Feasts within the Great Hall Dinner Closed

I know it sounds rude, it was, unfortunately, the only way I could do for them to stop pestering me.

Lorelai empathized with the girl when hearing this story, she hadn't had the best experience at muggle school either. Although bullying wasn't so much an issue for her. To be fair, it was her own doing that led to her poor experience.

How about you, Lorelai?

She heard the girl ask. Lorelai anticipated that this question would arise, but before she could answer another girl came up to the table.

Hi Aurelia.

She said, looking at the girl next to her. Lorelai hadn't seen this girl before either but noticed she was a Gryffindor as well.

"Sorry if I'm interrupting guys. Hey, there I'm Makena.

"I'm Lorelai, a pleasure to meet you."She said smiling at the girl whose name she had just learned was Makena. She then answered Aurelia’s question. It was a bit strange for Lorelai to talk about herself so much with someone she had never met before, but then again she had also just met Aurelia, so what was the harm.

“Well,”Lorelai started, “I'm really interested in Herbology for one thing. And magizoology, especially dragons. I sort of want to work with them someday."Lorelai paused to take a bite of food before continuing. "My mom is a squib, she raised me like a muggle, so I actually learned about magic rather recently. I attended muggle school but I didn’t really have any close friends there. Just a few friendly acquaintances I guess. It was mostly because I got pretty invested in my schoolwork."

Mardella hurried into the Great Hall, nearly tripping over her robes in her haste. Steadying herself, she darted down the space between the long tables, hazel eyes lighting up as she caught sight of her two roommates - Aurelia and Makena. They were sitting in the centre of the table, chatting to another girl, heads of dark hair bent together.

The girl (she vaguely recognised her from around the Common Room) was just talking as Mardella swung her legs over the bench and into a free space by Makena's elbow and opposite the other two, with a bit of an ungainly thump. She gave her bag a bit of a kick to get it under the table and shoved a few of the many unkempt strands of hair back from her forehead, but completely missing the disarray her braids were in."Hey," She said breathlessly to the group, just as the unknown Gryffindor girl finished. "- Hello, I'm Mardella, I'm Aurelia and Kena's roommate."

She helped herself to some dinner, her stomach growling surreptitiously (she hoped) under the table and filled her plate. "Sorry to butt it, but you went to muggle school? What was it like?" She asked the new girl. Mardella had heard a bit about it from her friends in Edinburgh, but she and her brothers had mostly been home-schooled. "Anything like Hogwarts?"

Just as she asked her question, her roommate Makena approached the table. She knew her other roommates was arriving soon.

Hi Aurelia

Makena smiled at her. Aurelia returned the smile acknowledging her.

Sorry if I'm interrupting guys.

She apologised.

"No, you came just in time." Aurelia said.

Just as she was about to introduce Makena to Lorelai and Lorelai to Makena, they both introduced themselves before she got to. At least they were getting along. Makena went around taking her food.

My mom is a squib, she raised me like a muggle, so I actually learned about magic rather recently. I attended muggle school but I didn’t really have any close friends there. Just a few friendly acquaintances I guess. It was mostly because I got pretty invested in my schoolwork.

Aurelia knew how she felt. She also had lonely days in muggle school though she was a pure-blood. She dreaded that two years in muggle school.

Mardella came in and sat opposite them beside Makena. "Oh, hi Della." she greeted.

Hey,

Mardella replied.

Hello, I'm Mardella, I'm Aurelia and Kena's roommate.

She immediately introduced herself.

Sorry to butt it, but you went to muggle school? What was it like?

Aurelia knew the question was meant for Lorelai but she couldn't help answering.

"It's nothing like Hogwarts. If people there think you are strange or an odd one out, they'd immediately turn their backs on you. Being a witch doesn't have any advantages there." She sighed.

Winifrey rushed into the dining room, panting slightly. She patted down her robes before moving through the tables to sit with her friends. "Hey guys," She greeted cheerfully, although she looked and sounded tired.

Her eyes were immediately drawn to the food. The small brunette quickly filled her plate, eating a bit while she was serving herself. She was so hungry, barely having time to eat lunch earlier since she got lost again. Why was the castle so huge?

Winifrey glanced up and down the table, her eyes traveling towards other faces that she recognized. Faces that she had met throughout the day. She turned back to her friends, "What are we talking about?" she asked, looking between their faces. She was late and had missed some of the conversation. Usually she would simply listen, but her brain was practically mush at the moment and was too tired to try and follow their words.

She ate a bit more, the food satisfying as she filled her stomach. She drank down some water to wash down the food. She wouldn't call herself a particularly messy eater, but she definitely wasn't the cleanest. To assure herself, she grabbed a napkin and daintily patted her lips.

Sorry to butt it, but you went to muggle school? What was it like?

Before Lorelai could answer Aurelia did. She didn't mind however she was interested in what the other girl had to say. She had learned earlier that the girl's experiences at her muggle school weren't all that good.

"It's nothing like Hogwarts. If people there think you are strange or an odd one out, they'd immediately turn their backs on you. Being a witch doesn't have any advantages there."

She said. Lorelai definitely had a similar experience. Not all kids, but many, were more concerned about fitting in than being a genuinely nice person. Although Lorelai never really got close to any of them and they were few and far between, there were certainly decent people at her school.

"Yeah, that sounds about right,"Lorelai replied. People were very judgmental at muggle school. More so than Hogwarts, even if there were some bad apples here and there. "Schoolwork wise, they're slightly easier. Way more boring though."

A girl Lorelai recognized to be Winifrey came in and sat alongside the girls.

Hey guys.

She said tiredly.

What are you talking about?

She seemed exhausted, and Lorelai was curious about what had happened. Maybe she just had a long day, or maybe something had happened. "We were talking about what muggle school is like."|

She paused before adding. "Tired, huh? I know the feeling."

