Oct. 18: Walk Upon The Clouds: Ana/Open

[James Potter]

▶︎ and i'm not perfect, they say

but i know that i was born to be loved

common room party following the victorious gryffindor v. slytherin match

Posting Order: James + Ana + Hestia + Doc + ...

James Potter's world couldn't be much better than it was that night.

He was fresh off the pitch after flying away with a win for his team, the first of the season, and he was as proud of the players as if he was Captain himself. He knew that as sweet as this victory was for him, it must be a hundred times more so for their team. They had rallied, each of them unwilling to give any Slytherin even a taste of victory. It made the win more satisfying than it already would've been, the passion their House was insulted for - by misunderstanding parties - coming into good use.

The full moon was only a few nights away, and this was the second he and the boys spent out with Moony in the Forest in their animagi forms. He had high hopes for it - maybe they'd run into the centaur colony, wouldn’t that be something?! He and the others had communicated well enough to each other while transformed, but could they pull off having an exchange with the creatures - while they had the classification of Beast, having refused Being since the offer wasn’t extended to merpeople, they spoke. Did they communicate in other ways previously unknown to humans? Could the marauders' exploits lead to a new discovery? One that they’d have to keep mum about, since they couldn't exactly say they found out while traipsing around as unregistered animagi and werewolf, but…

Classes and friends, even with it being their O.W.L. year and Remus' time bogarted by prefect duties, they were good. He'd only really been in one argument this term about not having his head on straight, and he was planning to put that to rights soon. If he didn't, he’d have an irate lioness and a disappointed badger on his hands, and James didn't want either. For of very much importance in making his world better was taking a step forward with Anastasia Savage. The younger Hufflepuff had spent an awful lot of time in their common room this year, and he'd thought it was because she was pals with Mary, and he liked having her around, swapping stories and jests and swearing on ridiculous things to never give up their team's Quidditch secrets. It wasn't as if she'd come out of the blue -their shared youth at the Quidditch Academy made them anything but strangers, even if they'd been put in different Houses. The girl never failed to put a smile to his face, whether it was something tiny like fixing her bangs if they got wonky or seeing her start to glow when speaking of a passion of her own, and after the not-so-gentle nudge from his Housemate, he'd begun paying better attention.

”Heavens’ sake, James - she is a goddess among us, and she fancies you. You may act it sometimes, but I know you’re not daft, and you’re especially not daft enough to let her pass you by. Which she will, unless you get a move on.”

And so maybe he'd noticed how the beauty laughed a little harder at his jokes than she did at those of others', and smiled his way more often, and blushed sometimes when he spoke right to her, and…

So what’s taken you so long?

    Scared because you’ve never asked a girl out before? You run with a werewolf. It’s Ana.

So - what? Flattered and caught off guard? Don't think you feel the same?

    No, no - she's amazing...

As natural as it seemed to come to some of his brethren, and as confident as he generally was, asking Ana out would be a first. The fifth year entered the common room with the team to a commendable roar suitable to their sigil; it wasn't long before he had two drinks in hand and was trying to be taller than he was in order to spot the badger in the lion's den...

[Anastasia Savage]

Jiving her way around the Gryffindor common room, Ana laughed joyously as people celebrated around her. She had gotten dragged into a circle of dancers almost as soon as she had entered and now she just couldn't stop. She wanted to find Guin to congratulate her, and Mary just to hug her neck, but Daisy was holding one of her hands and Hes was holding the other and they were spinning and dancing and the Hufflepuff could do not but laugh. Honestly, she couldn't remember the last time she had been in such a light mood. Lately, her mind had been plagued with the cliche 'he loves me, he loves me not' and she hadn't been her usual self. That had all changed though when she had popped her eyes open this morning.

Ana jumped out from beneath her warm covers and rushed over to her best friend's bed. It was early her body told her, having been trained to tell the time of day by sense alone, it knew she had another good hour of snoozing but Ana's mind had other ideas. "Hes!" she had said excitedly, climbing into the warmth of the other girl's bed, feeling completely alive and alert. "I'm just going to do it." she said boldly, barely registering if the girl was properly awake yet. "Je ne peux pas être sûr - but, anyway, the point is, I'm just going to ask him out. Maybe he will say no, I'm not sure if he is really into me, like as much as I am him but I don't know...I think he might say yes. Even if he doesn't, I have to know."

