jklasfjakl

[separated by a scream]

ｓｃｏｕｔ ☆ ｊａｅｄｅｎ ☆ ｖｅｇａ !

ｔｈｅ ｏｎｅ ｗｈｏ ｃａｍｅ ｂａｃｋ

Laying down in the park, with Kotah at her side, Scout couldn't think of any place that she would rather be. It was beautiful outside and she was spending time with someone who was easily one of her favorite people in the world. What more could she possibly ask for? Ever since she'd moved back into the country, she'd been visibly happier for the most part, save for a few moments. It just felt so good to be back home and around the people that she'd grown up with and her family, more specifically Aunt Harlow. A lot had changed since she'd moved, people had left, gotten jobs, more people came to town, and things along those lines. It was strange to see, but she was adjusting back to life their rather quickly, especially since she'd only been back for a little bit over a week. The blonde had managed to get quite a bit accomplished during that time though. She'd unpacked her apartment, worked a few shifts at her Aunt's cafe, reconnected with Kotah and finally confessed the fact that she'd always had feelings for him. It was safe to say that she had been busy, which was part of the reason that it was so nice to just lay down with him and watch the clouds. For the first time in the last few days, they could just laugh and be silly, and try to keep their minds off of Rowan. Being around him was one of the most natural things in the world, seeing as she'd spent a good portion of her life being best best friends with them, and only a slightly shorter period of time having feelings for him. Things were never really awkward with him, and the good memories definitely outweighed the bad. She could only hope that things would stay that way, because she honestly didn't know what she would do without him. This last week had made her realize how much she'd truly missed him, even if she hadn't gotten the chance to see him very much because of Rowan.

Hopefully the situation with Rowan would be changing soon, but that seemed to be more wishful thinking than anything. Things couldn't stay bad forever though, that much she was sure of. After every rain comes a rainbow, right? It was a rather cliche and well, stupid, saying in Scout's opinion, but it fit. Hearing him, she nodded. "Of course." She replied, nodding. Even if things would be going slow, at least they were going somewhere, and for once, in the right direction. They drifted apart terribly when she'd had to move, but things seemed to be a million times better now that she was back, even if their situation wasn't ideal. She'd rather have him and rough times than not having him at all. If he'd continued to be mad at her like he had been earlier, she really wasn't sure what she would have done. Kotah hating her wasn't something she thought that she would really be able to handle, not when he was one of the few people that she had left in her hometown. Out of everyone that had stayed, he was easily the one that the girl was closest to, and it would've hurt terribly to lose him. Glancing over, she caught his eye and smiled.

When Kotah's arm wrapped around her waist, her smile widened, as she stared up at the sky, watching the clouds. It was so nice to just do nothing for once. No shifts at the cafe, no unpacking, no dealing with Rowan, just spending time with him. She planned to enjoy it to the fullest because she had no clue when she'd get the chance to spend time like this with him. If his psychotic ex-girlfriend had any say in things, it'd probably be quite some time. They had a rough few months ahead of them, or maybe even longer, but he seemed just as determined as she did to make it out of this. While she was in London, she didn't really get into any serious relationships. She dated a couple of guys, sure, but nothing ever lasted very long, except for one. Knowing that she would be coming back home when she graduated was a thought that was always able to keep a smile on her face. Although Kotah was a large part of the reason that she wanted to come back home, but he wasn't the only one. Even though many of her friends had moved away for college, there were still quite a few that stuck around and it was good to be around them again. Then there was her aunt and a few other assorted family members in town as well. All in all, it was better to be home than to be around just her parents and a few friends that she had managed to make in the two years that she was in London. It wasn't that hard to leave them, seeing as they didn't really know each other very well anyway. As for her parents, they promised to visit occasionally and it wasn't like she had the best relationship with her mother anymore. Hearing him say that they would stick together no matter what happened with Rowan, she smiled. Even though they didn't know what her news was, she felt confident that they could handle it. "I like the sound of that." She replied, referring to the last part.

"That makes two of us then." Scout honestly didn't know what she'd do without Kotah. Before the last two years when she'd been away, he'd always been a constant in her life. Whenever anything happened, he was always there. It was nice to know that she could count on him again like she had before. Resting her head on his chest, she smiled as he ran his fingers through her hair. "I don't think I can say this enough, but I'm so incredibly happy to be back and that we worked things out." She said, looking over at him. It was the absolute truth. She wasn't sure what she would do if he'd continued to hate her like he had at the party earlier. That wasn't exactly one of her best memories with him. Before Kotah even said who was calling him, she had a sinking suspicion that it was Rowan. Things were going too good at the moment, so of course she had to attempt to ruin it, even if she wasn't there. The blonde just rolled her eyes and sighed, wondering when the other girl would just give up. "Some people just don't know when to cut their losses and move on. She never deserved you anyway. Well, it's not like I really do either but..." She began to trail off, but all of the doubts that she had were soon far from her mind as Kotah kissed her. She kissed him back, thankful for the distraction and happy just to be with him again.
ooc

ＲＥＭＥＭＢＥＲ ＷＨＥＮ ＴＨＥＹ ＳＡＩＤ
ｗｈａｔ ｗｅ ｗａｎｔ ｃａｎ ｎｅｖｅｒ ｂｅ ｄｏｎｅ
ＷＥＬＬ ＬＯＯＫ ＷＨＯ'Ｓ ＬＡＵＧＨＩＮＧ ＮＯＷ
ｗｅ'ｌｌ ｄｏ ｗｈａｔ ｗｅ ｗａｎｔ ｔｏ
ＳＡＩＤ ＷＥ'ＬＬ ＤＯ ＷＨＡＴ ＷＥ ＷＡＮＴ ＴＯ

[separated by a scream]

ｌｕｃｉｎｄａ ❉ ＨＡＲＬＯＷ ❉ ｖｅｇａ

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` ＳＥＶＥＮＴＨ ＹＥＡＲ ＳＬＹＴＨＥＲＩＮ

For some reason, classes seemed to drag on particularly slowly this morning, at least for the seventh year Slytherin, Lucinda Vega they were. She had a feeling it wasn’t just her though, everyone seemed a bit antsy throughout the classes, like none of them could really focus. That’s how it always seemed to go the week of a holiday though, even though they still had another two and a half days of class left. Soon enough it would be Halloween, meaning a three day weekend for the students of Hogwarts. Friday especially, considering classes were cancelled, there was to be a masquerade ball, which would then be followed by the Slytherin’s after party. With all of that going on, who could possibly focus on classes? The fact that the professors expected them to be paying attention at all this week was just a bit preposterous.

The worst part of her day so far had easily been Potions, however, that seemed to a pattern for the blonde. She was positively dreadful when it came to the class, always had been, and figured she always would be. Anyone who believed the stereotype that Slytherins were all magically fantastic at Potions had clearly never met Luce. In theory, the class seemed like it’d be simple enough, ‘pour this’, ‘mix that’, but for her, it really wasn’t. Something about it just never seemed to click in her mind, no matter how hard she studied. It was frustrating to say the least, especially since she was so used to excelling in her classes. Being the stubborn person that she was, she always refused anyone’s attempts to tutor her or help. She was convinced that she could figure things out on her own, when she’d managed to effectively prove otherwise over the last seven years now. She’d managed to keep her grade decent enough to pass the class, but it never seemed to get much better than that.

When Professor Lovett’s droning lecture finally came to a halt, she quickly shoved her things into her bag, before practically bolting from the room. If it had gone on much longer, she surely would’ve fallen asleep out of sheer boredom. Luce debated on whether she should drop her things off, or just go straight to lunch, before quickly deciding to save herself the trip and just bring everything with her. Out in the halls, she greeted a few familiar faces, before continuing off on her journey to the Great Hall. She easily considered Hogwarts to be her second home, even better than her real one at times. Although the girl loved her father dearly, her house could be awfully boring at times. He stuck to his work, rarely to be seen outside of his bedroom, leaving his teenage daughter to her own devices. He really did try, but kids just weren’t really his forte. Knowing that, it only made the fact that he took her away from her mother so surprising, meaning that she had to have been really off her rocker for him to have to resort to such drastic measures. She was about as sore of a subject as you could get in the Vega household. Luce had learned to refrain from mentioning her over the years, seeing as all she got in response was a few muttered insults about her. To be honest, the girl wasn’t sure how much she wanted to know anyway. She knew her mother was a death eater at one point, but the things that she actually did was something that she just didn’t want to know about. It was easier not knowing, even though it had to have been rather terrible considering the fact that she had a life sentence hanging over her.

