Party Like a Badger!

Mira was helping her housemates set up the dorm. It was Hufflepuff's turn to throw the party, and she didn't exactly approve. After the last time - the "Great Duel Party of 1350" - she sort of hoped they'd never have another party again. What if the Ministry crashed it?

"Mira, toss me the sack of frogs," Ron instructed.

Ron Avery was a fifth year, and the Seeker for their team. He was pretty stiffly-laced, so to speak; she was surprised he was going along with all of this. She picked up the bag of chocolate frogs and took them over to him.

"Thanks," he said curtly. "What're you so worried about?"

"Another scene like last time," she said, like it should've been obvious.

"Don't be," he chuckled. "We've tightened our security." He winked at her. Was she supposed to know what that meant? Seeing her blank stare, Ron rolled his eyes. "House elves."

"Ohhhhhh," she smiled, understanding.

Now she really could feel safe; house elves had very strong magic. Mira went to help Jon get the game tables set up, and before long, the first groups were arriving.

The common room looked incredible. Little twinkling lights were strung on the big, green plants that hung from the ceiling. The curtains were closed on the circular windows so no one outside could see. Tables covered with food platters lined the walls on one side of the room; Jinxy and Peony had been sweet enough to bring some freshly baked pastries to go with all the Hogsmeade goods. The other side of the common room was dotted with game tables - Exploding Snap, Wizard's Chess, checkers, and plenty of others. Fluffy yellow couches and chairs surrounded the fireplace. Hufflepuff was just as cozy as always, and Mira was actually excited to show it off.

"Alright! Party time again!" Peyton cheered, as him, her, and Walt walked down to the Hufflepuff dorm. Marigold shushed him and then laughed at his excitement.

"Thanks for inviting me!" Walt said happily. Peyton was one of the few people that liked Walt a little bit. But, Marigold wouldn't let him stay behind anyways. She wanted people to like Walt. At least a little bit. He was a good guy. But, he just liked to stay in charge and in control. Which was common for Gryffindors. Asher was really similar.

They got into the Hufflepuff dorm and everything seemed so cozy. It was beautifully decorated. Marigold could see why her father loved being a Hufflepuff. She wondered if she would be here if she hadn't been chosen for Ravenclaw.

"Hey. Do you know anything about that boy over there?" Walt whispered to her quickly, gesturing to this Hufflepuff boy. Marigold recognized him as the Hufflepuff seeker and knew that he was a noble.

"Hufflepuff seeker. Noble. Probably betrothed," Marigold whispered back to him. Walt took a deep breath and Marigold patted his cheek as he went to get something to eat.

"Marigold!" Elsa cheered, wrapping her arms around Marigold's neck. Marigold chuckled.

"Why are you so happy? We see each other every day in class," Marigold asked her. Elsa giggled mischievously and pulled her aside.

"I haven't told anyone yet, but Seamus asked me to the dance! I'm so happy! Last year, I only went with Jon and Edwin. Now, I'm onto older boys! I'm so excited!" Elsa cheered excitedly. Marigold had to work on maintaining her smile because she knew how Adele felt about Seamus and knew that it would crush her if Elsa told her. They were housemates and best friends. They were each other's confidant.

"That's great Elsa! I'm really happy for you. I'm sure Seamus will be the perfect date," Marigold replied. Elsa jumped up and down excitedly.

"Do you know what he's wearing? I want to coordinate with him as much as possible," Elsa asked, pulling her to a couch and asking her question after questions about Seamus. Marigold couldn't help but laugh. Elsa was acting like such a doxy.

"Honestly, I don't know. Something blue, I think. But, Elsa, if you could, could you keep your news from Adele? I don't her to get jealous at your good fortune," Marigold told her, making up an excuse as to why not to tell Adele. Elsa smiled deviously.

"Oh! Of course! But, honestly, after she broke his heart last year, I'm not surprised that he asked me. I would have asked someone else too if I was him. But, anyway, back to the dance. What are you wearing? *gasp* Can I do your hair?! It would be so pretty in a braid! It's so long!," Elsa exclaimed, grabbing pieces of Marigold's hair and playing with it. Marigold laughed and let her play with her hair. But, Marigold couldn't help but notice how devious Elsa was when it came to boys. But, she knew that Elsa was a sweet girl and that she was just so excited. So, Marigold thought that they could still be friends. Hopefully, I'm not mistaken. she thought.

Adelaine threaded a gold ribbon through her braid as quickly as possible. She and Seamus were on the most uncomfortable of terms, and she didn't want to make matters worse by holding him up.

"I'm ready," she said as she ran down the stairs. "Where's Gavin?"

"He told us te go ahead," Seamus shrugged, facing the door.

Well, this should be fun, she thought with a frown. Seamus held the door open for her, and she stopped abruptly. A gut-wrenching feeling of butterflies swooped through her insides; they were going to the Hufflepuff dorm. Elsa would be there. That two-faced, red headed little doxy spawn!

