Waiting ((Sadie's Friends Only))

[Sadie Rivers H6]

Sadie walked into the common room and looked around. No one that she knew was in there yet, so she decided to sit down and read one of the many books in her bag. She begin to think back to last year and the time she spent in the Common Room. She was sitting in the same spot she had been in the day she met Nokomis. She looked around a moment and still didn't see anyone just yet.

Sadie figured that Nokomis and Ivy were still in class, or at quidditch practice or something. Which either way, meant that they would be coming into the room some time soon. And unless Hayden had gotten lost she would be coming in there soon as well. Sadie was somewhat worried about Hayden. She had been so scared to leave her family and get on the train. Sadie had reassured her that everything would be okay. They hadn't been able to talk much on the train.

Sadie was worried about Nokomis and Ivy as well. They had been close to Laura, and this made Sadie wonder how well they were coping with the tragidy. She hoped that she would be able to comfort her friends if they needed it. Sadie hadn't heard from Ashley, and that worried her. She hoped that all of her friends had made it through the summer okay.

This year also brought changes for Sadie as well, and some of those changes scared her. She would have to make new friends in her year, to have anyone to talk to in class, and that was one thing that bothered her. It had been so hard for her to begin talking to Ivy and Nokomis, that she wasn't sure if she could make new friends this year as well. She had been through alot over the summer, and was a little paranoid of making new friends this year.

Sadie was also worried that there wouldn't be many students this year. Sadie had already heard some of the other students talking to their friends about the fact that their parents were afraid to send them at all this year. This made Sadie wonder what her parents would have wanted Sadie to do. Sadie tried so hard not to think of them after her arrival home this last summer. But the current events made her wonder about them more and more often. Sadie wasn't sure what her parents would have wanted, but she was sure that she would return to Hogwart's as long as it was open. If not, it would mean that the muggle authorities would try to put her in some orphanage some where, and that she wouldn't be able to contact her friends at all. That didn't make Sadie happy at all.

The only thing that did make Sadie happy right now would be surrounded by her friends. It was a comfort that she thought everyone could use. No one should be without a friend in such dark times, was what she had thought of for a new quote on her notebook.

Sadie looked back down at the book that she had pulled out of her bag, and shook her head. It was the same book that she had started to read when she first met Nokomis, and now that Sadie had glanced around once more, she realized that she was also sitting in the same spot that she and Nokomis had first met at as well. Sadie put the book back in her bag, and sat and stared out the window until she heard a familiar voice calling her name. She suddenly raised up.

[Nokomis Astarra H5]

Nokomis finally made her way down to the Hufflepuff rooms, dragging her heavy bags behind her. She could remember when she was a first year and she only had one bag, how that had changed. Between her trunk, her books, and everything Quidditch, there was no room for anything else. She couldn't wait until she was old enough to use magic outside of school and she could just shrink everything when she was home and bring it that way. After entering the Hufflepuff Common Room she let out a deep sigh and looked up to see who was here already. Almost instantly, she spotted a familiar face. After everything they had been though since heading home from Hogwarts, she wanted a friend.
"Sadie!"
Nokomis picked up her things again and dragged them over to where her friend was sitting, letting her trunk thud back down near where her friend was sitting and soon letting her self thud down on top of it.
"I'm so happy to see you."

[Sadie Rivers H6]

Sadie smiled when she saw the face that went with the oh-so-familiar voice that she had heard. It was Nokomis, one of Sadie's two best friends. " Oh my goodness! I'm so glad to see you. I've been so worried about everyone. And when I heard what happened on the train...." Sadie let her voice trail off without finishing her sentence. Sadie kew that both her best friends had been close to Laura, and she didn't want upset them anymore than they probably already were. " So, umm.. Are you..for a lack of a better term...Ok?" Sadie asked feeling a bit awkward after mentioning the train.

