Alcemee said (about sucking up to a teacher), "That would not be a good idea. But Slytherin already has 19 points. How did they get them?"

Ellie shrugged again.

"Their Slytherin, they probably manipulated points out of a teacher." she said matter-of-factly, though she was joking. She had met a couple Slytherins so far, and they were nice. But she didn't know a whole lot.

Abby looked around, startled. She heard someone speak and realized that they might be taling to her. She saw a girl who looked very friendly. "Hi," she said shyly, "I'm Abby."

[QUOTE][/QUOTE](Posted by Ashwinder) Okay, he was officially glad he'd got to the cupcakes early. There were still plenty left, but they were disappearing like hot cakes. Or cupcakes. Whichever. The newest arrival seemed a few years younger than him, and he smiled at her, "Hey."[/COLOR]

Abby looked around again. Another person had said hi to her. "Hi," she replied back,"These cupcakes are pretty good, aren't they?"

Soo she was right. The young girl was a firstie. "I'm a sixth year," Abby said grinning. "Well... it's really my first year here too, though. Because I recently transferred."

Ahh well. Abby was going to be here for two years and in that time, she was sure she would know the school just as well as anyone else."That's cool. We should visit the kitchen floor sometime then. Since neither of us have been there," she said with a short laugh. "So in the five or six years you've been going to Hogwarts, you've never been down there. It is, like, restricted, or have you not really been here that long?" she asked, swishing around the remainder of her butterbeer. Swish swiiish.

By the end of the year, Abby figured she would have been on every floor anyway. There was a classroom on every one, right? Even the dungeons. She was pretty sure that was where Potions class was. Shudder. "Can't wait for classes to begin," she added absently minded. She drank the rest of her butterbeer and twisted the cap back on the empty bottle. "Any class in particular I should be worried about?" she asked, half-jokingly. Well, one HAD to be at least a little worried about classes in a new school.

Abby thought the girl she had spoke to looked a bit shy. Oh, there was no need for that! She smiled at her as she introduced herself. "Really? Nice to meet you, Abby. My name is Abby, as well!" she said brightly.

Maddie climbed out of bed again and grabbed her new quill, ink and a piece of parchment. She got back under the satin sheet, and started to write a letter to her father.
Daddy,
Please don't show this letter to mother, she said that I wasn't to write or have any contact with you whilst I was at Hogwarts. But I gad to write, Daddy, I couldn't just be so cut off from you. How is everything at the house? Has Princess had her foal yet? Hogwarts is amazing, it reminds me a little of that time we went to Versailles. Do you remember Simon Leonarder de Simpson, the Prince of Hollian? He's a wizard too! I met him on the train. I've made lots of new freinds here, but I can't help but think about what is happening at home with you. Could you maybe ask mother if I could come home for the holidays? I know she forbade me to, but I want to see you, Daddy. I don't even care if she hits me again, I just want to see you. Send a reply back with the owl, he'll know where I am
Love, your daughter,
Madeline xx
She slipped on a dressing gown, and made her way to the owlery

"Sounds good to me." Kel said with a smile. "Maybe while we're down there, we can get the house elves to give us some cupcakes." Yes, because the cupcakes they had were very good, and Kel was sure that it was the house elves that had made them. "Oh, I haven't been here since first year," he told her, shaking his head, "I came here in my third year."

He finished his third - and sadly, last - cupcake before answering. "That depends on if you're going to be worried about the classes themselves, or just the teachers." he told her, taking a few steps away from the food so that he wouldn't be tempted to take another cupcake. "If it's the teachers, I'm afraid you'll have to ask someone else. There's a lot of new teachers this year...but I think Kazimirez is gone, which is a good thing." Yes, yes it was.

"As for the classes, I know what I'm worried about. Ancient Runes and Arithmacy." Those were his two least favorite classes. "I don't know about you, though. It's possible that you could like them." he shrugged. Charms and Transfiguration were more his style.

Ellie laughed. "I'd help, but I'm a rubbish cook. But I could probably help grow the ingredients for ya," she explained, taking a sip of her pumpkin juice. She couldn't stop laughing at the hyper Mina. Ellie wondered if she was experiencing a sugar rush herself, but decided she was back to normal, just a little giggly.

She held her hands about 6 inches apart. "Lance was that big when I got him. He's grown a bit, but still TINY!" she exclaimed. "So adorable." She had a little crate for him upstairs, along with a mini-collar and leash for him. At the moment, he was too small to be alone around all the cats, but the petshop promised her the other animals would get along well with him.

"So do you have any pets?" Ellie asked. She didn't know a lot about Mina, but she sensed they would make good friends.

