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(Mark) Case of the Mondays
Author: Isolde
Date: 01-06-12 16:19
Unlike many, Mark did not dress up for Halloween. He wore his school uniform, sans robes. Sometimes Mark changed out of his uniform at the end of the day, but sometimes he was too lazy to do even that. He had a bad case of the Mondays today, even though this wasn't an ordinary Monday.
Mark wasn't sure why he'd woken up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. The weekend had been quite pleasant. He'd gotten his homework out of the way early and had spent the rest of his free time with his friends or just Kate.
He and Kate had had a really good conversation about their feelings for each other and the entire situation with Mark's parents. Mark had expressed that he felt like he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. He didn't want to disappoint or disobey his parents, but he didn't want to turn his back on Kate either.
She felt awful that his parents didn't like her, but she felt more awful for Mark. It must not be easy having parents who criticized every choice he made.
After their long talk, they'd hugged. And then they'd kissed. Quite a lot.
Mark had gone to bed happy, so why had he woken up less than pleased to start his day? Perhaps it was knowing he had five classes back-to-back. Five, very intense, O.W.L.-level classes. Snape was usually pretty lenient with his Slytherin students, but he'd pushed them pretty hard in class today. Mark had gotten the evil eye when he'd almost stirred his potion one time too many.
After classes, Mark had gone to the library to start on his mound of homework.
And then it had been time for the Halloween Feast.
Mark hadn't dressed up because he hadn't written home for a costume. His pureblood supporting parents probably wouldn't have sent him one anyway.
He didn't particularly care, though. Gus, on the other hand, had gone all out with his fancy dress. He was a knight in shining armor and had all the girls fawning over him excessively tonight.
Rylee as Nefertiti
Author: Rylee
Date: 01-06-12 17:18
I'd discussed my fancy dress with my parents when they'd come for the Homecoming and Exhibition event, and we'd also had an argument over me being able to be granted special shopping privileges in the village, I persisted my parents flat out refused to try and get me special treatment and access to the shops in the village. None of my siblings got special treatment at their schools so I would not be given a golden ticket for anything in that regard, and I was also told that if my grades slip more than once or twice I will not be getting permission for the village my third year.
I'd been on my best behavior, no diva tantrums, well, there was that one when Lixue decided that she was going to drop a disgusting owl pellet on my lap and nearly stain and ruin my favorite Gucci suade pants. I about plucked her feathers if she hadn't went into hiding until I calmed down and changed out of the pants - she was lucky it was time for me to get ready for the feast.
I love the costume that I'd been allowed to order for today. I'd chosen a costume that would be perfect and as I wasn't given a price limit I went with one of the more expensive and decorated costumes within the catalogue I'd been looking through. Regally I sat with my roommates at the Slytherin table, dressed as the Nefertiti, Queen of Egypt. Golden bangles at wrist and ankle, jade and gold necklaces around my neck, linen garments secured with gilded belt and sandals on my feet. Headdress made of sapphire and gold resting atop my head, earrings matching the other jewelry that I wore.
I was not the only Egyptian figure within the confines of the Great Hall, there was an Isis and a few other deities and things of that nature, but I'd chosen the regal Queen of Egypt and who had one of the most replicated busts within the world. I sat quietly looking at those who were either simply wearing some sort of accessory, other fancy dress, and those who had opted to wear their school robes or simply regular clothes.
My gaze drifted to Gideon and I sighed dreamily...he was dressed as the Greek figure of Hercules. He was perfect, and I couldn't help but stare at him for a few moments in dreamy silence. It took two of my roommates getting my attention to realize that I was about to spill pumpkin juice in my lap.
Giant Sized
Author: Declan
Date: 01-06-12 18:30
"So, are you?"
"Am I what?"
AJ waggles a finger at Declan. "No pretending you have no idea what I'm talking about."
Feigning innocence Declan shrugs, hands turned up as if in supplication.
Sitting between Declan and AJ, Mariposa looks from one to the other. "Declan is suffering from short term memory loss."
