The Great Hall

[Domina Incognita]

Elizabeth Lapointe
[Ravenclaw]

Elizabeth checked out the books she needed returning the rest on the book shelves using her wand. She walked out of the library and went to the Great Hall. Lizzie walked to the Ravenclaw table. She sat down hoping to see Nate or Cage around but it was no luck. She sighed slightly and poured herself some breakfast and began eating. She drank her pumpkin juice and looked around once more hoping to find somone she knew.

 

[nefarious e]

Pяoƒessør Aℓexїs Kяuм
ġoτ α мe§sαgε iη мy ħεαd τħατ τħε pαpεrs ħαd αll gone, Richαяd Mαηuεl is dεαd







Alexis nodded and began to eat some more. She wasn't really that hungry but she knew she'd regret not eating later when the kitchens were closed. There was always the option of going down there for some food - the house elves were always more than happy to ablidge - but that was the sort of thing the students did, and as a teacher, Alexis was supposed to frown on that sort of reckless behavior.

After a while she spoke again. "I can see why they're letting the fifth years compete this time, though. I mean, age really wasn't a factor last time. I mean, the fourth year fared as well as the eighteen year olds. But then again, that was Harry Potter...." She trailed off as another owl came in - albeit late - and soared scarily close to the Staff Table, almost knocking her hat off. "Stupid owls!" she cried. "Their sense of direction gets worse every year!" Owing to an incident in her childhood, including an owl, a car and an Inflatable Garden (Add Air For Genuine Roses), Alexis had a deep dislike of owls. She was a cat person.




((sorry it's shorter than before - I've got writters block))
 

[Snake_in_my_Boot]

Will we lose it someday?
I want to protect you and that disappearing smile
The ringing voice that calls me dries out
Even if it gets erased by the wind along time
I will find you...

Gregory Leo Wood

Gregory listened carefully to each word that came out of his friend's mouth. Lily never gave him anything other than great advice, and he really appreciated it. He probably wouldn't have fully noticed how much he felt for Rose without her guidance. Some people would say it was just a childish crush, but Leo felt like there was more to it than that. Everything Lily told him cheered him up, but it unfortunately didn't ease his nerves when he dreaded about asking Rose to the Yule Ball. His insides had not been this flustered his entire life, not even when he was dangling a hundred feet in the air with only one hand slowly slipping of the handle of his broom. Lily seemed to be really excited about this and wanted to see him and Rose together. Maybe she just wanted to see her cousin happy, or it was possible that she wasn't happy herself so she wanted to help others. Whatever it was, Gregory wanted to help her in any way possible.

Then it was revealed to him that she wasn't supposed to say anything about what happened at the return feast. Leo was thankful she had told him though, that way he wasn't just hoping for the impossible. She liked him in return, so it would be much easier than before. Who was he trying to kid? It had been nigh impossible this whole week, so how would that make it easier for him to ask her to the ball? His attention was yanked away from his doubts when Lily had said that they would go to the Yule Ball, fall in love, and live happily ever after together. All that was something to look forward for, and he wondered if the outcome was that great, why was it so hard to ask? But his parents always expressed how much they loved each other and they still didn't get along sometimes. Possibly, it was in human nature to bicker with each other, and he knew that it could never get in the way of the feelings he had for Rose. He would do anything for her, even if they did not get together. He knew he would do anything for Lily also, since she had been such a great friend and somewhat of a mentor. "Thanks, Lily. You really know how to help a hopeless guy out. How can I repay you?" Gregory knew she would say that it wasn't necessary for him to do anything for her, but he felt like he needed to say it. That way she knew he was sincerely thankful for her help, and would be there if she ever needed his help.

