, but he said "wow.. this book is on how to become Animagi.. you know, people who can turn into an animal.. It would be interesting to be one, eh guys?"

Artemis laughed and shook her head. ''I'm sorry but i can't make any promises.'' She said, flipping another page. The mention of animagi made her head shoot up. She had been searching for a book like that for ages. She leaned over and took the book of animagus before giving David a smile. ''I'm gonna need this.'' She said bluntly, a way of saying don't ask why. She settled the book on her lap and opened the notebook again. ''The writer of this..is explaining his journey here without mentioning any names. It's a little infuriating but i'll continue reading.'' Artemis told the boys.