@HushedWhispers"The boy gave her a go-ahead which Tess eagerly took to come inside the compartment. On his lap was an open3ed DADA book that she found herself eager to red and study. Defense Against the Dark Arts was one of her favorite subjects, aside from Transfiguration. Even herbology interested her. Learning was something she loved and enjoyed, if only she could study at home. Her parent's didn't allow her to study because they didn't want any of their Muggle relatives or friends to find out. The owl she had explained already - the fascination remained but the questions finally died. For all they knee, she went to a boarding school. It was remarkable nobody had caught on yet. Tess raised her eyebrows in response to his sneeze but left it alone as she came back to reality. She smiled warmly and stuffed her luggage under the seat. Then, TJ sat down and held her owls' cage, listening to the conversation.
”Oh,” Sienna was saying as Tessa tried to join in and converse. ”I suppose they did hurt a bit when they were first pierced; but because I got them magically done, they healed much more quickly than piercings from a muggle shop would have. Now they don’t hurt at all. I'm not sure what spells the artist used, but I'm sure they'd be easy to find if you did some research on Magical Body Art. If you're interested, I got them at the "Tattoo Artist" shop in Diagon Alley.” Tessa's eyes lit up. Piercings were a stage her parents had coaxed her to go through and something she had regretted. She rarely wore the earrings so the holes usually closed up unless she had a spell used on them.
Sienna's attention was directed to the barn owl in her arms and she looked over at her. Her train of thought disappeared and she looked at her, blinking. Then she looked down at Cricket and back up, the corners of her mouth twitching upwards.
"Oh, him? Yeah, he's awesome. His name is Cricket." Her expression relaxed. Tessa leaned back while holding the cage still, gently petting the owl.
"I love him so much. And your owl is beautiful, yourself. What's his name?" Then she looked at them both as she tightened her jacket's grip around her. "I had my ears pierced with a needle when I was nine. I wasn't a fan of it and I don't recommend using the muggle techniques." She sighed to herself and remembered how she had cried. It wasn't something she felt proud of, either.
And I have a tattoo which is placed on my shoulder. It wasn't as painful as people had said it would be, at least for me."As they neared the old Hogwarts, she started to shiver from the chill. She looked over at it then remembered her old and wrapped her jacket tightly around Cricket's cage. "It's okay," she whispered comfortingly to him as she stroked his feather's. "It's okay." It was almost to herself, yet she kept it directed to the owl. Dementors were terrifying to her. Tessa hatred them - not like anyone particularly enjoyed them - but they were her some of her biggest fears in the wizarding world. Finally they left the area and arrived at Hogwarts. Tessa jumped up, hastily taking her jacket off and stuffing it in her luggage. Her robes were already on. TJ turned to the other two and smiled, nodding. Friendliness didn't come to her easily and she had to force it. Her gut feeling told her that they would probably notice, so she kept it simple and said,
"I'll see you as the year goes on, Sienna. And see you at the table, Morgan."Tessa stood up and nodded to them and then weaved through the crowd, dragging her luggage and carrying her owl. She was thankful that previous summer she had exercised. Once outside, a steward came and gathered their luggage. She stared in surprise but accepted the offer. Tessa hastily strode towards the school and to the Great Hall. A sigh of relief escaped her. Now she was home, her real home. She felt gazes pierce her as she sat down at the Slytherin table. As she Sorting Hat sorted new Slytherins, she welcomed them eagerly and applauded quietly to herself. As the Headmaster announced what he needed to, Tessa found her attention drifting. She stared up at the ceiling and wondered how Cricket was doing. She missed her owl already. Then a cough startled her and she turned back to face the headmaster, her heart hammering. A few people had snickered and she had trouble not laughing herself.
After they gave Profess Scorpious Malfoy III his introduction, Tessa looked at the dinner. She grinned to herself and began to fill her plate. The food was delicious here. She loved the food almost more than her studies. Tessa looked over as Simon joined her, asking her how was her summer and mentioning how he had missed her on the train. Meanwhile, she fixed himself a plate of food. Tessa looked up at him as she replied:
"Not much, just pigging out. I love the food here. And my summer was fine, thank you, though I missed this school like crazy." Then, after taking a bite of her eggs and swallowing it, continued speaking.
"Yeah, I arrived late. Most of the compartments were full. I tried to look for you but it was just crazy. I'm sorry. But hey, we're here now, right?"She glanced at him and then began to continue eating so he could respond.