Summer had been the BEST. All those long talks with mum that left her feeling slightly embarrassed, but understood and a lot more at ease about life. So. much. quidditch. practice. Her dad might be getting older, but the man still had skills and Cecelia soaked up every BIT of his advice and instruction, always leaving the pitch with a grin on her face. And Sammy? Well, he was growing up and she was starting to see that and it made her BIG TIME emotional, but also really proud? Because her little bro was becoming a friend, too, which was BIG time cool. And then she'd gotten time with her friends, who were growing up too. She could sometimes feel the changes more than see them, but she was definitely aware that they were there and just grateful that nothing had changed SO much that they weren't all still besties. Well, most of them...Things still felt BIG TIME off with Catherine. It was something she didn't know how to fix.

With summer being as busy as it was and as fun as it was, the time went by that much quicker and before she knew it, here she was back in the great hall for her FIFTH year. It was exciting. SHE was excited and maybe a little nervous about being old enough that she had to start figuring things out about the future, but MOSTLY excited. Her friends were here. Her crush was here. TAVIE was back. It was going to be an epic term, she could feel it in her bones.

Flopping right down at the Gryffindor table, the willowy blonde looked around in search of familiar faces.

SECOND YEAR! AHHHHH! Adam was SO excited to finally NOT be a first year anymore. He somehow felt...far more mature now that he was a second year, even though it had just been a few months. He WAS super tall compared to last term after all ok he'd grown like three inches but that was a LOT. He knew in the back of his mind that this wasn't true, of course, but still. It gave him motivation to focus more this term than last term. He'd done OK, but he could do better for sure.

"Hi!" he said happily as he plopped down next to an older girl (Cecelia) whose name he couldn't recall but he knew he'd seen around.

All of Bernie's fears and sadness from earlier, on the train, were gone now, as she felt RIGHT and HAPPY just being back at Hogwarts. It felt like home, more than anything else.

With a happy sigh, she plopped down across from Cece and near.... uh, the second year. Luck, or something, was his name. "Hi guys," she greeted them brightly. "Are you excited for the feast?" Bernie was, even though she'd eaten like six cookies or something like that on the train. She could probably go for something savory now, mhmmm.

He still couldn't believe that he was REALLY at Hogwarts!!!!! The newly sorted Lion was undeniably ecstatic as he took one of the empty seats at the Gryffindor table, beaming excitedly at the older kids already seated. "Hiiii!!! I'm Apollo!!" He said quickly in introduction, but didn't elaborate too long because his attention was back on his fellow first years waiting to be sorted. Particularly on one dark-haired girl.

Oh please let her be a Gryffindor, he found himself muttering, crossing his fingers under the table. At least her being a C meant she wasn't long after his own sorting, so perhaps the hat would remember??! It remembered his own parents afn family members, some of whom were sorted like DECADES ago, so surely it would remember something he said like five minutes ago.

Well hello there smol energetic little lion child. "Hi there! It's good to be back, isn't it?" The people, the food, the adorable house elves that delighted Cecelia. No really, she could never really shake the urge to squish them. So cute. Those EYES. The EARS. GAH!

"Excited for the food!" Cecelia picked up a spoon and wiggled it playfully at Bernie. "Hope the speech is short and-well, it won't be sweet, will it?" The headmaster had been the WORST all last term and her hopes weren't exactly high about the man's ability to set the term off on a happy note.

Aww, another tiny guy. Cecelia remembered her first feast all those many many moons ago. The wonder, the excitement. It had been the BEST! Or it would've been if it hadn't been at Beauxbatons, but you know.. "Welcome to Gryffindor Apollo! I'm Cece."

This was it.......well, this was it Part 2. Camryn had survived the sorting and now it was time to meet her fellow Gryffindors. She walked toward her house table, putting on her brave and confident face. “This is going to be great”, she told herself. “I get to meet new people, make new friends.” Yeah right, it was a good thing that she was a convincing actress because the anxiety was real,

Taking a deep breath, Camryn observed the group of students already seated at the table. Most of them were older and that didn’t exactly make her feel comfortable. Smile on her face, she sat near the boy she had seen in the sorting line. (Apollo). At least she wasn’t the only newbie at the table. “Hi”, she said to no one in particular. Man this was uncomfortable.

Ugh, the robes were absolutely atrocious. Did they actually need to wear them for the sorting and the opening feast. The answer was undoubtedly no. Yet, here Charlie was wearing the boring, stiff, and drab robes with disdain all across her face. Her hair bounced as she walked further into the great hall and tried to find a seat. She glanced at Cece, but she was talking to everyone and today, well today Charlie wanted nothing to do with that.

