Hogwarts: New Generation

[Namora]

[ ooc: New Banner for Sethi! (Finally) ]

[ Hogsmeade; The Three Broomsticks Inn ]

Sethen proceeded back to the table, not bothering to glance over his shoulder at the waitress and what she was doing anymore. Instead the boy turned his eyes over to Melinda, peering at her to see her sitting herself down as he returned. He could feel eyes on him as he moved back, but thankfully people began minding their own business and returning their attention to where it belonged, namely anywhere but with him. He placed himself in the stool, murmuring a half-assed apology out of politness but she seemed consumed in calming herself down. The girl was taking in a few deep breaths, and Seth was surprised to see her doing so, Melinda wasn't one to lose her head over anything and now he was shocked to see her have to collect herself again. As he rejoined her he looked at her face, watching for some kind of reaction, a scolding perhaps? But none came, she didn't even nod at his return, the girl just let out a breath and her expression returned to it's typical stoic, scowling nature. Melinda was the only girl he knew who could pull off looking constantly the way she did, not cold or careless but those were part of it... she managed to looked bored and yet always held an air of arrogance about her, it was something he had to admire, he always had, however her eyes held something else, anger? Disappointment? It was hard to place, but the way the light hit them caused his gut twisted in an uncomfortable, guilty manner.

She seemed angry and for a moment he couldn't imagine why, perhaps he'd embarrassed her by making such a scene, but he tried to reason with himself that Melinda must understand... that guy had been asking for it, seriously, Seth was ashamed to be in the same house as the uniform-clad turd. Surely she was too... then again, Melinda was Melinda, that is to say, far from typical. Which was something that he both loved and hated, she was hard to please at times because she was different, but this difference--or at times, indifference--was what made her so interesting to be around. Seth continued to rack his brain, if the fight was what was eating at her and how it hadn't been his place to intervene, sure it wasn't any of his business but he felt obligated to not only for Sabrina's sake, but for the sake of Gryffindor's dignity! On a regular basis he really hadn't been one to give a damn on how other guys went about getting girls, it was their business, however it was a bad habit of Gryffindor's in general to act in a chivalrous manner, more so Sethen but reserved solely for when people he cared for were caught between a rock and a hard place... He was just following how Gryffindor's were supposed to act!

His justifications rang throughout his own head and he felt an urge to voice them, however as he thought about it they sounded more and more like weak petty arguments than anything, he was acting childish and now he felt a wave of personal humiliation because of it. He would like to think his intentions had been noble, but really he was just being territorial like the dog he was. Melinda didn't seem to notice his personal war, or she just didn't care, she just held up her card and pointed at a dish for the waitress to note down.
"and one butterbeer along with it, please."
She spoke, as if nothing had happened earlier. The serving woman jotted down the order on her notepad and as she was about to turn away Seth caught her attention again by making a slight noise along the lines of 'um...', as well as raising his hand just slightly. He looked at the butterbeer with distaste and pushed it toward the waitress...
"Could you throw this ou-- err... naw that'd be a waste... uh...give it to the blonde over there I suppose. She could use something to drink." He said with a sigh as he gestured half-heartedly toward the lonely veela figure (a rare sight indeed), "I'll buy my own, please make it hot and draped in foam"

He gave her a weak smile and an apologetic look, the woman nodded trying to hide her annoyance and picked up the drink before turning away. Seth would usually be feeling pretty good about himself right about now, he'd saved the hottest girl in school from a complete and utter dick (never mind the fact that he was almost as douchey at times, however Seth respected the whole 'no' thing, unless the reactions were priceless in which case he would persist just for laughs...), and he hadn't been punished in the slightest for his actions except by himself. He found he was embarrassed for how he'd acted back there. He let out a sigh and metaphorically kicked his shame in the nuts, gathering enough courage to look up at Melinda
"Mel...I... Um... I'm sorry for... Yeah..." He scratched his cheek, not really sure on why he was apologizing aside from the fact that it felt right, he knew it was his fault, after all, she was tickled off at something and she hadn't been when he'd left "I'm sorry for being a jackass, I could've handled that better, or maybe not at all...."
His courage faltered again and his eyes shot down to his twiddling thumbs, perhaps it had been how he'd not bothered to respond just before storming off, he'd ignored her, having been too focused on not launching something across the room in defense of the girl and that might have dealt a blow to her prid-- the boy stopped himself in mid thought, if he tried to pick her brain he would drive himself nuts. Girls and their brains were hard to work with for most boys, while Seth knew just witch buttons to push, but again, Melinda was different and a real pain to try and read, she was on a whole new level of cryptic... or maybe she wasn't that hard to figure out and Sethen was an idiot.....? The boy risked a glanced back up at her, elbow on the table now and palm over his mouth rather than his chin.
​

 

[Wicked]

⊱ Edge of Hogsmeade Village » Hogsmeade Village; High Street ⊰

Jay was not sure if he was even further annoyed, embarrassed or impressed with how little reaction the older man was giving him. His expression did not even flinch, when many others felt the need to cower away; even many, many adults. But this man was weathered, and he had the air on him that he had seen all kinds of things over his years. Maybe enough horrible ones not to be affected over some defiant teenage boy one bit, half-vampire or not. To Aled MacNeill it seemed like Jayden Everdragomir was just a kid who tried to play the role of a bigger boy than he actually was, and failing miserably.

"No, that's not what happened." Professor MacNeill simply stated, like it was a solid fact and there was no way going around it. The world was round and not flat, nor even square shaped so it would be useless to fit that piece to a round hole when it did not go through it like in the children's toys. Jay grind his teeth together again, making the jaw move under the skin as he squinted his eyes ever so slightly for a sharp disapproving look, before directing his eyes finally elsewhere from the professor. He did not like it when someone was going against his word, even when it was a blatant lie; the boy was used to lying his way through tight situations like these, so he could not understand why it was not working on the bearded Scottish man. And that frustrated him.

"I'm not going to punish you Jayden. You didn't do anything wrong then and now you are lying to protect your friend. A pretty admirable trait if you ask me, when an Auror is captured we lie to protect our friends too. I'll just have to have a chat with Miss Gallagher herself." MacNeill chuckled simply before turning around, leaving Jay to scowl at the closest pine like it would have deeply offended him somehow. Well, he had tried. At least he could not really be blamed if Sabrian got into trouble, and she kind of really deserved it. The thought nearly made the dark haired boy hope the half-veela would get into a heap of trouble. However, why he was not punished was a mystery. Jay got always punished, and he had hit people back there, and the man seemed to know it too. This perplexed the Slytherin, who frowned at the pine tree, which made him seem like he was now plotting it's murder by turning it into tinderboxes.

Jay shoved his hands into the pockets of his trench coat and huffed to himself, his breath coming up in a puff of steam as he turned his gaze forward and he was about to start moving. Just in time when the D.A.D.A. Professor stopped and turned around to face him again, adding the last words before finally parting; "It may mean nothing now, but my office is always open if you should have need of me."

Then the man turned around, wobbling away with his cane and the hound. Jay was frozen in place again, staring at the broad shouldered back as it kept advancing farther away from him and towards the village's entrance.

What the hell?

Jay's strong dark eyebrows knitted together, creating a crease between them. What did he mean by that? Why would he need Professor MacNeill for anything? Well other than maybe homework, but Jay did not really do homework, and if he did, he simply did not care if the answers were right or not. So that crossed that option out instantly. So yes, like Professor MacNeill had stated himself, it meant nothing now. Nor ever.

Pulling his hand from the pocket, Jay studied his wounded knuckles with little interest. They were already healing and forming new skin over the ripped one. Jay's cheek had scraped the ground earlier too, but that had not left any kind of mark, it just felt a little bit sore around the cheekbone. Shoving the hand back to the pocket of his jacket, Jay scoffed to himself a little bit, still in a bad mood, confused by the whole discussion with MacNeill and wondering what the hell he should do now when he was alone. Turning his gaze towards the village, Jay addressed it with silent distaste. Do not get him wrong, he liked the little village itself that looked like it was ripped right out of a Christmas card. It was just the kind of place meant for visiting with friends. And right now there he was, standing at the edge of it like a Billy no-mates. What a loser. Standing there alone made him feel like a complete idiot.

