The Party
The clock ticked away the few remaining hours of the day. Somewhere behind them, the fire crackled as a small group of second years desperately tried to clump together each other's work for the last History of Magic essay of the term. There was the odd person here and there, reading a book, or having a chat before they went up to their dormitories, but other than that, Gryffindor common room was quite quiet. In a corner however, sat on a couple of comfortable arm chairs, sat a pair of sixth years who planned to alter this serene pattern that seemed to have descended over the common room over the last few days. Kayden Smith and Gregory Gruff (Griff to his friends), were planning a Christmas party the likes of which had not been seen since the time of the much fabled Weasley twins whose exploits had been passed down from one trouble making Gryffindor to the next.
"So, what have we got on the list so far?" asked Griff as he lent back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling.
Kayden looked at the scrawled notes he had made on his piece of parchment. "So far," he began, "we have got the music sorted – Sam Jones said his band will play – we have the location sorted – quite simple, as we are having it here – and umm…"
"Yes, carry on," Griff insisted as he chewed the end of a quill he had failed to use that evening.
"Well, that's it…"
"That's it?"
"Yes," replied Kayden simply.
"We have been sat here for an hour and that is all we have sorted out?" asked Griff in disbelief.
"In terms of actually having nailed on, yes," replied Kayden as he put down the parchment. "I mean, we have discussed loads of ideas, but we haven't actually sorted much. However, food should be simple enough as we can just pilfer it from the kitchens, the drink can be acquired at Hogsmeade easily enough, and it is not as if we need to sort invites or anything as we are only allowing Gryffindors." Just then, there was a vibrating sound in Kayden's pocket; he reached into his robes and pulled out a phone: a muggle device used when one person would want to talk to another who was a long way away. Griff frowned.
"I still don't know why you insist on using that strange contraption," Griff said as he thought about how much butterbeer and fire whiskey would be needed for the evening.
"It is the best way to contact someone if you can't use magic!" Kayden replied as he started tapping furiously at the brightly lit screen of the small device.
"But you can use magic!" Griff pointed out.
"I know I can, but Sophie can't!" Kayden snapped irritably.
"Oh, you are still messaging her?" Griff snorted. "What about that Ravenclaw girl who keeps giving you the eyes in Herbology?"
"What about her?"
"She is pretty good looking is all I'm saying; pretty good looking and wants a piece of Kayd…"
"I know she is good looking, but not as good looking as Sophie!" Kayden said firmly.
"Well, I don't know that," Griff replied as he tried to peer at his friend's phone to see exactly what he was writing. Kayden turned his body to shield the words he was writing to his on and off again girlfriend. Having finished his message, Kayden then began swiping at the screen on his phone. The whole process completely baffled Griff who could not understand these absurd muggle practises.
"Look," said Kayden as he held out the phone to his friend who lent forward in his chair. On the screen of the phone, was a picture of a girl lying by a pool with her sunglasses on.
"That's Sophie?"
"Yep," Kayden said proudly.
"Well, she is rather attractive, but why is she in her underwear and how come the picture isn't moving?" Griff asked as he lent in closer still.
Kayden whipped the phone back. "She is not in her underwear, she is wearing a bikini as she is by the pool, and the picture is not moving as it is a muggle picture."
"Oh, I forgot how primitive muggles were that they don't have moving pictures," Ggriff sighed as he lent back in his chair once more.
"We do have moving pictures!" Kayden protested. "Look…" He held out the phone once more to show a video – the muggle's version of a moving picture – of cats getting into all kinds of mischief. Griff watched fascinated.
"Is this all you use moving videos for?" he asked, glued to the small screen.
"Well…" Kayden began slightly embarrassed at the muggle use of technology.
"This is brilliant!" Griff exclaimed before Kayden had a chance to really reply. "Look at this one, he fell in the fish tank!"
"Yes, well, lots of muggles put silly videos like this up on this website called YouTube; there are literally millions of them," Kayden explained.
"I could watch this stuff all day," said Griff. "But, what is a video?"
"What I am showing you now: a muggle's moving picture."
"And, what is a Youtube?"
"Youtube is a website where you can upload your videos on the internet."
"Uhuh, ok, and what is upload and internet?"
"Well the internet is… never mind, it would take too long explain," said Kayden as he started to get to his feet whilst slipping his phone back inside his robes.
"That is possibly true," replied Griff as he also began to haul himself upright. "But that cat thing was alright. Anyway, tomorrow we need to start sorting things out properly for this party. We only have a week left until the holidays!"
"Well, it is the weekend tomorrow, so we could head to Hogsmeade and sort out the drinks for the evening?" suggested Kayden as he started walking to the boy's sixth year dormitory followed by Griff.
"Good idea," Griff yawned. "It will also give me a chance to work out how I can acquire some of the more restricted plant life that Professor Longbottom keeps in the greenhouses.
"What? Why would you need plants at a party?" Kayden asked, bemused. "I guess maybe some sort of Christmas tree wouldn't go amiss but…"
"Not that type of plant life!" Griff laughed.
"Then what?"
"Don't you worry your sleepy little head about it," Griff replied. "You just leave it to me."
With that, the two boys traipsed up the stairs to their awaiting beds. Kayden already had his phone out again to see if Sophie had replied to his last message; Griff on the other hand, was contemplating whether or not they should change the location and open the party up to the other houses. It would certainly be more difficult, but would definitely be more memorable if they were to pull it off. As long as they managed to avoid expulsion.