Party for Thee Closed

Miles lowered the book in front of him. He was attempting to do some of the coursework that he had been procrastinating on. Soon they would be headed back to Ilvermorny and he wouldn't have so much as three lessons done, let alone the entire curriculum as they were supposed to. He wondered why they couldn't just have classes with the Hogwarts students because this method was mostly witches and wizards teaching themselves. They might have well been homeschooled at this rate.

"Heard there were all sorts of amazing creatures there? Same," he said and quickly snapped the book to a shut, trying to indicate that he was game for more procrastination. His studies had waited this long, surely they could hold out just a little bit longer.

There was a tapping on the window, a rather hard tapping and obviously someone was trying to get their attention. Miles got up since he was the closest. By the time he got to the window, which hadn't taken an entirely long time since the cabin was quite small and he was already at a close distance, he was ready to snap at whomever it was deciding to tap so much.

But it wasn't a who but a what. "Hey there," he said to the owl before him with a smile. "You really wanted in, didn't you?" It was rather peculiar that the owl didn't seem to hold a letter and that struck a bit of confusion with the boy, but still taken by how majestic the owl was, with coloring and markings of that in which seemed more superior than other owls.

No, it wasn't a magical creature like this parents both studied, both discovered, both wrote about and spoke about. Still, all creatures great and small were amazing in which inhabited this Earth of theirs with them. Including the plants.

Miles reached out and gently brushed his hand against her head, the way he knew some of his owls back home enjoyed. "I don't have anything for you, sadly," he said and now began to scratch the top of the owl's head. "It's an owl, but she doesn't have any sort of message," he said as he glanced back to Hadrian. "But she's beautiful."

Oh, open up already. Tapping with her beak was not too comfortable per se but not unbearable as the vibration echoed from the tip of her beak through her skull with every peck on the glass. It was not the face of her betrothed that greeted her, but his roommate's. She'd expected that he would be sharing a cabin given that the number of accommodations around Hogwarts that weren't the dormitories, was quite limited. The window slid open to a younger blue-eyed lad standing behind. It would seem that whenever one encountered an animal they would cave in to the irresistible urge to reach out to pet. Not that she minded at all as a soft coo left her beak, inferring that she took some enjoyment in that short pampering head scratch.

"Don't flatter her too much. That's my job." Hadrian interjected. "I know how gorgeous my own betrothed is." A statement that might have temporarily brought some confusion upon his roommate, yet one that would be clarified very shortly.

With a few flaps of her massive wings, Aurelia took to Hadrian's bunk. Toppling over the tall boy as she morphed into her human form over him. Brown feathers dissipating into a lovely white cotton-linen blend nightgown Long hair tussling down her shoulders and neck. It was quite a display for sure. "Good to see you again, Aurelia." Hadrian greeted jokingly. The sight of two older teenagers on a bed was sure to make Miles feel like a third wheeler, but having last seen the other months prior, they couldn't care any less. Teenage hormones were in the air as the sound of kisses resonated throughout the small room.

Breaking the kiss, propped up with an elbow on her betrothed's chest and chin resting delicately on her palm, Aurelia would turn to ask teasingly. "Having a show? I would invite you to join us, yet I haven't gotten your name."

"Actually, just about to see my way out if you two don't pull the reins a little," he said, finding it a little awkward that they couldn't see themselves to somewhere with a little more privacy before they started to have at it. Miles wasn't prudish by any means but no one needed to bear witness to that.

Plus, the fact that she was an animagus was perplexing enough. He wondered if there were any signs where one could tell whether an animal was the real deal or a wizard or witch in disguise. Would someone like his parents, accomplished and famous magizoologists know? That was what was mostly on his mind, certainly not watching the two of them go at it.

"Miles. Miles Thatcher," he said. "Come to think of it, I'd say I'd just gather my things and let you have the area to yourself but to be fair, I was in here first." Sure, the other two there may be older but he wasn't the doormat sort of person to be pushed around. He had arrived in there earlier that day before Hadrian had."So if you're gonna keep that up, you'll have to take it elsewhere."

He didn't really get to know Hadrian yet but in calling the girl his betrothed also had him curious. Most, while still in school, didn't find some unfaltering love so deep that they got engaged at such a young age and eh wondered if they had been placed into a similar situation as to what was being thought up for he and Opeila Winters.

It was to no one's surprise that the younger boy was significantly uncomfortable with their display of affection. Miles Thatcher. The name rang bells heavy like churches'. News in the pureblood community spread like wildfire. Herah Zuheir, her soon-to-be mother in law never failed to keep up with the gossip, which she more often than not, divuldged at the table during teatime. The accuracy of such word-of-mouth was not always on point. Yet Aurelia was intent of finding this one out.