A gust of wind ruffled Jay's raven black locks, making him shiver. Whatever, friends or not, he was ready to freeze his ass off any second now. He needed to get to moving to stay warm, and maybe visit some shops as an excuse to keep warm. But he also had some business to take care of, which was more than welcome to do alone for now, so maybe this outcome was not such a bad thing after all. He really needed to look at few top secret things, and then meet up with the apprentice guy who worked in Zonko's, since he was the one who got Jay the Firewhisky. But that was only secondary, Jay had something much more urgent to take care of, even though his deadline was still two months ahead. But two months was really little when you were a guy just as lost as Jay. Because the burning question was; what the hell did girls want for Christmas?

Yes. Jay was on a holy mission today. And that holy mission was to start figuring out a Christmas present for Kiyoko. Because in all honesty, Jay had no idea what the hell was doing. He had never bought a present to the opposite gender before, and he had barely ever bought anything to even anyone of the same gender. So to state it gently as possible; he was utterly fucked.

Setting off a little bit after Professor MacNeill, while keeping a good solid distance between them, Jay approaches the village and finally set his foot into the High Street. Blending into the crowd soon enough as he huddled into the jacket he was wearing, the boy also kept glancing at showcases, just to see if any shop had anything promising displayed.​

 

[Lillium]

[Hogsmeade - Honeydukes]


Alexandra shot the shopkeeper a bright smile along with a quick thanks as she accepted her purchase, a bag of candy neatly tied at the top with a colorful ribbon. A dismayed sigh drifted over from a little to her left and she angled her body sideways to face the source, arching an elegant brow in query. Glacial blue eyes narrowed for the barest fraction as they came to rest on the source. The discerningly attractive form of Adison Ryder, also known as Ser Goldilocks though that title wasn't publicly known, not even by Adison himself. At least, not yet. The redhead wasn't exactly too surprised to see that her quick refusal hadn't sent him to beat a hasty retreat and nurse the bitter sting of rejection and bruised ego.

Over the years, she'd been hit on by countless hopefuls, strings of hormone driven teenagers whom she'd eventually decided were amusing enough to make a study of. Ever the psychoanalyst, she'd found that they provided a bit of insight into parts of the human psyche which led her to mentally document their behavior and split them into different categories. The depth and order in which she'd filed away her little mental notes was, frankly, quite alarming if another person were to see into her mind. For her, it was simply just entertaining and informative (the best combination in her opinion) to observe human nature and behavioral patterns.

Leaning against the counter with his face propped up in his palm, he managed to look somewhat forlorn and annoyed by her rejection as he ran the tip of his tongue along his lip. The small, seemingly insignificant detail caused her to wonder offhandedly if it was a practiced move, subtleties which only served to enhance his 'role' or if it was a natural action. Though he looked somewhat nonchalant, she could see the steely determination in his emerald gaze. Well, this ought to be fun.

"Well, I'd hate to ruin the time you have set aside for your friends. That, and to be completely honest-"he broke off, smirking slightly.
"For the first time I captivate your attention, I really don't want to share."

"Ahh." She exclaimed as if finally figuring out the answer to a difficult question. "So it's not out of consideration but possessiveness that you choose not to impose upon my time with my friends." Alexandra finished slyly, the beginnings of a smirk forming on her lips. "How very gallant of you, Mr. Ryder."

"Let me offer this then!"Adison commented in his usual charming and friendly tone."The day is long- Tonight, on the way back to Hogwarts, allow me to accompany you back? That way if I bore you too much you can leave me at the gates. If you'd be willing, I promise not to bite too hard."

Persistent, aren't we? Alexandra raised her eyebrows, amusement mingling with a bit of surprise at his tenacity. Perhaps it wouldn't be quite as horrible an ordeal or a waste of her time as she assumed. If nothing, at least she'd have a bit more insight into the flirting game.

"Alright, that seems reasonable enough." She conceded with a slight nod. "Take care not to bore me too much though. I'm not as nice when bored." The smile she aimed at him was nothing short of angelic innocence.

"It appears we have an audience. As much as I'd love to stay and provide them with entertainment, more than one spectacle per day could possibly give my adoring public a seizure." She added offhandedly as she turned to leave, dismissing him. "See you around."

Alexandra caught sight of both Theo and Amelia hanging about as part of the 'audience'. Raising a questioning eyebrow as if to ask them if they enjoyed the show, she walked up to the two and unwrapped the ribbon tied around the bag of candy.

"Close your eyes and pick one. Go on." She told them as she offered it towards the two. It would indeed be fun to take chances by eating magically flavored jellybeans, the potential for hilarity far outweighed the silliness of the gesture in her opinion.​

 

[senpai]

[Hogsmeade - Honeydukes]


After when Alexandra said her piece, the Ravenclaw gracefully turned around from the Gryffindor and headed towards her companions. Like always, she kept her head cool and know what to say. Most likely because of the amount of experience she has in the past few years. Theodore kept still, rigid like a statue. He didn't bother asking what was up because he knew her business was already taken care of; and it was none of his concern. Alex can handle things her own perfectly. Because what is there she cannot do? He snorted. Not knowing the directions apparently. The redhead Ravenclaw was awful when it comes to map. And there was potions too--Theodore thanked Merlin for not having her as a partner in potion class. Yet.
Alex, who was holding a bag of candies, unwrapped the silky ribbons and held it out.

"Close your eyes and pick one. Go on," She said, without explanation. Knowing Alex, it was probably up to no good. She wore a cunning smile, arching a brow. Theodore answered, "I don't see why I have to close my eyes." He was basically refusing to participate in any of her sneaky antics.

He tucked his chin in his striped scarf. Theodore has a good idea what Alexandra was planning--and that was feeding them all-flavor jelly beans. He seen it happened before. And so far, the results doesn't end very well. Theodore gave a mere glance at Amelia, then at Alexandra.

Either way, Alexandra was going to somehow force the sweet beans on the blonde.​

 

[Nougat]

[Hogsmeade>>Honeydukes]

Theo soon joined Amelia in watching Alexandra talk to the boy. It was really extremely interesting to watch them converse. Depending on who they spoke to, people always spoke in different tones, and use different words than they may with others. Or, in other cases, they also completely ignore certain people.

It wasn't too long before Alexandra's conversation ended. She headed back to where Theo and Amelia stood, an expression on her face as though she were asking if they were enjoying themselves. As she went over to them, she undid the ribbon on her bag of candy.

"Close your eyes and pick one. Go on," she said.

Unlike Theo, who seemed extremely suspicious of Alexandra's reason, Amelia just closed her eyes and took a jelly bean out of the bag, cradling the candy she had bought herself in her other arm. The dark orange jelly bean she had picked up seemed edible enough. Even if it tasted horrible, she could probably sprint from Honeydukes to The Three Broomsticks to get a drink, or just run out and eat some snow.

So, with little hesitation, Amelia popped the jelly bean in her mouth. Curry. Luckily, curry wasn't that bad. Except the fact that Amelia immediately felt the need to cough and die. It wasn't like she'd really die, anyway. She just didn't know how to eat spicy food.​

 

[Adison]

Hogsmeade :: High Street

She seemed ready to take him down at every turn. For as quick witted as he was with what he'd say next, Alexandra was just as fast with finding a way to pick it apart. His comment about not wanting to bother her with her friends, she had picked apart for the exact reason he hoped she'd ignore. "So it's not out of consideration but possessiveness that you choose not to impose upon my time with my friends." A sly smile edged itself along her face, one that would surely put annoyance in the hearts of all those who tried so desperately to win her over. Adison wasn't quite like everyone though, to be honest. This chase... It quickened his heart beat as if he had just ran a ran a short marathon.

As he persevered through this uphill battle that was like trying to climb an 80 degree cliff of ice, it seemed he had finally found some footing as he requested to be allowed to walk her back to Hogwarts. She commented that it would work for her, as long as he didn't bore her too much. The innocent smile on her face informed him that she was quite enjoying playing with him, a game of cat and mouse between them where he was the mouse stupid enough to start the chase. He was being toyed with.

Was it wrong that he loved it?

"It appears we have an audience. As much as I'd love to stay and provide them with entertainment, more than one spectacle per day could possibly give my adoring public a seizure." Her voice danced from her lips and lungs and he was drawn forward and back into the world, glancing around and noticing what she said was true. As she turned, her hair swaying with the force of her spin, she spoke over her shoulder a farewell. "See you around."

