Bay was so glad when Sander hugged him back.."we will" he said in-between sobs and Alex she was also emotional he could tell.. "yeah its not goodbye but your coming to visit me in the summer right?? RIGHT!!?" he plead with her… he knew he was over reacting but meh he wanted to see his friends..

But it was great to be with everyone all together in one place.. "you all have to visit me during the summer" he moved his head towards Lux "you cannot say no.. we need to have that Pgymy Puff play date remember" and what better place to do it.. nice open wooded area for them to bounce around.. it was good to talk about this because it was helping him stop crying..

"oh look the healers are here" he pointed out to his group.. they were up at the staff table.. "i wonder what they are talking about… whats in the buckets?" "do you think they have news for us!!" he was excited now.. no more tears… would it be possible for him to be young again… Bay crossed his fingers.

Sending Sander a weak smile, Lux did not want to get into his leaving in case it made Bay cry even more. Honestly, it might make her cry too. The thought of Alex leaving as well compounded it more.

"We will all be seeing lots of each other," she assured Bay, glad that he was starting to calm down in his crying. "We need to have our Pygmy Puff dates and movie nights." Nod. It was going to be an amazing summer.

The mention of Healers brought Lux's attention back to the Staff table for the first time in a little while. "I don't want to jump to conclusions, guys....but I think we have a cure." Whatever was in those buckets had to be a potion of some sort.

Eagerly, she listened as the Headmistress gave her speech. Of course she was happy to hear about her House being victorious, but what really made her happy was that her guess had been right. It was the best news ever that no one would be old anymore.

Leftovers? "I haven't yet." Was she supposed to? No one had told her about it. Those coworkers were pulling one over on her and taking all the food that should have been hers clearly. "I'll owl you the address. Make sure you leave me a good tip when you come," she added with a little grin and a wink.

"Nah, never been to Italy yet. Just places in France so far, which were definitely fun." So Italy probably would be too, mainly because Ascanius would be there too. And maybe she could learn some Italian while eating Italian food. Yum.

"What've you got planned so far?" So they could try to plan something whenever they were both free, yeah? Penelope didn't want to ruin anything Alice had planned already.



Oh hey, the spee- CURE?? There WAS a CURE? YES PLEASE. WANT. WE WANT.

Penelope didn't even hear the rest of the speech or notice the food because her eyes were on the Healer that was bringing what she assumed was the cure over to their table. She needed to have that first before she cared about eating right now.

Amethyst was walking more slowly with the two buckets she was carrying, but she arrived at the table as the Headmistress was saying her last words. She put one bucket down and the other at the end of the table, and waited for a while for the other red haired woman to finish before she clarified how to drink it once again, even though Headmistress had been kind enough to instruct them.

She grabbed an empty cup and with the ladle, filled it 3/4 with the potion. She made a disgusted face at the smell, placed the cup down and looked into the eyes of the students that were listening to her.

"Fill your cups with it 3/4 or so and drink it all without pausing. The taste is terrible, so I suggest you mix it with pumpkin juice. I trust you are capable of distributing it, being calm, generous and waiting for your turn." She EYED them. Hopefully, no one would brawl to drink it first.

"Enjoy." She turned around towards the Hufflepuff table and walked to them.

Sander laughed when Lux mentioned about the Pygmy Puffs. He knew he would never forget their last joint Charms and Care Of Magical Creatures lesson. Working with the Puffskeins was really something he has liked doing and Sander wondered how his friend Odin was doing.

Then his interest turned to the visitors he had seen talking with the staff at their table. Bay mentioned they were healers and Sander's heart immediately leaped with joy. Their presence could only mean one thing. They had found a cure!! Sander refused to think otherwise.

With abated breath he waited for the Headmistress to speak and was elated to hear that they had indeed found a cure and all they had to do was drink it and they would be back to their old...young selves again.

Sander looked at his friends. Except for Lux, the others had been infected like he had been, so Sander was glad that they too would be cured. He waited eagerly for the healer to arrive with the bucket of medicine. When she did, Sander waited for his turn and when he had the bucket in his hand, he scooped up the medicine with the ladle and poured it into his empty cup until it was 3/4 full before adding pumpkin juice....and then he paused.

What if it didn't work? What if it ended making them even older?

Sander looked over at the staff table. He knew he has to trust the healers and the Headmistress. They wouldn't lie. Taking a deep breath, Sander lifted the cup to his lips and drank from it.

The pumpkin juice laced with the medicine tasted horrible. Sander grimaced. Everyone knew that anything that was supposed to be good for you always tasted bad, and so he continued drinking. Once he was done he immediately examined himself. Had it worked?

