All the single ladies, all the single ladies!

[JOSEPH JAY WALKER]

(( . . . It's stuck in my head . . . gah! BTW, this is completely open!))

Joey sat quietly in the library with a book in his hands, his blue eyes focused intensely on reading the words written across its pages. I know, he's super foxy, so it's totally hot that he was reading. Anyway, his latest read was Curses and Counter-curses (Bewitch Your Friends and Befuddle Your Enemies with the Latest Revenges: Hair Loss, Jelly-Legs, Tongue-Tying, and Much, Much More) by Professor Vindictus Viridian and as much as he enjoyed reading and trying to memorize every word, he would have rather been doing something else. Reading about these sorts of spells and curses was nothing compared to actually doing them. Oh how he would love to cast a jelly-legs jinx on some unsuspecting victim! He was in the mood for adventure; reading was just a substitute for hanging out with friends at Hogsmeade. Every one of his friends seemed to be busy though, the guys were all out trying to sweeten up the girls they planned on asking to the Halloween Ball. So why wasn't Joey out doing the same? Well because he could wait until the last minute to get a date and although girls weren't falling all over themselves to be with him, it was highly unlikely that anyone he asked would deny him. Still, he wouldn't wait too long because as well aware has he was of his ability to attract females, he didn't want to risk the chance that every girl had been asked. Plus, he did NOT want to be left with Sirius Black's leftovers; that would just be embarrassing!

What he wouldn’t give to be out flying about, as long as he could avoid running into any of the house teams playing Quidditch. That would be terrifying, all of those bludgers flying around and seekers diving for the snitch and those bludgers, ah! Joey looked up from his book with wide eyes; his mind had gotten carried away. He had imagined himself flying around with a wide grin on his face until a bludger hit him right in the teeth and knocked him off his broom. After rubbing his jaw, scared of his own over-active imagination, he put the book down for a moment. He swept his eyes around the library, looking for something, anything to distract him. He sighed as he stood up from his seat and went to search up and down the aisles for something a little more interesting. If he were lucky, he'd run into a person to keep him company. Even if he ended up just sitting beside someone as they both read it was better than being there alone. Joey considered himself a very social being and most of the time he dreaded spending too much time alone. Of course everyone needs his or her time alone, but Joey seemed to need less than the average person.

Finally, he thought when he noticed a figure reaching for a book on one of the higher shelves. Although they were both magical and could retrieve any book they wanted without needing the help of others, he thought he'd be chivalrous and reach up and grab the book for the person. Being rather tall, it was easy for him to reach over them and quickly grab the book. He flashed them one of his most charming smiles and read aloud the title of the book before handing it to them.

"Tough read, I've read it once before, but I had to go back and re-read a few lines to truly take it in. Excellent choice though, I highly recommend it."

Joey wanted conversation and one about books would easily do. He had certainly read a lot and while Madam Prince didn't always welcome him into the library with open arms, she didn't dislike him either. Joey had never returned a book late and he was always as charming and polite as could be in her presence. Of course he never expected to get away with much and if he had caused any trouble he knew that he wasn't charming enough to get out of the situation, but he felt like there was nothing wrong with kissing up to her just a little bit.


((Not my best, but I wanted to get a Joey post up))

[LUK HARRISON ANTHONY]

Typical, only the first week back at Hogwarts and Luk already had an essay due for potions on Bulbadox Powder. Everyone in the class had to research a different potion or magical substance, some Hufflepuff chick had to research beautifying potions and there was a fellow Ravenclaw that was assigned hiccuping solution. It was just Luk's luck that she ended up with a powdered that caused someone to sprout painful boils when it made contact with their skin. She was by no means a girlie-girl, but she also wasn't a tomboy; she liked to think a boy would appreciate the topic she was given a lot more. Predictably, all the members of the little 'slug club' were given interesting or easy topics, but Luk knew if she complained Slughorn would deny the favoritism. Luk would have to get her revenge another way.