As soon as Gregory thought their conversation about asking Rose to the Yule Ball was over, Lily surprised him by continuing on about where he should ask her. The first place she could think of was the lake. That very place had come across his mind before while thinking of when to ask Rose, but she was right about the rain being the probably. Asking Rose to go down to the lake with him while it was raining was too obvious. Leo wanted to ask her when she least expected it, but could he ever do it when they were with other people? He didn't even think he would be able to if it was only Lily with them. Then she told him to just spark up a casual conversation and eventually come across asking her. That sounded like a decent plan. If only he didn't spaz out whenever he tried to talk to her. "Smooth, right..." He stroked his chin, which was starting to grow back facial hair, while repeating the word smooth in his mind. Then Leo took a long swig of juice, hoping to calm himself down. Hopefully he didn't choke or spit it across the room if Rose walked in. Gregory could ask her during a heated Quidditch Match, but the Gryffindor/Ravenclaw match wasn't until the end of the school year and the Yule Ball took place at Christmas. That put a damper on his plans, but he would just have to stay calm and figure it out.

Even though I keep on falling,
You laugh and help me up every time
As I board the vacant back of the bus
You flash me a small smile
I must place my trust in you...

 

[Snake_in_my_Boot]

Prof. William Collier

The sly and mysterious history professor sneaked his way into the Great Hall through the passage the staff members were only allowed to take. That was wear the Triwizard champions would gather during the weighing of the wands ceremony. Collier was certainly intrigued as to who would be chosen as the three school champions. He definitely wouldn't dare to interfere in the picking since he was frightened by the true power the goblet held. Most people believed that it was only used for the tournament, but the cup actually held secrets nobody knew about, just like the professor himself. The energies being emitted from that chalice couldn't be only meant for picking snobby little brats who thought they were better than everyone else!

Collier silently took a seat at the end of the table, where he could easily slip away if anything happened that he didn't like. The last thing he needed was another member of the staff trying to converse with him. It wasn't that he didn't want them talking to him, he thought he might slip up and reveal his true reasons for being here. That would be most unpleasant and he was afraid of what the consequences might be. The paranoid teacher scanned all the faces gathering in the great hall, and didn't fine one person he would want to socialize with. He saw many students he would rather see harmed, and he sadistically hoped it would be during the tournament. All these dark thoughts swirling in his mind at the moment could never be revealed to anyone, not even if he grew attached to anyone. That was probably going to be impossible with the mission that he had been given. William didn't even want to think of the task he felt destined to do, it was too frightening.

Seeing that more kids and teachers were showing up for breakfast, Professor Collier decided it would be best if he left. Before anyone could stop him he slid out of his chair and hurried into the hallway leading out of the Great Hall. He couldn't wait to see who was chosen as the three champions and finally be able to start moving towards his goal. he let a slight chuckle escape his lips as he hurried off towards his designated classroom. There he could begin planning.  

[nefarious e]

Deena Martide

Deena walked into the Great Hall with Specks still in her hand. She had a special trick planned for the first Saturday of the year, well, after classes had started anyway.

She sat down next to Lily Potter - not because they were particularly good friend but because she'd slept in so much that the only seat left was there. Near them on the Ravenclaw table was Leo, who she was pretty sure was the son of some of the school's best ex-Quidditch players. S "Hey Leo, hey Lily," she said casually, trying to conceal the nerves that always came before a big prank. "What's up? Has the owl post arrived yet?" She hoped not.

Specks squirmed in her hand and she had to resist the impulse to rush the trick. If she didn't time this right, it would go up in smoke. What she planned to do was simple: when the post arrived, she would get Specks up in the air - using magic, of course. The owls would freak at having a green tree frog suddenly in their midst, leaving Deena free to cast what had to be one of the weirdest uses of Transfiguration - well, apart from the bouncing ferret incident she'd heard about - in the history of Hogwarts. Okay, so she could have come up with a more intricate plan. But detail and complications doubled the chance of things going wrong.

 

[youLOVEamelia]

~*Nixie Lilac Becker*~
Professor of Arithmancy

Something's growing under that wing
I think a face is dawning
Oh no the books are growing faces
And you're lost quite classically
With your nose in a book
And it seems so fitting

Nixie listened to what Alexis had to say about the tournament. She was sure many of the teachers weren't so enthusiastic about it as the children were. Nixie saw a handful of students around the goblet, just waiting to see who would put their name in. "Perhaps after seeing Mr. Potter handle the tournament better than some of the others, they thought they ought to give some of the other students a chance. I agree with you, of course. I think this tournament is a terrible idea," she said to her. Of course, there was no Lord Voldemort, waiting for the trophy to be used as a portkey. But surely, there were other dark wizards on the loose, perhaps Death Eaters waiting for their chance at revenge. And with the children of Harry Potter his friends here...Nixie decided she would be on full alert throughout the entire year.

