"Glad to be here. Both my parents were in Gryffindor, too so I think they already expected me to be here. Though I do have to send Eirwen home.." Zara's thoughts trailed off, leaving her sentence unfinished. Heather probably didn't understand what she meant by sending Eirwen home.

Actually, Zara thought about sending a letter back home to tell her parents how her first day at Hogwarts had gone so far. Of course she would have to tell them all about her new friends, how warmly she was welcomed at Gryffindor house, how she had enjoyed the food from the feast, how she bought her very first cauldron cake and loved it, and all of those. Eirwen, is a snowy owl which belonged to Zara so she would find it easy to send letters to and from home without the need to go to seek for other owls' help.

"Gee William. Uh, thanks." Zara smiled. She wasn't used to compliments before since she never met any friends, being locked up in their mansion during her childhood days. Also she was relived to know that Eirwen was safe, at the girls' dormitory, just waiting for Zara to come back. So, what year are you now?"


Out of nowhere, Zara stood up from her seat, eager to meet other students. Yeap, she was friendly, but shy sometimes. She went near a boy who seemed like he was about to fall asleep any minute. "Hey there. Sleepy?" Zara smiled warmly.

"Huh?" The young Gryffindor jerked his head up at the sound of his name. Well nickname anyway. "Oh, sorry...." Christopher stood up and stumbled over to where Selina was sitting, surrounded by a large group of students of all ages and Houses. He was positive he wouldn't fit in well. He sat down across from the redhead and smiled, still a bit unsure about his new seating arrangement. "So... erm.... despite my awkward being.... how was your summer?" What an awkward kid.

Jordan turned around quickly. "Oh, hey. My name is Jordan, first year in Gryffindor. Sorry mate, I'm a bit sleepy. Been a long day(s), and haven't been able to get my normal sleep time." Replying to the student as his eyes were about to shut any minute, and his legs feeling as if he did an marathon with them.

Selina laughed at something that Kyle said to Simon about her cat and then noticed that Chris was taking a seat across from her in the group of kids. She smiled at him and waved. It was nice to see him. When she had seen Elyie in the summer in Diagon Alley she thought it would be the last she saw of the two of them. Seeing them back at school made her happy. She would hate to see more of her friends leave... like Adam.

"My summer was good. I taught Violet and Elektra Quidditch. Well attempted to teach Elektra who is still convinced that the broom was designed to make her fall. But Violet... was good. She has a sharp eye, I guess it comes from fashion, and she could just pick out the snitch. I mean it was amazing how fast she was at finding it and getting it. I think she may be in line to try out for the team." Selina did not want to confuse him and so clarified, "Violet and Elektra spent the summer at my house. Next summer we stay at Violet's."

Selina was almost too shy to ask how Chris' summer was. She knew that home life was less than ideal. But it would be rude to not even ask, "So how was your summer?"

Matilda: That's great to hear from you that you hope that I am getting well soon.

Christopher rocked back and forth a little in his seat while all the others began laughing about something. He hadn't really heard it, but he laughed lightly anyway. But it ended up being just a nervous chuckle. He didn't know why he was acting so strangely. He just supposed being in the hospital all summer wasn't exactly a perky thing. But being back at Hogwarts did lift his spirits, if anything!

"Oh, that's really cool! I didn't know they could play!" He laughed when she told of the Slytherin, Elektra. "Guess I spoke too soon!" But when Violet's news came up, Christopher blinked in surprise. "Violet? Le Veela? Quidditch?" The more he thought about it, the more sense it made. She had the perfect seeker's build, she was fast, had a sharp eye. But he'd never really seen her fly, or even so much as think about Quidditch. Selina must've rubbed the sport onto her over the summer. He grinned and asked, "Is she going to try out for the Hufflepuff team? That'd be really cool if you two got to play against one another!" Best friends on the field. That'd be.... interesting.

