Tuesday, April the 9th, 1894 — The Great Hall

She had picked out her favorite teal dress to wear today, fretting at the height of its hem. There was no time to make a request to Sisse, nor would there be any use in attempting to transfigure it longer. Millie had only tried a few seamstress spells so far, and none had impressed her as much as Miss Thompsett's results. The young witch satisfied herself with spending more time on her hair instead, tying it as far back as she dared to give her neckline a more mature look for her birthday.

At fifteen, Millie felt she could get away with such things now.

It might have almost disappointed the birthday girl that the Great Hall held to its usual temper for breakfast, if Millie wasn't used to that by now. Today was the fourth birthday she'd had while at Hogwarts, and by now there was nothing incredibly special about any of them. Only she knew the difference, not that it deterred her much. Millie still felt different today, and she was determined to make it important to her.

When the mail came, Millie looked up from her finished plate, to catch the customary package from her parents. Inside were a dozen, wrapped chocolates from Honeydukes, and a blank journal to record her thoughts in. She put that aside, aware of how empty her current one sat under the stack of books in her room. It was just in time for another package to arrive, one that even the birthday girl hadn't expected. The handwriting and contents told her exactly who the anonymous gifter was.

"You're a real deviant, Zin..." Millie remarked quietly to herself as her fingers found the chain at her neck. She rubbed them over the silver links a few times, pondering whether she should even possess this kind of book. Sitting right next to the journal gave the young witch a dizzying giggle, as if her parents could remark from over her shoulder as she withdrew a copy of The Odd Women from its wrapping.

After that, Millie couldn't fathom any more gifts for today. It was enough now just to be newly fifteen, with a lofty mood she wished would last all the way to sundown. Or at least until she could crack open the gifted book and discover what this new year would bring to her.

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OOC: Open to any Hogwarts students, no need to match length. Nor does this need to turn into a long thread, feel free to drop a post and be out.

The following 1 user Likes Millie Potts's post:1 user Likes Millie Potts's post
   Benedict Hunter

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Benedict sat with the other Gryffindor boys having his breakfast with a small gift in his breast pocket for a friend of his from the year below. He glanced over at Millie Potts to decide his best timing and saw her catching and opening gifts from the owls. "Excuse me gentlemen, I shall return." he said before crossing the room to the ravenclaw table where Miss Potts sat. He tried to take a peek at the packages she had received but couldn't make out the title, he hoped it was something to his friend's tastes.

"Happy Birthday, Miss Potts. I hope it finds you well." He smiled, he would like to complement her different hairstyle today, but thought better of it and instead handed her the neatly wrapped gift. It was a stamped metal bookmark on a short chain with the words "legit quod amas" stamped on it. He had spotted it in a bookshop during the last Hogsmeade weekend, "read what you love" seemed a fitting sentiment for the girl. He would allow her to open her gift if that was her choice but wouldn't dawdle and would return to table once excused.

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   Millie Potts

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As per usual Sisse had arrived at breakfast before most of the other students. She always loved the quiet moments in the Great Hall before the school fully woke up. She had finished her breakfast and excused herself to get ready for the lessons today, saying hello and smiling at students that she knew, when she spotted Millie and Millie's new book. Sisse paused for a moment, "New book?" She asked with a smile, "I do hope you will discuss it in book club this evening." She turned her attention Mr. Hunter to give him a smile of apology for interrupting. "You ought to join us some time Mr. Hunter."

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   Millie Potts

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Thank you Bee <3 Your magic has made Sisse bloom

Millie didn't think much of Mr. Hunter's appearance at the Ravenclaw table, she was used to friends stopping by during their mealtimes. It took a little more getting used to with the boy himself, she had never been very popular among the other sex and sometimes she still wondered what whispers followed after their meetings. Today, at least, the arrival of a friend was welcomed without a single hint of apprehension.

