Dora spared him another glance, nodding her head a bit. "Yeah." If anyone would know, he would. Hiding was necessary since avoiding the entire thing was no longer an option. "Figure beside you is best since you're tallest 'an all." The Ravenclaw prefect made smart moves like that.

Though she could use another tall person on her other side. Olly would due though. Maybe she'd like.... keep things from happening or whatever. For a little while longer at least....

So he saw this too? It wasn't her going loony. Good. So...waiiit! THAT was the professor? Beverly was just about to ask if he had a twin brother he hadn't told her about. One that stupidly liked sitting at the staff table.

"THAT's Airey Flamsteed?" An incredulous look was shot at the boy. "How--"

Glancing back at the staff table, then back at Cutty, she couldn't help smirk. Cutty's confirmation of that being the professor meant several things, one clicked faster than other theories. "How did you do it?" she whispered. Did he spike the professor's drink? She wanted DETAILS.

Sophie was still hunched down at the end of the house table, hissing at Cutty Mordaunt to come down right this instant. Why was the staff not punishing him?! HUMILIATING him in front of the entire school?! "Cutty!" she hissed again. "Don't you ignore me--you..."

Pause. Awkward pause even.

That was NOT Mordaunt's voice coming from behind her. It was NOT. Sophie slooooowly turned around, hoping beyond all hope out there that by some weird chance some random Slytherin house member sounded just like Cutty Mordaunt. But no. That was too good to be true. Sophie's eyes grew wide, and she looked from Cutty at the house table to Cutty at the staff table.

That was it. She was going crazy. She was even sure she blushed a little. Was this the result of her old age? She slumped down onto a nearby seat and tried not to look in any particular direction. "What. Did. You. Do?" she hissed beneath the hands shadowing her face.

She whirled around in the exact opposite direction in an attempt to look anywhere else besides at Cutty. She made the mistake of removing her hands from her face and revealed herself to whatever Gertrude's real name was. Great. She supposed the girl saw Sophie's act of shame seconds prior.

"Hi," she said, a tone of flatness to her voice. "Where have you been all term? I was almost sure you moved to Beauxbaton's..." She really had been sure. She hadn't even seen Pilliwickle since that common room fight.

She sighed and wanted to bang her head against her plate. Yup. Just bang bang. "Not that it's any of your business, child, but I've been concentrating on my studies... not on stupid things..." Like making friends, or playing quidditch. Her mother had forbid it.

Sigh.

So HE was gonna have to be the one to make things right then? And maybe punish her a little for fun. A little. West got out of his seat, went up behind Olly and gave her a BIG OL' HUG.

"I forgive you for being a..." He cut himself off but only because there were little kids around and what he was going to say could still get him in trouble if Tillstorm happened to hear it and he'd never put it past her even though she was over at the staff table right now.

The Healer had ways and means. It was a Slytherin Head of House thing.

"... I forgive you."

... oh so he shouldn't have got up then? He half-smiled at Dora.

"Well I dunno if hiding here is great because... well its not like she won't look over this way when she gets here."

Another squishy squish for Olly and then he sat down again, though this time HE squished in between the two of them, and put his arms around each of their shoulders.

"I'm just going to pretend like you're both here on account of you love me, and not just to hide."

Child?! Well, pin a rose on her nose. "Oh, right. I forgot," she said. "You guys are established adults, and I--a few years younger than you, didn't make that cut." Whatever, Pilliwickle. Sophie Newell was thirteen-years-old now, thank you very much.

"Just on your studies?" she asked. It suddenly occurred to Sophie that Pilliwickle might not have made any friends. "You should come to Hogsmeade with us sometimes." You know, even though they were babies.

She blinked and then turned to look at the girl slowly. "Why?" She finally asked.

Why? Err... Sophie hadn't been prepared to answer that one. Uhh, why did she think Pilliwickle should go to Hogsmeade with them? "Okay, well, here's two answers for you. Take your pick," she said. "One, because people actually want to hang out with you." Sophie HAD asked the girl to sit with her on the train, and...well, that didn't go over too well. So, yeah. She COULD have made friends and chose to start a fight instead.

"But if you think it's so childish to hang out with us, then there's always option two," she said. "Because even a Slytherin needs an ally."

Hmmm... She kept her eyes on the kid for a moment... she looked like a 60 year old... but nowadays everyone took some potion or another to get around finals... and she'd seen others. She then picked up her glass sipping from it. "We'll see..." She said.