Sadie had turned away from the window now, to face her friend. Sadie didn't want to say too much but she had been wanting a friend with her after all. " So, decided when quidditch tryouts are going to be?" Sadie said changing the subject off of her prior topic. Sadie had planned on trying out for the team this year, but she didn't get to practice over the summer, and wasn't sure if she was any good. She hadn't even been able to buy her broom, yet.

[Ivy Tunstall]

((Okay, well I'm replying, for better or for worse, since I could never pass up an opportunity to spend time with Noko + Sadie! Please don't go too fast, and I'll do my best to keep up. ))

It felt as though Ivy were walking around with shoes weighted with lead. Her feet dragged and her head drooped. She didn't want to meet anyone's eye. Even without her talent for blaming herself for anything that went wrong, and it was a terrible thing which had gone wrong this time, one she would never ever be able to put out of her mind completely, she didn't want anyone to see just how bad she felt at the moment. How angry, as well. If she met their eye, she would glare at them. Her face just wouldn't make itself into a permanent smile at the moment. It kept on wavering. Because she didn't feel she had the right to smile at the moment. Why was it Laura that was gone and not her? She had family, family that needed her. That wanted her, too. Ivy couldn't really claim to have that. So why Laura? Why had someone cruelly taken everything away from her when she had everything before her? Why would anyone want to do that?

Ivy couldn't ever understand why someone would do that. It hurt too much to even think about that. But what she could feel, with growing recognition, that was starting to alarm her, was a burning anger, a lump, growing and growing and growing and threatening to consume her. At the same time she felt cold, cold because someone had done that and they'd taken it away and now there was nothing yet. She didn't know what to do with this anger. She didn't know where to direct it. So at the moment it was just growing, staying there inside her chest and getting bigger. She didn't want to talk to Nokomis about it, not yet. She wasn't entirely sure what it was, and why it was there, and although she'd voiced her thoughts over and over to which there were no justifiable answers, she couldn't admit the rage she had inside her, wanting to be unleashed but which she must keep there, because two wrongs didn't make a right. Her mother had always used to say that.

Her chest felt heavy, and every now and then she would get a pang, as she missed something that she'd used to do with Laura, or saw somewhere where she and Laura had used to talk or do homework together sometimes, or where she'd quietly watch Laura draw while trying not to be too obtrusive. She hadn't been really good friends with Laura; at least she hadn't been as close to Laura as she was to Nokomis and always would be - of course she would always be close to Nokomis - but they had been good friends and Laura had been on the Quidditch team and the Hufflepuff Quidditch team tended to knit people together. Especially with Nokomis as the captain.

Now what she wanted was to talk to a friend. A close friend. Not someone that would want to know more - more gossip or something like that. Of course people were shocked by what had happened, but apart from the people that had been really friends with Laura, they weren't feeling so much a sense of loss. And people were bound to be curious. She was curious too. No, she didn't want to talk to anyone more like that at the moment. Just people she was friendly with and who she knew well and who she knew wouldn't do that. Nokomis wouldn't do that, of course she wouldn't, Nokomis had been at least as close to Laura as Ivy had been.

Ivy sighed and entered the Hufflepuff Common Room, keeping her head down as much as possible. But she was aware enough of her surroundings to spot Nokomis and Sadie over by the window. The Hufflepuff Common Room was situated right near the ground, of course, so their view wasn't one which looked right out across the tops of the hills and in the distance the mountains. But they had their own view - of the lake and the grounds and the Quidditch pitch from some windows. It was just closer to the ground. They might not be able to see for such a distance, but they could see all the detail of the changing seasons and the beauty of Hogwarts. Ivy felt a pang as she headed over to her friends. Laura couldn't enjoy or draw that view any more. Ivy put her bags down next to Nokomis' and perched on the edge of the settee where her friends were sitting, giving them her best attempt at a smile, which she still felt was a bit pathetic because her friends deserved a lot better than that.
"You have no idea how glad I am to see you two," she said heavily. "I think this is our adopted corner, at least it was last year, I suppose that doesn't necessarily mean it is this year. I hope it is though, I have good memories of it." Ivy fell silent and glanced at her two friends and then around the room. "I don't think I've seen you since I visited you injured in the Hospital Wing, Sadie," she said "I don't know whether I should ask you how your summer was or not. " Ivy sighed and stood up from her slightly precarious position, moving across to an armchair by where Sadie was sitting and putting her chin in her hands, resting her elbows on her thighs.

