Waverly watched Annie carefully, becoming more sure by the minute that she needed to take up meditation, or yoga, or something to take up space and energy in her ever busy mind. "Well, no it's not broken...." she trailed off and gave a shrug. Arguing with Annie about ways to possibly fix her neurosis seemed rather pointless, she was as good at finding reasons not to do something as Roh was at finding suggestions. It wasn't so much frustrating as sad for the other girl. It also made the sixteen year old check her expectations of herself; why did she think it was necessary (or even possible) to solve all of the American's problems in one conversation? Issues with self-esteem and and personal space took years to develop and Enright had at least a ten year head start on Waverly.

The idea, or rather image, of Professor Kesali as a unicorn made her full lips twitch. Of course that idea made her think of Professor Trishna as a pony, and that made her think of Master Morgan as a lady and she had to cover her lips and bite the inside of her cheek to avoid a hysterical fit of laughter, "Stranger things have been known to happen around here. Our caretaker is basically a lion, well you know, a Wizard stuck in a lion's body. It would surprise me if, by the end of the year, something doesn't go terribly wrong in Charms and someone accidentally turns him into an actual unicorn". The thought itself was highly amusing to Waverly; she liked like the professor (as previously stated) but who didn't like magic gone haywire as long as it was much gone haywire on someone else?

"There are lots of places around campus to study! You just have to know where to look," she grinned at Annie as they made their way into the Great Hall, "this old castle is chalk full of nooks and crannies you just have to know how to navigate them. Plus there is the Room of Requirement; it's a little more tricky of course because it only shows up when you really need it, but I think ten minutes of you pacing outside the door might be enough to summon it based on nervous energy alone. If all else fails there are the empty classrooms, most students use them to sneak off and snog or old private little meetings, but I don't think the Professors would be too annoyed if they found us actually using one to study".

Waverly watched as the other girl seemed to talk herself into and out of going to the Yule Ball no less than three times, before shaking her head, "You're going. I decided. I can do that because I'm bigger than you," she grinned at the other girl as she dropped down at one of the massively long tables, "Look at it this way, classes will be over for Winter break by then, you'll have the rest of December to get a head start on next term. It's basically the biggest event of our lives to date - and for some people the biggest one they'll ever have. If you have a dress and shoes then that half the battle is over. You can spend the night with my fabulous self without a date, and I'll introduce you to more of those not-terrible-people I was telling you about. It'll be fun, and you'll have earned a night off by then," plucking a piece of fruit from a bowl she gave Annie a small shrug, "it's not like I'm going to take no for an answer, anyway".

“I think that would be kind of hard to do by accident,” Annie grinned sheepishly, trying to think of what kind of catastrophe might result in their charms professor turning into a silvery, four-hooved paragon of purity and light. “It would be impossible to do on purpose. My transformative magic is, um, well.. it's not the best. It's not the worst, but it's not the best,” she explained, sighing faintly. She tapped the stack of cards on her knee and then slowed her steps slightly, shifting her bag around so that she could finally put them away. She wasn't the 'out of sight, out of mind' sort, but getting them out of her hands seemed to relax her, if only the slightest bit. Her shoulders dropped as some of the tension slipped away and she picked up the pace again, trotting along beside her long legged companion. She was wondering whether it might be funny to work out a little sketch of Professor Kesali in unicorn form, but she wasn't sure if it would actually be funny, or more pathetic, and she knew better than to ask. If you had to ask if something was cool, it probably wasn't. If she did pursue that project, she'd likely keep it to herself.

”If all else fails there are the empty classrooms, most students use them to sneak off and snog or hold private little meetings, but I don't think the Professors would be too annoyed if they found us actually using one to study.”

“I thought about using a classroom,” Annie explained as they walked along, the great hall in their sights. “It just seemed... weird? I guess it would be less weird for you, but you actually go here, so...” she explained, trailing off. She wasn't sure she'd ever get over the thought that she was intruding in this school. Then again, she occasionally felt that way in parts of her own home, so it wasn't too hard to believe that she still had doubts that she really belonged. All she was trying to do was get through this school year without breaking anything that didn't belong to her. If she walked softly, nobody could call her out for intruding, or accuse her of being an impostor. It was much easier to act like she belong in the cacophony of the great hall. Annie couldn't help but look around once they entered the room, just to see if anyone was staring at her and laughing. It was a bad habit. It would have made her life a lot easier if she could convince herself to not care, but that was much easier said than done. In these crowds, however, she couldn't have picked out Declan Murphy from Adam, so she lucked out and was able to take a seat without feeling any more self conscious than she already did – at least until the topic of the yule ball came up.

Apparently she was going to be attending – and as much as she wanted to argue, she was a fairly indecisive person and could have gone back and forth with herself for ages, so it was sometimes nice to have someone just decide. She listened to Waverly argue her point anyway, since it could be convenient to be able to use those same arguments when trying to remind herself why she was going through the trouble to begin with.

