⫯ the three broomsticks

@－ ❛ ʜ ❜：henri knight。⁰⁴ mal could not hold back a scoff at henri’s words. he even rolled his eyes playfully, he found henri’s affection absolutely adorable, but his words? him and cassian were probably the only ones that managed to hit the nail on romance. he was glad mint and eleazar were more subtle, but even they could get his heart racing insanely. he looked at henri and dragged his thumb over henri’s lower lip before resting it on henri’s chin. “you are something else, henri,” he did not use his first name often, but when he did, it was always spoken with a hint of french. he enjoyed his name quite a lot, but preferred using the name not everyone did. “you are not a heater, mon chaton. not that I would complain having you hold me,” he smiled at him, then let go of his chin and cleared his throat. his voice unconsciously lowered, and mal felt that in his throat.

mal nodded at the suggestion, and let a chuckle escape his tiers. he enjoyed henri’s enthusiasm, it was quite childish and it matched mal’s. he wondered how the others could put up with two overly excited people, but mal guessed it must be fun. he rested his cheek on his palm, and his elbow on the table while looking at henri. the subtle light that came through the window touched henri’s lips, and they were even prettier than mal remembered them. an adorable cat-curl, sweet and innocent. mal had to resist the urge to kiss him, he still needed to get used to being touchier with henri. “as you should, because you are very cute. did we already order something? I forgot,” mal frowned a bit, then found the perfect opportunity for a payback. “you made me forget,” he smiled at henri sweetly, it was his attempt to be as cheesy as henri.

@－ ❛ ɢ ❜：emilia seong。⁰¹ ( H ) Saying that Luciel was tired would be an understatement; the kid was ing drained in all aspects. He barely had any time to take care of himself, let alone spend any time with the few other students that he was able to call his friends. This being one of those moments, he wanted to try his best to be his usual self, but with his current worries, issues and contemplations it was already intransigent. Luciel's eyes dragged themselves away from his glass, filled with a liquid he was too tired to remember that he even ordered, and gazed gently at the girl before him. "Hm? Yeah, too much studying," slowly, his head nodded almost as if he was trying to believe the lie himself. "You're probably one of the smartest first years I know with little to no effort. Any reason behind why you study so hard?"

@－ ❛ s ❜：luciel romano。⁰³ ( H ) Stress had overtaken Emilia, once again, as finals were fast approaching. Last semester, she studied like a freak and still managed to nearly fail her exams. This semester, she studied hard, but not enough so to make her feel like she were completely brain dead afterwards. However, she still felt she needed a break. And thus, the trip to The Three Broomsticks with Luciel was a much needed one. And not only that, she needed a drink to relax. Seated at a table across from one another, Emilia had her face propped in her hands, her wide eyes focused solely on the Slytherin before her. "You look tired, have you also been studying a lot?" She asked, noting that there was something a bit off about his demeanor today.

@－ ❛ ʀ ❜：maël clair。⁰² "Well, I can warm you up," Henri hummed against Maël's skin, kissing his neck. He was a lot more and a lot less physical than the other. Or maybe it was just a different kind of touch he preferred - sometimes he did like having them as close as possible and other times he just preferred soft kisses and warm cuddles. It always depeneded on the mood but right now he just wanted to have Maël close, touching him gently. He brushed over the other's side and smiled at him. "I mean, we can bring warm blankets and do it during the summer, not right now maybe." Outside it was still pretty cold and he was not up for ending up with pneumonia, none of them needed that. Even though it meant more cuddles, probably - he could just ask for cuddles instead.

"Then maybe just warm campfire and cooking food. We can have marshmallows," he hummed and watched the other, a bright smile on his lips. A soft chuckle left Henri's pretty lips and he shook his head. "Well, I do get excited quite easily," he then said, not good with too many compliments or compliments from someone as amazing as Maël: "Sometimes I do feel cute though." Like right now because the way Maël looked at him caused butterflies in his chest and it made him nervous and happy and excited and all warm on the inside. He wanted to touch the other and hold him close, just be with him.

@－ ❛ ʜ ❜：henri knight。⁰⁴ ( SH ) he did not take his eyes off of henri. for anyone else, having someone stare at them like that would be intimidating. he knew even mint got a little shy when he did it. but henri rarely looked away – maybe because he looked at mal the same way. mal would stare at him forever if he could, and were he not always so distracted. even if he was looking straight at him, his mind wandered elsewhere – he imagined little monarch butterflies on his shoulders, nuzzling against his jaw because they enjoyed the sweet scent. mal enjoyed it too, he made sure to point it out sometimes. henri was a lot like a honeysuckle – and mal became a bee around him, kissing away his pollen and taking it all in. he did not mind that their intimacy did not go as far as his intimacy with the other boys did, it was quite special like that. as long as he could hold hands and kiss, mal was good.

perhaps henri’s cheeks should be home for some red admirals, they would like to rest on the sticky, cute surface that was sometimes tinted red. mal reached his hands out to take henri’s, he was not planning to keep their physical interaction to a minimum. he missed henri after all. “skinny dipping in the night?” mal asked amused, shaking his head shortly. he left his lips on henri’s hands, warming them up in his own and hopefully with his kisses. “it would be really cold. cass and I do not really like the cold, you know that. I would assume eleazar prefers something warmer too, given he spends so much time in greece. but a campfire, and cooking food over it would be wonderful! it is warmer at night during the summer, but still. I will pass on the skinny dipping,” he chuckled, then smiled at henri. “you know, you are really cute when you get so excited.”

