Red looked around, everybody was getting into the boats, but still nobody had come near hers, she waited patiently for others to join her, noticing the Groundskeeper, hopefully, someone would come. The Sorting was drawing near, and Red was getting excited.

Caleb had once again separated from his sister in the commotion after getting off the train, but no matter. They were finally HERE! Caleb's parents had warned him about the little boats that first years took to the castle, so he wasn't surprised when he found himself being ushered towards the boats with the rest of his classmates. This was so COOL! He looked around and tried to memorize every face--these were going to be his peers for the next seven years, after all!

As he tried to find a somewhat empty boat (because he didn't want to be that loner in the boat all by himself!) he noticed a familiar face nearby. It was the girl who thought she was a fairy, the one from Diagon Alley--what was her name again? Crud. Caleb was awful with names. She was already seated with someone else, so Caleb decided to jump in with their little group.

"Hello! This seat taken?" he asked, but before waiting for an answer, he hopped in the boat anyways. "So, still think the wizarding world is all evil and stuff?" he asked her with a grin.

"Caleb Newell," he added to the boy next to him, holding out a hand for a shake.

Donnacha straightened his uniform out, it'd look really really silly to show up with a messy uniform, wouldn't it? His mam had said so and he believed her.
He leaned over the side and stared down into the water, trying to see anything, like maybe a dolphin or the squid. 'My cousin says there's a squid in here..' Maybe they could go swimming with it!

So so so close to Hogwarts! Donny giggled at Abbi and looked around for the big mister. 'I think it's magic....!' He nodded excitedly, his cousins had told him all of this, but this was the REAL thing.

SPOILER!!: Caleb

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lissy Longbottom

Caleb had once again separated from his sister in the commotion after getting off the train, but no matter. They were finally HERE! Caleb's parents had warned him about the little boats that first years took to the castle, so he wasn't surprised when he found himself being ushered towards the boats with the rest of his classmates. This was so COOL! He looked around and tried to memorize every face--these were going to be his peers for the next seven years, after all!

As he tried to find a somewhat empty boat (because he didn't want to be that loner in the boat all by himself!) he noticed a familiar face nearby. It was the girl who thought she was a fairy, the one from Diagon Alley--what was her name again? Crud. Caleb was awful with names. She was already seated with someone else, so Caleb decided to jump in with their little group.

"Hello! This seat taken?" he asked, but before waiting for an answer, he hopped in the boat anyways. "So, still think the wizarding world is all evil and stuff?" he asked her with a grin.

"Caleb Newell," he added to the boy next to him, holding out a hand for a shake.

Oh, another one of them! Donnacha smiled at the boy and waved his dolphin around, he hadn't seen enough new people yet!
'I always say hiiii first.' But that was fine too, not all people were super polite, his mam said he was. 'Donny! Donny Harper! Or Donn'cha! But Donny! That's fine too!' Anything was fine! Crabhandboy.... Dolphinboy..
Anyway.. Donnacha grinned and shook the extended hand. 'Are you essited too?!'

It can topple over.

The words echoed in Cutty's mind and filled him with inspiration. Who was this adult wizard who'd told him this? Cutty presumed he might have been one of the teachers, rather than a Ministry designated ferryman. He wondered what subject he taught? Would he say things like this all of the time? Cutty certainly hoped so.

Did he just ask if someone was alright? How could Cutty have missed a perfectly good opportunity to point and laugh at someone? He supposed there would be time for that later.

In the meantime, he thought it best to curry favour. Cutty gave a nod to the adult wizard and tried to but failed to make his smile one of complacency more than mischief. Cutty sat down, perfectly still, placing his wand on his lap to wipe his nose with his finger.



G'AAaaaaghhh!! Cutty let out a small gasp in alarm as his wand went somersaulting upwards and landed overboard. Cutty reached in and drew it out without thinking on it and sending a small ripplet across the glassy blackness. Before he knew it, hand and sleeve soaked, he was scowling and looking towards the offender.
"What's wrong with you?!" Then instead of saying anything about his wand toppling over he went on all like, "Aint you heard of a breath-freshener before?!".

