HEHE!

How cute! Taryn had wondered what would happen if she let Auggie decide where they were going, she'd been expecting things, but this place was certainly not one of them.

Hehe!

She waved at him when she saw him and giggled some more. HEHE. "Hi!" She sat down at the table too. Why was she whispering? She didn't know.

Yeah this place was weird.

Oh, Taryn was here! He sort of awkwardly stood as she arrived and then sat back down as she did. "Hey." he whispered back. Would the shopkeeper lady hush them if they were too loud? "This place is....nice right?" He said looking around with a smile. Girls liked these sorts of places right?

"Do you want anything to eat or drink?" he asked quickly, he needed something to do with his hands anyways.

"Hehe. Nice. Sure." Hehe.

August was rapid fire shooting questions in her direction and Taryn was still a few steps behind. She was still on the giggling and whispering thing. "Oh, sure. We can do that." She glanced over her shoulder and then around the room once before back to the boy, "What sort of things do they have here?"

Oh good she thought it was nice.

Besides his insides fluttering around as if they were full of butterflies, all August could think of at this moment was 'If only Tori Bunbury could see them now'. The imaginative look on that old Slytherin's face would have been enough to make the Lion blush had he not been playing it cool.

Coming back into the situation, Auggie was glad to hear that Taryn would like something to eat, which seemed to say that she wasn't very nervous. Which was good. He wasn't too nervous, he just hadn't been on an official date before. "Umm, they have teas...and cakes, yeah that's it I think." he said, squinting at the menu on the wall from where they sat.

Taryn shrugged, "Whatever you want is good with me." Hehe. "Surprise me?" WELL, he'd already picked the place and had done quite well, now let's see how well he did with this part.

"Are you a little nervous?" She asked, tilting her head. She couldn't quite tell if he was or not, he seemed to be fine, but... this WAS only their.. err.. first date on their OWN, without Paulie and Tori around. Even though they had been 'dating' for a few months now.

Laura looked at Zhenya and smiled, she had just decided on the best action if Zhenya's bat did hit her bad leg. "You know if you bat does hit my ankle my broomstick might just knock yours into the stands." Laura giggled, seriously that would be funny, anyway back to the question. "I have no idea what I want to do today."

Laura would knock her broom into the stands? Zhenya thought about what hat might look like, one player banging another on the ankle with her bat and the other knocking her to the stands. "Well Laura, what's a little quidditch rivalry between two best friends?" she asked and laughed.

Thinking that Laura didn't know as much as she did about Hogsmeade, which wasn't very much, she said "Well I do want to visit the candy shop."

Hogsmeade weekends were the best. No doubt about it. Puddifoots was the best too. They had the best cheesecake in the world, that was for sure. Ellie was introduced to the cheesecake last year by Carter Phillips and Ellie was going to make sure that she would come to Puddifoots every Hogsmeade weekend left to get some more.

BUT not only that, Zayden was coming to meet with her here. Ellie was pretty excited to see her cupcake buddy again. Oh, speaking of cupcakes, were there any here? She could have cupcakes and cheescake...

Laura gave quick giggle. "Nothing." Laura smiled, she and Zhenya would be friends no matter who won or what happened in a Quidditch match, she was sure of that, they were friends for life. "Well then Zhenya, why don't we go there?" Laura finished her cheesecake and smiled. "That was great."

It was FREEZING OUTSIDE. This Slytherin was thinking that he had not dressed up enough to come battle in the snowy weather; however, here he was in his (somewhat) winter outfit to defend himself against Jack Frost. He trugged himself through the streets that were covering in snow and, sadly, his shoes were soaking in the water and his socks were getting wet.

... ugh.

He picked up his speed until he made it to the entrance of the merlin awful store that woman liked. Yes, just woman. Had Ellie REALLY persuaded him to come here?! Clearly, seeing as he was staring right at his friend through the glass window. Here goes my manhood, he thought as he opened the door and stepped inside. while he made his way towards his friend, he took off his wet hat, scarf, and gloves.

"I do believe we're about to get a snow storm up in this place."

