Hogwarts: the second years

[Rosie]

OOC: OK so some PEOPLE have already introduced their characters... a bit.. in the yule ball but here's a whole new topic for them. This is starting after the winter holidays, so those who went home will just be coming back and stuff.... enjoy!

BIC:
A tall, dark haired girl entered the dormitory, eyes lowered and feet heavy. She wasn’t particularly skinny, more of a medium build, what some would call “curvy”. Her hair, thick and of a dark brown, slightly sun bleached and lighter at the tips, lay down her back, past her shoulders. Her long legs took her to one of the beds where she fell in front of her own trunk and began to empty some of her possessions. A new photograph smiled up at her from its frame as she picked it up. It was of a smiling, happy girl, twirling and admiring a beautiful pink dress, with diamond detail on the bodice and long, flowing skirt, very different to the girl staring at it longingly. Mournfully a finger reached out to touch the girl, wishing that she could be there again, carefree, not in Hogwarts. Behind the smiling girl decorations hung from the ceiling and a large banner spelt out “Farmer’s Winter Ball”. The photograph found its place on the windowsill, next to other, older, pictures of animals, parents and friends.

Next out of the suitcase came a horseshoe, which was hung lovingly on a nail on one of the bedposts, driven in at the beginning of last term.

Some clothes and robes found their way into the wardrobe, but others stayed in the trunk. Tired and depressed the Ravenclaw girl flopped onto her bed and waited for those who had stayed over the Christmas holiday to join her in the dormitory.

[Prof. Cinders]

Helena jumped around the dormitory, bouncing on the beds and generally causing havoc. All of the other Gryffindor girls had gone home for the Christmas holidays (mainly due to not being able to dance), but she had stayed for the Yule Ball and Robert. Who could deny that boy of a dance? She'd almost asked him out instead of the other way round - but she'd stopped herself, as it was against custom. Sighing, the second year landed heavily on her own bed, throwing the pillow into the air with the force of her impact. Lying down, her dark brown hair spread out over the myriad sheets and colourful duvets she had been sent by worrying relatives who thought a castle was too cold for young children to stay in. Windchimes and dreamcatchers swung from the curtain rail running around the bed, caught in the cold winter wind blowing through the window. Christmas cards still standing on the windowsill were blown across the room, and moving photos of Helena's father, Prof. Longbottom, and of Robert were strewn among them. The only thing remaining on the sill was a heavy box, filled with soil and a single seed - from her father, of course.

Grinning as she thought of her waking moments on Christmas Day, the second year almost missed the snowflakes falling outside. Twisting round to get a better view, she saw the thick snow fall outside her window, some drifting inside to rest on the damp soil in the box. A tiny bud pushed up through the soil, greeting the soft snow. 'A perfect beginning to a perfect term,' Helena muttered, as a single flake landed on her cheek.

[Chloe]

As the Hogwarts Express drew noisily into Hogsmeade Station, a tall, freckled boy in yellow-fringed robes uncrossed his legs, got to his feet and slung his well-thumbed Transfiguration textbook into his bag. His deep chocolate eyes scanned the sooty windows, waiting patiently for -

"DAVID!!!" A mop of red-streaked fair hair appeared from one window, waving frantically at the now grinning boy, who waved back and quickly snatched his bag off the platform, just before the wave of young, revitalised wizards and witches swept through the train doors.

A few trodden-on toes later, David found himself in the waist-crunching arms of a short girl whose Ravenclaw robes seemed to hang off her slim frame. A tiny Scops owl screeched indignantly from its cage, thrown precariously near the platform edge.

"Circe!" The small girl let go of David who, in mock anxiety, checked to see if his ribs were broken. The girl simply rolled her eyes and weaved through the crowd to retrieve her owl.

"There you go, Mercury - might as well get back to the Owlery as soon as possible," she said as she opened the cage door, Mercury giving a final piercing hoot and flying off.

David was waiting for her outside the station, trying to ignore the blank yet focussed eyes of the Thestrals. He'd come to terms with his mother's death a long time ago, but still...

