A Birthday Party and Other Related Happenings; Semi-Closed RP

[lilypotter60.livejournal.com]

The Room of Requirement was actually quite amazing. Lily had walked past it three times earlier in the day, thinking hard about what she would need to pull this little dinner party off. Upon opening the door, she'd spent a long moment just gaping in awe.

Walking into the room, one found oneself in a lovely dining room. A long table was set with nice dishes, a large bowl of gorgeous red apples in the center. The ceiling was vaulted, there was a huge stone fireplace in the corner, and a stereo played quiet music. A lovely wrought-iron chandelier hung over the table, shedding just the right amount of light over the whole affair. Beyond the table was a pass-through counter perfect for setting up appetizers and the like; and that showed a fantastically huge kitchen, ready for meal preparation. Lily grinned. This was bloody perfect.

The refrigerator and pantries held all the necessary ingredients, of course, and Lily lost no time tying on an apron and getting to work. A few hours yielded her meal - a tender roast, oven roasted potatoes, steamed carrots, fresh baked rolls, a crisp salad, and a traditional English trifle for dessert. A few trays of appetizers were set out, several bottles of good red wine were chilling in ice buckets, and Lily was ready for the guests.

Sirius, who had agreed to be her kitchen helper, had, of course, been absolutely no help at all, but made her laugh quite a bit around, helping. Steeler was curled up in a corner of the kitchen, sleeping. Once her cooking was done, Lily jotted off a quick note to Perry to lure him up to the room about a half an hour after the guests should arrive. Then, with a quick twist of her wand, she cleaned herself off and pulled her hair back down. Wearing a simple skirt and sweater, Lily figured that at least one of them should be dressed up slightly - and Merlin knew it wasn't going to be Perry.

The food was set out on the table - all charmed, of course, to maintain the perfect temperature - and the only thing lacking was the guests. Leaning against the counter and pouring herself a glass of wine, Lily waited for people to arrive.


((OOC: Right, so, yes this is up a bit early, but time, fluid, all that. :D Just throw your chars in whenever and wherever you like. Once Cox is around (and, you know, has glowered and groused and all that) Lily will start the meal. Anyway, really informal RP here. Just have fun!

Also, yes, the cut text has nothing to do with birthdays or anything, but the Barenaked Ladies song reminded me of Cox, so there you are. >___> XD))

Comments

[estebanmd.livejournal.com]

(( *dead at cut-tag text* Cox does have a history of taking off his shirt, doesn't he? *thinks of screenshots* ))

Stephen had almost thought better of his promise to Lily (http://community.livejournal.com/hogwarts_hocus/958601.html?thread=47371657#t47371657) concerning appropriate attire for Cox's party, but he was a man of his word. At any rate, if things went as he expected, Lily would be wearing something considerably more embarrassing than leather trousers (http://community.livejournal.com/hogwarts_hocus/958601.html?thread=47378057#t47378057) as a result of this evening, so he had little to complain of, relatively speaking. And, unlike the last time he had worn leather trousers in Cox's presence, he could wear a shirt. Of course, he had no clue what would go with leather trousers, so he ended up donning one of the infamous T-shirts (http://www.onehorseshy.com/highbrow/size_matters?p=onehorseshy.38755223) he'd picked up in Hogsmeade a while back. Not exactly fancy dress, but Evans knew what to expect from him.

He carried a haphazardly-wrapped box containing Cox's birthday gift (http://www.missionliquor.com/Store/Qstore/Qstore.cgi?CMD=009&DEPT=000002&CAT=000016&BACK=A0007A1B0000002B1), and the box made clinking sounds as he set it down on the floor.

"Miss Evans -- no, Lily," he corrected himself, smiling. "When are we to expect the guest of honor?"

[lilypotter60.livejournal.com]

"Stephen," Lily grinned, greeting him. Biting back a laugh at the fact that he'd actually worn the trousers (and the message on his t-shirt), she offered him a glass of wine. "Perry should be along in a bit - I've sent him an owl requesting he come and help me with something. Now I just hope he doesn't choose today to be stubborn and insist on an explanation."

The room had provided a low wooden table tucked discreetly into a corner to put the presents on, and Lily nodded her head towards it now. "We can put your package there, if you like. It was lovely of you to think to bring Perry something - I'm sure he'll be thrilled."

[estebanmd.livejournal.com]

It was a rather large box, hence placed on the floor rather than furniture, but Stephen complied. "Thrilled may be too strong a word. I hope he may enjoy it."

