Kurumi stayed there for a few moments, leaning her head his chest and listening to his heart beating. It was...galloping about a billions mile an hour and it made her giggle. She almost asked why, but she already knew the answer to that one. She did peek up at him again when he said that he liked it when she smiled and her smile widened bit more.

"For...a lot of reasons I guess," she replied. "Happy being one of those." That was the most important bit, right? Jonathan didn't need to know the other, less happy, bits. Her eyes lingered for a moment on his lips and she blushed again. It had all happened so quickly that she didn't have time to really let it sink in. See if there was...more... She certainly wouldn't object to him leaning in again, but that was probably asking too much.

She knew. She knew that Presley's world was quickly collapsing. Presley didn't know how she knew, but this small girl knew. That was disconcerting to Presley. She didn't like to open up, to talk to people about things, and this subject was very sensitive. To the point where she wasn't even sure she was going to tell Luna, or Philip, or even her brother, Leo. How on earth could she tell Erin? She'd only met the girl moments ago.

So she shook her head. "I'm not sure what you mean. I'm just me." She smiled cheerily. Presley had always had a talent for acting. Maybe Erin read Witch Weekly as well. They had that picture...the one of Presley dashing out of her house with tears running down her face. Pres couldn't fathom how they'd gotten that picture, but it had been published, and it was undeniably Presley Black, in the snow, in a tank-top, jacket and shorts, in her sock feet, in front of the Black Mansion. There was no mistaking it, and now it was out there for the whole wizarding world to see her embarrassment. That must be how Erin knew. But Presley adopted a bright smile, and pretended nothing was wrong. Because, theoretically, Presley had the perfect life, and she intended to keep up that illusion.

Did Jonathan just hear hear giggle? Was it because he was too nervous? This is embarrassing. Jonathan hugged her even tighter. "W-why are yy-ou giggling?" he stuttered. She shouldn't make him too nervous now. He acts like a complete dork when he's nervous and blushes from time to time. That's not a normal Jonathan at all.

True, people's tears are for many reason whether it may be for good or for bad. Jonathan's just happy it's one of those happy reasons. Jonathan's eyes then gazed upon her, she was looking at him as well. What was she thinking about? Is there something on his face? Was he smiling too much? Does he look like a dork right now?

He got distracted by looking at her lips, which eventually just made his cheeks turn pale pink.AHHH WHY?!?! He shook his head and smiled. very amused of what he just had thought. "I should start from the beginning" he uttered out. Well, if he wanted to make that image come to life he need to do something that would not make him nervous. "Kurumi..." he was trying not to make himself laugh. "I like you a lot" he repeated what he just said earlier, then he leaned down again to kiss her.

"Why are you stuttering?" she asked with another small giggle. She studied him for a moment, taking in as much as she could. The slight furrow of his brow, the twinkle in his chocolate eyes...the butterflies in her stomach began flapping their gigantic wings.

Kurumi stood a bit more on her tipy toes when Jonathan's cheeks turned pink and she poked his left one playfully. The color suited him for whatever reason. Although, she was currently pink enough for the both of them - at least in her cheeks.

As Jonathan leaned in again, Kurumi gasped softly before his lips were against hers again. At first, she was stiff...mostly due to her being so nervous about what was happening and her lips were tight. Her one arm hung by her side while the other was still in Jonathan's other hand. Was she supposed to do something with her other arm? She had only ever kissed someone once and she had been just as flustered then as she was now - no, she was more flustered now. After a few moments, her entire body relaxed, and soon she was kissing him back.

Awww. Jonathan hated the fact that he can't think straight over this. His heartbeat thumped faster when she asked that. He rarely stutters. When he is at fault OR he and his father are talking. So where does this stutter fit in? Jonathan fixed his bangs, he wanted to snap himself for being not so calm about this. He's usually casual when dealing in situations like that. Kurumi, for once, made him soooo awkward. "I-i'm not" he replied, still stuttering of course. He pursed his lips only to realize that he stuttered again.

He kissed her again, for the second time. Right now, he doesn't even know if he'll get in trouble for this. Kurumi does have a lot of friends and he barely knows any of them. Looking at it this way, it seems that everything just seemed perfect. Although, Jonathan can't believe that despite the cold weather--- negative degrees weather--- he still manages to keep up with it. He's not even complaining about the weather.

After awhile he let go, he smiled as he looked at her. Awkward silence equals speechless Jonathan.

Jade couldn't stand this girl any longer. She would have to leave soon, because as the weird girl kept on throwing insults at her she almost felt as if to hurt this strange girl. "I wonder if your mother ever taught you manners. Didn't she ever tell you to not insult people all the time? Especially amazingly awesome people like me?" She asked, crossing her arms. Ugh, she wanted to just yell at this girl. But she wouldn't.

