AN: I have finally decided to continue this fic. I'm a little uninspired for the moment but hopefully plugging through should help my generalized brain paralysis.

A Barmy Notion

Eloise Midgeon sat before the Deputy Headmistress of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, trying desperately not to snort with laughter as she sniffled and tears ran down her cheeks.

She and fellow miscreant Draco Malfoy had been brought in for a disciplinary hearing as a result of their refusal to serve detention with Professor Hagrid in the forbidden forest. All disciplinary matters not related to the boy-who-lived were in fact handled by Professor McGonagal. Headmaster Dumbledore had little to no interaction with the general student body apart from a couple speeches and an appearance at mealtimes to eat with the staff.

"But professor… I, I was…was... so...scared," Eloise hiccupped raising her teary eyes to McGonagal's stern glare. The thought of the death of her non-existent dog snoopy unfailingly brought tears to her eyes. Usually, Midgeon refrained from crying as it made her even uglier than usual thanks to blotchy skin and a red snotty nose. True hideousness of feature could not help but aid her current endeavor.

McGonagal's eyes softened to a mildly pitying expression. "It was unacceptable behavior on your part miss Midgeon. Walking out on a detention is unheard of; it shows tremendous disrespect to the teacher in charge."

"I… I know," Eloise continued, a little repulsed at laying it on so thick. "I'm sorry Professor Hagrid but I'm not as courageous as…a…a… Griffindor."

Malfoy made a revolted choking sound beside her. Eloise twitched but gave no other sign of having heard him.

"Tha's alrigh' proffess'r. I dun' think she meant a'y harm," Hagrid interrupted with an exasperated glance at Malfoy.

Eloise bowed her head nodding to hide the twitch of her lips. She was milking the pathetic Hufflepuff routine for all it was worth but the two Griffindor professors were lapping it up. Thank Merlin Professor Sprout wasn't there!

At that very moment the two heads of houses from Hufflepuff and Slytherin barged in.

"What have you done this time, miss Midgeon?" Sprout snapped.

The other teachers seemed startled at the sharp tone. Eloise froze mid-sniffle as she was unsure of the path to take. Either continue to pretend to be pathetic, which Sprout would never buy, or admit defeat. She glanced at Sprout trying to gauge her likelihood of survival. The don't-you-dare-fuck-with-me-I-know-exactly-what-you're-doing look was not encouraging.

Eloise sighed, wiped her eyes and leaned back in her chair defiantly. "I've got no problem with writing lines, polishing the trophy room, dissecting frogs without gloves or scrubbing cauldron bottoms," she spat. "Detention in the Forbidden Forest on a full moon is dangerous as well as insane. I'll apologize and complete two regular detentions. Hell, I'll even write an official apology saying I was in the wrong. Just don't expect me to back down on this one."

"What shall I ever do with you?" Sprout muttered massaging her temples.

"Just don't try to send me back to that fucking forest!"

"Watch your tone!" Sprout barked. "Or you'll be in detention until the second rise of Medusa. Three weeks of detention in the infirmary will do."

Eloise almost smiled, evidently Professor Sprout agreed with her. So-called 'detention' in the infirmary would simply be a more official time for her lessons from Pomfrey and everyone would assume she was scrubbing bedpans or something. It was perfect; she could have kissed her head of house. Despite their differences, Hufflepuff loyalty and common sense mostly won over in the end. In a considerably better mood yet very well aware she had to at least pretend to be disgruntled, she grumbled before nodding and getting up to go. The other professors still seemed mildly surprised at her sudden reversal though it was apparent they were working very quickly at dismissing it as teenage angst. She nodded graciously to them before tripping out the door.

OoooooooooO

Midgeon trotted down the corridor in satisfaction. Her first lesson in Medical Magic had gone admirably as she had been able to recite the anatomical terms for all the bones and muscles of the human body. Her next assigned task was to memorize the significance and interrelation of hormonal variations. According to Pomfrey, she should be ready to start learning basic first aid after Christmas break.

"Oh, hey Neville!"

"How are you doing these days?" Neville replied. They had been friendly acquaintances since second year when they were paired up for Herbology. Neville might have been shy, but Eloise was anything but intimidating. Shared course notes, study sessions and pleasant conversation had never quite solidified into friendship.

