---

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"Nah, you'd never hit me. I'm adorable." Hyacinthus joked between giggles, bumping his head against AJ's shoulder. He let out a happy little sigh as his laughter subsided, the blue box still in his hand, silently begging him to be opened. Or so he felt. "All that stuff indeed! I went with my sisters to Patagonia and saw the Nahuelito. Turned out it was actually a huge trout. And all the chocolate was so good! And there were so many different sorts of wild berries! And the people were really nice... Well, except for my sisters. The kinda threw me into the lake on the first day, and I had this ugly cold for the rest of the summer... But it was fun!"

He untangled himself a bit from the older girl and turned his eyes to the box, eager to see what was inside, until he heard a somewhat familiar voice tear his attention away from the little mystery. The tone threw him off a bit, since he had never heard Zeke sound so friendly, or at least that close to friendly, but it was definitely the red-haired boy. And lo and behold, his green eyes confirmed his deductions, as they gazed into the seldom-smiling Slytherin's smirking face, and suddenly the older boy's dark brown eyes were on him.

That made Hyacinthus a bit nervous, to say the least, though not in a particularly unpleasant way. In fact, the nod and strange sort of greeting he got next turned those small nerves into a little ball of fluttering energy, which in turn transformed his momentarily wide-eyed, bewildered look into a broad smile, the likes of which left his eyes half-lidded, followed by a small laugh.

"Hi and all right to you too!" He said, the box now forgotten in his lap as he sat with his legs crossed on the comfy seat. He reached out with a pale hand, clean save for some dirt underneath his fingernails. A souvernir from his last morning in the gardens of Startifant Hall, spent tending to a very sickly Venomous Tentacula that had grown fond of him and his reading of poems by Jorge Luis Borges. "You're Zeke, right? Your hair looks really neat. I think it's Carphalea red. Carphaleas are very handsome... but they're not good potion ingredients. Oh, and I'm Jazz. Do you want to sit with us? How were your holidays?"

---

---

Eva let out a screech and dug the nails of her uninjured arm and hand into Slick's arm. There was an audible pop and immediately her arm was sore. She gently maneuvered her arm around again and cringed a little bit. It wasn't as sore as it had been, but she knew was the going to have to play Quidditch left handed until it was better. She took a deep breath and shifted back in her seat.

"Thanks," Eva said, smiling at Slick and tucked a piece of black hair back behind her ear. She took a deep breath to explain why her father had said what he had said when the cart lady came along. "One pumpkin juice please," Eva said, a courteous smile on her face. She handed a Galleon to the cart lady before she continued on. "My father came to Hogwarts to watch a few Quidditch games. He stayed nearby, but he saw me talking with you and he thought you looked like bad news... I haven't told him anything about you. I defended you, in fact, but he wouldn't listen to me. The only reason why I am here right now is because I snuck out on my own."

"Slick, nothing could keep me away from you," she said with a light hearted chuckle. She rolled her shoulder to prove her point, wincing slightly at the soreness. "I mean, look at this. I never could have done this by myself." She smiled kindly at him. She listened as he told her about the one girl and she knew, in her heart, but not in her mind, that that was most likely not true. She sighed and shook her head. "When will you learn, Slick?" She grinned at him and sat back in the seat, leaning her head up against the window carefully.

When would he learn? Would he ever figure out what was going on with her whenever she thought about him? She began breathing heavily, having a slight panic attack. When he asked her if she was okay, she took a deep, shaky breath and nodded, calming herself down enough to smile at him. "Of course. Why wouldn't I be?" She sighed and leaned her head up against the cool window glass again. This was going to be an interesting year. The only thing she hoped was that these feelings wouldn't ruin the team dynamic during Quidditch.

---

---

---

---

Luke rolled his eyes at Charles, ignoring half of the comments that he made because some of the stuff that come out of his mouth was complete bullshit, while others of it was gold. Though most of the stuff right now... bullshit. Luke smirked when Johnson winked at him and shook his head. "Luckily for me," Luke said, stretching out his arms, "I don't care if I distract guys or chicks. It's a win-win for me either way. Though it would be fun to distract you sometime." He dropped a flirtatious wink back at Johnson before standing up.

Pushing himself farther away from Johnson this time, he leaned up against the wall and rested his head on the wall near the train car door. He kicked his feet up onto the seat, purposefully placing them in Johnson's lap, and scooted down to where he was more comfortable. Pulling his hands back behind his head, he rested the back of his head against his fingers and yawned. The flight from America had been a long one, but he didn't mind it as much. He didn't have to deal with all the bullshit that happened at Hogwarts over the summer, and now he was going back... but at least for his final year.

Shutting his eyes, he leaned his head farther back and let out a deep sigh. His one of his elbows rested on the back of the seat, which he was parallel to, while the other floated in midair. He opened his eyes slightly, looking through the lashes at Johnson. The guy was kind of cute. It would be a tough time whether or not Luke would go after him this year. Luke shut his eyes the rest of the way and tipped his head back. At this moment, however, he wouldn't worry about it. All he had to do was sit and wait until the train stopped and he would be free to perform as much magic as he wanted, with or without permission.

Elize had drifted off to sleep quite easily as she leaned against the window of the train, the one who was not asleep however was her Serval Persia. As Elize slept the tall elegant creature wandered out of the compartment through the slender gap in the door to explore and perhaps find someone that she knew. The Serval trotted quickly, hissing and dodging hands that reached out to grab her until she found a compartment with someone she knew inside, Hycacintus. Persia immediately perked up, heading straight for the blonde headed young man. She swished her tail softly as she leapt easily from the doorway into the seat next to him and promptly began rubbing her face against him and purring loudly.

Back in her compartment Elize was startled as some second year opened the door to her compartment and awakened her, telling her that her Serval had escaped. "Mairde!" The tall young woman cried as she pulled herself up and straighten her clothes and hair with a quick spell. She was well over six feet tall in the heels she'd decided to put on this morning, she needed to change into her robes since they were getting close to the school now. People knew the rather large feline belonged to her and pointed her in the correct direction.

She quickly found the compartment where Persia had seated herself. Though she knew one of the occupants she didn't know the other two in the compartment, "Pardon! Pardon! Elle aime à errer loin." She cried, forgetting in her rush to apologize for the independent to speak in English. Her precious Serval was sitting on the bench with Hyacinthus who was a member of the herbology club. The other to people she wasn't entirely sure who they were, she believed the girl was AJ and the boy she had absolutely no idea of his name or who he was.

