Cyhirae wandered aimlessly by herself around the main street of Hogsmeade. She had left her friends in the warmth of the Three Broomsticks earlier to put her plan to get a date to the Yule Ball into motion. It was a romantic cliche, the boy would finally approach the object of his desire when she was finally alone and ask her out. It was a wonderful fantasy, and Cy had really hoped that it would happen to her today. However it was not to be, it seemed. After a few hours of wandering the main stretch the only person who had asked her out was a first year Ravenclaw, and that was when she was leaving the common room. 'A girl! A first year girl!' Cyhirae leaned against the wall of a nearby house and covered her face with her hands at the memory. She still wasn't certain how to react to that. 'Other than it was really, really, really awkward.' She had managed to get out a polite refusal at least.

Cy wrapped her arms around herself and glanced at the crowd around her, trying to hide her disappointment. She felt foolish, she had put in all this effort towards an outcome that didn't even happen. She had even gone out of her way to dress up extra cutely today too. She pulled her hat down  tighter on her head and began walking back to Three Broomsticks to meet up with her friends. 'The only upside to not being noticed' she supposed, 'was that Gigi can't find out and mock me for it.'

Abby planned on staying in Hogsmeade right up until curfew, taking full advantage of Aileen's enthusiasm about her day.  As she walked, she saw a familiar figure ahead, the auburn hair catching Abby's eye.

"Cyhirae!" Abby called out, hurrying to catch up to her near the Three Broomsticks. When she did, she hooked her arm with hers and gave it a friendly squeeze. Her good mood was brimming over more than usual this late afternoon. After spending the day with Sasha and finding out they were going to the Yule Ball together, Abby could not be happier, despite some of the serious conversation that had followed.

Though the girl was a few years younger than she was, that didn't seem to matter. Like Naomi and Veronica, Cyhirae was someone she'd gotten along with well during the Egypt trip over the summer. She was Professor Tappy's daughter, which was a bonus. Insider information! Who knew, someday they could become step-sisters!

Yeaaaah. Even Abby was not that ridiculous about it. But still, she enjoyed scheming, and hoped Cyhirae did not mind.

"I love your hat! I haven't seen you in forever! How are you?"

Insincere or not, Abby acted like she was close to everyone. She genuinely liked most people and liked finding out about their lives even more.

"Cyhirae!"

Cyhirae jumped a bit when someone grabbed her arm but relaxed when she saw who it was. "Abby," she smiled, hugging Abby tightly, "it's good to see you."

"I love your hat! I haven't seen you in forever! How are you?"

"Thanks." She tugged on her hat so it sat better on her head. "I'm fine, I guess." Cy didn't really want to dwell on her troubles, not right now at least. Now she wanted to have fun, especially after how disappointing today had been. "What are you doing here? Visiting?"

Abby hugged her back, then looked at her curiously. 'Fine, I guess' did not seem very fine to her, but fortunately for Cyhirae, Abby refrained from peppering her with questions. For now. Her mind was jumping around more than usual, and she wanted to focus on positive things. Not, for example, crime lords.

"Yeah! I'm going to be here right up until like, 9:00. Or whenever it is you students have to head back to castle and shopkeepers scold me because they think I'm ditching," she smiled.

"I was just hanging out with Sasha," she said, then paused. How long could she hold out? A minute? Five minutes?

Two seconds!

"He asked me to the Yule Ball!" Abby grinned and bounced on the balls of her feet like a hyperactive niffler.

"I can go, too! He checked it all out beforehand. My sister was in on it even! I'm so excited. Cyhirae, you have no idea."

If only Abby knew how true that statement was!

"Really?!" Huh, Cyhirae had been certain that Sasha was gay. "Congratulations," she said with a smile, shoving her own discontent aside. Cy didn't want her own issues tainting Abby's big moment. "I would hope that he would find out if you could go before he asked, cause that would've stunk if you found out you couldn't go after the fact."   

"Professor Reid was in on it? Why did Sasha ask- Oh duh.  Never mind, I figured it out." Abby wasn't a student and Professor Reid would be needed to get permission for Abby to be at Hogwarts. It was surprisingly easy to forget that fact. and Abby hadn't talked about magic much, so Abby's squibness didn't get brought up much making it easy for Cy to forget.

"If it was my dad who was asked, he'd never give permission." Cy made a face and rolled her eyes. Her father seemed to hate even the  hint of her dating. "Not that I'd want a guy who thought he needed Dad's permission to date me. They'd all probably be boring and lame."

Abby shook her head in amusement at Cyhirae’s initial surprise and confusion.

“It surprised me at first too,” Abby told her.

Figuring out if she returned Sasha’s feelings would take some time, especially after learning about his faux son-father relationship with a dangerous criminal mastermind. That put a bit of a damper on things! With the way her thoughts were bouncing around right now, if she talked more about Sasha, she worried she’d slip up and mention Malvivicus, so Abby did what came naturally to her and focused on someone else’s love life.

