to hagrids, to hagrids to get a cute date (4puffs)

[Josh Jordan]

Josh made it to his room and shut the door with his foot. He wanted to tell her, but he just couldn't. Not yet. He only hoped he didn't have a slip up.

He wasn't sure if she meant just them or if she meant the group in general, so he took it both ways. He thought about it for a moment. "Nothing will happen to us, except we'll probably be spending more time together, which is not a bad thing. We'll have a lot of fun still. Then, as a group, the two of us will probably have to cover our eyes every few moments, but other than that, nothing will change, or the two of us could always seek away...." Josh wiggled his eyebrows playfully and then he grinned. He knew that Eve didn't like change and he wasn't going to bring any change if he could help it. Eve was all he needed to keep himself busy. "I won't be going anywhere. You'll have to pry me away from you to keep me away, so I promise, nothing will change."

[Eve Mallory]

Eve didn't like that change thrusted her into a world without her friends and without a mother. Change had turned her father into an alcoholic, and change had destroyed her life. What would this next "change" do to her?

She realized as he talked how comforted she was by his words and was in a lull as they reached his room, "Thank you...you always know just what to say whenever I need you to say it...thank you."

[Josh Jordan]

"I only speak the truth," he said as he gently laid her on his made bed. He smiled at her. "There's nothing to fear as long as I'm around. I'm not going to let anything happen to you, you know that." Josh took off his shoes and carefully laid down on the bed beside her. "Besides, who would I be without my Eva? I would be lost and confused!"

He was lost and confused in his first year of Hogwarts. Eve wasn't there, but Lance was. Even though Lance was and they made a new friend, Genevieve, Josh was still lost without Eve. That was how it was always going to be.

[Eve Mallory]

"Things are changing." she told him truthfully. When he laid her down she was aware of his arms releasing her and she tightened her own hold forcing him to at least sit down by her. She swallowed, " I don't want to lose you... You or Lance." he laid beside her and she faced him.

"So we will have to stick together then." she told him with a smile, " We will all have to stick together." She closed her eyes and moved against his frame repeating his words over and over again in her head, that he would watch over her, that there was nothing to be afraid of, it wasn't the first time he told her these things, in fact he did it often, whenever she would sneak into his room to sleep because of the nightmares, because of the dark.

[Lance Jordan]

As Lance looked at Genevieve sitting there on his lap, he felt comfortable and very happy. No that was an understatement, but he was goign through is head the fact that she was going to be his date to the ball. Somehow that had shifted things in his mind... It was one thing to have feelings and know you loved someone as a friend though wanting it to be more. And it was another to now be in a sort of couple situation. It was unfamiliar territory for Lance. He'd never dated anyone else, had never wanted to. And they always went out as a group mostly, though there were the occasional times where one or the other were alone with each other.

He thought about what he and Josh had talked about the other day... he didn't think he could just outright tell her how he felt. He wasn't afraid she wouldnt' believe him or anything like that. His fear was that he'd muck it up somehow, or she didn't quite feel the same for him. But he could give her hints like Josh was doing and ... maybe she'd know without him having to actually say it.

"Genevieve, what are you thinking in that pretty little head of yours?" He kissed her temple softly indicating what pretty little head he was talking about.

[Josh Jordan]

He carefully brushed a piece of stray hair from her face. "You're not going to lose me, nor Lance. Nothing can take us away from you." Josh felt that it was always his job to reassure Eve that everything was going to be okay, and that nothing was going to happen to her. He loved his job. He was able to be close to her and keep his hints going, even if she wasn't really picking up on them.

"Of course we'll stick together. We're peas in a pod, and we're also like glue. Nothing could come in between us." That last statement, he was really referring to him and Eve, but he knew that she thought he was meaning the group, and in a way he was. Josh calmly stroked her hair as she closed her eyes, much like he used to. "You sleep well Eva. I'm not going anyway." He kissed her forehead once again before resting his head on the top of hers.

[Eve Mallory]

Perhaps that was a problem as well, she thought it was strange how affectionate he was being but not too strange because he had been affectionate in the past just as he was now. Just because her feelings were changing and she was starting to see things ...him... in a different light didn't mean he was feeling the same and she wished she knew, she truly wanted to know what Josh was thinking.