"Ye okay?" Seamus asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Huh? Oh, yeah," she nodded, hurrying past him. The walk to Hufflepuff was silent and awkward. Adele was more than grateful to see Marigold there already when the hidden entrance swung open.

"Butterbeer, Adele?" Peyton said kindly, passing her a bottle.

"Thanks," she smiled, gulping it down.

"Seamus, hi!" Elsa grinned, coming over to them. "I'm so glad you're here! Oh, hi, Adele."

"Hello, Elsa," Adele said shortly.

"Heyo," Seamus waved, looking down at his shoes.

"The dance is coming up so soon, isn't it?" Elsa continued carelessly. "Seamus and I are going together, did he tell you? Has anyone asked you? Don't worry, I'm sure they will. And if not, well...I'm sure you won't be the only one without a date."

The Hufflepuff Doxy smiled sweetly, linked arms with Seamus, and walked away. Adelaine was left staring after them.

Kolby was excited. Party season was back! He had honestly missed Hogwarts parties. They were a lot less formal and Kolby liked them considerably better than noble parties. No one was trying to outdo each other; no one was bragging about their latest possessions; no one was being snooty. It was chill. Way chill. He liked that. He was walking with Symon and Jacob, filling them in on his plan to ruin Davy's plan.

"Just be sure that you can pull it off," was all Symon said, while Jacob helped him with some of the planning.

"Do you think Marigold will be here?" Jacob asked suddenly, twiddling his thumbs. It never occurred to Kolby that Jacob might still have a thing for Marigold. They definitely didn't seem as close as last year. Kolby shrugged. They got to the Hufflepuff dorm and a house elf popped up.

"Sorry. No Slytherins allowed at this party. Orders of the Hufflepuffs," the house elf told him. Kolby groaned while Symon and Jacob tried to explain that they were the good guys. The house elf seemed skeptical and poofed away. It came back a minute later.

"My apologies. Please, go in," the elf said. They thanked the elf and went inside. Kolby smiled, as Peyton waved him down for a game of cards. Peyton also got him a Butterbeer. Kolby watched as Symon went up to Adele and gently place his hand on her shoulder, seeing that she was a little upset by something. Jacob wandered around until he found Marigold, who he sat down with and began to talk to. Walt seemed to just float and stare at the Hufflepuff seeker a lot. Kolby went to playing cards, wondering when the Gryffindors would get here. It was never a party without Gryffindors.

Arya and Asher met up with Gavin by the kitchens and headed to the party together. She was carrying a large wicker basket, with the flaps closed to keep the contents a surprise. Little airholes were knotched into the top.

"What's with the basket?" Gavin asked.

"You'll see," she grinned.

"Ya won't believe it," Asher said.

Arry nudged him in the side before he could spill the beans. Once they reached the dorm, she was happy to see that Jinxy was standing guard.

"Hello, Miss Arry!" the little elf said. "You'll be pleased to see bacon inside."

"Fantastic!" she exclaimed, high-fiving him and walking into the common room.

"Everyone, Arya's brought something!" Asher shouted at the top of his lungs.

Arya carefully set the basket on the floor and lifted the cover. A dozen pastel ducklings quacked loudly and looked around at all the smiling faces. Arry had been taking care of them since the Ravenclaw party. She'd been surprised to realize that they were always going to be little ducklings, since they'd just come from magic.

"C'mere, Alfie," she whispered, picking up the teal one. She saw Adele and Symon standing a little out of the way of everyone and wondered what that was about. "Hey, Marigold. What's going on with Adele?"

Marigold wasn't much for conversation with Jacob, so she sent him off to get some treats. She was happy when Arya came to talk to her. She smiled, and then her smile fell, hearing that Adele was upset about something. She looked around for her friend, seeing her be comforted by Symon. Marigold glanced across the room and spotted Elsa, with her arm laced around Seamus. Marigold groan.

"Elsa probably said or did something to her. Look," Marigold said, gesturing with her head to Seamus and Elsa. Marigold was annoyed. She told Elsa not to and she went and betrayed her trust. Marigold sat a little closer to Arya.

"I told her specifically not to tell Adele. She knew Adele would be here, so she's purposefully on Seamus' arm. Don't trust everything Elsa says. She a bit of a doxy," Marigold told Arya, in a more hushed tone, clearly annoyed. Marigold was mostly a level-headed person. But, she strongly disliked people 1) who lie and 2) who disrespect other people. It made her blood boil. But, just then, Asher came up, handing her a drink.

"Here. Try a sip. You might like it," he told her, sitting on the other side of Marigold, so not to come between the two girls. Marigold was in a Gryffindor sandwich. She took a sip. It was an ale, but it tasted sweet, like vanilla. It was also more creamy than a normal ale.

"This is really good," Marigold commented, taking around swig. Asher smiled.

"Good. I thought you might like it," Asher told her. She smiled at him and blushed. Then, Edwin joined.

"Alright! Truth or Dare time! We got Firewhiskey!" Edwin announced, getting all three on the couch involved. Marigold sighed and sat in the circle, keeping a hold on her drink. It was a few random people, with other members from their group. Walt waved at her from across the circle.

