Gaston was tired... and sad, too sad to sleep or really to do anything. He needed something to calm his nerves! He thought a cup of chamomile tea might be just what he needed, but his search of the bistro and the coffee bar outside his office had come up empty. He couldn't believe it! How was it that he had every flavor of tea on hand except that one?! Now he had no choice but to venture out of the sanctity of his own corridor.

He peered cautiously into the kitchen, secretly hoping no one would be around to see him like this because he looked awful! He was thin and pale, his dark hair disheveled and falling into his eyes, and his blue eyes shadowed and red-rimmed. Ans instead of his normal attire, he was wearing jeans and a faded black t-shirt that clearly showed the tattoo on his right arm.

He picked up a teacup and started looking through the drawers and cabinets for teabags. Now where did those elves keep the tea?

Why was he so hungry? The second year couldn't figure this out, but he was hungry enough to eat a house elf let alone wait for one to cook for him. Maybe he'd sneak into the kitchen and see what food he could just take that might be already made. Tickling the pear and making his way into the area he looked around.


Not seeing anyone at first he continued in and moved to look on the counter and then into the cupboards. There had to be cookie somewhere. Where could they be? Searching around he found some other tasty treats and shoved them into his robe pockets. Finally finding the cookies he turned to head out of the kitchen when...

"Oh... Professor"

He wondered if he saw him shove the food into his pockets and he was still holding the cookies, "Would you like a cookie? I was just getting them down to share with people." He gave his most innocent smile.

Gaston was still rummaging through cabinets for tea. He thought he saw a student putting something in his pockets out of the corner of his eye but he decided not to draw attention to it, at least for the time being. Whoever it was, they weren't hurting anyone - the food here in the kitchens was for everybody - and he was distracted by more pressing matters, like his sadness and his search for tea.

Oh, there it was!

He placed a teabag in his cup and used a charm to fill it with hot water. Suddenly his head whipped around at the sound of an unexpected voice, spilling his black hair into his eyes. "Oh, hello, Mr. Blaze," he said, giving the young Slytherin an incredibly forced smile. Then his eyes dropped to the cookies he was holding. He wasn't sure if he believed the boy's explanation, but for now, he was going to give him the benefit of the doubt. "A very kind gesture..." he said with a slightly skeptical look.

The offer for a cookie was unexpected, though! He started to turn the boy down; he wasn't particularly hungry now. But the again, he'd barely eaten anything today, and he didn't want to end up in the hospital wing again. "Yes, thank you, Mr. Blaze," the professor replied. "And would you like a cup of tea to go with your cookies?" It was only fair to offer.

"I might," Aurora said with a smirk. She had lots of Hogwarts boys she had to charm, but Irene had a good idea as to how to go about doing it. "How about youuuu? Anyone seem super alluring to you?" she asked with a girlish giggle. Until this competition REALLY got underway, she was going to do what she did best - flirt with boys, and eat up attention.

"I will be 1000% OK if there are NO near death experiences here this year. Aside from the competition, of course," she added with a shrug. That was SUPPOSED to have a few near death experiences. Just minding her own business at Hogwarts, though? No thanks. That could be nice and boring, she was fine with it.

"I hate that university is like...SO close. I have no idea what I want to do with life," she grumbled. Stupid adulting. To make her feel better, she took another brownie.

Tea would mean he had to stay longer with a professor and he didn't want to do that, but he did want to have these cookies and to leave would be rude and suspicious so he decided he'd suck it up and have the tea. "Yes sir, tea would be great." He set the cookies down on the counter before looking at the Professor again.

"What kind of tea is it?" He knew there were a few kinds, but honestly he usually spit out the one his mom had given him so he wasn't sure. Pulling out one of the cookies and started munching on it. "So just tea bring you here professor or do you have a special stash of food the elves keep?" He figured they had great stashes the elves kept just for them. Maybe if he sucked up a little bit he could get some of that food too.

"Competition is interesting, isn't it?" He thought it was dumb and tried not to even interact with the AMerican's, but he knew the professors would want to hear they loved it so he would play along.

