She was sure Lottie had made it to the Puffer table without much problems so she didn't bother looking to make sure. She didn't look anywhere but straight ahead. Gryffindor table. That's where she needed to go while avoiding any and all looks toward a certain other table. So far so good. Now this speech just needed to hurry up so she could eat and slee--OHAI REGULAR PLATES AND CUPS!

A small smile tugged at the Gryffindors lips, not a full one but MERLIN, the school was good again, right???? No more dirt in the Common Room either?? Or doing their own laundry??? Yeah???

Her mood brightened a bit as she sunk into the first empty seat she could find which happened to be right by this obvious firstie (Arya Hopkirk). From the very little she'd heard of the girl's conversation it didn't seem like she'd been whining about her sorting placement so Lex forced a smile at her. "HI YOU!" She was going to lose herself in conversation and forget today happened. "Welcome to Gryffindor! The name's Alexa."

Of course she noticed the other firstie (Bumblebee), the one that'd been sorted. She may have walked in a bit late but that didn't mean that she didn't see. "You too! Welcome to the Pride! Great to have you!"

Further up was a girl she didn't recognize (HOPEendures). At the moment she wasn't much up to asking questions, the girl was here now, that was all that mattered. Maybe later after she'd gotten some sleep she'd be more inclined to find out? Eh. "Hello! I haven't seen you before. My name's Alexa, Lex for short." And another smile was forced. This was harder with her current state of mind. Scanning the table she saw yet another girl she'd never seen before (Cedric) There were a lot of new ones that weren't firsties. She APPROVED. "Helloooooo!" She said, giving a wave to get the girl's attention. "Welcome to Gryffindor, I know you've probably heard that tonnes of times but it's 'cause we're all friendly." And there was a nod before her eyes went searching the table again.

Oh! Oh! Oh! People she knew! (lemon & AlwaysSnapesGirl). "Alice! Penelope!" This forced smiling was starting to hurt her cheeks. The greetings would end soon then she could jab at her plate until this was all over. For now, more smiling because the last thing she wanted was people asking what was wrong. "Lookit! They fixed the school. Good sleep tonight me thinks and we can look forward to good food!"

Aaaaand more scanning until she landed on a girl that always managed to lift her mood (iBeJenn). "Hey Melanie! You'll be happy to know I didn't sneak down to the kitchen this time!" She and Lottie almost did but then thought against it. Eh, details details. "Had a good summer?" And sitting somewhere near her she spotted (Team ronmione). He got a wave too and a small smile. "Hey Tag! Heard you and Lottie got a turtle. How's it doing?" Turtles weren't vicious but...still good she guessed.

Oh and there sitting together were (LilFox06 & Syd). A sight she'd come to expect at all big events. "HI GUYS!!" Shouting because they were a bit further down and she wanted to be heard. It seemed legit. "This looks like a safe start to the term." Safe in terms of food of course. Hogwarts was never REALLY safe. Also, wasn't that (Nimmii)? "Haaii Ryan!!" She couldn't NOT say hi to him while she was at it.

Now then, was that it? Could she suffer in silence now?

"Thank you, it's nice to meet you. I'm Blair Anderson", she replied. Everyone was so nice, Im glad I was sorted into Gryffindor, she thought.

Blair looked around the table again and noticed a boy waving at her. She didn't think she recognised him either but waved back and smiled all the same.

"Yeah definitely, I wasn't sure how the whole sorting thing worked. I was a bit worried I'd put the hat on and nothing would happen!" After having admitted this Blair wished she hadn't and felt her cheeks go a little pink. Trying to recover she added, "Pleased to meet you, I'm Blair Anderson."

Blair heard another voice greeting her. "Hello there," she waved back.
"I don't believe we've met yet, I'm Blair Anderson." She felt as though everyone should be wearing name badges, there was far too many people to remember!

Anya smiled innocently. What? It was totally fine to crawl on the table like that. Especially for RyRy. Pft. The rules didn't apply to that cute face of his. But, she'd pretend to respect the badge for a little while. The firsties would find out soon enough that Jake wasn't at all authoritative scary.

She laid her head on his shoulder. "What are the chances the food is relatively normal this term?" she asked him. They were probably both used to her cooking by now.

LOOKathowsmileytheicklewas! Anya wanted to kidnap him and snug him and pet him. She grinned back at him. She then turned to Jake as if to ask if she could keep him.

... was it frowned upon to adopt new kids and keep them in little kitteh crates? Probably. ... but it should be fine if she didn't put one in a crate, right? Right? Confirming smile is required right now boyfriend.

"You're adorable Malcolm." she said. Was it weird if she also mentioned that her lap was open if he wanted to cuddle up in it? She'd totally pet his hair.

"Hey Lex." Anya greeted with a small smile. The younger lion had significantly grown on her since the little one's first year. "Smores in the common room later this week?" she asked. Lex usually ended up having them with her anyway. Might as well offer a formal invite, right?

"Much better than last term anyway." she said with a nod. "We'll find out for sure when the feast starts though."

Anya smiled. "It's a pleasure, Blair." That was fun to say. Bllllllair. Blaaaaare.

Ahem. Right. She was talking. "If you need anything... I'm a sixth year, so I've been here awhile." And everyone knew she didn't study very hard, meaning she had a lot more free time. Especially since her boyfriend had NEWTs this term.

Yes. What Tag had seen of Melanie and Landon had been weird to say the least. How would you feel if you saw a relative or family member sucking on someone's face. That was just plain awkward to have to see. Another shudder. Yeah, no thanks. Taggy didn't want to be scarred, but he was now.

Awww. Despite everything Tag wanted Melanie not to feel awkward. So, he leaned forward over the table and said, " It's ok, Melanie. Really. No need to feel bad about it. I mean, you'd be weirded out too if you came upon me kissing someone within your sight." Tag ever so casually breaking the ice.



Now Lex was sitting next time him. Lovely. Tag enjoyed Lex's company. She was a great person to have a good laugh with. " Hey, Lex!" GULP! Why was Tag so easily scared by Lex recently? Oh yeah. Priorities. Lex wouldn't... would Lex get mad at Lottie for getting a turtle with him rather than she and Lottie having a tarantula? " Err, yeah we did. We named her Clover. She's staying at my place and my sister's taking care of her. Clover. The turtle." Mhm. Please don't get mad at him, Lex!



There was a reason Tag didn't know this girl. She was new. He suspected. So he must've not known her at all. Awww, and look at her, she was waving and smiling at him. Well, should he introduce himself? Yes, yes he shall. Putting a hand over the table Tag outstretched it towards the girl and said, "Tag Kildare. Fifth Year Leprechaun residing in the Gryffindor house. And what's your name, wonderful?" Why not. Make her feel more comfortable and welcomed.

As soon as the carriage stopped in front of the castle, Michael quickly made his way inside so that he could get as far away from the Head Girl as possible. He got the feeling she hadn't appreciated him sitting on her lap.

She would laugh about it one day.

