Their Annual Trip

[abigailbennett]

Snow. Cold. Sleet. Hurt.

Mother Nature had once again driven the Bennett family into the Leaky Cauldron. Faces red, teeth chattering, and small pellets of frozen rain melting on their hats, the trio fought their way through the small doorway and into the welcomed warmth of the small pub. They claimed a table near the fireplace, though the one right next to the hearth was already taken, and slid into the wooden chairs with sighs of exhaustion emitting from their throats. It had been one heck of a day, to say the least, but all the shopping had been finished, and a good bite to eat was on its way.

Abigail, Elizabeth, and David dropped their bags beneath the table and began unraveling the many layers which made the three appear like English Eskimos. Scarves, mittens and gloves, hats with little puffballs, large, heavy coats, ear muffs: the whole shabang. They piled their stuff onto the extra chair and relaxed for the first time that cold December day (a week or so after Hogwarts let out for winter break, to be exact). Abby, with her back to the roaring fire, finally smiled as the heat splashed her body like a huge ocean wave.

"What do you two want to eat?" David's question caused the girls to look up and scoot their chairs closer to the table. "Bowls of chicken noodle all around and a pitcher of butterbeer sound good?" They both nodded and grinned, despite the pain it caused their frostbitten cheeks. Abby's father smiled, his eyes shining just as his daughter's did, and looked up for any sign of a waiter/waitress/person to take the order.

(Open to anyone and to more than one person; just remember I'll probably only be able to post a couple times a week so my responses will be slow, but I will reply)

[lizzy]

The Valentine family had taken up residence in the Leaky Cauldron over the past couple nights, though the pub was a very short distance from their London home; a family that seemed to be deteriorating so quickly had to find time together somehow, though Lizzy thought that her parents were exaggerating the effects of her leaving for Hogwarts in less than a month. She'd be back home during vacations; it was Damian they should be more worried about. He hadn't even made a point to join them on this tryst.

Having become hungry far more quickly than their parents had - Mother was already starting to experience the pains of pregnancy - Liz and Celia were sent down into the pub for supper alone. Though she resented having the 9 year old tag along, Lizzy desired supper more and had reluctantly allowed the girl to accompany her. It's not like I had much of a choice, the twelve year old thought now as she glanced around, trying to ignore the bouncing of the table as her sister kicked at the the pole holding the table at the level of their stools.

The hustle and bustle of the holidays was evident in the crowded room, and the abundant activity cheered the girl immensely. One family in particular caught her eye as they made their way into the pub and stripped off their winter gear at a table next to her own. Catching the eye of one of the two girls, Liz smiled at her, taking note of the rosy appearance of her face.

"Elizabeth Joy...," Celia whined, pulling Lizzy's attention back to her. Liz scowled; Celia had taken up the habit of calling her by her full name as their mother did when upset, if only to annoy her older sister. "When's our food going to get here? I'm hungry!" Celia's feet never stopped kicking.

[saunders]

Kylie had accompanied her mother to her job in a London, being assured that it wouldn’t take very long and that she would just run in and run out. Kylie had heard this story before and was a little skeptical about going. She didn’t want to have to hang around in a skyscraper all day, bored out of her mind. She would much rather just stay at home and find something to do there. But her mother had kept assuring her that it was a simple little problem that could be fixed in minutes. Knowing how important it was for her mother to go in, even when she had promised to take the whole of the holiday season off. After all she was the CEO of the company and if something went wrong, even if it wasn’t directly her fault, in one of the deals she would be in trouble.

Reaching the office building and to no one’s real surprise the ‘little thing’ turned out to be a bit bigger than her mom had lead on about, so once again Kylie was stuck with absolutely nothing to do except to wait around in her mother’s office. After about an hour the ‘little thing’ was under control and they headed out of the building. Kylie dressed in a white down puffy jacket with a Gryffindor scarf tied around her neck and pair of faded jeans on headed down the street. Seeing the Leaky Cauldron she pleaded with her mom to go in. It had been about a week since she had been around anyone magical and was starting to miss it. Her parents being both muggles was a tad bit boring to her now that she knew about the other world.

