They'd started in the Entrance hall...and Vesper had been super careful leading her companion up flights of stairs and back hallways. There were several different ways to get to the Seventh Floor...and she knew it. With all the band practicing...and ever-changing layout of the stairs, it'd been a necessity to learn. She had a notebook filled with maps of this place.

"Still good under there?" The Ravenclaw asked with a devious little smile in place. No one had ever let her do this before. She could've been leading Benjy to his death....It was thrilling to be trusted. "We're almost there, okay?"

A few steps later and she was releasing his arms...activating the door...and then moving back around to lead him inside...

Once the door was sealed up and locked, she bounced towards her piano. "You can take that off and come here.........Please."

They seemed to have been going for ages, and despite efforts to try and keep some sort of bearing, he was now completely disorientated. He didn't feel worried though. Far from it. Even via all those staors she lead him well, ans the whole mystery of it had been rather exciting. "All good," he confirmed with a grin. "Though if it wasn't for all those stairs I would have assumed we're almost in Hogsmeade by now."

Though, he supposed they could be. Secret passages and all that.

And then she left him, and Benjy stood there, arms flailing slightly as he didn't really know to do with them. He was curious. SO CURIOUS...about where they were, what she had in mind to play...all sorts of things. It made his stomach flip...and experience told him that was a good thing.

He allowed himself to be led again, shuffling along beside her. At her words, he unknotted the scarf covering his eyes, and blinked as he let his eyes readjust to the light. "Nice space," he commented, running his fingers loosely through his hair to fluff it back up again. He wandered over the piano, a grin on hos lips as she did that cute bouncing thing again. "So, what you gonna play me?" he asked, leant over the top of the piano at her.

"Remember what I said about leading you into dangerous places..." Vesper was practically bouncing in place. Pleased Ravenclaw was pleased...and excited...and amused....and nervous. She was just a lot of things at the moment, okay? This was sorta a big deal!

....and....no, no, no, Benjy.

The Ravenclaw was about to calmly explain that him being placed so far away from her made little sense and that to get the whole effect of her music, he'd need to be closer...but she suddenly reconsidered. No, Ves didn't have to snog him right away....and she'd probably do a better job with more space on her piano bench for arm movement. "After I play, I want you to come sit with me, please..."...for reasons.[/I]

Casual.

Poising her fingers over the keys, she played a quick procession (for a slight warm!up) and then paused. Grinning up at Benjy, Ves cleared her throat. "I really struggled with trying to find a song that would be fitting...So, I decided to do a little something different." A blush was already blooming on her face...because the inner!SUPER NERD was about to show.

Anyway, she was different herself in most ways. So, what better way to display her talent? Play what made you start piano in the first place, right?

Instead of some popular muggle song....or even some wrock jam, the melody that began filling the room was symphonic in nature. Nothing like individual song music...Yet soft, expressive, and climatic.

"What about it?" Benjy replied quickly, the curl of a smirk playing on his wide grin. "Danger doesn't bother me. You should know that by now." He chuckled. "I live for it."

And anyway, he knew she was far too excited about playing to be going anywhere other than the band practice space. If she lead him somewhere dangerous, he'd deal. Protect. Whatever was necessary.

He raised an eyebrow as she told him where to sit later. "Well, aren't you miss demanding today?" he teased lightly. In fact, he liked her like this. A lot. The - no nonsense I'm in charge of whether you get stuck in a moving staircase for the next five hours or not - Vesper. "But you're on." Because who wouldn't want to sit that close to her?

....and then she was playing, and Benjy rested his elbow on the top of the piano, head rested lightly in his hand. "Different is good," he encouraged, curious what she had in mind. He didn't need wait for long though, and he was soon blown away. It was so far from what he'd expected...and yet so her and the same time. It was too good to say anything, so he just leant there, eyes fixed on her.

Vesper loved her games, okay? Gaming was actually just as big a part of her life as music...and with muggle gaming, there was only one title that meant anything. Ever.

Zelda.

The melody she was currently playing (and getting lost in) belong to that particular gaming series; a master mash!up of all the more important themes over the years. What other title had that kind of staying power outside of Super Mario and Donkey Kong? Zero. None.

Yes, Vesper was painfully muggleborn and knew as much.

