Patrick tucked himself away in one of the nooks he had found his first year. He loved coming to study by the clock tower. There was just enough bustling from his peers that he could look away from his books for a few moments, but there was also enough quiet that he could ensure that his notes were up to snuff for his classes. He needed to get his life together, he wanted to be Head Boy by the time gets to his seventh year, prove his brother wrong about being in charge. A light chuckle snuck out of his mouth. He was certain his brothers just liked to tease him because they could. Sticking his nose back into his notes he began to transfer them to a different journal.

Lydia was looking for a quiet place to read. At the moment, miraculously, she didn't have any school work to work on, and so she could actually enjoy reading a book for fun. She'd selected one of her favorite stories from the Muggle world, The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. It was all about a family who got transported to a magical world that they never knew existed so Lydia could relate to it a lot! She just hoped she wouldn't run into any evil witches herself. That would not be fun to say the least.

Lydia stopped for a moment to admire the giant clock tower, her book cradled under one arm. That was when she noticed a Slytherin boy tucked into a nook. He was well hidden, and she almost hadn't seen him. Wait a minute...she could swear that was the boy with the Southern accent she'd only briefly met in the common room.

Lydia stepped closer to the nook and peered down at Patrick. She didn't want to be rude and disturb him, but she'd been curious about him ever since hearing his accent.

"Hi," she said. "You're Patrick right? Hope I'm not bothering you!"

There was a voice, he was pretty certain that someone was talking to him, pushing his favorite muggle pen into his notes he glanced up to see a girl he hadn’t met yet, which at this point typically means they’re first years. Ah, she recognized him, must have been from the common room party. Yet he couldn’t place meeting her. “No, not at all, just writin my notes from class earlier. Sorry, don’t think we officially met before.” He scooted around the nook to unfold his long legs and hopefully not cramp up and looked up at the girl again hoping she would give him a refresher on her name.

He glanced at the book under her arm. He recognized that book, his mama read it to him when he was a kid. “That was one of my favorite books as a kid.” he pointed toward the book snuggled under her arm. He was hopeful that she wouldn’t be too taken aback by his accent. Some of the newer students were still always surprised by the fact that he talked with a twang. Although you’d think all of the hype would have died down by now.

He was really hoping that later in the week he could sneak off to the astronomy tower and read his current favorite book, the giver. His friends back home had to read it for school and he picked it up and couldn’t put it down, not even for a second or third read.

Lydia sat down next to Patrick and laid the book in her lap. She turned to him and smiled. "I'm Lydia," she said. "Can I join you?"

Lydia flipped through a few of the pages of the book. "My mum first read it to me too!" she said excitedly. "What are some of your other favorite books? Also, if you don't mind me asking, where are you from? You don't sound like you're from the U.K."

Lydia blushed a little. She hoped Patrick wouldn't think she was being too intrusive, but she couldn't help but be curious about him. He seemed different from many of the other students she'd met, and for some reason he didn't really strike her as a Slytherin even though they were definitely in the same house together. But the sorting hat had obviously chosen him for Slytherin for a reason, and Lydia was interested in getting to know him better.

Patrick nodded his head, “sure thing. Nice to meet you Lydia. Sorry, back to school gathering in the common room is really hard for me to remember names.” He scooted closer to the wall and let the girl sit down. He wasn’t that rude, his mama would kill him if he didn’t show manners even when she wasn’t there.

He thought about her question. He had a lot of favorite books. His mama insisted that he read as a kid. She always told him books can teach you more about yourself than most other things. But honestly he thought it was because she was hoping he’d be the quiet one of his three older siblings. “I have a few, mostly muggle books as I went to muggle school instead of wizarding schools before here like most students. I loved Percy Jackson. I’m readin The Giver right now. My old school had the kids read it last year, figured I should read it too so we could have somethin to talk about.” He shrugged his shoulders as if it were just every bit natural that he read all the time.

She gave him a bit of an eye, like she wasn’t quite sure about him, he noticed. He got that way too often. He was certain he wouldn’t have gotten so many looks if he had gone to Ilvermorny where his accent would’ve been normal and his reputation as a Dooley would have been set out for him. Looking over at Lydia he smiled, “nope, not from the U.K. I’m from Kentucky.” Chuckling he mumbled, “the other UK so to speak.” since he was from where the university was. “My parents moved back here right before I was supposed to start school.

Lydia liked Patrick. She could tell by his response that he was a big reader, which was great because she was too. Before the sorting hat had put her in Slytherin, she'd thought for sure she'd be in Ravenclaw just on the basis on how much she liked to read and how into doing well at school she was, but the hat had other plans for her apparently. It must've seen how determined she was to do well and be successful, and that drive was a trait of snakes.

