[img align=left]http://i.imgur.com/P91uS2X.png[/img] "So much fun! I went sight seeing in Italy with my family and shadowed a potioneer."

Beth waved hello to Aderyn ().

"What did you do over break?" Beth asked Gaia and Aderyn.

"Hi Aderyn! How are you?" ()

() "Oh! That sounds fun! I help dad with the owls. I might get one for Christmas! A snow owl had babies. I also went around the woods for potion ingredients and such."

Aderyn’s attention was caught where she stood at the fireplace by a voice from half way across the room. She spun on her heel and smiled at Gaia ( ) as the other girl greeted her.

“Hey yourself,” she said warmly. “Alright, and you?”

She glanced around the group as she walked over, smiling and nodding a hello at all those gathered. She waved back at Beth ( ).

“Did anyone get up to anything crazy over the break?”

Gaia smiled at Aderyn () "Here! Catch!" as she softly threw some hard candies. "Sorry! I tend to get overly excited! I didn't do anything crazy, but I did stock up on potion ingredients and candies."

Aderyn jumped a little in surprise as Gaia ( ) threw candies in her direction and she brought up her hands just in time, catching a couple of them but missing a couple of others. The quick motion made her wobble a little and she stumbled back a step before catching herself. Stooping, she picked up the candies she'd dropped and tucked them into her pocket as she straightened once again, leaving only one in her hand.

"Thanks!" She said brightly as she unwrapped one of the candies and popped it into her mouth. "That sounds like fun! I love the Apothecary. I always spend too much time in there. And in Flourish and Blotts..."

She shrugged with a wry smile, remembering all the times her father had had to usher her out of the shops while they'd been down at Diagon Alley.

"That reminds me, I have to stop by the library tomorrow and see if they have a spare copy of The Standard Book of Spells, Grade Four. Flourish and Blotts were sold out and my order hasn't arrived by owl yet."

had a point, Fade had a habit of overthinking things. But before he had a chance to over think over thinking, a sweet treat hit him in the side of the head. Chase, upon seeing something fly from Gaia's hand, quickly sprang to his feet and ran after it. Leaping into the air with outstretched paws, the cat's trajectory quickly collided with Fade's stationary form. Luckily, or rather, thanks to experience, Fade was quite used to having his cat use him as a gym mat. He even somehow managed not to spit out the piece of candy he had just stuffed into his mouth, despite the direct impact to his gut. "Oohf! You little..."Before the cat could escape, as a punishment Fade wrestled him into a bear hug and planted a noisy kiss on the wriggling cat's head. "My turn." He kissed the cat twice more before releasing it.

()

"I love the shops too! Maybe you will like to go sometimes to the woods where my family has always been. I find all sorts of ingredients there. Even some we don't use here yet!" Gaia smiled and continue to eat her acid pop which was harder than it looked and she was making funny faces trying.

Gaia laughed at the scene () "Fade you should know you have cooties! Leave Chase alone!" Giggling Gaia gave one last piece of jerky to Chase and pat him on the head. "You should save some for tomorrow you know!"

"Aderyn I do need to go to the library. I need some books by Newt Scamander. I also need some Divination books."

Aderyn watched as Gaia ( ) chewed her acid pop, shuddering in sympathy. They were far too sour for her tastes, and she thought Gaia was brave to eat one.

"That sounds amazing!" She squealed excitedly. "I love going out into the woods and looking for potion ingredients. I like bringing home new plants that I haven't got in my garden yet and raising them from seeds or cuttings!"

()

Gaia managed to bite off a piece of the pop and it was so sour she puckered up and got teary eyed. Quickly she got her water bottle from her bag and drank some wiping her mouth with her sleeve she looked up... "sorry about that. I like to test my limits and I LOOOOVE sour candies. Acid pops are my favorite, but yes! I agree with you. My dream is to have my own Apothecary and be a volunteer healer. I enjoy being in nature, so I might end up walking many paths. My future is not clear to me yet." Gaia said with an air of something missing and mysterious.

[img align=left]http://i.imgur.com/P91uS2X.png[/img] "I don't know how you do it. I can't handle having my tongue burned. Do you happen to have any Chocoballs? They're my favorite candy."

