Even though she wasn't ignorant of the possibility that not everywhere in the world had winters like that she was used to, Stella still found it odd that Matt had the ability to surf even in wintertime. And she simply looked at him as he'd verified that, before smiling. "That sounds nice. Different," she replied. It all only made her even more curious about California, but she knew she wasn't going to get to visit where he lived any time soon. She figured this year she'd go home again for the holidays, and then over the summer she was going to be showing Matt around her world. She still wanted to get to see his eventually, too, though. Her smile grew into more of a grin as he'd responded to her suggestion of ice skating, however. "I'll help you. I mean, you were going to teach me swing dancing this year, the least I can do is teach you how to ice skate. Once it's cold enough, of course," she said. She wasn't afraid of him hurting her, by falling or anything. Hurting himself was another story, but then that was what cushioning charms were for. Not to mention she had a feeling this would be yet another fun plan for this term, as long as they were allowed to skate on the lake again. Or maybe the duck pond.

"It's a type of dance," she continued with a giggle, at his reaction to the name the anniversary event had been given. "That's why I think it's some sort of formal dance, although they really could have just called it a ball. And I think you're right," she concluded, trying to think back to the announcement in the common room. That sounded right, at least, and either way she was excited. Just trying to figure out what the school had planned was intriguing, but they'd find out what that was soon. Right now she'd gone back to her curiosity about his reference to his own OWLs, and she hugged him again as he spoke. "I'm sorry. Is that why you were so determined to help me with mine?," she asked, innocently, before slightly getting off that topic again. "You know I'll help you with your NEWTs. Studying for them, at least." Obviously she couldn't take them for him, and she smiled yet again as he offered to help her with Runes, even though she hadn't really asked."I'd love your help. I don't really want to have to drop Runes, but I'm still not very sure of myself in the subject." Even if he'd only gotten an Acceptable, that still could mean he was better at the subject than she was. Plus, they were going to be studying together anyhow.

Well hey now, no need to laugh at the Pureblood. Or, least that's what she considered herself. STILL, she didn't know, no need to laugh.

Not that Ellie was seriously offended or anything, as she laughed, too. "That sounds like a very silly hat. What do they need such a big hat for?" In all the oddness of the word, the Sixth year had forgotten why it was even mentioned.

She shrugged, "I have at one point or another." What was her point in mentioning it, though? "Just saying, you might learn to fall in love with an unexpected position during your years here." Nod.

Jellyfish? "I have no idea..." She wasn't a big Lake swimmer. Nor was she a big swimmer at all. But especially not in a lake full of horrendous creatures.

Maybelle rolled her eyes a bit. "So that way you can have some awesomeness?" She asked, laughing. "Whatever floats your boat." She said sarcastically. And laughed a bit when Everett freaked out about Maybelle calling him a nerd. "It's a good thing, you can't always be the cool guy." And plus, she found it cute.

Maybelle listened as Everett had spoken. She realized that a tear had fallen from her eye. She didn't know why, because he didn't say anything to make her start crying. "Yes, but I'm leaving after this, Ev." She said. "I suppose it's not a big deal..." Because Jake was a Ravenclaw, but with a Slytherin it was so much different. Hufflepuff's had a bit of a grudge against them, because they kept beating the Badgers. And there was also NHASD, which made Slytherin's angry.

Maybelle again listened as he explained, and another tear came rolling down her cheek. It dropped onto her pants and there was a single wet spot where the tear had fallen. She couldn't say anything, because she didn't want to sound crazy, and if she tried to speak, there would definitely be tears. So she simply nodded.

