*Pulling Marie into the room with him, Matty sighed trying to calm down. Now that he had her here he had no idea what to say. He had planned it all out in his mind all summer. Looking down at his feet for a moment he said.*

"I had this all planned out... but I can't remember what to say. But please let me get it all out before you say anything."

*Looking back up but still down at her he sighed.*

"I want to be with you, and you with me. None of this hiding or acting like it's not happening anymore. I care for you Marie... very much. I have no idea how it happened, maybe you knocked it into me. Please leave Finn and be with me. You deserve so much better. I can't promise that I'll be good enough for what a beautiful flower like you deserves but I will try. I'll try with everything in me. Somehow with out my knowledge you have... filled up my every thought."

*Sighing he looked into her eyes. It took everything in him to not start stuttering.*
"Please... leave him and be mine? Not that I would own you- what I mean to say is that you own yourself. It's not like the older times where they... I just messed that up... What my point in all of this is... will you please be with me?"

Marie wasn't quite sure what was going on here. Matty drug her into the deserted, empty room and now all he was doing was looking at his feet. "Um, did you want to tell me something?" Why else would he drag her in there?

Planned out? He had to plan what he was going to say to her? Well this didn't sound good. And that sigh didn't sound good either. Preparing herself to hear some terrible news she was a bit shocked at what she did hear.

O__O

He didn't have to worry about her interrupting him. She was at a loss for words so there was no interrupting going on. Just listening.

Once he finished talking she opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. It was true that they had grown very close to each other over the summer. Especially after Matty had gotten hurt, but this... WOW! This she wasn't expecting.

After staring at him for a few minutes she finally found her voice again. "Are you asking me to be your... girlfriend?" Cuz that's what it sounded like to her. He wanted her to leave Finn and be with him. It was true they had grown very close to each other over the summer, and she had very strong feelings for him... but she couldn't jump into another relationship right now. She had a feeling if she told him that though she was going to be losing a friend here, which was totally going to suck. But he deserved to hear the truth from her, no leading him on.

Taking a deep breath she looked up into his eyes. "I... broke up with Finn on the train yesterday... but I can't be your girlfriend right now. Matty, I care about you more than you know but it wouldn't be fair to you if I said yes knowing that I can't get Finn out of my mind just yet." Sighing she looked down. This was harder than she thought it would be but she had to get it all out before she lost her nerve so looking back up at him she continued. "If and when I do tell you yes I want it to be because you are the only one I think about and want to be with. I don't want you to end up being a rebound boyfriend... someone I just use to get over Finn." No, he meant much more to her than that.

*Now it was Matty's turn to be speechless. For a few minutes he just stood there. He knew that she might say no but he hadn't planned out what he would do if she turned him down. Matty had never felt so small, so weak, so very... vulnerable.*

"Oh..."

*Rubbing the back of his neck he looked down unable to look at her. He understood what she had said, that came in clear as a bell. But he wanted her now. His uncle had sort of been a rebound to his aunt but they were the happiest relationship he knew.*

"Well... I have class... I'll see you around."
*Opening the door he walked out and went to his common room to shower and get ready for class. But really, he needed to get away.*

Marie knew this wasn't going to end well. As soon as the words had left her mouth she was wishing she hadn't said them. The truth was she did want to be with Matty... she just couldn't do it... not now anyway. It was just too soon after breaking up with Finn. She had jumped into a relationship with him right after breaking up with James and look how that one turned out. She did not want things with Matty to end up like that. She valued his friendship way too much.

As the silence continued she started to get a little worried. Was he going to say anything at all? "Please say something."

Okay, anything but that.

He had class... but classes weren't for another couple of hours.She knew that was just an excuse to get away from her. Had she hurt him so bad that now he didn't even want to be around her? "Matty. Please don't go." But it was too late. He had turned and left so fast she didn't even have time to reach out and grab his arm.

Following him out the door he was gone in a flash. Feeling like her world just came crashing down on her she slowly made her way back to her common room.