Wait. What? ... Sophie hadn't been expecting that reply either. She looked over at the girl, almost waiting for some sort of sarcastic laugh to mock the entire conversation. It never came, though. Or, at least, it hadn't yet.

"Cool, well...if I get to come back next term, we'll go to Hogsmeade," she said. "I'll buy candy and a butterbeer, and you can buy coffee or whatever you older students like to drink." You know, since Sophie was so much more childish than Genie.

Then something occurred to her... "Genie? I know you're an adult now, but...did you ever get to be childish like me?" she asked.

She shook her head and turned her nose up. "I've always been mature..."

...

NOT!

Sophie blinked but otherwise said nothing at first. Her initial thought was--sad. There was plenty of time to be an adult. It was kind of sad to already be acting like one when you were only a teenager. "Oh," she said. Then she couldn't think of anything else to say. It was still just sad that someone was born acting like an adult and was still doing just that years later.

"Well, ...there's plenty of time to be older, Genie," she said. Sophie looked down at herself and gestured toward her aged body. "I'd do anything not to be this old." She was not going to cry. She was NOT.

It wasn't long before the last free seat next to him was filled by none other than his roommate, Terry. Theo nodded, and looked quickly over his shoulder for his other roommate who would usually be here by now, too. Ah well, later maybe. Theo's thoughts were distracted when Terry started speaking words that he wasn't expecting. Usually people all said the same at feasts.... what you doing this summer?? blah blah blah... but Terry?

"Uhh... I..." Before he could think about it, because Theo always liked to have a good go at answering jokes, Terry did it for him, and he raised an eyebrow.

"Did you get that from a Christmas cracker?" Not impressed.

Theo's excitement was building and Cassia's reaction only made it stronger. He shook his head in response to her question... "No... just... as friends." He whispered back, but he shut his mouth completely when the said girl that he was going on holiday with came in and sat right down at his table. Alongside West and Olly. Theo didn't wave or acknowledge any of them, because they hadn't to him. Maybe they hadn't seen him, he liked to think. "Shhhhhh." He mumbled to Cassia, then turned to face the front with his back to them.

He just didn't want Dora to know just how excited he was. Too eager. Not hot.

"That's not lame! Apparating is awesome, and it's real easy once you get the hang of it." Something ELSE that he was starting this summer was driving. Wizarding travel seemed to be something that Theodore was good at, but who knows what muggle travelling would ensue for him. It was exciting, nonetheless. "Did you apply for interning this summer?" Because he did and he wasn't even sure why because the first time didn't go to plan exactly.

Yes West was going to have to be the one to make the first step because Olly wasn't.

So when the Slytherin got up off his seat, she didn't think much of it, just watched him with a vague sense of curiosity. Until she was being squished. From behind. She tilted her head upwards to be able to look at him. "A...bad friend?" Olly suggested with a small smirk that didn't quite reach her eyes.

Yes 'bad' was definitely a euphemism there.

Olly wanted to get up and hug him properly but effort. Also a second later West had sat down again, next to her AND Dora. So she ended up just leaning against him slightly. She should probably apologize but the other two were talking again. About......


.....Alice. Obviously. Even though Olly's brain wasn't quite working at full speed right now it still wasn't that hard to figure that out. Her eyes wandered off to the Gryffindor table for a moment. Oh hey Schuyler WAS there. Hiii. She grinned. And Coulson too. She wanted to flick food at him. But no food, no flicking. Sadness.

Attention back on West and Dora, Olly reached up to tug on West's hand softly. "I'm not hiding." The only person SHE had been avoiding was him and she'd be doing a very bad job at hiding from him right now. So therefore she was mainly here for him. That was a nice gesture yeah?

?

What had West done now? Or was Theo just on that big ol' list of people that currently hated him for what had happened? That big list of people not talking to him?

It didn't occur to West to think it was anything to do with Dora or Olly either. He just shot a few quietly miserable looks in Theo's direction.

At his BACK.

"A really... bad friend." West agreed giving her a small smile. He squished her a bit more in the side hug once he'd sat down and all, and was content to not talk about it too much if she wasn't... for now.

... sort of.

"Well you were. Don't anymore, K?" West said quietly. It mattered to him. He gave her serious looks. No avoiding the Odessa. He gave her hand a little squeeze too. She was forgiven though. He was nice like that. But he WOULD want to know why later.

