Sunshine

[Laurel Hyde]

Sometimes, Lolly's dreams kept her awake. She knew, perhaps subconsciously, what memories they tried to push to the surface, but the shock of those events kept her conscious mind in the dark. She didn't want to remember. It was too horrifying for a young girl to have to think about. And so, Lolly woke up some mornings with barely enough sleep and muddled thoughts that something horrible had happened in her dreams, but when she considered what had happened in them, she found she couldn't remember anything, only that they were bad.

Still, she sat down at the table with a weak, bleary-eyed smile, as she grabbed herself some fruit and a glass of juice to start her breakfast. Frowning and looking sad just took more energy than smiling, and there was no point to it, Lolly found. It was better to just be friendly and nice to people, because other people at Hogwarts were really cool and led incredibly interesting lives. Even when they all had the same classes, Lolly had an insatiable curiosity about other wizards and the way other students lived. There was such a wide variety of people at Hogwarts, especially in Hufflepuff, where most of them were super nice and friendly, that Lolly just wanted to know all about them.

 

[Stella Parris]

The Great Hall was, by far, Stella's favorite room in the castle. It was so airy and bright, a far cry from many of the castle's other rooms, all of which were dimly lit by candles or torches. Plus, the ceiling never failed to entrance Stella. She could gaze up at it for hours, trying to search for a tiny imperfection that would reveal that the sky pictured above was fake. Or perhaps a smudge or crack, indicating that the ceiling was not actually magical but just glass. However, no matter how hard she looked, it still always appeared as if the room lacked a roof, its walls instead stretching towards a dizzying expanse of sky.

The ceiling was the only thing that kept Stella in the Great Hall at breakfast. Instead of grabbing a piece of toast and leaving immediately to head for class or eat outside, Stella found herself joining her housemates at the table, if only to spend a few extra minutes under that ceiling. The only problem was that it was nearly impossible to find a seat at the crowded table. That was the trouble with being completely new. As a first year who didn't have any friends or family at Hogwarts, Stella didn't have anyone who could save her a spot at the table.

That was the dilemma she faced this morning as she stood at the end of the Hufflepuff table, scanning the students seated along it. There were a couple of empty spots near the middle, but they were all next to older students, and Stella didn't think seventeen- and eighteen-year-olds wanted to sit next to a first year. Finally, after slowly wandering down the table, Stella spotted an empty seat next to a girl who looked to be only a year or so older. Even though Stella didn't know her, she would have to do. "Excuse me." Once she had gotten the girl's attention, she gestured towards the empty spot. "Mind if I sit here?" Hopefully, the girl wasn't saving the seat for someone else.