Okay so, one moment there were a little group of Gryffindors. Next, there was a whole swarm. But this was per usual since it was the opening feast and because everyone was trapped put in one spot. Noelle took it in stride, and to be honest, her mind was cleared due to the fact that so much was happening at once. It was a good thing.

Noelle's eyes tore away from the staff table for now. She would look back once the Headmistress' speech started. She glanced down the table noticing Dora had moved away and then proceeded to another table. Aslan and Jessa (who she knew from classes) were talking together too. If we were being honest, Noelle was a little intimidated by them, but she gave them a wave and a smile anyways. That is, if they saw.

Someone sat beside Ava and her. Noelle glanced and gave a smile at the newcomer. Taking the time out to listen, she quickly learned her name was Shay. "Hey Shay, welcome to Gryffindor. Yeah, we're proud. And Im Noelle." Instead of Shay introducing herself again, Noelle let her know she knew her name. Gorgeous name and gorgeous girl. "Where are you transferring from?" She asked just in case she hadn't already heard Ava.

Speaking of Ava, she was picking on her again. Noelle gave her a light, crooked grin. It was genuine. "Havent caught any troublemakers yet." That was teasing. She nudged her friend and took a second to whistle and welcome more Gryffindor cubs lions (Leona and Jason). Ace was already introducing them and asking them to accompany them after the feast, right so. "Welcome to Gryffindor!" She said proudly.

(Sammy) was given a wave too. She seemed sad. Noelle knew the feeling even though a big grin was on her face.

Okay, her cheeks were hurting from all this smiling. Some fake, some real.

"Levi Kenning." Levi got full named since he used her full name. He got a grin. "Good summer then?" She'd seen her friend over break but it was polite to ask right? Whoa. More Gryffindors. And also a Bentley. He also got a wave. They hadn't really talked much but that was here nor there. "Hey Bentley" She called out, before something was placed in front of her and Mel was speaking. "Hey Mel" Noelle grinned at her friend. "What's this?" She asked taking it and lifting it. Mel was a bit of a prankster so she was cautious.

Lastly, Noelle caught a bit of a sight. Someone spraying a boy with a perfume. Noelle couldn't help but giggle because... it was rather funny. "Welcome to Gryffindor!" Another cheery face.

As much as Noelle was trying to stay uplifting, she really just wanted to go to the training room and punch something. Her outer appearance didn't show that though, and being amidst everyone, you were sure not to notice. Masks were a funny thing.

By the way, her stomach was still growling.

Melbourne was in the midst of glancing over to the hufflepuff table, her eyes searching for a certain face…well, a few certain faces when she heard her former neighbor bestie’s voice…it wasn’t like they hadn’t just ridden to school together for a portion for the train – because they had, obviously…still, she couldn’t help but smile at her friend when she heard him welcoming Shayla and…what was his name? Had the ickle said his name yet? She wasn’t sure.

”Hey Ace,” she grinned when he said hello to Sammy before getting the little hug from him. Oh….Sammy was doing important things…did, did she think that Mel wouldn’t have read her books? She would have, all the short girl had really done on most of the train ride had been nap on the way to school…well, and meeting Zarina had been rather fun.

When Sammy asked Tenacius how the train ride had been Mel couldn’t help but chew on her lip…maybe, maybe it would be best if she moved away from Sammy and let her and Tenacius talk? ”I’ve missed you Sammy…t-tonight do you want to talk after the feast?” she asked because obviously she missed Sammy, it was the curse of well, moving…being adopted, and well, having a job over the summer. ”Um…enjoy it,” she told Sammy before returning her attention to Ava.

”Oh its little treats and things I made for you – oh and I have birthday things for you in my trunk it was a little for you birthday wise,” she explained with a grin. ”Oh summer? It was really fun! I had a job at a little bakery in Ambleside – oh and I went to California to my grandmother’s wedding…Hadley and I are now cousins technically” she explained with a grin.

It was rather fun really.

Levi got a grin when he said her full name. ”Oh come on, you didn’t have to say it, I was the one to say it” she grinned at him and the no complaints comment got a bit of a laugh. ”No complaints Levi? Mm’ I’m sure most of the blokes here would say the same thing” she laughed and even added a wink at the end of her little statement.

NOELLE! ”Noelle how are you?” she asked happily, ”oh its little treats and things…yours and Ava’s have more high protein treats that you can have before workouts,” she grinned over to her. Seeeeeeee she was a smart gifter….right Shayla. Mel grinned over to Shay when she thanked her for welcoming her to the house…”Hey I love your name…don’t you worry about a thing Tenacius here is a total softy deep down…” she grinned at her before glancing at the other house tables once more to see where Zarina had been sorted…well, that and she wanted to spot if Carl had made it safely to school.

Looking up from his plate, he glanced around for whoever said his name-- AH yes, the Gryffindor with the cool name. "Hey, Tenacius," he partly waved, partly saluted...partly finger waved.

He was hungry. Brain wasn't working.

Another reason his brain wasn't working...

His ears BURNED as he looked at the new Gryffindor girl, congrats congrats, as she dug for something in a pouch. Was he a cute pumpkin cheesecake? He felt a little too pale to be compared to such a thing. Though he wasn't as pale enough to be compared to regular cheesecake either. Maybe a banana cream cheesecake? "Umm...hello--" His eyes zeroed onto the little vial. HEY NOW!! That was something he could get behind.

