Helping out Firsties

[Kauri Morales-Tipene]

Now that he was no longer one of the youngest students at Hogwarts, Kauri was ready to step up to the responsibility. He had always loved helping new students out at his primary school, and Hogwarts was going to be no difference. If anything, new students would surely need him more - those shifting staircases and tangled hallways could be a nightmare to navigate, especially when you were late to class. Kauri knew a proper tour would have helped him out a bunch when he was a first year, and he was ready to do his best to make sure no first years this time around had the same struggles he had trying to navigate this enormous castle.

Wandering around the Entrance Hall, Kauri kept his eyes open for anyone who looked young and/or lost, ready to give them a helping hand getting used to this place. He tried not to look too eager or imposing, he didn't want to scare them, or make anyone worry that they were being pranked. The only thing Kauri wanted to do was help them out. After looking around for a while, Kauri spotted a girl who definitely seemed to be a first year, and approached her with a friendly smile. "Hey! My name's Kauri. Are you a first year? I'm giving castle tours for first years trying to find their feet at Hogwarts. No charge, no tricks, just wanna help you find your way around this place. Are you interested?"

 

[Katherine Porter]

This is hopeless Kat thought to herself as she wandered between hallways and staircases. She should have tagged along with another Ravenclaw instead of going off on her own!

She'd been wandering around in the castle for about an hour now, having no idea where she was. That's the problem with being in Ravenclaw, everything was so far away from the tower it seemed, leaving more room to get lost. She continued her wandering and after a few more minutes finally started to recognize where she was. She was pretty sure she'd found her way to the Entrance Hall!

She was too excited about having made it here that she almost didn't notice the boy headed toward her. She started a bit when he spoke but calmed instantly at his friendly expression.

Kat took a moment to realize he was speaking to her. "H-hi, yeah I'm a first year Ravenclaw. Oh, my name's Katherine Porter, but you can call me Kat." She smiled shyly at him. She always got nervous talking to new people. "Really? I'd love a tour! I've been getting all turned around since I got here!" She paused and glanced at his house insignia, "But wait, you're a Gryffindor. Why would you want to help a Ravenclaw first year? Not that it matters much."

She hoped that question hadn't made him change his mind about offering her help, but she was curious.

 

[Kauri Morales-Tipene]

Kauri was relieved to hear that the girl was in fact a first year. He had been a bit worried about the possibility of insulting a short older student, but his guess had been right on the money. "Nice to meet you, Kat!" He gave her a friendly, encouraging smile. "I used to get lost all the time in my first year, but since I'm getting better at it I wanna help out anyone I can, this castle can be pretty confusing. It's no fun being late for class because you took the wrong staircase and wound up in the kitchen." He gave a friendly smile, hoping Kat could tell he was sincere. "Is there anywhere in particular you're curious about, or should we just do a general walk of the castle?"

 

[Katherine Porter]

Kat grinned as Kauri explained why he wanted to help her. "Really? You used to get lost too? I thought it was just me! All of the other first years seem to get around just fine I thought."

It was then that she processed fully what he'd said. "Wait. Students have access to the kitchens?!" She squeaked excitedly. She realized she'd gotten a bit loud and winced slightly. "Oh sorry! I got a little excited. I just didn't know that, I'd overheard some other students whispering about the kitchens, but it didn't sound like they knew where they were."

She blushed deeply in embarrassment as she answered his question. "Erm. Actually, I'd really been looking for the library when I ended up here. I didn't think I'd gone down so many stairs.. But I was just happy to see a familiar area, I'd been wandering lost for over an hour before I wound up here. So, erm.. I'd really like if you could show me the library especially, but maybe a whole castle walk would be a good idea... If you're sure you don't mind?"

She wasn't sure if it was his friendly attitude, or just the fact that he was the first upper year willing to help her, but she just felt comfortable with Kauri. She hoped she didn't drive him off with her nervousness, she could tell he was a good person and a good friend to those lucky enough to call him that. She hoped they could find some common ground to talk about during their tour of the castle.

