Just in direct view of the sunshine, Bonnie Kensington has situated herself at a table near to the bar. A thick volume sits open before her, though she appears to be spending more attention on the sunshine than the volume itself. As she gazes towards the window, glad to be out of the heat of midday, her eyes pause on a woman sitting near the window. While the woman does not appear to have an Hogwarts insignia, and could very well be a tutor rather than a bonafide Hogwarts Professor, Bonnie decides to chance it. She stands and slinks over to the table where Isolde is surrounded by scrolls and stacks of paper. “Excuse me,” she begins. “Apologies for the intrusion, but I was just wondering. You see, I’m beginning my post at Hogwarts this year and was wondering whether you might be a teacher there, too.” A pause, and then Bonnie quickly adds, “Given all of the papers and miscellany, of course.”

The unusually warm summer day fails to penetrate the darker confines of the Leaky Cauldron’s main room. While the windows’ drapes are opened wide to let in the cheery sunlight, the room itself remains cool, with a hint of humidity that would otherwise be stifling. Isolde Morgan is seated next to one of the windows, idly watching the passing Londoners, not one of whom looks back through the window, of course. The Hogwarts professor has placed a small stack of papers on her table, along with a couple scrolls which are rolled tightly and bound with ribbon. In her hand is a small tea cup, steam rising lazily from the milky surface.

Isolde Morgan turns away from the window with a mildly glazed-over expression that quickly vanishes as Bonnie’s words sink in. She brightens and nods her head once while carefully setting down her teacup. “As a matter of fact, I am,” she replies, smoothly getting to her feet with a smile. “Isolde Morgan. Arithmancy. I’m just returning to Hogwarts this year. Short sabbatical and all that.”

“Well, fantastic,” Bonnie exclaims, appearing geniuinely pleased. “At least it won’t mean I’m completly new; always nice to have an acquaintance, of course.” The woman bestows a beaming smile and holds out her hand. “Bonnie Kensington, pleased to meet you. I’ll be taking over Divination this year.” While the volume under her arm may have previously given this away, the woman chooses to state this anyway, as her acquaintance has already expressed her own focus of study. “I’m very much looking forward to the start of the term. What house are you out of at Hogwarts, Ms…” Bonnie appears to be grasping for a name.

“Isolde Morgan,” the professor repeats cheerfully as she clasps the other woman’s hand briefly. “And I was a proud, if sometimes distracted member of Hufflepuff. It still feels a little like home, even today,” she shares before gesturing to one of the other chairs at her table. “Care to join me? And divination, you say,” Isolde muses as her cheerful smile grows the tiniest bit crooked. “So we’re actually in the same field, more or less.”

“Glad to,” Bonnie agrees, taking a seat in the mirroring chair. “I’m a former Ravenclaw. I’m looking forward to seeing the old place. It’s been twenty-seven years since I was last there.” The woman sighs a bit, and smiles. “Somehow, it just doesn’t feel like it could possibly have been that long.” And indeed, Bonnie looks as if she somehow thinks she’s still a spry young girl, just out of Hogwarts still. “Arithmancy, that’s very interesting. I never did take it in school. I chose Runes instead.” A pause. “I don’t think I even passed my OWLs in that subject either!” She chuckles and glances over all of Isolde’s papers. “My, that looks even more complicated than I remember it being. Perhaps you could teach me, too.” She chuckles.

Isolde Morgan laughs softly as she takes a seat again and reclaims her teacup. “Oh, this is just some of my own work,” she explains, nodding to the stack of papers before taking a sip of the cooled tea. “I try to keep the material for the students as basic as possible. I think it allows them plenty of room to make their own interpretations,” Isolde continues to explain, gesturing slightly with one hand. “As long as they can logically explain themselves and their thought process, of course.” She flashes Bonnie a smile and leans back in her chair. “I did take divination while at Hogwarts,” she says simply before asking, “So what is your take on it? How do you use it? Plan to teach it?” She then goes back to sipping at her tea.

“Well, I do intend to make the students understand that Divination is not some mamby-pamby subject,” Bonnie replies frankly. “After all, it takes skill to read the signs, as well as a gift.” She pauses and smiles at the Arithmancy professor. “I also intend to place high importance on learning the history of each method of Divinating. After all, without the history of it, how can one accurately comprehend its relevance and the significance of certain aspects of it.” She pauses, glancing over all of the papers. “How did you do in Divination when you were at school, Ms Morgan? Was Professor D’estiny still there when you enrolled in the course?”

Isolde Morgan appears delighted with Bonnie’s answers and sits up a little straighter. “Well, I certainly like the sound of that. I never had the gift for it, myself, which was reflected rather dismally in my class performance,” she answers, rolling her eyes heavenward. “And yes, D’estiny was there for… perhaps only a year more after I graduated. Though I didn’t always keep up with the Hogwarts news in the years just after graduation.” The professor toys with her teacup for a moment, either daydreaming or considering. “I’ve always wondered…” But she shakes her head, moves her teacup out of the way and begins gathering her things. “Well, I am sure we will have plenty of time for discussions. The divination arts have always fascinated me,” she tells Bonnie, smiling once again. “I am due at the Ministry in half an hour, however, so another time.” She quietly gets to her feet. “Will you be at Hogwarts before the term begins? If so, we will probably run into one another.”

“Yes, I was hoping to get there perhaps a week in advance so that I could get settled before the students arrive. No sense in being scattered about when trying to establish oneself, is there?” Bonnie laughs animatedly and bestows a large smile at Isolde. “I have a feeling the two of us will have a lot of discussions.” She smiles and stands as Isolde stands. “It has been a real pleasure meeting you, Ms Morgan.” The woman bows her head a bit and steps aside. “We’ll be seeing each other soon.” Bonnie plucks up her text. “I’ll leave you to your things and let you get situated to head up to the Ministry building. I hope all goes well there.” As she steps away, Bonnie smiles and waves again, “Until later!”

Kara Raine walks into the candy shop, head held high, yet the excitement from just being /here/ is evident in her wide eyed stare. “Oh my,” escapes before she can compose herself, but with a grin, begins to walk slowly around the glass cases, stopping to study the special display of chocolate frogs.

Ah summer, and what better way to spend summer than in Diagon Alley waiting fo shcool to start! Rawnie slips into the store curiously having explored almost every other facet of Diagon Alley except this one. Looking around at the different displays the little girl’s eyes are wide open with excitement. Spotting the lady behind the counter Rawnie waves to her in her most friendly mannor. “All this stuff is candy right? I mean… it all looks so … weird.”

Quintus Helit strides into the store in long, easy steps, taking special care not to step on anyone, their limbs or their pets. Most especially the latter, because no one really cares if you step on people. Then, he peers at the candy, murmuring to himself. “I’m looking for something that’ll keep.” He explains, though to no one in particular. “Something I can give as prizes in my first few classes. Something,” he waves his hands vaguely, “kids would like. Anything you can recommend?” When he does look up at Eva, it is the well-trained gaze of someone trying not to look someone else in the eye, but not cause offense either.

Rhian Brecon enters into the Candy Shop and sighed. She missed her fellow Ravenclaw who wasn’t around England for the Summer Holiday. The young woman isn’t in her school robes since it’s the Summer, but in a simple one with the school emblem on it, but not wearing the uniform underneath. She wants to be casual but not be confused with someone not at Hogwarts. She smiles as she looks at Eva, recognizing her from the trips to Hogsmeade and at Hunnyduke’s, but apparently this is where she disappeared to. “Good day Mistress Fallon. We missed you in Hogsmeade this past school term,” the new Sixth Year proclaims as she gets over to the counter.

Sweeping the door open to its fullest, Daniel‘s silvery tenor cuts through the air with a cheery ‘Mrs. Fallon! It’s *such* a delight to see you again.” A few very young children squeak inside under the tall man’s arm and his grasp on the door falters to have a look around the store. Releasing his hold, he steps inside and begins brushing his cloak down with his slender fingers. “I see the summer is keeping you busy. How are you keeping?” Giving the children in general as wide a berth as possible, the young man doesn’t seem overly displeased but he falls silent, seeing that there are already others speaking to the woman.

“It sure is candy,” Eva chimes, bouncing Charlotte on her hip from behind the counter. The child seems a bit fussy, though Eva‘s attempts to soothe have been successful in calming the infant. Her hair is rather a mess, as is the space behind the counter, though the main part of the store is immaculate. “Welcome to Cordial Confections,” she adds, almost as an afterthought. It has been a busy day so far, and Eva is not complaining, as much as she would like to. “If you touch it, you’ll need to buy it,” she adds, glancing at the children milling into the shop. Upon Quintus’s entrance, she fixes her gaze on him thoughtfully. “The frogs keep well, but mostly, I thinkI would suggest…” A pause as she thinks. “Well, Maura made a fabulous batch of acid pops and fizzing whizbees. The Licorice wands are always good, too.” Another pause. “Hello, Rhian, I’ve missed you all, too. Nice to see you in Diagon Alley, though!” The woman chuckles as she leans against the opening between the two counters.

Chris Jitsunari walks into the shop, followed by a small black kitten, not really paying attention to his surroundings. His attention caught in his brand new copy of “Practical Beginner Charms vol.1″. He seems to mutter the spells to himself. He hears a small meow and looks down at his new kitten, “What’s wrong Magik? Hungry?” He closes his book puting it in his bag. His attention is brought to the shelves full of candy. He smiles and walks over to the counter, trying to decide what he wants, his kitten following obediantly.

Quintus Helit peers at each of the items she suggests in turn, grateful for some sort of opportunity not to look directly at her, considering it all thoughtfully. “Well, I think I’ll buy a small stockpile of licorice wands. Enough to last for the first few rewards, plus satisfy my own urge to eat them.” This is obviously intended as a joke, for he offers a smile, but it is a weak, forced smile, not a particularly cheerful one. “Er. How much would that be?”

Rhian Brecon smiles at Eva, glad that she remembers her name. “Yes, my parents let me come to visit and get some treats for my owl, Shannon. Unfortunately I’m here alone, Loki is out of the country and I miss hiim terribly.” She sighs at that little fact. “Would you like some help with your little one’s? I wouldn’t mind really.” She looks around and seem to spot what look like new students for Hogwarts. “I remember that book, I think I still have it back home,” she looks over Chris’s shoulder to spot the beginning charms test.

Kara Raine continues to stroll around the store, taking note of the other new arrivals. The excited girl is quickly glanced at, while the older girl with the Hogwart’s school emblem is studied quietly, before Kara turns back toward Eva. “Excuse me ma’am, I’d like two chocolate frogs and an acid pop please, when you have a moment.” She is more that content to wait her turn in line, and stares openly as the newest boy walks in with a kitten tailing him. As he slides up to the counter almost beside her, she leans over and points, “You /do/ know there is a kitten behind you yes? Do you want to let it run loose in a candy store?”

Rawnie Weller peers at the men who walk in and decides to ignore them. Really, when is it ever important to pay attention to grown ups?

Rawnie Weller peers at the men who walk in and decides to ignore them. Really, when is it ever important to pay attention to grown ups? The girl looks for some of the candys she knows from home but none of them seem to be here except for one. Running up to a jar on the counter nearly stepping on Quintus’ foot Rawnie peers at the Every Flavor beans. “Oh Jelly beans! I love thease!”

Hopping to the side to avoid one of the much younger children, Daniel wriggles in brief discomfort but is soon striding up to the counter and off to the side. The smile doesn’t falter however and he leans an elbow idly upon the glass top. “You really ought to employ a sitter and maybe a guard too.” Chuckling softly and following up with a wink, he stretches his hand over his mouth to cover a yawn. Twisting his weight to get a good look around the store, his restless eyes flit over the younger and older customers alike.

“Go ahead and get the candies, sweetie,” Eva beckons to Kara, pointing quickly to where the goodies are, then turns her attention back to Rhian. “Josie and Essie are down here if you’d like to see them. I think you’ll notice a bit of change in the girls since you saw them last. I’m sorry to hear that your … Loki isn’t around.” Eva‘s not one to assume anything, so makes sure not to make any comments about their ‘togetherness’, however close they may be. Turning her attention to Daniel, Eva smiles. “Hello, Daniel,” she greets him and sets Charlotte into a rocker nearby, digging under the counter for a rather bulky sack. “Ten sickles today, Daniel. Maura was feeling generous when pricing things, looks like.” Eva chuckles and plops the bag onto the counter, quickly picking up Charlotte the squirmy infant before the girl starts screaming.

Chris Jitsunari eyes the counter, his excitement growing the more he looks. He snickers to himself as he sees the Pepper Imps, remembering the mishap he had with them the day before. His attention brought to Kara as he hears the question. He grins and reaches down to pick up the kitten. “This is Magik, I just got him, the shop keeper said he’s really obediant, I dont think he’ll get into anything.” He holds the kitten in his hand as he scoops up a few chocolate frogs and ice mice. He looks to Eva. “And I’ll take these.” He pulls some coins out of his pocket and puts them on the counter.

Quintus Helit looks down at and peers at Rawnie – now, this is someone he won’t feel remotely uncomfortable about dealing with. “Watch out for other people’s feet, or I’ll get my pets to step on yours.” This isn’t said with annoyance or as a threat, but mildly, as if it is just the way things happen to be, or will happen to be if Rawnie steps on anyone’s foot. “You look like a Hogwarts student – or someone who will soon be a Hogwarts student.”

Rawnie Weller looks suddenly up at the tall dark skinned Wizard and stares at him for a good minute with a look on her face that screams ‘Who do you think you are correcting me?’ But instead the girl says polightly. “Sorry about that sir but your feet are just so large… it was the best I could do to miss…” A smile comes over Rawnie‘s face. “Yes Im starting at Hogwarts this year!”

Kara Raine smiles, her dimples briefly appearing. “He’s very cute, and that is a great name. My parents said I could get a pet if I wanted, but I haven’t decided on what type I want yet. I’m Kara Raine, by the way.” Flashing Chris a second dimpled grin, she turns back as Eva addresses her, and with a short nod, heads toward the acid pops, collecting the frogs as she walks by the display. After snagging everything she wanted, Kara returns to the counter, setting her items down and reaching for her purse, “I think that’s everything ma’am. What do I owe you?” The Hogwarts grabs her attention, as she turns toward Quintus and Rawnie. “Did you say Hogwarts? I will be starting there this year as well.”

“That’s all?” Dipping into his cloak and withdrawing an embroidered velvet money pouch, Daniel opens it and withdraws the allotted funds, and throws in a few gold galleons. “Get the children something nice Eva. You and Maura always treat me far too well and it’s about time I give back.” As the counter gets more crowded, he presses up in the corner against the wall and the bit of open space on his side. “I don’t suppose you’ve managed to get anymore of those delightful enchanted truffles? Those are some of the tastiest chocolates I’ve had in years.” The smile dips as a child of maybe eight comes crowding along, staring with unabated greed at the more expensive luxuries. “You must be doing a brisk trade, it almost looks as if half the new students are here.”

Rhian Brecon nods and goes to say ‘hi’ to Eva’s two other girls but was hearing the adult speak with the new students. “New to Hogwarts? Well this should be fun, new victims for us Prefects,” she smiles, giving somewhat a mischevious grin at the incoming first years. “Tread lightly, things are always a mystery at Hogwarts.” She sounds like she’s exaggerating, but actually, she’s not. She was around when the magic at the school went haywire and then now… things are very confusing with where everything is moving to.

Chris Jitsunari unwraps an Ice Mice and puts it in his hand. He snickers as he watches Magik paw at it and nibble on it. He smiles back at Kara, “My name’s Chris.” He also hears the mention of Hogwarts and turns around. “I’ll be going there too!” He says with much excitement.

Quintus Helit raises an eyebrow at Rawnie but says nothing about her expression – even though some quirk around his mouth suggests that he would very much like to. “Well, my feet will do their best to stay out of your way in future. You know, I’m starting at Hogwarts this year, too.” Now, just to stand back at see if she understands what he’s saying – he is rather big for eleven, if that’s what she’s thinking.

Rawnie Weller tilts her head and furrows her brows. “Your starting at Hogwarts? As what? A custodian or somthing?” The response was a little less polight than the last one but hey this man just told her not to step on his feet! Was she going to be nice to somone so bossy? Rawnie turns hearing the other two students and smiles. “Im pretty excited….” She stops though hearing Rhiana’s warning and then smiles. “Its going to be great!”

“I’ll mention it to Maura, and see whether I can get some more of them from France.” Eva smiles indulgently at him and sets Charlotte down, who immediately scoots over to where her sisters are. She picks up a quill from below the counter and starts scribbling several notes for herself. “You’re always good for business, Daniel. Keeping me on my toes about what to carry and what not to.” She glances around the shop, keeping an eye on all the children (sticky fingers, you know), as well as the few adults milling about. “Essie. You know better than to pull on Charlotte’s hair.” The child glances at her mother and releases her sister’s hair, babbling some things about the little toy that she’s playing with to her mother, who seems to have directed her attention elsewhere.

Quintus Helit raises his eyebrows even further at Rawnie, though chooses not to say anything in response, glancing over at the prefect and offering his hand to her in a polite gesture. “A prefect, are you? Nice to meet you. I was never a prefect, myself. Soon-to-be Professor Helit. Nice to meet you.” He says it loud enough for Rhian to hear and Rawnie to conveniently overhear, but low enough so as not to interrupt anyone else. Hopefully.

Kara Raine grins at Chris and casts Rhain a skeptical look. “Are you really a Prefect? What house are you in? I’m hoping for Ravenclaw myself, like my mother, but my father was a Hufflepuff.” Quintus gets a bemused look and Rawnie only gets a wide-eyed one, before she respectfully curtsies to Quintus. “I’m assuming you would be a new teacher at the school sir. Professor Helit, I believe is what you said.”

Rhian Brecon blinks at hearing that there is a new Professor here. “Oh.. I’m sorry Professor, I didn’t realize that you were one of the new ones I have heard are coming to the school. A pleasure Professor Helit, I am Rhian Brecon, Sixth Year Prefect. I’m not quite sure how I got through my Fifth Year as a Prefect, but I did. I’m a bit more… sane now since the OWLs have come and gone. May I ask what you will be teaching Professor?” She smiles softly at him, a bit embarassed for slightly threatening the new students in front of him. Hearing the questions from somewhere else, she smiles at Kara. “Yes, I’m a Prefect, a Ravenclaw at that. Really? Well I hope you will get into my House, most intelligent of the lot of them. My father was a Hufflepuff as well, but my mother went to Drumstrang.”

Rawnie Weller gets a bit wide eyed herself conveniently overhearing Quintus, but her pride will not allow her to appologize and her pure gall forces her to mutter. “Probably the Professor of how not to trip over large feet.”

Quintus Helit slams his fist down against the tabletop, hard, creating a bit of noise if nothing else, glaring at Rawnie. “Would you stop with the large feet? Please?” His tone is bordering on dangerous, though it passes quickly, and he smiles, though it is a slightly forced smile, at Rhian. “Care of Magical Creatures. I was in Gryffindor at school, myself, but don’t worry, I don’t harbour house resentment.” He chuckles, but this too seems a little forced.

Kara Raine takes a step back as the Care of Magical Creatures professor slams his fist down. “Oh my.” Leaning over toward Rawnie, “You might want to stop it with the whole feet thing. Word of advice, yes?” Wide-eyed, yet faking a smile, Kara steps back and over toward Eva at the counter once again, “How much did you say the frogs and acid pop were ma’am?”

