After putting her quill and her textbook neatly on the desk, she looked up through her eyelashes to study the new professor. He looked very young--but then, Professor Grimalkin had, too, and he had been a very good teacher. Finally, when he caught her examining him, she smiled and looked up. "I'm Nicola Pheidippides, Professor. Welcome to Hogwarts."

The door slams open and in walks Arcadia, Pan at her heels wearing her usual short thin robes and 'perfect' make-up and hair. She slumps down in her seat and only then looks up.

"Who are you" She says to Aidan Smyth.

Before Professor Smyth could answer Niki, Arcadia had come in...

Aidan looked at Arcadia. "Welcome Miss Fudge. The reputation of your bad manners proceeds you. I suggest that if you don't know who I am then you should sit down and wait until the start of the class when I will introduce myself to everyone."

Arcadia said nothing, just made a 'huff' sounds and turned away. She had decided she did not like this teacher.

Dylan, too, made his way to DADA. He wasn't exactly eager about it--despite it being one of the few subjects at which he actually excelled, the thought of the class without Professor Grimalkin was not an encouraging one. But there was no helping that, and Dylan had sense enough, at least in this matter, to know better than to let things which could not be helped bother him.

With that thought in mind, Dylan slunk into the back of the room, head bowed slightly, avoiding Arcadia and her entourage as he found his usual seat in the far right corner.

Aidan quickly shifted his gaze to watch Dylan creep into a desk. He then proceeded to ignore Arcadia and her companions as he watched more students enter.

Andy really wanted to impress his new teacher. After all, DADA was his favourite subject. He gathered up all his courage, along with his books, and strolled to class. While he walked he wondered where Marvo was. He was still beaming about having made up with him. Everything would be different now.

He accidentally walked into the classroom through the wall. Hopefully the Professor didn't notice. With his new body Andy wasn't exactly 'solid'. He was more of a presence than a body, which sometimes got him into trouble. But walking through walls was kid of neat. He also looked as if he had a certain glow about him. Almost heaven-like.

He was definitely intrigued with the decor of the class. He walked up to the front of the room where Aidan stood.

"Hello Professor Smyth," he said. "I am Andy Warden. I do believe we met before. I love what you've done with the classroom. I am a 4th year student and in the Gryffindor house." He was being very studious.

As Andy walked through the wall Professor Smyth's eyebrow twitched and there was a quirk of a smile on his face. There did seem as though there were going to be all sorts of interesting students here at Hogwarts.

"Nice to meet you Andy. I'm glad you like the room. I know I really should stop collecting these things, but hobbies and habits die hard." He was looking back at Niki as well when he said this.

"Oh, no," Niki said cheerfully. "I think it's very interesting--archaeology is fascinating, particularly ancient languages and alphabets and things. I love Runes class--have you met Professor Kacirk? He's rather...unique." She grinned, thinking of the language master who resembled nothing so much as a giant stick-insect. "There are a lot of interesting artefacts and things around Hogwarts, too, aren't there? Britain is very interesting ground, occultly. I've been to some wizarding ruins and digs in Greece--that's where I live during the summer--and in Egypt, but I've been doing a bit of reading about wizarding remains here in Britain." She turned a little pink. "And I'm babbling, sir--I'm sorry."

Aidan smiled at Niki. "Babbling is not something that I am likely to complain about. I am far too prone to it myself..."

However he wasn't showing much sign of babbling himself right now. He watched as more students entered.

Arcadia leaned over to whisper to Oriana, "She just loves the sound of her own voice doesn't she?"

Oriana had been at Arcadia's heels when they entered the room. She smiled at the new teacher and took a seat in an empty desk next to Arcadia. "You excited about the new teacher?" she asked Arcadia.

Oriana didn't apply as much make-up as the day before. Yet she still had enough on to make her look presentable.

"No" Said Arcadia, as if answering the most stupid question ever asked. She looked up at Oriana and her 'lesser Make-up' "Better" She said, a slight smile on her face. "And pay attention to class. I might need you to do any homework we get"

Oriana laughed slightly. "I'm not doing your homework. Oriana refused to cheat and she didn't really find the Niki comment amusing.

Arcadia's face grew darker (which, actually, would still be pretty pale) "You'll do as your told or suffer the consequences." Pan gave a little growl, as if on cue.