At the owl's misdirection, Nixie laughed--a real laugh mind you as she was starting to feel more like herself. "Some of them are a bit past their prime, I suppose," she said, her dark blue eyes gleaming at the humorous sight. Yes, she was certainly starting to feel more like herself. She thought it was Hogwarts. The school always made her feel like she was at home. And there were tons of things to distract her from her own problems. Like the Triwizard Tournament. Despite her worries about it, she was a tad bit excited to see who would be chosen out of the Goblet. It would certainly make for an interesting year.

Then Nixie noticed another teacher walk in, a man. His face was a tad bit familiar. Ooh! He was definitely at Hogwarts while she was, though he was a few years her senior. William Collier. Yes, he was a fifth year Ravenclaw when she first started. Chances were that he didn't really remember who she was, as was expected. The last time she saw him, he was a seventh year and she was a third year. And Nixie definitely had grown up a bit since then. Nixie thought a bit of polite conversation would be nice, but before she could even say his name, he was up and leaving. Did he even have some breakfast? "What a strange character," she said. It was like he didn't want to get stuck talking to anyone. Nixie shrugged and returned to her food.



And perhaps this is the end we've sought after for so long
And perhaps now it's done
Cause we've found all entire dreams
Of men and machines and
Turned them all around our
Indentical hands
Composing our commands  

[rainingflames__xx]

Albus Severus Potter
I Chose Gryffindor But Slytherin Would Have Been Fine

And when I think of all the places I just don't belong
I've come to grips with life and realize this is going too far

I don't belong here, we gotta move on dear
Escape from this afterlife
’Cause this time I'm right to move on and on
Far away from here

Albus stood behind Riley and waited for her to stand and nodded slightly when she did. He followed her to the hall and decided he would ask her to the ball before she began to speak.

"It's not about yesterday Riley...it's..."

Albus stopped when Riley began to talk again and he listened. He didn't see the point in what she was saying until she said something that gave Albus a tinge of pain. ”Well see. I don’t think it’s a wise idea if we hang out. You know? My family is rather set in their ways…” He continued to listen even though he didn't want to. He did it out of respect but afterwards Albus wished he had left.

"Well...Okay then"

He walked into the Great Hall quite dumfounded those words seemed recorded in his head. ”Albus Potter. I wish not to speak to you again. Understand? I wouldn’t even imagine being a friend of the likes of you. Now leave me be.”. Albus headed towards the Gryffindor table and sat down next to Lily, not really paying attnetion at the moment.

Albus sighed slowly eating a peice of toast and staring at nothing as it seemed. Then it hit him. If he was a Potter Riley would talk to him, if he wasn't a Gryffindor he wouldn't be hated. Albus of course wasn't going to take that to heart people would have to learn how to grow past their parents arguments, it was a new generation after all.

I don't belong here, I gotta move on dear
escape from this afterlife
’Cause this time I'm right to move on and on,
far away from here


Got nothing against you and surely I'll miss you
This place full of peace and light, and I’d hope you might
Take me back inside when the time is right

Neville Harry Longbottom II

Will you stay awake for me?
I don't wanna miss anything
I don't wanna miss anything
I will share the air I breathe,
I'll give you my heart on a string,
I just don't wanna miss anything.

I'm trying real hard not to shake. I'm biting my tongue,
but I'm feeling alive and with every breathe that I take,
I feel like I've won. You're my key to survival.

Neville walked down the staircase heading to the Great Hall. He woke up late yet again, but it was saturday so it wasn't a problem. He glanced around from one end of the Great Hall to the other before making his way to the Gryffindor Table. He sat opposite Neville and picked a peice of toast.

