The Alps....Switzerland...a beautiful ski chalet in the snow covered mountain range.  Prefects, heads of houses, and various other chaperones were all assembling, unpacking, laughing, and playing various games in their secluded little slice of heaven.

The Irish Gryffindor prefect, Chance Ryker anticipated feeling a bit out of his element here amongst the other prefects. He hadn't exactly fit most peoples' stereotype of what a prefect was supposed to be like.  At least Chance knew some of the prefects and most reassuringly...Grace Eddy, his fellow Gryffindor prefect was there.  The pair had become rather close in their little misadventures as of late.

Chance was currently getting the fireplace nice and toasty for the chilly evening that was quickly approaching.  Chance glanced at Grace.

"So are y'ready fer some snow, hot cocoa, an' marshmalla roastin'?"

Grace needed this weekend.  Ever since the news about her mum came...Well, she definitely needed a boost and understandably so.  And really...so did Chance.  With all the drama regarding Fauna and Devlin...being disowned by his mother...trying to take care of Sophie...and other such stresses...Chance needed the opportunity to unwind himself!  Chance was bundled up, wearing a Gryffindor scarf, a dark green jacket, a pair of cargo pants, and a few unseen layers for added warmth.

It seemed so odd to Jordyn that there would be a prefect getaway.  The semester had just started and everyone was working hard, it would surely just detract from their studying time if they were going to be out in the Alps.  Of course, she was not going to complain too much, it was a lovely vacation and she hadn't been on one in ages with her family, mostly because of money, so the opportunity to get out of Hogwarts and somewhere luxurious would be wonderful.

The only problem was how dreadfully cold it was. Everyone else seemed to be having a grand time, though Jordyn was woefully alone without her duo of best friends.  If only Fergie had been named a prefect!  That would have at least made this slightly fun.  It was not as though she did not get along with the other prefects, she liked them well enough, but they weren't her best friends!  Though, at least she knew the level of shenanigans would probably be dramatically less here, considering heads of houses and everyone would be in attendance. 

It was a winter paradise though, and sitting atop her luggage, Jordyn wished she had put on a little more this morning.  She didn't think it would be this cold though!  She wrapped her arms around her middle and rubbed a bit, hoping the friction would create warmth.  There was one or two people she could think of wrapping their arms about her waist, though immediately squashed the thought - it was the prefect getaway - not appropriate! 

Looking up, she searched for the nearest prefect to her and sighed.  "I hope we get started soon! It's dreadfully boring just waiting here."

outfit | cloak | luggage

Waker offered a small smile to Chance, who had been very helpful in making this Prefect retreat a reality. Had she looked a little closer, or been less concerned with the number of private movies reeling through her own head, she might have realized how heavy-hearted the Gryffindor seemed. Seventh year was taking its toll.

Determined to color outside of the lines a bit, at least in terms of her social bubble-- which, like many things in Waker's life, had become compartmentalized, and mostly included a very loving, lovable boyfriend, a few of his Gryffindor housemates, and two quick-witted Ravenclaw boys. But she did love her friends, and she also loved George.

So it was with slight hesitation she decided to be more than just civil to another of Devlin Matthews' exes, one infamously princess-like fifth year, Jordyn Dimbleby.

"You must be freezing," she noted kindly. "I have an extra cloak." Standing up from atop her own luggage, she opened it with a wave of her wand, pulled out a neatly folded black leather cloak, and offered it to Jordyn. Really, if they both hadn't dated Matthews, Waker wouldn't have held a grudge for so long. Jordyn Dimbleby might have been a Slytherin drama-nista, but she was also a very gifted young witch, and a Prefect who had rightly earned her badge.

A smirk graced the older girl's lips; she couldn't help it. "You must be the only person in Hogwarts who could be bored in the middle of the Alps, at a private chalet." It was impressive, and Waker's tone, while casual, said as much. "Do you ski often?"

