Muggle Studies TLA: Movie Theatre
 

Ezra!
 

Ally & Bry! <3
 

The Princess Bride Squad <3
 

Aurora wasn’t actually a Muggleborn, in fact both her mothers were former Hogwarts students and therefore she technically wasn’t even half, but she did know a lot about Muggle culture and so was more than happy to share her expertise with her closest friends.

By that she meant Anna who then obviously asked half of the school to join them in their little viewing party disguised as an ‘assignment’. Not that she minded about the extra numbers, she was of the opinion that the more friends she could accumulate the better. The only concern being that this Ravenclaw was very easily distracted and there may be more chatting and consumption of snacks than actual watching of the film. She had picked the Princess Bride with the knowledge that it was an old film (positively ancient in her eyes) that contained a Princess for her and the sense of adventure that both she and Anna craved. Oh and Pirates, Anna loved those. Whether the boys would enjoy it as much as she was sure the girls would remained to be seen but they were in it for the long run now and well.. they didn’t have a choice.

As they were all in separate houses, Aurora arrived at the makeshift movie theatre alone. Her hair was tied up into their usual double pigtail braids and she was sporting a pastel rainbow coloured pair of PJ’s covered in cutesie cartoons of magical creatures, a gift from her parents for her summer birthday that it hadn’t been quite cold enough to wear until that day. On her feet were a pair of unicorn slippers, the pearlescent horn shimmering under the candlelight as she shuffled her way along the corridor and waited outside the door to enter the cinema with her friends for the first time. Of course they had chosen to turn the assignment into a PJ party.

Logan!
 

Dressing up for an assignment was a thing she didn't expect to have on her fifth year bingo card, and yet… here she was.

Knowing she and Logan were tackling the assignment together, she'd taken a little extra care in her attire. One of the few dresses she brought to school with her, a purple one Maria had convinced her to purchase the summer before, was what she'd chose for the evening. She'd also decided to curl her hair, leaving the dark brown tresses loose and a few magical charmed to stay perfectly in place around her face. Shoes, she was always picking comfort over anything else, so she'd settled for a pair of white trainors. She had her school bag over her shoulder too - filled with a box of chocolates she'd made, one of her more comfortable blankets in case the venue was cold (she'd often heard that was a thing) and a notebook.

Entering the venue just ahead of Logan, having opted to travel together from the Common, she glanced around. "I imagine Feirgrund made this super authentic. It certainly feels like it would be… should we tackle the machine first or get snacks?"

This had to be the most exciting day at Hogwarts in the world of Ezra Greenwood and that was saying something. Ezra was from a long line of pureblood witches and wizards and up until the very day he started Hogwarts, he had been sheltered from the activities of muggles. The only sources he had at home came from his Uncle Nathan and his Uncle Oliver.. but seeing the latter was only on the most rare of occasions. The man didn't seem welcome in the close family circle, which was sad.

Muggle Studies was the subject that fascinated Ezra the most (closely followed by Creatures and Herbology), so the chance to use muggle technology and watch one of their movies was enthralling to the little lad, especially given that he would be watching with his very very good friend, Etta Han.

He joined her in the movie theatre, ticket clutched in his hand and his mouth opened as he took it all in. It was so MODERN. The seats looked so big and plush and comfy and there was even snacks for the kids to enjoy. Did the seats have holders for cups? WOW. Muggles thought of everything! And look at the size of the screen!

“This. Is. Amazing!” He enthused as his eyes fell on Etta already at the snack bar. She'd really dressed up for the occasion. “Hello! I like your outfit.” He complimented. Wait.. were they supposed to be smart for this?

Err.. oops.

Etta paused and set down the popcorn and her eyes lit up when Ezra entered the room. She let out a sigh of relief. Not that she believed her friend would stand her up but there was always that anxiety of being forgotten or abandoned…this was not the past. This was the present and she was safe.

Good. Good. Good.

”Hi Ezra!” The youngling bashfully smiled at the compliment, ”thank you, I like yours too.” Dressing up for the movies was obviously not a requirement but Ms. Han wanted to look like the female in the film.Self insert.

"Uhm...thank you for joining me, Ezra." Etta sheepishly bowed, thanking him. Her anxiety subsided around people she deemed safe to be around and so far Ezra was among the select few she felt comfortable with.

”Would you like to grab snacks first?”She led back to the snack bar.”That machine over there makes slushies of different flavors. It’s a fluffy icy drink, it’s really good!” Henrietta did her best to describe what a slushy was for if Ezra hadn’t tried it before. ”I like mixing the raspberry and blue raspberry flavors together to make the color purple.” Etta giggled at her irrelevant fact."There's butter popcorn too! And sweets." She quite literally pointed out the plethora of snacks at their disposal. Now, was this necessary? Probably not, but she did so anyways.

Stop. Stop. Stop.

Etta stepped to the side to let Ezra explore and decide for himself and not overwhelm him. In the meantime she approached the slushie machine for her tasty concoction. Henrietta giggled to herself at the swirls she was making with the icy drink.

This was so exciting!

Now they could've easily chosen a different movie but why? This was one that the eleven year old knew by heart and could recite it line for line without watching the movie even playing. Plus it was always fun when she could dress the part while watching something. Aryan was in for an amazing time choosing her as his partner. Like he'd have wanted to choose anyone else... but they wouldn't be getting into that right now. Aryan was here with her and that's all that mattered.

The small blonde entered the theatre right behind her movie buddy, all dressed the part (as the childlike empress obviously) and clutching a Falkor stuffie in her arms. Their professor had gone all out to make this like a true movie going experience hadn't he? It was awesome! Much like her bestie, Bry had been to theatres and had a television in her room at home so she was well versed with what they were getting themselves into.

"Of course we can! We can do anythings!" Bry beamed brightly at Ary, throwing her arm around his shoulders and giving him a gentle squish. "Should we get the movie set up first or get our snacks and things ready now so we can just sit and watch the movie when we're ready?" However he wanted to do this was okay with her but uhhhhh, she was just going to bounce around in excited little circles for a moment to calm herself down so she could hopefully sit through the movie without flipping all over the place.

Lookit her trying to think ahead!

The little bit of staring had been noticed when she'd first met up with him, and the euphoria she'd felt at the bit of acknowledgment that her efforts had paid off was far from worn off. Unless that was her just excited about the current activity at hand and the person she was completing it with - which was likewise a strong possibility.

And if she knew he hadn't put much effort into his own, she would have been jealous. The black looked good on him, and even if she'd previously mocked him and Vasco for the way they had worn their shirts years before, she had to admit now it was a flattering fit. And his hair was always perfect, which while before might have been obnoxious now she couldn't help but admire that fact.

"I knew there was a reason we got on." She refocused on the task at his answer, turning to give him a smile before heading closer to the snacks and grabbing some of the paperware around in order to start collection of what she wanted to eat at. She'd present the box she'd made later once they'd sat. Using the provided scoop, she filled up one of the popcorn buckets with buttered popcorn before offering it towards him.."How much do you know about the movie we picked?"

<3
 

<3
 

This activity sounded like a lot of fun, but Solly wasn’t all that impressed with the choice of movie from his friends, and that he didn’t get involved in any discussions about it at all. Of course, he wasn’t going to argue with either of them, unbeknownst to him at this point as well that Ezra had also been invited. Something else he wouldn’t be too happy to discover.

He reluctantly arrived in pyjamas as per the girls request. Nothing special, just an all grey ensemble including his flooooofy dressing gown. He didn’t have any slippers, though, so he just wore regular trainers which just felt weird and looked ridiculous.

Seeming as if Aurora was the only one here thus far, Solomon couldn’t help but sigh before reaching the theatre, being careful not to sigh loudly enough for her to hear him coming. He was still a little sour with her after the fiasco in potions class, but would try to not let it ruin whatever this was.

“Nice slippers,” he commented, stuffing his hands into his floofy dressing gown.

Etta smiled and shook her head, ”Dressing up is not a requirement…I just wanted to look like the female lead in the movie.” Etta’s cheeks burned! But at least it’ll hopefully ease her friend and make him feel less out of place. Approving the mess hair, the youngling beamed and gave Ezra two thumbs up!

Henrietta was not one to judge anyone, who was she to do so anyways? Heck, even she was still figuring out her way around the magical realm. Yes, she’s got some knowledge of the world but not as much as her appearance might entail. The longest she’s ever been around magic would be when she was ages 3-8. However, her cruel foster family didn’t make much effort to teach the youngling anything of much value. It was with her foster grandmother Etta got real education but the elderly woman could only do so much at her age, in the short time they had together. Etta was grateful nonetheless.”No apology needed, I’ll be your tutor.” Etta beamed. Of course, if that would be okay with Ezra after all. And perhaps maybe she could learn a few things from him too?