........yes, point taken.

She nodded but didn't say anything else. Nor did she move. If anything she leaned against West's side some more but that was about it. No need to drag out that conversation longer than necessary. At least not here. Not right now. Not like this.

Or maybe they WERE talking about it some more after all. Olly sighed softly, feeling a little bit like a scolded child. West WAS right though. Of course. Her eyes returned to the Slytherin to give him a long look. "Yeah." And then, lowering her voice slightly she added, "Sorry." There. That would have to do for now.

"Hiding's no good though." She was no longer looking at West now though but rather at Dora. She could thank her later for convincing her to come to the feast.

Well she couldn't HIDE if West was gonna get up and go around hugging Olly. Merlin. He didn't get the concept, clearly. She shrugged at his words dismissively, turning her head so she could have eyes on him. "Well I have no interest in hiding at the Hufflepuff table." Because that's the only table Alice wouldn't look at, right? Maybe. "And hiding here's no good now if you're not shielding me." He was sitting between her and Olly now, and she was sorta okay with that too, immediately squishing into his side.

"Totally because I love you." Not just cause she was hiding since Olly got her here. Grin.

She soon became aware of Theo's presence, and would have waved cause they were like friends and all that now, but he'd turned his back to talk to Cassia for whatever reasons. Whatever. Cassia got a small wave though. Distracted.

What were Olly and West on about?

"I'm clearly the best friend you both have." Clearly.

Dora scoffed and rolled her eyes at Olly. "No, not now it isn't. Everyone can see me now." She'd just have to suffer in plain sight and consider leaving if anyone tried to make her talk about things that she'd managed to go all year without talking about.

He was getting hugs, he was content. West booped Olly's nose with his little finger. Forgiven. She was forgiven. They could discuss it later over... refreshments.

He turned his attention to Dora too.

More squishing.

"Its crappy Siddie, but also its not fair to her for us to not be here and to hide away... if she actually shows up." Just saying.

He supposed there were other people to say goodbye to and stuff but for the ones that mattered it wasn't as if he wouldn't see them over the summer right?

Did he just.......? Olly swatted at his hand when West touched her nose. But she was just a second too late. Naturally. Realizing what was happening and reacting immediately was quite difficult sometimes. She still reached out to slap his hand afterwards. Playfully.

So that meant they were good, yeah? Maybe they'd get a chance to talk properly later.

Dora was the best friend they had? Olly smirked at her, amused by the other girl's words. "Only if you're in a sharing mood." Then, maybe.

"You could go sit under the table." Olly suggested with a lazy grin. Then she'd definitely be hidden from sight. Since that apparently was the point here. Even though she WAS paying attention to the other two talking about Alice (presumably), she didn't really have anything to contribute. So instead she crossed her arms on the table and placed her head on top of her interlaced hands. Sideways, so she could still sort of see her two friends.

But also other things. Was that a student up there at the staff table?

"I'm always sharing." Truth.

Sharing with these two had definitely cost her this year, that was for certain. It really was a good thing she liked them both.

Dora averted her eyes, grumbling internally at West's words because she knew he was right, but that didn't make it any more easier for them. "'s not fair she's leaving..." She said more to herself than him. "I was gonna see her later. After. These things are too... emotional." Unnecessarily so.

Someone's reaction times were off. West had his suspicions about why but he wouldn't rat Olly out either.

"I like it when Siddie shares too." He told Olly. Yes he did. He looked at Dora and smiled. HAD she been sharing already? But not with him? Pshhh so much for that best friend claim.

Or not really because she was always pretty good at sharing with him even when she didn't realise it since West had always been awesome at helping himself to things that were technically hers.

"S'not like you have to say goodbye now." West reminded Dora. He was sorta meaning this for himself as much as Siddie though, because this WAS harder for him than for her, even if she'd probably disagree. But there were reasons.

Was she now? Olly leaned over West slightly so she could poke Dora's face. "Hey, I'm usually the one sharing with you." Though she had to admit that recently Dora had been sharing too so they were even. Somewhat. Sort of.

Hey they should really hang out more, the three of them. Yes. Good plan.

She watched the other two for a moment before allowing her eyes to wander back to the Gryffindor table. Alice still hadn't arrived it seemed. At least she couldn't see her. So instead she fixed her gaze on Schuyler - who by the way was so much more interesting - and smiled. She even waved.

