Garreth's placement in Ravenclaw marked the end of a 6 year inner struggle that the boy had faced since the day he learned what Ravenclaw was. It had been a lifelong (even if that's not saying much at this stage) dream of his to be able to call himself a Ravenclaw. He saw the Eagle's house as an elite group; the best of the best of the best. Being not only accepted into their ranks, but placed there by the sorting hat itself was an overwhelming experience. His embarrassment at having been moved to tears evaporated quickly, as he found it difficult to imagine anyone would blame him. He was finally a Ravenclaw. And now he had the tie to prove it, thanks to Rachel!

"Thank you, Rachel. Thank you so much!" he smiled like never before across the table at his best friend. "It means a lot to me that you did."



Garreth was more than a little starstruck already, and the Grey Lady actually addressing him personally was nearly more than he could take. He began his answer by nodding furiously, as he still wasn't quite able to form words, but he quickly regained that ability. "Kenway! Garreth Kenway!" he introduced himself louder than he had intended, and as red-faced as he already was, he somehow found a way to become even more so. "Y- Yes, Lady Ravenclaw. Very much so."



Garreth was thankfully saved having to be mocked by his peers. In-fact, he was receiving compliments now. Specifically on his brand new Ravenclaw tie. "Thank you very much!" he beamed appreciatively at Ailsa. How nice of her to say that. "She didn't get it for me, no, but she kept it with her so my dad wouldn't take it away. She gave it back to me on the train." he continued with a smile on his face. What a nice girl. All the girls he'd met so far had been really nice, but this fact reminded him that he'd not even gotten to know a single other boy on the way to Hogwarts. Of course, the Great hall was crawling with them, but he didn't know a single one. Was he just feminine? He certainly hoped not!



Of course Garreth had been rather excited about the feast, and he'd actually managed to enjoy a single bite of Turkey before the bombs fell.

"Oh, Merlin's beard.." was all he managed to mumble before the bombardment began for real. Being a light, agile and well-dressed young man, Garreth had the ability and the motivation necessary to avoid being struck by the mashed missiles, ducking under the table in a hurry. He was sure glad he did, as the moment he'd hunkered down, a huge, gravy-lathered ball of mashed potatoes exploded the bench right where he was sitting before. Quickly examining his robes and tie, he let go a sigh of relief. Minor splash damage only.

As the rain started, he shot a glance to his right across the horde of Eagles who also had the idea to take refuge underneath the massive table. He was sure he heard his name spoken. Ailsa had said something to the other girls about him. "I'm right here!" he assumed she'd asked where he was or something like that, but he hadn't been able to make it out clearly on account of the massive ruckus.