Damon looked away from the paper, knowing by her look it was something she didn't want him seeing. He did go pick it up and flip it upside down so he wouldn't have to and handed it to her, still not sure what to say. It was somewhat deja vu of when they first met seeing how when they did one of his poems slipped out of his grasp and she had read it before handing it back to him... Only he didn't look at the picture. He looked at her, with his sorrow of not being around her for so long and not having her to talk to anymore. He didn't mean to, but he couldn't fight it back anymore.

Taylor gave a little relieved smile when he handed it to her without looking at it. She glanced down at the sorrowful look he had, "Damon..." Tay looked back up with him with tears in her eyes. Taylor had so much to say to him but she just couldnt so she looked away, showing him the picture to try to explain it.

Damon looked at it for a second before jumping over the couch and hugging her, "Taylor... I'm so sorry..." He looked at her, quickly pulling back, realizing she probably thought he had gone insane, "I've missed you... As my friend... my best friend," And love of my life. But he wouldn't add that.

Taylor flinched when he hugged her but she was about to hug him back when he pulled away. She sighed and glanced down, "Damon I am sorry as well... I... I missed you as a friend as well..." As well as my boyfriend thou I will never say that...

Damon looked at her, "You did nothing wrong... I was the one being idiotic, and lost my temper and pried when I should've just left things be." He shook his head, "I was the wrong one, anything that happened was my fault."

Taylor looked at him, "I shouldnt of have gotten so angry at you, Damon." She sighed, "I should of just tried to calm down." Tay frowned and rubbed her arms, looking away.

"Taylor... You had every right to be angry with me. I was being an immature jerk... and that's a nice way to put it." Damon looked at her, and against his better judgement, hugged her again.

Taylor looked up at him and nodded. She hugged him back and against her better judgement gave him a peck on the lips.

Damon looked down at her and kissed her forehead, "Are you alright?"

Presley needed to dance. Since the argument with her father and Leo, she hadn't had a single dance lesson. And for a girl who normally had two hour lessons five days a week, three months without dancing was hell. It was cold outside, and the only place Presley could think of was the Room of Requirement. So she trekked there with all of hergear in tow. Pacing the hallyway she thought about her familiar dance studio, and the door appeared. She walked in and immediately felt at home.

Presley stepped in the chalk, warmed up, turned on her favourite variation from Bayadere, and began the difficult steps of the dance. When she danced she got into a zone where her worries didn't exist. It wasn't that they didn't matter, they just weren't there anymore. Nothing had ever happened in her life but happiness. It was magical. She danced the last step and held it until she was satisfied. With a sigh she dropped down off of pointe and went to the barre to cool down.

Tay looked up at him, "Yeah..." She backed away though, "Maybe we can be... friends?" Taylor winced and looked away, twisting her ring.

"I think that's a good place to start again." Then he noticed the wince, "Do you not want to be that? I can leave if you want me to."He didn't want to, but she seemed upset still.

Tay looked up at him, "We..." She sighed and shook her head, "It is all my fault..." Taylor turned and ran out of the room, crying.

"Taylor! Please wait!" He followed her quickly.

Awarlesta was pacing back and forth in a corridor. She had so many bad thoughts in her head. Peggy hasn't come back with a letter from Manolo or her mother and she was getting worried. Maybe I did something wrong? She wringled her hands. Or what if those people that killed Daddy found them? She threw her hands down to her sides. Stop it! Don't think like that! She faced the wall. You probably look like an idiot. She sighed. I just need somewhere to get away...

She turned around and suddenly there was a door in front of her. She rubbed her eyes thinking she was imagining something. It was still there. She opened it...

It was a room with tapestries, comfy chairs, CD's and a music player, drawing pads and color pencils, comic books, and was that...was that PUMPKIN PIE?! She drifted to the pie sitting on a table. Dear Merlin! I've found heaven! She plopped onto a chair with a piece of pie and looked around. Then her eyes stopped on something taped to a mirror. A picture of her dad. She took it and sat down again, bringing her legs up to her chest. She held the picture close to her heart and took another bite of pie. I love Hogwarts.