Selena threw more insults at her and Jade looked away as if she heard none of them. But oh no, she definitely heard all about them. "Maybe I should leave first, because I'm pretty sure if I stand here talking to a nobody all day I'll become strange, like a nobody I know. Oh yeah; that nobody is you." She said, narrowing her eyes at the girl. Jade turned on her heel and pushed her hair back, walking back into the school.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lockhartian

AND THEN...."Stryker!" IWASONMYWAYTOYOURHUT. He was. "How have you been, Sir?" he asked, after having released Lexi from his hold. Smile.

Aw, hugging. How cute.

"I have been better," Chad grinned, looking between him and Miss Denver. "Nothing clears the mind like melting snow on a path!" Woo hoo! "Yourself? Have you been okay?"

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pinky

EEEEEEP! Mister Stryker was there. EWWWW he called her Denver. Yuck. Smiling politely after a momentary nose wrinkle she said, "|Kennedy, sir. Last name's Kennedy now. And yes, how have you been?" SHe wouldn't stick around long... just wanted to get pleasantries out of the way and whatnot. Heh.

Oh. Not Denver? Kennedy? Huh?

"You changed your last name?" Chad clearly sounded confused. Was this some sort of rebellious 'I'mma seventh year, so HA!' sort of phase?

"Err, yes, I am okay, thank you. Yourself?"

Lexi nodded her head and smiled. "Kennedy is my birth name, sir. Alexandra Kennedy actually. Denver was my adoptive family's surname... and well they are not my guardians any longer so I took my name back," she explained happily. SHE WAS HER AGAIN.

"I have been very well, thank you, sir. Now... I think I will head back to the castle. See you around, sir." She gave him a KNOWING look. Heheh. Kimber and she shared secrets quite a bit. Hehehe.

Was she sure?!? "Of course I'm sure!" So... he hadn't said anything about whether he liked her back, and he was staring at the ground... he was smiling - was he laughing at her? Her face fell and she just wanted to run away and cry.

And then... Oh...

Oh! Suddenly she didn't want to cry anymore, she threw her arms around Kennedy's neck and hugged him tight. "Oh, I'm so glad!" she said. And she was, it felt like all of her insides were doing some crazy happy-dance. "Wait," she unwrapped her arms and stood back a tiny bit, holding onto his hands. "So... what does this mean?"

Was he her boyfriend now? Or..? Because if she was then he should technically be the one to say it first...

As her body continued to relax and she found herself comforted by what was happening, Kurumi's hands slowly left her side and found a new home on his chest. Her eyes remained shut as the kissed continued. She was almost afraid that if she opened them, that she would find it all to have been a dream.

When he finally pulled away, Kurumi hadn't been expecting it and was still leaning forward a little, so she lost a bit of her balance. Thankfully, her hands were there to keep herself from totally losing it and crashing into it.

Her cheeks were on fire now, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from his. His silence...surprisingly...but she didn't find it very awkward at all. This was probably because she too was speechless. She realized that she was still standing on her tip toes, and it was probably in her best interest to lower herself.

"I-I-In case it wasn't obvious...I really like you too," she giggled. The snow was beginning to fall a little harder now and it was cold enough that they could see their breath. She shivered a bit.

Jonathan's stomach was all butterflies. His heart beating faster. He can't stop smiling at all. He had always been sure that Kurumi was only a sister to him, he thought wrong. Maybe that's why after the talk they had at the Hogwarts' train station, he's been always finding ways to see her again. At first, he denied the fact that what he felt for her was purely because he was like a little sister he never had. He should have seen this one coming.

He held Kurumi's shoulders as he saw her trembling on her tiptoes. He should have bent down deeper. Did Jonathan got tall over the break? She stared, he stared. No one spoke a word though. Perhaps kissing her the second time made things more awkward than it has already been.

Jonathan smiled sweetly as he heard what she said. Really? "That's..." he found himself looking and searching for words but he has been a little bit slow on words today. "...awesome" awesome? Yup. Of all the words, the only thing he could think of is 'awesome'. He bit his lower lip, he knew that was lame.

Then he saw her shivering. It is cold outside and he just realized that. All this time they have been talking outside of the castle. She's wearing a dress which is probably why she's shivering. "Do you want to go inside?" he asked. Kurumi should say so, he doesn't want her to freeze because of him. Jonathan took off his trench coat and gave it to her.

Selena did not have to deal with this. At all. Because... this girl always thought she was amazing. "I've got lovely manners, only horrible people bring out the worst in me," Selena said in a sickeningly sweet voice, while glaring at her.

