Zoe felt Jona take her hand. He was so sweet, trying to cheer her up. What would he do without her? Would he find better, stronger, more social friends? “Infiltrate, eh?” She repeated. She could see Jona with dynamite, camouflage and twenty army men suddenly inside the tower. “Well, that might get attention.” A little twerk of smile was seen around the edges of her frown. Fact was most Ravenclaws she knew would likely be inclined to curiosity at whomever managed to get into their tower. Then he was kneeling and vowing to keep her legacy. The girl was barely holding on to her composure. ‘Oh Jona,’ she thought, ‘ye are just too sweet and kind. I have to figure out something…’ She didn’t want him to forget her or leave him with less friends. “Thank ye,” she said. “I’ll miss ye too. Ye nut.” She smiled fully now as she put her hand on his shoulder for an extra thank you. She was blushing shyly.

Blade watched entire thing with a quirked eyebrow. ‘Kid should be in drama,’ he thought. It was as good as any telly program. He mildly wondered what house the boy was in. “And here I thought this place would be dull,” he said to no one in particular. In fact, he was still ticked off at his parents for sending him away.

“I named her Claire because of my clarinets,” the boy said to Niamh. Was he particularly inclined for conversation? No. He was quite the loaner. However, he had two very pretty girls in front of him. One had been swooning over his pet until Jona dramatically declared his vows of friendship. For now he could afford a little conversation. “Neeiv,” he repeated as if he was testing it out and maybe he was. “Name’s Blade.”

“Hey Paddy,” Zoe said still blushing with shyness. To Toru, she said, “moths are fascinating. The luna moth does nee have a mouth and only lives a week. Moths are also really attracted to beer.” Typical Zoe, feel awkward—state facts.

Magnus’ ears perked at the whisper. He had more sensitive ears than most, given his werewolf part. “Oh thanks, Toe,” Magnus said. He looked up to see a new kid, Jona, Zoe, Paddy and Nimah. “Er, hey,” he said to them all. “Sorry was drawing…” He blushed a little. “Cute ‘edgehog, Nimah. I ‘ave one meself. But I left ‘im at ‘ome cos I ‘ave too many pets to bring ‘em all now.”

[img align=left]https://s26.postimg.cc/k0ex6709l/Fade_Term8.png[/img]Fade wandered into the Great Hall, covering a yawn with the back of his hand. He had been up most of the night practicing facial changes in the mirror so long he almost forgot to sleep. Paying for it now though. Groggily he peered around and spotting a cluster of familiarity wandered toward the table. Tossing his sketchbook down a little haphazardly beside Magnus, Fade yawned again and grinned. “Mornin’.” Looking across the table he realized there was a new guy he hadn’t met before, and a little way down he spotted Toru who seemed to be socializing despite their apparent anxiety. “What’s shakin?” He sat beside Magnus and ordered some coffee and a breakfast bowl of all the good things piled together. “Oh, and some hot sauce too please.” Momentarily the requested things appeared before him and Fade dug in like some sort of starving hyena. The more he practiced his abilities the hungrier he became for food, and to learn more.

Toru gave Fade a small nod when they joined the table and tried not being disturbed by his eating habits. It was probably best to return their attention to Zoe who was talking earnestly about moths. A lot of the information they didn't know, since insects weren't their particular brand of interest. "T-That's sad... b-but very interesting?" They paused a bit to touch their little star clip in their hair as a nervous tick of encouragement and smiled shyly. "I-I couldn't even imagine o-only being able to live a w-week." Toru did move a little to open their own sketchbook and show Zoe some lovely sketches of moths they had found over break. Most of them they weren't entirely sure what they were and was silently hoping Zoe would identify them.

Jona grinned madly at everyone who watched his performance, although he meant every word of what he said.

"Stick around Hufflepuffs," Jona said to the red-haired boy with a wink. "And we will always make things interesting!"

He ordered some tamales with extra spicy salsa verde. The first bite was delicious, despite the pang of homesickness he felt in his gut. With his mouth still full of pork tamale, Jona listened in on the conversation between Zoe and Toru. "My favorite moth is the hummingbird moth," He said matter-of-fact.

Walking in late and excessively tired, Sauvage had pulled her hair up today in hopes of hiding her exhausted look. She was not sure if she succeeded, but only time would tell. At first, she sat down with the Hufflepuffs, but after minutes of dazedly ordering a honey latte, she realized that a few of her friends (and a few of the Hufflepuffs) were over at another table. Slowly, she got up and walked over, tapping on Fade's shoulder when she said, "May I seet 'ere?" She knew the answer would be yes, but still did not want to be rude. She smiled to the others, making sure it was alright with them that she sit as well.

