She heard Rooney saying something, but the muttering was muffled by the pot that refused to budge, so she didn't quite catch all of it. (If she had heard it though, she would've 100% agreed. That evil little polter!kid needed to be taken out. It was happening as soon as she was free.) It didn't sound like a spell though, so she tried to think.

Hmm...

...

...hey.

The problem here was...the size of the pot. So the solution? Was to change its size! Make it bigger so Rooney's hands and her head would be free!

Why didn't she think of that earlier? Merlin.

Eagerly, she pointed her wand at the pot and said, "Engorgio!"

Maybe a little too eagerly though...her mind kind of strayed to imagining other spells to use on Storm soon, so the spell might be affecting more than just the pot...

Juno gave a small chuckle at his comment. It wasn't required for him to be first. But she liked the idea of him taking the lead. It showed there was a little chivalry left in the world. "Or you know, you could pick me up from my common room sometime too...or my house even." She grinned at the thought, though her dad might not like it very much. But that was a whole other conversation completely.

The worry crease between her eyebrows was suddenly in action. She didn't really talk about this much because, well, her parents taught her money wasn't everything in life and she never thought much about their wealth. But her ears perked at the new information about his long lost sister. "Yeah my family has an estate just outside of Paris. We house horses for polo teams, Jockeys, and people who need a stable for their horses. We go for about a month every summer. So...I could definitely take you on a tour of Paris." She grinned, "But getting back to that sister! So awesome that you found her! What is her name? What does she look like? You will love Paris in winter. It's lovely." She wondered if she knew the girl, and kinda hoped she did. Then she kind of wished she could go with him...kiss him at the top of the tower. She blushed at the thought, and took a sip of cocoa to hide it.

She chuckled at his surprise at her answer. "Did you really think I would say no, Leon?" She reached across the table and gently caressed his cheek with her palm. She lingered there only for a moment, and pulled her hand back. She had to remind herself they were still at school.

Leon grinned widely at her as she spoke and he nodded, "That was actually going to be my next question, if I could pick you up at your common room.. Or your house? Walk with you to classes? " He grinned at her as he rubbed the back of his neck..He was sounding kinda cheesy but it was worth it to be with Juno!

He frowned ever so slightly as he saw a crease between her eyebrows and he was worried he said the wrong thing? "An estate outside of Paris? That sounds amazing and horses? Do you ride? " He asked curiously.. Leon had been on a horse exactly three times, but at least he hadn't fallen off the last time..

Progress.

"That would be amazing. " He said with a smile as he looked st her and then grinned.

"Yeah! I found her. Professor Newton gave me a name, Azura Snow! And when she got back to Hogwarts I asked her when her birthday was.. Turns out it was the one I was given. So I talked to her a little bit, we found out our birth father had the same name.. and it went from there.. Her mother did a DNA test and..

We are related. " He said with a happy smile. He was already beginning to love his sister! "She's so pretty! She has black hair and purple eyes,. It's insane! Apparently it runs on her mothers side of the family. " He explained.

He felt his whole face warm as her hand touched his cheek and he swallowed hard.. "I wasn't sure . " he said softly as he leaned into her touch gently before she pulled back.

Juno grinned at all of the suggested places he could pick her up and walk with her. She wanted to spend just as much time with him as he wanted to spend with her. "D. All of the above and anywhere else you feel like picking me up." She grinned, hoping he would get her joke.

The crease went away at his excitement. She was glad he didn't freak out. That wasn't the only house they had. It was actually one of three. But...she could tell him about that later. "Yep. I have been riding since birth basically," she chuckled, "But only for fun. We aren't into show riding or anything like that. Do you ride?" If not she could teach him for sure. It really wasn't that hard.

"Great! I am sure my family wouldn't mind you coming to stay with us." She blushed a little at the thought. "I could take you to the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame, Le Louvre, shopping at Le Printemps, and...just everywhere." She said all the things with a perfect French accent. Though she wasn't fluent, she could speak it a little. She would take him anywhere. "We could even have a picnic on the lawn of the Eiffel Tower." She looked down and played with the hemline of her dress.

