Back again, thank Merlin. on Cascade Hall

Headmaster Regal

January 17, 2011 11:07 AM

Opening Feast by Headmaster Regal

David Regal was more than excited to start his career in the administration aspect of an educational institution. The sixty-year old man had been a Transfiguration professor for the last thirty-five years of his life, and even when he absolutely loved educating the young ones, there was a time in every man’s life that a radical change was needed. For the native Scottish, this was it. His two sons were already married, building a life with their new families and his wife was used to his long absences due to his previous job. Being the new Headmaster of Sonora would not change his life, just his responsibilities, and he was more than ready to take them. His wife had taken rather well the changes in his life, especially since the pay raise would give her more economical liberties. For him, it was a way of giving her a better chance of recuperating the life of luxuries that she had left behind when they got married and left England for the United States.

Months before the actual start of term, the new appointed Headmaster had spent a lot of time learning from Sadi about how Sonora worked. It had been nice of Sadi to show him the ropes, especially with her illness and how it had affected her. Some days it seemed that she was about to collapse of tiredness. It sadden him to see her like that, nobody should suffer through such a horrible illness. But alas, that was life, and he hoped researchers would find a cure for it. That was no way to live life, it also had made him see that life was fickle and it could change for the worse in an instant. Another of the reasons he was glad he had taken the job. It was never too late to start new endeavors, and at his 60 years old, he still felt pretty young. He was halfway through his life; one had to love how magic extended one’s life in comparison to the Muggles. More time to do what you wanted.

The dark-haired man Apparated to Sonora the morning of the new start of term, it was exciting. The 60-year old had brown hair marred by grey; it was hard to decide whether he was still brown-haired or completely grey-haired, both colors were prominent on his head. The Headmaster was smartly dressed for this joyous occasion, robes of the deepest blue pressed to perfection by his wife Addison. He had talked with his staff for a few minutes before walking through the extensive grounds of the school. When it was time for the students to arrive at the school, he promptly made his way back. Fortunately, he was in the Cascade Hall before anyone entered.

Once the older students settled down, and the first-years waited to be sorted, David addressed the Hall. “Welcome to Sonora! I am Professor David Regal, the new Headmaster. Headmistress Powell will be missed since she was an extraordinary Head,” his voice was solemn and serious. He had great respect for Sadi.

David had been happy to see that Donovan Cohen was employed at the school. He knew the man, and since he hadn’t spoken with his staff about the Deputy Head position, he asked for his help and appointed him Deputy Head for the time being. “First years, Professor Cohen will hand you a goblet. Please drink from it so you can be sorted accordingly.” David was excited about this part of the Opening Feast, since he wanted to see how the potion would affect the first-years skins. Sadi had told him that their skin would change into the color of the chosen house: deep red for Crotalus, blue for Aladren, sunshine yellow for Teppenpaw and muddy brown for Pecari.

Once the newly sorted first-years found seats with their housemates, David continued with his address to the school. “Before the feast can begin, I have a few announcements,” he took a deep breath and continued to talk, “Congratulations to our New Head Boy and Girl, Daniel Nash II of Aladren and Charlotte Abbott of Crotalus.” David clapped as they came to receive their badges. “Now let’s have a round of applause for the new Prefects! Edmond Carey of Aladren, Andrew Duell of Teppenpaw, Marissa Stephenson of Crotalus and Jose Hernandez of Pecari.” Again, he clapped before handing them their badges. He smiled at everyone, he didn’t know them, but was proud of them nonetheless.

“I am almost finished. Don’t fret,” David chuckled before finishing with his address. “Thanks to the generous donations of some families, you will be able to enjoy a new room designed to help cultivate your different talents, as well as to provide a place where you can escape for a while from your studies. Though, remember that you are here to learn! The room is still under construction, when it is finally ready we will have an appropriate inauguration.” The new Headmaster grinned. “The final announcements of the evening consist on letting you know that Professor Cohen will be the Deputy Headmaster until further notice, Andreas Stravinos will substitute the Astronomy class, and we have a new Librarian, Miss DiAnna Diaz.” He clapped for them and smiled at everyone.

“Let the Opening Feast begin!” when he uttered those words, the tables were instantly filled with food, it smelled delicious. Now that everyone started eating and chatting, he sat down and exhaled. His first Opening Feast had been a success, in his very humble opinion.

OOC: Welcome First-years! Please refrain from posting on other boards until your Head of House posts his/her welcoming speech! Otherwise, have fun!

Subthreads:

Shiny new Aladren. by Preston Stratford with Arthur and Arnold Carey, Preston, Arnold and Arthur

Sunshiney and Bright by Derwent Pierce IV with Madeline Parry, Regina Parker, Jessica Applerose

I'm finally tan! by Avery Larson with Sophia Randolph, Avery , Demetra Mason

Back and Ready for 6th Year by Adelita Garcia with Charlotte Abbott, Lita, Charlie

Is it crimson, or should we just stick with red? by Topher Calhoun with Fae Sinclair, Topher, Alice Adair, Alice with a bit of Phoenix Lucore

Not my favorite surprise ever by Edmond Carey

Wait... what..? by Andrew Duell with Tobar Brishen

Back for my second year by James Owen with David Wilkes, James

Looks just like Saul's by Prefect Jose Hernandez with Starbuck Gregory, Jose, Jose Hernandez, Delilah Kerrigan

Brown is the new Black. by Josephine Owen with Neal Padrig, Ayita Bly, Josephine

Third year's the Charms by Nicodemus Sawyer with

Nice shiny pretty badge. My precious. by Daniel Nash II, Head Boy

Name one thing better than food. by Renée Errant with Eliza Bennett, Nic Sawyer, Jordan Adair

So excited! by Hope Brockert with Melody Abramson

Back again, thank Merlin. by Ryan O'Malley with Daisy Thorpe, Daisy

Meanwhile, at the Staff Table... by Coach Amelia Pierce with Professor John Fawcett

The start of something strange by Arista and Addison Thornton

We are all fine here. No exceptions permitted. by Raines Bradley with Jethro Smythe, Jethro, Raines

Deep Breaths by Addison Regan Thornton

Sunshine it is! by Arista Rose Thornton

Late, but I had to. by Marissa Stephenson

0 Headmaster Regal Opening Feast 0 Headmaster Regal 1 5

Preston Stratford

January 17, 2011 12:33 PM

Shiny new Aladren. by Preston Stratford

Preston Stratford couldn’t understand why in the name of Merlin he couldn’t stay in Vermont and attend school there, just like his older brother Victor and his ancestors. No, instead he had been sent to Sonora. The eleven-year old didn’t know what to feel about it, on one side he would be away from his house, but on the other side, he felt the normal nervousness of someone that was leaving his house for a long period of time for the first time ever. The red-head was at an emotional crossroad, but like his father had said, he needed to grow up sooner or later. Sooner being the optimal scenario. A normal childhood in the Stratford household was something unheard of. Since he could remember, he had tutors for everything, hardly any time to play or just be a bum. Everything had to have a purpose otherwise it was just a waste of time. The only thing that could be deemed as fun was Quidditch, but it also was something perfectly structured. Plus, it wasn’t fun for him because he absolutely hated the sport. The green-eyed eleven-year old saw the sport as pointless and stupid, since people flying around going after balls had no purpose at all, just to look silly and get hurt in the process. No, it wasn’t his cup of tea.

The preparations for his anticipated departure to Sonora took weeks to organize. Sending off Preston to a far away school was something that needed to be carefully planned. So, after weeks and weeks of endless shopping, Preston had everything he would ever need and more. With a brand new wand, robes, books, cauldron and even a pet cat, which he so creatively named Morgana, he was ready to go and embark on this new adventure. Of one thing he was certain, it would be a learning adventure, and Preston absolutely loved to learn.

The day of actually leaving for his new school, he couldn’t hide the excitement that he was feeling. Every second before his mother Apparated with him to the designated pick-up area, he had been fidgeting. Though the moment he was surrounded by other children, he restrained himself from doing something stupid. Preston hated to be seen as an overemotional child, because he did a very good job of suppressing whatever he was feeling until he was alone. The redhead just stood by his mother until the covered wagon came to pick them up. Once he was safely inside the wagon he got out a book on magical stories to pass the time. In his opinion, there was nothing more uncomfortable than riding a covered-wagon.

Finally, arriving at his new school, Preston analyzed it with critical eyes. So far, so good. The eleven-year old followed the rest of the students that seemed to be starting along with him. Preston patiently waited for the, apparently, new Headmaster to start with the sorting. The redhead didn’t want to drink the potion offered to him, but he had no choice. To his great annoyance he now had blue skin! He frowned and looked for someone that had blue skin like him, they were his roommates.

Preston sat down besides someone that looked like him, and waited for the Headmaster to stop talking. When it finally happened, the corners of his lips curled up a bit when the food appeared. The eleven-year old was hungry. He served himself something that smelled delicious and began eating. He ate in silence for a few minutes, before looking to the person next to him and extending his hand “How do you do? I am Preston Stratford of the Vermont Stratford’s.” He extended his hand and waited for a response.

0 Preston Stratford Shiny new Aladren. 0 Preston Stratford 0 5

Derwent Pierce IV

January 17, 2011 1:18 PM

Sunshiney and Bright by Derwent Pierce IV

The wagon ride from New Hampshire seemed to go on forever, but Derry honestly wouldn't have minded it to go on for a little longer. Watching the ground fly by like this was almost as good as watching it fly by under his broom, but also better because he wasn't allowed to fly this far away from home over such strange and unfamiliar landscapes on his broom. Mother would have a fit and Father would yell. (Of the two, not wanting to scare his mom was the reason he refrained from leaving the Pierce lands.)

But the wagon ride had come to an end and he'd seen tons of stuff he'd write about back to Thad because Thad didn't leave Mt. Pierce much more often than Derry did and he'd totally love to hear about the patchwork fields. (Derry didn't entirely believe that muggles did that, but whoever did, its still looked really cool.) And that wasn't even counting those weird sets of buildings that someone said were muggle cities. They'd been pretty far away from those, but they looked as unreal as muggles themselves, so Derry could almost, almost believe that they really were made by people without magic. Somehow.

Thad probably wouldn't believe him, but Derry wouldn't have either if he hadn't seen them with his own two eyes.

And Sonora was even more wow. Derry hoped down from the wagon and nearly killed himself when he was too busy staring at the school and the Gardens and the distant Quidditch Pitch to watch where he put his feet. He caught himself on the wheel, and managed not to face plant himself into the dirt which was good because he was wearing brand new robes (Sonora's green uniform was different from Salem's bronze robes and he was the first of his family to not go to the now-closed Institute of Magical Crafts) and a tri-corner hat that was about five years older than he was, and Mom would be upset if he ruined either of them.

He left his trunk for the elves to handle and went inside without a second thought for all of the worldly belongings he would have access to until midterm. The inside of the school was even more impressive than the outside. He stared at the moving portraits (not a new thing for him, but none of them were Pierces or anyone else he'd talked to for the last eleven years of his life when he couldn't find anyone alive or undead to talk to - he was curious about all of their stories and how they had ended up on the wall of a school's main entryway).

After he waved in greeting to the large people who were labeled underneath as 'Founders', he followed the rest of his new school mates to where the first years were being gathered. He spoke briefly to a couple of them, mostly to point at amazing things and say "Wow," but before he could quite get around to introducing himself to any of them or asking for their names in return, they were ushered into the Hall, which was even more amazing than the entryway.

Mt. Pierce was no rustic hunting lodge - Grandmother's House was the seat of the New Hampshire Pierce family, and his own home was the Heir's House. Both had, until today, seemed quite impressive in their own rights, but even they had nothing on the scale of the Cascade Hall. "Wow," he said again, then decided this particular amount of amazing required further comment and added, "Waterfalls are awesome. Walls made out of waterfalls are even more awesome." He couldn't thing of a word more awesome than awesome, so he had to make do with adverbs.

Derry felt his attention drawn back to the events at hand - namely his Sorting - as someone pushed a goblet into his hands. "Oh! Right," he smiled up at the man who gave it to him. "Thank you!" he said politely, as he had been raised to do, and took a sip of bubbly brew. After a few seconds his skin began to turn yellow.

"Neat!" he exclaimed, holding his arm out and inspecting his own hand in something akin to fascination as he examined the effect. He barely noticed the Deputy Head move on down the line to the next student. "I'm all sunshiney and bright!" he declared, deciding this was a good thing, and so smiled happily at the development.

He was pointed toward a table where other people who were sunshiney and bright were sitting. He went there and took an empty seat next to one of them. "Hi," he greeted the table in general.

Then the Headmaster started talking again and Derry tried to pay attention because that was the good and proper thing to do, but his attention was continually drawn away by the waterfalls and the other students and, well, pretty much anything his eye landed on. It had been a long time since he'd seen something new and now everything was new.

Then there was food. "Awesome!" Derry exclaimed with a bright smile because it looked delicious and he even clapped once in his delight. He looked around to allow the people around him to fill their plates in the order of their rank (at home, it was always father first, then mother, then him) but there did not seem to be any sort of 'orderly fashion' going on. Derry was good with that, and dove in to claim some turkey and potatoes (he avoided the corn, but took some peas because he could imagine Hamlet frowning at him if he didn't take any green vegetables).

Once his plate was full to his satisfaction, he looked around again, waiting for everyone else to finish doing the same. Other people were already eating, though, so he shrugged, mentally thanked Hamlet for warning him that things were different outside of Mt. Pierce, and took his own first bite of the meal.

After he had finished properly chewing and swallowing it, he turned his smile on his nearest neighbors. "Hi, I'm Derry Four, who are you guys?" Then he remembered his manners and his eyes widened a little, and was quick to correct himself, "I mean, I am Derwent Pierce the Fourth, of the New Hampshire Pierces." He gave a small seated bow. "I am pleased to make your acquaintance. May I inquire as to your names?" Father was going to kill him if word got back that he'd messed up his first public introduction so bad. But he thought he probably fixed it in time. Maybe. He hoped. He smiled, silently hopeful that his new Housemates might forget his initial impropriety and not take offense.

1 Derwent Pierce IV Sunshiney and Bright 189 Derwent Pierce IV 0 5

Avery Larson

January 17, 2011 2:59 PM

I'm finally tan! by Avery Larson

Avery Larson packed up her bags in a hurry, she didn't want her mother to know that she left packing for the last minute. Avery was a very headstrong and independent girl, and liked to ignore her mother's more trivial commands. She knew that she should be setting an example for the younger Larson kids, but that was the last thing on her mind as she raced down the halls of her old, two-story farmhouse. The house was old, but didn't seem to be, thanks to the renovations done by Avery's wizarding parents. The walls in the more public parts of the house were a pretty pale yellow, which seemed to fill the room with light even when it was gloomy outside. Avery's bedroom was a pale orange, with Quidditch posters and model brooms throughout. It was a nice house, in Avery's eyes.

The redhead then bid her parents a quick goodbye, hugged her younger siblings and kissed her older ones, and was off to Sonora!

When she arrived in the Cascade Hall she marveled. Even she, as pureblood as possible, had never seen such a sight as the magnificent waterfalls streaming down the walls of the great room. The Headmaster then made a speech about the school, which Avery wished would be over soon, considering she was very hyperactive. The pretty girl had a very hard time sitting (or standing) still. She drank the Potion that was given her and watched with interest as her skin turned a muddy brown color, symbolizing that she was in Pecari House, the one for the daring.

Avery scurried off to the other muddy browns, smiling the whole time. She sat down and decided to start a conversation. "Hi, I'm Avery Larson. What's your name?" The tomboy began.

0 Avery Larson I'm finally tan! 0 Avery Larson 0 5

Madeline Parry

January 17, 2011 3:07 PM

It's very 'in' this year by Madeline Parry

It’s just like any other school, Madeline told herself firmly as she walked, along with everyone else who’d ridden the wagon that stopped in Georgia, toward the big school building. Okay, so every other school has a website, and I didn’t find out about it in a way the Weekly World News would pay me for an interview about, but still. School. I know school. No school can be weirder than the one with the yoga mats, or Dad’s last appointment, even if it does have magic.

That thought, unlike the one about tabloids, really did make her feel a little less nervous. One of the perils of having a history professor as a father was not only having to adjust to new elementary schools and entire local cultures if a better opportunity arose in another state, but also having to adjust to whatever weirdness existed on the campuses Dad taught at and they usually lived on. There were a lot of older people here, but she was sure there were few high schoolers, boarding school wizards or not, who were as strange as undergraduates in large groups.

Once they made it into the building, she noticed the crest on the floor and immediately stepped around it, figuring there had to be a tradition saying any new person who stepped on the crest on their first day would never graduate, or have all their hair fall out, or something. Magic, from what she had read in her still-smallish but growing collection of books on the topic, meant it was probably smarter to both assume academic traditions and superstitions existed and that the superstitions might be cold, hard realities.

She also noticed the moving paintings, but managed to stop herself from stopping to gawk. For one thing, she’d seen pictures move enough in her textbooks to be almost used to it, and assure herself one of the paintings hadn’t just told her hello, though she did smile at it just in case. For another, she was afraid of getting trampled. In the huge – she guessed it was ‘dining hall,’ which the copy of A Brief History of Sonora Academy of Witchcraft and Wizardry she’d picked up over the holidays called the Cascade Hall, though, she had to stop short for a second once she noticed the walls. She guessed a normal school could put fountains over all the dining hall windows, if they really wanted to and could afford the astronomical water bills, but they would need basins to keep from flooding the place. Magic school seemed to suffer from no such need.

Physics, 0. Sonora Academy, 1. Madeline Parry, -1.

She took the bubbly drink from an adult with a nervous smile and a “thank you,” though she wasn’t really sure thanks were what she wanted to be expressing. Her first magic potion happening five minutes into her second day as a real witch in a witchy place was really big, something that seemed like it should be bigger than this – and this was pretty big. With the others, though – how many of them was this an everyday thing for? – she drank it, and wasn’t sure how she should feel when she turned yellow. She did feel excited, but wasn’t sure if she was right to or not.

Yellow, in her book, was one of the Teppenpaw colors, so Madeline guessed she was a Teppenpaw. Dad had liked the concept of Pecari best, but diplomatic skills were kind of like political science, so she could sell that, even if she’d never really seen herself that way. Taking the lead from her fellow yellows, she went to sit down at a table and listen to the Headmaster talk.

Once he finished, the tables filled with food, and Madeline gave Sonora another point for surprising her before automatically glancing toward the head of the table for Dad to say grace. When no paternal unit or other person in charge of her spiritual well-being was there, though, she bowed her head and whispered to herself very quickly before starting to serve herself. It had been a long day, and she was hungry. And more than willing to go on accepting her mom’s conclusion that it was only people who were religiously witches who had a problem, that this was like being very smart, or something else that was a gift she could use for good or ill, but which wasn’t inherently bad in and of itself, at least for now.

Another yellow, a boy, smiled at her as she finished loading her plate, so, though it was a more general smile than a Madeline-specific smile, she smiled back. She liked his first introduction better than the second, but decided to take it as a sign that he wasn’t too likely to be terribly snotty that the informal one had come first. It wasn’t his fault he had a numeral. “I’m Madeline Parry,” she said. “From all over the place.” Mostly New York state, but she lived in Georgia now, and had come there from Tennessee by way of Ohio, so she thought it qualified. “It’s, um, nice to meet you,” she added, tucking a piece of her strawberry blonde hair behind her ear and including a little formality of her own so she didn’t look like she didn’t know how to behave.

0 Madeline Parry It's very 'in' this year 188 Madeline Parry 0 5

Adelita Garcia

January 17, 2011 4:01 PM

Back and Ready for 6th Year by Adelita Garcia

Adelita’s summer had been just like any other summer for her. She spent much of her time in the dance studio preparing for the end of the summer recital. When she wasn’t studying her dance, Lita spent the rest of the summer either at the beach in Mexico with her extended family, or in Spain with her Chavez side. She was lucky enough that her Garcia side was close with her Santoro side because they often came to visit them when they were out of the country. It was these times that Lita actually received any sun at all and the reason why she was sporting a wonderful tan upon returning to Sonora.

This year would be so much more of a breeze for her. She had no major exams that would determine the rest of her life and she didn’t have to worry about working on a solo or partner dance for the recital because this year her dance group would be supporting the graduating class. Meaning, they would just be background dancers. Not to say this would be easy work. It certainly wasn’t. They had already been informed of what to expect. Lita would be doing dances she never tried before. Dancing like hip hop. She had no idea why they were even attempting such things, but her teacher seemed to be real excited for that one. Oh well, Lita didn’t know the moves and wouldn’t be learning them until she was home during the winter holidays. Once she knew them, she could start rehearsing while at Sonora. Until then, she had this side of term to do as she pleased. She’d still dance, sure, but she’d also have the time to act like a 16 year old if she wanted to.

Just like any other first day of term, Lita entered the hall in high spirits. Her hair was done, what makeup she wore was done and without any smudges, she was wearing a nice pencil skirt that reached her knees and blouse (untucked) that she belted on the outside of her shirt around her waist because that was the current style. Dulce told her that she looked like she was going for a job interview, but Lita had waved her off. She only ever dressed up for the opening feast; she wasn’t going to let her sister talk her out of it.

Besides, it wasn’t as though she was dressing up just to dress up. It was the very first day back at school after a couple months off from seeing everyone. She wanted to make an impression. She wanted to show that she was maturing.

She hesitated for only a moment when she entered the hall before heading over to the ever familiar table. Lita looked around for a moment to see if any of her friends had already arrived, but she couldn’t really see over some of the heads of her fellow peers. As much as her height of less than five feet helped her on stage and with her dance partner, she disliked it very much off the stage. Everyone else was like a giant wall in her way. Shrugging with a slight pout of agitation, Adelita sat down and instead figured if her friends came around looking for her, they’d find her far more quickly than she would ever be able to find them.

6 Adelita Garcia Back and Ready for 6th Year 136 Adelita Garcia 0 5

Topher Calhoun

January 17, 2011 4:21 PM

Is it crimson, or should we just stick with red? by Topher Calhoun

“Right,” Topher said to no one in particular, staring off through the dark at the glowing mass of Sonora Academy. “Let’s do this.”

Who the ‘us’ in that statement was, he wasn’t sure; he’d ridden in with Russell, whom he’d known all his life, but they had agreed, back home, to divide and conquer for the night. Topher hadn’t wanted to, but neither had he wanted to stick to his buddy’s side like glue all the time, and possibly have to kill him if he started enthusing over the engraving on the silverware in public. None of those things would be lame at all, but he was still avoiding them, just ‘cause, so he guessed he was addressing that guy in his head who always made sarcastic comments. Since that guy agreed that, yes, now would be a good time to act like all the other people and move toward the building, he took his statement as having been accepted by both that which it was directed at and by everyone else who might have heard it and moved on.

It was impressive, that was for sure. Topher tried very hard to look cool and unimpressed, but he wasn’t sure he did a very good job. It wasn’t just that the foyer was the biggest room he’d ever seen personally, it was that he thought it was probably bigger than most of the ones in the rags his mom looked at. This was not normal. He tried reminding himself it was because the place had to be huge, as a hundred-odd people attended the school and then there was the faculty, but it didn’t make things less impressive.

Noting the paintings as potential sources of both intel and possible hostile witnesses, he made sure to nod very respectfully to any that seemed to be looking his way before finding himself in line behind someone unfamiliar and being moved, along with everyone else, into the Cascade Hall. He was less sure about whether any of the rag rooms could top this one; the Raines ballroom might have a shot, but that was about it. He wasn’t exactly pleased to be on display at the front of such a room, either, but reminding himself that there were at least fifteen other people being looked at, too, worked better than reminding himself why the school had to be big for conquering his reaction, so he took his potion without complaint and immediately turned very red.

Looking down the line, he was displeased to note that almost no one else was red, making him stand out more than he would have liked, and that the other guy who was wasn’t Russell. His pal was blue. He wasn’t surprised, exactly, but that didn’t mean he liked it. Resisting the urge to clump up with the other new Crotali, he made his way to what he really hoped was the right table in sort-of company with them.

There was a speech. Topher listened to it, then discarded most of it except for making sure to remember who Marissa Stephenson was and wondering what the new room thing was. Were games big enough here to get their own room? He’d been kicking most of the people he knew all over the chessboard, and most other game boards, for as long as he could remember, but some new competition would be good.

Then, though, there was food, and he was straight across from one of his favorite dishes. That made remembering that he had to get along with these people for seven years and shouldn’t seem like a jerk hard, but he managed, at least, to be civil while going for the goods. “Looks good, doesn’t it?” he said, to his neighbors in general. “I’m Topher.”

0 Topher Calhoun Is it crimson, or should we just stick with red? 192 Topher Calhoun 0 5

Edmond Carey

January 17, 2011 4:51 PM

Not my favorite surprise ever by Edmond Carey

Edmond didn’t know if anyone else would find it funny or not, but he found it hilarious that the main reason he didn’t want to attend the Opening Feast was, in fact, the main reason why he couldn’t actually go through with skipping the Opening Feast.

There were other reasons, of course. One of them was his dislike for change, which was embodied by the new headmaster; since the head person was only really visible twice a year, avoiding the Opening Feast would mean having the entire year to adjust to some stranger in Headmistress Powell’s place before dealing with it at the end of the year event. Another was that he just wanted to finish reading the book he had started yesterday but been unable to finish in a timely manner due to the morning of goodbyes, the long wagon ride, and now the Feast. The main thing, though, was still the prefect announcement.

He hoped it was Cassie, hoped it so much he had convinced himself it was a given that it would be. He’d looked through the records, and not one member of his family had ever been a Sonora Academy prefect, and while he’d never done any of the things which had drawn the attention of the staff to his relations, he very much expected to be excluded by association. Besides, Cassie would make a wonderful prefect. He might make an adequate Head Boy in two years, but at the moment….

Better, really, for everyone that it be Cassie.

Since he had to know, though, and would need to congratulate her if and when her name was announced, he couldn’t skip the Opening Feast. Instead, he merely waited as long as he could to go in and find a seat, only just settling in before the Sorting began.

He was more curious about that than he had been since Jane was standing out there. They were not close – the friendship between the Virginia and South Carolina Careys was too recently repaired, and the one between the Savannah and South Carolina ones too strained by his paternal grandmother’s actions, and there was the inconsequential detail of them being four years his juniors – but Arnold and Arthur were Careys, so he clapped with a little more enthusiasm than was necessary for strict politeness when they both turned blue, along with few other boys, and dared to be optimistic about Aladren’s chances in this year’s House Cup.

Once all the new students were seated at their respective House tables, the new Headmaster stood to speak. Reminding himself that it wasn’t the new fellow’s fault he was new, he kept his face schooled to impersonal amiability…for all of the minute before he heard his name. For a moment, the expression held, but then he blinked several times in rapid succession and said, to no one specific, “What?”

Unfortunately, he didn’t have the luxury of stopping even for an answer, as the other new prefects were starting to get up and move along and he had to either follow or make a spectacle of himself. Since making a spectacle of himself was not really an option, he took the badge without further incident, then went back to his seat, really wishing he were less noticeable. He had always hated being tall, with perpetually disordered red hair and looks that even a very charitable observer could only say might eventually seem distinguished, but it seemed worse than usual tonight. Possibly because he was fairly certain his face was about the same color as those of the Crotalus first years.

It was all right. Everything was going to be all right. He was never going to be fond of the spotlight, but he was, after all, not entirely unused to it. First he'd been worthy of attention as the heir of the Savannah Careys raised by the Virginia ones, then because of his father's retirement raising his status, and because, well, he was both a very good student and very tall. This was just one more thing...

"That wasn't supposed to happen," he said, gesturing at the badge carefully, as though it might jump up from where he'd placed it on the table and bite him if he provoked it, or didn't watch it closely enough.

0 Edmond Carey Not my favorite surprise ever 143 Edmond Carey 0 5

Regina Parker

January 17, 2011 5:16 PM

I don't think yellow goes with my hair... by Regina Parker

Regina was extremely excited about being at Sonora. Sure she would miss her dad and in some ways, her mother as well, but this was a whole knew category in her life and she couldn’t want to start the experience. Regina had gone to muggle school before coming to Sonora under her father’s wishes. He was a muggleborn and he wanted her to experience everything she could in both worlds. Regina’s mother wasn’t around much during her childhood, so anything that her father wanted usually is what came to pass. Not that Regina minded. Her father did what he could by her and made sure she was happy. Regina did as little as possible to make that effort difficult for him.

Regina liked the muggle world. She liked that they expand and are forever changing. She liked that they were flawed and acknowledged those flaws. She loved the noise that their creations created. The muggle world thrived and it amazed her. But that world wasn’t the one she necessarily belonged in. She wanted to know about the magical world. She already knew so much from her mother and father, but she wanted to know if for herself.

So, when she hopped onto the wagon – not even thinking twice about how crazy even that was – Regina impatiently awaited her arrival to the school that would be her home for the next seven years of her life.

Catching sight of the school almost had Regina wetting herself. It was amazing. Beyond amazing. It was everything she had hoped for and so much more! Looking at it more closely as the wagon landed, Regina had a peculiar sense of déjà vu. She had no idea where it had come from but shrugged it off by assuming she had caught a glance of the school from a brochure.

Her hazel eyes were wide with excitement as she looked around. The Gardens were fantastic! She couldn’t wait to get in there and start exploring. She wanted to know every inch of the gardens and the school. She wanted to know every secret, every hidden spot, every portrait, and every corridor available for her to find. Or maybe even not so available for her to find. She just wanted to know every crevice, every flaw, every beautiful moment that the school could offer her. She was a sponge and she wanted to absorb it all up.

Her small frame moved along with the rest of the first years, following the path that led up to the school. Oh and what a beautiful school. Spanish influence, traditional. Full of history. Regina would learn so much here! She just couldn’t wait! And the smile that was plastered across her face was a sure enough sign of just how thrilled she was to finally be in a magical school. Oh she knew how difficult it will be in the coming years and how lonely her father will be without her, but she was ready for the challenge. And, she was ready to make a few friends.

Regina had smiled along the way, glancing at the portraits as she went. It was only polite to smile, even if a few of them gave her grumpy looks back. Upon entering the Cascade Hall, Regina almost stopped short. Growing up in both worlds, Regina was well aware of how magic could do anything, but she had never seen walls of Waterfalls before. Ever. And she wasn’t even so sure she could imagine something like that to be either. Oh yes, she was going to have a ball here. No doubt about that.

“Thank you, Sir!” Regina exclaimed, taking the goblet and quickly taking a sip of the contents. Under normal circumstances, Regina wouldn’t have taken a strange substance from a strange (and huge) man because her father and her mother’s job as an Auror taught much better than that, but Regina assumed she could trust the Heads of her school. It only took a moment for her skin to turn a lovely shade of yellow. Awesome.

Glancing around, she found the other group of yellow people and headed over to sit with them. She smiled around to everyone, but most seemed transfixed on the remaining sorting event and the Headmaster. So, Regina did the same. She listened to the Headmaster make some announcements, but Regina didn’t have a clue what any of it meant. She assumed ‘Prefects’ were like hall monitors at her muggle school and Head Boy/Girl were like class Presidents. She’ll have to read about it to figure it all out though.

But soon the speech was over and the food had magically appeared in front of her face. “Wicked!” She said quietly to herself as she made her way around to various items and plopping them on her face. A boy near her began to speak and introduced himself twice over to the girl beside her. Her father had told her that there would a few who had introductions like these. Regina thought he was full of it. Apparently she was wrong. “I’m Regina Parker from no place of importance, but everyone back home calls me Reggie.” Regina greeted, interrupting the two of them. “Are you both excited to be here as I am? This place is the cat’s meow, I swear!”

6 Regina Parker I don't think yellow goes with my hair... 187 Regina Parker 0 5

Jessica Applerose

January 17, 2011 5:37 PM

Hopefully it'll fade? by Jessica Applerose

Jessica was more nervous than excited about going to boarding school. She felt homesick immediately and missed her friends. She'd definitely have to send a letter back home soon. But she was only a state away, so that comforted her just a bit. But still, she was away from home and that was what counted.

She changed into her forest green robes and pulled her short brown, curly hair so it didn't get caught. She slung a bookbag on her shoulder, her older sister's used one, and got onto the wagon taking her to her new home. The thought made her want to cry.

Jessica was rather attached to her life back home. She had it good; she was wealthy, had lots of friends, and she was a pureblood which meant some connections with other families. She wasn't quite sure how prestigious the name "Applerose" was, or whatever, but apparently it mattered a lot in pureblooded England, her birthplace. Whatever. Jessica nervously played with little silver dress she wore around her neck. It had an emerald in the center, for whatever reason. She'd forgotten who'd given it to her, it'd been so long. Playing with it, however, gave her some comfort, and she looked out of the wagon to see the school. It was magnificent, and huge. How was she going to find her way around? Anxiety began to plague her again.

Jessica got out and followed the rest of the first years to wherever they were heading, her blue eyes taking everything in. It was enormous, and that scared her a lot. She hated change.

When she entered the dining hall, she assumed, she was handed a goblet, and her skin turned a yellow, which made her cringe. It was ugly, but she supposed it meant she was to be in the house with all the other yellow-skinned people. Heading over to them, she sat down next to a group of people who looked her age, determined not to be alone.

She listened to the welcoming speech and decided right off that she was going to become a Prefect one day. Her parents had told her to be ambitious, and that's what she was going to be! The speech finished, and the food appeared. Her stomach was too knotted for her to really feel hungry, so she looked at her peers instead. Three people introduced themselves, so she piped up herself.

"Hi guys, I'm Jessica Applerose." She made sure her voice was loud; though she was shy inside, she knew the only way to make friends was to really be outgoing and friendly. She could do that, even in this new environment. Her southern California accent seemed different from the others, and it made her feel nervous again. She didn't want to be the "different" one.

Jessica smiled at Reggie's introduction. She seemed friendly enough. "I'm really nervous, actually," she told her. "I've never been away from home before." She hoped it didn't make her sound like a sissy.

The boy's introduction made him seem formal, and she realized that he must be a pureblood. She had a faint memory of her time in England surrounded by the prestigious pureblooded society, and her hand unconsciously went to toy with her necklace again. She nervously looked at her peers, hoping that her face didn't betray her anxiety. Hopefully they'd all become great friends.

0 Jessica Applerose Hopefully it'll fade? 0 Jessica Applerose 0 5

Derry Four

January 17, 2011 6:40 PM

Why would you want it to? by Derry Four

Whew. Nobody seemed to be upset by his informality and, in fact, most of them seemed to continue the trend. That was a giantly huge relief. He could behave around his new Housemates the same way he did around Thad. That was really really really good.

He took note of each of their names as she said it. First, was Madeline from Everywhere. That was cool. He'd only ever been in New Hampshire until now, and all of his family lived on the same mountain he did so he was never more than a mile or so from home. He wondered what states her family was in.

Then Regina from Nowhere. Or Reggie, which was almost as much of an improvement over its original as Derry was to Derwent. He wasn't quite sure how her family could be from 'nowhere of importance' but he would take her at her word, though he had to wonder if maybe she was from some forgotten island on the border with Canada that was so small that nobody ever bothered to determine which country it was in, nevermind what state. And while it might be unimportant, it was still totally fascinating.

And the last was Jessica from Unspecified, which he guessed was just because she forgot to mention it like he almost had. Everyone had been kind and forgave him, so even if he wasn't inclined to do so anyway, he would have to extend the same curtesy. She also said the most extraordinary thing.

"I've never been away from home before either," he offered in reassurance, assuming of course that the other Pierce homes on the mountain didn't count as 'being away' because they were still family property, "but it's totally exciting," he assured her, feeling certain that he could make her nervousness go away just by willing her to feel the same excitement he did. "You get to see all new things and meet all new people and learn all new magic. It'll be great."

He decided maybe Jessica didn't yet need to know about the dangerous imposter who was Head of Crotalus, or the potentially evil California Pierce who he was pretty sure just got named Prefect of Pecari, both of whom his dad had warned him against. With luck, none of them - as first year Teppenpaws - would have to run into them very often and he'd make sure he warned them all if it ever did become an issue. Now wasn't the time to worry about that. The other staff would make sure bad stuff didn't happen.

Now was the time to feast and be merry and make new friends; to ease fears, not create new ones.

"This food is really good, isn't it?" he asked after he finished swallowing a forkful of truly excellent mashed potatoes.

1 Derry Four Why would you want it to? 189 Derry Four 0 5

Andrew Duell

January 17, 2011 7:19 PM

Wait... what..? by Andrew Duell

Andrew was really looking forward to getting back to Sonora this year. Although it would have been difficult to tell just by watching him on the ride to the school. He spent most of the trip reading, while occasionally staring blankly out over the landscape or scribbling in his notebook.

The summer had gone well enough, but it was just so mundane out there. He had spent the summer bouncing back and forth between his parents. Mom was nearly downright overbearing trying to pry any little bit of information out of him about the school and his life there. Some stuff was easy enough to tell her; what classes he liked, what he had learned, etc. Other stuff he wasn't... she kept asking which girl in the school he was dating. She refused to believe him when he told her 'none of them.' He had begun keeping track of how many times he had to tell her this, but he lost count. He also was having trouble convincing her that he had no idea what he was going to do after school yet. He still had years to figure that out. At the end of the summer he may have gotten through to her. She told him that he should be more involved with the other kids, school wasn't just about learning from books, but from the other people as well. He had to get involved. He tried to tune her out as well as he could while he packed his books.

Dad was the other end of the spectrum. He tried to make conversation, but wasn't terribly good at it. Those conversations mainly focused on Quidditch. His dad was pure muggle and didn't handle magic well, but for some reason he loved that game. It was the main reason why Andrew tried out for the team, he really wasn't that big of a fan of the game. He got much more time to do his studying and research while at his dad's place. He had a lot of theories to test out, and many experiments to run. Now that he was back at Sonora he could really start getting to work.

He climbed off the wagons and entered the hall with the rest of the students. He nodded some simple greetings to some of those he recognized as the filed in. He hadn't gone out of his way much here the past year or so, he didn't have a close group of friends like most of the students. Sure, there were some that he called 'friends' but really they were more like 'friendly acquaintances'. He looked around at these groups coming back together after the summer of being separated, and though maybe he should try to get more socially involved. Most of them looked happy to see one another again to share stories and such, his mother may be right, he was missing out on something. He caught a glance of himself in the rippled reflection of the rooms waterfalls, he looked... plain? Ordinary? Mundane himself? Well, maybe he could work something social into his calendar again.

Finding his way to the Teppenpaw table, he sat and listened to the new Headmaster. He seemed like a nice guy, Andrew never had a lot of interaction with the old Headmistress, and he figured it would be the same with the new guy. He watched as the first-year's lined up to drink from the goblet. Interesting he thought as he saw the results, there were a bunch of new Teppenpaws in this year. Whoever got suckered into being prefect was going to have their hands full.

A few minutes later when his name was called he nearly fell off his seat. Before his mind could really process what was going on, he noticed his feet had somehow already taken him halfway up to the front of the room. How could this have possibly happened? Was there a mistake? Him? Prefect? Oh dear... how...? But it was to late, he was standing in front of the new Headmaster. He had little choice, not that he really had any choice. Andrew smiled as best he was able, thanked the Headmaster, accepted the badge of prefect and returned to his seat.

Once back, he turned it over a few times in his hands, studied it as if it were some sort of strange alien device that had fallen from the sky. The food appeared on the table and he barely noticed it. Still holding the badge, he looked around at the other people at his table with the same bewildered expression that had been stuck there since his name was announced and asked simply "but... why...?"

2 Andrew Duell Wait... what..? 145 Andrew Duell 0 5

Fae Sinclair

January 17, 2011 7:36 PM

Crimson sounds a little morbid to me. by Fae Sinclair

Fae Sinclair still wasn’t very sure on how to handle all of this. She didn’t want to leave home just yet. She knew and had known for quite some time that she didn’t have a choice about whether or not she was home schooled forever, but that didn’t make this moment any less hard on her. She was the baby of her family and had been accustomed to a rather treated life. She did not want to give that up.

She could be at least grateful that her parents hadn’t shipped her off to the all girls boarding school that her sister was currently attending. Fae and her sister, Shelby, never got along. Shelby always said that Fae was a waste of space and would never amount to anything. Shelby was the sort of girl that was the perfect ‘Trophy’ wife. She was beautiful. Blonde, tall, fit, blue eyes, intelligent (without actually coming off as intelligent), and she knew the rules to play by. Shelby would be betrothed no problem. Fae… it was yet to be determined. Her father just kept telling her to listen better to her tutors, but her mother was less accepting of her flaws. Her mother wanted her to be perfect at all times.

