Save Me From My Family. ((Jack, Chace, Seth))

[Riley Coxen G7]

Riley packed her things slowly, not really looking forward to going back home for the holidays. Home meant trouble. Home meant Cora. Home meant her father’s will. Home meant hell for Riley Coxen. In fact, she would have much liked to simply stay in school for the Winter Holidays, but of course that was impossible in Yasmin Coxen’s mind. Christmas was a time for family and fun in Yasmin’s naïve mind, and she would see to it that absolutely nothing separated the family during such a special time of family bonding. Of course, Oliver was going to be attached to Oz’s hip the entire time, so she wouldn’t be able to get a word in edgewise amongst their constant stupid and seemingly endless conversations. The girls had already invited her to a string of many parties and gatherings in their respective homes, but Riley had already warned them that Riley would be lucky to get out of the house for a moment much less for an entire night for a party. Their response was merely a smile and laughter. Erica later explained that the explanation was simple. All she needed to do was sneak out of the house in the late hours of the night. No one would ever notice Riley was gone in a house full of family. She highly doubted that. Though, there was a slight possibility. It seemed that no one seemed to be able to find Bruce Coxen’s final will, so everyone was going crazy tearing the house and his office apart searching for it. Riley could probably easily sneak out of the house if she wanted to, but if anything it would be to go see Jack. Connor had finally heard about Riley’s new boyfriend, and he was accepting of Jack obviously, even though he’d never met him. Riley figured most girls would be dying to bring their guy home to meet the parents, but not Riley. The last thing she wanted was for Jack to see how crazy her family really was, especially at a time like this.

“Riley,” Erica said as she packed her trunk full of muggle clothing. They were only going to be away from Hogwarts a week or so, and Riley had no idea why she’d even brought so much muggle clothing to Hogwarts to begin with. They wore robes the entire time, so what was the use in bringing an entire year’s worth of clothing to Hogwarts? Riley only had about a week’s worth of out of school clothing in her trunk, one outfit which she had placed at the top of the pile for when she returned home. “You can’t tell me you were seriously about to wear that in public. You know, I never saw what your wardrobe looks like at home, but I have a feeling it involves a lot of baggy clothing. I have a feeling we’re going to have to fix that. For now though, take these. You’re going to need ‘em, hon.” Erica said, tossing her a pair of rather tight looking ripped jeans and a short white tank top. It was the middle of the winter. How was Riley supposed to stay warm in that little getup? “Erica…” Riley said, eyeing the clothes wearily. Erica merely shook her head and handed her a black patterned sweatshirt that also looked quite small as well. “I think this stuff is going to be too small.” Riley said, holding up the shirt to her torso, taking note that it would probably be a bit of a tight fit. “Oh Riley, it’s supposed to be small. Don’t worry. And if you throw in a pair of black heels, I’m sure that outfit is totally wearable for the party at my place tonight. My parents spend the holidays in Hawaii, so I get the place to myself throughout vacation.” Erica explained, and Riley detected just a hint of bitterness in her voice. Riley sighed. “I’ll try to see if Jack can apparate me there. Otheriwse I have no idea how I’d be able to get there.” Riley said, knowing she really didn’t even want to go to begin with. Erica’s lips curled into a small smile. “Oh right, I forgot you’d want to bring along your man candy. Well I’ll give you the guest room key for tonight then, I’m sure you two will be wanting your privacy.” Erica said with a teasing smirk and a chuckle. Riley’s expression turned sour as she frowned in disgust. “Ew Erica!” Riley exclaimed, throwing a pillow at her and making her giggle.

Moments later, Riley, Erica, and the rest of the girls walked into their own private carriage, which some sixth year Hufflepuff had reserved for them. Mia thanked the boy with a long, rather sickening kiss making the boy almost faint in thanks. Mia giggled and Riley almost gagged. She hoped that she and Jack didn’t look as incredibly revolting when they kissed in public. Maybe it was just that much more disgusting because Riley knew Mia had no real feelings for that random sixth year she had just claimed for the day. The girls sat down and talked for about ten minutes before the train started picking up speed as it left Hogsmeade station. Mia had announced that she was bored and was going to go see what that Hufflepuff was up to and Veronica had decided to join her older brother (who was a seventh year) and his friends in their compartment for a smoke or two. This left Riley, Erica, and a very bitter looking Christy (who hadn’t been in a good mood at all since Riley and Jack started making it more and more known that they were a couple) inside the compartment by themselves. Erica was sitting nearest the window on one side, talking to Riley (who wasn’t really listening, but waiting for Jack to arrive just like they had arranged) and Christy in the opposite corner reading a magazine as she smoked a cigarette with the window wide open, leaving the small room very chilly. It definitely beat suffocating in a room filled with smoke though, so Riley didn’t dare complain. Suddenly, the compartment door slid open and Riley looked up hopefully to see who it was.