Once Etta set down her drink in the cup holder of her seat along with the snacks, she joined Ezra by the VCR. The system and plethora of movies was so enticing! Hmm, maybe she’ll ask permission to come back here and watch more films once the assignment is completed, if the theater is still available. ”Mhm, that seems about right.” Etta smiled and let Ezra do the honors. ”Perhaps you should press the button with the arrows going left to rewind the tape?” Just to double check the film won’t start somewhere in the middle or worse, the end.

She adores him! <3
 

That.. wasn't true. Aryan was free to have all the friends he wanted just so they knew that she was his most favoritest. Her. No one else. They all remembered that and there wouldn't be any issues. See, Ary. She wasn't touchy about anything. But she was happy that she had gotten to him before anyone else had.

Bry would've LOVED if Ary had dressed up along with her for this but she knew how he could be. Boring. Just kidding. She adored him and his mellow little self. She was more than happy to have all the attention on her and her stuffie. One day she was going to have her very own dragon! Until then, stuffies were good.

No worries, Ary. Today would be tantrum free. They had lots of snacks and a movie they both knew well and each other's company! There was no reason to be sad. "Movie first. Right," Bry nodded firmly, bouncing excitedly on her toes while he went ahead and found their movie and put it into the player. "You did it!" All the encouragement from her! Even if they still had to press 'play' when they were ready.

Her small hand took hold of his giving it the usual gentle squeeze. Snack time,” she confirmed, nodding her head. ”Which ones do we wants this time? Popcorn? Nachos?” Both? Neither?! They needed drinks too. So many different choices!

Phoebe!
 

Phoebe was... not feeling the best about Hogwarts. She- she felt like she didn't make enough friends, and that the friends she did make were only pretending to like her. So when she was invited to work with Sloane on this project, she jumped at the opportunity. Especially because it was Sloane! She stuck close to Sloane a lot, because Sloane was braver than her and also because Sloane cared when Phoebe was upset. Phoebe was also excited for this project because it reminded her of how she used to watch movies with Flo at Stemp House. And Aaliyah a long time ago, back when Phoebe was a tiny kid and could barely remember anything.

She arrived slightly after Sloane, wearing her comfiest clothes and with a threadbare navy-blue blanket tied around her neck like a cape. Phoebe was short enough that she had to pick up the edges so they wouldn't drag on the floor. She signed in, then grabbed a LARGE popcorn and a LARGE soda (she took them to the seating area in two precarious-looking trips, one hand still holding the blanket cape). "Hi Sloane!" She bounced towards her friend at a typical Phoebe's-lungs-are-wheezing-speed, instantly feeling happier and not even tripping over her shoes this time. "My favorite part of Shrek is that he's green. Also, I like that he doesn't let other people control him." She looked at the VHS tape with a mixture of excitedness and confusion. "Can I help you put it in the VHS player? Please?" Phoebe wanted to get a try too. She'd never ever used one of these before!

Thankfully, it didn’t take Phoebe long to arrive. Sloane took one look at her fellow Slytherin friend and greeted her with a small smile, something she’d been trying to work on as she’d heard it would help her seem ‘more friendly. “Hey Phoebe. You look like Batman with that cape.” She’d seen Phoebe wearing it like that before as they shared a dorm room but only now was it hitting her just how much she looked like the caped crusader.

“Uh-hu. Yeah, I mean, he does like to live his life which is pretty cool. He does what he wants. I like that about him too.” Sloane looked down at the tape and the video player for a moment, confused as to why Phoebe might think she didn’t know what she was doing. “No. I know what I’m doing. I was just waiting because I didn’t know if like, you needed to help or something to get any of the credit or marks or whatever. I figured maybe you should do it because I got the tape.” Sloane had no idea how all of this worked so she simply aired on the side of caution, something she didn’t usually do. “You just slide the tape into the player and hit the play button. It’s not too hard, I think. I think I saw somewhere that these things need to be rewound so I’m assuming it already has been…” whatever that meant.

Even if he tried to deny it (just as he denied he was her boyfriend), Bryony Rose Paton knew the truth. Loud? Pffft. If he thought she was being loud now. Just wait, sweet sweet Aryan. He ain't seen anything yet. As for him being boring, it was a JOKE! His 'boring' was absolutely perfect for her 'crazy'. This was why they worked.

Whenever they were together they had the best time (which was all the time). So there was no doubt in her mind that this would be any different for them. Bryony beamed at Aryan. "Yeah?! Otays! That I can do." Pressing 'play' on the VCR was the easy part of it all but she wouldn't let them down!

Was Bry at all surprised with her [b]boyfriends[/s] besties choice in snacks? Nope, not in the slightest. These were their usual go to movie snacks. "Alls the cheese, Ary!" Nod nod. Yep, yep. She got the drinks. His very favorite iced tea. A package of skittles was also grabbed but if they would be eaten was unknown (most likely YES). She would be sharing them with him of course. "Napkins! I gots um!" Chances were they would be needing those too.

Phoebe responded to Sloane’s smile with a grin of her own. ”I love batman! Because of bats!” Phoebe was a fruit bat for Halloween, and she called her bed the Bat Cave. She felt like she’d make a good batman! She flapped her ‘cape’ for dramatic effect. “I am… um… I am… invent-ious!” That’s what Batman always said. She was pretty confident.

”I wish I was more like Shrek,” Phoebe said wistfully. He was so brave, like Sloane. Phoebe was a scaredy-bat and she was worried that she wasn’t growing out of it fast enough. Phoebe was SO pleased that Sloane let her put in the VHS tape, but she tried not to be smug. She was very excited to try out the muggle technology, though she knew Sloane could do it. She carefully (trying her best to not be clumsy) took the tape from her friend. ”I think it’s been rewound too.” But she checked just to make sure. Then she VERY CAREFULLY put the tape in the VHS player and pressed the button. ”Should we sit down? Is it time for Shrek now?” She looked at the screen to see if the movie was working.

Now THIS was the kind of homework assignment Ezra enjoyed. Watching a film? Easy. Watching it with friends (or at least, acquaintances?)? Even better.

He was somewhat familiar with the film Anna and/or Aurora had chosen. His gran, who was a Muggle, had shown it to him and his older sister Cissa when they were younger. But, truth be told, he didn't remember much of it. Mostly he remembered the scene with the unusually large rodents and the character who wanted revenge for his father's death. So it'd be interesting to see what all he had forgotten about.

Dressed in a plain red shirt, comfy black pyjama bottoms, and black socks, he made his way down from the Gryffindor tower, careful not to slip on the stairs on the way down. Nothing like falling down the stairs to ruin movie night.

Once he'd arrived, he spotted Aurora and another bloke in his year standing outside the door. No Anna yet though. Was this guy - the name was escaping him suddenly but it started with an S, he was pretty sure - joining too?

"Hey," he said with a grin. "No Anna yet?"

His near slip up was noticed, and while she couldn't be for certain he was about to say her looks specifically, it certainly sounded like it. She giggled a bit. "The only one I know is 'birds of a feather flock together'. Though I'm more focused on the fact you've admitted I do look good." She was teasing, as he'd given compliments here and there now that we're a clear indication of such. But could you blame a girl for taking the opportunity to hear it again?

Finishing up grabbing popcorn, she sat it aside her container and grabbed another for various other snack options - selecting a variety of licorice, sours and chocolate to nibble on. At his question of drinks, she glanced over and deliberated for a second. "Can you just grab me a water?" With so many other sugars, she'd need some type of palate cleanser.

As she watched him take the popcorn and throw some to catch immediately, she paused an watched him for a moment with a hint of a smile, before another laugh escaped at the answer to her question. "Wasn't that hair like the height of fashion back then?" She wasn't entirely certain, but she thought maybe so. "I think there are some puppets and stuff too." she added.

With her mind now on the movie and snacks figured, Ve made her way towards the seats - dropping off her selections in one spot along with her bag - before heading towards the machine. "I think I know how to set this up. Want to get your spot comfortable and then come double check my work?" She wasn't THAT confident, okay? "Also there's a blanket in my bag if you're cold and want to share it. And a box of some sweets I made too, if you're interested." Feeling weirdly self conscious about the last bit, she turned her body to fiddle with the machine as she said it.

Now, it looked rewinded. Just pop it in right and turn everything on?

It's SHREK TIME!
 

Of course, she loved Batman. That tracked and she should have honestly expected it. With a small chuckle, Sloane pulled her blanket tighter around her shoulder and eyed her fellow first year, half amused and half exasperated as she flapped her imaginary bat wings. Sloane hadn’t been sure about Phoebe at first. She’d honestly found her a little strange and annoying but as she watched her closer, she was very much herself, albeit slightly self-conscious and worrisome and this was something that Sloane could understand. “You sure are, Phoeb’s.

