Penelope was REALLY hungry. Which wasn't much of a surprise, really, but still, she was. And she didn't really feel like going to the Great Hall at the moment. It probably would've been easier since it was on the floor above this one and would've saved her from having to go down more stairs, but that was okay. She actually kinda felt like cooking something. Or trying to. Or just grabbing some kinda easy, ready-to-go snack from the elves since they were back which was awesome. Not only because it meant their food was better, but Toddles didn't have to be alone anymore. She hadn't forgotten how sad and lonely he had looked last term.

Maybe she'd say hi to him if he was around and not busy. But first, she had to get into the kitchen, right? Which was down this corridor, so she kept walking.

Flying. It was something Tobias had definitely not done enough so far this term. He'd had a little bit of practice, and getting used to the broom, but a lot of his time had been spent more on planning things to study what with getting a head start on things than practicing for tryouts. And seeing as Toby wanted to be a Quidditch player, that meant that his priorities were in the wrong order.

He held the fantastical amazingly brilliantly awesome Firebolt 600 carefully as he made his way down the corridor, away from his common room and towards the Entrance Hall. Today was an EXTRA special day, especially for flying. Because this broom had been an early birthday present and TODAY was Toby's birthday.

Maybe that was what made him seem even MORE cheerful than usual, for as soon as the boy rounded the corner and happened upon another living person, he beamed in greeting. "Hi there!" Toby said enthusiastically. "How are you on this fine, fine day?"

Was it a fine day? Tobias wasn't sure. He hadn't checked the window or anything.

Hm.

Maybe he should have done that. What with, you know, going out to fly.

The portrait with the fruit that led to the kitchen should be just up ahead. She'd been here loads of times, so of course she knew where it was. But then a boy appeared around the corner up ahead, and apparently he wanted to talk. And he was awfully cheerful. Then again he was carrying what looked to be a pretty new broom, so he did have a reason to be cheerful. He was on a Quidditch team last term, right? Yeah, she was pretty sure she recognized him. So he got a smile.

"I'm doing pretty good." Much better once she got some food though. "What about you? You going flying?" Probably. And that seemed like a good idea actually... She'd probably go get her broom too after she got something to eat.

GOOD. It was GOOD that she was good. That made Tobias smile EVEN MORE.

It was actually quite painful; nobody understood the PAIN of being a real smiler.

But anyway.

"Sure am!" Toby responded brightly. He was so occupied with thoughts of flying and being thirteen that he didn't seem to realise he sort of recognised the girl from somewhere. "I'm going to have a proper fly to get used to my broom," he explained, and then paused for a moment before adding. "A special fly."

Pause.

"A birthday fly."

He couldn't help but mention it. Just once.

Stretching up so he was stood on tip-toe for a few moments, Tobias went on. "What brings you down this way? Hufflepuffs or pie?" Meaning, was she down here looking for a Hufflepuff or trying to forage for food in the kitchens? Or both at once?

Tobias wondered vaguely just WHERE the kitchen was. He knew it was SOMEWHERE down here but he didn's have the faintest idea where.

After getting out of the common room, Forrest's excitement jus grew bigger. He was with his BESTIE--and that meant he had a BESTIE. A bestie that could cook cookies! Who had that, hmmm? And he was going to show this awesome bestie around. It took all his will not to clutch onto her hand as he rushed excitedly down the corridor to the famous painting. He hoped she could keep up with his pace. If she walked slowly though, they were going to hold hands for him to drag her.

Anyways. PAINTING.

"This is the entrance to the kitchen," he announced happily and somewhat smugly, skipping the introduction to the entrance of Huffie common room. "You tickle THIS pear." His finger pointed sharply at the pear as he said 'this', and his face was serious. Food was no joke. "But I thought we'll eat last as we rest though..." He trailed off. Was that good with her too?

WHAT TIME IS IT? IT'S ADVENTURE TIME! Adventure time with her bestie was - would you have guessed it? - the BEST. So far. Not that they'd been to all that much yet, but she knew it was going to be just great. Mainly because this was Hogwarts, but also because it was Forrest. How could it possibly NOT to great in all seriousness?

Ooooh, it's starting!