@－ ❛ ʀ ❜：maël clair。⁰² Having Mael close made Henri feel warm and excited. He did not really care if it were kisses or touches or just general being close, it made him happy. Henri had always been a quite physical person - even though he was on the aual spectrum, he did enjoy kisses and hugs and touches. And especially as currently he had been as deprived as all the others - surely, he cuddled with Cassian whenever they managed to go to bed in time, but he missed the other three too. He missed Eleazar's gentle kisses, Mint's shy touches and Mael's cold hands on his sides that felt like home and made him relax so easily. He just missed them a lot and the exam season stole a lot of that quality time a lot.

For a long moment Henri looked out after they had sat down but then was turned back to Mael's beautiful face. It was so easily distracting and it made his heart beat fast and exciting. He wanted to hold him close and kiss him and have long and deep talks but he could not do all at once so just being here with Mael, being close, and spending time with him was amazing. And at least he could stare at his stunning face - something he had missed. Surely, he could just stare at the pictures they had taken together but that was just something different than seeing him face to face. "Oh? That would be really cool! Imagine skinny dipping in the middle of the night under pretty moonlight." Of course not a full moon, but some moonlight would be really nice. "And campfire and all. I would enjoy that a lot. And I am sure the others would join too!" He got excited of just the thought of it.

@－ ❛ ʜ ❜：henri knight。⁰⁴ the new schedule barely offered mal any time off to spend with his (boy)friends and that was not ideal. but with spring rushing in, he felt a lot more optimistic. he was ahead of schedules for once, so naturally, he wanted to spend his ‘free time’ with the people he cared about. he has long promised henri a date, but they were both caught in schedules so much so that the date was postponed a few times. not this time. mal made sure to drag henri along, even if he had to do so in a less pleasant manner – by the legs or something. however, mal was quite convinced he did not actually have to resort to violence. he missed henri more than he wanted to say, but his reaction(s) let on just how much he did. when he saw his smile, he could not help but skip a step and jump in his embrace – maybe a little childish. after all, spring brought the child in him to light.

he spent the first ten minutes of their encounter kissing henri’s face and calling him pretty just to show his excitement for their date. he decided to give it a rest when he remembered that he was a little bit hungry. he took henri’s hand and pulled him along to the three broomsticks for a long-overdue cosy date outside of the castle. he picked a table in a far corner, somewhere near the window so he could watch the early butterflies fly around. he did not want to get too distracted by the landscape, and frankly speaking, he really could not. not when henri looked like that, or when he made him so happy. mal could have at least make an attempt to hide just how smitten he was, but he did not. once they were seated at the table, he cupped his cheeks and rested his elbows on the table to admire henri with a sweet smile. “you know what would be fun?” he started a conversation he was not really sure where to lead. “going camping with mint, cass and eleazar. do you think they would like it?”

@－ ❛ ɢ ❜：emilia seong。⁰¹ To be fair, Genevieve didn't see what the big deal was about such extravagant clothing, especially at night; no one would be seeing them anyways so what was the purpose in spending so much money? Sure, silk was nice but Gen didn't mind her sweatshirts. "Mmm," she hums, chewing. She swallows before continuing, "I've dated a bit. Not worth the hype just to get married and wear nice PJs." Sure, she's dated around some, mostly teenage boys back home who had no idea how to treat a girl, but for the most part, Genevieve is a lone ranger. It takes a lot to interest her; she's seen a lot of things, a few flowers and chocolates weren't enough for her.

A small chuckle leaves watching her friend devour her sweets. "Thanks, Emi. But I still have to get better!" She takes another modest bite of the cheesecake before nodding. "Definitely. Cheesecakes are good because they're not too sweet but not too bland. I usually don't like sweets," she explains, before a small snort leaves her lips. "Except that one time I made a chocolate weed cake with this Ravenclaw."

"Hmm, I have an aunt who lives in London. Friend of my mom's. I was gonna stay with her for the summer, but if you'd take me..." She trails, a small smile on her face. Despite going to school here, she'd yet to explore the continent, seeing as she had been raised in the States. Though London would be an interesting venture, it'd be much more fun to do so with her friend in the countryside. "I don't mind the cow poo smell," is the first thing she says, a boisterous laugh leaving her parted cherry lips. "New York smells like that during the summers too, only worse! Like... cow poo on fire. But I've gotten used to it. Maybe I could take you to New York for the winter break, then?"

