[center][h3][color=ed1c24]Gregory Jones[/color][/h3][/center]

[b][u]Location:[/u][/b] Great Hall
[b][u]Interacting:[/u][/b] Eva [@WhiteStar19], Alva [@HaleyTheRandom], Sarah [@Legion02]
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Finally, they'd gotten a decent ride! With the short walk to the castle, clad in his school robes, Slick felt the normal pace of Hogwarts settle over him. This was where he belonged and thrived. Grinning expansively, he let out a shrill whistle and the happy yips and barks from Duke as the massive dog rushed to his owner. "[color=ed1c24]Hey buddy, miss me?! Did ya boy?[/color]" gushed Slick, one of the few times one would hear talk 'cutely'. He showered Duke with affection to a fault, but the dog returned the favor, licking Slick all about his face. Laughing uproariously, Slick finally pulled the dog away and wiped off his face. "[color=ed1c24]Come on, time for the feast! I'll sneak you something, of course.[/color]" Duke barked and wagged his tail, proving that he was much more intelligent than the average pooch. Together, the two half walked, half ran the rest of the way.

After the Headmaster's first day speech, the feast was on! Slick couldn't get enough food, his time at school being the only time he could eat such rich foods and not worry about a budget. He piled two plates high with steak, potatoes, green beans, biscuit, grabbed a container of gravy, a couple ears of corn, and a few other items. People looked at him askance, but Slick fully intended to devour it all! He slipped Duke a bit of steak, where he sat obediently at his owner's feet. He snapped the morsel off the floor and barked in thanks and possibly demanding more. "Ey, I don't want you get fat buddy!" The dog grumbled, whined, but laid his chin against his paws complacently.

Slick talked and reconnected with Gryffindors he was friendly with, the feeling of family a warm and welcome environment once more. At one point, with a goblet of pumpkin juice, he stood on the bench and looked around at his team this year. "[color=ed1c24]Men! And women,"[/color] he graciously added with a wink, which elicited a few laughs and some good-natured food throwing, which Slick dodged, "[color=ed1c24]this is my last year, as well La Capitan's! We want to see the best out of you, because we'll be showing you the same. I believe in you guys like I believe in myself, which is to say, unconditionally. We're going to take that HOUSE CUP THIS YEAR!"[/color] 

He was met with a roar of approval. He looked to Sarah, their youngest member of the team. "[color=ed1c24]Sarah, you're a great Chaser and the best partner Eva and I could ask for.[/color]" Slick beamed with pride at the reclusive Gryffindor. "[color=ed1c24]And to the rest of you! I know, I said we'll win, but even if we don't,[/color]" this was met with another round of edible projectiles, "[color=ed1c24]-even if we don't win, I want to say how damn proud I am of you guys and as long as you give it your all, with all your hearts, there's no way we'll [i]lose[/i]! SO HERE'S TO GRYFFINDOR'S LIONS![/color]" He roared, downing the rest of his pumpkin juice, which the team quickly followed suit. Slick caught sight of AJ and gave her a friendly wave and then pulled out a deck of cards, a silent invitation to play once they got back to the dorm room. With raised eyebrows and a slight tilting of the head, he was sure his point had gotten across.

Slick stowed the deck back into his robe's pockets. dropped back down to the bench and poked Eva in the ribs with his elbow, leaning close to her ear so she could hear him over the now very rowdy Gryffindor table, "[color=ed1c24]Hope you didn't mind the surprise pep-talk, Eve. I just felt like it was right.[/color]" 

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[center][h3][color=00a651]Charles Kemp[/color][/h3][/center]
[b][u]Location:[/u][/b] Great Hall
[b][u]interacting:[/u][/b] No one

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Charles had listened to the two boys' banter while he'd been reading. The scoff in their voices was unmistakable, but Charles paid them no mind. The fact that Johnson admitted to needing back up for his task almost made the arrogant young man pity the older boy's weakness. Yet all he saw was the weak link in the plan. There were any numbers of ways to kill the Headmaster, pulling it off was the problem. As the train slowed and the castle slowly rolled into view, he folded his newspaper and grabbed what little he had taken with him, the rest safely in storage. When he caught sight of Gregory and his mutt, his hand involuntarily found his wand, gripping the wood with a white-knuckled grip. Taking a breath, he forced himself to see the bigger picture. His deadly talents were needed for bigger fish and Gregory was just a Gryffindor guppie.

Setting himself apart from the mill of students walking into the Great Hall, he found a more empty bench which was to his liking. Not many students made it into Slytherin this year, weaklings to him. He stayed silent as the loud mouth screamed motivations to his House and team, who ate it up like the sheep they were. His plates covered the color spectrum, but were devoid of the fatty proteins and other unnecessary comfort foods that were usually a part of the Welcoming Feast. Charles caught sight of a new face, older than his own, with an easy smile and friendly atmosphere. A much more interesting subject was Ezekiel Rowle, who'd kept his usual mane of bright red hair. This year it seemed a bit more ragged and unkempt for one reason or another. The boy could look like anyone and he chose that? Charles chuckled to himself, not understanding the motivations of some people.

Yet, for perhaps one of few times in his life, Charles realized it was a bit lonely from the top of the mountain. No one had wanted to sit and partake in conversation with him, which was a mystery to the boy. He was intelligent with a plethora of subjects to talk about, so why did no one crave his words like the droll Gregory or pretty boy Lucas? He lifted his plate, sliding his seat over till he was seated near, but not close to Zeke. He knew the boy valued his personal space nearly as much as Charles' did. Clearing his throat, he said the most normal ice breaker he could think of. "Hello Zeke, it's been awhile, what have you been up to, pray tell?" Charles silently applauded himself. [i]"Nailed it."[/i]