[nopower-overme.livejournal.com]

(( following from here (http://community.livejournal.com/hogwarts_hocus/960570.html?thread=47496506#t47496506), just making a new thread ))

After spotting Stephen and finishing her conversation with Lily, Sarah made her way over to the couch he was seated on, glass in hand. Her pace slowed noticeably for a minute as she took in what exactly he was wearing, eyebrows shooting up in surprise before appreciation took over. This would definitely need an explanation, as she was dying to know why he was dressed in leather trousers and a t-shirt at Cox's party of all places.

However, teasing questions were not what she would open with right now. She had been gone longer than she had originally let Stephen know about, but in order to avoid further suspicion over having a raven following her in the middle of the city, she had sent Muninn back to Hogwarts the first night she was out and had been unable to inform anyone of her plans to remain longer without her mailbird. This meant, at least to her, that an apology would be the first thing she focused on, right after a greeting.

[estebanmd.livejournal.com]

Stephen had, of course, seen Sarah as soon as she entered the room, and had been watching her conversation with Lily, without intruding. She had been gone rather longer than she had written she would, which was unlike her. He had worried, at first enough to want to go to London himself, in case anything had happened (Jareth?); he had reminded himself of her talisman, and of the Beretta, and stayed at Hogwarts. When he saw her enter, that worry transmuted to a vague irritation, as a parent might whose child had wandered off, an irritation born of relief, and that irritation kept him from springing immediately to welcome her back. As she approached, he did not leap up. He stretched -- unintentionally calling attention to the outfit he had donned for Cox's party -- and took a drink from his water glass.

When she had reached him, he found he could not summon any word that would not be either scolding or falsely cheerful, so he said nothing, only looked up at her from where he sat. It was the sort of eloquent look at which Stephen excelled: the arch of an eyebrow conveyed both questioning and displeasure, yet the upward quirk of a faint smile gave away how glad he was to see her safe.

[nopower-overme.livejournal.com]

Never one to show up to a party without at least dressing a bit nicely, Sarah entered the room in a skirt and cashmere pullover, a present in hand. Three boxes, one stretching her armspan and the other two slightly larger than book size and perched on top of it, were all brightly wrapped and neatly tied together as one. The large box contained a DVD player, and the two smaller boxes contained a Steelers DVD set (http://www.sportsfanfare.com/ww-tm1204.html) and a Steelers' themed leash (http://www.sportsfanfare.com/sf-hunlshnflpit02.html). The leash was clearly marked as a present for Steeler more than one from Cox (in an attempt to avoid possible innuendo), but was actually for the puppy, Cox and Lily, as Sarah had spent some time spelling it so that no hands would be required to hold the leash when walking Steeler (as she knew arms were often occupied with parchment and books and such) as the handle would have a magnet effect with the person using it. She was quite pleased with how it had turned out, but would still need Lily to work on the DVD player after Cox opened it so it would work with his TV.

Smile on her face, she looked around for Lily and some place to place the gift.

[lilypotter60.livejournal.com]

Seeing her friend, Lily broke into a grin and went to greet her. "Sarah! Glad you made it, love." Taking the presents, Lily gave Sarah a one-armed hug. "Let me put these down and then we'll get you something to drink. Wine all right? Or I think there's probably some soda or juice about..." Walking over to the table, Lily set the gifts down and then pulled Sarah into a full hug. "You look lovely," she smiled when she pulled away. "I'm so glad you're here. I missed you. How was your Holiday? Did you enjoy London?" Chatting happily, Lily led Sarah over to the drinks.

[cafpowgirl.livejournal.com]

Abby couldn't remember ever having been to the Room of Requirement, and had completely forgotten to ask Lily where it was, so she went to the library to look it up. The very idea of a room that magically transformed itself into whatever was necessary was cool beyond words. Abby would have to see if she could magic up a little lab, just to remind her of home.

She arrived, a little early, as Lily had requested with a present for the grumpy doc and a big smile on her face.

[lilypotter60.livejournal.com]

Spotting Abby, Lily made her way over. "Hello," she grinned, handing the girl a glass of wine. "I'm glad you could make it. Come with me - I've those books I told you about." Lily turned and headed back towards the kitchen, trusting Abby would follow.

[hectorbarbossa.livejournal.com]

"Well now, Jack. Looks like we came to the right place."

Barbossa's companion hooted in agreement as the Captain strode in. He had apparently cleaned himself up for the occasion, his jacket being slightly cleaner and marginally less wrinkled than usual.

[estebanmd.livejournal.com]

Stephen, who had been lounging idly, perked up at the sight of Barbossa's simian companion. "Why, I have not seen one like him for many a year."

