Simply nodding at this new piece of information, Anna looked back down on her paper, the small cogwheels in her head turning like mad. She would not let this first date go to waste!

Liam, noticing the non-chalance in her voice, inquired, his voice showing his disappointedness though his face showed none of it, "You sure you wanna go? If ye'd rather not, I won't take it to heart. I mean, we've only just met. I'd understand."

This caused Anna to look up in surprise, eyes wide, "You must be joking!" Gently, she poked his upper arm, a broad smile on her lips, "What better way to get to know eachother then to go out and have fun?"

"I couldn't agree more," Liam ran his hand through his hair, as was his habbit when he was nervous, "It's just, ye seemed not interested. I didn't want to force ye into it."

Smiling sweetly, Anna shakes her head, "No forcing is taking place." With a conspiratory wink, she pulls at his arm a little, putting her hand against his ear as she whispers, "You really don't want to know where my mind was."

Leaning back, she can't help but laugh with amusement.

Liam chuckled and spoke in a low whisper to Anna, "Now I'm intrigued, what were ye thinkin' about?"

It was fun to finally have someone who would call her bluff, and Anna winked once again as she replied, "Not too hasty, little man. You'll see."

Liam laughed and ruffled Anna's hair, "I hope yer not plannin' somethin' too dangerous."

Saiyuri yawned as she finished her second paper, "Okay.. I'm officially beat and want to go to bed.. how many classes are left?"

Sticking out her tongue at him is her only reply, though she smiles brightly as she looks at Saiyuri. "I don't know about you guys, but I only have one left~ Mondays are so relaxed for me."

Drew nodded, "I think that's all we have left as well Sai. But you'll be happy with what we have."

"Why's that?"

Kal laughed, "'Cause it's potions."

"And you excel at that!" added Leane.

Josh leaned across the table and ruffled Saiyuri's hair, "Which is why you tutor me."

Saiyuri giggled, "True! I still don't see how I pass though.. Besides doing what is required, I always mix something separate and it either blows up or makes pretty prismatic animals rise from it."

Liam laughed and whispered to Anna, "Never go to Potions when she's concocting something, it always ends up turning yer skin, tongue, eyes, or hair colors when they explode. Some how it never manages to get on yer clothes though!"

Surpressing a giggle, Anna whispers back, "Thank god I'm a year younger, then."

Carefully, she started packing up her things, checking three times on the ink of her paper before rolling up the scroll. "I think it's great that you're so good in something!" Anna smiles lightly at Saiyuri as she stuffs her things neatly into her back. "Honestly, I really have no idea when it comes to that." With a wry smile, she adds, "Last night was mostly me bluffing my way out of things than anything else."

Liam laughed, "Don't count on that to save you from her potions, she'll get you into the mess sooner or later!"

Kalli smiled, "Yeah, but when she makes the prismatic animals, it's a truly magnificent sight!"

Saiyuri blushed as Drew began to cast a spell for all of their things to return to their room. "It's nothing really.. I could teach you the ones that worked properly if you'd like."

Josh and Leane laughed, "Does that mean you remember everything you've ever concocted?"

"Of course! I write them down once I get back to the Common Room."

"Even the ones that don't work?" inquired Liam with a smirk.

Sticking her tongue out teasingly, Saiyuri replied innocently, "Possibly."

Drew rolled his eyes, "Great.. now we know the explosions aren't accidents!"

Saiyuri ruffled Drew's hair, "Hey! Don't go spreading that around!" In a low whisper she added, "It's only not an accident when it happens to the snobby first years."

"And when it comes to Fynn," added Leane.

"No, I've never purposefully caused an explosion near him."

"I would have!" Leane exclaimed.

"That's because you despise him, I don't."

"Why the hell not?" asked Josh, "He got you in trouble and has been nothing but rude!"

"That's not true! He's not as bad as you think. He's just grown up bitter.."

"Still don't like him."

"You guys are being judgemental." Anna smiles lightly as she stands up from the bench - trying her best not to be hard. "Everyone makes mistakes. I know you guys weren't keen on liking me, either." As she rises, she brushes down her dress, pointedly not looking at them. "Being in differrent houses shouldn't have such an influence."

Partly Anna felt like a hypocrit, because the hat had taken quite a long time to decide which house she should be in - and had, eventually, chosen for Gryffindor, just because.

Josh scowled and turned away from Anna. Leane, sighing, looked at Anna with a half smile, "You're different. It's not the house that we're so against. Things happened in the past that caused us to drift away from him. It's ... complicated. As for us being weary of accepting you, it's nothing to do with your house. It's more the fact that you're new. We didn't know what kind of person you were and we weren't sure if you would keep our secrets."

"But we do now and we absolutely adore you!" added Kalli with a smile.

