Caelen's blue eyes widened at the mention of Mel's previous school. They were both homeschooled! It was perfect! Mel would be able to understand any weird homeschoolnig quirks that she might have -she didn't think she did, but Nate was always happy to inform her when she was being weird-. She would understand! Okay, Caelen felt like she was getting ahead of herself here. She needed to calm down. Pinching her stupid straight-across bangs in her fingers, she started working on flattening the hair, almost like a straightener.

"You're homeschooled? No way! I was too!" The eleven year old was slightly aware at the overexcitement in her voice. She just never met another homeschooled kid. It was like meeting a unicorn with a golden horn.

Which led to the question on what animals she would be able to see at Hogwarts. She had taken Nate's brother's old textbook and read about some animals that she might encounter in the magical wild -her name for it-. And she could not wait to take CoMC now. And potions. Though don't tell her mom about the potions thing.

"Oh, and an ickle firstie is a name for first years given to us by the older kids. I think it means 'little first year. Of course, I already know I'm tiny." Okay, now Caelen was rambling. Maybe Mel had rubbed off on her after all. The thought made her internally laugh. Not a bad laugh, but instead a silly one. In a few years she would be like Mel possibly, rambling on and giving lightning round style questions. She watched way too many old gameshows in her days.

Woah, wait. She had started rambling again, which Caelen was trying to get used to, but the short girl was lost. She think she caught the important bits, which meant that she could put together a semi-normal story out of the others words.

She said something about liking her and wanting to be friends -of course- and thinking she was funny. A small pink blush went to her cheeks. She must be doing something right here because consider the little one flattered. And something else about opposites attracting and that only being for relationships and being glad they were in the same house. The redhead racked her brain for a response and finally smiled and said the first thing that was on her mind.

"Sure, I'd love to be friends! And you're funny too!" First Ravenclaw friend! All of her other friends ended up in another house, commonly Hufflepuff. But now she had a friend in the same house. She wanted to send everyone a letter about her first day, but she didn't want to miss the food.

"Hmm, I think we have to leave that study open for now and decide later." A small smirk creeped at the end of her lips, not an entirely mean one, but a playful one. At least she hoped. She didn't have a good awareness of her body and didn't know when she looked funny and when she just looked stupid. She blamed homeschooling. Because in homeschooling, you don't have to interact with anyone outside of your immediate family. It messed little Caelen up, she was sure of it.

"I'm glad we're in the same house too, Mel." She let her question drone off, looking around at other people who were talking to each other. She thought she was doing a great job for someone who didn't get much social interaction. She was hitting the jackpot. She had a question to ask, but was afraid to do it, afraid that she would offend her newfound friend. The child bit her tongue, though it hurt her emotionally to do so.

Text Cut: awwwww

Quote:

Originally Posted by HOPEendures

"I'll keep that in mind and I might just have to take you up on that offer later on in the year. I want to make sure that I can handle the class work before I take on anything extra." The lure of being on the team was there though. She really would have to consider it since it was now out there.

Hope automatically moved him up in her list of people to socialize with. Who better to be talking to about Quidditch, than the captain? As for her class work, she had no doubt in her mind that she would be beyond find, but better safe than sorry.



Everyone sure did look like they were enjoying her cookies. Hmm... "Well, if I'm ever hungry I could only hope you would be near by." However, if the feast didn't get moving soon she felt like her resolve may just crumble and she would find herself eating a cookie.

"Cat it is then. You can call me Hope, but that's because there really is no way to shorten it and I don't have a nickname." Hope was fairly certain she would've have called her Cat anyway whether she wanted her to or not. However, she already had one enemy too many, and that was before boarding the train.



"I have no doubt about that. I'm just hoping I'm not going to go flying off the broom handle or tumbling to the earth or something." She gave a small laugh at the thought of her being that bad. She wouldn't be awful. Not possible. Hope was just a little nervous about being off the ground. However, she was determined that she would succeed. She didn't like being less than best.



Hope gave the girl a smile and was glad to finally find someone she actually recognized. "Thanks Mika! I'm glad to be in this house. Heard and read nothing but good things." She looked at the still floating around cookies and caved, taking one. She didn't like eating sweets, but Merlin she was hungry. "Thanks again for keeping Poppy safe. We should get together sometime with our puffs."



Hope stared at the girl and gave a quick assessment of her. She was a first year, much like herself. However, before she could even give a verdict the girl took the seat anyway. "I guess you can because you already did. It's a free bench anyway, right?" She gave her a small smile. "I'm Hope. You are?" There she went again, being a little...weary of people.




This girl was still speaking awesome words of awesome and a second year. Hope chewed on the cookie and listened to the information that she was given and filed it away in the important drawer in her mind. Very valuable things to know.

"Sounds like a lot of fun. Thanks for the advice. What's you favorite thing you've stumbled upon so far?" After all this castle was pretty old. There should be plenty of things hidden that haven't been found. It sounds like she was going to have to see if Sophie would want to show her a few places and explore some more new places together.

Quote:

Originally Posted by somehow it didn't quote you Steely, *glares at SS*

In contrast to how she was this time last term, Huxley was rather keen getting to the Common Room now, wanting to throw open her luggage and dig in on the delightful things she managed to... acquire over the summer. Yes that is the story she’s sticking with.

But there is this thing about food and she’d be hard pressed to argue against its merits. So there she goes strolling towards the Eagles’ table, sliding promptly onto the seat next to Mika and... oh would you look at that, the Ravenclaw House Ghost.

“Greetings High Lady of Ravenclaw...” the petite brunette added in turn after Mika “Anything new with the Common Room?” Good or bad, she wants to know ahead. She has a thing about surprises.

She turned to regard the blonde and was about to mention that rather chaotic train trip when....

*blink*

She leaned a little closer as she dropped her voice to an even more discrete level “Mika, I know you rather have a soft spot for delicate creatures, but turning your hair into a birds’ nest looks to be pushing it don’t you think?” Yes she’s eying your curiously tousled hair missy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daydreamer11

Alex entered the Great Hall thinking this was her last Start of Term Feast ever. She remembered her first Feast and how excited and nervous she had been. Ah well........As she made her way to the Ravenclaw table she looked around hoping to see some familiar faces. The Great Hall was really filling up fast.

