Nola skipped her way into the Great Hall and made for the Hufflepuff table with a smile on her face. It was nice to be back at Hogwarts but Nola was really hoping that the cold and the snow from last term wasn't going to be an issue this year. Snow was okay...but not that much.

It was hard to pick out anyone that she knew with so many people around. Being short didn't really help matters much either. Nola climbed up onto her chair and peered around to see if she could spot anyone she knew. Lux, maybe? She might even say hello to Liar!Boy from Slytherin if she saw him. Regardless, Nola waved both hands at anyone who looked directly at her in her way of saying "welcome back".

Adi approached his House table, smiling to himself. It was great to be back! How he missed the Castle, his dorm and his friends. He still had to go find quite a few of those guys. But first, he must say hi to all the Puffers. And greet the new ones. He felt as if he had taken over Super Els's job (he missed her terribly). Adi even had candy in the form of Chocolate Frogs to hand out.

Ah goody. He was one of the first ones there. "Hello, hello,'' the Puffer said by way of greeting. "What's up?'' The girl (Nola) was familiar, of course but he didn't know her. "Don't think we've really met. I'm Adi.'' She got one of his signature grins. He didn't even say anything about being Prefect. His shiny badge was pinned to his uniform.

Alright time to go to his duties and go to the Hufflepuff table. He needed to check out the first years and see his old puff friends. As he sat down and waited for his food to show up on his plate, he noticed Adi was there. Ahhh the Prefect of the hour. He smiled and waved to him. He got up from his seat to go congratulate him on a job well done. "Hey mate, congrats on being prefect! I gotta say I was not surprised you got the job. You are the best in our house.." he told him honestly. "How was your summer?" he asked as a conversation starter. He even noticed a little puff girl (Nola) sitting there and he gave her a friendly wave

Ian had walked slowly through the great hall. He walked up to the trophy case and stared briefly at the house cup from two years ago. He remembered how good it felt to be a member of the best house in Hogwarts. Of course the joy was tempered by feeling like an old man, but still it was there.

Ian walked into the great hall for the start of term feast and sorting hat ceremony. He didn't really feel like celebrating anymore. He walked to the far end of the Hufflepuff table and sat down awaiting the sorting hats poem and the entrance of the firsties. He decided as son as the food appeared, he would walk back to the common room and up to his bed chambers.

Nola slowly climbed down from her seat where she had been standing and pretending that for once she was actually a tall person. "Hello!" Nola greeted. "Do you think the fruit orange was named after the color or do you think the color was named after the orange?" Nola asked the prefect. It was a good question to ask every once in a while.

"I'm Nola Yorker." She tilted her head to the side. "Are you going to be a Super!Prefect?" She asked. "Can I make you a cape to wear?" Her eyes got big at the thought. Please say yes!

Excited that someone waved back at her Nola threw her hands in the air and did a little dance. "Hello!" She called to the boy. "What's your favorite flower?" She asked him, genuinely interested in his response.

Another person caught Nola's attention. "Hello there." Nola smiled at her fellow badger. "I'm Nola Yorker. Do you know if grass is growing?" Sometimes the grass didn't grow, these things were important to know.

Just then Kace the man turned up. "Yo, Kace!'' Adi greeted. "Fifth year already. You feeling old yet?'' Hehe. How could it be that time flew so fast? Wasn't it a few weeks ago that Kace was in his second year and Adi in first and Kace was teaching him a spell for their Herbology homework? Adi was pleased at what was said next by his friend but tried to look modest. "Thanks, Kace. But I'm not the best.'' That was true. "Summer was sort of boring. The most exciting part when when I got the badge. What about you?''

Out of the corner of his eyes, Adi saw Ian arrived. He knew he needed to speak to the other boy about what just took place but at the moment he was in no mood to do so. He would have did that right there and then if it weren't for the fact that Ian tried to hex AJ. So for now, Adi just shot him a glare as the boy sat at the end of the table.

Oh goody. She (Nola) climbed down. Adi was wondering if he was going to have a difficult time with getting her down. Ahhh. He was not a Ravenclaw but never the less, Adi grinned broadly at the young girl's question. "Let me think...I'd go with the colour was named after the fruit.'' Was he right? It seemed logical.

