[LOG] An eventful Hogsmeade trip

[prime-veridian.livejournal.com]

Who: Ora Yang, Alison Mallory, Lysienne Aldrern, Kahvi Sidhe
Where: Hogsmeade Village
When: A Saturday in late November
What: The last Hogsmeade trip of the school year--Dean Thomas makes a run for it and Khavi joins the rest of the girls of the Chamber of Snogs



Ora didn't like the way they were all ushered to Hogsmeade as if they were a flock of sheep, or worse, a group of suspicious children liable to get lost or stir up trouble at the drop of a hat. That latter bit Ora was quite sure of, but it simply wouldn't do to have the Carrows barking rules at them. This was supposed to be a Hogsmeade trip, and wasn't it supposed to be fun? Walking in file with the rest of the Slytherins, Ora shot Alison an exasperated look. Trust the Carrows to be the ones to turn something good into something unbearable. Pansy walked beside the students, as Head Girl she was responsible for keeping order amongst the students and reporting directly to the Carrows. She shot Ora an imperious look as the group of Slytherins passed her, and Ora did her best not to slap Pansy across the face. She barely managed to contain herself, her fingers curling angrily in a fist at her side. She was never going to forgive Pansy for giving that "those who get detentions deserve what they get" speech she'd given at the beginning of Dark Arts the first day the Carrows had dragged Neville, Luna, and Ginny to be made an example of.

The students managed to make it into Hogsmeade with little trouble, being that the Gryffindors were trying to cooperate somewhat, though the absence of Neville and Ginny from their group made them a somewhat silent, if not less sullen lot. Ora felt bad for them, it was difficult enough for them to have Potter, Granger, and Weasley gone, and being branded as the new social outcasts of the school was hardly easy to deal with. Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan walked a little apart from the rest of their House, the only Gryffindor boys their year in the group.

Ora noted as she and Alison split off from the rest of the Slytherins once they entered town that all the main streets and intersections had at least some prefect watching it, especially any street that led outside of town. The street from whence they came, leading back to Hogwarts was ostensibly left unguarded.

"It's nice to know there's only one way out," Ora muttered to Alison sarcastically. They plodded slowly on their way to the Hog's Head, ostensibly swinging by Scrivenshaft's first to purchase some more rolls of parchment and some new quills to avoid suspicion.

"All right," Ora said after they had their merchandise bagged up. Ora tucked her things in a bag she had slung around her shoulder. "I'll feel better once I get that information to Fred and George," she said quietly to Alison, who nodded. Hidden deep in Ora's bag was a list of all of the known places the Ministry of Magic was holding Muggle-born wizards and witches for interrogation, and at the top of the list was Azkaban. That made feel Ora feel a little better. Azkaban meant those Muggle-borns might still be alive. Well, most of them anyway.

Looking over their shoulders, the girls headed down the small, deserted path to the Hog's Head, where they would be able to meet up with Fred and George, at least for a short period of time.



[OOC: Please remember to watch this thread and reply to all comments!]

Comments

[beater-serpens.livejournal.com]

Alison had to admit, things were feeling rather more like a prison yard exercise than the traditional Hogsmeade trip, with the sheer amount of "security" there seemed to be involved. The walk down to the town was less than pleasant, being under the watchful eyes of one Pansy Parkinson, who most certainly had it in for herself and Ora. Thankful that Pansy had done nothing worse than glare at them, she and Ora slipped away the first chance they got, making their way purposefully to Scrivenshaft's to purchase parchment and quills before setting out for their real destination: The Hog's Head Inn.

Alison nodded as Ora voiced her feelings about passing along their information - the list they carried was important, too important for someone like Pansy or even another prefect to question. The Order needed the information Ora carried in her bag; though Alison had to admit, as they made their way quickly (but not too quickly) towards the dingy door of the Hog's Head, that she was anxious about more than simply passing the information off into the right hands. She hadn't seen Fred and George in a long while, and despite their communication only yesterday letting her know they'd be waiting when the girls arrived in Hogsmeade, she still worried. They weren't exactly the highest priority on any Death Eater's hit list, but she had no doubt that they weren't the lowest, either.

She and Ora pushed open the heavy door, taking in the dim light of the wooden barroom and the slight smell of goats. The barkeep was standing at the till, but didn't look up as they entered, only continued cleaning glasses with a rag that looked like it was doing more harm than good. Ora and Alison walked quickly through the entryway into the room, heading for a small table in the back corner, where the dim light seemed weaker. It was there they met the two figures, already seated and waiting, whose red hair seemed almost entirely hidden by the dust and gloom.

But not entirely, Alison thought, as she slid into the seat across from Fred, unable to suppress the small grin that surfaced at finding the twins there, unharmed and waiting. The foot that nudged hers only widened the grin as she waited for Ora to take the seat beside her before she leaned across the table, saying with a bit more cheer than she felt, but much more than she'd been feeling moments ago, "Fancy meeting you here."

[firespice.livejournal.com]

Unsure what to make of the much-anticipated Hogsmeade trip, Kahvi followed the general pack of Ravenclaw students into the village. From what she could gather, the tight security of the excursion was abnormal, but was beginning to feel somewhat routine considering the captive treatment of the students while at the school as well. Having been in some high security areas at home, the extreme security didn't shake her as much as it seemed to be bothering the other students--except for Pansy. The idea that Pansy would make a decent guard seemed ridiculous yet somehow fitting in an inept and cartoonish way. Luckily Kahvi was managing to stay relatively unnoticed for the moment.

As the students approached the buildings, they began to fan out and disperse into their cliques and groups, leaving Kahvi standing somewhat alone in the street, trying to decide a direction to try first. Kahvi surmised that this was likely her best chance to find some holiday gifts for her family and friends back home, but first she would have to visit the stationery shop... Scrivenshaft's, was it? She wandered down what appeared to be the main street looking at the shop signs to try and find it and located it just in time to see Ora and Alison, the two Slytherin girls she had met before, exiting the shop with merchandise in hand. They seemed a little on edge, although Ora was doing an admirable job of hiding it, and Kahvi wondered idly if they were up to something as they slipped down the side street across the way from Scrivenshaft's.

Well, first things first, Kahvi told herself. She decided she'd hit the stationery shop first and then investigate Dervish & Banges, the magical curio and repair shop a Ravenclaw Housemate had suggested as a place for unusual gift finds that might suit her parents' taste, and then perhaps the much-hyped Honeydukes sweets shop for her dear brother's sweet tooth. If she had time left, she told herself, she would find out what was down that side street.

