Sophie wasn't even done hoovering the Common Room when the spell ran out on her. Already?? Really??? Sigh.

Well, at least it was a good excuse for her to practice more, right? So she pulled out her wand again, but before she could cast the spell, she heard a small voice behind her. "Oh! I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there!" Sophie exclaimed turning around. "Did I interrupt you with the hoovering?" Ohnooo! The worst thing in the world was to bother people while she cleaned. Sophie didn't want that!

But the girl was asking if she needed help? Oh, right! Hufflepuff Common Room. Of coourse everyone would be nice, right? Hehe! "Well, I'm cleaning up Muggle-style to practice this really nice spell, if you want to join me?" The fifth year smiled reassuringly at the younger girl. It could be quite fun, right? Cleaning around with friends? "Do you know any spells yet?" Becaaaaause Sophie could totes teach her if she wanted! Charms, more especially!! Grin! "For example, the Levitation Charm? Or the Banishing Charm?" Those were simple ones, so the young girl wouldn't have problems casting it.

"Oh! I'm Sophie, by the way!" The brunette smiled again and waved back.

"Nope, you're not bothering me. Actually, I'm trying to filter this flobberworm mucus to use it in my Potions homework. It's insane! Professor Lafay didn't tell me any hint on how to do it. I'm a first year student! How she expect that I could do it alone?" Then she asked, looking in the girl's eye: "could you help me? I shall help you after finish it." She grinned. It would be nice if she could have some help. "Nice to meet you too, Sophie! I'm Annabeth. Call me Anna or Bee."

She wasn't bothering the girl? Oh ok, good! But she would stop hoovering for now... you know, since there were people trying to study and all that. She could do it later. Besides, the Common Room already looked quite cleaner now!

Oh, she was filtering Flobberworm Mucus! "Sure, I can help you with that!" Sophie said happily. It was a pleasure helping out a firstie, really. She knew how complicated things could look when you are a first year, especially if you didn't grow up in a magical environment. "It's quite simple, really." She added, placing the vacuum cleaner aside and going to sit by the girl's things. "You can do it manually or using a spell. I prefer using the spell, because it's more likely you won't make a mess!" But she was sure most Potioneers would choose to do it manually... for whatever reason. "You see, Flobberworm mucus can be really sticky, so you have to be careful. But it's alright if it gets messy, because we can always clean it up afterwards." The fifth year smiled reassuringly. It was aaaall good!

Anna or Bee? "Which do you prefer?" Sophie asked, putting her wand down on the table in front of her. She would call the litle girl whatever she wanted to be called, really!

Annabeth smiled back to Sophie. It was really wonderful that the Hufflepuff students were so friendly and helpful.

"Um, I'm a firstie, I don't know lots of spells, but I'm eager to learn them. I spent my whole life pretending to be a Muggle and doing things by muggle-way, so I have goose bumps everytime one suggest me to act like a muggle once again... So, please, use your wand or teach me how I shall do it."

The girl waited for the brunette do something. She wanted the other could filter that disgusting green go so she wouldn't have to touch it. She shuddered to think she could have to touch it, it was nauseating.

"I really don't know how I'd like you call me. My mum used to call me Anna when she was angry - and I hated when she did it. But I have a new friend - a seventh year Puffer - and he calls me Anna and he's so kind that calling me Anna doesn't mean a bad thing anymore. My friends from my former school used to call me Bee, as my mind is always buzzing with ideas... By the way, you're very good with that vaccum spell. really amazing, Sophie.... But I'd prefer if we hadn't to learn how to cast kind of spell... I don't like household chores..." Anna shrugged and wrinkled up her nose in disgust.

Jory came down to the Common Room with his Ancient Runes textbook in his hands. He needed to get started on that term project or else he might not be able to get it done in time, with all the NEWT studying and homework to be done. He yawned. Maybe he would take a nap after this?

