1 - In Which There is Good Food, but Weird Clothes

[pinnedbangs]

[Great Hall]

[Okay? Oooooookay. Okay, Rin had blinked at least six times, and each time he was still seeing the same scene: a tricked out dining room, more food than he had ever seen in his entire life, and the coolest glow-in-the-dark ceiling he had ever seen in his life (never mind that it looked like an actual night sky)

The last things Rin remembered was:
1) it was summer time and
2) his class was on a camping trip in a forest and
3) he miiiiight have set the forest on fire (he was still a little iffy on that one).

But the most important thing was that he was in this new place that made sense to everyone else -- but him.

He'd comment on how little sense it all made, but for the time being at least there was good food to enjoy. Stuffing his face now and asking questions later seemed far more important, but there was one question that needed an immediate answer.]

Could you pass the mashed potatoes?

Comments

[enchantressofore]

Sure, here.

[ Little polite things like that were getting easier for her, and Adela grabbed the bowl before handing it to the guy next to her. Jeez, it looked like he was starving if he was eating that much that quickly... She was pretty sure she'd never seen him before too. Another one, then? ]

You just transferred in?

[pinnedbangs]

[Eating made sense when nothing else did. It helped immensely that the food was just that good. Granted, he didn't know the names for every dish on the table but those were unimportant details.

Rin gratefully accepts the mash and adds a bit of it to his plate. He spares her a moment before diving back in.]

Transfer? No way, I'm already inna high school. Why would I transfer to another one?

[enchantressofore]

I'm asking because we've gotten a lot of transfer students recently, s'all. Why else would you be here at Hogwarts then?

[ And at the Hufflepuff Table... Yeah she's still giving Rin a look, trying to figure it out. ]

[pinnedbangs]

[The look she gives him is enough to get him to put his spoon down. Well, that and the fact that she was talking nonsense. He gives her a flat look as his tail twitches beside him.]

Wassa hogwart?

[enchantressofore]

...

This is Hogwarts. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

[pinnedbangs]

[He takes a nice, long drink from his goblet. Whatever was in it was refreshing and made more sense than she did.]

Is that part of the Vatican? Last I checked, witches and wizards weren't real.

[Says the skeptic]

[enchantressofore]

That's what muggles are supposed to think.

[ That's a sigh, and she pulls out her wand then. Rather than try to use words she's going to use a demonstration. ]

Wingardium Leviosa.

[ A pair of out-of-reach salt and pepper shakers gently rise from the table then, floating forward towards Adela while she focuses on the charm until the shakers are set down in front of them. ]

Did you just get your letter or something...?

[seasaltkeys]

Didn't you just have some?

[Granted, with all the chatter that goes on at dinner, Roxas may have misheard.]

[pinnedbangs]

[... Was this guy saying he was eating too much? Rin slows down his distracted chowing for a bit to get a good look at the guy. Blonde hair, blue eyes, looks kinda distracted... Rude.

Rin takes a look at his plate. Had he already asked? Nope, he's got familiar looking food on his plate. He ain't got no 'taters. ... Well, Rin is the one who suddenly found himself here. Probably wouldn't be good to be rude back. Yet.]

Not on this plate.

[seasaltkeys]

[Roxas shrugs. He must have gotten it wrong. Though the guy isn't that familiar to him.]

Here you go then.

[pinnedbangs]

Thanks!

[Never mind, the Blond Dude was okay so far. He was definitely better than the last blond dude he had to misfortune to encounter. Rin accepts the dish and ladles his own plate with them. See that? That's called fine dining. Once he's satisfied with it, Rin spares the guy beside him more of his time.]

...So how'd you end up here? 's not like everyone's here 'cause they wanna be.

[seasaltkeys]

Huh? I want to be here. This is my school.

[This guy must be one of the new people. No wonder he doesn't recognize him.]

[pinnedbangs]

[Whoa. Did that mean it was just Rin? Did that mean that all that stuff about learning and other stuff was the real deal?!]

Wait, so this place is a real school? With real students and teachers? And I have to take classes here?!

[WHERE DID THAT STUPID CLOWN SEND HIM]

[really_sketchy]

If you eat to much you'll get sick.