Fade hastily wiped his mouth, realizing he was probably making a huge mess. “You know you don’t have to ask.” He narrowed his eyes at Sauvage, smiling, and patted the vacant spot beside him. Pushing the practically clean plate away he reached for his untouched mug of coffee and soaked in the warmth through his finger tips. Was it just his tired talking or did Sauvage look equally un-rested? It would be rude to bring it up so instead he just casually leaned over and rested his shoulder against hers as he sipped his coffee. “Anyone else get weird vibes from the new Transfiguration Professor?” Maybe it was a weird thing to bring up, but he couldn't be the only one who was suspicious of the new staff members true intentions.

( & everyone!)

(+ everyone) Blushing slightly at her over-politeness, Sauvage smiled and sat next to Fade. She continued sipping her latte, now with an almond croissant to pair it with. She eyed the plate and Fade moved it away from him.

"Hungry, were you?" She asked with a smirk.

She bristled at his touch when Fade leaned his shoulder against hers; it was not a bristling of discomfort, though. It was more like the goosebumps that form when you are overly conscious of someone's close proximity and it only lasted but a second. It was still something to get used to, being so outward about their relationship in public. Most of the time they were together, it felt like it was just the two of them and Sauvage was not always sure of how to act in front of others. The momentary anxiety lost over the comfort Fade's closeness provided; she exhaled contentedly and relaxed into Fade, going so far as to use his shoulder as a pillow.

Sauvage yawned and sleepily inquired, "Really? 'e does not seem so bad. Per'aps a beet rough around ze edges, but I do not know 'im yet, personally, so I suppose I cannot say...I do miss Professor Makshi, zhough." Of course, she was far too trusting when first meeting people and often gave them the benefit of the doubt that they were good people. It was a trait of hers that Sauvage took pride in, though she was barely aware of when she did it.

Blade didn’t answer since he assumed that the nod and question was to Toru, rather than him.

“Morning Fade,” Magnus said. He wasn’t a huge morning person himself so he tended to let people alone to wake up. However the ravenous feeding frenzy got an eyebrow raised. “I thought I was the wolf,” he said with a smirk.

“Well, that’s the final stage,” Zoe said, “as caterpillars they live longer. Oooh what lovely drawings. Fade’s been teaching me, but I’m nee as good as he and Magnus are.” She smiled. “Ah there’s the Luna moth. I think the orange one is a tiger moth but I’m nee sure… but that one’s the oak silk moth, and that one’s the White Ermine.”

“Hmm, won’t be hard,” Blade said, “Considering that’s my house.”

“Ooh those are pretty moths,” Zoe said. She looked at Blade curiously. He didn’t seem the Hufflepuff type to her, but then again she just met him. “Hey Sauvage,” she said to the sleepy looking Hufflepuff. Have a seat.” Fade and Sauvage were so cute together. “No,” she said to Fade.

Blade had nothing to reply to given he had never seen this person as of yet and likely he wasn’t included in the conversation anyway. He idly looked around the Great Hall scoping it out. It was just as his parents described.

@/Raven Jona through his hands up, meaning to grab fistfuls of hair and remembering too late the it was gone now. Instead, he waved them around chaotically while yelling nonsense with his eyes bulging out. He heaved a great sigh of exasperation and finally said, "WHAT? What's your name? I've never seen you before? How are we not already best friends? We have SO MUCH IN COMMON. Like, how I am a Hufflepuff and, like, how you are a Hufflepuff! And we are both so -" Jona was going to say "cool" but realized that some of the looks he was getting from students in the hall may not have suggested that. Plus, since the break, he wasn't quite as confident as he used to be. Shrugging his own thoughts off, he deepened his voice noticeably and tried to say in a more casual tone, "What I mean is, Puffs gotta stick together, man. Why haven't I seen you 'round?" Jona looked over at Toru, expecting them to get involved with the conversation. Were they just as surprised a he to find out that, um - "What was your name again?" The question was directed to the newly discovered red-head Hufflepuff.

As Zoe identified the months they quietly jotted the names beside them. It was better to use it as a learning experience and learn the names of the things they put to paper. Toru smiled softly at the Ravenclaw. "T-Thanks." Before slowly turning to Jona. "H-Hummingbird...Moth?" They couldn't recall ever seeing one before in person and don't think they had even seen a picture of it before in a book. It was a curious thought as they tried to piece together what the insect would look like. They had a small wrinkle in their forehead as they thought.

They stopped the weird Frankenstein puzzle in their mind when they heard that Zoe was learning to draw too. "I-I hope to see you in art club sometime then..." Toru gave a small encouraging smile to the older girl before trying to tune into the conversation behind them. They weren't entirely sure what to think of the new professor. They knew that half of the school thought he was handsome, and were all very love struck, but they hadn't given off any particular negative vibe. Toru just glanced at Fade and just shrugged softly. They also realized a new member had joined them and gave a small wave at Sauvage. They hadn't really talked with the other HUfflepuff, but it was rude to not acknowledge them.

