November - Honey Badger Don't Care - Huffles

[Hestia Jones]

Hestia laughed at Doc and Willa's banter, squirming as Doc tickled her side. She wasn't sure she would survive either of those summers, she rather enjoying the weather in Wales. Besides, the things that intense heat did her hair were really unfortunate. Still, she didn't think she'd pass up an opportunity like that if it was ever offered to her. Not that she had even bothered to apply to study aboard, she was at home here at Hogwarts and that was that.

She listened intently as Willa talked about the mystical creatures at the school, fascinated by the fact they played pranks. Sure, they had some interesting creatures here but they hardly interacted with students. And Peeves hardly counted as anything interesting. She caught Doc's look, knowing full well what it meant. Perhaps she had overstepped in her question about the boy coming to visit, seeing as it couldn't have been easy to say goodbye. "Plus we never all hang out in London together, so it would be a good time all around," she added with a smile.

They were soon joined by one of Hestia's other favorite people, Eddie. "Reckon we can bail out of classes to go see them?" Hestia asked as she nudged Doc with a grin. "Think you can play all of Bohemian Rhapsody on that guitar?"

[Willa Robbins]

Chuckling, Willa made a yes, yes, I accept sort of bow of her head - true, Indian summers would put the Brazilian ones to test! While speaking about Hugo Brazil was a bit odd, she was glad that the content of Hugo's last letter gave them something to speak about other than the bloke himself. "A Caipora and Peeves? I don't know if the castle could take the combination!" she exclaimed, trying to keep steering the conversation away...only to have it back on the boy in moments. Yes, it would be grand to see him again, to show him London like he'd shown her Castelobruxo, to have him meet her friends like she'd met his - another goodbye just...it was difficult enough the first time! So the girl simply nodded at her friends' suggestions, avoiding eye contact busying herself with fixing the ties on her shoes. "Regardless of whether he's here or not, we really should get together over the break! That would be extraordinary, I'm sure we could manage to make it work," Willa promised, and looked up with a smile at seeing Eddie Brown coming down to the pit. The Sex Pistols, though? A bit - er - intense for her liking, but she wasn't about to shoot down the idea. Instead, she raised her brows at Hestia's comment, sending her a silent I didn't hear that, all right?

But she grinned over at her friend at Hestia's challenge - asking Doc to play all of Bohemian Rhapsody? That would be quite a feat - and would most assuredly draw the attention of the entire common room, seeing as Doc would likely 1) take up the challenge and 2) attempt the major theatrics the song required. "Sorry Eddie, love - I think we've got to see if he can do that first," she said, smiling over at him. "But after whatever Doc's got in store for us, how about something more mellow to bring us back?"

[Deleted]

Tilden was enjoying the year so far. Last year had been his O.W.L.s and as terrible as exams were, he’d been pretty spot on on which classes he’d be able to advance in. Herbology was a no brainer, as was Potions. They were both classes he excelled in constantly, and enjoyed above all else. Charms was a close second in his enjoyment and he’d done rather well in that too. He hadn’t actually failed anything but he hadn’t done nearly as well in his other classes.

Well enough to move on, but not as well as he would have liked.

And this year he’d been spending quite a bit of time with Professor Sprout in the greenhouses. He helped her out in his free time and had just been doing that. He’d done a quick cleaning spent on the bottoms of his shoes so as not to muck up the floor of the Common Room, and proceeded inside.

And immediately noticed a small group of students gathered there. One of whom was a girl he got on really well with. Wilhemina Robbins. Willa, as she was often referred. Though he was pretty sure one of the upperclassmen (Ludovic he believed) still used her full name. He, however, preferred to use Willa.

He joined the group, a smile on his face (and dirt on his trousers). He caught the tail of of what Willa had said, and looked at them curiously. He couldn’t help but wonder what it was they had been talking about.

“See if he can do what?”

[Doc Dearborn]

While each of his friends held their own special place in his heart, moments like these - where he and Hestia could speak without audible words - were carving her space even bigger. His little sister often questioned why he wasn't dating the other Hufflepuff when he so obviously liked her, and Doc never had a satisfactory enough answer to her. How could Rhi understand, at her age, that labels weren't a requirement when you and the other knew how each felt? It was no secret that he was more than fond of the phenomenal brunette, so why put pressure on them to morph into something else?

