A lion, a raven and a badger|Hermia and Hannah|

[Cwen Bodicea Gewissae]

Cwen's wrists had begun to itch the moment she had changed into her second hand robes. She saw an adult shepherding other new students but was too fearful of stepping out of line to ask if there might have been an itching jinx. Cwen quickly realized that she would have to be careful who she encountered while in Hogwarts. She had accidentally gotten into a carriage with a group of older students that called themselves the Slytherins. The name brought memories of creepy crawling bugs to Cwen. When she expressed her displeasure with the name, she could have sworn at least one of them had uttered jinxes at her things.

Cwen drew an old cloak around her shoulders. Wishing she had her spellbooks on hand to look up a possible counter-jinx. She began to probe her mind, in case she had already read up on one. Someone bumped into her from behind.

Cwen shook her head to clear it. The other students lined in front of her were at least twenty yards ahead. Others were breaking the line from behind her and passing her. Cwen watched as the perfect line that the Professor had sorted them into was broken. Emotion overwhelmed her and she sank to her knees and began to weep softly. She feared expulsion from the school for such insolent behaviour. She could see the disappointed looks on her parent's faces already as she held her head in her hands.

[Hermia Lucretia Crouch]

"Leave me alone!" a tiny, brown-haired girl raised her voice, walking swiftly before an older dark-haired boy. She raised her head up high, trying to ignore her companion as she tried to keep up with other students who were walking around them.

"Hermia, come back!" the boy called after her, speeding up to catch her. She was still trying to ignore him, her annoyance with him rising with every step. "You have to be sorted in Slytherin!" The boy said cheerfully, completely oblivious of her efforts to keep him away. Hermia finally acknowledged his presence, by turning to face him with a frown on her little face. "I don't want to be a Slytherin, Marcus! Slytherins are mean!" The girl kept looking at the boy, still frowning. "But you are a pure-blood witch. Then you have to be a Slytherin." The girl named Hermia rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to continue the argument when someone called: "First year students, this way!" Hermia turned away from Marcus and ran towards the voice, following other boys and girls who were about to be sorted. Marcus remained behind, mumbling something about the friends who were waiting for him. As if anyone would want to be his friend... Hermia thought, walking behind a small red-headed boy.

Suddenly, Hermia realised that she was several yards behind the other first year students. If only Marcus hadn't been bothering her... The girl shrugged, deciding that she would follow them slowly; she could look around a bit that way. Then she saw another girl, with dark hair and dressed in old robes, just sitting on the road and crying. Hermia approached her carefully and knelt beside her. "Are you hurt?"

[Hannah Callista Hufflepuff]

Don't worry too much, Princess. I am sure you will get along nicely with the other Hufflepuff students, her father had said.

Make Helga proud, her mother had added.

Not only her parents but everyone in her family expected Hannah to be a Hufflepuff. Why? Well, because she was the Founder's sister. The eleven year old was confident in Helga's teaching abilities, however, she wanted to step out of her sister's shadow and the only way to do that was to be assigned to another house. Ravenclaw. Or even Gryffindor. Both sounded nice to the ear. Not Slytherin though - there were rumours about that house and Anni did not want to be associated with the evil crowd.

Being surrounded by the other first years made her feel claustrophobic. The others were excited and curious to see what house they would be in - but not Anni. So what was the point of going through this charade? Couldn't she have just been allowed to join the Hufflepuffs? Sighing she remembered Helga's words. Her sister had told her that the ceremony was an important event for a Hogwarts' student and that she should not miss it.

Hannah did not plan on doing that but she had no problem dawdling and keeping to the back of the crowd.Walking past two girls, Anni ignored them until she realised one of them was sobbing. With her back still at the pair she stopped in her tracks and pondered for a moment before retracing her steps and crouching beside one of the brunettes, looking up at the other in silence. She did not know what to say, instead Anni placed her hand on the crying's girl knee.

[Cwen Bodicea Gewissae]

She pulled her hands away from her eyes. Cwen scratched at her wrists again, now contemplating a way to get the robe off of her. She heard a few passing students suppressing laughter. Another mumbled, 'Haven't seen her before. Must be a mudblood.'

Cwen looked up curiously. The two chatting girls looked away from her quickly. Cwen sniffled and wiped her eyes when it seemed the last of the line was in sight. Another girl approached her and knelt beside her. She asked if Cwen had been hurt but before she could calm herself enough to respond another girl had come. Cwen looked from one to the other carefully.

"No. I'm not hurt. Its just that my wrists itch badly." Cwen's crying had stopped. She wiped away at her eyes again then her nose."And when I tried to remember if I read about a counter to itches, I broke the line. I don't want to get sent back home.

Cwen choked back another cry. She looked from Hermia to Hannah again. "I'm sorry. I must seem very selfish. My name is Cwen. I didn't mean to stop you. I just don't want to let my family down. I'm the first witch in my family."