It was exhausting.

Fae had remained quiet during the trip in the wagon from Connecticut. She would be the first Sinclair to go to Sonora. Most went to schools closer to home and were prestigious in the ‘Pureblood’ society. Her parents and extended family felt that it was better to know what they were facing by expanding their influences to other schools than remain the a small box that they had ruled for centuries. Fae was their guinea pig. If she was successful in making connections while at Sonora, their family might consider continuing with allowing her cousins and other extended family their education in other magical schools, including Sonora.

Having stepped off the wagon (trying carefully not to fall on her face in the process), Fae had to admit that the school was something to look at. She glanced around at the gardens. As impressive as they were, she doubted she’d be doing much in them. Fae was not a nature fan. The school itself though, she would be happy to walk the halls there. It was very beautiful and her parents would be quite impressed. She’d have to see about getting a photo of it to send to her parents.

The inside was even more impressive. Especially the Hall. The waterfalls were something Fae had not been expecting. Oh she would definitely have to write home to Mother and tell her how exotic this school was bound to be. She couldn’t wait to see the rest of the school to find out exactly how the rest of it would play out. Hopefully, the hall wasn’t the only place in the school that was worth looking at.

The goblet was handed to Fae and looked dubiously into it. They had got to be kidding her. They wanted her to drink this? Okay, now she even less sure about this place. Sighing, Fae took a small gulp of the suspicious potion and then handed back the goblet. Thankfully, she didn’t immediately start to vomit. Instead, she turned red. Red? Okay, there were others who were red, so this was a normal reaction and she did not suddenly have hives. That would have been humiliating.

She took her seat at the table and waited out the rest of the Headmaster’s speech. Shortly after he had finished, the food appeared. She hadn’t seen any House Elves… no that wasn’t right, they were not House Elves here, they were Prairie Elves. Either way, they were invisible, so that was a plus. And the food looked pleasant enough.

“Looks good, doesn’t it?”

Fae looked over at the boy next to her who spoke her thoughts outloud. She nodded, not knowing what else to say. For food, as long as she didn’t die from eating it (or get fat because her mother would really kill her if she did), she was fine with whatever they served her. A small delicate eyebrow arched when she heard his name. Topher? That was an odd name. Not that Fae should talk. She had family in Russia, France (her family was an extension of that branch), and Scotland. Each with very odd names, but names that were important to their nationality. Fae, Shelby, and Jaiden were all French names. Still, she found Fae more pleasing than Topher.

“Hi Topher.” Fae said, offering him a genuine smile, which actually lit up her face in a way that giving only a polite smile never could do. “I’m Fae Sinclair…” after a second of hesitation, she added, “Of the Connecticut Branch.” If her parents found out she hadn’t given the proper introduction, they’d be utterly disappointed in her. For whatever reason, pointing out the state in which her branch resided was very important. Fae doubted the Sinclair name had much meaning on this side of the country the way it did in the Northeast. But, that was the purpose for her being here. To give them meaning. “Are you happy about being here?” Fae asked. She was starting to feel like she was the only one who hadn’t wanted to leave her home. “This is the first time my parents allowed me to go anywhere on my own. It’s very intimidating.” Fae admitted. She wasn’t sure if she was supposed to admit something like that, but she didn’t want to lie about it either.

6 Fae Sinclair Crimson sounds a little morbid to me. 194 Fae Sinclair 0 5

Madeline

January 17, 2011 8:58 PM

It and the green robes make us look kinda like soda bottles? by Madeline

Madeline laughed as Regina Parker, called Reggie, declared Sonora the cat’s meow. She’d read it a few times, but it mostly reminded her of Dr. Archer, the head of the history department at the little liberal arts college Dad was teaching at now. He was always saying things like that, usually in a way where it was hard to tell if he knew he was speaking in anachronisms, and he had the coolest office known to mankind. It had busts of Greek gods and Civil War generals in it in equal measure, ship models Dr. Archer had built himself were on top of the shelves, and the walls were completely lined in books. The reminder made her automatically more inclined to like Reggie.

“I’m excited,” she said. “And nervous,” she added, including Jessica. It seemed that everyone in a year and House, unless they were really huge for some reason, shared one room – which seemed really strange to her, she’d never heard of a school where more than two or three people shared one room, but whatever floated Sonora’s boat, she guessed, so long as they could all get along okay – so she wanted to get along with all the other girls in her House a lot, even more than she wanted to get along with people in general.

She was a little worried about what would happen if they did all clash in some big way, but still glad she had roommates instead of being the only girl in Teppenpaw. She’d learned everything she could about the magical world during the last part of the summer, but still expected she was going to need a lot of help navigating it for a while.

Because it was a world. Not like another planet, which was almost disappointing, but still. She wasn’t used to reading books and not knowing so many of the words that she had to use the catalogue she’d picked up at the magic bookstore to order a special dictionary because her children’s dictionary, the little red dictionary her mother had given her from her tech school days, the short, fat, paperback one she’d gotten in her going-to-middle-school Merriam-Webster boxed resource set, and the library’s copy of the OED had all proven inadequate to the task. If she couldn’t read a textbook meant for eleven-year-olds, it was safe to assume that everything she was going to encounter was going to be at least a little different.

“But I agree with you, Derwent. I think it’s going to be really cool, being here.” She looked at her plate, which was still untouched because of all the meeting and greeting. “It smells really good,” she said, then tasted some asparagus. “Oh, it’s good. Do they use magic on it, too?” Madeline realized that might sound like a stupid question. “Sorry – magic’s completely new to me. I didn’t know it existed until last month, and I know our books can’t have everything wizards can do in them.”

0 Madeline It and the green robes make us look kinda like soda bottles? 0 Madeline 0 5

Sophia Randolph

January 17, 2011 9:06 PM

Welcome to Pecari! by Sophia Randolph

It had been a summer filled with surprises for the green-eyed girl. First, she had learned about the money separated for her education since she had been born, and second, Sophia discovered that she actually had living relatives. Unfortunately, the discovery didn’t give her too much satisfaction, since she learned that her grandparents didn’t like her mother because she had been a Half-blood instead of a Pureblood like her father. It was the first time she knew about that, Sophia had blindly trusted her parents, and the fact that she had discovered that piece of information had been a total coincidence. At first, she had been curious to know more about her family, but by the end of it all, she wished she had never stirred the past. It had been really hurtful to realize that her grandparents didn’t love her, because they saw her as inferior for the mix of her blood. The Randolph’s were very important and influential, and had disowned their son for marrying beneath him. The only consolation was seeing her parents happy together.

The green-eyed girl had spent almost all summer pondering over what she had learned, but decided to let it go, because it wasn’t worth it. When it was time for her to start packing once again, she couldn’t contain the smile that was ever present. She really really couldn’t believe she was going back to school. Like every summer, she had worked in her family’s Apothecary to save money for school supplies. Though, her parents had given her some extra money, because she needed new robes and clothes, since she had grown quite a bit during the holidays, and what she had saved had not been enough for everything she needed. Sophia’s trunk was ready a few days before it was time to leave for Sonora to start a new year.

Like every year, she Apparated to the place where the covered-wagon would pick her up with her mother. The blonde kissed her goodbye and entered the wagon that would take her to Sonora and the start of her third year. Sophia was more than excited to be back at Sonora, not just because of the learning and her friends, but because she really thought she would never see the school again. Last term, her father had gotten really ill, straining her parents finances even more than they already were. So, when her mother sat down with her during the summer holidays and told her that she had nothing to worry about, since they had a vault with money specifically for her education, and that she would return to Sonora, Sophia couldn’t hide her happiness. Just the idea of staying at home all the time, made her sick to her stomach. The blonde didn’t mind helping out at home during the summer or midterm, but now that she had known what going to a boarding school was, the idea of not going back was just horrible to conceive.

Now that she was actually back, she followed everyone to the Cascade Hall and took a seat to wait for the Opening Feast to begin. She was surprised when a new Headmaster addressed the school. She knew that Headmistress Powell was sick, but to stop doing her job was major. She felt bad for her, because she had seen what sickness could do to a person. Thankfully, her father was recovering. She listened and clapped at the right times, Sophia wanted to be a Prefect. So, she needed to become a better student. Once the new Pecaris were sorted she cheered for them, but was glad when the address was over and the food appeared.

The now third-year served herself some chicken strips and mashed potatoes and began to eat, quite contentedly until a new Pecari, a girl, talked to her. She swallowed, “Hi Avery, I am Sophia Randolph! Welcome to Pecari. Do you like the school?” she asked curiously. She remembered her first year and she had been a tad bit overwhelmed.

0 Sophia Randolph Welcome to Pecari! 167 Sophia Randolph 0 5

Regina Parker

January 17, 2011 9:37 PM

We call them pop bottles 'round here. by Regina Parker

Right after Reggie’s introduction, another girl chimed in and introduced herself. Looking around, it seemed as though Reggie was going to have quite a bit of roommates during her stay here at Sonora. She wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not. Regina was an only child and had never had to share a room before. She was excited, of course, at the prospect of having them. They were like already built in friends. But she was also a little nervous. You can never really know a person until you lived with them. Reggie was usually very tidy, but she’s never handled anyone who didn’t pick up after themselves. What happens if one of them did that? Or grabbed her things without asking? Reggie didn’t want to go all ape on them, but she just might. Or, at least, that will be something they will all discover a long the way.

Now that Regina thought about it, she hadn’t really been ‘away’ from home either. But she had gone to school, so she wasn’t stuck in the house the entire time either. She wondered if that’s what Jessica meant? Like she was a Flowers in the Attic type of girl (minus the incest, Reggie hoped) by being locked away in a room until she turned eleven. Was that even allowed? Reggie didn’t think so, but there was quite a bit that she was unaware of and she didn’t really know what the magical world was allowed to do or not. She had never really asked her dad. She did know that stuff wasn’t allowed in the muggle world though, so Reggie just took that to mean that she wasn’t a muggleborn.

Derwent also admitted to not having left home either. “What exactly do the two of you mean by ‘haven’t been away from home before’?” Reggie asked, curious at the two of them. “I mean, I can interpret that in many different ways. Like, I have never left my home town, but I have left my home on occasion to go places. I have not, however, left home for a boarding school before.” If she was dealing with people who were locked away for years, Reggie wanted to be sure to approach them appropriately. They were strangers after all and her mother always said that it was better find out the stories first before determining the direction in which you take the relationship.

Her mother had issues with people.

Regina agreed with Derwent. This was all just so exciting! Already she was meeting some really odd but completely awesome people. Who was to say that this wouldn’t occur on a regular basis? This was all just too much fun. She couldn’t wait until the classes started. Reggie wondered exactly what their first few lessons would entail. Either way, she would get to use her wand and she had been itching to do that since her father had taken her to get it. “Don’t worry, Jessica, we’ll totally make this fun for you.” Reggie smiled openly at her because, really, how could she not have the best time at Sonora?

Nodding along with Madeline, Reggie chowed down some of the food she had slopped onto her plate. Her father would be slightly appalled by her eating skills at the moment, but she was starving from all the excitement. She choked on her food for a moment though when Madeline admitted to never having known of magic before.

“Oh!” Reggie exclaimed once her food had dislodged from her throat. “I’m half-“ Reggie didn’t consider the fact that Madeline might not have any knowledge of blood types. “But my dad wanted me to be educated in both muggle and magical, so I went to a muggle elementary school until I got my letter here. We can discuss which is better. They are just so different!”

6 Regina Parker We call them pop bottles 'round here. 187 Regina Parker 0 5

Jessica Applerose

January 17, 2011 9:54 PM

Soda bottles for the west! by Jessica Applerose

Jessica smiled. They were all so friendly! Perhaps her stay wouldn't be too bad. The boy seemed nice, and he comforted her a bit. As she looked at the other two girls, she realized that she'd be sharing a room with them. Sharing a room. The thought was foreign to her.

Though she'd lived with her two older siblings at one time, her sister, closest to her age, was eight years older than her, and so she didn't have much in common with her, nor did she see her often. Her siblings had some beef with her parents, something she didn't quite understand. So she'd grown up as an only child, and just the thought of sharing a room frightened her a little.

She focused instead on her new friends. The way Derwent (she wanted to call him Dewey) spoke as well as Regina excited her just a little. Enough to make the knots ease a bit. She still couldn't eat her food, so just moved it around her plate as she listened to Madeline talk.

Jessica was surprised when Regina asked what they meant by "never leaving home." "I've left my house, of course," she said. Didn't everyone? "But I've never been outside of California, which is where I'm from. And, well, I guess I've been to England because I was born there, but I don't remember it." The British girl bit her bottom lip. At least she had something in common with Derwent! "And I've never been without my parents before." She was only eleven, really.

Jessica brightened when Regina admitted to going to a muggle elementary school. She'd gone to one too! She didn't really understand all the blood prejudices. She'd been taught by her parents to accept everyone, and she practiced it daily. She loved making new friends, and sometimes she felt like she had more in common with muggleborns than with purebloods. She remembered the last time her sister had come to visit two years ago, and she'd been shocked. She hadn't seen Darla since.

The thought of her sister both saddened her and angered her, but she kept it in, not wanting to make a strange face. Instead, she piped up, "I'm a pureblood, but I went to a muggle elementary school too. Our dads sound the same." She smiled. So far she liked the people of her house, and that was always a good thing.

0 Jessica Applerose Soda bottles for the west! 0 Jessica Applerose 0 5

Arthur and Arnold Carey

January 17, 2011 10:16 PM

Two more for the team by Arthur and Arnold Carey

“I don’t,” Arnold said, after what appeared to be great deliberation, “think this is my look.”

Arthur looked up from his examination of his own matching blue hands. “I don’t think I want to keep it on a permanent basis, either, Arnie,” he said. He sighed. “Monsieur wanted us to be in Crotalus.”

“There’s nothing wrong with Aladren,” Arnold replied. “Edmond’s in Aladren. The last Carey in Crotalus was Gwenhwyfar.” He said that name quietly, the way one did when speaking about people who were dead. And who were great scandals who shamed their family names so badly that they were occasionally used as morality tales for younger children.

Arthur considered this. All they knew about Edmond was that he had been raised in Virginia, and – despite the long, bitter feud between the Virginia and South Carolina Carey patriarchs – everyone acknowledged the Virginia Careys as basically respectable. Not as much as the South Carolina Careys, but still – no one was as respectable as their family. They had made it an art, over time, and one thing Anthony the Fourth was very interested in was studying art. Gwenhwyfar had been a Savannah Carey classic, except for not being violent, but there were no particularly scandalous rumors about her younger brother. “That’s a legitimate point,” he said.

They sat down across from each other with the other Aladrens.

They were twins, and did bear enough of a resemblance to each other for most people looking at them to not find it surprising that they were related, but they weren’t identical. Arnold was shorter and narrower, with an angular face, brown hair, and dark brown eyes. Arthur was taller and broader, but somehow less imposing than his brother, with almost black hair and lighter eyes. Even as babies, it had been possible to distinguish them from each other, which was a good part of the reason Arnold had a problem with the world.

He was the eldest son of Anthony Carey VII, who was the only son of Anthony Carey VI, who was the only son of Anthony Carey V, who had been the only son of Anthony Carey IV. Unfortunately for him, Anthony Carey IV had also been a twin – an identical twin – and there had been some confusion back in the 1800s when he and his brother, named Thomas, were born about which had been born first. Thomas had been unwilling to accept the arbitrary decision by his father, Anthony III, that led to him being named ‘the twin’ while his gentler brother became Anthony IV, and he had tried to seize the reins of power upon his father’s death. Then his cousin Richard, whose father had been Anthony III’s older father, had gotten in on the fun, and they’d had an aunt, Alexandra, who was disowned some years earlier for having an illegitimate son, and her son James had gotten involved, and before anyone quite knew how the Carey family had gained its first four branches. The Louisiana Careys had come later.

Anthony IV, losing to his brother, had moved to South Carolina, and though he and Thomas were brothers again, his descendants were still the South Carolina Careys. Arnold and Arthur were South Carolina Careys. Answerable, body and soul, to Anthony IV for as long as he lived. And since he did not want the family to ever weaken itself again the way it had when he was young, twins were automatically disqualified from ever becoming head of the family. The fact that Arnold and Arthur were not identical meant absolutely nothing. Their younger brother, Anthony VIII, would get almost everything once all the other Anthonies died.

Arthur didn’t care. He would have been the second son anyway, and so expected, with family backing, to make a way for himself. Arnold, though…Arthur worried about Arnold, sometimes. He had never been really proper, always struggling with proprieties, and sometimes he talked about how it wasn’t fair…

He began to worry about Arnold for another reason when their – thankfully distant – cousin was called to the front for a prefect’s badge. “No,” he whispered flatly.

“Why not?” Arnold asked.

Arthur stared at him, wondering for a moment if he was serious. “He’s a Savannah Carey and a Virginia Carey,” he said finally. “One of his sisters was murdered. The other works in public. His father was run out of this country. Do you really want everyone knowing we’re related?”

Arnold might have answered that, but the speech resumed, and he had to fall quiet. One thing they had both learned very young was to be quiet when their elders were speaking. Arthur watched Edmond thoughtfully for a moment, then turned his attention back to the Headmaster, too.

Afterward, there was a moment, then there was food. Arthur selected things that looked the most like things he was used to eating at home, hoping they tasted at least acceptably similar, and tossed his sleeves back from his hands to keep them from getting anything on them while he ate. His brother did so as well, and they set to it.

“This is surprisingly good,” Arnold said.

“Yes,” Arthur said.

A moment later, the red-haired boy who’d been Sorted with them looked over from his plate and extended his hand. It was a little awkward, because of the way the seats were designed, to shake hands, but Arthur managed it. “I’m well, thank you,” he said politely. “I am Arthur Carey, of the South Carolina Careys.” He gestured to Arnold. “This is my brother, Arnold Carey. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

0 Arthur and Arnold Carey Two more for the team 0 Arthur and Arnold Carey 0 5

Avery

January 17, 2011 11:05 PM

Thanks for the warm welcome! by Avery

Avery smiled at the girl next to her, a blonde a couple years Avery's senior. She seemed friendly enough, and Avery was glad that she was, there were very few Pecari in Avery's year, she noticed, and would've hated to be stuck with a bunch of jerks, especially the pureblood elitists. Though she was a pureblood herself, Avery never judged someone by their blood status. The freckly girl figured that there were more important things to worry about the parentage of her peers.

"Hi Avery! I'm Sophia Randolph. Welcome to Pecari. Do you like the school?" The girl - Sophia - inquired. Avery smiled.

"Thanks! I wanted to be in Pecari, so I'm super happy to be here! As to your second question, from what I've seen of it, it's amazing!" The redhead exclaimed, motioning to the watery room around her. "This is without a contest the most beautiful room I've ever been in." She gave her Housemate a toothy smile.

"How's the Quidditch program here?" The young girl asked. Avery had grown up on a large farm with lots of property, so she had consequentially grown up free and flying. She would've hated it if the Quidditch was bad here, but she'd still go out for the Pecari team. Her heart beat excitedly as she thought about her trusty hold broom, which was probably upstairs in the Pecari dormitory by now.

Avery then followed Sophia's lead and served some food on her plate: corned beef and a small salad. She chewed contentedly as she waited for the older girl's answer.

0 Avery Thanks for the warm welcome! 0 Avery 0 5

Derry Four

January 17, 2011 11:07 PM

Wait, back up, what's soda/pop? by Derry Four

Derry stared at Madeline. He'd been about to protest the Derwent thing (only Father and Grandmother called him that and hearing it from Madeline had made him physically cringe) but then she said something even more stunning than Jessica's claim that she was nervous. She had said "Magic’s completely new to me." Derry goggled.

He sort of heard what the others said. Enough to get that Reggie was half-muggle and they had all - all three of them! - had gone to muggle school before coming to Sonora.

"Y-you're muggleborn," he said to Madeline, once his brain caught up enough to form coherent English sentences. "And you're half-muggle," he stared in wide eyed wonder at Reggie, because that was someone even odder to him than Madeline because how did witches and wizards meet muggles, anyway? Though somehow, he turned his stunned expression toward Jessica, "And you went to a real live muggle school?" he asked in complete confusion.

"I didn't even know muggles were real!" he exclaimed. "How can people live without magic?" He stared in wide eyed amazement at each of the three girls in turn, "And you guys went to school with them?" He sat back a little. "Whoa. And I though being home-tutored by my dead ancestor was a weird learning environment."

He blinked twice, then said, more to himself than to them, as a reminder, "Hamlet did say things were different off of the mountain."

He shook his head a little to clear it and his tricorner hat shifted a little on his dark brown hair. "Oh, and, uh," he added as an afterthought, to the girls, "It's Derry. Or Four. But not Derwent. That's my father."

1 Derry Four Wait, back up, what's soda/pop? 189 Derry Four 0 5

Derry

January 17, 2011 11:18 PM

And bringing In Ben... by Derry

OOC: He beat me by one minute, so I get to fix the inconsistencies. Picking up where my last one ended, the first paragraph is review. BIC:

Derry shook his head a little to clear it and his tricorner hat shifted a little on his dark brown hair. "Oh, and, uh," he added as an afterthought, to the girls, "It's Derry. Or Four. But not Derwent. That's my father."

That was when he brain registered the other boy who was sitting with them holding a hand out toward them. Some other part of his brain that was dealing with things a little better than the main part of it told him the boy had introduced himself as Benjamin Call Me Ben from Tennesee. "Hi, Ben. Did you go to muggle school, too?"

Was Derry - the wizard boy who had grown up surrounded by magic - the strange one here at Sonora?

1 Derry And bringing In Ben... 189 Derry 0 5

Benjamin Holland

January 17, 2011 11:42 PM

Hope I am not butting in by Benjamin Holland

Ben was filled with joy and excitement as his mother kissed him goodbye. He was slightly nervous, but as Collyn and James saw him off, he knew he'd be alright. The ride has been long, but he spent the majority of it buried behind his most recent novel. As he stepped into Cascade Hall, he felt his stomach do a flip. He longed for Cy's comfort in his fright. When he was handed the potion, he nodded in thanks and lifted it to his lips.

Joy bubbled through him as he turned a bright yellow and sat with the other yellow first years. He listened to the Head, before setting a reasonable amount of food on to his plate. Next to him, he noticed his fellow Teppenpaws talking back and forth. He looked up from his food and offered a smile. Cy's advice to just be himself ran through his head.

He stuck his hand out to the boy first, resisting the urge to run his hand through his mop of brown curls. "I'm Benjamin Holland, from Tennessee, but every one calls me Ben." For the first time, he noticed how strong his Southern accent really was. It was slightly embarrassing, but he shook it off. It would be a good reminder of home in the years to come.

0 Benjamin Holland Hope I am not butting in 0 Benjamin Holland 0 5

Madeline

January 17, 2011 11:50 PM

We're getting more numerous all the time by Madeline

“This is so cool,” Madeline said – almost squealed – when it turned out that her roommates had been to schools like hers, too. ‘Muggle’ was one of the words the wizard who told her she was a witch had explained, and its use here meant they were kind of like her. Or at least knew some of the things she knew. “I was afraid no one else would even be here. You can totally share my homeschooling books if you want to keep up with that stuff. You all can.” No reason not to include the boys. Another downside of having her dad be an academic was that she had to be one, too. She was usually okay with that, but she really could have given up a few things without feeling much of a sense of loss. Having some company in her studies would be nice.

When she noticed Derry’s reaction, though, Madeline got the feeling she’d said something wrong. The boy wearing a tricorner hat was staring at her as though she’d just said or done something very, very weird. She knew it was maybe a little weird to offer people more work, but not enough to get her that look….

Then it turned out there was a completely reasonable explanation for that. He thought she was an alien. Or, more accurately, exactly the kind of fable she’d thought magic and magic people were until last month. The look on his face was probably pretty close to the one that had been on hers when she first saw the explanation wizard turn a cup into a gerbil and, when it was pointed out to him that it could have been sleight of hand, he’d gone on to levitate her father.

“Seven years,” Madeline confirmed when he asked if they’d really gone to school with Muggles. “Preschool, kindergarten, and elementary school.”

She had to bite the inside of her mouth to keep from laughing, even if it was in sympathy, when he exclaimed that he hadn’t even known Muggles were real. “They don’t know you’re real, either,” she said, not noticing that she’d just said ‘they’ instead of ‘we.’ “Um – I think dead ancestor still tops Muggles, though, because that’s just the flip side of this.” She waved vaguely at the Hall in its entirety, aiming a little toward the table of adults she would guess were the wizard teachers.

When Derwent told them he wanted to be called Derry, Madeline almost told them they could call her Maddie. She had always hated that nickname because it rhymed with ‘Parry,’ but Derry, Reggie, and Ben all preferred abbreviations, and unless she was specifically told not to, she expected she, along with everyone else, would end up calling Jessica ‘Jess’ or something similar a lot. She decided, though, to take the middle road: she wouldn’t tell them she preferred to be called something other than her full name, but she wouldn’t be super pedantic about it if they didn’t always call her the full Madeline. "Sorry," she told Derry. "I've got it now."

0 Madeline We're getting more numerous all the time 0 Madeline 0 5

Tobar Brishen

January 18, 2011 12:16 AM

Huh? by Tobar Brishen

Tobar Brishen jumped off the wagon and smiled at Sonora glad to be home. After four years, Sonora was truly the fourteen year olds’ home. The caravan could never truly be his home now that he had formally broken off ties with Nadi Roth and shunned the title of Gypsy King. He had done it for his own sanity he needed a normal life, with a house and a steady job. Sure, it was a few years off but Tobar had to plan ahead now. His black hair was once again shaved and now he wore Muggle blue jeans and a t-shirt. His mother and father had not been happy about his choices and had chosen to not send the rest of the Brishen children to Sonora with him. Not that he minded Rosalie would have hated it here, Gianelly would not have done well, and Emilian was needed to be the leader of the caravan. He rubbed his head and smiled once again as he made his way inside Cascade Hall.

He sat down at the Teppenpaw table excited about not only being a fourth but he should be the Quidditch Captain this term. He had been the only member consistently on the team now and he had been the Assistant Captain last term. He looked over the new first years; a lot of them seemed to have turned yellow. He just prayed that some of them wanted to be on the Quidditch team. When the food finally appeared he smiled and was about to dig in when he heard the kid next to him say. "but... why...?"

Tobar glanced up to see Andrew Duell, a kid who had been on the Quidditch team during his second year. “Why what Andrew?” He asked with a raised eyebrow hoping beyond hope that during this conversation he could try to get Andrew to sign up again.

0 Tobar Brishen Huh? 152 Tobar Brishen 0 5

Topher

January 18, 2011 12:37 AM

Red it is, then by Topher

The girl sitting with him was named Fae, and she was, based on the introduction, a pureblood. She seemed friendly, however, so he decided to shelve his misgivings for the moment.

“I don’t leave town much, either,” he said when she admitted she’d never been out on her own. “It’s not too bad so far, though. I’m from Illinois.”

He suspected, though, that his idea of being out on his own was radically different from hers. His mom did let him leave the house, which wasn’t really, as far as he could tell, the norm for pureblood girls. He was pretty sure today was the first time Caroline had ever been away from her parents, too.

Caroline wasn’t the reason he was automatically suspicious of purebloods, but she was part of it. A symbol of it, like every newspaper he saw at home, and the rags his mom read, and every single time people made a comment about how he didn’t look like his dad at all. Caroline Gardiner was his half-sister.

He’d never met her, but he was aware of her. Daniel – he refused to acknowledge Daniel Gardiner as his parent on any level, or ever think of him as a mister – had been more of a presence when he was very small, before his mom married his dad and his dad legally adopted him and he went from Christopher Proctor to Christopher Calhoun and dropped his first syllable for good, but he hadn’t completely disappeared outside of the occasional contribution to his ex-girlfriend’s bank account until Topher was old enough to remember him, and remember his mom asking about Caroline. She had apparently thought there was some significance to Daniel’s daughter being almost exactly the same age as her son, or else she just wanted to be polite; she’d asked after his wife, Amanda, too, though she’d always been more interested in Caroline.

Topher had seen a picture of her, once, when Daniel and his mom hadn’t thought he was paying any attention to them. Even then, he’d been able to see that they looked alike. She had blue eyes to his brown, and that kind of light skin people who never went out had, and her hair was a little darker brown than his, but she’d looked like him. Or rather, they had both looked like Daniel. Topher couldn’t help but take that as a little bit of a personal insult.

It wasn’t Fae’s fault, though, that she was a pureblood any more than it had been Topher’s idea to have been someone else’s son before he was Michael Calhoun’s. His mom had made very sure he thought of it that way.

“We had to come to school sometime, though, so I guess we just have to try to make the best of it,” he said. “I had a cousin – long story – here last year, and he says it’s fun once you get used to it. And if your roommate isn’t a – “ he stumbled slightly over the unfamiliar word – “satirist who can write the language all he wants, but mangles it every time he opens his mouth.” Thomas talked like that. The rest of the family assumed it was his Muggle lawyer dad’s influence. Topher started using Topher words again as soon as he finished the quote. “I think that must have been a long story, too.”

0 Topher Red it is, then 0 Topher 0 5

Demetra Mason

January 18, 2011 1:14 AM

One more Pecari. by Demetra Mason

Demetra was unsurprised when the potion turned her a muddy brown. She had talked it over with both Jake and Jeff, and they had easily predicted it from the house description she'd found in a book. As she joined her fellow Pecaris, she realized how glad she was to be off that horrid flying wagon. The old west was overrated in her opinion. Alabama was much better.

She settled down in her seat, her chocolate eyes twinkling at the sight of food. She swept her brown curls off the back of her green robes and into a ponytail. Her mother had forced her to wear it down for presentation. She turned to the two girls beside her, beaming. Doing as her father had taught her, she introduced herself, "I'm Demetra Mason."

The nervousness that had rested in the pit of her stomach all day faded away. She was comfortable here, at her new home. Sure, she missed Jake, Jeff and her parents, but this way, she was away from the emptiness that echoed from Jeb's abandoned room. She missed, more than anything in the world. She could receive letters from Jake at Hogwarts, or Jeff at his little magic school in Romania.

0 Demetra Mason One more Pecari. 0 Demetra Mason 0 5

Charlotte Abbott

January 18, 2011 5:16 AM

Whatever it may throw at us by Charlotte Abbott

Summer had actually worked out okay. Charlie discovered that providing she spent as much time out of their way as possible, her parents mellowed enough over the weeks she was back home to be reasonable human beings before she left again. So once she'd convinced Oliver to pay for her dance classes, spent some nights staying with her brothers to keep everyone sane, spent her time at home cleaning the family apartment to appease her parents, they thought it was reasonable to take some time off work and spend it with their daughter. They'd gone to theme parks and Asian restaurants and hadn't complained when Charlie spent every morning in the hotel pool (despite it being for guests only). As a result she returned to school healthy, happy, and refreshed. She'd also convinced her mom to take her on a shopping spree before term resumed, guilt-tripping her into providing Charlie with a whole new wardrobe. In a smart blue Jersey dress with floral print over one shoulder and round the neckline, Charlie felt fabulous. She hadn't cut her dark hair over the summer, so she'd left it mostly loose, just gripping back the front layers from her face, to enjoy its length. As she entered the Cascade Hall she felt ready to take on the world - or sixth year, at least.

Looking for one person in particular, Charlotte spied Adelita and made her way over to join her friend at the table. "Lita!" she called out excitedly, then kissed her cheek in greeting before sitting down next to her. "Wow, you look amazing," she commented on her friend's tan. "Did you have a good summer? Was Mexico brilliant?" The girls had, as usual, communicated by a few letters over the holiday, but when Lita was away visiting family it almost felt cruel sending owls such long distances when they would be seeing each other soon, anyway.

Being back at school was exciting. Now that CATS were out of the way (Charlotte had done more or less as expected, with almost straight Es except for her A in CoMC. She'd been disappointed not to get the traditional family Oustanding in potions, but she would be continuing the subject, so maybe she'd aim for that grade next time) she hoped sixth year would be more relaxing, despite Head Girl duties being added to her already busy schedule. Plus there was a new Headmaster, and, "Oh, I forgot to tell you I took a contemporary dance module in August. It was awesome, and I think we should add it into our practises."

0 Charlotte Abbott Whatever it may throw at us 135 Charlotte Abbott 0 5

James Owen

January 18, 2011 10:17 AM

Back for my second year by James Owen

James liked school. He liked books, he liked learning. He liked desks, and he even liked his uniform robes (they were second hand but still newer than most, if not all, his other belongings). The one thing James had liked best about being at school last year was that for most of the year he was free of his sisters. Not that he didn't like them, but they were possibly the two most annoying people on the planet and he was glad to not have to spend every waking moment with them apart from during the holidays. It had been great.

Now, of course, things were very different, as Josephine had made quite clear the entire wagon ride to Sonora, during which she'd talked, asked questions, been very ill and threatened to vomit on him, complained that her uniform robes were his from last year and that he hadn't looked after them properly, and generally made a nuisance out of herself. If this was any indication of how the next six years of his life would be, James might not be prepared to stick it out.

As soon as they landed, James grudgingly wished his sister luck, and left her side to find the furthest spot possible from her. Sitting with the other Aladrens, he watched the sorting of the first years only to the extent that he could ascertain jospephine was ,i>not in his House - thank Merlin for that - and politely listened to the new headmaster's speech with complete disinterest. It didn't surprise him that the Aladren prefect was a Carey - it was exactly the sort of family that James had grown up hating, because they had everything and he had nothing and it just wasn't fair.

What was left of his good mood now completely obliterated, James reached for a bread roll and started taking out his frustrations by ripping it apart. When the roll was destroyed he felt much better, and started to dish himself out some soup to soak up its remnants.

0 James Owen Back for my second year 168 James Owen 0 5

Prefect Jose Hernandez

January 18, 2011 10:17 AM

Looks just like Saul's by Prefect Jose Hernandez

The summer had been a good one. The balance practice he'd done leading up to the concert might not have earned him Top Individual Performer (honestly, with as little time as he'd had to work on improving his skill, he was proud he hadn't fallen on his face in front of the whole school) but it did help with Uncle Dean's act. The routine was completely different, but Jose had figured out the basics over the school year, so he picked up the flourishes he'd need for his position as 'junior partner' with little trouble, and the act came together easier than either of them had imagined last Christmas.

When he wasn't on the tightrope, either practicing or performing, he was dressed in Elizabethan garb and using words like 'thee' 'thou' and 'forthwith'. Or he was hanging out in the family tents with his cousins or letting Ginger hold onto two of his fingers while she tried to figure out the whole 'walking' business or any of a dozen other things that made the summer pass by in a blink.

As good as it had been, Jose returned to Sonora glad to be back and to see his friends and teammates again. His three cousins closest in age to him were still probably his closest friends in the whole world, but they were going off to a muggle boarding school since they had no magic themselves, and of the two options, Jose would definitely rather be here. Karen, Jason, and Sam would be around for his whole life.

So he cheerfully greeted the Pecaris he settled down with in the Cascade Hall and turned his attention to the new Headmaster. He'd liked Headmistress Powell and was sad to see her gone, especially since it was because she was sick, but he hadn't really known her personally.

He turned his attention to the first years, and startled a little when he spotted one of them wearing a tri-corner hat. Oh, yeah. Maria had said Derwent Pierce the Fourth was coming to Sonora this year. Jose was a little wary about the little guy until he turned yellow. Jose grinned and let out a quiet laugh of relief. "Teppenpaw," he commented to himself, grinning a little, "Well, I guess he's not going to be the next DP1 then."

He turned his attention back to the Headmaster and clapped as Daniel and Charlie collected their new Head badges. He'd voted for both of them, so if they did poorly it was all his fault. He hoped they did well. And were distracted by Head Duties during Quidditch time.

Pecari hadn't lost anyone to graduation since Elly, though, and the young team was getting older and more experienced, so he felt they had a good chance this year even if Daniel and Charlie weren't distracted.

And then Prefects were named and Jose remembered with something like shock that he was a fifth year when his name was called. He stood up an collected his badge, feeling pleased and proud of himself, but it was a surprise. Most of his friends were in the year below his. He roomed with the year below his. He hadn't planned to start thinking about maybe getting prefect until next summer.

He returned to the table and dropped back into his seat, still staring down at where he'd pinned the new Prefect badge opposite the Quidditch Captain badge he had already been wearing. "Forgot I was eligible this year," he commented. Then, as a stray thought that sort of went directly to his mouth, added, "It looks just like Saul's."

The Headmaster finished up his announcements and then there was food. Jose piled up as many foods as he could recognize as meeting his vegan requirements onto his plate, and then grinned around at his Housemates. "Everyone looking forward to an excellent new year?"

0 Prefect Jose Hernandez Looks just like Saul's 0 Prefect Jose Hernandez 0 5

Andrew Duell

January 18, 2011 10:58 AM

Yeah... that about sums it up. by Andrew Duell

Andrew snapped out of his bewildered haze when someone near him said his name. It was a boy who certainly looked familiar, but... "Tobar!" He nearly shouted with a smile as recognition set in, and his associated name was drudged out of memory. Andrew was rather pleased with himself. Despite the fact that they had been on the Quidditch team together and housemates for years, Andrew was not good with names. Connecting those names with faces was even a bigger challenge.

Andrew realized then that his reaction may have been a bit of an overreaction, he tried to apologize, "Heh... sorry. You look a little different. I didn't recognize you at first." He then thought it best to move on, so looked down at the badge in his hand once more. He pausde for a moment to ruminate, "I just don't get why they gave prefect to me." With a shrug he answered himself, "I guess they had to give it to someone," and pinned the badge in place.

"So, what have you been up to all summer?"

2 Andrew Duell Yeah... that about sums it up. 145 Andrew Duell 0 5

Starbuck Gregory

January 18, 2011 12:14 PM

I don't see them changing them year to year. by Starbuck Gregory

Starbuck exited the wagon with a smile on her face, glad to be back at Sonora after her horrid summer. It had all started when Ishmael had announced that he was moving out of the farmhouse and into an apartment with his new fiancée. Sure, he stopped by everyday but it was not the same Star missed her brother. Then Elijah had spent most of his summer preparing for college, and Ahab had been with his new group of friends most of the time, leaving Starbuck to entertain herself. This would not have been so bad if she had been allowed around Farrah, but her parents had found out about them and had grounded her. Star’s parents hadn’t cared when they had found out about the two girls but then again they didn’t care too much about anything anymore.

Now though she was happy to be back at Sonora, it was a new year and a new her. Her once long red hair had been chopped off into a pixie style. She had vowed that no matter what this year she was going to have a great year. She sat down at the Pecari table with a grin on her face, as she looked over the new Headmaster. He seemed nice enough but only time would tell. She clapped when they announced the Head Boy and Girl. Then was surprised to hear that the Pecari Captain, Jose had made a perfect. She smiled when he returned and commented that he had forgotten he was eligible this year. Finally he seemed to be speaking to other people "Everyone looking forward to an excellent new year?"

Well at least he was going to go along with her vow of a great term. “Sure am Captain!” She said happily. “Congrats on being made Prefect.” She meant it to Jose really did deserve it. She began to load up her plate and then looked over at Jose. “How was your summer?”

0 Starbuck Gregory I don't see them changing them year to year. 0 Starbuck Gregory 0 5

Jose

January 18, 2011 1:11 PM

You may be onto something there. by Jose

Jose grinned back at Starbuck when she congratulated him. "Thanks. It was just between me and Tawny, so fifty-fifty chance, I guess." Though, now that he was thinking about it a little, he was kind of glad he was a year older than most of his Pecari friends so he wasn't running against them.

He did like having it. His parents would be pleased, and Saul could maybe tell him if it really was the same one he'd had. It would be kind of sad if Saul got prefect and he didn't. Saul was a very nice person and Jose liked him tons and he was brilliant at what he was good at, but . . . there were a lot of things he wasn't good at. Like . . . school. Jose was getting solid Es in most of his classes. That was a way better example to be setting. So he was glad he got the badge.

And this year, there was just Tawny to be disappointed, as opposed to the much larger fourth year Pecari class in the year below. He hoped Tawny wouldn't be too mad at him though. He liked her and he didn't want to get in a fight with her over something like which of them was appointed prefect.