OOOOOH. She was leaving! Selena clapped her hands with joy, not quite hearing anything about leave first. "Bye bye, when you leave, please walk off the Astronomy Tower," she said, waving at the girl goodbye. Hehe.... no evil lady.

Kennedy saw her face fall for a bit, but it was because he had taken too much time to tell her how he felt. He was surprised when she launched at him, but he caught her in his arms and hugged her back tightly. It wasn't an awkward hug, nor a shy hug and he didn't hold back. It was nice knowing that she felt the same way he did.

This made his stomach tingle with a foreign, warm feeling.

He slightly frowned when she pulled away. Was it weird that he didn't want to let go off her?

Oh....OH!

Kennedy's cheeks flared, but he didn't look away. It was time to man up. So far, Aurora has been the one with the guts - something he liked about her - and now it was his turn. Kennedy cleared his throat, still holding her hands. Here goes.

"Aurora...w-would you like to be my g-girlfriend?" Gah! This made his heart go on overdrive, pounding against his ribcage so hard he wondered if Aurora could hear it. This was his first time asking that question that it made him feel incredibly nervous.

Aurora very nearly squeaked - it was the first time someone had ever asked that question. And the first time she had ever wanted someone to ask... Oh wow... she nodded, "Yes." she whispered, shivering with excitement... or was it the cold? She moved closer to Kennedy and rested her head on his shoulder. "I'd love to." she added, smiling the widest smile ever.

Sebastian had jumped down from her arms and was currently frolicking in the snow, blending in perfectly - visible only by his bright blue eyes and his frantically waving tail - but when he noticed there was hugging happening... he bounded over and entwined himself around their legs, meowing softly.

Geleto was happy that Minerva was going good. Through the hectic classes and extra activities, it was hard to keep up with everyone, so, it made such a delight when one got to have time with friends. "I did find Justin, but to him, it seemed as if his absence never occurred..." It was very weird--how he just jumped back into conversation with her.

IT WAS!

It was James' monkey! And here he was thinking that it wouldn't the same. Well, technically, it was Lexi's monkey now, but it had been James' to begin with.

But, he'll take the monkey. No problem. Unless Thaddeus had a problem with that...in which case...Thaddeus will be passed onto his grandparents until he wouldn't come to Hogwarts. It seemed Thaddeus didn't like it in here anyway. "I will, Lexi. No problem at all." He said, nodding with a smile, and...yeah, Rufus probably learned the loudness from Lexi, since James was rather quiet.

"Thanks." For leaving one piece behind. Two, if one considered James into this.

Why was Chad having that look on his face, eh? Wait...no...that hug was just a hug, okay Stryker?

But..., "Actually, one's mind clears off faster if the problems or doubts are shared with someone else, preferably a friend." Wink. That was an invite, Mr. Stryker could start saying what he was having trouble with and then the snow could stay in place enjoying the last moments it'll have for the remainder of the school year, no?

And how was Treyen? "Never better." Which was a little bit of a lie, because that answer only worked when Ellie was around.

Wait, what?

His eyes went over to Lexi as she said that she was going back to the Castle...yeah, okay, that meant that she should say goodbye to Treyen as well, correct?

Blink.

A feeling coursed through Kennedy and it felt so weird, yet he liked it. It was like winning a gold medal - Aurora was his gold medal. She had somehow managed to get him to do things he would never had thought of. He wrapped her arms around her and smiled.

This had to be the best day at Hogwarts.

Kennedy looked down at the white kitten and chuckled. "I guess he's happy for us to." His Pygmy Puff might not be, but he didn't care. He looked down at Aurora. He wasnt sure if he should, or if she'd want to. So instead he kissed her forehead.

Best day ever!

Oh wow, Aurora was amazed that it was even possible to feel like this... Why had no-one ever told her?! It was like... like... well she had nothing to compare it to! She snuggled into his warmth and somehow managed to stop shivering.

Aurora grinned, "I'm not sure about that... but he knows that cuddles end in warmth." she murmured, head still rested on Kennedy's chest.

And there it was... the first time Kennedy had chosen a kiss... and it was lovely. She sighed contentedly and turned her face up just a little bit, daring him to try it again. Oh this was wonderful... she didn't even notice the cold... in fact... she wasn't even sure whether she'd started shivering again or not. She probably had - she was a little too skinny to be stood outside in the snow without her cloak on and she had forgotten to put it on when they had left the common room.

Isobel walked around on the grounds, keeping an eye out for Slytherins. Sure enough, when she got to the pathways, she saw a Slytherin. Not just one Slytherin, but two! If she hugged both of them, she would have five. Isobel didn't know any of the Slytherin's she hugged, but the recognized these two. One of them she had met briefly at the carnival, and the other one had been hugged by Maybelle in Flying class last year, causing her to lose five points for 'hugging someone without permission.' It had been quite amusing.

