In the duration of the preceding week, Gabriella was quite certain that not one staff member of student had failed to clap eyes on the posters and leaflets she’d handed out, attached to walls and liberally spread across the tables of the great hall with the help of her fellow Hogwarts Howler reporters and helpers. Everyone in the school no doubt knew when the first paper meeting would be held and while Gabby didn’t want or expect the whole school to turn out, she wanted a good number to make this paper even more successful than it had been last year. She had her work cut out for her and needed all the help she could get her hands on, coerce and bribe.

The room was prepped. Gabriella had put her Charms wand work into practice and therefore floating in the air above her head where animated cartoon two dimensional clouds that’s perfectly normal cloudlike black lips were puckered up and blowing with all their might. Their efforts resulted in the clouds floating slowly around the room, bumping into each other and many of them looking ready to...whatever an angry cartoon cloud did to his rival.

The long wooden desks had been sent to the back of the classroom and Gabby had left the benches gathered around the front of the classroom. Along every metre or so of the benches were various previous editions of the Hogwarts Howler for her team’s perusal.

Gabriella Dagon herself was finding herself very comfortable up beside the podium generally reserved for professors and visiting lecturers. A pair of black spectacles sat precariously on her nose and her bushy dark hair fell over her face as she reread her paper ideas, meeting plan and the list of people that had signed up to help. The list was rather a mix and Gabriella became very aware that this meeting and the year after it would certainly make out to be an interesting one.

The door to the classroom opened and Gabby’s head shot up, sending dark locks flying over her shoulder and she offered the first entrant into the first meeting for the best ever school paper in the world a giant smile.

Involvement, it was something Caity believed in mostly as a source of social faciliation. In clubs houses seemed to matter less and common interest leveled the playing field so the scary Slytherin girls were not so scary, and plus Caity loved giving advice. She kind of thrived on it actually. Thus far in her life the only person she'd been able to remotely tell what to do (not that he ever listened, because he was a git) was her brother. Trying to help Luc was often like trying to train an over excitable puppy, only half of what you said went in and he'd probably end up tinkling on the floor later. She did try though, to offer help where she could and despite being a very flawed person herself she viewed life rather objectively. So, really, why wouldn't she be the top candidate for Howler's advice column?

Punctual as ever, she strode into the room, wanting to make an entrance but finding only Gabby there. She was moderately surprised, really, that Gabs had wanted to take on the paper. The year previous she had just played Quiddy and the paper...well the paper had suffered several set backs. However, given the sheer volume of leaflets the Gryffindor was out to change that, which was good. Caity wanted to be involved in big things this year, setting her up to be involved in ever bigger things next year. Sixth and Seventh years were the ones that really counted. Well, they all counted but your sixth and seventh were what defined your legacy in a way. Caity wanted a better legacy than... whatever reputation she had now. So. Paper=very important to all her plans.

"Hey Gabs," she offered the other girl a wave and then glanced around the classroom before perching on the most nearby of flat surfaces, "D'you do something different with your hair? It looks fabulous," so maybe she was kissing arse a little, it never hurt. One never really could tell who would end up being totally into nepotism and give all their bestest friends the most juicy stories - not that Caity wanted to do stories. She wanted to give advice, because she was brilliant at it. Right. "How'd your snaps of Professor Pony come out"? That was a genuine question, because Caity did not imagine she would have had the audacity to try. She lived her life somewhere between craving attention and doing everything she could to fly just under the radar when it came to adults.

Broadening horizons, that was sort of the main goal for Church's final year. After all he didn't have much time left to figure out what in the world he would do for the next portion of his life. Not to mention that since he had been made head boy he felt somewhat obligated to school involvement. And after getting a face full of pamphlets, Church had to admit to himself that the school paper seemed like as good place as any to start. Not to mention reporting did have a sort of appeal for him. So without much hesitation Church found himself outside the designated meeting area at the specified time and stepped into the room.

"How'd your snaps of Professor Pony come out"

Church smirked. "You actually got some?" The prospect of having pictures to forever immortalize the moment was simply too much to pas up. "I've got to have a copy of that." Still smiling Church took up a position a few seats down from Caitlin on the benches. But now that he had, he wasn't entirely sure what to talk about. After all he never really associated with that many people before and certainly hadn't had a conversation with these two ever in his life. Not one that he remembered...

"This is for the paper, right? I'm in the right place?" he finally asked, still somewhat uncertain.

Sometimes it felt like the Don't Miss It! reminder at the bottom of Gabby's leaflets (strewn all across their dorm room, of course) was more of a threat than it was an exciting exclamation. Don't miss this or I'll pester you every night for the rest of the term, the underlined words seemed to say. Or perhaps that was just Raine's imagination.

