Irial looked around in amusement. There were so many students here, it was a wonder they didn't trip over themselves as they tried to get to where they were going. He crossed his arms over his chest and shifted in his seat. No one seemed to have noticed him, and he didn't mind one bit.

He watched a few students for a moment or two before becoming bored with them, and his attention turned to just watching them as they passed.

"Let's go get some candy. I have a sweet tooth."" she laughed.
"That was Kevin. She met him in the courtyard. I know what you're thinking. She got over Thomas fast, right?" she smirked back. Which was true. Her blondie bestie was in love, again.

Rhea strolled down Hogmeades, just a bit upset. She was up early, excited about their first Hogsmeade weekend and had waited in the great hall for Irial but hadn't seen. She figured he wouldn't be going, after all he wasn't one for crowds.
She looked around at all the happy smiling faces and sighed. Hogmeades was no fun alone. As she neared the benches, she spotted a familiar figure, when she got closer she realized that it was Irial. She stopped not knowing whether or not she should walk over, after all he did leave without telling her he was going( not that he was obligated to but still...). Maybe he didn't want to hang out with her after all.
She looked away from him and tried to walk pass without him seeing her.

Julie decidely ignored the girls odd behavior and let her hand drop but not her smile, Mina Sakamoto. Lovely name. She said it a few more times in her head so that she got the hang of it. She nodded in response to the girls question, Yeah. You are to right? She sighed inwardly, then rmembered that she needed to write to Lucy. She made a mental note to do that later.

"The cute one...," Plymouth hehe'd again and looked down at his feet. He WAS feeling kind of cute, now that she mentioned it. "Cuter compared to Copernicus maybe, but compared to you. You're just dazzling today. Or probably just dazzling in general all the time. I suppose I'll have to start paying more attention to find out, huh?" Plymouth gave her hand a dainty little squeeze and let her hand go. He motioned towards Honeydukes, hoping she'd follow him.

He did owe her a candy,after all.

Irial was observing the students, and there was familiar face in all of the unfamiliar ones. He smiled and stood up, walking over to her. "Hey, Rhea," he said quietly, once he was right behind her. He had no idea that he was supposed to wait for Rhea, and no doubt would feel bad once he found out. Besides, he couldn't find her this morning anyways.

"How are you?" he asked. He wondered why she had been walking right past him, knowing that he was there. She'd looked right at him.

'As long as it's not yours,' Mina moaned. 'It really doesn't fit me.' She pulled a face; she was moaning about it again. Why did she always end up doing that? Stupid Dad, she thought to herself.

She nodded. 'Third year. Though I bet you wouldn't be able to tell it with my height.' Three years at Hogwarts and only one inch - it was pitiful. She was still shorter than her now-eleven year old cousin. She glanced at Julie from the corner of her eye: the other girl was far taller than her. Great. Why did she never notice those things until late? 'What year are you?' Another drawback to being small; no being able to estimate somebody's age.

She leant backwards on the bench, hands supporting her body as she tilted her torso to the sky. 'I don't know about you but I intend to relax for a few hours and maybe meet people,' she muttered. 'School's too hectic.' But not as bad as it could be if you were still at home.

Rhea turned her head just slightly when she heard Irial's voice behind her. Now she was confused. He left her but now he's caught up with her to say hi. What was up with this guy? She stopped and turned to look at him.
"Hi," she said quietly. She didn't look him in the eyes as she normally would. Those sparkling purple eyes were much too captivating for her liking and she certainly wasn't going to let herself be captivated by Irial Darkk.

She started walking again, this time a bit slower.
"I certainly didn't expect to see you here," she said truthfully.
"I didn't know that Irial Darkk did crowds."

Irial frowned. "What's wrong?" he asked, stepping into stride with her. He was utterly confused now. Did something happen since yesterday? He placed a comforting arm around the girl and squeezed. "Did something happen?"

He laughed then, when she spoke once more. "I intended to stay in the castle while everyone else was here," he said honestly, "but I wanted to see what the hype was. And no..I usually don't do crowds. Don't know why I'm here..." And he didn't. But he was glad there was one familiar face.

Julie smiled, And you think Juliet suits me? I'd rather have Mina anyday. She sighed.

Julie looked at Mina then she shrugged and smiled, Probably not. She noticed her staring at her and smiled, I'm 5' 8" and I'm only a fourth year. I'm tall for my age.

Julie leaned back with Mina and sighed again, That sounds like a great plan. and you've already started on one part. She turned her head to look at her, Meeting new people. Julie turned her head away and closed her eyes, If you think schools hectic, try living in a two story house with 15 other orphans and don't think this is a haven from all the noise. She smiled but only inside.

