Breakfast in the Great Hall

[Maitland Carnes]

Maitland slowly lowered the book that hid her face as she slowly nibbled on her piece of toast. She was normally a big eater. She would never care if anyone was watching as she wolfed down plate fulls of food in ten minutes but this morning she didn't have much of an appitite. Toast would be just fine this morning, she thought, setting it back down on her plate before reaching for her goblet of pumpkin juice.

Today was just like any other day at Hogwarts. It felt so odd being back here. She'd over heard stories in the common room about other kids having to fight to get their parents to let them come back to school. For once in her Hogwarts career she was thankful her parents were muggles. They didn't know much of anything about the Dark Lord, well besides what Maitland told them and for the sake of her education, it wasn't much.

After another second, she shut her book and placed it slowly in her bag by her feet. Maybe she'd just quickly finish her toast and juice and then leave. What was the point of staying any longer? It wasn't like anyone would talk to her anyways.

[Rachel Gilbert]

Rachel looked at her plate, containing the traces of toast, eggs and beans. One of the school owls had delivered the newspaper, which was full of the usual, he-who-must-not-be-named's death eaters ect.. It was folded neatly next to her plate. Rach rested her arms on the table and looked along the bench. Last year she would have been chatting with her mates, laughing and maybe even cuddeling her boyfriend, but now there wasn't even half the amount of people on the table. She sighed and picked up her glass of warm milk. She downed the last drop then wiped her mouth on the back of her hand.

Leaning her head down on her hand, Rachel spotted another person on her own a bit down the table from her. Maitland. She was a prefect in Rachel's year. Rachel had often seen her in the common room, but never said anything. Well, Maitland seemed to be quite engrossed in the book she was reading, so maybe talking to her could wait.

Rachel picked up a slice of bread and started picking at it, not bothering to apply any butter or jam. She glanced over at Maitland again, and noticed that she had put down her book. Well, it seemed like this was a good time to get to know her.

Rach stood up and flattened down her school clothes. She walked up to Maitland and smiled.

''Heya, what were ya' readin'?''

[Maitland Carnes]

Maybe it's because I'm a prefect. No one likes prefects, Maitland thought to herself as she rested her elbow on the table and slowly munched her toast. Only because they're jealous they didn't get it, she thought with a small laugh as she looked up the table. Who'd want to be a prefect anyways, she thought with a sigh. Sure it was fun being able to have some influence in the school but now everyone was just lucky there was a school to have any influence in at all.

"Huh?" Maitland jumped a bit as she was interupted from her thoughts when she heard someone talking. At first she wasn't sure if they were talking to her at all, she'd made that mistake before and it was highly embarassing let me tell you, but she turned a bit and smiled lightly seeing that it was Rachel. "Oh, hello."

She had to think for a second, trying to remember what she had asked her. Her book? Oh that's right. "The Effects of the Muggle Revolution on the French Wizarding World," she recited, her smile turning a bit lopesided. She probably sounded like a big brain but she found that sort of stuff interesting. "I'm only half way through it but it's not bad so far."

She picked a napkin off the table and wiped her hands for a second before looking back at Rachel. "How was your summer?" she asked, honestly curious.

[Rachel Gilbert]

Rachel smile and stood there silently for a moment while Maitland emerged from her thoughts.

''The Effects of the Muggle Revolution on the French Wizarding World,"

''Oh'' Rachel muttered weakly. That was not something she was really in to, reading up on things like that. Unless it was homework she prefered to stay away from things that might challenge her brain, however much she liked to read. Rachel nodded as Maitland cantinued to speak, and was releved when she changed the subject onto he summer holidays.

Rachel sat down on the bench next to Maitland and leaned her back against the table. It was slightly uncomfortable, but she didn't really care.

''My summer?'' Rachel began, ''It was ok. Me, mom and Dad went to South France for 3 weeks, swimming every day and stuff, but when we got home dad insisted on teachin' me useless stuff about England's history, not even the interesting bits were there where plagues and stuff just a loada' kings and queens, and a load of maths. Boring'' She paused for a moment then, ''Have you ever been to the South of france?'' Rachel doubted it, but then, you never know, Maitland could have gone. The boat trips over there where never nice, and the train journy all the way down to the south were worse, but it was nice when you got to the beach. Rachel still even had a slight tan.