Halfway through her cool down all of the negativity came rushing back to her. She had run away and been forbidden to return, her own brother had refused to take her in, and now her best friend hated her too. What in Merlins name was Presley supposed to do? Was there really any way to fix this at all? Or would she be lonely for the rest of her miserable life in which Leo would inherit the estate and leave Presley with nothing because he was angry with her?

She pulled on her shorts, hoodie and legwarmers and left the room. Only to start pacing again as soon as she was out. I need somewhere where somebody cares about me. Somewhere that I feel safe and happy. I need to feel happy. The door reappeared and Presley walked into a cosy looking room that smelled of pumpkin. In it were cushy chairs and...her little cousin. "How did you get here?" Presley asked in shock. This was not what she had expected.

Taking her tea back from Max, she nodded. “I can’t wait to see what it looks like.” She hoped the room had what she had requested. Excitedly, Emmaleigh walked through the door being held open for her.

Entering the room, she took it all in. It was probably a little bigger than her bedroom at home, and the light from the fireplace flickered across the room. The walls were lined with several bookshelves. A large comfortable couch and a chair and a half sat in front of the fire, with an ottoman that could be used as a footrest. The chair confused her, she hadn’t asked for that. There were side tables sat at each end of the couch, and the blankets she had wanted were draped over the back of both the couch and the chair. In the corner behind the couch, there was one of those room divider things, a coat rack, and two baskets sitting on the floor in front of it.

“What do you think?” she asked, setting the food and tea down on one of the tables. Unzipping her coat, she carefully hung it on the coat rack. Looking down at the baskets, Em realized they were full of the comfortable clothes she had wished they were wearing. The room had provided them with clothes, and a place to change. That was just a little embarrassing. Turning, she proceeded to examine the details of the room. Upon closer inspection of the bookshelves, she found they contained all of the books she enjoyed, and many, many more. Some of them must have been books Max liked, and maybe some that neither one of them had read. She hadn’t asked for these either, but it was as if the room knew they would enjoy their presence.

The room was perfect, as so was the boy she was sharing it with.

"Me too," Max grinned, following Emmaleigh into the Room of Requirement.

Whoa.

He was sure glad he hadn't interrupted her thought process to ask what she was thinking about because she sure seemed to have gotten it just right.

Everywhere he looked, he found something unexpected - something he knew he wouldn't have thought of in thinking of what they needed. He actually didn't think they really NEEDED all those books on the bookshelves, but he was extremely glad the room had supplied them nonetheless. And... were there changes of clothes for them? Double whoa. Whether Em had thought of it or the room had just supplied it for them... he found himself to be extremely grateful.

Food, tea, warm clothes, a cozy couch with blankets and a fireplace. And Emmaleigh. This room embodied everything good about winter. And... life in general.

"I'd say... you did a really, really good job with this?" It sounded like a question, but his tone moreso just reflected his disbelief that this room was theirs right now. Of course, if someone else wanted a cozy room to warm up from the cold weather in, they would probably end up joining them. But. For now, this was heaven.

Following suit, Max put his tea on the table, unzipped his coat, and hung it on the coat rack, revealing a plain long-sleeved shirt with random patches of wetness along the hems from where the snow had crept under the coat. "Very... elaborate. Everything we could possibly need is here, I think. We've got our refreshments, blankets, new clothes, comfy places to sit... and lots of books." Once again, he didn't really think they NEEDED them right now, but... they added a nice feel to the room. It felt like their room, like it was undoubtedly made just for them. Everything was perfect.

It was... kind of weird that the clothes were there, now that he thought about it. But. It was okay. There was a nice divider there. Thank you for respecting their individual privacies, Room. Max appreciated that. "Lucky it gave us these clothes, yeah? I hadn't really thought about it doing that. I just planned on the fireplace evaporating any moisture from the snow." Or something like that.

He began to dig through one of the baskets, realized it had clothes more for a girl - "that's yours," he said - then dug through the other. He pulled out a large teal jumper. It was... very basic, but the material seemed warm and comfortable. Suitable for the occasion. He pulled out of a pair of black sweatpants, rose to his feet, and held them up to his legs. "This'll do. S'not... glamorous, but we're not trying to impress anyone, are we?" Heh. "The comfiest of the comfy." Right? He didn't want her to feel like she had to choose the 'best-looking' outfit. She could wear anything and look beautiful.

