[img align=left]http://imageshack.com/a/img537/9396/4nrbcp.png[/img] "Welcome to your cute and cozy Hufflepuff common room. Boy, it really does smell good in here doesn't it?" Professor Makshi closes her eyes and inhales the scent through her nose. "I hope you all remember how to get in here, it can be a little confusing for you first timers. Remember, in order to access the common room, you have to tap a certain barrel with your wands, and perform a rhythm that was set by our founder, Helga Hufflepuff. If you forget the tune, don't worry! I'm sure some of your older classmates would be delighted to help." She laughs, her eyes shining with mirth and good cheer. "I am so excited for this new year, especially now that I'm assistant Headmistress. But don't worry! I'll still be here for you all as if you were my own children. Just don't do anything really silly, okay? You wouldn't want to lose house points!" She walks over to a couple of doors set into the wall. "Girls dorms and boys dorms are right here. Your stuff should already be sent up, so go have a look around and welcome to Hogwarts!"

Emma remained leaning against the mantle piece as she listened to Professor Makshi's speech. Everything felt strangely familiar to her somehow, as if she had been here in a dream. She was surprised that she wasn't more surprised at seeing floating candles, talking paintings, ghosts, and everything else she had come across that day. She was making a mental list of everything she had witnessed so that she could write to her parents about it.

Professor Makshi stopped talking. Emma barely registered it until the people around her began moving towards a couple of doors set into the walls. Realizing how tired she was, she began fell in with the throng headed for what seemed to be their sleeping quarters. As she passed the cheerful Professor Makshi, Emma gave a slight smile, though she couldn't bring herself to address her head of house.

Once she had found her trunk at the foot of a lavish-looking four poster bed, Emma sat upon it and began to pull out the pins that had kept her hair in place all day.

As Rose listened to Professor Makshi speak, she tried her best to focus. She found it a little difficult to keep her mind on the present event after a long day of new experiences. A little overwhelmed, she was relieved when Professor Makshi pointed out the door to the girls' dormitory. As she joined the line of girls on their way up stairs, she gave a little smile and a "Good night, Professor" to Professor Makshi.

Upon entering the first-years room, Rose found that there was one girl there already. Even though she was tired, she thought she ought to introduce herself and learn a little about her dorm mates before she called it a night.

Being a bit shy, Rose took a little bit of time before introducing herself. "Hello," she said to the girl, "my name is Rose Thorn." She gave a little smile and extended her hand for a handshake. "Hopefully they do shake hands in the wizarding world," she thought anxiously.

While most students went to investigate their rooms, Alexa remained behind to look around the common room for a while. Settling into a very large plush chair, she sighed. It had been such a long day and she was exhausted. Being sorted into Hufflepuff hadn't come as a surprise to her, really. Her mother had been a Hufflepuff as well, and she was very much like her mother in mannerisms. Smiling into the crackling fire, she recalled the welcoming feast. The food had been spectacular and she'd even had a chance to speak to some of her professors. A quiet "meow" startled her from her reverie. Looking down, she saw her new cat Karliah looking up at her with an oddly intelligent expression on her little furry face. In a flash of grey fur, she leaped up onto Alexa's lap and purred contentedly as she rubbed against her clothing. "'ello love," she greeted, "did'ya miss me?" The cat continued purring, a soft rumbling sound, and meowed again, as if in response. The cat settled into her lap, curling her face into Alexa's arm. Alexa smiled at her new friend. "This is going to be fantastic." she murmured, settling further into the chair and returning her gaze to the fireplace.

Emma jumped as another Hufflepuff girl addressed her, some of the pins in her lap spilling on to the floor. She had thought everyone would be too tired to talk, or would want to go to bed since they needed to be up early for classes. Perhaps I've been alone fer too long...

The girl seemed nice enough as she introduced herself as "Rose". She was smiling, a little shyly perhaps, but she seemed quite kind. She was holding out her hand to shake. Emma hurriedly dropped the last couple of pins into her lap so that she could shake her hand.

"Emma McMonigle," she introduced herself in turn, clasping Rose's out-stretched had briefly, but firmly.

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"Ooh, sorry!" Rose exclaimed, blushing slightly. "I didn't mean to startle you! It's a pleasure to meet you, Emma."

