Ｌumos Ｍaxima! --- 1 Hufflepuff, 1 Gryffindor Spots Open!

Where do you loyalties lie?

Gryffindor	25.0%	[ 8 ]
Ravenclaw	18.8%	[ 6 ]
Hufflepuff	21.9%	[ 7 ]
Slytherin	21.9%	[ 7 ]
GOLD!	12.5%	[ 4 ]
Total Votes:			[ 32 ]

[TH3 SAiiNT]

xxxTyphon Cederic Maddox

Typhon had closed his eyes as he settled in the compartment, his thoughts had been positively racing from the moment he'd left home. The house he lived in was massive and empty, his mother still deformed but pleasant, did her best to help her mentally fragile son through his time in the summer.
Of course no amount of quiet family time or time spent with professionals would be enough to help him at this point, the boy had been exposed to horrendous things in his youth.

Thankfully, he hadn't evolved into some kind of monster, just a poor boy who had a difficult time with reality at inconvenient times.

Jumping as his eagle screamed, Typhon's eyes fixed on a kitten in the seat across from him and he immediately slammed a hand over the door of the cage. A dim effort to protect the small, foolish, animal from coming so close to a large bird of prey. Thankfully, however, the eagle didn't hunt cats, magic and training had gone in to ensure the bird wasn't eating the pets of his schoolmates.
When his bird didn't move, Typhon seemed to relax, moving a shaking hand from the cage door and taking a shaky breath.

He didn't even look up at Ariel when she spoke, he was too busy wrestling with the temptation to lash out. A moment of self soothing and he turned his wild eyes at her, why on Earth would she want to join him? They didn't interact and he was a lunatic. Typhon continued to look at her for a moment before mustering a shrug, letting her choose whether or not to sit int he compartment with him. "If you'd like"
He wasn't much of a conversationalist, well, outside of a select few, though that group had dwindled some in the past years.

He sat up more when a familiar face breezed past, the mane of red hair was enough to catch his attention and Typhon nearly bared his teeth at the girl. It was still a struggle to see her, however, he was more than capable of pulling himself together when he was surrounded by strangers, now was the time for him to wake up and not have an episode.


[ And this post makes little to no sense. ]

[Silver and Sapphire]

Ｃｈａｒｌ ｅｓ Ｍａｒｔｉｎ Ｇａｌｅ♔♕

♖ Ｆｉｆｔｈ ＹｅａｒＲａｖｅｎｃｌａｗ♗♘♙

Two-Face eventually decided that she was not content sitting on the floor. Ignoring the fact that she would get cat hair all over his robes, the tu-tone feline climbed her way up into Charlie's lap. The feline purred contently as her master scratched her beneath her chin. He listened quietly as Professors Tarquin and Rigby discussed the protection of the train. He had never ridden the train, so he hadn't ever had a chance to see any of the teachers 'in action', so to speak. Thus, he kept quiet and merely listened, picking up on a few things here and there. It sounded to him like Professor Tarquin's leg may have been the reason behind him not keeping watch on the train this year. Not for the first time, Charlie wondered what curse the man had suffered from to leave him with such an injury. Charlie liked to think that he was quite adept with healing spells, and in his studies he had never come across quite such an injury. It must have been dark magic, and powerful at that, he thought as he looked down at Two-Face. His professor had lived through the hell that had been the Second Wizarding War, and they had not come out without scars. Phyiscal and otherwise, he added as he glanced at Professor Rigby from the corner of his eye.

Their trip soon became a quartet with the addition of another teacher. The Potions Mistress greeted the other professors first, apparently not realizing that the student was there. Charlie was used to that; he was quiet and more of an observer than a participater. People often forgot he was around. Charlie glanced up at Professor McClan just as she realized that he was there, noting...something...that changed in her face. She had seemed displeased to see him. Or perhaps uneasy was a better way to put it? Whatever it was, the expression lasted for a mere second, quick enough that Charlie wasn't sure that he had actually even seen anything. "Good morning, Professor McClan," he said to the woman, though the pleasantry was notably different than that which he had given the other teachers. Professor Tarquin, his favourite teacher, had been greeted with a great amount of warmth and enthusiasm. Professor Rigby had been greeted with politeness, a friendly but respectful tone. Professor McClan, however, had been greeted with no emotion whatsoever. There was something strange about the woman. Charlie was not sure what it was, but he did not like her as he did with most of the other teachers.

She set her pet on the floor, the ferret taking off to who knows where. Soon enough, Two-Face followed after the lithe creature. Charlie didn't bother trying to stop the cat. Two-Face did what Two-Face wanted. She would find her way to him soon enough, if not here then at the school during the Sorting and the opening ceremony.