Maddie came back from the Owlery. She was sure there were still tear tracks on her cheeks, but she didn't care. She curled up into a little ball on one of the armchairs and began to cry softly

"Yeahh..." Delilah started to laugh. "See? this is why i'm not social. I'm a horibble conversation starter." Delilah said smiling.

"Of course, I was a sixth year once too you know." Cela giggled. Guh he was precious and she wanted to feed him treats and pet him when he fetched stuff and things like that. Maybe rub his ickle belly.

Celandine waved at Keeley, smiling brightly in return at the younger girl. She looked adorable in her pigtails and nomming on blue cupcakes.

Pigtails. Humm.

Absently, Cela flicked her wand a few times and her own hair rearranged itself into pigtails.

"You're so nice." Cela answered. "I hope I can live up to the example Livvy set, and Evee and Anna before her." Though the other two weren't 'claws, Cela had deeeeefinitely learned a lot from them.

Mostly about flirting.

"We can arrange a practice session anytime, you know where to find me!" Cela did tend to be everywhere.

"And I helped us lose the championship when we were still number one." Cela answered cheerfully. Gosh it had been fun, even when a bludger smashed her nose. Her first ever Quidditch game, it was the championship against hufflepuff, and they lost. Thats what happened when you put a reckless flyer who couldn't actually land properly on the pitch.

She did a much better job as a cheerleader and with Mariel and Becca around and hopefully trying out, Nia would be well on her way to reassembling a team of awesome.

Willow would be pleased, Cela hoped.

"It doesn't cancel out Gobstones because Slytherin held the Gobstones cup for three years before we went in there and got it. In fact I don't think Ravenclaw have been Gobstones champions at all in the last 50 years. Its a biiiig deal!" Cela encouraged.

"As for my 7th year, its hard knowing that its almost the end, but its so exciting seeing Ravenclaw together like this. Its teamwork that gets us through everything after all."

And Ravenclaws definitely had a lot of house pride.

"I'm going to be in the stands cheering for the Quidditch matches." She was looking forward to it actually. Cela looked up as she heard someone start playing music, spotted Becca and was about to rush over there when someone bumped into her and started talking to the other girl.

It was okay, Cela would catch her in the dorm later.

Hearing a couple younger girls talking about points Celandine alternatively nodded and shook her head.

"Slytherin don't work together enough to be any threat at the house cup, no need to worry about them. The last time they won the cup, they didn't get awarded it because they got 2000 points unfairly." Though Cela had thought it was kind of genius, "That was in my first term. They aren't a unit as a house any more, not like we are."

Yup. All true.

"As for earning points, definitely don't suck up to the teachers. Some of them will take points if you try that. All you need to do is go to class, do your homework and help others even if they aren't Ravenclaw. Be active, join clubs, work hard and help where you can." Yup. All of these things were the reason Cela had been in the top 5 for every single term except her second, and number one in the house for her first, third, fourth and fifth years, top in the school for third fourth and fifth years too.

She noticed a firstie crying in an armchair and immediately her expression turned to one of concern.

"Are you okay?"

Maddie looked up at an older girl, standing over the armchair
'Hmm? Oh.. yes, I'm... fine' said Maddie, trying to stop crying - which might make that lie just a little more convincing 'I just... got a letter from my mother. She called me a freak, and told me I can't go home til summer' Maddie sniffed

Ellie turned at the voice. Oh, head girl. Nice to meet you head girl. Yet, she didn't much like being told what to do.

"I was joking about that, by the way. The sucking up bit." she said, unemotionally.

"Ellie," she introduced herself, extending her hand.

Huh. That was true. "So you're head girl?" he observed, spotting the badge. "That's really cool." he nodded once, then looked over at the cupcakes. They were calling to him. Gah. He forced himself to look away. Three was more than enough for one night.

Victoria nodded. "Yeah..."

"You aren't a freak, you're a Ravenclaw." Celandine told her comfortingly. What was the problem about not being allowed to go home until summer? Hogwarts was the best home Cela had ever known and being at home for real, with her parents, was the most lonely thing ever. But then, Celandine wasn't eleven so that made things harder she supposed.

She smiled kindly.

"Christmas at Hogwarts is super nice though, the whole school gets decorated and theres a feast for the kids who stay here and even the ghosts sing christmas carols!" Except the Bloody Baron.

"I don't go home for Christmas either." Sometimes she went to see people, but she didn't go home.

"Did you have a muffin? Blue muffins make everything better!"

"You'd be surprised how many people try it." Cela's eyes went wide in illustration and then she smiled brightly.