Juno was dumbfounded. Leon...and Az. Were siblings. She looked over his features. He definitely had the hair color, and the face shape was definitely similar...but other than that they looked completely different. Az was so slight and he was so.......muscular. But they did have different mothers. "That is insane. I know Az. She is a good friend of mine and and really close with my sister." She smiled a little, seeing how excited he was to finally know who his sister was. "Well, I am so excited that you finally know. Now you have forever to get to know her better and spend time with her. She is a sweetheart. You are lucky to have a sister like her...and she needs a brother like you." Az had been through a lot. It would be good for her to have him in her life.

Juno gave him a gentle smile. She wished they weren't at school...she wanted to kiss him so bad but she knew this wasn't the place. She was a prefect and had to behave. "Well, be sure now. I'd never say no to you." And she knew she wouldn't. Her feelings for him were too strong.

Getting into the Santa outfit was no biggie, ironically. Justin fully dressed with the beard and hat to boot considered this a tradition wearing it back home and at the school during the best holiday of the season. He wasn't the only one with blue eyes, but could anyone recognise the voice? Oh well if they didn't. It was Christmas. Christmas! As he was Santa today. Oh Happy, Happy Christmas time.

Now word has it there was a special recipient lurking around this side of the castle. How he found out was a secret, unlike this gram. With the bells attached to the black boots of his, you could hear the jingle followed by his booming voice, "Ho. Ho. Ho. MERRY CHRISTMAS! I have goods to deliver!" Dropping the bag gently so he could dig one out before making his way to the young man.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FwooperOnYourLeft

Leon grinned widely at her as she spoke and he nodded, "That was actually going to be my next question, if I could pick you up at your common room.. Or your house? Walk with you to classes? " He grinned at her as he rubbed the back of his neck..He was sounding kinda cheesy but it was worth it to be with Juno!

He frowned ever so slightly as he saw a crease between her eyebrows and he was worried he said the wrong thing? "An estate outside of Paris? That sounds amazing and horses? Do you ride? " He asked curiously.. Leon had been on a horse exactly three times, but at least he hadn't fallen off the last time..

Progress.

"That would be amazing. " He said with a smile as he looked st her and then grinned.

"Yeah! I found her. Professor Newton gave me a name, Azura Snow! And when she got back to Hogwarts I asked her when her birthday was.. Turns out it was the one I was given. So I talked to her a little bit, we found out our birth father had the same name.. and it went from there.. Her mother did a DNA test and..

We are related. " He said with a happy smile. He was already beginning to love his sister! "She's so pretty! She has black hair and purple eyes,. It's insane! Apparently it runs on her mothers side of the family. " He explained.

He felt his whole face warm as her hand touched his cheek and he swallowed hard.. "I wasn't sure . " he said softly as he leaned into her touch gently before she pulled back.

"OHO!" What a special surprise here. He wasn't alone, excellent timing in his opinion. "Someone's been a good young man to earn this." Only pausing to read off the card, "Mr. Leon Kennedy.." It was his job and very tempting to read the gram aloud, but in the spirit of the event some secrets could remain as private as possible. So he merely placed it down with the candy cane attached.

SPOILER!!: Candy Gram

To Leon...a little poem that makes me think of you.

He was different.
There was something about him
That made him the one star
to shine in a sky with a million
that went unnoticed.
It was the way he carried
His heart in his eyes
and I swear,
I saw my name there
more than once.

- SBH

Merry Christmas, Leon.

<3

From:
Juno Darcy

He then scouted the area for a moment. Only a moment before realising no one else in the room was next to receive a gram, he was out. "Welp, duty calls and another gram to deliver. Have a good MERRY CHRISTMAS!" Lastly waving before bolting out with the santa bag following after one hop at a time.

Leon grinned widely as Juno spoke and he chuckled softly. Her answer was very clever. "Well then D.All of the above it is. " He said as he looked at her warmly and moved his hands ever so closer to holding hers.

He just hoped they weren't sweating anymore!

"That is so cool and ahh.. " Leon rubbed the back of his neck a bit. "I've riden three times and have fallen off twice. So, I'm not super good at it. If we go riding you might need to teach me the basics again.. or at least how to stay on! " He said with bit of a self conscious laugh.

He suddenly felt nervous at meeting her family, and staying with them. He had already met Esme, but the idea of meeting her father sort of scared him a bit, he wasn't going to lie. Hadn't she said he was an Auror? He fought back panic and instead focused on Juno's voice as she spoke about all the places she would take him. "That all sounds wonderful, I can't wait to see all of those places with you. " He said with an easy grin before smiling at her last suggestion. "Now that would be the perfect way to spend an afternoon. " He said as he leaned back in his chair ever so slightly, any closer and he felt like he was just going to lean over the table and kiss her!