As she'd delved deeper into the music, her eyes had closed on their on accord, allowing her to just be with the notes and keys. Her hands moved quickly, flying over the ivory and black, not missing any as she'd practiced this for weeks. Besides, it was Zelda. It had to be perfect or she'd have been angry with herself. It was just how her mind worked...

So lost was she that she hadn't realized tears had formed in the corners of her eyes. Yea, Ves had always been an emotional piano player; always putting so much of herself into the music...So, it had never really been that big of a deal. Her bandmates had seen her cry over the music before...Not that she even realized she was about to cry.

Awkward much.

It was as if she was at one with the music she was playing.

No, scratch that.

Vesper WAS totally at one with the music coming from her fingertips. And soon, she was losing Benjy in it too. His eyes were fixed on her, as the music flowed outwards and wrapped itself around him. He didn't have a clue what it was, of course, but he could see, could feel, how much it meant to her.

The sheer intensity of it.

Benjy hadn't even experienced anything quite like it. He had music he got lost in, but it was a totally different vibe to this. Different thoughts. Different memories. Different reasons. And whilst he wasn't moved quite to the tears that he noticed were starting to form in the corner of Vesper's eye, it certainly made him feel things.

Would it be bad if he went and stood behind her? Maybe wrap his arms around her shoulders? He didn't want to disturb her...but at the same time, felt all too far away.

After a quick trip to the common room to get some of the butterbeers he'd promised Jun he would bring along this term, Louis led the way down the seventh floor corridor toward a tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy teaching trolls to dance ballet. Opposite the tapestry stood a blank wall and, with brows furrowed in concentration and eyes closed, Louis began to pace, silently muttering to himself.

A minute later, the doors leading into the room of requirement appeared. "Sweet." For a second he suspected it wouldn't work but nope, the room of requirement was very much still there. "C'mon," said Louis, opening the doors and gesturing for Vinnie to follow him inside.

Vinnie had no clue where they were going but she was pretty sure that she hadnt been in this part of the castle before. Or at least she couldnt remember. As they reached some weird tapestry Louis started acting...weird. Did it have some magical powers? Everything was possible here.

But like a second later a door appareaed in what had seemed like an ordinary wall. A hidden room? Maybe a secret kept amongst prefects? That must be it. "Aye aye captain",she grinned and followed her friend, " where are we?" They were about to drink in a secret room in a wall, this so seemed like the brunettes kinda thing.

Louis laughed lightly at Sailor Vinnie A.K.A. BBT, as they entered the room. It looked quite a bit like the Gryffindor common room, except with a lot more pillows on the sofas. Because Lou liked comfort and pillows. There were even a few blankets folded in a pile by the lit fireplace, and the open windows offered a make-believe view to the grounds.

“Room of requirement,” Lou replied as he plopped down on a couch and tossed a butterbeer to Vinnie. Hope the girl was good at catching. “It can turn into basically any kind of room you need it to,” he explained with a grin, pulling his shoes off to reveal kitten-face-patterned socks. Don’t judge.

Room of requirement? Now that was interesting...and useful. For skating or for their party. YES their party! This was the perfect place. Vinnie ached to tell Louis about it but it was all top secret until Jun and her had sent out the invites. Oh boy she was so excited for this. It was gonna be legendary.

"So if i needed a place to hide with my boyfriend i could use this?", the brunette smirked," like nobody else could enter it?" That would be bad,especially for party reasons. Louis was the only prefect to be trusted and invited.

The Slytherin caught the butterbeer effortlessly and grinned at her friend."Good throw",she nodded plopping down on the sofa next to him.

And then she saw it...the socks. The girliest socks ever. On a boy. Vinnie couldnt help but giggle a little. " I love your socks, kitty cat". With that she took of her shoes and wiggles her toes at him.

Louis nodded his head. “Pretty much.” Her following question got his eyebrows to furrow thoughtfully; he had learned quite a bit about the way the room functioned throughout the last term, but some rules were still a little fuzzy. “Well… if it’s in use, other people can’t come in. But… if what they say they need is the exact same thing you’re using it for, then it will appear to them and they can walk in on you.” He paused for a moment with a sly grin. “So if someone passes by thinking ‘I need the room where Vinnie and her boyfriend are canoodling’, the room will appear to them.” Yep. Something like that, if he remembered correctly.

“Thanks.” The boy opened his bottle and took a sip.