It was official. This term sucked already. In less than twenty-four hours she had broke up with her boyfriend and hurt her best friend who had just asked her to be his girlfriend. Could this day get any worse?

It was the beginning of term and already she and Destiny were about to get up to some crazy stuff. It's like they were determined to outdo the stuff they had done in previous years.

Walking up the stairs from her common room with a small bag in her hand, Mia headed over to the old disused classroom and peeked inside. Phew! It was empty. Not that she cared what others thought but a little privacy while they got changed would be nice.

She slipped inside the room and sat herself down onto one of the desks and swung her legs back and forth while she waited for her friend to arrive.

Pffft!

Just because she and Evelyn were avoiding eachother didn't mean Destiny was going to be mopey all the time. Nope, she was still going to be crazy have fun and forget all about her stupid and annoying ex-best friend. Why should she be the one moping anyway? Their fight was all Evelyn's fault..that last name stealer!

And the first crazy fun thing she had planned was to meet Mia in the, hopefully, deserted classroom eleven. Why were they meeting to get changed anyway? Meh, Destiny wasn't going to ask and she really didn't care.

SHE WAS TOO EXCITED!

Finding the classroom, she pressed her face against the glass of the door. It WAS deserted! Except for the person she was meeting, of course. Shifting the bag on her shoulder, Destiny made her way inside and sidled up to her friend. "So. You got your stuff?"

While waiting for Destiny to arrive, Mia hummed a tune under her breath while she went through the bag she had brough with her and pulled out some chocolate frogs. They were more for her friend then herself. She liked chocolate but she wasn't obsessed with it. Now if it was Bertie Botts beans then that would be a different story.

Hearing the door to the classroom open, Mia looked up just in time to see Destiny step up beside her. At her friends question, she held up her bag. "I see you've got yours." she said inclining her head towards the bag on Destiny's shoulder.

"There's some chocolate frogs there. Help yourself." Mia swiveled on the desk so that she was now facing Destiny. "We didn't get to talk much on the train. How was your summer?"

How could she be so blind!?

Not only did Mia have a bag with her, she was digging inside it and pulling out the best things in the world: CHOCOLATE FROGS! Now that she wasn't friends with Evelyn anymore, she could eat all the chocolate frogs in the world and while eating them in the dorms, she could throw all the wrappers on her ex-best friend's bed. Hehe, she should have thought about that before she left the common room.

She'd do that later.

Yes, yes. Destiny had her bag full of her stuff. She was almost tempted to forget the bag on purpose, but she didn't want the whole school to know what she was up to. No need for jealous people. Nodding her head, she hopped on the desk next to the one Mia was sitting on, not hesitating to help herself to the offered chocolate. She wouldn't bother mentioning that she had some in her bag as well. Mia would find out eventually..

"My summer?" BLAH! "It was fine, I guess. We went on a safari and I wasn't allowed to keep any of the animals we saw. And the monkeys tried to steal me." And her grandmother was almost eaten by a lion, but she didn't think Mia would want to be bored with THAT story. "How was yours?" Cleaning her boyfriend's commune again?

It always made her happy to see the look on Destiny's face when her friend saw chocolate. It was amusing how obsessed she was with the stuff. And while she had seen a little of her friend's behaviour when she'd a lot of it, Mia didn't think it was that bad.

She was just glad that Evelyn wasn't here.

Mia was just unwrapping her own chocolate frog as the Slytherin started to tell her about her summer and she halted and looked at her friend. "Really? That is so cool. Not about the monkeys trying to steal you but the whole safari thing. I so want to do that one day." She would have to tell Nik about that. "Did you sleep in tents?"

Eh, of course she should have known that D would ask about her summer. "I had a fight with my dad and so I ran away from home." She shrugged her shoulders as though that piece of information was nothing to get excited about. "So I went to Russia. Spent the rest of my time with Nik. It got better after that."

Was she the ONLY person who didn't think going on a safari was cool? Sure, she liked seeing all the animals, but not being able to take one home..what was the point!? And the trip was only made worse with the people she went with. Or one person in particular; her grandmother. That woman was not normal! Wanting to pet the big kitties, pffft! "If I ever go on another one, you can come." Mia would help her steal a giraffe, right? "The monkeys stole our tents."