“Do you really think it's the biggest event of our lives?” Annie asked, unable to hide her skepticism. She'd been to parties before, and they almost never turned out to be quite as exciting as promised. Of course, this was different. She wouldn't be the youngest at the ball, so she wouldn't be relegated to a kids table or the equivalent, where she'd be fed a filtered version of the party that was still boring. “If I had a date then maybe it would be really important, but it'll probably just be... well, um... there are more important things, aren't there? Like, um, weddings, I guess?” she offered feebly, “Or, um... graduation? Or, like, maybe winning a ribbon or something?" She didn't mean to sound so jaded, but she knew better than to think that fancy shindigs were all they promised to be. "Or – oh, I know - finally getting chosen for the tournament! I want to get picked so badly!”  she gushed. At this point it was beginning to feel as though she would be more likely to walk into the charms classroom and find a unicorn than she was to ever be chosen for the competition that she had actually come to compete in.

Waverly looked at Annie, head tilted to one side, "Annie, I don't know how to break this to you; but, um, you actually go here too. I mean this place is going to be your home for the rest of the year. You shouldn't worry so much about taking up space. I know, I know, worrying seems to be an Annie-specialty, but Hogwarts is..." she trailed off trying to think of the right words. Magical seemed trite and corny, but in a way that was exactly it. Hogwarts was the sort of place that no matter where you came from you could dig your heels and and call it home if you wanted, for however long you needed and even when you went away it welcomed you back with open arms; er doors. "It's just different than even other magical places. It becomes a part of you, if you let it". That was how it was for Roh at least, it felt as much like home as her actual home did.

She chewed carefully as Annie talked, eyebrows drawn together as she tried to find her words, "Well, I said our lives to date, which means everything that has happened up to the point of the Yule Ball. Besides, it's not like some regular school dance, or holiday celebration. The last one was held fifteen years ago; before a good chunk of us were even born, let alone old enough to really remember or be a part of. By that logic, and assuming no one dies so the event isn't outlawed again, this probably isn't going to happen again until we're all old enough to have children old enough to be in school, it's a huge deal. It's the thing we're going to be able to look back at and talk about being a defining moment of our adolescence". Waverly didn't think she was exaggerating in the least, lots of things would happen in their lives but this opportunity to be young, and pretty, and to exist in this sphere of magical cooperation that was so rare to happen - and actually might never happen again. It was a big deal!

"I will grant that being chosen for a Champion is a bigger deal, but that won't happen before the Yule Ball - which means my point about it being the biggest event of our lives to date still stands," she grinned a little and shrugged, "Call me crazy but I think marriage is a bit of a crock. I mean I'm happy that my mums were allowed to marry and adopt me; I think that's great - certainly more progressive than a lot of places, but a person could have as many Weddings days as they wanted. It isn't something that happens to you just once. There's divorce and the tragic instance of being Widow'd, nothing keeps you from getting remarried and having that huge day all over again. We certainly won't ever get another Yule Ball, even if they hold another TWT, it won't happen again during our school careers".

Annie Enright was the type of girl who didn't call just any place hers. She liked to find and develop haunts – places that were always how she expected them to be, which always welcomed her, and which allowed her to complete whatever task she had her heart set on accomplishing. How many nights had she sat in the lounge in her dorm at school, staying up studying until she was certifiably delirious, with her friends, on her couch? How many summers had she spent on the remote, muggle-free sliver of beach, eating ice cream from her kiosk, relaxing in her favorite spot on the sand? At school, she preferred practice room three in the library, every time. She liked to sit at the same table at meals, with the same people. Hogwarts just wasn't... well... it wasn't cozy, or consistent, or reliable. The staircases weren't even where she expected them to be half the time, and if you couldn't trust the staircases, what could you trust? It had taken her a long time to establish routines, figure out which rooms she preferred, and get comfortable in a school where she wasn't visiting. It hadn't happened for her yet at Hogwarts. Maybe it was just too much trouble? Or maybe, in some secret part of her mind that even Annie didn't acknowledge, she didn't want to get too comfortable just to leave? Whatever the case, she shrugged and took a nibble of the sandwich in front of her.

She listened to what Waverly had to say about the importance of the yule ball, and she had to admit that the Slytherin girl had a point. There definitely was some historical significance to being able to say you'd attended the ball at the first ever Tetrawizard Tournament, but she'd much rather be able to say that she'd competed as a champion. You couldn't put 'attended a dance' on your resume and be taken seriously. “So one day my grandchildren are going to ask about it?” Annie asked, raising her eyebrows and looking like she might be sick. “So even they're going to think I'm pathetic, forever. Merlin!” she whined, pouting. This 'not having a date' thing was going to follow her until she died! “I think we need to get boyfriends really quick,” she suggested grumpily, her eyes passively scanning the room for a white knight. “Or dates, at least. Or something! At this rate I'm not even going to have grandchildren,” she grumbled, dropping her gaze and pouting at her sandwich.

Annie managed a thoughtful look as Roh explained her thoughts on marriage, even though she was still feeling sorry enough for herself to pout. She knew people got divorced and died, but she never really thought about how many weddings a person could have in their lifetime. She was still hopeful enough that true love was possible to want to overlook those statistics in favor of her pretty little fantasy. It was just that, though – a fantasy. She sighed.

