Carter laughed. "Baby pictures? Really? That sounds like a brilliant idea. Maybe I should write your cousin and tell her to get some ready for me. I bet you were a cute baby."

Ohhh did this summer sound like an AMAZING time.

Mina shook her head and playfully swatted Carter's shoulder. "You will do no such thing, Cater Phillips." she laughed. There was no need for baby pictures to be taken out, Jade probably had them all displayed now that the flat was all painted. "You know, she probably has them all ready to embarrass me," she sighed.

Oh, her cousin was bound to make her summer very interesting.

"Aw, come on. I bet they are adorable pictures. Especially if your cousin has them displayed." Carter teased. "And do you really think you can get too embarrassed in front of me?" he asked.

"Oh I'm sure they are adorable, but she only has mine up and not hers. I don't think that is fair," Mina pouted. Apparently, it was okay to embarrass the younger cousin, but the older one wasn't at risk. Glancing at her bestie, she laughed softly. "You have a point, I've been embarrassed in front of you tons of time, so maybe I really can't get too embarrassed." They had gone through a lot together after all. But there was always the chance that more embarrassing things could pop up, right?

Carter smirked. "Well we could always tease her back." he suggested. "She'll have friends she brings over, right?" he asked. Maybe they could dish some back to her. That would be fun.

Mina smirked back and nodded. "You are right, we could," she smiled. Jade was bound to have someone visit her, she thought. "Well, I've heard she's had at least one person over. I hear it's someone from work or something. She's been spending time with him," she giggled. She had almost forgot at that piece of juicy detail. One of her sisters let it slip over Christmas break and she had been wanting to do some teasing of her own.

"Oh, a boy?" Carter said. "That could warrant some teasing from us." he said. "Have you met this boy before? Or heard anything about him?"

"Yeah, I hear he's a looker too," Mina nodded. Of course she had never seen the guy, but the things you hear sometimes. "Well, I know now that Jade went to the ball with him and he helped her paint our flat." Jade didn't really talk much about people she knew from work, but she was have to get some kind of info from her cousin. "You know I doubt she'll tell me much about him, but I could still tease her, right?"

Carter laughed. "Well, if he's a looker as you say, I would definitely think that warrants some teasing." he said. The more he talked about it, the more he was looking forward to the summer. He didn't have any older siblings and didn't know any family other than his immediate family. He'd just kind of have to adopt Mina's family.

"Oh really. I didn't see your cousin there." he said. Not that he was looking for her. "Oh, and they painted? You excited to see it?"

Mina giggled. "Those were my sister's words, but yeah this could so warrant teasing for sure," she smiled. Oh, she was going to have some fun with Jade over the summer. If her cousin had a boyfriend, then she was so going to tease her about it. She knew her cousin would do the same once she found out about Evan.

"Oh, she was there. I think I saw her on the dance floor with a guy, which reminds me. I need to ask her about that." she nodded. The image of her cousin and the guy on one knee resurfaces and she laughed a bit. Now that was worth some teasing. "Yup, painted most of the place. I'm kind of excited to see what they all did. I just hope they didn't do anything to my room." Oh, how she wouldn't not be happy if they did something crazy to her room.

Carter chuckled. Then Mina began talking about her cousin. Hmm... it sounded like something more than dancing was going on...

"Well, if they did something to your room, we could always paint it back." he said suggested. He did know a thing or two about painting. "And if they did do anything, it can't be too bad."

Mina smiled at the thought. She really could take the mikey out of her cousin with what she saw. Oh, it would be fun to tease her about that.

"That is true," she nodded. "I'm sure whatever they did, we could fix. I hear they wanted it the muggle way, by hand. Could you really see Jade covered in paint?" Oh if that had happened, there really should be pictures of that. "Too bad? Jade can be a bit mischievous at times. I mean she could have plastered my room with random pictures or something, or maybe she painted it Hufflepuff yellow or something." If it was yellow, it so wasn't going to stay that colour!