All this talk of winter in Cali had made him miss home a little bit, Matt wanted it be December so that he go could back and hang out with the friends that he hadn't gotten to see since July but at the same time; he just wanted time to stop so that it didn't get wasted anymore. He was graduating at the end of the term after all and the more that thought had came up in his thoughts, the more it made him sad since it meant that he didn't get to see Stella whenever he wanted to. Then again, he had been curious about what was in store for him after graduating with travelling for a year at least. "It's actually really nice, I mean obviously it's different if you haven't experienced it before. But pretty much every Christmas, I'll be out on the beach. Unless it's raining, then it isn't much fun." It wasn't that he didn't like the rain, it was more like the whole cold that came with it; but other plus to the rain was that it had made some awesome waves. As soon as she offered to help him skate, he smiled softly; it truly was a fair deal after all since he had been giving swing dancing lessons later on which were going to be ridiculously fun. "Makes sense, I'm looking forward to this now since it should be interesting. Well that isn't exactly the word I was looking for but it works all the same." He already knew that there was going to be a lot of falling and laughing but that wasn't a bad thing, no it was going to make a really good memory that he'd carry with him throughout the next year.

"Yeah they could have called it a ball, but I think that they're trying to make it more of a mystery for us. Either way, it's going to be a good time and I'm happy that I'm still at the school for it." If it had been next term, well there wasn't much that he could have done about it. But the whole fact that if it was actually a ball, it meant that he got the chance to dance with her again which was awesome; hopefully they weren't going to be using the waltz lessons from the previous term since he hadn't been too fussed with dancing something that was just so formal. When she asked about OWLs again, he just thought about it for a second before just deciding to speak. "That was it, but I knew that you were going to do well anyway and I was right. I really do appreciate the help with my NEWTs, I mean.. I think I'll do okay but there's nothing wrong with having help with studying." Especially if it meant that they could spend time together since between everything else going on at the school, they didn't exactly have much time to hang out. "You won't have to drop Runes, I'll make sure that you can get enough of a good grade on the exam this term to be able to take it for your NEWT year." He was determined to help her out, even if it had to happen while he was working on homework; that wasn't going to be a problem.

Jordan nodded slowly, taking in what Jez had just said. "I'm probably a target?" he whispered, suddenly scared. What had he got himself into? "Okay," he nodded, "Fine, theres nothing I can do about that now is there?" he grimaced. And as if by coincidence a red note landed on Jordan's lap. "Crap," he muttered looking at Jez, eyes wide.

He opened up the note quickly, quickly reading what it said. "What? Not Benjy..." he sniffed, flicking the note to Jez.

Enclosed was a picture of his 10 year old brother, Benjy. He couldn't be a wizard too could he?

Harvey listened to Justin talk about Minnie.. his girl.. Harvey looked back over the pond.. so Justin and Minnie were getting closer .. and Justin has liked her for a long time.. if Minnie finds out that she likes Justin the same way he likes her.. maybe it is time for Harvey to take a back seat in Minnie's life.. he would be the friend again in her life.. "Well.. that ... that... I see.. well.. I guess ..if thats all it is.. .. then its fine.. BUT.. IF and IF .." he paused here .. could he say it.. "Look Justin .. I agree that Minnie is confused.. but once .... once she knows what she wants... I will have no choice but to agree to what she wants.. ... or..... who she wants.." he said "I know that you were only trying to comfort her... I guess things just happen... I just dont want her to feel that way.. I have tried but no success.." he said as he saw Justin throw a few rocks into the lake.. Harvey just watched him and the ducks deep in thought as to what to do if it came to that..

Jez froze as the note fell into Jordan's lap. She sat up suddenly, just in time to see the delivery owl fly off. It was a black owl, and Jez knew if she looked close enough at its leg she'd see the Black family crest tattooed there. She didn't notice the duckling squawk and swim away, looking both frightened and irritated. She was preoccupied with reading the note. Her face darkened as though a shadow had suddenly come over it.
"Your brother," she whispered, looking at Jordan. "Benjy. I thought you said your family were Muggles?" And wizard-bashers, but let's keep it clean. "How could they know? How could Team Wolf know if he's magic or not?!" They seemed to do the impossible, forever throwing Jez off her posts of safety. It was like she was on a stone pedestal, and it was slowly crumbling away around her. Soon, she'd fall into the void.
Jez stood up, backing away from Jordan. "Stay away from me!" she shouted. "Otherwise Benjy will die, and I bet they won't stop at just him!" She was cursed, a living bad luck charm that could feel the pain she caused other people because it was her pain too.