"I went to a muggle school too," she confided. "I'm muggleborn. I'm still getting used to all of this, but everything has been brilliant so far. I've read a few of the Percy Jackson books too. I've always been a bit fascinated by Greek mythology so they were right up my alley. I've never read The Giver though. What's it about? What do you like about it?"

Lydia listened to Patrick talk about being from Kentucky. She'd never been to America before but she really wanted to go. She knew it could be expensive to travel, and her parents weren't super rich or anything. But money had never been an issue exactly; her parents just didn't like traveling much. They were perfectly content to just live the rest of their lives in London, which she thought was boring.

"What's it like in Kentucky?" asked Lydia. "I've never been there. Is Kentucky famous for something special? Were you sad that you had to leave and come here?"

Lydia hoped she wasn't asking too many questions and sounding like a total busybody, but she couldn't help but be curious. Again, it seemed like she definitely had a few Ravenclaw traits in her too!

Muggle school really was unlike anything else. There wasn’t magic, but kids could be brutal if you weren’t a part of the same things they were. He was always a bit nerdy and into books, until he hit his growth spurt this summer, each summer full of sports had been a nightmare. Now it was actually kind of fun. “What’s it like being from a muggle family and learning about all of this? My mom and dad come from long lines of witches and wizards, but mom raised me in a normal setting as to not give me an intitled idea of myself.”

He really had never gotten to ask someone about it after they brought it up, he was genuinely curious as to what she thought about the whole Hogwarts situation. He had just started to get back into the giver again, “Well its about emotions and such. honestly wait a few years and then read it.”

He thought it over for a second, how could he honestly describe his favorite place in the world? Kentucky had been his home for most of his life and moving to London was not something that he had completely grown accustomed to since he was usually at Hogwarts which wasn’t the city. “Honestly, kentucky is a place, its so pretty in the warm months, green green grass, people are always nice, and the change in seasons is really pretty to watch.”

He had to sit and think about if there was really anything fame... he stopped and chuckled a bit because he forgot just how famous kentucky fried chicken actually was. “Well we have Kentucky Fried Chicken, but most of us don’t eat it if we live there.”

Lydia thought back to her time in a London primary school. It had been so big, and there were so many other kids. It was very easy to get lost in the shuffle, to feel ignored and forgotten by everyone. Also, she had never been the best at making friends, preferring to do her homework or read when she got home. Hogwarts felt much closer, like one big family, and she thought she could finally make a place for herself.

"It was so strange," said Lydia. "The first time I ever heard of Hogwarts or magic was when I got my acceptance letter. I showed it to my mum and dad, and they thought someone was playing a prank on me! So they threw it away. But the letters kept coming, and one day an owl flew right through our flat! Eventually my parents realized it wasn't a joke, and that I actually could be a witch. When we first arrived in Diagon Alley, that's when we all started to fully believe I think."

Lydia listened to Patrick's description of his home state, and it sounded amazing. So much nature and actual changing seasons vs. Britain's relatively temperate climate where it was usually cool or maybe slightly warm in the summer months. It never really got super cold or super hot here.

"Kentucky sounds like a great place to live," said Lydia, and she meant it. "I grew up in London. The only time I really got to be in nature was when my parents and I would go to a city park, and it's definitely not the same. Always being surrounded by buildings and cars and so much noise. It's much nicer here at Hogwarts, honestly. Here at least we have the lake and the forest!"

Lydia was trying to remember if she'd ever seen a KFC in London. She didn't think so, but she had heard of the American fast food franchise, though she'd never eaten at one. But now that she was thinking of fried chicken, she began to get hungry. Her stomach rumbled. "Oh no, now you made me hungry!" she laughed. "Wish we had some of that chicken here right now."

Blinking hard as he took in just how absurd their world must have seemed to her at first he smiled. “That must have been tough. I thought it was tough enough being the only one of my brothers to go to Hogwarts. But I think you win.” he smiled wide hoping that Lydia wasn’t getting nervous or anything. He liked meeting people and sometimes forgot that it was intimidating to other people.

Stretching out his legs he listened to what London was like, he couldn’t agree more. In the few moments he had spent with his family on the breaks he could absolutely understand not getting to experience seasons. That was his favorite part. He loved growing up in the open air of his Grandparents farm and getting to have friends who didn’t know about the things that went bump in the night. “Yeah,” he glanced down at his watch, “I guess it is getting close to dinner time.”

Lydia smiled at Patrick. He was so understanding and so laidback. It was very easy to feel at ease in his company. For once Lydia didn't feel like she needed to impress, to prove herself.

"I don't think it's a contest," she laughed. "Still, it was tough I suppose. What are your plans for the evening, Patrick? Do you have any advice for me as a new Hogwarts student? Places I should definitely check out...stuff like that?"

He chuckled, "Honestly, my time here at hogwarts has been very strange compared to that of my parents." he looked out from the cove he had sat himself down in. "They always talked about the bridge, but advice, make friends they make being here a little less scary when you're really getting homesick."

