Astina walked into the The Three Broomsticks and took a seat in the far corner of the pub. She had been outside for nearly an hour looking from shop to shop and now she was weighed down by bags of Honeydukes candy and Zonkos joke products. She had done all of her shopping alone and wasnt planning on getting company at the pub, no matter how warm and inviting it was.

Astina plopped her bags on an empty chair at her table and hung her wet cloak on the back of another. She then went up to the counter and ordered two butterbeers to take back to her table. The chairs in the pub were not pushed in and Astina nearly tripped on one that was out in the walkway right in front of her.

When she finaly got back to her table, she sat down and thrust her long topknot of red hair on her back and out of her face. Her corner in the pub was nice and enclosed. She liked that quality in her location when she was alone. As she drank her two glasses of butterbeer, she felt the warm liqued flow into her body like a fire rushes over dry ground.

The air outside the pub was quiet peircing. Artimiss had just said farewell to a friend whom she had not seen since moving to Hogwarts. Man a butterbeer sound awesome right about now.

She turned and went inside after her friend was completely out of sight. The pub was warm, filled her with heat the moment she steped inside. Her clothes were damp from the drizzle of rain blowing in with the wind. Artimiss sloshed her way up to the bar. "Can I get a butterbeer mixed with hot cream please?" She polietly asked the bartender.

After recieving her drink she turned around. She didn't want to look like a bar rat sitting at the counter. Artimiss scaned the seats for an empty one. There were plenty to choose from... But she spotted a younger Gryffindor from her school. She only recoginzed her due to her long red hair. A thing Artimiss always remembered. It was rare to have redhair, yet, most of Hogwarts had it!

Looking up from a Daily Prophet, Head Girl scanned the tables of Three Broomsticks. The day stretched on quite slowly and without any events. As far as Sarah could tell, she's been in this pub for quite some time, waiting for nothing. And to make matters worse, there was particularly nothing exciting in the newspaper either.

Girl folded the paper and placed it on the edge of her round table. She took yet another sip of her now cold chai and stuffed the last piece of cookie into her mouth. Sarah decided to accept the fact that today would be boring and got up from the chair. There was nothing better to do than to go back to Hogwarts and borrow some book from the library. It was too rainly and chilly outside to enjoy a walk.

Putting on her creamy brown cloak, something caught Sarah's attention. A redhead passed her, which looked a lot like a Gryffindor Sarah saw around the hallways in school. Shrugging, Sarah started to make her way to the door, when she saw yet another familiar face. Now this was getting interesting. The other familiar face was definately a Ravenclaw. Sarah knew the students from her house quite well.

Turning from her path to the door, Sarah came up to a 6th year, and smiled.
"Hey there. I believe your name is Artimiss. Forgive me if I'm wrong. I'm Sarah. I believe we're both from Ravenclaw."
Now that Sarah came closer the the girl, she was pretty sure that 6th year in front of her was Artimiss. As Head Girl, she had to file her application not too long ago when she tidy up the files.

Astina looked up from her two butterbeers to see two ravenclaw girls talking to each other. they were standing and Astina tought that it would be polite to invite them over to her table. Astina raised her had and called them over to her table.

"Hi!" Astina sait to them, "you two are in Ravenclaw? Im in Gryffndor. Im a fifth year but this is my first year here. Im a trasfer student." Astina smiled weakly to the two Ravenclaw girls. She signaled to two other chairs on the other side of her table ao they could sit down.

"Have you been to Zonko's yet? I just came from there. Isnt it amazing? I couldnt get enough of that place." Astina showed them her large bag full of Zonko's joke products. "Having fun here at Hogsmead?" Astina asked them.

Millie walked into The Three Broomsticks rubbing her hands together vigourisly and wiping the few drops of rain from her face with her sleeve. After placing her order at the bar she took her butterbeer and slipped into a chair at a nearby empty table.

Taking out The Daily Prophet she flicked over the pages quickly, looking for any attention grabbing news. Glancing up from the paper briefly she scanned the pub, looking for anyone she knew. Her eyes rested on a few girls at a table, though she didn't recognise any from her house. She flashed them a quick, yet friendly smile, and set her eyes back down to her paper, reading over the numerous amounts of 'mysterious' deaths while she took a spare piece of parchment from her bag and sucked on a sugar quill slowly.

Astina was still talking to the Ravenclaw girls when she spotted a Hufflepuff girl sitting alone in another corner of the pub. Astina had never seen that girl at Hogwarts. Either she was new, or Astina just never crossed her path at school before. She looked to be a few years older than Astina herself, but she looked like she could use some company.

