"She knows him?" Septimus needed to meet this chick. "It's CeCe Madera, right? I think I've heard of her...What house is she in? And how old is she?" Septimus had the strangest feeling this girl would be useful beyond contacting his brother.

Elyon nodded with understanding. Most kids would probably be gloomy at an orphanage. It was an orphanage after all. "Hey Septimus, what is the name of the place? In case I ever have to go to one." Luca knew very well that her father was on his deathbed and her mum was going to kick her and her older brother out the moment the funeral ended. If her mum even showed up for that. Selina had offered her a home there, but she had to have her mother's consent. And the twelve year old knew that something like that was absurd. Her mother wouldn't ever let her stay with people of magical blood. That was why she hated her children after all.

"That way we wouldn't have to be alone in the summers." It'd be nice to have a friend.

Transfigurations.... she thought, looking a bit pale now, "Right, I have to I'll catch up with you after... Pathways, check." She was already starting to walk away feeling a bit guilty about her lack of memory causing her to be rude. "I have to find something for class." She headed towards the stairs.

Wisteria, humbly putting it, always had an ear to lend. She thought listening was her best feature. She felt terrible for Nika. Witsy missed the end of the term feast, but she was pretty certain if she went she would be balling her eyes out as well.

She sat there taking in everything Nika had to say. She happened to be in the garden just a few hour ago, she went into her bag casually and pulled out a lavender lilac. They were her favorite, and they smelled beautifully. She took the flower in her hand and gently placed it into Nika's palm. "Keep this... it's one of my favorites, perhaps it'll cheer you up a bit?"

She thought about quidditch after she had mentioned it, "I didn't know you couldn't fly, really?" She looked amazed, "Would you like to go to the practice pitch with me sometime and you and I could just hang and practice a bit?" She was hoping she'd say yes as it was her favorite past-time hobby. Although, she would completely understand if she didn't want to, Witsy was a self-conscious when she first tried out. "I was sort of, I was on reserve. My goal is to practice harder and make a position this year." She nodded firmly.

"Yeah the homework I could do without. And potions that too." Dragon Lady *shivers*. Potions what fun. Especially when your professor is Lafay. Even more fun.

"Yeah I guess it easy!" She said nodding her head. Too true. Hopefully this Gryffindor would stick to his word because the Gryffies are now losing. Thanks to him and another Lion. "We just have to work hard to catch up. I don't want to give the snakes the satisfaction of winning." Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad. But if Slytherin won her snake friends would never let her live it down.

Nika noticed Elle sitting alone reading? No, no that's not right. You can't just READ in a common room full of awesome people. Nika must do something about this. She walked over to Elle with a friendly smile and gently took the book away from her hands. "Didn't someone tell you that there's a rule against all reading in the common room when your friends are in it?" She was only kidding of course, but her laugh probably gave it away anyways.


Nika was not acting like normal. Whenever a soft subject like this came up she just felt very down. The normally always cheerful Nika seems to disappear. Little Miss Sunshine was no longer all happy. And that is just not good. She looked down and avoided eye contact just in case she began to tear up. She couldn't let anyone see her cry again. Not in the common room. She looked at her hands when she felt they had gained some extra weight. And her eyes landed on a beautiful lilac. "Thanks Wistey." She gave her friend a weak one handed hug.

"Yeah sorry. Sad Nika is gone." She said forcing herself to smile. No more sad talk. She remembered that she had saved two chocolate frogs from the train ride and pulled them out of her robe pocket. "You want one? They're my favorite!" Chocolate frogs could always cheer her up no matter what. She didn't hesitate to open her own and then frowned when she saw the card. "MAN! Godric again! I always get him! I'm hoping that soon I'll be able to open my own box and find a different card. I've only ever got this guy." She said looking at the old wizard. Oh well... She ate the chocolate as fast as she could and then started bouncing again.

"Nope. Well I can try, but i'm not very good at it." She said laughing at her own pathetic tries. "Yeah okay! That would be awesome! Could we?" she asked in disbelief who knew that her friend would want to go to the pitch with her. This is Nika we're talking about. "Well I'm sure if you practice you'll get the spot!"