His thoughts came back to the company he was currently keeping as Starbuck asked after his summer. He grinned at her. "Crazy busy and awesome. I did more balance stuff for the Rennfaire this summer, so me and Uncle Dean had to put together the act, and practice it loads, and the faire was as busy as usual and I had a little part in their Shakespeare play, too, and of course there's the fun of messing with the tourists, and my baby cousin learned to walk and yeah. Lots of stuff happened. How was yours?"

0 Jose You may be onto something there. 0 Jose 0 5

David Wilkes

January 18, 2011 2:26 PM

It'll be the best ever by David Wilkes

Summer had been…summer. David had enjoyed it, but that was probably at least partially because nothing had really changed from every other summer in recent memory.

His older sister Annabeth had come home from college, on a technicality, but she had yet to forgive their parents for letting David turn her walk-in closet into a library, so she’d spent more time out with her high school friends than she had doing anything else. His younger sister Selena had chattered on about all the cool things she’d learned in science over the previous year and spent an unnatural amount of time dissecting the roses and making the whole family stand around and listen to her lectures on the anatomy of a plant. David had spent a while rambling around the property to help her look for new species of plant – actually to make sure she didn’t mess up Dad’s vegetable garden, though Selena hadn’t noticed – and a lot more reading sci-fi and reorienting himself to technology.

The lack of tech was really one of the worse things about Sonora, at least when he had to go home to it. He’d always preferred actual books to reading on screens or anything like that, so that part of the wizarding world suited him fine, but his seven-year-old sister was now as good as he was on the computer, and his three-year-old cousin Halleigh had an iPad. While everyone acknowledged that Hal’s parents were nutters who threw money around way too freely, and that Halleigh was way too smart for her own good, to the point where she could pass for five without any trouble, there was still the point of the thing. If he wasn’t careful, he was going to lose his ability to function outside this place. He’d kind of liked the ‘living the fantasy’ aspect of being a wizard, but he had always hated the way the hero had to choose which parts of his life to give up in the end; in fifth grade, he’d hated it so much that he’d written a long, rambling short story just so he could give it an ending that didn’t involve that. It had been really bad, he’d dropped more plot threads than most of the books he’d read even had, and it had been close enough to Tolkien that the lawyers would have come after him if he’d published it, but at least the ending had worked for him. He wanted real life to work out the same way.

It was stupid, since he’d never even met the woman personally, but David still felt a sense of loss when the previous Headmistress came up. He also wasn’t sure what to think of the new guy having his name. In a way, it was kind of cool, but on another, it was kind of weird, having a teacher – the principal, Headmaster guy, no less – have the same name he did. He clapped when an Aladren was made Head Boy and the new Aladren prefect was announced even though he didn’t know Daniel Nash II or Edmond Carey beyond recognizing them from Aroundness and the Concert last year, but was more personally pleased about the Feast appearing.

His roommate, sitting across from him, though, either had a problem with rolls or was one of those people who liked to mix all their foods into a mess that David couldn’t help but think looked like someone had been sick on the plate. The addition of soup made it seem more like it was a case of the latter.

He and James were not exactly the best of buds, not least because he found James a little weird despite being fully aware of how little room he had to say that about anyone. It didn’t seem polite to just sit without saying anything to the guy, though, and it would be good if they could be pals, so David took a bite out of his own roll, but left the rest intact and standing up on his plate. “This bread’s good, isn’t it?” he asked after he swallowed. Table manners were one of Mom’s bigger things. “Have a good summer, James?”

16 David Wilkes It'll be the best ever 169 David Wilkes 0 5

James

January 18, 2011 3:57 PM

Then won't every subsequent year be a disappointment? by James

Making friends had never been something at which James had excelled. Even David, who he must have seen every day they were at school together, simply due them waking up in the same room every morning, was no more than an acquaintance. james thought he was no more or less annoying or pleasant than any other person, though he did sometimes make reference to Muggle items that James didn't understand, and in a petty way he'd held this against him. Some things just couldn't be helped.

The first utterance David chose was a comment about the bread, which James decided to ignore because he thought it might have been detrimental to his behaviour. however the second sentence spoken was obviously directed at him, as it held his name in the question. He couldn't very well ignore it, and as it was less potentially insulting than the first, James didn't mind responding, anyway.

"It was okay," he replied, because it had been okay. His family couldn't afford to do, well, anything, really, so mostly he'd chased the chickens, who were chasing the gnomes, and he'd given his dad's old broom a fly around but nothing more exciting than that. "I like being here." he didn't go as far as to say he preferred being at Sonora, because he did like seeing his parents, and having his own room, and the freedom of strolling beyond the enclosure of the yard. However Sonora had classes, and large meals three times a day, and no Jade to drive him insane.

"Did you have a good summer?" he asked David the same question in return.

0 James Then won't every subsequent year be a disappointment? 0 James 0 5

Josephine Owen

January 18, 2011 4:36 PM

Brown is the new Black. by Josephine Owen

She was blaming the wagon ride for the feeling that her stomach might empty its contents at any given moment, but Josephine did usually feel quite sick when she thought too much about something that had potential to make her nervous, and she had been thinking about Sonora a really long time. now she was here, and it was her first day, and she was going to be sorted, and was there anything not to be nervous about? It was good in some ways that Josephine's older brother James had already started Sonora last year, so Josephine knew a little of what to expect and there was already a familiar face amongst the older students. On the other hand, she didn't want people to think of her as James' little sister - they really weren't much alike aside from their looks. Josephine's nose was smaller than James', but still too big for her own preferences. She had long, medium brown hair that was currently tied back in a neat ponytail, and bright blue eyes. She also had freckles across her nose and cheeks, which was another feature that James didn't have - his skin was darker, like their mother's.

The other thing Jospehine had of her brother's was his uniform robe - quite literally, the one that he'd used last year. Her other set in her trunk had an identical history. She knew their family was poor, and she had to have hand-me-downs, but without any older sisters to claim from, everything Jospehine owned was distinctly boy-ish. She had complained that James hadn't taken proper care of the robes in particular - they had potions stains. Now she had to take even better care of them because in a coupe of years Jade would have to use them, too. At least Josephine's things were only used by one older sibling (though James didn't get them new, either, so it probably didn't matter all that much, and she was by far the most careful of the three of them).

As it turned out, there was something else she didn't have in common with James. When she managed to swallow the potion without vomitting, Josephine's skin turned a muddy brown color, which meant she was in Pecari, not Aladren. Secretly pleased (she wanted to be in Pecari or Teppenpaw anyway), Josephine couldn't help smiling as she made her way to sit among other brown first years, and some older Pecaris. She was still nervous, but at least she felt like she belonged somewhere now. "I really wanted to be in Pecari," she said to the person seated next to her.

0 Josephine Owen Brown is the new Black. 196 Josephine Owen 0 5

Sophia Randolph

January 18, 2011 5:54 PM

Welcome! Welcome! by Sophia Randolph

OOC: yey! Happy to have you both here! Lets keep the posting order Avery/Demetra/Sophia. This way it won't get confusing or out of hand!

Sophia had to admit that she was amused by Avery’s excitement. Though, she had to remember that she had also been a first-year, and she had been just as excited and amazed by the beauty of the Cascade Hall as she was! Every student passed through that, it was inevitable. Sophia smiled at her and waited for her to finish with her questioning, that way she would be able to respond to her questions without any problem.

The blonde third-year saw that Avery had freckles, just like her. Her freckles were clusters on her cheekbones and nose, people said that they were cute, but she wasn’t that fond of them. It made her look younger, and at thirteen she didn’t want to look younger but older. The green-eyes girl had entered the age where she wanted to be grow-up real quick, being thirteen was just a drag, she wasn’t a young adult nor a little kid anymore. It was kind of annoying. A time-turner would be awesome just about now.

Also, it was weird to her when people really thought about what house they wanted to be in. She hadn’t done so, because she was more nervous about how everything would go once she started classes. The fact that she thought that her parents were making a lot of sacrifices just to send her to Sonora, made her paranoid. But, that was now over, and she could concentrate on other things. “Yes, the Cascade Hall is amazing,” she smiled back at her. Out of every room in Sonora, the Cascade Hall was her favorite. The now third-year was about to continue with her answers when another girl joined them, a new Pecari.

“Welcome! Nice to meet you Demetra, I am Sophia Randolph and this” she pointed at the other first-year, “Is Avery Larson.” She hoped Avery would not mind being introduced by her, but since she was the oldest of their little group, she thought it was the way to go. Sophia smiled at both of them. It was nice talking with new students, since it made everything seem like nonexistent. First years were full of innocence and great expectations, and green-eyed girl loved them for it.

“Avery, I don’t play Quidditch, but I have seen some of the games and they look awesome. I think the program is a good one. Coach Pierce is brilliant.” She took a sip of her drink and looked at Demetra, “Avery asked me about the Quidditch program. So, do you play?” She wanted to make them both feel welcome. Sonora was awesome, and she was sure they were going to enjoy it a lot.

0 Sophia Randolph Welcome! Welcome! 167 Sophia Randolph 0 5

Lita

January 18, 2011 7:35 PM

Let's hope not too much drama! by Lita

The sound of Charlie’s voice calling to her had Adelita smiling immediately. They were best friends and have been best friends for 6 years to this day, but they rarely saw one another during their summer holidays. Adelita was usually busy with her dance rehearsals, recitals, and family travels and Charlie was usually busy helping her parents (at least, that’s how Lita understood it). It was really sad too because Adelita really wanted Charlie to come see Mexico and Spain with her. Actually, this was probably something that could be managed this summer since Lita was taking the back seat in the dance recital for the graduating class. Hm… she’d have to owl her mother on it. Her tios and tias bring friends, so she didn’t think there’d be an issue, it was just when the timing of it all happened.

“Thank you!” Lita exclaimed, feeling somewhat self conscious after the compliment. “My summer was excellent! Tia Sofia took me to a fashion show! She said I was old enough now. It was absolutely amazing, but it was crazy too because everyone was running around. I don’t know how she does it.” Lita gave a small laugh just thinking about it. Sofia didn’t model so much anymore, but she had ventured out into making her own fashion line and does photography. “Mexico was, as always, the best time. I’m going to talk to Mama about having you come this summer since I don’t have a solo this year in the recital so I’ll have way more free time. You’ll love the ocean!” Lita told her. She didn’t feel guilty for saying any of this before actually asking her mom.

“Spain was painful, though.” Lita commented. “My dad had us hiking every day!” Normally, Lita didn’t mind hiking. The mountains where the family manor was located were beautiful and she had hiked those same trials ever since she was a little kid, but she had been putting a lot of strain on her feet so the hiking was only making all that worse. “I should have stayed with my Tio Jose and his wife. All they would have done is feed me delicious food and take me around Madrid. How were your parents?”

Her parents had been rather happy with her over the summer because of her CATS scores. She had done better than anyone had anticipated. She had received an O in Charms, which Lita had been expecting, an E in both Transfiguration and Defense, an A in Care of Magical Creatures, and then a P in Potions (but as this was her absolute worse class, Lita wasn’t surprised by that one). So, they were letting her get away with more things than they might normally. So, as long as she kept her grades up, Lita didn’t see a problem with inviting Charlie now instead of later.

Adelita laughed when Charlie proclaimed they needed to add contemporary into their practices. Lita had been dancing contemporary for a couple of years, her recitals are more contemporary now than they were ballet, but at school when she was with Charlie, they had always done ballet. “That’s perfectly fine with me; you know how I love it.” It was true, Lita loved the free form of contemporary that ballet could never have. “But, this year in my dance school, the graduating class wants to change this up so my teacher is making us learn other routines.” Lita announced. She still didn’t understand why, but oh well. “So, come midterm, I’ll have to be dancing Hip Hop and some Broadway and possibly Swing and guess what?” Lita paused, raising her eyebrows in anticipation, “You’re learning it with me whether you like it or not!” Her teacher was going to provide magical reference books on all the dances Lita will have to learn. Thankfully, because they were magical, all the pictures moved to provide examples.

0 Lita Let's hope not *too* much drama! 0 Lita 0 5

Avery Larson

January 18, 2011 9:09 PM

Yay, more Pecaris! by Avery Larson

OOC: Thanks!

IC:

"Yes, the Cascade Hall is amzing," the freckle-faced third year responded to Avery's exclamation. Avery laughed, she had sounded so immature when she declared that! She thought absentmindedly about when she would be a third-year, and she'd be stuck sitting next to a peppy firstie who made excited comments about the school.

She felt it strange to be picturing something so near in the future. The blue-eyed eleven-year-old had no trouble picturing herself seventeen years from now. In her mind's eye she would be a vibrant, beautiful twenty-eight year old. Her red hair would be pulled back in a sleek and glamorous ponytail, and her partner (a man, of course) would highly respect Older Avery as she brandished her wand against some crazy wizard who had turned bad.

She was brought back to Cascade Hall when a new voice reached her ears, introducing itself as Demetra. Avery turned to see that the voice did in fact have a body to match, and that it was one of a first-year girl. Avery smiled at the girl as Sophia introduced them. "Nice to meet you! Demetra is a gorgeous name," Avery complimented, extending her hand. She really did like Demetra's name: it was exotic and exciting. Her own name was really a boy's name, because she was supposed to be a boy! Her mom got pregnant for the fourth time, went to the doctor, and was told that her fourth child would be a boy. Both of her parents were overjoyed, they would've been if it was a girl, as well, but they had already had three other boys. Raising a little girl was a foreign concept to them, so consequentially Avery was raised a lot like her brothers. Which, of course, resulted in the redhead being more of a tomboy than anyone she had ever met.

"Avery, I don't play Quidditch but I have seen some of the games and they look awesome. I think the program is a good one. Coach Pierce is brilliant." Avery immediately felt relief as the older girl answered her question. She was so excited for Quidditch! Sophia then asked Demetra if she played Quidditch, and Avery listened rapty for her answer. If she played Quidditch, then maybe they could have something big in common and be fast friends!

0 Avery Larson Yay, more Pecaris! 0 Avery Larson 0 5

Reggie

January 18, 2011 9:12 PM

It's cos we're awesome by Reggie

Reggie felt much much better when Jessica confirmed that she had, indeed, left her home, but not the state. That made a whole heck of a lot of difference if one thought about it. But, one really couldn’t blame Reggie for thinking that. She knew of purebloods who never left their yard until they went to school. Sure, their yard might have been as big as Rhode Island, but that wasn’t the point. “Oh, that’s better.” Reggie commented. “I mean, there’s being sheltered and then there’s being sheltered if you know what I mean.” She said to Jessica, making a face as she put emphasis on the second sheltered.

“I’ve never been without my dad. That man is suffocating!” Reggie joked, laughing a little as she did. “But I love him and miss him.” Her dad was her rock in life. The one person she always count on. Actually, her dad and his parents were her rocks. Her dad worked at the hospital, so her grandparents took her whenever she was not in school. But her father spoiled her and loved her unconditionally, so, without him around, Reggie will have a hard time figuring things out on her own.

“Whoa, you went too?” Reggie asked. She didn’t think it was a stretch for a daughter of a muggleborn to go to a muggle school, but she had never heard of pureblood going to a muggle school. “You have some real liberal parents there, Jess. Awesome.” Reggie clicked her tongue and winked indicating her approval. There may come a time when Reggie realizes she has some odd habits, but having lived with only a man for most of her life, she didn’t think twice about it. “You still have to do muggle schooling?” Regina asked Madeline. She thought that was extreme. Of course, she was raised knowing that at eleven, she would be continuing her education in the magical world.

Apparently, Derwent had never met a muggleborn by the way he was currently behaving. Reggie wasn’t sure if this was going to suddenly be a bad scene. Regina had never actually met a pureblood who was anti-muggles, but her mother had told her stories and her father had told her stories, so she was aware that they did exist. She was just hoping that Derwent wasn’t one of them. The look he was currently giving her though, didn’t suggest disgust, it suggested crazy.

Reggie took a sip of her juice to cover any awkwardness that might occur with Derwent’s outburst, but almost immediately after she sipped it, she started choking and coughing on it because Derwent had just admitted to not believing in muggle existence! He really was the sheltered sort.

Her coughing fit under control, Derwent only made the coughs turn to laughter. “Dead…ancestor?” She sputtered through her giggles. Oh she seriously loved this guy! “His name was…is Hamlet?” Reggie was crying, she needed a moment to compose herself. There were times when she laughed so hard she would forget to breathe. This was one of those moments.

In the midst of her laughing attack, another Teppenpaw newbie joined them. Finally taking a deep breath and wiping away the tears from her now blotchy face, Regina greeted Ben. “Hi Ben! I’m Reggie from nowhere.” And from nowhere, she meant it. She was raised in Nebraska. Sure it was a magical community and went to school in a muggle community. But these communities were surrounded by corn fields. So, she truly felt like she was from nowhere of importance.

“I seriously love this school.” Reggie declared. “How can anything top this conversation?”

6 Reggie It's cos we're awesome 187 Reggie 0 5

Nicodemus Sawyer

January 18, 2011 9:22 PM

Third year's the Charms by Nicodemus Sawyer

Nic walked into the Cascade Hall and glanced toward the waterfalls as he did everytime he entered the Hall over the last two years. He was mostly used to them now, but he had to look at them the same way he had to look out over the ocean whenever he went near the shore. He took a seat at the Crotalus table without really checking to see who was seated nearby. There honestly wasn't anybody specific he particularly wanted to find or avoid.

The thirteen year old was now pushing 5'10" so he slouched a little in his chair so as not to completely block the view of the Headmaster from the kids behind him as well as to draw less attention to the size of his frame (which was all vertical - on the horizontal axis he could disappear by turning sideways). He'd already had one person ask him if he was part giant.

He was also starving. He'd had two bags of chips (Nacho Doritos and Cheetos; and not those dinky little 'one serving' bags either - actual family-size bags) on the wagon over from Miami, Florida, and about a gallon of gatorade, but the trip was long and they had barely held out to the Mississippi River. He want the new Headmaster's speech over and done with so he could eat.

Finally, the firsties were sorted and the badges were handed out and the new staff were introduced, and there was food! This. This was the very best part of the school year. Wonderful, delicious food of all kinds in large quantities. After a summer of his mom's cooking, this was the next closest thing to Nirvana.

He piled his plate full and began devouring it. He wasn't messy or savage about it, just determinedly intent on his meal. Once the worst of the hunger pains had eased, he glanced around to see who had also chosen to sit at this part of the table. "Hi," he said, when his curiosity resulted in an accidental meeting of eyes. At that point it would be rude to just turn back to his meal without saying anything, and he wasn't trying to foster a reputation for rudeness. Just silent aloofness.

Unfortunately, like his growth spurts, his voice change was coming early and it squeaked and cracked rather horrifyingly on the short word. He'd said two letters. He should have been able to manage that. But he hadn't so he cleared his throat and tried again, "Hi." That time it came out in his new lower register without a problem. Pity it couldn't have done that the first time.

1 Nicodemus Sawyer Third year's the Charms 165 Nicodemus Sawyer 0 5

Starbuck

January 18, 2011 10:15 PM

Glad you think so! by Starbuck

"Thanks. It was just between me and Tawny, so fifty-fifty chance, I guess." Jose said causing the fourth year to shutter. Starbuck had encountered the other fifth year a couple of times and had found she was unpleasant. Not that Star had been the most pleasant of people either, but at least she didn’t go out of her way to make nice with younger students and trick them into doing her dirty work. She shook off the bad thoughts and reminded herself of the vow she had made. She didn’t want to ruin the Opening Feast for herself that would just be silly.

Listening to Jose’s summer made the red head just a bit jealous, but she was glad someone had enjoyed their summer. Of course the unavoidable return summer question came up not to long after. She was tempted to say, “Horrible just horrible, my girlfriend and I broke up. Just so someone anybody in Sonora knew just what she was. Of course she wouldn’t she knew what others did to people like here. She shook her head and forced a smile.

“Nothing much happened my way, except my oldest brother Ishmael got engaged!” She figured that was something happy she could share with her fellow students. She took a bite of the mashed potatoes in front of her before grinning at her Captain. “So are we going to win this year or what? I got some practicing done but it hard to play Keeper when your a Muggleborn and can’t charm the ball because of stupid laws!”

0 Starbuck Glad you think so! 0 Starbuck 0 5

Daniel Nash II, Head Boy

January 18, 2011 10:21 PM

Nice shiny pretty badge. My precious. by Daniel Nash II, Head Boy

Over the past summer, even during the times he was most into Nate Bealer's character, Daniel had exhibited an extra little bounce to his step, gleam in his eye, and breadth to his smile. After a few days of the phenomonon, he had tentatively identified the root cause of these small but notable changes to be 'happiness'. Dad had taken one look at him and come to a different conclusion. Dad had given him a conspiratorial smile and asked, "What's the lucky girl or guy's name?"

Daniel hadn't even been able to muster a glare though, which had sort of disturbed him at the time, because 'glare' was normally one of his easiest expressions. He'd gotten it back after seeing Anton again, so he was less concerned about it now. Instead of answering Dad's question, though, he'd just shaken his head once in denial, and then said the two words that were the primary cause of his odd behavior. "Head Boy, Dad. I am Head Boy." And then he had smiled and hadn't been able to stop for hours. Which had also kind of disturbed him, but was again fixed by Anton.

Anton persistently continued to believe he was married to Mom and that it would last. Mom seemed equally taken by the delusion and Holly obviously wasn't any better. They weren't even really fighting and that was just downright weird this far into a marriage. Actually, this far into a marriage was completely uncharted territory for Mom. This was going on two years.

But Daniel was not thinking about Anton. Anton killed the strange happy feeling and Daniel kind of liked the strange happy feeling.

Head Boy. Daniel smiled. The strange happy feeling was back. It faded a little as the summer went on, but all he had to do was think those two words and it revived, at least a little.

Now, now standing in the Cascade Hall, in front of the whole school, and actually getting the badge to hold, in his hands, like a solid piece of reality? Now, it exploded. He pinned it in the spot he'd reserved for it, opposite but slightly higher than the Quidditch Captain badge he was already wearing on his other side. He closed his eyes for a second to bask in the moment, then offered congratulations to Charlie before he returned to his seat. His face hurt from smiling so much. It just wasn't right.

But he thought it was probably a good thing.

Head Boy. Yeah, definitely a good thing.

He sat down at the Aladren table and mostly listened to the rest of the Headmaster's speech. He absently filled his plate with salad and a few pieces of lean chicken. He kept looking down at his new badge and touching it to make sure it was really there.

He glanced across the table and noticed the person sitting there. "Sorry," he apologized, and hoped he hadn't looked too creepy. "How was your summer?" he asked as a distracting tactic.

1 Daniel Nash II, Head Boy Nice shiny pretty badge. My precious. 130 Daniel Nash II, Head Boy 0 5

Renée Errant

January 18, 2011 11:42 PM

Name one thing better than food. by Renée Errant

Impatiently waiting for the speech to end, Renée sighed in relief and pre-gratification as she began to pile various food on her plate. 'Oh, that looks good.' Her stomach directed her. 'Ooh, and that one as well, take two - no! Better take three.' The second year Crotalus smiled happily as her plate was suddenly piled with an assortment of chicken fingers, rice, broccoli, various cheeses, crackers, and food hidden under the pile. Ever since the summer her appetite had increased. She had told her papa that she was ready to take Quidditch seriously, having become excited at it after helping her team get to the championships last year. They hadn't won, but that wasn't really the point for Renée. She just wanted to get better, and stay on the team. The summer had been spent with the usual travel. Marianna had taken her daughter to Paris where she had tasted frog legs and snails for the first time. (She still couldn't get the sticky sweet taste off her taste buds) They had met up with her brother's veela maybe-maybe not girlfriend, Arlette Chevalier, and Marianna had introduced her newest fashion line on the runway. As fun as that all was, nothing was able to beat coming back home and practicing quidditch every day with her papa. But now, she was just glad to eat.

Devouring her food at record breaking speed and ferocity, she was disappointed to see the actual plate, most of her food settled in her stomach. She drank from her goblet of pumpkin juice, and took the time to survey the rest of Crotalus table. She giggled to herself at the sight of the red-skinned first years. Had she really looked so ridiculous last year? She tucked a dark curl behind her ear, still not quite used to the slight haircut her mother had ordered for her. She had wanted to grow it to her waist but her mother had declared she looked much cuter with it shoulder length. At least here at Sonora she was free to grow it out again. She tugged impatiently at it, frown marring her face, as if expecting the curls to lengthen at once. Looking up, however, her face immediately brightened.

"Hey," she beamed at a person a little away from her. "Can you pass that over here?" She eyed the interesting looking pudding in front of them and stretched her hands out for the pass impatiently. "Well, come on." She urged, snapping her fingers lightly.

0 Renée Errant Name one thing better than food. 0 Renée Errant 0 5

Demetra Mason

January 18, 2011 11:45 PM

We don't seem to be the majority. by Demetra Mason

Demetra smiled brightly, shaking the girl's hand, "Thanks, Avery. Your name's pretty cool too. Not overused and not way out there either. It's simple." She wasn't just saying it to be nice. The name possessed a certain charm to it. When Sophia asked if she liked quidditch, her smile turned into a grin.

"I love it! I want to go out for Chaser or Beater, but I can't pick." The sport was her passion, an escape from all things of reality. "It's good to hear the program is good. My brother will be so jealous." Jake hated Beauxbatons, but it was the school their parents had chosen for them. Every holiday, he would complain about the lack of Quidditch. She turned to Avery, then looked back to Sophia, "So, who do you support? I root for Alabama's state team but that's just hometown loyalty. I suppose the Sweetwater Allstars aren't too bad."

Quidditch was her favorite topic, and she could talk about it for hours.

0 Demetra Mason We don't seem to be the majority. 0 Demetra Mason 0 5

Hope Brockert

January 18, 2011 11:53 PM

So excited! by Hope Brockert

Hope was so excited to finally be attending Sonora. She'd thought about it most of the summer. That is, when she wasn't helping take care of Harmony, Marshall's fiance who was rather sickly. Hope hadn't minded doing so, she had rather volunteered. She liked taking care of people though as the second youngest she had rarely gotten to so, though she had helped her mother with Kaylie after Kaylie had gotten hurt. Now Kaylie lived with her boyfriend Ian, and Hope expected them to get married anytime now.

Speaking of weddings, Hope's second oldest sister Chelsea had gotten married over the summer. She had eloped with the man that their cousin Fallon was supposed to have married. Hope knew this wasn't a very nice thing to do but she thought Chelsea and Julian really did love each other and she was pretty sure that he definitely didn't love Fallon. Hope had a hard time loving Fallon sometimes and Hope loved nearly everyone, especially her family. It was just that Fallon could be so mean .

But then, so could Chelsea,though Hope hated to think things like that about her own sister. Besides, even though stealing Julian from Fallon was mean, it was okay, because Chelsea and Julian loved each other and Fallon and Julian did not, right? Hope wanted to believe that, that love would conquer anything. Even though a lot of people seemed mad about it.

Now Hope stood in a line with all the other first years, waiting to be sorted. She felt like she was about to bounce out of her skin, she was so excited. No matter what house she got, she would be thrilled. Though her family all thought Hope would be in Teppenpaw, like Kaylie had been.

A moment later, that was confirmed as Hope took a drink out of the goblet and turned a bright sunshiney yellow. Changing color didn't bother Hope in the least, like it would have some people. Most of her family had gone to Sonora so she had known what to expect and knew the color would fade quickly. Hope nearly skipped to the Teppenpaw table and sat down. She took a taco and turned to the person next to her. "Hi! I'm Hope." She introduced herself.

11 Hope Brockert So excited! 186 Hope Brockert 0 5

Jess

January 19, 2011 12:49 AM

Awesome? We're more than awesome! We're fabulous! by Jess

Everyone seemed really surprised that she had gone to a muggle elementary school. Especially Derry. She almost wanted to giggle at his expression, but held back. "Yeah, I went for six years." She nodded at Reggie, agreeing with her statement. "My parents are really liberal. I think that's why my parents don't talk to my grandparents anymore." It wasn't something she was ashamed of, like her siblings. She didn't even know her grandparents, really, but it wasn't like she was missing something. Her parents were awesome. "But it's not like I ever lived without magic. You can't even do magic before eleven anyway." She knew everything that there was to know about the magical world. She just knew everything about the muggle world as well.

Reggie's coughing fit made her jump in surprise, and she gave her a strange look, then cracked a grin. Other people laughing made her laugh, even if they were spewing liquids from their mouth.

Jessica herself couldn't imagine muggles, but she couldn't imagine not living without magic either. "I know what you mean," she told Derry, making sure he didn't feel embarrassed. She knew she hated being embarrassed.

Another Teppenpaw joined them, and she smiled. His name was Ben. Their group was just getting larger and larger. It was fabulous! "I'm Jessica Applerose," she said after Regina introduced herself. "I'm from Southern California." At her own mention of her surname, she was reminded of something her parents had once told her. Never mention the name "Applerose" in England, Jess. Never. Jessica never really understood why.

Regina said she loved this conversation, and Jessica smiled, taking a sip of pumpkin juice. Her stomach had finally begun to settle just a little. "I agree," she said. "A good conversation with a great group of people." She smiled at them all. She loved making new friends!

0 Jess Awesome? We're more than awesome! We're fabulous! 0 Jess 0 5

Eliza Bennett

January 19, 2011 12:50 AM

Jewelry by Eliza Bennett

It had taken a huge effort, and a lot of work, but Eliza still managed to get off the wagon with her outfit reasonably crisp and her dark brown hair shining, gently curled, and knot-free. She’d also, despite her legs being all wobbly from the long wagon ride and her heels being higher than she’d ever tried after such a ride, managed to get into the building without tripping onto the ground or into the dirty wagon and messing herself up that way. All in all, she thought it was a good start to second year.

The results of the Sorting weren’t as good, but Crotalus was always a big House, so Eliza didn’t think one little year would be enough to mess up their ability to pull in House Points and win the House Cup again. She knew she most likely hadn’t contributed very much to last year’s victory, being…herself, but it had still been totally awesome to hear that Crotalus was the best at doing things the professors liked. She wasn’t much to do with why her family had lots of things, either, but that didn’t keep her from being proud to be a Bennett because the others could do those things, and the Houses were like substitute families, like the Headmaster said that man would be the substitute Astronomy teacher. Or at least that was how Eliza reasoned it out.

The feast appeared, and was as extravagant as the one she remembered from last year. She wanted to just start eating, but could hear her mother’s voice in her ears, telling her that a lady would never do something so vulgar at a public occasion. She didn’t take just salad, there was no point in being away from her mother if she couldn’t do a few things Nicole would disapprove of now and then, but it did make up the bulk of her plate.

When her roommate looked up from her own hair at her, Eliza entertained for a moment the idea that Renee was really pleased to see her and smiled back. The smile vanished, though, when the other girl started snapping her fingers at her to pass a surprisingly heavy pudding to her more quickly. “Hang on a second,” she said. Taking out her wand, she levitated it over instead. Though tempted, she put it back down on the table instead of dumping it on Renee’s head. That kind of thing was not only bad for the harmony of the dorm, but also for her reputation here. She couldn’t, though, refrain from saying something. “Impatience much?”

0 Eliza Bennett Jewelry 174 Eliza Bennett 0 5

Preston

January 19, 2011 2:30 AM

and then there were three. Good Stuff. by Preston

The new Aladren couldn’t help overhear the conversation that took place between the boys, and without really meaning to, he followed their gaze towards an older boy, whom had just been appointed Head Boy. Preston just remained quiet, since he wasn’t going to intrude into their obviously personal exchange. He just listened, and saved away the information for future use. Information was powerful, and it had to be treated with respect. Exactly why he had been sorted into Aladren, there was no question about the redhead being in the house of the intelligent people. Preston loved to learn, he thought it made him a better person. It had been instilled in him since he learned how to read and write. His older brother, Victor was a Head Boy at the school back in Vermont, and he aimed to have that title by the time he was a seventh-year. It would make his father proud, and it sounded awesome. Head Boy Preston Stratford. It had a nice ring to it, and even add the Prefect title just because it sounded better. There were really no limitations to anything, just the ones that one created. The Aladren thought that the world was a better place just because he was part of it.

Anyways, it was obvious they were related, they bore a great resemblance between, but with their little differences, it would be easy to distinguish them. Preston immediately recognized the Carey surname, since his father had mentioned some of the important families that had their offspring attending Sonora. That was one of the reasons why they had sent him to the school. They needed better connections, because the small Pureblood community in Vermont was shrinking at an alarming pace. It had been decided it was time to branch out, and Sonora was the first step in his father’s scheme for greatness. The Stratford’s were moderately important in the Pureblood community of the United States, something that had to be changed, and quickly.

“Pleasure,” the green-eyed boy responded to Arthur’s introduction of him and his brother. Just for the sake of it, he smiled at them. Smiling seemed to ease things a bit, and he was game to start a friendship with them. Powerful people were the best to be acquainted with.

The eleven-year old wondered what it would be like to have a brother of the same age, he had William, but he was 7 years his junior. Hardly good company. There was Bianca, but she was a girl, and they spent so much time apart with their different tutors and lessons, that he hardly knew his sister. The closest thing he had to a brother was Lawrence, his cousin, but again, he hardly ever saw him. All of the Stratford kids studied during most of the day. Preston saw Lawrence once a week for a few hours, and they played intellectual games like wizard’s chess and gobstones, or magical marathon. Everything was about the learning.

Thinking that having a conversation would be the best course of action, he cleared his throat and asked the most mundane question he could think of, “Are you excited to be here?” it should give them plenty of things to talk about, since the question could branch out into other topics.

0 Preston and then there were three. Good Stuff. 0 Preston 0 5

Neal Padrig

January 19, 2011 10:02 AM

I never could keep up with fashion by Neal Padrig

There weren’t many reliable constants in Neal’s life, though he liked to think that it was a good thing. He had always been rather enthusiastic about embracing change and keeping things different because he didn’t want to deal with the possibility of leading a monotonous life. His parents favored routine, so if he ever felt like he needed something familiar then he could rely on breaks with them to keep him steady. No matter how many teachers came and went at school or different pressures he started to have, home life was always the same. He went with his dad when he had jobs safe enough for him to go to, spent time with his mother appreciating things you didn’t need magic to enjoy, and when he was alone he’d wonder why it still felt like he was missing something.

It was very true. All his life he was content with things, but it was as if that suddenly wasn’t good enough anymore. The third year had developed this weightless feeling in his gut overnight, like there was a vital thin he had been forgetting, and he wasn’t fine with how things were. He craved to do something more with himself than what he was doing now, which was just going day by day and appreciating the different and the changes around him without actually causing any of it. The only existing issue was that he hadn’t yet deduced what it was he had to feel more accomplished.

He tried to explain it to his parents, but they didn’t understand where he was coming from and just blamed it as a side-effect from his insomnia meds. Ugh, he hated those. He felt like he got no sleep all the time anyways. Thinking about how out of sorts he felt made him wonder if maybe his personality was taking a turn for the worst – would he end up grumpy and mean, because he had all these bad thoughts all the time? – and he got scared. He didn’t want to get worse, but he did want to feel better.

All this thinking in circles and getting no answers from anyone or anywhere really did a number on his head. He had developed a good headache by the time he had arrived at Sonora for his third term. With his messy mahogany hair framing his freckled face and falling into his bloodshot eyes, the colorblind boy tried not to let his thoughts get too far away so that he could pay attention to the opening ceremony. And, just like that, more change introduced into his life that made him feel more powerless to do anything himself. Looking at the first years, he wished he could be one again. Everything was good and exciting for him two years ago, he’d be smiling by now instead of staring blank-faced around Cascade Hall.

Once it was alright to start eating, Neal just sort of put whatever was near him on his plate. He may have favored more bland tasting foods, but he wasn’t that much of a picky eater. And maybe if he could taste how good the meals were here it might help cheer him up from whatever senseless slump he was in.

"I really wanted to be in Pecari," he heard a girl say, and Neal looked to his side to see a first year that had been sorted seated beside him. She had really bright pretty eyes, he couldn’t help but think first. He had a form of colorblindness where everything was more or less a shade of gray, but he could still tell they were a light shade.

Neal gave her a friendly smile of his own, because talking to someone was another surefire way of not sitting in self-pity for reasons he couldn’t even begin to put a finger on. “Yeah, you definitely made it into the best House, if I do say so myself.” Even though he had always pegged himself as an Aladren and had been sort of shocked he hadn’t wound up there, he was glad to be in Pecari. No one could say that it wasn’t a fun place to be sorted. “I’m Neal Padrig, a third year,” he greeted, waving slightly. He had long gotten over the slight worry and curiosity of how people would react to his bloodshot eyes and his rumpled ‘just rolled out of bed’ look, because no one he spoke to seemed to really care about those matters. It made him feel like he had a few less things to worry about.

0 Neal Padrig I never could keep up with fashion 0 Neal Padrig 0 5

Jose Hernandez

January 19, 2011 10:10 AM

I'm glad you're glad I think so. by Jose Hernandez

"That's cool," Jose enthused when Starbuck told him about her brother's engagement. "My family hasn't had a wedding in a while." The last one was, what? John and Aunt Grace? Jose had been tiny. He only barely remembered it, and he was pretty sure he'd spent most of it playing with toys under a table. "The Aunts and Uncles wanted Saul to get married when Aunt Regina died so there'd be more heirs, but then Maria had Ginger, so we've got enough Pierces in the California Pierces for now I guess."

He shrugged, not quite understanding the adult politics at work there. He thought other wizarding families wouldn't have counted Ginger as an heir, some because she was a girl, but most because she didn't have a father. But the California Pierces had always been more liberal, and Acting Matriarch Maria didn't know who her father was either. Regina's line didn't marry. They just had daughters. Jose half suspected cloning.

Starbuck's change of subject to Quidditch was much appreciated.

"We are absolutely going to rock," he agreed with absolute conviction. "We've gone two years now without loosing people to graduation while all the other teams did. It's our turn to be the experienced ones and win." He grinned at her, "And don't worry, we'll get you loads of Keeper practice before the first game."

1 Jose Hernandez I'm glad you're glad I think so. 149 Jose Hernandez 0 5

Alice Adair

January 19, 2011 12:25 PM

Observing by Alice Adair

Change was not something that Alice Adair tolerated very well. Even coming to Sonora, despite having two older sisters already here and actually having an idea of what to expect, had been an ordeal. If it hadn’t been for her mother’s persistent nagging, Alice wouldn’t have packed her trunk at all. In her mind, if she had managed to come to Sonora with close to nothing, then it would serve as a reasonable excuse to be allowed to go home again. Unfortunately, this plan hadn’t worked out in her favor and in her haste, she was sure that she had left her retrofocus at home and now she would have to write home asking for it. Mother would be highly displeased.

Of course, it wasn’t like this would be the first time that she would be disappointing her mother for she frequently did. It wasn’t that her mother didn’t love her, but that she didn’t understand Alice. She didn’t understand why Alice didn’t enjoy fashion the way her sisters did. She didn’t understand why Alice would rather take photographs than actually carry a conversation. She didn’t understand why Alice didn’t want to go to Sonora. It was frustrating. Alice didn’t act like that on purpose. She wished she could be socially confident like Jordan or just not care like Dani. She just didn’t know how.

She always felt like she was walking an invisible tightrope. If she leaned too far one way, she would shut down completely. If she leaned too far the other way, she would be overwhelmed. Emotions were complicated and people magnified the complication. So, rather than deal with everything, she hid behind her camera. It was her safety net. As most of the first years walked into the Hall, they oohed and ahhed over the waterfall or the magnificence of the place, but not Alice. No, instead all that could be heard was the shutter of the camera. Click, click. Everything she saw, she saw through the camera’s lens like watching a play rather than actually being in it.

But then there are those that force others to participate. The potion seemed to be one of those moments. She took the vial in her tiny hands. She knew what it was. She knew what was coming. She put her lips to the container and sipped. She wanted to be in Aladren. She hoped to be in Aladren. Being in Aladren would mean that doing well with the tutor at home wasn’t a fluke. That she actually was intelligent, that she did have something to offer even if most people would classify it as being a brain. She wouldn’t have minded that at all. Life had other plans. Through the round piece, she watched herself become a lobster. Crotalus. The only thought in her head was that the person that she had just watched turn red was in Crotalus.

The normally fair-skinned girl didn’t associate that it was her skin that had just turned red, that she was in Crotalus. She didn’t let herself feel anything, because if she did, she would be torn between the utter disappointment of not being on par with the intellectually elite as well as having to compete in a House that her outgoing sister was in to being relieved that Jordan was there and that if she did fail at school, it wouldn’t be a tremendous shock. Shuffling along, she sat at the appropriate table near some other students that were red. Alice didn’t sit too close though, because they might not like it. Maybe she would never make a friend, but if she stayed invisible, she wouldn’t have the chance to make an enemy.

