Thurs, July 22nd
Wentworth Manor
6:30pm

It wasn't meant to be a large party (especially considering it was a Thursday and Gracie's Party was that weekend) it was really only meant to be a few mates getting together for Asher's 17th birthday, which was in and of itself a big deal. Turning 17 in the Wizarding World meant you were an adult and no longer had be coddled in everything you did - or in Xavier's case, have your drinking habits monitored. Asher hadn't been on the school trip with him nor had he seen his dorm mate since they left the Hogwarts Express at the end of the school year but he had gotten word that his fellow Slytherin had been stuck at home all summer with no one for company but his four younger sisters. Xavier didn't have any sisters (that he knew of) but Cadance had been keeping a room at the manor and that had been enough for Xavier to feel empathy for his trapped friend.

Wentworth Manor was huge with more rooms than Xavier ever cared to count but for his purposes only one room was needed - the Billiards Room. The room was large with a built in bar off to one side, an incredible wireless system off to another and three full sized Billiards tables in the middle with ample seating around the entire room. He had been tempted to drag Asher off to a pub to get the straight laced Slytherin drunk (probably for the first time) or even to spirit him away to a muggle strip club but that may have scarred him for life.

Getting Asher to the party was the hard part. Instead of simply inviting him like a normal person Xavier decided the best way to get him to the party was to kidnap him. He had arranged before hand with Asher's mother and after dinner he had snuck into his friends house, jumped him, tied him up and apparated him back to the Manor. The guest of honour was currently tied to a bar stool with a bag over his head.

Xavier removed the bag in one swift motion showing the decorated party room and yelled, "Happae Birfday ye great big Git!"

Asher was sitting in the sitting room of his house, his head leaning against the back of the stuffed armchair he was in, reveling in the fact that he was sister-free for a few minutes.  It was his 17th birthday and he had told his mother that morning that he didn't want a big deal about it, sure, it was an important milestone in every young person's life, but for some reason being stuck at home all summer being chauffer/babysitter/entertainer to his four sisters had filled him with enough family love to last the rest of his time at Hogwarts.

He closed his eyes when he heard the door open and inwardly groaned, it was probably one of the younger two of his sisters, coming to beg him to play or take her on a broom ride around the backyard.  However, he was surprisingly shocked when he been snuck up on, a bag placed over his head, and side-along apparated to somewhere - where, he didn't know.  His kidnapper didn't say anything, but finally Asher felt himself led into a room and sat down on what felt like a hard stool of some kind.  He hadn't been contacted by any friends of late, so he wasn't exactly sure what was going on.  His nervousness mounted when he felt someone tie him to what he was sitting on.

Just as he was starting to panic, someone approached and pulled the bag off of his head.  Asher's eyesight took a moment to adjust from the darkness of the bag over his head to the light of the room he was in. "What the..." he began, then when he realized just who had kidnapped him, his good boy attitude slipped long enough for him to exclaim, "Xavier, what the hell man." Athough, those were the words that went through his head, the sentence that came out of his mouth was decidedly more colorful.

He started to struggle a little bit, but wasn't entirely sure still what he was sitting on and overestimated his ability to keep his balance. He shifted to the left too much and his center of gravity disappeared as the seat tilted and he headed towards the floor, a few more choice words aimed towards Xavier were said on the way down.

Laughter cut in then, light, amused—and Theo’s, but in the privacy of the Wentworth billiards room and the Good Ol’ Boys vibe he never cared much for but couldn’t help but relax under anyway, it was a pleasant sound, devoid of its usual veiled contempt or disdain.

After a month away at Altai Sanctuary (which he had spent getting to know its residents—as well as the fascinating family he hadn’t known he had), Theo had returned… not outwardly different, perhaps;—aside from the slight tan he’d acquired from working outdoors, there was really very little about his appearance to comment upon. But there seemed to be a new finish upon that already polished veneer, an indescribable something that set him apart from his peers just a little farther—as though he weren’t already. It was as if something had… settled, in the restless static that was his soul.

Mostly, though, it manifested as the air of one who saw a punchline coming. And knew that when it finally did, he would be the only one laughing.


And yet…


It saw to his very presence at Wentworth Manor, all for the birthday celebration of one he tolerated at best, in the company of those he was friendly with but not particularly close to. Without Alex. Even more surprisingly, he was enjoying himself. (Although that might have had more to do with the fact that a certain Hufflepuff had agreed to accompany him to the party.[1]) With a smirk he watched as Asher Chance was led into the room, unceremoniously seated and struggling against his restraints.

Clapping a firm hand on his shoulder, Theo held him back, stopping him short of an unpleasant fall. It was quite kind of him, really. Chance could consider it his birthday present. “Perhaps we should untie him now,” Theo suggested, regarding their guest of honor with a small smile. “Xavier?”

1.	Ji-Hyun Jeun, with Hazel’s permission! :D

Xavier was practically in stitches when Asher started to curse him and struggle off of the stool. Thankfully (he supposed) Whitman was there to keep him from falling too roughly. Most of those that had been invited were in attendance and even some he didn't remember inviting had shown up. In the end it didn't really matter. The more the merrier. The whole goal of today was to have Asher actually enjoy himself.

With a swish of his wand he untied Asher allowing the teen to regain his composure. There was still a wide smile on Tawse's lips and a sparkle of mischief in his eyes, "dis is all fer ye mate." He made a grand gesture to the large decorated Billiard's room teeming with teenagers, "so ye betta enjoy it."

He swung behind the bar and dipped into the cooler to pull out a bottle of beer cracking the top off and taking a swig. Xavier had been a big drinker for a few years and was a little less covert about it now that he had come of age. He motioned to those around him, "'elp yerselves."

Asher stood up slowly from the stool he had been sitting on and with a glare at Xavier, he nodded towards Theo and said, "Thanks," before looking around the room.  He honestly didn't think he'd talked to half the people here before, but he couldn't bring himself to care in the slightest bit.  He did love his family, but spending the whole summer with four sisters, his parents, and no free time had taken it's toll on the young man and now that he was 17, he was determined to have a spot of fun before going back to school.

"By the way Xav, you should of at least warned me before you so rudely kidnapped me, I would of come willingly." he said as he made his way to the bar and debated on grabbing a beer like the other boy.  He'd never had one before, but hell, he was 17 now, maybe one wouldn't hurt. 

"Now where is the possible fun in that Chance." Roh's voice was a slow drawl as she leaned against the billiard table, beer bottle poised before her lips as she shot Xavier a sly grin. Who couldn't get behind a little playful kidnapping? After all it was only to ensure the birthday boy's shock and possible awe at how many people would turn out for this impromptu gathering of the-greatest-people-on-Earth. Okay, actually it was an excuse to get a little face time in and drink someone else's booze before Gracie's big to-do that weekend. There was no law that said you couldn't pregame for two or three days.

Roh had always had a rebellious streak, a desire to push the envelope when it came to dealing with her Auror mother, but having returned from the spectacular Hogwarts Summer Trip prelude to Seventh Year, the itch to be a little bit badder was impossible to ignore. She didn't have much feeling about Asher either which way, but an excuse to get cute and be seen could not be passed up. Flicking wild curls over her shoulder she glanced at Theo, noticing a distinct change in his normally ghostly pigmentation, "Where did you hide yourself Whitman? I had no idea the Welsh turned anything but Gryffindor Red and peely when exposed to direct sunlight," she grinned at him crossing her long legs at the ankle, light catching off the shiny toe of ridiculous high heels the 5'10 Slytherin was not in need of, "looks good".