---

---

Tom grinned, unruffled by his friend's antics. He'd been around long to know it was just how she talked to people, but it was still good to see after a long summer away. "Good! Got a part-time job - managed to upgrade my broom, you'll be pleased to hear". He'd managed to afford a new Cleansweep, one of the latest model. Speed and agility weren't as important for beaters as they were for other positions, but still, it would be good to be a bit more nimble in the air, especially when he was keeping up with the rest of the team for defence. The last couple of weeks he'd gone out to a friends play to practice flying on it, to make sure he was up to speed for the new year. "This year should be great - seeing everyone again, Quidditch, and finally learning all the advanced magics!" he rubbed his hands together theatrically and laughed. He'd never really gotten over his glee at actually being able to learn magic, and intended to make the most of his final year at Hogwarts, both in the class and library.

"What about you, good summer?" he asked, repositioning his backpack by his feet and fishing around in it for a second. He'd have to change into his robes for the feast at some point, but that could wait till the end of the trip. He doubted baggy cargo pants and a muggle t-shirt would be seen as appropiate attire. The shirt he was wearing wasn't one of his enchanted ones, because he'd come through muggle London, but he had several in his school trunk which were. About that point the food trolley came trundling past, and he leaned over the slide the door back, trading a few sickles for a couple of cauldron cakes and chocolate frogs. He shifted aside in case Madison wanted anything, quickly devouring the chocolate frogs, though unfortunately he hadn't gotten any new cards.

"So any plans for Quidditch or Charm's club this year?" he asked when they'd finished eating. He knew Madison was proud of her work at the club, even if his own schedule with Transfiguration club kept him too busy to drop by more than occasionally. He got the feeling Madison tolerated his spotty attendance because he was willing to help the younger members and brought along any interesting or obscure charms he'd come across.

Location: Train
Interacting With: Alva (@HaleyTheRandom); Hyacinthus (@Celeste); Elize (@Aspen Wren); Ophelia (@PhunkyPhoebe)

---

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"Anyways, yourself?"

"Hm?" Zeke turned his stare from Hyacinthus to Alva, and caught a bright glint twinkling in her eyes. They were usually a premonition for good fun and mischief with her, and Zeke could always be persuaded to laugh along at it. But when he wasn't in on the joke, it made him immensely wary about where Alva would turn her boundless energy to. He furrowed his brow, and sent her a hasty look of confusion and an unasked question, while Kymmen cocked his head too.

Zeke looked back at Hyacinthus, and caught his expression turn from one of almost comical shock, to one of ease, as he greeted Zeke and offered his hand. It was a beat of hesitation before Zeke clasped the pale hand firmly back. The pace at which he rambled and jumped from one topic to another drew a huff of air through Zeke's nostrils, that passed for a chuckle with him. He would never get used to the preliminary stages of meeting people, and Hyacinthus didn't seem like a typical character to be around. He wondered if those smudges beneath his fingernails were spots of soil, and how they'd gotten there.

"Yeah, my summer was all right," he said, looking at both Alva and Hyacinthus. "And...thanks. Never had it likened to a handsome flower before." He raked fingers through his hair, scratching at the crown of his head. "And no, I'm good. In another compartment, with Ophelia. But thanks." He remembered the boy, vaguely. He had been cornered down by Kemp and his gang last year, and Zeke had passed by and stepped in. He wondered if Hyacinthus was really training his defensive spells, like the rumours said.

"Catch up with you another time, Alva. Got some Transfiguration spells copied from the old library back home I want to show you - think half of 'em are illegal now, but there's one that turns card decks into six-inch humans for five minutes." Preparing to lean out the door again, Zeke glanced over the seated Hufflepuff's pale locks, and paused before adding, "That's a good hair colour too. Suits you. The flower crowns are usually a nice touch."

He raised his hand in good-bye, ready to slip out the way he'd come, when a slender spotted thing came slinking in through the sliding door. Zeke flattened himself against the frame, and seeing the bobbing feline ears, felt his hand reach up at once for his raven. Kymmen cawed hoarsely, as the cat made its merry way to Hyacinthus and snuggled familiarly against him.

When a tall girl came in to find her, she spoke rapidly in a language Zeke guessed was French. But he could recognise an apology when it came in the word pardon. Her eyes swept over the three occupants of the compartment, and Zeke could see the lack of recognition in them when they landed on him. He pointed out the door, muttered, "Just leaving," and let himself out before the Serval made a pounce for Kymmen.

In the walkway Zeke came across the Honeyduke's Express and pulled out his pouch of Galleons to purchase some Drooble's gum and Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans. Squeezing by the trolley so he wouldn't get run over, he strolled back into Ophelia's compartment, sliding the door shut behind him.

"Happy first of September," he said, skimming over Ophelia to see her reading a book with a Cauldron Cake and her cat Thomas for company. Dropping onto the opposite seat, he crossed his legs and began to open the box of jelly beans. Kymmen pecked at the flaps, probably trying to be helpful, more probably trying to earn himself a nibble of the grass bean. He could always pick out the ones that tested like earth and wet soil, and he seemed to like it. Zeke twisted his torso to offer him a spotted one that didn't look very appetising but which Kymmen cawed at and gobbled.

He popped one into his mouth - caramel - and said with a light smirk, "Parents been sentimental on the platform today?" Leaning over, Zeke passed Ophelia the box for her to try her luck. "Something about the first day that makes some of them coo more over offspring."

When the door to her compartment slid open, Ophelia was not surprised to see Zeke step inside, Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor beans in hand and his raven, Kymmen on his shoulder. Thomas, who had been perfectly content just moments before, became alert enough to growl quietly. Ophelia stroked his back to calm him.

Zeke sat across from her, first giving his raven a jelly bean, and then offering the box to her. Ophelia reached her hand inside, pulling out a dark yellow jelly bean, then popped it in her mouth. Her face twisted.

"Salmon," she said. “I hate salmon. And yes, actually. They always are. I'm their only child, you know. Plus, Dad's health has been fairly good since March, so my mother has been especially loving." She shrugged.

