<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/613ozDF.jpg)</div><div class="floatright">(https://i.imgur.com/yuExVFv.png)</div><br/><table class="bbc_table"><tbody><tr><td><strong>NAME:</strong> Mackenzie “Mack” O’Hare (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=299655.msg14674148#msg14674148)<br/><strong>YEAR:</strong> Fifth, Gryffindor<br/><strong>BLOOD STATUS:</strong> Half-Blood<br/><strong>WAND:</strong> Beech / 12” / Horned Serpent Horn (https://i.imgur.com/xVVNflt.jpg)<br/><strong>WEARING:</strong> As pictured.<br/><strong>DATE | TIME:</strong> 25th October, Evening<br/><strong>LOCATION:</strong> Great Hall<br/><strong>CONTENT:</strong> This is not the witch you’re looking for <br/><strong>MUSIC:</strong>  “Trouble” -Pink (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFu3YzRnyDU)<br/><strong>TAGGING:</strong> Aleks, Open</td></tr></tbody></table><br/><hr/><br/>Ribbons and fire… it wasn’t exactly what Mackenzie was expecting but that seemed to be the theme of the year at Hogwarts. Beauxbaton entered with lines of beautiful people and elegant flair, including a rather regal headmistress that made Mack whistle in appreciation as she watched the swishing skirt float on by. All of those faces were lovely, enough so that she shared a few lewd jokes amongst her friends in quieted whispers. But Mack’s excitement didn’t rise until Durmstrang came along, a sharp contrast that was all intimidation and stoic confidence. Somewhere in that crowd was a man she knew only by name and his writing cadence, a stranger that was still somehow her friend. She wasn’t used to feeling this sort of excitement. It wasn’t too unlike breaking the rules or jumping off the edge of a steep cliff. Or that time she and Corey ended up getting in a scrap with some nefarious looking wizards in Knockturn alley last summer.<br/><br/>Adrenalin. That’s what this was. For Mack, it was more potent and alluring than sex ever was. It spiked her blood, rushed through her veins and made her heart hammer just a little more strongly against her chest.<br/><br/>The effect didn’t fade straight away. As soon as the meals were served, people ate and amused themselves with conversation and a few classmates even recreated the entrances of the schools in mockery and awe. Mackenzie ate quickly herself, but frequently reached beneath the table she sat at in order to make sure the bag she brought with her was still where it should be. She had a present inside, as promised. The problem was, she just wasn’t sure<em>who</em>she was supposed to give it to.<br/><br/>Maybe she got a little cocky in that last email exchange. Maybe, she should have asked some leading questions and surprised Aleks by picking him out of the crowd as if she had known who he was the whole time? Blame it on enthusiasm. Or, perhaps she should just chalk it up to her nasty habit of not thinking things all the way through. Impulsive. That’s who she was.<br/><br/>Well, it seemed to work for her this far. She was still alive, wasn’t she? Even if she didn’t exactly sleep most nights.<br/><br/>As her table began to thin out- where people left for common rooms or to mingle with the new faces, Mack made herself a roost by sitting on the table near the back of the room. She was quite comfortable with her sneakers on the bench that previously occupied her rump and leaned back to watch the spectacle that was this very evening. If worse comes to worst, she could always pull out her cell phone and send Aleks a quick email… Or maybe shout his name and see who raised their hand. But where was the fun in that?<br/><br/>She was on the hunt and decided to find Aleks through the process of elimination. All she had to do was ignore the other schools and find someone who<em>felt</em>like an Aleks. Or, at least, that was a good way to start and pass the time until she grew bored.