The skin!! The skin on his hands were smooth once again. Sander immediately picked up his spoon and looked at his blurry reflection. Was his hair turning back to it's natural color? Sander reached up and touched his face. The wrinkles were gone.

He was cured!! Sander immediately looked over at his friends. Please let it work for them too.

Alex nodded when Sander spoke. "Of course we'll keep in touch.", she said to everyone. Bay was sounding a little panicked when he asked about his friends coming to visit him during the summer. "Sure", Alex said. "I will come to visit you." When Lux joined in and said they would all be seeing each other again, Alex agreed. "It's going to be fine Bay. Don't you worry."

When it was pointed out that the healers were in the house, Alex was almost afraid to hope that they had found a cure. When the Headmistress looked like she was about to begin her speech, Alex figured she'd better mosey on back to the Ravenclaw table. Addressing the group, she said, "I'll be back to see you all in a little bit". "I'd better be getting back."

Bay was so excited they get to have the cure… walking up to the Healer he smelt something awful.. looking at Lux he said "ughhh is the cure whats smelling so badly" while looking at Sander he already drank his… moving closer to him.. "Sander..mate… what does it taste like??" he wanted to be cured but man did this stuff ever smell awful..


not waiting for a response, he didn't want to know. He grabbed his cup and did as the healer instructed… then he mixed it with pumpkin juice.. and he brought the cup up to his mouth as he was holding back gagging… "ughhhhhhhh" he pinched his nose and chugged it back… as soon as he finished it he filled up another cup of just of pumpkin juice and he downed that in one go..

When he placed his cup down on the table his hands… OMG HIS HANDS!!! they didn't look so saggy any more and minute by minute he was returning back to his old self!!! Bay felt like he could cry again!!

"of course you'll visit" he said to Alex while he was bouncing around with excitement… omg his bones were feeling better too and his joints!! ahhhhhh this felt amazing!

Christmas hadn't been infected by this disease cause she hadn't be in the class that maybe started it all up and she crept up behind Bay and whispered in his ear "Guess who"

Sander so wanted to stick his tongue out and find a way to scrape the taste off his mouth. The medicine did taste horrible. He turned to Bay and shuddered. "It tastes like...like...ack!!..like you just drank a combination of grass, mud, dragon dung and rotten eggs!" Sander told Bay. Well he didn't really know how that combination really tasted but he was sure it would definitely taste like the drink.

"Drink up, bro. Being young again is worth having a bad taste in your mouth," Sander encouraged his young friend even as he began to grin. He couldn't help but find the whole drinking the bad tasting potion funny. It was just good to laugh again.

Then someone came and stood behind Bay...



Sander frowned at how the girl seemed to know Bay. Who was she? For someone who seemed so familiar with Bay, Sander found it strange that he had never met her before throughout the entire term he was here in Hogwarts.

Sander looked at Lux and then at Bay. He thought he knew everything about his friends and their friends. Who was this girl presuming she was? Bay's girlfriend? As far as Sander knew, Bay didn't have any other girlfriend, except Lux.

And if she was his girlfriend..which Sander seriously doubted, why didn't she hang out with him more? All couples did that. Tessa and he, Lux and Bay did. All the time.

Sander was definitely curious.

Coul smirked a little to himself as the two girls locked lips, having tried not to peek and failing. But once Olly whispered about someone else, Coul busied his gaze with a particular knot in the wood of the table because, hey, it wasn't any of his business. The name sounded familiar though. Had he met her before?

Olly's remark about him and Schuyler brought him out of his thoughts and his gaze shifted toward her a sly grin meeting her. "We're both good looking enough that we'd make a good looking pair out of anyone, don't you agree?" Olly too. Olly was pretty nice to look at too. The boy squeezed the hand he'd received from Schuyler and exchanged glances with them, eyes drifting a little to the hand that was on Schuyler's leg, making his grin grow a bit. "I'm not exactly up for grabs either." Not at all, actually. His eyes briefly wandered over to the Hufflepuff table.

But his eyes were back now. Hi girls.

"Miss me? You sure it's not the bacon deliveries you're going to miss?" he teased. These girls had a good effect on him. He was gonna miss them too. "I'm already planning on making Hogsmeade visits." For Els... but he could probably spare some time for them too. "A trunk?" Well.... he'd already sort of done that with a barrel outside of the Hufflepuff common room so.... maybe. "How do you reckon I do that?"

Now, now. What was this? A cure? The boy's ears perked up but he kept quiet and just glanced down the table. He hadn't been affected at all, thank merlin he needed his pretty face, but some others had and.. Well... They all looked awful.