Turning to face Chance, she added, "I don't think the chaperons would mind if I went and ordered that cocoa for everyone." And then... "Jordyn, will you help me?" Waker looked back down, a brow raised in mild expectation. She had wondered, somewhat selfishly, who might take her badge when she graduated. While she hadn't given much thought to the sixth year candidates, again and again the ambition Dimbleby girl's face had floated into her mind. It was a slightly unsettling thought, but a valid one nonetheless, and Waker's curiosity was being presented a prime opportunity to satisfy itself-- for better or worse.

Jordyn was honestly surprised when she heard a voice with some semblance of sympathy address her about being cold.  Looking up from her seat, arms still wrapped around her, she was too surprised to say anything.  Waker Nolan – head girl – head girl with the badge and a life that Jordyn could have envied every time she thought about it was speaking to her and now offering her a lovely black leather cloat to put on.  “Thank you,” she managed to stammer out – for the first time feeling slightly speechless at an offering. 

She was a ravenclaw, yes, which definitely made her a bit odd for Head Girl, but she was a bright witch and had dated Devlin before Jordyn did, which wasn’t saying much because Jordyn was ultimately a ploy in that too. She felt very used recently, from Devlin to Julian, it was as though she were the perfect tool, but at the end of the day, it did not entirely make her feel great.  At least getting some recognition of existence from virtually the most powerful and (relatively) respected girl in school was something to be said for!

And she sounded so… surprised, and slightly impressed, that Jordyn could come off blasé.  It was slightly entertaining, considering Jordyn had not been on a vacation in so long and hadn’t skied since before even then.  She was glad that she could at least pull off the rich girl act still.  It meant that she was doing her job and not embarrassing her family anymore than they might have been already.  It was bad enough having to magically alter her clothes to keep up with fashion, no one needed to know! 

So, clearing her throat, she tossed her hair over her shoulder and nodded, readjusting her hat as she did.  The cloak was certainly working wonders by now.  “It was a childhood hobby of mine,” there was the truth, it was, “we go all of the time when I am at home.”  Not an entire truth, but they used to.  They would go on luxurious vacations and ski in places like this – now they spent Christmas in Hogsmeade.  Far less exciting, but it was what it was.  “I enjoy it though, and despite the nonchalance am glad to be here,” she laughed just slightly, trying to feel and appear cool.  Godric knew if that would work. 

Shifting from one foot to the next, she was warming up and feeling quite comfortable, smirking to herself that she had managed to catch Nolan in a conversation that had actually been pleasant, and could just feel some sense of pride in the whole situation.  Far from her to decline the request of someone who could very well put a word in for her in the future, plant the see of head girl-ship, Jordyn perked as she was asked to help.  She owed the girl and stood, smiling at her.

“Of course,” Jordyn nodded far more enthusiastically than she had intended, “I would love to help.”  She cleared her throat again, muting her smile just a tad – did not want to appear too eager, and certainly not too much of an arse-kisser, and laughed a bit, “I mean, it would relieve some of the boredom if I could help.” 

Outfit

The ski trip had the makings of being all kinds of wonderful. Grace was hoping that she would be able to enjoy it. Luckily, Chance was there and he had done a pretty amazing job so far of keeping her mind off what was happening at home. On the days that she got letters from her family sharing the latest news on her mother's health, he was usually there to help pick up her mood. When she felt so down that she couldn't bring herself to do some of her prefect duties (which was indeed a strange thing for her), he picked up the slack. They operated in tandem, it seemed and she had come to rely on having his shoulder there to lean on. 

Grace looked up from where she was sitting and ventured a small smile for him. She knew that he still felt out of place as a prefect since he had only been one for a short period of time. And though she had her doubts about his abilities in the beginning, she could admit that she was completely wrong about him now.

She nodded at his inquiry. "Totally ready. I'm actually pretty good at skiing. Love cocoa and s'mores." A wry grin came over her lips. "As long as we don't ice skate, I'll be fine."