Destiny told her mother not to get the yellow tents. She didn't listen.

Opening and shoving another chocolate frog in her mouth, she waited for Mia to tell her about her summer, thinking that it would have been one to be jealous of. But it wasn't. "Oh.. At least it got better. Spending time with Nik and all." Hehe. Destiny gave her a cheesy smile and a lot of few pokes in the shoulder for that..even though Noel was so much better than the Durmstrangler.

"I have no idea where Russia is."

She was never going to get to eat this chocolate frog, was she? Mia had just put it to her lips when Destiny spoke and what she said had the Huffie lowering the frog and staring at her friend with wide eyes. "Really? You would take me with you?" This was the first time one of her girl friends had invited her anywhere. She loved Nik with all her heart but the thought of going somewhere with one of her friends was pretty exciting.

Except..."You know everytime we get together, we do something crazy." Imagine the two of them on safari together? The animals would never be the same again. Even the monkeys. "So what did you sleep in? OMG!! Did you sleep under the stars like those tribal people?" Eh, didn't they sleep in huts? Whatever.

Mia couldn't stop the blush that crept up into her cheeks. She wished she hadn't divulged that piece of information now. Especially to Destiny. "Um...yeah." What was with the poking? The girl better hope that Mia never catches her with Patroclus otherwise she was going to give her such a ribbing.

"And Russia is in the north. It's above Asia. It's really very beautiful." Before anything else could be said, she quickly shoved the frog into her mouth, chewed and swallowed. "So show me your outfit?"

Either Mia was terrified at the thought of going on a safari with her or she was really excited. Destiny hoped it was the latter because, if she had to spend another safari trip with only her mother and grandmother, she was going to let the monkeys take her. She'd probably have more fun with them. "Where am I taking you?" Bahaha! "Just kidding. Of course I would." She had asked Evelyn, but she was off doing whatever and Marie seemed too busy with boys.

As for them doing something crazy.. "We're going to steal a giraffe!" Or an elephant, but it seemed like a giraffe would be easier. And how awesome would it be to ride one of those things!? Almost as awesome as sleeping under the stars with tribal people..which did not happen. "They have houses there." Duh!

Hehe, Mia was blushing. But even though Destiny could be one of the nosiest people ever, she decided not to mention anything else about her friend and that Durmstrangler. Unless of course, Mia wanted to hear her cootie theory? The same theory that she totally outgrew.

Well, that information was helpful. NOT! Destiny didn't know where Asia was either. That could be dealt with later though because she had an outfit to show. Shoving another chocolate frog into her mouth, she hopped off the desk, picked up her bag and pulled out her AWESOME outfit. "LOOK! I'm going to have a BEARD!"

Because a beard is totally there.

Destiny's humour left a lot to be desired. Mia had almost pouted there for a second but instead grinned when the girl said she would take her on safari with her. They could even go on their own. She would be turning seventeen in January and she was pretty sure her friend was having a birthday very soon.

O__O

They were going to what now? "Where do you plan on putting this giraffe?" They didn't bite or anything did they? No, she was pretty sure that giraffe's were very placid. But of all things to steal..."Baby elephants are cute." She had always wanted a baby elephant but she was always met with that same old argument that they don't stay babies for long and what was she going to do with a 5 ton elephant?

And oh, she didn't sleep out under the stars. "You need to come camping with me some time." She would show her how to sleep outside.

Mia watched as Destiny took out her outfit and she gave a little groan. "Your's is better than mine." She rummaged through her bag and pulled out her outfit and held it up. "I have an eye patch here somewhere too and look..." she reached into the bag again and produced two swords made out of foam. "I think we should practice our swashbuckling before heading out to the lake." Because that would just be a fun thing to do.

