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Tate had just got done packing his bag as he muttered a checklist to himself, making sure he wasn't forgetting anything. After he was finish with everything, he picked up his bags and exited his room, running down the stairs. Tatum was already downstairs, having himself a small breakfast as he eyed his brother with a head nod. Tate dropped his bags at the door and walked over there towards him, looking into his bowl of cereal. "Did mind fixing me one, huh?" Tate said with a chuckle then Tatum got up from his seated position and dropped his bowl in the sink, rinsing it out and staring at Tate. "You got two hands, bro." He snickered while looking at his brother again.

"Are you okay?" Tatum asked Tate sincerely. "I don't want to talk about it." Tate said while eying his brother a little and sighing a little bit. "I'm not even hungry anymore." Tate walked off and grabbed his bags, slinging them over his shoulders but having one in his hand. Tate walked out the front door and Tatum slowly trailed behind him as they packed up their bags into their vehicle. "I didn't mean to bring it up." Tatum said while getting into the passenger seat and buckling up his seat belt. Tate looked at him, a little bit angrily but sighed instead of speaking.

As they neared their way towards the train station after buying and getting all of their necessary supplies for the school year, Tatum saw that the train station was nearly empty. "I am going to guess that we're early." Tate said as he grabbed his bags along with Tatum, whose eyes trailed all over the train station. "Guess so." Tatum shrugged his shoulders while walking towards the train station and going the route where the platform 9 3/4 was located. "This is our last time going through this." Tate eyed his brother with a soft smile as Tatum agreed with him by nodding his head with a sigh. "Here we go."

Tate was the first to run through the platform and Tatum followed shortly behind him. The train station was emptying but platform 9 3/4 was booming with first years and their parents, along with the returning students. They didn't really look around for anyone that they knew since looking for seats were a tragedy so they did that first. After looking for their seats, they realized that there was an extra seat in their compartment. "I hope no one tries to come and sit with us." He asked while sitting down and immediately plopping his head against the window. Tatum got up and locked their compartment door, ensuring that no one will get in. "Dude, you've got to cheer up. I'm sorry what happened to Olivia but you've got to look towards the future." Tatum said sincerely while sitting back in his seat as he stared out of his window.

Seeing the first years get a kiss from their parents and eventually made their trek onto the train, which departed when everyone was on board. The train ride took longer than usual, simply because the school was rebuilt right down the road, a few blocks down. They did pass through the old Hogwarts and most of the kids stared at the gruesome site and couldn't imagine being there during that battle. As the train came to a screeching halt, Tate realized that they didn't have to take a boat to the new school and that it had a train station on the outskirts of it. "Well, bro, this is it." Tate said while getting up from his seat and unlocking their compartment.

Tatum followed behind him as they were pushing their way through the sea of kids and eventually ended up off of the train. They both stood there and glanced up at the new school, seeing if anything had really changed. Nothing. It was almost an exact replica of the old Hogwarts but the only thing different were the pictures. Tate and Tatum stood just a few inches in front of the doorway, basking in the new school year smell.

Wolf had not had the best of mornings. His sister, Estel, who had a week to go before she needed to return to Durmstrang, had decided to hog the bathroom, knowing full well he’d need to leave early. His mother had no sympathy, telling him only that he would need to wait until she was done.
Because of this, he missed breakfast and had to content himself with an apple, hastily snatched from the table before his mother could object, for she had rules about any food being eaten in the kitchen or dining room and nowhere else in the house. This included ALL food. Estel sat with toast and marmalade, a sadistic smile on her face as she took a bite.
He was out the door and in the car with his father, his bag being packed the night before. Murphy, his owl, had a static cage/perch at home but no transport one, so he would meet Wolf there.
His father gave him a funny look as his son took a bite of the apple, but nothing was said, their journey a quiet one. His father didn't get out at the train station, leaving Wolf to get out his own things and head off.
Some might have been saddened by his family’s treatment, or annoyed at his father’s indifference, but Wolf had made this journey the same way since the beginning. He didn't know different, so it was normal to him.
On the platform, he normally would have found a compartment with the other boys from his house, but being a Prefect had perks, and he made his way to the compartments that were especially for him and those chosen few.
The journey was uneventful, mostly because he didn't go patrolling like most of the others, choosing to stick with his Slytherin counterpart and lounge in the compartment, which was on the opposite side of the train to the “old Hogwarts.” He had no desire to look at the old wreck.
“Hey Wolf,” one of his chums called as he disembarked the train, causing him to glance over and not see the pair of boys who had stopped a little way in front.
He walked straight into their backs, surprised then giving them a dirty look, followed quickly by a smirk.
“Oh look, it’s Twincest,” he said, not seeming to care that someone else might hear him, or rather making enough noise so that they would. “As ugly as ever, and twice as stupid. This is a path, not a stop.”
He didn't wait for their retort, or to see if they’d try and do anything. He walked around them and, giving them a look which said they were less that the dirt on his shoes, and headed into the school.




