Food.


Brain not work. Food.


Jim didn't even look around as he approached the table and then threw himself into a seat. He had bread in his hand, and then in his mouth, before he'd even sat down properly. Soon enough he'd filled his entire plate up and was chowing down with the kind of focus that is usually reserved for a St. Mungos healer dealing with a patient who had turned themselves inside out and only had one chance to get returned to normal intact and alive.

It'd take minutes to clear his plate, and then he'd just fill it up again.

Strangely he still managed to mind his manners.

Her intentons were good. She kept telling herself that as she walked all over the castle trying to find one James Wilkes. But the more ground she covered and the longer it took, Mia started to become disheartened. This was a stupid idea.

She was just about to give up and head for her common room when she decided to try the Great Hall first. And what do you know. There he was. Of course he had to be in the last place she looked.

Mia headed straight for the Ravenclaw table imagining giving the boy a good clip around the ear. Like the ones old Maggie had given her over the years. But as she got closer to him, she realised that there was no way she was going to hit him. Firstly, because memories of hitting Nik came flooding back and she really didn't feel like hurting herself again. And secondly, she just didn't have it in her to hit anyone.

She could always hex him. But she was liable to hex herself instead.

By this time, Mia was already at the table and standing behind him. She gave him a tap on the shoulder. "I need to talk to you James."

Gah! Could she be any more pathetic? She was supposed to sound tough and demanding instead her voice had come out in a whine.

She really needed lessons in asserting herself.

Jim had his mouth full but because it was Mia he turned around and gave her a half smile nod thing and gestured for her to sit down.

He swallowed and then asked, "You don't mind if I keep eating do you? I'm starved." Completely. He didn't wait for an answer either, but did keep his attention on her.

What was up? She missed his kisses? Lulz.

Her immediate reaction was to give him an apologetic look for interrupting his eating but then she remembered why she was here and she quickly got rid of that look on her face.

Mia opened her mouth to give him an ear full, really didn't know how to go about it and he was still eating. So she closed her mouth again and sat down beside him. Seriously what was she thinking?

She had never got into a confrontation with anyone before. Not on purpose anyway. And those protest marches didn't count because she just tagged along to give her mother moral support and try and keep the woman out of jail.

Pushing the hair off her face, Mia decided to try again. "What is going through your head Jimmy? Huh? Destiny. Of all people why Destiny?" You know, Marie's best friend. You silly boy.

Eh...she should have used that line.

Hmm, next time.

Mmmmmm chickenz.


He was so engrossed in his eating that he missed what Mia was reaaaally trying to ask. It was more like....

'Blah blah, you're hot what's going through your head, of all people why do you believe in fate' or something along those lines.

... he hadn't known that he had, so he just gave Mia a look and shrugged at her around a drumstick. "I dunno... I think... things just happen?" Its not preordained or anything. Just....


.... did he LOOK like a Divi-head to her? If it wasn't Mia, and if she wasn't his friend and former snog buddy, he'd probably not even dignify whatever all this was with an answer.

Things just happen?

Mia stared at Jimmy. Okay this was the Jimmy that SHE knew. But Marie had been telling her that he had changed. That he was going to be 'exclusive' only to Marie.

"Well when did this happen?" Again she was supposed to sound demanding but her voice had a kinda pleading tone to it.

"And don't look at me like that James Wilkes. This is serious."

Now that was more like it.

When did what happen? Did Mia fall on her head? Jim was tempted to reach out and give her shoulder a comforting pat, but he had a bread roll in one hand and a fork full of what looked like spaghetti in the other.

"But back to the question. Which was apparently serious.

He put his serious face on as he ate his spaghetti.

"Its just life, Mia. Its way better to live for the now. I thought you knew that already though. I guess its like snogging. Better when its happening than it is when you're just talking about it." So says James S. Wilkes. "Its not that serious."

O_____O

What the...?

Mia had no idea what this had to do with Destiny. The Ravenclaw was just trying to confuse her so that she would get distracted and stop asking him questions.

It almost worked.

"I do know that James." Yes back to using his proper name. She was all for living for the now, well she was until she had met Nik. That was another story though.

Back to Jimmy and the interrogation.

"But what does that have to do with Destiny?"

Oh he knew the answer to this one. What did life and living it to the fullest have to do with destiny? He nodded all-knowingly, beginning to enjoy the randomness of this pantomime and still having no clue what was really going on.

"... everything and nothing. Destiny... is just for fun you know? I mean, do you take destiny seriously? You shouldn't. I don't. Its really no big deal."

Of course she didn't take Destiny seriously. The girl was as whacky as she was and good for a laugh. But the last Mia had heard, the Slytherin girl didn't even like Jimmy so how was it they were out having fun with each other?

