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**Wilber Winterbottom** · #1 (**permalink**) 12-27-2022, 12:45 AM

For those who belong in Gryffindor House, on the left side of the Great Hall is where your table awaits. Red banners containing an embroidered golden lion float above the polished table in honour of the brave Godric Gryffindor. Already placed on the tables are silver plates with accompanying cutlery and goblets. All that is missing right now are the mountains of food and pitchers containing your favourite beverages.

Though your stomach might be growling as you take a seat on one of the long benches next to the table, it is important to not get hangry -- gnawing your arm away or jabbing your fork repeatedly on the surface of the table will do no good whatsoever. Give everyone some time to get settled in and wait for Headmaster Winterbottom to deliver his speech. Keep yourself preoccupied by catching up with your fellow housemates or those who are visiting from the other tables until it is time to sink your teeth into the hearty and delicious meal prepared by the house-elves.

*Nordic Witch* · 09-01-2026, 04:32 PM

Tiana had a skip in her step and a happy, smittening smile on her face as she headed over to the Gryffindor table to sit down. Her gaze kept getting drawn to the sorting ceremony to see if it was Cee's time yet to get sorted. Tee hoped that her sister would get sorted into Gryffindor too, but she had a feeling that Cee was aimed for another house. It was fine if that happened because Conner was a claw, and Tyler was a snake. When she was seated at the lion table Tee pulled out all the face paint bottles of different colours, and paintbrushes from her robepockets, and put them on the table amongst the plates, cutlery and goblets. Maybe they could paint each other's faces as they waited for the headmasters speech?

QueenPhoenix · Yesterday, 02:26 AM

It seemed strange walking into Hogwarts this year, sixth year, with the first set of major examinations completed. She was questioning though her skills as a gobstones player and was wondering if perhaps some beginner's luck had worn off. If it wasn't for the summer league and decent performances there, she'd likely throw in the towel for Gryffindor team.

Kara couldn't help but feel an emptiness when she glanced towards the Hufflepuff table. Aurora was graduated. She and Diego would follow shortly. Sure she still had two whole years left, but the first five years just flew by, so she knew that the last two would go quicker even as more challenging coursework went her way. Stealing a glance up at the staff table, she frowned. No Professors Khanna or Feirgrund? Which meant something else - new Gryffindor Head of House. After five years, she'd finally come to trust Professor Feirgrund, but then he had to go abandon her, as she was about to embark on her career ambitions. Couldn't he have just held out two more years?? This seemed entirely cruel ~~and completely selfish of herself~~

Feeling an unpleasantness creep through her core, she shook her head, not even wanting to know who is replacement was. "Gross. Gonna have to start all over."

FearlessLeader19 · Yesterday, 06:54 AM

SEVENTH YEAR!

How?

Now that Viano was seated at his House table, the question finally sunk in. It hadn’t before, not even when Vesper had constantly remarked during the time he spent at her place over the summer that she couldn’t believe that he had almost graduated. That sweet sister of his… he wished he could have spent more time with her and his nephew but! There was school to attend, Quidditch goals to accomplish, NEWTS to study for and all the other jazz. Plus, there was the option of him to live with her in Lundy Island after his seventh year instead of with his papas. He was still deciding on that but there was plenty of time for that even if it might rest a lot on his mind.

Right now, he was more interested in Tiana, her paints and her brushes. “Have you started a facepainting business?” he asked curiously, examining the colours. “If so, sign me up to be a customer.” You know how kids - and some adults too - got their faces painted at Quidditch matches? Well, Vi would like his painted for a change. “Hi, Kara. Starting over can be good, I can tell you from experience.” That experience? He was referencing moving from his home country, which had been rather scary for him.

“Facepainting?”

Eloy plopped himself down at the table, his gaze swivelling between Tiana and Viano. “Count me in too! And do we get to request our own patterns, or do you have options for us?” Either way, he didn’t mind as long as he got a cool looking pattern. “And maybe I can capture you guys on film! Got myself my very own camera.” He had developed an interest in photography which was really due to Hogwarts and the Time Capsule. The photos would make memorable keepsakes for the seventh years especially. As for Kara, he didn’t know what she was talking about that made Vi made that comment so he just stayed silent. Besides, he was more interested in the paints.

