Teresa quickly replies. "Yes, it sings a different song each year before sorting the students. All songs quite amusing too, yes it is a sentient hat - one of a kind for sure." She nods to Corvus. "Yes, well my mother at first didn't realize it was me until she saw it happen in front of her. Dad's keys were gone and I didn't even know where to." She laughs remembering, it was such a funny memory. "She then said, you are going to Hogwarts!"

"I don't think the hat takes wrong decisions but maybe he could place a student in more than one house and then chose one that might not have been the best choice of the two, well just an idea. I think I'm in the right house, despite what Terry may think." Merlin said firmly.

"Well I think the hat can take the wrong decision if we humans do and we are also sentient beings why won't a hat take wrong decisions? I still think you are a unicorn with an untainted heart and you belong in another house, maybe even Griffindor."

"What?! I'm no Griffin, I'm a snake." Merlin was proud of his house and it bother him that she wanted to place him someplace else. "Now stop that things about the unicorn, I'm a dragon." Merlin smirks. "Yeah I deceive people with my innocent look." He made a cute face. "Yes Merlin, and of course I know Lizzie, she is in my house and year so we take classes together. We are friends, or I like to think we are, you know her? Family perhaps?"

"I would like to know my house here, for curiosity purposes." Terry said with a smile.

"I'll try to make it work, maybe since I'm so short it may think I'm first year." Merlin giggles hard.

"That is hard because I like all of those things but I guess I'll have to go with Thunderbird since I love exploring and adventure but I can be a warrior in order to protect my friends and family, I love studying and learning new things and my ambition is to master all kinds of magic and somehow merge them and make my own magic, and I will be learning healing for a while when I finish studying in Hogwarts but adventure pulls me so I chose Thunderbird."

"I have no doubt I'll be Horned Serpent." Teresa said then. "It's similar to Ravenclaw." Teresa heard the question and hung her head, she totally forgot no one was familiar with muggle terms. "Well, fireman are those that stop fire from spreading in the muggle world or no-maj as you prefer to call them. They go into the fires and do all they can to stop the fire and save the people from danger." She smiled hoping it was a good explanation.

(( Lol Wasn't my intention but its fine. )) "I have no idea where the kitchens are but I can find out." Merlin grins. "There is no stopping me when I want something." He giggles. "Especially when I want sweets."

Lenore purses her lips thinking then pulls out her wand. "I have an idea. Not sure if it will work...." she jumps up and trots to the entrance of the Great Hall and steps into the corridor. Raising her wand she says "Accio oven mitt" After a few moments a bright orange oven mitt covered in daisies soars through the air from the left-hand hallway and lands at her feet. Scooping it up, she runs back and plops down smiling triumphantly. Presenting the flowery mitt to Merlin she says, "Now we know it's to the left."

Merlin laughed hard with Lenore's idea but had to admit they had something less to find. "Good job. Now we just have to follow the smells."

Lenore chuckles. "That might be a better idea. I don't know how many items we would need to summon before we got there. We could end up with half the kitchen first." She picks up the oven mitt. "At least we got something fun."

Shrugging at River’s () comment about chair surfing being tame, Bran said, “Well it was the best I could do on the spur of the moment. I thought Lenore’s () fish added to the excitement.” He winked at the Slytherin girl. “We’ll do less tame things tomorrow,” he promised.

Bran gave Merlin () a smile. “We’ll be on foot most of the time, don’t worry. And I can relate to getting lost. We won’t talk about how many times I’ve missed meals at home or classes here because I found something I had to check out a bit closer and ended up losing track of time.”

“I like him too,” Lynnie smiled at Merlin, gently nuzzling the little owl and being rewarded by a soft hoot. When Lenore began stroking Spellz, Lynnie smiled at the other girl. She was immediately interested to learn that Lenore raised and breed owls. “That’s so cool that you have the room for them to live and enjoy life and the knowledge to care for them. It would be great to see them.”

When the talk turned to food, Bran gave a “Mmmm…those all sound delicious, River. I’d love to try the Balah El Sham. And doughnuts are always good, so I’m with Merlin on that.