Ehhem..

His grey eyes lit up as she said that she knew Az! "Really? That's wonderful! I was hoping you would know her. I haven't mentioned you to her yet and we haven't had a whole lot of time together, I'm hoping we can spend more time over Christmas break.. " He said with a warm grin..

"She really is so sweet. And yes! I am lucky and I hope I can do the job well, she's told me a little bit about what has happened.. I feel awful and yet she's so strong to still be here and be able to smile. " He didn't know if he would have the same attitude she did if he went through all she had..

Leon really wanted to lean over and kiss her now.. but he managed to keep his seat, and let his face show how happy he was at her words.. "And I'd never say no to you either.. "

Huh? What was this? Santa Claus? Oh! It was another candy gram! For a moment he wondered if it was his to Juno.. but then "Santa" said HIS name and he gawked a bit as it was set down..

"Thanks.. " He managed to get out, barely noticing the man leave as he read what it was and who it was from!

Thr dark haired boy turned red as he read the letter and he rubbed at his neck and added a hand through his hair for good measure as he looked up at Juno..

"This is amazing.. thank you. " He said softly.

Juno beamed at him agreeing with her answer. She noticed that his hand had inched a little closer to hers. She closed the gap and started tracing the back of his hand with her index finger. Staring down at their hands she replied, "Good. Every minute I get to spend with you is a perfect minute." She flushed a little and couldn't believe she said it.

Asdflkjopijrg....

Juno chuckled at his answer. She had fallen of plenty of times, even with all the riding experience she had. "Don't worry, I'll get you riding like a pro in no time." She grinned and winked at him. She had taught plenty of people how to ride. That was another part of their stable business. Riding lessons.

Juno's heart was about to burst out of her chest. She loved that he wanted to do all these things with her. She was also happy that he loved her idea about the picnic. That was definitely happening...and of course her idea for the top of the tower as well. She blushed at the thought. "Well, it's set then. You are coming to visit while we are in Paris and I am going to show you the whole City! And of course we will have a beautiful picnic on the lawn." She smiled; a little twinkle in her eye.

"Well you totally need to mention me then. She will be super excited that you know me and we are...," well...what were they? She just let the sentence end because she didn't know how to end it. "I am sure you will get to know so much about her over winter break. It will be great." She really hoped it would be. He deserved to know his sister.

Juno nodded in agreement. Az was such a strong girl for all that she had been through. "I know. She has handled everything pretty well. I know she has a hard time during winter though. So she will definitely need you right now." Azura was a sweet girl and deserved all the happiness life could give her after what she had been through.

Juno grinned, biting her lower lip. She continued to trace circles on the back of his hand...some might have been more shaped like hearts...

And suddenly they were being interrupted by the candy gram Santa. Her eyes were huge. This couldn't be hers could it? She was hoping it would be delivered to him when she wasn't around not with her there. Her face immediately turned bright right. Even her neck was getting red splotches with embarrassment.


But as always...Leon surprised her. He blushed just as she had. She hadn't seen him blush before. It was absolutely adorable. She grinned a little and her face wasn't as red as before.

"I was hoping you would get this when I wasn't around...but you're welcome." She looked down at the hand playing with her hemline, her face was still red as a stop sign and her heart was racing, but she was happy that she could make him happy.

....................... "YES, RULA!" That had been a good choice, because as soon as she cast, the pot began to grow and he was quickly able to toss it off into the air and off her head. "I can see your face again!" He gestured towards it to make sure that she knew he could see exactly where her nose was and her cheeks and her lips and her eyes and -- what on Earth were those big sausage things?!

Were they...? They couldn't have been! No, no! Surely he would have noticed..? Surely...

Rooney went to wiggle his fingers and the sausages twitched slightly.

"No..... Nonononononoooo!"

Those sausages were his FINGERS.

Those blobs were his hands!

NO.

Leon felt awful for Juno, he knew she was probably so embarrassed due to the fact that he got her candy gram right in front of her! He knew that he himself would probably die of embarrassment if she got hers right in front of him!!

He put his hand on hers and gently squeezed it in order to reassure her that everything was all right and that he had loved it.. though he was sure his bright red face was doing that well for him..

Merlin!

