November - Honey Badger Don't Care - Huffles

[Doc Dearborn]

Fourteen-year-old Doc Dearborn didn't quite know what to do with himself tonight. It was a Tuesday, so he had these few hours after dinner to kill before Astronomy. The lanky boy fidgeted at his seat by the firepit, looking about the room for not just friendly faces but friends. He had a few study periods during the day, so it wasn't like he still had work to do, or that if he did he'd even take this time to do it. He'd been warming himself at the fire for the past hour or so, idly flipping through a Prophet somebody'd left behind. His horoscope had been perplexing - There’s no sense in arguing about something that you’ve argued about a ton of times before, Sagittarians. It’s a losing battle and time consuming and frustrating to say the least. With Mars the warrior in harmony loving Libra – try your best to get along with everyone. - as he adored little more than a well-meaning and well-mannered debate, and it took much more than disagreements to frustrate him. And it wasn't as if he went around trying to irk others - Doc couldn't help it if others weren't going to like him, that was their choice, their opinions, and he'd no more put boundaries on their opinions than subject himself to being put in a box too!

The advice columnist had given some good thinking to what to do with a broken heart - not that he'd had one or planned on it - but after giving the crossword and other word puzzles a half-hearted try, the boy was left in his current lackadaisical state: shoes off, brightly-socked feet warming at the fire at the ends of his suddenly stretched legs, back propped up by colorful cushions and his folded up robes as the newspaper lay in his lap as forgotten as his tie that day. He wanted to do something, even if that was to simply find a girl to join him here and cuddle with, or maybe track down his little sister, or he could get a book from his room...but it was so delightfully warm here that he hardly felt like moving...

[Hestia Jones]

Fourteen was a very difficult age for a girl. Last year had been harder - puberty had been quite an interesting thing to go through. Puberty had introduced all sorts of things Hestia had only slightly prepared herself for, and she'd been a tad awkward last year, to say the least. Eventually, she'd sorted it out, with the help of some of the older Hufflepuff girl's who had been there to talk her through the fact that yes, this was going to happen for the rest of her life but it was going to be okay and the rush of hormones wasn't going to kill her. It'd taken most of the year, but she'd finally figured out how to cope with the fact this was a part of growing up. And now, a year later, things were just as difficult. Sure, she could deal with the parts of being a girl. But there was this weird thing that she had started to experience, and the best way to describe it was like wanting to vomit and smile all at the same time.

And it happened around boys.

Hestia had her group of guy friends, but lately, she'd noticed that her stomach got all weird. And she noticed how nice they smelled, and she just wanted to stay in their hugs. It was the strangest thing, and she wasn't entirely sure how to handle it. Especially with Doc. Her best friend, the one guy she spent the most time around. She knew she didn't want a boyfriend, the whole thing seemed like a hassle. But kissing and cuddling and just general affection? She had to admit she was a tad jealous when she saw other girls with their boyfriends around the school. She had no need for anyone to carry her books or hold her hand in the hallway. But someone to curl up within the common room, well. That wouldn't be so bad.

Coming down from her dorm, and tugging on her school uniform in annoyance, she spotted a familiar face across the room of slightly familiar faces. It was unfortunate that they had class tonight because she wanted nothing more than to change out of her school uniform. She'd already loosened her tie out of irritation. Skipping over, she pulled it off over her head and sat down next to Doc, dropping it unceremoniously on his lap. "I want to go to bed, not to class. And this new skirt is itchy Doc. My mum insisted on sending me new ones when I told her the other ones were getting short," she complained as she leaned back against his legs, looking at the firepit before turning to give him a frown.

"Think we can get away with not wearing uniforms to class tonight?" 

[Doc Dearborn]

Doc's look about was fruitful, indeed. Hestia was on her way to him, pulling off her tie and dropping it into his lap as she sat next to him. He smirked and fiddled with the black-and-yellow stripey tie as she spoke, nodding along agreeably to the points she brought up.

