"No please keep them on. I wouldn't want you to get detention for running 'round in your skivvies," Sarah said with a slight tone of annoyance. "I was just trying to make conversation." Sarah looked around the dungeon. "This isn't exactly the place to talk about the wonderful weather we've been getting, you see."




She put her plate in the trash bin and turned to Fallon. "Why thank you, Fallon, for the lovely compliment! You look lovely as well." Sarah looked towards Harlow out of the corner of her eye. "And although a dance would be fun, but I must skidaddle." Sarah was eager to leave as the more she tried to engage Harlow in normal conversation, the more agitated she found herself getting. "I know of some things that would be more enjoyable than this party, Fallon. Let's head out of here and rejoin the living upstairs, shall we?" And just to nice and mind her manners, Sarah turned to Harlow and forced a smile. "It was lovely talking with you, Harlow. I do hope we bump into each other again soon. You definitely are the life of this party." With that, Sarah started to leave the room, praying that Fallon was following close behind.

Ryan wandered over to the table and grabbed a plate and some food.He looked around and saw ghosts.

Oh dear!!

Mia hadn't meant anything by it. She had seen plenty of crazy stuff since coming to Hogwarts. She herself wasn't known to act normally at times either.

And really! There was no need for the girl to be mean.

"Thanks luv. That's very nice of you to say." Even though she knew the girl didn't mean it. But eh if things turned ugly, she had Marie here to stick up for her.



No. She certainly wasn't hurting for money now. She had almost died when she went to Nik's vault for the first time. Mia had never seen so many galleons in all her life and she had access to that. "No of course not. It's just...well technically...it's Nik's money. His inheritance." She looked at the table and tried to decide on what she wanted to eat. "I feel weird about using it. I'd rather my own." Well until they were offically, offical. Did that even make sense?

Mia actually wore a smug look when Marie confirmed what she already knew. "Yeah I guess you do." Not that she would actually take the money off her friend. "Oooh sounds serious. Do tell." Like she didn't know already but Mia was happy to play along. One only had to look at her friend's face to know what she was going to say next.

And this was why she was friends with Marie Salazar. Mia couldn't help but giggle as attempted to scare the crazy Quidditch Captain. "I remember you doing that to me when we first met." Her friend just loved to scare people.

Deciding on just a drink for now, Mia took a sip and looked around the room. "So where is the guest of Honour?"

As absorbed as he was by the smell and the sights, Byron heard a girl he didn't know say something off to his right and he frowned at her comment to Harlow, "Harlow's eleven, she actually just is slim," he finally turned his back on the rotten food to face the people assembled near him, "Pint sized, really," he went on, holding his hand flat just above the little first year's head, "See? She barely comes up to my elbows, and I bet I could throw her across the room."

All the while, as he rambled on next to Harlow and the other girl, he couldn't help noticing the girl dressed as a ghost. Interesting. Best not to make eye contact, lest she approach them and tried to chat.

Yeah, Marie could totally understand Mia's thinking on the money situation. She herself wouldn't feel very comfortable spending Matty's money. She would want her own... which she had, thanks to her parents. "Well now you'll have ten galleons you can call your own." Just as soon as Marie gave them to her that is.

Marie had completely forgotten about scaring Mia when they first met. "I can't believe I forgot about that. That was the funniest part of my day." It was so funny watching the girl as she fell on her bum. Of course now she would break the nose of anyone that messed with her friend. "Who would of thought we'd end up being best friends like we are?" Or that she would date and fall in love with the guy she broke the nose of for making her friend cry.

Marie was pretty sure Mia had an idea what she was going to tell her, especially after what took place last spring. "Matty and I were out by the waterfall talking about what our plans were after graduation. He said he would be going into training to be an ambassador for the magical lands of Sweden. He then asked me what I wanted to do. I hadn't really thought about it much until then so I told him maybe I should be an auror." You know, since she likes to hit people.

Okay, so maybe that wasn't the part of the story Mia was going to want to hear. But she had to hear it all before she got to the beat part of the story.