Alex reached her house table and saw Mika and Huxley sitting next to each other. Nearby was that boy Kace from the train and the little Pygmy Puff girl. She sat down near Mika and Huxley, giving them a little wave. They seemed to be deep in conversation and she didn't want to interrupt them. Alex tried to discretely glance around, wondering where Sander might be.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grey Lady

The Grey Lady was sitting quietly as she watched the groups of Ravenclaws file in and begin sitting and talking together, awaiting the Headmistress's speech. The one in the middle that was trying his bets to recruit everyone for the team was their Quidditch Captain, correct? She remembered seeing him around the Common Room. The Lady smiled faintly at him.


A girl had brought treats for the students who's robes were trimmed in blue but her robes didn't reflect the same color thread. "You are not in Ravenclaw House." She spoke mildly, not a question but a statement. She seemed to be getting along well with the others, which had been the case for the most part that Helana could remember. Slytherins and Ravenclaws had always gotten along rather well. "I'm happy to see you find enjoyment here."

"Good evening Amelia." The Lady said calmly, as she watched another young student join their ranks after the Sorting Hat exclaimed the name of her mother's noble House. "That Castle was quiet. I spent the time reading the new books the Librarian had received. I trust you're summer was spent well?"

The young Ravenclaw she had heard quite a bit of last term while in the Common Room was here again, this time as a second year. She was joining in with the conversation of the Slytherin and Captain with--

"Dear, please do not shove food in your mouth. It's not lady-like." She reached a ghostly hand into her bag and pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed at her mouth to sign that the girl should follow suit.

SPOILER!!: HOPEendures & Preseley Black

Two other new students, one sounded as if she was supposed to go to the American Academy in Salem that the current Ravenclaw Head of House had attended. Her accent was similar but different in slight ways that accents tended to be.

"Welcome to you both to Ravenclaw House. And dear, this school is much different than others schools. It's quite exquisite really. If you wish to learn more about it I suggest reading 'Hogwarts, A History', it's a timeless treasure." Much like Hogwarts itself.

There was another new face that had joined them for the first time but it was not one eleven years of age. Helena looked at her intrigued but polite, and decided to return her greeting. "Hello, and welcome to Ravenclaw House."
Hopefully the girl wouldn't ask her if she was a ghost. She'd take that query from a first year quietly but this young woman was quite old enough to have seen someone of her stature.

A quiet student, a trait that wasn't shy in Ravenclaws. Quiet only meant the brain was working rather than the mouth. The Lady's mouth turned into a small smile as she nodded her head in greeting.

"Huxley, wonderful to see you again. And no the Common Room stands resolute, the same as it was last year." And fine in her opinion, change wasn't something that she saw as completely necessary all the time.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Expecto-Penguin

Kace was looking around the ravenclaw table and then he saw Mika there. He must have just missed her. He smiled and went over to her since she waved him over. He found the seat she was patting down for him to sit.

He sat down and said, "Hey Mika figured i would find you here." he grinned. "It is kind of weird because i never sat here before..." he said looking around. He even noticed the house ghost here and was amazed at what she looked like.



Then he noticed Alex was here. He met him on the train. He smiled and returned the wave. "Hey Alex...you wanna meet Dusty?" he asked him holding him in his hands. Then Dusty was crawling onto his shoulder trying to look around and being cute and all.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unalii

Mel sat down at the Ravenclaw table after looking around. She had been wanting to get sorted into the house with her friend but that didnt happen it seemed. Melek saw the house ghost and smiled, waving at her. Mel nibbled on her thumb nail out of nervousness. She looked around, hoping to see anyone she knew or any kind face. Melek felt really small and just wanted this feast to be over with but the speech hasnt happen yet... to her knowledge at least. Mel looked around at the different tables, trying to see if she knew anyone but she barely knew anyone other than Anna and a few she had met in Diagon Alley. She wished that she had put a pocket in her cloak's pocket so that she could read but she was bookless at the moment, all of her stuff was probably at the dorm room. Melek sighed and looked down, feeling lonely and already missing Turkey. She would rather be at her parents' house and being home-schooled but her parents gave up on her.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FireboltAvis88

Sander had decided that he would head on to the other House tables. He was here to make friends and he couldn't just stick with his own house. So he left his House table and decided to hop on over to the Ravenclaws.

Yes he had met some of them already. They were all in his train compartment!! Talk about being surrounded by women...all from Ravenclaw too.

As he walked along the table, he noticed a familiar face. It was his name twin.



Walking over to Alex, he stood next to where she was sitting.

"Hi again, Alex. Remember me? Your name twin? The guy who likes skating?"....and the one who let everyone see his six pack?....Sander couldn't believe that he had actually shown everyone in the compartment that.

"Do you mind if I join you here? I'm trying to get to know as many people in Hogwarts. It doesn't matter what house they come from....and it would be nice to finish our conversation about our families if you want." Sander grinned at her.

Yes he wanted to know what else they had in common.



Sander was waiting for Alex to reply when he saw a younger girl, maybe a first year sitting alone by herself and looking lonely. He definitely knew how that felt. Then he recognized her from the train. She was the girl who had been crying and who had ink on her hands.

Okay....we can't have people sitting alone by themselves with no one to talk to.....so Sander decided he would talk with her. Hopefully, she wouldn't be afraid to talk with a Seventh Year OLD boy.

"Hello. I saw you getting sorted into this house. Remember me? You had some ink on your hands and I was helping you get them off. I don't know whether I introduced myself back then. I'm Sander. " Sander introduced himself.

Quote:

Originally Posted by carpediem

Caelen sat down at the table with a big smile on her face. She was a Ravenclaw! Did she know what that meant? Not in the least. She knew that this was supposed to be her "family" inside the castle, but what did you have to be to end up as a Ravenclaw? The eleven year old realized she didn't have a clue. She felt a strong urge to write her brother a note and ask, but she wasn't sure when she would have a chance. Could she find the answer in a book?

Her red hair was a bit messy from the sorting hat, but she didn't care. Not being a Slytherin would please her mom. Nothing against the house, but her mom was kind of biased house wise. It was all her brother's fault for this bias anyway. He was the one who turned out bad, and from reading about amazing Slytherins, the kid wasn't so sure it was the house's fault anyway. She would have to make more conclusions as the year went on. Another reason for the journal. Maybe she would make this her pet project.