"There there, lambkin," Doc said fondly in return to the girl's pitiful frown, reaching out and booping her on the nose with a finger, wanting to coax a smile out of her. There was little better feeling than that, although they had recently discovered a really good one. It'd been right here, just a few weeks back, a night not too different than this; the chatter of their fellow badgers in the background as they went back-and-forth about who knew what - probably who Peasegood was dating, the sometimes-suave little bird that he was - before falling into a comfortable lull. It was one of his most favorite things about their friendship, that they could talk for days about nothing at all or actually not talk, just be together, and all was golden. In the quiet they were both reading something-or-other, side-by-side, her little feet maybe reaching to his knees as they tried to get warm at the fire, and Doc's mind had just...drifted. They'd been close since the start, but recently - what with "raging hormones" and all to blame, which his parents had been delighted to explain to him this past summer - he'd been feeling a bit differently about Hes and other girls. He hadn't even kissed one until that day, when he interrupted her reading with a curious nudge to her nose with his, an equally curious nudge to her lips with his.

Thankfully, it was Hestia, so his smiling and musing "Been wondering what that would feel like" wasn't met with a bash to the head, but an agreement that it was nice and they should do it more.

So...they had. Just a few times, when the impulse had struck either, but it was nice, and there'd been no discussion of being anything other than what they were - great friends. Best friends, even, if one absolutely had to qualify. And so it was no news to him that her skirts were new, he'd noticed - although she was still a tiny thing, she was a little taller, and he was going through growing pains as well, most of his pants already too short even though they were new in September. Worked it out fine - rolled them up a bit and it looked like they should be like that! Different for girls, Doc supposed, although he hadn't minded the seemingly shorter skirts...

"I'd rather just go to bed, and I'm sorry about the new skirts too." He shot her a teasing grin before continuing, "I know one sure-fire way to find out about how serious the professor really is about the dress code - let's just go change, yeah? What's the worst they can do?"

[Hestia Jones]

Hestia had to resist the urge to bite Doc's finger as he poked her in the nose, although she had to admit she was just as fond of his nicknames for her as ever. So she shot him a grin, knowing full well that if she continued to pout he would only continue to tease her. Their friendship had always been simple and easy, mutual teasing and understanding. They always simply understood each other, almost as if their thoughts stayed on the same wavelength constantly. It was a wonderful experience, to have a best friend like Doc. Hestia would have never thought she would have been so lucky when she came to this school.

But she was that lucky, and recently even luckier. After all, who better to give you your first kiss than your best friend? It had been simple and sweet, Doc voicing the thoughts she'd been having. And then a simple agreement that they'd do it whenever the urge struck. Perhaps that was really all she needed was Doc, a person just like her that could do with the flow. It simply seemed easier than attempting to actually date someone.

Tucking her legs under her as she spoke, Hestia gave a laugh. She was positive that Doc's worry about her new skirts had absolutely nothing to do with how itchy they were. A few washes would probably fix the problem she had with them, but they certainly were much longer and more appropriate than her previous ones. Although that could be fixed by simply rolling them up if she felt so inclined. "Yea, you think so? What should we wear though? My vote is always pajamas, obviously. But I feel like it may be too cold to be outside in pajamas."

[Doc Dearborn]

The bloke was happy to see his little teases bring a smile to his friend's full and mightily kissable lips, and even get a laugh out of her. How glad Doc was to have stayed where he was by the fire! To think he was even considering leaving, he would've missed this delightful company, as well as the opportunity to tell Hestia how he felt about those new skirts of hers, remind her about the great legs she had if she needed the reminder. Sure, the new skirts were more modest, and thereby more "appropriate" - but the shorter ones had appropriately shown off her legs, which were assets made to be shown off when they were as nice as hers.

Alas - they would simply have to make due.

