Gryffindor's Return (Gryffies)

[Cassandra Blackfire G7]

Cassandra pushed the gigantic doors to the Great Hall open and looked around. It was basically empty except for a few prefects and some professors already beginning to seat themselves at the head table. The Gryffindor tie around her neck was starting to feel a bit constricting, and she wasn't use to the grey skirt since she had worn jeans all summer. The colorful banners that hung above each house table seemed to still hold the same Majesty they did the first day she was here. She heard students milling around behind her, making their way up the steep steps that led to the entrance.

I wonder what those first years or thinking. Probably terrified of that huge lake. Well, I was terrified crossing the lake, thought Cassandra. Taking a seat at the Gryffindor table, she wondered what type of first years they had. How many were courageous gryffindors, hyper hufflepuffs, reading ravenclaws, and slimy slytherins? Cass put her head in hands, just thinking about all the things that had already happened this year, and how they shadowed the sorting ceremony. There were still many witches and wizards at St. Mungos, she had heard that Amelia Bones had died, and the Diagon Alley attacks had kept the Back To School shopping to a minimum. She was already tired, and her animagus for this year hadn't even began. Looking at the doors, she saw students stream in. Waiting for her housemates to show up, she really needed to get into the throws of schoolwork to forget everything that had happened.

[livinghope1986]

Mandi slowly made her way into the Great Hall. She was glad to be back, but the summer had been so bad, even the sight of the Great Hall couldn't help her joy return. The Great Hall was mostly empty and Mandi made her way to the Gryffindor table. The banner seemed to be too bright and clean for such an occasion. Mandi wanted more than anything to scream at the top of her lungs, but it would make nothing better. She looked at the mostly empty table. She recognized a younger student sitting by herself. 'Cassandra...Blackfire,' Mandi thought to herself. She remember the rumors from last year about her being a pureblood. She hadn't known she was until something happened last year. Mandi figured it had to be hard for her. After all, she grew up thinking she was one person and then to only find out about 14 years later that she was a completely different person.

Mandi shrugged to herself as she walked to the table and sat across from Cassandra. "Cassandra, right?" Mandi asked as she started to talk to the girl in a quiet voice. "Mandi Aspden. I'm a year ahead of you." Mandi waited to see if Cassandra was going to answer her. She seemed to be off in her own little world and Mandi understood how that felt. For the last few days Mandi had been going off into her own little daydreams from time to time. She couldn't get her mind off of the summer and that was something that had been affecting most of her life. She couldn't function in society the way she used to. She couldn't get the images and sounds out of her mind. It seemed that every waking or sleeping moment, she would see the frightened faces of the people around her and the sounds of their screams as they were injured.

Mandi shook herself out of her daydream. She didn't want to think about it, not here, not now. She didn't want her first memory of her 5th year at Hogwarts to be about the attacks. She didn't need or want that. It was too hard for her to understand that kind of thing. Mandi looked back at Cassandra as she listened to her response.

[Cassandra Blackfire G7]

Cass looked up at the older girl. " Oh, hello. Yes, I'm Cassandra. Cass or Cassie if you want." Cass scooted over so Mandi could sit in front of the gold place setting to the left of her. " I don't believe we've met. It's nice to meet you." Cass forced a smile to her face. The conversation between her and Nasser had been very thought provoking for her. Cassandra's thoughts were constantly turning over and over about her family. She felt guilty being back at Hogwarts, knowing that her mother and brother were probably sitting ducks. They lived in Hogsmeade, but could she get to them if something happened to them. She dreaded it. She had dreams where she was looking out her dorm bedroom window, seeing the Dark Mark hovering above her home.

Snapping back to reality, she tried to redirect her thoughts back to Mandi. " Did you see the points jars when we came in? Ravenclaw has already lost ten points! The house cup winners for last year are getting off to a horrible start. I'm just glad it wasn't me who lost the first points of the year. Didn't I set the all time Hogwarts Record for losing the most points in a consecutive two days?"

[livinghope1986]

"Good to meet you as well," Mandi said with a smile as she sat down next to Cassandra. She was glad to be back, she just wished that the sorting could begin and the year could start. She hated just sitting around waiting for others to arrive. Mandi fidgeted with her Hogwarts robes as Cassandra started talking yet.

