So she was a bit late. It was Max's fault, really; she had told him what time the auction began and assured him that he didn't have to come, but her son insisted - then took his time arriving.

Regardless, Erin James was just happy that Max had been allowed to pop away from Arrows business to join her for the evening. And she was grateful that he had brought her a costume from home. Dressed as Eowyn from an old fictional novel called The Lord of the Rings by Max's suggestion, Erin was actually quite satisfied with his choice. She didn't feel too silly, nor did she dislike the chosen costume that went along with the character. It would suffice just fine.

Leading the way into the library, Erin smiled around at the abundance of adults and students alike before silently approaching the registration table, happily handing over her five galleons, and scribbled neatly onto a Hello my name is... sticker. Even though she was almost certain nearly everyone present knew who she was.

It was kind of... liberating to be at Hogwarts with Max, though. Her son. Her baby. The one who was following in her footsteps. The one who had originally boosted her confidence enough to apply for her current occupation in the first place. Whether it was entirely true or not, she felt as though she had him (and her dear friend Annie, of course) to thank for her current position.

----------

He hadn't initially planned on coming. The previous day, Max decided it wouldn't kill him to come back to Hogwarts. Probably. He felt foolish, though; he didn't want any of the students to think he was the kind of person who graduated from Hogwarts then visited at every opportunity because he couldn't let go.

Even though that was kind of true. He missed it. And it felt good to be home. Bizarre and almost a bit uncomfortable with various eyes turning to peer at him as he entered with his mother, but still good.

Donning a costume of the Little Prince, Max was pretty sure he just looked like a Quidditch player. The robes, the boots - everything screamed Quidditch and rightly so, as everything he was wearing was from an old Quidditch uniform. He just changed the colors. All in all, he supposed it was a lame costume and surely people would think he didn't put much time or effort into it - but he did love the Little Prince, so he felt that his choice was actually easily justified.

"Nice turn out," Maximus James mused to his surprisingly quiet mother as he followed her into the library, his eyes scanning the crowd for a glimpse of glowing red hair. He hadn't told Emmaleigh he might be coming - but he wasn't sure if she was going to be there either. He was nervous about it, being back at Hogwarts with her.

He was worried it would bring back painful feelings of nostalgia and longing - the kind that kept him up at night even after the most exhausting days of professional Quidditch practice.

Turning his back to the mass of people, Max followed his mother over to the registration table, eagerly donated his five galleons toward the restoration of histhe precious library, and spent a significant more amount of time on his name tag than his mother had. Nice and neat... take your time... give someone the opportunity to approach you so you don't have to go awkwardly seek friends out...

His level of social anxiety was skyrocketing.

Sarah nodded, Alexa so got her!
"Yeah, its a muggle book. My mother is muggle born, yet educated at Hogwarts whille my father is a pure blood, not that I think one is surperior over the others. We are also a very close family, all the cousins are close and the aunts and uncles etc, so I know a lot about the muggle way of life from my maternal grandparents, cousins and my mother's sublings and other relatives and of course my mom. This book is a classic that is also old book, published back in 1935... it is about a girl that is a settler she and her famuly build themselves a house and settle down in th emiddle of nowhere on the prarie, having to do things themselves and all. I like Laura as she is like me, spunky, not very lady like, nor does she want to be... I would love to be a settle on the prarie like her. The prarie, wide open spaces in which to run around, play quidditch..." Sarah had a far away look in her eyes... it was one of her fantasies.
"Teach her the joys?" she said. "Reading has a lot of joys yet one must want to experience it. Reading has been ingrained in me since childhood, being the only girl living on a farm, when my brothers used to exclude me I used to turn to books. It is a love I have and a love shared by my whole family. My mother is a writer" and so was Sarah, yet she did not tell anyone that, especially that the Sarah Edwards published in 'Plimpy Soup For the wizarding soul' was her "Sometimes you can introduce one to reading by giving them books or things to read in a genre that is perfect for them. Some poeple like mysteries, others thrillers... romance, non-fiction, novels, classics, fantasy... sci-fi, which is muggle, there are books for every type. Yet with Alexa there is a different stories. She is stubborn which is a good thing that could also be a bad thing. If she sets her mind against reading she will never like to read. My father says 'where there is a will, there is a way'" or relatives...
Sarah turned to Alexa, "I don't like ALL desserts but i do like some. I am a very picky eater you see. Some desserts I find too sweet, also I am not much of a cakey person, i like marble cake and icecream cake and certain kinds of chocolate cake... but sometimes i prefer sweets over dessert."