Grace pulled her jacket tighter around herself and then she leaned forward to the fire a bit, basking in it's glow. After a moment of gazing into its flames, she looked back at him. She cocked her head towards the seat next to her, urging him to sit down and stop fussing. "I think it has enough wood for now. You don't want to burn the place down." Under her breath, she muttered, "Or else Bombay will come flying in here thinking that the first years are attacking his greenhouses again..."

Chance had not even met all of the prefects assembled before.  He'd at least seen most of them around before, but Jordyn Dimbledy was one of those that he really knew nothing about.  She was a Slytherin which nearly always meant to "proceed with caution", but that was the extent of his knowledge.  She also seemed to have a rather stylish, if eccentric fashion sense.  Chance could respect that, since he certainly didn't follow the status quo at Hogwart's or anywhere else.

Now Waker on the other hand...he knew her a bit more.  She seemed a sweet girl...and hadn't she decimated Devlin at one time?  Chance suddenly felt the strange impulse to hug and thank her out of the blue.  That would likely be inappropriate however and raise too many questions.  After all...he needed to move on.  His feud with Devlin had to be put behind him...as did his feelings for Fauna, at least to some degree.  As Waker offered to retrieve the hot cocoa, Chance thanked her.

"Bless yer heart, lass!  Couldja get th' wee marshmallahs too?"

Chance and Grace were indeed becoming inseparable and this getaway would be no exception, but in fact would strengthen the rule.  Though Chance knew that Grace's feelings toward him had warmed, he still didn't really know that her confidence in him had improved so dramatically.  As Grace replied to his inquiry regarding cocoa and s'mores...it made him realize how strange it was to be mentioning all of these marshmallow related food items in one breath.  Why not ask for Peeps too? 

"M'sure y'd be fine on th' ice, luv.  A wee, lit'l snow bunny...ice angel...whatevur!"

And so the fireplace was stoked and supplied properly.  This pleased Chance, but when Grace brought up Graham Bombay...not even Chance could hide the sinking sensations he felt.  Though he really had no true "claim" to Professor Myrni Levartian....Chance had quite a powerful crush on her and seeing her in the arms of another man was "difficult" at best.  And then having to witness Fauna with Devlin so rapidly after developing feelings for her...well...it was definitely enough to stress him out in the romance department.

"Nnnh....yeah."

Even though the talk of skiing and outdoors activities was very exciting for the athletic Grace, she was looking forward to spending the night indoors, curled up in front of the fireplace. Lately, she found herself wanting to do nothing but that--curl up in a ball in a comforting place and allow everything else both important and not important to fall to the peripheral. So far, the start of the new year had not brought much happiness for the prefect.

The source of most of her happiness came in spending time with Chance. And when they were outside of Gryffindor, they spent a lot of time with Fauna as well. As for everyone else, Grace was not ready to share her personal struggles on a larger scale. She just wasn't ready to deal with that kind of drama just yet.

"Making snow angels would be nice," Grace murmured, chewing on her lower lip. She was about to follow that train of thought off on a tangent when she noticed Chance bristle from her comments about Professor Bombay.

Grace's mention of the herbology professor had not been with the intent of stoking ill feelings, but more so because of her own frustrations with the man. It stemmed from their spying encounter and had continued on with their correspondence before the term began. Her pleas that he not take away the bloodroot had fallen on deaf ears. Then, he had followed that up by taking away something else that had been a source of inspiration for her since the beginning of the year. Grace had felt the of being in Professor Bombay's favor for so long that it still his vengeance because she had seen him in a rare moment of weakness and powerlessness. This was his means of making her submit to his authority once again. Of course, Bombay had no way of knowing about Grace's situation. How could she share her pain with him when his indifference and lack of understanding only managed to incense her stubbornness.

With a sigh, Grace started to shrug her jacket off and laid it over the arm of the couch. Then, she sat back and brought her legs up to curl underneath her. She finally uttered a sentiment that suited them both. "Well, let's not talk about him anymore for the rest of the weekend." With a half-hearted attempt at humor and a cheeky grin, she added, "Anyone who does has to run around in their cold in nothing but their underpants...."