[Hermia Lucretia Crouch]

Hermia noticed that there was another girl next to them - a blonde who had crouched beside them without saying a word. She gave her a small nod, as a greeting of some sort. Then she turned her attention back to the dark-haired girl. Someone passing by was saying something and Hermia heard the word Mudblood. She wasn't quite sure what the word meant, but she knew that it was a very bad word. She had been taught that it was something she should never say.

Hermia listened patiently to the girl who had stopped crying. She shrugged with a sad look on her face. "I don't know a spell for that, I'm sorry." She hadn't actually been allowed to use magic very much at home and none of the spells she knew could help with this sort of problem. "My sister can help you, she knows loads of spells." the girl said proudly with a small smirk. Her expression was soon changed, her face suddenly becoming very serious. "They won't send you home! You have to do something really bad to be sent back home and you haven't done anything." the girl said confidently.

"Nice to meet you. I am Hermia." Hermia replied, looking from Cwen to the other girl, whose name she hadn't heard yet. "What is your name?" Hermia asked the blonde girl. Her light eyes widened when she heard that Cwen was the first witch in her family. "Your parents are Muggles?" she asked, genuinely curious.

[Hannah Callista Hufflepuff]

Hannah stared at the brunette beside her as if the nod she had just been offered was an alien gesture, then responded the greeting with a smile. Her eyes settled back on the crying girl. She did not seem hurt. Maybe she feels home-sick? Anni parted her lips to ask the question, however, like the kneeling brunette she had heard the girls refer to Cwen as a mudblood. Without pausing to think Hannah bolted to her feet and turned around, fixing the girls with an icy glare. This one time she was willing to make use of her affiliation with Helga and no one would ever call the new girl a mudblood again... or so she hoped. Sitting beside the brunette, Hannah frowned slightly. An itching robe? Could that be the reason behind the tears? Anni's eyes widened and she ahhed softly upon hearing the rest of the story.

"You will be fine. The teachers here are not mean... well except for Professor Slytherin," Anni said with a shudder.

Locking her gaze with Hermia she said, "We can lend you some robes," hoping the other girl would not be upset that she had volunteered both of them.

When asked for her name, Anni froze. She almost gave them her nickname but knew that would be stupid. One way or another they would hear her full name, so she might as well offer it willingly.

"Hannah Hufflepuff," she said with a sigh.

"Pleasure to meet you both."

Anni had never met a muggleborn before and she was quite curious about the one named Cwen, perched beside her.

[Cwen Bodicea Gewissae]

Cwen had all but settled herself now. She watched as Hermia and Hannah exchanged nods and smiles. Cwen opened her mouth to say something but promptly closed it again as Hannah rose. She watched the blonde glare after the girls who had called Cwen's blood muddy. Although she had never heard the phrase before, Cwen was not quite of noble birth. She opened her mouth again to excuse the two chatting girls but was distracted by the look on Hermia's face. Apparently the word had some implication other than someone's worth. Was that why the Slytherins hexed my robes? Cwen frowned and wondered if coming to Hogwarts was such a good idea.

Cwen groaned when Hermia admitted to not knowing a cure for itching. She looked hopeful when given the prospect of an experienced witch dealing with the problem. Regardless, the itching was quite irritating and a short-term solution was becoming more and more necessary as Cwen found it harder and harder to keep from scratching herself, her wrists now reddened. When Hannah offered their robes, Cwen smiled brightly. "Really!?" She was beaming until she realized she did not have the ability to pay back such a gift. She frowned, scratching her wrists again. "Perhaps not, I wouldn't want to bother you girls further. The ceremony might begin without us."

By now, scratching her wrists with much greater intensity now. She did not even realize she was doing it. "Hermia and Hannah. Hehe." Cwen tried to grin. "Whats a mugg-Ouch!" She hadn't been paying attention to her scratching and managed to claw through her own skin. Cwen grimaced at the small spot of blood forming on the back of her wrist.

[Hermia Lucretia Crouch]

Hermia raised an eyebrow, turning to Hannah; her curiosity written all over her pale face. "How do you know professor Slytherin?" she asked. Then she guessed that the blonde probably had older siblings in Hogwarts, just like her. Hermia quickly nodded her head in agreement with Hannah's suggestion. "Of course. I already have too many things." she said with a small shrug. Her mother had packed so many different things, that it was almost impossible for Hermia to lift her suitcase. So she would be glad to give some of her stuff to Cwen.

The girl looked at Hannah, puzzled. "Hufflepuff? As in Hufflepuff? Do you know Helga Hufflepuff?" she asked, her eyes widening and a smile appearing on her face. "Nice to meet you both." she finally added.

"No, you're not bothering us!" Hermia said, looking at Cwen with a very serious look on her face. The girl shook her head at the though of the ceremony beginning without the three of them. "The Founders are great witches and wizards, they wouldn't let it begin without us." Hermia winced at the sight of a small blood spot on Cwen's skin. "Don't touch it, it will only make it worse!"

[Hannah Callista Hufflepuff]

Anni was taken aback by Hermia's question - How do you know professor Slytherin? The 11 year old did not know how to answer, however, she had the feeling that telling them Slytherin was a family friend was not a good idea. Shrugging lightly, she stared down at her shoes.

