Jaina paced at the end of the Hufflepuff table near the entrance to the Great Hall. Her red curls turned blonde and her blue eyes now green for the Quidditch game. She wore her blues jeans, as usual, and a green T-shirt with her black hoodie overtop to keep her warm down at the pitch. She had her blue messenger bag hanging across her on her left shoulder so she could have the bag on the right. Ever once in a while she'd glance up at the entrance. She was watching for Benjamin with butterflies in her stomach. She had to show him what she got and give him an early Christmas present.

Benjamin races up te stairs and into the Great Hall. He sees Jaina pacing and says, "Sorry I'm late. got caught up eith things down in the dungeons. Where's your green?I see it in your eyes, but i can't see any green anywhere.But I guess black for Slytherin is better than gold. Ready to go?"

"It's ok. I've got my green on." She unzipped her hoodie a bit and showed him her green shirt. "It's all I had. I'm sorry." She looked down at her feet. She felt bad she didn't have more green. "I'm ready when you are," she smiled at him.

"Don't be sorry. Black better suits Slytherin better, anyways. Ok, let's go then." He grabbed Jaina's hand and practically pulled her along with him to the front doors. He had on his normal black pants on and his green and silver sweater on. "If anyone asks, we'll just them that you're a half-blood. that way they won't get suspicious of you being on their side."

"Gotcha, I'm a halfblood!" She giggled as he pulled her along.

Wesley had been dousing her toast with jam for the past five minutes, and it was starting to become soggy. Lazily swirling her butter knife in the red preservative, the Hufflepuff stared forward, her brown eyes squinting and bottom lip bit.

She was thinking. About a lot of things, but mostly about the Tea Party.

What she was going to wear, when they wanted her to arrive, where they wanted her to sit, how she was supposed to act,

and of course, who she was going to go with.

Feeling slightly sick, the sixth year looked down at the slathered bread and dunked her knife back in the glass jar. She needed more jam.

"Here, let's sit back here. that way it's easier to move to the Slytherin table when dinner starts."

Jaina blushed a bit and sat next to him. "Why Master Trevors, I do believe you're trying to get me to change houses!" she giggled. "So, do tell me about the Slytherin in love with a Hufflepuff." She intentionally said Hufflepuff hoping for more about him this time.

His broad shoulders drooped slightly, Cedric paved his way to their house table. He noticed his co-prefect, who seemed to be helping herself with jam-stuffed bread, almost at once. A small smile plastered on his well-defined face, he eased into the seat opposite Wesley's as soon as he reached their house table. Yes, that smile was for Wesley whom he'd subsequently addressed with a nod. And his smile was gone.

Cedric didn't exactly know what he was to do on their house table. He just headed there. His mind was clogged with random thoughts and one of which was pertaining to the Tea Party. Without doubt, that thought was the one most bothersome. He needed a date. Of course he could ask and go with whomever he pleased, for girls were sure not to reject him, but what he really had in mind to go with was Danika, the champion from Durmstrang. Of course it should be Danika. Too bad they couldn't date someone who was from beyond the confines of the huge castle.

His muddy brown eyes drifted half-closed, and his face bore no expression. He thought of heading to their common room soon.

"No, she was a Gryffindor. But, listen to this. Only the people who really knew him, knows this story. When this Slytherin and Gryffindor were kids, he had a big crush on her. Eventhough she was a muggleborn, and he was a half-blood. Heaven and earth only know how this happened, but he taught her before they ever had the restriction for underage sorcery. How he taught her without a proper wand, noone will ever know. But he started teaching her spells and charms and all these other things. They came to Hogwarts, Hoping that they would be sorted into the same house. Instead, he was sorted to Slytherin, and she was sorted into Gryffindor. But his love for her never died. They would hang out together all of time between classes, after classes before lunch and dinner, everything was going fine. Until about their fifth year or sixth year. This rich pureblood Gryffindor became very jealous, and he started treating the Slytherin like a piece of scum. Cursing him, hexing him, the whole works. one day, the boy belittled the Slytherin in front of a crowd of people, and the girl came to his rescue, but the Slytherin was so enraged, that he called the girl a very evil name that you can call a muggleborn and she started crying uncontrolably and that severed their bond forever. But the Slytherin still loved her. Then she became the pureblood's girlfriend, and the Slytherin became totally engage with dark spells and all the such, but the Slytherin still secretly loved the girl. He later became a Death Eater. and when it came time to try to kill Lord Voldemort's enemies, her and her husband and thier child name came on that list, he tried to make a deal with the dark lord not to kill her. the dark lord agreed, but when he came to kill the baby, the woman jumped in front of her baby and the dark lord used the killing curse on her to get to the baby. But the dark lord was killed as the spell rebound off the baby. Upon hearing this news, the Slytherin had been changed in a special way and he became a professor here. And became a double agent." He held onto Jaina's hand as he told her this story. "His name was Severus Snape, and the babys name was Harry Potter." He looked into her eyes and saw tears start to develop in them.

