[W]inter [R]oses-Mary-

[Alexander James Parkinson]

The weather had long ago completely lost its charm to Alexander who found it to be more tedious than helpful even in the darker things that was going on. A cover that could leave tracks by the foolish who did not cover them. So he stood out in the Courtyard in the morning watching large flakes falls and longing for the sun to shine again or maybe for a bit of the snow to melt and fall away. It was funny that he wasn't liking the snow given that he was a Snow Owl in his animagus form. He smirked to himself and glanced about him, he seemed to be alone so he shifted his form where once a tall dark haired boy had once stood was a owl with pale blue eyes. He took wing and sored up into the sky at least the snow wasn't as much a bother up there. He glanced down on the whole of the school, and blinked. It was as busy as ever. Especially the quidditch field. He felt a certain amount of alarm going near there when there was a game going on or training.

So he swooped towards Hogsmead since it was the weekend anyways oh he had permission to come and go as he liked. He was of age to Apportate and do magic in the muggle world seeing as he was seventeen. He knew that many of those he associated himself with often made the trek just to get away from the Castle for a little while. He couldn't say that he blamed them.Still he was debating how best to talk to the girl he'd sent roses to when he'd found out what Mulciber had done to her, in her fourth year and his fifth. Oh he would have tried to speak to her before than and had on occassion but there was the fact that he wasn't sure how to approach her, given the company he often kept. Both of which was woefully absent these past days. That was because he wasn't planning on risking them with all the dangers he might have to face among the werewolves. He knew it was dangerous to be doing this now. However, Alex had a thing for red-heads always had.Lily had caught his eye first year but it seemed that most of the spirited red heads were all sorted into Gryffindor.

It was something that made it so he wasn't always allowed to socialize with them. He stuck to being around Severus, well not close since the other boy was no nonesense and had he not seen him smile at least once would think him incapable. He also hung around Millicent Crabbe, whom was his first cousin because she was a Pure blood and she wasn't really likely to get a date otherwise. Being as tall as he was and he suspected stronger and rougher too. Still for all her size she was sweet and didn't belong in Slytherin. She'd have done better in Hufflepuff. He had too much to do for silly entanglements with foolish girls who was, he was sure created from birth to chase after a family name they were not related too. He caught sight of Mary quiet by accident he was swooping a little too low to the Three Broomsticks. He dropped and shifted behind the place and moved to catch up with her. "Good Evening Miss.Mcdonald." he called after her moving to swiftly catch up to her offering a faint bow. "Alexander Parkinson." he supplied his name after the slight bow.

[Mary Maggie McDonald]

Hope Siezes , The Invisiable AchievesThe Impossiable

If you look up, there are no limits.

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Mary was a snow loving girl by nature, she had always been just a little immature when it came to it, at least when it came to being around those willing to play in it as opposed to simply walk through it. It was something that on a year by year basis, she would never really grow out of, but after months of the white stuff she was yearning for the spring, the sunshine, the flowers in bloom, trees covered with blossom, it took a lot to get a girl like Mary to get fed up with snow but she was thoroughly sick of it. Mary had taken to going to Hogsmeade at the weekends, she still did her prefect duties, it was a commitment she took seriously, but for the most part people were too busy with test revision now and generally in a foul mood. That was those not involved in quidditch games or practice in any case and she had quite gone off that since the posterboy of the sport at school had been fairly unscrupulous in his pursuit of her best friend to the point of trying to get her to sell herself to him through his treatment of Severus, she had hexed James badly when she had found out about that those years ago.

Mary was still just a touch wary out on her own after that incident with Mulciber, being hexed badly enough to be hospitalised, that it was past the means of Pompy to fix on her own, that had been scary. Oh she was still a Gryffindor, she was still brave to a fault, but she would never be one to not be mindful of her surroundings, but then being brave was not living without fear, that was being stupid, being brave, truly brave, was living despite it, she had not allowed what had happened to have her hiding away in her dorm and just getting through school. Of course, the roses had been a curiosity, but the sender had made it clear that the gesture was worth more than her knowing who it had come from. She didn’t obsess over them, there were stories, muggle and from the wizarding world, about the dangers of that. Mary had not really had much to do with boys, oh she quite liked Diggory, but it had never gone into anything serious. He had had girlfriends, she had been there when he was single and with another but as friends. She had dragged him to a muggle movie, he had taken her to parties, but that was as far as it had ever gone, despite Lily calling her on liking someone and not doing anything about it. In all truth he was a best boy friend more than anything.