"Pass the roast beef, please," Declan asks the other direction before asking of Mariposa, "Care to enlighten me?"
"What were we all just talking about?"
"Oh. That." Accepting the platter of roast beef he also says, "Thanks."
Spooning a medley of roasted vegetables onto his plate, AJ inquires, "So are you going to demonstrate?"
"We were just joking around and you know it."
"I was so hoping to see a patronus as big as a giant, oh mighty Andros the Invincible," Mariposa teases.
Declan leans forward and looks past them both to address Kissy. "Are you going through with it or have you changed your mind again?"
Note: Andros the Invincible is on a Wizard Card, an ancient Greek alleged to have been the only person to produce a patronus the size of a giant.
Am Not (Deak)
Author: Kody
Date: 01-06-12 21:25
Though Etta and Deak never did talk about what exactly when wrong in their relationship, Deak is getting better at the just being friends again thing. That does not mean he doesn't entertain thoughts of punching any bloke who appears to be flirting or even just brings a smile to her face. Deak finds that urge odd given that the entire time Etta and he dated he never once was the jealous type.
A nudge to his side has Deak automatically reaching a hand out while waiting to be told what dish to pass. When no such request comes he gives Jack a quizzical look.
"You're thinking about her again."
"Am not."
"Are too. You don't have to be looking over at the Gryffindor table for me to know you've got Etta on the brain."
"I'm was not thinking about her," Deak insists.
"Sure you were. You had that spaced, blank eyed stare going on. It is to your credit, however, that you've not been gazing at Gryffindor half the night."
"We aren't even facing their table."
"As if that's ever stopped you."
Deak decides to change the subject. "What are you anyway?"
Jack is dressed in all black, is wearing a black half mask, and is carrying a black bag out of which what looked like stuffed cats are poking. He gives Deak a pitying look. "I think it's obvious that I'm a cat burgler."
Deak snorts with amusement. "Yeah, I should have gotten that. I wasn't thinking."
"You were thinking, only not about costumes."
"Don't start again."
"Whatever. What do you think that girl, there near Jade Green, is?"
The girl is a fuzzy ball of pale pink.
"I'd say pygmy puff. What about him?" Deak asks pointing to a kid who has a white shirt on with some yellow visible and is wearing red horns.
"I saw him before he sat down. It's easier to tell that way. He's also got a long, pointy tail. He's a deviled egg."
"You and he are both pretty punny."
"I think so. Yours isn't punny but it's really good."
Deak is dressed as an outer space alien. He's wearing clothes with a futuristic edge to them that look to be a mix of shiny copper, bronze, and silver. Using a mix of charms and transfiguration techniques (getting assistance with some of those not yet gone over in any of his classes) Deak's face has been altered plus his visible skin is pale blue and his hair dark blue. He'd been going to go with shades of green since green is a color more often associated with aliens for some reason but then he got to thinking he'd rather have his last Halloween at Hogwarts spent as more of a Ravenclaw color.
Both boys start on their third helpings of all the excellent food while continuing to discuss other people's costumes. Deak still is thinking about Etta, not that he'd admit it, but at least that's not all he's not spending the rest of the feast doing nothing but that.
Grecian Goddess and Egyptian God
Author: Adina Blackwood
Date: 01-07-12 07:31
After classes earlier, I'd taken time to relax before getting ready for the Feast. I was going as the Greek Goddess Athena, dressed in a simple yet flattering toga, gold bangles at my right bicep, and a simple diadem resting on my forehead. My hair was left down and I'd added a stuffed owl that I carried with me as it was one of the most known symbols of the Goddess of Wisdom and War.
Arthur had come dressed as the Egyptian God Thoth. He had fashioned a mask that created the head of Ibis that is common for the God of Thoth. He held a book, thin as two pieces of parchment, bearing a couple of hieroglyphics on each page. This is to depict the book of Thoth which held but two spells according to the mythology - the first spell allowed knowledge of understanding of the language of all the beasts and bird, and summon the fish in the sea. The second allowed you to bring the dead back to life.