"I could never get sick of you, Emi," the girl says earnestly. "Honestly. You're one of the few people who /don't/ piss me off," she laughs.

@－ ❛ ʜ ❜：maya yim。⁰⁴ @－ ❛ ɢ ❜：kaladin ravenwood。⁰⁴ @－ ❛ ʀ ❜：silas ciarán。⁰⁴ ( H ) @－ ❛ s ❜：liandro kang。⁰⁴ “I think the Headmistress has enough on her plate as it is, don’t you?” Her eyebrow was raised, inquisitive yet pointed when she directed her eyes to the curly-headed male seated right next to her. Her stare lingered for only a split of a second, as if she were silently questioning the words he spoke. She understood him, knew him well enough to know why he would push for action. But as much as she adored his initiative, she thought differently. Especially when she didn’t quite see the world as easily changeable as he did. “The headmistress is either in the dark, or she knows very little about what is going on. Either way, it does not matter. Her duty is to protect the school and make sure our students are safe. You don’t see her going around and finding answers on her own.” Emerald sighed, meeting their eyes with a small shrug. “Knocking on the headmistress’ door is not going to solve anything. The answers you’ll get are probably going to be, ‘I assure you, we’re all safe’ and ‘Don’t worry about it, the ministry is doing the best they can’. And then what? Point wands at her until she tells us what she knows? If she does, which I highly doubt she will, what do you expect to do? Be sent on a mission to find who knows what? Again, not going to happen. Even if we are ‘good enough’, it doesn’t matter. We can’t just go out and look for something to change. There are deaths. From all over. We can’t investigate on our own. The worst that could happen is that we’re arrested for meddling in Auror business. If you want to do something about it, fine. But remember that our jurisdiction is on Hogwarts grounds, in the houses we’re assigned to. The most we can do is offer help to the young wizards and witches who are struggling with spells. If danger comes, we’ll be prepared. Our professors have been preparing us for years. So no, it isn’t a matter of whether we are good enough or not. If we want to make a change, we can do it back at Hogwarts without pestering some wise old wizards who are probably more stressed out than we are. It’ll probably do more harm than good.”

@－ ❛ ʀ ❜：mint song。⁰¹ Stretching his arms, Jacob took a pleasant walk down towards Hogsmeade to grab something sweet to eat. The wind blew through a few of his hair strands which found itself in certain areas of his head, making it look unkept. How long has he been wearing this messy hair style? Maybe he’s been working on his academics and practice too much to even notice the details left on his face to even notice. Jacob took care of himself occasionally. Study notebooks scattered around his desk. One of his books was present inside the contents of his bag. Did he forget his pen to class? The worries he had clouded over his line of thoughts dispersed from another breeze that hit behind the back of his nape.

He is outside. Away from the presence of anything school related until he would decide to walk back and continue his usual daily routine. Jacob needed to relax for one period of his time. The self-care activities he once garnered had gotten itself thrown out of the window and or kept underneath the depths of his room had found itself comfortable staying in the same position it knew would fit best, but not to make him any better. He pushed past the doors leading to the three broomsticks; he ordered a grape flavored cheesecake. It was an odd combination for him to choose. The Hufflepuff craved for something fresh. So, why not a slice of grape flavored cheesecake, right? After making his order, Jacob settled on one table. Before he dug into his treat, he took his phone out from his pocket and snapped a picture of what he’s up to today.

@－ ❛ ɢ ❜：genevieve mcallister。⁰¹ "Oh, no Gene! My mam would be mad if she saw them either way. I'll have to stick with my penguin pajamas until I get married," Emilia said with a sigh. It would be such a pleasant gift, she can just imagine how wonderful the silk would feel against her skin, especially on skincare days. "Oh, what if I become an old maid? I've only had one boyfriend before and I think he didn't really like me. Have you dated before Gene? I never had asked you that."

Finally realizing the truffle was before her, Emilia finally took a fork full of the wonderful dessert. She shook excitedly as she ate it, loving the way the chocolate seemed to fill . It would be ten times better if she had a glass of milk to wash it down, but her butterbeer will do. "Well you're the best player in my eyes no matter what! Do you like the cheesecake? Your truffle is absolutely amazing!"

Emilia shouldn't be so excited to hear that her friend won't be seeing her parents for the summer. But she couldn't help but be excited that Genevieve was possibly open to her invitation. "Oh, where do you stay? I know the school doesn't let us stay here during the summer holidays, do you have a flat in the Uk?" She sipped, no, gulped down her butterbeer before setting it back down on the table. "My family won't mind at all! They would love to meet you too! I write to them about you all the time and mam wants to meet my best friend anyways. Oh, you'll love it there! The yard is so big and it smells so nice. Of course, if you get closer to the farmlands it smells a bit like cow poo. But it's still a lovely place! Oh I'm so excited! I hope you don't get sick of me, seeing me through the summer too." She let out a nervous giggle.

