Cont. of "Back Down to Earth" [open]

Pumpkin bursts into the hall, tumbling and fumbling over students who were making their way out. She glared and growled briefly at them before a bright grin spread out on her face again. She stood there for a second scanning the hall looking for people she knew, and surprisingly enough there were quite a few. She thought she would make a pit stop before heading off to the Slytherin table. She cajoled into motion and bowled over students when she bounded over to the Gryffindor table. "LEEEEEOOOO!" She pushed past a Slytherin boy not caring who it was and glomps Leo, grinning wolfishly. "Wotcher Hex!" She called over to the head boy waving.

Any tension between Leo and Vine broke with Pumpkin's loud yell. At the sound of it, Leo immediately ducked and covered her head. 'Nice to see you too, Pumpkin!' she yelled out from underneath her arms.

Lily watched Val leave the room, and sighed. That girl's almost as messed up as me. She glanced down the Gryffindor table at a gaggle of students, two Slytherins and Leo. She raised an eyebrow, and watched the group for a while, studying their interactions with each other.

He waved back to Pumpkin, an amused grin spread over his face. "Hello there!" He raised his voice to be heard since she was a long way off, he noted this was the first time in this day that he had spoken. It was a bit weird, normally he was social but today he was extremely weary and tired. He sighed sadly, and glanced around the Hall like he usually did. He saw Lily, Val walking out of the Hall, Vine and Leo. He nodded to all of them, approving of what he saw. He kept a weary eye around the Hall, he still got the feeling he was being watched.

She grinned at Leo and plopped down beside her partially stretching out onto the table. "Whats happening? Who is this?" She jerked her head in the Slytherin boys direction. Hearing Hex's greeting she saluted back at him still grinning.

She glanced back at Hex. Man, that kid was like one of those Muggle robots on those Muggle television programs she liked to watch growing up. Completely emotionless. A mischievous grin flashed across her face in a split second before it was gone. 'Pumpkin ... this is Vine. Vine Lestrange.'

He snapped out of her thought and frowned at the overly excited slytherin. A slytherin, acting like a puff? And she didn't know who he was?
"This?" he raised his brow at Pumpkin, sizing her up with his eyes.

She studied Vine for a while, then yawned completely uninterested. "Really now? Lestrange you say? How cute." She looked down the table squinting to catch a glimpse of the coffee pot.

Lily slid down the bench a little so that she sat opposite Hex, and prodded his head. "You alive in there?" she spoke with a smile, but there was a lack of enthusiasm in her voice and her eyes. She continued watching the group further down the table, but gave a look of concern to the boy opposite her.

Leo rolled her eyes. They'd learn soon enough - especially if Vine wanted to flip through back the memory back and relive the "good times" - whatever they were.

He ruffled his dark hair absently, he feigned a squint at Lily as if he did not recognize her. He broke out into laughter a few moments later, a park in his eyes. He studied her, smiling. "Yes, I am alive, if I weren't I wouldn't be talking right now, would I?" He chuckled again, clutching the table for support. He rubbed his eyes, still chuckling. He stopped laughing and raised his brow at Leo as if to ask 'what?'

Lily rolled her eyes as he laughed and looked at the boy in front of her, studying his face. "You may be alive, but you don't look it. For goodness sake lad, I've had enough encounters with death, I don't want to be chatting to a lookalike!" She laughed slightly, although it did not reach her eyes. She turned her head again to watch the group, for some reason they interested her, and although she could not see who the Slytherins were from her angle, she found their interactions amusing.

Leo yawned and looked over at the coffee. She'd be tempted - if she actually drank the stuff. She caught Hex's eye. He was raising an eyebrow at her. Alright buddy ... She raised an eyebrow back, before looking away. Strange kid.

She hummed tunelessly to herself whilst pouring a fresh cup of joe. She then took a slice of lemon and rubbed the skin around the rim of her cup and drank blissfully. "This is some ferociously good stuff!"

"Cute?" Vine stared at Pumpkin in disbelief, his hand twitching for his wand. "Vine Lestrange, son of Rabastan Lestrange. Say cute one more time and I'll show you how Neville feels when I look at him in the eye and tell him all bout his lovely parents."

She stared at Pumpkin. 'I'm sure it is. I'll take your word for it ...' She raised her mug of hot chocolate.

She paused, watching Vine and Pumpkin carefully as she slowly set down her mug.

She glanced at Vine completely unworried. "Lay a hand on me and explain to your Aunt why I cannot run any more, how should I put, errands for her." She drank the rest of her coffee. "How have you been Leo? I haven't seen you since you came out onto the pitch seeking Seeker." She turned to Leo.

He put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed it tightly, "Thank Salazar that you are in /my/ house, little puppy."

He rolled his eyes at Leo, snorting curtly. He turned back to Lily after giving Leo a glare. "Ah, it's nothing, you know. They called me up for patrol unexpectedly." He shrugged, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Nothing much, I'll be sleeping properly for a week now, I'm off for a week." He was relieved at that news, he stifled a yawn plaintively, he eyed the group of three. It was weird, they were two Slytherin's there. That was surprising since most of them disliked the Gryffs. He shrugged, still keeping an eye on all of them.

She frowned at Pumpkin, curious about what that meant. 'Ahh ... I'm good.' Seeker. She wondered how her sister was, she hadn't seen her since she left Delacour Court in the holidays. 'Yeah, I'm good. How are you?'

She frowned into her cup wondering where the coffe went and mumbled to herself. "Where did that coffee pot run of to? Magic..." She grumbled quietly to herself before remember that she was actually talking to Leo. Grinning sheepishly she rubbed her neck slightly. "I've been good. A bit busy but good."

She smiled, "thank goodness for that." She giggled then quietened and proceeded to stare again at her drink, which she had not taken a sip from. She frowned looking in to the depths of the goblet and took a sharp breath, she was not in a good mood, and she hated herself for it.

"Thomas." He said looking at Hex, addressing him with his first name. An ordinary name. "Mighty head boy, huh?" he mocked, eyeing him with a half smile.

He addressed Vine with a smirk, before his position of Head Boy, he would have gone into a rage. But the position had made him sharper of mind, he hated the name Thomas, he did not think of it because that would only fuel his rage which currently, wasn't there. He kept calm staring at him insolently. "Yes." He said simply but he had more to say. "It is difficult to see the badge on another chest, yes?" He said plainly, no emotion whatsoever showed in his eyes, but he still had that mocking smirk on his face.

'Busy, tell me about it.' She groaned. 'Bloody NEWTs. If they weren't so important, I wouldn't even bother.'