Party Hard

Geo thought she'd done the right thing by keeping Austin at a distance and asking him to leave but apparently he had ignored that and proceeded to jump into that topic of discussion regardless. The Hufflepuff continued to sit motionless when she heard it was his first kiss. She had a habit of ruining that for people and if he was going to berate her for doing that to him or anyone else, now was the time to do it. She knew it was something she had to kick but if she were honest she had tried to gauge for the first time whether she was making a mistake. As Geo sat uncomfortably on the sofa however she listened to the Beater reveal instead his thoughts towards her. "Oh," With him looking away from her as he spoke, Geo was watching his features, wondering where the boy she'd heard was shy had gone. She may not have spoken to him much to know but even Jess knew he was quiet, but today he was putting himself out there. "So, you're not angry at me?" She asked hesitantly to confirm. Her heart was tripping over itself in her chest, and she wondered what Jess was going to say when she realised it seemed she'd been right. Her brain barely had any time to consider what this meant. She'd spent six months trying to avoid Austin and here he was telling her these things. "Why did you walk away?" She found herself asking, her curiosity getting the better of her and she certainly didn't walk face first into problems.
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Maybe Austin should have taken Geo up on the opening she'd given him to walk away, it would save him inevitable embarrassment. Geo's response to his confessions were surprising, why on earth would he be mad at her. "Mad at you?? Why on earth would I be mad at you?" He asked with genuine confusion. Had she thought her kiss was unwanted? Because it had been anything but, admittedly it had surprised him but at the time there was no one else he'd rather have his first kiss with. Austin knew her question was coming but dreaded it all the same. "I was embarrassed, I kissed you, I got caught up in the moment then I started thinking that you only kissed me for the new years tradition, or maybe you did it because Autumn put you up to it or maybe you just regretted it, point is I'm sorry I did that," Austin wondered if that was the moment he should leave but if he did he'd have to be careful how he went about it. "For what its worth, I'm glad my first kiss was with you," Austin looked up to meet her gaze and smiled at her. "Do you still think I should go talk to Autumn instead?"
 
Of course, Tristan had heard about the party during the holidays. Being allowed to actually go had been a bit of a hassle. His parents didn't fully understand or trust magical transportation methods, but eventually he had convinced them. He had made sure not to arrive too early, but soon realized his mistake. It was way busier than he had expected, how was he going to find anyone in the crowd? He had been rather hoping to see October, but saw no glimpse of her here yet. He pushed his way past a few people, vaguely noticing Austin talking to Geo but paying them not much mind. His eyes landed on a familiar face, and he smiled. Corrine Lagos had a crush on him. At least, that had been the case the last time he had talked to her. She was looking fairly nice. Perhaps talking to her while he waited for someone more interesting to appear wasn't the worst idea in the world. He made his way over to her, giving her his most charming smile. "Hey Corrine. Nice dress." He said, nodding at her. "I almost didn't recognize you. Are you having a good time?"

Tagging: Corrine Lagos
 
It seemed that Geo had had the wrong end of the stick since the beginning of the new year, and swallowing nervously she wondered whether had Jess been around to wake her up to the possibility that this may have been the case sooner, whether she wouldn't have ended up spending so long convinced that she being blanked by him because he was regretting his actions and didn't want to speak to her.

