Islay was a little confused when she first entered the library – where was Kimberly Amstern? Her eyes scanned the room for the girls short almost honey hair, and she couldn’t really see it anywhere. Not in the stacks – no, not in the reference section…nope, the restricted section was well restricted and she didn’t think that Kimmie would be over there breaking all of the rules on the first week of school? Right?
right?

Peering around the corner she couldn’t see her and just – frowned – was she even there yet? As she turned she just happened to see what looked to be a flash of hair ducking under a table and the gryffindor’s eyebrow arched upwards curiously.

Walking over and ducking under the table she just looked at the girl and then at the wood, “what are you looking for?” she asked quietly, hoping not to startle her.

oh no she had hurt her, ”a-are you okay?” Islay asked, her words coming out in a rush as she spoke, when she heard her story all Islay could do was smile. ”my aunts,” she smiled softly as she thought of the family she had only just met.

Islay wanted to help her find the carving, ”do you need help finding it – I could shed some light?” she offered with a kind smile. ”oh…me? I’m, good – I’ve been looking for a place to try and paint this year other than the art room that is.” she liked being in the outside painting – it made things feel just, right.

Islay’s smile fell a bit at the comment of wishful thinking, ”I am sure it isn’t, this school has weathered a lot but the furniture still looks old…centuries old even, like it might have been used as barricades during the battle of Hogwarts,” she shrugged her shoulder and grinned at her.

Islay’s face lit up at the mention of the duck pond, her nose crinkling as she smiled. ”I love it,…I plan on going there often and feeding them – y’know…it reminds me of home a bit? my gran runs a little farm in” she took a deep breath as she prepared to say the town name ” Llanwrtyd Wells Wales” she admitted with a beam. SHE HAD SAID IT WITH THE RIGHT SOUNDS, her smile was ALL sorts of proud.

"they do! AND a music room - we should go on a tour together sometime? i can show you all of the spots?" or all of her favorite ones at least.

Islay smiled over to her and nodded, ”I can help you look for it – I don’t mind at all” she offered with a soft smile, it would have been nice helping someone find a piece of their family history here in this school. ”I haven’t either, I really want to though, ducklings are so adorable” she grinned as she imagined their little waddling bodies. ”oh, oh definitely, it is – do you want to go there with me sometime? Visit the ducks?” she asked happily.

Oooh, she had accepted her tour offer! THAT WAS GREAT, she just grinned at her, ”honestly its easy to get lost with the staircases just deciding to move all willy-nilly” she said with and grin and shook her head, ”oh gods no, I only came to Hogwarts” she tilted her head at her for a second, ”this is just my second year here, I transferred from Beauxbaton before fifth year – its why…uh that whole kissing thing happened at the feast? I knew Drew before coming to Hogwarts,” she said the words softly not knowing if Kimmie had seen that whole incident going down.

She had no idea who those people were when Kimmy said their names, but chances were she would have had she never been adopted as a child. ”Oh, I definitely will – I’ll probably send you a note whenever I find it…I don’t know their names persay but I could always message my aunts to see if they know of any places?” she offered with a shrug of her shoulder. ”oh it’d be great – I’m sure they’d love us,” what ducks wouldn’t love them? They were friendly people who were willing to feed them?

Islay just shook her head and laughed, ”not a soul, its my running theory that they just want us all to get lost…or end up in the Weasley’s swamp” because that was where the staircase seemed to always move her, to some weird location she hadn’t planned on going what so ever. ”right or at least ones that just worked like muggle escalators would be better since at least they stay in one place while moving you a tad faster?” she suggested with a laugh.

She had to think for a moment about missing Beauxbaton before just shrugging, ”not really, Hogwarts…its not as stifling we had so many rules there that it felt at times like living in a dictatorship – I think its why I chose to paint so I could have quiet time to myself? Since…they really liked when students did ‘quiet artistic expression’” she said with a smile, when Kimmy asked what happened at the feast Islay just laughed.

”I’m almost surprised Noah didn’t tell you?...this guy, Andrew that I used to go to school with when he” she had to use the right terms here, it was important she didn’t mess this up, ”when he recognized me he just walked over grabbed my face and kissed me – right in front of Noah which was weird since I’d just barely introduced Noah to my uh-now ex.” she told her with a small laugh, ”…we had a history a small one, but I’m just glad it didn’t land me in detention on the first day of school” she added with a laugh.

Islay just grinned at K, “hmm...i mean, studyhall sometimes happens in the greathall?” Islay offered with a grin, “we could always like crawl around under the tables in the great hall and look for the markings?” she wanted to help at least, in whatever way she could. Company, that was something that Islay was always willing to offer. After all, without telling people she was someone who didn’t rather like being alone all that much.

RIGHT rude architects were rude. “the stairs...i think that might have been their plan someone going we need to keep them fit and out of each others dorms – I mean, the doors turn to slides if you go up the wrong stairs” yes, she had learned this herself but not on purpose. She had just watched it happen to one of the boys while they were trying to find their sister of all people.

Right the swamp... “I think it was from before the great war? Like, why they made it stay after that I have no clue...but its famous I guess?” she was sure that some of the wizards fighting in the great war had fallen in it and gotten stuck...maybe it had helped Harry Potter and his army to win the war. Islay just nodded, “I didn’t like the rules much,” she admitted with a sigh, only to grin when Kimmie commented that she could like it more here – which was true. She did. “I love it here, even if its odd considering some people either assume I’ve been here all along and ask questions I’ve got no clue on...or assume I just transferred since I was sort of...not as outgoing last year?” she admitted with a shrug of her shoulder.

What? She’d just come into her own with this school. Aaaand then they were talking about the feast again and her cheeks flushed, “y-yeah um...sort of greeting but like not the French cheek kiss like a full on kiss?” she admitted as her cheeks tinged red, “yeah it was...my um, Landen and I sort of broke up partially because of it? He’d he called me fake for not telling him that I’d been on dates with Andrew in the past – like all we had done was really was talk and snuggle and sure,” she paused for a second “we may have kissed a bit back then but it was two years ago and its not like I was hiding it – I didn’t know he was going to be here.” She admitted with a sigh, and nodded at her question. “Yeah, Hogwarts has its like no public affection thing going for it,” she admitted with a shrug but really, even if Landen’s words had hurt her she was starting to accept the reality of it all. They had had been rather bad at the whole communicating thing.