Zoe shrank when Fade said his relationship with Sauvage was personal. "I-I...did nee mean anything by it..." She didn't know how to do this. She felt like she was making things worse. So she resorted to reciting facts. "Ravens are one of the smartest birds, in fact they rate up with chimps and dolphins. They can imitate human speech too. In fact they rival parrots. They can even sound like wolves to get them to come over help break open carcasses so they can eat too. They move their beaks to indicate objects to other birds, just like we do with fingers...They are really playful too." She nodded when the boy commented on allergies. Fade handed her a handkerchief and high tailed it away from her. She couldn't blame him. She'd run away from the quirky crying girl too if she was him.

A few moments later she heard the boy's voice--Jona. "Ye can stay if ye want to," Zoe replied, "but its okay if ye don't." He asked her if it was a flobberworm in her hands. "Aye, her name is Bebe. Mum and Dad don't count her as a pet. I have three other pets with me too."

Magnus and Drew headed off to the kitchens. Once they were safely away, he ask, "So spill it. What's wrong?"

Oh thank goodness - she spoke! Jona asked, "What kind of pets are the others?" He waited a beat and then slid around the door, still on the floor, so that he was sitting next to Zoe - still a few feet away, but now he could at least see her. Her eyes were puffy and she'd obviously been crying. Geez, what did that Ravenclaw guy () say to her? "My uncle's a vet so we are always caring for the misfit dogs that don't find a home right away, but I've never had a pet that was considered a magical creature before. What's it like?" He sort of waved at Bebe the flobberworm from where he was sitting on the floor, knees up with his elbows resting on them.

Lenore watched as Drew () and Magnus () left the Great Hall. She wondered what was up. They weren't getting into trouble already were they? She chucked to herself then tuned back to Elizabeth ()

"I doubt he has much to worry about, he seemed more than competent during the tournament."

She shrugged and moved her plate over, replacing it with a small bowl of vanilla ice cream.

"Not so far. But then, the term has just started." she took a bit of her ice cream and looked at it thoughtfully.

"If we have a quiet year I'm sure it will be fine. Just a couple more tasks and things to plan with the professors. Not that I'm hoping for a quiet year" she winked. "Some excitement would be much more fun."

Pulling a small bottle from her bag, Lenore poured some Irish Cream liqueur onto her ice cream and took another bite. She sighed.

"That's better. So, what about you? Any plans for the term?"

"In my pocket I have my newest pet. Harold. He's a transforming rabbit," she said stressing the hare in the name. I also have a kneazle/cat mix named Tales and a miniaturised bison named Lloyd--he's in the Hall right now asking for food." She gave a small smile to the boy. "That's nice. They need more love than normal. Its fun. Harold changes into a top hat, a knitted bunny rabbit, all sorts of things. Lloyd isn't really magical beyond size and Bebe mostly sleeps and crawls."

Jona listened to Zoe as she talked about her pets. A transforming rabbit! So cool - he'd never seen one face-to-face before. "I'd love to meet all of them at some point. I love magical creatures," He said as she continued to go down the list. Suddenly it hit him and Jona couldn't stop laughing. He started crying and he even snorted at one point, because he was laughing so hard "Hare-old!" Was all he managed to gasp in between bouts of giggling.

(( Inserting this into before Fade walked away )) “I guess it’s sort of obvious isn’t it... I’m just bad at talking about it. Clearly.” Fade shook his head at himself. It was a sort of relief that Zoe started going on about ravens. It saved Fade from having to talk about any further sort of relationship business. “You know a lot about them, I’ll show you my drawings of Drim later if you want. Come back in when you’re feeling better, OK?”() ~ “Not sure really, but I think she’ll be fine. Guess my humor isn’t for everyone.” He shrugged and focused on the warmth of Sauvage’s hand on his arm. There were some things he just wasn’t going to say to the girl he’d liked forever. Things like how he had wanted to hug another girl when she was crying. Somehow he felt like that would get him into a fair bit of hot water, and not the relaxing sort. Either way it felt like he was letting someone down. "I was picked on a lot as a kid, just had to make sure she knew I was kidding around. Feel bad, you know?" He was starting to feel better, being this close to Sauvage was sort of intoxicating. ()

[img align=left]https://sapi.subeta.net/shared/359336.png[/img] "Yes, I understand. It is difficult sometimes to understand one's own emotions, let alone someone else's. I am actually a beet surprised zat you did not 'ug her or somezing since zat is what..." Sauvage let her sentence fade as her face screwed up into this look of thought. "Wait," she said and parked herself where ever they were walking. She looked up at Fade, really looked at him, for a good 30 seconds, eyes squinting like she was looking for something in his face. She sighed and looked away, apparently having found it. "Fade," she said and looked back up at him, this time smiling sadly and blushing a little. "I am not a very jealous person," she said simply. "And even eef I were, I do not technically 'ave anyzing to be jealous about right now." She looked away awkwardly, having confronted a topic that she had been trying to ignore in the back of her mind ever since Fade had saved her during their airborne race through rings.

