#anthony's threads.

anthony's  eyes  scan  the  faces  around  him  as  he  looks  around  the  party,  trying  to  find  someone  to  either  converse  with,  or  flirt  with  -—  whichever  situation  happened  to  present  itself  first.  he'd  lost  track  of  time  during  a  rather  competitive  game  of  exploding  snap,  and  somehow  during  the  game  all  of  his  companions  had  seemed  to  find  themselves  otherwise  occupied,  and  while  he's  sure  they'd  warned  him  of  where  they'd  gone  when  they  left,  anthony  had  been  far  too  engrossed  in  the  game  to  take  any  note  of  it.  trying  to  wrack  his  alcohol-muddled  brain  leads  to  no  helpful  hints,  and  he  takes  a  sip  from  the  half  full  glass  in  his  hand  as  he  scopes  out  his  surroundings.  he  frowns  as  he  looks  down  at  his  makeshift  magical  wheelchair,  thankful  that  the  pain  potions  he's  been  taking  have  helped  with  the  pain  still  lingering  from  the  attacks,  but  he's  irritated  that  he's  stuck  with  limited  mobility  for  the  time  being.  he's  attempting  to  turn  his  chair  around  when  he  accidentally  bumps  it  into  someone,  his  eyes  widening  when  he  whips  his  head  over  to  look  at  them,  earning  a  hiss  of  pain  from  the  suddenness  of  it.   “  shit,  i'm  so  sorry,  i'm  still  getting  used  to  this  thing.  thank  merlin  it's  only  temporary,  eh?  ”   he  jokes  through  the  pain,  radiating  throughout  his  neck  and  side  from  the  movement,  before  taking  a  deep  breath.  “  are  you  alright?  ”

"shit, i'm so sorry, i had no idea that sorry sod was even coming my way," he apologizes, sincerity coating every word. "here, let me get that," he offers as he grabs his wand, casting a quick scourgify charm to remove the liquid from where it was splashed all over their front.

“ do  you  think  the  hengist  of  woodcroft’s  eyes  actually  follow  you  around? ”  ant  inquires  curiously  as  he’s  stood  next  to  the  statue  of  the  supposed  founder  of  hogsmeade,  his  head  tilted  to  the  side  as  he  lifts  his  mug  of  a  questionable  concoction  he  and  zach  had  made  earlier  as  a  joke,  but  has  been  getting  him  tipsy  a  lot  quicker  than  he’d  anticipated.  “ ‘ve  heard  so  many  people  say  it,  but  i’ve  never  really  seen  it,  meself.  though  i  s’pose  i’ve  never  really  taken  the  time  to  look  too  hard,  given  how  creepy  he  is.  those  old  stone  eyes…  bit  unsettling,  innit? ”

“ blimey,  i  always  forget  how  much  of  a  trek  it  is  to  get  up  here. should’ve  thought  to  use  our  brooms  at  this  rate, ”  anthony  complains,  although  there’s  more  amusement  to  his  tone  than  actual  annoyance.  he  had  asked  seamus  to  accompany  him  to  the  owlery  so  that  he  could  ( begrudgingly )  shoot  a  quick  owl  back  to  his  parents  after  their  worried  owls  following  the  chaos  that  ensued  during  the  halloween  ball,  and  the  news  about  the  scavenger  hunt.  “ i  still  don’t  know  why  me  mum  and  dad  even  bother  with  owls  anymore  when  they  could  just  send  a  message  on  our  wiztabs.  i  don’t  even  have  an  owl!  they’re  lucky  i  can  use  the  school  owls, ”  he  grumbles,  in  lower  spirits  than  usual  after  all  of  the  happenings  lately,  and  trying  to  deal  with  his  new…  condition  on  top  of  everything.

a  firm  hand  is  placed  at  padma’s  lower  back  as  anthony  and  padma  make  their  way  through  the  throng  of  people,  though  ant’s  attention  is  anywhere  but  on  the  rest  of  the  ball-goers,  completely  transfixed  on  his  date  next  to  him,  though  he  tries  to  push  it  down  as  much  as  he  can.   “ have  i  told  you  how  stunning  you  look  tonight? ”  he  asks  with  a  charming  smile,  leaning  in  just  a  touch  closer  than  he  probably  needs  to.  he  had,  in  fact,  already  told  her  exactly  what  he  thought  of  tonight’s  ensemble  and  how  gorgeous  she  looks  in  it,  but  he  figures  it  can’t  hurt  to  tell  her  one  more  time.  of  course,  just  to  rub  salt  onto  his  own  wound  ( and  bring  himself  back  to  reality, )  he  continues  in  an  almost  imperceptible  whisper.   “ i  know  i’m  not  your  first  choice,  but  i’m  happy  you  came  with  me  tonight. ”

“ y’know,  those  nose-biting  teacups  they’re  giving  as  a  prize  for  the  scavenger  hunt  were  confiscated  from  zach  and  i, ”  anthony  laments  to  the  person  next  to  him  before  grumpily  biting  into  a  welsh  cake,  allowing  the  little  reminder  of  home  to  comfort  him  in  this  trying  time.  “ you’d  think  old  dumbly  would  give  them  back  to  their  rightful  owners  than  use  them  as  a  prize. ”   he  huffs,  shaking  his  head.  “ shameful. ”

anthony's  memories  from  the  attack  are  a  blur,  but  from  what  he's  told  (  and  from  the  excruciating  pain  he's  still  feeling  in  the  aftermath  ),  it  was  pretty  bad. when  he  wakes  up  in  the  hospital  wing,  he's  told  that  he's  been  in  a  mild  coma  for  just  over  twenty  four  hours. he's  also  told  that  he's  been  bitten,  and  what  that  means,  although  he's  very  familiar  with  the  outcome  of  that  and  what  his  life  will  become,  given  that  his  best  friend  in  the  world  has  already  been  living  with  lycanthropy  for  months. still,  it's  a  bitter  pill  to  swallow  when  it's  yourself. he  tries  not  to  dwell  on  it,  instead  focusing  on  the  fact  that  he's  not  alone  in  the  hospital  wing,  both  saddened  and  comforted  by  alicia's  presence.   “  i  suppose  you're  feeling  just  about  as  good  as  i  am,  eh?  ”   he  rasps  out  with  a  breathless  laugh  as  he  looks  over  at  her,  his  ribs  aching  with  the  movement.

“ tea tasting club! come try some tea! ”  anthony shouts out from his and zach's 'booth', before grinning out at a group of giggling second years passing by, beckoning them over towards them with open arms.  “ welcome! help yourself to some tea, we're starting a new tea tasting club this year, and we have some really great ones to start,  ”  he greets them as they come to stand in front of them, and he looks over to zach knowingly for a moment before he's turning back to them and gesturing towards one of the teacups. “ this one in particular is said to have a bit of a bite. ”