After the speech had been made - or atleast she thought it was over with, Merlin help them if it wasn't! - Artemis had rose out of her seat, feeling a sense of worry rather than any sort of comfort or enthusiasm from Borr's announcements. Not wanting Brett to pick up on this yet, since even she wasn't certain what it all meant for sure, Artie had let him know before going to wander a little bit. She didn't really want to sit anymore, it was suddenly making her feel a little bit restless, like her thoughts were.

Now that she knew who Borr was, in all honesty, Artie wished she didn't have the misfortune of finding out. He was.. not nice. It was obvious he didn't know how to talk to children, or how to talk to anyone without making rude little remarks here and there. But the Ministry of Education had been closed down? For good? That concerned her. What would that mean, exactily, and how would it affect Hogwarts?

A slight frown touched her lips, the fact a couple of familiar faces, her fellow Diagon shopkeepers were around barely registering with the half-Greek woman as her feet slowly led her toward the buffet table.

Anita's attention turned when a lady came to the buffet near herself and the child. Smiling sweetly she thought to herself that she had really pretty hair. It was kid of... carefree. She also wondered what it felt like.

Shaking her head slightly she smiled brighter still and called out to her, "Would you like some chocolate? I made it myself. Placed some of it here on the line... someone was supposed to come and help me get it here, but you know how that goes. If you want something done you have to do it yourself." Giggles. Yeah. Anita pointed to the candy on the buffet line and then to the woman and back to the candy.

Yes, have some. Please.

Sabel's frown only increased at Anita's words. He spared a glance for the new woman she was addressing, even stepped to the side so he was not hindering the path to the chocolate. Maybe he could sneak his batch back onto the table. No, not a good idea. The woman would notice, somehow.

So the Minister of Magic wasn't here. These should be her words, Anita was definitely right about that. But for lack of a better term, he was biased on the basis of his concerns. Slowly, he raised his eyes to the woman again, his brow knitted together in a tight frown. "Does the Board of Governors mean there is no place for a Headmaster at the school?" Thankfully the full-fledged anger at the possible situation kept his voice at least steady enough to put the question forward.

So now that they shook hands and discovered each others names... now what? Millie hadn't the slightest idea because it was at these parts of the conversations that she always seemed to struggle over the what next? However, once you got past that initial uncomfortable zone, from there on out, it would be fine. She smiled sheepishly when he said he had a liking for awkward people. Even if he was just saying that, it still made her feel kind of better. "Personal assistant, eh?" So did that mean he was specific to Borr or to Minister Carlton? Because if it was that Lord Borr fellow ... well from his attitudes and loud / boisterous voice, she felt bad for Derrick. "Not at all. I'm well ... An assistant as well."

She paused as her eyes wandered away from him a moment, searching, hoping for Artie somewhere in the crowd. And there she was! Oh... she'd come over by the food tables too... and some lady approached her. Shooting a subtle smile in her direction, Millie looked back toward Derrick. "My boss is over there. But I'm an assistant at Wizards Weasley's Wheezes." And she kind of liked it.

It didn't take long for her to wonder towards the buffet, as hesitant as she was to do so. She did her best to keep a curious expression on her face as she looked at the many types of cheeses they provided, but that proved impossible as she couldn't hide the other emotions that twisted knots in her stomach every time she dared to peek over at Sabel and the woman he was chatting with.

From the looks of it, he still wasn't any better which still had her worrying, even if she was upset with him. And she couldn't help but think that she was partly responsible for it. Chewing on her bottom lip, she picked up a plate and went back to staring at the food, more to distract herself than to appease her appetite.

As an unfamiliar voice broke her from her thoughts, Artemis blinked her dark blue eyes as her gaze settled on the young woman who had spoken, addressing her it seemed. Oh! Chocolate? Really, she wasn't hungry. Not very. But because they were homemade and Artie really didn't want to appear rude, the brunette nodded lightly. "That would be lovely," It was a good thing that she didn't have any food allergies, she realized, reaching over to take a single piece of chocolate to try. Despite the worried thoughts clouding her mind, Artemis managed to push them away for the moment, offering the woman a warm smile. "Oh that's terrible. I wish I would have known, I could have helped. You work at Sugarplum's, right?" Artie asked, fairly sure of the guess. She hadn't met the woman prior to now, but she was certain to have seen her before. "I'm Artemis, by the way. Artemis Chosen."

Popping the chocolate into her mouth, Artemis took her time to chew, trying not to feel as though she was ease-dropping on anyones conversation. Her gaze wandered over those around the buffet rather than the food itself, allowing her to catch Millie's eyes and the smile in her direction for just a second, Artie smiled back and raised a hand to give a little wave. A warmth filled her, knowing that Millie was socializing and looked to be having a decent time - or atleast conversation. She was quite proud of her. They would have to talk later on.