Rose went back to her trunk and began to rifle though it for her nightgown. Her cat, Lily, padded over to her and curled up beside her. Petting her cat absentmindedly, Rose asked, "So, Emma, how was your first day at Hogwarts?"

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"Not a problem," Emma replied as she scooped the pins from her lap and deposited them onto her bedside table. As Rose began to unpack her trunk, Emma hastily stooped down to pick the fallen pins off the floor, placing them with the others beside the wash basin.

Then Rose asked how she was liking Hogwarts.

"Oh. Foine, I suppose," Emma responded, blinking at her house mate. "I don' exactly have much te compare it to. 'S a bit different, not being with mum 'n dad."

She turned to her own trunk, fishing for the key in her pocket.

"How are yew liking it?" Emma asked as she kneeled down to unlock the large padlock her mother had insisted on attaching to it.

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"It's... it's okay," Rose replied. "It is very different from where I'm from. It's kind of a, er... culture shock, I guess. I only just found out that magic existed a few months ago, and today, well, I feel as if I've just been thrown into a whole new world." She laughed softly. "I'm quite sure I'll love it here once I adjust to it."

Finally finding the pale yellow night gown she been searching for, Rose carefully slipped it out of the trunk. She stuck her hand into the trunk once more, and this time fished out a fluffy, purple unicorn plush. She quietly changed into her nightie and took a seat on her bed. Lily followed her, curling up on the foot of the bed this time. "Wonder what the classes will be like tomorrow..." she mused aloud.

Emma listened to Rose as she rummaged about her trunk, looking for her pajamas. Oh, she's from a non-magic family, too, she thought as she grabbed hold of the soft blue wool and tugged it out, trying not to mess up her neatly folded robes.

She began to pull her bottoms on as she heard Rose 's musings about classes.

"Are there any you're looking forward to?" Emma asked, trying to keep things friendly as she folded her jeans and draped them over the end of her bed.

(( )) (( : Where are you, lady?! ))

Rose pondered a moment. "Hm... definitely Herbology. My mum and dad have a farm, and I've always enjoyed helping out in the garden and during the harvest. My family is, how do you call it... "muggles"? Anyway, the plants I've worked with aren't magical, so I'm really interested in learned all about the magical kind." As an afterthought, she added, "I'm also kind of excited to take Transfiguration with Professor Makshi. She seems really nice. And patient -- which is great because I haven't a clue about how to how to Transfigure things." She laughed. "How about you?"

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"Oh. I cannae say," Emma said, buttoning up her shirt. "I'm like you--my parents are non-magic. Doctors, actually. They spent years trying to diagnose me before someone showed up to explain to them that I was a witch. So I dinnae know much about anything, really."

She picked up her sweater and gloves and draped them over her jeans. She rummaged through her trunk once more, pulling out a brush. She sat back down on her bed, dragging the bristles through her hair.

"Wot is 'transfiguration'?" Emma asked Rose, feeling rather abashed that she had to ask.

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"Oh, really? Well, it certainly makes me feel better to know someone else here who isn't used to talking pictures and ghosts and such!" Rose gave Emma a warm smile. "My parents thought there must be something wrong with me, too. My poor dad nearly fainted when a wizard from Hogwarts showed up to explain that I was a witch!" She laughed.

"And I think - don't quote me on this - that Transfiguration is using magic to turn one thing into something else. I leafed through my school books on the train earlier, and I'm pretty sure that in our Transfiguration text book there was a diagram of a mouse turning into a teacup or something. Before looking through that book, though, I thought Transfiguration was a maths like statistics or something! I was thinking of figures, you know." She blushed, and chuckled softly. "I hope it's easier than it sounds. In the text book there's a lot about flicking or swishing your wand just so." She picks up her wand out of the top of her still-open trunk. "I still can't even believe I actually have a wand, let alone that I'll soon be using it..." she murmured.

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"Oh," Emma responded, lowering her brush. She was suddenly wishing that she had spent more time looking at her books. She had only been to Diagon Alley the day before, and she had bought all her school supplies after the lengthy exchange of her parents' pound notes into the Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts that the wizards used for money. Then there had been the rush back to the hotel, a hurried supper, bed, and then Emma had been whisked by her parents to King's Cross Station. She considered it a miracle that she hadn't lost or forgotten anything.