Ｃｈａｒｌｉｅ Ｉｓ↷↷
Where: Three Broomsticks || With: Professors Tarquin, Rigby, and McClan || Doing: Chatting || Wearing: The Uniform

[Silver and Sapphire]

MAЯTЇЙ GДБЯЇЄL ₴ДЦИDЄЯ₴⇟⇟⇟

$LУTHЁЯЇЙ $ЁVЁЙTH УЁДЯ⇟⇟⇟

Professor Abategiovanni's literal wave was met with a snort of laughter and a rolling of the eyes. He was a weird, that was for sure. After greeting the teachers, Martin and Meri climbed aboard the train. Meri had mentioned flying in an airplane....Martin sighed and shook his head - he could just imagine Meri in an airplane. God he hoped that she wasn't going to try and get her pilot's license next. Someone was probably going to get hurt....probably him. How did he end up being her voice of reason? Well, he supposed that no one else would. Her family would probably rather see her hurt, to break her of her obsession with Muggle things. He could imagine how angry they'd be if she went around in Muggle airplane. Damn, now he was sort-of hoping that she did get a pilot's license, just to annoy them. He sighed as he boarded the train and said, "Before we leave school this year, I want to paint you. So I can, you know. Remember." Not that Martin expected to forget her once he left school. He just wanted to make sure that his final year at Hogwarts was something that he would never forget. As he walked down the narrow hall of the train car with Meri in tow, he added, "And when I'm gone next year you better not let our Quidditch team fall apart! I will hunt you down if you let that happen."

The two of them had arrived pretty close to departure time, so finding an empty compartment was proving to be a challenge. Eventually, Martin gave up on finding an empty one and would have settled for one that had room for two more. Thankfully, he soon discovered a compartment that seemed to have just one other occupant - Nathaniel McCall, a sixth year Ravenclaw. He appeared to be quite absorbed into whatever it was that he was reading. That suited Martin just fine. He didn't socialize much outside of his own House, and Nate was one of the very few people in the school that didn't seem to get on his nerves in one way or another. Slytherin and Ravenclaw didn't have the sort of deep-seated rivalry that Slytherin had with Gryffindor either, so there was that. Martin reached out and slid open the door of the compartment just as the train whistle gave a loud screech and the floors beneath their feet shuddered. The train was departing.

Martin dropped into the seat next to Nathaniel as the train began to pull out of the station. "Hey Nate," he said as he dropped his backpack at his feet, "Hope you don't mind. Everywhere else is full." Once he was seated, Martin's pet rat left the safety of his backpack and climbed up onto his master's shoulder. He liked to sit there so that he could keep an eye on things, or so Martin liked to say.

MДЯTЇЙ Ї$⇟⇟⇟
Where: The Train || With: Meri & Nate || Doing: Arriving || Wearing: Muggle Garb

[Silver and Sapphire]

Ｄｅｃｌａｎ Ａｌｅｘａｎｄｅｒ Ｇｒａｙ↷↷

Ｃａｒｅ Ｏｆ ＭａｇｉｃａｌＣｒｅａｔｕｒｅｓ↷↷

Declan laughed as Lilith emerged from within Kain's coat, apparently deciding to come out now that the cigarettes were gone. "Decided to stop pouting having you?" he asked as he reached out and gently stroked the top of the lizard's head. He finished putting the cigarette out and dropped it onto the ground, grinding it out under the heel of his shoe. "Imagine the terror team these two would make," he added, shaking his head. He could just imagine Aria flying around the school, Lilith wrapped around her. It would have been like a little version of that ridiculous Muggle film about the snakes on the airplane. declan allowed himself a minute to laugh at the utterly ridiculousness of both the movie and his own little daydream. He glanced towards the barrier just as the two Slytherin students under discussion appeared, making it onto the train just in time. Declan sometimes had to wonder how those two had ended up in Slytherin. They were good kids, and certainly not the type of dark wizard fodder that he remembered being in Slytherin back in his day. Times change, he supposed. And not all Slytherins had wound up going bad. He glanced at Kain as he tohught this. He had been a Death Eater once upon a time...but he had turned his back on that life, he had atoned for his mistakes.

Barney, on the other hand, seemed less prone to trusting the Charms teacher. The hint of malice in his tone did not go unnoticed, and Declan couldn't help but frown ever so slightly. He let it go after a moment of thought. Surely he hadn't meant it; it had to just be lingering ill will from the pain that they had all suffered so many years ago. Barney's statement that the Muggle stockmarkets were giving his wife trouble went over Declan's head, to be honest. He had never bothered much with such things, Muggle mother or not. "That's lovely," he said when told that the triplets had started primary school in the village, "They're growing so fast. You must be very proud." Not for the first time, Declan regretted not settling down and starting a family sooner. Instead, he had spent his twenties gallicanting around the world and chasing lawbreakers. By the time that he began to think about finding someone to settle down with, Voldemort had returned to power, and after the War....well, hindsight was 20/20 as the saying went.

