RP: Hannah hosts a Yuletide Party

[shh_hannah]

Date: December 25, 2004
Character(s): Hannah Abbott, Ernie Macmillan, Wayne Hopkins, Megan Jones (and Ben?), Lisa Turpin, Cedric Diggory, Roger Davies, Hestia Jones, Susan Bones
Status: Private
Location: Hannah's House on the Hill
Summary: Hannah hosts a Yuletide Party

Comments

[shh_ernie]

Ernie was in the middle of shaving when he heard the dog at the door. Someone was probably here. He quickly banished the shaving cream from his face; he reckoned it looked good enough. Throwing on his blue jumper, he dashed down the stairs. If it were Lisa, he wanted to be the one to greet her.

He and Hannah arrived at the door at the same time.

[shh_cedric]

Cedric had dressed down, then shrank and packed his 'toys' for Hannah's party, plus the spirits for eggnog, and then apparated onto the road outside River Place and ran up the stairs to Roger's, knocking on the door. "Hey, you awake yet, mate?" he called. He wasn't really that early, but he had no idea if Roger might be a night owl like him.

[shh_roger]

At the knock on the door, Roger darted over to his desk to grab Cedric's gift. He'd not had a clue what to get the other man. Because really, what did one get for a man who had everything? Hell, half the gifts Roger had given out this year had come from the stash Ced had salvaged from his raids the other day. He hoped this would do.

"Yeah, I'm up. Coming," he called. He'd gone casual, sort of. His jeans were nice, and he'd paired them with his blue button down, which he'd left untucked. Grabbing the gift and a jacket, he opened the door.

"Hey, Cedric." He grinned. "Happy Christmas. Got you a little something."

[shh_cedric]

"Oh." Cedric was surprised by the present. "You didn't need to do that. But thanks." He took the toolkit and opened it.

"Oh. Wow. This is ... thanks. This is brilliant. Actual tools instead of whatever I could grab and try to insulate. I can't tell you how many times I got shocked before I realized you don't touch a live wire unless your wirecutter is insulated." He laughed. "Yeah -- sometimes I'm a slow study."

Grinning, he shrank the toolkit and stuck it in his pack. "Actually, I've got something for you -- more of that raid. Remember you said you knew how to work a playstation?" He pulled the mini-PSP II box and controllers out and handed them over. I found that and an Xbox. I reckoned we cold take the lot to Hannah's -- easier than computer games, really. The thing is, the games I found for the PSP are more my style and the games for the Xbox more your style, so if after messing about with both today, you'd rather have the Xbox, that's fine by me. I've played PSP a time or two, and could get used to it without a

[shh_roger]

Roger took in Cedric's grateful-- and surprised-- expression. The other man obviously got just as flustered by gifts as he. "It was no big deal." He grinned, and scratched the back of his head, laughing at Cedric's electrical woes. "Hah, sorry, mate, but it was funny.

Taking the gift Cedric had brought for him, Roger beamed. "This is very cool, Ced. I'd not expected you to get me anything, really. I'll have a lot of fun with this. And yeah, let's take the lot over to Hannah's." He shrank the systems, and put them in his jacket pocket.

"Shall we go, then?" They Apparated, and popped up in front of Hannah's house on the hill.

[shh_megan]

It felt strange to be leaving Ben on Christmas Day, but the chance to spend time with old friends and have real, adult conversation was too much to pass up. So she'd sweet-talked her usual baby-sitter into some extra time on the holiday, and then dug around in her closet until she found a suitable "little black dress," her good earrings, and even a bit of make-up. By the time Wayne had come over to pick her up, she'd worked herself into a fantastic mood.

It was amazing to be walking around town on the arm of a man who wasn't Terry Boot, even if it was someone who was more like a brother than a real date. They made their way to Hannah's place in what seemed like no time at all. As they waited for someone to answer the door, Megan tucked her hair behind one ear and smiled at Wayne. "I'm glad you asked me to come with you," she whispered.

[shh_wayne]

"I'm glad you could come," Wayne told her. "You need to get out more and see friends. Besides, you look great tonight. Now, no worrying about Ben and just focus on having a nice evening, yeha?"

He hadn't dressed up as much as Megan, but he was wearing nice trousers and a work shirt with the first few buttons unfastened. He had brought a bottle of wine for the party, and had Hannah's present (a pretty jumper in that rose looking color she seemed to like that Stefan had assured him was 'hot') in his pocket.

He grinned at Megan and nudged her. "Just relax, love. It'll be fun," he said before he knocked on the door.

[shh_ernie]

Once again, Ernie rushed to the front door. This had to be Lisa. He smoothed out his jumper and leaned ever so casually as he opened the door.