Stepping inside the great hall, he tooka moment to take in the ceiling and the sounds of the other students already assembled there before making his way over to the Gryffie table. There was already quite a few people sitting there and he couldn't remember half od their names, soooooooo

"HELLO EVERYONE!!!" He gave them all a wave and BEAMED at Alexa before sitting down beside a girl who looked to be a first year (dans_grl431). "Oh good, Hogwarts has got money again." Unless someone donated the new plates.

Oh look, there was Alice. Penelope smiled back at her captain as she sat down and seemed pleased about the change in dishes and utensils. It WAS pretty good, yeah? Having the silverware back. "Hey Alice. You have a good summer?"

Text Cut: Schuyler

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cedric

Newly sorted Schuyler Emmons arrived at her house table with a pleased and proud grin. Yes, Gryffindor suited her. And she did think that scarlet and gold matched very well together. "Hi, everyone," she greeted, while she claimed a seat. Her blue eyes scanned over the other people at the table.. why were they all examining the dishes? The flatware? The goblets..?

Aah, right! Hogwarts was poor these days. This must have been an improvement. She hoped there were at least SOME house elves then, so that she wouldn't be so rushed in her efforts to learn how to cook.

One of the newer students suddenly arrived at the table, and Penelope recognized her from the crowded compartment of fifth years on the train. And it turned out she was a Gryffindor. Awesome. She got a smile. "Hey there. Welcome to the best house ever." Not that she was biased or anything. Heh.

Text Cut: Malcolm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bumblebee

This is what MAC has always dreamed of! The view was as exactly how his father described it! It felt like he was walking inside the stories he was told. With an excited look and smile on his face he took a moment to just look around his surroundings. 'Course some nerves set in once he realized he was no longer in his old school with his friends. It was brand new batch of people!

Now FOOD!

Yes that was Malcolm's first thought and his stomach was currently grumbling like an angry lion. He was hungry, he was tired, but he was mostly hungry!

Making his way to the Gryffindor table where he rightfully belonged after being sorted, he found a decent spot to sit. Hearing a young girl greet everyone he decided greeting was the polite thing to do in this situation "Howdy!" he beamed.

And another new student joined them next, and he looked really excited to be here. Which was good. People should totally be excited about being in Gryffindor. It was the best. "Hi! Congrats on getting Gryffindor."

Text Cut: Sarah

Quote:

Originally Posted by Princesspower

"Oh, Penelope, I missed actually talking to you on the train, how was your summer?" she asked.

Ah, and there was Sarah. She grinned at her friend. "My summer was really good. How was the rest of yours?" It had sounded like Sarah was having a good one the last time they had talked in Diagon Alley, but surely more stuff had happened since then, and hopefully it was good.

Text Cut: Blair

Quote:

Originally Posted by dans_grl431

Having just been sorted Blair approached the table, found an empty seat and sat down. She looked around at the unfamiliar faces, at the students who were to be her new housemates. She smiled and thought, it's going to be a good year.

Now just to get started and make some new friends. Blair heard a few of the Gryffindors greeting each other, had they already met? Well I'm not going to make friends sitting here in silence am I? She thought.

Her nerves had left her after the sorting ceremony and she was now feeling more confident.

"Hey guys!" She greeted whilst still smiling and taking in her surroundings.

Another new student came down after being sorted into the greatest house ever, and it looked like this one was a first year. Penelope smiled. "Hey. Congrats on getting Gryffindor."

Text Cut: Ryan

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nimmiii

Ryan took a seat beside Alice, and accidentally-on-purpose nudged her in greeting. Hey, Cap'n. Or, actually, ex-Cap'n. Or...maybe not. Whatever, she WAS her captain last year and that's all that mattered.
Ruffling up his hair a bit, he spotted Penelope close by and waved to her. Fellow ex-teammate. Oh and there was a Jackob and Anya, too. Those two got a huge grin AND a wave, cos he had missed them. And then, farther down, he even saw Mel, being her usual happy self. That made him happy and he waved at her, too. "MELANIE." And yelled her name. no biggie.

Looking around the Great Hall, it suddenly hit him that he was a seventh year. Woah.

Penelope noticed Ryan next and waved back at him. Was he gonna try out for Quidditch again this term? He was a pretty good Beater, so he definitely should. Alice would probably come after him if he didn't. Heh.

Text Cut: Abbi

Quote:

Originally Posted by Talikins

RED RED RED RED! SHE WAS RED! BEAM!

With excitement worn on her face the newly Gryffindor made her way towards her new house table. She was real happy to be here, not that she knew much but Donny had told her some things. For instance she knew they were red and apparently they were brave and brave was cool! Real cool! Especially if you were a fairy, cause brave fairies were the ones that defeated monsters at the end of the day. Mhhhhm! Abbi was gonna be that brave fairy now! How cool?

Reaching the table Abbi took a seat and looked back at where the stool and hat were. She wanted to see where Donny would be sorted, but no sign of him up there yet. He'd probably come later. Oh well.

MEETING NEW FRIENDSIES TIME FOR NOW!

"HAAAAAAAII!" Abbi raised her voice quite loudly. She was proving what the hat said right, you know? And was that the children eater? Her more auburnly strawberry blonde hair flicked as she looked straight at the red badged girl. Was this girl supposed to 'mommy' her with that badge? MERLIN! She was going to be eaten soon if so....or not. Fairy Abbi was a fairy for a reason. Giiiigggle.

And there was another one that looked like a first year. A really hyper and loud firstie. That was okay though. It was good to be excited, especially since she was a Gryffindor. Obviously that meant she was awesome. "Hey there. Welcome to Gryffindor."

Text Cut: Jezzabelle

Quote:

Originally Posted by HOPEendures

Jezzabelle smiled at the new first years and new students in general. With all the new faces, she felt new herself. She repeated, "Hi, I'm Jezzabelle," just about six times. She smiled brightly at everyone and loudly and proudly shouted, "Welcome to Gryffindor!" She was excited that she was making new friends....

Ah, so the girl who she didn't know was named Jezzabelle. Nice. And now Penelope wouldn't have to call her the Gryffindor she didn't know now. Heh. "Nice to meet you, Jezzabelle," she replied with another smile.

Text Cut: Anya

Quote:

Originally Posted by LilFox06

And look whoooo it was. "Hey Penne." the sixth year greeted. "Good summer?" It was weird not seeing her for months. They typically did stuff over the summer, but this one was just... too busy for her.

Penelope nodded. "Yep. Great summer." Definitely a lot of fun overall, even with the sometimes annoying stuff at the Leaky. Though it was sad that she didn't get to see Anya at all over the holidays. But she got to see her now, so it was okay. "What about you?"

Text Cut: Tag

Quote:

Originally Posted by Team ronmione

There was Penelope. Tag hadn't seen her at all this summer. That was a shame. An, they weren't fighting or anything but they hadn't talked in a while. Maybe that had to be changed. "Hey, Penelope!" Said the blonde with a huge smile.

Another person she hadn't had the chance to really see over the summer. Tag. That was also sad, but hey, it was alright now that term started. She could see him more often now if she wanted. "Hey Tag," she replied with a smile. "You have a good holiday?"