Geo had lowered her eyes from his face, glancing instead at the outline of his collar as though it was the most interesting thing in world, listening to him intently as he spoke. While it was true that she had made use of the tradition to kiss him first that evening, it wasn't as though she would have if she hadn't noticed him that night. There was something about him that she didn't see so much in others and she'd been quickly drawn towards the older boy, her mind consumed by this new obsession over a matter of hours, and not one she'd been able to fully shake off since. A smile appeared on her face at his last question, had she really been that obvious at suggesting a distraction? She rested her glass on the table and shuffled a little in her seat, her hand finding the collar of his shirt, outlining above his chest as she spoke. "No, you don't have to." However she'd pictured this party going, this route hadn't been it. Despite her nerves she knew that if someone like Austin could have approached her, it would have been silly to continue her belief that he didn't like her in return, his words only an emphasis to his actions. Knowing it was her turn, she allowed the pink tint to flush her cheeks. It would have been pointless to keep hiding it if she too were honest to them both. She had become aware of herself especially in the last two years, and while some may have viewed her with the confidence to easily show affection to those she admired, she didn't want Austin to get the wrong impression, underestimating her reasoning behind what she'd done. "I kissed you because I saw in you something rare. I don't think you're the type of person to try and be someone you're not. That evening in the common room, you opened up to me and you were honest and I appreciated that more than I think I realised." She'd never intended for something to happen between them, at least not at first, but the more she'd pondered on the topic the more she came to realise she enjoyed being needed. "I want to get to know you." She added, her fingers still playing lightly with the fabric as her eyes fixed themselves on the movement of the cloth. If Jess walked back into the room right now she'd probably be shouting at her. Her hand released its hold on his collar, and slid instead to rest slightly on his shoulder, it wasn't as though she had any reasons left to think what she was about to do next would be wrong, but the Hufflepuff remained nervous, not wanting to make things awkward. It didn't matter to her that there were people around them, after all this was a party. Her blue eyes finally lifted and from a mere few inches away she observed every part of his face, taking in for the first time the details that she could make out better now when not under the glow of the fireplace or the sparks of the fireworks. She wasn't entirely sure how long she'd been holding her breath for, but she didn't care, and sliding her arm fully around his shoulder she brought herself closer to give him, lightly kissing the boy she'd spent so long trying to convince herself she didn't need.
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Isaac caught her eye and headed in her direction. Sophie gave him a tiny smile, but she noticed he was uncomfortable. Around all these strangers. She could understand that, but still sort of wished for a greeting that was just a tad warmer. Even if it was just for the sake of convincing Caro she really did have a boyfriend. She touched his arm briefly and gave him a small nod, trying to show that she understood. "Hi." She said, then removed her hand from his arm to gesture at Caro. "Yes I am enjoying myself at this excellent party thrown by my good friend Caro." She paused. "In collaboration with someone else, but who cares about that." She gave Caro a quick grin. She knew most people would remember this as Lizzie's party, but she would personally ensure Caro wasn't forgotten about. "Caro, Isaac." She said, gesturing between them to indicate who was who. "Now you know each other," she declared, feeling a little awkward.
 
Gabriel rolled with his eyes as he saw Sophie. He though the girl was still very annoying and when he saw Sophie with a boy he laughed for moment. REALLY DID SHE HAD A BOYFRIEND? That was hilarious! Gabriel grinned as he saw Sophie with her boy. On the mean time he looked out for Marcos, but he didn't saw him yet. He was suprised Sofia wouldn't come, but she wasn't really a girl that liked to hang out with girls. Although it seemed that she was trying more. The blonde boy had some idea's of trowing food to Sophie but he figured that would not be nice to Lizzie. Lizzie invited them and he didn't want to ruin things for her. Gabriel could do such things when he was angry, than he couldn't think straight anymore. But now it was just gross to see Sophie with that boy. It made him puke almost.
 
Isaac had to keep looking at his girlfriend to stop from freaking out over the large number of people in the room. Instead he was trying to follow her comments, and glanced across as Sophie introduced her friend. He gave the blonde a small nod, not really knowing whether or not he knew her, but if she was a friend of Sophie he knew she must have been alright to hang out with. At the touch on his arm, Isaac barely moved, although his hand followed hers, nervously wrapping his fingers over hers as though it was what was going to get him through that evening. He was trying, he really was, trying to step out of his comfort zone and do things that up until now had been not only too much of a struggle, but not something he'd had an interest in overcoming. "Hi," Isaac finally said, looking between Caro and then Sophie, wondering whether she expected him to be saying something. "There's loads of people here. Do you really know them all?" he asked the girl, before glancing over his shoulder at the volume of guests. He spotted Amber speaking to a few of the others, no doubt trying to suck up to as many people as she could as she had the chance.
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Leila sighed and leaned into Jess a bit more, the presence of her best friend surrounding her made her feel so much more comfortable. She felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders after her reveal and she felt a lot closer to her best friend, if that was possible. Leila felt her heart lift when Jess said that she was all she needed "that's exactly how I feel!" she exclaimed, smiling. However, the conversation soon turned a bit more upsetting when Jess spoke about how she felt about Leila and Ulrich. She had no idea that Jess felt similarly about her boyfriend as Leila felt about Geo. "Gosh we're a pair aren't we?" she giggled, pulling Jess into a hug. "I'm sorry. I over reacted" she admitted as she pulled out of the hug. The butterflies in her stomach began to fly about very quickly when Jess said that she loved her back, The two Gryffindor's had said it to each other before of course but it seemed different this time. There was more meaning to the words.

