Sneaking Sweetness ((OPEN))

[Maeve Campbell]

Whew! Maeve jogged the last few steps into Hogsmeade. She had barely convinced her Head of House that she was out of quills and that her second robe had ripped after the fiasco on the stairs. Thankfully both things were true but it was still a rarity to allow a first year to go to Hogsmeade on their own. Trying not to shout in triumph where did Maeve enter? Not the quill shop, not the robe shop, but Honeydukes!

She entered the bright shop with it's delicious smells and candy piled everywhere. Heaving a deep breath that seemed to be flavored with every candy imaginable Maeve headed straight over to the sugar quills. Grabbing an extra large one to suck on during class she looked around.

There were some other students from the castle and she wondered if they'd had to con their way out too or if they were old enough to come and go as they pleased. Shrugging she continued to rifle through the many different sweets and stopped to laugh at the Chocolate covered Cockroach Clusters. She wonderedif she could convince anyone she knew to eat them. Maybe send them as an anonymous present to a teacher. Maeve giggled and added them to her growing collection of sweets.

As engrossed as she was in the Chocolate Frog bin she wasn't aware of someone approaching her from behind.

((OPEN))

[Reginald Lancelot]

Really, Reggie could get detention for this. Heck, he could get expelled. And what would his parents say then? Something about him being a disappointment to their entire family, throwing away all sense of opportunity he had, and then they'd probably send him to a history camp over the summer, where he would spend every single one of his sunlit days digging for dinosaur bones. But, the little Hufflepuff was desperate. Somehow, he had lost his robes, and he could get into trouble if he wasn't wearing them during classes and whatnot. So, basically, he was breaking one rule in order not to break another. Ironic, yes, but it needed to be done.

Unfortunately, the redhead also had a tad bit of a sweet tooth. Mostly when it came to Fizzing Whizbees, because they were definitely his favorite candy from the wizarding world. The whole levitating effect ... whoa! It was amazing! Without even casting it a second glance, Reggie strolled right on past the robe shop and into Honeydukes' Sweetshop. The glorious scent of sugar filled his nostrils, mingled with dozens of other random flavors. Mmmmmm. Perhaps if his parents saw this place, they wouldn't be so angry if he was expelled. It was like, heaven on earth, man.

On his way to the Fizzing Whizbees barrel, Reginald saw the chocolate frog bin. There was a girl observing them, and honestly, she couldn't be older than him, could she? He paused at the chocolate frogs and pulled one out. Oooh, cheap, he had plenty of summer money still left. His eyes glanced beside him at the girl, and he said, "Yo, homeslice, what's your age-izzle?" ... Crap. Here came the gangstah words and whatnot. Damn his nervousness. "You look kinda young to be up in here, man."

[Maeve Campbell]

A hand reached past Maeve and grabbed a frog out of the bin. She jumped a bit as she realized the owner of the hand was talking to her.

"Yo, homeslice, what's your age-izzle? You look kinda young to be up in here, man."

Wha--? Maeve was a bit confused. Having grown up in a small medieval town in Ireland that was almost entirely Wizarding she wasn't all that familiar with common slang. Maeve finally realized the boy, who looked about her own age maybe a touch older, was asking her age.

Pointedly, and trying to come up with a good lie while she stalled, Maeve spoke, "My name's Maeve Campbell. And you are-?" She raised her pale red eyebrows a touch.

She answered his question before he could answer her own. "I'm eleven. I asked permission to come here." Sort of. He didn't need to know that she hadn't specifically asked permission for Honeyduke's. "What about you? You don't look 'that' much older than me." She looked him up and down critically before relaxing. No doubt he was here as illegally as she was. No point in antagonzing him into tattling. Besides he looked ever so nervous. Trying to soften him up a bit she added an -izzle to her 'me' and gave him her sweetest smile.

[Mike Blaze]

Mike Blaze, a sixth year Ravenclaw, wandered the aisles of Honeydukes. Wow it's been a while since I've been in here he thought to himself, searching the different shelves. All of a sudden he heard distant voices. Hmm, who could it be today? He walked closer and closer to the voices, he casually gazed over in he direction where the source of the voices was. A first year Gryffindor, and a second year Hufflepuff. He recognized the Gryffindor from several different occasions. Well, this could be fun. he coughed loudly, hoping to maybe startle the two for a moment.

[Reginald Lancelot]

Hmmm. He didn't remember asking what her name was. Oh well, maybe he was suffering from short-term memory loss. The boy was mildly klutzy, so he wouldn't exactly be surprised. "Oh. Maeve. That's a cool name, homie, coool. My name is Reginald, but most people just call me Reggie-izzle because it's, ya know, less proper and shizzle." Suddenly, his stomach emitted an obnoxious grumble. His fingers itched to open the chocolate frog in his hand, but he refrained. It was bad enough he was sneaking out of Hogwarts and into Hogsmeade, but dining and dashing? That was like, actually illegal. He could get put into Azkaban! At that thought, he gulped down his hunger and instead concentrated on the girl in front of him.