"I'm gonna... go over here and change really quick," Max told her, grabbing a pair of fuzzy socks from his basket before moving behind the divider. All he really needed to do was throw the jumper on, kick off his boots and socks, change into dry socks, change out of the snow pants, and into sweatpants. It wasn't a big deal. Within thirty seconds, he was done, and rested his soaked snow pants on the floor by the basket. He didn't care that they wouldn't dry that way.

"I'll... wait over here?" he suggested, wanting to make sure she had her space to change, too, as he hopped onto the couch. He turned around to remove one of the blankets from the back of the couch, wrapped it around himself, then sat straight forward, facing the fireplace with his back to Em. He had zero desire to peek and he wanted to make sure she didn't feel... weird about it. So Max paid no attention to her, sipped his tea, and enjoyed the warmth emitted from the fireplace.

She smiled as he said she did a good job, but he did get a curious look for the way he said it. And really, it wasn’t her doing, it was the room. She had told it what they needed, and it had filled in the details. “I don’t know why the books are even here. I didn’t ask for them or anything. I guess when I asked for a cozy room, it thought we would like them. Its got a lot of the books I really enjoy, like here is the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy series,” she said running her finger along the shelf. “And I think I saw Quidditch Through the Ages over there,” she pointed to the neighboring shelf, figuring that book was there for him.

“The clothes, though, we an accident. I uh, got a little distracted by the swishy noise my pants were making while I paced, and wish I’d changed.” She was glad they had appeared though, since Max seemed to approve of the idea. His digging through her basket made her grin. Oh, she really hoped her basket had clothes like that. As he ducked into behind the divider to change, Em busied her self with studying the bookshelves a little more. Though, she didn’t get much time to look seeing as he was done just as soon as he stepped back there. “That was quick.”

When Max said he’d wait over by the couch, she nodded. She grabbed a pair of pants nearly identical to the ones Max had put on, and a dark green jumper from off the top of her basket. She also made sure to grab a grey long-sleeved shirt, and some of those fuzzy socks. Taking all of that with her behind the divide, she poked her head out once more to make sure Max was looking the other direction. Seeing him wrapped up in the blanket made her smile. He looked so adorable and warm.

As she changed, Em couldn’t help but think about the boy sitting on the other side of the room. Thinking about how they had met, and how much she enjoyed spending time with him. It took her a couple of minutes to change, due to her thoughts. When she finished, she threw her old damp shirt over the top of the divide, and left her pants laying on the floor. Usually she wouldn’t leave clothes laying around like that, but she would have to gather her things whenever they left anyways.

Moving over to the sofa, she grabbed her tea and sat down closed beside Max. Pulling a blanket into her lap, she glanced at Max’s hand wrapped around his mug. Would it be okay to hold his hand? They had done it some already today, but it was mostly to keep her on her feet right? Placing both hands around her tea, she leaned back against the couch. “So…” she said, not knowing what to talk about.

"We can't really complain, can we?" Max laughed lightly, turning his gaze to the copious amounts of books. "Really? The whole series? Maybe I'll need to spend more time here than in my common room. We really do have everything we need here." They could definitely come back often when they were cold, right? Especially if they both wanted to let their grades slip... which they probably didn't. But maybe they'd have to a little. This room was too much of a temptation. So comfortable.

He smiled, letting his eyes fall over her features as she spoke about the clothes. He liked the way her eyes seemed to shine all the time - he always noticed a little spark, something that just... made her eyes gleam.

Who was he kidding, though? Everything about her was like that. Just then, he officially decided that she couldn't possibly be any more beautiful, neither inside nor out. She had reached the maximum. It would just be UNFAIR for her to become any more beautiful over time.

Once Max was back on the couch, he curled up in a ball, keeping one hand through his mug's handle as he rested it on his knee. He was trying to warm up quickly so that once Em joined him, he would be a nice little source of extra heat for her. He sat in silence, drinking his tea, staring into the fireplace before him for a few long minutes, deep in thought. When she finally joined him, Max uncurled from his cocoon, sat up straight, and gave her a broad grin. Wordlessly, he set his tea down on his side table, unwrapped himself from the blanket, and carefully put it around Emmaleigh from behind. "Warmed it up for you," he said, making sure it covered her nicely but wasn't going to get into her tea mug.