Jean’s summer had flown by, what with all the chore at home to do and trying to do homework set for summer. Her wellies had seen better days and had decided to spring a leak the second week in, whilst she was up to her ankles in mud. It had taken her mum a few days to get a new pair, meaning she either needed to wear her “good” shoes (a pair of ratty trainers) or wear the broken ones until new ones could be gotten.
She was up early the day she was due to leave, having to feed the chickens and check for eggs, before showering.
Her house was always a bit mad, no matter the time of day. Even at 2am, if you needed a glass of water, at least 1 other person would end up in the kitchen.
This morning was no different. Jean had managed to get into the bathroom once her ma had vacated it, but there was knocking on the door before the shampoo was in her hair, wanting to know how long she’d be. She shouted back that they’d need to wait, but that never kept anyone at bay for long, more knocking and shouting part of their morning greeting.
Breakfast wasn’t much better. With 8 children and 2 parents, sometimes her grandda, meals had always been hectic. Even though 3 of her brothers no longer lived at home, they popped in most days. Today they were all there to see her off from the house, though not all of them would be coming to the station. The first time she had, they’d all come, though 3 of her elder brothers were also attending the school. Now they’d all left, and for 1 year only, she would be the only Clements at the school.
She loved her family, but it had been somewhat embarrassing her first year when the whole clan, including her grandda, had decided to see her off. Too much noise and red hair, everyone staring. It was too much, but she’d missed them when she was gone.
She enjoyed her breakfast, smiling as she watched the triplets pass plates to each other, occasionally slipping food under the table to Goober and Gobber, the 2 farm dogs. Her ma leaning on the oven, a cup of coffee held in both hands and surveying her family. Her grandda shouted for things which no one passed to him, making him bellow and snatch as they plates whizzed by him. He was a big, burley man, with a red beard and a great knack for cursing (though non magically).
The trip to the station was as loud as anything, with her grandda shouting at his son–in-law about how he should drive and about the stupidity of motorists, the triplets, along with baby George, who was now 9 but still kept his nickname, and her ma. IF her father hadn’t bewitched their cars, or in the case of today’s journey, the jeep, they never would have all fitted, never mind the luggage and an owl in it’s cage.
They swarmed onto the magical platform, causing stares from those who had seen them before and those who were knew it all. Her grandda gave her a whiskery kiss and told her he’d see her at Hogmanay, then letting everyone else do the same. It was mostly uneventful, apart from the Triplets getting aboard the train and having to be chased off it again.
Then the train was moving and Jean watched her family until they were out of sight.
She spent most of the journey petting Juju, her minute owl, or giggling with the girls in her compartment.
When the old Hogwarts came into sight, she gazed at it with an awed longing.
“It’s creepy,” another girl said when they asked Jean what she was staring at.
“It’s beautiful,” Jean said, seeing how the shadows reached to the sky, the fossil of an amazing building. Jean liked ruins and manor houses, her favourites including Newstead Abby and Annesley Hall. They were near where she lived and she loved to walk around them, imagining how they must have once looked.
“You’re weird, Jee,” the girls said, causing more giggling to take place.
They were at that age, when boys were far more interesting than they’d been before and, as the journey continued, they discussed the ones they liked the best, which continued all the way off he train.
A couple of those who had been mentioned were stood not far, and she shushed a couple of girls, which made them all begin to giggle. Another couple of the boys they liked were seen heading into the castle. They were all older, because boys their own age hadn’t yet figured into their minds.
“I wonder if we’ll all have boyfriends this year,” one of the girls said, which was the typical frivolous thing that one girl amongst a group of girls will say, even if they are normally sensible.
Jee rolled her eyes and, as they entered, left them. They were form different houses to her, having met in their different classes, rather than in their houses.
Jean went to take her seat among the other Ravenclaws to await the start of the sorting and arrival of the new first years. If she'd been anyone else, Jean would have taken a seat and been able to sit doing nothing more than enjoying her first day.
Because she was Jean, she tripped, landing face down on top of someone else, between the Slytherin and Ravenclaw table.
This caused howls of laughter from the Slytherin table, and Jean, her knees sore from landing hard on the floor, took a second to realise that her face was now on someone's chest and not on the cold floor of the hall.
Her face burned as red as her hair as she pushed herself off.
"I... I.... I'm so sorry."
Her voice shook as she stammered her apology, staring in horror. It was bad enough to be that girl who'd fallen on the first say of term, worse because she'd landed on someone else. The only way it could have been more mortifying was if she'd been carrying food.

The morning of returning to Hogwarts was a relaxed one in the Graves household. Demi woke up early to make a special breakfast for the men of her life, since it would be months until they could see each other again. They talked and laughed their way through freshly-baked cinnamon rolls with icing, scrambled eggs, bacon, turkey ham, hash browns and milk or orange juice. Having packed their belongings the following night and leaving them at the center of the living room, the family moved there to say goodbye to their father before apparating to the train station; Demi having just earned her Apparating licence that summer. Kaden, like the gentleman his mother had raised, carried Demi's trunk and owl cage until they had reached the crowded platform. Luke gave his brother a big hug before mounting his and Demi's trunks onto the train. Demi followed suit, giving Kaden a peck on the cheek.

"I'll miss you so much, big brother!" she told him sweetly, breaking the hug and looking into a pair of eyes just like her own.

Kaden smiled, ruffled her hair a little and kissed her forehead. "I'll be counting the days until you guys are back, lil' sis. That's how much I'll miss you," he replied before turning to Luke, his face getting serious. "Make sure no bastards want to or even try to mess around with her, okay? Keep your eyes peeled.

Luke nodded. "You know it, Kae. I'll protect her with my life."

Demi rolled her eyes, a playful smile on her full lips. "Guys! It's always the same thing every year! You two and dad are the only men in my life. Quit being so darn overprotective!" Giggling, she pulled her brothers into a group hug and said a last goodbye before Demi and Luke walked inside the train.

They quickly found an empty compartment in which they settled their things and discussed the upcoming Quidditch season before the train began to move and they were joined by three scared-looking first years, Chris, Stella and Leslie, that couldn’t find anywhere else to sit. Demi, always having a soft spot for children, quickly erased their fears away and made them feel right at home. Before long, the five were sharing their background stories and talking animatedly.

“What does that badge on your robes mean, Demi?” asked Chris, pointing at a badge that was neatly pinned onto Demi’s robes. “How come we don’t have one?”
Demi smiled proudly, plucking out the badge from her robes, placing it on her open palm and offering the kids a better view of it. “I’ve been named the Quidditch captain of the Gryffindor team this year, so they gave me this badge to let people know. Only the team captains get it.”

“Woah…” Leslie whispered in awe, her brown eyes staring at the badge in reverence.

“What’s Quidditch?” asked Stella. The question was no surprise, seeing as the young girl was a Muggleborn.

The rest of the trip went on with Demi and Luke trying to explain the basics of Quidditch to the kids while they shared the Chocolate Cauldrons that the Graves had bought. The fivesome was so immersed in conversation that they failed to see the Old Hogwarts’ ruins. Before long, they had arrived at the platform just in front of the old school. The first years, having heard the call for them to step outside first, exited the compartment, giving Demi and Luke warm hugs before departing. Demi carefully stepped off the train, being hit immediately with a warm breeze and the smell of pine trees. She looked around at all the hassle, suddenly missing the days when Kaden joined them. She dreaded to think that she would be on her own next year.

Pushing the unwelcome thoughts aside, Demi made her way to the Great Hall alongside Luke. Her blue eyes wandered to the Quidditch field, with its house flags waving high in the air, seemingly calling out to her. She bit her lower lip longingly, wanting nothing more than to take her broomstick and get the buzz and freedom that could only be reached by flying through the clouds. Of course, she'd had to wait until the next day. They were now inside the castle and facing the stairs of the Great Hall when a crash and laughter reached Demi's and Luke's ears. Going through the double doors, Demi had just enough time to notice that a girl she only knew by sight was lying right on top of someone else's chest before a round of cheers and appoause suddenly filled the dining hall. She whipped her head in the direction of the noise, only to notice that it was coming from the Gryffindor table, where all the students were standing and beaming in her direction.