[Maitland Carnes]

Maitland let out a small noise, a half groan and a half sigh, when she heard Rachel had gone to the south of France. She would give anything to be able to travel and just see France. She'd read so much about it but could never go. With her parents having five boys, they could never really afford to go on vacations in such. Maitland didn't complain, but it still would be nice to get to go somewhere.

"Kings and Queens are kinda interesting but math. Ick!" Maitland made a small gagging noise before she laughed lightly to herself. Math had been her worst subject when she'd attended muggle school. She was relieved to come to Hogwarts and find that the only real math was in potions and ancient runes and oh what was that other one?

She shook her head to Rachel's question, letting out another small sigh. "No, I'm afraid I haven't. it sounds absolutely gorgous though. I've read all about it but my parents aren't the vacation types." She shook her head saddly before setting her napkin back up on the table. "So your parents actually let you come back to school huh? With all the panic and all?"

[Rachel Gilbert]

Rachel laughted slightly, in agreement to Maitland's comment. ''Yeh, pointless'' she replyed. Rachel moved on the bench a bit, resting a different part of her back on the table, in a poistion that was just a tiny bit more comfy.She rested her elbows on the table to and had her head turned towards Maitland. Rachel nodded to her comment on France, it was lovely. Quite and pleasent, loads of rocks to climd without people telling you to 'come down and get away from that 30 foot drop'. Wimps. The beaches where lovely, and the sea was warm and - best of all - sharkless. Sure there were Jelly fish, but not a single shark to be seen. ''Pitty, its real nice, but you gotta watch out for the jellyfish. The evil things can give you a nast sting.''

''Yeh, they thought this would be the safest place for me, even without Dumbledore.'' Well. Her mom had. She didn't really fill dad in much, seeing how she thought the less he knew the better. And, as far as her mother was conserned, Hogwarts was the safest place to be, even without Dumbledore. Plus she still needed an education. Rachel herself was unsure, and would have wanted to go to the same school as all her other mates had moved to, but her mom wouldn't hear it.

[Maitland Carnes]

"Jellyfish? Eww. I think I'd be to freaked out to go swimming then," she said, making a face. Maybe that wasn't so true though. She'd gone swimming in the lake before even with the squid there and the merepeople, but then again you never heard about any of the students getting eaten by the squid or kidnapped by merpeople. You always heard about jellyfish stinging people though.

She nodded her head a bit to what Rachel said about Dumbledore. "That's what I figured too," she added with a shrug. It hadn't really been up to her parents if she came back or not. It was up to her to decide and then her to convince her parents which ever way she chose. "My parents don't really know much except what I tell them so they didn't have much of a problem with it," she said, finishing off the last of her pumpkin juice.

[Rachel Gilbert]

Rachel laughed at Maitland's face. It was true that they were a danger, but Rachel had gone for 3 weeks and only got stung twice because she wasn't looking where she was going. ''It's ok, they only come out on the days when the sea is slightly colder than normal.''

Well, if her parents weren’t educated in the knowledge of the recent He-who-must-not-be-named saga then they must be muggles. This was a new peice of infomate Rachel had learned already, and the school day hadn't even started. Maitland was lucky. If Rachel was in the same position she would have persuaded her parents to let her move school with her other mates. But no, she had to have the controlling type for a mother.

The convosation seemed to die, as Rachel could thing of nothing to reply with, so she changed the subject onto the first thing that came to mind: School. ''So, what lessons have you got today?''

It probably isn't much of a suprise, seeing as she lived in the school. Rachel had an early lesson today, Muggle Studies. Personally she found this pointless, as she knew everything there was to know, living all her holidays in Muggle England and having grown up there for 11 years, but it was an easy A and it was also fun to read things in the textbook, Home Life and Social Habits of British Muggles, that were very odd. There wasn' much about the slang that brits used, and the bits that were there didn't even make sence to Rachel, and she was sure it wouldn't to any of her mates back home. But there was no point saying anything, and the textbook was mainly right.