Her father had definitely been right about Hecate Lafay. She was Slytherin right down to the core--and tough as nails, too! He hadn't said anything about that last part, but in the two or so minutes Sierra had known her Head of House, she'd pretty much decided that she wouldn't be becoming the favorite anytime soon. Or maybe even any millennium soon.

Suddenly, when it came to Hecate Lafay, Sierra really only had one goal in mind--try and stay on her good side, at least a little bit. Nodding a few times in reply to what Lafay had said, Sierra just turned around in her seat to resume all other conversations. Maybe she shouldn't try speaking to Lafay again until she had a better idea on how to handle her.

Funny, but her father had said he'd handled her pretty easily. Bahh.



Just as she turned around, Sierra found that Marie had caught on to the fact that dog, whatever his real name was, had previously been at their table. Maybe he was still here, for all Sierra knew. Her eyes flickered down the table, but she didn't see the boy anywhere. Maybe Evelyn and Marie really had run him off.

It was just as well, though. Sierra was still weirded out over the fact that some random person had just walked up to her and proclaimed that her mother would make a great Minister of Magic. Of course she really would, and it'd be pretty awesome to have a mum in that sort of position, but it was weird hearing it from someone you didn't even know.

Sierra nodded in reply, suddenly finding herself wishing dog boy would come along again just so she could sit back and watch what Evelyn and Marie would do to him. "So, anyone else I should look out for?" she asked, thinking it was likely that if Evelyn and Marie knew of one dog, they knew of them all. She paused for a second then added, "There was a food fight in Defense Against the Dark Arts?" Ha--awesome! Maybe the fact that she'd used a sugar quill for protection in Sugarplum's wasn't such a bad thing to do after all. Food fights in class! Ahh, the Hufflepuffs she could pelt!

"Yeah, but dogs carry fleas and rabies, too," Sierra pointed out, remarking on what Evelyn had said about giving dog boy another name. "So I wouldn't count the nickname out just yet. Rat seems like a good substitute, though."

Laughing, Sierra said, "My baking skills aren't that good either." Sure, she'd helped her mum out around the house a few times, but there was no way she could make and decorate a cookie in the shape of the Slytherin house crest. The cookie almost looked too goo to eat, so Sierra decided to pocket it and save it for later. She smiled at Salamander in appreciation before turning back to Evan.

Ohh, yeah, what Evan was saying did make sense, even though Sierra would have really liked for him to finish his first sentence. She had a feeling he'd started to say so much more than he was letting on now. "Oh, really? What kinds of things do you work with once you grow up and advance in magic?" she asked. Of course she'd seen her parents and older sister do advanced magic, but she really wanted to know if they'd be learning any of it here at Hogwarts. Maybe in sixth or seventh year, she guessed.

Evan seemed a little too enthusiastic about Muggle Studies class. Or maybe he just loved football? Hmm, that was a likely story, considering he was a guy. "Football...and cooking. Hmm," she commented, reluctant to say much else. She'd likely give the class a try, but she wasn't too sure how she'd feel about it until she actually got there. "I'll keep that in mind. Thanks."

Oh, okay... so, ouch.

Flailing feet were not good for the back.

At all.

When he finally managed to roll around and sit up, Jake smiled at the girl. It was a pained smile. "That's good. Usually, falling down, I tend to hit my face."

The moneymaker.

"But I'm... alive, so it's all good. Sorry about tha- awwww, man..." Jake gave a mini-pout for he'd just lifted his sunglasses for a moment to look at the bean. It was ORANGE-speckled, not red. All that for nothing. "Oh well," Jake shrugged, tossing the bean over his shoulder, not caring about who it hit.

" Rex heard the best friend comment. " Rex looked sad. " Fee, I rhought we were best freinds forever" Rex said sadly. " I guess me being a Gryffindor means we can't be best freinds" Rex said to Fee. "What happened that I am not your best male freind anymore?' Rex asked Fee. Rexx hoped for a good answer or he will leave the table and Fee forever.

" Fake sis. who are you talking to right now?' Rex asked Emma. " Your "Knight of Gryffindor is here to help you" Rex told Emma. " Man, starting my seventh year, wow" Rex smiled at Emma.

Hecate looked down at the child who was sulking. Oh Merlin... "No sulking at the table kid. Leave that for class." She said... her hand hovered behind the kid's back as if she wanted to pat it. But that wasn't her.

Letting out a small laugh, Mia rested back on her hands. Might as well stay on the floor seeing how she could never seem to stay on her feet. "Well I was lucky. You kinda broke my fall and saved my face."

