a pupper

“Fine.” The Gryffindor’s response was practically a whine. Why should they drop one of the most fascinating topics on the planet? Even if Max did look maybe like the slightest little tiny bit ill? Boring. Unless he threw up right here. That’d make this party way more fun. And gross. But fun for at least a second. “They should be! Dress codes are way restrictive and patriarchal. Outdated. You should totally fight the system! I bet we could get a bunch of people to wear shorts too! Non-gender specific!” Her pout was complete gone, a fleeting past moment. “Is it puberty? I want to get taller. I mean, like I like my height but I’d be into longer legs.”

See, of all the people to have reassured Maxwell about his likes and dislikes since he had started Hogwarts, Lily must have been one of the most vocal advocates to being oneself -- and dismantling the patriarchy, as she often called to do. It had seemed wild for Maxie at first that someone his age could be so much more knowledgeable and aware than he was, but then again their upbringing had been largely different. “I get that they don’t want to show differences in clothing that could point out targets, you know? Poorer people or muggleborn versus pureblood differences. But there should be more choice to what we can wear, right?” If he wasn’t the only one to take to shorts, then certainly the Hufflepuff would feel brave enough to modify the contents of his wardrobe. “I think it is? It can’t be anything else. I’m sure you’ll grow some more, we’re still very young!”

“Okay, but what are your lampshades made of? Some flammable material? And wouldn’t it be worse if they were killing people and like not using every bit of them? Like the Native Americans from America with the buffalo? Just pretend they’re buffalo. We’re all buffalo, okay?” Lily brought her hands up to her own cheeks in glee! Max had a way about him of being entirely too adorable for words. And not in a way that she found totally aggravating and annoying. “Mmhmm. You’re welcome. Yeah but they’re short in a ‘you should trade in your uniform pants for shorts’ short because once again. Wow. Wowie. Dang. I mean, I do yoga but my calves do not look like that.”

“Lily, I’m pretty sure human skin is flammable. Can we drop that topic now? I really don’t like it at all.” Proof being the lack of colour in his cheeks, all blood having drained from it as his imagination, damned thing, was providing him with mental pictures he’d rather not give any more thought to. At least the subject of his legs (and the very intense commentary about them) brought a blush back on the Hufflepuff’s face. He had never given any thought to his legs because, well, they were his, and they took him places so they had to be satisfactory, had they not? Besides he had grown rather uneasy about his body since the bite, unwilling to stare at it for too long lest he’d start wondering which changes were the result of it, and which were simply due to puberty. “I do like shorts, they’re pretty cute, and I’m good enough at charms to keep my legs warm in winter, but -- shorts aren’t exactly an option, are they?” A frown. “Are they? Because that’d be nice.” He shook his head, offering the Gryffindor a genuine smile. “I’m sure my legs only look that way because I grew up so much. Girls grow up differently, right? Boys turn into stick figures, stick insect in my case.”

“Not a victim, okay? Definitely a murderer! Uh…Not a serial killer. Even though some of them are super cool. Maybe never year! How is it not your thing, Max? They’re like super interesting and the way they think is so out of this world and there’s no one out there like them making lampshades out of people! Could imagine if you lived in a house where the lampshades were people?!” Lily took a breath, stopping her ranting reply. “Thanks anyway. I mean, not all of us can fight evil by moonlight. How short are those shorts? I didn’t know you had legs like that, Max. Dang.” Lily had to remind herself it was important to keep her hands to herself because really all she wanted to do was touch Max’s legs. They had to be smoother than hers. That wasn’t fair. 

How were serial killers not his thing. Only Lily could come up with such a question - and back it up with human lampshades as an apparently valid argument. “I refuse to even give one more second to the possibility of lampshades made of people. If I have nightmares tonight it’ll definitely be your fault,” he told the girl very seriously. Max could remember very clearly the one time when, aged seven or eight, he had watched Hook. He had asked Vivian to stop the film right during the kidnapping scene. Of course, now he could watch the entire film, and it was even one of his favourites, but his level of bravery had remained similar; it had merely adapted to his age. “Hm, thank you? It’s not very original- coming from me, I mean, but- they’re short. As in, way too short for comfort right now, I’m not used to wearing revealing clothes.” Which could explain the furious blush on his cheeks going all the way to the tip of his ears at Lily’s compliment -- it was a compliment, right? “Ah, well, yoga really keeps you in shape, doesn’t it?”

Max and Shane had been thick as thieves since first year, sharing many of their following firsts together and, if not, quickly cluing the other in on new developments.  He was the only person in the castle that knew nearly everything there was to know about the blonde from her deepest fears to her most hidden flaws, and he was just as important to her as any member of her family.  Of course she wanted to comfort him because, hell, she liked Max more than she liked herself, and thought he deserved every happiness.  The kid was as sweet as sunshine.