Ophelia didn't say so, but this was a relief for her and her mother. Her father's health had been up and down since he first struck ill during her third year. But for the past six months, he had almost completely gone back to his old self and she couldn't be more relieved. They weren't entirely sure if he was better now, but her mother didn't take the chance. She made sure that her husband and her daughter knew how much they meant to her every single day. This summer had been particularly brutal, too. Well, maybe not brutal, but it seemed as if every time Ophelia tried to leave the house her mother would not let her go without saying "I love you" and squeezing her with an emotional hug. She couldn't even imagine what that woman was going through now.

But Ophelia hated to think about that, so she pushed thoughts of her parents aside. She set her book beside her and took a bite out of her other cauldron cake.

"How was your summer?" She said with a mouthful. She swallowed. "Your hair looks a little longer. A little brighter, too. But then again, that could just be because you're so happy to see me."

She grinned.

Location: The Train
Interacting With: Eva @WhiteStar19

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Slick sucked in a sharp intake of air as Eva clawed his arm from the pain. Holy hell did that girl have a grip! He reminded himself, and not for the first time, to not get on her bad side. Shaking out his arm for a moment, he stood up and shoved his trunk back to where it belonged and out of the way. "Damn, woman. You'd think you're a werewolf with claws like that!" Slick joked, coming next to her to request his own treat from the cart. "Three chocolate frogs!" he said with a large smile. They'd been his vice since his first year, after finding out that wizard pictures moved. He handed over payment and took his treats happily back to his seat and plopped himself down.

"How could he tell from just a look?" Slick asked incredulously, although it hadn't been the first time a father asked him to stay away from their daughter. Did they have some sort of internal alarm or something? His most bitter rivals were fathers, other than Charles and Lucas. "Well, I'm glad that still holds true after all these years. I'd hate for you to get bored of me at this point. You're right, you're a regular damsel in distress without me, your knight!" Slick struck a heroic pose, suddenly jumping onto his feet, puffing out his chest, and posting his fists to his hips. He didn't notice as one of his chocolate frogs popped open its own lid and starting hopping around the compartment. He'd surely be angry once he found out, loving the disgusting looking candy.

He looked down at her, right before she asked why she shouldn't be. She looked upset by something, out of character for his best friend. That worried him. Eva said she was alright though, so he brushed off the doubt, taking her word and thinking he must have been imagining it. "I'm thinking... because Lucas is an enormous idiot and you want to put his face in the dirt next match! I'm sure Madame Pomfrey has a remedy or spell for inflmmation and for the pain. Watch, you'll be right as rain before we even start practices!" Slick wanted to reassure his friend, assuming her sudden emotional flare up was worry about not playing her best. He hated for her to worry or get hurt. She was the most important person to him, other than his family in America. Slick truly didn't know where he'd be without his rock, Eva, here at Hogwarts. "Anyway, what about you? Did you have any sordid summer affairs?" He raised his eyebrows up and down rapidly, with a suggestive look, before chuckling and taking a seat. He opened one of the boxes. "Hey, where'd my frog go?!"

---

---

She couldn't help but laugh once more. He friend was right. "You are totes adorable darling," Alva said, ruffling the boys blonde hair. She sat in silence, nodding her head here and there, making a few facial expressions as well. "Those sister's of your's never leave you alone, do they? Chocolate and wild-berries are nonetheless amazing. But that cold..." she made a goofy pouty face as she poked his nose with her finger. "I just hope it didn't ruin the rest of your summer."

Getting a look at Zeke's facial expression she would just smirk, returning his look with one that stated: Oh, nothing darling, before allowing a conversation to pass between the two boys. Her eyes widened at the mention of transfiguration, the girl sitting up in her seat. "Who cares if they're illegal, Zeke! It's not illegal until you get caught and all you have to do is like.. show me the spells."

Suddenly, there was a commotion in the hallway as AJ just now realized a somewhat familiar cat. It took her a second to place the feline, however, the sudden stream of French sped up the process. Of course it was Persia that belong none other than that to the beauty herself, Ms. Elize. She walked over to the cat, plucking it off of Hyacinthus's shoulder and scooping the furball into her own arms, stroking the cat's fur. "Mrow," said the fluffy figure. Seeing none other than the graceful figure rush down the hall, Alva would spit out a line of French herself. Sure, she had the tendency to spew lines of Russian when she was angry or something, but that didn't stop her from learning another language.

"Bonjour, Elize. Pas de soucis, mon chéri. Votre animal de compagnie est cher ici."

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Wyatt smirked from behind his book as he glanced over to see the Slytherin still trying to compose himself from the Confundus Charm, but failing to do so. That'll teach his ass, the blonde muggleborn thought coldly as he tried to scan the page where he left off at. It wasn't too long before he heard footsteps coming down the aisles towards his compartment. Probably someone to scold him yet again which he didn't care. He was tired of prejudice people getting away with anything at this school. Out of his peripheral vision, he noticed someone help the confused boy up to his feet. Probably another one from his house. Wyatt tried the best he could to drown out the outside noise and get back to his studying when someone walked into his compartment shortly after. His vision was blocked by the humongous book in his face, but immediately he sighed at the idea of sharing his space with someone that could potentially distract him from reading.

"So, can I sit here or are you just confunding anyone who tries to come in?" Wyatt always heard American accents on TV but never in person. Immediately he peeked up from his book, looking as if he was incognito with the sunglasses and the hat. He took off his sunglasses and crossed his legs to reply to the American who seemed to come in and sit down before he could say anything.

"It depends. Are you going call me a Mudblood and other obscenities at me or are you going to behave?" Wyatt had a strong South London accent that could come across as quite annoying to others but it was something he couldn't help. Jinx began to purr as the boy began to pet her. She was an excellent judge of character so if she was okay with him then maybe he wasn't that bad. However, Wyatt was a very skeptical individual and it took him awhile to warm up to someone. The strawberry blonde scanned the boy up and down and noticed a Houston Rockets shirt. "I've read about that American team. They're pretty okay. And...you are?" He looked at Tadeo in the eyes to wait for a response but the way he looked was as if he was impatient. This was something else that he couldn't help.