“You want to be tall and hated by a lot of people? Shrek didn’t always have the best of times, y’know? It turned out alright for him but it was hard too. I think you’re doing just fine as you are,” offering her a small, reassuring smile. Just let someone try to say something mean to her. Focusing her attention on the video tape, she gave it a once over after taking it out of its case and nodded in agreement. “I think you’re right. At least who ever used it last had rewound it. We should do that before we go,” she added as an afterthought. Letting Phoebe take the tape, she watched as she placed it into the player before going back to the seat where her drink and popcorn lay waiting for her. “Sure. It’s SHREK TIME!”

Pulling her blanket from around herself, Sloane draped it over her legs and torso and sat back, ready for the ogre to throw everyone out of his swamp!

Ohhh! That was extremely sweet and endearing – Etta had dressed up like a character in the movie! Ezra instantly felt better about his own attire. “The professor should give you extra points for effort!” He enthused. It was a shame Etta was a Slytherin because Ezra wanted to beat Eli in the house cup. So far the Ravenclaws were failing abysmally in that department with Slytherin being THREE times ahead of them. Oh well.. There was more to life than house points.

Much more.

Like spending time with your amazing friends and watching movies and eating snacks.

He beamed at Etta offering to tutor him in the ways of muggle technology. He gazed at the other movies on offer – a vast selection. It was a real shame they were only able to watch one, but Ezra had no doubt that Etta's choice would be a good one. He pulled out one of the movies Etta had suggested he might watch, 'Monsters Inc'. The art work used on the boxes of the tapes was imaginative and colourful and modern. He slid it back into the shelf where he'd found it and averted his attention back to the VCR. “My uncle has a movie player but it takes these shiny disks instead. They slide in and spin around really fast inside the machine and a laser reads them!” Ezra's eyes went wide. How clever was that!?

With Etta's suggestion, he pressed the button with the arrows to rewind the tape. The tape didn't take long to get right back to the beginning. “Do you want to do the honours and press play?” He stood back for Etta, not wanting to let his excitement allow him to take over things completely.

Invent-ious was when you got back at people, Phoebe was pretty sure. It made NO sense at all, but Batman said it all the time.

Phoebe thought very hard at Sloane's words. "Well, I don't want to be hated by a lot of people," she decided. Her stomach formed twisty knots at the thought, and she frowned as her small face contorted into a look of worry. "But if I had to be hated by a lot of people, I'd rather be able to reach the high-up shelves without their help." It was hard to be independent when you were small and clumsy and un-scary. Though it was hard to make friends when you were big and scary and green. Phoebe felt bad for Mr. Shrek. But on the flip side, Sloane thought she was doing just fine! "It's really nice of you to say that, Sloane." She smiled a little, and then climbed into her giant movie chair to settle down with her snacks and her blanket (her legs were too short to touch the ground). GIANT CAFFEINE SODA in hand, she had her eyes glued to the screen as they watched the movie.

She tried her best to be quiet, but she couldn't stop herself from making quiet exclamations at the best parts. She'd never ever in her whole life seen Shrek before!

Etta’s lips curled into a bashful smile, she indeed was feeling her best in the movie-inspired outfit. Heck, she might (internally) agree to points for her effort in channeling a movie character. Heh.

A real shame indeed! Etta took a moment to inspect the abundance of films at their disposal, glancing over at Ezra once he pulled out ‘Monster’s Inc.’ the youngling beamed! It was a fantastic comfort film filled with laughter and adventure. Etta quickly picked up what Ezra was putting down in terms of the disk playing movie player. ”Ah! I believe it’s called a ‘DVD’ player.” Etta confidently nodded even though she wasn’t familiar with its technical term, but recognized what it was. Muggle technology has come a long way since its early days many, many years ago!

Hearing the click the VCR made to indicate the film was rewound, Etta beamed and excitedly clapped her hands, ”Brilliant, Ezra!” She cheered on her friend. Afterwards, the youngling nodded and stepped closer to the console to press ‘play’. Henrietta’s eyes lit when the opening tune of the film played upon its startup. ”Let’s go sit!” The youngling cheerfully shuffled to her seat.

Etta moved her popcorn onto her lap and noticed a lever on the side of the leather chair? Curiously she pulled it and the footrest extended a little.”Pull the lever, Ezra.” For a better movie experience! Now comfortable in her seat with her snacks and slushie the youngling smiled as she watched the opening credits to the film.

The film starts with a pair of young boys entering the haunted mansion to snap a picture when suddenly, who do you know shows up, Casper the friendly ghost! The adorable ghost volunteers to snap the picture for them, as the pair seemed to argue on who would take the picture. The boys, frightened by the friendly ghost (poor Casper did his best to not come off as menacing), react in a hilarious screech as Casper clicks the camera’s button and takes the photo before the boys book it out of there.

Etta GIGGLED! One of her many favorite scenes.

She was all knowing, like..Yoda?! Or perhaps like the Childlike Empress whom she happened to be dressed as?! So cool! Only neither were the case, she wasn't anywhere near that knowledge BUT she did know loads and loads about Aryan. Bry was just going to continue with her theory that he only pretended this denile thing because he was shy, everyone knew how much he adored him. Including her. Oh, sweet boy, didn't he know she toned down those tantrums whenever he had been around?

Bry beamed at Ary as he piled all of their goodies into a box. "The bestest seats so we can see, I know," she nodded her head of blonde hair. Making her way along to the seats she choose a spot not directly in the front but close enough for them to see perfectly and right in the center. "How's this?" She set their drinks and napkins down in the cup holders. "Get comfy and I'll go push play.. unless you want to comes along with me?"

Ary! <3
 

Bryony would definitely have to agree with him that she liked that one better as well. No looks over at him were made because she had all the faith in him to not spill anything along the way. And it came as no surprise to her that he selected the seat on her left so that meant the seat on the right was hers... because she was always right, yes? Joking. JOKING!

His smile was met with a brilliant one of her own, as per usual for her. "Great! I'll be right back!" Heeeeeeyyyy! So long as he saved some of that yummy deliciousness for her then everything would be okay.

Bry quite literally bounced and skipped her way to where the VCR machine was set up with their movie already inside of it. Here we go! Ready, Ary?!" The little blonde giggled gleefully as she pushed the button that would play their movie. A half a second was given to ensure that the movie did indeed began before she skipped her way back to her seat and flopped herself right down onto it, all the while still hugging Falkor in her arms.

"It's movie time, it's movie time, it's.. movie.. tiiiiimmmmmeeee...!!!" Don't mind her while she wiggled excitedly in her seat like she hadn't seen this movie a trillion times before.

Aurora could only take credit in choosing the film that the quartet would be watching and wasn’t responsible for picking the actual members of their squad, that was all Anna’s doing. So Solomon’s jealousy could be directed towards her and not the innocent blonde. Although Aurora would agree that the more the merrier when it came to a movie watching party and therefore she had qualms over the additional friends.

What she could take blame for was being a distraction to Solly in potions but she would remain adamant that it wasn’t her fault and she was just being herself. He still received a big beam as he rounded the corner into her sight. “Thanks! They glow in the dark too” she giggled as she wiggled her toes allowing the horn to sort of jiggle a bit.

It wasn’t long before Ezra appeared as well, mentioning that Anna wasn’t there yet. “Not yet but sometimes she gets distracted and is late.” She couldn’t blame her for that, it was easily done by the Ravenclaw too. It was amusing though that Anna’s common room was the closest to the makeshift cinema but then she was right next to the kitchens and the delicious smells of Elf made cooking would be enough to draw anyone in. “Maybe she’s getting snacks from the Elves? I hope she brings ice cream..” Preferably in a bowl and not the kind that was melted and dripping from the ceiling.

“Shall we wait for her inside? We can get the snacks ready whilst we are waiting.”

hello Ern-ness my old friend
 

She'd showed up at the proper time but strangely, this was not the Ravenclaw Zara was looking for. Frowning at the boy who forgot to put the movie in before he settled in, Zara waited a beat to be sure it was working before she came in anyway. Look, she'd signed in and committed to the project, so she was going to get her points or whatever. Yay Slytherin. Huzzah Hogwarts. Etc. Etc. Etc. She went over and stuffed a load of snacks in her bag on top of her own and then approached.

"Mind if I join you?" she inquired of the boy, plopping into the recliner next to him regardless. She flopped her ever-present bag around and began unloading snacks as though to sweeten her ask. "I've got Bertie Bott's, licorice wands, gummy bears, chocolate frogs, and then the professor-provided stuff." Off-brand sweets, but it was decent. She understood they must not pay well here, particularly since Hogwarts was looking more and more dilapidated day after day.

