we were first years once (open)

It was the day before classes started and the day after he had first arrived at Hogwarts. Lien didn't get a very good night's sleep, but he suspected there were others that hadn't either: there was a lot of wind that night, and up in the Ravenclaw tower it sounded horrific. Now he was browsing over his new timetable and eating some plain porridge, looking like he was being swallowed up by his two-sizes-too-big second-hand robes.

He hadn't spoken much to the other boys in his dormitory. Most of them had been quite shy, and Lien wasn't complaining. He was slightly wary of them - Parkinson, Nott, Macmillan - all pureblood names, all exceedingly wealthy. They probably would start picking on him for being the odd one out, despite the Nott boy crying into his pillow at three o'clock in the morning. He probably didn't realise that he'd overheard that.

Being the youngest Macmillan, it was exciting for the young Hyacinth to finally join his older siblings at Hogwarts. He was somewhat familiar with most of his dormmates with the exception of Chang; they were all pureblood, but they didn't really fall in the same crowd. While the Notts and Parkinsons had more traditional values, the Macmillans were practically blood traitors.

His cashmere sweater was a bit small on him as he had a bigger build than his brothers, and Indigo, that rude, pretentious brother of his, insisted on having him take the clothing he didn't like anymore. Unlike the rest of his siblings, he also had raven hair. It made him stand out, and he was insecure about it.

Eating some eggy bread with a side dish of scones, Hyacinth looked over at his dormmate and smiled. "Hey, I'm Macmillan, what classes do you have?"

In case there was any doubt of his parentage.

@Lien Chang

Lien glanced up shyly at the Macmillan boy. He was dressed quite smartly: all of the boys in his dormitory seemed to dress very smartly, and he was beginning to feel as though he needed to blend in a little more with them. Perhaps he could try to convince his Mum to buy him some new clothes... or at least give him some accessories, neckties and the like, to at least make him appear more like them...

"Hello," he said quietly, turning red. "I'm... Chang."

Did they all refer to each other by surname in their community?!

"Uhm," he said, glancing over his new timetable, "Tomorrow I start with Herbology. With the Slytherins, it says..."

@Hyacinth Macmillan

Medea was at the Slytherin table fixing her braid as she examined her timetable. "Ugh, Mats, have you looked at this? We have double potions first thing in the morning!" Potions wasn't a bad class, but it did get irritating when they had to take it with some of the more annoying, boisterous Gryffindors.

Then she looked over at the staff table and smiled at their dad. Afterwards, her eyes landed on some of the newer Ravenclaws, she scooted closer to her twin and whispered in her ear, "Do you see those new Ravenclaw boys? They're so cute!"

@Matilda Riddle

"Nice to meet you, Chang..."

At least they were both shy and a bit apprehensive. For a while yesterday, a part of Hyacinth was afraid that the Nott boy would want to eat his face. When it turned out that he wasn't really the type to, he had calmed a little.

"Oh, I have Herbology with the Slytherins too..."

Did the entire dorm have Herbology to start the day? Macmillan hoped it would be the case; he'd feel less nervous about making a fool of himself if all of them were there.

"Did you do anything over the summer holiday? My family went to Mallorca."

@Lien Chang

"That's it! We're doing our silent protest! It was the same thing last year, they had us with double potions on a Monday morning!"

She would've thought there'd be some perks to being the Deputy Headmaster's daughter, but apparently there wasn't. He had overlooked some things, like when they had gone into the Forbidden Forest last year.

When directed towards fresh meat, Matilda uttered a high pitched giggle. "Awh, just look at them! So clueless and shy... they need good role models, like us!" She overheard one of the boys give his name. "Macmillan? The same Macmillan as Indigo? As if they're brothers! They look nothing alike!"

@Medea Riddle

When Atticus entered the Great Hall, he first looked around for Alayna. It was as though the world hated the pair of them, that their Father was right: they just weren't good enough. Not only had they been split apart by being sorted to two different houses, but neither of them were in Slytherin house. Poor Alayna was with the Gryffindors! He needed to find her, and talk to her, and tell her everything would be all right...

Perhaps she was due a howler this morning.

It seemed that Alayna hadn't come down yet though, as the Gryffindor table had some unrecognisable faces sat down the length of it. His eyes moved to the Ravenclaw table, where he saw two of his housemates. As he moved over to them apprehensively, someone had stuck out their hand and barred his path.

It was Ptolemy Rowle. Burke was sat next to him.

"Atticus. Come sit with us. Just because you've been burdened by being sorted to Ravenclaw, it doesn't mean you have to sit with those people..."

Atticus seemed momentarily horror struck. He knew in his his heart that he should ignore Rowle and join the boys of his dormitory, but the thought of his Father's anger overwhelmed him. At least if he was friends with Rowle and Burke... he wouldn't be too displeased...

Looking away from the two Ravenclaw boys quickly, he dropped into the seat on the Slytherin table and tried not to look over at them again.

Ptolemy was very satisfied that Atticus made the right decision. He smirked over at the other two boys he had abandoned, then looked at Atticus again.

"It's a real shame about Alayna. I think we should demand a re-sorting. She doesn't belong with them."

Hyacinth frowned when he saw the Nott boy sit with the likes of Rowle and Burke. His family only put up with theirs due to the Ministry.

"This is all McGonagall's fault!"

That crone needed to retire yesterday so their dad could become headmaster!

