Welcome to Hoggy Warty!

[Margaret Winter]

It was great to be home. Margaret supposed that some people might find it difficult to balance becoming a witch and still enjoying the muggle world, but she’d never had that problem. Perhaps it was because her father had been open about being a wizard for all her life, or maybe it was just who she was, but she found that she enjoyed being in London and doing normal teen stuff just as much as she enjoyed flying around on her broomstick, casting spells, and the other various perks of the magical world.

In her opinion, for all the amazing things that she saw at Hogwarts or Diagon Alley, there were equally amazing things in the muggle world. One obvious perk was the fact that for the most part, when she was shopping at the mall, she rarely had to be worried about some item jumping off the shelves on its own and attacking or just plain refusing to be bought.

That’s where she was now, strolling through a crowded mall, carrying a bag of fruity scented lotions she’d just bought in one hand, and a fruit smoothie in the other. She’d come here with several friends who were all eager to hear about her mysterious new boarding school. She’d found it only disturbed her a little to lie to them about being a witch. She understood why the magical world was a secret, and she also knew that regardless of that one lie, these girls were her friends.

She’d lost sight of them currently. They had kept on going when she stopped to get her smoothie. She wasn’t too worried about it. She’d find them eventually. The group had only been at the mall for about half an hour and they wouldn’t be ready to head out for lunch for at least another hour of Christmas shopping and general browsing.

She found herself stopping to admire an outfit on display in a storefront. She sipped her smoothie as she considered going in to buy it. The top was blue, silk, with a nice scoop neck. At first it appeared sheer, but there was a layer of slightly darker material beneath. It would bring out her eyes wonderfully and look fantastic with her favorite necklace.

She made up her mind that she had to have it when someone smacked right into her, causing her to stumble and sending dark purple smoothie all down the front of her shirt. She stood there in stunned silence for several seconds before letting out a little squeak and pulling her shirt away from her chest. “Oh. Oh! Cold!”

[Alex Hunter]

Alex was not really paying attention to where we was going, we was trying to figure out what to get his many siblings for Christmas.

He had finally decided on a necklace for Felicity, when he bumped into someone, spilling their smoothie all over them.

"Oh..m..my g...gosh" Alex stammered, he felt so bad for bumping into her. Glancing up he recognized her. She was a fellow Hufflepuff except she was one year older then he was.

"Hey Margaret, I'm so so sorry, what can I do to help? Alex asked.

[Margaret Winter]

Maggie paused, gingerly holding her cold shirt away from her skin, to look up at the familiar voice of the person who had bumped her.

“Oh! Alex.” She couldn’t help it. It was just somehow odd to see former Hogwarts students out of school and out of school robes. The younger boy was a fellow housemate, and though they weren’t the best of friends, she liked him well enough.

“Don’t worry about it.” She felt that the whole thing was a sign that she had to buy the top that had made her pause. “Though. I could use a hand.” She gestured for him to follow her and headed into the store. It only took her a couple of minutes to locate the top in her size and head for the counter.

She knew it was bad to make a guy, especially a younger guy, wait, but she saw a skirt that just screamed Melody to her and made a detour to snag one in her sister’s size. At the counter she paid for her purchases then turned to see if Alex was still with her.

[Alex Hunter]

Smiling at the older girl, he was glad that she was not mad at him most people would have been.

"Of course I will help." Alex said as he followed Margaret into the store, She grabbed a shirt that he had seen in the window and thought was really nice. He was useless when it cam to shopping with girls, although his adoptive sisters made him tag along with them he would just sit there and say if he liked the colour or not.

Walking towards the counter, he almost walked into her again when she changed direction and headed towards a display of skirts grabbed one and headed back towards the counter.

after she paid she turned around like she half expected him not to be there " I like the shirt you got, the colour is very nice." Alex said knowing that that was the best thing to say.

"So whats next?" Alex asked with a smile on his face, we was actually glad that he had met someone from school that we could talk to.