"You don't scare me." Oriana's little chat with Marvo was definitely helping her to gain back her self esteem.

"And anyway aren't we supposed to be friends? Why all the hostility, Arcadia?" She smiled. Sweetly.

Arcadia also Smiled Sweetly. "Of course I don't scare you! You'll KNOW when I'm being scary. And I'm still considering the 'friends' thing. You've done well so far, proof of which is your still walking around. I'll have to set you a few more..tasks... Then you'll know if you're worthy of being my friend.. or if, only for a very short time... my enemy."

She gave Oriana 'The Look'

Nathaniel slid in the door quietly and found a seat. The black school robes suited him, though he still would have preferred jeans and his indigo overrobe. In deference to the fact it was classtime, he'd tied his hair back in a neat ponytail at the nape of his neck.

The mostly black kitten trailed along at his heels and leapt up to take an attentive seat on the desk.

Nathaniel's green eyes looked a little dazed from his first morning of wizarding school. Most of the teachers had been advised that he and Raphael lacked the first three years of basics, and hadn't been demanding; it helped that Hidden Talents was a new class.

The teacher was talking to Niki, so Nathaniel didn't make a fuss about his arrival, just settled down and waited for Raph to arrive.

Nimue Hawkwood slipped into the DADA classroom. Nimue had mixed feelings about the class. She had heard from Marvo something of Aidan Smyth's reputation. She had a keen interest in the past and like Niki was immediately fascinated by the objects Professor Smyth had in his classroom.

Still somehow looking forward to the class felt a little like betrayal.

She found a seat near to Nathaniel and smiled at him and his kitten companion. The kitten was proving quite a character. "You two look as though you are settling in quite nicely." she said.

Professor Smyth had yet to call the class to order and students were still arriving.

"Like a stone in the bottom of a lake." Nathaniel replied easily, giving Nimue a brief smile. "Though I'm still terribly confused, and Charms was a dismal failure. Hidden talents wasn't too bad but then no one seemed to know what they were doing either, it was mostly talk and not show. Which was good."

Pantalaimon eyes the mostly black kitten and licks his lips.

The mostly black kitten was busy sneering at Pantalaimon, but collected itself and purred politely at Nimue instead.

Nimue smiled at the bottom of the lake reference, "You seem to have made some good friends. Ravenclaws very welcoming that way. I know I felt very lost for my first few weeks - didn't know if I was coming or going. Now it feels like a second home. Much of that was down to getting to know Kathryn Black."

It was obvious she was trying to put Nathaniel at ease.

She was very tempted to rub noses with the mostly black kitten though was unsure if that was good etiquette. She suddenly missed Calliope, her own kitten of the previous year, and hoped that she was enjoying her new life in Tuscany.

"Most of us have our good and bad classes, I have to admit Charms isn't my strongest subject. Wand waving has never come that easily to me. I think I tend to be a little nervous of the language."

"The only language that bothers me are the words that come to mind when I can't even get sparks out of my wand." Nathaniel rolled his eyes a little. "Nimue, can I ask you what a Mudblood is?"

Nimue's face darkened slightly at this question, "It's a very cruel word, Nathaniel that ignorant witches and wizards tend to use as a slur against those people who are not born into wizarding society."

"Ah, that explains it." Nathaniel said simply, and settled further into his seat without further comment. The kitten curled up, nose to tail, and half closed its eyes.

Morticia sat there yawning and almost falling asleep over her desk. She had spent most of the night chatting with Nathan about Quidditch and everything else imaginable. She knew she should really pay attention but she just couldn't force herself. Vaguely, she registered that others were in the classroom, but basically she just wished herself to be in bed. Glueclaws looked just as tired as he slept under her chair.

**********

Jian Hupi had spent the remainder of the weekend dividing his time between reading, writing and thinking. He practically lived in the farthest corner of the Gryffindor Common Room. He read the schoolbooks diligently, wrote letters to those concerned in China and pondered his responsibilities.

His greatest worry was that he wasn't strong enough to fulfil his role. He was not proficient in magic like the brothers at Mian-Ju-Tao; Jian was more partial to doing things with his own physical strength, like in fighting, for instance. Aside from that, he was chasing something he did not even know //exactly//. An Evil Star, a blood-red falling star. It wasn't much of a clue to begin with.