[OOC: Final exam on Friday and final presentation on Tuesday, so I probably won't be that interactive for a bit, just to give you all the heads-up!]

[prime-veridian.livejournal.com]

Ora nodded her greetings at both the Weasley twins, a relieved smile on her face to see them, their usual grins plastered on their faces. They seemed a bit more strained than the last time she'd seen them, maybe because of the Order's activities or because they hadn't seen either their youngest brother or sister since the end of summer. Ora glanced at Alison, noting that she was now smiling widely, her demeanor lighter than it had been all term, or at least since the last time they'd met the twins in the village.

It was very dangerous for the four of them to be sitting at the Inn like this, no doubt if any of the Prefects, or worse, the Carrows themselves walked in, there would be no getting out of the situation without a few curses and jinxes flying through the air. Ora hoped it wouldn't come to that, but it didn't stop her from being prepared in the event it happened anyway. She drew her wand from her sleeves quietly, holding it in her fingers below the table. She let Alison and the twins converse for a while as her eyes wandered the inside of the Hog's Head, looking for any place a spying Death Eater could have hidden himself, and casting a whispered homenum revelio every place she could find. Nothing.

Watching the barkeep warily, Ora waited until a pause in the conversation before fishing out the piece of parchment she had been keeping in her bag for the past three days. It was a visible relief for her to take it out and pass it to the twins across the table.

"This is for you two," Ora said. "Happy Christmas."

[OOC: No problems! This is our last big log before 2008 anyway...maybe. XD Good luck on your final and your presentation!]

[firespice.livejournal.com]

[OOC: BTW, were Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan really the only two boys our year left in Gryffindor House? That seems awfully sparse o_0 I'd imagine there'd be at least a few more left, even if they weren't prominent faces...]

[prime-veridian.livejournal.com]

[OOC: They're definitely the only Gryffindor boys left as seventh years, with Neville in detentions and Ron and Harry off on their madcap quest. J.K. Rowling has released the complete class list for Harry's year, and they're definitely the only Gryffindor boys.]

[firespice.livejournal.com]

[OOC: Dang, must be a very small class o_0 I guess I had the impression from the movie that the classes were very large.]

[beater-serpens.livejournal.com]

It was nice to catch up with the twins for a few moments, and forget the fact that they shouldn't be here, nor should Ora and Alison be here passing along information - in fact, none of them should be worrying about any of the things weighing on their minds, not the least of which were the large number of disappearances, unfairness, and dangerous people in the world right now. Alison and the twins talked for a few minutes, skillfully avoiding the most unpleasant topics, though it was hard when life seemed to be mostly filled with unpleasantness so recently.

Fred leaned over, taking the parchment from Ora and discreetly unrolling it enough to glance at the first few lines before handing it to his brother; both of them nodded their thanks to Ora. "Thanks," George added aloud, as he put the parchment safely in one pocket. "This will help out a lot, you know." Alison and Ora nodded. The twins knew better than to mention where Ora had gotten the information, but the looks they gave Ora indicated that they grudgingly conveyed their thanks to him, as well.

"I just wish we had something better to give you," Alison finally murmured; Christmas was looking rather bleak this year, really - she knew her father wanted to see her, but she was worried for his safety. Not that staying with the Weasleys would be a much better idea, as they were a part of the Order and while she might feel safer with them, it might not be a good idea. She sighed, frowning, wishing the circumstances were different - anything had to be better than this. But she and Ora were helping out, doing something, and that felt much better than doing nothing.

A foot nudged hers again and the frown lessened a bit; after all, if the twins weren't letting this get to them, why should she? Everyone knew things were bad, but caving in the face of the opposition only let the other side win. And no one was about to do that. "Your sister's all right, by the way," she put in, nudging back with one toe. "The Carrows aren't kind with detention, but you know Ginny. It won't get to her."

Fred and George nodded, grinning at that news, at least - Alison knew they were worried about Ginny, but she was stronger than the Carrows, even if not in brute strength, there were other, more important sources of strength. She and Neville and Luna were holding up rather admirably, even if their plan had been... a little less than the best. "She'll be all right," George said, though the tone beneath his voice said he'd rather be making sure of that personally.


[OOC: Were Fred and George going to help us come up with the idea of the Death Eater Map, BTW? My memory is failing me on that one. D:]

[firespice.livejournal.com]

Dull sparkles lit up the delicate brassy swirls in the sides of the stone inkwell Kahvi was examining in the weakened daylight filtering in through the frosted windows of Dervish & Banges. The skies had been cold and grey with the onset of winter, even moreso than she'd been anticipating--if this was the sort of weather Britons got at the end of every year, it really was no wonder Tarikha was such a popular vacationing spot during the winter months! From behind the cashier, an employee apparently got fed up with the dim lighting and waved a wand towards the sconces, which brightened the room considerably.

The inkwell was made of tigerseye and, according to the label, was specially charmed to keep any ink inside of it from drying out. It had been fairly simply carved into a basic, but elegant shape, relying more on the pearlescent swirls of the stone than craftsmanship to make the eye-catching piece; it was just the sort of thing her mother would like. She brought it and the skeleton key she'd picked up in the shop for her father to the cashier to purchase.

"Ah," she timidly attempted to catch the clerk at the counter's attention, "I would like to know how much this skeleton key is?" The inkwell had been marked at 1 galleon and 12 sickles, but the skeleton coin had been the only one of its kind on the shelf, and she couldn't find a price on it anywhere.

The clerk took the key from her hand and looked it over a bit. "A skeleton key, hmn?" It seemed a bit obvious to Kahvi that the salt and pepper-haired man couldn't remember the price. From the dust on the shelf around the key, it had sat on the shelf for a while by itself with only the company of a box of Sneakoscopes.

"Yes, that's what the tag says."

"So I see," the clerk said in a friendly manner. "I'm assuming you read the whole tag, too, so you know this only works on non-magical locks?"

Kahvi nodded shyly. It seemed like a particularly useful item for her father, whose Muggle profession locksmithing in covering for his Wizard profession as a ward maker and lock enchanter, for the rare occasions when he was hired by one of the island's resident Muggles. With a skeleton key, he wouldn't have to use his wand, which would make him less likely to be discovered during these jobs.

"Well, to tell you the truth, I'm not sure, but since you seem like a nice young lady--" and here the cashier winked, "I'll give it to you for a sickle."

Kahvi beamed, "Thank you, sir!"