With much whining and persuading she had finally managed to talk her mother into going there for dinner. Walking through the doors she looked around at all of the different people about and saw that Abigail was there with what looked like her family. She knew Abigail from some of the classes that the third years had with the second years. “Hi Abigail,” Kylie said brightly as she made her way over to one of the empty tables. Her mother was just staring around in amazement. She hadn’t been in the Leaky Cauldron before and you could see it on her face that she felt a bit out of place. When they had both sat down, Kylie removed her Gryffindor scarf and down jacket and placed them on the back of one of the empty chairs.

[abigailbennett]

"Yeah, three bowls," David had just finished putting the order in when a girl's voice called Abigail's name from nearby. The Huffle looked away from the retreating waiter and around the pub, trying to discern where her name had been called from. It was then that she layed eyes on a familiar-looking girl wearing a Gryffindor scarf.

"Oh, hey," she smiled with a returned greeting as the lass and her (assumed) mother sat down at a close table, though she was inwardly cringing because she couldn't remember the girl's name. It was embarrassing, considering they had had a few classes together for an entire term, but the snow had apparently given Abby a brain freeze.

Anyway, she hadn't noticed the previous gaze drifting her way from a fellow second year also sitting nearby. Elizabeth had taken an interest in the girl kicking the table, though, and she giggled with amusement and intrigue as the other nine-year old whined to her older sister.

[mark]

((ooc: sorry sorry sorry. Feel free to slap me in whatever way possible. Thread = bookmarked && I get an email everytime its replied to. Feel free to also plague me with PM's if I neglect... And Abby, feel free to hurt him xP))

The bells brisked across the door frame, jingling rapidly as two more walked into the Leaky Cauldron. The two looked like Eskimo's - wearing hats and their hoods over their ears, scarves over their noses, mittens large enough to conceal two hands, heavy coats, and boots up to nearly their knees. The taller of the two looked fondly at her son as she shook her head, letting the snow that had fallen atop of her hood onto the floor.

Mark just eyed his mother in suspsicion as she acted so strange. Something was up. Releasing the scarf tied so tight that it was nearly suffocated him, the boy took in a deep breath and coughed harshly which caused a few of the people by the door move away slightly. They couldn't risk catching the flu at this time of the year.

Mark eyed his way around the Leaky Cauldron and decided on a table by the fireplace. Whisking his way over to the table, he sat down on the chair across from a very familiar face before watching his mother follow. Oh, the boy had learned to control her when he was younger, he took advantage of the fact she'd do anything for him.

Rolling his dark eyes, the boy looked at the table next to his and nearly dropped his jaw at the pretty face. Abby. Confoundit. He'd left Hogwarts to avoid the girl and what luck! Reason, since Halloween, the boy had avoided her like a bat and the sun. Becoming nocturnal on the weekends to avoid the certain argument on the Halloween ball. The next question was: Why didn't he appear at the Halloween ball? Well, he didn't feel like going, and hence he didn't go. The boy had an attitude building with his preteen years, and at the time he adament that she couldn't make him go if he didn't want to. He didn't want to wear the stupid costume, nor did he want to chase after her to say that he wasn't going. Oh boy. Attitude.

But now, he wished he had went. Avoid Abby hadn't been any fun, but by now she was probably extremely mad at him. Oh why did he have to choose the Leaky Cauldron? Sinking into his seat, Mark looked up at Nicole and awaited for his butterbeer to come. He was alive... for now.

[abigailbennett]

(xD -smacks- Good to know. I'm only posting now because I won't be able to during the week, btw)

The bell always drew the girl's attention despite the fact that she never recognized the faces walking through the door. Looking away from Kylie for a moment and at the two figures bundled up as Abby had been before, the Huffle surpressed a giggle at their Inuit attire. She had already forgotten how riddiculous she looked not ten minutes ago. But than, the fateful moment when the poor second year's heart sank. She actually recognized the Inuit bundle.

