Escape Routes And Wishful Thinking

"Hm, okay," said Morana only, not really much interrested, as she finally took a seat.

"Oh come on guys, you really think I would date him?!" Zoya asked, stressing the right amount of incredulity in order to tease said guy. 'Don't sell me that short, please." She added, grinning cheerfully as she took another sip, careful to hurry up the activity before any more shocking hypothesis surfaced.

"Like you said, Rabastan has quite huge fanclub, you could consider yourself lucky if you dated him," said Morana coldly

"Muggles with pointless talents have extensive fan clubs." Zoya dead-panned, glancing up from her glass in an unconcerned manner. "Fan girls don't exactly know the person, they just base their creepy, stalkery devotion on physical attributes. I, myself, judge more comprehensively."

"In that case I still don't understand what is wrong about dating Rabastan here. I personally know many who dreams about him every night. You should be proud he looks at you the way he does," said Morana like nothing what Staz said touched her. It was true. She could actually care less about these two.

"You speak as if it doesn't matter to you yet obsess more on the topic than anyone here, whom it does concern actually." Zoya observed, amusement touching her words as she ran her finger along the edge of the tankard. "Do you really have such a pitiable lack of a social life?" She questioned mildly, looking up and sounding very polite but mocking and sarcasm dripping from her words.

"My sister seems to like you. At least enough to chat with you," said Morana. "But, no, I don't really care, I just said my opinion, because it is supposed to be polite," she added coldly. If something, Morana was completely asocial. She had actually no idea how to speak to someone else than her fellow snakes.

"Morana, sister play nice. Staz means no harm, to her dating Rabastan is strange because It would be like me dating you, that is all she isn't insulting him. I have spoken to her long enough to realize this gryffindor is to nice for her own good" said Marvolo shooting Rabastan and Staz a apologetic look.

"Yeah, to state it once is politeness To keep on repeating it, then its quite the opposite. Clearly, you a lack knowledge in a lot of areas other than your social skills." Zoya countered, arching an eyebrow as she made her point. She was always defensive and particular about what exactly people could know about her and more importantly to the level with which they could state their opinions on her life. "Thank you, but credit me with a little more mystery! For all you know about me I could be a closet evil..witch? No, I guess person would suit better. No, witch has this aura with it, so witch it is. Evil witch. Playing the nice, cheerful Staz by morning only to transform into something else entirely as the sun sets!"

Jocelyn entered the Leaky Cauldron looking for her cousin, who she supposed to meet at Madam Malkin's store, but he never showed up. Jocelyn looked around the old dark place and spotted a group of teenagers with a familiar face, a friend of her cousin, she saw them once, when she was visiting the Crouch family with her parents. She walked up to the table where they were drinking butterbeer.

She walked up to the friend of her cousin Barty and coughed a little to get his attention.

"Rabastan, have you seen my cousin Barty." She asked him and then paid her fully attention to the others sitting at the table.

"Hello.." She said uncomfortable, shifting from one foot to the other and then looked at Rabastan again.

"I am not stalking Barty all days Mia," answered Rabastan somewhere between surprise he sees her and annoyeness of her behavior. "And you should first greet people before you shout at them questions. First it will give them chance to prepare themselves and second, what if those you were so rude to, were for example Gaunt sisters here?" he asked, his voice cold as eyes. Jocelyn was future first year and even if she had manners of young pureblood witch, she was still a child sometimes and kept forgetting how to behave in society. He would introduce even Zoya, but he knew that Jocelyn will react more to Gaunt sisters, since they were known to ever snake. Even the future one.

"So are you agreeing to stalk him some of time?" Zoya asked teasingly, hoping to lighten up the mood. The girl was a first year and looked awkward and uncomfortable and Zoya's heart typically went out to her. "I am sure he is around. Say, isn't it weird that almost everyone around here is or was searching for someone? Or at least waiting."

"I didn't assume you were stalking him i was only asking you if you have seen him, i'm in a hurry and you are the only one i know that knows Barty." Jocelyn hissed back at him.

Jocelyn has only heard of the Gaunt sisters but never met them in her existence so she wasn't aware of the sisters sitting at the table. Jocelyn had to obey rabastan because she knew he would tell Barty and even though she was his family, she was a little bit afraid of him and she needed him more than ever because she was just a first year.

Jocelyn turned to the other girls at the table.

"My apologies for my behavior. I'm Jocelyn Mia Grimm, cousin of Barty Crouch jr. You can call me Mia like Rabastan does." Jocelyn rolled her eyes at Rabastan.