Stepping into the Great Hall, it appeared as if there was already a commotion of some sort, even though there was hardly anyone even there. It wasn’t exactly surprising that Ethan was standing near a Hufflepuff who appeared to be soaking wet, what was surprising was the fact that it appeared as if Ella was chiding him for it. He never seemed to get caught for anything he did, and he did quite a bit that would be considered against school rules. Shaking her head slightly, she smirked and continued to walk until she reached the Slytherin table. Luce slid into the seat, dropping her bag to the floor, and sighing. The table was still fairly empty, or at least empty of anyone that she really felt like talking to. Sitting alone was awfully boring, but at the moment, it appeared as if she didn’t have much a choice. It didn’t take very long for her mind to drift off and become preoccupied with thoughts of the ball on Friday. She’d decided on her costume and put it together about a week ago, and would be going as a peacock. The only thing left to do was find a date. She’d been asked by some younger Ravenclaw a few days ago, which she turned down as politely as she could. There was still time and she wasn’t quite that desperate yet. It was getting to be a bit frustrating, but it seemed like quite a number of people didn’t have dates already.



ＩＴ ＡＬＭＯＳＴ ＦＥＥＬＳ ＬＩＫＥ Ａ ＪＯＫＥ ＴＯ ＰＬＡＹ ＯＵＴ ＴＨＥ ＰＡＲＴ
ｗｈｅｎ ｙｏｕ ａｒｅ ｎｏｔ ｔｈｅ ｓｔａｒｒｉｎｇ ｒｏｌｅ ｉｎ ｓｏｍｅｏｎｅ ｅｌｓｅ'ｓ ｈｅａｒｔ
ＹＯＵ ＫＮＯＷ Ｉ'Ｄ ＲＡＴＨＥＲ ＷＡＬＫ ＡＬＯＮＥ， ＴＨＡＮ ＰＬＡＹ Ａ ＳＵＰＰＯＲＴＩＮＧ ＲＯＬＥ
ｉｆ ｉ ｃａｎ'ｔ ｇｅｔ ｔｈｅ ｓｔａｒｒｉｎｇ ｒｏｌｅ．
ＳＯＭＥＴＩＭＥＳ Ｉ ＩＧＮＯＲＥ ＹＯＵ ＳＯ Ｉ ＦＥＥＬ ＩＮ ＣＯＮＴＲＯＬ
' ｃａｕｓｅ ｒｅａｌｌｙ， ｉ ａｄｏｒｅ ｙｏｕ， ａｎｄ ｉ ｃａｎ'ｔ ｌｅａｖｅ ｙｏｕ ａｌｏｎｅ

[separated by a scream]

ｌｕｃｉｎｄａ ❉ ＨＡＲＬＯＷ ❉ ｖｅｇａ

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` ＳＥＶＥＮＴＨ ＹＥＡＲ ＳＬＹＴＨＥＲＩＮ

Lunch proved to be rather uneventful so far for Luce, seeing as she was sitting by herself. The Great Hall seemed to be relatively empty still for some reason, which she found to be a bit irritating. Unlike most people, she liked the chaos of all the students being there. She’d always preferred to be in loud environments, as opposed to quiet ones for some reason. There was always something to do or someone to talk to, whereas the latter just left you all alone with your thoughts, which was something that the blonde wasn’t particularly fond of. She poured herself a glass of pumpkin juice and took a sip, deciding that she wasn’t really very hungry. The Slytherin glanced around the hall, looking to see if anything interesting was going on, but there wasn’t much to be seen.

Luce hadn’t even been paying much attention to what was going on at her own table, until she was startled out of her thoughts by the voice of her best friend Drew, his sudden appearance causing her to jump a little. “I really need to pay attention more…” She muttered under her breath, before allowing a smile to spread on her face, which only widened after hearing him call her. Luce tried to ignore it as hard as she could, but over the last year or so, she’d ended up getting feelings for him. In her opinion, it was about as pathetic as pathetic could get, and it was utterly ridiculous to even think about him when he clearly liked a certain other Slytherin. She was condemned to the friendzone, whether she liked it or not. Her smile faltered for a second, but she quickly recovered it, not wanting him to notice that anything was off. “Hey.” She greeted him simply.

When he asked how her day had been, she just shrugged. “It hasn’t been too bad, boring mostly.” Other than Potions and having to get up ridiculously early, it really hadn’t been. When he asked if something was wrong, she frowned slightly, a bit thrown off. “No, not particularly. I was just thinking about the Ball.” Luce replied. “Let me guess, you’ve got girls falling at your feet, desperate to go with you, don’t you?” She teased, laughing slightly. It was probably true, they did seem to cling to him. “Anyway, are you okay though? You seem a lot worse off than I am right now…” She asked, a hint of concern in her voice. He seemed angry about something, even though he sounded fine. After being best friends for six years, it wasn’t that difficult for her to read him and be able to tell when something was going on. “Wait, did Kingsbury finally talk to you about Braxton? He at least got detention for it, didn’t he?” The blonde asked, sighing. She figured that that was probably what he seemed so angry about, and judging by that, it meant that the Gryffindor had probably gotten off free and clear.

Speaking of people getting away with things, Drew mentioned Ethan talking to Ella, and she couldn’t help but to turn around and look. He had a valid point, they looked as if they were getting along great. The whole situation just looked wrong, Ethan, being nice? What could he possibly have to say to make Ella act like that? “Who knows? It sounded like he’d got into a bit of trouble when I walked by earlier, so maybe he’s trying to get himself out of a detention?” Luce replied, curious as to what was going on. “I can’t see her falling for it though, so it’s got to be something else…” She finished, shaking her head. She really didn’t have any problems with Ella, but they weren’t the best of friends either, mainly just kept to themselves and their own groups of friends. If Elza knew Ethan and the head girl were speaking like this, she’d probably throw a fit, so maybe it was best that she wasn’t there. She could only imagine what would happen if the pair really started to make a habit of this and became good friends. “Whatever’s going on, it’s strange.” She finished.



ＩＴ ＡＬＭＯＳＴ ＦＥＥＬＳ ＬＩＫＥ Ａ ＪＯＫＥ ＴＯ ＰＬＡＹ ＯＵＴ ＴＨＥ ＰＡＲＴ
ｗｈｅｎ ｙｏｕ ａｒｅ ｎｏｔ ｔｈｅ ｓｔａｒｒｉｎｇ ｒｏｌｅ ｉｎ ｓｏｍｅｏｎｅ ｅｌｓｅ'ｓ ｈｅａｒｔ
ＹＯＵ ＫＮＯＷ Ｉ'Ｄ ＲＡＴＨＥＲ ＷＡＬＫ ＡＬＯＮＥ， ＴＨＡＮ ＰＬＡＹ Ａ ＳＵＰＰＯＲＴＩＮＧ ＲＯＬＥ
ｉｆ ｉ ｃａｎ'ｔ ｇｅｔ ｔｈｅ ｓｔａｒｒｉｎｇ ｒｏｌｅ．
ＳＯＭＥＴＩＭＥＳ Ｉ ＩＧＮＯＲＥ ＹＯＵ ＳＯ Ｉ ＦＥＥＬ ＩＮ ＣＯＮＴＲＯＬ
' ｃａｕｓｅ ｒｅａｌｌｙ， ｉ ａｄｏｒｅ ｙｏｕ， ａｎｄ ｉ ｃａｎ'ｔ ｌｅａｖｅ ｙｏｕ ａｌｏｎｅ

[separated by a scream]

ｌｕｃｉｎｄａ ❉ ＨＡＲＬＯＷ ❉ ｖｅｇａ

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` ＳＥＶＥＮＴＨ ＹＥＡＲ ＳＬＹＴＨＥＲＩＮ

Even though Drew had only been there for hardly a minute, lunch was already beginning to look up. Spending time with him never failed to make her day better. When Drew commented on how he wasn't surprised that she hadn't been paying attention and that she needed to stop daydreaming about, Luce just rolled her eyes.You have no clue She thought a bit bitterly. Those pesky little things called 'feelings' were getting to become quite the annoyance to her. Things would be a million times easier if it just wasn't him that she liked, why couldn't it be anyone else? "Quit being so full of yourself." She retorted, a teasing lilt to her voice. He did have a point though, she did tend to drift off and let her mind wander quite often. She just couldn't help it though, what else was she supposed to do when she was bored? Well, reading her Potions book would probably be a good alternative, but where was the fun in that?

