Re: Wedding at Livadia Palace

[Guest]

The witch nodded politely. Some nelsons sounded familiar to her while others she had never even heard of before. She didn't think it would be proper to mention that however. Besides, she could always look them up in the Archives once back at school.

Yes, Zara should definitely have done the conversation part.

"So you traveled here all alone? Or are you with your parents? If so I haven't seen them around. Which only shows how inept I am as one of my duties is to keep track of guests," she laughed softly.

[Humphrey Williams]

"Oh, I forgot you didn't know. I live with my aunt and uncle in Edinburgh, Scotland. I am originally from America, but my parents died when I was eight years old. After their death was when I first used magic actually, I'm a Muggleborn. My aunt and uncle were absolutely thrilled when they found out I was going to Hogwarts. You see, they are the kind of muggles who only care about making money. They are nice enough, but they don't care about me that much, and the only reason they took me in is because they were my only living relationships. They were even more ecstatic when they realized I would be travelling here for the summer. They gladly bought an airplane ticket to get rid of me. It barely even costs them anything considering how much they both make. You didn't miss anything, you just noticed that there was nothing to see..." he said. Thinking back when he first came to Scotland and met his aunt and uncle. They had told him not to touch anything except the stuff in his room they would give to him. He had to beg for two years before they allowed him into their gigantic library room. He had spent every moment he could in their once he got permission. They had a magnificent collection of classics. And had a couple well-known current authors as well. Mostly though, he enjoyed all the textbooks they had. It was when he started his habit of learning his courses and he had taught himself all he could. He asked if he could bring a medical textbook with him as well. Since they didn't teach healing to students at Hogwarts as far as he knew; he wanted to learn how to treat illnesses and bind wounds the muggle way.

"Don't feel bad, you didn't know. I am finally starting to heal from their deaths. So how about you, are your parents floating around here? Any siblings?" he asked.

[Guest]

Alys wasn't expecting o be asked a question in return simply because she thought English people couldn't care less about them. Throughout the evening, the guests she had greeted only seemed to want to know things like where they could deposit their gifts or which way the rest rooms were. Taken a little off guard, the blonde reached a hand to smoother her already in place hair, the nervous tick obvious to anyone who knew her.

"Well, no. We're actually coming straight from school. I haven't had a chance to go back home yet. Mama and Papa are not really party people. In fact, they only allowed me to go because Lehrer M - I mean our Head of House - can be very convincing." To his question of siblings, she shook her head. "I'm afraid not, though at Durmstrang, we stay like a family. So you could argue that all my school fellows are my brothers and sisters."

[Humphrey Williams]

"Yeah, I understand completely. I feel the exact same way. My Aunt Julia, and Uncle Billy, well they may be related to me by blood but we have nothing in common. At Hogwarts, I am friends with nearly everybody, and we all get on splendidly!" he said enthusiastically. "I was an only child too. My parents wanted to have a daughter too, and they had just started trying when they had their car accident and were killed. I was at basketball practice, and the police came and took me out. I was the only person other than the parents on the basketball team and their families who attended their funeral. It was the saddest day of my life, but now I am finally finished with the grieving process. I feel like Hogwarts and the professors are taking the place of my parents slowly. Teaching me and helping me grow. The students, well they are the siblings I've never had." he explained.

[Guest]

The blonde listened intently, yet another student with no parents. Alys hadn't realized she was lucky before starting school and learning that more than half her fellow students were orphans, either due to war, accidents or other mysterious circumstances. The girl made a note to go home and hug her Mama and Papa extra tight.

"School can can be a rewarding experience," she said neutrally, unsure of what else to add. "I could do without all the snow at mine though," she said, trying to infect some humor in the conversation.

[Humphrey Williams]

Laughing, he patted her on her shoulder. "Yes, I feel a sense of camaraderie with them. I am sure it is because we are all learning and progressing together. There are some things you can't do together without becoming friends." he said. "So, what house are you in at Durmstrang?" he asked.

[Guest]

Terry was completely lost at the world around him. He had never seen anything like this before. He was here helping his new friends outs

There was a guy he noticed by the name of Humphrey who was dressed a little different for a wedding he thought. But he decided to ask the girls later what a Gryifindor was, or what ever she called it.

"Hi, I am Terrence Okinawa" Terry stepped forward to shake this guys hand.

((OCC: Terry's Tux))

[Humphrey Williams]

"Hello, I'm Humphrey Williams. Alys here invited me to come. To be honest I feel a bit out of place, you see I'm from Hogwarts and I'm in Gryffindor House." he said, pointing at his outfit. "The red and the golden lion is representative of my Gryffindor affiliations."

[Guest]

Terrence was looking at Humphrey up and down.

"Ok, well I can understand your house pride, but was the outfit really necessary." Terry moving his hand up and down as to point out the outfit.

"I mean from what I understand this is a wedding and your not suppose to outshine the bride." Terrence was trying really hard not to laugh.