Sloane could understand her want to not be hated. Sort of. Not really. She, herself, could not care less if the population on mass hated her. If members of her family could hate her, what did it matter if some random second year girl thought she was nasty. Trying her best to be some kind of friend however, Sloane gave her best smile, put one hand on Phoebe’s shoulder and said, “If they hate you, I’ll just curse them behind their back. It’s fine.” Her expression may have been pleasant, but she was deadly serious. No one messes with her…friends. “I guess that…makes sense? You can just use magic though. I mean, I’ve seen people summon things so maybe you could learn how to do that? Y’know, instead of me turning you into a green ogre.” As for the compliment, Sloane simply shrugged it off. She was being honest. If she thought Phoebe was being lame or struggling, she’d tell her and then help her. But she’d be brutally honest if she had to be.

Doing her best to get as comfy as possible, Sloane wiggled on the spot until she was as deep into the chair possible as the movie opened and the music hit. It was suuuuuch an old movie and the quality of it was very poor but she still enjoyed it none the less. Popcorn helped. Not the giggliest of children, even Sloane let slip a few giggles as the donkey began talking and flying. She liked him as a character but she would not have appreciated him as a friend.

"Fine," Mercer didn't mind sharing the room with another student, and he really didn't mind sharing her snacks. He glanced over the goods before selecting a handful of gummy bears. His own buttered popcorn was offered in trade. "Let's have some rules, though. This is a thrilling epic adventure and they talk very fast and I get confused easily. So... no talking. Laughing is okay, but don't ask me questions about what's going on, because I probably don't know either."

He watched the flickering warning screens pop up, full of words that really didn't make much sense, and then the movie opened with a jail break. Honestly, Muggles lived their lives right. "I'm Mercer. Not that I'm talking."

Phoebe cared a lot a lot about if people liked her or not. She needed friends her age to stop her from being lonely, and well... she couldn't have that if "everybody" thought she was annoying. Like Francesca, and probably Dia, and also probably Sloane at some point. Like when Phoebe cried a lot. She opened her mouth to ask if... if... nevermind. Phoebe tried to let go of her worries. "Thanks, Sloane. I'm glad you're here for me. I'll always be a good friend to you too, I promise." And when Phoebe promised, she really truly meant it.

"I could summon the item I want, or even a stepstool to help!" Sloane was so helpful! Why didn't Phoebe think of those things? Phoebe thought magic was the most useful thing ever. She settled in to watch the movie. She loved Shrek and Fiona. She hated the villain. She thought the donkey was funny but also worried... "I'm not like the donkey in this movie," she declared to nobody in particular. "I'm just not." Just in case anybody was wondering. She was more like Fiona, who was beautiful even though she didn't think so.

Phoebe fell asleep at some point, hugging her soda. She slept through the last 20 minutes of the movie.

Etta would definitely be keeping Monster’s Inc. in mind as her friend did seem quite interested in the film when he observed the tape earlier. Very observant the youngling was. Which got her in a lot of trouble (albeit for the most innocent of reasons) in the past, but it also gave her an advantage when recalling details both big and small.

Henrietta giggled at Ezra’s compliment, she admittedly enjoyed learning and researching as much as she could. Sometimes without reason, just to fulfill her curiosity of the world. If she weren’t so shy during lessons, the youngling would most definitely be asking a plethora of questions to quench her thirst for knowledge. After all, like her grandmother once told her: knowledge is power.As for the acronym for DVD, the youngling tapped her chin with her fingertip.”Hmm, I’m not quite sure.” Etta was stumped.”You’re brilliant! It makes sense.”She smiled, her friend was very intelligent!”Then perhaps the V stands for video and the other D stands for device or maybe digital?” Maybe something along those lines, Etta figured.

Watching her friend experience the thrill of muggle magic (if you will) brought so much joy to youngling! Another giggle as Etta nodded in agreement, this was certainly very entertaining and fun! She wondered if every muggle lesson would be like this in the future because she had a long list of movies to dive into and share with Ezra.“This is so much fun!” She mused.

Etta looked over at Ezra when he jumped a little, concerned the movie might be too scary for her friend but his smile was a relief. Etta shifted her attention to Ezra when he whispered.”I don’t want to spoil the movie but…” The youngling cryptically smirked.

As the movie progressed Etta squinted her eyes a bit. Either her astigmatism was getting worse or it was simply the low quality of the graphics. Her eyes narrowed and her jaw clenched at the displeasure she felt during the scene where Casper’s three mean uncles humiliated the poor ghost boy during breakfast and made him clean after them. ”Those meanies.” Etta whispered and frowned. But the frown didn’t last long because her smile grew once the female lead, Kat, stood up for Casper. Kat was amazing!

Zara was helping herself to the every-flavored beans while he talked, but she listened intently to the boy, nodding at his rules (such a Ravenclaw thing to establish) and then sticking out her hand.

"I agree to the rules, Mercer. I'm Zara, Zara Bunbury-Foster." She waited patiently for him to shake her hand. Was he going to rewind, by the way, to the part before he'd started his little lecture? She blinked innocently with this thought.

Mercer grunted in approval of her commitment to the rules AND her introduction. And perhaps her taste in snacks, since she was willing to gorge herself in the name of education. He even shook the offered hand before settling back into his squashy seat.

The movie continued on at a gangbusters' pace, all loud noises and quick dialogue that Mercer was sure he wasn't quite getting the gist of. Like, he understood the mechanics of the plot, but some of the personal dynamics (and all of the funny lines) were dropped too fast and were too Muggle-niche for him.

"Should I be taking notes?"

Sorry this took so long, guys <3
 

For the record, Solomon couldn’t place Ezra’s name either, so for that reason, remained relatively silent when he joined him and Aurora. He did offer a halfhearted smile, though. “Obviously.” He mumbled, at his question about Anna not being here. It was a little meaner and more sarcastic than Solomon was usually like, but he felt a bit snappy and hormonal today.

Returning his attention back to Aurora who was still her usual giggly and upbeat self, Solomon couldn’t help but cheer up a little. “You’ll have to let me try those one.” Or perhaps not, because she’d never get them back!

Aurora continued to chatter about elves and ice cream, Solly wasn’t listening too much, because he was quietly wondering why he was even here. He couldn’t be bothered to watch a kids movie about princesses. UGGGGGHHHHHHHH… “yeah, let’s wait inside.” He caught the tail end of what she was saying, but soon enough, Anna had arrived, which felt like a relief for him.

Her onesie made for a little distraction, but it did make Solly smirk, turning into wide eyes when he noticed the amount of pink in her cheeks. “Woah.” He was NOT intending to be rude, “Hi, you look… ready for this slumber party.” If that’s what they’d call it.

Their arms linked, Solly started the movement towards the theatre. Snacks? “Say no more, let go.” and get this over and done with.

Aryan! <3
 

Rude. She most certainly was right, all the time. Even when she wasn't. And it was Aryan's own fault for allowing her to always believe that she was right. The young boy had helped create a small monster. Not that Bryony minded at all, she loved getting her way constantly. Everything was right within the world as long as she was getting her way. But that wasn’t important right now. Sitting beside Aryan and watching The Neverending Story together was.

Ary would be correct. It was a touch too soon yet for her to be eating. Maybe in a few minutes when she settled down a little more. ”Is it yummy’s?” she couldn’t help but ask anyhow, casting her bestie a quick glance before all of her attention shifted right back onto the start of the movie.

Within the first few minutes of the movie, Bryony had pulled her legs up onto the seat she was sitting on, fixing her pretty dress around them. Another five minutes in and she was reciting random lines that young Bastian said. And by the time Bastian was reading from the book in the comfort of his home, Bryony had finally reached for a nacho to dip in some cheese. "Time for him to goes to Fantastic!"

Ezra's smile turned into a more quizzical one from the odd though quiet remark from the boy - Sal? Sam??? - but it lasted only a second since Aurora had answered him more fully. "Maybe," he agreed. It was possible Anna had gotten distracted to grab snacks for them, even if there were already some inside. He wouldn't say no to more food, after all.

But then, before he had a chance to respond further, Anna had appeared, looking a lot rosier than usual. A different look for her, but it was cute in a way. And Ezra was going to link his arm with hers, assuming that was what she was aiming for with the way she had it extended, but the other guy - whose name he really ought to remember but now it seemed weird to ask - had beaten him to it.

He felt a weird pang of annoyance at that, and his smile faltered briefly before returning to normal. "Yeah, we should be able to figure it out no problem." He'd only ever used discs to watch a film before, but it couldn't be that much different, right?

Either way, he followed his group inside.