Having paid for her items and thanked the kind clerk several more times, Kahvi stepped out of the store and added the bag of her latest shopping conquests to the bag of quills, parchment, envelopes, and wrapping paper and ribbon she'd purchased at Scrivenshafts. Last on her shopping list was Honeyduke's Sweets Shop for her brother, so she started walking down the main street towards the popular storefront.

[prime-veridian.livejournal.com]

Ora managed a wan smile when the twins folded the piece of parchment and George put it into his pocket. Their thanks to Draco seemed reluctant, which Ora was sure would not have been the case if they really knew what sort of dangers Draco had braved, and would brave over the upcoming holiday season. Taking a deep breath, Ora leaned back a little in the chair, watching the door and windows carefully as Alison and the twins talked.

She knew that Draco was smart enough to steer clear of the Hog's Head for the trip, though how well he would be able to persuade the Slytherins on security duty to do the same was somewhat questionable, especially since it was made clear at the beginning of the school year that he was no longer the favorite of the Death Eaters. Ora was beginning to wonder exactly how much influence he had over Crabbe and Goyle and the rest of the Slytherin boys. If her own short observations were any indication, his influence was slipping, perhaps as a reflection of his father having fallen out of the Dark Lord's favor.

"We'll make sure Ginny's taken care of as best we can," Ora added helpfully, though in all honesty she felt that these days she was just caught up in the middle of the things, and not much help at all. She and Alison had, in their own way, aided in the disastrous raid of Professor Snape's office, and what had made matters worse was Neville's staunch insistence that he, Luna, and Ginny were the only ones involved in the incident, including the graffiti on the school walls. The Carrows had seemed to be harder on him than either of the girls. If it had been Potter in his place, Ora would have surely chalked it up to his flair for heroics, but when it was Neville tied down to a chair in front of the entire Dark Arts class, his face streaming with tears as he suffered in silence under the Cruciatus Curse, Ora realized that he'd just been trying to protect his friends.

"Well," Ora said, shuddering at the thought of what Neville, Ginny, and Luna might have endured, "I think the only thing we know for sure is that the Carrows aren't out for blood, at least not from the pureblood students. Torture is still fair game, but..." Ora shrugged. It was not something to be optimistic about, but it was the only thing she could find. "You-Know-Who just wants to rule Wizarding Britain, and that'll mean keeping most of its population intact. That puts us at a slight advantage."

Of course, Ora added silently in her head, it's only an advantage if we have no quandaries killing them. Which, she admitted to herself reluctantly, was probably not the case.

[OOC: Yeah, I think the twins were going to help us with the Death Eater map...maybe that's something you guys can come up with over the Christmas holidays? :D If there's an Azkaban raid by the Order, and some part of it goes slightly wrong, that can totally trigger the idea, as opposed to it coming out of the blue. :3]

[beater-serpens.livejournal.com]

Alison nodded - she had noticed that while torture seemed to be perfectly fine among staff such as the Carrows and obviously Professor Snape, they hadn't gone farther than that. At least, not with the pureblood population. She knew Ora was right - if the Dark Lord wanted to rule, he would need people to rule. But being a pureblood family didn't mean the Weasleys - and others - were out of danger completely. Everyone knew the Weasleys opposed the Dark Lord and his followers, even if the Order wasn't exactly commonplace knowledge.

"It doesn't mean you can't be careful, though," she put in, with a glance to the twins, who were giving her the look they gave their mum when she was telling them something she'd told them a thousand times and they weren't any more likely to listen than they had been the first. "I mean it. Ginny and Neville and Luna got off lucky, even with how horrible it's been. The rest of you..." She trailed off, biting her lip and glancing at the side of George's head now distinguishable from his brother's.

"Yes, Mum," the twins chimed, glancing at her with grins, though she knew they weren't completely ignoring her. She knew she didn't have to tell them to be careful, but still. It felt like bad luck not to say it.

She sighed. "Anyway. I think I'll be glad for the Christmas holidays. As dreary as the rest of the world seems to be, Hogwarts isn't much better." It was true that it was comforting to be with her friends, in the familiar halls and dungeons of the castle. But it had changed, drastically, and there were reminders of that every day. She wondered what it would have been like, if things had been different, and they'd been able to go all seven years without the drastic changes they'd seen even in their time at the school. But it was no use thinking about that now, and she shook her head slightly, wishing that would clear the cumbersome thoughts from it.

"Well, it's our job to make sure it's not so dreary," George put in with a wider grin now, and Alison nodded. "Business may be a bit down, but it's not dead. Where there's jokes, there's hope," he finished stoutly, to which she did have to giggle a bit and roll her eyes. Maybe it was silly, but she desperately hoped he was right.

[OOC: Yeah, I think over the holidays works - I can even write up a short log with the twins or something, if you like. :D; And even though the little blonde Slytherin in my head is unhappy about it, we don't have to stay too much longer at the Hog's Head before we wander out again, I'm thinking? :D;

AAAND I LOSE. SORRY ABOUT THAT. ^^;;;]

[prime-veridian.livejournal.com]

[OOC: Would you like Ora to leave the Twins alone for a bit and patrol the perimeter? We can have a small bit where she spots Blaise and Nott coming up the lane, so she runs inside and warns the Twins to escape through the back/hide upstairs (something like that)? :D A bit of excitement before Dean escapes. XD Then after that we can head back to town as if we've just been hanging out the whole time and skip to the end of the day where Dean makes a run for it. Sound good?]

[beater-serpens.livejournal.com]

[OOC: Ooh, sure, that'll work! That way we get the action moving! :D That sounds good to me, go for it~! :D]

[prime-veridian.livejournal.com]

Ora smiled and nodded slightly. Well, if the Twins' spirits were still up, that had to mean things weren't quite as she'd initially feared. The Order was still alive, after all, if information was still being passed along and used. It didn't make the situation any less worrying, but it was something to be optimistic about.

Feeling like it was about time to leave Alison alone with Fred and George, Ora rose from her chair, still looking about the Hog's Head or any sign of suspicious movement. "I'm going to take a short walk outside," she said. "I'll make sure nobody's snooping around. You three have fun." Waving at he twins and winking at her best friend, Ora wrapped her scarf tightly around her neck and buttoned up her coat. She nodded old barkeep, whose name she'd never managed to catch, as she pushed open the door and stepped out into the cold.