"Oh ok I will be right back." Auggie said with a bright smile before he walked off to the counter. Yes, he had heard her second question but he had chosen to pretend he didn't hear it just then, and was prepared to think of a good answer before he returned.

After picking up the snacks the Gryffindor returned to the table and deposited the two slices of cheesecake and the orange juices. He was just in the mood for the Vitamin C. "Here we are." Auggie sat down across from Taryn once more and took a sip of his drink. "Oh and no, I'm not nervous. I was just a little jittery from the cold walk over here."

Smoooth.

Taryn got all of her fidgeting out while he was gone. She shifted in her seat, crossed her legs, uncrossed her legs, crossed them again, put her hands in her lap, then on the table, then flipped her hair off of her shoulder.

Twitch.

"Oh, thank you." She smiled when he returned. She hadn't been expecting orange juice with how cold it was outside and all, but Vitamin C was good for your immune system, right? He didn't want either of them to get a cold! Yeah!

So he wasn't nervous. Okay. Then she wasn't EITHER. Hehe. "So." She sipped her juice, "What do you want for your birthday?" Yeah, that's right. She hadn't forgotten. She was just having a bit of a hard time deciding...

As Ellie waited for Zayden, she found a table by a window and took a seat. She tapped her fingers on the table. She was about to complain when she finally saw him trudge his way to the little tea shoppe. And he didn't look too happy.

Ellie grinned when he came in and stood to give him a big hug. She didn't even get to say hello because he mentioned something about a snow storm. Ellie let him go from the hug and peeked outside. "Yeah, you're probably right from the looks of it," she noted before sitting down.

Clasping her hands, Ellie beamed at Zayden. "How are you? I haven't seen you in a while," she said excitedly, bouncing in her seat. She had missed her cupcake buddy!

Zayden had expected Ellie to hug him because, well, she was a hugging person. Almost every woman he knew was a hugger, not that he minded since hugs were a warm and friendly welcoming. He wrapped his arms around her waist and, without comprehending what he was doing, twirled her around in a circle in EXCITEMENT. "I've missed you!" He exclaimed. "I feel like we hardly see each other anymore." Besides the classes they had together and he always made a note to sit near her (her and Amelia, of course).

"Aren't I always right?" His lips turned into a smirk, and then he carefully sat her back down on her feet. "It's December, Ellie, so it's going to snow." Especially in Scotland. He's lived here his whole life and knew how cold the winters could get. "You know what? We should have a snowball fight once the snow packs us in here." WHAT if they got a whole bunch of people together and played?! That would be so EPIC!

"I've been... good," he replied. "In all honesty, I'm ready to go home for the holidays." He sat down in his chair now and took a quick glance at the menu. "How have you been? ... and, before we go any further, this meal is on me." Oh yes. Not that he had much money on him, but he was going to pay for their meal. "So, Miss Irish, order as much as you want."

In reason, please.

Suddenly, Ellie was being picked up by the waist and spun around in a circle. "Eeep!" Ellie squealed with delight and giggled, holding on to Zayden tight so she didn't fly away from him. That would hurt when she landed. "I've missed you too!" Ellie exclaimed right back with a grin. "That means we should definitely hang out more." Because she missed her cupcake buddy. Besides class, but they were always doing... classwork. Weird.

Ellie rolled her eyes playfully at Mr. Always-Right. "Oh, that's right. I forgot, sorry." Ellie said with a slight sarcastic tone. Once she was back on the ground, Ellie straightened out her clothes and took a seat as Zayden talked about the snow. "I can't wait though! I love snow." Ellie was like, a snow princess or something... SNOWBALLFIGHT? Ellie gasped a little bit. "Yes, we so should! I love snowball fights!" Ellie exclaimed. What is they got tons of people to join and had a snow war?!

The holidays! Yes. Ellie nodded but before she could say anything Zayden cut her off. The meal was on him? "Oh, don't be silly. I'll pay for mine." Ellie never let people pay for her. Unless it was Dallin, but that was expected. Heh. "But I do think I'll have some cupcakes. What about you?" Duh. That was kind of a given.

