For what seemed like the past thirty minutes, Johnny had sat there trying to get some sort of sleep before the feast started. He hoped it would start soon, so he could at least get some coffee in his system. While he sat pretending to sleep, he could not help but over hear some of the other kids conversations. They had been talking about the cloaks who had been in the news saying they wanted to expose themselves and other wizards to the humans of this world. Johnny had not bothered much to read up on these cloaks, or what ever they called themselves due to the various study sessions. He DID hear his sister Holly talk to Amy about them though, even if it was just a little, but what the others were saying about them was news to the boy. He could not help but think what that would do, after all they were talking about revealing themselves to people who were so afraid of witches, they conducted witch hunts and burned the wizards and witches of old at the stake.

Not that he had anything against the humans as HE called them, as he hated using the word muggle. He felt that revealing the magical world to them would not go over as well as they think or hope it would. It was bad enough that the muggle-borns had to hide everything that had even the slightest thing to do with magic from their loved ones, but imagine what they would go through if their loved ones found out. He hated calling them that, after all they were witches and wizards just like he was, however the only difference was that they had parents and siblings that did not use magic. Something as serious as this needed more tactful planning, or at the very least subtlety.

@Always
"Oh, uh..yeah, yeah." Melanie cleared her throat awkwardly and slipped into the seat beside Alyssa. She glanced up briefly and gave a polite smile and nod of greeting as Eliza joined the other students in the dining hall and took note that Oliver, Finnegan and Eliza seemed to be discussing the same subject as them.
"Well back in England a lot of the Muggles knew about the wizarding world, too. I mean, some of them were terrified and thought we were all just out to hex them or something, but others seemed okay with it." she repeated slightly what she had just said to Alyssa but cut in on the conversation of the older students.

As she heard one of the other students mention a war, Melanie's feet shuffled nervously under the table. She'd been in America a while but she couldn't really remember there being any mention of a war at all.
"Did you say there was a war? What kind of war?" The girl's cheeks flushed pink with embarrassment as she braced herself for the ridicule that would no doubt follow; this was probably something that everybody else here knew and she'd look an absolute fool for asking it...

The Dining hall had now filled with students, many of them first and second years. Suddenly the bright light dimmed to an ocean blue, illuminating the ceiling that was now filled with paintings of angels and cherubs who were all at attention to the speaker. She was an elderly women stout and dressed in an old fashioned type of robe that had frills and cuffs accompanied by an ancient witches hat adorned with feathers. This as every knew by now was Headmistress Geneva McKelly. She positively beamed today as she stood in front of the staff table ready to make the first announcement of the year.

"Students," she began, unmistakably in charge and impossible to speak over "Welcome first years to RiverWing, and welcome back all else. I hope we are all prepared for another wonderful year. Classes as always will begin tomorrow morning at seven a.m. sharp, for today you may unpack and meet with your teacher and generally become re-acquainted at you home for the next few months." She paused for a moment collecting herself. "I would like to remind everyone that harassing Hilda is prohibited and just as punishable as bullying living students. Additionally swimming in the lake is not aloud without teacher supervision. Quiditch will be available again this year sign up with professor Oaklin He will be available all today. And lastly," She paused once again, though this time for dramatic effect "Enjoy the feast."

As the elderly women went to sit down plates filled with every manner of breakfast and lunch type foods. pitchers filled with juices and milk and water even tea and coffee. The room filled with the gasps of amazed and astounded first years before everyone began digging in.

---

Oliver had seen all the magic that went into the making of Headmistress McKelly's introduction 7 times before and so by this time it had lost quite a bit of it's original pzazz. Yes it was cool that she could change fires color all around a room, but honestly someone else probably did that. As for the food it was delicious as always, he knew as he had started scarfing down pastries, but even they lacked any mystery. It all came down to house elves in the end, their were at least one hundred of them at Riverwing if not more. Really he was just glad for the distraction Mckelly had provided, none of what she had said was any different from the years before. Quiditch had never interested him as much as quadpot and even that didn't hold his attention for long.

He made a note to himself to check if Vaness was in the owlery, sometimes she went their when she couldn't find his dorm and it never turned out well between her and the owls. Aside from that he just needed to practice his animagus transforming. Turning back to human for was the only part he still hadn't mastered.

@Always


Melanie shrugged a little and quickly busied herself with piling her plate full of food. She must have misheard someone, she could have sworn someone had said something about a war long ago. Oh well. She took a bite out of a piece of bacon and took her time with chewing as she fished her schedule out of her pocket, careful not to disturb the snake that was curled up there.

"Hmm...looks like I've got Charms, extra Potions and Herbology-looks like they're together as one lesson now or something-yes!" the young witch couldn't help herself and did a triumphant air punch as the words scrawled onto the parchment told her she would have an extra lesson of her favorite subject. It didn't last all that long though, because the next lessons she read out made Melanie groan loudly, her blonde curls bouncing up and down as she slumped her head forward dramatically. "Ughh!! And Divination and Transfiguration, man I wish I could drop those!"