Jez appeared in the room just as her friends Sarah and Fallon were leaving. Rats. But, as she wasn't really a clique sort of person, she stayed. Although having Sarah and Fallon there would have been nice - ghosts made her think of the few that lived in her house, and that made her nervous. She almost expected to see old Great-Great-Grandfather Jolon Floating along, humming "Order of Merlin: Third Class, Order of Merlin: Third Class, Order of Merlin: Third Class ..." over and over again under his breath like he did in the gallery at home.
Jez grabbed a little pie, and surveyed the area, trying to keep down shivers.

Ashley wasn't too sure he should go to the party. He'd thought about it, but he wasn't really a party person. All of the parties he'd 'been to' up until now were stuffy and boring, mostly his mother's friends (and frenemies) milling around and talking about things he didn't understand. Oh, and there was the one woman who always insisted on pinching his cheeks and proclaiming that one day he'd get bigger, that was for sure! Like it was supposed to be comforting or something.
But he had no idea what a deathday party was supposed to be like. And besides, he was starting to feel like there was nothing that went on here that could be boring, even if it tried.
So eventually he made his way over, checking out the decor moreso than the guests at first. Somehow he'd found the food first, and beelined over, though it wasn't so much because he was hungry, but because he was intrigued by the setup on the other half of the table.
He'd heard about that kind of thing, but to actually see a whole little ghost buffet was very interesting. He slowly traveled past the table, peering at the gross and rotted dishes, wondering what they even were and if they would explode if he touched them. Then he sort of started to wonder if it would be rude if he touched them. No one was going to put them into their mouths, right?

Harlow grinned at Byron for sticking up for her. "I'm just little for my age." she pointed out to him. Which was true. She knew six year olds that were bigger than her. Those kids were eating something that made them that large she was sure of it. "And who is thinking about throwing me across a room?" she asked him with a raised eyebrow. She might not know hot o stun or freeze yet but she knew how to bite and kick shins. She learned that from her baby sister too. "I'm going to get bigger." she told him.

"Oh gosh Marie. I was only joking." Even if it was a bet, Mia could not take money from her friends. It just wasn't the done thing. "Besides I do have money saved up but I plan to spend that on Nik." Down to the very last knut because her boyfriend deserved something spectacular.

Mia gave her friend a look. She was so glad that she had amused the girl so much by falling on her butt because she had been scared to death. But a smile soon spread across her face, she was glad that she and Marie were now good friends. "Well you are a very handy bodyguard." she teased, giving her friend another nudge. Not that SHE needed protecting because she was friends with everyone. Well okay there were a couple of people...

Marie as an auror. Well she supposed her friend did like to hurt people but..."You realise that you will need to learn self control if you want to be an auror." And maybe her friend did have that now because she hadn't seen her hit anyone lately. Mia waited for her friend to continue but she stopped and she gave exasperated sigh.

"And..."

Jory approached the buffet table. The table for the live ones were filled with delicious stuff. The other one was not.
He wanted to take a closer look at the second table but the smell might not allow him to, so instead he took his attention back to the first table. Jory decided on a slice of apple pie. Taking his plate, he left for the dining area.

Party at the dungeons???

Well...Josh did not think this was a good choice of location for a party even though it was a death party not something happy and cheerful. Not to mention he did not really understand why people would celebrate the day someone had died. Should not that have been something like a commemoration or something?

Whatever...

Since Sir Nearly Headless Nick was the ghost of his house, he felt like showing up despite the fact that the party was no so appealing to him. Well...at least there was food. He hoped those were good. And with the intent of trying so he approached the Buffet Table however the THINGS at one side of the table made him stop.

What were those? They were not food, right? Actually they looked like spoiled food or something but...eh. Why were they there? They did not look so...appetising.

Interesting though, so forgetting about the other food, the boy started to examine the rotten and spoiled ones.

Party.

That means food, band, food, games, food, friends, food, chatting, oh yeah, and FOOD. Jonathan basically just got hungry. He hasn't eaten much ever since he came to Hogwarts. Now why is that? The food wasn't awful at all. Jonathan just doesn't have the appetite. That's the same thing that happened to him last term. He didn't eat much his mother got furious over that. How did she know right? Jonathan didn't tell her.