Carter laughed. "Really?" he asked. "Your cousin did seem a bit more proper than a painter." he said. "This guy must be something if she was willing to get dirty." At last, most girls wouldn't get be putting themselves at risk of being covered in paint for just anyone.

"Oh yeah?" he asked. "Your cousin didn't really seem like the mischievous type." But then again, Mina wasn't all that she seemed either.

Mina nodded and laughed. "Yeah, I know. I mean when I heard she was going to paint, I thought she was going to use magic." she replied. "But all my hand and she was covered in paint from what I'm told. I really must meet this guy. Jade's been trying to get me to owl him, but I keep saying no." Yeah, like she was going to owl a complete stranger. But knowing that he got paint in her cousin's hair and lived to tell about it, kind of made her want to owl him now.

"Yeah, started a campus riot once when she was at Uni in the States." she nodded. "I really think she's more the sneaky mischievous type really. You would never expect it until she's sprung it on you." She was tricky like that.

Lori had her trunk packed, and she had lugged it down towards the front gate in an attempt to leave the school. She wanted to go home. She had had enough for this term, and probably for next term also, she didn't really have much to stay for. Brody was leaving, Torin was leaving, and in a year she would be too. So what really was the point?

Adam.
He was the point. The point she was staying now, suuuure all her friends meant absolutely the world to her, but she could have wrote, but not seeing him would probably kill her inside.

So on the thought of him, she had dropped her trunk down, and sat on it, before pulling her legs up onto it also; and sighed.

Sighed for everyones sake.

Looking out of the window of the Ravenclaw Commone Room, Adam had had a perfect, unobscured veiw of the School Grounds. He had been looking out over them and thinking about how this year was nearly over, and about how he was nearly a seventh year, and about how he was nearly nineteen, and about how he and Lori were graduating next when he had spotted her slim figure crossing the grounds.

...and hauling a massive trunk behind her.

Seeing her walking towards the Front Gate, Adam leaped from his chair by the window and sprinted to the door, and from there sprinted all the way to the front gate.

Where he found Lorelai sitting on her trunk, looking rather sad and forlorn.

"Lor, why - are - you - out here - now - with you - trunk and - stu - ff?" he panted, leaning on his knees in an effort to catch his breath.

Sighing again, this time just for her own benefit of making a BIIIIIg dramatic sighing noise, Lori started to whine to herself. In a language not even Einstein could have interpreted, Hello Lorish, most likely about pros and cons and all that other rubbish she liked to do when she was torn between decision. Talk about suckish? You could say it though couldn't you. Like, WHY would Lorelai want to up and leave her practical home, her best friends and quite possibly the most amazing person to be put on the earth apart from herself?

Donnie.

He wasn't here. She wanted him to be, and she missed him too much.

Silly siblings.

Besides, it wasn't as if she was really a legal witch, despite being of age. She hadn't been practicing magic since 1st year, like most students here, like Goldie, Brody, Torin, Sarah, Miranda or Adam. She had only had her wand for 2 and a half years.

Speaking of her wand, she had left that on her bed, accidentally, and figured she could owl Sarah and get her to send it to her, or send it to the Headmaster for him to bin. She didnt want to be a witch anymo- Adaaaaaam!

That was fine, he was FINE with stopping her, and that made it even worse to leeeeave! *sniffle* Pouting as she looked up at him, Lori shrugged. "I'm going home, Ad. And th... there's nothing that can stop me." Except from him.

-- Oh Merlin.

Carter laughed. "You should do it. You could tell him your cousin's embarrassing stories." he said. That's what people did to their families, right? He knew that he'd tell stories to Anya's boyfriends. (After he made it very clear he would hunt them down if they broke his sister's heart of course.)

He then laughed again. "Should I be worried about meeting your cousin?" he asked. "I haven't done anything to warrant a surprise attack, have I?"

Zane walked out to the gate, the one place he really didn't even want to be. He wanted the first time to be here special, he wanted to be here with Alex, but he had royally screwed that up. He sat down and leaned his head against the fence and started to let unwanted tears fall. All of this over something so stupid, he needed to find Alex, but the pain in his hand combined with is hurt feelings wouldn't allow him to move.