"Celandine Toussaint. But call me Cela. Its super nice to meet you, Ellie!" She reached out to shake the girl's hand.

"Yup." Cela nodded, summoned a muffin and silently handed it to Keltan.

Then she reached up and pat him on the head quite solemnly.

Peppy! Ellie laughed.

"Wow." she continued laughing. "It's nice to meet you too. Finally. I've been wondering when I'd meet the head girl." she said.

Kel half-smiled, accepting the cupcake from Cela. He supposed he couldn't refuse it, right? So, he peeled off the paper and started eating his fourth cupcake of the night.

...Did she just pat him on the head? Yes. Yes she did. Kel chewed on his cupcake thoughtfully, deciding that even girls that were older than him were weird.

With a laugh Theo began to follow her “Of course you can get your own,” Theo knew he should probably do something about the giant glob of frosting on the floor, so a napkin would help. Just an excuse to follow her, though. “Just thought I’d offer. Ya know, save you the trip.”

Once at the table he grabbed a couple napkins and shoved them into his pocket. “At least you weren’t too attached to that cupcake though, makes loosing it to the ground less traumatic.” Although joking, he’d dropped his fair share of cupcakes and knew the disappointment that comes along with it. He was glad she wasn’t mad either. “I’m Theo, by the way” He added, grabbing for one of the chocolate chip biscuits.

"Well here I am and if you need anything you just tell me okay?" Nobody was going to mess with firsties on herrrrr watch, especially not the Ravenclaw ones. They were most important


"I wonder if these cupcakes have anything in them? Like, to make us more awesome and stuff? Like ProfessorNurseHealerLady Melita? She had cheering potion in her cookies?" Hummmmmm would Vinidctus do that? Maybe some sort of Quidditch-prowess-inducing potion?

Thinking of Melita also made Cela think of when she'd seen Professor Lainey punch that icky woman in the face.

That had been like soooo toooootally O_______________________O.

Cela was glad Lainey was back.

Ellie smiled.

"I will." she said politely.

Mina nodded as she listened. The lemonade was having a calming effect on her and she wasn't as giggly and bouncy now, but she did want another cupcake again. "I'm kind of rubbish as well, but I think I have mastered cupcakes and stuff. Well, backed goods at least." she nodded. Baking wasn't all that difficult for her and she would just have to conquer one thing at a time. "You know I'lve always wanted to make carrot cupcakes."

"He sounds adorable and precious." Mina smiled. She wished she had a ferret too, but that would take a lot of begging on her part. "He must be growing really slow, but they really don't get too large do there?" She wasn't all to sure just how large they got ,but she was under the impression they didn't get that large.

"I just have Diana, my owl but my cousin just got a puppy," she nodded. Jade had gotten him over the summer and he was rather precious as well. He spend a lot of his time chasing after moving things. Special puppy he was. "My sisters have owls and my brothers have lizards and toads," she added. She wanted a ferret of her own now thought.

Willow walked into the party a little late because she was doing her own personal exploration of the castle. She grabbed a cupcake and a glass of butter beer, took a brief look around and sat in one of the arm chairs near the fireplace.

Becca reached the table and took a moment to pick out the next yummiest-looking cupcake. Aha! She snagged one that had the perfect amount of frosting and picked up a new napkin while she was at it. "Well thank you for your sincerity." Yeah, she thanked him even though she had almost developed an emotional attachment to that cupcake, considering how excited she was to eat it. Oh well. She had a lovely new one that would surely not be poisoned like the last one was, as she told herself.

"Theo. How intriguing. I'm Becca... Becca Parker." She gave him a gentle smile as she laid the palm of her free hand on the table and rested some of her weight on it. For the first time, Becca let herself gaze around the common room - lots of younger kids, Mariel was around, and... Cela? Her face instantly grew hot with embarrassment. But when she made eye contact with Theo again and realized there was a full cupcake in her hand, she forgot about Lainey. Nom. "What year are you? I don't think I recall seeing you around... ever, I think." But then again, Becca didn't make an effort to pay attention to her surroundings very often, even with her own housemates.

Theo followed her lead and looked out into the common room. He wasn't used to seeing it so full and noisy. “Uh, I’m a fifth year. I’ve basically been focusing on class more though, so it’s not a real big surprise.” He shrugged. Sure he liked Hogwarts but he’d always felt a little of place, maybe that was why he’d kept to himself the past few years. Either way he’d decided interacting with people was more fun than just doing homework. “What year are you?” He’d pegged her to be at least a year older than he was, maybe two.

‘Course, his birthday was coming up.

“How’s that cupcake? Not poisoned like the last one was, I hope.”