When Jona finishes his spell, Lily's eyes light up in wonder. "Wow! That's so cool. I can't wait to learn to do that. Thank you for cleaning up the mess." She didn't seem at all bothered by the spilt soup. When Jona grabs her arm, she blushes a little. "But you seem so at ease! I envy you. Oh wow, it's so far away, do you have any other relatives here? I'm from France, but decided to try to apply to Hogwarts as a transfer student. Magic, spells and Hogwarts are all new to me, although I did learn a little about Herbology and Care for Magical Creatures back at home." she proudly states. She looks around the room at all the fascinating animals, "Though I do have to admit some of these creatures are very new and strange to me."

((Ooc: just saw your post, . We must have postd at the same time. Cue editing magic))

When Millie sits down next to Lily she marvels at the spell. "Hey. I didn't quite get your name earlier when Burr jumped on your cat. My name is Lily. I didn't want to intrude on your conversation...." She couldn't admit she didn't understand half of it, except the part about donuts and someone's new girlfriend.

When she finishes her sentence her dessert arrives, a piece Cinnamon pumpkin pie. "Would you guys like some?"

Jona looked up when Millie joined the table and smiled at her. "Hey! We're like the Three Musketeers of Hufflepuff." He joked, but he felt a bit sad that there didn't seem to be more of them. And he was worried that Millie felt obligated to babysit when she obviously had her own friends. But, of course, he didn't say anything out loud about it. Edit: He turned back to Lily () and shrugged. "I don't know if I'm really all that at ease, but...I've just had a lot of things going on and this feels like a new chapter. I'm kinda embracing it, because the last chapter wasn't so great." He half-smiled and pulled his hand away from Lily's arm, body language signifying he did not want to get any more into the details. He answered her other questions instead: "Nope, no relatives outside of the States other than my uncle and his partner in Scotland. I'm really fond of magical creatures, too! My uncle is a veterinarian back in Glasgow and I love explaining to him all the different kinds of magical creatures there are. As a muggle, it blows his mind."

A slice of pie came and Lily offered to share. Jona recalled a donut he'd just eaten moments ago and then the churros before that, but then he just smiled mischievously because he realized that no one was keeping tabs on what he was eating here at Hogwarts. "I'd love to!" was his response.

"Good to see you again too, Millie," Drew smiled. "And my break...well it was eventful and too long in some ways. I'm glad to be back at Hogwarts." He smiled in a friendly way to the new students near Millie, his innate shyness kicking in.

Drew grinned at Magnus. "Glad to see you again too," he said. "I feel like I've missed out on so much what with the trips we took over the break and not being able to hang out with you and Merls."

Overhearing River's comments to another new girl, Drew frowned a bit. Tams had a boyfriend now? And they had practically adopted River? And Niall wasn't going to be there with them at Hogwarts?? What about the Musketeers?! Drew wanted to question, but he stayed quiet. He'd missed way more than he'd thought! And now...he eyed River as she possessively took Merlin's hand...well now it looked as though things were changing. He held back a sigh and put on his manners.

"So you're River," he said with a little smile. "Nice to meet you. I'm Drew. I'm sure Merls will be glad that you've joined Hogwarts."

He gave Merlin () a teasing poke. "And yep, now I see why you're going to need me to prod you to do lessons this term instead of the other way round," he joked.

Glancing around, he commented quietly and to no one in particular, "There sure are a lot of new students this term."

[img align=left]https://i.imgur.com/6nplr75.png[/img]

()"Oh." Feeling guilty for bringing up a sensitive subject, Lily doesn't push the issue further. "That must be so exciting for him as a vet to learn about new creatures he doesn't get to see. My Dad is also a muggle, but he's too busy with his vineyard to learn about the magical world." She smiles, hiding her anger at him. "There are so many creatures just at Hogwarts let alone in the whole Wizarding world. I can't wait to learn about them all." She cuts the pie into shareable pieces.

