Enter Hogwarts

[Morganna Alectophysis]

Morgan bit her lip again, like Kel she didn't want the conversation turning back to Thom either. She didn't want Rose finding out what she'd done, even though she inevitably would. Just not yet, not from her.

"Oh I changed it back, a couple of weeks ago. I just got bored of the purple. Fancied a change." She lied, not very convincingly though. She found lying to her friends difficult, even if it was a silly little one.

"Oooh yes, choclate a blanket and a fire. Just what we need." She said and hurried up the steps to the Entrance hall. She shook her brolly off and popped it in the stand, before heading off for the kitchens. She knew the way well because they were right next to the Hufflepuff dorms.

"So is Ireland just as wet and miserable at the moment?" She didn't know whether it was the best of topics to be bringing up, she knew Rosies dad was a bit of a mentalist, but it would hopefully steer the conversation onto someone else.

[Rose Meanoiche]

'Well it looks great!' said Rose cheerfully, glossing over the obvious lie. 'It's nice to have a change sometimes, can't say I'd ever be brave enough to dye my hair though!'

She hurried up the wet steps with Kel and Morgs and shook her umbrella as she took it down, accidentally soaking her socks. The Hufflepuff had already raced off towards the kitchens and Rose had a hard time keeping up with her across the polished floor when her shoes were slippy with rainwater.

"So is Ireland just as wet and miserable at the moment?"

Rose laughed. 'Yeah, you know the usual. I didn't go outside much when I was home though so I wasn't too fussed about what the weather was doing.'

Still feeling a little guilty, she paused before carrying on. 'I did try to write you know, but my dad said he'd proofread every letter I was sending out and I didn't want him knowing everything about... well, about stuff that goes on here. It would have been like him looking into our heads which is a really creepy thought.'

[Kel Henderson]

“Ireland? I'm from Scotland, what part of Ireland are you from?” Kel asked Rose as they made their way towards the kitchen. Kel only knew of one other person that was from Ireland, but he guessed from her accent. As he walked with her he noticed that Rose would occasionally start to slip but then regain her balance. Kel offered his arm for her to use if she would like, while they walked onward. Morganna move a lot faster then they were, she was either very excited or really hungry. “She must love her hot chocolate...” Kel said more to himself then Rose with a nod in Morganna's direction.

Kel ignored the last part that Rose was saying, he figured that it was more directed to Morganna then him. He almost felt like he was eavesdropping in their conversation even though he was there to begin with. Kel actually liked the wet weather, the smell of rain was always soothing to him; but he was getting lost in his thoughts again, shaking them off he continued with the two girls towards the kitchen.

[Morganna Alectophysis]

Morgan was relieved when Rose gave the reason for not writing. She had been quite upset at first when she'd heard nothing from her, especially after leaving at such a difficult time. Once she'd stopped being selfish though she was more worried that she hadn't heard anything than she was upset about it. She knew it had to be something to do with her dad.

"Come on slow coaches! We're nearly there. Nothing like a good bit of choccie to kick start the happy hormones! Goodness only knows how much we three need it!" She said as she glanced behind her and saw that they were lagging behind a bit. She slowed her pace up a bit so they could catch up,

[Rose Meanoiche]

'I'm from just outside Tralee in County Kerry,' replied Rose to Kel's question. 'It's a pretty small village and there's not much too do there or that many people about, but its beautiful I guess though it rains a fair bit. What part of Scotland are you from then? I've never explored further than Hogsmeade to tell the truth so I don't know much about the country myself.'

Noticing he was holding his arm out to her Rose smiled, tucked hers through and held on as they traversed the slippery halls. 'Thanks.'

Soon they arrived at the kitchens and tickled the pear on the painting before descending the stairs. It was warm and snug, the smell of freshly baked bread and cakes hanging in the air giving the room a cosy, sleepy atmosphere which was welcome after the cool rain. There was a pot of hot chocolate already sitting on the stove as if the house elves had been listening to their conversation and knew exactly what they wanted. As usual there were no elves in sight and Rosie marvelled at how they managed it. Taking three mugs down from the shelf, Rose poured a cup for herself, Morgs and Kel.

'Does anyone want marshmallows? I'm betting there's some lurking about here somewhere.'

[Morganna Alectophysis]

"Mmmhmmm yes please." Morgan nodded at the idea of marshmallows. She took a sip of the chocolate that Rose poured. The warmth spread through her immediately as she gulped it down greedily. She topped it up with the pot, ready for any potential marshmallows that Rose found.

"Good old house elves." She murmured. Placing her mug down she dragged some old looking wooden chairs over to the stove and conjured up pillows for them to make them a bit more comfy. Slumping into one she picked her mug back up and warmed her hands on it and stretched her feet out to warm them on the heat from the stove.

"All we need now is someone English and we have a full set." She said with a smirk. "On second thoughts, the English suck." She joked, referring to the friendly rivalry between England and all the Celtic nations.

[Rose Meanoiche]

Hunting through the cupboards, behind jars and under packets of dried fruit Rose eventually found a glass bowl filled with pink and white mini marshmallows, perfect for hot chocolate.

Stripping the cling film away from the bowl Rosie dropped a couple of mallows in her mug then carried it and her steaming cup of melted chocolate over to the chairs near the stove. She passed the bowl to Morganna and settled back into the chair blowing on the drink to cool it down before taking a tentative sip. She screwed her face up as the frothy chocolate burnt her lips.

'I'm such a div, I just realised I've still got my coat on,' said Rose laughing. Leaning forward she popped her drink down on the slate floor and took her coat off, chucking it onto the kitchen table. She kicked her wellies off and grabbed her mug again, leaning back into the seat and tucking her legs underneath her.

'So besides the obvious... how have you been?'

[Kel Henderson]

As they walked into the kitchen the girls started get as snug as possible. Kel took a moment to figure a good answer for Rose. He didn't want to go into great detail about where he grew up and moved to and how his family was having problems with his Uncle, the main reason why they moved to a different area. “I'm from Glencoe,” Kel said as he made his way to the empty hearth.

Yes the stove was still warm but Kel was more looking toward the fire than anything else. A pile of cut wood was sitting in a half circle holder waiting for its turn to be used. Tossing five or so logs on top of the metal grate, Kel looked for some kindling. The elves had stacks of old issues of The Daily Prophet, grabbing one off the top he crinkled it into balls and but them at the base of the pile. Taking a strike match off the side of the hearth, Kel lit his work and walked over to the table.

He saw that Rose had taken off her coat and boots. Just doing what he always did at home, Kel picked up her coat of the table and grabbed her boots from where she kicked them off. He grabbed an extra chair and moved it so it was facing away from the fire and hung her coat on it to help it dry. He then placed the boots on either side of the chair below the coat, but not so the dripping water would get into them. Kel was finally done putting the room in sorts.

Getting back to the table he sat down next to Morganna and slid his mug over. Waving off the marshmallows he blew on the hot chocolate, Kel didn't want to burn himself on the steaming mug but rather stared at the fire. There was something mesmerizing about watching flames leap and lick the wood, so much that he was missing the conversation going on.