"My- my summer?" Christopher stammered in surprise. Oh gee.... "Well, you know. It's not exactly the ideal situation. But we're making it the best we can." His dad was barely hanging on, but he was alive. And that was all that mattered to the Gryffindor. Being able to see his dad as much as possible. He shrugged and sipped his pumpkin juice. "Elyon's birthday was in July, we celebrated. We had a few balloons, I got her a small gift from myself, and one from each of our parents. Dad's too sick and Mum didn't bother. I made a cake, but it was hard. I'm not much of a cook. Now that Elyon and I have become vegan, it was even worse. She ended up helping me make cookies instead." He shrugged and smiled a little. Atleast he had some fun with El!

"Yes Le Veela," she nodded. It was a shock to her as much as it was to Chris. But this summer Violet loved playing that position. Being the seeker meant that for most of the game she could sit by and watch or do whatever she pleased on the broom. Only when she saw the snitch did she have to spring into action. Her role was short but important- a very Violet type deal.

"Trust me I was as shocked as you are, but she was good. It's the perfect position for her attention span wise. I mean I love the girl, but she is easily distractible. And she's really small so she moves fast through the air. I weigh less than her but that's only because of Quidditch so I'm more muscle than her. She just moves fast... really fast."

He stuttered and Selina's heart hurt. She was sorry she had brought up the bad in his life, but she felt like a bad friend to not return his inquiry about their summers. "That sounds like fun, you know you and Elyie. Listen... Chris if things don't work out with... well your Dad, you are still welcome to stay at my place. I promise you that you will always have a place at my table."

*Matilda noticed a new boy which she hasn't met yet and decided to introduce herself to him*

Matilda: Hi you. I am Matilda Green. What is your name?I asked from Christopher

Caroline grinned, now it was time for the girls to talk about quidditch now? While the guys did the same. Haha well then, okay. "That's great. It sounds alot like my summer. I can't wait for tryouts." She said with smile. It was kind of weird talking about tryout for the Slytherin quidditch team at the Gryffindor table with people who had played quidditch.

Zara smiled and sat down beside him before replying. "My name's Zara. Danielle Zara Griffiths. I'm new here too." She smiled at him as she reached out to grab a glass of juice.

She drank three gulps of it and said, "Oh, I've asked the Prefect and he said that once the headmaster announces that the feast has ended, the Prefects would lead us back to the common room. Our room, as I remember, has painting of a Pink Lady? I'm not sure though, it may still be the Fat Lady." Zara realized she was blabbering too much.

"Oops, I'm sorry if I speak too much." Zara apologized. "I think I'll keep quiet here and leave you to silence."

Braeden nudged Emma playfully when the girl exclaimed her horror over the idea of him dying. Awww shucks. She was simply too adorable, getting all worried like that when he was only kidding. It was sweet. As she then went on to add that her friend Alex didn't want the other guys to tease him about the nickname Emma had awarded him, Braeden laughed. "That makes perfect sense, actually. I'd probably be a little worried about the teases too," he said, taking a sip of his pumpkin juice before turning his attention back to Emma, "But that wouldn't stop me from wearing the nickname proudly. If it's coming from you, the nickname could be the most ridiculous thing in the world. I wouldn't mind." Insert the signature lopsided grin here.

As Emma quickly began to explain herself, assuring her Gryffindork friend that she would never give him a mean name and reminding him of her Malfoy blood, Braeden couldn't help but allow his eyebrows to get lost in his hairline. Oh man. That's right… Emma was a Malfoy, wasn't she? Headsmack. He'd totally forgotten about that!
Oh.
Oh Merlin.
Yeah, that wasn't intimidating at all. Especially since he was muggleborn. Were the Malfoys still as… extreme as their ancestors? 'Cause if they were all like Emma now, then maybe the boy was worrying for no reason. Hmmmmm.

"Mmmmmm… I'm torn between B-Man and Super Brae," said the boy with one of those grins of his that made him look like the total doofus he was. "They make me sound like a superhero! Maybe Super B-Man? Braeman?" he suggested, his brown eyes gazing at the enchanted ceiling of the Great Hall with a thoughtful look on his face.