Scanning the table for any other familiar face she realized most of her friends were not in Gryffindor. How did this happen. Sighing she chose a spot far enough away from Cece that she wouldn't have to be that involved with the conversations of first years. Giving a small waive and a smile she decided she ought to greet everyone "hi everyone."

Hair bouncing, uniform askew, knee freshly grazed - it was definitely the beginning of term, and Gabrielle was entering the Great Hall as she pretty much always did. She glanced towards the Ravenclaw table even as her footsteps took her automatically in the direction of the Gryffindor one, eyes searching out her boyfriend.

Boyfriend!!! She was still not over it, but Leighton had only asked her at the beginning of summer and it really didn't feel like that long ago. Gabrielle was also still not over the idea that this was her final year at school. Sure, she was so ready to leave, but her dad wasn't too keen on her idea of travelling the world during a gap year - and she hadn't even told him that university wasn't in her plans at all.

Ugh. Growing up was hard. Flopping into a seat, Gabrielle offered smiles at the various people already seated at the table, but was soon lost in a daydream, twirling a curl around her finger.

"Beeeeeeeerrrrrnnniiiieeeeeeeee!!!"

That was the first lion Emmerson saw as she approached the Gryffindor table--her possessed!buddy--and thusly the one she lunged at from behind. Emm wrapped her arms about the girl, leaning over with full trust the older girl would support both their weight. "It's been like foooreeevvveerrr. I bet I look so much more GROWN, huh? It's okay, you can say it--look, lipgloss."

Without waiting for much permission, the now S E C O N D~ year wiggled herself into the seat, nudging down whoever had been sitting there. Enough space for both her AND Kizzy who would obviously be along any second.

"Adam! Second Years!! We gotta celebrate after." The only somewhat little girl squeal, being sure to keep it to a level that wouldn't alert the.....huh???

Before she could greet the sister-in-law proper, Emmerson realized a very important empty chair up at the dais. "Guys! Guys guys guys!!" To any and everyone listening. Despite her enthusiasm, Emmerson Cambridge was sure to keep her voice down. SHE didn't want detention the first night back, thanks. "Trent isn't theeeerreee!! You think he got fired??? You think we finally got
a nice Headmaster--it could be a Headmistress. Women are sensible. We'd do great with one."

Barely an hour at Hogwarts and her spirit was already lifting exponentially.

"Maybe we'll have a great year afterall."

Phoebe squished in beside Cece and immediately wrapped an arm around her waist. It was her way of apologizing for being SUCH a weirdo on the train, but of all people, she had a feeling that Cece understood. Turned out that Cece understood most everything and a great Emotional Support Gryffindor when in need.

"I don't think he's fired, Emm," Phoebe didn't move from Cece's side, but she did turn just her eyes to the exuberant second year. "It would have been the only thing my grandmother wanted to talk about this summer, and she wouldn't hear a woooord about him one way or another. But he's late and I'm hungry, so here's hoping someone else will give a speech. Heck, I'll give it. I'm great at speeches."

Bernie got a blown kiss, and Adam got a wink, and Cece got ALL the cuddles.

As excited as she was about finally being at Hogwarts and finding out she was a Gryffindor, Delilah was somewhat nervous about approaching a whole table full of unknown people. She slowed down as she glanced over the table. Her best course of action was to probably sit by some of the younger kids.

She sat down amongst two boys (Adam and Apollo) and two girls (Camryn and Emmerson) who she guessed were all either first or second years. "Hey. I'm Delilah," she said, to those who didn't seem too deep in conversation with other people. The next logical thing to say would be that she was a first year Gryffindor, but she was sure they had all figured that out by now.

Instead, she looked down at all the plates and goblets that sat empty before then. Fancy. A lot fancier than what she was used to. So, uhh...when was the food going to arrive? She was starving! That train ride must have been almost ten hours long! Thinking about the train made her think of her new friend Ashley. Too bad they hadn't ended up in the same house.

Kinsay wasn’t late, she just had to pee reaaaaaaaaaaaaal bad. There was so much going on between boarding the train, the ride itself, and the carriages that Kizzy couldn’t bear to leave her friends for even a moment. She didn’t want to miss anything important. The fomo was real. So very real.

