Rolling Out The Welcome Mat

[Alexia Zhefarovich]

Alexia did not know what entered her mind to make her join the Student's Defense Association. Perhaps it was because she knew that she'll be able to learn spells better there than in the classroom. After all, if she was to learn it in the classroom the time would be extremely short and she would have to deal with practicing outside of the room and that was not something she wished to deal with. If anything, she'd much prefer to extend classroom hours just for the sake of practicing charms and spells more. After all, if she were to prove her worth to the Nightray family, she would have to do better than having half-baked spells at her disposal. She needed spells that she was sure would give her a clean chance of getting her ring. With much stuff running in her mind, the young Nightray went out of the common room and headed straight for the Duelling Chamber. It was not all that hard to find considering that someone had basically made a path for them leading to where the meeting was going to be held. She thought that those were a big waste of time and those who can't find the way to the chamber on their own were idiots and they were stupid. They should have gotten themselves a map or explored the castle days or weeks ago if they were that dumb with directions. With so many things in her mind, Alexia had barely registered the fact that she was now in the room with too many people for her liking and were all crowding around one person. The young 'Pureblood' took a breath to calm herself as she stood by the wall and crossed her arms, waiting for this meeting to start, proceed, and end.

 

[Victoria Chase]

She wanted to jump so bad right now and the only thing that was stopping her was massive humiliation! Victoria was warm all over because seeing Dominique here was one of the greatest gifts she could ever get. Of course she had Tommy, who she knew she could count on, but it was never the same with a female best friend. Victoria loved Dominique in so many ways that if they fought, the brunette would most likely swallow her pride after a week or two and approach Dominique to apologize. Victoria just could not stand life without Dominique, because without her who would she confide all her secrets, problems and joys to? She grinned, because if Hogwarts decided to reject Dominique then she would protest in front of the Headmistress' office and demand reconsideration. She felt utterly complete. This year she had her two best friends by her side, not to mention the baby of the Chase family was finally starting his Hogwarts education! Victoria could not be happier and well, giddier!

A little friendly push from Dominique was what Victoria needed. She cast a grateful smile at her companion and moved away a little bit to begin to approach the Slytherin president. Surprisingly, the bravery in her doubled when she lifted her chin up. No, this was not the right time to make a conversation with him. She needed a private a moment and why would she leave her best friend for a boy? The rule was always sisters before misters! Victoria took a step back before turning around and caught Dominique talking to a boy whom she recognized as a Gryffindor as well. She flashed him a sweet but deathly smile before taking Dominique by the arm. "You know what, I think I prefer spending time with my best friend even more. And, I'd like to do that alone," Vee put so much emphasis on the word before putting herself in between her and James. It was rather rude, however Victoria cannot resist. She had to be selfish sometimes! Once Victoria felt him drift away she put a sly look on before leaning in closer for only Dominique to hear her words. "I've decided that now is not the time to talk to him. He's too busy and I'm sure I can catch a private moment with him tomorrow, the very most. I'd rather stay with you right now - we need some time together!" She smiled genuinely, because Dominique must be her priority right now. "Before you eat more of those, let's talk dueling. Are you game for it, if ever?" Vee was not so good in dueling herself - perhaps she was acceptable, but not exactly better than average. She wanted to learn and really, who was better to learn with than Dominique?!
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[Killua Freecss]

Abel was going to kill him if he was late, that much Killua knew. But really, he didn't really know what to prioritize between his best friend and the girl he likes so much! It was seriously not getting good. He wanted to be at the meeting right now, really. But knowing Aaren, if nobody brought her to the meeting, she'd probably end up getting lost in the dungeons again. And Kil had to admit that looking for that wanderer of a Gryffindor was not an easy feat, especially considering the size of the dungeons. And so, he waited for her a bit patiently and a bit impatiently. And so when she had seen her familiar tuff of red hair, he ran towards her, grabbed her hand and pulled her along with him as he sprinted towards the Duelling Chamber which was not too far ahead. Hopefully Aaren wouldn't mind him holding her hand as they ran cause they really were in a hurry and he doubted that her eyes would get used to darkness so easily that she could follow him with ease. Yep, this was much more acceptable of an option. Not long after, they had reached the meeting place and he was panting a bit as he maneuvered himself through the crowd to stand beside his best friend though slightly failing to notice that he was still holding a certain redhead's hand.

 

[Aaren Nightray]

Aaren was running late, she was sure that she was. Why did the SDA had to be held in the dungeons? Aaren had never been able to memorize the place. Every time she wandered there, it was as if she was entering an entirely new place. She doubted that she'll ever get to memorize it, which was bad. It would be great if she could walk around the dungeons by herself without getting lost, then perhaps, it would be much easier for her to locate her cousin, and Killua too. Killua's a really good friend. It would be great if one day, she'll be the one to find him instead of him finding her.