Waker offered a nod, flick of her wrist, and small, serene smile in Grace’s direction before floating off, shoulders back and boots crunching in the snow. She could feel Dimbleby’s petite but notable presence in tow, and couldn’t help the mixture of curiosity and mild intimidation that crossed her own.

But she was amused, too, and perhaps privately pleased that the girl had so... humbly?... accepted her offer of a warmer layer and had obliged her invitation to collect cocoa for the group. As if Waker were someone worth befriending. A social high. Or perhaps it was only the badge gleaming on her chest. Still... maybe the rumors about the ambitious brunette Slytherin were just that. Or maybe Jordyn was even cleverer than the school gave her credit for.

“So have you ever stayed here?” She asked, slowing her pace despite herself, so that she was walking in awkward sink with the younger girl. Jordyn’s family probably owned their own chalet in the middle of France. They probably owned their own mountain, the way people talked about the girl. “I’ve skied, but not lately. I’ll probably look a bit ridiculous the first round,” she said apologetically. “Since I started Hogwarts, most of my holidays have been in England...” At home, cozied up on the couch with her textbooks and bowl of almonds. Her parents worked long shifts, and were not particularly devout in their holiday cheer; the Nolan celebrations began and ended with a pretty tree, stockings, and gift exchange. Christmas Eve dinner was the crescendo, and churchgoing had never been part of the plan. Not that Waker expected many Pureblood witches and wizards to kneel in prayer at mass, or take off days of work to build a Nativity from scratch. But some of the townspeople back home... well, one had to wonder whether Waker was missing out on something.

As they reached the lodge, Waker magicked the door open with a wave of her wand-- being legal and solely in the presence of other magical people, there was no chance of being reprimanded or scarring some poor muggle for life. She waited for Jordyn to step through, and followed suit, pocketing her wand smoothing her hair. She gingerly undid the top button of her own coat, and surveyed the expansive, woody room, with its perpetually Christmasy aura and a monolithic, double stone fireplace with open grates and lavishly soft sofas on either side of its jagged pillar.

“You know, I’ve been meaning to ask you,” she said casually, turning her attention to the younger girl, appraising her subtly. “I hear you’ve got an eye for detail... I’d look to put together more events before I graduate. Academic competitions, guest speakers, smaller, celebratory dances, and things like that. Everyone could participate, not just the Prefects. You know, to encourage our peers to be proud they’re in school...” It was naive, sure. But it also worked like a charm. Students would do just about anything to show their school spirit if it didn’t involve quills and stuffy desks. “But with all the OWL and NEWT preparation, it’s too much for one or two people to do alone. If I put you in charge of a team, do you think you could come up with some ideas, and maybe order a few necessities on our budget?”

The gossip about Jordyn Dimbleby was, in large part, just gossip, particularly about the state of her family’s wealth and prestige.  Jordyn talked a big game and was able to largely keep things a secret from everyone, relying on old family stories to fill the gaps and promises of jaunts to Paris and Rome or wherever she pleased whenever she pleased, because fantasy was invariably better than reality and in her fantasy world – the one she was not embarrassed to reveal, she could do all of these things and more without question.  There was no money to worry about and certainly nothing to hide. 

The question about staying at this particular lodge was met with a casual shake of the head, no.  She tightened the comfortable cloak about herself and smiled a bit, “We’ve always rented private accommodations,” Jordyn’s half-truth was just as good as anything.  They had stayed in private locations, resorts with individual cabins and things, they were a largely private family.  She was glad she did not have to go on about it much though, and didn’t intend to.  She did not figure Nolan would look highly upon the bragging thing.  And she didn’t want to get caught in a lie. 

“I haven’t skied much either. Recently, we’ve used holidays to go somewhere warm, Mum prefers it.”  That was true.  When they did go anywhere, they always tried to go somewhere nice and warm – including the brief stay in the French Rivera which had been very nice – though almost two years ago at this point. She would have died for that sort of vacation now, and honestly, she had screamed with excitement when she heard she would be going on this vacation at home.  Here, she had to pretend to be subdued, expectant, and aloof about all experiences, but inside she was glancing around excitedly, taking in everything with a critical eye.