So now she wasn't stressed at all about James Potter, she had decided. And that was most of the battle, the rest would be out of her control. If he wasn't into her in that way, well, it was better to know now than agonize over it further. But...Mary had given her some confidence that he probably wouldn't, that maybe, he liked her too. She had been a bundle of excitement all day, half for the game: Quidditch was like, her life's blood, obviously. And half because of her revelation. Even though she wasn't playing in today's game, she was still invested, all games mattered. Besides, she had so looked forward to watching James play...and he had not disappointed. Still, no matter the outcome of the game -though it was a favorable one for most with Gryffindor having nabbed the win- she had her decision in mind.

What could only be described as a roar -appropriate to this houses sigil- rose up around the room and Ana stopped dancing with everyone else to cheer. Being taller than most, Ana could easily see what had caused the commotion and she smiled broadly, James. Some of her confidence slipped at that moment as he was accosted by so many people upon his entry: he was so cool, and popular, and a year older, and they hadn't really spoken much in the past week or so, and what if he said no. He had been pretty worried over Dorcas Meadows when she had landed in the hospital wing, maybe he was into her. Who wouldn't be? Stop it. she scolded herself. Ana wasn't that girl; she was sure of her feelings and nothing would do but to be sure of James' too.

Pulling on her confidence again she pushed through the crowd, smiling and hugging people she knew and politely refusing a number of drinks. Then she was there, and he was there, and she smiled, a blush creeping into her cheeks. "Hi." she said stupidly. Ana bit her lip, shoved her hands in the back pocks of her jeans and glanced around the crowded room. Gryffindor victory parties were legendary for a reason. It was a great canopy of ruckus and no-one was really paying attention to her or her lame attempts at being suave. "Bien joué, James." she tried again, looking back into his kind eyes -they were almost the exact same height, he maybe she had him by a half-inch...inch at the most, so it was easier to meet his eye than most others- much more pleased to hear her voice sounded normal and back to its happy self. "Eh, tu étais incroyabl- I mean," Focus, girl. This could be your shot. Say something he can understand. "You were incredible out there. Really well played. I was rooting for you the whole time, I knew you guys would win."

*Je ne peux pas être sûr - I can't be sure.

**Bien joué - Good game.

***Tu étais incroyabl - You were unbelievable.

[James Potter]

He realized his mistake as soon as Ana found him.

Shite, you’re such an idiot. She doesn’t drink, not really. And you can’t hug her or anything, carrying these!

While James had assumed that the drinks would ease them into a bit of conversation, as he'd so often seen them help people out in the Tower, the last thing he wanted was for Ana to think he was pressuring her into something she didn't want to engage in. Would hardly bode well for the start of a relationship - hell, it could even kill that before they began! So while he returned that sweet smile of hers, giving an uncommonly high-pitched "Hi!" right back, he swiftly pressed the cups into the hands of a classmate passing by. He cleared his throat in a bit of panic, sending out a prayer to Merlin that his voice wouldn't betray him any more tonight. Smooth.

The Hufflepuff started speaking French to him, and while he didn't truly understand any of the words besides his name - which, by-the-by, she could say with that accent as much as she wanted - her meaning was clear. Her smile, her tone, her everything, was complimentary. Could he be blamed for eating it up? And she was absurdly beautiful - he felt like a bum in his sweats, and regretted not freshening up before arriving. "Thanks, Ana," James returned with a grin reminiscent of the one he wore when his throw of the Quaffle brought success. "I could feel you were out there cheering, it totally helped. Maybe not my focus," he teased, "but my determination to bring home the win, for sure. I'm - er - I'm glad you're here, been wanting to talk with you. And, can I just say, je te trouve belle,*" he said confidently; and while he hoped he hadn't butchered the pronunciation, for Sirius had been drilling helpful phrases into his mind for the last few days and would find it all too hilarious if he misspoke in a language the girl was fluent in, in case he had, he went on in a more familiar, "I mean, I think you look great. Do you have a minute?"

*I find you beautiful

[Anastasia Savage]

Was this really happening?

Was he flirting with her?