(( Any idea what species the monkey is? Stephen would know, but I have no idea! ))

[lilypotter60.livejournal.com]

"Captain Barbossa," Lily grinned, coming over to greet him. "And Jack. I'm chuffed you both could come. Can I get either of you something to drink?"

[coxinsox.livejournal.com]

The last time Lily and he had been in this particular room, it had been... for other things. Totally other things. So when he got her note (http://community.livejournal.com/hogwarts_hocus/960481.html#cutid1)... well, let's just say that a party wasn't really what he was thinking about.

Really, he should have known better. Ever since he told her about his birthday (http://community.livejournal.com/hogwarts_hocus/939055.html?thread=47195695#t47195695), he had been waiting for it: he'd turn the corner, and there she'd be with a big plasticky cake and a horrible number of candles. So it was probably fairly stupid of him to assume that this wasn't going to be exactly like his worst nightmares -- but then, to be fair, he'd only ever seen this room put to one use. Also, Lily was sneaky like that.

Going through the necessary steps to make the door appear, Perry wondered idly what her excuse was going to be. She'd said she needed "help" with something... "So, Red," he called out as he pulled the door open, intending to tease her about it, and immediately cut off, staring at the scene before him. "Oh, no..." he muttered, horror creeping over him. "No, no, no..."

[lilypotter60.livejournal.com]

Apparently Lily had some sixth sense about such things, because she had been (luckily!) looking towards the door when Cox walked in. Of course she'd known what he would think upon getting her note - which is why she'd worded it that way. Sneaky, indeed. At his side before he could complete his litany of protest, Lily pressed a wineglass into his hand and reached up to kiss him lightly to stop any shouting in greeting.

"Hello, Ginger," she murmured, pulling back and grinning at him. "Glad you could join us." Oh, she was so getting killed for this later.

[hectorbarbossa.livejournal.com]

"Top of the evenin' to you, Doctor," Barbossa said silkily, making his way towards Cox with Little Jack in tow. As he passed the table, Barbossa deftly picked up an apple. He stopped, realizing he had walked under the skylight again, and was now skeletal.

"Whoops. Beggin' yer pardon."

The undead pirate gave a halfhearted shrug before biting into the apple.

[nopower-overme.livejournal.com]

After a shouting-free entrance and the rather startling gunshot display, Sarah made her way over to Cox to wish him a happy birthday. Or rather, to talk to him as she was nearly certain any happy birthday wishing would not go over well at all and really, she was a neutral party in this bet. No inciting anything or helping to avoid anything.

"So, Dr. Cox. have you wished for the room to swallow you whole yet?" she asked as she stopped in front of him.

[jd-octor.livejournal.com]

JD ran in a little late, and tripped over one of the luxurious rugs, slamming himself into the floor and sliding for several feet. He slowed to a stop in front of Doctor Cox. "Happy Birthday!" he tried to say normally, muffled slightly by the thick rug.

[coxinsox.livejournal.com]

Cox stared at JD for a moment. He could have sworn he had told Lily not to invite JD (http://community.livejournal.com/hogwarts_hocus/939055.html?thread=47282991#t47282991). Of course, he had also told Lily not to have a party in the first place, so hey. It was amazing, though, how JD could be in the room for less than a minute and already be making himself unbelievably annoying. "Oh, God," Cox muttered to himself, hiding his head in one hand. "I hate my life so much right now."

[toujours-sirius.livejournal.com]

Having "helped" Lily with the preparations, Sirius was already in the room observing all the guests. He was particularly excited about Barbossa, whom he had got along quite well with at the Captain's Sorting (http://community.livejournal.com/hogwarts_hocus/769880.html?thread=37297240#t37297240). He did wonder, however, whether Barbossa would recognise him, given that he had been aged down to seventeen years old at the time.

His gift to Cox (http://www.tablefootball.com/Harvard_Granite_Foosball_Table.jpg) was sitting in one corner. It was too large to wrap, so it just had a big red bow sitting on top. Of course, it was sort of a gift to himself, too, as Cox would surely be looking for a partner to play it with, but hey, that would just benefit everyone, right?

A glass of wine in his hand, he leant against the wall, waiting for Cox to come by and yell at him for his collusion in this matter, and for anyone else to come hang out and chat.

[lilypotter60.livejournal.com]

Between her attempts to keep Cox from shouting (and, thereby, losing her the bet), Lily spotted Sirius leaning against a wall and thought that looked like a fantastic idea. Steeler happily trotting at her heels, Lily walked over and stood beside him, a small smile playing on her face. She wordlessly reached over and took his glass of wine. Sipping slowly from it, Lily watched the crowd.