"Hi, Nola! It's really nice to meet you.'' Oh, gosh. Super Prefect! It was like him referring to Elodie as Super Els. He missed her a million times more now. It was also like looking at a younger, girl version of himself. Nola was bubbly and apparently a fan of superheroes. "If I'm going to be, I'll definitely need a cape.'' He liked Nola already. Yup.

Ian barely heard the girl's voice as he passed by.

Ian looked briefly at the girl and shrugged. Ian Tinker. Grass likely hasn't grown since the snow last year. He answered sullenly. He continued his journey to the end of the table to find a secluded spot....secluded long enough to separate him from his housemate buddy prefect.

Nobody panic! Declan Hazelwood has finally arrived! He made quite a show of combing his hair with his fingers and then moved to straightening out his robes, like always.

Now, this maybe only his second year here and to some he might still be a newbie, but he already felt like he knew this place like the back of his hand (although, he didn't. Shhh!). Also, this year was also his last year, meaning he had to leave some sort of mark on this place, right? Right.

Not many had arrived to his house table, but the sorting had began, so sooner or later more puffs should join. He passed by a young girl (Nora) he hadn't met yet, sending a small smile her way and plopped himself next to his best mate. "KAAAAACEEEEE, MY MAN!" Declan threw an arm around his friend, pulling him in to ruff up his hair. "What a summer, eh?"

He looked up to see Adi nearby with some chocolate frogs. Was he going to share those? Hmm? "Congrats on the badge, Adi. You really deserved it, mate!" The boy felt unusually peppy. Comes with being a Hufflepuff, probably.

"That's what I said." Nola said agreeing with him (Adi) and nodding her head far too many times than what was necessary. "Do you like oranges?" Fruit was good for a student's body, surely this Super!Prefect was a fan of oranges!

When Adi confirmed the need of a cape Nola nearly jumped up and down. "Yes!" She grinned. "You have to have a cape if you're going to be Super!Prefect." Nola agreed enthusiastically. Plans of the Hufflepuff house inspired cape popped into her head. She smiled at the thought of having a Super!Prefect wearing a cape and forgot about her hungry stomach growling.

She smiled at Ian even though he seemed to not be too happy about her question about the grass. "I guess so." She muttered to herself deciding she'd try talking to him later.

There was another badger that Nola didn't recognize. She smiled at him (Declan) as he passed. "Hello!" She called waving at him. She'd have to ask him later what his take was on oranges.

Ian noticed the girl's smile. Not wanting to be completely rude he tried to manage the best smile he could. It likely looked very much like a dog's smile...mostly teeth and gums.

"Heya, Declan! Thanks a ton.'' Adi smiled broadly. How he missed these Puffers. This was Declan's final year if Adi remembered correctly. More friends to say goodbye to in some months time. Ugh! Anyway...Adi noticed the older guy eyeing the Chocolate Frogs. Grabbing one, he tossed it over to the boy. "Here ya go. Should give you some fuel to run on until the food appears.''

"We think alike, Nola,'' Adi said with a nod. "I happen to like them. And grapes too. The seedless ones though. What about you?''

Adi just smiled happily at the girl as she got this excited look. Yep, she definitely reminded him of himself. "Are you going to be making me one? Are you a fan of Superheroes, by the way?'' Oh, time to hand out more Froggies. Adi held out one to her. "For you.''

Adi glanced over at Ian. Should he wait until things calmed down a bit more or just get it over with? After a few moments of silent debate, Adi decided to get it over with. The sooner everything was back to normal, the better. So, the Hufflepuff heaved himself up from his spot at the table and headed over to Ian. "Hi.'' He fixed the boy a cool look. "Chocolate Frog?'' Without waiting for an answer, he placed it in front of Ian. "Look, I'm here to talk about what happened earlier,'' he began, getting straight to the point. "I figured by now you know you were wrong. Well, both you and AJ were but you initiated the argument. And trying to hex her was definitely uncalled for. If you wanted her attention, you should have just told her that.'' Maybe Ian still had a chance with AJ. She only wanted o be Adi's friend. The thought of AJ and Ian together tugged his insides unpleasantly but he continued. "I think you should apologise to her.''