Turning his head quickly to make sure none got into his eyes, he froze for a moment before sniffing himself. Heeeeey, wasn't bad. He could get the hints of lavender. "Thank you?" He smoothed down his robes. "Where'd you get that?"

The 6th year nodded at the Gryffindor perfect. "Hey Ace! Had a good summer yeah?" Even if he didn't, the Gryffindor boy had enjoyed a bit of a growth spurt at least and that was always welcomed, right?

Bentley shuffled over in the seat when that Gryffindor girl up and left. Awesome, now he had more wiggle room and didn't have to sit that close to Levi. They literally didn't need to be attached at the hips.

The conversations at the table in his general vicinity held his interest for a bit. While they talked he judged and so forth. It was entertaining listening to stories of summer exploits considering his didn't turn out quite like he planned.

He was pulled from his thoughts by Levi's comments.

"What?..Oh no it's fine. I get it completely." He waved it off. "I'm a big brother and I have a younger cousin who is starting to..look..at boys.." Wow that was hard to admit to himself.."So I get where you're coming from and I know siblings row." He shrugged.

Noelle received the infamous Bellaire dimpled smile. "Hi Noelle." He said returning her wave with one of his own.

Maybe he did make a mistake but well he was here and not getting out being surrounded by people way older than him. And even the Prefect said Hello. Not really surprising since Théo guessed they had to be nice to all the younger students. Part of their job or whatever. He just smiled and gave the girl prefect a hello.

Uhhh...who was this. True, they had not met because he was sure he would remember her. Nope still did not remember a Dora. "I don't remember sorry. I'm Théo." Wait what was she doing. Théo looked over at where she was looking. Ravenclaw Table, okay.

Well if you give him around a month. He will be thirteen. Not like that helps or anything. Théo smiled and just nodded back to the older Lion (Levi). He had nothing really to say. so. OH Look someone around his age (Jason). Finally. Théo waved to him and tried to get him over to him. Because being surrounded by people that looked to be ready to graduate was not fun. Was that his name or close enough. He wasn't sure. She (Mel) probably heard his name yelled. So. He said hi. And the other Prefect Salander. He remembered his name since it was interesting and cool. "Alright just looking for my friends. You?" Yeah but he had a feeling now where one of his friends was and it made sense. He kept looking around to see around him well still everyone was much older than him. Oh he was surprised people were still talking to him. Since now someone (Ava) was.

"Yeah but its alright. I think i know where one of them is"

Zarina was getting bored with her Slytherin table and figured it was time to stretch her legs. She loved exploring and meeting new people. As she was walking, the color of red was more enticing. She saw this table was filled with lots of students. What house was this again. She looked up at the symbol and saw it was a lion. Hmm....hmmm...oh right! Gryffindor! She was at the Gryffindor table.

The newly sorted second year Slytherin walked around and saw some faces she never seen in her lifetime and then one familiar popped up. She saw the girl with the bangs and glasses (Mel). What was her name again. She couldn't remember. Zae might as well make conversation. She cleared her throat and said, "Didn't I meet you back on the train?" She could have sworn she did.

Still rather crushed that she wasn’t going to be in the same house as practically everyone she had known prior to coming to Hogwarts, Stasya had taken her time in getting from the dais to the table filled with people in red. It was going to take some getting used to, she guessed, trying to get back to her usual mood. It was just hard when she kept sending looks over at the Hufflepuff table, and Derf and Henry specifically. Plus Isa and Kane. In some ways, she was actually mad at the hat for deciding to put her in a different house. It was just that she didn’t think she could actually take that frustration out on said hat, considering there were plenty of people still up there needing to be Sorted. She’d just have to figure out how to make the best of it.

Finally arriving at the table, her grey-green eyes did manage to find someone she knew. The girl from the bookshop, so she slipped into a seat near her. Noelle. Who had a shiny badge pinned to her robes which made her curious. Curious was better than anything, plus there was the distraction of realizing that Emmeline had been sorted into Gryffindor too. And at least one face she thought she remembered from primary school.

Maybe it wouldn’t be quite as bad as she’d thought, but she was still starting to plan how she could sneak Derf into Gryffindor. There was Operation Goat stuff to talk about after all. Plus, she figured she could get Emmeline in on the sneaking in plot.

As her two friends had their little exchanged, she looked on with a straight face. No trace of her thoughts could be seen by an outside observer. She shifted her gaze from Mel and Ace, and noticed another girl, waiving at her. What was her name? Noelle? Yeah, that sounded right. "Hey," she said giving a slight smile and returning the wave.

Oh, what was this? Mel was talking to her again? Ugh, and she had to say that. Looking up at her, she listened, and crossed her fingers hiding below the table before answering, "Yeah, sure."

From her seat, she caught sight of a forlorn, little girl (Stasya) making her way from up front, to the Gryffindor table. Rising from her seat she stepped over to where she sat next to Noelle, and gave her a small little poke. "Hey, smile." She said, in a tone that was kind. "Its not all bad." Heh, she was one to talk, considering how her own night seemed to be going

Jason nodded, still a daze. Common room? Common room? That made sense. All the Gryffindors must stay in the same general area.