"Alright. As head of this game, I get to pick first. Marigold! Shot! Then, truth or dare?" Edwin immediately announced. Marigold groaned as Edwin handed her the shot. She knocked it back and set it down, trying not to make a face. But, the whiskey was fire. She took a swig of the ale to chase it. It seemed to work. Alright. Let's try not to get too drunk. That would be embarrassing. she thought.

"Truth," she said simply. She didn't feel like a dare yet. Edwin got a devious smile.

"Be honest Marigold. Which House, besides your own, has the best boys overall?" Edwin asked. Marigold suppressed a blush as some of the girls "ooooh"ed. Marigold sighed and racked her brain.

"I don't know. Boys are confusing in general. I think Gryffindor is pretty good," Marigold finally decided. The girls "oooh"ed again and Edwin smiled widely. Marigold couldn't even look at Asher, as her face turning a little red.

"Jon. Your turn. Truth or dare," Marigold said quickly before any more questions could be asked.

"Dare!" Jon exclaimed, taking a shot. Marigold smiled and told Jon to come between Elsa and Seamus awkwardly. Jon happily got up and went over to the couple, whose arms were still linked. Jon wiggled himself between them and talked to both of them. Elsa seemed a little in shock that Jon would do that, but Seamus laughed it off and they both came to join the game. This is interesting, Marigold thought, taking another drink of her ale.

Adelaine sat with Symon at an Exploding Snap table, feeling a bit worse for wear. Here was her betrothed, trying his best to cheer her up, when the reason for her mood was another guy! She felt like she was stringing him along.

"Don't let it ruin your weekend," he was saying. "It won't mess up your grade that badly."

That's right - she'd told him she was upset about a test score. Adele, you're practically as bad as Elsa right now. She deserved this for ever leading Seamus on in the first place; she was betrothed!

"Adele, Symon, come play!" Gavin shouted, waving them over to the fire.

"You up for a little truth or dare?" Symon asked her, smiling wryly.

"Even after what I did to you last year?" she wondered.

"It was a dare," he shrugged. "Forgive and forget. Let's go!"

She let him take her hand and lead her over to the couches. Seamus and Elsa had also just joined the game. Bloody hell, she thought, picking up a green duckling to keep her calm.

"Okay, my turn," Jon said, looking around at his victims. "Adele! Shot! Truth or dare?"

"Dare," she ventured, after swigging the firewhiskey.

"Go over there and give Kolby a big ole peck on the lips!"

Everyone laughed, and the shot had made Adele brave. She went straight to the Slytherin, grabbed him by his robes, and kissed him flat on the mouth. The crowd went absolutely wild!

Kolby was shocked! And, a little embarrassed. He blushed as Adele kissed him. Then, looking at the group on the floor that cheered, he quickly smiled and rolled his eyes. It was just a game of Truth or Dare. Adele would never kiss him on the lips if she wasn't dared. He nodded to the group and returned to his game of Wizard Snap with Peyton, who just sorta looked shocked.

"It was a dare. It had to be," Kolby told him. Peyton nodded and they returned to their game. Kolby was watching this girl, though. She seemed dizzy and was walking around funny like she didn't know where she was. He watched her, as her friend tried to keep her in the corner and under control. He looked around the room. A Gryffindor was watching her from the corner too.

"Hey. See that girl over there?" Kolby asked Peyton. Peyton turned and looked. He nodded and went back to the game.

"She looks like she's completely wasted. What about her?" Peyton asked.

"I think that Gryffindor over there drugged her. He was hanging around at the drinks for a long time," Kolby said, nodding to the Gryffindor. Peyton looked at him and they went to the drinks. There was a mysterious white powder around the keg of Butterbeer and the other drinks. Peyton ran his finger through it.

"I'll go get Walt. See what he says," Kolby told him, heading to the side of the room. He seemed to be inching closer to the Hufflepuff boy.

"We need your help," Kolby told him. Walt snapped out of it and nodded. He went with Kolby to the drinks and inspected the white powder.

"Oh. Oh. OH. This isn't good. Not good at all," Walt told them.

"What is it?" Peyton asked.

"It's asphodel. Well, the powdered root of the asphodel plant. It's used in the Draught of Living Death potion. Every healer knows to avoid it. If anyone consumes it, it can cause hallucinations and even fainting. It's curable, especially here at Hogwarts. But, what is it doing here?" Walt explained. Kolby got to work dumping out cups of drinks and cleaning cups, while Peyton was working on getting the keg out. Walt seemed to register what was going on and began to help.

"Walt, how hard is it to get this plant?" Kolby asked, dumping out more cups. A few people looked at them concerned but assumed that it was a dare and kept milling about.