Eitherway, the Gryffindor didn't see why she shouldn't attend the Howler meeting now that she had already been incriminated in their Headmaster's unmerciful interview and Gabby's general penchant for seeking out the controversial.  She had headed down to the fourth floor with a leaflet stuffed into her back pocket and an eerily unmoving feline dozing away in the open satchel slung over her shoulder.

"Hello?" Raine appeared at the open doorway of the prepared room, blue gaze setting itself on the three students at the front. Their beloved editor needed no recalling. It took her a moment to place Caity's surname... not all Huffies had a place in her deplorably colour-coded memory. Comer, she recognized.

They seemed to be busy chattering but she'd come along just in time to hear the Ravenclaw senior ask if he'd come to the right place. "Of course you are," Raine answered in a mildly critical tone from across the room as she strolled over to the front to join them: "Unless Gabby has decided to head some other project I'm unaware of...." she indicated towards the cartoon clouds that were floating above. A weather project, perhaps.

The prefect dropped herself onto one of the benches gathered before the pedestal, folding her legs up nimbly and pulling her satchel up onto her lap. Maurice, her cat, was curled up into an inanimate ball of matted black fur but she could feel him breathing. Raine didn't see the point of small talk with someone she had to deal with every morning in the tower, so she ignored her housemate and raised a pair of red eyebrows at the other two, in greeting: "Good evening."

The finite amount of courage the young Hufflepuff had built up had been spent the moment she found herself down the hall to a classroom that wasn't used too much. It was bad enough the changes that had been made to the castle for the Tournament. The walks to classes had seemed longer and not only the staircases but the hallways too seemed to be changing when you weren't paying attention to them. It took up until the last days of school last year for Obderedria to get comfortable with the castle's layout but now the castle felt different. The smallest portion of her mental facilities was complaining about these changes but that was drowned out by battling factions of If or If Not this was a good idea.

The legion of Hogwarts Howler notices that wallpapered house bulletin boards and corners of the castle had not been lost on Obderedria. She clutched a loose leaflet with the time and directions to the room. During her first letter home to mum of the year, she mentioned the group and how it sounded interesting. After all, she had all of her letters to Beverly and 'friends' -- this part wasn't explained in the letter home -- so she liked writing well enough. Mum's letter had come two days later, the obvious signs of Patricia typing them on a spare document at work and printing it during her lunch break, so the law firm she worked at appeared in the letter head. Obderedria was probably the only student at school that got the morning post from home stuffed in an 8'' business envelope.

But in the letter Patricia had encouraged her daughter to look at the school newspaper, if they were opening membership. When she was in high school in America Patricia had been on the student gazette staff. It was a club Patricia could understand because of the close muggle counterpart, as opposed to say Quidditch or Gobstones.

Self doubt was beginning to sap at Obderedria as she stood outside the classroom door. Sure, she had nice handwriting and a shoebox full of unsent letters to a fictional pen pal, but the Howler was probably filled with older students that had been here for years, knew Hogwarts like the backs of their hands and had super fancy quills that quoted or spell checked or however it handled diction. All she had was a stash of Sugar Quills from last month's Hogsmead visit with Pax. All they could do, providing you avoided the inedible quill tip, was give you something sweet to lick during class.

Finally, Obderedria opened the door an inch to peer inside. The moment she saw the older students, all tall sixth and seventh years, she made an 'eep!' like the side effects from Ice Mice and hurriedly shut the door.

Having more free time this year due to the slightly less crowded class schedule, Baxter had been encouraged by his father and by Tapendra to look into some school clubs to join. He knew that Blake was a photographer for the Howler, and Baxter had always thought photography was interesting. It was a skill which might be somewhat artistic, but also would allow him some time to himself. He'd owled his father that he was thinking about joining, and his father had told him that if he decided to, that he could have a camera.

Baxter had seen fliers for the first Howler meeting, and made sure to keep himself free during the time of the meeting so that he could attend.

"I don't think it's very nice to call Professor Trishna Professor Pony," Baxter spoke up from where he had been lingering by the door. But he wasn't going to tell them they shouldn't print the photos- that was their decision. But Baxter was going to alert Trishna beforehand. Tappy was a family friend, after all, and had been a strong paternal influence in Baxter's life while things with his father had been more strained.

"Baxter Fox," he said, introducing himself to Gabriella. "Fourth year Ravenclaw."

Alex walked to the first meeting of the Hogwarts Howler, wondering who would be there. Raine, probably, Gabriella, definitely, but other than that, she couldn't think of anyone else who helped to assemble the Howler. Ah well, there would doubtless be a fresh, keen group of individuals who wanted to prove themselves in the world of journalism.