The Puffer stared at his book, which he hadn't even flipped open as yet. So many things to be done. Was there enough time? He needed to put more effort into some subjects like Arithmancy and History of Magic. Speaking of Arithmancy....his Runes text. The sides. They were long and short, weren't they? The vertical sides were longer while the horizontal sides were shorter. Couldn't it count as representing the Golden Ratio? Jory frowned. Had someone guessed books already in class? He couldn't remember. "I think this would count as representing the Golden Ratio,'' he decided. Professor Hadley could always correct him if he was wrong.

Moving on. The seventh year finally flipped his book open. He needed to refresh his memory on the types of woods used for Gandr making. "Let's see...'' he muttered. ''Rowan trees, Apple trees, Maple trees, Oak trees and Willow trees.'' Yes, he remembered now. They had been taught this a few years ago. So which would be easier to get? He had seen Oakey not having much luck with the Whomping Willow but who knew? Maybe his friend had finally succeeded? "I think I'll look around by the Patways. There are trees there and I'm sure I could find one of these there.''

"I'll get to that tomorrow,'' Jory thought and shut the book. Maybe that nap now?

Pajamas? Check.

Tea? Check.

Cup and saucer? Check.

Divination textbook? Check.

Notebook? Check.

It was night and Ella was tired and the blonde figured this was as good a time as any to do her Divination reading. The sixteen year old's mind was relatively clear as she poured the hot water into her cup and added the tea leaves. She closed her eyes as she waited the two minutes for the tea to brew, trying very hard not to fall asleep. Sleepy Ella was sleepy, okay?

When the two minutes were up, the blonde slowly started to drink her tea. The only thought that consistently came to mind during this was Alec so she guessed the reading would be about him. Or maybe...their relationship? Either way, this made her a bit nervous. She had a history of getting not so great readings. When the tea cup was nearly empty, the blonde swirled it three times and then dumped the rest of the tea so only the leaves remained. Hm...now to look for symbols.

So the first symbol was was near the middle area and it looked like a rectangle of sorts. Ella bit her lip and tilted her head. It was...like a closed book, maybe? Hm. The next symbol which was also near the center looked like...a cherry? Sort of. There was definitely a stem there and a circular-ish shape so yeah, cherry seemed legit. Last was a ...SQUINT...a letter? Erm... sort of. And it was towards the bottom so that was noted too. With all her symbols identified, the blonde began recording what she found out.



Finished with her notes and her tea, Ella packed up her things, cleaned her cup and saucer, and headed for bed.

It was around Midday, Kace always felt comfortable in the common room. It seemed quiet today which was good. He needed to concentrate. The little first year had his textbook with him, the quills, parchment, the cup filled with tea and his saucer. He seemed to have all the supplies required to do an efficient reading.

He filled his cup with hot water and added the tea leaves into the cup. He waited two minutes for it to cool. He cleared his mind and meditated and calmed his mind. Did he have anything on his mind? Nope. Not that he could think of for now. He drank it with his left hand and left a little fluid in the cup. He forced down the tea, he was not much a tea drinker but it had to be done.

After he drank it, he held it in his hand and gave it three good swirls. After he gave it three good swirls, he dumped the remaning liquid into the saucer. He had to wait three good breaths.

One deep breath in.......and out......


2nd deep breath in......and out......


3rd deep breath in.....and out......

Then he flipped his cup over and tried to figure out the symbols. On the rim of it he saw what looked like an arrow? and it was pointing up? Hmm..he would have to look it up later. Then the middle of the saucer he saw what looked like a it seemed to be someone holding a hammer...it looked like a judge? The last symbol on the base was a lighthouse. He liked lighthouses maybe it might be a good sign. Hmm...he would record that right now.

SPOILER!!: Journal Entry 2

Mid-Day

Rim-An arrow pointing up and out of the cup promises that your luck is on the up.

Middle-A judge in your teacup warns you to balance things out extremely carefully.