When Lily sees Drew () smile her way she shyly murmurs a "Hi." and presumes eating her piece of the pie while he chats with Millie. She hopes that she didn't come off as stand offish and cold and immediately regrets not introducing herself. What she wouldn't give to be as outgoing as Jona.

Jona laughed, thinking about some of his uncle's reactions to the magical creatues. "Yeah," he said to Lily (). "His favorite creature I've told him about so far is the Graphorn. But he was pretty psyched to find out that dragons are real, too!" He laughed again, making his face look ridiculous to mimic the face his uncle had made upon discovering the reality of dragons. "So your dad is a muggle, too? And he's got a vineyard in...France? That's pretty cool. How long has he had that gig?"

There was a Slytherin () who greeted Millie (), briefly looked at Jona and Lily and then turned to talk to the others. Jona thought nothing of it, seeing as how an opportunity was not really left for him to say hi. After a while the boy pointed out the number of new students and Jona called out to him jokingly and said, "Oops! Sorry about that. Is this a bad time?" He makes a big play out of it, gathering his things to leave the hall. "Should I come back later? When is a good time for you that I should start school?"

Millie laughed at Jona's comment () "we are. It's nice to have some more Hufflepuff friends"

"That's good to hear Drew. Mine went on for what felt like forever. I was sent home from the tournament early because I had Dragon Pox. It was terrible. "Jona, Lily (), this is Drew. Drew, Lily and Jona, new Puffies."

"Lily, your dad owns a vineyard in France? That's really neat. I love visiting France. It's so beautiful there. And the food is superb. I always look forward to going there, although I'm not sure when the next time we will. My parents love to travel."

Private OutfitCassie took her plate of food and looked up and down the Slytherin table. She spotted Marcia () and slid into the seat across from her. She wasn't always great at small talk, so best to sit near someone who seemed equally quiet.

[img align=left]https://sapi.subeta.net/shared/331783.png[/img]River smiled at Mallowsweet (( )) "I hope you enjoy." She could hear the sadness in the girl's voice. It was something she knew all too well. "I'm River Alcott, transferring from 4A in Egypt." It seemed like the liked the doughnuts. "There's more if you want them."

River was about to say something but Jonas ran off mid sentence. She shrugged. Hopefully the young boy enjoyed his talk with the other hufflepuff. (())

[img align=right]https://sapi.subeta.net/shared/319500.png[/img] "You 'ave. I've missed you. So much 'as 'appened. Mum's having a baby in December."

The teen nodded. "Yep, that's me. Magnus and Merlin have talked about you. Nice to meet you. I think we are both happy. I'm hoping Hogwarts is a better fit for me."

[img align=left]https://sapi.subeta.net/shared/354623.png[/img] Zoe continued to people watch from her relatively saft place on the furthest side of the Ravenclaw table. Her pet flobberworm crawled around before it finally curled up and went to sleep.

Drew's eyes widened when he heard about the Dragon Pox and he said, "Oh, Millie, I'm so sorry. That would be horrible! I'm glad you're better now though and back with us. We need our sweet Puff." He smiled.

He was about to say hello to the two newcomers when Jona's words and actions took him aback a bit. Quirking an eyebrow at the younger boy, Drew tried to keep things light. "Well, the best time to come back would be after Slytherin wins the House Cup again so you can congratulate us," he quipped. "Other than that, have you thought about asking the hat to verify you're a Puff? With that wit plus sass you might pass for a Claw and maybe even a Snake. But if you're leaving, I call dibs on your food." He grinned at Jona.

Turning to Lily, he smiled and gave a little bow. "Welcome to Hogwarts, Miss Lily. I hope you enjoy it here."

Drew's head whirled at Magnus' comment. "A baby?!? Really?? Oh, Merlin's beard, we have GOT to talk and catch up, Mags!" he exclaimed. "This could take all night. We'd better meet in the kitchens so we have plenty of snacks."