Saiyuri put her face into the palm of her hand, her elbow resting on the table, "Okay, let's drop it.. I've listened to this enough for one day.."

Drew stood up, "Come on Sai, we gotta head to the Common Room before Potions, you all had better hurry as well, class will start soon."

Saiyuri stood up and followed Drew out. Kalli sighed once they were out of ear shot, "Sometimes I wonder about her.."

"What do you mean?" asked Leane, turning to Kalli and giving her a confused look.

"I wonder what she sees in people. It's like she can see the true nature of everyone."

"No, I think it's just.. she looks for the good in everyone, no matter how hard or how far she has to look, she knows she'll find it in the end. Why do you think she's not so quick to judge You-Know-Who?"

"'Cause she's a dolt who thinks the best of even the wickedest of people," said Josh with a scowl as he stood up and walked out of the Great Hall, heading for the Slytherin Common Room.

Leane sighed, "Come on, we'd better go as well. We'll see ya around Anna, Liam, Deacon."

Kalli and Leane both waved before heading out of the Great Hall to their respective Common Rooms.

Liam gave a half smile to Anna, "Don't ye just love listening to their squabbles?"

Donning him a surprisingly warm smile, she nods. "I do - though sometimes I wish they'd slow down a moment so that I could add something." Sighing, she sits back down - her back against the table so that she was face to face with Liam. "I'm with Saiyuri on this one. I think everyone deserves the benefit of the doubt - and that everyone has at least a bit of good in them." She shrugs a little, a self-mocking smile on her face now. "I know it's naïve, but I'd rather believe that than think people are bad, you know?"

Deacon, the poor young thing, had snuck out after Drew and Saiyuri - completely clueless for most of the conversation.

His smile faded a bit as he spoke to Anna, "Ehh, ye get used to not being included after awhile. It's just their way -- they dont' mean nothin' by it. But I do agree with Sai, for some cases. Others, I think she's crazy to believe there's good in the person. However, in the end, she always does prove me wrong, so who knows? Maybe she's right about Fynn, I myself don't really know the lad. But just hearing about him from his classmates and watching him 'round Hogwarts, I don't know as if I particularly like him," standing up with his things, he smiled once more, "What class do ye have next?"

"Herbology - I need to head out." The brunette hesitates a little, then gently puts her hand on his arm, rising again to do so. "Look... I know I'm not one to talk about Fynn - he hasn't exactly treated me right lately, either - but don't judge him until you know him? Also..." Her smile widens as she reaches down for her bag, slinging it over her shoulder. "We could create our own little group."

Liam blushed as he started walking towards the door of the Great Hall, "I won't, not until I meet him and judge him myself. As fer our own group, how can we? I can't possibly give up hanging with Sai and the gang, I've known them too long. But you, you're accepted by all of us. Why would ye want to go off on yer own?" He inquired over his shoulder, a bit confused due to having thought Anna liking everyone in the group and the thought of her wishing to not be with the group had never crossed his mind.

Giggling, Anna follows him. "You're misunderstanding. I meant, a group with just the two of us?" She grins lightly, squeezing his arm to show that she's joking. "Honestly though? I like them very much, despite only knowing them for a day." Anna tilts her head lightly as she looks at him, trying to make him understand.

"But I don't... I don't want to limit myself to that... I mean..." She sighs, biting the nail on her thumb lightly as she tries to explain. "I've just come here, and I want to look around. I think there must be so many wonderful people around, and I want to get to learn them, too. If I'm always with Saiyuri, Drew, Kalli, Josh and Leane - no matter how much I like them - I'll automatically have less chance of discovering these others. You know?"

Anna looks at him with a slight frown, worried he'll misunderstand.

Liam ruffled Anna's hair, "I understand, it's just not common. We usually have our set friends starting first year, very few break from the groups and join others, or are in many different groups. It's good to see someone break tradition like this, it'll be good fer the school in the end, no matter how much ruckus it causes in the mean time."

"As fer the group of just us, wouldn't that be datin'?" he added with a smirkish smile as they exited the Great Hall.

"If you want to be all technical about it," she jokes, rolling her eyes with a broad smile. "Besides," Anna adds, turning to Liam with a smile, "I've been quiet long enough in my lifetime. It's about time I create some ruckus."

Liam laughed, "I knew that's what you were aimin' at! We'll see how our date leaves us Saturday," he added with a wink.

Ruffling Anna's hair before turning off in the direction of the Muggle Studies classroom, "As fer the ruckus, I look forward to it. And I highly doubt yer quietness."

Calling after him, she says with a blush, "I wasn't aiming at that per se! It's still too soon!" Her smile is bright, though, as she waves at him before darting off towards the greenhouses.