It seems word got out FAST that I'm captain... she was thinking, right before she let out a shriek of surprise when Luke and the rest of the Gryffindor team all took Demi into their arms and made their way to the table singing:

Demi is our Queen
She will not let the other teams win
That's why Gryffindor's all sing
Demi is our Queen.

They carefully sat Demi down in the middle of the table, where the other students made their way to congratulate her. Her face bright with embarrassment, she shook hands and thanked fellow students for what seemed like forever, when they heard a familiar voice of the Slytherin table say: "Who in their right mind would let Graves of all people be Captain? It seems we'll have an easy win this year."
The whole Hall went quiet. Standing up and smiling confidently, Demi turned to face the person. "I hope you keep that same train of thought when we win the Quidditch House Cup this year again, just like it's been for the last two years." she said cheekily, blowing them a kiss before taking her seat again.

As they continued to stand and stare, they felt someone bump into them as they eyed the male before them. "Julian." Tate spoke through clenched teeth and reached for his wand but Tatum stopped him. Tatum's ears twitched at Julian's words as he turned to stare at him as he walked away, not waiting for their comeback. "At least we don't walk away like a bitch." Tate and Tatum both snickered and fist pounded each other before heading towards the Great Hall. Once they entered, they realized that they had to go their separate ways.

"Well, I'll be at Gryffindor's table." Tate said while locking eyes with his brother. "Yeah and I'll be at Ravenclaw's." Tatum countered as they gave each other a quick hug then parted their way.

---

Tate walked over towards the Gryffindor's table and heard them all muttering to themselves about Demetria being team captain. His nose scrunched up as he couldn't believe that they gave the position to her. Her parents probably paid someone to give her the title. He sat beside his best bud in the house, Marshall and began conversing with him. "So, how was your summer?" He'd ask him as Marshall did nothing but shrug his shoulders while answering. "Eh, learned magic, hung out with parents, learned more magic and had the annual cookout. Same thing every summer." Marshall responded while grabbing a muffin before him. Tate nodded his head then looked as some people carried Demetria in. He looked at them with a sneer then removed that look when they sat her down right beside him, in the middle of the table. 'Why me?' He thought as he wanted to congratulate her but waited until the ensemble dispersed. Once they did, Tate cleared his throat and turned towards her. "Uhm, I guess congratulations are in order for you, Captain." Tate nudged her a little bit with a chuckle then looked over towards his brother, who was sticking his index finger in his mouth and imitating a gag. Tate shook his head and turned his attention back towards Demetria.



Tatum really hated being away from his brother and couldn't wait until the sorting of the first years and breakfast was over. His eyes flashed up above and saw the starry sky begin to form as he loved that the rebuilding of the school kept that magical effect. Tatum sat down and got instant glares from the Slytherin table as it seemed that they all hated him now, after he changed houses. Slytherin wasn't the rightful place for him and he knew it but Ravenclaw was exactly where he belonged. A soft sigh parted over his lips as his eyes looked up at a group of people, carrying Demetria in. His brow raised as he muttered out loud. "What's going on?" A female turned towards him. "Didn't you hear? Demetria has been named team captain for Gryffindor." Tatum had a look of disgust plastered on his face as the female turned back around. His stare went towards his brother as he showed his disgust towards him with a chuckle.

’I can’t wait till the banquet’s over.’

It was all Lucas could think about as he sat at the Ravenclaw table, amidst the cacophonous chattering of everyone else in the Great Hall. While the first years seemed utterly awestruck by the starry sky above them, it had long since lost its charm for him. The trip to Hogwarts was exhausting, as always, and right now, all he wanted to do was sleep - something that all this noise made nigh impossible to do. Why his aunt insisted on him travelling all the way back to Wales every year was beyond him, all it seemed to be was a waste of time and energy. Perhaps she simply wished to lessen the window of opportunity he had to cause trouble? Lucas wasn’t sure, though he didn’t exactly care, either. But he supposed that there was some merit in being borderline notorious in school. No one bothered him, and if they did - he had no qualms with using a couple of hexes to shut them up.

This period of quiet didn’t last long, however, as he heard some kind of commotion unfolding somewhere down the table. Craning his neck, Lucas had to squint slightly to get a better glimpse of the situation.

Oh. It was her.

Lucas could barely contain a snicker as he watched the girl stammer her way through an apology. What was her name again? Jennifer? Janet? He didn’t know, but whatever it was, it started with a ‘J’, and that falling right into someone’s chest thing? Priceless. With luck, this year’s Sorting Feast would prove more entertaining than the last, though he didn’t exactly set his expectations high. A long, shuddering yawn from escaping him as he looked around at the rest of the Great Hall. Christ, he really should’ve gotten some sleep on the train instead of just trawling through Twitter like an idiot. There was never anything interesting on there, anyway.

Still, even with his fatigue-dulled senses, Lucas managed to listen in on a conversation happening not too far away. Something about the new captain of Gryffindor’s Quidditch team? Big fucking deal. It sounded boring, really. News like this had never been up his alley, and the most amusing thing was how everyone seemed to be talking about it. While he could’ve done the sensible thing - keeping his head down, and his mouth shut - Lucas and ‘sensible’ had never, in all his 17 years, been put together in the same sentence.

“Whoop-dee-fucking-doo, Demetria’s the new Captain. Who gives a shit?” Lucas muttered, though it was definitely loud enough for those in his immediate vicinity to hear, as apparent from the dirty looks his little comment earned him. Hey, he was in a bad mood, alright? The last thing on his mind was school spirit, and from what he saw, he wasn’t the only one who felt that way. While he didn’t have a personal vendetta against her, stirring up trouble was always a guaranteed way of keeping things fresh.

|BLEU DELACROIX|

Bleu startled awake, falling out of her seat and onto the floor of the train. She slowly sat up, tucking her legs beneath her and rubbing her eyes in annoyance. She stood up gradually, tumbling in the small compartment with every lurch of the train. It was with a sweet finality that Bleu slumped into her seat, tangling her hands in her brown hair and sighing. Her little nap had left her feeling groggy and gross, oil gleaning her face and a sluggishness remaining in her limbs. Bleu ruffled through her messenger bag that she carries around and pulled out a wipe, sliding it across her face and removing the grease from her face, leaving her fresh.

Grey, Bleu’s calico cat, jumped onto her lap as they pulled into Hogwarts and Bleu felt anxiety build up inside of her. The anxiety increased with every step she took – off the train, on the ground, into Hogwarts, towards the Great Hall. It took her a moment to figure out that Hufflepuff’s – the house which she had been sorted into over the summer – table happened to be the one swathed in yellow. While Bleu, personally, looked good in blue, she didn’t mind yellow that much either.