"MASON GARRISON SMITH!"
A surprised shout left the teenage male, falling off the bed from the large jump of shock. He quickly sat up, eyes wide, his hair turned a very light blonde, heart hammering in his chest. He looked up, meeting the eyes of his mother who stood two feet in front of him, her eyes appearing to be flaming in her anger. He blinked, a small "hi mom" escaping from his throat. He glanced at the time before letting out a small groan. He now understood. It was 7:50, 20 minutes after he was supposed to leave.
"YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE GONE 20 MINUTES AGO!"
He flinched back, eyes wide in shock and he nodded, standing up, his mom berating him, not even bothering to leave the room as her son rushed around collecting the necessary items. He snatched the clothes of the day, fixing his hair quickly before he threw on his clothes, preforming the necessary hygienic duties. He'd have a complete shower after the breakfast. He left, his mother immediately grabbing on to his jacket and pulling him down the stairs, stumbling after her. Despite being 18, his mother still had a lot of control over him. He felt a tug on the bottom of his jeans, continuing up his jacket before a fluff settled on his shoulders around his neck, immediately recognizing it as Aloin. Once down stairs, his mother gave him a look as he was handed his bags.

Within seconds, he found himself stumbling into the entry line, grimacing at the complete lack of people. He stumbles, gaining his footing, him mom appariting seconds afterward. He let out a small sigh before slowly approaching Professor Willfrey. Professor Wilfrey gave him a disappointed look, quickly signing in the tardy student. He quickly ran through the halls, quickly getting up to the forth floor and crashing into his room, dropping the bag on his bed. He sprinted back downstairs, grimacing as he approached the great hall. He slowly entered glancing around, a small curse entering his mind. The food has already been served. It wasn't easy to sneak your way in, so he walked with a purpose, his head high, though feeling self conscious. His eyes scanned the crowds before finding the person he was looking for. He walked over to the group of familiar students. He sat down next to Oliver, a friend of prior years, having been in the same year together, looking around at everyone. He said, letting out a low chuckle," better late then never I guess."

@smarty0114@Crazy Doctor@SomeoneSomewere

Oliver perked up. It was Mason, a good friend of his from the years before. Late but here none the less. Oliver smiled before retorting "You didn't miss anything except the food, Mckelly has the same speech every year. They canceled Plants this years, it's lumped in with potions isn't that great, we only have one worthless class instead of two!". He was rather pleased with this remark, it was what he felt most people thought. He also had happened to nearly pass both the year before, only having one would be much easier to deal with.

"by the way," He continued, gesturing to his other table mates,"This is Finn and Eliza, I dunno if you knew them or not," He grinned. He had a good prospect for the year ahead, and seeing all his friends had only reaffirmed that ideal.

Johnny had awoken to the smell of all sorts of breakfast and lunch foods as the elderly woman finished her speech. For the most part, the speech was just a formality for the new blood, so he was not missing anything. It was the same old speech every year, classes early in the morning, be nice to Hilda, and no swimming in the lake without permission. As the hall filled with food and drinks, the item that drew his attention was the coffee as he caught a whiff from the pot that landed near him. He quickly lifted his head and grabbed the nearest cup and the pot and poured, as he let the steam from the coffee cover his nose in a clod of mist.

"Thank god, I needed this" He thought to himself as he took the first sip and grabbed his schedule. "Transfigurations, potions, defense against the dark arts, charms, and herbology. Great playing with plants" He thought to himself as he sipped on his coffee.

@Classpet@Crazy Doctor@SomeoneSomewere

Finn smiled at the new arrival. As Oliver introduced them he gave a slight wave. "Nice to meet you," he offered up as he began digging into his breakfast. He read through his schedule, pl was pleased with his results. He had DADA first, which was his favorite class. He'd always done well with jinxs and hexs and the like. He sipped his goblet of apple juice and munched on a strip of bacon before looking up at his table companions. "So what do you all have this year?" he asked, a friendly grin adorning his face.

@Classpet @smarty0114 @Someonesomewere @Crazy Doctor

@Always

Melanie Stryder

"Oh please, the day Professor McKelly comes up with a new speech will be the day we all get dragon pox or something." Melanie smirked, rolling her eyes at the thought. The speech had been the same for the six years she'd been at Riverwing and she was pretty darned sure it wasn't going to change any time soon.
"Though I suppose she has to let the First Years know the ground rules and stuff...wish they'd make that like a compulsory first class for them instead of boring us to death with it every year, that would be great."

Reaching across the table, she grabbed hold of the pitcher of orange juice and poured herself a goblet full, taking a sip. "Well, at least I won't have to suffer through Divination alone then!" she grinned at her friend, elbowing Alyssa playfully in the side.

@smarty0114@Crazy Doctor@SomeoneSomewere@Always

Oliver looked over at the girl who had agreed with him on the part about Mckelly's speech and nodded his head in agreement. Sure Mckelly had other school and Wizard council stuff to do over the summer, but one measly speech wan't that much to ask. Then he turned back to his friends. Finn had asked about schedules in his absence.