Mia gave him a slightly panicked look. For a moment there she thought she might have broken his sunglasses. And how in Merlin's name would she be able to afford to buy him a new pair? But it seemed the guy was worried about his...bean?

She watched as he threw it away and bounced underneath the table. Looks like someone's pet was going to have something to munch on tonight. Mia returned her gaze back to her fellow housemate, she had only just spotted the yellow on his robes, and gave him another smile.

"I'm Mia by the way."

"Thanks." Elyon smiled sheepishly as Matt helped her not fall. That was embarrassing. She shook the thought out of her mind once more and sat back down. "Really? Strange is a good thing. It means you have personality. It does to me anyway!" She tilted her head, a little confused. Mr. Angry? Matt sure wasn't angry! "I'm glad you aren't angry anymore, that's never very fun. You don't have to change you are just because of your new brother. As long as your happy and your being yourself!" She reached for a goblet of Pumpkin Juice and swung her legs back and forth under the table.

Pushing a long, sandy braid behind her shoulder, she turned her attention back to the Slytherin boy. "I'm sorry about your father. That's very sad. But I'm glad you're back, though I just met you. And it is very unique." She smiled brightly back up at him, still swinging her legs. "You are very welcome Matt!" She didn't feel nervous anymore at all!

All the hairs on the back of Sally's neck stood on end when Lefay came near him, almost as if he'd walked right through a ghost or something. He turned his pale face in her direction and nodded, though careful not to make eye contact with the Gorgon.

"Yes, ma'am." he murmured before quickly looking back to the Slytherin table, hoping that one of his housemates would rescue him from the monster lady.

"I was lucky too," Jake nodded seriously. "The floor broke my fall."

It was true. He could be flailing his way to the centre of the Earth right now. And that would NOT be good.

Here we go, introductions. "I'm Jake, seventh year Hufflepuff," he smiled. "Pleasure to meet you, despite the circumstances."

He didn't often end up on the floor when meeting new people which was odd in this world.

Lucie cocked an eyebrow and looked at him in surprise. Did she really just hear him right? "You love studying?" she repeated, a bit shocked. He didn't strike as the kind of person who looooved to study. "I'm shocked," she stated smiling with a giggle. "What classes are your favorite?" Luce asked curiously, giving him more of her attention. He did have a lot of time, she agreed with that.

Why did she leave? That was a question everyone wanted an answer to didn't they? "Cause I was finally given the 'okay' by my dad," came her response. This is where she wanted to be from the day she had turned 11. But noooooo she had to go to Beaxbatons for 3 years until her dad's mind was changed. "Obviously," she added in a sarcastic tone. Ooops. She wasn't taking that comment back. He must have forgot she knew Elliot and the two were friends soo yahh. She just giggled and shook her head. Handle him? "Really?" she asked seriously. Lucie highly doubted he was too crazy. He loved to study? Wouldn't teachers love those kids?

Elbow resting on the table and chin cradled on her hand, Lulu's brown eyes drifted from the notepad she had been scribbling on to the staff table. Headmaster Tatey Pops still looked bothered (or constipated) and he was moving. Lulu sat up with wide eyes. Had he suddenly cramped up? Did he suddenly have to go to the loo, you know, in order to make an unholy deposit to the porcelain vault?

The hairs on her neck suddenly stood on end and Lulu caught sight of Hecate Lafay out of the corner of her eyes. She was still prowling around the table? Hadn't she found her prey yet? Maybe it was Sally, whose head she didn't seem sure she wanted to touch or not.

In all honesty, Lulu Patterson couldn't blame her indecision. Lulu wouldn't touch Sally Malfoy's head with a dried squid attached to a Nimbus2000.

Riiiiight!!

It was apparent that Mia seemed to attract the weird people, maybe because she was a little weird herself.

"Nice to mee to you too Jake." She almost added the seventh year Hufflepuff bit but she managed to hold her tongue. Shifting a little on the floor in hopes of getting more comfortable, but really a cold stone floor is not going to be comfortable, Mia laughed again. "This is about the fourth maybe fifth time I have hit the deck in front of someone." But two of those had not been her fault. This being one of them.

"So how come I didn't see you here last year?"

Tyrone smiled again. His jaw was starting to hurt from doing it so often, not that he didn't mind, he just wasn't used to it. "Wow." He was impressed. Jamie sounded like a Romantic with what she had just said. "Quidditch? I haven't really thought about it yet. Heck I haven't even been on a broom before!" He was laughing as he spoke, realising just how weird that sounded.