"Unfortunately, it can be grown almost anywhere. I'll contact Ron and he'll tell the house elves. I'm sure that they can fix this quicker than we can," he told Kolby,  going up to the Hufflepuff that he was near earlier. Ron contacted the house elves and soon they were cleaning up the area, saying that the drinks had gone flat and that they were changing them out. Kolby nodded to the Gryffindor that was watching the girl earlier and Walt and Ron worked to kick him out without too much fuss. Walt then went to attend to the girl, who was currently the only one showing physical symptoms. Ron followed him and they walked her back to her dorm. Kolby smiled and took a breath of relief. The crisis was partially avoided. The house elves were even kind enough to replace the keg. But, Kolby looked at the game of Truth or Dare. He hated to think of what might happen if one of them got drugged by accident.

Arya sat by the fire and laughed along with everyone during the Truth or Dare game. She was pretty reluctant to get picked, but it was bound to happen at some point. Mostly, she just hated firewhiskey; it was like straight cinnamon syrup.

"Who's next?" Asher asked, a little too loudly. "Ummmmm....Arya!"

"Damn!" she shouted. "Fine. Uh, truth. No, no, no, dare!"

"Nope, you said truth! Can't take it back now," he grinned. "Okay, lemme think....Got it! If you HAD to marry any guy in this circle, no matter the rank...who'd it be?"

Arya cursed herself for picking truth. What would she say?? Obviously, the first person who came to mind was Gavin, but she couldn't say that. Then he'd know! But was that so bad? Bloody hell, she thought in a panic.

"I guess, erm," she started to say.

In the corner of her eye, she could see Gavin's ears were bright red. Before she could finish her sentence, thankfully, someone yelled, "THE DUCKS ARE LOOSE!"

There were now a dozen quacking pastel ducklings running free in the Hufflepuff common room. The game was momentarily forgotten as everyone scrambled to catch them.

"Gotta catch 'em all, guys!" Seamus exclaimed, standing up on the couch. "I don' like ducks!"

Marigold felt light headed and she felt like she was slow moving around. She had finished the ale and the shot hit her pretty hard. She was a lightweight. She couldn't handle much. Then, she got a killer headache. She picked up three ducks and put two of them back in the basket, carrying a little red one with her. The circle was gathering again, but she was hesitant to join, feeling her headache. She rubbed her forehead.

"You okay?" Asher asked, coming up to her, a few ducks in his hands too. Marigold smiled.

"I just got a headache. No big deal," she told him. But, she felt like someone was stabbing her head.

"I'll get you some water. Just go sit down," he offered, passing her the ducklings. Marigold blushed and put the rest of them in the basket, still holding onto her red one. Asher was being sweet lately and Marigold really liked it. He had calmed down over the summer, probably from being around his siblings again and properly mourn the death of his mother. But, Marigold knew that deep down, he still was hot tempered and had a short fuse. He was just better at hiding it now. Marigold sat in the circle and Asher handed her a glass of water.

"Anyone remembered who went last?" Edwin asked, as Marigold took a few sips  of her water. She remembered that it was Arya and that she had an embarrassing question.

"Well, let's just start over then. Edwin! Shot! Truth or Dare!" Marigold announced, passing Edwin the bottle. They were halfway through the bottle. Edwin took the shot and picked dare. Marigold smiled.

"Let everyone melt one ice cube on your body. Ready, set,GO!" Marigold said, passing around the ice bucket. Jon held him down as people melted ice cubes on his face and his arms. Everyone was laughing as Edwin squirmed, but he was laughing too, so it was all good fun. After a little bit, they let him up. He huffed and crossed his arms dramatically, but everyone laughed.

"Fine. Adele! Truth or Dare? Also, take a shot!" Edwin called out. Marigold took another sip of water. This was fun!

Mira sat at an Exploding Snap table with Walt and Ron, both of whom were practically strangers to her. Still, they were surprisingly pleasant company.

"Two mermaids," she said, tapping the cards quickly.

"How are you so good at this, Mira?" Ron asked incredulously. She was winning, 15:8:4.

"I used to play it a lot when I was younger," she said, concentrating on the shuffling deck. "Ogres!"

Walt and Ron smirked at each other. They seemed to be becoming fast friends. In fact, if she didn't know better, Mira would say they were flirting.

"Do you guys wanna join the Truth or Dare?" Walt pleaded for the fifth time.

"I've told you, I don't like that game," Ron sighed, shaking his head. "It's either humiliating or meddlesome."

"I agree," Mira said, tapping two more cards. "I'm gonna go grab a butterbeer."

The boys waved to her, and she walked over to the keg across the room. As she refilled her mug, Edwin and Jon left their game and came up to her, their arms crossed. Uh oh, she thought nervously.

"How's it going?" she asked with a small smile.

"Okay, Mira, you know we've both asked you to the dance," Ed began seriously.

"We're gonna need for you to make a choice," Jon finished, frowning. "Because neither of us wants to show up without a date, so we'll need time to ask someone else."

"Are you serious?" Mira exclaimed. Now was so not the time.

"Completely," Edwin huffed. "Who's it gonna be?"

After another fifteen or so minutes of truth or dare, Adele was exhausted. If she was going to keep her energy up, she'd need something to eat. Over at the food table, the houseelves had just set out new plates of baked goods that smelled incredible.