 

[Kauri Morales-Tipene]

Kauri laughed and shook his head. "Nah, I think most people spend their first couple of months here pretty much a mess. It's a big place to get used to, even if the whole moving stairs thing wasn't a factor." He smiled. "You don't have to worry about being the only one who's lost, though hopefully you won't have to worry about being lost at all for long."

Kauri smiled, happy to see the girl excited. "Well, I don't think we're really supposed to. I've never actually gone in them, but I know a few people sneak in there to grab food sometimes. They're down in the dungeons, kind of near the Potions classroom. We can go by there later." He smiled.

Kauri nodded, listening to her request. "Oh sure, no problem! The library's not too hard to find from here, just up a bunch of stairs." He smiled encouragingly. "We could go there first, then start circling around the rest of the castle?" Beginning to walk, Kauri led Kat over to the nearest flight of stairs. "This one isn't too tricky, it just alternates between those two platforms. To get to the library wait until it's on the one with the painting of a guy holding an apple." Kauri waited, watching as the stairs made their slow journey over to the correct balcony. "Here we go." He smiled, starting to head up the stairs. "So what classes are you looking forward to?"

 

[Katherine Porter]

Kat sighed in relief before her face screwed into a look of confusion for a moment. "I can understand that a lot of people would get turned around for awhile here. I mean, I think the staircases have something against me because I can never seem to take the right one..." She laughed. "But I hope you're right that I won't have to worry about it much longer. I'm just worried that I'll forget something, after all this castle is huge!"

She was excited about his offer to show her the kitchens, "Really? That would be awesome! I don't think I'll really need to use the kitchens, the food in the Great Hall is more than enough, but it would be good to know just in case. Is it true that house elves are the ones who make all the food? I've never actually seen one before." The last comment was more to herself than anything, but it just came spilling out. She was pretty sure that her Grandparents' probably had some on their estate, but having never been allowed over there, she wouldn't know.

That thought process turned her mood downhill for a moment as she frowned. That is, until Kauri said that they could go to the library first! Just thinking about all of the wonderful books waiting there made her beam! Her life by no means revolved around books, but that didn't mean that she didn't love them! She was practically bouncing as she said, "That sounds amazing! Thank you!"

Kat followed closely by Kauri's side to the nearest staircase, calming herself down along the way and putting on a serious expression. She needed to remember everything he said. She definitely didn't want to end up lost again! She wished she could just take notes of what he told her, but that would just look a bit silly, wouldn't it.

They waited for the stairs to shift to the correct balcony that they needed and Kauri explained about the painting of the man with the apple. She nodded and committed it to memory. Kauri smiled and started walking, breaking Kat from her concentrated daze as she caught back up to him and he asked her about which classes she was looking forward to.

"Well, I am actually looking forward to a lot of them. My favorite subject of all is Potions, so I am most looking forward to that. I have heard that Professor Pendleton is a great teacher! I know Herbology and Potions are closely linked, so I want to learn all I can in Herbology too. I really don't know much about Astronomy yet, but it seems really interesting anyway. I'm also really looking forward to Flying lessons, I love to fly! My friend Luna and I grew up together and our dads taught us how to fly ages ago. But I think it will be fun to learn again with everyone else." She knew she was babbling, but she just couldn't help herself. She was so excited about classes and finally having the chance to prove herself.

She smiled happily, "But what about your classes? Are they much harder in..." She paused, realizing Kauri had never said which year he was in. He didn't look too much older than her, so he couldn't be older than a third year. She realized she'd trailed off mid-sentence. "Oh sorry. What year are you in anyway? You never did say."

 

[Kauri Morales-Tipene]

Kauri nodded sympathetically. "It's so big, I know there are parts I still haven't explored yet, but they're just like, areas that're classrooms for older students. Like, I don't need to know where Divination happens until next year, so I haven't been around there. You'll memorise the routes you need to know after a month or so, and then you can kinda branch out and explore more, but there's so much to this place. I wouldn't be surprised if there are secret rooms and stuff too."