[Margaret Winter]

Maggie couldn't help but think that Alex was adorable. He was only a year younger than her, but she found herself thinking that he was an adorable little brother. If she wasn't already fifteen, she would so very much be asking for one of those this christmas.

"Thanks, I love blue." She took her bag from the nice lady at the register and headed for the door. If she recalled correctly, there were some public restrooms not too far away. "Next is changing and washing."

She led the way, happy to see that she was right about the restrooms as they were only three stores down. At the entrance she turned to Alex and smiled before fishing out her new top and offering him the bag with the skirt and her lotions. "Would you mind holding these while I duck in here for a second?"

[Alex Hunter]

"Right... lead the way" Alex laughed, he loved his adoptive family but at the same time, he missed being around people who were not a member of his family, and didn't know about his past.

Alex usually cam to this mall with at least one member of his family, but today he went alone so he could grab Christmas presents for them.

Following Margaret three stores down they stopped outside of the bathrooms. "Of course I will hold them for you, it's the least I can do."

As Alex took a seat on the bench just outside the bathrooms, he started to look around. He saw some other kids he knew from around school, It was so odd seeing them out of their uniform or without their wand.

However looking around at everyone else he saw one thing that made him very sad, They were all with their parents and siblings laughing and smiling without a care in the world. He wished his sister was still around. Or If his Brother was still around then at lest he would have one family member left who still loved him. Hanging his head he tried not to cry, without much success. Hearing Margaret approach he tried wiping his eyes so she would not notice glancing up he managed a smile.

"That shirt looks really good on you. It really brings out the colour in your eyes."

From growing up with a house hold of girls he knew what to say compliment wise, but ask him, any further questions like what type of shirt looks good on them, or what materials look good together and he is way over his head.

Standing up grabbing the bags he looked and Margaret he smiled, she was just friendly it was hard to be sad around her.

"I'm guessing that not all you have to do today, so what else can I help you with? And how much do I owe you for that shirt?" Alex asked pointing at the shirt.

[Margaret Winter]

Once she had changed shits, Maggie ran the sink and squirted some hand soap onto her stained shirt. She scrubbed quickly and rinsed. There was still a large purple splotch all over the front, but it was slightly smaller now. She squeezed the excess water from it before folding it neatly and using a still dry spot to rest it over her arm.

When she exited the restroom she noticed the way that Alex tried to hide his distress. She felt a strong urge to hug him. Hugging was big in her family. She stopped herself, mainly due to the fact that he was a boy, and in her experience boys were less happy about random hugs than girls.

“Thanks, that’s sweet.” She took her bags back, moving the skirt for Melody to the bag with the lotions and placing her stained top into the newly empty one. Still knowing that she wouldn’t be satisfied until she tried to talk to him and see if she could help, she quickly devised a game plan.

“I’m actually here doing the last of my Christmas shopping. She indicated her bags. “[b]If you really want to help me, you have to accompany me to the little sushi place and give me an excuse to sit for a while. I hate eating alone and I’ve been craving gyoza since about October.”

She offered him a bright smile, wholly genuine when he offered to pay for her shirt. “Really, don’t worry about it. My dad plays with paint, magical and otherwise, all day. Getting smoothie out of cotton is a breeze after enchanted, texture changing oil paints out of my mother’s best silk blouse.” Without waiting for a reply she hooked her arm with his and led the way to her favorite sushi bar.

[Alex Hunter]

Blushing at her compliment he smiled back at her handing her, her begs.

"I would love to join you for lunch, It sounds perfect, and I know what you mean, I also hate eating by myself in public, with such a big family you get used to always eating with a lot of people."

Having Margaret hook her arm through his startled Alex, it reminded him so much of his twin, normally he didn't let anyone do that but she felt like an older sister to him he didn't pull his arm away like he normally does.

"So where is this little Sushi place that we will be going to? I don't think I have ever noticed it before."