Text Cut: Red

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arya Hopkirk

Red beamed as she was Sorted into Gryffindor and almost tripped as she walked to the table. She sat down a little away from everybody else, just to avoid talking, especially to boys, she had a terrible fear of speaking to them. She looked down the table and saw people talking to each other, they all knew each other, and she knew nobody, except Charlie who had been Sorted into Hufflepuff. Hopefully, she would make friends, but at the moment, she couldn't wait to get to the Dormitories so she could write a story and draw a picture about it, maybe she would write a story about Hogwarts, she could draw the lake, with the castle in the background, and so she just sat there, imagining how to write her story.

And here came another new one from being sorted, though she didn't look extremely excited to talk to anyone. Maybe she was just hungry? Penelope could understand that. She herself generally didn't want to speak when she was REALLY hungry. That was when she wanted to eat. Still, she spoke to the girl anyway. "Hey there. Welcome to Gryffindor."

Text Cut: Alexa

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaniDiNardo

Oh! Oh! Oh! People she knew! (lemon & AlwaysSnapesGirl). "Alice! Penelope!" This forced smiling was starting to hurt her cheeks. The greetings would end soon then she could jab at her plate until this was all over. For now, more smiling because the last thing she wanted was people asking what was wrong. "Lookit! They fixed the school. Good sleep tonight me thinks and we can look forward to good food!"

Then there came Alexa, who also seemed pleased that the silverware and stuff were back. "Sure hope so," Penelope replied with a small grin. Hopefully the food would be good and sleep would be too. She was a little less sure that she'd get a good night's sleep in her dorm...but if the food was better this time, maybe it'd be okay.

Text Cut: Michael

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mell

As soon as the carriage stopped in front of the castle, Michael quickly made his way inside so that he could get as far away from the Head Girl as possible. He got the feeling she hadn't appreciated him sitting on her lap.

She would laugh about it one day.

Stepping inside the great hall, he tooka moment to take in the ceiling and the sounds of the other students already assembled there before making his way over to the Gryffie table. There was already quite a few people sitting there and he couldn't remember half od their names, soooooooo

"HELLO EVERYONE!!!" He gave them all a wave and BEAMED at Alexa before sitting down beside a girl who looked to be a first year (dans_grl431). "Oh good, Hogwarts has got money again." Unless someone donated the new plates.

There was someone else who suddenly appeared, all loud and excited, and it turned out to be Michael. "Hey there," Penelope responded with a smile. Good to see even returning students excited to be back and stuff, yeah?

Wait say what now??

Lex's face lit up immediately. Smores in the Common Room? SUGAR?? She grinned, one of the few times she'd done this today after what happened. It felt good to have a genuine one on her face and at the mention of something sweet nonetheless. "That sounds like an epic idea! Lemme know when. I can supply the chocolate to be melted...and maybe the marshmallows too!!!" SMORES! SUGAR! YES!

And she had a point there. "True. Hopefully they won't take forever like they've been doing at past feasts." She was still apprehensive about the food but the plates made everything look so promising.

"I'll kinda miss the game we played last term though." With the tapping and what not.

So the greeting was bright enough but she couldn't get passed what sounded like...er...worry...? Lex raised a curious eyebrow at him but decided to drop it altogether because it might have led to serious conversation. She didn't want that. Right now, the more trivial the better. She wanted to just not have to think much about anything right now so Tag needed to be extra happy so he could distract her and she could pretend the luggage compartment was a REALLY bad dream.

"Oh? Why not sneak her to school? You two could have made a project of building her a house by the lake and visiting her. She'd be close to water and close to you, like the spider Cassia and I are sharing." Not meant to be taken to school but she was waiting to start caring...that didn't seem like it'd be happening any time soon. "Who's idea was it?"

Lex nodded, probably staring at Penelope a little longer than she needed to but that couldn't exactly be helped now could it? There was probably a good explanation why she was staring but she couldn't think of any at the moment 'cept that awful encounter in the luggage compartment. Ahem. She had to stop or fill the silent staring with WORDS. "Anya was thinking about smores sometime during the week. You interested??" It could be a house thing! Nodnodnod.

"The Common Room'll be clean enough, I hope." If the plates were any indication.


Michael Toussaint beaming at her actually lifted her sinking mood and she gave him the biggest smile she could force on at the moment. He was back and being positively loud, just the way she liked it. It was how the lions were meant to be, see, but she couldn't find her loud today...it died after the train ride and her friendship.

It took her an extra second to realize bad thoughts were slipping through the filter again and she immediately shook her head, trying to get rid of them. More conversations were obviously necessary. She wasn't distracted enough.

"Dude, got the plates back! Means we might get everything else back too then you get to see the GOOD side of the castle." Happy thoughts, yes that was it. "I'm actually looking forward to the Common Room now." Mostly to sleep and forget today but it was the same principle, really.

And sitting next to him was another firstie (dans_grl431). She kept the small smile in place and gave the girl a wave. "Hey you, welcome to Gryffindor!"

The younger girl definitely looked scared. Did Melanie look scary? She never thought that she looked scary or anything. She tried not to think about her possible scariness and just gave the girl a warm smile. Melanie brushed her hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear. "Well then, hello Red. You have a really nice name," she said. Phoenix. That was a place and a creature. It was definitely an interesting name. "What do you preferred to be called? Red or Phoenix?" Melanie asked.

Because she would call the firstie by whatever she wanted to be called. Melanie wasn't going to call the girl Red if she didn't want to be called that. And awww... was the girl blushing? Why was the girl blushing? What had Melanie done?! "I am Melanie Sung, I'm a seventh year." She should've started with an introduction, shouldn't she?

The seventh year wondered if Red wanted to sit next to her. Melanie had been planning on saving a seat for Landon and all, but she was sure Landon wouldn't mind if the cute little firstie took the seat instead.



Melanie waved at Lex as she saw the younger Gryffindor enter the Great Hall, greeting everyone. When she heard Lex greet her though, Melanie couldn't help but laugh. "Hey Lex. I'm so proud of you for not sneaking downstairs. I hope you remembered to pack everything for this term." No matter what, Melanie was never going to forget to remind the younger girl. It was just sort of something Melanie did now. A habit?

"My summer was great. It was like last summer but version two point oh," Melanie grinned, nodding her head. "And you enjoyed your summer too, right?"



Melanie could help but laugh a little at what the younger girl said. "Don't worry, I think you did fine," she said with a nod of her head. "Plus, if nothing happened, maybe you would've gotten to choose your house. That doesn't seem too bad, does it?" Because getting to choose the house you wanted to go to sounded fun though the hat, Melanie had found, seemed to take your bias into consideration.

"Well, Miss Blair, if you ever have any questions, don't hesitate to ask," she said, tempted to pat the girl on the head or something. Don't worry, Melanie didn't.



Tag alert. Tag alert. Tag alert.

Melanie's face turned a bright red when Tag started to speak. Everything was okay? No. It was not. It was awkward. How could he even say all of this so casually? Her face turned even more red as she nervously cleared her throat and brushed her hair out of her face. There wasn't even hair in front of her face to brush away. The Gryffindor just let out a very awkward laugh, unsure of what to say.