Rhea stiffened when he put his arm around her and squeezed. Why did he do that?
"No, nothing happened. She looked down at her feet as she continued walking.
"Why didn't you wait for me Irial?" she finally asked looking up into his eyes, searching him.
" I just thought you would have waited and when I didn't see you I thought..." she broke off and shrugged.
"It doesn't matter anyways. Where do you want to go first?" She figured that she would make the best of her first hogsmeade weekend for the term. Even if Irial hadn't wanted to hang out with her other times, it was he who came over this time.

Irial's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh Rhea..." he began. "I'm so sorry! I didn't know that you wanted to hang out with me. I really had no idea. And I didn't plan on coming here. If I had, I would have looked for you." He stopped and stepped in front of her. "I'm really sorry," he said truthfully. "I didn't know."

Frowning because she looked all out of sorts, he thought of an idea. "How about we go wherever you want to go, and I'll buy you whatever you want? To make up for what happened?" he suggested, smiling his crooked smile at her. "What do you say?"

Mina chuckled softly. 'At least you can't get a nickname when you're a baby that sticks, that means "beautiful child" in English.' She shuddered. No, that name definitely did not suit her. 'You can take Mina if you want. I don't mind.' She winked.

She pouted. Five eight! Oh, how Mina would love to be even five foot! 'Evil,' she murmured. 'I'm not even five foot yet, and I'm nearly fourteen.' Huh. No fair. But that was the way of the world. And she was Asian as well, to top it all of. Maybe she was destined to stay under five foot.

Mina nodded. 'Would you believe, since my first day here, I've met a grand total of seven people?' she commented. 'It's terrible! I think I need to become more social.' She laughed at herself.

Her laugh disappeared at Julie's next sentence, and her chocolate eyes flashed open quickly. She winced internally, turning her thoughts away from the track they were going down. Deciding not to walk down the common route people would take upon hearing those words, she grinned. 'Must be rather noisy there. I can bet it's worse than my old school. We only had three hundred pupils, but oh my Lord we could make a racket.' She remembered that until her eighth birthday, she'd been one of those making a racket. It amused her to think like that.

'You mentioned earlier you had a guy you liked. Care to spill?' she teased.

Rhea smiled when he explained what happened. So he did want to be her friend. That was definitely good to know.She grinned at his idea of making it up to her. "Sounds like a good idea to me," she said smiling up at him. Her day was finally starting to look up. She interlaced their fingers, not meaning anything romantic by it at all, seeing as they had gotten pretty close. She didn't suppose he would mind.
"Why don't we go to honey dukes first," she suggested brightly.
"We can get something for motor mouth as well."

Yeah I guess I can't. But the kids use to call me Romeo Girl. I don't know why. She smiled at the memories the words brought. Sure.I'll take Mina and you take Julie. See how it works out.She was only half joking.

Julie laughed suddenly when the girl called her evil, I guess you won't believe me if I said I am jealous of you than? But then again maybe she was meant to stay a giant.

Julie looked at the girl then at the sky, I guess I should start feeling special. If you met only seven people then they all must be pretty important or you wouldn't have dealt with them. She got up and laid on the semi-cold ground so she look at the sky better. But in doing so she missed when Mina tensed.

Julie chuckled, It is, believe me, it is. Luckily we live in a farm house with a barn and everything so we all have plenty of room to move and find a quiet place if we have too. at least till the next kid decides you are done being alone. She thought back to Lucy. She always took Lucy with her if she went somewhere quiet so that they could be alone. She smiled when she remembered how Lucy would play with a toy while she would read her latest book.

Julie blushed as she pillowed her hands behind her head, Yeah, his name is Jess. I met him once and fell for him like a rock off the side of a cliff. She chuckled at the image. She half shrugged, I haven't seen him since, we always miss each other. She felt the now familar sadness creep up and crammed it down. So, Mina. Do you like someone?

Romeo Girl ... it took Mina a second to place it together - but then again, English literature wasn't something she'd learnt in school. 'See, now that's a nice nickname.' Romeo Girl ... it was also quite catchy, if she was honest. Which she daren't be right now. But then she laughed again; Julie's joke was one she would honestly jump at, were it possible.

Mina was startled. 'Jealous? Of me?' It was such an odd thing to say that she actually glanced around her, just to make sure there were no other people who Julie might've answered instead. Jealous of Mina ... something new and different. 'How come?' It couldn't be because of height - how could someone tall be jealous of somebody who couldn't even get into some stores because "kids under the age of nine can't enter".

She'd never thought of it that way; a serene smile worked across her face as she nodded. 'I suppose so. I mean, those seven people contained my first ever friends - are my first ever friends.' And yes, already, Mina included Julie in those seven. There weren't many who could deal with her like Julie was doing. Those were the rarities; and then there were the few who had an inkling of why who still dealt with her.