When the Gryffindor’s – or that’s what she was told they would be considering they were dressed in a fiery red and wondrous gold – erupted into cheers at some girl and Bleu just wished it would stop. She held a hand to her aching head and bowed her head, thinking about food, food, food. Over to the next table, almost directly behind Bleu, a boy exclaimed over the annoyance of it, and despite his uncouth language, Bleu had to reluctantly agree.

|BARNY ARKWRIGHT|

The morning had been dull, the ride had been dull, everything had been dull. So, it was obviously Barnaby Arkwright’s job to make something interesting happen. After the ride, he intentionally hid behind some trees, waiting for the crowd to leave, before he crept into the school. He stalked towards the Great Hall and, holding in a breath, placed his hands lightly on the door. And then, he flung them open and slid in on his charmed knees, his arms outstretched from wall to wall and a huge grin on his face.

“HELLOOOO HOGWARTS!!” He hollered, a blonde curl flopping in his face.

The other person had given her a glare and had practically pushed her off, stomping off down the table and leaving her kneeling on the floor, shaking. It was taken her a minute to realize it was a Slytherin and now they were back among their own, who were laughing and jeering, and pointing at her.
Sometimes, she wished she'd never found out she was a witch. She didn't even have anyone here who would stand up for her. Her friends either hadn't seen or were disowning her for the moment.
A chant had gotten up somewhere at the far side of the room near the Gryffindor but she had no interest in it, nor in the random shouts and calls across the room. It was Slytherin closest to the door, then Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and finally Slytherin. She'd always thought that it was this order because Gryffindor and Slytherin were like bitter rivals, so they needed to be as far apart as possible. Hufflepuffs were sweet and therefore an easy target, leaving Ravenclaw to be a small barrier between. Quite frankly, she wished to as far from the Slytherins as she could get right now.
She'd gotten to her feet, shaking a little and had taken a couple of steps toward a seat when the great hall doors had sung open and Barnaby Arkwright came skidding down the isle. In her haste not to be knocked over, she landed with a thump on the bench, looking shocked.
She'd never felt worse, biting her lip and shaking.
"M...m...mind if I sit here?" she asked the students who she landed among. They were 3rd years, much younger than her, but didn't seem to mind and nodded. "Thank you."
She sat miserably, head in her hands. She wasn't cool, like Tate or Tatum, or popular like Demetria or even funny like Barnaby. She was a joke.
"Well...." she said, and then stopped herself. Finishing that sentence with something like it couldn't get worse was asking for trouble.
She gave a small groan and put her head on the table, wanting to go to bed. The second time it was louder, when the Slytherin's began to sing. She wasn't sure who had it worse, the badgers being next to the lions, or her
house being next to the snakes.




Julian could give a flying rat about Quidditch. He'd never been interested in being on the team, but when the chanting started, he whistled to the rest of the Slytherins, most of whom started up the song, starting low and building. Most people might have recognised the tune, but the Slytherins certainly seemed to find it funny, Wolf conducting with his wand.
"Who do we feel sorry for?
There's no way that they can score!
Gryffindor, Gryffindor.
Who is easy to ignore?
They can't handle what's in store.
That's Gryffindor!"
Many Slytherin's laughed and grinned, the noise building as they laughed and sang, but Wolf the loudest as the second verse started.
"Who are we fighting for?
Slytherin, Slytherin.
Who's the ones who always win
Slytherin.
Against the Quaffle we defend
Winning is all that we intend
Slytherin."

---

"Come on Jullie, come here! We're going to be late if your done napping now" Damien said to his cat, arms crossed as he waited for the thing to finish its stretching and yawning. It was Damien's 6th year as a student in Hogwarts and he couldn't wait, picking up his bags and cat in the other hand, he looked back. Where he was staying was his muggle friend's place, where he was his roommate and paid for part of the rent. It was a nice time staying there with his friend but Hogwarts was calling to him and left his friend a brief reply with this month and next rent on his table and the spare key. The door was already locked, so he didn't have to worry about it and the windows were closed and latched so no one could enter. With nothing else to check, with bag and cat in hand he appirated to Hogwarts...

His eyes were closed as the sensation passed, taking a deep breath as the tight squeezing grip on him disappeared, he looked at his cat and luggage before confirming they were still there. He was running slightly early however, he was in Hogsmead and would need to get to Hogwarts so, he began his trek to the school.

---

It hadn't taken long as Damien dropped off this belongings and soon was in the great hall more or less on time with everyone in, sighing as he already wanted the feast to end even though he had just got here but at least he was going to see everyone again. Looking around, Damien saw the three other houses besides his and observed the newcomers to the school, keying some key individuals both new and reoccurring faces. He soon left his standing position and sat down at the Hufflepuff Table where he began to give small talk to his other members of the house. It didn't take long for his foul mood to disappear as he was captured back by his other peers and soon began talking about each other experiences while they were gone and many more other things. However, soon the room became more interesting as the Cummings Twins had a encounter with the Slytherin Jullian. It wasn't anything to be excited about but, there was always drama in the school that was happening that had to be sorted out somehow during the year.

His gaze soon diverted from them and looked at his 'would-be' house, the Ravenclaws who had serious competition over their intelligence which made him glad to stay out of that house. He already knew that he wouldn't survive the backstabbing the house did to each other and was glad to be in Hufflepuff. However, a loud bang and a meek apology from a shy girl, on her was her house being Ravenclaw. Then there was Lucas, another Ravenclaw who was being given some disdainful looks for probably something he said, in which Damien wondered about his upbringing however, kept that to himself.

Then there was the Slytherin household, which he absolutely gave no fucks, besides keeping some tabs on some annoying snakes he honestly didn't even want to give them any of his two cents. So, back to his table his gaze went where he observed who else was sitting at the table who he knew, which in this case everyone so, he looked for someone he talked to more than the others before pinpointing out Bleu. Despite his nature to be quiet, he went over to socialize instead deciding to be reclusive latter.

"Hey, your name is Bleu right? You are in the fifth year, and..." He said next to her ear "your first year here. Yay!" He exclaimed with happiness oozing out of his words. He looked at the girl before he sat next to her and decided to pursue the conversation more, as he wanted to know more about her. She was eerie and seemed to have shown faint signs of fatigue that he noticed but if the girl wanted she could explain or not as it was none of his business. "So, since this is your first year, how was your other school like? I only been to Mahoutokoro in Japan, which I went to before moving and then coming to Hogwarts! I transferred here during my fourth-year if I remembered correctly and was sorted into this house! Also if you know why I know your a transfer student, its because of how nervous you are. You need to relax before our classes come attacking us with homework!!!" Energetically his words came out of Damien's mouth with a zap of energy and were in a friendly and welcoming tone, as he knew what it was like transferring schools especially as a wizard.