Text Cut: Kurumi

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie

Cue more blushing from Kurumi at the mention of Lewis. One would have assumed that after they had been together for two years, living together, and ... never mind that last bit ... but one would have assumed that she would have stopped blushing at the sheer mention of his name. Then again, this was Kurumi and she could blush at the drop of the Sorting Hat. "Lewis couldn't make it," she said with a small frown. "He had to work, but really wanted to come. He will be so upset he didn't get to see you. He misses you."

And Keefer was talking about Quidditch...which still sort of went in one ear and out the other despite her knowledge and MILD appreciation of the sport increasing over the past year thanks to he being given the opportunity to announce at matches. "That's ... good..." Or well, that last bit wasn't so good. Being too busy to see people that is. "You should make time," she nodded. "At least an evening or an afternoon off sometime."

Keefer chuckled a bit. She was blushing. She was ALWAYS blushing. It was like she was one of those Muggle baby dolls that wet themselves at the bush of a button... only this was blushing, not incontinence. Aaaand he should probably not compare Kurumi to someone with bladder problems.

But anyways.. Lewis... "Shoot, well, we'll definitely have to catch up sometime here. I get a week off of practices for Christmas holidays, so maybe then." Even though that was over a month away, it felt good to have something semi-planned, if only in his head. "And you should tell him he's missed right back." Because honestly, who could NOT miss that guy?

Internal sigh. "You're right, I do. I just got caught up in everything my first season. It was SO different from being at Hogwarts, you know." She would get this. Dragons were bound to be more intense than exams. "And.. we don't really get time off. Not during the season. If you miss a practice, you're worse off than a boggart at a sleepover." Because those were giggle fests. "Erm... I just mean it wouldn't be good." Because that had been a lame comparison.

Text Cut: TreyTrey

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lockhartian

The WADA program yes? "Three years, this is my last," which was a bit saddening, he was maybe hoping they'd take him as an assistant professor after he graduated, but he needed to focus on this final year first and work, "I'm also working for a new company, I'll send you tickets soon," to their new play, of course, which he was so excited about because he got to wear suits and be all evil. It was fun!

"Don't worry, I know what that's like. I probably wouldn't be seeing Ellie as much as I do now if we didn't live together," which was true, because they were together when Ellie started practices and he stopped working for a little while. If he'd kept on working...then he would've seen her on games only.

Whaaaat? His costume? "Of course not," he didn't have to deal with a mustache, which was a little annoying because he wasn't used to it. "Oh, me too," sucks that he's at work. "At least Kurumi made it." Which...really had nothing to do with Lewis, truth be told. Oh? He could? "I'm not so sure about the mustache," Treyen said, chuckling a bit.

Wait, what? "Seriously? Nice going!" Had Treyen been out that long already? Well, I guess I've been out over a year now, and he was ahead of me a year. Oh how time flies. His demeanor brightened at the next tidbit of information. "You will? Excellent! Yeah, just let me know, man. I'd love to come!" Hopefully Treyen wasn't about to ask if Kate wanted to come as well. Because... he hadn't really been hearing from her that often, unfortunately.

Now he felt sort of badly. It wasn't that he didn't still LIKE Kate.. He was just.. super busy. He'd just been discussing that with Kurumi. Plus, he felt like his efforts with Kate were being ignored--deliberately or not he couldn't tell. Either way, she just wasn't that interested any more, and Keefer couldn't really figure it out. Should I ask his advice? After all, Treyen was the one who he'd owled about her in the first place when he wanted to ask her out. But then the topic changed and it was driven from his mind.

Excellent. Lame costumes were LAME. And Keefer Marius did not like being lame. Speaking of lame, Lewis not being here was also lame. "I'm thinking of visiting over Christmas holiday. We should do a massive reunion if you wanted to join?" Which.. didn't make grammatical sense, but was definitely a fun idea.

Text Cut: Min

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bazinga

Minerva shrugged, "It was no big deal. I jumped right back into classes. You know me.. When it comes to books and classes I blend in well." It wasn't unknown she was a bit on the nerdish side when it came to classes. She was over trying to pretend she wasn't. As for the family things, "Yes, I think finally after a few years I can say the family things are sorted out. I am living with my muggle grandparents now, which has been a good change."

Minerva's eyes brightened talking about announcing, "Oh it was fun, Professor Vindictius wanted me to pull in the stands with the game. So some didn't like hearing their names or who they were coupled with on the mic, but it was for the entertainment. They got over it..." Minerva shrugged it off and laughed, it was so much fun and she didn't mind doing it again if she didn't make the team. Shaking her head she smiled, "Well one of these days there will be something new in that love life of yours.."Someone as cute as him would not be single long, Minerva knew he avoided it in school, but it wasn't going to last much longer she was sure.