Jess' next move was completely unexpected, or was it? The girls had always been close but the thought of actually kissing Jess had never crossed Leila's mind. But it seemed so natural, like it had always been this way. She closed her eyes when she felt Jess' lips on hers and she had to grab her best friend's hand for fear of losing her balance. After what seemed like hours, Leila pulled away from the kiss and took a deep breath. She looked into Jess' eyes and blushed "oh my gosh" she squeaked.
 
Aaron grinned when Anabelle returned his compliment, he was very happy that she had turned up that the party. "It's been okay so far, better now that you're here though" he grinned, his confidence picking up slowly "do you want to get a drink or something?" he asked Anabelle, pointing towards the drinks table. It was hard to talk in a group of their size and he was sure that Evelyn and Lucas would want their own space too.
 
Jess was glad when Leila said felt the same about only needing each other. She was sure her friend meant that but she couldn't help but think about Leila's boyfriend in the whole equation. His very presence irked her, Ulrich seemed like a nice guy and he seemed to make Leila happy but Jess had felt uneasy about him since their very first flying lesson. "You didn't overreact, you remember last year when I had those bruises on my hand? I punched a wall when I found out about you and Ulrich," Jess sighed. She'd also cried for about a week, luckily she was already bedridden from grief so Leila didn't question it.

Feeling Leila's lips against her own made everything make sense and made hear heart soar. She raised her hand to Leila's cheek as they pulled apart, a deep blush appearing on her cheeks. "Leila," She whisperd leaning against her. Leila hadn't kissed her back and that worried her. To Jess the kiss has revealed everything she had been holding back. She was in love with her best friend, that was clear but she had no idea how Leila felt. "I...I'm sorry. Was that? Did you? How was...?" Jess blushed, lost for words but desperate to know where she stood. "I'm sorry,"
 
Corrine had just finished refilling her drink and was about to look around for another familiar face when she heard a familiar voice. The pleasant expression on her face froze slightly as she turned to look into the face of Tristan Collins. She'd always experienced a funny fluttering in her stomach when she saw him, as if her stomach was lifting and then dropping quickly. Now, it twisted. She had seen him in classes since what she'd witnessed in the hallway and experienced the same, but avoiding Tristan had been an easy feat in school. It wasn't as if he sought her out ever, and she was a bit puzzled why he'd done so now. "Yea, thanks" she said uneasily, the compliment not sitting well with the Gryffindor so she'd chosen to not comment on it. Even his smile was seen with suspicion by Corrine. Everything about Tristan was now suspect. After what she'd seen, she wondered if anything she thought was true about him actually was. He had a pretty face but he had been very, very ugly in that brief moment she'd witnessed with Kauri, and that changed everything. She couldn't look at him without remembering that. Corrine cut her gaze away from Tristan, looking for a familiar face. Someone. Anyone really would do.

Tagging: Tristan Collins
 
Listening to Geo's words made Austin's heart skip a beat. She liked him, not only that she saw something in him she rarely saw, what would that be a complete inability to talk to anyone? In no scenario would Austin have given someone like him a chance with someone like Geo yet here they were. Austin fought off the urge to flinch when Geo began to place with his collar, he liked her touch, after the initial need to flinch he found her touch to be quite comforting. The blush in her cheeks was the most adorable thing he'd ever seen and he couldn't believe he was the cause of it. "I want to get to know you too," Austin didn't know if what they had would come to anything concrete but he wanted to try. Geo amazed him, knowing her for a few months made him feel like a different person. He wanted to know her, Austin had opened up to Geo in a way he hadn't with anyone else and he wanted to see what that connection could lead to. Geo moving forward to kiss him was a surprise but not unwelcome, Austin used one hand to steady himself on the chair and the other moved to Geo's knee as he kissed her back. At first it was soft and tender but for a brief moment Austin began to put a little more into the kiss before remembering where they were. "Sorry, got a little carried away," Austin said with a laugh. He'd never felt so relaxed and so comfortable in someones pressence as he did Geo's.
 