Jonas was feeling hungry, so he decided to go down to the kitchen level of Hogwarts. He wondered if any elves would have time to talk to him. He always had a soft spot for them and other creatures as well. COMC was his favorite class, even though he caused a fuss in there last year. Yeah. It was not pretty. Jonas mentally shrugged though. It didn't matter, it was last year so who cares right?


OOC: Any elf that is not too busy is more than welcome to talk to Jonas.

Gaston had half-expected Mr. Blaze to turn down his offer - he seemed to be in a bit of a hurry to be somewhere - but he didn't. The professor was surprised but smiled nonetheless. "Excellent! Thank you for joining me," he said. He set another teacup on the counter in front of his and was looking for cream and sugar when he heard the boy's question. "This is chamomile tea, but I'm sure we could find you another flavor if you don't like it." He aimed his wand at the nearest cabinet and summoned a couple of boxes of tea, setting them on the counter. "Here, take your pick."

Blink, blink. The next question caught him off guard slightly. Secret stash? The only stash he had was the boxes of chocolate he kept in his office, but those were for the students, not himself.... well, unless his coffee bar counted as a stash. "Yes, just tea for today," he replied. "There was none of the kind I wanted in the bistro or the coffee bar outside my office." He chuckled a bit. "No, I don't have a stash here in the kitchen, but I do keep a supply of candy in my office."

Gaston nibbled on a cookie and stirred his tea absentmindedly as the conversation turned to the competition. He wasn't sure if interesting was the word he'd use. Truth be told, he had mixed feelings about the tournament. He was happy for the students who got a chance to show off their skills, and he thought giving a scholarship as a prize was a great idea. But some aspects of the challenge bordered on barbaric, and he could already see a not-so-friendly rivalry brewing between the two schools. "It is," he agreed with a slightly forced smile. "Slytherin's done very well so far; I'm sure you must be pleased about that."

"Here we go. This is much better."

The only thing Junia liked about the cold was that she could accessorize her winter wear with pretty hats and sparkly gloves and scarves, but she wouldn't be needing those things today. Quality cousin time would be spent curled up by the fireplace with, she hoped, some freshly baked cookies. Surely if they asked nicely, the elves would oblige.

"You think Hassan spent lots of time in here when he was in school? The Hufflepuff common room is right by the kitchen, after all." The fourth year looked at Abey thoughtfully before glancing at the fire, thoughts of home and family swirling around in her mind. She missed them already, did he know?

Argyle was busy busy busy, keeping an eye on the kitchens. There was always cleaning or cooking to be done. Her large ears twitched at the sound of movement too heavy to be one of her fellow elves, her big-eyed gaze turned to look around the counters only to spot a Slytherin boy there.

"Yes Master Snake..." she said scurring over towards him. "Would you like anything? Argyle can help."

"Here we go. This is much better."

House elves didn't mind cold...house elves were used to it. Not that it was ever really that cold in the kitchens with the fires and ovens lit. Argyle had stepped away from the heat as watched food didn't always cook right only to hear the addition of human voices from her spot in the quiet shadows. Girl was speaking but a boy was there as well. Argyle tentatively moved closer to the duo but didn't speak up.

No interferring or interrupting. Argyle didn't want to be bother. But she was there.

SPOILER!!: Junebug and Argyle ^__^

Quote:

Originally Posted by TakemetotheBurrow

"Here we go. This is much better."

The only thing Junia liked about the cold was that she could accessorize her winter wear with pretty hats and sparkly gloves and scarves, but she wouldn't be needing those things today. Quality cousin time would be spent curled up by the fireplace with, she hoped, some freshly baked cookies. Surely if they asked nicely, the elves would oblige.

"You think Hassan spent lots of time in here when he was in school? The Hufflepuff common room is right by the kitchen, after all." The fourth year looked at Abey thoughtfully before glancing at the fire, thoughts of home and family swirling around in her mind. She missed them already, did he know?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Argyle

House elves didn't mind cold...house elves were used to it. Not that it was ever really that cold in the kitchens with the fires and ovens lit. Argyle had stepped away from the heat as watched food didn't always cook right only to hear the addition of human voices from her spot in the quiet shadows. Girl was speaking but a boy was there as well. Argyle tentatively moved closer to the duo but didn't speak up.