Elle was just getting to a good part in her book, when it was snatched away. She looked up and saw Nika smiling at her.

"Oh, well, I find it a little difficult to just walk up to people and start talking. I'm a first year. I feel like they look down upon me..." replied Elle. She quickly noticed how pessimistic she was sounding, so she covered by adding, "Just kidding! Except for the whole shy bit. I'm not exactly sure how to approach someone. But I'm sure I could if I tried, it's just my book is so good!" That sentence started out rather slow, then sped up to the point she inhaled deeply after she was done. She gave Nika a sheepish grin.

When he praised her ability she laughed, "Thanks a lot, Legend. Means a lot coming from you. And if I can help it they won't have my spot. Then again Simon has the final say in that area. I'll just go out there and play my best, you know? It's all any of us can do." But when he said he wouldn't make the team she had to resist the urge to scoff. Everyone knew he was one of the best players on the team. If he didn't make the team it was the end of the world, "Please, you'll make the team. You're that good."

Selina listened to Kurumi talk about her family's dojo and her Kendo sparing. She went on about tradition and how she loved to bake and hang out with her friends. But not one in her speech did she hear Kurumi tell her that she loved Kendo. That it was her passion, that she was doing it not to make her mother happy, but because it made her happy.

"Kurumi, I know you feel like it's your responsibility, but answer me this. Do you love Kendo? I mean really love it? The way you love to bake? Because if not don't do it for your Mom. Follow your dreams."

He called her out. He knew she was good, no, great at Divination. He said that she was a terrible liar. He knew something was up with her. Did he know she was a freak? Did he know that she saw all of the bad things that did not even happen yet in people's lives? Did he know that when she talked to someone who she had seen their future that she was plagued with the knowledge of knowing when their dog would die, their boyfriend would cheat on them, how they would meet their end? No... he couldn't because she was a freak.

"It's just that, um, Seers freak me out. Yeah, you know all poking into our lives Psh, what gives them any right? It's my future, you know? I mean, ugh, seriously why can't we just ignore the future and uh... did you know try outs are coming up?"

" Good, come over any week-end" William told Nika. " Butterbeer is fantastic" William said to Nika." Best, you mean besides apretty girl like yourself?" William asked Nika. "Actually, I like the Treehouse and the Whomping Willow" William explained to Nika." What do you like best here?' William asked Nika. " Twirling yoru hair makes me go crazy" William smiled.

" What are you reading?" William asked the girl. " my name is William Starr" he introduced himself to her." How did you like the feast?" William asked her.

" Yes, I was trying to trick you about the violin and the fiddle" William told Cove. " You passed with flying colors" William smiled. "Do you know why the violin is actually called a fiddle in country and bluegrass music?" William asked Cove." You play a lot of sports" William said to Cove. " Do you consider yourself a tomboy?" Eiliam asked Cove.

" Ok, I will sww you later" William told Witsy." Ok, get what you need for class" William said to Witsy. William smiled and waved to Witsy.

"Well, I wouldn't be entirely against it," she said sheepishly turning her gaze back towards the fire. "I like it better than playing the piano," and far more than flying. "I just don't want to see something that has been passed down through my mother's side for centuries vanish. Kendo is not something that just anyone can do."

Sighing, she began to play with her hair a bit more. "If mother had her way, I would only play the piano and become the ideal woman," she flipped her hair mockingly. "She wants one of my brothers to take it over, but none of them are interested."

Kurumi shook her head. “No, Headmaster Tate didn’t say anything.” Which she found a bit odd. “However, our Astronomy professor went missing as well, but he is back this term.” Maybe they had all decided to take vacation? Who knew. Kurumi just hoped that the rumor about the man-eating plant wasn’t true. She was still having nightmares from that one Herbology class that had landed her and Hugo in the hospital wing. “Lord Borr is also a mystery,” she frowned. “All I know is that father doesn’t think very much of him. Headmaster Tate didn’t seemed too pleased to be around him either.” But he had liked her cookies, which made him at least acceptable in her book.