@－ ❛ ʜ ❜：maya yim。⁰⁴ @－ ❛ ɢ ❜：kaladin ravenwood。⁰⁴ @－ ❛ ʀ ❜：silas ciarán。⁰⁴ @－ ❛ s ❜：emerald de lisle。⁰⁴ It was as if what he said had gone right over the heads of the others, possibly his words truly meant nothing to them. Or maybe what a Slytherin said meant nothing at all in general when it came to preventative measures that they were possibly thinking of. They were adults, certainly, yet nobody seemed to understand the point he made. What were they to do about the events that happened outside of the school? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Liandro tried to grit his teeth and not comment on the idiocy that he heard before him, at the lack of recognizing that McGonagall probably has as little answers as they would and that whatever was happening right now was possibly something more dark than what they could imagine. The comment about their wands and the assumption of how he came across was due to the events at hand finally made the world's he held tumble past his lips.

"Yes we know how you use a /bloody wand/. However, we have /never/ had to use spells under pressure such as these. ing hell, I've conjured a patronus out of my own mere curiosity on a boggart before but yet I ing choked in front of the real thing. Besides. I don't give a flying what happened here at the school, don't assume we all look miserable because of these events." The Slytherin took a deep breath before he leaned forward on the table, clasping his hands before him. His dark eyes finally landing on each prefect face. "Think about it, anyways. If you want answers, do you research. Think about each event. McGonagall is probably ly just as in the dark as us. The ministry seems to also be just as confused. Or they all are believing in the same thing. Don't you find it odd that all these things happened at the same time, that there are more than dark creatures attacking, but also wizards? Are you all that dense to not think it is possibly all connected? Why else would one of the "great three" be doing here as a goddam professor anyways? We may want answers. But what do you expect to do with them? Go out of the school and find trouble? Patrol the outside? No matter what we do will not be good enough. We have little to no experience. Everything we know is merely from a classroom environment and not a real world experience. We may know spells, potions, charms. We may Excell in our studies with them. However, what you suggest is way over our heads. And I refuse to be a nuisance to the Headmistress when I have my own bloody idea and fears as to what is going on...I mean, come on. Draco Malfoy was murdered, there was a massacre by wizards on muggle peoples, and dementors have suddenly popped up in numbers that haven't been seen in decades. Do you really need to harass McGonagall for answers?"

@－ ❛ ʜ ❜：maya yim。⁰⁴ @－ ❛ ʀ ❜：silas ciarán。⁰⁴ @－ ❛ s ❜：liandro kang。⁰⁴ @－ ❛ s ❜：emerald de lisle。⁰⁴ "Ok, slow down and take a breath there, mate", Kaladin says softly, reaching out to pat Silas on the shoulder, giving the other attending prefects a pointed look from beneath an unruly fringe of raven locks. "I agree with Silas. We're basically adults now. We already finished out seven years at Hogwarts, it's not like we don't know how to use a bloody wand." He heaves a sigh, fingers nervously drumming against the table as the air leaves his lungs, eyes serious when he lifts when back to look at the other prefects, lips drawn into a tight line. "It's not just about reassuring the younger children. We're all losing it at this point, I think. And it's disconcerting. I mean, look at us, guys. We sit here and we all look like we're attending a funeral. It's like we've already surrendered to the fact that nobody will tell us anything and that we don't even have the chance to make a change. And I refuse to believe that. I think we can all agree with Silas on the fact that Professor McGonagall saw something in each and every single one of us. You don't have to be on the same page with me, because frankly I don't care. But I won't just sit around and accept my defeat when I don't even know what is going and none of us even /tried/ to stand up and do something. If it's just me and Silas, okay, fine. But think about it for a second, why don't you?" He pauses, gritting his teeth, jaw working for a second, fingers balling into fists before relaxing once more. "Everybody can make a difference in this world, no matter how small it is. And I'd rather have all of us prefects knock down the headmistress' door, instead of it being just the two random boys."