"Morning Albus, Morning Lily"

He took a bite of toast before realizing Albus didn't seem quite okay. By now he was probably chapters into his current novel, or maybe even working on homework. Neville looked at Lily and pointed at Albus with his free hand.

"Hey Lily, do you think Albus is okay? He seems rather...weird dontcha think?"

Say my name. I just want to hear you.
Say my name. So I know it's true.
You're changing me. You're changing me.
You showed me how to live.
So just say. So just say,

That you'll stay awake for me.
I don't wanna miss anything.
I don't wanna miss anything.
I will share the air I breathe,
I'll give you my heart on a string,
I just don't wanna miss anything

 

[youLOVEamelia]

Lily | Luna | Potter

Said I forgot, but I did not
Dreams we have had play in my head
Did we believe the cry of the wind?
Did we regret? Would we forget?


Lily was always glad to help Gregory, especially when it came to Rose. Some guys were just so clueless when girls liked them. Even though she wasn't supposed to open her big mouth about Rose liking him, she thought it was for the better anyway. If he knew that Rose liked him, he could be a little more confident when he went to ask her to the Yule ball. At his offer of repayment, Lily laughed. "Oh, Gregory, you don't need to repay me. I like matchmaking. And since I know my cousin likes you and you like her, it's not like it's that difficult. Now, you just need to get the guts to ask her. She'll be so happy," Lily said dreamily. She liked making other people happy. And Rose was her cousin, so of course she wanted her to be happy. She only wished she could be there to see Rose's face. "Oh, but if or when you guys ever get married, I get to help plan." She laughed, jokingly. She could just imagine Rose and Gregory getting married. Romantic.

When Deena sat down next to her, Lily smiled. She wasn't particularly good friends with Deena, but they were good enough acquaintances since they were in the same house and all. "Good morning, Deena. The post just left, but I'm sure they'll make another round," she replied, figuring that Deena probably just had something coming through the post. She caught the sight of an owl almost taking off with Professor Krum's hat. The woman looked particularly annoyed. Next to her Professor Becker laughed. Seeing Professor Becker reminded Lily of something she wanted to tell Gregory.

"Hey, I was in Arithmancy the other day and we were looking at people's names in numerology and seeing who was compatible...And I totally checked you and Rose. You're completely compatible! I can't believe I forgot to tell you until now!" she exclaimed. She'd been so excited in class the other day that she almost got up and cheered. Luckily, she did have some self-control. Regardless, she knew that Gregory and Rose were the perfect match! Arithmancy was never wrong. Not like divination where you have to come up for reason a dog shows up in a crystal ball. No, Arithmancy was all numbers, something that Lily felt comfortable with.

When Albus sat down, Lily looked at him, a little concerned. "Al, are you okay?" she asked him. He seemed a little down. Lily had seen him go out with that Slytherin girl, Riley. Had she said something to him? She worried about her brother. Like mentioned before, Lily liked making people happy, so she would just have to cheer Albus up if there was something wrong. He seemed to be in deep thought...Something had to be bothering him, right? Lily had a bit of a sense for these things.

Looking at Neville, she shrugged. "I don't know. I think that Riley girl said something to him. I saw them together before," she said, trying not to be too obvious that they were talking about Albus. She was, after all, still sitting right next to him. "I think we ought to cheer him up a bit."

Winters have come and gone you know
Winters have come and gone you know
But I’ll miss you young and sweet
For a dance round the memory tree

 

[Kiki somoko]

Edward. Anthony. Mason.



Edward smiled faintly as she laughed at is joke, that was exactly what he was aiming for. “Hmm, well I do try kitten.” he mused chuckling slightly. He scanned her face as she spoke once more, and his eyes softened slightly. ”It’s worth it to see you smile like that.” he commented with a small smile. He really did mean it, as long as he could make her smile like that, he’d be content. At least in the sense of emotion, physically he didn’t think he’d ever technically be content. He rested his elbow on the table once more, turning his body to face her once more. “Well you see, in the morning I always look in the mirror and say to myself ‘Be like snuggles, that cute little bear’ you know, because he’s cute and adorable.” he said casually. “I suppose it works?” he said chuckling.