“Your children listen to you very well Eva, you’re quite lucky you know.” Grabbing the bag quickly off the top of the case, Daniel presses a bit of his cloak between his free fingers and wipes them several times as he steps away from another little one who comes bounding up to the front of the store. “Really, it’s very pleasant to have seen you again but I really ought to get back to the store.” It is the fist pounding that rounds his attention on the Professor and he blinks before stating, “I say *sir* that was rather uncalled for. I must insist that you not manhandle Mrs. Fallon’s shop again. It isn’t polite.”

Chris Jitsunari quickly reaches into his bag and pulls out his “A History of Hogwarts” book, opening it to a bookmark, the Ravenclaw section. “I’m going for Ravenclaw too.” He scratches his head for minute at hearing Kara talk about her parents, he ponders for a minute which houses his biological parents might have been in. His kitten jumps out of his hand at the ound of Quintus hitting the counter and runs under a shelf. Chris facepalms and gets down trying to convince the kitten out from under the shelf, “Comeon Magik, get out from there.”

Rawnie Weller jumps up and eyes the large Professor. A glare is given right back before she turns to look at the Every Flavor Beans again. A small sniff is given when the other girl suggests stoping. “It isn’t _my_ fault he has such large feet now is it? I just wanted some of thease jellybeans.”

The door to the candy shop opens as Rafe DeWitt–followed by his mother, Angelica DeWitt–hops into the candy shoppe. The boy’s hair is unusually tossled today (Angelica would /never/ make him brush it and now that Raphael is on holidays, what’s the point? There’s no one worth impressing). Regardless of the fourth years slightly unkempt appearance, his posture is one of refinement, allowing him to utilize the full potential of his height. Strangely, the boy’s skin has paled over the summer rather than tanned, and resesmbles that of his now-deceased father. “Mum, I want some beans. Bertie Botts,” Rafe points towards one of the counters. Angelica DeWitt sighs dramatically at Rafe‘s request, “Yes, Rafe, darling, get whatever pleases you.” Her curly blonde hair is matted (it seems Rafe isn’t the only one who has taken to not brushing his hair) today. Usually the debutante wannabe is free from any blemish in her appearance, and when blemishes exist? Generally this illustrates her entrance into one of her moods.

Quintus Helit fixes a particularly ferocious glare on Rawnie, though he doesn’t say anything else to her at the moment, slowly turning and directing a small forced smile to Daniel. “I’m sorry. I’ll avoid manhandling the shop.” Turning back to face Rhian and Rawnie, he can’t help but give Rawnie a little cuff around the back of the head. Nothing personal, or particularly hard, just a gentle little cuff to get her attention. “Watch it, okay?”

Seeing Quintus’s behavior in the shop, Eva is somewhat shocked. “And here I thought professors were supposed to set good examples,” the woman says rather quietly from behind her counter. “Of course, it’s been a year or two since I was there,” she says with a bit of a happy sigh, glancing around her bustling shop. Returning her thoughts to Daniel’s comments, she responds, “Well, today they’re listening. Other days, we don’t see eye-to-eye quite so well.” She chuckles and watches as Rhian rather sucks up to the new professor. “What have we got here, kiddies? Am I to make any sales today?” Eva winks and reaches up trying to secure her hair a bit better.

Kara Raine glances over toward Rawnie, and with a look of sympathy upon her features, adds a few boxes of Bernie Bots to her pile on the counter. “I’ll take all of these ma’am.” Reaching into her purse, she pulls out a handful of money, several gold gallons flashing in her fist, sets the correct amount on the counter, and stuffs the rest back in her purse. Collecting her candy, she hands the jelly beans to Rawnie. “Here, its nice to meet someone else going to be starting at Hogwarts too. I’m Kara.”

Backing away from the bustle, Daniel flashes his impish grin at Eva and then nods politely to Quintus. “Very good sir, thank you.” The entrance of another child with a parent draws the man’s attention and suddenly he stands rooted to the spot. Plum eyes fasten onto Angelica and then stray to Rafe, to the casual observer it could be that he is perhaps fascinated with the duo for some unknown reason or perhaps he is seeing someone he hasn’t in a very long time. Keeping to the left side of the store, he creeps along trying to avoid the pair and even goes so far as to turn and look away, his face pointedly studying the shelves as he tries to get to the door.

Chris Jitsunari pleads with his kitten. “Comeon Magik, please come out.” As he lays on the floor trying to reach his kitten one of the many students steps on his hand. “Ouch!” he says loudly, which scares his kitten even more. He unwraps a chocolate frog and places it on the floor in front of the shelf. “Comeon Magik come get the frog!”

As Quintus cuffs Rawnie‘s head she stamps her foot in reaction very nearly stamping on his. “Hey! You can’t trat me like that!” Its about to turn into an all out ruckus except that Rawnie is quickly distracted by free candy. “Oh thanks! My names Rawnie.” Taking the beans with a smile she moves away from the Professor quickly. “I can’t wait to go to school myself.”

“Excellent,” Rafe murmurs as he eyes the candy and finally reaches for a box of chocolate frogs. “How many may I have, Mum?” He and Morgana had always enjoyed their mother’s moods: she became much easier to deal with during them. Standing in the entranceway still, Angelica does not move. “I don’t care,” she states grumpily as she continues to stand in front of the door. Customers file in and out of the store, struggling to get around the witch, and she still does not move. “Have as many as you like.” Rafe glances at his mother while picking up a bag of Bertie Bott’s Every-Flavour Beans, “Should I get some for Morgan, mum?” Raising a hand to her forehead, Angelica pauses a moment and considers and then answers simply, “No. If she wanted candy she should have come on our errands.”

Rhian Brecon looks slightly confused at the Professor’s behavior as she had never seen a Professor take that additude with a student, especially just before school starts, and they didn’t have that long. “Well, I guess I should get my candy then head back home. My parents will be waiting for me. It was a pleasure Professor, and I hope to see all of you on the train to school in a few weeks,” she smiles at all the new students at the school. She slips towards the counter and over at Eva. “Well I’ve finally decided, I think three licorice wands and two Chocolate Frogs, I swear I’m saving most of it for later,” she smiles.

Kara Raine grins, dimples showing. “Rawnie, nice to meet you. I am so excited, my parents have told me all about their time at school, and I so can’t wait till the train leaves.” Chris and his problems with the kitten soon draw her eye, and glancing toward Rawnie, she nods toward the boy on the floor. Ever so gently, she moves over, and bends down beside him. “Did Magik like those mice earlier? You might want to try that again.”

Quintus Helit doesn’t seem to be even remotely phased by Rawnie’s less than happy response to the cuff on the head, sticking his hands in his robe pockets and peering down at the various candy. “Yes, yes, nice meeting you, too.” He removes his hand from his pocket, waves it vaguely, then returns it to his pocket as he looks into the display case. “You, there.” He waves his hand at the nearest student-looking person. “What sort of candy do you like best?” He doesn’t look up from the display case, so he has no idea who he is addressing. How nice.

Curling his shoulders in an unrefined slouch, so characteristic of his childhood and early adolescence, Daniel also bows his head and tries to make himself appear shorter. This attempt isn’t really very good, but he’s not about to try casting any sort of illusion spell in the middle of a storefront. Fingers slipping over his cloak, he twitches it nervously and tucks away the rather sizable bag of candy into one of its many voluminous pockets. Arriving at the door, he mutters an ‘excuse me’ and tries to crowd past with a few others.

“Of course you are,” Eva answers, as she always does when a customer tells her that, and she does hear it pretty often. She states the cost to Rhian and pulls out a tiny paper sack to contain them in, handing the sack to the girl, her hand out for payment. Eva does notice a bit of … tension, in her shop, though she isn’t certain where from, and hasn’t the attention to pay to it just now. “Professor, sir, I would steer clear of the Sherbet Balls if I were you, or Hogwarts will find itself ripe with levitating students.” The woman leans over the counter, glancing over at the student on the floor. “Say, just what /are/ you doing down there? You are going to pay for that frog, aren’t you?”

Chris Jitsunari looks over at Kara and nods. “Good Idea.” He pulls an ice mice from his pocket and unwraps it before letting it loose on the floor, the kitten runs out from under the shelf and chases the mouse around the store, a few of the students trip as Chris dives to try and ctach the kitten. He manages to grab it. He gets up apologizing to the students. “Uh, sorry bout that.” He looks over at Eva scratching his head with an apologetic look on his face, “Sorry that Professor guy scared him, didn’t mean to cause such a mess. And I already paid for these.” A gu

“Yes mum,” Rafe states as he walks about the shop alone–his mother still standing in the doorway. Angelica sighs emphatically while people pass her by until oone Daniel Darian enters her range of vision. Her expression transforms from pure boredom to a cross between suspicion and recognition. She reaches out to grab the edge of his coat, and chimes in the sickly sweet tone she’s so well known for, “I know you.” From where? She really hasn’t the foggiest. For all she knows Daniel could be part of the Ministry that she avoided for so many years. She narrows her eyes as she peers at him.

Rhian Brecon pulls out the required coins to give to Eva and puts it in her hand before taking the back. “Thank you Mistress Fallon. I hope you have a good day and manage to get the kitten out from under your counter eventually. I’ll make sure to stop by before we head off to school. Unfortunately I fear you’ll only be more busy as it progresses. I hope you have a good day,” she glances over at the Professor then lowers her voice a bit. “And that he doesn’t cause too much ruckas.”

Rawnie Weller stands back out of the way watching as the kitten chases the candy mouse all over the shop. “Blimey… and you all eat those?” The girl grins and shrugs. “I think Im going to stick with Muggle candy.” With that she takes what she thinks is a black jellybean and pops it in her mouth only to choke and spit it out into her hand. “Uaagghhh! That tasted like an olive!”

Quintus Helit gets no reply to his random question, which seems fair enough – no one realises he’s talking to them, it seems. “Well… I think I’ll just take some licorice things and go, then.” He tells Eva. “Er. Ten of them, please. That should be enough for now.” He pulls a few sickles out of his pocket and looks expectantly at her – or rather, not at her, but in her direction enough to indicate that he means her.

Kara Raine giggles, falling over as the black kitten sudden emerges from under the counter. “Oh, catch him Chris,” is called out, and as she glances toward Rafe she yells toward him. “Watch the doorway, don’t let the kitten escape outside!” With a sigh, she pulls herself to her feet, and takes a few minutes to straighten out her robes. When she finally glances up, the kitten has been caught. “Oh well done! You managed to get him. I really don’t know now if I want a cat as a pet.”

“Ahhhh madame?” Pulling out his refined accent might be as troublesome as not and he slightly accents it with a touch of French. “I’m afraid I haven’t the foggiest, perhaps you are mistaking me for another?” Daniel‘s lopsided and easy smile touches his plum eyes, all of which is unfortunately very trademark for him, caught as he is unprepared. “I do not think I know you.” Squinting, he shakes his head and grins again in that easy way and friendly way, “I think I should remember a face like yours. I’m very sorry. If you’ll just excuse me…”

Kelly Pantall wanders in with an expression far more morose than is normal, brow creasing as she notices how many people there are within, squeezing past them without real dignity or pretence at dignity. “Er. Is there a party here?” She wonders aloud, though her remarks are directed at nobody in particular. “It’s so crowded in here, why can’t anyone let me buy stuff?” Not that anyone is actually stopping her, but it is the principle of the matter.

“No. . .no. . . I know you,” Angelica states half pouting. Rafe looks away from his candy for a moment to see his mother questioning Daniel. Rolling his eyes, Rafe marches towards her, “Mother.” The woman sideglances her son just to look back at Daniel, “I never forget a face. Believe me.” There’s something almost foreboding in her tone. She raises her eyebrows as she stares at Daniel’s features. She bites her bottom lip and intently watches him. Daniel is too young for Angelica to have gone to school with him, and certainly too French to be in the British Ministry (and Angelica had avoided France). “Mother, he clearly doesn’t know you. Now, let’s buy my candy. . .” “Hush! Mummy’s talking.” Rolling his eyes, the fourteen year old shuffles away towards the counter once again.

Eva Fallon chuckles as Rhian makes her exit and glances down at the group of children who look as if they could be future Hogwarts students. Eva finds it hard to tell anymore. “Come now, surely you are willing to try a peppermint toad. They don’t jump far as some like to claim.” Eva grins at the girl who is rather bemusedly crowing over the odd-flavoured jelly beans. “Make sure you keep hold of that kitten, though. If my girls get hold of it, I can’t guarantee they’ll give it back.” A smile concludes this statement as Eva leans against the counter lazily.

Rhian Brecon quietly makes her way through the people there, keeping her hands on her back then out into the rest of Diagon Alley to finish her errands for the day before heading home.

Quintus Helit being not really inclined to associate with other people by nature jingles the sickles in his hand in the manner of all annoying customers, tapping against the benchtop with his other hand. “Please, can I have ten licorice wands?” His tone is quiet and he still isn’t looking directly at her, which may go partway to explaining why she isn’t paying much attention to him now, but he’s going to quietly complain nonetheless. “Oh, and a box of Bertie Botts, please?”

Chris Jitsunari gives a nervous laugh. He places another ice mice in his hand to keep the kitten busy. His attention brought back to Kara, “Oh, he’s just a little jumpy, that’s the first time I’ve ever seen him act like that actually.” He affectionately rubs the kittens ears as it purrs in his hand.

“Madame, I do apologize but I simply do *not* know you.” Anxious eyes dart their desperate gaze at the door and then back at the woman. “Your eh, son, he needs you I believe?” Taking a slow breath, Daniel tries to sidle away from the door so that he doesn’t keep blocking it but he doesn’t move out of the grasp of the woman. “I’m afraid I must insist that you let go, I haven’t caused you any harm and I need to get back to work.” “I’m sorry for the confusion.” The flash of the smile poorly masks the man’s increased panic. “Now, if you’ll be so kind as to let me go.”

Rawnie Weller stuffs the foul tasting bean into her pants pocket and comes up to the counter. “A Peppermint coated frog sounds better than olive flavored jellybeans…. I’ll take one then.” She looks down into her bag of beans a bit nervously glanceing up at Eva. “They don’t _all_ taste like olives do they?”

Kelly Pantall screws up her face in childish annoyance, pushing people aside in an effort to move closer to the counter. If she recognises anyone in the crowd, she is being too morose and irritable to let on about it. Then, as she gets to the counter, all she does – for all the effort she expended to get there – is stare at it, a mixture of annoyance and confusion etched on her face. “I don’t even know what I waaaant.” She whinges to nobody in particular, her petulant tone dragging out her final syllable far longer than was ever intended, at a more off pitch than was ever intended. Wow. Upset Gryffindor firls are no fun at all.

Eva plunks a handful of licorice wands into a bag and a package of Bertie Botts Beans into a paper sack and informs Quintus of his small debt to her. “No, there are some flavoured like strawberries, and ice cream, and honey… that’s why they’re called Every Flavour Beans.” Eva smiles indulgently at the child and glances to Kelly. Kelly. Hmm. Oh, the girl that Briony brought. “Try the coloricious, Kelly,” Eva suggests as she gingerly slides a peppermint toad into another brown baggie.

Kara Raine grins, glancing from Chris to the kitten. “Well, you have him back now, and no worse for wear. But, I would hold tight to him,” and nods in the direction of Eva. At that moment, a stylishly handsome couple stroll into the store, their robes of the finest quality material, and with an unmistakeble air about them, something that seems to scream pureblood. The gentleman looks around, and frowns as he spots Kara. “I assume by now that you have collected your candy darling? Time to run along, we have an appointment to make.” With one last glance at Magik, and a smile for Chris, she nods to her father. “Yes, Papa, I’m coming. Chris, I’ll see you on the train I suppose, or at school. Bye Rawnie!” With a florish of robes, Kara exits the store after her parents.

Now that he has been sufficiently violent, annoying and random, Quintus inclines his head by way of thanks to Eva, hands over his small debt plus a little bit extra – “Keep the tip. Pay for my accosting your bench,” he explains shortly – then turns to leave, not worrying about the fact that he is running into several others, but giving Angelica quite a wide berth as he exits. Of course, this means that he basically walks right into Daniel, but you can’t have everything. With only a mumbled apology, he makes his way out.

Rawnie Weller gives a wave to Kara as her parents come to collect her. “See you on the train!” She turns again and smiles reaching into the bag and taking out a green bean and nibbleing the end. “Mmm thats lime, thats not so bad.” She pops the bean into her mouth and chews happily. With a full mouth she asks. “How much do I owe ya?”

The antiquarian’s panic only increases Angelica’s resolve. She stares at him several moments, still grasping his coat as she runs through her memory. “I knew you when you were younger. A young man, I believe.” She continues to stare at Daniel’s face. Finally she releases her grip, “Work? I’m sure a young man like you has better things to do with his time than work. Leisure offers more reward, although less profit at the end of the day.” Of course, with the fortune Mordred left her, Angelica hasn’t worked a day since his death–unless her everyday intrigues count as work. She smiles smugly as she begins to place him, “I believe you were well acquainted with my husband? Mordred Dewitt. . .” Rafe walks to the counter and places some coins on top of it, enough to cover the cost of his candy. “It’s all there,” he declares to Eva. Why is he paying for his candy when his mother is so close by? It might make her move faster. Here’s for hoping.

Kelly Pantall looks up at Eva with a certain amount of confusion, as though she’s not entirely certain why she’s being spoken to so nicely, then shrugs lightly. “I might as well,” she offers, her voice loud and petulant in her declaration. “I don’t have any better ideas – I don’t think I’ve ever tried it before, so it seems like as good an idea as any.” She puts her hands on her hips as she glares at the rest of the selection, daring it to make a choice on her behalf. Then, hearing a familiar voice, she looks up – and it is an attestment to her moodiness today that she offers Rafe not so much as a forced smile. “Hello, Rafe.” She offers in a lower, dull voice. “You haven’t written me a letter yet.”

Chris Jitsunari smiles and waves to Kara as she leaves. He walks back up to the counter. “Hmmmm, I think I’ll get a few more things before I go.” He reaches over and grabs a few pepper imps and a few more ice mice. He looks down at his kitten smiling. “He seems to like these.” He reaches into his pocket and places a few coins on the counter.

Fair skinned to begin with, Daniel looses what little rosy hue he has as his blood rushes away from his face. “Madame, if you knew me as a young man then you would surely know me *now* for I *am* a young man.” Laughing feebly, the smile stretches tight and fails to meet his nearly black eyes. “Much younger and I would have been a student or a child, I’m afraid I do not know you *or* your husband.” Tugging at his cloak, the gentleman slides back toward the door and tries to slip out and around the frame to the street outside. “Have a pleasant day.”

“Hi Kelly,” Rafe counters while watching his mother. He mutters to himself, while shaking his head, “I do wish she’d behave. . .” He looks back at the Gryffindor girl, “Yes, I do apologize about that, but Mother has been keeping myself and Morgana busy.” He frowns as he watches Angelica transform into her flirtacious self. “I like her better when she’s cranky. . .” As Daniel steps away, Angelica calls after him, with a cackle “Have a wonderful day, Mister Darian!” Ha! Success is hers! She beams with triumph and steps into the shop. Spotting her son, she motions for him to join her, “Come Rafe. I have much to do now. Very much to do.” “Bye Kelly. I’ll write soon!” That said the pair exit the shop. Plots dancing in Angelica’s head.