“It won’t mess up the makeup.  I used the charm you taught me last year that keeps me from sweating or smearing it off,” she informed him with a soft, appreciative smile, squeezing his forearm affectionately as she linked her arm through his and turned them towards the refreshments table.  “Uh-uh.  First, tell me what’s got you so flustered.”  His attempt to turn the conversation away from himself would not work on her, and she wanted to know what had him in such a state after just arriving.

An equally soft smile quickly blossomed on Maxwell’s face as he saw the one Shane directed at him. “Well, I’m glad I could help. Cosmetic charms can really come in handy!” Especially for a metamorphmagus who couldn’t morph anymore, and needed to hide this fact to as many people as possible so to not attract attention in the long run. Thankfully, Mackenzie was the only one he had to walk on eggshells around out of all his friends on this topic. “Oh, it’s nothing,” he shook his head dismissively. “It’s just, I’m not used to being so... under dressed? I feel more naked than I thought I would. Or didn’t think, I think I didn’t think.” Heaving a sigh, he eyed the various refreshments laid out for them on the table. He settled for something deep pink, almost red in colour and sugary-looking. “Now, tell me what’s going on with you. I can’t allow my best friend to feel bad on my watch.”

“awesome!! i’m so glad you’re here! it’s always more fun with you around.”  she said, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. casiphia weaved through the crowd, hopefully with Max in tow so she could make her way to the dance floor. “this is the most exciting night i’ve had in…i don’t know how long! and now i get to have even more fun with my best friend!”  she beamed, very shortly before breaking into dance.

It was impossible not to believe the older girl when she said such things; if anything, anyone who dared second-guess her honesty had to be a fool. So it was with a blush and the brightest smile he’d worn that night that Maxwell followed Cass to the dance floor, feeling like he might just burst with happiness. “I can’t think of a better way to spend the night,” he replied just as genuinely. And if it took him a few seconds to find a rhythm, he was glad to find out his growth spurt wasn’t making it as difficult as he thought.

“you’re fine! what kind of dynamic duo would we be if we didn’t even dance together? i’ll take the risk of you stepping on my feet,” she informed him with a faithful smile. “but, before that, have you eaten anything? i’m not going to drag you out onto the dance floor if you’re hungry.” her nurturing instincts kicked in at the moment. although max wasn’t on the quidditch team, that didn’t stop her impulse to look after the people she cared about–especially if they were younger than her. 

“You’re right, you’re right, it would be very wrong,” Max admitted with a laugh. Nothing seemed to matter anymore now that he was with Cassa, because he was safe with her and, should he become a deadly weapon once he started to dance, he would be able to disregard everyone else. “I’ve had a few snacks while making some last minute changes on my costume, so I’m not hungry right now. We can skip all the boring stops and get to the dance.” Despite his previous hesitation, Maxie couldn’t wait to take the dancefloor -- he may be shy, but having fun with his friends was right up his alley. Now that he wasn’t on his own he felt more confident, too, and realised he didn’t care much about dancing well: if anything, it would make Cassa laugh.

Shane had not had a good night thus far, and she felt utterly ridiculous in her choice of costume. She should have played it safe and kept with her original idea of a slightly modernized version of Cinderella instead of exposing the length of her legs and the flash of stomach to portray a character most people had never heard of and weren’t familiar with.  While she’d at least used some of her artistic skill in the application of her makeup, it left her feeling even more vulnerable and now a little ridiculous.

Still, when she heard Max’s voice, she turned to face him - about to unload on him and seek comfort from her best friend - and the way his smile faltered caught her attention and everything else was pushed to the side.  Max never had a hard time smiling, and the fact that he was now spoke volumes to how uncomfortable he must be feeling.  Shane put on her best fake smile, but her concern for him was completely genuine.  “You look absolutely amazing, Maxie.  I can’t believe you did this yourself,” she hummed, tugging at the hem of his shirt.  “Do you want a drink?  It might make you feel better.”  Her voice was kept soft, which wasn’t unusual, but her posture was all wrong, her chin tilted down and her shoulders hunched forward making her appear even smaller than her already tiny frame.

Anyone who knew them could tell Shane and Maxwell had gotten on so well so fast because, in many ways, they were the same. The teenage boy saw her friend pushing away her own troubles the moment she noticed he wasn’t comfortable, and felt the same shift in himself as he forgot all about his costume-related doubts to focus on the Ravenclaw.