Etta was really enjoying herself, this was by far very relaxing and enlightening. The youngling was thriving, sharing her knowledge of muggle artifacts and lingo to pair with Ezra. His enthusiasm was reassuring, she didn’t want to bore him or overwhelm him with information. Muggle technology was indeed very interesting and fun! Of course she could probably say the same for magical gadgets she still wasn’t very familiar with, which she really wanted to dive into and experience the inventions and creativity of both worlds. She was eager to connect with the magical part of herself that needed a lot of research. As for the vhs, she had some knowledge of it and didn’t mind discussing and sharing. ”I think VHS stands for video home system? I think.” She could have sworn she read it in her grandmother’s old VHS manual a couple years back.

The youngling also settled comfortably in her seat as she munched on her snacks and almost finished her slushie. As she finished the cold drink Etta shivered a bit from the cold and crossed her arms to keep herself warm as she enjoyed the movie.

Etta turned to Ezra and nodded, ”My eyes feel fuzzy.” She rubbed her eyes and smiled. Could be the film’s quality but she would take one for the team. Etta would make a mental note to inform her sister about possibly needing glasses just to be sure it was her sight and not the film. Shaking her head Etta smiled once again, ”I’m okay.” She reassured Ezra. He was so kind, she felt lucky to have a friend like him.

As the film progressed when Casper’s mischievous uncles poked fun at Kat’s grieving father’s jubilance to see his wife (who perished) once again, Etta frowned and shook her head. That was not very nice. But then Etta’s frown turned upside down when Kat attended her first day at the new school and Casper lingered in the background. A smirk formed on Etta’s lips when Casper tied Kat’s classmates' shoelaces together after the popular girl was being rude and unwelcoming. It was agreed that the Halloween party would be taking place in Kat’s haunted house and her classmates tripped when they stood up, causing Etta to cover her mouth as she giggled. The youngling found Casper’s eagerness and plea to Kat to allow him to attend the party, adorable and sad. The ghost boy understood why he couldn’t attend but he wanted to feel involved and possibly make more friends, something that resonated with Etta. When Casper went full superman mode and dragged Kat out of her room, flying her to the lighthouse nearby Etta smiled and nonchalantly whispered, ”I want to fly.”Afraid of height she was, but wanted to try it anyways.

Aurora didn’t have any issues with being stuck temporarily with two boys, mostly because she was oblivious to any form of tension that was happening between the pair. If she was aware she’d tell them off for being silly and suggest they all have a group hug. But luckily for the boys, the arrival of Anna somewhat squashed that idea and offered a welcome distraction.

Also dear Solomon she would be more than happy to lend over anything he asked for. Sharing was caring after all, like her idea for this movie which he’d be relieved was NOT your typical princess tale.

There was no fighting over arm looping from the Ravenclaw as she had obviously been chosen first. Also there was no judgement over Anna’s new found love of blush. “Ooooh! Did you get makeup for your birthday? Can I try some?” Her Mum’s hadn’t exactly encouraged the use of makeup yet although the idea of experimenting with it did fascinate her and the times that her sister had dolled her up did boost her self esteem.. not that it was exactly lacking in the first place. “You look so snuggly too!” she remarked, leaning into her bestie’s side to feel some of that soft fur from her onesie.

Into the movie theatre they skipped, Aurora’s left arm totally free if Ezra felt left out and needed one to hold too although he seemed to just follow along behind them. They could have done the Wizard of Oz skip in if he had joined but nevermind. As for knowing how to work this practically ancient technology? “Nope” she answered. “My Great Grandma watched films on discs.” Blu-Rays or something of the sort which just sounded like a species of fish to her uneducated mind.

Which meant she was completely relying on one of the boys to work it out as evidently the girls weren’t going to. “Do you just.. stick the tape thingy in that slot and it just.. works?” Muggles wouldn’t make it too complicated, would they?

Watching Phoebe carefully now with one as, her other clearly on the green ogre, Sloane couldn’t help but catch the smallest hint of hesitation on her face as if she were going to ask something and then decided not to. Some people might find this frustrating but not Sloane. Not because she didn’t care because she sort of did, it was just that she simply didn’t care enough to do it. Momentarily looking away from the TV, Sloane smiled back at Phoebe and replied back to her promise, “I’ll always be a good friend to you too.” She didn’t like promising things because she may need to break it for a good reason, but this one was fairly easy to keep. Being a good friend. Simple. Telling the truth, even if the person doesn’t want to hear it. Being brutally honest was one thing she could do.

Doing her best not to roll her eyes, Sloane settled for a small chuckle under her breath and continued to watch the movie. Leave it to Phoebe to not use magic when a situation clearly called for it. “No? What made you say that? Has someone told you that you talk a lot and are annoying?” but as she posed her question and looked over, Sloane’s eyes were met with a sleepy Phoebe. With a small smile, Sloane turned back to the movie and watched as Shrek went his journey to save Fiona and vanquish the evil Lord Farquaad. She was almost certain Phoebe would be asleep soon.

As she watched, she couldn’t help but see several comparisons to her family in Farquaad, which made his demise even more satisfying.

Stretching and yawning, Sloane slowly got to her feet quiety so as to not startle Phoebe. With a little nudge, Sloane whispered, “Phoebe? Phoebe? The movies over. It’s time to pack up and leave.”

It meant so much to Phoebe that Sloane promised to be a GOOD friend. It made her heart feel all warm inside and her eyes feel all wobbly, because nobody had ever promised her that before. She hadn't even thought to ask.

Phoebe felt all icky and slimy inside when she thought about being like the donkey. Nobody wanted the donkey around, at least at first. "Most people don't say it like that," she murmured sleepily. "But I can tell that- that...... ........ .......... I................zzzzz." She yawned and her eyes did not reopen for the rest of the movie. Her small face relaxed a little during her nap, and she almost smiled. Also she spilled her soda and popcorn on her blanket. Just a little.

She stirred awake when Sloane nudged her. "Wasn't sleeping," she mumbled. "Not... tired......" She yawned, then opened her eyes wide and sat upright. "Did we win? Did we beat lord something something?" This was VERY IMPORTANT. She stood up, collecting her trash so she could clean up before dealing with the tape.

Cutie pie! <3
 

Yes, hims! Maybe, he didn't give into her ALL of the time. But he did give her whatever she wanted a good amount of the time. Most everyone did. Correction, because she was his girlfriend. It was okay if he didn't want to say it out loud, she knew it was true.

"I will. I'll eat lots and lots." This was a promise. Only not right this very second. She had to get this movie rolling first. And it took a great deal to get properly settled in too. Everything had to be just so. Okay, not really but he knew how she was. Hmm? Oh... Ary was correcting her pronunciation. Anyone else would earn a frown from her but not him. "Sorry, Ary! I sometimes forget that it's different from the book. Cue some soft giggles and a bright smile directed at him anyhow.

Squeeeeeee! Lookit him goes! This was one of the bestest reasons Bryony loved having Ary for a movie buddy. She was more than content to allow him to voice any characters that he wanted. It was she however that would be playing the part of The Childlike Empress! It only made sense seeing as to how she was dressed up like her! Plus, he couldn't do all the voices himself.. where would the fun be in that?

Yesssssss, all the more reason to love this movie!!!

Her face was a bit flushed at the compliment, especially after he was even more direct with it after she had teased him. There was a pleased smile on her face. “Thank you.” It was still comfortable though too when he added a teasing qualifier, which she laughed at as she playfully rolled her eyes at him. “While you look good, that particular triumph belongs to Maria and Sia.” Well, actually he did deserve a fair amount of the credit as well. Not that she’d tell him she only started to care because she wanted to see if he’d notice her.

She listened to him behind her as she examined the VCR box, double checking the tape multiple times to make sure she was putting it in the right way, before carefully inserting it into the indicated slot in her notes and giving it a gentle push. There was no loud beeping or crunching noises of something being destroyed, and it seemed to accept it so… so far so good? At his question, she turned the movie box over in her hand to look at the hair before turning back to Logan, scrunching up her face as if she was actually considering it. “Hmm. No, I don’t think it’d suit you. I like the way you wear your hair now.” She was going to turn back to the task at hand, but hadn’t yet done so when he asked his next question - which certainly caused her face to burn a bit hotter. Had she been making this a little bit too much like a date which she had totally been calling it in her head? And maybe it wasn’t as welcomed as her brother had made her believe it would be? She eyed him curiously for a moment trying to decide if she was going to match the teasing tone or just… see what happened if she didn’t. “Maybe it is.” She settled on with a smile, no tease to her own tone before she turned back again to the machine.

Once he joined her at the machine, she glanced at the button he indicated before nodding her head once in agreement. That sounded about right to her. Reaching out, she tentatively pressed the indicated button - which was kind of an oddly placed triangle of sorts - and held her breath while waiting to see if any calamity followed.

Etta’s curious mind is always asking so many questions and searching for answers on the daily. The youngling had a mental list of all things magical she wanted to explore and experience. Sure, she struggled with anxiety and fear of the unknown, but that hasn’t hindered Etta’s mentality. She would definitely be looking to her dear friend, Ezra to help her. He had a brilliant mind and a heart of gold, that made Etta feel comfortable and trust him.