"That one," she noted and eyed it carefully. She would never forget the look of that pear. It was now the most important pear IN THE WORLD. "Thank youuu," she told Forrest earnestly, because he had now told her such a great secret and she could have food. Whenever. She. Wanted. Plus, she could make him cookies. "That sounds like a good idea, yeah. Use energy. Eat food and then get more energy." Logical.

Still, she couldn't help but linger and stare longingly at the kitchen's entrance.

Food was calling her. It was.

Forrest liked her attention and nodded vigourously at her as she repeated him. She was a fast learner. Not that it mattered. He was willing to spend whole day with her and show her around.

But he was willing to show her around in one day.

"Yay," he said with relief as she liked his plan of eating later, and took a step towards the kitchen. "So now--" he looked sideways, but there was no Bristol there. She was still staring at the pear. He didn't need legilimency to know her thoughts, but there was no time, see? So he grabbed her hand on a whim and after nudging her softly, started dragging her towards the stairs.

Ah, so the broom definitely was new. That was a good idea then, to practice some flying on it before tryouts started. New brooms probably did feel a little different to old ones when flying, at least at first. Overall they SHOULD be about the same...

Birthday fly? Oh, so it was his birthday probably. That also explained the new broom. Probably a birthday present. And a really good present at that.

So Penelope smiled. "Happy birthday then. How old are you now?" He was...a first year last year, wasn't he? Or was he a second year then? She couldn't remember. All she knew was that he was younger.

As for what she was doing down here... "Not exactly pie, but sorta along those lines. Food in general really." Not Hufflepuffs. Not that there was anything wrong with them, but they weren't the reason she was down here. Food was. Yummy, delicious food in the kitchen.

Tobias gave a little grin. "Thank you! I'm thirteen today."

NOT that he felt like it. He definitely was not the angsty little ogre his grandmother had said he'd turn into. Nope. Not at all. LOOK AT HIM. LOOK AT HIS SMILE.

Food then. Not a Hufflepuff pie. Or... something? Tobias wasn't sure, his thoughts were all muddled up at the moment because he was still all happy about turning thirteen and the prospect of a good long fly.

"I've never actually been to the kitchens," he said brightly, because this girl was OBVIOUSLY interested in his knowledge of the castle. Duh. "We can smell the food being cooked down here though so it must be close. And people say about going in there all the time."

Then he kind of realised who the girl was, which interrupted his Very Interesting Conversation about the kitchens. "Hang on... I think I remember you? You played Seeker in the Gyrffindor game against Slytherin last year, right?" His name was lost on him right now 'cause FLYING but any other time he'd probably remember. "I was the commentator that game. I'm Toby." That's me. Hi. Hello.

Out of the common room for a breather, because, lets face it, there wasn't an awful lot of fresh air down in the dungeons... or.. none, to be exact. But, as it was going to be his home for the next almost-three-years, Józsua was going to have to get used to. He liked that you could see into the lake, but it was so GREEN down there. Even the lamps gave off a dingy green light so it didn't feel as cosy as it perhaps could have if they replaced the lighting with mundane everyday, warm glowing lightbulbs.

Feng shui. Yea..

The Slytherin common room was badly in need of some.

Orr.. perhaps a little French je ne sais quoi to spruce it up a bit with..?

Euh.

He decided to explore the castle and breathed a small sigh of relief when he was out of the dank dungeons. There was a smell of food wafting from somewhere which caused his stomach to growl in response. Smelled good. But he couldn't tell where it was coming from.

The fifth year sniffed the air and began to follow his nose.

Sniff

A few paces down the corridor.

Sniff sniff...

Olly didn't really have a purpose standing in the corridor leaning her back against the wall. She just REALLY had had to get out of the Common Room. It was getting quite crowded in there and crowds and Olly did not mix well. Actually, her and other people in general did not mix well but you know. The more, the worse. Or what was the antonym of 'the more the merrier'? Because that was definitely her opinion on groups of people.

Anyway now she was out here.

And it was kind of late so she wasn't too keen on exploring the castle. She briefly considered contacting Schuyler but then remembered that she'd left her mirror up in the dormitory. Which meant that getting it would require her to walk through the Common Room again. So no, that was out of question. Of course she could just walk up there and-

Footsteps.

Her attention was caught by the sound somebody very clearly coming her way. She glanced down the opposite end of the corridor and sighed barely audibly. Of course.