A phenomenal sight to see caught his eye - Edmund Brown, coming down into the pillow-laden space with his guitar. Doc grinned up at him, glad that another friend was joining the little party. "We're going," he declared at the suggestions of both Eddie and Hestia, easing his arm around the latter's shoulders - they were all shifting around to allow their newest some more space, of course. He let out a satisfied sigh at hearing the melodic strumming coming from Eddie's guitar, entirely content with allowing his mate the airtime to entertain them with his gift. The girl under his arm had an entirely different plan for him, though.

"Bohemian Rhapsody, really? You're sure you don't want me to serenade you instead?" Doc was laughing heartily as he leaned his forehead to hers, and shortly leaned forward to eye Eddie from across the girls. While he wasn't completely unused to having an audience, generally he and Eddie - their other roommates, if they could convince them - just played for themselves. And this was a big request - the song was new, and intense, and amazing, and required so much of its performer. He knew this because, this being such a new and intense and amazing song, he and Eddie had sung their hearts out to it many a time since getting back to school. Before they got going, an older badger descended into the area, and Doc gave Tilden a grin. "Oh, you'll see." Turning back to Eddie, he gave him a playful raise of his brows. "What d'you say, mate? Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?..." Doc began theatrically, counting on Eddie to back him up with the guitar and harmonies.

[Eddie Brown]

“Alright!” Eddie exclaimed, pumping one fist in the air. “Sex Pistols are going to be so rad, we are going to boogie all night long!” Of course there was the little matter of getting tickets to the show, oh and sneaking out of the castle, right, and traveling there... Small things, very small things to worry over. Besides, they had plenty of time to iron out all the details, maybe someones parents could speak up for them. Definitely not his dad. But maybe...Willa's? Anyway, right now, they were going to indulge in a little melody. He would figure it all out later. 

Eddie strummed his guitar as the others talked around him. The girls setting his best mate a most formidable challenge. Naturally, they likely had no clue how much the two boys had played the single since it's release. Enough to make Eddie's fingers and Doc's voice sore. He winked at Willa when she spoke. “Whatever you desire my lady. I aim to please.” If it was mellow she wanted later, he had several ideas for songs she might like already popping into his head... 

“Tilden!” The younger Hufflepuff gave Toots a wave and slid over to make room for him to sit among their little group. Man this was really turning into a gathering of sorts. Excellent! He shot Tilden a grin as he tuned his instrument and adjusted his posture. He had to make sure he had both feet planted firmly on the floor. Sometimes he got really into the music, he didn't want to go falling over. He shot another glance to their most recent joiner. He really was a completely singular specimen. Tall, really tall. And sweet and cute. Doc drew his attention then and Eddie because slightly more serious and much more focused on his fingers and the strings. He played the beat with only a fudge or two, his voice dipping in and out along with Doc's steady cadence at appropriate times. Until, of course, his favorite part, where his voice rose and his chest ached.“Mama oooooooooo!”

[Hestia Jones]

Hestia couldn’t help but laugh, her mind imagining Peeves having competition. The poltergeist was bad enough sometimes, she remembered that quite well after the run in they had had in first year. He’d chased her way all the way back to the Hufflepuff common room before he stopped throwing things at her. ”We’ll make a plan! Although you should come to Wales this summer and see Doc and me. We could go to the muggle university!” she exclaimed, turning to look at Doc for confirmation. It had been such fun for the two of them, running around and causing havoc. Muggle things were way better than magical things. But any further conversation about it would have to wait, with Eddie showing up. Hestia curled into Doc’s side as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, grinning at her two friends. ”I love Muggle music! This is going to be amazing!”

”Serenade me later, Queen first!” Tilden had shown up, and Hestia pointed at a spot and motioned for him to sit, grinning widely at both Doc and Eddie. They were brilliant at this song, and Eddie’s guitar skills were impressive, she clapped cheerifuly as he finished the solo before joining in singing, ”I see a little silhouette of a man...” Most of the common room was paying attention by now, some others joining in on the fun. This was a long song, but it was a fun song. It was the song for everyone to sing together, to jam out to in those muggle transportation devices during road trips. And it was certainly perking her spirits for having to go to class later in the night.

[Willa Robbins]

It was with curiosity in her heart that Willa watched the younger Hufflepuff couple pair of friends nearly start canoodling. It was no secret that Hestia and Doc were...close. It was no secret to her that there had even been kisses shared between them this term. And they were so...cute. She couldn't help but wonder if they were going to start actually dating anytime soon. But, she reminded herself fairly, it was likely her recent departure from a relationship that was making her think that way...They'd be adorable, though. And so happy! Not feeling like being the fuddy duddy prefect shooting down holiday plans, even though the lot of them making it to a Sex Pistols concert seemed highly unlikely in her mind, Willa stayed quiet on that subject, jumping onto Hestia's next idea. "The muggle university your parents work at, Doc? We could go, really?" She'd never seen Wales, and to see it with friends, and to see something as beautiful as she'd heard Cardiff University described as...Now that is an attainable goal, my friends.