Unfortunately her teeny tiny bladder could not hold for any longer so she did have to slip away, but only for a little bit!!! Because she was soon scurrying towards the Gryffindor table and past the seventh year with the pretty hair to sit with all the people she loved and also Bernie, apparently. How come Emm got a spot near her?! Didn’t she know that Bernie was a big bully?

Before taking the spot next to her BEST FRIEND EVER IN THE WHOLE UNIVERSE AND BEYOND, she paused to give Phoebe a giant hug from behind. ”The best at speeches,” she beamed in confirmation. Hi, sister. Cece got a squish too. ”You look taller, Cece!” Did everyone else grow over the holiday too!? Kinsay had grown a whole four centimeters and she was exceeding proud of it.

Even Adam received a friendly wave, while all the new kids received blank stares. Bernadette got a stare too and then Kinsay finally slipped into the spot next to Emmerson. Everything was as it should be. What were they talking about again? Missing Headmaster?

”Maybe he’s dead.” Was Kinsay’s innocent contribution to the discussion. She didn’t hope he was dead (even though he was horrible and mean in all the ways), but it would be neat to see! Maybe he’d even turn into a ghost. Her only real reservation in this regard was the impact it'd have on her friend, Mavis.

Charlie's head was going back and forth hearing Phoebe and Kinsay talk about the headmaster being missing from the table upfront. "I didn't even notice that. Of course this could have been the one time I could get away with wearing something cute." she huffed out very annoyed. Like seriously. She could have looked so cute like obviously she would have changed her outfit but she would have looked so absolutely cute instead of drab and like everyone else.

Just as she was about to go back to speculating on her own she heard Kinsay speak up. "Oh that's dark." and it was but maybe after everything it was kind of true. He did throw all of the students to the wolves a lot of times. She had to fight a kid in detention for Merlins sake. Setting an elbow on the table and putting her chin in her hand she was all ears for where everyone thought Trent was and what may or may not have happened to him.

Kale had rolled up to the Lion Table with his friends in good spirits. Even though Mavis had been needy on the train, which kept him from the other fifth years, he didn’t miss a beat, as they all shuffled into the hall, falling right back into that Gryffindor comfort with all his buds.

But he was perhaps a lil distracted.

He wasn’t looking at the Staff Table per say. But he wasn’t NOT looking up there. The blonde Trent hadn’t seen his father all summer when he decided he was going to just abandon his family. Tonight would be the first time since the term ended that he peaked a glance at his once loving father. And he wasn’t even here yet.

First order of business: tackling his brother in a very blatant public display of affection and emotion.

Each step towards the Gryffindor table made the 11-year-old feel just a little bit lighter, though he couldn't quite explain why. He didn't really want to think about the why either. There was a sort of pride knowing that he had been Sorted into the house dad had been the Head of House for before he and his siblings were born. It made him feel like he fit in a bit more than previously assumed. He hadn't exactly thought himself the black sheep of the Flamsteed household but, well, Aries was so much more like dad and Andromeda such an elegant balance between mum and dad, and then here he was...kind of pigeon holing himself to be more like mom because the scales needed tipped and balanced.


...or something like that.

It was also nice to feel a connection to dad since, well, he hadn't felt as connected to him over the past couple of years.

"Aries!" the smarter younger twin exclaimed. "We're both lions! Like dad! He will be soooooooo relieved that we weren't sorted into Ravenclaw!" Which, well, Atlas had somewhat had dreams about and it had its appeal.

Giving his brother a sturdy squish, Atlas' forget-me-not-blues darted around the table and scanned the faces that he could actually see now. There were a few he recognized from the first year boats, and he wasn't just talking about Professor Williamson (or ~William~ as Auntie Jade referenced him). He a wanted to give the man another hug though as a manner of thanks for giving him permission to bring Araneus to Hogwarts..and maybe to see if he could get the man to make that same shocked and befuddled face again. It was like the man had been struck by a Confundus Charm WHILE standing in a pile of fresh dragon dung. Though, well, Atlas had been under the impression that the Creatures professor LIKED dragon dung ... so perhaps that was not the best metaphor to roll out with. Oh well.

There was a girl [Anna Banana] who he had been standing close to while waiting for his turn, so he knew her last name came before F and that was about it. He flashed her a quick grin before his eyes drifted beyond her and to the other faces...like the one older blonde [Cassirin] who he had spotted on the platform...and then again in the train corridor...and then again when the first years had been ushered down the row between two house tables up towards the dais to await their Sorting. Wow she was really pretty and more than that was this FEELING he got. She was definitely someone he wanted to get to know and form an unrequited crush on. Tick.