At the giggling that filled the air, Lou raised a puzzled eyebrow. Then he followed Vinnie’s line of sight to his ridiculous socks and smiled sheepishly. Oh. He forgot he’d been wearing those. “Thanks. I thought they brought out my manlier side… y’know, being a Lion and all.” He grinned playfully at her and took a long drink from his butterbeer, distractedly watching her wiggling toes with amusement.

Vinnie couldnt helo but laugh at the word canoodling. What even, he was just getting more adorable by the minute. „Good that i dont have a boyfriend“, she said trying to breathe,“ so nobody will catch me canoodling with anyone.“ That would be more than awkward...someone walking in on whatever you wanted to do in private. After all there was a reason someone wanted to do something in private. „But just in case i will need this information one day, thank you master“, she chuckled,“ i just wont tell anyone i am here then.“ That seemed smart,so no one could imagine the room she was in...right?!

„You better remember that for the future though“, the brunette winked at him,“ since you are the one that is taken.“ Yes, it was much more likely that someone walked in on Louis and his girlfriend than Vinnie and her imaginary not existent whatever.

Leaning back, the brunette opened her bottle of butterbeer with a pop and took a sip. Good old bytterbeer. There was nothing that could beat that. Besides maybe firewhiskey.“Cheers,handsome“, she grinned and took another sip.

As Vinnie was wiggling her toes at him she almost spit out her butterbeer. Bring out his manlier side? Snooort. This was the funniest thing ever“ Can you stop being adorable“, she chuckled,“ thats not a lion on your itsy bitsy feet thats a cute kitten.“ Maybe she would buy him some proper lion socks for christmas, yep yep. Good idea.

Louis couldn’t help but laugh along when Vinnie fell into a fit of laughter. He wasn’t even sure what was so funny. He’d meant to be humorous with his example, but it couldn’t have possibly been that funny. “For now,” he decided with a small smile. Yeah, if Vinnie seriously thought she was going to make it through this term single, he was willing to bet a generous amount of galleons against that. “Ah, master… I like the sound of that. It’s even better than ‘saviour’.” The boy stroke his imaginary beard with a villainous smirk. Of course, on Lou, it just looked stupid. There was nothing villainous about him.

The girl’s following comment got him to chuckle softly, his gaze dropping for a moment as a more sheepish look took over his features. Right. ‘Canoodling’ with the girlfriend. He was kinda looking forward to that. But that was an awkward topic to be talking about, so he merely shrugged his shoulders with a smile. Lou was rather private about his personal life.

“Cheers.” He took a greedy sip from his bottle, wiping the few drops that managed to slip over his chin with the back of his hand. Better slow down, Bolton. You’re not Jun Kim yet.

Adorable?!
Louis fell into a fit of laughter. What was with Vinnie finding his stupidity adorable? The socks were kind of embarrassing, actually, but he’d accepted the fact that he was willing to make a fool of himself in front of the Butterbeer Thief. “I’m hardly adorable.” And—what was that? Itsy bitsy feet?! “Heyyy. I take offense to that. My feet are large. And manly. Smell ‘em, if you don’t believe me.” Yeah, he totally had that ‘manly man’ thing going down.

Vinnie just couldnt help but laugh. No one had ever called it canoodling in front of her. People at Durmstrang had been a lot blunter...a loooooooot. It was cute how he started laughing along, when he probably had no idea what she was even laughing about. Oh boy. „For now?“, she raised an eyebrow amused,“whats that supposed to mean huh? Do you want me to canoodle or something?“ Canoodle. Snort. The brunette was almost certain that she would stay a lonesome blanket cuddler for quite some time.

Whyyy had she started this whole resucing people business, he would never let it go. „I am sorry to destroy your illusions but it was a one time thing“, she winked. If anyone was the master here, it was here. Well the mistress. Or was it still master for girls? Not that she was particularly girly... The Slytherin had no idea how he did it but she couldnt help but laugh again, at some point it would get a little embarrassing. But he just looked so funny stroking his imaginary beard...he'd probably never look bad to her. For some odd reason. „Nice beard you got there, wannabe master“, she grinned and took a large gulp of her butterbeer.

Vinnie watched her friend as he looked down at the ground and couldnt help but smile to herself. He seemed uncomfy with that topic, so she decided to drop it. He was such a sweetheaert, his girlfriend was lucky. A lot of boys would have just went on about it and the girl herself had absolutely no problems talking about it but Louis rather kept it a secret. That was such a gentleman like move. Aww.