Emma toyed with her hair brush before asking, "Do you know any other students at Hogwarts?"

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"No, I haven't really met anyone else yet," Rose replied, "I spent most of my time on the Hogwarts Express looking at my books and checking out the treats on the trolley." She bit her lip. "I should have tried harder to make friends on the train," she chided herself mentally. Shaking her head, she added, "Anyway, I thought I might meet more of my house mates tonight, but it looks like everyone else has decided to stay down in the common room to chat a while. How about you? Make any other acquaintences today?"

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Emma shook her head to indicate that she hadn't met anyone else, either. Just that small motion made her feel like her head was pounding. She had forced herself to stay awake on the train which had resulted in a headache that slowly grew worse and worse. I must still be jet-lagged she thought.

"We should get to bed," Emma said to Rose with a yawn. "We've got to be up early for classes."

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"You're right," Rose nodded. "Maybe we'll have some classes together tomorrow? Either way, I'll see you in the morning." She yawned widely and stretched her arms. "Good night, Emma."

Rose pulled the curtains closed around her four poster. She fluffed her pillow a bit, then laid down on it. Lily crept up to onto the pillow and settled down by Rose's head. Rose smiled, giving Lily quick scratch behind the ears. "I wonder how I'll ever get to sleep tonight," she thought, her head swimming with thoughts of what the next day would bring. However, her fatigue had finally caught up to her, and she fell asleep quickly.

(( ))

"'Night," Emma said as she pulled the coverlets up to her face. The bed was incredibly soft, and warm. The pillow was a feather one that collapsed inwards as her buried her face into it. This is nice, she thought as she closed her eyes. Much nicer than a cot...

And within moments, she was fast asleep.

Rylee only half-listened to Professor Makshi's introduction to Hufflepuff. It wasn't that she didn't want to listen; there were just too many things in the common room that demanded her attention.

All too soon the introductions were over and students began heading up to bed. Rylee settled herself into an overly large chair near Alexa and continued to look around the common room. Her chinchilla Loki curled up in her lap, his nose tucked beneath his bushy tail, and closed his eyes.

Cardamom shimmied ungracefully through the barrel opening and into the wonderful comfort that was the Hufflepuff common room. Maybe it was the close vicinity to the kitchens, but she had always loved how it smelled like freshly baked bread here. That melted in with the flames that crackled and popped eternally in the modest little fireplace, it was like coming home again. Yeah, being at home and having her own room was nice for the summer, but here was magical. Literally.

Rather than linger around the common area, she gently pushed past the first years, all adorable and wide-eyed at the sights around them, and made quick for her dorm room. Her little rabbit Pinot would be in quite the mood after having been caged up for the long train ride. Sure thing, the furry rascal was pulling away on the bars of her door, though they had never given way before.

"Stinker." she said fondly, undoing the hooks and letting the grey rabbit leap out onto her black bedspread. The little bun preened while she settled her back into her nightstand and looked around, wondering how many of her other year-mates would be settling in soon.

(( Hey, hope you guys don't mind if I skip ahead to the next morning. It's been a while since the last post. ))

Rose blinked sleepily couple times. She could see a thin beam of dawn light through the crack in the curtains of her four-poster. Her cat, Lily, was sitting on her chest, peering inquisitively into her eyes. Rose shifted to check the time on her watch. It was nearly 7 A.M. She supposed she ought to get up, as she was eager to get down to the Great Hall to eat breakfast and get her class schedule. After lifting her cat off of her, she sat up and pulled back her curtains. All the beds were full of sleeping girls now; Rose presumed they had come up to the dorm after she had already fallen asleep.

Quietly, Rose stood up and stretched. She began to get ready as quietly as possible, with only the purr of her cat audible in the background. After getting dressed and feeding her cat, she began to pack her school bag for the day. As she was lifting her school books out of her trunk, one slipped from her hands. She tried to catch it, but only ended up dropping a few more instead. The sound the books made as they hit the ground seemed like thunder in the near silent room. She winced, hoping that she hadn't woken anyone, although she thought she noticed a couple of the girls stirring...