Summer had been brought up once more and Declan smiled a little. He never got tired of talking about his family so rehashing his vacation with Barney wasn't a problem for him at all. "I spent my vacation in Peru with my sister Shannon; she's down there studying dragons, Vipertooths. It was quite an interesting trip to say the least," he said, glancing at the clock nearby adding, "I think perhaps we should have this conversation about the train - it's time to depart." He smiled and quickly climbed up onto the train, extending a hand to help Kain and then Barney up onto the train before they got left behind.

Ｄｅｃｌａｎ Ｉｓ↷↷
Where: Platform 9 3/4 || With: Barny, Kain and Lilith || Doing: Keeping the peace || Wearing: Muggle Disguise

[Amalthia_Tetros]

↬ Nҽyɱҽɾia Mσɾɠaɳ βlaҫҡωσσɖ

↬ Sixȶɦ ϒҽaɾ Slyȶɦҽɾiɳ

Meri followed along behind Martin as they searched the train for an empty compartment to take up residence in. Laufey was perched on her shoulder and squawked at some of the familiar birds he saw as they moved along down the isle. Barty was still trailing along behind the teens, lugging Neymeria's trunk and bird cage. Every now and then Meri would wave greet a fellow Slytherin they passed, or a student from another House that she knew. Being the social person she was, Meri knew plenty of people at Hogwarts, but none were so close as Martin and so she always stayed with him during the train rides. "If you can find a way to convince me to sit still long enough, you can paint me whenever you like." Meri said with a small laugh as the continued their search. Neymeria was notorious for not being able to sit still for long periods of time, especially inside. The only time she would stay in one place for any length of time was during classes or when she was deeply engrossed in a book. Still, she always fidgeted. "I would never! Slytherin will be the best next year and take the Cup with me as Captain!" She said confidently, a look of false hurt on her face.

It took a while, but finally Martin found a compartment that fit his liking just as the train began to move. The departure of the train set Barty into a small panic, who of course should not still have been on the train. Rushing to place Meri's trunk in the overhead storage, the man stammered his goodbyes and headed for the nearest exit so he could get off the train before it pick up too much speed. Shaking her head Meri stepped into the compartment and glanced over at the person who had laid claim to it before she and Martin had arrived. Crossing her arms, the young witch cocked her head to the side a little as she gazed at the teenage boy. He looked vaguely familiar to the Slytherin girl, but for the life of her she could not remember his name. Meri knew she had a few classes with the boy, but he wasn't in the same house and didn't play quidditch so he had never shown up on her radar. There was nothing that had made him stand out in Meri's mind. Apparently Martin knew who he was, though, because he addressed their companion by name. "Hello." She greeted with a smile and a small wave as she seated herself opposite Nate.

"I don't think we've met. I'm Neymeria Blackwood." If they were going to spend several hours together then they should at least know each others names for the sake of all that was polite. Reaching out her hand, Meri's eyes wandered to the book in Nate's hands. She couldn't quite read the title as his hands were blocking the letters, but her curiosity immediately stuck on the brightly colored cover. "Oh! What is that you are reading? Its not one of our school textbooks." Meri, with her obsession with the written word, was already familiar with all of the books Hogwarts required. "Anything interesting?" The endless quest that Meri was on for good books always led her to pester people about the books they were reading. After all, you could never know what interesting things you could find int he most random of places.






↬Mҽɾi Is
Where: Hogwarts Express ↿↾ With: Martin, Nate, & Laufey ↿↾ Doing: Settling in ↿↾ Wearing: Muggle Garb

[Amalthia_Tetros]

✙ Ҟaiη Ѧℓℓℯη Gѳɗϝɍℯℯɗ

✙ Ȼhaɍɱȿ

Kain laughed at Declan's comment, picturing Aira and Lilith teaming up to swoop around Hogwarts and frighten young students. “Now that would be a sight worth seeing.” The Charms master said as his pet hissed appreciatively at the attention Declan was giving her. The happy subject was quickly changed by Barney, who returned the conversation to the topic of Quidditch. The flying professor's malice did not go unnoticed by Kain, who had grown used to such treatment. Barney wasn't the only professor at Hogwarts who still held some measure of resentment and suspicion towards Kain for his past. Despite the fact that he had helped fight against the Death Eaters in the end, nothing could change the fact that he had once been a Dark Wizard. Once a Dark Wizard, always a Dark Wizard in some people's eyes. Kain had needed to learn early on not to let those views bother him, or allow them to color his opinion of the people who held them. A lot of people had been hurt during the Wizarding Wars and they could not be blamed for any bad feelings they had towards those who had, at any point in time, fought on the wrong side.