Rubbing her eyes, Etta shook her head, ”No, I’m alright. I think I need glasses.” She gave Ezra a reassuring smile. ”Thank you, Ezra.” For being so kind to her. Despite the blurry vision, the youngling was enjoying her favorite film!

Hearing Ezra’s response and offer to show her how to fly, Etta turned to him beaming and nodding excitedly. ”Yes please, I would really like that!” The youngling wasn’t going to let her fear of heights halt her from flying! It was certainly a skill she wanted to learn well!

The movie was exhilarating, the twist and turns in every scene was incredible. As Kat's father was changed back into human form with the aid of Casper, after changing into a ghost for a scene. Etta smiled fondly. Kat and her father had a wonderful relationship… and it made her sad in a way. How, Etta would have loved having a father. Someone who would hug her when she needed to feel loved and comforted, to have a father read her bedtime stories at night. A father to protect her and tell her everything’s going to be alright. That would have been nice. As the movie progressed it was now the scene of the Halloween party and Etta knew her favorite scene was coming soon. Sipping the last bit of her melted slushie, she sighed contentedly. Kat’s angelic mother gave Casper the gift of his human form for an hour so he could join Kat and the partygoers. The youngling felt her heart flutter a bit, had Casper always been this…handsome? As, now human, Casper led a very bewildered Kat to the dance floor and whispered in her ear ”can I keep you…” Etta beamed! What a beautiful friendship, she thought to herself. When Casper’s time was up he reluctantly changed back into his ghost form. Thus the partygoers booking it out of the haunted house in horror! Etta giggled and giggled some more when the three uncle’s (having a slight change of heart towards the humans) popped in to play their musical instruments and continue the party between them. Kat and father boogied to the music and soon the ending credits were rolling in. Etta cheerfully applauded! ”So, what did you think?” She smiled at Ezra, hoping he enjoyed the movie as much as she did.

The boy who will eventually realize how wrong he is! <3
 

Uh-huh, she is! It's not her fault he's just too silly and stubborn to realize that it's been this way for ages and ages already. He need not worry though, when he finally did come to realize it, she would be there to tell him 'I told you so'. Those nachos were going to be eaten shortly, lots and lots and LOTS of them. She was starting to get hungry. "It's silly that they's do that. It makes it to confusings. She didn't agree with it either!

Those parts were some of her favorites too! These were the moments that were easiest to munch on nachos and cheese and take big sips of drink as she cheered on the characters. Each time that Falkor came onto the screen, Bryony would sit up on her knees on her seat and lift her stuffed Falkor into the air wiggling him around (he was excited to see himself on the big screen!) When Falkor in the movie flew through the sky on screen, Bry's stuffie Falkor flew through the air too.. by means of her pretending that he could! All the while she was giggling up a storm.

Those giggles were quick to fade when young Atreyu and Artax came to the Swamps of Sadness. This was a terrible part. It wasn't fair that Artax couldn't make it out, that the Swamps made him much too sad. The small blonde didn't even need to look over at Aryan to know he was upset too and without a thought she was reaching out for him. Silent hugs were needed, as always, because even though they had seen this movie a zillion and one times... this was the worstest part.

If she was going to be upset about anything in a movie, this was a great reason right here.

He had way more influence on her than she cared to admit or hoped that he noticed. The blushes weren't something she could hide, but the extra time every morning getting ready before she left her dorms, more of her time being spent in the common room where she could more easily be found (just in case), all of that she hoped had gone by unnoticed. Vasco might have said Logan was interested, but it was intimidating showing anything near to an amount of how much she was before she fully saw it for herself. Which was extra why she liked the compliments here and there. And the way they interacted was definitely different than it had been before. "I suppose after years of hearing you say it, it was bound to influence me at some point."

Managing to render Logan speechless was certain an accomplishment she hadn't been expecting to have success with. Not that she'd been trying to. In fact, she'd been more hoping to hear what he would have to say in response but as he returned her smile she figured that was the most she was getting. Which… considering it was Logan, that probably said more than words could have - but she'd over analyze on that later.

Especially because there was a machine to figure out now. Watching the screen, her puzzlement matched his, as she tilted her head as she watched all of the words. From the movies she'd seen, this looked like the ending … not the beginning.

Vera didn't make any move to change her position in front of the machine when he got closer. Also staring at all of the buttons, before her eyes flicked to the screen when he pushed one. It definitely was doing the rewinding thing but… they could see the picture which seemed like a massive spoiler. "I think we should try stopping it first and then hit that button again? Then we won't see the movie backwards." She reached out to do just that, pressing the square to make the screen go black before nudging him gently. "Could you press that button again?" The one he'd just done a second ago.

He who is the bestest! <3
 

Exactly. It wasn't right. Bryony could understand how sometimes certain things may have to be changed like a color or maybe the breed of animal or something but the name of a place? No, that should be left alone in her opinion.

Sorry, not sorry. This was simply how she was. Now had Aryan said something to her about it, well, perhaps she may have attempted to settle down but he never really did. It wasn't really her fault that she couldn't sit statue-like still for the entirety of a movie. That was a seriously long time!

Bry did her best not to squish Ary in a hug and keep it gentle. This was a movie they had seen many times, they knew what was going to happen. The hand pat was much appreciated however and the small first year even went as far as flipping her hand over so that she could lightly hold onto his hand for a a couple of minutes as the movie continued to play. During those minutes she was surprisingly calm in her seat, watching the screen and munching on nachos and cheese.

Atreyu and Falkor were going to go find Bastian now!

Sometimes, Sloane couldn’t help but try to fix the world. Maybe it was because of the way her brothers would always protect her from things, or at least try to protect her, that it made want to protect others from pain. Sitting there with a small, sleepy Phoebe, it was hard not to try and protect her from people who were unnecessarily mean. One thing that she’d also learned was that people also need to learn how to stand up for themselves.

“You were sleeping…and drooling,” she teased with a small smile across her lips. “and yes, the world was saved by the donkey, the princess and the ogre.” Collecting her own blanket, Sloane made a move to go and rewind the tape, ready for the next person who wanted to watch it. “So, onto Shrek 2?” she joked, not putting the tape back into the box it came in.

Bronwen! <3
 

After she had finished signing in, Alissa waited a moment for Bronwen to sign in herself before she made her way into the theater room. First impression? Definitely had a very theater feel, though smaller than the actual muggle theaters she had been in of course. It was nice and cozy, perfect for a two person movie watch.

"I still don't understand why we have to watch a VHS," she commented aloud to Bronwen. "I know it's muggle studies but even muggles don't use them these days. Wouldn't we want to know what muggles are doing currently?" As she spoke she wandered over to the shelf of VHS tapes. There was a large selection there, presumably the choices from the other students. Some pretty good choices there. Her eyes passed over them until they landed on the one she was looking for: The Princess Diaries. She hadn't seen it before but based on the description she was really looking forward to it. Secret princesss? Sign her up.

Ronnie took her time signing in - she didn't want to spell her name wrong (it wouldn't have been the first time) and once she was finished dotting her i's and crossing her t's she walked over to where Alissa stood waiting.

"I don't get it either," she admitted honestly. "Plus, if I want to watch a movie, I'd just go to the cinema." She and her sibcousins went to the movies sometimes while the mums were out doing gigs. It got kind of boring watching the same shows over and over again, so they liked an outing when they could get one.

She was, however, eager to see what this movie was all about. It sounded like a good one, so that was promising! "So. Do you remember how we're supposed to set it up?" Because academia wasn't B's strong suit and maybe she hadn't retained as much as she should have. She could TOTALLY be on snack duty though. Looked like there were a lot of good treats to munch on while watching.

Alissa thought it was fun how Bronwen said the cinema. She would just call it a movie theater. Was cinema a British thing or just a fancy thing? She'd definitely heard the word even before moving, she just didn't know anyone who actually called it that. It did sound much fancier. "Right! Though someone does it for you there so I suppose it wouldn't be much of an assignment."

"I do! I brought a notebook!" She held up the little journal in her hand. She'd brought it for several reasons. First and foremost because she had jotted notes about the VHS player in preparation for the assignment. She'd also looked over her notes and the textbook just to be as prepared as she could be so she did remember the process and didn't necessarily need the notes, but it was better to be safe than sorry. The other reason was so that she could take notes throughout the movie if she felt like it. If any ideas for fanfiction struck her while watching she'd be able to jot them down. "There's a button here that we press to turn it on. And then we just slide the tape in this slot here."