Kauri faltered a little at her question. "I... maybe? I dunno what a house elf is, aye, I've never actually been inside the kitchens." He chuckled. "Like I said, I don't think we're supposed to go there, but people do. We can go by and pop our heads in maybe, take a peek. If anyone yells at us we pretend we both got lost, yeah?" He grinned cheekily. Kauri wasn't much one for mischief and bending rules, but he could maybe do a quick bend, for curiosity's sakes.

Kauri walked down the next corridor with Kat as he listened to her talk about classes, nodding as he listened. "Oh yeah, Professor Pendleton's awesome. He and Professor Haden, the charms teacher, are my favourites. Herbology's awesome too though, you learn heaps of cool stuff about plants. I'm not super into Astronomy myself, it's just like, too late at night, aye? I'm rubbish at staying up that late, I always get sleepy ten minutes into class." He chuckled. "Flying's pretty cool, I had never even seen a flying broom before, so it was kinda a lot. Wasn't my best class, but it was fun." He smiled. "Do you wanna go up for Quidditch in second year? It's like, a cool sport with brooms and stuff."

Kauri smiled when Kat asked about his classes. "I'm in second year. It's... not that much different, I think third and fifth years are the ones where things really change. In third year you can choose your own subjects, and fifth year you start getting into like, more serious exams than you've done before. Ones that actually matter."

 

[Katherine Porter]

Kat thought over Kauri's words for a moment. "Hmm. Well I guess that's true. I can't wait to be able to explore more once I know my way around the main areas. It would be so cool to discover hidden rooms or passages!" She grinned brightly at the idea.

"Oh sorry, heh. I guess you wouldn't know either, I just got ahead of myself." She gave a nervous sort of laugh in embarrassment. She grinned back at him as she considered his offer of peeking in the kitchens, then faltered, "But what if they don't believe us? Would we get in trouble for being in there?" Her expression turned to one of nervousness. "I could probably just read about it in the library, I really wouldn't want you getting into trouble over it!" She would love to see the kitchens and see if there really were House Elves, but Kauri had already been so nice to her, he shouldn't get into trouble for her curiosity.

She perked up however as they walked down the next corridor. "Really? I haven't had Professor Haden yet, but I hope I can do well in charms with a good teacher. I've never been very good at the subject, I just don't really understand a lot of the theory from what I've read in the texts."

She giggled as explained why he wasn't too keen on Astronomy. "Really? Well, I mean I don't do so well at staying up either honestly, it's hard. But the sky is just so pretty, it's worth it! And it's so interesting to learn about! I read that when you look at a star in our sky you're seeing our present, but the star's past. It could be one-hundred light years away and already dead, but still shining brightly for us!" Kat beamed before blushing as she realized she'd been babbling again, oops!

She smiled when he asked about Quidditch. "Oh yeah, flying is really fun once you have the hang of it. I think it would be neat to go out for the team next year, but my friend is a lot more into Quidditch than I am, and I wouldn't want to lessen her chances. I really just like flying, it's not so much about the game to me. If I could just fly on my own or with a friend sometimes then I'd rather not be in the team at all. It's a dangerous sport, and the bludgers kind of scare me a bit."

She listened intently as he talked about the different years, and already couldn't wait for third year. "Wow, that's so cool! Do you know which classes you want to take next year when you can choose?"

 

[Jon Phillips]

Jon was minding his own business, whistling to himself while making his way around the castle to kill some spare time. Although in the midst of his stroll he walked past two young students, managing to overhear their conversation. He had not intended to eavesdrop but he was glad when he did as the conversation he heard told him that an older student was showing one of the new first years around the castle. It brought a smile across his face as he turned around to walk back towards the students and reward the older one for his good behavior. Luckily the boy was in uniform so he did not need to ask his house before giving him points. "Sorry to interrupt." Jon said as he approached the pair. "But I just wanted to say that it's very kind of you to show someone new around the school. Ten points to Gryffindor!" He said, smiling. Positive reinforcement for good deeds was just as important as punishments for rule breaking and he was glad to have noticed this boy's kindness in time to reward him with house points. ​

 

[Kauri Morales-Tipene]

Kauri nodded. "It would, aye! I've tried looking around a bit, but I dunno really where to start. I'm worried the portraits will get tetchy if I try to move them to look behind." He laughed a bit, then shrugged at Kat's comments about the kitchens. "I mean, people go there all the time, I've never heard about anyone actually getting in trouble, I think it's just like, a bit of a finger wagging. If we just pop our heads in we should be okay." He smiled. Truth be told, the thought of breaking even a minor rule made Kauri a little queasy, but he didn't want to come across as too much of a goody-goody.