Lynnie smiled and said to Merlin. “I’m a vegetarian too. Maybe we can come up with new menus together.”

Hearing Lenore’s comment about books, Lynnie’s eyes lit up. “Oh books are the best friends!” she said excitedly, causing Spellz to shift slightly and look at her. “I’m sorry, sweet one,” she cooed to the little owl. “I didn’t mean to startle you. And it’s not that I don’t like you or animals, but reading is a freedom like no other.” Spellz seemed to forgive the girl and lightly pecked at a strand of her pink hair, causing Lynnie to giggle.

Bran gave a little grin when the girls were discussing things. “What’s normal anyway?” he asked Lenore. “I don’t know that any of us are truly ‘normal’, and I happen to like it that way.” He took a chocolate cauldron and bit into it. His eyes widened slightly and a grin formed. “Okay, anything chocolate is good, but these…exceptional,” the teen declared. “Good thing you brought plenty,” he winked at Lenore. “And thank you for sharing.”

He laughed when Lenore figured out the way to the kitchens her own way. “I’m thinking you and Merlin would definitely be Thunderbirds,” he said. “Too much adventure and daring in your blood not to be. Of course River would be too.”

“And Terry could be with me in Horned Serpent…the best house,” Lynnie piped up.

Bran gave a light snort. “You keep thinking that, little bit,” he teased his sister, making her wrinkle her nose at him.

((attempting to catch up since I missed at least a day due to life throwing curve balls!))

Lenore blushes slightly when Bran winks at her. Why did her pale complexion have to turn pick so easily? She quickly turned her focus back to Lynnie.

"If you're ever in Scotland you should stop by and see them." Lenore told the younger girl. "There are so many to see if you go out walking at night. There are all these yellow eyes staring down from the trees."

Bran had a point about people not being normal. Before Lenore could say so however, the boy winked at her again. Once was one thing but twice? She figured it must just be part of his outgoing nature but it brought the color to her cheeks again anyway. She was happy when the subject changed to houses.

"I like the idea of Thunderbird." she said happily, then quietly asked, "Do you know if people who aren't students can be sorted here? A few of us were wondering if we could find out what houses we would be in if we had come here instead of our schools."

((The Pottermore test actually put me in Thuderbird, which is cool because it's the one I wanted. I love that you picked it for Lenore.))

[img align=left]https://sapi.subeta.net/shared/270041.png[/img] Ivy put away her parchment and picked up her coffee to join the group with the champions. The blonde girl from Hogwarts () who had invited her to sit had the best skin she'd ever seen. As she approached their table she saw that Rain () and Corvus () were sitting with them too and returned their waves.

"Nice to meet you River ()," she replied. "Hi, I'm Ivy," she said to the group. "I hope you're liking Ilvermorny and America so far."

(OOC: This is a comparison of Hogwarts and Ilvermorny houses that I thought was cool.)

Eva noticed a girl in beautifully golden robes wave at her as she finished eating. The girl was around a few other people Well, I did want to meet people, this is my chance, she thought to herself as she got up and began walking towards the other students, hoping they wouldn't mind if she joined into their conversation.

"Hello" she said with a bright smile as she looked at the other students, "My name is Eva, I hope I haven't missed too much of the celebration, I lost track of time while exploring herbs around the mountain" she said in a rush.

Continuing to unwrap the chocolate cauldron from the paper, Corvus smiled at the explanation from Lenore. () "I can somehow understand that.", he said amused and lowered his voice, "well, I certainly won't be there to stop you." In his mind, he added that she should make sure that she won't get caught by anyone else, but everyone was responsible for him- or herself, so he remained silent about that. He had finally unwrapped the cauldron and took a small bite of it. "It's actually really nice. Though I prefer not to drink too much; I rather have a clear mind.", he remarked upon the taste.