Sure, she had hoped for this reception, but to have it actually happening had the most ridiculous smile plastered to her face and she just knew she looked like a complete fool. A girl couldn't help it though, not when faced with the charm of James Potter. They had had few moments for this with everything going on in the past week or so but looking back she remembered that their encounters had all been pleasant and yes, a little flirty. At least on her part. But this was slightly different. He was telling her he could feel her there in the stands cheering him on, how she made it hard for him to focus, but she also made him want to win that much more. And when he threw in a line of French? He found her beautiful! Had he been practicing for her? No matter how choppy it sounded to her ears, her heart found it beautiful. That's when she knew for sure: She was done for.

His voice brought her back and she smiled stupidly. "Merci, James. You look great too." Really great. His question though, threw her into a moment of shock, mixed with a healthy amount of fear. He wanted to speak with her. What if he wanted to make it clear he didn't like her? Let her down easy as the saying went. This could be it, she could get her chance now to let him know how she felt; that was scary, no matter how confident in her feelings she felt. Mustering up some boldness, Ana reached out and slid her hand into his now empty one, appreciating his divesting of his two drinks. Better for her that he be sober for this anyway. "Sure." she said with a nod to a spot along the wall, next to the heavily draped window, that was vacant and out of the way.

Leading him away she glanced around the room, looking for Mary, but found that she couldn't spot her. She did noticed that some people were looking their way. Ana took a deep breath, tuning them all out as best she could as she saddled up to the wall. Regretfully she released his hand, folded her arms against her body, and braced herself for what she about to do. "James, there's som-" Ana came up short, years of proper training rearing its ugly head. She was being rude. She was nearly bursting to confess her secret, to just get it out there. To tell him that she liked him and ask him to go to Hogmead with her. But he had been the one to ask her for a moment so, she held back a little longer. She regarded him expectantly, genuinely wanting to know what he had to say. "Forgive me, I'm getting away from myself. Did you want to speak with me?"

*Merci - Thank you

[James Potter]

No one had ever smiled at him the way that Anastasia Savage currently was.

As James knew well enough that she was not one to hide or fake her emotions, his confidence felt rather bolstered, even though he was fairly certain his best mate had led him astray at the French pronunciation. That smile of hers Disapparated upon his question, though, and his confidence took the brunt of the blow. Was this what it was like before a relationship actually started? Hopes getting jostled around this way and that, overanalyzing every minute spent with the person you were attracted to? His peers willingly put themselves into the throes, and he could understand it in a way; knowing he had someone out in the stands cheering just for him, someone to hold hands with in the hall and tease and laugh with... Ana - she was a friend and an opponent on the pitch, someone his parents knew and a girl he thought he truly could fall for.

There really was something to lose here if Mary was bored, lied to him, and wanted to stir sh*t up. 

Merlin be thanked, though, because Ana took his hand in her own and led him away from the main part of the gathering. He breathed out as much of that overthinking as possible as he walked with her, not much a fan of that particular bit of this new endeavor. She's going to say yes. You know she will. Mary might be bored, but she wouldn't be pushing so hard if this didn't matter to Ana. You've got this.

Ana took a spot on the wall and took her hand from his, wrapping her arms around her middle, and he did what he could to use the jabber around them as white noise. Yes, he had no doubt that people were looking. Yes, he had no doubt that bets were being placed now on what was about to happen. But that didn't really matter, did it? Because she was talking, then stopping herself, and he had to smile.

"C'mon, Ana - you don't have to apologize to me," he assured, doing what he could to put her at ease even as his curiosity was piqued. What was it she'd wanted to say? Hopefully it was along the same lines as what he planned to, and with that in mind, James cleared his throat, hands going into the pockets of his sweats to hide the uncertainty he had of what to do with them now that she'd let go of one of them. He moved a step closer, because he didn't want to shout to be heard, obviously. "I - I think we get on. We're getting on, more than when we were flying around as kids, y'know? That was great and all, don't get me wrong, but it's been just grand having you over here more, and I was thinking on it, and…" His eyes flitted to hers, and they were so familiar, so warmed to him, that his remaining trepidation found the door. "The Halloween masquerade's coming up, and I'm hoping you'll come with me as my date. What d'you think?"