How could he be here at this exact moment? What prank were the gods trying to pull? This was no coincidence; was Ivy Xin setting her up for Candid Cameras or something? Abigail's smile vanished immediately as her eyes slowly followed the boy past her table and to one right beside her own. And he sat down. He couldn't possibly have known she was sitting there; other wise he would probably have walked right back out the door. The Hufflepuff had successfully avoided Abigail since Halloween (though it flabergasted Abigail how he did so because they had all the same classes together). Controlling the frown which wanted so desperately to ruin her composure, Abby forced the smile which had so quickly disappeared back onto her face and returned her focus to the Gryff third year.

She couldn't let her father know what was going on, nor let Mark realize her presence (still assuming he didn't know she was there). David would probably figure out something was wrong though because the luster which usually filled Abigail's eyes was gone. For now though, she was safe. Or so she thought.

[mark]

Mark could almost feel her eyes piercing deeper into his skin with every second. Almost as if he was being stabbed repetively with every chuckle within the Leaky Cauldron. Oh. This was not good. Not good indeed.

So much for his planning to keep away from her. His dorm over the past two months had become his crypt. He'd become nocturnal over the weekends, and sleep underneath the beds if she came looking. His owl sent him food four times a day (for poor little Lima couldn't possibly carry up three meals with more food. In class, he'd arrive 1/4 of a minute before class begun and took a seat by the back corner to rush out and avoid her yet again when class was over. A bit obessed with avoiding, no?

Taking a sip of his butterbeer, the boy could barely take the sweetness. He'd been looking forward to this day for weeks, but it all seemed a waste now. Geez. Dang second years were just so annoying.

Natalie observed her son fondly and upon seeing him slump lower into his seat and see a single dimple appear upon his cheek with no smile meant something was up. Stroking his gaunt hand in a rather motherly-way, she asked softly, "Whats wrong honey?"

Mark instantly drew-back his hand to his chest and muttered impatiently with a quick glance at Abby, "Nothing." With this, his beginning to chisel-out face grimanced with tight displeasure. So much for a 'Happy Christmas'.

((ooc: oww.... and... having a moment, Mark is finally growing up *teartear*))

[lizzy]

"Celia, if you don't stop kicking this table, maybe we'll just have to skip on the food and go back up to the room!" Lizzy exclaimed, though her voice lacked the assertive edge it would need to actually convince Celia to do anything, let alone stop something she seemed to be enjoying so much. Apparently, Celia had tuned into the amusement of the girl at the other table and, performer that she was, was acting accordingly.

Kicking three times in quick succession, Celia continued to whine. "Lizzy! You didn't answer my question!" Hanging her head, Lizzy glared at Celia from behind the lenses of her glasses.

"Celia, we only just ordered. Please, have a little bit of patience. What would mother think if she saw you making such a scene?" The twelve year old scanned the room once, as if she were looking for someone to come to her aid, but most of the customers this evening were chatty, alcohol-warmed adults. She noticed another bundled up troupe enter the rather popular pub during her cursory glance, but didn't make much of it. As the weather outside worsened, it seemed the number of bundles increased as well; they weren't so novel anymore.

A large kick brought Elizabeth's attention back to Celia quickly. The mischievous grin on the younger girl's lips proved that Liz had given Celia just what she wanted. Moaning, Lizzy burrowed her face into her arms on the table before her, hoping the constant bouncing wouldn't give her a headache.

[saunders]

“What can I get you two?” came the voice of the waiter. He had been busy for the past couple of minutes collecting others orders.

“Err....” said Kylie’s mother not really sure what was on the menu or what was available for drinks. In fact she wasn’t really sure what wizards ate and drink. She could faintly remember her daughter telling her about some kind of a beer that she had gotten a hold of and tried, but the only thing that she could remember about it was that she had over reacted slightly before Kylie had explained to her that it was a kid drink and that it didn’t contain a lot of alcohol. Giving her daughter a briefly confused look she returned her attention to the waiter. “Ah..good we see some menus?” asked with a awkward smile.