[Guest]

Tarragon high fived Terry for the comment in his head, finally someone agreed with him.

"Terry, over here." He waved at his friend, pulling Zara round to face him. "Alys, in your own time, we are supposed to be waiting at the door for the every visitor remember!"

He scowled at Humphrey before turning back to Zara and Terry.

"You owe me for this one, Zara, that boy should be out cold on the floor by now. If this wasn't a wedding...!" He fizzled off, remembering that it was Lehrer M's big day. "So where have you been Terry?"

[Guest]

The which shuddered involuntarily when the Hogwarts student patted her right shoulder. This was the first time in a year that she had worn a sleeveless dress and only because it was of Lehrer M's selection with no inserts of her own. The witch had almost gone stir crazy trying to apply make up on her scar to hide it, trying on flesh colored sleeves, even almost writing to the teacher to ask if her dress could be altered slightly. In the end, she had made her way to the school medic and asked him to teach her a concealing spell. He had assumed she would use it for pimples and the likes as most other witches did but Alys couldn't care less about that. The blonde had perfected the spell as quickly as she could and hid the scar flawlessly into her smooth pale skin.

But having someone touch it, even if unintentionally, sent a chill through her body.

Luckily, Terry chose to appear at that moment, engaging the foreigner so she could gather her wits. Pulling a strained smile on her lips, she said "Hello Terry, Tarragon and Zara were just looking for you."

To the Gryffindor, she added "Terence is one of Durmstrang's brightest and a member of Geschik House. I'm in Muhe," she added as an afterthought, remembering his earlier question.

The witch looked uneasily up at Terry's comment. Dammit, what was the matter with all the boys? Turning back to Humphrey after a pointed look at Tarragon, she hurriedly said "why don't we go see the... er... antique, uh, coat rack on the cloak room?"

[Guest]

Terry still could not believe this guy really but he was glad when Tarragon pulled him over to the side.

Tarragon had asked him where he had been,

"Well dang it "T" it took awhile to find the perfect tux." Terry whispered

"You know that this wedding was just dropped on my lap, and I didn't have anything to wear. I had to hit the nearest morgue to get one." Terry laughed a little trying to ease some tension that seemed to be coming from Alys.

[Humphrey Williams]

"Really, Alys, it wasn't like I am going to pull my sword and try and cut them to pieces. Muhe and Geschik, that is Pain, and Intellect?" he asked her. "I will go with you I guess just to please you. I have another question though when I patted you on your shoulder I felt a ridge in the skin. Is there a scar there you concealed magically?" he asked her.

[Guest]

Steering the boy away from her other friends as he spoke of houses, the girl nodded, collecting her thoughts. Diplomacy, charm, conversation, the list her teachers had rattled of in her mind. She had no idea how some of the older students did it seeing as she was completely at sea on a spiraling broom without a compass.

"No Mr. Williams, Geschik is the house of Cunning at our Institute," She corrected gently.

"I have another question though when I patted you on your shoulder I felt a ridge in the skin. Is there a scar there you concealed magically?"

"No!" the witch said a little too quickly before composing herself. "You must be mistaken," she added, trying to keep the panic from showing on her face. "And I wasn't aware Hogwarts allowed for such personal remarks, specially towards a lady."

[Humphrey Williams]

/"Ah, I wasn't sure, that's why I asked. My apologies, Alys. It is just...I was merely curious. You don't fool me though, I know there's a scar, I was just trying to ask you politely. Apparently I failed. How did you get it? And it isn't most Hogwarts students. I'm just an arrogant prick who says literally, whatever he thinks. I am trying to work on it, but old habits die hard." he said. He was ashamed that he had embarrassed her.

"Seriously, I'm really very sorry. We can change the subject if you want." he said. Trying to diffuse the tension that had suddenly appeared between them like a giant wall.

[Guest]

"Oh, so Hogwarts in more individualized?" the witch grasped at the offer to change the subject. It amazed her that the boy would actually set himself apart from the rest of his school. At Durmstrang, they were taught to act as ambassadors of their institute wherever they went, to always behave in a way that wouldn't bring any shame to the name of Durmstrang. But here was a student openly saying he was not required to maintain the same standards as other students of his school. The witch raised an eyebrow, trying to understand.

This must be the "culture clash" the teachers had warned them about.

"Are you finding the climate here to your liking," she asked, steering the conversation once again into safe territory. "I'm afraid I personally don't agree with all the snow but I understand it can be quite enchanting for some." Truth to be told, the witch was counting down the hours until she could take a portkey back home and breathe in a deep lungful of salty sea air and feel sand beneath her bare feet.

[Humphrey Williams]

"Well, it isn't really more individualized. I kind of stick out like a sore thumb to be honest. But I was placed in Gryffindor for a reason, because I'm not afraid to stand out. I absolutely love the snow actually. I live in Edinburgh, Scotland when I am not at Hogwarts. I miss the snow when we don't have it. It makes everything so, picturesque, and I am learning to draw, paint, and other kinds of art. I was actually curious if after the wedding I could sit down and sketch Livadia Palace." he said. He respected her decision to ignore the comment on her shoulder. Maybe in time he would find out what had happened.