"I don't know how you came down here, but unless you want to walk back to Hogwarts...?" David snapped out of his thoughts to see the girl standing, hands on hips, in the door of the Thestral-drawn carriage. Thank Merlin for people like Artemis Quicksilver, he thought as he took a last glance at the Thestral and pulled himself up into the carriage.

***

After David left her with a hug in the main hall, striding down the staircase to the Hufflepuff common room, Artemis "Timmy" Quicksilver made her way west to Ravenclaw Tower, her heavy books slung on her back giving the impression that she was another 2 inches shorter than her 5'1". She had a distinctly boyish look: her unruly hair, though cut short, still went down to her eyebrows; her voice was unusually low, enabling her to cut across the giggles of other girs with a well-timed cough; and she was completely flat-chested. In her first year, Timmy had been on the receiving end of several snide comments - not that she had cared much, but they soon died down, her dorm-mates accepting her sudden bursts of energy as well as her frequent periods of quietness, her conscious mind far away in the pages of any book in her lap.

Carefully noting the new password, Timmy ran up to her dormitory and saw that the other three second-years on the train had already strewn their belongings over the floor; she rolled her eyes again and deposited her bags in a tidy pile on her bed. She hated mess.

Then Timmy noticed the figure lying dejectedly on the opposite bed. She knew the girl was normally relatively quiet, but this was different, this was melancholy - and if there was anything Timmy hated more than mess, it was melancholy. Not quite sure why her dorm-mates had left, Timmy sat tentatively on the edge of her bed and looked across.

"Um...had a nice Christmas?" she said cheerfully.

[Damien]

A furious gust of wind tore through the main hall of hogwarts as two large doors that served as the schools main entrance swung open. A rush of second years spilled through the doors, eager to get back to there dorms to see there friends. The last to walk through the doors was a tall Slitherin male. His hair was styled in to dark emerald spikes. His eyes were a piercing, vibrant, green colour. He was well built with a handsome face and his eyes seemed to twinkle mischeviously.

The slitherin smiled, he was happy to be back. The christmas break was great but he wanted to get back to magic. He loved to learn new spells, he picked them up easily and he was always interesting in learning whatever he could. Shaking himself from his thoughts the boy started on his way toward the Slitherin common room.

Five minutes later he was standing next to his bed, his large case already emptied and tidied away. The room was so quiet and the 2nd year almost jumped out of his skin when he heard the voice of a 1st year behind him.

"H..hello?" The 1st year stammered nervously. "My name's Finn, nice to meet you." the boy said holding out his hand.

"Likewise." The emerald haired 2nd year said shaking the boys hand. "My name's Kain Sylus."

Kain recognised the boy, he'd seen him around but never had any reason to speak with him. It seemed he would have to speak to him now, hardly any of the other Slitherins had returned so far. There was still a day or two left before the Christmas break ended so it was understandable.

"I'm going down to the main hall, you want to tag along? We can find out who's around." Kain said moving toward the dorm door.

"Sure!" The 1st year replied following closely behind.

OOC: I know it sucks but I've already replied to 3 pokeschool topics and I'm running out of steam

[Rosie]

"Yeah" Crystal answered, a smile spreading across her face and a warm glowing feeling flourishing inside her heart as she remembered the ball and the farm, but as she remembered where she was the smile faded and the warmth turned to ice, plunging into her feet. "But being in this dump put a stop to all of that happiness." Crystal said, turning around to face the other girl. She'd known Timmy for a while but had never become close to her, hopefully this term she'd have more of a chance to get to know the Ravenclaw.

"Anyway, I'm gonna go down to the main hall, see if anyone else's arrived." she continued, walking solemnly down the stairs. Crystal didn't really feel like socializing but it was a lot better than sitting on her bed and wallowing in self pity.