Luce wasn't exactly surprised that Drew had girls trying to go to the ball with him, but the fact that Sam, one of her dormmates, was one of them was enough to make her want to gag. The girl was truly awful. Nearly everything she said was a complaint about something or another, and she often finished one rant just to go off on another. How she'd managed to live with the other Slytherin for the last seven years without murdering her was one of life's mysteries. Hearing Drew's comments about her, she couldn't help but to laugh, not feeling the slightest bit sorry for the girl. She usually made an effort to be nice, but there just reached a point when it was impossible to even try, and she'd crossed that line all the way in second year. "I think you should ask her. You two would make a lovely couple." The blonde tried to keep a straight face as the words were coming out of her mouth, but she just couldn't bring herself to be able to. "I'm sorry, I can't even say that seriously. It just sounds so wrong! I think that's the meanest thing that I've ever said to you..." She apologized, shaking her head. "Anyway, just avoid her like the plague and you should be fine. Maybe." She finished with a dismissive way of her hand.

Hearing Drew ask if she'd like to go to ball with him, she had a feeling she would've choked, had she been eating at the time. Of course he meant as friends, something that she knew immediately, it still caught her off guard slightly, and it seemed like her heart was beating at a pace quicker than usual, making her remember just how pathetic the whole thing was. Just as she was about to reply, he continued on about how any guy would be lucky to take her and how finding a date was just so difficult. "That sounds great." She replied with a smile. "Although I'm sure I have to worry more about you ditching me than the other way around." Luce added jokingly, a smile on her face. It was true though, there weren't many girls that would say no to going with him. Who knew, maybe he'd actually get up the nerve to ask Elza. That was something she chose not to think about though, considering this was a good moment and she didn't want to ruin it by focusing on what could and couldn't happen.

When he started to talk about what had happened with Braxton and Kingsbury, she turned her attention to focus on that matter. There was always time to think about the ball later. Hearing him say that he was the one that got attention and that the Gryffindor got away with it, a frown spread on her lips. Even if it was entirely Drew's fault she would've stuck up for him, that's just how it was, but this was ridiculous. It wasn't even his fault! "You've got to be kidding me! That's not fair at all. It's like they didn't even listen to your side of things" She replied, shaking her head. "Let's face it, we both know you aren't going to make it to that detention even if you want to." Luce commented, trying to lighten the mood a bit. Not only was the Masquerade the night before, so was the Slytherin after party. Knowing Drew and his drinking habits, there was no way he'd be in any condition to even try to do anything the next morning. It was starting to get a bit concerning how much he drank, but she tried not to worry too much about him, yet at least. "I'm sorry it turned out this way, but of course we can." She replied sympathetically. "I know you would, which is exactly why I'm not letting you leave this table. He's not worth it, and besides, you don't need to be getting in anymore trouble."

Ethan and Ella were the perfect distraction. It seemed like Luce and Drew weren't the only ones with their attention turned toward the pair either. She shook her head in slight disbelief, it was crazy that they were even talking like this. What if he was actually asking her to the ball? No, of course not! Things like that just didn't happen. "Looks like we're about to get an answer." She murmured under her breath, as the Gryffindor bid her farewell and made his way over to the group.

When he sat down at the table and greeted them, she just smiled and waved. Things were strangely silent for a moment and it was like the calm before the storm. How long would it be before Ethan said what he was doing with Ella or Drew questioned him on it? It was the Gryffindor who first broke the silence, saying something about her best friend trying to thwart his plans. "Do I even want to know what these plans are?" She asked, looking at him curiously. It wasn't that she was on bad terms with Ella or anything, she just wasn't sure she felt like dealing with Elza or anyone else who was upset, if he really did ask her to the ball. When he finally admitted to what Drew and Luce had both seemed to be expecting, she shook her head. "Merlin, you really are trying to get yourself killed, aren't you?" She asked him in a state of disbelief. This was sure to be interesting.

Ethan mentioned how telling Elza would mean they were asking to die, causing her to roll her eyes. "I wouldn't dream of it. I can only imagine how happy she's going to be." It was no secret that the two hated each other. The conversation was then diverted back to her and Drew, as he asked if either of them had dates. Hearing him say he hadn't found anyone to ask, she raised an eyebrow, deciding not say anything. It was clear as day who he wanted to ask, he just didn't have the nerve to. "Drew, you're going to the ball, even if I have to drag you there myself." Even if she somehow managed to find an actual date, she still planned to make sure he went. It just wouldn't be the same without him.

Watching Ethan spit out his food, before ranting about how awful it was, Luce couldn't help but to laugh slightly, shaking her head. Just as she was about to say something, Matt Atwood decided to join the trio, sliding into the spot next to her. "Hey." She greeted him simply, a smile on her face. He looked a bit agitated, which he quickly explained, saying that Peeves had decided to knock his books out of his hand. Oh Peeves, it was hard to find a person, living or dead, who was more annoying than he. She laughed slightly at his attempt to slip a pun into the conversation. "Sorry, love. Peeves always seems to be out to get you, doesn't he?" It wasn't the first story she'd heard about him and the poltergeist.

Listening to Matt go off about Ethan, she couldn't help but to laugh, especially as he brought up the rumor about the Gryffindor having a secret lover at Durmstrang. When he asked who it was, she decided to keep quiet and let him tell the Slytherin who would be accompanying him to the ball. He probably wouldn't react much to it, especially considering he and Ella dated a while back. Hearing her name, Luce looked over at Matt, curious as to what he wanted. It took his words a bit to register in her mind, before she realized that she had actually asked her to be his date to the Masquerade. "I'd love to. Are you sure you don't have some adoring fan that you'd rather bring?" She replied with a smile, teasing him slightly. It really was hard to say no to him when he had that smile on his face. Most girls would kill to be going with him. Besides, why go as friends with Drew (especially when he was clearly hopelessly crushing on Elza), when she could go have a good time with Matt and take her mind off of him? "Drew! Oh my god, I'm sorry! I completely forgot... I mean, I'm sure you won't have any trouble finding a date now though." She said, turning to him suddenly, rambling a bit as she smiled hesitantly. Up until just then she had completely forgotten that she'd had plans to go with him instead. It wasn't like she really expected him to care though, he'd probably much rather have a real date then spend his night with her anyway.



ＩＴ ＡＬＭＯＳＴ ＦＥＥＬＳ ＬＩＫＥ Ａ ＪＯＫＥ ＴＯ ＰＬＡＹ ＯＵＴ ＴＨＥ ＰＡＲＴ
ｗｈｅｎ ｙｏｕ ａｒｅ ｎｏｔ ｔｈｅ ｓｔａｒｒｉｎｇ ｒｏｌｅ ｉｎ ｓｏｍｅｏｎｅ ｅｌｓｅ'ｓ ｈｅａｒｔ
ＹＯＵ ＫＮＯＷ Ｉ'Ｄ ＲＡＴＨＥＲ ＷＡＬＫ ＡＬＯＮＥ， ＴＨＡＮ ＰＬＡＹ Ａ ＳＵＰＰＯＲＴＩＮＧ ＲＯＬＥ
ｉｆ ｉ ｃａｎ'ｔ ｇｅｔ ｔｈｅ ｓｔａｒｒｉｎｇ ｒｏｌｅ．
ＳＯＭＥＴＩＭＥＳ Ｉ ＩＧＮＯＲＥ ＹＯＵ ＳＯ Ｉ ＦＥＥＬ ＩＮ ＣＯＮＴＲＯＬ
' ｃａｕｓｅ ｒｅａｌｌｙ， ｉ ａｄｏｒｅ ｙｏｕ， ａｎｄ ｉ ｃａｎ'ｔ ｌｅａｖｅ ｙｏｕ ａｌｏｎｅ

[separated by a scream]

ｌｕｃｉｎｄａ ❉ ＨＡＲＬＯＷ ❉ ｖｅｇａ

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` ＳＥＶＥＮＴＨ ＹＥＡＲ ＳＬＹＴＨＥＲＩＮ

Hearing Matt's response, Luce shook her head slightly, laughing. It really was utterly ridiculous how some girls felt the need to follow him around like lost puppies. That was just a level of patheticness that she would rather die than reach. Apparently many of the other girls in the school didn't share the same sentiment. "Hiding it in the closet is so unoriginal. I keep mine under the bed." She joked, grinning. She was still a bit shocked about the fact that the other Slytherin had actually asked her, of all people. She figured she would have to continue to deal with the younger, and undeniably annoying, younger students to continue to pester her. However, Matt was a much better option than all of them put together. Sure, he had a rather infamous reputation around the school, but he honestly wasn't that bad of a guy, and she certainly wouldn't mind having him as her date to the ball. The only problem was....Drew.

