"What was the watch like?" He asked very curiously, he liked watches and charmed ones were even more interesting than the normal ones.

"Ohh, it's not? I mean i guess that makes sense...It's in first person..I hope that doesn't bother you." He said knowing it bothered him.

Maxwell pretended not to be offended as she ripped her hand away from his. He faked a smile, hoping she didn't know his smiles well enough to know it was fake. "Yeah, i guess you do.." He said with a small (fake) laugh. Maybe she wasn't sweet deep down..

Hmm..."Um..I don't think it had numbers. Just...faces?" she scratched her head, trying to remember. "Like...whoever wore it, the faces of all the people the wearer cared about appeared...and it would show where they were.." she wondered if her father's would even HAVE her on it. hmm. The though definitely did nothing to cheer her...

First person...Merlin. "Oh, well...that just means this Katniss character and I will have a connection for a few days..." you know, while she read it.

Merlin! She was joking! Elliot could tell he was offended...DAMAGE CONTROL! "Maxwell, I was joking. I may not seem like it, but I'm capable of joking. It's just not many people tell me I'm sweet." AKA: I don't know how to handle that! "I care about you..." She grinned...see? Sweet Elliot! Or rather...less mean Elliot.

"Interesting...Maybe i should get one of those so i can keep track of you." He said with a wink.

"Well, Katniss has a really good story...She cares about her sister and she's got a bit of an additude...I think you'll like her." He said itching his head.

Maxwell's eyes softened as h saw she was trying again. "I know you can joke, but sometimes i'm serious...you don't have to try and seem so scary all the time...it's cute and i like it but, sometimes it's okay to be sweet." He kissed her softly. "I care about you too, I know there's more to you than this and i'm determined to see it."

Ha! "I'm not hard to keep track of, though. I kind of just...stay. IN my common room. When I'm not with you, of course," Siiiigh. Homework just meant a lot to Elliot at the moment.

A bit of an attitude? Hmm. Sounded like Elliot, of course. "I see. Maybe I will like her...and she has a sister?" Yeah. Already Elliot liked her. Sisters were awesome!

Seem so scary? Sometimes Elliot couldn't help it! She didn't stop and think, 'hey this might be scary...LET'S DO IT!' She just...did things. "I know...but you know, it's not in my...genes?" was that right? "To be the sweet type. I guess I can have nice moments, though. Sure." Elliot had to admit...she was a loyal friend. "And thanks..." about the caring part...because that was nice, too.

Furmy hoped that the human he was delivering the letter to would give him treats. This was a far fly for the little owl, and with no stops for mice! He should get TWO treats.

The tawny owl swooped low as he found the student he was looking for, the flapping of his wonky wings making his presence known, not that the girl person and her companion couldn't see him heading directly for them. "Hoooooo." He landed gracefully on one of the stone columns near the girl with the letter settling beside him softly.

Staaaaaaaaaaaaaare.

Maxwell laughed. "Well, now i feel so special. You come out of your common room just for me." He said grinning from ear to ear.

"Yeah, she has a younger sister that she has to take care of. I think you'll like her." He said leaning his head on her shoulder.

"Ell, your genes make up your physical being...not your choices and emotions...you are who you choose to be, i'm not asking you to change who you are because i like you the way you are...but maybe i just wanna see that sweet side of you more often, you don't have to be nice to everyone...just me." He said smiling and knowing it was a selfish request.

He heard an owl and looked up, the bird was staring at them...what a nosy creature...awkward. Then he noticed a letter and realized he wasn't nosy he was delivering something. "Are you expecting any mail?" He asked Elliot.

"Okay." Ella said, a small smile playing on her lips. "And sometimes the urge just kind of creeps up on you without warning, so if you feel it just go with it!" And Ells wouldn't hesitate to join in, she wouldn't let Max dance alone.

Ella shrugged, not sure if Max knew Harvey. "I um...well you might know him. He's a Ravenclaw..." So the chances were pretty good, actually. And then Ella was fiddling with her hands nervously, not able to look Max in the eyes. "His name is Harvey Watson and he's a fourth year." Nod. "And um...he's really great and nice and erm...well yeah." Blush. She wasn't sure what else Max wanted to know but she could go on and on about Harvs for days, that was for sure.

Pretty good? Well that was better than just okay so Ella smiled. Oh! And life had been fun for Max lately? This made Ella's smile widen as she'd hoped Max was having lots of fun. "This weather is lovely, isn't it?" Grin. So crisp and pretty! Ells adored autumn. As for Quidditch, Ella BEAMED at Max, bouncing up and down excitedly. "Thank you!" GRIN. "And congrats to you as well! It looks like we'll finally be playing each other, yeah?" And Ella wiggled her eyebrows playfully before laughing. The blonde simply nodded about classes, agreeing.