[Anastasia Savage]

Breathe.


Breathe.

Sucking in a great gulp of air, Ana did her best to not move an inch. Her fight or flight instinct kicked in as James leaned towards her and she battled it with everything she had. Half of her, the years of being trained to be aware of her body, wanted to step back to reserve personal space. The other half wanted to invade it, it wanted to fly right into James and tell him how she thought he was the most amazing guy she knew. How he made her laugh, how she thought he was a great Quidditch player and an even better friend, how she thought he was by far the most attractive person in the whole school, and how badly she wanted to run her fingers through his hair. Instead, she remained still, silent, and listened. This was important, and she couldn’t have anything getting in the way of her moment of opportunity, not even herself.

So she listened and her emotions turned at every word he spoke. She was high that he noticed how good they were together, low when he described it as ‘great and all’, high again when he said how grand it was that she was in the lions den so often...and when he got to his point, when he asked her out? She was in the stars. A girl gone from this world and transported to a place where her wildest dreams came true. She smiled so big and said “Yes!” so fast she was sure he knew how excited she was. She resisted jumping up and down and celebrating, that would be reserved for later with her girlfriends, but she did move closer. They were so close now that no-one could be in doubt that whatever was going on between them, it was positive. If she wanted she could kiss him, he was just within distance. That thought was enticing and terrifying at the same time. She’d never kissed anyone before. What if it was too soon?

Ana reached out to hold his hand again, giving him a smaller though no less happy smile. “Yes.” she said again, calmer this time and taking care to keep her words in English. “I would very much like to go to the Masquerade with you. I’d like that a lot, James.” Dieu, how could this night have turned out any better? Here she had been, preparing herself to ask the guy she liked if he liked her back, and if he wanted to go out with her, all the while he was doing the same thing. What a happy happenstance! She felt the need to assure him of how she felt regardless of what his intentions had been tonight. James would be in no wonder of how much she adored him. “I come here for you, you know. I just want to be with you.”

[James Potter]

Had Ana's eyes always been this expressive? As he spoke, looking into them at length for perhaps the first time, James felt like he could read a thousand stories into the minute shifts they made - and he wanted to know them all! She seemed nervous and willing him to get to the point all at once, quite in time with his own feelings, but thankfully allowed him to make it through his babbling in his own time. It was hardly an easy thing, asking a girl out for the first time. But as it turned out that an immediate reward was there, he was shortly feeling like an idiot for ever worrying to begin with.

James let out a burst of a thrilled laugh at her emphatic yes! She unstuck herself, shifting closer, and he took her offered hand, the other one too, with a giddy grin. The feeling of her hands in his, of this closeness with Ana - it was new, getting his heart going like he'd just caught the Quaffle, only now he didn't have a playbook to refer to for the next move. But that was alright, they'd figure it out together, eh? Because not only did he now have a date to the dance of the year, but that date was undisputed beauty-and-brains Ana Savage who was telling him that all of her extra time in the Tower was to be around him?

"Good. I'd come to yours to hang out with you if I could, y'know - but for being the friendliest among us, you lot sure are exclusive about your common room," he teased, leaning in so their foreheads touched. Trying to not make it evident just how much of a boost to his ego her words were was hard - on top of the Quidditch victory, this just took the cake, and the attention simply couldn't be deflected before it went to his head. He'd be bragging about this to anyone who would listen soon enough, but for now, James swiftly planted a kiss to the girl's cheek and nodded behind them where the party was getting going, couches and tables moved to the walls to make space for dancing. "Better get some practice in for the masquerade, c'mon!"

[Hestia Jones]

There really was nothing like a good party in the Lion’s den, even if you did have to walk up a ridiculous amount of stairs to get to them. What was even better was when it was a party after a Quidditch match, especially one against Slytherin. They’d made their way from the stands up to the tower with Daisy, in a group of people excited about the outcome. How long would this party go before McGonagall broke it up? Hestia didn’t care, she was with Ana and Daisy and they were following people inside the portrait hole, music already playing. Daisy was immediately pulling them to dance, and Hestia was more than happy to join her and Ana, laughing as she spun around. Today was a big day for her best friend, and she had promised she wouldn't miss it. But a loud cheer came from the entrance, and Ana was off to find James.