Demetria Graves

Just as she had taken her seat on the Gryffindor table, she heard a familiar voice say: "Hell, she can't do any worse than your captain, Slytherin. Ye haven't had the trophy in three years." Her heart was now a hummingbird in her chest as her eyes landed on none other than Mircus Ashby, and a bright smile illuminated her beautiful features. She caught his eye, and muttered 'thank you' with the smile still in place. When her father and brothers asked her if she had any guys on her sight, she lied to let them breathe easily at night. But, in fact, she'd had a crush on the Hufflepuff captain since she'd transferred to Hogwarts on her second year. Tall, athletic, that angular face, those hypnotizing emerald eyes, her same passion for Quidditch... It would be a match made in heaven. Demi sighed happily as she remembered how he'd dropped by her compartment on his way to find one for him and his sister to congratulate her on becoming captain. It made the hummingbird in her chest soar with joy.

The sound of someone clear their throat brought her back to reality. Demi turned to her left side and found herself almost face to face with no other than Tate Cummings, one of the most popular and sought-after guys on her year.

"Uhm, I guess congratulations are in order for you, Captain." he said, softly nudging her with his elbow. He turned to took at his brother, and when Demi followed, the smile and thanks she was going to give Tate vanished on the spot. Tatum was mock-vomiting with his eyes on her, and Tate simply chuckled, shook his head and tuned his attention towards her again.

Anger flashed in Demi's eyes. It was enough that most people from other houses were doubting her (she'd felt it in he way they were whispering behind her back), but to have her own housemates underestimate her, the ones that cheered her on during each match and celebrated on every win, was just too much. She felt her blood beginning to boil.

"That has been the most hypocritical thing you've ever said to me. Next time you congratulate someone, be sure to mean it," she told him coldly. As if on queue, the Slytherins began to sing a chant in retaliation for the one the Gryffindors had been singing. Once again, Demi turned in the direction of the sound. A scowl took hold of her beautiful features when she saw Julian Wolf conducting the chant. Her breathing got heavy, and as he sang the second verse louder than the rest, Demi clenched her teeth. She was never good with handling anger: it always took complete hold of her and made her do things she would regret later. At the moment, all she could think about was making Wolfe pay for always being such a rude bully. Her hand went to her pocket, where she kept her wand. She was about to mutter a hex when Luke placed his hand over her wand, having sat between her and Tate without her noticing.

"Demi, drop it. Not right now. You wanna get detention before term even starts?" her brother whispered in her ear, keeping his hand over her wand.

Demi closed her eyes and took ten deep, calming breaths. She tucked her wand back inside the pocket of her robes and looked at Luke, clearly calmer. "That Wolf's got it coming. He keeps this up, I'm ripping his head off with a bludger."

Luke chuckled, giving Demi a one-arm hug. "Easy there, Thunder. Don't let him or anyone else get to you. They're not worth your time or energy."

Demi hugged Luke back, laying her head on his shoulder. "Thanks for always keeping me sane, Luke. I appreciate it."

"Hey, what are big brothers for?" he told her with a smile, kissing the top of her head.

Their brother-sister moment was suddenly interrupted when the double doors were flung open and a young man slid in on his knees, his arms outstretched from wall to wall and a huge grin on his face.

“HELLOOOO HOGWARTS!!” He hollered, a blonde curl flopping in his face.

Just then, they received the queue that the Sorting Ceremony was about to take place.

Soon enough, the double doors opened and a sea of scared-looking first years made their way to the front. The Sorting Hat was already in its place in front of the staff table, giving everyone a clear view of the sorting. Demi quickly picked out Chris, Stella and Leslie, who were fidgeting nervously. The three gave Demi anxious smiles as they waited to be sorted, and she told them 'It's okay' in an attempt to calm them down. Leslie was the first to be called, and she was placed in the Ravenclaw house. Chris was placed in Hufflepuff, while Stella became the first Gryffindor of the batch. She gave Demi a hug when she had arrived at the table and quickly sat down beside her.

"See? I told you it would be okay. And now you get to join me in our House!" Demi told Stella excitedly, to which the young girl replied with a beaming smile.

The tenth student to be sorted was Nyra Ashby. Demi noticed her waving fervently in the direction of the Hufflepuff table, and when she stole a peek, her heart melted at the sight of Mircus smiling brightly and lifting a hand to his sister. To her surprise and after an interesting evaluation of the Hat, Nyra was placed in Gryffindor. Demi got up from her seat, clapping, cheering and jumping with joy along with her other housemates as Nyra made her way to the Gryffindor table. Demi made a signal for the girl to sit beside Stella if she wished. As the cheers subsided and everyone took their seats again, Demi caught Mircus' eye. "I'll take care of her," she clearly articulated so that he could read her lips easily. Giving him a smile and a wink, Demi turned her attention back to the Sorting.

As Tate waited for a reply from Demetria, he looked around the Great Hall and everyone in it, waving at some of his friends from other houses. His ears twitched and everything seemed to fall silent when Barny entered. His eyes rolled as it seemed like Barny always had to be seen by everyone - Attention seeker, as he like to call him. Tate couldn't hold back a slight chuckle as he watched Julian conducting the supposedly Slytherin choir with his wand. Tate was silent as he wanted to zap that little prick with his wand to tone him down a little bit but didn't want to cost Gryffindor points early on. Tate's gaze then turned back to Demetria as she basically spoke coldly towards him. "Well, uhm, I..." He couldn't even say that he was sorry after she had done jumped up and basically tackled Barny. "Or not." He quirked his lips to the side then watched as the timid little first years entered the hall.

A lot of them came to Gryffindor and Slytherin, you seldom heard Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw though they did get a few recruits. He greeted his now fellow Gryffindor recruits and welcomed them to the house. After the sorting was over, the new Headmistress stood at the podium and waited for it to become quiet before she began her speech. It was kind of weird seeing a woman in charge of Hogwarts but things are slowly changing and he was liking it so far.

---

Tatum eyed Lucas as he caught his comments from him. Speaking of disgust, his comments were really not needed especially if he was going to be nasty. "Gosh, Lucas, just shut the fuck up. I mean, let them be happy." He said as it seemed all of the Ravenclaw's eyes were on them. "Just because you're in a bad mood, you do not have to drag everyone down with you." Tatum rolled his eyes at Lucas, not really caring for his comments as he turned his attention away from him now. He looked at Bleu as she went over to the Hufflepuff's table and was fixing to greet her but Barny came in, causing a ruckus as always. Julian's Slytherin chant made everyone's eyes turn towards him as he raised a brow. "Has everyone gone mad?" He whispered to himself then saw Damien as he talked to no one but Bleu. Once the double doors opened, he turned his head slightly and caught a glimpse of the first years and turned to his brother, remembering their first year together and people were stunned to see another pair of twins at Hogwarts. He applauded as a few people came over to Ravenclaw but gave smug looks when someone went to Slytherin.

