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Welcome to Charming, the year is now 1895. It’s time to join us and immerse yourself in scandal and drama interlaced with magic both light and dark.

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Braces, or suspenders, were almost universally worn due to the high cut of men's trousers. Belts did not become common until the 1920s. — MJ
Had it really come to this? Passing Charles Macmillan back and forth like an upright booby prize?
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All Grown Up and Pretending We Party
#1
April 9th, 1895 — Empty Classroom
"Oh, bloody hell, Greta, it looks perfect. Leave it alone." Anne groaned in exasperation as her one-time nemesis studied the banner now gracing the far wall. If anyone ever told Anne she would be working with Greta Gillenwater on anything, especially a surprise party, Anne would have laughed (or hexed someone). Somehow, the girls had reached a strange sort of antagonistic friendship, the shared link of Millie not a minor factor. It was the Ravenclaw that brought them together today.

Millie was sixteen and the last of the three to hit the milestone; Anne still took it as a personal slight that Greta was two months ahead of her. Perhaps it was oneupmanship, but a conversation of birthdays in the library became a bickering fest, which led to Greta and Anne planning a party. And here they were. Somehow, they had been able to compromise on most aspects of the gathering, with the two girls working together to charm and suspend a banner and conjuring a tablecloth in Millie's favorite light green. They'd even pooled some sickles to buy treats their last weekend in Hogsmeade. As far as Hogwarts birthdays went, this felt festive.

Hearing a familiar set of footsteps in the hall, Anne barely made it to her chosen position in time to shout, "Happy birthday, Millie!"

Open to: Greta Gillenwater, Millie Potts, Benedict Hunter, and other friends of Millie. The more, the merrier!


The following 2 users Like Anne Moony's post:
   Benedict Hunter, Millie Potts

[Image: rOjzpw3.png]
MJ about made me cry with this one!
Thread Log | Help Anne Blame the DJ
#2

Benedict was excited today, it wasn't even his birthday but he was eager to see Millie's face when she realised what her friends had been up to behind her back. He knew that Anne did not really approve of their more than friendship but today wasn't about that. It did give him something to think about though, he remembered the token he got her on her last birthday being one of the first marks of his affection for her. Had it been that long?

Benedict had enjoyed helping the fifth year girls prepare the room, he had even managed to find Houstonia and now the cat was sat plonked on one of the tables with a paper hat unceremoniously tied to his head. Benedict looked at the cat with a knowing grin, Ben had the keys to the best stash in town so the cat had allowed this indignity with only the most half hearted of hisses, just enough to remind Ben of his place in the pecking order.

The room looked lovely and caught Anne racing into her position. Benedict adjusted his royal blue waistcoat neatly against his breast and joined in the chorus. "Happy Birthday Millie!" he said with a beaming smile.




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

[Image: ARdtO3b.png]
#3
She had the wherewithal to pick up her skirts with her wandhand, if only to keep them from banging against her shins. They would have to be let down again, and her mum had to agree it was time now. Millie was sixteen, today of all days, and the worst part about it might be waiting another two months until her hemlines could show it. The day that her boots would finally start to show some wear around the ankles from the beatings her skirts would give it, and Hogwarts gave her plenty of opportunities, would be a good day.

Today's measure of good, however, had been tempered somewhat by the impending disaster promised by the Gryffindor's hurried summons.

"Melted by what?" she had asked, somewhat insincerely herself, having little sympathy for the castle's gloomy suits of armor. They still sent little chills through her spine when she encountered one in the dark these days. He didn't seem to know either, only that the window had been coincidentally broken as well.

"Broken windows? And none of the house-elves noticed, either?" but the answer was the same as before. Only this time, when another piece of this confounding puzzle was offered, it made the young witch stop in her tracks.

"Mr. Fletcher, are you seriously telling me that a fox broke in through a window and melted a suit of armor?"

It all seemed too farfetched from the known troublemaker of her year, but Jimmy Fletcher was now the Quidditch Captain as well. And they were all under pressure from the looming OWLs that Millie's prefect instinct had been to follow first, and question him along the way. Her feet picked back up, a bit more reluctantly now, yet still following the boy's lead. She had come this far, and as silly as it sounded, at least it offered a momentary distraction from her studies.

"So help me, if this is another one of your pranks, Mr. Fletcher, you're not escaping detention this time." There was no Gryffindor match for weeks now, and tall tales aside, a broken window and loose animal were cause enough to wield the small power her prefect's badge afforded her. She had suffered enough headaches from the Gryffindor boy since winning their dueling match a couple months prior, leaving Millie in no mood to stomach a laugh from the likes of Jimmy.