Doc had mentioned he would be showing up, but he hadn't yet, and Hestia decided to wait for him outside of the portrait hole to get some air from the crowded Gryffindor common room. It was her luck that he was there, and she paced their fingers together to drag him away from the party, off to a quiet spot. She wanted a snog, and there really was no better partner for one than Doc.

Hestia didn't know how long they had missed the party, but she laughed and did her best to fix her hair as she walked back to the portrait with Doc. Giggly and hoping that Ana has stayed true to her word and told James how she felt. Climbing back into the portrait hole, this with her not-a-boyfriend she was glad to see that Ana and James were dancing, which surely only meant good things. “Punch or dancing, your choice dear Doctor.”

[Doc Dearborn]

Doc Dearborn's fourth year was off to a proper start, if anyone wanted to know.

Courses were fine, as they always were, with more of their yearmates open to discussion rather than close-minded debate when the occasion struck. Friend groups were always flowing, of course, but it felt like they had all settled into their grooves amiably enough these days. Rhi was in her first year, bless her, his sister already a shining example of their shared House. But change had come for him and Hestia, his longtime friend becoming a snogging partner as of late, and it had been a blast to add another kind of fun to their repertoire. It was bringing them even closer, allowing them a deeper understanding of each other, while bringing welcome surprises to days that could never get old - it still brought him to his knees sometimes, this lucky life he had - but could always do with more joy. 

He'd always loved watching Quidditch with her, but today, seeing Hestia get into the match, cheering for friends with all her might... Doc could hardly pay attention to what was going on in the skies, preferring her commentary and reactions to the match itself. As they left the pitch, he'd promised to meet her at Gryffindor Tower, wanting to pick up his guitar from the dorm. His mother had taught him to never show up to a party empty-handed, and while he figured they'd have a handle on food and drink - what about a little live music? Surely at some point things would die down enough for that, eh? So Doc was all smiles after the climb up as he saw Hestia outside of the portrait hole, and no convincing was needed when instead of giving the Fat Lady the password, Hes took his hand to find an alcove to occupy instead...

The common room was crowded, music blaring, and Doc kept close to hear her words. "Never turn you down for a dance, come on baban," he beamed, setting his guitar to the side before weaving them through the walls of students until they had room enough to move. He'd never claim to be a graceful dancer, but he wasn't shy about it, and it was all for good fun! And he wasn't surprised to see a mix of folks dancing, the Gryffindors were welcoming to an extent - and he wasn't surprised to see Ana dancing, she was a natural dancer and not a stranger to it in their common room - but he was surprised to see her with James Potter. Exchanging a significant waggle of the eyebrows with Ana, he pulled Hestia in close, grinning. "You know anything about that?"

[Frank Longbottom]

Frank followed his team up to their Tower, practically giddy from their victory. There was hardly a better feeling that he knew of - the shared camaraderie of the players, their energies colliding in joyous outbursts, pride welling in his chest as they were cheered by their fellows in the stands. Belonging to the team had helped him find community here, more so than any other group, and he knew he had friends for life among the players. That made their successes all the better, and while he would be embarrassed to admit it, he really did enjoy it when they won. He refrained from other competition, typically - in part due to his horrible showings at cards, bluffing was not yet in his vocabulary - but there was something about the sport that clicked for him. Perhaps because it led to celebrations like the one they entered the common room to find. 

He kept from the drinks on principle - and as the one time his roommates had talked him into trying, he ended up vomiting in their loo instead of enjoying the evening - but couldn't get enough of the company and the dancing that came with times like this. They were greeted with enthusiasm, to put it lightly, and the bloke felt a grin stretch from ear to ear. Frank had no grand plans for the night, no preconception for exactly what was to come, but felt emboldened to follow his instinct. And as it had for this past year, instinct had him looking about for Alice.

The only thing sweeter than sharing this victory with the team would be sharing it with her, for there really was no one sweeter than Alice, and imagining her bright brown eyes and smile lighting up when she saw him had his heart going as much as the match did. Thankfully, his yearmate hadn't seemed to tire of his company yet, even though they'd been scheduled together for rounds more often than not lately. And that was due to a plan. Somewhat. More of a half-cooked scheme. With good intent. Not so much of a scheme, it wasn't as if he was up to anything, he just -

You don't need to feel badly about having a crush and wanting to spend time with her, not if she wants time with you too. Just go and say hello, Longbottom, what's the worst that could happen?

