Settling In ((Open))

[geetay]

The castle was awfully grand. He'd never seen anything like it before really--of course he'd seen magic before, so that wasn't anything new, but things like moving staircases and paintings that asked for passwords...it was all terribly fun.

After having perfectly stuffed himself at the start of term feast, the small boy had been lead to the basement with his other first year mates and shown the pleasantly decorated common room, full of yellow draperies and overstuffed arm chairs around a cozy fire. He liked the yellow, and his house quite a bit. It felt sunny and cheerful and that was a nice change from the austere and dusty surroundings he'd grown up in. Hufflepuff was like the nice old witch down the lane who collected chipped tea cups and other bobins and gave all the kids biscuits on Saturdays. He felt terribly comfortable.

He was, however, having an awful time getting to sleep. He'd been delighted by the round little tunnels that led to the rooms (like a mole hill!), but the giant four poster bed that was all his...he was scared he'd get lost in it. His room back at the Knight residence had been little more than a spare closet, and only sometimes had Miss Aubergine allowed him to curl up at the end of her bed like a little foot warmer. Having a bed like that all to himself was frightening, and he couldn't sleep with the sound of the other boys' breathing around him.

So, he'd crept back through the round little tunnel to the common room and was quietly curled up like a little bug in one of the overstuffed armchairs by the dwindling fire, his giant History of Magic book spread across his lap as he read quietly, content.

[bostonsong89]

Corrine Banston was having the best few weeks of her life. She was finally settling into her own skin. For she had never actually been comfortable with her self. About time that all changed. Corrine and her multi colored hair bounced as she trumped down the steps from the girl’s dormitory. She hated most girls in her house, they just gossiped and told each other lies, Corrine wasn’t that kind of girl at all.

Walking down the stone steps Corrine noticed a first year sitting on the couch, Typically she sat in the corner by the window, so it didn’t bother her much were he sat. A small natural smile swam across her face when she saw how tiny the boy was. He wanted to pinch him because he was so adorable. He had a huge book spread across his legs and he looked like he was very into the read.

As Corrine got to the bottom of the steps she made her self present by walking noticeably in front of the young boy. She smiled down at him with her perfect teeth and asked him

“ Do you mind if I sit here?” While pointing to the empty spot on the large couch.

[geetay]

It was circa 1012 when the four greatest wizards and witches of the time decided to found Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry out of distrust for the growing distaste of witchcraft by the Muggle population of the time. This founded a new era of secrecy... George broke his eyes from the text as something moved in the corner of his vision and his heart skipped a little, worried that it would be that large monk that haunted the common room. He'd first seen the castle ghosts that evening at the feast, and had been more than a little scared. He didn't take well to ghosts or dark magic at all.

But it wasn't a ghost, it was a girl. One of the older girls, and she was smiling at him, which was nice but also a little scary. He felt his cheeks go red, having not expected anyone else to be awake after all the food from earlier. He wondered if her hair naturally grew in that color, and wondered what color he would have liked for himself. Blue eyes reflecting the firelight nervously, he looked to the spot on the couch and curled up a little more, shaking his head and staring at her. "N-no, I don't."

[oliviahall]

Tossing and turning, Olivia couldn’t stay on one side as if she was sleeping on hot coals. The mattress was anything but uncomfortable, it was her unsettled mind that prevented her from hunkering down into a slumber. Olivia rolled onto her back, blowing out a lungful of frustration. She brought her fists down on either side of her, ”Damn you insomnia!” At her exclamation of her annoyance, Olivia’s roommate stirred and mumbled something about shutting the hell up, but it was hard to determine exactly what with the girl’s voice obscured by the covers that were pulled over her head.

