Rather than stick to the fringes of the Ravenclaw table, as some of the other first-years appeared to be doing, Elias found himself a seat right in the middle (he may have wriggled between a few students to get there). If shyness was a Ravenclaw trait, it certainly wasn’t a universal one. He looked around at all the older, presumably-wiser, definitely-knew-more-magic-than-he-did students and offered up what he intended to be a confident, Here I Am introduction.

“Hello.”

From the confused frown that appeared on his face, it was rather clear that his vocal chords hadn’t got the memo. Confidence. Assertiveness. Try again:

“HELLO.”

Ha, nailed it.

Heath kept his eyes down as he joined the Ravenclaw table. He couldn't bear to meet Ariel's eyes as he passed her. She must be so disappointed that he wasn't brave enough to be in Gryffindor with her! What would the rest of his family think when they found out? Nearly everybody in his family was in Gryffindor... well, except Grandma and a couple of his cousins.

He gave a shy wave "hello" to his new housemates a seat a little removed from the others, lest he intrude on something he wasn't meant to be a part of. It looked like everybody already knew each other. They probably wouldn't want to talk to a new kid like him... but he was here, just in case they did. The thought crossed his mind to pull one of his Star Wars books out of his bag just so he'd have somewhere to look that wouldn't accidentally be staring at another student... or worse, a professor because some of the people at the staff table looked really scary! But he could already hear his grandma's voice in the back of his mind, reprimanding him for reading at the table.

Besides, the headmaster's speech started before he even had time to unzip his bag. Get a good eyeful...? Heath wasn't sure he liked the sound of that, but as long as it was just cleaning and not fighting boggarts or some other scary monster, he'd survive. Blink, blink. Heath didn't know what to make of the new Ravenclaw Head of House's introduction. Was having Professor Schmoe as their Head of House supposed to be a bad thing? He seemed like one of the least scary professors to Heath! And if it was bad, why did the headmaster give him the job? Heath swallowed hard at the mention of the Forbidden Forest. He'd heard enough stories to know not to go in there, but... what exactly would Headmaster Trent do to them that would make them wish they'd been eaten?

After the speech, Heath was absolutely convinced of one thing. Headmaster Trent was weird... like, even weirder than him... but he wasn't sure yet if it was a good kind of weird or a bad kind.

Easily distracted, as his usual, Noah noticed a couple of newcomers to the table, and he couldn't help himself but to be just out there and socialize. They were awfully quiet, but perhaps they're just like Catherine wherein the company should be the one to initiate the conversation. They all chose to be quiet for some reason, but they don't look like they want to keep to themselves. So!

He started off with a rather...downcast member of the blue tribe. No really, what is up with their gloomy energy? Noah leaned forwards, stretched out his hand and gave the older girl (Analiese) a wave. He gave her a grin, and a quiet almost whispered, "Hi." Noah didn't want to scare her off.

And then there was a kid (Elias) about his age who took his own sweet time to gather his confidence as he squeezed in between older kids and made his presence known. Noah approves of it! Now, that's how things are done! He was a bit far down the table, but that didn't stop the Gryffindor from waving at him from where he sat and echoed his greetings. "HELLO!"

Then it went back to another quiet fellow. Really, do they have throat problems or...? Noah scooted a bit towards the boy (Heath) that was about his age by the way, and gave him a welcoming smile. "Hey there. New? I am. My name is Noah, first year Gryffindor." See, it wasn't that hard to make friends.

Before he could even go for a little bit of socializing, a loud clanging noise was heard, and they were all naturally drawn towards the man in the middle of the platform. He rose up from his chair which resembled a throne from the middle ages and started to talk. He must be the Headmaster. With keen eyes, he looked around the Great Hall which doesn't seem to be in disrepair and wondered what the Headmaster was talking about? And as if on cue, he went on to explain that it was the common rooms that needed cleaning. Noah looked at his twin, and wondered if this made all sense to her? Like...why would they allow the common rooms to be dirty when they knew students would be returning? Did...that made any sense? The little Gryffindor made a face as he acquainted himself with the new professors upfront noting their names and their positions and then wondered who the rest were. They ought to have nameplates next time, yeah? His eyes lingered on this Professor Shmoe, though. He's got no idea why the Headmaster has asked the whole Ravenclaw house to take care of him though. Students looking out for an adult...that's a rather interesting concept! And then, of course, the speech about the Forbidden Forest. Didn't mum and dad drilled it in their heads already? Especially dad, and giving him all the looks like he doesn't trust him at all. He wouldn't be surprised if Catherine does it too to him.