"Seems weird doesn't it? I'm a pureblood, but I haven't ever ridden a broom before. I may try out, depending on how well I can fly. I know that I'll get better over time, but imagine a team member that can't even stay on his broom properly. Besides, I wouldn't even know what position to try out for. What about you then? Would you try out for the team?" All through that talking, Tyrone hade been waving his arms about, trying to make guestures with them. When he realised, Tyrone snapped his arns to his side and kept them there.

"Nice to meet you too," Jake nodded; Mia seemed nice. You could tell someone was nice and decent when you sent them flying to the floor and they weren't mad. "Ahh... I've faceplanted the floor a few times, but that's quidditch related. I never learnt to land properly for the longest time..."

Probably why he could tolerate the mud and grass flavoured beans better than most humans.

Anyway... yes.

"Oh... I went away for my sixth year. I was apprenticed to a wizard. Kazimeriz," Jake said simply. He wasn't sure whether or not to say the name... he was worried people wouldn't know who he was. "Were you here before last year?"

Was he supposed to recognise her? Should this be awkward?

The floor was cold. Veeeeeery cold.

But comfy.

Ahhh Quidditch it was all she ever heard about when she talked to boys. They seem to have this thing for it. Maybe when she finally got a look at the game she might be able to understand what all the fuss is about.

But she doubted it. Sports were definitely not her fortay.

Mia had never heard of this Kazimeriz. He obviously hadn't taught at Hogwarts when she had started last year.

Obviously. Since Jake had not been here and he was being taught by the wizard. Er...she needed to stop thinking so much it was causing her head to hurt.

"Sooooo if you were apprenticed by this Kazimeriz fellow. How come you came back to Hogwarts?" Did they like have a fight or something? Or did the man run out of patience like her father had done with her.

She shook her head at Jake's question. "No. I started here last year. I used to be homeschooled before that." That had to be the hundreth time she had repeated that story. Hehe.

Seeing Emmy blush was nice, Brigid figured she might just like it here at Hogwarts. Afterwards, she listened to everything Emmy had to say very closely. That was sort of weird, a hat just knowing where to put you and automatically being right. Obviously it was magical but not even people can make judgements like that. "Yes, I was sorted seperately from all of the first years," which she was perfectly okay with. Brig was the last person anyone wanted to see in front of a whole crowd, it would not end well. "The hat mentioned some things that sounded enough like me and then, suddenly, he said I was to be in Slytherin, which I'm okay with." From what she had heard, Brigid knew she belonged where she was placed.

Afraid of heights? She had actually forgotten about that completely. When it came to carnival rides, Brigid couldn't be higher than a few feet from the ground but there was something about flying in the air on a broom that she loved. "Yeah, I've never been good at sports, I run quite a bit but I would never do it professionally." Running was the only way she managed to keep in a shape, sports were not an option. When Emmy said she wasn't good at flying and wanted to leave it, Brig was in shock. "Oh my gosh are you serious? I can help you if you want? That's horrible!" Every witch and wizard should know how to fly.

Benjamin followed Professor Lafay, and he saw her jump like a tiger on an antelope. When sh walked away, he reached across the table and grabbed hold of the boys robes and pulled him down to the bench.

"Look happy. You just got eith sorted into the greatest hous in this school, or you've got new brothers and sisters in your house. Just shut up and wait for Truebrdge or whoever is supposed to get up there and speek, and think happy thoughts the whole time. Get it? And you're welcome."

Benjamin followed Lafay and tried dpeaking to her, but she obviously coldn't hear him, or ignored him. He was starting to very agitated at this point in time. He stepped on a bench, walked across the table, and jumped down right in front of her.

"Professor, I really need to speak with you privately for just a few seconds. That's it. Please?"

Jake blinked slightly as he saw a young Slytherin apparently walk right over the Slytherin table to speak to Lafay.

Well... he had guts.

The young man refocused his attention again with only a little difficulty and retuned into the conversation. "I promised Tate I'd come back for my NEWTs," Jake explained. "To be honest, it wasn't hard to get permission from my parents to leave school for the year. I could have stayed away this term easily, and got the permission. My dad's a total pushover sometimes," Jake grinned. He'd probably get what he wanted right now especially... which was oddly annoying. "But I made the promise to Tate, and I'm true to my word. Plus, I'm going to get top NEWT scores this year so I may as well do it here."