He hadn't heard any of the other conversations going on prior to his arrival, save for the unfortunate timing about hearing something about someone dying and it didn't sound like she was talking about Nearly Headless Nick. "Someone died already?!" Atlas asked, eyes wide. "Was it dementors?"

Which reminded him NOT to eat any ice cream offered to him while here at Hogwarts. He best give Aries a hard elbow to the ribs about it too.

Curious, indeed.

Leave it to Phoebe to be the absolute voice of reason in her moment of high hopes. Emmerson pulled a face, not at her friend but at the fact her friend was likely right. If they fired Trent it really WOULD have been all over everywhere. Mummy would have seen it in the Daily Prophet and at LEAST four of her friends would have owled and or mirrored her to make sure she heard the good news.

"Like Kizzy says then, maybe he's dead. Maybe he went back to that forest he loves so much and one of those spiders he likes feeding kids to got him." Not dark at all, just poetic justice for a horridly mean man who wouldn't stop calling her best friend "incessant".

Emmerson hushed some with her talk of the Headmaster when Kale came to the table--being his d a d and all, but decorum went out the door when one of the Flamsteed twins asked about dementors.

"Couldn't be. It has to be the spiders." She turned to the Firstie (Delilah) who'd introduced herself in her direction, figuring now that she was a SECOND YEAR and all, she should set the right tone for the newbs. "Welcome to Gryffindor, Delilah. The House with the worst Head of House in existe--"

The sudden bang of the Great Hall doors caused Emm to jump....right into Kizzy's lap. It took her a full 10 seconds before catching her composure. WHO walked into rooms like that??? No, really, W H O????

Seeing Headmaster Trent, the Second Year's face soured as she slid back onto her part of the bench. "Figures it'd be.....him............."


O____________O


The little girl's jaw fell slack, opening in an obvious gape as she stared at the man who was her Head of House then suddenly was an entirely different person.

"Um....um.........um..........tell me I'm not the only one seeing this."

It had been nice, the cuddles from Phoebe that warmed her and made her smile. The comfort she found in them. She hoped they helped Fee as well, sensing the things her best friend was feeling since the train ride, even if they hadn't been said out loud. "Looks like you've got another career option on the table, Feebs. Headmistress. I could definitely see it." She offered the blonde a grin just as Kinsay arrived and added to the squish fest. Was this what it was like to have sisters? If so, Cecelia liked it very much. Phoebe didn't mind sharing, right? "I did get taller. You did too, you know. You're looking very grown up." She winked at the younger lioness. What she didn't mention was that the getting taller meant she felt even more like a giant noodle than she normally did, but what could you do?

Speaking of what one could and couldn't do, Cece would really appreciate it if everyone would stop speculating about the headmaster. Especially with Kale feeling how Kale had been feeling. She felt this surge of protectiveness as she glanced at him, hoping he was tuning out the comments of the younger years.

"No one has died. At least not yet. Let's make it our goal to keep it that way this term, alright?"

...

Cecelia jumped when the doors slammed open, her gaze shifting from Kale to the headmaster and back again. She couldn't imagine what him and Mavis must be fee-

G A S P !

"No." No no no no no. And yet. "That's-but-" She was at a loss, and she was confused, and she was scared because if that wasn't Trent, then where WAS he? "Kale?" Kale. Oh no. Kale...

Kale Trent had bristled when his father had strode into the Great Hall with borderline peacock energy. The sheer audacity to abandon their family to carry on with some other person and act smug about it. He hated him. He was devastated by the betrayal. And worst of all, he had never seen this dramatic change in his Dad coming.

He’d been the best Dad. Or, well, he’d been a good one. For all of their troubles, and they’d had loads, he never expected his father to turn on his family. It was worse than cruel.

But he refused to look at the man head-on. He wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.

Until...

There was a ripple of gasps in the hall. People were up in arms, shouting, and so Kale lifted his eyes to look.

His world ended in a moment. The proverbial rug was pulled out from beneath his feet.

Dad?

The fifth year burst into tears. His back shook from the wave of grief that seemed to hit him over and over again. He couldn’t breathe. He was drowning.

If that wasn’t his father, then what happened to him? What did they do to him?

Between fits of tears, the little lion in him started to rumble as anger and devastation burst from him like a force. Tears streamed down his face, when he shouted, ”Where is my Dad? What have you done with him??”

One minute, Bernie was beaming at Cece and Phoebe, trying to figure out which of them was their new prefect, since it certainly wasn't her, and the next she was being choked out--- er, hugged from behind--- from a friendly little second year.