---

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Eva smiled softly, staring down at the bottom of the window as he made fun of her long fingernails and ordered chocolate frogs, just like he had every other year when they had sat together. She frowned when her father came up yet again and said, "Don't ask me. The guy and I have drifted fairly far apart." She shook her head and ran a hand through her long black hair, tugging at some knots here and there. She laughed aloud when he called himself her knight and just shook her head. "As if you could save me from anything... I've been the one pulling you out of scraps for years!"

Eva just shook her head when he mentioned Luke. She did not want to talk about that asshole at this point in time. Besides, Quidditch wouldn't be starting, at least the games anyone, until a few weeks into school. She would most likely only be out for a few practices. With AJ and Greg, she was sure that the team would be fine. "I'll be fine, Slick. I just need a little R and R." She sighed, pressing the heel of her hand to her forehead with a slight cringe as the joint in her shoulder popped again. "Beside, I'm sure AJ and you can handle the team while I'm floating on my Firebolt." She laughed.

His next question caused her to freeze. That was a normal question from him most of the time, especially if she had asked it first. Once he lost his frog, she lightened up, but only slightly. "It probably jumped out the window without you watching it," Eva said, just shaking her head. She had wound up having a summer fling... she was just unsure if she should tell him or not. "I did have one relationship. It was more of a fling than a relationship. Name was Evan. He was tall, blond, and gor-geous." Eva fan-girled, fanning herself with her hand as an over reaction. "Yeah, but it was just a fling. He dumped me before I came here, but it's not like it matter anyways. He was a Muggle." Eva sighed, thinking about Evan a moment longer before leaning back against the wall, looking at Slick. "Does that satisfy you?

Location: The Train
Interacting With: Eva @WhiteStar19

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Slick raised his hands in mock surrender, his jaw working slowly as he chewed on a piece of chocolate. "Whoaa! Okay then little lady, you got me. But, I never needed saving in any of those scuffles, alright? Hogwarts kids don't know how to throw down like the boys back home." He smiled slightly, his eyes alight. His confidence was founded in results and it was true he'd never lost a fight he picked. He had tried to start too many though, which made him grateful for all of Eva's help. More than he would ever let her know. "Besides, I am your knight. I'll do anything for you, you know that. Just say the word, Capitan! I'll be on them like white on rice." He looked at the card in the empty candy box and groaned, throwing yet another Dumbledore to the floor of the compartment. "Respect, but I am a bit sick of seeing that guy's face!"

He looked up at her from under the brim of his hat as he picked the card up. His conscience had gotten the better of him, almost missing the cringe in Eva's face. That bastard had really messed her up and he found he couldn't get rid of that last bit of heat in his stomach. He hoped Luke wouldn't get in his face this year. With or without Eva, Slick would end up dropping the punk! "Yea, no problem. I'll pick up the slack for you. I'll make them fly loops and corkscrews so intense, they'll be dry-heaving by the end of practice. My word on that." The thought of getting to run the team for a bit was exciting for Slick. He'd been passed up not because of lack of talent, but lack of a cool head. The previous Captain had told that it took someone who thought ahead to be a leader and Slick couldn't disagree. Eva had been the perfect person for the job and Slick had been her loudest supporter when he'd found out the good news. "I'll make sure you've got nothing to worry about while you take a breather."

His eyes shot up when he heard about her actually having a little something over the summer! His Eva, really?! Slick outright chuckled a bit at the shock value. "Seriously? Look at you, getting on the dating scene! I swear, the first trip to Hogsmeade we're getting drinks and celebrating, first rounds on me." He seemed to be doing a slightly victory dance while sitting, overjoyed for his friend who was finally getting out of her shell. It had taken her long enough! "It's cool, we all have to start somewhere. And it only satisfies me... if he satisfied you." Slick had trailed off in his answer for dramatic effect, before dropping his voice to a cheesy machismo tone, wagging his eyebrows suggestively at Eva.

Location: Train
Interacting With: Ophelia (@PhunkyPhoebe)

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Zeke grimaced at the cat. Kymmen spread his wings, and Zeke could practically feel the heat of his glare towards Thomas. "Eh, down," Zeke said, and Kymmen stopped craning his neck, the wings stayed half-folded. "Shit manners, he's got. But I guess he took after me." With a small smirk, Zeke reached up to lightly tap Kymmen's beak.

He had a spell in mind, that ended with some variation of -salmon, but he didn't think Ophelia would take kindly to being its subject. Wincing on her behalf, Zeke didn't harp on the matter of smothering parents any further, but rolled his eyes at her comment.

A smile tilted edgewise up his cheek nonetheless. "Nah, quite the opposite really. My spirit's become positively dismal now that I'm here in this compartment with you. I'm compensating for that with the colour." The sarcasm was dry and raspy as sandpaper in his voice, but the lopsided grin grew longer as he stretched out one leg to nudge Ophelia's with the laces of his scuffy sneakers.

She hadn't been wrong about the length however. He flicked a loose scarlet lock out of his eyes. "My mother was musing about cutting my hair over the summer. I grew it out another inch overnight to remind her of the maddening futility of scissors." She had sucked in an exasperated breath in the morning when she had seen it - standing up on all ends from a night's sleep - but his father had only guffawed at it over the day's print of the Daily Prophet, and quickly enough she had cracked a smile. But those were details he was unwilling to divulge any further. Zeke sat up straight in his seat, and peered with narrowed eyes at Ophelia. "Have you gotten any taller over the break, or are you still the size of a doxy?"

---

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"It was alright. I just kept a handkerchief with me everywhere I went. And our house elf drowned me in honeyed tea as soon as I got back home." Hyacinthus giggled, rubbing the part of his nose Alva had touched with the tip of a finger. "What did you do this summer?"

Before he could even thank Zeke for the compliment, the red-haired Slytherin was gone, leaving behind a blushing Hyacinthus with a wide, incredulous smile. He had definitely not expected Zeke, of all guys, to just compliment his hair, or to remember enough of him to mention the flower crowns he loved to wear. In his bewildered glee, the cat that suddenly appeared by his side went unnoticed, at least until it climbed onto his shoulder, little claws digging into the thick white wool of his cardigan. When he felt it, though, it made him jump a bit in his seat, and as he caught sight of the fluffy little critter while Alva pulled it into her arms, he let out a giggle he did not know he had been withholding.