“Thank you, Si’.” His smile was painted on a little stronger, in an attempt to make Shane brush away his concerns and focus on herself. The ploy wouldn’t work on him so he highly doubted it would on her, but he might as well try. “It looks to me like you could use a drink too. Although I hope it won’t mess with your makeup, it has to be my favourite part of your costume -- which says a lot because I love everything about it.” Linking his arm with hers, Maxie marched on decisively towards the table where he could see different drinks lined up, all waiting for someone to take hold of them. “So, tell me. How have things been so far?” he asked as they walked, not wanting to wait for Shane to bring up her issues herself. He needed her to know he was there for her.

“wow,” warren had said softly, mostly to himself, when he saw maxwell from across the room. he had never expected the other boy to wear something so daring. it was the shock that caused a goofy, dumb sort of grin to come across warren’s face. he had always written off maxwell as a little bit shy and mousey, but despite his clear apprehension about the costume, he was still wearing it–and looking quite good. 

so the prefect walked over, dodging between dancing students and the occasional student stopping him to say that they got the reference of his costume. when he finally made it, he waved hello before max met him halfway. “hey!” the cheesy grin stayed plastered on his face as he searched for the right words to describe the costume. “you look so cool!” he complimented, putting his hand on max’s shoulder. “you’ve got such guts! did you make this whole thing yourself?”

Surely there must have been someone walking right behind Maxwell, someone worthy of Warren’s adorable grin and attention. Like Elliott, for instance, but the Head Boy could be spotted near the drinks table and wasn’t budging. Or Elijah, but Max would have known. So when the prefect of his heart effectively complimented him, hand warm atop the Hufflepuff’s shoulder, Maxwell could have died there and then and be content. Not to mention how cute the other boy looked with the glasses and the overall nerdy attire.

So it was with, as per usual, a very red face that Max smiled at Warren. “I did yes - thank you! It, hm, it was pretty easy really, except for the shorts -- I wanted to do everything without magic, you know? It’s too easy otherwise and I felt it wouldn’t have much soul. Oh, you, hm, you look very cool as well. I really like- how you look.” Eyes darting pretty much everywhere to avoid staring at the charming Gryffindor in front of him, Maxwell shook himself mentally. Being told you had guts, by a lion nonetheless, didn’t mean he could just up and compliment the prefect in such a blunt fashion. “I think I’ve seen something like that somewhere but, ah, I don’t watch a lot of tv, so...”

“max!” cassa exclaimed, thrilled to see her costume partner and general partner-in-crime. “oh my gosh, you look great!” she cheered, grabbing hold of both of his hands in excitement as her charmed tail swished happily. he was the sailor moon to her luna, only in costume for tonight and not like they generally were.  it took her a second to actually process what he asked her, and immediately smiled at him reassuringly. “there are quite a few people, but you still look incredible. and don’t get too dizzy, we haven’t even danced yet!” cassa gently pulled him closer towards her, giddy as ever.

Cass was one of these people who could always cheer Max up - and while he had no shortage of lovely friends, at least by his standards, he was grateful for each and every person who had ever taken the time to get to know him. Cassa was older than him and one of the sweetest people he knew, so she was all naturally someone he looked up to. Not to mention their shared love for moon crusaders in school uniforms, which led to the best things -- like matching costumes.

“Thanks, Cassie! You look amazing, you make a great Luna really!” he replied, blushing at her compliments. He allowed the older student to pull him closer, hands still grabbing hers. While he had tried to learn how to dance properly, his growth spurt made the whole thing impractical at best. “Are you sure about dancing? I mean I’d love to, but you know how much of a catastrophe I am even when I’m just standing. I wouldn’t want to step on your feet.”

The hot pink bows at the back of his shorts and on his chest weren’t as colourful as his cheeks as he found himself among the partygoers, and he felt somewhat exposed. The sleeves of his top were short, only covering his shoulders, and while his boots covered his shins, his thighs were on display -- something he hadn’t quite realised during the numerous hours spent checking his Sailor Moon reference pictures. So when he spotted a familiar face, relief took over his legs and had him walk straight up to them, wobbly smile on his face. “Phew, there’s a lot more people than I thought there’d be. Or am I just seeing double because parties make me light-headed?”

“It’s completely your fault that you get so distracted by pretty people that you completely miss everything that’s being said in that class.  You’re lucky you’ve got so many friends who are willing to drag you to a passing grade,” she teased quietly, poking her tall friend in his side.  She wished sometimes that Max’s - or even Niamh’s or Dom’s - charisma would rub off on her, make her less shy or introverted, but it just didn’t work like that.  It was why she had a crush on someone that was in her same house and on her Quidditch team that she’d hardly spoken a dozen words to in her five years at the school.

