Nadia very nearly bounced into the Great Hall after leaving her carriage mates behind. She was back at Hogwarts. Well, they were back at Hogwarts. Her dark eyed gaze flicking first to the Hufflepuff table in search of her sister with a smile. However, as she shifted it over the rest of the tables, her smile faltered on the Ravenclaw table. Rajesh wasn’t there, anymore than he’d gotten on the train back at King’s Cross. She had been doing so well with it, but it felt weird for him not to be there with them.

The newly minted second-year Gryffindor let out an exaggerated exhale and decided to make her way over to the Gryffindor table. At least there she could hope to be joined by either her adventure partner from the Shrieking Shack or her fellow moving painting connoisseur from over the summer. Or any other new acquaintances she could find hanging about tonight or the rest of the coming term to fill the lovable older-brother-sized hole in her posse.

Meredith hesitantly entered the Great Hall, her hand covering her chin. The train ride had not gone as planned, and her Transfiguration spell in one of the compartments had failed. Instead of a blue streak in her hair, as she had intended, she now sported a royal blue goatee. She wouldn't have noticed it if she hadn't seen herself in a window reflection.

She now had two options. Wear it with pride, like a true Gryffindor! Or she could hide it and pretend she just liked holding his chin in her hand???. There was a third one and not go to the feast at all but the thought of having no food until tomorrow morning was out of the question!

For now, the fifth year took a seat near a second year (Nadia), and after giving a quick "Hello" she looked around for anyone smart enough to undo this accident.

Yumeki was awake. For once he was not head down on the Table trying to catch any shuteye before the speech. No food in the face this time. Not that it's happened before. He certainly did NOT look well rested though. He could do with a nap right here right now. What was keeping him up was his own willpower. This would be his last Start of the Term Feast and he actually wanted to be up for it. His head drooped for a moment and his eyes shut. He shook his head and sat up straight. He tilted his head up and just stared at the floating candles. But the longer he looked the more bored he got and the tiredness started to kick in again.

He kneed the bottom of the Table hard and shot a bit of pain into it to get his eyes to widen up a bit. What if something cool happened? Yumeki would not miss it.

SEVENTH YEAR.

It felt like a breath of fresh air, and this blonde was ready to revisit her Hogwarts roots and own the school. Whether she had time to rekindle old friendships alongside her important studies, though, that was hard to tell. But she’d sure try!

Remy was twiddling her wand through fingers as she entered the Great Hall, extremely chipper despite summer being well and truly over. She had really enjoyed this summer, and, as always, loved flaunting brand new school robes at the start of term. Before reaching the Gryffindor table, she felt inspired by the atmosphere and muttered a bouquet spell, pointing her wand to her hair and conjuring a selection of red and yellow flowers as a headband. House pride, and all that.

She didn’t have a mirror but she trusted her handiwork as she had been practising an awful lot. Yumeki was an easy choice to sit beside out of the current options, although there was an audible sigh as she sat down, in memory of her bestest friend who was no longer here.

… he hadn’t died, but it had created an empty feeling, all the same.

“We keeping you up, Yumeki?” Remy asked with an amused expression, after noticing his head drooping before shooting back up again. Perhaps he had too much of a relaxed summer that this was all too much for him. Remy couldn’t relate to that feeling, she was always bright as a button especially at start of term feasts. She gave a courteous smile to the two younger students (Nadia and Meredith). She gently pulled at a petal from one of the flowers in her hair as she watched everybody situate themselves at their tables.

The Start of Term feast was one of Vera's favorite Hogwarts events. Seeing everyone again after a long summer apart, hearing stories from trips and vacations, congratulating the new seventh years on the start of their final path to FREEDOM. The socializing was a big thing for her, but on this particular feast she was super distracted and had her eyes GLUED to the sorting. The last of the Thanatos was joining them at school and Ve was very invested in Scoot being a Gryffindor with her.

Which... She felt the odds were good, but she also wouldn't have originally expected Vasco to be placed elsewhere so she was not counting any chicks until they hatched.

Bypassing the other familiar faces already seated, (though Meredith certainly got a second glance - was that a new fashion statement?) she gave small smiles and head nods of acknowledgement before sitting down and staring again at the sorting. It was too bad T had to be so far down.