The chocolate long since swallowed, Artie's attention turned back to the woman and young man she was talking to, unintentionally catching something that bothered her a bit just as it appeared to bother the young man. "If there's no Headmaster then who would run the school?" The words flowed easily from her mouth before she could stop them, her voice quiet and tone gentle. A faint blush crossed her cheeks, which Artemis chose to ignore as she did so many times before. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to interrupt."

Anita smiled warmly at Artemis in return. OH! She had seen this woman before... she thought... it was hard to tell. She thought she would remember that hair. Hmmm. "Yes, I do. The assistant there. Are you from... Weasley's Wizard Wheezes? It seems I have seen you in passing," Anita said as she tapped her finger on her chin thoughtfully.

Oh she took the candy. Lovely. Eat it UP. It was the best chocolate EVER, after all. Anita made it with extra love and extra special care. Mhm.

Okay back to the Headmaster. "If I am not mistaken, the board is in addition to the Headmaster. Kind of like a Cabinet behind the President. But... they have the authority to overrule any order he or she puts forth. I THINK that the board kicked Dumbledore out once," she said as she stared off... TRYING to remember if that was all she had read. THINK ANITA. FOCUS. "Kind of like puppeteers. Ya know," she added doing her hands about like puppets. Was that what the people that controlled marionettes? She would have to look that up.

There words didn't help decrease the depth of his frown. So there wasn't going to be a removal of the position of the Headmaster, but he had seen no love between Borr and Tate in their interaction. That along with Anita's words really didn't do anything to soothe his worries.

Running a hand back across his neck, he gave a slow nod of understanding. He understood exactly what they were saying, but in some respects he wished he didn't. Tate wasn't one to be guided like a puppet, at least not as much as he knew of the man. So what would they do to a man who wouldn't bend to their will?

The very thought had his gut turning, sending his eyes to glance nervously over the buffet table and the people mingling about it. No sooner had he begun looking for a distraction to his thoughts, than his eyes locked on Arya, everything halting. Internally, it felt like the thoughts that had been running at full speed suddenly collided into the brick wall of his surprise. For a moment, he watched her, new emotions turning and twisting along with his fear. And they wouldn't let him stay still. Dipping his head in a respectful bow to the two woman, he offered them both an apology before excusing himself.

It didn't take him long to weave through the crowd and make his way to Arya's side, stopping a respectful distance away. He was tempted to point out her favorite cheese, but instead stood still, staring at the foot with an equally blank expression. For all he knew, she would chose the one she hated the most, for whatever reason had her doing so with the beans.

No matter how hard and long she stared at the cheese, she couldn't bring herself to pick up a piece. Whatever appetite she had seemed to have disappeared with her cheerful mood. Sighing, she glanced over at the security gate. Maybe she could go and sit in the limo until this was all over? Or maybe one of the professors would apparate her back to the castle. It would be painful, but it wouldn't be as terrible as being at the party.

Even though it was pretty crowded around the buffet, she didn't miss Sabel weaving through it towards her, the tall thing he was, and it was enough to distract her from her thoughts of wanting to leave. Enough to have her fiddling with the paper plate in her hands, at a loss for words and too afraid to glance up at him. But a deeper fear of him leaving for her ignoring him again had her taking baby steps towards him while she kept her eyes glued on the buffet.

No matter what emotions he carried, no matter what his temperament was, he knew in that moment that he couldn't stay angry at her. Maybe for a few minutes, but not for long. It wasn't even the small, timid baby steps that gave him the realization. Simply standing there, watching her and he realized all she meant to him.

Without a worry of her pulling away, he moved forward and wrapped his arms around her. One hand cradled her head as his other held her close.

She didn't have much time to react before he was embracing her, only just enough to notice his movement and glance up at him. Whatever anger she had towards him was lost. Whatever kept her from speaking to him was forgotten. She pulled away only enough to get her arms around him before resting her head against him, eyes sliding close as she fought back the wave of emotions that came with the hug.

"I'm sorry." He'd done nothing wrong, nothing to warrant her being upset with him. All he did was be himself, and that had upset her. She knew it was silly, and she also knew that wasn't the only reason she was angry with him, or had been. Any anger she held towards him was gone.

He wasn't expecting the sudden rush of emotions that their embrace stirred in him. It was the same as the last time they had argued, the same as the last time when she had shown him just how much he was cared for, even when he wasn't sure he deserved it. He didn't expect the constriction that suddenly had his voice tight, or the pain in his chest, the increased fear in his gut. She let him be completely honest, with others and with himself, and it wasn't always something he was prepared for.