Once the sorting was over, the new Headmistress came up to the podium and raised her hands up to quiet down the excited chatter. Her eyes bounced from table to table as a small smile began to form over her partially parted lips.

---

She sat there and watched every individual student come in and smiled at them with sheer delight, it was basically a welcome back smile. Most students came up to her and congratulated her on being the school's headmistress, along with the new dark arts teacher. She thanked them with an ending smile and waved them off to their seats. She saw some people were causing a ruckus already on the first day and she just looked at them. Joselyn knew that one day, she was going to have them all under her control, under her spell and if they disobeyed her orders, she was definitely going to put an end to them. Just the thought made her lips turn up into a smirk as it quickly went away as the double doors opened and a flutter of timid, shy kids filled the middle aisle.

'Little bastards.' Joselyn thought to herself while eying them all. She couldn't wait until the sorting was over so she could give her first speech to the kids before her. And as soon as it ended, she immediately stood up and approached the podium, lifting her hands up to signal for silence and once it was, she breathed before speaking. "Hello there, everyone and welcome to a brand new exciting year at Hogwarts." She said while smiling brightly. "Sadly, we had to tear down the old school though it didn't really take long to build this one. But for those that don't know me, allow me to introduce myself, I am Headmistress Joselyn Reynolds and the new dark arts professor. I hope to see many of you in my class but not in my office." She said with a stern look. "I could stand up here and tell you about the year ahead but I am not. There will be surprises all year round." She eyed her fellow faculty and staff.

Joselyn eyed the kids again then waved her hands out before her and overhead of the tables, their respective flags showed. "Enjoy your year!" She shouted with sheer delight and turned heel as the applause of people echoed throughout her ears. "Great job, Headmistress." One of the faculty members spoke. "Thank you, dear. Excuse me a moment." Joselyn already knew the insides and outs of the school and she demanded or persuaded the builders to build her a personal dungeon, which she was making her way to now.

Upon entering, she smirked at the poor, little blonde headed girl in the corner. "Wake up, cupcake." Joselyn slowly made her way over towards the female and knelt down beside her. "You are never going to get away with this. People are going to worry about me. Ever thought about that?" She raised a brow towards Joselyn and basically spat those words towards her. "I'll just make them all forget about you, dear." She chuckled a little bit evilly then suddenly stopped. "Your my prisoner because you know what your family did to mine." Joselyn got up and walked out of the dungeon and closed the door then opened up the small flap. "Hope you rot in here." She then shut the flap after hearing the muffled screams of the blonde headed girl.

A few minutes passed and she sneaked back in and saw as the kids were dispersing to their respective dormitories. She eyed them and smirked and wanted to spit up with absolute disgust. This was her school and no one was going to her different, they could try but she still knew she ruled the camp. She faked yawn and turned towards her staff. "Well, guys, I should head off to bed. Make sure the kiddos are safe and well. See you guys in the morning." She spoke softly towards then trotted off and made her way to her room.

Wolf had enjoyed his spectacle, mostly because he knew it would annoy the other houses, mostly Gryffindor. The funny thing was that the chant wasn't as offensive as others, but other houses seemed more and more sensitive to any comments these days. He was glad this was to be his final year.
He didn't look at the other tables, as interested in their thoughts on his actions as he would be a worm. How they would manage in the real world if they couldn't even handle a bit of quidditch chanting was beyond him. They should try a night with Estel.
He grimmaced at the thought of her, and listened to the.... well it wasn't a speech, because it hadn't lasted long enough. He'd have called it a headline, but there was nothing interesting about it.
"Still, it was short and pointless," he said when another student had made a comment. "Better than long and pointless."
It was then he noticed Alyssa wasn't at the table, which was odd. She was in his year but she wasn't there.
"Seen Jessup?" he asked the person next to him, but they shook their head.
But soon dinner was in front of them and all thoughts of her were pushed from his mind. She might have missed the train, or gone straight to bed.
When they'd finished eating, he led the new Slytherin's proudly from the hall, ensuring they were out the doors. They looked like little ducklings following a mother goose, for Julian towered over them, leading them away and to their new home. The new password had already been issued and he spoke it to the wall which transformed into a passage.
The waited until they were within before passing the secret to the first years. He always worried someone might be listening and the Gryffindor prefects were known to pretty much announce theirs to the whole corridor.
Too tired to waste any more time, he headed to the sanctuary of his dorm, and was asleep the moment his head rested upon the pillow.




Jean heard the exchange between the two boys in her house from where she sat practically at the other end of the table. She wanted to tell them to stop, to speak, but she blushed at the idea, sinking into her chair. It would do no good. They wouldn't listen, even if she had enough confidence to try.
The speech was odd, she thought. Too short. It was Reynolds first year, but not even telling the young first years the rules? That seemed unfair.
Jean had not received a Prefect badge, and she was fine with that, but she wasn't going to leave their new housemates to themselves.
She got up carefully, as the food began to appear, and moved the short distance to the end of the table where the new first years sat, looking wide eyed and puzzled.
"Hi there," she said sweetly, for she was more confident talking to them than she felt in her own class. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Jean."
The first years looked surprised at find her talking to them, but they smiled and introduced themselves. There were only a few, but she was pleased. Those who had gotten in would fit in.
"I'm sorry to bother you, but would you mind if I sit with you?" she said, before lowering her voice to a stage whisper, "it's kinda noisy my end."
They moved up for her, the space where she had been dissolving by other students.
And so she sat with the first years during their first meal. She smiled as they told her about themselves, their blood, their families, and she in turn told them about Hogwarts and some of the rules that would be part of their life.
"And a Prefect will take you to your new rooms in Ravenclaw House once you finish eating," she told them. "They'll help you today, but you need to make sure your ready to answer the riddle. They can be really hard, but if you don't know don't panic. Just wait for someone to come and help you."
Jean had so far never been stood outside the common room unable to get in. Puzzles were one of her favorite things and she spent a lot of time on riddles. It was one of those things she could do under pressure.
Before long the Prefects came to collect the first years and Jean headed out ahead of them, looking forward to sitting in the Ravenclaw Common room. She looked at the doorknocked which yawned at her.
I'm part of a bird,
but not in the sky.
I can swim in the ocean,
and always stay dry.
what am I?"
Jean thought for a minute, then nodded.
"The shadow of a bird," she said.
"Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably the reason why so few engage in it," intoned the knocker, before revealing the Ravenclaw Common room.
Jeane went straight over to the windows which, in the old school had revealed views of the grounds of Hogwarts. This one was no different and she gazed at the mountain peaks in the distance with a smile, resting her chin on her arms.

|BLEU DELACROIX|

Bleu nearly jumped out of her seat when a handsome Asian boy approached her, her hand slipping from where it gripped her forehead and her head, losing its support, nearly colliding with the table.

