Summertime Feeling Fine

[Troye Smith]

Troye Smith was so excited to hang out after getting some more shopping. At her side was the new addition to her family whom she'd just purchased. Waldo was on a small leash, not the first cat that Troye had convinced to at least wear a leash and harness. However since she was not one to drag a kitten along, and she had somewhere to be, the peach haired girl picked the ball of fluff up and continued to walk towards Gladrag's where Ryuu had told her to meet him. Troye hadn't seen Ryuu since he'd gone off to school, but at least they wrote each other fairly frequently. The pureblood knew that she'd have at least one friend at Hogwarts, making it easier to cope with leaving her family for the first time. Even now as she walked along the cobblestone roads she was followed just behind by her sitter - more like her body guard if she were honest. Why Isla thought she needed one was beyond her. Troye arrived at the store, smile on her face until she saw Ryuu with another person. Well two other people. Troye slowed down. So they weren't just hanging out the two of them. This could be a catastrophe.

 

[Zoe Katsaros]

Zoe Katsaros was not really from New Zealand, but she did travel with her dad to come here from time to time on vacation. And Zenia still went to school here while she went to Hogwarts Scotland. She was down here with her dad right now, having separated because she was invited out by her good friend, Ryuu Arai. She did miss him, since she used to help him with hair styles. Zoe dressed rather casual, with a tee shirt and jeans with sneakers, and looked through the racks of girl clothing to find something that just screamed Ryuu. She walked to the Ravenclaw and a very small smile danced on her lips. Her brown eyes went to the other boy that must have arrived while she was searching for dresses. "Um, Ryuu, what about this one?" Zoe held up the dress and wondered if Ryuu would want to purchase it or not. Zoe never wore dresses. She was far less dressy than any other girl her age. The future third year wondered if Ryuu invited other friends to come along.
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[Min-Ji Song]

Min-Ji Song and Ryuu Arai had walked to Brightstone hand in hand, as they were often found doing, arms swinging and chatting away like they hadn't seen each other for ten years. Min had never given much thought to what they looked like, although he might when he got a bit older. For now, it seemed perfectly natural to hold hands and sometimes snuggle with his best friend, and if other people often mistook Ryuu for a girl anyway, well, it was no skin off his back.

"Is anyone else coming today?" Min was asking his fellow Ravenclaw. He'd taken to asking now, because whenever he'd planned for just a one on one playdate, someone else inevitably turned up that Ryuu had forgotten to mention, and he found it was best just to roll with it. His question was answered before Ryuu even replied, however, because they'd approached a market stall with racks and racks of brightly coloured frocks, and a brunette girl about their age had turned and asked Ryuu's opinion before she'd even spotted him. When she finally noticed him, Min gave her a bright grin and a "Hi! I'm Min-Ji," with an expectant look towards Ryuu to introduce them.

The new third year was distracted very soon, as he was wont to do, by a brightly coloured head of hair approaching. He didn't yet know that the second girl was to be joining them, but he was already enthusiastic about the prospect.
"Look!" he whispered to Zoe and Ryuu, trying to point inconspicuously, "Look at her hair! Isn't it gorgeous? I want it."​

 

[Ryuu Arai]

Ryuu Arai was happy that he was hanging out with a big group of friends. Zoe was looking for other things, and figured that she would approach them. He didn't want to let go of Min's hand. Hand holding was a norm of his now. He looked toward Zoe, and hoped that she would be more accepting. Ryuu was about to answer Min's question when Zoe asked him about the dress. He lifted his sunglasses and put them on top of his head, and looked at it, before holding it up to him. "Um, that's Zoe. She was sorted with us into Hufflepuff, but she transferred to the other Hogwarts. I think she got tired of people confusing her with her twin." Ryuu joked, before putting the dress back. It was too dark for him. Ryuu's eyes turned toward who Min was talking about. He hopped up and down, holding the glasses steady on his head, "Oh! That's Troye! She is coming to school with us soon! We were playmates growing up!" Ryuu waved, trying to get Troye's attention. Unlike a lot in his family, being around anything not pure did not bother him. Everyone was doomed to receive his hugs and kisses.
​

 

[Troye Smith]

Troye was stopped about ten feet from the group of students. Something between a pout and confusion could be found in her facial features. Up until this summer Troye had the ability to count her interactions outside her family on one hand - now she was going to be interacting with two new people and Ryuu? The colorful girl hugged the mewling kitten a bit and approached a little slower. The bubbly personality that pink hair would denote was suddenly a bit more timid. What if Ryuu's friends didn't like her? What if they were mudbloods? Isla told her not to talk to any of those. "Hi..." She spoke semi-softly, looking to Ryuu for a bit of reassurance.

 

[Min-Ji Song]

Min-Ji felt rather sorry for the two girls who had joined the young Ravenclaws. As an empathetic person, he could see their hesitation immediately and resolved to rectify it as best he could. He was the youngest of three siblings and had two older sisters, so he was comfortable in the presence of girls and liked them just fine, unlike a lot of his classmates who were still going through the hair-pulling stage.