Jaina listened to the story and began to think about her and Benjamin. She hoped that she would never hear that evil word for muggleborns. What a horrid thing to do! She held on to Benjamin's hand tightly. What if someone started being mean to him? Would he do the same if she tried to help him? Tears began to form in her eyes. When he finished, she leaned closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder as a tear came down her cheek. "Ben," she said quietly, "that won't happen to us will it? You will stay forever, right?" She hoped he would.

"I sure hope so," Benjamin said. "But even in the story, they lasted until their sixth year. And Snape was picked on for years. And she was the only thing keeping him from rebeling against the other Gryffindors." He raised her head and wiped away her tears. "It's going to be ok."

Charlie stomped her feet free of the cold snow before heading to the Huffelpuff Table. She motioned for LC to hurry. "C''mon Cub. Some of us wanna eat today." She smiled jokingly.

Charlie grabbed the mashed potatoes and started sorting out what she wanted to eat.

Jaina looked into Ben's eyes. "If you say so, then I believe you." She meant it. She giggled a little and said, "Though I don't think my mum and dad will be too thrilled. They weren't necessarily thrilled with me being a witch OR a metamorphmagus." She took a deep breath. "As a matter of fact, they don't want me home for Christmas, so I'm here for Christmas. I know you're probably going home, so I was hoping that you would send me letters and tell me how wonderful it is where you live." Oona would be getting a fantastic work out! She was hoping that he would stay, but that would be too much to ask since they just met.

Her toast was positively drowning by the time Cedric arrived. Engrossed in her preparation, Wesley didn't notice the older boy approach. But then there was the shift in weight, another body at the table, and - she looked up - someone blocking her view of the wall. Recognizing the 7th year upon instant eye-contact, Wesley clamped down on her bottom lip, dark eyes large and bulging. For a brief second, the Hufflepuff simply stared; then she ducked her head down.

The butter knife, coated with strawberry jam, quivered in her small, clenched hand. She sat there, hunched over her plate, darting quick glances at him every minute or so.

Finally, face clenched and clammy, she squeaked, "DoyouhaveadatefortheTeaParty?" Her eyes wavered, but she held them.

Inside, Wesley felt like she was going to vomit. Or maybe die.

Braeden followed after Charlie toward the Hufflepuff table, feeling a bit out of place as he did so. He'd never been at the Hufflepuff table before, he usually only went to the Gryffindor table and visited the Ravenclaw table at times to visit his best friend. Anyway. This should be interesting… though the Huffies seemed nice. They usually were, weren't they?

The Gryffindor boy proceeded to sit down next to his friend and took a bowl he filled with fruit, making himself a fruit salad. He was in the mood for fruit this afternoon. "Well, Charlie, I hate to break it to you, but… the scores for our snowball fight have arrived and guess what? I won," he announced. Insert goofy, lopsided grin here.

Charlie gasped dramatically, "Lies! I soo totally won. I won just 'cause of my awesome snow shapes."

Charlie grabbed the salad bowl and asked Braeden to hand her the dressing, "Also could you grab me those carrots?"

"Yeah, except the competition wasn't on snow shapes but on who could hit the other person with 'em more often - without cheating. And so, when you subtract the points you earned through cheating tactics, I'm actually the winner, Charlie," Braeden explained simply, his tones patient as if he were trying to explain something very basic but important to a child. Yeah, he was totally the winner here. Charlie the Unicorn wouldn't be talking him out of it.