No interferring or interrupting. Argyle didn't want to be bother. But she was there.

For the most part, Abey was usually cheerful and upbeat just because that was who he was, but he also was very OPEN in his emotions and stuff, which meant that, when things made him cranky and miserable, he didn't ever really hide it. Like the COLD. Most days when it was ACTUALLY LITERALLY FREEZING, Abey had moaned and whined and grumped his way around the castle, and even maybe today he had done that too, but not right NOW, because right NOW not only was he sitting by a lovely hot fire in the kitchen, but he was there with cousin-slash-best-friend Junebug.

"I bet he did," Abey replied, nodding fervently. "I bet he sat right here too, every time actually. And I bet it was ALL the time. Literally actually." Or perhaps it was just wishful thinking, like maybe if Abey thought that Hassan had been in the exact same places that he had been, that he'd feel even closer to his big brother. Because he did feel awfully far away from Hassan and especially from Mama and the big house in Egypt, because it WAS actually awfully far away.

He leaned closer, intending to rest his head on Junia's shoulder, just for a moment, but before he could get that far, he caught sight of movement from nearby in the shadows. Instinctively, his head shot back up and he sat up straight, and his heart started pounding harder and faster than before. But........ it was just one of the friendly house elves, and of course it was.

Don't be stupid, Abey. Don't be stupid.

Trying to ignore his almost-panic, Abey turned to Junia and lowered his voice to a whisper. "Could we ask for some hot chocolate maybe?"

Junia found comfort in Abey's answer, too. Her cousin the quidditch star, the prince, the all around best person she knew, sitting right here where they were sitting and imagining what his life would be like. It gave her hope that maybe the things she imagined might also come true. She really hoped so.

Sensing the younger Botros tense up, the brunette took hold of his hand and gave it a squeeze, her other hand moving to her wand instinctively. She didn't really believe they were in any danger in the moment, but Hogwarts had a way of throwing you curve-quaffles and she wanted to be prepared. Luckily, it was only a house elf and she had quite the timing.

"Of course we can, Abey. I'll ask," She replied, dropping a kiss on his head. Hot chocolate sounded perfect right about now and something told her it would help them both relax.

"Excuse me, do you think we could get some hot chocolate and maybe some biscuits, if you've got some to spare?" The Slytherin princess smiled some at the elf, her gaze hopeful. Perhaps the kind elf could sense that they were in need of a snack, too. Maybe that's why she was here.

SPOILER!!: Juuuuunia

Quote:

Originally Posted by TakemetotheBurrow

Junia found comfort in Abey's answer, too. Her cousin the quidditch star, the prince, the all around best person she knew, sitting right here where they were sitting and imagining what his life would be like. It gave her hope that maybe the things she imagined might also come true. She really hoped so.

Sensing the younger Botros tense up, the brunette took hold of his hand and gave it a squeeze, her other hand moving to her wand instinctively. She didn't really believe they were in any danger in the moment, but Hogwarts had a way of throwing you curve-quaffles and she wanted to be prepared. Luckily, it was only a house elf and she had quite the timing.

"Of course we can, Abey. I'll ask," She replied, dropping a kiss on his head. Hot chocolate sounded perfect right about now and something told her it would help them both relax.

"Excuse me, do you think we could get some hot chocolate and maybe some biscuits, if you've got some to spare?" The Slytherin princess smiled some at the elf, her gaze hopeful. Perhaps the kind elf could sense that they were in need of a snack, too. Maybe that's why she was here.

Abey smiled gratefully at Junia, for the squeeze of the hand, the kiss on his head, and her asking the elf for them both.

One of the best things about Abey's family and also his friends was that they were always there to do the talking when Abey was too shy or anxious about it, which was actually really really really helpful actually. He stayed quiet, obviously, but matched Junia's hopeful expression with one of his own. House elves were usually really really generous weren't they? That's what Abey had experienced and also heard from older students who had visited the kitchens millions and millions of times.

