PARTY INVITE BULLETIN on Teppenpaw Commons

Regina Parker

October 02, 2012 9:53 PM

PARTY INVITE BULLETIN by Regina Parker

Reggie was bored this year, which was sad considering it was her CATS year. She should be worried about her exams and having all nighters with her friends, but the truth was, she wasn’t even thinking about her CATS exams. They were so far away and really just not top priority. She would study when the time came to it, but she really knew that she would be okay. She did pretty well in all of her classes except for maybe Defense, but that was because it was all quick thinking and Reggie wasn’t always that fast on her feet.

Anyway, she was bored. She had wanted to get a boyfriend this year, but it was so hard to know who was dating who or who was interested in who, blah blah blah, that she figured, if she were meant to have a boyfriend, she would have a boyfriend. For now, she needed something to make her happy and keep her preoccupied. It would be heading into the holidays soon and Reggie wanted to have some fun with people. They had the Midsummer Event coming, but that wasn’t until the end of term and this year was the Bonfire, so that wasn’t so exciting.

She knew exactly what she wanted to do. She’d totally get permission to use them for publicity later, but she was positive her Teppenpaw pals wouldn’t be too upset with her over this.

HOLIDAY PARTY!!!

You are humbly invited to a Holdiay Costume Party to be thrown by the Fifth Years of Teppenpaw. This party will combine Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, so feel free to come as whatever holiday you want to support the most.

The party will be in the gardens on the last Saturday of the month between 6 PM and 10PM. Food and Beverages will be provided. We hope to see you there and all costumed up! The holidays should be celebrated and in STYLE!

Yours Truly,

The Teppenpaw Fifth Years

6 Regina Parker PARTY INVITE BULLETIN 187 Regina Parker 1 5

Michael Grosvenor

October 07, 2012 8:50 AM

Wooo, party! (tag Eris) by Michael Grosvenor

Eris seemed to be doing ok, from what Michael had gathered. He'd seen her partner a few different people in classes, so hopefully she'd got on well with them. He liked spending time with her but did not feel the need to monopolise her during class time, as they had plenty of opportunities to chat in the common room of an evening. It was nice for people to have lots of friends, and he liked Eris, therefore he wanted that for her. They spent enough time chatting in the commons that he didn't think she was forgetting about him, and he was only really paranoid enough to think that she might when he was having a very bad day.

He'd noticed the poster for the party. It sounded like a laugh. His initial reaction had been positive. He liked the idea of going to a party, of being included. He did worry slightly about the noise element. The gardens were usually one of his calm places to retreat to, so the thought of them alive with dozens of people chattering, and possibly even playing music, was a little jarring. However, free food had been mentioned. And he knew he'd feel left out if he didn't go. He'd rather try to show his face for a bit than sit in his room by himself. He had friends who were pretty understanding. If he had to drag Mellie or Eris off to a quiet corner for a bit, he doubted either of them would object.

He noticed Eris sitting on one of the sofas and went to join her. He sat with his back against the arm rest, kicking his shoes off so that he could bring his legs up to sit cross legged. That way he was facing Eris as he spoke.

“Hey,” he smiled at her, “Did you see the thing about the party? Interested in going?” he enquired.

13 Michael Grosvenor Wooo, party! (tag Eris) 199 Michael Grosvenor 0 5

Eris Ackart

October 07, 2012 1:35 PM

Party time, excellent! by Eris Ackart

For being a new student at Sonora, Eris felt like she was fitting in fairly well. She managed to find partners in the classes she’d attended so far, successfully infiltrated the book club, was a reserve player for the Teppenpaw Quidditch team, and she had Michael. Her first friend at Hogwarts had been a boy from her house, so it was somewhat comforting to have a similar situation at Sonora. Plus, he’d gone out of his way to make sure she was alright on their first meeting. She actually looked forward to spending time with him.