She and Mary were chatting around the snacks table, and while he likely couldn't hear her distinctly due to the noise all around, Frank felt like he followed her laughter on his way over. "I'm glad you're here," he said with a beaming grin, butterflies taking flight in his stomach at being close to her, and a question mark popping into his mind at how entertained the younger Gryffindor seemed to be at his arrival. "Not that I didn't think you would be - your banners turned out brilliant, thanks again," he chuckled as he looked overhead, the banners so proudly displayed in their stands during the match having been brought back up to decorate the common room. The lanky lad suddenly felt terribly silly, like he was stalling - and he was, wasn't he? He had been, this whole term. Banking time with the pretty blonde, talking of everything except the closeness they'd come to find in each other...and it was easy to see that continuing. Nothing would change, for better or for worse, if neither of them tested what was growing between them. And so in a breathless rush before losing his nerve, Frank met her eye and continued. And now the worst that could happen was a no. "Alice, would you - would you dance with me?" 

[Alice Longbottom]

The banners were hung perfectly in the common room, and yet Alice was still fretting over things being perfect. Which was ridiculous, because the party was growing bigger by the minute with more people arriving, and soon the Quidditch team would arrive to celebrate their victory. Today’s game had been brilliant, even if most of what she’d watched were Frank’s excellent scoring. He was really something on his broom, more confident than he was when he was on the ground. Not that he wasn’t confident, he was just sometimes weird with his limbs, like he didn’t really know what to do with them. Shoving a chip into her face, she tried to shut her mind up. Her talk about her feelings for Frank with her sister had been over a month ago, and she’d made no progress on that front. Which Mary knew quite well, as Alice had gone to her room more than once to talk about what had happened during rounds with Frank. Mostly, a bunch of talking and nothing else. She didn’t know how to flirt, and she also didn’t want to try and read into things. Maybe he wasn’t really into her, but they’d been assigned to rounds together more often this past month and a half. Not that she would complain about it.

“Take these crisps from me,” she said to Mary, shoving the bowl towards her sister. She checked the banners another time, turning towards the portrait hole as the cheers grew. The team was here, which was great, and the banner hadn’t fallen down, which was also great. “Do I seem nervous to you? I feel nervous,” she asked with a laugh. Had Frank heard her cheering for him today? Half of her hoped he had, and the other half hoped maybe he hadn’t so it wouldn’t be embarrassing if he brought it up. Gods, she was all up in her head about this. She’d made a plan with Mary last night while they worked on the banners, that she’d do something about her crush on Frank at the party tonight. They’d never doubted that Gryffindor would win, which meant this was a plan Alice couldn’t get out of now that she’d made Mary an accomplice to it all. Her sister was to hold her to her word, and it was with that thought that she realized Frank had reached them.

He seemed just as flustered as he felt, focusing on the banners just like she had been. They were hopeless, weren’t they? She felt as if Frank liked her, but she had told herself she could be reading into the signals he was sending. What if she just wanted him to be interested in her, and was thinking too deeply about it? “Oh, I’m glad you like them. They were fun to make,” she said casually, looking over to Mary. Her sister seemed ever so amused, and Alice was kicking herself for agreeing to this plan in the first place.Okay, you can do this. Just ask Frank to dance, the worst that can happen is a no. Which will make you feel like dying. Her thoughts were unhelpful, but they were silenced as Frank met her eye and asked her to dance with him. “Of course Frank, I’d like that.”

[Mary Macdonald]

Mary would admit that she enjoyed the victory parties more than spending a day in the stands, wind chafing their faces and making nests of their hair - but they needed each other, parties and matches, so she would attend the latter with as little complaining as she could. There were friends to cheer on, of course, and gossip to catch up on as they stood together, which made the hours exciting. But now that she was taking more of a lead on their House's party planning front, well - these hours were her time to shine, by making sure their team did, and their guests had everything they needed for a fun night. She had high hopes for the party, higher than normal, as a few hearts lingering in lovestruck purgatory would get some answers tonight.