To find himself faced with Wayne's smiling face.

"Wayne," he said, less than enthused. He stuck out his hand. "Happy Christmas. Come in."

Then he noticed Megan standing there too. "Meg!" he said with a bit more feeling. "Happy Christmas!" She got a hug instead of a handshake. "I didn't know you were coming."

[shh_megan]

Megan grinned as she returned Ernie's hug. "It's good to see you too. Actually, I didn't know I was coming either until Wayne asked me to come with him. Er, as friends." She wasn't sure why she added that, although it was probably to save Wayne's reputation. Anyway everyone here probably could remember her and Wayne dating in school and how that hadn't worked out.

She followed the other two into the house, setting the tray of homemade gingersnaps in the kitchen with the rest of the food. Then they came into what looked like the living room, where two others were set up with ...

Videogames? There was something from her childhood Megan hadn't expected to see in the wizarding world.

[shh_megan]

Megan waved after Wayne and turned her attention back to the boys and their toys. Ernie's attention was wrapped up in a stack of comic books, and Roger and Cedric were busy with - an Xbox, from the looks of it. Megan's eyebrows raised. She took a step closer and peered down at the stack of games.

Her own father had fallen in love with the console style games on one memorable visit to Megan's maternal grandparents' house, and Megan had picked right up on the system as well. She tended to favor the sports games - sports were very big in the Jones household, but she had no physical talent - but she recognized the game of real interest in Cedric's stack.

"Oh my God, they came out with a Halo 2?!"

[shh_ernie]

Ernie paid little attention to what was happening with the videogames. His attention had been completely captured by the comics Cedric had brought.

There were a few Batman comics he'd never seen. And a Superman he'd been dying to get his hands on.

"Where--where did you get these?" he asked, tearing his eyes away for a moment.

[shh_cedric]

Megan's enthusiasm about the game made Cedric smile. It was good to know they weren't going to bore her with the games. Picking up the case, he tossed her the game. "It got awarded something like 'Best game of 2004' by more than one gaming magazine. Should be wicked, yeah? Haven't played it yet, either

[shh_roger]

Roger peered at the comics Ernie was holding. "Never been into comics, really, myself. Except Batman. Got into that a bit ago, actually."

He turned his attention to the game. "Halo's pretty good, I hear. Great action and strategy elements. I'd like to give that a shot, definitely. Although I usually go for racing games, as well. I like cars, and planes. This one"- he picked up the box-- "Gran Turismo. I love this one. It's like real driving simulation, which is neat, beacuse I never learned to drive a car. Makes me almost feel like I could drive a real one. And you can customise them, and race them around the globe, and get more and more exotic ones."

He broke off, and ducked his head. "Anyway, I like it."

[shh_ernie]

Ernie glanced at the clock on the wall. Lisa wasn't going to show. Maybe she got held up at work, the little voice argued. As much as he'd like to believe that, he couldn't.

And suddenly he wasn't feeling very festive.

"I...I need to get some air," he said, with a last glance at the clock and a quick shake of his head. Not bothering with a coat, he headed through the kitchen and out the back door. Hannah's greenhouse would be warm enough, he reckoned, as he pulled open the door and stepped in.

He was a fool. Again. Sighing, he wandered among the plants Hannah grew. He knew what some of them were, but most were a mystery. As much as he'd adored Professor Sprout, Herbology was not his strongest subject.

[shh_megan]

When Ernie went out the back door, Megan hesitated only for a moment before excusing herself and following him, a worried expression on her face. She had noticed him watching the clock, and even though she didn't know the details she could tell something was up.

"Ernie?" she called out softly as she opened the door to the greenhouse and stepped inside. She didn't want to startle him, after all. She wasn't sure if he wanted to be alone, but it wouldn't hurt to check on him. If he didn't want company, he would tell her, after all, and she would go back to the party.

With a whispered spell, she lit her wand and looked around.

[shh_ernie]

He heard the door open and close. "Not one word, Hannah Abbott," he growled. The last thing he needed was to face Hannah and the fact that she was right. Lisa was withdrawn. Although that seemed to have gotten worse in the intervening years.

He was startled when it wasn't Hannah, but Megan's voice he heard. "Meg?" he asked, puzzled. "I'm over here. By the..." He trailed off. By a large green plant of some sort. "Bugger! I wasn't very good at Herbology. Hold on..."

He made his way back toward the door.

[shh_megan]

Apparently he'd been expecting someone else. Megan colored a little as he came around a corner into view. "Sorry," she murmured, lowering her wand. "I saw you go, and..."

And she'd followed. Obviously. She felt a bit foolish about it now, but since she'd already come out here she might as well keep going. "Is something the matter, Ernie? You haven't seemed yourself tonight."