"If you want pajamas, we're wearing pajamas," he declared agreeably at her suggestion, a lean arm reaching behind her shoulders to comfortably hold her to him. The fourth year wasn't surprised in the least to hear Hestia favor pajamas - he was certain that if it were allowable, the girl would wear them 24/7, and likely did in the summers! And he could hardly argue anything against them. "I'll bring you an extra sweater," he offered simply at her worry of the cold, "one that'll fit you like a blanket, keep you all cozy." Sitting there with her, Doc was struck by just how lucky he really was to have a friend like her. His other friends were grand in their own ways, absolutely they were, but the easy-going nature of himself and his fellow badger just took the cake for the most relaxed pairing, which was how Doc preferred to be most times. No use getting stressed out about things you couldn't change, or getting worked up about the terrors of the world when you were safe and unable to make change, or letting yourself be anxious about school, even. With Hes, he could just be, and he was glad to allow the same for her.

[Hestia Jones]

All time that was spent with Doc was enjoyable, and right now was not any different. Sitting there, watching him as they talked back and forth. She was really quite lucky to have him in her life. She loved the rest of her friends just as much as she cared for him, of course. But when it came to these little moments in the common room, the others weren't around. There was Maggie and Willa, of course. But the two were a year above them, they had different schedules. Doc was always there when she needed someone.

She snuggled back against Doc as he moved his arm so that it was behind her shoulders. He had quickly learned her love for pajamas, although she wasn't about to admit to the fact that she wore hardly anything else over the summers. In fact, she considered it part of her day to change into different pajamas during the summer. She had a huge collection of them at home, something her parents didn't entirely understand but still supported. Tilting her head back to look at him, she let herself smile. "Yea? Pajamas sound like a plan then! And I appreciate that otherwise, I'll probably get cold, and then you'd just have to hold me and keep me warm," she answered, sticking her tongue out at him. Not that she would complain about extra cuddles, but she wasn't quite ready for that sort of lecture from a teacher. Would be a bit complicated to explain, really.

Looking around the common room, she let a comfortable silence fall between them. They still had a few hours before class, so there wasn't too much of a point in moving right now. Pajamas would be better if she could just change now, but that did require going back to her dorm and leaving her comfortable spot. Still, the dorm room was oddly calm for this hour of the night. "Where do you think everyone else is?"

[Willa Robbins]

Willa sometimes wondered why she had continued into O.WL. History of Magic.

Usually these wonderings happened when she found herself in the library after dinner trying to shove recent notes into her brain.

It was often difficult for her to focus on schoolwork that she found interesting and - not that history wasn't interesting if it was presented like a story, but - the thing was -

Binns made it nearly unbearable, even for a Hufflepuff.

History had so much potential, but the way they were taught with droning lecture upon droning lecture, well, the fun and interest was slowly seeped out of the subject. At least for her. And, if nodding off and excessive doodling had anything to say about it, the majority of her peers. But boring or not, she was a prefect now, and keeping her marks up was even more important now than ever! Willa needed to set a good example, younger students could be looking up to her!

...but enough was enough.

When she'd read the same passage again and again and it still wasn't sticking as she quizzed herself, Willa called it quits for the night, promising to herself to try again tomorrow. Heavy bookbag slug across her, the fifth year made her way back down to the Hufflepuff common room, ready to spend some time with some quality badgers. Lucky enough for her, she could see upon entering that there was even still room by the fire, a favorite spot. Brightening considerably, Willa made her way down the steps to join a rather delightful pair. "And how are we doing tonight, loves?" she asked, smiling at the cuddling Hestia and Doc as she sat on Hes' other side. She dropped her bookbag behind her and settled in with them, pulling over a pillow for her back as she stretched her legs out towards the crackling fire.

[Doc Dearborn]

Doc smirked a bit as the little thing cozied into him, idly rubbing her shoulder with his hand as she spoke and looked up at him with that adorable smile. He let out a loud laugh at her last, squeezing her to him. She was such a goof, his Hestia. "You sound so against that, how could I possibly get away with keeping you warm myself?" The fourth year did like that idea - the two of them up at the top of the Astronomy Tower, his arms around her from behind as she looked through the telescope - and gave her an affirmative thumb's up in the off chance she missed his joke.