Mary was usually with her girls, her own little family at school given she was motherly, much as Lily and Molly who she was often with were. Mary knew more than one Slytherin that would have been better suited elsewhere if not for family ties, Andromeda would have made a fine Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw, she knew of Millicient in passing, Severus…well he was Slytherin to the bone but he was old Slytherin, ambitious and too cunning for anyone’s good, not mean and petty for the sake of it. Still, she had not known overly many from the House, nor as many as she would like, perhaps, not because she felt Gryffindor and Slytherin should not mix by any means, she had fussed Lily for not speaking to Severus when both were miserable, but because as one who did not hide her affiliation to the Order, it was not a wild guess to think that she was persona non grata around the Slytherin areas given the Death Eaters ruled the roost. She was certainly not looking for a nice wizarding name, she wanted to be respected, not held as a trophy, nor thought of only for the man she had married, but then that wasn’t so big a deal in the Gryffindor commons in any case. She heard a footfall behind her but that wasn’t so uncommon in Hogsmeade when it was busy, so she had thought nothing of it until she heard her name. She looked over her shoulder, taking in details, his eyes and skin, the memory of a face and school tie. Slytherin, likely pure blooded, but he hadn’t thrown a name or hex yet, so she wasn’t going to be rude, “Good evening, Alexander. To what do I owe the pleasure?” The look in her eyes and the tone was pleasant enough for a first meeting, or at least more than saw him in the corridor.

[/color] Alex Post Status,[/color] Fin WORD COUNT,[/color] Seven hundred and eighty eightMusic Macavity – Cats Notes?:None Wearing?: [/color] Jeans, blouse, duffle coat, travelling cloak
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[Alexander James Parkinson]

It was said that as a snow owl that Amexander should have been rejoicing but that wasn't the case. There was only so much snow anyone not born in the Artic World could endure. Be it because it made things dreary, or because things were so white all the time the tall dark haired boy couldn't say. He suspected the magical weather as much as the next person. Though he had also known a bit more about it. Since it helped to cover werewolf activity and attacks. Which had been written off by the Muggle Newspapers as rabid dog attacks. Somehow he just did not think so. He worked the weekends in Hogsmeade when he could. Not in a shop or a store no, in a darker manner, he kept an eye out for Death Eater Contacts to pass on information. Into and out of the School. Since the owls had been gone over so closely lately, given Dumbledore's speech about the approaching and coming war. He already knew it was fact, there were signs it didn't take a seer to read. Alex's opinion of James was not a good one. He'd seen first hand how James carried himself, how he acted around people and how he was towards Slytherin. If it was Slytherin it was bad, he'd seen the boy Hex people who had just happened to be in the place he was. Alex held no respect for James, Headboy or not.

Anyone who was out in these times should be a touch wary in his opinion not just Mary. You never knew how deep the corruption truly went. It could have been just skin deep but some how it seemed more like it wasn't. What Mulciber had done was bordering on an Unforgiveable. However, he hung around Crouch Jr and Dolohov both of whom liked to play with dark magic. Not just in the normal manner but really mess with it. There had been rumors about making spells similar to unforgiveables but not quiet to the level of those. What ever it was Mulicber had used it had earned him some time to think about the things he'd done wrong. Alex didn't make excuses for what he'd done. You really didn't need to in there circles anyways. He'd insulted him was all the was needed to be known. He'd purposely used Sonic based spells because he knew it would cause bone damage, and regrowing bones could be really really painful. It was the best he could do really since he couldn't visit on his own. Flowers had been the extent of his wishing her well. He also knew that Mulicber had run afoul of Lily too. He was fortunate to not be in Saint Mungo's on a different floor. Still it was hard to get through to fools like that, that using words like mudblood could land them right back in the infirmary.

Alex had known that Diggory was sometimes around Mary when Mary wasn't with her best friend. He'd seen the two of them. He'd thought it was more a friends relationship but he also knew alot of people tended to keep there relationships on the low. Even though they weren't afraid to be seen together. Like Lily and Severus one rarely saw the two of them apart. It was something to look to and live up to. Finding someone you could tolerate to that extent. Someone to love it was a romantics idea. However, Alexander was also logical in it. Not everyone would have what he had seen between Lily and Severus there was an extent of knowledge of one's beloved there that went beyond anything he'd ever previously experienced. Than again his parents had been an arranged marriage. Alex's best female friend within Slytherin would likely be Cissy because they were related through there mothers. He saw in her a light that her crazy older sister was trying to squish. There was just something not right about Bellatrix and most of them knew it to. She was utterly devoted to the Dark Lord, but one had to wonder what her husband to be thought of that really or if he was so callous he didn't care. Alexander could never imagine being told who he would marry, let alone having a wife who cheated on him. This was the biggest problem with Slytherin really. Arranged marriages were set sometimes at birth, than you meet someone you get on with and opps you have to marry someone else. He was fortunate in that he didn't.