[edit] Toru jumped and squeaked softly when Jona started his rant. They moved their hands to their mouth to try and muffle the small noise that escaped their lips while hoping their racing heart would stop pounding against their ribs. "D-Don't scream like that, Jona..." If their hair weren't already mostly white, they would probably have at least a few white strands from the startle alone. "I-I just started s-socializing this s-semester." Meaning they wouldn't be any help unless Blade was into swimming or art.

(and all)

Blade watched Jona as the boy looked like he was literally trying to not explode. "Blade," he replied. "Because I just came here. We just met." His eyebrow rose again. "Being in the same house is a lot in common?" he asked mildly. "Blade Edwards," he repeated.

"Ne worries," Zoe said. She loved spouting facts. "I do nee think I'm good enough for art club," she said shyly.

Blade just sat unfazed. He watched Toru jump with Jona's near spontaneous combustion. It wouldn't have done any good anyway, since he had never set foot in the school.

Toru shook their head and smiled brightly at Zoe's comment. "Y-You don't have t-to be good to c-come visit..." They mumbled softly. "B-Besides the more you p-practice t-the better you get." They probably should order breakfast, getting something small, light, and absolutely not sweet at all. The semester feast had been enough sugar to last them for the rest of their life they thought.

"Wha-? Bu-? You-?" Jona looked around the table, totally flabbergasted. What was up with this guy? He was just too infuriatingly cool. Like, to the point he didn't care. About anything! Something about the boy made Jona wanted to be close friends, yet also made him want to stuff straws up Blade's nose.

Jona looked back at Toru, "I'M NOT SCREAMING." Then only just hearing the anxiety in their voice, Jona's face softened with sympathy. "Oh, I'm sorry, Toru. I shouldn't have dragged you into it. I can't help it sometimes, I just get so dang excitable and, well - " Jona turned to Zoe wit puppy-dog eyes. "Help," he squeaked.

Zoe nodded. "I know..." she said. But what if she made more friends? It'd be more people to forget her when she left the school. "I'll think about it."

Blade just blinked at Jona. "You know that wasn't a sentence right?" he said.

Zoe wondered what exactly she was supposed to do. "Er..." she started, "so Blade...where ye transfer from?" Was that what Jona wanted?

"Homeschool," Blade replied. "Folks had tutors for me. But decided I needed to attend Hogwarts before my O.W.L year." He rolled his eyes with the first show of irritation.

"Hmph," Jona grunted. "Home-schooled. That makes sense." Deciding that feigning disinterest was the best course of action, Jona turned back to Toru - particularly slowly this time. He took one of the tamales on his plate, not exactly how his mom used to make them, but still pretty good, and held it out to Toru as a peace-offering. He then double-nudged Zoe from behind while still facing Toru to mimic a "thank you" for her distraction and ease of tension. What would he do after she left, Jona wondered? He would probably end up causing a lot of accidental fights. Like, how he had at home. Upon this realization, Jona felt a sudden gratefulness for Zoe and her presence in hi life. It was probably best that he was facing Toru at the moment and not Zoe; she would've immediately recognized the sadness that crept into his eyes.

What was this kid's problem? Blade wondered. What did Jona mean by "that makes sense?" What did? Why they'd never met, why his parents decided after this long to send him to a boarding school? He wasn't sure but he decided to ignore it. At least he had gotten a tiny bit of revenge on his parents by begging the hat to put him in Hufflepuff. Neither one of his parents would be thrilled to find out he'd been put in there. Blade honestly didn't care which house he was in. He had no intention of gaining a single point for any house he was forced to join. He loathed teams. And he certainly felt no desire to treat everyone to hugs, pie and guitar songs around a campfire. No, he had no inclination to follow any rules unless they suited him. But if he could invoke his parent's ire a little then that was a huge bonus. Plus, the Hufflepuff dorms were by the kitchens and the exit. He was happy about both of those things alone.

Zoe felt the nudge and decided she'd done a good job for Jona. But the teen didn't feel great about it. She felt sadder. She wanted nothing more than to stay. She needed to find a way to do that.... but how?

“Huh. Maybe it’s just me then.” Fade had never been the type to trust a stranger, but maybe he needed to loosen up a little. “Eh, yeah.” Fade’s cheeks became warm when Sauvage pointed out his appetite, but he grinned at Magnus’s comment. “You are, but I’m catching up.” It was Magnus after all who had inadvertently taught Fade how to turn his hands into claws. “Dude.” Fade’s attention turned to Zoe. “Art club isn’t about being good, it is about non-verbal creativity and self expression. You really should come. EVERYONE should come.” He realized he just shouted a little and grinned sheepishly at Toru. “Sorry.” Clearly It was hard to keep your cool when you were passionate about something.