“It’s not just older students who do that,” she smiled gently. “I have already met a first year who turned everything I said to him around and essentially told me that I was arrogant and looking down on first years.” Which still had her confused beyond belief. She had just been giving him advice and he had been the one trying to play mind games.

“She is in Gryffindor as well,” Kurumi replied a little sadly. She had seen that sorting take place and had been secretly hoping that the girl would be put elsewhere. Instead, it seemed as though she would serve as a constant reminder to Kurumi of someone she missed dearly. “I believe she is also a third year.”
Kurumi smiled at Cove. It seemed kind of silly to only know that she was a quarter of something. Based on her features, Kurumi assumed that she had a lot of European blood in the mix, but since the girl hadn’t brought any of that up, decided not to press the issue. “Um…studying,” she said sheepishly. “I also bake,” she said gesturing towards the box of Gryffindor cookies sitting on the coffee table.

Lucas beamed. He liked talking music. "That would be so cool. I've been playing for about six years. How long have you been singing? Your whole life?"

Lucas laughed with Kurumi at their silly cats. "Co-rulers... Maybe they'll even become friends someday... Although that's probably wishful thinking." He chuckled a bit.

"Well, I'm glad it didn't bore you," he said with a smile. "Hmm. I've never really thought about why I got into literature. I think it has more to do with the fact that my mum read to me since day 1. She's a bookworm, too. I kinda grew up loving books. I think the stress did have something to do with it, though. It really wasn't as bad as it probably sounds, though," he grinned. "I didn't mind helping out so much."

"Not sure Walnut has ever considered another cat his friend," Kurumi giggled. "You may be onto something with the wishful thinking though. Perhaps they will at least learn to respect each other?"

Kurumi nodded and a small smile tickled the corners of her lips. "My father used to read to me all the time. Mother did sometimes as well, but she focused more on teaching me traditional things when I became a bit older. Flower arranging, tea ceremony, and the piano among them." Her cheeks flushed a bit. "I suppose you and your family are really close then?"

"] "Yes, I am in first year and yes, this is my first term here!" she replied in the same cheery tone. Now Evie was definitely awake.
"I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT FINALLY BEING ABLE TO BE HERE!!, you have no idea how much I was looking forward to this event," She wasn't able to hold it in anymore.
"I just wish my father was at the station to see me off when I left. Mum and I miss him dearly," her sudden burst of excitement vanished when she remembered her dad and now tears were beginning to form in her eyes. She hastily wiped them away hoping that Janet didn't see them. 'I might go to bed soon,' she thought to herself the sad memories had just made her drowsy again.

Alice just a little shrug, not usually being the best judge of her skill level at things. "I guess you could say I'm not too bad. I do love Herbology though! We have a new Professor this year, and I can't wait to meet her." Alice was still sad that Professor Dodson had left, but she was sure the new Professor would probably be just as enthusiastic and excited about plants as he had been. "What classes are you looking forward to most?"

The idea of the nice summer weather and being outdoors was making Alice itch to be outside.

"I've actually never been skiing, but I do enjoy swimming. The only sport I really play is tennis, but that's a muggle sport so I don't really get much of an opportunity to play it while I'm here." Alice said, furrowing her brows slightly. She did miss having tennis matches with her dad in the nice spring and summer weather. Those days had come and gone...

"You play Quidditch?" Alice asked, rather impressed. "I am absolutely terrible at flying, so anyone that can successfully fly a broom is impressive in my books! What position do you play?"

"Oh, how exciting!" Alice said when Nika told her she was only a second year. "I'm rather excited to be back as well. Classes should be interesting and Hogwarts in general is just such an awesome place. What classes are you looking forward to?" Alice asked.

Witsy enjoyed Nika's company no matter the mood. She had this warming pleasantness about her that was really nice to be around. After giving her the lilac and seeing her beautiful eyes again, she couldn't help but return the hug.

Wisteria, too, loved chocolate frogs. They were actually her favorite as well. Smiling with a giggle to company it, "Yes please!" She was still fiddling with the wrapper before she heard Nika's disappointment of the card she got. "I get Godric a lot too... Oh look I have Morgan Lafay." She turned the card around around to show her, "Want it? I have one of her already..."