Looking around the Hall, Caelen smiled widely again. The castle looked sooo big! Her smile grew wider. This was like a new adventure! And she loved adventure. Actually, she loved everything that didn't involve a boring old routine. She hated routines! And the outside looked interesting too. Nicely kept at least. She would have to explore.

Also, was their going to be food? She felt sick to her stomach from just eating candy all day. A shoved down breakfast and candy. Apparently they didn't have time for lunch. today. If she got sick, she was blaming Nate again. Blame him for ALL of the things! She was getting cranky from the sickness and wanted food. She heard Hogwarts was very food heavy. Yes, please!

Amelia was glad that Hope and Poppy were in the Ravenclaw house, because obviously the little Poppy was a great addiction to the pets of the Ravenclaw house. After all they could have Pygmy Puff playdates. ”Aw I’m glad you heard good things, I mean if you heard bad things I would have to wonder who was spreading them…its not like we are like the Erudites of that book…Dive-dive something” yep she completely forgot that book’s name…only that some people thought that her mother remarked that they were like her own house.

They weren’t like her house.

Not at all.

And then Huxley was sitting next to her and talking to the Grey Lady. And now, she was being blinked at? And well, stared at and leaned closer to. What was going on? She wondered as Huxley whisper-asked her about her hair.

”What? Birds nests?” she asked in a hushed whisper herself, as she had no idea really exactly how much of a mess her hair was. ”I might have stuck my head out of the carriage window” she muttered. Sure it might have been a lie, or it might have been the truth. No one would know this. Yep, except Kaiden…but she wasn’t going to tell people to ask him if she had acted like a dog…nope, because she hadn’t obviously she wasn’t that weird.

And then Alex walked over; she quickly waved over to her and smiled over to her and raised her hand to wave obviously. And to straighten out her hair. Yep, she no longer looked like the victim of a pash & dash. Okay maybe the red cheeks and the fact her hair turned a bit pink might have given it away…but, yeah, she obviously hadn’t done that.

Still turning her attention to Alex she made a big move of smiling over to her. ”Hey Alex,” she smiled over to her before adding another whispered thing to Huxley, ”I’ll tell you later, okay?” she practically muttered.

And then the Grey Lady had responded to her. ”Oh that does sound like a wonderful Summer,” she smiled over to the Grey Lady. ”Yes, you are quite right it went rather well, I myself did quite a bit of reading for pleasure as well as read some of my textbooks.” Okay textbook reading didn’t really happen, but falling asleep on them while she tried to read them did.

”I hope that means there aren’t any turnstiles this term,” Mika muttered under her breath in a hopeful manor. As that had been no fun what so ever. And then Kace was speaking to her again, and well now sitting down next to her. The little puff was just getting beams.

”Aw yeah I’m sorry about that I was kind of a recluse last term,” she admitted with a laugh, ”and well…I think before that I was kind of always off….in the tree house chatting with Kaiden and stuff,” she admitted with a tinge to her cheeks. What it was just chatting.

And then she spotted a new kid a little girl. Taking her hand up she quickly waved over to the new Ravenclaw classmate. It was nice meeting new claws. Definitely nice. And wait, there was another Hufflepuff over there.

”Hello two-pack” she grinned over to the older Hufflepuff and waved over to him. ”so…you are a Hufflepuff like Kace here,” she grinned over to the guy.

And then after Sander she noticed a young Ravenclaw girl. A new ickle claw. She waved over to the new girl and gave her a thumbs up as she walked over to the table. ”Congratulations on making it into Ravenclaw, I’m Amelia or Mika!” she smiled over to her. ”The food will be here soon, hopefully,” she grinned over to the girl.

"Okay the Headmistress and then the Groundskeeper. Got it." Sander thanked her even as he squinted up at the staff table.

Okay who's the Headmistress and who's the Groundskeeper? Sander guessed he'd eventually find out when introductions are made.

"Alex I was wondering, I never got to ask you about it on the train because it arrived here before I could. But I was wondering just in case I'm not able to get permission to freeze the lake during the non-winter months, would you like to join me on roller blades instead." Sander turned back from his gaze at the staff table to look back at Alex.

"I mean sometimes I have to do that when the rink is not available. I just substitute the skates for roller blades. I know you said you loved skating but would roller skates work as well?"

Sander hoped that his lack of permission wouldn't dissuade Alex from coming out to skate with him. She did say that she loved to skate because it helped her relax.

He waited patiently for her answer while glancing back over at the staff table.

Come on. The faster you make the introductions, the faster I know whom I should ask and the faster I will know whether I'm going to be practicing on skates or roller blades.

Hope nodded kind of slow like. "Gwen. Gotch-ya." Her shy nature was kind of apparent but it could have something to do with her accent. Definitely not from here. She seemed nice enough, but Hope was still weary of the girl. Maybe it was because of the shy nature. Like Sophie had said, they are the best of the best. This girl better learn to act like it.

"Well it is your first year, right?" She looked the same age anyway. "I mean, it's definitely different from every muggle school I've attended." And she had quite a few that she managed to get kicked out of come and go from. "Plus, it's better. It's for people like us. The best of the best and we just got sorted into the best house from what I've been told. A place for the best of the best of the best to thrive." Okay, maybe she was still a little bigheaded. Time could only tell what would happen to her as she aged. In her own odd way, she was trying to cheer Gwen up.



"Thank you for such a warm welcome." Hope nodded in agreement with the words that came out of the Grey Lady's mouth. "I've read it all of three times already and I still seem to stubble upon something new each time I read it." It was odd how her mind seemed to work but it just proved how great she was.



"Thanks Lily. I really hope it doesn't take too long for me to remember where classes are located. I don't want to feel like the new kid for forever." Hope was certain though that she would be fine with the group of people she currently had sitting around her. Most of them were older students so she had no worries about her future here.



"I'll try out, but if I'm awful you can't say I didn't warn you." Hope doubted she would be but it was something she had never done before. Maybe she could actually make a reserve for the team or something. Who knows? She grabbed another cookie of her own. How much longer would they be sitting here waiting?

"So what are the professors like here?" She was concerned. She really didn't do bossy all that well. She respected her elders but once someone got in her way of greatness, it was war.