"I'll be right back." Astina said to the Ravenclaw girls and she got up, out of her chair and made her way to the Hufflepuff girl. "Hi." Astina said the the girl, "Im Astina Sincaltry. What's your name?" Astina flashed the girl a large smile and sat down next to her. "Are you new here?"

Astina looked at the girl and gave her another large smile. Astina was good at those smiles.

Millie looked up at the girl standing infront of her. She pushed her papers aside as she smiled at the girl who now sat next to her. "Hey i'm Millie Vickery" she said while taking a sip of her butterbeer.
"And um no, i'm not new here, just haven't gone out of my way to make myself known recently" she answered, ending in a slightly nervous laugh.
She took a large gulp of her butterbeer and finished it off, feeling it warm her insides right to her fingertips. "Oh do you want a drink? My treat" she asked Astina and gave her another smile as she packed away her parchment and quill.

Astina looked stunned at Millie's answer. She stared at her ans said, "You mean that you think that making friends is out of your way?" Astina still staring at the girl almost didnt answer when she asked if she wanted a drink. Astina snapped back to the real world and shook her head to steady her thoughts. "Oh, thanks. I would like that very much." Astina answered her and went back to wonderin how on earth she was going to have more friends if she didnt try.

The waitress gave them their drinks and Astina drank thankfully. "So, what year are you at Hogwarts?" Astina asked Millie, "What's it like being in Hufflepuff House?"

Millie shook her head and laughed slightly, a little stunned at Astina's response. "Oh no nothing like that" she said, "just that i needed time to get my thoughts together recently and didn't feel like being round groups of people, silly i know" she finished, taking a gulp of her drink.

Wishing to change the subject as soon as she could, Millie put her drink down and cleared her throat.
"Ah hufflepuff's not that bad, a little quiet to be honest, and i'm a seventh year, what about you?" she asked before taking another sip of her drink.

"Im a fifth year. Im new here actually. Transfer you know." Astina answered Millie, "Im in Gryffndor. Do you like Quiddich? I love it. My mom bought me a firebolt for my fifteenth birthday because she wanted me to play Quiddich for our local team instead of studying dragons." Astina turned in her seat and beconed the two Ravenclaws over to Millie's table.

Astina turned back to face Millie and waited for her answer. She took another swig of her butterbeer that she orderd and set it back on the table rather harder that she ment to and looked apologeticly at Millie. "Sorry about that," Astina said, blushing slightly, "Didnt mean to slam it down so hard." Astina wiped the butterbeer off the table with a spare napkin. She must have spilled it when she slamed her glass down.

Millie jumped slightly as she heard the glass bang on the table, looking up at Astina she saw her starting to wipe up the spilt butterbeer.
"Oh no problem" she said as she grabbed a nearby napkin to help. She quickly glanced over at the two ravenclaws before turning her attention back to Astina.

"Yeah i love quidditch, love playing it as well as watching, although i don't think the team captain likes me playing as much as i do, got turned down for the team" she said rolling her eyes as she smiled. "Ah well, I still play when i can, i've got a nimbus 2001; it flies pretty well, but a firebolt, lucky you! It must be amazing to fly" she said with a slightly impressed tone to her voice, she didn't know many people who had a firebolt.

"Must be hard transferring though, where did you transfer from"? Millie scrunched up the paper napkin and tossed it in the bin.

Astina looked at Millie. "You play Quiddich too? Cool, what position do you play?" Astina asked. She was liking this girl more and more. the longer they talked the more she liked her. When Astina was finished cleaning up her butterbeer mess, she listened to Millie ask what school she went to.

"Well, it's not that bad once you get use to it. Actually, I wanted to come here all along. It's just that my mother didnt think that I should go here. She didnt like the Headmaster when my brother went here. But now that Breena's the Headmistress, my mom must have changed her mind." Astina answered, "I transfered from a wizarding school in India because that was where I used to live, but when we moved to Europe, I ended up going here. The school is called Bilaspur's Wizarding School. It is located about 10 miles south of the town of Bilaspur."

"I prefer Chaser, but i sometimes play Keeper, doesn't mean i'm very good at either position" she said laughing again. "What about you"? she asked.

Millie leant her head against her hand and listened intently as Astina told her about her old school. She found the details of Astina's previous school interesting, and the fact that she liked quidditch too made Millie's interest in getting to know Astina grow even more.

"So do you like it here?" Millie asked as she played her finger along the rim of her glass absentmindedly

Astina learned that Millie played chaser and keeper. "I play beater believe it or not. It's what my mother wanted me to do for a living like she does." Astina answered Millie, "She plays beater too, on our local quiddich team. I play fairly well, I still havent heard back from my house Quiddich team yet, so I dont know if I made it yet. Mabye I should try a different approche" Astina giggled to herself.

