Valentina was full up from lunch, and was now feeling very tired. In fact, her whole day had been tiering.
She was now making her way down the dungeons, towards her Common Room. She wwanted to talk to someone, someone who would listen to her mumbling, gossiping and general talking.
She was running down the stone steps, hearing her soft shoe-tapping and watching steam clouds float from her mouth. Tonight it was particulary cold. She frowned.
She was the only one in those dark corridors. She saw a puddle and went to watch her reflexion.
She was just about going to brush a chialk of her from her fringe back to place, when she saw something glittering. Something weird, unusual.
She reluctantly walked over to that direction. There was something glittering in the very far corner, at the end of a cul-de-sac, a blocked corridor.
Her heart was beating hard against her chest, making her wish it would stop beating so hard and fast.
As she drew closer, she was desapointed to see that it was only an empty silver frame. The first and only “portrait” in the dungeons.
She was about to walk away when a sudden thought ran throught her mind:
What was an empty frame doing in the dungeons? Weird place for such a valuable frame!
She looked at it more closely. There was something strange about it, but she couldn’t understand what.
Maybe it had always been there. Maybe the portrait had gone off to wonder up the griffindor pictures…
There was a little writing on the left hand side.
“ Pugnarum Colubrer “ she read out loud.
Something moved above her head.
Valentina didn’t even have time to see what it was when she screamed and ran back until she turned the corner of the long corridor.
She was about to tell everyone back in the Common Room about it, when a thought struck her:
She didn’t have any proof. She didn’t even know if she did see it.
Reluctantly, she walked back towards the corner and peecked her head over the side.
Nothing did happen.
She frowned. But this wasn’t going to stop her from doing it… she walked an uncertain walk until the frame again. On every side of the portrait, many esmeralds very twingling in the little light there. She grabbed one of them, but it was stuck on the fraim and there was no budging it. She pulled harder.
It came out slowly, while she frowned and gasped. As it came out, Valentina fell on her bottom hard, with a gasp.
The esmerald was shinning in her hand.
She looked up at the frame.
What if the portrait was coming back? She gulped and ran back down to her Common Room.
She knocked three times against the wall and said the password.
Some year sevens were talking lowdly and some were arguing. Valentina was so desperate to tell .
But could she? Would she? Would someone believe her?

April was lounging in the common room; normal activity for her. She was sitting in a chair close by the door, away from the fireplace. It was too hot for fire, in her opinion, and it was noisy over there. A bunch of seventh years were playing some sort of Muggle card game, and she wasn't interested.

She wad turning the page when a young girl practically tripped headfirst into the common room. She looked excited or nervous, or a combination of both. Syhe was turning her head this way and that, as if looking for something.

April recognized her as a Slytherin ,obviously, but not by name or face. New? Perhaps.

"Are you... alright?" she asked cautiously, not sure why the girl was standing, stunned, in the entrance to the common room. The seventh years were staring at her.

Valentina looked around the room, when a kind voice spoke in a worried tone.

"Are you... alright?" the girl asked cautiously.

Valentina looked at her. it was her freind, April. Valentina smiled what might have looked like a grin.

"i'm ok!" she answerd, looking at April. She noticed some year sevens looking at her with a confused expression.

" J-just came back from the Great Hall!..." she waited for the year sevens to look awa, and then she gestured ASpril to follow her upstairs.

The cold stone was gripped tightly in her right hand, so hard that her knuckles whent white. She was scared of loosing it, or maybe she was just scared that it was all a daydream. After all, she was tired.

she looked back at April. Maybe she hadn't noticed her clutched knuckle.

she lowerd her voice to a wisper:
"i need to talk to you, April! i need to ask you some advice!"
she uncluthed her fist and showed her the emerald.
"i want to ask you what it is."

inside the stone, a weak silver light was shinning, but Valentina didn't notice...

Maybe April would...

April looked at the stone curiously, watching Valentina curiously. Then she looked back at the stone.

"I...I don't know... it's glowing!" she said pointing to the shining silver light. She touched it. It did nothing.

"Where did you...find this?"

Valentina looked down at the esmerald, that April had just touched.

she was shocked to see the dark red light inside, so shocked that she nearly screamed and threw it away, off her hand. but she didn't.

"oh, my!" she said calmly, as if she didn't have enought energies to say anything alse.

wierd... just wierd... Valentina thought.

"come on, April! i can't tell you anything here!" she glanced back at the Slytherins talking.

she grabbed April and they both walked up outside Valentina's room. but to their shock, there was already someone inside.

"it's Emelissa and Amanda..." Valentina wisperd, looking through the keyhole.

"any ideas on how we find a quiet place?..." Valentina asked, and quickly added: "as long as it's not outside?"

April tried to think quickly.

"Well, my dorm has Ravyn Singe in it, you don't wanna go there. Just in case she's actually in there..." April thought hard.

'Room of Requirement. It's perfect! No one will be able to guess. Let's go!" April shoved away from Valentina, in the search for the Room of Requirement.

Valentina gasped.

"perfect idea, April! you're a genious!"
She followed April out of the common room and into the cold corridors.

((OCC: meet you in there!))