However, before the boy could think up of any more suggestions, Emma was talking again. This time deciding that they had a date-- deal. Braeden smiled mischievously for a brief second there. "A date it is, then," he declared; though whether he'd gotten 'deal' mixed up with 'date' or he really meant 'date', was a mystery… We will never know… MWAHAHA. Oh and then she was reminding him about his Quidditch lessons. "Oh. Oh, my Quidditch? We--well, I--I… I didn't really practice much over the summer, to be honest," the boy confessed, looking a little more flustered now. "I think we might have to start from the basics again…" He flashed her an apologetic, crooked smile.

Selina beamed at Caroline. Finally someone who was willing to talk Quidditch with the eager ginger. Unfortunately for Selina she spent most of her time dwelling on the subject of Quidditch. Growing up in a house where her father was the most famous present Quidditch player had made Quidditch her priority from a young age. It was all she was ever really certain about, "I know! I mean I just can't wait to get to use my broom this year. I'm a lot faster on my own broom. Last year was tough using the old school supply."

Wisteria had her mouth open with tears in her eyes, what a complete girl, she thought. Before she could say anything she threw her arms around him. "Yes I'm Wisteria or Witsy whichever you prefer. Sorry, but the little I knew about Rex was just charming and thoughtful and fun to be around and in some ways I can see that in you and I got excited." She laughed chocking on the last word for lack of air. "So this is your first year, is it? How are you feeling?"


"Sounds exciting. Maybe it's bad luck?" Witsy remembered a time where nothing but rotten luck followed her, she could have sworn some of the kids around the block were following casting jinxes. This one particular rain cloud kept following me and it wasn’t me being crazy cuz it sat in my room for a week, but instead of rain jellybeans came out. “Well I went to Vermont for a while, there’s a great view of the moon and I studied werewolves there. Other than that nothing too interesting.”

She looked around, “Um, this may be a dumb question but the beginning of the term speech (I guess is the word) uh happen?” She felt a little lost, she hoped she didn’t sound as dumb as she thought she was.

Christopher's head shot up when a small girl began to talk to him. Not many people ever did, he was rather shy. "Oh, erm, hello there. I'm Christopher James. Nice to meet you Matilda." He held his hand out to shake hers. "So," he added with a smile, "how're you liking Hogwarts? And Gryffindor for that matter! You're surely a first year, am I correct?"

Christopher grinned. "I'm so glad she's found something perfect for her! I never pictured her to be sportsy, but I'm really happy for her!" He could just picture the Huffie zooming around with a golden snitch in her hand, gaining her even more glory. She was just too perfect. It was almost scary, really.

Christopher blinked. He had no idea what to say. "I.... You.... Really?" He'd never had anyone offer him sometime so big, so important. He reached across the table, placing his hand on Selina's. "Thank you. That means.... that means, well, everything." He really could not put his gratitude into words.

Of all the tangles in Merlins great, WHITE BEARD!

Dramatic pause in step and thought.

GRYFFINDOR?! Reeeeaaaallllyyyyyy? Seeerrriiiouuuussslllyyyy?

Another pause.

.......

Nope. He STILL didn't like it. Not ONE bit.

But there was a plus side. A very BIG plus side. He didn't have to put up with his waddling duck of a brother. Thank the blessed, animated scrap of leather called a hat for that! If he had been required to put up with that boy's snoring and foot ----

HOLD UP!

.....Dragon's?!

If he had had ears they would have perked up! Wait. Change. If he had ears that could MOVE they would have perked up. He was at school. He had to be all technical and the like now.

Le plop right beside Mr. Dragon Boy! "What's s'up about dragons?"

Matilda: Yes I am first year. My parents were here also before. I like Hogwarts very much indeed and in my opinion Gryffindor is the best house because I don't like the Slytherin house at all and my parents were also in Gryffindor.