"Tag, let's not talk about this okay?" Yes. Let's not. Awkward conversation could be paused yes? "Uhm... uh... how was your summer? Was it nice?" That seemed like a safe topic to talk about. Everything seemed better than talking about Melanie and Landon kissing... and then getting caught by Tag.

And who was this calling out to everyone?

Melanie laughed as she watched the boy wave and beam and everyone. He certainly seemed happy to be here at Hogwarts. She waved back at him. "Hello to you too," she replied. Let the happy, hyper kids be happy and hyper, right? Right.

At least they were back at Hogwarts now. Tag could definitely bond with Spot and Penelope at the same time. If the girl allowed Tag to hang with Spot, she had previously, so he saw this as no problem. "Excellent summer!" There were some nice things that happened when he went out to visit Diagon Alley for non-interning work. "I interned at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, over the summer. Did you do anything exciting?" It was only kind of him to ask her back. "Oh, and how's Spot?" Tag was, as usual, on top of Spot happenings.



Jeez, Melanie. At the rate you were turning red Tag would need to find her a tomato to prevent the sunburn she would be getting. Honestly, it was ok, nothing to fuss over, Melanie. See! She even said it herself. Now that that was over. " Yeah, I had a good summer. Pretty much, besides work, I chilled. Spent a lot of time home, hung out with Alec and Ryan and Lottie a few times. Didn't you say you got your driver's license?" Yeah?



Blink blink. Sneak Clover into the school. Listening intently to Lex Tag nodded slowly. Ok, so maybe making a nice little home by the lake for Clover could've been smart. But, what if something bad happened to her? Tag wouldn't allow that to happen. But, Lottie was smart, why hadn't she mentioned something like Lex was talking about? "I guess we could've done something like that. But there could be the possibility of losing her, not having the right ingredients for her, or perhaps a creature even eating her. I'll bring up the topic to Lottie, yeah." He answered with a shrug.

"So you and Cassia actually got that spider?! Its not here is it?!" No spiders on his face, please Lex. With a nervous smile, please, Lex would think this could be stupid, Tag answered her "Well, I just said its a bit depressing when turtles fall on their back and they can't get up. And, it bothered Lottie so I said we should get a turtle. I was joking, but it ended up happening." Cue nervous laughter.



Whoa. Here came another excited youngling. Tag liked these people. He was always this excited and happy when he first got to Hogwarts. In fact, this kid sort of reminded Tag a bit of Airey. How he sort of announced his arrival in a loud, happy voice. "HELLO YOUNG LION!" spoke back Tag in the same loud voice.

When Jayden reached the table, he sat down awkwardly as everybody else was already in conversation. He knew how the Gryffindors were as his mother told him stories. But still he didn’t know what to say. So being in a pretty awkward situation where everybody was talking, he said, a little softer than a shout, “HELLO PEOPLE!”

Well that was awkward.

Landon had gotten lost, imagine that, after getting off to go inside Hogwarts. He'd blame it though on thinking that some kid had oreos and walking off from Melanie to go see if it was real. It wasn't though which he ended up being heartbroken about.

He finally made it to where the feast was and he scanned the tables for Melanie and his other friends. He remembered that no one knew he was coming back so this was going to be exciting. Verrrry exciting. He finally noticed that most of his friends were at the Gryffindor table and uh...Tag. Landon shook his head at the last encounter with him, Melanie, and Tag. Definitely not something he wanted to show his little cousin.

So how was he going to surprise everyone? He thought about throwing oreos out to everyone, but decided against it. It would just be a waste. So instead Landon ran up to the table and did a little dance. "SURPRISEEEEEE!" He yelled, smiling as big as possible.

Anya nodded. "Yeah. Pretty good. Pretty busy. Did you get an internship?" Because Anya honestly didn't know. Heh. They really needed to talk more often.

Anya nodded. "Sounds good. I'll let you know when." Because it wouldn't be tonight. She hoped it wouldn't be anyway. She was hoping the food from the feast would be enough for her tonight.

"Agreed. I'm starved." she said with a nod. Foooood. Bring on the fooooood.

She laughed lightly at the mention of the game. "The cup game? We can still do that. It's a good way to pass time." And take the focus out of her wanting fooooood.

D'aww. Another newbie.

" 'ello." Anya greeted. "I'm Anya. Welcome to the lion pack." she said with a smile. "What's your name?"

SPOILER!!: <Anya&Jake3

Quote:

Originally Posted by LilFox06

New kid. Brilliant. "Hello." Anya greeted with a smile. "I'm Anya Phillips. And this is my boyfriend Jake." she said introducing the two of them. And yes, she did just casually slip in the Prefect's relationship status.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Syd

And suddenly, there were more than three people at the table.

Jake looked around, slowly grinning at the familiar faces. Penelope, Alice, Sarah... they each got a smile and an unusually (for Jake) cheerful "Hey!" Then there was Rybear, who got a "H-..." ...because Anya distracted Jake mid-greeting by climbing across the table to hug the other lion. He stared at her until her rear end was firmly planted on the bench beside him again. "...I should probably advise against that," he said, blinking, in the best authoritative Prefect!voice he could muster while speaking to his girlfriend. Which was probably lessened by the fact that he was fighting a smile while saying it. But still. Example, Anya. There were children about.

Speaking of children. LOOKIT all the new students! There was a girl and a boy that looked older than first years... but they had to be new, because Jake was fairly confident that he could recognize any returning Lions. So Jake leaned closer to the two of them to try to make his presence more prominent and gave them a friendly smile. "Hey, welcome to Gryffindor! And to Hogwarts." Now... fingers crossed that they really were new. Or that would be embarrassing. And he was about to introduce himself... when Anya took care of that for him. Yep. Jake, Anya's boyfriend. That was basically his identification. So he just nodded to show that Anya was right.

Then there was a little one. Two little ones, actually. And Jake sort of wanted to just hug them right there. Because they reminded him of his little sister... that he hadn't seen in a while, actually. But, of course, a seventh year hug to a firstie might scare the kid more than they deserved on their first day. So Jake put on his best big-brother, confident smile and looked at each girl. "Welcome to Hogwarts! I'm Jake, one of your Prefects. Glad to have you in Gryffindor."

New kids made Jake happy. They were all so... happy and excited about Hogwarts. And life in general. Speaking of which... where was Zahra? Jake missed her.

So, Anya Phillips and her boyfriend, Jake. Schuyler offered a smile to the pretty girl and the equally handsome boyfriend. "Schuyler," she introduced, before adding, "And thanks! Everyone is very welcoming." Which was the absolute truth. Maybe it was the high spirits from the feast.... actual silverware and all.

SPOILER!!: Melanie

Quote:

Originally Posted by iBeJenn

Melanie watched as a tiny little girl with blonde hair (Abbi) made her way towards the table. A new Gryffindor. Melanie knew that because well... the girl was coming to the table and Melanie had been watching the sorting. That meant she watched the little girl get sorted into Gryffindor with her own to eyes. She certainly seemed happy to be here.

"Hello~ Welcome to Gryffindor!" she said, wiggling her fingers hello at the girl. Awwwh... wasn't this firstie a cutie?