Not expecting an especially good turn out, despite the many, many leaflets and posters that she had been unable to escape, Alex was somewhat surprised to see the young girl, with ridiculous hair, in the doorway. A second year, name of something ridiculous starting with O, she thought, the only reason she recognised the girl being her hair.

"Are you here for the meeting?" she asked, "Because, you know, you should probably participate if you are. The point of meetings is, after all, to discuss and confirm ideas and responsibilities, and so hiding in a corridor is hardly conductive to one." She paused for a heartbeat, then shrugged, "Suit yourself. But we always need an extra hand, and corridors are hardly the place to be when socialising at Hogwarts," she said, an amused, if somewhat mocking, smile on her face. Looking at the girl, she could see her uncertanity, and she sighed, "Oh, just come in and see what happens, alright?" her voice commanding.

Confusing of small children over, Alex walked in quietly, walking over to the other students, just catching a mention by a fourth year of Professor Trishna- or Professor Pony. Nice, she thought, a good nickname. Alliterative, doubtless not meant maliciously, and thirdly, as accurate as a nickname need be.

"I hope I haven't missed anything?" she asked, "I'm Alex," she added, in recognition of the few unfamiiar faces.

Just when she felt that she couldn't fell worse about not taking the plunge into the Howler meeting, Obderedria heard footsteps behind her. An austere, older Ravenclaw girl. "Are you here for the meeting?"

Obderedria tried to say "yes, err no" or some ramble of confusion but all that came out was another squeak. Oh no, this was worse than Wren's stammering! She had indulged with one of her stockpiled Ice Mice after lunch but they weren't supposed to last this long. Suddenly this felt like horrifying evidence for 'you are what you eat' like how Helio was mermish for eating so many fish -- No, that wasn't right either!

At the girl's words Obderedria felt scrutinized and rebuffed, if that was supposed to have been a pep talk. It was enough to teeter the indecision so that before the door had closed again Obderedria followed afterwards.

Although she wished she hadn't. She knew it, she was the youngest person here. She awkwardly tried to avert her gaze from supposed averted gazes of those at the entrance of more people. She couldn't even say her name, why had she come? Defeated, Obderedria quietly took a seat.

Of course Gabby actually got photographs of the astronomy professor as a pony! What sort of reporter would she be if she passed up such an opportunity thrown at her feet? The snapping of the photos has been superbly successful considering the pony professor hadn’t even seemed to notice her in the action. Gabby had made sure to get those pictures developed with lightening speed and happily jumped down from the podium with them clasped in her tanned hands ready to proudly show off to anyone who cared.

One snap was thrust at the new head boy and the other at Norwood. Raine didn’t need to see them; she didn’t even acknowledge her favourite Gryffindor when she came into the room.
"I don't think it's very nice to call Professor Trishna Professor Pony," Gabby glanced around to the boy in the door.

The young Gryffindor offered him a grin. “Alliteration sells papers, Baxter. I’m sure he’s been called worse this week.” The Slytherins and foreigners had no doubt had rather a few things to say about their Astronomy professor teaching class with wings, a lack of opposable thumbs and a new taste of hay.

“Not at all, Alex! Sit down.” It sounded more like a command than a suggestion. Dark eyes then fell on the...hair. They blinked and focused. A warm grin was offered to the youngest in the room before Gabby pulled her wand from her jean pocket and summoned a wooden chair to her. She dropped into it and surveyed the handful of people her piles of posers and harassment had collected.

“Thanks for coming, everyone. I’m Gabby, the new president. Can you all tell me why you’re here?”

Baxter wasn't sure how he felt about Gabriella's assumption that Tapendra had been called worse this week. It might be true, but using alliteration in a defamatory or inappropriate or insulting way was not appropriate. Especially when it was a professor he genuinely liked and respected.

Even so, he didn't know anything about the school paper or how they were sold, so he kept that opinion to himself and slid into a seat.

When Gabriella asked why they were all here, he chewed his lip. Baxter wasn't entirely sure all of the reasons why he was there- apart from the fact he'd been told he needed to join something.  "My father and Professor Trishna seem to think that I need to participate in more social activities instead of spending all of my time studying. I thought perhaps the paper would be one of the least offensive and most enjoyable methods of taking their advice."

"I thought perhaps I might be helpful for proof reading articles and for photography," Baxter added. "If either of those are something that you need for the paper. I don't imagine reporting or interviewing is something I would be very good at." He did lack basic social skills sometimes.

The entire circus was now in town and Gabby had finally finished showing off the photographs long enough to gather everyone for the meeting to commence. Raine leaned back on her hands, careful not to disturb any of the parchment or papers that had been lined up on the bench she was sat on. They were all, more or less, paying attention to their new editor now.

"Can you all tell me why you’re here?”