Chris Jitsunari smiles and pockets the candy he just bought. He waves to Eva, “Well, sorry if I’ve been a bother mam.” He loooks down at his kitten again. “And I’m sure he’s sorry too.” He waves before walking out of the store.

Kelly Pantall sullenly glares at the departing Hufflepuff – yeah, sure she believes he’ll write her sometime soon. But then, her gaze turns back to the sweets and she offers, in a more sullen and less petulant tone than before, “Er… yes. Just.. some of whatever. I’m not really fussed.”

Eva Fallon takes her change and waves as people seem to rapidly exit the shop. Has she done something wrong? “Come back soon now. Always new candies to try out!” Eva pauses, thinking of what to get for the girl. “How about some of these, and then a few of these…” Eva takes several different varieties of candies and plunks them into a bag. “How does that look?”

Rawnie Weller smiles and pays Eva with a Galleon from her pocket unaware that its way too much for a peppermint frog. “Thank you!” She says as she turns to leave.

Kelly Pantall offers a small, forced smile, along with a vague, listless shrug, and pulls some money out of her pocket. “Um. How much is it, for that little bag, then?” She asks, chewing at her lower lip gently.

“Wait now, wait,” Eva says, attempting to stop Rawnie before she leaves. “You haven’t got your change!” The woman runs quickly to retrieve the change for the little girl and returns, stating the cost, calculated rather hastily off the top of her head, to Kelly. “It’s all good things, I promise.” She smiles at the older one, holding out change in the direction of the younger.

Rawnie Weller blushes and takes her change smiling. “Oops. Im still new with this weird money. Sorry lady.” With that the girl turns again and runs outside steping on a few feet on the way out. A momment later before the door closes “Ewww a onion flavored one!” is heard very loudley.

Kelly Pantall offers another, slightly wider but still just as forced smile to Eva, counting out her money carefully, twice, and handing it over carefully. It’s sort of like the non-drinker’s way to cure pain, the candy store. “Thank you, Miss.. Missus… whatever your title is, thank you.” It seems to be a generic thanks, with no real feeling behind it, but her tone is more flat than nasty as it usually is.

“Fallon,” Eva supplies, as if she’s said it pretty often. “Come back before you head off to school. I’m sure you’ll be needing more by then.” She chuckles and takes the money, plunking it, with a pile of the rest of the money plunked onto her counter for the sweets she’s just sold. The woman glances over her store, now mostly empty, and considerably rumpled. Time to clean again. After the children are put to bed… Eva‘s life never slows down, but she does love it.

As there is rain falling and a cool breeze keeps waving mist against the windows Andy Carver decided to roll into one of the cuddly armchairs by the fire and taking a short nap, because he got tired of reading “Thirty Trusty Transfiguration Tricks” written by Thomas Tittery, the known schoolbook compendium author. The bright colored book combines well with the red velvet of the chair, which it lies next to. Andy‘s head is located on one armrest, his feet on the other, dangling in the air, his arms are crossed loosely in front of his chest, his hair is a complete chaos and his mouth is slightly open…

Briony Wexler comes bounding down the stairs, giggling. “See if you can’t figure that out later, Kalynn! Come down here and we can play snaps!” The girl misses the last step as she’s running down, completely missing her friend’s response of ‘no’, and starts stumbling across the floor rather quickly. After all, it’s Briony. She’s never been one to move slowly. As she stumbles, trying to catch her blance, her toe catches on the edge of the rug and she takes a spill, her book flying halfway across the room, hitting the back of the chair that Andy happens to be seated in and falling to the floor behind it. “Sorry,” she calls as she stands herself up and carelessly brushes her robes off then strides over to retrieve her book. “Hullo, Andy,” she greets him then walks and plops herself down onto a couch, presumably waiting for Kalynn to descend the stairs, as she is unaware that the girl has no plans to do so.

“Huh?” Being galvanised by an thudding impact at his chair Andy sits up in a rush. “Oh, hello Briony.” he replies pacified and leans back into the cushions again and adds “What has your day been like?” stifling a yawn by the end of his question. Then he picks up his book from the floor and looks over the conceited portrait of Thomas Tittery on the front page, which keeps on switching from one swanky pose into another. After that he decides to turn his gaze to Briony again.

“Oh, not too badly. It’s a pity it’s raining. I was hoping to go outside for a romp later today. I’m so anxious for summer. Alden and Alice will want to hear all about what I did this year.” Perhaps this is an exaggeration, but Briony has had far too much fun over the course of the year to think otherwise. “How’s your day been?” The girl opens the book, glancing over it a bit. It isn’t open but a moment before she shuts it and discards it. She pulls her knees up to her chest and rests her head on her left knee while she waits for his answer and her friend.

“Hm, nothing special yet. I’ve starting to read this Transfiguration compendium, but the author’s comments are bothering me quite too much. It’s tiresome, you know…” Andy answers, striking the cover with a frowning glance and rolls his eyes. “You’re going outside? Why, who’s going with you?” Andy turns around without sitting up and looking very awkward while he tries to see whether there is anybody preparing to accompany her.

“Nobody is. It’s raining, so mum wouldn’t let me go outside,” Briony answers frankly. “Why are you studying that book? It isn’t required.” She looks puzzled as to why anyone would do more work than he had to. “It’s such a hard subject, I’m just trying to remember all the things that they tell us in the assigned book.” She sighs a bit. “Professor Harrison says I’m not working hard enough to get used to all of it.” Briony squeezes her legs a bit and looks annoyed at this thought.

Andy listens to Briony with growing sympathy. “Well, you know that I’m not really good in this subject and I don’t want to fail there completely, also it’s just raining outside all day and I did not get to see Felicity and the others, yet. Professor Harrison recommended this book, but maybe he just wanted to get rid of that uppish guy…” he sighs miserably and turns to the jittering fire.

Briony Wexler shrugs. “It seems like if we’re to pass the course, we would just have to study the book that he assigns.” Briony bites her lip in thought for a moment. “I suppose it would help if I were able to take better notes. But he just teaches too fast for me to keep up.” She shrugs this thought off, as grades are not her biggest priority. Upon mention of Felicity’s name, though, her eyes narrow. “What about Felicity? Why would anone want her around? She’s so mean and stuck up.” The girl scoffs a little bit and rolls her eyes at thoughts of her cousin.

Andy wonders and blushes as her realizes that he was talking to Felicity’s younger cousin. “Ahm, I get along with her quite well… Do you have trouble with her?” Andy says slightly embarrassed. “And why do you think she’s stuck up?” he adds looking blank and furrowing his brow, then staring at Briony as if she had gone totally mad.

“Because she is a stuck-up, self-absorbed brat who likes to make other people feel bad.” Briony looks away, her eyes stinging with anger from the last argument that she and Felicity had. “Besides, she’s more concerned with all the little trinkets that her grandmother buys for her than with her fmaily or anybody or anything else.” A pause. “She’s a wretch. I don’t understand how anyone could like her.” The girl sniffs rather loudly in disdain, obviously still smarting from Felicity’s comments about Briony and her family.

Hm, we always had a good time.” Andy repeats still not believing in Briony’s words. Could she have been mixing up her own cousin with somebody? Certainly not. “I say… what did she do to you, that you dislike her so much? I could not think of her offending somebody, or so…” he adds more than nonsensitive, trying to pick up further investigations and maybe being supported of Briony’s temper.

“What hasn’t she done. She talks about my family as if we’re terrible people. She said my parents were horrible for sending me a novel as a gift for doing well, when her precious grandmother bought her a new wristwatch.” Briony obviously is disgruntled by her cousin’s antics and glares a bit at Andy who seems to think, in Briony‘s view, that Briony is the one at fault. “She has no concept of how to be nice to someone, and all she wants is for people to fawn over her.” A scoff emits from Briony‘s mouth as she lays her head down on her knees, watching the stairs for a few moments before deciding that her friend will not be joining her at this moment.

“Hm, these are all new things to me.” Andy affirms once more. “I got to know her as a nice person, you know, I can’t think of a situation, in which she showed off or tried to win favour with me or so…” A short pause arises. “But still…” Andy begins in a quite pensive tone “…I’ll keep an eye on that I think.” Then the funny and pretty moments with Felicity whirl up in his mind again and from the deepest valley of doubt Andy comes back into defending her even more than before. “Maybe we could do something together someday. Perhaps you can arrange your quarrel?” Andy proposes with a last hint of hope and looks into Briony’s eyes like a puppy.

“I’ve known her my whole life; she’s always been suck up. I don’t think she’s about to stop doing it now.” Briony‘s annoyance is seeming to grow by the minute as she sit sullenly on the couch. Well, it had promised to be a good day, and now Briony‘s spirits are considerably rumpled. Where was Kalynn, anyway? “I don’t know how she fooled you into thinking she’s a decent person, but she’s never been decent to me, ever.” The girl sniffs an turns a bit on the couch so that she is no longer facing her housemate who seems so taken with the cousin with whom Briony gets along least.

Andy Carver is considerably troubled. Could he trust in what Briony tries to persuade him of? Is it all made up? Is there something that Briony had done to Felicity, that they do not get along anymore? Or is Felicity really just taking advantage of him? All those thoughts are rushing through Andy‘s head during a couple of seconds. Then he tries to settle things and adresses Briony in a calm tone “Ok, I don’t know what to think about Felicity at the moment. But still I don’t want to mess up everything and hope…ahm…we can be friends anyway?” Those last words seem to come over his lips with some difficulty, but still Andy has a somewhat begging smile upon them.

Shrugging, Briony only glances at him. “You only half believe me anyway. I don’t understand why people think I do it on purpose.” She pauses. “It isn’t like I ask to be called a dirt poor blood traiter whose parents don’t love her.” Briony sniffs rather loudly, leaning back on the arm of the couch she has perched on. “If you’re going like Felicity, I can’t stop you.” The girl shrugs and glances longer at her housemate. “I guess we can still be friends.” She sits normally on the couch instead of balled up and glances around the room. Rather quiet today, she notes.

As it has been during the whole Felicity issue Andy feels very uncomfortable and ponders his chances for being successful in cheering up Briony. After gazing into the fire bent over towards it for seconds of silence he perceives something cracking in his left robe pocket. “Hm, what’s that?” Andy mumbles. He reaches into it to feel for what he had broken. A smile rushes to his face and he reveals a squashed giant chocolate frog, still wrapped as it has been deformed a second ago. Then he lays it down onto a footstool, that stands right between his armchair and the couch, unpacks it and takes a big chocolate shard. “What a horrid accident. Help yourself.” Andy offers with a chuckle, glimpsing into Briony’s eyes.

“Poor frog,” Briony states nonchalantly. “I’m sure it didn’t suffer.” Briony cannot say no to chocolate and takes a piece of the smashed chocolate. She glances around at the empty room and munches on the chocolate in silence for a few moments. “Well, uh… I guess I could let you finish studying for Transfiguration. I ought to study, as well.” The girl does not seem very committed to this plan, but rising nevertheless. “I guess I’ll talk to you later, since we’re still going to be friends.” Sometimes, Briony‘s eloquence is baffling. The girl pauses a moment, finishing the bit of chocolate before dashing up the stairs, hollering, “Kalynn! Kalynn, you promised we would go explore the dungeons today!” Her voice trails off as a door thuds, signalling her entrance into her dorm.

Surprised by Briony’s sudden departure Andy only gets to mumble his answer with his mouth full of chocolate. “Oh… yeff…” and after he swallowed the rather too big chunk he adds “Also hope so…” Keeping seated his eyes follow Briony until she disappears in the tower. Then he leans back, wraps up the remaining frog fragments, stows them in his pocket and discontently attends to Thomas Tittery again…

Her legs drawn up close to her and folded one over the other, Felicity Wexler sits on a rather plush rug in front the hearth, both hand raised in some great (and largely useless) attempt at forcing her fly-away hair to pay attention to her whims. An ivory-handled brush rest’s in one hand, the other is bare, fingers raking through the platinum-color’d locks in some vague try at untangling the mess before the brush worked through it. A method that, by and large, appeared to be causing more tangles than it actually worked free. Muttered curse words slip from under her breath, in between long and loud hisses of pain and frustration. Still, she does find some peace in the brief pauses, when the light dances over the crystal-like face of a watch on her left wrist, which she occasionally stops to admire the sparkle.

Briony Wexler comes skipping down the stairs, humming some nonsensical tune, and pauses at the bottom of the stairs grinning at her cousin. “Don’t you think that’s kind of a pointless exercise? I mean, it’s just so big…” The girl stifles a giggle and skips across the room, plopping into the corner of a nice, plush couch and pulling out her latest novel that her mother has gifted her with. She slyly tosses her slightly wavy hair over her shoulder and doesn’t glance back at Felicity on purpose.

Feeling quite energized on this beautiful weekend (the snow looked so lovely here at the castle), Kalynn DeNatale flutters into the common room from the girls’ dormitories, a big grin on her face. “Good morning, friends,” she says to no one, really. Peering around the room, she’s already decided that, for once in her life, she isn’t overly hungry this morning (though, she’s sure that has nothing to do with the four chocolate frogs she’s indulged in while getting dressed today). Walking over to Felicity, she grins. “Your hair is so pretty, you know,” she comments. “When the light hits it, you look just like a fairy!” Kalynn says excitedly.

Felicity Wexler tosses a rather scathing look past her shoulder to Briony — the sort that were it capable of setting fires, it might have lit her cousin up in some great effigy. An effigy to the god of admitting defeat to the uselessness of hair care, or something. It sounded appealing, anyway. “It isn’t big! And like you should have anything to say about anything being big…” And with a rather huffy roll of her eyes, she turns her gaze toward Kalynn when she speaks. Her eyes widening a little, and her lips parting. Almost as if she were a whole different person, Felicity blushes slightly and wrinkles her nose in the cutest way (one that took several weeks of practice to master). “Thank you,” she murmurs. “Yours is prettier, though. I wish mine were as straight as yours.” The watch on her wrist gives another great sparkle, as she lowers her hands. Apparently having made her hair cooperate as much as it will for the moment.

“Glass houses shouldn’t throw stones,” Briony retorts, settling into the couch with a slight grimace on her face at Felicity’s retort on her weight. The girl can’t help that she likes to eat! “Morning, Kalynn,” she greets her friend congenially, or sounding so, at least. “Nevermind Felicity, she’s just full of jealousy.” Briony glances backwards quickly at her cousin, then sitting forward again, tucking her legs up onto the couch underneath her.

“Oh no, straight hair can get quite dull,” Kalynn states with a nod. “Well, maybe if you braided it?” she suggests. “It might make it seem more tame? I could do it if you wanted,” she offers, though gives no indication on how the finished product might look. Having no sisters, Kalynn only has had friends to practice on in the past. Looking to Briony, the little girl waves. “Hi Briony!” she says, sitting on the same couch as her friend.

“Full of jealousy?!” Felicity blinks, turning her gaze toward Briony with a blended expression of awe and incredulousness. “You simply can’t be serious.” Her teeth grit together in a decidedly unladylike way for a moment, her fists clenched in her lap. She recovers her composure after a moment, though, and lifts her head in a decidedly haughty sort of way, tossing her hair over her shoulder in a spiteful sort of way. Perhaps mirroring Briony’s action earlier. “Better to be full of something other than chocolate frogs, I suppose.” Felcity cants her head slightly, after a moment, looking to the book that Briony had withdrawn in to, before turning her gaze toward Kalynn. “A braid?” She murmurs, dubiously. The image in her mind not unlike trying to bind a tornado with tinfoil. “I don’t know…”

Scowling a bit to herself, Briony grins as Kalynn sits next to her. “Look at what Mum gave to me!” Briony giggles a bit, trying to ignore Felicity for once. “She said I’d been doing very well with my homework, so she said I might have this for fun.” Briony looks quite proud of herself. At Felicity’s retort about the frogs, though, Briony‘s excitement fades, and her face seems to turn red in anger. “I don’t know, I’ve always heard chocolate was good for you. I can’t think how jealousy is good at all.” She crosses her arms, glaring over her shoulder at her cousin.

Kalynn looks a little sheepish at the chocolate frog statement (after all, she was quite full of them herself presently) and grins meekly after Felicity seems skeptical. “It might work,” she says. “If it was tight enough? Oh, but I wouldn’t hurt you,” Kalynn disclaims, laying a palm flat on the couch and looking at Felicity with earnest eyes. “Please? Can I?” Then, looking to Briony’s novel, the girl seems to forget about her question for a minute. “Ooh, that looks great, Bri!”

Felicity Wexler turns her deep, ocean-colored eyes to Briony, staring at the younger girl for a long, long moment. It always ended up like this, didn’t it? Oil and water, snake and mongoose, right and wrong. “I was sent a gift, as well,” Felicity offers, her tone shifting a little. Somehow both competitive, and a little proud. The retort on her tongue slipping away in the opportunity to show off her new charm. “My Gran sent it. Said she was proud of my grades improving in potions.” And with that, climbs up on to her knees and crawls the small distance between the rug and the couch, stopping in front of and with her back to Kalynn, as though giving her unspoken consent to attempt the braid — it couldn’t hurt to try, after all — while holding up the wristwatch strapped to her left wrist. A simple, but pretty thing, with a shimmering, crystalline face.

Briony Wexler shrugs, as if she doesn’t care about such pretty accessories. Sure, her mother only gifted her with a book, but at least she liked books. “I’d have to say books are much better than dumb ol’ trinkets. After all, that’s all those are.” Briony hmphs a little and watches as Kalynn offers to braid Felicity’s hair. How come she knows how to braid? Suddenly, the jealousy bug has bitten Briony, and she wishes that Kalynn would teach her, rather than doting on her cousin. Of course, she doesn’t voice this, and instead says, “Is that a stain on your skirt there, Felicity? Just there?” She holds out her arm, pointing to a spot on the skirt where there may or may not be a stain. The girl has merely made it up to aggravate her cousin.

Elated at the opportunity to experiment with hairstyles, Kalynn curbs her enthusiasm and reminds herself: a braid, one braid! Still, it was hard to contain herself. Grinning, she begins to corral the hair with both hands, attempting to get hold of all of it at once. “My, it’s quite thick,” she comments after looking intently at the presented wristwatch. “That’s beautiful,” she says truthfully. Staring at the girl’s hair as if making a plan of action, Kalynn sighs a little. If she’s a bit perplexed, she doesn’t show it too much, though with hands so small it’s clear she’s having a little trouble starting off. Finally, she is able to begin, and is glad for it: it seems the two Wexlers are a bit at odds with each other. Having nothing to say, the girl simply braids.

Felicity Wexler winces, slightly, at Briony’s whisk about her watch. A rather genuine expression of hurt crossing her features for a brief, brief moment, before she manages to mask it with the fire and spite she’d become renown for. A gift from her Grandmother Larsen was sacred, after all. “S’not a dumb ol’ trinket… it’s a hundred times better than your stupid, idiot book!” A rather loud huff leaves her as she slaps the cover of the book for emphasis, as though the sound her palm made against it would somehow confirm to the work that it were a manual written for the mentally impaired. As the hint of a stain is mentioned, though, she instinctively looks down, rather sharply. The motion, of course, causing her hair to pull in Kalynn’s grasp, tugging out a rather aggressive knot and causing her gaze to snap back upward with a loud yelp. No stain exists, of course. She’d only put on this skirt, after all, and she was rather meticulous about what she wore. Her gaze shifts back over her shoulder slightly at Kalynn comment about her watch, before looking back to Briony with a hateful, haughty expression. “See, Kalynn thinks it’s beautiful. So… ha.”