That's getting down to the heart of the matter, Cuttz.

Gwen had never rowed a boat before, so the fact that her and three other eleven year olds were supposed to steer it somewhere wasn't very safe-feeling. Regardless she stepped over to a boat containing one girl. "May I get in this one?" she asked, silently hoping she said yes, because she was already in the process of stepping into the boat and taking a seat. Friends. Hadley had told her to try and make friends, so here she was. Taking initiative or something.

No one had informed Fern that she was going to have to separate from Tallulah. It didn't make sense; her cousin might have just turned fifteen, but this was still Tallulah's first year at Hogwarts, so didn't that mean she should be a first year too? And so now, here was Fern, about to get in some dingy old boat while Tallulah was probably all nice and cozy in the carriages. And not even normal carriages at that; no, these ones appeared horseless, but Fern had seen the scuff marks on the ground. Thestrals. What she would have given to just pet one Thestral!

The 11-year-old stomped over to the boats, grumbling to herself, and chose one at random. Then she climbed in.

Or at least, that had been the plan.

But someone had caused the boat to start rocking, and when Fern's foot made contact with the unsteady wood, she lost her balance and ended up smacking her head against the side.

"OW!" Rubbing her forehead - there was going to be a bruise for sure, and Fern could just tell it was going to be so black and blue that not even her bangs could conceal it - she looked for who to blame.

It was obvious. The one with the wet sleeve; he had splashed himself when he'd jumped in and disturbed the boat. And now he was giving some innocent boy a hard time. "Hey, you big eared bully! Haven't you ever been in a boat before?!"

As Blair stepped off the train and on to the platform she could feel the cool September breeze. She heard the first years being summoned towards a lake. Were they to cross the lake to get to the school? Blair was not expecting this.

She nervously made her way down the path towards the lake. Not knowing anyone yet, Blair climbed into an empty boat and waited hoping for someone to join her. She had mixed feelings of fear and excitement and couldn't wait to set off towards the school.

Oh, yes indeeeed there would be time for that later.


Cutty reached up to cover his ears and was about to be all offended, but he'd realized the source of the remark and decided to turn the tables. The little girl bit it as she entered into the boat. K'HA!!! Absolutely nothing she said was going to distract him from ...

The wet sleeve of his dominant hand swept out towards her, flinging water with the motion and pointed. "When he told us to hurry he meant get in the boat, not hurry up and hit your head!" He jeered. The rest of the time was spent laughing in his seat at the ridiculous girl.

Suddenly, Dylan spotted that one boy from Scribbilus. Oh bloody hell, why was he making his way over to Dylan's boat?! Um. The eleven year old stared at the boy as he sat down in the boat. Why was he sitting with him?

Didn't he hate him?

Oh. Yeah, the kid still hated him...the glare on his face showed it all. Dylan shot him a look back and then stood from the boat and carefully got out. He was NOT riding with HIM. He'd find a different boat. Hmph. Dylan then looked around himself for a boat with different people and spotted two girls sitting together and decided to join them.

Dylan cautiously stepped into the boat and sat across from the girl in it. The first year flashed a friendly smile. "Hi, I hope you don't mind me joining you." he told her, glancing back at Adi who was now sitting by himself. Hmph. Yeah, like he was gonna sit with him.

Then another girl showed up and asked to sit in the boat. He glanced over at the other girl and figured she wouldn't mind and turned his attention back to the other girl who had asked to join them. "Go ahead!" he said, patting the spot next to him and smiling up at her.

"Wha- ahhh! Don't get slimy lake gunk on me!" Fern sputtered, as the water that came flying off of the boy's sleeve landed on her face. Not even bothering to wipe it off, she swatted at his hand. Didn't his mother teach him pointing at people was RUDE?!

The brunette's face flushed dark red at his reply and took on an almost plum-colored cast when he began to laugh. Her sudden change in complexion had nothing to do with being embarrassed; no - Fern was mad.

"I wouldn't have hit it if you hadn't jumped in the boat first, causing it to rock, stupid! How are you even on this boat anyway? You'd think they would have sent you to St. Mungos, not Hogwarts, since obviously your brain's been replaced with GILLYWEED!" Then she tossed her hair, which had long ago escaped the braids her mother put them in that morning, for emphasis.

