Skye nodded; it was expected. "Well, you're welcome," she replied. As she did, she wondered at the back of her mind. Maybe she'd had some sort of effect after all. Enya thanking her? Whoa.

Skye inclined her head and gave a small smile, but didn't speak. She didn't feel as though it was necessary; Enya could probably assume what she was thinking. If it wasn't plain on her face, this was a conversation n they'd had before.

"Yes, I think I will. I just hope I make it!" Katelynn said to Rex.
Katelynn shaked her head with a smile. "Don't worry about it, I really wasn't very good at it anyway!" she said.
Think.. think.. "Sorry Rex, I'm completely lost, so I just need to be sure - you do mean like.. the all of the states in the US that you mention befo.." Katelynn realised that that was exactly what he had meant. "oops" she said with an embarrassed smile. "Sorry! And yes, I like them a lot!" she said and forced her self to smile.

Jade seemed really quite today. Maybe she was tired because of all the homework. "No, they aren't," she told him. She had no friends from her house and this made her a bit sad sometimes. "I met a Ravenclaw a few days ago!" she told him. "He's really nice!" Jade said smiling. "So did you make any friends from Gryffindor?" she asked him.

" Just work hard at it and you will make the Quidditch team" Rex told Katelynn." Well, I am not good at ice-sakting, but I manage to do it" Rex explained to Katelynn."Well, I am glad you like the states I mentioned to you" Rex said to Katelynn. "What counties do you like?" Rex asked Katelynn.

Jade didn't really have any friends in her house but she got along with everyone. "A Ravenclaw?", he said. "What's his name? Do you remember?", he asked curiously. Cody just wanted to know. He was curious but nosy at times too. "That's good to know", he repiled to her. "Not really", he answered.

Cody seemed surprised buy what Jade told him. "Erm yes," she replied. Sometimes Jade felt that she wasn't a Hufflepuff at all especially because of the fact that she didn't have any friends from Hufflepuff. Cody seemed curious and Jade raised an eyebrow. "His name is Dan, but I can't remember his surname," she replied. Jade was curious as to why Cody was asking so much questions. "Why are you asking?" she told him curiously. Cody hadn't made any friends yet.... not even from his own house! Jade didn't want that Cody would end up as her, not having any friends your own house!

Enya turned away from Skye and stood up, she sat back down on the floor below the window, leaning her back against the wall, she pulled her legs to her chest. She knew it was going to hurt her head when she looked up at her friend, but at least she had something to lean against.

She peeked up at Skye from her new perch and thought about what they could talk about now, they had covered the basics and her telling Skye her place. Blah Blah Blah. Now what? she was new with this nice talking thing...it was unfamiliar. So..weird.

Neptune caught Jake in the hall and held on like they'd jumped from a plane with one parachute (which, for the record, was an absolutely absurd muggle thing). Some would call it clinging, but this was even more potent than that. This brand had snot and tears and death-grips to his shirt.

"She was just being mean," Neptune told Jake AND herself. SNIFF. "Are you alright?" WAS HE? She hadn't seen HIM go into the stands, too.


Quidditch was possibly being banned in the near future.

Jake was in a kind of trance as he left, thinking hard, but Neptune soon distracted him by positively CLINGING to him. Wow.

"She was," he agreed, wincing slightly as he leaned down and hugged Neptune close to him kind of burying his face in/nuzzling her shoulder. He didn't even care that he'd need to have another shower when he realised the presence of snot.

"Me? I'll live," he replied with a little nod. He remained quiet for a moment or two, just hugging. And then he spoke quietly to her. "Were you and Jim really... together?"

Probably not the best thing to ask... but something he'd want to bring up NOW rather than later.

Neptune didn't miss the wince and if it was even possible at this point, her face got even sadder. Jake was hurt TOO. "You should see the nurse after ..." After all that MESS cleared out. She loosened her clinging and was trying hard to stop crying. It was easier out in the hall, away from all those looks and hateful comments.


Buuuuuuuuuut... Jake went there and the fountain of tears poured on. She nodded to answer him, then after a loooong shaky pause said, "Yes, but ... but it was complicated." IS complicated.

"No," Jake said instantly. No, he didn't need the nurse, and after that little meeting with Moretti and Lafay even going in there to check on Jim had been a big thing.

When Neptune carried on crying even MORE, he carried on hugging her, even more confused with what he was supposed to think. "Okay... okay..." he said, shhh-ing her gently and even stroking her hair. "Don't worry."

Of course, he WOULD like to hear more... but later, maybe. Now wasn't the time. "You know... I really wouldn't worry about how he is. I've hit the deck like that plenty of times. He'll be on his feet in no time." Honestly, the scene in there gave Jake the impression Jim was verging on death. "I promise you."