After finishing the frog, she wished she could have another but it wasn't the best thing in the world for her, she almost felt sad when Nika said no to quidditch. "You know, I like that you're willing. There are always people around around," she warned her; not trying to hide anything, "I barely find it empty at all, so if you are overwhelmed we don't need to stay. I just thought it would be something different and maybe you'll find a talent you thought you didn't have." She gave her a slight push on the shoulder.

Witsy rushed up stairs and not long after she was found walking back down the stairs, disappointed. She eyed William, "I knew that when I went out to do my book shopping I thought I forgot something... I forgot my transfiguration book." She collapsed on the seat knowing she couldn't be upset for too long and that sh'll just have to get over it. what's done is done. "You don't think the professor will mind, would he?" she was hoping he would just lie to her, but that wouldn't help either.

The little firstie clambered through the portrait hole, and dumped herself and her bags by the nearest plush armchair.

Sighing, Ella flipped her long brown curls out of her face and sat up a bit more. Merh..

"Oh, hello! I'm Elle Jackson! Nice to meet you William. Well, I just started reading a book about Herbology. I was reading 'Ancient Runes Made Easy', but decided to switch to this." She replied. "The feast was fantastic! All the foods were brilliantly done. What did you think about it?"

"In a shed?" He gaped at her. A shed?! He couldn't live in a shed! He'd die...There'd be no food...His stomach rumbled slightly, as if in protest.
He leant back, with a yawn. "Special? Probably the nicest thing you've ever said to me." He grinned back at her. She was crossing her eyes - she looked a bit like a frog. He laughed. "You need one of those..head-band things." he said, rubbing his chin.

" Another new professor, what is going on at HogWarts?" William asked Alice." I am looking forward to Magic and Muggle Studies" William said to Alice. " I like swimming, but I never played tennis" William explained to Alice." I play Keeper" William smiled. "Is tennis a hard game? William asked Alice.

" Gald you have your Transfiguration book now"" William told Witsy."Actually, I do not know if professors mind or not since I am new here" William explained to Witsy. " I do not want him mad at you and will just say he will not be mad at you" William said to Witsy. " I love your cute red hair" William smiled.
" Hello Elle, how are you?" William asked her." Another Herbalogy lover" William told Elle. " I really enjoyed the feast, I ate too much" William said to Elle laughing.

"I'm well, how are you?" She replied back. "Oh, yes. I love gardening. My mother and I garden every chance we get! And I hope you're feeling okay!" Elle smiled back.

"It's called the K. Mizani Herman Street Orphanage," Septimus said. "It's just south of muggle London. The staff there is pretty nice, especially the owner, Mr. Kivuli Mizani. That's where we got the name."

Dom smiled happily at her. She seemed quite nice. "Third year? Awesome! " he nodded. He chuckled. "Yep, I transferred from Beauxbatons. Oh thanks! That's very sweet of you to welcome me." He smiled and looked over at her book. Gosh, she looked very serious about her work. That was good. She would do well at school.

"So what do you guys do for fun here?"

"You don't seem very much like you're fond of her," Septimus said.

Cove could tell Kurumi was a little confused about how she only knew she was Korean. "I'm adopted." Cove said, smiling. "Studying is good for the soul. Then again, I think almost anything is good for the soul." She smiled. "Oh, that's cool. I'm not aloud to touch the oven anymore......I almost burned the house down by accident." Cove pouted. "Could I have one?"

"I've been playing since I was two and I don't know the answer to that." Cove said. "Hm, a little bit, nut I'm not the type of tomboy who wouldn't wear a dress. I mean I wear dresses a lot. Plus, I obsess over my hair a lot, too." She smiled and twirrled a strand of her hair.

The tiny firstie was a bit startled when the boy started to make his announcement. As he said he required everyone's attention, Ariadne's thoughts raced wildly: 'Is the school attacked? Did someone die?!? Good thing she didn't express them out loud.

Ah, so it was all about house points. Ari wanted Gryffindor to win the House Cup, but she had to admire the boy's determination and courage. When he finished, she actually clapped her hands. 'WICKED SPEECH!' the girl said, impressed.