Hopefully they could have some hot chocolate, because... well... Abey had things he sort of needed to ask Junia about, and it was always easier to talk about difficult things when you had biscuits and a drink to half-busy yourself with.

Yeah, yeah, yeah why were professors always so excited to spend time with the students. Honestly, if he had to be a professor, and he'd rather poke his eyes out with a stick, he'd never want to spend extra time with the students. Even at twelve, Eddie wanted nothing to do with his own kind usually. They were more annoyances than useful, but the adults were useful so he had to play nice. "Oh well that is fine, whatever you have is fine." He really didn't know much about tea and the kinds of tea. His mother made some, but he usually didn't like it or tossed it in the sink when she wasn't looking.

So he had no stash, well he assumed most professors did. Honestly why not. This was a sweet deal right here. Having these many elves wait on you hand and foot. He wondered if one would be temporarily stolen over summer if anyone would really notice. Maybe that would be his newest planning. How to get a house elf to be his over summer. It could be the perfect plan. Plus renting him out to friends could make him tons of money. This plan was looking better and better, but first the professor, yes he would focus and be nice for now. "Oh candy, that is always a good thing to have around your office I bet." He could careless about coffee so no point in even talking more about that bar the professor spoke of.

Please? Was he really suppose to be please? "Well sir, truth be told I am please. They are part of my house so all the pride in the world." He hadn't even showed up for the competitions, so had no clue what they were and cared to know either. "I do think it's sad though sir, that more didn't get the chance to be part of it. Makes for a long term for some just sitting around watching, but at least we have something to watch since there are no sports here." Not that he cared about sports, but it was kind of hard to sneak around a castle with no sports to entertain people and make them go away. That was the only reason he enjoyed the competition, while everyone was at the stands he got to be alone around the castle.

While they waited for a verdict from the elf, Junia turned her attention back to her cousin, curious. She felt like he'd grown up this term and while she wanted to keep him safe and be around often to do so, she didn't want to be a broom-cousin, always hovering around and annoying him. It was a real fear and it was one that kept her at a distance, at least more of one than she was used to.

"So, I was thinking maybe we could catch up while we're here. I feel like we haven't done that in a while." She smiled a little, nudging him. "What's going on in the life of Abey, huh?" She really did want to hear all about it.

Today was February 14th. Which meant it was Valentines day, but to be honest Olly didn't really care about that. No, it wasn't that he didn't care, he was just bitter that the holiday overshadowed what was, in his opinion, the most important characteristic of the 14th. And that was that it was his birthday! Olly loved his birthday. And this year was not just any birthday, but his seventeenth birthday! Which meant that he was officially of age in the wizarding world. That was slightly scary but mostly exciting.

The morning of his birthday Olly made his way to the kitchen because it was time to make some birthday cupcakes. Yes, he was making his own, but that was okay with him because he loved to cook. He hummed to himself as he gathered his ingredients. Now what flavor was he going to make? Chocolate? Probably.

Today was her birthday! Yay! She was 15. Now most people were of celebrating Valentines day today. But she didn't care about that. It was her birthday! Her birthday was much more important than a silly holiday. Now she'd started a tradition since she'd come to Hogwarts, that on her bithday she went and had a early birthday breakfast in the kitchens. That way she could go and spend some time in the grounds before the day really began. It was how she wanted to spend her birthday, and she loved it.

She was surprised though, when she wasn't alone. That was new. "Hi Olly" The girl beamed with a smile. She hadn't expected anyone down here. But company was nice.

Jonas smiled down at the house elf. He just shook his head. Something he wanted? He didn't know. He was really bored, not wanting to study and not having classes considering it was a weekend so he was really really really bored. He figured the elves would probably say no, but he would ask anyways.

"Would there be anything I can do to help?" Jonas asked. "I'm sorry, I'm just really bored right now," he said a tint of pink on his face.