Which Cyhirae made easy to do!

"Or geeky!" Abby added helpfully. "Though geeky wouldn't be so terrible," she widened her eyes at the girl as if she knew how hilarious that sounded. A year ago, Abby never would have said such a thing.

“You don’t need a parent’s permission anyway,” she grinned. “Right? You can just show up with whoever your heart desires and then try to dance far away from Professor Tappy.” She paused. “Except he’s really tall, so he can probably see over the sea of people and spot you. You know what? Sasha and I will help! We’ll block his view by hopping up and down! Or something.”

A foolproof plan!

"I think that would draw more attention to me than not." Cyhirae said dryly. "Thanks anyway though. Not that I have a date  to hide from Dad anyway," She frowned, her voice heavy with disappointment. She didn't have a boyfriend who would be the obvious go to date, and unfortunately she didn't know of anyone that she could say liked her in that way.

Though she did have fantasies of a cute boy coming out of nowhere, confessing his love of her and sweeping her off her feet like in the romance novels she read; Cyhirae thought herself smart enough to understand that wasn't how reality actually worked. Though Cy had to admit that she certainly wasn't acting like she was that smart when she decided to use an old romance novel cliche to attract a boy.

Burying her discontent again Cy tried to change the subject away from the ball, "So how's the laptop that Dad got you working out? He got you a macbook right? Have you tried out any games for it yet?"

Noticing the tone of her voice, she gave her a sympathetic look. Abby could help her look for someone! That’s what she’d do. And if she couldn’t get a date, Abby would get a group of people together at the ball and they could all dance with each other. Poor Sasha – she had so many people she wanted to hang out with that night. He’d be lucky if she spent more than a few minutes sitting down.

“I’m really excited about seeing you at the ball anyway,” she replied, letting her change the subject. For now!

“I love the computer! It’s a Mackapple. Applemack.” Abby couldn’t quite keep it straight.

“I’ve played a few games, but nothing that costs money, and the line connection is iffy. When it works, I chat with people mostly. They keep asking me what I’m wearing. And I’m like, fashionable things of course! And then they’ll ask my location, but I’m not that dumb – your father warned me about that. I just say someplace magical! And then I laugh at my own joke.”

Abby paused, thinking of all the online stores she’d visited. “I wish I had a credit card! A real one. Not the fake one Fig gave me.”

“I love the computer! It’s a Mackapple. Applemack. I’ve played a few games, but nothing that costs money, and the line connection is iffy. When it works, I chat with people mostly. They keep asking me what I’m wearing. And I’m like, fashionable things of course! And then they’ll ask my location, but I’m not that dumb – your father warned me about that. I just say someplace magical! And then I laugh at my own joke.”

Cyhirae blinked a couple of times, trying to process what Abby had said. "That's good. There can be some really creepy people on the internet.." she said blandly before what Abby had said really sunk in.  "Wait, who are you talking to? Where are you talking to these people?" Abby's description of her talks sounded much more disturbing now that she thought about it. "You shouldn't talk to those people anymore Abby, they sound like a bunch of perverts who are just trying to use you." Or at least they matched every cliche PSA she had gotten about the subject from her father.

“I wish I had a credit card! A real one. Not the fake one Fig gave me.”

"Me too." Cyhirae agreed. "You could get a a gift card, some of those can be used as credit cards. Or you could ask for an amazon gift card. Amazon has pretty much anything you could want."

“No, no, it’s ok. There are pervs everywhere. They just flock to chatrooms. Did I say that right? Chatrooms? Anyway, I know how to deal with them.”

She put on a special act of obliviousness that scared most of them off, and then clicked the handy little exit sign at the top right-hand corner.

Abby stuffed her hands in the pockets of her cloak, raising her eyebrows with interest at Cyhirae’s knowledge of credit cards. A gift card! What was a gift card? It sounded wonderful.

“Brill!” She bounced once on her toes. “I know what I’m asking for come Christmas. Maybe you could help me explain it to my sister.” Aileen tended to avoid muggle stores, but she might be willing to travel to the amazon.

“What are you doing for the holidays, Cy? My mind is already on winter break. It’s basically when I get to bombard everyone with visits.”

“No, no, it’s ok. There are pervs everywhere. They just flock to chatrooms. Did I say that right? Chatrooms? Anyway, I know how to deal with them.”

"Well alright then," Cyhirae's tone conveyed the fact that she didn't quite believe Abby, but she was willing to drop it for the time being. Abby believed she had it under control, and Cy was fairly certain that even if she managed to bully Abby into saying she'll stay away, Abby would no doubt continue to  go anyway.

“Brill!” She bounced once on her toes. “I know what I’m asking for come Christmas. Maybe you could help me explain it to my sister.”