She turned and looked back at the girl who was sitting across from her. "Nice to meet you too, Jezz. I'm a seventh year," she said. Seventh year. Sixth year. All the years seemed blurred together in her mind. Was Melanie Sung really a seventh year now? How strange. "I hope you enjoyed your summer," she added. Because it was polite.

Melanie's eyes darted back to the door then to the sorting that was still going on before noticing the staff table. Oh... well... there were some new professors there, wasn't there? She wondered which classes the new professors would be teaching... hm... Hearing Sarah, Melanie turned to look at the younger Gryffindor. "It was great, did you have a good one?" she asked.

Ah. There were so many people here now. It was lovely. Soon enough the table would be full and there would be no seat for Landon. Melanie looked at the girl she had congratulated before. Apparently her name was Schuyler. Schuyler. What a pretty name. Melanie never met a Schuyler before. "Very nice to meet you, Schuyler. I'm Melanie, seventh year." Introductions were made and now to backtrack a little. The girl was pleased to be here. That was good, wasn't it? "Were you hoping to get sorted into Gryffindor?" she asked, curious. Melanie remembered when she had been sorted in fourth year... It was just like it was yesterday... except it had been years ago. Wow, how time flies.

More introductions. Melanie wasn't sure how she was going to remember all these people.

She wondered if it would be rude to take a picture of each person and write their name on it? It probably would be strange, wouldn't it? Smiling at the firstie (Blair) who was speaking, she nodded. "I totally get it. It feels nice when you hear the house you've been put in though," she pointed out. "I'm Melanie Sung. Seventh year. And what is your name?" Because Melanie hadn't caught it before. And if the girl had stated her name... well... Melanie forgot. Though she didn't think it was really her fault - there were just so many people and her brain was a bit preoccupied.

Melanie had turned to look back at the door but instead she saw someone else and froze, smile in place. Tag Kildare. He was waving. What was Melanie supposed to do? Internally panicking, she just watched and smiled. Was she supposed to say something? Was she supposed to apologize? Or did she go over there and just pretend like nothing happened? Wave. Melanie should probably just do that. She gave a little wave and slumped over a little bit.

Awkward.

Gryffindor. There was another Gryffindor. The sorting hat said so. Turning her head quickly to the sorting hat she saw a girl walk over and not say a thing. Was the girl shy? "Hey! Welcome to Gryffindor!!" Melanie called out to the girl (Red) and waving at her with a warm smile. Was the firstie nervous about something? There really was nothing to be scared of and the girl definitely did not need to be afraid of Melanie. Melanie didn't bite. Unless it was food. She bit her food. That was about it.

And another introduction - good! Schuyler needed to get to know her fellow housemates ASAP. "Melanie," she repeated with a nod. "Like from Gone With The Wind." On a side note, Schuyler liked Melanie MUCH better than Scarlett. Anyway. Had she wanted Gryffindor house? "I thought that I might be sorted into Gryffindor, and I'm very glad that I was." Though it hadn't been as if she was totally dead set on getting any one particular house.

SPOILER!!: Alexa

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaniDiNardo

She was sure Lottie had made it to the Puffer table without much problems so she didn't bother looking to make sure. She didn't look anywhere but straight ahead. Gryffindor table. That's where she needed to go while avoiding any and all looks toward a certain other table. So far so good. Now this speech just needed to hurry up so she could eat and slee--OHAI REGULAR PLATES AND CUPS!

A small smile tugged at the Gryffindors lips, not a full one but MERLIN, the school was good again, right???? No more dirt in the Common Room either?? Or doing their own laundry??? Yeah???

Her mood brightened a bit as she sunk into the first empty seat she could find which happened to be right by this obvious firstie (Arya Hopkirk). From the very little she'd heard of the girl's conversation it didn't seem like she'd been whining about her sorting placement so Lex forced a smile at her. "HI YOU!" She was going to lose herself in conversation and forget today happened. "Welcome to Gryffindor! The name's Alexa."

Of course she noticed the other firstie (Bumblebee), the one that'd been sorted. She may have walked in a bit late but that didn't mean that she didn't see. "You too! Welcome to the Pride! Great to have you!"

Further up was a girl she didn't recognize (HOPEendures). At the moment she wasn't much up to asking questions, the girl was here now, that was all that mattered. Maybe later after she'd gotten some sleep she'd be more inclined to find out? Eh. "Hello! I haven't seen you before. My name's Alexa, Lex for short." And another smile was forced. This was harder with her current state of mind. Scanning the table she saw yet another girl she'd never seen before (Cedric) There were a lot of new ones that weren't firsties. She APPROVED. "Helloooooo!" She said, giving a wave to get the girl's attention. "Welcome to Gryffindor, I know you've probably heard that tonnes of times but it's 'cause we're all friendly." And there was a nod before her eyes went searching the table again.

Oh! Oh! Oh! People she knew! (lemon & AlwaysSnapesGirl). "Alice! Penelope!" This forced smiling was starting to hurt her cheeks. The greetings would end soon then she could jab at her plate until this was all over. For now, more smiling because the last thing she wanted was people asking what was wrong. "Lookit! They fixed the school. Good sleep tonight me thinks and we can look forward to good food!"

Aaaaand more scanning until she landed on a girl that always managed to lift her mood (iBeJenn). "Hey Melanie! You'll be happy to know I didn't sneak down to the kitchen this time!" She and Lottie almost did but then thought against it. Eh, details details. "Had a good summer?" And sitting somewhere near her she spotted (Team ronmione). He got a wave too and a small smile. "Hey Tag! Heard you and Lottie got a turtle. How's it doing?" Turtles weren't vicious but...still good she guessed.

Oh and there sitting together were (LilFox06 & Syd). A sight she'd come to expect at all big events. "HI GUYS!!" Shouting because they were a bit further down and she wanted to be heard. It seemed legit. "This looks like a safe start to the term." Safe in terms of food of course. Hogwarts was never REALLY safe. Also, wasn't that (Nimmii)? "Haaii Ryan!!" She couldn't NOT say hi to him while she was at it.

Now then, was that it? Could she suffer in silence now?

Schuyler shifted her smile over to another girl who drawled out the last syllable in her 'hello.' Heard that a ton of times? Yes, pretty much. But it was a good thing to hear! Better than getting the opposite. "Thank you. I'm Schuyler." Because she might as well just tell everyone at the start.

SPOILER!!: Penelope

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlwaysSnapesGirl

Oh look, there was Alice. Penelope smiled back at her captain as she sat down and seemed pleased about the change in dishes and utensils. It WAS pretty good, yeah? Having the silverware back. "Hey Alice. You have a good summer?"



One of the newer students suddenly arrived at the table, and Penelope recognized her from the crowded compartment of fifth years on the train. And it turned out she was a Gryffindor. Awesome. She got a smile. "Hey there. Welcome to the best house ever." Not that she was biased or anything. Heh.



And another new student joined them next, and he looked really excited to be here. Which was good. People should totally be excited about being in Gryffindor. It was the best. "Hi! Congrats on getting Gryffindor."



Ah, and there was Sarah. She grinned at her friend. "My summer was really good. How was the rest of yours?" It had sounded like Sarah was having a good one the last time they had talked in Diagon Alley, but surely more stuff had happened since then, and hopefully it was good.