And so the Feast begins! All of a sudden the Great Hall smelled good and the food sure looked good. It was almost sparkling! Noah clapped his hands together and wiggled in his seat excitedly. He was all about the food! But before he could even reach for a dinner roll, his eyes wandered towards an older boy just across them, "MARK!" Noah beamed at his god-sibling and gave him a high five. "We finally made it to Hogwarts!" he said the obvious and gave him a good look, "And it's my first time seeing you in your school robes. Nice!" said the boy in a scarlet robe. He did stand out, but that's all good. He didn't mind being the different one. "Yeah, so, CLUBS." he finally picked a dinner roll and went on to fill his plate with a bit of everything just to prove to his sister that he's not the barbaric kind that she thinks he is. "Tell me all about it! Which are the fun, outdoorsy ones? That's for me. Indoorsy, quiet ones for this girl." he said subtly tilting his head towards his sister.

[/spoiler]

Catherine knew that Noah was well aware of what she meant, so she didn't bother replying. He was going to 'party' with his crazy loud housemates that evening and that was a fact. It wasn't even worth debating it, so Catherine let it go too. Besides, she knew he didn't care that he didn't know hardly anyone there yet, he would change that soon enough. Probably that very same night he'd end up with at least 7 or so new friends.

Not her business.

The first year let out a soft scoff when Noah said she made it sound like he didn't know how to behave. Well, that was because half the time he didn't. Or he pretended he didn't. To be honest, she knew he just didn't care, which was probably even worse than all of the other alternatives. 'I'm a Mordaunt too.' "Then make sure to act like one." She told him. It was the least he could do.

And there went Noah again assuming she knew everything. That always made her roll her eyes, because she really didn't. Not at all. She could have heard something on the train, but not in the circumstances she was in during the trip there. "I was only with Cecelia and another first year. We didn't talk about any clubs." And by 'we' she meant mainly 'they', because Catherine didn't particularly engage that much with the two girls - which now made sense why they chatted so much. It turned out Charlie was in Gryffindor too. Sigh.

At Noah's remark about not wanting Muggle schools to be better than Hogwarts, Catherine raised an eyebrow again. And they say she was the judgemental one. She quickly turned her head to see who was trying to butt in get their attention, only to see Mark there. Oh. True, he was a Ravenclaw too. It wasn't all so horribly terrible then. Still terrible, but not horribly.

But what did he want? Before he said anything, she heard the Headmaster cling his goblet to call their attention. She blinked and turned to listen to the man.

Catherine was immediately unimpressed by the fact he was saying the Castle was still in a state and shook her head ever so slightly when her brother looked at her. Yes, she knew about what had happened the year before, but that was no excuse. Didn't they have many, many elves here at the Castle? Catherine knew it first hand that elves were very capable, hard working, diligent creatures that got the job done very quickly and effectively. Maybe there was something wrong with the elves here and they weren't properly trained? Or it was just a completely different approach to house-elf duties. Of course, Catherine wouldn't 'groan', but that didn't mean she was impressed or happy about it.

She listened then as the Headmaster introduced the new professors, wishing he would introduce the ones that weren't new as well, so she could learn their names. She supposed she'd have to wait until the actual classes to find out the other professors' names, and that thought made her quite uneasy.

And what in the world did he mean by 'good luck, Ravenclaw' when he introduced their new Head of House? Catherine did not like that one bit.

Lastly, the man mentioned the Forest Catherine had heard about. She refrained from sending her brother a stern look to emphasise he should not be going in there, because she knew the look alone might be what made him want to go there more. Insane people would be insane and she couldn't do much about it.