Kauri nodded. "The charms book isn't much use without the practical stuff, I reckon. Once you get into class and you're actually practicing charms and stuff it'll feel a lot better. To me Charms just feels the most like, yeah, we're doing real magic with wands and stuff." He laughed. "Probably a bit silly, but it's still really novel to me. I only learned about magic a year ago." He listened to Kat talk about Astronomy, nodding in interest. "I guess it's pretty fun to look at the stars. I'm just never awake enough to enjoy it." He laughed.

Kauri laughed a little in agreement. "Yeah, I considered trying out, but it looks a bit more dangerous than I like. Flying alone is pretty fun, but the balls that whack into people just make Quidditch feel like kinda a bad idea to me." He shrugged. "Other people enjoy it though."

Kauri hesitated, pausing a little to think about classes. "I dunno really, I haven't actually thought about what I wanna take next year yet. Care of Magical Creatures, I think. There's a fair thing at the end of the year for second years, where they tell us all the stuff about the different classes. I'll probably wait 'til that before I decide for sure."

Thinking of the Professors for the upper years, Kauri was surprised to see one of them approaching. He had no idea what the man taught, but really, really hoped he hadn't heard them talking about the kitchens. He was surprised when, instead, the Professor awarded him some house points. "Oh! Thanks, Professor!" Kauri said enthusiastically, beaming. That just made this whole day even more perfect.

 

[Katherine Porter]

Kat laughed at Kauri's comment about the portraits, "Oh, well I guess I wouldn't like it much either if I were a portrait. But maybe they'd be willing to tell you about hidden places if you ask nicely enough?" She smiled and decided that maybe visiting the kitchens would be okay after all. "Well, okay... If you're sure then. I think it would be fun to peek our heads in just to see!" She trusted him to know what he was talking about, she just hoped no one caught them. And if they did she hoped they would be understanding of their curiosity.

"Oh really, so your parents must be muggles then? I'll bet seeing magic for the first time and finding out you were a wizard was a shock!" She giggled and continued, "My mom's a muggle too, so she always used to tell me stories about when my dad first told her about magic. And I don't think that's a silly reason to like charms! I think I'd be the same if I were you. I wish I was in charms this term so I could do some actual magic too, heh. I love most of my classes, but I haven't had to use my wand even once."

"That's okay, not everyone is into the same things. I guess it would be pretty boring if we were!" She grinned.

Kat laughed softly and teased, "Oh, but where's that Gryffindor bravery?" She smiled cheekily and continued, "I guess it is a pretty bad idea though when you put it that way. I think I might just stick to flying without the threat of bludgers knocking me off my broom. I'll let the enthusiasts like my friend Luna play instead."

She listened as he explained about the fair for third year classes. "That's cool that they have a fair for it, I'd never heard about that. I'm sure that will help a lot in choosing which classes you want!"

As they continued their journey they walked past a professor, but she didn't really pay him much attention, thus she was startled and jumped slightly when he came back and spoke to them. Her face paled as she hoped he hadn't heard their plans of going to the kitchens. She really didn't want Kauri to get in trouble. She was about to blurt that the kitchens were all her idea when the professor instead awarded Kauri points. Her face returned to its normal color finally and she felt like she could breathe again. She smiled and nodded in a friendly way at the professor, unsure what to say.

She waited until she was sure the professor was out of earshot and quietly squeaked out, "I thought we were in big trouble for a minute there!" She let out a small relieved laugh.