“Huh?” She muttered blearily before she completely understood his words. Smiling easily, despite the tiredness in her eyes, she nodded, “Ah, yes.”

Bleu experienced a whiplash of sorts when he launched into talking, perhaps even creating an amazing monologue, but she didn’t understand a thing. Her mind was moving too slow and his mouth moving too fast. Smiling and nodding, Bleu laid a gentle hand on his forearm and made a motion, her hand fluttering in an upwards motion as she took in a deep breath, “Breathe.” She joked.

Waiting for a beat of silence, Bleu then said, “Yes, I am a transfer student. I come from Beauxbatons. What is your name?”

Almost as if the universe was against her receiving the aforementioned name, a man that looked as if he should be on the front cover of Vogue appeared and interrupted. However, he also happened to shout the Asian boy’s name and Bleu smiled happily. Smiling brightly, Bleu reached out her hand to shake his and crowed, “Hi, I’m Bleu!”

Luck has it, before anything could happen, they had to sit in their seats and watch the hat sorting. Bleu herself had been sorted over the summer, something about her fitting in? Bleu wasn’t paying attention; she was staring out the window at the time. And like so, Bleu didn’t pay much attention when the first years were sorted, but instead clapped when she saw everyone else clapping and cheering when she saw everybody else cheer.

Headmistress Reynolds took the stage and Bleu had to prevent herself from scowling – she didn’t quite like this headmistress with her brevity and shortness. Sometimes, Shakespeare, brevity is not the soul of wit. Sometimes it’s just down-right annoying. Despite her thoughts, when the Headmistress finished, she clapped.

“Should we go to our dorms now?” Bleu asked once she saw everyone getting up and did as well. She lingered, waiting for Damien and the mystery boy.

Emmet sat at his table, moodily picking at his food. He wasn't hungry, even though he knew he should be. He ignored the other Slytherins and just sat there. He was lost in thought, thinking of how his foster sisters were doing in their houses. He knew he should go make sure Roselle was doing okay, but he just couldn't muster up the energy right now. He looked up in disinterest when Headmistress Reynolds stood up and started speaking, then jumped in surprise as Dawna leapt onto his lap with a soft meow. he smiled and picked her up, letting her drape her orange body around his shoulders. He stood up with the others, but went over to the Gryffindors and tapped Roselle on her head. She looked up and smiled.

"Hey wolf, whatcha doin?" Emmet grinned.

"what, I canna check on my little sis?"

Damien was grinning as he heard his friend, from the distance, "I've missed you all summer, mate. How've you been?" It was cute that Mircus remembered him over the summer, and he had missed him too. During the summer he was mostly separated from most of his wizardly friends as he had to work and when he had time, he spent it studying and practicing on spells. He didn't mind that the two were friends, as they were similar to each other yet not and besides they were from the same house anyways. The Irish was one cuter friends and he didn't mind being surrounded by attractive people at all, with more being the merrier. The only bad thing, was... he didn't swing that way and that serious put a damper on things. Despite that he made sure his gaze was never caught when he was checking him out or giving those jealous looks and was able to remain as good friends with him. It was amazing how he got away with some things, that he wondered why he wasn't secretly a Slytherin despite how much he hated them. He reverted his gaze from his friend looking at Bleu, as it was rude to ignore her but then there was Mircus as well...

When Damien looking at Bleu looked slightly overwhelmed with the amount of words that he just shove at her face, he wouldn't expect her to catch all of it. He apparently did that a lot to everyone, and that was the best reason why he was a hatstall, the hat didn't know whether if Ravenclaw could survive my chatter and inquisitive nature or simply put me in Hufflepuff to save them the agony. He chuckled to himself silently as he remembered he gave the hat an partially annoying time, as he spoke to the hat nonstop for that five and a half minutes basically sealing my spot in this house. “Breathe.” He heard Bleu said, and he grinned childishly. He gave a small laugh as he sometimes wondered if he even breathed at all, but for her sake he stopped for a moment. But he wouldn't spare her any details later, to make up for this...

Then after recovering from his brigade she finally said her introductions... sort of? “Yes, I am a transfer student. I come from Beauxbatons. What is your name?” He sighed slightly at her words at first but understood, transferring schools was hard but with the assistance of the twins, him and several others he would make her year great... Wait! Cross out Tat, as his brother was the better prankster but besides that her year was going to be a busy one with him! "Gimme a second, here he comes! Come lemme introduce you to another Hufflepuff who is in the same year I believe! Wait... your a fifth year darn it... Never mind now lets go meet him!"

"Who's your friend." Damien was beaten to his sentence but it had worked out perfectly in the end. Exchanging glances with Mircus before with Bleu and grinning mischievously, with arms extended he introduced the two with each other. "Mircus, this is Bleu who is transferring to our school from... Beauxbatons, I think thats what you said right? A real long name really but anyways, she also joining us in Hufflepuff as well! And then, Bleu this Mircus our team captain for quidditch. He's the one who scores basically... like scores, also know as the Chaser I believe, yes?! Then finally, there's Me! Damien, the social butterfly of death! Well, at least that's what I would be if I was one! So lets be nice to each other okay, I promise I wont bite, so you guys don't either, okay?" He said to them laughing slightly, before turning behind him. He was watching the sorting hat's decision for Mircus' sister right now, which he had taken a note of when he had came into the room with her.

"Daaaaw, that sucks really. I hoped your sister would join us but I guess to Griffindor she goes! At least the Ravens or Snakes didn't get her, she too kind for either of those houses. At least she'll have some reliable people to watch over her right? At least she doesn't have to deal with Tatum, his twin is apparently the more civil one of the set." He had said when the Hat decided its choice for the young witch. He silently wondered why the hat choose to put her in Griffindor but couldn't argue unless he put it on again. Which wasn't going to be a nice experience for either of them and besides the Sorting Hat knew best... for the most part and he wouldn't oppose its decision for other students.

