By the time she got all her luggage- it wasn't very much, honestly- there were only a few carriages left. She went forward, patting the thestral pulling it ass he did, and got in. Yes, Rosemary could see the thestrals. She was used to the strange looks she got every time she patted them, since most of the others couldn't see them. They only saw a strange girl patting the empty air. She didn't care, though. She was friends with most of the creatures on the school grounds, including the skeletal horses that pulled the carriages.

Jesse saw the thestrals pulling the carriages but never admitted to anyone. He didn't want to tell how he could see them, the story was so painful. He saw the girl from the train, Rosemary was her name, petting one of the thestrals. So she sees them too, he thought to himself as he hefted his single trunk and Fergus' cage. He jumped onto a carriage with several other Gryffindors and stared moodily at the back of the thestral, though to the others it seemed he was staring into space.

After what seemed like an interminably long ride, the carriages finally arrived at the castle and deposited the students. Along with the river of other children, Rosemary took her tiny amount of baggage and went inside. She left her baggage in the entrance hall, like everyone else, knowing that it would be at the end of her bed when she got there. Rosemary was good friends with the house elves, too. Then she made her way into the Great Hall and took a seat at the Slytherin table, and waited for the headmaster to speak and the new first years to be sorted.

Jesse dismounted from the carriage and followed the stream of other students into the familiar entrance hall of Hogwarts. Leaving his trunk and Fergus there, he made his way into the Great Hall and sat at the Gryffindor table. The Sorting Ceremony began and Jesse eyed the frightened first years; they seemed younger every year. Once all of the first years had been assigned to their houses, the Head Master rose and made his start of year speech.

Finally the time to eat came and Jesse gladly dug into the food. He exchanged a few pleasantries with students around him but mostly focused on the food.

After everyone had finished eating, Rosemary followed the other Slytherins down to the dungeon. On her way out, she spotted Jesse and waved at him a little. She wasn't sure if he saw her, but she didn't have time to check as the crowd swept her away.

((Blarg short post.))

As Jesse followed the other Gryffindors out, he saw Rosemary wave to him before she disappeared amongst the mass of swirling robes and chattering students exiting the hall. She was out of sight before he had a chance to respond. He shrugged it off and made his way to the Gryffindor entrance way up on the Seventh floor.

Down in the dungeons, as expected, Rosemary found her things already moved to her dorm. Keeping out of the way of the other girls, she waited for them to choose beds and then took the one that was left. She had learned that this was the best way in her first year, whens he had been bullied out of her chosen bed by another girl. Now she simply blended into the background and took whatever was left over. Not that she minded- having a bed at all was enough for her.

((Next day?))

Jesse found his stuff and Fergus waiting in his room for him. He hardly said a word to the boys sharing the room with him, just climbed into bed. He found himself, like every first night back in Hogwarts, wondering what this year would bring. More pain? Perhaps love? Who knew.

(Next day is fine with me)

The next morning, Rosemary woke with the usual excited flutter in her stomach of the first day. She couldn't wait to get to her classes. Her stomach growled, and she blushed to herself. Breakfast first, classes after.

Jesse woke around dawn and, after dressing, made his way down to the Gryffindor common room. It was to early to go eat breakfast, but he rarely slept more than about six hours. If he did, he was either sick or exhausted. He saw that the house elves had started a fire in the fire place and he flopped down on the couch in front of it. He stared into the flames, loosing track of time until he heard the others beginning to stir.

Rosemary got dressed and headed up to the Great Hall, where she was one of very few early risers already there. She liked getting there so early, because it meant she could eat in peace without worrying about all the bullies in her year. Breakfast was just about the only time of day she could relax.

When Jesse heard the others beginning to stir, he rose and left the common room, not really wanting to meet any of his former housemates right now. He knew that by now he could make his way to the Great Hall. It would still be pretty empty for a couple hours. Only a handful of early risers like himself would be in there, and that was how he prefered it. He entered the Great Hall and barely looked around. He had no friends to look for and was used to eating alone. He found an empty seat and sat.