He smiled at River and said, "Kind of scared what these two told you." He looked at Magnus and Merlin. "But I hope things work out for you. Tams is the best ever...just saying. And Niall is awesome too. Seems you're really lucky to land where you did."

"Thank you Drew (). I'm glad to be better today and even happier to be back. I missed you all".

She finished her roll and looked around. "It appears my plate was cleaned up when I left to greet Magnus and Merlin. I wonder if I should get more food or just wait to go back down to the common room." She said out loud to no one in particular. "Oh, Lily () and Jona () The Hufflepuff common room almost always has snacks. When one of us goes to the kitchen, the house elves give up lot's of food to take back. I'll show you how to get in on our way back. I'll even grab us some butterbeers. They're the best drink in the magical world." she said with a wink

"Excuse me for a moment, I'm going to go find something else to eat. Would anyone like anything?"

"Yeah," Magnus said with a slight frown. "I dunno how I feel about it, but Mum is very happy and excited." Magnus nodded. "Indeed, i'm sure you've had a lot going on as well!"

River quirked a smile. "No much. Your favourite colour is pink, you have a horse, which I do as well... well actually we all have horses... Er, lemme see, oh Magnus said you like My Little Pony and have some pjs with them on it. And your secret desire is to become a flamingo in a traveling magic zoo." Her eyes were twinkling with mischief.

Fade grinned and waved at Drew when he spotted him in the crowd. () It was nice to be able to spot so many friendly faces here and there, and the warmth of the room and conversation made for a quite relaxing atmosphere.

“Yeah, well… I sorta fall behind if I don’t keep up with it.” He scratched his head and tried to keep his blush from deepening while turning his grin on Marcia. () “Oh, sorry. I’m Fade. Nice to meet’cha.” His grin slipped away and he shrugged at Zoe. () “I don’t know much about birds besides their outer anatomy to be honest, but cleaning bird poo off my bed doesn’t sound so great.” He laughed and then grimaced slightly.

"Scourgify," Zoe replied. "It's perfect for cleaning lots of things, including getting rid of animal waste products. Everything would be nice and clean."

[img align=left]https://sapi.subeta.net/shared/358908.png[/img] Poppy walked into the Great Hall with her head held high. Head Girl was something she had wanted since her first day at Hogwarts as a first year. She moved near Lenore (), Elizabeth (), and Drew (). It would be a good idea to get to know them all better, especially Lenore who had been away competing in the Triwizard Tournament and Drew who always smiled so nicely at her. She already considered herself friendly with Elizabeth, who brought grace and dignity to Slytherin. Poppy wanted to meet the Ravenclaw Head Girl Zoe () as well.

[img align=right]https://sapi.subeta.net/shared/301970.png[/img] Hollynd Atwood put on a brave face and fiddled nervously with her ring. She took a seat at the Slytherin table next to Marcia () and across from Cassie (). It seemed like many students already knew each other, or were making acquaintances. People were eating, chatting, and milling about from table to table. She made up her mind to try to mingle a bit, after she studied the crowd.

Jona grinned at the Slytherin ( ), content with his retort. He said, "If I am to come back when Slytherin wins the cup than I fear I may never see Hogwarts again!" Jona laughed and went over to shake hands with - "What was your name again?" He asked. "Oh, and if you must know, the hat definitely had to deliberate a little while, trying to decide between Hufflepuff and Slytherin. It was Hufflepuff in the end that won out."

In response to Millie's () question, Jona said, "Nah, I'm good on food. On bit of a sugar high actually." He made a weird noise that was sort of cross between a giggle and a growl. "And I can't wait to met the house elves!"

Drew smiled at Millie (). "I missed all the ones who were gone for the Tournament. I'm sure it was a great experience for most, but it left a hole here with all of you off in the States."

