Devon was not doing anything prefect-related, though she'd told Teddy she was. Frankly, despite Teddy's assumption that she was the world's greatest, most dedicated, and able prefect, she was actually far from inspirational. She went on her rounds, yes, and wore the badge when expected, and even used the prefect's bath at times, but she didn't exactly go out of her way to be prefectly when it didn't expressly benefit her. The idea that she was taking care of anything even remotely related to prefectship on the night of her own birthday party was absolutely laughable! No, on the contrary, she was taking her time getting dressed.

It was getting more and more difficult to find a dress that Teddy hadn't already seen on her, and she wanted to look absolutely fabulous on this particular occasion. Sure, he probably wouldn't know the difference if she wore something she'd already been seen in, especially considering all of her dresses were either white, pink, or white and pink. The problem was, she was turning sixteen in just a few hours, and as much as she wanted to look her most respectable and her best, there was something in her that wanted to look a little something else, too – at least just this once. She wanted something a little more glitzy, and a little less like a baby doll or corporate executive. Devon, however, didn't have anything else, and there were very few girls who she could borrow from, given her unique physique.

She was glad she'd bought herself extra time, because she was totally flummoxed. There was no solution to this problem that didn't involve an immediate, top secret shopping trip with someone who was even slightly less fashionably clueless than Devon was. She tried not to worry about it – she merely went on to do her hair. If her dress couldn't be glitzy, her hair could have some panache, at the very least. She gave herself some loose curls, using her wand, and tousled her hair up a bit to make it look a little less calculated. Sure, she tried to fix it again every time she so much as caught a glance in a mirror, but it was a big step for her to even slightly attempt to muss it up. Eventually she made a decision – she'd wear the brightest pink dress she owned and try her hardest to work it. Considering her wardrobe consisted almost exclusively of pastels, choosing the brightest dress wasn't difficult – it stood out like a festering wound amongst the rest of her delicate and pale wardrobe. She was a vision in hot pink. Sure, she still looked like a baby doll (or maybe more like Teen Skipper, given the length of the little dress), but she felt edgier... and that was really what counted. That, and what Teddy thought.

As she made her way toward the tower, her prefect badge pinned in plain sight just in case there were questions, she couldn't help but grin. As much as she was excited about spending time with Teddy, she was really excited for the alcohol, which she'd requested and which he'd promised to acquire. She'd had a bit of champagne before at parties, but never in any large quantity or without parental supervision. She was dying to really drink – to see what the fuss was all about. It seemed exciting and grown up and a little riskier than she was used to, which made her want to do it even more. Her heels clicked on every step as she skipped her way up to the top. She was beaming already, too excited to contain her enormous toothy smile.

The second she was up the stairs she practically bounded for the boy, sashaying toward him with an enthusiastic and probably too loud “Teddy, darling!” She landed next to him in the pile of pillows, giggling with amusement. Before she could say another word she leaned in and planted a kiss on his cheek. She smelled the liquor on his breathe before she even noticed the bottle. “Happy birthday!” she exclaimed, “And I see you brought my present, as requested! You're so good to me – though you started without me, didn't you? What a naughty thing you are!” she chided playfully, her nose wrinkling.