“Well, she likes my book, too,” Briony snaps back. “And it’s not an idiot book. It’s better than your dumb watch any day!” Briony retorts by slapping the watch. “That’s for slapping my book.” Much like Felicity’s gifts from her grandmother, Briony‘s gifts from her mother are sacred. “My mother says you’re just a spoiled little brat, and that you ought to get your head down out of the clouds and back onto the ground.” Briony was not supposed to hear this in the first place, let alone repeat it, so the girl is not doing herself a favour by repeating it. “And I agree.” Even worse. “At least I’m not a brat.”

“Stop fighting you guys!” Kalynn says, tired now of the squabbling. “Both of your presents are very nice,” she says, eyeing Briony at the girl’s last comment. In truth she could scarcely believe that these girls, family, could be like this! “And you should realize how lucky you are to have cousins you can be friends with. All my cousins live in Italy and we can’t even speak with each other because we don’t know each other’s language,” she laments as she fixes Felicity’s braid from when she pulled away. “So just be nice,” she says, a weak command into a situation which has obviously started years ago.

Felicity Wexler gasps, loudly, as Briony slaps her wrist — both literally and figuratively, as the case may be. Her expression, for a moment, caught somewhere between hurt and anger as she looks upon her younger cousin. The hair-braiding is forgotten as her eyes moisten with tears that she tries with spectacular lack of success to blink back before they stain her cheeks. Her lips part, as Briony continues, as though seeking some words while holding the assaulted wristwatch close to her chest as if it were a crying child. And the anger builds, until those last words, when instinct just takes over. Her right hand, which had been rubbing her wrist and watch, rises as Kalynn speaks up, but she’d been provoked in to tear already. A simple “play nice” wasn’t going to solve this. Briony had crossed a line, as far as she was concerned. So, likewise, Felicity had to cross a line in response. Not that there was much logical thought in instinct, anyway. So, she made to slap Briony. Not hard (not that she was terribly strong, anyway), but hard enough that should it connect it might make a rather satisfying sound.

Gasping loudly as she is slapped, Briony‘s face gets serious. She reaches out and yanks on a lock of Felicity’s chunky hair. “How dare you!” She shrieks, cupping her cheek gingerly with her hand. If the girl were one to swear, she would call Felicity a very foul name. However, being not one, Briony‘s best retort is, “You… you, you bratface!” Tears prick her eyes at this insult on dignity and physical assault, but she does not let them fall as she glares at her taller, thinner cousin.

“Stop!” cries Kalynn as the two girls escalate their argument into a physical scrap. Knowing from experience that her tiny frame did nothing when trying to pull two people apart, she feels very helpless. Her brothers… they did this type of thing regularly, though the word ‘bratface’ had never come up in any of their fights. Indeed, Kalynn has learned all her swear-words from witnessing her brothers fight like this. “Briony,” she pleads, trying to draw her friend away.

Felicity Wexler squeals as her hair is grabbed, hissing as it’s tugged. “If being a brat means caring about my clothes and what I look like, then I’d rather be a bratface than a sloppy piglet!” Tears stream openly down her face, her dignity not quite as injured by them as Briony’s might be. “Sloppy piglet!” She hisses again, rubbing her scalp where the hair was tugged with a nasty expression. “Didn’t you mum ever teach you how to dress properly? Or can you not afford clean clothes? S’that why you got a crumby book instead of something pretty? My Gran said that you’d eat your parents out of house and home… maybe you’ve eaten then poor!” Her train of insult stops about there, apparently having run out of steam. Her lips remain parted, as if trying to think of something more to say, but only further giving a tame sort of hmph.

Gawking at her cousin, Briony‘s eyes are wide and her mouth open. The girl cannot handle the list of insulting things her cousin has strung out at her, and can’t think of a response. Her eyes, already filled with tears start to fill over. “You are so mean, Felicity! I wish you weren’t my cousin! None of my other cousins are mean like you! I can’t believe you would say something like that, and your grandmother is horrible to say that!” She huffs a bit and the girl hugs her book, hopping off the couch. She aims a stomp at Felicity’s foot, and then runs quickly up the stairs, stifling her tears and sobs. To all of her efforts, her sobs are still audible from up the stairs.

“How could you say all those things?” Kalynn demands of Felicity, a determinedly angry expression darkening her face. “So uncalled for,” she finishes with, as she gets up from her place on the couch and begins striding after Briony. “Briony!” she calls, but to no effect. Kalynn‘s cry of “come back!” is also audible from the stairway, as are her frantic foot-falls.

Felicity Wexler yelps, brilliantly, as he foot is stomped… not quite able to pull it free in time, the attack to land just on her toes, which almost makes it worse. Her expression is far from triumphant as she watches Briony dash toward the stairs. “You started it!” She calls after, the last of her anger ebbing out in that shout, becoming rather sad at the end. It always ended up like that, somehow. Always. That one was worse that most, but it always seemed to happen something along those lines. Her shoulders slumped, she scowls a little at Kalynn as the other girl follows Briony. Her foot drawn up close, rubbing at her toes through her sock, she mutters to herself. “How could I? I didn’t start it… More uncalled for than being told I’m a stuck-up brat… Hmph.” And once her foot has recovered enough, she stands, takes her brush, and starts for the portrait hole… though she does pause and glance toward the stairs with a somewhat neutral expression, tear-stained expression, before leaving the common room.

Olivia Baxtor strolls out into the path of to the side of the Quidditch pitch breathing in deeply. Even little miss neatness can appreciate that the sun has been poking its face out a bit and giving Hogwarts a reprieve from snow and rain. “So, that one is…” A pause as Olivia seems to be wracking her brain, and seeming rather distracted at it. “I can’t remember. What is it?” She glances at the plant again fleetingly before glancing up at the semi-clear sky. She smiles despite herself at it as she awaits the correct answer to which plant it is exactly that she is supposed to be identifying.

Clavicle Gravely comes walking along humming as he goes. he is juggling a few skulls, all of them well preserved.

Accompanying Olivia, Evan Geroff wanders off to the side of the path, more meandering than purposefully looking at the plants around him. He, too, seems to be enjoying the journey out, a light smile on his face, free without a cloack draped around him. He obligingly moves forward to peer at the plant Olivia points out, finally bending down to touch the leaves gently. “Dittany?” Head canted slightly, he pauses. “Have we studied that?” Well, no one said he didn’t need work at the subject. But he remembered a name! Standing, he glances at Olivia, his smile mixing with a faintly puzzled expression. It must be the sun. It does things to people.

Clavicle Gravely grins, the skulls are small animal skulls, and he sings as he walks along.

“I… no, I don’t think it’s Dittany.” The girl stoops down to look at it, carefully tucking her robes up safe from the mud. “Perhaps it’s colicroot?” She stands up, her parchment tucked under her arm rather carelessly. “You know, Evan, maybe we should have stayed closer to the pitch. I think I knew the plants back there.” Olivia glances at him and crosses her arms over her stack of parchment, her quill steadied in between her fingers (causing a later-to-be-woed inkspot on the back of the parchment). “Well, here, what do you suppose that one is there. The one with the bell hanging off of it.” A quick glance over her notes leads one to assume that the girl does not herself know.

“Could be,” Evan agrees, giving the plant a final look. Then he grins at Olivia. “It’s so much more exciting here though. See, that one looks like some kind of muggle flower – but maybe it bites.” To be sure, he pulls rolled up parchment from pocket, carefully unrolling it and making a show of examining it. “Here we go.. the vicious bell tower plant. When it’s satisfied, it rings the time.” One might dedict from this that he, also, is not sure of the real answer.

Clavicle Gravely places his juggling skulls in his robe and wanders over curiously. “What’s up?” asks the slightly creepy 1st year.

Unable to stifle her giggle, a snort seems to emit from Olivia as she covers her mouth, imagining the plant tolling the time. “There’s no such plant,” the girl asserts, brushing her hair carefully over her shoulder. She turns as the first year approaches. “Hello.” She says suddenly, trying to place him, as if she should recognize him. Upon deciding that she shouldn’t, she turns back to the plant and tickles it a bit with the end of her quill. “We’re just studying for Herbology.” A smile at the younger student. “Must be prepared for the exams, you know.”

Clavicle Gravely skids to a halt with a look of utter horror, “On…Purpose?” he looks at them like they turned into two headed muggles. “When you could be … doing.. something else?” he shivvers. “I better stay over here then…. plants hate me.”

Evan Geroff frowns at his notes, brow furrowed. “Must have written something wrong.” With a rather unconcerned shrug he re-rolls the parchment, stuffing it back into the pocket as he turns to look at Clavicle. “I didn’t get out here on accident. And this one won’t hate you, it’s very gentle and has a nice sound.”

Clavicle Gravely approaches slowly… but he has the exact opposite of a green thumb. Something about the boy just makes plants that are capable of mobility…dislike him. “Er… is that plant hissing?” his hand inches towards his wand.

“I imagine you’re not a fan of Herbology class, then.” Olivia smiles a bit, the clearer weather apparently helping her mood. “You’ve got at least three or four years left of it, so hopefully you can come to terms with it.” Olivia pauses. “Though I wish we could drop some of these classes. I hate how messy we’re expected to get in the course.” The girl stops and glances down at the plant. “No, I think it’s actually laughing.” She stops tickling it with her quill and stands. The plant seems to calm itself down a bit, and shrugs. “How many more plants should we do, Evan? I’m bored of this already.”

Clavicle says, “I’m good at finding Monkshood and wolvesbane blooms. they are similar species…nearly identical. And I had a cactus once…it died.” he says with a frown. “I rather think it is hissing…bidding it’s time. It’s probably a cousin of devil snare…” he eyes the plant suspiciously, “He’s got a dodgy look…for a plant.”

Evan Geroff laughs quietly. “If you’re bored, m’lady, then not a single one more. We ought to have packed a picnic.” He bends, as though to place himself on the ground, but gets almost nowhere near as he straightens again at Clavicle’s reply. “It looks nothing like devil snare, and it’s hardly big enough to strangle you. I truly do think you’re safe. A cactus, though? Whyever for?”

“A cactus? That sounds… interesting.” She shrugs a bit. “I doubt any of the plants on the grounds are about to eat you or attack you, though. The headmistress would never allow something like that to come near us.” Her voice is certain, but a moment later, she glances to Evan with an uncertain expression on her face. “Would she?” Olivia< shakes her head, as if trying to shake the thought from her head. “A picnic would have been wonderful, I agree. Too bad we’re supposed to be studying.” Olivia smiles in a closed-lipped fashion, her cheeks pink from the slight chill in the air.

Clavicle says, “I don’t know. I heard a rumour there was a grove of whomping willows they had where they sent students who did badly.” he frowns as he looks to the forest “Somewhere in there.”"

Evan Geroff gives his head a quick, definite shake. “No, Olivia, she would not allow anything that would harm us.” Outside of class, anyway. “That’s..” he pauses between words, looking at Clavicle, “why the forest is off limits. If the grounds were dangerous, they would be too.”

Despite the fact that it may not be extremely hot out, though still spring, Evan seems quite ready to spread out on the ground with talk and food and whatever else. If only they had some. “We’ll have to think of that next time, there’s no rule against studying and eating. Perhaps we should study the edible plants – that might cover potions and herbology.”

Clavicle Gravely blinks. “Now potions…I can do.” he grins. “But I am no good at finding the raw plant ingredients I fear.” he hmmms. “I found the recipe of a potion that makes you belch fire….”

“That sounds like a lovely idea. Maybe next year we’ll be able to study more of the edible plants.” She smiles and strides off of the plant a bit, away from the forest, and twirls in the grass a bit. “I’m glad it’s not raining. I was so hoping not to have to bring an umber-all — an umbral– whatever that thing is. The one that keeps you dry in the rain.” Olivia waves her hand around as she fumbles for the correct word and carefully sits down in the grass, making sure her robes won’t get damp or muddy. She does, however, wrap her scarf around her neck in an effort to keep warm.

Clavicle Gravely blinks. “You mean an umbrella? I have one in my room…if you want it. I am sure someone could make it rain for you?” the firsty grins a grin that is a touch too wide, and at his neck, a tatoo of a skeleton wearing a tophat pokes his head up and waves at the other students.

“Belch fire. That certainly sounds useful; one wouldn’t have to wait and try to become a dragon animagus then, would he?” Though Evan speaks to Clavicle, his eyes follow Olivia, pleased with the day and glad to see her enjoying it. “We don’t want to make it rain, it does quite enough of that on it’s own!” As Olivia sits down, he finally takes a second to do so as well, though he pays less attention to the ground below him as he sprawls on the ground, using his arms to prop up his back. “And if we truly do want an umbrella, it might be best to wait for the summer and go into one of the fancy shops in London, you could get quite a beautiful one there.. maybe find someone to enchant the design for you after you buy it.”

Clavicle says, “I thought enchanting muggle artifacts was illegal?” the boy asks He looks around at the other two students. “Isn’t it?”"

“I’m fairly sure it wouldn’t be right,” Olivia says in agreement, then pauses. “Though, I don’t see what harm it would do.” She pauses. “I wonder if it would be possible to get one with little flowers on it. Perhaps they could float around on the umb– umberella.” She looks from Evan to Clavicle and back again, trying to ascertain whether she has pronounced the word correctly. “That couldn’t possibly be harmful. Isn’t it only illegal if it could hurt someone?” Olivia is obviously not well-versed in the law. Understandable for a fourteen-year-old.

Clavicle says, “I am not wholly sure.” the youngish boy states. “In my families carnival we have to use a special mirror to divide the wizarding from the muggle section”

Evan Geroff shakes his head ‘no’ one time. “It doesn’t have to be harmful. Anything done to a muggle object.. some can be quite amusing, honestly..” He trails off, instead addressing the other part of Olivia’s words. “I don’t see how it’d hurt anything though, and who would even notice an umbrella? You couldn’t use it around muggles obviously, enchanting the flowers like that. But what wizard would mind the trick, as long as it wasn’t enchanted to attack people, or fly, or something like that?”

Olivia Baxtor smiles happily, thinking of such umbrella. “Could one also enchant a basket to stay cool, do you think?” She pauses. “Well, I imagine we make enough of our own baskets that it wouldn’t be bad. It would be very handy, don’t you think, to have a picnic basket that keeps itself cool. Then the sandwiches wouldn’t be warm, and one would have time to find the ideal spot.” She smiles up at the sky again, an unusual feat for her, so many times in one day, considering her consternation about her teeth.

Clavicle says, “The muggles have a thing that does that now. It’s called… a cooler. It holds ice in it…and that keeps the food cool.” he shrugs as he wanders around a bit. “My family’s carnival goes in both worlds… wait till you see their money.” Clavicle Gravely turns and looks at the writhing plants with a slightly green look. “Well er…..you all seem to be having a good day… so I have er, broom practice.” he nods. The practice is an optional study thing, but Clavicle bows with a flourish and heads off.

Evan Geroff smiles back at Olivia, with a nod of agreement. “Sure. A cool picnic basket would be wonderful.” .. “Besides, we have many basic articles that muggles also use, though ours are enchanted. Such as brooms; those are very different from muggle brooms. So the umbrella or the picnic basket might not cause a problem in any case.. I’m not sure of the intricacies of it all.” Not that he would be expected to be, at this point. And what possibilities, if they could start enchanting their own items! His eyes drift up to Clavicle, and he offers a lazy wave, before adding his own suggestion. “Why has noone ever enchanted all the cloaks and clothes to stay warm on their own in winter, I wonder?”

Olivia Baxtor pauses in thought as she considers this. “You know, I’m really not sure. I imagine it’s because we can knit things that keep us quite warm.” Another pause. “I wonder if Madame Malkin actually employs those kind of charms on the cloaks.” Olivia bites her lip in thought as she steps away from a plant that appears to be attempting to eat her cloak. “I wonder if that would cause problems in the spring and fall. Couldn’t one overheat if the cloaks were enchanted to stay warm?” She glances to Evan, her eyes still quizzical with thought.

Evan Geroff pushes his arms off the ground, sitting up straighter as he ponders this latest inquiry. “Is there a spell to sense how cold one is, that could be used? I haven’t heard of it, but there’s a lot left to learn.” With a thoughtful frown he shrugs once. “That would certainly be a problem if they overheated, but perhaps if they only put it on half the cloaks – and then everyone could buy one that was enchanted for warmth, and one plain.”

“That would get quite expensive, I imagine. Since I have a brother and two sisters, I don’t think my parents would buy both, so I would end up with just the plain ones.” She pauses. “But that’s alright. Most of the time I’m able to stay quite warm, as long as I have the correct layers on.” Olivia smiles a bit and sits down on the grass next to Evan. “I wonder if we could come up with a charm to do that. I’m sure it could be managed. We could come up with it, and name it after ourselves. Isn’t that what people do when they come up with charms and potions and things?”

Evan Geroff‘s eyes light up for a moment, excitement coupled, perhaps, with the Slytherin ambition. “We’d be famous! And then you could afford all the cloaks you wanted. You could make all the cloaks you wanted, if we invented the charm.” He even reaches into the pocket opposite his herbology notes, drawing out his wand, then looking along its length in contemplation. “So.. how do we start?”

Pulling her wand out of her pocket, Olivia points it down at her own cloak, pondering what one might say to make it detect her own body temperature. “I’m not sure how to start. Maybe we should check the library. There may be some books in there to help us get started.” She bites her lip. After all, Olivia isn’t the best student. The girl ponders a bit, trying to guage her own ability to complete such a task.

Evan Geroff chuckles quietly, not actually at Olivia, but at his own inability to have any idea how to start. “Well.. temperatus.. oh, what is the Latin word for temperature? Spells do seem to use latin a lot after all, but I’ve never studied it, I can’t speak it.” Something to add to his desire to study it later on in life, perhaps, though that won’t help him now. Rising further, to a kneeling position, he gives Olivia a questioning look. “Shall we try to look it up, then? I can’t think of an easy way to figure out the motion, but perhaps if we have a set of words to try first…”

“I can’t speak it either,” Olivia responds, biting her lip in response and brushing at her skirt, as if there could be grass on it. “Perhaps we should go inside and see about checking out a latin book to see if it can give us any hints. That way we can be sure to have the right words and … phrasing.” Olivia doesn’t seem to know exactly what she’s talking about, and her cheeks redden in embarrassment as she relaizes how silly she must sound saying it just this way.

If Olivia’s words are odd, Evan doesn’t seem to realize it from his minimal experience with foreign languages. “I don’t know how we’ll figure out what order and which specific words, but if we find a Latin book, we ought to begin by simply pulling out likely words..” In his excitement at this new adventure of sorts, he fully stands and moves a step toward the castle, giving his companion a grin and glance to see if she’ll follow. “Once we have that list, most likely the order of words will come into place. We just have to know them first.” Well, he’s nothing if not confident, anyway.

“Okay,” Olivia answers simply, standing up carefully and dusting off any dirt or grass that might be there, and continuing to dust for things that she might miss, though she doesn’t actually see any. “I’m sure the Library has loads of books that would help us pick the incantation to come up with it. It can’t be too hard, right?” She shrugs and begins to follow Evan toward the school. “We’ll have it figured out in no time.”