Except tell mum and dad if he ever did something that stupid.

The smile on Ewan’s face only got bigger and bigger as the table started to gradually fill until he was surrounded by both new and old students. Sure, he was at a loss for some of their names but if they took a look at his shiny prefects’ badge on his chest, he was pretty sure they could work out that they could talk to him if they needed anything. As the sorting had begun, Ewan sat there with his eyes on the sorting, curious to see how the little first years would react to the hat. Sure, it had seemed scary when he’d first put it on but it really hadn’t been that bad and he ended up where he belonged.

Ewan watched carefully as another young girl was sorted into Ravenclaw, Catherine, if he’d caught her name correctly and couldn’t help but give her a reassuring smile as she timidly walked over to the table. He knew exactly what it felt like to be joining something that you knew nothing about, unsure if you belonged and no one to really turn to. Before he could even welcome her however, a loud commotion was coming from the front of the room as someone else had just…shouted at the sorting hat and was now ramming first years out of the way to come to their table. But…hadn’t he been sorted into Gryffindor (Noah)? And then, just like that, Ewan caught wind of what he was saying and froze for a moment. The little Gryffindor boy wanted to fight him now? With a small shake of the head, he took a deep breath and simply sat there for a moment, doing his best to keep calm and just ignore the fact that this kid was clearly on the wrong table and was acting like a spoilt brat. Getting up, he walked over to the two twins and sat opposite them, doing his best to keep a friendly face and not look too intimidating. Sure, he was 6ft2, or maybe 6ft3 now after the summer, but he really wasn’t that scary looking. “Hey Catherine, I’m Ewan, your prefect” smiling towards her now. “You’ll love Ravenclaw. It’ll seem just like home in a few days” he continued, doing his best to make her feel welcome.

Turning to Noah now, he did his best to keep the same smile on his face. “Welcome to the Ravenclaw table kid. The Gryffindor one is just over the, just in case you didn’t know” smiling now as he pointed to the table with the lion crest above it. “You’re supposed to sit with your own house at special feasts and occasions at Hogwarts but I’m sure they’ll let you off this once” gesturing to the teachers at the front of the hall now as the headmaster stood up and addressed the hall in front of him.

Sure, he’d heard the beginning of term speech five times before today but he’d pay attention today all the same. There was nothing really of note though except maybe some of the new teachers and the subjects that they were going to be teaching. And then there was the Forbidden Forrest too but he knew well enough not to go into there without permission, even if he had done so a few times without it. And just like that, the speech was over and there was food of all sorts in front of him. Casting a quick smile and wave over to Chloe, he pulled a plate of food towards him and started to dig in. Somehow, he’d forgotten to eat on the train so it really didn’t take him long to finish his first plate and start on his second. Maybe it was just all of the extra prefect responsibilities he’d had to do but he seemed extra hungry today.

Anna (mostly) ignored the wiggling of the boy onto the bench beside her. He seemed small, which probably meant that he was new. Most boys her age were taller, even though she hadn’t quite hit her own major growth spurt yet.

She sat patiently while she listened to the headmaster’s speech, and was about to dig into the food when the boy behind her spoke. At least, that’s what Anna thought he was trying to do.

“You squeaked.” Did he know? “Are you nervous?”

Elias waved down the table at the boy who'd shouted back, but he seemed rather busy talking with a quieter girl and according to his parents shouting was rude so he left off trying to have a conversation.

Besides...

"NO." Yes. "Well, maybe part of me is. But no, I'm not nervous."

He peered up at the older girl, throwing his best attempt at a casual and completely-not-nervous look on his face. He didn't feel nervous; his voice was just... locked up from wonder at the magical surroundings. That was it.

"And I didn't squeak," he spluttered, as indignant as a boy of 11 could be. "I was just distracted."

Oh what a sigh that was.

Missa TRIED not to be amused by it, and instead listened to him with all the sympathy she could master for the situation.