The kitchen.

Maybe if she just kept quiet the person wouldn't stop on their way to the kitchen. HIS way.
Because it was a boy who looked to be about her age who rounded the corner.

Sniff...

The smell of food was getting stronger as Józsua rounded the corner.

Sniff.... Ehh..

He hadn't been expecting there to be anyone around. And what a complete weirdo he must look sniffing the air and following his nose like some kind of... sniffer dog.

The idea when he came to Hogwarts was to try to not look like the odd foreign exchange student..

He straightened up, and, hoping his dignity was still in tact, smoothed his expression out and tried to look casual. Said company was a girl.. A girl about his own age. He smiled at her.

“Hey..” He said to the girl. “What's cooking?”

What's... cooking? Aside from being a phrase that he wasn't even sure was the meaning of, it sounded like a cheesy chat up line the way it left his mouth.

Euh..

He continued to smile at the girl anyway..

*smiiiile*

Wait...was he...had he just...

...SNIFFED the air?

Olly smirked quite openly, and CLEARLY amused, at the boy when he noticed her and tried to seem normal. No no no, she had seen it. Sorry. There was no way she was ever going to unsee him sniffing the air like a dog looking for food. Which actually was a pretty accurate comparison probably. Since it seemed that HE too was in search for food. Seeing as he was close to the kitchen.

And it DID smell quite delicious to be honest. Olly had checked by sniffing too. Only once though. Only once. But shh.

She had already opened her mouth to of course comment on his impeccable sense of smell - good boooyy - when he said something. Wait...what? Olly blinked at him for a second, for once dumbstruck and at a loss of what to say. She had NOT expected him to say something. No less something like this. It kind of sounded like a lame pick-up line but usually those made SOME sense. But this, this was just...huh?

"What does that even mean?" She watched him closely, the smirk on her lips growing a little lopsided as she tried to figure out what he was on about. Also because she was trying her hardest not to laugh out loud. Mainly that really.

Euh... Józsua was still smiling like an idiot while the girl SMIRKED at him. She'd seen. She'd SEEN. He KNEW she'd seen. She didn't even have to SAY she'd SEEN. HE could SEE that she'd SEEN.

But he was closer to the wonderful smell of food and his stomach gargled quietly to let him know it was still there and still empty.

He placed his hand over it in an attempt to silence it.

Now, Józsua did like to come across as calm and collected but when things like 'what's cooking' came out of his mouth, it made him sound about as lame as you could possibly get.

He let out a small laugh, unable to help himself. Both amused and embarrassed. The girl's expression wasn't helping.

“Yea..” He replied in his odd American-esque accent. “Literally, what's cooking. You smell that?”

FOOD.

You didn't have to have a sniffer dog's nose to smell the mouthwatering smell of home baking wafting along this corridor.

He felt he'd recovered a little from the cheesy line and he smiled at the girl once again.

*smiiiiile*

Her brown eyes briefly dropped to his stomach when he put his hand over it. So it WAS the kitchen he was looking for then, yeah? Of course it was. She looked back up to meet his gaze, the smirk still playing around her lips as she pushed herself away from the wall. The fact that he was still smiling oddly amused her despite the fact that he was definitely very far from normal. Because hey, who went around sniffing the air?

Though maybe that was exactly why she hadn't told him to get lost yet.

He had a distinct accent she couldn't quite place when he answered her question. Interesting. She exhaled through her nose to keep herself from laughing, though her eyes may have betrayed her. Yeah, his answer was a little...well, it was a good save, that was for sure. Sort of. Because Olly was pretty sure that he had not in fact asked her about food. Not initially anyway.

"Right." She said with a nod, her smirk growing broader yet again as she took a small step closer, folding her hands behind her back. Food. It DID smell delicious. "Yeah. Not sure." Her eyes rested on him for a second longer before flicking down the corridor towards the kitchen entrance. She'd only been in there once. And mainly because it was probably a felony to be in Hufflepuff and NOT go to the kitchen.

"Let's go then." And with that she took a couple steps into the direction of the kitchen without looking back to see if the boy was following her or not.

He better be.

The girl was still looking and still smirking and Józsua looked back at her, eyebrow raising ever so slightly. He was funny, huh?