"Who doesn't? I mean... he is after all the most notorious out of the four Founders."

The beaming expression on Cwen's face was satisfying enough; besides she never expected anything back in return for kindness. The change in the brunette startled her and Anni eyed her closely. She could tell that Cwen was embarrassed to accept their offer. Hannah smiled reassuringly.

"I have more than an extra set of robes. It's not trouble at all, I am sure mother won't even notice."

Turning back to Hermia she said (omitting the nature of her relationship with the Founder), "Yes I know Helga Hufflepuff pretty well."

Hannah took a firm hold of Cwen's forearms to keep them apart before the girl bleed herself to death or Hermia fainted at the sight of more blood oozing out of the wound. Anni stood up, pulling the brunette with her. She looked from one girl to another in silence before making her statement.

"There is no way you will be able to sit through out the ceremony with these robes. Come on. My suitcase is... err on the second floor," she said hoping they wouldn't ask why.

[Cwen Bodicea Gewissae]

Wennie watched the exchange between the two other girls as calmly as she could. It was a obvious to her that Hannah had a good deal of knowledge about the school already. Naturally that made her look up to the Hufflepuff. Cwen had never heard Slytherins name uttered until tonight. "So witches are meant to take the name of their lord?" She asked utterly confused about this whole sorting business.

The drawing of blood forced a reaction in Cwen's mind. She was not particularly scared of bleeding, but knew something had to be done about the hexed robe cuffs before she clawed away all of her skin. "Don't worry. I'll handle this." She spoke calmly to Hermia. Before Anni could take her hands, Cwen put her wand to her shoulder and called out loudly, "Diffindo." She repeated the action on her other shoulder until the robe's sleeves could be pulled off. "Diffindo." With her opposite hands, she tore the sleeves from her arms. "There."

Cwen beamed triumphantly expecting the itch to have been cured. But even as she dropped the torn sleeves to the floor, she could feel the urge to scratch her wrists redouble. Her smile melted into a frown. "It didn't work." She admitted with a hint of fear in her voice. That was when Anni grasped her hands and lifted her up. Cwen did her best to ignore the sensation but as she was unable to relieve the itching, she steadily grew impatient with Anni. "Okay, lets go then. She responded irritably.

[Hermia Lucretia Crouch]

Hermia was looking at Hannah, eager to hear her answer, or rather her explanation. The girl seemed to be satisfied with the reply. "Of course. You are right. My sisters don't like him at all. And neither do my brothers." she added with a small shrug. "I probably won't like him either. I hope I won't be in his house." A small frown appeared on Hermia's face; the thought of herself in the Slytherin house scared her immensely. "I don't want to be in his house!" she repeated.

The brown haired girl nodded her head, as if to say, once more, that she would be willing to give some of her clothes to Cwen. Then Hannah attracted her attention again. "On the second floor? How can your suitcase already be on the second floor?" then she got another idea "Can they move our suitcases from Hogsmeade to Hogwarts so fast?" There was a sparkle in Hermia's eyes, suggesting that she was already impressed with the famous Founders. If they could make suitcases appear in Hogwarts without even being near them (they would have seen their luggage flying through the air, had they used the summoning spell), what else could they do?

"No, not really." Hermia tried to explain the concept of sorting to Cwen. "There are four houses in Hogwarts, two of them founded by witches and named after them. I hope I'll be a Ravenclaw or a Hufflepuff." Hermia spoke, raising her head a bit. However, she knew that she probably wasn't smart enough to be a Ravenclaw. She probably wasn't good enough for Hufflepuff, either. Oh, no, she would most certainly be a Slytherin. No!

Hermia looked at Cwen, clearly impressed. "You're already doing magic! Have you been practicing different spells? My parents never let me use magic at home." she said sadly, with a small pout. Hermia stood up, following the other two girls' example. She was sad that she couldn't think of any other way to help Cwen, but to follow Hannah and have Cwen change her clothes.

[Hannah Callista Hufflepuff]

"He used to be a good man," Hannah mumbled softly to herself.

When Hogwarts was merely a dream, Salazar would at times visit the Hufflepuff Manor. Anni hadn't seen him since her childhood years but his new reputation was quick to spread. She often heard Helga express an ache for his changing behaviour; causing Hannah to be all the more curious to meet him again.

Cwen's insistent attempts to use the Diffindo charm caught her attention. Shaking her head she said, "It won't be that simple if it's a curse."

Listening to Hermia explain the houses brought a smile to Anni's face. Then to aid Cwen's understanding she added, "I share the same last name as Professor Hufflepuff because she is err... family."

No need to be specific, Anni chided herself.

Before leaving and heading inside Hannah simply told Hermia, "Yes."

The truth was that Helga had taken the initiative to get her suitcase to Hogwarts 2days prior the start of term. Turning to Cwen, Anni raised an eyebrow at the impatient response. She was after all only trying to help and could not understand why the other girl was irritated at her.

It's the itching robe, she finally concluded to herself.