"No big deal." She squeaked. "No big deal, he says. I'm pretty sure Destiny doesn't see it that way." This was the weirdest conversation she had ever had and that was saying something.

"I thought you had decided to settle down now?"

Rex is very hungry and he promised he would eat with Rowan and his new friend Skler. Rex waits for their arrival.

Rowan walked over to the Ravenclaw table and sat next to Rex. "Hi. Sorry I'm late," she said. "I went to put on some dry clothes."

"Sorry for the slowness" Skyler chuckled as she walked over and took a seat next to Rex. "You must be Rowan, I'm Skyler but you can call me Kyle!"

"well of cirse, you needed dry clothes" Rex told Rowan. " I promised I would eat with you and Skyler at the RavenClaw table" Rex said to Rowan."Are you hungry?" Rex asked Rowan.

" Hi Skyler" Rex called out. " I will sit between you and Rowan" Rex told Skyler. ' Ready for food?" Rex asked Skyler.

"I am SO hungry. Must have been all that racing," she grinned. "What shall we have to eat?"

" We should eat everything" Rex laughed. " Anything that will give us our strength back is good to eat" Rex told Rowan. " Good race" Rex said to Rowan.

"Ready for food, are you kidding I definitely am!" She chuckled, as she grabbed a grilled cheese sandwhich off the tray in the middle of the table. "i'm such a mouse" she chuckled inferring strictly to her love for cheese she would eat cheese all day if she could but, that wouldn't be the best would it...cholesterols would soar on that diet. She took a bite of her sandwich and smiled to herself. "Chicken is a good strength food, that and flax--or so my mums told me." She smiled it was what you got when your parents were both health nuts.

" Well, you have a hearty appetite" Rex told Skyler. "Well your mom is a smart women " Rex said to Skyler. " I am from SweetWater, Texas , I eat steak, baked potatos, all kinds of met and a lot of desserts" Rex explained to Skyler. " I guess I do not eat very healthy do I?" Rex asked Skyler.

"Maybe not, but hey comfort food is really delicious" she smiled to herself. "and better than the french canadian food of Poutin--fries with gravy and cheese curds...its a good, but disgusting at the same time..." she chuckled, "but, yeah you could say i have an appetite, but, the thing is for me I don't always eat this way sometimes i hardly eat at all...odd enough as that seems."

She smiled then asked, "So Rex, whats it like in Texas?" She looked up at the ceiling for a moment glancing at a few of the magical snow flakes falling to the tables below. "I've never really been to Texas, except once as a kid when we drove to Shamrock Texas, someone told my dad 'men don't wear shorts here.' thats all I really remember."

Sorry. I fell asleep!
 

"It was a great race," she agreed, reaching for the grilled cheese sandwiches as well. Deciding that she wanted more, she also took a salad and a glass of pumpkin juice.

"I've never been to Texas either. Or America for that matter," Rowan said. She sat quietly eating while she listened to Rex and Skylar chat.

"Where is it your from?" Skye asked, after swallowing. She had that ingrained pet-peeve of eating and speaking at the same time. She always tried to be nice to others and not do it herself. "What type of races do you guys do?" She asked smiling, she loved competition healthy competition had fed her fire through her stint in elementary school. She smiled, and took another bite of her sandwich.

" Well, all countries have different food" Rex told Skyler. " Well all the food I eat is my comfort food" Rex laughed. "Well, you are a little different from the girls everywhere, sometimes you eat more, but that is not a bad thing" Rex explained to Skyler.
"Well, I guess that men do not wear shorts in Texas' Rex laughed. I come from SweetWater, Texas where there is a quidditch pitch there and we talk a lot about the DAllas CowBoys football team- American football" Rex told her. " I played Quiccitch and in a youth football league there" Rex explained to her. " It is very hot there in the summer and the bugs are big" Rex said to her. "We love to ride horses and have picnics" Rex told her.

" A great race" Rex told Rowan. "So you never have been to Texas or even America?" Rex asked Rowan. "After Rene and I are settled, I think she nor my mother would mind having a big party for my friends in my mom's Texa's ranch." Rex explained to Rowan.

"That sounds like alot of fun" said Skye with a smile. She ran her hand through her hair. She smiled, looking around the room she smiled again then spoke. "Taht sounds nice, I grew up for a while in Vermont, you know new-england small town." She chuckled, "yeah its nice, but quiet. almost too quiet sometimes" she admitted with a laugh.

She took a sip of her pumpkin juice smiling as the flavor inveloped her mouth.

"Setting her sandwich back down, having yet to take a bite, Rowan said, "I've lived just outside of London since I was five. Before that, I really don't remember. We like to have swimming races. Rex is a terrific swimmer." She picked up her sandwich and took a big bite.

Rowan swallowed, then said "Texas sounds like a lot of fun Rex. I'd love to visit someday."