"Hello," said Min kindly to the pink-haired girl. It wouldn't do to gush about her hair so quickly. "This is Zoe, from Hogwarts in Scotland. I'm Min-Ji- I'm in Ryuu's house, and we share a dorm. You can call me Min. What's your cat's name?"​

 

[Zoe Katsaros]

Zoe looked to Ryuu, almost for reassurance. She felt really out of place, because she was not a huge fan of affection like Ryuu was. However, when his comment about her transferring, Zoe finally glared at him, though not in a menacing way, "Hey, that's not fair. But, I think I might come back to New Zealand. I don't feel right leaving my brothers and my sister." Zoe looked toward the other girl that was timid. Zoe waved her hand slightly, and put on a soft smile. "If I come back, and you are sorted into Hufflepuff, you can ask me about anything." Zoe hadn't made up her mind yet, but she was more on the fence about it. She did want to come back. Zoe did take some interest in the cat, but seeing the girl's timid manner, she kept her distance.
​

 

[Ryuu Arai]

Ryuu's smile never faded, all because he was surrounded by friends. All of them had a special place in his heart. Troye seemed to be a little unsure, which made Ryuu read out and place his hand on her head, giving her a small pet of reassurance. "If you have any questions about them, don't worry! None of them come from muggles. I think that's what you are worried about, right?" His mom would have the same worry. When he heard about Zoe maybe coming back, Ryuu jumped up with excitement, giving her a quick hug (which she did not seem to appreciate) before holding her hands and shaking them. "Good! I missed you, and if you got to know Min, then he would have missed you too!"

He turned his attention back to Min, reaching for his hand and linking their fingers together, resting his head on Min's shoulder. He looked to Troye, seeing if she would become a little more open with them. Ryuu grinned, "Cute kitten. I should have gotten one too, actually. I think I will after this shopping trip. Who's in?!"​

 

[Troye Smith]

Troye was taken aback by the energy the other dark haired boy had. Quiically she watched the three, moving only when Ryuu pat at her hair. "Heyyyy!" She whined, before giving in and giggling a little. She wasn't big on having her hair mussed with when she couldn't fix it right after. Troye looked from one person to the other, trying to judge that they weren't goblins or werewolves, or Veelas. "I 'ope ahm sorted in Slytherin! Me big brother Abel 'nd me big sister Emilee were both in Slytherin!" She spoke with a smile, scratching her cat as she talked, one arm holding it quite comfortable.

"Thank you." Troye responded to Ryuu commenting on the kitten. "Isla wasn't going tae let me have one, but I bought it anyways. His name is Waldo." Troye glanced behind her. Five or so paces back was her 'babysitter'. "Sorry he has tae come along. Isla says it's best if someone keeps an eye on me. But we can still hae fun! What are we doing today?" Troye tried to look at each other them a few times while talking, trying hard to include them, though at that moment it wasn't the most comfortable thing for her.

 

[Min-Ji Song]

Min-Ji was smiling all around at the little group, delighted that they were starting to warm up with Ryuu's help. Two very sweet, pretty girls (and one sweet, pretty boy to match) - he was in paradise.
"Well, I hope it's Hufflepuff for you, myself," the Australian boy chimed in, not wanting to rain on Troye's parade but hoping for a good outcome. "Not that I don't think you'd do well in Slytherin, but if Zoe's there, you'll already have a friend." Min operated under the firm conviction that if you'd been introduced and you were going somewhere together, you were friends unless stated otherwise.

He was happy to get going to the shops. They were right outside Gladrags, and the wizarding establishment had just got a new shipment of robes in for school that didn't look like they'd all come out of a printing press.
"If it's alright with you guys, I wanted to look at the new robes," Min told the group. Troye was closest to him, so he offered his hand to her free one so they could link fingers just like him and Ryuu. Naturally, he expected Ryuu to take Zoe's on the other side, and if she wasn't a hand-holder then she'd just have to lump it. Affection was their middle names.​

 

[Zoe Katsaros]

Zoe sighed when Ryuu mentioned that they were all descended from magical roots. Being a pure-blood did not matter to her much. Just one side of her family were all about what the Death Eaters used to be, and her other side was a little on the insane side. Her siblings were a little strange, though she was closer to Zared. The two did act a like, but not exact. Zoe felt Ryuu go for her hand, which she tensed up and tried to get it away, but to no avail. Zoe sighed, and didn't speak, though a little nervous about an apparent babysitter for the young girl that was to be sorted soon. At least here, she had friends, so she would just have to deal with it. A part of her was relieved though. "New robes would be fantastic. I'm sure my first year ones don't fit anymore."
​

 

[Ryuu Arai]

Troye mentioned that her family was in Slytherin, and a part of him didn't think she would fit in well there, regardless of siblings. Ryuu then announced, "Oh! By the way, my sister Yuki is in Hufflepuff too! Wouldn't it be amazing if we were all Puffs and Ravens?" He would not let go of Zoe's hand, no matter how hard she tried. She was coming back! No way was he going to let her go. Ryuu gave a short nod when Min said that he wanted to look at new robes. Ryuu needed to look at new uniforms as well. The skirts were a little on the short side from last year since he grew another couple of inches. He was still short. "Yes, please. Then pet shopping. My mom might kill me, but she loves me. I know it." He still had a couple of bandages around his arms from where his mother sends him to a family doctor and gets his blood drawn for tests. He is always healed up afterward. To make sure he is okay, she must love him. Ryuu could not see it any other way.
​

 

[Troye Smith]

Troye listened to conversation but grimaced at the idea of being a hufflepuff - she'd have to dye her hair she was sure. At least with Slytherin pink and green went together. The girl dug her shoe at the ground a little, happy someone made a suggestion on where to go so that she was not forced to make a decision. However relief turned into an odd form of fear when a hand was extended to her. Troye barely knew this boy, and frankly didn't know his really blood status. instead of holding his hand Troye held her kitten closer, and looked to where they were heading. Maybe she was out of place in this group... Though Troye wanted to make friends she felt a strange sense of anxiety over not having all of them chosen for her. So she looked to Ryuu, in hopes he could help ease her thoughts, and make her feel more comfortable with these two strangers.