Luk started her paper where most students did; the library. Though she hated the smell of the moldy old books, she loved the quiet. Luk was the type of person who preferred solitude so she found it very difficult to share a room with four other girls, unless she got bored. If Luk was bored, her roommates became her source of entertainment; she would lie and connive to get the girls to fight amounts one another then she would simply sit back and watch the trouble unfold. Since most girls were irrational and immature, they never had enough sense to be able to figure out that Luk was causing all the trouble so she'd yet to get caught or fail at her egging on. Still, even this got boring at times and even Luk would turn to normal human interaction.

As Luk casually strolled through the shelves of books looking for the appropriate one, she saw a small group of first year girls gathered together, looking at her, and whispering. Luk didn't have to be psyhic to know what they were whispering about; they were trying to figure out if she, Luk, was a boy or a girl. Since Luk wore the male school uniform (pants instead of a skirt) had short hair, and was blond and not well endowed, she was often mistaken for a boy. When she first adopted her androgynous style, she was annoyed by this, but she knew she sort of brought it upon herself by having short hair and refusing to wear a skirt. Having a boy's name didn't help matters either. In a way, she almost liked the attention and causing the confusion; it was similar to the trouble she caused to her roommates, but not to the same extreme.

After almost a half an hour of searching, Luk came a across a book that seemed like it would be useful; 101 Magical Skin Irritations and Their Causes. As she reached for the book, she could feel herself gagged at the thought of what kind of information the book was going to have. She was so distracted by her gagged reflex that she almost didn't realized she was grabbing at the air a few inches below the book. Now, Luk was not a short girl, but this book was still just beyond her reached. Annoyed and frustrated, Luk stood on her tip toes and reached for the book with a scowl on her face.

Like he had been summoned by magic, Joseph Walker came out of nowhere and grabbed the book for Luk. She blinked and raised an eyebrow as she took the book from the Hufflepuff. Walker was a typical ladies man, though not a insufferably annoying as Sirius Black. Luk supposed the boy was good looking, in a generic sort of way; he was just one of those typically handsome guys that all the girls in school enjoyed fantasizing about. Luk preferred brains over looks, but that didn't mean she would date a smart troll; she appreicated attractive men, they just needed some substance.

"Well, it looks like chivalry isn't dead," she said flatly, "but, forgive me if I think a little less of you for enjoying a book like this."

((umm, by far not my best, my brain is mush from classes))

[JOSEPH JAY WALKER]

Luk Anthony. She was another one of those oh-so-lovely, feisty Hogwarts ladies. He knew who she was right away, she was kind of known for her rather androgynous appearance. Joey thought it was kind of cute and that her first name was quite fitting. He hadn't had many interactions with her before and wasn't entirely sure what she thought of him. Admitting to himself that there was a possibility she could dislike him for his bold personality and tendency to openly brag and flirt was not an easy task, so he decided that he would be careful when talking to her. Joey hated giving people the wrong impression of himself, even though he realized that not everyone is going to like you. Luk had a bold confidence that Joey appreciated, it was the kind of confidence that he hoped he conveyed to others as well. He also hoped that he didn't seem like a complete idiot, he was well read, even if he didn't consider himself book smart. Joey thought of book smart as a term that indicated how well you did in your classes and how much you paid attention in them. He also thought of the term as an adjective for someone who was naturally intelligent and didn't necessarily need to study. So, despite the fact that he loved to read for pleasure, he was inclined to pass on the reading and studying for his classes and therefore did not consider himself book smart.

His eyes lit up a bit when he noticed the tone of her voice. If he hadn't known better and if her robes hadn't been Ravenclaw's colors, he would have assumed that she was in Slytherin. Maybe the hat made a mistake. Joey had enough common sense to know that she was just not the type of chick you mess with. Actually, he found her a little bit intimidating . . .and he liked it. Lately he'd somehow avoided all of the air heads, but had a run in or two with some Slytherin girls with bad attitudes and misplaced ambitions. What was it with all that pureblooded nonsense? Since when was that important? Somehow his mind had gotten completely off track in the few moments he had been standing there with Luk, but he finally came back to reality in order to reply.