“What you might call 'trickery' I call 'intelligent tactical planning'.” Kain said to Barney, flashing a mischievous smile and stroking Lilith's chin. There was no point in trying to sway anyone's opinion that Slytherins were cunning and sneaky, or that they would resort to trickery to get what they wanted, but there was no harm in putting a nicer spin on things. Every House had their flaws, but people chose to focus more on the flaws of Slytherin than the others. Not that the Slytherins helped themselves all that often. Still, Kain liked to believe that the House was coming along nicely in the past decade since the fall of Voldemort. Martin and Neymeria were proof enough that not all Slytherins had to be dark or prejudice.

The talk soon turned to family and the events of summer, which left Kain feeling uncomfortable. He would rather not have to repeat the sad details of his disappointing vacation. Especially since Barney would probably feel Kain deserved the anger his brother and sister held for him, although the man would probably not approve of their reason for being mad at Kain. Turning traitor in a family full of Dark Wizards didn't exactly win Kain much favor. Thankfully Kain was saved the misery of having to go over the events of his summer with the suggestion from Declan that they board the train. “Ah, yes, duty calls.” The Charms master said, following after Dex without a glance at Barney. Kain accepted Declan's hand with his right, and flashed the man a lopsided grin as he stepped onto the train. Once all three professors were on the train a familiar man squeezed past them and stumbled off of the now moving train. Kain chuckled as he watched Bartey, his Uncle Able's butler, regain his balance and straighten his coat. The poor man looked harassed; as he always did whenever he was assigned to look after Neymeria. "Shall we split up and get down to work, gentlemen?" Kain suggested, returning his gaze to Declan and Barney.







✙Ҟay Is
Where: Platform 9 3/4 ↿↾ With: Lilith the Snake, Barney & Declan ↿↾ Doing: Keeping watch ↿↾ Wearing: Muggle Garb

[Luamervara]

Rei Torano

♠ ♥Nathaniel R. McCall.16, 6th year, Ravenclaw ♥♠

"I just want to make it to school unscathed."

Nate was fully invested in the book he was reading. Even though initially he had begun reading it to find ways of making his dream come true, it seemed to have taken an unexpected turn. His mind was in a whirlwind trying to figure out what exactly was going on. If one were to use the application of this theory then wouldn't that-?

His head was hurting from it, but he couldn't keep his eyes off it. Something about the way the letters were written and there was a strange eerie feeling to it. Almost as if it were compelling him to read on. But why?

Just as he was about to turn the page, the compartment opened, snapping Nate out of his thoughts. His eyes widened slightly and he tried hard not to squeak as he closed the book quickly. What? HOW?

The teen looked down at the bland cover, hoping to gods that his blush wasn't visible. His crush was in the same compartment as he was. Martin.. He swallowed slightly, unsure of what to say to him or the girl that came in with Martin. It was weird, a small flash of envy that she could be so easy with Martin. For a moment, his embarrassment was gone and he tried to remember who the girl was. They had classes together, didn't they? There were a lot of loud people in the classes so he can't really remember them all too well.

His attention snapped back to Martin saying something.

Nate wished he could say something completely cool, but the Ravenclaw boy could only look down and say,
" I-I don't mind."

He was a bit thrown off by the girl for a moment and tightened his grip on the book for a bit. "Nathaniel McCall. Um. it's a personal book."

It wouldn't do well if he got caught with a forbidden book on the train this early, now would it? Especially since he hadn't finished reading it. If the theory was true, he could try it out at Hogwarts. There was enough magic and thing there that could make it super easy to do these things without anyone knowing.

Where am I: On the Train
Who Am I with: Martin and Meri
What am I doing: Trying not to be nervous!

[jacattackisback]

Ceclia's eyes darted questionably over the figure that headed towards the trio. It was Professor McClan the potion's professor. The potion professor was always polite when they spoke but never more then that. McClan never went out of her way to actually have a pleasant conversation with Professor Rigby. A few times, they would ask each other about certain potions or transfiguration spells but that was about it. "Yes, please join us." She nodded a greeting to Professor McClan before saying politely a little surprised that the teacher would even want to sit with them. After the teacher sat, she turned back to Alastair and Charlie.

"Were you really?" She asked as she darted her eyes between Alastair and Charlie. "I read the curriculum that my son will be taking. Fascinating subjects. Did you know that they put more emphasis on learning wandless magic then we do here? I might add a few lessons in wandless magic in my class. Spread the word Charlie." She grinned at the boy before taking another bite.