"Wonderfully!" Eloise exclaimed. "I'm taking first aid from madam Pomfrey and I think its going well. Though you know how I was talking about attempting wandless magic? I haven't managed to so much as get a feather to move! I thought it might be related to the accidental magic of children but I never really did much as a child so I don't have much personal experience to go on. Uh, sorry. I tend to ramble on and on about my latest projects."

"That's ok," smiled Neville, then he laughed. "I remember my first bit of accidental magic. My uncle was hanging me out the window by my ankle when he was called to dinner. I bounced all the way across the street when he let me go."

"Really?" asked Midgeon. "That's quite a powerful bit on magic for a first. You must be a really powerful wizard!"

Neville blushed self-consciously and seemed a little embarrassed.

Eloise failed to notice as she rambled on distractedly while chewing her hair. "Or maybe it's the life and death situation. Terry mentioned performing his bit of magic after falling from a tree. Maybe falling has something to do with it. Or is it the mindless panic that sets in that allows for the unconscious to operate one's magic? Maybe my theories on meditation were not completely wrong, simply misapplied in their technique… Yes, that might be it. A different direction to evaluate! Thanks Neville!"

She ran down the hall.

OoooooooooO

Thus events conspired to bring a singular event into existence. An event that would not only cement Eloise Midgeon's reputation at Hogwarts but also temper and influence her friends' view of her for years to come. For without Weasley's insult no reason for detention would have been found. Without a refusal of a dangerous nightly forest promenade Eloise would not have been punished with regular hours in the infirmary. And she would not have been at that particular point in her thought process at the precise instant she met Longbottom. So it followed that one glorious Wednesday afternoon, Zacharias Smith and Rebecca Moon found themselves walking along the south side of Hogwarts.

"What on earth do you think the point is of showing up? Eloise is a nutter if she expects us to just randomly follow her instruction. A mysterious: 'Be there at four' before claming up and acting like Trelawny on a good day is unsatisfactory. I've got homework to do."

"Stop whining Zacharias. Our mutual friend insisted, which she doesn't do all that often. It's probably going to be another failed attempt at some creative wizardry or other. And then we get to laugh at her," Rebecca smirked wickedly. "Do you think this is the place?"

They shuffled around on the grass and kicked at the weeds. Before they had much more time to question their purpose they were hailed by a voice from above. Midgeon was leaning out of a second story window waving at them.

"Over here! Come a little closer. No back up! Maybe a little to the left? That's it. Stay where you are."

"Eloise, what are we doing?"

"You'll see in a minute, a very historical minute that will go down in wizarding history books as the most historical occasion in all of history!"

"You're repeating yourself," Zacharias muttered. "We get it. Momentous occasion and so forth, can we please get on with whatever it is?"

Eloise opened the window wide and propped up a chair against the ledge. She inspected the ground beneath, poking at the air with her wand and muttering. She then disappeared inside. Zacharias and Rebecca glanced at each other, nonplused.

It was only then that Eloise took a flying leap out the second story window, a second story window that was situated very high from the ground.

"AAaaaAAAArgh!"

The flight was swift, short and brutally idiotic.

She crumpled into a heap. A sharp crack and a pained cry accompanied the breaking of her ankle. She rolled onto her back clutching her leg and whimpering.

Rebecca and Zacharias remained where they stood. They were far too astounded at the stupidity of the action that had led to the current predicament of their friend to immediately react.

"Did you just jump out of a second story window for no apparent reason?" Rebecca finally asked in a bit of a daze.

The quivering mass of Eloise Midgeon merely continued to emit small moans of pain.

"What was the purpose of that?" questioned Zacharias, finally beginning to chuckle.

"Trying to stimulate… my accidental magic," Eloise managed to get out before turning on her side and vomiting on the grass. Perspiration dripped down the side of her face and her trembling limbs clutched futilely at the ground. "Thought it might be related… to accidental magic. Neville mentioned… his first magic...falling."

"Have you not experienced gravity before?" asked Zacharias as he doubled over in amusement. "You must have been the type of kid who stuck her had in the flames over and over again just to see if every candle burnt. How you ever survived to the age of sixteen is a world mystery."

After they had finished chortling they eventually took her to the infirmary. Progress was slow as they continually paused to snigger and guffaw with laughter. Zacharias also insisted on telling everyone they met of her folly. Most shook their heads incredulously and even Mandy failed to endorse the experiment with intellectual contemplation.

Madam Pomfrey was not amused.