„What a classic move“, the fifth year chuckled, eyeing the boy next to her wipe his mouth. Now that was the manliest thing he had done since she had met him.

Wait...why was he laughing now? What had she done? She hadnt done anything, nope. He had gone mental, demons were possessing his brain.Yes.“if you are hardly adorable i am hardly into bands“, she said raising an eyebrow. Vinnie's life spun around bands. Posters. T-Shirts.Music. So that made Louis 100 % adorable. 110 even. Smell his feet?! What?!Ewwwww.“ Bolton, why would i smell your feet?“,she wrinkled her nose amused,“ thats disguussting. I dont want to smell on your manly kitten feet. Smell mine if its your kind of thing.“ Wiggling her toes in his direction the brunette hid her nose in a nearby pillow.

Louis nearly spit out his butterbeer when Vinnie teasingly asked him if he wanted her to start canoodling. Now he caught her poking fun at the word. “I’m just saying… it’s naive to assume you’ll be single forever,” he replied once he’d regained his composure, taking another sip of butterbeer. He had about a quarter of the bottle left, and suddenly felt glad he’d brought a whole pack.

“Must you crush my dreams, McFay?” the boy asked with a smile, chuckling softly at her following comment on his invisible beard. “You like it? Took me years to grow it.” The rather ironic part was that it actually took Louis a while to grow a real beard, hence why he never really bothered with it. He’d look weird with one anyway.

Lou cocked his head to the side as Vinnie compared his level of adorableness with her love for bands. “You must not enjoy music much, then,” he teased, a small grin adorning his face as he made himself comfy on the couch he was laying down on. The butterbeer was starting to kick in and he was feeling completely relaxed. So relaxed he could hardly feel his legs.

And then Vinnie’s playful little toes were wiggling in his direction. “Don’t dare me, BBT, I’ll do it.” No, he normally wouldn’t, but the butterbeer was making him feel a little more careless. Careless enough to go around smelling people’s feet. Go figure.

Vinnie took another sip of her butterbeer and watched him amused. What was going on in his mind,man? A pound to look inside. As she sat her bottle down, she noticed that it was almost empty. How sad. „ But its also naive to believe in an everlasting relationship“, the girl nodded,“like relationships are bound to be a disappointment. At least when they involve me. I am not looking.“ Not that she had made a lot of experiences with that kind of thing but the ones she made were enough for her. Boys were amazing and most of the things that came with them but maybe Vinnie just wasnt looking for a relationship, but something easier. Something less painful.

„I am so sorry my dear Bolton“, she chuckled,“ but you know how i am. I like to tell people the truth. No matter how hard it is.“ The Slytherin would always believe that it was easier to suck up the truth than live under an illusion that could be destroyed anyday. „But i am sure you are man enough to handle this. I mean you got kitty socks and snuggly pillows“, she grinned. And for severe and serious cases he had her now.

It made her smile as he went along with the beard game, was so good to have someone with equally nice imagination. „It looks precious little cherub“, the Slytherin winked,“ well done growing it. How long did it take?“ Vinnie tried her hardest to imagine Louis with an actual beard but failed, he was far too adorable to have a beard. That would be like a baby with a beard. Dont grow one, Bolton.

What? Not enjoy music much? Okay well...he hadnt been in her room yet. He was forgiven. „ You, sir....are in danger“, she nodded crawling over“, cause i am in love with music. Music is the most important thing to me.“ It had been her fave thing in the world to play for the glowing pixies...but then she moved...oh well. Better to live with her dad than her mum anyway. „But you are forgiven, for once, just...“, and with that the brunette poked him,“ know that's how adorable you are. Its as sure as the amen in church. Dont try to argue with me.“ Of course she wasnt being completely serious about this warning, just her obnoxious self.


Smiiiiirrkkkk....he wanted to smell on her feet? This was gonna be hilarious.“Go one then, i dare you“, she grinned and held her feet up high in the air. They didnt smell, so he would be fine, the fifth year still found it extremely hilarious though how they were in a non existent room trying to make each other smelling on their feet.

“I’m not recommending that either,” said Louis with a smile. In that, he had to agree with Vinnie. It wasn’t pleasant to admit but, realistically speaking, nothing was meant to last forever, right? “It’s not about the end result, Vin.” Why was she so focused on the concept of guaranteed disappointment? “It’s about what happens in between. A relationship may end, but you’ll have memories you won’t regret.”

