She hadn't met Fiona yet, and her eyes clearly showed her curiosity in the matter.. "Hello, I'm Taytum Raleigh.." she said leaning forward in her chair, and shooting the girl a friendly smile.

"Hello," said Fee, glancing up at the new girl. "Fiona Munro. Got here a wee bit late last night, so didnae meet any of the new people."

She pushed her now just-past-shoulder length blonde hair back behind her ears and looked again at Anders Grimalkin. She was moderately disappointed that he hadn't said hello, but there was time yet.

"How are ye findin' Hogwarts so far, then?" she asked Taytum.

Taytum shrugged looking down at the table.. "It's goin alright.. I arrived late as well, didn't make it to the feast or anything, so I'm still trying to learn my way around and meet some people."

She grinned slightly at this, realising, that she wasn't really "finding her way around" by sitting here in the Great Hall.. "So, you were here last year, I presume?"

Fiona nodded. "Aye," she said. "I was at Durmstrang to start with, but my family moved back to the Highlands last year and I came to Hogwarts. It's much better than Durmstrang. The people are much nicer."

********

Mahou's song was done and she noticed as people began to leave. She thought that that might happen.. she had that effect on people. Not knowing she was taking their leaving the wrong way, Mahou stood, a clearly dejected look on her face, and headed back to the common room to change into more "sporty" clothes as one girl had said.

~*Some first impression, eh, half-blood?*~ Mahou muttered to herself as she walked back to the Gryff tower. She had sneaked a glance at Snape and looked away quickly as she left. She knew Dumbledore beside him was nice enough. With her eyes on her shoes, Mahou trudged back the way she had come.

~*I guess I really donnae belong anywhere,*~ she said to herself, her words musical to anyone who would be walking by. ~*Some girl I turned out ta be.. Cannae e'en make friends wi' a Professor.*~ Kicking a stray stone, Mahou decided to look out a window. So she did.

The sky was blue and clear, and her mood did not lighten. She felt Blackfoot around her ankles, but didn't look down. She knew there were students walking behind her, but she didn't care to notice. She just had to keep herself looking sporty and indoors. Maybe she should reveal to the school that she's an elf, too? That would be the clincher to her wonderful year she started. Perhaps she should go into the Forest again, just to lose more points.

~*Way to go, half-blood,*~ Mahou berated herself. ~*Losing sixty points from Gryffindor.. wonderful and smashing all at the same time.*~ Those that walked by would be able to understand 'Gryffindor' if they were listening. Blackfoot just whined and rubbed her fuzzy head against Mahou's leg.

Dylan had chosen just about the same time to make a bolt from the Great Hall--Quidditch talk bored him to tears, 9 times out of 10. As he was heading back to Gryffindor, it was easy for him to pick out Mahou walking in front of him. He knew well the atmosphere of disgust--both with oneself and the world--and wondered, albeit correctly, if it had anything to do with the loss of 60 points he'd heard about the other night. Granted, his own run ins with Snape had lost Gryffindor many points, 80 being the highest at one go, so he understood where she was coming from.

For a moment, the young Welshman struggled to come up with a name, and when it struck him, he hurried to catch up with her. No point in letting her wallow and think she was the only one who'd ever done something bad. "Mahou, hey," Dylan called softly, easily catching up to her. "Y' alright? Y' don't seem t' happy."

Mahou looked up at Dylan as he approached. Her slanted eyes glittered in their lime-green goodness. Her attention moved from her view of the grounds to the boy at her side, now.

"I be alright, aye," she told him, looking back out the window. "I be th' one who lost all th' points.. And I be sorry, but I donnae ken yer name." She looked at him again, standing straight. "I went inta th' forest.. well.. nae really *in*. I leaned against a tree on th' edge o' th' Forest. Th' Forbidden Forest."

She sighed and clasped her hands before her. "But th' Forest seems ta be an interestin' place, it does." Looking back out the window, Mahou got a dreamy look in her vivid eyes. "I guess I need ta ha'e Lord Hagrid wi' me.."

Looking at him again, she offered a weak smile. "Are ye going ta practise Quidditch, too? I was thinkin' abou' it, but donnae ken me way there. All I ken be th' way ta th' Forest it seems.. Since I be so outdoorsy.. an' I need ta dress more 'sporty' fer Quidditch." She looked down at her dress. "This be th' thing I always play in."

She crossed her arms and leaned her weight on one leg, throwing him that look that women give. "Wha' do -ye- think, eh?"

"M' name's Dylan," he said to Mahou . "I don't play Quidditch...no knack for flyin', y' see." Dylan shrugged a little. He'd always been miserable on a broom. "I wouldn't worry 'bout th' points. If'n it makes y' feel any better, I've been sommat o' a record holder for loosin' points here. Best one was 80 at one go."

Though his black hair nearly obscured his eyes, when he raked it back, his blue-grey eyes glittered with mischief. "But anyway, I guess I wouldn't wear a dress on a broom...if'n y' want t' play, I can show y' th' way t' th' pitch."