...

Was he not going to answer her question? Ella looked at him expectantly as he seemed to debate on sharing whatever news of girls he had. Maybe she was being a bit intrusive? Though they were friends, right? Right. So Ella could totally inquire about things like this. She smiled when he started to speak, eyebrows raised immediately when she saw his fidgeting. Hehehe. So there WAS a girl! Ellie? ...Ellie! OH, yeah! Ells knew Ellie Stone. "That's Sir Treyen's girlfriend!" BEAM. "She's quite good at Quidditch." Nod. And kinda intimidating, though Ella had never really spoken to the girl. It was just a vibe she gave off. "You must miss her...but I'm sure you're doing a good job erm...rekindling and strengthening." She offered, smiling reassuringly. OH! And a smile? Hmm...Was THIS about the girl, then? HEHEHE. It was!

Ella had never spoken to Emmaleigh but she knew what the older badger looked like. She'd seen her around the common room and in classes. The blonde couldn't help but smile knowingly when Max then commented on Emmaleigh's incredible hair. GRIN. And his smile? It was definitely a telling smile. It was goofy and big like the one Harvey got when he saw Ella. She knew all about those smiles. "Youlikeher." She said, bouncing a bit, knowing she was right. "And does she like you too?" That was the important question.

Max seriously, seriously doubted that. He had NEVER had the urge to spontaneously dance, and he didn't anticipate ever having that kind of feeling arise. Regardless, her lightheartedness was amusing, and he chuckled softly as he said, "Whatever you say, Ella."

Ohhhh? A RAVENCLAW. Good girl. She knew how to pick 'em. "Awwww, Harvey! Really? He's a good kid," Max nodded his approval, knowing him from Quidditch his fifth term. He WAS nice, and the seventh year couldn't help but grin at Ella's joy while she discussed him. Aw. Young love. And with a genuinely GOOD kid, too. That made Max feel a whole lot better. "I'm glad I know him. That way, if he ever hurts you, I'll feel less bad about giving him a piece of my mind." He was joking, mostly, because Max had never confronted someone before. But perhaps little Ella's heart was worth that first time.

Max smiled up at the sky as Ella agreed on the weather, and the smile broadened when she mentioned that they would be playing each other soon. "Oh yeah, it'll be a good match-up." And poor Em would have to choose between cheering for him or her house. Or she could do both, right? Maybe she wouldn't have to choose? Wait... why would she even choose to cheer for him anyway? Stop being silly, Max. "Just don't, y'know, knock me out or anything."

Sir Treyen? His eyebrows rose at that, but he thought better of asking. He'd rather not know. "She is good. Playing for Pride of Portree now." Ellie was a star, doing what she loved most. Of course he missed her, but that didn't matter - he was far more happy that she was happy.

Max still didn't meet Ella's eyes while they spoke of Emmaleigh, especially when Ella made such an accusation. He LIKED her? Well... he had never really thought of it like that before. He knew she was fun and liked a lot of the same things as him and had a bright personality and was absolutely beautiful, inside and out. He knew he hadn't been able to stop thinking about her since they met. She was, in his mind, perfect. He hadn't found one thing he didn't like about her. Even her passion for Divination and Ancient Runes, two things Max abhorred, made him find her even more fascinating.

Well. Yeah. He supposed he did kind of like her in that way.

But did she like him, too?

"Err... well..." he adjusted the beanie on his head, nervously trying to figure out what to say. "I... dunno? Probably not," admitted self-loathing Max. "I've never asked her, and... y'know, she's never said..." He shrugged. "But I doubt it." Why would she like him?

Ella grinned, nodding her head. "Yup, that's the spirit." Not that she really expected Max to get up and moonwalk or anything, though that would have been absolutely brilliant. Seriously.

Nod. "Really...and yeah, he is." Grin. So Max approved? This was good, very good. Not that Ella needed anyone's approval, it's just that she looked up to Max and didn't want him to like...hate Harvey or anything. The third year blushed a little when the older Claw went on to say that if Harvey hurt her, he'd be having a word with him. "Thanks Max but I um...well I hope that you don't have to do that." Because if Harvey ever did break her heart, the guy was going to have a heck of a time getting away with it, especially while Edric and Max were in Ella's life.

"Yesitwill!" BEAM. Could Max tell that Ella was excited about Quidditch? Maybe even a little too excited, if that was even possible. It's just that next to ice cream, Quidditch was Ella's favorite thing ever. EVER. The small badger rolled her eyes at the boy's next comment, a small smile on her face. "Maxxxxx!" Groan. "I'd never do that...on purpose." Heh. But seriously, she would never want to hurt Max. That would be awful. Like going an entire day without gummy worms awful. MEEP.