After consuming her last piece of toast, she rubbed her hands together to release some crumbs before using her napkin to take car of the rest. "Well, that was helpful." She remarked on her breakfast. She unwound her crossed legs before sitting up straight. Her hands gripped her knees as she looked at the three. "I have to grab a few things in town before I head back to finish some last minute lesson plans. Alastair, we should really go to the train station to check to make sure that the train is still on schedule. You remember two years ago? It was an hour late!" She grinned at him.

"If I had known, I would have asked the house elves to bring me a stack as we waited. My stomach was not happy with waiting." She chuckled at the memory. Her job was to take the first years to the sorting ceremony. It was one of her favorite jobs at Hogwarts. For fun, she often put the hat on her head to see where the sorting hat might put her. Her school of learning before becoming a professor at Hogwarts was Beauxbaton. The hat would always put her in Gryffindor. That particular year, she had a debate with the hat on why she was always put in Gryffindor while she waited in the empty hallway for the first years.

She started to get up from the table. As she did, she reached into her pocket an pulled out a galleon and three sickles. Placing them on the table, she started to walk out of the Three Broomstick. She turned her head around to look at the trio. "You are all welcome to join me on my outing." With that, she left the business.

[Akihko]

The usual pleasantries were exchanged, especially since most of the professors didn't keep in much contact during the summers. Hell, had he tried to do so, he was certain that he would've passed out, what with managing three boys and his in-laws having visited over the summer. Hogsmeade was not enough for his wife's parents. Both Sicilian, through and through, the man intimidated Barney to the extremes, especially with what appeared to be fur throughout the man's entire body. And his whole inappropriate smiling? It was terrifying, to the point where even the bravest of his boys, Tulio, would go nowhere near his grandfather. And that tiny woman... Seriously, Barney could've sworn the Sopranos were based off of this couple.

But that was besides the point, and he smiled and nodded along as Decan commented on his boys. "Oh definitely. Lestat specifically. His abilities on a broom would parallel any of the Quidditch team members we have, and I'm not just sayin' that 'cause he's my son! Okay... Well I might be, but that doesn't mean it isn't true, aye?" he laughed, thinking back to the numerous times he'd helped the young boy on a broom. "First time the poor kid got on his broom, he slid right off to the end. Said he couldn't sit down for a week!" Barney recalled.

A good understanding of Decan's summer left Barney rather drained, simply from hearing about dragons in general. Always good to see family though! Well, at least he hoped so. Barney had never really had that luxury, having lived with his dad about 96% of his life. And of course, Kain's comment defended the team, and although he hadn't seen any direct incidences of cheating, there was no doubt in the older man's mind that each team had cheated at least once, with Slytherin being the most obvious choice. But, then again, it was the Quidditch Cup, and who didn't want that?

Once the three noted it was getting rather late, both of the other men suggested they take the conversation on the train. Barney nodded, but rather than continue a talk with his coworkers, decided to patrol around the compartments. He left. Just like that. No goodbyes or anything. There was something else present on his mind, after all. Of course, it wasn't often that someone snuck on that wasn't supposed to be on the train, but one could never be too sure. And of course, there was always that little bit of paranoia in Barney's gut that told him a Muggle could easily sneak on.

At: Hogwarts Express
With:Self
Am: Looking through compartments
OOC: Once more really late. I'm so sorry! I promise quicker posts!

[Akihko]

I'm at: Home
Doing: Nothing
With: No One

tab The mornings were irritating. Even at a young age, Neculai had grown up seeing how his grandparents loved waking up in the morning, sometimes at excessively early times, and he had attributed this in his youth, to their advanced age. He had figured elders enjoyed getting the most of every day, since… well… That thought didn’t do him good to dwell on now. He glanced over to his alarm clock and almost died. Well, not literally. He was exhausted. Simply told, he’d been out the night before. His last night before returning to his own prison… Hogwarts: a place of happiness and sunshine and fresh meat. Too many ickles for him to count, and too many for him to care about.

tab If he arrived late… Well, he was certain Minerva would have his head if he arrived late. He’d be setting a bad example for the rest of the staff, that much was certain. Neculai yawned and sat up, stretching out his back as he did so. The years had not been kind to his body… And on the rare occasions where he woke up without his back aching, his leg would act up, a constant reminder of the horrid battle of Hogwarts. So many children… So many families broken.

tab Once he’d forced himself out of bed, it was well past the time he’d been hoping to be at the station by. He didn’t care. He had slept well. And if any of the younger professors so much as looked at him wrong, he’d always have his age as an excuse. No one bothered to argue with an old man. Neculai grinned at the thought as he forced his arms through a dress shirt.