Without trying to be..

That's what you got for trying to cover up your weird actions by blurting out lines like, 'What's cooking?'.

Euh.

Still, the smirking was better than being told to take a hike and this girl looked his age and Józsua was pretty D.E.S.P.E.R.A.T.E. to get to know some students his own age, so he didn't budge from the spot where he was standing and continued to look back at her with the same stupid smile on his face.

'Right?' His eyebrows both raised, dark eyes widening slightly and the corners of his lips quirked a little. He followed her gaze down the corridor to what could only have been the school's kitchens..

SCORE!

He smiled wider and--food was all of a sudden more important than making acquaintances. He was about to set off to the kitchen when the girl spoke again.

'Let's go?' Like together? Józsua followed obediently without question, catching up to the girl and giving her a genuine, sweet smile. “See, if I'd met you sooner I could have found this without looking like a complete weirdo.” Yea.

“I'm Józsua.” He introduced, glancing at the girl again as he fell into step with her.

Olly smirked to herself when she heard his footsteps following her. And a moment later he had caught up with her too. Why she had decided that it was a good idea to go to the kitchen with somebody else, she didn't quite know either. Probably because she was bored. And maybe because she kind of had something on the guy. So if he got too annoying, there was the unvoiced threat of her exposing him as a nutcase.

Which he pointed out a second later.

"Aw, and rob me of seeing your face when you noticed me standing there. Wouldn't want to miss that." She replied with an amused smirk, her eyes lingering on him while she continued her way down the corridor. "But now I can protect you from further embarrassment in the future, yeah?" Now that they HAD met. Heh. So he wouldn't have to throw about phrases like 'what's cooking?' anymore.

Józsua. Got it. "Olly." Hi. Her introduction was accompanied by a curt nod. "So, where are you from then, Józsua?" Because that accent of his was definitely NOT from around here. That much she could tell. It sounded like he was from the States but then again it didn't. Huh. Also the smell was definitely getting stronger here so they were on the right track.

Hopefully the house elves wouldn't mind them trying whatever it was they were cooking. Because she definitely was going to do that.

Oh, he'd turned thirteen! "That's cool. I was real excited for my thirteenth birthday." Even though it technically hadn't been the greatest since that was back around the time they were locked out of their common rooms. But being a teenager had seemed exciting. And it was. Thirteen felt like it was ages ago though, even if it was only two/nearly three years ago.

He'd never been to the kitchen though? Even though it was on the same floor as his common room? "Yeah, it's just around where the fruit bowl painting is. You have to tickle the pear," Penelope explained. But now that she thought about it, maybe it'd be easier to show him rather than just explain? She could if he wanted her to.

Wait, he remembered her? ...That game! That was also where she knew him from. She'd forgotten that he'd been a commentator too last term. "Yeah, that was me," she replied with a nod and smile. The Gryffindor Seeker. Yup. "My name's Penelope. You played Keeper for Hufflepuff, didn't you, Toby?" He was pretty good too from what she remembered.

Józsua smiled amused. Had his expression REALLY been that bad? Probably. He had been startled when he saw the girl as well trying his best to keep his dignity. Which apparently was a complete waste because she had SEEN.

“Kind of mean for someone I've just met.” He retorted, trying to give her one of his trademark Józsua dark looks but just ended up smiling as he teased her. He could see her amusement. He let out a small laugh. “You're expecting a repeat performance of this?” He asked incredulously. “Because I don't think I'll need my nose to find the kitchen again.”

He had a brain, y'see?

A brain that worked particularly well when it came to food. His favourite thing in the worrld.

Olly. Interesting name for a girl. “Is that short for something?” He asked. And then came the question which all the Hogwartarians liked to ask. Suppose the accent gave it away as well as his appearance if that Cutty boy from the feast was to go by. Apparently Józsua was 'all done up'. Like a girl or something. But he thought he understood what the boy was getting at.

“I'm a Beauxbatons transfer. But my name's Hungarian. Just like my father.” He explained. “What about you?” Did he detect a regional accent? These Brits were really quite interesting with their all their strange dialects.

Smell was getting louder.. or stronger.. Józsua's stomach gave him another little reminder that it wanted filling.

"Same here!"