And show off.

"What year are you? Do you have big exams this year?"

"Oh that would be the headmaster, right?" Mia did her best not to wrinkle her nose or make any other face that would let the boy know that she did not like that man. He had been rather rude to her last year and she always remembered the people who were rude or mean to her.

Mia gave Jake a little grin. "My mother is like that. She is always so busy fighting for some cause that I don't think she really hears what I am asking for." Which meant Mia got away with quite a lot. Not that she abused her mother's genorsity or anything. Well not that much anyway.

"Fifth year." She replied and then gave an inward grown. "So yeah it's OWL year for me. And I'll probably fail. I am good with the theory not so much the practical side."

She lacked focus and confidence according to Nik.

Eirian dragged herself to the Slytherin Table and sat down. Where had the summer gone? She wasn't sure, but she rather didn't like being back here. Neither did she like the turn of events during her summer, but... With a sigh, she piled some food on her plate and shoved it into her mouth. Eating was good. "Mmmm," she murmured, closing her eyes. If only someone would think to socialize with her.

"Yeah," Jake nodded, glancing to the staff table. "He said he didn't want to see me go for the year, because I don't think they want any students to leave. I think the staff were glad I left though."

He would be.

"Well... I'm adopted, so at first I got like EVERYTHING I asked for," Jake smiled as he remembered the best times. "Now... things just aren't great anymore, and not because of stuff. I still more or less get stuff."

He liked STUFF.

The young man couldn't help but smile again. "I was dreadful at magic and reading and stuff before my OWLs, but then I worked super hard for my whole fifth year and got 11 O grades. And an E."

That darn E.

"They aren't all that bad. Only suck out your soul for a little while."

She nodded and began moving on, when someone caught her attention.

She turned around and roller her eyes, "What is it child? Hurry up and say your peace. The headmaster is about to give his speech."

Tilting her head slightly to the side, Mia gazed at Jake. "Oh? Everything okay?" She didn't want to come right out and ask him what his problem was. They had only just met after all but she would listen if he wanted to tell her and she would never repeat it to anyone else.

She was good like that. Mia could keep a secret.

"Now see..." She began with a smile on her face. "I'm not so good at the working hard thing either. I tend to be rather lazy." Only if something really interested her, would she then make an effort.

Suck out your soul?

Mia looked slightly horrified for a moment. "Well thanks for telling me that Jake. I feel so much better about taking my OWL's now."

NOT!!!!!!

"Not really. Parents split," Jake said simply, and looked up to the staff dias yet again, his eyes being characteristically darty behind his sunglasses. The young man screwed up his face almost in concentration as he stared at Tate... but he wasn't concentrating on the speech.

Afterwards, Jake looked back at Mia.

"A lazy Hufflepuff? I thought we were meant to be hardworking," Jake teased, knowing that not all the traits were present.

Jake listened on and, as always, he didn't get the sarcasm.

"Really?" he smiled, thinking he'd genuinely helped. "That's great!"

"Evan told me you're a good secret keeper, and told me to talk to you now. Can we go somewhere in private? This is a delicate matter, and rather not everyone in this hall seeing what I have to show you. This is my first year here, and i'd really rather not miss the headmaster's speech, too."

He was going to shrug, instead his eyes grew large in alarm as his face fell hearing alllllll the things Evelyn said. Poison, errant portkeys, crazy candy ladies in some remote island.... why didnt that occur to him? "You're right Evelyn.... I-I guess I wasnt thinking." Oh no kidding Captain Obvious.

Hold on, did she say..... "Hey what was that thing with that candy lady at Diagon Alley huh? It looked like your mouth was sealed shut. What'd you do, take a sample of sweets and said her cooking sucks?"





Ohhhh, so that was her name. He broke into a smile and offered to shake her hand "Nice to have your name Trixie, the name's Salander. You're friends with Cameron and Oliver isnt it?" Or at least she knew them, getting hit with a baseball you at least have to know who threw it right?



Salander turned his head as the Potions Mistress was addressing-- hey well looky who we have here "Dont worry about this little one Professor, we'll wipe that sulk off his face soon enough" he smirked, clapping his hand on the base of the kid's neck and giving it a good-natured shake. "We'll have rick rollicking good time this term won't we little Sally?" yeah he just had to get that in there.




Just then he noticed a young girl looking at little Sally and recognized her from the platform. "Hullo" he greeted her warmly. " I saw you at the platform earlier on the way to school. I'm Salander, what's your name?"