"If you'd like me to, it's not that hard really. Dad might be a better choice though." Cyhirae was pretty certain that Professor Reid wouldn't take her appeal any more seriously than Abby's. She could at least arm Abby with a bunch of information. "Gift cards are more like debit cards than credit cards. They are loaded up with a certain amount of money and can be used in specific stores like a credit card for stuff sold by the store. Once they're out, they're out, and you have to get another card or load up more money on the card you have if it's allowed."

“What are you doing for the holidays, Cy? My mind is already on winter break. It’s basically when I get to bombard everyone with visits.”

"Mostly normal Christmas stuff. Visit friends and family. Dad'll make a huge Christmas dinner and we'll eat the leftovers until we're all sick of them. Gigi will be glued to her Xbox, Dad'll be playing Warcraft and I'll be trying to beat Mass Effect 2." Cy shrugged, "The normal stuff."

Abby listened carefully to Cyhirae’s description of gift cards, which seemed like the most marvelous muggle invention since mobile phones. Her mind couldn’t help but focus on the girl’s suggestion that Tapendra explain it to Aileen. She assumed Cyhirae hadn’t meant anything by it, but a grin spread across Abby’s face anyway, even as the cold air blew and stole the breath right out of her.

Cyhirae listed a bunch of muggle hobbies, and she tilted her head at her, fascinated.

“Those are,” Abby paused for a long moment, held up her finger because she wanted to guess. “Books, movies – wait! I’ve got it!”

“Games,” she beamed. “I want to play one sometime. Hacking up monsters sounds like fun.”

Her family plans sounded like more fun than Abby’s, too. A scheme began to form in her mind.

“Yeah, my sis and I are probably going to get stuck going to a lot of really annoying family get-togethers. You know the kind. Where they sit around and drink tea and question you about your future, and then spend the rest of the time discussing their Christmas decorations, and how apparently awful they are. They go ‘oh mine are so minimal this winter! I only have live reindeer in the garden and a sleigh that can fly around the roof!’ And then someone else goes ‘oh mine are worse! My dozen abraxans look more gray than white, and they keep chewing on the tinsel!’” Abby took a breath, laughing at the scene. “Pureblood problems,” she rolled her eyes.

“Merlin, I’d hex myself to get out of it if I could.”

“Games,” she beamed. “I want to play one sometime. Hacking up monsters sounds like fun.”

It is," Cyhirae smiled.  "Even if Professor Reid doesn't get you any games many of them have free trials, and if you want I could always loan you mine." She shrugged, "I don't really get to use them while I'm at school anyway." Which was still annoying even three years later. Not having access to any of her electronic entertainment, especially the internet, while she was in school just emphasized how isolated and behind the times the wizarding world seemed to an internet baby like herself. 'Which is funny because most of them think muggles are the backwards ones.'

“Merlin, I’d hex myself to get out of it if I could.”

She giggled, "It doesn't sound like much fun. Maybe you could come visit during winter break? Escape your family and all that." Cyhirae blew into her hands to warm them briefly, "Dad will be home so I don't think Professor Reid would object. I could also show you what games I have, and you could pick some out to take home." Cy cocked her head thoughtfully, "Maybe also some DVDs as well if you'd like?"

Abby nodded enthusiastically, thinking she’d like to try a few of those free trials. She paused to look at the window displays, eyes lighting up when her plan worked! She only felt a little guilty about sneakily snagging an invite to the Trishna house. It was for a good cause!

“Ohh, really?” That did sound like fun.

“Cyhirae, you’re the best! I’d love to. But-” she paused. “I don’t know if I should leave my sis to deal with my mother’s lectures on her own. She gets so cranky after those visits.”

Abby pursed her mouth, mimicking Aileen’s sour expression. That was half true. Aileen did get cranky, but Abby wouldn’t turn down a friend’s invite just because of that.

“Would your Dad mind if I dragged her over too? She’ll have to drop me off anyway,” she thought out loud. “They’re friends. Maybe they could hang out while we play games.”

She grinned, unable to hide the mischievous light in her eyes.

“Cyhirae, you’re the best! I’d love to. But-” she paused. “I don’t know if I should leave my sis to deal with my mother’s lectures on her own. She gets so cranky after those visits.”

"To be honest it's kinda hard to see Professor Reid  allowing herself to put up with that." Cyhirae admired Professor Reid for, among other things, her calm, dignified manner. She certainly handled upsets better than Cy did, being nasty and aggressive, and Cyhirae hoped one day to achieve something similar.

“Would your Dad mind if I dragged her over too? She’ll have to drop me off anyway,” she thought out loud. “They’re friends. Maybe they could hang out while we play games.”

"I don't know, you'd have to ask him about that." Friends wouldn't be what she would call her father and Professor Reid's relationship.  They acted like her father did with his former coworkers, polite, respectful, interested in each other's work but not actually close friends like her father was with her Uncle Ryan and Uncle Luthas. Maybe you could call them work friends at best.  She just couldn't see dignified professor Reid finding much interest her father's nerdy passions. "And Professer Reid, of course."