Mahou smiled and took Dylan's hand, tugging on it a little. "Then let's be gettin' back ta Gryffindor Tower an' get me broom," she announced. "An' I like ta wear dresses an' skirts as oft as I can, ye see. It be part o' me religion. It be easier ta do th' different things I need ta."

As she walked with Dylan, Mahou continued talking. "I donnae think ye lost all th' points on yer first day, did ye?" she asked, taking a sideways glance at him. "I shouldna went near any forest. But woods an' things call ta me. So peaceful an' such as tha'. An' abou' Quidditch.. ye can jus' cheer me on. I practise all th' time at home, ye see, so I ha'e all th' latest things on th' market. I ha'e th' Firebolt. Jus' got it fer me birthday."

Stopping, she looked at Dylan, cocking her head to one side. "Um.. I donnae recall yer name.."

Laughing a little, he repeated, "Dylan. Dylan Rhydderch. I lost those points at th' Valentine's Day dance. It ah...was an interestin' night. 'Twasn't my fault, though, not completely, though Snape would say otherwise. Th' man guns for me, he does."

He glanced down, a bemused expression on his face as Mahou tugged on his hand. "Wha' kind o' religion requires y' t' wear skirts an' such? I reckon it'd be a bit o' a bother."

Mahou blushed and looked at her clothes. The green velvet was rather out of place here, but she enjoyed skirts and dresses. Made it easier for her.

"Well, I do a lot o' rituals an' such," she explained, "ta honour th' gods an' things. Nae any sacrifices, so donnae think o' tha'." The half-elf smiled. "I be Wiccan, Dylan. Plain an' simple.. A witch in all sense o' th' word!"

She twirled with her arms splayed, the skirt belling out, showing her legs. Mahou didn't care. She loved the freedom that skirts gave her. "I wear skirts b'cause they make me feel more free. Pants an' shorts feel too confining. Tha' be why I'd rather nae wear them ta play Quidditch. I feel th' most free in th' sky. B'sides.. I've gotten pretty good at side-saddle brooming."

Blushing a little at the mention of Snape, Mahou shrugged. "He be th' one who docked th' points from Gryffindor, ye see," she told him, resuming their walk. "But it be me own fault."

Dylan shrugged at the Wiccan comment, not completely sure what that term meant, but then again, confusion was a standard for him when it came to interacting with the wizarding world, so it wasn't entirely unexpected. "Well, wear wha' makes y' comfortable, I s'ppose."

However, the fact that she blushed when Snape was mentioned caught Dylan's eye. He wasn't quite sure what that meant, but the fact remained that she blushed, nonetheless. "Snape loves t' take points from Gryffindor. Tha's how he gets his jollies, 'tis. He hates Gryffindors, some o' us more than others."

********

Kat jumped a little in surprise, but having become more used to her brother over the summer she knew who it was.

"Fancy you turning up here. Come to supervise the Quidditch practice today? I know there are a number of people intending to go and polish up some of their best moves."

She glanced across at Fee, remembering that she was probably Anders biggest fan. Realising that Fee probably had no idea of Anders and her relationship she wondered how many people in the hall thought their apparently closeness was a little strange.

"So, do you suppose we ought to start telling people about why we seem to be getting on so well, or shall we leave them in suspense?"

Anders rubbed the end of his nose thoughtfully as he grabbed a slice of toast. "I really ought to do some shopping," he said, in between munches. "I keep coming up here to filch the food."

In answer to her question, he glanced around the hall, almost shyly. "I don't know," he said. "Do you think it'd bring up questions about Sirius? I mean, I know he wouldn't want people to know about HIM necessarily and you know what people are like, see? They're nosy. Maybe we should just keep it to ourselves?"

He looked a bit concerned by the topic. He still hadn't fully accepted Sirius and had a few personal issues that one day, soon, he would bring up with his errant father.

"I didn't think Dad minded. After all, he stuck up for you at your trial." Her expression had become more serious for once.

"People are going to find out sooner or later I guess. But if you think we should keep it to ourselves then I guess we will." She gave a small smile. She still didn't know how her friends would take the news about her family discoveries, and she didn't want to have to keep it secret.

"Let's just play it by ear," he said, sombrely, his face taking on the expression of inner torment that had so marked him the previous term. Then he brightened again. "Anyway, I didn't come here to be miserable on you. I came here to play Quidditch!"

He held out the Meteor Shower towards his sister. "Take a look at this little beauty."

"Wow!" Kat's eyes lit up as she tentatively took the broom from Anders. She turned it over carefully examining it. "Where and when did you get this? It is amazing! I didn't think these were in production yet! How did you get your hands on it?"

"The makers sent it me with a letter explaining they wanted it trialled by someone whose opinion they valued." He puffed up with pride visibly. "And after the...the trial, they thought I'd be the idea candidate."

He leaned forward, conspiratorially. "Want a go on it?"

"I can? Are you sure? Wow! I would love to try it out!" Kat is almost jumping out of her seat to go and try the broom. Excitement doesn't cover it.

"Can I go try it now?" She looked at him eagerly.

**********

Nimue had watched as Magnus left the Hall. The few times she had seen him enter or leave before this he had radiated confidence. Whoever had done this to him was definitely cramping his usual style.