“My father's the worst. He thinks I should get married before I think about finding a job or anything, so I just... I think about marriage a lot,” Annie shrugged, clearly less than enthused by her father's opinion. It wasn't that she was against marriage – not in the way Roh seemed to be, anyway. It was more that she was sort of worried about her prospects, and fairly concerned over what would happen if she disobeyed. “He's, um, he's kind of old fashioned, I guess? He's not considering a betrothal or anything like that – not that old fashioned, but he's interested in, um... well.. he wants a formal courtship? He thinks... I mean, he just doesn't... it's kind of hard to explain,” she muttered. It wasn't that hard to explain, in truth, but Roh was really cool and nice, and Annie really didn't think explaining that her parents hated gay people and had essentially disowned her brother was going to endear the girl to her very much. She took a bite of her sandwich and shut up.

Roh gave a little laugh and shook her head at Annie's exasperation; it wasn't in an unkind spirit it was just... the girl could get upset about anything it seemed. Waverly really wasn't like that, but then her perception of the world was probably vastly different than the other girl's. She knew lots of people her age, girls especially, felt like they were defined by whether or not they were in a relationship. Roh just didn't think that way, the fact she didn't have a date didn't really bother her. Oh sure she could admit it might be nice, but she'd rather go and have fun with her friends than worry about relationships or implications of going to an event like the Yule Ball together could mean. She was comfortable on her own. She didn't have issue with people who weren't, she just didn't really understand. It had mostly been a joke, bringing up the fact she didn't have a date, not because she was in dire need of one.

"Calm down. Your grandkids will know whatever you tell them. Besides, life is all about how you choose to frame things. You could just as easily tell them that you went to the Yule Ball with a kick ass leggy new friend you made who liked thumping bullies upside the head," the full bodied amusement in her voice was unmistakable as she rested her chin in her hand and fluttered her eyes at the other girl, "we go together we've already go the two hottest dates walking the hallways of Hogwarts, and it will be super fun because we won't have to spend all night worrying about that pesky will-he-won't-he parting kiss, or if he wishes he was there with some other girl, or if someone's cleavage is better. We can just eat and dance and have fun; and possibly spike a few drinks". It was hard to tell if Roh was actually flirting or just being enthusiastic to get the other girl on board with the idea and quit referring to herself as a loser.

She bit off a chunk of apple as Annie tried to explain about her father; he sounded dreadful. Waverly had a bit of the opposite problem, her mothers seemed to be quite content in her disinterest in dating. They certainly weren't pushing for her to think about marriage, actually Roh figured Zora would be happy if she never decided to date. They hadn't forbid it or anything like that, they let her grow at her own pace and never tried to stifle her... but they seemed to like that she was happy enough on her own; especially given that Roh's taste in boys ran to the delinquent end of the spectrum when she was interested. "Who has time to worry about weddings?! We have NEWTS to study for, the tournament, the Ball, midterms, STORM to worry about! I mean someday, a long time from now, could I see myself getting married? Yeah, probably, but it's not top on my list of priorities and I hate how it's like forced upon us you know? It's like we, as girls, have to spend all this time worrying about prospects and boys just get to sail through life. It's ridiculous," she was about to continue her rant when she happened to glance down at her watch, "and shite, we're late. Come on we can walk and chew, I really don't want to make Vaillancourt mad before the midterm".

Annie felt very much out of her element. Although she was a teenager, and had been one for a few years now, she wasn't used to these kinds of conversations. When she said she wanted a date what she really meant was that she wanted a boy to like her enough to ask her out. She wasn't looking for a long term commitment or anything – just someone who could commit to being able to stand her for a few hours on the evening of the Yule Ball. She wouldn't have minded sitting next to him or something. Beyond that, however? She'd never gotten beyond that before. Kissing? Cleavage? She looked down at her chest. She worried about plenty. Did she have to worry about cleavage now, too? She didn't even know she was supposed to! And Roh was looking at her... oddly. She set her sandwich down and crossed her arms over her chest, feeling perfectly self conscious. “I don't really dance,” she explained, her words thick as they emerged from her mouth. “And I don't... I don't drink liquor. Or, um... beer or anything like that.” In other words, she was a puritan. She didn't do unclean things like dancing or discussing her boobs. “But...” she said, sounding skeptical. “Okay, I guess. Yeah. Well... unless we get boyfriends before then. So probably.” She couldn't help but grin a little. She'd make sure to never let her parents find out that the first person to ever ask her out was a girl.

” Come on we can walk and chew, I really don't want to make Vaillancourt mad before the midterm.”

“Oh, shoot!” Annie spat, “Shoot!!” That was the closest she came to cussing on a regular basis – she wasn't fond of being late. Her eyes were huge as she pushed her way off of the bench and pulled her school bag onto her shoulder, sighing as she prepared herself for a mad dash through the long stone corridors of the castle. She always preferred to get anywhere absurdly early when she had the chance. Given the choice between arriving three hours early and one minute late, she'd always choose to camp out with a book. Although she had to hustle and she felt an adrenaline rush coming on, she felt okay... which was saying a lot considering she'd been bawling her eyes out earlier. She was one notecard down, but she had an ally now. She was one step closer to feeling at home in this crazy school.