He smiled. "Yeah, you did always try hard in classes. Puff pride, you know!" He would never lose that, no matter what. Even if all of my Hogwarts graduate teammates are Slytherins. "But yeah, that's good. You've always thought your grandparents were pretty cool." Even if they were Muggles and therefore wouldn't understand much about Quidditch.

"Yeah, I will admit it is still a bit weird hearing my name announced every time I make a save." The Magpies had a great commentator, someone who was a professional. Not that the Hogwarts announcers were bad, but... yeah, Montrose had a great announcer. "It's hard to get used to, so cut them a bit of slack, okay?" he said jovially. And as for the love comment... "We'll see," was all he cared to say.

Emmaleigh was wandering back through the sign-in area, being bored and frustrated with how the auction was going. Sure there were some nice things, but every thing was going for SO much. Even with the money she had gotten from graduation, her 18th birthday, and all that she had saved up from work, she still could afford the things she really liked. So, she was going to go talk to people, or you know stuff her face. As she made her way though the crowd, she noticed Mrs. James. She gave her a small smile, and a wave, not surprised at all to see her here since she worked here and all now, and since her broom had been in the auction and all.

Then her eyes lit up when she found him, and a huge grin spread across her face. Emmaleigh made her way over to him as fast as she could manage, while carefully navigating the crowd. Coming up behind him, she placed her hand over his eyes and asked, "Guess who?"

His name tag was finished and no one had approached him yet. Maybe they didn't see him. Maybe none of his friends were there. Maybe they were intimidated by both him and his mum being there together. Were people scared of the mother-son Arrows duo? Those that knew them surely weren't as they were two of the biggest teddy bears in the world, but perhaps the others didn't know that.

Then a wave of perfume hit him and hands went over his eyes.

It was her. He knew it was.

Blindly attaching his name tag to the front of his costume, Max tried to remain calm. He wanted nothing more than to spin around and kiss her happily, but he resisted. His mum was right there, and though his mum seemed to approve of his relationship with Emmaleigh, he still felt a bit embarrassed about showing physical affection in front of her.

So, instead, he took the light route. "HMMMmmm," he teased. "Is it... Ella?" A beat, then: "No, no! Wait... is it... Beezus?" He was grinning smugly, then reached his hands up to feel the pair over his eyes. "NO! Don't tell me! I know it this time! Is it..." Suddenly, his hands shot behind him and gently tickled the sides of the person behind him. "My wonderful girlfriend?" he asked through laughter.

----------

Erin was waiting for Max to finish writing his name on his name tag. It's not THAT long of a name, she thought, eyeing her son as he took his good ol' time. Why was he stalling?

With her back to the table, she surveyed the crowd before them. Familiar faces were plentiful; she smiled at a few students as they passed. When a head of red suddenly came bounding in her direction, Erin took a quick step away from Max, expecting her son's girlfriend to tackle him in a hug or something of the sorts.

Professor James opened her mouth briefly to say hello, realized there was a bit of a guessing game going on, and stopped herself, simply smiling at the pair. Upon acknowledging that she might have been intruding on their greeting toward each other, Erin quickly looked away and tried to seem interested in the crowd again. Even still, she was completely tuned into the happenings between Max and Emmaleigh. How could she resist? They were too sweet.

Text Cut: Keefer! ^^

Quote:

Originally Posted by hpluvr037

Wait, what? "Seriously? Nice going!" Had Treyen been out that long already? Well, I guess I've been out over a year now, and he was ahead of me a year. Oh how time flies. His demeanor brightened at the next tidbit of information. "You will? Excellent! Yeah, just let me know, man. I'd love to come!" Hopefully Treyen wasn't about to ask if Kate wanted to come as well. Because... he hadn't really been hearing from her that often, unfortunately.

Now he felt sort of badly. It wasn't that he didn't still LIKE Kate.. He was just.. super busy. He'd just been discussing that with Kurumi. Plus, he felt like his efforts with Kate were being ignored--deliberately or not he couldn't tell. Either way, she just wasn't that interested any more, and Keefer couldn't really figure it out. Should I ask his advice? After all, Treyen was the one who he'd owled about her in the first place when he wanted to ask her out. But then the topic changed and it was driven from his mind.