Isobel ran over to the two Slytherins. "Hello." She hugged both of them. "Goodbye!" Then she ran away before either of them had time to protest. Well, they could still protest, but she wouldn't be there standing next to them. She would be running away.

Awesome? Kurumi giggled. Jonathan had always seemed so confident and on his toes, but recently he had been awkward around her. Now she knew why. While this Jonathan was cute, she hoped that he would go back to being the confident and, at times, witty Slytherin boy that she knew.

Before she could comment about his awesome comment, Jonathan had removed his coat and laid it around her shoulders. "But, won't you get cold?" she asked as she rolled her shoulders a bit to adjust the added weight.

"Yeah...we probably should," she nodded as her one hand tugged on the collar of the jacket. That would make sure that both of them were warm, right?

Taking off his coat to give it to Kurumi, he felt the coldness of the winter swooped into his body. It is so cold. He only had 2 clothes underneath and plus that thick trench coat. Luckily, he was wearing his winter hat, gloves and scarf. So it's not much burden.

He shook his head when she asked him. "It's okay..." as he rubbed his hands to his arms. "Don't worry" he smiled. He helped her adjust the coat and tapped her shoulders to get rid of those snowflakes.

INDOORS. Sounds really good right now. "One condition though." he smiled. He looked at Kurumi with his coat on her. He's actually making a deal. He held her hand "Since you took my coat..." he added a wink.

Kurumi frowned slightly, although it looked more like a pout, when he insisted that he was fine. Hogwarts could get ridiculously cold during the winter months and she would be furious at herself if he caught a cold because of her. Her eyes followed his hands as he dusted off some of the snow.

She blinked in confusion for a moment when he said there was a condition to them going back inside. Merlin, he wasn't going to ask for her to return the piggyback favor, was he? She was almost positive that she wouldn't be able to do that, especially when she had been struggling to carry Walnut recently. The cat needed to go on a diet.

However, when once again took her hand in his, she blushed and a girlish smile returned to her porcelain features. She entwined her fingers with his and swung their arms ever so slightly. Nothing else really mattered right now. She was happy and would take everything else one step at a time.

"You know...you don't have to lend me your coat every time you want to do this," she said with a small laugh.

"You need it more than i do" he insisted. She was wearing a dress. If he were to complain he was cold, then Kurumi must be feeling Antarctica right now. Besides, a he has been out in the winter a couple times where he sometimes forget to wear coat. He's a very lazy boy, he doesn't even bother using an accio spell to get his coat.

"you can return them whenever you want to." he nodded. Jonathan brought tons this term since last term he only brought 1 coat. He could have swore he put 3 winter coats. He learned from his lesson, plus his mother took care of his luggage before he left. Who knows, what else did her mother stuffed in to his trunk.

Kennedy laughed. "What a smart kitten, then," he said. Yes, Sebastian was smart if he knew that cuddling meant warmth. Hehe, he was going to be seeing that quite often.

He looked down when Aurora grew silent after his kiss and his cheeks grew warm again. Her eyes always managed to put him in a trance. Why is it that it took him all this time to notice that. Her bright, green eyes were described with only one word; beautiful. Kennedy found his body leaning down as his lips began to descend upon hers, but then....

...WOAH!

Another girl that wasn't his girlfriend was hugging him! That could have ended tragically. Kennedy pulled away so fast that he ended up tripping on his own feet and landed square on his bum. Ouch. Third time that's happened to him.

He looked up and saw the girl run away. "W-What was that about?" he asked, looking up at Aurora. Why'd that girl hug both of them?

Aurora chuckled and nodded; she was scared that, if she talked, she would squeak with happiness. There was something about looking at Kennedy that made her brain turn to a frazzled mush... Mmm... He was so cute..!

And then... And then he was leaning in and she shivered a little in anticipation. He was about to actually kiss her when...

SOME STUPID HUFFLEPUFF INTERRUPTED HERTHEIR MOMENT!!!!

SO not fair!! Kennedy was her boyfriend (she almost smiled at this thought - but she was too annoyed) and she had first dibs on hugs now!!


Aurora's eyes lit up slightly in amusement and she rushed to help... So quickly that she slipped and landed beside him, causing her to begin to laugh quite a lot. "I have no I- oh wait..." she cut herself off, the laughter stopping. "I... I think it's hug-a-Slytherin Day..." Her eyes widened a little. "They started it last year... I... I ended up hiding in the common room all day." she said. "It er... Always happens at rather inconvenient times..." Yeah... Like when she had an open potion phial in her hand... Or WHEN SHE WAS ABOUT TO GET A KISS! Aurora stared daggers in the direction the girl had run off in and took hold of Kennedy's hand, not bothering to try and stand up.