Base-A lighthouse in your cup warns of hidden dangers that lie just around the corner. However you will avoid the consequences if you take the right advice.

The first symbol, i can relate because i always felt unlucky lately. I had doubts about being a first year and thinking i can not handle things. But it says my luck is on the up. I have faith in myself and i will get lucky. I also am lucky enough in my family to be in hogwarts. My mom thought i would never become a wizard. Balancing things extremely carefully is one of my weaknesses. This symbol is warning me and i will respect that. I need to balance quidditch and homework effectively. The lighthouse..hmm...that seems interesting. A lot of people have been giving me advice including my family. If i follow them i guess i will avoid consequences if i let my gut be my guide.

After Kace finished his paragraph of explanation he would have to wait tonight to do his final reading. At least he will be free from drinking the horrible tasting tea.

After her morning classes, Minerva had made her way to the kitchen to pick up a cup, saucer and some tea leaves. Making her way back to the common room she set her bag down and found a nice quiet corner. Pulling out her wand, Min pointed at the empty cup, “Aguamenti” . She watched as water left her wand and filled up her cup. Once the cup was filled, Minerva stopped the water flow.

Now that she had water in her cup, Min moved her wand around ” Chaudensis” , then she put her wand away not needing it for the rest of this homework. Pulling the tea leaves out of her bag, she dropped them into the cup and then set it down on the little table next to her. Leaning her head back on the chair, Minerva tried to clear her head. Busy with the thought of classes, homework, and the every day issues, she tried to take a few deep breaths and closed her eyes. Doing some breathing exercises to calm for the two minutes of waiting Min finally opened her eyes.


Picking up the tea cup she drank the tea. Not really thinking about anything in general this time. To pick just one thing to think about was hard, so she figured she would just drink it and see what happened. Sipping on the tea she looked around the common room, not many people were there, that seemed a bit different, usually the room was full of housemates.

Finishing up the tea, but leaving a bit left in the cup Minerva swished it around three times and then turned it over. Letting it sit a few moments, Minerva pulled out her parchment, quill, and book as she waited. Flipping the cup back over she glanced inside. At first glance, Minerva saw at the rim a mask and jotted that down on her parchment. As Min glanced toward the middle of her teacup she had to raise the cup for a better look. She could swear that the leaves looked like a small witch, and now that she knew witches looked like other people, she wasn’t sure she was correct, but the leaves looked like a witch from her muggle stories. So she wrote it down as well. Lastly she set her eyes down to the bottom. She tilted her head trying to figure out what it was. Looking at it for a few moments, Minerva decided it was an egg. Writing those down she set her cup on the table and picked up her book.




Mienrva opened her book, alright the first symbol was a mask. She flipped through the pages until she found a mask. Looking at it she tried to think what it could mean. Maybe she should have thought harder on one specific thing, because a mask could mean her entire life at the moment. She was always second guessing herself and never very confident. Writing it down she moved on to the second symbol, the witch. Not thinking she would really find a symbol in the book that said witch she was shocked when it was there.


Looking at the meaning Minerva couldn’t help but think that there were many women she knew like that. Most were her professors, maybe they would have an impact on her, well maybe more than they already had in the near future. Finally the egg, which she thought was the weirdest of the symbols. What on earth could it even mean. Reading about the egg Minerva was liking it. A great sign, success. This was all good thoughts for the future, but just as any teenager would probably do one word made her giggle a bit and shake her head. That word could stay away for a long time..


Closing her book, she cleaned the tea cup and saucer. She decided she’d take them back to the kitchen and head to her next class.

Still dressed in his onesie -- ONESIE DAY! -- and slippers in the shape of puppies, Alec made his way down to the common room, his hand clutching onto his bag. He walked over towards a seat near the fireplace and sat down, grinning slightly. Divination! And it was homework but it wasn't too bad, yeah? All they had to do was drink tea and do some readings and... well... there were a lot worse pieces of homework they could have. Like taking notes. Or writing an essay.