Wow! Ellie was like...a real-life Quidditch star now! BEAM. That was quite exciting! "Have you gone to see her play? Does she like it? Does she get along with her teammates?" SO MANY QUESTIONS. Ella was curious, though. "...IhopeIcanbethatgoodsomeday." She added quietly, as an afterthought. Seriously. Because playing professional Quidditch would be the absolute best.

Ella just kind of grinned at Max as he seemed to avoid eye contact with her. HEHEHE. He TOTALLY did like Emmaleigh! That was brilliant! AND she was a Hufflepuff, which Ella saw as a bonus of sorts. Now Ells would have to meet this girl and do a bit of digging, make sure she was good enough for Max. Though if she was a puff, she was probably super awesome! Yeah...yeah, she must be!

Blink.Blink. Did Max just put himself down? Ohhhhh no. Not on Ella's watch! The third year stood up, looking a bit irritated. She clasped her hands in front of her and began pacing back and forth in front of Max, wondering how to say what she knew she needed to say right now. Homeboy was in need of a serious pep talk.

"Max...-imus..." EEP! Ella had never used his full name before. That was...different. But it sounded serious, yeah? That was what she wanted. "Don't put yourself down like that, okay?" Cause he was MAX THE GREAT! He was awesome! "Of course Emmaleigh would like you! You're brilliant...and really nice...and smart! Really smart!" He was a Ravenclaw, after all. "Plus you always know what to say to encourage people and erm...lots of people look up to you, I'm sure." Because Ella did, look up to him. "And she'd be completely daft not to see how wonderful you are!" And with that she stopped pacing and stood in front of the older boy, hands on her hips.

"And now you get a hug." And a smile, cause he deserved one of those too.

Okay...Elliot could totally do that. "Be nice to only you? I can make that happen." THough not all the time..just sometimes. Because Elliot actually found herself wanting to be nice to Maxwell...and her friends. Sometimes her friends. They could be...irritating.

Oh...the owl...was flying for them...whaaa? It landed right in front of her...oh. It must be a letter...from whom? Her parents? She untied the letter and unfolded it...her eyes roved around the parchment pretty quickly...after reading the letter, she scowled and threw it on the ground. "You can read it if you want. " She said, her voice a bit flat. She didn't feel like explaining...

A nanny. A flipping NANNY! Elliot didn't like this. Not one bit. She didn't really register anything else in the letter yet...just the nanny part. Which was infuriating...

Maxwell nodded. "Just me, everyone else doesn't matter." he said acting quite full of himself. "I mean you can still be sarcastic and funny, but maybe every once and a while just let your guard down."


He looked at the letter and then her face. He bent over and picked it up and read it. What was so bad about this? "What's wrong?" he asked.

Elliot's eyebrows raised a bit..Maxwell...being self centered? It was new. And Elliot...kind of liked it. Was that horrible? Probably. But then again, Elliot never claimed to be an angel. "I guess. But it might take a little while...think about it...I grew up where I always had to have my guard up..." yeah, living with Darius Morganzo had been...difficult, now that she thought about it. And her feelings for her father were getting more conflicted lately...

She scowled and snatched the letter off the ground...she pointed to the line about the nanny..."We have a nanny." As if that explained it ALL.

Maxwell smirked as she raised an eyebrow. Yes, he could be quite full of himself when he wanted. I mean look at his girlfriend, she was hot. He had to be great to get her. "Yeah i understand, Just try to trust me...I'm not going to hurt. you or judge you. If you keep your walls down i'll do the same." He said smiling.

He looked at the letter as if it made no sense. "So? I mean she's not going to be in charge of you is she? You're too old for a nanny..."

She nodded...sounded nice. "I get it. I mean..got it." Whatever. Her mind was a bit...full. Plus, she hadn't had the best experience of trusting men in her life...her father being the only and prime example...

And..the dreaded nanny. "No...you don't get it..." she sighed. "Mother only got one because she needs help with the baby...which means...father will never be home now...because now mother has someone else...plus, I'm sure the nanny will try to...be a parent of some sort. Which is really annoying. And who knows...." she just didn't like this whole..idea. More neglect...more annoyingness...it was just a sucky situation. Plus, she could only imagine home...her mother was probably lovingly taking care of Darius, while leaving poor Sam to the nanny...she felt bad for her youngest sister...

Maxwell smiled. "I won't hurt you...i get that it might be hard for you." He said itching the back of his head. "I mean i couldn't trust my mother...really she lied to me most of my life...so i get how it's hard."

He listened to all she said about the nanny. "Well, you know what i find effective when you don't want to listen to someone with no power over you? Rebellion. Forget her, just do whatever you want. If you're mom's busy and your dad's not around no one can stop you!" He said as if it were some brilliant idea.

