Early Start

[Bridget Riley]

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Though since Bridget's arrival at Hogwarts her Nimbus 2000 had remained untouched in her dormitory, the new first year had found herself drawn to the Quidditch Pitch. The broom had been a birthday present from her Grandfather, and though she appreciated the gesture, she almost felt guilty for taking it. It was definitely the most expensive gift she had ever been given, and unlike her Mother, Bridget was not comfortable taking people's money. She wanted to be independent. Deep down, Bridget wondered whether there was something more to her lack of enthusiasm about the broom, but refused to let that thought escalate. It was no way to spend the first morning at Hogwarts, and if she wanted to have any chance of making friends, she would have to push it to the back of her mind. As the sun rose higher above the horizon, Bridget made her way from the owlery to the grounds. She had just finished writing her letter to thank her Grandfather, though she hadn't managed to make it sound very sincere. Bridget was just a bad liar. After a confusing journey through the castle, she was fairly relieved to be outdoors again. Hogwarts was a wonderful place, but all the corridors and trick doors were messing with her head.

A short walk later, Bridget had found the Quidditch pitch. It seemed that several older Gryffindor students were practising, and multiple cheers erupted from them as the chasers scored a goal. Bridget's mouth formed a brief smiled as she shared their excitement and sat herself down on the benches to watch. There weren't many other students about, though a few were also spectating the Gryffindors. Bridget assumed that half of the students were still sleeping and the other half were eating breakfast. Personally, she had been far too excited to think about eating, and besides, she'd stuffed herself to bursting last night. The food had been wonderful. Whilst her Mother was a great cook, it could never compare to the food she had tasted last night. Bridget had eaten so much she'd nearly made herself sick, and the thought of food this morning was unappetizing.

Bridget smiled and clapped as the Gryffindor seeker caught the snitch, causing a fellow Hufflepuff to glare at her for supporting them. She frowned, stuffing her hands into her robe pockets and crossing her legs. Though she had never played a Quidditch match before, Bridget had mastered the basics of riding a broom and picked it up very quickly, though she hadn't been very far off the ground yet. Not because she couldn't, but because her fear of heights always got the better of her when she tried. Still, she had read a lot about Quidditch and knew what each role was and how the game worked. She couldn't wait for flying lessons to start, and only hoped that she had plucked up the courage to fly higher than a few feet by then.
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[Belladonna Metzger]

Belladonna Metzger adjusted the bright red bow she had wrapped into her hair decided that it was now or never. If Belladonna was ever going to get used to this castle, she might as well try figure it while she still had the chance. "I really don't want to wait until the day before classes to try and find my away around. I already figure that I'm probably going to be late at least to one of my classes." That was actually Belladonna being cocky in her skills. In actuality, she was probably going to be late to every single one of her classes the first week or so. The blonde had a knack for not only getting lost, but for having the worst luck a person could possibly have at her age. The young cub passed by an archway that let students have a perfect view of the Quidditch pitch in the distance, and Belladonna paused. Her dad was a well known Quidditch player so she had spent most of her life around the sport. The pitch was practically calling to her, and Belladonna wanted to run to it. "I promised myself that I would try to familiarize myself with the castle though. But....Quidditch! Agh what to do?! I know I need to do the responsible thing, but at the same time...." Belladonna mentally argued with her conscience. As much as she knew that she needed to find where the classrooms were while she could, Belladonna would really much rather go out and have fun.

"Aw screw it!" Belladonna muttered as she broke out into a dead run towards the Quidditch Pitch. It didn't take her long to get there either, which brought Belladonna to praise the fact that she was in shape. From the distance, Belladonna could see the Gryffindor Quidditch team beginning their early morning practice. A rush of envy washed over Belladonna at the very sight of it. Oh how she would love to try out for the team. Were first years even allowed? "You suck at flying though, remember?" Belladonna frowned at the cynical nature of her own mind. A few feet away from where Belladonna had arrived at, soft clapping erupted. Belladonna turned her to look at the person, and immediately a small grin plastered itself onto her lips. "Aren't you cheering for the wrong team?" Belladonna asked, her voice as smooth and friendly as she could make it without laughing or whispering. The last thing she wanted the girl to think was that she was making fun of her. Belladonna was just merely curious as to why the girl was clapping for the Gryffindor team. It was kind of cool to see someone bold enough to do that. ​