He hadn't even thought about where he would sleep. Was a mattress provided for him or would he have to have one sent? His eyes glazed over briefly as the girl (Shay) next to him spoke up.



"I'm Jason," Jason stated, returning back to the real world. "Everyone seems friendly."

He stopped for a minute. He felt silly asking her, but she was older...maybe she knew the answer to the question he had just thought in his mind.

"Did we need to bring our own beds with us? Our own curtains? Our own....everything....? I didn't bring anything except the books I bought and my clothes and I just realized it."

Unfortunately, Olivia's train ride hadn't been the most pleasant experience. Oh, sure... she'd been happy enough upon boarding the train, but a person whom she cared for a great deal had found out her news, and needless to say, the reaction hadn't been a pleasant one. In fact, if Olivia had to guess, she would say that he would never forgive her for this. It was heartbreaking.

So, one could imagine...

Not that she was going to push this sadness off on others. There would only be smiles and happiness, because the blonde was so sick to death of doom and gloom, shouting, screaming... All of that. This was a fresh, new term...and she was NOT going backwards with her personal mental recovery. So, entering the great hall (after stopping off to check her makeup), the Lion!lady purposely made her way towards the Gryffindor House table. It was like Oprah in here. YOU get a smile... AND YOU get a smile... EVERYONE GETS SMILES! And even a few hugs were being dished out along the way. One for Dora, of course...Noelle, Levi, Mel... Also, she had to say, it was surprising how many people had actually returned to the school this term. It stood to reason that many parents might pull their children, but... Well, Olivia was tickled that this hadn't been the case. It reminded her to check in on Carlton and Abey after the food arrived; both of whom were most likely seated at the Slytherin table. All her babies that had been affected by the terrors of the previous term...Perhaps she could talk them into joining her for story time in the library; away from the upper floors. The scene of the crime, as it were.

"Hello, everyone!" It was said in a cheery fashion as she searched out an open spot to occupy. Naturally, Liv had wanted to sit near as many new faces as possible, because that was how she made friends, but it was a difficult choice. There was a surprising number of new faces. Hm. The one girl had gorgeous hair (Shayla), and she paused in her steps to tell her as much. A First Year (Jason) joined the table shortly after, and he received an encouraging nudge as she passed. Oh, Lance.....who'd just been sprayed by an unknown girl (Leona), Bentley, Prefect Ace... Aslan, little Théodore, Ava, a Ravenclaw girl she'd seen with Derf before (Jessa)... They all received recognition. Hello, hello!

Oh, and a lone Slytherin girl (Zarina)! "You're a cutie!"

Nothing was going to ruin her mood. NO. TH. ING.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SilverTiger

Still rather crushed that she wasn’t going to be in the same house as practically everyone she had known prior to coming to Hogwarts, Stasya had taken her time in getting from the dais to the table filled with people in red. It was going to take some getting used to, she guessed, trying to get back to her usual mood. It was just hard when she kept sending looks over at the Hufflepuff table, and Derf and Henry specifically. Plus Isa and Kane. In some ways, she was actually mad at the hat for deciding to put her in a different house. It was just that she didn’t think she could actually take that frustration out on said hat, considering there were plenty of people still up there needing to be Sorted. She’d just have to figure out how to make the best of it.

Finally arriving at the table, her grey-green eyes did manage to find someone she knew. The girl from the bookshop, so she slipped into a seat near her. Noelle. Who had a shiny badge pinned to her robes which made her curious. Curious was better than anything, plus there was the distraction of realizing that Emmeline had been sorted into Gryffindor too. And at least one face she thought she remembered from primary school.

Maybe it wouldn’t be quite as bad as she’d thought, but she was still starting to plan how she could sneak Derf into Gryffindor. There was Operation Goat stuff to talk about after all. Plus, she figured she could get Emmeline in on the sneaking in plot.

Finally finding someone to sit beside at the end of the table, the blonde tucked herself into place on the bench (because long legs were a pain) and grinned. The small girl seemed a bit glum, but Liv simply wasn't going to accept that. This was a happy occasion! The first day of Hogwarts! This school changed lives (some for the better, some not so much, but they weren't going to focus on that bit). "Mind if I sit with you?"

Also, there was a girl seated nearby who looked familiar but the name was escaping her (Samantha). "I'm not intruding, am I?" It was always polite to ask, you know.

Food.... Food could happen whenever. This Gryffindor was terribly hungry.

It was simpler than young Theo had thought – partially, she had heard his name when he was sorted…and then there was the fact that she head overheard him introducing himself so another student. ”Welcome to Gryffindor, I’m Mel...heard you being called up for sorting earlier...like the name Théodore” she explained with a small smile before her attention was grabbed by the girl from the train. Zarina!

”Hey Zarina!” Melbourne grinned at the girl with their former Professor’s name – Mel introduce Zarina and Sammy when it happened. Sammy got up to speak with the new girl. Oh that girl looked so sad and lonely, Mel reaaally was glad that Sammy had gone over there to speak with her…still she herself glanced over to Stasya and sent her a warm welcoming smile. Still, watching how Sammy was reacting to well any attempt at kindness Melbourne was giving her really was rather annoying. What had Melbounre done?

