General The Ravenclaw Table 2019 -2020

The boy, Nikolas, clasped her hand firmly and shook, a bright smile on his face. 'Ugh.' Kaylyn thought, wanting only to roll her eyes and let out a groan. He's so cheerful. Does he realize how ridiculous he looks with that smile of his? Luckily for Kaylyn- and the boy, for that matter- she knew better than to outright say that, at least on her first encounter with someone. "Yes, Nikolas." She replied coolly, veiling her distaste for Nikolas's behavior behind an even, almost happy, tone. "Let's do well this year. After all, we are Ravenclaw. We have a reputation to uphold."

Her disgust, however, only grew further when Nikolas immediately began sharing personal information about himself, something Kaylyn had been taught was not something for your first meeting with someone. Who wanted to know right off the bat how Kaylyn's magic had been discovered? Clearly, this boy's parents had neglected to teach Nikolas that was not something you asked about when you've just met a person. No matter, Kaylyn could just inform Nikolas of this herself.

"It is a bit rude, actually, at least, that's what my parents have taught me. Personal matters are not first meeting material." The condescending tone in her voice could not be missed, not even by the most socially unaware person. "But I suppose I can tell you. I was ten, and I was upset by my score on a test. I accidentally blew up all the pencils in the classroom." Kaylyn's ears went a bit red- this was not a story she enjoyed telling people- and she decided it was best to change the subject to avoid further embarrassment. "So I suppose you are not from England, given your rather strong accent. Ireland, perhaps? Maybe Scotland?"

'This boy talks a mile a minute' Kaylyn thought, a glaze sliding over her eyes as she listened to Nikolas's seemingly endless ramblings. She had asked a simple yes or no question and he'd somehow turned it into a five paragraph essay. Insane. Despite the growing dislike for her bubbly, happy House mate, Kaylyn kept a pleasant smile on her lips, repeating her parents advice over and over in her head.

'You only have one first impression. Make them see you how you want to be seen.' The words ran through her mind, drowning out the voice of Nikolas and bringing a genuine smile to Kaylyn's lips. "Mhm. Ireland." She hummed absently, trying to remember what exactly Nikolas had been saying. She needed to make this impression a good one, make it known she was an intellectual with high goals. 'Ireland, Ireland, Ireland. What to say- perhaps mention that's where you were born? Yes, that should work.'

"I've heard Ireland is beautiful." She said in a matter-of-fact way, nodding her head. I've never truly been- but I was born there." She smiled slightly before eating some of her pork in tiny, polite bites. Once she'd finished chewing and swallowing and had run her tongue over her teeth to ensure no bits of meat were stuck, Kaylyn allowed herself another smile. I'm excited for all the subjects. I suspect I will excel in them, though we will have yet to see. Kaylyn shrugged as if the matter of her performance in classes wasn't important to her before nodding and offering a sympathetic pat on the back as if she truly cared about the fact that Nikolas had left Muggle friends behind.

"I'm sorry." Her voice was soft and sweet, almost completely covering the exasperation lacing her tone. "Leaving behind all of your friends must have been so difficult. I can't relate much, but I do miss my mum and dad and Amelia quite a bit."

Kaylyn was close to rolling her eyes at the boy, exasperated by his lack of awareness of how done she was with this conversation, but something he said stopped her. She was midway through placing another piece of pork in her mouth when he offhandedly complimented her, saying she seemed super smart.

An unexpected warmth crawled along Kaylyn's cheeks as she processed his words, trying to figure out how to respond. She'd never been genuinely complimented, not really. Anytime her classmates had called her smart it was in a judgmental manner, but Nikolas, even if it was due to his ignorance of Kaylyn's feelings for him, had called her smart with no ulterior motive. "Oh." Kaylyn said, placed her fork down and staring at her food, guilt weighing down on her. He was so nice- how could she treat him so horribly? "Well, I thank you for your confidence in me. It's much appreciated."

Kaylyn tried for a smile but it faltered and fell off, leaving the girl feeling vulnerable and unprotected. She had to regain control of this spiraling situation, and Nikolas had just provided the perfect way for her to do so. "Oh, yes, the ceiling!" Kaylyn's voice was loaded with a bit too much enthusiasm, and she told herself to tone it down or Nikolas might grow suspicious of her. "I read through all of Hogwarts: A History and A History of Magic, and, well, basically all books that even briefly mention Hogwarts, and nothing actually explains how they enchant the ceiling. I'd love to be the woman who figures it out. Do you have any goals or aspirations for while you are here?"

Kaylyn tried her best to raise an eyebrow at Nikolas's words, but ended up with both eyebrows reaching for her hairline. 'How is he so nice? We're competition!' She narrowed her eyes, eyebrows dropping back to their regular position as she tried to figure out if Nikolas had an ulterior motive to his kindness. "Yes." Kaylyn replied hesitantly. "Thank you. And you will be the first to know should I ever find out the secret behind the ceiling.

Kaylyn tilted her head curiously as Nikolas continued speaking in his rather exuberant way, the annoyance she'd felt towards him ebbing away. 'Maybe he really will be quite a competitor for top of the class.' She mused eagerly. 'I'll beat him, of course, but it'll be nice to have at least someone who makes my efforts worthwhile!' A grin spread across her face and she clapped her hands together. "What a lovely goal! Maybe we'll be competitors for top of the class. That would be nice, I adore a good competition."

Her eyes sparkled with pure delight, something that hadn't graced her face until now. She really did love competing with others, the thrill of winning after a long race neck-to-neck was so fantastic. And the gloating afterwards was even better. "I just want to graduate at the top of my class. What I do to get there doesn't matter much to me, so long as I'm the best. Or among the best. But yes, thank you. Being Head Girl would be a dream come true."