Still she had done her 'duty'. Looking around the table, she noted that Mahou had also left. She had wanted to advise the girl that Kat would be going out to the field soon but expected given the mood of Quidditch fever Mahou had fallen in with some Gryffindors. She decided to give a report to Kat as to Magnus' condition.

As Nimue headed towards the Ravenclaw table where Kat was still seated, she suddenly realised that the person sitting next to Kat was Anders.

Nimue's face lit up as she wasn't expecting to see him but seeing that Kat looked tense she wondered if she was about to walk into a brother- sister moment which was really about stuff they needed to work out or time they needed. The complexities of the whole thing sometimes was a bit overwhelming and everyone seemed to have unspoken issues.

In the next second or two it had seemed to resolve as Anders showed Kat a broomstick, which she obviously was very taken with. Nimue looked to see if she could slip out without either of them noticing.

Strangely, and most uncharacteristically, Nimue's Knight in Shining Armour turned out to be Severus Snape.

He had noted the expression that had come onto her face as she had spotted Grimalkin speaking with Kathryn Black, and he felt a moment's pity for her. Excusing himself quietly to the head table, he headed across the Hall.

"Miss Hawkwood," he greeted her, formally. "I do hope you could spare me those few moments you so kindly offered to help me sort out my supplies and books?"

"Yes, of course Professor." replied Nimue grateful that Snape was now standing between her and line of sight of the Ravenclaw table.

Nimue turned and led the way out of the Great Hall. However, once through the doors, she paused and said a quiet 'thank you' to Professor Snape, which he may or may not have heard, acknowledging discreetly that she was grateful for his intervention even if he wasn't aware of what he'd done.

She then more properly given their stations stepped aside so that he took the lead as they made their way to his office without further conversation between them.

Anders seemed to be considering Kat's request, then he grinned broadly. "You think I'd let anyone else on it before you? Well, alright, maybe Nimue if she flew, but...hey, you know what I mean."

He hugged her and grinned. "I have to go to Madam Hooch and get the key to the broom shed, so I'll meet you outside in...ten minutes?"

Anders grabbed another slice of toast and turned to see where Nimue was. Severus Snape had accosted her, it seemed, and his face crashed to the floor in sheer disappointment. He would not dream of initiating a conversation with Snape if he could possibly avoid it.

"Ten minutes?" he repeated the question, snatching his mind back to the here-and-now.

"Sure. I'll go fetch my broom too. And I know Mulder and Scully will want to come out and fly a bit."

She grinned happily and headed back up to the Ravenclaw common room to find her broom and her cats.

Fiona watched the exchange between Kat and Anders and sighed inwardly as the tall young man got up and wandered out of the Great Hall. She found herself wondering just why Anders had come to speak to Kat and not Nimue, and watched him leave with the faint light of her crush re-lighting in her eyes.

She shook her head as though she could physically clear the sensation and turned her attention back to Taytum. "Do ye play Quidditch?"

Taytum laughed slightly to herself, "Oh no no.. I can't even sit on a broom, much less fly one. I'd much rather have at least one foot on the ground..."

She stopped a thoughtful expression falling upon her face. "Why, do you? I think some people are out there practising right now.." She turned her head to look through the Great Hall exit as to emphasise her point.

**********

Randal had watched Arcadia, Oriana and Magnus. It was an interesting situation. He knew full well that if things were dealt with between Arcadia and Magnus that he might well be pushed to defend Arcadia. That would not be fun, he decided.

Becoming bored of watching Arcadia showing off, he moved out of the Great Hall. There had to be something more interesting to do than this...

Branwen noticed Randal slip out of the Hall, perhaps now was her chance to catch him alone and find out why there had been no word...

She pushed back from the table and, trying not to make it too obvious, followed him.

She caught a glimpse of him at the other end of the corridor. "Randal?" she called, "Wait a minute... please"

Randal turned around to see Branwen. "Branwen! I was wondering when I would manage to bump into you. You look lovely as ever." He smiled at her in what he hoped was an encouraging way.

Inside he was dreading the onslaught that was bound to come soon. He had no idea what he wanted either. If only she had waited longer to talk to him. But then again maybe it was better to talk now and be done with it. He really did not know...

"Did you have a relaxing holiday?" He made no move to embrace her or kiss her. So much for girlfriend.

Branwen stared at him. She shook her head a little but no, he was still there acting like some....acquaintance... "Am I missing something here, Randal? Other than the dozens of letters I know you sent me I mean. Or have I done something to upset you?"

She waited for his answer and tried not to let herself get upset...she had a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach but as she looked at him she hoped she was wrong...he wasn't really giving her the 'cold shoulder' was he?

"Er... well..." He was a little unsure of what he could say. "I'm sorry I didn't write. I was not allowed any time to myself during the holidays in which I could write. I can't tell you more than that. And, well, I assumed you would be mad at me." He looked at her and felt a little shaky.

He still liked her, more so than anyone else he had ever met. But he knew that logically he should not get involved. This would be such an opportune moment to drop it all. But did he really want to?