If she could have any power in those few moments it would be the power to see her future or go back in time, so she could ask him straight out, or she could tell him straight out that she had feelings for him and then see what his reaction was, if it was favorable then she'd die of shock but at least she'd be happy, if he reconfirmed her thoughts, that he was just a friend, she'd be mortified and heartbroken but at least she could turn back time and pretend she had never said anything. Unfortunately she didn't have those powers, so she setted for what she did have.

She brought her hands up against his chest and burrowed her tiny space into his arms closing her eyes and submitting to the sleep that would soon claim her.

From an outsider's perspective many things could have been said about their sleeping positions, but for Eve this was normal, it was nice, it was the only way she usually ever got a good night's rest.

[Genevieve Danforth]

Genevieve sighed contentedly as Lance kissed her temple. Unlike the rest of her friends, Genevieve never had any fears or insecurities, except maybe where Eve was concerned. She knew the boys liked her, and had always known she would probably end up with one of them. She'd always hoped it would be Lance, but she was content either way. Eve was the one she was unsure about. She always went out of her way to be kind and friendly to Eve, because she felt an outsider where Eve was concerned. She had a history with the boys, a childhood. And though she seemed oblivious to it, Genevieve was acutely aware of the fact that she had usurped Eve's place with the boys for that first year. And she felt fairly certain that, although Eve would not show it, she secretly resented her for it and for being so pretty. Genevieve couldn't help these things. So she went out of her way to be Eve's friend.

"Oh, you know me, Lancy," Genevieve replied coyly. "Very little goes on inside my head. But you like me anyway, right?"

[Lance Jordan]

"I know that you are the most beautiful girl I know... you are brave when you need to be... you are gentle and kind.... and you're smarter than you let on. But I'd still like you if thought of nothing but clouds and pixies all day." ..and if you thought about me.. he wondered if she liked him as more than a close friend. He knew he did and was going to take his time showing her.

Unlike Eve who was insecure, Viv was not. If he told her something she'd believe him. But he knew that actions spoke louder than words and he wanted to ease the idea onto her gradually so that when he did tell her how he felt, she'd not only be ready to hear it. But he wanted the moment to be perfect too.

Lance put his forehead against her cheek savoring the feel of her in his arms and her finger making distracted patterns in his hair before lifting his head to kiss her cheek.

It occured to him to ask her something that he didn't know about her... "do you like to cook or make things?" He hadn't seen her cook anything before and wondered briefly if she did or could. It was a question he'd never asked her and he was curious.

[Genevieve Danforth]

Genevieve smiled and closed her eyes as he kissed her temple. She felt like there was something unspoken between them, but she didn't think it needed to be said. She and Lance had always had a bond between them, different from the one she had with Josh and Eve. Lance was the first one she'd met, when he'd walked into her compartment on the train, followed closely by Josh. Since that moment, she'd somehow known he'd always be in her life. He was her best friend, her other half.

He didn't need to say that he loved her, somehow she just knew it. She didn't know if he knew that she felt the same way, but she felt he should know. He knew her well enough.

"I do think about clouds and pixies sometimes," Genevieve said with a giggle. "The world's too serious sometimes... it needs a little fancy. Don't you think?"

She thought it a bit random when he asked her if she cooked, but she answered nonetheless. "I've never really cooked, no. I don't really think I'm good at many things. Although I can sew. I fix my own robes when I tear them. I even made a dress once."

[Lance Jordan]

Lance chuckled softly when she told him about her pixies and clouds. He already knew she did, it was one of those things he adored in her, and he enjoyed teasing her about it almost as much. That she saw the world in a different way, was intrigued by things easily, and distracted just as often... were all things he loved about her. She was so carefree and made him want to forget the rest of the world existed and just float on a cloud with her.

"I wouldn't be happy if you weren't in this world... you brighten it up and make the world come alive. And when I'm with you, old things seem interesting and new. Life is never dull with you around Viv."

Lance didn't mind that she didn't cook, they'd just have to get a house elf one day to cook for them. He realized what he was doing then.. why he'd asked her that question. He'd been thinking of a future with Genevieve, of what it would be like when they were older and he could marry her. His mind tended to wander almost as much as hers sometimes but he was distracted more with his own daydreams of her than anything else.

"And you are good at the things that matter most, you're a good friend and you're good at making me smile and laugh... and good at making things seem new and exciting. But I didn't know you'd ever made a dress."