Oookay, that was a little deep. When was Lou a master at the complexities of life? It was probably the butterbeer talking. And speaking of which. “Want another bottle?” he asked the girl, taking notice of the nearly-empty bottle she had set down at that moment.

“Ah, yes, how could I forget? The McFay honesty. You could destroy kingdoms with your tongue.” Lou chuckled softly, shaking his head with amusement. Even if he himself wasn’t as blunt as his Slytherin friend, he actually quite liked that quality about her. At least with Vinnie there was no guessing around, no deciphering clues. She said things as they were, no pretty rainbows or butterflies to frame the situation. At her following teasing, he laughed and rolled his eyes. “Hey, if you ever meet a guy who’s too embarrassed to admit his love for kittens or pillows, then he’ll probably be too embarrassed to admit his love for you, too.”

JFC Jun was right, he was a sap. Zip it, Bolton.

Moving on.
Oh, now he was ‘little cherub’. Really?! Louis laughed lightly, shaking his head in disapproval. “I hope that’s not going to be your last try at a nickname for me, McFay. I’m gonna need something a little more exciting.” Or, at least, something that didn’t compare him to a pink-cheeked baby, for Circe’s sake. “Very long. So I think I’ll keep it for a while…”

Louis didn’t realize he was doing it, but he’d pushed himself back a little on the couch as Vinnie crawled toward him. For a second there, she looked like she was about to transform into a snake and eat him whole; but instead, the happy girl shared with him her love for music. SIGH. Relief. Though he did jump a little when she poked him. “As sure as the amen in church?” He laughed lightly. She was using these expressions, but poked fun at his use of ‘canoodling’?! C’monn. “Do you play any instruments, then?” he asked curiously, finishing off the rest of his butterbeer in one long sip. He wasted no time in grabbing another bottle.

But before Louis could open his second butterbeer, Vinnie was daring him to smell her feet. Oh? He raised his eyebrows at this as if to say, ‘really?’ But despite her grinning, she was obviously quite serious as she held her little foot high up in the air.

With an amused smile and knowing already that he would probably regret this later, Louis sat up on the couch and slowwwwly leaned in toward Vinnie’s exposed foot. Much to his relief, her feet didn’t attack his nostrils with a terrible stench as he’d feared. No, actually, they smelled kind of nice. Like… a strawberry-ish kinda powder? Very feminine. The boy didn’t even realize how long he’d been sniffing (oh yeah, he was TOTALLY going to regret this come the next day; talk about acting like a total weirdo), when he finally pulled away, opening his eyes.

“Alright… fine. You have very… pleasantly-scented feet, BBT.” He nodded approvingly, flashing her a mischievous smile and tickling her exposed foot for a second before opening his bottle. Still smiling at his friend, he took a long sip.

Mo pushed open the door and took a sweeping look of the room that Dora had created. It was warm, cozy, fanciful, and not at all what he would have expected from her. Not that Dora wasn't warm or fanciful, but she didn't seem the sort to have a place like this stuck in her brain somewhere.

He liked her better for it, but wisely chose not to comment.

"Yup, this'll do just fine. Nice work," Mo held the door for Dora before zipping into the room to examine the blanket-work and the table waiting for them. "I was meant to bring cake, wasn't I? Like always?"

Dora nodded decidedly. It was a deal. "Happy birthday, Marcus Orion."

She let him enter the room first, following and watching his reaction. Because it was him, she was expecting some sort of reaction and had prepared herself for it, but when the one she was expecting didn't come she just raised an eyebrow without comment. No reaction was good too.

"You were. I didn't bring any food because it's your job." So that meant they were going cake-less for the last one? Dora shrugged, following behind him. "We don't need it though, not the main attraction." The presents were.

Vinnie couldnt help but smile at Louis' comment. That was pretty deep, coming from a boy too. Somehow he was a lot different to boys she knew. What made it refreshing to spent time with him, she liked it. „But sometimes you dont want the memories to last“, the girl said,“ sometimes you do regret. So i'd rather not start at all.“ That wasnt entirely true, cause the idea of having someone was nice. Maybe she was just a little damadged. But she wouldnt go there, not now. Nope.“I always want another one“, the brunette grinned and gulped down the last bit of butterbeer left in the bottle in her hand.

