Snippet #1980316

Four extremely large tables were situated in the Great Hall, each representing their own House. The Ferre table stood to the far left, next was the Vulpes table, followed by Cervus to the right of center, and Arietem on the far right. The Hall was full of bodies, the mixed sounds of hundreds of conversations filled the large stone room. It was the beginning of the year feast, and the students of Magus Grex School of Witchcraft and Wizardry were back for another year. At the back of the room, there stood a raised platform, where all of the faculty were seated.

To the far left sat Nolan Pillsworth, the Flying Professor, who leaned in to whisper something in Logan Applebome's ear, the Astronomy Professor, both laughing at whatever was whispered. Ivy sat to Logan's right, speaking politely to the Head of Cervus House, Simone. And to her right was Markum, head of Arietem House, who was watching Arietem's table with interest, no doubt scoping out the new students that had been sorted into his house. To the far right sat the Divination Professor, Quinn Tobar, who was dressed in robes of bright purple, her hair sticking out at all angles. Next to her was a new face at Magus Grex, Grace Ashby, who had replaced the most recent History of Magic Professor. She sat with a smile on her face, gazing out at the mass of students. Next to her was Oscar, Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor, whose face was neutral, almost cold, and sat with his arms crossed, not partaking in any conversation. Graham was in deep conversation with Margaret, who as the Deputy Headmistress sat to the immediate right of the Headmaster himself.

The Headmaster rose, and stepped forward to his eloquently crafted podium, which stood at the front of the platform. Quickly, the chatter died down, and the attention of every body in the room turned his way. No one was stupid enough to interrupt Headmaster Rockwell when he spoke. He gazed out among the many faces, looking sullen as he always did. "Welcome, new students and returning students alike. The faculty and myself are very excited for this school year." The statement might have gotten a few silent chuckles out of the students, seeing as the Headmaster never seemed excited about anything.

He continued on, ignoring the few snickers that echoed around the room. "I trust you are all as ready for the school year as we are." He paused, his eyes scanning the room. "You all know what is acceptable behavior in this school, and any students found participating in unacceptable behavior will be punished accordingly. Keep in mind that our wonderful caretaker is always watching." He gestured to the front corner of the room, where a figure was hiding in the shadows. If you looked close enough, you could see that he was an extremely weathered looking man who had a frown on his face. He bowed ever so slightly towards the Headmaster.

"The faculty are planning some rather large events just for you students, so I trust you will all treat them with the respect they deserve, especially since they are going the extra mile for you." One final look around the room. "Let's all have a great year, shall we?" He stepped back from the podium, and returned to his seat in the middle of the faculty table.

The chatter rose up once again.

---

It was just like Headmaster Rockwell to make his speech short and to the point. Rose sat picking at her food more than eating it, and listening to the multiple conversations that were going on around her. She had ended up sitting next to Micah, who she didn't know very well, but was nice to look at. Of course, she could hardly be bothered to watch him when Emerson was so close. She stole glances at him whenever she dared, but never for too long. He was always smiling or laughing, and it only made him look more attractive. She felt heat rising to her cheeks, and directed her stare down at her plate.

Her mind wandered, and thought on all the rumors she'd heard about Emerson. They just couldn't be true. He was so handsome and nice and funny. People were just jealous of him, so they tried to spread mean rumors about him. She just wouldn't believe what they told her. Although she would never be dull enough to actually tell someone she had a crush on him. They would probably just laugh right in her face, and call her stupid.

Rose picked at her potatoes, barely tasting them as she ate. She let a soft sigh escape her lips. She had no idea why she was feeling so down. Truly, she was excited to be back at Magus Grex once more. Her best friends were at the school, and she had Care of Magical Creatures to really look forward to. The thought brought a small smile to her face. She would see Bliss again, who made her feel like more of a person than anyone else. The girl had some crazy ability to make Rose climb out of her skin.

A loud ruckus came from the table next to hers, and she gazed past the person sitting opposite to see the Vulpes table. Of course it was Justin. She didn't know how one person had the ability to be so loud. She didn't think she could even if she tried. She glanced quickly to her left, seeing Micah. She didn't have any reason why she'd never spoken to him much. She tried to think of something to say to him, but couldn't come up with anything, so she gave up.

In all honesty, she couldn't wait until the feast was over, so she could retreat to the common room and read a good book. Out of habit, she wrapped her robes close around her, as if she could shrink within them and not be seen.

---

After the Headmaster was done with his speech, which was always gloomy, Finn began to eat hungrily, as he always did. He had to keep up his strength, after all. He was seated next to his best friend, Felix. He was extremely excited to be back, not having seen any of his friends for the entire summer. There was so much to catch up on. He hadn't had too much to do over the summer, and had mostly spent time on the beach, and surfed whenever the waves were good.

Braelyn was sitting across from him a few seats down, and he gave her a smile as he made contact with her. Georgie was also close, and he smiled at her as well. He couldn't believe it was his last year at Magus Grex, and made a promise to himself that he would do his best to make it his best year yet. These people were in his house, and while he was friendly with them, they weren't exactly great friends. He needed to work on getting to know everyone better before he left for good. That didn't mean that things needed to get out of hand, however. He didn't really approve of breaking the rules, and normally refrained from doing so, no matter who asked. He got a lot of crap for it, literally from everybody, but it didn't change his ways. It was rooted too deep down into him to change.

He nudged Felix and asked, "So how was your summer, man?" He still continued eating, grabbing the variety of foods that were sitting in front of him. "I'm just really excited for the Quodpot matches. It's my last year, and I'm determined to beat Arietem this year." It wasn't that he had any real problem with the house, but they had been rivals long before Finn had attended the school. It had even seeped into his blood a little.

"And ugh, we can't forget about our all important NEWTs this year. I swear that's all we're going to hear the entire school year. I'm going to be lucky to scrape a passing grade..."