With Olivia following along, Evan begins to walk toward the school and eventually the library within, steps slightly quickened by the thought of what they’re about to figure out, or perhaps the glory involved in doing so. Either way, he turns to answer as they walk. “Might take a little work, but I’m not worried. Between the two of us we ought to figure it out without a problem. Perhaps they’ll give us automatic O’s on our charms work, as well as being famous. Maybe even automatic highest scores on the NEWTs..” One can certainly dream.

Skipping a little bit to catch up to Evan, Olivia crosses her arms over her parchment, holding her self-inking quill carefully in her fingers. “I think that would be wonderful, to get such high scores on the OWLs. I think I’ll spend all of fifth year just trying to make sense of everything so that I don’t fail them. Wouldn’t it be awful to fail? The girl shakes her head sadly and continues along the path. Their conversation does not end here, though it trails off as they enter the school, bound for the library and a slew of Latin books, in hopes of finding what they’re looking for.

Olivia Baxtor sits at a table, her books neatly stacked at her right side, her quill poised in her left hand as she glances over an open book. She looks to the right, then neatly — and slowly — inscribes something in blue ink on her parchment. Taking notes is a long process for the girl, as she stops and fixes any smudges or blotches on the parchment with a small rag, and then rubs bits of ink off of her hand. Oh, the plights of being left-handed! Olivia sighs and glances over the book, and the process begins again as she starts writing something else onto the parchment.

For once on his own – but how many people want, more than anything, to accompany someone to the library? – Evan Geroff walks into the room. A bag of books is hung over his shoulder, one hand clutching the strap as he pauses a number of steps past the doorway to look around. Particularly, he scans the room for a familiar face, search stopping as he spots Olivia. The standing still also stops, as he begins to walk in her direction.

Happening to glance up, Olivia sits up a bit straighter, arching her back to stretch it a bit. A glance left brings Evan into her vision. “Hello, Evan–” she greets, a bit loudly, and her hand flies up to cover her mouth. She shoots a hesitant glance at the librarian, who doesn’t seem to have moved at all since Olivia‘s entrance and cracks a bit of a closed-mouthed smile at him, rubbing at her left hand, almost as if out of habit.

“Hello, Olivia,” Evan replies once he is next to her, grinning at his fellow third year, perhaps a bit more even at her slip, but it’s friendly. Placing a hand on the back of the closest chair, he offers her a shallow bow to go alongside his greeting, before asking, “May I sit here?”

“Of course,” Olivia answers, sounding more polite than enthusiastic about his entrance. Then, when does Olivia sound excited? The girl moves her books a bit closer to her side of the tabel. She smiles at him. “What have you come to work on?” she asks congenially, still rubbing at the new ink spot on her pinky finger, as if it is poison.

Evan Geroff pulls the chair out, then sits down and sets the bag down on the floor beside him. “I brought books for Defense Against the Dark Arts, and for Ancient Runes,” he replies, before diving down to pull out two books. These are placed on the table before him, slightly off to the side, as he looks back at Olivia, voice hushed but still friendly. “What are you in the midst of?”

“History of Magic,” Olivia answers happily. “It’s my favorite subject.” It requires no getting messy. Of course, Olivia doesn’t mention this, and glances back down at her book, dabbing up a bit of ink that has just dropped onto the open page. Ah, not a trace of it, she has caught it in time. “Are you good at Ancient Runes? I have trouble sometimes, understanding it.” She sighs and glances at the next book on her pile, which is, coincidentally, her Ancient Runes book.

“History?” Well, to each his own. “My favorite is Defense. Ancient Runes isn’t bad, though; I’m doing all right.” Which isn’t to say that Evan hasn’t had to put any extra study into it, but this Slytherin could almost be mistaken for a Ravenclaw in that aspect. Without really thinking about it, he pulls his book on Runes over in front of himself, not opening it but idly fingering the edges. “It’s just learning another language, but I’ve never tried that before. I imagine it gets easier once you get used to reading and making them. I do enjoy theorizing about their creation, I was hoping to read some more on that.”

To say Olivia is a bad student would be unkind, but one could never assert that she is a good one. She rests her chin in her hand for a moment, brushing her loose hair over her shoulder. “What language are you learning? It must be hard to learn another language.” If one were to look closely, it would be obvious that her books are set up alphabetically. She closes the book she has open gingerly and moves it to the left of her parchment and places the parchment atop it, revealing a clean sheet of parchment. Her quill sits neatly in her inkwell as she replaces her chin in the palm of her hand and listens for Evan’s answer.

Evan Geroff may be quite observant about some things, but he hasn’t yet bothered to observe Olivia’s books too closely. He hasn’t even focused on his own since sitting down, with the exception of unconsciously tracing lines on the one – it’s a good thing there’s no quill in his hand. “Oh, I only meant the Runes. All of the grammar and rules and things for writing them. It looks like it can become quite intricate, though we won’t be doing much of that for a while.” Here, he pauses for a moment of thought. “If it was offered, though, I would learn Latin. All the ancient scholars used to study it, and everyone who knew anything could read it.”

“Aren’t we sort of learning latin by memorizing all these spells?” Olivia suggests, hopefully. She pulls the Runes book out of the pile. “I suppose Runes rather are like another language. They’re difficult to learn, though. So, if that’s what learning a language is like, I’d better not try.” She pauses. “You mean everybody learned to speak latin a long time ago?” Olivia balks at the idea, trying to imagine juggling two languages in her head. Clearly the idea of it escapes her. This is not to say Olivia is not an intelligent girl, but her learning style and the tasks that the school put her up to, well… they do not mesh. Her focus is not on her book, however, though she does open it to the bookmark she has carefully placed into it, she does not even look at the book.

Evan Geroff likewise opens his book, to no particular page, more just in copy of Olivia in case she plans on returning to her studies; he won’t look quite as much as though he intends to keep her from them. Not that he is terribly worried about it, either, his answer neither rushed nor short. “We are, aren’t we? Not very much of it, thouh; at least not to the extent that I could pick up an old book and read it.” At the second question, he nods. “Everybody. All studies were done in it.. Of course, at one point it was the regular language as well, even before that. Someone told me once that other languages still use it, and I wish to travel some, so I imagine it would be practical as well, wouldn’t it? One wouldn’t want to get lost.”

“Travelling would be so neat,” Olivia comiserates. “To see all the places that we learn about in our books.” Her mind wanders temporarily to a story of a Goblin Crusade that took place in China. “I should imagine, though, that it would be beneficial to have some knowledge of the language spoken where one is travelling to.” She nods slowly. “Have you ever been anywhere very far away? I haven’t been anywhere outside of England. We did visit the sea once, though.” Olivia thinks on this, and for a moment, she smiles, before remembering that her brother had ruined the trip for her.

Evan Geroff shakes his head quickly. “Never outside of England. Mother has – Father took her when they were still in school – and she’s told me stories about it. I’m sure I would very much enjoy it, and there would be so much to learn. To actually see it all instead of just read about it!” He stops for a moment, eyes shining with the thought. “Where would you go if you could? Did you like the sea?”

“Well, I did at first. I thought it was splendid. Well, until Christian started being a pain.” She sighs. “He pushed me into the sand just as a wave came up onto the shore, and I was soaked.” A pause. “My dress was a fright afterwards. And my dad only laughed, though Mum wasn’t pleased.” Olivia sighs. “I hope we can go back some time. Maybe… without Christian.” She sighs. “I don’t know where I’d go, though. There are so many places. I hear the muggles like to go to Rome or Venice. Or Paris…”

“I’ve never thought dresses were made well for swimming in. Or doing much of anything in; I do feel sorry for my aunts in that respect.” “Is Christian your brother? They should organize a school trip. Wouldn’t that be fun? I’m sure there are plants or animals or something we could look at there, so it’s not without learning.” Oh, the possibilities, though. The most interesting aspect of that, for Evan, might not be the learning. “Venice would be splendid I’m sure. Did you know it’s in the water?”

“Christian is my older brother. He’s a fifth year.” She sighs a bit and leans back against her chair carefully, smoothing her robes down. “He’s horrible. He’s always messing up my things.” She pauses. “Professor Morgan took us on a trip to Diagon Alley last year. It was quite fun, except that I was covered with soot the whole time. It wasn’t a very pleasant feeling.” Olivia shrugs, as if that one fact, for once, doesn’t matter. “I wish we could take trips more often. Though I do like it here. At least Christian can’t bother me in my commonroom.”

“Perhaps I’ll suggest various places.” No question, of course, that the teachers would listen to what Evan suggested to them – he might find himself surprised if he does try. “It’s nice to have at least a somewhat private area, isn’t it? The dorms are good for that. Much of the castle probably could be.”

“That’s true. Our house isn’t big enough to stay away from him well enough. I have to share a room with my sisters, and his room is just across the hall.” She shakes her head a bit. “He won’t leave me alone. He’s always moving my things or taking them.” Olivia closes her book again, realizing that she certainly isn’t going to be able to focus on her Runes work now. “Do you have any siblings? They can be so… frustrating, sometimes. I do think you should suggest some, though. I doubt the teachers would listen to me.” A pause. “Since I don’t get the best marks.” A blush spreads over her face at this admission. She isn’t one to admit her own difficulties in school.

Evan Geroff hesitates before replying, eyes lowering to search whatever page has remained open before him, then turning away from it, half sideways in his chair, to rest an arm on the table and more completely face Olivia. “You did fine the other day.” He shrugs. “I will suggest something, and we can go exploring together. I think my siblings all get along fairly well, but we don’t have much choice. I have one sister and three brothers, and my four youngest aunts and uncles live with us. There are always other people around too, students living with us for the summer or our cousins visiting or people that Mother knows, they’ll sometimes bring their children.”

“Wow, that’s a lot of people. How do you get any privacy?” Olivia looks stunned at the idea of so many people being around all the time. And this boy is so calm! “I’ve only three siblings, and I get so frustrated with them, too, because they’re so messy. Especially sharing a room with my two sisters.” She sighs a bit. “Do you enjoy so many people being around? It must be rather stressful.”

Evan Geroff shrugs as though it doesn’t really matter. “I grew up with it. My aunts and uncles are all older than me, so they were around when I was still a baby. If I need privacy I can always go into my room, though it’s shared, or outside, and except for the little ones they’ll respect it usually.” He glances around him at the library, that being all he can presently see of the school, and smiles slightly. “This is the most privacy I’ve had, here, and I do like it – but I don’t think I’d want much more.”

“Wow, I can’t imagine that,” Olivia comments, leaning back in her chair as she sets her quill down carefully. “I suppose you must like all of them really well. Better than I like my siblings, anyway.” Olivia shrugs a little bit at this. “How many of them are here at Hogwarts?” she asks, curiously. After all, she has all of her siblings at the school already.

Evan Geroff nods, offering a slight smile at the comment. “I do. We have our times, but who doesn’t?” He shrugs. “You don’t get along very well? None of my siblings are at Hogwarts yet; it will be a couple years still before the next oldest arrives.” To bad, really – he’ll be the only one not to have a sibling at school almost the entire time.

“Well…” Olivia starts, then pauses. “You can have my siblings. Sometimes I wish I had been born an only child.” She sighs a bit and shrugs. “It’s nothing, really. I like being at school, because I can stay away from them, and I don’t get picked on as much.” For all that Olivia seems bothered by her family, she doesn’t appear to be suffering all that much. “Do you wish your siblings would be at school sooner?”

“I can’t imagine that,” Evan admits, not sure how else to respond. “Though I sometimes admire people who don’t mind time alone.” .. “I wouldn’t mind if they were here; it would be nice to share some of this with them, explore things, spend time together. Mostly, though, I would like to see more of the little ones as they’re growing up – and it wouldn’t work out too well to have them here.”

“No, that’s true,” Olivia agrees, smiling just a small bit to Evan. “I guess I don’t really want to be an only child. Helen and Gertrude are nice enough at home.” The Hufflepuff shrugs her shoulders a bit, pushing them from her mind as she gazes across the table at her Slytherin yearmate. “I suppose it all depends on how you grow up.” Olivia appears to be rather thoughtful about this. “Oh… I should be studying,” Olivia realizes, looking over her now-dry parchment and closed books, perhaps a little disappointed at realizing her original reason for being here.

“I’m sure that does make a large difference.” Evan chuckles then – quietly, since it’s a library. “I hadn’t intended to distract you so. I really should look at these,” he motions to the two books beside him, “as well.”

“Alright,” Olivia agrees, smiling a little at him. She slowly opens her Runes book again, glancing up at him every once in a while. Part of her can’t believe that someone is even sitting with her, and doesn’t appear to be bothered by her… well, quirks. Olivia knows that she isn’t exactly like her peers. Who knows, perhaps this could be the start of a nice, long friendship. All Olivia can do is hope.

Evan Geroff pulls his own Runes book toward him, opening for the first time to a specific page. He, perhaps, is much more used to being accepted and carrying around with large crowds, and his full concentration is given to the lesson, finding it not the least unusual to be sitting here with someone.. even Olivia. And, who knows, he might not mind making a friend outside of his usual pack.

The Potions classrooms stands in its normal, ordinary state; which is to say, surprisingly clean. Burn marks have been charmed away, stains vanished, the sulphur smells cleared – all signs of the previous class has all but vanished. However, unlike most classes, today, the front table stands completely empty except for a small stack of parchment: term test results for the third years, ready to be redistributed back to their owners. Near the stack of parchment stands Karina Sedgewick, her arms crossed, but a smile on her face, waiting for her third years to enter her classroom.

Matty Matherson leads a small gaggle of Ravenclaw boys and girls into the potions classroom. As usual, the distribution of new grades brings out their best spirits, and Matty is personally confident of his own excellent results. A pair of other Ravenclaws whisper eagerly about how well they hope to have done.

Olivia Baxtor comes in holding her sack neatly in her hand. She strides to her usual seat — third one from the edge in the front row — and begins to pull her things out of her bag and setting them up neatly. She smiles a bit at the students filling in around her, ensuring that everything is set up just right in her usual way.

With his schoolbag strung over his shoulder and a handful of other third year Slytherins around him, Evan Geroff makes his way into the Potions classroom. The stack of parchment is quickly pointed out by a taller girl toward the front, and the general whispering noise-level from the groups rises, though Evan himself merely glances at them before continuing on to find a seat. Further in a few of the Slytherins disperse to find tables, only that same girl and one other boy remaining with Evan. He pulls out a stool for the girl, then takes a seat next to her, clearly not caring when the other boy gives him a challenging look and claims the seat on her other side. Instead, he turns his attention to the rest of the classroom, offering Karina a shallow bow before sitting down himself.

Thaddeus Livingston less confident, but hardly showing it in his demeanor, the Gryffindor boy takes his seat. He’s never been one for potions and has embarrassed himself plenty in the course of the past, no doubt in front of many of these blokes. In the most disorganized and disheveled of manners, he sets up his own things.

“Good afternoon,” Karina address her students, sounding cheerful. “Please put away your books and supplies if you have them out. We won’t be needing them today!” She pauses for a brief moment to let a few more expressive students let out cheers. “But, before that, I would like to say a few words regarding your term tests. As you will remember, last class was the practical unit test for our unit on Infusions, Distillations, and Essences. I have organized my notes and assigned grades for each of you, and the results are here.” She pats the stack of parchement gently. “I am very pleased with the results, overall. Every one of you achieved an Acceptable grade or higher. Some of you answered my questions and performed the practical elements of the test so well that I cannot find fault with your work. I would like to thank all of you for your efforts!” With that, she takes out her wand from her sleeve, and gives it a light wave. Pieces of folded parchment suddenly take flight, fluttering towards their owners like moths.

Matty Matherson grabs his, as do a set of other Ravenclaws. While most of the students in their group look delighted by their results, Matty‘s face falls. Only an acceptable? He did better than that!

Olivia Baxtor stops short as she straightens up the supplies on her desk. What, no potion brewing today? Olivia catches her paper. Oh, a mediocre grade. She sighs a bit at the parchmet before turning it face-down and packing her supplies back away neatly and setting her bag aside. Part of her can’t help but be disappointed that they will not be doing any brewing just that day, but Olivia is certain that Professor Sedgewick will make it worth their while.

Thaddeus Livingston lets his come to him, only gently taking it in his hand. “Ugh…” He moans, dreading the moment when his eyes meet his… spectacular grade? He perks up, glancing around him to see if anyone notices that there’s been some sort of horrible mistake. Since when does studying pay off?! Suddenly he feels as light as a feather, his lips curving into a catlike grin as he beams. He smiles a little to the others in a smug little manner. Hmm.

Evan Geroff reaches up out to grab one of the parchments once it is clear the object is headed for him. He unfolds it, a faint, satisfied, yet also unsurprised smile appearing on his face as he sees the grade. Pleased though he may be, he does not linger looking at it, merely slipping the test results into his bag which has been placed on the floor beside him, then turning curiously to the front to his what it is they will be doing – he hadn’t bothered to take anything out yet. Beside him, the girl pauses in the midst of returning books and other materials to her bag in order to look at her test grade, then ignores the rest of the supplies while sharing scores with her other male companion.

“Today,” Karina continues, “There will be a class treat for your good work. Please leave your things here, grab your cloaks, and follow me.” She grabs her own cloak and wraps herself in it quickly, before heading out the classroom door.

Matty Matherson slumped to the back of the Ravenclaw gaggle, feeling depressed over his low mark as the group follow Karina. Most of the others, though, are excitedly chirping over E and O grades.

“Must we really leave our things here?” Olivia laments and sighs, following the teacher out of the room, trying to stay towards the front of the group. She glances around at the other students as they all walk outside. She pulls her robes tighter around herself, somehow wishing she’d worn an extra sweater underneath her robes and rubs her legs together a bit as they come to a stop in a clearing on the campus. Every bit of her wants to ask what they’re doing outside, but she keeps her mouth shut, choosing not to question her house head.

Abandoned by his previous companions – one may guess by the other boy’s wishes, if not actually seeing him lead her away as the journey started – Evan Geroff pulls on his cloak and, also somewhere near the front of the class, follows the professor out. Lacking a gang of Slytherins around him now, he makes his attempt at finding other travel companions, and soon finds himself near Olivia. “This is exciting,” he offers to her, the remark somewhere between a simple statement and a question. “You aren’t cold, are you? You may use my cloak, if so, I don’t mind the cool weather much.”

Thaddeus Livingston strolls along, still smiling broadly to Olivia, the random victim of his joy. There is a little hop in his step. He lets his cloak flow freely after him, not much put off by the chilly weather but quite liking it. The boy’s head is in the clouds.

Karina Sedgewick watches as the students gather around her, some looking cold in their cloaks. The Professor, however, seem unfazed. “We will be getting some exercise, soon!” she promises. “Now, as you may remember from your tests, Infusion of Wormwood is an ingredient in used in the variant of Calming Draught we have been in studying. You may also remember the other ingredients in that Potion. I have hidden, in this clearing, all of the ingredients required for this Potion. So, if you will kindly form groups of four, you may begin your search. Each group finding all of the ingredients will win a prize.” Although the term “scavenger hunt” is not mentioned, this is clearly what it is.

“Oh, thank you,” Olivia murmurs quietly, offering a small smile to Evan. She takes from him the offered cloak and wraps it, too, around herself, trying not to visibly shiver. She glances around as many of the students group up quickly and smiles at Evan. “I suppose we should group together, so I can give your cloak back when we’re done.” She spots just one more person and takes a step over toward him, as if inviting him to join into their group. Although, the rest of the students have already paired off, so it seems as if there are no other options.

