Open Chloë and Juniper's Housewarming Party

[Juniper Zumwalt]

OOC: This is a housewarming party for Chloë and Juniper - everyone is invited that may know them (or if they're brought along as a date or something) - have fun! This will take place during the break so any students who are still at school could come. Please don't post until Marijke posts with Chloe.

Juniper had been working all day to make sure the apartment was clean and that the decorations were perfect. She'd gone for more of a classy Christmas party look, even if things didn't stay too classy, and enchanted some twinkle lights to float around the sky individually, as well as hanging the usual fanfare. The table spread for food was hopefully enough: there were meat and cheese, vegetable, and fruit platters, lots of punch and other kinds of alcholic beverages, chips, pretzels, and lots of sweets. Not having eaten most of the day, Juniper picked up a few dill pickle chips and started snacking as he walked over to Chloë. "Everything is looking good, don't you think? Adorah is one her way over now with some dips she made. Anything else need done?"

 

[Chloe Thompson]

Chloë had to admit that moving out of her brother's place and getting an apartment with Juniper had been a bit of an adjustment but it felt like the right step to make. Archer was almost never home and neither was she so she was sure he wouldn't miss her too much either. Plus, with Juniper being on a quidditch team as well it was easier for them to understand each others schedules. They just had to make sure not to get into too much detail whenever they were discussing quidditch. Exposing their teams' tactics to each other wouldn't be the best way to go about things after all.

With how much Juniper had been doing all day Chloë almost felt a little bad for not doing more. She had helped out where she could but Juniper was the more creative one of them so she had also been more than happy to leave her friend in charge of the decorations. In the meantime, she had been busy with doing groceries. After all, a party was nothing if there weren't enough snacks and drinks. Leaning against the kitchen counter Chloë nodded when Juniper asked if everything looked alright. "Looks great!" She replied in agreement, grabbing a few chips herself as she glanced around a final time. "Nah, I think that's it. Now we just wait. Maybe have a drink." She added with a chuckle, wondering who would show after they ended up inviting quite a few people.

 

[Professor Noel Waldgrave]

Noel was caught up in his studies. He still had the dream to become auror but he also felt like he needed some more knowledge so he went studying Criminology. It was interesting but also busy. He still made time for his girlfriend obviously and they had talked about living together. His parents thought it would be too soon perhaps, but Noel wanted to get out of the house and he felt good with Adorah and she felt he same. So it wasn't gonna take long for it to happen he figured. Noel thought it was also time for some fun now he had some free time. He hadn't seen his friends in a while so since one of his best friends went living together with the sister of his girlfriend and hosted an house warming it was ofcourse an reason to go.

As he and Adorah moved towards the place where Juniper and Chloe lived he took her hand and smiled to her. He was so proud of what she had achieved so far. Now he still had to chase his dream. As they opened the door and walked in he was not suprised to see they were one of the first. '' Always on time right..'' He than said with an smile to Adorah and noticed Chloe and Juniper inside. '' Hey girls. How's it going?'' Noel than asked with an smile. Holding an present for their new place in the other hand. Ready to give it whenever Adorah was ready.

@Professor Adorah Zumwalt @Chloe Thompson @Juniper Zumwalt

 

[Professor Adorah Zumwalt]

Adorah had been so busy with her sudden jump into teaching that she had barely realized December had arrived. After all the chaos of being on the teaching side of Hogwarts and helping with clubs and dances, she was glad to have a day to enjoy with her boyfriend and friends. Things had been going well with Noel. It felt odd to be in something that felt relatively easy. Not that things hadn't been easy with her past relationship, but being a teenager was hard, and there were a few too many distractions. She'd been looking for a new place to live after subbing; hopefully, a place for two.

Meanwhile, her sister had requested she wear one of her designs so when people asked, she could be "discreet" about Juniper's fashion skills. Not that Adorah minded - her sister was really making a name for herself between quidditch and giving some fashion and styling tips to high up folk in the community. The least she could do was be a supportive sister.

Adorah took Noel's hand as they walked down the street towards the girls' apartment. As they entered, Adorah wasn't surprised Juniper had went overboard but also couldn't help feel an air of nostalgia for their school days. Some of the decorations rivaled that of the Yule Ball, and she wondered why they didn't let students help out more. She quickly went over to give Juniper a hug and then took the gift from Noel's hand to give to Chloë. "Happy housewarming! Or... apartmentwarming!" she laughed, going back to stand next to Noel.

