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?

[seasaltkeys]

Didn't you just have some?

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

[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?

[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.

[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.

[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]

[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...?

[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.

[pinnedbangs]

[There was a question right on the tip of his tongue. It vanished as soon as she muttered some Latin mumbo jumbo and SHIT STARTED FLOATIN' AROUND LIKE IT WAS NO BIG DEAL.

He would have gone on the offensive had he known there was a demon around but - but - but!!!]

How'd you do that?! You said some words and then - then - !! [THAT WAS FREAKY BUT IT WASN'T TERRIFYING. Rin's gazing at her with a newfound respect.]

Then they came! That's a cool trick! I didn't know they had schools for magic. [He also didn't know there were schools for exorcists at one point. Wow, what a world! Imagine, whole school for magicians!]

[enchantressofore]

It's a levitation charm. You can do it once you start learning, it is a wizarding school after all...

[ She's not gonna blush she's not gonna blush she's not gonna WHY IS HER FACE BETRAYING HER!?

Adela can't help going a little pink at the admiration, immediately turning back to her plate as she tried to get it back under control. With no success but hey Hogwarts is a school for magic not miracles. ]

... Welcome to Hogwarts, I guess...

[ What a time for her to feel shy... ]

[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?

[pinnedbangs]

I don't really get it but it still seems cool! Will I learn how to pull a rabbit outta hat? That trick always seemed like the best one.

[He can just see it now! If he pulled a rabbit out of a hat, not only would it look super cool, but it might might make it easier to talk to everyone if he had a cool trick to show them.]

Thanks for the welcome, but how do I get back home?

[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.]

[enchantressofore]

That's muggle magic slight of hand stuff, isn't it?

[ This is weird, suddenly. Isn't he supposed to be there? What the heck... ]

... I dunno, I guess that depends on where your home is. This is a boarding school though, so chances are you're in the dorms. The fact that you're sitting here means you were sorted into Hufflepuff, right?

[pinnedbangs]

I dunno what slight of hand is or what muggles are, but yeah. That's what magicians do.

[But now she was asking more difficult questions with funny words he had only just heard. Rin shrugs his shoulders, unable to give a more definitive answer.]

I dunno, I guess that's what the hat said? It said something about bein' brave but then it said I'd be better off here.

[Which only confused him more, but at this point he was just happy to have good food. If this was a dream, okay. If it wasn't, then it would be better to figure things out a little at a time rather than act a fool. He's done enough of that.]

So, you're sayin' 'm in another boarding school? Then how do I get back or - transfer back?

[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.

[enchantressofore]

You'd have to ask the headmistress, I'd guess.

[ She's glancing down at her plate then, frowning because it's just strange... Why isn't he aware of things he should know? ]

... I can show you where her office is after dinner, if you like. Then the Hufflepuff Dorms if you can't get out of here tonight.

[pinnedbangs]

[Yeesh, if this headmistress was anything like Mephisto, then he'd rather leave that for the morning. Yeah yeah yeah, do now what you can't do tomorrow. Whatever! He was tried, he felt dirty, he finally got food - the last thing he wanted to do was see some stuffy old headmistress and talk about how he's been magically enrolled in her school.

Rin huffs and shakes his head.]

Thanks, but no way. 'm not inna rush to get home. [In a way he is - he has so much to do - but ... but a good night's rest felt more important. ...Besides. His - his friends weren't hurt last he saw them.] I could just see her tomorrow, right?

[enchantressofore]

[ Thankfully she's nothing like Mephisto but we'll let Rin find that out on his own

She nods then, setting her fork down on her plate before looking his over. ]

Yeah, you can if you need to. She's usually at the staff table with everyone else at breakfast, and in her office most of the time. Just let me know when you're done with that so we can head to the common room.

[seasaltkeys]

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

Here you go then.

[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~!