((So I guess anyone can go next. If one of the Daughters want to add a post, just send it to me and I’ll post it up next time I sign on. But otherwise, I don’t mind who’s next. It can be Jack, Chace, Seth, or one of the Daughters. We’ll figure out some kind of an order from there))

[Jack Reid]

Jack stood towards the end of the train line, with his briefcase which held his schoolwork that he would attempt over the winter break, and his one bag of clothes that he had decided to bring with him. Jackson was usually fine with him wearing his robes around the house, but at times in the past years he had invited ministry people over to the house for drinks, and Jack (along with his brothers) had been forced to dress up, rather than look “unpresentable” as his father put it, in their house robes. Jack had packed his suit and some other essentials, but he knew that he had plenty of things to wear and the things he needed the most back at the Reid household. He loved the time of the year because of the cold. The one thing he didn’t always look forward to was going home to watch his father wheel his mother out to the dinner table Christmas day and help her eat. She was as good as a vegetable now, the curse that had been cast on her was enough to keep her crazy for the rest of her life. She wasn’t even capable of regular function, much less eating on her own. So it was quite the bear for the Reid boys to go home and witness that every year now.

Thinking of his brothers, he wondered where they were. Not that they mattered that much to him, but usually they were always bugging him about making sure he had all his things ready to go and that they would get on the train together. It secretly made him happy that they were no where to be found at the moment. Jack waited a little bit longer than he probably needed to, to see if they were scrounging around looking for him, but August and Bronsen didn’t show so he got on the train and stowed his things. He got into the car and was about to sit down when he remembered he had promised Riley he’d ride with her back home on that day. Jack pulled the compartment door open, made sure his things were secure in his spot, and grabbed his wand. He was currently wearing some muggle jeans and what the muggles called a “vintage rock” t-shirt, with the name of Rolling Stones on it. He’d had it for a while, and had decided he wanted to be comfortable on the long ride home. Jack walked through the narrow passages in the cars that were connected. He looked up at the numbers and thought that he was getting close to Riley’s section.

When he reached what he thought was her car, he slid the door open, revealing Erica, Riley, and a quite angry looking Christy smoking a cigarette out the window. The train had started moving, so he entered as he said “Hey Riley.” He looked at the girls and waved slightly. “Erica. Christy. You know those things will kill you, right?” He noticed Christy getting angrier from his comment so he turned to Riley, looking for help. Quickly brushing it off, he took Riley’s hand and wrapped his arm around her with his free one. “How was packing? You didn’t bring too much home with you, did you?” Jack knew Riley and the rest of the daughters were likely the kind to take everything they had in their possession with them wherever they went, even if that place was home where there was bound to be more clothes and things they needed. Jack then remembered his puzzlement before he got on the train and decided one question wouldn’t be too much to ask. “Hey did you happen to see August or Bronsen? Usually they’re bugging the bloody hell out of me to make sure I get all my stuff together, but I haven’t seen either of them today.” Jack knew it wouldn’t matter if they had seen them or not, they were already on their way.

Jack then decided to lower his voice a little so that only Riley could hear it. He leaned over, kissed her lightly on the cheek, and whispered lightly, “So any ideas on what to do when we’re both finally home? I was thinking right before we come back we could go somewhere. Anywhere you want. The holidays will be busy, I’m sure, but right before break is over we’ll have some time to ourselves. I’ll apparate and we can go anywhere. Any ideas?” He was sure one of the girls would have heard him, but he didn’t care. Jack was proud to be with Riley, and he knew that he would need out of the house as much as possible, what with Jackson wheeling his Mum around all the time, acting like he cared as he slept with whoever he could find. Jack looked at Riley in her eyes, waiting for her response.