As she walked back to her group, Adison turned and looked to the sky, a soundless laugh escaping from his elated smile. His emerald eyes danced with life, and he turned to walk out the door. A temporary win on a battle against odds, and he couldn't be happier. It didn't matter what happened next until next arrived. As he made he way out the door, the sudden wind hit him and seemed dulled compared to the last time. He looked down at his arms and pulled his sleeve up just enough to see that his skin was already covered in goosebumps.

As he made his way into the street, he glanced to the side. The vision that was obscured by snow, both falling from the sky and being lifted off the ground by his wind, couldn't block the male that was walking towards him. Someone who he knew from his classes, but despite his years in Hogwarts had never had a real reason to talk to. One of the stars of the Slytherin Quidditch team, Jayden Everdragomir.

"Hey there, Jayden!" Adison said through the cold, large bag of candy forced into his jacket pocket, both of his hands placed into his free pockets. The boy seemed to practically vibrating due to the cold, walking with both a mission and almost looking like he was having an internal standoff. Different emotions either currently, or recently battling within him. "Enjoying the Hogsmeade trip so far?"

 

[Wicked]

⊱ Hogsmeade Village; High Street » Honeydukes ⊰

Okay. Jay was usually really proud of his ability for quick thinking and spontaneous ideas which ended up working. However, for once when he would have most needed these skills, they decided to ditch him completely. He was now standing in front of one the showcases and peering inside the shop, seeming to scowl at whatever they were displaying. Jay had no damn idea what to get for his girlfriend for Christmas. He had been walking around less than five minutes, and this was already giving him anxiety. It could not be just any kind of junk, it needed to be something perfect, something really good that would make an impression. For what Jay had gathered from the Asian girl, she was most probably from a wealthy family. So what could you give to a girl that already had everything? Especially when Jay himself was as poor as one could get, needing to work for his money, usually finding very questionable ways of gaining it.

The black haired boy's fingers were freezing and he tugged the sleeves of his jacket over them, huffing some steam into he crispy air that escaped between his lips. Why did it have to be so fucking cold? Jay sniffled, feeling how his nose was starting to drip. He would get a flu at this rate, and he never got sick -- literally. Except for special occasions, but those were only once every three to four years or something. Why was there even snow? It was only god damn October, it never snowed at this time of the year! This was just bullshit, who gave the winter the permission to crash the party earlier? A horrible decision from the host, really.

Turning around, the dhampir started walking again, wondering if he was on an eternity task here. What kind of stuff did girls even like? Pink, fluttery, cute? Jay frowned, trying to picture the aforementioned combo for Kiyoko, and failing immediately. Okay, so Kiyoko was not exactly the most typical girl, that was for sure. As much as it pleased him, it also frustrated him because if she would have been a stereotypical girl, his job would have been hell lot of easier. He really needed to actually think about this, and try to keep low profile over the months so he would not get caught. It was supposed to be surprise after all.

The powder snow billowed from the ground along with the wind, making Jay pull the collar up again against it. It did not exactly help, but it gave the illusion to himself that it maybe would. So huddling in his jacket while walking past the bright display windows, Jay decided to give up for now since he was freezing. Until he would figure something out, he would take care of his own other business. The first stop would be Honeydukes, since Jay really craved for some blood lollies and he needed to stock them for a rainy day. Also, he really needed a place to warm up because he was worried that he would really fall into a victim of hypothermia soon enough. Oh, how he missed the warm Bulgaria during days like these...

Nearing the shop that was busy as always, someone was just leaving the premises as the doorbell signaled the opening and closing of the front door. Jay barely paid any attention to it since he was mostly focused on trying to survive the ice age. But that changed quickly, when an unfamiliar voice spoke his name.

"Hey there, Jayden!"

Jay lifted his gaze up towards the speaker he did not recognize. Some blond guy whose main characteristic seemed to be his unusually long blond hair. And deduced by the house scarf (?) around his neck, the guy was a Gryffindor. And to be completely honest, Jay did not remember ever seeing this punk ever in his entire life. They could have maybe shared some classes together, but Jay did not really give a damn about his surroundings while classes were in session since he rather used them for napping in the most farthest and darkest corner of the classroom. And least of all Jay paid any attention the Gryffindors. The house rivalry had started to affect the Durmstrang transfer in a year and quickly shaped his way of thinking. But it was not like he only disliked the Gryffindors only. To be fair, Jay disliked every house equally. Even his own.

So when Jay glared at the unknown boy as he approached him, he did not take immediate dislike to him because of his house. You see, people who the Slytherin boy did not know of had approximately six seconds to make an impression on him, during which Jay decided if he would hate their guts or tolerate them. And this guy had fucked things up the moment he had opened his mouth. What exactly had he said wrong, one might wonder? He had called the dark haired boy with his first name like it was okay. And it was not okay, since it was way too matey gesture. He had no permission to call him that, so until given the permission, he would be Everdragomir to the blond boy. To the Bulgarian boy that was disrespectful, and it was a pet peeve. So this did not help Jay's bad mood any further at all.

The Goldilocks smiled like an idiot, continuing talking and not understanding that Jay would have preferred much more when the guy would just kept his gob shut; "Enjoying the Hogsmeade trip so far?"

"...Fuck off." Jay simply stated with a cool voice and stale expression as he walked past the guy, barely even looking at him after the first glance, making very obvious that he was not in any kind of mood of talking about unnecessary shit like weather or changing pleasantries. One of the many things Jay highly disliked was small talk. It was just something a boy as blunt as him had never understood, and would never understand. And who the hell was this twat anyway, coming to him with that stupid smirk on his face and talking to him like he knew him? This kid really did not know his place. Jay just pulled open the door to the sweet shop, not even glancing at the Gryffindor boy for a second time, and stepped inside.

Instantly he was greeted with warmth that made the skin over his cheeks prickle along with his finger tips. The shop was of course, pretty packed like usual, filled with people of all ages. The air smelled of sugar and butterscotch and chocolate. Not bad scents, but Jay had never really been one for sweet things, so he was not exactly impressed with all of the products that were displayed. All he really wanted was the damn lollipops near the counter, which was on the other side of the nearly full shop.

Jay sighed, but set a target lock on anyway even if he felt like turning around and heading somewhere else from the crowded shop. The faster he would get to the lollipops and purchase them, the faster he would be out of there. So the tallish boy started advancing himself towards his goal in the midst of the sea of people.​

 

[Nemopedia]

[Hogwarts; Music Room]

It had been said that when people were stuck in the same room that they would accustom to each other's paces. That if the condition of mutual respect was met between them. Right now as the male turned around to check up on the female August wondered if that had been the case here as well. Much to his surprise Glesni had finished up at the same time, her side of the room blinking neatly at him. The faint scent of the cleaner still lingered in the air, replacing the dust that had tickled his nostrils earlier. The impressive look on the female's face told him that she as well was taken by surprise. It was indeed a rare sight that they had finished up shortly after each other, however August supposed it could have to do with the fact that both of them weren't tardy by nature.

Another joke sounded through the room, again made by Glesni as the female was by far the more talk active of the two. Nodding back at the female the male pulled up the corner of his lip, at least showing the least bit of appreciation for her praise. Besides from that there was really no other emotion within the guy to react upon. He knew that most would play along with the joke, mimicking another voice in return or just bow graciously. It just depended on what would humour them, though August didn't possess any of these instincts, or resolve to act upon these silly feelings of gladness. He supposed it had to do with his upbringing. Little praise and hard work. If you did well you worked harder, if you failed you worked even harder. It was a trait passed down from his father and it was a great shame that none of his mother's attempts to open him up had never really worked.

Now with the floors finished it was time to replace the mop for a rag. Though, the problem was that there was none in sight. Turning around to look for one August followed Glesni's example as she went on the search, scanning his bright orbs over in the room to look for something usable. Somewhere in the back of his head a cynical voice was telling him that there was none. Why else would the instruments be in such a bad condition? At the other side there was his stubborn determination, which kept on insisting to look, even if it was fruitless. "Hey, catch." The sudden warning brought his attention back, turning around as he saw something flying at him. Raising up his arm he quickly took a step back, having been caught by surprise when the wax and piece of silk headed towards him. A small expression of surprise washed over his face, his eyes slightly widening as his lips parted a little into a small 'o' form. The second time today that this reaction came out of him. The first time being with the Gryffindor back in Hogsmeade. Unlike him as the male usually took everything into mind so carefully and observed every detail with interest. Though perhaps that his earlier encounter had shaken him up more than he liked to admit.

