She knew exactly how he felt. Like...so much so that it hurt her heart a bit because she'd been in his shoes countless times and she wondered if this is how she'd looked to Oakey when she'd received her badge. It had taken her a while to realize she was good enough and doing the convincing this time around was going to be tough but she'd try. She'd try especially hard because she knew how much of a struggle it could be to accept that you were enough, y'know? That you could do it.

The blonde got down on her knees and wrapped the second year up in a hug, squishing him gently. When she was done, she pulled back just enough so that she could look him in the eyes. What she was going to say was important so he needed to listen, okay?

"I believe in you, Forrest." Nodnod. "And I know that you can do it. Trust me, I'm smart." She smiled a little at that, ruffling his hair. "Just do your best and that'll be good enough for me every time. I promise."

The pinky went up and everything because she was dead serious. Did he see that?

Hug. No. NO. He didn't need a hug! He didn't deserve one? He knew what would come afterwards: he was enough, he could do it, blah, blah. But she was already squishing him. He didn't push her--because that would be so rude!--but he didn't hug her back either.

Rebellion? Pretty much.

And of course, the speech came. The little man listened to it patiently--even accepted the ruffling politely, but in the end he couldn't help but sigh loudly.

"But you don't understand. I really can't." His eyebrows spoke his desperation. Then an idea occured to him. Perks of reading the rules carefully.

"Because I... cheated, you see?"

This was his ticket out of it. He was so clever!

So this hugging thing wasn't working and even worse, now the kid was lying to her. Like...right to her face which caused her to frown. Ella could understand a lot, really, but lying was a no-no.

The blonde backed away from the boy and stood again, eyes back on the roster. Her expression was unreadable or at least she hoped it was. She really didn't want to make Forrest feel any worse but she was disappointed.

"How did you cheat, then?" She didn't look at him when she asked and she tried to keep her voice neutral, wondering how far he'd take his story.

He was so clever! He... really... maybe not so much...

Forrest frowned and his face fell when she acted so... weird... like someone else. No. He wanted the friendly Ella back! This Ella was scary and--he bit his lip. He didn't feel so clever anymore. He felt like the world's most stupid person. And that included the deceased people too.

"I, uh..." He didn't know how people cheated too. He only knew it was forbidden. Seriously, how would you cheat in try-outs? He couldn't meet her eyes. "Okay I didn't cheat. But I'll bring shame to our house, Ella. Please." Those weren't tears, noooope. There was just something in his eyes. Yep.

It was funny the way memories came back to you at the weirdest times. And Ella was remembering how she'd been so sure that she shouldn't be allowed at Hogwarts because she was a muggleborn and couldn't possibly be good enough. Yet she was here and good enough and with people who made her feel that way every day and all she wanted was to make Forrest feel that he was good enough too only she didn't know how. It was frustrating. So frustrating that she couldn't help the frown that tugged at the corners of her mouth.

"I don't like liars, Forrest." She said softly, her gaze falling on him once again. And he just looked so sad which broke her heart because she didn't know how to fix it. "Why would you even think something like that?" That he would bring shame on Hufflepuff. That was such a horrible weight to put on yourself and he was only a second year.

...

...his lower lip trembled horribly now, though there were no tears in his eyes. Forrest didn't know about his future shames, but he was sure that he brought shame on himself now. Of course. No one liked liars. But no one liked weirdos, too. And he was one. Benjamin had confirmed it.

"I'm sorry." Did she hear? He wasn't sure. He couldn't meet her eyes now. He was still hopeful that she would rule him out, though. Especially if she didn't like liars. But he didn't want her to not like him. In fact, he wanted to be one of the people she liked the most; because she was an amazing person.

"Because I... I'm never successful..." He stole a glance from her eyes before lowering his gaze again.

Could he, like, be swallowed up by the ground?

She did hear. She heard and it took a lot not to hug the boy again but she was trying to get him to understand some stuff now and maybe the not hugging would make it easier for him to see that she wasn't just being nice. "Don't lie to me again, okay?" Her tone was still soft but she was completely serious. She hated when people lied.

Never successful? Ella frowned slightly and decided to take a seat on the floor, legs crossed in front of her and eyes on the roster. "You were successful in tryouts. I wouldn't have picked you if you weren't." And she glanced at him briefly before looking away. "And people who don't fail at anything never really learn. And sure it's sucky to fail but everyone does it at some point." Heck, she felt like a failure most of the time.