Glancing around, the hazel eye girl focused on a roll that looked delicious. She didn’t want to just take it though. It just wasn’t polite since someone else might want it. Besides, what if they did want it and they were a scary person? That one kid looked enormous! Click, click. Yes, quite so. No, but he was too far away for her to really worry about him wanting the roll. Her immediate concern were those that were nearby. She studied each person. She studied the roll. She studied the people again. No, no one seemed to want the roll. Slowly, she reached out her hand and took the roll. Still good. She tore it in bits, putting most of it on her plate.

As her teeth worked on a piece of roll, she allowed herself to look around the hall. One of the things she loved about the camera was being able to focus in on things that one might not otherwise notice. She saw Dani sitting over at the Pecari table looking sullen. Click, click. She saw students that were activity animated. Maybe talking about their summers after not having seen each other. Click, click. Randomly she took pictures here and there until finally she let herself focus on those that were physically closest to her. There was a blonde boy. Like herself, he didn’t appear to be part of the group that was talking. Click, click. Suddenly, he looked her way and she turned her head quickly, as if she were focused on the other two. Whew. He didn’t seem to make too much of it since he turned away.

Her attention now on the other two, she heard a bit of their conversation. Satirist. Her ears perked up on the familiar word. Did most students her age talk like that or was he special? Click, click. The other word that had made her take notice was the very intimidating word called a roommate. The girl. Click, click. That would be her roommate. She was pretty. But she dealt with Jordan and Dani, so that was no biggie. Plus, her being so was a bonus in that people would pay more attention to the other girl and the other girl would have no reason to be jealous of her. Not that Alice thought any girl would be, just that it was nice that there was no possibility. And if there wasn’t, then the dorm room might be able to be a safe place. She hoped that was the word she could associate to the girl. Click, click..

0 Alice Adair Observing 191 Alice Adair 0 5

Arnold and Arthur

January 19, 2011 1:44 PM

Hopefully good stuff by Arnold and Arthur

Stratford. It wasn’t a name Arnold recognized off the top of his head, but that might have been because he had never paid as much attention as Arthur did in their genealogy lessons. Plus, it was apparently from Vermont. He could not think of one notable thing which had ever happened there; the word brought to mind woods and excessive inbreeding, and even that was a vague impression more than it was a solid image.

Still, Arthur’s smile was polite and reasonably friendly, not the one he put on when he found something distasteful but couldn’t say so, so either their roommate was an acceptable person to speak to or Arthur didn’t know about his family, either, and Arnold was putting his money on the former. If it was written down somewhere, and they had been exposed to that location, Arnold usually operated under the assumption that Artie knew it. His brother took his responsibility to be the perfect Carey very seriously, was intelligent enough to occasionally intimidate a newish tutor, and he also seemed to genuinely like most of the things Anthony IV wanted them to learn.

Not that Arnold would put his money on that, though, if he could avoid putting money down at all in that instance. Arnold knew Arthur better than anyone did, but even he had trouble telling what was really Arthur and what was a polite front sometimes.

“The pleasure’s ours,” Arnold said when Preston Stratford accepted their introductions as well. No need to let Artie have all the glory, or come across as the leader when he was actually the younger brother.

They exchanged a look when Preston asked them if they were excited to be there. “It will be interesting to be somewhere other than the estate for such a long time,” Arnold said finally. “And we finally get to learn proper magic.”

“A definite plus,” Arthur said, smiling faintly. They had both already taught themselves several spells from each discipline and thoroughly reviewed their Potions materials, just to be sure they didn’t look foolish in classes. Arthur looked and, around adults, acted like a trustworthy little gentleman, but Arnold was proud to say that his twin could be practical. It was mostly thanks to Arthur that they hadn’t gotten caught when things went slightly wrong with the Charms book. “Have you learned much magical theory, Mr. Stratford? Or may I call you Preston?”

Another practical moment from his brother. If they couldn’t call Stratford Preston, then he couldn’t call them Arnold and Arthur, and things would get very confusing if everyone was perpetually asking for Mr. Carey when there were three of them in the same House.

0 Arnold and Arthur Hopefully good stuff 181 Arnold and Arthur 0 5

Ayita Bly

January 19, 2011 3:02 PM

Fashion here is different by Ayita Bly

Ayita’s grey eyes were wide with terror. She had not anticipated this many Outsiders! The school, Sonora, was filled to bursting with strange Outsiders, and they looked so different from her! Unconsciously, her right hand shot to her cheek, her fingers gingerly touching the purple triangle painted on, feeling the gems stuck along the top, the symbol that most prominently set her apart from the Outsiders.

Her inquisitive mind wondered about these Outsider children. Were they as awful as her father said? Her father told her that Outsiders were of black hearts and should not be trusted, even worse than Commoners in the Kingdom! Ayita was much better than them, she had been told, but the tan-skinned child felt insignificant. She had never seen so many people.

The looks of the Outsiders were just so strange! Some of them had yellow or red hair! In her Kingdom, the only hair colors were brown or black. There was one option for skin, tan. A person either had grey or brown eyes. These Outsiders were extremely diverse!

And some of them were already older than her, more trained in the Magick than she. Her people had always spoken of Magick, but in stories and theories, never in reality. Well, supposedly there was a woman in the village who knew Magick, but it didn’t seem like the same kind of Magick Ayita was to learn. Plus, she was a Commoner and therefore discredited.

When the Headmaster began to speak, Ayita was disoriented, having been all too focused on the appearances of those around her. Some girls even had their hair down! Were they allowed to do that? Ayita did not know what their culture dictated, but hers commanded her, as royalty, to always have it tied up in the presence of Commoners or Outsiders. She did not know who these Headmistress Powell was, but it seemed clear in the Headmaster’s voice that he respected her.

Upon being handed a goblet filled with a suspicious liquid, she skeptically looked it over, holding it up or lowering it to examine it from every angle. Though typically a trusting person, Ayita was worried about the contents of her drink only because of what her father had said about trusting Outsiders. Seeing that some other children had begun to drink theirs and weren’t dying, she closed her eyes and drank.

When they opened against, the eleven year old glanced around. Her fellow first years were colorful! Some were yellow, some were dark brown, some were blue, and some were red. Was changing color a normal thing?! She was horrified when she looked at her own arm; though she had been a light brown complexion before, she was now dark! Apparently, this meant she belonged in the Magickal House of Pecari. In silent amazement, she found herself a seat.

After the Headmaster said names, people began to thrust their hands together, apart, and together again to make a seemingly desired sound. What was this? Ayita’s culture never did this. It seemed to be honorific--perhaps praising the said names?--so she began to partake, a smile flipping onto her lips at the result. She liked this activity of honoring. In fact, she continued well after the rest of the hand-hitting had died down.

She heard two children, a boy and a girl, beside her exchanging words. They were speaking of being in Pecari and how happy they were, though the boy said he was a third year. Ayita wasn’t entirely sure what that meant. “Excuse me,” she said politely, tugging on the sleeve of the girl, who was closer to her than the boy. She imagined the look on her father’s face, the rage in his eye--the one that wasn’t hidden behind an eye patch, flipped up only when attempting to intimidate someone below him, or even Ayita once in a while--if he knew how polite she was being to a couple of Outsiders. “Being a Pecari is a good thing?” The brunette pronounced every individual letter and sound, trying to make sure her English was as crisp as possible. She was unsure how fluent these two were. After all, the slurred, slaughtered English her people used was a hybrid with Cherokee words. If she spoke rapidly like at home, they would more than likely not understand.

0 Ayita Bly Fashion here is different 0 Ayita Bly 0 5

Charlotte

January 19, 2011 4:30 PM

Okay, a little will suffice by Charlotte

Charlotte frequently found herself being jealous of Lita - her summer sounded amazing. "A fashion show? Awesome." Luckily Charlie's own had been pleasant enough that she could be happily envious and pleased her friend had such an amazing time, rather than be bitter that her own wasn't as fun. Even that mild envy dissipated when Lita said she was going to ask if Charlie could go with them to Mexico next summer. "Wow, really?" Charlie asked, her voice so high with excitement it was practically a squeak. "That would be the best thing in the whole world ever!"

In her mind Charlie was already shopping for a new bikini and shades to look her best on the beach. A summer in Mexico? It sounded phenomenal. She somehow managed to hear the rest of Lita's stories through her daydream, and woke up fully to answer the question about her parents. "They got better as it went along," she replied. She'd already told her at the start of the summer that her parents refused to pay for her dance classes. Luckily she had two brothers with incomes to rely on. "Actually did shopping and day trips with them the last couple of weeks," she said, sounding about as surprised as she'd felt at the time.

Charlie knew that Adelita had been dancing all sorts of styles, but they'd pretty much stuck to ballet because that's what Charlie knew, and also what she wanted to learn from Lita because of the other girl's knowledge of pointe and such like. Charlie had always loved ballet, but she was starting to see the appeal of other styles of dancing. So when Lita said she was learning whether she liked it or not, Charlotte beamed. "Okay, I'll learn," she laughed. "It sounds like fun."

Before she could say anything else, the Headmaster started talking and obediently Charlie held her tongue for a short while. When he called out her name, Charlie whispered, "Be right back," to Lita as she stood up to collect her badge. She took it and thanked the Headmaster, who looked older up close, and was wondering where she was going to position it with her Quidditch Captain and Prefect badges already taking up space, when she caught Daniel's eye and he smiled at her. Smiling back, Charlie somehow managed to make it back to her seat but she didn't really know how she'd got there. She'd been thinking about Daniel on and off all summer (which had been really easy as she'd seen him on tv all the time). In actual fact, she'd been thinking on and off about Daniel ever since first year, but mostly it was off, whereas this summer it had mostly been on. She had been keeping everything nicely under control for ages while she figured out who she liked and Daniel figured out what he liked, so why had it all come about again now?

Wordlessly, Charlie put her badge on the table in front of her. She vaguely registered that Marissa was prefect, but didn't say anything. She sat and frowned, her composure entirely the opposite of the excited girl she'd been moments ago. The more she thought about it, the more she thought she did know, actually, why she'd started noticing Daniel again. He'd been so relaxed, so unrestrained when he'd been named Head Boy. So excited - she liked to see him like that. He was usually composed and collected and it had been fun to see him let loose. She wanted to make it happen again.

0 Charlotte Okay, a little will suffice 0 Charlotte 0 5

Ben

January 19, 2011 5:05 PM

I prefer stunning. by Ben

Ben smiled at Four's surprised reaction to Muggles, "I didn't attend Muggle school, some old man tutored me, all my siblings and my father before me. Muggles are pretty cool, my mom's one." He wondered where he came from if he didn't even know Muggles were real, but shook it off. Some people were just too sheltered. He turned to Madeline, "I'll work with you, if you'd like, our tutor taught us Muggle stuff as well. I like History, but the rest is just kind pointless. When will I ever need to know some of that awful algebra?"

Ben truly loved learning, and if she wanted to continue her Muggle schooling, he might as well study some history with her. His sister had never liked any Muggle lessons, but his mother had forced all of them to go through it. His mother had been a stubborn woman, and he already missed her.

When the girls mentioned how great the conversation was, Ben allowed a large smile to cover his face. His Southern accent decorating his words, he nodded and spoke, " Let's keep it going then. What's y'all's family like?" Something almost every had a story for was their home and their family. He might as hear them now.

0 Ben I prefer stunning. 0 Ben 0 5

Fae

January 19, 2011 6:47 PM

You have a strange way of observing. by Fae

Topher admitted that he had never really left his town, which made Fae feel a little bit better. Although, she didn’t think town and home were the same thing. Fae was never allowed off their family estate without her father being with her. Apparently, it was incredibly inappropriate for a lady to be without a gentlemen’s escort. Although, sometimes her mother and her went out for tea with her brother whenever he was around. That was always nice. But they never discussed those trips with their father because Fae’s mother didn’t want to listen to him complain about her disrespecting his wishes.

As much as she didn’t want to come to Sonora because the idea of being way from her mother terrified her, Fae was sort of glad to out from under their constant vigilant eyes. She always felt that if she said or did something it would be wrong and they would be disappointed in her and remind her of how much she wasn’t like Shelby. Maybe here at Sonora, she could be a little better about herself and not be constantly berated about how wrong she was all the time.

Fae’s blue eyes went wide suddenly when Topher started talking about what his cousin told him about roommates. She had no idea what he was talking about but she really hoped that wouldn’t be the case at all. Fae was already having a hard time with leaving home but the idea of a crazy roommate who couldn’t speak properly. She didn’t think she could handle seven years of that. “What?” Was all Fae could say when he had finished speaking.

Fae looked down at her hands, they were still red. Not nearly as red as they were when she had first originally taken the potion, but she still looked like she had a wicked sunburn. The corners of her mouth turned down in thought. Her mother always made her protect her fair skin, she would be revolted if she saw Fae right now.

An odd sound caught Fae’s attention, a clicking sound that was unfamiliar. Glancing up from her hand, Fae looked confusedly around until she came face to face with a camera. Fae gasped and quickly dropped her head, her arms going up to protect herself. “Please stop!” Her heart was racing and she wasn’t sure why. She felt as though she had just been caught doing something awful even though she hadn’t been at all. The camera had startled her. She wasn’t expecting to get her picture taking and it felt wrong that someone was taking hers without permission.

Fae dropped her hands and straightened up, her heart still racing, but she felt a little calmer. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to – uh- react like that. I just wasn’t expecting my picture to be taken.” Fae explained. “Especially in this state.” She added, glancing down at the fading color. “Are you my roommate?” Fae asked. If the girl said yes, they would definitely have to discuss the camera and her picture being taken.

0 Fae You have a strange way of observing. 0 Fae 0 5

Derry Four

January 19, 2011 8:34 PM

Awesome is a really awesome word, too by Derry Four

For a kind of people who didn't previously exist in his world, Derry was already learning a lot about muggles and their schooling. Apparently purebloods doing anything muggle related was a super liberal thing, which probably explained why the New Hampshire Pierces didn't do it.

Turned out, too, that Ben was a half-muggle, like Reggie was, though he'd at least been tutored like a normal person. And it was at least reassuring to know that if he hadn't know muggles were real, they also didn't know he was real.

For a second, he had to pinch himself to make sure they weren't right, but it hurt, so he really was real. That was good.

Though, to be honest, he wasn't quite sure Reggie meant when she said there was sheltered and then there was sheltered. Apparently Jess wasn't the first kind, but that didn't help him much. He could only assume from context that the emphasized kind was for people who never went outside. Which, he guessed, kind of made sense because it meant they never didn't have a roof over their heads. And that was just sad.

He wasn't quite sure what constituted 'muggle schooling' either if they planned to keep learning it even without muggles around. "Maybe I can sit in, too. I'd like to see what muggles learn," he suggested when they seemed to be planning some self-tutoring group sessions.

"And yeah," he told Reggie, "The family ghost's name is Hamlet." He didn't see what was so funny about that.

When Ben asked about the rest of their families, Derry took a deep breath because there was a lot to say. "My family is the New Hampshire branch of the Pierce family, based out of Mt. Pierce, New Hampshire. We are the respectable and only proper Pierces in the pureblooded community," he repeated by rote. "My Father is Derwent Pierce the Second, the Heir to Matriarch Druscella Pierce, my grandmother and current head of the family. I am a direct descendent of Derwent Pierce the First and the third in line."

He took a deep breath, and added, more informally, "And my mom is named Jessica, too," he added with a look and a smile toward Jessica Applerose. "And Hamlet lives with us, too - or stays with us, I guess, cuz he's dead, you know. And my cousin, Thad, is my bestest friend and he visits a lot, he lives right down the mountain from us, it only takes about five minutes to fly there, and gramma's House is up the mountain about ten minutes and that's a really nice place, and the twins - Belle and Nettie - they live on the opposite side of the mountain from us and they take about five minutes by broom, too, and Uncle Marcus and Cousin Duez are down the mountain from them but they're all grown-ups and boring, and then there's the cousins who live off the mountain, but I don't see them except when they come to visit us, which isn't often."

Derry shrugged, not sure if that was enough or if he should go on. He decided to let the next person have a turn and gestured toward Madeline, though he did add, as an afterthought, "This is the first time I left Mt. Pierce. It's way different out here like Hamlet said."

1 Derry Four Awesome is a really awesome word, too 189 Derry Four 0 5

Lita

January 19, 2011 9:13 PM

It'd be boring if we had none at all. by Lita

Lita thought Charlie would have enjoyed the bit regarding the fashion show. Maybe next summer when they go back to see the family, Tia Sofia will be able to take them to another show. Charlie was better at fashion than Lita was. Lita was just lucky to have a relative who worked in the industry. Her aunt promised to send her and Dulce outfits once her line has been completed. Dulce told her she was only allowed to send her clothes that she would actually wear. Which meant, nothing flashy.

She laughed when Charlie became excited at the prospect of going to Mexico with her. This actually made Lita extremely happy. There had been a part of her that though Charlie would reject the idea of spending time with Lita’s family during her summer vacation. She wasn’t sure why this had been an issue since Charlie usually didn’t enjoy her summers because of her stressed out parents who were sometimes vacant from her life altogether. “I’ll send an owl to my Mama to confirm. We’ll just have to work out the dates since I still have the recital even though I’m just background.”

“Is that when you got the dress?” Lita asked, indicating Charlie’s hem that was beneath her robes. Adelita was glad that her parents loosened up by the end of summer. What a drag that would have been had they not. It wasn’t like they saw Charlie all the time, they could have at least enjoyed two months with their only daughter.

Lita’s smile matched that of Charlie’s when Charlie agreed to dance the new dances right along with her. “Good, because I do not want to make a fool of myself all on my own. I’ll be getting the books over midterm, so be prepared when we come back after the holidays!”

The new Headmaster began his speech and Adelita quieted down out of respect. She nodded to Charlie when the girl stood and whispered to her. Over the summer, Adelita had overcome any sort of jealousy she might have been harboring over the win that her best had over her for the Head Girl position. She really didn’t care for the title, sure it would have been nice to know that people knew who she was and that she was capable, but she was okay with not having gotten it too. After all, Charlie was made to be a leader and thus far, she has proven as such.

When Charlie came back to the table, her entire demeanor had changed. It was like the badge had placed a huge weight on her shoulder. Lita watched her for a moment, trying to figure out why the change had happened. She knew that Charlie didn’t necessarily want the badge, but Lita didn’t think it would be any different than when she had only the Prefect badge. She let Charlie stew in her thoughts for a moment before finally prompting her to speak, “Oy, Earth to Charlie!”

Lita poked Charlie’s side with her finger to get her attention. “The badge won’t bite, you know?” Lita joked, gesturing to the badge on the table. “Come on, Charlie, what’s up? Why so glum? This year is going to be cake compared to last year and next year.” This was common knowledge, but Lita thought that pointing it out would make Charlie happy again. “No sour-pusses this year.”

0 Lita It'd be boring if we had none at all. 0 Lita 0 5

Ryan O'Malley

January 20, 2011 12:14 AM

Back again, thank Merlin. by Ryan O'Malley

Aside from the month of July, when he'd gone to Sophie's, Ryan had not had the best summer. Actually, the parts where he'd been at his grandparents had been okay too, of course. It was just when he was at home that things got really awful and unfortunately, Ryan was there right before coming to Sonora so he wasn't in the best frame of mind when he returned. Aside from that he was grateful to be out of there, of course.

He could not have been happier to be back and away from all that. Away from his parents' fights-which seemed to be mostly about Ryan, leading him to think maybe Carrie was right and everything was his fault-and his mother and sister's torment. Ryan would be happy to never go back there again. He didn't know how much longer he could take it.

Ryan was kind of scared sometimes too. Scared that his dad would leave on a business trip and never come back. Worse, that his dad would just up and go and leave Ryan there alone with his mother and sister. The second year could barely stomach the thought. Of course, he'd probably end up moving in with grandparents permanently when he wasn't at school. Which would be the best thing for everyone anyway. His mother didn't want him, had never wanted him, and all Ryan being around did was cause trouble. However, he didn't want to not see his father anymore either.

The worst part of it all was his sister's birthday party back in June. Carrie's birthday parties were always lavish affairs where no expense was spared-and Ryan wasn't even allowed to attend. He was to sit in his room and be perfectly quiet. That in itself wasn't that hard as Ryan was naturally a quiet person but he knew if he made a peep, he'd be in even bigger trouble than any other time during the year. Merlin help him if his sister's party didn't go perfectly. Also, Carrie liked to rub his nose in it quite a bit.

His own birthdays weren't much better. Ryan's father made it a point to be home for both his children's birthdays, which meant Ryan had to be home on his birthday-at least until he'd gone to Sonora last year. He knew his dad was well intentioned but somehow it had always had ruined Ryan's birthday too, to be around his mother. They really didn't even do anything on Ryan's birthday. He didn't even get a cake or anything. Usually his dad would just get him a present that Ryan would open in secret so his mom wouldn't get mad.

However,now he was back at school and didn't really want to think about it anymore. Ryan hated doing so, as it made him miserable but sometimes, it just came to mind. Especially when he had just been home like he had. Instead he turned his attention to the new Headmaster's speech. Ryan watched as the first years were sorted. He dreaded the day his sister came to school and sincerely hoped she wouldn't be placed in Crotalus. Fortunately, he didn't have to worry about it for another three years.

Ryan clapped as the prefects were named even though he really didn't know any of them at all. After the Headmaster was done, the Crotalus took some meatloaf and was beginning to eat as someone sat down across from him. He quickly swallowed his food and said "Hi."

11 Ryan O'Malley Back again, thank Merlin. 176 Ryan O'Malley 0 5

Charlie

January 20, 2011 4:01 AM

So we agree, then - a little drama but not too much. by Charlie

"Oy, Earth to Charlie!"

"Huh?" Charlotte blinked at Lita as her friend pulled her back to the room.

"The badge won’t bite, you know?"

Charlie smiled. She hadn't meant to drift off. It was about the badge, either (though she could see why Lita would think that, as she'd been frowning at it). "I don't care about the badge," Charlie said, and it was pretty much true. She wasn't going to say that she wasn't pleased - it was nice to know that staff and other students believed in you to do something like represent the school, and she wasn't going to deny that it felt nice having these various recognitions, but as she and Julian had agreed upon over the summer, there was so much more to measuring a person. Charlie wouldn't have minded if she didn't get the badge, but neither was she going to complain now that it was hers. She certainly wasn't excited about it as some people had been in the past (and were currently, in fact) but she was going to do her best job anyway.

"No sour-pusses," Charlie agreed, smiling some more and nodding at Lita's command. "Sorry, I'm acting like a total loser," she laughed at herself. She could tell Lita. Lita would understand - or even if she didn't she would at least be understanding. That's what best friends were for. "I can't get Daniel out of my head," she admitted, gently smacking her head as if to prive the point that she hadn't been able to just beat him out of there. "I mean, usually, if I like a guy I just go for it -" she didn't really need to say that to Lita, she was sure her friend had noticed this trait by now, "- but I don't want to, like, wreck stuff." By 'stuff' she meant their friendship, which for several years now had contented Charlie. Why'd she have to go and complicate things by wanting more?

As she paused a moment to conser it, Charlie realized she didn't know whether Lita knew that Daniel didn't know. What she meant by that, was when Daniel had said to her that he wasn't sure if he even liked girls, he'd asked Charlie not to tell anyone, so she hadn't told even Lita. Daniel was probably her best friend after Lita, anyway, so she wasn't going to go round saying stuff that he'd asked her not too. Though Lita was friends with Daniel, too, so there was the possibility that they'd also had the same conversation. Charlie didn't know, so she was going to have to be careful how she worded this.

0 Charlie So we agree, then - a little drama but not too much. 0 Charlie 0 5

Coach Amelia Pierce

January 20, 2011 8:59 AM

Meanwhile, at the Staff Table... by Coach Amelia Pierce

This was not the year group that Amelia Pierce had come to coach at Sonora for. She'd come to coach at Sonora to make some money and to move on with her life. Bel and Derry were moving on with theirs and she didn't need to hold their hands anymore. She could resume the life she'd started before the lives of two teenagers had been dropped into her lap.

But this year group was one of the reasons (not as important as the year group two years from now, but one of the reasons) she had come here, specifically. Berta had said this was the school the New Hampshire Pierces planned to use to replace Salem. She thought that decision might have changed when they found out she was working here, but this year would tell.

There was no mistaking Derry Four from the moment he walked into the room. Amelia's breath caught audibly and her eyes fixated on the tricorner hat. "Dear Merlin," she whispered, half in amazement, half in horror. "It's like a time machine." The almost black dark shade of his hair. The hat, dear Lord the hat. The shape of his nose, the angle of his chin. And he turned yellow. Her Derry's favorite color. Her Derry's House color.

"It's deja vu all over again," she whispered. "That poor child."

1 Coach Amelia Pierce Meanwhile, at the Staff Table... 20 Coach Amelia Pierce 0 5

Lita

January 20, 2011 7:03 PM

Yes, a little drama would be good. by Lita

”I don’t care about the badge.”

Okay, well, that certainly didn’t help anything. So, Charlie wasn’t heavy hearted about having to be Head Girl. That still didn’t explain the sudden change in her attitude from the time she left the table to the time she came back to it. Thankfully, Lita didn’t seem to need to pry the information out of her best friend because Charlie started talking.

Of course, the issue being Daniel was not at all what Lita had been expecting. But then, maybe she should have. Charlie went through boys like they were candy. Adelita wasn’t entirely sure whether or not Charlie was aware of this impression she gave off by jumping in and out of things and flirting with everyone, but Adelita doubted Charlie cared either way. But Adelita had no idea that Charlie really harbored any long term serious relationship for their friend.

Lita’s dark eyes glanced over to the Aladren table where Daniel was. Adelita didn’t know how to feel about Daniel. He was her friend, there was no doubt about that. They joked around (as much as Daniel would let himself joke) and Lita talked to him about anything, really. She supposed their first time working together in history allowed for that to happen. That lesson had shown what rights they both held dearly to them. But Daniel was also high maintenance. More so than her and Charlie combined. He had a smug exterior which Lita felt difficult to penetrate. If that was even possible. Whether Daniel was aware of it or not, Lita had picked up on a few things over the years. The one conversation that Lita had been privy too had been the one with the Veela’s husband.

There who two things that Lita had gotten from that conversation. One was that Daniel put on an act every day. Every day he ‘acted’ like Daniel because that’s what he thought was expected of him. He was Daniel at school and some other Daniel at home. But, somehow in his twisted mind, Daniel believed that he was both of those Daniel’s and the lie was real. She didn’t understand that train of thought. To her, acting like someone who might not really be who you are was a lie. Believing in it and living it for so long didn’t negate away from that fact. A lie was still a lie.

The second thing was about homosexuality. Adelita didn’t know if he had been referring to himself in that conversation, but Lita was inclined to think so. And it sort of made sense. Daniel was one of the good looking guys in their class and could probably date anyone, but he hasn’t. He dated Charlie for a day, but that was it. His lack of interest in girls made Lita think maybe he wasn’t interested in them and his question to Sorrell basically confirmed her thoughts on him. But Lita never said anything to anyone about it. It wasn’t her place to and she didn’t want to ask him directly in case it was something he wasn’t ready to admit to himself.

So here was her predicament… Did she support Charlie in her desire to possibly pursue a relationship with Daniel because that’s what a best friend did or did she play devil’s advocate and try to steer Charlie away from the idea in order to keep her from getting hurt? On top of that, Lita had her own crush that she hadn’t had the courage to face yet. Not with Daniel, but still, was she the best person to give out advice? Choices, choices, choices.

“Charlie…” Lita looked back at her friend, her voice soft and her face contorted as she struggled with what to say. “You know that I love you and that I only say this because I don’t want you to get hurt, but…er…I mean-“ Lita paused and took a deep breath, leaned in close to Charlie so that no one else could overhear and whispered, “Does Daniel even like girls?”

0 Lita Yes, a little drama would be good. 0 Lita 0 5

Renée Errant

January 20, 2011 10:55 PM

You'd rather wear jewelry and die, than eat food and live? by Renée Errant

Gleeful smile widening on her face, Renée welcomed the levitating banana cream pudding with open arms. Helping the descent along, she steadied the bowl as Eliza settled it down on the table in front of her. "I'm not impatient," she responded, scooping huge lumps of the dessert onto her plate and then proceeding to pick out the nasty raisins some house-elves had apparently hidden in the dish. "I just want people to stop lagging behind." Picking up her spoon she suddenly dug in; any qualms she might have had about returning to Sonora, gone. "Mmm..." she licked a bit off her lips before using her napkin to wipe it off the rest of her mouth, the vague vestiges of her mother's "proper ladylike" instruction coming briefly to the forefront of her mind. "Much better than frog legs." As great as Paris was, she didn't think she preferred the food any better there than she did at Sonora.

She looked down the table, looking curiously for the rest of her dormmates, before turning back to Eliza. She supposed she liked them all well enough. She had never been that all attached to people, but had recognized the need to remain civil with people who were to be rooming with her for the next five years. "So, how was your summer?" She asked pleasantly, not really caring all that much. She hid her disinterest in her smile, feeling it was easier to act with a satisfied full belly. "Go anywhere interesting?"

Last year there hadn't been much opportunity to truly make friends with any of her roommates. She had thought that Miya was interesting but the girl turned out to be a bit of a dispointment on the Quidditch Pitch. Jordain had seemed like fun as well, if a bit too interested in the uninteresting subject of boys, boys, boys. She hadn't really formed an opinion about Eliza yet; but she could stand to pass the pudding faster.

0 Renée Errant You'd rather wear jewelry and die, than eat food and live? 0 Renée Errant 0 5

Sophia Randolph

January 20, 2011 11:28 PM

Nope, but the best things come in smal numbers! by Sophia Randolph

Sophia decided to stay quiet for a few minutes while the new students got to know one another. They would be roommates, and she was just the upperclassman giving them a slight introduction to what Sonora really was. Though, she had to admit they were kind of cute, and it was hard to imagine that she had been a first-year just two years ago. Time passed pretty fast, and Sophia still had a lot to do before it was time for her to graduate. Four years was a long time, but considering how life seemed to just pass by, it was time to start making some sort of plan, but not a long-term plan…just a plan for this year.

While Demetra and Avery talked about their names and whatnot, the third-year began to eat once again what she had served herself, waiting for the time when her expertise would be needed again. Quidditch was not her favorite topic, since she hardly knew anything about it. Sports and Sophia didn’t have a good functional relationship. It had started when she had her first broom-related accident when she was five, it had not been pretty, and the blonde had become deathly-scared of flying. Her parents and friends had tried countless of times to make her fly, but every time she attempted it, she just froze from fear. Even watching people fly made her relive that dreadful day, but she was getting better at it, and watching Quiddicth games was part of her self-imposed treatment. Though, she was sure she would never ever seat on a broom again.

Both girls were ecstatic about the sport, and she couldn’t participate in their excitement. No matter how much she wanted, she just didn’t have the knowledge required to do so. It was dangerous and she didn’t like to be part of something that could be detrimental to her health. Another reason she hated CoMC…she just couldn’t forget what happened to her during her first year. Right when she was taking a sip of her drink, Demetra looked back at her and questioned about her Quidditch preferences. The older girl took a deep breath, and smiled at her, “I really don’t follow the sport. I am afraid of flying,” she confessed, a slight blush creeping on her face, almost covering her clusters of freckles.

“I had a flying-related accident when I was little, and I haven’t been able to fly again. Actually, I just have been to a Quidditch match here, and I barely could stand it.” Sophia knew she didn’t have to explain anything to them, but she wanted to. The blonde didn’t want to seem lame or anything. There was a very good reason why she didn’t follow the sport. Well, to her it was.

0 Sophia Randolph Nope, but the best things come in smal numbers! 167 Sophia Randolph 0 5

Arista and Addison Thornton

January 20, 2011 11:31 PM

The start of something strange by Arista and Addison Thornton

Arista looked at her little sister and sighed a deep sigh. “Come on Addi… It’s alright, really!” She said glancing at Addi’s shaking frame. “I’ll be there, nothings’ going to hurt you!” Arista looked towards her younger sister Amira for help, but instead of a helping bit of advice she got a glare unknown to her.

“Mir?” she looked at her younger sister worriedly.

“What?” Amira answered unhappily.

“Are you mad because we have to leave now?” Arista asked as she took both her younger sister’s hands in hers. “Addi, it’s going to be fine, trust me! And Mir, you’ll be there with us next year! Now its your turn to be the oldest here, take care of our sisters and baby brother. They need you, WE need you here to watch out for Mom, and we’ll be ready for you at school next year.”

Addi nodded at Arista’s words to their younger sister and squeezed her older sisters hand to show her that she was as ready as she’d ever be to go get the Covered Wagon. Arista and Addison hugged their little sister, and dragging their trunks to the door and into the large van their family had with the help of their mother. Their mother strictly speaking shouldn’t be lifting anything, so they did the lifting and she held the doors for them. Their mother, at the end of the school year, only two months before had told them she was pregnant again, for the thirteenth time. And since their mother had waited till Arista was home to tell them, she was already quite far into the pregnancy by the time Arista and Addi were about to leave for school.

Though by looking at their mother, it looked as if she would pop any day now, but no such luck. She was only 20 weeks into the pregnancy, but as she had told the kids not even a month before, it was triplets this go around. Arista had begged her mother to let them stay home to help, but the idea was vetoed right away, even with Addison begging along with her older sister. Soon the sisters realized they would not be allowed to do as they’d wanted to, they were resigned to pack their trunks which they were now packing into the large family van.

The day was sunny out as the pair dragged their trunks to the van, one helping the other, then repeated the moves for the other. Once the trunks were loaded into the car, Addison ran to her mother and hugged around her middle gently, and put her ear to the large and growing baby bump. Her arms didn’t go all the way around her mother anymore but still the eleven year old red head tried as hard as she could to show her mother her love. “Mommy?” she said worriedly.

“Yes, my love?” Her mother answered gently, feeling her daughters worry through the triplets and all the way up to her heart and mind.

“Do we really have to go?” Addi started, her hands shook and she looked up to her mother with tears in her eyes. “But you’re going to have the babies, and something could happen and then how would we know it? We want to be here, for you, for the babies, for the girls, and for Xander… Please Mommy…” She said shaking as Arista took her sister’s hand back in hers.

“Addi, Mom’ll be alright, and if anything happens Daddy or Mir will owl us and we can come home straight away, right Mommy?” Arista said, pleading with her eyes. This was her way of a compromise for her mother, hoping it would work.

“Of course dear.” their mother started, bending down to hug her older daughters. “When the time comes of course you’ll be here, I’ll need you, both of you!” She said, kissing both Arista and Addison on the forehead. “And now if we don’t leave, the pair of you will be late to get to your departure point!”

Arista glanced down at her watch and her eyes grew wide. “We ARE going to be late! Addi, you have everything, right?” she said, starting to panic. Addi nodded and clutched tight to her mother. “Addi, you have to let go, come on! Mom needs to get into the van!” Arista pulled her sister off her mother and set her in the doorway of the van for her to get in amongst the pair’s trunks and whatnot. Addi stood in the doorway of the van, and turned around to Amira and the others waiting to wave in the doorway of the house and burst into tears. “Come on Addi! Don’t do this now!” She started aloud, but then put her mouth by her younger sister’s ear. “You’ll upset Mom! This is a multiple pregnancy, and anything can happen!! Stay calm!”

Addi froze and turned to her sister. “But then we should stay!”

“Mom doesn’t want that! She wants us to learn, and we have to do what she wants! Come on, get it or we’ll be late!” Arista pushed her sister’s larger frame into the van and buckled the seatbelt for her as she got in herself, pulling the door closed and buckling herself. “Ready Mom!” Arista called to her mother in the front seat as the van backed out of the driveway. She waved at the girls in the doorway as the van flew down the road to get to the pick-up point. Arista was more than ready for the covered wagons now, the sooner she got to school, the sooner they could come back home to be with the family again!

The van drove down the road and Addi watched silently as her world flew by her and they drove on and on into the unknown. Quiet tears fell down her cheeks even as the van stopped. “We’re here!” Their mom said as she got out of the van and opened the door for the girls once more so they could pull their trunks out. Arista looked at her mother and sighed.

“Mom, please be careful.” Arista said, eyes worriedly looking her mother up and down. “This is serious!” she added quietly so only her mother could here. “We’re both worried, I know I am, and I can tell that Addi is. Please take care of yourself! Please!”

“Relax my little mother, you’re going to see that all will be well! I promise! Your sisters will be born happy and healthy and nothing will happen to me. We’re going to all be just fine!” their mother assured Arista, who nodded and reached around her mother in a hug, kissing the large and growing baby belly.

“I love you!” She said to both her mother and the triplets inside the large belly. Turning towards her trunk, she started to pull it towards the Wagon and handed it off, happily to the driver who was putting it on the covered wagon.

Addison on the other hand, was not wanting to leave her mothers side for even a second. Arista walked back to them and tried to pull her larger younger sister off her mother. “Addi, lets go! They’re going to leave without us!” she said, pulling her sister finally off their mother and dragging both her sister and her sister’s large trunk to the covered wagon as well, Addi, arguing all the way. “IN!” Arista shouted at her sister, as she turned to her mother with a smile and a wave. “We love you Mommy!” She called as her Mother waved back.

“Love you too! Both of you! Be good, you hear! And I’ll keep you posted!” Their mother pointed to the large and growing baby bulge and waved some more as the covered wagon started on its bumpy journey.

Arista settled into her seat, while Addi watched as her mother got smaller and smaller in the window and all the way until she could no longer see her. Addi followed Arista’s suit and settled into her seat as well, tears overflowing from her eyes. Arista looked at her younger sister, and pulled her closer. “Addi, it’s fine, really it is… I’m going to be there, would I let anything hurt you?” She asked her sister, eye to eye. Addi shook her head no and Arista went on. “So stop crying! You’re a big girl now, going off to school, come on now!”

Arista was starting to get angry over her sister’s inability to keep herself together, though she knew at the same time that it wasn’t anything that Addi could help. It was a legitimate fear for her to be around crowds, and what was school other than scores of people all over in the same small spaces! Arista sighed heavily and hugged her sister awkwardly from the side as the Wagon bumped over potholes and whatever else was in its way off to school. Hours later, the sky had turned dark and Arista stared out the window as her sister’s sleeping body leaned and lolled against her shoulder. The mountains flew by the window and Arista smiled. “Addi! Wake up, we’re almost there!! Look at the mountains!” she said excitedly as she recognized more and more around her. Addi stirred and looked sleepily out the window as the mountains passed them by.

“What?” Addi said as she tried to figure out what was going on around her. She never woke up very well, it was always a struggle for her, and she hated that!

“We’re so close! Look!!!” Arista said as she pointed excitedly out the window. “There it is!!!” she said jumping up out of her seat and rushed through the bumps to the window closest to Sonora. “Oh Addi!! We’re here!!” she said happily. “I’m BACK Sonora!!” She said jumping up and down as the wagon came to a full stop. She rushed out of the wagon, pulling her trunk and her younger sister behind her who also pulled her own trunk, huffing and puffing with Arista’s energy that poor Addi did not have.

“Arista! Please- slow down!” Addi begged, wheezing a bit. The eleven year old’s weight attributed to her breathing problem and to move as fast as Arista was trying to go just wasn’t cutting it for Addi. Arista slowed down and the pair walked together and deposited their trunks with all the others right outside what Arista had told her was the Cascade Hall and Arista turned to her.

“I have to go to the Teppenpaw tables. I’ll see you soon!” Arista said as she opened the doors and left Addi there with the other milling first years waiting to find out what their houses were going to be. She found her yearmates and sat down happily sharing her family's good news about the triplets to the girls in her year.

"Yeah, so it sure was an interesting summer!" she said, "how was yours?" She asked the student next to her and waited on their reply just as the new Headmaster started talking. She hushed up and watched around the room for her younger sister to see what house would belong to her.