[Riley Coxen G7]

Riley was very happy to see Jack, to say the least. Of course, Christy rolled her eyes as Jack entered the train compartment and Erica smirked knowledgably. It seemed that she was the most approving of the three girls about Jack’s relationship. She always seemed sort of proud of Riley for ’nabbing’ Jack so quickly, and that same knowledgeable smirk appeared on her lips every time Riley and Jack were seen together. Mia and Veronica had seen to it that Riley and Jack’s unexpected relationship was known throughout the entire school, as Christy, the well-known gossip queen had refused to utter a single positive word about the relationship. Riley wasn’t sure if she liked being so well known all of a sudden, but Erica said it was both a perk and a hassle that came along with being a member of the infamous Godric’s Daughters. Much unlike the other girls, Riley hadn’t bothered with too much luggage. Most of her comfortable clothing was at home already, so she simply decided on a set of robes and some other random items that she decided needed to go home, including the picture of Riley and her brother Oz after a Quidditch game last year. She wasn’t in the mood to look at that day after day anymore, as the mere thought of ignorant Oz had long since started to get Riley upset.

Riley couldn’t help but chuckle silently to herself at Jack’s comment toward Christy. He was right, after all. Riley had never been one for cigarettes, and the girls knew that. She’d probably only one or two cigarettes in all her life, and she really didn’t like the taste it left. If anything, Riley would be more into the alcohol than anything, because at least in some forms, the taste was sweet and left a decent taste in Riley’s throat. Smoking just wasn’t for her. Riley had to play Quidditch, and she couldn’t exactly be on top of her game if she was coughing up a black lung throughout the game, could she? “Why don’t you just shove it, Reid? I’m really not in the mood. Who invited the Slyth anyway?” Christy practically snarled in Erica’s direction. Erica merely sighed and rolled her eyes. “Now, now Christy, if you’re not going to be nice try keeping your thoughts to yourself. Maybe you should go check up on Veronica and her brother? I heard James the seventh year Huffle said you were cute.” At this Christy sighed, flinging her unfinished cigarette out the window. She then walked out, ‘accidentally’ stepping on Jack’s foot on her way to the compartment door. “You know, someone oughta teach her to hold her tongue for a change.” Riley muttered as Jack placed an arm protectively around her. She smiled up at him and accepted his kiss, a small breeze entering the compartment. Riley sighed, enjoying the breeze. The wind was a bit bitter, but Riley didn’t really mind it. She had pretty much gotten used to it since before the train left the station when Christy lit her first cigarette. She was already on her second by the time Jack had entered the picture. Riley shook her head. “No, sorry. Haven’t seen ‘em. I’m sure they’ll turn up soon.” Riley said, knowing Jack was probably happy that his brothers were missing, even though he was wondering where they were.

Riley merely shrugged, glancing at Erica. She seemed to have decided to pick up the magazine Christy had left behind and acted like she wasn’t paying attention to Jack’s private words. “Well I’m not really sure.” She said truthfully. “The girls have a load of parties they want me to go to, so if you want to come to one or two, that’s fine. I definitely won’t be out much at all this holiday. Mum’s going crazy about ‘family time’ lately, so we’ve all got to stay home most of the holidays. I was kind of thinking we could sneak around somewhere for the last day or so. I’ll tell mum I’m taking a little trip to Hogsmeade or something..not sure. We should write though. I’m not quite sure how much of my family I can take before I go completely mental.” Riley said with a chuckle, leaning her head on his shoulder thoughtfully. At the mention of parties, Erica decided to spontaneously add a random note. “You know Jack, I already told Riley there’s going to be a party at my place tonight, you’re welcome to join in on the fun. Do you drink?” Erica said kindly, though there was a hint of mischievousness in her tone of voice. Before Jack could answer, Riley spoke the words she’d been trying to drill into Erica’s head for hours. “It’s fine Jack. I already told Erica that the chances of me getting out of the house tonight are slim to none. Mum’s all about the big family reunion dinner tonight. She’ll want everyone in the house to enjoy one another’s ‘company’ or whatever. If it were any other day I’d try.” Riley said, trying not to give Erica any hint that she really just didn’t want to go.