Shudder.

The sixteen year old pulled out his things and arranged them accordingly on the table nearby. He opened the flask and poured the hot water into his cup before taking up a teaspoon of the tea leaves and placing them into the cup as well. There. Now he just had to wait for the tea to brew, yeah? The boy crossed his legs and closed his eyes, trying to clear his mind of any and all thoughts.

Except... tea leaf reading? Let's make sure this one isn't weird, yeah? Okay? Awesome.

A couple of minutes later, Alec opened his eyes and grinned down at his cup of tea. He picked it up with his left hand and took a couple of cautionary sips before drinking the tea steadily. His grey-blue eyes flickered around the common room over the rim of his cup. There weren't... a lot of people here. Or it didn't really seem as full as it was at the start of the term. ... Strange.

... No, he wasn't meant to be thinking about anything!

He shook his head and finished off the tea, making sure to leave a small amount at the bottom of the cup. He swirled the cup around three times before placing the cup upside onto the circle on his piece of parchment. After waiting three breaths -- that was an odd way to count, wasn't it? Three breaths... -- the boy picked up the cup again and peered into it. Rim... middle... base...

OKAY. READING TIME.

Doing this numerous times didn't really mean that it was getting any easier. Not to him, anyways. He was still seeing blobs everywhere. Blobs... blobs... bigger blob that had- ... HEY! That was a particularly big blob. And it wasn't like the other blobs; this one was a bit more... shape-y. And it looked fluffy, like a pillow or a cloud. Alec opened his textbook and flicked through it until he reached the chapter about the symbols. Okay, there was no mention of a pillow in there so... clouds. He could go with that.

And next... a little further down was another shape. Something that had a semi-circular shape near the bottom and then a vertical line meeting up with it. AND... yeah, this was an anchor, right? An anchor to represent what was going to happen in the next twoish weeks.

So that left the one near the base... something that was meant to be happening in his future. And this particular blobby shape was more vertical and seemed to have a triangular shape at the top. Like a cylinder that was attached to a cone. ... Tower? Yeah? He was going to go with that.

... Scribble... scribble... scribble...

Text Cut: Journal!

Rim - Clouds
⊲ Clouds usually predict worries and anxiety. They have an opposite affect on the meaning of most symbols they're associated with, so look closely at the rest of the symbols!

Middle - Anchor
⊲ An anchor shows that you'll soon find an answer to a problem. An issue that has been causing you anxiety will soon be over. Friends will be very willing and co-operative.

Base - Tower
⊲ A tower warns that surprising events will put an end to a situation and the path will clear for something new.


So this one was another weird and scattered reading. The first shape I noticed was a cloud which, according to the textbook, stands for a worry or anxiety. I think that's pretty accurate, actually. But then the textbook meaning went on to say that it has an opposite effect to the symbols they're associated with? So does that mean that I should read the next two readings in the opposite way? Or that this one should be read oppositely because of the next two symbols? See, this is confusing. But it did tell me to pay close attention to other symbols too.

The next symbol I came across was an anchor which means that I'll find an answer to my problem. I take it that this is linked with the clouds I came across near the rim of the cup? They's both talking about problems so I guess that's it. And I have to pay attention to this which is good because paying attention to the good things is better than paying attention to the bad, right?

The last symbol I came across was the tower. It says that surprising events will put an end to a situation and clear the path for something new. This actually has me worried because there's nothing going on with me right now. Not really. So does that mean that something will end up happening and then that will come to an end? And surprising can be either good or bad, yeah? I really don't want it to be something bad.

...

Weird readings were weird. Maybe it was the day or maybe it was his mood. Or MAYBE it was the tea? ... Maybe. Even if the tea hadn't tasted bad.

But... that was that done and now he needed some rest. Could he just fall asleep here or...?