Astina listened to Millie's next question and anwered with excitment. "Oh, I love it here. My Mother was right. Prof. Brightheart is an excellent Headmistress. It is a whole lot bigger than my old school so i got lost on my first day here. Silly me!" Astina smiled and rubbed the back of her head with her hand.

"I was never any good as beater" Millie said thoughtfully. "You're so lucky your mother plays, mine won't even watch it, i think i get my quidditch interest from my dad's side of the family" she said trailing off.

She took a huge gulp from her drink and finished it, putting her glass to the side of the table. "Yeah i know hogwarts can be kinda daunting when you're new, the staircases don't help matters either" she said with a small laugh.

(ooc: try to make your posts a little longer. If you keep making them less than 100 words, than Prof. Breena Brightheart will deliete your account. By the way its gene as in eye color.)

Astina had finished her butterbeer and was gulping the foam out from the bottom of her mug. "So your father gave you your Quiddich gene huh? My father hadnt even heard of Quiddich befor he met my mother. He's a muggle you know. He never got me into any wizarding things. Of corse he did get me into soccer. Its a muggle sport that you play on the ground and you kick one ball around untill you get it in a goal. I love it. Ive played ever since I could walk, so Im really good at it."

Astina ordered another butterbeer and turned back to Millie. "Yeah, it can be a little frustrating when the stairs suddenly change their direction. Then you have to find another way to where you want to go. It's really crazy." Astina laughed at this and took the butterbeer from the waitress that handed her her order.

[OOC. Thanks for the advice]
Millie looked at Astina with a slightly puzzled expression. "Soccer, i've heard some people talk about it, and they told me a little bit about it but i've never seen anyone play it before".

Personally Millie couldn't see the excitement in kicking a ball into a net, compared to quidditch she couldn't see how this sport could be remotely thrilling, but each to her own she thought. She always wished to learn more about the muggle world and it's customs, seeing as she had never really lived around muggles.

"So this soccer, is it hard to play? I know it's really popular with muggles though". As soon as she finished her sentence she almost wished she hadn't said it, she felt she sounded a little ignorant. Nevertheless she reached into her bag and pulled out a box of every flavour beans and pulled it open. Taking a couple of beans she gestured for Astina to help herself.

Astina stared at Millie. She didnt know that Millie didnt know anything about soccer. But, then again, not all the kids at this school have muggle heratage. "Well, it depends on how good you are at sports. If you are rather good, than it isnt that hard to play." Astina said, "Would you like me to teach you how to play?"

Astina was telling Millie the general rules in soccer, when she pulled out a bag of berttie botts every flavor beans. When Millie offered some to Astina, she was ecstatic. "Yes! I love experamenting with these. It is fun to pick a random bean and eat it to find out what flavor you got. It is funny when people get a nasty flavor like pepper." Astina giggled and took some beans from Millie.

Astina grabbed a random bean from her hand and tossed it in her mouth. She chewed on it for a bit that gagged. "Ugh! I got a sardeine flavor!" Astina took a napkin from the table and wipped her tounge with it to get all the tiny bits of jelly bean off it. Then she took a swig of butterbeer to wash down the taste. "Now it is your turn." Astina told Millie.

Millie's puzzled expression soon turned into a beaming smile. "Oh yeah i'd love to learn, it'd be a new experience right?" she said laughing.

She thought back to when her brother first started to teach her quidditch, how hard she found it at first when then how much she'd fell in love with the game. Millie watched as Astina took the bean she tried to suppress her laughter as she found out it was sardine flavour but giggles got the better of her and she ended up in fits as Astina wiped her tongue.

She apologised as her giggles subsided. "Oh speaking if new experiences" she said as she dipped her hand in the box and came out with a green, shiny bean. "This can't be good" she remarked before tossing it in her mouth. She took a few chews before a look of disgust crept across her face. "Spinach" she told Astina before gulping the bean down, "told you green was never good".

Astina finished wipping the bean off her tounge and saw Millie laughing her head off. When she appologized, Astina looked at her as if her apology was a slap on the face (well, mabye not that bad), "Why are you apologizing?" Astina asked her, "I thought that it was funny myself." Astina giggled to herself.

When Millie picked up a green jelly bean, she said that it couldnt be good, but she popped it in her mouth anyway. Astina smiled but held her breath at the same time. Millie gagged like Astina did then swallowed the jelly bean. I turned out to be spinach. "I like spinach when it is the regular vegetable, but I bet it tastes really gross in a jelly bean flavor," Astina said, "Yeah, I never really liked the muggle form of green jelly beans either."

