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.

Sixth year had not exactly started on the right foot for one Aurora Ackerly. Already feeling quite nauseous over the copious amount of confectionery she had consumed whilst leaning on her best friend Anna’s shoulder in their own compartment on the train, she had considered skipping the feast altogether. But this would be the last start-of-term feast she’d share with two of the most important people in her life and missing it would be a dreadful shame, even if her mind wasn’t in it and that she couldn’t actually sit with them until this sorting was over.

The Ravenclaw had sort of shuffled in procession after a group of younger students and plopped herself down somewhere on the table. She was smiling, it would feel incredibly unnatural to do otherwise but it might’ve looked a little off to the familiar observer. Her eyes darted over to the staff table and then across to the sorting ceremony and then wandered across the Great Hall where they skipped over the Slytherin table as her stomach did a little lurch and back to Hufflepuff searching out for her soul sister.

If two was company and three was a crowd.. what was four? Because as far as Aurora was concerned there was no room at the inn.

Okay. Okay okay okay okaaaaaay.

She knew that simply borrowing her bestie's tie did not make her an actual Ravenclaw and that she was actually on her way to breaking more than a couple school rules, but Anna simply could not just leave Aurora's side just yet. Summer had turned the Hufflepuffle into more of a daredevil, just a smidgen, and more willing to make exceptions to the rules. Of course there was also the argument that Aurora had always been an exception to the rule so this really was all a moot point. Anna had slipped away after arriving to Hogwarts by carriage and into the nearest bathroom on the ground floor to make the switcheroo. Her own Hufflepuffle tie now tucked away safely in her pocket , Anna tied her massive curls in such a way as to cover up the Hufflepuff crest. There really wasn't anything to be done about the golden color that laced the insides of her sleeves and hood...but she was hoping that her fluff would detract from the hood at least AND as long as she kept her hands in her lap then her sleeves shouldn't be too obvious either. So, upon smoothing down the navy and bronze tie as best she could over her front, Anna tiptoed to not draw too much attention to herself while also attempting to walk with confidence because there was totally nothing to see here! Just another Ravenclaw for the evening student walking over to their house table!

She did feel a strong tinge of guilt over not being over at the Hufflepuffle table to greet all the new first years as well as reunite with the rest of her peers, especially now that she was a SEVENTH year, but she would make it up to her house after the feast by being the last person to their dorm room for the night and then be extra welcoming and attentive in the first couple proper days of term. She could see the Sorting from any of the tables so she wouldn't be missing Similini's Sorting either. Anna really wasn't sure what had her best friend looking like an severely unwatered daisy (besides the excessive amounts of sugar they had consumed on the train) but the complete turn around had happened after opening that compartment door and THUS her gaze went to the Slytherin table to look for Solomon and his housemate that had captured Anna's attention and she was eager to bombard them both with a million and two questions. Her boy bestie sure did have a silly sort of look on his face though. The seventh year's eyes briefly graced the Gryffindor table, a bit of heat rising in her already flustered (because of the rule breaking in progress) freckled features before her entire attention went on Aurora who was obviously looking for her and quickly slipped into the spot beside the blonde. "Thanks for saving me a seat," she said as breezily as she could muster while looping her arm through with the actual Ravenclaw. "You want to talk about what happened now or would more distractions be better?" Anna would put her galleons on distractions and a conversation when they could guarantee better privacy than right smack in the middle of the start-of-term feast.

As for Anna's own updates...those too could wait for another time. Bit too heavy to divulge in on a stomach full of sweets.

Greer was ready to start her second year. The first flew by in the blink of an eye, so maybe the second would as well. No matter, she was ready to take the year on .. all excpet magical creatures that was .. because Dear Merlin that class shouldn't even be allowed. She shuttered thinking about those lessons. None the less she took a seat at her table and looked around to see if she recognized any of the faces.