He HAD friends Alexa, tons of them.. some more strange then other but he had them. "i've actually met friends in the library, thank you." he said looking at her. And he's met friends in the kitchens... Good places, good people, yup yup he was okay with that. "ive met people." he could do the social thing sometimes. Though lately he's only been hanging with Beverly, but she was clearly the coolest friend he made so that was his reasoning for that.
He also wasn't aged thanks to the lack of social presence which he was surprised himself he didnt catch but you know, hermit and all. "well, hopefully they barge in any second with that for you." which he was sure they would. they had to they couldn't send them home like this, could they!? they wouldnt be ale to enjoy summer this way. Tragic for them. he'd be at the beach. :3

And introductions were happening and he would of wiggled from excitement if that wouldn't have been weird but it would so he just looked between the two girls he was sitting between.. heh, who would of ever thought he'd be sitting between to girls... Old ones at that. chuckling a bit to himself he zoned back in just in time to hear Alexa say something about being rude, waht? who was being rude? h blinked and looked between them again in time to catch alexa eyeing them........ welp... wasn't this awkward.....





kinda like super awkward as Beverly leaned in and gave a smart retort to Alexa's assuming.. whoa now, whoa. Jeremiah didn't think Beverly's whispering was rude, then again it was cause he knew Beverly and knew how shy she was and all and her whispering was totally normal and acceptable by this standards. He was shaking his head and about to tell Alexa why she was whispering when there was sudden tugging at his hand.
What was happening why was there tugging!? he looked down at his hand and back up to the puller, Bev, "what? what?" what!? someone tell him! He listened as she explained that the people barging into their feast were the HEALERS and he couldn't even! Squeezing her hand back some he beamed at her as the healer came to the head of their table and explained the CURE was here and set the bucket down. "Cure!, cure! i knew it'd come, didn't i say it would? he did say i'd come he had been saying it for weeks that'd it come before the train.

"lexa, Look! Happy evening before your birthday!" CURE!!! Everyone was happy!! Only downside to this mean he would no longer be the best lookin guy in school cause everyone else would be young again.. SIIGH

Eagerly, Lux watched as one of the Healers came by with the cure and told everyone how to take the potion.

As both Sander and then Bay drank theirs and transformed back to normal, she finally lost it and started crying. It made her so happy to see everyone back to normal. "I am so happy to see you guys back to your old young selves." It had been so long since she had seen them this way. "You don't look like grandpas anymore." Laughing through her tears she thought that this all she needed for her birthday.

Alex almost skipped her way back over to the Gryffindor table. She was anxious to see how her friends were doing after taking the potion. She was feeling fabulous, thank you very much. It was amazing how knowing that you'd be young again could erase a lot of your sadness.

As Alex approached her friends, she saw Sander talking to Bay and then noticed that Christmas had joined them. Oh, this might be awkward. Not quite sure of the particulars, Alex decided to just go with the flow. Reaching the table, she said, "Hi everyone". "I'm baaaack.". And better than ever she might add.

West leaned over and whispered in Alice's ear, and while he was at it, mentioned the healers and that it sounded like they'd found a cure and all that.

He was TRYING not to talk to much about endings and all that though. But he gave her a big smile once he was done whispering at her. Yeah? Especially with the cure and all...

And there. Healers. West went ahead and got up, went over to the closest bucket, and following instructions filled an empty clean cup with 3/4 of the stuff.

... and took it back to Alice since HE didn't need it.

"She says to mix it with something to make it taste better." But it sounded like it'd just be making the grossness last longer. Better to just bottoms up right?

There was hand-holding going on but if anything it only amused Olly more. N'aww, how cute. Hehe. She smirked before trying to put on a serious face. "Yes." Nod. "I suppose Els and I should thank you two for making us look attractive as well." Vicariously. Or something. Speaking of, Olly briefly glanced over at the Hufflepuff table conveniently missing where Coulson's eyes had drifted off to. She STILL hadn't talked to her dorm mate. And she was slooooowly starting to lose interest.

She wasn't exactly the type to chase after people.

But back to Coulson. Who was leaving. "I do expect regular food deliveries by owl of course." That was part of the deal, yeah? Whatever deal that was. They should totally make that deal. In return for...well, Olly was sure the Gryffindor could think of something.

Olly 'forgot' her hands on Schuyler's thigh (not really) when she sat upright again but was for now focused on the conversation about next term. Yes of course Coulson would come visit from time to time. Wait, disguise himself as a trunk????? Olly actually laughed at that, grinning back and forth between the two Gryffindors. "Or disguise yourself as a teacher." That would a lot easier, no? See? Good ideas she had.