Erica sighed and shrugged. "It's fine. There'll be plenty more this holiday if you two want to grace us with your presence. In the meantime, I need to talk to Veronica about aquiring some booze for tonight's little party." Erica said sweetly, adding in a sly smirk. It was obvious Erica wanted to give the two their privacy, so Riley could give her "all the juicy little details" later on like most girls did. Riley wasn't upset obviously, being that she really liked spending time with Jack. She just wished Erica would try not to be so obvious in her actions. "You know, I'm really going to miss seeing you this holiday. My family can be a real pain, especially around Christmas time." Riley kissed him softly. The kiss didn't last for too long, for it had been cut short by the sudden opening of the compartment door. Riley knew from the moment those masculine fingers grasped the door that it wasn't one of the girls. Upon seeing who had entered, Riley sat up straight, suddenly edging away from Jack nervously. "Oh erm..hello. Not that it's not absolutely lovely seeing you here and all...but what's the deal? If you're looking for Oz or Connor or someone, they're not here..." Riley spoke rather quickly and just a bit nervously. It wasn't that Riley was ashamed of dating Jack, it was just that she wasn't too keen on her family or even friends of the family finding out what was going on.

((so I left an opening for either Seth or Chace to enter. Have fun with it. ))

[chace]

Once again Chace found himself in the boys dorm waiting for Seth. He was fussing about something or other but Chace really wasn't paying attention. Chace would occasionally nod but he could not repeat a word that Seth had said in the last ten minutes. Chace had been ready to leave for the winter holidays the night before but leave it to Seth to wait for the last possible minute to pack his things. He was running around like a madman trying to find everything. At least, that is what Chace thought was happening. Like I said, he wasn't really paying attention. It was normal behavior for Seth to be a spaz so Chace just assumed that is what was going on. Chace causally looked out the window of the room listening to the white noise that was Seth. It was times like this that he wished he was a Gryffindor or a Ravenclaw. Imagine the views that they got to see out of their towers. At least the Hufflepuff dorm wasn't under the lake like the Slytherins. Although the Slytherins probably preferred it that way. The only good thing about the Hufflepuff dorm being where it was was that it was close to the kitchens. That made it very convenient to get a midnight snack.

He thought he heard Seth ask him something and he just grunted. He had a lot on his mind. This was going to be the first time the family had ever spent Christmas without their father. Chace still could not believe that he was gone. Not that he and Chace got on very well but he was still Chace's father. Now he was gone. Never to return. It was still hard to believe. His death seemed so sudden. So unexpected. But death usually is, he reasoned. The weird part was that Bruce's will could not be found. Why would that be? Chace knew that his father was cocky but to leave an unfindable will, he couldn't not have been that proud, could he? Seth did something that brought his attention back to the dorm and he smiled at his friend. Seth was a big part of Chace's recovery. He didn't know how he could have survived the semester without such a good mate. Chace had Seth. Oz had Oliver. Connor had Jayci. Who did Cora have to comfort her in this time of need? Cora was closest to their father and she must be taking this the hardest. And what about Riley? That's right. She had the Daughters of whatever they called themselves these days.

Down in the common room they met up with Lara and Willow. Lara was staying at Hogwarts over the break. She didn't believe in the commercialism of a holiday and refused to participate. Chace was upset that he would not be able to see his girlfriend for a few weeks but what he really needed was some time with his family. She would be there waiting for him when he returned. He kissed her softly after saying his goodbye. He could feel himself distancing himself from her. He had not really talked about the death of his father with her and he had no intention of doing so. Chace could talk to Seth because he actually knew Bruce but Lara... she was better off not knowing Chace's pain. This drove her green with envy but there was nothing she could do about it. If he didn't want to talk about it there was no way to force it out of him. If she had learned anything from dating him she had at least learned that much. Making eye contact with Seth he scratched his left ear, their secret signal that it was time to leave. They started walking to the Hufflepuff Common Room exit lifting a hand in a goodbye gesture to their girlfriends.

Seth and Chace boarded the train just as the last whistle blew and the conductor yelled everyone aboard. Chace just looked at Seth with one eyebrow lifted saying silently We made it... barely. He smiled and laughed. He was just joking. There was no way that he could be mad at his best mate for long. He signaled for Seth to follow him as they made their way through the cars looking for a compartment to sit in. As Chace was looking in one window someone bumped into him. "Pardon me," he began but soon recognised the person to be a friend of Riley's. "Oh hey..." he paused as he searched his mind frantically for her name. Riley must have mentioned this one at dinner before but she had so many friends... He looked at Seth with a pleading look. The girl just sighed in frustration and pointed to the compartment where Riley was. "Thanks," Chace called after her. His eyes locked with Seth's and they giggled. She obviously had been offended that neither one of them could remember her name. They made their way to the compartment she had indicated and Chace pulled the door open without knocking. For he didn't think there was a reason to. As soon as the door slid open he had wished he did. His sister looked absolutely shocked to see her older brother open the door as she moved away from the boy. Boy?! What was a boy doing in a compartment alone with Riley. "I was looking for Connor or Oz but," he made eye contact with the boy. Chace recognised him as Jack Reid a sixth year Slytherin. "I think this compartment is great." He turned his head back to Seth in the hallway. "This is our stop!" He then entered the compartment and threw his light luggage on the rack. He and Seth sat on the bench opposite Riley and Jack. Noticing the window was open Chace reached over and closed it. "Smoking again? Mum will be disappointed." He smiled and looked back and forth between Riley and Jack. This was going to be fun.