He could have easily caught the items, even distracted the throw that the female had made should have made it land inside of his hand. Instead a sudden reaction inside of his wrist had caused him to do otherwise. Somehow managing to let the fabric and wax fall through his fingers. Eyes widened again, wider than previous as his jaw clenched themselves together. How this happened was beyond him, usually the male was much more capable at catching items. Surely he didn't do much sports, but this event was just hitting the pot, unbelievable even to him. Gulping to himself the male shifted his eyes from the items on the ground over to his hand and then back to the girl who had thrown it at him. Wondering if she might have done something odd with it, spun an effect on her throw. However he doubted that she would play around like that as he returned his gaze back to his hand. A weird tingling sensation going through his wrist as he bowed down to fetch the items from the ground.

"Ah, sorry." he mumbled his apology as he heard the other female speak, she herself having another piece in hand ready to continue the cleaning. He could feign disturbance, pretending as if he had been dreaming off into his own world. However, he judged the female to be smarter than to fall trap into his lie. Now the only prayer left was that she wasn't of a curious nature, preventing herself from asking difficult questions he couldn't answer either. A frown appeared on his face, not a thoughtful one or one out of anger, but one that was displeased. Rubbing the silk on the wax he held in hand August proceeded to sit down next to the instruments, carefully placing down the wax next to him and picking up the instruments to hand. Without another word he started to work, pretending that nothing had gone wrong earlier and making sure that he didn't seem open for a conversation. Placing the fabric on the wood with the tip of his fingers the male started to gently rub the fabric against the wood. Polishing them as he made sure to check for any other irregularities at the same time. Whether they needed a new string or if there was some serious damage on them other than some dust.

 

[VocaStar]

[Hogsmeade / Path back to Hogwarts]

Anice sat bored to tears. She peered around at the stores that could offer some form of interest in her, but they all seemed crowded, which would only set nerves on end. She was absent mindedly gazing at a book store when she noticed someone waving from the inside. It was Reed, the Ravenclaw boy who would accompany her on her quest that evening. Instinct would have told her to wave back, but by this point she was able to suppress the action. She simply nodded. She questioned the entire reason he even decided to perform such a gesture. She was not at all friends with him; she simply needed his services for tonight. "that sounded wrong..." she blushed and shook it from her head quickly.

The cold quickly blew the thoughts from her head. Anice decided sitting in the cold wouldn't entertain her anymore than entering a crowded inn or honeydukes, so she decided to stroll around and take a walk. She passed a couple stores and saw kids playing in the snow. She found this to be rather relaxing, except for the constant buzz of the crowds. It seemed she couldn't control her hand from reaching into her bag of candy every time she finished a piece. It was too tempting having it around. She knew she'd finish it if she didn't hide it soon, and then she'd have to pay another degrading visit to the candy store. She did her best to stuff the candy in her jacket's pocket, but it was too full, so she gave in to her weakness and just left it by her side.

She strolled around for a lengthy anount of time when she began to feel bored again. She decided to enter an inn that was near at the time, but as soon as she went in she saw that it was rather crowded and left almost immediately. She considered going back to Hogwarts and just taking a nap. It seemed like a swell idea in this weather. She started for the path back to Hogwarts as she pushed herself past busy crowds and noisy kids. She finally made it to the path as she started to climb. She kept inching farther and farther away from the busy streets of Hogsmeade to the quiet atmosphere of Hogwarts. She looked down to see the small figures of people on the streets. All of a sudden she remembered that her room had been overtaken by first years and she was forced to reside with "Sabrina Gallagher" the queen of the social bees at Hogwarts. All thoughts of a comforting nap were whisked away. ​

 

[Strayed]

[Slytherin Dungeon]
​

It was strange. Usually, kissing a cute girl on the cheek was just an ordinary thing for Peter to do. It was a casual gesture that he did every time he greeted a female friend. Because of this he was a little unprepared for what occurred next. Jayden advanced toward him and grabbed him by the collar and Peter instinctively slipped his right hand under the robe at his waist and brushed his finger tips against his cedar wand. "Hm?" The French boy was confused and he looked at Jayden with a calm and somewhat curious expression.

Most people in Peter's position would probably react with some kind of terror or panic, but it's not as if he wasn't accustomed to this sort of thing already. Especially when he was the supplier of such a valuable, underground commodity. Because of his past dealings, Peter wasn't intimidated in the slightest. In fact, Jayden was in optimal shooting range and the way that Peter was being held gave him full motion of his arms. Peter could put him down with a quick draw if the brutish boy made any sudden moves. The little French boy was used to crude and violent types cropping up. For years and without fail, he always kept them from getting in the way of his business.

Call it an informed guess, but Peter assumed that even his pissy roommate wouldn't assault him in front of their guests. The long moments Jayden spent almost growling at his face served to support the idea. Jayden simply grabbed Peter by the sides and lifted him off the ground. If Peter felt threatened, he would've drawn and forced Jayden drop him. However, Peter had a little hunch that there was nothing to be worried about. Jayden decided to leave him hanging off a clothes hook and the French boy didn't think that was very polite.

"No funny business with my girl while I'm gone, or you wish you'd be dead," Jayden sounded so serious over something so trivial that Peter had to hold back a giggle. "If I ever catch you getting all chummy with her again, French or not, I will beat you up so even your mum doesn't recognize you anymore. Are we clear?"

"We're clear alright!" Peter responded cheerfully. This little encounter made two things clear to Peter: Jayden Everdragomir was a very petty person and he had more bark than bite. Something Peter lacked in his prior business endeavors was intimidation. Peter couldn't be intimidating if he tried. As crude as it was, Jayden actually had some ferocity to him. 'If I can utilize that bark of his, it can be good for business.'

Then Jayden grabbed Zoey forcefully and gave her an awkward slap to the ass. Peter found that to be not only petty, but watching Zoey get mistreated like that was irritating as well. Maybe Peter should have shot him after all. Too bad, he was out of optimal range now. "Let's go, kuchka." Peter watched as the two disappeared into the strange portal. If Peter's roommate was a vampire, he was certainly a weird one.

"Don't kill each other!" Kiyoko exclaimed. After they left, Kiyoko let out some frustration and punched a nearby pillow. Pillows just weren't going to be treated well today he supposed. "Oh! Here, I'll help you down, then we can get going" Kiyoko had completely forgotten he was there apparently, but Peter figured she was just really focused on Jayden. Intently focused. She tried to lift him from the sides and failed. Peter giggled at her. Then she hugged him by the waist and managed to get him down. Peter landed on his feet, bent his knees to cushion the short drop, and touched the floor with his hand to maintain balance.

"I'm really sorry about that... about him, Jay is... just, well... Jay is Jay..."
Peter observed her and noticed that her aggressive demeanor faded away but she was more anxious. The smile indicated that she would be easier to talk to now. He decided that getting some answers out of her would be nice. Peter smiled back at her.

"No need to apologize to me, Kiyoko. I don't like to let myself be bothered by petty people." And indeed, Peter pushed Jayden's childish antics out of his mind and focused on the here and now. Peter walked up to the door and remembered something. During Zoey's outburst earlier, Kiyoko scrambled to magically lock the door. He turned to Kiyoko and asked politely, "Mm, I would do this myself if I could, but I can't. Would you kindly unlock the door?" Peter's wand didn't play well with delicate charms like Alohamora. It worked best with the likes of Portaberto, which required less precision and, in Peter's case, would usually blast off the entire lock along with part of the door.​

 

[Namora]

[ Slytherin Dungeon; Boys Dormitory -- Jayden & Peter's Room ]

Peter landed on his feet smoothly without hurting himself further, thanks to the girl's assistance he was no longer hung up like a coat. Kiyoko took a step away, brushing herself off and smiled yet a again, he returned the warm gesture.
"No need to apologize to me, Kiyoko. I don't like to let myself be bothered by petty people."
She frowned a bit and raised an eyebrow, it was true that Jay could be difficult and immature at times but to call him petty was a line she refused to let Peter cross, he was looking down on him while he wasn't present and such a thing made her anger spark slightly, as well as question whether Peter was incredibly stupid, or exceptionally brave...