And then the girl was asking him to pass her the salad dressing and carrots. Braeden did as he was told. "Anything else, Madame Unicorn?" he asked with mock formality, seeing as the girl saw in him a butler. Chuckling softly, he handed her the things she'd asked for before returning his attention to his own plate.

"Pfft. Okay. Fine you win," Charlie said. Of she totally one. No doubt but she let him have it. It was so important. She smiled.

"No thank you Cub," Charlie said with the same air of formailty, "Leave the tea before you go, though." She gratefully took the requested items. Mixing herself a big salad she sat down to eat. Oh yumm. She hadn't had a salad in a while. She had forgotten the yum factor to it all. Charlie happily devoured more.

"I'm not going home for christmas. I wrote to my father to see how Hogwarts was during christmas. He said it was pretty boring, but you can learn alot on your own in your own sweet time. Some of the professors stay behind so you can getsome help. So, I think I can teach you some of the easier spells so you won't have a problem in any of the classes. You know some charms classes would help alot. Now me, I know charms and spells and how to move your wand by my grandfather and father, but I didn't actually get to do the magic. They were worse than Professor Lafay or Professor Tate are. If being worse than both of them combined can happen. Hahaha! I can tell you how the manor is without being there. I need to learn
some of the house elves names and make him be my personal house elf. If that's possible here. so you're parent's hate that you're a witch or they're afraid of you? after ten years of raising you, they don't like you anymore. what a great pair of parents."

Jaina stiffened a bit. Her parents wasn't something she talked about. "Um, not like that." She leaned forward and put her head on the table and let her curls fall around and frame her face and arms. "They knew something was wrong when I was born. Honestly, how many babies do you know can change their hair." She took a deep breath and sat up again looking at her feet. "Anyway, they kept me home and home schooled me because they didn't want people knowing they had a freak for a daughter. When I started noticing I could do stuff, I was foolish and showed them. That created..." she stopped. "It doesn't matter." Her hair straightened. "So you're gonna teach me some spells? All right, but I promise you I'm as clutzy as they come!" she tried to summon a laugh, but it seemed more forced ten geniune.

"Well, at least you're not too jittery about learning and trying spells as I am. If a professor or someone teaching me or helping me says what to do, then I'll try it out. But if I'm reading and decide to use it, then I'm a little cautious about whether to try it or not." he chuckled lighly. He shifted a bit and said, "That's ok. We don't have to talk about your parents if you don't want to. I completely understand. But I'm an open book. You ask me a question, I'll try to answer to the best of my ability, the god to honest truth.
But I can help you with your potions homework and mixing up potions."

Jaina sighed and looked down at her black chucks. "It's just.....well.....you wouldn't understand....they're so perfect....and I'm, well, look at me...I'm weird and a freak." Thousands of memories came flooding into her head at once and she fought hard to shove them back behind the wall that held them locked away. "I know I can't help it, but a lot of times I feel like I failed them. I can never be what they wanted. I learned to accept that when I was 3."

Open book, huh? she thought. "I do have one question...why me? I mean I've seen the other Slytherin girls and they're very beautiful. Probably more acceptable to your parents then I. You don't have to answer. I mean it's ok. I love being with you." she said with a smile. "I just don't get how 2 totally opposite people can find each other in a situation like this." She paused a moment to think. "I told my mum and dad about you because I was proud of you. I think they're upset that I've found someone who likes me for me." she stated with saddened face.

Braeden grinned like a little boy receiving a treat when Charlie gave in and allowed him to have the victory. Mwaha! He knew he'd won! It was then that Charlie, her tones mockingly formal like his, asked him to leave the tea before going. The boy laughed lightly at her act.

"Whatever you say, madame Char," said the boy, giving a respectful bow of his head before chuckling softly once more and taking a couple fruit from his plate with a fork. Apple slices and watermelon. Yumm. Fruit salad was the best. Not like that weird vegetable salad Charlie was eating! Braeden eyed her very-green plate warily for a moment before returning his brown-eyed gaze to his own, more colourful plate. It was so pretty. And yummy.

Charlie saw Braeden eyeing her plate, "What?" Unfortunately she didn't realize she had dressing all around her mouth. "You don't like salads?" If he didn't. . . why that's scandalous!! Totally wrong for a person to not like salads.