Closed In the Snakes den

[Leda Layton]

Leda had spent a good portion of the last four years telling and listening to the stories of her classmates. The red head knew however that with her OWLs on the horizon, she was going to need to up her game. She had yet to approach the Hogwarts Monthly, as while she felt like she'd be a very good asset to the team, she wasn't quite sure she had the experience, and if her sister Olives history was anything to go by, the more experience the Slytherin could get, the better.

The sorting ceremony had been particularly interesting for the fifth year, who had done her best to pin point a number of students that she would be able to talk to. She had very little to go on of course, given she only spoke to three other students in the school, but if she wanted to do this whole journalism thing, then she was going to need to branch out. She would later report to her best friend Mervyn in the hope he approved of her plan, but for now she had priorities underway.

After approaching one of the newbies and asking her to meet, Leda impatiently sat waiting at one of the desks in the student lounge, hoping that the little first year she'd chosen wouldn't be late.

 

[Rioghan Scairbhin]

Rioghan briskly walked to the student lounge with a single-minded focus to get there five minutes before the time she was to supposed to have the interview with Leda. Opening the door to the lounge, she gave a polite grin at the impatient upperclassman even as she gripped the sling of her bag.

"Good afternoon, Linda-san. I hope I didn't keep you waiting for too long."

 

[Leda Layton]

Leda had barely been sat down a full minute before she spotted the girl wandering through the doors of the student lounge. Knowing that first impressions were important, Leda gave her the widest grin she could muster. The girl seemed much more polite than she'd ever been as a first year. "No, that's fine." She replied simply, flicking open her notebook and gestering the first year should take a seat opposite. "Can you tell me your full name?" She asked, jumping straight into business. She had plenty of questions to ask. "Just for the record."

 

[Rioghan Scairbhin]

Rioghan put her bag down beside her and took a seat, smoothing her skirt before placing her hands on her lap, her back straight as her Grandmother taught her.

"I am Rioghan Benikaze Scairbhìn, but please call me Ree."

Merlin, she was glad she hadn't stuttered yet.

 

[Leda Layton]

Leda blinked twice at the paper before her, not wanting to give away her incompetence at academics. Ree S. It would have to do. "Um. Thanks. And you're in Gryffindor right?" She asked, pretty sure she recalled Ree headed towards to Lions table that day. Making a few more notes next to the girls name, Leda finally looked up at her squarely, clapping her hands together on the desk in front of her. "So. Tell me. What do you think of the school so far? Is it what you expected?" For Leda, she'd grown up unaware of Hogwarts at all, so everything had been a bit of s surprise.

 

[Rioghan Scairbhin]

Rioghan brightened up at the question, remembering the stories her Father had told her.

"Everything has been amazing and incredibly fascinating so far. To be honest, it's very different to what I'm used to. Japan had a preferences for wooden structures rather than castles." Rioghan grinned a bit cheekily at that. "Father did tell me stories of his time here though, and I am very much happy that it hasn't even done justice to the real thing!"

 

[Leda Layton]

Leda listened, taking in the information. She wasn't sure how she felt about wooden houses. Bit of a fire risk if anyone asked her. "He came here too? Why not go to Mahoutokoro? It's in Japan after all," Leda asked with genuine interest. She nearly went to Ilvermorny herself since she used to live in the US, but after hearing about Olives time in Hogwarts Scotland she knew she had to attend one variation of the latter.

 

[Rioghan Scairbhin]

Rioghan nodded politely. She felt her nervousness ease and let her talkative side out.

"My father is Irish, that's why he went to school here. My mother was from Japan. Both of them are Cursebreakers and they travel a lot so I grew up with my maternal grandmother. She was the one who wanted me to go there." Recalling her Grandmother's face as she informed her that she will be attending Hogwarts brought a wave of satisfaction through her and her smile morphed to a smirk. "But I disagreed. I wasn't about to let someone dictate my life afterall."

 

[Leda Layton]

Leda listened intently, as the girl talked to her about her family. She had no idea what a cursebreaker was, having grown up with a majority muggle family herself, but she didn't want to appear stupid to the first year. "Well. Hogwarts is the best afterall" she gave the girl a grin. This one seemed to be opening up to her pretty easily, and the Slytherin pondered over far she could take it. "So are you settling into your dorm? Have you made any friends yet? Or enemies?" She added eagerly, qull never leaving the page for more than a few seconds at a time.