Another new student came down after being sorted into the greatest house ever, and it looked like this one was a first year. Penelope smiled. "Hey. Congrats on getting Gryffindor."



Penelope noticed Ryan next and waved back at him. Was he gonna try out for Quidditch again this term? He was a pretty good Beater, so he definitely should. Alice would probably come after him if he didn't. Heh.



And there was another one that looked like a first year. A really hyper and loud firstie. That was okay though. It was good to be excited, especially since she was a Gryffindor. Obviously that meant she was awesome. "Hey there. Welcome to Gryffindor."



Ah, so the girl who she didn't know was named Jezzabelle. Nice. And now Penelope wouldn't have to call her the Gryffindor she didn't know now. Heh. "Nice to meet you, Jezzabelle," she replied with another smile.



Penelope nodded. "Yep. Great summer." Definitely a lot of fun overall, even with the sometimes annoying stuff at the Leaky. Though it was sad that she didn't get to see Anya at all over the holidays. But she got to see her now, so it was okay. "What about you?"



Another person she hadn't had the chance to really see over the summer. Tag. That was also sad, but hey, it was alright now that term started. She could see him more often now if she wanted. "Hey Tag," she replied with a smile. "You have a good holiday?"



And here came another new one from being sorted, though she didn't look extremely excited to talk to anyone. Maybe she was just hungry? Penelope could understand that. She herself generally didn't want to speak when she was REALLY hungry. That was when she wanted to eat. Still, she spoke to the girl anyway. "Hey there. Welcome to Gryffindor."



Then there came Alexa, who also seemed pleased that the silverware and stuff were back. "Sure hope so," Penelope replied with a small grin. Hopefully the food would be good and sleep would be too. She was a little less sure that she'd get a good night's sleep in her dorm...but if the food was better this time, maybe it'd be okay.



There was someone else who suddenly appeared, all loud and excited, and it turned out to be Michael. "Hey there," Penelope responded with a smile. Good to see even returning students excited to be back and stuff, yeah?

Aah, now here was someone whom she at least recognized. This girl had been back in the compartment on the train. Due to how full that compartment was, it wasn't a surprise that they hadn't gotten to really exchange a word. "Why, thank you. Best house, for sure," she confirmed with a smile. Although, it would be even BETTER if Olly had gotten into it, too. Aah well, they had their mirrors.

Oh hey! It was his Herbology partner. Michael flashed her a smile and waved his hand energetically at her. "Alright there Penelope? Learnt any new spells?" He remembered their conversation during that class.




Oh no!!!

Lex did not appear to be too happy. Oh she was smiling at him but he could tell that it wasn't a true smile because her eyes hadn't lit up like they usually do when she isnreally happy. Hmm, he wondered who had upset her because he would punch them for making her sad.

That would have to wait until later though because she was currently talking to him right now. "I know! I saw." Even though he hadn't really cared what he had eaten off last term. "I am looking forward to seeing it. Maybe you could show me the best places to go." His father would be so proud of him right now.

"I've even got some candy left over." He actually had quite a lot left actually. He had saved it so tht he could share it with her.




See what happens when you're happy and excited? It rubs off onto everyone else. Michael flashed the girl a toothy grin. "How's it going? Have a good summer?" He did but he was still excited to be back at Hogwarts.



RAWRRRRRRRRRR!!!!

He just got called a lion. Yes!!

Michael gave the older boy a salute. "Hello to you old lion." The guy wouldn't take offense to that, right?"





Now that's what he was talking about. Michael stood up and leaned over the table wih his hand held up "High five dude." That's how you say hello. "Welcome to Gryffindor."

She nodded her head. Melanie had never been so grateful for a change of conversation. Never. She supposed there was a first for everything. She nodded her head as Tag spoke, willing her cheeks to go back to its normal color. "Well, you had fun at work though right? At the shop?" Melanie asked, repositioning her silverware a little. "I did, I can drive now! It's all so exciting," Melanie grinned. Because she could drive around on her own... in her mom or dad's car. Sadly, she didn't own her own car yet.

Gone With the Wind. That was a book... wasn't it? Or was it a play? A movie? A song? It didn't matter, Melanie didn't recall ever reading, watching or listening to it. But she nodded her head slowly. "Yeah, uhm... I guess?" Was there a Melanie in whatever 'Gone With the Wind' was? Apparently because the girl said there was so she'd just go with it. "Gryffindor is definitely a great house. The only downside is walking up the stairs to the common room," Melanie said with a laugh. That was the worst part, everything else was probably next to perfect. It was probably best not to mention that there were once dementors in the common room because that was a downside too.

Melanie knew that voice. And that person. And she was most definitely wearing a smile on her face. She turned to see the one and only (at least in Hogwarts) Landon Hughes. She didn't know what to do but laugh though when she saw him do...

What was it that he was doing? She honestly wasn't too sure but she supposed it was what Landon would call dancing. Either way, it was funny and she was laughing and clapping. "Great show, boyfriend," she said, giggling. Then she stopped clapping and put on a serious face. "I would applaud you some more but I'm saving the clapping for more new firsties." That was a legitimate reason to not continue to applaud him. Her hands would get tired, wouldn't they?

Though his surprise hadn't really worked on her. She had seen him on the train already. So, well, it simply wasn't a surprise. However, just because it wasn't a surprise didn't mean that she didn't like seeing him and his ridiculous dance moves.

Whoever said that lions were "brave" and the whatnot, had forgotten the word loud. Gryffindors were loud. They probably got it from the whole lion roaring thing. "It's going great and summer was great. It was fantastic," Melanie replied with a smile. "You enjoyed your summer?" Or did he prefer to be back at Hogwarts because the kid was definitely full of energy. Or maybe it was a little kid thing.

"Oh, I'm Melanie, by the way," she added.

Names were good. Names meant that she wouldn't have to address anyone by 'hey you'.

Lex took only a minute to think that through. If there was anything she'd left behind then it would be too late now. "I don't think I left anything important at home...nothing I'm suddenly freaking about not having so I guess all's good!" A grin extended across her face. It seemed like a natural response when speaking to Melanie and she wouldn't really fight it. "I even cleaned my room before I left." It was one of those things she did when she was nervous--not that she'd ever admit to being nervous this morning before going to the train station.

"My summer was epic! We had a sleepover, Lottie Cassia and me, we went and scared one of my neighbours. She called Daddy but didn't have any proooof and Daddy wasn't too keen on believing her so we got off the hook. Learned how to skateboard," among other things, "and got to fly with Aidan--"............."It was an okay summer I guess." She had to stop doing that.



Alexa shook her head thoughtfully. See, she'd thought that all through as well and it wasn't even her turtle. "You'd just have to take the necessary precautions and use the necessary spells to keep it safe. We aren't firsties anymore, we're competent witches and wizards that know how to not blow ourselves up." She gave a firm nod, having wanted to say that for years. "I'm sure between the two of you it could have had the perfect living environment, free of danger and all that, but if you never thought about it maybe that's for the best?" Most likely. Everything happened for a reason right? Well, almost everything.

