Tonight's the Night

[Angie Swan]

Angie was pretty sure this was the best idea they'd had in a while. The boys were out, or so she thought, but she and Mary had simply decided going out wasn't worth it. So with just the two of them, they were having a girls' night in, complete with food pilfered from the kitchens. The house elves had even given her a bottle of sparkling cider in addition to the sweets, popcorn and other snacks they'd gotten. She was pretty sure they'd never eat it all, but the house elves were feeling particularly generous this morning apparently when she'd caught one off guard cleaning the common room early this morning. Angie didn't exactly know where the kitchens were, but she was tempted to find out. Still, her request for snacks had gone above and beyond what she'd expected, so she certainly wasn't complaining.

Lounging on her bed in her nightdress and housecoat, Angie popped a handful of popcorn in her mouth, chewing thoughtfully. "This was a good idea." She summarized when she was done chewing. The festival was fun and she'd been deathly ill last year at this time, but even now she wasn't interested in heading out into the cold night air. She'd leave that up to Cash and Eli. She was pretty sure that students weren't allowed out tonight, they'd had a chaperoned trip today Angie had skipped out on too, but leave it to those two to go anyway. Honestly though, this would be the last time she'd have time like this with her few friends, so she'd much rather be here with Mary. After this she'd be an adult and she could go to the festival whenever she wanted, but this year she was more than happy to skip it in lieu of something much better.

"Think we'll be able to see the fireworks from the windows?" The tower was pretty high up, though she wasn't entirely sure they faced the right way toward town. They could always head over to the clock tower, but she wasn't terribly worried. It was very cozy here in their warm little room. Propping her chin in her hands as she lay on her bed facing Mary, Angie sighed contentedly. While Angie enjoyed her roommates on the whole, it was really nice with it just being the two of them. It would be fun if Judy was here too, but Angie assumed it wouldn't be quite as low key as she and Mary were keeping it. There wasn't anything to tonight, no big expectations, nothing. It was beautiful, a wonderful little end to their break before the second half of their seventh year kicked in and then graduation and the rest of their lives.

  

[Marianne Hatchitt]

It seemed odd to Mary that in a little less than a few hours it would no longer be the year of 1883. Of course, she always felt the same way every year, hardly believing that another year had come and gone, but the introduction of the new year was an indication that the school term was nearly over, and unlike the previous years in which she would look forward to returning for a new term of learning, she would not be returning to Hogwarts come next September - if all went according to plan, she would be enduring her third month of hospital internship by the time September came back around. However, she was thinking too far into the future, and at the moment, she just merely wanted to enjoy the present where she and one of her roommates had decided to celebrate the incoming new year on their own terms.

Sitting upon the edge of Angie's bed in her simple, white-cotton nightgown, surrounded by the generous amount of food that the house elves had been so kind as to grant them, Mary twirled the end of her braid around her index finger, and let out a content sigh. Indeed, this had been one of their better ideas. Of course, she would have liked to have attended the New Year's celebrations in Hogsmeade with Jesse since it was his nineteenth birthday, but she much preferred to be spending the evening with Angie. Besides, she had saw Jesse earlier during the chaperoned Hogsmeade excursion, and she reasoned that that was time enough - the important thing was that she saw him and had given him his birthday gift. "A very good idea," Mary agreed as she plucked a chocolate from the pile of goodies into her mouth before closing her eyes and savoring the delightful taste. She would have to inquire where the elves obtained the chocolate from because it tasted heavenly - then again, all kinds of chocolate appealed to her.

Opening her eyes, a thoughtful expression formed on her face as she directed her gaze towards the window. In her opinion, even if the tower did not face to proper direction, the fireworks were probably large enough that they would at least get a glimpse of them. But as she could not verify this logic, she tentatively responded to Angie's words, choosing her words carefully, "Maybe. I cannot be for certain, but if not, we can always go to the Clock Tower or there is always next year." She chuckled at the end of her sentence. As long as Hogsmeade continues to exist and thrive, she silently concluded, there will always be fireworks to celebrate the New Year.

Words: 448 | Tag: Angie | Outfit: here

  

[Angie Swan]

"True!" Angie agreed, grabbing another handful of popcorn as Cora jumped up on the bed to investigate. The large grey cat had certainly grown in the months, almost a year? since Cash had given her to Angie. The large fluffball was admittedly mostly fur, but still a decent-sized cat. "Hey not for you Missy." Angie pulled her cat toward her as Cora sniffed around the food. Cora had turned out to be a very mild mannered cat, perfectly content to be carried around and snuggled, unlike Aelius who had only done it on her terms. Fortunately for Angie, Cash's cat had been more than willing to snuggle with Angie, if nobody else.