"I can understand this, I think I would feel the same way.." He said as he watched her fiddle a bit more..

He cleared his throat a little as he looked down at his candy gram. Trying to salvage this date from ending up in a blush fest!

"Hey, you want to go for a walk? Get some air? " He asked her with a grin, maybe a change of scenery would help them out?

Juno smiled as Leon held, and squeezed her hand. She grinned a little at the redness of his cheeks. It was really adorable and she could tell, it didn't happen very often. She felt privileged to not only see it but be the cause of it, which immediately reassured her that he liked the candy gram.

She gently squeezed his hand back, hoping in the back of her mind that he would never let go, "It's ok. I am glad you liked it anyway." She smiled, biting her lower lip, which has obviously become a nervous tick around him.

Juno looked right in his eyes and smiled, "I would love that." She quickly took the last sip of her hot cocoa, wiped her mouth, and stood up, waiting expectantly.

Leon smiled warmly as she squeezed his hand back and his ears reddened a little bit. He didn't want to let go of her hands and so he didn't.. he kept her hand in his abs moved his thumb over the back of her hand as they sat there..

"I did, it was amazing. " He said with a warm smile, his grey eyes twinkling as they watched her bite her lip..

Merlin.. now all he wanted to do was kiss her!

Chill Leon! Just chill! He thought to himself as she took the last sip of her drink and got up. He too pushed back his chair and stood up and then held his arm out for hers.. "Shall we?" "

Juno grinned...at holding his strong yet gentle hand...at his smile after saying the candy gram was amazing...at the little twinkle he had in his eyes whenever he looked at her. He was just wonderful. "Good. I'm glad you think so." She seriously wanted to kiss him, but she didn't want to make that move. The ball was in his court on that one.

She waited, just positively beaming, for him to stand up. When he did and held out his arm for her to take. the biggest smile yet spread across her face. "We shall!" She took his arm and started walking with him towards the door.

It worked?

It worked!

FREEEEEDOOOOM-

BRIGHT LIGHT.

After so long in the darkness of the pot, the lighting in the bistro was practically BLINDING. Her eyes shut instinctively, and then she squinted, sloooowly opening her eyes just a little bit at a time as they adjusted to the light.

There were some things wiggling in front of her as Rooney spoke, but Rula wasn't sure what they were...until her eyes were finally used to the world again.

Those were Rooney's HANDS.

Um...oops?

"Oh Merlin, I'm sorry!" She had to fix this! "Diminuendo!" Her wand was pointed at his hands now as she cast it. That would hopefully shrink his hands back to normal!

...Or maybe Finite would've been better and easier? Oh well, it'd accomplish basically the same thing, right? ...Right?

Rooney continued to stare at the wings that were his hands and began to flap them a little. "I HAVE WINGS, RULA." She had given him fat hands and wings. But it wasn't at all fun, because he couldn't just take off to Neverland or use this to his advantage in any way, shape or form. "You gave me wings.." And fat hands and there was no way he could even use his own wand right now. How would he operate his holster with these chubby sausages and a frying pan palm?! He was done for. Doneso.

And then...

Well, then Rula happened.

AGAIN.

The clubs at the end of his arms went from being just that........to being absolutely tiny in a matter of seconds. Forget people who thought they had small hands, because this was the definition of it. His entire palm and five stubs were the size of a grape. A hearty, juicy grape. But a grape. And measly grape.

And oh boy oh boy did he look like he was going to pass out.

"Rula! My hands!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Gaston had some extra time to himself today and decided to cheek in on things at the bistro. He helped himself to some coffee and an eclair and gave the room a quick glance-over. Everything seemed to be fine so far. The dark-haired Frenchman spotted Miss Holmes and gave the girl a friendly smile. "Hello, Miss Holmes," He greeted the Slytherin.

He was going to ask her how she liked the pie, but he was cut off by loud coughing. Uh oh! He didn't like the sound of that! He was at the girl's side instantly. Thinking quickly, he drew his wand. "Anapneo!" Had that worked to clear her airway? He watched Miss Holmes with concerned, panic-stricken eyes. "Merlin's beard!" he exclaimed. "Are you alright, Miss Holmes?"

Zelena's face was turning blue until suddenly she felt her airway clear. She looked up and saw Professor Marchand looking at her with a worried look on his face. The young witch took a few moments to get her breath back before talking.

