[Jason Jones]

"That's alright...come on...chocolate will make you feel loads better," Jason said earnestly, though he didn't sound to fake---not that it would matter, as the house elves wouldn't be likely to know one way or another.

He led Natalie into the kitchen, and after sitting her down on a nearby stool, sure enough, one of the elves came along. Before it could speak, Jason piped up.

"She needs chocolate---she saw a boggart, and it was a dementer---Professor Weasley told me to take her down here."

The house elf gave a low bow, then scurried off behind a tall shelf. Jason sent a side-glance to Natalie, then nodded over to a stove, where a silver simmering pot lay. He slipped Natalie a bottle of Befuddlement Draught.

"You take the stew---I'll see to the puddings," he whispered with the slightest smirk.


ooc: for Jennnnnnn

[Natalie Panettiere]

Natalie Panettiere was no actress. She could lie quite fluently, she could hide her secrets deep within a locked box in her mind, but acting? Acting was a different story. Especially when it came to acting out fear. Not that the bold Slytherin had ever been afraid, but pretending like she'd seen a dementor was a little beyond her capabilities. Mostly because she'd never seen a dementor. Of course, part of it was most likely the fact that Natalie was currently running on an excitement high. She was giddy. It was awfully hard to transform giddiness into something even remotely believable terror.

She pictured death, seeping around her like a sudden chill and flowing all the way down to the bottom of her bones. She imagined what it must have been like to know you weren't going to live your life like a normal human anymore-- or like Tory's dad, shut up in St. Mungo's. She remembered the look in Lex's eyes after the miscarriage, so empty and hollow and afraid to touch anything in case it broke her. These things helped, and for a moment Natalie Panettiere could swear everything she had just pictured had become a reality.

The Slytherin exhaled a sigh of relief, watching the house elf go with mild satisfaction. She'd really done it-- probably better than she could have imagined. But her giddiness was not gone, and neither was the high of doing something so dangerous. Nat took the bottle with a proud grin, popping the cork on the phial as she walked over to the simmering pot. Her blue eyes scanned the room quickly, as if to make sure other house elves didn't pop up as she poured the Befuddlement Draught into the stew. Natalie gave it a stir with the wooden spoon already in the pot, making sure the potion was dissolved totally into the food.

"Done." Natalie replaced the spoon to the position it had been in before she touched it, turning back to Jason. Her heart thudded like the ticking of a clock, reminding her how little time they had until the house elf was sure to come back.

[Jason Jones]

Jason had his back turned, hunched over a shelf filled with puddings and sweets---his task was a bit more difficult than Natalie's had been. It was hard to mix a love potion with a cupcake without making it look like the cupcake had been messed around with.

He whirled around, just as the house elf returned. "Miss should eat a chocolate cake!" it squeaked, pointing to the cupcakes Jason had just contaminated.

[Natalie Panettiere]

Oh no. Natalie's mouth went dry, eyes gaping wide. She looked terrified enough at the thought to pass like she still needed a chocolate bar. If she ate one of the chocolate cakes, one of two things would happen: either she would fall in potion-induced love with Jason or she would fall in potion-induced love with the house elf. Natalie couldn't figure out which was worse before spluttering out an answer. "Real chocolate... Cupcakes w-won't work," She squeaked pathetically, blue eyes pleading silently to Jason for help in escaping this one.

[Jason Jones]

"Erm...I...I'll take her to my room---got loads of chocolate bars---" Jason stammered, a throaty snicker threatening to escape. His eyes lit up with amusement as he ushered Natalie towards the door.

"As much as we'd all love to see you put the moves on a house elf...." he commented to her in a hushed tone, the corners of his mouth twitching.

[Natalie Panettiere]

Unable to hide the clear relief that flooded her features, Natalie tilted her head to allow a light curtain of blonde hair to hide the laughs that could have erupted from her at any moment as she scuttled out the door, hands in unintentional fists. Her face felt like it had been close too a fire for a few seconds too long, flushed a light red. Taking the love potion would have been horrible-- God only knew how she would have snapped out of it, or how soon. Her relationship with James could even have suffered due to her irresponsible rule-breaking.

But... it had been fun. More fun than Natalie Panettiere had partaken in a long, long time. She felt more exhilarated than ever, coming so close to a brush with catastrophe. "Got anything in mind to do while we wait for dinner to start?"

[Jason Jones]

"Well, yes, to get you that chocolate, of course," Jason said with breathy laugh. He shrugged, and grinned. "Maybe have a butterbeer or two---bit cold outside yeah, but we could...I don't know, wait it out in someplace inconspicuous. No need to be too near to the scene of the crime."

He sent a side nod towards the hall. "C'mon."