The first night back after the holidays, and Theta Pepper made her way up to the tower just before curfew, a basket hanging from her arm, which reached her knees, as she wasn't very tall.

Stepping into the Ravenclaw common room, she gave a beaming smile and headed towards the fireplace, which was crackling with spring night air, and called
"Anyone fancy hot cocoa?" to the common room in general, before reaching the nook of students talking sleepily around the fire, and kneeling down beside it, to unpack the basket the house elves had carefully prepared for her.

"Come on, its our last term, we've just worked our hardest over Easter to get all our extra homework done, only to be given a pile more to do to prepare us for our exams. I think we could all do with a moment off to catch up - we do want to win the house cup after all, don't we?" Theta continued to address, setting the pot over the fire to warm, before unpacking the mugs and duplicating them with taps of her wand.


Absolutely and entirely open to all Ravenclaws, to discuss their holidays, things that have happened, the upcoming careers fair, the direwolf kidnapping, anything, just to get everyone talking.

Edmund solemnly crouched over an Arithmancy textbook, sighing heavily. Lou hadn't been in touch since their cinematic and dramatic break-up, and despite what people said, time wasn't proving to be the best of healing methods. With that in mind, the Ravenclaw had dived head-first into academics to try and take his mind off things. Waker and Leon would undoubtedly approve of this new choice during the most important of one's Hogwarts career, but there was little comfort.

Looking up as Theta walked in, Edmund gave a vague smile. His Arithmancy comrade was always in such good spirits, and he couldn't help but appreciate the little ray of sunshine Miss Pepper provided in his otherwise glum state. The two were mates, mostly through Waker, but Theta was often his shoulder to cry on in episodes of scholastic woe. He had a lot of time for Theta: she was the kind of girl that nobody harboured any ill-feeling towards. Even the school harpies seemed to leave her alone, which was a feat in itself.

"Theta," he replied, trying his absolute hardest to sound like the usual Edmund. "Swing a cup of hot chocolate my way." Placing the heavy textbook on a nearby table, he slumped back into his chair. Every fleeting moment, Lou's face seemed to be burnt onto his retina, and his constant feeling of despair returned. "How're things, Pepper?"

Theta smiled over her shoulder, and then peered into the pot over the fire as it warmed through again. Somehow real warmth from a fire tasted better than charmed fire - perhaps it was perception - but Theta figured the rapid heating was actually what probably didn't do the food much good.

"How're things, Pepper?"

"Things are always better with hot cocoa." Theta told Edward gently, still smiling as she dipped the ladle from the basket into the pot over the fire and stirred before ladling some of the content into a mug for Edmund.

"Don't be shy Ravenclaws now, I haven't put anything in this! Just good chocolate, and even awful Professor Storm will confirm that's good for you." Theta called to the rest of the room. Normally such noisy interruption would irritate the most scholarly of the 'claws.

"Here we are. I can't guarantee it'll make everything better though, eh?" She cocked her head at Edmund "but it can go some way." The mug exchanged hands and Theta gave Edmund's forearm a friendly squeeze.

Henry was sitting in a secluded corner of the room with his nose stuck in a book. The book, which was about Henry's favourite subject-Potions, had been a gift from one of his few friends when he had graduated last year. It was not new, infact it was around 300 years old, but that simply added to the charm for the 7th year Ravenclaw. When Theta entered and addressed every Ravenclaw, though seemingly she was interested in talking about topics that would interest or concern 7th years, he found it little more than a distraction.

Henry had only spoke a few words with Theta over the years. It was not that he disliked her; simply he didn't like most people. Well that isn't strictly true. Maybe it would be better to say he didn't like mixing with new people. He was rather self conscious about his appearance, among other things, and he hated to be judged. The only up side to the situation that he could see was he was among fellow Ravenclaws; so they had to be intelligent.

Henry's initial idea was to leave the common room and go to bed, well maybe finish the chapter he was on first. But her words seemed to get to him. It was there last year after all, and although home work was no problem for him, he would like to make new friends before he left the school. Well Chocolate can stimulate the brain he thought. He folded his book and placed it under his arm and, nervously, moved toward his fellow Ravenclaws.

"May I have a cup?" He asked as he carefully sat down.

"Of course!" Theta smiled warmly at Henry. Her fellow seventh year did keep himself to himself, and Theta admired his scholarly attitude, but found him a bit reluctant to socialise with anyone. In her fifth year she'd left him be, figuring her attempts to be friendly might be backfiring by making him more shy.

She ladled some into a mug and passed it over, blushing as she rearranged her fingertips on the mug and brushed Henry's in the process of handing it to him. Glancing to Edmund, she hoped he might help with the strange shy conversation, as after all the two boys had shared a dormitory for almost seven full years.

"Sorry if I disturbed you." He told Henry sincerely, folding her legs and sitting down on the rug before the fire. "Is that a good read?" She asked, gesturing to the book under his arm. Theta couldn't see it was for potions at the angle she was, and she had completed an OWL and no more in the subject, choosing to focus on runes, arithmancy, transfiguration, charms, astronomy and history - by all intents considered pretty dry subjects - mentally and physically for the majority of the time.

"Thank you," he said as he took the mug in hand.

He inhaled the smell and took a sip. He was not a big chocolate eater, or in this case drinker, but it was nice every know and again. Usually when he has a sweet tooth he would eat something that was hard boiled, and his favoured drink was not choclate but tea.  He kind of huddled in the corner;  as far as he could get from the other ravenclaws without seeming rude.

"Ummm, it's no problem. It is the common room afterall," he forced a smile as he took another sip. He hoped more Ravenclaws would come and join them, afterall it was far easier to blend in with a crowd of eight or nine than three. As she commented on the book he placed it in front of his crossed legs, the title now plainly visible.

"Yes, if you like potions that is. You are welcome to have a flick through if you like." Henry then pushed it forward a few inches in an indication that she could take it from him, he also added a friendly, if somewhat fake, smile. In an attempt to make polite small talk, as sitting in a circle and not talking would be very uncomfortable, Henry turned to Edmund.

"So how are you?"