"You do indeed!" he said smiling. "And then we can have some crazy dance party or something!" he said laughing.

Crazy,dance,and party all applied to Cardigan,so that would be awesome.What could be better than octopus pizza,craziness,and dancing?!?Nothing,of course!"Definately!"Cardigan replied with a laugh.That partay would be epictastical!

Logan laughed. "Now we can't have only THOSE things...there has to be more." he said. "Hmm...got any ideas?" he asked, leaning his head on her shoulder.

He made a funny looking face when Nessie mentioned she wanted to be a duck. Whatever made her think that, he would never know, but the thought was funny. Her face would be the ducks head, only she'd have a orange beak for her mouth instead, an her duck hair, if that's what their skin would be considered would be ginger. "Well, you can't be a duck." He added seriously. "Because you're already a badger."

Well, if he had been chosen, the last person he suspected to be chosen it would be fair game for anyone. "I imagined myself to be the last person chosen for this honor, but look what happened. So, don't already cut yourself out of the game, anything is possible. Just keep up the school work, try to help your friends out an there can be a possibility." Nessie always seemed to not believe in herself or her ability to be a great person, an sometimes that's what made a person look better because they couldn't see it. Nessie was a great all around person an she had the package. "Well, you're friends with prefects, aren't you? I suppose that you are happy to know you have prefects on your side, but probably even more happy to know you have good taste in choosing friends." Adam smiled at her. As far as he knew, the people he knew an she talked to where all brilliant friends.

Apparently, she hadn't understood why he had decided on laughing. So, when her voice came out in a rough tone, his laughing immediately stopped at the very second she spoke up. "Ok. Sorry, I was just seeing it in a different angle." Obviously she hadn't heard him, so he needed to take a different road. Boys only seem complicated because you girls seem to waver around in feelings an emotions an what not. If we like a girl," he pointed at himself as a signal that he meant guys, "We tell them straight up. Girls, on the other hand think everything through way too much about liking a guy or not. Tell me, does this guy make you happy when you're sad? Is he there to pick up the pieces for you when you're heartbroken? Does he make you feel something you've never experienced before? I think if you're thinking all this stuff about you two, then it's possible he likes you."

He then grimaced when she thought she would not find someone because of who she was. "Everyone has something special about them. So don't cut yourself out. You're kind, sweet, shy an you love your friends more than life. So, there. There are special qualities that you have." By this point, Adam felt like he was giving a speech to a room of girls all going to a meeting on a 411 of how "To Know If a Boy Likes You".

"Well,you can't have a party without fake moustaches,"Cardigan said thoughtfully.I mean,you actually can't,'cause moustaches make you seem all serious when you're not,which makes you laugh,which is necessary for a party.No joke!

"True, true.." Logan said smiling. "So...octopus pizza, dancing, moustache party. There needs to be more..." he said thoughtfully.

She walked down and sat away from the other people around. She picked up a few stones and moved them around in her heands feling really depressed.

"What else do you want?"Cardigan asked.I mean,She can't make all the decisions here.It just wouldn't be fun.But she had plenty more ideas left.....some even involving chocolate.....hehehe.....

"Hmm..." he said. "Funny hats!" he said. "Like real weird wacky ones!" he said grinning.

"Its really silly." Maybe he could ask his Nana to send him a blue one and use it when Ellie has a Quidditch match, you know to support her. Imagine those small head wearing a very big hat that was just soooo weird. "I dunno. To protect their head from something maybe." he shrugged.

"Aye captain" Salute.

Hmm..Maybe he should check it himself.

"By the way Ellie, what's your favorite subject?" he asked. "Beside flying of course."