"My apologies then. It was summer since we last saw another. Not that ideal." She explained, now sitting up cross-legged. She eyed Hadrian before grabbing his shirt by the collar, pulling him up into a more appropriate position which to have a decent conversation instead of lazing on his back. "Alright, yes ma'am." He chuckled with feigned annoyance which Aurelia responded with a typical roll of her eyes.

Fixing her attention back to Miles, she'd speak, "Everything in this room, stays in this room? Can we agree on that?" Above her and Hadrian, that meant her animagus identity and whatever more they were to reveal from there on. A party for thee should Miles agree. At some point, Hadrian had brought out a bounty of a few small cans from his trunk near the foot of his bed. Arm extending to offer them to Aurelia at which she waved her wand above in a spell to chill. "Not booze I reckon?" She asked, not that she minded either way. Though she hadn't tried flying while intoxicated.

"Maybe." He'd toss a brightly coloured can to Miles (probably 'american' drink for you to decide on). "Catch, Miles-ey." Now they had a party.

Miles was glad that the two had let up and even more so glad that they didn't jinx him or something when he changed his mind that they should be the ones to leave. Hadrian was an upperclassman to him and probably knew more spells but things were alright between the three.

"Sure thing," he said in agreeance. Miles Thatcher was never really once for gossip. His parents were famous magizologists and writers and they had pushed their way into the high society of pureblood snobbery enough to get attention and keep attention that Miles was just fine sitting on the sidelines. The same went for gossip. He was content by staying out of it. The only time he really wanted things spread about him in general was on the quidditch pitch because he took his games quite seriously. Thunderbird had a pretty good track record at Ilvermorny.

"Thanks," he said as he caught the drink and opened up the can before taking a sip from it. He figured part of what the girl meant by keeping it in the room was that she had just turned from owl form to human form. Most people when they decided to become an animagus did so secretly and didn't openly broadcast their animagus - especially not to outsiders like Miles. She didn't have a need to worry about that though.

Miles looked from one to the other. They seemed to be more than cordial to each other despite being betrothed. Perhaps it was a wanted engagement, more like a fiance, but betrothment usually meant a union that was set up, the way his parents were in beginning talks with Opeila's guardians. He couldn't see he and Opeila ever getting along, especially never close to how these two had been. At least some seemed to make it work.

^{The can was brown, not a drink she could recall having a sip of. It was new. Pressure with her index finger, Aurelia would pop the can open. Bringing it up to her lips. The smell was very potent and so was the distinct taste which caused her brow to furrow. "Ugh. What is this, Hadrian? This has to be some sort of... sweet American polyjuice." Never having tasted a drink so putrid.}
_{Hadrian on the other hand seemed to have taken some offence to her dislike of the drink. "Come on... it's root beer. Nothing as bad as the butterbeer you have here. Right, Miles?" The Wampus turned to the younger boy to back him up. Aurelia would dig into his trunk to find a drink she was more familiar with, one that was not nearly as disgusting but as sweet - a bright, multicoloured can of Arizona Iced Tea. Satisfied with her find, she would sit back down next to Hadrian.}

^{Now they could have a proper conversation. "So tell me about you and a certain Slytherin girl," eyeing him casually. There was a presence reeking within the small room, cold and unforgiving. Despite her relaxed stature, her peculiar air around her was always in attendance and never failed to harass anyone in the near vicinity. "Or is she just a rumour?"}
_{"Which Slytherin girl?" Hadrian asked, clearly a few steps far behind. Hadrian wasn't one to keep up with the tea his mother poured, he was more of a coffee person anyway.}

Miles actually enjoyed a butterbeer on occasion so he kept his opinion to himself on the matter. Normally, he'd like any opportunity to put down one of the other wizarding schools or communities but this one he had to side with. He liked his own American beverages all the same though as well.

He opened up his drink and took a drink before shaking his head, not really knowing where to begin. "Well, I'll be of age in a few month's time to make things official and there've been talks with my parents and the Virtanens about placing me and Opeila Winters under a bethrothment. She's from Hogwarts," he directed his attention to Hadrian for that because he already got the feeling Aurelia knew this information.

"She's..." he paused, ready to go on a rant about the girl but he couldn't. Really, he didn't know anything about her and that was one of the problems! "She's cold and she offputting and it just doesn't feel right. It feels suffocating and just because their marriage worked by some standard of their mind or skewed bullshit, doesn't mean that it's the way it should be for everyone else."

Could they sense the bitterness in Miles? Most likely. It was thick right now.