She accepted Max’s warm embrace with a quiet and grateful sigh, some of the tension easing from her shoulders for those few moments that he held her until they pulled away.  “A braid would be appreciated, actually.  The wind has been hell on my hair today.”  Even as they spoke, the wind whipped around them, blowing long, golden strands around both of them, carrying the scent of her ocean-scented shampoo on the breeze.  She groaned as her hair tangled around her arms.  “Tell me again why I can’t just cut all this shit off?  It’s such a mess.”

Maxwell gasped, hand flying to his chest in offense. “Excuse me? First of all, it’s not my fault everybody’s pretty. I’m a victim here. And also, no one needs to drag me to anything! Alright, maybe in Defense... and Potions... But I don’t require dragging in anything else!” Truth be told, he’d pass his Care of Magical Creatures and Charms exams in his sleep with flying colours. Besides, whatever he missed of Herbology he was quick to learn from his friends’ notes -- as long as the pretty faces kept to themselves.

The Hufflepuff laughed as the wind, as if on cue, proved Shane’s point by sending her hair flying all over her face and arms. “I don’t see what you mean, this is a great look on you,” he joked, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. Somehow he had always figured his friend would chop her hair off on the day she took a major decision, or turned her back on something that had never done her any good. At least that was how Maxwell would proceed if he had long hair like hers - something Vivian would never allow. “It’s a pretty mess, and if you cut it off I’d cry, that’s why. Now, what kind of braid do you want today?”

Who exactly was this younger boy? Besides Elijah’s shadow. He spoke like he knew who Juliette was. The nickname was informal enough. It’s not as though he had ever been in art club. Please. Scorpius would have known. He’d been attending the club since first year. He knew every face that entered. And this child was still talking. “If he signs up for the shifts, then yes. I don’t know how much of actual policy I’m allowed to discuss. You would be better off asking him of his schedule.” 

Scorpius raised his eyebrows, the perfect prefect smile still stuck on his face. What in Salazar’s name was happening? “You’ve seen my work.” It wasn’t as though he didn’t appreciate the compliments. Scorpius wouldn’t mind spending a large chunk of his day receiving praise. That was a large part of how he spent his time while not at Hogwarts. But his work wasn’t highly publicized. Sure, it adorned some of the walls of the art room. He’d done a few quick doodles here and there for Professor Longbottom. But he wasn’t very forthcoming of who he discussed art with. “Why exactly is it that you know I have a busy year?” Sixth year was notoriously difficult but there was a lot of details of his personal life being shared at the present moment. It made him significantly uncomfortable. “Has Elijah been speaking to you about me?” Perhaps there was a worse reason. A reason Scorpius thought he had nipped in the bud. There were some…overzealous students who had a tendency to follow him sometimes. It got worse when he was with Albus. Or any of the Potters. He really thought he had put an end to this. At least this time it wasn’t a fourth year girl.

Policy? Allowed? That made prefects sound like some sort of secret society. “I, um... I never knew people were so wary of, um, policies being discussed. It’s true it doesn’t matter much to us non-prefects, but it’s not like anything could be used to, to... damage the way... it works?” Maxwell’s voice was terribly hesitant, as he wasn’t even sure what he was going for. Had it been someone he knew better, Elijah himself, he would have said it flat out: what does it matter what we know? If this rule exists, it’s paranoid and silly. But this was Scorpius Malfoy and, for some reason, the Hufflepuff felt like he was steadily wearing out his welcome.

Which was why he took care not to answer Scorpius’ (rhetorical) question right away, gathering his thoughts first and making sure he wouldn’t stammer, since he couldn’t do anything about his flushing cheeks. “I have, it’s-- well, some of it is up on the walls, so I’ve at least seen those, a-and besides, we’ve been in art club together for four years now, going on five, so- so of course I would have seen some of your work at some point.” Dammit, the taller (oh Merlin, he was taller than a prefect !) teenager cursed inwardly. He hadn’t meant to sound like he knew so much, now he better find a way to not throw Eli under the proverbial bus. “Everyone knows sixth year is busy, and you’re a prefect, which on the one hand adds to your schedule, and on the other hand proves you also achieve at least good grades and are a serious student, otherwise you wouldn’t have been picked. And, well, I did scold Eli about him taking the maximum amount of NEWT-level classes. He tried telling me he wasn’t the only one doing such a thing, and your name dropped in the conversation then. So it’s- that’s all he said, but between that and everything else, well...”

Protected by Mars, the planet of fire, Guardian of War, Sailor Mars! In the name of Mars, I'll chastise you!

Maxie’s Sailor Senshi cast ∞  3/??  ⇀  Scorpius Malfoy as Rei Hino/Sailor Mars

“ Nothing good comes out of mimicking other people. What’s important is being yourself. ”