Alex also bore a resemblance to old Slytherin maybe not as directly as Severus did but the current batch needed put back in the den and to be rehatched. He had come here this evening to handle some business. That had been taken care of directly. "Business." he said with a chuckle. "Usually when I am in Hogsmeade it is on business." he admitted. "Some shady sorts gave my father a hard time in Knockturn Alley so I visited to make sure everything went smoothly." he matched his step to her's. "What, other than your feet brings you out here?" he asked. " Pleasure or business ?" on of his brows raised a slight inch. There was nothing threatening about him this evening he was quiet social and warm.No hexs or name calling needed since there was simply no room for it in his world. He was a gentleman after all. "You do not plan on being here after nightfall do you ?" he inquired quietly. "Since it's never the safest of places." he said with a shake of his head lightly. He couldn't quiet give to much away but he was fairly sure that tonight was a full moon, and it would be best for anyone to not be out when there was a Greyback in town.

[Mary Maggie McDonald]

OOC: I'll make this pretty later, bed calls


Mary had been reading those muggle newspapers and the stories they had reported, with the magical world seemingly preparing for a war, she didn’t doubt that it would spill out into the muggle world, not that the Death Eaters needed an excuse it seemed. There were too many stories about rabid dog attacks to ring true, and some of the injuries described…well that was something that given her passing grades in Care of Magical Creatures and her significantly more than passing grades in Defence Against the Dark Arts, she put towards a slightly more sinister cause. Oh she hadn’t met many werewolves in person, or any really, but she knew about them. Being a prefect was more or less a fulltime job considering she shared a Commons with the Marauders. She had never quite gotten on with James, maybe there was just something about the way he pursued Lily even then, given that Lily had clearly not liked it and Mary had felt very close very quickly to the other muggleborn girl. She had docked points from James more than once, headboy or no, he had matured but she would not forget the boy he had been and there were times that he very much resembled that boy.

There was always going to be a little of that event that stayed with Mary, she would never quite be the same again. Oh she had come a long way, close to the time she had refused to leave the dorm without Lily, not that the older girl would have left her alone in any case, it had taken a while before she hadn’t felt vulnerable by herself. She had learned since that it had been very close to an unforgivable. She hadn’t even really felt it at first, that was shock for you, but her body had simply crumpled as she lost power in her legs, and then there was the moment of agonising all over pain before she had passed out. The next she had known she was in a place she’d never been before, it certainly hadn’t been the med wing at school, and how serious that meant it was had freaked her out so much she nearly undid the reparations that had been made. She was aware of what had happened to Mulciber, or at least that he had spent time in the medwing, there were few that could blame her for not feeling sorry he was in that mess. Mary didn’t mind names, people could take them where the sun declined to shine for all she cared, but there were some who lacked proper manners to say the least.

Diggory and Mary were friends. They could have dated, but their times out had never really been more than two friends who happened to be the opposite gender. She liked him very much, and was sure that the feeling was mutual, but there was simply not that something there that made it work, that made her think of forever, and that was the difference between she and pureblooded wizards in those circles,. her parents had a love that sparked and fizzed, and would expect nothing less of her than to choose who she would be happy with. It was very much what her best friend had also and she knew that she would know when something just worked. There was never going to be any doubt that Mary was going to be with the Order. She would not let anyone she could protect from it go through what she had, she had turned that fear into a resolve that she was going to see it through. Far from scaring her away from the war, she would go into it with a purpose and that made all the difference.

Mary was good enough at history of magic that she knew about the Founders, perhaps more than some had bothered to take in. She doubted that three of them, Gryffoindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, would work with a man that at any time showed the homicidal nature that some of his House now did. Of course she might be wrong, that was many generations ago, it was just her own thought on it. She raised an eyebrow a touch when the answer business was given alone, though she listened, “Ah, well, there’s a general giving of hard times going around.” As the lines were being drawn, they had somewhat in the school. Mary had learned to duel since she had been hospitalised, though she had never quite needed to use that up until now. She shrugged, “A little of both. The walk appealed to me and there’s demand enough on some of the books I’d rather my own than use the library.” Of course she could have ordered those books, but the walk had also been part of the appeal to the trip out. She shook her head, “I wasn’t planning on being, no. I wouldn’t normally, but it simply doesn’t feel a good idea at all today ewven without that.” She wasn’t quite sure why, but the hairs on the back of her neck sstood on end at that thought. She shook that away, though she had learned to listen to her instincts. “What about yourself? I shouldn’t imagine it’s all too safe for anyone to be out alone at the moment.”