Destiny didn't even have a chance to be excited about going on another, much better safari. And she didn't even think about going on her own until Mia had mentioned wanting a baby elephant. They would be able to steal them by using magic! "Well, I don't think Professor Headmaster Tate would let me keep a giraffe here." Maybe the new Care of Magical Creatures Professor would, though. "So I would have to leave him home." Her house wasn't big, but they had a lot of grass.. "We can steal a baby elephant, too."

Term had just started and her summer was getting full already! Unless Mia meant camping on the school grounds? That would still be awesome! "Only if I can bring my pet giraffe."

A grin broke out on her face as she showed Mia her outfit, but it faltered hearing her say her's was better. PFFFT! What was she talking about? "Your's is AWESOME!" It was. And she even had an eye patch. "I don't have an eye patch. Or a peg leg. I only have him." Reaching into her pocket, Destiny pulled out her pet rat and placed him on her shoulder. "A parrot rat."

And that parrot rat was going to have to hold on for dear life, because they were going to foam SWORD FIGHT! "We should stand on the desks."

First one to fall off could be declared the LOSER!

As cool as that sounded, Mia was pretty sure that they could get into a lot of trouble for stealing animals from their home environment. "Um...D...hate to be a party pooper but do you think it's a good idea taking the babies away from their mummy's and daddy's?" For some reason that made her think of her father and just for a second it almost made her want to contact him. But she brushed that aside. Sometimes she could think too much.

"If you brought your giraffe he is likely to eat the tent." And the elephant would likely trample it. She was definitely being a party pooper.

Mia watched as Destiny brought out her pet rat and she laughed. "I should have brought Arnold and dressed him up." Not sure how a Puffeskin would pass as a parrot but there was a first for everything. "I'm sure we can make you an eye patch." she said as threw one of the swords over to Destiny.

At her friend's suggestion, Mia dropped her bag onto the floor and clambered up onto a desk and pointed her foam sword at Destiny. "Come on ye scallywag. Show me what you got."

Pffft!

If Mia hated being a party pooper so much, then why in the name of Merlin was she being one? It made no sense! But she was right. They couldn't just go and take the baby away from it's parents. Imagine the wrath they would have to face once those parents found out. Being squashed by two fifteen THOUSAND pound elephants did not sound fun. "Fine then. We'll just have to steal the parents, too." Now could she stop being a party pooper?

Apparently not. Destiny had the feeling that the Hufflepuff was hanging around Marie too much. Hehe. But she was right once again, pffft! "I guess we could get him his own tent.." And a tree so he wouldn't be hungry.

Stealing a glance at Marcus, who seemed quite content sitting on her shoulder, Destiny turned back to Mia at the mention of bringing Arnold. She had a pet!? And Destiny didn't KNOW about it!? GAH! "What is Arnold? And can I hold it?" Whenever she got to see him, of course. "I'll pass on the eye patch, I need to be able to seeeeee."

So she can swashbuckle Mia right into Davy Jones Locker!

Catching the foam sword in her hand, Destiny quickly shoved another chocolate frog into her mouth before climbing onto the desk. She was going to need energy. Narrowing her eyes in a 'bring it on' type of way, she also pointed her sword. Was this like a duel..did they have to bow to eachother? Meh. "Ye salty bilge rat! I'll crush ye barnacles!"

O__O

Destiny was not going to be deterred from taking home a few wild animals, was she? And while Mia could think of about another hundred reasons why they should not be stealing any animals while they were on safari, she decided not to voice them. She was sure that her friend would come to her senses later and realise that it was going to be impossible. "Okay we take the parents too. Do you have somewhere to put them?"

Mia opened her mouth and then closed it again. Once again there was an argument on her lips about bringing a giraffe with them and again she refrained saying anything. No point in bringing down her friend's excitement. "Of course we can. A really tall tent."


"Arnold is a puffeskin and I'll make sure to bring him next time so that you can hold him." She would have brought him with her but the little fluff ball had looked so peaceful sleeping on her pillow that she hadn't want to disturb him. She just hoped that he hadn't gotten into everyone elses stuff. He tended to do that. Mia pulled a face at Destiny's comment about the eye patch. "You were supposed to have a peg leg. That's why I brought an eye patch." She wasn't going to be the only one with a disability.