Excellent. Lame costumes were LAME. And Keefer Marius did not like being lame. Speaking of lame, Lewis not being here was also lame. "I'm thinking of visiting over Christmas holiday. We should do a massive reunion if you wanted to join?" Which.. didn't make grammatical sense, but was definitely a fun idea.

It was a three-year sort of deal. He could keep on taking any sort of extra courses that interested him, but he'd officially get his 'Acting' degree at WADA next year. It was sort of exciting. The 'official' part of it, because he's already got some work on the field, anyway. "Yeah, thanks, Keefer," he smiled, widely. A question came quickly after his reply, "Would it be one ticket...or two?" he asked, slowly tilting his head to one side. That was a very smooth way of asking how things were in regards to the girlfriend department.

OH. Really? "I believe I'll be in London this Christmas, not sure about New Years...," because some other place might come up, but, "We should get together, though, all of us," or as many people as they could gather around in one same place. His eyes went to Kurumi momentarily. Treyen would offer this meeting to take place at his apartment, but...Kurumi+Ellie...maybe it was best to do it some other place. Some place neutral.

"I'll make sure to keep in touch for that," in case Keefer got too busy as the season got tougher. Plus, he saw more of Lewis, he could help with planning something.

The redhead, stood there grinning as her boyfriend took his time name tagging himself and stuff. When he began guessing, she shook her head. “Nope, not Ella.” And giggling, she added, “Not Beezus either, guess again.” She could feel his cheeks rise, and knew he was grinning, and when his warm hands touched hers, her tummy instantly tightened. “You know?” she asked teasingly, and then before she could react, his hands were on her sides tickling her. “No, no, s-stop,” she said though laughter. Reaching down, she grabbed hold of Max’s hands to stop the horrible tickles, and then wrapped her arms around his waist. “Maximus” she whispered quietly, resting her forehead against the boy’s back. He was better than anything at this stupid auction.

Events such as this were Asilin's favorite, she liked how not only Hogwarts students could participate in the fundraiser; but wizards and witches of all kinds too. Entering the room, Asilin's stopped short in the doorway. she took in the busy atmosphere of her surroundings, the whole library looked like it was right out of a book! She smiled and almost started to laugh; but oh wait. She must stay in character. She adjusted her plastic vampire fangs so she wouldn't start dripping on her cape.

The fangs were too big and kept wanting to fall out; but that's nothing a little spell can't fix is it? "Reducio", she aimed her wand and sure enough, her fangs shrank to the propper size. She hoped that she was allowed to do magic here, knowing that she was at Hogwarts she guessed it would be fine. Well since the auction involved people and associations from outside of school, the rules could be different. She mentally crossed her fingers and pleaded she had not messed up before she even walked through the doorway.

The girl could not believe she was not the only one wearing a cape! Well at least people would tell that she was an awesome digital vampire -Drizzel from a sci fi muggle story called Erebos. No way was that the book she was going to donate, she was too addicted to her precious Erebos. Her copy of Quiditch through the Ages should surely suffice, she pulled the book from her inventory (which was being used as a make-shift satchel when off screen). After handing in her donation, she wrote her name on one of the stickers that said "hello me name is". Asilin, she printed in rushed bold printing. Now let's get this party started!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Max smiled to himself as she stopped his tickling and wrapped her arms around him; in response, he rested his hands on hers comfortingly for a long moment, allowing her the few moments of holding him before awkwardly twisting in her grip to hug her properly. He held her close, gave her a brief kiss on the cheek, then pulled away to look her in the eyes for the first time in far too long.

"Hi Em," he greeted softly, a smile dancing upon his lips. "I'm not dead, see? Quidditch hasn't killed me yet. You've still got a boyfriend," Max teased lightly.

----------

...Killed? What was he talking about? Erin glanced back at her son, observing his interactions with Emmaleigh carefully only for a moment before deciding he was well taken care of; he didn't need her to hang around anymore. She would just... go find some students or fellow staff to talk to. No big deal, Max. It wasn't like your mum was beyond elated to see you.

"Nice to see you, Emmaleigh," Professor James offered with a smile as she rested a light hand on the girl's shoulder before wandering through the crowd of people and leaving the two alone.

----------

Max couldn't do anything but blink for a moment when he remembered his mother was standing there. When she greeted Emmaleigh and wandered off just like that without any conversation, he watched her retreating back for a long while. Was she... upset?

He couldn't figure out any reason why, so he let it go.

"Nice... bath robe," Max commented suddenly, turning back to smile at Em. "Let me guess - Arthur Dent?" He could have guessed her costume of choice via owl without even seeing her. She was... pretty predictable.