"I don't think I'll hear anything bad from this group. Everyone seems really nice enough. It's a tad overwhelming but I'll get used to it." Hope just nodded. She knew what she was talking about and at the same time she didn't have a clue. She fell silent lost in her thoughts not exactly where to go with the conversation. She had already covered just about everything with everyone else so she just listened in on the conversations going on around her.

Lana looked beside her as she caught sight of someone sitting beside her. She wasn't actually used to actually having people beside her during the feast, but she should have known it would happening; being that she was near the middle now. "Hai," she replied back before the younger girl turned her attention back to other things.

She took a moment to watch the younger student and smiled. She remembered how she used to do a similar thing at the feasts. It helped her keep her mind off of things.

Not wanting to intrude, she turned her attention back to the staff table and the new faces she saw. Just when she had finally gotten used to most of the professors, she had to become accustom to a new set. She really hoped that maybe she could keep her head down and not draw too much attention to herself in those class.

"And that's what flying lessons are for," Jun nodded. And thank goodness for those. Jun almost broke an arm the first time he tried flying. He couldn't control it and things were about to get ugly. "First you'll hover for a bit. Then the instructor will tell you how to hold on properly and all that," Which had to be paid close attention to. Very close attention.

Jun nodded. The woman was a bit harsh on Kevin, but Jun still got a good laugh from it. "I figured just as much. I stayed my distance from her on the train. I didn't even say anything to her, just in case she came after me next," Which she might've because he was with Kevin. But Jun didn't want clothing pins on his fingers. Any of them. Seeing Mo offering a handshake after Jun's quidditch mention, the tie-dye boy grinned and shook his hand. "I promise to be there," Unless he overslept or completely forgot. Jun had to write it down on his calender soon. "I like beater and chaser, preferably," Because who wouldn't want to be a beater and knock people out the way?

Mika seemed to have finished her conversation with Huxley and called over a hello. She seemed to have become a tad flushed and disheveled since they had seen each other on the train. Alex thought she must have had one heck of a carriage ride.

Alex said, "Hi Mika. I'm glad we finally made it. That was some train ride, wasn't it? I can't wait to eat and get up to the dorms. I'm exhausted."


Roller blades, hmmmm......Alex didn't have much experience with roller blades, but how hard could it be? (She hoped) "Sure, I would like that very much. I have only been roller-blading a couple of times, but I'm game. I think it would be fun either way" Yay! Alex already had something to look forward to and the term was just starting.

This was her seventh term, her first term without her best friend... her only real support throughout all of the other terms. Granted, she had had others along the way, like Louisa, Lily's first real mentor. Max was pretty awesome too. Then two terms ago, Elise, the quidditch captain, and Beezus were another couple friends who had made a difference. This last term, Mo had stepped up to be a friend as well. But nobody could substitute for Taylor. This would be the first term on her own. So Lily sat at the table, watching the other claws interact as well as watching the staff table, seeing who had returned and who was new.

The other girl seemed to be really shy, so Lily made sure to keep smiling at her. "Yeah... I was waving to you. D'ya wanna join us? Rather than sitting so far away?" The seventh year asked with a smile. "I'm Lily Potter, by the way. Seventh year Ravenclaw."

Lily nodded, acknowledging what the firstie was saying. "You'll know your way around for the most part in a week or so." The seventh year said with a chuckle. There were still parts of the castle that were new to herself, even after six terms already in the castle. "So are you excited for your classes?" She asked.

Mel beamed, seeing Sander smile. She liked seeing him smiled. It made her feel like she did something good and that always made her happy. Melek pulled a pout and she looked at him, "Why cant you be younger? Then we can have more years to play and hang out! I wish you could be younger..." Mel sighed and frowned, looking up at him with innocence. She nodded, "That is true... one can do a lot in a year... we must make everyday count!" Melek gave a sharp nod to confirm it. Mel held out her pinky and linked it with is, shaking it. "We shall make it the best and learn from each other!" A smile came back to her face as she looked up at him in happiness. "Yay for transfers!" A pout came to her lips and she crossed her arms, "You are not that much taller than me!" She knew that was a bit of a lie since Melek was only 4'11" at the moment. Mel knew that she was very short and she hated the fact. She was hoping to grow at least one more inch so that she can at least be 5 feet but she wanted to grow even more than that and maybe get 5'11" or something so that she would be tall but her mother was even shorter than her! Her mother was 4'6" so Mel was probably not going to grow much more than she already has which made her sad at the thought.



Melek looked at her, "I would hope not because if a person is disrespectful to a ghost, who knows what would happen... I mean any ghost in general, can go through solid objects so even a locked door wouldnt stop them and the grey lady is intelligent , obviously." Mel gestured around the Ravenclaw table. "So i bet if you make her mad enough, she can get paybacks and even if she wasnt doing the paybacks herself, I am sure that she could get Peeves to help make your life terrible." She gave a few nods and nibbled on her thumbnail. "I dont think it looks gothic at all... I think it just makes you look sick and just stupid." Melek looked at the girl's hand. "Raven? Hmmm that seems like a good name for a Ravenclaw, I guess... which reminds me why isnt the mascot for Ravenclaw a raven? I mean it would make more sense than the eagle." Mel sighed and took the girl's hand shaking it. "I am Melek but my friends call me Mel. I am a third year but I just transferred."



She watched the girl for a few moments and smiled at her. Melek nibbled on her thumbnail while watching the girl play with her hair at the table. Mel was silent until the girl talked again. She nodded and then beamed at the girl, "Really? High-five for home-schoolers!" Melek held her hand up for a high-five. Mel made a face, "Oh really? That doesnt seem nice at all." A frown showed up and she shook her head, "I am glad that i missed that...Im short too! I am only 4'10" I really hope I can go more... I hate being short..."" Melek kicked her feet under the table and watched the girl. Mel beamed, "Yay! I got a Ravenclaw friend!" Excitement showed on her face, "You think I am funny too?" Yep, this girl was awesome already. Melek nodded and looked at her, "I believe we should as well." Mel beamed as the girl said that she was glad that they were in the same house as well.



Melek looked up as someone talked to her She gave a smile, "Thanks... I am Melek or Mel." A smile grew as the girl mentioned food, "Thats good... I am kinda hungry, to be honest..." The girl gave a nervous laugh and looked at the older girl, "this is my first year at Hogwarts but Im in third year since I am a transfer... what about you?" Mel tilted her head and looked at the girl then gave a smile.



