It wasn't odd for CJ Baxter to be off on some adventure over the grounds of Hogwarts castle. In fact, it was more common for him to be doing such a thing than to be in class. Today found the boy clad in only a pair of navy blue trunks with pale grey trim, flexing his muscles as he dove into the secluded pool at the base of the waterfall, hidden back behind the quidditch pitch. Few people even realized there was a way to get to the little oasis, let alone actually went there.

Ever since he'd found the spot, CJ had taken a liking to it. It was a good place for him to just be himself and be away from everyone and everything that tried to bother him. He'd gotten a letter that morning from his mother about his grandparents asking what he was going to do when he graduated. As if he cared. He'd already decided not to bother with a reply to the woman who birthed him, as she had no business even asking him such things given all that she'd done with her own life.

The letter had put him in a mood, however, and he hadn't wanted to even dig his bike out of the broom shed. No, CJ just wanted some time to himself, and as he dove beneath the water, eyes closed and body shaking in the chilly dampness, he felt like he was finally able to focus on his own thoughts. CJ didn't care what anyone else expected of him. He didn't care what the future held. All that mattered to him was that he could keep doing the things he enjoyed. He wanted to ride his bikes, ride his women, and ride out life as he had been.

Maybe diving into a pond when it was nearly winter wasn't the smartest thing to do, but things like 'what made sense' didn't bother CJ. He just wanted to have fun, live his life, and do the things that made him happy. Stupid stuff like this made him happy, so he'd keep doing it. It was that simple.

The boy surfaced, muscles rippling across his chest as he took deep breaths of air. The chill had left him a bit winded, but also more awake and aware. He felt more confident in who he was and what he wanted to be, and that letter from his mother meant nothing. He also had the feeling he was being observed. CJ turned his head sharply, narrowing his eyes on the nearby brush. "It's rude to hide and watch people. Makes you seem like a stalker or something."

Elisabeth decided that today would be a good day to practice in her animagus form, to see if she could harness it a bit more, make herself more controlled when she was a leopard. If she could control her animagus form, it'd help even more in a case for her defending herself. She knew she'd have to transfigure herself outside of the school, so the least safe place for a witch, was the safest place for a leopard, the forbidden forest.

The blonde, noticing from the open window near the ceiling of her dorm room, noticed it was a bit chilly, and bundled herself in a Hufflepuff quidditch sweater as well as a Hufflepuff scarf. The sixth year slung her bag over her shoulder, then headed out into the common room, smiling warmly at the fellow Hufflepuffs she passed as she strode through the domed room, crouching as she crawled through the barrel passage and into the kitchen corridor. 

The Hufflepuff walked silently through the portrait hole that guarded the kitchens, and then up the steps that lead out of the basement and into the ground floor. She glanced down as she walked, not really wanting to draw any attention to herself as she walked outside and onto the rolling lawns spread out behind the castle, heading towards the forbidden forest. 

As Elisabeth set foot into the forest, she began to transfigure herself into her animagus form, it was still a painful change for the witch, yet another reason she needed to practice. She winced as her face elongated into a spotted leopard's muzzle, her ears shifting to the top of her head as she shrunk in stature, her arms and legs modifying themselves to become the powerful legs of a leopard, her teeth sharpening and a tail elongating until she had fully transfigured herself into her animagus. 

The newly transfigured leopard glanced around, not yet used to the foreign feeling of seeing the world around her from nearly three feet shorter than she usually did. The colors of the forbidden forest seemed so much more vivid through a leopard's eyes, all senses were heightened compared to what the witch normally saw. 

After about twenty minutes of exploring the outskirts of the forest, Elisabeth heard someone passing by just outside, heading towards the quidditch pitch. Curiosity got the best of the leopard, and she padded towards him, following silently as her tail swayed swiftly behind her. She stayed a safe distance away, following him into a wooded area behind the pitch, where a waterfall ran, flowing down to form a small pool. 

Elisabeth knew she shouldn't have, but she couldn't help but watch the boy as he swam from her hiding spot in the bushes, her leopard instincts begged her to stay and watch potential prey, which meant she needed to shift back, before she ended up mauling the poor boy. 

As she transfigured herself back, she lost her stealthiness, and nearly fell over in her hiding spot, which of course attracted the boy's attention to her. The Hufflepuff stepped out of the brush, only now taking in how little the boy had been wearing, a light blush shaded her face, "S-sorry," she apologized, stuttering slightly "I was in my animagus, and once leopards catch sight of prey, not to say that you're prey or anything like that, they don't exactly...stop." she explained quietly. "I'm Elisabeth." she introduced herself, an awkward smile on her face as she looked at the boy.

“Leopard? Right then. I assure you, Eliza, I have a way of taming wild pussies…” he grinned cockily, lazily treading water as he watched the little blonde girl. “Besides, Alice, I could have just drowned you if you threatened me too badly. Nobody can hurt me too bad though. See these scars?” He motioned to the large mark on his chest and the similar gash of angry pinkish-white tissue over his abdomen. “I’ve been in plenty of scuffles, Bethany. I can assure you, I ain’t scared.”

He splashed a bit as he swam toward the edge of the little pool, approaching where the blonde stood smiling. “I’m a little shocked you’re letting some stranger know that you have that little talent, Elly.” CJ lifted himself out of the pool with his strong arms, biceps popping out and showing the veins strong and thick as he got straight to his feet, not even bothering to take a knee. He was pretty sure he wouldn’t tell someone his biggest strength when he first met them, at least not if he could hide it. As it was, he couldn’t really hide his strength. It was clear all over his body, and it was pulsing and rippling as he shook his head and dripped a little puddle on the grass.

“CJ Baxter. Nice to meet ya, Lisa. Shouldn’t you be in some class or doing something stuff like writing a report on elf rights or whatnot?” His brow quirked as he looked her up and down. She didn’t look like the type to be out and skipping important duties like classes or homework. She looked… shy. And innocent. And totally not the type that CJ would spend time with.

The thing was, she was at least a pretty thing and she had revealed something very interesting about herself, so he was interested. “So, Becky, why you tellin me your secrets? You expect some secret in return? You should know… I don’t play that way. Not exactly one for the tit for tat sort ‘o thing. ‘Less you wanna show me a tit since you can see my tat of course.”

He wiggled his brows then, flexing the arm with the barbed wire tattoo about the bicep. He stood there in all his glory, thickness of his manhood clear in the tight swim shorts he wore, but it didn’t bother him any. CJ was proud of himself and his physique, and he had nothing to hide. He simply wondered what this pretty little doll might have to keep him entertained, and maybe even move his mind further from the letter that had brought him to the cold pond in the first place.