Olivia sighed, ”Fine.” There was no sense in staying in bed to continue her fish out of water flapping around, Liv tore the covers off, her heated mood the cause of the duvet abuse, and exited the room, slamming the door behind her. Try sleeping now you cow. Her act of malice turned the corners of her lips into a smile. Normally she wasn’t so cruel, but between the frustrating lack of sleep she was getting and the fact that her roommate was in fact a cow, Olivia had her excuse.

She regrettably had to reenter the dragon’s lair and snatch her leather jacket from a hook on the inner side of the door, Liv cringed seeing the look of pure hatred on her roommates face, but made sure to gently shut the door this second time around. Pulling the jacket on, which surely looked ridiculous with her sweats and white thermal, but she felt naked without it, Liv ventured through the tunnel-esc hall toward the opening to the common room.

Stepping into the cacoon of warmth that was the cozy common room, Liv muttered nonsense about her dance with the devil- ie, her roommate. Spotting the rather small creature, that was paled by the oversized chair he was seated upon, Olivia ceased her mumbling. She didn’t need to expose the child to a string of obscenities at such a young age. ”Evening” She announced herself, her usually raspy voice even more obscured by the growl that she affected in a state of sleep deprivation.

Olivia stepped to the chair across from the boy, her body hunched over in bad posture, she was too tired to give a shit about presenting herself for a boy. She yawned, eyeing the book in his lap, ”History of magic, what a load of bull. You can’t trust what they tell you in that thing, the facts are totally skewed.”

[bostonsong89]

Corrine changed her toothy smile into a softer more inviting smile when she saw that the boy was oddly freaked out by her. Corrine was quite the sight indeed. She had black hair that had chunks of blonde, blue, pink and red. Her hair was naturally waved and thick though. She adjusted her clothes as she sat down. Tugging the dark blue shirt ;she had stolen from her boyfriend’s trunk , down past her butt and pulled her solid yellow colored cotton pant legs down past her ankles. If there was one dilemma that Corrine refused to put her self through it was cold ankles.

Corrine heard some steps coming down from the girl’s dormitory and along came Liv. A seventh year. She seemed nice enough to Corrie, though she didn’t actually know her well enough to judge her on any thing. She had nice hair. That was a fact but as for clues into Liv’s persona, Corrine was vacant for answers.

Corrine then focused her time back onto the boy. Looking at the page he was reading. Corrine smiled and giggled. “ I’m pretty sure every one read that when they where first years as well.” Che told the boy in her sharp Scottish accent.

[geetay]

As another of the older girls dropped into a chair, George shrunk back into the chair a little more, trying to smile but having never faced the pinnacle of social grandeur that was talking to two girls at once. Well, Celeste and Aubergine didn't exactly count, since he'd had to talk to them every day of his life. These girls he didn't know at all, and yet they'd made it a point to sit and talk with him.

Maybe making friends at Hogwarts wouldn't be so scary if it was this easy.

"G-Good evening," he replied back to the girl who was oddly sporting a leather jacket indoors. Listening to the two girls chat about his reading choice (really, just the first thing he'd picked out of his large stack of used textbooks), he smiled shyly, not really knowing what to say. "It seems interesting enough," he said to the colorful girl, and then looked to the one in leather: "Why do you say it's skewed?"

[oliviahall]

The bright thing sitting next to the boy had completely alluded Olivia’s gave but that quickly changed at the sudden voice, she knew boys’ voices didn’t deepen until puberty, but jesus, even then that tone was surely female. Liv’s eyes jumped from the cute kid who’s book almost covered his lap fully he was so small, to his company. Gee, I wonder if that’s natural. Her eyes were stuck, she could not force them away from the girl’s multi-colored locks.

Humiliating to say the least, Olivia acknowledged her own rude blunder and her cheeks tinged the lightest shade of pink. Thankfully the youngest of the three spoke up, giving her an excuse not to address her fellow gal, as she had already made things awkward between them.

Olivia scoffed at his description of the book, it seems interesting enough. Furthermore, he inquired about the legitimacy of her critique of what was between the covers. ”The ministry regulates what goes in it, and they don’t exactly want us to know how things really were. It’s bad for their business to not sugar-coat things.”

