He smiled as Minnie restored his natural hair before telling him that he had better not be slacking in classes or that purple hair would return.. he chuckled at this "Yes ma'am no slacking got it!" he beamed as Justin also said the same thing.. to not slack in classes and he chuckled more at this.. everyone was telling him not to slack... and he nodded that he wouldnt. "I wont slack.. well i will try not to." he said grinning.

Ella sensed that Ian was greatly relieved when he heard that she was a muggle born. Perhaps he's a muggle born too then? She was glad he had asked where she was from as it allowed her to think about home without feeling sad. "I live in the West end of London. It's a rather large place, much bigger than where I grew up. Grandfather was a doctor and when he passed, we moved in with my grandmother. Before that we lived in Camden." She smiled sadly, thinking about a time when her grandfather was still alive and her family didn't have to worry about tending to such a large place. "Are you a muggle born too then?" She asked curiously. "Where are you from?"

Ella let out a sigh of relief when Ian told her he hadn't thought she was being rude. "Good!" She smiled at him. Noticing him going for a pastry, she realized she hadn't really eaten anything and grabbed one too. "This food is lovely isn't it?"

He listened as she answered his question about where she was. He'd only been to London once, when he was a wee lad. He'd been there with his mum to pick up some things from an old bookshop in one of the markets. He didn't understand it then, because he was about 6 years old and the book just looked old and dusty. It didn't look fun to read at all so he didn't pay it any mind. He did however see it again from time to time as his mum would look at it everytime he'd get in trouble for some strange occurrence at school. "I've only been twice in my life. Once when I was six and once to come here on the train." He watched as she seemed to get a little sad, though she smiled. He was about to ask here something about it when she asked about him being muggle born. He nodded slowly and said, "I'm from the town of Abergele, on the Welsh coast." He loved the place, what with the miles of white sandy beaches and the coastal breezes bringing the smells of the sea in with them. He loved to watch the old men bring in their catch from the night's fishing to the market and the older ladies trying to haggle with them on prices.

He grinned as she seemed please when he told her she wasn't being rude. He bit into his pastry and closed his eyes, imagining what the berries were like when they were fresh picked. He wondered about the person who'd grown them. Were they grown on a small farm, with the sweat of a man's brow, or on a large industrial farm using machines and other implements that took a man away from the earth.

When she spoke, he opened his eyes and smiled. "It's quite lovely. I've not had a bad meal yet." He loved to eat and he loved to see the work of men and women as they prepared meals from things they hunted, caught or grew.

He was hungry. SO hungry. He was pretty sure that he could eat a hippogrif by himself. He need something to eat ASAP, so he went to the Great Hall to grab something to eat. His first choice was actually the kitchen but he remembered that there are house elves there and he's not to fond with them so The Great Hall was the better option.

As his foot stepped into the Great Hall, Messer made his way to the Hufflepuff house table. Its not too crowded so its not that hard to find an empty seat. He began to put some of the food into his plate. Some mashed potatoes and roast beef. Nom. Nom. Nom

Ella was happy to hear that Ian was also a muggle born. It was nice to know another first year that didn't have it all figured out. She looked at him thoughtfully and said, "It is quite weird being a muggle born and then finding out you have magic...My parents were pretty surprised when I started moving things about when I was angry. It was kind of scary at first." Then she listened to him talk about where he was from. She had to admit, she'd never heard of Abergele before but was quite curious about it. "You said you're from Ab-Abergele? What's it like there? I've never heard of it." She shrugged her shoulders, feeling quite foolish for not recognizing the place. She hadn't done any traveling outside of London and was not familiar with a lot of places.

Ian seemed to be enjoying his pastry so Ella bit into hers, enjoying the delicious filling. It was heavenly and the only thing stopping her from shoving the entire pastry into her mouth was the presence of her new friend. She didn't want to look like a pig, after all. Hearing that he loved to eat, Ella smiled wide. She too was a fan of food and loved trying new things. "Hey Ian, what's you're favorite meal?"

Adeline looked around. She was hungry. She got some food and she just needed a place to sit and eat but she didn't want to eat alone. Adeline looked around and wondered where to sit. She didn't know to many people but she knew that it couldn't be that hard to make friends at her house table.