Hearing Elize's voice, he turned towards her as his giggling faded, slightly more formal all of a sudden, but still smiling. "Madam president! Bonjour! How are you? You look good! Oh, I found an old book on potions for illusion-related hexes in our library. Do you think we could give it a glance in our meetings?"

Madison eyed Thomas as he started speaking about his summer. She nodded her head a bit gracefully then chuckled when he said that he had upgraded his broom. She was very pleased to hear that as the other he had was a complete travesty but she would never tell him that aloud. She eyed him when he said that he was excited to see everyone again, about Quidditch this year and learning some advance magic. Of course, Madison excelled in practically everything so she smiled towards Thomas. "Well, if you need any help with anything this year, be sure to let me know. My schedule is pretty open, I'll say." She said then a nod then bit her lower lip a bit nervously hearing his question about her summer.

"Well, I had my head in the books, of course. Practiced some new skills for Quidditch and plan on showing them to you guys, soon." She smiled a bit charmingly then eyed him again. "Yes, I have huge plans for the team and some new uniforms have been ordered. Thanks goes to me for that and for Charms Club, we'll just have to see. Hope I have some new faces join this year." She responded while her eyes filled with excitement as she saw Hogwarts in the distance.

She has always loved this moment when the train stopped and they had to travel by boat to get there. A professor went from compartment to compartment, informing everyone that they were nearing the castle and to put on their robes, immediately. Madison didn't hesitate to do so as she it seemed like she was the first one to put on hers. Well, between her and Thomas, anyway. She looked over and started bouncing up and down in her seat. "Aren't you excited? Please tell me that I am not the only one in this compartment that's excited." She eyed him then raised a brow as the train stopped in front of the castle. 'No boats?' She thought with a question to herself.

Madison eyed Thomas a bit before standing up and grabbing her luggage from underneath her seat. "See you inside." She said while stepping out of the compartment and pushing her way through the sea of people before her. Madison stepped off of the train and onto the pavement before the castle, with another raised brow. Things have indeed changed this year. Guess that comes with a change in leadership. She shrugged her shoulders then walked right into the castle and instantly saw the talking and moving pictures, along with the ghosts seeping through the walls to make themselves known.

She eyed the castle with a smile then bumped into someone. "Oh, sorry." The man looked at her then reached down and grabbed her luggage as Madison grabbed him by the hand and flipped him over her. "Sweetheart, what are you doing? He's the bag man and their a new edition to the castle." Miss Plimpton said. "Oops, sorry." The male sprung back up and bowed his head as Madison handed him her bags. "Allow me to take this to the Hufflepuff's Common Room." Madison again shrugged her shoulders as it seemed that every house had their own person to carry bags to their respective common rooms. A snap of fingers could be heard as a voice directed everyone towards the Great Hall, where students scattered to their seats, sitting beside their friends and chit chatting about their summer and what not.

Of course, Madison sat beside Thomas and across from Hyacinthus and offered him a small wave. She'd look at everyone around her and felt a dark presence in the air but couldn't entail where it was coming from. With the shrug of her shoulders, she eyed Hyacinthus again with a smile then parted her lips to speak towards him. "So, how was your summer?" She'd ask while waiting for his response.

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Johnson eyed Charles and basically groaned at his words. At this moment, he was liking Charles' tone and just simply rolled his eyes and stared out of the window until he was finished. "Oh, my god. You're such a silver spooner." Johnson said towards Charles while shaking his head then listening to him again. "Uhm, I am not sure, honestly. I hope to continuing excelling myself in my classes and hopefully kill the new headmaster without a problem. As long as I have the right people backing me up." His eyes flashed from Charles to Lucas then back towards the scenery outside.

Johnson eyed Lucas after hearing his comment then watched as he manveured himself into a new position. Johnson propped his elbows on Luke's legs then looked at him, blushing a bit. "Oh, Lucas, you better stop while you are ahead before you find yourself in my world of trouble." He sent a flirtatious wink back then looked at the professor as he informed them about putting on their robes. "Aye, aye, captain." Johnson said sarcastically as he eyed Lucas then pushed his legs off of him while reaching in his bag and pulling out his Ravenclaw robe.

"Question..." Johnson stood up in the minimum space provided in the compartment then did a pose. "Does this robe make me look fat?" He chuckled while sitting back down and as soon as he did, he noticed that they were in front of the castle. "Wow. No boats, this year. Has the wizard ministry cut the funding?" Johnson asked, no one in particular, as he'd be the one the know but he hasn't heard anything about it. "Catch you guys later." He said while blowing Lucas a kiss then eyed Charles before departing and making it to the pavement in front of the castle.

He looked around it for a moment then proceeded to walk inside, handing his bag towards the guy that asked for it as it seems like Hogwarts had done stepped it's game up a bit this year. Everyone was directed towards the Great Hall and Johnson sat somewhat away from everyone as he knew that someone would come and sit with him. After all, who could resist his good looks and charm.

As soon as everyone filled up the Great Hall, the double doors came bursting open with the first years, along the headmistress, Miss Plimpton, as they went to through the sorting ceremony, something that has always made his eye roll since he wanted to be in Slytherin, so bad. Most of the first years went to Gryffindor, of course and very seldom came over to Ravenclaw. Again, Johnson rolled his eyes as the cheering had seized when the new headmaster stood at the podium now. He welcomed everyone back for another exciting year at Hogwarts, introduced himself the headmistress and the professors that were on his right and left side.

Johnson's ears twitched as the new headmistress mentioned something about a back to school ball approaching soon, along with the first Quidditch match, which would be Gryfinndor versus Ravenclaw and Slytherin versus Hufflepuff. Mister Montgomery then pulled out his wand and waved it around towards the ceiling as what was a normal ceiling is now nothing but a ceiling of constellations. An illusion Johnson loved about the place.

Food was brought out to them as Johnson ate very minimum amounts of food then eyed people surrounding him and watching them eat like they haven't eaten a day in their life. Johnson grabbed a few more items then took his plate outside of the Great Hall and outside, where he sat down on the top step with a sigh, watching the sun as it was beginning to set.