Hogsmeade certainly seemed quiet, thought Ora as she took a good look around, pausing to stare at the shadow of Hogwarts looming over the horizon of the village. She frowned a bit and shivered, knowing that Hogwarts next term and especially the winter holidays were not going to be particularly pleasant, not only for her, but more so for Draco. Ora shook her head and heaved a silent sigh, her breath clouding before her. Draco had told her not to worry about him over the break. He'd assured her that he could, and was the master of taking care of himself, but...

Ora frowned deepened but she shoved thoughts of Draco aside, focusing on the task at hand. He'd be all right. He'd already survived for so long on his own, hadn't he?

Ora circled the inn slowly, casting small revealing spells as she peered down the lane leading to the center of town. It was mostly cleared of snow, so there were no footprints left going up to the Hog's Head. None of the Slytherin patrols had made it this far to the outskirts of the village yet, but that didn't mean they weren't coming. Concerned that Alison and the Twins might get caught unawares if no one was on watch, Ora hunkered down behind a snowbank at the edge of the lane to wait.

From out of her pocket she pulled out the piece of parchment she used to communicate with Draco, but it was blank, devoid of any messages. Lately, he'd been writing less, and more of it was business--it seemed that he no longer had the time to talk about more personal things. Ora was so wrapped up in her thoughts, that she barely glanced up in time to notice a movement out of the corner of her eye, and two voices drifting up the street. She folded the paper and stuff it into her pocket quickly, casting a quick look in the direction of the village.

"Oh, crap," Ora muttered and got to her feet as quickly as she could, keeping low but moving as quickly as she could back towards the Hog's Head. She burst back into the inn, the door slamming behind her as she made for Alison and the Twins sitting in the back corner.

"They're coming!" she gasped, throwing a panicked look over her shoulder. The Twins had thirty seconds, maybe, before they were going to be discovered. "Blaise and Nott! They're coming!"

At Honeyduke's

[firespice.livejournal.com]

"Hello there."

It took Kahvi several seconds to register that she was being addressed--Honeyduke's was marvelously packed with students and shoppers alike. She was having some difficulty making it out of the store, even after having made her purchase. Several of the sweets in her bag were bought for research purposes, to see if she could inspire a new set of treats, and a couple were bought as gifts. When she turned around an older boy, perhaps Khorrin's age or a bit younger, was smiling at her with bright blue eyes.

"Oh, um, hello... Do I know you?" She stared in confusion at the stranger. He would not be a Hogwarts student, from his age and lack of uniform or house colors, and she couldn't think of anyone she would know outside of Hogwarts who would be in London.

"Whew! For a split there, I thought you'd stroll on right past me," the boy replied jovially, holding out his tan hand in greeting. "Nope, you don't knows me and I don't knows you, but I can fix all that. I'm Seth."

Kahvi gingerly shook the hand, still confused. "Er, Kahvi."

"Pleased to meetcha, Kahvi." Seth beamed at her in a way that made her wonder if he'd recently visited a pub. "So now we're friends, I was wondering if you'd like to join me for a spot of tea at Madam Puddifoot's?"

"S-spot?" Kahvi stammered in shock. An invitation? Alone? Over a decade's worth of military training flew out the window in this unfamiliar situation. She'd rarely been approached in high school, perhaps owing to her apparent closeness to Tim, and had handled none of those well. She could already feel her body freezing up and trembling at the same time.

Seth chuckled quietly and pushed a lock of dark red hair out of his eyes. "Yes, a spot. Of tea. I take it you're not from around here or familiar with the saying?" Perhaps recognizing the deer-in-the-headlights stare Kahvi was giving her, Seth reached forward to take her hand.

Kahvi immediately snapped to attention, however fearful, at the approach. "I... I have to go!" And with a flash of braid, she was gone.

Seth scratched his head and shrugged. Was it something he said?

[OOC: I'm actually not clear on how the Dean Thomas escape happens, so it might be a good idea to cue me as to when Kahvi should run into Pansy. I sort of figured she'd bump into a patrolling Pansy in her hurry out of Honeyduke's, prompting their interaction.]

[beater-serpens.livejournal.com]

Alison nodded her thanks to Ora as the other girl pushed her chair away from the table and stood, announcing that she was going to take a short walk and make sure everything was clear outside. She smiled wanly as Ora winked and left the room; there was plenty she'd like to be doing with the twins, but most of it was more than a little impossible, sitting in the corner of the Hog's Head. All the same, she toed the nearest foot beneath the table and cast a questioning (but hopefully not too mothering - their own mother was more than enough, she was sure) glance in their direction.

"Really... is everything all right?" she asked quietly, glancing at their faces in the dim light. "I know you can't say much in your letters, and here's not much better, but..."

George shrugged, the expression on his face not changing; "It's really all right," he assured her.

Fred nodded, leaning forward over the table a bit more. "Business is slow - and it's not nearly as exciting without our assistant - " and here he grinned just a bit wickedly, "but we're managing. All of us."

Alison nodded, relived to hear that the twins and their family really were doing all right in the face of all the recent events and news that might indicate otherwise. She imagined it must be hard on Ginny, worried about her family and their known ties to Harry Potter and muggles, but she couldn't help feeling a bit attached to the family herself, as well. She supposed association with two Weasleys at once might justify that, perhaps.

"Things all right with you? We've had bets on you being involved in that plan to steal the sword," Fred put in, and George leaned closer as well.

"We're all right - I can't say we had a lot to do with that plan - tried to discourage them, really, but when it was obvious they weren't going to give up we tried to give them the best chance of succeeding." Alison slumped a bit glumly - obviously it hadn't been enough. She glanced up again; "But there is some rather colorful graffiti that the Carrows have had a hell of a time getting rid of - "

She was cut off abruptly as Ora stumbled in the door, gasping out a warning. Alison's stomach dropped as the sound of two chairs being shoved back from the table made her blink for a second before following suit. The twins were already coming around and nodding to each other, wands drawn from pockets and held low. Two hands brushed by hers as they all hurried towards the bar, then turned left and headed out the back way instead of the door through which Ora had just come.

The barkeep - Alison didn't know his name - didn't even lift his head or appear to notice as they all passed.

Out in the alley between the buildings, Alison rubbed her hands vigorously as the cold air as the twins paused, checking to make sure the way was clear. Fred paused, turning back, glancing at the pair of Slytherin girls that had followed them out the door. "Go back in," he advised, "and wait a bit before you leave."

Alison nodded, glancing around worriedly; she knew the twins needed to leave so they could make their way to a safe Apparating distance. Biting her lip a moment, she closed the distance between her and Fred and stood on tiptoe to hug him tightly. "Be careful. Write when you get back." She turned and hugged George as well, receiving a squeeze both times for her trouble.