It was Astina's turn to try a jelly bean and she pulled out another one that was creamy white. She popped it in her mouth, chewed it for a while then swallowed. She smiled and said, "Marshmellow."

Millie looked up at Astina after forcing the bean down. "I was told never to laugh at others misfortunes, even if it is something as trivial as a sardine flavour jelly bean" she joked as she started laughing again. "I dunno, seems pretty harsh to laugh while someone's gagging on a jelly bean" she said thoughtfully.

Millie turned her attention to the box of jelly beans before looking up at Astina again. "Spinach when it's a vegetable is bad enough, but that was revolting" she said with a grimace. She brought the box close to her again and picked out another one at random. This time it was a golden yellow colour. "Hmmm, this could either be earwax, or.." she said pulling a face as she popped the bean in her mouth, "mmm, honey". She smiled as she swallowed it.

Millie looked out of the window at the evening sky. "It's getting kinda late, want to head back to the castle?" she asked Astina, as she noticed The Three Broomsticks with considerably less students than before. "I'm sure we can find another time to finish these off" she said laughing as she shook the box a little.

Astina was greatfull for the friend that she met here at the Tree Broomsticks. Both Millie and Astina were having so much fun together, that Astina was reluctent to leave. "I wonder what it would taste like if you tried to eat ten of them at once?" Astina was trying to get herself to stay at the Three Broomsticks for just a little longer because Millie said that it was so late that shey should be heading back to the castle.

True, the pub was looking like it was going to shut down and moment, but Astina could have stayed here at the pub her whole life because it looked so welcoming. finally, she decided to go back up to the castle with Millie. But before she did any thing else, she was going to try what she had asked herself and Millie a little while back.

Astina reached her hand into the bag of every flavor beans and pulled out a small handfull. She smilled to Millie ans if she was committing suicide and stuffed them all into her mouth. She chewed them to get the flavor mixed into each other, then gave a very strange grunting noise and her face was twisting as if she smelt something really grose and it was stuck right unger her nose. She looked as if she was going to throw up!

Along the walk up back up to the castle Millie found herself joking about with Astina over the box of jelly beans. "I don't recommend 10 at once, god knows what would happen to you" she told Astina in the pub earlier.

Watching Astina take all ten of the beans Millie laughed, she wondered what it would be like if Astina had got another sardine mixed with spinach, her own stomach turned at the thought of it. Watching Astina her laughter soon stopped and her smile was replaced with a look of panic as she watched Astina's face contort.

"Spit it out! Quickly!" Millie cried out to Astina as she started to pat her back firmly, trying to help Astina get the beans out of her mouth as soon as possible, hopefully before she swallowed the concoction.

Astina gagged and spat all ten jelly beans out on a napkin in one big barf colored blob. She saw Millie's look of panic and smilled at her. "It's okay," AStina reassured her, "It just tasted really horrable. I will never do that again, that's for sure." Astina wrapped up the blob of jelly beans and threw the napkin, beans and all, into a nearby trash can.

Astina laughed. "I think I got a mixture of tripe, anchovies and dirt in there," Astina threw her head back and roared with laughter at the thought of it, "Man was it gross!" Astina wrapped her arm around Millie's shoulder and she began to steer her back to the castle.

Millie let out a sigh of relief, and soon her panic struck face turned into one of anger, well fake anger. She managed to keep a straight face for about 3 seconds before bursting into more fits of giggles. Once she knew Astina was okay her worry subsided and she began to see the funny side of it.

"Ugh that must have been disgusting" she remarked, feeling queasy once more at the thought of it. "Don't ever do that to me again" she said nudging Astina off course slightly while she laughed. She tucked the beans back into her bag as they carried on back up to the castle, "i think they're safer to us in here for now" she told Astina.

Astina was glad that she wasnt mad at her for scaring her into thinking that she was dying or something like that. Astina laughed along with Millie as they passed the Shreaking Shack and started onto the trail back to Hogwarts.

When Millie put the Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans into her pocket, Astina agreed that they were safer when put away and out of her reach. Astina laughed at this and, instead, pulled out two chocolate frogs. She handed one to Millie and Astina took the second one. She ripped open the package and pulled one of the frog's legs off and chewed it. She was happy that she was finished with the Bertie Botts. "I think that I will lay off the Bertie Botts for a wile," Astina said, "that was enough taste to last me for a while." She laughed at this and stuffed the rest of the chocolate frog in her mouth.

(ooc: continued in 'Resting before dinner' in the fourm 'The Lake')