Oh, D-dear... || Open

Ondrea peeked around the door leading in her new common room. It was certainly different from those at Beaxbatons. She wasn't sure she'd ever get used to seeing so much stone everywhere.

The girl looked around, as she hadn't really taken the time to do so the previous night. There was a lot of blue, which was fine. Ondrea liked blue. There were chairs and sofas and study tables. And a statue, but she wasn't entirely certain of who. Roweena Ravenclaw, perhaps? It would certainly make sense.

Determining it was likely safe, she stepped fully into the room. There were an awful lot of students here at Hogwarts. Granted, there were an awful lot of students at Beauxbatons. The only real difference was that now everyone was unfamiliar again.

Ondrea bit her lip anxiously. "Oh, d-dear..." she murmured aloud to herself.

Aquila noticed the girl walk in. He decided that she must be new - not because he didn't recognize her, he was realitively new himself and didn't recognize many people yet. No it was the look on her face that made him decide that she must be new. It was the look someone gave things that were completely foreign to them.

"You know," he said to her softly - hoping not to startle her too much, she seemed like the startling type, "We won't bite... that's the Slytherins."

Flora was in a good mood. She ran up the staircase and knocked on the eagle knocker.
A voice sounded:
I show your reflection;
Of youth or childhood,
Or when you're an adult and ready to fly.
All the difference lies in
what you are and what you could.
Now tell me young Raven, what am I?

Flora thought for a moment, then it came, 'The mirror of Erised.'
'Excellent.' The voice declared and the door opened.
Flora walked into the common room with a moderate crowd. People reading, muttering incantations, practising wand movements. There's Aquila, talking to a new girl. She proceeded to sit opposite to them.
'Scaring the newbie, are you now?' she said in a mock stern voice.

Ondrea jumped, though, to her credit, she gave only a small squeak. Wide brown eyes sought out the owner of he voice. "S-s-sorry," she stammered. "D-didn't see you there." The girl gave a nervous laugh. She'd seen several students from Slytherin House that were likely to prove the biting type.

Her hand flew to chest as she was startled once more, this time by a younger girl. "It's f-fine," Ondrea said, putting on a rather forced smile. (Granted, most of her smiles were forced when directed at people she didn't know.) Brown eyes flickered over the common room before coming back to rest on the other two.

The older student found herself at a loss as to what to say. Manners dictated that this was where she offered her name, but Ondrea wasn't too accustomed to being the first to introduce herself. In fact, she rather preferred when someone else introduced her.

Great. So far, so good. Still alive, Ondrea thought to herself, a twinge hysterically. Now what?

Aquila snorted, "I think you scared her more than I did."

"Sorry," he smiled at the girl, who was definitely older than them, "I was hoping to make this a safer place, not startle the crud out of you."

"I'm Aquila Turrow," he introduced after a moment, "And if you would rather ignore the pesky little firstie interupting your day, no hard feelings." He was on the verge of adding a joke to the end of that sentiment, but he was worried it would just end up scaring her rather than making her more comfortable.

Flora smacked Aquila lightly on the head. 'Flora Evans. Nice to meet you.' she said to the girl with a small smile.
Why is so nervous? 'So, are you in second year or third year?' She asked her.

Ondrea waved Aquila's apology off with both hands, the action looking a bit frantic. "No, no - i-it's f-fine. I... s-st-startle easily.

"On-Ondrea Montg-gomery," she introduced herself. "I'm th-third year." She wanted to add something else, perhaps a joke, but Ondrea was hardly the chatty sort. As nervous as she consistently was, it really wasn't much of a mystery why she didn't have many friends. Interacting with people was just... hard.

So, all she managed was a nervous-sounding, "Big place."

"Ow," Aquila fake complained, rubbing his head, "abuse! You will be hearing from my lawyers Ms. Evans - assult is a crime you know."

He leaned towards Ondrea to whisper, "Watch out for this one, she's got a violent streak."

"Yes, Hogwarts certainly is big - have you managed to get lost yet? The dungeons are particularly difficult to stay un-lost in."

Ondrea managed a more genuine smile for the boy, then nodded earnestly, eyes wides. "Lots!" she confirmed with a laugh. "D-doesn't help th-that the stairc-cases move!"

"Ah yes the staircase," Aquila sighed like he was reliving a fond memory, "Me, myself, I like to just stand on a staircase, wait for it to move and see where it takes me; its an adventure... bit like magical musical chairs - or something, to be honest I don't know how one plays that game," he laughed easily, "But I can see how the movement can be a problem when one wants to get to class."

"So, Ondrea right? - where was school before we had the pleasure of you lovely addition to this educational house?"

"Th-that sounds like a g-good way to find yourself i-in trouble," the girl remarked. This boy reminded her a bit of her brother when they were younger.

"I... I at-t-tended Beauxbatons," Ondrea answered. "M-my parents th-thought it'd be g-good for me to transfer."

Aquila waved his hand at that statment smiling mischieviously, "Trouble is in the eye of the beholder I always say. What's life without a little trouble anyways?"

"Beauxbaton's eh?" he paused for a moment, "I can't say much for that institute but I am very fond of the humble halls of Hogwarts myself."

'While I like that game too. I wouldn't worry about him being in trouble if I were you Ondrea, you don't know his full name. Aquila Rule-breaking Turrow.' Flora said in a perfectly neutral voice, turning a page in her Charms text.
'How's Beauxbatons by the way?' She asked Ondrea enthusiastically. 'I read a book that said they teach music and Arts. How's that different from the muggle one?'

"Oh, I-I try to stay o-o-out of trouble," Ondrea stated fervently.

She became a bit reflective as they asked about Beauxbatons. "It was wonderful," she murmured. Well, mostly. It was close enough, in any case.

She blinked. "I-I don't know how th-they're different," she said apologetically. Ondrea didn't perform in front of others, though, she had taken private piano lessons and had a fair singing voice. Not that anyone would ever know this.

"What can I say," Aquila shrugged at Flora's comment as was serious, "my parents had a nack for naming."

He smiled mischieviously at the older girl, "I like to stay out of trouble too; there is a difference between breaking rules, and getting into trouble - if you know how to play it anyways."

He smiled as he notice that when she told them her old school was wonderful, for the first time he noticed she didn't stutter at all.

"I don't think I could imagine leaving Hogwarts once I got attached to it," he said his probably first serious statement the whole converstaion.

"So, you must have good French then no?" He smiled again, "Me, my French sucks more then stepping on a dragon's tail - what about you Flo? Did you ever pick up that fine tongue?"