He pushed his book back into his bag just as casually as when he had unfolded his long legs. "My only plans are to eat my weight in food tonight. Although, here lately I've had to go grab a snack around bed time from the kitchen... odd." he mumbled the last bit to himself.

Lydia smiled at Patrick. He was so laid back and friendly. He really put a person at ease with his demeanor. That was so refreshing to Lydia. She didn't have anything against certain friends she'd made, but some of them were so full of energy and just...so talkative all the time that it could be exhausting for an introvert like herself.

"How has your time here been different? And what's so special about the bridge?" she asked. Lydia had never spent much time at the bridge at all.

Eating your own weight in food did sound pretty good actually. She'd probably do the same thing when she got to the dinner table. At least she still had a rather fast metabolism.

It was funny, there wasn't anything super special about the bridge. It was a place that most people over looked, but really he figured the best part about the bridge was you could see everything. It was so open and airy and on a really windy day he wouldn't be caught dead on the bridge because he was certain it would blow away. "Honestly, nothing." He finally mentioned with a shrug. "You just have a really pretty view and it never gets old." he made sure that he was honest in the description.

He looked over at her, not really certain how much he was supposed to say or not say as an older student. Man when did he become the older student. He was still considered an ickle last year by his older housemates, now he was the one getting looked up to. "Let's just say that more things happened last year than my parents. They didn't have quite the excitement. Although, from what i understand no two persons experiences at Hogwarts are the same." He shrugged as he stated the last part.

"Hmm, that does sound nice," said Lydia. Hogwarts was so massive she still hadn't explored all of it, not by a long shot. Sometimes it could be quite overwhelming. Her first week at the school she had gotten lost on several occasions just trying to get to her classes! "So far my favorite place is probably Professor Myers' music therapy greenhouse. It's such a nice, soothing place where I go to practice with my violin."

At Patrick's vague words, Lydia was more intrigued than ever, but she wouldn't press the issue, at least not yet. She didn't want to upset Patrick, and maybe not all the things that had happened to him last year were good things. "That I can believe," said Lydia, agreeing about different experiences.

Something occurred to her. Patrick had way more experience with magic, and he came from a wizarding family. He'd probably know all sorts of things about what life was like after Hogwarts.

"This is gonna sound kinda silly and cliche, but...what do you want to be when you grow up?" she asked him. "Like...what sorts of jobs do witches and wizards even get after school? Aside from being Hogwarts teachers that is."

He smiled, Professor Myers was such a character and made classes so interesting that he had never really had a bad experience when he was in his classes. Interesting, but up to this point he still hadn't had anything bad happen in one. "Professor Myer is a nice person. He makes his classes so fun for all of us." he remembered the time they all got to dress up on Halloween it was quite fun.

He tried to think if he actually knew what a wizard did outside of Hogwarts for a job. "Uh well, there's working for the Ministry of Magic I suppose, or a shopkeeper..." He paused to think it over and try and determine if he knew of any other jobs. "Honestly I'm probably not the best one for that question as my Mama teaches college courses for muggles and my dad works at the ministry. My grandparents just became muggle farmers."

Lydia nodded along with Patrick's assessment of the professor. "He is really nice," she said. "Herbology is one of my favorites, along with Care of Magical Creatures and Charms."

Lydia tried to imagine what she'd do after she graduated, but it sort of made her head hurt to think about. At least she still had six and a half more years to figure it out!

"That sounds really nice actually," said Lydia. "I wouldn't mind being a Hogwarts teacher I think. Or maybe a healer or caretaker for magical creatures. Hmm, or maybe just a healer in general you know?"

Lydia had almost entirely forgotten the book in her lap. Now she cradled it gently. "Well, I suppose I'll get back to reading my book, but it was so nice to sit and talk, Patrick. I hope we can hang out again sometime soon!"

Patrick smiled reaching out to open his own book back up and smile “nice to meet you! I’m sure we’ll see each other around more.

*POP*

Word of threat to the castle traveled fast and Tinka was not going to let anything, creature or human, hurt her studentsies. She appeared at the clock tower entrance, whisk held out as a weapon and waited for others to arrive.

Her eyes and ears on high alert, scanning left and right, to see if anything out of the ordinary was around. She was willing to fight to protect her studentsies and was determined to not let anything inside that didn't belong.

When Sylvia heard the castle was under attack, she raced to the closest entrance to where she had been cleaning at the time, which just so happened to be the Clock Tower entrance. At least she wouldn't be alone. Tinka was already there and waiting for any of the nasty Inferi to attack, wielding her whisk! That little lady had spunk!

Those Inferi were just disgusting, and if they did anything to mess up the wonderful cleanliness of this castle....well they didn't want to see Sylvia angry.