Thaddeus Livingston smiles to Olivia and Evan, “Uhmm…” He motions a finger between himself and the two, “Mind if I join your group?” He looks around hesitantly, “Doesn’t seem to be any others that aren’t full… …” He pouts, as if begging the pair even though Olivia seemed to be planning to invite him anyway by the looks of it. “I got an E on the test…” He offers, as if it were more of a selling point.

“My pleasure,” Evan responds to Olivia, both in recognition of her taking the cloak and suggesting they team up. “I’m sure I remember the ingredients; would you object to winning the prize?” Now without a cloak himself, he resettles his robes around himself, perhaps just a bit tightly but for the most part successfully ignoring the cold. They’ll be running around soon anyway; keeping that in mind does wonders. As Thaddeus speaks up Evan turns to look at him, then waves him over. “Of course; you look quick enough.”

Karina Sedgewick looks on happily as the children organize themselves. Slowly, she shifts away from the center of the clearing, as children start to scramble to and fro, looking under shrubs, under rocks, in the trees.

“I’ve never won anything before,” Olivia says, in all earnestness. “It would be very neat to do so!” The girl smiles a rare wide smile, her crooked teeth coming visible, before it fades again, as if she is somehow ashamed at the disarray of her own teeth. “I think I remember the ingredients to it. I wonder if we’ll have to brew it after,” the girl muses thoughtfully, seeming to somehow get lost in the mass of robes and cloaks on her figure.

Thaddeus Livingston claps his hands together, his expression, while still happy, molding with that of a lost one. “I… don’t remember them.” He states cooling, blinking a little, “A reminder would be… quite good.” He glances around the area, scanning, before looking back to the two. He’s not at all embarrassed, accustomed to… not knowing much.

Evan Geroff returns Olivia’s smile, grinning at her before he turns to scan the clearing. “There must have been something,” he replies, while starting toward a stand of trees. “But if not – let’s try this way, first – then you can start today.” Speeding up a bit, simply assuming the others will follow, again addressing Thaddeus. “Oh, well; perhaps we can give you a list while we walk. Or simply look for plants and things that don’t belong where they are.. Why don’t you run and check that far tree, we’ll look under the near ones here.”

Thaddeus Livingston lets out a very sarcastic, “Ha. Ha. Ha.” To Evan, “I believe I have a vague recollection, I guess I’ll just make due.” He smiles, shaking his head a little – not at all offended or put off, it seems. He glances around, beginning to look for ingrediants, sighing.

Olivia Baxtor nods and starts walking towards a group of shrubs. “I think I’ve found one!” she calls, kneeling to pluck up a group of plants and examine them. Feeling them quiver, she drops them quickly with a gasp, finding that they are not, in fact, plants, but actually small animals who are merely shaped like plants. “No! Not one of them!” She calls, her voice sounding a bit strained. The girl strides quickly around the other side of the bushes and looks around, biting her lip, feeling a bit queazy as she tries to find the relevant plants.

Karina Sedgewick chuckles to herself as her students focus on their task almost as hard as if they were brewing a potion. Her own Potion teacher would have laughed at her teaching methods; but, she truly feels that the break is well deserved. “Careful there, Miss Baxtor!” she calls out.

Evan Geroff arches an eyebrow at Thaddeus. “By all means, don’t go off on your own. We’re only looking for good hiding places; and as I said, we’ll discuss..” Whatever he intended to discuss, the Gryffindor is quickly dismissed as Olivia calls over to him. “No? Here – there’s a low branch that looks like it has something hanging off it, and there’s a promising dip in the ground over there – would you like to crawl or climb?” He pauses to give her a small chance to think, after adding, “I’ll take the other.”

Olivia Baxtor pauses for a moment, weighing which would dirty her robes less. “I’ll climb,” she says in a decicisive tone and starts towards the tree, swerving wide around the spot where she’d found the plant-like creatures, and stops at the tree, gingerly holding onto the lowest branch and trying to pull herself up onto said branch. The spectacle is a sight to see as the girl struggles and struggles, finally managing her way onto the first branch and clinging there. “I… I think I’m stuck,” Olivia calls, refusing to let go of the branch she has strong hold of.

As soon as she claims the climb, Evan Geroff begins to run toward his spotted dip in the ground. As Olivia begins to climb, he has spotted something else about the dip worth checking out – a patch of taller grass and plant that, in the colder weather, is bending over to hide the ground beneath it. Fallen onto hands on knees he begins to search, and waits just a second after Olivia calls to turn around, something dangling from his hand. “But you’re nearly there!” he calls back, beginning to run back toward her. “Hold on – I’ll help, and then I wish you to look at something.”

Thaddeus Livingston peers up, moving just under Olivia in case of a fall, “Just take deep breathes, and don’t panic! We can probably catch you if you fall!” He calls up, glancing around for Sedgewick. Reminding the girl of the possibility of falling might not be the greatest idea… but the breathing thing… that was gold, right?

“Oh–okay, well… take your time,” Olivia calls. Ever the picture of composure, Olivia is striving to remain calm and collected. “You might catch me?” Her voice rises a notch in pitch and and volume. “I’m never coming doooooown!” Olivia‘s composure is completely gone as she clings more tightly to the branch in question, only glancing down to respond to Thaddeus, and instantly regretting it. Whose idea was it to climb the tree, again?

Karina Sedgewick watches as Olivia attempts to climb the tree, then dangles from it like a Christmas ornament. Her first reaction was a smile, thinking back to her own childhood days, wanding around with her brothers causing trouble, dangling from trees, swimming in swift moving streams, cartwheeling about in the fields, chasing sheep, just to name a few. Her second reaction was to think that she should have mentioned something about trees. Or rather, that students shouldn’t be climbing them. “Miss Baxtor!” she calls out, her usually quiet voice carrying across the clearing. “Please come down from there!” It was a request, more than a command. Karina obviously hasn’t noticed the problems with Miss Baxtor and the tree: namely, that she can’t get down from it.

Arriving at the tree, Evan rolls his eyes at the Gryffindor. “She shan’t fall, not if I have to climb up there myself and hold her up.” With that, he peers up to the first branch. “Hear that, Olivia? Now, I’m going to reach up toward the branch, and Thaddeus here will remain on the other side-” he shoots a pointed look at Thaddeus here, “-And I want you to try and shift your wait so you’re sitting. Grab my hand if that will help.”

Thaddeus Livingston does as Evan instructs, only to help Olivia. “You’re going to be fine, Olivia.” He coos, mouthing out, ‘She’s afraid!’ to their Potions teacher and shaking his head before turning his attention once more to the girl.

“Okay, okay, here,” Olivia takes a deathgrip on Evan’s hand as she tries to sit up. Slipping a little, she shrieks and grabs on again momentarily, before giving it a second try. She slowly sits up, glancing down at the two boys below her, breathing heavily. and sighing a bit. “How am I supposed to get down now?” she asks, glancing down and feeling even higher than before, which causes her breath to catch in her throat.

A frown creeps onto Karina‘s face, as Olivia’s troubles become clear. Quickly, she draws out her wand, ready to break Olivia’s fall with a bit of magic. “Are you alright, Miss Baxtor?” she says as she makes her way to the tree. A small crowd has gathered, as some students break off from their searching to watch the struggle. “Do you need help?”

Evan Geroff blinks as Olivia takes a hard grip on his hand, but doesn’t pull back, holding his arm as steady as possible to help her. “Now, none of that,” he murmurs as she screams, then smiles as she manages to sit up. “See, you did it? Now – do you see that branch to your right, just a little higher? I want you reach for it – and maybe check out what’s hanging, while you’re there – but reach for it, and hold on tight, and swing from it.” He doesn’t seem to have noticed Karina’s arrival, with other students beginning to come over as well – it’s all just a crowd. “Go on and try it, I’m right beneath you.. and I promise you won’t get hurt.”

Thaddeus Livingston simply stands at the ready, watching the scene unfold in silence.

“No, no, no, I’m not getting the thing in the tree, I’m going to fall!” Olivia responds, shaking her head quickly, her voice tense and shaking a bit. “Just get me down!” She glances around, seeing no faces, just a lot of people. Oh great, people are looking at her, and she’s cold and frightened. So far, this is not a good class for Olivia.

“Miss Baxtor, please try to remain calm,” Karina says to the girl, sounding concerned. She gently pushes a few students away from the tree as she steps closer, her wand held at the ready. “Please, just hold still,” she tells the girl in the tree, as she gives her and a neat swish and flick in her direction.

Evan Geroff glances up at Olivia, then other to the branch he has been trying to get her to reach for. “Don’t get the thing. Just lean enou-” Pause. Oh, the Professor is here. So Evan falls silent, watching Karina, pressing himself closer into the tree to stay both out of Karina’s way and semi-under Olivia. Within catching distance anyway, because she’s clearly scared, and he’s had experience dealing with frightened siblings in his life.

As Olivia notices the teacher, she finds herself floating up in the air, and her eyes get still wider as she gets higher into the air. “Oh, I haaaaate flying!” the girl shrieks as she pulls her knees to her chest, burying her head in her arms. “Please get me down,” she begs into her knees, trying not to cry out of sheer fright.

Thaddeus Livingston frowns, offering the obviously-terrified Olivia a sympathetic expression. He gulps a little, his eyes drifting away towards the bushes where she had been chasing about little creatures earlier. He takes a step back away from the crowd, feeling as though one more person would just add to it… and she needed air… As he stares down on the ground, a something triggers in his mind and he reaches down to pluck the small, easily missed shrub. “Hey I got one…” He muses quietly to himself, before standing and looking back to the group, his concerned expression returning…

Although confident that the Professor will give Olivia a safe and gentle landing, Evan still reaches his hands up toward the girl. His intent, should nothing stop him, is to get a strong grip on her both arms with each of his so that she might feel just a bit safer and less frightened as she descends. Ignoring everyone else around, he keeps his gaze focused on Olivia. “You’re safe, Olivia,” he murmurs, though loud enough for her to hear if she pays attention. “You’re safe, Professor Sedgewick is going to bring you down, I’ll hold onto you, don’t worry now..”

“Try to stay calm,” Karina says to the girl, as she curses herself for her clumsiness. Gently, she uses her wand to guide the girl back to the ground. As soon as Olivia is back on the ground, she tucks her wand away, and hurries towards the Hufflepuff. “It’s alright. Everything is fine now,” she says soothingly, sitting on the ground beside her, hugging her close. “There, there…”

Olivia Baxtor looks up and around at her surroundings now. Too many people around. FInally she releases a breath of relief, though, feeling the ground firmly underneath her. “Thank you,” She whispers, glancing around. Breathing deeply for a few moments, the girl stands up, quickly brushing herself off of any dirt or debris from the ground and tree. “I hope we still have time to finish the search,” she asks, looking at the gathering of students.

Thaddeus Livingston walks back over to his group of three, not saying anything to Olivia, besides what he says with his expression. He holds out the ingerdiant to to Evan, whom, he thinks would appreciate it more then he or Olivia might, while keeping his eyes on the poor girl.

Evan Geroff seems a bit confused by Olivia’s quick recovery once down, though while she seemed in need he was quick to help, and quite hurriedly pulls his hands back. “Miss Baxtor, forgive my forwardness.. I only meant to lend support..” Dropping that line, still looking to mask his confusion, he focuses his eyes on the ground at his feet. “By all means, somewhere down here – I thought I found something, but I’ve dropped it..”

Karina Sedgewick is also a bit surprised at Olivia’s quick recovery, although she seems more relieved than anything. As the crowd disperses, she drifts back to the edge of the clearing to observe, a bit more aware of the student’s activities, looking on as the third years continue the scavenger hunt. Most groups have found at least something, and some groups have started collaborating, at least for now. It is still a contest, however, and many (including the knot of Ravenclaws), are clearly taking it very seriously

Olivia Baxtor‘s breathing has by no means returned to normal, but she is trying to brush off her stray from composure. “Oh–okay,” she responds, trying to rub out a particularly obvious stain on the outer cloak, feeling absolutely annoyed that the spot will not come out. The girl’s breathing is still rather irregular, and her voice higher than normal, but seeing that others appear to be deceived by her act of composure, she relaxes just a bit.

Thaddeus Livingston gnaws on his lip, holding out the ingrediant more forcefully, “Uhm.” He clears his throat, “I found this.” He offers innocently, looking between Olivia and Evan. “If you’re still up to trying to do this all…” He adds, for Olivia’s sake, pouting.

Looking up at Olivia, finally, as she doesn’t respond to his appology, Evan catches her rubbing the cloak and smiles faintly. “I am sorry, truly.. Please don’t worry about the spot, Mother will know a way to get it out if I can’t, or she can always buy me a new one.. Please do forgive me.” Finally noticing Thaddeus, Evan takes the offered object, giving a firm nod. “We’re going to be first; we’ve got time to make up. Here’s one..” Pausing to bend down, finally spotting his dropped plant material on the ground, he rises again with a more confident, “and here’s two. Let’s head off that direction a bit,” he points, “and run! If you’re up to it, Miss.. Stop if you see anything, though.”

“It’s okay,” Olivia finally responds. “You didn’t know that I…” How should she word this? “don’t like high places.” She sighs and lets the robe go, the spot still nagging her in the back of her mind. “I think I see one over here,” she announes, smiling a bit at Thaddeus for his finding and picking up the one that she has spotted. “Can you keep this with the one you’ve found?” She asks him, trying to make up for the drama she’s created, and the time lost for her group.

“I’m glad you can perform the levitation charm, Mr. Delaney, but please do not practice here,” Karina Sedgewick admonishes as student as the hunt continues. Some teams are nearly completion, now. Of course, there is one very hidden ingredient, a small mushroom, that Karina has cleverly disguised with an illusion. The illusion has a weakness, however. When you look at the spot on the ground at just the right angle, the mushrooms can clearly be seen…

Thaddeus Livingston beams when Olivia offers him a smile, glancing around for another ingrediant as he should. However, he has no luck, “What are we missin’?” He asks under his breath to the others, moreso tagging along with them.

Evan Geroff blinks at Olivia, as she fails to lessen his confusion. “Oh, well that’s all right; I meant about my.. err..” ..forwardness, but he doesn’t finish. “Well.” “There we go, that’s three, and we’re nearly there.” He angles off to the side a bit, the pauses to look out over the clearing. So much ground left to cover, and he will not allow a loss. “Do not look away from the ground. .. Unless you come across somewhere higher up to search.” “Missing? Well..” only partially pausing again – trying to move backwards, stare at the ground, and actually see the most recent ingredient, he gives up in favor of not missing something himself and instead just asks. “Olivia, what is it you have?”

“I found the dandelion roots,” Olivia answers, gesturing towards Thaddeus’s hand. “Don’t worry about it, Evan,” the girl responds, smiling at Evan. “You’ve been kind to me, helping me.” She gives him another smile, once again baring her crooked teeth. Twice in one day! “We need… one more. Right?” She looks to her teammates for the correct answer, looking hopeful.

“Ten minutes!” Karina calls out. Sure enough, time is ticking away, and soon it will be time to return to the classroom. She doesn’t give any hints however, as the teams desperately search for the missing ingredient.

Evan Geroff stops to kick over a stone on the ground, then frowns as he finds nothing under it. “Dandelion roots.. hmm.. it’s a mushroom,” he pronounces. “Correct? Small.. it could be anywhere. Do not even blink.” Stopping to move a longer piece of grass with his foot, yet again finding nothing, he falls silent and continues on.

Thaddeus Livingston remains silent as he scans the area, eyes squinting tightly in his concentration. A mushroom. We’re looking for a mushroom…

“Wait is that it over there?” the girl gasps, running over to a spot where she believes she sees the missing ingredient. “Oh. Just a rock. Hm.” Disappointment clouds her face as she turns and heads back towards her group, straying just a bit away from them, kicking over things gingerly on her way. “Oh! Oh wait! I think I see it!” She stoops down, pulling her robes and two cloaks up gingerly and reaches into a tiny dip behind a log. “Here it is! I found it!” Olivia skips back over to her teammates, looking quite triumphant, and brandishes the last ingredient.

“Times up!” Karina calls, conveniently when the last ingredient is found. “Please gather around! Which group has the complete ingredients? Please step forward!” She waits patiently for the stragglers to gather around, before making the prize presentation.

Evan Geroff pauses in the midst of kicking at whatever else he has found on the ground, spinning to look at Olivia. “You found it? Wonderful! Hurry, let’s run and show Professor Sedgewick before anyone else gets there.” He smiles at Olivia, turns to glance at Thaddeus, then takes off toward the teacher. Slowing as he reaches the crowd, he turns to look for his teammates, already holding up the two ingredients that he has. “We’ve got everything, Professor!”

Thaddeus Livingston simply grins, “Good job!” He nudges Olivia, shaking his head, “I wouldn’t have ever seen it!” He follows along, tightening his scarf around his neck and beginning to realize, fully, the cold.

Karina Sedgewick examines the group’s ingredients as they are presented to her, a smile returning to her face. “Great work!” she says to the three as she takes the ingredients from them. “TWo points will be awarded to each of you. And on top of that…” she rummages in her pockets for a moment, before producing three vials of orange potion. “One drop in a glass of water will turn the water into fresh pumpkin juice,” she tells the three as she hands them each a vial. “An invention of mine. Enjoy! Class, let’s return to the classroom to gather our things!” With that, Karina leads her students back into the castle.

Tramping up the stairs, her robes muddy, Briony Wexler does not look pleased. This is her third detention this year! The girl can hardly believe that her own mother was the cause for this one. She sighs as she knocks on the door leading into the office. “Professor Hargrove?” she states, rather quietly. “It’s Briony Wexler. I’m here for my detention.” The girl says all of this in an unusually quiet voice, hoping the Headmistress will not have heard her. Of course, stomping up the stairs didn’t help the matter, but this never crosses Briony‘s mind.

Trailing behind Briony, red-faced and gasping from her hurried climb up the steep staircase, is Katherine NicholsHer robes are similarly disheveled, but with a diffuse layer of brown powder that coats not only her robes, but her straggling dark curls. Halfway up the stairs, she is forced to pause as she gasps in – in – “ACHOO!” The little girl’s sneeze echoes up and down the hallway, and her steps sound even louder in the wake of the silence that follows. “Oh. Hullo, Briony,” she greets the other girl as she reaches the top, her voice hushed and subdued. As she draws closer, a faint scent grows – cinnamon. She smells overwhelmingly of cinnamon.

“Come right in, girls,” the headmisstress calls. Behind her desk she sits, veiled by high stacks of books. As she stands to step around the desk, all that is visible is the top of her frizzy head. Amelia pulls two candies out of a box in her drawer and sets them on her desk in front of her as she waits for the two ‘perpetrators’ to enter her office, which, just now, shows signs of rather early Christmas decoration. “Have a seat, please, and then I’ll have to you tell me what it is that got you sent to me.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Briony answers, opening the door and stepping in past the plump Hufflepuff. She takes a seat in one of the chairs — the red one, as she’s not much a fan of green — and glances around the office. Briony gawks at the decor of the office, finding it shocking how insane she feels the headmistress must be. Her eyes spot the candy, however, and all thought of the christmas spirit emanating from the room is forgotten. She glances at the woman who is standing over her for a moment, then her eyes glance back at the sweets.