"I am afraid you can't switch houses," she said, with a small sigh of her own, "but I can assure you eventually you will realise the hat decided what is best for you"

"And if it is JUST about sitting with your sister, you can do that too - no one is going to stop you," she added with an assuring smile. This was good prefect-ing too, right?

Drewett's double take made Missa BLUSH and look away immediately. It was obviously nothing compared to the usual embarrassment she felt around Drew after the .... little incident they had had last term - but it was still something. Especially because Nettie was RIGHT THERE.

Remembering to smile, the new Ravenclaw prefect tried not to blush more as she added a small, "thanks" to his congratulations.

Thankfully though, the headmaster decided to speak right then too. And what a speech it was. It really was good to be back, there was no doubt about it. The cleaning bit wasn't a surprise since their new head of house had already informed them of it - but it was still a thing she wasn't looking forward to.

As the food appeared however, the brunette decided to look back at the Slytherin house table. Maybe she could follow her own advice, and go sit with Eiji. It had been too long since the train, and she was starting to miss him.

It didn't occur to Noah that these Ravenclaw prefects have super hearing powers, but it was for the best that he didn't know that the older student caught wind of what he said to Catherine. He was both amused and annoyed though when the prefect, named Ewan, had to point out the obvious. The wave of silent rage stirred in him once more, as he didn't like it when people make it sound that he's some stupid, wasted space in a place like Hogwarts. Did he know that Catherine was having a silent meltdown? Does he even have any idea what his sister had to go through FOR MONTHS dealing with all the anxiety she was having? NO. None at all, and he's sure enough that every Prefect that has graced the Ravenclaw table would say the same spiel over and over and over again. "You're gonna like it here." "It'll be just like home." Well, it might be an effective thing to say, but it will take special care and attention when dealing with students like Catherine. Why? He is her twin brother, he knows her best in school and not some prefect who's literally three times his height (and probably weight).

Noah kept a neutral stare and glanced over to where the Gryffindor table was."Thank you for the welcome, Ewan. That's really kind of you to point out that I am at the wrong table. However," he said in his most dignified tone, mimicking his great-grandpa, "As I have pointed out to my sister Catherine earlier, it is perfectly fine to stay in a foreign table as I do not see the point of spending an entire night with my own house when I have the full term to dine with them." he said, picking up his cutlery in the poshest manner a Mordaunt could muster. "Also, I cannot be swayed into believing that this is the only time I get to dine here. I have parents and grandparents, great-grandparents, a plethora of cousins some of which were made prefect like yourself, and they have been known to dine in tables that are not of their own house." he continued sitting straighter in his spot. This little Gryffindor wasn't going to back down just yet, "I personally think it's a great opportunity to exercise camaraderie as I would love to make acquaintances, like yourself, in another house early on in the term." Noah may or may not be digging his own grave at this point, but it was clear that he was hard to stop when he begins to roll.

He then turned to Catherine who must have crawled under the table in shame by now (if she'd even allow that for herself) and gave her a look. Noah was sure that she would reprimand him regardless of his words or lack thereof, but he did feel that he was able to get the message across. Behave like a Mordaunt? How was that for starters? Of course, he was more than honored to do it, and with pleasure.

"Now, why don't we enjoy our first meal together as Hogwartians, yes?" he said glancing at Mark and then to Ewan with a grin. "What would you recommend from the spread, Mister Prefect?" he asked with keen interest. "Have you got any favourites? Or something that could make me as tall as you, that would be nice as well." See? He can be such a pain in the bum and friendly at the same time. It was a special skill that he's mastered for ages now.

Ewan’s mouth twitched a little now as he listened to the first-year boy try to reason with him about how he’s actually in the right for sitting at the wrong table when he clearly wasn’t. He might have family who came to Hogwarts but they clearly hadn’t told him how things were really run around here. Or they’d told him wrong to get him into trouble but somehow, he didn’t think this was the case with this one. Did he really think he knew more than a prefect who’d spent six years at the school, discovering its secrets first hand and learning from some of the best minds in the world? (Maybe he was giving some of the teachers a little too much credit here). Either way, the teachers obviously didn’t seem to mind too much so who was he to argue with them.