Since he was now blanketless, Max rose, stole the blanket laying over the nearby chair, and curled up in that one instead. His usual 'I'm-with-Emmaleigh-this-is-the-best-feeling' smile was still plastered on his face when he picked up his tea once more.

...So?

"So," he repeated aloud, drawing his gaze to the fireplace. "I've been thinking. Where would we be... if you hadn't come back to Hogwarts?" It was a very sudden, serious question. It made him feel anxious to think about. Honestly, where WOULD he be right now? Would he even be happy at all? "It's funny... that we went though five and a half terms without talking to each other... being in the same classes... and..." His voice trailed off, a sad smile on his face. Now his eyes were shining. "It scares me to think that you might not have come back. I... think this probably would've been a really sad... lonely," he cleared his throat, "term for me. I'm... I know I've said this, but I'm really glad you're here."

At that, Max rested his hand between them, palm up, hoping she would accept his hand to hold with his silly Emmaleigh smile still on his face.

"Thank you." For what? Existing? Well... yes. Probably. Her existence was something he was quite thankful for.

As Max began moving beside her, Em watched him curiously. She smiled up at him as his arms were around her for just a moment while he wrapped the blanket around her, the warm, toasty Max blanket. “Thank you,” she said, snuggling into it, and letting the soft warm fabric rub against her face. Seeing him moving about in the teal jumper, she couldn’t help but think of how he had looked earlier in his damp shirt and snow pants. How incredibly attractive he had been standing there looking at her. She blushed a little at her thoughts.

As he sat down next to her again, she leaned against him a bit, and listened as he began to talk. She’d probably be at New Bern again, but she was pretty sure that wasn’t what he meant. She gave him a small smile. “I’ve been thinking the same thing. About how lucky we were to run into each other on the train. How if you had arrived just a few minutes later I probably wouldn’t have been there still.” They would have been in classes again sure, but would they have ever gotten the opportunity to even say hi each other? “And it doesn’t matter if I was at New Bern or here at Hogwarts, if I hadn’t met you, I would have been lonely too. I’d have just tucked myself way in the corner of the common room.” Just like she had done for her last couple of terms here. Most of the people she had ever even met at Hogwarts were gone now. And even though Michael was here this term, she had barely even seen him. He was always off somewhere doing potions stuff, and studying about being a healer. She tended to feel alone in the common room even when it was full of people. “Me too,” Em said, glad she was back here at Hogwarts, and here beside Max.

Seeing Max lay his hand out as if she was to hold it, Emmaleigh smiled, glad that he seemed to want to hold her hand as much as she wanted to hold his. Lacing her fingers between his, she rested her head on his shoulder. “I’ve honestly never been as happy or had as much fun as I do when I’m with you.”

Happy sigh.

As she leaned against him, Max smiled at the fireplace in front of them, even though the topic at hand still made him uneasy. Of course, when he took Emmaleigh out of the happenings so far in the term, the term still hadn't been as bad as he thought it would have been. He had Spike, Indy, Ella, Viv, Aidan, Louisa, the Quidditch team, and some interesting classes to keep him happy. Without her, he might have been okay. But that was just it - he would be okay. Just an average term of some friends, Quidditch, and classes.

This term was fresh and new and exciting and thrilling and... Max was experiencing something he had never gone through before: the thrill of liking someone who liked him back.

"Glad I came when I did, then," he smiled. "I guess my stomach led me to you. I was really, really hungry." Or their stomachs led both of them to each other. Boy, food really WAS a big deal to them. "Me too," Max murmured softly to the comment about a corner of the common room. It was kind of astounding how alike they were. Reflecting on this for a few long moments, Max gently rested his head against hers on his shoulder. He gently rubbed his thumb in a circle around her thumb knuckle as they held hands, enjoying their closeness.

And then what she said next and how she said it caught him off guard. 'Honestly' and 'never' were both very powerful words. Her statement meant a lot to Max, and he made that apparent by squeezing her hand tighter as if he never wanted to let go. "I can relate, Em. How... on Earth did I let you slip by me for so many years?" It was a rhetorical question, and once the words passed his lips he hoped it didn't sound... rude or insensitive in some way. He just meant that he was upset with himself for not realizing someone so perfect for him had been a few seats away every day in classes for so long.