The more they talked about winter in California, the more Stella got curious. Even if she knew she wasn't going to be able to go any time soon, it was interesting seeing how talking about his home changed Matt's mood. Almost like he wished he was there, although she knew it wasn't a wish to be away from her. They'd talked enough about how next term was going to be difficult for her to know he wouldn't wish he wasn't at Hogwarts right now. "Kind of how last term, being here at Hogwarts at wintertime, was different for me. I mean, I'm not not used to snow, but it's just different here than it is in France. I'd still love to visit California sometime, though." She could always hope they'd survive next term, after all. It wasn't happening this year to her knowledge, no matter how much she wished to go. She wasn't leaving Hogwarts, and she'd convinced her parents of enough that she figured leaving them alone for a while was better. Hypothetically, as she still wrote to them to let them know she was alright. Plus, she had to let them know that Matt was going to be in France next summer too.

She grinned at his reaction to her offering to teach him how to ice skate, too. "Interesting?, " she asked. "I won't let you hurt yourself too much. We'll go slow, and I don't even know if they'll let us ice skate on the lake this term anyhow," she added. The new groundskeeper might have other ideas, at least. She hadn't really determined what the man was like, but then all she'd really known about Monsieur Stryer was that he didn't like dancing, and was French. It wasn't a lot, so maybe the new groundskeeper would be all to willing to let them skate once the lake froze. If it did. She couldn't remember. Either way, she hoped it was possible, as it was another fun plan for spending time with Matt.

As was the school event thing, and she shrugged slightly as he agreed with her. "Or maybe they didn't call it that because it's not. I mean, we're just going to have to find out once it starts, I guess. I still kind of want them to hold a dance, though," she replied. There wasn't any ulterior motive to that wish. Nothing about just wanting to dance with him somewhere other than in the Room of Requirement. Maybe there was a little, but she wasn't admitting it, even if she had a feeling he'd know that anyway.The discussion about exams and Runes was a good distraction. Especially as she hadn't expected him to admit that he'd wanted her to pass because he'd had trouble. "You'll do amazing on your NEWTs," she said with a determined nod. If he'd wanted to make sure she'd pass her OWLs, she'd do the same for him. And it gave them more time together, too. Studying counted, even if it wasn't a real date or anything. She wasn't fussed about that. She had lots of ideas for next summer anyhow, that could be more like dates, or at least fun. She gave him a kiss on the cheek as he said she wasn't going to have to drop Runes, too. "Thank you. I hope you're right." She wasn't sure what she'd think next term when he wasn't there, after all. Even if she got through this term, it would depend on if she actually felt like she understood the subject or not.

He was right about that, she was definitely couldn't be a duck. Badger. She giggled a little, she was a true badger at heart which was obviously why the sorting hat had put her into Hufflepuff, but she wasn't physical a badger, if anything she looked more like a duck. "I look like one though." she commented. "I look like an ugly duckling." She didn't think she would be a swan if she had to a duck, she'd for sure end up being the ugly duckling.

Yeahh right! He was just an exception he was one of the lucky few that got to be picked even though he didn't expect it. Nessie on the other hand didn't think she'd be as lucky as him, she was after just a boring, stupid little girl. "Adam, its not going to happen lets face it. Why would I of all people be chosen to be a prefect?..theres other people out their a hundred times better than me and they work much harder than me, obviously they'll get it." she gave him a little nod as she thought of Lyssie. She sort of envied the girl, because that girl had everything she wanted, she had good marks, she had friends and the girl even had a boyfriend..well used to. "Yeah, I suppose I am..but I don't know if I have such good taste when it comes to friends." She shook her head a little, there had been to many mistakes she had made when it came to friends and if anything most of the time she had the worst choices when it came to friends.