"What're you having?" Symon asked her, filling his plate with one of each.

"I think I'm gonna stick to the pumpkin pasties," she decided, grabbing a napkin.

"Um, Adele," Seamus cleared his throat behind her. "Can I talk te ye?"

"What? Uh, yes, of course," she nodded, surprised.

He led her to an empty stairwell leading to one of the dormitories, and they sat down. Adele was so unnerved, she sat on her hands to keep from fidgeting.

"I'm sorry about wha' Elsa did," he sighed, talking quietly. "There was no call fer that. But I only asked her cause I heard ye sayin' those things in ta library wit Kolby, an' I guess I jus' let my emotions run wild, I dunno."

Adele was shocked that he was saying these things. Seamus wasn't usually the type to talk about his feelings like this. "But, what I said in the library," she replied slowly. "You misunderstood."

"How can I misunderstand somethin' like tat?" he asked, getting a bit angry. "I heard it loud an' clear, I'm not daft."

"I'm not saying you are," she insisted. "But you misheard something, and then ran off to Elsa instead of just asking me about it!"

"Wha' was there to ask? Ye were talkin' about ta bloody snake, I heard it word fer word!"

"Seamus, did you ever actually hear me even say a name??" she exclaimed, annoyed at his annoyance.

"I didn't have te, I know how ye feel about him, it's been written on yer face since ta day ye got betrothed," he shot back, trying to keep his voice down. "Ye know what, I'm glad I'm goin' wit Elsa. Yer too much of a hassle fer me, Adele, an' I'm done!"

Seamus stormed off, and Adelaine kicked the wall, wishing she could scream. Why were things always this complicated?

It had taken Deirdre a long time to decide whether or not to attend the party happening in the common room. She knew her job was to guard the Templars but after the big reveal the day they got all of the snacks she just wasn't up to the possible questions and ideas on how to rid her of her betrothed.

Eventually, though, she decided it would be fun to say hello to her friends in her own House. Tugging on her simplest lavender dress Deirdre headed to the common room... to find a bit of chaos ensuing. Escaped multi-colored ducks, truth or dare, and Adele arguing with Seamus over something?

"Well, I hope ye all left me some of te excitement!" She pouted.

Marigold hadn't been paying attention to the game. She watched Seamus and Adele, as they talked and argued a little bit. Asher seemed to be watching too. They excused themselves and Asher went to Seamus, to try to calm him down. Marigold was making her way over to Adele, but Elsa caught her.

"Did you see that huge fight between them? Serves her right, doesn't it?" Elsa whispered to Marigold. Marigold wanted to slap some sense into her. Who does she think she is, causing drama like this? Marigold thought.

"You know, I could drive the wedge between them even more," Elsa suddenly proposed, a nefarious grin on her face. Marigold knew that she had to talk her out of it.

"Elsa, why do you want to be so mean? You're acting like a snake right now," Marigold told her. Elsa looked at the floor and then looked back at Marigold.

"I guess you're right. But, I guess I've always been a little jealous of Adele. She has everything. She had so much money, so many connections and so many guys chasing after her. The least she could do is share the wealth," Elsa said, smiling wickedly.

"Elsa, it's not that simple. Adele also has a lot of enemies and lots of problems," Marigold corrected, without giving away too much of Adele's private life.

"Look, I know what you're trying to do. You're her best friend and you're trying to protect her. But, Marigold, think about it. You two never would have met if you didn't come to Hogwarts. She's in a different social class. She can't really be your friend," Elsa told her gently. Marigold thought about it. Elsa had a point. Marigold just stopped to think and didn't see Elsa slip away. She was right, in some weird sense. Marigold snapped out of it and went looking for Elsa again. But, she was too late.

"Elsa!" Marigold called out, trying to get her away from Seamus. But, she had kissed him, her arms wrapped tight around his neck. Seamus pushed her off of him almost immediately and Marigold pulled her a little more away. Elsa blew a kiss at Seamus, as Marigold separated her from him.

"Elsa, are you crazy?! You're causing trouble and making enemies," Marigold told her. But, Elsa just had a wicked smile. She patted Marigold's cheek, knowing that Marigold was just trying to keep the peace, and went to the food table. Marigold groaned. Why was there so much drama?!

Reyna and Elma were late to the party, thanks to Elma changing her outfit a thousand times. She's fussier than I am, Rey thought, astonished, as her housemate finally stepped out of the Ravenclaw common room. They were both giddy with excitement, attending their first ever dorm party. What they weren't expecting, though, was all the commotion. There was so much going on, Reyna didn't know where to look!

"Oh my God, my sister is such a doxy," Elma said in shame as she watched Elsa plant a kiss on an older boy.

"They're so loud," Reyna muttered, watching a group of kids playing truth or dare. "Everyone's drinking..should we leave?"

"Are you kidding?" Elma scoffed.

She took Reyna by the arm and dragged her over to the kegs. Two were filled with butterbeer, one was pumpkin juice ("For the babies," as one boy said), and another was firewhiskey. Reyna unabashedly went with the pumpkin juice.