Even walking into the lodge with its warm atmosphere and cozy interior was something to be had.  Her eyes opened a little wider and smiled with a soft “Thank you,” as Waker opened the door.  She was so lucky to be able to do magic off of school grounds.  Jordyn still had her wand with her, but it was largely for emergency purposes only and would be left in her room during most activities.  She looked at the sofas with longing; she would be spending much of her time there later with a cup of cocoa and a book.  It would be heaven!

Lagging behind a little as she looked at the cozy set-up, Jordyn was snapped into reality when she was addressed again.  She had been meaning to ask her?  To ask her specifically?  It made her stomach turn a little and she glanced upward, almost holding her breath.  “In charge?” the words rung in her ears and she almost lost track of everything else.  There was nothing Jordyn liked more than to be in control.  It gave her a rush, allowed her to make decisions and help delegate.  It allowed her to express what she wanted without fear of being shut down.

“I – I would love to!” Jordyn said without hesitation.  It would be an excellent opportunity to do things and prove herself as a capable leader.  “That would be amazing,” she could already think of her committee – Neely, of course, and Fergie, with a few others who might be willing to lend their eyes and ideas to what they needed.  Jordyn would control the purse-strings, and considering she had gotten so good at it recently, it would be quite successful.  “That would be an amazing opportunity!”  Slightly more excited than she intended, but it was hard to reign one’s self in.  “I can have a million ideas by tomorrow,” she laughed, thinking sitting by the fire might be better spent brainstorming than reading. 

It was time for some much needed relaxation and good, clean, mindless fun!  Many of the prefects needed this opportunity to unwind desperately.  Chance and Grace were certainly in that number.  Let the burdens of Hogwart's and beyond wait until this weekend was over.  For now...everything could be placed on hold.

Grace had grown into more and more of a comfort to him since the heartache of "losing" Myrni and being "disowned" by his mother.  She made it easier to forget his own troubling frustrations and actually enjoy himself.  And then there was Fauna...as much as he cared about her, that bond may have had as many complications as rewards.  With Grace...there were really no drawbacks.  No awkward turtles, unmentioned elephants in the room, or evil shapeshifting rat jerk boyfriends.  These two were there for each other.

Chance would've greatly preferred making snow angels...or even talking about making snow angels over any  mention of Graham Bombay.  However...Grace was sensitive to him and quickly corrected the conversational flow.  And...with her humorous last statement, Chance was even able to actually smirk a bit and playfully toss a retort her way.

"Talk 'bout *who* again?"

How could he resist the easy comeback of trying to make Grace instantly talk about Graham Bombay again under the threat of...cold undies frolicking?

Waker had assumed as much: who in Hogwarts, if not Jordyn Dimbleby, could claim fame to renting out private châteaux during her regular holidays? Even the Head Girl couldn’t evade the prickle of jealousy which hit the back of her neck. Perhaps one day... perhaps when she made a name for herself in the wizarding world...

Nodding away the envy, curtly and with practical rehearse, Waker offered up a little smile. A private truce for a war the fifth year had never known she’d waged. If Waker had previously given the younger student a cold shoulder, had spoken to her with brief, snippy, affected tones of voice, she hadn’t the faintest idea whether Jordyn had known. All she knew was that she’d let the fifth year’s status as Devlin’s arm candy get the best of her. And now that the role had been relegated to Fauna Blake (of all people), Waker had silently and swiftly raised the flag of peace in the Slytherin’s presence.

No one need know.

“Somewhere warm...” She echoed. “I wish my parents worked less. I would love to holiday somewhere in the Mediterranean. I’ve only been twice. The first time doesn’t; I can’t even remember it,” she admitted, with the smallest of laughs. “Where have you been?” She tilted her head toward Jordyn, inquiring quite sincerely as they moved into the welcoming warmth of the rustic lodge.