“Will have two butterbeers please.” Kylie said seeing her mother’s sideways glance towards her. She had tried butterbeer at Hogwarts and loved it. She hoped that her mother would like it too, but if she didn’t there was always other things that she could have to drink. While the waiter went off to get them a couple of butterbeers Kylie looked around the pub and saw a couple more people enter the pub, some of which looked familiar to her though she couldn’t really remember their names. She then heard a slight tapping noise and looked around to see where it was coming from and noticed that there was a girl, that looked around her age, sitting at a table near them with a smaller girl who was kicking the table. Kylie just smiled at the two as the waiter came back with their butterbeers and a couple of menus.

[abigailbennett]

By now the constant thudding had risen from an annoying, slightly noticeable sound to that of a "SHUTTHEHECKUP!" kind of thing. Abigail's amber-colored eyes moved with her head as she slid her gaze onto yet another table nearby (carefully avoiding looking at Mark's table, by the way). I just have to say, this is way too much drama for twelve-year-olds xD.

Oh, how immature nine-year-olds can be. Abby, already very on-edge with Mark's being so close, glared at her giggling sister and than shot a rather nasty look at the other girl whose kicking was the source of all the disruption (or so the Huffle huffed to herself). It was very unlike the second year to look so mean, but her indifferent attitude towards the would-be-dalmation-pup-boy which she had worked so hard to perfect was now too easily changing into anger.

"Stop laughing," Abigail hissed to her sister while narrowing her eyes to enforce her command. Liz bit her lip and stopped for a second before erupting into another fit, her hand covering her mouth in a feeble attempt to stop the giggles. Abby rolled her eyes because she was much too mature for this kind of behavior (yeah right), and instead looked at the girl sitting next to the kicking-girl. The Gryffindor's demeanor said enough--she felt the same way Abby did.

It was then that her eyes found their waiter coming toward them with three bowls of scalding soup and three glass bottles of butterbeer. She saw it coming. The impending disastor which always happens when you want your characters to interact.

"CRASHTHWACKSHATTER!" All at once, the tray which had been balanced on the guy's arm fell to the floor and the food went everywhere. Chicken and noodles and carrots and broth splashed across the floor with their respective spoons, and the glass bottles broke into hundreds of little pieces. Everyone and thing within a one meter distance was sure to be hit.

"BERNIE!" A gruff man's voice could be heard yelling from the kitchens as the young man scrambled around the debris. "I TOLD YOU TO USE MAGIC! THAT'S WHAT 'WINGARDIUM LEVIOSA'S' FOR, MORON!"

[lizzy]

The smell of chicken noodle soup brought Elizabeth's head up again as it wafted ahead of the approaching waiter. A painful pang of hunger hit Liz suddenly and she wished that she had opted for something so simple rather than the plate of spaghetti she had ordered. As Celia's incessant kicking continued to rock the table and the waiter stepped by, Lizzy's head fell onto her right hand, which was propped at this level by her right elbow.

She heard the commotion behind her back only moments before a splatter of chicken broth sloshed across the back of her maroon sweater. "EEEEEP!" Liz squealed, reflexively squirming away from the unwelcome sensation, though these reflexes did not benefit her in the least - the damage was already done. Celia, who had luckily been seated on the far side of the table from this disaster, was eying the mess on the floor, her eyes wide with shock. At least her kicking has stopped, Elizabeth thought absently as she unbuttoned the few buttons of her cardigan and slipped the damp and offensive garment from her shoulders before turning to examine the mess for herself.

And a mess it was. Lizzy had not been the only one to be splashed with soup, and the liquid littered the floor, as well, along with spoons and hundreds of bits of broken glass. "How'd that happen?" she wondered aloud, far more loudly than she had intended, though she wouldn't realize it until someone responded.