In truth, neither trait fit him overly well, this boy was a strange guy, and trying to figure him out with the little she knew would be bothersome. In any case, she felt obliged to say something to contradict or argue his previous statement out of her loyalty to Jayden, and so she did,
"I know Jay can be difficult or crude, but don't label him as insignificant or lesser, he's anything but..."
She replied, blowing a stray lock of hair out of her eyes and watching the boy move to the door, the asian girl followed. Her eyes veered to the window and the green light filtering through, the color and the cold air reminded her that the season was changing, and today was the ideal date to accomplish what she'd been waiting for since she'd received a reminder of Christmas.

The holiday itself had never been close to her heart, due to it being a time for family and friends to gather. Her family was a group that she felt more outcasted in rather than cherished or loved, as for friends, some people at Mahoutokoro had made she she didn't have any, and those same people were high up in regards to pure-blooded families, so they were always invited. One would think pure-bloods have better things to do rather than throw parties with a bunch of people you have to like, yet they met every year without fail, for Madoka Oshiro would never pass up a potential time to party and drink some Imperial Sake. Normally Kiyoko dreaded this time of year, namely the past couple when Kamiko had been absent but this year she was eager, she had something to look forward to.

Like finding a gift for Jayden and Zoey, Sabrina and even Peter, the problem there was she hadn't bought many presents before, due to the fact that any gifts were from family to family so the head of each family would be the judge on who to give who. Kiyoko's trio had done gift exchanges between themselves but they already knew each other so well that it wasn't really a challenge, now she had to work to make sure she didn't screw up royally. She pondered what would possibly be welcomed and appreciated by Jayden and Peter, her eyes wandered about and her mind was drifting. Namely her thoughts wandered to Jayden's things, then the girl was brought back to reality by Peter's voice.
"Mm, I would do this myself if I could, but I can't. Would you kindly unlock the door?" She look at him and then the lock and nodded once, stepping forward

"Hm? Oh, no problem, sorry for locking it in the first place" She said as she pulled her cherry wand from her black robe's inner pocket, even though it was a weekend--a Hogsmeade weekend no less-- she was wearing her uniform as if it were a normal school day. This wasn't exactly uncommon, but for many it was preferred to port regular or muggle clothing when it was permitted. Kiyoko herself had very few muggle clothes at all, and most of what she had was too small now, seeing as it had been bought and sent to her more than two years prior while her sister had been visiting England, Scotland and the surrounding areas. Kiyoko pointed her reddish-brown wand at the iron lock that barred the door, not waiting a heartbeat before murmuring,

"Alohamora"
The girl said as she pointed to the lock, the lock clicked accordingly and the door swung open slightly. She put her wand back away and gathered up her cloak and the Slytherin scarves of herself and Jay that lay in a small heap nearby, slinging the clothes over her arm and walking out the door and taking the lead to the infirmary. She led the male through the hall of the boys' dorm and down the stairs leading to the common room, it was almost complete void of life. She glanced over at him,
"So.... you and Zoey, huh?" She said as she walked beside him, peering up at the taller boy through dark bangs, curious and cat-like eyes gleaming, "If I may be so bold, how did that happen?" She asked

​

 

[Ritual Lobotomy]

[Hogwarts; Music Room]

Blinking calmly few times, she lifted her gaze from the wax and rags that were now on the floor, and crossed it with August's for a brief moment. But the moment was just about enough for her to notice, even from the place she was standing on, that he was troubled. She was very well familiar with the art of an emotional sustain and poker faces, if the situation required it. August's mastery on that skill was unquestionable, since still he maintained his somewhat stoic face. However, there was one place where the beholder of the act should always search for ones weakness - the eyes. The male's eyes were crystal clear and bright by nature, standing out from his slightly tanned skin tone and could easily be read. Considering his origins, Glesni though how they were probably meant to be happy and carefree all the time. Maybe the good old English father winter took it's toll on him. Even thought his face was serious and calculated at that point, bright green eyes were restless as he hesitated a bit, clenching his jaw. Glesni scratched her cheek lightly and spoke. "Oh, I apologise. I really did thought I aimed precisely." She knew she did. But it was not his fault either. It happens to everyone so, why was he so excited about it? Thinking how the last thing he wanted was to be asked such thing, she chuckled. Though, she would never ask in a first place. Being taught to keep your nose into your business proved as really effective surviving skill. She nodded. "Ah well, better luck next time, I guess."

Glesni then did something unimaginable, when August apologised in his usual short sentence. "Ah, sorry." She couldn't help but to grin and laugh lightly, which was a rare sight ever since she started attending magic schools. It was even, amazingly bright for her usual self and quite sincere. Even after she went that far to make that strange Ravenclaw feel better, she made sure it quickly faded back into her usual expression. "Sorry for what? No damage done. Besides, I probably suck at aiming the obvious targets these days. " She stood on the same place a bit longer, as August moved towards the chair with his face frowned, and started working on the instrument. Seeing that Ravenclaw frowned was a shame and an interesting sight at the same time. Smirking, she sat as well, taking a guitar to work on it, as well checking it's strings first, before she proceeded to wax it. It was in pretty good shape. Strings were as good as new once she tightened them. Whether if it was a good or a bad thing that it was pretty much never used, Glesni was glad that it didn't have to be repaired. Again, only the light sound of wax pieces running over the wooden surfaces ruined the perfect silence in the room. But then again, she would have assumed that, whatever was bothering her cleaning partner, he probably wanted to be left alone. At least until they were able to play again. It was understandable and she respected it, continuing her work feeling no fatigue. It was just a matter of time when she will be able to get her favourite one back into her hands, and stroke it's strings. There was nothing more she could have asked for as a reward. She smiled lightly on that thought.​

 

[Ritual Lobotomy]

[Hogsmeade main street]

The snow was already starting to fall again, when Caia managed to pull through the crowd in the Three Broomsticks Inn, followed by a couple of greetings by students that hanged around in there. Yes, she did have a drink or two but hey, Wasn't it Saturday? Besides, she was able to still walk properly. On the doors, she inhaled cold winter's air and put on her hood back on. Stepping on the crowded main street, she put hands into her pockets and walked up straight and whistling towards her main destination. As a Quidditch lover, she preferred nicely dry and clear weather. However, it was way too easy. Fog had both it's advantages and disadvantages when it comes to Quidditch games and flying in global. But mainly, it was about the excitement of not knowing what is behind a thick foggy wall while you speed fly all over the place. And if there was a couple of towers around at that point, then it made everything even better. Usually it separated talents from posers and as the years in Hogwarts passed, she found herself craving for fog's magical sorting abilities more every year. Heck, even the Sorting Hat had to hand it to Mother Nature. It never failed her. She smirked once she reached her goal and stepped through the door.


[Spintwiches Quidditch Supplies]

"Honey, I'm home!" Caia sang out happily as she closed the door behind her and took off her hood, letting the snow drop on the floor where it almost instantly melted. She expected a wave of heat hitting her right into the face, but it still came hard. She approached the main counter and leaned over it. "Hello? Anyone home? Watkins is back." For a few moments, there was no answer. She sighed annoyed and leaned on the counter, tapping her fingers over it, creating a strange but rhythmic sound. It took a while. However, she was persistent. The old broomstick maestro would never leave his shop just opened like that and walked away somewhere. His brain was still working really well. Soon enough, she could hear a sound of old and creaky wooden doors up on the next floor, and small but quick footsteps. "Took you long enough, maestro." She teased looking up the staircase, where maestro's old wrinkled and smiled face appeared. He fixed his glassed and crossed his bushy grey eyebrows while studying the figure that walked in. Caia waited patiently. His eyes weren't always at their best with years. He was probably working on another crazy prototype before he came down to check on the shop. "My, my." He spoke with his shaky, old man's voice. coming down the stairs. "If it isn't our young miss Watkins." Caia was additionally thrilled that he was as vital as she left him the last time she was there. "Aye oldie, I am back to bug ya."

