Last Bash Before Term Starts - open to all

[Deleted]

Relina fussily fixed the last decoration in place on the fence post outside her family's house. Her parents had gone away and were expected back in a few days, in time to help Relina and Thomas with their school supplies, and of course Relina had sweetly promised to be good and look after the house while they were gone. Five minutes after they'd left, she was already drafting out invites to the entire school.

And now, the sun was close to setting, the house was all prepared, and she had no idea how many people would be coming. She'd invited everyone older than 14 no matter what house they were from. The only rule was; you break it, you bought it. And she was so excited, she could barely sit still.

With the decoration in place and to her liking, she went further inside and called out to her brother, unsure if he would attend. "Thomas? The guests will be arriving soon!"

MATTHEW SVEN JOHANSON THOMAS ANDREW ROYAL MELFINA MARIE JOHANSON LEYSHELL NICOLE CONNER @katrina

((No obligation to reply if I've tagged you, and feel free to add more charries))

[MATTHEW SVEN JOHANSON]

Matt was a bit surprised by the invitation to the Regal home, though there was no surprise about who invited him. Relina inviting him had him a bit excited, and he had hope of finding out what was up with Thomas if nothing else aside from seeing Relina. Arriving at the Regal home, dressed in a black short sleeved polo shirt tucked in, blue jeans, black and maroon tennis shoes, and a black belt, he knocked on the door, which was answered by Thomas. Before he could day a word to Thomas, he had walked away after letting Matt in, leaving Matt a bit surprised. Entering, it took him a few minutes before finding Relina.

"Hey, your brother still seems quiet," he said when he had gotten to where she was. Matt wondered why Thomas was being silent, but chances were he'd get a chance to talk to him later.

[Deleted]

Ever since the incident with the troll during their Sixth Years, Katrina and Relina had begun to talk more. And through that, they had become good friends. Kat saw a lot in Relina that she admired. The girl was certainly not the stereotypical Slytherin and that was a plus. So they made the most of the remainder of that year and hung out at various times.

So when Relina sent Kat the invitation, she was happy to come. As many friends as Kat had made, she hadn't really been invited to a lot of parties. There was the invite to Greece with Cole and Thalia's family, which was nice and all, but wasn't really a party in the usual sense. There was of course the all-Slytherin invite to Thorn's little party, which didn't really count as she didn't say more than two words to the boy. So it was nice to get to go to a party of someone she knew she would socialize with.

So now Kat stood outside the door with a box in her hands. She was let in and she looked at Relina.

"Heya Relina, thanks for inviting me," she said. "I brought cupcakes. I didn't bake them, the Bonfire Bakery did. I can't bake." Kat said this in her usual dry voice. She then looked over at the guys. "Hi Thomas, Hi Matt."

@relina MATTHEW SVEN JOHANSON

[THOMAS ANDREW ROYAL]

Thomas hadn't really anticipated the party, so when Relina had gotten him to help her out in setting up and hosting in general, it had been a bit off-putting. He wasn't really interested in being a part of the party, especially with knowing that Matt Johanson would be there, and Matt didn't really have much reason or incentive to be nice towards him. Thing was, Johanson probably would be nice towards him despite that, mostly out of the attitude he had developed after getting out of his shell. That had surprised him some, the fact that he and Matt went in opposite directions as the last term went on. Matt became far more chatty and out-going while he went towards the other end of that spectrum, the silent and quiet end.

Dressed in a white short sleeved button up shirt worn over a green t-shirt, blue jeans, and white socks, he heard a knock at the door and figured he would answer. Seeing that it was Matt, Tom opted for merely opening the door to let Matt in, then walk away before Matt could say a word. Noticing Matt then walk over to Relina, Tom merely shrugged his shoulders before hearing someone else arrive. Seeing that it was Kat, and hearing her say hello, he waved in response, merely just staying to the background.

@relina MATTHEW SVEN JOHANSON @katrina

[Deleted]

Relina just rolled her eyes at Thomas' behaviour and lowered her voice to answer Matt.

"Don't mind him, he's just a bit..."

Thankfully, Katrina arrived as well, giving Relina an excuse to avoid finishing that particular sentence. Hopefully Thomas would liven up once more people arrived. "Kat! Hi! Oh, thank you so much," she replied, grinning and taking the cakes. "Don't worry, if we didn't have bakeries, I doubt most of us would eat cake, ever."