[Alexander James Parkinson]

Alex wasn't a prefect but than again his duties often kept him busy as well. He was playing a game with his own life but what was life without a little adventure ? He understood all to well what might happen if he messed something up. He also knew all to well what his parents would do to him if he fouled things up. No one liked a screw up. They had told Alex this before, oh never mind that he had his heart set on a Muggle Born girl, they would just love that, but he would cross that bridge when he got to it wouldn't he ? Alex had known of Mary for a long time. He had tried to speak to Lily about her but the other red head had been almost hostile about her best friend. Telling him if he got her hurt--she would hurt him. Alex had no doubt that she was telling him the truth. Still as he had pointed out. How could she judge the heart wanted what the heart wanted. His brain had no damn say in it. He had been the one to pepper her room with roses those months she was stuck in Saint Mungo's and he had sent her Christmas present unsigned, or un-named. It was difficult to woo a girl who didn't know what you'd done. Still he had to lay low. Not for the same reasons that Andromeda did, but because he wanted to do things right and not mess up. He wasn't suffering from concerns of not being good enough, he was worried about what her parents would say.

Mulciber was fortunate in the fact that he was a Pure Blood and in the little group that Alex was. Alex made no illusions when he had told Mulciber that he had pissed him off. That he better never put himself in a position where he could hurt him because he would. He never told him why he was mad, just that he was. Alex couldn't say for reasons it could get worse curses tossed at Mary. However, he wouldn't hide away from her either when he had a chance to talk to her outside school grounds, and with the fact that he was his own man now. He had choices and those choices were his to make and no one could tell him otherwise. Now it was convincing Mary he was not pulling her leg or trying to lure her into a false sense of Security. Mostly, Alex didn't want to wind up like Potter, chasing a girl who couldn't stand him. he knew that Lily had gone to Saint Mungo's to see her, he had heard her talking to one of her friends about it. That had been how he'd been able to find out about her room, he'd talked to the Hufflepuff girl. Who knew Diggory and so he had a way of getting gifts sent. Alex couldn't imagine being hit by a spell like that. Than again Alex also wasn't one to instigate a fight, if it was a fight he used his fists. He was rather good at fisticuffs. Alex certainly wasn't going to name call, least of all her. Some people had to hold themselves above such things. Still like Severus he was exposed to it. He just had no nemisis to cause him the troubles that Severus suffered with Potter.

He was well aware that if the two were dating it wasn't serious since he knew that Diggory dated and when it came to himself. He had taken up with his cousins to parties and dates. He set an over all not interested vibe. It never worked so well in Slytherin with crazy girls looking for a Pure Blood match and he was concidered handsome , wealthy and gifted so girls tried alot with him. NOt that he did anything more than courtly turn them away. He knew some were up to no good and more than once had tried to poison him with a love potion. Some girls were just out of there minds. It was really why he found himself drawn to Gryffindor girls. They knew there miind and were out to save the world on there own with or without a man. Alex, was also of the mind that if a girl wanted an occupation she could have one and socialite wasn't an occupation it was a hobby. it seemed that in those trying times that everyone was looking for a thing to believe in. He was looking for a cause, and the Death eaters were more a means to an ends.

"Yes, but the difference between the people that whine and complain about it and myself." he said bringing a hand to his heart. "Is I am more than happy to get my hands dirty and go and do something about it." he told her with a faint smile. "I don't take well to people trying to take advantage of those I care for.". He motioned to the things she was holding. "Need help with that ?" he asked her. "Might not be safe for me, but if it got to dangerous I can turn into an owl remarkably fast, and when I do I am capable of dodging things. Trust me my brother's flung a boot at me on more than one occassion." he smirked "Though that was because I wooted outside his window all night to spite, him at one point." he explained. "Other than that, my business here is done, if your's is. Maybe you'd like to have dinner. I promise I will be nothing but gentlemanly." he promised as he raised a dark brow at her to see if she would agree or not.

OOC: Sorry about not being on were having black out here in Cali and I was fortunate my lights came on today.

[Mary Maggie McDonald]

Hope Siezes , The Invisiable AchievesThe Impossiable

If you look up, there are no limits.