The pair of us had spent time looking at other costumes before settling down at the Slytherin Table, things looked fantastic and the pumpkins floating above looked spectacular as well. We were currently working through something like seconds or thirds of little things here and there because neither of us had eaten much more than a handful of things before the feast. Kida and Whitney were dressed as Elvira and Queen Elizabeth, not what I'd expect from either of them, but it worked.
The four of us ate to our hearts content discussing the different costumes that filled the great hall. I flicked a gaze up at Viktor Krum and sighed, he should be happy, but he really was in his grief doing a smashing job of playing Zeus. Beyond that, everyone looked smashing, despite the fact that some hadn't bothered with fancy dress. A couple of punny costumes had made me laugh, but eventually we all turned our attention to the magnificant abundance of food.
"Pass the mashed please?" Kida said and I handed over the bowl of mashed potaotes, and she handed me the platter of roast beef.
"Seriously, if the elves in the kitchen are trying to out do themselves every feast they are succeeding." Arthur said before passing Whitney a bowl of steamed vegetables.
"Makes me wonder what they will have for the End of Term feast." Kida said with a grin.
"I know it. I swear, I am going to have to spend most of tomorrow in the F&A room burning all this off." I said with a laugh, though they knew I was only joking, as I tended to not gain weight, because I tended to get almost too much activity thanks to the near weekly runs that I take in my animal form.
Conversations turned to silence at least in the four individuals, as we turned our attention to the glorious amounts of food that still filled the table.
Hodfuffer Halloween (Wiggy)
Author: Phinfilius
Date: 01-07-12 10:36
Still high from a Puddlemere United win on Saturday and first professional match he'd played in, Wiggy had nearly worn some of his Puddlemere United gear to the Halloween feast instead of the costume he'd planned on weeks ago. At the last minute he chose the mountain troll costume complete with club (made of something spongy instead of real wood) and is glad he did. Much as he loves all things Quidditch, he'll have plenty of opportunities to wear his team uniform but he's not sure how many times he'd get to dress up as a mountain troll and grunt at everyone. Also, it's not as though he's not dressed as a Quidditch player in the past for something like the Halloween feast.
A little further down the Gryffindor table Wiggy's cousin Hydrangea is dressed as a brightly plumed bird with colors of a blue so deep it appears purple at times, reds, yellows, greenish-yellows, deeper green, and spots where the yellows and reds mesh to make it look like there's orange as well. The false beak she wears is a bright yet deeper orange. She told him her inspiration came from an actual bird called the rainbow lorikeet. Apparently, Hydrangea is so taken with the rainbow lorikeets she's thinking of asking if she can keep a mated pair at school. She'd be willing to keep them in the stables if she's she couldn't have them in the dorm.
At the Slytherin table Barontaine is an outfit of shaggy fur ranging in colors from pure white to cream to a more yellowish beige. He's got extremely large feet, furry on the tops with thickly padded soles, and before really digging into his foot, Baron was wearing matching furry gloves with huge claws protruding from the fingertips. Also before eating he'd been sporting a pretty ferocious sent of teeth. Even without having been told, Wiggy had easily guessed that his cousin is dressed as a Yeti, aka The Abominable Snowman.
There are Hodfuffers in fancy dress at the Hufflepuff table as well. Wiggy's sister Gloriaspasiana had been undecided on what she wanted until this time a week ago. She had been having trouble deciding on whether to dress the way Circe is depicted on Wizard trading cards, as her house founder Helga Hufflepuff, or take a cue from Hydrangea and dress as a bird, only Glori was thinking maybe a peacock. For reasons Wiggy has yet to understand, Glori went with none of those things. No, his sister is dressed in what looks like a pink box decorated with bright red lips. Her face and part of Glori's upper torso are visible in a cut out window. Just below that is a very sparkly red and pink sign
KISSING BOOTH
1 Galleon a Kiss
Wiggy isn't sure whether to laugh at his sister's costume or to stand threateningly behind her to ward off any chaps who want to test the kissing booth out.