Melek smiled at the girl when the girl said hey back at her. She finished off what she was writing and looked back up at the girl, "I am Melek though some call me Mel... I am new here, transferring from being home-schooled... third year..." The girl bit her tongue then held out her hand to the older girl, "What about you?" She was trying to be friendly like her mother and father had told her to do but it was really hard when you were as nervous as her though after meeting some people at this table, her nerves were slowly going away which made her a bit happy. Mel grumbled as her stomach growled for food. Melek smacked her tummy and gave it a glare.



She gave a light smile, "Oh okay... just making sure before I make a fool of myself..." Melek nodded, "Yeah, sure." Mel sat down with her and then looked up at the older girl, "Lily? I like your name... It is pretty and my favorite flower too!" Mel gave the girl an innocent look, "Seventh year?" Her eyes were in awe, "I am only a third year, myself but I am Melek but people call me Mel for short... I transferred from being home-schooled..."

"You'll always, always be my little Soph." Cat reached across Mo and nudged the younger girl, then smiled warmly at her. Sophie was her little sister, maybe not by blood, but most definitely by choice.

"Want another cookie?" Cause she still had plenty.



"The Ravenclaw common room is pretty far from mine, but I'm usually around there, sometimes, besides, Mo probably has hoards of my food around. He's good at sharing." He was, too. That Mo. He was a good boy. And so nice to look at, too.

Ahem. Right. "Nice to meet you, Hope."



Whoops! Caterina glanced at the ghostly woman who pointed out that technically, she didn't belong at this table. For a moment, she thought that the ghost would ask her to leave, but she was very glad to see that she didn't seem to mind her sitting here for a little visit. That was good. "Just sharing cookies with a few friends." She replied with a smile.

She'd share with her too, but... ghost.. right? "Oh. Thank you!" That was nice of her!



Cat nodded seriously. "Scrapper." She certainly did get a little... scrappy at times. Though that was probably the inner Slytherin she had buried deep inside of her, trying to get out. "I lost you after our little chat." And kiss... "Then I lost Sharky and spent the remainder of the ride breaking into other people's compartments to see if I could find her." The little adventurer that she was, she'd run her mama ragged trying to find her. "But I did find her, I did, so no worries."

She patted his arm lightly, knowing that he was probably thinking about Dart and having to leave him behind. Hopefully Vivi would send pictures soon and hopefully that would make Mo feel a little better.

Cat raised an eyebrow in Sophie's direction when Mo said he would braid her hair. "Oh, Soph. Mo is the best at braiding hair. He does mine lots." Again, she leaned over him to see the had been firstie, "But it's a secret." Mostly because Cat just liked having secrets.

"Oh yeah, it is. M'favorite place in the world by far. I think a lot of its appeal comes from the people here, too, though, not just the fun things to see around the castle. Find yourself a solid friend group and you'll be set. What really makes this place special is the friends and memories you'll make here," Sophie lowered her voice and leaned in toward Hope at that last bit, not wanting Mo and Cat to hear. It was fine advice, but it felt like a vulnerable statement, especially when the two friends who had made her first year so great were sitting right next to her.

As for her favorite place, she thought of numerous places but managed to think of one that was favorite-worthy. "How 'bout I show you later? Remind me later this week and I'll take you there. S'better, probably, to experience it first-hand than hear about it. It'll be cooler that way."

Text Cut: Leah

Quote:

Originally Posted by nanyjj

Aww, Sophie is so nice! One of the best people Leah had met in her short time at school, actually. The girl took a bite of the cookie her friend gave and immediately felt a warm sort of feeling.

"Thanks. I hope I fit in well. I already know plenty of Hufflepuff people." Leah said, taking another bite. "Hey wait, how do you know about the Hufflepuff common room? We aren't allowed in other house common rooms too, are we?" She asked, eyeing Sophie suspiciously.

"Sure you will. No reason you shouldn't. Unless the rumors are wrong, both the Head Girl and Head Boy are Hufflepuffs and two of the nicest people I've ever known. Don't be hesitant to talk to 'em because of their badges. They're the least threatening people at this school - don't tell 'em I said this, but I'd be surprised to see them lay down the law to any troublemakers. They're both big ol' softies." She had never seen either of them mad or yell at anyone. Now that she was thinking about it, she wasn't entirely sure why they were the head school leaders. Could they scold kids and take points away guiltlessly? They were good leaders and role models in the sense of their personalities, but as for keeping people in line? Questionable.

Sophie actually laughed a bit at Leah's question. "Well it's not exactly a secret location. We're not allowed into each other's common rooms, but it's hard to miss the hoards of Hufflepuffs going to and coming from the kitchen area every day." She had explored the area down there, too, and knew all about the barrels, but figured she'd let the girl find out about that bit on her own. It would be wrong of Sophie to ruin all the magic.

Text Cut: Grey Lady

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grey Lady

The young Ravenclaw she had heard quite a bit of last term while in the Common Room was here again, this time as a second year. She was joining in with the conversation of the Slytherin and Captain with--

"Dear, please do not shove food in your mouth. It's not lady-like." She reached a ghostly hand into her bag and pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed at her mouth to sign that the girl should follow suit.

...Hm?

Sophie didn't register what the Grey Lady had said until quite a few moments after she spoke. Oh. Well. She swallowed quickly, calculating her words carefully and tried to speak in the most polite tone possible, "Thank you for your advice. And..." She probably shouldn't have let herself continue, but she needed to defend herself, "no disrespect meant at all, ma'am, but it's not particularly my goal to be lady-like. I'm just gonna be me, if that's okay? Be a kid while I can? My manners can be kind of selective - really, normally I think I'd be a bit better about it - I was raised well, I promise - but right now I'm with my family who I've missed and feel comfortable around 'em. Why put on a facade for people who'll love and accept me anyway?" Legitimate question. "Plus, you haven't tasted Cat's cookies. They're definitely shove-in-your-mouth worthy."

...Still, after she was done explaining her side, Sophie did dab at her mouth with her napkin. See? She could be good and proper.

Text Cut: Cat

Quote:

Originally Posted by Colley

"You'll always, always be my little Soph." Cat reached across Mo and nudged the younger girl, then smiled warmly at her. Sophie was her little sister, maybe not by blood, but most definitely by choice.