[Riley Coxen G7]

Riley’s cheeks flushed pink at the sight of her older brother Chace. She couldn’t believe she’d been caught in such a situation. She had to imagine what this must have looked like to Chace, who knew Riley as the tomboy kind of girl who ran around rolling in the mud and playing Quidditch all day. This make-up wearing, older boy kissing teenager was probably a very strange sight to him right now. Riley was embarrassed and humiliated beyond belief. She nibbled on her lower lip nervously as she scooted just a bit further from Jack and trying to act like nothing had been happening. She sent him an apologetic look, basically pleading for Chace and his friend to go away, even if they had only just sat down. Riley rolled her eyes. “Sure, why not. Of course you two can sit here. Thanks for asking.” Riley said sarcastically as Chace took a seat, practically glaring at Jack as he took a seat across from the two. Riley was actually surprised that Chace hadn’t simply squeezed himself between the two. That would have been more effective in his eyes, at least. Riley’s body was moved forward slightly from the force of the train, which had stopped for a brief moment, probably to pick someone up, even though Riley didn’t think there were multiple stops on this train. Riley instinctively grasped Jack’s shoulder to balance herself, but moved it awkwardly again after regaining her balance, remembering that Chace was still watching them intently.

Riley glanced back at Jack again, hoping he’d understand and be able to cope with only a small portion of Riley’s incredibly aggravating family. She sighed as they both took a seat. Chace’s smug expression almost had Riley wishing she had an aggravated Christy back in the room. Even though her presence wasn’t exactly welcomed in Riley’s experience, at least she didn’t have the ability to make Riley so incredibly uncomfortable that she wanted to jump out of the open window. It wasn’t merely Chace’s presence that made her uncomfortable, of course not. It was simply the fact that Chace had caught her in such a situation where she was alone in a small train compartment with an older boy. She wasn’t sure if he had seen them kissing a moment ago, but either way, Riley looked pretty guilty right about now. Chace and Seth now had a considerable amount of leverage over her, because even though Riley had changed, one thing about her had not. Riley did not particularly like being at home to begin with. But if Chace knew her well enough, he would know that the last thing Riley wanted was for her mother to know that Riley had finally done what she asked and become more of a woman than a rambunctious child. Riley would give anything not to prove her mother right. Her rebellious side was far too strong for that.

“Chace, I don’t smoke. I really have no idea where you got that idea.” Riley said calmly as Chace got up to close the window. She decided to venture just a bit closer to where she was before, but avoided his touch completely, ignoring the burning temptation to just walk out with him and leave Chace and Seth in the previous compartment. Though, thinking about it, Riley doubted there’d be any empty carriages left at this point in the ride. The train had now continued to move again, though Riley was ready this time and did not need to grab hold of Jack for support. She sighed, trying to break the awkward silence that had settled in the room. So much for getting in a little time alone with Jack before the holidays. It looked like Riley was going to have to wait until the break was over (or until she was able to sneak out of the house to go see him) to be with him again. It seemed as usual, her family had decided to butt in. Riley would have probably expected this from Oz, but not Chace. He had been the tolerable one out of all of her brothers. “So um…is mum picking us all up at King’s Cross?” Riley tried to think of anything she could say to break the silence, and even though the question seemed stupid and incredibly obvious, it was something.

[Jack Reid]

Jack was happy that the girls had left he and Riley alone. It was early in the train ride and he wanted some alone time with her before he had to suffer the winter break in the Reid household with his family. His brothers would likely be the ones to get every bit of Jackson’s attention, and he would be left alone to take care of his mother. Before the girls left, though, Christy had given him a bit of attitude, and he listened to Riley as she silently put her arm around him and squeezed. It was her little sign to tell him to settle down when he wanted to just let loose. Someone needed to teach Christy a lesson, but it wouldn’t be Jack this time. He kept his mouth shut as she left the room after discarding her cigarette out the open window and stepping on his foot purposely. After she had left, Riley explained how she was likely going to be busy, but that there would likely be a few parties. “Parties I can definitely do. Apparating there shouldn’t be a problem. Not like anyone would care that I wasn’t in my house for a bit of time, anyway.” Jack shrugged, knowing that his father would be the only one to likely say something about him being irresponsible as usual.