Suddenly thinking of other things he had been wondering and wanted to ask when they had proper time to spend talking, Max set his tea down on the table next to him once more. "Em," he said, taking her hand in both of his. "I feel like... over these months we've learned a lot about each other." Most of the typical 'favorites' had been covered. He knew quite a bit about her family, her general interests, her passions, where she seemed to want to go in life. But... he didn't know the bad stuff. "What bugs you, though? D'you have any pet peeves? 'Cause... all I ever see from you is patience, kindness, beauty, cleverness, sweetness... I know there's gotta be some things that drive you nuts."

Things Max wanted to make sure he never did.

“And I’m glad I didn’t leave as soon as I bought my snacks.” If it hadn’t been for those first years, and Lainey’s arrival, she would have probably returned to her compartment. His stomach. Emmaleigh grinned, and sitting her tea down, she reached over to pat his tummy. “Well then, thank you.” She said not to the boy, but to where her hand still rested on his stomach. “And you didn’t even get to eat anything until the feast,” she said looking up at Max. She had tried to get him to order, but he had insisted on waiting, and then the train thing happened. The train thing where she had maintained her outer cool, but was terrified on the inside. The train thing where Max had been able to comfort her with just a hand hold.

When Max placed his head on hers, and began rubbing her knuckle, she sighed, and snuggled into him a little more. She had thought so many times over the day that things couldn’t get any better than they were, but this, this right here was the best. And then the way he held on to her hand tighter. He would have to stop this, she had already used up a whole month’s worth of "This is the best," moments. When he asked his next question, she didn’t have an answer, so she just gave a little shrug. It did make her think about how often they must have walked by each other in the halls, or passed up the chance to sit beside the other person in class. If they had met back then, they could have been friends or something for years.

Her pet peeves? She really wasn’t that sure, she had never really thought about it before. She bit her lip thinking about what she couldn’t stand. “I don’t particularly like being told I’m not a girl when I don’t carry a hairbrush or mirror with me.” She just wasn’t a girly girl, and she didn’t appreciate it when others tried to tell her she needed to be. And Elijah could just, go away for all she cared. ”Or when someone decides perform a spell on me without my permission.” Though, what ever this spell Max had over her, he could continue to do. “And, well,” she stopped, trying to decided if she really wanted to tell him the next bit, and how to best say it. Squeezing his hand she began again, “What really bugs me is when my, uh, ex-non-boyfriend, boyfriend, best friend person, shows me too much affection. Like he kisses me on the head sometimes, and it just feels weird when he does it. He said I’m like his sister, but its just, I don’t know.” It just made her feel as awkward as she had whenever they were, well what ever they were.

She shifted uncomfortably on the couch, wanting to stop talking about Michael. Looking up at Max she asked, “What about you?”

That was part of it, too. He knew she had been stuck hanging around some first years on the train. What if they hadn't been there to entertain her? What if she wasn't there? Max would've had to be in charge of the Food Trolley group on his own. Bleh. He didn't like the idea of that. And maybe he wouldn't have even gotten to see her tend to a hurt student on the platform. That type of kindness was particularly alluring.

When she pat his stomach and talked to it, Max suppressed laughter. He subconsciously clenched his stomach nervously, experiencing the same sensation of butterflies he had on the pitch. Physical closeness other than a hug or handhold was so... foreign, so bizarre. It made his skin prickle with a mix of discomfort and delight. But it wasn't discomfort in the sense that she was making him uncomfortable - Max was just nervous in general. A new situation, new kind of interactions with someone. Everything... made him feel like he was going to do something wrong, and he still didn't know what to expect from Emmaleigh.

As she began to list off some pet peeves, the Ravenclaw casually looked back and forth between Em and the fireplace. The hairbrush or mirror thing... was to be expected, Max thought. He knew she wasn't like that, which was one of the things that he found to be refreshing in a female - she didn't stress over her appearance, and she was gutsy enough to stand up for herself when people made dumb stereotypes in the first place. Girls didn't have to carry that kind of stuff. It actually seemed silly to Max that any of them did.