"Look, I can't make you play." She didn't have that kind of power. "But I was looking forward to having you on my team and I bet Tobias feels the same." Because they both believed in him. "Forget about the failing stuff for a minute, okay? If you want to do this, I'll help you. Just...don't not do it because you're afraid." Do it because your leg is broken or you can't make the grades or your parents forbid you but not because you're afraid.

Forrest could only nod timidly. He still couldn't meet her eyes. This was definitely the most embarassing moment of his life. There wasn't even one situation that came close to the awful feeling he had now. He normally wouldn't mind this much, but it was Ella that had caught him lying. It multiplied the 'horrible'ness by nearly infinity.

..."I was?" He stole another glance. Of course, he knew that. She was an amazing captain. It had just... never occured to him to think this way. "I guess so..." And he meant it. Unsuccessful situations were truly the best teachers. And again, Ella made him realise it for real.

Tobias... riiiight... Forrest's face fell more, as if it wasn't horrible already, at the possibility of failing his best mate too; not because he played horribly, but because he quit. He bit his lip. He believed Ella about 'looking forward'. He just... he didn't look forward to it. But... he was pretty sure he would be a substitute anyway, for the whole year, especially after this conversation. That was something?

He managed to look at her for a few seconds this time. He forgot about failing, okay. He could see himself flying alongside Tobias and Ella. None of them were laughing at him even if he played horribly, because they were friends. Had that been Ella's intention since the beginning? Well, it WORKED.

"I... want to play, then." Another quick glance. Were they good? Did she forgive him? Did she?

She'd take that nod as a yes, okay? And she wouldn't mention this to anyone so he didn't need to worry about that. She was just glad he'd be straight with her from now on because that's what he'd be getting from her. Only the truth.

"You were loads better than I thought you'd be considering you hadn't flown before the start of term." And she smiled a little at this, feeling happy about the way Tobias had helped Forrest out on the pitch. Those two were genuinely nice kids and she was really glad they were friends. As for him agreeing with her, she simply nodded. The blonde wanted him to decide for himself so the less talking she did, the better.

Because Ella wasn't talking, she settled on braiding her hair quietly while the younger badger thought over what she'd said. She occasionally glanced over at him, hoping for some kind of tell that she had helped him out in some small way. He just looked plain sad, though, which was unfortunate.

Wait, WHAT? Ella forgot all about braiding and focused on Forrest, not believing what she was hearing. He actually wanted to play now? That was amazing! Just...she was really happy about this. "You're going to have fun, okay? This team is a family so...welcome." And she smiled a little, nudging him gently in the arm.

Forrest daren't ask whether she would keep this between them, but he trusted her. He looked at her slightly in shock when she said he was alright. That lifted his spirits a little, because she wasn't lying too, and it showed on his face. Life was good when you had cool friends you could count on. He didn't know about her, but she was definitely his friend. Though, his mother would have argued that if she fought so much, she valued him. And mothers always knew things correctly. Hmm.

...

He smiled a little, but then his smile spread across his whole face. He nodded again, and on an impulse, hugged her: a big, squishy hug.

"Thanks Ella, for the...support." He pulled back. See the happiness on his face? All Ella's work. "I'm sorry. I love you." He smiled timidly, daring to look into her eyes this time. "I...I should go now." Because although they were good--they were, right?!--he still needed some time to collect himself. Waving at her, he made his way to the boys' dormitories.

Hugs? Real genuine hugs too? Ella approved so much. She squished the boy back and smiled real big, feeling SO relieved that he was feeling better. "That's what I'm here for, Forrest." Support and stuff. They were Hufflepuffs, yeah? That's what Hufflepuffs did for each other.

Wait. He loved her? Ella tilted her head and smiled softly, completely surprised. She went to say something back too but he was leaving already. So instead she simply waved at him, the smile ever present on her face. That had definitely turned out better than she expected it to.

This captaining thing? Nailed it. GRIN.

Tobias had retrieved a magnifying glass from Professor Flamsteed ages ago. There was no doubt in his mind that he would do his Astronomy homework to the best of his ability this year, so he was all READY and prepared and stuff. But he'd had the magnifying glass for ages now and still hadn't found the best day for his idea.

But NOW, RIGHT NOW, NOW at this VERY MOMENT, Tobias found his opportunity.

The little badger had just arrived back at the common room after a day of lessons and extra studying. He was about to deposit his school bag in his dormitory so he could get changed and then go for a fly when a cursory glance of the common room revealed the perfect setting for this part of his Astronomy homework.

