This was a good cookie. It almost lightened her mood a little bit. Food tended to do that to Ellie when she was down. Unfortunately, she was so down that it only made her a teensy-tiny bit happier. Sigh.

And then that teensy-tiny bit was utterly vanished.

Out of the corner of her eye, Ellie saw some girl come in, but she paid no attention to her. That is, until the girl ran into her. It almost seemed like her cookie was falling in slow motion. Ellie watched it fall to the ground break once it hit it. She looked up at the girl who was now eating a cookie next to her.

"You made me drop my cookie," she pointed out. Obviously. Now, apologize, Puff.

Laura looked at the older Ravenclaw girl, she didn't care about making her drop a cookie maybe it would help her realise she had to eat quickly or the food was gone, anyway all Laura wanted to do was find a House Elf she could talk to and she was sure none would come whilst this girl was there.

"Next time you should be more careful and then maybe you'll be able to eat the cookie." Laura replied, if this girl was waiting for an appology she would be waiting until the end of the world because Laura wasn't going to appologies for something that wasn't her fault.

Cookie-droppin' girl say whaaat? Ellie's eyebrows shot up her forehead and she stared at the younger girl. So this was all her fault? Nuh-uh. Ellie didn't think so. "Me? You think I should be careful? You were the one that ran into me!" She wasn't shouting, but it was apparent that she was upset. That girl ruined a perfectly good cookie!

"I expect an apology for running into me. And being quite rude." And she would wait. As long as it took for the girl to apologize. Ellie deserved it. Kind of.

Laura looked at the older girl, she wasn't going to let the older girl say that she was to blame she wasn't going to apologise and so she would be waiting forever for one. "Yeah you should, the House elves made that cookie and you go about and drop it, they won't like that you know." Laura sighed, she didn't like this girl much.

Laura stared at the girl and smirked. "If your waiting for an apology you'll be waiting a long time because your not getting one, I have nothing to apologise for I haven't done anything." Laura wasn't sure why this girl was being mean maybe it was because she thought she could pick on a firstie, well Laura wasn't going to let her.

Ellie's jaw dropped a little. She was not in the mood for this business. No, sir. This little girl had to be joking. "The only reason I dropped is because you so carelessly ran into me!" So yes, it was the firstie's fault. At least, she looked like a firstie. She was ickle and... small. Ellie just though firsties were innocent and obedient.

"Well I'll wait then," Ellie said, crossing her arms over her chest. Because she had done something. She made Ellie drop her cookie. Which probably wouldn't be so drastic if Ellie wasn't in a horrible mood to begin with, but... that wasn't the case.

Laura eyed the older girl, seriously this Ravenclaw didn't get it did she, she wasn't going to appologise for nothing. "I wasn't careless, I'm never careless, it's you that was careless and after all the House Elves have done for you, they made you that cookie and you go and drop it." Okay so Laura had knocked into the girl but she hadn't made the cookie falll.

Laura giggled when the girl said she'd wait. "Okay then wait all you want." Laura smirked, seriously weren't Ravenclaws suppost to be smart. "Since the House Elves seems to be busy I think I'm going to go and find somewhere else to be." Laura only had one problem she had to get past this other girl, moving towards her she hoped that the girl wouldn't stop her.

.... Ellie was going to explode. This was clearly the other girls' fault. She ran into Ellie and the impact made Ellie drop her cookie. It's not like Ellie would never purposely drop a cookie. Cookies were sacred. This girl, this little firstie was ridiculous! "You've got to be kidding me!" Ellie flailed her arms a little bit.

Oh and now she was leaving? Ellie kind of wanted to trip her. But she was just a firstie. But she was an evil firstie... But... But... Ellie sighed dramatically and picked up the dropped cookie. "Fine. I will be the bigger person here. You go on your merry little way," she said. Ellie waved her hand, shooing the girl away. This was a ridiculous thing to get into a fuss about. Even if she was having a horrible day.

This was Ellie's second favorite time of the year. Or third. ...Fourth?

Whatever.