[Genevieve Danforth]

Genevieve smiled and leaned against him. "Well, it wasn't perfect," she said. "The hem was a little uneven and it didn't quite fit in the waist. But I did it myself, and I didn't even get distracted. And I didn't use magic. I bet if I tried it now, I could do better, especially if I used magic to even out the hem." She tilted her head and looked up at him thoughtfully. "Why did you ask, anyway? About the cooking, I mean? Did you want a snack?"

[Lance Jordan]

"No I'm not hungry right now, I was just thinking that you're going to need a house elf one day to cook for you. And you know me, sometimes I get distracted daydreaming." He chuckled but was vague about his answer. He wasn't sure what she'd say if she thought he was thinking of her like that. And he couldn't rightly tell her he was thinking of them together in the future if he wasn't ready to tell her how he felt. It was funny how brave a guy could be in a sport and yet when it came to a girl he was as uncourageous as a little boy hiding behind his mother's skirts. He was lucky he'd even managed to ask her to the dance.

"Do you ever daydream about the future?" he asked as he twirled a piece of her hair around his finger and watched it unwind with an odd sense of awe.

[Genevieve Danforth]

Genevieve just smiled. She enjoyed when Josh touched her or played with her hair. he always seemed to act as if she was made of glass, like he would break her if he got too close.

"What do you mean by future?" she said coyly. "Do you mean, like, the dance. I've been thinking about that a lot. Or do you mean, like, after graduation?"

She thought of that a lot, too, but she wasn't going to tell him that.

[Lance Jordan]

"mm.. both I guess." He'd been meaning their futures as adults, her dreams and what she wanted to do once she had graduated. And if he could have a place in that future.

Josh always called him the romantic daydreamer.. He was right though. Lance was a romantic daydreamer. And he could already imagine himself with Genevieve. He couldn't really see himself without her in his life once they were out of school. Sure they still had another whole year after this one.. but then after... maybe they could actually have a real future together.

But he didn't tell her this.. not yet. He wanted to savor being with her for now, just sitting here holding her and talking.

[Genevieve Danforth]

Genevieve leaned her head back against him and looked up at the sky. "I can see myself after school... I want to get married, and have lots of kids. You know, maybe 4 or 5. And a dog. Do you like dogs, Lance?"

Genevieve had no idea how that had sounded, like she was asking him if he fit into the future she had just described. Unconsciously, the thought might have been there, but in reality, as far as she knew, she was just jumping from topic to topic, as she was known to do.

[Lance Jordan]

Genevieve's future sounded wonderful to him, he loved having family. Having grown up with his twin brother, family had always been important to him. "Of course I love dogs.. just not the three headed kind.. hey slobber too much. You know I heard some of those get to be as big as an entire room! Could you imagine trying to feed something like that? But a regular dog.. yeah that'd be cool to have."

[Genevieve Danforth]

Genevieve giggled. "A three-headed dog? Really? I never would have thought of having one of those. They're awfully big and they're usually mean, right? Do you suppose that all three heads have to eat separately? It must be strange to have more than one head... can you imagine if you had two heads? It would be weird to argue with yourself out loud. Does each head have a separate brain? Like, they're two separate people in one body? That would be creepy."

Like a tiny bird, she flitted from thought to thought with little effort, without stopping to think each one through.

[Lance Jordan]

Lance chuckled at her and leaned down to kiss her cheek, she was so adorable. "yes, really and I'm pretty sure they have three different brains, are definatly big and mean.. share one stomach so only one has to eat and yes they are quite creepy." He agreed all in one breath. He was one of the few people who was usually able to follow along without missing a beat. He loved that about her. Being a bit of a daydreamer it wasn't too far of a stretch to follow along with her whispy line of thought. He kissed her again unable to help himself as he laughed in the moment. "But I do think they would be a bit too much as a pet. I think we should stick to a normal dog." He didn't even realise how that sounded.

[Genevieve Danforth]

Genevieve giggled each time he kissed her. She felt that, even though he hadn't said anything about his feelings for her, something between them had changed. For the better, she thought. He always understood her when she went off on her silly thought tangents, and she loved that about him. Her flightiness often turned people off, but Lance not only didn't mind it, he liked it.

"Yes... I think we should have a dog. Like, a big Golden Retriever. Or a collie. I used to watch this show on the TV back at home--have you ever seen a muggle TV set? I should show it to you some time... it's really cool. And there was this dog on the show, it was a collie and it was named Lassie. And Lassie would always be helping her owner, Timmy, out of trouble, like when he fell down a well. I always wanted a dog like that."