As he pulled Beth up, helped by a Hufflepuff boy he did not know, to whom he smiled thankfully, he couldn't help but snort at the laundry jokes that were thrown one after another by the Ravenclaw boy. Really, they were such a peculiar group of friends, he thought. Surely things must never be boring around them. Then, finally, Beth was back up on her feet, and-
... lion man?
"Daniel," he offered, because in all honesty, lion man was the least accurate description for him, being the scaredy cat that he was. A year had passed and he still wondered what the Sorting Hat had been thinking - still wondered if he was a late bloomer and if he'd ever show any Gryffindor traits.
Just as he'd finally allowed himself to laugh lightly at everyone's antics, this Slytherin girl showed up and rudely hinted that the laundry room was no place for kids - he was a few days short of thirteen, thank you very much. But he would surely follow Beth's you-don't-want-to-mess-with-her advice, so he remained silent, until Pips caught his attention.
... of course the house elf had already run off to finish doing their laundry. Not wanting to upset Pips, he smiled gratefully at the creature. "Thank you for your hard work, Pips." Now that his laundry was taken care of, and their damsel in distress appeared alright, he should probably make himself invisible and sneak out when no one was looking. It was this kind of situation that made him antsy, being around so many people he did not know, and even more so when they seemed to be the best of friends. |