She snapped out of the thoughts again when Julie continued their conversation. Had she been spacing out? Bad Mina.

She laughed. 'You guys must be pretty close then,' she commented. 'I mean, if you haven't killed each other for that ...' She trailed off, but her intent was clear.

The blush spiked her attention, and she sat up, curling her knees to her chest and crossing her arms over them before resting her chin on the skin. 'Love at first sight.' She sighed wistfully; it sounded such a lovely thing. If only Mina could experience it ... 'I'm sure you'll see each other soon. If not ... tell the initiative and find him - be his personal stalker if it means you get to see him and not miss him!'

Do you like someone? Mina froze, and behind her tanned cheeks a tiny blush rose as a face appeared in her mind. It took her a moment to snap out of her speechlessness. 'I suppose ... you could say yes. But he doesn't feel the same way; I'm a friend he doesn't see often. He has girlfriends, and he doesn't know about my feelings. But that doesn't matter.' She smiled sadly. 'I'm happy to know he is.' She bent her head forward, allowing a curtain of ebony hair to fall between her and Julie so she could try and banish the blush from her cheeks. She murmured something into her arms in her home language that even she couldn't hear properly.

After a minute she looked back up, a smile on her face. Honestly, it didn't bother her. At least, that's what she told herself - and she desperately hoped it was true. 'Anyway - go all out for Jess. If you like him, do whatever it takes to see him again.' Subtle, Mina, very subtle change of subject. She kicked herself internally.

Becca wandered the streets of Hogsmeade. Alone. But that wasn't really surprising - she didn't have a best friend at Hogwarts. Everyone she was friends with had a best friend to hang out with, and it certainly wasn't her. And even though she refused to show it, this did bother her. Too much. If only Lainey was around, Becca would have somewhere to hang out when life got her down. But nope. There was nowhere like that for her to run to anymore. She should have been used to this by now, since the woman had been gone for a whole term already, but... there was just something about the comfort of Lainey's office that she couldn't forget.

She slid her hands into her pockets as she walked down the main street. In a way, it was sort of nice to be alone. This way, she could enjoy the architecture of the buildings and enjoy the scenery...?

Yeah right.

Julie burst out laughing startling a few passerbys who looked at her wierdly, A nice nickname? I was forever bashing the boy's brains in for calling me that. That's were I learned to be quick on my feet because a few were always bigger than me. She remenisced quietly of the days gone.

Julie looked at the girl bemusedly, Who else silly? I don't see anyone else sitting here. She looked around just to make sure. Why? You could probably walk throught any crowd and not draw undo attertion while I walk in the store and everyone will stare at me. God, it gets annoying. She shook her head as best as she could manage.

Julie smiled happy that Mina had more friends, she did seem like a girl who didn't socalize often. So you know seven people and have seven friends. You must be good with people. She closed her eyes.

She opened her eyes and replyed, Yeah. We are pretty close. We're all each other have well except the Headmistress. But there is one little girl I miss the most when I am gone. She's ten now but she was 6 when I left the first time. See, they're muggles and the only one who really knows anything is the Headmistress. So Lucy cried when I left. She didn't know what was going on. It brought tears to her eyes to remember. She was glad to at least see them on Holidays.

Julie blushed heavily when Mina said 'Love at first sight.' Yeah. I guess it was. And I guess I will. He'll have his own personal stalker. How fun? She turned to Mina. Her eyes bright with a plan, Want to help?

Julie just barely saw Mina's blush before it was hidden, You do! Who is he? Here I've been going on and on and I haven't let you speak at all. Why didn't you say anything? Julie missed what Mina said but she did see her hide herself in her hair as Julie was prone to do, Why are you embarresed? she asked laughing. It's perfectly all right to like someone.

Julie ignored the change of subject, I've said enough. Now you say something or will I have to force it from you. She put a look of mock meanness she sometimes put on for the little kids when they misbehaved. She spoke one more word, Spill.

"It IS??" Plymouth asked as he held the door open from Honeydukes for Miss Evolette McKenna. "They're mine TOO! I was telling a friend over the summer - well you probably know Kayla Winters - ALL about booboo kisses! Hah! Good to meet a girl that knows all about the important things in life."

Plymouth popped the blue quill into his mouth and stood on the curb outside of Honeydukes. Hmm. Where to now..? He looked up and down the street, then back to Evolette.

Natasha walked down the streets of Hogsmede, bored. She was glad to be in Hogsmede, she just didn't really have anyone to talk to at the moment, and felt kind of lonely. She had friends, she just didn't really know where they were at the moment.

As Natasha walked down the street, she saw a girl. She looked a few years older than her, and kind of lonely. Or maybe she was just imagining that because she wanted to talk to someone.