"What? You got permission? They actually let you?" asked Reggie, amazed. So he could've just asked and possibly got permission? Well, dang. Now he felt ridiculous. When she began to interrogate him, his heart began to pump furiously. The redhead pushed his sweating hair back away from his face. "Uhm, I'm ... sixteen, yeah. I just have this whole, erm, growth thing ... that affects my ... growth ..." That was possibly one of the worst lies he had ever told, and none of his lies were award-winners. Reggie did his best to smile at the whole "me-izzle" thing, but honestly, he was just so nervous and afraid and all that jazz. His smile probably came out looking like he really had to poop.

Just then, someone coughed loudly behind them. Reggie was glad that he didn't have to poop, because he would've pooped himself right then and there. Whoever the kid was, he probably was actually around sixteen. Ohhh crap. They were busted -- or at least, he was, because Maeve had apparently gotten permission and he hadn't. Noooooooo, he was gonna get expeeeeeelled. No more Hoooogwarts for hiiiiim. He sniffled but quickly tried to hide it because then they would think he was a baby. The Hufflepuff decided he should probably say something to the boy, because that made it seem less suspicious. "HI!" he said enthusiastically. "My name is Reggie, and I'm old enough to be here!"

Seemed convincing enough, right?

[Maeve Campbell]

The little redheaded girl tried not to roll her eyes at the izzles coming out of Reggie's mouth but it was soo hard. Trying to keep him sweetened up in case he decided to tattle about where she had been Maeve tried to smile again. "Reggie, huh? That's a nice name too."

At the revealing of his supposed age Maeve couldn't help but laugh. "Sixteen?! Puh-leeeze. I am not that gullible." Still he'd tried and in her mind that was a plus. She was actually starting to like this kid, minus the whole constipated looks on his face. Besides, he was the only person she'd met close to her own age. True, Moki was more of a go-getter in the prank department but Reggie was well a kid too.

Yikes! Maeve jumped around as the older boy, Mike she thought his name was, approached them. "Need a cough drop? I think they have some here." She tried to act nonchalant and then Reggie said his piece. Uh-oh. If this Mike was a good little Ravenclaw they could both be in a lot of trouble real soon.

Her face scrunched up as she realized what could happen if they were caught. Expulsion was the least of her worries. Her mum and dad would KILL her when she got home. Edging away from Reggie a bit, she eyed the path to the doorway. No, it was too late to run. Mike had seen her and obviously could recognize them as fellow students so no pretending to be a tourist either. Maybe changing the subject would help.

Trying her sweet little innocent act she looked up at Mike with her large hazel eyes and smiled great big. Her innocent face usually only worked on adults but she was desperately hoping Mike was old enough to fall for it. If not maybe he'd be in a good enough mood not to rat them out. "I'm Maeve." She purposefully omitted her last name just in case. "Are you umm looking for Chocolate Frogs too?" She grabbed a fist full and held them up to the older boy.

[Mike Blaze]

"HI!" he said enthusiastically. "My name is Reggie, and I'm old enough to be here!"

Mike smirked, "Is that so? Looks like you're a little unsure about that fact." Turning to Maeve he said, "And no thanks. I'm all set." he said clearing his throat as it had started hurting thanks to that little fake cough, by no thanks, he was declining the offer of the cough drops and chocolate frogs. "So by the way you two are acting, I'd say you didn't have permission to be up here?" a smile began playing at his lips. "You know, I could have you two expelled." he said, putting on a serious face. This was totally untrue, well he could if he told a teacher and ratted them out, but of course he had no intention of doing this, or did he? He was enjoying the look of shock of Reggie's face and the way the two were trying to cover up and make it seem like they were doing nothing wrong.

[Maeve Campbell]

"You know, I could have you two expelled."

Maeve's face went a total and complete white. The Chocolate Frogs she'd been holding out to the older boy trickled out of her fingers and onto the floor. Causing trouble had always been her specialty but never before had she been caught. She wasn't used to older kids being on the lookout for her though. They usually just ignored small fry like her. This was not fun. This was scary. Yup, scary, definitely scary. She felt a few tears well up in her eyes. This was not cool. She did not cry like some three year old.

Trying to hold back the tears, she tried to glare at Mike. "G-go ahead. T-tell on me. S-see if I c-care." Her voice barely forced the words out because she was so upset but she didn't want him to know that. "You'll be a - a - a..." She couldn't think of a grown-up word for what she wanted to say so she reverted to her normal vocabulary, "Tattle-tale! Ratting out a b-bunch of k-kids littler than you!"

She crossed her arms and turned away from him. She wanted to give the impression she didn't care but really she turned around because a tear or two had managed to trickle out despite her best efforts. Sneaking a small hand up from her crossed arms she managed to wipe the tears away, leaving a smudge of dirt behind.