Destroy kingdoms with her tongue? Was he alright? „ You are crazy“, the Slytherin chuckled,“ i dont want to destroy i want to heal. You know what i said about the surgeon? Yep, still on about that.“ It was a dramatic example and maybe a little over the top but it was true.Some people needed a reality check and that always hurt but was for their best.

„So if a guy doesnt like pillows and kittens he isnt able to love me?“, the Slytherin rearranged his thoughts and chuckled. What if she liked guys with tattoos that played in rock bands and spit on the floor?“I am into bad boys, Bolton“, she winked,“ i dont think they like kittens and pillows. More beer and destroyed jeans.“ Besides that love was a big word...a big word not to be discussed right now. No need to ruin their lovely get together. „You know your girlfriend is lucky, you seem like such a teddy“, she winked.

Little cherub was the perfect nickname for Louis though. She constantly wanted to pinch his cheeks and pet his head. Thats what you did with cherubs wasnt it?“It cant be that bad cause you are laughing," the brunette winked,“ what about exciting cherub then?“ But that sounded like a bad...movie. A bad movie they shouldnt watch. Ever. If he prefered that though, Vinnie was in. Anything to make the little exciting cherub happy, she was such a good pet mama. „You should only keep it if your girlfriend likes tickles“. That was very important cause if she didnt...they couldnt kiss while he had that beard thing going on....and what benefits did a relationship have if it not getting to kiss the person that made your heart beat faster.

Vinnie couldnt help but laugh as her cutesy friend pushed himself back on the sofa. She wasnt gonna attack him, what did he think? Haha, adorable.“ I am not gonna kill you no need to escape“, the girl giggled. Oh no, she giggled. She hated when she did that, so girly and stupid. As she saw him jump after her little poke the fifth year couldnt help but laugh. „You're so sensitive, awww.“

What was wrong with the amen in church? Not that she went to church...she didnt even believe in god but that expression was just as awesome as canoodling. Caanooodling. Snort. „ I do“, she nodded,“ i play drums. I used to play in a band, the glowing pixies.“ Those were the glory days...but then life changed and now she drummed on chairs and tables. Not quite the same. Look at that...all manly Louis gulped up his beer. Oh la la.

Vinnie just laughed as he held up her foot in the air. They didnt have thaaat much butterbeer did they? The question really was, was this the butterbeer making her hold up her foot for her friend to smell or was it just her, being stupid? As always? The Slytherin just waited in her position until she finally saw Louis leaning in. Hah this was actually happening. Good for Louis her feet didnt smell...otherwise he might be traumatised. She couldnt help but giggle as he kept sniffing her foot, she probably was the most ticklish person ever. Gladly he didnt sniff her sides...that would be deadly.

„Very pleasently scented feet?“, Vinnie laughed,“how much butterbeer did you have before you met up with me huh?“ Not that she had smelled her feet herself, cause quite frankly she wasnt that flexible, but that seemed to be a bit...over the top. Hehe. And then it happened, he tickled her. „Looouuuiiisss“, she laughed almost falling off the sofa,“ i-i-i am tickliiiissh“. Oh no she would regret telling him...

Louis sighed softly, examining Vinnie’s expression with woozy curiosity. What had happened to the girl that had turned her into such a downer? And though he didn’t much agree with her point of view, he respected her enough to keep his mouth shut. One day she would learn to see things more brightly. Maybe. Hopefully. For now, he’d just watch as she denied herself the opportunities she deserved.

Ohymgosh, the SURGEON THING.
Louis nearly spit out his butterbeer as he remembered the girl’s ridiculous comparison. It had nearly brought him to tears when she first mentioned it at the Leaky Cauldron, and it worked just as effectively now. It took the Gryffindor a few long minutes to finally regain his composure and breath. “Healing with brutal honesty… I think I can support that political campaign,” he decided with a nod.

As Vinnie seemed to miss the point of his earlier advice, Louis furrowed his eyebrows slightly and shook his head. The gesture made him a little dizzy. “No, no… I don’t mean literally that. What I’m saying is— try not to waste time on people who…” the boy trailed off for a moment as he tried to gather his thoughts. It wasn’t easy when his head was buzzing. “People who deny the things they really like, y’know? Because they think they’re embarrassing or won’t measure up to someone else’s expectations…” he trailed off again, not sure he was getting his point across. Any other day, Louis would've made a greater effort to more clearly explain himself. Tonight, however, the butterbeer kept him from caring too much. “Forget it.” He smiled and shook his head, taking another long sip from the bottle in his hand.