Rosemary glanced up just in time to see Jesse walk in. She smiled his way, but didn't wave because with so few people, it would be all the more noticeable. The last thing either of them needed was someone from their respective houses picking on them this early in the morning. As she ate, Rosemary looked over her schedule. Her first class was Herbology, then Care of Magical Creatures. After that was Defense Against the Dark Arts, then double potions before lunch. She sighed. Well, at least she got an outdoor class first.

Jesse looked over his time table quickly before turning his attention to bolting down his food. He had Herbology, then Care of Magical Creatures, Double Potions and then Defense Against the Dark Arts. He was definitely looking forward to Care of Magical Creatures. Hagrid was one of the few professors at Hogwarts that understood Jesse and that he could really talk to. Jesse often snuck down to Hagrid's cabin whenever he had a spare moment.

After finishing her breakfast, Rosemary gathered up her things and got a head start towards the greenhouses. She liked to get there early on days where she had Herbology in the morning, to enjoy the morning sun on the plants. She couldn't wait to see Hagrid later, he was always so nice to her.

As soon as Jesse finished eating, he grabbed his books and made his way to the green house. A couple of boys he passed made some snide comments but Jesse ignored them and kept walking. He was used to being a lone wolf now, and chose, no matter how much the comments hurt, to never give them the satisfaction of seeing how their words hurt. He reached the green house to find most students hadn't arrived yet.

Standing outside the greenhouses, Rosemary heard more people arriving and stole a glance under her bangs. When she saw Jesse, she smiled and made her way over to him. "Good morning, stranger. You have Herbology, too? What other classes do you have today?" She asked, her tone quiet but friendly.

Jesse looked up in surprise to see Rosemary standing before him. "Uh..good morning," he said, trying to cover his surprise. "I have Herbology, Care of Magical Creatures, Double Potions and then Defense Against the Dark Arts."

Rosemary blinked a couple times, then smiled. "That's funny, I have the exact same schedule. How are you at potions, by the way? I'm horrible, and I need a partner, and no one in my own house will sit with me..." She trailed off, realizing just how pathetic she sounded.

Jesse laughed, which surprised him. "I'm not bad at potions, but you might want to avoid me. Not many people here care for me." He had seen a few people try and befriend him, but sooner or later the teasing became too much for them and they pulled away. In veritably he always ended up alone. Rosemary seemed like a sweet girl and he didn't want to see her ridiculed for hanging around him.

Rosemary shook her head slowly, sadly. "It's fine with me. I don't have any friends, myself, and really I've got nothing to lose. I figure, why not finally have a friend?" She said with a sad smile.

((Short post is short.))

Jesse find himself feeling sorry for the girl. He knew what it was like to have no friends. "Well then I suppose we outcast should stick together," he said with an attempt at a smile. He wasn't used to being cheerful or trying to cheer people up.

Before he could say more, the professor came in and class began. Professor Sprout lectured about the different plants and things that they would be dealing with this year and the different things that they would be learning.

Rosemary smiled at his attempt at a joke, but deep down knew that it was also true. Before she could answer him, however, Professor Sprout entered and began the class. Rosemary listened intently, mentally filing away all the information given. After the explanations were over, they were assigned to re-pot some rather simple plants. She took up the task with a flourish. "I love working with plants. It's calming, in a way. At least, as long as they're not trying to kill you." She chuckled as she set about transferring a large Venus flytrap into a bigger pot.

Jesse poked at the plant in front of him, plants were not his strong suit. "I personally prefer animals," he said. "They're calming...when they aren't trying to kill you." With a sigh he picked up the plant and began the process of re-potting it. He couldn't wait for the next class, partly because he was excited to see Hagrid and partly because he was excited to get his hands back on some animals.

Rosemary nodded and chuckled. "Oh, I agree. I like working with plants, but I love animals. I wonder what Hagrid has in store for us this year. His lessons are usually fun." She said, smiling at the memories of past lessons.