Maxwell heard the sigh and tilted his head like a concerned puppy. He sat down next to her and looked into her blue eyes. "Everything all right?" he asked softly. She was at this point important to him, if she was troubled he wanted to listen...maybe it would make her feel better.

Well, then. Eliot supposed her life was all right right now...she guessed. She was just...well, she didn't much feel like thinking or talking about her family. "I'm fine, really," she lied...well, it wasn't a lie, was it, if she really was fine?!

Gah!

Elliot didn't even know if she was fine. She took out her tea set and poured two STEAMING hot cups of tea...plopped precisely one cube into hers and slid the sugar bowl towards Maxwell. She took a sip and sighed...."THis is nice. And it's cold." She said, raising an eyebrow...

Well done, Captain Obvious.

Maxwell heard her words but as he watched her eyes he knew they said differently. To call her out or not to?

He took the tea and put three sugar cubes in it. "Thank you." He said with a smile and took a sip. "Ell, what's wrong? Talk to me...I'm a good listener. But you don't have to.." He said very curious, he wanted her to but he had a feeling she wouldn't share.

"You're welcome," she nodded in his direction...she took another sip, shivered, and sighed.

Where was her family?! She had written to them forever ago...a whole week. And no one had written her back yet! Not her father(though this was expected!) nor her mother...nor Dani...hmm.

She decided she might as well tell Maxwell...that's what boyfriends are for, right? To talk to and to get to buy stuff for you...and spoil you...but she supposed the talking part was decent...AHEM.

"I just miss my family. And they're taking forever to write me back. I wonder if they forgot about me agai--" but she stopped, realizing what she said..OOPS. Maybe Maxwell hadn't noticed...hopefully he didn't...no..her parents never forgot...so she took a huge sip of tea, trying to cover it up, but ended up just burning her tongue...GREEEAAAT and she began to sputter and cough.

Maxwell scooted closer to her and put an arm around her to keep her warm. His face turned from a smile to a frown, her family forgot about her? again? This had happened before.

"Ell...I'm sorry is this something that happens often? Them forgetting you?" He asked noting she did say again. "Are you worried about them?" He asked wanting to know how she felt so he would know what to say to try and make it better.

She grinned appreciatively...and chuckled. "Well, thanks, Maxwell." Sweet guy, he was. Elliot wondered how such a nice person...liked her. Now she was stunning and all...but nice? PA! Riiiiight.

Oh no. Elliot shook her head. "No, no, it only happened once. I mean my parents forgot my birthday last year but it's really no big deal," she spat it out all at once and very quickly, rolling her eyes and trying to sound casual.

But it HAD been a big deal...at the time. "Not worried about them...just wanting to know what the heck is going on with them. And I asked if you could come over sometimes over the holidays," she added, as an afterthought. Though, when she had written the letter, they hadn't been...'official' yet...hm...

Maxwell caught the grin and smiled back. "Anytime...you looked cold.." He said not moving his arm from where it was, he was determined to keep her from shivering.

"They forgot your birthday?" He asked as if it were insane. "Well i'll be sure to make it special either way...whether they remember or not there will be lots of tea and pearls and lace." He said wanting to make her smile...really smile.

"Oh, well i hope they say yes...and i hope you hear from them soon." He knew some would say he was too nice to her, but maybe she was just mean because she didn't have anyone so nice in her life, maybe it's what she needed. He didn't think he could change her just that he might be able to make her a little happier.

She looked cold? Well, she was glad he caught on..she HAD been shivering..which usually denoted being cold...

She nodded, not saying anything quite yet. Which was odd for her. She then faced him, narrowing her eyebrows. "Yeah...but it was because of my brother...you know..whatever. MY sisters remembered." And it wasn't whatever...but WHATEVER! SHe chuckled..."Well, thanks...I'll be sure to remember this and hold you to it when April comes closer..." Yeah. She would be expecting an...EXTRAVAGANZA from him...!

Maxwell frowned. "I'm sorry, Ell. But it's good your sisters remembered. What are they like? I'd like to meet them if i can see you for Christmas.." He said looking forward to some of her family...but not her father.

"Don't worry, it'll be something good." He said taking another sip of his tea. "So..what do you think of the books so far?" He asked hoping for a lighter conversation.

At his words she quickly scrambled from his grasp and reached into her bag...she shifted around the stuff inside...she had pictures somewhere... Merlin!

AHA!