Zoe shrugged. "Ye've liked her for along time... I've noticed. Ravens are a pet I considered getting actually. Might still, they can deliver post too and stay in the dorms. Ye don't have to. Watching others interact is like having friends." She smiled.

Zoe pulled Harold out and put the bunny in Jona's lap. The rabbit had soft fur and twitched at the boy and then turning into a top hat that still had an oddly furry feel to the cloth. "Neat huh? I couldn't believe how cool he was." She smiled as he appreciated the pun. "Wit beyond measure is a man's greatest treasure. I liked naming Tales too. T. a. l. e. s. He's got a tail and also the tales he'll tell. I love books."

Jona snorted one last time and placed Harold the top hat on his head. He looked at Zoe then and smiled and big, goofy grin.

"I think we're going to be great friends, Zoe."

Suddenly, Harold the hare decided he no longer wanted to be a top hat and Jona instead had a rabbit scrambling around atop his head. He froze, the slowly grabbed Harold from his head and placed the hare in his lap, stroking its back in hopes of getting it to settle.

(( OOC: I just wanted to take a second and thank everyone for the well wishes. I'll be actively back when I'm feeling better ))

Zoe smiled. "Looks good on ye. I got him from mum and dad as a gift for being chosen as Head Girl. Do you have a pet?" She asked. "If ye don't maybe I can get ye a rabbit like mine for Christmas." She looked at the young first year with glistening eyes and eager, bright spirit. "Ye probably should find someone more popular. I mean...I'd like it... a lot..." She couldn't believe she said that. "Tonight is the most anyone other than my parents have ever talked to me."

[img align=left]https://sapi.subeta.net/shared/359338.png[/img] "Silly, Zoe," Jona said to her. "You can't pick your friends." Jona scooped up Harold and placed him in Zoe's ready arms. "These things just happen and you don't really have that much control over how or when." He shrugged nonchalantly, as if that's just the way things were and that's how he has always seen it and she should just accept it as well. He then booped Harold on the nose and laughed. "Yeah, I think I'd love to have one of these little guys. I didn't really bring any pets with me, but our prefect has been doing all sorts of activities and in one of 'em, I got a toad." He looked up at Zoe and grinned. "I named him Toadal Chaos. T-Kay for short."

Fade bristled slightly as Sauvage inspected his face. It felt like he had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar or something. Letting out a sigh he knew avoiding it any longer was ridiculous. He could practically hear Magnus yelling at him. Now was the time, if ever. “You know, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you. I just wasn’t sure if it would be cool… And then we had break and I was sure you had forgotten about me.”

His heart was practically audible in his voice as it shook. “I should apologize, because I have this idea of you in my head, but in reality you are like, ten million times cooler than anything I could ever think up.” He reached for her hand. “I know I’m younger than you, so maybe you think I’m a little kid. But I like being around you a whole lot and, what I’m trying to ask.” He cleared his throat. “Would you maybe want to go on a date with me sometime?” During his ramble Fade’s hair had slowly drained of color leaving it ghost white by the time he stopped and held his breath. ()

As they walked toward the kitchens, Drew wasn't surprised at all by Magnus' order. It didn't even bother him that it was so blunt. The problem lay in what to say so that he didn't upset the boy who had been his first true friend at Hogwarts.

"Well...you know how my break turned out not as planned," Drew began. "I mean it ended up pretty good with us going to Disney World, but that was only after all the not so good stuff with Dad's friend and Mum's lecture she had to give. I still wish you and Merls and Niall and Tams and Paul and, well, everyone could have been with us. Dad promises we're going back and taking you all with us next time." Drew took a deep breath, aware he was rambling.