[Prof. Cinders]

Helena sighed as the snow started to decend thicker, coating the ground below with the beginnings of a white sheet of snow. Looking away, she closed the window and grabbed a coat. She climbed down the tower slowly, taking care not to slip, and was instantly met with the shouts of returning Gryffindors. Several boys had immediately started fighting in the corner, the third year girls were huddling by the fire and a prefect was being pushed away by the rest of the sixth years so that he couldn't get to the fight. Helena grinned. Just like home, she thought to herself, remembering her two younger brothers, one of which would come to Hogwarts next year. Sighing once more, the second year pushed her way through the crowds and went out of the room. Maybe the Great Hall would be less crowded, maybe she would find her "forbidden" friend there.

*****

A small, shy girl peered around the doors to the Great Hall, her long blonde hair falling in front of her eyes. The black tips to them tickled her chin, so she brushed it aside quickly. Her green robes were slightly too big for her, and most people still thought she was a first year. It got annoying after a while. She whipped her wand out of her pocket and into her sleeve, ready to use if necessary. Summing up as much courage as she could, she stepped into the Hall, her blue eyes shimmering in fear.

'HIIIIII!' came a sudden shout, and the Slytherin found herself being pulled into a corner. The gryffindor girl stood there, grinning at her madly as usual. 'Managed to get in here, then?' she said, idly pulling her hair into a ponytail.

The Slytherin shrugged. 'I s'pose so. I was just seeing if I could find Kain, then avoid him.'

'He's over there,' said Helena briefly, gesturing in the direction of the Slytherin common room.

'Good,' the smaller muttered, losing half of her fear, the other half remaining in case something surprised her. 'How was your holiday?'

'I danced with Rob...' said Helena, immediately going into swoon mode. 'I was surprised you didn't ask Kain out, personally. The Vik-tim still fancies him, I suppose?'

'Oh, shut up,' said Vik quickly, hiding the violent red blush with her sleeve, pretending to wipe her nose. 'Why would I go out with him?'

'One word: fit! Duh.' Helena grinned, poking her friend lightly. 'Want something to eat then?' Vik nodded. The girls left the corner, going to their respective tables and taking some food. Helena practically breathed it in, while Vik took small bites. The Slytherin girl looked reluctant to eat, as if every bite was poisonous.

[Rosie]

Crystal entered the hall with eyes downcast, dark hair heavy on her back. Without thinking her feet took her to the Ravenclaw table where she managed to smile weakly at the others around her before helping herself to some soup. Looking around the hall she saw Helena wolfing her food down, as usual and a few others in her year. Her eyes wandered up to the windows where she saw the snow drifting down, dancing in the weak winter light. I should be at home, where I belong.

[Prof. Cinders]

Helena glanced up long enough to see the Ravenclaw girl, then went back to her food. She seems a bit lonely tonight, she thought to herself, grabbing a chicken drumstick. After finishing what was on her plate, she examined the Ravenclaw table for a reason to move over there. Seeing an extremely large chocolate cake, she quickly snatched her plate from the table and rushed over to get a slice. She sat beside Crystal, and said (between bites), 'So, how was the holidays?'

[Rosie]

"Oh Helena!" Crystal exclaimed turning around to her friend and flinging her arms around the Gryffindor "It was wonderful. The ball was fantastic! I'll have to show you the picture of my dress. I think I must have danced with everyone! But..." the Ravenclaw paused, releasing her friend from the hug "you know how i feel about this dump... Anyway, enough of me. How was the Yule Ball? Did you dance with Rob?" the girl finished, her hazel eyes making an honest smile, truly interested in her friend's love life.

[Prof. Cinders]

'It was fantastic... But I think we put some people in the hospital wing,' said Helena, remembering the many people they had knocked over while lost in each other's eyes. 'We sort of didn't pay any attention to the dance floor,' she concluded, shaking her head slightly to bring herself back to the present. 'And my dress rocked the party! i mean, ball. Yeah. Anyway, it's not so bad. At least you can only improve.'

[Rosie]

"That's what I think every term but it's hard to improve on nothing with nothing...." Crystal sighed "So, who else has arrived?"