Okay, she wasn’t going to up and ask Sammy right now at the feast but…but she’d let her be tonight. Turning her attention back to Zarina, Mel just smiled. ”Oh so do you have any nicknames yet?” she asked the little Slytherin girl and grinned. ”If not I’d loooove to give you some – I’ve given my friend Carl a lot of nicknames” she grinned her cheeks flushing at the mention of Carl’s name…speaking of Carl – where was he? She hadn’t really seen him since the train really.

Just as she had thought to look for him Liv was there and giving her a hug – aw, Liv…she was a preciously sweet thing wasn’t she? ”Hey Liv,” Mel greeted the wonderfully dramatic girl and gave her a hug of her own in return. ”Oh before you go here – its not much but a welcome back treat box?” she mentioned as she carefully levitated yet another tin down toward where Liv had ended up sitting.

Liv was right of course – Zar was a cutie. ”oooooh she’s right you know, you’re adorable…” tilting her head at her she just grinned. ”So – how do you like your house so far?” she asked before leaning forward ”you’re head of house is one of my faaaaavorite teachers…Laurel Vance the divinations one oh….” she paused for a moment before adding ”if you don’t like well incense and perfumes and the like I’d suggest learning bubblehead charms so you can breathe non perfumed air in class though she’s…always surrounded by a shroud of scent its not bad, usually very nice scent its better than how someone’d smell if they were a coroner or a farmer but still strong” she shrugged before whispering ”my other favorites are the Healer…because he’s D R E A M Y and Professor Hirsch…he’s…amazing” she sighed and glanced up at the staff table her eyes trailing over the Professors…oh merlin. What had happened? Who on earth were the new staff members and what classes did the teach? They were all so hunky and beautiful and dreamy angels…seriously, what was Mel going to do in Astronomy? Pay attention? Or silently be jealous when the boys drool over her and secretly pine for attention from someone that looked that much like an ethereal goddess?

Had she not been so preoccupied by her crushing loss, Stasya would have noticed the fact that not everyone at the table was wearing the red robes of Gryffindor. She would have noticed Jessa, in blue. She would have noticed the girl in green. Things weren’t quite as tragic as she had thought, although she still felt like she was going to hold a grudge against the hat. It was entirely the hat’s fault she wasn’t with Derf and Henry and the others at the Hufflepuff table. It made things a tiny bit easier if she focused on that. Not entirely easier, but there was a glimmer of hope coming back. She didn’t think everything was separated by house after all. It couldn’t be.

The loudness of the conversations going on around her was starting to influence her just a little. It was slowly cheering her up, but she still jumped a little at the feeling of someone poking her. She’d turned to look at the girl as she was spoken to, though, even smiling a little. But it wasn’t her usual smile. She still wasn’t entirely over the wrongness of the hat sorting her there, but she’d try to make the best of it. “I’ll see my friend again, right?,” she asked, curious. Besides, it did seem like the girl was trying to make her feel better, and she did appreciate it. Even if it might not have quite seemed like it yet. Plus, it didn’t hurt to make more friends, and she gave a tentative smile at the other girl who had noticed her too.

She had been about to introduce herself when she heard another person speaking and looked over at the tall blonde folding herself into the seat next to her. “I don’t mind,” she said. She was going to turn over a new leaf. And she figured she’d just go find her Hufflepuff friends later, along with checking on her squirrel. There was Operation Goat to discuss too. Important things. Like making more friends was important. She was at Hogwarts after all. Where she’d always wanted to go.

Emmeline hurried over to the Gryffindor table as soon as she was Sorted and sliiiiid into the seat across from Stasya. She barely noticed the other kids at the table, because it was NOT fair that she and Stasya weren't sitting at the Hufflepuff table right now. The talking hat had claimed it was never wrong in its song, but clearly it WAS wrong sometimes because it had separated friends, and how could it be right to do that? As sad as Emmeline was, she knew that Stasya would be even more so because the other girl had even more Hufflepuff friends than Emmeline did, and she did NOT want her hopefully-new-friend to be sad on her first night at Hogwarts. So Emmeline's eyes and attention were all for Stasya as she joined the table, and she smiled at her a little as plans to sneak Stasya's Hufflepuff friends (which would obviously have to include Derf) into Gryffindor became more and more important in the 11-year-old's mind.

"It'll be okay," she told Stasya, trying to sound more confident than she was. "We'll snea--meet up with them after the feast. And Dobby too!" She had just noticed an older girl (Olivia) sitting next to Stasya. Emmeline was used to big kids ignoring her, but she still didn't think it was a good idea to blurt out that she wanted to break into the barn, free Dobby with Stasya, and then sneak Hufflepuffs over to wherever Gryffindor was in front of an older girl. She smiled innocently and said in an over-loud voice to the older girl, "Hi! I'm Emmeline, what's your name?"
Distraction was possible-rule-breaking 101.

To say that Tenacius was happy about how lion cubbies are just rolling in from the Sorting Hat was an understatement. He was THRILLED. Like a much needed rain after a drought, he welcomed the new wave of lionesses with much jubilation "Welcome to Gryffindor Anastasiya, Emmeline!" he beamed clasp-shaking their hands as soon as they got settled. Again a reminder to them both about joining the rest of the newcomers for a quick Gryffindor House orientation. Also a surprise hehe. Also he noticed the sneaky-huddling. This could be fun.