Liam laughed as he walked into the Muggle Studies Classroom. Sitting down by his friends, towards the back, he took his notebook out and prepared his quill and ink.

---------------

Josh sighed as he walked with Kalli, Leane having ran off to Potions to not be late after getting her books.

"What's wrong?" Kalli inquired as she held his hand.

Josh leaned in and kissed Kalli on the top of the head and tooks his hand from hers, wrapping his arm around her as he replied, "Nothing. I'm just a bit frustrated."

"About?"

"Oh you know, Fynn and Anna.. Anna just doesn't know him as we do."

"Maybe he's not as horrid to her as he has been to you and Lee."

"Maybe.. but I still don't trust him.."

Kalli sighed and pulled Josh into an abandoned classroom. Setting her books down she hopped up on one of the desks and looked at Josh, "Look, you can't keep this up. Josh, I love you, you know that."

"But?"

"But right now, you're acting so childish! Stop being so hard on Fynn and give him a chance. You both act like such children, you need to grow up a bit!"

"And how do you expect me to do that? Do you want me to forget what he did?"

"No, but you know what? That was the past Josh! Let it go!"

"Kalli, I can't. I can't believe you're even saying this!"

"Josh I-"

Turning from Kalli, his hand on the door knob, he interupted her, "No. Kal.. Growing up in that orphanage was hard. Fynn had no right to tell people, nor say what he did."

Kalli stroked his arm, taking his hand in hers and pulling him around to face her. With her other hand, she caressed his face, "I know, I agree. But no one remembers anymore! They've forgotten all about it by now. Sure, it was the talk of the school 'cause everyone thought you were Leane's step-brother and it turned out you had no relation to her. But people got over it. Fynn just didn't realize what it's like for you to have your parents taken from you when you were so young. What happened to them was terrible, but it couldn't have been avoided. They.. they didn't have.."

"Magic?"

"Right.."

"No, but I did.. I could have done something!"

"Like what Josh? You were three years old for God's sake! You didn't know anything, you couldn't have helped even if you wanted to. It was an accident, you have to move on."

"I did, when I met you. You gave me a reason to keep living Kal and not give up entirely. I had always thought no one would ever care for me. So many people came and interviewed me at the orphanage, but none wanted to deal with me once they found out I had tragically lost my parents. But you, you didn't care about any of that. You.. you still cared for me. And for that, I will always love you," he gave a small smile before kissing Kalli pationately. Kalli wrapped her arms around his neck and ran her hand through his hair, tears swellling from her eyes due to Josh's words. Josh's hand caressed Kalli's head as he kissed her while his other hand brushed past her waist and around her back, pulling her close to him. Josh had longed to tell Kalli that he would never forgive Fynn for his actions, but he dropped the subject and simply focused on how much she meant to him and how deeply he cared for her.

---------------------

Drew had his arm around Saiyuri and was stroking her hair as they walked down the hall to the Potions Room. Something caught Saiyuri's attention as they passed an abandoned classroom. Drew turned and looked at Saiyuri as she stopped and smiled at the scene she saw through the door window. "What is it Sai?"

Shaking her head, she took Drew's hand and began walking again, "Nothing, just something that should have happend years ago."

"Which is?"

"Quit being so nosey, you'll find out eventually."

Drew rolled his eyes and ruffled Saiyuri's hair as they walked into the Potions Classroom. Saiyuri gave Drew a quick kiss on the cheek before skipping off and taking a seat at the cauldron near Professor Snape's desk next to Karen. Drew, on the other hand, took a seat at the cauldron to the left of the door, which he shared with Josh and Leane.

"Any sign of Josh?" inquired Leane as Drew sat down.

"Nope, why? Wasn't he with you?"

"Nah, I ran off ahead. When I left he was headed towards the Huffie Common Room to walk with Kalli. Speaking of Kal, she's not here either," added Leane as she looked towards Saiyuri and Karen's cauldron and noticing Kalli's empty seat. "I wonder what those two are up to.."

The greenhouse was buzzing with teenagers talking in low whisper, despite the professor being at the head of the tables already. Finding a random spot, Anna snuck in, grabbing her gloves and other utilities she would need for the class out of her enlarged bag.

As she idly looked around her, she spotted the nice girl from Charms a little ways ahead - and Anna waved when she caught the girls eye, making her wave cheerfully in turn. Down the line, though, and only two chairs in between Anna and them, were Liams sister and her best friend.

Offering a light smile and nod in greeting, Anna was not surprised when she only received a death glare in response. With a light sigh, she sits down on the bench, resting her arm on the table as she eyed the large pot of dirt standing in front of her. It seemed she had somehow squished herself in between two Slytherins, two Gryffindors - with a Ravenclaw in front of her.

Resting her finger against her forehead, she could do only one thing: groan. "This is not my day."