He felt even more foolish as he thought about it now, walking to the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom and trying not to pay too much attention to the students who were staring at him as he passed. Although he was dressed in his new Hogwarts robes, he felt like he looked very different from everybody else.

He wished he wasn't alone now. The experience of being a solitary wanderer of the Hogwarts corridors was getting more and more alienating by the second.

She was trembling when she entered the unoccupied classroom moments ago. As Shinrei Hikari now emerged, she was glassy-eyed yet pale as death. She had just drank an entire flask of Chishio draught.

The amounts she drank were getting higher and higher with each day that passed. Ever since she left Kossawa months ago, her dependence on the potion grew slowly yet surely. Even more so when she did not sleep well at night. These past nights, she had not slept well. She had nightmares and bouts of paranoia, all of which resulting to her dissolving into angry, quiet tears in her bed. She was angry with herself, for being so weak.

Shinrei walked back towards the main hallway that led to the DADA classroom. Much to her surprise, Jian appeared at the opposite end of the corridor. Of course. They had this class together too.

They had not spoken since that night when Makura had gone to fetch him, the night that culminated with Gryffindor losing 60 points. She had seen him very absorbed in his reading at the common room all weekend long. Somehow, she could not bring herself to speak to him since *that* very strange night.

Before entering the classroom, she gave him a bow, unable to look straight into his eyes for some unknown reason. "Konnichiwa, Hupi-san." She could say nothing more. She went inside and found a seat at the front row.

***********

Carina walked the corridors, the frown that had been on her face since about 9 o clock last night still plastered in position. She was searching desperately through her mind, trying to dredge up any memories of yesterday. Quite late in the evening, she'd found herself wandering the halls, her stomach protesting for food, unable to remember what she'd done all day except snap at Piotr at breakfast.

She couldn't even remember how she'd got there.

Walking into the room quietly, she mumbled an apology to the teacher, before spotting an empty seat next to Arcadia. Making sure to avoid standing on or too near to Pan, she slid into it. "Morning."

"Oh! Decided to make an appearance? What happened to you? I've been looking for you since you ran off at Dinner."

Carina raised her eyebrows. "A very good question, and one I'd like to know the answer to. The thing is, I can't remember anything after yelling at Piotr. Can't remember leaving breakfast, or doing anything all day. Nothing."

Piotr and Magnus arrived at the DADA classroom. They had been talking to each other in low voices, and occasionally chuckling, all the way up to the door, but now they were silent.

Now they just smiled. It was one of those smiles that probably disguised a plan. The sort of plan that would no doubt be well suited to the announcement "I have a cunning plan!" However, those plan-smiles were probably not what immediately caught peoples attention. The pair looked exceedingly ridiculous together.

Both were, of course, wearing their school robes, but their headwear was distinctly not uniform. Piotr, with his ever-present shades, wore a hat which made him look every bit like a Blues Brother. If a rather pale and malnourished one. Magnus sported a Bandana, in (of course) red and gold Gryffindor house colours.

He had been able to "persuade" a 6th year girl to magically weave it for him. It seemed the two both had their different ways to get what they wanted from girls...

The boys continued their smirking and chose two seats next to each other. Coincidentally, right behind Oriana, Arcadia and Carina.

As Magnus and Piotr entered Arcadia shifted a giggle. "Bad Hair day do you think?" Arcadia whispered to Carina and Oriana.

As they sat Pantalaimon shifted his position so he could 'watch' them.

"Carina?" She looked puzzled at Carina.

Carina bit her lip quizzically, not really hearing the comments to Oriana and Niki. However, she did hear the sound of chairs shuffling behind her. Turning, she saw Magnus and...

....Piotr.... Her stomach did a nauseating flip-flop. Did he have something to do with her amnesia? Blanching, she turned back round.

Piotr saw Carina looking at him and couldn't stop the slow smile that spread across his face. It served only to make him look even more cunning and full of plot than he had been when he'd arrived in class. He nudged Magnus and whispered something. Both boys laughed and Piotr settled back in his seat, his eyes very closely on Carina's back. He was feeling a lot happier today.

Carina snapped back to wakefulness as Arcadia addressed her, quelling the shiver in her spine. Refusing to look behind her again she nodded. "Well, after yesterday, are you surprised. Though by the look of them, " she shivered involuntarily, "They might be after vengeance."

Hoping that Arcadia hadn't considered her shudder, as an act of weakness, and that her own body would stop reacting to something she couldn't remember, she gazed up at the teacher.