Whilst Finn put is his cheque down, Nia looked back fondly at the two books she'd placed on the table. They were new copies - not her personal ones with notes in from her studies that sat in her overstuffed bookshelves at home - but they still brought back memories of her time at Hogwarts. Maybe she should have written a note in the front or something? Or was that too cheesy?

She soon forgot the thought though, as Finn distracted her with his glasses. She couldn't help but grin. They definitely suited him, and Nia had her very own Doctor. Result! She pushed her sunglasses on to her head to see him better, before squeezing his hand once more. "Something like that..." she said with a giggle. It'd make the sound of the sonic, as least. A sleight of wand might be required for the rest. And then he kissed her, and she couldn't help but blush. Was it the location? Or the compliment? Or the fact they was in public?

Either way, Nia had a rosy glow to her cheeks, and she looked up at Finn with a smile. "You're not too bad yourself..." she said with a wink.

Nia looked around the room again, and was about to point out who she thought was probably Treyen when she heard her name being called.

It had better not be the Press - because surely at a Hogwarts' auction there were more exciting stories to follow than two Pro Quidditch players turning up to support their old school library...regardless of what they'd chosen to wear.

As she turned round, however, a wide smile soon spread across Nia's face. Despite the costume, Nia would recognise that face anywhere, even after all those years. They'd spent enough time together at school, afterall. "Mariel!" she exclaimed, grinning and reaching out for a hug. "You look great...how're you?"

Oh...she should do introductions, right?

"Mariel, this is Finn...my boyfriend, and Finn, this is Mariel, fellow Ravenclaw Chaser, sparring partner, and one of my best mates at school."

Soo...news?

Laura decided that she would come down and see what was going on here, she read the sign and decided to be generous, she decided to give the donate a galleon instead of the 8 sickles that she was asked too because she really wanted to help rebuild the Library though she had no idea what to do next or where her twinnie was.

N'awww Pao! Ella seriously missed the little dude and she frowned slightly at the mention of him. "He was so awesome, Keefer. Just really confident and adorable and so skilled." Cool kid, Pao was. "He didn't come back this term though." FROWN. "We'll miss him." Just like they missed Keefer and Sir Treyen and Sir Lewis too. "If how you played at school was rotten then...well you must be like SUPER awesome now." Because Keefer had played brilliantly at Hogwarts as far as Ella was concerned. Oh! And he was congratulating her...well the team, really? BEAM! "Thanks! It was really exciting!" And just plain awesome to be a part of. BLUSH. That was...really nice to hear, especially coming from a former captain. "I...thanks, Keefer. That means a lot." The blonde said quietly before smiling at her shoes. BEAM. BEAM. BEAM.

Giggle! "I can't help it...it just doesn't feel right calling him anything other than Sir Treyen!" And she looked from one older boy to the other, shrugging her shoulders. ^____^


Ella giggled when Kurumi winked at her. "You know who you look like, don't you?" GRIN! Kurumi totally knew. "So they...actually match you with a dragon that's suited for you? I...that's..." Ella Bishop was seriously impressed with this. She was also seriously fascinated. "That's so brilliant! I'm really jealous!" Cause dragons were SO awesome and she got to see Professor Handsome-face. BLUSH. "You're going to be a great dragon mommy!"

"Cool!" Cause Ella hoped Sir Lewis was good and wanted him to know she was missing him too and his abs.


"Thanks, Sir Treyen." BEAM! Ella used to be quite scared of the older red head, mostly because she was scary good at Quidditch and older and just plain intimidating in the best way. Now she just kind of really liked her, especially because she made Sir Treyen super happy. This was important stuff!

His elepha...OH! Ella smiled and tapped her pocket. "It's really great! Sophie helped me charm it so I can use it as a change purse now too!" So it was a really useful gift and it was an elephant. DOUBLE WIN.

BEAM! Ella really hoped they would solve a mystery because that would just be...the best thing ever. Besides, she was pretty sure they'd make an awesome investigative team! "Professor Botros teaches Ancient Runes." Nod. "It sort of confuses me sometimes but he's super nice and the first class was really fun."



BLINK. Was that....was that Max?! As in...MAXIMUS JAMES...As in MAX?!

The blonde sort of stood still for a moment or two, trying to figure out if she was imagining this. But he...was with his mom! And O___O There was EM too! OHMYGOSH!

The fifteen year old badger GRINNED and hurried over to the couple, quite excited to get a chance to talk to them. She opened her arms as wide as she could, ready for a group hug and


*SQUISHHHHHHHH*

"Max! Emmaleigh! HI!"