Leila frowned when Jess revealed the real reason for the bruises on her hand. She shook her head in disbelief "Wha- why did you do that Jess? That's so stupid of you! I'm with Ulrich, yes, but you will always be the most important person in my life!" she explained, grabbing hold of Jess' hands "You've got to promise me that you won't do that again!"

She touched her lips with her fingers and stared at Jess. Her best friend, the one that she cared about the most, her sister... "Jess.. I.." she began "I don't know what to say... Ulrich.. he, he's my boyfriend. I can't... I can't do this" she stammered, her eyes filling with tears once more. She backed away a little and removed her hand from Jess's "I love you, but I can't" she whispered.
 
"I...what?" Jess stammered as Leila brought up her boyfriend. She didn't understand, after all they'd said. Jess was horrified, Leila didn't feel the way she did, she'd hoped the hesitant kiss was just her being caught off guard but no, she didn't feel it. "Who cares about Ulrich what about us?" Jess demanded, her voice louder than she expected. Their exchange of I love you had seemed different, deeper but had Jess just imagined the whole thing? No, Leila had been distraught about seeing her with Geo, that level of jealousy was what Jess felt everyday she saw Leila with Ulrich. It had to be the same. "Are you kidding me your boyfriend? I make peace with Geo and you act like I'm cheating you and after all that you're gonna go run back to your boyfriend? Thats crap! You can't just send me mixed messages and think nothing will come from it, love me? Maybe you're just needy, I love YOU, you just want to have your cake and eat it too," Jess was horrified at the words that came out of her mouth but she suddenly she was feeling everything. Her built up emotions were pouring out just as the tears were streaming down her face. "I can't do this anymore Leila," Jess said finally pulling her hands free of her best friend, or maybe she wasn't that anymore. Jess didn't know, all she knew was she could no longer bear to look at the beautiful face of the girl she couldn't have.
 
Leila sat back and frowned what was Jess talking about? Why was she acting this way? "Jess? I don't understand. Wha- what do you mean?" she said, barely above a whisper "you knew about Ulrich! You've known about him this whole time! He was there for me when you and Geo were a couple and spent all your time together! We can't just forget him... I can't! He's helped me..." she said a bit louder this time, matching Jess's volume. Tears began to fall thick and fast when Jess started to shout at her "stop it Jess! Stop it! This isn't you" she shouted back at her best friend. Leila stood up and crossed her arms, moving further and further away from Jess as she said more and more terrible things. Her mouth fell open when her best friend called her needy and instead of feeling vulnerable and upset like she did earlier, she felt angry and defensive. Jess's rage seemed to be spreading "Needy? Me?! What about you Jess? Are you telling me this isn't needy?!" she shouted "If that's how you feel go back to Geo then Jess. Go on! I'm sure she'll be more than happy to have you back again! Forget about everything! Forget about how I've been there for you every single day this past year Jess! Forget everything that we've done together! Throw all of our friendship down the drain! I don't care any more. Not after this!" she yelled, trying to catch her breath to stem her crying.
 
The line between what she was said and what she meant was so blurred, Jess could hear herself saying horrible things to Leila and every word broke her heart but she knew as soon as Leila joined in the argument there was no going back. Her fellow Gryffindor matched her blow for blow and while she knew she deserved everything she got but every word that Leila said still cut her deep. She wanted to tell herself that Leila was just hurt, but what if part of her truly did resent her for how she'd behaved the previous year. "Well I'm sorry being there for me after my father died was such an inconvenience for you," She spat back. Leila saying she didn't care about their friendship anyone was truly the final nail in coffin. Tears streaming down her face, "Fine, I guess we're done here," She added her voice broken. Jess had mourned her father for a long time but no pain was worse than losing her other half. Jess turned away from Leila and ran back inside, straight through the house and out of the house.
 
The feeling of Austin kissing her back was enough to make her entire semester, and any thought that he didn't like her back was slowly vanishing, her arm sliding further around his shoulder as she began to relax a little. Her mouth turned up into a smile at his comment, his laughter causing her own to escape as she glanced up into his brown eyes, never expecting that this is where her evening was going to have her end up. Off in the distance, Geo felt as though she could hear muffled words coming from the direction of her friends outside, although knowing full well that she'd been asked to leave them be made the pink haired student pull away from the boy beside her, hands sliding away and glancing down into her lap for a moment. "Sorry," she added quietly. For some reason Austin was making her question things she'd never even considered to be something worth thinking about, and every move she made around him, she wished she knew whether what she was doing was the right thing.