tab Despite having grown rather used to the wizard world, there were a few things he refused to give up. Like pants. He liked pants. Nothing was flapping in the wind with his pants. Although Minerva had teased them in their youth about robes being “freeing,” it was most definitely not an experience he enjoyed.

tab Neculai continued to dress himself on his own time, not really caring about the schedule that had been set up for the professors. He rarely abided by the general terms, especially since he… well, he liked to believe he had more authority in the school than anyone else, save the headmistress of course.

tab Over to the side, Harley screeched and Neculai walked over to her, nuzzling her head with his own. "Bored, yes?" he said, opening the window for her to fly out. She knew where to go. She always did.

tab Another yawn told Neculai that, even though he was tired, it was about time he went on and got ready for the day. Or rather... the year. He slid out his wand and packed his suitcase with a simple wave, watching as clothes folded, shoes packed, and everything else neatly cuddled into his trunk. Marvellous. And now what? He didn't want to face all the children just yet. He couldn't stomach them this early in the morning. Too many happy faces going to a place like... Hogwarts. It was sickening.

[Silver and Sapphire]

MAЯTЇЙ GДБЯЇЄL ₴ДЦИDЄЯ₴⇟⇟⇟

$LУTHЁЯЇЙ $ЁVЁЙTH УЁДЯ⇟⇟⇟

Nathaniel had snapped the book closed pretty quickly after Neymeria asked what it was that he was reading, but Martin had managed to get a short peek at the pages. He hadn't been able to actually read any of it, but there was a strange sensation that the book gave him. He wasn't quite sure that it sat right with him, whatever it was. It was eerie, in a way. Buck didn't seem to like it either. Usually he would run and climb and scamper all over anyone new, in search of attention. However, he was avoiding Nate and, specifically, the book. The rat curled up on Martin's shoulder, eyeing Nathaniel cautiously. Martin petted the top of his pet's head with a fingertip.

"Perosnal huh?" he asked, grinning a little as he teased, "I'll bet it's some Ravenclaw book of secrets. All the dirty details of the House, like how you guys are all so damn smart at everything." He was joking, of course, but sometimes Martin did have to wonder how Ravenclaws were always so damn good at everything. He had to work hard to get the grades that he did. Defense Against the Dark Arts was the only subject that came to him naturally, and even then, he had to really concentrate to make sure his work remained up to Professor Neculai's standards. The old man was known to be strict and it was common knowledge that talent wasn't going to be enough to get you anywhere in his class. It was going to take work too. Martin supposed that was why he liked the man's class so much. You didn't get anywhere in life without working hard for it and the professor seemed intent on teaching them all that lesson.

Martin's thoughts were interupted by a yawn that nearly split his head in half. He hadn't gotten to sleep until late the night before, too busy doing last minute packing. However, that wasn't the only thing contributing to his yawns. The full moon was less than a week past and Martin was still recoering from it. Full moons during the summer were always rougher on him than full moons at the school. At home during the summers, though he took the wolfsbane potion, he still worried about what might happen if anyone were to get in his way. So, he locked himself in a large, reinforced room that was part of his father's mechanics garage. It was stressful and it wore away at him in a way that running free in the Forbidden Forest never did. He hid it well but the stress showed in the pallor of his skin and the dark circles under his eyes.

"You're a sixth year right?" Martin asked Nathaniel as he reclined back in the corner of the seat, "How'd you do on your O.W.L.s?"

MДЯTЇЙ Ї$⇟⇟⇟
Where: The Train || With: Meri & Nate || Doing: Arriving || Wearing: Muggle Garb

[Silver and Sapphire]

Ｄｅｃｌａｎ Ａｌｅｘａｎｄｅｒ Ｇｒａｙ↷↷

Ｃａｒｅ Ｏｆ ＭａｇｉｃａｌＣｒｅａｔｕｒｅｓ↷↷

Declan smiled as Barny told them of his little boy's skill on a broomstick. A natural, he said. That was good to hear, though he wondered if the proud papa wasn't palying his boy's skill up a bit. Well, sooner or later Declan supposed that they would find out. When the boy came to Hogwarts as a student himself, perhaps. Soon enough they were boarding the train. Declan found himself returning Kain's lopsided grin as the Charms teacher boarded the train. He really was charming, Declan thought. Not for the first time he decided that it was a good thing that Kain had ended up on the side of what was right during the Second Wizarding War. He could just imagine the chaos that someone with Kain's influence and talents could have done while working on the wrong side of the law.