Oh well.

He got himself a plate. What to eat? There is a variety of stuff to pick at. Pies, pudding, meat. It all looked so sumptuous. As for dessert, to die for. Looking at it you can't really decide which one to pick. Should he get one of each or should he just get the food that he likes?

Drool.

Gideon could enjoy parties just like anyone else and seeing as it was the Gryffindor house ghost's deathday party, it was as good as reason to come down even for a little while. Entering the dungeons the Gryffindor took in the sites and wandered over to the buffet table finding many yummy things as well as Josh the older Gryffindor examining food that apparently had spoiled or certainly looked like it.

"I..I don't think that stuff's for us," he said looking at the older boy as he added some decent food onto a plate for himself. "Might be for the ghosts," he added tentatively noticing at least one or two lingering around. Granted he wasn't sure it was true but it seemed a good thought since certainly humans weren't menat to consume it.

Unless the house-elves had seriously failed.

Phoenix followed various other students into the room that held the buffet, she was very hungry and made a beeline for any edible food she could see, keeping well away from the other tables that held the 'food' for the dead party goers.

She picked up a plate and proceeded to examine to food laid out on the table in front of, then in a rare rude gesture, reached across another student to get at the food she wanted...
Phoenix froze and then pulled back in embarassment.
'I'm so sorry.' she said quietly as she noticed the boy she had just done that to was a Slytherin, now she was in trouble...

Pretty much lost in the process of examining the spoiled food, Josh reached forward picked up something either looked like modly bread or spoiled meat. Either way it was green and as hard as a rock. He was about to bring it near his nose to smell just when someone spoke and make him drop...the thing on the floor as he was so lost in examining and was not expecting anyone to appear.

''Not for us?'' Josh repeated looking at the boy after shooting a curious look at the green bread-meat thing on the floor. ''Are they here for decoration?'' If so he was going to tell that person whomever this idea was not to pursue a career in decorating things.

Yet the boy said something else and it totally made the boy raise both his eyebrows. ''For ghosts? What do they do with them? See that food can die likewise themselves and be happy?''

What the---???

Jonathan was still trying to pick which foot to put into his plate when suddenly, out of nowhere a hand just appeared of nowhere. Jonathan's eyes looked at the person. He smiled to see that it was a girl, a younger one to be exact. Well, she does look young. Was she hungry that's why her arm suddenly just reached out for anything?

"Slowly. It's a long table." he told the girl in a rather low tone. He didn't want to scare her or anything now, besides, she's probably a first year. Got to treat them as nicely right?

"If you want though" he said stepping away and gesturing his hand "you could go first than me." yeah, because he can't decide anything yet.

Gideon nodded as Josh registered his presence and repeated his words in question. It was his turn to raise an eyebrow as the older boy mentioned one of the other options that apparently came to his mind as a choice.

Decorate? Surely not....right?

"Nah...I dont think so. For it might cause one to lose their appetite then help create a festive mood." And that would make all the good-looking probably yummy food go to waste until it joined the moldy food in appearance and then what was one to do? The process would repeat indefinantly and then they would likely starve.

Get a grip Gideon...not going to happen anytime soon.

He meerly shrugged as his thoughts on the food rotten items being for the ghosts was questioned. "I dunna really know. But it seemed as good idea as any. Maybe its the smell?"

Phoenix still looked embarassed and took a step back, her encounters with Slytherins last year had made her wary of them and even though this one seemed to be nice, she still wasn't convinced it wasn't an act and he was waiting to jinx her the second she turned around.

'No, it's fine, I don't know what came over me, well actually I'd didn't see you there, I was too busy looking at the food.' Phoenix replied with a laugh, trying to lighten the mood.