@－ ❛ ʜ ❜：maya yim。⁰⁴ @－ ❛ ɢ ❜：kaladin ravenwood。⁰⁴ @－ ❛ s ❜：liandro kang。⁰⁴ @－ ❛ s ❜：emerald de lisle。⁰⁴ They were all 'just' prefects, and he knew this—of course. Their title wasn't one that needed confirmation by being said out loud; but rather, the title 'prefect' for his peers needed gusto. Before he became a prefect, Silas was reluctant to give up his freedom to go anywhere he pleased without being seen, but his mother suggested that being a prefect would give him a chance to be the leader she saw in him. A preparation of some sort as an aspiring Auror. He was confused when she made that known to him but now, Silas felt a surge of hopelessness from the group of prefects, and he was unwilling to strike it down without having tried. "Look. I understand that some of you see all of us as /just/ prefects, but we were chosen as prefects for a reason. And it wasn't just for the title. Some of us, if not all of us, submitted our applications to Professor McGonagall because we, ourselves, believed we could make a difference here at Hogwarts. And perhaps now is the time to do just that." He spoke sternly but with an intimation of liveliness. He was afraid too, less than most it seemed, but Silas had people he loved as well who were thousands of miles away from him. Anything could happen to them at any given moment. "We have the freedom to run away from this responsibility, and we can say that it's not our problem to deal with. But if we say that we're incapable of doing anything or that our responsibilities only consist of directing students to their classes and patrolling the halls at night, what excuse are we going to make when we're no longer sheltered by the castle's walls or our professors. Maybe whatever is out there is betting on us to doubt ourselves. Our magic isn't as refined as Aurors or those who work in the Ministry but if we mope around like this and give up without having tried, even in the smallest of ways, our world as we know it may not even have a future.. so I say, we do our best. We can't do anything for those outside of Hogwarts, but we can reassure the students about their safety here, and hopefully that will get back to their families.. And we do as Kaladin said. Start demanding for explanations and where they refuse to give answers, we start listening to what people are saying here. Merlin's beard, when they're drunk, people will say what they're not supposed to say."

@－ ❛ ʜ ❜：maya yim。⁰⁴ @－ ❛ ɢ ❜：kaladin ravenwood。⁰⁴ @－ ❛ ʀ ❜：silas ciarán。⁰⁴ @－ ❛ s ❜：liandro kang。⁰⁴ Although her gaze was centered on the surface of the table, her mind was distant, wandering off to a place when, if she stayed there any longer, she might've been the very body stashed in the corner of an alleyway. She refused to dwell on it; didn't allow herself to think of the possibility for weeks, and yet, somehow, this very conversation had forced her to look at it. And it embittered her the longer they stayed at this meeting. "There's nothing to be done." It was true; the Wizarding World was in shambles, there's no doubt about that. There's destruction to the order, chaos and mayhem that have gone beyond even the Ministry's control, and while she understood that something needed to be done, she knew that she, along with the rest of them, were only students, and still undergoing training for situations as dire as these. Emerald had always been a stickler for justice, desired to become an Auror herself, however as much as she wanted to help, to prevent another death before it happened, there was nothing to be done.

@－ ❛ ɢ ❜：emilia seong。⁰¹ "Well," hums Genevieve as she sticks another fork of her chocolate treat between her lips. "If anyone could have saved the cat then that person would've saved their own cat." her lips to clear the crumbs which have probably amassed upon her lips, Genevieve gives a small shrug in regards to the girl's contemplation regarding the pajamas of other girls, especially those in the years above them. To be fair and honest, Genevieve did not give a care about fashion for the most part, mostly preferring to stay comfortable in her jeans, leggings, and muggle t-shirts. She did not even enjoy wearing the traditional Hogwarts robes which were required as uniforms. "They're pretty, yeah. But, I like my sweatpants and sweaters," she says with a laugh. "If you'd like, Emi, I could buy you some! As a.. Christmas gift."

Genevieve raises an alarmed eyebrow as her friend starts choking, exclaiming, "Oh my god, Emi. Drink! And chew, please." A small guffaw leaves her lips before she continues, "You says you can't be a famous singer in the wizarding world? And of course, you're lucky to have a friend like me, very lucky." A wink is sent Emilia's way as Genevieve settles back into her seat, leaning her back against the cushion of the booth.

After taking the scoop of cake graciously into her lips, from the Gryffindor's lips comes a sound of approval, along with a nod of her head at the sweet taste. She lifts her glass to consume a gulp of butterbeer to clear her palette of the sweetness overload, then wipes rather unwomanly. "Alex will see, eventually. I'm gonna be the best chaser Gryffindor's seen since Angelina Johnson. Or, maybe Ginny Weasley. Anyways—the point is, I'm gonna be a star player, and Caelum's gonna see that! Oh, whatever anyways, that's stressing me out." She says, shaking her head along with a little wave of her fork, as though moving that topic along. Quidditch was always on her mind, however. "Try some of mine too," she says, pushing her plate forward more. Emilia was always so giving; that was something Genevieve would need to work on.

"Wales?" She blinks. "I've... never been. But no, I wasn't going to go back home, the flight's too expensive, and my parents don't want me apparating," she chuckles. "They're scared I'll get splinched. But, I'd love to! If... your family won't mind?" Compared to the dirty city of New York that Genevieve grew up in (though, she still loved it with all her heart!), the countryside was a sight she'd never seen before.

