For those who belong in Ravenclaw House, in the middle of the Great Hall is where your table awaits. Blue banners containing an embroidered bronze eagle float above the polished table in honour of the wise Rowena Ravenclaw. Already placed on the tables are silver plates with accompanying cutlery and goblets. All that is missing right now are the mountains of food and pitchers containing your favourite beverages.

Though your stomach might be growling as you take a seat on one of the long benches next to the table, it is important to not get hangry -- gnawing your arm away or jabbing your fork repeatedly on the surface of the table will do no good whatsoever. Give everyone some time to get settled in and wait for Headmaster Winterbottom to deliver his speech. Keep yourself preoccupied by catching up with your fellow housemates until it is time to sink your teeth into the hearty and delicious meal prepared by the house-elves.

Mercer Branxton Seventh Year, had such a nice ring to it, didn't it? Not that he was eager to put Hogwarts behind him and face the unfigure-out-able world that his siblings and cousins had all had to face already, but he liked the idea of finally being a big fish. A big fish with some big NEWTs ahead of him, but that was a worry for another day. Like a day 6 months or more from now, really.

Mercer settled on the bench near the middle of the table (the better to observe his housemates in action) and pulled Mitsuki gently into the seat beside him. Gotta keep her moving, because if there was anyone who was going to overprocess what it meant to be a seventh year, it was this particular dark-eyed Ravenclaw. "Nice night for a feast, amIright?"

The train had gone by pretty fast Emmie had to admit after she had run into Drake by the food trolley. Her shoulder had finally stopped aching as she entered the Great Hall for the feast. With her scene from the previous opening feast in fresh memory the dark haired second year was adamant that she wasn't going to make the same fool out of herself. Patting her blue robe pocket Emmie greeted with smiles "Hi Mercer, Hi Mitsuki!" to the seventh year students before picking a seat, and pulling out the latest issue of witch weekly which she opened, and started to read about bertie bott flavours that stars liked. Reading a magazine wouldn't get her in trouble with Professor Carton right?

Naturally, Aurora arrived at the Ravenclaw table sporting her trademark grin sans pigtails. The blonde had grown up a lot over the summer, maturing into another miniature version of her mothers all blonde haired and blue eyed (but still remarkably short for her long-legged family) . At least physically she had grown up, mentally she was still the same old Aurora with a pep for life and retaining some of that naivety that made her so endearing or so she had been told.

“Hi!” Came her first words as she plopped herself down next to Mercer (apologies for the intrusion Mitsuki) although her words were directed at everyone present. The feast was a welcome distraction from the slightly tempestuous mood she was feeling from being left out of the birth of her baby brother who was of course, as she had found out was frequent amongst her male counterparts, late. “I’m starving.” An obvious overreaction considering she had tucked into Vera’s chocolate supply on the train journey there.

A certain dark haired Ravenclaw ought to be weighing the reality that was their seventh year and their pending NEWTs, but there was no weight of nostalgia to consider nor anything particularly remarkable about being a seventh year that was crossing Mitsuki's mind as she entered the Great Hall and took her sanctioned seat beside Mercer. Her OWL scores were regrettable, though it was not in Mitsuki's nature to harbor regrets and she certainly carried none over her results, and mum had spent the majority of the summer not-so-casually reminding her children of NEWTs and their importance. Most words were water off a duck's back for the Ravenclaw as her thoughts were far more preoccupied with the events of last term and what being under the influence of the Tnemtnahcne Ekrub Suiracam - a term Mitsuki created herself during one late evening while at Himitsumahou and found as difficult to pronounce as the whole experience was to process. One thing she knew for certain in the aftermath of shattered reflective glass, a confirmation of that which she held most dear and who she just so happened to have slipped her hand into as she settled into her seat.

Forever changed by the experience, the Ravenclaw table may be (pleasantly?) surprised by the resting smile she wore on her lips in place of the borderline scowl she usually adorned her features with.

"I hope there is pudding," she nodded in agreement to Mercer, though she was lost on what would make tonight any more befitting of a feast than any other, and turned her attention towards Emmeline and her choice of literature. "Hello," she replied stoically before finding herself passively fighting back her usual scowl. "You are in Milo's seat," she informed the recarbonated Ravenclaw casually.