[geetay]

"The ministry?" he asked curiously, blue eyes wide and pathetically naive. He'd of course heard about the Ministry of Magic back home, Mister Knight often cursing this person or that person or just The Ministry in general, but he didn't know exactly what The Ministry was, or why they would want to regulate his school books. Pulling the book a little closer in his lap, he wondered if maybe he didn't understand because he wasn't wise enough yet and thought Hogwarts must be a really wonderful school if the older students could notice hidden things so easily. Hidden stuff usually flew right over his head, and Celeste often used it to her advantage when teasing him. He went pink about the ears at the thought.

[bostonsong89]

Corrine’s eyes roll at the comment made by her elder Hufflepuff. She knew that Liv was talking about her hair. All the girls talked about her hair, but at least that was all they talked about when it came to Corrine Banston. After all she mainly kept to her self and only had a handful of actual friends.

Corrie noticed the boy question the nature of Liv’s statement regarding the book. Obviously she correct, but she didn’t have to tell the poor boy that, after all he was enjoying the read. One thing Corrine didn’t like is when people spoil things for the younger years. Her theory was to let them find out on their own, if they really wanted to learn more they would go looking for more answers. Corrine didn’t know how to react to Liv’s semi-abrasive comments on the book. So she did what she also did when there was slight confrontation, she ignored it. ’ Perhaps she didn’t mean to come off so rough around the edges.’ Corrine thought to her self.

By politely ignoring the awkward statement directed towards her self Corrine puts her hand on the old book and smiles as kindly as possible at the boy. “ Don’t worry about it, you’ll learn more about that sorta thing in classes soon.” By continuing the conversation, Corrie didn’t know the small boy’s name. “ Oh, shit, what’s your name?” Corrine quickly added into her statement.

[geetay]

His curiosity about the Ministry's secrets was quelled as the kind girl leaned closer, her hands (so much bigger than his own!) covering the pages he had been reading. Her smile was awfully friendly, and chased away any cobweb ideas and conspiracy theories.

He was a little taken aback by the sudden expletive leaving her pretty mouth, and flushed, not sure if that was okay. He'd never heard a girl curse before, except maybe Celeste when she was awfully cross with something, and even then nothing harsher than damning something.

He blushed harder, still in that phase where he very much believed that adults could tell exactly what little children were thinking. At any moment, the head of house that had lead them to the common room earlier that night was going to pop out from behind one of the yellow draperies and exclaim, "Aha! I heard that!" He tried very hard not to think the word again.

"G-George," he replied, swallowing, looking back and forth between the girls. "George Taylor." He almost forgot his manners. "A-And you, miss?"

[bostonsong89]

Corrine couldn’t help but giggle at the nervous boy. She never seemed to have this effect on first years before, granted every first year she talked to was a bit of a prat or too scared to even talk to her. Corrine’s insanely blue/grey-green eyes widened as she talked to the boy.“ Darling I’m Corrine and I’m not going to bite you, you do know that right?” Corrine reassured him. Corrine thought back to her first year, and honestly she would rather have forgotten it.

Corrine’s first year she was constantly bullied for her large lips and large beauty mark on the right side of her mouth. She was mostly teased by Slytherins and Raven claw girls, thankfully all of those people are no longer in the school. Corrine tried to reassure the boy that every thing will be fine, with a gentle pat on the shoulder. She knew that he was probably weirded out by the current situation, he’s probably never even spoken to a girl I his life, let alone two older girls.


Corrine pushed her thick hair behind her ears, and tried to think of a new topic to avoid the conversation involving the lack of order that is the ministry of Magic. “ So what classes are you taking?”

