#4 Dinner

Grace, ever hoping to be as brave a Gryffindor as her mother, immediately stood up when asked to assist. She really wanted to, especially since everybody else would be watching her. She cringed as she remembered herself hiding underneath the tables from the food fight last night, that wasn't very Gryffindor of her not to help out her house.

She tucked away another bite of the vegetables, and ran off to follow some of the others that had also stood up in order to go help. She didn't know much, especially about Braxorns or whatever the Professor had said, but this would be good experience for...something. Right now, she just craved a little more adrenaline, something like duelling. That would be fun. Plus, helping people was a bonus.

Lindsey had come to been relaxing most the afternoon. It was nice to just enjoy a few hours of total relaxation, especially since the last few days had been crazy. She was beyond excited about her Herbology Kit and the seeds that were growing in the greenhouse. She had finished her letter to her parents after class and had found a comfy place in the common room to just rest. It had been nice, but as dinner approached, she felt her stomach growl with the need to eat and she hurried down the halls to the Great Hall.

Once she was there, she found her place and left a seat open in case Avery wanted to sit with her. They were still getting to know each other, but Lindsey really felt a connection between the two of them that she wanted to grow. The hall actual seemed rather peaceful at the moment, with the chattering of fellow students, some her own housemates. Eating some chicken that was before her, she savored the delicious meal, taking her time to chew it and enjoy it.

The explosion caused her to nearly jump out of her skin and she quickly turned around in her seat and headed over towards the other side of the great hall. What had happened? Were they being attacked? At the appearance of Hawthorne, she was settled some, but she felt the need for adventure and her highland roots called her to the sense of the chaos. She didn't look around for any other Slytherins. No, she was gone out the hall with any others.

Elara was too busy eating her potatoes to notice Lucky's initial approach but upon feeling him sit down next to her, she turned her attention to the quidditch captain momentarily to smile and nod in her own way of acknowledging his arrival. "Class, studying... More studying" she answered his question, nothing too exciting- pretty basic day for her, although if Hanna heard her say that then she'd be appalled at how 'boring' she sounded.

Someone else sat on her other side and she looked over to see a familiar face, but she was wearing the yellow uniform of Hufflepuff house. Hanna was wearing her uniform. It wasn't unexpected but it did make Elara feel a nervous anxiety about the reception of this prank, if it could even be classed as such. "Finally realised who the better house is?" she teased her friend- despite knowing all along that this was what she had planned.

"Do you flirt with everyone, or just my best friend?" she questioned Lucky upon hearing the boys exchange with Hanna. She didn't approve of the flirtation, maybe it was the green eyed monster rearing its ugly head, but whatever it was- Elara didn't like it. "I'm trying to eat, I'd appreciate the pair of you not put me off my food" of course she was teasing, even if there was some seriousness to her words.

The loud bang made Elara flinch and rise from her seat, hand instinctively reaching for her wand but she stopped, hand resting upon the wand in her pocket as the panic settled and she realised what was happening as the commotion settled a little around them. Hearing Hathmore and Rickard explain the situation, she looked up and down the table before pulling on Hanna's sleeve.

"C'mon, we better go see if there's anything we can do to help" she grabbed an apple from a fruit bowl in the middle of the table first before heading out of the hall with those who'd also volunteered to help with the crisis.

If it wasn't already obvious, Sebastian was a vegetarian. He tried his best to be a full–fledged vegan, but would at times indulge himself in dairy and honey. He was a growing teenager, after all. It was rather difficult, but he really did try his best. The most important thing to him was not eating meat, because he didn't believe in killing animals. Bash always got flack for it, too. His father frequently reminded him that protein was important for a man his age. His response? Some of the strongest animals didn't eat meat and only fed on grass and grains.

Sebastian looked up from his plate of vegetables when Lucas Mardling approached him. Lucas was his his bunkmate and someone he'd classify as a little more than an acquaintance, perhaps almost a friend. They found themselves around one another often in their dorm, so there was an ease when acclimating to eachother around the castle. He smiled toward Lucas, making sure to move his borrowed book in order to make room for Lucas' plate. "I haven't seen you since this morning," he noted in observation, taking a big spoonful of peas to his mouth.

"What have you been up to?" Seb asked, innocently trying to stir conversation, but realized if taken the wrong way, it could've sounded pointed. He wouldn't be surprised if Lucas took it the wrong way, either. From what he knew of Mardling, he had probably spent most of his day conducting deals. Sebastian didn't judge, though. He never did. He believed Mardling to be a specialist in the field of negotiation. He had a career in it, no doubt. Bash didn't attempt to prove his intention but held soft eye contact, hoping to imply nothing but harmless curiosity.

There was nothing harmless in what came next, though. A loud blast reverberated throughout the dining hall, causing Sebastian to duck and quickly glance around the room. It sounded as though it came from outside, and surely enough, it did. Students began to flock to the windows to check out the action, but Sebastian stayed back. Whatever it was, he wasn't going to put himself in danger. He opted to stay back and in safe distance from any potential flying glass. That was a huge risk in itself. Who really knew how close in proximity the explosion was?

Well, apparently Hathmore did. He entered and disclosed the source. Braxorn. Sebastian knew of them through his extensive research into all types of magical creatures. They had broken free from the Beast Reserve. Hagrid had mentioned that place earlier that afternoon. But why had they escaped? Seb had read them to be affectionate creatures. They surely couldn't have done it themselves, could they? Not without being instigated? Something wasn't right. When Rickard asked for volunteers, Seb shot to his feet without hesitation. He was on his way.

Ruby was thoroughly enjoying her dinner when she spied Lucky approaching the table. "Hey, Lucky, hope you've had a good day so far. I did some duelling with my other First Year friends. Managed to win a duel, too."

Hearing the announcement about the Braxorns, but feeling that she didn't have enough experience in spell-casting to be of much help, Ruby stayed at the table, listening to the sounds of whatever was happening outside. She saw some of her fellow classmates, including Lucky, heading off to lend a hand, and she hoped everything would be ok.

Guess it was that time again, dinner as always. At least he could get a bite or two to eat real quick and go on his merry way. He had some things he wanted to do today, places to go, people to see, that sort of thing and dinner was just a quick diversion really. He stretched and yawned, still feeling tired as he wandered into the great hall, sauntering through with the usual swagger in his step. He did feel something was a little off tonight, but he couldn't tell what, other than his ankle still feeling a little mushy after Nyx sent him flying.

He found himself a seat around the nearest Gryffindors, sitting near where Tiana and the rest were at the Gryffindor table. Not particularly chatty because he felt tired, and this weird feeling he had was still sort of messing with his head. He ate his chicken, easing back in his seat and letting out a light yawn, covering his mouth as he did so. Then came the explosion which startled him enough to waken him from his state of half-sleep. He hopped up with the rest of the Gryffindors and went to take a look. Then he heard the headmasters voice and he saw Tiana take to action.

"I think you're supposed to not run towards the explosion." He said quickly as he watched on, hearing Tiana rallying up Jade. He just grinned and went back to his food. "You guys have fun." He felt it was cool everyone was volunteering and all, but he had put in far too much effort today and he wanted to take it easy. He really wanted to finish up that food anyway, seeing as he was a bit late to a previous meal such as this.  "But the smart plan is to let this all work itself out so..."  He grinned, wasn't like anyone was gonna force him to go, after all!