Olly was busy gathering ingredients and didn't even notice anybody else enter the kitchens. When he came here to cook there weren't usually many students. He definitely was not expecting anyone else to come in today because it was still a bit early. And because it was Valentines Day so people were out celebrating that. So he was surprised when he heard his name. He turned toward the source and smiled.

"Good morning Hattie! What brings you here? Getting in a nice breakfast?" Sometimes Olly did like to have breakfast in the kitchen instead of the Great Hall. It wasn't as crowded or noisy in here. It was very cozy.

It was funny, really, the concerns that Junia had - not that he had even the faintest idea of those concerns - because Abey sort of actually mirrored them, actually, in his own way. One thing he often fretted over was hanging around Junia so much that she got tired of him, or the possibility that he bothered her when she wanted to spend time with her older friends and not a terribly uncool younger cousin. But where Junia was more likely afraid of being too much with her overprotectiveness, Abey was simply afraid that nobody wanted him around because he was terribly annoying just by virtue of being who he was, actually. Sometimes he even annoyed himSELF, so how on earth did other people manage to put up with him?

Either way, the point was that Abey would probably spend every minute of the day with Junia were he not afraid that she would tire of him (and were she not afraid of the same situation, except in reverse), and in fact her wanting to make sure he was okay made him feel safe. Except that also he was somehow so sure that he was the one protecting his cousins, and not the other way around.

He smiled genuinely at Junia, while at her words there was a whole cascade of thoughts and memories and images in his mind of all the things that had transpired recently. Abey had been trying recently to untangle all the threads of everything so that he could sort of understand, but it just got so confusing that it was easiest to just... go with the flow, which actually ultimately realised that he had been a lot quieter than usual. "Well..." With most things, it was hard to tell exactly what he had told to who, but with others, Abey knew he had specifically reserved them specifically for a talk like this, specifically with Junia. "There's a lot..."

It seemed like far too much to just JUMP IN with all the confusing stuff, so Abey started with something that surely Junia would understand, having been in the same position before.

"Second year is really, really hard."

Gaston smiled as he filled the other teacup with hot water and placed a tea bag inside. When the tea was ready, he gently slid the cup across the counter to Mr. Blaze. "Would you like some cream or sugar?" he offered.

Speaking of which, his tea could use a little more sugar! He stirred a spoonful into his cup as he listened to the boy. If he could've read his thoughts, he would've been shocked and appalled at what he was planning to do with the school house elves, but as it was, he remained blissfully unaware of his plans. He smiled, nodding on reply to what was said about the candy in his office. "Well, if you should ever want any candy, now you know where to go!" he said with a slight chuckle. Honestly, he didn't think he'd get any visitors at all if it weren't for the candy supply in his office!

Then the subject turned to the IMPS competition. Gaston raised an eyebrow, slightly taken aback by what the boy said, but he had to admit he'd made a fair point. "Yes, I suppose that's true," he agreed. He'd had concerns early on that the students who weren't chosen might feel left out, but he'd been overruled. And as it turned out, he was right... what a shock. "Maybe you can find a way to make watching the games a bit more interesting?" Then the Slytherin mention sports. "Oh? Are you a sports fan?" the professor asked.

Argyle paid no heed to the boy leaning his head on the girl’s shoulder, nor the fact she seemed to take him by surprise by her presence. Humans often seemed not to expect house elves and Argyle wasn’t one to exactly make her presence known loud and clear. Her ears perked up as first one and then the other asked for hot chocolate, the house-elf happy to serve after all.

“Yesses,” Argyle answered nodding her head. “Hot chocolate...and biscuitss for Master and Mistress right away…” The house-elf already bustling around between the stoves and cupboards to gather everything she needed and before long the smells of warm chocolatey goodness could be smelt by one and all. Argyle then poured to two mugs and produced a plate of treats, both put before the students.


...anything I can do to help?

Cue one confused house-elf, Argyle tilting her head as she watched the boy. "You help me?" A ruddy hand unconsciously reaching up and rubbing ear. "Argyle not sure if you can help. Not house-elf. Studenteses do studentese stuff."