Really? Elliot didn't know that! "Wait, your mother? Lied? I thought you liked her." Which, in Elliot's mind, couldn't happen. But hey, her father probably lied to her all the time...and she still adored him. And hated him. All at the same time.

Rebel...Elliot chuckled slightly...her blue eyes twinkling. "No...I couldn't. I mean I can be bold and stand up to her...but blatantly not obey her...my father would be so mad at me! And I can't afford that right now." no. She had to be perfect in every way.

Which made this all the more infuriating!

"Yeah, she told me that muggle was my father till i was eleven." He said with a shrug. "I didn't trust her again until right before she died. But i still love her." He said over the whole thing now.

"Why not? Why not rebel? You could drive the nanny out and get the attention you crave all at once? I could help you, i'm an american we're the best at rebellion...or you know, you could always forget about it...but you seem to be the one to fight back."

Elliot was a bit...shocked by this...Merlin! That was a huuuuuge lie to tell. Elliot..didn't quite know how she felt about it, either. "Uh...wow." Poor Maxwell. Elliot really felt bad for him now!

She coughed, trying to think of something to say...

BUt he mentioned her being all...'rebellious' again. Hmph. "I can't get their attention..that's pretty much impossible. But I DO want to get rid of this..nanny." No matter how nice she turned out to be...if she even was nice..."And preferably before my father-" but she stopped. What she had been about to say...was very..personal. But Maxwell was one of her best frends, now, he was her BOYfriend, for Merlin's sake...Well, maybe he hadn't noticed...maybe she should just cough or something and move on..

Bleh.

Maxwell smiled a little. "You don't have to pretend it's not awkward...i mean don't get me wrong i was really angry for a few years, but she meant well. My dad wasn't exactly the father type then and she was just looking out for me...she just did the wrong thing..." He said knowing she still didn't know the kind of childhood he had, not the time or place now.

"I never took you for a goodie-goodie..." He said finding it odd she wanted to follow the rules. Then he heard her slip up. "Before your father what?" He asked concerned, he wasn't going to push if she denied him the knowledge.

Yeah...but the muggle didn't much seem like the father type, either. Whatever. elliot didn't say anything...she just nodded...for now.

Ha! Elliot chuckled at that. "I am not a goodie-goodie. I just know when to follow rules," she retorted, "and when to break them. And for my father, you don't. He's scarier than I am, Maxwell, if you could believe that," she joked..well, about the scary part. Because her father really was scarier than she was. "but he's really smart...and wise..." and a really fabulous wizard.

His parenting skills just...lacked. A bit. A LOT.

Oh noooo. Uh...she sighed, and looked at Maxwell, worry clearly lining her face. "Well...aren't nannie usually young and pretty?" Yes...many were. Some were old and ugly...but since when did the Morganzos hire anything ugly...even all of her father's body guards were good-looking.

Maxwell shrugged. "I don't know i mean maybe i'm just weird but it doesn't seem like he's very kind to you...i think you deserve to be treated better.." He said softly to show he cared for her and that this wasn't an attack on her father.

"Ummm, i honestly don't know...i've never had a nanny." He said with a shrug. Another thing she might know if she knew more about his pre-Hogwarts years.

Elliot shook her head, but she was grinning a bit. "He's not kind at all, Maxwell. But he's my 'daddy.'" Which was something she never actually called him. "And I do, don't I?" she sat up a straighter, forgetting that Maxwell was leaning on her. "oops," yeah..oops. "I do, though!" She DID. She was amazing! And smart! And perfect! So why DIDN'T he treat her better?!

Maxwell was a genius!

"Yeah, well, if she's pretty..and young...she might...catch my father's eye, you know?" hopefully he would get the hint because Elliot did NOT feel like spelling it out...Nope.

Maxwell nearly fell over. "Elliot anyone can have a child but it takes a lot to be a good dad...You deserve better, someone who's never too busy for you or forgets you...you're too important for that." He said sitting up with her.

"Oh...ohhh well, if you're sure that'll happen then yeah, get rid of her...i still say rebellion would work.."

What he was saying...was totally making sense. Why had it never hit her before?! Because all of her friends were from pureblood families and were treated the same way...and thought nothing of it.

But the ideas were already planted..."I am, aren't I?" she said softly, the wheels in her head spinning like craaaazy...

"It will happen. It wouldn't the first time he's...cheated on my mother," there she had said it aloud! She blushed. "I don't tell that to many people, Max..." AKA: don't tell anyone or I kill you!

Maxwell put a hand on hers. "You do...why do you think i try to be so kind to you...you're hard because you've had to be. But you don't have to be with me...I'm on your side." He said hoping that might help a little, he wanted her trust.

"Who am i gonna tell?" he asked with a soft expression. "I'm sorry, do you want me to help you get rid of her?" He asked with a smirk, hoping some mischief would cheer her up.