Erica asked him about the party that night, and then asked about his drinking habits. “Tonight likely wouldn’t work for me tonight, actually. Jackson is the kind of man who demands us to tell our stories about school the night we come back, and the eldest is apparently not immune to this stupid ritual, so that needs to be taken care of, unfortunately.” Jack hated these times, but he shrugged the fact off. He didn’t want to think about it at the time. “Yes, Erica, I do drink. Not often enough to consider it something of a habit, but I like a good drink now and then.” Right after he was done, Riley explained why they couldn’t be together that night because of a similar tradition with the Coxen family. It was seemingly turning into a trend. All parents wanted to hear of times at Hogwarts, even though it was just simple and monotonous schoolwork. After that, Erica left, and Jack looked at Riley as she talked about missing him over the holiday. “I’ll miss you too. The Reid household will likely get empty and lonely around Christmas eve and day, so I’ll likely be thinking of you.” Jack looked into her eyes and slightly closed them as she kissed him softly. It was a beautiful feeling, but was cut short by the door sliding open. Riley scooted away from him unexpectedly and he had to move his arm quickly.

The person entering the tight compartment was Riley’s brother, Chace. Immediately Jack’s demeanor changed, mainly because of the sudden presence of the man, and also because of the house he immediately recognized the man was a part of: Hufflepuff. Jack, as a Slytherin, had a problem with pretty much every house other than his own, but he could stand them all. All of them but one. Hufflepuffs particularly got under his skin, mostly because of the house’s values. Anyone, even non-pure wizards or witches could be in the Hufflepuff house, and most of the muggle-born types and mudbloods were shuffled into that house. Jack felt a sneer coming on, but pushed it away, knowing that the man standing in front of him was, at the very least, someone important to Riley. “Well, hello, Chace,” Jack said simply. The two had met before in the hallway, and Jack didn’t care for the Hufflepuff’s attitude at all. Jack slide a bit further from Riley, as she had done about the same. Jack wasn’t ashamed of Riley, but knew that she really didn’t want to have to explain the entire situation to her brothers right then and there. Right behind Chace was another student, someone he didn’t recognize but by the banter between the two, Jack assumed that it was another one of the Coxens. Jack listened quietly to the conversation between Riley and Chace, seeing the two of them take their seats across from the couple.

Jack watched Riley’s reactions and apologetic looks towards him. Jack understood, but was unsure if Riley was ashamed of their relationship. It was likely not the case, since Riley had told him before that her family was a little on the extreme side. Chace was definitely a decent explanation of this concept. Jack thought to himself, Well so much for us getting some alone time together. Guess I’ll just have to make it up to her. Jack sat in the most awkward silence with Chace, the unknown possible brother, and of course Riley, who piped up randomly asking her brother a question about where they would be getting picked up. Jack decided he would also break the silence by introducing himself. “Chace Coxen, pleasure to run into you again. I believe we’ve run into each other one or twice in the hallways of our lovely school, haven’t we? Your counterpart here, I don’t think I know though.” Jack reached his hand out to the unknown student. “Jack Reid, nice to meet you. And you are…?” While it may have sounded completely polite and proper, it took everything within Jack to not lash out at Chace for interrupting the two of them. Jack looked at Riley, wondering what he should do next. He gave her a look that said What next?!!, almost screaming it in his mind over the look. Jack waited for Riley to either say something or the new person to introduce himself.