Adeline walked farther on and saw a boy about her age and she wondered if she would be able to sit with him and eat. She walked up to him and debated whether to talk to him or not. Then she decided to have a go at it. "Hello." the American girl told him. "May I sit with you?" she asked the boy.

Ian listened intently to his new friend as she talked about her new experiences. As she spoke of her parents curiousity about anger, he nodded. "I've had mum's strange habits when things would happen around me. She'd haul out this old book and start looking at it. She never let me see the book. Said it was for old people and not children." As he listened, he smiled. Her accent was different from his, but much like most of the students. "Abergele...." he thought a moment. "Well, Abergele used to be a Roman fort in Wales. There's old ruins we would go to play. It's in between these two resort towns, so we see lots of different people who come out to visit. Come to think of it, many of them dressed a bit differently than most. Much like our professors here, I think."

He watched her eat hers as he bit again into his. She seemed to enjoy it as well. When she asked for his favorite meal, it was easy to say. "I am rather fond of fried meat pies and chips. With a bit of milk to wash it all down. Mum would make it for me and dad on cold winter days, when the sea winds would cut through your clothes. What about you?" he asked Ella.

" Good, then it's settled. The Four Amigos are gonna start to buckle down . " Justin said as he smiled.

Ella smiled, listening to Ian talk about life in Abergele. He seemed more at ease now, talking with confidence. She was happy that he was comfortable around her. She thought Abergele sounded like a nice place to live. Playing in old ruins sounded very intriguing and Ella imagined it was quite a fun place to play. As for the people dressed in robes, Ella had spotted many in London throughout her childhood. "I saw many people dressed differently too. I never thought much of it until I came here." She wondered why she had never brought it up to her parents when she was a kid...maybe she had?

Ella smiled as Ian told her about his favorite meal. She could almost feel the warmth of the food going down as she listened to him describing the cold winter days near the sea. She closed her eyes for a bit, thinking of the ocean. She could almost hear the swell and crash of the waves. Opening her eyes, Ella thought about her favorite meal. "Well, I hate to be stereotypical but fish and chips are my favorite!" She remembered going for walks with her dad and stopping on the way home to pick up fish and chips for dinner. She had loved waiting in the shop for the food, listening to the cooks singing in the kitchens as they prepared the dishes. Her dad would sometimes chime in, embarrassing her momentarily but making her laugh. "I'm also quite fond of my mom's shepherd's pie. It's quite good!" She smiled, thinking about how her mom had promised to teach her how to cook.

Minerva smiled and picked up her pumpkin juice. "What do you mean start?" she eyed the boys as she took the sip trying to act cool.

Justin laughed at hat she had said, " Babe, I meant Ame and Harvey. You know I am, ya got me right behind ya at all our classes. "

Minerva smiled and took a sip of her drink. "Well I was under the impression you were saying I needed to start." she turned to her bag and pulled out the schedule. A big grin crossed her face. "Potions is our next class today." that of course excited her.

Justin looked at her schedule. " Oh, goody....not one of my favourites. " Justin said as he picked up his orange juice and took a sip.

Amethyst chuckled. She loved potions. She hoped that she was going to be able to make it. "Yeah...I'll try making it to potions.." She nodded. She really needed to earn some points for her house. She's a total slacker. She only had gotten her house five points. Of course, that was excluding the Herbology homework she turned in.

Harvey listened to all his 3 friends chatting around him.. Justin was right.. he would have to start attending those classes.. and he just smiled as he listened to them talk.. and then Minnie mentioned potions.. oh that! yes he would have to attend that one too.. it was one class that he hated in the beginning but now.. it was interesting but still not his favourite class. But oh well. He smiled when Ame said that she would attend potions.. it would be good for him to see her there.. "Great.. look forward to seeing you there." he said smiling

Amethyst smiled looking at the all. "We also have to attend Ancient Runes!" She smiled looking at the others. She wasn't fond of that class, but she knew she had to earn Hufflepuff those points.

Friends:

Minerva smiled as they talked on whether they liked potions or not. "You will all be there regardless, right?" then Ame said about Runes "I found the class interesting but hard. I am hoping with a new professor we might be able to understand better." she liked last years professor he was nice, but she didn't understand a word he said.