“Yes, ma’am,” Katherine echoes the younger girl, standing politely aside to let her go first. She hovers uncertainly inside the door, brushing at her cinnamon-dusted robes with hands so covered with the spice that they seem to add more than they take away. Finally, she gives a deep sigh of resignation and plunks down in the green chair. The odd appearance of the headmistress’s office doesn’t shock her – she’s been here too many times to be surprised by anything, and despite her dejection, Katherine can’t help but smile a little at the sight of the signs of Christmas. An eager gleam lights her eyes as she too catches sight of the candy – but she says nothing, just folds her hands neatly in her lap and sits, waiting patiently. But then – “Ah- ah – ACHOO!” Another sneeze bursts out of her, and she mumbles a sheepish, “Sorry.”

Amelia Hargrove chuckles and conjurs a handkercheif in an obnoxious shade of yellow. She hands the object to Katherine and leans against her desk. “Now, tell me, what brought you here.” She pauses a moment. “Ms Nichols, why don’t you begin?” the woman asks, eyeing her dusty and pungeant robes with a raised eyebrow. “Then Ms Wexler can enlighten me.” Amelia takes the two peices of candy — them having had the desired effect, and holds them in her hands, as if she has no intent of giving them to the girls at all.

“Yes, ma’am,” Katherine says again, reaching out to take the handkerchief. “Thank you, ma’am.” She snuffles into the handkerchief for a moment, wiping an almost-clean spot around her nose on her cinnamon-dusted face. “Well, it was…I was working on the assignment that Professor Calwern had given me,” she begins. A slightly stricken expression crosses her face as the candy is withdrawn, but she swallows hard and continues, reciting the events as if she were presenting a lesson in class. “She had these little umbrellas, you see. To put in drinks.” Her chubby hands wave in the air, miming the opening and closing of a tiny umbrella. “And I thought that they would be marvelous in hot chocolate – made of peppermint sticks and candy floss and things like that.” Enthusiasm begins to bring a smile to her face as she gets carried away with the telling of her own story. “Or that opened up to conjure little marshmallows or cinnamon or chocolate bits. And Professor Calwern said that she’d give five points to Hufflepuff if I could make one that did that. And she said that she liked cinnamon, and…” Katherine is starting to lose momentum as she gets closer to the unhappy ending of the story. “And, well, I made a bit too much cinnamon.”

Briony Wexler stifles a giggle as Katherine tells her story, and scoots back a bit in her chair. To tell the truth, she hasn’t even noticed yet that the candies have disappeared from the table, until she looks at the headmistress, in whose hands are the suckers. Ohhh, sweets… Briony pauses for a moment in the silence of the room, until she realizes — after a stern look from the headmistress — that she should be divulging her reason for her detention. “Well, uh, I was trying to find my kitten, and I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going, and I sort of… ran into a prefect. A Slytherin prefect. And she hit me because of it, so I fought with her.” Briony pauses. “But I won! And she hit me first!” The girl settles back into her chair, fuming again, at the memory of the situation. “My mum fixed me up, and sent me to you for detention.” Another pause. “That girl is still in the infirmary, though.” A mean grin crosses her face, a t the thought of overcoming a fifth year.

“I see,” the headmistress says. “Well, we’ve got some fun planned for today. You both are going to help me research for my next seminar.” She pauses. “I suppose it would be helpful for you to be my assistants when it comes off as well.” She nods. “Now, all of these books are about animals of extraordinary means. I need all the information you can glean from them about Kneazles. We will begin to compile it in one hour. And when you’re finished… then, you may have these sweets.” For all Amelia‘s sense of duty, she still can’t help slipping the occasional sweet to the children.

“Yes, ma’am,” the girl answers with a sigh. She scoots her chair forward and takes a book, and finds, before she can ask a question for it, that a stack of parchment appears to her right, in addition to an inkwell and some quills. She sighs a bit, trying not to breathe in too deeply, for fear of being afflicted of the same cinnamon ‘disease’. “Oughtn’t you have cleaned up before coming up here?” Briony asks congenially, taking a bit of parchment and poising her quill in her left hand as she opens the book, ‘A Study on Kneazles’.

Astonishment opens Katherine‘s mouth and hope lights her eyes as she looks up at the headmistress. Not the promise of being the headmistress’s assistants, but more sweets? “Yes, ma’am!” Katherine replies, and stifles another sneeze with the gaudy handkerchief as she too reaches forward to take a book. She stuffs the handkerchief into a pocket for a moment as she searches through the other pockets of her robes for a quill, coming up with several bright pink sugar ones before finding one that will actually write. “Professor Murphy told me to come directly to the Headmistress’s office,” she whispers, in response to Briony’s question, as she follows the younger girl’s example and flips open her book.

“I need as much information as possible so that the demonstration will be interesting and informative for the whole student body.” The woman nods and deposits an inkwell down in front of Katherine. She doesn’t even seem to notice the cinnamon emanating throughout the room. Her head disappears behind the stack of books on her desk, and scratches from a quill can be heard. There seems to be some whispering and the occasional ‘mew’, though nothing is visible, from behind the books where Amelia sits. If one was not accustomed to her nature, it could be quite disconcerting.

Briony Wexler nods at her classmate and glances at the big pile of books. “Did you lose points for it, or did you just get a detention?” she whispers gently. “My mum took points away. She said I ought to know better. Five whole points.” The girl’s posture fails a bit as she slumps lower in the chair, scribbling a half-hearted note onto the paper. Detectifying was much more fun than this. For that, she enjoyed taking notes. “By the way, when we’re out of detention, I think I’ve found a few leads on the badger. He’s a sneaky little devil, but I think we’re getting close.” The girl nods and tries to find another ‘important’ fact to scribble onto her notes.

“If they can’t get the cinnamon out of the carpets, then I’ll lose points,” Katherine sighs, giving the younger girl a sympathetic glance as she reaches across the table to dip her quill into the inkwell. “I can only imagine how many points I’d lose if my mum worked here,” she murmurs. “The Howlers are bad enough…” Scattered, disorganized notes begin to take shape as Katherine flips back and forth between several books at once, decorated with arrows pointing from one paragraph to another, and little pictures in the margins. “Where do you think the badger might be?” she whispers, leaning closer so that she can keep her voice low, but trying – and failing – not to sprinkle too much cinnamon on either the Headmistress’s floor or the other girl.

“If you’re going to talk, make sure you’re productive while you’re doing it!” Amelia‘s voice echoes from behind the large stack of books. The woman seems to have magical hearing, as the girls are speaking quite softly. One might wonder if she has the disposition for this job, which would appear to require a much less friendly and giving disposition. These girls, though, have not angered the woman, and still are promised sweets at the completion of their detention, despite the stigma of being in trouble.

“It appears that he’s hiding down next to the potions room. I think, anyway.” The girl pauses. “Gabe says that it couldn’t possibly be there, but he seems to like it in the cold area. Maybe badgers like cold weather. I don’t know.” The girl shrugs and scribbles a paragraph down, just filling up her first length of parchment. She puts it in front of her for the ink to dry, and scribbles some more. “I didn’t know people researched kneazles so extensively,” Briony whispers to Katherine, shaking her head in disbelief.

“They do. And tunnels and things,” Katherine whispers back, with an authoritative nod on the subject of badgers. “I’m not surprised he’s near the Potions room. Or she. I’m still not sure. And maybe he – or she – knows that Professor Sedgewick is our Head of House, or something, so it wants to hide near her. ” She pauses for a moment, drawing a curly arrow to connect two sections of notes, then adds, “And Kneazles are interesting! They’re ever so clever. Smarter than regular cats, even…”

Amelia Hargrove rifles through several more books, putting down two more books which she has finished investigating. Hearing the girls continue to chatter, she does nothing to quell their talk, feeling that it must be a healthy thing if nothing else, for such conversation to occur between young girls. Amelia‘s notes far out-do the notes that the two collectively have gathered, but this does not concern the headmistress, who is merely eliciting their help because a detention was necessary. One could hardly say she enjoyed making the students do pennance.

“I’ve never seen one myself, not up close. My dad wouldn’t let me go near it in the shop, because he told me I wasn’t allowed to buy such a thing. He told me I could get a pet, then he wouldn’t let me get a kneazle.” Briony sighs rather dramatically about this. “But that’s alright, maybe there will be one at the presentation, and we’ll all get to pet it!” The girl looks hopeful about this and scribbles a few more notes in her disastrously uneven handwriting. “I’ve heard that they know the good people from the bad people and they will only associate with good people.” She nods sagely, obviously believing herself and her comrade to be in that special group.

“Oh, they do,” Katherine whispers back, with an earnest nod and a smile that shows that she has just as much confidence as Briony about which category they would be placed in. She pauses to scrawl down a few more lines of notes, her careful round handwriting becoming sloppier as her excitement rises. “I wasn’t allowed to have one either,” Katherine continues, wrinkling her nose in a sympathetic grimace. “Just an ordinary cat. Although I wonder if Nina wasn’t maybe part Kneazle after all, the way she acted. Still, I would like to see a real one up close. I hope we’ll be able to pet the one at the demonstration.. .” She lets the sentence trail off, daring to send a hopeful glance up towards the Headmistress at the end of it – and another hopeful look towards those sweets that sit so tantalizingly close.

Amelia has been listening to the conversation going on over on the other side of the book piles, and smiles to herself. Now, where could Aristos be? The woman glances around, and then makes a bit of a clicking sound, quiet enough to go unnoticed, and Aristos comes trotting in. The little cat-like creature is a sight to behold, quite a bit larger than an average cat, with thick, fluffy fur, and dark purple spots covering her back. The creature jingles a bit as she jumps up onto the desk allowing her fur to be stroked. “Never seen a kneazle, eh girls?” Amelia asks, a curious and suspicious glint in her eye. She stands, taking the fluffy cat-like creature in hand, and takes it around the desk, setting Aristos down directly in the center of where the girls sit. The creature sits, looking quite regal, glaring from girl to girl.

“Whoa, you have a real kneazle?” Briony‘s voice is full of awe as she gawks at the large animal. She reaches out gingerly, suddenly not quite so bold as to outright pet Aristos. “What’s its name?” she queries, softly touching the fur on the kneazle’s shoulder, almost frightened, as if she can sense that the creature doesn’t like her. And, indeed it does not, as Aristos is a peculiar kneazle, who trusts only adults, finding children to be particularly untrustworthy.

“Oh!” Katherine lets out a squeal of excitement and surprise, and her mouth remains open in a wide, wondering smile as she gapes at the creature on the desk in front of her. She exchanges a quick, happy glance with Briony – their request has been answered! – then continues staring wonderingly at the Kneazle. “Oh, it’s lovely!” she breathes. “May I…?” The question is asked more to Aristos herself than to the Headmistress – Katherine looks straight into the cat-like beast’s eyes as she reaches out a chubby hand, hovering a few inches away and waiting for permission before actually touching it.

A small growl can be heard emanating from the large cat-like creature’s chest, though it does not move at all to attack in any way. “Behave yourself,” Amelia scolds at the kneazle and the growling dulls, now hardly audible. “You may pet her as long as you are gentle. If she begins to growl, remove your hand at once. She has very sharp claws.” Amelia watches carefully, her eyes like those of a hawk’s, taking in every movement, every breath, every look. She knows her kneazle far too well.

Looking a bit more nervous, Briony removes her hand back to her lap, merely looking at the majestic kneazle. “Go ‘head, touch it, Katherine,” she encourages, sitting back in her seat a bit. The girl is simply not brave enough to touch the creature yet, not wishing her arm torn up by the scary beast. She instinctively pulls her pile of notes from the table, so as to save them from shredding, should there be a bloodbath.

“All right,” There is a quiver of apprehension behind Katherine‘s agreeable tone, and she swallows hard at the Headmistress’s warning about the Kneazle’s claws. But the little Hufflepuff girl keeps her eyes steadily on Aristos’s, and says to the creature, “It’s all right. I’m not going to hurt you, and I’m not going to hurt the Headmistress. I just want to pet you. She’s said that I might.” Katherine moves her hand a little closer, searching the Kneazle’s impassive expression for any signs of hostility or assent – and listening intently for another growl – until finally, she touches the animal’s thickly-furred side.

No growls are heard at this juncture while Katherine gingerly presses her fingers against the fur. “It’s fine, Aristos. She’s a good little girl.” Amelia‘s voice is confident. Aristos looks back at her owner with an impassive look, tolerating the affection she is receiving for the time being. The headmistress looks on, watching carefully as one girl shys away from petting the creature she had previously expressed interest in seeing.

“It looks so cool,” Briony whispers, watching intently from the back edge of her seat. The girl obviously does not want her arm torn open today, by any chance of luck or lack thereof. “She sure is pretty,” she tells the headmistress, a leery smile on her face. One might be unable to tell whether this is an attempt at flattery, or whether there is sincerity behind the comment, but Briony looks more terrified than anything else. She clearly did not expect the beast to be quite so big and intimidating.

“There you go,” Katherine murmurs to the Kneazle, her smile returning as Aristos accepts her touch. “Good girl…” She lets her hand flatten out, touching Aristos with more confidence now, and beginning to move her fingers in a gentle stroking motion – but she still keeps her head tilted, listening for the first sign of a growl. “There you go,” Katherine says again. “Here, Briony, do you want to try too?” Katherine takes her eyes off of the Kneazle just long enough to glance back at the younger girl, then looks back quickly, not wanting to break her eye contact with the creature for much longer than a second or two. “She’s nice! Yes, you’re a good girl.” Her voice starts to take on a sing-song cadence as she continues speaking to the animal. “And you’ve got lovely purple spots…”

“Alright, I think that’s enough,” Amelia says, reaching out and plucking the unhappy looking kneazle from the desk and placing her onto the floor, watching her trot away. “Alright, I think that’s enough for today. If I could have your notes, that would be marvellous. And you both will, of course, accompany me for the seminar and help me make my presentation.” The woman smiles nicely at the girls and takes the sweets from the desk, holding one out to each of them. “Please make sure you go get yourself cleaned up promptly, Miss Nichols, else Miss Scott finds your cinnamon trail and sends you directly back to me.” Amelia smiles at them and waves her hand as if to shoo them on out of her office, to attend to important headmistressly duties.

Briony Wexler takes the sweets slowly, smiling at the woman. So this wasn’t the worst detention she has yet had, and the girl is certain that it won’t be the last, either. She stands and smiles at Katherine, almost offering to go out and have a romp, but then deciding against it, remembering the excess of cinnamon on her being. “I’ll see you around soon, and we’ll try to find that badger.” Briony giggles and turns, walking rather quickly out of the room, as if she has somewhere important to be.

Katherine‘s brief disappointment at the Kneazle’s retreat dissolves almost instantly into a pleased smile – she is going to be helping the Headmistress? And getting candy, too? Is this really a detention? Katherine reaches eagerly out to take the sweet, remembering only after she has popped it into her mouth what the Headmistress’s other request was. “Mmph! ‘orry!” she mumbles indistinctly around the candy as she hands her notes across the desk. “Nnnk you, m’m!” She gives the Headmistress a bright, candy-stained grin, bobs a curtsey, and hurries out after Briony.

Clavicle Gravely walks in, he’s carrying a suitcase and bows to the woman with a formal flourish…which looks a little silly, as he is so young. “Good evening madame. My family would like to supply you with a new confectionary treat.” He smiles hopefully.

“Er, well, that’s kind of you, but oughtn’t I be the one supplying you with the sweets, little man?” Maura leans on the counter, clad in her new purple and blue frock — her cousin’s insistence, certainly not hers — and grins at him. “But tell me what it is that you’ve got for me.” She smiles at him sweetly, glancing only momentarily at a group of little girls who seem to have caught the giggles.

Clavicle Gravely grins hugely, “The gravely seasonal confectionary inspired by our cousins in the central Americas, We proudly present…. The confectionary skull.” he opens his suitcase and a dozen skulls highly decorated are there. All made of sugar, One winks. “Hiya toots.”

Clavicle Gravely‘s skulls declare “Undale! Arriba!” “Hey…is this France?”

Maura Wexler appears to be taken aback by such a thing. “Oh, and… you all have charmed them to talk? How… quaint.” Maura can’t seem to get the look of shock off of her face as she stands there, gawking at the case of skulls. “I’m afraid they might be a bit too… frightening for many of the children who frequent here. We do get a lot of young ones, after all.” Maura shrug at him, looking rather leery of his case of skulls. “I would be more than willing to sell you some candy of course,” She suggests, coming back to her original tack. “And perhaps you could check at a shop in Hogsmeade. I hear there’s a knickknacks shop, full of odds and ends and unusual things that might just love something like that.”

Clavicle Gravely hmms. His uncle told him to make the sale. “They can be trained to be more polite…” One tries to get out of the case….by jawing it’s way up. Another waggles icing brows at the woman. “‘ello … Are you hungry? I was made for a pretty girrl like you to eat!” Clavicle smiles hopefully. “I didn’t charm them… my uncle did. We have a shy line as well. for the bashful childe.” He nods to the Hogsmeade advice. “We plan on stopping there as well…before term starts.”

“I hope you’ll have more luck there. I’d consult with my cousin, but I know what her answer would be. Everything in the shop here, we make ourseles. That is, I make it. She blows it up.” Maura chuckles to herself for a moment, before remembering the task at hand. “At any rate, I’m going to have to decline your sweet offer. I’m sorry.” She ponders for a moment. “But perhaps you’d like to try our newest concoction? It’ll turn your mouth many colors.” Maura smiles at the boy, hoping to spare his feelings.

Clavicle Gravely frowns. “Are you sure? we only ask 4 sickles for the lot?” he grins “They are made for Dia del Los Muertos… to celebrate.” he sighs. “Well…maybe you could just try one?” He grins. “We could call it a trade?”

Clavicle Gravely looks at the case where the One skull has escaped and is grinning. “Pick me.. pick me!” the skull has a frosting baseball cap on. “I’m great at running errands! Pick me!”

“I could try one, but I’m sorry, dear. It just isn’t even feasible for me to give you hope, since it would be false. You’re welcome to try our new candy; I won’t even charge for it, but we can’t buy your sweets. Have you tried the Leaky Cauldron?” Maura smiles helpfully, pausing to ring up one of the giggling girls. “I must reiterate that we won’t be able to sell your candy from our shop.”

Clavicle says, “I know. I understand. But Morty there really seems to like you.” he takes the candy she offers and closes the suitcase…and once again…bows with a showman’s flourish.”

“It’s still a no,” Maura tells him again gently, closing the register again after ringing up another girl. “Tell, ah, Morty there, that he’s going to have to find another shopkeep to attatch his little sugar teeth to.” Maura winks at the boy and pulls out a licorice rainbow, holding it out to the boy. “It ought to turn your mouth about six different colors at once, maybe more.” She grins, proud of her new concoction.

Clavicle Gravely‘s suitcase closes amongst cries of “Eat me. Eat me! ” He scoops up Morty and accepts the licorice. He grins as he heads out. “Thanks!”

Maura Wexler waves at the boy as he departs, chuckling to herself. Born salesman, that one. He’ll go far, Maura thinks to herself as she busies herself around the shop again.

Eva Fallon strides down the stairs into the main part of the shop. “You know, one of these days, I’m going to just have to stay up there, Tommy,” she calls to the man, and sits down onto a chair. She isn’t very pregnant yet, but Eva has always been a bit dramatic. She grins at Tommy as she puts her feet up, reaching to tie the laces carefully and keeps them propped up behind the counter. “Thanks for watching the shop while I napped. I needed it.” She grins at him, leaning back and pinning the rest of her dissheveled curls up atop her head.