She couldn't believe that she'd managed to forget all about their plans for the ball, and before she knew it, she was rambling off an apology to him. She tried to stop herself, but it tended to happen when she was nervous or frustrated, and once she got started it was difficult to stop. Suddenly, Matt was stuttering out an apology as well, or at least trying to. He always seemed so confident, it was strange to see him being soft spoken, and stuttering too. She looked back and forth between Drew and Matt, judging the looks on their faces. Drew seemed a bit upset, but she figured it was just because he didn't have a backup plan anymore. He'd probably much rather have a real date anyway. Hearing him say that it was fine and that he'd figure something else out, she bit her lip and nodded. "Of course you will." She replied, trying to keep her voice carefully neutral. Matt seemed to relax and was back to his usual self when he asked Drew if it was alright that he went to the ball with her, before proceeding to drape an arm over her shoulder. Well, it appeared as if he had all the answer that he needed. She smiled softly, because, well honestly, as much as she hated to admit, even she wasn't completely immune to the Atwood charm.

Not even a moment later, a familiar Ravenclaw joined the group. "Hey Aidan." She greeted him simply, a smile on her face. She didn't really mind him much, and even considered him a friend. Before she knew it, he was handing Ethan, Drew, and Matt their homework assignments, telling them to let him know if they needed any corrections. Well, at least Drew and Ethan took the time to thank him for it. She tended to her own assignments, if only for the sake of having them done right. Occasionally if she was pressed on time, it wasn't hard to persuade someone to do it for her, but she tried to refrain from doing so. And when she did, it was never Aidan who she had do it. She truly didn't mind him, and besides, it seemed like he was doing more than enough for everyone else anyway, she would've felt bad to burden him any more. When Matt commented about how the use of vocabulary was completely wrong, before deciding that it would be okay, she laughed slightly, before elbowing him lightly. "You're awful." She teased.

Cal joined the group, commenting on how lazy the three were. Shortly after, Elza arrived and she greeted the two simply with a smile. Everyone was too busy defending themselves about how they weren't lazy or something along those lines anyway. The topic changed to why the other blonde was late, and she couldn't help but to laugh. Setting a girl's hair on fire? Elza was about as bad at Defense Against the Dark Arts as she was when it came to Potions. "Well at least he didn't give you detention. But then again, his lectures are almost just as bad." She replied, shaking her head.

Luce's attention drifted a bit, and she found herself tuning in and out of the conversation. When Elza mentioned that Braxton had asked her to the ball, her jaw just about dropped. Everyone seemed to be in equal shock because, well, they all hated him just as much as she did. He was easily one the absolute worst Gryffindors, and that said something. Matt and Ethan both made their comments about him, and she nodded in agreement. "Oh god, I'm so sorry." She replied lightly. Drew easily reacted the most dramatically, spitting out his drink before beginning to rant. She eyed him, an eyebrow raised as she tried to figure out where he was going with all of this, especially as he continued. He actually did it. Finally, after all of these years, he finally got the courage to make a move. The blonde couldn't believe it, but forced herself to smile, waiting to hear Elza's response. She was torn between wanting to be happy for her best friend, but at the same time was a bit upset. Why couldn't lunch go smoothly?



ＩＴ ＡＬＭＯＳＴ ＦＥＥＬＳ ＬＩＫＥ Ａ ＪＯＫＥ ＴＯ ＰＬＡＹ ＯＵＴ ＴＨＥ ＰＡＲＴ
ｗｈｅｎ ｙｏｕ ａｒｅ ｎｏｔ ｔｈｅ ｓｔａｒｒｉｎｇ ｒｏｌｅ ｉｎ ｓｏｍｅｏｎｅ ｅｌｓｅ'ｓ ｈｅａｒｔ
ＹＯＵ ＫＮＯＷ Ｉ'Ｄ ＲＡＴＨＥＲ ＷＡＬＫ ＡＬＯＮＥ， ＴＨＡＮ ＰＬＡＹ Ａ ＳＵＰＰＯＲＴＩＮＧ ＲＯＬＥ
ｉｆ ｉ ｃａｎ'ｔ ｇｅｔ ｔｈｅ ｓｔａｒｒｉｎｇ ｒｏｌｅ．
ＳＯＭＥＴＩＭＥＳ Ｉ ＩＧＮＯＲＥ ＹＯＵ ＳＯ Ｉ ＦＥＥＬ ＩＮ ＣＯＮＴＲＯＬ
' ｃａｕｓｅ ｒｅａｌｌｙ， ｉ ａｄｏｒｅ ｙｏｕ， ａｎｄ ｉ ｃａｎ'ｔ ｌｅａｖｅ ｙｏｕ ａｌｏｎｅ

[separated by a scream]

ｌｕｃｉｎｄａ ❉ ＨＡＲＬＯＷ ❉ ｖｅｇａ

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` ＳＥＶＥＮＴＨ ＹＥＡＲ ＳＬＹＴＨＥＲＩＮ

The Halloween Ball hadn’t even started yet, but the seventh year Slytherin already found herself completely fed up with it. It would be so much easier if she could just snap her fingers and be ready, but instead she found herself going through the tedious process of doing her makeup, hair, and things of that sort. For her costume, she ended up deciding to go as a peacock. Glancing in the mirror, she smiled slightly, partially because it had turned out better than she had anticipated and partially because she was finally done with all of the preparation. Now all that was left to do was to go and try to enjoy herself. She had a feeling that it wouldn’t be too hard though, she was going with Matt Atwood, a date that nearly any girl would kill to have. She was still in a bit of shock that he had actually asked her, but it had mostly worn off at this point.

“Luce, do you think Drew will save me a dance? Oh, who am I kidding? Of course he will.” That annoying voice was one that Luce would recognize anywhere, her roommate Sam. She was easily one of the most annoying Slytherins, if not one of the most annoying students at Hogwarts in general. Of course the blonde just had to have the absolute pleasure of having her as a roommate. It was definitely the one thing that she would never miss about Hogwarts, that much was for sure. It was strange to think that she was in her seventh year at the school and would soon be leaving. “Well he hates you so good luck with that. ”She replied, not paying much attention to the other girl. Her comment might not have been the nicest, but she’d given up on being nice to Sam years ago, and at least it effectively shut her up, something that rarely ever happened.

Glancing over at the brunette, she raised an eyebrow. “What are you even supposed to be?” She asked. Did she really want to be talking to her? No, not particularly, but she still had a few moments to kill and it wasn’t like she had anything better to be doing. “Red Riding Hood.” Luce couldn’t help but to roll her eyes. Sam’s costume, if it could be called that, was certainly a loose interpretation of the character. Leave it to her to turn the ball into an excuse to dress as slutty as possible. She didn’t even want to know what poor pathetic boy she’d convinced to go with her. “Grandmother’s going to have a heart attack.” She muttered under her breath, referring to the grandmother in the classic tale.

“What? My grandma's already dead, Luce, that isn't funny.” Sam asked, looking confused and slightly offended. Luce wondered if she even knew the story of Red Riding Hood, before eventually deciding that she probably didn’t and just thought it would make a good costume. The second part of her statement just proved that, causing her to laugh, even though she knew she really shouldn't. “Nothing. As much as I’d love to stay and chat, I’m going to go meet Matt.” With that, she grabbed her mask and started to head for the door. She still had a few minutes left, but they’d be better spent in the common room than they would with Sam. “Wait, you’re going with Matt? Matt Atwood? Be careful, I-“ Luce laughed lightly as she left the room, closing the door behind her since she didn’t care to hear the rest of her speech, much less respond.

A few other people were hanging around in the common room, probably all waiting to meet up with their dates. After waving to a few people Luce took a seat in a chair, holding her mask in her lap since she didn’t really feel like putting it on yet. All that was left to do now was to wait for Matt to show up and hope that the night went smoothly. Knowing Hogwarts, some drama was sure to ensue, but she planned on staying out of it if at all possible. At least if the ball ended up being boring, there was always the Slytherin after party. Needless to say, it was safe to assume that none of the upperclassmen in her house would be doing anything productive the next day.


ooc costume
ＩＴ ＡＬＭＯＳＴ ＦＥＥＬＳ ＬＩＫＥ Ａ ＪＯＫＥ ＴＯ ＰＬＡＹ ＯＵＴ ＴＨＥ ＰＡＲＴ
ｗｈｅｎ ｙｏｕ ａｒｅ ｎｏｔ ｔｈｅ ｓｔａｒｒｉｎｇ ｒｏｌｅ ｉｎ ｓｏｍｅｏｎｅ ｅｌｓｅ'ｓ ｈｅａｒｔ
ＹＯＵ ＫＮＯＷ Ｉ'Ｄ ＲＡＴＨＥＲ ＷＡＬＫ ＡＬＯＮＥ， ＴＨＡＮ ＰＬＡＹ Ａ ＳＵＰＰＯＲＴＩＮＧ ＲＯＬＥ
ｉｆ ｉ ｃａｎ'ｔ ｇｅｔ ｔｈｅ ｓｔａｒｒｉｎｇ ｒｏｌｅ．
ＳＯＭＥＴＩＭＥＳ Ｉ ＩＧＮＯＲＥ ＹＯＵ ＳＯ Ｉ ＦＥＥＬ ＩＮ ＣＯＮＴＲＯＬ
' ｃａｕｓｅ ｒｅａｌｌｙ， ｉ ａｄｏｒｅ ｙｏｕ， ａｎｄ ｉ ｃａｎ'ｔ ｌｅａｖｅ ｙｏｕ ａｌｏｎｅ