Daisy walked into the room. So, a party? Parties were fun. Cake, presents, games etc etc. But something made Daisy think a ghost party would be kind of different. And she couldn't have been more right.
There were so many ghosts. It would have shocked a muggle to death if they had walked in. Luckily, Daisy was used to ghosts. She had already been at Hogwarts over a year and before that, her parents used to drag her round famous wizarding places, where she had occasionally seen them.
Ooooh. Food.
Daisy grinned. There was a MASSIVE buffet. Walking swiftly towards it, Daisy spotted a couple of people. She smiled and helped herself to some food, before casually putting a large splodge of ketchup on the side of her plate.

Kurumi, as was to be expected, had never attended a Deathday Party before. When she had seen the invitation by Sir Nicholas, however, she knew that she couldn't just let the opportunity go - even if the word Deathday sounded a bit grim. Kurumi had been fussing the most with WHAT to give to the ghost. What sort of thing would he like? What could he possible use? Were British ghosts and Japanese ghosts similar in thinking? She figured it was best to go with what she knew, and had owled her mother immediately. Well, technically her father who had then delivered the letter to her mother since the woman would have hated an owl arriving through the window. Thankfully, her mother had answered her plea with a lovely flower arrangement made up of flowers associated with funerals and pleasing the dead - at least in Japan that is.

Kurumi walked over to the food table, realized that she was at the wrong one by the horrid smell, but knew that this is where the ghosts would be floating by, so she ought to set her gift here. Plugging her nose, Kurumi began searching for an empty spot to put the flowers and card.

Selina was starving. She was being pointedly reminded all day by it seemed like everyone that she had the death day party today and that she should hold back on the amount of food she intook today, but she was so hungry now she yell at all of the people who stopped her. Her heels, that she wore to make her almost normal height, clicked into the room. She looked around and nodded at all of the people she knew. Then, without a second thought, made a beeline straight for the buffet table. FOOD!

When she finally reached the food she took a good look at it. The food was rotten! What a bummer, she was so hungry. She was going to chew off her friends' ears that told her that she should wait to eat until the party. Now she hungry and all she was left with was rotten food... she was not pleased.

Well...this younger lion, he knew he was a lion too for he had seen him many times at the Gryffindor Table and in the common room, seemed to have a good reasoning. Perhaps something Josh had lacked. Well...he could never be sure whether he was smart or not and no...he was not going to remind himself how he was related to Ravenclaws. NO WAY.

*ahem*

Okay no Ravenclaws...back to the topic.

''But do not them being there already ruin people's apetite?'' The Gryffindor preferred the word 'people's' instead of 'our' since he could not tell they made him lose his apetite. To be honest, they looked insteresting and he did not feel affected by their sight. He could still eat whatever he wanted.

Mmmm...the smell. Josh seemed to be considering the idea for a moment or so after the younger lion mentioned it. ''Perhaps.'' he said finally bending down to pick up the green meat-bread thing from the floor and he smelled it. As a reaction, of course, his face made it obvious that it was not pleasant. ''Well...the smell...'' he looked around if there was a ghost because if those were really for ghosts, he did not want to offend any ''...is nothing like my girlfriend's perfume. You believe they would enjoy that.''

Not that he wanted them to enjoy Evelyn's perfume instead.

Looking over the boy's (Gideon) shoulder back to the rotten food, Josh was about the place the green, mouldy thing that he could not figure out if it was a spoiled meat or bread, when his dark brown eyes spotted Kurumi nearby....with flowers in her hand. A sight, for some reason, that made him smirk.

Still holding the nastily inedible looking, mouldy food in his hand, he placed his other hand on the younger lion's shoulder and forced him to walk over the Pretty Prefect Princess over there with himself. It was not a long way anyway since she was nearby the undefinable food-like stuff side of the Buffed Table. ''Hey, pretty!'' he exclaimed cherfully waving the spoiled food in his hand and meanwhile unnecessarily making the boy stop at where he was by pressing his hand on his shoulder. He had not killed the boy, right? Meh. He looked fine.

Since the boy looked fine, Josh focused his attention back at Kurumi then at the flowers in her hand. ''For me?''