It was up there in the top five. Top seven, at least. The point is that Ellie loved this little tradition her and Dallin created. And now, they were SHARING it. With Ellie J. and Treyen, of course. It was like a little party. Or a double date. Or something cute.

So....it seemed like she was the first one here. That was okay, though. The little Elvsies still probably had to finish up their cake. Because Ellie got smart and made sure they started baking before they'd gotten there. That way, they spent less time waiting and more time eating.

While waiting, Ellie perched herself on a counter and helped herself to a cookie that was there....maybe left behind by Kurumi... Who knew. It was good, though.

Dallin was going to have fun. That was his goal. Because he'd been looking forward to this for... a long time. He loved this birthday celebration tradition thing him and Ellie had going on. And he would just focus on having fun and eating cake and being with friends.

As he walked down to the kitchen he worked on being cheerful. The prospect of a fresh cake made him feel a lot better, surprisingly, and he was smiling when he opened the door to the kitchen. After a quick look around the room he spotted Ellie sitting on the counter. "Hey!" He greeted as he closed the door, his smile becoming more genuine as he saw his friend.

So, honestly, he had no idea what this meant. Was it Dallin's birthday or not? Because he was slightly confused about all of this.

He still came, though, holding a small smile.

AND...he was also kind of late, wasn't he? His girlfriend and Dallin were already there, so, he assumed he was late. Funny, because he was the one whose Common Room was closest to the Kitchen.

"Hey Dallin," Happy Birthday? See? He wasn't sure if he should say that or not. "Hi girlfriend." Treyen kissed the top of her head, much like he'd done with Victoria in the past, and then his eyes were back on Dallin, "How are you?" Everything okay? "Is Ellie coming?" She was the one person he knew that was supposed to be here...that actually wasn't.

Ellie...was still chewing when Dallin walked in. So he got a wave, rather than an audible 'hello'. But now that he was here, it was probably a good idea to chew a bit faster. It would be easier to hold a conversation without food in her mouth.

"Happy Early Birthday," she said after swallowing.

'Where was Ellie' was going to follow when the kitchen opened and Treyen walked in. "Hi." Hehee.

Treyen asked her question for her, though, which was good because she'd forgotten about it. "Yeah...? Where is she?" Last SHE knew, Ellie J. was coming.

Dallin nodded, hopping on the counter next to Ellie, and looked away politely when Treyen came in and kissed her. He looked back at the two when Treyen asked him a question... but he didn't answer it. He didn't answer his second question, either.

"Happy birthday," he replied to Ellie, half-smiling. Happy belated birthday... but oh well. She got the point.

Then she repeated Treyen's question. Which meant Dallin probably shouldn't ignore it. "She isn't coming." No questions, please. Dallin just wanted to get on with the celebrating. "It's just me." Heh. That was fine, right? Since it was his birthday they were celebrating here. And the other Ellie's. So Ellie Johanson didn't need to be here.

Mind you, Treyen spoke loud and clear...then why wasn't Dallin answering him?

At the mention of 'birthday', he decided on asking, "I'm actually curious, Dallin, is today your birthday? For real? Or...when?" He wasn't going to keep on being confused about it, honestly. Plus, if it was HIS birthday TODAY, then...well...Treyen was owing him a present.

If not...he was still owing him a present, but that didn't matter.

What?! Ellie got an answer! Tsk. Not cool, Dal. "Oh. Okay." Yet Treyen's eyes kept focused on the Ravenclaw boy. Were things alright between him and Ellie now? Had Dallin found her that day? Or the next? Or the next one after that? Or today? He...kind of wanted to ask about it, he even opened his mouth, but...closed it again. He wasn't sure if it was okay for him to ask that. Plus, if Ellie didn't know then she'll probably find out, and...he didn't know if that was something Dallin wanted either. "Well, you're the most important one." Yeah, that's what he said instead of asking questions.

THAT, Dallin McKinley was your birthday present. No questions from Treyen.

"Thanks," Ellie said, "I can do magic now." Hehehee. Like Dallin. And Treyen. She was a big kid now.