"I am okay now, thanks to you, Professor," Zelena replied with a small smile. She drank her tea in one mouthful and washed the rest of her food down.

............

Okay, so maybe Finite definitely would've been the better choice. Oops x2?

"Sorry!!! I'm so sorry!" And she really was, though also...there was a tiiiiiny part of her brain that found this kind of funny. Just the whole look of it - a fairly-normal-sized sixteen-year-old guy with these absurdly tiny little baby hands. It was a really silly image.

No time for thinking about that though. She had to fix this again! No messing around this time!

Focus, Rula!

"Finite!"

Gaston saw the Slytherin's face turning blue, and this had him more panicked than ever. Had his spell not worked? And more to the point, how had it not worked? If there was one thing the Frenchman prided himself on, it was his wandwork! He was just about to cast the spell again when Zelena started breathing again. Whew, that was a relief! Now he could breathe again himself.

"Thank goodness for that!" he said when Zelena told him she was okay. He would never forgive himself if a student choked to death on his watch! He gave the girl a sheepish smile when she thanked him; he didn't think he'd done anything special!. After all, it was his job to help his students! "No thanks are necessary, Miss Holmes." His eyes dropped to the girl's plate and he added, "So are you enjoying the food?"

Zelena poured herself another tea. "I think the food is great. I am very fond of anything that contains apples so I just had to try the apple pie. However, I hadn't eaten in a while so I hungrily placed a forkful of pie in my mouth."

She sipped her tea and looked around the room. "I think the way The Bistro has been decorated is exquisite."

Instantly at the next burst of magic from Rula's wand, Rooney's hands made their way back to normal size and he sighed with relief. He had the urge to pull them to his face and kiss every single one of his own fingers. He had MISSED them in their normal sized glory. Oh, oh, oh! "Thank you!" He insisted towards the girl with him, giving his fingers a good old wiggle in her face. Hi hi hello.

"Is your head okay? How is your eye? Did I pick your nose at all?" Ew... Actually, he checked his nails right them for Botros!bogies.

Gaston beamed when Zelena complimented the food. Granted, he didn't prepare it himself - he couldn't cook to save his life! - but all the recipes had come from his own family. He raised an eyebrow slightly. So the girl liked apples? He had no idea. "I'm glad you like it, Miss Holmes," he said. "I'll see about adding more apple treats to the menu."

The professor was slightly taken aback by her next words but nonetheless pleased. It wasn't often that someone complimented his taste in decor! "Why, thank you!" he said, smiling back at the girl. "I was inspired by the cafes back home." Only he'd gone with something a little less frilly than the usual Parisian bistro decor, and they didn't have video games in the cafes back home.

When Professor Marchand mentioned that he might add more apple-based treats to the menu, Zelena smiled. "I look forward to the possibility of seeing that."

Zelena did notice that the professor seemed a bit surprised when she complimented him on the decor. "Oh, you are most welcome."

Seeing Miss Holmes smile made Gaston happy. But what kind of apple treats should he add? Caramel apples? Apple tunrovers? Apple brown betty? There were a lot of possibilities! He decided to ask for advice. "Do you have any suggestions?" he asked her. He wanted to make sure he added her favorites!

The Slytherin got a beam from the professor. Such a polite girl! This was exactly the sort of attitude he liked to see in his students! "Perhaps I should decorate my office in the same style?" he mused out loud.

Zelena thought about what sort of apple-based delights she'd liked to see on the menu. "Well, apple turnovers and apple tarte tatins are great desserts but we also need savoury foods that contain apples. Pork chops with applesauce and Waldorf salad are a couple of examples."

When Professor Marchand mused about decorating his office in the same style, Zelena gave a non-committal shrug. "It is your office, sir, and if the Headmistress is fine with it then you redecorating your office should be no issue."

Gaston listened to Miss Holmes's suggestions. The girl had some great ideas! He could definitely make the desserts happen, but adding savory apple dishes would be a bit more difficult. It would involve adding a whole new section to the menu and a lot more work for the house elves, and somehow he didn't think the headmistress would go along with him adding entrees. Then people might start skipping meals in the great hall! Still, he didn't want to dash his student's hopes. "Excellent suggestions, Miss Holmes!" he said with a smile. "I'll see what I can do."

He nodded at what she said next. "Good point, Miss Holmes," he replied. On second thought, maybe redecorating his office wasn't a good idea after all.