In the corner of her eye, Geo spotted a figure moving through the crowds of people, her blue eyes darting up to catch sight of one of her best friends. Thinking that Jess had been speaking to Leila in order to comfort her, her heart jolted when she she noted she was the one who was upset, and had quickly disappeared out the front door. Jess had had a tough year, and while she truly didn't know what was going on between the Gryffindors having barely spoken to them properly in so long, the fourth year could barely sit back and watch if one of them were unhappy. She turned her head back to Austin, a concerned look on her face. She was just breaking the ice with him too, but her family would always come first. "Can you give me a moment?" she asked, and while he gave her an encouraging nod, she couldn't help but feel a little guilty at leaving him. He'd been honest about his feelings to her and she wanted nothing more than to continue their discussion, however Geo slid from the seat and took a few steps towards the front door, not waiting long enough in case she was tempted to stay.

"Jessica!" Geo called out once the chill of the air hit her skin for the second time that evening. She'd just regained a best friend, she wasn't about to let her slip away from her again the same night. She caught up to the blonde in a matter of seconds, dashing round to her front in a bid to cut off her path. "Jess," her arms were around her before she'd even had a chance to explain what was wrong. Geo knew she'd only tried to help Leila and whatever had her upset had occurred in the last few moments. "What happened? Talk to me," she urged, never breaking away from their hug.
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How did the night end like this? Only a couple of hours ago Leila and Jess were helping each other get ready and chatting about what the party might be like. But no, the whole night had been turned upside down and the two girls had argued and shouted at each other which resulted in them breaking their friendship. Leila tried to wipe away her tears but they were replaced by fresh ones instantly. She couldn't believe what Jess was saying and she was more annoyed at herself for retaliating, maybe she was more like Maddie than she realised. Leila huffed when Jess spoke about the past year "I'm not saying that Jess, ugh!" she growled throwing her arms up in frustration "I'm saying that i've been with you throughout everything and you're taking it for granted!" she yelled back. Her lower lip trembled when her best friend confirmed that they were over. This wasn't just a silly argument, this was real and Jess had seen to that. "Fine by me!" she shouted after her, Leila could feel her heart actually break into pieces as Jess turned away and ran off in the direction of the house.

Soon Leila was outside and on her own once more, in a worse position than she was earlier. At least she had Jess before and now she was definitely gone. She screamed into the sky, letting out all her frustrations into the night. She couldn't believe what they had just said to each other, that wasn't Jess and Leila, she didn't recognise those people who were shouting minutes ago. In spite of what had just happened she still cared and loved Jess and there was no way she was going to let her run off on her own, after all, Jess came to find her straight away; that's what best friend's did.

Leila followed in her best friend's footsteps and re entered the house but it was so much busier now. She saw Aaron and his friends and some other Gryffindor's that she recognised from the other years but there was no sign of Jess and.. no Geo. The sinking feeling in her stomach resurfaced and she rushed out of the partially open front door where they would have had to run through. She didn't know what, or who, she would find outside but she knew that she had to see if Jess was okay. They had said hurtful things but she didn't mean them and she hoped Jess didn't either. There were two figures up ahead but Leila couldn't be sure that it was her two friends so she walked a little closer and she could hear sniffles and recognised Geo's voice instantly. Her stomach dropped when she realised they were closely embraced. She laughed at the situation they had all found themselves in, she was right all along and she knew to trust her first gut feeling, she was right to be jealous in whatever capacity that might have erupted itself into. "I knew it wouldn't have taken you long Jess but this... this is fast even for you two" she said with venom "look after each other wont you?" She turned to go back into the house to find Aaron, there was no way she was sticking around now not when she knew she wasn't needed or wanted anymore.
 
Jess wanted to be alone, she needed to be alone. Losing her best friend was not a feeling she wanted to share with anyone so when she felt Geo throw her arms round her she wasn't happy about it but the words weren't forming through her tears. "...Leila," She sobbed. "...over," Nothing else wanted to come out and Jess didn't want to tell Geo about the kiss anyway. She didn't want to relieve the moment that started it all. Jess heard more footsteps behind her and when she heard Leila's voice her broken heart skipped a beat. She came after her, after everything she said, but seeing Geo with her arms around Jess was too much. Jess shook her head furious as she tried to wrestle out of Geo's hug. "Leila no! Please," She pleaded as she pulled free of Geo but Leila had already run back into the party. Jess knew what she needed to do.