 

[Juniper Zumwalt]

Juniper looked at the time as well, finishing up the chips in her hand. "What time did Sully and Michael say they'd be here?" As she went to grab a drink from the punch bowl, she took a swig before hearing the door open. Excitedly giving her sister a hug, she was surprised to see a present. "You didn't have to get us anything, but also, presents!" she exclaimed. "Let me guess, a book or some kind of star chart. I did see a cool one in a shop, actually, that could morph into whoever's star chart stood in front of it. It was rather cool. And expensive," she ended, giving Noel a grin. She surprisingly didn't know the boy too well for how long he'd been dating Adorah. However, between school and their schedules, they just never sat down and talked. He seemed nice enough, but she was of course wary of Adorah getting hurt in anyway.

"Well go on, Chloë, open it!"

 

[Solomon Tofilau]

While Sully was proud to say he'd been feeling pretty grown up these days with his new Ministry job, he didn't think he was quite grown up enough yet to do the whole house and moving in together with Chloë. He loved her and all, but something about the idea of settling down like that made his skin itch. And besides, he and Michael had a good thing going. He was sure Juniper and Chloë could find the same groove in their new place too.

"Oh sweet, your place is way nicer than ours," Sully announced as shouldered his way through the girls' new front door, holding it with his foot for Michael to join them and surveying the room curiously. He hadn't seen it set up properly, not exactly being the most hopeful when they'd been moving in to avoid anyone asking him to help unpack. Now though, the place looked great and Sully beamed as he swanned in, placing a kiss grandly on Chloë's cheek before letting out a crow at the sight of Noel. "Noel! My man! How's it going, how's school or whatever you're doing," he said, roping an arm around Noel's shoulder and giving him a fond shake.

 

[Emma van Houten]

Emma had been happy to be invited to Chloë and Juniper’s housewarming. Since her sister had been Juniper’s roommate and she had been Chloë’s, they could go together. Emma had always loved a party and wouldn’t skip one if she could help it. She had dressed in her most glittery dress and practically dragged Iris to the door, eager to get the party started. Iris had a gift from both of them, which was doubtlessly very thoughtful. Emma had no idea what it was. She let out a loud whistle as she headed into the apartment. “This place is nice!” She called. “Hi Chloë!” She then yelled, waving at her friend.

 

[Michael Newton]

Michael had been less than productive since leaving school, or at least, according to his parents. But he was working a job and paying bills, which seemed like all he really needed to do. Plus, living with Sully was sweet, and their shenanigans were pretty fun, even if living with Sully also resulted in them having to help with moving for girlfriends. Which, to be fair, wasn't that bad with magic, but was still tiring.

As they made their way over to the girls' apartment, he entered after Sully and immeadiately grabbed a drink from the table, making himself at home. There were already people there, some he hadn't seen in quite a while, and he plopped himself in a chair to allow for room for others.

 

[Poppy Perkins]

Poppy had been excited to get invited to Juniper and Chloe's housewarming party. It had felt like forever since she had seen them. She had lived with Juniper for seven years and she felt the other girl's absence. Besides, it was probably be the last time she would see them for a while. She would be starting muggle university soon after a longer than expected gap year, that was a little more than a year, and while she could apparate she would probably be too busy to visit for at least a little while as she got settled. She hadn't wanted to come empty handed and brought some flowers she had picked from her father's greenhouse so there were some unusual blooms included. She always thought flowers were such a nice final touch to a space which seemed perfect for this. Poppy let herself in since she heard plenty of voices on the other side of the door and was greeted by plenty of familiar faces. "Hi!" she said cheerfully and joined the crowd that seemed to be forming around the hosts. "Where shall I put these?" she asked and held up the the pale yellow ceramic vase she had picked up at a second hand shop. @Juniper Zumwalt @Chloe Thompson

 

[Nikko Blackwood]

Nikko had been a little surprised when he had been told about Chloe's housewarming party. He had known her for quiet a while at this point and they were even on the same team again, but he didn't really know Juniper at all. But it wasn't like he had the most exciting social life with most of his friends still at Hogwarts. It was just a party and he decided to go. He had made some of what he though were his best cookies as a gift. He wasn't really sure what to bring in situations like this. He had only been out of school for a matter of months after all. He knocked on the door but after a moment of no response he poked his head in and saw that the party was already well underway. Nikko was relieved to see a lot of familiar faces from the Gryffindor qudditch team. He hadn't had a lot of luck as captain after they left but they didn't need to know that. He waved to the hosts and set down his offering with the rest of the food before grabbing a drink and hoovering off to the side. He noticed another guy who looked a lot more at ease and recognized him but couldn't remember his name. Gradually he made his way over and introduced himself. "Hey, I'm Nikko. I don't think we met at school?" @Michael Newton