0 Arista and Addison Thornton The start of something strange 0 Arista and Addison Thornton 0 5

Preston

January 21, 2011 3:01 AM

Can't see it any other way by Preston

The redhead nodded at them. It was good he was making powerful acquaintance so early in his magical education. His father would be happy and proud about it. Preston made a mental note to owl him later, and tell him all about his first day at Sonora. It was going well. The new Aladren wasn’t fond of idle chatter, he was of the idea that people could communicate without overusing words, or yapping about for endless hours. He was happy to see that they Carey twins seemed to be of the same mentality, since they used their words carefully and acutely. It just made him happier to be rooming with them. No awkward small conversation or anything of the sort. He was also happy to note that they seemed to be raised like he had been, in a formal fashion. His mother has told him that good raised Purebloods were easy to distinguish among the mass of inferior people. She had been right! Not that his mother had given him any indication of being wrong. In fact, now that he thought about it, Harriet Stratford had never been wrong. Well, in things she had said to him. Who knew about other aspects of her life?

“Yes, I get what you mean. I hardly ever leaved my house. It was a nice change of scenery to come here,” he said seriously. It was another thing that excited him, getting to know other places, Vermont was awesome, but Preston wanted to travel. “Learning proper magic should be interesting.” The redhead took a sip of his drink before continuing.

Smiling at the twins, he continued answering his questions, “I have been learning magical theory since I was five. My father considered it was very important to have a solid knowledge of magic before learning the practical bit of it,” he took a deep breath, “and please, call me Preston.” He finished with a small smile. The green-eyed boy wasn’t used to treat boys of his same age, that weren’t related to him, it was very interesting. Though, he was almost sure that eleven-year old boys weren’t as formal as the Carey twins. He concluded that it had to do with their superior education. He couldn’t find another explanation. Since he had seen some barbaric behavior from other boys when he accompanied his mother on shopping trips, it was absolutely awful seeing boys throwing temper tantrums for everyone to see. When and if he was angry, he usually blew steam in the privacy of his room, where no one could see him in such a pitiful state.

He was curious to know if Arthur and Arnold had any prior magical education, “How about you? Do you have any magical instruction prior to Sonora?” He was assessing his competition. Even when he sort of liked them, they were his competitors in everything, and Preston didn’t like to lose.

0 Preston Can't see it any other way 0 Preston 0 5

Charlie

January 21, 2011 3:48 AM

Should we create it or allow it to happen naturally? by Charlie

Lita started to say something, and she seemed to have trouble finding the right words to say it. Charlie listened intently, especially as it had essentitally started with the line 'you know I love you, but...' which was never good. Though when Lita finally said what she wanted to, Charlie instinctively clapped a hand to her mouth - Lita did know, so this would make the conversation a whole lot easier, even if it did nothing to help the situation. "That's the whole thing," Charlie whispered back, trying not to be overheard. "I don't know. He doesn't know. And I told him that it didn't matter, that either way I'd be his friend, and it obviously does matter because one way I'd be his friend and one way I'd try for something more, but if I don't know I can't very well do anything about it because that's totally going exactly opposite to what I said!" Charlotte said all this in one excited, whispered breath and didn't doubt that Lita got the gist.

Over the summer she'd toyed briefly with the notion that perhaps she could help him identify if he did like girls or not, but the methods she had in mind would only really determine whether he liked her or not, so inevitably she'd realized the plan was selfish and left it well alone. Which was, obviously, precisely what she should be doing with the whole package - just leaving it well alone. But on the other hand, if she didn't ever let Daniel know how she felt, she might leave it too late, which was the underlying reason she'd never waited before; Charlie was pretty much a 'here and now' sort of girl - she saw what she wanted and got it. If she decided she didn't want it later then that was okay, but if she waited until it stopped being available then she'd have missed her chance. It was something she'd never really explained to Lita, but perhaps she should, because she knew her roommate and best friend truly had no idea why Charlie acted the way she did sometimes.

"Anyway," Charlie said, sitting back when they'd finished whispering, knowing they could continue this conversation in the privacy of their dormitory later, "that's probably going to be driving me crazy for a good while longer, so I apologize in advance," she grinned. Noticing that the food had arrived, Charlotte grimaced as she loaded her plate up with salad. She always let her diet slip during the holidays, which was fine so long as she maintained her strict eating habits while at school. Three meals a day - no starving herself - but lots of fresh vegetables and practically no fat or sugar, where it was sensible to do this.

0 Charlie Should we create it or allow it to happen naturally? 0 Charlie 0 5

Madeline

January 21, 2011 10:53 AM

English is full of awesome words. Magnificent's another one. by Madeline

“Dad’s a professor,” Madeline explained when Reggie expressed surprise about how she still had to do Muggle schooling. “He’s a huge dork, so at first he was more excited about magic than I was, but then he looked through my textbooks…” She expected her drift would be caught, but maybe not by Derry. “He’s got three degrees in history, so he’ll really like you, Ben, and minors in literature and math, and he wrote his dissertation about the Scientific Revolution. The curriculum here doesn’t do it for him.”

He said he wasn’t, not at all, just too arrogant to not hit on every discipline somewhere, but Madeline had always been convinced that her dad was a genius. Some of his students seemed to agree, too; by the time they’d left his last school, there had been a few who took his classes just because he was teaching them, without having any formal affiliation with the history department at all. She guessed he taught a more complicated version of it to them, but if the style – storytelling, basically, with a lot of humor thrown in – was the same one he’d used on her since she was little, she could see why.

“You’re both welcome along, though. And can skip math if you really want to. I wouldn’t do it, either, if Dad wouldn’t get all frowny about it.”

She could also see the humor in Derry’s ancestor being named Hamlet, though she was still too thrown by the ‘my dead great-great-something-grandfather was my homeschool teacher’ to get as carried away as her roommate, though she did laugh a little. She couldn’t help it. When other people laughed, she couldn’t help but do so at least a little, too. That was why she was going to have a problem if people here, because of the things she still didn’t know about their world, started laughing at her a lot.

“Yeah, Reg, this is definitely a conversation for the books,” she agreed, and then Ben suggested they talk about their families. She recognized his accent as being from the general part of the world she now lived in, but – like her parents – hadn’t yet learned to tell the fine differences of speech patterns. Dad said his students liked to tease him about talking too fast and not being able to tell which of the surrounding counties a student was from just by listening to them talk for a minute, if not by recognizing last names, but that they were good natured about it usually.

She had already decided to take that approach to wizards, in the hopes they would also be good natured about her misunderstandings, but still blinked when Derry spoke – more like recited – about his family. It sounded like he was royalty or something, only his family seemed to own a mountain instead of a kingdom. She was pleased when he started talking like a normal person again, about his mom and his cousins and stuff. She still had trouble wrapping her head around having her family physically that close together, but wasn’t sure that was entirely a wizard thing; she didn’t remember Tennessee too much, but a lot of the people they’d met in Georgia seemed to think her family was weird because her parents had been willing to move hundreds of miles away from their parents and relatives instead of being within a few miles of each other at all times when there were no disastrous family feuds or arrest warrants to make it necessary.

“I guess it is,” she said when Derry said the family ghost had been right about things being different off their mountain. “It sounds a lot different from my family, anyway. Not that that’s a bad thing, it’s just…different.” She hated when she tripped over herself that way. “Dad’s name is Aaron. He was originally from Ohio, but he left to go to college, and met Mom there. We’ve been in New York most of the time – the state, not the city – but we lived in Tennessee for a while when I was little, went back to Ohio after that, then back to New York, and now we’re in Georgia. Dad teaches European History at tiny little liberal arts colleges, mostly.” They were also usually religious in nature, though Dad kept that mostly out of his actual teaching, and she wasn’t going to mention it until she worked out exactly where the magic people stood on that kind of thing. “We’re really boring, but we’re okay with that.” She looked to Reggie, whose life history, along with Jessica’s, already sounded more interesting than hers.

0 Madeline English is full of awesome words. Magnificent's another one. 0 Madeline 0 5

Eliza Bennett

January 21, 2011 12:26 PM

I'd rather moderate food intake and wear jewelry by Eliza Bennett

”I’m not impatient, I just want other people to stop lagging behind.”

Eliza didn’t respond to that, because she wasn’t sure how to take it. Was that supposed to be a joke, or did Renee really think she was that entitled?

If it was the latter, they were going to have a problem. A big one. Anyone more arrogant and self-interested than her mother didn’t deserve to live, let alone be tolerated by reasonable people, and since Renee was no closer to being Eliza’s mother than Eliza was to being Renee’s house-elf, she was not going to put up with being talked to like that here. Or having someone snapping their fingers at her. Talk about rude. Sure, they had lived together last year, but they did not know each other well enough for that to be okay and everyone know it didn’t mean anything.

When she just took her time eating – stuffing herself, more like; only the napkin saved her from being completely out of control here – and then decided to notice Eliza’s existence again, she decided to be very charitable and assume that Renee had been raised by wolves and just didn’t know how to be polite. She had always had a vague impression, from the first night, that Renee was kind of…off, and the past few minutes meant she was either right or the girl wanted to be ostracized, and possibly hexed. And since that didn’t make sense…

“My summer was fine,” she said. “We spent most of it getting to know the other Illinois families.” She had no idea if Renee had ever paid enough attention to remember that she’d moved to the worst state in the world right before their first year. “I spent a lot of time with my brother.” She missed Paul when she was at school. He was kind of annoying sometimes, but not as much as when they were really little, and he was the closest thing she'd had, prior to school, to a chance to make a friend her own age.

But they still had a problem here. Since Renee was smiling, which indicated a level of friendly intent, Eliza decided to be even more charitable than she was already being. “Listen,” she said, lowering her voice and folding her hands, the newly-manicured nails bright red in a show of House pride, in front of her on the table. “I know – I hope – you didn’t really mean it that way, but snapping your fingers at people and calling them slow and then totally ignoring them until you want them to do something else, like entertain you? That’s not cool. Daisy probably would have hexed you the second you told her you weren’t the one with a problem when you couldn’t wait two seconds for your sugar-loaded calorie fest.” Daisy had always intimidated Eliza a little, for reasons she couldn’t really pinpoint. “I mean, you probably were joking, but I’m just saying, a lot of people wouldn’t have taken it that way, and it came across like you think you’re better than me. You’re not.”

0 Eliza Bennett I'd rather moderate food intake and wear jewelry 174 Eliza Bennett 0 5

Renée Errant

January 21, 2011 1:00 PM

I prefer to take things to the extreme. by Renée Errant

Delighted, Renée's smile widened, her smile slightly crooked but it only elevated her cuteness, as Eliza brought up something new to interest and entertain her. In just a few sentences Eliza had made some very amusing points. 'Who knew this would happen on the first day?' She thought. 'Lucky me.'

"So why didn't you hex me?" She rested her chin on the back her hand and tilted her head slightly to look at Eliza, amazed that she was trying to intimidate her by mentioning another second year Renée felt nothing for whatsoever. "Why did you agree to send me the bowl if you felt it was beneath you? It seems an odd thing to do if you have such a problem with it." She smiled, tucking another stray curl back behind her ear. "I agree with you on one point though. It did come across like I think I'm better than you. And, well," she continued to smile pleasantly, her voice light. "I certainly would have never allowed someone to get away with ordering me around, as you did. It suggests a rather weak nature, wouldn't you say?" She lifted her goblet and drank some more, enjoying herself. She was rather in love with the sound of her own voice, especially when she was saying something clever. She liked to be stimulated in every way; sports, and conversation were two of her favorites.

Whereas both her father and brother were men who needed to be around people all the time, who loved to meet strangers and socialize and make new friends, her mother and herself enjoyed their solitary. But when Renée did feel the need to interact, she found herself occasionally unconsciously paving the way for conflict; after all, didn't the more interesting situations come out of that? So she sat waiting for Eliza to be interesting, even hoping that the girl would fire back and challenge her. Because Renée was entitled to be entertained; she saw what she wanted and she went after it. In her opinion, people should be less scared of what they wanted to have, what they really wanted to say. 'The key is,' she thought, thumb idly running over the engravings on the goblet. 'Not to care what other people think.' However, much as she desired it, she rather doubted Eliza would succumb to what could have been an entertaining debate over - what were they talking about really? Pudding? Everything from her house color nails to the lack of a hearty meal on her plate suggested dullness to Renée. She hoped it wasn't the case; she preferred interesting roommates.

0 Renée Errant I prefer to take things to the extreme. 0 Renée Errant 0 5

Arthur and Arnold

January 21, 2011 1:03 PM

It seems likely by Arthur and Arnold

“And dangerous,” Arthur remarked when Preston agreed that learning magic would be very interesting. He started to add something about how that was what made it interesting for Arnold, but decided that teasing his brother in front of an outsider wasn’t a good idea at this point. It would emphasize to Preston that he and Arnold knew each other extremely well and that Preston was an outsider, and if they were only going to be attached to each other, they might as well have stayed in South Carolina. The point of being here was as much to meet people as it was to learn magic. “But if all of them – “ he inclined his head toward the staff table – “could do it, then so shall we.”

Do that, and more. There was always more. More than what people wanted him to know. He found that irritating. And then there were all the things which no one knew, the discoveries that hadn’t been made yet…

Magic lessons since age five. Father’s authority, not a more distant ancestor’s, so either the Stratford family did not go in for long lives or individual units were more autonomous than the South Carolina Careys were. Permission to be informal. “Gladly,” he said. Arnold nodded his assent. He must have seen the need for them to get on a first-name basis with their roommates extremely quickly, when it was bad enough already that their names sounded so similar; Arthur couldn’t help but be a little annoyed that the other new Aladren boys hadn’t chipped into this conversation yet, to relieve him and Arnold of the trouble of going through another set of formalities later. “You may use our given names as well.”

Arnold nodded when they were asked if they had been given lessons as well. Arthur had thought the structure of his question, in the context of Arnold’s preceding comment, had clearly implied that they’d had such lessons, but perhaps it was a formality, like his formally giving Preston permission to use their names when asking for permission to use Preston’s had already implied it. “For as long as I can remember,” Arnold said. “We can’t allow the Virginia Careys to outdo us, can we?”

Arnold’s sense of humor again. Unfortunately, Preston would only get the joke if he was familiar with the – admittedly notorious, and more recently publicized thanks to their reunion a few years ago, but the number of people in the United States as old as Anthony IV and Thomas and thus potentially unusually interested in their affairs was tiny; it was a family joke, which Arthur didn’t fully get, that they could have a ball for their entire age group in a family parlor, but Thomas would have to dance with someone named Berta Pierce – old feud between their great-great-grandfather and his brother, and how it had impacted relationships and politics in the southeast for over a century now. If not, Arnold would just sound unusually aggressive and petty, if the tone wasn’t interpreted as light anyway.

“Our family has five branches,” he explained, deciding it was best to err on the side of caution. “There’s about as much friendly rivalry as you’d expect.” It wasn’t usually friendly in reality, but having the heads of those five branches regularly meet and discuss their problems had resulted in a remarkable drop in the fatality rate from the early days of family division, at least according to the family histories they had been taught, though Arthur didn’t fully trust those to be accurate either. Things were supposed to be better now than they’d been since they were still all Virginia Careys, in the early nineteenth century, but the Careys still had a better reason than most to introduce themselves with state designations. No one wanted to be confused with Edmond’s family, or the Louisiana Careys, or the North Carolina Careys, though their status was ambiguous since their patriarch’s very public death last year. He’d heard his parents saying that, though he’d had a son, the North Carolina Careys had effectively ceased to exist since Morgaine Carey had somehow gotten to be their Acting Matriarch as well as the Acting Matriarch of her original branch while her brother was in school.

He hadn’t understood all of it, but it did make him think this woman was dangerous, and that her brother might be, too. That was part of why he’d kept Arnold from announcing their relationship to the table. He needed to know more about what Edmond was like before deciding whether or not he and Arnold should make the older boy aware of their existence.

“Has your family spread to multiple states?” he asked. If Preston had been familiar with the Carey divisions before Arthur mentioned it, this would make it sound like Arthur was the ignorant one, not Preston. Which was actually true, at the moment. He didn’t like it, but if Preston were more like Arnold, then it might work as it would with Arnold, to keep him from exploding because Arthur had assumed he didn’t know something, and Father had always said there were times when it was good to let people assume they were smarter than he was, even if it wasn’t the case. Besides, he actually didn’t know, off the top of his head, much about the Stratford family, and learning was always good.

0 Arthur and Arnold It seems likely 0 Arthur and Arnold 0 5

Eliza Bennett

January 21, 2011 2:15 PM

I can see that by Eliza Bennett

Eliza listened to Renee’s speech. By the end of it, she was flushed dark red, and her nails were digging into the wood of the table, but her expression had hardly changed at all.

Renee was not one of those unfortunate people who didn’t share a background with most of their House and so was going to make the occasional faux pas, which could be forgiven until she learned how to behave. Renee was a smug, self-satisfied, vile waste of space, like filth on the bottom of a designer shoe. Eliza’s charitable feelings were officially over and done with.

She didn’t care about blood issues much, or how other families stood, or about standing out – especially about standing out, since, compared to other members of her family, she never would. She did, however, have her pride, both for being a Bennett and in general, and one of the things she took it in was her memory. She might not have been as smart as her father, but she had inherited his ability to remember things very well, whether she understood them or not.

Eliza unfolded her hands. “I didn’t hex you,” she said flatly, raising a finger for one of Renee’s points, “because I was thinking, she thinks she’s being funny instead of offensive, and she doesn’t know how that sounds coming out. Everyone says things without thinking how they’ll sound sometimes. I was giving you the benefit of the doubt.” Of course, that didn’t explain why she wasn’t hexing Renee right now, but she wasn’t about to say that. It was because she wasn’t going to get in trouble with Coach Pierce over filth on the bottom of her shoe, but if she said that, Renee could go to Coach Pierce herself and say Eliza was making blood comments, and that wasn’t permitted. Not to mention wasn’t the case and was tasteless.

Besides, she didn't need to insult Renee's family. Renee was doing a great job of making them look horrible all on her own.

She raised another finger. “I passed you the bowl because you weren’t offending me then. They don’t let the prairie elves serve at the table, so when someone asks me to pass something on a big table, I don’t take it as that person thinking I’m their servant or something. I take it as, hey, it’s a big table, and it’s not polite to lean over all the other food to get something that’s a little too far away.”

She raised her ring finger. “And no, I wouldn’t say. If I were – ‘weak-natured’ – I would have, like, just taken you thinking you’re all that, like you apparently think everyone should. Maybe that’s how it is in New York or wherever it is you might have moved to since last year, but you don’t get to talk to me like that and have me not say something back.”

Her face still hot, she pushed her seat away from the table and stood up, sliding her hands under her still half-full plate. “I don’t really like this seat anymore,” she said. “I think I’m going to go find a new one. Enjoy your pudding.” Without bothering to listen to anything else Renee might have wanted to say to her, she turned her back on the other girl and walked away.

Not too far, though. If Renee started badmouthing her to the rest of the dorm, Eliza was going to be close enough to intervene and tell her side of the story. Renee should have been shamed into going to bed right now, but the girl was clearly a complete psycho or something. Who knew what kind of garbage might come out of her over-indulged mouth? “Hi,” she said, smiling at the nearest people as she sat down again. “I hope you don’t mind if I join you. The food down here looks better.”

0 Eliza Bennett I can see that 174 Eliza Bennett 0 5

Nic Sawyer

January 21, 2011 3:23 PM

Down the table a little by Nic Sawyer

Nic hadn't been paying much attention to the two second-year girls seated a few chairs away from him. After exchanging a 'Hi' with the person across from him, he hadn't had much cause to notice those around him. He was minding his own business, which he was rather known for, and those around him (and not all the seats around him were even taken) were either doing the same or getting into the business of someone who wasn't Nic. He was perfectly fine with that.

The very tall third year looked up from his plate when someone nearby stood up - the movement caught his eye - and then took the empty seat next to him. Eliza Bennett, he recognized her, from the play. She'd acted while he had just been stage crew, useful mostly for helping Grayson put together the sets, but he'd at least nodded at her in passing before.

Apparently his company was preferable to the people she'd just left, claims of the relocation being food-related notwithstanding.

She apparently didn't want to talk about though, and Nic was perfectly all right with not doing so. He nodded his agreement that the selection over here was very good and pointed his fork at the bowl of dressing, and recommended, "The stuffing is very good, especially with the gravy."

Her welcome, he assumed, was implied.

Because he did - sort of - know her, at least by association, and she'd spoken first, he felt it was only polite to ask, "How was your summer?" He was particularly pleased that apparently his voice had gotten all of its cracking out of the way with his first greeting of the evening. He didn't squeak once.

1 Nic Sawyer Down the table a little 165 Nic Sawyer 0 5

Nic

January 21, 2011 3:24 PM

OOC: Moved up to join Eliza (nm) by Nic

1 Nic OOC: Moved up to join Eliza (nm) 165 Nic 0 5

Delilah Kerrigan

January 21, 2011 9:18 PM

We're all very glad. by Delilah Kerrigan

Returning to school was met with mixed feelings. Delilah had barely seen Veronica over the summer. She had been busy with moving and had even made a couple of friends in the new neighborhood while the few letters that had been exchanged between them had suggested that Veronica was having the time of her life with their grandmother. She had encouraged Delilah to come visit, to be part of the social life that was going on, to make the right connections, to meet the right boys. As awful as she was being, she made excuse after excuse for why she couldn’t, relying heavily on the move.

Now, back at school, what excuse would she have for not allowing Veronica to drag her into what she thought to be the right course of life? If she said that she was falling behind in school, Veronica would offer to tutor her, which was truly odd given that her sister tried to perpetuate the stereotype that she was a dumb blonde, but underneath it, she was really quite intelligent, much like Cassie. She had to wonder where in the gene pool things had gone wrong. It wasn’t just the factor of intelligence either. Cassie and Veronica both had crushes on boys. Why didn’t she? Why didn’t she like someone?

Maybe she could just pretend to like someone. But whom could she possibly even fake liking? Obviously, no one on the Quidditch team. That would be really awkward. Also, no one in her House. She couldn’t put her finger on a reason why, but she just thought it would be easier to pretend to like someone in another House. She took a bite of her roll, avoiding eye contact with her twin, and looked around the room. It should probably be someone in her year or perhaps a year older and someone Veronica would approve of. This was definitely harder than it looked.

There was Edmond, but Veronica had said that Cassie liked him. There was Raines, but Veronica had a thing for him. Though, Delilah really couldn’t see why. Okay, that wasn’t the point. Scanning, she got slightly sidetracked by the Teppenpaw table and her heart fluttered a little. No, no. It wasn’t supposed to do that! She shook her head. Concentrate! Jethro Smythe! Perfect! A year above and not in her House. Any time she was asked if she liked anyone, especially by her sister, she could say that she was interested in him. It would work. It had to work. Then, maybe her sister wouldn’t worry so much about things like Quidditch.

Delilah was busy working this out in her head when others talking about Quidditch drifted in. Looking nearby, she saw Starbuck and Jose. She always considered Starbuck a friend and teammate even if she and Demelza had their problems initially. She had never really gotten involved in all that drama. It wasn’t her style. And given now that she was pretty much a loner now, she didn’t mind joining into their conversation. Though, she wasn’t quite sure if Jose was worried that Starbuck wasn’t going to do well or if it was just a precaution or if it was on Starbuck’s end. Whatever. Encouragement and praise were always welcomed. “You’ll be the greatest Keeper ever.” She grinned at the girl. “Though, I don’t know how much play you’ll see with our amazing offense,” she teased.

0 Delilah Kerrigan We're all very glad. 158 Delilah Kerrigan 0 5

Reggie

January 21, 2011 9:46 PM

Superb is another good one. by Reggie

After the mishap of laughter that escaped from Reggie (she was glad that no one had taken offense to her giggles), Ben moved the conversation along to have them discuss their families. To be honest, they all seemed so different that she was actually excited to know what their family lives at home were. She was especially excited to hear about Derry and Jessica’s lives because one was from a real die hard Pureblood life and the other was from a very open and liberal pureblood family. It was total clash-a-licious.

Of course, the moment Derry opened his mouth, everything exploded. She gapped at him. Actually gapped at him. She was sure she had never done that before. She just could not get passed the fact that his family owned their own mountain was incredible! And probably seriously expensive. Unless they were the first to settle there and claimed the land for really cheap like they had way back when America was first up for grabs. However, from what Reggie understood about full on Purebloods, it was likely the former part and not the latter.

Madeline’s life was different because of all the traveling she seemed to do. She had always thought that once a professor or teacher established a career, they stuck around for the tenure. Her father seemed the opposite. Still, that allowed Madeline to see some of the county and that was something.

It was Regina’s turn to tell everyone about her family. She wasn’t very interesting, so she wasn’t sure exactly what to say to make it all the worth while. “Okay, my turn.” Reggie started, giving a smile. “I’m from a magical town in Nebraska that lives hidden on the outskirts of a muggle town – which is where I went for school –“ Reggie added. “My dad is a muggleborn and my mom is a halfblood. My dad works as a Potions Master at the hospital. That’s someone who makes medicine or other various things that people need.” Regina explained to Madeline since she might not know what one was. “And My mom is an Auror. That’s like the equivalent of someone being an FBI agent. They have magical law-enforcement too, which are like police officers.” Regina again explained. “Let’s see… My parents divorced about five years ago and I live full time with my dad. My mom travels a lot because of her job, so I see her like three times a year.” Reggie shrugged at this fact, it was what it was.

“My dad’s cool. He takes me wherever and spends as much time with me as he can. We went to Mount Rushmore and to the Grand Canyon, and to that spot where you can stand in four states at once. And last summer we camped at Yosemite National Park.” Regina really enjoyed the vacations together. They had scrapbooks full of pictures. She actually took some of them with her to school so that she can look them over from time to time when she was homesick.

“It’s definitely nothing cool like owning our own mountain, of course, but we’ve gotten by with just the two of us. And my grandparents. They live in the muggle town and look after me when Dad’s working late.” Regina’s eyes landed on Derry for a brief moment. “You have a very large family, Der, and you’re lucky to have them all right in the same place.” She was still smiling, but a part of her was envious with him for living such a life. “Anyway, that’s me. Onto the next one.” She proclaimed, turning her attention to Jessica.

6 Reggie Superb is another good one. 187 Reggie 0 5

Jordan Adair

January 21, 2011 9:51 PM

Nothing like three's company. by Jordan Adair

Last year had been exciting because it had been her sorting, but this year was Alice’s turn. Jordan had little doubt that her younger sister would end up being in Aladren, but she watched the changing of the colors just the same. No…it wasn’t possible. Alice’s skin hadn’t turned blue. It had turned red. That could mean only one thing. Alice was in Crotalus. Alice was in her House. How was that even possible? Alice was the one who knew everything whenever they were tutored at home. It just didn’t seem right.

Not to mention, what this would mean for her. Jordan didn’t want Alice in her House. She was already worried that Alice would have a hard time making friends and would just hang around her or Dani, but now she wouldn’t have the excuse of going back to her House, as a means of escape. Okay, it wasn’t that her little sister was annoying. She just was socially awkward and Jordan didn’t really have the time for that. She already had quite a few things on her plate for the year and that didn’t include babysitting.

Or what if she became friends with Jordan’s friends? That would be worse still. What if they liked Alice better? She flipped her brown hair. No, that simply wasn’t possible. She didn’t have anything to worry about. Right? Of course. She was just being silly. She had absolutely no reason to be jealous. She might not have been as smart, but she knew she looked amazing. She had taken quite a bit of time to make sure that she was and had even refreshed before getting off the wagon. Though, she hadn’t gone quite as elaborate as Eliza, who was sitting near Renee. She would have to come over and say hello later.

However, she liked to think that she looked smart in a simple white sundress with a trail of red roses embroidered from above the waist to the hem and a pair of heeled sandals. She had left her dark hair straight and pulled it back into a red clip and had applied only the necessities in makeup. Even if she didn’t have much of a ride, it was still hot out and that could lead to all kinds of disasters. No, it was best to go simple. She had something more elaborate planned for the next day with being able to be in controlled weather charms and no bumpy rides. Though, today another factor was dealing with messy people, as someone nearby spilled their drink, which was her cue to leave.

Jordan moved to sit by Eliza except that she wasn’t there. Hmm, where had she gone? Or maybe she should just sit with Renee? Oh, wait, there Eliza was and with a boy! Oh, it was that really tall guy. Nic something or another. Did Eliza like him? Maybe she should leave the two of them alone? Hmm. No. If she did that, then she would only be able to find out if Eliza liked him, but not if he liked her. Of course, maybe they didn’t like each other and why pass up the opportunity to meet someone new? It would be absolutely crazy to deprive herself of such a thing. Convinced, she sat down next to the two. “Eliza, you look fantastic! Are you going to introduce me to your friend?” She gave both a brilliant smile.

0 Jordan Adair Nothing like three's company. 173 Jordan Adair 0 5

Topher

January 21, 2011 10:13 PM

Better than staring, though. by Topher

Topher wasn’t terribly surprised by Fae’s reaction to Thomas’ rant. “Thomas talks like that,” he said. “I have no idea why they decided he ought to Talk About Sonora, even if he is the only one who’s been recently. Guy read the dictionary when he was six or something. I don’t even know what half the words I just said mean.”

Okay, maybe he knew more than that, but being Big Words Guy wasn’t a part of Topher’s self-concept. Other people, like the blue ones across the way, could accept that challenge while he was having a decent time with life. When Daniel and Caroline and his parents weren’t on the table, he didn’t take many things very seriously.

He heard the clicks about the same time Fae did, but was surprised by her reaction to being photographed by one of their fellow new Crotali. It was like the camera was hurting her, or she thought it could steal her soul, or something along those lines. “You okay, Fae?” he asked her, concerned.

A moment later, she apologized for her reaction, and asked the other girl if she was her roommate. He guessed it was kind of weird for someone who, if Topher was right about why she was that unusual, if now-fading, shade of red he and Fae were, was straight in the door to be photographing people with no warning, since she couldn’t be a formal school photographer or anything like that. He was more inclined to take it as flattery, since he was pretty sure he wasn’t hideous enough to be photographed as a novelty item, but it was a little weird just the same.

“I’m Topher,” he introduced himself to the new girl once she and Fae were done. She was potentially a little weird, but also potentially interesting, and if he discriminated against weird people, he’d have to disown himself, reverse-pureblood style. “Topher Calhoun. Good meeting you.” He smiled at her. “You are gonna let us see those once you get them developed, right?”

0 Topher Better than staring, though. 0 Topher 0 5

Lita

January 21, 2011 10:54 PM

er.... Create for you, naturally for me? by Lita

Adelita listened quietly as Charlie continued to explain some things to her. So, apparently Daniel was aware of his …lack of interest. And it was something that he had openly admitted to Charlie. That was a huge thing, Adelita thought. That he could admit to another person the perplexity of his situation. Lita wasn’t sure how it worked. How does one not know what gender they liked? She didn’t think chemistry worked like that. When you saw someone you really connected with, your body reacted. Man or woman. At least, that’s how Adelita had come to understand it. Maybe that hadn’t happened yet for Daniel and that was why he was confused? It had taken Adelita along while to even understand the feelings she was obtaining whenever she was in the presence of Juri, it could very well be the same for Daniel.

Lita frowned. “To be honest, I think it’s more than his sexuality that he’s confused about.” She said, still in a quiet whisper. “He said in CoMC that he puts on an act. He plays a role every day. I think he just doesn’t know who he is because he’s been in this role for so long.” Maybe if Daniel stopped being something that he might not really be, everything else would be okay. He would know exactly what he wanted and know that it was okay no matter what.

But, none of that really helped Charlie at this current moment. It was hard to have feelings for a friend and even harder knowing that it could potentially end it utter disaster if you pursued something. Her thoughts drifted for the moment and in doing so, drifted over to where Juri was currently seated. Yeah, she was definitely not the person to ask about such things. It might have been better if Adelita had actual results from her own crush to know for sure on how to help Charlie. Or even to know what way Daniel was leaning. Neither of those things were options, so Adelita was stuck feeling useless and completely unhelpful for Charlie’s predicament.

Settling back into her seat when Charlie decided to know longer conspire in the hall, probably for the best since Adelita did not want to start rumors, Adelita pulled a piece of grilled chicken and some salad onto her plate. Growing up in a Hispanic household left little room for dieting. But Adelita had always been so active that it hadn’t really affected her. Though, her mother said that she was getting older and her metabolism was going to start slowing down. When that happened, Lita had to be extra careful with what she put in her mouth. Adelita nearly cried at this concept. But, she figured, if Charlie did it every year, it couldn’t be too terrible.

“That’s fine. We both have our boy issues. Might as well suffer together with it.” Adelita joked, smiling widely as she did so.

0 Lita er.... Create for you, naturally for me? 0 Lita 0 5

Daisy Thorpe

January 22, 2011 12:21 AM

I'm not entirely unhappy to be. by Daisy Thorpe

Daisy wasn’t crazy about Sonora, with all the other people constantly around her and her roommates all being ridiculously energetic and some of the professors having clear issues for all the world to see, but it did have one huge advantage, and that was the distinct lack of Adelle the First. She had no idea how she had ever kind of almost, for a moment, missed her mother last year, but after a summer of nothing but comments about her weight and getting the feeling that she – and, in all fairness, her more favored cousins, not to mention her sister Molly – was less a person to Addie One than she was a chess piece, she was determined not to repeat the mistake in her second year.

She hadn’t gone to great lengths with her appearance, since she didn’t have all that much to work with, but her chestnut brown hair was neat and she’d managed to sneak a little mascara to set off her gray eyes. Living with the people she did, it was necessary to at least put a little effort into herself, or she wouldn’t survive prolonged contact with Jordan and Eliza.

She tried to like her roommates, but Jordan and Eliza both looked like they were going to be better successors to Adelle the First’s legacy than her own daughter was, Renée was even more energetic than they were and that was annoying, and Miya played Quidditch. Of them all, Daisy found that the least personally irritating, but she could imagine how her mother would feel about it. Besides, Miya wasn’t even good at playing Quidditch, and Daisy tried not to associate herself with failures. It would make people think she was like them.

She didn’t deliberately not sit with anyone at the feast, but nor did she deliberately sit with anyone, and so found herself not far from Ryan O’Malley, a person she pitied to the depths of her soul. As far as she could tell, he was the only pureblood boy in a year chock-full of pureblood girls, all of whom would, if they were reasonably normal human beings, prefer to marry someone they kind of knew as opposed to a complete stranger. The poor guy was going to be ripped to shreds between them before the Ball, if not sooner.

Because she had no other company, and didn’t want to look like a complete loser when Renée, the one with nothing in common with the rest of the group, had at least managed to sit in the vicinity of with Eliza, she moved over two seats so she was sitting across from Ryan once the food appeared. And, though no lady would ever do such a thing in front of a gentleman, put enough on her plate that she expected to be full when she finished it, and pleased that the foods had been things she liked. She was not that fat, and she had to spend her entire summer either sneaking snacks or sucking peppermints to fool her stomach around Adelle. No reason to do it here, too, as long as she didn’t go crazy with food. “Hi,” she replied. “The new Headmaster doesn’t seem too bad, does he?”

0 Daisy Thorpe I'm not entirely unhappy to be. 177 Daisy Thorpe 0 5

Alice

January 22, 2011 1:21 AM

I could do that instead. by Alice

Startled, Alice stared like a deer caught in headlights at the girl that had just yelled at her. Okay, maybe she hadn’t really yelled, but to Alice it was like the entire world had just shattered. Her heart was racing and she felt like she was going to cry. How could anyone tell her to stop taking pictures? They were her only line to the reality of being. How could anyone be so utterly cruel? No, she couldn’t handle this right now. She bit her lip forcing down the emotions. She wouldn’t let them overtake her. She couldn’t. If she did, she felt like she would be swept into a sea of emotions that she avoided.

Emotionally shut down, Alice continued looking at the girl, this time her face was a blank canvas. Her eyes shifted momentarily to the boy when he asked if Fae was okay. She assumed Fae to be the girl’s name. The apology made her look back to the girl. What was wrong with her state? She knew better than to take Jordan’s picture when she was in the middle of doing a mud mask or anything like that. Otherwise, wouldn’t someone want to remember this moment? The moment that they were determined to be in the houses they were in. Even if it hadn’t turned out how she had hoped, she wanted to remember it despite looking like a lobster.

“Yes.” It was a simple one-word answer to a very innate question. If they were both quite young, had both been given the potion, and had both turned red, wouldn’t that make them obviously roommates? Though, she supposed that other schools could have other ways of doing things, but didn’t she know the very basics of Sonora? Why would someone choose a school if they didn’t know anything about the school? Though, if she had considered it some more, she would have thought about how she hadn’t chosen to come to this school. It had merely been an obvious choice since it was in Arizona and they lived in Arizona.

Maybe she should have considered somewhere else, as it was obviously going to be a long year with such illogical questions. Oh, it wasn’t that she was trying to be spiteful. She really wasn’t. Alice just had a tendency towards being very factual and didn’t really understand that other people didn’t think in the same way she did. She often had a difficult time dealing with this fact. At home, she often had answered questions before her sisters had and didn’t understand why they sometimes didn’t get the answer right away or at all. Wasn’t the conclusion a given? Even if one hadn’t gone over the material yet, a logical conclusion could always be derived if one took into account all the circumstances that would affect that answer and really anyone should be able to do that.

More talking. The boy again. Hazel eyes beneath long lashes looked back over to him. Oh, difficult questions. How to respond? “I have never developed any pictures taken. I suppose if you wish I could give you the film to develop. Though, I will miss it terribly,” Alice said all of this very quietly. All of the film that she had ever used had been placed in boxes. She never had developed any of them. Mostly, it was because she was scared to. What if she messed up? She took the pictures for her memories, a way for her to always remember, but if she tried to develop them and messed up, then the memories would be ruined. No, they were much safer staying in boxes.

Oh, yes. Introductions. Politeness. She had nearly forgotten with thoughts of the film. Jordan had told her that she needed to actually tell people who she was. Though, she really didn’t fathom a need. Names were just an identifier. They weren’t the actuality of the person. In fairness, however, it wasn’t as if she was big on allowing them knowing the actuality of her person so she supposed she should give them an identifier even if it was a bit personal. It was like if she named her juice ‘Sally.’ “My parents named me Alice and passed along the surname Adair.” There was no actual guarantee that she was an Adair or really that any person was truly the proper last name. There were too many tangents on family trees for that. Oh, well. At least, she had tried.

0 Alice I could do that instead. 0 Alice 0 5

Eliza

January 22, 2011 1:27 AM

Yes, this is much better by Eliza

Nic Sawyer was very large, and more intimidating than anyone short of Daniel Nash himself Eliza had encountered at Sonora, but he had never done anything to her, which made him a vast improvement above her horrible roommate. Their passing nods during the Concert play preparations last year had always been perfectly civil, and now he was making a suggestion that was meant to be helpful.

As loudly as she could hear Nicole’s voice in her head, Eliza took a small amount of the recommended stuffing and gravy, to be polite. When interacting with people, there was always going to be an element of not saying or doing exactly what you wanted to say or do within limits. If you were a civilized person, anyway.

“Thank you,” she said, taking a bite of it. It did taste pretty good, though she wasn’t going in for seconds. Self-control and all that, and she had already decided, in light of the evening she’d had, that she owed herself at least a tiny piece of chocolate cake, and maybe a scoop of ice cream. And a pancake with butter and syrup for breakfast. She’d most likely skip lunch after all that, but it would be wonderful enough at the time to make it worth it.

Unless she managed to get back enough self-control by tomorrow morning to not need it, anyway. Having a normal conversation to focus on was helping a little. “My summer? It was great. I was a little tired of my little sister by the end, but you know.” She loved Gemma, even if she was still little enough to be constantly underfoot and in Eliza’s good make-up and trying to walk in Eliza’s heels and breaking one of them and everyone was more upset about Gemma having a scraped knee than the fact that she’d totally broken the heel off half of one of Eliza’s favorite pairs of shoes and that made no sense when they could patch her up as easily as they could repair the shoe and Gem was the one in the wrong. “And we saw some of my cousins for the first time in, like, forever.” Otherwise known as last August, and the world could always do with a little less Andrew in it, but whatever. Uncle Roger and Aunt Helena were always going to be huge improvements over Aunt Kat.

Even Katherine was doing better, though, now that Miss Wilcox visited her. They had been very good friends, so much so that they traveled together, and everyone had expected Miss Wilcox to marry Uncle Victor, but then Miss Wilcox had fallen out with them somehow and Uncle Vic had gotten engaged to Miss Carey and then had a scandalous affair with the other Miss Carey after the first Miss Carey died and then everything had just gone downhill. Eliza knew better, by this point, than to hope Uncle Vic would get enough better to marry Miss Wilcox so they and Aunt Kat could all take care of each other again and let Eliza’s family get back to their lives the way they had been, but still, life was easier now that Aunt Kat and Miss Wilcox were friends again.