Short old man laughed sincerely shaking his round stomach and walked happily behind the counter, where he climbed on a small stool that made it possible for him to lean his elbows nicely on the surface. "Bug me? Why never. It is always really nice to see ya, Caia. How have you been?" Caia raised a thumb up and winked. "Never better, maestro. I smelled some new material around here from miles away. I just had to come." The old man chuckled once more, raising up his glasses, and stepping off the stool. "Nothing gets past you. That is why you are the only one I would allow to do this for me." His face, although still bright, turned a bit more serious as he gave Caia a sign to follow him in the room up stairs. She obeyed gladly. Once they were up, she smiled at the smell of fresh carved wood and polish. Looking around at a lot of broomstick handles and nodded. "Wow, you really worked hard from the last month." The old man replied. "Indeed. However, I still wasn't able to determined weather this one is good enough as it is." Caia bumped fist onto her chest proudly and straightened up more. "That is why I am here, my dear maestro." The old man turned around, putting a brand new custom made broom on the working desk, as he looked at the young woman over his glasses. He smiled lightly and his wrinkles made him look even older. If that was even possible. "Why yes. Your grandfather would be so proud of you."

Caia returned with smile and a brief nod. "I appreciate that. So, what do you need me to do?" Maestro patted the broomstick. "I want you to ride it the way you know, and to let me know if there is anything I need to fix for it to be better. This one is the first full done broomstick I did in a long time. I only wanted to see if I still have what it takes, or am I only good enough for selling them." Miss Watkins raised her eyebrow and smirked. "Nonsense. You are the best there is around here. For decades now." The maestro was know for his skills even when she was just starting her school days in Hogwarts. She had the honour to ride the first modern Nimbus broom that was made by a lot of his help. That same broom was as close to perfect as it got in those days. Now, miss Watkins hovered her hand over the broom and ordered. "Alright lazystick. Up!" The broom behaved and went up to her hand. "Well, so far so good." She turned and opened a large window in the room, letting the cold air and some snow in. The old man didn't seem to be bothered with it at all. Putting on her goggles, she sat in the broom and hovered out of the window. The old man grinned and saluted her. "Take all the time you need." Caia saluted back casually, before she took of in great speed, messing up the fine snow cover under the window and disappearing in a wall of fog.

[Around the Hogsmeade]

It was pretty much as Caia hoped for. The fog was thick enough and broomstick fast enough, to force her into sharpening her senses till there is nothing left to sharp. But she counted on her eyes the least. She rather listened to the wind and felt the way it blows. She smirked when she saw a faint lines of the church tower. "Well, my friend. All or nothing!" Instead of turning aside early, she speeded up towards the tower, and made a sharp ascend just before she would collide, that made the broomstick shake under her. "Woah! Close one." She chuckled making a few more loops before descending at full speed towards the ground. "Gotta work on that ascending! However..." Quickly reaching the critical point of no return, she easily straightened her broom, before she would hit the ground, riding just above crowds heads, making a couple of ladies and kids yelp and a few older students cheering. She grinned. "...descending is perfect." She made her broom spin lengthwise as she forced it a bit lower so it made a snowy vortex that turned snow into a fine glittering dust falling around the place, over the buildings and people. Kids seemed to like it. Mothers not so much. One of these days, those youngsters would probably ask to do the same, and they will not be happy about it.

Leaving the crowd behind, Caia ascended once more and sliced the fog. On the edge of Hogsmeade, fog cleared up a bit and she was able to see a well familiar face on the road. How couldn't she recognised that huge limping man. Even if she tried to, she couldn't possibly ignore it. Chuckling, she descended and speeded up toward the old guy. "AND!" She started breaking violently on seemingly too ambitious distance. However, the broomstick stopped completely on a "decent" distance of almost five feet from professor MacNeill's forehead. "...The breaking system works just fine...what a wonder. Usually it doesn't." She laughed lightly and relaxed turning up side down, and staying like that, grasping the broom. Her grin towards the old professor, along with her over-sized goggles, made her look quite comical. "Well I'll be damned, if it isn't the youngest professor I know? How are ya sonny?" She instantly proceeded with teasing. Aled could handle it. She counted on that. She usually did.​

 

[Strayed]

[Slytherin Dungeon]
​

"I know Jay can be difficult or crude, but don't label him as insignificant or lesser, he's anything but..."

Upon hearing that retort, Peter glanced at Kiyoko's eyes, gave her a small smile, and decided not to follow up on his comment. Her response confirmed something for Peter. She misinterpreted Peter's usage of the word petty as a condescending and derogatory label, when in actuality it was a direct description of what was clearly observable. Jayden was very petty simply because of his tendencies to overreact to small things. This was demonstrated multiple times yesterday and today, and should have been the obvious meaning that Peter was going for. Instead, Kiyoko assumed the worst possible intent on Peter's part and leaped to Jayden's side immediately. Peter noticed this tendency of Kiyoko being rather protective of Mr. Everdragomir a short time ago and the comment that drew his attention to it was Zoey calling Kiyoko a 'full-on thrall.' At the time, he hadn't thought too much of the Japanese girl's tendencies, but he came to notice something over a short time, which was supported by the glimpse of anger Peter saw in Kiyoko's eyes just now.

When Jayden is a target for attack, Kiyoko will vehemently defend him, even if it doesn't make the most sense to. A lesser businessman would mark a tendency such as that to be problematic, however if Peter was right with his reasoning, her fondness for his roommate actually made Kiyoko's thoughts a lot more predictable and a lot easier to tailor verbal responses to.

"Hm? Oh, no problem, sorry for locking it in the first place"

Without skipping a beat, Kiyoko unlocked the door with Alohamora. She was a polite girl and she seemed genuine, so Peter paid her back in kind.

"Ah, don't be sorry. In fact, I'm appreciative toward you for taking precautions while Zoey was making a ruckus. Thank you."

When Kiyoko left the room Peter noticed the scarves and realized that he was still in his attire from last night. He called out to Kiyoko, "Please wait! I need to switch to warmer clothes!" He went to the closet and threw off his robe and current pants, leaving on a white button down shirt. He grabbed a pair of warm black trousers, black gloves, a pair of black boots, a black Eisenhower jacket, and a black peaked cap. After putting on the new attire, Peter entered the hallway and let Kiyoko lead him down to the Slytherin common room.

"So.... you and Zoey, huh?" Kiyoko peered up at Peter. "If I may be so bold, how did that happen?"

"Ah! Well, uhhm." Peter was caught off-guard by this questioning. He blushed a little and decided to give her a little honesty. "After you ran off after Jayden last night, I met Zoey and found her in a pretty dark place. I wanted to cheer her up, but I guess you could say I took advantage of her without really meaning to." He gave a somewhat guilty smile. Peter did his best not to take advantage of that girl, but there was something irresistible about her that made it difficult to restrain himself.

"I'm curious about some things too. What is Jayden exactly? And how did you end up getting involved in the whole, umm, getting fed on thing?"​

 

[Diesu]

« HOGSMEADE VILLAGE ▸ ZONKO'S »

Sighing at the obvious excitement sparking within Giacomo, Cecilee internally complained against her decision. At least she had something to do that didn't involve visualizing shards raining down on those who crossed her via crystal ball. She listened to the boy's words, trying hard not to burst his delusional bubble or criticize his plan. She was only going to play along anyway, not wholeheartedly believing there was such kept inside the Joke Shop. Cecilee had been there loads of times already ever since she first stepped foot in the village.

"We'll be saving a poor innocent creature from the clutches of evil. Don't think trouble; think glory! Now," he rubbed his hands together, grinning, making her roll her eyes. As if she could think glory when it clearly stated trouble inside her Ravenclaw mind. "The princess is trapped behind the Zonko's counter so, naturally, it will be heavily guarded. We need to distract the storekeeper, creep behind the counter and rescue ourselves a sprite princess in distress!"

Cecilee coudn't believe how he created a plan for what she already predicted as a silly stunt (that she was actually going to help pull). The boy grinned wider as if he believed his mad plan was flawless.

"You do know that if we are both to distract the storekeeper and rescue the so-called princess, this is going to flunk?" she pointed out, processing his plan thoroughly. Her natural ego couldn't help correcting it. Cecilee was Ravenclaw through and through. "I'll distract the storekeeper and you rescue whoever needs to be rescued. And besides, I have something to discuss with the storekeeper."

Yeah, she definitely thought it was mental.