"I missed it all, Mags," he said quietly. "Meeting River...Niall and Tams...your mum expecting...who knows what else! And the horses..." he bit his lip at the last part and stared straight ahead as they made their way down the corridor. He was afraid that if he looked at Magnus his emotions might win and he'd wind up with tears in his eyes. "I wonder if Mum knows," he said quietly, knowing how much Laurel and he had both looked forward to going to horse sales with Paul and everyone else.

"I guess what's really bothering me is that some girl you all only just met now knows more than me about what's going on in the lives of the people I care about and she's been pretty much adopted by Tams. Not only that, she already knows other people from the Tournament. I...I feel lost and alone again like when I first came here. On the edge, looking in," he said softly. "Maybe...maybe the Headmistress knew what she was doing when she made me a prefect. It'll keep me busy."

[img align=left]https://sapi.subeta.net/shared/359336.png[/img] The first thing Sauvage did was gasp for air, since she had been holding it ever since she stopped speaking. She bit her lip, mostly to try and keep from smiling too stupidly. "Fade..." She whispered as she leaned closer. "I would like nozing more zan to go on a date wiv you." Noticing the pale, almost sickly color of his hair, she kissed his cheek and pulled back, wrapping her arm through his and continuing their walk - where to? She had forgotten. But they were moving forward now.

She giggled then and said, "You know, I always forget zat I am older zan you. Maybe it is because you are soooo wise." She laughed again and added, "Oh, and I like being around you, too, Fade." At that, she brought her other arm over, so that both were wrapped around Fade's one, and she hugged his arm closer.

Zoe smiled. "Well, its is an honour. Ye may call me Zo, Zazzy or ZoZo if ye wish." She nodded and stood up, plopping Harold back in her pocket after his affectionate nose bop. "Alright, ye'll get a rabbit come Christmas." Zoe burst out a loud laugh. "Oh I like that name, Now I see why ye liked Harold. Ye wanna go back in? I have nee really eaten."

“But Drew it ‘appens during breaks. We all ‘ad things with families and stuff. I don’t think your mum’ll be broken up over us having horses. Maybe sad she wasn’t there, but now we can all ride. She helped get Bonnie though, and Paul needs a lot of ‘elp cos ‘e’s still skittish.” He sighed. “Look lemme tell you something. River ides it but she’s got a deep pain. The short version of the story is we met her on a weekend trip to the beach. She fell on Merlin actually. She was on a tree bird watching. Her father dumped her at the ‘otel and left to do work. ‘E’s never around and she’s very lonely. Anyway since ‘er dad left her, Gabriel took ‘er to the Keep. ‘E wound up getting custody of her when ‘er dad ain’t around. That’s why she’s move ‘ere. She ain’t got anyone. She needs so much love. ‘Er mum abandoned her at the age of 3 or 4, I forget which but once she found out ‘er daughter was a witch she dumped River on ‘er ex-husband…who don’t really notice ‘er. Your mum would adopt ‘er in a ‘eart beat. Come on, we’ve got this whole term and we can make up for lost time. We missed you a lot and your mum and dad and Bridget.”

((OOC: yay for smoochesXD ))

Jona stood up when Zoe did, stretching his back much like a cat would and yawning. he quirked a grin at the list of pre-made nicknames Zoe had listed, but said nothing aloud. "Sure, I'm ready to go back in. I think I could go for another slice of pie!" This time his smile took on a devilish undertone as he imagined replacing every "proper" meal with only desserts and candy. This place really was magical.

((OOC: lol yeaaaaah that happened))

(ooc: I apologize since I haven't been able to keep up. I'm still without power and my internet connection is really bad. I really don't know where Merlin is now. So excuse me if I say something wong)

Fade was so ready to hear an ‘Ew, no!’ that it took his brain a second to comprehend she had agreed. When Sauvage kissed his cheek it felt like a fifty pound weight had been lifted from his back, neck and shoulders. At this point he wasn’t paying the slightest bit of attention to his hair, but it had gone a pastel shade of pink. “Me, wise? Don’t let my house fool you.” There was a grin plastered to Fade’s face that was probably going to stick for a week. He squeezed her hand as she hugged his arm and pointed toward the Great Hall, still crackling with excitement and the pungent smell of all the good foods on earth. He was even hungrier than ever, since the knots in his stomach had begun to unravel. “Think I could eat an entire Hippogriff.” ()

(( XD FINALLY! lol ))

Zoe smiled. "Then lets go eat."

((ooc: I'm having a really bad migraine. Lights are off, RX meds maxed out, dizzy... So I'm gonna just have to sit a bit out. You all feel free to move Zoe whereever.)) and all