She looked up, startled, when she heard her name, but relaxed and smiled when it was only Jordan. They had always gotten along really well, so she was okay with Jordan sitting with them and more sure than she would be with anyone short of Sara Raines right now that she could trust the other girl not to cause a problem. Especially since Jordan’s thing was guys, and Eliza had no interest, that way, in the one they were with. “You, too,” she exclaimed, looking over Jordan’s outfit. “Jordan, this is Nic Sawyer. We were both on the Concert play last year. Nic – “ okay, they weren’t really first-name acquaintances, but she was also pretty sure Nic wasn’t proper society anyway, so it would be weirder to call him ‘Mr. Sawyer’ – “this is my roommate, Jordan Adair.”

And then a thought occurred to her, and Eliza’s smile flickered very slightly and briefly.

She’d had a thought before about what to do to teach Renee a lesson she really needed to know if she planned to somehow not draw the wrath of people a lot bigger and more powerful than Eliza at some point, and it involved turning their Head of House’s thoughts on equality back on her. If everyone in Crotalus was supposed to be equal, then Renee could no more get away with saying she was better than Eliza and trying to start a fight than Eliza could get away with making blood comments. If she was allowed to because she was a Quidditch player, Eliza could write home to Daddy, and then the new headmaster would either have to correct the problem or explain to a donor why this girl was so special that she could break the manners rule and Eliza was supposed to just take it because she was a pureblood and other people weren’t supposed to have to treat them with common decency. And since Coach Pierce would have thought of that, and wouldn’t want to deal with it, and might – the optimistic part of her said – just be fair enough to admit that Renee should have to be nice, too, she would either get to see Renee kicked off the Quidditch team or at least see her humiliated in front of someone she had even more reason to want as an ally than Eliza did, and probably put on watch for the next time she got on her high thestral and blatantly tried to provoke someone who’d done nothing to her.

The thing that hadn’t occurred to her was how the rest of the dorm would take that.

On one hand, she had nothing like Quidditch which they could take away from her, which was a disadvantage right away if they decided they didn’t trust her and grouped up to plot her downfall. On the other, though, Renee was crazy, and who knew what they could all come up with if they put their heads together? Plus, she had to live with them all for five more years, plus this one, and it was clear that someone’s time was going to be unpleasant, hers or Renee’s. If someone had to suffer – and she’d so hoped no one would, but oh well – she wanted it to be her enemy, not her.

The solution, of course, was to just get her other roommates on her side against Renee before she took her out.

“That reminds me,” she said, extending one hand in Jordan’s direction. “Let’s get the password from a prefect and then go, um, touch up our make-up – “ she was not going to say the word bathroom in front of a boy, whatever her feelings about him, if she could help it – “before we go up, okay?” She assumed the 'private conference needed' code would get across clearly without her having to actually say there was something she didn't want to talk about in front of Nic...or the rest of the people they lived with.

0 Eliza Yes, this is much better 0 Eliza 0 5

Nicodemus Sawyer

January 22, 2011 10:44 AM

Very good then. by Nicodemus Sawyer

After Eliza took a sample of the stuffing - not very much, but she obviously wasn't growing as fast as he was and in need of every ounce of body weight she could get so she didn't look like a skeleton - he refilled his own plate with just as much food as he'd piled on the first time through. He ate it slower though, actually enjoying the taste this time rather than just packing it away.

"Good," he said when she had enjoyed her summer. Being an only child, he couldn't exactly relate to the little sister comment, but he shrugged and nodded once in understanding because it probably wasn't far off how he felt about his parents. He wasn't entirely sure what to say about her cousins that she didn't see often either, because Dad's brother's kids were his own version of rarely seen cousins and he wasn't sure if he should offer sympathy or not. She hadn't said seeing them again after 'forever' had been a good thing, after all.

But then, her fullblood father probably hadn't married a muggle psychic and gone into divinations, so maybe Eliza got along with the distant family.

Fortunately, before he was required to come up with some way to hold up his side of the conversation - which would probably involve telling her about his summer though he really didn't want to. Not because anything bad had happened - it had been a pretty decent summer - but because he just didn't like sharing personal information. And he'd probably have to explain what his parents did for a living for anything to make sense. The one thing he liked best about Sonora was that nobody here knew his parents were completely insane.

So Jordan Adair's arrival was met with great internal relief. "Hello," he said politely when introduced.

And then Eliza seemed ready to go and drag Jordan away with her, and Nic was okay with that, too. Conversations were not his thing. "Have a good year," he told them, because just turning back to his food and ignoring them would probably be rude.

1 Nicodemus Sawyer Very good then. 165 Nicodemus Sawyer 0 5

Fae

January 22, 2011 3:15 PM

No, that's just plain creepy. by Fae

Despite not knowing Topher’s relationship with this Thomas fellow (other than being cousins) or knowing anything about Thomas himself, Fae still found herself amused by the whole thing. Fae wasn’t sure she’d be able to follow along with anything Thomas said not because she didn’t have some brains, but because of how he probably phrased things. Although, if he were only talking about his roommate, then maybe it was the roommate with whom Fae would have the most trouble with.

Apparently it was only Fae who had been startled by the sudden picture taking because Topher was only asking her if she were alright and not at all concerned about the camera in their face. She nodded though, so that he knew she was fine. Fae had no issue with getting her picture taken. None. She did, however, have an issue when she wasn’t aware that someone wanted one and was continuously taking them without her knowledge. Who’s to say how they would use those pictures? Or even worse, what if Fae was looking really stupid and they used that picture as blackmail? Her parents would absolutely hate her if she brought any shame to the family name.

The girl didn’t seem at all pleased by Fae’s request for her to stop. Actually, at first she looked scared and then suddenly she looked as though Fae was nothing and there was nothing. It was actually really creepy and Fae felt extremely uncomfortable. She really hadn’t meant to be rude or anything, really. But the girl should have asked if it was alright first before she just started taking shots of everyone.

Fae’s eyes narrowed slightly with the girl’s lack of communication with only a simple ‘yes’ as an answer. Fae was being polite. She had manners. That’s what she was taught. She was never supposed to assume anything even if the answer was obvious because she could be wrong and then would look like a fool. The girl could at least show some sort of acknowledgment for mannerisms instead of just staring at her like she was worthless.

When Topher asked about the pictures, Fae took the opportunity to look around. The only other semi-red person she saw was another boy. No other girls. Fantastic. Fae was stuck with camera girl who Fae felt was the sort of person Topher’s cousin, Thomas, had been warning him about. Fae had started this whole event with reservations and now having met her roommate, Fae was absolutely miserable. If she had to live the next seven years with a girl who stared at her like that and had no manners, there was no way she could survive. She almost preferred having to deal with Shelby at her all girl school.

Taking a breath, Fae introduced herself, “Hi Alice, I’m Fae Sinclair… from Connecticut.” She again, added the last part but felt as though the girl would scrutinize her for it. “You do not develop your pictures?” Fae asked out of curiosity. “Do you not want to know what you’ve captured on film?”

0 Fae No, that's just plain creepy. 0 Fae 0 5

Jessica

January 22, 2011 5:31 PM

We all sound so smart! by Jessica

Listening to everyone's history was so interesting. Derry's family owned a mountain, which was hard to believe, even for her. Jessica herself felt that nature should be shared by everyone, but no one else really seemed to understand her logic. That's why she loved forests and national parks and the like. However, as Derry continued talking about his family, she wondered if that's how life in England would have been for her if she had stayed.

Jessica nodded, half-listening to Madeline's background as she thought about what to say for her own. Lots of her friends had parents who were professors. It seemed like an ideal job for many. It was definitely cool that Madeline got to travel a lot, though that wasn't really Jessica's taste. She liked to stay close to home.

Regina's story was interesting. From Nebraska? That was a bit far from her. Oh! And they had something in common! Jessica smiled as Regina explained things in muggle terms for Madeline. She sneaked a peek at Derry, wondering if he understood the comparisons. Probably not.

Regina called Derry lucky for having a large family, and Jessica sighed. Well, was it her turn now?

"Well, I'm from Southern California, though I was originally from England. My dad had a huge blow out with my grandparents because he was all interested in muggles or something, so we moved out to the States when I was four. I haven't seen my family in England since. Um, I have two older siblings that I'm not close to and I haven't seen them in a long time. They're pretty conservative, and they hang around England a lot with my other family. Last I heard, anyway. My older sister goes to Sapienti University, though.

"My dad's an apothecary and my mum's an artist. She paints." She felt like her family had a lot of history that she didn't know anything about, but maybe it was for the better. "I have a pretty large family too, except they're all in Europe." She smiled at Regina. "Seems like we have something in common! Our dad's are both Potion Masters!"

0 Jessica We all sound so smart! 0 Jessica 0 5

Topher

January 22, 2011 7:52 PM

Yeah, I'd rather you didn't, too. by Topher

Okay, then, Topher thought, starting to wonder if his newest acquaintance was all the way there. Fae had indicated she was all right, apparently just surprised, so that was good, but the new girl was still acting like she thought they were going to suddenly attack her or something.

He was as surprised as Fae to hear that she didn’t actually develop any of the pictures she made, but raised his hands in a ‘no, no’ gesture anyway. “Don’t worry about it,” he assured her. “Art – “ he gestured slightly to her camera – “artist – “ he changed the gesture to include the new girl herself – “thing. Wouldn’t want to, er, deprive you or anything.” He thought deprive was the right word.

She finally introduced herself, if not in a conventional way. He guessed his mom had named him Christopher and his parents had passed on the last name Calhoun, but it never would have occurred to him to…distance himself from the name that way.

Distancing herself. That was what she was doing. It was like her name didn’t have anything to do with her. He was Topher, but she was just called Alice, not really was Alice. Like when he had first agreed to take his dad’s name, but had taken a few months more to start feeling like his name was Calhoun instead of it just being something new people called him, only worse because it was both her names and she seemed to lack ordinary-adjustment, never mind name-adjustment.

Fae was apparently fully comfortable being Fae Sinclair, though, because she introduced herself officially to Alice the same way she’d introduced herself to him. And asked the question he’d been wondering about, but had decided not to ask. Since his new pal in being Kind of Normal Crotali – the other new guy had yet to say anything, making it hard to evaluate him – had done it for him, though, he decided to listen and hear what the answer was.

0 Topher Yeah, I'd rather you didn't, too. 0 Topher 0 5

Raines Bradley

January 22, 2011 8:14 PM

We are all fine here. No exceptions permitted. by Raines Bradley

This was, Raines decided, what going mad felt like. In Hell.

He had always felt as if people were watching his every move, waiting for him to make a mistake, to do something they could exploit to ruin his reputation and humiliate him, but he had always been grimly sure of his ability to keep them from succeeding. Their eyes made him nervous, they always had, but now, they almost seemed to burn him. It was an effort to force himself to keep walking past the seat at the Crotalus table closest to the door, up to a respectable position which highlighted his right to a prominent place in the House without stepping on the toes of the senior students of quality in the House. What existed of them.

His family had gone through scandals before. Many times. Especially if one, as Raines did, considered his family to be his mother’s family, not his father’s. The Raines family seemed to have a new drama every few years, and even when they didn’t, the old ones came up again for discussion every time Catherine did something to draw attention to herself, like get married or have children or start throwing parties of her own instead of remaining under the supervision and control of her mother and mother-in-law. Never before, though, had such a scandal impacted Raines directly, and he had no idea how to handle the situation.

His older sister had been disowned, which meant, in the pureblood community, people would offer him condolences over Anna’s death to his face while gossiping about what she’d been thinking and what she was doing now behind his back, and saying things about their family and how they should have been able to keep her better in line. The polite ones would, anyway, and he would know what they were saying behind his back, but there wouldn’t be anything he could do about it, and he was sure it was going to drive him crazy. The rude, honest ones, if there were any, would almost be better. Under some circumstances, he might actually be able to hex them, and that would be a huge relief. It had been all he could do to refrain from trying to blow the house up since Anna died; taking it all out on someone deserving wouldn’t fix anything, but it would make him feel better.

He barely listened to the new headmaster’s speech, preoccupied as he was with appearing calm and all right, and only just registered that Stephenson was the new prefect. It was a shame, a Muggleborn getting that position when there was a pureblood in her year, but even he could see that giving Jethro Smythe a badge would be a disaster. Once the food appeared, he served himself turkey in the hopes it would knock him out cold, then filled out the rest of the plate to avoid looking strange. Then, he did what he had to do.

“Good evening,” he said civilly, making eye contact with another student.

0 Raines Bradley We are all fine here. No exceptions permitted. 155 Raines Bradley 0 5

Professor John Fawcett

January 22, 2011 8:47 PM

...The staff was being awesome by Professor John Fawcett

The Deputy Head was the person in charge of passing out cups of potion to new students for the Sorting Ceremony, but it was the Potions Master’s job to ensure that the bubbly brew was correctly prepared and ready to go on time, so John had spent several days being extremely busy. Though their relationships to the selfhood of the ones who ingested them were opposites, the Sorting Potion was not structurally dissimilar to Polyjuice, and was very complex to make, if less time-consuming than its cousin.

As the skin colors of the students began to shift toward House shades, John still felt slightly harried – no doubt partially due to the pressure associated with not screwing up in front of a new boss; he had grown comfortable around Sadi Powell, but David Regal was an entirely new flavor of tea, and one John had not yet had enough time, when no one really had and he usually took more than other people did, to acclimate to – but pleased. Everything out there seemed to be going well, and Aladren was not doing poorly. They weren’t the largest new House, which seemed to be Teppenpaw, of all things, and made him wonder for a moment if he had botched the potion somehow, but they seemed to be the second-largest, as Pecari and Crotalus were tiny.

He wasn’t sure if he should feel sympathy or envy for Aaron and Amelia, or perhaps just a little bit smug. There had been the time when Aladren had three new students, but Pecari and Crotalus were almost always large, which was no small part of their repeated dominance in the House Points competitions. Perhaps his colleagues enjoyed that, but given that Pecaris were also the most rambunctious of children normally, and Crotali had a tendency to practice their adult political skills on each other as children…They might be relieved, not sorry, to have a slightly smaller number to deal with than usual for a year.

Amelia was in the seat next to his, and it seemed that her reaction was – not positive, anyway. The whisper about that poor child, though, indicated it wasn’t her House’s low entry numbers which were causing her concern, as there were at least four of those poor children out there.

The first years dispersed to tables, and the Headmaster began his speech. John applauded especially for the announcement of an Aladren Head Boy and the new Aladren prefect, in no doubt whatsoever how he should feel about that. His House was traditionally either the smallest or second smallest in the school, depending on how Teppenpaw numbers fell, but they had the highest Head Person numbers of any House through the history of the school. Aladrens were not numerous, but they were achievers, and that was something to take pride in. Great pride. And both Mr. Nash and Mr. Carey were exceptional young gentlemen. He also smiled and nodded respectfully to the new librarian, whose acquaintance he meant to make at the first opportunity since their interactions were likely to be numerous, and to the new substitute, since he’d once been that fellow.

He hadn’t, however, forgot Amelia’s reaction to the Sorting, and addressed her once the food was on the tables and the new Aladrens gave no signs of breaking into war bands before the blue stains faded from their hands and faces. “Everything all right, Amelia?” he asked.

0 Professor John Fawcett ...The staff was being awesome 19 Professor John Fawcett 0 5

Melody Abramson

January 22, 2011 9:25 PM

That makes two of us! by Melody Abramson

Melody Abramson had been super excited to go to Sonora ever since her brother Cooper went. Cooper, who was two years older than his sister and much less talkative, hadn’t told Melody a whole lot about the school, but Melody was sure she would love it. After all, her (foster) dad Aaron was a teacher there, so it had to be a good place. Plus she had Cooper there with her, so it wasn’t like the eleven-year-old would be going by herself without knowing anyone. The only thing that sucked was that her (foster) daddy Garen Tennant worked at Rocky Mountain International, so he wouldn’t be with all the rest of them.

The whole wagon ride to Sonora, Melody was practically bouncing with excitement. How often did you get to ride in a flying wagon?

Well, okay, at least twice a year if you went to Sonora. Cooper was probably pretty unimpressed by it at this point, but Melody’s brother was really hard to impress anyway. He probably hadn’t even thought it was cool the first time. But the wagon ride was really exciting to Melody; RMI students just took a Portkey. Melody had travelled by Portkey a few times before, but the brown-eyed girl didn’t really like it that much. Feeling squished like in Portkeys and Apparition was really unappealing to the first-year.

The first thing the Headmaster—Melody had met Headmistress Powell once or twice and was really sad that Headmaster Regal was there in her place, even though Melody was sure Mr. Regal would do a good job—did was have one of the other teachers give the each of first-years a goblet full of potion. This part, Melody knew a little about. The first-years drank the potion, and then turned the color for their new House. Melody didn’t have a favorite House, but the brunette had some ideas about where she wanted to be Sorted. Cooper was an Aladren, so that was probably an awesome House full of awesome people like her brother. And Dad was Head of House for Pecari, so that had to be a good House. And if she didn’t get into either of those Houses, apparently Crotalus’ color was red! Red was Melody’s favorite color, so that would also be totally fine with the girl.

Thus, when she drank the potion and turned a bright yellow, Melody was more than a little disappointed. But the now-Teppenpaw always tried to make the best of things, so she put a smile on and went over to where the other sunshiney-looking first-years had gone.

Sunshine. Sunshine was a good thing about the color yellow! And…bananas, and sunflowers, and canaries. Melody couldn’t think of a lot of other yellow things…but if the potion put her in Teppenpaw, it was probably right. Maybe she would have really great roommates and friends in the new House. Maybe their Quidditch team needed a Seeker. After having watched Quidditch games at RMI for the last few years, Melody was thinking about plying. She didn’t have any actual experience with the sport, but it seemed like Seeker would be fun; she definitely wasn’t strong enough to be a Beater, she thought, and handling the Quaffle didn’t really appeal to the first year. So if Teppenpaw needed a Seeker…

Of course, Melody didn’t even know anything about her House yet! This in mind, she almost asked the other first-year girl (probably my roommate!) next to her if she knew stuff about Teppenpaw, but Headmaster Regal still had more to say. Melody clapped politely for the boys and girls who had been made Head Students or Prefects. Although she wasn’t particularly ambitious, Melody thought it might be nice to be a Prefect someday. She definitely liked helping people, and the student leaders were supposed to help underclassmen. That sounded like a great job to have.

Once Headmaster Regal had finished talking about the new staff members (who Melody clapped politely for), she turned again to her Housemate, who jumped the wand by introducing herself first. “Hi, Hope!” Melody said happily, smiling at the other first year. “I’m Melody.” It was kind of cool how their names were both nouns. Melody though matching names were really awesome—she had always wanted to meet someone named Harmony, and she thought the fact that Garen and Aaron rhymed was perfect.

“Do you know a lot about Sonora?” Melody asked, taking a taco like Hope had. Tacos weren’t her favorite, but Melody wasn’t a picky eater. She was more daring as far as food went—not shy to try something new. “I know some people’s whole families went here, but I just have my brother Cooper here. He’s a third-year in Aladren, but he doesn’t like to talk a lot, so I’ve hardly heard anything!” She thought that maybe she shouldn’t mention that Aaron was her (foster) dad yet. If she got really good grades or something in Charms, Melody didn’t want anyone to think he was playing favorites.

0 Melody Abramson That makes two of us! 0 Melody Abramson 0 5

Addison Regan Thornton

January 22, 2011 11:36 PM

Deep Breaths by Addison Regan Thornton

The door to the Cascade Hall shut with a slam and Addi jumped hearing it thud. Addi looked around herself at the other nervous first years, though some were much more nervous than others! She figured that she herself was probably the most nervous one of the lot however. The larger than average eleven year old looked around the room for her sister and spotted her talking to some people on the other side of the room and she shrunk into the wall. She wanted to be invisible, moreso, she wanted to be home! She jumped as she heard a male voice. The new Headmaster was introducing himself to the kids and as he spoke, she felt a goblet get thrust into her hand and the red head almost dropped it, but caught it just in time!

She listened as the Headmaster told them that they were to drink from the goblet to be sorted into their houses and Addi looked at the potion in the goblet with quite a bit of trepidation. The eleven year old fretted at what it could do and watched the other first years around her change colors before her very eyes. She closed her eyes tightly and opened them again, hoping beyond all hopes that it would have taken her right back home just by shutting her eyes and wishing. But when she opened them again, she was still at Sonora, and surrounded by students of all four different colors. They were all moving towards the House Tables and soon she stood there alone, still normal skin tone.

Looking down at the potion in the goblet, she swallowed a large lump of saliva and glanced at her sister, who looked as if she was anxiously waiting to see what house Addi would belong in.

‘Go on!’ Arista mouthed at Addison, and only then did Addi put the goblet to her lips and drank the liquid. Closing her eyes once more, she didn’t want to see herself turn colors, she waited to see what would happen, and soon she heard a “WHOOP!” from the direction of where Arista sat and she opened her eyes. Looking at herself, she saw why Arista was so excited, they were in the same house! Smiling Addison scampered as fast as she could towards her sister but was blocked as someone had been sitting on either side of Arista already. Addi looked at Ris worriedly, but Ris gave her the thumbs up sign and she sat down not far away, pulling her knees to her chest nervously as David kept talking.

Addi sort of heard what was going on around her, but first thing was first, her head was spilling over with all sorts of things. Most importantly all the people around her who she had no idea who they were. She was nervous and scared and really just wanted to go home! It didn’t matter if she was in the same house as her older sister, Teppenpaw, Arista still had friends there, and the friends she had did not include her younger sister! Addi swallowed nervously as the food arrived on the table in front of her, but she dared not eat. Addison knew that when she felt like this it was the WORST time to eat! She knew she’d end up making herself sick, and she didn’t want to do that in front of all the people she didn’t know. Continuing to glance at Arista, who gave her another thumbs up and pointed towards the yellow student sitting next to her. “Go on! Tell them who you are!” she mouthed, picking up her fist (as if she’d really hit her own sister?!) as if to show Addison that if she didn’t just get over her fear and introduce herself she’d punch her and Addi turned to her neighbor and stuttered. “H-Hi…” before she clammed up completely.

0 Addison Regan Thornton Deep Breaths 0 Addison Regan Thornton 0 5

Coach Amelia Pierce

January 23, 2011 10:18 AM

Exactly by Coach Amelia Pierce

Amelia was a little surprised to have John address her with a question of concern, but she supposed she had zoned her way through most of the new Headmaster's speech (not the best way to make a good first impression) and was staring more at the Teppenpaw table than she was her own Crotali (which, thankfully, was a smaller and hopefully easier-to-manage lot than the girls she'd just graduated - Crotalus ought to be much more peaceful this year).

She had managed to pull herself together enough to clap warmly for Charlie Abbott, the new Head Girl from her own House. But other than that, she supposed she had been distracted enough to worry her fellow staff.

"I'm fine," she assured first, but her eye drifted back to the group of yellow children. "It's just," she began, then pressed her lips together and shook her head, uncertain how to explain. She pointed her chin toward the Teppenpaw table, trying to be discreet so that none of the children there would get worried by having a staff member point at them overtly, "The yellow boy in the tricorner hat."

There were no other children wearing such an odd item, so she felt confident that John could figure out who she had meant even if her chin-jut had been less than precise. "Twelve years ago, his brother was disowned at the same time I was. I adopted Derry Three as my own son, but that meant Derwent the Second had no heir anymore. About ten months after Derry Three was disowned, Derry Four there was born."

She frowned down at the plate of food she did not remember filling, and poked her fork at the peas. "Derry Four is hardly the first child born to pureblood parents to replace a lost heir, but dear Merlin, the child could be my Derry's younger self and Aunt Jessica dressed him in that cursed hat. That hat belonged to my Derry."

"I'd heard they weren't telling him his brother had been disowned but that he had died outright but, my God, I didn't think they were trying to mold Four into being Three all over again. And he's Teppenpaw, so it's working."

1 Coach Amelia Pierce Exactly 20 Coach Amelia Pierce 0 5

Charlie

January 23, 2011 11:08 AM

Maybe we should swap roles this year? by Charlie

"To be honest, I think it’s more than his sexuality that he’s confused about," Lita whispered back, and explained her theory about Daniel being in a role. Charlie realised the truth in him being controlled all the time, but she hadn't considered that this, too, might be causing him some confusion. She frowned a little, mulling this new concept over in her mind. Daniel could let loose from time to time, Charlie knew that, but it wasn't very frequent. Why, then, was he like that? It had never bothered Charlotte that her friend had been particularly reserved, but then he'd always been fairly open with her at the saem time, telling her stuff about his dad and about his own feelings. Besides, lots of people put on acts for other people. Even Charlie herself was being unusually restrained about Daniel because she was concerned about what would happen otherwise, but she didn't do it to everyone all over the time.

"Hmm," Charlie said, because that's all she could thing of to say.

As she started munching on her salad, still, inevitably, thinking about Daniel, Lita surprised her by saying, "We both have our boy issues."

Charlie looked up to see her friend smiling, and she couldn't help but smile back just as widely. It was so unlike Lita to openly mention boys like this, and Charlie wasn't going to pass on the opportunity. Leaning back in she whispered again, "You have boy issues? We're talking about Juri, right?" She said the name especially quietly even in her excitement, because Lita had never actually specified her feelings about him. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how one looked at it), Lita had Charlie for a best friend, and Charlie was not exactly a stranger when it came to boys and crushes. She knew Lita liked Juri, probably more than just friends, and now she knew Kita was having boy issues. It wasn't rocket science - in fact it didn't even occur to Charlie that Lita could be talking about someone else, simply because the only boy she'd seen Lita talk to out of class was Juri.

0 Charlie Maybe we should swap roles this year? 0 Charlie 0 5

Jordan

January 23, 2011 11:18 AM

Oooh, secret meetings. by Jordan

OOC: Hope you don't mind, I just assumed that they got the password and went to the bathroom to help speed up the thread a bit to the critical junction.

BIC:

Up close, it was easier to judge Nic. He definitely fit into the cute category, which was a bonus. She didn’t like to think she based things on looks, but in reality, nearly everyone did. Most people didn’t generally seek out the unattractive to talk to. They wanted to be near the beautiful people even when they were the meanest people, because they seemed to have everything and that maybe, just maybe, one would get to have that too. So, yes, she was like other people. She didn’t go up to an ugly boy and hoped he had a great personality. No, she wanted to get to know an attractive boy with the hope of making it work.

Of course, this only worked if she got past saying ‘hi’ to the person, which obviously wasn’t happening with Nic since Eliza’s wording caught her attention. If it had been something else, then Jordan would have just made a point of staying and getting to know Nic, however, it wasn’t. It seemed even a bit important. Though, maybe that was just her imagination. Either way, she only pouted slightly, as she got up to go with her friend. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t set up something for later. “I’ll catch you in class, Nic. We can be partners in something!” She gave another grin. She would definitely be finding him later.

Taking Eliza’s hand, so they could get the password and head to the bathroom. Once there, she checked the counter to make sure it was dry before jumping up to sit down. “Wow, Nic is totally cute. I never really checked him out before cause he just always seems to be brooding. Not that that would normally stop me, but you know me, always busy. I probably just never really noticed him. Though, it’s really cool that you guys worked on the play together. Are you into him? If you are, just say the word and I’ll totally back off.” She was not one of those girls that went after her friend’s love interest no matter how good looking or even if they showed interest in her. It just wasn’t right.

Pulling out her lip-gloss, she reapplied. It was important to always actually touch up so that when they left, it looked like they had actually gone for the reason they said they were rather than for a conference. Done, her brown eyes looked directly at Eliza. “Okay, so what’s up? Obviously, you have something on your mind.” Hers was racing to try and figure out what Eliza could possibly be thinking. They had just gotten back to school so she dismissed anything here. Maybe it had something to do with summer? Maybe something awful had happened and she needed someone to help with reputation damage control? If that were the case, Jordan totally would. Eliza was probably the closest girl friend she had at Sonora.

0 Jordan Oooh, secret meetings. 0 Jordan 0 5

Josephine

January 23, 2011 11:44 AM

Fashions change all the time by Josephine

The boy Josephine had spoken to was sort of scruffy-looking, like he'd only just gotten out of bed, but he smiled at her, so she smiled back. “Yeah, you definitely made it into the best House, if I do say so myself.” Josephine thought that James would probably disagree, but then if he hadn't been sorted in Aladren, Pecari surely would have been his second choice. The sorting potion implied Josephine was adaptable and instinctive, and she liked to agree. There couldn't be anything wrong with a House of people like that, especially if they were all as friendly as the boy Josephine ended up next to, who, it turned out, was called Neal and in his third year. Josephine was on the verge of replying to his introduction when she felt a tugging at her sleeve, and a small voice calling her attention. She turned to see the girl next to her, who was also showing similar signs of recently having been turned brown, asking if being sorted into Pecari was a good thing.

"Pecaris are supposed to be spontaneous," Jospehine said to the new girl, glancing at Neal for clarification, "amongst other things. I think it's a good House to be in," she gave her opinion quite decidedly for someone who had only been in the House a few minutes. "My parents were in Pecari," she gave the additional information that might support her statement, and perhaps offer some insight into why she herself was so pleased to have been sorted there. Honestly, being in her parents' old House meant little to Josephine beyond limited sentimental value, but she was hardly going to go into details like that on first acquaintance.

"I'm Josephine Owen," she introduced herself to both her companions. She didn't want to stop talking to Neal, especially as he'd been so nice so far, but the other girl looked shy, and was in Josephine's own year group, so she wanted to talk to her, too. "And I think we'll be sharing a dormitory," Josephine added, specifically to the other first year. "What's your name?"

0 Josephine Fashions change all the time 0 Josephine 0 5

Eliza

January 23, 2011 3:33 PM

They're super fun by Eliza

OOC: No problem! BIC:

Eliza had meant for the bathroom conference to occur after the Feast, so they wouldn’t appear to be rushing away from Nic and so Renee wouldn’t potentially realize that something was up when two of her roommates left together and start setting up a plan of her own, but she hadn’t said that, so she couldn’t say anything about Nic and Jordan interpreting it as if she'd meant right now. Besides, there was a good chance both of her concerns were going to be irrelevant. Jordan was making it clear she, at least, didn’t have any distaste for Nic, and Renee was most likely too busy stuffing her fat face to pay any attention to what the weak-natured were doing…

She did, however, regret the chocolate cake and ice cream. Maybe at supper tomorrow night. The food here was always good, and while the feasts had the greatest variety, cake and ice cream in some form were practically guaranteed to appear on dessert menus on regular days as well. There were some benefits to having a few simple tastes.

“Thanks,” she said to Nic’s offer of a good year. “You, too. Really sorry to just run off on you like this. We can catch up later. Thanks for letting me sit with you.”

Then, satisfied that she’d done as much as she could to mend fences there, she joined hands with Jordan and went to get the new password. That was harder to be patient with, because it involved drawing more attention to themselves, but she smiled. Mother always talked about smiling whenever it was appropriate to the situation and looking neutral when it wasn’t, because otherwise, people wouldn’t want to give her what she wanted, and it would make the encounter with a prefect even more memorable. Coach Pierce’s voice, a year distant, was still clear in her head about fighting and how everyone was equal in Crotalus and they should bring their problems to her. This had to be kept quiet until Eliza was ready for their Head of House to know about it.

In the bathroom, she waited for Jordan to finish discussing Nic as patiently as she could. “He seems pretty cool, but you can have him,” she said. For some reason, she had never really felt attracted to a boy, the way her friend always seemed to be. Maybe it was because Jordan didn’t, as far as she knew, have brothers, and people who were used to boys were slower to find them interesting that way.

“You might say that,” she said when Jordan stated that there was something on her mind. She folded her arms and turned her head so her hair fell away from her face, biting her lip, as though this was harder for her than it really was. It helped that it was really harder than she’d expected to be. The only thing remotely like this she had ever tried to do in her life was act, and she’d had a lifetime of sort of practicing that before she ever joined the Concert. This was…this was adult-y stuff, the kind of thing she wasn’t really smart enough to do yet. “I think we’re going to have a problem with Renee,” she said finally, toying with her own tube of lip gloss.

“I mean, I know this is going to sound crazy, since she was okay last year, but she was just out of line tonight. I was originally sitting with her, not Nic, and she asked me to pass her this pudding, and it was really heavy, so I got out my wand to move it, and she started snapping her fingers at me and telling me to hurry up. Then she told me we’re all just too slow for her, then she just ignored me until she was done eating. Didn’t even say thank you. That was rude, but I thought she’d just been joking before, so I told her I wasn’t mad at her, but that she might want to be more careful about that kind of thing because it makes it sound like she thinks she’s better than everyone, you know? So then she tells me she does think she’s better than everyone, and we’re all just ‘weak-natured’ – “ she unfolded her arms to make the air quotes – “and that I clearly think I ought to be her servant because I passed her the pudding in the first place when she was still being polite, before the finger-snapping. It was completely crazy.”

She took a deep breath. Telling the first parts completely truthfully had been a good idea, because she’d been set in her tone when she got to the part where she…exaggerated a little. She was sure Renee had meant exactly what she’d just told Jordan, but still. “That’s when I left, because I didn’t do anything to her and she does not get to talk to me like that any more than she gets to put herself up on a pedestal because our Head of House is the Quidditch Coach and she happens to be a Quidditch player. I’m pretty sure Coach Pierce was including her when she said we were all equal last year, aren’t you?” She shook her head. “I thought about just telling Coach Pierce about it tonight, so there’s not any trouble, but then I thought I’d better tell you first. And I don’t even know if it’s big enough, or if I should wait for her to do something else, or what. What do you think?”

0 Eliza They're super fun 0 Eliza 0 5

Arista Rose Thornton

January 23, 2011 10:39 PM

Sunshine it is! by Arista Rose Thornton

After she and her sister arrived at the Cascade Hall and dropped their things at the doorway, Arista led a terrified Addison inside and stopped by the other first years long enough to smile at her younger sister and whisper into her ear that everything would be okay whatever house she was sorted in. The twelve year old knew how scared her sister was, though she also knew she’d make Addi’s time at school worse if she babied or coddled her. ‘The best thing for her is for me to leave her be and let her get to know people!’ Arista thought as she walked off towards the other Teppenpaws, pretending to talk to the kids around her to show her younger sister that everything really was going to be okay, when all the while she’d been stealing glances towards Addi and the other first years.

She turned towards the male voice which started speaking, introducing himself as Professor David Regal, the new Headmaster. Looking at him with an air of change, Ris smiled and waved to him, welcomingly as he introduced Professor Cohen, who walked by each of the first years with a goblet in hand.

Each eleven year old took it in their hands, and many drank from it right away and took off to their houses. Arista watched as the last new first year other than her sister had taken a drink from their goblet and walked towards the other students of their new houses. She bit her lip and gave Addi the thumbs up sign in hopes that she’d get her bum in gear and drink from her goblet. She knew her little sister hated being watched, and this was watching at its best!

‘Go on!’ Arista mouthed at Addison, and only then did Addi put the goblet to her lips and drank the liquid. Arista smiled as she watched Addison close her eyes, wild thoughts rushed through her mind. ‘What if she’s not in my house? What if she gets all upset and sick over this? Maybe I shouldn’t have left her at the door like that, maybe I should have--’ she thought as her sister turned yellow just as she had the year before.

“WHOOP!” Arista shouted and Addi opened her eyes. Addison scamped over towards Arista, but as there were students already at both of her sides, her little sister couldn’t have sat down next to her. She sat nearby though, and pulled her knees to her chest and Arista sighed worriedly, making a mental note to owl Mir or her parents about Addi later. Professor Regal went on talking, telling the group of them who the new Head Boy and Girl were, as well as the new Prefects and Arista clapped for each happily expecting a good year by the looks of it. Especially seeing as they were going to get a room they could escape their studies from this year! Ris wondered what they’d be able to do in there, and without realizing what she was doing, massaged her right thumb and hand, hoping that would make her tendonitis better as David went on. He told them that Professor Cohen would be the Deputy Head and introduced the Astronomy Sub and the new Librarian as well and clapped along with the throng of students as the feast began. The tables filled with delicious food and Arista reached for the bowl of macaroni to put some on her plate. “But really, it was an interesting summer!” She said smiling at her neighbor once more, “I can’t believe its triplets this time! I’m so excited!” she said happily. “Oh, my little sister’s here with me this year too! She’s in our house!” Arista smiled a genuine smile down the table at Addison and gave her another thumbs up before turning back to her other housemate again.

0 Arista Rose Thornton Sunshine it is! 0 Arista Rose Thornton 0 5

Professor John Fawcett

January 24, 2011 4:12 PM

As always by Professor John Fawcett

The boy in the tricorner hat was one John had noticed during the Sorting. He normally would have not paid too much attention to students not in his House until they were in his classes, but the tricorner hat stood out. Fashion history was not something he’d studied on its own or with great purpose, and it had been a while since he’d had much interaction with Muggles outside of his and Allison’s somewhat eccentric families, but he was fairly sure those had gone out of style a long time ago no matter which world one happened to belong to.

The morbid and social scientist parts of him were fascinated by Amelia’s story. He’d actually come up with an idea for a paper, once, about family bonds among purebloods, positing that parents from that class subconsciously failed to connect with their children to the extent other parents did because of their awareness of the possibility of being forced to repudiate said children for not living up to social standards at a relatively young age, but Allison had read it first – his wife was his primary editor, now and for the past thirty years – and pointed out that his hypothesis was both hard to prove without more direct evidence and that publishing something that implied the most powerful people in the country were horrible parents who didn’t love their children was a good way to get himself killed.

He’d acknowledged her point, but the idea was still one he’d thought of often. John had no children, nor did he want any, but he did have family. His mother was a fright, Scott and Carlene could be both irritating and embarrassing, and his nieces got under his feet, but the idea of honestly treating any of them as dead when they were clearly not was, even after a lifetime of studying cultures not his own and becoming accustomed to the idea of people having all sorts of different ideas, disturbing and alien to him. Allison claimed to understand it a little better – young Allison Wagner, before she found out she was a witch, had been what he understood as the Muggle equivalent of some of the especially privileged pureblood girls, but the psychological shift that went with discovering she was often considered second rate in her new world had led to political shifts which occasionally estranged her from her father, J.T., for years at a time – but as far as he knew, she’d never even been removed from her old man’s will, never mind gone so far that he developed a habit of telling people she was dead.

It seemed Amelia’s technical uncle and aunt did not share that philosophy. “Oh, dear,” he said when she claimed that Derwent and Jessica Pierce were molding one son into a carbon copy of the other. “That does seem counterproductive.” Which it did. If Derwent the Third had been so unsatisfactory as to be disowned as a child, why would they then bring up his replacement the same way? It seemed to be asking him to exhibit the same undesired behaviors. He’d heard of parents whose children had actually died attempting to shape a replacement child in the previous child’s image, but Amelia’s son’s biological parents had effectively made him dead, or at least agreed to his loss. The flaws in their logic were enough to give him a headache if he thought about them too much.

And, damn it, intrigue him. If the behavior was reasonably typical of pureblood parents who replaced a disowned heir, then it added an entire other dimension to his unused hypothesis.

Of course, then he remembered that Amelia was a coworker and that the Pierces were, in some fashion – he hadn’t missed the use of ‘Aunt Jessica’ – her family, not subjects in a study at the university. “I apologize for that remark,” he said. “That was – inappropriate. But do they not expect him to notice your surname and be curious about it?” He’d always been under the impression that purebloods were very particular about their surnames, and very surprised if anyone not formally recognized as part of the family turned out to have them.

0 Professor John Fawcett As always 19 Professor John Fawcett 0 5

Lita

January 24, 2011 6:27 PM

I think the only thing I create is confusion. by Lita

Adelita couldn’t prevent the blush that crawled across her cheeks and nose when Charlie whispered an acknowledgment of the boy with whom Lita was more than just crushing over. She doubted it had been really hard to figure out whom Lita actually liked. She certainly never bent over backwards to speak to James and Charlie knew Lita’s irritation of Quentin’s nonsense. So, really, Juri was the best guess, but that didn’t make any less embarrassing. Lita had never actually come out and said ‘yes, I like him’ but because she was more afraid of him finding out than anything else. And with Charlie, Lita was nervous that her friend would go and spill everything to Juri. She had no basis for this thought other than that Charlie might be acting on good faith hoping to help Adelita out with a love issue.