Oh! Emmerson! She liked her. "Yes, uh, nice lip gloss," Bernie wheezed, rubbing her neck a bit once the girl sat down. Someone tell her she hadn't brought Kinsay James with her... ope, never mind, there she was. Annoying little bugger. Bernie caught her breath and chuckled along at everyone's theories about the Headmaster, though privately she thought it was a bit cruel of them to gossip when Kale and Mavis were, like, right there at their table. Even the first years were getting in on the theories, though it wasn't very nice to theorize about the Trent kids' dad being dea----

Actually, maybe that was the truth. Bernie gaped at the staff table when the doors to the Great Hall flung open, all thoughts of where Trent could be replaced by what, exactly, had happened to him. She had the same thought as Kale, though she didn't stand up. She was overwhelmed by the number of... of... weirdos??!?? streaming into the Great Hall?!?!? Forget Trent's face melting off--- she'd be seeing that in her nightmares tonight--- they were being surrounded!!!!

She flicked her wand into her hand and gestured wildly, carelessly with it. "What? WHO? WHO ARE ALL THESE PEOPLE?!" Eww, and why did they smell so DISGUSTING???

Everything seemed like a joke or at least more light hearted than it was now. The loud banging of the Headmaster entering the great hall. Except. Oh no. Glancing at Kale she got real nervous there were tears. Down his entire face. Her eyes kept glancing from the front of the room to Kale.

"Kale..." Her curls bounced as she glanced back at the front of the room and back to him. "Are you okay?" Sure they weren't close or anything but she at least thought he could use her help to deal with whatever this was.

“You think so?” She perked up, giving Cece another quick hug before she made her way to Emm. Kinsay felt really grown up too, now that she had a boyfriend and wasn’t a baby first year anymore.

Speaking of baby first years. Kinsay recognized one of the new Gryffindors (Aries) from Diagon Alley and he had a TWIN. Did his twin also go following people around? Because if so, could someone tell them both to stop? It was unsettling. But still, she gave Aries a small smile (which was far more than she had given any of the other first years), only tuning back into the conversation to hear Emmerson greeting someone named Delilah and—

UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM !!!

The sudden loud sound of the Great Hall doors caused Kizzy to GASP and she was very ill-prepared for the Emmerson Cambridge that had just landed in her lap. But it made clinging a lot easier, so Kinsay James went ahead and did just that.

Otherwise, she simply went silent. Because that’s what Kinsays did when they were scared out of their minds.

Delilah gave a casual look around the table and reminded herself that it was tough to be the new kid. It didn't bother her to be the new kid, but it was kind of awkward and boring to sit here with nobody to talk to. Most of the others were wrapped up in conversation with people they already knew. Delilah smiled back at a few people who'd tossed a glance her way, but she otherwise just stayed quiet. Not much else to do until the food arrived.

That is, until the doors of the Great Hall burst open, and everything seemed to change in the blink of an eye. Delilah was new here and pretty much didn't have a clue as to how things worked, but something told her this wasn't supposed to be happening. She gave a quick glance to some of the others at the table, but they seemed to be just as surprised as she was.

"Uhhh, who is that?" she whispered to a kid next to her, because surely somebody knew, right? She'd heard horror stories about weird things happening at this place, but the stories weren't true, were they? Delilah didn't have time to wonder about any of that, because they were soon joined by a group of...uhh, who were these people?

What in the WHAT was HAPPENING?!

Adam watched silently, his blue eyes practically bugging out of his head as Trent melted away to reveal a totally new guy, and then a bunch of the new guys friends he assumed they were friends, or at least members of his gang and suddenly...they were surrounded. Why did Adam feel like he was in trouble for doing absolutely nothing?!

There was...a lot going on. Kale was screaming - as he should be, because if that had been HIS dad up there he'd have reacted the same way. People looked confused. They were all yelling. He was pretty sure someone fainted...

And then, Adam was overcome by a weird feeling. He had a feeling in the pit of his stomach that he had to do...SOMETHING. Like if he just sat here, he would be an accomplice, and would essentially be sitting down and letting these people take over Hogwarts. Because that was DEFINITELY why they were there, right?? To take over? That was why fake!Trent was one of their guys.

Of course, he didn't know WHAT he could do that was at all helpful, so...he took his napkin, balled up it, and threw it RIGHT at the back of the head of one of the goons that was standing nearby. "Oi! You don't belong here!" he yelled at him.

There. That would help a bit, yes?