Had she noticed the forced nature of the chuckle, she would have felt bad for her comment. She had merely meant that after years hearing him talk about how attractive he was she’d have to believe it at some point. Though, his own remarks certainly were not what had made her agree - it had been for some time now that she’d also thought him to genuinely be good looking. As for his previous remarks? They were all water under the bridge now with the changes to their dynamic. Merlin knew she’d made her own comments she no longer agreed with, and had a nickname for him as well that she’d long since abandoned.

Perhaps the silence was weird simply because she’d expected he would have had something to say, whether it be another tease or… well she didn’t know what else. But as there was nothing, she let it go for the time being as well. Having properly stopped the movie and started rewinding, she laughed at his next comment, giving an exaggerated toss of her hair over her shoulder. “I’m glad you’re finally starting to appreciate me.” She teased.

She listened to the sound of the humming of the machine, waiting for it to give a loud noise to signify that it was done and ready to be played from the beginning this time. Hearing the sound cease, she was surprised how quick that had actually gone but didn’t have time to comment on it before the screen started to show a photo and Logan was grabbed her hand to pull her back towards their seats. Her cheeks reddened a bit again, but she didn’t give any resistance as she followed him back, taking her spot when they got back and refocusing on the screen as the girl began to speak. “Did we inadvertently pick something Shakespearan?” She asked him, still whispering as if her speaking out loud would disturb anyone else other than just them. She wasn’t very good at understanding the language used in Romeo and Juliet and the like so if they had… this was going to go poorly for her. Except, it was quickly revealed the girl seemed to be practicing for some type of speech as her manner of talking changed and Ve was able to let out a breath of relief. “Oh good.”

Zara thought it was quite funny. She liked how the kids just had all this freedom to do whatever the heck they wanted, plus their utterly gullible belief that they would be able to find a buried treasure... well who knew, maybe they would.

"Yes, you totally should," she whispered back to the Ravenclaw, recoiling a bit toward him as the misshapen kid (Sloth?? Wasn't that an animal?) appeared on the screen. Ewwww. Yuck She felt quite bad for whoever had gotten THAT part. It was almost as bad as being named Chunk.

Vera herself would have called anyone who even suggested this as a possibility off their rocker. There was no way at 11 she would have assumed she and Logan could have been cordial towards each other. She especially would not have guessed she’d ever want to be in proximity with him. And yet she certainly found enough excuses to do so now - this event being one of those. They probably should have brought along Sia and Vasco too, the crew, but she hadn’t suggested it and she’d been a bit pleased when he hadn’t either.

While she never would have admitted to liking Logan’s company, even back then, it’s true she had enjoyed it as well. When they were both separated from Vasco, it was nice still having him to explore with and get into mischief together on the times they couldn’t find and include their Ravenclaw in common. And she clearly had enjoyed being around him enough that everyone seemed to notice too, considering the amount of rumors and questions she’d gotten from second year on. For a brief moment, she wondered if anyone had ever asked HIM about them too and what his answers would have been. “I didn’t mind bratty you, even though I thought I did. But i think I like nice you better. You’re far more complimentary.” She replied, a small giggle accompanying her words.

She watched the screen as well, but also busied herself with getting properly comfy so she could enjoy the movie when it started to get good. Which did include pulling the blanket over her legs and resting her hands on top of it, and also pulling her popcorn and the box of sweets she’d made closer as well, opening it up and situating it so it was easy for him to reach too if he wanted. She nodded at his question, her eyes still on the screen. “Yeah, like the plays with all the really old timey sounding monologues.” She tried to search her mind for examples, her eyes closing for a second to help her focus. “Like… Hamlet, or Macbeth or Romeo and Juliet.” She was pretty sure they’d briefly talked about at least one at some point in drama.

While the front of the box had looked amusing, she was entirely unimpressed with the characters so far. Though Vera would settle on horrified over restless. How could the mother leave the dog out in the cold? And what was this girl’s deal with the poor baby? “Why isn’t she picking him up? I don’t have a ton of experience with babies but I feel like she should be picking him up.” The girl’s brother was crying and she was … yelling at him? Vera would not be handing this ‘Sarah’ any sibling awards, that was for sure. And then as the girl started monologuing herself, talking about some goblin king or… whatever, the screen suddenly shifted into showing weird creatures with bulging eyes and she shifted back into her seat in surprise. “What were those?” Listen, she knew there were puppets in the movie. But she didn’t know they’d look like… that.

Her questions had been more direct of 'Are you dating', which had always been resounding no's. The questions of did she like Logan had always been not as resolute or she'd avoid the question in itself. But yes, her sister and her brother had definitely been ones she'd spoken with about it. Though she had no knowledge of either of them having talked to him. And Bryony? She'd thus far been spared the questions from the youngest Paton. Though in truth, she probably wouldn't have suspected the petite blond having any desire to ask regardless.

Clearly, she had asked for that behavior, so Vera didn't even bother to pretend to be annoyed as he nabbed a few sweets. Truthfully, she'd made them specifically for him so her taking one was more of a theft. Not that she'd informed her companion of that. When he swiped at the blanket though, she did laugh with a soft "Hey!" As she grabbed for her snacks to make sure they didn't make a massive mess. Leaving the place clean was definitely on Feigrund's list of requirements for the assignment. With the extra length he'd taken from it, she was left a little uncovered on the opposite side, but that gave her more of an excuse to scoot closer, her arm now brushing against his from the proximity, and adjust over her legs again.

She didn't disagree that it was better to get to the point. This girl definitely was very wordy, and with no book on front of her Vera was a bit confused as to how she had managed to concoct some type of story that also managed to provide results that she only... Half wanted? But just continuously talking. She somehow knew about the Goblin King but not that he'd actually show up? She would have also agreed getting to more action would be better. The main character was already annoying her.

"Oh thank MERLIN." She exclaimed when the girl finally picked the little boy up, though she was certainly anything but comforting. Her annoyance only grew so suddenly the additional goblin scenes were welcomed ones. "I.... Think so? It's hard to tell because we know what they SHOULD look like. Also ... Why are the goblins weird looking little things but the king looks like just a good looking dude?" Seemed like goblin king was not actually a goblin and just taking advantage of the little guys. #JusticeforGoblins. At Logan's comment, she joined his laughter and gently poked his side. "I don't know, I think you should still test it. I think maybe we found your Halloween costume for next year." She got distracted by the movie then as scenery suddenly kept changing and they went from bedroom to what appeared to now be the labyrinth and then she was just.... Walking. It was all a bit confusing, so the lioness zoned for a minute, instead peeking over to see Logan's reactions to whatever seemed to be going on. It was only when she heard.... Singing that her eyes went back again. It kind of seemed like song was meant to cheer up the kid, or perhaps that was her bias speaking. "Is it just me or is he better with the baby than the drama queen? Maybe he should stay with goblins."

A notebook? That made one of them. "Alissa, you're a god send!" Taking notes wasn't something Ronnie did regularly. She never had to worry about taking notes before Hogwarts. Her tutors always had handouts ready for her. It was a way more efficient system, as B often found herself drawing in the margins rather than focusing on writing down what was most important.

"That sound easy enough," she beamed as she stepped towards the machine and lowered herself down to her knees. She pressed the button to boot up the machine. Wow! It lit up so fast, that was unexpected. This thing looked like a total dinosaur, so Bronwen was thinking it'd likely move as slow as one too.

.... Or were dinosaurs fast?

"You should do the honors!" Of putting the tape in, that is.

"M'not drooling," Phoebe mumbled, wiping drool off her face and smoothing her hair like a small child taking an hours-long nap and not being sure what day it is. "Okay... only a little bit." She turned slightly pink and laughed at how silly she looked, which was rare for Phoebe. Phoebe didn't laugh often and almost never at herself. But she had lightened up a bit after her nap, so she made a little exception.

"Good. Shrek, Fiona, and even the donkey were so much better than lord... fartquads? I hated that guy. Because-" Here, Phoebe went on a long tangent about all the things she didn't like about Farquaad. "-and he's so mean! That's why I want to put him in a volcano." Phoebe felt VERY strongly about this, ok.

After throwing out her trash, Phoebe walked over to where Sloane was handling the movie. "Are we allowed to watch two if we put them both back?" Phoebe wanted to watch Shrek 2! ............She also wanted to watch Shrek 1 because she had no idea what happened while she was asleep.

Her very own Atreyu! <3
 

Whether he was used to it or not, Bry really was thankful for how patient he always was with her. Even when she was 'freaking out' over absolutely nothing. Those insane tantrums of hers weren't the way they used to be but her happiness sure was an entirely different story.

Yup! For those that didn't have a clue on her favorites in the movie... Ahem. Bry was more than happy to remind Aryan of the very happy and healthy Artax that he had at home on the reserve. He could just think of him and smile.

As per usual, the little blonde giggled at her besties imitation of Falkor. "It's never good when they get separated but at least it doesn't last too long." she much enjoyed with Falkor and Atreyu were together. Bry was wiggling in her seat when the childlike empress came onto the screen. "Now to they find a human child to give her a name and save Fantasia!"