[Seth Wright]

Willow had opted to stay at Hogwarts, like she did every Christmas, with Lara. After all, there was no Lara without Willow, and vice versa, no Willow without Lara. Just like Chace and Seth, they were a duo, partners in crime so to say. People couldn't imagine one without the other - that was why others found it amusing that Chace Coxen was dating Lara Thompson and Seth Wright was dating Willow Walker. What were the chances? Slim, Seth thought, but at least it wasn't a dream, or nil chance. Seth kissed Willow briefly on the cheek as he withdrew from a quick farewell hug, then followed Chace out of the Common Room. "I'll write!" he shouted back to the waving figures of his girlfriend and her best friend. Seth still didn't like Lara, but she was part of their group - kind of impossible to avoid since she was not only Willow's 'top friend' but also Chace's girlfriend. Unfortunately this had only served to worsen Seth's dislike of Lara Thompson. She stole his best friend and his girlfriend's time away from him. Still, Seth had long ago reconciled within his mind that all was fair and square, since vice versa, Seth himself stole Willow from her as well as Chace. Seth was particularly proud of the fact he was Chace Coxen's best friend; he could never be in the esteemed position of that of his girlfriend, but he was his best friend - and Seth had convinced himself that that was a better position than a girlfriend.

Seth was looking forward to Christmas, actually. He wasn't going to spend so much at the Coxens like he usually did every holiday. It was difficult in the household due to Bruce's recent death, and Seth was sensitive to this. Most likely Oliver and Jayci, Oz and Connor's respective best friends, were going to refrain from visiting too. It was ironic, Seth thought. How was it that the male Coxens all had loyal best friends and the girls didn't? It was a thought that flitted quickly through Seth's head and disappeared in moments. His mind returned to Christmas at home: spending evenings in front of the telly with his mum and Eva. It was going to be a present-lacking Christmas, as usual - the only presents Seth ever received were small gifts from his mother and Eva, and significantly more lavish ones from Chace and Willow - but it would be a Christmas with the people Seth loved most in the world (minus two), and he would enjoy it. Seth could survive one Christmas without Chace, for goodness sake, it was no big deal. Talking of Chace, Seth caught the look his best friend gave him as they boarded the train. "Sorry," he mumbled half apologetically, half bashfully, with a hint of amusement thrown in because he knew Chace wasn't really mad at him. "Don't start. You should be used to me leaving things till the last minute, Chace." Punching his best friend lightly on the arm, Seth began hoisting his trunk down the Express' corridor, Chace leading the way to find a compartment.

When Chace stopped after bumping into a girl leaving a compartment Seth, who as usual followed his best friend blindly and had his thoughts in a cloud, walked right into Chace. "Ow! Hey, what the--" Seth began in confusion, stepping back and rubbing his nose. He looked up and saw a familiar-looking girl staring at them in annoyance, and Seth inwardly shrunk from her glare. When Chace glanced back at him questioningly, Seth shrugged with a helpless look and whispered loudly, "Um, she's in our year, isn't she? But who is she?" Evidently the mystery girl did not take to Seth's questions, as she sent him a rather scathing, sarcastic glare. Seth gave a silent 'eep' and stepped behind Chace to avoid her piercing look. Once she had disappeared down the corridor Seth spoke again. "Talk about an attitude problem," he muttered to himself, then laughed with Chace about her reaction. "It's like she's got a stuck shoved up her butt. Seriously, she's in our year, right? How can I not know her name? How can you not know her name? I thought she was really popular."

Seth's jabbering was cut short when Chace opened the compartment door the girl had left from and he stopped short again. This time Seth was smarter; only his chin managed to make contact with Chace's head. "For crying out loud," Seth mumbled under his breath as Chace processed the scene before them. It Seth several minutes to join in again, and by then his best friend seemed to have invited them into the compartment. Seth looked up to see who they were sharing with and restrained a groan. Riley and... Jack Reid. Great. Juuust great. What was Chace thinking? "What are you thinking, Chace?" Seth whispered into his friend's ear, this time much more subtley. "Are you sure this is a good ide--" However, before he could finish, Chace had already thrown his trunk in. Seth groaned quietly and surrendered to whatever his best friend was thinking. It wasn't like Chace to be mad or spontaneous, but evidently he had decided to change for the timebeing. Being in the same compartment and spending a few hours with Riley and her boyfriend - her Slytherin boyfriend - was not, even to Seth (who was meant to be the insensible one of the Chace and Seth duo) a good idea. It was, really, quite an absurd idea. Talk about awkward and getting in the way. "Chace Coxen, you are one wacko older brother," he muttered in Chace's ear quickly before settling down beside him.