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Tom nodded in thanks at Maddy's offer of help, then listened as she described her summer while he ate the last of his cauldron cakes. He got by well enough in his own classes in between clubs, Quidditch, and whatever piece of shiny knowledge had caught his interest, but he appreciated the offer."Ooh, new uniforms; I hope they're spiffy!" he said grinning, "New faces would be good, hoping to seem some in Transfiguration club too". Just then he saw her eyes go wide as the train rounded a corner and the grand old castle came into view. Tom grinned at the familar sight as the train neared the school.

A professor came past a moment later, reminding all the students to don their robes. Tom fished his out of his backpack and gave them a quick shake before throwing them on over his clothes. "Of course you're not - been waiting all summer for this!". He was mildly surprised when the train continued right past the old station and pulled up right outside the castle, but he shrugged - guess it made it far easier to get all the students and their luggage into the castle than by boat, even if the latter was traditional. "See you then!" he said, waving goodbye as he hopped onto the new platform. He walked down and got his luggage off the train, handing it off to one of the new porters who were milling amdist the students and teachers.

The big double doors of the Great Hall were thrown open and Thomas filed in with all the other students, his feet taking him instinctively towards his house table where'd he sat for the majority of his meals for the last 6 years. He walked his way up the table, saying hello to a number of friendly faces and plopping himself down opposite Jazz, smiling briefly when Madison appeared beside him and greeted the other boy "You looking foward to this year Jazz?".

He listened to Jazz's response then turned in his seat to watch the Sorting Ceremony as the first years were divided up amongst the four houses. Tom clapped politely for them all as they were sorted, but gave an extra welcoming to the youngsters who were sent over to join their table. Afterwards the Headmaster rattled off the usual introductions and announcements - a couple more items had been added to the banned list, bu the main items of interest were the Welcome-Back-Ball and the first two Quidditch matches. Tom didn't really mind playing Slytherin, they were a solid team, and it usually gave him a couple of chances to whack a bludger at Kemp. The Ball should be fun as well, a good chance to mingle with the other houses, but he had a couple of days before he had to start worrying about that.

The Headmaster wrapped up his speech and the Feast began, the roof overhead shimmering into a crystal clear view of the night sky. Despite his earlier snack Tom was still pretty hungry so he dug in, listening idly to the chatter around him and contributing a sentence every now and then between bites.

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Sarah entered the great hall together with her fellow students. Obviously she was very happy to be away from her abusive mother. She had really sunk deep this summer. Always with a bottle of wine or something. Yelling and crying. But those were memories. Another year at Hogwarts had started, and she was more than ready for it. Until the ball announcement. Sarah's smile literally collapsed on her face. If there was one thing she despised, then it were formal events. Everyone was dressed up, trying to act on their best behavior. Some might be born for it, but not Sarah. She'd rather lock her up in the dorm than to come out. And even if she was forced to go, it would mean Sarah had to get a date. That was new ground for her. She wished she could talk to Ophelia now. But she was at the other table, with the other Slytherins.

Though other news brought her smile back. The first Quidditch match. Fire sparked in her eyes. She pondered if she should go search Eva, the captain to discuss tactics or ask for a training schedule. She wasn't on the Quidditch team for that long, and almost everyone was older than her. So she reckoned she had to show how enthusiastic she was.

Location: Great Hall
Interacting: Eva @WhiteStar19, Alva @HaleyTheRandom, Sarah @Legion02

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Finally, they'd gotten a decent ride! With the short walk to the castle, clad in his school robes, Slick felt the normal pace of Hogwarts settle over him. This was where he belonged and thrived. Grinning expansively, he let out a shrill whistle and the happy yips and barks from Duke as the massive dog rushed to his owner. "Hey buddy, miss me?! Did ya boy?" gushed Slick, one of the few times one would hear talk 'cutely'. He showered Duke with affection to a fault, but the dog returned the favor, licking Slick all about his face. Laughing uproariously, Slick finally pulled the dog away and wiped off his face. "Come on, time for the feast! I'll sneak you something, of course." Duke barked and wagged his tail, proving that he was much more intelligent than the average pooch. Together, the two half walked, half ran the rest of the way.

After the Headmaster's first day speech, the feast was on! Slick couldn't get enough food, his time at school being the only time he could eat such rich foods and not worry about a budget. He piled two plates high with steak, potatoes, green beans, biscuit, grabbed a container of gravy, a couple ears of corn, and a few other items. People looked at him askance, but Slick fully intended to devour it all! He slipped Duke a bit of steak, where he sat obediently at his owner's feet. He snapped the morsel off the floor and barked in thanks and possibly demanding more. "Ey, I don't want you get fat buddy!" The dog grumbled, whined, but laid his chin against his paws complacently.

Slick talked and reconnected with Gryffindors he was friendly with, the feeling of family a warm and welcome environment once more. At one point, with a goblet of pumpkin juice, he stood on the bench and looked around at his team this year. "Men! And women," he graciously added with a wink, which elicited a few laughs and some good-natured food throwing, which Slick dodged, "this is my last year, as well La Capitan's! We want to see the best out of you, because we'll be showing you the same. I believe in you guys like I believe in myself, which is to say, unconditionally. We're going to take that HOUSE CUP THIS YEAR!"

He was met with a roar of approval. He looked to Sarah, their youngest member of the team. "Sarah, you're a great Chaser and the best partner Eva and I could ask for." Slick beamed with pride at the reclusive Gryffindor. "And to the rest of you! I know, I said we'll win, but even if we don't," this was met with another round of edible projectiles, "-even if we don't win, I want to say how damn proud I am of you guys and as long as you give it your all, with all your hearts, there's no way we'll lose! SO HERE'S TO GRYFFINDOR'S LIONS!" He roared, downing the rest of his pumpkin juice, which the team quickly followed suit. Slick caught sight of AJ and gave her a friendly wave and then pulled out a deck of cards, a silent invitation to play once they got back to the dorm room. With raised eyebrows and a slight tilting of the head, he was sure his point had gotten across.

Slick stowed the deck back into his robe's pockets. dropped back down to the bench and poked Eva in the ribs with his elbow, leaning close to her ear so she could hear him over the now very rowdy Gryffindor table, "Hope you didn't mind the surprise pep-talk, Eve. I just felt like it was right."