Another thing he noticed-- Mel telling another new student that he's a softie or something. Is he coming across as scary? This mug that’s always smiling like the squinty faced emoji? Its now gotten him wondering how people are perceiving him….. Ugh now thats exhausting.

But energy boost-- Olivia has just join them "Hey Liv!" happy hellos was returned with equal aplomb. Gryffindor table be hoppin' yo!

Just as he was about to answer Bentley, Dora just got up and left. In a huff apparently. That or stomach problems yet again. Wild guess on the latter though, because ever since he got sorted into Gryffindor she was always walking out at the most abrupt times. So he's chalking that up to stomach problems. Best be that way since he wasn’t about cherry picking the Lions he has to care for. He was Prefect of ALL Lions, like him or not.

Anyways Bentley had a growth spurt? Ace had a growth spurt. Something to get braggy-chatty about in the Boys dorms yeah? "Yeah pretty good, pretty chill. Mostly learning stuff. Like fun stuff I mean." Like interning with a Chef kinda fun. Also kissing. That still counts as learning right? But of course.

Young Theo. Is the Prefect pronouncing his nickname right? Probably not. Now is a good time to correct him before it becomes a habit ickle one "Oh? Which houses are your friends sorted into?" because it seemed like the young cubbie was looking afar. Or maybe he was watching the Sorting ceremony, couldn’t really tell. And as for him "Just lookin' after you guys" he patted Theo's shoulder warmly. Despite the seemingly distracted carefree nature that is the Gryffindor Ace, he took his duties as Prefect pretty seriously. Most specially after the events of the previous term.

He caught Noelle's eye as she did the Welcome Wagon-ing thing with him. But theres something about her gracious demeanor that he felt was a little off. A little…. sad. 'You ok?' he mouthed silently at her. Prefect pressures or something else? He was always available for her to talk to.

Speaking of sads, there is definitely something amiss with Sammy. Him and Mel can tell because diaper besties can always tell even when words say otherwise. The train ride…. "Uh yeah, I did catch a bad girl. Neelix was trying to make a snack out of Scorpion Queen again." he replied jokingly about his kneazle and his spindly-leaf bug. Ah the concerns of a Pet-Parent eh?

Oh the sea of red with a dash of blue is now joined with a sprinkling of green. "Heyyy, you're a Slytherin. Pretty awesome huh?" he smiled at the newly minted Snakette (Zarina)

Ava and Noelle. Shay would have to file those names away as the first students she met at a Hogwarts, not counting the one on the train. "Thank you. It's nice to meet you both. I'm looking forward to learning about Gryffindor and meeting my new housemates." Then came the question that seemed to be the most popular among the Hogwarts crowd. "I'm from New York City." As for where she transferred from, well that was a long and complicated story. It was one she was pretty sure no one wanted to hear in the midst of the opening feast. Another time perhaps.



"Thanks", Shay said in response to the compliment of her name. " It's very nice to meet you Tenacius Salander." Very friendly, helpful and definitely on top of things. Shay could see why he was a student leader. "I'll be sure to let you know if I think of anything, thanks", she said with a smile.



Shay happened to look across the table and saw a boy about her age looking in her direction. At his head nod , she raised an eyebrow. Then with a serious face that turned into a smile, she returned his nod. Too far away for introductions, she would have to meet him later.



Another name compliment. Obviously there weren't too many Shayla's at Hogwarts then. Shay thought about it for a minute. Maybe her name would make her stand out.....for better or worse. "Thank you", she replied. When the girl offering compliments mentioned Tenacius, she laughed. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind" Then she realized something. "What's your name?", she asked. This girl seemed like a fun person to get to know.



Shayla smiled at the younger boy when he introduced himself. He looked just a little bit overwhelmed. "Nice to meet you Jason." As the boy continued to talk, she listened carefully to what he had to say. He had gone all serious on her, as if this was something that was really bothering him. "Don't worry Jason. I think they have everything covered. As long as you have your clothes, books and wand, you'll be fine. The school takes care of all that other stuff annnd I hear the food hear is pretty amazing." Food was important. Don't judge.



And then another welcoming Gryffindor arrived......this one with compliments too. If the feast was any indication, Gryffindor was going to me awesome. "Thank you", Shay said, as her hair complimenter went by. "I'm Shay", she said for about the millionth time. But this was necessary if one was going to meet all of one's housemates........and that was Shay's goal.

Huh? "Woah, don't lose your curls! I don't think you're going to look good in straight hair, Tenacius." Ava straightforwardly said to the prefect. "As long as you're not going to take all 12 lessons and achieve outstanding results to all of them, I think you're not going to be that stressful." Plus, there would be no monsters this term... Hopefully.

Seeing Aslan gave a quick nod to her, she responded it with a smile to her. "Yeah, I know. I think only Professor Myers who has been teaching us since first year?" She spoke to Levi agreeing on him. Wow, six years being at Hogwarts and the changes of staff rosters are pretty much often. This was quite... suspicious. "Ah, probably that means you have to sit here and enjoy the feast with us, prefect Noelle." She turned into her bestie. Yeah, give yourself a break from prefect duty. "How about midnight snacks, gossips and pajamas after this?"