"Eh, don't mention it," Selina shrugged. She really did fell good that Christopher was so thankful for her small gesture. Selina was never really good at expressing herself when people praised her so she tended to brush it off. But she wanted to make a point to let the third year Gryffindor know that she understood how much it meant to him. She squeezed his hand and looked into his eyes, "Seriously... what are friends for?"

Chris was smiled at William's compliment. "You;re fun too. And I'm a Holyhead Harpies fan. Have been since I was little. What about you?"
Chris couldn't wait to get back to Quidditch. She didn't have time for school teams, but just being on a real pitch made her all warm and fuzzy inside.
"Maybe bad luck. Or just clumsiness," Chris said, laughing at herself. "Werewolves are fascinating! Did you find anything interesting?" Then remembering Witsy's question, "And don't feel dumb! I have no idea either!" She never really knew what was going on at Hogwarts. It was a crazy place.

Zack had a HUGE forkful of Steak and Kidney Pie in his mouth. He looked over his shoulder at the guy that sat next to him. About his age, he guessed, chewing purposefully.

Chew chew.

"My cousin." Wait, I'm forgetting something. Right! Swallow. "S'cuse my manners. My cousin said he had to sedate a Dragon in his last year. He was a Gryffindor."

Zack couldn't stop his eyes from rolling a little. "Like us."

Mihkel blinked.

....And then blinked again.

Got to sedate a dragon? As in ACTUALLY got to sedate?

.....Suddenly being a Gryffindor didn't look so bad. If you added in 'heart of the lion' and 'courage of stone' and all that wishy washy stuff, then yeah, it was pretty bad. But Dragons?!

Wiggling in his seat, he gave the other boy a curious look. "And you don't want to sedate a dragon?" Because no, he couldn't imagine anyone who wouldn't.

"Really? Your parents were in Gryffindor? That's awesome! So you're pureblood? Some of my close friends are as well!" Christopher always wondered what it'd be like to have grown up in the Wizarding World, yet somehow, he just couldn't imagine it. "I love Hogwarts, it's really my home. And don't go judging the Slytherin house to harshly, I thought they were no good at first too, but two of my friends are in that house; they're both very sweet." His mind flashed to Fee and Cass, two really nice girls in Slytherin. He felt wrong for judging them, but he never did so anymore.


"Witsy!" Christopher noticed the girl from down the table. "Nice to see you!" He called down to her smiling and waving. He'd last seen her when she was really upset, he hoped things had gotten better with her friend Air. He knew what loss was like, and he didn't wish it upon anyone else.

Christopher beamed at his friend. She'd shown him nothing but kindness, and he couldn't help but praise her further. "You really are the best Selina. I honestly don't know what I'd do without you." When she looked so deeply into his eyes, he felt as if she were staring into his soul. And if that were the case, then she would see how much it really meant to him that she was being such a good friend. He'd never really been close to anyone, and these kind gestures meant more to him than words. It was all he could do to stop himself from choking up a little. "So your parents are okay with that? Us staying with you?" He didn't want to accept any invitation or get his hopes up if Selina's parents weren't in the position for two children to move in with them during the summers.

"I'm fantastic." Carter said with a smile giving Caroline a hug.

"How was the rest of your summer? I was bummed that we didn't get to see more of each other." he said. He had really missed her over the summer.

"Oh. Anya and her little 'friend' got second in the competition." he said with a little laugh. He was sure that Caroline would enjoy the update.

"Lemme put it this way mate," Zack explained, "I don't fancy the idea of putting my arm into the open maw of a large fire breathing beast to poor a sleeping draght down its gullet. I like my arm, it's just getting some good muscle on it, and I'd prefer it... uncooked. Oh look, the Headmaster is talking."

He passed a bowl down to this guy that seemed way more suited to Gryffindor than he was. "Potatoes?" he offered.

Headmaster Gaellen Tate... thank you for letting me in your school but seriously... GRYFFINDOR? REALLY? "As for being the bloke that put his arm into the open maw of a fire breathing beast, well sure that sounds awesome, but is the fame and general adoration worth the possibility of being barbequed? I guess that's a judgment call."