That seemed as good a question as any to start with. One of the fourth year Ravenclaws piped up with his reasons; solid, straightforward reasons that she could sympathize with.  Dagon's nagging aside, she was here to get out of her comfort zone. Distract herself.

"I don't imagine reporting or interviewing is something I would be very good at," Fox was saying when Raine turned her head to give the younger student a thoughtful expression. Sounded to her like some social interaction might have done him some good, if he wasn't so confident about it.

She looked back to the front and smiled to herself dryly. "Well I'm here under the threat of being harassed," the prefect narrowed her eyes at Gabby-- in good humour: "I'll assist with interviews. A column, perhaps." The last offer came hesitantly, even if it  had been drifting around in her head for some time now. Merlin knew what she would write.

Church shrugged slightly at the question posed at him and listened with only half his attention while he formulated his own reasons. It really did only come down to the fact that he thought he should help out since he was head boy. Get involved with the school activities. Although, truth be told, he did also like the idea of being in the center of the action for all the gossip, rumors, and what have you.

"I'm probably best as an interviewer," Church said once Raine had finished. "I'm not really much for writing, but I'm usually pretty good when it comes to gathering information from people." Not to mention that with the tournament in progress there would be a lot of interesting stories to find.

Again he shrugged. "I'm fair at writing satire, I guess. Like political cartoons and such." Although he hadn't written any since his fourth year. "So I suppose I could lend a hand with the comics." That is of course if they were making them.

She sighed, hoping that there would be at least a little time to think of a plausible reason. Unlike, she suspected, most journalists, she had  neither a belief that mankind had a right to the truth, nor an unquenchable desire to discover it. Because I get a sense of satisfaction from making something that informs others was too blatantly a lie. The problem was that she wasn't exactly sure why she had come- because it seemed like a good idea at the time had been her initial reason for joining the paper.

"Well, you evidently don't read the paper often," Alex muttered when Fox had finished. Papers were generally offensive to at least one party, so unless someone was unfamiliar with papers, she couldn't understand reasoning that lead an individual to believe that working for a paper would be inoffensive.

Listening to the others, Alex decided that to go now would be preferable to going last, so she spoke up, "My motives for being here are vague at best, but does because it's fun count? Additionally, if we're deciding positions, I'd like to do layouts, although I can do writing if needed." And harass everyone else to do their articles, although that was less an official role, more something that she ended up doing. She shrugged, "I guess I could interview. I don't mind either way."

Now they had to introduce themselves and why they were here. Obderedria didn't really know either. Mum had just mentioned the her notions of the club in her reply, and Obderedria had moved as if something else had borrowed the use of her legs until she wound up here. There was something she needed to be looking for--but what was it and where was it??

Most of the others had spoken. Obderedria twisted her head to look at Caity, the older Hufflepuff she recognized. Their house was to talk last. The speckled haired girl tried to breath normally "I'm--Obderedria," so she didn't mince all the syllables of her unusually embarrassing name, "--but please call me Drea. Um. I saw your notices and told mum about it in a letter home. She said she enjoyed her days on a student newspaper, so I guess I was curious?" Curious, that was it. She shifted her tone, tried to be humorous but it came out as self-depreciating. "I'm way too young, there's probably nothing you can do with me. The professors like my penmanship--" Well some did, Storm didn't care about such things but she had gotten a bonus point for legibility in another class. "--but you print the papers, don't you, so that's silly."

She doubted there was a column like writing sappy love notes and letters to made up pen pals.

Sophie, as usual,  could not be on time to save her life. She entered the room just as Caitlin Norwood was making a hasty exit - overhearing her mumble something about the loo. She caught the tail end of Drea's introduction and glanced around the room expectantly. Gabby's best efforts to drum up interest had not failed. Sophie wasn't sure if Ollie would show up, but she rather hoped the Hufflepuff would. Keeping yourself busy was the most surefire way to not dwell on things (or people) that weren't about to change just because the school had reviewed it's policy. Perching herself on a vacant desk she swung her legs back and forth and waited for someone else to speak up, when it became obvious no one else was going to she took a deep breath and raised her hand.

For as loud and obnoxious as Sophie could be introducing herself always felt like she was trying to get someone to buy into the idea of who she thought she was. It made her feel like a used broom salesman. "Ah, right then, Sophie Flickwick. Here under mild duress, as I am not completely sure Gabby wouldn't have shaved me bald had I not shown up. However, now that I'm here and my luscious locks are safe, I think I'd like to take over the advice column," she threw a lopsided sort of grin to her fellow Gryffindor with a one armed shrug. Sophie did lots of things, but she had gotten really good at puzzling out social situations. She was following a bit in her mother's footsteps, wanting to tell people how to fix their lives and all that... still, it beat twiddling her thumbs and stressing over classes constantly.