The hair flip didn't go as well as Fern had hoped. Some of it got stuck in her mouth. She spat it out.

HOGWARTS.

Hogwarts.

HogWARTS. HOGwarts. HOGWAAAARRRTTTSSSS.

"A breath freashener?! What for? Why would I need that - they still let you in here with bad breath! HA," Benzi laughed, and let out a puff of apparently stinky air towards the kid. SMELL THAT BROTHER. That is the smell of a RIDER. He did sort of feel bad for the guy though; Benzi himself would have strangled a person who'd caused his wand to topple overboard. But then again, it was the kid's own fault because he didn't have a wand holster. So THERE.

Mummy had made him wear his, and for that he would be eternally grateful. No one can get to HIS wand. Absent-mindedly, Benzi patted his forearm where the holster currently held his wand, and felt the thin wood beneath the material of his shirt. STILL THERE. All good.

"S-" Benzi began, about to ask the kid where he was from and stuff because they weren't moving so he might as well talk when a SOMETHING got on the boat and started yelling. After the something hit their head on the boat. It was a GIRL. He could tell from the yelp.

Hehe. Hehehehe. Benzi couldn't help the sniggering that followed her head bumping the boat. But then she was yelling and THAT was never a good thing so he tried to school his features into something that was an attempt at apologetic. Benzithen realised that he really wasn't sure at which one of them she was yelling, and he scratched the back of his neck as he glanced at the other boy.

Okay. She definitely meant the other boy.

Wide eyed, Benzi couldn't help but smirk slightly as he watched the two of them have at it, bursting out in laughter as the guy sprinkled some lovely lake water on the girl. "Nice," he stage-whispered to the other guy and gave him a thumbs up. He then turned juuuuust in time to see the girl choke on her own hair.

...

BWAHAHAHAHAAAA. "You just CHOKED. On your OWN HAIR. On a BOAT. Where you hit your HEAD. And then got LAKE WATER on your face," he guffawed, pointing and laughing at the girl. She was HILARIOUS. Brain replaced with gillyweed? St. Mungo's?!

He liked her already.

Thank God someone said it was okay. Gwen tried not to let her relief be evident as she sat down in the spot the boy had patted. What now? Hadley had said make friends, but Gwen wasn't exactly sure how. "Hi, I'm Gwen," she tried awkwardly. What if these kids knew magic and cursed her?

Gwen was used to familiarity. She knew everything there was to know about the area she lived in. She knew all of the people, which kids were good, and which to stay away from. She knew all of the streets, and she could tell you where most people were at any given point in the day. Nothing about this place was familiar to her, and it was frightening.

Excuse me?! "Hey! Who's side are you on!?" Fern shouted, turning on the boy whose bully she had so thoroughly put in place only minutes earlier. "And helloOO! I tripped and fell, it's not like my memory was obliviated or anything! You don't need to repeat everything I've done! And I didn't get lake water on my face on purpose - HE," The 11-year-old jerked her head at the big-eared boy because she had manners and did not point. UNLIKE EVERYONE ON THIS STUPID BOAT. Fern swatted the second boy's hand away, just like the first, "got it on ME!! Because he's a JERK!"

"Also I did not choke on my hair! It just got stuck on my ... lip gloss!"

This was why Fern only hung out with older tweens and teenagers.

"Ahh," Sophie said with a nod. That must have been a really quiet hello. She'd mistaken it for the wind, after all. "Well, hello then. I'm Sophie Newell." That made...well, two people she knew besides her brother. Oh, and Toby, too. She'd met him in Diagon Alley, but he'd said he was a second year.

Turning back to Blake she just shrugged. "I don't think so. He might make it into Slytherin, but I don't think it'll be because he's really sneaky. He might just be the ambitious type," she answered. Sophie was ambitious, too, but she'd also pinned herself as the slightly sneaky type, too.

She was cut short by the groundskeeper who seemed to be hurrying everyone along. "Ohh, we'll be sorted soon," she said in anticipation, speaking to Jayden and Blake, but keeping her eyes on the groundskeeper.