"Oh...why, thank you Mr. Hunter." Millie was surprised after all, restraining a sense of eagerness as she reached for the gift Benedict had for her. She might have been a little girl all over again, the center of attention for the day, rather than just a student at Hogwarts attending on her birthday. Not being that little girl anymore, the young witch didn't pry greedily at the wrapping. While she lacked her mum's deft touch with fingers that could pull apart wrapping paper as if it had never been fastened, Millie could tear it as neatly as possible without making a mess.

The young witch let out a brief laugh to withdraw the gift, a bookmark! With a message that finally did make her glance about for a moment, before returning her attention to the giver. "Wow." Working out the Latin in her head, Millie realized just how much Benedict had come to know her lately. "It means a lot that you remembered my birthday."

Millie gave herself a silent reproach, her words felt too inadequate. Too guarded. Her thumb brushed over the texture of the metal, while not quite like her necklace it was a fair substitute for the moment as she considered what was proper. It came to her in a moment too late, when the young witch looked up she realized just how popular she had become today.

She had almost missed the arrival of more presents from her cousin, Dahlia, and Aunt Laurel. The flower bouquet looked too lovely to resist fom sticking her nose in for a deep breathe, but Millie held back. Much like she'd have to hold the boxed cake back from Cordelia, Dahlia knew exactly what to send to make equal trouble and delight for her cousin. Presented with other demands on her attention, Millie turned it to the newcomer.

"Mhmm, it is," she admitted, following Sisse's gaze down to the book from Zinnia. From everything the young witch had heard about it, it certainly wasn't the type of book her parents would want her reading. "But maybe you had better introduce the book..."

In a low voice, Millie added a personal note, "I told her not to get that."

Millie stifled an amused giggle with a smile, letting it fall on the two friends who had come to celebrate with her. It was her birthday, nothing could ruin it. Besides, being fifteen had to afford her some new privileges, or at least a willingness to take a few risks. The young witch had been eager for adventure this year, and what was adventure without doing things a little different?

"You really should come," Millie urged Benedict, turning her smile slyly on him alone. "Just to see the reaction when I suggest this book."

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   Benedict Hunter

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Benedict smiled as his friend unwrapped her gift, she seemed to appreciate the small gesture, it gave him a warm feeling . His smile changed to a smirk as he watched her thumb running itself over the metal in a very similar way to the way he had seen her handling her necklace while they had discussed books. It was an endearing habit.

The Gryffindor boy snapped out of his reflection as Sisse Thompsett spoke about her new book and invited him to the reading of in. Benedict glanced down and read the writing on the cover. "The odd woman, I think I've heard of that one. It would certainly be fun to see the perspective of the rest of the girl's book club." There were certainly some girls in the club who might find a more controversial book difficult to process, but Ben had enjoyed listening to Millie Potts talk about her own perspective on the couple of books that they had read together. "I should return to my table before I am missed." and before the other boys decided his friendship with the fourth year girl warranted further teasing. "Have a lovely birthday Miss Potts... Miss Thompsett." he excused himself and walked away to rejoin the Gryffindors.

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   Millie Potts

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Greta woke with a start as a cat that she most definitely did not own sat on her face. She moaned and attempted to swat the cat off but Houstonia - who of course it could only be - was persistent. Greta tried to think calm thoughts about not throwing Millie's cat across the room and wondered if perhaps her friend would entertain thoughts of perhaps a locking spell on the Ravenclaw dorms that would keep Houstonia in, at least at night.

She had already tried a spell to keep Houstonia out of her dorms completely however as some of her year-mates had cats as well ensuring that the spell would keep Houstonia out whilst letting the others in was proving difficult. And it wasn't as if she was nice to the blasted animal, or the other cats that insisted she and her quarters were far better than those of their actual owners (She was beginning to wonder if she somebody had jinxed her to be as irresistible to the felines as catnip - but surely such a spell did not exist for what purpose would it have?) - most of the time all she did was push them off her and yell at them to go back to their owners. It begged the question - How mean did she have to be to a cat for it to stop looking for her? She wasn't sure she could be too mean without it feeling like abuse and Houstonia was a completely different story. To be mean to Houstonia would mean she would have to be mean to Millie's cat and that felt somewhat like she was being mean to the girl herself and that wasn't a thing Greta was willing to do.