Also at the Hufflepuff table is Augustus. Gus took his inspiration from the outfits worn by some of the Native America tribes in the 1700s and 1800s. His hair is spike into a mohawk with feathers dangling, he's clad in buckskin breechcloths and leggings, moccasins, and because he wasn't sure about going shirtless in the Great Hall, even if part of the costume, he's got a matching shirt on as well. Gus has paint on his face as though going into battle and visible on his arms are fake tattoos copies from pictures of actual body art different Iroquois tribes sometimes wore. To complete his look, Gus has a bow and quiver of arrows.
Having eaten everything on his plate, Wiggy debates what to either have more of or to try next while answering questions from Damian Lampwick about Puddlemere's Saturday match, which Damian had listened to on the WWN.
The Grey Lady
Author: Illyria
Date: 01-07-12 13:28
Illyria had originally debated attending the Halloween Feast as one of the planets or perhaps some other celestial object, but then she'd pictured herself having trouble sitting at the staff table in fancy dress so big and round. Just when she'd thought she'd never figure out something to wear, Illyria had found inspiration in her own house ghost.
What the Grey Lady thought of her fancy dress, Illyria wasn't sure. The Ravenclaw ghost was at the feast, as were all the other ghosts in the castle. They came and went, drifting through the walls, and socialized with each other and some of the students. Nearly Headless Nick sat at the Gryffindor table and regaled some of the first years with the tale of his botched beheading. It was, after all, his 513th Death Day.
"I'm about ready to pop," she told Jolyon, when he sat down in the chair recently vacated by Marzi, who had gone to the daycare with her boys.
"I know the feeling," he replied. "I've decided to take a break from the main course so that I'll still have room for dessert."
"It's almost that time, isn't it?"
"Yes. Why is it that Hogwarts feasts always fly by so quickly?"
"Because we're having fun?"
Jolyon chuckled. "That must be it. You look great, by the way. Excellent costume choice."
"Thanks."
"I'd have gone with a Ravenclaw theme myself but I don't think I'd feel comfortable in drag."
Illyria laughed. "There's always an eagle."
"True. Maybe next year."
Desserts Start Showing Up (Jade, Hunter, Olive)
Author: Emerald Green
Date: 01-07-12 14:08
There is still a huge assortment of salads, soups, meats, and vegetables to choose from, not to mention breads, but here and there desserts are showing up on the main and four house tables. Directly in front of Penny Puckett, one of Jade's roommates, a tall cake with fluffy pink frosting and that's already been cut into slices appears. "Ooooh, I bet it's strawberry," she says, reaching for a clean knife to halve a very generous slice in two. Transferring the smaller portion that actually looks like a regular slice that's how generously the cake had been cut, Penny says to Jade, "I've been meaning to thank you for giving me ideas for a costume."
After a brainstorming session with Jade giving Penny lots of Muggle related costume ideas, Penny is dressed tonight as Wonder Woman. She'd thought about Catwoman but then decided that with the majority of students not knowing much if anything about a Muggle comic book villainess called Catwoman, most everyone would simply think she was a black cat.
During that same brainstorming session, Jade had settled on a costume idea as well. She's in a gorgeous flouncy gown in blacks and grays with black and gray sparkles. She's got on matching wings and a dark halo that she's wearing at a tilt. Jade is rather pleased with her tarnished angel costume and has received a number of compliments on it.
At the Gryffindor table, Hunter is also already digging into dessert. So far on his plate he's got chocolate cake, caramel cake, pumpkin pie, baklava, a while brownie of some sort that he thinks is called a blondie, and a chocolate oatmeal cookie. He ate few vegetables and no salad at all so that he'd be sure and have plenty of room for all the decadent sweets.