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Location: Great Hall
interacting: No one

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Charles had listened to the two boys' banter while he'd been reading. The scoff in their voices was unmistakable, but Charles paid them no mind. The fact that Johnson admitted to needing back up for his task almost made the arrogant young man pity the older boy's weakness. Yet all he saw was the weak link in the plan. There were any numbers of ways to kill the Headmaster, pulling it off was the problem. As the train slowed and the castle slowly rolled into view, he folded his newspaper and grabbed what little he had taken with him, the rest safely in storage. When he caught sight of Gregory and his mutt, his hand involuntarily found his wand, gripping the wood with a white-knuckled grip. Taking a breath, he forced himself to see the bigger picture. His deadly talents were needed for bigger fish and Gregory was just a Gryffindor guppie.

Setting himself apart from the mill of students walking into the Great Hall, he found a more empty bench which was to his liking. Not many students made it into Slytherin this year, weaklings to him. He stayed silent as the loud mouth screamed motivations to his House and team, who ate it up like the sheep they were. His plates covered the color spectrum, but were devoid of the fatty proteins and other unnecessary comfort foods that were usually a part of the Welcoming Feast. Charles caught sight of a new face, older than his own, with an easy smile and friendly atmosphere. A much more interesting subject was Ezekiel Rowle, who'd kept his usual mane of bright red hair. This year it seemed a bit more ragged and unkempt for one reason or another. The boy could look like anyone and he chose that? Charles chuckled to himself, not understanding the motivations of some people.

Yet, for perhaps one of few times in his life, Charles realized it was a bit lonely from the top of the mountain. No one had wanted to sit and partake in conversation with him, which was a mystery to the boy. He was intelligent with a plethora of subjects to talk about, so why did no one crave his words like the droll Gregory or pretty boy Lucas? He lifted his plate, sliding his seat over till he was seated near, but not close to Zeke. He knew the boy valued his personal space nearly as much as Charles' did. Clearing his throat, he said the most normal ice breaker he could think of. "Hello Zeke, it's been awhile, what have you been up to, pray tell?" Charles silently applauded himself. "Nailed it."

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Eva snorted when he said the last part of his speech about her dating and she rolled her eyes. What Eva hadn't mentioned was that the fling had ended in a fiery ball of flames and tears, but she would save that for if she needed sympathy points at some point. She smiled into the window she was leaning against and her eyes got wide as she saw Hogwarts in the distance. This would be the last time she would ever experience the wonder of a student approaching Hogwarts. After this year, she would no longer be a student. Instead, she would be a full grown adult of the Wizarding World, hopefully having a good job somewhere... Though she didn't exactly know what she wanted to do yet.

Slick immediately took off off the train while Eva was still struggling to get into her robes. Once she was in them, finally, she got off the train, making sure that one of the baggage people had her things, and made her way up to the Great Hall. The illumination of the giant castle loomed over her and she smiled, looking toward the first year students who looked up at the castle with wide eyes. "Treasure it while it lasts," she murmured, not saying it aloud to any of the students. She would let them discover the majesty of the castle themselves and not ruin the fun. She made her way into the Great Hall and immediately spotted Slick with Duke next to him and Sarah and Alva sitting nearby. She walked over to them, greeted them kindly, and slipped into the specifically saved by Slick seat next to Slick.

The Headmaster and Headmistress went through their usual speeches, the children were sorted, and the feast began with much celebration. Most of the new students came to Gryffindor, which was actually quite unusual, since they were more spread out usually, but Eva didn't mind as much. She began piling up her plate with the delicious food, choosing first to take a big bite out of a very ripe apple. The food was delicious as always, and Eva was about to comment about it to Slick when he stood up and began making his speech. Eva was one of the ones who threw food at him, but she flushed a dark red color whens he began talking about her. She shook her head when people began cheering and making a ruckus and rolled her eyes when Slick sat back down. She hadn't downed the pumpkin juice or joined in on the cheering. She did notice the look between Alva and Slick about the deck of cards and Eva felt the small snake of jealousy beginning to uncurl itself in her stomach.

When Slick apologized for the pep talk, she said, "It's alright. It wasn't half bad, though you do need work on your showmanship." She smiled and took another bite out of the apple. She shivered at the closeness of him. She glanced toward Alva and edged slightly away from Slick, sucking in her cheeks a little bit, but tried to pull off the tone like she didn't care. "So you and AJ playing cards afterwards?" She didn't mind, but she was jealous that the chick could play cards as well as Slick and they had begun spending a lot of time together over the past couple years. She took a deep breath and took another bite of her apple.

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Luke rolled his eyes when Johnson blew him that kiss, but he swung off the train with more grandeur than normal. He smirked at some of the newer students as they made their way up and just shook his head. That was the one thing he wasn't going to miss. The castle irritated him to death because the architectural landscape made no sense in the way of a defensive system. He would have designed the castle a lot differently if they wanted to protect from beasts and evil wizards such as himself.

He made his way into the Great Hall and took a seat next to the other players on the Quidditch team and that slightly unlikable little weakling Hycan...Hy...Jazz or whatever the fuck his name was. Luke smirked at Madison and Thomas and full on frowned at Jazz. He waited patiently for the Headmaster and Mistress to be done before the feast began and he started to dig into the food. He was starving, especially since he hadn't eaten anything on the train, which had technically been his own fault. He took a deep breath and sighed at how good the food tasted, as usual. That was the one thing he was going to miss about this place: the food.

He looked around at the other Quidditch players and was about to say something when that good-for-nothing Slick fellow from the Gryffindor table stood up and got all of the Gryffindors riled up. Luke just shook his head and took a big spoonful of potatoes and shoveled it into his mouth. He looked around at the others and said, jerking his thumb toward the Gryffindor table, "How rude can you be?!" His mouth was still full and he quickly swallowed. He wiped his mouth on his sleeve and looked around. "Besides, it's not like they can win anyways. We have the best Quidditch team here anyways, right Madison?" Luke asked the last question with a laugh. "I'm sure we'll be able to get the House Cup this year, even if we need a few tricks..." He raised his eyebrows suggestively before taking another bite of potatoes.

"How have you two been, anyways?" Luke asked, looking at Thomas and Madison. He glanced at Jazz and said, "You three I mean. Oh, Jazz! You know, I think I heard someone say that Johnson Leeds was talking about you... Not completely sure though." The lie rolled off his tongue smoothly and he smiled kindly at the young fellow before turning to the other two to hear their answers.