Edward hadn’t noticed that it was so obvious that he was a bit out of it. Usually he was very observant about these sort of things, so she wouldn’t have to worry about him. That seemed to have back fired, now he just needed to think of how to cover it up. Sincerity. Yes, that would have to do. “Of course, I’m fine, your cuteness just distracted me there for a moment.” he cooed, leaning closer to her, in order to peck her lightly on the lips. It wasn’t necessarily a lie though, that was quite true, her cuteness did distract him a lot. And he couldn’t pull his hand away from hers, it felt nice, her thumb stroking his hand every so lightly. Somewhat of a hand massage. He would’ve laughed at this, however he restrained himself.

Edward watched her closely has she flipped her hair out of her face. Yep, yet another cute thing she did. He wasn’t sure if she knew how terribly cute and flirtatious that could be. It tempted his actions, however he had to hold himself back. If he had his way all the time, they lips would probably have been locked most of the time, only to come up for air. Even that would be rare, oh so rare. A grin slid across his face, and he chuckled once more. “Well, maybe, but I think I’ll restrain myself for everything who doesn’t want to go blind in this room.” he responded.

 

[Domina Incognita]

~Katarina Dominique Durange~
Katarina smiled her flirty smile. She was so happy when she was with Edward, he always made her smile and laugh. When she's sad, he would always cheer her up and make her feel good. Kattarina played with a strand of her hair for a moment then let it go.

Katarinna laughed at how out of it Edward really was. She kissed his cheek. He was absolutely adorable, she loved how cute he was. Kat was crazy about him she didn't let his hand go and didn't stop stroking it with her thumb.

Kat returned the kiss this time keeping it abit longer. She pulled away very slowly their lips sticking to each other's oh so lightly. She played with his hair with her free hand. "What are you thing'king?" she asked him curiously as he chuckled.

"I agree wiz you" she laughed a small laugh. "I don't zink the teat'chers would like zat" she told him. "What would you like to do today?" she asked in a french accent. All her sentences had french accents.  

[Snake_in_my_Boot]

Will we lose it someday?
I want to protect you and that disappearing smile
The ringing voice that calls me dries out
Even if it gets erased by the wind along time
I will find you...

Gregory Leo Wood

Just like he had predicted, Lily immediately declined to being repaid by Gregory. At least she know knew how thankful he was that she was helping him. Gregory didn't think he would ever manifest the guts to ask Rose without Lily backing him up. Hopefully Rose didn't know or didn't care that her cousin was secretly helping him from the sidelines. Happy was all he wanted for Rose, and he didn't not want to think about her ever being sad or upset. Then more doubt began to flood is mind when he started asking himself if she would be truly happy with. What if they found out that all this planning had been for nothing because he was to much of a loser for her, and they broke up in less than a week. Maybe all this over-thinking was what had been making him spaz out whenever he tried to talk to her? His thoughts were blasted away when Lily mentioned something about planning his and Rose's wedding. "After helping me this much, I would definitely let you," he replied with a slight smile. Leo wanted to be with her for longer than marriage, but there was always that dreaded possibility that it wouldn't work out.

Who am I kidding, Gregory said to himself as a grin spread across his face. With the all this help from Lily, there is no way I can back down now! Finally convincing himself that everything would work out fine, Leo took a full gulp of juice without having to worry about choking or spitting it up. Then another girl entered the Great Hall and took a seat next to them. He was pretty sure her name was Deena, but he had never gotten to know her more than just knowing her name. Leo never really knew anybody outside his own house of blue and bronze until the train ride to school this year. That one ride on the Hogwarts Express had seemed to change his life for the better. Gregory gently set down his cup and nodded his head politely at his fellow sixth year in acknowledgment of her arrival. Then he couldn't help but laugh when Lily brought up Arithmancy. It was one of the classes that Leo didn't really care for, like Muggle studies and Divination. He felt bad for laughing since she seemed really enthusiastic about the class. "The numbers say we're compatible, huh?"