She just stood there with a smile on her face, as her thumb rubbed a spot where her hand rested on Max’s tummy. When she felt him starting to turn, Emmaleigh loosened her hug, so he could turn easier, and then hugged him tightly when he embraced her. “Merlin, I’ve missed you.” She said quietly into his chest, and squeezing her eyes shut. She was NOT going to cry, even if she was the happiest person in the room right now. It felt like coming home after a long holiday away, and Hogwarts and the library had nothing to do with it. The redhead blushed a little at the kiss, and resisted slightly when Max pulled back, but was content to just look up at him, with maybe just the hint of moisture in her eyes.

“Hey,” she responded quietly with a grin that faltered at his next words. Dead? Killed? “Don’t joke about that.” Not that she was expecting him to die playing Quidditch, but well, she did worry about him getting hurt, and it wasn’t funny. “But I’m glad to see you’re still in one piece.” Em said, a smile returning to her face.

The girl jumped ever so slightly when someone placed a hand on her shoulder, as an unfamiliar voice greeted her. She had kinda forgotten other people were here. Oops. Still hugging Max, she grinned and turned her head. “It’s good to see you too, Mrs. James.” She watched her walk off for a moment before turning back to face Max. Em studied him as he watched his mother. She was just wondering if everything was okay, when he brought up her bathrobe. Her face lit up and she grinned. He knew who she was!! “You remembered!” she said, standing on her toes to plant a quick kiss on his cheek. Pulling back slightly to get a look at Max’s costume, Emmaleigh frowned. “Idon’tknowwhoyou’resupposedtobe.” She felt bad because he had recognized hers. Maybe his was from some wizarding book or something.

And what was he doing here? “I didn’t think you were gonna c-“ squish “-ome” They were being squished, both of them together. Em grinned down at the blonde hair, and the girl hugging them. “Hey baby Badger!” She released Max and tried to give the girl a hug. She was hoping to see run into her today. “How are you doing? How’s school going?”

He missed this; the way she smelled, her soft touch, the way she always acted like she hadn't seen him in years.

This time in particular, he felt that way, too.

"I've missed you, too," Max smiled and nuzzled his face into her ginger hair before pulling away from their hug. When her face contorted in alarm at his teasing about Quidditch killing him, he couldn't help but chuckle. "Yeah," he responded, amused, "it'd be a shame for me to not be here to see you right now. What would you be doing with yourself?" His expression was playful as he lightly bopped the tip of her nose with his finger.

...Did she really think he wouldn't know her all-time favorite character? The character that, if he was real, Em would probably have pursued a relationship with instead of him? "'Course I remembered," he smiled softly, subconsciously reaching a hand up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. When he brought his hand back down, he looked down at his costume in slight disappointment. "Erm, I'm supposed to be the Little Prince - the title character in Antoine de Saint-Exupery's book?" He smoothed down his robes, wondering if the colors were off too much for the resemblance to be recognizable.

Text Cut: Ella!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by TakemetotheBurrow

BLINK. Was that....was that Max?! As in...MAXIMUS JAMES...As in MAX?!

The blonde sort of stood still for a moment or two, trying to figure out if she was imagining this. But he...was with his mom! And O___O There was EM too! OHMYGOSH!

The fifteen year old badger GRINNED and hurried over to the couple, quite excited to get a chance to talk to them. She opened her arms as wide as she could, ready for a group hug and


*SQUISHHHHHHHH*

"Max! Emmaleigh! HI!"

Just as he began to look up to fake a pout at Emmaleigh, someone bumped right into Max and his girlfriend and... hugged them?

Blonde hair. Max saw a head of blonde.

There was only one blonde that would ever greet him that way, and Max's entire face lit up.

"ELLA!" he shouted, breaking the group hug to engulf the young Hufflepuff in a hug, pick her up off the ground in a monstrous hug, and twirl her around once before setting her back down in her resting spot and pulling back to BEAM. "How are you?! How's school? How's everything?!"

He meant no offense to Em, of course, in the difference of energy that spawned from the two reunions; Max just hadn't seen Ella in about four months, opposed to Em's few weeks - their reunion was far overdue. Plus, he was certain that Em probably felt the same way. Ella was both of their favorites.

Isabelle was late, yes. She really hadn't meant to be but her ruddy owl had been late with her costume. She'd sent for it the week before in the hope it would arrive on time, but it had only come mere hours ago. And then she had to get ready. It was a disaster really. She was sure to have missed everything: the auctions, the fun. She'd bought some extra galleons with her though, just in case. Hopefully enough would be raised tonight to help Leo and the new library. It was the least the poor man deserved after the devastation of last term.