 

[Bridget Riley]

Bridget folded her arms to hug herself, the bitter morning air seeping through her clothes and giving her goosebumps. It wasn't just the cold breeze causing these, though. Just watching other students play Quidditch gave Bridget an overwhelming sense of freedom. Her soft smile vanished quickly as a voice to her right interrupted her train of thought. At first, Bridget prepared to have to defend herself. She assumed that it was another Hufflepuff angry at her for cheering on the wrong team, but she had been quick to judge. The smile reappeared on her lips as one of the Gryffindor chasers directed the quaffle straight through a hoop. "Oh, yes," Bridget said frivolously, grinning. "But if it was me up there, then I think I'd want people to cheer me on - even if they were from a different house," she added softly, smiling at her acquaintance. It had perhaps been Bridget's love of fairness and equality that had lead her to Hufflepuff. When she watched the team practice, she didn't see Gryffindors, but fellow human beings who could probably use a boost of confidence. Besides, it wasn't in her temperament to be competitive.

Turning her attention back to the girl, Bridget couldn't help but notice how pretty she was. Although she didn't judge others by their looks, it was certainly hard to avoid staring. Bridget had been blessed with her Mother's eyes and mouth, but you had to like certain qualities in a person to find her attractive. This didn't exactly bother Bridget, since not only was she far too young to think about relationships, she believed that if someone was as shallow as to judge her by appearance then she wouldn't want to talk to them anyway. She stared out at the Gryffindor team and sighed a little. She wished more than anything that she could be up there with them, feeling that rush of adrenaline she rarely ever had the privilege of having. Though Bridget wasn't great at small talk, a question suddenly struck her. "What house are you in, anyway?" She asked, wondering whether the girl was a fellow Hufflepuff. This seemed unlikely since she hadn't met her before, but Bridget stayed hopeful. Since her arrival at Hogwarts, she had become pretty homesick. Even the friends she had made in Brightstone Village seemed to have forgotten about her.

I wasn't sure whether Belladonna was wearing her robes or whatever... PM me if you want me to change it!

 

[Belladonna Metzger]

Belladonna felt a chilly breeze brush past her, and shivered. As much as she loved Autumn, sometimes the weather wasn't the best. If there was a campfire here though, she would be all over that. Belladonna loved everything there was about a roaring campfire on a chilly autumn day. Blue eyes fixed themselves on the girl as she explained why she would want others cheering for her too. Even if they were from another house. Belladonna could easily admit that the girl had a point too. Having a crowd that liked you made it a lot easier. "I suppose I never thought of it like that. I'm really new at the whole house stuff, so I'm still not sure how they all interact with one another. My name's Belladonna by the way!" The blonde grinned ever so softly. There was no room to lie, Belladonna had no idea which houses clicked and which didn't. Though she often heard the other First years in her house talking about the house in green. A rush of wind engulfed the stands as the players began their practice, and Belladonna was floored. How on earth could they move so quickly without falling off of their broomsticks every five minute's?

When Belladonna was asked what house she was in, the blonde raised her eyebrows humorously at the anonymous student. Well she was in the Gryffindor stands wasn't she? After a moment another smile took possession of Belladonna's lips, and she smiled at the girl. "I'm a Gryffindor. Err...a lion as some may say." Belladonna remembered the girl being sorted into a house called Hufflepuff. But that was about it. Maybe they could be friends if the girl was willing to talk to Belladonna more and get to know her. Belladonna figured that she could be a really good friend if someone gave her the chance to be. "Would it be okay if I sat with you?" Belladonna went out on a limb, hoping that she would get a lucky break at some point or another. For some reason it was a lot harder making friends with others than she would have guessed. A good chunk of students already avoided her for reasons unknown to Belladonna. That was fine though, it wasn't like she could force someone to be her friend. Even if that would be kind of funny to witness. Briefly, Belladonna's eyes went back to the practice as she waited for the strangers answer. ​