Morana started to laugh. "Yes, you are definitely one family. Both messy," she said, still laughing. "Your cousin is in Knockturn Alley, I met him. He was there with Avery, they were teasing Malfoy," aswered Morana instead of Rabastan. "He will get here eventually, so why don't you join us? I am not an expert, but I suppose this is something like friend meeting or..." and that was Morana's limit on what to say. Mostly because she was now thinking if she should go to join Avery and Crouch as well since she hated Malfoy. What did Cissy saw in him?

Jocelyn sighed and settled her bags with supplies she already bought next to the seat. "Thank you." she said to the girl and took a seat far away from Rabastan. Jocelyn looked around the place and then at the girls.

"Sorry i didn't catch your name?" she asked the girl who offered her a seat.

"Morana Gaunt," answered Morana. "And this is my twin sister Marvolo," she added and pointed at her sister. "And your whole name.... Mia?" asked Morana with little trouble to remember name of the girl. That was the thing about Morana, she ignored almost everything. If something would make her remember the name of this girl, it would be tha fact she is famous as well, or she will be a Slytherin. Nothing else.

Jocelyn's eyes widened when she heard it was the Gaunt sisters, she stood up quickly and bowed down for them and sat down again, glaring at Rabastan. "You couldn't have told me they were here Rabastan." Jocelyn squeaked at him.

After a couple of minutes of glaring she turned back to the Gaunt sisters.

"Jocelyn Mia Grimm." Jocelyn stated proudly.

"What? I told you that they are Gaunt sisters! Just minutes ago!" hissed Rabastan with surprise.

Morana started to laugh again. "It is very nice to meet you, Jocelyn," she said, when she calmed down a bit. Rabastan's face was simply hillarious.

Jocelyn looked at Rabastan. "You said what if for example the Gaunt sisters are here! You didn't say they were here now did you?" Jocelyn hissed at him but turned to Morana and rolled her eyes. Now was the time to relax a little bit because her cousin could come in and hear her hiss at his friends and that wouldn't be so funny anymore.

"Wow that i finally meet you, i hears a lot about you two, now i can tell my mother that i met you and left out the part that i was rude in the first place!" Jocelyn said to the Gaunt sisters with a smile. Jocelyn had no interest in the girl who teased Rabastan and spoke to her in the first place.

"And um...ignored someone else too in the process?" Zoya stated to no one in particular, amused by the spotlight on the two asocial sisters. Their reaction to their 'fan' would be amusing to watch, she mused as she took another sip of the butterbeer. "Hi Staz, I am pleased to meet you.......said no one ever." She added, not meaning the words and lacing them with adequate mocking.

Jocelyn looked up at the girl who talked to herself.

"Sorry did you say something?" Jocelyn asked her.

Morana was watching Jocelyn and Staz with confused look. What was she supposed to say? Or was she supposed to do something? She had no idea, so she was calmly waiting what will happen, her icy stare on both girls. People are weird, that was all she thought.

"Oh no please, why bother? Please do go back to ignoring me." Zoya answered in an ever so polite and sweet voice, loaded with sarcasm. No matter how much Zoya preferred to keep things cheery and light, she couldn't help but fall back on the one most familiar activity in her life. There was something exhilarating in baiting people, making them fight with her.

Jocelyn furrowed her eyebrows at the girl and then looked at Rabastan.

"Sorry i thought i had introduced myself to all of you in general but if you want my attention you just have to ask and i would have given it to you!" Jocelyn turned to Rabastan.

"Can i have a sip of your butterbeer?" Jocelyn reached with her hand to his goblet, looking at him with puppy dog eyes. She knew it wouldn't help her because he didn't like her too much.

"You misinterpret me. I wouldn't dream of keeping you away from your 'idols', I just would like to point out that I do exist." Zoya replied, smiling to keep the sting off her words. "And that I do have a name. Also, that the said name is Staz."

Jocelyn nodded. "Sure but i think you misunderstood me, i'm raised with the fact that in the pureblood families the Gaunt Family is a very important family and they must be treated with respect, i give them my respect. i'm sorry for you that you think i'm fangirling over these girls. I guess you won't understand it all Staz." Jocelyn hissed at her and turned to the Gaunt sisters and grabbed without waiting for Rabastan's approval his goblet with butterbeer and took a sip.

Jocelyn smiled sweetly at Rabastan when se settled back his goblet.