A stupid grin lit up his face when Vinnie mentioned his girlfriend. “Hm. I’m glad you think so… Hope she agrees.” Though he felt pretty sure she did. That’s what he liked about Delilah; she didn’t hold back when it came to making the boy feel appreciated. He really hoped he had the same effect on her.

“I’m laughing because it’s awful!” said Louis just as he burst out laughing again. No, but seriously? Little Cherub? Exciting Cherub?! This just went from bad to worse! “C’mon, I’m sure you can think of something that doesn’t make me look like a fat baby on a Victorian Valentine’s card…” Or just Lou, maybe? He liked ‘Lou’. And it certainly beat all the other silly nicknames his friends had given him. Starting with ‘Little Cherub’.

Only if the mrs. liked tickles? “I’ll have to put it to the test then,” said Louis with a thoughtful expression. It almost seemed like he had genuinely forgotten he DIDN’T in fact have a beard.

Louis was snapped from his invisible-beard-stroking thoughts as Vinnie… what was that? Giggled? He’d heard the girl laugh plenty of times before, but this was definitely a new sound. It was quite melodious, actually, what a shame she didn’t do it more often. “You sound like a little girl,” he teased, catching the brief look of uneasiness that crossed her features when she realized what she’d done. “Like a tiny, ickle little girl.” Yeah Lou, ‘cause teasing the poor girl about her giggling was going to make her do it more often. Drunken!Lou seemed to have a devious streak, it seemed.

A band? Vinnie McFay was a former band member? Louis raised his eyebrows, impressed. “What ever happened with that? Have you tried starting a new band here?” Vinnie had proved to be quite the social butterfly, surely it wouldn’t be very difficult to gather a few other people who also played instruments?

“You did it again,” Louis pointed out with a teasing smirk as Vinnie giggled when he smelled her foot. Yeah, he’d kind of made a game now of counting how many times his Slytherin friend would giggle through the rest of their little hang-out.
The girl’s following laughter at his comment only got Louis to laugh along, his eyebrows raising in confusion. “What? It’s true! Would you rather I lied and told you you have an athlete’s foot?” he said, shaking his head with an amused smile. He leaned comfortably back into the couch, taking another sip of his butterbeer as Vinnie fell into a fit of laughter. Ticklish, huh? Oh, this was gooooood information. Thank you very much for the tip, McFay.

“Don’t worry, you're safe,” he assured her with an innocent smile. “…So long as you don’t call me ‘Little Cherub’ again."

"Silly. Of course I brought you cake," Mo scoffed openly at Dora's doubting him. He was just worried there were TWO cakes, although it was less a worry and more a fervent desire. Two cakes would be double the birthday party.

"What made you think of this... the blanket fort? I mean, you seem like a Moroccan bazaar or a Parisian rooftop. This is..." He strolled all the way out to the table and pulled out a chair for her, with a little sweeping gesture. M'lady? "This is for me, isn't it?"

Dora cracked a small smile at his scoffing, shrugging lightly. "Good, because I haven't had cake in forever." Or not forever, but it always felt that way since she hardly ate any sweets.

"I am more of those things, but that's now and I didn't want something that was seventeen year old Isidora. I wanted something that was eleven year old Dora, and she was more into creating her own world than traveling to others." Funny how people changed over time. How she'd changed.

She was amused by his gesture, and curtsied in response before taking a seat. "It's partly for you, because I remember you used to like forts too." So why not enjoy something so childlike in the place they were once and would always feel like children? "I can't remember if I asked for tea when making this room."

Vinnie didnt mean to be so srious and negative about it, it just happened every time she thougth about something like that. People werent perfect, people made mistakes and mistakes hurt others. She didnt want to be one of these broken girls. She was fine with being the though, blunt one. Maybe something would change...sooner or later, the girl didnt know. It wasnt a big deal to her though.

Watching her friend having a little bit of trouble with his butterbeer, the girl couldnt help but chuckle. Did he seriously still find the surgeon thing absurd? Pffff...one day he'd see it clearly. This boy needed some training, Mc Fay way. As he didnt seem to recover anytime soon, she patted his back and laughed,“ are you alright there love?“ He was hilarious, how did all that butterbeer go down the wrong way?! Wonder boy Bolton. „You can be my president“, Vinnie beamed,“ even though i am not entirely sure you support my concept.“ Nope, that butterbeer incident made her have her doubts. Snort.