[Margaret Winter]

Having a little brother would have been nice, Maggie thought, especially if he turned out anything like Alex. She grinned to herself as she considered her sisters and had the thought that they would one day get married and she would have some brothers then. Because of course her sisters would marry adorable men, she would have it no other way.

“My family isn’t too big, but we always talk at meals. When I’m on my own I feel all wonky and at a loss. I mean, I could talk to myself, but then people would stare and I’d get mad and have to have an argument about it and you just can’t win against yourself.” She knew she was being silly, but she was okay with that. It was Christmas time and she liked being silly. Also, she wanted Alex to feel comfortable with her.

She led the way to the sushi bar. “It’s been here a couple of years. Just a little place, tucked on the end of this line of shops, right outside a big department store.” It only took a couple of minutes to reach the place. It was indeed small, with a little bar and a couple of small tables. She took a seat at one of the tables and smiled at the young woman who came over and set two little paper menus down and asked what they’d like to drink. Maggie ordered a diet coke and turned the menu straight to the section on single pieces of sushi. She gave Alex a little smile.

“You want to know a secret?”



You rolled a: 0!

[Alex Hunter]

"Ya that's one thing that people find odd in both our world and this world.Talking to your self, I do it anyway though, when i'm in my room, or studying." Alex admitted looking sheepishly. He quickly glanced around though to make sure that no one had overheard what he said.

Following Margaret down the row of shops it didn't take long for them to reach the shop, And she was not kidding, the store was very small only a few tables on one side and a bar down the other. It was nice though, not to loud but not empty either.

Taking his seat across from Margaret, he smiled at the waitress as she handed him a menu. "I will have a Diet coke as well please." As the waitress walked away he opened his menu to the page that had single servings of sushi, he glanced down at the menu debating between the cucumber sushi or the California roll.

"Sure why not." Alex said, glancing up to look at Margaret, now curious as to what she wanted to tell him.

[Margaret Winter]

Maggie grinned at Alex’s confession of talking to himself and the way he checked to see if anyone else had heard afterwards. She felt another urge to hug him followed by a wee little thought that she should introduce him to one of her sisters, later, if he stayed adorable. He was only four years older than them, that was perfectly acceptable.

At the sushi bar she leaned forward conspiratorially and held up the menu as if hiding them from sight. In a slightly overly dramatic, yet still serious hushed tone she told him her secret. “I hate fish. And seaweed, because it tastes like fish.”

The waitress arrived and Maggie set down the menu, smiling brightly, and ordered one piece of sushi with octopi and one with salmon roe along with two orders of the gyuoza.

[Alex Hunter]

Leaning in so that the menu also hid his face, he could not help but laugh. He loved that he felt like he could be himself around her, not giving a care in the world, she was a nice person and made the perfect friend for Alex.

"If you hate it, then why did you want to come here?" Alex asked giving her a questioning look.

This look doubled when she ordered sushi with octopus and another with salmon.

"So if you very much hate fish and seaweed then who did you order that sushi for?"

Alex asked realizing just a little he knew about her family.

(OOC: sorry it took so long!!)

[Margaret Winter]

Maggie grinned. She could see the confusion she had caused Alex with her contradictory words and actions. “I get the gyoza because it is delicious. I get the sushi because I’ve yet to have every sort of fish in every way available. You never know when you are going to try something new and discover you like it.”

She set down her menu as the waitress brought over their drinks. Maggie smiled and thanked the woman before taking a sip of her soda and continuing. “I used to sort of like fish sticks, if I covered them in enough ketchup. And I’ve had some sort of fish a friend’s father made that was really well seasoned and had no fishy taste.”

She nodded, as if deep in thought. “Then you have to take into account that over time your tastes change and one day I might discover I like the fishy taste.” With a satisfied look on her face she folded her hands in front of her. “In conclusion, if I don’t keep testing myself, I might miss out on the fact that I do like fish and who knows how long I’ll keep missing out on something good.” Her reasoning might seem odd to some, but it was obvious to anyone who wasn’t completely dense that it made total sense to her.