"I'm pretty good," she said, answering his question from before. "Also quite ready for the holidays. The castle's getting kinda stuffy with... drama and stuff." Ellie waved her hand. "And I can't wait to see mum." Of course, that was a given too.

"Me too," Vashti agreed with a nod and grin. She'd been eating a lot of chocolate lately - Chocolate Frogs were just so good! - and she probably shouldn't get a cocoa, but why stop now, right?

"Thanks," she replied, smiling. It was always made her feel a little better when someone said they liked her name. And a sixth year, hm? Vashti knew she had to be close to her age. "Have you been at Hogwarts for awhile?" she asked. She thought the girl was new, since she was sure she hadn't seen her around in the past six years, but it was possible she might've just missed her. There were loads of students at Hogwarts after all.

As for her year... "Seventh year," she answered, trying not to sound too down about it. She'd accepted the fact that this was her last year at Hogwarts - she thought she had, anyway - but still it made her a little sad whenever she admitted it out loud. Not to mention scary and unnerving, since she was still uncertain as to what she would do once she graduated.

"Can I tell you a secret?" Zayden moved her head towards his ear now and, if people were being the nosy little eavesdroppers they are, it would seem like he had kissed her cheek or something -- which he did not do at all. "I missed you more... and I do believe we should hang out more, El." He had DEFINITELY missed her MORE (just like how he missed Chandler every day)! Why did it feel like he hardly got to see his friends? He was graduating soon and who knew if they'd still be friends afterwards?! He did hope they would be, though...

He chuckled. "You should be sorry." Mmmmm! "You know, I could somewhat disgree with you on liking snow because, well, it's cold." Yes, yes, he was a winter baby but he couldn't deal with snow that much. It made it too cold outside to do his daily running! "Maybe we can get Dallin and Amelia to have a snowball fight with us." ITWOULDBESOMUCHFUN! He couldn't wait to get back to the castle to see if his girlfriend would have a snowball fight with them.

He rolled his eyes now. "Please, Ellie! You're the lady so, hence, I'm paying for you." This Ravenclaw was absolutely bonkers if she thought she was going to pay for her own meal! "This place has CUPCAKES?!" His green eyes widened as he looked down at the menu. HEEHEHEHE. Cupcakes. "I'll have some cupcakes... and a nice cup of milk." Quite possibly, they could make it chocolate milk for him!

Oh, drama! He had to agree. There was still drama going on between him and Alex that was probably never going to be settled. Seriously, WHO kissed his GIRLFRIEND?! "Hogwarts is just full of drama," he commented. "I just... can't wait for Christmas." That's when he was going to pop the big question to his girlfriend. "How's your mum doing?"

Ooh, a secret! Ellie leaned in so her head was close to Zayden's and his breath was tickling her skin. Ellie grinned... He missed her more? Pfff. Pshh. Ellie was going to protest but the way he said it was so sweet and nice. And he called her El. :33 Ellie giggled a little bit. "I think we should hang out more, too." She told him with a big smile. "And for the record, I definitely missed you more." Uh-huh.

Snow was cold. Well... Duh. Ellie snorted at him. "Yes, Zayden, it's frozen water." She said in a light, teasing tone. Ellie happened to be a winter baby who LOVED snow. Part of her wanted to live in an igloo, but the other part remembered the igoo her and Dallin built last year... the same one that collapsed on them. So living in an igloo probably wasn't a good idea. "Yeah, and we can team up and have a snow war!" Ellie was really excited now. The only hard part was going to be dragging Dallin outside. He didn't like snow very much.

Ellie pursed her lips. Zayden seemed pretty settled on paying for her food. She eyed him for a minute. "Fine," she grumbled before moving her eyes back to the menu. "Yes, and they also have the best cheesecake in the world." Just in case he was wondering. Ellie silently thanked Carter Phillips for introducing her to Puddifoot's cheesecake last year. Ellie continued to scan over the menu until... "Ooh, a chocolate milkshake... Do you want to share one? I don't think I could drink the whole thing by myself."

