Speaking of lunch... PV Zephyr Deakin

Lunch at Hogwarts was not the same lunch they have on the farm. There, it was usually just him, Mum, Dad, and Zaria eating whatever their mom cooked. Here, the Great Hall was always crowded and very noisy, with plates filling themselves and students shouting across tables. It was all still a bit much for a newbie like him. He came early on purpose that day, because he didn't want to get caught in the rush where everyone pushed through the doors at once and panicking over where to seat with their group of friends. He took the seat near the middle of the Hufflepuff table and as a habit, he kept his head down. It doesn't mean he's avoiding people, just to be clear, he just didn’t know what to say to anyone yet.

His first few days at Hogwarts had been tiring, emotionally and mentally. If you're wondering, nothing bad happened, it's just because everything was new to him. There were a lot of new faces, new names, new rules, new places, new professors. The air smelled different here too. Even though he liked Hufflepuff already, and everyone was friendly, he still feels like he was trying to catch up to everything all at once, it was hard to keep up. He missed the farm, he missed his mum humming while she cooked, he missed his dad shouting to open the gate again, he missed Zaria pulling on his sleeve every five minutes just to ask if she could help him, which delay his tasks, and lastly, he missed knowing exactly where everything was.

He focused on his food and finally started eating. He was not very hungry, but he knew if he didn’t eat, he would feel sick later. No one bothered him, which he didn’t mind. Sometimes sitting alone was easier for him, he could process anything when he's on his own. After he finished half his plate, he set his fork down and rubbed his eyes. He was tired too, even though he slept fine. Maybe it was all the walking, Hogwarts had too many stairs. He caught himself yawning and sitting up straighter, not wanting to look like he might fall asleep on his plate. When he glanced around the hall, he noticed a girl at another table looking his way. She looked about his age, maybe another first year student. She just stared briefly before looking back at her lunch.

Zephyr looked down again, feeling awkward. He didn’t know if she was looking at him or past him. He didn't want to assume just in case. Things like that always confused him. After a few minutes, he forgot about it and returned to eating his food on his plate. People started coming in louder than before, which usually meant lunch was almost halfway done. He tried not to shrink into himself. He was not scared, just a little overwhelmed, and then he saw her again. Same girl, but this time she was walking over towards him.

He was unsure if he should say something or pretended he didn’t notice her, but that would be rude right? He didn’t move and just watched carefully as she sat on the bench right across from him. She didn’t talk right away, just as he expected, and instead, opened a book while looking nervous. His own nervousness was screaming, 'Oh no, I have to talk now' way. He swallowed, sat up and hoped he didn’t have crumbs on his face. Finally, she looked up, gave him a small smile, and held out her hand to introduce herself. Uh...He stared at her hand for half a second before taking it. His grip was firm, farm kid strong, but he tried not to squeeze it too hard. “I’m Zephyr. Nice to meet you too.” His cheeks feels warm already. Someone had actually chosen to sit with him, and on purpose.

@Calypso Jones

"I’m Zephyr. Nice to meet you too."
He replied!
Callie grinned. "How was your lunch? The house elves make great food. You know, my mum used to make the best pudding, but then I found out she was using a kit. I'm a half-blood by the way. My dad was a muggle but he died. My mum's a witch. What about you?"
Callie talked and talked. It felt good to have someone to talk to. She'd searched for people, but hadn't found any until now.
'Sorry, am I talking too much? It's a habit. By the way, I like quidditch. What's your sport? What do you like? Have you read any good books? How are the classes?"
Callie took a breath. Gotta pace myself, she thought. Thankfully, Zephyr didn't seem to mind.
"Sorry, Zephyr. Need to slow down. How were your classes?"
Callie hoped her enthusiasm hadn't weirded him out. 'You know what, how about I tell you a bit about myself? I'm English, I live in London. Since you're a half-blood, like me, I'm sure you're familiar with football. Well, I played football for 7 years, and I got scouted for a club, but since I was going to Hogwarts, I had to turn it down. Do you have a football team? I support Everton. Jack Grealish is quite a good player.' Callie stopped talking, in case Zephyr wanted to say something. 'Oh, and if I get a pet, I'm naming it Souvlaki.'

@@Zephyr Deakin

Zephyr tried to catch up with how fast she was talking. He usually just talked to his younger sister, Zaria, who was very talkative, but that's different; Zaria was his sister. This one, he didn't even know her name, but he didn’t mind. In fact, her effort to talk to him meant she was trying to include him in the conversation. “Lunch was okay, thanks.” He was trying to sound casual even though he was feeling awkward. “The food’s really different from what I’m used to eating at home, but it’s good nonetheless.” He glanced at his plate for a second before commenting about the pudding. “Pudding is good, I like it. My mum always bake everything from scratch.”

The girl went on to explain her family background, and since it's nonstop, all he could do at first was just look and listen and try to catch up with all the information being thrown at him. “I play football too, other than that, I usually help out with chores, run around outside, and sometimes climb trees. I like being active. I do sketch but I'm not really that good.” She was asking about his classes, “Classes are alright, harder than I expected. I like Herbology the most, Potions is challenging and Defence Against the Dark Arts is fun, but I still get confused with some spells in Charms class.”

He glanced at her but careful not to stare. “So, you really like Quidditch? I’ve seen people fly past on brooms a few times. Looks amazing, but I’ve never tried it yet.” His green eyes brightened up at the thought. “Do you play?” He was slowly easing into their conversation. “No, it’s fine. You don’t need to slow down. I don’t mind talking.” Her story about football reminds him of his own hobbies, "I like football too, and for me it's Gareth Bale, he's the most famous Welsh footballer." He chuckled when she mentioned naming a pet Souvlaki. “Why is that?”

@Calypso Jones