"Cassia's in charge of getting it here. I dunno if it's here yet but I know for sure that we're getting it so you don't have to worry." Or was it the getting of the spider that had him feeling uneasy? Probably. Oh but that explained the turtle thing. "Interesting...odd definitely but interesting." The thought of a flipped turtle was apparently a powerful thing.

No one underestimate it.

The sound of a loud voice drew her from her conversation with Tag. She turned to see another Firstie approaching the table. Another loud one. She APPROVED and here she told Lottie she was going to have to hex a few of them for their lack of house pride. Pffft.

"Hello you! Welcome to Gryffindor!" This time she'd almost forgotten the smile that was meant to go with it but caught herself in time and forced one on. She may have been having a rubbish day but that didn't mean she couldn't make them feel welcome, especially when they weren't sulking about it like last year's set.

In the next second her attention was again pulled, this time landing on a danser? HEY, wasn't he that Landon guy?? She remembered him, very vaguely but yes. It was hard to forget the guy that was fighting over an oreo with Tag in the Common Room. He could have gotten himself another pack...but she wouldn't question it.

He was greeting, or surprizing really, everyone and she could return the greeting. It was easy enough and provided another source of distraction for her. "Best entrance I've seen all night, hats off to you Oreo Boy."



Alexa nodding enthusiastically. When the time came she would be ready which probably meant she'd have to owl home to her father and have him send over some marshmallows. Chocolate she had but she didn't make a habit of walking around with marshmallows and Hogsmeade wouldn't be open quite so early. "It can be like a mini camp out and we can invite the others! Make it look real legit too with the right set up." It was possible, she could already see it happening.

[b]"One year we should suggest they let us eat first. [b]"That way she could sleep comfortably through the feast. Mhm.

"Oh? We can? I just figured it was good when the cups where light and junk. Sure! We can play again. There's nothing better to do before the Headmistress begins her speech." And all forms of distractions were welcome.



"An interesting name, I'll be sure to remember it!" She was already more likely to remember it simply for the fact that they shared a house and would run into each other in the Common Room often. "I'm Alexa, you can call me Lex if you want, I don't mind." It wasn't all that big a deal since hardly anyone called her Alexa anyway. "Have you already gotten a basic run down of the school? It's fair to warn you that as a Gryffindor you may not like the first day depending on the schedule. Can you imagine coming all the way down here for breakfast only to have to climb all the way back up for Divination?"

It was the least amusing thing in the world.




Michael was good medicine, he really was. The kid was positively energetic and had enough optimism to boot!

"I sure can!" That was distraction yes? Going about, exploring the castle and it's grounds and with Michael too. He was good for a laugh, very nice to have around. "And don't forget we'll be taking that trip to the whomping willow when we get some time. It'll be thrilled to see us." She had another idea he could help with but she wasn't all that sure about suggesting it. Even the Professor had said it was dangerous and she didn't want him getting hurt in the name of fun...which wouldn't be so fun if they each lost 50 points while being carted off to the Hospital Wing. Not the best image so she wouldn't bring that on up at all.

Instead she focused on what he was saying about the candy. She remembered the day they ran into each other down in sugarplums and tastes just about everything. "You do? Neat. What kind do you have left?" Funny enough, this was actually helping too, now all she had to do was not remember.

Pssh yeah!

Malcolm's smile was broad and anyone even from a mile away could notice how content he felt in having been sorted into this particular house!

”Yes me too! Thanks I feel very welcomed!” He replied and nodded at the young girl.

”Hi Blair Anderson, I'm Malcolm Corbett! It's good to meet you.” Malcolm greeted her in return. He would use his middle name Alanzo, but always felt like it sounded something along the lines of a garbanzo bean.

Adorable? Well this was a first! No ones' called him adorable before. Maybe because he was very fluffy.

”..T-Thanks!” Malcolm beamed at Anya, yay! this was one friendly lioness.

”Hi!” Malcolm waved and greeted the little kid who was greeting everyone, that seemed to be in the same jubilant mood as he was.

Looking over to the owner of a voice congratulating him he turned to her.

”Hi!” Malcolm widely smiled ”Thanks!” Another friendly lioness, wow so far so good. Everything was going pretty well for the newbie.


BIG SMILE!

This kid sure knew how to start a party.

The party has ariiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiived! Malcolm thought to himself amused at the little dance the Gryffindor did.

Malcolm waved and surprisingly felt like dancing, if only he knew how. xD

Listening closely to Lex, Tag showed his attention span by nodding at her wise words? Yeah, Lottie could do all of that. Tag wasn't very great at his magic. Just average. "Err, Lottie can do all the magic working." said the leprechaun with a smile spreading over his face. WOOOOO! Lex called Tag a competent wizard! That made his already big smile even bigger, as he brought his hands up in the air in a way of victory. "Leprechauns are classified as XXX in the Ministry of Magic for creatures- competent wizards should be able to cope with me. Unicorns are classified as XXXX in the Ministry Of Magic for creatures, DANGEROUS!" Tag said in a prideful voice as if his whole life had waited for this moment.

Sorry, Lex, what were you saying? Heh.

His face went blank. So CASSIA was bringing in the spider? Not only was there going to be a spider living in Hogwarts CASSIA, of all people, would be sneaking it in. Tag just couldn't believe it. "CASSIA!" He said startled by the news. "It was a 'on the whim' buy." Just as Tag had said with Lottie.



"Oh yeah. Working at the shop was awesome. I got to test some stuff. BLEW UP stuff, too." If she kindly asked Lex could hear those stories. "Congratulations on the license. Now you can drive me around town in those wheels." He said in a serious voice.



Oh, cool! A salute. Tag was reminded of Alec and smiled at the younger boy. Then he started to laugh. Well, this little one was full of spunk wasn't he?"I'm fifteen, not that old, kiddo. Name's Tag" Jeez, Tag was reminding himself of Banshee Rennie.



That voice. That happy voice. Tag hadn't heard that voice in ages but it was unmistakable. That low, raspy voice. His face went blank. Why was Tag already groaning at this? He was a bad cousin.

Turning around ever so slowly Tag saw...... OMG LANDON WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! Tag's eyes were scarred for the second time this summer. OMG WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! Stop that.

But, how had no one seen Landon at the platform? During the train ride? What about making their way up to Hogwarts? How had he stayed hidden for so long and so well. First of order though, "LANDON STOP THAT YOU'RE BURNING MY EYES!" Yeah, you'd get a hello AFTER that terrible dancing ended.

Michael leaned over the table a little so that he could look into the very shiny silver plate and stuck his tongue out and pulled a few faces before he realised that one of the older students was talking to him.

"That's cool. What did you do?" Was that being too nosy? "I had a great summer. Didn't go anywhere but didn't need to. Not when you've got eight cousins, an aunt who's two years older than you and a best friend. They kept me entertained." Or he kept them entertained. Either way he'd had fun over the summer.

"Nice to meet you Melanie. My name is Michael."

How could he forget that she was going to take him to the Whomping Willow. It was the main reason he was so excited about being back at school. "I hadn't forgotten. I even brought some protective gear with me." Seeing how he wasn't exactly competent with magic. Not yet anyway.