After Marie had run off from the quidditch match and left her in the stands, Mia figured that the place she would be was up here at the Hospital Wing. She would have been up here sooner but she had decided to take a quick walk around the grounds first.

And to give her the chance to see Jimmy.

As she got closer to the Hospital Wing, Mia spotted Jake. How could she not, the guy was so freakin tall.

"Hey Jake!" She said smiling brightly as she got closer to him. "Excellent game out there, I must say. And thanks to you I just scored myself a free butter..." Her voice trailed off when she noticed Neptune there as well. Looking all sad like.

Oops.

"Er...sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt."

"Then let me see," Neptune was probably second best to a Healer. Probably. Or at least if she deemed his injury bad enough, she could MAKE him go back to see the Healer.

Neptune eased off of Jake a bit more, giving him room to show her where it hurt. She suspected his ribs...?

".... really? He didn't... he didn't look..." alive. Neptune rubbed at her nose, then at her eyes. "It was the worst thing I've ever seen." Ever.

"Yes ma'am," Jake smiled, amused at Neptune's stubbornness, looking down at her as she eeeeeeeeeeased him off.

She really did seem worried about Jimmy, and it upset Jake to see HER so sad. "Moretti is a brilliant Healer, and especially in our world, injuries are rarely as bad as they seem. I know someone who took a bludger to the face once."

Now THAT had been impressive. She'd taken it like a man. "Don't you worry," he said again, looking vacantly (almost) at Neptune, brushing off the tears she'd missed from her face with his thumb. Hm. Seemed he could distract her from the ribs.

And then, there was another welcome distraction, with Jake's name being spoken, getting his attention.

"Hmm? Oh hey, Mia," he replied with a little smile of his own. "A free butter? Sounds... interesting," the young man chuckled slightly, but found it very very painful to do so.

Resting his hand on Neptune's shoulder and squeezing rather gently, Jake gave a tiny shrug. "No worries. Emotions running high. Happens after these games, you know? How did you go about winning a butter?"

Odd girl.

Despite all outward appearances and frequent occurrences of tears, Neptune really really did hate to cry in front of people. Someone had told her she was ugly when she cried once and she'd not forgotten it. So when MIA showed up.... Mia, who was gorgeous and one of THOSE girls... it sent Neptune into hiding. She tucked in behind Jake and pressed her cheek to his back.

Better.

But she hadn't forgotten his ribs. Just momentarily distracted.

"Quidditch is awful." Awful.

Her eyes went from Jake to Neptune and then back to Jake again. "Butter?" What? Oh right. "Butterbeer. I scored a free butterbeer." She went onto to explain but really she just wanted to keep going. This did not look like something she wanted to be in the middle of.

"I can see that." She said looking back at Neptune's sad face and the tears. Mia was distracted for a moment by the older girl's apparent distress and she wanted to help her because that's how she was but she also didn't want to intrude.

Shifting her attention back to Jake, Mia gave him a faint smile. "Oh I made a bet with Salander that you would score more points than Jimmy." And that Slytherin better still not be trying to worm his way out of it either.

Again her attention was diverted to Neptune as she tried to hide behind Jake. Mia let out a small sigh when she heard the older girl's words. "That it is Neptune. That it is." And an absolutely ridiculously violent game as well but she kept that part to herself seeing how Jake was standing there and he would no doubt disagree with her.

And...

Neptune was gone?

Oh. Like. Behind his back. It was hard to hug her back there, so Jake kept one arm reached back and resting on her forearm, in case she wanted to HOLD his hand, which he doubted for the moment. He heard what she said... and what Mia agreed on and... well...

"Quidditch isn't that bad, Tune. It's worth the injuries, sometimes."

Not always worth the tears, though.

It was a good job Neptune wasn't familiar with the Beaters' Bible.

Ohhhhhhh. "See... that makes a lot more sense. Butterbeer."

Yes.

Jake felt a little guilty for a moment when Mia was looking at Neptune. Did she think HE'D made her cry.

Ohmerlin.

HAD he made Neptune cry? BADBADBAD!

But when Mia revealed she'd placed a bet on HIM... Jake kind of swelled with pride. That... was a huge boost for his somewhat deflated ego. That was... WOW. "I'm... glad you won, in that case." Duh. The young man was grinning like an idiot.

People did have faith in his skeellz. That was good. So... you know... "Thanks. For, you know, believing it was worth a shot."

Neptune DID want to hold his hand and clutched on to it when he offered it. She even snaked her free arm around his tummy, making herself a nice little back ornament. At least Mia wasn't getting to see her UGLY.