Mandi shook her head when Cassandra asked her about seeing the point jars. Apparently Ravenclaw had already lost points. "The year hasn't even started yet. What Ravenclaw would risk losing points for their house?" Mandi asked with a smile. Most Ravenclaws were very rule abiding. They had won the House Cup last year by a lot and this year they were already behind everyone. 'How ironic?' Mandi thought to herself. "Yes, I think you did break that record. I don't even think the Weasley twins did that bad," Mandi said with a giggle. She remembered last year when Cassandra had gotten in big trouble for being in the Forbidden Forrest. She was pretty sure that was were most of the points were taken from. "Those points were taken from your excursion into the Forbidden Forest, right?" Mandi asked as she looked at Cassandra.

[blake]

(Hope you don't mind me joining in.)

Blake had been forced to go to the hospital wing which he didn't normally mind but this time he didn't want to waste Madam Pomferys time with cuts. Madam Pomfrey didn't think they were just cuts and did a quick spell to heal his cuts then bandaged them up pushing him out the door of the hospital wing rushing off to other people. "Crazy bat." He said passing the Great Hall the first time and walking right up to the common room. He didn't feel like eating, he just wanted to sit down somewhere quite. Blake soon found out that the fat lady wouldn't let him in and he walked back down to the Great Hall. "She knows who I am, She's seen me over what a hundred times." He said talking to himself in a low voice.

He finally got to the Great Hall and walked in then to the Gryffindor table. He didn't plan on staying long he just wanted to find out the password. As he walked down the table he found Cassandra, a girl he met over the summer. He soon sat down next to her and looked over. " Hey Cassandra It's good to see your safe." He said with a smile. Then looked over at the other girl a crossed from Cassandra. "Hi I'm Blake." he said still forcing the same smile then he moved on to what he wanted to ask. "one of you wouldn't happen know what the password to the common room is this year?" He asked looking over to the teachers and a few seemed to be missing.

[Nasser Salah G6]

"You most certainly did Cass," said Nasser in a stern voice but with a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eyes as he took a seat beside her. He'd been a little late arriving at the table, he'd run to the Hospital Wing to see if he could be of any use. "Hello Mandi, hey Blake," he said with a smile. "Hope you had a good summer. They say this year's going to be a nightmare – hope we have someone good for Defence this year, that's the subject I'm afraid of the most - I think," said Nasser, who was thinking firmly to himself that it was OK to talk to someone you didn’t know that well without stammering. He didn't stammer at all and felt a spark of pride because of that. He really was forgetting what it was to be shy. Of course he'd seen them in the common room and in class, but Nasser had never talked to them a lot before.

"Password's "Night Journey"," he told them having just been informed of it by Professor McGonagall. Makes you wonder what she was up to this summer," said Nasser raising his eyebrows slightly. His eyes travelled around the hall fondly, except perhaps for when they rested a moment on the Slytherin table. He looked back up at the staff table looking for a sign of any new professor's but he could see none. This was rather surprising, however his thoughts were soon interrupted by the arrival of the first years before he said anything. They were looking scared to death as they did every year. Nasser wondered if many would be sorted into Gryffindor. They could do with a few more good students; it had been such a shame last year to lose the House Cup when they had had it for five years in a row.

[blake]

"Hey Nasser." Blake said as soon as he greeted him and Mandi. He then said the password to the common room, Blake was glad to hear the password and was about to leave but his body didn't seem so glad. His body didn't feel like getting up so he just sat there still resting. ” Well there are worse places I could be." He said thinking to himself with a smile. "I think we past nightmare back there on the train." He said grabbing his cup and drinking some pumpkin juice. Blake reached out for some food and put it on his plate. Now that he thought about it he was more hungry then sleepy. Blake really wanted to stop talking about the train or attacks he wished this place would go back to the way he knew it.

"My summer was fine, boring but fine." He said thinking of what his family was doing now. "I have to sent a letter home soon or my grandma will be yelling about evil around every corner even more." He said forcing a laugh. He then looked over at Nasser, he knew he was a perfect and just thought about what the passed perfects did to him when he was younger. " So your going to share all the stuff you take from the first years right?" He said laughing and this time it was a real laugh it was the first time he really laughed since the attack.

[Cassandra Blackfire G7]

Cass shrugged her shoulders. "At least I've gone down in Hogwarts history for something. I was just surprised I lost more than Harry." Cass said this aloud to the crowd with a bit of a laugh. " Defense, your worried about Defense? I'm not. I just can't wait to get into the dueling classroom again. I love the dueling club!" Cass looked over the heads of her friends to see the students who were still streaming into the Great Hall. " Gosh, I don't see anyone I really know. I wonder where my cousin is...." Cass' voice trailed off, a little worried about her cousin. She had only seen him once this summer, and that was a very quick visit.