Rather than wasting more time in debating a better plan with the boy, she already began walking towards Zonko's. "Come on then boy, no time to waste."

If anyone asked, she didn't know the kid.​

 

[Namora]

[ Slytherin Dungeon; En route to the Medical Wing ]

Peter stepped into the hall now clothed in something that wouldn't end with him being a chattering mess. The two walked a short while in silence before Kiyoko started the conversation with a question that caused the boy to blush slightly. Kiyoko's thoughts were still on Zoey and how she'd ended up in the state she'd been in. Obviously this boy had some hand in it and Kiyoko she found herself wondering about the two, how had they grown so close when Peter had only arrived last night? What had brought the two together, the asian girl couldn't help but wonder.

"Ah! Well, uhhm." He began, which wasn't really a beginning, Kiyoko just watched his reaction trying to get an idea of what the incident made him feel "After you ran off after Jayden last night, I met Zoey and found her in a pretty dark place. I wanted to cheer her up, but I guess you could say I took advantage of her without really meaning to." He shot her a smile laced with guilt and Kiyoko's fingers twitched... this guy.... Kiyoko had nearly stopped in mid step at that final remark, her eyes widened and her mind took the words in the worst way possible. She stopped herself from lashing out and tried to gather her thoughts.... He what?!

What did he mean by taken advantage?! Before she could open her mouth to demand what the hell he meant by that he shot her a question that caught the woman off-guard
"I'm curious about some things too. What is Jayden exactly? And how did you end up getting involved in the whole, umm, getting fed on thing?"
Her eyes darted down at the question and an old urge came up, one to play dumb and act like she hadn't the slightest clue. Even if she was crap at acting most of the time she could often make it believable to a point, however Peter had already seen and heard too much to make that idea practical anyway. There was also the fact, that Jay's species was no longer a secret, he'd outright come forward about his breed at the Slytherin Quidditch Tryouts and from that the news spread like wildfire through a dry field.

"H-He's a half vampire... a dhampir" Kiyoko said, admitting it still felt weird to her, as if she were defying her own tongue seeing as she'd been sworn to secrecy and since the tryouts no one had come outright to ask her about the matter. Due to this, even though everyone knew she still felt an urge to keep quiet about it however she reminded herself that there was no point anymore.
"And... the feeding, just kind of happened. I was trying to coax him into hunting rabbits or something because he seemed so unstable and I eventually ended up as the meal, to be fair I had asked for it and in a way I forced him into it by playing off his needs. Since then I have been...er.. helping him out"
Her cheeks had flushed mildly at the thought of the feeding, she recalled her first school day here with herself blabbing on about vampiric feedings and the facts she knew about them to Jayden who had gotten very timid over the matter.

She felt really bad thinking back on herself, as well as embarrassed at her forwardness and lack of restraint, it was freaking awkward just thinking about it currently, so with her pressuring him to explain the matter he must have been humiliated. She wanted to change the subject, immediately, so her thoughts jumped to the most pressing matter at the time....,
"Before I give in to the urge to strangle you, I'd like to know what you mean exactly by saying you 'took advantage' of my friend...?"
She glanced over at him again, eyes warning him to be careful with his words, she was frowning slightly and trying not to let her imagination get the better of her collected self at his very vague words.​

 

[Nemopedia]

[Hogsmeade; The Three Broomstick inn]

The male sat down again, mumbling something that she didn't pay attention to and then following on by looking troubled, seemingly thinking hard for an answer to a question that hadn't been asked out loud. Whatever it was Melinda held no care to it as she was more curious as to know since when the male had changed so much from the little wimp he was. Since when had he been strong enough that Melinda had thought of him somewhere near to capable? Up until now the smaller female had considered Sethen to be someone in need of help and protection. Even despite his popular image at school Melinda couldn't help but forever to consider him a wimp, however today his back had shown something else as she took note how he had grown over the years and also gotten broader at his shoulders.

Unintentionally Melinda brought a hand to brush her hair out of her face, trailing down from the side of her face towards her shoulder as she clenched her hand around it. As if measuring its own worth of the weigh it could carry. Looking up again to the male she frowned a little, deep in thought as she wondered how it could have been that she hadn't taken note of this before. Usually she was pretty good at spotting the differences from these close by her, but it seemed that the years that they had spent suddenly caught up with the image she had of her friend. Though it was still a shocker for the female as she was trying to progress it to herself as quietly and quickly as possible. Turning her head again over to the half-veela Melinda pursed her lips for a few seconds, cocking her head before she turned back. She suddenly felt worn out because of the whole trip and scene earlier, however she kept up a strong façade, finally deciding to speak.

"If you're that concerned with that Slytherin, why not invite her over to the table, or sat with her?" Melinda offered, preferring the latter option as she herself wasn't open to any new interactions at the moment. Especially not one in close ties to that of the delinquent she had met earlier. Who knew what she was to do after they finished? As prejudiced as it may sound Melinda considered the blonde to be a gossiper, one who didn't mind to tell a juicy story and specially not to feed the fire already surrounding her. "You know I won't mind it, so don't feel bad." The girl continued simply as she tucked her arm under her head, propping it up on the table with her elbow. Perhaps she should have added a smile behind her sentence, to lighten up the mood between them, but Melinda certainly wasn't the mood-maker as she instead followed on in her usual pace. "Though… I think it would have been better manners if you had ordered a new drink for her instead." she remarked, eyeing the male with raised brow. Another part of Melinda's pride. To never accept a gift that had been a gift from another. Or to hand down a gift from another. It was ungrateful, even if the gift wasn't well received or from an utter stranger.

Though it seemed that by now that Sethen had turned back to his usual wimpy self. His whole change in attitude proved so as the sudden lack of fierce boldness he had possessed earlier had shimmered out. The male from the first year that Melinda had felt the need to help out and protect resurfacing again. A small smile played around her lips, though her eyes were still frowning while she saw the change happening. She was conflicted on which of the two sides she rather saw. "To who are you apologizing?" she asked, her voice turning sharp as she dropped her smile. Melinda had straightened up as the male apologized to her, suddenly tricking her annoyance again as she wondered why she felt so bothered with the situation. A deep sigh escaped the girl as she felt even more fatigued than before, leaning back to face the ceiling of the inn. "Shouldn't it be the waitress and the innkeeper for causing a scene?" Melinda wasn't sure whether she was scolding him or not, but as she locked eyes with the male again she seemed to be unsure whether she should continue or not. Though, her more impulsive side kicked in again as the words had already passed her lips and travelled through the air towards the male. "Even an apology to that Slytherin would do, if you really do feel bad for putting them in spot." she said while rolling her eyes a little as another huff followed before the girl finished, but with words she never really intended to say so out in the open and specially not in such a situation as they were placed now. "You never really did evolve from that wimp you were in our first year, huh?" it came out more cynical and sarcastic than she had meant it to be. Truth was she had never meant to say these words out loud out of annoyance, or have them said in such spite and yet they had escaped her thoughts for the moment. Taking in a sharp breath the female leant back down in her seat as the orders came in, placed in front of her as her last words danced through her head. Surely Melinda was smart enough to know and understand that this could lead to another possible fight with a dear friend. Something she seemed to do a lot recently, but she tried to conceal her discomfort on that as she just crossed her legs and took the butterbeer she had ordered into hands. Taking it to her lips as she chucked the content of the glass down her throat in one go. An action bound to many consequences, but Melinda had forgotten all about it in her haste to break of the conversation or to avoid eye contact with the male. Accumulating mistake upon fault, if they could be baked and the size of bricks she could build up her own fort around herself.

 

[Nemopedia]

[Hogwarts; Music Room]

"Oh, I apologise. I really did thought I aimed precisely."

'Don't' August thought. Repeating the word over and again inside of his mind. It started in a calm voice before it turned itself into a scream, a yell that overtook his whole mind as the male sighed to himself. Wondering how he could block out the sound that didn't come from the outside. He didn't want to hear the female apologise because his hand had given out. He didn't want to hear such an pathetic excuse while both knew the truth, but he kept silent as he just ignored her statement, or tried to while his mind was screaming at him, the word branded inside of his mind. The comment what followed didn't help much either. She wasn't helping by speaking, but August knew he couldn't blame the girl for that. After all he had made no attempt to reveal his own thoughts that would have silenced her. He hadn't told her that she had better kept silent in front of him, pretended as if not to notice and had ignored him, but he was grateful that she didn't possess the annoying trait to pry into his situation by asking questions. A reason why he didn't like to hang out with Gryffindors, they concerned themselves too much with the business of others. Though as long as it weren't his he was fine.