As Jona () laughed Drew shook hands with the other boy. "My name's Drew," he said. "Drew Wilder. And I hate to break it to you, but we've won the last two terms before the Tri-wizard tournament and we're planning to do it again. As for the hat, I think we're causing it all sorts of problems lately. We must not be as cut and dried and easy to sort as in the old days because it seems to take a fair amount of time to sort several students each term. I'll leave you to get settled in and Millie will make you feel right at home in your common room I'm sure. See you around." Drew gave the Hufflepuffs a smile as he made his way to talk to others.

Nodding at Magnus' comment about not knowing exactly how he felt, Drew said, "I know what you mean a little. I remember when Mum was expecting Bridget. She was thrilled and I was...confused. Just when I got used to the idea, she arrived...and I wanted to send her back. Some things haven't changed much." He grinned at his friend, knowing that Magnus knew for all his talk, Drew cared about his sister deep down, despite the fact that she drove him insane most days.

Drew deliberately widened his eyes as River began to reveal what she knew about him. "What?? They told you all my secrets?" he gasped in mock horror. Wrinkling his nose at Magnus, he added, "Pink? Really? I am so hexing you when you least expect it, dear wolfie," he said with teasing fondness. then he turned back to River with a real smile. "But yes to the horse part. Nothing can take the place of my Fleet. You have horses? What kind? What are their name?" Drew asked, the ice broken now as the boy reveled in one of his true passions.

As Poppy () entered, Drew looked over and gave her a smile. From Prefect to Head Girl he thought to himself. He hoped that he could live up to the standards she and Merlin had set. He so didn't want to disappoint the pretty new Head Girl.

"My name is Jona. And well, Drew, I have not been here at Hogwarts for these last two years, which may explain those wins." He waved Drew off as the boy left to join another group, shouting from behind him, "But, do not fret, Drew! I am here now and I won't make it so easy for the Slytherins this year!"

Oh yeah, Jona was excited for his first year at Hogwarts alright. Now, who should he talk with next? The options were never-ending as more and more students filed into the hall.

Zoe had thought of leaving but wondered if that was not allowed? So procured a book from her deep pockets, propped it up against the jugs of pumpkin juice and started to read.

Magnus listened but was unsure how to reply to Drew. So, he chose to be silent.

River laughed, "He didn't say any of that. I just made it up. Actually they told me you are all very nice. And you like green. Er, he's a stealish grey stallion named Steele. Rides super fast. Magnus has a painted horse named Jackson... We all got horses. Bart bought some, and Gabe bought mine and Tams bought Niall his, Jean and the twins theirs... Paul apparently had one someone named Lariel gave him. Did I get that right Magnus?

"It were Drew's mum who got Paul the 'orse. 'E's still working on getting used to 'er," Magnus replied.

Millie smiled at Jona (). "I'll be back in a minute". She went up and ordered a some potato skins and a butterbeer and returned to the table

"I'm sure it must have been lonely here without a good part of the school, Drew (). I was surprised they chose me to go but then I didn't get to participate. I went to bed early the first night because I wasn't feeling well and woke up sick the following morning. Once the worst was over, they sent me home. Thankfully my dad is a healer who works on the second floor, which is the magical bugs unit. I think that's the only reason my skin isn't scarred." Millie's plate of food arrived in front her and she took a sip of butterbeer and continued. "Once Emmett heard I was sick, he wanted to leave Durmstrang to meet me when I got home but he was finishing his 6th year and they wouldn't let him. He was really worried, the sweet boy. Oh well. It's all over and I don't have to deal with it again."

Lily laughs at Jona's () funny faces. "Your Uncle sounds like a fun guy. Yeah, owning vineyards has always been a family business. My younger brother will most likely own it after my father." She turns to Millie () "The food is the best! I can't wait to see the common room. A butter...beer? That sounds strange." She laughs. When Millie gets up Lily shakes her head "No thank you. I'm leaving room for a snack in the common room." She smiles. "And I really really want to meet the elves." She says excitedly.

Lily smiles at Drew () "Thank you. I'm sure I will." She waves at him as he leaves to talk to his friends "See you."