Ana had decided on tonight as the time to get James's attention, and while she had the fullest faith in her Hufflepuff friend, she had given her housemate a bit of a heads up. He was quick to catch on to some things, but was somehow blind to Ana's affection towards him, and wanting things to go the best that they could for Ana...a prepared James would be a James better equipped to scoop up Ana's darling heart.

And Alice promised to stop faffing about with Frank, who was doing just the same. While Mary still had some worries, Alice had decided, and she was here to back her up. Her worries could wait, and were outweighed by her sister's need to know. It was only fair - they'd been back for over a month, and the pair of prefects had spent so much time together, and they were Gryffindors, for Merlin's sake! If he couldn't get the conversation started, Alice would, and then they would know!

Speaking of... Mary took the bowl of crisps from her sister with a grin, looping an arm around the older girl's waist as the room erupted into noise. "You can do this, just breathe, and smile, and if you lose your words - just kiss him already," she laughed into her ear. "He's going to be just as happy as you. And if he isn't, somehow, then we'll bolt, together." The team started to disperse, and as Frank started their way, Mary detached from Alice and took a step back, a smirk playing at her lips. She let her grin show as the two of them did their best to chat, and when he asked, she couldn't have been happier.

"Oh, go on then! This is a great song, you wouldn't want to miss it," Mary encouraged, giving Alice the tiniest push towards the bloke from the small of her back. She watched as the two took to the improvised dance floor, and in spying Ana with James shortly after, the girl couldn't contain her enthusiasm.

Her own victory party beginning, Mary adjusted her hair and Gryffindor-red dress, doled out a few cups of punch, and wound her way through the teeming crowd to find a pocket of her yearmates surrounding a new Beater - their very own Marlene McKinnon. "Excuse me, thank you," she squeezed through, cup extended towards their victorious friend. "First match and a win at that, Mickey, you must be on top of the world!"

[Marlene McKinnon]

There was not much that was more exciting than a Quidditch victory party, but Mick felt this year the party was even grander than they’d been in years past. And perhaps that was simply because she’d joined the team this year, taking an open beater spot. She’d been training with Rufus so that she would be ace on the pitch, and they had won. She’d nearly taken out Bronwyn with a well placed bludger, and was only a little disappointed the Slytherin beater had dodged it. There would be other matches for her to show off her moves, and hopefully they would win their next match as well. Winning was always great when she’d been a spectator of the sport, but winning because they had all played well? So much better. The roar when they had entered the common room was exhilarating, and before she could get anywhere they drew a crowd around them who wanted to talk about the win.

Rufus was singing her praises as she scanned the party, trying to clock who had already arrived and what friends they were still waiting for. Bridget would show up, Mick was sure about that. After a win that spectacular Mick was sure that her girl would come and celebrate. She spotted James with Ana, and she smirked to herself with satisfaction, wondering how much a of role Mary had played in getting the two of them together. Looking for Mary, she spotted Alice and Frank together on the dance floor, and wanted to know all the details about that as soon as she could. Thankfully Mary had found her, and Mick took the offered drink with a wide grin to her best friend. “On top of the world might be an understatement. I was pretty sure we were going to win, the team is great, but on my first match? I might never come down from this high,” she said with a laugh, looping her arm through her friends and pulling them both away from the crowd. “Okay spill, what matchmaking have you been up to?”

[Bridget Applebee]

Covered baking tray in hand, Bee skipped through the portrait hole on the tails of another latecomer. She hadn't wanted to bring their creations to the match and risk damaging them, but by the time she'd gotten down to her own dormitory, stopped to give love to Mazoe and Jinx to stop the cats from being tripping hazards, and climbed all the way up to Gryffindor Tower - well, protecting them during the match didn't seem so insurmountable any more, and would have to be the plan next time. Maybe she and Benny could make something simpler, so it wouldn't matter as much if the container went lopsided or fell...but this time, this time, for Mick's first game? How could she not go all out?

She and her brother were not the finest bakers and would be the first to admit it, but Bridget was happy with what they had managed in the end. After a few attempts in the kitchens yielded flat cupcakes, or ones that were too gooey, or when the frosting was so thick it didn't budge when they held the bowl upside-down over their heads - they'd done it. Little lion faces in piped frosting, a gummy worm snake in each set of teeth, the cupcakes a resigned plain vanilla after more exuberant flavoring led to too many mishaps.