"Hey there, Tinka! Any of those monsters make it this way yet? We gotta keep a good eye out! If you know any fire spells....use 'em." She said with a nod, her bushy red hair flapping after her. She readied herself for a fight, pulling her wand out of her apron, and waited for the monsters to attack.

Tinka spun around when she heard someone approaching from behind. She was thrilled to have a battle partner, but would have happily defended the clock tower entrance all by herself. No Inferi would be hurting her studentsies.

“Mistress Grimblehawk! Tinka happy see you.” She gave a little bow to the caretaker. “TInka hear from studentsies that Inferi come to grounds. Tinka protect castle.” She held up her whisk and shook it to show how strong and brave she was.

“No Inferi here that Tinka see yet.” she shook her and and glanced out around the grounds one more time to be sure. “Oh, yes, Tinka make fire. Tinka make fire all the time in kitchens.” WIth that she snapped her fingers and a small fire appeared before them. She snapped once more and it was gone. “Tinka like fire almost as much as Tinka like whisk.”

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" was the high-pitched sound coming from Schmoop as the elf ran as fast as his elf legs could carry him towards the clock tower, carrying a cookie pan as his weapon of choice. "Yous heard toos!" But the ugly, nasty Inferi hadn't gotten in yet, thank goodness! "Nasty Inferi nots getting past-ed us!" Schmoop would light his pan on fire and smack them with it if he had too!

Slate slid to a stop at the clock tower entrance. He'd been frantically searching for Juni and hadn't found her yet. Word traveled quickly and he hoped that since she was not at the entrance hall, that she'd found shelter somewhere else.

But he also knew better than that. She was probably herding some younger kids to shelter. He hoped that she was at least indoors.

But just in case, he was checking this entrance, which, strangely enough, only had two house elves and the caretaker.

At least Juni wasn't there.

He leaned an arm against the wall and took a few deep breaths, only just now realizing how much running he'd done. "Hey." he said between breaths. "Is that a whisk?"

Totally normal Hogwarts under attack conversation.

Oh. And a cookie sheet. Brilliant.

Right after Schmoops arrival, a young Slytherin joined their group. “Tinka doesn’t like Mr. Slate out of common room. Mr. Slate need be safe with house.” She wagged her whisk at him. Before she could continue and urge him away, there was a loud crash.

Tinka could hear the sounds of destruction as the Inferi made their way towards the castle. So far, they hadn’t seen any approach the clock tower entrance, but there was no way of knowing if they would come. She stood ready to battle.

Then she heard screaming echoing through the grounds. “Tinka hear yelling. Tinka think they come to castle.” She eyed the young Slytherin. “Mr. Slate stand behind Tinka. Tinka keep Mr. Slate safe.” After pointing to where she wanted him, she turned towards Schmoop. “Schmoop stand by Tinka. Schmoop help keep Mr. Slate and Mistress Grimblehawk safe.”

She looked out towards the grounds again before continuing. “Tinka brave house elf. Tinka not let Inferies hurt studenties.” She waved her whisk in anger towards what could come. “Stand behind Tinka and Schmoop, Mr. Slate, stand behind and keepsies safe.”

Sylvia listened as the little Elf spoke, nodding in all the right places and giving her a soothing smile. "Well, I am happy to see you too, Tinka! And you don't have to do it alone! There are plenty of us here to help you." Sylvia grinned down at her. She knew the might that House Elves had. They had very powerful magic in them, and sure as heck was glad to have Tinka by her side!

Sylvia looked around as Tinka spoke. There didn't seem to be any Inferi here yet but they needed to be on the look out and ready to stand their guard. "Of course you do, what was I thinking! Well, Tinka, when those Inferi come traipsing up here we have to hit them with all the fire power we posses, okay? It's the only thing that keeps them at bay!" She was about to continue on when....

Sylvia's eyebrows flew up into her high as heaven hair when Schmoop came running through. "Oh, Schmoop! You about scared the dickens out of me! I was about to blast you with a fire charm thinking you were one of those monsters." She took a deep breath patting her chest to get her heart to calm down. Lord knows she was worried enough as it was, she didn't need a screaming House Elf too! "Now lets get ready." She was just about to give them a plan when...

Sylvia again turned in shock as the young Slytherin quick literally slid into view. "Slate Ryker! What in the heavens are you doing out here running around all willy nilly like when we have a war on our hands? Either get back to your common room or stand and fight with us. Merlin knows we need all the help we can get." She raised her eyebrows at the young man, and turned back to watch the entrance.

Sylvia loved how much Tinka wanted to protect Slate. She was one of the best House Elves Hogwarts had. It melted her heart to see how much the little one cared for the students, and her own safety. "Now, don't you worry about me Tinka. I can hold my ground." She said with a wink and a grin. They didn't call her a fiery redhead for nothing!