Munching thoughtfully on her popcorn, Ange thought back over the year. This time last year she hadn't know it, but her whole life would be turned upside down, shaken, stirred up and everything she'd ever thought she'd stood for tossed around. Thankfully things had settled down immensely and Angie could only hope this year, even with all of its milestones and graduation, would be less of an upheaval than last year.

Settled again with her cat comfortable nestled between her arms, Angie sighed. "Are you ready for graduation?" She wasn't sure if she had an honest answer for her own question. It flip flopped day-to-day, some days she was ready and some days she wasn't. Fortunately she had a few more months to figure it out. Not that being ready for it would delay it, but she was certainly enjoying her seventh year with her friends thus far. Everything would change and she knew that she wasn't even exaggerating when she thought about it that way. There would be no more Angie, Cash and Eli as a team. She wouldn't share a room with Judy and Mary, the comforts of school would no longer be hers. However, she would be a complete adult, responsible for herself, hopefully with a job she enjoyed and was good at, so the trade-offs might be worth it.

  

[Marianne Hatchitt]

Mary giggled as she observed Angie's fluffy grey cat hopped up on the bed and sniff the goodies with interest before attempting to snatch herself a piece. Fortunately, her friend managed to remove her pet from the path of the food and nestled the furry creature in her arms. Watching Angie interact with Cora made Mary suddenly alert of her own cat's absence in the dormitory. Her medium-sized ginger cat was most likely trawling the castle in search of some source of entertainment to amuse herself with. Despite Mary's best efforts to keep her cat from wandering off in the middle of the night, Jessamine's adventurous and curious spirit made it rather difficult for her to do so. Luckily, Jessamine always returned before daylight and Mary did not have to go in search of her every morning.

It felt odd to Mary to be sitting next to one her good friends in a dormitory to themselves instead of sitting in her grandmother's kitchen, talking well into the New Year about her life at Hogwarts and what she desired to commit to after graduation. For the previous six years of her Hogwarts education, Mary had spent the Christmas Holidays with her grandparents because had never felt the need to stay behind at school, but this year was different. She had friends that she could rely on for company and she enjoyed that she was close enough to Jesse that she was permitted to see him whenever she was allowed to, and not to mention that she had desired to keep Angie company for the holidays. She could not bear the thought of one of her good friends spending their Christmas alone in an empty dormitory.

Rubbing the exterior of the silver ring on her right hand - a habit that she had developed a few days after Jesse had given it to her - the features of Mary's face once again transformed into a thoughtful expression as she contemplated Angie's question. Was she prepared for graduation? She truthfully wasn't sure. Of course, she had her plans of interning at Hogsmeade Hospital as soon as she was able to, but living the life of an adult would surely be far more different than that of a student. She would no longer be able to rely on the comforts that Hogwarts provided and would have to obtain them for herself; she would not be surrounded by the familiar faces of the students she has gone to school with for seven years; she would uphold an occupation of her own, and most importantly, she would no longer be seen as a child in the eyes of society. Not to mention that there was still the debate of whether or not her grandparents would allow the Floo Network to be connected to the hospital so that she was not homeless whilst she worked.

With a little sigh, Mary lifted her brown eyes from her ring to Angie's blue ones, and responded, "I'm not entirely sure. One moment I feel so prepared, and then in the next I could feel so uncertain. Of course, I know what I want to do after Hogwarts, but it is a matter of acquiring it and being determined enough to achieve it." Plucking another chocolate from the bowl, the candy hovered near her lips as she inquired, "How about you, Angie? Are you ready for graduation?"

Words: 564 | Tag: Angie | Outfit: here

  

[Angie Swan]

Cora was already purring in her sleep as she curled up where Angie had snuggled her; honestly, the cat was one of the best presents she'd ever gotten. As strange as it would seem, Cora had kept her sane during her summer lock down and was a pleasant little love to have around.

Angie listened with an understanding nod as Mary described her feelings on graduation. Honestly Angie wouldn't feel so comfortable with it if she and Eli didn't have a plan. It was a solid plan too and much better than anything else she could have envisioned for herself. Still, thinking about the last couple of years and the friends she'd finally made, it would be strange not seeing them all every day. "I think so," Angie replied slowly. "I'm ready to be an adult, even though it means quite a few changes." Even though she hadn't fully explained what those pretty extreme changes would be, the sentiment could be innocuous enough.