The fifth year gryffindor ran, her wild red locks coming out of the small bun that she hurriedly did earlier. How many minutes had she been wandering around already? Or had it been hours? She didn't know, but she did want to attend the meeting. Though its reputation as a club wasn't that great, SDA was pretty interesting. And Killua's there, and if Armin was to be believed, so was Alexia. Alexia's a cousin of hers, and though the younger wasn't really that sociable and thought she doubted that she even liked her, she wanted to reach out to her. Alexia's a first year, surely, she needed help, didn't she?

She was getting pretty dizzy. Had she turned that corner already? That torch looked familiar. She seemed to have been circling the same place. She almost screamed when she felt someone grab her hand. She couldn't see that well. The dungeons was too dark and her eyes couldn't adjust that easily. But the hand grabbing hers wasn't intimidating, in fact, it was rather comforting, and she felt at ease. It was only after her eyes had finally adjusted to the darkness that she recognized the owner of that hand to be Killua. No wonder she felt comfortable. Killua seemed to show up every time she needed help. It didn't take long before they finally reached the meeting place, and she was flushing and panting. Her cheeks almost as red as her hair. However, she wasn't given a chance to catch her breath as she found herself being guided by Killua through the crowd. As soon as they finally stopped, she finally took notice of the other people in the room and the boy standing beside her friend. She tried to raise her hand to greet the others but she found that she couldn't as Killua was still holding her. She instead raised her free hand and waved, a huge smile present on her face. "Hello! My name's Aaren!"​

 

[Abel Smith]

Abel pursed his lips as Dominique spoke. "Well, Professor Styx is a busy man. He ma drop in from time to time, there is no set basis on when he will come down. I, however, will be down here most days just in case someone wants to come down here and work a little. So, rest assured, if you come down here you will most likely find me." As long as it was not on a full moon, that was, but he was not going to go into detail about anything like that. It could be safely assumed that he had a social life and an academic life that had to be considered when he came down here. These things had little impact on his activity down here, but he was willing to allow others to make their assumptions as a cover. He smiled as she left, and focused his gaze on the next person. He smiled at the younger boy. "Good to meet you too Mathew, I hope you have a good time here." He then left the boy to his thoughts, thinking it rude of himself to intrude upon them.

A few more students entered, but did not introduce themselves to him. He nodded to each other them, a sort of silent, visual greeting if they were not willing, or for some reason incapable, or greeting him. But still no Killy. What in Merlin's name was that Slytherin up to? How long did it take to find one girl? The werewolf smiled slightly as he saw a young, familiar face. "Hello Aliyah, glad you could make it. Hope you have fun, if you need any help, just come see me," he said as she walked past, before returning his attention back to the door, waiting for one person in particular to enter. He smiled slightly when Killua finally did show - with Aaren. The Slytherin watched in amusement as Killua slinked his way over and tugged Aaren along by the hand. "You're late, Killy," he muttered quietly, looking out at the crowd of students in case someone wanted to speak with him. He then smiled at Aaren, and waved. They had met once or twice through Killua, so he knew her name, but he also knew that she was pretty absent-minded. "Hey Aaren, good that you can come along. You excited?" He glanced at their hand holding, and wondered if Killy had finally made a move, but remained quiet and decided to ponder the question and ask him later. "The meeting should start soon, I'm just going to give any late comers a little more time," he added, addressing Killy, and perhaps Aaren if she were listening.​

Out of Character:

Another note, everyone. If you haven't already, sign up for Duelling. The more interest we get, the more fun it will be and the better chance of it continuing!

 

[Gajeel Cheney]

Gajeel never did find out why he had signed himself up for the Student Defence Association. It really wasn't his thing to enter clubs and yet again he had found himself signing up for several, and now he had to attend their meetings as well though one could easily tell that he had never been fond of talks and gatherings as such. Though if they did get into something physical like duels, now that would be interesting, though the spells that a first year like him were capable of doing were still very limited. He knew spells, but surely, capability is different that knowledge. Scratching the back of his head as he walked his way through dungeons while following the lighted path, he headed towards the meeting of the SDA. He knew he was late, not like he preferred to be on time after all. And besides, not like they'll notice him when there was a whole swarm of other students present right?

Well, evidently he was right, considering that there were already a large group accumulating the duelling chamber and they were all surrounding a person though the Gryffindor knew not who said person was. Perhaps it was the leader or something? He did not know. And so, he decided to mingle himself in the crowd though not particularly talking to anyone. He just needed to be there after all, and it was not like he was there to be super friendly and make friends. He was just there because he was a member, nothing more, nothing less.

 

[Professor Kalif Styx]

Professor Styx knew exactly why he took over sponsoring from Professor Kingsley. Seeing as he planned on hosting a dueling competition, he needed to get involved with a club, which was the least of his interests. The less children interaction, the better. Abel was the leader or president of this thing, but right now, Professor Styx was still in recovery over the whole prefect disaster. Once he entered the room, he took a step to the side, folded his arms across his chest to observe. He knew all the strategies needed, the rules, the positions and styles. Well, most from the books. He waited to see if Abel Smith would be the right one to lead.
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