If it came down to making a choice Jess had already made it. She loved Geo like a sister but Leila was everything and no words were ever going to change that. Jess threw her arms around Geo one more time and squeezed her tightly. "I'm so sorry Geo but please don't follow me," She said wiping tears from her eyes as she separated from Geo. "I can't lose her," With that Jess turned away from Geo and walked back into the party.

Since she was last inside more people had arrived so Jess had to fight her way through the crowd until she found Leila. Afraid she might ignore any words used to get attention Jess grabbed her best friend by the arm. "Leila please, don't leave me," She begged, tears welling up in her eyes. "I was being selfish, I thought there was something between us and having that dashed I just felt everything, that, my dad everything and it all just came out, I deserved everything you said to me and more," Jess didn't care if anyone around them could overhear their conversation, all that mattered was Leila. "You were right Leila I am needy, because I need you, I don't know who I am without you and I damn sure don't want to find out, please forgive me, I love you so much," Jess wiped away more tears but she couldn't stop them from falling. So far she felt like she addressed everything but one and it had to be left till last because Jess had to build up the courage to say it. She was risking everything to save her friendship with Leila, if she didn't forgive her she would lose both her and Geo. "If its a choice between you and her, its you Leila, its always been you," Jess reached out and grabbed Leila's hand, her eyes red, her cheeks glistening with teardrops. Jess had never been more terrified in her life than in the moment she realised she might lose Leila. All because she couldn't control her own feelings. Leila was everything.
 
Geo thought she was doing the right thing. Her friends were her family and nothing was going to change that, they'd always come first. Seeing Jess upset wasn't something she would stand for, but as she blurted out a single word she couldn't make sense of what had happened. That was, until the girl herself appeared, fuming and apparently angry to see them embracing. Wasn't she their best friend? Wouldn't she be glad that they had each other's backs? Listening to her words, the only thing Geo could make out was that Leila was angry she was with Jess at all, and her words stung as she looked up, flooded with the feelings that she weren't good enough. Had Geo only imagined they were friends? Shed never had someone express themselves so venomously at the sight of the Hufflepuff.

She glanced at Jess, although her heart only broke more when she struggled free of her arms, much the way she had done six months ago. They come so far so since then and recent events had only made them stronger, and in the look of shock on the girls face couldn't have gone amiss by anyone. "What.." was all that left her mouth, stunned that not only did Jess ask her not to follow her back inside, as if she the were the burden causing their problems, but the Gryffindor spoke of losing Leila like she herself were otherwise expendable. She felt as though she just taken multiple stab wounds to the chest by those closest to her. Jess couldn't leave Leila. But what about her? Tears stung in the Hufflepuffs eyes, not able to hold them back once Jess had run off inside, leaving Geo once more by self, and out in the cold. Free from prying eyes and safely believing no would could hear her, the air was barely noticeable as she began to sob heavily at the realisation she had finally done it. She had finally lost her best friends. She turned away from the building, unable to return home without her jacket but not wanting to enter the lodge, not even bothering to swipe at the tears on her face. It was worse than any heartbreak, and the Hufflepuff let herself become consumed with guilt, regret and loneliness as she was forgotten about and pushed asides by those most important to her. Her friends were her lifeline, the ones she'd made because she didn't have a family. But between this and the events with Elly, perhaps she were better off alone.
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One moment Elt was hugging Lizzie, the next, Hayley was pulling her away. Elt let go, falling on her hands and knees and watching with upturned eyebrows as the Slytherin introduced Lizzie to her friends. Wait... girlfriend? Maybe it was a good thing Elt hadn't tried harder to get a kiss. She didn't want to break up anybody's relationship, even if her outfit was totally cooler than Hayley's (in her humble opinion).