Eris was settled on the couch in the common room--reading of all things. That was new for her, she usually didn’t read for fun—but she had joined book club and figured she needed to at least crack the spine. Her dark eyes strayed from the pages of the book frequently, but she didn’t want it to look too obvious that she was waiting for someone.
She saw the poster about the party and immediately wanted to go. Not only did she love fancy dress, but she would finally have a valid reason for exploring the gardens. She wasn’t sure if this was the type of event that would elicit a date, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to go alone either.

Diving back into her book, Eris was in the middle of a particularly interesting passage when her friend joined her on the couch. Eris had already been sitting sideways so she could watch the door, plus she knew that sitting so he could see her straight on while they talked helped Michael to read her lips if he needed to.

“Hi, and yes I did.” She replied with a smile, closing her book without marking her place and setting it in her lap. Eris adjusted herself so she was facing Michael properly, and narrowed her eyes slightly at his question.

“Are you asking me if I want to go in general, or if I’ll go with you?”

0 Eris Ackart Party time, excellent! 0 Eris Ackart 0 5

Michael Grosvenor

October 07, 2012 1:56 PM

Car..... by Michael Grosvenor

Michael glanced at the cover of Eris' book. He didn't really recognise it but that wasn't saying much. It seemed like it might be something magical too, which really wouldn't help his chances. He barely knew popular authors in the Muggle world. Reading wasn't really his thing which was a little odd as he'd never been a sporty type or had lots of friends to hang around with. He guessed he'd never seen the need to further the bullying by actually being seen cracking a book. T.V and films filled alone time well enough.

He was glad when Eris rearranged herself slightly. Most of his friends had got the hang of his little quirks and knew the best ways to help him but it still made him feel good when they did it. He was slightly taken aback at her question, although he was getting rather used to being taken aback by Eris. He hadn't really thought about it like that. He figured they could go down there together, as they were both coming from the same house but he didn't think that was the way she was asking. She seemed to be asking whether it was a date. He hadn't really planned to ask her on a date but that wasn't to say he wouldn't. And it probably wasn't a very nice thing to be told you weren't being asked on a date. Unless you didn't want to be asked out by that person, in which case it would be something of a relief. Which meant the question at hand was whether or not Eris wanted to go on a date with him. He wasn't sure what the correct answer was and he was fairly sure that Eris had broken the rules by just coming out and asking. Were you not supposed to tiptoe around and try to figure out whether it was a date? This was what TV had taught him at any rate. You couldn't just skip it by asking and now he understood why not. He opened and closed his mouth a few times before realising that this didn't help him know what the answer was.

“I don't know,” he admitted. If Eris was going for point blank honesty, why shouldn't he? “Which one do you want me to be asking?” he asked.

13 Michael Grosvenor Car..... 199 Michael Grosvenor 0 5

Eris Ackart

October 07, 2012 2:55 PM

Car? by Eris Ackart

“Well, I mean…” Eris started, feeling her cheeks turn red. But nature, Eris was forward. If she was curious about something, she’d ask, and she wasn’t afraid to speak her mind. However, when the tables were turned on her, depending on the topic, she wasn’t sure how to respond. Michael had done this to her the night they met, when she was curious about the details of hugs and hearing aids--and here they again.

She hadn’t really meant to insinuate that she wanted him to ask her on a date, she would have been happy just to go as friends. However, if he did want it to be a date, she wouldn’t have said no. Eris couldn’t remember being so awkward around boys, but she did remember her brothers saying that girls were often confusing—and that if she wanted something, she needed to come out with it.

Maybe they were to blame for her forwardness?

She also considered that maybe he didn’t like her well enough for it to be a date. Michael was entitled to his feelings, and had other female friends that could be potential dates—and it wasn’t really her place to be involved. As long as he was happy, Eris couldn’t be upset over who he was with. Not really anyway.

The truth was; she liked Michael. He was nice, and funny—and Eris was starting to notice more and more how cute he actually was. Whether or not they’d ever be more than friends was something she wasn’t worried about at the moment, as long as she got to spend time with him.