Tilden joined their growing gathering, and she and the rest gamely scooted to make room for him. She shot Eddie a quick grin at his wink, ready to listen to the lovely bloke strumming his guitar play a song or two. Something soothing would be coming after the explosion of emotion that was Bohemian Rhapsody coming from Eddie and Doc, though. Before long, Hestia was joining in, and she was feeling slightly foolish for not knowing the song well enough to accompany them! Thankfully there were others who knew it - the blokes were doing nothing to hide attention from themselves, and as she looked about, Willa saw more of their housemates coming down to join them in song. Her favorite had to be the spontaneous divide within the room at the emphatic cries of let him go! Fully entertained and wrapped up in the warmth of her House, Willa was all cheers and clapping after Doc and Eddie led them through the minor - and for them, very controlled - ending. "That was amazing - you've gotten even better than last year!"

[Doc Dearborn]

Hestia was making plans to bring their friends to their home country, and it was one of the sweeter things he'd witnessed that day. The girl was still charmed by his parents' place of work, and the joy in her voice transferred its way to Willa quick as heat lightning. "You think I could say no to you two when you look at me like that?" Doc said with a laugh, giving Hes a little squeeze under his arm. "It'd be my honor to take you to the university, my blodyn tatws*." If he played his cards right, he could probably even get the lot of them approved to stay at his parents' house. Guest spaces were abundant and rarely utilized, and Olwyn would throw a proper fit, preparing the house to accommodate his school mates, but love having them around all the same. 

With Eddie came a guitar, and with a guitar came a song, and Doc knew he shouldn't have been so pleasantly surprised when more Housemates joined in on their theatre, but he could count himself delighted at it. Their House was proudly one that gave home to many muggleborns like himself, and no muggle alive hadn't heard Queen. The man's voice was a right gift, and the way he used it to move people made Doc wonder if Mercury had magic in his veins too. He could only hope to perform the song well, not talented enough to do it justice, but with how the others were drawn to them, Doc felt he and Eddie were doing enough to stir their hearts. He exchanged many a happily bemused look with his best mate as they went on, pointing exuberantly to different sections of the room for an epic round of Galileo, heart skipping a beat as Hestia sang her way in, directing the crowd through the revelry from his seat in the firepit... And to think you'd only come out of the dorm to find a way to kill the evening before Astronomy.

The song ended with a flourish that the Frog Choir would frown upon but re-energized him wholly, and he fell back on the pillows with a breathless laugh. "I'll serenade you later, Hes, I promise," he said, grinning over at her. "But I've got to let someone else take the reins for the next one. It's all you, Eddie my man."

*potato flowers

[Eddie Brown]

It made his soul sing like his voice never could to perform, and the have that performance appreciated, was like a drug in his veins. He felt it all over. The Hat had really known what it was doing, placing him here with his fellow badgers. Eddie didn’t think any other house would have joined in on the song as his housemates did now. All around the common room people began to sing along with them and soon he and Doc had turned it into a production. He sent Hestia an exuberant smile as she chimed in as well, looking then to Willa’s happy face and leaning into her playfully, all the while his fingers playing a tune ingrained into them from hours of practice. He exchanged pleased grin with his best mate as the crowd divided harmonies on his cue, truly appreciating Doc and his soul and his rocking voice. There was no one better to jam with. He enjoyed every second of this session, around the cozy firepit, surrounded by the loving nature of Hufflepuff house.

“Far out!” he said when the song came to a close, clapping along with everyone else and reaching across to give his musical partner a spirited high five. “Thanks, I’m glad you liked it.” he said, giving the older girl a thankful smile. It was nice having her back he decided, her steady energy added that much more to the room. At Doc’s words he turned to him and Hes, cuddled together, and gave a mock bow of his head. “As you command, sir.” he said with as much bass in his voice as he could muster. He adjusted in his seat, sitting up straighter. Giving a few experimental plucks on his guitar and hummed, still feeling high from their round of Queen. The feel of the vibration of music, was like another hit to his system. “Any special request?” he asked, glancing around at his friends. “Something more mellow you requested I think Willa dear. Maybe a little, hummm…” Eddie strummed again on the strings, adjusted his fingers, and then a tone formed, short and sweet. “The King himself perhaps. A little Elvis for the lovers out there?”