Ian was staring at the stool where the firsties would sit as they got sorted. He thought about how weird it felt to be on the stool, to be at Hogwarts, to realize that he wasn't as strange as he'd felt his whole life. He felt overwhelmed with curiousity, but also welcome. This had been his home for the last three years and he'd met wonderful people. The most wonderful was Adi. Adi had been a constant. Other than Hannah, he hadn't really had anyone he considered a friend. Not like Adi. And Ian screwed that up. He screwed up lots of things tonight. And in some ways he was a little frightened. He knew when his dad blew up, things were limited to what he could break around him. Ian had the power to obliterate things when he was angry and it scared him. He had lost control and nearly caused bats to come from one of his friend's nose because he had lost control. He couldn't do that. Maybe girls were too much for him. Maybe he'd have to be a bachelor his whole life. He didn't know what to think right now. He only knew he'd messed everything up. While he was lost in his self-reflection, a frog appeared before him.

Ian placed his hand over it, too ashamed to look at Adi. He felt the tears returning. He continued to look at the frog, listening to his friend. His friend was definitely a better person than Ian was. Maybe Ian really was a coward. Maybe he was what they said. He was afraid to even look at his friend. So he listened.

Ian heard the things Adi said. When Adi told him he was wrong, Ian had to use his robe to wipe his face. The tears were coming faster and bigger now. He watched a couple of them fall to the table. Still unable to look at his friend, he tried to speak. I...I....I.... It was a lot for him to handle. He was flooded with emotion and really struggling to form coherent words. He mumbled his best sorry to his friend he could muster. so....sor.....ry in between syllables, huge heaves interrupting his words. He placed his head on his arm and felt the sobs racking his body.

All the while he'd been talking, Adi remained standing. But now he sat down beside Ian. Not once did his friend look at him. Not that Adi minded. He understood Ian must be deeply regretting his actions. And it didn't seem like he was angry at him anymore for he took the Froggy.

Adi noticed the face wiping and figured Ian was becoming emotional. That was a good sign, right? It showed regret. Finally, Ian spoke. "I know you are but I'm not the one who needs the apology.'' Surely he knew that.

Deciding to make the situation lighter, Adi added, ''Who knows? Maybe she'll forgive you in an instant and you'll get that alone time with her.'' Gosh, that was painful to say.

What's that they're talking 'bout? Oranges?? What an odd topic to open a conversation. Honestly, if it was him, he'd point out kiwis, because what in Merlin's name even is a kiwi? It's all fuzzy on the outside and green and tangy in the inside, what? It's an ogre fruit beneath the layers, it is.

Aw, yay! He was sharing chocolate frogs! This makes Dec very pleased, VERY. He happily accepted the chocolate frog from the boy, "Thank you very much, Mr. Prefect." Raising his chocolate to him in a toast before placing it in his mouth to chew on.

That's when he noticed the rather sad looking kid at the end of the table. Adi seemed to have a handle on whatever what making the kid sad, so Dec decided not to interfere. If the boy was still sad after the food arrived, maybe he'll do something. 'Cos it's definitely no fun to be sad at the time of celebration, right?

Ian tried to control himself. It was kind of tough. His emotions were now all out of whack and he was struggling. He looked up at Adi, wiped his eyes (which were now a bit puffy and red) and tried to speak. He appreciated his friend. When Adi mentioned he might get alone time Ian shook his head. I'll bet she gives me all the alone time I want. Alone with myself.

*Finally the train had made it to the school. Now Romulus knew why Cece always told him to eat before the train and pack a snack. He was beyond hungry now. The plan was to get something to munch on during the train ride but he left his gold at home. There was a possibility that some coins might be in his trunk, but that would mean pulling everything out to maybe get nothing. Finding a seat Rom grabbed a fork and knife and looked down at his plate. Maybe if he looked hard enough a bit of corn or chicken would pop up.*
"Come on... I'd settle for a sour dough roll even..."

Marigold figured she probably needed to make a good and responsible appearance because of the badge, yeah? Well, as she entered the Great Hall and made her way to the Hufflepuff table, she looked more EXTREMELY short and also a bit terrified. She managed a smile towards Z and Mitch where they were at the Gryffindor table, as well as a finger waggle at Ruby. She slid carefully onto the bench, then turned and surveyed her minions.