Truthfully, Joey hadn't read 101 Magical Skin Irritations and Their Causes. In fact, the book sounded kind of gross. It made him a little bit curious as to why she was reading it, could Luk be suffering from some kind of gross rash or skin infection? He carefully tucked away the thought, preferring to pretend like that just wasn't possible. Letting out a short laugh and giving her a wide grin successfully masked any strange faces that he would be tempted to make after imagining her with a horrible rash. Not wanting to be a complete liar, he took back his previous statement.

"Well, I haven't really read it. I was, actually I'm not sure what I was doing. Poking a little fun I suppose. Ummm . . sooo . .what do you need that for, if you don't mind me asking."

Joey started out his question slowly, trying to make it as nonchalant as possible. He was very bad at this acting casual thing and instead the question seemed very awkward. Now she would certainly know that he had jumped to the worst possible conclusion and thought she was walking around with some kind of disgusting, irritating magical skin condition. Joey ran a hand quickly through his hair before looking down at his feet for a moment, when he looked back up he gave Luk a very sheepish grin. It was not his intention to come off as rude or insensitive, most people would never consider him either of those things, but at times he could be and he was well aware of this personality flaw.

For a moment he thought that he might be able to take it back, reword it so it sounded less rude. This, he quickly deducted, would be a terrible idea. It would be just Joey's luck that he talked himself into an even bigger hole than the one he was already in. It was not often that he got flustered because Joey normally spoke with such quick wit and pizazz that he didn't have time to be flustered. It's only natural that things wouldn't always go so smoothly, so he hoped that Luk would be able to over look it and not take his words the wrong way.

((It's all good . .I haven't had microsoft word in a while . .so my grammar is probably horrible haha sorry!)))

[LUK HARRISON ANTHONY]

Many people in the school who encounter Luk always thought she was better suited for Slytherin. Luk herself even thought so at times, but lacked a vital characteristic; bias towards blood status. For Luk, it wasn't what type of blood you had that mattered to her, it was intelligence. There were some purebloods that were borderline retarded and some muggle borns whom Luk considered to be incredibly intellectual. She didn't often talk about blood as she did enjoy the company of some Slytherins and coming off as a muggle born sympathizer may hurt her popularity with them. The subject was just one that Luk did not concern herself with at all. If people asked, she told them she was of pureblood and only that she didn't waste her time becoming overly concerned with blood status.

Why anyone would want to even pretend to have read such a book was beyond Luk, even for the purpose of poking fun or teasing. Not having even read it yet, Luk could tell that the book was going to hold the most vile and disgusting information she had ever come across in her five years at Hogwarts. Maybe it was just a boy thing to pretend to (or God forbid) be 'into' those sorts of things. Luk considered herself to be a bit of a tomboy, but never had she found anything disgusting interesting. Or perhaps, to Joseph, this was some odd way of flirting? Was there any girl at Hogwarts that he wouldn't flirt with? Well, he was certainly barking up the wrong tree with Luk; she was immune to such methods of flirting. If Joseph wanted to impress her he could have make some clever comment about how horrible the book sounded. At least something that wasn't so cheesy or generic.

"I don't have any skin problems, if that's what you're wondering," said Luk with the smallest of smirks. For being notoriously smooth with the ladiea, Joseph hadn't quite hidden the deeper meaning behind his question. Did Joseph expect her to be thick enough not to realize that the curiosity that something might be wrong with her was his main concern? If she really had such a problem, she would go to the hospital wing, not the library so that everyone there could be left guessing what type of horrible disfigurement she might have. Still, she couldn't really blame him for being curious; if their roles were switched, she'd probably be wondering the same thing. The only difference is that Luk would be bold enough to come out and ask it, none of this 'ignoring the elephant in the room' bullshit.