"I finally got out of Divinations, only i had to take potions over again, being stuck with a bunch of lower classmen i almost wish i tried harder last year. But I have double DADA and transfiguration back to back in the mornings so that's cool i guess." He said dulley at first, then picking up at the end before looking to Mason and Eliza for a response. He was kind of excited to show Professor Wright how far he'd come along in his animagus work just over the summer. Of course, it'd be a cool surprise for his classmates too considering he'd not told any of them.

@The elvenqueen @Classpet

@Always@The Elvenqueen@Classpet@Crazy doctor

Johnny had been listening to the others talk about the speech that the headmaster had given. To be honest, he would not mind if the professors allowed at least the upperclassmen to skip it, as it would give them more time to settle in. They DID already know rules , so excluding the other years would not be to much to ask, but he supposed the speech was not only for the first years. The second years would need the refresher course due to the fact that a lot of them forget that you are not supposed antagonize Hilda, however that was the furthest thing from his mind. He had hoped he would be taken out of herbology. While it was not his worst subject, it was not his favorite. It was just something about living, moving plants that made his skin crawl. To add to that, even though he managed to do just the bare minimum to pass, he did not know much about which plants did what.He wondered if anyone else had gotten the same class, maybe he could even get someone else to tutor him. He figured it would not hurt to ask "anyone else got herbology"

@Leda @Always



Melanie paused in her conversation with Alyssa as she heard Johnny speak up about the Herbology class, and the sixth year raised her hand.
"I do...though you're two years above me, right? So we probably won't be in the same class together. Why?" the blonde tipped her head to one side as she looked at the older boy, her mouth twitching upwards in the beginnings of a smirk. "Not your best subject, huh? If you wanted I guess we could partner up and study together." she offered, trying to be helpful.

As Alyssa spoke again she nodded politely to Johnny and excused herself, glad to be out of the hall herself. They could talk about the herbology work later at lunch, right now she just wanted to get away, Kindle was getting restless in her pocket and the last thing she needed was for the corn snake to make an unexpected appearance in the hall full of teachers and students.
"Yeah, I'm good. Let's get outta here."

((Sorry I've been extremely lazy lately))

The chatter in the dining hall slowed to silence until the last few stragglers where finally kicked out at noon so the house elves could clean up for supper. Most students had wandered off after having eaten their fill, the older years toward the lake where they knew the hipocampi like to play during the day, or to the hill side meadow where pixies and fairies collected wildflowers and played innocent pranks on the younger students. No body felt quite in the mood to put away their belongings if they hadn't done so already.

Those who wished to try out for quiditch did so, though many left with bumps and bruises as the teacher was not the kind to go easy on inexperienced players. By the end of the day he would have six students from each years, excluding first due to their youth and eighth due to their lack of student body.

---

---

As everyone began wandering off Oliver excused himself. He needed to start practicing switching between animagus and human form, of course an audience never hurt. "Sooo I need to get some practice in before we start getting homework, anyone wanna come see my animagus work, not to brag or anything but i'm pretty good." He said, obviously bragging. A few first and second years had heard him, as well as perhaps a few of his closer friends and so off he went to the court yard to show off.

There was a slight breeze though otherwise it was a perfect day he thought as he exited the building. "Alright guys, stand back" He chortled, feigning that the magic he was going to preform was in any way dangerous, a few younger students did however back up. He cracked his knuckles and tilted his neck to one side and then the other. As his fingers spread wider and wider and feathers bloomed from his skin his neck and face elongated, the transformation was shockingly slow at first then all at once in a rush of black and white feathers it completed itself. Oliver stoood there infront of every for then to see, as a bearded vulture. His feathers ruffled and red and gold eyes scanned the crowed. Bobbing his head he took to the sky, wings beating furiously.

Up in the air he could see for miles, the scenery was mesmerizing he hardly wanted to return. From his vantage point he spotted his black bird,
Vannes, circling the owlery. The bird soon caught sight of her master, easily seeing past his disgiuse. Deserting the tower the bird flew thogether. The only thing pulling him back to earth was the fact that he needed to practice becoming human again. He dropped into a dive, swooping into the crowded courtyard before finally landing. With a shudder the feathers disappeared and Oliver was normal again. His crow alighted on his shoulder, landing with far more grace than he had.

"Tada" Oliver exclaimed, arms spread out wide. Overall he'd give himself an 8/10 as a grade, but people who'd never seen an animagus wouldn't know that he'd messed up any.

@Always@Classpet

Melanie Stryder

"Nice!" Melanie called out to Oliver from where she stood in the crowd. She had been heading down to the lake with Alyssa, but on hearing that the older student would be practising his animagus skills, she had simply insisted that they stay. She'd always found the magic interesting, and part of her wished that she could have tried it, but then again she was so terrible at Transfiguration it would never happen. "Think you could teach me?" she was half joking of course, but the question sort of came out before she could help herself and she immediately wished she had kept her mouth shut.