 

[Chloe Thompson]

Chloë shrugeed when Juniper asked what time Sully and Michael would be there. Honestly, they had invented such a large group of people that she wasn't even completely sure who would be coming and who wouldn't. Let alone which time they would be arriving. "Not sure, I reckon they'll be here soon enough though." She responded before grabbing a drink herself, turning her head when she heard the door open for the first time. It was a little strange leaving their door unlocked for anyone to wander in but having to open it every minute or so once people started arriving would be far too much of a bother. "Hi guys!" She beamed when Noel and Adorah stepped into the apartment before quickly making her way over to give them both a hug. Between quidditch and moving houses she had to admit there had been little time left to spend on other people. Especially if she wanted to catch some sleep somewhere inbetween. It made it all the more better that their friends were turning up now and she was genuinely happy to see them. "Thanks." She grinned when Adorah handed her a present, "Maybe you should just open it." She laughed at Juniper's excitement, holding out the gift for her to take in case she wanted to.

The sound of another voice made Chloë glance back at the door, shaking her head as Sully and Michael made their way inside. "That's because we actually clean." She joked. She had been to their place before though and in all honesty kept being surprised by how liveable it was. Somehow, she had always imagined Sully and Michael living together to end up in things being a complete mess. She waved hello to Michael as he made himself at home and grinned when Sully kissed her on the cheek, not surprised when he immediately skipped over to Noel after that. "I swear he has always liked you better than me." She laughed, giving Noel a soft nudge as she moved past them and headed straight for the next person who had entered the apartment.

"Emma!" Chloë beamed as she moved over to give her friend a hug. Talk about people she hadn't seen in a little while. "How are you? How's the party planning going?" She asked curiously. It did make her wonder how many people she would be catching up with tonight but she was sure everyone would start mingling after having at least greeted Juniper or her. She smiled when Poppy passed them as she walked in. "Anywhere is fine, or maybe ask Juniper. She's head of decoration. Those are gorgeous though!" Chloë replied, motioning towards where Juniper was standing before offering Nikko a wave when he entered. If anything, she was happy to see their friends wouldn't turn down a little party.

 

[Archer Thompson]

Archer had been more than fine with his little sister moving in with him after graduation. He could understand why she wanted to move away from their parents' house, gain some indepence. Especially when she had managed to get her career on the rails so early on. He couldn't say he wasn't proud of her. And after being seperated for years living with Chloë had been fun for a while. It was strange to see how differently siblings could bond once they were both adults, starting their own lives. Things had been good while they lived together. They had gotten along great, managed to have their own things while also making sure to hang out every now and then. He could also understand why she had eventually wanted to move on though, move in with a friend. And he was sure their busy schedules weren't the only things to blame. Sharing an apartment with your big brother sounded a lot different than sharing one with a friend after all. Either way, he was happy Chloë and Juniper had managed to find an apartment to their liking. Had even helped them move in and get the furniture together. Needless to say, he would've been slightly offended had he not received an invitation to their housewarming party. As he made his way into the apartment Archer made sure to offer both Juniper and his sister a wave hello before walking over to the kitchen to get himself a drink, curious to see what some of Chloë's friends he hadn't met before would be like.

 

[Professor Noel Waldgrave]

As Adorah went over to hug her sister and took the present he smiled and looked around. The place looked kind of nice, you could really tell there were two girls living by the way how clean it seemed. But he figured he liked that himself as well. Organized house, organized head his mother always said he remembered. He smiled at Juniper and wanted to walk over to them to actually greet them and hugging Chloe. He and Juniper never really spoke that much, but he couldn't wait to get to now her better. As suddenly his best mate Sully and Michael walked in. He grinned as Sully greeted him in his own way. '' Hey mate! Long time no see. Things are good.'' He than said smiling. '' Figured I was good at studying so went on with it. Working is not my thing yet it seems. But Criminology is cool. They really describe Eric though. Perhaps he was undercover at school'' He than joked as he slapped Sully on the shoulder. '' How are you? Living together with Chlo is too big of an step yet it seems..'' He than stated. Since they were not gonna live together yet. He could understand Chloe was an bit younger and Sully was just not ready perhaps. ''Probably better for her, since you leave stuff everywhere you go. '' He grinned. Remembering the times at Hogwarts where it seemed like their dorm was just an place for Sully his stuff to mark the room.