Using a spell on her without permission? "What?" he said aloud to that one. "Someone's done that?" Max would think that's annoying, too. Who wouldn't?

And then Em's expression morphed to ultra serious, and Max's face scrunched slightly with concern. When she began to talk, the seventh year boy tried his best to... not look alarmed. First, she was talking about her 'ex.' That was something they had never talked about. Secondly, this guy... KISSED her on the forehead and used the oldest trick in the book of saying 'I think of you as a sister' to cover up other intentions? Yeah. Max didn't trust this guy at all.

"Oh."

...

"He... still does this?" He wouldn't anymore, if he did. Not on Max's watch. "What's... his name?" That was an okay question, wasn't it? "I'm... really sorry... that's been happening. You're allowed to stand up for yourself, y'know. You can tell him how you feel about it and just... say no. I know... that can be easier said than done. You don't want to hurt feelings. But if it bothers you that much, it's better to look out for yourself and... take care of you and make it better."

Adjusting his position on the couch but still holding Emmaleigh's hand, Max cleared his throat at her questioning of his pet peeves. "Mine?" Did... he have any? He hardly ever got mad. About anything. It was a real problem, actually. It wasn't good to suppress negative emotions. But then he thought of one. "I don't like... it when people are pompous, full of themselves. Act like... they're better than everyone else for little to no reason." Milton. "And... I dunno," he shrugged, "there's nothing worse than going to sit out on the grounds somewhere and have people come by noisily and... stick around and seem to intentionally disrupt what was supposed to be a peaceful, quiet time." He was sure she understood that one.

"I... dunno, though. Things don't usually bother me too much. I just don't like it when people are inconsiderate of others or... disregard the feelings of others or treat people like they don't matter or aren't good enough." But that kind of stuff bugged everyone, didn't it? He wasn't all that different.

"...Sorry to interrupt our conversation for a second, but what kind of food d'you have over there?" He forgot to peek at the basket on her end table before she came over. He had meant to do that so she didn't have to see him impolitely scarf down some food. Huuungry.

“yeah,” she said nodding, thinking about one specific time earlier in the term. “I mean, If they had just asked me, I probably would have agreed.” Since it had been a useful spell. “It just hurt a little bit, like most healing spells tend to do, and I just wasn’t expecting it.”

Emmaleigh looked down at their hands as Max asked about the forehead kiss thing. “Uh-huh,” she said nodding. “Not very often, Its only happened once this term, but I just don’t like it, you know?” When he asked about his name, Em hesitated for a moment, before answering, “His name is Michael, why?” Why did he want to know, what difference did it make if he knew him or not? “He knows it makes me uncomfortable, but, he says he’ll kiss me on my wedding day, or when ever he feels like.” She used her free hand to play with the charm bracelet that she habitually wore on her wrist. “He think that just because were good friends, and I wear this, he has the right to kiss me on the forehead or cheek.” Even though he made her uncomfortable, and they fought a lot, she was scared to push Michael away. He was the only one left at Hogwarts that she had known since her first year.

As Max began talking about the things that he didn’t like, Em found herself nodding. Those that thought they were better than anyone else certainly were annoying. Though, his next agervation made her grin. Letting her other hand rest on his she turned her grin on him and gave his hand a squeeze. “You mean like when someone comes out the lake and asks what you’re reading, and you have to spend the rest of the afternoon talking about quidditch, flying, magical creatures, and everything.“ It was funny that he felt that way, and that was exactly how they had gotten to know about each other. “But yeah, I know what you mean. Its annoying when people seem like they are trying to be as loud as possible.”

“It’s a welcome interruption.” She said before realsing how that statement could be taken. “Not that I want to stop talking, its just that I’m getting really hungry.” Reaching for the basket, she opened the top to reveal the food. “There’s some pumpkin pasties, cauldron cakes, cookies, a few different types of fruit, and a couple of sandwiches. I hope you like ham and cheese, that’s what the house elves made.” Setting the basket on the ottoman in front of them, she pulled out one of the sandwiches and began munching on it. It was just a simple sandwich, but she was so hungry that it seemed like the best sandwich she had ever eaten.