Maybe she should go over later. Later. When she'd had a bit of rest. All this walking around was exhausting.

Addi couldn't help but giggle a bit. "I understand completely. I just need a break from all things school right now." Not to mention most of the things she was learning had absolutely nothing to do with her future career at this point. Unless she did quidditch. That was still a big maybe though.

She shook her head. "Stupid family stuff. Hopefully this will be my last summer of having to show face with my family." Addi couldn't remember if she'd ever talked to Theo about what her dad did in the muggle world.



Adelaide smiled at Cassia, not even acknowledging what she called Theo. They'd known each other longer so they probably had nicknames for each other or something. "Hey Cassia." She wasn't shocked to see that they were the only two from their dorms here right now. The others were probably cat wrangling.

She nodded listening to what Theo was doing. Good for him. Now it was her turn. "If by interesting you mean being dragged around to various events for my father's good image then yes." Addi would much rather be doing other things. At least she'd be able to get her apparation license and be able to go to Diagon Alley.



Adelaide looked over as she was nudged by Derry. She couldn't help but notice how down her friend had been lately. It was definitely affecting Addi. She still smiled though because that was just her way of dealing with things.

"Yeah. That works." They could talk while they were finishing up the packing of things and all that. Hopefully everything was all right.



Adelaide couldn't help but smile when she saw her favorite little Hufflepuff. "Hey Lux." She got up to give the girl a hug, because her favorite little Hufflepuff deserved a hug. "You excited for summer?"

Theo didn’t exactly seem impressed with Terry’s joke and the blonde wrinkled his nose slightly in protest. His friend seemed to be a bit.. down.. often and he, despite it not being his usual method decided to tell a joke. One he was fairly impressed with even if he did say so himself. The Slytherin blinked at his friend waiting for a response when Theo asked whether it was a Christmas cracker joke.

”No. I made it all up by myself.” Sort of. Maybe. ”I thought it was quite funny.” Animals were the best subject for jokes, would’ve been better if it was a magical creatures one but he couldn’t think of one of them. ”Besides, I thought it was much more interesting than one of those usual conversations at these feasts.” What are you doing over summer? Blah blah. He was sure Theo had probably already discussed his plans multiple times already and he didn’t need it from his dorm-mate.

He turned to Cassia who seemed to have made a reaction to his joke. ”See.Someone thought it was amusing” He grinned at his fellow Slytherin. ”Cassia clearly is on my humour wavelength.” He liked her, she was cool.

Ooh, then she hadn't missed anything major. And the news made her happy that Theo and Dora were hanging out as friends, or were going to, it meant they were cool which was so good. No one liked awkward situations. And speaking of Dora. Cassia smiled and waved back at the Ravenclaw who was now seated next to West who just got here as well. West got a wave as well. Olly was left ignored and perhaps she was the reason that kept Cassia from saying anything to her friends who were sitting with the hufflepuff. And maybe because it looked like there was something going on that the blond snake didn't know of. She could probably make a list of those.

Turning back to Theo, she nodded seriously understanding that that part of the conversation has ended. See, spies understand each other fast!

"It is awesome! I can't wait to pass the test." she said with a dreamy sigh. The ability to move around so easily. She just needed to keep the thought of splinches OUT of her mind. "Nah, I didn't, I might," she told him uncertain leaning towards the table with her elbows supporting her. "Are you? I dunno, I was thinking of chilling this summer," Since it was the one just before NEWTS and graduating. Like might get serious after that. Miiight. But who knew what could change her mind.

Looked like not everyone was having super cool traveling plans such as Theo. Adelaide's summer seemed as ordinary as Cassia's. If not more tied. "Oh, what does your father do?" How could she not have known that piece of information about her dormmate. Of all the things they talk about before sleep and while getting ready, parents occupations was never one of those topics.

"I don't have anything that special planned either," she told the ginger. "We should hang out at Diagon Alley," to make their summer time more fun and interesting, that is.


"So it seems, Mr.Radley," she grinned at Terry. Using lastnames was becoming a habit and it only made her thing of Ariana. Whenever she sat here she remembered both her and Kat of course. She was looking forwards to seeing them over the summer. Or so she hoped. "Any cool plans of Summer, Terry?" she asked expecting to hear something interesting knowing that Terry was a fan of creatures and his mother had access to many cool species. Meaning there was bound to be cool plans.