She motioned for Matt and Katrina to follow her inside, out to the garden where she'd set up the party. She put the cakes on a table, glad that they would add more food to the table, and offered her guests some Lemon, Lime & Bitters punch. It was a slightly more Muggle beverage than one would usually find at the Regal household, but there were Butterbeers and even a bit of Firewhiskey on hand as well.

"So, what have you guys been up to since school broke up? I haven't really seen either of you." She sipped her punch, keeping a lookout of the corner of her eye for Thomas. She so desperately wanted him to come out of his weird silence, but she knew better than to force him. She mainly just hoped he wouldn't tattle once their parents got back. Katrina would be fine, but she knew that Matt's presence might cause some friction.

MATTHEW SVEN JOHANSON @katrina THOMAS ANDREW ROYAL

[Deleted]

Kat just stared at Thomas for a moment, then waved back.

"Well alright," she said, not wishing to make anti-social socialize.

When Relina greeted her and made the point about the bakeries, Kat nodded.

"This is very true," she said.

She then followed Relina out. She turned down the punch, grabbing a Butterbeer instead. Butterbeer was very much Kat's drink of choice. As she took a sip, Relina asked what she had been up to.

"Well, went to Rome, spent time with the boyfriend there," she said. "Then went to Athens, spent time with the boyfriend there. Oh, and I got to meet the Minister of Magic there as well and spend time with him, which was really interesting. Draco Malfoy is Cole's uncle." Kat sighed a bit and figured she could get the bad news out as well. "Guess you've probably heard about my mum. I couldn't live in the house with her gone, so I moved in with my friend Sofie. She's an artist too, so we get along well." Kat didn't want to say too much about her mother's death, not because she was insensitive to it. She missed her mother more and more everyday. She just didn't want to carry on at an event where people were to have fun.

"So, how about you, Relina?" she asked. "What have you been up to?"

MATTHEW SVEN JOHANSON @relina

[MATTHEW SVEN JOHANSON]

Matt nodded some, knowing that not everything needed to be said in this situation. Thomas was being quiet, which did kind of unnerve him a bit. What if Thomas informed the elder Regals about this party? That would be a huge problem, but for some reason Matt couldn't bring himself to actually think that Thomas would tell anyone that the party happened. He had heard of Thomas's interactions with a Ravenclaw girl in their year, and wondered if he had invited the girl to the party, or if he had been a bit too uncertain on that. Matt had a feeling that the girl might just show up anyways, something that would not surprise him.

Following Relina and Kat, he accepted some punch, listening as Relina asked about their summers, then waiting for Kat to finish describing hers. It was then that he replied. "Well I've spent all summer trying to keep my sister and her boyfriend from staying inside all break. They weren't making out the whole time or anything, but I didn't feel comfortable with the idea of them just sitting inside the whole time," he replied with a shake of his head. It was a near losing battle arguing with Mel, but Aaron had some sense, so that helped to a point. In the end Aaron still would side with Mel, which cost Matt the whole argument until their dad would come home for lunch, and make the unavoidable decision that they should go outside.

@relina THOMAS ANDREW ROYAL @katrina

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Relina was glad that Matt understood not to antagonise Thomas by commenting on his behaviour or pursuing her missing words. Her brother was like a dark cloud hanging over her party, but she loved him anyway and couldn't bring herself to be mean to him.

To Katrina
She grinned and gasped in mock surprise when Katrina mentioned Cole. "Oh wow, Cole Nott? That's great! I won't say we all saw it coming, but..." She grinned, poking a bit of good-natured fun at her friend. She often occupied her time wondering who everyone from school would end up with, since statistically they would most likely pair off with each other at some point. She cast a glance at Matt.

When Katrina mentioned her mother, Relina's face fell. Much as she detested her own mother's attitudes, she knew she would be lost if she were suddenly taken from her. "Yeah, I heard. You're doing really well, though. And if you ever need company, well, you know where to find me." She could tell Katrina didn't want to dwell on it though - understandably. She resisted the urge to hug her, knowing that it would probably just make her feel worse, and changed the subject. If Kat wanted to talk later, she would find her. " Rome and Athens on break... wow, I've barely done anything. My parents didn't like the idea of me going on the school trip, so I just kind of stayed here and occupied my time with meaningless pursuits. The other option was, of course, to attend lectures on Blood Superiority with my parents. Well, that was never going to happen, so I just stayed here. Hung out with one or two people, did some broom training, but mostly just relaxed."