"Want another cookie?" Cause she still had plenty.

Hey, listen here - Sophie thought it was funny to make other people get all squirmy and blushy over cheesy stuff and compliments, but she did not enjoy being put in that kind of vulnerable position. Especially not when tears threatened to be a factor. And right now, with Cat's wonderfully comforting comment, it tugged at Sophie's heartstrings and tear ducts too much for her liking. But... it was nice. "Always? Y'promise?" She tried to sound casual in her questioning, but it came out smaller and weaker than she meant it to.

And then she took a large bite of a cookie to diffuse her own discomfort.

Shooting a glance down the table at the house ghost, Sophie lowered her voice in case she had super sonic hearing and spoke through a mouthful, "Not so sure I should. I still have two more and I think the Grey Lady's gonna keep judging my eating habits."

Text Cut: Mo & Cat

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cassirin

"Y'know what, Soph... when we get up to the Common Room, I'll braid it for you. Make it all beautiful again. Just ask Cat how good I am at braiding." One of the perks of being the youngest brother with a million and a half women living in his house. He probably could paint nails too, but that was a secret going to his grave.

"Not many Ravenclaw firsties this term. You think it means the world is getting stupider?" Not for really, but... for really?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Colley

Cat raised an eyebrow in Sophie's direction when Mo said he would braid her hair. "Oh, Soph. Mo is the best at braiding hair. He does mine lots." Again, she leaned over him to see the had been firstie, "But it's a secret." Mostly because Cat just liked having secrets.

Was he serious? Sophie gave Mo an incredulous look for a long moment before Cat spoke up. Smirking, the second year gave Mo a nudge and told him, "I'm gonna hold you to that, Marcus Branxton. Don't run off to your dorm and hide out, you've got hair to braid. Will you let me return the favor?" Her grin broadened and she reached up to tug at his hair a bit, checking the length. "I could work with this. Wouldn't he look cute, Cat?"

Hmmm. Mo was kind of right. There was Hope and... maybe only two other new first years at the table? Both girls. Where were all the smartypants boys? "That's a scary thought." And it was. "Seems like the other houses have plenty more new sortees. These people don't know what they're missing. More of Cat's cookies for us, though." So there were perks.

Brynn slowly wandered over to the Ravenclaw table after the talking hat directed her there. This was where she was meant to sit, right? Except she didn't know anyone and they all looked so much bigger than her. Her widened brown eyes took in all the faces present there before slipping into the first vacant seat.

So he hadn't been sorted into Ravenclaw. At least she didn't see him. Brynn looked up the length of the table then around the great big room for any sign of Bart. She knew he had to have been sorted before her, but where did he go? She wished she had paid better attention. The redhead turned back to her tablemates, hearing bits and pieces of conversation. So these were the ones she'd spend most of her school days with. Ravenclaw was her new house.

And.. there was a ghost there too. Wow. Brynn couldn't help but to stare.

Alex saw a young girl come over to the Ravenclaw table and sit down. She looked a bit overwhelmed, sort of like a deer caught in headlights. Remembering what it felt like to sit at this table for the first time. She approached the girl. " Hi, my name is Alex. Welcome to Ravenclaw! Are you excited for the start of the school year?". Alex hoped that her attempt to make the girl feel welcome and comfortable was working. She knew how scary it could be to be surrounded by new people.

Kace was sitting at the table and he noticed Sander was here. He smiled toward the dude. "Hey it seems like you are following me.." he accused him jokingly. "But it is nice to see you over here man." he said giving him a high five.

Then he saw Melek and waved to her. "Hey Melek!" he called out to her.



Kace smiled and loved people's impression when they first meet pygmy puffs. They weren't that bad. "I only got him this summer actually. So i have had him for about a month now..." he said snuggling next to him. "You can hold him if you want just keep your hands on him.." he cautioned her. He got him off his shoulder and motioned her to hold Dusty.

"Unless you don't want to..." he said forgetting that to be polite.



AH! A treehouse! Kace wished he could go there right now. "Well i hope we can hang out more this term..?" he asked Mika. "Plus Kaiden gave me a nickname little quidditch dude and i think it just stuck." he told Mika. Kace grinned to the guy Mika was introducing him too. He waved and nodded to give him attention. "Yup Hufflepuff third year."

Hearing Mel's voice, she smiled and looked back toward her. "Nice to meet you Mel, I'm Lana." she replied as she took the offered hand and shook it. "I'm a seventh year, been going her since my first year." Oh gosh, she made it sound like she was so old. Seven years wasn't really that long in the grand scheme of things she had to keep telling herself.

Hearing Mel's stomach, she let out a tiny giggle. "You know my stomach acts the same way at each feast." It was only natural after the long journey everyone just had. "I'm sure the speech will start soon and then the food shall come." Seriously, the food was usually her favourite part of each opening feast.

As Caelen did the obsessive task of fixing her hair, she looked at the other girl from out of the corner of her blue eyes. She was biting her thumbnail. Her mother did that all of the time! Especially when she got nervous. Yep, her mother was a nervous thumb biter if Caelen had ever seen one. She had band-aids on her thumbs all summer from the stress. You know, the summer-that-never-happened.

Which of course made her think about her mom. Her mom who almost didn't let her go to Hogwarts. One part of the eleven year old missed her guardian and her stomach felt giddy with homesickness. Another part was annoyed at the fact that she thought of the guider at all. She was supposed to be carving her own path out here, not holding back because she wanted to consult her mom on everything. This was her experience. What would her brother say?

You have to do what you want... Rockwell would say to her. Don't let mom decide your life. And hippie brother talks aside, he was right. She put the smile back on her face and listened in on what Mel was saying.

"Yeah!" Caelen accepted the high-five, feeling still feeling happy that she had met another home-schooled kid. Apparently, you didn't meet too many of those. Or they were some of the most vocal ones. Either way,they were now like a homeschooling, crime fighting wizards. Like Batman.

"And the ickle firstie thing is cool. At least to me. I have an older brother so I'm used to being called pipsqueak. Caelen laughed and listened to Mel again, looking under the table. They were both shorties, weren't they? Another thing in common! She had to tell Spencer about this!