She was quiet for a moment, almost scared to actually acknowledge the truth about her crush, but Charlie had just admitted the truth to her and it was only fair that she did the same. Slowly Adelita nodded, the blush still very present on her face. “Please don’t tell him!” She pleaded to Charlie. After hearing his song last year, Lita was positive that Juri was in love with someone probably from his hometown. Whether his relationship with the girl was actually working or not, wasn’t the issue. The issue was that he clearly still loved her and Lita didn’t want to interfere with that.

“I mean, I’ve liked him for awhile, I guess. But we’re just friends.” Lita explained. Charlie’s situation was very similar with that regard, but everything else was completely different. Where Daniel was having trouble deciding where his own sexuality lied, Juri was having trouble deciding to stay or run away from a relationship. “I think he loves someone from back home and I don’t want to come between him and the girl.” It was very hard to admit to someone her feelings regarding Juri, but it was even harder to admit that there would be nothing to come of it. It was almost heartbreaking if Lita let herself think about it. But she didn’t. She refused. On top of that, she appreciated her friendship too much with Juri to ever do anything that would ruin that.

Adelita shrugged, but gave Charlie a smile. “I guess we just have to wait and see where this year takes us, huh?”

0 Lita I think the only thing I create is confusion. 0 Lita 0 5

Neal

January 24, 2011 6:55 PM

How can anyone keep up with them? by Neal

Any sort of reply the girl had planned to say seemed to be cut off by whoever was sitting beside her. As the girl he had been speaking to turned toward this mystery person, Neal tried to lean over his plate to see if it was anyone he knew or another first year. Seeing as she looked very much mystified and beside herself, he couldn’t imagine her being anything but a first year, maybe a transfer a year under him at the oldest. Not wanting to scare her since she didn’t seem at ease with her surroundings yet, Neal gave her a slight nod and fell back into his seat.

He hadn’t heard this girl’s question, but the first year he had spoken to first brought up Pecaris, so he took a stab in the dark and figured it must’ve had something to do with their House. Neal nodded as the girl he had met first explained the House, sounding like she was quite the expert. “My parents were in Pecari,” she elaborated, like that should help clarify her strong opinion, which it did. It also answered the question of how she knew more about the Houses than Neal had his first day, not that he had even thought to ask that.

The first year then introduced herself as Josephine to the two of them, and Neal made sure to take a moment to tell the other girl his name and year like he had with Josephine (it was nicer to call her this rather than ‘first year’) before letting Josephine talk to her. He was glad she was being amiable, because this new girl looked like she could use a friend to help get her adjusted with the school. Neal might be dealing with some sort of personal feelings of being unreasonably distraught, but he wasn’t by any means going to sulk about it and call attention to his problems. He was just fine eating his meal as the two girls got to know one another and kick start their friendships. If they wanted him to chime back in, all they had to do was ask.

0 Neal How can anyone keep up with them? 0 Neal 0 5

Amelia Pierce

January 24, 2011 9:53 PM

So very true. by Amelia Pierce

"No, it's okay," Amelia assured when John apologized for his first reaction. He wasn't wrong, after all, though he probably didn't understand the reasoning. Amelia did all too well. "Jessica was eighteen when Derry Three was born. She never should have been a Pierce but her family was wealthy and we needed some of their connections. She herself wasn't cut out for the lifestyle, though. Too young for a kid, too . . . too naive. She knew enough to act right in public, but she filled Three's head with all kinds of progressive ideas behind Two's back."

She shook her head. "I don't know if she did the same to Four, but I suspect she did. My Derry would have been fine, he never did enough to get disowned on his own and Grandmother was fond of him but he got caught up in the politics. Aunt Jessica probably figures that without DP1, me and Bel there, it couldn't happen again and she'd have her son back."

Amelia grimaced and looked out over the students again. Her eyes were drawn to small altercation going on at her own table, but the one girl - Eliza, she thought - removed herself from the confrontation before it could escalate. Good girl. But she'd have to keep an eye on that pair. They were roommates. Second years, too, so she wasn't going to lose them to graduation any time soon.

If Amelia was very lucky it was just a simple argument that would blow over as soon as they calmed down. But, then, they were Crotali, and Crotali were prone to grudges, and she had never been that lucky. On the other hand, because they were Crotali it would most likely simmer for a while yet before it blew. She didn't have to deal with it immediately, though the longer she put it off the worse it was going to get as they started - yes. She sighed quietly as Eliza and Jordan left the room. Gathering allies. Lovely.

"War brewing on the homefront," she muttered in resignation. "And I thought I just escaped that with the Ladies graduating." She shook her head, tabling the issue for the time being. "It'll keep. Crotali are rarely impulsive." Forcing the issue would just make them all take sides.

"Anyway," she watched for a moment to make sure Renee wasn't going to chase after her roommates, then turned back to John, "Pierce isn't exactly an uncommon last name, and Four might just assume I'm from the California branch. New Hampshire Pierces don't like to admit they exist so he'll have been warned to keep away from anyone with the name that he doesn't recognize as family."

1 Amelia Pierce So very true. 20 Amelia Pierce 0 5

Jethro Smythe

January 25, 2011 3:46 AM

Where have I heard that before? by Jethro Smythe

Year by year, Jethro was realizing that as he got older, he understood less about what was going on around him, not more, as one would have logically predicted. Take this summer, for example. His cousin Amelia had gotten married, which Jethro had thought was going to happen after his cousin Cecily got married. But Cecily didn't get married - in fact she'd disappeared, and nobody was telling Jethro where she'd gone. Then he himself hadn't been invited to Amelia's wedding, but his sister Cynthia had, and that almost hurt. The fifth year wasn't under any delusion that Amelia liked him - as she'd told him on so many occasions, nobody liked him - but if he was having a party then he would have invited her. It wasn't like he'd have been any trouble.

As for the rest of his family, his parents and Cynthia, they seemed to have stopped talking to him altogether. Cynthia had, as usual, packed his school bag for him, and labelled his potions kit up ready for classes, and begged him to pass at least one of his CATs this year.He told her he would try. Other than that he hadn't seen her - he thought she was working, but she didn't have a job, so he couldn't conceive what she was working on. Every time he tried asking she'd told him to go away, so he'd stopped bothering with that after a while. His parents hadn't changed, but then why would they? They'd been the same his whole life thus far, his father trying to hide his disappointment and his mother simply pleased that 'at least he's a nice looking boy,' and therefore Jethro had no reason to suspect they would alter their behavior.

The one thing he had been able to conclusively understand, was that he would be going back to Sonora this year with only Dana for company, which didn't of course mean they would literally be the only two students in school, but rather that she would be the only person from his family there this year, unlike previous years when Jethro had been seriously outnumbered by the sheer volume of older female relatives not just in the school but in his House. Dana was nice. She had never told him to go away or that he was stupid or that nobody liked him. Plus she was in Pecari, and so couldn't see what he was doing when he was in Crotalus. It presented him with a terrific amount of freedom. It was terrifying.

For the first time, Jethro had the option of sitting exactly where he liked at the Crotalus table. Almost by habit he avoided where Cecily had liked to sit, where Amelia sometimes joined her, and sat down without really paying attention to with whom he was sitting. He listened to, but didn't take in, the Headmaster's speech, only vaguely registering that he didn't know this man. By the time it drew to a close, Jethro had become entirely lost in watching a small rainbow created amongst the cascade nearest him. When the food arrived, it was just about the only thing that could draw his attention away. He started and looked to the students nearest, trying to gauge how obvious it had been that he wasn't paying attention. Making eye contact with one of them, Jethro was greeted by a 'good evening.'

"Good evening," Jethro replied, functioning on automatic response mode until he figured out what was going on. He knew this face, it would only be a moment before his memory bank kicked it sufficiently for identification. Raines Bradley - try not to talk to him. Oh, okay. Perhaps Jethro should have paid more attention to where he sat after all, because he could hardly avoid a conversation now. He'd just have to try not to be too stupid, as usual.

0 Jethro Smythe Where have I heard that before? 146 Jethro Smythe 0 5

Charlie

January 25, 2011 10:52 AM

Confusion could easily lead to drama by Charlie

(OOC: I apologise for the sheer number of typos in my last post - must have been half asleep or something!)

The fantastic shade of deep red that Adelita was currently turning was certainly enough to confirm Charlie's suspiscions, but when they were accompanied by a nod from her best friend it was pretty much the best news she'd had since the start of the summer. However her instantly-formed plans of finding Juri and setting up an date here and now were thwarted when Lita begged her not to tell him. What a spoil sport. Charlie's disappointment was probably readable in her expression, but if Lita didn't want her to say anything then of course she wasn't going to say anything. Neither was she going to ask Lita why she couldn't tell - not yet, anyway. She might ask later, or next week, or next month if the situation was unchanged, but she figured Lita would probably tell her in her own time, anyway.

"I think he loves someone from back home and I don’t want to come between him and the girl," Lita said. yep, see, Charlie was right, Lita had told her anyway (though admittedly a lot sooner than she had been expecting. perhaps she'd been carrying this around for longer than even Charlie had realized? Poor kid). While Lita's sentiment was comprehensible to Charlie, it wasn't really on her level. If charlie thought some other girl was involved, she would simply have made it known that she wanted a shot, too, then at least the boy in question could make an informed decisions, and too bad for the other girl if things took a turn. Of course, she and Lita had plenty of similarities, but they were still very different people. She could see that Lita wasn't the sort to try and get what she wanted if it had the potential of ruining things for others. A commendable and very honorable approach, by all accounts, but she was never going to get what she wanted out of life if she let others take it all the time.

"I guess," Charlie replied. "And if it doesn't look like it's taking us anywhere we can always swing a left and take ourselves there, instead," she smiled. She didn't want to make Lita nervous, but just sitting by wasn't typically one of Charlie's habits.

0 Charlie Confusion could easily lead to drama 0 Charlie 0 5

Ben

January 25, 2011 7:31 PM

It's because we are. by Ben

Ben listened intently to the new Teppenpaws' family history. He was shocked to hear about Derry's family's mountain, but remember his father telling him about the way some pureblood families were. He grinned, Madeline's dad loved History, like himself. Reggie's and Jessica's dads were Potion Masters, something he wouldn't mind doing himself one day. Jessica had also mentioned having a sister at Sapienti. He grinned, fighting the feeling of homesickness.

"I come from a pretty big family in a pretty little town in Tennessee. Mom's a teacher at a Muggle elementary school, and Dad's got a job in Magical Law Enforcement. My oldest brother, James, was an Auror, but is working a desk job at in law enforcement for a bit after an accident. Collyn, my sister, is a pediatric Healer."

He smiled when he got to Cy, "My other big sister is my favorite. She got me a broom for my eleventh birthday is super cool. She's at Sapienti, as well. She's gonna be the first girl Auror in our family. My only other sibling is Kara, she's the youngest, at 6. I love her more than anything."

That was his family. They were loud and hectic, but they were the Hollands, proud and loyal. He had been trained to know that everyone was equal, and that he should always been kind to every one. They were his life, and he wouldn't give them up for anything.

0 Ben It's because we are. 0 Ben 0 5

Alice with a bit of Phoenix Lucore

January 25, 2011 9:16 PM

Aww, but it might be fun. by Alice with a bit of Phoenix Lucore

A slight tilt of the lips occurred over the mention of being an artist. Oh, if it were only true. She would love to be able to take pictures and develop them. She wanted them to turn out brilliantly, but if she developed them and they were awful, then she would have to stop taking pictures all together. Otherwise, it would be an insult to continue having a camera in her hand. But then what would she have? Nothing. She would have absolutely nothing. No medium to deal with the world. She might actually have to face it and that thought terrified her.

She envied Fae Sinclair for her boldness in knowing who she was. It was apparent that she was Fae Sinclair from Connecticut. She supposed that she was Alice Adair from Arizona, but she had never felt comfortable with that. Mostly, because she didn’t know who she was other than how she had been named. What if she had been named Jordan? Would she be more like her sister? Would she be more outgoing? Would she be more confident? Or what about Fae? Did being named Fae Sinclair give her a sense of importance? It was hard to say, but it was certainly interesting to think about.

Apparently, it wasn’t the only interesting thing. She was going to have to tell them why she didn’t develop film. “I take the pictures so that I can see the world and associate the memories to the moments. However, to actually develop the film would mean seeing if I had taken horrific pictures and if I did, then I am afraid that the memories will become tainted. Plus, I am not an artist as Topher said. I am merely a girl with a camera. I have no hope of truly becoming an artist. Artists create masterpieces. I merely use the camera for selfish purposes.” She wasn’t sure if they would understand what she was talking about or not, but truthful was what she was being.

“It’s not selfish unless you are using the camera for malevolent purposes,” the fading red boy jumped in. Normally, he would have continued to be quiet, as he tried not to merely talk for the purpose of talking. So many people seemed to do that and often their words came out hurtful or misunderstood, which later created problems that lead to unnecessary destruction. However, he could not miss the opportunity for a good debate. So, long as it was to prove to the girl that maybe she did have something to offer. To him, it seemed as if she had shied away from anything she had to offer. Of course, this was only in a few minutes of observing. “For example, if you were intending on using the pictures either to blackmail a person or if you were going to use them to ruin their reputation. But if you’re not even developing them, then you really can’t do that, can you?”

The boy surprised Alice. She hadn’t thought about it like that, but then she tended to be set in her ways. She didn’t like to think about other options. It scared her at time. She worried that if she did, it would change her completely. She would be someone that she wouldn’t even recognize in the mirror. Logically, she knew that she was being silly, but she couldn’t help thinking this way. And now, she was having a harder time figuring out if she wanted to know who the boy was in case he was the type that might question things and force change. No, she wasn’t sure she liked that at all, but then how could she avoid him if she didn’t know who he was? Should she ask or not? She guessed she should. “Who are you?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I should have introduced myself,” he said, grinning at the party. “Phoenix Lucore. So, I guess it’s just the four of us, huh?” He looked up and down the table. Yup, it was definitely just the four of them, which he had to admit he liked. It would be easier to get to know his roommate and the two girls instead of having to contend with a heavy population. He noticed that, as trends seemed to go, the more people there were, the more chance there was for strife, and he was going to have enough to contend with when he was older. He didn’t need to deal with roommate wars on top of it.

0 Alice with a bit of Phoenix Lucore Aww, but it might be fun. 0 Alice with a bit of Phoenix Lucore 0 5

John Fawcett

January 25, 2011 10:24 PM

I generally tell it by John Fawcett

DP1 – that would be Derwent Pierce the First. And Bel was Amelia’s daughter. Social interaction had never been John’s strongest point, but he did try to keep up with who his coworkers were and a few basics about their lives. Luckily for him, they almost all led much more interesting lives than he did.

He quashed the urge to ask her what she meant by ‘being a Pierce’ and how that related to her sense of identity. He’d known a Carey slightly in school – she’d been dating, and later married, his roommate, who’d been somewhat more progressive and eventually gotten disowned for it – and she’d always seemed confused by that kind of question. Not by the words, Rosamund had not been unintelligent, but rather by the paths his mind could take that would even allow him to wonder if being a Carey was integral to her self-concept. She had seemed to think he was pulling her leg when he explained that many people defined themselves as a great list of things before ‘member of a family.’ That family, however, was known to be a little strange even by pureblood standards.

Though the youngest generation did seem to be drifting away from that. Morgaine Carey had been brilliant and known it and was, as he understood it, seeking to become a Healer, and while the two currently at the school had their…quirks, John, who’d been reading their writing on a regular basis for several years, honestly believed that both Edmond and Jane were quite sane, and the latter was a Teppenpaw.

“War brewing on the homefront,” Amelia muttered, and John followed the direction she was looking in to two of the second years leaving the dining hall. Oh, how glad he was that his Aladrens did not usually go in for politics, or, if they did, they were interested in the national stage, not in outdoing each other for no concrete gains. Allison and his mother had both done their best to explain the Way of the Crotalus to him, both before and since he’d started working at the school, but all he’d been able to conclude was that someone should start a chess club and make it mandatory for everyone Sorted into the House. If they really did think that way and put half that energy into learning chess, Sonora would soon have a reputation as the institution which had produced the most Grand Masters in all of history.

“An unfortunate situation,” he said, addressing whichever issue she chose to interpret him as addressing, her family or her House’s apparent slide back toward the brink of implosion. As a Potions teacher, he couldn’t help but think of it as also an accurate description of his class when he had a California Pierce in it, once she mentioned them. “Though you remind me - Did I ever tell you about that scheme of Jose Hernandez’s? He’s attempting to substitute the entire syllabus for vegan equivalents, or he was.”

0 John Fawcett I generally tell it 19 John Fawcett 0 5

Raines Bradley

January 25, 2011 10:48 PM

I think I used part of it as a WtS post title once... by Raines Bradley

Odd, how coincidences could work. He had been thinking of Jethro Smythe a moment ago, and now, here Jethro Smythe was, the person who happened to be sitting directly in his line of sight while he got on with Holding Our Heads Up and Still Having Our Dignity and whatever else he’d nodded along politely to his relatives’ gloomy repetitions of.

He wasn’t sure if talking to Jethro was a good thing or not. On one hand, the older Crotalus was a Smythe. Mother’s family was, of course, the greatest in Illinois, but he’d allow the Smythes the honor of being higher in the ranks than Catherine’s husband’s family. Her grandfather-in-law had once been a wireless host, for Merlin’s sake. That wasn’t quite as bad as being an actress, but just because something worse existed didn’t make having that in the recent family background any better. If Catherine’s legitimacy had been even slightly less suspect, he was sure Uncle Charles would have laughed Theo’s father out of the state when he proposed the match.

On the other hand, though, Jethro was….Raines wasn’t sure what Jethro was, just that it wasn’t good. He was in places, but often seemed to not be really aware of his surroundings at all. It was disconce – no, he was going to call something what it was. It was almost creepy, almost, though that wasn’t the right word, either. Maybe it was disconcerting. Unless the poor fellow was one of those Seers whose visions were frequent and had done him damage….

“You have my condolences about the badge,” he said, realizing a second too late that he had not, under his own circumstances, chosen the best word. Now, if Jethro offered the correct apology about his sister, it would sound like Jethro was mocking him, and that possibility made the situation awkward for both of them before anything even happened. Unless, of course, he was dramatically overestimating how much interest the other Illinois families, and Jethro specifically, would take in Ellie Raines’ daughter by someone from some minor little family in Louisiana being disowned when Ellie Raines hadn’t been more than an occasional visitor to their sphere for twenty-five years…"Better luck with Head Boy, I suppose." Who knew, it was possible. Not likely, with Edmond Carey being...Edmond Carey in the same year, but almost anything was possible.

0 Raines Bradley I think I used part of it as a WtS post title once... 155 Raines Bradley 0 5

Ryan

January 26, 2011 12:43 AM

That's good, by Ryan

Ryan looked at the person across from him. Daisy Thorpe. He didn't really know her, but he knew she was the kind of important pureblood lady that he was supposed to be respectful to-or else. He sat up just a little straighter, as it wouldn't do to slouch and Ryan didn't want to make mistakes, like his faux pas with Sara Raines last year. Fortunately, that had blown over and Ryan at least thought he and Sara had gotten on all right. He hoped he wasn't wrong. Ryan didn't want anyone to dislike him.

He wasn't quite sure what to say either. Ryan did not want to take a chance of screwing up. Not just because of who Daisy was-and the wrath of his mother would be upon him again if she somehow found out that he didn't do everything right-but because Ryan had a deep desire not to offend anyone .

Fortunately for him, Daisy started speaking first. "No, he seems all right." Ryan agreed. The second year boy generally tried to agree with people in general. He detested conflict because he was usually the one that he felt caused it all. It seemed to Ryan that he was to blame for all the problems in his immediate family and he couldn't do anything about it. He didn't want to cause any more trouble by being disagreeable to anyone, especially not the pureblood girls in his year.

However, Ryan didn't actually disagree. He could find nothing objectionable about the Headmaster right off the bat. That was a very good thing in his opinion, not that Ryan's opinion had ever mattered much. The odds were against the Crotalus ever coming in contact with the Headmaster anyway, as Ryan did his best to avoid trouble and fly under the radar of any authority figure. He'd be happy if the Headmaster never knew his name. Unless he became Prefect or Head Boy which Ryan was sure would never happen anyway so there was no point in even thinking about it.

He took another bite of meatloaf, again unsure what to say next. Ryan supposed he could have asked about her summer but he figured it was for the best to let Daisy continue the conversation, as he'd already offered his own opinion on the Headmaster, or at least agreed with hers. Besides, if Ryan asked about her summer, he was afraid she'd ask about his. Then he would have to edit himself, as there was no way he was sharing everything that had happened to him. It had been hard enough to tell Sophie and she was his best friend. Ryan hardly knew Daisy.

11 Ryan That's good, 176 Ryan 0 5

Amelia Pierce

January 26, 2011 11:30 AM

I respect that. by Amelia Pierce

The subjects of both the brewing Crotalus battle and Derry Four were dropped with nothing more than an 'unfortunate situation' comment, but Amelia was content to let them both drop. She'd keep a weather eye out for both Four and Renee for the remainder of the feast, but she had nothing further to say about either.

Jose's scheme, on the other hand, was something else entirely. The Boston and California branches were not close. She heard the important news, of course, like the birth of young Ginger Pierce and the recent announced pregnancy of one of the Anderson wives (who wouldn't even count as Pierces, out East, but California's clan was unquestionably different in many of the things they did), but something like how Jose was doing in school did not make it through all the intermediaries.

For sharing a common great-grandfather, she actually knew very little about Jose outside of what she knew of him on the Quidditch Pitch. They shared neither a name nor physical resemblance so unless a person had cause to know that Jose was a California Pierce, it was not immediately obvious that they were even technically related. Few of the other staff offered her updates on Jose's progress and she wasn't close enough to him to ask after him.

She shook her head in answer to John's question, and smiled, "I hadn't heard, but it doesn't especially surprise me. Aunt Berta told me once that if I ever visited them, I should bring my own food because they were all rabbits over there." She smirked a little in humor, "With Berta, you can never quite tell if she means they were literally rabbits or not but Grandmother agreed with her so I assume she meant it metaphorically that time." Despite that both women were New Hampshire Pierces, and that Grandmother was the one who decided the Boston kids should all be disowned twelve years ago, Amelia's tone was light and fond as she spoke of them.

Amelia shrugged, "Communication with the Californians has been a little more difficult since Regina Pierce died. I mean, she's a ghost, so she visits Berta far more often than she did when she was corporeal, but she's not running things anymore and she leaves it to Maria to pass along what the Californians deem important for us Easterners to know. Maria plays things closer to the chest and hasn't had time to develop a good working relationship with us yet."

Amelia shrugged and offered in explanation, "She's young yet. Bel's age, I think, or close to it." She blinked as she remembered Bel was celebrating her twenty-fifth birthday today. "Sweet Merlin, when did mid-twenties become young?" Sitting back in her seat, Amelia made a realization she would have rather avoided: "Dear God, Grandmother is right." She took a deep breath, then shook her head, fighting the idea. "No, I already have two kids. I don't need any more. Derry can give me grandkids and the Boston Pierces will go from there. I am a matriarch, a mother, a Head of House, and a coach. I've never been eager to add 'wife' to that list before and turning thirty-five does not change that." She nodded once, satisfied that Druscella had not turned out to be right after all. Then she remembered she had an audience.

She flushed and smiled ruefully at John, "Sorry, biological clock, genetic greed, and pureblood indoctrination just got really loud for a second there. Sanity has been restored. Grandmother has her areas of brilliance, but her idea of how I should live my life is not one of them. That's why she disowned me." Well, one of the reasons.

She glanced wryly over at John, "Most people think it's a punishment, that disownment is a bad thing. Grandmother is a lot more cleverly liberal than people give her credit for. She knew Bel and I could never be happy in an arranged marriage, and Derry was already in love with a girl who had no benefit to the family. She gave us the freedom to choose our futures in the only way she knew how." Amelia laughed dryly, "She just wishes I'd find a guy of my choosing a little bit faster so she can tell her WAIL friends that Quidditch hasn't made me gay."

1 Amelia Pierce I respect that. 20 Amelia Pierce 0 5

Derry Four

January 26, 2011 12:52 PM

Awesome sauce. by Derry Four

Derry was kind of surprised by how surprised everyone was by the fact that the Pierces had a mountain. It wasn't like it was a particularly large mountain or special in any way. New Hampshire had hundreds just like it, he imagined. Just one mountain in the Green Mountains. Completely unremarkable. The notice-me-not charms on it were more of a back-up supplement than a primary line of defense against the general population. It was just one mountain surrounded by lots of other mountains just like it.

It had been the family's land and refuge for as long as they had been the New Hampshire Pierces. It had been theirs ever since Derwent the Original married Natalie Brighton and took over her family's lands since she was the last of their line. It had been the Brightons' mountain before that, so obviously other families besides his had mountains.

It wasn't weird like calling aurors strange words like 'effbeeye' or 'polease' or other odd foreign words that Derry had never heard before.

Sapienti, though, that he had heard of! "My cousins Wesley and Duesius went to Sapienti, too! But they graduated a few years ago, so they probably don't know your sisters," he told Jessica and Ben (which, honestly, was maybe for the best, given that they were Wesley and Duesius). "Wesley's doing something with finances, I think; he said, but it was boring and I forgot. And Duesius takes care of magical creatures! He looks after people's dangerous pets and stuff if they have to go away. One time, I saw some really cool fire crabs that he was watching at the Mountain for about a week."

He shrugged at the three girls, then, and added, "Sorry, I don't think I have any teachers or potions masters in my family." Not unless one counted the Impostor, but he'd already decided not to talk about her tonight. She was just pretending to be related anyway and so did not count as family.

1 Derry Four Awesome sauce. 189 Derry Four 0 5

Jordan

January 26, 2011 1:38 PM

Wish we had a name to call ourselves. by Jordan

It seemed whatever was on Eliza’s mind seemed to be really bothering her. Jordan leaned forward slightly, as she listened intently to what her friend had to say. Honestly, Jordan had never thought much of Renee. In the first few days, she had tried to be friends with her, but Renee seemed more content on her own and with her Quidditch, so Jordan had just let it be. Her sister, Dani, tended to be like that, had her own little world that no one else was invited to and she respected that. For the most part anyhow. Sometimes, it was overly annoying and they got into fights because of it, but that’s what sisters did.

However, Renee was not her sister, so Jordan had just been conversationally polite to her over the last year, but now things were changed. Renee had obviously decided to be outright rude! And to Eliza! What did she think? That people were house elves designed just to serve her high majesty? Truthfully, Jordan wouldn’t care if Renee really was royalty. She had absolutely no right to treat someone that way. And what was worse, was that Eliza just informed her that Renee had said that she was better than everyone else. Seriously?

She jumped down from the sink and put her arm around Eliza causing her silver bracelets to jingle. “No, you did the right thing. Honestly, I don’t think Pierce would really be supportive of us. Remember her entire speech last year in flying lessons? She outright picked on pureblood girls and how they had to ride a broom. That’s not very equal. She’ll probably side with Renee or something just cause she plays Quidditch. No, I think it’s best we take matters into our own hands.” She pounded her own hand with her fist to drive home the point.

“But what?” Jordan began tapping her manicured fingernails along the sink board. She didn’t know Renee well enough to come up with something that would utterly destroy her. There was Quidditch, but she didn’t think that them suddenly joining the team would really be a good idea. In the end, it would probably make them just as miserable. No, the key was to find something that would make Renee learn a lesson without compromising themselves. “Hmm. She wants everything to move faster, right? If we can get Daisy in on it or at least to ignore it, we can change the clocks while Renee is sleeping so that she gets up really early and arrives to class when everyone is still sleeping? Then, we’ll just change the clocks back and pretend we have no idea what she’s talking about when she complains to Pierce. I mean, we just wanted to make sure she got a jump start on her day, so it went by quicker.”

She didn’t know if the idea was any good or not, but it was at least a starting point. “Or we could move as slowly as possible to inconvenience her. I don’t know about you, but I can just never get my makeup right the first time.” She put on her best innocent face for that one. “I mean, really, the worst thing that will happen is Pierce tells us we need to hurry up. No detentions involved, but it’ll certainly annoy Renee. Oh, we could also rearrange all of her stuff and then just say that we were just helping since, you know, we’re supposed to be her servants.” Jordan gave a heavy sigh. “What I would really like to do is move all of her stuff out of our dorm room so she has to move it back. Then, maybe she would see what it’s really like to be a prairie elf.”

0 Jordan Wish we had a name to call ourselves. 0 Jordan 0 5

Eliza

January 26, 2011 4:54 PM

Adds 'think of name' to the to-do list by Eliza

“That occurred to me,” Eliza admitted, putting her arm around Jordan in turn for a moment in gratitude and solidarity and because the position Jordan had put them in made it feel awkward to stand there with both of hers close to her sides. “If she really is fair, then Renee would get kicked off the Quidditch team or something, but then the prefects would both be mad at me, and if it didn’t work, she’d be watching me for, like, ever because I’d challenged one of her precious players. I’d be the one who looked bad.”

A lose-lose situation for her, which was something which had only just occurred to her; she hadn’t thought before of how Charlotte and Marissa were the captains as well as the prefects, and how they might react to having one of their starters kicked off because her roommate demanded justice. Okay, so at worst Marissa would graduate after her fourth year, and they might be aware that she could complain about them bullying her as easily as she could about Renee if she was brave enough, but she didn’t want develop two strong enemies who’d mess with her for the next three years and give her a total pattern of developing enemies. If she got Renee thrown off the team and then had to report Charlotte and Marissa for bullying and they lost their badges, she would look like someone who made tons of enemies everywhere she went and put her priorities ahead of the well-being of the House, even though every one of her complaints would be valid.

It was like the red chessmen. It couldn’t just be a quick, clean thing where Renee got some humility knocked into her and they all got on with their lives, possibly even becoming friends, or at least where Renee wasn’t in a position to bother her anymore because the rest of the dorm was no more pleased with her superiority complex than Eliza was. There were all these other factors, and she couldn’t even predict them as well as she could what Paul would do while they were playing chess. Coach Pierce, Renee, Charlotte, and Marissa could all do anything, and that was assuming Daisy was willing to be on their team instead of being on Team Renee or joining the other three and all the other things and people she was sure she was missing on Team Red Chessmen.

She couldn’t help but smile a little as Jordan began listing plans to exact vengeance on Renee. “I like the first one,” she said. “Considering she went all year last year and barely talked to us, I don’t think she would really care unless we kept the showers forever.” She paused, tilting her head to the side. “That would be an idea, if we didn’t have to share a room with her.”

She shook her head. “There’s an empty dorm now, but I’m pretty sure we’d have trouble finding someone else to pin that on. I mean, who else in Crotalus has a reason to come after her? Unless Daisy sides with her, but even then…She’s a Thorpe.” She pushed her hair back behind her ears. “We’ll think of something. I really just needed to – “ she gestured expansively – “get it off my chest, and know you were with me in this.”

0 Eliza *Adds 'think of name' to the to-do list* 0 Eliza 0 5

Fae

January 26, 2011 8:41 PM

Only for you. by Fae

The more Alice explained herself, the less Fae understood of her. Her blue eyes glanced casually to Topher to see if he was following along with her. Was she the only one who thought Alice was a bit strange? She couldn’t fathom why someone would take a whole bunch of pictures, stating that they were for memories, but then never develop the pictures to actually remember them by. It seemed rather pointless. Almost as though Alice was using the camera as an excuse from actually interacting. The camera as a shield from all things living. Of course, from how she introduced herself, Fae could only conclude that she didn’t get out much. Or, wasn’t allowed to talk to people.

Her attention was turned onto the other first year boy who had remained quiet up until this moment. That was a little strange for Fae. They were all new here, wouldn’t he want to know who his new housemates were? Unless he just plain didn’t care. Fae was too nervous about not being liked or despises her roommate (not that she did, but it was still a possibility in the future) to not want to take a couple of minutes to talk to them.

His words regarding blackmail and reputation perked up her attention because that was exactly the line of thought that Fae had when Alice had taken the pictures of her without her knowledge. They were eleven, so maybe she shouldn’t have jumped the wand regarding the situation, but her parents had always taught her to be careful of others because there were some who were intent on bringing the Sinclair name down.

Alice is bluntness with asking the boy’s name surprised Fae. That wasn’t very pleasant. Fae seriously doubted the mannerisms with this girl. Fae gave herself a mental shake. She shouldn’t judge those she did not know. Jaiden told her school would change things for her and she had to be adaptable to those changes. That also meant the possibility of rooming with some who weren’t what she was used to.

“Seems so.” Fae said, answering Phoenix’s (what a different sort of name) question. She wasn’t sure what to think of having such a small number of housemates. It would be easier to keep tabs of them, but it also meant that if there were any arguments between them, it would definitely be a rift. “I’m Fae Sinclair of the Connecticut branch.” Fae repeated, feeling more confident as she did so. Her name might not mean much this side of the Mississippi, but she was going to try her hardest to get it out there as her family wanted.

“I know Topher had family here previously, but I’m the first of mine to come to Sonora. How about the rest of you?”

0 Fae Only for you. 0 Fae 0 5

Hope

January 27, 2011 6:08 PM

All about Sonora. by Hope

Hope grinned at the other girl, who introduced herself as Melody. Melody seemed to be as excited to be here as Hope was herself. That was cool. Of course, if she hadn't been, Hope would have done her best to cheer the other Teppenpaw up. She liked when people were happy and she enjoyed making them happy. It made her feel good.Of course, if Hope had to cheer them up that meant they were initially sad, and she didn't like that.

Fortunately, that didn't seem to be the case here. She nodded in response to Melody's question. "Oh yes, my older sister, Nina is a fourth year Pecari." Sometimes, Nina seemed kind of...down. Hope really hated that, especially for Nina who she'd always seen as such a happy energetic person. Nina felt left out among her roommates because they could play Quidditch and she wasn't allowed to. Hope couldn't do anything about it.

She hated that too. When someone was sad or in pain and she could do nothing about it. And there seemed to be so many things that Hope couldn't help. Like Kaylie's back pain or Marshall being an alcoholic or Harmony being sick or Adam just being so...bitter sometimes. She knew that they'd all been through a lot but it still hurt Hope to see it. Especially since she couldn't fix it.

"My other older sisters and my older brother went here too." Hope continued. "But they all graduated. And a lot of my cousins go here as well. My cousin Autumn is in the same year as your brother, in Crotalus." She took a bite of her taco before going on. "But since your brother hasn't told you anything," Something Hope couldn't fathom as her siblings had told her lots as well as her parents. How could Melody's brother not tell her anything at all? "I certainly can." It would be her pleasure to help Melody.

Hope went on. "As you can see, there are four houses. Teppenpaw, which our house, is the house for nice people. My sister Kaylie was in Teppenpaw too. Then there's Aladren, which is for brainy people. My sister Chelsea was in that one, like your brother." It was funny, because brainy wasn't exactly what she thought of when she thought of Chelsea but Hope supposed her older sister was intelligent. "Then there's Pecari, Nina's house. Pecaris are spontaneous and daring. Then there's Crotalus, where Autumn is and my brother Adam was."

She paused and thought for a moment. "Crotalus is...weird. Like people think its the snobby house but its not. My brother and cousin aren't like that at all ." It was something Adam was kind of bitter about. One of many things. "Like some of them are snobby but there are snobby people in Aladren and Pecari too."

Most people would say that Chelsea was way snobbier than Adam was. He'd always told her that the difference was in what they were snobby about. Crotali who were snobby tended to be so about blood purity whereas, Adam had said, Pecaris were snobby if you weren't a Quidditch fanatic. Hope supposed in Aladren, it was more of an intellectual snobbery.

"Our Head of House is Professor Crosby. All Chelsea ever said about her was that she was in desperate need of a makeover and a husband. And that she's really weird. Nina echoed the 'really weird' sentiments. Nina wasn't bothered by it though. She likes her. The Charms teacher is Professor McKindy. He's the Head of Pecari house. He wears a funny hat made of pink bubbles and is really nice. Chelsea made fun of his fashion sense too but liked him better than the Charms professor before him."

Hope took a breath and went on. "The Head of House for Aladren is Professor Fawcett who is also the Potions professor and the HoH for Crotalus is Coach Pierce. Neither of my sisters had much opinion on Professor Fawcett. Nor did they about the COMC professor or DADA professor. Chelsea doesn't approve of Coach Pierce at all though. Supposedly, she was disowned from an upstanding pureblood family out east." Hope's sister was adamantly against girls playing Quidditch. "Chelsea never had much contact with her anyway. Autumn says she's kind of tough. Makes everyone participate in flying lessons and specifically mentions pureblood girls."

The first year didn't think that was right. Of course, everyone should participate in all lessons regardless of their background-though it was kind of cruel to make someone who was deathly afraid of heights like Autumn get on a broom-but nor should they be singled out. Chelsea thought that was because Coach Pierce was bitter about being disowned herself. "Any other questions about Sonora?" Hope asked, smiling at her new roommate.

11 Hope All about Sonora. 186 Hope 0 5

Daisy

January 27, 2011 7:56 PM

Don't be sad, be Glad. by Daisy

Once she decided he’d really said all he was going to say about her attempt at a conversation-starter, Daisy studied Ryan for a moment before she spoke again. “You don’t say much, do you?”

She knew she was, taking the literal definition of her words, not the person to talk about that, since she was at least as quiet as Ryan was – possibly more, since he was at least close with that Pecari girl – but that wasn’t what she meant. It was more how he’d just given her a statement of bland agreement with no attempt at exploring the subject. He might have fallen in love with the headmaster on sight, or decided to loathe him for his unfortunate last name, or just been completely neutral, but he was showing none of it. It was like he was one of those people who wanted to make everything mysterious for the sake of having a mystery, or – she wasn’t sure if it was being more charitable to think the second option or not – one of those people who were afraid to have opinions.

Daisy wasn’t sure where she fell on that continuum. She seldom felt the urge many people did to share her opinions unless she could see an obvious flaw in someone’s reasoning that could either affect her or just stood out that much, but if someone spoke to her, she’d at least try to think of something to say besides repeating back what had just been said to her. That was just…dull. And there was, of course, the fourth interpretation of such a response: that the person giving it was stupid.

Daisy was sure of one thing. She was not stupid. She was not a prodigy, no, but she actually saw that as a good thing. It meant she had developed an actual work ethic.

0 Daisy Don't be sad, be Glad. 0 Daisy 0 5

Topher

January 27, 2011 8:03 PM

Would any of us find the same things fun? by Topher

Topher thought he saw a bit of a smile when he called Alice an artist, but wasn’t sure it even was that, much less prepared to try to figure out what she meant by it. It could mean anything: she was pleased by the compliment, she thought of herself as a god of modern art and was recognizing this as deference (in which case she’d soon learn very quickly that Topher thought art was pretty, but otherwise knew nothing about it, nor did he care, and he wasn’t going to go around kowtowing to someone because they made it and thought it made them better than him), or she thought he was a moron, or she had a random thought completely unrelated to the situation at hand.

That was the hard thing about people. He was pretty observant, he guessed, and noticed most things, but even with some people he knew very well, he had a little trouble interpreting what he was seeing. With strangers, he was pretty sure he couldn’t trust any given reaction – short of trying to kill him; that was going pretty far to think someone was trying to fake – to be really real and indicative of anything. But that sounded paranoid, so he tried not to think it, but darn if these people didn’t make that hard. So he smiled and nodded once in acknowledgment of what he thought Alice’s expression was and let Fae be the one to ask questions.

It turned out Alice didn’t see herself as an artist. All the stuff about preserving memories without actually developing any pictures so they could be seen reminded him of that psychology stuff his mom listened to on the wireless, but he decided it would be impolite to say so.

Normally, he thought he might have said it before he thought about it, but there was something about this table that felt…heavy, almost, like it was pressing down on him and making him over-think everything. Or maybe it was just his personal psychobabble from picking up something of the Crotalus reputation from Thomas and Mom and other relatives and even, to an extent, the brochure. He didn’t know. Right now, he was starting to feel like the only thing he did know was that if he didn’t find some venue in which he wasn’t thinking this way all the time, he was gonna have a headache soon.

And then his roommate jumped in and started talking about blackmail.

It wasn’t that Topher had never thought about blackmail before. He’d thought about it a lot in the past few years, mostly in the context of wondering if his mom was using it to continue getting money out of her no good loser ex-boyfriend and why, if she was, Daniel didn’t see how very easy it would be to call her bluff, since he was very sure his mom was not going to publicly humiliate him, herself, and his dad as well as give a bunch of rich people reason to really not like her or her only kid. He had just never thought to mention it in a casual conversation with people he barely knew and then grin and introduce himself.