Moving her feet slightly apart so that she could keep her balance, she lunged at Destiny with her foam sword. "Yo Ho Ho, I don't think so, ye scurvy dog. I'll be making shark bait of ye."

Ha!

And here Destiny thought she was going to have to pout and shed some tears for Mia to finally agree with stealing these animals. It was much easier to agree anyway. It wasn't like she was going to remember wanting to steal an elephant family by the time they did go on the safari. She'd probably want a different animal anway..like a meerkat! "I was thinking of keeping them at my house. I already have a bunch of sheep." As long as the giraffe didn't stand on top of the telliewission like them.

"OH!" She had an idea! "What if we get a normal sized tent, right?" It was a GREAT idea. "And we just cut a hole on the top of it?" How great was that? "The giraffe can stick it's head out and look at the stars with us!"

Could giraffes eat smores!?

Mia. Has. A. PUFFESKIN! Of all the pets, Destiny, not once, had ever thought about getting one of them. It was probably much more interesting that her pet flobberworm. Or even her cat for that matter. "I promise not to steal him." All the talk about stealing animals, she was surprised Mia was even going to let her see the thing. Pulling a face of her own, she gave her bag of stuff a small kick. "I have a peg leg in there."

And she was going to use it to maroon Mia on a deserted island! Or poke her with it..whichever.

Swashbuckling was nothing like a duel..apparently. "Shiver me timbers!" she called out, taking a small step back to avoid the very sharp foamy sword. "Is that all ye got, landlubber? I'll be swabbing the deck with ye in no time!"

Jab, jab, jab.

Er...would giraffe's and sheep get on? And what about the elephants? They might mistake the sheep as florets of cauliflower or something. Seeing how they only ate vegetables. Mia figured it was best to just go along with Destiny and humour her, if she really did want to take the animals home when it came down to it, she would just think of something to deter her.

Probably a truck load of chocolate frogs should do it.

She was about to be a party pooper again. "And what if it rains? I don't think the giraffe's head would keep the water out."

Mia hadn't thought for a second that Destiny planned on stealing Arnold but now that she had said that it was making her have second thoughts now. "You wouldn't get very far anyway. He bites." Well no he didn't but just in case her friend was still having thoughts of stealing her puffeskin. Glancing at the bag and nodded her head. Cool. She couldn't wait to see it. "Can I have a go at the peg leg when you're finished?"

Managing to avoid Destiny's jabbing with her sword, Mia struck out with her sword and tried to stick it up the Slytherin's nose. "I don't think so wench. Ye will be walking the plank!"

Sweet Merlin!

Destiny could actually SEE the little black raincloud hanging up there above Mia's head. It wasn't the giraffe they needed to worry about getting rained on.. "Mia, honestly. What are umbrellas for?" To keep the rain away. Perhaps they should conjure one up real fast, before the Hufflepuff gets all wet.

On second thought, she didn't want to hold Arnold. She didn't even want to get near him anymore. Hearing that he was a biter, the thing should be locked in a cage! But she was not going to mention that to Mia. Last time she had told someone to lock their pet in a cage, they had threatened her with shoving her in one. And cages looked uncomfortable..especially for a human. "Ugh, well, no rush with me meeting him then." Perhaps she could meet him when he was old and lost all his teeth?

As for letting Mia use her peg leg.. "As long as I get to wear the eye patch." They'd be sharing pirates!

Aaaargh!

If she ever wanted to know what a nose full of foam felt like, well, she just found out. Using her own sword to move Mia's from out of her nose, Destiny turned her face just in time to let out a rather big sneeze. That was cheating! Distracting her with making her sneeze! "Hornswaggle!" Turning back to her enemy pirate, she attempted to clobber her in the head with the sword. "Hows about I make ye dance the hempen jig!?"

Bloody hell!!

The girl had an answer for everything. "Of course!! What was I thinking??" Mia smacked herself in the forehead and then gave Destiny a withering look. Umbrellas. Really!!