 

[Kauri Morales-Tipene]

Kauri smiled, considering what she had said. "I guess asking them is a good idea. I always sorta forget pictures can talk here, I'm not really used to it yet." He glanced at the walls, wondering if the portraits were listening in. What if they were insulted that he didn't talk to them? Kauri made a mental note to make more of an effort, as he nodded in agreement. "We'll go pop our heads in for sure." He smiled.

Kauri nodded quickly. "A huge shock!" He laughed. "My parents didn't even believe the letter at first, they thought it was a prank. But uh, here I am, so..." He smiled, listening to Kat talk about her classes. "Oh yeah, they start off really magic light, it' kind of sucks. Charms, Transfiguration, and Defense against the Dark Arts are the best ones for really learning spells, though the Defense teacher is kind of creepy." He glanced around, hoping nobody was nearby to hear him speaking ill of a teacher. Kauri still liked the subject, but Professor Styx was by no means his favourite person in the castle.

Kauri laughed. "I like to think I'm a sensible Gryffindor." He grinned. "Nah but yeah, it didn't seem like a good idea when I only picked up a broom last year. I'm sure there are people who are totally safe playing it." He nodded in response to her comment about the class fair. "Yeah, it'll be good. I think all the upper level Professors come and tell people about their subject, so you can get an idea of what you're gonna be in for if you take them."

Kauri laughed too, glancing back at the Professor. "Me too, oh man. I was fully worried he was gonna tell me off for talking about going to the kitchens. That was cool though. I don't even know what that guy teaches."

 

[Katherine Porter]

Kat smiled, "Yeah, even I'm not used to the whole portraits talking thing. We don't have any at home because they freak mum out. So, I don't know if they'd actually be helpful, but it'd be worth a try!" She gave a quick nod of agreement and excitement about the kitchens and at last let the subject drop.

She giggled when he said his parents thought they'd been pranked. "Really?! Do you know what made them realize it wasn't just a prank?" She was glad they had though, because she liked Kauri and was happy that an upper year was being so kind to her. She listened as he talked about the different classes. "Oh, I'm not in Defense or Charms this year, so I don't have Professor Styx yet, is he really that bad?" Her eyes widened slightly. She hoped no other professors wandered by and heard this part of their conversation. She considered for a moment before saying, "I am taking Transfiguration this year though, but I'm pants at the subject." She laughed and her cheeks tinted slightly at admitting she was bad at a subject.

She smiled, glad he didn't seem to mind her small amount of teasing. "Well I'm glad you are a sensible Gryffindor. You just don't seem like a ste-" She paused, scrunching her nose as she tried to think of the word she was trying to use, "Ah! Stereotypical! You don't seem to be a stereotypical Gryffindor. I just don't feel like most Gryffindors, or any other upper years for that matter, would take the time our of their own schedules to show me around." She smiled appreciatively.

She thought about what he said for a minute, "I can't wait to be a third year and pick my own classes too!" She grinned. "Hmm, well, maybe you will find out what he teaches at the class fair at the end of the year? Hopefully he is that nice in class too!"

 

[Kauri Morales-Tipene]

Kauri nodded. "I imagine it'd be a bit weird having them all round your house. It's a bit weird having them all around the school. One time I leaned on one by mistake, and he threw a fit!" He laughed awkwardly. The whole concept of having paintings all around, constantly watching them, was more than a little creepy to him.

Kauri shrugged. "I'm not sure, actually. Maybe one of the Professors came and talked to them or something. They didn't really seem to actually believe it until we went to get my school supplies. That was about when it sunk in for me too... you can't really argue that you're not magic when you're waving a wand around and stuff's happening." He laughed, remembering that bizarre shopping trip. He almost felt a little sorry for his parents now, having to take him places like that and not getting to participate. "What about your family, what's it like to grow up knowing all this stuff?"

Kauri hesitated to talk about Professor Styx, glancing around to make sure no Professors or Prefects were lurking. "Well, he's just... a bit scary. He's really serious, and he doesn't seem to like... like anyone, or anything, really. I'm not sure why you'd become a teacher if you don't like kids, aye. But he's a good teacher, I guess, just kind of a scary bloke." He nodded in sympathy at her comment about Transfiguration. "Transfig's probably my least favourite subject right now. It sucks in second year. We're studying turning living things into non-living things, which just seems weirdly cruel to me. I don't know why it'd be on the curriculum."