"You came?" she heard a familiar voice. Symon stood behind her, grimly sipping a butterbeer.

"Yep," she smiled. "Everything okay?"

"Uhh, yeah, I dunno," he shrugged, looking across the room. Adelaine was sitting on the steps, glaring.

"Trouble in paradise?" she asked gently, pulling her brother aside so they could talk.

"I don't think there even is a paradise anymore," he admitted. "Things were working out so smoothly last year with us, but it's like something changed over the summer. I know she's trying to put on a smile with me, but I think she's into Seamus again. They just had a big blowup, obviously."

Reyna nodded, putting it all together. Clearly Elsa was getting in between the two Ravenclaws. She really is a doxy, Reyna realized. Still, some part of her couldn't help being upset with Adele, too. Why wasn't Symon good enough for her? What did Seamus have that her big brother didn't?

"Don't fret over it," Symon patted her on the head, as if reading her mind. "I imagine things will cool off between them again eventually, nothing I can do about it."

She sighed, and he walked off.

"Elma, do you know if Dimia is here?" she asked, looking around for another friend.

Alec and Dimia were chilling in the Gryffindor common room, writing some essay for Potions. Alec was trying to help her as much as possible, but Dimia was having a lot of trouble. Both of them were getting frustrated. Then, Alec had an idea.

"Hey. Let's take a break. There's a party going on in the Hufflepuff common room," he proposed. Dimia rubbed her eye and nodded. They both put their books away and then they went down to the Hufflepuff common, looking out for guards. Dimia smiled when they got in. The common room was beautiful and everyone looked to be having fun.

"Dimia!" Elma said, hugging her. Dimia giggled and Elma led them to the food and drinks. Dimia helped herself to a Butterbeer. Wine was common at home, even though Dimia always knew when to stop. But, her father, being practically nonexistent, didn't monitor her too closely, so Dimia had her fair share of wine. Dimia and Alec clinked their glasses. Alec went to join Truth or Dare and Dimia saw Reyna with Elma.

"Hey girlies!" Dimia said, coming up to her.

"I wonder if this is a normal party. Seems pretty tame," Elma commented. Dimia shrugged and sipped at her Butterbeer. Her stomach felt warm and she smiled. The first sips were always the best. Dimia noticed that Alec was walking up to her. She smiled and he smiled back.

"So, ummm, I got to do something and it's a dare," Alec told her. Dimia nodded and planned to go along with it. Alec cringed and then threw his drink on her! Dimia gasped, seeing that it was suddenly ice cold water. Then, she took her drink and threw it on him. The Truth or Dare game erupted in laughter, seeing both of them soaking wet. They both smiled at each other and Alec got her a new drink before returning to the game. Elma got both of them towels.

"I'm surprised that you went along with it. I'm too much of a lady to do that," Elma told her. Dimia shrugged. It was all fun and games.

Kolby was wondering around the party, not really getting involved with anyone or anything. He was about two Butterbeers in and he felt light headed and more carefree, but at the same time, on edge. He was pulled aside by Jacob though, who seemed slightly tipsy and little upset.

"Do you know why Marigold doesn't like me anymore?" Jacob asked. Kolby sighed.

"Look, man, I understand that last year, you and her was closer then her and Asher at the time. But, apparently, she likes Asher this year. Try not to get jealous," Kolby told him, a little bluntly.

"But, why? He's so hot headed and short tempered. He's the polar opposite of her," Jacob commented, taking a sip of his drink. Kolby took it away from him and gave him water.

"I think you're done for the night. Drink some water. Balance it out. I can walk you back in like an hour. Just relax," Kolby told him. Jacob groaned and sat down. He seemed distressed and Kolby thought that he was acting weird. Kolby went to get himself some water. He felt like he should stop for the night. Then, he heard Elsa screaming. He turned and looked. Her teeth were growing at an insane rate and was almost touching the floor. Edwin cast the Shrinking Charm to stop it and Kolby walked over, wondering what happened.

"Are you certain that she did it?" Edwin asked her. Elsa was hysterical and panicked. Tears rolled down her face and Kolby felt a little concerned.

"Of course she did it! Only Marigold could have done it!" Elsa yelled, accusing the Ravenclaw. Kolby furrowed his brow.

"Marigold? The pacifist? The healer in training that only wants to help people and only fights when she has to?" Kolby questioned. Edwin seemed to be on the same page as Kolby, but Elsa was sure that it was Marigold.

"She has been protecting Adele all night! She had to have done it. I want her kicked out! I want her to leave! We need to have a trail. Someone must have seen her do it!" Elsa said, hysterically. Kolby shook his head. Elsa was being ridiculous tonight.

Marigold talked to Elsa and then left her alone. She was at the food table, trying some pastries with Seamus and Asher. Marigold was practically guarding Seamus from Elsa, with Asher's help. Marigold's headache seemed to get worse, but she was trying to fix it by drinking more and more water. She yawned. It was a little past midnight now.