“Should we go to our dorms now?” Bleu had said to the two, and he looked around him as everyone was standing up as well. Well... there goes the Head Mistress speech, or whatever it was down through the drain. He had heard it many times and doubt it was of any importance so placed it onto the back of his head disregarding it. Looking at Mircus and Bleu before he decided that he would like to get the first bed before either of the two or simply anyone else, which wasn't likely at this point he still didn't mind trying and abruptly got up as well. "Yes, yes we do! Now... 3, 2, 1, GO! Race ya guys!" He said childishly before jogging out to the Hufflepuff's dorms for them. Dodging some of the students and vanished out of the room slipping out easily with his lithe frame, leaving the two Hufflepuffs standing there... to talk and get to know each other if they wished.

Once the Sorting was over, the tables suddenly filled with all kinds of different foods. It was the moment Demi had been waiting for the whole day: the Start of Term Feast. Her blue eyes shone with excitement and her mouth watered at the sight and scent of so many delicacies. Without wasting time, Demi dug in. She indulged herself with a tender, juicy steak, a slice of turkey, mashed potatoes and French fries. Of course, she left some room for dessert: slices of chocolate and carrot cake. It was only after she was full beyond belief that she took a deep breath and looked around. Her eyes wandered to the Hufflepuff table, where she saw Mircus animatedly talking to some girl Demi had never seen before. She sighed in bliss, admiring his handsome features, before taking a quick peek at the Slytherin table. Her eyes landed just on Julian Wolf's face, and Demi quickly turned back to her table. Even after a couple of months, she still felt a sting inside her at the sight of him. Thankfully, she was distracted from giving what had happened further thought by the new headmistress taking the stand.

Demi scowled at the sight of the woman. She didn't give off the happy, compassionate aura the past headmaster had, but seemed to emit bad vibes instead. It was something the young student couldn't quite put her finger on, but made her feel on edge, like she needed to thread with extreme caution around her. Apparently, she wasn't the only one who seemed to think so.

"Demi, she scares me..." whispered Stella in her ear.

"Me too." Demi heard Nyra say. When Demi turned to look at the girls, their frightened expressions made her heart ache.

She gave their hands a soft squeeze. "She scares me too, girls. But as long as you keep in line and follow the rules, there's no reason to have any kind of contact with her."

No sooner had these words left her mouth that she heard the other students begin to clap. When Demi, Stella and Nyra looked at the stand, their headmistress was nowhere in sight and their fellow classmates had began to leave. The speech had been shorter than a blink of the eye, and absolutely meaningless.

"Some speech, huh?" Luke commented as the got up from their seats. Demi could only nod, distracted by Mircus walking to their table and calling his sister over. She turned around to talk to Luke, not wanting to seem like an eavesdropper. When she turned back to look at him again, Nyra was walking back to where the rest of the first yeard were gathered and Mircus thanked her under his breath before leaving with the new girl.

Demi felt a blush creep up her cheeks, and small butterflies in her stomach. It was crazy how the simplest action from that young man could make her feel so... Hell, she couldn't even explain how she felt. She hadn't even noticed that Luke and her had started to make their way to the common room until she heard him say "Hello, Earth to Demi?"

Demi looked at him, shaking her head a little to compose herself. "Sorry, Luke. Just got a little distracted."

Her brother's eyes were squinted in suspicion. "I saw that, you know. I saw the way your face nearly turned scarlet and how a little smile was on your lips when he talked to you. You sure there's nothing going on, D.R.?"

Demi rolled her eyes in annoyance. "No, Luke. And if something was going on, I'd tell you if you weren't so overprotective." That wasn't entirely true, of course. But Demi wasn't about to have a sudden inspiration to be entirely honest with her brother. Some things were better kept locked away.

Without having exchanged any more words, they arrived at the Fat Lady's painting, who was wearing a spectacular Victorian gown and her hair up in a flawless chignon. "Password?" she asked them in a serene voice.

"Leo Fortis Spectatosque," said Demi in a clear voice.

The Fat Lady's portrait swung open. "Welcome back," she told them as they stepped inside. The siblings managed to say a thank you before it closed behind them. The common room looked just the same: with its comfortable couches and armchairs, blazing fireplace, house banners hanging from the ceiling, and the table next to the window that gave a spectacular view of the grounds. It was empty, meaning that everyone was now tired, full and had gone straight to bed.

Luke turned to his sister. "Alright, kid. I'm off to bed. I'm tired as hell." He gave her a kiss on the forehead and ruffled her hair. "I'll see you tomorrow for breakfast, okay?"

Demi gave Luke a hug. "Okay. I'll go to bed later. Gonna write a letter to Dad and Kaden to let them know we got here safely. And sorry for snapping at you earlier," she apologized.

Luke simply shrugged. "That's okay, you're forgiven. Good night, sis." And with that, Luke went up the stairs and out of sight.

Demi walked to the table and conveniently found a blank piece of parchment, ink and a feather neatly placed on the table. She sat down, took the quill in her right hand, and began to write in a neat, curvy print:

My dearest Dad and Kaden,

Luke and I made it safely to Hogwarts. The feast was incredible as always, and you can bet I'm totally stuffed and happy at the moment. Headmistress Reynolds gives me the creeps and a bad vibe, but hopefully that's just me being paranoid and not something to worry about. I can't wait to start practice and whipping up potions to keep my mind busy. I'm debating whenever it's worth it or not to sneak out and take a quick fly across the grounds, but seeing as I don't know how the new security system works, I'll save the trip for later.

It hasn't even been a day, but I already miss you two. Though I love Hogwarts and being with my friends, I'd much rather be at home with my family. Take lots of care, okay? Especially you, Kaden. That Auror work can be extremely dangerous, and I'd be devastated if something happened to you. Not that I don't trust you and your knowledge, but I worry about you. You too, Dad. Stay away from the salty foods to keep that hypertension under control.

I can't wait to see you loves in Christmas.

Lots of love forever,
Demi

P.S.: Left the all the laundry clean and in their respective rooms, drawers and closets. You're welcome! XOXO

She neatly folded the letter, placed it in an envelope and sealed it with a drop of candle wax. It was as if she and Calliope were in sync, because when she walked up the stairs in the direction of her bed, the little brown owl already stood waiting for her in the window ledge.

Demi smiled and softly pet Calliope. "You and I have the best connection ever, don't we, Callie?" The owl chirped happily, and Demi placed the letter in her beak. "Take this to Dad and Luke. I know it's a long way, but you know you can expect a real treat when you come back, just like always." Calliope batted her wings as a sign of approval, then flew out the window to begin her journey to Rhode Island.

Demi changed to her pajamas and slid inside the bed's warm covers. Sighing happily once more, she closed her eyes and fell asleep before she could think about anything.