Sighing, Elt brushed herself off and headed for the snack tables, oblivious to most of the drama going on around her as she stretched and strained to reach up into the bowls. When she finally managed to grab a handful of crisps, she wandered outside, tired of dodging legs. It was quite cold out, though Elt was fine beneath the fluffy black cardigan she'd fashioned to go over her dress. She nibbled on her crisps, staring as a girl with tear-streaked cheeks rushed past her and back to the party. Who cried at a party? Parties were fun! But the Gryffindor wasn't the only one crying. Curious, Elt approached Geo carefully from behind, tip-toeing, almost as if intending to startle her. But when she reached Geo's back, she merely tugged at her dress and came around to her side. She looked freezing cold. Elt shrugged off her cardigan and tossed it up at Geo's shoulders, hoping it would catch. "Why are you crying?" she asked, gently. "Did someone leave you on your own?"
 
Autumn watched as he brother walked off to talk to Geo. It had been an interesting turn of events, a few months ago Autumn had designs on the Gryffindor and now it was her brother who seemed to be developing something with her instead. With her brother gone and no one interesting immediately around her she decided to grab herself a drink. There were small groups of people dotted around the room all deep in their own conversations, some seemed more interesting than others. Autumn was distracted by trying to eavesdrop as she crossed the room so she didn't see the girl step back into her path and crashed into her. "Hey watch where you're..." Autumn began to yell before she noticed who it was. "Oh Odette, sorry," She mumbled. The girl was hard to get a read on but she wasn't someone she wanted to yell at.
 
Eager to get away from this awkward conversation, Odette hadn't really paid attention where she was going. The girl she ran into was familiar to her. Autumn was in her year, and they had started off on the wrong foot in their first year. So when the girl started reacting angrily to her, she wasn't surprised. What did surprise her, was that she changed her act entirely a second later. Odette frowned and crossed her arms. "What's your deal? Why are you being so weirdly nice?" She asked the girl, eyeing her suspiciously. "You were ready to yell at me until you saw who I was. What's going on?" The girl had been somewhat nice to her at the new year's party too, and Odette couldn't help but think there was some underlying reason for it. It made her feel on edge, like Autumn was pitying her or something.
 
Corrine's crush on him had been a source of confidence for Tristan when he found out about it, and he had tried his best to keep it alive by talking to her occasionally or sitting with her in class. She had seemed shy then, but in a pleased way. Now she looked uncomfortable to be talking to him, something he had not expected. He frowned a little as he observed her body language. It was tense and uneasy. But maybe it was for some other reason. He gave her a smile he hoped was reassuring. "So... Are you here by yourself? I could keep you company for a bit, if you want." He said, expecting her to be grateful and pleased with the offer. After all, he usually barely paid attention to her. Why wouldn't she be delighted by this? "Maybe even dance, if the music becomes better." He cast a glance around the room, still keeping a hopeful eye out for October. At least Ares didn't seem to be here. That would be embarrassing. Tristan scoffed inwardly at the memory. The arrogant chaser probably thought this party too immature for him.
 
Kissing Geo felt amazing so when it was over he was little disappointed but hopefully it wouldn't be the last time. "You've nothing to be sorry for," He whispered to her in response to her somewhat out of the blue apology. There were raised voices coming from outside the lodge, they were too muffled to make out any words but they seemed to trouble Geo, perhaps the recognised them? "What is it?" He asked but before he got a response a blonde girl came running inside the house, fought her way through the crowd and ran outside. He vaguely recognised her and was sure she was a friend of so it came as no surprise to him when Geo told him she needed a minute. "Do what you need to do," Austin smiled as he let go of her so she could run after her friend.

Austin was a world of his own as he replayed the last few minutes in his head once he was alone but soon the banging of doors jolted him out of it and two girls charged inside a few minutes apart. One of the was the blonde Geo had run out after. Austin waited a few moments but Geo didn't come back in with them. Was she okay? He didn't want to wait to find out so he got to his feet and made his way to the front door. On his way out he saw a jacket slung over the back of the chair that he was sure he'd seen Geo wear before so he grabbed it as he slipped out of the front door into the cold air. "Geo," Austin called. Her back was to him and she wasn't alone so he wasn't sure how welcome his presence would be but at the very least it was cold and he had her jacket in his hands so he slipped it onto her shoulders. Once he was at her side he noticed the glisten of tears on her cheeks and redness around her eyes, Geo had been crying. Austin moved so he was in front of Geo and placed his hands on her shoulders. It was rude to ignore the other girl with her but in that moment all he could see and care about was Geo. "What happened?" Austin asked softly.
 
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