"Marigold!" Elsa yelled angrily. Marigold turned around and Elsa came at her swinging. Marigold was pushed aside by Asher and Seamus stood in front of her.

"Woah! Woah! Elsa! Chill!" Edwin said, pulling her back. Marigold felt a little insulted that Elsa came up to punch her. She also felt a little confused. What did she do? What happened?

"You made my teeth huge!" Elsa yelled at her. Marigold furrowed her brow.

"Elsa, what are you talking about?" Marigold asked. Elsa huffed.

"Like you don't know! You cast a hex on me to make my teeth huge because of what I did. You got revenge for Adele," Elsa accused. Marigold felt insulted.

"Elsa, she has been here the past 15 minutes. She hasn't pulled out her wand all night. In fact, she probably doesn't even have her wand with her," Asher told her. Marigold gave her bag to Jon, who rummaged through it.

"Her wand isn't in here," Jon told Elsa. Marigold's wand had actually been taken by Robert earlier in the day. He found out that she took the vial of truth serum and she had to go the day without magic. It was a strange punishment, but Marigold found it pretty easy. She was on high alert, in case something happened, but she knew that she could rely on her friends. That's why she told Asher and the Ravenclaws.

"You don't have your wand?" Edwin asked.

"I got it taken away for the day," Marigold told him.

"Elsa, there's no way she could have done it," Jon told her the obvious. Elsa was on the brink of tears and ran into the girls dorm. Marigold rubbed her head. She was tired. She felt sick. She needed to go to bed.

"I think I'm done for the night. I can't handle the drama right now," Marigold told Asher and Seamus.

"Just hold out for another hour, then we'll all leave as a group. Here. Let's play Wizard Snap," Asher told her, leading her to a table. Marigold shrugged and went to play Wizard Snap, although all she wanted to do is go to bed.

Adele sat slumped on the stairs, watching the scene unfold. I'd rather go through another duel than this, she thought, feeling numb and lonely. She couldn't even laugh when Elsa got hexed. Who had done it? Her hero, whoever it was.

"Blast," she mumbled, as Elsa turned toward the stairwell.

The Hufflepuff ran her way, and Adelaine scooted as far to the side as she could. At first, it seemed like Elsa was headed straight for her, but she ran right past. A door slammed behind her; Elsa must've gone to her room.

"You okay?" someone asked suddenly.

Adele turned to see Finn standing in front of her. Not who I expected, she thought. "I've been better," she shrugged.

"She's not much of a threat, you know," he nodded to girls' dorm. "Bit boy crazy. It was me for a bit, then Robb, now Seamus. It'll be someone else soon."

"I'm not sure if that makes me feel better or worse," she admitted, not liking the idea of Seamus being a toy to someone.

"I know it seems like a really big deal now," he smiled knowingly. "But things have a way of sorting themselves out."

Finnius patted her on the head and walked back out to the party. What did any of that mean? Adele sighed, and decided to sneak out of the common room. She kept her head down and darted across the room and out the door, and made her way back to Ravenclaw Tower.

Deirdre watched with a straight face as her hex worked on Elsa. She hadn't actually expected it to but with the way her housemate way acting, the lass just seemed to deserve it. She hadn't even meant to bring her wand to the party but now she was glad she had.

Before she could step forward as the perpetrator Elsa blamed Marigold. How could she suspect her, anyway? Marigold wasn't exactly known to act rashly. A certain Irish brunette on the other hand...

Deirdre walked past Marigold, patting her on the shoulder before heading out after Adele. "Oi! Adele!" She called after her friend. "I hope ye don't mind tat I acted rashly back there. Elsa acting tat way got my blood boiling." She caught up to the other girl and placed a hand on her arm. "Are ye alright?"

Adele stopped midway down the hall when she heard someone call her name. She turned when Deirdre caught up to her, and pulled her aside so no one would hear them.

"You did that? That was hilarious," she admitted, smiling sheepishly. "If I didn't feel so much like I'd been punched in the gut, I'd be laughing."

She was quiet for a minute as a couple boys walked past, headed for the kitchens.

"Honestly, I think I'm more hurt by Elsa than by Seamus," she sighed, pulling at her braid. "I thought we were better friends than that. I'll be okay, though. Hopefully I'll be kicking her arse on the Quidditch Pitch soon. I'm gonna head out, go back and enjoy yourself!"

Adelaine gave Deirdre a quick hug, grateful that she'd been there for her, and left.

Arya was so busy running around chasing ducklings, she hadn't even noticed all the other commotion around her. She did look up just in time to see Elsa's teeth, though, which was pretty funny.

"Arry!" Seamus called, making his way over to her. "Did Adele leave?"

"Huh? I dunno, did she?" she wondered, looking around.

Seamus huffed and walked away, since she was no help. Wonder what his problem is, she thought.

"Wow, can you believe all that?" Gavin asked, sneaking up behind her.

"All what??"

"Um, hello? The stuff with Elsa and Seamus?" he told her, and she could practically hear his eyes roll without even looking.

"I dunno, but I'm more curious about what happened to Adele," she shrugged.