"I'm just prepared. And I like notebooks." This one was patterned with sunflowers. A notebook with fun patterns made you more excited about writing in it, even if the things you were writing were not as exciting, like class notes.

To be honest, Alissa was also expecting the machine to be slower. And maybe make a lot of noise like it was working hard. But it seemed to respond quickly and easily when Bronwen pressed the button. That was a good sign, though. It meant they weren't likely to have any issues like random pausing while watching the movie. When it was on, she removed the VHS from its case and slid it into the slot. It took just a moment to load, and then picture displayed on the screen and sound started playing from the sound system.

"Looks like it's working! We could use the fast forward button to skip the commercials, or we could use this time to grab some snacks before it gets to the actual movie."

Her Bestie for Life! <3
 

While Logan would have been right and Vasco did not say much, he was probably the one who had said the most to her. Once blessing had been given for the feelings she’d been trying to not have, he’d encouraged that he thought they were probably reciprocated - though she still didn’t know how sold she was on that. There were moments when she thought maybe, but there were other moments as well that told her it just as easily could have been Sia or someone else that had his attention. Anna had been another one who had been very open with her opinion on both sides of potential feelings, and while she had been embarrassed beyond belief at the note - she also knew it came from a place of excitement and caring and not malice so it was, in a way, endearing.

Her reaction had been exaggerated in the sense that yes, she really didn’t need to be that close. But it would be weirder to move now, wouldn’t it? Not to mention there was the fact that… she just didn’t really want to.

“Muggles have weird imaginations. They think goblins look like puppets?” She made another face, shaking her head. The movie in general felt very much like it could have been created by someone with some type of relation to the Wizarding world. 1) Goblins being included at all, as she didn’t think they were a super popular topic for fantasy movies. 2) The goblin King and his relationship to the goblins felt similar to some house elf/wizard family relationships 3) She might have been mistaken, but she was fairly certain that they’d called Hoggle ‘Hogwart’ a couple of times. Coincidences? Maybe. But also maybe not. Logan’s snort drew her from her thoughts and she giggled again, imagining him dressed as Goblin King with his hair grown out waaaay longer.

She was almost annoyed with the fact she was fairly certain that song would be running through her head for the next couple of days. It was definitely on the catchy side, and one of those that could probably end up as an earworm that just couldn’t be gotten rid of. “It does sound pretty good. Do you think though he’s trying to cast a spell like to make the puppets dance? Like the Imperius curse? Or is the dance they’re doing supposedly magical and he’s just… lamenting on that.” Whichever way, it was kind of weird in the idea - but it was making the baby in the scene laugh so she was still all for it. “I think Hoggle is starting to grow on me. He’s clearly looking out for number one however he needs to but… I could relate to selling my morals for jewelry.” The last part was a joke… kind of.

Bestest of the best! <3
 

The most patient and loyal. No one else could ever compare. Had the Sorting Hat gone and placed Ary in Hufflepuff, well.. the hat would've had a small issue with its choice for her then. It wasn't like she had demanded to be placed in the same house, she hadn't. But tantrums would've been thrown if things hadn't gone the way they had. No sense in worrying about it now though cause all that was done and well. Oi! No reminders were needed of that, please and thanks. She still wasn't thrilled with the move that had taken her further away from him.

Oops! Sorry, Aryan! Bry gave him an apologetic sweet smile. In all honesty, sometimes she really did forget just how loud she could be. But he saw it too, all her fussing and loudness at the screen had worked! Obviously (not really as the movie would've clearly played out the same without all of her screaming). As everything in Fantasia was restored to how it was all meant to be, Bryony gently swung their clasped hands back and forth a little, a huge bright smile on her face.

"They's did it, Ary!" The blonde giggled happily, making her Falkor plushie dance on her lap and then his (carefully cause he had food still!).

She speaks the truth! <3
 

Indeed. Little Miss Bryony had noticed his discomfort. The older she gets, the better she got at that. Taking note of all the things that bothered Ary, that is. So her apology, even if it wasn't necessary was a form of growth on her part. Bry giggled happily, nodding her head in agreement. "Uh-huh!" That was why she liked it so much. It had a great ending. Everything is okay in the movie world now. "I cans do that. You take Falkor and hims can help you."

Once Aryan had completed all his stretching, Bry held Falkor out to him for him to take with him in exchange for all the items she would be tossing into the trash. With their now empty drink cups, containers of nachos and cheese (all which were empty), she got to her own feet and headed for the trash bins. Dropping everything into the bin, she did a little twirl to look around the area checking to ensure that everything was indeed cleaned up nicely.

She skipped her way back towards Ary in order to meet him half way. "Ready." Her little hand slipped into his, as always, so they could leave the room together. Ary was welcome to continue holding onto Falkor if he wanted to.

Despite the hesitancy she was having about nearly all of the characters of this movie thus far, it was entertaining and Vera was having a hard time not being drawn into it. She was acutely aware of how close they were, but it was comfortable - it felt right, in a sense. So it was easy to just get used to it in a way and enjoy the closeness. Except when he moved, it did catch her notice, the sudden lose of warmth caused the slightest frown. She had a fraction of a moment to consider if this was a rejection of sorts and if she should move as well, except before she could do so he was close again, but this time his arm behind her. Frown was gone, as it felt like billywigs were suddenly floating around her stomach. She didn't want to alarm him by drawing too much attention to the movement, but she also wanted to give some encouragement as she shot a quick smile Logan's way before adjusting in the new position to get comfortable.

It took a minute to find her previous train of thought again on the movie as her eyes focused on it once more. Whatever else she could have said about or in defense of the goblins was all but forgotten, but she was able to jump back on about the odd song and dance scene. (which as much as she was picking at it, she did probably enjoy it the most so far.) "How could I have forgot Tarantallegra! That would make sooo much sense!" it certainly made more sense than just... the desire to sing and dance all the time for no reason. Although, perhaps they'd all had their juices spiked with a potion that created the same thing?

... Or maybe she was also thinking way too much magic in a muggle movie.

The hands were pretty creepy, if one asked her. The way they formed different faces when they were talking. She wasn't sorry to see that scene end, even if once more it left her to marvel for a moment at the oddity of it having been included at all. Hearing Logan's response to her comment certainly piqued her curiosity - but she decided to not take it too seriously, instead matching his tone in her own response. "What can I say, I'm a simple girl. It's much easier to not overthink when it comes to me." Which his comment almost insinuated to her that's what he was doing, though that could have perhaps been more hopeful than anything else.

She was unsurprised to see Hoggle bounce once more, but then there was a giant furry addition to the cast. At least the Sarah girl had the good sense to show some compassion to a creature. Though any goodwill she might have garnered from the brunette viewer was gone again when she shoved the ring back into the poor doors mouth. Couldn't she have knocked and then removed the ring again when it opened?

It was definitely true so much thought didn't need to be had about the movie, but at the same time because it was an assignment and she was trying really hard to actually care this year, she was perhaps going at it a little analytically. Or maybe that was just her most recent curse - overthinking everything, which she had definitely heard her twin tell her was the case once or twice. Though she'd probably heard she was thoughtless more often.

A curse they were both ailed with then it seemed, though Vera had no knowledge of outside commentary from their mutuals, though she would have agreed. But she also wasn't any better. It wasn't like she'd made an outright poignant move either. She hadn't told him anything about her own feelings either. The idea of rejection, despite others insistence it wouldn't be the case, was scary.

Not being plagued with that current line of thought however, Vera did laugh when heads started to be thrown. And as Hoggle appeared to save the day, she felt a bit of surprise - until of course it was revealed that was absolutely a betrayal. The whole story was suddenly very Snow White and she would have rolled her eyes if it weren't for the welcome distraction of her name. Turning her attention to him, her head tilted slightly in question. "Yeah?"

As he seemed to struggle with whatever it was he wanted to say, she became more and more curious, the noise in the background from the movie hardly even registered to her. It was perhaps a good thing anyways she missed the montage on the screen, as it went from Forest, to ballroom, to junkyard to... maybe Sarah's room? And then back to junkyard again. The strange sequencing would have just confused her entirely. Besides, he was a much more welcome distraction than the film.

Especially as he never actually finished his sentence, and while she was still staring and waiting to hear what he wanted to know, she was instead suddenly distracted when his lips were against hers. She had noticed him moving forward, but she hadn't registered what was happening until it did. Not that she was complaining, actually the opposite as she couldn't help the slight smile against his lips before she returned the kiss, briefly, before pulling back so she could fully grin at him. "I'm glad I wasn't the only one who wanted to do that." She commented softly. The group on screen was now at a large door, which the brunette didn't even look over to register.