....

Ahem. She looked warmly upon her ... people.

HELLO PEOPLE.

Ian knew that Adi was right. Now it was time to show he wasn't actually a coward. Or at least try to show. What was courage really? Was it just doing something even though you didn't know how you were going to make it through? Ian really didn't know if he could do it.

It was at that point he heard his father's voice in his head. If yer man enough to hit a person, be man enough to face them after you've done it. Nothing worse than a man runs scared after he's tried to show his strength. Ian had heard those words after one of the men on the crew had gotten angry at another and tried to knock the man from the boat. Ian's father had fired him, but not before he made the two men sit down and talk. Ian looked at the Gryffindor table and knew what he had to do. He looked back at Adi. Thank you, Adi. I was wrong on so many levels. I didn't mean to hurt you, or anyone. Ian slid the frog back to his friend. You should give this to someone who doesn't throw bat bogey hexes at girls who have their backs turned. Ian placed his hands on the table and pushed himself up and headed over to the Gryffindor table to face the music, whatever song was played.

"Nooo problem, Declan,'' Adi said happily. He wondered what Elodie would think of him being a prefect and handing out candy as she would do. As Declan raised his Froggy, Adi decided he would have one too. He could never keep away from the things, anyway. He held up one in the seventh year's direction before unwrapping it. Nom nom. Chocolate Froggies were so awesome!

Oh look! Another Hufflepuffer! (Romulus) Yay! Adi watched the dude grab his knife and fork. Eat? He was going to eat? O_O Oh. Noooo, he wasn't about to eat (of course. Where would he get food from anyway, Adi. Duuuh). "The food won't appear even if we will it to,'' the fourth year said, amused.

And look! Mari had made it. Adi smiled in her direction. Goody. She could help him greet the firsties.

Adi said nothing. He sort of hoped AJ wouldn't want to spend time with Ian but he couldn't do much to stop that if she wanted to. But he had been able to make Ian see reason and he was pleased with that. At least he could help in patching things up between his friends. "Don't worry about it.'' Adi grinned. "Everything will be back to normal,'' he added encouragingly. He watched Ian head off in the direction of the Lion table, feeling he had actually accomplished something but empty inside at the same time.

Well, Ian thought to himself. You've gone and done it now. You won't have any friends here at Hogwarts for the rest of your life. You have ruined your relationships all in the space of one day. Good job!

He waited for the headmistress' speech because he was ready to go hide. He thought about trying to slip out and run away, but that wasn't an option since he didn't know how he'd get back in the common room once he was done. On top of that, he and Adi would be in the same room, like they had been for 3 years before. How was that going to work out? Ian just really didn't know. He decided to go ahead and lay his head on the table, wait for the speech and food(though he wasn't hungry now) and then go find a hole in the hufflepuff common room to curl up in.

Abby was passing by the hufflepuff table when saw Ian looking all sad and made her way to where he was sitting and said "You look sad Ian, what is up?" Abby was a bit concerned about her friend

Ian was lost, pondering the misery of his fourth year when he heard a familiar voice. He looked and for a moment, a look of fear spread over his face until he realized he wasn't looking at AJ. The ravenclaw robes gave that away, but it took a moment to register.

He looked at Abby (noticing she was cute, but not in an about to kill you way) and shook his head. You'll probably hate me too when I tell you what happened.

Abby sat next to Ian and said "How could i hate you no matter what has happened" Abby was not the sort of person who would hate someone for whatever it was that they had done

He tried to decide how best to tell her what he'd done to her sister. How do you tell those things to someone without them getting mad too. He was really struggling today to find words. It was honestly the worst word day he had ever had. It certainly was the most emotional, well, after losing his granddad. He took a deep breath (he was getting good at that) let it out and told her. Don't know how to say this. Not really an easy story to tell and I'm not sure how you'll take it. Today has been a really, really bad day. This day should be the best. We came back to Hogwarts, I see my friends again and everything is smashing. Well, I flubbed every bit of that up. Well, not the coming back to Hogwarts part. Got here ok. It's all the rest of it I flubbed. He could tell he was babbling, almost like he was sub-conciously stalling to avoid telling Abby what he'd done.