Hair tied up in a Gryffindor-red scrunchie and one of Mick's House sweaters on to match, Bridget hugged the borrowed tray to her chest to protect it as she wove to the food tables, eyes out for her girlfriend and their friends. Spying Mick with Mary, she sent a beaming smile their way, and made quick work of dropping off her goods - besides two that she separated from the pride, which were delivered to Mary's waiting hands. She gave an excited squeal and threw her arms around Mick's neck, up on the toes of her Hufflepuff yellow Gryffindor gold trainers to catch her lips in a kiss. This term had been different for them, with Mick joining the team and their time together shifting into Bee on the stands during practices while the new Beater flew - but with how much Mick was loving it, Bee couldn't be anything but happy to see her at it. Being part of the Gryffindor team, learning to be a Beater, and now winning their first match of the season? 

Mick had held her own against truly terrifying opponents, and she couldn't have been more proud. Her voice jumped an octave in her thrill and she let out a delighted laugh as she returned to earth, in theory. "You did it, I knew you could do it! You were incredible - wasn't she incredible?! I couldn't tell you what anyone besides you was up to, but oh my word - that was terrifying, exhilarating, just from the stands! You almost knocked Bronwyn off her broom!" 

[Sirius Black]

This celebration was as much his as anyone else’s here, and normally Sirius would have been hooping and hollering, jumping all over James like a bloody loon with excitement over their house team’s first victory of the season. But Sirius hadn’t spent several agonizing weeks tutoring his best mate in how to properly pronounce a few key phrases in French just to cock it up when Ana had that look on her face throughout the whole match. He perhaps even felt a little guilt at the number of times he had encouraged James to pronounce certain words ever so slightly incorrect, because he thought it would be hilarious in the moment. He couldn’t even hear their whispering from across the party now but was certain his efforts had been worth it.

Plans had already been made for a party, regardless of a win but Sirius had assured his mate and the rest of James’ team that they’d be celebrating a victory by the night’s end. He wasn’t one for joining organized teams himself, not liking the restrictions they came with, but he enjoyed watching the games and James enjoyed playing in them. The only time Sirius might ever openly lose his cool, calm demeanor was in cheering for a sporting match or in a fight. Whether it was chanting along with his housemates in support each time Gryffindor scored a point or being one of the lone voices in the red and gold section encouraging the Slytherin team’s young seeker to keep a better eye out, Sirius was an ardent sports fan. So, plans would have to be made in advance to account for his enthusiasm, and thus his and Peter’s arrival at the party was what one would deem ‘fashionably late’. Music and chatter filled the tower and guests from other houses had already been snuck inside and started dancing with the lions as the two boys entered the common room.

“Over there by Mary,” Sirius suggested, pointing to the redhead who was stood next to the snacks table and sad bowl of punch. “Bet they’d move for a big ferocious dog,” he grinned at Peter as he cleared a path for the smaller boy to levitate their covered offering. “Or a rodent to spook the girls.” Sirius had spent the whole of the summer working to become an animagi. James and Peter had mastered the process as well – a goal they had set together at the end of last term, and twice now they had been able to join Remus in attempt to lighten his anguish during his transformation. Of course, they had to wait for Madame Pomfrey to usher Remus through the roots of the whomping willow and return safely to the castle before they could do anything, but once the witch was out of sight there were no limits to the frivolity and mischief they would get up to. But as brilliant as Sirius believed them to be for achieving such a feat, they were forced by duty to keep it a quiet in order to protect Moony’s secret.

“Where’d she go?” Having crossed the crowded common room and reached the snack table with mystery offering intact, Mary had scampered off and was now chatting up Mick and one of the Applebee twins. No bother, he’d undoubtedly catch her around at some point in the evening. Speaking louder now to address the party without halting the festivities, Sirius drew the covering from the keg that Peter had levitated in - an image of a dragon wrapped around a wooden cask on the label reading “Dragon Scale” - and announced, “Oi! Look what Pete’s brought us!” He clapped Peter on the back, tapped the keg, and filled a cup for the younger Marauder.