Emmeline marched purposefully into the game room, her arms full of parchment. She had stayed up late making these and she hoped people liked them and they made the Gryffindor champions feel better. Had they volunteered to be in the Book of Merlin? She hoped so, because this competition was obviously a Very Big Deal and it sounded dangerous. Of course, if you believed the Sorting Hat, then Gryffindor was the ideal House for such things because Gryffindors were brave and therefore obviously had an edge.

She was glad that someone had helpfully put up a congratulatory message on the notice board so she could put the champions' names on these; originally they had read "Miss Champion" and "Mr. Cleaning Spells Guy" and this occasion was too serious for that. So now she had a stack full of signs and was going to stick them up on the walls. And the doors. And any free space really.

The common room was really big and noisy and full of big kids, so she had decided to start with the game room part of it. After looking around furtively, she began tacking posters up on the wall that read:

Miss Dora For the Win or Mr. Levi For the Win respectively, in big red letters of course. She had drawn a biiiig lion head underneath the names. Then, under that , she had written in smaller letters: "If you can't do it, no one can!" That would make them feel better, right?
Hurrying over to the next empty space, she proceeded to plaster the walls with these signs wherever she could fit them.

Having been on her way to the study room, the blonde had her arms full of books on various subjects. Not that she KNEW how to really prepare for what was ahead of her, but she was darn sure going to TRY. Some of her books included history on previous tournaments at Hogwarts and...

What was this? The sixth year came to a stop at the entrance to the game room and couldn't help but smile. Brightly. "That's really nice of you, Emmeline. Thank you so much, " she said with a sense of relief. Like really she was afraid everyone was disappointed the champion was HER. No one seemed excited about it... until know. "Did you do these by yourself? "

Because they were so awesome!

Emmeline jumped a little when she heard Dora's voice behind her. Thankfully, the older girl wasn't mad -- so Emmeline wasn't in trouble for putting these up, right? -- and even seemed to like them! YAY! Her main goal had been to make the Gryffindor champions feel better, and it looked like she had maybe succeeded in Dora's case.

She tilted her head to the side a little bit as she took in what Dora had actually said. It didn't seem like a particularly nice thing to do in her opinion; wasn't it their job to support the champions? Of course people should make things for them and help them! "You don't have to say thank you, Miss Dora." She glanced down at the stack she was still holding, "Uh huh, I did them by myself." She knew she wasn't the greatest artist in the world, but she hoped her lion heads weren't too bad. She glanced up anxiously to see if Dora really liked them, or was just pretending because it was good manners.

And then she noticed the sixth year was holding books. "I don't know much magic yet, but can I help? D'you want me to quiz you or something?"

Dora wasn't one to mince words, so if she said she liked something she totally did. Mhm. And as the younger Gryffindor got to know her she would come to realize this. Heh. And it had indeed made her feel better seeing one of the younger kids supporting she and Levi and it really meant a lot to her. Truly it did.

"Please, just call me Dora. No need for the miss," the sixth year said with a soft smile to the girl. "And I do have to say thank you. It really means a lot." Sincerity; Dora had it! "Well I think they are just lovely. Maybe have it fade into gold when it flashes? Make it proper Gryffindor!" She was getting excited just looking at the posters!

"Well you did a lovely job, Emmeline. Really. It's all fabulous, dear." And now her books were getting a bit heavy. As the older girl moved to set them on a nearby table she couldn't help but smile wider still at the girl. "You really exude house pride. It's a rather welcome change." Oh? The books. "I am not sure what to do to prepare for these challenges, really. Also, can I tell you a secret?" The last was said in a low, conspiratorial tone. Secrets were big deals after all.

Dora said she didn't have to call her "miss"! This made the first year's day, and her face split into a BIG smile, because maybe one day she could be friends with Dora if Dora wanted to. Friends don't call each other "miss" after all. And, and, Dora liked her posters! Gryffindor was lucky to have two champions who were really nice.

Emmeline's eyes widened as Dora suggested making them flash gold. "Cool! How do you make them flash?" With a spell? Ooh, maybe Dora would teach her a new spell and then she could say that she'd learned spells from BOTH of Gryffindor's champions. How cool would that be?! And now Dora was complimenting her even more on her posters. "Thanks! I stayed up all night." Her first-ever all nighter was a big deal for the 11-year-old.

She frowned slightly when Dora said she had House pride. She wasn't sure she did, really. She often thought that the Sorting Hat had made a mistake, because she wasn't very brave. She did want Dora or Mr. Levi to win, though. Was that House pride? Maybe.

The first year's eyes lit up when Dora adopted the low tones; a big kid was going to trust her with a secret! That was HUGE! Emmeline moved to stand closer to Dora, so that they definitely wouldn't be overheard. Lowering her voice to match the older girl's, she nodded fervently. She could keep secrets.

The blonde couldn't help but smile at the little lion. She was really adorable. It warmed her heart! And that SMILE though. It was definitely infectious. Dora smiled and nodded as she watched the girl go through a full range of emotions.

CUTIE!

Taking out her wand she pointed at the poster and said, "Colorus Fulgeo red to gold!" as she did the accompanying wand movement. Yep. She was pretty decent at Charms... not that she typically made it known since she and the Charms professor had a very strained relationship... meaning they seemed to hate one another currently.

But whatever.