"I'm Lorelai, a pleasure to meet you."

She said smiling back at Makena. The girl then continued talking.

“I'm really interested in Herbology for one thing. And magizoology, especially dragons. I sort of want to work with them someday." 

"My mom is a squib, she raised me like a muggle, so I actually learned about magic rather recently. I attended muggle school but I didn’t really have any close friends there. Just a few friendly acquaintances I guess. It was mostly because I got pretty invested in my schoolwork."

She said pausing in between sentences for a bite of food Makena was intrigued but before she could ask anything Della came to the table she sat next to Makena and opposite the other two, with a bit of an thump.

"Hey,"

She said breathlessly to the group before quickly introducing herself.

"Hello, I'm Mardella, I'm Aurelia and Kena's roommate."

"Sorry to butt it, but you went to muggle school? What was it like?"

Della asked. 

"It's nothing like Hogwarts. If people there think you are strange or an odd one out, they'd immediately turn their backs on you. Being a witch doesn't have any advantages there."

Aurelia answered.

"Yeah, that sounds about right," 

"Schoolwork wise, they're slightly easier. Way more boring though."

Lorelai the girl Makena had just met agreed with Aurelia.
"That's horrible" Makena stated she felt sorry for Aurelia and Lorelai nobody should be bullied for being different. Then suddenly Wini came to the table she was wondering when Wini would arrive. 

"Hey guys,"

She greeted cheerfully, although she sounded a little tired. "Hey" Makena replied with a smile. 

"What are we talking about?"

Wini asked.

"We were talking about what muggle school is like."

Lorelai paused before adding.

"Tired, huh? I know the feeling."

She said to Wini. "What about you Della or Wini what school did you guys go ?" Makena paused before adding. "I was home schooled my mum taught me mostly everything I know if i didn't teach myself it."

Mardella took a long gulp of water - phew, she hadn't realised how thirsty she'd been until after she'd started drinking! Flying really did take a lot out of you, and she was still soaked from the rain. She slipped off the wet fabric of her robe and tossed that under the table alongside her bag too, just as Wini arrived. It seemed like Aurelia had had some bad experiences at muggle school if her tone was anything to go by, the unknown girl (although it seemed like everyone else knew her?) had too. Had they been...bullied? She'd known some not so nice kids growing up but no one had ever really gone out of their way to target her before.

Mardella brightened at that. "Me too! Ma used to make me do school stuff in the back of the newsie's - " and then drooped a little and looked towards Aurelia and the unknown girl, "I wish schoolwork here was as easy as you said muggle stuff was - I heard we get essays for homework here!" And then shoved a bite of chicken in her mouth and flushed. "Erm - hard essays! ...I think." She had totally written an essay before, definitely. Yep.

Aurelia’s eyes lit up when she heard about homeschool. She was homeschooled when she was younger but they sent her to the horrid muggle school when she was eight.

She envied Mardella and Makena. They didn’t have to face bullies everyday like how she did. What they did to her there was unspeakable. But now she was in Hogwarts, people were nice and she could get along with them.

She finished her pudding. And raspberry ice cream. They were good.

Mee too! Ma used to make me do school stuff in the back of the newsies. I wish schoolwork here was as easy as you said muggle stuff was - I heard we get essays for homework here!

Mardella exclaimed. Well I wished people were as friendly as Students in Hogwarts in muggle school. She thought to herself. She didn’t want her bad memories to float back up so she decided to steer the topic away from what it currently was.

“Yes, the homework is stressful. I was given a task to write a 250 words essay for defence against the dark arts!” Aurelia whined.

“And the teacher taught us the knockback spell Flipendo, even though she knew the spell could be fatal if in the wrong circumstances! She even made us practice. I got a bruise on my shoulder to prove it!” Aurelia complained.

"Yah, long day and I lost track of how many times I got lost. Charms was a pain in my butt to find," She spoke to Lorelai, answering her remark. It had been pretty difficult finding all of her classes. But she was pretty sure she would get the hang of it eventually.

Winifrey listened quietly as the conversation of muggle school went back and forward. It was weird to call it muggle school. To her, it had always been simply school and then home studies that was closely regulated by the authorities or whatever. At least that was what her mom told her.

"I was homeschooled too for my first few years. We traveled a lot as a family. But then I was put into public school," Wini inputted, eating a bit more.

After her father had disappeared, her mother put her in the public school system. Without her father making the money for the family, Mrs. Golding had to step up and get a real job. The attic was quite empty after that and the apartment was even more silent. At the thought, Wini silently wondered how her mother was faring. She had sent a couple of owls, but had received nothing in return from her mother.

“And the teacher taught us the kickback spell, Flipendo, even though she knew the spell could be fatal if in the wrong circumstances! She even made us practice. I got a bruise on my shoulder to prove it!”

Aurelia complained.

Lorelai nodded. In muggle school at the very least, you knew you were safe for the most part. None of what you were taught there could really harm anyone. It was mostly just how to write essays and solve equations while at Hogwarts you learned self-defense. It was more interesting by a long shot, but it did frighten her a little bit if she was honest.

"Yah, long day and I lost track of how many times I got lost. Charms was a pain in my butt to find,

"Yeah,"Lorelai agreed, taking a bit of the desert in front of her. "I feel the same way. I get lost about every other time I try to get somewhere and these classes are way harder than I'm used to. I think I still like Hogwarts better than muggle school though."Lorelai didn't really mind hard classes if it meant she would have a real social life.

"To add to the talk about bullying. I have heard some goes on her. Something about blood status? I'm new to all this wizard politics, but it seems some students care a lot?"She asked. Lorelai had passed other students in the hallways talking about this and had never really understood what any of that meant.