“I do want to go, but I don’t want to go by myself.” Eris said finally, deciding not to beat around the bush. “I only know a handful of people, and if I make a point of going with you, I’ll at least have someone to be with the entire time, you know? It doesn’t have to be a date or anything, but I wouldn’t mind if it were…you know…if you wanted it to be, I mean.”

0 Eris Ackart Car? 0 Eris Ackart 0 5

Michael Grosvenor

October 07, 2012 5:33 PM

It was another reference. It goes 'Car! Car!' followed by..? by Michael Grosvenor

Michael had got used to Eris surprising him by being bold. He still was surprised whenever she blushed. He had seen it a few times but his first impression of Eris had been that she was strong and self-confident, in spite of the fact that she had almost been crying. He always felt slightly bad for embarrassing her but he usually only managed it by turning her forwardness back on her. He supposed that meant that one had to laugh. It was sort of funny, and a little bit sweet too.

“I would like to go with you, and it seems to make sense as we'll both be going from here,” he smiled. That sounded like it was merely a practical arrangement which was not how he'd meant it, “I will be very glad of your company,” he added. He had pretty much said so already but he didn't want Eris to think that he only wanted to go with her because she was his most convenient friend, in terms of school geography, “I'm not really sure either,” he added, when she said she wasn't asking for a date but equally didn't mind if it was. They could go together not really being sure. That seemed like a satisfactory solution. He knew he would turn it over in his mind a lot between now and the party, whether or not he wanted it to be a date. He doubted he would reach a conclusion.

“As well as the pleasure of your company, I also wanted to ask you for costume ideas. I want something incredibly easy to do that doesn't make me look ridiculous,” he informed her. Michael was comfortable in his own skin but he wasn't very comfortable with the idea of looking silly. He sort of knew that was the idea of a costume party but he really didn't want to be the most outlandishly dressed. His attempts to blend in and do something magical for the concert last year had backfired somewhat, as most people had opted for things that would have been just as acceptable in a Muggle school, albeit with added sparkle from their wands.

13 Michael Grosvenor It was another reference. It goes 'Car! Car!' followed by..? 199 Michael Grosvenor 0 5

Eris Ackart

October 08, 2012 4:28 PM

Game on! by Eris Ackart

“I would like to go with you.”

Those were the only words that Eris really cared to hear. She felt slightly relieved that Michael was just as unsure of the fine details as she was. She knew the two of them would have a good time, and that was her biggest concern at the moment. Eris would undoubtedly mull the situation over a few times before the party, and definitely after, to try and determine for herself the status of their situation; but she was getting what she wanted and couldn’t be happier.

Michael didn’t say that he flat out didn’t want it to be a date, so maybe, if things went well, there would be one down the road—if this wasn’t one of course. That thought threatened to open an entirely different box of questions regarding how one dated in a boarding school of sorts and Eris was too excited about costumes and the party to bother with that now.

“Well, at least that’s mostly settled.” She replied with a smile, turning her attention to the more pressing matter at hand—the costumes. Truth be told, Eris had been waiting for Michael because she wasn’t sure about what to be either. She grew up in a different world than he did, and so the ideas of costumes were a little different. There had been a similar type of party at her last school, and she had gone as Red Riding hood, but she wanted to do something different, and not quite as juvenile. Besides, now that they were going together, should their outfits go together as well? Or would that mean that it was indeed a date?

“Isn’t looking differently the point?” Eris offered, chewing on her bottom a lip as she wracked her brain for ideas. “I mean, parties like these are an excuse to be whatever or whomever you want. They can be rather—freeing—if you let them.” She added with a shrug. Eris assumed that any kind of mask was going to be out of the question, or anything that covered Michael’s ears. She also didn’t want to do anything she’d be terribly uncomfortable with. She wasn’t a jeans and turtleneck kind of girl, but when it came to dressing up, modesty was often the first thing to go out the window with teenage girls.

“If you could be anything or anyone for one night, who or what would you be?” She already knew what her answer would be, just in case he tried to catch her off guard by turning the tables on her.