To Matt
Relina had heard a little about Melfina and Aaron, and she had to say, it sounded fairly normal. She could understand Matt worrying about them staying inside too much, though. It wouldn't do for them to end up pale and ghostly at school. "At least your dad sorted it out. And, you know, at least they're still in love and stuff. It's great to see a couple stay strong for so long." She smiled and sipped her punch. There was more she wanted to say, but, as always, she was too shy to say it, and would have been even if they were alone. She really hoped that Matt found the courage to approach her, if he had feelings for her. She was getting way too into him, otherwise.

@katrina MATTHEW SVEN JOHANSON THOMAS ANDREW ROYAL

[Deleted]

At Matt...

Kat nodded at what Matt said.

"Yes, it would probably be healthy for them to make out outside as well," she said, giving him a good-natured smirk.

At Relina...

Kat smiled a little about her and Cole. She guessed she could understand how some people suspected it. Even back when Kat swore she would never date, her eyes wandered whenever Cole Nott passed by. She guessed people began to notice that after a while. It did take a chance meeting at the Black Lake for the two to talk and get to know one another though. But it was all joy and bliss from there.

"Yeeep, Cole and I," she said. "It's been pretty darn enjoyable."

Kat then just nodded when Relina offered her company to help Kat get over the loss of her mother.

"Thanks," she said, softly, but sincerely.

Kat definitely didn't envy Relina's summer activities, especially the part about Blood Superiority lectures. That was one thing Kat was not going to miss about Slytherin House, and that was the constant babbly about how being Pureblood and Slytherin made one high and mighty.

"Well, maybe after graduation, you and I can do something," she said. "I mean, we'll be adults, right? Free as a bird and all that."

@relina MATTHEW SVEN JOHANSON

[MATTHEW SVEN JOHANSON]

"Yeah, though granted it's really only been half a year, so it's not all that surprising to me when I've seen one or two relationships actually go pretty long," he replied with a shrug. Granted, the longest one he had known of for a time was how long his parents were together before his mum had been killed. The only difference between him and Kat was that Kat knew her mother for longer than Matt had known his, yet her death still hit him hard, as his whole view on the world had shifted, remaining unchanged until mid-way through the last school year. It was something that made him shake his head though, as the relationship he had that resulted in his shifted world-view was a very short one in his mind. Well, that couldn't be helped.

Part of him just then wanted to draw Relina aside and talk to her privately. He wanted to admit to her the feelings he had for her, but since there were really only four at the party, himself and Relina included, then it would look really obvious that he was talking to her privately. He wasn't quite sure what people would think. All he knew was that he was quick to find an excuse to delay talking to Relina. Feeling as if someone was staring at him, and knowing who exactly it could be, he looked over at Thomas, who merely gave him a look that seemed to ask him what he was waiting for. Matt managed to indicate his nervousness, which led Thomas to raise an eyebrow before sighing. Matt raised an eyebrow of his own before looking back towards Relina and Kat.

@relina THOMAS ANDREW ROYAL @katrina

[THOMAS ANDREW ROYAL]

Thomas' sigh had only been a precursor. It appeared as though Matt was going to need help to talk to Relina, especially since Kat was there. Walking over to where the three stood, he then made sure he could speak to Matt without the girls being able to hear what he was saying or reading his lips.

"You might as well tell her how you feel. It's not like the whole world aside from Relina is oblivious to how you feel about her. Look if it helps I'll distract Kat so you can tell her. Because to be honest with you, mate, I'm not gonna let you leave until you tell my sister how you feel anyways," he said before looking Matt square in the eyes. Matt's eyes flickered between stunned surprise and being somewhat grateful for the help. Tom then nodded to Matt, who nodded back, before looking back towards Relina and Katrina.

"Hate to interrupt the group chatter, but Kat, could you help me out with something? There's a few more decorations to hang, and I'm not all that good with decorating," he admitted sheepishly. It was a bit of a lie, but he figured he needed to get Matt a chance to talk to Relina one on one. If nothing else it was a great way to bury the hatchet between himself and the Gryffindor.

MATTHEW SVEN JOHANSON @relina @katrina