Silence began to descend on the hall as Dumbledore stood up to speak. The Headmaster's speech was always one of the highlights of the dinner. Everyone listened attentively as Dumbledore spoke of house unity. Cass was a bit irritated at this remark since she had spent part of last year befriending people from other houses, including Slytherins. I was nearly martyred last year because I felt that way, Cass thought to herself.

Gasps uttered from the crowd as Dumbledore announced the death of Laura Pennington, a Hufflepuff Quidditch member. Cass' hand went to her mouth in horror. The rest of the speech went by in a haze after this news. Dumbledore soon sat down, and looked at the table in misery. " Laura Pennington. That is so horrible. She was such a sweet girl."

[ames]

Amelia stood at the double doors, her heart pounding with excitment and her head buzzing with joy that she got to return to the school she loved so much. It had worried her for the longest time since the first attacks this summer that the school would close... she was much relieved to see it stay open. She pushed the double doors open and smiled with a jolt of excitment as she looked inside. The marble floors shined and the lights flickered. She breathed in the air of her magical school. She then giggled with another jolt of excitment and ran to the Great Hall.

As soon as she entered the Great Hall, she felt her heart rise. The Gryffindor table was already half filled with students. She recognized most of them, but not all. This was the year she met EVERYONE, except Slytherins... she may make an exception, but she doubted it highly. She noticed Blake Conners and smiled hugely. She ran over and stood behind him, putting a hand on each of his shoulders. She shook his shoulders side to side and giggled.

"BLAKE!" she said excitedly.

[blake]

Blake listen to every word that Dumbledore said. He found it kind of hard to think about ever needing a sneaky Slytherin but he kind of did agree with him that they all needed to work together but he doubted any Slytherin would help. Then he said Laura Pennington was killed during the attack and he could see Cassandra starting to feel bad. "I never got to talk to her." He said also looking down at the table. He looked back at all the teachers He also wanted to she who was teaching Defense against the dark art. Still he couldn't find any teacher. So after looking around he felt a hand on his shoulder then other hand on the other one.

The hands started moving him from side to side and he could hear a familiar giggle. After that he heard A voice say his name. Blake looked over with a smile. "Hey Amelia, I'm glad to see your safe." He said with his big smile nothing about the attack was in his mind right now. "Why don't you sit down?" He said looking at the seat right next to him.

[Nasser Salah G6]

Nasser privately thought he would rather not go down in history at all rather than go down for having lost so many points for his house, but he didn’t say anything. After all, it wasn't like he hadn’t broken rules before or stepped over the line during his past four years at Hogwarts, though he had never been into the Dark Forest, curious though he was to see the creatures that inhabited it. "I'm only afraid of Defence because we've been taught the subject so badly. I mean the only proper teacher we had was Lupin, and he was only here for a year. We did learn a lot from Harry last year though, and that's what makes me less worried. I do hope someone proper is teaching the subject this year," he repeated fervently. Nasser looked down at his hands when Blake mentioned the attack. Nasser had thought about little else ever since he had arrived back to the magical world. Then Blake said something that made him look up uncomprehendingly for a moment as he was brought back to the moment. He placed his chin on his elbow with a contemplative look on his face. "That depends, Blake. You have to keep me happy. Chocolate from Honeydukes ought to do the job, preferably mint-flavoured," said Nasser, who was pretending to be considering this seriously.

The silence that had suddenly filled the hall could only mean one thing, and sure enough when Nasser looked up the Headmaster was looking around at them all and then he gave his speech. Cass knew the person who had been killed on the train. Nasser said nothing as he didn’t know Laura. He couldn’t even remember what she had been like as a Quidditch player, but it was such a horrible thing to happen at the start of the year. It was a painful reminder that their days at Hogwarts were going to be even worse than last year, which had been hard enough. Nasser felt an anger boil inside him and a hatred coursed through his veins more powerful and overwhelming than ever before. Voldemort would not destroy this world he loved so much. Nasser often wondered why it was he out of all his siblings that had turned out to be magical, but he was proud to be one and had already decided this was the world that he belonged to. And that meant he was going to do all he could to protect it.