Mina giggled. Oh, she would have so much fun doing that to her cousin. It was payback time. "Oh I could think of a few stories she would hate for people to hear. She thinks I don't remember, but she's be surprised." she smiled. Oh, maybe her new boyfriend would like to hear about the Count that they met a not so long ago.

She shook her head. "I don't think so. I mean, you have met Jade already, so it shouldn't be too bad." she smiled. There wouldn't be must to worry about in her mind. Jade did ask about Carter from time to time, but she was pretty sure her cousin didn't have anything planned.

Alex quickly spotted Zane and walked over to him hesistantly, "Zane." Alex whispered stepping closer. He had hurt her, acccused her and yet here she was being the one to apologize. "I'm sorry that I was such a horrible girlfriend to you." Alex whispered to him she then noticed his hands, "What happened to your hand?" Alex asked worriedly making a move as if to grab it but had decided against it. Right now they both needed personal space.. and to talk and she needed closure, to know this wasn't only her fault even if she knew it was.

"Alex" he whispered. Why had she come to him? She had nothing to really apologize for he was the one that was over-reacting. "You weren't horrible, I was the one that messed up. My hand?" he said looking down at all the blood. "I punched the wall, and I probably left a nice little dent in it. It sure did a number on my ruddy hand. I'm not good for anything anyway." he said, wiping his tears with his one good hand and quickly pocketing her necklace. She had dropped it, she must not want it, and she must not really want him, she just wanted to come be nice and end this face to face, maybe she'd still be his friend afterall, he certainly didn't deserve that much from her after the way he had acted.

She was going home?

"But... Hogwarts is home..." was all Adam could manage as he caught his breath finally. Lorelai wasn't making any sense whatsoever. Why on earth did she want to leave? He couldn't fathom her reasons, and yet she looked so sad.

Sitting down on her trunk next to her, Adam swung his arm around her shoulders. "Who am I beating up, Lor? Who's hurt you?" he managed in a whisper, almost in tears. Why did his Lori want to leave him, leave Hogwarts, leave all of her friends. Friends, and boyfriend, that loved her? Loved her to absolute pieces.

Why couldn't anyone stop her? Adam couldn't believe it. His Lori couldn't leave, he wouldn't let her.

He'd be trying his damn hardest to keep her there with him.

Carter laughed. It was a lot of fun hearing about Mina and her cousin. He was very much looking forward to the summer. "This summer sounds like so much fun." he said. He was genuinely excited about it. He'd do research his family, come back and hang out with Mina, and then he'd hopefully be able to see Marie too!

But he still had school to get through. Which reminded him...

"I should probably get going. I have an article to write for the school paper." he said standing up. "Thanks for the chat. I feel much better." he said. "And it was fun talking with you."

Alex breathed deeply her heart hurt her brain wanted to yell at him.. and her emotions were jumbled.. but she wanted to make it right. "You didn't mess up.. I shouldn't of been so.. rude.. I just felt a little neglected and hearing of Sel's boyfriend made me a little jealous." Alex admitted brushing her black hair back, she probably had tear streaks running down her face but right now that didn't matter. Alex took his injured hand carefully looking it over, it seemed that he broke the skin but the knuckles weren't swollen meaning he didn't break it. Alex smiled at him slightly despite the pain she felt. "Your not good for nothing." Alex told him tearfully, she didn't know why she was crying, for her or for him.. did it matter? She took her wand and carefully healed his hand with one of the few healing spells she knew before replacing her wand, "I.." Alex swallowed heavily her voice had cracked and she honestly felt like bursting into sobs right in front of him, "I love you, and I don't want to lose you. I want to know what you want, if you want us to be over please tell me if not then.. please can we rewind time before this fight and act the day out like you would have if we hadn't?" Alex asked beggingly, she wanted him to say yes to the last one but she really expected the first option to be what Zane picked. She just had to wait for his answer, she knew.