Stepping back, she nodded to the alleyway. "Go," she said, and the twins nodded, slinking out between the buildings to sprint away from the approaching Slytherins. Then she and Ora turned back to the door, re-entering the Hog's Head and going back to the table they'd just vacated.


[OOC: I can't remember when the apparating alarm (there was one... right?) was put into place, so I figure they'll just kind of disappear and make their way outside of the town before leaving? I can edit though if I'm just remembering things wrong.

Also, yay, I'm finally around-ish again! I'll try to get out the tag for Alby and Scorp tonight, but it may not get out 'till the morning. But at least now I have time to think about it! XD;]

[prime-veridian.livejournal.com]

Ora took a deep breath as she and Alison found their seats again, careful to push Fred and George's chairs in, and arrange things as if they'd just been sitting there, the two of them, the entire time.

The Hog's Head door swung open with a jingling of a bell, and Zabini and Nott walked in. Ora and Alison looked at them as if they'd just been in deep conversation. The two Slytherin boys nodded at the barkeep who ignored them, and looked around the place, empty save for them and the two girls.

"Hey, Yang," Blaise said, addressing Ora. "What're the two of you doing around here?"

"Talking," Ora replied simply, relieved that at least it was Blaise and Nott, because the two of them were better than getting caught by Crabbe and Goyle, and certainly any of the Slytherin girls. Nott looked mostly like he was doing what he was doing because he'd gotten roped into it, and not like it was something he actually wanted to do.

"Madam Puddifoot's and The Three Broomsticks were full when we got there, so we were forced to go to a place like this to talk," Ora added smoothly, looking as if nothing at all was amiss. After all, she was still technically inside Hogsmeade and wasn't violating any rules, even if the Hog's Head was not one of those places frequented by students.

"Come on," Nott said, nudging Blaise. "Let's go." He looked like he did not want to spent another minute in the old tavern if he didn't have to.

"Just be back before we all have to go," Blaise said to the girls before he and Nott, together, left.

Ora waited until they had probably made their way well down the lane again before breathing a sigh of relief. "That was close," she said.

[OOC: Yay, now I'm back too!

Yeah, I'm figuring that the Twins probably made their way out of the Hogsmeade area before Apparating away so they don't set off the alarm. :3

We can probably have Ora and Alison leave, and they'll spot Dean later making a run for it? Sound good?]

[firespice.livejournal.com]

The collision wasn't pretty, and being still flustered from her frenzied flight wasn't helping matters at all. Dazed, Kahvi began appologizing profusely until she looked up and saw it--the glinting prefect badge--and then she was instantaneously on her feet with an acrobatic twist.

"Watch where you're going, you stupid git! I--" Pansy screamed and faltered, apparently suddenly confused by the fact that the other girl was standing. The girl had fallen over, right? Pansy had been dutifully caught (perhaps more accurately, propped up) by Millicent behind her, and had thus avoided taking a spill herself and in the moment of silence rubbed her shoulder at the site of impact. Quickly overcoming the shock, the rest of her girl gang began clamoring over her, yelping and cooing in their attempts to distinguish themselves in their concern for the prefect's safety. Pansy brushed them off in annoyance. "Yes, I'm fine, I'm fine. It just hurts is all."

As a group, the girls turned towards Kahvi with a blur of admonitions for not watching where she was going. Of course, since she was in fact guilty of not watching where she was going, Kahvi felt compelled to hold her tongue. Her best bet now would be to continue to appear apologetic and docile so she could meld back into the crowd without trouble. Kahvi was, by no means, going to mention the irrefutable similarity between Pansy's fan club and a pack of pampered, yapping chihuahuas and pomeranians. No, definitely not.

"Now just who do you think you..." A cruel smile curled at Pansy's lips. "Well, well. If it isn't the little House Elf stand-in. Hogwarts' admissions standards have certainly fallen; thank goodness Slytherin House still has decent standards." Her wide-eyed entourage was suddenly quiet and at attention as Kahvi visibly stiffened.

"Hello, Ms. Parkinson." Gracious, but flat, her tone was obviously practiced and bore the weight of extended suffering. A whole summer's worth, as a matter of fact.

Turning slightly to address her groupies while not taking her eyes off an unmoving Kahvi, Pansy delivered to their hungry ears a short explanation. "You see, girls, when I was on summer vacation in Tarikha, this one was acting as a House Elf at the hotel we were staying at. A witch, cleaning and carrying on like a House Elf or even a Muggle! Can you imagine?" A sort of sneering nasal giggle signaled to the group that it was alright for them to laugh, and a trickle of sounds of malicious mirth left the group as they collectively grinned at the object of their ridicule. Kahvi did not flinch or respond.

[OOC: Playing it by ear at the moment, so let me know if there's somewhere Kahvi should be at a particular time or if there's something she needs to do. Ideally, she's goign to need enough information, visually or otherwise, to recognize that Dean Thomas is making a run for it and that you girls are helping detain those who would try to stop him.]

[beater-serpens.livejournal.com]

Alison managed to keep her expression bored and displeased at the interruption, trying her hardest not to let any of the worry that Fred and George would be caught before they could Disapparate safely show. She was beginning to understand Mrs. Weasley's constantly high-strung state - she supposed the woman must have it hard, worrying after seven children and her husband all the time.

She simply glared at Zabibi and Nott as Ora traded short words with them. At least they weren't too inquisitive; the other Slytherins left after not much persuasion with only a growled warning to be back in time for the trip back to Hogwarts. Alison sighed as their backs disappeared out the door, muttering, "Good riddance," and frowning, slouching slightly in her chair and resisting the urge to pout over the fact that her visit with the twins had been cut short for that. That would be childish, after all, and it seemed that no one had the luxury to be very childish anymore.

And now that their meeting with the twins had come to an end, there wasn't much use in remaining at the Hog's Head. Alison and Ora stayed a while longer, talking in quiet voices about what the Order might do with the information once they'd gotten a chance to look at it. But there was only so much they could (or dared to) speculate upon, and eventually they figured enough time had passed that they could leave without looking suspicious.

Again, the barkeep seemed to pay them no heed as the two girls pushed in their chairs, wrapped their coats and scarves around themselves, and pushed open the dingy door to make their way back down the path towards the more-traveled part of Hogsmeade. There were only a few students about - most seemed to have elected to find somewhere inside to pass the time - but there was a small knot of girls that caught Alison's attention as she and Ora approached the main street.