“I’m sure your family might have dined with other table but you’re not them. You’ve been here 2 minutes so rather than make a scene, maybe next time, just do what you’re supposed to” he retorted, not in a mean way but just as a matter of fact. He did have to give the boy one thing, now was the time to actually get to know people. “While you’re here though, you might as well make the most of it” holding out a bowl of pea and carrot soup for both Noah and Mark to try now “This is pretty good if you haven’t tried it”, a reluctant smile on his lips at the boys tall comment. “I don’t think it’ll make you as tall as me though” he replied, the faintest smile on his face, replacing the disapproving look that had been set on there a moment ago.

Dipping some bread into his soup now, Ewan’s mind wandered a little towards the comfortable, four poster bead that was waiting for him up in his dormitory. With lessons starting tomorrow, a good night sleep was a must tonight although it could end up being a little bit of a late-night judging from the headmasters words.

It seemed like Mark getting their attention made others notice them too, because a Ravenclaw prefect was now talking to her specifically. Catherine was actually surprised he remembered her name and wasn't sure she liked that fact or not. It meant he could pinpoint her in the crowd if he wanted to and she wasn't too keen on that thought.

His saying she would love Ravenclaw and that it would feel like home in a few days made her stare blankly at him for a few seconds. How could he be sure of that? Sure, she knew Ravenclaw was a good house, but she very much doubted she would feel at home there, because that wasn't her home and it would never be. Was her family there? No. So it wasn't home.

Before she could even decide whether replying to him was worth it, he was now talking to her brother. And he wasn't exactly using the welcoming words he used with her, and Catherine could feel her heart start racing and her face start burning again. She knew for a fact that wouldn't end well and before she even looked at him, Noah was already firing back at the older boy.

Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up! She kept thinking, staring at her plate, as her twin went on and on and on. Her face got redder and redder as her brother just wouldn't stop talking! Catherine was used to it by now, but it didn't mean she liked it or that she appreciated it because now the Ravenclaw prefect would probably fire back and a row would start and she would be in the middle of it without even wanting to be there at all in the first place!

Urgh, she knew this evening would be a terrible one, and she was right.

The young brunette could feel her brother now looking at her, but she didn't give him any response and kept her own eyes on her still empty plate. The prefect was being relatively nice to her brother and no big fight was started. Yet. Catherine knew there would be some tension - and there was, she could tell - and maybe that older boy would now come to talk to her again afterwards when Noah wasn't around. Or would he? She wasn't sure which option she liked best. Neither of them, probably. Both seemed like they'd be awfully awkward and Catherine preferred not to deal with awkward. But not talking to him later would also be awkward now, especially as he knew her by name.

If she was anything like some of her family, Catherine would have rested her head on her empty plate in front of her. She even pictured herself doing that, but it looked too pathetic. But that was what she felt like doing right now.

So this particular prefect was one of those kinds of authority figures who were a stickler for rules, eh? Noah was tempted to cross out Ewan's name from his list of potential new friends but thought about it being too early and hasty. He didn't want to label him just yet, in fact, he was rather curious. What was like back in their home? Did he live all his life with strict rules and schedules? Like, if he didn't go down for dinner at a certain time he'd have to deal with his hunger pangs until lunch as punishment? Was he loved? Was he short on affection and care? Noah felt empathy all of a sudden because if his guesses were even close to the truth then Ewan must be living a very boring life. Very structured and organized life. Blech. It'll never be his cup of tea. Ever.

And then he was reprimanded. He'd know what it was like to be talked down as he often butted heads with student leaders back in their primary muggle school. He'd often come out as the enemy, but really, he didn't care. What mattered to him was the reason behind such ridiculous rules. Noah turned and scrunched up his face at the prefect, "I'm not them but the rules haven't changed, as far as what I am seeing," he said gesturing to the other kids hanging out with their respective gangs from different houses, "So...technically, I'm not wrong." Noah shrugged and longed for the pot roast that was well away from his reach, it looked glorious! "And for the record, I didn't make a scene. I just gave you an argument. An intelligent one too, I believe." he said nodding solemnly. He could be smart actually...if he wanted to that is.