"I'm not sure when Herbology club will meet, but it sounds like you'd have a lot of fun there."

()

Gaia looked at Beth offended... "Are you seriously asking me that right now?" but not being able to keep a straight face Gaia burst out laughing and ran up the stairs to her room.

A minute later Gaia is coming down the stairs with a box of chocoballs. "Here" Gaia said with a grin and handing the box to her friend. "I only eat those during heavy study season. You can have those." She went back to biting her pop. This was a task she was not giving up on. In between bites gaia said to anyone listening "You know, each time to bite a piece off it changes the intensity of the acid part, the sourness is the best part!"

[img align=left]http://i.imgur.com/P91uS2X.png[/img] "Thanks! You're the best!" Beth carefully opened the box, grabbed a chocoball and quickly took a bite of it.

"Mmmm!"

"Would any else like one?" she asked her fellow housemates.

She turned her attention back to Gaia. "I like the sourness of it but it's too acidic for me."

Aderyn smiled brightly as Gaia () spoke, realizing they had an interest in healing in common.

"You should come spend some time at my house one day," she said excitedly. "My father's a healer at St. Mungo's - I'm sure you'd love to see all of the things he keeps around the house!"

Turning to look at Beth (), she nodded.

"That sounds brilliant," she replied. "I'll have to keep an eye out for any news. It'll be tricky to fit into my schedule, but I couldn't say no to a herbology club!"

() "Then perhaps a sugar quill is more your speed." Gaia did a trick with her robes like muggles magicians do, but it didn't work and she fell over tangled in her own robes. "I meant to do that!" Gaia said between laughs.

() "I would love that! There are some pomades my ancestors used in the past and I wonder how much of it is magic and how much is nature! I feel that is an amazing balance." Gaia sat upright, red in the face, and tears running down her cheeks.

"I totally meant to fall over and be tangled in my robes... no need to panic!" as another laughing fit began.

Gaia looked around the common room. It was so quiet it was suspicious to her. "Where did everyone go?" Sitting on a chair by the fire place Gaia began to unwrap an acid pop and jot down notes on her parchment.

Aderyn rushed into the common room with her book bag swinging on her shoulder. She'd dozed off in the library as she'd worked on some homework for History of Magic and now all she wanted, more than anything in the world, was to set her books down, sit back by the fire, and relax. To her pleasant surprise, was already there, sitting right near where Aderyn wanted to settle. Smiling, she walked over, setting her book down as she craned her head to look at what Gaia was writing.

"What are you up to this fine evening?"

() "No peeking! I had some down time and decided to work on my Christmas lists. So much to do during this time and I am not going home." Gaia had a moment of sadness cross her face, but immediately smile as to hide it. "It is my first time away from home during the holidays, but mom and dad are going on vacation and I figured it would be nice for them to have alone time. My aunt and uncle will tend to the owls and the farm. I wonder who else will be staying." Gaia was rummaging through her bag while trying to make a note on her parchment and handed an orange sugar quill to Aderyn.

()

Aderyn accepted the sugar quill with a grin.

"Thanks!"

She moved around and sat down in a squishy arm chair next to Gaia, unbuttoning her cloak so she could breathe more easily. Kicking off her shoes, she shifted so that her feet hung off one end of the arm chair while she rested her back against the other arm rest.

"I'm heading home for the holidays, but I almost wish I was staying here. Mum's going to be away on ministry business so it'll just be me and dad. It'll be nice, but it just won't be the same."

She looked wistfully off into the distance for a moment, remembering Christmases from her childhood.

"I'll be in touch, though! I'll want to hear all about what goes on here during the holidays. Maybe next year I'll stay around - it could be lots of fun!"

() "Tell your dad you are sick and stay!" Gaia giggled. "I will write you every day! That way my owls can have some fly time and can go hunting somewhere different! They would like that."

()

Aderyn laughed.

"Dad's a healer - he'd just want me to come home so he could take care of me! But maybe if I told him that staying here would be more conducive to studying..."

()

Gaia sensed some plotting coming and beamed at her friend "Anything I can do to help... count me in! I do wonder if Ethel () will be staying too. I forgot to ask her before she went to the library."