"Man, I'd love to see that hat for real. It sounds really entertaining and to be honest, quite more interesting than statues.", he exclaimed when Teresa() explained more about the Sorting Hat. Then he smiled. "Did the keys actually ever come back?", he asked amused. Taking a sip of tea, he seemed to be thinking a moment before he went on. "That sounds similar to the situation here where a young student is given the opportunity to choose for him- or herself when two or more houses want the student. Though I'd rather trust an old enchanted hat than an unexperienced mind. Sometimes, you feel a bit in between, actually." He laughed a bit at Merlin and Teresa teasing each other. "You're like an old couple.", he said with a cheeky grin and took another sip of tea. " 'Lizzie'? ", he asked, "so do you know each other well? " He was only wary for a moment. "Yes, we're engaged.", he explained, "and our parents know each other for a long time."

"I think that's exactly where the hat would be helpful to make a decision. Imagine if all Ilvermorny houses would want a student, but that happens rarely.", he said and then smiled. "Actually, since one of the founders of Ilvermorny, Isolt Sayre, wanted to be sorted into Ravenclaw if she would have gone to Hogwarts. She founded Horned Serpent as well...and her love for Ravenclaw is the reason why our uniforms are blue.", he added with a short laugh. "No worry...I prefer to use the term 'muggle'. My family is from Scotland and I never adjusted well to the american way of life.", Corvus said and thought about Teresa's explanation. "Huh, that sounds very brave. I understand why you were so worried about your father then.", he answered and then shook his head in amusement over the flying oven mitt. These students were surely entertaining. He looked over to Brandon(). "I actually support your little sister with her statement of Horned Serpent being the best house.", he said with a sassy tone in his voice. Noticing a fellow Ilvermorny student approaching her table, Corvus waved at her as well. ()

(OOC; That diagram is really cool! I got sorted into Thunderbird on pottermore however...I made a test where you can answer all possible questions and Thunderbird and Horned Serpent are even. xD And I swear, on the Hogwarts one with all question, I got a very low Gryffindor score. xD More leaning towards Slytherclaw actually. xd I hope life's better now C: )

Eva waved back and took a seat next to the student who just waved "Hello there, you're Corvus, right, I'm Eva" she said with a quick smile, then she sheepishly continued speaking: "sorry if we have met before, I can be quite forgetful of names and people for that matter... I find myself to be more indulgent with herbology and making potions that I often forget to be a bit more social".

"Ooh cake you say?" River looked around for it as if he had right then. "Cake is yummy."
She smiled at Terry. "Well, I think i'd like to see a sorting done by hat." She giggled at the silliness of that. "I'd be interested to know what house I would be in--both here and at Hogwarts."

"So your knot thingy sorts the same way as the hat, but without the singing?"

"I have to agree. I love it flying in the rain. Its a good thing its reasonably safe for your owl. I take my monkey Max sometimes. Otherwise its just me."

"We'll have to do something less tame for sure!" She giggled. "There's some very yummy Egyptian food. I can't make any of it though. I don't know how to really cook. I just buy food and reheat it."

"Hi Ivy. Well, er, haven't seen much of America. But the students here seem nice."

"Hello Eva," the teen said smiling, "I'm River. Ooh that sounds like fun."

Private Outfit "Nice to meet you River" Eva said with a bright smile. "What do you like to do when you aren't busy in class?"

"I like pottery, exploring tombs, spelunking, reading, riding horses and camels, playing on my magic carpet, swimming...oh just about anything. You?"

  Merlin giggles at the idea of summoning multiple things to get to the kitchen. “If my friend Magnus was here he could sniff until we get there – he has a great sense of smell. He is a werewolf and a great friend.”

  “I try to get lost on my free time since I have prefect duties to attend back at Hogwarts, but when I have free time I'm free to explore!” His eyes glittered with emotion. “I got my pet snake there, it followed me back to the castle so I adopted him.” Merlin made the effort to pull his shirt sleeves up and show the snake to everyone. “Meet Thunder my pretty little snake, he loves to squeeze my arm or my wand, but today he is being good and staying in my arm. Most of the time I have to get him off my wand and its a problem when I need the wand fast.”

Merlin was excited when Lynnie said she was also a vegetarian. “We can come up with ideas to the cooks, do they have house elves here cooking or does someone else cooks?” He wondered if the elves did the cleaning and cooking like in Hogwarts.