"Where have you been this whole time?" Gavin shook his head, taking a duck before he walked off.

Alfie quacked loudly from the basket, and she looked down at him. He turned his back on her as soon as they made eye contact. Bloody hell, what is with everyone? She craned her neck and spotted Marigold in the crowd, and headed over to her.

"Hey, what's going on with everyone?"

Right when Edwin and Jon had asked her to make a choice between the two of them, all the drama with Elsa happened. Mira thought she'd got off scot-free, but they found her back over at the Exploding Snap table with Walt and Ron.

"Don't think we've forgotten," Jon huffed.

"We need an answer, Mira," Edwin sighed, hands on his hips.

Walt and Ron both looked extremely uncomfortable at this intrusion of their game.

"Should we leave?" Ron asked Mira.

"Stay put," she snapped, folding her arms and turning to Ed and Jon. "You guys are so dramatic."

There was really no question about it, she wanted to go with Edwin. But she knew it would crush Jon...I have to be straightforward, she thought.

"Edwin asked first, so I'm going with him." she said, not quite as straightforward as she should've been.

"Yes!" Ed cheered.

"Oh," Jon frowned. "Um, well..yeah, that's fair. I get it."

He walked away, and Edwin smiled at Mira before quickly following him.

"Well, that was interesting," Walt smirked.

Marigold went back to where she saw Adele last, on the stairs. But, she wasn't there anymore. She sighed and rubbed her head. She was getting onto Seamus and was going to go to Adele, before Elsa came to almost fight her.

"Has anyone seen Adele?" she asked the group, feeling sick. Like, physically sick. This was too much. Too much for her to handle.

"I think she left. You might want to go after her," Gavin told her. She nodded and went to leave the Common Room, before Arya caught her, asking what happened with everyone.

"Well, Elsa is being a doxy and kissed Seamus purposely to hurt Adele. I got onto Seamus earlier, for being so dumb for asking Elsa to the dance in the first place and making her get a big head. Then, someone made Elsa's teeth grow huge and Walt got them to stop. Elsa then blamed me and came to fight, if Seamus and Asher weren't there to stop her. It's a huge mess. And, now, we think Adele has left, so I'm going to go see if she's alright, so I'll be back," Marigold told Arya very hastily, a bit ticked off by everything that has happened. She was ready to leave. She didn't like the drama. She didn't like having a headache. She moved towards the door and slipped out of the common room.

"Adele? Adele?" she called out to the empty hallways.

"Marigold?" Seamus called out from behind her. Marigold sighed as Seamus came up.

"Have you seen her?" Seamus asked as he came up to her.

"No, not yet. But, I can tell you that you should just go back to the party," she told him.

"Wat?" he asked, sounding a little hurt. Marigold sighed and turned to face him.

"Seamus, you started this whole mess. It wasn't Elsa; it wasn't Adele; it was you. YOU asked Elsa out to the dance. YOU gave her a huge ego. YOU didn't discourage her from bragging about it. Seamus, all of this drama is about YOU," Marigold lectured.

"Wat? No, it wasn't! I was letting Adele go! I was letting her go love Symon! I was taking myself out of the equation! I heard her talk to Kolby about how much she loved him at the library!" Seamus said, getting defensive.

"You're a dunce! You really think she doesn't care about you? Really, Seamus? Are you blind?! She liked you, alright?" Marigold said, angerily, almost yelling at him. He took a step back.

"Does she really?" he asked. Marigold rolled her eyes and nodded. He seemed confused.

"And, now, you've gone and hurt her feelings. How does that feel? Go back to the party. She wouldn't want to talk to you right now," Marigold told him. He seemed hurt and turned around. He walked back to the party. Marigold sighed. She didn't like being the bad guy. She continued to walk the halls.

"Adele? Adele?" she called out, even though she knew that she could comfort her at the Common Room.

(OOC: Would be nice if Adele heard all that. Just saying.)

Kolby wanted to leave. It was that point of the night where everyone had too much alcohol and it was getting noisy. It was around 1 in the morning and Kolby yawned. He was ready to go. Suddenly, there seemed to be a decrease in people. Some people from the group must have left. Kolby rolled his eyes. The party was winding down. Kolby looked around. Asher, Gavin, Peyton, and Seamus were talking in one corner. Symon and Jacob were sitting on the couch. Walt and a Hufflepuff were playing more Exploding Snap. The Hufflepuff then looked around and clapped his hands.

"Alright. Thank you, everyone, for coming to the first party of the school season! Please throw away your cups and everyone get to their dorm safely," he told everyone. Kolby joined Symon and Jacob and the three of them left for the Slytherin Common Room.

"That was a great party! Like, fantastic," Jacob told them, a little tipsy. Kolby and Symon laughed and helped him to the common room.

"Drink some water Jacob," Symon told him as they went to lay down in the bed.

"Okay. Okay," Jacob said, carrying a glass of water with him to bed. Symon chuckled.

"Good night Kolby," Symon told him.

"Good night," he replied, shutting the door to the dorm and crawling into bed.