Adi continued to glare as the boy glared back at him. Had he seen the boy in this boat he would not have gotten into it. But he shrugged. He wasn't going to pay attention to this kid. Nope. He was gonna focus on getting his first glimpse of the Castle!

But then- the boy got up and from side vision Adi watched as he got out of the boat and headed over to one with a girl. That suited Adi just fine. Let him go. He was obviously too chicken to stay in the same boat.

The first year turned his attention back to the man who had guided them to the boats, waiting for further instructions.

Counting the students, Nick thought that everyone was in one of the boats and they were good to go. "Alright, listen up!" he shouted over the fighting that was going on. Kids..he was glad he had none. "It is Hogwarts tradition to bring the first years to the school per boat so when we leave i want you ALL" his dark eyes stayed on the boat of the trouble makers for a moment "To behave and sit down quietly , keep your hands and feet in the boat at all times! If not i'll direct the boats straight back to Hogsmeade, are we clear?!" Grabbing his wand, the Groundskeeper waved it to the ropes that were holding the boats to the dock and all of the little boats moved over the water surface next to each other.

"And be careful of the Giant Squid, he likes to pop up out of the water every now and then" he grinned as they turned the corner and Hogwarts Castle was in sight.

Cutty cupped his hands, one dry and the other not towards his face. Was his breath really stinky? He HA'd into his palms and took a whiff.

Merlins

1,000 Year Old

Underpants!!!!!


It smelled like krup feed. And Cutty liked it! Not to mention the added scent from the boys own breath. Cutty very audibly gagged as if he were about to vomit, but no vomit occured then followed with a smile and continued sniggering. He as amused by this disgustingness and seemed quite happy that the other lad pointed it out. "Oi, you're right!" He said amusedly.


STUPID?!! As far as Cutty was concerned this was the international girl-word for You've Got Me!, which amused him all the more. Complied with the wonderous shade of mauvey magenta the young miss was turning and we've certainly got ourselves a good time here. And then Benzi's side-stage remark and he was dying of laughter all over again. It died down only slightly when the little girl swatted at his good pointing finger, which was about when Cutty heard the adult wizard speak.


Cutty's eyes grew saucer-wide when the adult wizard told them...something about being quiet. Maybe the wizard was joshing just trying to get them all to sit still, but if he wasn't that meant...THERE WAS A GIANT SQUID IN THE WATER!!! This was gonna be a great year!

Fern's eyes bulged as the blonde boy continued to laugh, and she opened her mouth to tell him to get off the boat. Because she certainly wasn't going to get off, not when she had done nothing wrong. And while she was at it, she'd tell the other one to get off as well.

But she was cut off before she had even begun by the man in charge of them. Giving him her full attention, Fern was horrified by the look he sent her way, and she returned it with a completely genuine expression of wounded innocence. She was just a helpless bystander, only ending up in this boat full of mean people by PURE CHANCE. And now, as the ropes fell away, she was trapped with them!

Crossing her arms, Fern scooted to the center of her seat and gave the two boys her most glaring glare. It was their fault the groundskeeper thought she, Fern Quimbley, who had never jaywalked or returned a library book late a single day in her life, was a trouble-maker!

She would have kept on staring them down for the rest of the ride, but then the head man mentioned the GIANT SQUID!

The child squeaked, instantly ducking and covering her head. The last run-in she'd had with a tentacled creature had not ended well. And she was in no hurry to have another one. So she was just going to remain all scrunched up for the rest of the ride, thank you very much. Because then, hopefully, when the squid went looking for a snack, he'd notice her two shipmates first.

Red looked around once he heard a voice, it was a girl, she smiled at her, "Oh, yes, of course you can, I'm Red by the way, well technically I'm called Phoenix, but never mind." Hopefully she would make friends quickly this time.

A boy climbed into the boat, great, someone I can't even talk to, how fabulous she thought sarcastically, she nodded as he sat down, "He-hello, I-I'm Red," she said smiling, hopefully he wouldn't be able to tell how badly she was talking to him, she just couldn't talk to boys, it must have been something psychological, it had to be.