His colorfully socked feet tapped out the beat to a tune that was going over in his head, and he leaned said head against hers, enjoying the simplicity of them. The chatter of their fellow badgers faded out to white noise as he looked at his toes, at the fire, at the girl. He really didn't need anything more - warm, comfortable, well fed, with the hope of more cuddling with this beauty later. Doc's mind wandered, as it sometimes did, to his folks. They were more on the - ah - serious side. Didn't really get his in-the-moment enjoyment of life. But he wondered how they'd like Hestia - they would have to, wouldn't they? What wasn't there to like? Well - the thing they probably wouldn't like was that he wasn't trying to make them anything "official." He just didn't see the need - they were happy, so why change things more? The boy was drawn a bit from his thoughts as she spoke, and he let out a light chuckle. "Wherever they are, they're missing out."

It wasn't too long after that that there were light foosteps on the stairs leading down to the firepit, and Willa was joining them! The boy gave the older Hufflepuff a smile, reaching his fingers out from Hestia's shoulder to tickle hers. "Can't complain," he said in reply, a standard but honest answer of his. "All's good with you?" He hadn't seen as much of his housemate this year, given her "promotion" to prefect, and it was a shame! If he was in charge - not that he'd ever want to be - there wouldn't be prefects. People should be given the freedom to manage themselves - what could possibly happen if there weren't students patrolling the halls at night? Writing their fellows up? There would probably be fewer inter-House conflicts, and what damage could his peers really do?

[Hestia Jones]

Cuddled up against Doc like she was, there was a possibility of her dozing off before their next class. And how she could complain about getting to take a nap while in his arms? She gave a chuckle at his tease to her, tempted to stick her tongue out and lick his thumb as he gave her a thumbs up. "Oh, I am sure you could think of a way," she quipped back. Perhaps she would just have to accidentally forget the sweater he was going to provide her. Could make their lesson a tad more interesting for both of them.

Doc was right, the rest of their house was most certainly missing out. A warm fire was always nice, and it was much better to be here and cozy than to be cramped into the library or a classroom. A thought that perhaps others shared, as the sudden presence of Willa Robbins caused Hestia to break out into a grin. She watched from her spot in Doc's arms as she settled down near the fire with them, listening to their exchange before she added her own thoughts. "Hi Willa, welcome to the cuddle pile!"

She had quickly bonded with Willa in her early years, thinking of her quite fondly as an older sister. But this year Willa was a prefect and that meant she was responsible for making sure the rules were upheld. Which meant any mention of going to class in pajamas was now at the back of Hestia's mind, not wanting to earn a disapproving look from her friend. "Any news about you we haven't heard?"

[Willa Robbins]

She was all of a sudden being tickled, and she didn't bother hiding her grin as she playfully nudged Doc's hand back over to Hestia using her shoulder. They really were sweet together, Willa would have to get Hestia on her own one of these days and see what was going on between them - fourth year was when she'd had her first and only, so far boyfriend, after all, and perhaps the same would happen for these friends of hers. They were honestly too adorable, and they had to know it - a friendship like theirs could easily turn into something more, couldn't it? It was good to see them so comfortable together, and Willa had high, if secret for now, hopes.

"All's good, unless you count my brain turning to mush in the library," the prefect said with a light laugh. "However - a letter from Hugo came in this morning, so I can't write the day off completely." Although the pair had split when she had had to leave Castelobruxo at the end of last term - it just seemed awfully unrealistic to stay together, her returning to Britain while he remained in Brazil - they had agreed to try and stay friends, and doing so meant letters. Not love letters, nothing sappy, just...staying in touch. There were times when she dearly missed the other Wizarding school and the opportunities that had been afforded to her there - the Herbology program was phenomenal, giving much more independence to students than she was used to - and it was good to stay connected to the school through Hugo. Besides keeping up with the goings-on there, staying connected to him, having the surprise of a letter every once and a while was lovely. He had endeared himself to her, and even though she didn't know if she'd ever have the opportunity to see him again, it simply felt good to know he still thought about her too.