[separated by a scream]

ｌｕｃｉｎｄａ ❉ ＨＡＲＬＯＷ ❉ ｖｅｇａ

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` ＳＥＶＥＮＴＨ ＹＥＡＲ ＳＬＹＴＨＥＲＩＮ

Hearing Drew say she could learn some things from him, she shook her head, rolling her eyes. “You’re the last person I’d trust to teach me anything, Deveraux” Luce replied. That wasn’t necessarily true, but it was more fun to mess with him. “Let’s not forget the time that you tried helping me with Potions.” She added, laughing slightly. Even with his instruction, she still managed to cause the concoction to explode. Not only did it get everywhere, it also left the pair with a couple of minor burns, however it was nothing that a trip to the Hospital Wing couldn’t quickly fix. The whole fiasco was probably due more to her complete inability to do even the simplest of potions, as opposed to his teaching ability, but that was beside the point. If she was anyone else, she probably could have kissed their friendship goodbye, but by this point it’d turned into more of a joke than anything. Their friendship was questioned by more than a few people, which considering how different they were, wasn’t that surprising. Most people had a hard enough time believing she was a Slytherin anyway. She questioned it herself sometimes, but the Sorting Hat had to have had its reasons for sorting her they way it had. If she’d been raised with her mother’s influence, she knew that she’d be undoubtedly different, but she was glad that she’d ended up the way she had, even if she was different than the majority of her housemates.

"I would not have ditched you, Luce." Even though he probably would have rather gone with another girl instead of going as friends with her like they initially planned, Luce knew it was true. He wasn’t one to break promises, at least not to her. She was the one that’d dropped the ball here, not him. She listened as he talked about Elza and how she probably only agreed to go with him because she felt bad, frowning. “Drew…How you asked her doesn’t matter, what matters is that she said yes. Honestly, I’m sure it wasn’t out of pity. Don’t be so down on yourself, love.” Seeing him like this was more than enough to damper her mood by quite a bit. “She’s lucky to be going with you. You’re the best guy I know, and if she can’t see that for some reason, which I doubt, you deserve to be with someone who can.” She added, smiling softly. Even though she was friends with Elza, it did get to be irritating how two years later, she still hadn’t been able to see what was right in front of her. However, the same went for Drew considering he’d been completely oblivious to her recently. The whole situation was just something that she would rather not think about too much.

Luce smiled when he hugged her closer and kissed the top of her head, trying to ignore the way he made her feel. After all, he only saw her as his best friend and nothing more. That was enough for her though, or at least she had herself convinced that it was. “You’d be utterly lost.” She didn’t have a clue what she’d do without him. Whenever anything went wrong, he’d always been the one help her sanity remain intact. Drew was always there for her, through thick and thin. Without him, she knew her life would be drastically different. She might’ve even ended up nice enough to be a Hufflepuff, and what a tragedy that would have been.

Aidan’s reply caused her to smile, although she couldn't help but to elbow Drew in the side after his comment, rolling her eyes. “I can run away with whoever I choose.” She stated, a joking tone to her voice. The attention was then brought back to the Ravenclaw in front of her as his costume was complimented. “He’s right, you look great, Aidan.” Luce told him with a smile. “Do I even want to know what ‘catastrophe’ he’s referring to? And did I just hear something about a girl? Well come on, who is she?” She questioned him. She hadn't heard anything about him having a date before, so she was more than a little curious about whatever girl that Drew had mentioned.

Speaking of dates, hers hadn't arrived yet, nor was he going to, considering the fact that she was going to be meeting Cal at the ball. It just added more of an air of mystery to the Masquerade. He wasn't exactly someone that she pictured herself going with, but she would be lying if she said that she wasn't excited. The night was sure to be interesting, and hopefully one to remember. Once the rest of their little group arrived, they could be off on their way. “There’ll be plenty of time for that later.” She said in response to Aidan, a smile on her lips. The Slytherin after party followed the ball, and chances were that the majority of the older Slytherins, along with some other students, wouldn't be in the best shape the next day.


ooc
costume


ＩＴ ＡＬＭＯＳＴ ＦＥＥＬＳ ＬＩＫＥ Ａ ＪＯＫＥ ＴＯ ＰＬＡＹ ＯＵＴ ＴＨＥ ＰＡＲＴ
ｗｈｅｎ ｙｏｕ ａｒｅ ｎｏｔ ｔｈｅ ｓｔａｒｒｉｎｇ ｒｏｌｅ ｉｎ ｓｏｍｅｏｎｅ ｅｌｓｅ'ｓ ｈｅａｒｔ
ＹＯＵ ＫＮＯＷ Ｉ'Ｄ ＲＡＴＨＥＲ ＷＡＬＫ ＡＬＯＮＥ， ＴＨＡＮ ＰＬＡＹ Ａ ＳＵＰＰＯＲＴＩＮＧ ＲＯＬＥ
ｉｆ ｉ ｃａｎ'ｔ ｇｅｔ ｔｈｅ ｓｔａｒｒｉｎｇ ｒｏｌｅ．
ＳＯＭＥＴＩＭＥＳ Ｉ ＩＧＮＯＲＥ ＹＯＵ ＳＯ Ｉ ＦＥＥＬ ＩＮ ＣＯＮＴＲＯＬ
' ｃａｕｓｅ ｒｅａｌｌｙ， ｉ ａｄｏｒｅ ｙｏｕ， ａｎｄ ｉ ｃａｎ'ｔ ｌｅａｖｅ ｙｏｕ ａｌｏｎｅ

[separated by a scream]

ＰＩＰＥＲ ❉ ＡＬＥＸＩＳ ❉ ＴＨＡＴＣＨＥＴ

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`ｒｏｕｇｅ

As usual, business was painfully slow at the bookstore the twenty-one year old known as Piper Thatchet worked at. Currently, she was perched atop a stool with a book in her hand, not paying the slightest bit of attention to anything around her. One of the many perks of working in a store owned by her aunt was the fact that she could get away with quite a few things that she wouldn't be able to anywhere else, such as spending her day reading instead of actually getting anything accomplished. Of course she was forced back to reality by the occasional customer, but that didn't bother her much. The other employees could take care of shelving or the other less desirable jobs. She knew that eventually she would have to get a real job, but until she got out of college, she was more than content with this.

"Excuse me?" Hearing the voice, she sighed before setting her book aside and looking up. The woman standing in front of her appeared to be pushing fifty and heavier set, with an irritated look on her face. On the counter sat a few romance novels that looked terribly tragic, along with a children's book. The redhead could help but to smile slightly in amusement at the juxtaposition of it, shaking her head. The woman pushed the books forward further, as if to say "Come on, hurry up", but she only looked at the clock instead. Seeing as her shift was over, all she did was simply push the books back.

"Listen, you'll have to find somebody else to ring up these literary atrocities because I'm officially off the clock." Piper explained, stuffing her book into her bag, not even looking at the lady. "I'm sure Daveigh would love to help you," She added as an afterthought, gesturing to the register next to her. Flashing the woman a smile that could be considered apologetic, she fled to her aunt's office to tell her she was leaving for the day.

"Hey, Aunt Laura, I'm heading out. Important tenant meeting in a few and if I'm not there I'll find myself living on the streets in no time." When she stepped into the office, she saw her aunt poring over some documents, her glasses resting dangerously low on her nose. It took her a moment to even register the fact that her niece had said something to her, but she just nodded, dismissing her with a wave of her hand. It was strange behavior for her, considering that she was usually so vibrant and loud. Piper leaving nearly always turned into a ten minute conversation about something or another, yet today was entirely different. She shook it off, figuring that her aunt was just busy or tired, most likely both."Tell Jax I said hello," She added.

"Will do," Piper replied, ducking outside of the room and hurrying out the door. If she hurried, she would have just enough time to stop by her apartment to drop off her things and make herself look a little more presentable before the meeting began. There was always a risk of being late, however she didn't care too much since the meetings hardly said anything of importance anyway. They were rather superfluous, and in her opinion, it was completely ridiculous that Mr. Richardson insisted all of the tenants be present to them. Doesn't he have something better to be doing? Or more importantly, doesn't he realize that nearly every person that attends them has something better to be doing?