*smirk*

Gideon wondered what his companion was thinking, remaining quiet as he took a bit from one of the finger foods he had taken from the good food side. "No...I mean they already show up feasts and meals," he remarked truthfully having seen a few of them many times before. "Maybe just take a few of the younger and transfer students," he added with a shrug. Watching as Josh bent down and picked the whatever it was off the floor and sniff it, his own face making an expression to show his distaste in the image.

"Perhaps..." Gideon said about to say something more when the elder boy walked closer and put his hand on his shoulder pushing him further down the table. "Hey!" he said taken by surprise and frowning but not able to struggle too much with the quidditch player who had some height in him. The 4th year soon found himself in front of Kurumi, and relaxed somewhat when Josh let him stop but kept his hand on his shoulder.

"Oh hey Kurumi," he greeted with a smile trying to ignore the older boy's touch for now.

"Joking or not you're taking the money. Call it a welcome back to school gift if you want. You can buy something for yourself... from me." Heck Marie was in such a happy mood she didn't care if Mia spent the money on Nik. She just wanted everyone to feel as happy as she did.

Putting an arm around Mia, Marie grinned at her. "Glad I can be of service to you." Although she hadn't had to beat anyone up for Mia since... well since she broke Matty's nose.

Removing her arm from Mia she looked at her friend with a playful frown. "You saying I don't know self control? I think I control my self quite well thank you very much." She knew just how to control her fist so it made just the right impact allowing it to break a nose. "We don't have to worry about that though. I told Matty I wouldn't become an auror. I figured it was only fair since he left S.A.M. for me. I know how I hated worrying about him. I don't want him to go through the same thing. Besides, if I'm going to be his wife I want a career that is going to allow me to travel and be with him."

Okay so Matty didn't actually propose to her but he did say he was thinking about how he wanted to marry her. That alone told her that there would be a proposal in her future... hopefully.

"The fresh, fresh scent of detachment," she whispered longingly, taking a whiff and inhaling the nice air of loneliness and isolation. She held a hand outstretched to the little girl walking away, symbolizing deep and lonely serenity. "It fills my nose with sweet agony and as my heart crumbles into the depths of hatred, I fall--fall from the cursed tree of crushed love..." Her hand went out in a fist, crushing all of her emotions into one! The girl was in a euphoric state, enjoying the feeling of rejection--whispering SOFT, soft words of crying poetry.

And again, she lifted the molded bread in the air, swaying it so cautiously around her. "This, this will ward off the good and happy..."

Nontheless, someone was DAAAAAFT enough to spook the butterflies out of her. "OH SWEET MERLIN--" She leaped right out of fear, her black-red wig sort of slipping off her head. Lola went right into her ghost-friend, Teresa, and immediately felt a horrible surge in her stomach. "Oh, daaaaarling, I'm so sorry!" she said in between breaths. "This poppet--THIS DELINQUENT CHILD--" she pointed right at her, hoping she was flooding with guilt right now--when she stopped--"Oh, silly me. I am so out of character right now." She could feel the shame!

She turned around and readjusted her wig.

Ahem ahem.

Then her smug and depressed face appeared through the cracks of eternal darkness, yet again. "Boo? You MOCK the dead?" she said in a monotone and then immediately swiped her hand across the girl's mouth for a quick second.

"I curse you! I CURSE YOU! MAY YOUR VOICE DROWN IN THE GLOOMY FIELDS OF RE-PU-DI-A-TION!" She picked up her moldy bread and started throwing crumbs at this now-cursed girl.

No mercy.

"REBUKE! REBUKE!"

"What was that?" she said, her voice filled with unquestioning sorrow. None of these humans understood. They were all misfits, this Deathday party a mere joke to them!

SACRILEGE.

She immediately muttered a curse of mythical enchantments right at her. "And to you!--I curse your great great great granddaughter, mark my words, Hufflepuff! MARK MY WORDS! THE SEEDS OF JUSTICE WILL FALL UPON YOU ALL." She then sighed melodramatically.

And what was this? A boy. One who looked as if he was capable of breaking hearts.

Unacceptable.

Simply unacceptable.

She tossed a moldy bread crumb. "And to you!--lest we forget the countless hearts crushed by you filthy... men."