"Hi, do you mind if I join you?" She asked her. No harm in asking, right?

Mina snorted; stuff etiquette now. What did it matter? 'Well, I think it's nice,' she teased. 'I can't imagine what you did to those poor boys! Oh, I dread to think!'

Now, that was a point Mina hadn't thought of, but she could counter that. 'Not only can I walk through a crowd unnoticed, but that means not many people know I'm there and I don't talk to people. There's a reason I kinda fail with people - well, more than one, but that's one.' Yeah, mostly unnoticed - that fitted her perfectly. 'Although I can imagine you do stand out somewhat.' She eyed Julie again.

She shrugged. 'Not very. Mostly, they've just learnt to deal with me. But for people like you - you haven't seen the cold side of me yet.' She giggled; not that she wanted to be cold to Julie, but it was inevitable. She did get those moods quite often. 'I imagine you have quite a few more more friends than I do, though.'

That was something she could sympathise with, leaving behind somebody who didn't understand. Her thoughts drifted to her cousin, whom she'd loved dearly and had to leave permanently. 'Does she understand better now, even if you can't tell her?' she asked softly. 'I imagine that she'll understand it's something important that she can't know of.' All this secrecy; it hurt Mina to have to keep secrets from her family more than anyone else.

The smirk was answer enough; the glint in her eyes added to it. It sounded like a lot of fun. 'Girl, you just got yourself a pocket-size spy signed up,' she drawled.

Ugh. Why was she embarrassed? How about: he was the only one who could make her put real emotion in everything? How about: he was the first person who she hadn't broken bones of when they'd touched her? Ugh. It was too embarrassing as she repeated those things to Julie. 'He just ... he seems to know things he shouldn't, and I tell him too much,' she concluded. 'He even knows my one and only wish.' She sighed. 'But is it really okay to like someone who's oblivious to your feelings and has a girlfriend? At least, he did, last time we talked.' Again, she muttered something in her home language, needing to get it off her chest but not wanting anyone to understand it. Lord help her if anybody had actually learnt what it meant.

Mina pretended to cower in fright. 'No, no! Don't be mean!' she cried out with sarcasm. 'There isn't much interesting about me! Honestly. There's not much to say, so what do you want to know?'

Becca wasn't moping, contrary to what her friends would think if they saw her walking along by herself. Sure, maybe the expression on her face wasn't her usual confident look, but only her friends could know that - and they weren't around. But she did spy Plymouth walk out of a nearby shop... with... a girl? And it wasn't Cela. What was going on in the world?

A younger student appeared next to her, catching her off guard. She seemed harmless and with good intentions. "Sure, if you'd really like. I... had no destination, though. I was sort of just wandering." She stopped, turned, and looked at the girl. "Um, I'm Becca." She extended her arm, remembering what she told Copernicus - she wanted to make one new friend from each of the other houses this term. "Did you want to go somewhere? Anything is fine. Candy, an adventure, just sitting in a shop..." She shrugged and shot another glance at Plymouth. "I'm up for anything."

"Of course. Booboo kisses are quite important." Especially when they led to other kinds of kisses. Hmm. All this talk of kisses was making her think of Dominic. Ick.

"Yes. I know Kayla." she said, wondering exactly HOW blue her tongue was going to be from the piece of candy that was now in her mouth. Kayla. That reminded her that she needed to write to Nicholai, she was sure he would be simply delighted to hear about the common room. That is, if Celandine hadn't already told him.

Evolette walked just past Plymouth, stepping up onto the curb where he had been when she'd first come past. "So, how do you know Cela?" she asked. "I meant to ask before, but, there was a bit of a distraction."

Evolette knew Cela had told her about a boy, but she didn't know if this boy was the boy.

Lyra smiled at Dominic and turned her head to look around. One always had to pay attention to their surroundings. Oh! And there is one now! Lyra surely didn't know the little Slytherin but she knew that Ravenclaw from anywhere. Her eyes did a double take as a sly smile emerged. This was going to be interesting! Now where was her Cela when she needed her?

Ooooh, what a pretty day! A pretty day for a pretty girl, that is. Now now Karma, don't get soo conceited. Hehe.

Hair flip. Karma walked down the street in her new yellow jacket she loved soo much. It was awesome, and it was nice to be able to wear it besides her stupid school robes. Ahh.

She put her hands in her jean pockets, wand up her sleeve in its holster, juuust in case. Not that she planned on using it, you just never knew what might happen in Hogsmeade.

Candy. She didn't need it, oh Merlin knows she didn't - but she waaanted it. Which was good enough for her to go get some. Soon, at least. Karma was waiting to see if someone would come up to her at least. She smiled at other people passing by, smiling slightly as she walked.