Kauri laughed. "Well, I dunno about stereotypes, but I like helping people. Makes me feel like I've used my time well, ya know? And I'd rather help out someone who needs it and make a new friend than spend my time messing around doing whatever other people are. Just seems like a good way to be to other people."

Kauri nodded. "I hope so! I'm really excited about picking classes, actually. I know some of the classes are about like, telling the future and stuff, I really wanna get into that." he grinned. "Sounds like fun!"

 

[Katherine Porter]

Kat nodded. "It's very weird to have them in a home. The few times I've been to my grandparents' estate, they had portraits hung all over. They watched everything I did." She shuddered a bit at the memory. "It was really creepy, the ones here seem a little friendlier at least." She gasped softly, "Did you really? Hopefully do you don't have to see that portrait often?" She covered her mouth with her hand to hide the small laugh that escaped.

Kat considered his words, "I guess it would make sense for professors to visit muggleborn students. But that must have been so amazing to see all that magic for the first time!" She was nearly bouncing, but stopped at his question. "Erm..."

She stayed silent for a minute or two, contemplating the best way to answer him. She hadn't expected that. "Well, I guess for me one bit difference is that growing up, magic was as normal as breathing in our household. I actually envy you a bit because you can remember the first time you really saw magic. I can't, no matter how hard I try. But it was definitely a lot of fun being able to learn to fly and read books about spells and potions before coming here. I wasn't allowed to practice anything though, so it kind of sucked being able to see adults doing magic when I couldn't."

Kat thought that her opinion might have been different, if she'd been born into a more accepting family, but that wasn't the case. She shook her head, no sense in dwelling on it. "But I mean, it was still cool to see that stuff as a kid and the magical toys were pretty cool. But I still always preferred my mum's muggle books." She smiled.

She listened intentlyas he described the professor. "Well, as long as Professor Styx is a good teacher, I don't much care about what he acts like. I'm looking forward to his class!" She gaped as Kauri described what they were learning in Transfiguration. "Oh my gosh. I would hate that. That just sounds so... inhumane. I already didn't like Transfiguration, now I feel even worse about it." She grimaced.

Kat gave Kauri a big smile, "That's a good point! Maybe next year I will know my way around much better and I can help first years too just like you're helping me!" She knew he was only a year her senior, but she already looked up to him because of his generosity. "This castle is huge and kind of scary, but it's not so bad when you have a friend by your side."

Kat nodded. "Oh yeah! I think that one's Divination? I've always thought it sounded cool, but I don't think I'd be very good at it. If it's something you are interested in though, you should definitely give it a go! Who knows, maybe you're the next great seer of our time!" She grinned in amusement, "I think it would be cool to take Care of Magical Creatures, I know there are a lot of creatures whose different parts are used as potion ingredients, so it would be dead useful to know more about them! I've still got a long wait ahead of me though"

 

[Kauri Morales-Tipene]

Kauri grimaced at the thought. "That sounds super creepy. I guess the ones here have to be used to a bunch of kids running around all the time, they'd probably have to be friendly or they'd hate it. The ones at your grandparents house sound scary." He laughed and shook his head. "Nah, it was down near the dungeons, I don't go down that way very often, just for Potions. It's kind of awkward though, I hope he's forgotten me."

Kauri laughed. "It was cool, but also pretty terrifying. My dad almost had a heart attack. I'm getting used to magical stuff happening all the time, but it still freaks them out." He nodded, listening in interest to Kat's account of what it was like to grow up with magic. "That's so cool! It sounds so different. I wish I'd grown up with all this stuff, it'd be so cool."

Kauri nodded. "Well, see how you feel when you take his class. It's a lot." He nodded more enthusiastically to her response to his description of Transfiguration. "It's awful! I don't know why we're studying it, like the first lesson was like "hey so we don't do this to people because it's inhumane" but then we've spent the whole rest of the term learning how to do it to animals! I hate it. It's the worst class."