The reason it had caught her attention was twofold. First, the group included Pansy Parkinson, and Alison had at first thought she and Ora ought to go inside somewhere themselves and avoid her. But second, the group also appeared to include Kahvi Sidhe, the lone Ravenclaw girl watching the other Slytherins quietly as Pansy and her friends did their best to laugh in her face.

Alison frowned and turned to Ora, wondering if her friend had seen what was going on as well. She had just started to open her mouth to ask the other girl what she thought when there were shouts from just a bit further down the road. Alison's gaze turned towards the sounds, where a number of male voices were shouting, and the sound of scuffling in the snow could just be heard beneath them.


[OOC: I'm assuming Dean is just making a run for it now and that he'll head in our direction as he makes his way out of town - if anything should be different or you want me to put in more detail/information, just let me know!]

[prime-veridian.livejournal.com]

The lane leading back to the center of Hogsmeade was almost completely empty as Ora and Alison made their way back to the village, huddled in their scarves and robes against the cold. It was already getting on the afternoon, and the sky was darkening. The crowd of students crowding the main street had already thinned--some had probably already made their way back to their warm dormitories. As they approached Hogsmeade's main street, a particular cluster of girls resolved themselves into Pansy and her entourage, and the Ravenclaw girl, Kahvi Sidhe.

Ora frowned. She was trying to find something scathing to say to Pansy when something else caught her attention. Taking her eyes of Pansy and Kahvi for the moment, Ora turned down the main street, where there were suddenly several shouts and a lot of bodies suddenly running toward them. Ora stared in surprise as she realized it was Dean Thomas heading towards her, one of the last seventh year Gryffindor boys left in the school, a desperate look on his face as he ran at full speed, followed by a growing group of Hogwarts students that Ora recognized as the security detail.

"Dean!" she gasped as he ran past her, not seeing anything but his destination, some point outside the town, past the anti-Apparition zone.

Sparing just one glance for Pansy, whose mouth had dropped open in non-comprehension and surprise, Ora reacted quickly. Crabbe and Goyle were the first to charge past her, breathing heavily and pointing at the fleeing figure of Dean, shouting, "Stop him!"

Ora lifted her wand and cast a small spell on the ground beneath Crabbe's feet. The snow turned to ice, and suddenly Crabbe was slipping. Grabbing for his friend, both he and Goyle went down in a pile of arms and legs.

Then, Pansy reacted. "Get him!" she shouted, her voice shrill.

[OOC: Gah, it was three weeks since somebody last posted here! D: Sorry for dropping the ball, guys. Totally picking it up back now, really! ^^;;]

[firespice.livejournal.com]

It took two blinks for Kahvi to register the situation as a trio of boys thundered past her (the latter two quite a bit more than the first), but before she could think to do anything, the two at the forefront of the pursuit slipped and became an immediate barricade against the small mob behind them.

There was no ice in that area. She was sure of it as she'd walked over that spot only a little earlier that day--Kahvi's head switched back and forth looking for the source. She noticed the movement of Ora's wand as she lowered it inconspicuously jerk before Pansy's shrill shriek caused her to jerk her head backwards. The motion attracted the girl's attention, and Pansy shot a disdainful sneer at Kahvi.

"I'll deal with you later, stupid girl! After him!" The gaggle of Slytherin girls followed Pansy as she turned to join the pursuit, fanning out behind her, albeit more from varying degrees of physical fitness and surefootedness in the light blanket of snow on the cobblestones than out of any deliberate coordination.

Although she did not recognize the fleeing Gryffindor boy, she couldn't blame him for wanting to escape--and if Ora and Alison were helping him, chances are he had a good reason. She had to help, but she wasn't sure how. Kahvi merged into the herd of people chasing after him as quickly as she could and decided to take a cue from Ora's ice trick. With a quick nod towards Ora and Alison as she started running, she whispered a wandless cast of a contact-activated spell on her shoes, turning her footsteps into thin patches of icy ground as she went. It would at least delay a few of them for now.

In the midst of the hubub, a swoop of shadow found a perch on the edge of a chimney. Deimos hooted quizzically at the mess of humanity below him, and perhaps somewhat embarrassingly at his mistress. Kahvi's poor cornering betrayed her lack of traction and inexperience running in the snow, as she was apparently only managing to keep upright through her strong sense of balance alone. There was a letter attached to his leg that he would prefer to have removed, but he wasn't about to go diving into a two-legged version of the Running of the Bulls just yet.

[beater-serpens.livejournal.com]

Alison watched, a little awestruck, as Dean Thomas sped past them without a sideways glance, a number of angry figures in pursuit as he raced towards the edge of town, presumably to Disapparate. She turned just as Ora, to her left, managed to slow Crabbe and Goyle by turning a patch of snow directly ahead of them into ice. The two boys crashed to the ground, shouting, and now Pansy Parkinson had taken up the chase as well.

Soon after there was a veritable crowd chasing down Dean, and Alison and Ora (and Kahvi as well, Alison noted, spotting the Ravenclaw out of the corner of her eye) were swept away in it; Alison exchanged glances with Ora, pulling her own wand out of her coat pocket, and quickly muttered another ice-creation spell, aimed at the gaggle of students on the right. A number of them went down with a shout, much like bowling pins, but there was no time to laugh at the hilarity now. She and Ora - and it looked like Kahvi too - were having an effect, knocking off one or two people at a time, and sometimes three or for. And the group was slow on its own. They just had to keep any one person from reaching Dean, now a few yards ahead, before he could Disapparate to safety.

But one of the Slytherin boys - it looked like Zabini, from behind - was gaining on Dean. Alison frowned, trying to get a good shot in at the snow in front of him, but if she did that then all of them were likely to go down. She glanced at Ora, grinning, and put on an extra burst of speed, tackling him from behind at the last moment and sending them both sprawling into the snow. Zabini went down with a shout, flailing, and Alison tried not to laugh even as she had to dodge his arms and legs. There were more shouts as the group behind them either stopped or were forced to go around them, and through the waving arms and legs and flying bits of snow, Alison saw Dean round a corner that should get him far enough from town to leave. It looked like no one else was any closer to him, and Ora and Kahvi could keep the rest of the students slowed enough to give Dean a chance to escape.

She tried not to grin too much as she shuffled away from the large boy shouting angrily in the snow. "Sorry, Zabini. I slipped on all the ice."