0 Eris Ackart Game on! 0 Eris Ackart 0 5

Michael Grosvenor

October 09, 2012 1:30 PM

Exactly. And how appropriate... by Michael Grosvenor

It wasn't that Michael minded the idea of standing out. He really didn't. So long as it was in an unambiguously positive way. He was not so shy and retiring that he could not stand to have the praise and admiration of his peers heaped upon him, in the way that might come from being an ace Quidditch star, and he had certainly entertained the fantasy of single-handedly saving a match and being hoisted up onto the shoulders of his team-mates. This was, of course, very unlikely to play out, as he had done nothing about signing up for the team. And that was because of the flipside; of the thing that he was not comfortable with. He did not want to be laughed at. Things at Sonora were going well for him. He was happy. He was liked. To be laughed at would, in his mind, undo those things. It would threaten to destroy them or to take them away. The sort of reaction one would get if one fell from one's broom and landed face down in the mud was one that he could not stomach the thought of.

“I guess...” he replied, when Eris said the point of fancy dress was to do something different. “But what if, like, no one else really does anything much – just chucks a hat on or something – and I show up in a full turkey costume. I'd look stupid,” he said, in an attempt to explain what he meant. He didn't mind looking different to usual. He just didn't want to look different to everyone else. In his ideal world, people would publish a list beforehand of the kinds of costumes they were wearing. Then he would get an idea and could pick something nice and mid-table. “Maybe I should go as Goldilocks - I don't want to be the most dressed up or the least dressed up. I want to be juuuust right,” he grinned, before realising that Eris might have no idea what he was talking about. “It's a Muggle story,” he stated before doubting, “Is it just a Muggle story?” he asked. Stories like that were so old that maybe Muggles and wizards shared them. Except the wizard version probably had three dragons and a lot more spell casting.

He pondered Eris' question. What would he be, if he could be anything? Universally popular was the answer that came to mind. Or possibly normal. However, neither of those was a fancy dress idea and both sounded fairly desperate to admit to.

“I liked superheroes when I was little,” he mused, “And probably would have been one if someone had offered,” and then, in a way, they had, “I think I dressed up as them a few times to go trick or treating,” he wasn't sure whether Eris would know what that was, or indeed what a superhero was, but she was forward enough or curious enough that she just asked if she didn't know, so he found he didn't have to monitor what he said for 'wizard-friendliness' so much around her, “And once as a werewolf. But that's before I knew they existed. Do wizards dress up as stuff like that, or is it considered bad taste?” he asked. He wasn't planning to go as a werewolf or a vampire but the thought had struck him and he was curious. Muggles dressed up as things which were, to them, pretend. That was part of the fun. It sort of changed it if those things were real.

“And do you have any ideas for you?” he asked.

13 Michael Grosvenor Exactly. And how appropriate... 199 Michael Grosvenor 0 5

Eris Ackart

October 10, 2012 12:42 AM

Speaking of appropriate by Eris Ackart

“Well,” Eris started, struggling to keep a straight face at the thought of Michael dressed as Goldilocks, “You do have the proper hair for it. And I think I have a skirt that would suit you nicely!” She couldn’t help it anymore, and broke out into a fit of laughter at the image she’d created in her head. “I promise you, I won’t let you look stupid. No turkey costumes, no dresses.” She managed.

She understood Michael’s fear of looking silly in front of others, but it wasn’t something she was particularly bothered by. She did what she wanted, and wore what made her happy regardless of what was expected of her. She imagined this must have been harder for her friend because he was already different in a few ways—so fitting in was a little more important. The things that made Michael different were also the things that drew Eris to him, and she couldn’t help but wonder if she should tell him that at some point.

“I’m sure whatever we decide on will be fine, and if not, I’ll make sure to look like the bigger fool so the pressure is off of you...deal?”

“Oh, and to answer your question, I actually do know the tale of Goldilocks! My mum tried to incorporate both Muggle tales and Wizarding ones when I was younger; I never liked the idea of Goldilocks eating the Bugbear’s porridge though…” Eris said with a look of disgust.