Waaaaiiiiiit. She wasn't coming? Well now, Ellie just felt bad that Treyen was here. Why should her boyfriend join them if Dal's girlfriend wasn't coming? That was just....awkward for Dallin, was it not? "Why not?"

Come to think of it, she hadn't really seen them in the Common Room as often as she usually did. But...Ellie payed little attention to others normally, so....that really wasn't saying too much.

Oh, right. Treyen didn't know his birthday. Dallin should have realized that... he didn't know what Ellie would have told her boyfriend about this get-together, but maybe it was safe to assume that Treyen didn't know much? "It's the seventh," he told the Hufflepuff with a nod. "Of October." In case that wasn't clear. "But Ellie and I, since our birthdays are so close together, have just always done this in between them."

Speaking of Ellie's birthday. "You're seventeen!" He said, grinning at her. And yes, she could do magic now. Dallin didn't think he needed to point out that Ellie had been doing magic for six years now... he was sure that she already knew that.

Treyen actually surprised him by his quick acceptance of the fact that Dallin wasn't going to say anything else about Ellie J. Dallin looked at him, trying to convey his thanks without saying anything, but then Treyen spoke again. And Dallin couldn't help but laugh. Yes, he was the important one. Thank you.

...Oh. But obviously, Ellie wasn't going to be so... not curious. Dallin looked down at his feet, frowning. Why wasn't 'his' Ellie here? "Well, I don't think she'd want to come." She might, had Dallin not been part of the reason for this party-thing. He was sure that Ellie J. wouldn't mind being with Ellie S. and Treyen...

And...she was still with the 'I can do magic' thing. Awesome. Really. He suppressed a chuckle, mainly because they've been over this too many times to bring it up again. Plus, Dallin seemed to agree with her somehow. Ravenclaws. Go figure.

Oh. So, today wasn't Dallin's birthday. "I still wish you a Happy Birthday today." He smiled once he spoke. Wasn't it bad luck to celebrate one's birthday before its time? Or...well, he supposed it wasn't, since they'd been doing this every year? Thanks, Ellie. Why was he, Treyen, invited this year?

Sigh. Why was Eliana still asking questions about Ellie? She should've just accepted the fact that there was something going on...unless...well, maybe Treyen was right and Eliana knew nothing of what could be possibly going on with Dallin and his girlfriend. That situation made him feel...a bit special, honestly, because Dallin had trusted in him. That was nice.

But Dallin's answer was ASKING for another question! This could get a bit awkward if Eliana was bringing up Ellie again. He...kind of wanted to tell her to let it go...but...

"She's probably busy, right Dallin?" the Ravenclaw boy shouldn't be frowning, "We have NEWTs this year, after all." And...why was Treyen here if he had NEWTs? His eyes focused...nowhere in particular, he simply looked away from Dallin for a moment, "So, what is it you guys do, besides...eating cake?" See, now he didn't know what to say. He wanted to help Dallin somehow, but couldn't.

Adam walked to the kitchens an looked around. Why was he in the kitchens? There was no baking blood in his veins. An whenever he did bake with some assistance of someone he didn't bake very good still. But, at least Kennedy would be there. Hopefully he knew how to cook.

When will he be here?

Kennedy made his way to the Kitchens deeply concentrated on a book labeled, Baking Basics, Even for a Troll. He had found that book in the library and figured it would help him and Adam bake something. He entered the kitchen and saw the Gryffindor Prefect standing there.

"Waiting for someone else?" he said as a way of announcing his presence. He didn't know there were going to be more people joining the baking club, heh.

When Adam heard Kennedy's voice he turned around with a slight smirk on his face. "You know I was waiting for you." He laughed. Then, he spotted what book Kennedy was deeply intrigued by. "Baking Basics, even for a Troll...You-You don't know how to bake?" Adam asked warily. From that second on he began to run as many charms as he could reparo, an freezing charms in case they caused some accident in the kitchen.

"I know," Kennedy said, returning the smirk.

He took a step forward to a table and paused. There were some elves around cleaning and cooking. It was the first time Kennedy has ever witnessed something like this. It was cool. He shook his head, coming back to reality and tried to ignore the fact that he was so close to house elves.

