Just because we're crazy, doesn't mean we're not having fun -- February 1992

I could not believe that it was nearly halfway through my year at Hogwarts.  How I wanted to try to convince my parents to let me stay at this school, I knew they would never agree to it because of Remus.  They were not too pleased that I had gone to the Lupin's for Christmas Holiday and not gone home to them.  I really did not care if I hurt their feelings; they were rather horrid people.  I could not stand to be around them.  I ignored the fact and realized that it really was time to start focusing on the OWLs.  I hated the fact that my schooling was completely different than the rest of the students here at Hogwarts, and that was where Penny came in.  She was helping me fill in the gaps if there were any, that is.  I sighed and laid my head on the table in the library.  I was already getting tired of all of this.

I made it to the library after doing some rounds on Prefect duty to see Desdemona sitting at a desk with her face down on the table.  I grinned a little evilly, and instead of announcing my presence like a good friend, I dropped a book down on the table, making my friend jump.  I laughed, instantly being scolded by Madam Pince.  I rolled my eyes as I sat down.  "Looks like you could use a break," I pointed out, seeing that my friend was definitely stressed out looking.  I hated when that happened.

I could have killed Penelope for startling me like she did.  But I could not help but laugh, trying to keep my voice down so we would not get yelled at again.  "I really could," I whispered in response.  "Do you wanna get out of here and find something entertaining to do?"  I was not sure what we could do, really, but I was seriously bored out of my mind.

I grinned and nodded, helping Des clean up the pile of books she had collected while trying to study.  I even helped her put them away -- even though I was sure that Madame Pince would end up moving each and every one of them, so I was not even sure why we even bothered.  We linked arms and we walked out into the hall where we could actually talk without someone breathing down our necks for being too loud.  "I think we should steal down to the kitchen, get a bunch of sweets, and find somewhere to chill and have our nice little girl chats," I suggested, thinking that it had been a little while since we had one of those.  I really wanted to talk to her about Percy... I was starting to get a crush on him, but he was a total nerd.  Even nerdier than most Ravenclaws.  I did feel kind of bad for him, though.  I always heard people giving him a hard time.  But he was super sweet and so smart.  He had the cutest little smile, too.

I liked the sound of that idea.  I nodded and we made our way down to the kitchens.  "Why don't we just go to the Hufflepuff common room?  I swear my house would let anyone in and not care," I said, smiling.  That was one thing that I loved about the House that I was sorted into.  They were just so open minded, not quick to judge people, and loyal to a fault.  And most of them were quite kind to one another.  Obviously there were issues -- when you have a dorm full of girls, you really have to expect that.  But then that way we could at least sit somewhere comfortable and I was thinking that getting out of the uniform was in my best interest right now.

I grinned.  "That works, too!" I said happily.  I loved Hufflepuff for that reason.  "Of course, after gathering our sweets."  I wanted to talk to her about Remus in addition to Percy.  I was curious as to how they were getting along.

I laughed.  "Oh, naturally," I assured her.  I started to head towards the kitchens.  "I love coming down here to visit with the house elves...t hey're always so kind."  I tickled the peach and we entered the kitchen where we were swarmed by a dozen elves.  "Hello!" I said cheerily.  "We're having a bit of a girls' night... could we possibly bother you for some sweets?"

The elves grinned up at us and a few left us and returned with trays full of homemade goodies.  I looked over at Desi and we fit as much as we could into our pockets.  "We should have brought a bag or something," I pointed out to my friend as I could not help but chuckle at the reaction from the elves we got.  I had never been down in the kitchens before, so I had not known what to expect.

I laughed as we started to head out of the kitchens.  "We don't have far to go, come on," I said, thinking that Penny was being a tad over dramatic carrying our goods to the Hufflepuff common room.  I entered the room and threw the stuff I was carrying onto a little table by a nice cushy chair.  "Right here, good?"

I grinned.  "It's perfect!" I assured her.  We got changed into some pajamas and returned to the seats we saved for ourselves.  I opened up some ice cream and started to eat.  "Do you want to go first... or me?" I asked.  I was nearly bouncing with excitement.

I grinned and motioned for her to go while I swallowed some pastry.  "You clearly have more to talk about!" I said, grinning.  "Dish it out, Penny!"

I grinned, grabbing a handful of sweets and picking at them before speaking.  I had to gather my thoughts.  "Well... I have a crush on this guy," I explained, starting out slow.  I did not want her to make fun of me for liking Percy Weasley.

I raised my eyebrows at her expectantly.  When she waited for my reaction, I rolled my eyes.  "C'mon, Penny, just give me the details!" I said, playfully hitting her leg.

I grinned and took a deep breath, getting myself ready to tell her everything she wanted to know.  "He's kind of nerdy and dorky, but in an adorable kind of way," I explained, hoping she would not make fun of me.  "It's Percy Weasley.

I raised my eyebrows and looked at her.  "Yeah, he is kind of nerdy.  But he seems like he could be really sweet, though.  His brothers just seem... well, they seem to be a bit overbearing it seems," I said, not really knowing any of the kids here -- this was my first, and probably only, year at Hogwarts.