[prime-veridian.livejournal.com]

Ora's heart leapt into her throat as she saw Alison physically tackle Zabini. That left just her and Kahvi to hold off the rest of the group until Dean could get beyond Hogsmeade's wards. She picked off a couple of students beside her with well-placed trip jinxes, but she realized that doing too many of them might eventually rouse suspicions. It was hard to gauge how much further it was until Dean could make a safe escape with the running and shouts ringing in her ears, but Ora didn't think she'd be able to hold back too much of the group much longer.

Deciding to take out all the leaders of the pack with her to hopefully buy Dean enough time, Ora pretend to slip on the ice and took two Slytherin boys down with her. She hit the ice hard, tripping one with her arms and another with her legs. Seeing a nearby snowbank, she pointed her wand at it, suddenly snow was flying every which way, and not even she could see anything through the flurry. She hoped that would slow the pack enough. Ora felt a few more bodies topple on top of her, one almost snapping her wand in the process. She hoped that Kahvi had something up her sleeve if Dean needed more help getting away, or all her bruises would be all for naught.

[firespice.livejournal.com]

With a quick double-take-like motion of her head, Kahvi's thick braid whipped outwards like a tail to swat the faces of two girls to her right, startling them just long enough to send them running into the messy pileup ahead. Kahvi herself wobbled along in the trampled snow, only narrowly missing the flurry thrown up by Ora's spell. Her attention drawn by a yelling boy to the side, she noted that Alison, too, had fallen, and a quick survey of the mob did not offer up any other allies, but quite a bit of opposition still.

She sighed, having just narrowly missed a spill yet again. Too much extra energy was being expended in keeping herself upright, and the sprint across the small town was getting a little tiring.

But that was just it. She looked around her and realized that the group, having run for several minutes now around the town, was definitely not keeping up their previous sprinting speed. The problem was, neither was the unidentified Gryffindor boy. Wizards accustomed to apparition, brooms, and a wide range of other magical modes of transportation in general just hadn't developed as much stamina. It was a theory, but it was her best shot at the moment, and even for those with stamina, the adrenaline kick wouldn't last forever. She couldn't think of a feasible way to further exhaust the mob without rousing suspicion and/or using her wand, but...

Kahvi bent to the side and scooped up a good handful of snow out of a snowbank as she ran past it. The icy mass stung in her bare hand as she packed it into a ball and cast an ennervating contact spell on it. For good measure she tried tracing a jinx-impervious ward onto it before hurling it at the running boy ahead of her, but wasn't sure if the jinx-proofing would work, given the sloppy delivery medium. Unfortunately for her, the softball-style lob demolished what balance she had left and Kahvi spun out to the side of the mob, only managing to take one other pursuer with her by way of flailing arms.

The snowball unerringly hit its mark in small of his back, but Dean continued running unfazed by the cold hit. Kahvi looked up in time to see a few more in the mob scoop up some snow and haplessly lob snowballs at him as they went running past her and the girl she elbowed into the snowbank with her. Kahvi also noted, with some smug satisfaction, that several of the snowball tossers also lost their balance in their efforts to reach Dean, who was gaining some distance from the mob now.

"YOU."

Kahvi turned towards the girl sitting in the snow bank with her and found herself staring into the enraged face of one Pansy Parkinson. So much for executing the plan without a hitch.

[beater-serpens.livejournal.com]

"What the bloody hell, Mallory! Watch where you're going!" Zabini was red-faced, though probably not solely from anger. Alison offered him a rueful grin and a shrug, but there wasn't much more she could do from stopping him without being overt.

He made a face and kicked at her - "Ow!" she snapped, rubbing at her elbow, which he'd caught squarely with his boot - and he scrabbled up again, trying to make his way over or around or somehow past the crowd that had congregated.

Alison managed to get to her feet once more, looking around for Ora or Dean - the former she spotted not far off to the side, underneath a pile of people. The latter was still running, and even as she watched someone lobbed a snowball at him that hit him squarely in the back. He didn't stop running or even appear to take notice, just put on another burst of speed as Zabini and a few others yelled and began to lumber after him again.

Alison started to make her way over to Ora, turning her head this way and that to try and see who'd thrown the snowball, but she was distracted by the more immediate problem of Pansy Parkinson, who was looking down at Kahvi like she wanted to skin the girl alive. Alison knew that Pansy and Kahvi didn't exactly get along (well, who wanted to get along with Pansy, anyway?). And anyone who disliked Pansy couldn't be all that bad - not that Kahvi was really bad at all, in Alison's book. She detoured towards them, glancing at Pansy before pretending to slip and slide and knocked the other girl in the shoulder.

"Whoops, Pansy!" she said, grabbing onto her arm as though the girl were the only thing holding her up. "Good thing you were there! I would've fallen flat on my face otherwise." She grinned up at the other girl, whose eyes had gone a bit wide. "You do know Dean's that way," she said, pointing in the direction he'd been running - only he wasn't there anymore. He appeared to have rounded the corner, and it wasn't much farther to the edge of the Anti-Apparition boundary. "Oops, looks like he's not, anymore. He does like that football thing, after all. I hear you do a lot of running."

[prime-veridian.livejournal.com]

When the flurry of snow cleared, Ora saw with satisfaction that she'd taken out a good five people in the pack. There were two fifth year boys she'd managed to hit, Daphne Greengrass was cradling her wrist as if it might be broken, her younger sister, Astoria, was helping her to her feet, and Nott was sitting on the ground, an annoyed look on his face as he rubbed his bottom and stared off in the direction Dean had run off to, taking his time climbing back to his feet.

"Sorry," Ora apologized quickly, having the good sense to look guilty about dumping her fellow students on the ground, albeit on top of her. "Might want to get that wrist looked at," Ora said to Daphne, who shot her a glare but didn't say anything.

"Ow," Ora winced as she climbed to her own feet, working the shoulder she'd landed on. She'd be lucky if she didn't bruise the next day. She made her way to Alison and Kahvi, and unfortunately Pansy who was standing rather close to them.

"Hm," Ora said with a concerned frown as she gazed off towards Dean, in the distance. She thought she saw him wink out, but that could have just been the distance. Regardless of whether he'd really escaped, there were no Slytherins even close to catching him. "I think he's gone," Ora said. She dusted some snow of her coat and her scarf and addressed Pansy who looked like she was about to stalk off somewhere and sulk.

"Might want to bring a broomstick next time," Ora suggested, shooting Pansy a sardonic smile. She didn't need an excuse to prod Pansy, it was one of those things they just whenever they saw each other.