She continued to question the necessity of the meetings as she made the walk from the shop to her apartment building, a trek that only took about five minutes. Ah, the perks of working close to home. That was just one of quite a few reasons her apartment was convenient. Another being the fact that her parents offered to pay part of her rent, partially because of the fact she was still in school, but also due to the fact that her stepbrother Jaxon lived there as well. They expected her to develop a better sense of responsibility after being around him for awhile, but he wasn’t exactly the portrait of responsibility and if living in the same house as him for years hadn’t taught her anything, this wasn’t likely to either. She went along with it though, seeing no harm in letting them think she’d changed.

One thing had actually changed since she had moved in, that being her relationship with Jax. When their parents first started dating, the two were constantly at each other’s throats. After he and his younger brother moved in, things continued to get progressively worse. She always got along just fine with Dan, who was the only one to know about her love for comic books. It was his brother that she had issues with, seeing as she found his overconfident and at times pushy demeanor to be rather irritating, as opposed to endearing which was how most people seemed to see it. It also didn’t help that he was just about as stubborn as she was. Over the years, their relationship shifted and they started to become friends, despite their obvious differences.

After climbing the three flights of stairs it took to get to her apartment, Piper stepped in the hallway to see Thing One and Thing Two, otherwise known as Gertrude and Mildred walking straight for her. “Something wicked this way comes,” She muttered under her breath. The redhead had the pleasure of sharing an apartment with the younger Berry sister, which was terrifying to say the least. She wasn’t one to judge a person entirely by their appearance, yet the girl’s personality matched her…interesting look. She hadn’t been able to figure out which of the sisters was creepier, yet she wasn’t eager to find out. She tended to go about her own business, ignoring the pair whenever possible, which wasn’t easy considering how they were both the type of girls that had a hard time keeping their mouths shut for more than a minute.

“Piper! We were just going to the tenant meeting, do you want to come with?” Mildred asked, coming to a stop.

“I’m sure Austin will be there” Just seconds after she finished, Gertrude piped up, her voice sounding giddy with an excitement that was far from being socially acceptable.

“You’re the ones in love with him, not me. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got something to take care and I’ll be there when I can.” With that taken care of, Piper sidestepped her way past them and made it to her apartment. Dropping her bag on the floor of her bedroom unceremoniously, she made her way to the bathroom to check her appearance. Running a hand through her hair she decided she looked decent enough and left. Her room was a bit of a mess, as it always was. Although she made sure to help keep the rest of the apartment presentable, cleaning her room had never been a priority. Wondering if she still had some time to kill before the tenant meeting, she glanced at the clock before quickly realizing she was wrong.

Not long later, Piper found herself entering the community room of the building across the street. Quite a few familiar faces had already begun to gather there, however there were only a couple of people worth talking to, in her opinion. She spotted Karli and Sheldon talking and hoped that he would have enough sense not to try to talk to her at the meeting. Although they occasionally shared comic books and talked, she wasn’t eager to make a big show of it in public. Looking away, she noticed her best friend sitting with Kalis and Austin, which seemed to be rather odd. “Sorry boys, but I need to steal her for a moment,” She stated with a smile, gesturing for Vydia to follow her. She didn’t have any intentions of bringing her back but that was beside the point.

“Interesting choice of friends,” She commented, after taking a seat more toward the back of the room. There was one thing even more curious than who her best friend had been sitting with and that was the fact that she was actually on time to the meeting. Piper couldn’t recall the girl ever getting there early, not like she would really know considering it was rare that she showed up when she was supposed to as well. “Any particular reason you decided not to show up fashionably late as usual?” She asked, curiosity in her voice.

ooc;

[separated by a scream]

After a long day of classes, Pennyweather Locke, or Penn as she preferred, found herself at the entrance to the Hufflepuff common room. She tapped the appropriate barrel in the rhythm of Helga Hufflepuff before stepping inside. With its low ceilings and earthy tones, it was nearly impossible not to feel cozy and right at home there. In her seven years of being at Hogwarts, she’d grown well accustomed to entering the common room and she hardly had to think about it, but it hadn’t always been so easy for her. During the beginning of her first year, she’d had a bit of trouble getting it right, which led to not only her getting locked out, but also being covered in vinegar. Needless to say, she made a point to learn it quick to avoid further embarrassment.

A look around the common room showed a more diverse crowd than it had in her previous years of attending the school. This was due to the fact that for the first time in half a century, the Triwizard Tournament was being held again. She hadn't bothered putting her name in, knowing that if she somehow managed to get picked, it wouldn't end well for her. When it came to magic, she was decent, but she was also a bit of klutz. There were others far more fit to represent the school and in her opinion, the goblet had chosen well, even if not everyone else saw it that way. Students from Beauxbatons, Durmstrang, and Hogwarts alike all crowded the halls, and would continue to do so until the end of the year. Watching all of the cultures come together was interesting to say the least, even if there was some conflict between the schools.

Most of it was just friendly competition, yet some of it had little to do with the tournament itself. Penn wasn't one for conflict, whether it was physical or verbal, and generally tried her best to remain uninvolved in it, even if her friends weren't so quick to shy away. She tried to discourage them from it sometimes, mainly Micah, but her pleas often seemed to fall upon deaf ears. At least it could be rather comical at times. For the most part she managed to get along well enough with the students from the other school, even if a few did manage to get on her nerves.

Once she had greeted some people, she made her way to the girls’ dormitories so that she could drop off her things before going to meet Mitri, Durmstrang’s male champion. She’d quickly become friends with him, even if they were rather different from each other, which seemed to be part of the reason that she felt drawn to him in the first place. He was cautious and quiet, whereas she was impulsive and with her tendency to ramble, had a hard time keeping her mouth shut. She was well aware of the pressure he was under seeing as he was a champion, yet the blonde was determined to help him loosen up. Besides, Christmas was around the corner and there was still awhile to go before the next task, meaning it was no time to be serious. It was a time to have fun and appreciate those around you.

A little while later, Penn found herself walking across the bridge where they often met. “Hi Mitri!” She replied with a smile. Listening to him, she laughed slightly, shaking her head. “I’ve got an idea." She tapped her fingers on the railing of the bridge, looking out at it. No matter how many times she'd been there, the view still managed to impress her. The bridge itself was interesting enough in her opinion, seeing as a good portion of it was destroyed during the Battle of Hogwarts. “I could tell you, but where’s the fun in that?” She asked, grinning mischievously at him, before leading him off to their next destination.

Once they arrived at Black Lake, she took a seat on a stone bench nearby, gesturing for him to do the same. “Sorry it’s not exactly the most exciting place around, but options are limited when you can’t leave the grounds.” In the months that the pair had known each other, they’d managed to go on more than a few adventures and she was beginning to run out of ideas at this point. As much as Penn loved Hogwarts, it was good to get away sometimes, whether it be for a trip to Hogsmeade for the day or to spend the summer with her parents. Summers were often filled with traveling, seeing as her parents seemed to get just as restless as her if they stayed in one place for too long. Before she began to attend Hogwarts, they’d moved around quite a bit, never able to settle in one place.

ooc blehhh. short and sucky in general, sorry. :c
i hate writing first posts ahh >.<

[separated by a scream]

Brand New played softly from the computer as Jaxon Lightwood mopped the floors of the gallery he worked at. He hummed along as he worked, glad that he was just about done for the day. The gallery itself was owned by an older man with a good deal of money and it often seemed like the twenty-two year old was practically running the place himself. There was two other employees, but one only worked part time. His boss called every day to stay up to date, popped in sporadically, and paid the bills, but that was about the extent of his involvement. The gallery seemed to be more of a thing for him to boast about owning at dinner parties, as opposed to an actual business he ran. Even though it was a lot more work for him, Jax didn’t mind it much. It just helped to prepare him for when he moved onto something bigger, such as a museum. The pay was more than enough for him to live decently, but that didn’t mean he wanted to stay at a gallery showcasing local artists forever.

After putting away the mop, he went about the process of turning everything off and locking up. Now he was off to the month tenant meeting at his apartment building, or as he preferred to think of it, the monthly waste of his time. He wouldn't have a problem with them if Mr. Richardson ever said anything of actual importance, but instead he droned on about the same things every month in his monotonous voice. Fear of getting evicted was the only reason Jax even bothered to show up in the first place, usually in a timelier manner than his sister.