Seeing it in a different angle? That was true."Your seeing it in the wrong angle" she said nodding a little. She gave him a stern look as he spoke. "Well at least we have feeling and emotions, its not like you guys do." She sort of rolled her eyes. Boys didn't care about emotions or feelings they just wanted to look cool, thats how it was most of the time anyway. Tell them straight? Really?...not according to Nessie." Please, you guys never tell us straight we always have to look like were the complicated ones trying to find out what you guys all really think, and we only think everything through because we don't want to get hurt." She started to get a little irritated..Why couldn't he just agree with her? "Yes he makes me happy, some of the time he's there and I don't know ...its just all so confusing lets put it that way." she put her thinking pout on.

Kind? No she wasn't. Sweet? Not that either. Shy probably but she knew she loved her friends tons. "I'm not special enough." she started to feel a little bad now, she didn't mean to bother Adam with her love life, but she couldn't help it either. He was probably the only person she talk to about it, although she probably could have also gone to Kurumi.

Laura sat down next to Justin. She smiled at him. 'Nothing much, dude..just exploring Hogwarts..you know, getting to know about this castle is a BIG BIG task..,' she joked

"Well,you can`t dance without music,so we`ll need music too,"Cardigan added on.`Cause,you can`t.It`s not scientifically possible.It helped you by telling you how to dance.Simple as that!

This was it! The moment he had been waiting for the passed.... He checked his watch.... Seven hours! Daichi checked his surroundings as he made his way towards the duck pond , hopeing that his *partner in crime* would be here too and didn't abandon him. She would come right? Plleeease let her come cause he was a little scared to do this himself. What if he messed up? What if the got caught? what if the duck was actually a dragon in disguise?! O_O

The Slytherin moved over to the bushes near the pond and crouched down. He only needed to find his *victim* aka duck pet to steal and bring with him to the castle. Waah in a few moments HE was going to have a duck as pet!

But for now he needed to wait for HER to show up. Specially for this mission , he was dressed in all black...despite it being light outside . He just figured it would look cool for his image. Yes, he had thought about his *duck stealing fashion* a long time. Actually longer than the plan itself.

Daichi adjusted the black cap on his head to hide his blonde hair. He wore black sunglasses that were slightly too big for him and a black leather jacket with a black scarf on top to hide his face. Thank you big brother for sending his *mission* clothes by owl hehehe.

Now , where was she?

Wrapping her arms around herself, a slightly disgruntled Thea stomped down the duck pond. She knew Daichi wouldn't be late. Scowling, Thea's dark eyes scanned the area. Oh please. Was he hiding?! Pulling her large sunglasses slightly down her nose, the Gryffindor sighed. Despite herself, Thea had also changed her outfit. She wrapped her black scarf more tightly around her. Flinching as the wind picked up speed, Thea began walking again.

Thea was almost going to give up, until she heard a suspicious rustling. Raising her eyebrows, the third year pushed her sunglasses back up her nose. With her dark hair bundled in a loose knot on the top of her head, Thea didn't have the hassle of a wild mane today..
Thea simply stood behind Daichi, and smirked slightly. 'What's up, duckinator?' She spoke loudly, but only loud enough for him to hear. Hehe. She tapped him on top of his head, which was covered by a hat. Oh dear. He was taking this very seriously..

Thea placed a hand on one hip. 'So are we doing this or not? Because if I don't get food soon, I'll have to eat the duck.' She shrugged. Now hurry..

Laci didn't understand that MAYBE names bother people.. "Why in the world would your grandmother be the ONLY one to use your name? That's preposterous! The only time people DON'T call each other by their names back home is when we need to use their stage name." Then she was thinking maybe the circus isn't much different from real life.. "Do... you go by a stage name?" Perhaps the world was his stage.

"Oh yes it's very different, with RULES and rules that aren't stated but you should already know rules I'm not sure how to really take it all in, but at the same time, school and home is almost alike, people strive to put their best face forward in performance.. The audience is just different..."

Helga had dipped her feet into to the warm waters. She wondered when she would have her first kiss, she only knew a few people at Hogwarts and most of her muggle friends had all kissed someone. She sighed hopefully no one was telepathic at around the pond.