"Seven or eight, huh? You're like my dad. He learned to play when he was quite young." Which was probably why Ella had gotten into playing. That and finding out that Logan could play last term. "Really? The first person?" Ella asked curiously, surprised. She knew a couple of friends that played though they might not have been playing much lately. "Are you new here, then?" She said curiously. Come to think of it, she had never seen this boy around so maybe he was new. Or Ella was horrible at observation. As for his comment on seeing her play, the second year smiled shyly. "I suppose I could do that. I'm sure I'm not as good as you, though." Nope. She was only a beginner...And on to the next important question. "So what music do you like to play?"

Jordon nodded, "sometimes it's good to learn early. You get better, quicker... or something like that." he said. Jordon could even remember his first lesson. "Well I met some people that would like to play, but couldn't find the time. With their studies and all I guess." He said. "No, I'm not new. I just wasn't here last year. We had some family issues so I couldn't come." He coughed then laughed. "Well maybe I can help you get better." He looked around, "there's not that many people here. Would you play something now?" He smiled "Pretty much anything. If I hear something I like, I learn it. I write a little bit too."

Opening her eyes, Aliza realized that the soft strumming she was previously enjoying had stopped. She turned around in her chair to find guitar guy chatting with a girl. She thought it best to not interrupt them so she re-opened her book and started reading again.

Ella gave Jordon a small smile as he explained you get better faster when you start young. "Yeah, I've heard something like that too." It made a little more sense that he had met people who would like to play, but just didn't have the time. That was common once classes started up. Even Ella hadn't been practicing as much as she would like. Oh, so he wasn't new...just gone for a while. "I'm sorry about your-uh family problems...I know what that's like." She said sincerely, turning to the fire again. She was sure he didn't feel like discussing those, and neither did she. The second year looked back at Jordon curiously when he said he could help her get better. "You would do that?" Cause Ella would love the help. Looking around them, she noted that he was right. The common room was pretty empty. "Alright, let me run and get my guitar up in the dormitory. I'll be back."

After a few minutes, Ella returned to the fireplace with her acoustic guitar slung across her, a nervous look on her face. She sat down once again next to Jordon and smiled. "Alright, promise you won't laugh, okay. I don't write my own songs anything..." Like he did apparently. "But this is one of my dad's favorites." And with one more look around the common room, Ella began to play the song, looking down at the guitar as she went.

Damon sighed walking in. After everything happened with Ariana it had ruined his good mood... Why was it impossible for him and Taylor to spend anytime together without there being drama? And not to mention he'd upset Minnie, which made him feel even worse.

Sensing an odd presence in the room, Aliza turned her head and noticed another boy who had entered the common room. She also noticed that the girl from before was now strumming away on a guitar too. She had not heard the music before because of the interesting information she found on vampires and knew exactly which points she would use in her assignment.
Aliza saw the expression on the boy's face. It was a not-so-happy look. She wondered what was troubling him but was afraid to ask since it really was none of her business. She got up from her armchair, rested the book in the seat and walked over to the boy. She didn't like seeing anyone being sad.
"Hey there." She touched his shoulder. "I'm Aliza." She smiled. "Is everything ok?"

" You've an interesting family , Nate. So, how are you finding your second term so far?" Justin asked. " You need a bit of help with your writting? "

" Yeah, I need to get mine done as well. Maybe you could help me out in little bit. I'm exhausted. " he said as he propped himself up on his forearms. " Hey, Min.... What's up with your friend Ariana? You think she might like me? I like hanging out with her and she seems really cool to spend time with...." Justin asked as he was fishing for information.

Minerva gave him a grin "I always will be around to help you if you need the help." She was about to leave so he could take a nap, but he asked her another question that made her laugh out loud. "Ariana, my friend.. Well I guess we are trying to be friends, but she hung me upside down the first time we saw each other. My dumb behind used the counter to the spell and dropped myself on my head" She laughed a bit, "Well she is Maxwell's best friend and she is a bit of a firecracker, but I think she is just what you need. I think you should go for it. If it helps I have NEVER seen her hug someone before, I was actually afraid the world might end when I saw her do that." Minerva laughed at her own joke, she did like Ariana, but she wasn't sure Ariana's feelings towards her.

" So, I got the unhuggable to hug me , huh?" Justin said with a smirk. Rathher full of himself at this point he turned back and said , " Thanks for introducing me to her, Minnie. I think she may be just the person I needed to bring me out of hiding. We're supposed to go to the lake tonight....For the first time since I asked you out ...I'm bloody nervous. But I think I might wait a bit to see if she does lie me.... Take it slow this time.... I can tell she is a no rush kinda girl. " Justin could not believe that he was spilling all of this to Minerva , But afterall they were best friends and always had been.

He looked at this new girl. Someone he'd never seen before, "Damon, Damon Ashllyn-Darkmyr Mercada..." He said awkwardly, he wasn't good with new people, and to be honest he was hoping to run into Minerva to appoligize, but he wouldn't be rude. As he always did he gave a slight bow after introducing himself, "I'm fine... Just drama with... two friends and a royal brat."

Justin heard Damon's voice and looked over his shoulder. " Hey, Damon. I know we didn't get off to a good start. Maybe we could start over. "
Then he got up from the floor and went over to him. " Start over?" he said as he extended his hand.