“Surely horned serpent sounds like a cool house Lynnie.” Terry smirks and nods.

  “Hello Ivi, nice to meet you. I'm Teresa Evans, or Terry which I prefer. I'm enjoying the school so far and at least everyone have been great in America but truth is we haven't seen much of it. Would love to see more but don't think we'll have the chance, still being here is a privilege and I'm very excited.” She said with a calm voice even whens he said she was excited. “How do you feel about the students from other schools coming?”

  Teresa nods to Corvus. “Oh yes, I really enjoy the hat and his singing, its always a very clever and fun song – surely that hat must be a Ravenclaw.” She giggles. “No, the keys never came back and my father had to pay a lot for new keys and locks.” Teresa nods, he was absolutely right. “Yes, also sometimes the young student is inclined toward a certain house because of a family member, or someone they know and not because it is the best place for you.”

“A couple? No way! We are like water and oil.” Merlin suggested and Terry frowns.

“You exaggerate, we get along just fine.” She says seriously and Merlin shrugs.

“Yes we know each other well, I told you she is in my year and we are friends, we drink tea together and do homework together. Sometimes we seat together in class with our group of friends.” Merlin was surprised to know they were engaged, especially living so far apart but he smiles. “That's cool, wait till I tell her I met you. I don't think I would like to be engaged so young, but I guess every family and person is different.”

“Yes it is a very dangerous job, that's why I wanted him to stay. At least so far he still safe, but I don't think I'll even like the sound of those sirens.”

  “Cake is love! I could eat cake daily and be happy.” Merlin giggles. “Nothing like a nice slice of lemon cake and a cup of tea. Life is good when you have that.”

Terry nods. “I'm sure you would like the sorting hat, it could be cool if we could test it on each of you and we could do the sorting from the other schools as well. “I wonder if you'll be a Griffindor or a Hufflepuff, I don't visualize you as a Slytherin or Ravenclaw but hey – only the hat knows for sure.” She smiles thinking about it.

“I accept her in Slytherin.” Merlin quickly said.

“We don't need more Slytherins that are not Slytherins in Slytherin.” Terry smirks with her little fun remark.

“You know it all don't know a thing. I'm Slytherin and the hat said so.” Merlin crossed his arms, he was getting tired of it.

“I’d love to visit Scotland,” Lynnie smiled at Lenore(). It was also the younger girl who answered the question about the sorting rather than Bran. “I don’t think it will work to try to be sorted,” she said quietly. “It’s part of the magic here, just like the Sorting Hat at Hogwarts. Only potential students who have received a letter to attend Ivermorny can take part in the sorting ceremony, and even then it’s only once a year. I mean we can all walk across the Knot several times a day, but now that we’re in our house, the statues don’t react. And I believe they would know that you’re already a part of another school and not here to stay, so you couldn’t and wouldn’t be sorted into a house here at Ilvermorny.” She gave a little shrug as the others looked at her. “Just my opinion,” she said.

Bran smiled and said, “No doubt where you’d be at Hogwarts, Lynnie. And it’s clear why you’re Horned Serpent here. It’s still fun to try to figure out on our own where we think we’d be sorted based on our characteristics and actions.”

He looked over at Corvus () at the other boy’s comment about the best house and gave a mock sigh. “Another one who’s delusional,” he teased with a grin. Making his hands into a bird, he playfully said, “And the mighty Thunderbird swoops in and snatches up the Horned Serpent who thinks himself the best.” Bran fluttered his hands over Corvus’s head enough to mess up his hair and gave the other boy a cheeky grin.

Lynnie giggled and said, “But alas the Thunderbird had not the power to move the great Serpent,” she teased.

Bran laughed and turned to River (). “I’m not a great cook by any means, but it can be fun because it’s so much like potions. Only a lot more tasty than most potions.”

His blue eyes lit up when Merlin () mentioned his friend back at Hogwarts. “A werewolf?! Really? And he just attends school with you all? Does everyone know about it? What’s he like?” Then he calmed slightly and said with a smile, “So you’re a prefect and have to pretend to follow the rules hmm?” When Merlin showed the group Thunder, Bran grinned. “He’s great!” the boy declared. “And the perfect pet for a Slytherin. Maybe Thunder likes being around your wand like the snakes on the doctor’s caduceus.”