[Chloe]

"There's me!" Timmy's voice soared over the Hall a few seconds before Timmy herself skidded to a halt in front of the Ravenclaw table, then deposited a slice of chocolate cake onto her plate and sat opposite the two girls. "Helena! From what David's told me, I'm surprised there are so many second-years back from the hospital wing already!"

[Prof. Cinders]

'Ehehe... Yeah, carried away and all that,' blushed Helena, grinning in embarrassment. 'How is Davey, by the way?'

[Chloe]

"He looked pretty well just now - although I might have cracked his ribs again," Timmy observed thoughtfully as David entered the Hall, waved at the three girls, then suddenly threw his arms to his chest in fake agony before straightening up and crossing to the Hufflepuff table.

[Prof. Cinders]

Helena rolled her eyes, giggling slightly. 'As usual, then. How were your hols? Didn't put anyone else in hospital, I trust!'

[Chloe]

Timmy grinned back. "No, but by Circe was I tempted!" She'd spent Christmas with her dad's side of the family, all of them with pureblood-mania to some extent. "Dear Great-aunt Elyssa was trying to pair my dad off to every eligible female in the house again. You'd think she might have stopped after Mum found out her drink was spiked," said Timmy cheerfully.

[Prof. Cinders]

'Heh, some people never give up,' said Helena, remembering her own mother's problems. After she realised she was staring blankly at a table full of food, her little resistance broke down and she started gathering as much food as possible onto her plate. Several fairy cakes disappeared from under a nearby first year's nose, to which he responded with a rather resigned grunt. Helena ignored this, her mouth contentedly full.

[Rosie]

Crystal listened to the conversation and quietly finished the small puddle of soup which she'd given herself. Her parents were always telling her to eat more but she never listened, instead she'd feed the food she slipped into her pockets to the pigs when her parents weren't watching. Crystal smiled across the hall when Dave entered but knew that he was only looking at Timmy. He never really had eyes for her. "So... Did everyone enjoy doing their enormous potions essay over the holidays?" the girl said, trying to keep up conversation.

[Prof. Cinders]

Helena's face suddenly went very pale, and she gulped her food down with an ominous uh oh kind of noise. 'Er... I didn't do it?' squeaked the gryffindor, grinning in embarrassment. 'I am SO stupid, I'll have to stay up and do it, or someone'll kill me! If I don't first when I overload my brain with boredom, that is.'

[Rosie]

"Same as usual then...." Crystal said, a small smile breaking onto her face "I don't find writing essays boring... just the titles old frog face gives us are so dull. You're not really gonna do that essay tonight are you? That would just be the perfect start to the term!" she added sarcastically.

[PMJ]

"Should my ears be burning?" asked Robert cheerily as he walked over to the gaggle of girls, "I heard the words 'dance' and 'hospital wing'!" He grinned at Helena and greeted the other girls and sat down at his table.

[Prof. Cinders]

Helena immediately shunted a large slice of cake into her mouth, knowing she would say something stupid if she didn't. Grinning through the food, she mumbled something that sounded like 'Hmf fl dmn flr hmfk?'

[Rosie]

"Personally I think saying something stupid is a little less embarrassing than spitting chocolate cake all over him" Crystal said quietly to Helena. "Anyway is anything actually happening today? Or is it just an extended holiday?" but this time in hell she added to herself, staring blankly at the dull, stone walls which trapped her every term.

[Prof. Cinders]

Helena swallowed her cake, and grabbed another. However, before stuffing this in her mouth, she muttered, 'Lessons in t'afternoon. Dunno what we got, lost timetable.'

[Chloe]

"You've got double Transfiguration with Slytherin," David said as he sat down at their table: apparently all his Hufflepuff friends had got stuck in a Quidditch argument. "And we've got History and Charms," he grinned at Timmy, who nodded absent-mindedly as she dived into another pile of spaghetti. Knowing he wasn't going to get any sort of coherant response from either her or Helena, he turned to Crystal. "Good thing we miss Potions this morning - I've still got a couple of bits to finish." He smiled warmly at the girl, half-wondering how or why he hadn't really noticed her before.