When they drew near to the classroom, it did seem odd to her that she was gestured in first. He didn't even have the manners to open the door, though it was as much as the young witch could expect from her yearmate. Such a Creature, that one, and one she couldn't see ever amounting to much in the future. Certainly no lady of any repute would suffer his lack of charms, Millie was in strong agreement with Greta on that account.

Millie nearly died of shock as she opened the door, to find herself faced not with disaster in the empty classroom, but a host of decorations and grinning faces shouting merriment and cheer at her. She dropped her skirts and clutched for her necklace, feeling on a thinner knife's edge than even a runaway fox, or a Fletcher prank, could ever muster. "Merlin's pointy hat, I think I need to sit down!"

It was all too much to take in, seeing the faces of her friends like Anne, Greta, Ben, her cat with the silliest little hat on his head, and, with perhaps just a little charm to him after all, Jimmy as well. All there to wish her a happy birthday, and nearly terrifying her in the process. Millie was only glad she didn't faint, that would have put a real damper on the surprise party for her.


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

[Image: uHwnE8q.png]
#4
"But it's not center! Just one more tweak and it will perfect." Greta said fussing over the banner that she was convinced would tie the whole party together. She wanted things to be perfect for Millie and after having trusted Jimmy with the most important part - bringing Millie unaware to the classroom to be surprised - she was nervous and tweaking and fiddling was the only acceptable outlet for her nerves.

She had of course agreed with Anne that they needed the element of surprise but the fact that she'd found herself forced to trust Jimmy whilst she helped with the setup was making her nervous. Jimmy would most defineately throw Millie off the scent but ... well his ability to stir chaos meant that anything could happen! And whilst she did trust him... sometimes... and he had turned into a decent enough Quidditch Captain... It was still hard to trust him and she was ready to wring her hands or start fiddling with something else that wasn't meeting her strict standards when the sound of Millie's footsteps announced her approach.

She rushed to her position and just as the door opened joined in with a: "Happy Birthday Millie!" and the biggest grin on her face that couldn't be ruined by anything.

It seemed her nerves had been for nothing and Jimmy had done his job well.

The following 2 users Like Greta Gillenwater's post:
   Benedict Hunter, Millie Potts

[Image: jdwjMQy.png]
Thanks go to the marvelous MJ for her sensational set.

Clubs: Flying, Charms, Potions and Transfiguration.
NEWT Subjects: Charms, DADA, Potions, Transfig, Herbology, Ancient Studies, Alchemy.

[Image: s-age.png]
#5
It was rare enough that he was offered an opportunity to mess with someone with no prospect of retribution or punishment for it. Jimmy had taken it for that reason – and also because everyone else had seemed to decidedly nervous about giving him the responsibility, for some reason.

So it would be funny to surprise them by upholding his end of the bargain (and he was a little afraid Moony and Gillyweed would team up to murder him and hide his body in the Forbidden Forest, if he didn’t); and it had also been terribly funny to say increasingly ludicrous things to Millie Potts and watch her try to comprehend them. (She was gullible or diligent enough to try and make some logic out of it, ha – and no wiser for being newly sixteen.)

So he had been visibly pleased with himself when he led her in to her party, only now that all her friends were here and he was stuck in the room with them, Jimmy wasn’t exactly sure what to do with himself. “Happy birthday,” he echoed flippantly to Millie, with an echo of his previous shit-eating grin. He paused to shoot Greta a smug look, eyebrows raised; and then, because now he felt awkward about being here (really, he was too cool for this), he slunk over towards the array of treats they’d set out, hoping everyone would only think he was really just here for the food.


The following 3 users Like James Fletcher's post:
   Benedict Hunter, Greta Gillenwater, Millie Potts

#6

She had no idea and now look as flustered as he had expected her too, he enjoyed the suprised but grateful look on her face as she saw what her friends had done here for her. Fletcher had done his part like a charm, the right man for the right job, she would absolutely have been expecting a prank out of the trip.

"Nice work, Jimmy." he said in thanks to his fellow Gryffindor as he grabbed a plate and began to pick a few bits that the guest if honour might enjoy being offered, some little bits to settle her probably back flipped stomach. "No clue at all.". He would pick up the bits and after the girls had all exchanged greetings he would walk over and offer his own personal greeting alongside the plate if snacks. Houstonia apparently felt his job was done too and had begun pawing at the hat in order to remove it.