Seth opted to sit in silence as the other three got on with whatever ridiculous familiarial or romantic problems they had with each other. Really, he thought. Chace should know better than to poke his nose into Riley's business. His sister was infamous in the entire school for, well, being Riley. Though, admittedly, even Seth was surprised Oz wasn't present with Riley. Most likely he was with Oliver, but when it came to train rides, Riley and Oz usually stuck together despite Oliver. It didn't bother Seth much, but had Jack created some sort of crack between the family? Maybe that was why Chace was bothering to sit here. They could be in a compartment of their own right now. Okay, so maybe not, since Seth made them really late for the Express, and most compartments were likely to be taken, but any compartment was better than with Riley and Jack Reid! Seth didn't know much about Riley's new boyfriend, but from the way Jack was looking at Chace, despite his polite demeanour Seth could tell he harboured dislike. Why? No one disliked Chace - almost no one. But Jack was a Slytherin and it was always the Slytherins. Feeling somewhat vulnerable, Seth sat there quietly with his thoughts and assumed he would be ignored as always - until, it seemed, Jack addressed him.

It took a while for Seth to twig that Jack was even talking to him - that his hand was extended for him. This was certainly a very polite Slytherin. Seth blinked at the hand, looked up at Jack, realised Chace's look indicated it was for him, and came to his senses. "Oh, me? Oh, um, Seth Wright. Nice to meet you." He took Jack's hand uncomfortably and quickly let go. He didn't know why, but this guy's presence made him feel vulnerable. Then again, most Slytherins did. When a short silence followed where Riley and Jack, and Chace and Seth eyeballed each other ferociously, Seth broke the silence with a nervous laugh - quite stupidly, but he hated silence; always had, always would. "Um, so, you're Jack? I've heard a bit about you. Oh, not bad stuff, just that, well, you're Riley's boyfriend?" Judging from the expressions on their faces that was probably not what they'd wanted him to say. Immediately Seth flushed a little and tried to cover up what he'd just blurted out. "I mean, that's what I heard, I don't know if it's true, and it's not like I get the right gossip. I mean, I don't usually get gossip, but it's a big thing, y'know, and with Willow as a girlfriend it's impossible not to be infected by the gossip, y'know?" Seth had a feeling he was digging himself into a bigger hole and glanced at Chace desperately for help to dig him out. "Um, I'm Chace's friend by the way," he addressed Jack. "I'm uh, in Seventh Year as well. You're in, er, Slytherin, right? That's... that's great."

Not.

[chace]

Chace just gave Seth a reassuring smile at his best friend's concerned whispers. Chace could understand his friend's concerns. Usually Chace would not have entered into his sister's personal life. Both his sisters were fairly independent. Cora being the eldest always seemed to know which way was up and where she was headed. Even with the divorce she knew what was what. Riley had the Daughters and she was known throughout the school for doing what she wanted to do. But seeing Riley with Jack. Jack with Riley. Something growled within Chace and he had to step in and intervene. He knew that he would never be able to change his younger sisters mind. She was like that. Once her mind was set on something, it was like that always. Until she and only she decided to change it. But he wanted to her to know his take on the matter.

Chace's eyes landed on the Slytherin boy looking him up and down. Chace knew very little about Jack's personal or family life. He knew that Jack had two younger brothers. One of them was on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. Chace thought it a little queer that a Ravenclaw could have an older brother in Slytherin or vice versa but he supposed it took all types. August seemed nice although being a couple years younger than Chace, the two had never intermingled save on the Quidditch pitch. In fact, August was in the same year that Riley was. Out of all the Reid brothers, Riley had to pick the Slytherin. As a Hufflepuff, Chace liked all people. He would like Slytherins if they had liked him. But the very Slytherin philosophy would not allow them to interact with such blood traitors as Hufflepuffs. It made Chace wonder why Jack would be interested in Riley, a Gryffindor. Weren't Slytherin and Gryffindor mortal enemies?

Chace's lips turned upward into a small smile as he noticed the gap between Riley and Jack and their non-verbal communication. He nodded in response to Riley's question. "She'll be there, at least that's what the owl said. If she doesn't forget, that is. You know how forgetful she is ever since..." Chace stopped as if he continued then it would be true. Bruce was gone. Their one and only father was dead. "...you know," he added quietly. He looked at Seth and asked, "What do you think the maximum side-along apparation is? There's Riley, Oz, and Connor, plus all our luggage. If she doesn't come, do you think you could help? Or wait.... dad showed me how to make a portkey before he..." again he found himself choked on his words. "I guess that would work." He looked back at his younger sister and then at the Slytherin boy. He was purposely ignoring the elephant in the room. It would make the two of them squirm. He nudged Seth softly with his elbow trying to communicate, Sorry about this and thanks.