It was finally here.

When Laila got her invitation to the End of Summer party at the Hog's Head, she was filled with happiness. It was always great seeing her friends when they all arrived at Hogwarts, but the fact that they would fill up the old village pub to celebrate the end of the summer before school even started made her that much more excited for the coming year. Everyone would be happy, talking about their summers, and she'd be right there to witness it all. It was much better than sitting around sulking from doing nothing all day. Laila didn't have any summer plans since her father didn't have much money to send her anywhere fun. She was able to meet some of her friends in Diagon Alley for lunch and go to their houses to hangout, but it didn't measure up much to the students who would describe their trips to Romania, Egypt, and other romantic places of interest that she had never even seen.

She wouldn't let her lack of summer activities get her down, though. After all, the party was going to be a huge success and a complete blast. It was a great way to start off the year, and she wondered why Hogwarts had never introduced the idea before. Still, it'd be fun. Laila giddily got ready in front of the floor-length mirror that hung off the back of her bedroom door, adjusting the red lace dress her that encased her slim form. She pulled her brown curls in front of her shoulder, nodded in acceptance of her appearance, then grabbed her black tote bag and threw it over her shoulder as she left her room.

Laila headed down the stairs, her heels clonking on each step, alerting her father who sat on the couch to the fact that she was leaving. "Leaving bug?" he asked, even though he was already quite aware of the answer. "Yep! I'll be careful, promise," she answered as she kissed his cheek, stopping momentarily as he caught her arm while she turned away. "Midnight and your carriage turns back into a pumpkin, princess," he said cheekily. Laila chuckled and shook her head, then nodded and headed out the door. She looked round, making sure no one was watching, then disapparated to the Hog's Head.

She put a hand to her head, dizziness taking over. Laila had only just learned her license to apparate, after all, and so doing it was still becoming natural. She shook off the feeling after a few moments of gaining her ground and then stepped into the crowded pub, immediately catching eye of more than few familiar faces. Laila was quickly greeted by a load of hugs by friends she hadn't seen since June, and then some she had seen in the weeks prior. "Hey guys!" she cheered, grinning as she returned their hugs. She turned to the right and noticed Adelina Krum, then smiled and made a little wave at her. "Hi Adelina, how was your summer?" she asked with a wide smile.

Adelina was admittedly a bit iffy about going to the party at the Hog's Head. She knew it would be a tad on the wild side with all the students there. Adelina definitely wanted to see her friends, but the thing was... Adelina was about as far from "wild" as one could get. Her ideal party was a proper tea party where everyone stood or sat about and engaged in proper conversation. She had never been at one that served alcohol outside of those that offered wine and champagne to the adults. She had never sipped it herself of course.

But despite all the craziness she knew would be at the Hog's Head, in the end she decided that the ability to see her friends on a casual and carefree basis before the chaos of the first week of school overshadowed said craziness. She knew she would regret it if she did not show up and see those she cared for dearly, especially her house mates in Gryffindor. She particularly wanted to see her best friend in the entire world, Laila Brandon. She had actually not seen Laila all that much over the summer and really missed their chats and activities together.

Adelina stepped into the Hog's Head and ordered a Ginger Ale from the bar. From the looks of some of the party goers, it seemed some of them had gotten hold of something harder than Ginger Ale. A Slytherin girl was rocking out on air guitar on a table while wearing a giant pair of sunglasses. Adelina began to wonder if she had made the right decision when she heard a familiar voice. She turned and smiled at Laila, placing her Ginger Ale down and embracing her.

"Laila, it's been so long!" she said. She broke the hug. "How wonderful you look. How has your summer been?"

Laila was so excited when Adelina perked up at the sight of her. She and Lina were best friends, having grown up together at Hogwarts, and unfortunately the two didn't see all that much of each other over the summer break. They just couldn't seem to get together at all. Laila grinned and returned Adelina's hug, squeezing her tight and laughing as they let go. "Thanks! I've missed you so much! she cheered, tilting her head to the side and smiling.

"It was alright - just plain, you know, nothing special. Hangin' around with dad, went to a couple friend's houses and stuff, nothing major," she said, nodding. "What about you?" she asked. Laila felt bad that she'd gone practically the whole summer without hanging out with Lina, but she knew her friend wouldn't penalize her for it. They had the entire year at Hogwarts to hang out and since they were in the same house, they would see each other every single day. That was the amazing thing about Hogwarts - friendships grew strong.

Laila looked over to the bar and realized she needed to get in the party spirit. She looked at Adelina with her ginger ale and giggled. "Do you want something a bit stronger? I promise it's fine - and I won't let you get crazy unless you specifically say you're fine," she asked with a raised brow. She wasn't one to pressure people at all, and definitely wouldn't make Lina drink if she didn't want to, but she figured the girl might be up for a bit of crazy fun for once in her life. Lina was one of the tamer friends that Laila had - she had a lot of friends - but she didn't care. People didn't need to drink to have fun, it just was one of those things that helped in certain circumstances.

She wasn't one to drink a lot, but since turning seventeen Laila had definitely taken part in drinking festivities. She didn't get stupid drunk or anything like that, just enough to get a little buzz. She was goofy enough and playful enough to not be a downer in any event, but alcohol did tend to help in awkward situations. Laila ran a hand through her hair as she waited for Lina to answer, shifting her weight to one side and crossing her arms over her chest. It was one of those habits she tended to do a lot, unfortunately.

Laila did look lovely. She grew lovelier every year, though personality-wise to Adelina Laila was that same sweet girl she had met in her First Year. They had become fast friends, and within a short time they had become best friends. She nodded when Laila thanked her for the compliment.

"You're always most welcome," she said. Some chuckled at how Adelina spoke at times because it came out so prim and proper, but Adelina was a student of good manners due to having a Durmstrang Alumnus for a father and a Beauxbaton Alumna for a mother. She wasn't planning on ignoring her lessons in etiquette any time soon.

Adelina listened to how Laila spent the summer and smiled.

"Well I hope you at least enjoyed yourself," she said sincerely. "I had quite the uneventful summer myself. A week long trip to France to visit my mother's side of the family, but that was about it. I really wish you could go with me there some time. You would love the countryside, and I could show you mother's old school."

When Laila offered Adelina something a bit stronger, at first Adelina felt a bit uncomfortable due to the fact that she had never partaken in spirits. However, she trusted Laila like she would a family member, and Laila said it would be fine. And she was sixteen now, was she not? She looked down at her Ginger Ale and laughed a little too before looking back at Laila.

"Very well, if you do indeed promise that I will be fine and well not like..." she said before looking over at the Slytherin girl still playing air guitar on the table. "Her." She looked back at Laila. "What do you recommend I try? I'm afraid I am no expert on which of those types of beverages are pleasant."