Hot drink (Illiya)

[crane]

Gary had agreed to meet Illiya near the Great Hall after she had managed to change. Hopefully she could put on some drier and warmer clothes too. It wasn’t that warm anymore that you could walk around being wet and not catch a cold. Cold wasn’t realyl a problem for the school nurse to heal as Gary knew very well but it was still unpleasant to be ill.
Watching as Illiya ran towards where the Gryffindor common room probably was Gary walked into the school. Hot chocolate would be rather good now. Especially if the house elves had done it. Gary had been shocked the first itme he sw house elves but they were very good cooks.

Not going very far Gary sat down on the first step of the main staircase. Leaning his arms on his knees Gary looked around among the few people scattered here and there. None of his friends was in view but Gary wasn’t very worried about it. Looking at the ceiling Gary let his mind wander as he waited for Illiya to come back so they could get their drink.

[illiya]

Illiya flew up the stairs, her trainers squelching and squeaking as she went, until she reached the portrait hole that led to the common room. She stopped long enough to catch her breath and blurt out the password which earned her a look of unhappiness from the Fat Lady who graced the portrait hanging over the opening. As the painting swung aside, Illiya heard the prissy voice from the other side call “And don’t you get anything on my backside either. Honestly, I swear these children go rolling in mud….” Careful not to touch the portrait for fear of more reprisal from the Fat Lady, Illiya rushed inside and dashed up the stairs to her room. She slid in the door and was grateful to find no one there at the moment. Illiya rifled through her drawers to find something worth putting on that would keep her warm. She decided on a faded, slightly torn pair of blue jeans, an oversized t-shirt (she didn’t have many that weren’t) and a light blue jacket that she had bought herself for Christmas last year.

Illiya went to put them on only to realize she was still covered in grime. She glanced in the mirror over her dresser and almost gasped in dismay. The frightful halo of her hair, tangled and standing out every which way, was framing a face still smeared with small streaks of mud and little stubborn bits of dead leaves. Illiya quickly rushed to the bathroom and struggled out of her wet clothes, which, in her haste to get out of them, seemed to weigh more than all her school books combined and have a tenacious death grip upon her body. Illiya didn’t want to leave Gary waiting for too long though, so she wrenched all the harder and finally freed herself after a five minute struggle on the floor of the bathroom, where she flailed like an animal in a trap. Illiya turned on the water and immediately began to rinse off all the little souvenirs of her trip to the lake. Once she had washed, she rushed out, dried off as quick as she could and hurriedly tugged on her new choice of clothes, the old ones having been abandoned in a wet heap at the foot of her bed.

Illiya went to put on her shoes and realized they were still soaked right through. She looked around to find something else to wear but her family couldn’t afford to buy her many pairs of anything so she eventually settled on a pair of black sandals over her socks to keep her feet as warm as possible. Illiya struggled with her wet hair, now dirt free but no less difficult to work with, and decided she didn’t have time to spend trying to fix it. She pulled an elastic band into her hair and used it to make a half hearted and somewhat messy bun. Illiya pushed her ever slipping glasses back up onto her nose again and all but ran back out of the common room and back down the stairs to the great hall. As she neared the last landing, she saw Gary sitting on the bottom step still waiting for her.

Illiya smiled broadly and rushed down to meet him. “Hi! Chocolate.” Were the only two words she managed while panting, her breath having long ago been sacrificed for speed during her little trip up to the common room and back. She gestured toward the great hall and offered another beaming smile to him.

[crane]

Gary didn’t mind other people passing him or even the snide remark some passing Slytherin threw his way. Not too much later quick footsteps were heard and Gary looked at Illiya smiling a little as she seemed to be panting.
“No need to rush. Take a few deep breaths.” Gary smiled as he stood and stretched his legs for a moment before smiling at Illiya’s enthusiasm.
“You look better without the tree branches and mud in your hair. Let’s go and get the hot chocolate. DO you want to sit at the Gryffindor table or at Ravenclaws table? Your choice. It doesn’t really matter to me.”

“I think I would like something to eat to. My stomach is bound to start rumbling soon. I wouldn’t want you to think that the castle is getting ready to collapse.” Gary smiled at Illiya as they both entered the Great Hall looking at her a bit expectantily to see where Illiya would decide to sit.