"I heard Macmillan's mum had an affair which is why he looks like that," she added, giggling as her eyes moved over to Chang. "Chang looks so pretty for a boy, doesn't he?"

@Matilda Riddle

"Shall we compare them?" he asked Macmillan, feeling strange that he still didn't know his first name. Perhaps he could remember it from the sorting? It was quite an unusual name, if memory served him correctly...

He placed his timetable on the table, and smiled nervously at the other boy.

When the subject of holidays came up, Lien flushed. This was it: this was where he would learn of his family's money struggles. They couldn't afford a holiday this year, what with him starting Hogwarts...

Just as he opened his mouth to respond however, he looked up at the Nott boy. They shared eye contact for a while, before he joined the Slytherin table. Lien had a look that matched Macmillan's, and he looked at him. "Does that mean he's too good for us?" Lien asked quietly, sounding slightly bitter.

@Hyacinth Macmillan

"Ooooh does his poor Daddy know?"

She giggled, now looking at Chang.

"He does... and I think he'd find me prettier than you..." she said, smirking as she twirled her finger around her pigtail.

@Medea Riddle

"Yeah..." he pulled out his timetable which looked virtually identical to Chang's. Did every first year timetable look the same?

Hyacinth narrowed his eyes at Nott. "His family thinks they are."

If he was going to totally ditch his dormmates, Hyacinth was going to be extremely disappointed.

@Lien Chang

"I heard him crying last night," Lien admitted, feeling slightly less reserved about revealing this now that Nott had actively ditched them. "I was beginning to feel sorry for him, but I suppose it was just because he wasn't with his friends."

He didn't want his time at Hogwarts to be like this. Everything about Atticus Nott was suddenly starting to annoy him. And he was supposed to share a dormitory with him for the next seven years?

"At least we will be in classes together," Lien said, smiling faintly.

@Hyacinth Macmillan

"The juicier part is that he apparently knows! Do you know how upset dad would be if mum had an affair?!"

Those Macmillans were weird. There was a reason why they were never Death Eater-aligned. It was a shame with the name being part of the Sacred 28.

Opening her mouth, Medea shook her head. "Nuh uh! He'd find me prettier!"

Typical twin bickering.

@Matilda Riddle

After hours of crying due to the unfortunate events of her sorting, Alayna made her way down to the great hall. She didn't want to sit with the annoying gryffindors, but she saw her brother with Ptolemy and Burke and decided to sit with them instead. As she approached, she heard Hectors comment and sat beside her brother, "And what would I really be, Hector? Hmm?" She asked as she picked up a glass of pumpkin juice, "Please share."

@Hector Burke

"His dad is awful, he always looks as if he smelled his own fart and grossed out by it!"

Maybe Nott would be just like him too, but more benign on the surface. Yuck.

How were they supposed to handle seven, eight years of being in the same dorm as him?

Hyacinth smiled back as he eyes scanned down the timetable. "What if we get lost?"

@Lien Chang

He flushed at being caught in the act, but tried to look very cool and collected about it. Taking up his own juice, he sipped it and placed it back down again, turning his attention upon Alayna.

"I would have thought being sorted to Gryffindor made certain things apparent. At least being sorted to Ravenclaw isn't quite as bad. You do realise that it is a house reserved for traitors and filth, don't you? So... which are you?"

He narrowed his eyes at her.

@Alayna Nott

"Maybe I'm just stubborn or more courageous than you are. Did you ever think of that? Maybe Im more daring than you are. Just because I'm a Gryffindor, doesn't mean I'm not still Alayna Nott. If you ever speak down on my name like that again, I will show you just how much of a mistake that stupid filthy hat made when I turn your eyelids inside out and shove your tongue down your own throat. Do I make myself clear?" She has a fire of mischievous energy in her eye that was anything but Gryffindor.

@Hector Burke

Alayna was far braver than he was. Atticus couldn't hide his discomfort: it was written all over his face. He felt sad because he was separated from Alayna, felt sad that he was being rude to the boys in his dormitory and felt even sadder to be sharing his first meal with boys his Father would be proud to call 'son'.

He found Alayna's hand under the table and clasped it silently. She may not be afraid, but he was.

@Alayna Nott

"You - you wouldn't dare!"

There was a flare in her eyes that was very unsettling, but he didn't want to admit to being scared of her. He just gave her a very contemptuous glare and continued to eat his breakfast.

@Alayna Nott

Ptolemy laughed at Hector.

"Well. She certainly put you in your place, Burke."

He smiled over at Alayna, impressed with her. Although they knew each other from playdates and such, they hadn't really been friends. She was a girl, after all. Something told him to start overlooking that, though.

"Will your Father say anything about it though?" he asked her, concerned.

@Alayna Nott

Alayna felt Atticus take her hand under the table and gave his a light squeeze, "Wouldn't I though. Let's not push buttons and find out." She then began to eat the eggs on the plate in front of her and looked over at Ptolemy, "Obviously that stupid hat made a mistake. Perhaps he will write and demand I be changed or resorted. I'm not meant to wear red."

@Ptolemy Rowle

Lien put his sleeve up to his mouth, and chuckled quietly. It was the first time he had laughed in a long time, but Macmillan did have a good sense of humour. He hoped they would get along, but were they really in the same league as one another? Was Macmillan just sitting with him because he was there, and eventually move on to find more suitable friends?

The shadow of his own self-doubt plagued him.

"We could ask a teacher... or, do you have any older siblings?"

At least he could still come across like he wasn't fretting.

@Hyacinth Macmillan