She pulled out a dragon-leather wallet type thing, inside were her pictures..."My sisters are...interesting. This is [URL=http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee71/panicrox13/dani2.jpg]Dani[/UR:].." she showed him the first one.."She's eleven and not like me at all...she's nice, and selfless..and all that good stuff." She rolled her eyes, but in a good natured way. "And this is [URL=http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee71/panicrox13/Sam.jpg]Sam...she's a lot like a mini me...a little bit more a diva, if that's possible," she smirked, sending Maxwell a look. Last picture...she scowled. "This is my brother......Darius. He's so bad." Especially for a baby.

She didn't know why but she missed them a lot...probably because the summer had been weird and interesting and Dani was the only thing that kept her sane..."Sorry if I just bored you to tears..."

OH! She jumped up a bit...pulled out the Hobbit..."I read it! It was decent, I'd say." A bit childish...but decent.

Maxwell looked at the pictures, he enjoyed learning more about her. He shook his head. "No, not at all...do you wanna see mine?" He asked pulling his compass out of his pocket.

He smiled. "You liked it? Which one will you read next?" he asked.

Elliot nodded. "Of course I do..." she grinned...

Oh. She hadn't thought about thaaaat. Hmm..."Which do YOU suggest?" she asked curiously...

November was the best kind of month, wasn't it? Next to October, of course. October was a little better because THAT was when leaves truly began to change color, the temperatures lowered, and one couldn't help but smile at the change in scenery from summer to autumn. November was special, too, though - fallen leaves, the brisk chill that stung one's cheeks and turned noses red, and the opportunity to wear the coziest autumn outerwear in one's wardrobe.

Needless to say, Max was happy to be outside today.

As he rounded the corner, the seventh year walked purposefully across the courtyard, then suddenly stopped in the middle, drawing his gaze toward the sky. He closed his eyes for a moment, taking in a deep breath of fresh air through his nostrils, then continued on his way. He didn't go far, however; he turned in his path and planted himself on the nearest empty bench, seeming to spontaneously decide he should spend some time in the courtyard today. His daily walk could wait.

Max laid down across the length of the bench, gracefully crossing one leg over the other and lacing his fingers behind his head. Even though there were people around, he still found some peace and serenity in the moment as he observed the sky above.

Ella was wandering the grounds, a small smile on her face. The crisp air felt lovely and it was clear that winter was on the way. It wouldn't be long now until the grounds were covered in a blanket of snow. Things would be much quieter then, where as many students were still out and about enjoying the sunshine now. She didn't mind, though. It was good to see everybody out and about.

Suddenly, the third year found herself in the courtyard. Hm. She'd walked quite a distance since she started, it seemed. With a shrug, she made to head back into the castle when she saw a very familiar face on a nearby bench. GRIN. It was Max! She hadn't seen him in quite some time and she missed the guy, honestly. Funny they were meeting in the courtyard again, as this had been the place they first met. She smiled thinking about it.

Walking over quietly, the small badger stood with her hands on her hips, eyebrows raised. "Well this is certainly a familiar sight." BEAM.

Maxwell pulled the compass from his pocket and opened the metal lid on it's face, he pulled out a few photographs. "This is my younger sister Tabby. She's mom's...I don't have one of my youngest sister on mom's though.." He sighed, he didn't have one of Kim because he'd been cut off from her since his mother's death and all these pictures were fairly recent. "This is my youngest sibling, she's dad's her name's Alice. This is my My Dad and Stepmom They're who i live with now..." He pulled one more picture out and looked at it for a moment, the slightest bit of pain showing on his face. "This is my Mother.." He said showing her the picture. He'd had it on him everyday since her passing but he'd never shared it with anyone so it was kind of a big deal.

"Umm, i would say the Hunger Games. Sherlock Holmes is probably the best of the three so i'd save it for last."

There was a funny-looking cloud passing overhead; it almost looked like a deformed erkling with two heads. He smiled slightly at it and tilted his head sideways, squinting his eyes as this image became more vivid in his mind, when... he saw someone stop near him out of the corner of his eye. He hadn't even HEARD someone approach, so he grew anxious when he realized someone was there. But then the visitor spoke, and his face broke into a smile. "Ella," he laughed, turning to look up at his young Hufflepuff friend. Boy, had she grown. It seemed like just yesterday she was a fiery little first year, dancing around... this very same courtyard. Aw.

He sat up, patting the bench next to him. "Except you're not dancing this time. Or did I already miss that?" He was joking - only a little. "How are you? How's school? How's life? Everything okay?"

Even though he very rarely saw her, Max felt a sort of... responsibility to look out for her. He wasn't entirely sure why - maybe it was just because he met her when she was a baby newbie to the world of Hogwarts - but he always seemed to want to make sure she was doing well. How old was she now? Thirteen? Fourteen? Yikes. That probably meant the boys were already out to get her, weren't they?