She giggled. "I wouldn't miss Potions for the world!" She thought about the Runes professor last year. She tried so hard not to laugh. "Only reason I would go to the lessons was to hear him speak!" She smiled wide.

Harvey smiled "Yes we will be there" he said answering Minnie's question when Ame mentioned Runes.. oh boy.. everyone had trouble last year understanding him. Yep Minnie just said his thoughts and then Ame spoke about not missing potions.. well if she was going to be there then he would not miss it either.. he smiled.. and he chuckled when she said that she could only go to his lesson to hear him speak.. "Oh really? Ok" he chuckled again.. he was not jealous.. but it was funny to say that..

She giggled at Harvey. She smiled and ruffled his hair. "His accent was interesting to unravel!" She leaned against him. She remembered how she honestly never understood a word from him. "But I have you." She winked smiling.

Harvey smiled as she giggled and ruffled his hair and spoke about their previous runes professor before leaning against him "Well yes that is true.. to try and figure out what he was saying.. it was fun at the same time." he said as he looked at her "And I have you.. my little gem.. even though you arent so little" he chuckled before kissing her forehead.

Ian was feeling more at home here than he had since he arrived. Ella was the first person who took the time to really show any interest in him. It was nice talking to her. She seemed at ease with who she was and what she was about. He watched her responses as he talked and he felt like he should paint better pictures, but she seemed to lose herself a bit in the stories. "Yes. I thought the folks in the robes rather odd growing up, but most of them were very nice and would wink at me as they walked by. I was very relieved to see people like them in a setting that seemed more natural to them."

"Ooh. You've never had good fish and chips until you've had some from a stall in the market straight off the boat. The potatoes were a bit smallish, so our chips were sort of puny, but the fried cod just sort of melts in your mouth." He missed home most days here, but talking to her gave him a bit of pride in his hometown. He'd never given much consideration to it, but he really did love it there. He wondered what a wizard's life would be like there. As she talked about shepherd's pie, he smiled. And then he asked her, "Have you learned to cook much?" He loved sitting in his mum's kitchen as she prepared dinner for the family. His family lived close together and many nights he'd be in the house with his grandfather and father and his uncles before they would set off to fish that night. He'd listen to the stories of bad storms and cold wins, but also monster fish and old sea stories. It really was a wonderful home. Too bad he grew up a little different. He knew he'd never join his cousins and brothers on the boats.

The more they talked, the more Ella couldn't understand why Ian hadn't had more luck with the boys in his dormitory. He was very kind and could tell stories that made you feel like you were right there with him when they occurred. She smiled when he described the fish and chips from his home. She felt her mouth watering as he described the cod. "Well, I'm officially hungry all over again!" She laughed, rubbing her belly. "That sounds amazing." When he asked if she knew how to cook, she gave a little snort. "Sorry about that," she said sheepishly. "I'm just terrible in the kitchen." She smiled as she remember the time her gran had tried to show her how to make cookies. She nearly set the house on fire and her dog had run down the street to escape the smoke. "I'm kind of a disaster at keeping track of things on the stove or in the oven...Let's just say I'm more of an observer right now but my mum said she'd teach me this summer!"

He smiled as she said she was hungry again. "Well, I'm a growing boy, so I'm always hungry. Perhaps we can head down to the kitchens and pinch a little bit of what's fer dinner." He wasn't exactly sure of where the kitchen was, but he didn't mind heading that way. And, if it helped extend his time with Ella, that would be nice.

As he heard her snort, he got off on a bit of a giggling fit. And then when she described her culinary skills, he softened a bit and smiled. "I'm sure your mum will help you. My mum seemed like a magician in the kitchen. She'd have a pan frying, a pot boiling and things in the oven and they always came out when they needed to. How's your dog doing now? Does he still hang around the kitchen when your around?" he asked with a smile on his lips and a twinkle in his eye.

She blushed as he called her his gem. "Well.. I'm pretty short.." She smiled and looked up at him with her warm brown eyes. The little strand of hair was in her face for the first time in a long while. She looked down as she brushed it behind her ear.