Lynnie smiled at Merlin’s questions. “We have something similar,” she said. “It’s actually the Pukwudgies that help clean and cook here as well as provide security as needed. The difference is that they are paid, so they could leave if they wanted, but they keep coming back every year to help…even though they grumble and complain. They look like a combination of house-elf and goblin because they are distant kin to each of them.”

Bran smiled a welcome to Eva (). “Hi, Eva,” he said. “I’m Bran. I’ve seen you around. Glad you could join us.”

((Cool Twilght_Wanderer! I did the test on several different sites other than just Pottermore and got Horned Serpent every time lol. My Hogwarts ones are never as clear. I’m some kind of hybrid with nearly even percentages Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Griffindor. :D Thanks, Anne. hugs It’s not that much better, but I’m making it. ))

"I love cake, especially lemon and chocolate with strawberries." She licked her lips thinking about it."

River wasn't so sure about Hufflepuff. "Why wouldn't I be in Ravenclaw?" The girl asked curiously. "And I could be Slytherin, like Merlin."

When Magnus' name entered the conversation River perked up. "Oh, I know Magnus, he's amazing. He draws some of the most beautiful pictures and he's really sweet. "

"What house do you think I'd be in Bran? " She gave a smile. "I like potions, but I've never done much cooking. But some ingredients in potions do make me balk."

Merlin didn't know why Bran was so surprised, he was so used to Magnus that it didn't cause him trouble to know about his condition. "Well yes he goes to school and people know, there is a girl too - they are very nice and Magnus is my best buddy and the very first friend I made in school so he is dear to me." Merlin shrugs, he wasn't sure what he wanted to know. "Well he is like any other kid, he is kind, smart, playful, very talented, strong, and responsible. He is also a prefect like myself but he is a Ravenclaw, surely Terry knows him well."

"Of course, I'm surprised he didn't come but maybe with his cycles it was better that way. He is a good lad." Teresa said calmly.

Merlin shift a bit uncomfortable. "Well i do follow the rules, cept staying in bed late because I go to the dark forest."

"Whic is also breaking the rules because you call it Dark forest but the headmistress calls it the FORBIDDEN forest which means it is forbidden by all students to enter it not only at night but also during the day. I don't know what you are doing in there, its very dangerous - you must have a death wish."

"No, but I need to be in the forest every day and connect with the land and species, its part of who I am and if I can't do it I surely would go crazy inside the school, I sometimes go during the day not always at night. I like flying in the forest and climbing trees, besides I live in a forest so I feel at home there." Merlin smiles to Bran. "Well Thunder likes magical objects, I'm guessing this arm is my strongest because that's the one he likes. But if I have things with magic he likes curling around it. He likes magic it seems, maybe he is a little bit of a wizard snake." He looked confused at the name Lynnie said. "Its nice they get paid, elves love serving yet I feel sad for them too but seems like they are happy like that. But between you and me, I can't help but to pronounce wrong their name - it sounds like pukewedgie to me." He giggles.

"lemon and chocolate..now I want lemon cake!" Merlin felt like crying. "At least I have cauldron cake." He smiles and gives a last bite to it.

Terry lift a brow. "Maybe I'm wrong since you apparently are creative and original yet I don't know how much of you enjoy learning. Maybe you are a Ravenclaw, but I still don't fit you into Slytherin." She shrugs.

"True, he even made a drawing for a dragon. He is the best." Merlin smiles. "I think River is a Ravenclaw mixed with a bit of Griffindor. Just my opinion."

[img align=left]https://sapi.subeta.net/shared/172169.png[/img] Lenore scooted over to make room for the dark-haired girl to sit down. The girl introduced herself as Ivy. "Lenore" she said, extending not her hand but a chocolate cauldron.

Lenore listened as another addition to their group, a girl named Eva, introduced herself. It was nice to see the group expanding but at the same time it made Lenore less comfortable. Small groups were so much simpler. She decided she would see how it went for a while and duck out if needed.