Dora smiled at her handiwork before turning to look at Emmeline and leaning in closer. Her tone low, she looked around once more before whispering, "I have no idea what I'm doing. I just hope for the best. And I am a little scared of what I might be facing." Secrets. There you have it.

The posters flashed to gold now! COOL! The reality looked even cooler than the idea in her head had been, and Emmeline beamed up at Dora. "Thanks, Dora! You're so good at spells!", she proclaimed. The big kids' magic and just how many spells they knew continually amazed the first year. She hoped to be just as good some day.

Emmeline was a little shocked at Dora's big secret, and it took her a minute to recover. She didn't want Dora to be scared, because Dora was clearly a Great Witch in the making or she wouldn't be a champion. "I don't think heroes ever really know what they're doing until they're done with the heroic deeds and stuff. My nanny says you just have to try your best at things anyway." That was what Nanny had told her when she'd been unsure about going off to Hogwarts, and she hoped it applied to these tasks too. She had a feeling that Dora would be really nervous until she was finished, though. But nervous wasn't as bad as scared...

Dora didn't know whether she was gold at spells or not... she did know that she was decent at charms like that, though. The younger girl's praise did cause hwe to blush a bit, thouch. Sheesh. Kids were awesome at not being susceptible to other people's opinions tho.

And for that, Dora loved the kid.

Wait. What?

H E R O ?

Dor blanched at that word. She didn't fancy herself a HERO, but it meant a lot to her that Emmeline likened her to one. Then, without thinking much of it, she pulled the younger girl into a hug.

"[B]You're the heart of our house, [b]" she said with a wave of emotions.

Emmeline blinked in confusion as Dora blushed; older Gryffindor girls kept doing that around her for some reason. First Miss Noelle in the library, then Dora; she didn't understand why. She just told the truth and sometimes they went all red. She went all red sometimes when she was embarrassed or when Troll Boy someone was around, but the girls hadn't done anything embarrassing and there weren't any cute boys part trolls in here. Nope.

The first year was still trying to figure out why the girls would go all red around her when Dora hugged her. She was super surprised; her big brother wasn't very fond of hugs, and she hadn't been around older girls before Hogwarts, since she didn't count grown ups. Emmeline hesitated for half a second before hugging Dora back. That was okay, right?

Dora's words were confusing too. What did she mean, the heart of the House? She didn't pump blood or anything, and she hadn't been a Gryffindor long enough for it to be a symbol. Creatures were definitely easier to understand than big kids; they said the weirdest things. Emmeline thought of all the hags and Dark wizards Derf had told her were hidden on staff; maybe Dora thought she was part vampire? "It's okay, I don't suck blood -- or pump it like hearts,"she assured the older girl. She paused, then added: "I'm not a Dark witch either, not like the Herbology professor." Just so Dora knew.

Dora blushed because she didn't know how to take a compliment really. Never had. And the only BOY who made Dora Umbridge blush just because he was around... well that was the one and only Casper Greenwood. Her better half. The nutella to her toast. Yeah man. But whatever. None of that was relevant. Heh.

When the smaller girl hugged her back she couldn't keep down the surge of pride within herself. Not at all. She was so stoked that the young lioness was showing such house spirit... and only hoped nothing broke her over the years. Or Dora would be forced to break someone's face. And other parts of their body, no doubt. Finally after a few moments the girl released her hold on the first year and moved to plop down on a nearby chair.

Oh man... Literal kid was literal. "I meant more it more metaphorically. Like you're the heart and soul of Gryffindor might mean that I just think that you're what this house embodies." And as she was about to launch into a more kid friendly explanation she was stopped short.

BLINK.

B L I N K.

"Wait... who told you Professor Myers is a Dark Wizard? I assure you he is not. I mean... I am certainly not his biggest fan, but he isn't Dark. Oh honey you can't believe everything Derf tells you," she said as she kept the amusement off of her face. Just barely. Like where did that kid get his hare brained ideas? "It would likely really hurt the Herbology professor if he knew people were spreading nasty rumors about him, too, ya know." Meaning don't go saying that to just anyone.

As Dora sat down, Emmeline slid into a chair next to her. She was kind of tired from standing up for a while after all.

The older girl's explanation about the heart thing didn't clear much up at all. Emmeline didn't get it, really, but she was totally distracted by what Dora said next. About Professor Dark Wizard.

She couldn't believe everything Derf told her? But.. "Didn't Professor Dark--err, Myers, do something bad to a WHOLE class?" She hadn't heard that part from Derf, actually. She had heard whispers about it in the corridors, but not enough to put the whole story together. Maybe Dora knew what had happened. Not that Emmeline liked trading bad rumors, but if something had really happened, then it wasn't a rumor anymore -- it was true.

Which got her thinking about Derf again. He was a SECOND year, AND his mum had had high up positions on staff here. Surely that meant that he knew everything about Hogwarts. She frowned slightly before adding: "Derf is one of my beeest friends. He wouldn't lie about something like that." Emmeline was absolutely positive about that. In fact, she didn't think that she had met a more honest person than Derf before in her whole life! "It's not a rumor if it's true. And I only spread GOOD rumors, like that Mr. Levi is reallly good at cleaning spells." She paused briefly before speaking again, "But he really IS good at them, so I guess that's not a rumor either." This was getting confusing now. Hopefully Dora could help!