Felixir · Yesterday, 07:50 AM

New year, new start, and all that. Except that Lando couldn't really see the difference between today and yesterday. Or today and three months ago. Or today and this day last year. So, for all his dads' encouragement that a new school year could mean bigger and better things, Abraham Orlando Botros-Giordano just couldn't see it.

But he also knew he wasn't being fair to himself. The first night of term was always the most difficult, though he only had two of those to judge by, and the first had been his very first night at Hogwarts so was something of an outlier. It was though. It was difficult to adjust, or to anticipate having to adjust, and the excitement of the Sorting and the feast and the novelty of being back didn't quite assuage the pangs of homesickness which really started the moment the train had pulled out of the station.

It would have been easier to stay home again. Homeschooling had been lonely but easier to manage. But then he'd be leaving Silvio here on his own - well, on his own surrounded by other Hogwarts kids - and Lando still felt guilty for doing that in his second year. It was also the easy option, and he was supposed to be challenging himself, and so he was.

Seated at the Gryffindor table, Lando had watched the start of the Sorting with much the same interest as he had at last year's. Another of his cousins was up there this year, and Lando had a space reserved by his side in case of the very real possibility that Brom would end up in Gryffindor. He didn't, though, and was sent instead to Bisan and Silvio's house table. Even though Lando wasn't a Hufflepuff, he still clapped along with them - family, you know? - and after that moment his attention sort of drifted from the Sorting Ceremony.

Along the table, his housemates were getting situated. Lando noticed what seemed to be... was that paint? And eyed it warily. Another kid seemed to recognise it as face paint, which made Lando all the warier. He quickly averted his eyes from the stuff, not wanting to even give the idea that he might want to be involved in... that. Not that he thought it silly or childish or anything, just... it would be just his luck to get his face painted and then end up in some kind of medical emergency with his face made up to look like a tiger or something. And even if that didn't happen, it would surely bring some kind of mocking or otherwise negative attention, and he was very much opposed to that.

When someone else made a comment about starting over, Lando flicked his gaze her way, a little confused at first. It sounded like the sort of thing a new transfer might say, but he definitely recognised her, so...

His gaze drifted up to the staff table. Missing faces. New faces. He shifted uncomfortably, but not because he particularly missed anyone up there. He hadn't ever connected with any of the staff, after all, but all the same. He couldn't help but wonder... what had happened to those who hadn't returned? And was it because of...

No. Lando tore his gaze from the top table and back to his housemates again. For a moment, just one moment, he considered distracting himself by joining in with the conversation, about starting over and new starts and what his dads had reminded him only that morning. But he didn't. It didn't really feel worth repeating, and anyway those kids were older and probably weren't interested in what a fourth year had to say. In the end he simply gave a small nod - that ended up looking more like a awkward jerk of the head - at the boy's comment about Starting Over™, and lowered his gaze again.

Everything was getting to be a little much already, but there wasn't much chance of escape. Well. There was, actually, right through that door, but Lando didn't actually want to duck out of the Hall at every sign of discomfort. Plus, it would bring too much unwanted attention. Instead, he pulled a book from one of the deep pockets of his robes - surreptitiously, he hoped - held it open under the table, and started to read. This was his compromise. A figurative escape without literally fleeing the scene.

Deezerz · Today, 03:43 AM

Her mind was still reeling from just now. She…Xelene Paloma Baltazar-Dos Santos, originating from a long, long, pure line of Slytherins a…a…Gryffindor? She was going to throw up. Or cry. Or both.

She forced herself to smile at a few of her new housemates as she made her way down the table. Xelene could typically be lured in by colors and paints, but she didn’t have the mood for it at the moment, so she bypassed that spot at the table. She also didn’t want to sit alone. Maybe Angel would be sorted into Gryffindor and they could sit together. He seemed Gryffindor material.