[ames]

Amelia smiled and then wondered why all the students sitting at the table looked so sad. She looked up at Dumbledore and understood. She sat down, her sudden excitment gone. A girl had died, and many injured. It was a miracle that she wasn't hurt. She looked down at her hands, feeling ashamed for being so happy when Dumbledore gave them all such horrible news. She looked at Blake and sighed. The start of term feast was sopposed to be a happy occassion. A day when all the students could welcome the first years with open arms! But this year? It was a different story. The war with Voldemort was in full swing and there was nothing to be happy about.

She sat there, wishing she had just shut her mouth and not said anything. It was not the time for a happy greeting, no... it was time to mourn the lose of a fellow student. A tragidy that will follow all the Hogwarts students for many years to come. She bit her lip, and looked at those sitting around her. Those who she shared her first years at this school with. She did not know the girl who was killed, but now she wished she did.

[blake]

Blake sat there thinking to himself for a few seconds. ” Maybe I could have done something." He thought to himself for a second. "No I guess there isn't anything I could have done to help." He thought after thinking about what happened on the train he wasn't even near the girl, even if he could help. Blake drank some more pumpkin juice then put the cup down. He waited a few minutes then tried to say something but couldn't think of anything. He then looked over at Amelia and could tell she was sad also. Blake thought for a second then started to talk. "So how was your summer since I last saw you?" He said forcing a smile.

"Remember I got a gift for you back in the common room when you feel like using it." He said kind of smiling for real this time, hoping she knew what he meant. "Just remember not to break it I need it to get to London during the summer." He said still smiling. Then looking back at the table the thought of the dead girl was still in his head.

[Cassandra Blackfire G7]

Cassandra remained quiet for a little while after the Headmaster's announcement. Her poor family... Remembering when her father died, she couldn't believe the people who came over to just drop off casserole dishes or to express their sympathies. It got a bit annoying after a while. She had just wanted to scream at the visitors to leave them alone, and to let them be in pain in peace. " I will need to send something to her family. Even if those pieces of sympathy are annoying, it is still nice to think that people care." Cass put her head on the table, waiting for the sorting to begin. A whole new batch of ickle firsties would begin Hogwarts to replace the ones that had left them.

Picking up a pitcher of pumpkin juice, she poured it carefully in her her goblet, making sure not to spill anything. She had noticed that her hands were becoming shaky from all the pressure and scrutiny she had been under the last few months. Tuning in on Blakes and Amelia's conversation, she perked up a bit. " A broom? Ameilia, your getting a broom from Blake. I never pictured you to be so bold as to fly to London on a broom."

[Professor Neville Longbottom]

Neville Longbottom had been dreading this day. He knew his return to Hogwarts was not going to be a happy one, what with all the attacks. He had been worrying over most of his friends for most of the summer, and visiting them in the hospital had not helped matters. Just seeing Hermione, Ron, and Harry laying in hospital beds had brought home the reality of the world they lived in. Dumbledore was beginning his speech as Neville entered the Great Hall; so, he decided to lounge against the back wall until he was done. Neville registered the shock on a great many of faces as he announced the death of Laura, a Hufflepuff that was younger him.

Well, she was younger than him. It was another death at Hogwarts. That was too in the last three years, and Neville was sure that the Board of Governors would not look favorably upon the news. Walking up the aisle, Neville soon sat beside his friends at the Gryffindor table. " Hey Nasser, Mandi, Cass. I hope you guys don't mind me joining you." Neville poured a glass of water for himself and offered the pitcher to those around him. " That is so horrible about, Laura. I had met her once, she seemed like a nice girl." He noticed that Cassandra looked fairly upset, but that girl had her fair share of problems. Placing his hand on her shoulder, he tried to reassure her. "It will be okay. Life will go on."

[livinghope1986]

Mandi listened with shock as Dumbledore annouced the death of Laura Pennington. Mandi had never really met her, but she had seen her around and the girl had seemed really nice. Suddenly, the food didn't seem so important. Mandi's stomach was growling for food, but it had also become nausous at the thought of food at such a time like this. She looked over at the Hufflepuff table and saw the looks of horror and pain written on all of their faces. The house had already taken enough beating for the summer. She had already been upset over things that had happened that summer and now there was more added to it. She sighed as Neville sat down and said hello. "Hi, Neville. How was the rest of your break?" Mandi asked. She remembered their brief conversation in St. Mungos. Her aunt was still there. They hadn't been able to figure out how to cure the curse she had been struck with. It was actually getting worse now. They were talking about moving her to the wing with long term problems. She hoped not, but with the way her aunt had begun to act she wouldn't be surprised if it did happen.