[haydenhinson]

((Sorry for the late reply Sadie. Been busy with Maddie and Nattie. )

Hayden looked around her surroundings. The small girl was in some kind of hallway, that well... quite frankly, she didn't recognize at all. Hayden had only been at Hogwarts for about a week or so, so she was still getting lost in this huge castle from time to time. The girl was currently searching for the Hufflepuff common room, and with each step, the bag slung over her shoulder, filled with textbooks and homework, got heavier and heavier.

Hayden sighed. She had now come to the conclusion, that she was... lost. Hayden sighed yet again. Just as the girl was about to give up hope, she spotted a familiar passageway. She followed it down to another hallway, and the small girl's eye immediately lit up. She had made it! Hayden quickly ran up to the Hufflepuff common room entrance, and said the password. The girl quickly ran into the common room, and her eyes scanned the room. Hayden quickly spotted a friendly and familiar face, Sadie. Hayden smiled widely, as she moved over to the small group of girls.

When Hayden reached the girls, Hayden plopped down next to Sadie, and quickly and hyperly pulled the girl into a tight hug. "Hi Sadie!" she said cheerfully. Hayden then turned to the two other girls, that looked faintly familiar. "Hi!" the girl greeted them as well. "I'm Hayden Hinson. I'm a first year, so I'm new to Hogwarts. I do believe that we met in the hospital wing during the summer, right?" she asked curiously.

[Sadie Rivers H6]

Sadie looked around to see Ivy and Hayden coming up toward her and Nokomis. This made Sadie feel better. It was the therapy that she had been needing, to be surrounded by her friends. Not all of Sadie's friends had made it into the common room just yet, but she was sure that she would see them soon.

Sadie smiled, she was truly glad to see everyone of her friends and to know that they were okay. " Hey, how are you?" She said as she stood to hug Hayden and Ivy. Sadie owed a lot to Ivy, if it hadn't been for her, Sadie didn't think that she could have passed Charms last term.

" Wow, Have we all been together like this at once? It's kind of great." Sadie said still showing her excitement. She didn't know how else to express her joy that they were alright, and that they had made it through the last attack in one peice.

((sorry so bad, lack of inspiration, but wanted to get something up))

[Nokomis Astarra H5]

Sadie asked about Quidditch and she had to stop and think for a moment. In the news of the attacks and Laura's death she had almost forgotten that she had a job to do. She had been made Quidditch Captain last year, and managed to put together a team when no one thought she could do it--now though, the team was at least in part together. That was besides the fact they were now missing a chaser. Either way though, she had to hold tryouts to figure out who was the best.

She was trying to figure out how to answer when she saw Ivy come in. She gave her friend a weak smile, and as Ivy settled herself she reached a hand out and touched her arm. Out of everyone, it was Ivy who knew what she was feeling. Everyone heard the news about Laura in the common room, but she and Ivy had been pulled aside ahead of time by their head of house Professor Sprout and given the news in some empty corner of the Great Hall. She preferred that than hearing it from the speech, but she would have liked to just rewind time and make sure that the whole thing never happened.

"Yeah, I think that was the last time we were together." she answered, after Ivy spoke, and anther girl she remembered seeing in the summer, but never before them came over and gave Sadie a very excited hug before introducing herself as Hayden.
"Yeah...I think we did meet then...or sort of met then anyway. I'm Nokomis, and this is Ivy."
She paused for another moment, still trying to work everything out in her brain which seemed to be moving to far to slowly. "And Sadie, I think I will make Quidditch Tryouts in two weeks."