@－ ❛ ʜ ❜：maya yim。⁰⁴ @－ ❛ ɢ ❜：kaladin ravenwood。⁰⁴ @－ ❛ ʀ ❜：silas ciarán。⁰⁴ @－ ❛ s ❜：emerald de lisle。⁰⁴ The Slytherin's nose scrunched with annoyance when the female Ravenclaw prefect admitted to being the one that called this meeting. "Okay, yeah, sure, great somehow some way the prefects can /handle/ whatever is going on right now," his tone was laced with sarcasm. What were they to do than what they already were? "We miraculously are going to prevent whatever is happening outside of the school as well as inside. Right? What am I to say to a kid that is worried for their parents? For their sibling or other family members that aren't protected under the school? Oh, yeah, don't worry you're safe here but out there? Who knows. As much I respect the Minster, the ministry seems to have their heads shoved so far up their asses that they can't seem to prevent things from even coming to the school. And they expect the students to protect themselves? A bunch of bull. Besides, like Kaladin said, we're lucky some of us could conjure a patronus. But even then, no person's was strong enough to ward them al away other than Professor Weasley's. We're not aurors. And we grew up in a fairly sheltered life. So what the hell are we supposed to do?" Liandro took in a deep breath, realizing he had said far more than he had expected. All the while, his gaze had shifted back and forth between the Ravenclaw prefects.

@－ ❛ ʜ ❜：maya yim。⁰⁴ @－ ❛ ʀ ❜：silas ciarán。⁰⁴ @－ ❛ s ❜：liandro kang。⁰⁴ @－ ❛ s ❜：emerald de lisle。⁰⁴ "As if anybody would /ever/ tell us anything", Kaladin pipes up at Silas' words, leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed over his chest, legs stretching out beneath the table as he levels the other prefects with a pointed stare, one eyebrow raised. "As Emerald said. We are prefects. We're nothing but kids waving around sticks. We were kind of lucky so many of us were able to summon a patronus during the match." With a deep sigh he runs a hand through his hair, bending forward to rest his elbows on the table, fingers laced together on the slightly sticky wooden tabletop, gaze trained on his own hands. "This week alone I had to call the parents of seven younger students so they'd stop crying. I'm not a teacher, guys, I have zero to no skill when it comes to handling crying children. So I'd actually agree with Silas. What we need is damage control and, hear me out, at this point I'd rather put my foot down and demand some answers than walk around like a headless chicken."

@－ ❛ ʜ ❜：maya yim。⁰⁴ @－ ❛ ɢ ❜：kaladin ravenwood。⁰⁴ @－ ❛ s ❜：liandro kang。⁰⁴ @－ ❛ s ❜：emerald de lisle。⁰⁴ The waiter jotted down their orders then was off again as abrupt as he'd arrived. Silas watched him leave before turning his attention back on the group, eyes meeting Liandro's then shifting to Emerald. Both of the Slytherin prefects had valid points; they were all but prefects with absolutely no clue what was conspiring behind the scenes in the world they lived in--except for their own encounters and the articles that had been published in the Daily Prophet. It was unclear who had scheduled the meeting. He thought it to be either Liandro or Emerald, but both were clear about having not been the one. Kaladin was clueless about the objective of the gathering, and neither of the Hufflepuffs appeared too convincing. "I called the meeting," his partner confessed hesitantly, a rather uneasy look marring her face. "I know that the lot of us would rather be busying ourselves with other things but as Emerald said, the kids are /really/ frightened. Just this past week, one kid came up and told me he's afraid something is going to happen to his mum back at home while he's here. And another said that her uncle went missing around the same time the article was released." Things out there were getting serious; Silas knew this, but he'd been so caught up in his own troubles that the happenings around town briefly slipped his mind. He took a moment to digest his peers' comments and questions then mused in his usual composed manner, "What we need to do here is probably some damage control. A few younger years have voiced their fear of experiencing another dementor attack, but they seemed to be reassured when I told them Professor McGonagall and Professor Weasley have fought off tons of those doggone creatures in their life time. Their abilities are our best bet here at Hogwarts--of course, that's not one hundred percent guaranteed, but they don't have to know that. Everything's sort of just—up in the air with the Ministry managing what the Prophet publishes. McGonagall isn't telling us anything either."

@－ ❛ ʜ ❜：maya yim。⁰⁴ @－ ❛ ɢ ❜：kaladin ravenwood。⁰⁴ @－ ❛ ʀ ❜：silas ciarán。⁰⁴ @－ ❛ s ❜：liandro kang。⁰⁴ “Butterbeer for myself as well, please.” It was quick, almost rushed and admittedly absentminded, because while Emerald rarely desired an alcoholic beverage at this time of day, she desired speaking about the topic less. It was something she avoided, what with all other concern swimming in her tangled mind. With a sigh and a shift in her position, forearms resting on the table as she leaned forward, she shrugged, unintentionally nonchalant in response to her partner’s complaint. “So why are we here? To investigate? To come up with answers? If this meeting was set up as a means to come up with a solution, it wouldn’t make much sense, would it? We’re a bunch of prefects for a bloody school.” She inhaled deeply, though her visage and intonation remained calm, eyes as stoic as they usually were. “But I do have to say, the kids are frightened.”