((Terribly sorry for to short post. I promise that the next one will be better.))

[illiya]

((That's ok, I'm sorry for how long this took to reply. I ripped a muscle in my back and typing hurts. :/ ))

Illiya almost stopped breathing all together when Gary told her she looked better without the leaves and mud in her hair. It was a sort of round-about compliment but she was glad to accept it none the less with a shy blush. Illiya pushed her glasses back up onto her nose and grinned broadly at Gary. “Uh…” she began, sucking in a breath to calm her nerves and ease the hammering of her heart, “Either one. How about the Ravenclaw table? I like the other Gryffindors but we attract a lot of Slytherin attention.” Illiya shrugged playfully and started towards the doors to the Great Hall glancing back to see if Gary was following.

Illiya laughed openly at the joke Gary made about his stomach. She could certainly relate, having a healthy apatite of her own that often led her father to joke she had a tape worm. Illiya was skinny for a girl her age but she could pack away food with the best of them and she was glad Gary did the same; she wouldn’t feel so much like a complete pig that way. “I’m starved!” she quickly agreed and she headed for the Ravenclaw table with a sense of determination only a hungry fifteen year old could muster. Illiya plopped into a seat and looked over again at Gary as he sat down. The silliest question in the world popped into her head and Illiya could only imagine having friends had suddenly gone to her head if such questions could begin to force their way onto her lips.

The Halloween Ball was coming up soon and Illiya had no date. This wasn’t unusual as Illiya had never had a date for any of the dances they’d ever had at her time within the walls of Hogwarts. The dances were something she feared and recoiled from as they often found her standing or sitting alone in a corner trying not to be noticed. Illiya hadn’t even planned on being at this dance, opting for a good book and the relative safety of her own dorm room, but here she was sitting with Gary and he’d been nothing but nice to her. Illiya nervously ticked away at a small spot on the table in front of her as the inner struggle on whether to ask him to the ball continued to rage in her head. “So…uh….” Illiya refused to make eye contact, focusing instead on the spot, which looked suspiciously like dried pudding, that she was quickly wearing away to nothing on the table, “Are you going to the Halloween Ball?” Illiya glanced up at Gary and tried to offer a non-threatening smile.

[crane]

“Ravenclaw table it is then.“ Smiling cheerfully Gary walked to his house table next to Illiya. Perhpas the Gryffindor table did get more attention from the Slytherins. But at the same time Gryffindor table was further away from the Slytherin table than the Gryffindor table was. But all of that didn’t really matter. They would enjoy a hot drink and a quick dinner one way or an other. Taking a seat opposite Illiya Gary seated himself comfortably pouring himself a goblet of pumpkin juice from a near-by pitcher.

Smiling calmly at Illiya Gary nodded at her question. “As a matter of fact I am. I’m going to go there with a few friends. Me and Nokomis decided to dress as Tinkerbell which leaves me with the costume of Peter Pan. Perhaps you know her? She’s the Hufflepuff quidditch captain. I think she loves the sport even more than I do. But I’m a little worried about my costume. I asked my sisters to help. I owled them about it yesterday but I’m still a bit worried. I just keep telling myself that I’ll survive even if my sister owl tights back to me.“ Gary grimaced slightly. He would NOT wear tights. They were just so tights-like. Sometimes Gary really wondered how girls managed to survive with wearing tights. Didn’t tights feel uncomfortable around their legs? Girs were a constant source of mystery for Gary. He didn’t even understand how some older boys manged to talk and flirt wiht them so easily. How come girls sometimes slapped a guy for commenting about their skirt while beaming gratefully at an other who commented the very same skirt. It just wasn’t logical!

„What about you? Going with someone or just with friends? Would you like some cake?“ Gary smiled at Illiya offering her the same chocolate cake he had just helped himself to. They had came out here for a hot drink after all. Gary was alreayd drinking pumpkin juice but Illiya could have the hot chocolate. Gary ahd a sweet tooth but the cakes and other sweets on the tables could easily satisfy his sweet tooth for today at least.