"Yeah, but being short means we're cute!" More laughter escaped from Caelen. This was the most fun she had since she found a weird game in the attic and played it till two in the morning. It was a card game and had something to do with Apples, though the box was dusty and she could barely make out the old writing.


As she smiled, she looked away quickly to the Hufflepuff table. Where was Nate? She knew he was at the table, but she couldn't find him. As she continued talking, she searched for him among the crowd of people. She didn't need him or anything, but she kind of wanted to see where he was. He was like moral support. Plus she wanted to make faces at him. She was eleven and barely mature, so what?

Anyway......

Yay, Ravenclaw friends! House pride? She heard from her brother that this was a thing that people really liked. She would have someone order a blue bow for her. She had no idea what a Ravenclaw was, but she wanted to be the best at that. And she smiled at Mel's smile. Yay! She was making people smile! A good feeling bubbled in her stomach at this. She was getting somehwere. Whee. And yes, she was funny. She was very lively and funny.

"So, what do you think your favorite class is gonna be?" She hoped Mell would excuse the grammar faux pas, but she didn't realy care about all of that grammar stuff now.

The ghost was talking to her. Gwen wanted to jump out of her skin. There was a ghost, and it/she was speaking. Clearly this was not some sort of smoke-and-mirrors trick like she'd originally thought. The lady seemed pretty wise though. Gwen watched how the other students interacted with the ghost, as if they respected her greatly.

She nodded. "Thank you so much for the welcome. I'm really thrilled to be here." She heard Hope say something about reading the book three times already. Hope must be really smart. Truthfully, Gwen had skimmed it once, and read all of the more interesting parts, but to read something three times before it was even assigned?

Gwen nodded, hearing Hope's question. "Yeah, first year." Hope had attended muggle schools? So that meant that Gwen wasn't the only kid here with non-magical parents. "Best of the best?" she asked, panic rising in her chest. "Like for people who are really good at magic?" Crap. The hat had made a mistake. She needed to go get re-sorted. She was not good at this. She'd tried a few spells at home, but felt silly. None of them had worked the way they were supposed to.

Melek wandered around and sat by a little girl who seem to be about her age or a little younger. Mel smiled, "Hey, Im Melek or Mel, third year." She held her hand out for the girl to shake. "Whats your name?"Melek looked at the girl then at the table, longing for food. Her tummy was making another weird sound and she smacked it again, muttering for it to stop making noise. Mel gave the girl an embarrassed look and a weak smile.



Melek looked up and beamed as she saw Kace. She waved back, "Hey, Kace!" A blush came to her cheeks as she looked at him. Mel stood up and went over to him, "Fancy meeting you here." Melek teased him and gently nudged him. She had a mini crush on the boy but she would deny it if anyone asked her. Her eyes lit up and sparkled in happiness as she beamed a big smile at him.



"Nice to meet you too! I like your name, Lana... It has a good ring to it." Melek gave the older girl a smile and looked up at her in awe. "Ooooo! Nice! So you can help me with classes and finding my way around?" Mel gave a nervous giggle and smile, "That is if you want to..." Melek gave the girl a smile of relief, "I am glad that it isnt just my sotmach that acts this way." She nodded, "I hope so because I am a bit hungry after that long journey..." Mel rubbed her stomach and looked up at the girl, happy that she was being nice to her.



Melek beamed as the other girl returned the high-five. She was starting to feel like they were going to be awesome best friends. Mel was totally glad that she was sent here. Melek was also starting to be happy that her best friend, Annaleecia, wasnt placed in Ravenclaw but that thought made her a little sad and made her feel a little mean. Mel shook her head then beamed up at the girl again. She was sure that Caelen and her were going to rock out the school.

Melek looked at her and nodded, "Okay, glad that you are okay with it." She smiled and laughed, "Pipsqueak? Hmmm I guess I am lucky that I am an only child." Mel sighed silently though, thinking about how much fun a sibling was even if the sibling would be younger than her. Melek had always wished for a sibling but the closest thing was her life-long best friend, Annaleecia, and that hardly counted as one since Annaleecia was forced to move to Russia instead of staying in Turkey with her. Annaleecia had a younger sister which made Melek a bit jealous, to be honest.

"Hmmm being short makes us cute? Okay,... I like that idea!" Mel beamed at her friend and laughed, "I never thought about it that way, to be honest." She looked under the table and wiggled her feet. Melek was having fun and didnt even notice that she stopped chewing on her thumbnail. Mel can already imagine how much fun they will have together... probably even more fun than with Annaleecia! Though after Annaleecia was sent away... being abandoned by her parents, Mel havent had much fun with her because Annaleecia had been all whiny lately and irritating.

Melek shrugged, "No clue but maybe muggle studies or care of magicial creatures." Mel smiled, "They both sound like fun... Im not looking forward to potions or charms though." She made a face at those classes then smiled again at her friend, "What about you?" Melek tilted her head and looked at her new friend.

"Well, they think of everything." Hope had known that there would be lessons but she had labeled them as optional...until now. Now she wanted to go and learn and be the best. "What happens if you, ya know, fall off the broom or something or can't even get to the hovering phase?" Imagine. Never being able to do something. She didn't feel sorry for those people, but that would put a damper on a lot of the fun.

"Maybe I'll make a competition of it or something. See what first year can find their way fastest." Hope always did better when she had a reason to be better. She shrugged. "They all seem rather fascinating really. Except Muggle Studies. I grew up around muggles. I already know enough about them." Although the more she thought about it, the more she wondered what it would be like to learn from a wizards perspective. "I would have to say potions would be the one I'm most eager for."

Seems like Mo was the go to man for her then. Quidditch and food. Yep! Hope nodded and looked down at the almost finished cookie. She finally noticed the color on Cat's robes and rolled her eyes at herself. For someone so smart, she lacked the ability to be observant. "What's it like to be in the dungeons?" Bet there was some interesting stuff to explore down there.

Solid group of friends. She cringed just a bit at the idea, but at the same time she seemed to be interacting just fine around this group. Maybe it was because she knew she was around like minded people. Hope nodded slowly. "Make friends. Guess that'll be the first thing on my to do list next to find classrooms and explore the castle." If no one bumped into her then there wouldn't be a problem.

She beamed. "I'll hold you to that because as much fun as it sounds, I'd feel a little better knowing I'm with someone who would know how to get me back to the common room." Sophie was now labeled as friend number one.