At that thought, his expression turned from a genuinely interested smile to... a concerned, nervous look.

Ella's smile widened as Max sat up and patted the space next to him. The third year didn't waste any time and plopped down, turning to give him a side hug. She giggled when he mentioned her dancing, rolling her eyes at him. "No, you didn't miss it!" She hadn't been dancing today, not yet anyway. "If I remember correctly, you weren't even meant to see that." Grin. But he'd totally caught her red handed. And then the questions. Ella laughed softly, raising an eyebrow at him. "I feel like I'm being interviewed or something." But she didn't mind the questions, mostly cause she wanted to know all about what Max had been up to too.

"I'm good, just dealing with being fourteen." Ella started, shrugging her shoulders. "School is great! I've really been enjoying classes so far. The Muggle Studies lesson on Superheroes was the best." BEAM. Cause who didn't like superheroes? "Life is...interesting." What with having a boyfriend and all. It took a little getting used to but Ella really enjoyed it. She was a bit nervous to share this with Max, though. Especially after her talk about boys with Edric. The older boy's last question made Ella smile at him. "Everything is fine, promise."

And then Max looked...nervous? Or maybe that was concerned? Ella wasn't sure but she'd seen the same look on her other older brofriend, Edric. "Max?" He was okay, wasn't he? "You alright? You look...different." Maybe he needed something to eat?

Reaching into her pocket, the third year dug around for a minute or two before pulling out a bag of gummy worms and offering them to the boy. "Take one, it'll make you feel better." She said seriously, handing him the bag.

Before Elliot could even LOOK or pay attention to his pretty pictures...her eyes were attracted to the compass..Merlin. Elliot didn't even really know how one worked(it was a north pointer thin, riiiight?!) but she stared at it a loooong time before actually peering at his photos.

The sister...Tabby...was kind of cute. And the mother's....the cute baby was his father's...okay. Elliot could keep track of that...maybe. "You look like your father," she said, wishing she had pictures of her own parents to show...but she didn't carry them around much, since she couldn't really stand either of them at the moment. And...his mother. Elliot didn't feel pity often. But this was one of those times...yep. She wasn't good at this..so she merely rested her hand on his and called it a day. It was a nice gesture!

"She's the most beautiful one of them all..." she muttered. She wasn't...pretty like gorgeous. She was very naturally pretty.

She nodded..okay..Hunger Games it was...."I read the back...it's about poor people. So..." she didn't know if she would like it...though, the Hobbit had kind of been about poor people, too.

Heh. He wasn't supposed to see it, maybe, but it had made his day nonetheless. AND, if they hadn't both coincidentally been out in the courtyard after sundown, they may never have met! "It's okay - like I said back then, you inspired me with your fun antics. I still admire your carefree spirit." If only Max could be like that on his own. It always took someone else to bring that out of him.

She kind of WAS being interviewed, in some sense, so Max didn't comment on the matter; he just listened intently. So she WAS fourteen. Yikes. That had to be worse than thirteen, didn't it? She was older, around older boys... but school was good and she said everything was fine, so that was a good sign, right? EXCEPT... for her use of the word interesting. Max saw red flags in that statement. "Oh? What do you mean?" Pause. "Any young men trying to steal your heart?"

There. He asked.

He was fine, Ella. Really. But he smiled down at the extended bag and delicately plucked one out, careful not to touch the others. Germs and all. "Thanks." Nom nom nom.

Why didn't he have more friends that carried candy around with them?

Maxwell caught her looking at the compass. "It's not exactly a normal compass...it does have a north pointer though.." He said showing her the odd compass. There was one black hand pointing north, a blue pointing to her, an orange one spinning in circles and a red pointing toward the castle. "My father made it, it's charmed, the black one points north at all times, the blue one finds friends, the orange one points to trouble and red to people who don't like me or pose a threat."

Maxwell felt her hand on his and he knew that she was being kind, in her own way and it touched his heart. He smiled at her sweetly. "Thank you....and yeah i've always been told i look like Dad...act like him too."

"You would have liked her, she was very much like you...Smart, blunt, critical...but deep down she was sweet, like you." He said knowing there was much more to her than on the surface.

"It's not just about poor people...there's a lot that goes into it. It's a good book." He said with a shrug. "No magic in it though."