Ten minutes later, he found himself strolling into the building across the street. Janet could be seen sitting at her desk and looking over paperwork, as usual. Hearing the door, she looked up. He smiled and waved, getting only a slight nod in return. He’d lived there for quite some time, yet he couldn’t recall ever getting her to smile. A rather large portion of the tenants had already began to arrive for the meeting by the time he got to the conference room. Strangely enough, Mr. Richardson wasn’t there, but he figured that the older man was probably just off looking for stragglers.

Scanning the room, he was caught off guard by the fact that Piper and Vydia were both already there. He couldn’t recall there ever being a time when one of them arrived before him, let alone both. “Look who decided to show up on time for once,” Jax teased, an amused smile on his face. Even though he’d gotten close to Piper since she’d moved in, they didn’t exactly have the same circle of friends. Vydia wasn’t his favorite person by any means, but he was always friendly, if only for his sister’s sake. It wasn’t like Piper really loved his friends either. He was just glad that they’d managed to call an end to their feud from high school though, finding it easier to be friends with her than enemies.

Even though they were still technically enemies, seeing as he was a hero while she was a villain. He tried to talk her out of things sometimes, even though she never listened to him. When she had her mind set on something, there was no changing it. If she was in a bad situation and needed help, he protected her and vice versa. Even if he didn’t agree with the things she did, he wasn’t about to let her get hurt. That was just how he was.

Deciding that he could just talk to Piper later, he moved on from them. He noticed Kalis and Austin, both of which he considered to be good friends of his, but he wasn’t about to interrupt them at the moment so he opted to just wave. Then there was the Berry sisters, who he wouldn’t ever dream of talking to, even if they were the last girls on Earth. He’d only had a few encounters with them personally, but he’d heard more than a few horror stories. Karli was currently tied up talking to Sheldon and he decided that they’d be the perfect duo to approach.

Hearing the quirky man’s last comment, he was unable to restrain a laugh, which he quickly covered up with a cough. “That seems like an excellent topic of conversation. Karli, would you care to enlighten us on the matter?” He asked, an amused smile on his face. He knew she had a knack for being punctual and wondered how long she’d been stuck talking to Sheldon, before deciding that she could probably use some rescuing. “I’m sure Karli would love to stay and talk, but we really do have some business to attend to.”

With that, he made his departure from yet another group, this time bringing her with him. Finding two open seats, he gestured for her to sit. “Sorry, if you’d rather talk to Sheldon feel free to go over there, but I figured you’d probably had enough.” He shrugged, looking over at her. Jax highly doubted that she actually would, or that anyone would given the choice. He didn’t really have anything against the comic enthusiast, he just knew that he got to be a bit much after awhile. “Looks like you’ve had a long day. Work, school, both?” He’d known her for long enough to pick up on the fact that she was nearly always busy with something, hardly taking any time for herself. He was motivated to succeed in life, but he was nowhere near as dedicated as her. To be honest, he’d never really seen anyone with a drive quite like hers. It was incredible, even if he worried she’d run herself down one day.

ooc ; so i couldn't quite remember what i plotted with everyone, but i think this is about right. if anything needs to be changed, let me know. c:

[separated by a scream]

It was only ten o’clock in the morning, yet Talia Lysandra Lagos had already been up and going since before four. She’d overslept and it really was a miracle that she’d been able to make her flight to Dubai. Luckily, there weren’t that many people on the road at that time. The airport was relatively quiet as well, mainly just businessmen catching red-eye flights, presumably home for the holidays. Unlike them, she was leaving to spend a month in Dubai. Her parents were furious with her for leaving, seeing as they were extremely family-oriented people and took any excuse they could to get the large clan together. For awhile it seemed like her mother was going to skin her alive, but that didn’t stop her from making her plans to leave anyway.

She hadn’t been entirely honest with them about the nature of her trip though. Even though she was twenty-six, independent, and fully capable of doing as she pleased, she knew she’d never hear the end of it from her parents if she told them the real reason she was going. Her mother would rant about how it was a ridiculous idea and that it was how young woman were murdered, while her father would simply say that it was impractical. So instead she told them it was a getaway with her ‘boyfriend’, which prompted many questions that she avoided by saying she had a work emergency. As difficult as it could be at times, she’d perfected the art of dealing with her parents.

How could she pass up the opportunity to be united with nine of her online friends in Dubai though? She was closer with some more so than others, but that was beside the point. The group had always talked about meeting up, but the timing had never been right before. There was one good thing about waiting so long, and that was the fact that it gave her time to save up enough money so that she could stay for awhile, a month to be exact. Getting the time off of work wasn’t an easy task, but after a bit of pleading and some stockpiling of vacation and sick time, she’d managed to get the month off. Even if she had to suffer through going to work sick quite a few times, it was more than worth it to be able to meet some of the people she was closest to in person. It really was the opportunity of a lifetime.

Actually getting to Dubai was sure to be one of the worst parts for Talia, seeing as she hated traveling. Didn’t everyone though? With the lines at security, the large families with crying children, leading up to long (not to mention boring) flights, and then the ever present worry that luggage had been lost somewhere along this hectic process, it was hard to believe that anyone actually enjoyed it. Luckily, this particular trip wasn’t too bad for the young Greek woman, at least once she realized that she was going to be able to make her flight. Despite how excited she was to arrive in Dubai, it was still extremely early and she couldn’t help but to succumb to sleep at a few points throughout her four and half hour flight.

Once she arrived at Dubai Airport, she weaved through the crowds of people swiftly, desperate to get her luggage as soon as possible. She tapped her foot anxiously as she waited for it to come around on the conveyor belt, irritated by the fact that of course it had to be one of the last suitcases to come through. After getting her things, she proceeded to go through customs, which took longer than she would’ve liked it to. However, at this point, minutes felt like hours and she was desperate to get to the hotel and see all of her friends.

After a quick taxi ride and a rather rushed conversation with a man at the front desk, Talia found herself at the door to her hotel room. After letting herself in, she dropped all of her things on the floor before plopping onto the bed facedown and sighing in relief. It was finally starting to sink in that she was really in Dubai, soon to be surrounded by some of her best friends. A moment later, she sat up and looked around her room for the first time. It was simplistic and open, yet still vibrant, which suited her taste just fine. Getting up, she went to bathroom to freshen up and then exited the room, a new mission in mind.

She’d formulated her plan weeks ago and had already started to get the ball rolling, but now it was time to really get things moving. Rylan was the first person in their little group that she’d started talking to, around nine years ago. Even though their friendship had a bit of a rocky start, there were few people that she was closer to than him and it would be an understatement to say that she was excited to finally be face to face with him. She’d formulated her plan weeks ago and had already started to get the ball rolling, but now it was time to really get things moving. In true Talia nature, she wasn’t about to have some boring story about meeting him (not that flying out to Dubai was something that could be considered boring to most people) and she wanted to think of some way to make it even better.

It’d taken a couple of minor lies to get it to work, but she figured it’d be worth it. The first lie being that her flight wasn’t getting in until three, when it really got in much earlier than that. And the second was that she’d meet him in the lobby of the extravagant hotel as soon as she arrived. She didn’t plan on doing either of those things, but what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him. Instead, she found herself standing in front of his hotel room. “Room service!” Talia chimed, doing her best to disguise her voice. She crossed her arms, unable to stop herself from smiling as she waited for him to open the door.

ooc ;

[separated by a scream]

Hearing Karli thank him, he just nodded. He’d be lying if he said it wasn’t the reaction that he’d been anticipating. Sheldon was a rather odd person in his opinion and from what he’d gathered, most others too. The comic book store owner’s mind moved quickly and was chocked full of references, making it hard for Jax to follow his train of thought a lot of the time. His stepsister seemed to have an easier time with it, seeing as he walked in on them talking once. He didn’t quite hear what they were talking about, but it from the looks of it, it was friendly enough, something he definitely wouldn’t expect from her. He still couldn’t figure out what they could’ve possibly been talking about, but that was a mystery to solve another day.

He turned his attention back to girl beside him as she talked about her day. It didn’t seem quite as hectic as some of her days, but he knew well enough just how draining school alone could be. Work and school in the same day could be downright hell sometimes, which was why he tried to avoid it whenever possible. It was often hard for him to stay away though, seeing as it seemed like there was always some “emergency” to tend to at the gallery. In between lectures he often found himself dropping by to make sure things hadn’t plunged into chaos while he was gone. He could be a bit of a perfectionist at times and he didn’t exactly trust the other employees one hundred percent. Perhaps that was because they had a habit of calling him whenever the littlest thing went wrong. “Is anything unmanageable for you? You’re practically unstoppable,” He teased, even though he was mostly serious. Out of everyone he knew, she was by far the most hardworking.