Her and Jake would just have to talk about the usefulness and worthiness of Quidditch later. For now, she just listened to Mia... blehhhh. That explained what Salander was on about. Also put another cruel Slytherin in the waiting room. Maybe Finny would punch him in the face.

"Salander is in the waiting room, if you're looking for him." SNIFF. "But no one is getting to see Jim yet."

The look on Jake's face made her brighten a little. She was glad that she seemed to have made someone happy at least. "I don't know that much about Quidditch. But I do listen when people talk." She grinned at him and almost gave him a friendly wink.

Almost.

But she remembered who was standing behind him. "When you hear people saying that you are one of the best seekers Hogwarts has seen in a while. I would have been crazy not to bet on you." And considering she didn't really have the money to be throwing around especially on bets. He should be thankful. But she didn't mention that.



Mia blinked a couple of times at Neptune. Obviously the girl thought that's why she was up here. Eh looks like she can kill two birds with one stone then.

"Oh? He's that badly hurt then?" Well she supposed crashing into the stands wouldn't be good for anyone's health. "Well I might pop my head in when he's feeling better but I was actually on my way to see Marie. See if she's coping alright."

And you know lend her shoulder in case there were going to be tears. But if her friend needed a punching bag then she could use Salander for that.

Oh yeah, Cody was curious. He was curious, just like Ginny. It must of been something that was in the family. "I guess he might be a bit smart if he is in Ravenclaw", he said. Dan? Dan, was such a common name. He was really thinking deeply. "I just want to know, that's all", he repiled to Jade.

"Oh I see, he's a fifth year but it's his first year at Hogwarts," she told Cody. Cody was thinking deeply and Jade kept looking at him. "Oh ok. Maybe you'll meet him one day," she said with a smile to Cody.

Grasping Neptune's hand right back, and rubbing his thumb carefully over the back of her hand, as a kind of mediocre comfort.

He nodded in agreement to what she'd said about Salander being inside, but Jake had thought she was here to check on Jimmy, seeing as she'd already mentioned him.

His brain hurt.

And Neptune hiding was confusing him.

Jake blushed EVER SO SLIGHTLY. He did. Because... well... yeah.

The young man manage to stutter his way through a 'thanks' and 'I dunno about that' and cleared his throat again, still smiling.

But the smile became fixed when she mentioned Marie.

Ah.

Ahem.

"Well... she's in there alright," Jake said a teeeeeny bit stiffly. "It got a little busy and... stuff in there." And then, because everyone really DID seem to think Jim was like DYING, Jake felt he had to tell her before everyone else started wailing to her about it. "Jim will be fine. I'm not sure people are understanding that."

Or fighting about who should see him first.

Jake decided that HE wasn't going to go into what had happened. He was smart enough to know that you don't go around bad-mouthing people. Especially to their friends, but not at all if you could help it.

Neptune couldn't imagine betting against Jimmy OR Jake. But, perhaps, she was a little too close to the core. She didn't want to talk about it, either way, because how was she to celebrate Jake's victory over Jimmy?? It was wrong and she simply couldn't do it.


And......... if Mia was there to see Marie, Neptune was ENTIRELY done with her. Entirely. Dismissed.


She tapped Jake on the back, wanting him to turn around to her. "Jake... will you walk me to my Common Room?"

Well... she took that better than expected, but... Jake was a little frowny at the way they were now just LEAVING... but he would stay with Neptune. She'd been very upset and he WANTED to walk her upstairs.

"Sure, hun," he nodded, but didn't just turn away from Mia. "Sorry... it's best we go-" cue a little look at the door to the hospital wing... "I'll speak to you later, okay? You tell Salander he'd better honour that bet or answer to me," Jake added, giving Mia a little wink. He couldn't help it... he was like, overjoyed in her faith.

With that, Jake gave an apologetic smile and turned back to Neptune. "C'mon then, Tunes," he said, working his arm around her shoulders and making it so the hand holding still WORKED.

Yupyup.

Oh yikes!!

Was it just her or had the temperature in the corridor dropped a few degrees? To like below freezing. Mia shivered a little and took a couple of steps back from Jake and Neptune.

What had she said?

Catching Jake's look toward the hospital wing door, Mia got that obviously something had happened in there but was not entirely sure what. She nodded her head when Jake spoke. "Uh yeah...sure...later." Her gaze drifted to Neptune for a moment and she wanted to say something but the older girl looked like she was going to ignore her.

Mia looked back to Jake and gave him a somewhat tentative smile. "See you around then." But she seriously doubted it. Neptune wasn't going to let Jake anywhere near her. Heaving a sigh, still not knowing exactly what had just happened, Mia headed for the Hospital Wing.