A man squeezed past once all three teachers had boarded the train, quickly disembarking. Declan frowned as he watched the man. There was something familair about him...ah, yes. Meri's family's butler, or something like that. Not a threat so Declan dismissed the man from his mind. Barney had departed almost as soon as they had boarded, gone without a word. Declan chalked that up to the fact that he just did not seem to like Kain all that much. Speaking of which....belatedly, he realized that he still had a hold of Kain's hand and released it. "Right," he agreed, nodding, "The usual sweep of the train, to make sure everyone has settled in properly." And to make sure that none of the littles were being picked on, none of the elders were starting fights, that sort of thing.

"Hope Alistair is prepared; quite a few first years this year, the trip across the lake is going to be an interesting ride," Declan commented, "I'll see you in a few Kain." He smiled at the man before taking off, heading the opposite direction that Barney had gone. He had intended to have a chat with the engineer and conductor before they left but had spent his time dawdling and chatting with Kain and Barny. So he took the opportunity now to speak with the engineer about the journey to the school. It had gone without trouble all the prior years, but that didn't mean that something couldn't happen this year.

Ｄｅｃｌａｎ Ｉｓ↷↷
Where: Hogwarts Express || With: No one || Doing: Keeping the peace || Wearing: Muggle Disguise

[Amalthia_Tetros]

✍ Ѧℓasϯaiɍ Gɍℯgѳɍ Ⱦaɍɋʊiη

✍ Hisϯѳɍɏ ѳϝ Magiȼ

Alastair had seated himself perfectly so that he could easily view all the entrances of the Three Broomsticks. This was an old habit from when he had been an Auror and had fought in the Second Wizarding War with the Order. The precaution had never seemed to fade, even in these more peaceful times. So when a familiar potions mistress came into the restaurant via Floo Al spotted her quickly. The woman always managed to give Al an uneasy feeling when she entered a room and this time was no different. McClan had never been rude or shown signs of being untrustworthy, but for some reason Alastair could not bring himself to see her as anything other than a stranger with uncertain loyalties. Sure, Lillian had made obvious attempts to befriend Al by striking up conversations whenever possible and asking personal questions, but her overtures had been met with nothing less than curt responses and avoidance. There was nothing Al hated more than people asking him personal questions. He tired not to hold it against Lillian that her attempts always centered around his past, but it was an upsetting experience to have someone so set on asking questions that pained him. Perhaps her awkward social skills just didn't allow or her to recognize that Al disliked being asked about his personal life.

So it was that when Lillian McClan asked to join the trio that all gave a small, yet hesitant nod of approval for her to be seated at the table. "Dante, here." He said, motioning for the mastiff to move from where he was laying behind the chair Lillian intended to take. Dante stood and walked over to be seated between Cecilia and Alastair, stopping for a moment to sniff at Lillian and eye her along the way. The dog never was as friendly towards the potions mistress as he was towards others. It may very well have been that Dante was feeding off of his master's discomfort around the woman, or that he too sensed something off about her. Either way, Al always took Dante's reactions about people to heart and the fact that he never got close enough to Lillian for her to pet him always made him wonder more about her. Still, the dog never barked or growled at her as he would if he felt an obvious threat so that was at least something.

Several minutes passed and Al quietly listened as Cecilia and the others chatted. When the subject of leaving came up Alastair stood with the assistance of his cane and pulled out Cecilia's chair for her. "Yes, I should gather my things from where I left them at the station as well." He said moving to pay his portion of the bill. "Changing would be a good idea as well. Won't make much of a good impression on the First Years in this." Al said, motioning to his leather jacket and jeans he had flown to Hogsmead in. Walking towards the front door, Alastair stopped midstrid and turned back to the table, "Ah, McClan, I would like to speak with you in the next few days when you have some free time. Working on a bit of a project I think you might be of assistance on." He had nearly forgotten that he needed some assistance with the potion he had been using for his leg. As much as he was uncertain about Lillian, he knew he could not just continue on without some help. Turning back around, Al walked to the front door and held it open for Cecilia.








✍Qʊiη Is
Where: The Three Broomsticks ↿↾ With:Cecilia, Dante, Lillian & Charles ↿↾ Doing: Eating breakfast & Chatting ↿↾ Wearing: Outfit

[Amalthia_Tetros]

↬ Nҽyɱҽɾia Mσɾɠaɳ βlaҫҡωσσɖ

↬ Sixȶɦ ϒҽaɾ Slyȶɦҽɾiɳ

Neymeria's bright eyes followed the Ravenclaw boy's movements as he snapped his book shut. The nervousness was radiating off of 'Nate', that much Meri could tell. Now if the nervousness was coming from the fact of just having had two Slytherin's invade his space, or having someone take an interest in his book Meri couldn't quite be sure. When the boy stuttered out a response to Martin without being able to look at him Meri's suspicions about what was making him nervous shifted to one subject in particular. Grinning subtly, Meri shot a glance at Martin and raised an eyebrow. That one look was enough to tell her friend what she suspected and that she intended to pick on him endlessly for it.