New York City? Wow! "That's so cool, Shay!" Ava said to the new girl. "Don't worry, you're in the best house ever and we're a cooler folks rather than others." Well, that's the fact. "What year are you in, by the way?" She asked, just to make sure. If she's also a sixth year, that would be cool! She turned to Mel and accepted her little treats "Wow, thanks! I bet these are good." Ava responded with a grin. "Oh, so your grandma is married to Hadley's... great uncle or something?" Meh, family stuffs sometimes could be a little bit complicated.

"Oh, that's good." She said to Theo. He should've not worry about that, though. Gryffindors would not treat younger students really that bad so they wouldn't be uncomfortable around. "Hello, Liv." She smiled to the blonde girl as she arrived.

Levi resumed his table drumming with his fingers, wondering just when they'd be done with this yearly torture of not eating and--oh. Thinking.

Well. That was fortunate. That she could think, that is. Necessary skill to be successful academic wise, he supposed. He smiled, friendly. Clearly she was most likely a fifth year because she was friendly enough with Melbourne and Tenacius so he didn't feel too bad about not knowing her name.

"Well, thinking is important." He said, then continued. "Nice to meet you. I'm Levi."


He chose his words carefully when he looked at Noelle, allowed a halfway grin. "My summer was very informative. And educational, I think." Enjoyable. Probably too much. But he did not want to think about that too much lest he kept himself awake at night; not that it wouldn't happen, regardless, but sleeping for eight hours straight would be nice for a change. "Yours?"

Levi was momentarily distracted by Dora's sort of abrupt exit, so he mostly just waved at his friend and then shrugged. He supposed she probably had business to attend to at the Ravenclaw table. Or a boyfriend.

...Same difference.

"I feel like you're trying to get me in trouble, here, Melbourne." One slip and you're dead, kind of thing. Wouldn't be the first time, anyway; apparently, and according to some potentially reliable sources that were members of the supposedly gentle sex, he looked like trouble, somehow.

One day he'd have to find the motivation in him to care. Or convincingly protest to such allegations, at the very least.

It took Levi a moment to figure out who Bentley was talking about until he remembered...Heath? He was pretty sure that was the younger Moore's last name. And Julie, Blaise's sister, The Human Burrito who was not allowed to walk around in a bathing suit, apparently.

"The more you say No the more they'll say Yes." If he sounded a little bit like his father, well--he'd be hard pressed to admit it. Bluntly, he continued, "It's why I never told Althea to stay away from you." His stomach grumbled. "She's old enough to decide what she wants--" Or who. "And she also does what she wants, anyway."

But he did not want to talk about Althea and the fact that he was talking about Althea was slowly making him frown. He pinched the bridge of his nose, felt arms wrap around him and then turned to look just in time to see Olivia Phillips walk away to join some first years.

Hugs were nice so he waved.

The table felt suddenly very crowded.

Which was fine, really. And expected. Sorting was going on; there were the first years (Stasya, Emmeline) and then the transfers (like Shayla).

But there was something about the Gryffindor spirit itself, he supposed, that made it feel like there were at least more than a couple of hundred of them gathered. Maybe it was just their combined energy, threatening to overflow and spill over their metaphorical tea cup.

Possibly, he was being dramatic.

"That sounds about right," He told Ava, nodding, trying to remember. Myers felt like he'd been around forever, which he knew was actually an impossibility, but. "Hirsch has been around for a while, too, though." Thankfully.

For everyone. Of course.

With her attention split between her own table and that of the lions, it was a wonder she'd heard her name come out of the Gryffindor Prefect's mouth at all. The young girl twisted in her seat, searching the table for the location of the voice over at the Gryffindor tabl--oh there he was. "Hello!" She chirped brightly. "I see the lions are as lively as ever." By comparison, her own table was quite tame this evening but she wasn't complaining.

Noelle got a wave and a grin the moment she caught Jessa's attention from the corner of her eye, shortly before a wave was sent at that older boy. Levi, right? Hiiiii.

"Very important questions." She replied, shifting to face Aslan once more. With the Ravenclaw table filling up this way, twisting was becoming a little harder but still manageable. "More along the practical side. I've recently been introduced to this book, you see, and it's sparked enough interest for me to try to figure my way through i--"

Ohai Olivia! She was nice, mhm, and sometimes did those musical numbers with Rooney which made her alright in the young girl's book. Right, where was she? "I've still got it. My friend said I could borrow it so I can show it to you after the feast?" They'd both be up in the Towers anyway.

The talk of summer brought her back from said thoughts of experiment. "It was alright for the most part. Got to see my friends and stuff."

Oooh there was one of her classmates welcoming her. Leona gave her a broad smile "Thanks, you're sweet" indeed she was. Classmates seemed nice enough or were they called housemates instead? Leona wasn't sure yet she would learn soon enough.

Then there was another classmate or housemate, however they called it, welcoming the new girl. Nawww...Leona was already starting to get a huge liking to this place, well...at least to Gryffindor cause she hadn't met the rest yet. She gave the boy a big smile [b]" Why, thank you, melon cake..."[b] but then a thought poked her; how did he know her name? The girl took a short breath to ask that certain question but she quickly closed her mouth back when it hit her. Her name was pretty much yelled out when she was called for her turn with the funny, talking hat. Wow...she was always going to make herself look so dumb with that question. Well, since she probably looked like she was going to say something, Leona quickly said someting else instead of it "Should u ever feel like trying out the best of best perfumes you can smell, try and look for me!"