[geetay]

He found himself studying her eyes, not really realizing that it was probably rude and odd of him to do so. He'd always been interested in eyes--when he had the chance, he'd look into Aubergine's and Celeste's quietly if they weren't paying attention. Otherwise, they'd usually just push him off and scold him for being strange. He felt like magic folk must all have the prettiest eyes in the world; maybe that's how you tell a magic person from a muggle, he mused. Maybe when he got older he'd study magic folk's eyes...it would be a pretty thing to do, he thought with a tired mind.

The pat on his shoulder was comforting, not like the rigid head pats that Aubergine gave him when she treated him like the family puppy. He leaned against her a little, looking back down at his book shyly and then across to the leather coated girl in the chair, thinking. "Ummm...Herbology...Mythology...Charms" He gave a little shudder at that, "Potions...and I think Muggle Studies too." He smiled a little. He was so excited for Muggle Studies.

[bostonsong89]

Corrine felt the boy lean on her a bit, she didn’t mind at all, in fact she found it flattering. It was flattering to Corrine because if she had some one her first year, to tell her every thing was going to be ok, then gosh, she would probably be very different today. Corrine leans her head against his and gave him a small yet warm it’s -ok-hug. After releasing George she smiled as he told her about his classes. Corrine loved muggle studies. In fact she could go on, all day about how much she adored muggles.

“ That’s splendid George. I personally love muggle studies. I mean I find it so endearing, that not matter what time period we’re in, they still live like they’re in the stone age. I mean honestly, why pay money for a car when you have a fireplace, I mean honestly.” Corrine explained. Though she wasn’t sure if any one else in the room would find it nearly as interesting as she did.Miling at how socially awkward she must appear, Corrine changes the topic.

"So do you have any sibings here already? Or are you the first in your family to come to hogwarts?"

[geetay]

Laughing with her, he felt like everyone at this school must be lovely. Being hugged was lovely, and he so rarely got hugged. Only when Miss Aubergine was in a very good mood would she hug him close and pet his hair until he was terribly drowsy in her arms.

He tensed just a little, though, when she inquired about his family. Celeste had scolded him on the train on the way to school--he wasn't to tell anyone he was a Muggle. It was bad enough, she had said, that he'd even been invited to come to school with all the other magic folk even though he wasn't "of the blood", and if he embarrased her and Aubergine by letting on that they were associating with a muggle boy, she had threatened never to speak to him again. Aubergine hadn't commented, but her silver gray eyes had a pointed look to them during Celeste's speech that made him think she agreed.

Being a Muggle was wrong and an embarrasment. He felt like Miss Corrine must think so as well...thinking that Muggles lived in the stone age. If he told them that he was a Muggle, though he'd never lived among them, they'd surely think he was useless like the Knight family did.

Blushing, he looked up at her. "My aunts are here," he replied, feeling it was the safest thing to call them. Sisters would be much too close. If he messed something up, at least they could look down on him with everyone else as aunts. As sisters, they'd be implicated in his misfortune as well. "Um, Aubergine and Celeste Knight..."

[bostonsong89]

Corrine noticed a slight flinch almost from George at the mention of his family. ‘ Perhaps they don’t get along.’ She thought to her self. The small boy seemed so lost for words in a way and in another like he was keeping a secret from her. Granted Corrine and George were still strangers to each other and he was nervous already so she didn’t push him into a confession.

When she heard the names of his aunts Corrine honestly didn’t know who they were. “ What houses are they in ?” She asked honestly curious. George seemed so small and so frightened of every thing that was happening to him. He probably didn’t know a thing about magic or the world it runs. She soured her face and turned her body to face him completely. “ Darling, don’t mind me asking, but.. Are you muggle born?”

Corrine knew it wasn’t any of her business, but it would explain some of why the boy was being so odd, well not odd really, non trusting is more the word, then again Corrine would have been like that if the first thing an older student to her was part controversy. Looking back over at Olivia Corrine almost body checked her. Studying her wardrobe, which was incredibly odd seeing how it was a leather jacket.