Hope sighed. "Will you calm down." She could here the worry in the girls voice. This was the kind of person that kind of hit the bad side of her. Like, seriously, loosen up. "I'm sure you'll be fine. You were placed here for a reason. You just needed to stop stressing the small things and go with the flow."

She sighed and placed a hand on the girls shoulder in a friendly gesture that is extremely rare coming from Hope Evans. "Wisdom, cleverness, and wit. You must have some of it stored in you somewhere, otherwise you might have been put in a different house. The hat doesn't make mistakes." Gwen just got labeled as friend number two. She was going to save this girl from herself.

Lana smiled. "Thank you, I like your name too. I've never a Melek before, so that makes you the number one Melek in my book." She liked this new 'claw. It was rare for her to take a liking to anyone so quickly, but Mel reminded herself of how she once was at that age. "Of course! If you need anything, feel free to come and see me," she beamed. This was definitely a first for her and it made her feel important again. "You know we can even study together if you want. There are study tables in our common room so we can meet up if you want." She was seriously going to study as much as she could with her NEWTs coming and there was a part of her that did always want to help their house win the House Cup.

Glancing back up to the staff table, Lana blinked as she saw the newest addition to the table. She hadn't noticed the large man before and blinked again.

Shaking her head, she looked back to Mel and nodded. "Oh, I understand completely. I skipped breakfast this morning and forgot to pack a snack for the train ride." She was in such a hurry, it had totally slipped her mind and then she didn't even visit the trolley once. Her stomach was not at all happy with her at the moment either.

Arwen looked up had someone spoken to her??

Nope no one had. She looked back down and then looked back up. Wait it was the ghost wasn't it. She was the only one looking at her. "Thank you for the welcome, Ms. Ravenclaw..." Should she call her Ms. Ravenclaw? She had never talked to a ghost before. Well haha. "Its good to be back at Hogwarts, I left after my second year."

Sander's face lit up and he smiled widely. "Awesome. I'll be happy to teach you if you want. Don't worry I'll make sure you don't fall. I'll even cast a cushioning charm so if you do, it won't hurt.....I mean not that you are going to fall." Sander quickly corrected himself before grinning back at her.

Yes Sander don't scare the girl after she's agreed to try out what you've just suggested. Yes this term was start to look good minute by minute.

....then he turned his attention back to Mel.



Sander laughed when Mel took him up on his challenge and linked her pinky with his.

Yes....she was definitely smiling more...and even her pouts were adorable too. She now sounded all excited. Swinging back and forth between it being great that they were both transfers and then he laughed even louder when she began protesting about her height.

He nodded in agreement. "No you're really not that short...not that short at all..." and then he saw that sad look again.

"Hey there is a good reason why certain people are taller than others. If we had everyone tall, then who would we have to crawl through those small important spaces. You know those secret hiding places? I know that I wouldn't be able to." Sander winked at her hoping that he actually made sense.

Come on Mel, don't stop smiling now.

Jun nodded. Not get to the hovering part? Jun never really thought about that. But everyone in his first flying lesson was able to hover at least. "I think if you're magical, you'll be able to hover at least," Flying took more practice. But everyone got it eventually. Unless they didn't like flying so that was a different story. "Are you nervous about your first flying lesson?"

"Sure, I'd like to hold him", Alex said as she reaced out for the little puff. Holding him securely, she gently stroked his fur. "Hello little Dusty. You are the cutest little Pygmy puff ever." Dusty seemed to purr or whatever it was that Pygmy puffs did when they were content.

"He is so sweet, Alex said. She handed Dusty back to Kace. "He makes me think about my cat. I had him with me at school for five years, then he got lost when I was on summer break. Now I'm pet-less. Do you think that maybe sometime I can visit Dusty, just to get my animal fix?"

Helena smiled at the nervous girl sitting far away in the table, she hadn't seen her around the common room before. She must be new. The ghost raised her hand elegantly in greeting, if the girl was any closer, they'd share some words.

Nodding her head, Helena smiled faintly, "Not as ready as you should be." Helena didn't have to attend classes and work on homework, she was at home. "However, I don't reckon anyone will ever be ready for what Hogwarts offers us." Merlin knew it was more than just a school term, every. single. time.

The watching and staring was normal. Helena got it every feast in the beginning of every term. Mostly from youngsters like this girl. So, she was going to do her thing now. The ghost floated a little closer, her hands folded in a neat manner. "Hello dear. Welcome to Hogwarts, and Ravenclaw." The smile gracing her face.

They were good Ravenclaws, those bunch, if she could say so herself. They stuck to the house's rules and met the high expectations of being the ever hardworking knowledge seekers. It pleased her, and her smile was a little wider but never too obvious. "That's what we call a nice, productive summer." Brilliant students indeed.

The ghost nodded her head slowly, "Of course. You're just beginning. Don't you find it incredibly intriguing when you learn something new every time you read, though?" There was nothing more boring than ceasing to learn, Helena could not even imagine such a state.

The girl was generous and loving. Helena predicted she'd make a brilliant lady when she gets older. Good house skills, lively common sense, proper manners and such delicate beauty.

Definitely a lady to-be.

She smiled at her one last time.

This one, however, wasn't so lady to-be. Helena listened to the girl with a collective look on her face. Pity. "You can simply be lady-like without faking it, then." Because being a bit more lady-like was definitely not a facade, as the Ravenclaw put it. Helena noticed the girl's slouchy shoulders, too, but didn't comment on it. The napkin was a wise move, the ghost's face softened at that.

They should have a manner teaching lessons in Hogwarts. Back when she was alive, girls were brought up to be proper ladies.

"We'll work on a few things in time." She answered finally, obviously insisting on the subject.

More staring. Helena smiled faintly at the girl, kept her hands folded close to her body. "Welcome to Hogwarts, and to Ravenclaw dear." She bowed her head a little.

The girl looked startled... or really, overexcited? The Grey Lady bowed her head again. "Hogwarts will keep you thrilled throughout the year, I daresay." The girl could ask the older students.

Ms. Ravenclaw...? "The Grey Lady." The ghost corrected, gently. She was all about proper titles and good manners. The student was back to Hogwarts this term, then? "Wise choice to come back here for education."