Ella smiled at Max, her cheeks turning pink. She was never one to take a compliment well and she wasn't quite sure how carefree her spirit was these days... It was kind of cool to know she'd inspired Max, though. Mostly because he seemed like the kind of guy that usually did the inspiring. "And like I said, you could still do it y'know, the dancing." Grin. "But if you decide to, please let me watch." Because Ells wouldn't wanna miss that. Nope.

Young men? How did she know that one was coming? The third year tried and failed to stop the small smile that immediately formed on her face, looking down at the ground in an attempt to hide it from Max. "I um..." She was nervous. WHY was she so nervous? It wasn't as if Max was going to punish her for this or anything. "I'm kind of seeing someone at the moment." Blush.

One? He was only going to take one gummy worm? Hmm. That was odd. Ella only ever ate gummy worms in twos or threes...or tens. She just loved them that much. "Welcome." And he could help himself to more if he wanted.

"So um...how are you, Max?" The small blonde asked curiously, her head tilted to the side. He was graduating soon. Edric was too. Ells was going to lose both her Hogwarts brothers at the end of this term and she just wasn't okay with that. Meep. "How's life, classes, ...girls?" Eyebrowssss. What? She was allowed to ask too, yeah? Yeah!

HE could do it? Right. A guy who hated it when people looked at him or judged him or... thought anything about him, really, could break free and dance about the courtyard? Sorry, Ella. "I'll be sure to let you know if I ever feel the urge." He had to humor her, though.

AHA! There WAS a boy. Be cool, Maximus James. "Ohhhh? Tell me about him? Do I know him?" Ella probably had no clue who he knew or didn't know, but it was moreso one of those please give me a name, house, year, birth date, hair color, eye color, blood type, and complete list of personality traits questions laced with underlying enthusiasm.

As he finished his lone gummy worm, Ella asked about him. Oh. "I'm... pretty good, actually." Better than he was the past two terms, that was for sure. He had found a good balance between his friends, studies, Quidditch, and alone time, so he was actually quite content. "Life has been fun. I love this weather, and I'm excited that Quidditch season is here - congratulations, by the way. And classes have been interesting enough." He wasn't as engaged in his studies as he could have been, but he was happy. That was what truly mattered.

...Girls?

Max observed Ella for a long moment, his expression casual as he wondered if she knew something, then he ended up laughing. "Well. Not really," he said, looking down at his hands in his lap. He fidgeted as he added, "Do you know... well, y'know how Ellie left? My best friend - Ellie Stone, former Quidditch Captain?" Yadda yadda yadda. Of course she knew. "Since she left, I've pretty much been on my own to meet new people and rekindle friendships and... y'know, strengthen friendships." He cleared his throat, a smile playing on his lips. "D'you know Emmaleigh Swynford? She's a Hufflepuff in my year. She's got incredible bright red hair...?" He probably should have said incredibly, but... it slipped. "She and I have been spending a lot of time together. She's a good friend. So if that counts... I guess."

Totally cool statement, totally cool Max.

But the smile on his face was probably a bit too broad for how smoothly he was trying to play off some real feelings.

She listened to his explanation. Oh. THe blue one WOULD be pointing to her...for Ravenclaw! Whooh! but...orange everywhere? ELliot glanced around suspiciously, as if an enemy might pop up....at any time..."Youhave trouble everywhere Maxwell..and why is the red pointing to the castle?" Elliot didn't think Maxwell had any enemies...weird.

Ha! Sweet...Elliot chuckled manically...but didn't comment...let him think what he wants...whatever. "I know...I just hope I like it."

"It's spinning because it can't find something to point to." He said with a chuckle he looked to the castle. "I don't know, probably someone who doesn't like me is over there" He shrugged "Who knows really."

"I know you don't think so, but if you weren't sweet at all you wouldn't have reached for my hand.." He said and kissed the hand he held in his. "If you don't like it, you don't like it. It's just a story..."

Oh, good! It meant he didn't have trouble after him! She stared at the compass a little closer..."Reminds me of a watch my father gave to my mother awhile ago...when they first started dating..." only it was a little different.

Her mother didn't even wear it anymore..and she was sure that her father probably forgot about it anyways.

HMPH! Despite the kiss, she whipped her hand away from him, and laughed..."no! Call me sweet again and I'll have to prove you wrong, Maxwell Lupin. I have a reputation!" she joked, and she took a sip of tea. Because a blaaaaast of cold wind just whipped through her!

OH NO! "It's NOT just a story!" she cried, suddenly looking a bit crazy. "No! It's someone's life! And for the whole few days that I'm reading it, I'm IN that life! " And to be stuck in a life that sucked...well, Elliot didn't want that!

Her ideas about books...were obviously strong.