Maybe there was some kind of formal petition he could use to get into a house with a lower mortality rate.

Nika nodded. "Yeah the food is really good isn't it?!?!" She looked around and noticed some other kids stuffing their faces. "That's one thing I missed about it here!" She filled her goblet up with some water. "Well I can see how you two are related! Both really nice." She smiled back.
"Well I'm only talented when it comes to muggle things. I write songs and sing, play football, and a little bit of piano BUT when it comes to spells and wizardry I don't know how I'm going to pass." Poor little hopeless Nika. She couldn't ever getting any spells right. Her answers to questions were always wrong. "I just hope I can get through this year." Nika nodded her head. She wasn't kidding.
Nika smiled as she reached over to shake the out reached hand. "Nice to meet cha!" She twirled a strand of her pink her around her fingers. "So are you excited about anything here in particular?" Everyone's different. Some can't wait to sleep, others get on brooms, and some to go to classes.
Nika raised an eyebrow. Wow. Oxford. "Yeah my parents are a bit on unsure side about magic too. Especially my dad though. My mom doesn't mind to much. She took me to Diagon Alley to get me my supplies so I'm sure she's giving it a chance." Why are muggles so afraid of magic? "That's cool that your taking classes though! Because if you ever want a job in the muggle world you wouldn't need to go to school all over again." Nika smiled and tried to get her to cheer up about it all.
"Oh hi!!" Umm what's her name again.... "Elaine!" That's it. "I know right! So how are you doing!?!" Nika bounced up and down as she tried to stay somewhat calm. Never again shall she get candy from the trolley.
"I can't wait to meet Sunny!" Sunny! What an awesome name. "Oh really!?!?! YAY! Although I was kinda hoping it would be off limits so that we could sneak on their and be pirate spies or something, but be allowed is cool too!" Nika giggled rather loudly. "But anyways we should definitely go on it Emily!"

Nika gasped remembering something that she had packed with her. "Oh and since we knew about the ship and all I was sort of expecting to go on it so I packed an eye patch, a hook hand thingy, and a pirates hat!" She smiled excitedly. "Yeah, I was a pirate for Halloween a few years ago."

So either this kid is really shy or he really hates me.... "Matt I like it!" Nika laughed for some reason at this statement. Hmm seems like she's going to be doing most of the talking here not something really new to her though. "I remember my first meal here last term! It was awesome! I couldn't stop, but save some room for dessert!" Yes, dessert is definitely the best! "The pudding is my favorite!"

Nika saw Ella send her a little wave, but then she started to scowl?!?! OH NO! Is she mad at Nika? No, it can't be... can it? Nika looked next to her and saw Matt and some other kids. She can't hate Matt he barley even talks... Oh no maybe it is Nika! Nika just sent her a confused look and waved back slowly... hmm... Maybe there's just some miscommunication?

"Yeah If we could stay here over the holiday I probably would too. I know I would miss my parents and all, but me and my sister have just been having some problems lately." Did she really just say that!?! "I love her, but I don't know I think we need some time off from each other." That's better. "What about you? Wouldn't you miss your family?" It is a WHOLE summer.

"Hiya Ginny! I'm Nika! Lovely name by the way." She added a big smile. "So are you a first year?" Probably was. She looked a bit shy and somewhat lost.

Selina wiggled uncomfortably under the praise. She had never done well with it and right now she was getting way too much praise for her own comfort. "Right, well, um thanks."

When he asked about her parents she said, "'Course. You didn't think I would invite you without asking first? My Mom said and I quote, If you even think about putting anyone out on the street Selina Arden you'll be out on the street yourself. I don't think she was joking. If worse comes to worse my Mom said that you two are welcome at my place. I mean it would be in our broom shed, but it's big enough for you two. It has three rooms in it so you and Elyie would each have a room and an extra room to hang out in."