“Guess you’re right,” he agreed with Phoenix – he was assuming this was a reference to a bird, not a city in the state they were now in, though either was weird, so he didn’t know why it shouldn’t just be that ol’ Fee was born in Arizona – about their numbers, right on top of Fae. “Ladies first,” he said, letting her introduce herself. Once she had, he chipped in, “I’m Topher Calhoun. From Illinois. Good meeting you.”

0 Topher Would any of us find the same things fun? 0 Topher 0 5

Ryan

January 27, 2011 9:48 PM

I'll try. by Ryan

As Daisy spoke again, Ryan reddened. "I guess I really don't." He admitted. It was kind of blunt of her to ask like that, but really, who was he to think negatively of someone else, especially a good pureblood girl like Daisy Thorpe? Yes, Ryan was an O'Malley but that didn't mean that he didn't feel like dirt anyway, thanks to his mother.

It was true too, he never did say very much. Ryan had rather figured out that that was for the best. If he dared tried saying much at home, his mom would yell at him. No matter what it was Ryan said, it was wrong. She would twist it to make him look bad and not be what he said at all. No matter what, it would make her angry. Or if he said something to his sister, Carrie would twist his words and tattle to their mother. Or just plain lie.

Still, Ryan felt that he'd done something wrong in this instance. Blunt as Daisy had been, he couldn't help feeling like he was the one who'd messed up somehow. He probably should have said more. She was right. Ryan had to correct this somehow,like he had with Sara. If his mother found out he'd offended a Thorpe, he'd be dead meat.

Ryan thought for a second. "I guess I just don't have much of an opinion on the new Headmaster. I mean, I'm probably never going to come in contact with him, you know?" He wasn't the sort given to making trouble quite obviously. In fact, Ryan tried to avoid trouble like the plague.

He continued. "Still, he doesn't seem too awful. He's not really instituting any big changes. All he did was announce the prefects and stuff, which I also don't have too much opinion about, as I don't know any of them anyway. All I know is that I wouldn't want to be Jose Hernandez right now. My second cousin Tawny is his year and housemate, and I wouldn't want to do anything to be on her bad side." Okay, Ryan didn't want to do anything to be on anyone's bad side, including Daisy's, but Tawny was especially scary.

"The new room sounds interesting though. I wonder if that was his idea. I doubt it though, as he's completely new." Ryan said. "I guess I need more information to figure out if he's truly all right." He hoped that was better. He hoped that he had said enough now.

More than that, he hoped that he hadn't said too much.

11 Ryan I'll try. 176 Ryan 0 5

Marissa Stephenson

January 28, 2011 7:18 PM

Late, but I had to. by Marissa Stephenson

As she sat down in the Cascade Hall, smiling at the people around her and smoothing her skirt under her, Marissa couldn’t help but think that if she’d stayed in the Muggle world, she would have been entering her sophomore year of high school and had nothing worse to worry about than the PSATs. Not a very big deal.

Instead, she was entering fifth year, which was a very big deal. She supposed she could think of the CATS as the PSAT, with RATS as the real thing in two years, but she had done a little research, and there were some jobs that only required CATS scores. Not too many, but enough to make them important, since there was approximately nothing she’d ever heard of that one could do with PSAT scores except get an idea of what sort of tutoring one needed. Plus, failing the PSAT wouldn’t have gotten her kicked out of her classes, or prohibited her from taking SAT subject tests in senior year. It wouldn’t have looked good, but it would have been forgivable. There were disclaimers about how admittance to Advanced courses was partially at the discretion of the professor, and exceptions to CATS score minimums could be made, but Marissa had dismissed that as propaganda aimed at purebloods whose children flunked out but who were too powerful to be told ‘no.’ So she had to decide what she wanted to do with the rest of her life in the next few weeks, then study like a demon to pass exams in it so she could take classes to take more exams in it.

The logical part of her brain said it was really no more than declaring a major in college, and that she would certainly, if with penalties, be able to find a way to change paths if she needed or wanted to later, but the emotional part was wigging out about how was she going to do this. She was fifteen. No one had the frontal lobe development necessary to make major life decisions when they were fifteen. Geniuses didn’t. How could they expect even semi-normal people to manage?

As the first years formed their line and Professor Cohen gave them their potions, though, she forced herself to relax. This was supposed to be a happy night. The new kids were getting Sorted, and the prefects were going to be announced, and –

The prefects were going to be announced.

The prefects were going to be announced.

For a moment, Marissa, realizing she was in fifth year and that only one other Crotalus could say the same, sat staring off into space with an expression of complete horror. Then she began to pray a prayer she would never, in a million years, have believed she could possibly pray.

Please let my new principal be just very slightly racist, please let my new principal be just very slightly racist, please let my new principal be just very slightly racist…

And if part of her realized that five years ago, she would have not only been horrified that anyone could think that, but that she would ever willingly pass up an honor, she ignored it. That was five years ago. Now, she thought she already had as much on her plate as she could possibly take.

And then the first years had dispersed, and Headmaster Regal was announcing the names. When she heard Edmond’s name, she felt a flicker of hope – yes, he was well-suited to the role, especially for Aladren, but he was also a Carey, big pureblood family, all that kind of thing – but then, after Andrew’s, came the words she’d been expecting, but dreading for the past two minutes.

”Marissa Stephenson of Crotalus…”

As she stood up, she felt she should be numb with something and miss hearing them call up Jose, but she heard everything perfectly. Not only was she a prefect, but she was the only girl in the entire year to attain that title. She wasn’t just a leader figure, she now had to be a role model for all the girls in the school. And possibly all the Muggleborns, since she couldn’t remember for the life of her if she’d ever heard anything about Andrew’s ancestry. There was still the Head Boy and Girl, but she couldn’t make that matter right now. It was all on her.

“Thank you, sir,” she said when the headmaster handed her a badge. She might have a nervous breakdown any moment now, but she would be polite until the bitter end.

She pinned it on her robes next to the Assistant Captain’s one and sat back down. “I do my best,” she muttered as the food appeared. That was all there was for it.

16 Marissa Stephenson Late, but I had to. 147 Marissa Stephenson 0 5

David

January 28, 2011 8:05 PM

Not if you don't have expectations. by David

“It was all right,” David said with a shrug, thinking it was probably better to not admit to another guy that he had voluntarily spent a lot of it hanging out either with his little sister or in what had once been his older sister’s closet. It was starting to look a lot more like a library now, but it still had a clothes rack running along above the shelves. He was going to have to get his dad to take that out sometime. “I read a lot.”

That was something he might not have admitted to another guy in his old school at home, but that was the great thing about being in Aladren. It was expected that he would spend a lot of any time he had reading, with even those who chose not to subscribe to House stereotypes being used enough to the idea of Aladrens as geeks and nerds and general bookworms to not be surprised to hear it. Plus, the magic world was weird in a lot of ways, and occasionally David had no clue what people were talking about and had to beat it to the library to do research, but picking on said geeks and nerds and general bookworms did not seem to be something they did a lot of, which was enough to recommend the system to him. If they could just figure out how to rig an Internet connection, his life here would be pretty swell. David loved actual books, and using them, but he was practical enough to realize the advantages of Google when it came to assignments on subjects he wasn’t too invested in.

The textbook list hadn’t included a lot of updates, since they were still beginners and going to be in classes with the first years. David was curious about how that was going to work without his group either re-learning everything or the first years not learning the basics they needed to get by, but willing to give it a chance. After all, Sonora had been around for almost two hundred years, now, so they had to have something going for them.

He’d gotten the impression James came from a magic family, so maybe he’d know more about it. “Do you think classes are going to be harder this year?” he asked.

16 David Not if you don't have expectations. 169 David 0 5

Madeline

January 28, 2011 9:58 PM

Rainbow stew? by Madeline

Madeline was seriously starting to love Reggie. It had never occurred to her that people who lived between the worlds would exist, but having someone who did and was nice enough to explain what all the magic-places words meant was already proving to be a godsend. Mr. Towers had done his best to explain things for her, everything he could think of, but had finally been forced to admit that there were a lot of things she was just going to have to pick up as she went along.

So far, they had a guy who owned a mountain, a professor’s kid, the daughter of a pharmacist and an FBI agent, the daughter of a pharmacist and a painter, and the son of a teacher and a cop. She couldn’t help but feel a little bad for Derry. The rest of them all had something in common with at least one other person, in some way, but his family was unique. Maybe he’d look at it that way instead.

He didn’t seem very upset about it, especially since it turned out he did have something in common with Ben – they had relatives at the same place, which sounded like a college or something. She wasn’t sure what fire crabs were – she knew what they sounded like, but that didn’t necessarily mean anything right now – but Duesius sounded like he might lead an interesting life. She’d always thought people who worked with dangerous creatures, or really animals at all but especially the more dangerous ones, had to be a little different from everyone else. It wasn’t that she couldn’t understand intentionally going into danger, but…She didn’t know, it was just a feeling.

“I don’t have any doctors in my family, either, unless you count Daddy,” she offered when Derry said he didn’t have any teachers or Potions Masters. “He says medical people shouldn’t use that, because it’s from doctore, to teach – ‘doctor’ is kind of what Muggles call what I think you call Potions Masters,” she explained. “Except professors use it, too, sometimes, and medical people say that medical people should be the only ones to use it, and it gets really complicated.” She bit her lip, realizing she was rambling a little. “But I don’t really know any of the extended family very well. Dad’s brother’s so much younger than him that he just got out of high school back in Ohio.”

0 Madeline Rainbow stew? 0 Madeline 0 5

John Fawcett

January 29, 2011 6:51 PM

Mutual respect is the basis of communication by John Fawcett

John was going to have to write all this down later, so he would remember who Amelia’s various relatives were if she mentioned them again. He had, to his extreme displeasure, noticed that his memory wasn’t quite what it had been in the past few years, but he had managed to make up for the worst of it by writing things down where he might not have before, and he didn’t think that many people had caught on yet. Allison might have, there had been quite a bit of teasing about him being an old man, but that might have referred to any number of things besides his ability to recite anything he heard back in detail, if not in the actual words of his source.

He couldn’t help but chuckle dryly when she asked when the mid-twenties became young. “I assure you, it’s worse when the forties become not very old,” he said.

His brother was in his forties, now, and hating every moment of it; Scott had been fairly late in life for their parents, a last-ditch attempt on their mother’s part to get a child who would cooperate with her since John had, by that point, been an agnostic sociologist living in California and Carlene had been modeling in New York and had broken the stream of boyfriends she drugs to family events with a girlfriend by the time Scott was five.

Scott, though, hadn’t turned out half-bad by their mother’s standards. He regularly appeared without his shirt, and occasionally without more, on national television, and he’d divorced the actress of the other half of his supercouple to marry the actress of the recurring villain who occasionally came back to interrupt his supercouple, but he had three children, which permitted Hazel Fawcett to simply pretend he did something respectable and blame Nicole – the mother of only one of the children; Scott and Isabel had two, otherwise it would have been her fault for seducing Scott – for the divorce. John and Carlene weren’t overly close to him because of the age difference, but did religiously attend Scott’s fan events, which were usually held in tandem with Nicole’s and Isabel’s because of the publicity and, to John’s great amazement, because if the three of them weren’t genuinely good friends, they did a fantastic job of pretending to be.

“Quite all right,” he said when Amelia apologized for her rant, then listened to her explanation of her grandmother. “My sister has experienced the same thing several times. I doubt she’ll ever marry, however often our brother and I offer stories of enjoying the institution.” He and Allison had, now that he thought of it, been together almost as long as Amelia had been alive, counting a year of dating before he’d come home to find all her things in his apartment one day and two years of living together before their mothers became so vocal in their opposition to the arrangement that they decided, since they’d both been leaving their wild phases anyway and John in particular had been drifting back toward mainstream society, they might as well go ahead and get married.

“I can’t say I agree with their political ideals, but WAIL interests the scientist in me. Why rise up when they did? And they’ve had more staying power than any of the aggressive pureblood supremacy organizations have in the past century, at least in this country. I understand a former colleague of mine is studying the issue, though I confess I don’t think much of her recent works.” Perhaps he was slightly biased, considering that Melinda had stabbed him in the back, but he had always thought of her as more of a psychologist than a sociologist. He could see the value of the interactionist perspective, but he and Melinda had always approached it from different angles, and he was more of a functionalist anyway.

0 John Fawcett Mutual respect is the basis of communication 19 John Fawcett 0 5

Amelia Pierce

January 31, 2011 1:43 PM

We can safely communicate then, I believe by Amelia Pierce

Amelia looked mildly alarmed when he warned her about the forties becoming 'not very old' - being only five years away from forty herself (and how terrifying was that?), she feared she was quickly approaching that milestone because she certainly was not ready to classify herself as any older than 'not very old'. Or maybe she'd just take to calling herself a perpetual twenty-nine and wipe her hands of the whole aging process. That might suit her pride better. Thirty-four maybe. She liked being thirty-four and it wasn't as obvious a lie.

Her birthday next month was going to make her thirty-four for the second time. That sounded much better, she thought. Surely people would accept that. Five years wasn't quite a blink of the eye, but it certainly wasn't what she would consider a long time anymore. She couldn't possibly be that close to forty already.

"No," Amelia agreed when John commented on his sister avoiding marriage, understanding perfectly that it just didn't fit some people. "I can't even begin to imagine Bel getting married, and while I'm not opposed to the idea, I've just never felt inclined to consider it as anything more imminent that 'someday'."

She grimaced a little as she regretted mentioning WAIL, but John only talked about them in a . . . very scientific form of dissociation. She was quite certain she had never considered the group with so much detachment before. With Bel being who she was, and with Amelia herself being as involved with Quidditch as she was now, and then with Druscella throwing her support at the opposition, it had always felt so personal. It took her a moment to adjust to the completely impersonal point of view.

"I think having a protest group like DISCUSS diametrically opposed to them helped keep them from fading into obscurity. DISCUSS, to be perfectly honest, doesn't really let people forget them, and it's not entirely unintentional. WAIL's got some really out-there claims that DISCUSS likes to use to point out how idiotic they are. It's a complete load of BS that Quidditch turns people gay, so if that's wrong, the rest of what the pureblood supremacists say must also be wrong."

She paused a moment, and added, "And it was the famous Quidditch player, Rosaline Penn, coming out as a lesbian that sparked it," she added, since she knew that for a fact. Lola didn't let Bel forget that and Bel didn't let her.

1 Amelia Pierce We can safely communicate then, I believe 20 Amelia Pierce 0 5

Jethro

January 31, 2011 2:59 PM

I'm sure I've seen it in Crotalus on occasion, too by Jethro

"You have my condolences about the badge," Raines said, and Jethro had no idea at all what he was talking about. He looked at him blankly for what was probably a whole three seconds while he figured out - oh!

"That's quite alright," Jethro replied, pleased to have worked out what badge he was supposed to be grieving. "The prefects are selected on an esoteric notion that serves only to empower those who would otherwise be invisible, or give false credence to an empty struggle to be recognised," he repeated his sister's opinion on the matter. Once she'd explained what it meant, he sort of agreed. But then on the other hand, the staff weren't going to pick... well, him. A little more honestly, he added to Raines, "Besides, I'd be a useless prefect." He didn't sound at all put out by the notion. More responsibility was the exact opposite of what Jethro needed, and there was no shame in that (or so he liked to believe). As for Head Boy... there was actually less chance he'd get that, because he wasn't even one of just two people - there were several other boys in his year who were smarter, more popular, and more responsible. Three of them had just been named prefect. "Thanks for the luck, but it seems unlikely," he said to Raines.

Then, because he was supposed to be avoiding Raines and not saying anything stupid, Jethro began loading his plate with food, instead. He added meat and vegetables, but mostly meat. he was still growing, he needed lots of food. Three full meals a day was just about enough. Most of the time.

Ah, he was still sitting next to Raines. As much as he wanted to help it, Jethro still felt compelled to make light conversation; it's what felt natural. Luckily he could use the existing conversation and didn't have to think of a new one. "But good luck for you getting prefect next year," he said. He thought Raines probably had as good a chance as anyone in that yeargroup.

0 Jethro I'm sure I've seen it in Crotalus on occasion, too 0 Jethro 0 5

Reggie

January 31, 2011 9:43 PM

Is very delicious? by Reggie

Reggie listened to Jessica as she began to discuss her own background. Reggie’s father had explained to her that there were many families who were of the Pureblood variety who did not like muggles and muggleborns. It was so horrible with it that there were families who were torn apart because of different beliefs. Reggie really didn’t understand how that was possible. How could parents reject their own child because they believed things differently than their parents. How could they be so heartless? She was aware that her mother wasn’t around very much and it had been her choice to have that relationship, but Reggie never doubted her mother’s love. Her mother chose her career to give Reggie a safer world to live in. Reggie could never imagine her mother turning her back on her for something that Reggie believed in. Unless, of course, what Reggie believed in involved killing innocent people.

Listening to Jessica made Reggie realize that this really does happen. Reggie actually felt really sympathetic about it now that she knew someone who had to deal with it. And seeming as though Jessica’s age difference with her siblings probably made it that much harder for her. She highly doubted that this would be a lesson that Reggie could really learn.

Smiling, Reggie nodded. Potion Masters weren’t really rare in the magical world, but it was always nice to know someone who had one in their family. “Is yours as weird as mine?” Regina asked. Her father was eccentric, which is probably why they got along so well. If her dad was like her last math teacher, also known as boring, Reggie probably wouldn’t have spent so much time with him.

Ben also had a large family with vastly different age ranges. Was that the norm? Having siblings who were more than ten years older? That seemed very different to Reggie. She could understand if the siblings were from different marriages, but the same? Was her family strange for being an only child? Madeline was also an only child (or, at least, she didn’t mention siblings), but she was also muggleborn, so Reggie didn’t know if her being an only child mattered.

“I applaud your family for having so many Auror or Magical Law Enforcement officers in the family.” Reggie said to Ben and meaning it. She remembered from time to time her mother coming home looking like a mess because some assigned went wrong and either an Auror was gravely injured and could no longer perform his/her duties or someone had died. It was far too dangerous and Reggie just couldn’t see herself doing it. “I never could that’s for sure. Seeing my mom when she’s home is enough to not ever want to do it.” That was probably selfish of her, but it was the honest truth.

“Doctor?” Reggie asked Madeline, a bit confused. Where was she getting doctor from? And then she realized her mistake in making Madeline think Potions Masters were on the same level as people in the medical field. “Oh, I think you misunderstood me with Potion Masters, Mad.” Reggie piped up. “Potion Masters make everything that the magical world run on. They make the potions that you use to clean, they make love potions, they make potions for transfigurations, they make potions for pretty much all job types.” Reggie said, looking at the others for approval of what she’s saying. “But they also make all the potions that heal us. My dad works in the hospital, so his focus is all medical. It’s not a medical background, its just experience and skills with ingredients and a cauldron.”

So, now that she thought about it, Potion Masters were a wee bit hard to explain. “In the magical world, a Doctor is called Healer or Medi-Witch/Wizard. Some even prefer to be called Medic. But all of them go through years of training and schooling to become that. Potion Masters don’t learn anything medical, as far as I’m aware. They spend their schooling developing their skills and helping make the magical world go round.” Regina smiled at her, pretty much knowing that she probably failed at explaining all that. “Sorry, I didn’t realize how hard explaining something that is so normal to me could really be. Especially something so broad.”

6 Reggie Is very delicious? 187 Reggie 0 5

Raines

February 02, 2011 6:58 PM

...So I had to go look by Raines

When Jethro suddenly went into a lengthy sentence about why – Raines thought he was following him, but not sure – he didn’t value the prefect’s badge anyway, Raines blinked. This was the only response he could think of that wouldn’t risk propriety, especially since he was one of those pathetic people who sought validation in the form of a prefect’s badge.

And sought it just to keep Bauer from having it, but that was beside the point. Jethro Smythe was speaking coherently, and in a fashion that both (unknowingly?) insulted Raines and established Jethro’s opinion that he was superior to the prefects. All of them. That was not as much a breach of the order of things as his parents’ agreement, early in the summer, before she was disowned, that Anna had finally gotten too old to be allowed to have her own way about getting married had been, but it was still enough to make Raines want to lash out, somehow, so the world would be informed of how very not happy he was with all this change. He couldn’t cope with it. Jethro Smythe was not allowed to do the things he was doing.

” Besides, I'd be a useless prefect. Thanks for the luck, but it seems unlikely."

And then the world resolved itself back into recognizable parameters. Raines relaxed slightly. Jethro’s family must have taught him something to say. Hence the pause, for a few seconds, before he began speaking. Raines felt like an idiot. He should have caught onto these things more quickly, without Jethro having to lapse into honesty.

“Thank you,” Raines said when Jethro offered him luck. He did not need luck, but he decided to accept the offer under the assumption that it was not meant maliciously, with the intent of suggesting that it would only be luck if he made it. He could not descend into complete paranoia. “Did you have an enjoyable summer? I’m afraid I wasn’t able to spend much time in Illinois this year.” Or any, really, and he’d been out of the Louisiana social scene as well, but there was no need for excess words.

0 Raines ...So I had to go look 0 Raines 0 5

John Fawcett

February 02, 2011 7:00 PM

I'm pleased to concur by John Fawcett

“Carlene enjoys bringing pretty things half her age to Mama’s Christmas events too much to marry,” John said, his carefully cultivated intellectual’s accent slipping for a moment. He thought, at times, that his love-hate relationship with studying magical culture had something to do with his upbringing in the Muggle South. Listening to his mother’s tart commentary on the neighbors, with all the class commentary a woman from the region with a past as a Muggleborn in the 1930s wizarding world could muster, was one of his earliest memories. “Allison – “ he thought he must have mentioned his wife at some point, even if Amelia hadn’t seen her – “insists that marrying later than her sisters was one of the better ideas she ever had, for whatever that’s worth. She’s the only one who hasn’t been divorced.”

There had been a few times when it was a close thing – in retrospect, he thought they might have been approaching that state, or possibly an involuntary commitment, when Allison made that last-ditch effort to shake him out of the ten-year drift that ended with him at this table – but they had hung together one way or another, and John counted that as one of the best things ever to happen to him. He and Allison were like pairs of old shoes to each other; they wouldn’t fit anyone else at all anymore, but suited each other as close to perfectly as he supposed was possible.

Not, of course, that everyone believed this. His mother and Allison’s father were both convinced that they were cheerfully giving each other the run around more or less every moment he was here, though J.T. was a little quieter about his opinions since Allison snapped, in front of the entire family last Christmas, that he could ask impolite questions about other people’s love lives once he either permitted them about his own or dropped the little redheaded secretary. Since then, he’d drifted back toward insisting that “Ally’s professor” was after the family money.

There were some benefits to not marrying.

Her argument for how one group had kept the other operational in pursuit of a second agenda in addition to the first one was reasonably persuasive in practical terms. In terms of pure logic, ignoring the details of the situation and his feelings on them, both sides left themselves open to attack, but John had come to the conclusion in his first year of college that it was impossible to construct a completely airtight argument about any subject one felt strongly about, and the next thing to it even on a matter where one approached complete impartiality. And, as he recalled, Amelia had been involved with that bake sale at the Fair, which reinforced the impression given by her position that she might consider this a personal issue. Pure logic did have a tendency to make both sides of the issue in question annoyed with the rhetorician. “A fair point,” he agreed.

How it started. He should have known that. Shouldn’t he? “I never could keep track of Quidditch,” John admitted. “I was retired at the time, too – I think I may still be catching up on what happened outside my home office in the past fifteen years. Though I do remember Allison couldn’t believe there would be such a furor over one woman, and such a hasty generalization drawn from it.” He chuckled. “Two decades earlier, she would have gone out and started a resistance movement. I believe that was the beginning of her idea that I should begin working in another field. She was afraid of being further corrupted by the damn sociologists.”

0 John Fawcett I'm pleased to concur 19 John Fawcett 0 5

Daisy

February 02, 2011 7:03 PM

Good by Daisy

“I don’t have an opinion of him personally, either,” Daisy said, pleased that she’d been successful in getting Ryan to at least explain why he’d parroted her. “As long as I don’t do something stupid – “ her eyes flicked to the side at movement; it seemed Eliza no longer wished to sit with Renée; to judge by how red in the face Bennett was, it was for personal reasons – “I’ll never meet him, like you said. But it’s a little odd, isn’t it, that he’s just here?”

He hadn’t, after all, been a professor, and it was traditional at Sonora to draw the heads from the professorial staff. When she’d first heard that Headmistress Powell was stepping down, Daisy had assumed McKindy or Fawcett would take over, since, according to her parents, they had the longest tenures, if one counted McKindy’s first spell as Charms professor and his second together. McKindy becoming deputy head for a time had only confirmed that in her mind, which was why it had been a surprise to have this fellow announced out of a blue sky at the Fair and then to come and find a Care of Magical Creatures teacher who hadn’t been at the school as long as Daisy had handing out the potion cups.

Father hadn’t said anything about it being the case with Regal, but he had mentioned that the last time someone had come straight in off the street to a high position in the school, it had been a government appointment. Daisy just wasn’t sure if he’d been telling her that as a point of interest, to deflect her interest from him not knowing if that was what was going on, or to imply without actually saying, since she was pretty sure he underestimated her intelligence enough to see that as a challenge for her. Unless that was all an act, too, but since she was twelve and it was expected that twelve-year-olds were dumb by those who’d forgotten how to be one and Addie One didn’t think well of her, Daisy wasn’t assuming that.

Though perhaps she shouldn’t let Ryan O’Malley know she knew things. She might have to marry him someday, after all. Better to be a dumb girl from California. “At least, I think it is. But you’re right that the new room sounds interesting. Father was talking about donations last year, so I think you’re right that it wasn’t his idea, too. What kinds of things do you think might be in it?”

0 Daisy Good 0 Daisy 0 5

Jess

February 02, 2011 8:54 PM

If you like a lot of color in your stew. by Jess

Jessica smiled at Regina. She was liking these guys more and more. "He can be, sometimes. Other times he's withdrawn and quiet and you know he's working on a new potion." She shrugged. "It's like living with a guy who has mood swings." Part of the reason why her sister had really fled when she turned 18. He could be hard to live with, but she was used to it. She'd grown up with him, unlike her other siblings.

Jessica was glad that she wasn't the only one with a large age difference between her siblings. Back at home, the people she'd met were either only children or had one or two other siblings, all close in age.

Jess nodded, agreeing with Regina. "I could never be an Auror either," she said. She knew probably in England one of her many relatives was an Auror, but she couldn't know for sure.

Jess smiled at Regina's attempt to explain what a potions master was. Having experienced some muggle culture, she tried to think of something similar. "Well, there are medicinal potions," she said. "The people who make medicinal potions are kinda like like pharmacists. Oh! Potion masters are like chemists, or alchemists. You know what those are, right?"

Getting Maddie immersed into the wizarding world and its culture was like taking a girl half across the world. Well, it literally was another world right next door. Jessica couldn't imagine not living in either. "We could definitely help you remember all the different things around here. I'm sure we could find muggle comparisons," she said, trying to be helpful.

Jessica looked at the rest of her companions. "So are any of you trying out for Quidditch? I'm definitely going to try out for Seeker," she said, beaming. "I've been riding a broom for as long as I can remember." She had been wanting and wishing for that position for as long as her daddy had deemed her good enough for it. "I've never played on a team, though," she said. "Just practiced flying and looking for the snitch, mostly." She began peeling an orange.

0 Jess If you like a lot of color in your stew. 0 Jess 0 5

James

February 03, 2011 7:50 AM

But you said it would be the best. by James

James nodded when David claimed to have read a lot. Reading 'a lot' was open to interpretation, but as a fellow Aladren, James thought David could probably believed to have read sufficinet to be counted as 'a lot.' James would have liked to have read a lot, but there weren't all that many books around in the Owen household. His mom had cooking books, and James had found his textbooks in a second-hand bookshop his family knew quite well, but once he'd purchased the few new textbooks required for his second year, and some 'new' uniform robes (which were never really new) there hadn't been any money spare for him to buy any books purely for pleasure. He'd sometimes thought that one day he'd simply write his own books, then he'd always have something to read, and he might even make some money by selling them.

"Do you think classes are going to be harder this year?" David asked then, and James frowned as he thought about his reply.

"Considering that we shared most of our classes with the second years while we were in our first year, it would be fair to assume that now we're in our second year we'll be sharing classes with the first years," he said. "I've thought about this before, and I think the professors must spread the designated curriculum over two years, and it doesn't really matter whether you learn it in your first or second year," he surmised. "The couple of new textbooks indicate some advancement, though, so maybe there will be harder homework assignments. Anyway, the short answer is no, if anything I think this year will be easier because we don't have to start from scratch, so to speak. I think third year is where you start to notice everything getting a bit harder." Which meant this year they could basically relax, because they were no longer at the bottom of the school, had no new classes to add to their timetables, and had no exams looming. Quite peaceful, really. Almost boring.

"I might even think about some extra-curricular activites this year, considering the workload will be manageable," James thought aloud. "I don't knwo what the school offers besides Quidditch, though, and I don't fancy being knocked off my broom in front of the whole school." He liked flying enough and playing mini versions of Quidditch with his younger sisters, but trying out for a team and playing in front of everyone was a different thing entirely, and not one james was prepared to contemplate as a second year.

0 James But you said it would be the best. 0 James 0 5

Jethro

February 03, 2011 8:31 AM

That's what we call suggestivity by Jethro

If Raines had been perceptibly uncomfortable at any point during their conversation about prefects, Jethro would not have noticed, engrossed as he was in his meal. All he knew about prefects was that most people in his family didn't care about such things, because it just wasn't important. Lucas had been prefect, and Ivy had at her other school, but generally most Smythes had gone through school not really being singled out by a badge, and that was just fine. Jethro simply didn't care either way, though if pushed he would claim to be relieved to not have more attention drawn towards him.

Perhaps luckily, Raines soon directed the conversation onto Jethro's summer. He knew he'd have to be careful here, because there were things he wasn't allowed to talk about. "I spent almost the whole summer in Illinois," he said, in opposition to Raines' claim. This was fairly normal so he didn't see any reason not to tell this to Raines, with whom he ought not to be speaking at all - though actually Jethro thought this encounter had gone rather well so far, and Raines didn't seem to be posing any sort of threat. Cynthia probably knew what she was talking about when she'd suggested avoidance though, so he maintained his efforts to not be stupid.

"We went to see Ivy in Louisiana for a couple of days and Dardanius bit my finger," he elaborated on the one occasion he'd left his home state to visit his cousin (technically a second cousin but Cynthia always left the specifics out so Jethro copied her in this manner, as in most others) and her family. He sometimes forgot that Ivy wasn't really a Smythe, and that she never had been, but now she was definitely a Dubois and that's why she lived in Louisianna not Illinois. Jethro had gone to that wedding a couple of years ago, not like the wedding he hadn't gone to this summer. "And Amelia got married," he said, and then cut himself off sharply. He had been about to say that he wasn't invited but that was the sort of stupid thing he wasn't supposed to say, he was sure. He clamped his mouth shut and kept it that way while he thought of something less stupid to say. It didn't occur to him that Raines might already know that Amelia was married, because Jethro himself was never privvy to knowledge of anyone else's affairs. He occasionally caught parts of whispered conversations when the adults forgot he was in the room, but it was never anything substantial enough to be coherent. They were careful not to let him know what was going on in case he opened his mouth at an inopportune moment and ruined the family, as he'd almost done just then.

"It was an enjoyable summer, I suppose, just the same as all the other summers." There had't really been any occaison to make this summer any more or less enjoyable then all those Jethro had experienced in his life so far. "Did you have an enjoyable summer?" Jethro returned the question out of politness.

0 Jethro That's what we call suggestivity 0 Jethro 0 5

Raines

February 12, 2011 11:39 PM

Well, I bow to your conspiracy's expertise by Raines

He tried to be discreet about it, but Raines found himself trying to commit to memory every word Jethro said about his summer, even ignoring the pointless detail about someone biting his finger. Hearing about social matters, Raines was sure, would make Mother feel better, and that meant he had to get as much information about them as he could without actually stooping to reading girls’ magazines.

He did have to blink, though, at hearing that “Amelia” was married. That was a very common name – Raines’ maternal grandmother was called Amelia, actually, and he had several cousins on her side named for her, and had often fondly imagined the reason the name was popular even outside the family was because of Amelia Forwynt Raines – but since he was talking to a Smythe who spoke of a specific Amelia familiarly, he had to assume Jethro was talking about Amelia Smythe.

How, even in the state she’d been in since Anna left, could Mother have missed this? She had always followed the Illinois social news religiously, picking up even the smallest details, and this should have caught her attention. The only reason Amelia Smythe was out of school was because her fourth year group had been moved into sixth without going through fifth, which meant she should have still had a year before she was out of school. Mother should have been scandalized, and Raines should have heard all about it. But this was the first he’d heard of it. He’d known their isolation for most of the summer was bad, but not this bad.

He didn’t know, suddenly, if telling Mother what they’d missed would make her feel better.

He had to carry on, though. No mistakes. No messing it up. “Congratulations,” he said to Jethro’s sudden silence and odd look. “I don’t think my parents had heard about that, or I’m sure they would have already sent their best wishes. Who was it she married?”

His expression momentarily soured when he was asked about his own summer. “Not particularly,” he said. Normally, it was polite to lie, but not when the highlight of the summer had been being told to write his sister off as dead. Saying he’d had a wonderful time after that happened would come across as very vulgar if it got out, even if it was originally only said to Jethro Smythe. They were at the Crotalus table. It was never safe to assume that no one was listening to a conversation at the Crotalus table, or that the person one spoke to there might not repeat something out of context later even if no one else had listened in. “We lost my older sister. She chose to leave the family.” He forced himself to take a bite of his mashed potatoes, even though the sight of them made him feel nauseous. “We have to carry on, though. It’s what Anna would have wanted.”

0 Raines Well, I bow to your conspiracy's expertise 0 Raines 0 5

Amelia Pierce

February 15, 2011 2:45 PM

Excellent by Amelia Pierce

Amelia blinked a moment - less at John's comment on his sister's tendency to bring home pretty things than at his casual comment that all of Allison's (his wife, she was fairly sure, from both context and past conversations) sisters had divorced. Divorce was Not Done in the Pierce family. Derwent Two's first wife had been barren, but instead of divorcing her, she'd met a more . . . final end to her involvement with the family. It was the second death Derwent the Original was suspected of. (Second murder, technically, as there had been deaths out West, too, but those were mostly duels.)

Even now, without DP1 ruling over the mountain, Amelia still thought Malcolm, at least, was probably wishing he could divorce his wife and, as she understood it, Jessica had never really forgiven Derwent for letting Derry be disowned. Neither set of spouses spent much time with each other anymore, or so Berta said and Berta was rarely wrong. Sometimes she was downright crazy or left out a key detail, but she was rarely wrong.

Bel, she was quite sure, would sooner end any marriage she got involved in with a jail sentence (she had never learned DP1's discretion) rather than divorce papers, which was another good reason for her not take that route. Amelia herself would never take that step until she had an ironclad certainty that the fellow would never turn on her. She was also Pierce enough that if he did, they'd never find the body.

This was probably not something to admit to a colleague that worked with you at a school for young children. Still, she did remark blandly that, "I doubt I'll divorce if I ever do marry. It's not the Pierce way." She smiled wryly, "Hopefully, that'll be because we live happily ever after like Derry and Gabby, rather than because we suffer for our mistakes like Malcolm and Bettina."

Amelia laughed quietly at John's description of his wife's reaction to WAIL's overreaction to Rosalina Penn. "Well, if she ever changes her mind and wants to join the resistance, have her give me a call, and I can get her set up with a new branch office of DISCUSS."

1 Amelia Pierce Excellent 20 Amelia Pierce 0 5

Jethro

March 02, 2011 5:07 AM

It is receptive of your consideration by Jethro

Raines congratulated Jethro, and it was only because he added further comment that the fifth year was able to work out that he was referring to Amelia's wedding itself, not the fact that Jethro had managed to stay silent on the part about him not being invited. He nodded to acknowledge the felicitations and decided that if Amelia's wedding had been published in a paper or magazine, even if it was a small article in the sort of publication only read by women, Jethro was probably allowed to discuss important details, such as the identity of the groom. "She is married to Ian Grimm," Jethro replied. He wasn't sure how he felt about Ian as a person - they hadn't interacted much, and although ian had never called him stupid or been rude at all, really, he wasn't exactly friendly, either. Cynthia said it was a good match because Ian would receive a substantial inheritence and the Grimm's held dirt on just about every important family out there, so it could only help to have them on their side. Jethro thought it was a good match because the husband and wife actually seemed to like each other, and while he knew that nobody thought that was important, he had noticed that people who liked each other got along better. He had kept this particular observation to himself.

Reciprocating by talking about his own summer, Raines surprised Jethro by admitting that he hadn' had an enjoyable time. people rarely said such things. However, as Raines went on to explain that his sister had decided to leave the family (and he made the assumption that it wasn't through marriage and was therefore a Bad Thing) Jethro supposed he could forgive the less traditional reply. "We have to carry on, though. It’s what Anna would have wanted."

Jethro nodded again, not being entirely sure who Anna was. His first thought was that it was the recently estranged sister, but then why would Raines care what she wanted? "I'm sorry to hear that," Jethro said. He thought it was an appropriate response - he knew he would be sad if Cynthia left the family, but then he was fairly sure she would never do something like that. Sometimes it seemed like all she cared about was the family. He didn't really know what else to say to Raines, though, so he went back to silently eating his meal. He wasn't supposed to be talking to the younger boy, anyway.

0 Jethro It is receptive of your consideration 0 Jethro 0 5

Headmaster Regal

Opening Feast by Headmaster Regal

Preston Stratford

Shiny new Aladren. by Preston Stratford

Derwent Pierce IV

Sunshiney and Bright by Derwent Pierce IV

Avery Larson

I'm finally tan! by Avery Larson

Madeline Parry

It's very 'in' this year by Madeline Parry

Adelita Garcia

Back and Ready for 6th Year by Adelita Garcia

Topher Calhoun

Is it crimson, or should we just stick with red? by Topher Calhoun

Edmond Carey

Not my favorite surprise ever by Edmond Carey

Regina Parker

I don't think yellow goes with my hair... by Regina Parker

Jessica Applerose

Hopefully it'll fade? by Jessica Applerose

Derry Four

Why would you want it to? by Derry Four

Andrew Duell

Wait... what..? by Andrew Duell

Fae Sinclair

Crimson sounds a little morbid to me. by Fae Sinclair

Madeline

It and the green robes make us look kinda like soda bottles? by Madeline

Sophia Randolph

Welcome to Pecari! by Sophia Randolph

Regina Parker

We call them pop bottles 'round here. by Regina Parker

Jessica Applerose

Soda bottles for the west! by Jessica Applerose

Arthur and Arnold Carey

Two more for the team by Arthur and Arnold Carey

Avery

Thanks for the warm welcome! by Avery

Derry Four

Wait, back up, what's soda/pop? by Derry Four

Derry

And bringing In Ben... by Derry

Benjamin Holland

Hope I am not butting in by Benjamin Holland

Madeline

We're getting more numerous all the time by Madeline

Tobar Brishen

Huh? by Tobar Brishen

Topher

Red it is, then by Topher

Demetra Mason

One more Pecari. by Demetra Mason

Charlotte Abbott

Whatever it may throw at us by Charlotte Abbott

James Owen

Back for my second year by James Owen

Prefect Jose Hernandez

Looks just like Saul's by Prefect Jose Hernandez

Andrew Duell

Yeah... that about sums it up. by Andrew Duell

Starbuck Gregory

I don't see them changing them year to year. by Starbuck Gregory

Jose

You may be onto something there. by Jose

David Wilkes

It'll be the best ever by David Wilkes

James

Then won't every subsequent year be a disappointment? by James

Josephine Owen

Brown is the new Black. by Josephine Owen

Sophia Randolph

Welcome! Welcome! by Sophia Randolph

Lita

Let's hope not *too* much drama! by Lita

Avery Larson

Yay, more Pecaris! by Avery Larson

Reggie

It's cos we're awesome by Reggie

Nicodemus Sawyer

Third year's the Charms by Nicodemus Sawyer

Let's hope not too much drama! by Lita