After seeing some of the other costumes tonight - he is still not sure even after several years in Britain now why they call it fancy dress - Hunter has filed away some ideas for next year. He's also seen a few he wished he'd thought of himself for tonight. All in all though, Hunter is happy with his choice. He is the Headless Horseman for the Legend of Sleepy Hallow. He has been asked several times tonight to explain his costume, which he's happily done and he's even produced a copy of the story that he'd stuck in a pocket in case anyone wants to read it. It's not an overly long story but it's also not one to read in a matter of just a few minutes either. Still, the edition he brought has some nice illustrations and those who've thumbed through it were able to get a general idea of Washington Irving's story.
Looking forward to eating dessert but having no idea where she's going to put it she's so full already, Olive takes a deep breath, eyeing a coconut cream pie that's just shown up within arm's reach of her. Zuberi Batuti, sitting one side of her, notices Olive looking and reaches for it. "You want a slice?"
"Yes and no. I am so full I don't know if I can eat another bite but I really, really want at least one helping of dessert."
"I know what you mean," Alexa Wenlock on her other side groans.
"How about I eat dessert for both of you?" Zuberi jokingly offers.
Olive's really glad he came to the feast tonight and that he decided to come in costume. It's more fun in costume, or so that's her opinion anyway. Olive used to not care much for Zuberi at all but over the past school year and this summer he stopped acting like such a raging jerk. He's nice to be around, funny, and now that he's stopped slacking off in class turns out Zuberi is fairly smart. After his older sister was killed, Olive found herself reaching out to give him support and at times finds it hard to believe that they weren't always friends.
Picking up a fruit tart from a tray, Zuberi offers, "We could hang sweets off your branches, Olive, so you'd have them for later."
Olive, dressed as a small evergreen tree with silvery green leaves, small white feathery flowers, and small green fruits here and there, laughs at his suggestion. "Better watch out or I'll take you up on that. Alexa and I can gorge at 4 am after we've finally got room to eat again."
Zuberi snickers then asks, "Okay, so what's the count now on how many have need you to explain the whole Olive tree concept to them?"
The Gangster and his Girl
Author: Charisma Stone
Date: 01-08-12 08:14
Blake and I had put quite a bit of thought into our costume for the party. We were going as a gangster from the 1920s in American History and a flapper girl from the same time period. Blake had gotten a pin-stripped suit, fedora and pulled it off well. I'd chosen a flapper style dress that shimmered as I moved, it was red and perfect, a pair of matching heels and a headband to go with it as well as a lengthy string of fake pearls around my neck.
We both had to explain our costumes, but it was quite alright and now we were both loving the attention we got for the idea. We'd done a lot of research for the costume and loved putting effort into the costumes we had gotten. We'd gotten some ideas from Professor Miller's information that he had about the Halloween holiday.
We had both cooed and given adequate attention to the staff member's children who looked adorable, before they were whisked off to the daycare or back to staff quarters with their parents. The food was fantastic as always and Blake and I over indulged as always, and attempted to make room for the decadence of dessert that began to appear along the table replacing the indulgent foods that had littered the table before.
"Pass me a slice of that pumpkin cheesecake please, as well as some of those chocolate truffles." I said with an impish grin as I slid a slice of triple layer neopolitan cake on to Blake's plate (a layer of vanilla cake, a layer of chocolate cake, and a layer of strawberry cake with a layers of strawberry and chocolate frosting between the layers and around the top). I'd also given him small slice of vanilla bean cheesecake.
He put some pumpkin cheesecake as well as a couple of truffles on my plate. "Good stuff..." We tuck into dessert, and I take a sip of my warm cider, savoring it. Everything was perfect tonight, and shortly after dessert, when we've over eaten more than enough we fall into conversation concerning the upcoming Quidditch game, we don't know who is playing first, but practices have been going good and we are playing as a good team.
I yawn lightly and rest my head on Blake's shoulder, it's been a long day, but I knew I wasn't quite ready for bed yet despite the fact that I'd eaten enough to make me want to head to bed right now. I'd still be up for several hours yet probably attempting to get some homework done for class tomorrow...yeah, I still had class tomorrow.