@－ ❛ ʜ ❜：maya yim。⁰⁴ @－ ❛ ɢ ❜：kaladin ravenwood。⁰⁴ @－ ❛ ʀ ❜：silas ciarán。⁰⁴ @－ ❛ s ❜：emerald de lisle。⁰⁴ Liandro allowed himself too long to look at the Hufflepuff, that is until he realized he was indeed looking in her direction. He quickly turned his attention to Emerald and Kal, only to look away just as quickly when the Gryffindor pulled his girlfriend closer. Now, his dark eyes were on Silas, not knowing where else to look at this point. His mind was in such shambles, the waiter had to tap on his shoulder to get his attention. "Oh, I'll have the same." Now with the conversation turning towards why they came, Liandro couldn't help but speak up. He may as well in order to not seem as uncomfortable as he felt. "It sounds like, bottom line, the school and the ministry is falling into deep ing trying to control whatever the hell's been going on. Right? As much as I love magical creatures, I'm getting ing sick of trying to protect myself in situations I typically wouldn't need my wand." And failing at it.

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@－ ❛ ʜ ❜：maya yim。⁰⁴ @－ ❛ ɢ ❜：kaladin ravenwood。⁰⁴ @－ ❛ s ❜：liandro kang。⁰⁴ @－ ❛ s ❜：emerald de lisle。⁰⁴ "Hey, Kal." he greeted his friend back with a wide albeit lackluster smile. Then slowly, one by one, the rest began to show. Some of them looking as though they were dreading this meeting just as much as him; though for whatever reasons they had, Silas was oblivious to. Aside from his partner and Kaladin, He didn't know them well enough to venture a few guesses. "We arrived early, so no worries. You're all right on time!" the other Ravenclaw prefect reassured with a grin. At least one of them was bubbling with energy. Silas looked over his peers with that same imperturbable expression on his face. "Should we dive right into things or do you all want to--" Before he could finish, the waiter appeared to take their order. "Something to drink?". "Uh, a butterbeer for me, please." he replied before his partner chimed in. "One for me too!"

@－ ❛ ʜ ❜：maya yim。⁰⁴ @－ ❛ ɢ ❜：kaladin ravenwood。⁰⁴ @－ ❛ ʀ ❜：silas ciarán。⁰⁴ @－ ❛ s ❜：liandro kang。⁰⁴ The cold had always been dreadful. It always had, with the brisk wind kissing her skin with such belligerence it left her shivering even in the warmth of her attire; even in the warmth of a familiar embrace, whose arms were like that of the comfort of a fireplace. It was dreadfully biting that day, her rosy cheeks all the more vibrant in hue with the wind blowing against her face, and when she had stepped into the establishment, she had immediately excused herself to the bathroom to run her hands under hot water, hoping that that would restore the heat she desperately needed in her body. "Sorry, went to the loo," she piped up just a trail away from the Hufflepuff prefect, hands tucked into her coat pockets as she took a seat between her partner and the Gryffindor prefect.

@－ ❛ ɢ ❜：kaladin ravenwood。⁰⁴ @－ ❛ ʀ ❜：silas ciarán。⁰⁴ @－ ❛ s ❜：liandro kang。⁰⁴ @－ ❛ s ❜：emerald de lisle。⁰⁴ She's uncharacteristically late and dreadfully, she knows why. Actually, quite selfishly, she almost opted to flake out on the prefect meeting with a feeble excuse readied on hand, but guilt was inevitably ebbing at her－she /should/ attend and hold up the responsibilities that comes with being a prefect, for her conflicting problems aren't more of a priority than the world's. So, she saunters in, silently pulling out a seat from the opposite end of the table whilst offering a look of acknowledgment to her fellow peers that'd arrive before her. "The latter," she says lowly in response to Kaladin. "Sorry for coming late."

@－ ❛ ʜ ❜：maya yim。⁰⁴ @－ ❛ ɢ ❜：kaladin ravenwood。⁰⁴ @－ ❛ ʀ ❜：silas ciarán。⁰⁴ @－ ❛ s ❜：emerald de lisle。⁰⁴ Once again Liandro had found himself passed out at his desk. It was often like that these days with his being unable to sleep, causing him to feel like utter crap throughout the entirety of his days or to be running late like he was today. Rushing and running around to try to make it on time to the prefect meeting was not the best idea, especially when, when he arrived, he realized he was not the only one late. He did his best to not look like he was ruffled before making his way to the others that were already seated. "Hey. I thought I was late, but I guess not..." He sat with them with an air of awkwardness, his hands clasped stiffly on the table.