“Well nice to meet you, McCall. Looks like we are both in the same year.” She said, shifting her attention back to Nate and settling back in her seat. “If that book is full of Ravenclaw secrets I would just love to get my hands on it.” Again Meri's eyes focused in on the book that Nate was clutching and felt some strange pull coming from it. Personal or not, that book had something magical about it that just drew a person in. Meri's curiosity had her dying to know what secrets the pages held, but it was clear that Nate was not up for sharing.

A yawn cut through the moment of silence and snapped Neymeria out of whatever trance the book had placed on her. Looking to the source of the sound, Meri found her best friend's less than healthy looking face. It was evident, to her at least, that the summer moons had worn on Martin both physically and mentally. Even with the wolfsbane potions there were no guarantees that something couldn't go wrong, especially when in the middle of a Muggle city. Just the thought of what stress that had to put on Martin made Meri feel terrible that she had yet to perfect her Anigmus abilities. Having begun trying to become and Anigmus as the start of her fourth year in order to help Marin, Meri had only gotten as far as shifting into her Tiger form and holding it for a half hour. Anything beyond that and she had to shift back to normal. It still wasn't good enough to prove any help to her best friend, which frustrated the witch to no end. “Geez, you look like you got kissed by a Dementor, Martie. Maybe you should nap a bit before the feast.” Meri said with that 'worried sister' tone she always got whenever she was concerned for Martin.






↬Mҽɾi Is
Where: Hogwarts Express ↿↾ With: Martin, Nate, & Laufey ↿↾ Doing: Settling in ↿↾ Wearing: Muggle Garb

[Amalthia_Tetros]

✙ Ҟaiη Ѧℓℓℯη Gѳɗϝɍℯℯɗ

✙ Ȼhaɍɱȿ

Kain, having been distracted by the appearance of Bartey, realized a little late that Declan still had a hold on his hand. Lilith seemed to have noticed though, and was creeping her way down to their joined hands. The snake had nearly reached a point where she could sneak her way onto Dex's arm when the man released Kain's hand. Lilith hissed in annoyance, her plan of getting some of Declan's attention foiled. "Yes," Kain agreed, returning Declan's smile with one of his own bright and charming ones. "Tarquin will no doubt have his fun telling the little ones all about the history of the lake. That is if he can manage to win their attention from the Giant Squid." A small chuckle escaped the Charms master as he turned and began heading in the opposite direction of his companion.

Moving along through the train, Kain readjusted Lilith so that she was back around his neck. As ever, the serpent hissed her displeasure at Declan taking his leave of them. Kain shook his head at the snake and stroked her head, attempting to appease her. As he walked along, the Charms master kept and eye out for any disruptions among the students. So far it was calm and quiet. He did pass one compartment where a familiar group of first years was gazing fixedly at a seventh year boy as he weaved some frightening tale. One of the first year girls took notice of Kain standing in the doorway and gave a startled squeak. The seventh year boy, who just so happened to be a Slytherin, looked up and smiled mischievously at the professor. "Professor Godfreed, good to see you sir!" The teen said cheerily as he bounced up from his seat and walked over. "Just giving the firsties a few pointers on your class, sir." Kain nodded in response, giving a stern look to the young students in the compartment. "Very good, Mason. You best be getting back to your own compartment. Leave the First Years to the Prefects, yes?" Mason nodded in a show of fearful respect before hurrying off to join his friends.

Turning from the first years without another word, Kain continued on his patrol of though train. It wasn't long before he came across the compartment he had stashed his belongings in and discovered that a student had taken up residence in it. This one happened to be a fifth year Hufflepuff by the name of Bethany Gale. She was an excellent student, one of the best in her year. Giving a light knock on the door before entering, Kain stepped into the compartment. "Good morning, Miss Gale." He greeted as he reached up to the overhead compartment opposite where the girl was sitting and pulled down his things. Retrieving his wand from his coat pocket, he shrank the items down so that he could easily fit them in his pockets. As he saw to his task, Lilith focused on Beth's cat as if it might be a good snack. As the snake continued to grow she was constantly looking at larger and larger animals as potential prey, even if they were still out of her league. "Lilith." Kain said sternly, without having to even look at the serpent to tell what she was thinking. "Sorry about her, she is still young." He said as he turned to Bethany, having finished putting his things in his pockets.






✙Ҟay Is
Where: Hogwarts Express ↿↾ With: Lilith & Beth ↿↾ Doing: Keeping watch ↿↾ Wearing: Muggle Garb