"Well if they do it won't be on me! Isn't that right Oriana? I had nothing to do with it.. DID I?"

********

Raphael was slinking outside the corridor, looking at the DADA dungeon door with some trepidation. He didn't want to go in, not at all. It'd be too embarrassing.

Now, his last lesson, Hidden Talents, had just been a little dull, nothing much to worry about. A bit of writing, apparently before they got stuck in properly - sorting out the work he needed to do this term. And although Raphael was instantly annoyed at the idea of work, writing down pages of the syllabus hadn't been what had made him bad tempered, no.

What had made him bad tempered was Charms. Now... Flitwick, or rather, Mr. Flitwick? Professor? What were you meant to call these mad teachers? He'd been fine, in fact rather friendly (and the standing on the table was cool, Raphael did have to admit) but...

...they'd prepared to do some practical... all the theory... and...

Nothing. A big fat Nothing. All Raphael's fears from Saturday had come rushing back. He *wasn't* meant to be here - the register had even said the name of the real magic user in the family, and it wasn't him. He'd waved his bendy wand around a lot and nothing had happened, until he'd got angry, and then it had sprung and changed into its long form, and nearly knocked him out again. And then some of the students... laughed. He was a laughing stock. He wasn't meant to be here and he couldn't do magic.

But if he started missing lessons - well, a place like this, they could punish you with anything.

He stepped into the DADA classroom, and looked around. There was a teacher, or so Raphael assumed, an adult at least, and a few students. Two of them he knew. Niki - he had to talk to her, didn't he? She'd been the girl who had offered... what was the lesson again? One of his lessons. She'd offered him tuition. In the corner sat a guy who Raphael didn't recognise all on his own. And that girl... Arcadia... who.... who...?

Raphael nodded to the teacher, and grinned for a sec at Niki to let her know that he'd talk to her about tuition, and then started. "Hello... I'm Raphael... er... new student..." he said to the professor, and then thinking about it, he asked hesitantly, "sir, do we have any... practical... to do today?"

"We will indeed." Said Smyth, "We'll give people a few more minutes to arrive and then I'll explain."

*******

Mahou had gotten up early to take a shower and ready herself for her first day of classes. Besides, she had to be up before everyone else so they wouldn't see her ears. She had stupidly forgotten to get out her black cloth hat for the next day.

As she gathered her things, she thought about her timetable and what was in store for today.. Charms, Divination, and DADA. She was looking forward to all three. The first two, she was good at, and even packed her own deck of tarot cards, tea leaves, rune stones, and several other means of telling one's future.

*time passes*

Mahou stepped into the DADA classroom, Blackfoot trotting in behind her. The girl had her ears tucked into her hat, looking a tad silly, yes, but she didn't want anyone to know what she was. She didn't want the ridicule...

Dressed in her school robes, Mahou stopped and looked at the things on the walls and such in the room. She smiled a little and her lime-green eyes glittered oddly. These things were quite lovely. Walking up to the desk, Mahou dipped in a curtsy, smiling softly at the professor.

"Good afternoon, Lord Professor," Mahou said as she accidentally slipped back into the Cerrydwin's state of mind. "I be Mahou Amberstone, o' House Gryffindor." She smiled again at the teacher, her strange, slanted eyes still glittering.

Sarah entered the DADA class glad to find that she wasn't the last one to arrive. Indeed, she was quite early.. for her. Her usual pattern was to skid in near to the last.

As she entered she could see that Nathaniel was talking to Nimue and that Raphael was with Niki and the new DADA professor. Other folk she knew well appeared not to have arrived yet. She wasn't quite sure where she should sit. The good thing about coming in late was that that choice was taken away from you..

Still thinking it also wise to give the new Slytherin gang of Arcadia, Carina & Oriana a wide berth she elected to sit on her own figuring the gaps would fill in eventually.

Kat wandered into the classroom and looked around to see who else was already here.

She settled herself into a seat near Sarah and started to get her books out. She was surprised that Marvo hadn't already come in. So far he had managed to sit next to her in both the morning classes. She suspected that Marvo was lurking outside somewhere and would come in and sit down as soon as he saw her enter.

She just hoped he wasn't going to blush all the way through this lesson like he had done before. She really would have to find out what was eating him to make him blush so much.