Maddie ate her dinner in perfect silence, though not because she was trying to be stuck-up or haughty. She had just been taught that one did not speak while eating, though she was glad of Aggie's presence, and was glad that she had not been placed into a House without an acquaintance, as Ater had been. Still, the Slytherins with their posture and poise seemed to better reflect Ater than any of the other Houses. Maddie felt she would probably have been more comfortable among the green-clad students, but did not say so. There must have been a reason for her placement at the Hufflepuff table.

She looked up, her face impassive as Ater and Cassie walked over to where she and Aggie were enjoying their meal and she hid a knowing smile, nudging Aggie with her toe under the table. She was entertained by the sight of the two of them together.

"I am quite finished," Maddie said, though she had been eyeing a particularly gooey-looking piece of tira misu. She patted her lips with the napkin that had been lying across her lap and stood up, the line of her shoulders barely shifting as she did so. She walked around the end of the table to stand with the three of them and said, "I would very much like to see more of the castle."

The statement was half-hearted, but anyone looking at her would have had no idea. She did want to see the rest of the castle, but she expected that the stone walls would probably be radiating cold air and she did not look forward to walk through the corridors, even if the company would be wonderful to have.