@Solomon Tofilau

 

[Iris van Houten]

Iris entered Chloë and Juniper’s house with her sister, smiling as she looked around and saw a lot of familiar faces. It was nice to be here with so many people she knew from school, it almost felt like a school event all over again. She spotted Poppy and waved at her, then headed over to talk to Juniper. “Hi, your home is lovely.” She told her coworker as she handed her a gift. It was a nice candle that would burn for hours and change scents based on the time of day, something Iris also bought for herself. She hoped it would be appreciated here.

@Juniper Zumwalt

 

[Juniper Zumwalt]

Juniper excitedly greeted folks as everyone arrived at once. She took the gift from Chloë as was about to open it when Poppy arrived. She gave the girl a hug before accepting the vase she also brought. "Maybe we should start a gift table since so many people want to give us free stuff," she joked, placing the two items near the punch bowl, quickly spelling a sign in front of it that read "Gifts and Trinkets."

As Chloë's older brother arrived, Juniper gave Archer a wave. That family had apparently gotten a lot of good genes, and Juniper hadn't been able but to help notice how cute the model boy was. He was quite a few years their senior, though, and Juniper just kind of shrugged off any thought of it one Iris came in. "Hello, friend! Thank you! We've done a lot of work to make it a home rather than just a place to live. Thank you so much for the present," she said, taking it from her coworker. "So glad we both had today off so you could come!"

As people continued to mingle, Juniper paused her convo for a moment and tried to get all their attention. "There's lot of snacks and drinks. The loo's at the end of the hall. Feel free to sit wherever you'd like."

 

[Michael Newton]

Michael was minding his own business when a familiar guy came up to him. "Yeah, I came in my fourth or fifth year, I think. Michael. You played though quidditch though, right?" he asked. It was crazy that so many people could go to school together and not really know each other, but when you hung out with certain groups of people, it was easy to isolate yourself. "I live with Sully. You know him, right?" @Nikko Blackwood

 

[Emma van Houten]

Emma hugged Chloë tightly before letting go. She knew she shouldn’t keep her for too long, as everyone probably wanted to talk to her. But it was very nice to see her again. “It’s going alright, still kind of making a name for myself.” She said with a small shrug. “Iris brought our gift.” She added, gesturing vaguely in the direction of her sister. “How is it to live with Juniper?”
@Chloe Thompson

 

[Iris van Houten]

Iris smiled at Juniper, looking around in admiration. “You can tell.” She said softly. “Should I put the present on the gift table?” She asked, now noticing it. “I’m sure you have a lot of people to talk to.” She smiled as Juniper gave a little announcement, glancing around again and noticing the snacks and drinks. “I think I’ll go mingle, thanks for inviting me.” She said, stepping back a bit. As the host of the party, she knew Juniper would be busy entertaining everyone.

 

[Harper Alston]

Though Harper was technically considered an adult in the magical world, she definitely didn't feel like one. Some days, she barely felt fifteen, and it was hard to believe that there were people, just a few years older than her, with actual careers and apartments and even marriages. All of that still felt lightyears away. Receiving an invitation to Chloë's housewarming party had made her feel even younger. How was it that she already had friends who had their own places? What was she even supposed to bring as a gift? The internet wasn't much help, suggesting extremely practical gifts like cookware and bed linens that felt more appropriate for real adults, not people in whatever stage of life she and her friends were in.

In the end, Harper had found a small glowing disc at a magical thrift shop that worked as both a lamp and a lunar phase clock, its illuminated face shifting depending on the current moon phase. She didn't really know Juniper, but hopefully at least Chloë would appreciate it. Harper set the wrapped present down on the gift table and waved at Chloë, who seemed to be busy, before surveying the room. She was glad that she recognised most of the people there. It was almost like she was back at Hogwarts, hanging out in the Student Commons or the Gryffindor common room after a quidditch victory. At the same time, Harper felt a little out of place. Most of the other partygoers were busy reuniting with their former classmates, and as far as she could tell, she was the only one from her year. She decided to head to the kitchen, where there was another person standing alone by the drinks. "Hey, mind passing me a cup?" she asked, shooting the man a smile. He looked to be older than most of the other guests by several years, and Harper wondered how he knew the hosts. She had an idea, but she didn't want to guess incorrectly. "You didn't go to Hogwarts, did you?" she asked conversationally. "I'm Harper, by the way."