“Superheroes? Like knights or gladiators?” She asked, not entirely familiar with the term. The best example she could think of was Hercules, or any of the other great Greek heroes her mother used to tell stories about. Althea Pitera Ackart was a descendant of a long line of Greek wizards and witches, and found the country’s mythology fascinating—hence naming two of her children Greek names.

Eris also vaguely knew what trick or treating was due to first year Muggle Studies where they discussed all of the holidays Muggles celebrated and some of the more interesting traditions—soliciting door to door for sweets while dressed as different things, for example. She thought for a moment on whether or not it was, as Michael put it, bad taste to dress up as a werewolf or a vampire.

“I never have, and I think it would depend on the context, but I don’t imagine it’s particularly offensive. Muggles dress up as witches and wizards all the time, and the only bit that winds me up is that wizards are generally lovely, grandfatherly types while witches are ugly, evil hags.” Eris said, shaking her head slightly at the idea. “Then again, vampires aren’t always the most rational people, and neither are weres at the wrong time of the month.” She added with a smile.

“I was thinking about going as the Greek goddess of Chaos. Ever heard of her?”

0 Eris Ackart Speaking of appropriate 0 Eris Ackart 0 5

Michael Grosvenor

October 10, 2012 9:22 AM

Make sure my behaviour is? by Michael Grosvenor

Michael knew that he had started it and that, in a sense, it was good that Eris was laughing at his joke. It meant she found it funny. However, she seemed a little too amused by the idea of dressing him up in a skirt. He managed a weak smile but his cheeks were glowing red.

“Good,” he smiled, a little more broadly, when she promised she wouldn't let him look stupid. Her offer amused him (although, in reality, he wasn't sure how he'd feel showing up with Eris if she looked ridiculous instead). “That's very noble of you. I propose that we both channel some serious thinking into both looking good though. I think that works out better for everyone involved.

“Not exactly...” he said when she asked if superheroes were like Gladiators or knights, “They're people and then something happens to them and they get a special power. Like being able to fly or being super strong. And then they go around doing good – like fighting crime and defeating evil bad guys.”

He considered Eris remark about dressing as a werewolf being ok, even though he didn't really plan on going as one. She knew more than him but he thought that someone showing up as a storybook witch would be at the very least deemed a silly or strange idea and, at worst, offensive. Saying witches were all green-skinned hags was not a nice thing to say and he doubted that everyone would be cool and calm about it. There would be some people who had no idea that was how Muggles saw witches, and it would probably not do great things for Magiomuggle relations for them to find out. He doubted there were any werewolves around to mind if he dressed like them. Or maybe there were.

“Could someone at school – I'm not thinking of anyone in particular – but could there be someone who was a werewolf at,” he nearly said a 'normal school like this' but was he always hesitated before using it and this time found that he was glad he had done. It wasn't very nice to call werewolves not normal. And the idea that he'd almost referred to Sonora as normal was pretty strange, “at a school like this,” he said, leaving out the contentious word. “They don't have to go to special schools or anything. Cos most of the time they must be alright, right?” he asked. “Hey, maybe I could go as a werewolf not on the full moon,” he smiled.

“And no.... I don't know who she is,” he added, when she asked about a Greek Goddess of Chaos. Was that common knowledge in the wizarding world? If so, he was somewhat behind.

13 Michael Grosvenor Make sure my behaviour is? 199 Michael Grosvenor 0 5

Eris Ackart

October 11, 2012 9:57 AM

I can't picture you being anything else... by Eris Ackart

“I’m sorry…” Eris said at the first sign of color on Michael’s cheeks. “I didn’t mean to…I guess I got a bit carried away. I like your plan though.” She added, with a smile. The third year hadn’t considered that maybe Michael would be embarrassed to be seen with her before then, and a slight frown crossed her face at the thought of it. Eris guessed that for some upperclassmen it would be considered ‘uncool’ to be seen out and about with younger kids, but Eris didn’t think that was the case with Michael—at least he never made her feel that way. He said he didn’t want to look ridiculous, and she certainly wasn’t going to do anything intentionally to make him feel ridiculous. For this event, Eris decided that she would have to actually put some effort in to how she looked.