 

[Bridget Riley]

When Belladonna spoke, Bridget had to pause a moment to consider her words. She, too, had little to no idea about how the houses were supposed to interact with each other, yet hadn't given it a second thought. Perhaps it was the reason as to why her friends no longer spoke to her. Was being a Hufflepuff a bad thing? Bridget shook her head slightly in thought. It couldn't be, since Nathan was a Hufflepuff as well. The young scot was so deep in thought that she almost forgot to introduce herself. She forced a smile to her lips and began to speak. "To be honest, I don't really know either. All I know is that the houses compete against each other for something. Wow, that's a pretty name. Bridget Riley," She smiled (genuinely this time), despite being a little disappointed that her name was so boring in comparison. Whilst she had been talking, her Scottish accent had become more and more heightened - a habit that she could not consciously control.

Bridget lowered her head a little as Belladonna's eyebrows raised. Her self esteem was often based on what other people thought about her, and she suddenly felt as though she'd done something wrong. Luckily, the girl seemed not to have meant the gesture in an unkind way. Bridget's jaw almost dropped when Belladonna asked so politely whether she could sit down. "Of course you can! I mean, I'd really like the company," She added as an attempt to make her feel more comfortable. She turned her attention back to the Gryffindor team. She couldn't imagine how amazing it would feel to have the wind rushing through her hair as she flew. But Bridget was only a first year, and sadly she knew that she would have to have a lot of talent to make the team. Whilst she was a great flyer, her fear of heights was certain to decrease the quality of her try out. "Gryffindor, huh?" Bridget mused aloud, wondering if Belladonna would notice the slight crack in her voice. She was fairly good at hiding her emotions when she was sad, but often inadvertently slipped up. Deep down, Bridget sometimes wondered whether Gryffindor would have been the right house for her. And now, to add to the list of reasons why she thought she should be there, this girl was in Gryffindor too. Quickly, she smothered her feelings. "That's great. Although I do hope we don't have to compete with each other in Quidditch. Do you play?" She asked, secretly hoping that the answer would be yes. Even if they were competing, Bridget would have loved to see Bella on the team.

 

[Belladonna Metzger]

Belladonna was a bit relieved to hear that the other girl didn't really understand it either. Some houses seemed to compete more than others it would seem too. Like the house Belladonna was in seemed to have a big problem with the Slytherin's. According to history, Salazar Slytherin and Godric Gryffindor used to be best friends until some sort of agreement about blood status broke them apart. Belladonna didn't blame Godric for getting upset. Blood was one of the silliest things to discriminate against. No one could control what blood type they were born with in the first place, and in the end blood did the one thing it was meant to do. Keep someone alive. "I kind of wish everyone would just get along. It'd be so much easier to make friends. You think my name is pretty? Well thanks! Bridget's a really cute name too!" Belladonna wrinkled her nose when she heard the girl tell her that her nae was pretty. Belladonna didn't think so, but different people had different opinions about stuff. As far as Belladonna knew, her name was something akin to a deadly plant that was sometimes used in potions, but was toxic to humans. That didn't sound all that pretty to her.

Belladonna found back a grin and bounced over to where the girl was sitting. To some people, Belladonna might seem like she was shy and cautious. But really, she was very outgoing and full of energy that hated to be contained. "Do you like being in Hufflepuff?" Bridget had this tone in her voice, that made her sound like there was more to her statement than she wanted to say out loud the first time. "I want to play, but I'm still not really good at flying on a broomstick yet. My dad is a famous Quidditch player, so I know a lot about the game. If only I was more graceful, though. What about you? Do you play?" Belladonna questioned, her blue eyes drifting out to glance at the players on the pitch. Hopefully one day that would be her down there. Zipping through the wind at a hundred miles per hour or something. From where she was sitting she could also get a good glimpse at that really cute captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Though he was much older than she was, Belladonna found it easy to admit that she had a soft spot for guys like him.​