"If you really must know, I have the misfortune of having to write an essay about Bulbadox Powder," she said flatly, "you see, since I'm not kissing Slughorn's ass like so many of my peers, I was assigned a less than desirable subject to research." Though there was very little emotion in her voice, it had to be very obvious that Luk was extremely bitter about the assignment. As she said it, she wondered if Joseph was in the Slug Club. Probably not; if Joseph acted at all like Luk expected him to, he had to be more of a class clown than the type of academic prodigy that Slughorn often invited into his little clan.

"Anyway, I suppose I should thank you for getting the book for me," she continued with the same flat tones as usual, "even though I could have resorted to using magic. . . It was still very gentlemanly of you." Luk was trying to sound thankful, but her usually cynical undertone couldn't help but come out a bit.

[JOSEPH JAY WALKER]

Joey almost burst into laughter when Luk just came right out and said that she didn't have any skin problems. He hid the laughter, brewing underneath, with a wide, toothy grin. So his thought process regarding Luk and the book hadn't been too intelligent, but he was a boy and sometimes boys were thick skulled. Also, Joey was naturally curious about lots of things, never deeply interested in anything, just curious. Perhaps he could have been a little more sensitive, a little more thoughtful. Maybe he could have been a bit more logical, but that's not always how Joey worked. Actually, Joey almost never worked in a completely logical way. This is because his mind was swimming with other thoughts all of the time, even when he seemed to be completely focused on whoever he was speaking to or whatever it was that he was doing.

For example, at the moment he was thinking about lunch and I can assure that in a minutes time, possibly even less, he'd be thinking about what he wanted to be for the Halloween ball. The Halloween ball, perfect topic of conversation because whether you loved dances or completely hated them, most people had an opinion on them. Joey would reserve this juicy topic for a little bit later though, after they had finished discussing the topic at hand.

"I must admit, I was wondering just that. Thanks for clearing things up for me."

Yeah, that's right, Joey could be sassy too. That wide grin remained plastered on his face, assuring Luk that he wasn't trying to be a sarcastic asshole. He had only had a few interactions with Luk before, so he was still trying to get a grasp on her personality. The last thing he wanted to do was offend her because he was fairly certain that she could kick the poop out of him. He knew that he had come off as a bit of a smart ass, but Joey felt like Luk would clearly recognize that he was just joking around. Joey was a joker, he was playful and never too serious with anyone. Some people loved him for it because he could lighten up almost any situation and some people hated him for it. If you were lucky enough to get to know Joey well, you would find that there was a lot more to him than smart comments and witty quips.

"Ah. Slughorn. Bulbadox powder isn't so bad, really, he assigned me the Hate potion. If that's not suggestive, I don't know what is."

He shrugged his shoulders and grinned, again. Slughorn had, in fact, assigned him the hate potion. The potion would reveal the worst faults and habits of the target person to the drinker. Slughorn had been brazen enough to test the potion himself, the target person being Joey. Let's just say that the results didn't help Joey's grade any. Although he had made the potion correctly, Slughorn decided to grade it while still under the influence of the potion and since he obviously had favorite students (and least favorite students) . .well, you get the picture. Despite this, Joey didn't mind Slughorn all that much, he figured that it wouldn't be long before the old fart retired anyway.

"Oh, uh, no problem." Joey was a bit surprised that Luk had actually thanked him for getting the book AND that she had said it was gentlemanly. He ran a hand through his hair before deciding to not dwell too much on the comment.

"Hey, at least this book might give you some interesting costume ideas for the Halloween ball, right?"

If it didn't give Luk some creative ideas, it at least gave Joey some. He thought, briefly, about going as some type of boil covered monster. Maybe he'd dress as Slughorn covered in boils, that certainly would be interesting.

((Sorry that took me a while . .and it's not great . . .))