And after the headmaster's speech there was, indeed, pudding.

Okay, maybe bringing a magazine to read at the feast maybe hadn't been her bestest idea yet, but Emmie wanted to keep a low profile as she read on about a new rising singer. At the mention of pudding however the 12 year old dark hair tied up in a crown on her head lowered the magazine to look over at Mitsuki. She was about to ask if the elder girl liked chocolate pudding when her question died on her lips. She was sitting in someone elses seat. Great! Lovely.

Licking her lips to buy herself some time she let her dark eyes wander around the table, not seeing Milo anywhere. She could scoot a few seats down, probably the wise thing to do, but Emmie didn't want to. Mustering up courage she didn't feel she had in her she said slowly choosing her words, eyes trailing from Mitsuki to Mercer and back. "I see. I didn't know we had assigned seats at the feasts? If Milo comes, and want's to sit right here than I'll move. Otherwise I'm staying put." Hopefully this wouldn't start a fight, if it did auntie Amelia would Emmie wagered be less than pleased.

"Hi Aurora!" She greeted the other girl as the feast magically appeared after Headmaster Winterbottom's thank the kneazles relatively short opening speech. Helping herself to a little of everything from potato salad to steak, and sauce she asked Aurora "So did you have a good summer break?" Please converse with me, she silently begged or she'd just have to eat in silence.

Aurora might’ve been totally clueless about a lot of things but she was fairly certain that Mitsuki did not take too kindly to her. Despite her doubts over whether her presence was appreciated, the blonde did not falter in her cheery grin. “Who’s Milo?” she asked casually, glancing down the Great Hall at the swarms of students as if a ‘Milo’ was going to magically pop out to her. Actually that sounded like quite a fun activity to do when she was inevitably bored during her friends study sessions. Having fifth years as your closest companions definitely came with their disadvantages. Perhaps she could sit and people watch and decide on what names the students that hadn’t been unlucky enough to have met her were called.

Thankfully there came the distraction of the smaller Ravenclaw. “I think she’s talking to me” she whispered theatrically at a volume that counteracted the fact she had bothered to lower her voice at all. As for Emmeline’s question, the wrinkle of the nose was enough of an answer to tell that it hadn’t been quite the summer she expected. But she nodded anyway, grateful that she had spent the holiday with her family of four before they were invaded by another. A boy nonetheless. A boy who was LATE and therefore she’d miss the birth of entirely. “We stayed home this year but I spent a lot of time with my sister.” Avoiding a heavily pregnant and rather miserable Ma.

As quickly as she had finished her sentence had the Headmaster hushed the hall and for once in her life did the blonde shut up to listen. That was until the food arrived and her eyes glimmered at the sight of another Hogwarts feast.

Mercer was trying to read the cover of Emmie's magazine without his glasses, so mostly he was just staring fixedly at the poor girl with a small frown. But her greeting did get through, as did Aurora's, and he gave them both a grin. Nevermind the magazine, anyway.

He was going to ask after everyone's respective summers, but then the conversation about Milo began. Milo, who Mercer missed more than he was willing to confess even to Mitsuki, wasn't coming to the feast. There wasn't a reason to hold a seat for someone who wouldn't be there. "Milo is our friend. He doesn't go to Hogwarts anymore, so you don't have to move." Mercer gave Mitsuki an inscrutable look.

Hope Archard looked drastically changed as she sauntered into the Great Hall for the feast, so late that she nearly missed the headmaster's speech. When she first arrived at Hogwarts, she had looked a right country girl from an earlier era, reminiscent of that old Muggle television show, "Little House on the Prairie." But today she sported heavy black eye makeup and had sheared off her long hair into a layered blunt bob. Her whole attitude seemed different, too, no longer shy and sweet, but bold and confident.

"Hello, all," she commented as she took one of the few remaining seats at the Ravenclaw table. Hope had been forced to spend the summer in London with her aunt and uncle rather than returning to her family in the small village in Virginia where they had their farm. She'd been upset and angry at first, but it had turned out rather well for her, she thought now. She'd had a chance to get out and get a taste of London life, meet some new people, get some new clothes and a new haircut. Really, she was feeling rather sophisticated now. She was not sure she really wanted to return to farm life when she finished school.