[Doc Dearborn]

Doc was a lucky bloke, here in a "cuddle pile" with Hestia and Willa, two birds who were nothing but lovely. He gave the latter a grin over Hestia's head as she shouldered his hand back to his classmate; his long fingers idly toyed with the fabric of the girl's sleeve as they spoke, his mind wandering happily to the few more intimate moments they'd shared. Some day he might not just be playing with her shirt but taking it - one step at a time, Doctor, he could almost hear her voice in his mind playfully chiding him. He had to grin, though, mind brought more towards the present, as the prefect in their midst spoke of Hugo. He'd quite missed the girl last year when she'd been abroad - happy for her, naturally, that she'd been able to have the experience, but Hufflepuff House wasn't complete and simply felt different without all of its members being present.

But even though Doc had missed her - and he knew she'd missed being at Hogwarts with them - Willa had been busy at the other Wizarding school, the little she'd said about this Brazilian bloke telling enough of her feelings. He found it unlikely - not that it was at all his business - that she was fine enough after a break-up to simply write a guy halfway across the world without anticipating some sort of future. She didn't strike him as the type to flit relationship-to-relationship, so even though "it just made sense," as she'd told them, he didn't quite know what to make of this continued correspondence. Was she getting her hopes up only to be dashed later on? Was she inadvertently stringing the bloke along?

"Hugo, hmm?" Doc said, exchanging a playful grin with Hestia. He shook his long fringe out of his eyes before continuing, his curiosity hidden in a tease. "Any chance we'll ever meet the guy? They should send students here too, maybe we could work something up to arrange it - or is the cruel British winter too much for them?"

[Hestia Jones]

Hestia absolutely loved this, just sitting in the common room with her two best friends. The dynamic between them had always been great, and she didn't doubt it would continue even if their elder did have more responsibilities this year. Hestia grinned as Doc fiddled with the edge of her shirt, her mind starting to wander a way before her interest was pulled back by Willa mentioning the name Hugo.

Hugo, someone she had heard stuff about during their letters they exchanged while Willa was studying abroad. He seemed like a decent fellow from the little she knew about him, and it had been quite a topic of conversation between her and Doc. Hes had been said to hear about the breakup, Willa really did deserve a good guy. But it also made sense, as the distance between them was large and not easy for them to cross as they were both too young to apparate.

"Oh hush Doc," she said with a laugh as she sat up, turning so she could face Willa directly. "What did the letter say? And will we get to meet him? He sounded absolutely lovely from your letters last year."

[Willa Robbins]

Doc was decidedly teasing, which shouldn't have surprised her, and she took it in stride. He was a funny bloke, and she had to laugh with Hestia at his commentary - she had no doubt the cold would surprise her Castelobruxo classmates, but they would just have to bundle up! "I'd like to see you weather their summer, Doc," she countered playfully. "Months of intense heat and humidity, you'd be missing this place!" Hestia came to her defense, and she smiled back at her, a slight blush coloring her cheeks. She had perhaps divulged a bit too much in her letters to her friend, but it had just been so exciting to find someone as complimentary to her as Hugo was. Their passions for the environment and the thought-of-as-simple joys of Herbology lined up just right, and there had hardly been a dull moment during their time together, especially once he'd asked her out. It had been so fun, and he had made her time there much more comfortable than it could have been if she hadn't accepted him - it'd seemed like something out of a storybook, waking up in a castle in a tropical rainforest and knowing her beyond cute boyfriend was waiting for her so they could enjoy breakfast and learn everything there was to learn about the natural world. She hadn't wanted the book to come to a close, for their story to be done, but they could continue as long-distance friends, couldn't they?