Dipping his head down, he rested it against her shoulder, holding her as if he was afraid of letting her go. "So am I...."

She was only just keeping her emotions back, her face buried into his chest. Two fights in one day, this wasn't their day. And she couldn't wait for it to be over, couldn't wait for this party to be over. A knot twisted in her stomach at his apology, and she shook her head against him. "Don't....don't apologize. You didn't do anything... you were just being yourself." Something that couldn't be helped, and something she didn't want to ever change no matter how it irritated her on certain occasions like today.

Alexander gave the blond a small smile. Her gaze and posture told volumes. She held herself to high standards and did the same for those around her and she was not an easily won over woman. The tone of her voice and her demeanor ( the sweeping once over told him plenty as well) were enough.

" No, we're not acquainted," Xander answered finally, after having mulled it over for a moment. " So I believe I shall acquaint myself with you." He came around, stopping in front of her. " Alexander Johanssen, International Cooperation. It is most definitely a pleasure to meet you...?" Xander held the line out, waiting for the young woman to supply her name.

For a moment he was silent, her words sinking in, echoing in his ears. "If...something about me upsets you...I want to...fix it. I want to change it." He didn't want to lose her. He didn't want to fight. He would change for her.

Again she shook her head against his chest, now wishing she could find a corner to hide in along with her many emotions. "No...don't change, I love you just the way you are." She paused, wrapping her fingers around the fabric of his jacket. "I was being stupid, that's all." Which was true. The one thing about him that occasionally irritated her was the same thing that she adored seeing in him.

He knew what she was saying was important, that he really should listen to the rest of it. But her first words had his heart stopping for a brief moment, only to come pounding back in his ears. Part of him knew he shouldn't put too much weight in the passing statement, that it may be akin to the love or fondness of friendship or a quality, but the other part of his mind couldn't let go of those words.

It took a forceful mental shake to get his thoughts back on track and catching up with her. A small smile touched his lips as he nuzzled the side of her head. "We are all fools in love." Okay, so maybe his brain hadn't completely dislodged from that topic.

She hadn't considered her words when she said them, hadn't realized what she'd said until the words slipped past her lips as if she'd uttered them a million times. And even realizing that had taken her a minute, her cheeks heating up just the slightest.

Deciding that she already had enough on her mind, things that were debatably more important, she pushed all thoughts of her previous statement aside. She'd think about that when they were back at the castle, when her head was a bit clearer. A small grin stretched across her lips and she tilted her head away from him just the slightest. "Your gonna mess up my hair," her voice was almost quiet. "And fools in love we are indeed." She rubbed her lips together, lifting her head to glance at him. "You won't change?"

"Mess up your hair?" Drawing his head back a little he spared her a small smile. "Your hair is beautiful in whatever state it is in." Or was it supposed to be that she was beautiful no matter the state of her hair? Either way, both statements were true and he was pretty sure she would understand.

A small tilt of his head had him considering her quietly. "Do you want me to change?"

"Yes, my hair." Arya wasn't vain in any sense of the word. But she had worked hard to get her hair like it was, and planned on leaving with it looking the same as when she'd arrived. Not even Sabel was gonna mess that up.

Her grin widened at his complement, "Thanks." There was no hesitation at her next words though they came out quietly with a head shake. "I never want you to change." Never ever.

His expression softened as he watched her, listened to her words. "That, is a long time." Resting his forehead against hers, he searched her eyes. "Will you at least tell me what I did to upset you? So we can work through it?" He didn't want it festering between them.

She pulled her bottom lip in between her teeth and chewed on it softly, doing her best to avoid his gaze and failing miserably. "Its... really stupid. I was just..." She bit down on her lip. "It was nothing." Nothing that she wanted to talk about or ever think about again.

The smile wavered a little, concern taking over. Reaching up, Sabel cupped her chin, searching her eyes kindly. "It obviously isn't nothing." A slow breath left him as he worked to gather his thoughts. "You don't have to tell me, but you know...you can talk to me about anything..." He hoped she did.

She continued chewing on her lip, her expression wavering just a bit at the concern in his eyes, and her inability to look away from him. "I just over reacted, its..." Mentally she shook her head. Repetition would do her no good. "I do know that," she'd always known that. "Can we talk about it when we get back?" Maybe then she'd find the courage to tell him why she acted so foolishly.

A slight nod left him. "Sure." As long as they talked, as long as they felt comfortable sharing with one another what was on their mind, no matter how foolish it seemed to be.

Managing a small smile, he tilted his head curiously. "So was the bean vomit flavored?" It wasn't that he was interested in proving himself right, but rather the knowledge that if one could laugh over a disagreement, then it was healing.