Tobias dashed to his dormitory to dumped his back and grab the magnifying glass, hurrying back into the common room whilst he attached the thing to his wand.

Not only was the sun streaming through the windows at exactly the right moment, but also the common room fire was out, probably given that they'd had one of those weird warm days that you suddenly got in mid-autumn.

It was best to do this before too many people got in the way, and so Tobias quickly squinted up at the windows and then over to the fire, figuring out angles and such. Eventually he moved over to a particular area of wall, climbed up onto a desk and pushed a window open so he could have an actual beam of sunlight that wasn't coming through a pane of glass. That done, Tobias dragged a chair out and put it in a specific point and stood on it, before looking towards the empty fireplace, and then nodded once.

Oh yes! Kindling!

Slapping his own forehead at almost forgetting that detail, Tobias then jumped back OFF the chair and went to go and build up some logs in the fireplace. Then he went back and stood on the chair again.

Right. All ready.

He raised his wand and pointed it at the logs he'd just built up, making sure he definitely caught a few rays of sun in the magnifying glass. Okay, so he knew the water spell, just in case, right? Though a fire would only start if he focused the beam for long enough, and he wouldn't do that if it was pointed at the carpet or something, would he?

Right... here goes.

"Solis Focalis!"

Ella settled back into the arm chair and curled up, her potions book open in her lap. She was trying to concentrate but failing and failing hard. Especially when she noticed Tobias doing something with the fire place. Hmmm.

Oh! He was doing his astronomy, huh? The magnifying glass was sort of a giveaway so she didn't interrupt. Instead she watched on with interest, occasionally glancing back down to her book with a guilty expression. She really should be reading but eh.

...

It didn't work.

Tobias frowned; he had been sure that this would be the most obvious use for the spell. It made the most logical sense, giving that it gave off heat. Hmm... maybe you had to cast it a few times, or maybe you had to do something special to make the beam of light focus for longer. It made sense, otherwise that class activity where they'd been shooting the spell at each other might have had a few too many students on fire, you know?

Right.

The Hufflepuff bounced on his toes for a moment 'cause ENERGY, and the chair wobbled dangerously but if Tobias noticed that he didn't show it. He raised his wand again and caught the light at the right angle. He'd have to hurry otherwise he'd lose the light or someone else would start the first because he was letting in the cold by opening the window. RIGHT. FOCUS. RIGHT.

Haha... focus... focalis. HA. Oh man.

Shaking his head to try and focus his mind again, Tobias cast the spell. "Solis Focalis!"

Once he had the beam, instead of losing focus, Tobias concentrated really really super duper hard on keeping it up and not letting it die too soon, and also tried to keep the beam still. Concentrating for ages was hard enough, but staying STILL? It was super difficult. But the stronger the beam the quicker this would be done, especially if he concentrated super hard. ALSO if he managed it in this attempt, he wouldn't have to try it again all exhausted. GOOD PLAN.

The seconds ticked on and Tobias squinted along the concentrated sun beam at the fire where it was aimed, positively WILLING for a fire to spring for the logs.

Just when he was considering giving up and taking a break, or maybe trying another day, Toby noticed it. A small wisp of smoke coming from the logs... steadily progressing into a wisp stronger and much more visible and much less wisp-like. That was the encouragement he needed, so Tobias suddenly found EXTRA focus he needed to concentrate the beam a few seconds further.

Then it was too much, and Tobias had to end the spell and lower his wand. He felt wobbly enough that he thought he'd fall off the chair, but grasped onto the back of it and climbed off before that could happen.

Before he had a chance to note that he even had a layer of sweat on his brow from the exertion that it had taken to cast the spell, Tobias had bolted over to the fireplace and knelt in front of it to see if it had worked.

O__O

Don't fall over, Tobias. Ella was still watching and a little nervously now given the wobbling that was happening. She was trying not to intervene though because the second year looked really focused on what he was doing and so Ella decided to get focused too. Time to read.

A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat that will reverse the effects of most poisons, though there are certain unusual ones that it won't work against.

The logs in the fireplace were definitely smoldering! Tobias could have SQUEALED at the sight of it, because it meant that his idea had WORKED and he was one step closer to finishing his homework. The Hufflepuff stayed kneeling at the fireplace and kind of tried to fan the fire and blow some air in an under the logs to make the flame catch properly. He had approximately zero idea of how to actually do that, but after a few minutes there really WAS a fire in the fireplace that HE had created using the SUN.