The place was milling with people and Isabelle had to adjust her deerstalker hat as she entered. It had slid backwards and nearly off her head as she rushed down the stairs to the fourth floor. Yes, Sherlock Holmes was at your service. She had the cloak to match, although no pipe and violin. Smoking was out and her musical abilities were awful. But she did have five galleons in her hand and quickly deposited them at the media table. Grabbing a name tag and scribbling her moniker down, Issy smushed it against her cloak and looked around.

Now then. Where to start.

It seemed that Calista Elwood had accidentally by-passed the Media sign-in table in her hurry to get to the auction booth so that the people wouldn't miss their opportunity to bet on her but now that she had been sold she needed to come back and make her donation.

"Hello there." she said quietly to those nearby and working the table and she pulled a book entitled 'Want a spot of tea...leaf reading? A beginner's guide' out of her long, princess dress sleeve and placed it as her donation on the table. She peeled a sticker off the paper and placed it on her chest with her name written cleanly across it.

She was dressed as Rapunzel with an extension charm cast on her hair to make it about 12 feet long, tactfully draped acros her shoulders and pinned to her dress. Her pet parrot Galileo was also here in costume.

Xylia frowned at the mention of name tags. Honestly! Where was the classiness of this event? Someone clearly thought that 'Hello, My Name Is' name tags were classy! Not! Another reason why Hogwarts is in dire need of proper leadership overseeing the puppet in charge.

She gave the LOOK that said 'Make me wear that and I'll toast you with a green flame,' and tossed 10 Galleons on the table because she wasn't one to carry around books.

Now off to the tables and to see what else was going on.

So....hug attacking people probably wasn't the proper way to go about greeting friends but honestly, Ella couldn't not hug people, especially these people. Her people. IT WAS MAX AND EM! Beam!

And then, just when she thought she might have been interrupting the two, she was passed around like some Hufflepuff teddy bear. Grin! She squished Em before being picked up off the ground in what might have been the best hug of all time and giggled as Max spun her in the air. So...she was going to assume they were happy to see her, yeah?

All the questions at once? Those also made Ella giggle and she beamed from the older boy to the older girl, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "School is going really well, I'm really enjoying the new professors!" That was the first thing. "Oh and I'm trying out for Quidditch again so I've been working really hard at that." Nod.Nod. "Oh and things have been great with friends and stuff." That and stuff being a certain adorable hair ruffler. BLUSH.

"So...how are you both?!" BEAM! "And...I'msohappyyou'rehere!" SQUISH.

Her hands gripped the back of his robes, and she just breathed against him as Max nuzzled against her head. It was probably going to make her hair stick up just a bit and get all fluffy there, but hey, it’d be more authentic, and probably more like how her hair normally looked. “You smell good.”

He was laughing at her, and she looked down with a frown and mumbled. “Its not funny.” Not at all."Youcouldgethurt." She looked back up and nodded. “It would be a shame, because I like seeing you.” Because this did not happen enough. “And I’d be sitting in the auction watching people buy a lot of things for way more money than I have.” Even though the whole thing had sounded fun, she had been beginning to think coming to this thing had been a mistake. But this was definitely worth getting her grandmother to take her to Hogsmeade. Though she was sure Grandmother Swynford would be disappointed she didn’t get anything. When her nose was bopped, Em scrunched her nose and grinned. If they were somewhere else, she would have probably tried to catch hold of his finger with her teeth. But they were adults now, and they were in a crowed place.

“It’s because you’re amazing.” She said smiling up at him, as a whole flock of butterflies assailed her tummy when he tucked the hair behind her ear. Little Prince? “Oh,” Emmaleigh said, shaking her head. “I’ve never heard of it. Is it a wizard book? And what do you mean by supposed to be?” She didn’t mean to make him feel bad just because she didn’t recognize his character. As he straightened his robes, she reached up and removed a stray bid of green fuzz that matched her robe from his hair and then blew it at him and giggled. "I'm glad you're here."

After the squishy hug with the baby badger, the redhead just kind of stood there awkwardly as Max twirled Ella around. Not that she was jealous or anything, because that would be weird, but well, she kind of felt in the way. Not that she didn’t want to see Ella too, since she did bring something for her and all. But it was just awkward, or something. I was like they needed time to catch up, even if she would have liked to catch up with each of them. Her feeling of unease soon passed though, when the young puff started talking. “That’s good.” She said smiling, “So the new Runes and Astronomy professors are good?” and of course Flying too, but she didn't ask about that one.