Millie Potts Greta Gillenwater Anne Moony James Fletcher

The following 2 users Like Benedict Hunter's post:
   Greta Gillenwater, Millie Potts

[Image: ARdtO3b.png]
#7
Anne cheered at the shock on Millie's face, the surprise a success. Anne couldn't help it; she smiled at each of the ridiculous Gryffindors that had helped her make today possible. She wasn't a Gryffindor; she understood that now, but it hadn't changed how many of them seemed to now have a place in her life.

"And Fletcher didn't spoil it!" Anne added with glee. Hell, Anne even had a grin for Fletcher. Miracles exist. She didn't think twice about striding over to Millie and throwing her arms around her. "Happy birthday, Mills. Thanks for not fainting on us."


The following 3 users Like Anne Moony's post:
   Benedict Hunter, Greta Gillenwater, Millie Potts

[Image: rOjzpw3.png]
MJ about made me cry with this one!
Thread Log | Help Anne Blame the DJ
#8
The lingering assault of Jimmy's feint and the well-wishes of her friends did make the young witch smile at last, something hearted enough to satisfy them. She took a drink from whoever had offered, hoping it wasn't Fletcher himself as she drank deeply, sputtering half of it back in when Anne hung herself around Millie's neck. There was no sense in wanting to flee at this point, she was sure to be dragging trails of bodies down the halls, like an embarrassing exit from the lavatory, if she attempted it.

"If I didn't know better, I'd think you were trying to make me faint." Millie leaned against Anne's head, a kindness through the coarseness of her words, and reached a free hand out to the tray presented by Benedict. Bribery was an unusual play for the young man who was otherwise so straight and honest with her. "And you went along with it, too, Ben!"

Having Greta there as well completed the trifecta, and more with the appearance of a Siamese cat trying to shake off the silliest hat she had ever seen fastened to his head. Millie laughed at last, discarding whatever annoyance she might have felt at being sprung into this trap. "Who was brave enough to try that on Houstonia?!"

School's woe and the hazards of being a prefect fell by the wayside for a while, giving leave for the young witch to really revel in the party made in her honor today. After all, she only turned sixteen once, that was an occasion worth enjoying.


The following 2 users Like Millie Potts's post:
   Benedict Hunter, Greta Gillenwater

[Image: uHwnE8q.png]
#9

Ben gave a look of feigned innocence, pressing his hand against his sternum as the young lady accused him of being in on this devious plan to suprise her. Then he laughed and turned around to look at the cat. "Yeah. that was me, promised him an hour in hunters unsupervised, no questions asked." he laughed again and placed the plate down next to Millie. "The rest of it is all the girls doing." he gestured towards Anne and Greta, not wanting to take any of the credit from them, they were good friends to Millie and Ben was quite enjoying the secondary friendships that his relationship with the Ravenclaw had brought him.


Millie Potts Anne Moony Greta Gillenwater James Fletcher

The following 2 users Like Benedict Hunter's post:
   Greta Gillenwater, Millie Potts

[Image: ARdtO3b.png]
#10
Greta beamed with pride at a job well done - she was well and truly happy that everything had come together so perfectly... even if she thought the banner was still a little crooked. She would try her best not to let it irk her now that the Guest of Honor was there. It would after all be rude to try and fix it now.

Or at least that's what she told herself as she pointedly turned her back on the banner and chose instead to face Millie ... just in time to meet James Fletchers smug look. She shot him one of her best glares, warning him to behave.

That smug, smarmy, self-satisfied prankster. That little—well, not so little anymore. He stood a full inch and a half taller than her now and she had a horrible feeling that that distance would continue to grow throughout the next two years. The idea of him looking down on her was.... not a thought she particularly liked to think about. The idea of having to look up... well that was far worse. It made her want to shout off another string of obscenities - and if she didn't know enough she'd just have to start making them up.

She took a deep, calming breath and controlled herself. It was not the time, or the place. He'd done the right thing. He had not spoiled it. And it seemed he was behaving - after all he'd just gone over to the refreshments table and nothing untoward had happened yet - and probably wouldn't. Shouldn't happen. It would be stupid, really, for anything untoward to happen in a room where the prefects outnumbered the students. She tried not to let her paranoia rise at the thought—the thought that doing so would, of course, tempt him that much more. After all, she was definitely not getting into it with him at Millie’s party.

Millie's party was going to be all about her and to emphasize that fact she decided that presents had to be in order.

"We even got you presents!" She gushed, almost throwing hers at the poor Ravenclaw.