Sitting back on his feet whilst he knelt there before the fire, which soon started cracking in the grate, a curious smile played on Tobias' face. He was really proud of that, even though he already knew how to make fire using incendio. Perhaps because this way had taken more effort? Maybe. WHO KNEW.

Right, anyway, that done, the still grinning boy pushed himself back up to his feet. After dragging the chair back to the edge of the common room, Tobias stared around the room looking for something to try his next idea on. This was tricky, and Tobias soon found himself inspecting his own uniform, probably looking really weird to someone who didn't know what he was doing.

Bezoars.

They were good to have around, y'know? Not that Ella wanted like a jar of them on her nightstand or anything but maybe a few in her trunk just in case of emergency. Merlin knew Hogwarts could be a scary place sometimes. Hopefully this term would be different, though. Anywhoo...back to reading.

The Wiggenweld Potion is a healing potion with the power to awaken a person from a magically-induced sleep.

Wiggenweld. Hehehe. That was a funny word. Ella giggled a little to herself and shook her head, wondering who came up with this stuff. Wiggenweld. Wiggenweld. Wiggenweld. Ehehehe.

Ah-HA! Perfect!

Tobias found exactly what he needed right there on his school jumper. He went and took a seat on the sofa (and finally noticed Ella sitting there reading a book... and decided not to disturb her 'cause they were each engaging in their own productivity) keeping hold of the long strand of wool that had frayed off and come loose from his jumper. The urge to try and pull it off was almost overwhelming.

Figuring this must be one of the jumpers from his first year, Tobias pulled the strand taut and lifted his wand again. As he tried to line up the magnifying glass with the sun at the right angle, Tobias couldn't help but notice that even though this jumper was clearly bought the summer before he started his first year it was no tighter on him than his newer clothes. Same for all of the clothes that he still owned from before Hogwarts. Gosh, how Tobias yearned for a growth spurt to come soon. He was thirteen now, and a lot of his friends were at least 5 feet tall.

Even the first years. A lot of THEM were taller.

Realising he'd quickly gone off focus, Tobias blinked and concentrated on the positioning of the magnifying glass. It seemed unlikely that the beam would hit such a small target on the first try, so it would take a few goes.

"Solis Focalis!" Tobias cast, and watched as the beam missed the thread, instead going three or so inches to the right and hitting him on the leg. "Ouch!" the Hufflepuff exclaimed automatically, even though it hadn't actually hurt at all. Just felt more of a jolt or a sharp poke, and he had spoken in surprise.

He adjusted his wand slightly and tried again.

"Solis Focalis!"

This time the beam went about half an inch to the left, hitting him in the leg again. Tobias was prepared for it this time. But this was definite progress, and he was much closer to the strand of wall. Tobias made more adjustments and decided that if this attempt wasn't successful he would have to give his arm a bit of a rest.

"Solis Focalis!"

Bingo! The concentrated beam of light shot at the thread at exactly the right angle, burning through the wool quite close to the jumper and leaving the end of the remaining strand sort of singed. Excellent! He totally KNEW it was a decent idea, but it probably would only work on really thin strands like these, because the leg of his trousers wasn't damaged at all. Handy!

Now he'd found one thread, Tobias was starting to find more everywhere. Right on the arm of the sofa was another loose thread, much thinner than the last one. Toby figured he'd do this one more time and then he'd be done.

She was trying to read but every now and then her curiosity got the better of her and she glanced up, eyeing the second year curiously. Her eyes widened slightly when she saw him pulling on some thread. Ohhhhh no. Oh no, no, no. Was he trying to burn the thread? WHAT if he caught his entire jumper on fire? Just because Tobias was a little ball of sunshine didn't mean he needed to BURN up like one. MERLIN. These kids, they were trying to kill Ella. It was official.

Wand in hand in case water was needed, the blonde feigned reading her book and kept a watchful eye on the little guy, wincing when he called out in pain. He wasn't on fire yet, though, which was good. No need to panic just yet.

"Don't you light that sofa on fire."

>.<

So much for keeping a low profile.

Tobias was out of his seat and had gone to kneel beside the arm of the sofa to get a better angle and aim for burning the next thread. He pulled the thread taut again and aimed his wand at it.

He'd not been too worried about catching something on fire, because in their Astronomy lesson they'd been aiming this spell at each OTHER and all they'd needed to protect was their eyes. Tobias had trusted Airey then, so why not now.