The strike of envy was nothing compared to the prickle of pleasure she felt at watching the younger girl offer exuberance Waker had previously thought her incapable of showing. It wasn’t Jordyn’s fault; she was no more unwelcoming than Maeve or Vienna, when it came down to it. But Waker had imagined, however briefly, being fifteen and unable to show delight or awe at even the most wonderful of compliments or bestowings. She’d thought, rather densely, that the Slytherins of generations old must have suffered for nothing, mustn’t have ever encountered road blocks or surprises, must have taken for granted everything they were offered. She’d oft found herself wondering how they made up for having an underground common room, only to resolve it probably looked like an Indian palace.

This, of course, had been before the Remembering Day attacks several months ago.

“Great!” She found herself drowning in relief, beneath the pride and delight of the moment. Something about the fifth year gaggle had always intimidated her, loathed as she was to admit it. “I’ll let the Headmistress know when we get back-- no need to ruin the whole... Prefect bonding experience,” she explained, slipping back into formal awkwardness, her voice nevertheless tinged with sardonic amusement. “But we did plenty of fundraising at the last Remembering Day festival, so anything you need shouldn’t be a problem. As long as we’re not ordering monolith champagne fountains and fleets of unicorns.”

Seeing that she was successful in getting Chance's mood to brighten, even just a little, made Grace's heart expand. Her own mood was helped, mainly because it meant that she wasn't constantly thinking negative thoughts or the worst case scenario going on in her life.

The Gryffindor prefect was actually committed to having fun that weekend and she was especially committed to having fun with Chance. Already their little back and forth exchange was enough to get her mischievous juice flowing.

She crossed her arms over her chest and sent her fellow prefect a side long glance. "I don't know who you are talking about," Grace said with a feigned innocence and a half shrug. Even as she pretended to go out of her way not to say the name they were both thinking, Grace couldn't hide a smile as the thought actually crossed her mind that streaking might be fun....even if they did get in trouble for it.

With a smirk, she offered, "I think it starts with a B and ends with a Y. Know anyone who fits that?"

Grace was hilarious when she put her mind to it.  She had a quick wit and a playful nature that could be matched by very few at Hogwart's.  Chance found himself amused and even smiling faintly at his fellow Gryffindor prefect.

"An' here yer th' one makin' th' rules an' y'don' know who yer makin' 'em about?"

Chance's smirk remained plastered across his features now.  The little sparkle in Grace's eyes along with that play across her lips was all too amusing.

" 're y'gettin' too old an' fergettin' names s'quickly, Princess?"

Chance hadn't teased Grace with that nickname in forever, but he was smiling quite a bit now and couldn't help him.

"Yeah, I suppose it is bad of me that I don't know certain things these days," Grace said lightly. If she wasn't so angry with the Herbology professor regarding his punishment, she would be tempted to say his name just to tempt the playfulness of their banter.

Instead, Grace hinted, "Perhaps I just need a little help remembering." She nudged Chance. "That's where you come in."

When Chance used the nickname that had been born out of their earlier interactions which had been more tension filled, Grace ducked her head and chuckled. Oh, how far they had come.

But not too far. She playfully punched him in the arm. "I told you not to call me that....." Her lips curled into a smile and she tacked on, "Putz."

Chance sighed and shook his head, as if immensely frustrated with Grace.  Of course his smile remained there the whole time.  He hadn't gotten to smile this much since....well, his cheeks were actually beginning to ache a little after all the under use of those muscles as of late.

The nudge...and Chance smirked.  He pondered, stroking his chin thoughtfully as he bowed his head.

"Hmm...what 'bout some....city in India.  Seems familiar somehow...?"

It was quite amusing to see how much Grace's reactions to being called "Princess" had changed.  Chance snatched Grace's fist and spun her into a makeshift bearhug as her back pressed his chest.

"Yer so ruddy violent, ya big brute!"