[Even as she spoke she passes over the mashed potatoes with a warm smile. She doesn't remember seeing him around the common room but then there have been a lot of transfer students lately.]

I'm Namine. I don't think we've met.

[pinnedbangs]

[... That was a nice smile. Scratch that, it was a very nice smile and it was pointed at him. Rin drags his napkin across his mouth in an attempt to look more presentable. Does he say hi first? He should say hi first.]

I ... I eat a lot. [Dammit, why didn't he go with hi?!] I mean... If we did meet, you'd know so... [OH MAN HE'S MAKING IT WORSE.]

So yeah. I'm Rin.

[really_sketchy]

[Namine laughs.]

It's nice to meet you Rin. I'm a fifth year. [Hufflepuff obviously since she's sitting at the hufflepuff table.]

What year are you in?

[pinnedbangs]

[Wow, she sure was brave to admit this was her fifth year in high school. Maybe that was the confidence of a super super senior? ... He wants some of that confidence too. It's very cool.]

Me? 'm only a first year. ... We're in a high school, right? Because the high school I was just at didn't give out this much food.

[Should he ask her? He wanted answers now that he wasn't ignoring them with food.] ... I mean - I was in the Vatican 'fore all this so I figured I was still back there ... but in a fancy section, y'know?

[really_sketchy]

[Namine's brows furrow slightly in a confused stare.]

This is Hogwarts School of Witch Craft and Wizardry. It goes from first year which is about twelve years old to seventh year which if you can imagine is about nineteen. [Ages clearly vary with birthdays.]

Are you new?

[She thought the teachers would explain the school to transfers better.]

[pinnedbangs]

[Rin returns her confused stare with a confused frown.]

No? Yeah? Never been here before so... so yeah, I'm new. I don't go here either - someone said something about ... Houses? And some other stuff?

[He wasn't really paying much attention, what with the ceiling and the magic and the talking, sentient hat and the everything else. But food? He got food. Food gets him.

...But he can feel the embarrassment creeping up on him. He should have listened instead of getting all caught up in the moment.]

... I'd be in my fourth year if I went to this school, I guess.

[happymelody]

[Ittoki heard the question and noticed the mashed potatoes a little too far away for his reach... so instead of asking someone else to hand them to him first, he made a spell.]

Wingardium Leviosa.

[One bowl of mashed potatoes coming through and stopped midair in front of Rin.]

There~!

[pinnedbangs]

[All he wanted to do was say, "thanks dude! are you in on this whole school thing too? because i didn't get shit". He wanted to make conversation! But nooooooooo. He can't have it easy.

Rin looks over just in time to see hovering mashed potatoes. The fact that he immediately starts choking on his food was completely called for. Thankfully he composes himself enough to express himself with a loud "HWUAAAAAH?".

It was the most eloquent-sounding "HWUAAAAAH?" he could manage, considering the circumstances.]

[happymelody]

[Ittoki blinks at said reaction. Oh, is he a muggle-born like he is? New he seems to be, since Ittoki mostly knows all the Hufflepuff students.]

It's a spell for levitation. Makes life a lot easier.

[pinnedbangs]

[Rin is impressed. This guy makes it sound so simple! Man, if Rin knew that spell, he could get chips from across the room when he was in the middle of a good chapter! Sign him up for the next levitation class!]

Dude, that's awesome! [He's just as bright-eyed as ever but ... but he tones it down a bit since clearly this was old news for red dude.] How'd you do that?

[happymelody]

It's the basics in Charms class. Are you a first year...? You look older than a first year.

[He knows this guy is a transfer student, but most transfer students knew magic, so... ]

[pinnedbangs]

Yeah, I'm sorta like a fourth year.

[Man, he really wished this guy was saying that he looked like a mature and upstanding adult and not just saying that he looked older than a middle school kid. That would have been really cool and it would mean Rin looked older and he would have looked really cool.]

Never been to a Charms class. [hmm... CHARMS ARE LIKE SUMMONING THINGS, RIGHT?] ...Oh, I took Magic Circles and Seals! That counts, right?