It helped knowing what she wanted to do, just like Mary, but she could see the hesitations too. Graduating was such a double-edged sword. The life they'd known for the last seven years was coming to a close and who knew what their next chapter would hold. It was scary and exciting and clearly elicited mixed emotions. It was nice to know Angie wasn't the only one. "I think I got comfortable here, but I'm kind of excited to move onto something new too, you know?" It helped that she'd be taking one of her very best friends with her on her next adventure, but every now and again she doubted her prowess just enough to worry about it. "I try not to worry about it because it's happening no matter what, but I do worry sometimes anyway." She admitted with a little shrug.

  

[Marianne Hatchitt]

Mary nodded in response to Angie's words as she bit down on a bit of chocolate, chewing thoughtfully. She, too, had become quite comfortable during her years at Hogwarts, and had even gone so far as to refer to it as her second home, but she had to admit that she was rather eager to begin the next part of her journey as she was excited to observe what it entailed. It would, of course, involve her future career as a Healer, and while she was aware that it would not occur for quite some time (and that anything could happen to damage their relationship, but she tended to avoid thinking of such depressing thoughts), her eventual position as Jesse Hatchitt's wife - a prospect that filled her with joy each time she thought about it, but as she couldn't be certain of whether or not they ever would get married, despite the silver ring upon her right hand indicating that she was technically engaged, she attempted to reign in her excitement and think rationally about the entire situation. Her and Jesse had goals to achieve and dreams to pursue - marriage would have to come later in life.

Smiling gently and reaching over to squeeze her friend's hand encouragingly, she said, "Everything will be fine, dear Angie. I have no doubt that the first few months will be new, different, and perhaps even a bit difficult, but we'll ease into it soon enough." Removing her hand from Angie's, Mary sighed as she leaned back against the headboard of the fourposter bed, pulling her knees up to her chest as she did so. Yes, Mary, she told herself for the millionth time since the beginning of her seventh year, everything will be fine - don't get discouraged yet. It hasn't even begun.

Then, looking at the clock that was situated upon one of the nightstands nearest to her, Mary once again looked at Angie, and stated with another small smile, "It's nearly midnight. I can't believe 1884 is already upon us! It seems only yesterday that I first entered the castle as a first year, and I remember trying so hard to act like I had been aware of magic my whole life, but alas, my attempt had failed." Mary chuckled at the end of her words, imagining her little twelve-year-old self attempting to fit in with the other girls in her dormitory, and once again being in awe of how far she had come.

Words 415 | Tag: Angie | Outfit: here

  

[Angie Swan]

Leave it to Mary to set her at ease. Angie had always envied that about her roommate, Mary seemed to always be the rational one with all of the faith in herself that a person should have. Her faith in others and what was to come was also a little astounding to Angie, but considering the blonde had never really had close friends before this, she supposed it wasn't quite as far-fetched.

"I know, leaving is a lot like coming, we feel unprepared, but we really aren't." Little did Mary know that Angie had not been as well-prepared to come to Hogwarts either. Of course she at least had the heads up that she was indeed magical, but she hadn't exactly had a magical upbringing either. Though she wasn't entirely sure, her friend would see it that way. Sometimes Ange wished she could be truthful about things like that, but even having Cash and Eli know was a little dangerous. Not that any of it would matter any more after graduation anyway. She'd cut ties with her family, change her name and be off. And that was that!

"I can tell if I feel like it went by fast or slow at this point.'" Some things jumbled together in her memory; everything before 5th year seemed less important. Everything had fallen into place and fallen apart in such a short amount of time her head had been spinning, but with things settled now it was a wonder she hadn't gone completely crazy. Again, not that anybody knew that, but it would soon be time to move on completely and try something new. Unfortunately it meant leaving Cash behind, but she was hoping that didn't really happen. "It still feels like we have time, but we really only have a smidge left." She sighed a little bit, but it was accompanied by a half-smile.

  

[Marianne Hatchitt]

Mary smiled in understanding at Angie's words, her conscience straying to those first few new and nerve-wrecking years when she had first been introduced to the magical world. She had been scared, homesick, and reluctant to accept that she belonged to this world, fearful that she would not meet the expectations that were expected of her as a witch. At that point, she wasn't even entirely sure how to be a witch before she realized that being herself was the key -- that she had to embrace the oddities of the wizarding world and not shy away from new experiences. This realization would help her in the long run, and it was soon after that Mary became more comfortable with her surroundings and accepted the part of herself that she had shunned for so long.