But did excitement about his thirteenth birthday really count for someone like Tobias who was excitable all the time and enthusiastic every single day, whether the day held any meaning or not? Hopefully. He was going to count it.

OoooooOOOOOOH REALLY? Well. Now that Tobias was armed with that knowledge, what would stop him from jigging his personal timetable a little bit. He could befriend an elf and get a snack for breakfast instead of sitting in the Great Hall. Hmmmmmmm idEAS. Tobias looked down in what he guessed was the direction of the portrait. Since. You know. She'd been walking that way. "Hmmmm..."

BUT WAIT. More important business here. Quidditch business.

"That's right, Penelope! Penelope Greenwell." SEE. He totally DID know. It had been on the roster and stuff so it was hard to miss. And hard to forget after all FIVE snitch chases. It had... been a long game, considering he'd commentated the whole thing alone. And she remembered him too. "I did, yeah! Well, I played Chaser in my first match, and then Keeper for the other two." And got top Keeper. It had been fun. "I'm gonna have a go at trying out for Seeker for a game or two this year. Is it fun?" Toby asked, enthusiasm picking up a bit.

Fun was awesome. Winning was cool too, but what was the point in winning if it wasn't fun?

'Kind of mean'? Olly just smirked at him broadly with her eyebrows raised. "I hope you're not expecting an apology." Because there was NO way he was getting one. Nope. Sorry, Józsua. And a repeat performance? At this she looked him over as if she could tell the answer by his appearance. "Yeah...probably." And in reply to his argument about the kitchen. "Oh, I'm sure you'll come up with some other weird stuff to do, yeah?"

From which she would save him.

Or you know, not.

Oh great, couldn't people just let it go? If she introduced herself as 'Olly' then it was VERY LIKELY that that was what she wanted to be called too. So why was he asking for her full name? That earned him a moment of silence. "...yeah. It's short for Olivia." No calling her that, though, okay? Okay. Her amused smirk was back a second later, almost as if it hadn't momentarily vanished at all. Everything's fine. Carry on.

She'd already figured he was a transfer, since she'd seen him at the sorting. And he clearly wasn't a first year so. Hungarian. Interesting. "So your name has nice little lines on top of the letters then?" She even drew a line in the air for emphasis. But now they were back on her? "I'm from Bristol." He'd know where that was right? Plus, she didn't have much time to add anything else since they'd almost arrived at the kitchen.

Fooooood, here we come.

Adrienne didn't usually hang out near the kitchens, but she was on the first floor and there was no way she'd walk up seven flights of stairs just to have a quite place to read. So she plopped down on the hard stone floor of the corridor (sigh!) and opened a book. It was brand new from Flourish and Blotts, and she hadn't had a chance to start reading yet due to her preoccupation with classes and actually having a friend this year.

It was called Why I Didn't Die When the Augurey Cried, and sounded interesting enough. Adrienne smoothed the first page and then turned it over, ignoring the copyright as usual and starting Chapter One.

Thirteen was a pretty exciting birthday in her opinion, so she was glad to see that he seemed excited about it. Though maybe that was mainly because of the broom? THAT was pretty exciting too. Definitely made any birthday extremely awesome.

Food made birthdays awesome too. Food that could be found in the kitchen. Penelope considered going down and showing him the painting 'cause it was always good and important to know where the kitchen was, buuut there was more Quidditch to talk about.

He even remembered her last name, but she supposed that made sense since it was on the roster list commentators got. Though she wasn't sure she remembered everyone's last names that she'd commentated about, at least not when she didn't know them personally, but...that was beside the point. "Yep, that's me," she replied with a grin. Oh, and he'd played Chaser before. She'd forgotten about that one. He'd probably been pretty good at that one too. Ohh, but he was trying for Seeker now. Penelope grinned. "Loads of fun. I love it." Her favorite Quidditch position hands down. "I bet you'll like it too." And she looked forward to playing against him if he got it. Would be interesting.

Marigold skipped down the corridor, humming some muggle song that her mother loved. She noticed a girl who seemed to be about her age reading on the ground. Marigold walked the rest of the way towards her and plopped down on the ground.

"Hi!" she said happily. "I'm Marigold."

She paused for a second, long enough to look at the title of her book, then asked a question.

"Is it good?"