Hehe...well that seemed to work, didn't it? Looked as though Arnold was now safe from being stolen by Destiny. If her friend wanted one so bad then maybe she could speak to Marie and Evelyn about putting some galleons in together and getting her one. (She of course doesn't know that Ev and D weren't talking to each other).

Sweeeeet!! Mia always wondered what it would be like to hav a peg leg. Actually no she didn't but it would be cool to try it out. "Of course you can have a go at the eye patch."

The sneeze almost knocked her off the desk since Destiny didn't even cover her mouth when she did it. "Son of a biscuit eater!! Haven't ye heard of covering ye mouth?? For that ye shall be keelhauled." She tried to duck out of the way of Destiny's sword but copped a few clobbers in the head. And then she jumped onto Destiny's desk.

Oh look. Mia's little black raincloud was slowly disappearing.

Destiny decided not to tell her friend that she wasn't thinking in fear of that raincloud coming back. Sure, they were sword fighting and pretending to be pirates, but they needed to save the water battle for when they got to the lake.

Shrugging, she felt the weight of Marcus on her shoulder and quickly took him off and placed him back into her pocket. She had a feeling that this sword fight was going to get dangerous and she didn't want him to get hurt in battle. She didn't think they made little rat sized eye patches..because if they did, Marcus would have been totally wearing one right then. "You don't happen to have a hook, do you?" Now a hook! That would be AWESOME!

O_O

She must have been clobbering Mia a little too hard with the sword to have her think she was a son. She was only going to PRETEND to be a boy pirate! But she was right. Her father did like to eat biscuits. Wherever that man was.. "Aye! But it is not in me repertoire to cover me mouth!" Did pirates have even repertoire's? Destiny didn't know and it did't matter anyway. Mia had just invaded her desk!

Using the foam hilt of her sword, she attempted to poke her in the stomach, trying to get her off. "Back! Back, ye lily-livered.." Ugh..she was running out of things here.. "Snakefish snogging.." Sounded good. "Tree hugger!"

Did she have a hook? Didn't Destiny know who she was talking to? Mia always came prepared for these sorts of things. If she could have, she would have brought the ship as well, but it was a little bit heavy for just one person to carry in. "I do have a hook but it's only plastic and I have one of those eye thingies too." Whatever they were called. She couldn't remember.

"Swashbuckling doesn't seem to be in your repertoire either." Mia said with a snort as she did her best not to fall off the desk. Why did she jump over here again? Especially considering Destiny was hitting her in the stomach with her sword and caliing her...

O_O

"What is a snakefish snogger?" Really, she wanted to know. Reaching up with her hand, Mia grabbed Destiny's nose. "Ye can't outfox this old salt." She gave the Slytherin's nose a squeeze. "HONK!"

Oh, oh, OH!

Mia DID have a hook! That was AWESOME and if Destiny didn't already have it in her head that they were sharing pirates, she would have been just a tad bit jealous. Although, she wouldn't have been jealous of the eye thingie that she had. She had no idea what she was talking about. "I only have my peg leg, rat and I have a compass." The one she had transformed her watch into last term. They probably weren't even going to need it.

WAIT A MINUTE!

"We are pirates! We shouldn't have a repertoire." Something about having no rules and not listening to anybody but themselves. Yeah, something like that. A cackling laugh left her mouth when she realized that her sword was indeed hitting her in the stomach and she didn't stop until she was asked what a snakefish snogger is.

Destiny didn't know!

"Someone that snogs a snakefish, duh." And Merlin! Did Mia ever see one of them suckers? With their big fish eyes and their sharp teeth. She probably wouldn't be able to snog that fish for very long before it bit her lips off. That would actually be quite funny to see.

What wasn't funny though, was having her nose honked! Mia was CHEATING again! "Aaaaargh!! Ye shall pay, ye.." Crud, she was really running out of things to say now. "HUFFLEPUFF!" Bahaha!

Flailing her arms a bit, to catch balance, Destiny grabbed hold of one of Mia's shoulders. "Pressure point!"