Now that the blasted turnstile had let her in, Callie made a beeline for the large puffy couches. She took no notice of who was or wasn't already in the room.

She raised her skirt as she knelt down, back to the warmth of the fireplace. Elwood quickly thrust her arm under the cushions and began to swish it around looking for any coins the students may have dropped when socializing or doing homework in the area.

There had to be some in her somewhere!

Ugh. Jory had no idea what to write for this thank you song for that Oak tree. He was no good when it came to creating these stuff. "Is it suppose to rhyme?'' he wondered as he entered the Common room, notebook and quill in hand. And they had to write eight lines! He'd have a better time learning about the most complicated Divination topics right now. Or finding all those Constellations they had learnt about in Astronomy.

Speaking of Divination. Wasn't that Professor Elwood? And why, why was she searching the cushions? "Er, hi Professor,'' the Puffer said. "Lost something?'' he asked causally, like this was something he saw everyday. He plopped down on one of the armchairs, eyes filled with curiosity.

While he waited on Professor Elwood, Jory decided to compose his first lines for the song:

Well, rhyming was out of the question. And he was supposed to sing this to the tree. Jory could see it now. The tree would hate the song so much, it would suddenly spring to life much like the Whomping Willow and attack him, as if suddenly deciding Jory was unworthy of its bark.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FearlessLeader19

Ugh. Jory had no idea what to write for this thank you song for that Oak tree. He was no good when it came to creating these stuff. "Is it suppose to rhyme?'' he wondered as he entered the Common room, notebook and quill in hand. And they had to write eight lines! He'd have a better time learning about the most complicated Divination topics right now. Or finding all those Constellations they had learnt about in Astronomy.

Speaking of Divination. Wasn't that Professor Elwood? And why, why was she searching the cushions? "Er, hi Professor,'' the Puffer said. "Lost something?'' he asked causally, like this was something he saw everyday. He plopped down on one of the armchairs, eyes filled with curiosity.

Gahhh Merlin there had to be some coins, at least a few knuts somewhere in this sofa!!

Callie continued to search and then moved over to one of the armchairs that wasn't occupied by the student who asked her what she was doing. She whipped her head around to see who it was and relaxed when she saw Jory. "Oh, I didn't see you there Mr. Stonewall." Lost something? Nope.

"No, I was just looking for some spare money to get me through the rest of the week before i had a chance to get to Gringott's." She had a very busy week ahead of her actually and she couldn't risk getting stuck behind turnstiles.

Jory grinned. Despite the fact that Hogwarts was practically eating everyone's money, he found it quite funny that Professor Elwood was searching their common room. He wondered if she had searched any others. "I don't know if you'll find any there, Professor,'' he said. "We're all careful with our money.'' Given the fact that they had to pay almost every where now. But the Puffer had some spare change. Money was not a problem for him as his mother had inherited from her father. But he never told anyone; he wasn't a show off. "Professor, if you want, I can loan you some, you know. It wouldn't be a problem.'' Jory did not mind. She was one of his favourite Professor anyway. But often, people's pride and ego got the better of them so they refused help. Meh.

He let Professor Elwood consider what he had said and turned his attention back to his book.

Jory shook his head. Really. Why wasn't he a tad more creative? The poor Oak would probably hate him.

A little much needed down time was needed after a day of studying and preparing assignments. Aliza walked into the Common Room with her parchment and quill. She felt the need to do some drawings to clear her mind.

Aliza walked over to one of the seats close to the fireplace, stared into for a little while, then put her quill to parchment.

Jory looked around as someone else entered the Common Room. She was unfamiliar to him, though. And she really looked busy, so he was unsure if he should say hi or anything. "I wonder what year she's in,'' he thought.

Turning back to his book, the Puffer tried to decide if he should make any adjustments to the song. But really, did he want to make it worse? Finally, having decided to not change a thing, Jory decided to go say hi to the girl.

He approached her, hoping she wouldn't snap at him for disturbing her. "Hey, there,'' he said with a smile.