Kauri beamed, heart swelling a little at Kat's words. Helping people was the only thing he was really sure he wanted to do with his life, and hearing that he had inspired someone else to want to do the same was the best reward he could imagine. "That's great! I hope you do, I think Hogwarts would be a better place if everyone went around being helpful."

Kauri laughed. "I dunno about a seer, but I really wanna at least give it a try, I reckon like, being able to read tea leaves and stuff would be really cool." His eyes widened as she talked about Care of Magical Creatures and he nodded enthusiastically. "Oh man, that sounds so cool! I always forget that's an option, I'm definitely taking that one. We're taking care of baby Mandrakes in Herbology this year and I love it, I wanna do more of that for sure!"

 

[Katherine Porter]

Kat laughed, "Yeah, they are pretty scary, I'm just glad I don't have to go there often to be judged by paintings." She nodded and smiled, "I'm sure he has forgotten about you by now, I mean just imagine how many students he has seen over time."

Kat considered, "Hmm I guess it would be pretty startling for your parents to know nothing of magic and suddenly have a magical son." She laughed, "It was definitely different, but hey, you may not have grown up fully knowing magic, but at least you know now!"

Kat smiled, determined, "I think I can handle Professor Styx, he can't be that bad! I hope..." She listened in near horror as he described the first class. "That's horrible! Doesn't that would hurt the poor animals? Just thinking about it makes me a little queasy." She placed a hand on her stomach.

She was glad when the conversation turned happier. "I will, I promise! And you're right, I think Hogwarts could use more people who just want to help others, like you Kauri!" She smiled. "I probably never would have asked anyone for help and just stumbled around on my own for awhile if you hadn't approached me first." Her voice got a little quieter as she continued, "I just get a little nervous about talking to new people, so I usually won't walk up to someone I don't know. I'm sure other people have that problem too. I don't want anyone else to wander around lost like I did if I can help it, so I'll make sure to ask if they need my help!" Kat was determined to overcome her shyness next year so that she could help others.

Kat grinned. "You never know though, you could be a seer. But that's really rare. The other skills would be neat to know too though. I imagine it'd be really useful to be able to tell the future! Even if it's only a little bit." She nodded. "Care of Magical Creatures just sounds like an awesome class! I just love animals so I want to learn how to care for them. I've only got a raven right now for a pet, but someday I'd really love to have more animals."

Kat couldn't keep her excitement at bay, "Really? I'm so jealous! We haven't really done much yet in Herbology, just dug around in some soil and grown some pumpkins. I'd love to take care of Mandrakes, it sounds so interesting! What are they like?"

 

[Kauri Morales-Tipene]

((I'M SO SORRY this is so late ;_; my absence wound up way longer than I planned))

Kauri laughed awkwardly. "I suppose that's true." The paintings must have so many students pass by them every day, he supposed it was silly to expect them to remember every single student.

Kauri nodded, smiling. "True! It's so weird, really makes me question everything I think is true. Like, if magic existed my whole life in secret, what other stuff could be going on in secret without anyone noticing?"

Kauri laughed. "Styx is pretty strict and scary, but I bet you'll be fine. Just try to stay on his good side, if he has one." He nodded, mouth twisting a little in discomfort. "It's awful. I used to really like Transfiguration, but I hate this year."

Kauri beamed, so glad that Kat had gotten so much from the help. This was what it was all about. "That's great! I'm sure you'll make other people's first years so much easier!" He said warmly. "It can be hard to ask for help you need when you're somewhere unfamiliar, I reckon everyone should be nice to first years."

Kauri laughed. "I guess it's worth a shot, aye!" He grinned. "But yeah, I reckon tea leaves and stuff would be really cool." He nodded enthusiastically as Kat talked about Care of Magical Creatures. "You've got a raven?!" He gasped. "That's so awesome!"

Kauri smiled. "Ah man, mandrakes are awesome, they're like little dirt babies with leaves for hair. Mine is so cool, we just feed them and look after them and stuff, it's the best."