But as he opened his mouth to try the spell, Toby heard Ella's voice spring out, and he MEEPed and jumped in surprise, before ducking down behind the arm of the chair and out of sight. It was kind of a reflex action when he thought he was about to get in trouble: HIDE.

Straightening back up and peeking over the arm of the chair, his head only visible from the eyes upwards, Tobias furrowed his brow and then raised on eyebrow at Ella. Then his eyebrows shot upwards as he grinned, mouth still hidden.

"It's okay! I'm saving that for my seventh year," he reassured the Hufflepuff captain in a (half???) joking manner.

Tobias decided this angle was perfect. He found the thread again and pulled it nice and tight, before trying to find the right angle for the spell again.

"Solis Focalis!"

The spell hit the sofa cushion with an 'OOMPH', only about a centimetre off from where he was aiming, which totally wasn't a bad shot. Tobias grinned to himself and adjusted the wand and tried again.

"Solis Focalis!"

SCORE! The beam hit the thread which broke off in Toby's fingers, and the sofa escaped this bout of homework totally unscathed. The Hufflepuff stood and tucked the thread in his pocket with the one from his jumper as PROOF that his homework ideas had worked. He could spellotape them to the parchment, and it would be glorious.

Tobias climbed back up onto the chair and finally closed the window that he'd opened to do his homework, as the common was starting to get a bit chilly, before jumping back down. Then he made his merry way back towards the boys' dormitories with a little spring in his step, ruffling Ella's hair on the way past. "Toldya!"

And with that, he disappeared to the dormitory to write up his homework all neatly. Maybe he'd pogo up to the Astronomy tower later to hand it in. It had been a while since Airey had had a go.

Fern hadn't been a big fan of the last Herbology class, especially after they had been forced to pay in order to attend, but this had to be the very best homework assignment yet!

Socks tossed to the side and toenails shining with wet paint, the first year reread her notes very carefully. Two little clockwise circles. Move the wand up and down. Siccus Aerous. All right. That didn't seem too hard.

Fern pulled her wand and aimed it at her toes. "Siccus Aerouuugh!" She had completed the two circles before she had even begun to move the wand over her feet. It turned out this was going to be a lot more difficult than she had first thought.

But it would be worth it. Aside from using the spell to dry her nail polish, she would also be able to use it to dry her hair!

Dylan flipped through his notes, biting his lip. Merlin, he didn't quite understand. He hadn't quite been paying attention at the last Herbology lesson since he hadn't gotten sleep that night...the whole class he had been struggling to keep himself awake. Although, at least he had taken lots of notes. But now that he read through them, they weren't much help. The only problem was he didn't know how to pronounce this bloody spell... Siccus Aerous? He sighed in frustration but suddenly heard someone near him trying the spell. Glancing around himself quickly, he made his way over to her. "E-excuse me," he began, tapping her lightly on her shoulder. "I'm doing the Herbology homework and couldn't help but overhear you doing it as well. I was just wondering if you could help me on the pronunciation of the spell? I can't remember it." he explained, his cheeks slightly pink in embarassment.

Henric walked into the common room and searched for a place to sit. He sighed, beginning to miss his family back home. He hadn't had much friends to talk to ever since he was sorted to hufflepuff house. He was kind of shy talking to the fellow first years and even more to the older students. He settled down to the nearest available seat near the fireplace and took out some reading materials for him to memorise for tomorrow's lesson.

The stack of books in front of the fifth year was ridiculous. It went from the floor to her knees whilst she was sitting on the sofa, and she was barely making a dent in the first one. Not even a chapter. Studying was horrible.

She hated it.

Elodie wanted studying to die.

She'd also made no notes yet. Maybe she should have done that. Or maybe food was an option because she'd been at this already for half an hour and that was much too long. Half an hour too long.

After making her way through the entrance, Olly took a moment to glance around the Common Room. There weren't too many people around. Good. So no annoying chit-chat with people she couldn't care less about. Maybe she'd actually spend some time down here for a change. Until the other 'Puffs came of course. Then she'd migrate back upstairs.

Until then, the sofa close to the fireplace sounded like a good idea.

Oh and there was Elodie.

With a sigh Olly let herself drop into the armchairs closest to the sofa Els was sitting on and eyed the stack of books next to her for a moment. "I don't want to study." Not whining or complaining, just stating a fact. Hence why she she didn't have any books with her. Nor had she come from the library or any other study-related place.