Oscar strolled into the common room and glanced around the room. Not recognizing anyone he knew immediately, he made his way over to one of the tables and threw down his bag, his shyness once again getting the better of him. Oscar was never one to strike up a conversation, he let people come to him.

Alyssa quickly ran into the Hufflepuff Common room with her banners and sat down at one of the couches near the fireplace. She was going to stage a protest asking students and school staff’s support to allow everyone be allowed to enter each other’s common rooms. She was excited because she had never been involved in a protest before, and even better yet, be given permission to break the laws of the school, in order to do it.

Alyssa just wished that she had somebody that she could protest with. Then she saw Alec Summers sitting in the other couch. She knew that his best friend was a Gryffindor and she suspected that if she told him her idea, he might actually want to help her. So she got up and walked to him. “Hey Alec, as part of the History of Magic homework assignment we are supposed to stage a protest or a rebellion. I’m protesting about the fact that we can’t visit our friends who belong in the other houses, in their Common Rooms. Would you like to join me? You can grab a couple of banners and do whatever you want with it. Just make sure that everyone can see it and they know what you are protesting about. Interested? Alyssa asked the 2nd year.

Damon looked at Justin, "Hey." Wrong start? He hadn't thought they had, sure, Min had liked him when Justin first met him... But he didn't seem like he didn't like him or anything, "I don't do the handshake." He shook his head to his hand, "Sorry..."

" Oh... Right, sorry. " Justin said as he backed his hand away.

Jordon nodded, he didn't mean to bring up the the family thing. He gave a half smile then went back to talking about guitar. "Yeah, it would be fun. I've never really helped anyone before, but I could try." He said, now fully smiling. "Okay, I'll wait here," and went back to playing guitar.

When Ella returned, he looked over her guitar. It was pretty. He laughed, "I wont. Unless you mess up." He said, jokingly.
He sat there watching her play. The song was pretty too. He tried strumming along with her trying to learn a new song, but when that didn't work he put his guitar down and continued to listen.

He looked at him, "But yes... We can start over." He gave a small nod.

" alright then... So, you're a friend of Minnie's..." Justin said strugglingg to make conversation.

Minerva smiled and laughed at his nervousness, it was kind of cute to be honest. She had forgotten how sweet he could actually be. She had missed her close friend and was glad to have him back in her life. "Justin nervous of a girl, now that's a new one. you will be fine, just don't do anything to get you hexed. You think I'm tough and have a temper, you haven't seen anything yet."

"Yeh. I'm finding this term good. Though the charms teacher is kind of a neat freak. But she's really good at teaching. I mean I would have some weird rules of my own." Nate replied still not knowing what to write. "No. Last term I was working on a book that I was making for my brother. I never got to start. If you saw me scetching any of the creatures that came out of the forest it was for this." After he says that he flips to the front page. "See." He puts the picture in between Justin and himself.

Alec was just gazing at his blank poster, wondering what he could protest about. Lack of ice cream? No, that wasn't good enough. Maybe the fact that his Dad couldn't visit him when he was in school? Maybe. But he didn't know whether his Dad would want to travel all the way up to Hogwarts to see him only for a day. It would be better to wait for the summer for something like that, right?

... This was hard.

He slumped in his armchair, letting his eyes flick from the banner to the wall opposite. And it was just in that instant that he heard a voice! His grey-blue eyes flicked over towards the fourth year who had just bounded up to him in the usual manner he expected from her. The presence of this girl was enough to bring a smile to his face.

And what was more, she had an idea! Alec's smile turned into a grin. How perfect was this? He now had an idea of what to do for this protest! It was a great idea, as well. And it meant that he'd get the chance to work with one of his closest friends at Hogwarts. Perfection!

"Yeah, sure, I'd love to work with you, Lyss!" he said, "Erm, do you need me to make any more banners?" He ruffled his hair as he looked down at the awesome banners Lyss had made. It would be unfair if they went around protesting and he had no banners to contribute at all.

" Well, I just want to rush into anything and complicate things. That's all. " he smiled. Wel, I do like a challenge! " he joked. " I think this is great, Min.... You and I talking the way we used to? .... I miss that."

" Wow! Nate, you're really talented. I'd become an artist if I were you. Their fantastic. " he smiled as he looked at the sketches ing the boy's book.

"Awesome. It'll be great to work with you. And since you are so popular with everyone, especially the girls," Alyssa winked at him."I'm sure that you'll get a lot of attention. You can just make a protest sign or if not just use one of mine. I'll just leave some of them here for you."

"As for me, I'm going to make my first protest in the Great Hall. I hope I don't get detention for this. Professor Scabior better not be kidding about us be allowed to break the laws." Alyssa grinned at the 2nd year, "Because I'm definitely going to be breaking a whole bunch of them."

"If you see me back here alive and no one is chasing after me, then you'll know that I succeeded. Wish me luck." Alyssa told Alec before she headed out on her first protest mission.

Damon nodded, "Though I'm starting to think she doesn't want to be around me." He sighed, "Ever since we broke up she's been distant... Not that I can blame her."

Minerva laughed, "Well you do have a challenge, but don't mess this up. I don't want to have to explain to Maxwell why my ex hurt his best friend or I don't want to have to pick all your tiny little pieces up when she blows you up with her wand or something." she joked about the last part, but with Ariana who knows what she was capable of. "Yes I am very happy that we are being able to be like this again. I missed our friendship."