Paying close attention to the details of her sketch, her focus was disturbed as she felt the presence of some close to her begin to speak. Unsure as to whether or not the person was speaking to her, she looked up to find an unfamiliar face smiling down at her.

"Um....Hello?" she said nervously. not to seem rude she followed up with, "Can I help you?"

She got straight to business, didn't she? "Nope,'' Jory said. "I just came to say hi. I haven't seen you around...you know, until recently.'' He had been there seven years and he would have seen her around. "So, you liking it here? And am I disturbing you?'' Because that would just be rude if he were disturbing her.

Aliza had never really allowed other people to see her work and she found herself slowly trying to turn over the parchment so this boy couldn't see her sketch.

"I don't think I've really seen you around either in the four years that I've been here. Hard to believe we're in the same house." She chuckled. "My time here has been as enjoyable as school can be." She turned away and stared into the fireplace again for a moment in a daze, then snapped back to reality and turned back to the boy. "No you aren't disturbing me. I'm Aliza, by the way." She reached out her hand for him to shake.

Or maybe he had noticed her but not so much? Shrug. Anyway, they were getting to know each other now, right? Suddenly, she seemed to loose track of reality as she stared at the fireplace.

"So, what year are you in?'' Jory asked as she came back to reality. As he asked that, the girl slowly flip over the parchment she had been working on. That made him feel weird. As if he had been invading on her work or something, but he knew that some people didn't really share their work. "Oh, sorry. I'm Jory,'' the Puffer said taking Aliza's hand and shaking it. Should have done the introduction earlier.

"I'm in fifth year." She responded and smiled. "My time here has been enjoyable so far, though I miss my family every time I have to leave. I worry about them. Constantly sending them owls..... "

Catching herself in the middle of her ramble, Aliza noticed she hadn't released Jory's hand. Awkwardly she released it. "What about you? What year are you in?"

Oh a fifth year. OWL year for her. "How's the studying for OWLs?'' Jory asked. He remembered how nervous he had been coming down to the exams. But in the end, everything worked out. Now he had NEWTs to concentrate on.

The Puffer nodded understandingly. "I also miss mine,'' he said. "But just enjoy your time here until your seventh year.'' Aliza would definitely miss Hogwarts. Who wouldn't? "I'm in seventh year.'' He'd be gone in a few months. And that's why he was going to enjoy every last minute of Hogwarts!

"I try to take my studying as seriously as I can. My results can only reflect the amount of work I put in, but I try not to be a study machine so I take breaks and try to focus my mind on something more artistic to clear my mind."
She tapped the parchment on her lap lightly and smiled.

"But I'm dreading seventh year. NEWTS and then graduating." She took a glance around the Common Room. "I would surely miss this place a lot."

Jory nodded. He agreed with Aliza very much when it came to studying. "Studying hard is good but at the same time you have go to have fun. Enjoy it all, too.'' This girl was highly driven. Well, it was good to be that way. To an extent. "So, what are your best subjects?'' he asked.

Ah yes. The Final year. Jory had been dreading it too. In fact, he was still dreading when it all came to an end. "I supposed there will be loads of good memories,'' he said more to himself than to Aliza.

"Well they aren't really my best subjects, but the ones I'm more interested in are Potions, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures. What are yours?"

Even though this wasn't the way Ali planned to spend her free time, she was glad for time to converse and possibly make a new friend.

Healer Tillstorm walked into the puffer room wishing she had put some sunglasses on. Can we say overkill on the yellow in here. No wonder those badgers were crazy. All this yellow would make the sanest person seem like a nutter.

All that aside though she was on a mission. She had a head boy to find.

Looking around she didn't see Oakey anywhere. That was fine. She sat on one of the sofas and made herself comfy while she waited for the boy to show up. He had to come through the common room at some point. Hopefully it would be sooner than later though. She didn't know how long she could handle all this yellow.