.....words. There were words being said up there. By the Headmistress.

FINAAALLLLLYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!

Olly was torn between rolling her eyes and beaming at Schuyler. So she sort of did a combination of both which probably made her look quite insane weird. She didn't know what she would have done if they hadn't found a cure BEFORE they all went back home for the holidays. Stayed probably. She'd have stuck herself to her bed or something. Along with Schuyler.

But as it were, she obviously didn't have to do that. Lucky her. Them. Whatever.

Wasting no time at all Olly grabbed her (or what now was her) cup as well as Schuyler's and (as quickly as possible) made her way over to the bucket of CURE. Which smelled horrible by the way. And she'd smelled some bad things before. Ignoring anyone who was trying to get some of the potion too she simply reached for the ladle and filled both cups the way the healer had said. Yes, NOW the others could get some too. Or not, she didn't care.

"...you ready to get cuuuured?" Olly asked once she was safely seated next to Schuyler again. She better be. Olly definitely was.

It felt like the last time Marigold was at the Gryffindor table at all was when Ronnie graduated. But here she was, at a table where she barely knew anybody, and all because of a graduate and a Farmer Boy. She scanned the table for Coul, knowing he would probably be surrounded by at least a few people. She just got that vibe from him. As for Mitch, she couldn't spot him immediately. She decided to play with her hair and wait. She was in no hurry.

Would you look at that, friends in the library? There was something she never thought she'd hear. "Good on you and congrats on not being eaten by them." The most savage of people sometimes lived in the library. When you were entertained by nothing but books it started leaving questions about you. Lex trusted no one who stayed there longer than was necessary.

If her neck didn't hurt so much she'd have been nodding vigorously in agreement but for the sake of no more unwarranted pain she gave a simple nod.

Jeremiah's later excitement had caught on to her. She DID see the Healers! EEeeeeeepppp!!! "We're not gonna die! The Headmistress confirmed it! We're gonna live to get ourselves killed some other way!!!!" Exciting wasn't it???? Lex could almost bounce in her seat, not even the age could get to her now. She was SAVED dammit did no one understand??? Best pre-birthday gift EVER!!

Lex's eyes fixed on the lady as she got to the table. 3/4? Sure sure sure. GIVE HER THE CURE!! She was SO ready to be over this and her grabby fingers soon latched on to a goblet. She might have put more than 3/4, so what? Sue her or back off and let her get her youth back. For her, this was the moment and she wouldn't be a pansy needing pumpkin juice thanks. Lex chucked it all down, gagging and choking after getting the real taste of it but NOTHING would get her to spit this stuff out.

Eventually she got it all down and drew a deep breath. Merlin. Quite the kick it had. "Dude, how do I look??" She could already feeeeeeel her skin tightening and the pain in her joints was slowly vanishing. JKESXEGFUYSRTYERFRUWE!!!

There had been commotion at the staff table...that much had been certain.

Benny had noticed the new arrivals and reconized them on second glance as the healers from St. Mungos that he had met and dealt with with Adi during their visit to the Hospital Wing. What was going on now? The second year glanced at Lex to see what she thought since they had only been talking about them a short while before. But before he could open his mouth to question the prefect there was more movement with Headmistress Truebridge saying her speeching, grabbing his attention on what was being said...including a very important announcement.

THE HEALERS HAD COME WITH A CURE!

To say the Gryffindor was relieved and excited would be an understatement and Ben was still cautious of quick movement. He could wait just a little longer until he had had his doze of the curative and begun to feel better by its effects. Let those around him react over exuburantly and there was certainly enough of them. Soon enough the female healer dropped off the two cauldrons of cure for their table and the second year only vaguely paid attention to the instructions. Taste be darned if it really worked and he could go back home normal.

He waited his turn as best he could seeing the effects start on those who had already gotten their taste. the second year finally filling a cup 3/4s full as directed by the healer and on second thought added the pumpkin juice too. Benny then took a deep breath and drank it down, biting back the urge to choke on the offending liquid.

Well...was it working?

Beverly's eyes never left Healer Wombley. Ugh. He was so cool, as well as his boss, but he attended her, so he got extra points. She turned to Jeremiah and grinned, he seemed just as excited as the old. "You did and...you were right." And she's never been so glad someone had been correct over her.

Seeing as the cure had been distributed to all the tables, the third year felt she had to go back to hers. That and the speech had been given.

"I'll see you later, yeah?" she said, squeezing Jeremiah's hand before letting go and standing up. Bev almost reached out to poke his cheek, but then remembered this wasn't the library. Riiiight. Instead she flashed him another grin and hobbled back to her table.