Vinnie took another sip of her butterbeer and listened to the Gryffindor carefully. His words, echoing in her head. Maybe they had gotten the second one a little too fast. Oh well, it was too late now anyway and the girl didnt mind feeling a bit...different. „Thats really deep“, she grinned,“thanks sweetheart. Thats a really good advice.“ The fifth year meant it, it was important to have good friends that pointed things out to you and helped you through rough patches. Louis seemed like the person to do that. „You know, in the end all the acts some has put up will crumble down anyway“, she nodded sipping on her bottle again, „ cause you cant keep it up forever. No one can be more than themselves. We all are who we are, no escape.“ And again she sounded so negative, even though she didnt intend to. All she was trying to say was, that being yourself was enough. But somehow the words didnt form in her head properly. Sweet. „No, no, no“, the girl shook her head,“ its very true. I wouldnt want to be with someone for a while and then find out i dont really know that person whilst he knows me.“ That would be the worst, thinking you know someone and then the blubble pops. Deep, tipsy Vinnie was deep.

It was adorable how the boys' face lit up as he spoke of his girlfriend. She was such a lucky, lucky girl. Louis was absolutely smitten. Awwwwwww.“I am sure she agrees“, Vinnie beamed,“ i bet you treat her like a princess.“ He probably did read every single of her wishes off of her eyes and did everything to make them come true. „ I am a bit jealous“, the girl joked and winked at her friend.

Awful? Little cherub wasnt awful...it was adorable and cute and squishy....and awful. „Okay okay it might not be the best one“, the Slytherin chuckled, amused. She could say whatever she wanted, Louis just burst out laughing every single time. Maaaannn, why was she so funny...maybe if it didnt work out with music and history, the girl would become a comedian. „ But you'd be a cute fat baby on a victorian valentines card“, she said, now laughing too,“ i mean who wouldnt want to buy a valentines card with your face on?“ No seriously, Vinnie had to come up with a really good nickname for him. She loved nicknames, so this was a little bit embarrassing.

„You seriously do" the brunette nodded,“ otherwise you'd have to shave it off. I mean kisses are important.“ Oh yes, kisses were like the most important. Beard yes or beard no, if the girlfriend didnt like beard the decision was made. The fact that Louis didnt REALLY have a beard didnt matter, he had to be prepared, just in case.

Oh no...he heard it. He heard her giggle. Whyyy butterbeer why. This was her downfall, from the cool rock chick to the little girl....and there it was. Oh merlin. „Heeyyyy“, she poked him,“ do i look like a little girl huh?“ Giggling was so...girly. She didnt even know how it happened, sometimes it just came out her her. Meh. „ I could tickle you to death, how little girl-ish is that huh huh?“ Actually...that was pretty little girl-ish...but pfff.

Vinnie started to laugh and she couldnt stop. Maybe it was the butterbeer and her slightly dizzy head or maybe it was the expression on her friend's face when she told him she was a former band member. „Didnt expect that hm?“, the girl grinned big,“ Oh well...i moved to Nottingham with my dad“. It had been quite tragic to leave her band members behind but she didnt have a choice. After all she wasnt off age. Wait, what? Starting a band here? Hogwarts already had a band...“ I dont think the dead kneazles would welcome that too much“, the fifth year shook her head, „ and i dont know enough people to start one. I just play drums outside now. I am pretty rad.“ Of course she was, she had practiced for years and years, unfortunately stones and tables and floors didnt quite have the effect of a real drumset.

She did it again? What did she do again?Oh please no...she definitely hadnt eaten enough to drink butterbeer,daaamn. „ Nope nope“, she sook her head grinning,“ you are hallucinating.“ Totally, the butterbeet had clouded his mind. Yes. Yes.

Ewwwwww...how could he go from strawberry foot to athletes food?! Athletes had smelly feet cause they were running a lot. „I might not seem like a classy girl but smelly feet are a no go“, the Slytherin made a face before laughing, „tell me louis bolton do your feet smell?“ Hopefully they didnt, cause the brunette was almost certain he was gonna hold up his foot for her to smell...

And there it was...the information that could kill her...and he had absorbed it.“Why do i not believe you?“, she chuckled and leaned in to look at him closer, „i will keep an eye on you my friend.“ And her foot away from him, good plan.