Pansy's eyes narrowed. "And you, Ora," she hissed, "need to learn a good sticking charm so you don't slip."

[firespice.livejournal.com]

Caught off-guard, Kahvi was speechless and simply sat and watched as Pansy inhaled deeply, gaining steam for her coming verbal assault. As such, she was supremely relieved when Alison interrupted her by grabbing Pansy's arm in a feigned stumble.

Following the friendly Slytherin's gaze, she noted that they boy, apparently named Dean, had indeed distanced himself from the pack and appeared to be turning a corner near the edge of town, turning back when she heard Ora's approach. Taking advantage of Pansy's distraction, she stood and brushed the snow off of her uniform, taking a quick peek into her satchel. To her dismay, she noticed that the board of the miniature candy chess set she'd purchased had crumbled, but at least it wasn't something that would leak or muss her stationery purchases.

Kahvi sighed deeply and assumed a dutifully apologetic stance, staring resolutely at her snow-entrenched shoes. "I'm terribly sorry for knocking you over, Ms. Parkinson, on both accounts." After a few moments of silence, there was a muffled groan of slower pursuer jogging exhaustedly past them in the general direction Dean had disappeared in. She didn't dare look up to see who it was, or the expressions on any of the girls' faces. "I'm really not all that used to running on slippery, snowy ground," she offered up in her sincerest-sounding voice, but then allowed herself the faintest undertone of sarcasm as she added, "and I was only trying to help."

[beater-serpens.livejournal.com]

Alison grinned over at Kahvi, shrugging as she let go of Pansy's arm; the other yanked it back like it had been burned, and Alison made a face, turning on the sarcasm as Ora approached. "Oh, don't apologize. Pansy here's Head Girl, she can take a little slipping and sliding. Besides, it looks like she's got a bigger problem on her hands." She nodded in the direction down which Dean Thomas had escaped - good for him, was what she thought, though she still wasn't entirely clear on what exactly he'd wanted to accomplish. Granted, it had been particularly hard around Hogwarts for those who weren't pureblood, lately. Alison knew that firsthand, in fact - the sneers from her own house alone seemed to have multiplied a hundredfold over the past few weeks. Maybe Dean just hadn't been able to take it anymore. Or he'd been worried about his safety. Alison felt a twinge of worry settle in her stomach, and hoped that the twins had made it back to their shop all right. Suddenly, it didn't seem very safe for anyone, anymore.

But that wasn't important right now. She shook her hair out of her eyes and took a step back. "Anyway, I think we'll go have another butterbeer, after all that. What do you say, Ora?" She glanced over at the Ravenclaw girl, whose head was still bowed slightly in an apology that Pansy, of all people, did not deserve. "D'you want to join us?" she asked - she had, after all, helped out, and Alison wasn't about to leave her alone with Pansy. And anything Alison and Ora had to say about this, it seemed Kahvi probably deserved to hear, anyway. Just because she was new didn't mean she was any safer than the rest of them, and she was all right.

[OOC: How's that? :D]

[prime-veridian.livejournal.com]

Ora ignored Pansy's scowl and turned her head in the direction where Dean had been running. The surviving group of students had stopped and were now bent over catching their breath or slowly making their way back to the town. "Hm," said Ora quietly, "wonder where he's got himself off to." She turned back to Alison, her attention caught by the word 'butterbeer."

"Sure," Ora said, brightening. It looked like Dean had gotten away from school, though she was unsure what fate awaited him in Wizarding world at large. From her father's letters, things weren't looking to great. He'd probably get by, one way or another.

"Butterbeer sounds great right about now," Ora said, giving her hands a rub and blowing into them. "Please join us, Kahvi. I think The Three Broomsticks would do us some good right about now." Ora cocked her head back in the direction of Hogsmeade.

[firespice.livejournal.com]

Ah, was there ever an owl with such a fabulous wingspan? Deimos thought vainly as he let the crisp breeze sweep him silently over the rooftops to alight on the eaves above the girls. One of them appeared to be quite furious about something and, oops, it looked like she was only going to get angrier in a bit. Kahvi looked like she was cold.

Pansy seethed at Alison. "Yes, I am Head Girl, and you'd best remember it more often, Mallory!" She brushed herself off a bit and fussed "Ugh, there's snow from the eaves falling on me!"

"P... Pansy..." Millicent was huffing as she walked over, spent from the chase. "He... (huff) gone..." She pointed vaguely in the direction Dean had run in.

"Thank you very much, that's very kind of you," Kahvi nodded quietly to Ora and Alison. "It would probably do me some good to go indoors--I'm pretty sure my shoes are full of snow after that spill and it wouldn't do for any of us to catch a cold during the holiday season, now would it?" She shivered slightly as she shot the two girls a smile of gratitude and turned to follow them to the named venue.

"Well why didn't you tell me that in the first place?!" Pansy snapped at Millicent, who had apparently just managed to relay through her panting that the Head Girls and Boys were wanted further down the street.

Poor Millicent merely shrugged, drawing less ragged, but still quite belabored breaths. "Pansy..."

"What now?!" She was practically screaming in frustration.

"Something... on... your coat?" She staggered closer to inspect the back of Pansy's shoulder. "Looks like... owl..."

Deimos heard the shriek from the air, having had the good sense not to stick around after upchucking what was left of the rat he'd had for dinner the previous evening on the girl. He headed for Ravenclaw tower, where it would be warm and he could wait for Kahvi's return to deliver the letter.

[OOC: It seemed a shame not to let Deimos have any fun :P Poor Pansy...]

[beater-serpens.livejournal.com]

Alison had to try very hard not to laugh out loud on the spot as something large swooped overhead and deposited what looked like the remains of its dinner on Pansy. She covered her mouth with one hand, glancing at Ora and Kahvi. They weren't far from the Three Broomsticks, and it would be warm inside. Despite all the running, Alison was getting a bit chilled from having flailed and slipping in the snow so much.

She finally settled for a snicker in Pansy's direction as she and the two other girls set off for the town proper; they'd chased Dean most of the way out of town, down the little main street almost to the end. "Best look into cleaning that," she called behind them to Pansy, though really, it would be much funnier if she didn't. Hopefully whatever impromptu meeting was going on with the Head Boys and Girls would take up her attention, and leave her with the mess on her coat for everyone else to see. Finally she turned back to her companions, and they picked up the pace towards town. "Come on, let's get inside, and get warm!"

[OOC: And that's a wrap? :D; Hope that's not too lame.]