Location: Great Hall
Interacting: Eva @WhiteStar19

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Raising a skeptical eyebrow, Slick retorted. "Well excuuuse me for trying!" His tone was light and not at all offended.

"Truth be told, I've always wanted to do that..." Slick revealed as he shook his head, then began to chow down. Eva's question about him and AJ nearly made him choke and he had to beat his own chest with a fist to get the overly large swallow of food down. "I thought it would be a nice idea to catch up... did you have something planned? Because, swear to God, I'll tell her I'm busy later." Everyone knew that Slick put Eva's needs in front of his own. He'd even been the one to help her practice for the Captain position.

Slick worried he'd hurt his best friend's plans, his own personal denial making him miss the surefire indicators that Eva did have a very personal problem with the card game. A few of the underclassmen girls had already tried to catch his eye, but there was only one choice for the Welcoming Ball, Elize. With those looks... well Slick couldn't pass up this chance. He was asking her, but he had no idea what to wear, how to look. AJ was his ticket to a personal fashion advice column and he was going to take advantage of such assets. To get such... prodigious assets to go with him to the Ball.

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The train's journey through the British countryside was a lot shorter than Hyacinthus remembered, although that might have been due to the good company. It had been nice to talk to Elize again, finding himself looking forward to the Herbology Club's first meeting of the year. Alva, though? As usual, she had left his sides hurting from all their shared laughter, the box that his mother had given to him lying still on his lap, long forgotten. As the train pulled into the station, and Hyacinthus saw the castle standing tall and inviting in the midst of the darkening sky, his goofy grin turned nostalgic.

He climbed down from the train, the air of the Scottish countryside filled his lungs as he took a deep, invigorating breath, and he took his first steps towards his second home, his grotesquely large trunk already waiting for him, Mellifluous' cage still on top, her eyes glimmering in the lights of the station.

After helping some first years with their trunks, and giving them a few encouraging words for good measure, his luggage was safely in his hands again, his pet fox lost in a flurry of enthusiastic barking. Pushing away from the train and towards the castle, he shouted goodbye to Alva, and began to absentmindedly hum a mix of Sondheim tunes, now and then giving acquaintances a polite hello as he passed by. He walked into the Entrance Hall as if it were that of his family's manor, and was greeted by a cacophony of hundreds of youthful voices as the students filled the warmly lit hall, trying to pass into the Great Hall, many of them for their first time.

A man suddenly appeared in the midst of the gathered crowed, almost as if out of thin air, to take Hyacinthus' luggage away, startling him far more than he would have preferred, making him cry out. Mellifluous was none too thrilled herself either, and made her sentiment known by growling at the stranger. Hyacinthus tried to soothe her with a few caresses with the tips of his fingers through the cage's bars, with some success, then thanked the man for his help and marched into the Great Hall, his legs carrying him without a moment of hesitation towards the Hufflepuff table.

In what felt like the mere blink of an eye, Hyacinthus found himself sitting among his friends again, the blue box sitting by his glasses and empty plate as he greeted them all with a bubbling voice. "My summer was great, thank you! But I missed you both lots! I wanted to send you letters and pictures while I was Patagonia, but my sisters were afraid our owls would get eaten by a chimango or something. I've been dying to hear from you all summer!"

To Thomas' question, the blond fifth year first responded with a sheepish grin, and there was the slightest tinge of red on his cheeks as he spoke, suddenly turning his head sideways. "Yeah, lots. Specially the ball. And potions. I really, really, really want to test some new recipes. In Patagonia, I found this really rare species of berry, which is..."

The arrival of another familiar person at their table interrupted Hyacinthus' merry rambling, and he found no will to continue when said person decided to sit beside him and greet him with nothing but a frown. Luke Weston, ever the exception to every Hufflepuff stereotype, apparently could not be bothered to even pretend to be polite.

"Good evening." Hyacinthus said to him, the greeting accompanied by his best fake smile, small enough not to be entirely out of place.

The beginning of the sorting drew Hyacinthus' eyes away from Luke, and returned the sincerity to his expression. Throughout the whole thing he cheered for all the first years, and gave those who were sorted into Hufflepuff a hearty welcome, with promises of sweets and guidance when they all went to their common room after the Feast. By the time the Headmaster's speech concluded and the Feast began at last, Hyacinthus was feeling right at home again.

He ate the way he always ate: slowly, delicately, abiding by the strictest rules of etiquette... and occasionally giving himself permission to be subtly mischievous with his meal and his friends'. Really, he paid more attention to his fellow Hufflepuffs than to the food itself, sharing a happy chat with Thomas and Madison, pretending that Luke had not partially killed his appetite.

"How have you two been, anyways?" Luke asked, looking at Thomas and Madison. He glanced at Jazz and said, "You three I mean. Oh, Jazz! You know, I think I heard someone say that Johnson Leeds was talking about you... Not completely sure though."

Hyacinthus did not miss the underhanded insult, but he had come to expect that from Luke. In return, he gave the older Hufflepuff another empty smile. He almost said something, figuring that, even if Luke did not actually care, he would at least live up to his own standards and be the virtuous one. But he was stunned into silence when the name of the fair-haired Ravenclaw rolled off the other's tongue and into the warm air of the Great Hall.

He stared, if only for an instant, lips slightly parted, threatening to unleash a waterfall of questions. He stopped the words from pouring out, but he did turn slowly towards the Ravenclaw table, green eyes searching for Johnson. He found him unsurprisingly fast, rising from his seat and walking away, towards the Entrance Hall, a plate in his hand. Just that sight brought sincerity back to his happy expression, and for a few moments he simply sat there, wondering if he was blushing as he ruffled his own hair.

Still smiling, he looked at Luke, then Madison and Thomas, and finally back to the departing Johnson. He waited... and pondered... and then, all of a sudden, he was standing up and walking away, wearing his glasses once again, the blue box in his hand.

"Wish me luck." He mouthed at his two friends, not sparing another glance at Luke.

Soon, Hyacinthus found himself walking past the castle's great threshold and towards the sunset, humming some Sondheim again. And there, on the top step, facing that same sunset, sat Johnson Leeds. He felt his smile widen into a grin, and his fingers tapped gently on the surface of the blue box.

"Hi, Johnson." He said with not the slightest bit of timidity as he sat crosslegged beside the other teenager, hands on his knees.