The focus of the conversation was turned toward him as she asked how the gallery was. “A bit annoying. It started to feel more like babysitting for awhile because some people don’t know how to control their kids,” He replied, rolling his eyes. If he wanted to watch after unruly children, he’d be getting a degree in childcare, but that wasn’t the case. There was a reason he was studying art history after all. As much as he loved the gallery, he couldn’t wait to get a job somewhere bigger. He knew it’d have to wait until he graduated though, especially since he couldn’t really move at the moment. “You think they’d at least tell their kids ‘Don’t touch the paintings’, but apparently that’s too much to ask of them,” He finished, sighing.

He tapped his foot, a habit that he’d picked up from his father, as he waited for the meeting to begin. Even though he’d much rather talk to Karli, as opposed to listening to Mr. Richardson drone on for his usual hour, he eager to be free to spend his weekend as he pleased. He’d accidentally fallen asleep during the meetings more than once out of sheer boredom, but the landlord had caught him every single time. Each time Jax found himself being rudely awoken after getting hit with some miscellaneous object. Needless to say, he and the older man weren’t exactly on the best terms. It wasn’t like Richardson reserved his dislike for Jaxon alone, it seemed like there were few people that were very few people on his good side, if he even had one. The man might be able to run the apartments wonderfully, but that didn’t mean he was gifted with great people skills.


ooc ; short post is short welp

[separated by a scream]

I ONLY HAVE BUT ONE COMPLAINT AT THE MOMENTXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

DON'T PAINT ME BLACK WHEN I USED TO BE GOLDEN

Going back to Hogwarts was always one of the best times of the year for Benjamin Troy. His had family escorted him to Kings Cross Station, as they always did. His parents did seem to be sad to see him go, but he couldn’t help but to wonder if they were secretly relieved to see him go, even if he’d be back in a few months. He tried not to think about that much, choosing to focus on how happy he was to be going back to Hogwarts instead. Leaving his sisters behind was much harder and he always missed them terribly while he was gone. Athena cried when he hugged her goodbye, and Clarisse appeared to be near tears, but he reassured them that he’d be back soon, just like he always was.

He spent the train ride catching up with friends and although uneventful, it was pleasant. Once he arrived at Hogwarts, the night progressed as it usually did with the feast in the Great Hall and the sorting of the first years. Ben didn’t mind watching the sorting, which always brought back memories of when he was sorting. It was a nerve wracking experience to say the least, considering he’d never been through anything quite like it. That was how most things were for him at Hogwarts at first, but he was a quick learner. In the beginning, nearly everything about the school fascinated him, and it still does to some extent, but he’d grown accustomed to it over his years of being there. After the feast was over, he was tempted to look through his textbooks, but a few friends had managed to talk him out of it. They went on about how there would be plenty of time to study once classes actually started and it wasn’t long before he felt as if he had no choice but to agree, considering that they did have a valid point.

Since then, a week had passed and life at Hogwarts was going on as usual, at least for Ben. The work load was still rather small, seeing as the year had just begun, but he was already on top of things. So many students left things to the last minute, but he was never one to procrastinate. He didn’t enjoy feeling stressed or having to rush his work, so it was easier for him to just spread his assignments out over a longer period of time. While a few of his friends were having a small get together, he was busy working. He knew it wasn’t good for him to work as much as he did, but once he got started it was hard to stop.

Unlike most teenagers, Benjamin didn’t mind having to get up early for school. Sleep had always seemed like a waste of time to him and he often operated on very little. The less he slept, the more time he had to spend with his friends or study. On this particular morning, his morning routine was already completed and he was ready to go to breakfast by the time his roommate was just getting up. Grabbing his things, he made his way through the common room and over to the Great Hall for breakfast.

Once he got there, he spotted a few of his friends at the Hufflepuff table and waved. Ben decided against going over there, deciding to sit at his own table instead, even though it was rather empty. He preferred to be around people, but he didn’t mind sitting alone. Besides, someone else would probably show up eventually, saving him from boredom. After piling a ridiculous amount onto his plate, he began to eat.


ooc ; ugh so short

[separated by a scream]

Penn’s adventures with Mitri were often far from boring, which was exactly why she enjoyed them. Although he was much more cautious than her, he rarely ever objected to whatever outrageous thing she had planned. Throughout the course of the last couple of months, he seemed to be getting more and more courageous or he’d at least stopped protesting as much. At this point, it had become usual for her to drag him along places. Even though they were different, things always seemed to be better whenever he was around.

As beautiful as the view of the lake from the bench was, it was no surprise that she’d gotten antsy just sitting there. She was content to just do something simple like that on some occasions, but this wasn’t one of those nights. After a short amount of time, they found themselves wandering around again as they talked. Despite the decent weather, they seemed to be the only ones outside at the time. It was probably the snow that had been keeping everyone inside, not to mention the fact that dinner would be served soon. They’d reached one of the platforms that overlooked the lake and she looked out at it, a soft smile on her face.

It was one of her favorite places on the Hogwarts grounds, perhaps because of all of the mystery it held. No matter how hard she looked, it was nearly impossible to see very far down into its depths, making Black Lake a very apt name for it. An interesting myriad of creatures called it their home, some more friendly than others. Merpeople and grindylows were just a couple inhabitants of the lake. Penn had never swam in it personally, and she wasn’t exactly keen on the idea, but it was an interesting thought. Even she had to draw the line somewhere though, especially since swimming wasn’t one of her talents. To be perfectly honest, she could barely even swim and Black Lake didn’t seem like an appealing place to practice. “Have you ever thought about swimming in it?” She asked, a challenge in her voice as she looked over at him.

"You can't be serious. I would never."

He then proceeded to talk about how cold it was and how it was probably freezing, causing her to grin. His answer was just what she’d been anticipating. If she wouldn’t swim in the Black Lake, it was safe to say that there was no way he’d agree to it. "Oh don't tell me the Durmstrang champion's afraid of a little water?" Penn teased lightly. Of course, she wouldn’t let on to the fact that she didn’t plan on swimming in the lake yet, choosing to play along instead. It wasn’t as if either one of them would actually go through with it, so there wasn’t really any harm in doing so. "Come on Mitri. It won't be that bad. I'll do it too."

She took a few steps forward, trying to get closer to the edge so she could see better. "Penn, I don't think it's a good idea t- Penn!" Even though Mitri meant well with his warning, she didn’t get to hear the rest of it before she found herself slipping over the edge and plummeting into the freezing water. She wasn’t exactly why she thought it was a good idea to stand so close to the edge when she was notoriously clumsy, but it was too late to think much about it at this point. Yet again, her curiosity had gotten the best of her.

She began to panic, struggling to reach the surface, but it wasn’t long before Dmitri came to her rescue and started to bring them back up. The temperature of the water had definitely thrown her off guard, seeing as it much colder than she had expected it to be. Once her face was above water, she gasped and was about to thank him, but was him interrupted when he asked if she gripped his leg, sounding slightly panicked. A look of confusion crossed her face and she stuck her face underwater, only to find a mermaid. “Looks like you’ve got a friend,” She replied, knowing that the situation wasn’t exactly a good one. Her mind began to kick into overdrive as she thought of ways to get out of the lake without having to abandon Mitri.

“Kick and move as much as you can, just get it off of you,” Penn instructed, an idea forming in her mind. If he could just get the mermaid off of his leg, then she could cast a body-binding curse. The creature would still be able to hear and see, but it wouldn’t be able to stop them from escaping the frigid water. Once he’d accomplished that, she fumbled for her wand, something she knew she probably should have done a moment ago, but the panic had gotten the best of her. “Petrificus Totalus” She cast, trying her hardest to keep her teeth from chattering. Surprisingly, it appeared to work for the moment.

Still gripping Mitri’s arm to keep herself afloat, she started to kick and use her other arm to guide the pair to the shore. The blonde wasn’t the strongest swimmer and if she planned on getting back on land, she’d need a bit of assistance. Luckily, they weren’t that far away. The cold temperature was beginning to get to her and she was desperate to have the ground beneath her feet again. Being in the air on a broom didn’t bother her, but being the water made her feel terribly helpless.

Eventually, they made it back to the shore and she let out a sigh of relief. Still soaking wet and with shaking legs, Penn hugged MItri tightly. “Thank you so much, Mitri.” If he wasn’t there, the situation could’ve gone much differently and not favorably for her. “In case you didn’t notice, I’m not the best swimmer and I was completely bluffing back there about wanting to go in the water. Believe it or not, I have my limits,” She joked, laughing slightly. She couldn’t help but to shiver, still cold from the water, and kept close to him for warmth. It didn’t seem to help much since he was soaking wet too, but at least it was something.

ooc