@－ ❛ ʜ ❜：maya yim。⁰⁴ @－ ❛ ʀ ❜：silas ciarán。⁰⁴ @－ ❛ s ❜：liandro kang。⁰⁴ @－ ❛ s ❜：emerald de lisle。⁰⁴ The day was crisp and cold, the windows of the Gryffindor tower frosted with a sheen of ice, little crystal formations that were sneaking into the cracks of the wooden frames. The world outside was still as white as it had been for weeks, the path leading from castle trampled and frozen and he cursed softly when he all but slipped into the pub, glasses fogging up with the sudden heat. "hey mate", he greeted Silas with a clap on the back, pulling a chair from the table to plop down onto it, fingers running through his unruly locks. "Are you guys early or is the rest of us simply late for the meeting?"

@－ ❛ ʜ ❜：maya yim。⁰⁴ @－ ❛ ɢ ❜：kaladin ravenwood。⁰⁴ @－ ❛ s ❜：liandro kang。⁰⁴ @－ ❛ s ❜：emerald de lisle。⁰⁴ Winter was nowhere near over; a fresh sheet of snow had fallen overnight and made the air frigid cold as though the brumous season had begun again. The Three Broomsticks bustled as usual. Even in mid-day, wizards and witches frequented the saloon for a drink or two and conversation. Silas barely had the energy to climb out of bed and slip into his robes for this meeting he had with the other prefects. His emotional capacity was at its lowest, but responsibilities called. Maybe attending the meeting would help him take his mind off of other matters. So there he sat in the wooden pub chair next to his prefect partner, waiting for the others to show.

@－ ❛ ɢ ❜：genevieve mcallister。⁰¹ With a scrunch of her nose, Emilia couldn't help but let a laugh tumble from her pouty lips. "But Genie, even a little kid could save a cat! Although climbing up a tree like that is probably too dangerous... anyway, I want pajamas fitting for girls our age! Or even older...Have you seen the silk pajamas some of the older girls wear?! They are so pretty and elegant looking. Oh, I wish to wear something like that!" She picked up the large pint of butterbeer, raising the glass to her lips for a very much needed sip. When the drink was placed back down, a white froth was left on her upper lip which was soon wiped away with her thumb. "Mam won't let me though. She said that those jammies are for married girls. But that doesn't make sense! Why would unmarried girls here wear them." She said with a tsk soon stabbing her cheesecake with her fork as well.

"But singing isn't magic!" Emilia's exclamation was muffled by her cheesecake filled mouth, causing her to cough and choke. With an aggressive slap to her chest, she let out a heavy sigh of relief. Thank goodness she was fine. "I am good with music and dance...but that gets me nowhere in the wizarding world! If I weren't a witch then..." If she weren't a witch she wouldn't have met Genevieve, something that she couldn't even imagine. "Oh, nevermind! You are right, I am good at something and that is all that matters! I am very lucky to have a friend like you Geniee; you know just what to say to make me feel better."

With another generous scoop of her cake, Emilia held the helping up for her friend to try, oblivious to the other girl's offering her own dessert. "Have some, it's yummy! And I am sure you'll be able to play more and show Alex just how good you are! Though, he seems like he's distracted these days. He always forgets I exist. He's known me since he was a wee little lad but didn't even tell me Merry Christmas!" Her legs swung as she spoke. "Oh right...I was wondering. For the next break, would you want to come to see me in Wales? You'd probably want to just spend time with your family, but I thought it would be so nice to spend time together outside of school too! And my parents would love to meet you! I've written to them about how much of a great girl you are!"

Emilia loved her home in Wales. Her family lived in a lovely home, much too large for three, in the country-side. The girl had the fondest of memories playing in the grassy fields of her home's property and running around the woods with her father and she wished to share that joy with her friend.

@－ ❛ ɢ ❜：emilia seong。⁰¹ It’s no secret that Emilia is incredibly young at heart, though in Genevieve’s eyes, that didn’t mean that the former was not mature. She was incredibly kind-hearted, with a balanced mind and good priorities. It was just the fact that the young girl enjoyed collecting cartoon pajamas and housed a child-like fondness for sweets. Though Genevieve had been considered “mature for her age,” seeing as she had always gotten along with older kids, she doesn’t think that her and Emilia are much too different, nor had she ever seen the girl as immature. “Then you tell them you saved someone’s cat, and that you’re a big kid,” she says with a laugh, picking up her fork.

She offers a thankful smile and a nod to their waitress, sticking her fork into her trifle before sliding the morsel between her lips; a soft sigh leaves her lips in satisfaction as the sweet taste infiltrates her taste buds. “You /are/ good at music. Don’t let anyone tell you you’re not, because they don’t have to listen to you sing in the shower,” she says with an appreciative snort. “I do, and I’m telling you you’re good!” Genevieve shakes her head, however at the girl’s offer. “No, it’s okay. I’ll catch his attention with my own skills.” She slides her plate towards Emilia, offering it to fulfill her side of the deal. “It does, I haven’t had sweets in so long.”