And Houstonia knew this and was prepared to make herself as much of a nuisance as possible. Greta opened her eyes, regretted her decision and closed them, shoving Houstonia completely off as she attempted to erase the image of Houtonia's behind from her brain.

"Houstonia. Go back to Millie... I'm not going to feed you. It's...." She said groaning, hand searching for her timepiece, which upon finding made her sit bolt upright. She was running late on all days she had wanted to be early.

"Ohhhh! Noo!" She yelped as she leapt out of bed, rushing through her morning preparations as Houstonia looked at her smugly, having decided she had done Merlin's work by waking up the young witch. Greta threw on her school robes, barely attempted to brush her hair and hoping the ribbon she added to it would perform miracles - and that she didn't run into the ettiquette teacher that morning - and grabbed the wrapped box of chocolates and hair ribbon that she'd prepared for the occassion, shoving them into one of her cloaks pockets that she had made deceptively deep for such purposes and proceeded to grab Houstonia, manhandling her into what she hoped was a decent carrying position. Afterall - the cat was coming with her.

She burst into the great hall and hurried over to her friend.

"I'm sorry I'm late!" She said by way of apology. "I have Houstonia and-" She said indicating the cat awkwardly in her arms and realised that she probably looked quite mad and possibly bedraggled. She flushed as she realised in her panic to make it to the Great Hall in time she really had made a made a mess of things and flushed. Her hair ribbon, which always struggled on the best of days to grip onto her super fine straight hair, gave up the ghost and landed on the floor.

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   Benedict Hunter, Millie Potts

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Thanks go to the marvelous MJ for her sensational set.

Oh, Houstonia turned up in the oddest of places. More than once, Millie had caught him sauntering out of a boy's lavatory, heedless of her gaping shock. Sometimes she dreamed that he ventured onto the rooftops, forcing her up on a broom to retrieve him, often at the dizzying heights of the highest tower. And now here he was, scooped into the arms of a friend who was far more loyal than her cat.

"Greta, you're—" Millie burst out at once, and then stopped for a moment. Her friend's appearance was even more fraught than her cat's, who looked no worse than on his many adventures before. The Gryffindor girl, by comparison, looked like all of their adventures gone wrong at once. The circles under her eyes spoke volumes more than the young witch was willing to criticize, only hoping that it had been a long night of studying —and not misadventures in cat chasing— that had Miss Gillenwater looking so awry. "—only a little late."

That was not the best way to greet her friend, and Millie's cheeks nearly matched her flushed friend's.

"And you," Millie turned her pink stare onto the cat, holding out her arms to take him from Greta. "You are getting fat on handouts again, aren't you?" She tried so hard to be angry at Houstonia's weight, and his casual disappearances. The smile played at her lips too eagerly, making her look back at her friend before the cat got better ideas from it. "I'm sorry if he turned your room upside down, I have half a mind to enchant a clothespin to his nose so he can't sniff out any more food past mealtimes."

Somehow, it was easy to be the warm and friendly person around Greta. Particularly when the mad-haired girl looked even more flustered than Millie did on a bad day, and that was a lot of days. Even she felt humiliated on behalf of her friend, pondering the best way to tell Greta without dragging her off to a mirror.

"And I hope he didn't sleep in your hair either," she said, suggestively motioning with her eyes. Millie might have said more in private company, but not here in the Great Hall. It wouldn't do for Greta to wind up even more embarrassed than she might have already realized, or the young witch would ruin her whole birthday for someone else's tragedy.

She only hoped that wasn't what Zin had in mind by sending such a scandalous book to her.

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