[Guest]

"I don't think anyone will mind you making a sketch of anything that catches your eye," the girl assured him. Sketching, perhaps she should look into it. Could be a useful hobby.

To his confession of loving snow, she only replied "perhaps you would be less fond of it if you had to trek though it every day trying to get to class on time, huddled in your furs. I love the days when the sun is out - though it's never sunny - the weak glow is still a welcome relief."

The only thing Alys actually liked about the cold was ice skating but she didn't think it was worth mentioning to a virtual stranger.

[Humphrey Williams]

"Awesome. I could show you my sketchbook if you are interested." he said, pulling it out. "True, it is milder where I am from. I could see how you could get sick of it. So, do you like sledding, ice skating, snowball fights, or anything like that?" Humphrey asked Alys. She was a very closed off person, general conversation was okay but whenever he asked a personal question she got touchy. He was like that before going to Hogwarts, but it seemed that Durmstrang had not worked the wonders for Alys that Hogwarts had for him.

[Guest]

Before the blonde had a chance to answer, the boy had pulled out a sketchbook so all she could do was smile. "Of course," she said politely.

"True, it is milder where I am from. I could see how you could get sick of it. So, do you like sledding, ice skating, snowball fights, or anything like that?"

This time, the girl smiled all out, remembering the first snow ball fight she had ever had at Durmstrang. "I hadn't seen snow before I came to school, actually," she admitted. "When I saw it at first, it seemed magical. A fellow student told me it was magic in its own right. But the charm wore off in a few days when the snow refused to go away no matter how much I wished it to. And over the year, I've seen enough of it to make up for never having seen it for eleven years."

She considered his question carefully before replying "I tend to be unlucky in snow fights, I tend to be taken prisoner and used as bait to lure my team out of hiding," Her eyes sparkled as she remembered Tarragon, Avs, Zara, Annika and the rest strategizing as if they were war generals, pelting each other with snow.

[Humphrey Williams]

He thought about her being used at bait. "I can see why though, you are the prettiest girl I've ever met. I'm not trying to be all lovey-dovey or anything, it's just the fact of the matter. I sure would fight harder if you were the person I was trying to rescue." he said.

He handed her the sketchbook. And went to his favorite drawing, the pastel of the Hippogriff(himself) flying over the Black Lake at sunset. "That one is my favorite so far. It is me in Hippogriff form flying over the Black Lake at Hogwarts. So many different colors." he said.

[Guest]

"You in hippogriff form?" the witch asked, golden eyebrows raised quizzically. Was this artist speak? The witch wouldn't know as none of her friends indulged in art other than Zara and her deft markers. And the closest thing to "art" Zara had done was write the words "Team Alys" on the t shirt she had worn to come support the blonde at the Arena a few months ago. "Do you mean you see yourself in the beast?"

The witch looked over the sketch and the colors were indeed beautifully done, the lines precise and effective. "This must have taken hours to accomplish," she remarked, noting the rippling shades of the lake.

[Humphrey Williams]

"No, no, I am an Animagus. An Animagus can shift from human form into that of an animal. My animal form is a Hippogriff. I tried to memorize what it looked like by looking in the reflection. I tried my best to capture it. Well, closer to forty hours. So almost two days, I spread it out over a couple weeks. You see, I wanted to capture even the smallest details." he said. He began blushing as she examined his work. "Well, do you like it? You still haven't said?" he remarked. She didn't, that must be why. She didn't want to come across as rude.

[Guest]

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to come across as rude. Its gorgeous," the blonds assured hurriedly. "Your lining is exquisite and to spend forty hours, I applaud your dedication and attention span. I've only ever seen such dedication in one other person." Unbidden, the picture of snow and mud covered boots on the common room table came to mind, making her smile.

"An Animagus, at this age?" she tried not to sound too skeptical. "I mean, not that I'm one to know, Transfiguration isn't my best subject. But I think even older students have problems with animal and human transfiguration. Your school must offer an advanced program." Alys made a mental note to mention this to Lehrer Mortiz, maybe he could tell her if it was possible for such a young student to be a full fledged Animagus.

[Humphrey Williams]

"Actually Alys. I taught myself out of a book I got from Flourish and Blott's. Before I had even met any other students or any of my teachers. Didn't even have a single lesson in any form of magic. But I have always been intelligent, and excellent at mathematics and biology. It took almost the whole summer, but I was able to teach myself how to transform into a Hippogriff. And thank you, but I am not that good." he said, blushing a bright scarlet now. He even started to melt the icicles that had been gathering in his hair from the sweat he had from walking quickly around the large palace. "I actually just started learning the last month of Hogwarts term." he said.

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