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Mary kept herself busy, that was the way of it really there was little else that she could do. She would be fighting in this war, but for a year she would know that her best friend was doing it without her if such actually picked up, that was why the prefect duties, which she was fairly sure would turn into head girl duties next year, and her schoolwork were given diligent attention. Oh she had time to socialise, and to be out and about as today proved, it was just that it could be simply said that she was not going to slack off any time soon. Mary knew Andromeda’s stance when it came to trying not to drag muggleborn friends into the little war she had with some of those in her dorms, and she had chided her for it, telling her that she would make her own mind up over who she spends time with and she doesn’t give two fruitloops what others think about that if Andromeda can handle herself. Mary had not been let in on the conversation that Lily had had with Alexander, but then ‘the talk’ was rarely shared with the person that the talk was about, she knew that Alexander was a Slytherin but she was not going to judge him on that. She had wondered who had sent her the flowers and gifts, she had had some from Lily and Marlene, of course, Diggory also in the spirit that their time together was always shared, but had never had a name for the others, though she felt grateful for them of course. She figured that the person who sent them would make themselves known or wouldn’t, that was really up to them.

Mary had passed the time of day with Alexander before, as she had with anyone who was not going to throw a curse or ill word at her. She couldn’t say that she disliked him, and she would have been amenable to his company around or outside of school, but she hadn’t thought any further than that. That wasn’t to say that she wouldn’t, but that she knew how things generally worked in Slytherin, if one tried to push something past friendship with a Slytherin, then there was the possibility that one were trying to move in on someone’s fiancée, or match at least, and so any move as far as Mary were concerned would have to come from the other person. Even then she would be a touch wary, which was a shame as she would be with few at all from the other Houses. She did not automatically equate Slytherin with bad to the bone evil as many people did, but she had learned her lessons from not being guarded, that Mulciber had been harmed from within and from outside had not made her any less careful. She was over that for the most part, that she was at Hogsmeade alone demonstrated that, but she was always going to make sure that she was back at the castle before darkness fell if she were by herself, that was simply common sense in these times. Mary could look after herself with her fists if needs be, magically she relied on charms and defence more than putting someone down with a style that any who had frequented muggle nightclubs might relate to dance forms more than the offensive art forms that some borrowed from. She was never going to be part of the duelling league, but she could look after herself. Mary understood that Severus was around the name calling, she understood just what James did to him, but he had been left with a buzzing in his ear for what he had said, and not just from her, redheaded Gryffindor girls stuck together and Molly had certainly had a thing or two to say about it.

Diggory had had girlfriends, that was true, Mary didn’t grudge him them because really she didn’t have any designs on him and so had no right to fuss him. Of course some of the girls had been a little lukewarm with her, seeing something that was never there to be seen, and she had told him she didn’t care who he dated, she also didn’t care if a girl was dating him, she was not going to be made to be picked at by a jealous little girl. That had been when she still had a temper, though she had never had to act on that. Mary was not looking for a match, she figured if there was someone at school, then they would find each other without needing to obsess over it, and that someone would have to accept that she would neither be a pretty little trophy wife nor a socialite, anyone who wanted her and wanted that life for her was going to be sorely disappointed, because hey, women even had a vote in elections and a chance to stand in parliament now, archaic ideas like barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen half her life (not that children were not at all in her plans) and party after mindless party the other half were not going to wash. She had committed herself to the Order and she believed fully in its cause, that was important to her in all things in life, that she believed in something, because she did not take committing to something, nor would she take committing to someone, lightly.

She nodded, “I feel much the same, I’ll act on the behalf of one close to me before I’ll act on my own.” There were friends who did the same for her, of course, that was simply the way things were, given her group of friends looked after each other, and made sure each other were looked after, before themselves, it all worked because of that. She handed a couple of her books over to Alexander, “Thank you.” She could have carried the books herself, but it would have been churlish to refuse help out of hand. “That’s a handy talent, animagi is something that interests me but I’ve never really had a reason to take it further than that.” She had a lot on her plate and anything new would push something else down, it would be that way until she finished her NEWTs. She chuckled, “I assume you had a good reason for spiting your brother?” She hadn’t met Alexander’s brother, though she had heard that he bought into the pureblooded supremacy line, she wouldn’t judge out of hand without meeting someone but to say she had not heard the best things about him was understating it. She thought about Alex’s offer for a moment, judging the sun, the fact that she would have company on the way back, there was certainly time to eat before it became dark, “I’d like to be at the castle before it is too late, but I can’t see how a meal together would hurt, so I should be glad to.”

[/color] Alex Post Status,[/color] Fin WORD COUNT,[/color] One thousand, one hundred and seventy threeMusic Ladies don’t do those things – Escape Key Notes?:None Wearing?: [/color] Jeans, blouse, duffle coat, travelling cloak
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