"But I'll take your advice and just make the most out of tonight. It is our first night, after all." And there will be plenty more. Was Ewan ready? He hoped so! Noah quickly checked on Catherine and of course, she'd panic at the first sign of an argument. Everything that he's comfortable with will forever be uncomfortable for her and vice versa. They are twins, but their wirings are very, very different.

He gladly accepted the food offered and tried it out immediately. It was tasty and warm...and very healthy. It was a good entree to warm up his belly! Noah looked up from his soup bowl when Ewan continued. "Why not? I eat healthy...sort of. And what's it like being SO tall? Is the air up there any cleaner? Definitely the view's better. You can see everything from way up!" he said as he watched the prefect dunk his bread into his soup and...wait whoa, YOU CAN DO THAT?! Noah's jaw fell from the rest of his face and watched the older kid eat his soggy bread. Why didn't he think of that??!

Heath's eyes widened as an array of food appeared on the table. He'd never seen so many different kinds of food in one place! So what should he try first? There was no way he could pick, so he loaded his plate up with a little bit of everything. Mmm! Fiy and Ariel weren't exaggerating about one thing: Hogwarts food was every bit as good as Granny Jones's home cooking.

Heath's mood instantly brightened when another kid (Noah) spoke to him. He nodded, returning the boy's smile with one of his own. "Yeah, I am... new, I mean," he replied. Not a first year or a Gryffindor. "I'm Heath, second year Ravenclaw."

It was only after he spoke that he realized how dumb that sounded. Obviously he was a Ravenclaw! Why else would he be sitting here? Duh, Heath! he inwardly berated himself. He nervously ran a hand through his hair. Wow, this was awkward! Why did he have ro be so awkward?

Heath frantically searched for a distraction, but then he remembered hearing Noah say something about school clubs earlier. "I couldn't help overhearing... you mentioned clubs. Do you know if Hogwarts has a drama club?" he asked.

“I was more talking about the way you barged past the other first years. You might not be wrong but you could have been a bit more considerate”, his voice calm now and not at all raised or aggressive in anyway. Some people honestly needed to remember that there were other people around them. This one? He did seem to care about his sister but that seemed to be all he cared about. The boy may have thought he was making an argument but what he was really doing was making a Ravenclaw prefect annoyed with the tone of his voice. He might not have realised he sounded like a pompous, spoiled, arrogant Gryffindor but he was acting like one. Although he had met a few of those so maybe it was just a Gryffindor thing? Then again, Rylee was in Gryffindor and she acted nothing like this kid. Still, he had done his bit and tried to warm the boy. Obviously, the teachers didn’t seem to mind too much so he would just let the matter drop.

Focusing on the food in front of him now, Ewan continued to dip his bread in the soup before finally using a spoon to finish off the vegetables that were left in the bottom of the bowl, a smile finally returning to his face as he did so. The food at Hogwarts really was some of the best food he’d tasted and he’d been to some pretty tasty places in Wales and Canada. “The view can be pretty good from up here but you just need to remember to duck every so often or you hit your head” humouring Noah a little now. See, he could be a fun sometimes! He’d honestly heard so many tall jokes growing up from people that he just smiled and nodded whenever he heard this now, not really giving it a thought anymore. “You should try the bread in the soup though, it’s a game changer” seeing the boy eye the bread, he passed him the plate with the bread, grabbing some potatoes for himself now with some vegetables and various types of meat.

Briefly, he cast a look over towards Catherine, his eyes lingering on her after he noticed that she wasn’t eating anything. He would have been embarrassed too if he had a brother who had made a scene like Noah did earlier but still, he didn’t like seeing a someone not eat at a feast like this. He knew all too well about what it was like to go starving so to see someone not eat when they had the option to, it just didn’t sit well with him. “Would you like the potatoes?” holding out the plate of potatoes towards Catherine now with what he hoped was a friendly face.