“Some Muggles can fly?” Eris asked, wide eyed, leaning forward towards her friend. “What kinds of things happen to them that make them able to do those sorts of things? Are they like Aurors?” She asked, surprised by the fact that she’d never heard of such people. Surely somewhere within the American magical government they had a department monitoring these people. Eris wondered why her father hadn’t mentioned it—or maybe he didn’t know yet?

Eris considered Michael’s question for a while. She’d only ever met one person that she knew to be a werewolf, and he was a shop keeper back in England. She didn’t know the details exactly on werewolf relations, but she did know there was a potion used to suppress their monthly transformations. From what she knew about them, they seemed to like cooler climates, but that didn’t mean there couldn’t be one in the school.

“There could be. They look just as normal as you and I do outside of a full moon. Plus there are potions these days to help avoid the change. I’d think the staff would be made aware, but I know my mum would flip if she knew I was in school with a werewolf. “She shrugged. “You’re already dressed like one.” Eris replied with a smile before curiosity tugged at the back of her mind.

"You’re not secretly one, are you?” Eris added, raising one eyebrow as she studied Michael’s face for unusual chin hairs or the hint of overgrown canines.

The girl wasn’t entirely surprised that Michael wasn’t well versed in Greek mythology. She knew she wouldn’t have been were it not for her mother, and having had someone ask her about the origin of her name at some point in her life. She knew that dressing up as the goddess was probably an easy route as far as costumes went, but if she could manage to make herself look beautiful, she didn’t figure Michael would be embarrassed to be seen with her.

“There is this story about her, that my mum liked a lot when she was growing up, and the Goddess of Chaos essential starts a war by throwing a golden apple that read ‘to the fairest’ into a crowd at a party or something. It’s a long story, but she loved it, and decided to name me after her because my conception was unexpected, and I was born into a family of three older boys, and so on. So! I think I’ll go as that.” She trailed off, looking to her friend for approval.

0 Eris Ackart I can't picture you being anything else... 0 Eris Ackart 0 5

Michael Grosvenor

October 11, 2012 11:56 AM

Well, I guess that's a compliment... by Michael Grosvenor

“No, it's fine,” Michael reassured Eris when she apologised. She really hadn't done anything wrong and he didn't want her to feel bad about it. He was just a bit over-sensitive. He didn't want to make Eris start tiptoeing around, scared of what she said to him.

“Um, no, they're all just stories,” he explained, when she went a bit wide-eyed at the idea of superheroes. “Sorry... I didn't mean to confuse you,” he added. It was sometimes the simplest things one forgot to say that could cause so much confusion. To any Muggle, it would be clear that it was a story. But to a witch, who knew those things could be real, he guessed it was kind of confusing.

“Exactly,” he grinned, when she said he was already dressed like a werewolf on a non-full moon night. “And no, not guilty,” he shook his head. “I mean, geez.... a hearing impaired, Muggleborn werewolf? I'd be screwed. Though why would your mum flip out if they're not dangerous most of the time and can take potions that help with the full moon?” he asked.

He wondered for a minute where Eris was going with the story from Greek mythology until she revealed that she was named after it.

“That sounds cool,” he nodded, wondering whether he could go as something Greek to compliment her. Greeks wore... he wracked his brains. Togas. Maybe not. He considered Romans – after all, they were basically the same thing. He couldn't wear the helmet cos of his hearing aids and wouldn't because it would look ridiculous anyway. Apart from that they wore tunics. Damn it. It seemed like the universe was trying to drop some fairly heavy hints that he should go in drag to this party. “Wait a minute...” he asked Eris, mock suspicion in his face, “This isn't just some evil plot to get me into a toga, is it? Cos that still counts as a skirt and is a 'no.'”

13 Michael Grosvenor Well, I guess that's a compliment... 199 Michael Grosvenor 0 5