Even though I keep on falling,
You laugh and help me up every time
As I board the vacant back of the bus
You flash me a small smile
I must place my trust in you...

 

[nefarious e]

Deena Martide

"Damnit!" yelled Deena as she jumped up in fustration, causing several people nearby to turn and stare at her. She grimaced and sat down again. "It was just... I had a really good trick planned, you know?" Deena sighed. She had heard rumours that some little pipsqueak down in the Second Year thought they could take her title of best Gryffindor prankster - something she'd earnt in a particularly boring potions class last year. There was no way she was going to let that happen. She had to produce double the amount of pranks, as well as working on the master plan.

Deena listened quietly to the conversation between Lily and Leo. So Leo wanted to get together with Rose, huh? She wouldn't tell anyone but it was an interesting thing to know. Deena liked to collect information on the other students. It was probably just a side affect of her upbringing, but knowing what they liked, and who, helped her know where she stood with them, and that had to count for something. If nothing else, it helped her buy Christmas presents that suited whoever she gave them to. Since her father's bank account at Gringots had become avaliable to her, Deena had started giving presents to anyone she felt was remotely nice to her. It earned her some syncopants, but other than that it was just a fun thing to do.

 

[Spiral Tuboflex]

Abel Balas
Durmstrang

His stomach now filled with a delicious Hogwarts breakfast, Abel followed quietly behind his fellow Durmstrang students as they filed out of the Great Hall. All of a sudden one of them collided with a student who Abel assumed was from Ravenclaw house based on the color of his clothing, and perpetuated the Durmstrang stereotype by making some rude comment in an authoritative manner about getting out of the way. However, the situation became atypical when the Ravenclaw retorted with a snide comment, something Abel's husky classmate was not very happy about. Not really knowing how to react, the Durmstrang student simply fumed to his peers about what kind of violent actions he was planning on taking toward the disrespectful student body of Hogwarts, though Abel knew he was really too fearful of consequences to carry out any of these threats. That was the main tenet of life for a Durmstrang student: they were taught by their elders to come off as intimidating as possible, while on the inside they were either too terrified of the reaction of the same elders would give if they were to cause any disruption or too afraid of the possibility that they would be unsuccessful in any kind of fight and thus left completely embarrassed and far less impressive to their friends.
As the rest of the Durmstrang crew continued on their way to the ship, Abel slipped down an empty corridor until they were far enough away that they would not care to return to search for him after noticing his disappearance. Though that would not take very long: there were so many differences between the personalities of Abel and those of his Durmstrang peers that they preferred his absence over his presence.
Abel stuck his hands in the pockets of his slacks and meandered back into the Great Hall, where he spotted the boy who had been quick with a humorous comeback to his classmate. He didn't really mind that it was a dig at the accents he and his classmates had; he himself thought that the Hogwarts students had a vast array of hilarious accents and simply didn't notice how ridiculous they must sound to the Durmstrang students.
He made his way over to the boy (who was sitting at the Gryffindor table, oddly enough), and having arrived at a break in his conversation with a pretty red-headed girl, tapped him on the shoulder. "Scuză-mă... Errr, excuse me," he corrected himself before he began talking to the student entirely in Romanian. "I wanted to apologize about my classmate, and just let you know that not all Durmstrang students are a bunch of asses. Just most of them." It felt good to talk to someone other than one of his Durmstrang classmates for once. Which was, after all, the whole reason he came here; to escape the students at his school and the pressure of his father, if only for a short period of time, and meet some new people. An escape from Quidditch was also nice. Abel felt as though he might actually enjoy the sport when he wasn't being forced to constantly practice for the professional Quidditch career that he would never have. As he awaited a reaction from the Ravenclaw boy, he began to debate a possible flying session later this afternoon before remembering the rainy conditions outside.

 

[Snake_in_my_Boot]

Will we lose it someday?
I want to protect you and that disappearing smile
The ringing voice that calls me dries out
Even if it gets erased by the wind along time
I will find you...