"He was just filling me in on some things, apparently he's become best mates with one of the Caipora," Willa said with a laugh. "They're supposed to guard the castle and the forest creatures, but if you attract the attention of one, it'll go out of its way to play tricks on you. That said, his venomous plant plot has been invaded quite a few times 'in the name of fun.'" She shook her hair back, smiling at memories of the furry little beings, and Hugo. "He's had to put up some more defenses and hopefully it'll stop soon, even though they're venomous they are still fragile!" She stretched her legs out again towards the fire, cracking her toes as she considered Hestia's second question. While part of her would love to see her friend again, she felt it would make parting again that much more difficult. "I'm not sure if he'll ever come up - I'm sure you'd adore him. If he does I'll definitely let you know, it'd be so fun if you all got to meet."

[Doc Dearborn]

At Hestia's taunt, Doc turned playing with her shirt to tickling her side, smirking as she went on - but he had to let out a laugh at the prefect in their midst. "Oh how you doubt me!" he returned jovially. "Indian summers, I'd like to see any of them - or you - manage those." Not that he'd been there often, only a few times growing up to visit his mum's extended family, but this was getting him thinking about asking his parents to go this summer. In the next few years he should be able to go on his own and explore the culture to his heart's content, perhaps even find the magical community, but for now...yeah, they'd not let me go on my own.

And for being broken up, Willa still seemed a bit smitten, speaking of the Brazilian bloke so fondly, so easily. Doc was glad for her that she'd had the experience - both of being in a relationship and studying abroad - and wondered about looking into something like that for himself. Not that he'd want to go somewhere as specialized as it seemed Castelobruxo was, but it would be so interesting to become part of a community abroad, and learn about them not through textbooks and lectures but through living with them. Although he doubted he'd be able to shake the odd-Hogwarts-kid title any time soon, it would still be interesting...

But you'd miss too much if you left.

And so the boy contented himself with listening to his friend, chuckling a bit by her description of the beasties. "Wish you'd've brought one of those back," Doc commented, "sounds like they'd be matches for some of our sprites!" But he exchanged a look with Hes as Willa hesitated, seeming reluctant to talk about his coming to visit. Which was odd, seeing as how affectionately she'd just spoken of him... "Well, if he does, we should all meet up in London so we can show him the sights," he suggested, trying to put her more at ease.

[Eddie Brown]

So what if he had intended to play his guitar in the greenhouses, a student needed his help! He couldn’t very well ignore the kids pleas as he left the common room and the boy ran into him, tears in his eyes. Poor little firsty. Eddie couldn’t imagine that he was ever that small, or so confused. I mean really it was Novembers already and the younger badger should know the basics of the library by now, but no, no the poor kid was completely clueless. What could he do but help?

So he had ditched himself and his favorite pass time to help his housemate find just the right book on levitating charms to complete his Charms paper. Really it didn’t take that long to find. What took longest was actually writing the essay. Not that he wrote it, but he had to assist right? He couldn’t just hand the kid the book and take off, “Adios amigos!”. No, he had to make sure his task of kindness paid off. What good would finding the book do if the boy flunked on the essay? Flitwick was nice and all but not that nice.

So Edmund spent most of his afternoon pointing out discrepancies in a twelve year old's paper and encouraging him to find the answers himself, yet still helping him when the kid really needed it. By the end of it Eddie had no desire to go out into the freezing night, well not just yet, he did have Astronomy in a little while. Until then, he thought the common room might be nice.  And he was right.

Upon entering a large smile lit his face and he nearly skipped over to Doc, his roommate and good friend. He sat with two girls, Hestia and Willa –lovely little birds- and Eddie just caught the end of their conversation. “Sex Pistols are coming to London next month.” He commented, slipping into the pit and removing his jacket, it was much warmer here. “That would be a sight to see.” With practiced ease Eddie leaned back into the cushions and drug his guitar over his lap, lightly running his fingers along the strings. “Requests ladies?”


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