Leona couldn't wait to get to know everyone and probably make new friends especially since everyone looked so SWEET. There she caught the glance of another boy giving her a nod of welcome. Leona gave him a big smile and nodded back her appreciation.

Her perfumes were the best. Yup. And they were totally more than perfumes. Yup. That's why she used to cheer this certain boy up and she realised she was caught in the act by a girl at the other side of the table. Hehehehe. Maybe she blushed a tiny bit and and smiled to the girl waving at her with the perfume sample she was holding. "Hiya! Thanks a lot! You can come and ask me if u ever need a good scent that fits you" mhhmmm. That was true.

Leona giggled quite cheerfully when she saw the boy's reaction to her perfume spraying, how he tried to hide his face. While she might understood why, as the spraying was some of a sudden act that he wasn't probably expecting to happen, it still looked funny to her. Funny and cute. "Nawww...no worries. My perfumes are totally safe." well...they were as much as she was aware of it. She tried them all out on herself first before she presented any to any other person. That was a principle of her working process that she was proud of.

Leona watched the boy sniff himself with huge blue eyes full of expectation. And the girl smiled widely when he seemed to like it. She nodded her appreciation for his kind thanking. The newly sorted lioness was about to say he was welcome just when he said something else that made her giggle loudly.

Where did she get it? *giggle* *giggle*

Lifting and shaking a thin index finger at his face, Leo gave him a proud look "Now, sweetheart, i cannot tell you that, can i?" *giggle* she truly couldn't *giggle* " Because; i certainly didn't get it from nowhere!! I made it myself!!!" yup, that was something she was proud of.


While she was enjoying the proud feeling of having told someone that she made the perfumes herself, Leona was much more grateful for the friendly nature of the house she had been sorted into. She watched as another Gryffindor girl walked to the table. She certainly didn't look like a newbie in school like her as she seemed to know many of the people on the table.

Nawww...Leona wondered if she was going to make a lot of friends as well. When the girl greeted the whole table, Leo waved her way cheerfully with her free hand and smiled broadly. "Ooooh...helloooo"

"Oh good," Jason replied, breathing a sigh of relief. "I just realized I didn't think any of this through."

He turned to face the table, which was yet to have any food. His stomach rumbled. He was hungry and hadn't eaten since he had left the orphanage this morning. Mother Tolton had prepared an egg salad sandwich for him, but he hadn't eaten it. It smelled too weird.

Ah, so begins another term at Hogwarts! The evening's festivities had the resident Gryffindor ghost in high spirits. After nearly 600 years, he still never tired of welcoming some new lions to the pride. "Good evening, Gryffindors!" he greeted everyone as he hovered over the table. "And guests," he added upon noticing Miss Cambridge and a Slytherin girl he didn't know.

He turned to the Slytherin (Zarina). "Hello! I don't believe we've met. Sir Nicholas De Mimsy-Porpington, at your service." He gave the girl a deep bow before moving on.

It wasn't long before he spotted some new recruits. There were two young girls (Stasya and Emmeline), a young boy (Jason), and an older girl who he thought he overheard say her name was Shay. "Hello, Shay! It's a pleasure to meet you.Welcome to Gryffindor!" he said. "I am Sir Nicholas De Mimsy-Porpington, resident ghost of Gryffindor house.

He gave another, much more dramatic bow before addressing the little ones (Stasya, Emmeline, and Jason). "Welcome, welcome! Congratulations on being sorted into the noble house of Godric Gryffindor! What are your names?"

Zarina saw Mel was busy talking with her fellow lions so she gave her a few minutes. Her eyes traveled to someone familiar. Huh...well who would have thought. Her cousin was here. Zae waved to her and welcomed her with, "Hey Cousin. Long time no see." It was interesting to her that she was lion. She felt that Stasya would be a snake like her. "You settled in alright?" By the look on her face she looked miserable. "Come on you're here for a reason.." she shrugged. Gotta suck it up.

As she was giving her cousin a semi pep talk, she heard this bubbly voice behind her. Zae turned her head and saw another lion (Olivia). Zae was taken aback by her comment. "Hey thanks?" She was never called cute by another girl like ever. She just didn't know how to take it. I mean she was cute in Zae's opinion as well. She checked her out while she walked away and turned her attention to Mel. I guess she was done talking to her friends.

Did she have any nicknames? Zarina shrugged and said, "I guess not yet. I haven't really met any besties yet. I mean my friends back home called me Zae because my bff thought Zar sounded too butch. It sounded like a monster or something..." Look at her babble. Who was Carl? Whatever she wasn't gonna ask. She would just let Mel babble is all. She would introduce him if he was here. Mel even agreed with Olivia? She caught on when Mel said her name. "Am I?" she asked when Mel mentioned she was adorable. "I am far from it my friend. I like to think of myself as fun sized.." she winked at that remark. Her question got her thinking. "Well my house is going good. I do like the people and I think I fit in with my personality and all. I just met the Bloody Baron who is the house ghost. I don't think I made a good impression but whatever.." She didn't care in the slightest. Now Mel was talking about the teachers. She just absorbed their names and made a mental note. So her head of house was the Divination professor. Noted. "Do I have to take Divination?" she asked. It didn't sound like her kind of thing. Now onto the hot teacher aspect. "Well I am keen on learning Defense Against the Dark Arts, it seems interesting to learn.." She followed Mel's gaze to the staff table. "Can you point out the ones you were talking about?" Just to give her an idea.