"Well, he hasn't killed anyone yet," she remarked mildly after a moment. "If nothing catches on fire and he doesn't punch anyone before dessert, I'm counting this a success."

[coxinsox.livejournal.com]

Cox had been distracted by his other (http://community.livejournal.com/hogwarts_hocus/960570.html?thread=47564346#t47564346) guests (http://community.livejournal.com/hogwarts_hocus/960570.html?thread=47581498#t47581498), and so he had not yet had a chance to say hello to the Animagus, although Sirius was probably his best friend of the group here. When he did get a chance, he found himself hesitating. Although they had by this point made up (http://community.livejournal.com/hogwarts_hocus/959971.html?thread=47436515#t47436515), Cox was still feeling just a little bit uncertain, perhaps. And then, just as he was about to go over there, Lily walked up instead, and that completely stopped him for a few minutes.

There was something morbidly interesting about watching Lily and Sirius interact, in light of some of the things that had happened recently. There was... something about it, something that bothered him on a certain level. He could name it if he had to, but he didn't feel entirely right about it; Sirius seemed much cooler now than he had before, and there was nothing overt going on... Maybe it was just his own paranoia. He had plenty of that, so why not?

Eventually, he tired of watching them -- not to mention, he felt kind of dumb -- and so he walked over to the two of them, giving Sirius a slightly stiff nod. "Hey. Fido."

[lilypotter60.livejournal.com]

All the guests had arrived, Cox had shown up (and, thankfully, not shouted!), and the food was waiting. Nothing to do now but get everyone to the table. A quick wave of her wand sent all the chairs scooting back and Lily said to the room at large, "Right, if everyone would like to have a seat, I think we can start the meal."

Taking a place herself, Lily waited for the rest of the guests to join her. The roast was in the middle of the table, along with bowls of the potatoes, carrots, rolls, and salad. Glasses of ice water stood at each setting, and everything was charmed perfectly hot or cold, suited to each individual's tastes.

Remembering dinner parties with her parents, and then the dinners she herself had thrown as an adult, Lily was aware that the start of a celebratory meal usually included a toast. Halfway reaching for her glass to do so, she paused and glanced at Cox. Shouting would equal a chicken suit, and he'd been doing so well up 'till now... Smiling a little to herself, Lily decided that the lack of a toast would probably keep the peace, which was paramount.

[coxinsox.livejournal.com]

Cox had finally started to get over his inherent distaste and embarrassment regarding birthday parties, so it really was kind of a shame when he was forced to be confronted with the big table and all the meticulously-prepared food sitting atop it. Feeling wholly awkward, he sat down next to Lily, trying for her sake to look at least vaguely cheerful about the whole thing.

He seemed to read her mind, though, regarding toasts, and when she reached for her glass, his eyes darted to hers in alarm. If she said one thing, sex and expensive cars be damned, he was leaving. Only when he was sure she wasn't going to launch into some kind of a speech did he relax -- and, immediately, reached for the food.

[profmoony.livejournal.com]

Remus was walking by the Room of Requirement on the way back to his office when he heard voices inside - familiar voices: Lily, Stephen, Sirius... and Cox. Among others. He wasn't a busybody by nature, but he did rather wonder what was going on. To his surprise, the Room allowed him to open the door and peer in. (Perhaps his presence was required in some way?)

Fortuitously, he opened the door just in time to hear Stephen's toast (http://community.livejournal.com/hogwarts_hocus/960570.html?thread=47636794#t47636794), which both made him laugh and gave him a clue as to what was going on. Cox's birthday - no wonder he hadn't been invited. He wondered if he ought to crash the party, just to annoy Cox. No, he needed to start being a bit more civil to the man. For one thing, they were now even (after his Lady Godiva stunt with the pony); for another thing, he was wondering if Cox's nastiness towards him might be at least partially his own fault. Anyway, if Cox was nasty to him in return, it would at least prove to Sirius and any other doubters that Cox really did hate him.

He turned away and moved to shut the door.

[lilypotter60.livejournal.com]

For some reason, Lily looked over to the door just as Remus turned away. Hesitating - she knew that Remus and Cox didn't get along - Lily made her decision. Turning back to Perry quickly and giving him a brief kiss, she murmured, "I'll be right back. And, just remember, Ginger - special birthday sex." Oh, yeah, she was going to pay for this...

Standing up, Lily walked over to the door. "Remus," she grinned. "How've you been, love?" Giving him a hug, she then attempted to pull him gently further into the room. "We've just started eating - join us? I made roast and potatoes and a trifle." She laughed, "Yes I cooked. Don't worry, if it's rubbish you simply have to smile politely and vanish it when I'm not looking."