Time to get the CURE.

Penelope forced herself to remain in her seat while the Healer got the container with the cure situated and explained how to take it before moving away. She really didn't care how it smelled or tasted so long as it worked, and by the looks of other students who'd rushed to take it, it was. Excellent.

She got up with her goblet and filled it to what looked like 3/4ths of it. Errrm...yeah, definitely smelled awful but she tried to ignore that because she would happily take something even worse if she had to. Far better to take this one time to fix this than use potions and spells every other day. So she added a little bit of pumpkin juice to it but didn't bother to wait for long. She threw her head back and downed the foul-tasting potion before she could properly think about it.

Gah. A shudder shook her for a moment as she set the empty goblet back on the table, wrinkling her nose. Merlin. Gross. But...it was working? It wouldn't change much outwardly since the stuff she'd applied last night hadn't worn off yet, but it probably would by tomorrow. Only she wouldn't have to know when exactly because she'd be NORMAL once again and it'd be like she'd never had to use them. On the inside, it DID feel like it was beginning to work though, as the sore-stiff feeling that stuck with her that she tried to ignore felt like it was disappearing...

Merlin's HAIR, this was so EXCITING!!

Oichi was in total shock. After everything this year the healers of St. Mungos actually made the cure by the last possible moment before total disaster of parents finding out and possibly much worse that she let fly from her mind. She and everyone else in her boat were saved. Oichi smiled as she portioned herself the correct amount of potion and poured it in her pumpkin juice. She then poured it down her throat and instantly wanted to spit it out but using all her will power she kept it down. Soon her aches and pains felt like a distant memory and then she noticed a piece of her previously silver hair was now brown again. She jumped for joy and grinned. Her joints felt great and she felt thrilled knowing she was young again and felt ready to take the adult world of magic by storm.

"I'll try," she responded, grinning. 'Course she could cough up a few knuts for Penelope. Maybe.

France had the city of love and all, so it was understandable, but Italy sounded cool as well. Alice mentally noted the country as a place to visit, but she'd wait for Shark Bait and Ascanius to go and ask them how it was first. If the country was boring, no doubt she wouldn't want to waste her time.

"Uh... nothing much. I have to figure out if I'm moving out or not and get a place sorted out if I am. And I'll be getting ready for my job and classes and stuff. And Dora and I might take a trip somewhere or something." Rather vague, but she wouldn't bore Penelope with the details.


Aw. It was kind of cute that Cambridge adored her SO much she'd gone searching around the castle. Poor kid was going to be lost without Alice, obviously. "I do, I do. But d'you think letters are that high up on that list of priorities? I mean, it takes so long to sit and write out so many words by hand... I'm gonna need these fingers for papers and quaffle catching, y'know?" She wiggled her phalanges at Lex seriously. Look at 'em.

"You can't take it back. You said it already." Childishly, the soon-to-be graduate stuck her tongue out at her prefect. Who was Alexa to make her admit stuff? Psh. But Alice decided to do it anyway, out of the goodness of her heart or whatever.

"I'll miss you." There. Happy?


Hi. Alice nudged her back.

"You won't say no, and there's no one better." Dora may have not been the prime example of a Prefect, but there were no better Ravenclaws for the job than she was in her best friend's eyes. "But you have to. A year's not that long, y'know? You can make it." And maybe she'd have a pretty captain's badge given to her as a reward. Maybe. Most probably not.


What was he saying? Her ears had to strain to hear the whispers, but she finally made out his words. "Uh.. well, Lex just sorta asked me if I would spend the night in my dorm with her and our cats." And she'd said yes, obviously. That was alright, yeah?

And what was that about a cure? Good that West told her about it, because she hadn't picked up on anything Truebridge or that Healer said.

"This is it?" She peered into the cup. "I'll just do it in one go. How soon is it effective?"

... what? No way.

"So?" This was kind of a big thing. He leaned forward and whispered at her again, expression earnest.

"I don't know. I didn't hear anything, just that you have to drink it."

... so what? Alice was rather confused, and grew more so at his whispers. "But I said I would."

And, y'know, word keeping and all. But she did whisper some stuff back.

"... okay." Eyeing the cup warily, she surveyed it for a few seconds just to make sure it wouldn't explode or anything before lifting the stuff to her lips and downing the whole thing in one gulp.

Eugh. Was she better yet? That taste better have been worth it.

He shook his head and whispered back, blue eyes fixed on her. This was important. How didn't she get that? Guaranteed this mattered a whole lot more to him than it did to Lex. But why didn't Alice want to?

He watched her finish that potion but he was chewing his lip now and looking at her intently.