'I really like your attitude. I wish I were more like you.' Ariadne sighed. 'You see, I never hope for the best, because if it doesn't happen, dissappointment would be hard. On the other hand, if you expect the worst, you've got nothing to lose. If something bad happens, you were prepared, and if something good happens, you'd be pleasantly surprised. That's my philosophy.' the girl explained.

'I don't think Lafay is that bad, actually.' Ari said, looking around, fearing someone would punch her for that statement. 'I heard so many stories about her from older students before coming to Hogwarts, which kind of terrified me, but in reality she's decent if you don't mess with her.' Ari added.

'I'm a bit scared of Flying too, but I haven't started yet. Who knows, maybe I've inherited my mum's talent. She was Ravenclaw Quidditch captain during her time at Hogwarts.' the firstie said. 'I find Runes fascinating, although I must admit they don't have any practical application nowadays.' she pondered.

'I must disagree with you, History of Magic is not boring!' Ariadne said, defensively. 'It's the best, I think finding out about the past is extremely interesting!' Plus, history was her favourite subject. 'Charms and Transfiguration aren't easy, that's true. But I'm sure you'll get the hang of it soon.' Ari smiled.

Ari's face lightened up. She LOVED reading and she loved other people who loved reading. 'A lawyer? You mean like a Muggle counterpart of someone in the Wizengamot, right?' Although her mum taught her lots of things about Muggles, Ari was raised in the wizarding world, so she wasn't sure about certain things.

'So your dad is a Muggle and your mum is a witch?' Ari assumed. That would make Tayla a Half-Blood, just like herself. 'Sure, we can go right away, I just need to get some parchment and a quill.' she nodded enthusiastically.


Ari's eyes grew wider when Kurumi made that confession. 'Really? We have so much in common! We could be sisters.' the firstie chuckled. Her fellow Gryffindor really helped her overcome some of her insecurities. 'Wow, that's a very wise saying. Who told you that?' Ariadne wondered. 'Yes, let's work on that.' she smiled. Kurumi was one of those people who instantly made Ari want to spend more time with them.

'I'm sure you'd know better than me, you're older, not to mention much smarter.' Ariadne replied. 'I know that my ancestors were from the Marchbanks and Goldstein families, and now I'm just going to look through the yearbooks in the library.' Didn't sound like much of a plan, eh?
Ariadne was a bit put off when the boy explained that the ship wasn't such a big deal. Adults were almost always right, so that must be true. At least, that's what Ari concluded. However, she did agree whole-heartedly when her fellow Gryffindor said all the mystique would be ruined by people wanting to explore the ship.

'Yeah, that totally makes sense. The more the merrier? Who came up with that saying anyway? Large groups of people...crowds...they're just-urgh.' the firstie said, chuckling a bit.

'Nice to meet you, Joshua. People usually call me Ari, so you can do that too, if you want. May I call you Josh?' the tiny girl asked. 'The grounds are amazing!' she nodded. 'I love the giant treehouse, and the courtyard, and of course, the lake. I wanted to go for a swim, but I'm not sure if the water's not too cold. What do you think?' Ariadne asked.

'Did you do anything crazy during your years at Hogwarts? I really want to do something fun, but I want to avoid detention as much as possible.' That was Ari's way of asking for tips on being mischevious without getting caught. Hehe.

A nervous laugh escaped her, she liked William's encouragement. "It's not worth worrying over now, maybe someone will share with me until I can order one out."

She wasn't prepared for the change of subject, but she fell in awe of the moment. Witsy put her hand on top of his thinking he wouldn't mind, "May I say something?"

Keira overheard the two girls talking and looked up when one of them shouted "I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT FINALLY BEING ABLE TO BE HERE!!" She wanted to make new friends so badly, so she mustered up the courage and walked up to them. She thought the excited girl looked kind of sad suddenly, but maybe she was feeling homesick. Keira was too.

"Um, hi! I'm Keira, and I'm a first-year too. Mind if I join you guys?" she asked hopefully.