“Not a problem,” says Tommy Fallon with a full smile. Standing up and stretching, he laughs and says, “I guess it’s time for my nap, then!” Pretending to head towards the stairs, he stops when he feels his joke has caught. He then turns around to walk over to his wife. Setting both hands on her shoulder, he massages them idly as he looks around the shop. Things were so quiet when the girls were over in the daycare with Avery. Despite loving these peaceful moments, he always did look forward to picking them up; to seeing their beaming faces. He loved his daughters.

Alanna Dragonfire opens the door slowly and with a daughter clinging to each hand, she enters the shop. Having promised them an outing to Diagon Alley after her long work week, the two young girls look excitedly around the shop. “Now, one treat each, that’s all, got it?” and as they scatter, Alanna notices the couple behind the counter for the first time and freezes for a moment, before approaching.

“Hello,” Eva calls, grinning at the two smallish girls. “Welcome to Cordial Confections.” Eva doesn’t even bother to stand, and finishes pulling her hair up into a messy coif. “Make sure you look at everything, because we’ve just debuted some new sweets!” Eva sounds more enthusiastic than she looks, but her excitement level appears to be rising again as the sleep wears off. “Isn’t your sister stopping by today? I hope she comes after we get the kids from Avery, because I’m sure she’d love to see them.” Eva sighs a bit. Her girls are growing so quickly.

Frederick Wexler comes bounding in, Alden on his back. The child looks more frightened than thrilled, and finally, relieved as his uncle deposits him on the ground once again. “Hullo, Eva!” the man calls to his sister, waving as he holds the door open for Basil and and a very prim looking Alice. “Find some sweets you two. My treat.” He grins at Basil as the two wander into the store, not appearing so very excited, but still looking interested at the sweets. Frederick strides over to the counter and holdsh his hand out. “Tommy,” he greets the other man with a nod. Must be nice, just for Eva. Freddie doesn’t have anything against Tommy, but the unfamiliar is always unsettling, especially in his sister’s spouse.

Bursting into the candy shop to he his beloved sister, Gilbert looks around, surprised but delighted to see such a crowd. “Wooow,” he begins boldly. “How come I didn’t get an invitation to this?” he asks Eva, punching her lightly in the arm. “Oops, sorry about that, Eva,” he says. “I should be more delicate with you in your state, right?” he exclaims, pointing to her belly. Turning to Tommy, he slaps him on the back and dives into a Quidditch rant. “Did you see that game the other day? The Pride of Portree sure had nothing to be proud of!” He laughs.

Basil Wexler stops at the door. Lovey, half of his siblings are already here. What brought him this kind of luck? He nods at them all, stepping just into the shop, out of the way of the door so that the customers can mill in and out. His children are milling around the shop, getting near the other children, most of who are younger than them, and sighs. Without Sibyl around, how will he be able to handle their illnesses? Surely they’ll get some sort of cold from the other children, especially nearing the height of winter. The man looks visibly nervous at this thought.

“Kalika probably will drop by,” he answers Eva as he looks to the newcomers to the shop. Shaking Frederick’s hand, Tommy returns the nod. “Hi there, Fred,” he salutes as he takes a step backwards from the audacious Gil Wexler. “Err, I didn’t see the game–” he starts. He only half-listens to the man’s raving about the botched plays and the other game highlights. Seeing Alanna walk into the shop rather takes him by surprise, though. “Alanna!” he calls.

Alanna Dragonfire steps back a little, a bit frazzled at the sudden rush of people, surprised that Tommy acknowlegges her she, she smiles and waves “Tommy, Hi.” brushing a strand of hair from her face, disappointed that she wasn’t able to slip out unnoticed “How’ve you been?”

Having stopped by Avery’s daycare after work (mostly to visit–she *does* enjoy talking), Kalika Fallon has decided to do her older brother a favour by bringing the girls home (particularly since she had intended to visit Mister and Misses Fallon anyways). With a broad smile playing on her lips, the young pads into the candy store–toddlers and baby in a rather large carriage in front of her. “Kah-lee-kah,” she says to the children as she walks through the door. “Auntie Kah-lee-kah. Actually, I’d settle for Auntie. Or Kali.” And then Josie speaks up, triumphantly beaming, “Allie!” Kalika sighs and shrugs her shoulders–it was close, “Very close! It just needs a “k” on the front.” She moistens her lips and examines the crowd. “Business must be good,” she chimes to herself. She pushes the carriage further into the shop towards her big brother. “Tommy! I think these may belong to you . . .” She glances at her neices and step neices and then at Tommy. Who’d have ever thought he’d be a family man? Certainly not Kalika.

“My darlings!” Eva squeals and stands. “Thank you for bringing them, Kalika! And, well, fantastic timing.” Eva chuckles. “That one right there is my brother Freddie, over there is Gilbert, and Basil’s in the back there, being a hermit as usual. That little boy is Alden, he’s Basil’s son, and Alice is over here, she’s his daughter.” Eva grins. “I guess Tommy’s left the baby with Henrietta.” She smiles. “And, I’m getting the idea that Tommy knows this lady over here,” Eva says, gesturing towards where Alanna stands. “Though we’ve just met, sort of.”

Alanna Dragonfire shrugs as Kalika takes his attention and steps back towards the door, bumping into a nervous looking young man that she doesn’t know. “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there.” she says quietly and takes her place near the door as well, waiting for her little darlings to finish choosing their treats. Knowing them however, she’ll most likely be stuck there for awhile, thinking of this she sighes and frowns. “Hurry up, Girls, we still have to get home and make dinner.” she mentions to them in vain.

Tommy Fallon shakes his head. “I don’t even recognize them,” he says to Kalika in a serious manner. After a second passes, he waves his hand and swoops down on Josie, swinging her up and holding her aloft, over his head. “Is my little girl learning how to say names?” he asks. “Auntie Kalika is a great teacher. She talks much to often,” he says candidly to the toddler as he sets her back in the carriage. He tousles Essie’s hair before picking up Charlotte and walking over to Alanna. “Things have been great,” he says, holding out his daughter. “This is Charlotte, our youngest. Would you like to hold her?”

Alanna Dragonfire shrugs and smiles half-heartedly “Um…sure, I haven’t had one this little in quite sometime.” taking the infant and holding her gently. “Those are my two over there, Diana and Elizabeth” gesturing toward the pretty little girls near the lollipops “They’re 7 and 5.” she says quietly, rocking the baby gently.

“Excuse me,” Basil mumbles and steps aside as Tommy brings the infant over. Basil glances at her, then back at his own children, remembering fondly when his own children were so small. Well, perhaps not so fondly. He does recall not sleeping much. Basil‘s eyes roll a bit as Gilbert starts to wax poetic about the latest Quidditch match. The man seems to recall why he moved so quickly out of Bournemouth, hoping to be away from all of his siblings.

Entering shortly after the newest arrivals, Daniel tugs open the door with one hand while he pins his cloak tightly around him with the other. Crisp November wind gusts through the doorway and with a shudder, the man straightens up to his full height and maneuvers to the side so as not to get in anyone’s way. Plum eyes dart around the shop and he instinctively retracts from anyone who might be too close for comfort. Smiling brightly, he doesn’t greet anyone but rather makes a beeline for one of the counters that hold some of the specialty candies.

“It was my pleasure! Josie almost said my name,” Kalika grins at Eva. Tommy’s comment is met with an eyeroll. “They’re all bloody brilliant! You must be so proud. They’ll be chatting in no time flat. I’m sure of it.” She tucks a lock of her curly hair behind her ear and smoothes her robes. She listens and watches as Eva points to all of her family members. “My goodness! There certainly are a lot of you. An average family reunion in the candy store.” She chuckles lightly. And then Alanna enters Kalika‘s line of vision. “Alanna . . .” what is her last name “. . . Twinkle, is it?” She tilts her head at the woman. “Well you’re all grown up,” the woman states flatly. She crosses her arms over her chest, “And with the quite the brood too.” She presses her lips together in a straight line.

Gerald Rathe pushes through the door, shouldering his powerful frame into the shop. He slows his long strides, taking his stock of the room as he enters among the cases of sweets and the small crowd gathered here. His frown expression is reservedly neutral and relaxed, in the manner befitting a proper English gentleman, but at odds with his colourful wizarding clothing.

Seeing the curly-haired girl come in with Eva’s kids, Gilbert sidles over beside Kalika and nudges her. “You look familiar,” he says with a laugh. “Miss Fallon, did you watch the Quidditch game? There was the most amazing chaser play. I’ll demonstrate,” he says, rifling in his pocket and eventually finding a couple candy wrappers. Folding one into a mangled-looking broomstick and rolling the other into a ball, he sets it atop the ‘broom’ and holds it with one hand. “Say this was a player,” he says, pointing to the garbage in his hand. Making a complicated movement, he traces the path and makes swooshing noises with his mouth. “That’s how.” He finishes. Not able to resist, he chucks the two wrappers in Basil’s direction, aiming for his head. Tilting his head, he looks back to Kalika for her reaction.

“Oh, yeah, Gil! I read about that! My guy reported on that!” Freddie chuckles as he steps closer to his brother. “Did you see that awful catch by the pride, the one that cost them the goal and got them that first penalty?” Frederick chuckles and leans against the edge of the counter. “Are these my little girls?” the man enthusiastically coos and swings Josie up in one arm, pulling Essie up into the other. The girls giggle and squeal as he does so and puts them down on the floor, watching them toddle over to their mother.

“Hello,” Eva greets some of the newcomers into her shop. “Welcome to Cordial Confections!” she tries to call over the din, but the chaos in the room seems to dictate otherwise. She grins and picks up her girls one at a time, allowing them to sit on the edge of the counter. Rather than supplying them with the obvious choice of candy, though, Eva hands each of them a half of an apple, which both instantly begin gnawing on. “Let me know if you need help finding something.” Though this attempt is futile, Eva‘s habits do not stop easily.

Alanna Dragonfire‘s smile fades as she notices Kalika, “It’s Dragonfire actually.” she replies curtly and glares at the younger woman “You haven’t changed much at all from our school days”. Sighing once again at the childishness of Tommy’s sister, she wishes that her children would give her an excuse to leave, however they seem to be facinated by some new sweet product in the corner of the store. “How old is this little one?” she askes, trying to ignore the younger woman.

Gilbert Wexler nearly tears out his hair in agony as Fred recalls the terrible Quidditch catch. “I thought my soul was going to shrivel up and die when I saw that, Fred,” he says excitedly, looking away from Kalika for a second. “My boo-ing voice was hoarse by the end of that game,” he states with a nod, watching Fred pick up the girls. Even though Gil hasn’t the desire right now to hold a squirming baby, he though they were cute enough… he guesses…

Looking back and forth between Kalika and Alanna, Tommy can sense the tension very obviously. The two had fought quite a bit back in Hogwarts. That big spat between he and Alanna in the Great Hall… well, Kalika had gotten involved in that one. He still does smile in remembrance of Kalika’s reaction to Alanna’s insulting the Fallon name. The little girl’s indignant fit was something to marvel at, to be sure. Tommy is jolted back into the present as, somewhere in the room, a little girl shrieks with delight. There sure were a lot of children in here, thinks Tommy Fallon.

Seemingly engrossed in watching his children, Basil does not even see the bits of paper flying at his head, and both hit him in the face, one square in the forehead, and the other on the nose. “You…” he growls softly at the group of his siblings on the other side of the shop. He doesn’t get openly angry as he did when he was in his teens, feeling that he ought to set a good example for his children, but Basil is noticably in annoyed.

Kalika Fallon wrinkles her nose as Gilbert nudges her. But not in annoyed way merely a somewhat puzzled one. A smile spreads over her lips exposing her two rather prominent dimples. “Kalika, please. No one outside of work calls me Miss Fallon. And I mean no one. And no, I can’t say I managed to see the game this time, Mister Wexler–work and all that! Never a dull moment in magical law! Always parchments to read. New cases. But it sounds like I missed a good one!” Her eyes brighten. “I enjoy watching them play! The thrill of the game! The excitement of the chase! The players are all so talented and balanced and quick and–” She stops talking quite abruptly midsentence. She bites her lip and sits in rather awkward silence. A glare is cast towards Alanna and then Kalika‘s attention is redirected to Gil. She stifles a giggle as the bits of paper hit Basil in the head.

Twisting this way and that to get a good look at the display, Daniel lifts his head when he hears the welcome and grins brightly, looking in Eva’s direction even if it isn’t directly at her. “Thank you very much. I’ll be sure to say something when I’ve made my selection.” Unaware of the tensions between some of the members in the shop, the silvery tenor responds with enthusiasm and good will at the welcome. “Quite a crowd here today, it’s good to see a shop doing so well.” Indeed, the young man glances over the patrons and takes note of each if not in an overly studious fashion.

Alanna Dragonfire smiles as her daughters have made their selections. “Well, we ought to be going then” attempting to hand the infant back to Tommy. “It was lovely seeing you again, and your family is really nice.” she says with a bit of an edge to her voice as she tries to make her way towards to counter, through the crowd of people.

“Good to hear, good to hear… Kalika,” says Gilbert reverting to the casual first name-basis rather than ‘Miss Fallon’, which does seem a little awkward at first. However, Gil shows no sign of this, as he doesn’t miss a beat before, “Yes, the players are amazing!” The man nods as he looks toward Basil, pointing openly at him. “That’s got to be worth a hundred points, don’t you think, Basil?” He laughs, so enjoying bothering his eldest brother. Although it was always so easy, it was always rewarding. Really, he brought it upon himself.

Moving among the display cases, and eyeing some the fancier fare there, Gerald eventually passes by the Wexler brothers. Here he pauses, eyeing Gilbert calculatingly for the barest moment, then glances at Kalika, before extending a hand sharply. “Miss Fallon, it’s wonderful to run into you outside of the workplace. And Mr. Wexler, always a pleasure. Out indulging our sweet teeth? Or could there perhaps be business going on even in this refuge of childhood?”

Frederick Wexler stifles a loud laugh as Basil is nailed twice in the face by Gilbert’s toss. “Good one, Gil,” he whispers, trying not to look overly amused by it. After all, he has to actually work with Basil. He glances at Eva’s toddlers, sitting up on the counter and gives them both kisses on their now grubby-appled cheeks. “I’m going to get going, Eva,” he tells his sister and hails a wave at Gilbert, who now appears to be interested in chatting with Tommy’s sister. “I’ll visit again soon. Henrietta and I have plans this evening. We’ll bring Parker next time.” And with that, Freddie is out the door, on his way back to Hogsmeade and his wife and son.

Kalika Fallon stifles yet another giggle as Gilbert claims his wrappers to be worth a hundred points, “Well even if Mister Wexler doesn’t agree, I certainly do, Mister Wexler.” And then Kalika thinks about the sentence and shrugs. As Gerald greets her the young woman turns and offers the man a warm smile, while accepting his hand in an equally warm handshake. “General Rathe. It’s certainly a pleasure to see you here, sir.” She points towards Eva and Tommy’s children. “As far as sugar goes, it doesn’t agree with me. I was just returning my neices to their parents.”

“Are you sure you won’t have some, Kalika?” Eva encourages, wiping the faces of her children absentmindedly, trying to keep her eyes on all the children in the shop at once. After all, little hands get into things without any notice. “Tommy, Charlotte usually goes up for a nap after she gets home. If you’ll bring her here, I’ll take her up. Maura should be back soon, anyway.” The woman smiles and leans against her stool.

“Yes, sir. A pleasure,” Gilbert says, echoing Kalika and nodding. “I frequent this candy shop often,” he explains to Mr. Rathe. “And even though I do enjoy the confections, I am more delighted by sweet young ladies such as Miss… Kalika here,” he says, indicating the young woman by his side. He grins, hoping to flatter Kalika rather than make her feel embarrassed.

As a few of the others leave, Daniel keeps an eye on the slowly thinning crowd. Deciding on something, he pulls out a pad of paper and a muggle lead, writing something down without a care in the world. When he’s finished, the young man picks his way over to Eva, in an attempt to avoid all the children that he possibly can. “Excuse me, ma’am. I don’t mean to interrupt, but I was wondering if you could fill this order for me at your leisure?” The list is extensive and the candies plentiful and rare. “I can pay for it upfront and come pick it up when you have more time?” Waving in the direction of the door with an easy grin, “I have a shop down the way myself and it wouldn’t be a bother.”

Passing Charlotte over to Eva, Tommy nods. “Have a nice sleep, my darling,” he says in an overly sweet manner to his daughter as Eva holds her. Patting Charlotte on the head, Tommy grins and looks over at Gilbert, who is clearly flirting with Kalika. If it was anyone else but Gil, Tommy would go over there and challenge the perpetrator. But Gil, no… he flirted with all the girls; at least, from what Tommy had seen of him. It didn’t mean anything.

“Thank you, Eva, but I shouldn’t. I have enough energy without sugar.” Kalika winces slightly and shrugs. “I do enjoy it though. I just rarely eat it.” The young woman’s cheeks turn a pale crimson as Gilbert compliments her. “Thank you for the compliment, Mister Wexler.” With a sigh she glances towards the door. “I best be off though–so much to do, so little time. I have to finish all of my errands.” She gives a wave to the crowd.

Gerald Rathe smiles indulgently at the two children, a pleasant but distant look passing briefly over his face. “Yes, there’s nothing like children to take us back to the places that we left behind when we grew up.” Here he pauses, and smirks, “Although some of us require grandchildren for that.” Arching an eyebrow at Gilbert, his smirk deepening on his face, he replies, “I’m sure that some people might find your dedication to the power of chocolates a bit improper, Mr. Wexler, although I have to admit that it can be effective.” Here he winks and grins. “Well, let me not interrupt you any longer. I wish both the best of luck, and perhaps I’ll see you at the Ministry.”

“Oh, certainly. You needn’t pay until I gather it all, though. I’ll have it together in…” She looks down the list. “Oh, a couple of days. I’ll be in Friday, is that alright?” She tucks the list down underneath her counter, atop her ledger book. She takes Charlotte in in her arms and smiles at Daniel as she turns to make her way upstairs. “Keep an eye on the girls, will you, Tommy?” Eva calls as she vanishes through the door upstairs.

“A good day to you, sir,” says Gilbert to Gerald with a genial smile. “We could go to a Quidditch game sometime,” he suggests happily. “I think we ought to have more Ministry outings to Quidditch games. Nothing is greater than watching the sport! People relax when they’re out and cheering,” notes Gil. Yawning, he looks about. “I’d best be going,” he says, walking to Tommy and slapping his back again. He also waves to Basil and Daniel, and tips an imaginary hat in Gerald’s direction. “Until next time,” he announces to the door as he walks though it.

A boyishly delighted grin dances on Daniel‘s face and he tilts his head until blonde curls wave over his shoulder. “I can easily wait until Friday madam, my thanks to you.” As Eva disappears, the young man grabs the edge of his cloak and nods to those left before heading back out into the cold weather on foot rather than apparating away.

Basil Wexler watches as the store empties out a bit, and gathers his children. “I’ll… see you all later,” Basil tells them, not sounding very enthusiastic about the idea. “Tommy, please tell Eva that Mum would like her to owl.” The man nods and takes the hands of his children, who both quietly exit the shop, seeming not at all frustrated that they have got no sweets to accompany them.

Gerald Rathe watches Gilbert leave out of the corner of his eye as he continues to peruse the cases. After a few moments, he selects a collection of finer confections, makes his purchases, and leaves with a smile and a nod for Eva.