[illiya]

(I hope you guys don't mind me posting. If you do, just pm me and I'll remove it. )

The hallways of Hogwarts were all but empty as Illiya raced through them, the struggle with her trunk and the subsequent mud she had gotten all over her uniform having been completely forgotten at this point. She had been forced to use a scourgify charm on herself but it had been more difficult than she imagined; performing the correct wrist movements with the wand pointed to her own skirt was neigh impossible. Finally, after finding a bathroom and slipping her skirt off to clean it, she raced back down the hallways wrestling with the fasteners. ‘I’m late’ she thought with a sudden rush of fear. The idea of walking into a room filled with people she didn’t know very well frightened her a bit…the idea of all those eyes turning in her direction made her feel down-right queasy. As she finally reached the doors to the Great Hall, the loud murmur of students talking had just died down and she heard the melodious voice of Dumbledore ring out like the clear notes of a bell even through the thick doors before her.

“Crud.” She muttered under her breath. Illiya pressed ever so gently against the door, offering only as much pressure as it took to get the door open enough to let her in; then she slipped through the opening and was struck once again by how bright and warm the hall always seemed. The Gryffindor table was filled with faces she’d seen for years though very few she’d ever talked to; this set in her a resolution to know more of them. Her career here was almost half over and she knew so few people. It seemed sad in light of recent events and this point was brought home as Dumbledore mentioned the death of a student on the train. A small strangled gasp escaped Illiya and she placed her fingers over her lips as if to hold back more. They’d already lost someone? Her grief was suddenly replaced with a fierce indignant anger and it surprised her almost as much as the news of a student’s death. Where had that come from?

Before she even realized what she was doing, her eyes fell on the table of Gryffindors and as she watched the gentle sway if the bright yellow and gold banners above their heads, the anger came back, though not as strongly. The words were out of her mouth in soft strained notes before she could catch them and though barely a whisper they rang as true as any oath. “These are my people and my friends. I WILL protect them.” She thought hard about the words she’d just uttered and realized that she had never said anything with so much conviction in her life. She had never considered herself brave and had even questioned her placement in Gryffindor before. Truth be told, she was shy and a bit clumsy sometimes, but here and now, she saw these people before her and suddenly couldn’t bear the thought of anything bad happening to them. ‘Not sure what I can do,’ she thought with a little less confidence and as the anger in her abated, it was replaced with a note of sorrow, ‘but I’ll try.’

AS Dumbledore finished his speech, in the moment before the doors swung open for the first years, Illiya headed quickly for the table. She noted that another person was headed there as well. Longbottom. She recognized him from all the stories and rumors that floated around the school. Avoiding everyone’s gaze, she tried to make it to a seat that wasn’t too close to anyone, but as the doors swung open and first years began pouring in, she decided she would rather not be caught still standing at this point and so she reached for the first empty seat she could get. She plopped into it hastily and glanced at the young girl next to her. As…aspi…..Aspen. That was it. She smiled pleasantly at Mandi and stated rather breathlessly, “So Sorry, hope you don’t mind.” Before averting her eyes nervously back to her plate. She rather hoped Mandi would have no objections to Illiya’s sudden claim of the seat next to her as Illiya wasn’t sure she could bear getting back up to find somewhere else to sit. She quickly looked up at the First Years and tried to avoid looking at Mandi, thus, hopefully, not giving the other girl a chance to protest. The first years looked about as nervous as she did which struck Illiya as rather amusing. How many of these people would be joining her at the table? A few of the students she could tell right away were going to be at Slytherin judging by the way they looked positively miffed at having to wait for so long to be sorted. Well….at least some things never seem to change.

[kalichanning]

Kali Channing smiled as the 1st years came in, the book she had been reading now placed on her lap closed. She wondered how many of these students would become Gryffindors.

After a moment her eyes quickly wandered around the Great Hall. She was glad to be back, it felt like it was her only safety away from her father. A slight tinge of purple ran across her left cheek bone, not very noticeable in the candlelight though. She sighed softly and her eyes returned to the first years. She wondered how nervous they were, remembering how scared she had been her first time though Hogwarts was full of the mystery and magic she had only dreamed of before she had gotten her letter.

Hogwarts still held that same mystery and magic to her but she felt that she had more of a grasp on it now. She sighed happily again and finally turned all of her concentration to the sorting ceremony.