@Archer Thompson

 

[Archer Thompson]

Even though it was nice seeing all of his sisters friends walk in Archer had no trouble keeping to his place in the kitchen. If anything, he enjoyed seeing how grown up his sister had become as she mingled with everyone who entered the party. Plus, he didn't want to uninvitedly enter any conversation. Especially since he was sure almost everyone in there knew each other. He turned his focus back to the room around him when someone walked up to him though. "No worries, here you go." He offered her a small smile as he picked up a cup and held it out for her to take. "Definitely not. I went to Beauxbatons." Archer responded, nodding his head when the girl introduced herself. Harper was a name he was sure he had heard from his sister before. Although that was pretty much where his recollection ended. "I'm Archer," He returned with a smile. "Chloë's brother." @Harper Alston

 

[Harper Alston]

"Thanks." Harper accepted the cup with a grateful smile and studied the selection of drinks before pouring herself some punch. Her suspicions that this person might be Chloë's brother were all but confirmed when he mentioned that he'd gone to Beauxbatons. (Well, he either had to be Chloë's brother or her mysterious sixth cousin.) "Nice to meet you. I'm one of Chloë's friends from Hogwarts," Harper explained, not really expecting Chloë to have mentioned her name to her brother. "So," she said, turning to face Archer, "I guess in a way, this is your party. You know, to celebrate Chloë finally moving out," she joked. She remembered Chloë mentioning over the winter break that she had been living with her brother but was looking for a new place. It seemed she'd finally found one.

@Archer Thompson

 

[Juniper Zumwalt]

Juniper didn't mean to have short conversations with folks, but once Iris went to mingle, she was suddenly trying to figure out if everything had actually been set out. Seeing that it had, she sat next to Adorah on the couch, near where Michael, seemingly taking up most of the comfy seating space. She gave her sister a hug, wondering if maybe folks would want to play a game later, but figured things were good for now.

OOC:

The internet wasn't much help, suggesting extremely practical gifts like cookware and bed linens that felt more appropriate for real adults, not people in whatever stage of life she and her friends were in.

I so relate to this

 

[Sawyer Carnahan]

[not me forgetting the holidays are almost over and that Sawyer's invited to this oops]

Sawyer had spent more time that he wanted to admit lurking near the front door, repeatedly checking and rechecking the address for the party. It was pretty obvious this was were the party was, by the people inside, but really that was probably half the problem. All the people inside were Juniper's friends, pro-Quidditch friends. The idea was intimidating enough, more so when Sawyer tried to imagine carrying on a conversation with one of them. He couldn't exactly talk about Quidditch, even if Ravenclaw were doing pretty well this year, he wasn't on a pro level, and he didn't think actual professional players and adults wanted to talk about gobstones or punk bands with him either.

It'd helped when Sawyer had spotted Harper going, deciding he couldn't lurk out here all night before finally slipping inside, glad the part seemed well enough underway that his arrival wasn't super noteworthy. Really it wasn't all that bad, even if he knew half the people here because they were in fact Quidditch players, there were a lot of familiar faces from the upper years at school and if Sawyer squinted he could pretend it was just a particularly rowdy night in the student lounge. Maybe less so when he spotted Juniper sitting with her sister was who now an actual professor and all, but he could try. "I realize now that I'm here that I think you're meant to bring a gift to these sort of things, but I guess you'll just have to enjoy the gift of my company," he said with a lack-luster wiggle of his fingers in hello to Juniper as he joined her near the couch, giving a sort of awkward combination of a nod and a wave to Professor Zumwalt, or was she just Adorah when they were out of school? Merlin this was all weird. @Juniper Zumwalt

 

[Juniper Zumwalt]

Juniper was glad to see Sawyer and immeadiately tried to jump before he landed on the couch. She went back down, placing her legs on Adorah's lap and she waved her wand to bring over a bowl of crisps to the group. "Your company is always welcome! How's the team? Obviously gonna be champs this year, right?" she joked. It wasn't meant as a dig at Sawyer, and she hoped he knew that; Ravenclaw had had some pretty good players, but they never seemed to be able to over-power the other teams. It was rather unfortunate, but thankfully, she didn't have to deal with all that captain guilt anymore. As Adorah and Michael greeted Sawyer, she took another crisp and pushed the bowl over towards him. "Glad you could make it!" @Sawyer Carnahan

 

[Sawyer Carnahan]

Sawyer ducked his head at Juniper's enthusiastic greeting, glad things still felt casual between the two of them even if he still couldn't shake the feeling she was way too cool for him, especially after graduation. "They're good, they're good. We're uh, playing for the cup against Slytherin once the semester starts and I am definitely Not Freaking Out About It," he said mildly, helping himself to some chips. "How's playing for Australia? Not too many Australians I hope." @Juniper Zumwalt