#7 Breakfast

The youngest Doren paused at the door to the Great hall when she had finally made it to breakfast, it was loud and it made her want to skip breakfast and leave; her hands clenched into fists at her side and she took a deep breath before moving towards the Hufflepuff table.

Her head turned to the side so she could look at each table, her eyes came to a stop on her older sister and a small sadness came over her as she saw the letter from who she could only assume was her parents; she shook the thought from her mind as she took a seat next to Arthur. She hadn't seen Mackenzie that morning which meant her only other options were to sit alone or next to Arthur; she didn't really know him well to call him... what was it? a 'friend'? 

The word made her pause slightly as she plated her food, what did it even mean to be someone's friend? she didn't know but she hoped she'd find out, maybe she could even ask Mackenzie when she arrived at breakfast.

Amelia looked up when she saw and heard the post come in, snatching a Daily Prophet as quickly as she could and then being surprised when another owl appeared, one she recognized as her parents. Taking their letter, she read it and chuckled lightly at the mention of first-year discrimination. She would write them a letter by the end of this evening and have it sent by one of the school owls. Better need to explain this, but she didn't want Jade to be pulled into it either.

Shaking her head, she started to read over the prophet calmly and glanced around searching for Anjay. Maybe he could explain what was going on now that he had spoken to his mother. Amelia made sure no crazy, younger students sat down and she waited to see if he would come and join her before breakfast ended. If not, they could talk while they worked on Homework together or something.

As she went through the last article, taking her time on the Recruitment being done by the Swedish team, she caught movement above and duck slightly when she saw another of her parents owls make a sharp turn towards the Ravenclaw Table. The owl was probably not that low, but instincts had propelled her to lower herself. Watching as the broom stick landed, she got up and headed towards the table with her brother.

She had just heard a Ravenclaw boy comment about opening it and she lowered herself to their level. "Yeah, open it up, Toby. I want to see what Mum and Dad got you." A smile had formed on her lips and she sat down with the younger boys.

As soon as she heard the screech of owls, Grace's eyes widened. Her mother's owl dropped a letter in front of her, and she realized it was for her and her siblings. She also picked up a copy of the Prophet to read later, in case there was anything interesting. Grace dashed over to the Ravenclaw table, inserting herself somewhat close to Gerald and Jamie. Her eyes also went to Toby and Ryan, as she realized that Toby had been sent a package. She wondered what was inside of it.

"Letter came for us." she said to Jamie, handing it over. She knew he liked to read them first. She noted that Gerald had also gotten a letter. "Is that from...Kahlin O'Klore?" she asked. She really wanted to know what it said. There didn't seem to be any seeds attached, which was slightly disappointing. She had hoped it would be as easy as ordering ingredients in the mail. 

(The letter from the Babineaux parents)

Elizabeth nodded. She would indeed be wearing proper clothes, ones suitable for meeting the Minister or having her photo taken. Ones that would make her parents proud. She was just thinking about them when the screech of a few owls startled her and she looked up to see the birds flying into the Great Hall. She was given a letter, a response. She was pleased with this, though she took note of all the things her parents had written.

First, to tell Charlotte of their congratulations. Elizabeth would keep the part about a more respectable house to herself. Next, she would focus less on what other pranks and fights the rest of the school was getting up to, as she had in past years. She thought to herself that she might disobey by paying at least a little bit of attention. All the more normal students seemed to recall names, and indeed, Elizabeth thought, if someone turned out to be important later, then it was all the better she learn their name.

She knew she shouldn't have let people cast charms on her! It had felt all wrong in class and she was pleased to know that her feelings of uneasiness were verified. Next time she would ask Professor Rivera to allow her to sit out on the portion which involved the other people casting charms on her, though she would definitely wish to practice her skills by casting charms on others...she would also ask her parents about which Charms, Jinxes, or Hexes they thought she should learn.

When she got to the part about not spending too much time in the greenhouse, she nodded. She had never felt as comfortable, but she did think that she should get over herself in case the skill was necessary. She felt a bit disappointed when her parents wrote that they had not yet chosen her career, as she would have liked to have a focus for this year, something to excel in and focus on that would make them proud. They would be glad to hear about the afternoon tea with the Minister, and Elizabeth almost wished she had waited until tonight to write her first letter back.

Elizabeth stood and walked gracefully over to the Hufflepuff table. "Charlotte." she said, hoping to draw the attention of her youngest sibling, sitting next to an older boy she didn't recognize. And shouldn't, according to her parents, if he was not notable. "Mother and Father congratulate you on being sorted into Hufflepuff. 'Loyalty and being hard-working are no small virtues.'" Elizabeth quoted her parents. She wondered what else she should say. What were sisters supposed to say to each other?

Charlotte froze in her seat when her name was called, her eyes moved to see who had called her and quickly came to a stop on her sister; placing her fork next to her plate, she turned to face Elizabeth and met her eye. Her features remained blank as she listened to what her parents had written about her, did they really mean what they said?

"Thank you, Elizabeth" a long pause came after she spoke, not really knowing what else to say "it reminds me, I should really write to them. To tell them how my studies are going" it came out slightly mumbled and almost forced; was this how sisters interacted? She didn't know what else to say, instead deciding to turn back to her food; her eyes continued to flicker back to her sister in case she still wanted to talk.

Food disappeared from the tables as breakfast ended. Busy chatter continued as staff and students left the Great Hall, preparing for a day of their own choosing. Though before students could make their own plans and enjoy hours of free time, they were all due at the Homework Hall for their one mandatory task.

A few owls lingered in the hall, waiting their turn to leave or to receive some hurriedly-written response that should be delivered next. Most didn't quite understand the urgency, but were happy to help themselves to treats some older students remembered to bring with them for exactly that purpose.


Homework and Ravenclaw Try-Outs threads are now available. Each student must show their attendance at the homework hall before they have free time, regardless of their plans for the morning.

The 1st year plot event starts during the homework session for @mackenzie , Tobias Twiggs , and Ryan Barrow - details of which will be released in the Member Network section soon.