Gregory Leo Wood

Gregroy was about to take another sip of his juice, but instead he slightly flinched when Deena jumped to her feet and shouted words of frustration. Apparently some sort of plan she had was ruined now that she had arrived late and didn't catch the morning post. The morning conversation with Lily had been interrupted when all the new arrivals flocked into the Great Hall for a late breakfast and Lily became worried about her brother. Leo had seen him walk to the Slytherin table and ask to speak to one of the girls. She must have had unfortunate things to say about him, but what was he really getting at trying to socialize with a girl in an enemy house? All the houses seemed to always get along and looked past each others differences for years now, except the gits in Slytherin house.

Since Lily's attention had been quickly taken by her worry for her older brother, Gregory would have to find someone else to talk to for the moment. His stern gaze scanned each face in the Great Hall, but he found nobody he would like to converse with. He would have sparked up a conversation with Deena, but she seemed to be preoccupied by the failing of her planned prank and she was more of the listening type. An information gatherer so to speak. Leo didn't mind that, most of the time he would rather just listen instead of actually participating. Right when he was about to give up and lay his head down on the table to rest, when someone tapped him on the shoulder. To Gregory's surprise, it was one of the Durmstrang boys that were hanging in the group that he had bumped into previously before coming to breakfast. The boy began speaking in his native language before apologizing for the rudeness of his classmate. A smirk spread across Leo's face as he stood up from the table to shake the boy's hand. At least they all weren't a bunch of asses. Waiting for the Durmstrang boy to accept his handshake, then realizing that he might not be used to such a gesture, Gregory let out a soft chuckle before saying, "Its alright, I'm use to dealing with people like that big friend of yours. To be honest, I'm not really attached to this tie all that much so it wouldn't have mattered anyways. The name's Gregory Wood by the way..."

Gregory was used to dealing with punks like the husky fellow from this morning, since he almost always got into fights during the summer. Some muggles just didn't know when to keep their mouths shut, they strangely liked to insult people's mothers for some reason Leo did not comprehend. Of course he hadn't used any sort of magic on them, for that would get him expelled from school, but he could hold his own in a fight with fists. This skill with his hands surprised many mouthy second and third years last year when he did not whip out a wand but instead popped them one in the face when they least expected it. The consequences for insulting his mother wasn't nearly as hard as when someone bad-mouthed the Ravenclaw House Quidditch Team. Gregory had gotten in quite some trouble for starting a brawl in the Great Hall after the January Ravenclaw/Slytherin match. Gregory was known for his fighting skills without a wand, but some people had also witnessed his skills with magic too

Even though I keep on falling,
You laugh and help me up every time
As I board the vacant back of the bus
You flash me a small smile
I must place my trust in you...

 

[Spiral Tuboflex]

Abel Balas
Durmstrang

"Oh, please, do not refer to him as a friend of mine," Abel replied to the boy jokingly as he accepted the students hand. Sure, it was probably not the best of things to say during an event promoting school unity, but Abel would much rather be frowned upon by the several Durmstrang students here with him than stereotyped by the entire student body of the host school.
"Gregory Wood... Your name sounds familiar. You wouldn't be any relation to the Quidditch player Oliver Wood, would you?" Abel's father had played professional Quidditch for a limited amount of time on the Romanian National Squad before the birth of his son, so Abel had grown up hearing hundreds of names of those whom his father had competed with. Oliver Wood was a name that he had heard multiple times, however, and not only from his father, meaning that he was surely a player of great skill. And this boy would be around the right age to be his son. Abel knew his father would be thrilled to hear of the networking he was doing if Gregory was Oliver Wood's son, but contacting his father in the near future was the last thing on Abel's to-do list.
"And I'm Abel Balas. Pleased to meet you." And he sincerely was: interacting with someone outside of his Durmstrang ship was on the opposite end of the spectrum from sending an owl to his father when it came to things Abel intended on accomplishing during his stay at Hogwarts. This "to-do" list Abel kept thinking of inevitably brought his earlier action of dropping his name into the Goblet back to mind. He still hadn't really decided if he wanted to be chosen: it would be a thrilling adventure, that was for sure, but he would be missing out on time that could be spent getting to know the students here at Hogwarts.