Corvus took Lenore's attention off the crowd. He was so calm and his way of speaking thoughtfully made her feel more at ease. She appreciated in-depth conversation and preferred it to the chatter of too many voices. "I can understand that." she said to the boy. "Though at the same time, a bit of whiskey can be helpful for the imagination. It brings on a creative freedom." she pauses then adds, "As long as you don't have too much."

Lenore hears that Corvus is engaged and listens to Merlin's () reaction. It was more understanding than most. Lenore was used to the idea, having come from an old pureblood family but still knew that she would hate to have her spouse chosen for her. It was a shame too, she thought. Corvus was rather attractive.

Lynnie's explanation about the Gordian Knot made sense and was a bit disappointing. "I guess I'll just have to settle for guesswork then." she said. Still in her mind she wondered....what if?

Lenore just shook her head and smiled to herself when Bran started asking excited questions about Magnus. She had met the werewolf at Hogwarts and knew that he always piqued the interest of others. She wondered if he ever got tired of all the fuss.

((Leafling: I've taken a few tests as well, including the Pottermore collections of all questions. I'm always Slytherin by at least 80% with Ravenclaw coming in second. The Ilvermorny tests give me thunderbird but not as strongly. That's so odd that you're right in between the houses like that. You must have a great combination of characteristics. Out of curiosity, do you happen to know your Meyers Briggs type?))

"Don't worry", he said to Eva (), "I can understand that perfectly." He thought for a moment over Rivers () question. "I think so, though the singing hat sounds more amusing and not as serious.", he said and smiled.

"Seriously, I'd love to see a sorting at Hogwarts by myself. ", Corvus answered to Teresa(), "maybe I should become a teacher so I can work there. He chuckled a bit. "Did your father ever found out that it was your magic?", he asked amused. "That actually sounds like a small flaw of the hat. Though I'd love to hear what the hat would say about me. But I bet that it's protected well.", he said and sounded a bit disappointed. "Now you're dramatizing.", and he shook his head in amusement. "Oh, that's nice. She was alwas rather quiet, being a bit worried about her...uhm, heritage. I don't know if she ever told you.", he said. "She told me that she wasn't sure yet if she could come to Ilvermorny so early. I'm waiting for her letter, but an owl takes its time to fly over the Atlantic Ocean. But we've met each other over the term break and she said that she has some things to take care of first.", he added. He smiled a bit. "Well, it's pretty common to betroth young pure-blood children to each other.", he said and shrugs, "plus, our families are quite traditional. And we get along very well." Corvus smiled and took a small bite of the chocolate cauldron. "Fair enough. I think I would think the same about the sirens.", he said to Teresa and looked at her in an understanding way.

He laughed at Brans () comment. "Are you serious about that?", he asked and for a moment, he looked serious, then grinned, "atleast your sister is pretty smart. Her explanation about the Knot and the sorting makes sense. No offense." Corvus chuckled a bit. These two we're really funny. He looked over to the small snake Merlin had brought along and thought that it looked pretty cool. "Is Thunder going to stay this small? As you sneak out to the forbidden forest, did you get him there? I've heard some magical creatures do live there."

"Maybe I should try to snack on some chocolate cauldrons while studying. Or while testing new spells", he said amused, regarding Lenores () comment. He took a sip of tea and wondered if his family was probably way more old-fashioned than the other's.

( I get a good amount of Ravenclaw percentage as well xd I've done the Meyers Briggs test a few times and it has never changed. I'm a INTJ-T c: (which is quite true. :'D ) )

"Spelunking huh? I've never done that before...is it fun?"..."I think I might be a little bit frightened to try" Eva said with a slight sense of defeat thinking about the subject. "But, I do love riding horses, my parents have a farm so we have a few horses back home".

"Hey Bran" Eva said with a smile, "Glad I finally made it here, I was hoping I didn't miss everything and I'm really glad I didn't...did you enjoy watching the students arrive?"

"Hello there" Eva said to the girl who seemed a little hesitate about her arrival, hoping she wasn't being too forward or awkward for that matter, by making conversation, as she herself was a little of an introvert.