And then Quidditch, again. Her smile faltered just a bit. “Good luck with tryouts.” Emmaleigh reached out to give the girl a pat on the head. “And stay safe yeah?” And of course the same would go for their star seeker, who just had to go out for the team because he was amazing. And then Emmaleigh realized, she actually kind a liked Quidditch. But she was stuck in this weird place of liking it and being so scared that Max and her friends would get hurt. Wait, she was blushing? “And stuff?” Em asked curiously. What was Baby Badger's "and stuff" that would make her all blushy?

Ohh, and another squishy hug. Grin.“Oh, I’m good.” Em nodded. Not great, because only getting to see Max once very few months or so wasn’t any fun, but she was good. “Classes are… different, and I’m usually pretty busy with going to school and working in Edinburgh, and it's nice not being there today.” And it felt good not having to drive for an hour this morning. "And I'm happy I could make it, and that I get to see you."

Laura looked around and sighed her sister wasn't here yet, but she was glad her parents had answered her letter and she had 150 Galleons to spend, she was hoping not to spend it all though, her mother had told her to get something nice for her and that is what she was going to do, her dad had also said that she had to be responsible and not spend to much of it, it was in-case she found something awesome that she liked.

Nobody had to ask why Kat was here at the Fundraiser. She was late, she knew that, but it was because she was having trouble picking a book character to impersonate. Now that she was here, Kat was obviously going as Annabeth Chase. She's a demigod, daughter of the smart Greek goddess Athena. Didn't know what that meant? Poor you. It's more of the Greek Mythology sorta thing, plus she had an extra copy of the book to donate. People definitely needed to learn about Mythology stuff, cos Kat was kinda passionate about it.

When she arrived at the media table, Kat had a smile on her face as she placed her extra copy of The Lightning Thief on it.

Lourdes was taking this Board of Governor candidacy seriously. She knew that she was being watched, and that one certain candidate did not like her. coughIvyKnoxcough. If one had to ask if she wanted to be in the Board, yes she did. But she'll accept it if she wasn't chosen to be part of it. The whole thing was worth a shot, anyway.

Arriving at the media table, Lourdes smiled on her face cos she knew she was being watched and gave the copy of Quidditch Through the Ages. She had millions of copies of those anyway. After all, she was the head of Games & Sports.

Ethan grinned as Minerva modeled her costume. He had never heard of the character but she seemed fun and perfectly suitable for her. "A little trouble's not so bad.. as long as you don't get caught, right?" He nodded to her next words, looking around. The library was really filling up fast.. and with a lot of people he didn't know or maybe just didn't recognize. "The library will be back to normal in no time.. or maybe even better." And while the library wasn't exactly his favorite place to hang out, he felt really bad for the damage it had suffered.

Ethan shrugged. "I just got here, so haven't had a chance to have any fun yet.. though I'd say I'll definitely have some fun now that I know you're here," he said starting to grin. "Do you want to head over to the auction?" He brought a little bit of money with him, but he hadn't yet gotten a look at what was up for bid. He tilted his head at her question. His cousin..? Ethan looked around a bit until his eyes landed on a familiar face. "Oh.. that's my aunt. Wonder what she's doing here.." Weird. He watched her for a moment as she seemed to have spotted someone she knew, then he shrugged and turned back to Minerva.

Mariel grinned widely and giggled a bit as her old school chum pulled her into a hug. The brunette wrapped her arms around Nia and gave her squeeze, then pulled back to look at her. "You've not changed at all," she marveled as she took in her appearance. "Oh.. I've been good.." And then her eyes fell on the man next to Nia..

Oh, boyfriend.. She chuckled a bit at Nia's description of her and gave Finn a friendly smile as she was introduced. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Fin.. Nia and I were quite the team back in school." Once they got over their initial intense competition.. she smiled remembering those days..

Green eyes traveled back to Nia who seemed to be looking at her expectantly. Well, of course they had years to catch up on and the brunette was more than eager to share. "So, I just moved back to London not long ago.. Got a job with the Ministry in Games and Sports," she began with a knowing smile. That shouldn't be too far of a reach given her history. "I do miss New Zealand though.." She shrugged. That was in the past and she was here for a while at least. "So, what's new with you?" she asked Nia with a smile. "Other than a handsome boyfriend and chasing for the Harpies?" Mhmm, she considered it part of her job to know who played.. at least when it concerned very familiar names.