Realizing the mysterious redhead across the table introduced himself, Fade took it as an opportunity to introduce himself as well. “Blade’s a pretty cool name, I’m Fade. This is Sauvage, if you haven’t met.” He shrugged his shoulder jostling Sauvage a little just in case she had fallen asleep.

Sauvage remembered giggling when Fade got all passionate about Art Club, and yet just moments later she was being shaken back into existence, "Mmm..." Sauvage groaned as Fade jostled her awake. With some effort, she pulled herself from her boyfriend's should and let her head fall into her hands, elbows resting against the table.

"Rude," she said, teasing Fade and rolling her eyes. Why was she so tired? She had not slept well - obviously, but she could not recall exactly why. Settling further into her seat, Sauvage order a plate of canneles and offered one of the petite sugary cakes to Fade as he introduce her to another Hufflepuff.

She waved at Blade, cringing internally at the name but saying nothing aloud. Instead she said, "Salut - er, uh, hello Blade. I am one of ze prefects of 'ufflepuff zis year as well. Do not be shy to ask me any kestions zat you might 'ave, okay?"

[edit] Jona knew that ignoring Blade wasn't the choice decision, but he figured it'd be best to deal with Blade one-on-one in the common room. Maybe he acted that way as a front while surrounded by strangers? Jona nodded to himself, convinced that there was more to Blade than that sour attitude and seriously awesome hair.

Noticing the silence of one voice in particular, Jona's brows crinkled together as he turned to find Zoe sitting silently. She was lost in what looked like deep and dangerous thoughts. Jona shuddered, nervous of the look on her face. He tried to gently coax her back into reality. "Soooo....donut?" He asked and magic made a plate of them appear. He couldn't help but crack a grin at his own smooth transitions.

"If you do, you could run with me on the full moon," Magnus said though the moment he did he regretted it. He'd never be allowed to run even as a tame werewolf under wolf's bane. Fade surely wouldn't be allow either. And honestly, he hated the werewolf.

Zoe shrank back as Fade proclaimed all belonged in the club. "I-I... it's just..." she said stammering. How could she convey that she was about to lose everything at the end of the year and it terrified her. She didn't think she could handle losing more.

"I like it," Blade said, "Apparently, the other choice was Torque. Fade's cool too." He nodded to Sauvage. "Yeah, how do you break out?" he asked. It was unclear if he was serious or not.

[edit] Zoe was indeed lost in thoughts. The girl was so scared. She never had anything to lose before. Last term she had friends finally--friends. She knew what it was like to have people talk to her. Sure, she still people-watched but now she was included and it felt marvellous. The there was sweet, slightly crazy Jona. She'd miss him more than she could express. She felt her world crashing down on her. It hurt--physically to think about leaving. She looked up at Jona. "What? Oh yeah, thank ye," she said taking the raspberry filled doughnut and absentmindedly nibbling on it.

Toru was immensely puzzled when Jona offered him some kind of wrapped meat pie? They had never seen, much less heard, of a tamale in their life so not sure what it was. However they could piece together that this was some sort of trade or peace offering from his sudden shouts. They blinked a bit before offering him a small bowl of a greenish looking broth with green leaves and white chunks floating in it. "W-We can trade?" Miso soup was delicious and was one of their favorite things since it was a staple in most Japanese meals.

Toru held out the small bowl of soup and took the tamale from Jona. It had an unusual texture from the corn husk surrounding it and wasn't entirely sure they should eat the fibrous shell. "H-How do you eat this?"

They did pause to give Fade a small look when he shouted about art club. It was definitely hard to keep quiet and suppress your passions... a hard lesson Toru had learned in their short 12 years. They gave a small nod acknowledging his apology and smiled at Zoe. "Y-You should come." Gasping softly in excitement. "I-I could show you watercolors."

"Dull? I think you could describe Hogwarts as lots of things, but 'dull' isn't one of them," Paddy replied to Blade with a grin. She quickly went back to joining in the conversation with the others, knowing that almost everyone's initial reaction to her covering of fur, was to be freaked out.

Niamh was still looking at the hedgehog, "that's a more creative name than my pets," she said, "all of mine seem to have a foodie theme to their names." She blushed slightly at the thought of her very childishly named cats before adding, "that's an interesting name you've got too, where've you come from?" "Oh, it's not my hedgehog, all my pets are in the dorm. Claire belongs to Blade here," she added to Magnus, as she handed Claire back over to Blade.