Hogwarts was full of drama. Ugh. Preach it, Scottish boy. "I can't wait for Christmas either... Got any big plans?" Ellie asked, thinking about her own. She was pretty excited. Ellie smiled when Zayden asked about her mum. "Oh, she's pretty good. Sort of overwhelmed now with my niece and nephew running around the house." Merlin, they were crazy kids. Not to mention no one even knew they existed until... a year ago.

"it sure was spiffy," she said, mocking a posh accent again. If she ever became posh she would eat cheesecake all day. The. She thought "sooo Laura who will you be cheering for during the match Saturday?" it was either ravenclaw or slytherin... Or both!

She got her coinpurse and put it in her pocket and stood up to leave for honeydukes.

The side of Zayden's nose randomly started itching, so he scratched it with his his index finger while he kept his green eyes on Ellie. "As do I." He needed to hang out with Ellie and Chandler more -- and he hardly saw Chandler since he was with Kaia so much. Then again, he was always with Amelia. "That's what you think, El." Ha. "... and I know it's frozen water," he said in what seemed like an irritated voice; however, he wasn't irritated at all.

She didn't need to make him feel stupidddddd. Or more stupid.

"Us against Dallin and Amelia." If they had Dallin and Ellie on one team together, he'd feel like him and Mia because those Ravenclaws were very logical and knew stuff. Knew SMART STUFF. Maybe they could calculate how much of an angle they needed to throw their snow balls to hit the opponent. That was why one Ravenclaw needed to be on each team -- plus, it would be fun to be on a different team than his girlfriend.

CHEESECAKE?! He quickly jerked his head back down to the menu. How, OH HOW, did he miss the cheesecake on the menu?? "I should try some of this so called 'best' cheesecake." Hmmm. At the mention of sharing a milkshake, he slowly raised his head towards her because nobody has ever asked him to share a drink before besides Mia. "We could." He smiled. Honestly, he didn't see a problem with it if she couldn't finish the drink alone and it would save money!

He shrugged. "I have special plans." Was he going to tell her? Ehhh, no ^_____^ It was going to be a surprise and the only person that knew when he was proposing was Chandler. "... oh." He hadn't know she had a niece and nephew. "I thought you brother, er, died...?"

Well good, they agreed. Now they just had to... do it. Hang out more, that is. Except they always seemed to be glued to their other halves. His being Amelia and Ellie's being Dallin. They would just have to hang out as a big group or something. "No, that's what I know, Zay." Since they were going by nicknames know. Ellie liked it when people called her El. She used to hate it... but now she liked it. :3

Ellie snorted when Zayden defended his intelligence of snow. And then she just laughed and looked at her menu. Heh.

"You should try the cheesecake! It's to die for." No joke. Ellie craved it all the time but she always had to wait until Hogsmeade opened again. She noticed Zayden lift his head slowly at the mention of sharing a milkshake. He seemed fine with it though. "I just don't want to waste your money if I don't finish it," she explained with a small shrug. Plus, they were friends. Friends shared drinks all the time. Right? Riiiight.

Special plans, eh? Ellie cocked an eyebrow at her friend. "What kind of special plans?" He should have known better than to think Ellie would let him leave it at that. She was nosy; she wanted to know. By Zayden's tone and the look on his face, he could tell that he was kind of confused. Yeah, she should probably clarify. "He did. Err... He had kids way before he died. He was sort of... rebellious in a way." As in he was never home. Which time he probably - or at least hopefully - was spent with his girlfriend and their kids. Hopefully. They still didn't know who his girlfriend was.

"You're welcome." Evelyn replied with a smile. Bleh, why did she still feel so cold? When Vashti asked if she'd been at Hogwarts for a while, Evelyn shook her head. "I started this year." She brushed her hair back from her face. "How about you? Have you been studying here for long?"

Oh. "Well, that's..nice." Last year at school would be pretty depressing for anyone..sigh. She didn't really look forward to her last year at Hogwarts. It would be sad to leave..even if she'd started school only this year. Gosh, time was flying by.