[img align=left]http://imageshack.com/a/img537/9396/4nrbcp.png[/img] Waiting in the middle of the common room with a sweet smile was Hufflepuff's Head of House.

"Welcome students! I am Professor Karisha Makshi Head of Hufflepuff House and Deputy Headmistress. I am excited and proud to have you all, old and new, join this wonderful house. I look forward to the amazing and great things you will accomplish this term." She paused and grinned "I reckon it is our time to win the house cup!" She added excitedly.

"If you were to have any questions or concerns do not hesitate in contacting me, any faculty, or your prefects. We are all here to help you and enjoy our time together." Makshi smiled and pointed her wand at the fire place where a cozy fire began roaring softly and some upbeat music began playing somewhere in the background.

"The house elves have brought some sweets and hot drinks for this cold night. Enjoy yourself and take time to ready yourself for the new term. It will be challenging, but I believe in your talent and amazing abilities."

Smiling proudly at the students she added "Welcome Home!"

Millie was so happy to be back at Hogwarts. She had taken a two week holiday in Croatia with her family and was still slightly sun burnt.

She went to make sure her belongings were placed on her bed. She was happy but nervous to be starting her 4th year.

She went back into the common room and she saw people were already appearing. She ran up and gave Professor Makshi () a hug. "It's so nice to see you professor!"

Millie sat down by the fire place and waited for her friends to arrive

((OOC Sorry hun, I just can't do roleplay right now. D: Its nothing personal, things aren't going well for me right now and I'm barely here right now. :x

I hope you have a great time though!))

(OOC - no worries, I understand. I'm here if you need anyone to talk to.)

The moment Professor Makshi had finished her welcome speech, Ariadne had snuck out through the entrance hole. Crossing the hall to the painting of a large bowl of fruit, Ariadne stood on tip-toe to tickle the large green pear. The moment it turned into a door handle, she pulled and entered the kitchens. Smells of spices and herbs filled her nose as she was immediately surrounded by squeaking house elves. Just a few words, and she found herself carrying a flagon of tea and an armful of cakes back through the door.

Quietly as she could, she slipped back into the Hufflepuff common room, and finding a secluded corner, dumped her cache onto the table top.

Sauvage wandered into the Common Room after her morning walk around the grounds and noticed Millie ( ) first thing as she stepped in. She squealed out in joy and ran to hug her friend. "Oh, Millie! 'ow are you? I feel like it 'as been forever since I last saw you."

[edit] (OOC: I've been using the wrong picture version of my character so I had to go back and change them out...)

[img align=left]https://sapi.subeta.net/shared/82333.png[/img] ((I was a little late and didn't get to write on the start of the year feast... I was there in spirit though ;) )) After the feast, Luck made her way back to the Hufflepuff common room. Even though it was only her second year, navigating to and opening the secret entrance felt like second-nature to her. Her fellow hufflepuffs gathered and started to pour into the common room, where everyone found the Head of House waiting. Professor Makshi's kind, smiling face made Luck smile in return.

Though Luck had just eaten, she gravitated towards the gifts from the House Elves. Grabbing a sweet and a drink, she thought about taking it to her bed for the evening. Trying not to let her introversion get the best of her, she instead took her treats to a couch and sat down. Her pet crested gecko was already loose in her robes and crawled out from under her winter cloak in search of Luck's food.

"We're back for another year," she whispered to her pet.

Millie was so happy to see her friends arrriving. "It's wonderful to see you, Sauvage. It really has been ages." She hugged her friend and asked, "What did you do for your break? My family and I went to Croatia for two weeks. Ohh and Emmett is here for the term! He is staying in the Ravenclaw tower"

Millie saw someone she hadn't met before. She turned and greeted her. "Hello, you must be Luck. I'm Millie. I'm starting my fourth year."

(OOC: is having trouble so I'm posting this for her)

Millie was so happy to see her friends arriving. "It's wonderful to see you, Sauvage. It really has been ages." She hugged her friend and asked, "What did you do for your break? My family and I went to Croatia for two weeks. Ohh and Emmett is here for the term! He is staying in the Ravenclaw tower"

Millie saw someone she hadn't met before. She turned and greeted her. "Hello, you must be . I'm Millie. I'm starting my fourth year."

(OOC: And below this is my post)

Sauvage accepted Millie's hug with open arms. As she pulled away from the friendly embrace, her jaw dropped at the mention of Croatia. "What did you do there? That sounds amazing!" She shook her head, knowing her own holiday plans were not nearly as interesting. "Maman, Papa, and I just visited my grandmother in Montpellier for the 'olidays. I spent most of my time tending to the garden with my grandmother and 'elping my father organize the 'ouse. My grandmother is turning into a 'order; she cannot seem to rid 'erself of anything." Sauvage chewed on her lip and looked around, trying to think of anything of interest that happened during her break. "Oh!" She jumped with excitement. "'ow could I forget! I got a new owl! She's an Eastern Screech owl named Julia. She's so cute! She likes to burrow into small spaces and take naps. And she is very friendly with my other owl, Newt."

(ooc - Thank you for helping me out.)

"We most toured ruins and we lounged on the beach in Split. There are a lot of ancient Greek ruins there It's really beautiful there. I was sad to leave." She took a pause. "That sounds nice. My grandparents usually travel with us but decided to sit this round out. They wanted to stay home in Berlin.

"Hello beautiful" She said to Julia. She patted her pockets and found an owl treat. She held her hand out for Julia. "I try to keep owl treats with me because you never know when you're going to get a letter or package."

Startled, her pet gecko slipped back under the cloak and hid. Luck looked up and smiled politely. "Yes, I'm Luck. It's nice to meet you, Millie. I'm just starting my second year." She paused for a moment before adding, "did you try any of these treats from the House Elves yet?"

Millie smiled warmly. "It's nice to meet you. I haven't managed to go and look at the table yet. I'm still stuffed from dinner but I should probably still take a few things after all the hard work they did"

Luck nodded. "It's very tasty so it's worth a nibble. The house elves have outdone themselves!" Upon closer inspection during the conversation, Luck had noticed Millie's slight sunburn. "You look a little red. Are you okay?"

"Oh, yeah, thanks for asking. I got some sunburn while on holiday in Croatia. It's so beautiful there. Anyway. Do you like it here? What's your favorite class?"

Gwen takes a break from her studying to look around the common room. It is so nice to see everyone back and having fun.

She pushes her studying aside and takes out another parchment where she is working on some top secret prefect stuff. c:

Luck smiled and nodded. "I love it here," she began, her eyes glistening. "I never would have thought a place like this could exist and that I would be part of it." She seemed to snap out of it, realizing that she said too much. "I mean, well," she said with a tinge of nervousness. "My parents are what you call muggles." A little frantic, she added, "my favourite class is charms, and I can't wait to go to flying class again. What's your favourite class?"

Millie had wondered over to the snacks table. "Whoops, sorry. Mine is History of Magic but I also really enjoy Ancient Studies, Arithmancy and Charms. It is crazy to know this world exists. I can't imagine how my mum felt when she was introduced. She is a muggle too."

(ooc - I'm really sorry for the delay. RL has been crazy and I don't have a lot of time to sit and play.