The train ride had been rather uneventful. For one Sable Ileana Armstrong, anyhow. Or, at least, she didn’t think there was anything of note to have happened. She herself was still rather riding high off having been able to take an actual sailboat out on the water over the summer. Not just their project that had been rather neglected in the boathouse here as of late. Poor little pirate ship. But things happened. Distractions happened, and the blonde herself had considered going over to the Slytherin table for a bit. Just because, but then she’d seen how distracted Bestie was and since Vasco was probably at the Claw table and she hadn’t seen Logan as of yet, there were more important things to do. Bothering certain snakes could wait.

“Has Ves been sorted yet?”, she asked, plopping down into the seat next to Vera and immediately resting her chin on her shoulder, having glanced Meredith’s way and then chosen not to question it. Mishaps happened, and yeah. There was other things going on. Better to see the Sorting and everything, after all. Maybe. She figured it was close to a hug and Bestie looked like she needed one.

Ah there was another housemate (Meredith), an older eagle that seemed off for some reason, but Nadia couldn’t quite place it. “Hey,” the second year returned, about to say something more out of curiosity but the other girl had turned her attention away. Nadia in turn started to look around again herself, finally spotting a familiar face at the staff and found herself relaxing. At least her Aunt Hads was there with her and her sister. Not quite the same as Raj but definitely family. She offered a smile sent the woman’s way, mentally talking herself out of waving.

She could be cooler than that.

Hearing the bang, Nads found herself wincing at the sound, looking quizzically at the older student (Yumeki) who appeared to have been the cause. “Did you just hurt yourself?” she questioned, offering the seventh year a concerned look. And had that been on purpose? Keeping him up? Another older girl(Remy) had made an appearance and seemed to know what was up with her fellow 7th year. And if Nadia was following, the boy had been trying to inflict pain to keep himself awake. Alrighty then.

She offered a simple smile in return before noticing the one older lion present she actually knew the name of and smiling. Her moving painting buddy from Diagon Alley. Albeit seeming a bit distracted, and not by the food that had appeared once the headmaster had finished his speech. “Hey Vera.” Oh there was another girl(Sable) the fourth year knew joining the scene. "Hi," she greeted simply.

Was this what real tiredness felt like? To feel sleepy not by choice, but by shear force of intensive training? He got a good nap in on the train that led to him on the floor of the Train Corridor. It seemed that it was not enough as he had to get right up. The Carriage ride was too bumpy to get any proper shuteye for a small nap. Was it too much to ask that these naps help wake him up and not make him more tired? His head turned and drooped. His long black hair covering his eyes. He had to push them out of his way to look over at Remy. While rubbing his leg from the shot of pain he gave himself ramming his knee into the bottom of the table. "Konbanwa Remy-chan...Good Evening." He bowed his head slightly toward her. Greeting his fellow 7th Year Housemate. "No, but uh... keeping me up wouldn't be half a bad thing for tonight." Perhaps conversation was what he needed to help keep him awake!! Arigato Remy-chan for engaging him! His head tilted slightly and he jerked it right back up by slamming his knee into the table again. "Hai!" He spoke to the younger Lioness (Nadia) a bit louder than he intended since he was processing the pain he just inflected on himself to stay wide awake. "Think they might serve coffee with the Dinner tonight?" With an extra shot of espresso? Better that than banging against the bottom of the table.

Smiles all round for the younger students, especially the ones who respected their elders and smiled at her. An ELDER, who’d have thought she’d make it all the way here? Remy also looked out for her little friend from Hufflepuff that she met over the summer, because she at least wanted to give her a finger wiggle wave.

The Headmaster’s speech listened to intently by Remy, in fact, she sat up straighter than ever to convey a real image of teachers pet. It wasn’t a particularly long speech this year, and the feast was here before she knew it. Yum.

Focussing her attention back to Yumeki, who was most certainly exhausted, Remy blushed a little at his greeting, then raised both of her eyebrows in sympathy at him. “You know, Yumeki, you should plate yourself some green vegetables, those will help with exhaustion.” Remy took it upon herself to reach for some broccoli and served him up some florets. Possibly not the riveting conversation that Yumeki was asking of her.

She started to pull gently at the flower in her hair, as a suddenly shy reaction to her silly mum behaviour.