As Zarina was asking too many questions it seemed to her lion friend Mel, she heard someone ask her a question. She turned her head and saw an older dude was greeting her (Tenacius). He seemed to have a badge on and he seemed to be important. "Nice badge dude.." she pointed out. "Yeah I am a Slytherin.." she developed a huge satisfactory grin. "It is awesome so far. I fit it is all that matters." I mean no one wants to be an outcast in their own house. "I see your doing pretty well for yourself being a Prefect and all.." She had no idea what a Prefect was but it must mean a good thing.

Now she was being greeted by the Gryffindor head ghost. He seemed to have personality for a dead guy. She smiled at his little greeting. It was adorable, she might as well play along. "Great to meet you Sir Nicholas De---" She couldn't remember the last bit. "Miss Zarina Carraro at your service.." she bowed back to him.

Upon realization that Noah wasn't going to be at the Ravenclaw table, Skylar turned instead toward the Gryffindor table. And while she could have easily buried herself in her besties robes, being close to the Gryffindor prefect because of nostalgia reasons, just seemed to feel right at the moment. She found the familiar face with ease, greeting her new lions, to which Skylar wedged in beside her and wrapped her arms around the older girl.

"I'm an idiot," she whispered, willing herself to hold back the tears. Those might be happening later, but for now, she would take comfort in just holding the female prefect.

"Very important." The sullen lady lion said, actually giving the boy a small smile. He understood the value of thinking, and he was nice. "So, Levi, have you been thinking about anything important lately?" She doubted if her new friend had been thinking about the ultra serious life maters that had been on her mind lately, but well, who knew, right?

Samantha flicked momentarily to their mutual friend, but quickly made their way back to the speaker. As she listened to his whole comment, she shook her head at Ace. "Tenacius, aren't you the one always lecturing me on how to take care of my owl? And then you go let let one of yours almost get eaten? I'm sure Emmaleigh wouldn't be happy with that." she flashed his a quick grin. The subject of his mom, and their treatment of creatures was often a touchy subject. "Why'd you bring them anyways?"


Having moved to the side of the smaller girl(Stasya), so she could see her better, the fifth year gave her a warm smile. Truthfully, this was probably one of the most genuine she had smiled that day, even if the one she received in return was some what lacking. "Is that what has you so glum, you've got a friend in another house?" she asked. "OF course you'll see them, all the time. You can see them at meals, and during breaks, and sometimes you'll share classed together. And after class, and on weekends, you can have fun out on the grounds." Not like they'd have that much free time for long, not when classes in the morning, but she didn't need to know that.

When the other girl(Olivia) sat down, Same gave her a nod. "Not at all, I was just telling um..." She did't know the girl's name. Oh! "Nugget here," she said placing her hand on the firstie's head. "That she'd get to see yer friends in the other houses so much that she'll get sick of them, and be glad she will have some place she can go to escape from them. Isn't that right?" she asked, moving her hand on her head to cause her to nod slightly in agreement. And Merlin knew the idea of being able to escape sounded simply amazing and happened to be something she was badly in need of. "Oh, I'm Sam by the way." yeah, best to tell the kid who yo are Samantha.

When the other small nugget (Emmeline) showed up (Nugget two maybe?) Sam couldn't help but raise her brow. Only slightly though because that as far as she could move it. "What is it you plan on doing after the feast? We usually have some sort of meeting, or you know a paint fight after." That had been so much fun when they did that. Professor Newton was the best. Period. Looking the girl up and down that maybe she'd have to tell her cousin about this one.

Shay smiled at Ava's enthusiasm. "Yeah, New York is pretty cool. I'm a little biased though. It's just home to me." Hearing what her housemate had to say about Gryffindor made her glad this was her new home. Although, Ava could be a little biased in her own way too. "Well I'm enjoying it so far and everyone does seem cool.". Were those Gryffindor traits? Friendly and enthusiastic? Time would tell . And then a question that Shay herself had forgotten to ask of the others at the table. "I'm a sixth year. What about you?" A lot of the students at the table seemed to be around her age. Now Shay wondered just how many of them were sixth years.



Shay could see the relief that seemed to come over Jason when he realized that he didn't need to bring extras to school. "Don't worry. I'm sure you'll be fine. Then, Shay had a thought. "You know what? Since we're both new here, maybe we could help each other out, you know.......if either of us needs help with anything." She was pretty sure that Jason wouldn't need her help for anything, but it was always nice to know that someone had your back.



Then came something that took Shay by surprise. Of all the greetings she had received, she hadn't expected one from a ghost. And yet here he was, Sir Nicholas DeMimsy-Porpington. The Gryffindor ghost. Trying to put on a face that said, I get greeted by ghosts every day, Shay responded. "Thank you sir. The pleasure is all mine. I'm looking forward to learning all about my new house." And that was the truth. Shay had a feeling that this was going to be a very interesting year.