Her bright laugh however had brought surprise to the male as he looked over at her. Taking the sight in carefully as he hadn't expect her to react this way. Surely he had calculated that she was to say that there was nothing to apologize for. However, he hadn't thought of the reaction to laugh or do so in such an uplifting way either. At least it brought the mood back a little as August returned a smile to the female. Now feeling bad for his pouting attitude. A habit he had never gotten ridden himself off since childhood, but that was something she had no concern about.

While August had forced silence into the room by the cause of the earlier events Glesni didn't seem to mind the silence. Patiently working off polishing the instruments like he was doing so as well. A wonder as the smile of earlier was still lingering over her face, relieving the male that he hadn't placed her into a tight spot of awkwardness. Most students couldn't put up with his eternal observing eyes and the many silences he bestowed them in. Frustrating as they felt nervous in his presence and even more anxious when in silence, but it seemed that this newly met acquaintance didn't seem to mind it at all. Interesting, as the male wondered why the female had never caught his eyes before. Glesni had a presence that stood out from the rest and an even more enjoyable personality to be with. With their shared interest in music and a determination to keep this room under the right conditions for the instruments, it was odd that in the six years that August had been around on this school that they had never encountered. Which thus could mean that she either hadn't been here at Hogwarts for too long or that they had passed each other many times without any knowledge of each existence before. Though August demeaned the latter reason as impossible as then the music teacher would have mentioned an interest alike, for he had always appreciated August's participation in the music room.

While so lost in thought and rubbing the instruments August was finishing his pieces one by one, carefully examining them before placing the delicate forms back into place and walking over to the next one. Though after having finished three pieces August suddenly noted that his hand felt sore, of only a little and hard to move. As if something was biting inside of its muscle, stinging it and giving it signals that August never intended to do with his hand. He bit through it however, not wanting to leave the female with unfinished work by the cause of a little pain. Though it made him much slower in his work, which made him wonder whether the gap in speed from before to now was noticeable. It was obvious in all cases that he was to take himself out for a check-up, but the male was likely to dismiss it all to fatigue and overexerting his hand. How and when he just blamed on the homework he had finished and the sudden idea to clean out a whole room.

However as he could delude himself into the wonder of what and how it all had happened August might as well had attempted to channel his thoughts towards something less depressing and agonising for himself. Again frowning as since when he had been this worried about some trivial matter as to let it take his mind over. "Who had taught you to play?" the sudden question rang through the room as August continued to work, he didn't look up from rubbing the instruments and neither did he bother to turn around to face the girl more properly. He had been curious of the question ever after hearing the female playing on the cello, the first time when he had been fascinated because he had found a fellow music appreciator. Surely there ought to be some kind of story behind of how she had started, just as much as he had a story to tell of how he picked his instrument.

 

[Strayed]

[Slytherin Dungeon]
​

"H-He's a half vampire... a dhampir" Peter eyed Kiyoko curiously. A dhampir, eh? She seemed to be getting a little flustered over the matter. "And... the feeding, just kind of happened. I was trying to coax him into hunting rabbits or something because he seemed so unstable and I eventually ended up as the meal, to be fair I had asked for it and in a way I forced him into it by playing off his needs. Since then I have been...er.. helping him out"

For the first time in maybe a year, Peter frowned a little. If Jayden was becoming unstable like she said, then wouldn't it have made more sense to go to some authority about it? Having him feed on a student seemed like a very poorly thought out solution. In addition to that, how was she not anemic by now? Perhaps she was anemic now. Peter's eyes gave away the immense concern he felt at the moment. She seemed fine at the moment, but for all he knew she had already suffered some cardiovascular damage. Why would she be so willing to be fed on? Was there something she was getting out of it? Peter figured there was more to it than what she was telling him and decided to keep his serious concerns to himself until he gathered a little more information.

"Before I give in to the urge to strangle you, I'd like to know what you mean exactly by saying you 'took advantage' of my friend...?"

"Ah!" Peter made a small panicked noise. Kiyoko was giving him an intimidating look. He didn't want her to strangle him. "I don't want you to strangle me..." Peter gave a small, nervous smile and his eyes were that of a frightened puppy. Whereas he found that Jayden was impossible to take seriously earlier, he found that Kiyoko was genuinely scary. It would be nice to hug something warm and soft. That always helped Peter when he felt worried or scared. He usually hugged pillows, but for some strange reason all he could think about was Zoey Black and how it felt when he had inadvertently pinned her to a wall the night before. Ah, right. The question.

"Well, you see, I have a knack for potions. When I found Zoey, she was crying and she seemed really lonely, so I wanted to make her feel better. I introduced her to a special brew of mine that I call Euphie, which she snatched up and drank without listening to what I had to say first." Thinking back on the whole thing, Peter shook his head and smiled at the reckless impulsiveness she demonstrated. Zoey Black was a feral animal and Peter loved that about her, even if she did punch and damage his jaw. "I couldn't keep her from overdosing, so I followed her all night and made sure she was safe until the effects ran out."

Speaking of Euphie, the phial that Zoey snatched from his hand was the only one he had left from his last batch. Peter would need to brew more. Most potion ingredients are kept in storage for a long time and while Peter couldn't always have access to the freshest ingredients, there was always a few components that he always picked by hand, which maximized quality and minimized cost. Speaking of cost, he was down a few galleons for the cost of imported Shrivelfig alone. Peter ought to ask the Herbology professor about the local flora. For brewing Euphie, Peter found that freshly picked grande absinthe flowers worked best. 'You're not planning on brewing anything with that, are you?' his father asked once, pointing to Peter's freshly picked flowers and leaves. 'Don't worry, it won't be toxic once I'm done with it,' Peter replied. Grande absinthe or grand wormwood was historically known to cause seizure-like convulsions when Muggles tested it on animals, so Peter's father was rightfully worried. Once Peter nailed down where to find it, maybe he could get someone to come along. From past experience, flower picking was best when done with friends.​

 

[Lillium]

[Hogsmeade - Honeydukes]


"I don't see why I have to close my eyes." Much as expected, Theo was being his usual uncooperative self.

Honestly, after all the years they'd been friends for one would think he'd know by now to just go along with it. Alexandra wasn't easily deterred; the stubborn redhead always had a way of 'convincing' the blonde boy to go along with her little schemes. What was the whole point of being friends if she couldn't get him to try new and exciting things? Theo needed to take more risks, live it up a little. He needed excitement, even if the quiet boy didn't realize it yet. What better person to help him along with it, than Alexandra? The entertainment she derived from his reactions was merely just a side benefit of helping a friend.

"Oh come on. Don't be a killjoy." An overly exaggerated sigh of exasperation blew past the girl's lips as she eyed her friend. "I hope you know that your mistrust wounds me deeply. Look at Amelia, she's gone along with it and she doesn't look like she's about to keel over any times soon. "As if to make her point, she looked at the girl with the incredibly eye-catching hair.

Amelia hadn't so much as batted an eye nor had she barraged her with questions but had quite calmly reached into the bag with her eyes closed as instructed and popped a bean into her mouth. The redhead's impression of her fellow Housemate went up a few notches and she offered a small smile.

"Besides, it'd be unbelievably rude of you to refuse a gift offered to you by your friend. Especially when she braved these horrendous crowds to get it for you. " She tilted her head to one side and shot him one of her most dazzling smiles though she knew full well that it had no effect on him. Well, not the intended effect at least.

"I'll even try one myself if it'd put your suspicious mind at ease." Alexandra closed her eyes and made a show of reaching into the bag and bringing up a single jellybean to her waiting lips. Popping it in her mouth, the girl opened her eyes as she rolled the piece of candy around. "Green Tea." She announced after a few more seconds.

She held out the bag of candy towards her friend with an expectant look on her face. "D'you suppose I should recite one of those passages? From that marvelous book we found at the bookstore, remember? My memory's quite good. I can tell you most of what was in the chapter, word for word." The girl added quietly, almost as an afterthought. A devious glint sparkled in her glacial blue eyes.​