"I've never baked in the Wizard world...without supervision," he said. He baked a pie last term at the scavenger hunt event, but not alone. Hmm. "I guess it's good that I know how to perform the Aguamenti spell." Yeah, that was if there was a fire accidentally started he could put it out.

When Kennedy stopped in his step Adam glanced around. House Elves working. If Kurumi were here she would be throwing a fit telling the elves to take the day off an rest because they shouldn't be treated as slaves. He shuttered at the thought.

"Yeah-last time I baked I was with umm...Kurumi, an even then I still managed to ruin the cookies. Of all things, in front of the lion cookie princess." Adam laughed. Yes, it had been a disasterous moment. Aguamenti Spell. His eyes popped out of their sockets,could Kennedy read minds, because Adam had been thinking along the same lines. "So, is there any recipes for cookies, brownies?We should get this started." Adam asked as he bent down to grab some bowls an spatulas from the cupboards.

"Well, this recipe looks simple enough and you're with me." At least the recipe made sense to him and...hmm, maybe having one of the elves supervise them wouldn't be such a bad idea. Then again, how hard can making brownies be? If he had to compare it with something it would be Potions... he wasn't so bad at that subject.

"Here," he said, passing the book with page marked to Adam. "If this books is telling the truth we should be able to make them without any problems...we are smarter than trolls." He was and he REALLY hoped Adam was too, but he had to be. He was Prefect.

Adam laughed nervously when Kennedy mentioned him being with Adam. "Listen, I am no cooking, nor any baking god." He warned him as Adam looked down at the page. His eyes came out again when he saw all the measurements. Great. He knew baking involved numbers, math was his muggle weakness, but that was quite a lot. Ok. Better get the show on the road.

He began to look through the cupboards to find the ingredients an placed the sugar, cocoa powder an flour on the table. Then he walked over to the refrigerator an picked out 4 eggs. "4 eggs?" he questioned. Whenever his mom did bake with him at home it usually considered two eggs. "Are we feeding ourselves or the castle?" he teased as he walked back to the counter, eggs in hand, but his foot tripped.

0____________o....His feet slipped an his feet travelled faster than he wanted, but he pulled himself forward an saved his back from a hard fall, an grabbed onto the counter as a way to stop the trip up. "Oh my godric! I thought I was gonna kill the chickies.." Adam breathed out deeply as he put the eggs gently into a bowl.

Kennedy shrugged. "Neither am I," he said. But, he wasn't a troll at it either. Usually when he set his mind on something he only needed to concentrate and it all would turn out great...or at least not in a disaster.

He followed Adam's lead and helped out with the rest of the ingredients, although it took him a bit more time to find them. He also brought the measuring spoons and cups to the table. "I don't know about feeding the castle, but I don't fill up easily," he laughed. It was true. He ate when he read. He ate when he did homework. He ate in his free time. He even ate while exercising with John. It was his excuse to growing some muscle.

His eyes widened as he turned around with an empty bowl on his hands. ADAM SLIPPED. "The eggs!" he shouted, though he should have been worried about Adam falling. He sighed in relief when the Gryffindor Prefect got a hold of himself and the eggs. "The chickies?" he said, and then burst out laughing.

"Well, then I guess I'm like you. Whenever Kurumi came around with cookies I wouldn't even ask what type they were I just stuffed them in my mouth. It's the only way to eat an enjoy a cookie." Because nibbling on one for an hour wasn't going to make the treat any sweeter. In fact you might not even want to finish it with a slow pace.

Adam turned around an looked at Kennedy with surprise. "You were more worried about the chickies life than you were for me?!" Of course he said this all in a mocking manner. He then grabbed the butter, an placed it, still cold inside a bowl. Great. No Electricty in the wizard world. He whipped out his wand an pointed at the bowl of butter. "Insenseidio!"

Oh oh. He must've said the spell wrong since the flames came out larger than he had intended. Adam took several steps backing away from the heat. Honestly, he loved magic, but he wasn't the greatest at spell casting.