The following 2 users Like Greta Gillenwater's post:
   Millie Potts, Violetta DeCroix

[Image: jdwjMQy.png]
Thanks go to the marvelous MJ for her sensational set.

Clubs: Flying, Charms, Potions and Transfiguration.
NEWT Subjects: Charms, DADA, Potions, Transfig, Herbology, Ancient Studies, Alchemy.

[Image: s-age.png]
#11
Millie's friends knew her too well to take the words as real admonishment toward their actions. She didn't have the words to express her gratitude yet, though they didn't appear to be demanding her niceties yet either. Her friends, and perhaps even Fletcher, seemed to just be happy enough that she enjoyed the manner they chose to mark her special day.

Even Houstonia, though perhaps just due to hearing his name, expressed his by jumping up into her lap. The gesture was so surprising that Millie cradled him in her arms for a moment, scratching where he liked best. "You are the one I least expected to show," she told him, leaning down low to address his muffled ears. Pulling off the hat let her fingers scratch more of the cat's tawny head, but when she looked up to others he squirmed enough to leap from her lap.

She should have been cross with her cat, if she wasn't already used to his mercurial tenancies. Millie found herself smiling instead, far more receptive to the idea of human affection than chasing after her cat's at the moment. "Presents? You mean there's more of a gift than you two getting along," she glanced between Anne and Greta, who hadn't always done so, "And Fletcher behaving for once?"

Millie would gladly accept their gifts, in whatever manner they chose. She turned the small cat-sized hat over in her hands, and took another sip of her beverage. "Maybe I'll take one from him, now that my cat's done his little disappearing act already."

Looking into those hazel eyes, she could almost get herself lost in them. For a moment, the young witch probably did, until she blinked and got ahold of herself. Leaning back to adopt a more regal pose, or one she thought was more inviting, she'd let Benedict go first with anything wrapped or bowtied he had to present.

There wasn't much she wanted today besides any time spent with her friends when they weren't expected to study.


The following 1 user Likes Millie Potts's post:
   Greta Gillenwater

[Image: uHwnE8q.png]
#12
Anne snorted as Millie took a guess at her gifts. That guess made it important for Anne to make a face at Greta. She snickered throughout. "We decided we could hex each other tomorrow. Didn't quite fit the schedule today." Millie wasn't wrong, it was a small miracle that Anne and Greta were friendly most of the time friends now. It was more of a miracle than the two not killing each other by second year, but not by much.

Anne turned an eye on the one she truly expected to already need hexing by now. "Fletcher not only behaved, he played a gentleman and got you here alive," Anne said this with all the wonder of a circus master. Anne relinquished her place by Millie long enough to gesture at the rest of their friends like a conductor. "What are you waiting for? Someone get her a gift to open."


The following 2 users Like Anne Moony's post:
   Greta Gillenwater, Millie Potts

[Image: rOjzpw3.png]
MJ about made me cry with this one!
Thread Log | Help Anne Blame the DJ
#13
"You have to open mine!" Greta declared in excitement and, ignoring both Millie and Anne, she practically thrust her gift into Millie's arms. She was feeling very proud of herself for this one - it was one of the books she'd known was on Millie's wishlist and when she'd seen it in the second hand pile Whizzhard Books one Hogsmeade trip she'd done her best to snap it up and hide it away from prying eyes.

She'd been lucky - she often thought the books that Millie normally chose to read a bit... fanciful. Millie was abit of a romantic afterall and whilst she knew Millie enjoyed them Greta couldnt exactly see the point. She knew that Millie would read nonfiction - and she herself would read fiction but only rarely did the two seem to actually find common ground in their reading... so she'd been lucky to both spot and recognise a book that she knew her friend had been seeking.... and then she'd been forced to wait and keep her secret.

The secret had near killed her and every time the Millie had mentioned a new book she'd feared that it would be this one and she would've wasted her time but her fears hadnt come to pass. And it was now finally time to give it to her and with Anne's help they'd made the best birthday they could for her.

Far better than that of the year before when she'd overslept and rushed downstairs bedraggled and carrying her friends cat - and constant bed thief in her arms. Greta still didnt think she could live that one down.

The following 1 user Likes Greta Gillenwater's post:
   Millie Potts

[Image: jdwjMQy.png]
Thanks go to the marvelous MJ for her sensational set.

Clubs: Flying, Charms, Potions and Transfiguration.
NEWT Subjects: Charms, DADA, Potions, Transfig, Herbology, Ancient Studies, Alchemy.

[Image: s-age.png]

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