Not wanting to simply stand around and look lame, she chose the spot beside a quiet older boy (Lando). She had assumed he was either 1) checking out his nails or 2) sleeping sitting up, but on closer inspection she noticed the book.

“What are you reading?” she whispered, not wanting to attract attention.

*Samia* · Today, 04:21 AM

Marina had grown over the summer.

Not dramatically, perhaps, but enough that her robes felt a little less like something she had borrowed from a taller version of herself and a little more like they belonged to her. Her hair had grown out too, and there was something faintly unfamiliar about catching her reflection in the train window and realizing she was beginning to look less like the girl who had first arrived at Hogwarts and more like someone who was, rather inconveniently, becoming a teenager.

She was not entirely sure how she felt about that.

The summer had been a strange one. There had been family things, and the usual assortment of questions she had not particularly wanted to answer, and enough time spent pretending she was perfectly fine that she had become rather good at it. Then there had been Synergy Quidditch Camp, which had been excellent. Genuinely excellent. Flying, training, meeting other players, and being somewhere that made sense in a way that most things did not.

And, because the universe apparently had a sense of humour, CJ had been there too. Somehow... Marina had managed.

The Sorting had already begun by the time Marina made her way to the Gryffindor table, and she paused just long enough to offer a few familiar faces a smile and a nod before finding an open place.

She settled onto the bench, smoothing her robes beneath her before glancing toward the staff table. There were new faces, and a few familiar ones missing, and she found herself wondering briefly what had happened to the people who had not returned. It was an uncomfortable thought, so she let it drift away before it could settle.

Around her, the table was already beginning to fill with conversation. Someone had paint. Someone else was looking at the paint with the sort of expression that suggested they were considering whether it might be dangerous. Marina's mouth twitched.

Honestly, she could probably make a whole evening out of watching that.

But committed to keeping her fourth year as ordinary as possible, she pushed herself to make conversation. So she looking over to the two Gryffindors beside her. One was already buried in a book, while the other looked as though she was still trying to decide whether she had made the right choice by sitting down.

“Hi,” Marina offered to the first year (Xelene), keeping her voice pleasantly ordinary. “I’m Marina. Welcome to Gryffindor”

Her attention shifted briefly to the book beneath the table, and she tilted her head with mild curiosity. “Isn't it a bit distracting to read when everything is so loud around you” she asked Lando, a small smile in place.

Felixir · Today, 07:43 AM

A shift in the air beside him told Lando that someone had taken the seat next to him, but he didn't look up until he heard the someone whisper to him. At that point, he glanced up to see it was one of the newly sorted first years. The small smile came automatically - manners, and all - and he marked his place on the page with a finger and flipped the book shut to show her the title on the front cover: Boyhood. "It's about a homeless kid in the muggle world who discovers he's a wizard," he whispered back. "It's a novel, but I think it's a true story." Whadjamacallit. Semi-autobiographical.

He'd been sort of dragged out of the escapism, which was less than ideal, but perhaps also probably a good thing, because Lando was not being as subtle as he might have liked, and he'd rather not draw any negative attention from the staff table. Plus there were more and more people around, and contrary to what it may have seemed, he didn't actually want to give off the vibe that he didn't want to talk to anyone ever. Only at, you know, difficult moments.

Oh, right. "Yeah, welcome," he added to the first year, when Marina spoke up. Manners. "I'm Lando."

Speaking of Marina, she looked... different? But not. Different but not. Yeah.

"Mmm, not really," Lando said, in response to her question, mirroring her smile. "The book is sort of the distraction, I guess. I can kind of read anywhere." It was a talent, maybe. Or, at least, an extremely convenient coping skill. For a moment, the question was on his lips, the age-old 'Did you have a good summer?' But in the end Lando refrained, probably because it was just so hackneyed. Instead, he continued, "You ever find yourself somewhere and think, 'Man, I wish I had a book right about now'?"

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