"Truer words have never been spoken," Mary said softly as she reached forward for another chocolate square, this time splitting it in half before putting one of them in her mouth and the other on the space next to her. The time certainly had flown by, and now she would soon be graduating, and once again creating new experiences and watching on as she further grew and developed (more mentally than physically, she reasoned, for she doubted that she would grow any taller than she was at present) from said experiences.

However, then a more welcoming thought popped into Mary's head, and it was with a smile that reached her eyes and crinkled the corners that she stated, "And we shall be debuting as well! Do you have a gown yet, Angie?"

Words: 267 | Tag: Angie | Outfit: here

  

[Angie Swan]

Following Mary's lead, Angie pulled the chocolate toward her and broke off a little square for herself. She smiled at her friend as the treat melted in her mouth, pondering how best to let her friend know she most likely would be skipping the Coming Out Ball. Honestly, she had no desire to go. Now that things with Eli were mostly settled, she knew she'd be moving on from school and straight into a career, she saw no point in attending a ritual designed to debut young girls into society with the goal of finding them a husband. She had no intentions to do that in the future so it seemed silly to even attend.

Still, she knew Mary would be excited, even though she was practically engaged anyway. "Truthfully, I haven't put any thought into it, I'm not entirely sure I'm attending." She knew she certainly wasn't wasting any of her stored money on a frivolous dress for one occasion. In fact, she'd be selling most of her finer dresses to buy a few more practical ones for her internship. If she could get away with anything else, she would, but she highly doubted it. Ange would make do anyway.

"I assume you've already thought about yours?" It would be much more appropriate for Mary to have all of these thoughts in place. Even though she too planned to hold a career, this would be a much more sentimental right of passage for the rest of her female year mates, while Angie tended to think of it as an antiquated tradition that she could do without.

  

[Marianne Hatchitt]

Mary's eyes widened in surprise as Angie admitted that she most likely would not be attending the Coming Out Ball. "Why ever not?," she inquired, her voice displaying a hint of disappointment before popping the other half of the chocolate square into her mouth. It was sad to acknowledge that her friend would not be participating in the debut ceremony, or more specifically, in Mary's opinion, that she would not be able to share this momentous event with one of her closest friends, but even if she was not aware of Angie's main reasons for not attending, she supposed that she could understand her friend's hesitation.

The Coming Out Ball was mostly a frivolous affair that involved the introduction of society's newest debutantes and unnecessary stress about gowns and presentations and the like, and for young women such as Angie and Mary -- who were already aware of their life's vocation -- the Ball seemed rather pointless to attend. Despite recognizing these facts and accepting it, Mary still could not help but be slightly excited about attending the Coming Out Ball. For the last two years, she had foregone the end-of-the-year occasion because she had no reason to be in attendance, but now that she would be a part of the debuting process, this would be her first real social event, and most likely her last, and she was determined to enjoy each moment of it.

At the inquiry of whether or not she had thought about her own debut gown, Mary blushed and inwardly sighed. Her (seriously) outdated ballgown was the only appropriate apparel she owned for the occasion, and while she was certain that she would be a laughing stock, she had to make do with what she possessed -- her grandparents were under enough financial stress, and Mary doubted that her Aunt and Uncle would be so kind as to lend her a bit of money to purchase a new, fashionable gown. Ah well, she supposed that salvaging the gown herself to make it appear a bit a little less outdated was the only way to go, and perhaps even a little trip to Twilfit and Tattings for a refitting was also in order.

"Well, my gown is by no means 'fashionable'," Mary answered after a moment of reflection, "but after a few changes are made to it, it should suit." She disliked that her words sounded a bit uncertain, but she could not on good conscience conceal the truth about her gown from Angie -- Angie was her friend and she trusted her.

Words: 426 | Tag: Angie | Outfit: here

  

[Angie Swan]

"I'm sure it'll be lovely." Angie assured her friend. Since she had zero interest in the event itself, she hadn't put any thought into the dress either, though she was highly aware her mother probably had. She had yet to inform her mother she would not be partaking in the debut as she doubted it would go over well, but Angie assumed her mother, on some level, could see it coming.

"If my mother has not gotten the hint yet and sends me one, please wear it. I'm sure it'll be stunning." Her mother did have an eye for fashion and Angie had too once upon a time, but it mattered so much less now. She also knew Marianne was not one of those frivolous girls, but she also knew that the Coming Out Ball would hold more sentimental value for Mary that it did for Angie, so anything she could do to make it memorable.

About to say something further, she was interrupted by a loud crash; the fireworks had started. She smiled and pushed herself off the bed, careful of both her cat and the food to move toward the window. They could continue that discussion another time, but for now they could ring in the new year and just enjoy the evening.