He wanted to ask her what places she was going to show him around the castle but decided they could have that conversation later, probably when they got up into the common room where it was a little quieter.

"I've got some chocolate frogs." Of course he did. They were her favourite. "And...uhm...some Jelly Slugs, Pepper Imps, Licorice Wands and one Sugar Quill." He had eaten the rest of those and he had given Rhodes all his Ice Mice.

Michael looked at her and wondered again what was going on to cause her unhappiness. The feast was definitely not the place to ask her and he didn't know whether he should ask her at all.

Merlin! Where was all this concern and seriousness coming from?

Flashing the older guy a grin, Michael waved back to him. How popular was he right now? Hehe.

Oh thank Merlin, the guy didn't seem upset about what he had said. Michael didn't particularly want to have his face re-arranged or anything like that.

He gave the guy a sheepish look and chuckled. "Sorry about that mate. Mine's Michael." Introductions were always good.

A sixth year wow, this girl must know her stuff. "Thanks, I shall bare that in mind. I'll warn you now though, I'll probably be back and forward everytime I'm unsure of something." Blair giggled.



Blair saw the boys outstretched hand and leaned over the table to meet it with her own. Being small for her age Blair had to almost stand to reach over. The boy introduced himself as Tag, he seemed nice. "I'm Blair Anderson. First year and newly sorted Gryffindor." She replied whilst shaking his hand.



Amongst all the excitement Blair noticed that someone had taken the seat next to her. Before she could help herself she came out with "Hogwarts has got money again?". She'd already heard a few people talking about this but was unsure why. "Sorry that was rude of me, I'm Blair by the way."



Hearing another welcome coming her way Blair replied, "Hey, thanks so much." Another friendly lion, she outstretched her hand "I'm Blair Anderson."



Blair turned to hear who had just welcomed her, there was a boy smiling and waving at her. She waved back, "Hey, thanks everyone is so welcoming. It's nice to meet you."



"Thanks," Blair replied, not feeling quite as silly about her confession. "Yeah this is true, I wouldn't have had a clue which house to chose though they all seem to have their own special qualities." Thinking back to the sorting Blair was very glad indeed that the hat had made the decision for her.

She giggled at being called Miss Blair, "Thank that's so kind. I'm sure over the coming weeks I will have plenty of questions for you." She didn't doubt this at all.



Blair jumped a little as she heard the boy greet everyone. He was a fellow firstie, she recognised him from the sorting. "Hello. I'm Blair Anderson, first year." She waved and beamed back at him.



"It's nice to meet you to Malcolm Corbett," she replied. In amongst all the excited chatter Blair was sure she had heard Malcolm be congratulated on being sorted to Gryffindor. "Are you also a first year?" The boy looked a little older than her so she though she should ask, rather than be embarrassed by assuming.

"Pfft...that wasn't rude at all." Michael didn't think that being curious about things was being rude. And she had every right to question the comment he had made especially since this was the girl's first year here.

He turned in his seat so that he could face her properly. "Yeah it seems that way. Last year we had to eat off plastic plates and we had to clean them ourselves and carry them around for the whole year." Nod. Yes he was telling the truth. "We even had to pay to get into the common room." That had been a pain. "But it seems that everything is back to normal now." Well as normal as you can get at Hogwarts.

He gave her a smile and extended his hand toward her. "Michael Toussaint. Second year."

"Hi...er.." Jezz didn't know the girls name but that might have been because she either didn't say it or Jezz missed it with all the talking and greetings going on. "I'm in my sixth year. What about you?"

.

Jezz smiled, "My summer was wonderful. Glad to be back here really." She clapped as some more new young lions joined the table. This was going to be a really busy and interesting year. "I hope you had a good break as well." She might have only just met the girl but she felt she could get a long with her.



Jezz smiled at the younger, but older than first year, boy and laughed. "Call me Jezz. This house is more than great, it's simply AMAZING." She applauded again. "It's nice to meet you Malcom."



Jezzabelle smiled at the girl. "It's nice to meet you Lex. I'm Jezzabelle, but I go by Jezz." And of course she was going to be treated almost like a new student. Constantly reminded that she had been absent for the past four years. She wanted to explain the story to everyone so that no one would mistake her for a new student...but it wouldn't do any good.

Mackenzie sat at the Gryffindor table, laughing with everyone and enjoying being back inside the castle.. She would have to owl Ronnie later and tell her about the feast and all the new Gryffindors!! "Lex!! How was your summer?" the blonde actually hasn't seen her friend at all over the break which was odd but she also hadn't left home very much.

Looking around the great hall she saw a few faces that she needed to go visit before the headmistress began speaking so up she went to make her rounds.

“Hi! Thank you! I’m Jayden! You are?” Jayden gave a really big smile back to the girl, even though he saw that her smile lagged a little behind her words. He didn’t know what it meant but everybody has their bad days, don’t they? So might as well be a little more understanding and make that person happy by giving them a big smile.

Jayden saw a girl wave at him but he couldn’t really recognize her. When he heard her introduce herself, he realized why she looked pretty familiar. “Hi! Nice to meet you, I’m Jayden. A fellow first year too!” And he ended it off with a smile.

Smacking the hand, Jayden smiled a really wide smile. “Thank you! Hi, I’m Jayden! What’s your name?”

“Hi! Thank you so much! I’m Jayden!” He suddenly thought that he sounded a little too excited but it was too late. And besides he IS excited.



He was definitely going to like it here. People were all so friendly, their friendliness made the school feel so much like home.

Ryan flashed Mel another smile when she shouted out his nickname. "I THINK WE SHOULD HANG OUT THIS TERM. SINCE IT'S MY LAST AND ALL..." He shouted back at her, leaving himself a bit depressed. He probably burst someone's eardrum by shouting that loud but whatever, Mel was far away and he couldn't be bothered to move.

Oh, look. It was an ANYA. And he got a hug. "I always miss you," He said with a huge grin, hugging the girl back before she slid back to her boyfriend. "Nothing much, just enjoying my summer and such," He answered, leaning down the table so he could talk to her. Maybe they should have ROUND tables so it's easier to talk to people. "What have you been up to?"

Ryan gave the prefect a wink, hoping he wasn't about to say something about Anya's little voyage across the table. He missed Jackob, and again, he was reminded of how this was their last year.

Looking around, he caught Tag's eye as he walked down the table in search of a seat. "Yeah, too bad. We can just party in the common room," Ryan replied with a smirk. No hamburgers, though, he thought angrily.

Was that Lex? Why, yes it was! Ryan waved back to her enthusiastically, glad to see her in good spirits. "Enjoy your summer? Was it filled with candy?" He asked a with a chuckle.

As Pen waved back to him, Ryan turned to her once more. "So are you trying out for Quidditch again this term?" He guessed she was since she was a superb seeker and the team really needed her.

Who in the world was dancing? Thinking it was just some lame first year, Ryan turned around in his seat to look properly-- and almost fell off.

Landon Hughes.

Ryan's face cracked into the hugest smile yet and he actually left his seat to go bro!hug the guy. "MATE! I can't believe you're here," He mumbled in his happiness as he hugged him tight.
Merlin, it felt good to see him again.