Gryffindor House Table: The Sorting Ceremony and Feast

Scarlet couldn't concentrate on talking to her cousin when Zuko and Akasha were yelling. She turned around, her eyes widening as they kept yelling...And started to curse. She bit her lip, before seeing Peter hide. Scarlet then had to interfere, "Stop it! Stop fighting! Both of you! Your scaring Peter!" She yelled, and since her voice was soft it made it even more intense. She then silenced herself, before looking at Peter, "You okay?"

Peter blinked up at Alice, shaking his head, "N-No....I...." he whimpered and saw Scarlet, tears starting to run down his cheeks and buried his face in his hands.

Zuko felt his heart clench, quickly falling to his knees and ignoring the others ans he climbed under the table, putting a hand on Peter's back and rubbing it softly "Hey Peter, come out. It's okay I swear I'll stop yelling" hugging the boy close.

Alice looked at him sadly. "Don't worry about them, it always gets heated during the first of the year." She said, before another guy showed up and comforted him.

Alice gave a little smile, before looking over at Scarlet. "Hey, Scarlet, long time."

Scarlet frowned when she saw Peter crying, before nodding, "Yes, don't let it get to you. Everything will be fine." She said, speaking softly to him. She then looked up at Alice, "Hey.." Scarlet said softly, smiling.

Peter nodded, calming down and looked at Zuko painfully before climbing up and thanked the two girls.

Instinctively, Akasha's Vampyre magick battled Zuko's fire magic, which she could feel was strong. This caused her to get even more excited and she opened her mouth to bait the boy even more. But when Peter yelled and crawled under the table, her eyes widened, and her mind began to comprehend the situation. She was going too far; showing too much emotion and making too many assumptions.

Instantly, she changed. Her red red eyes became blue and dull, he face turned into her emotionless mask, and her voice took on its monotonous tone. "Apologies,Ryuu. I did not mean to offend you and your friend in such a way. I do not know you two very well, much less at all, and it was very rude of me to offend you which such assumptions. What is between you two is none of my business and I apologize for insinuating such things. I apologize."

She put her hood back over her head so that her face was hidden, and said not another word.

Zuko sighed, climbing out with Peter and keeping his arms wrapped tightly around the boy as he nodded to Akasha "It's fine, but please do not make assumptions." he mumbled running a hand through Peter's hair to soothe him "I am just protective of him and find comfort is his contact" he mumbled softly.

Other than giving a sharp nod in his direction, Akasha did not show any outward acknowledge of Zuko's statement.

Alice smiled at the boy. "Don't worry about it." She said, before looking at the older of the two, before looking at the girl in the hood. "Well, glad that things are under control now." She said, before turning to Scarlet. "How was your summer?" She asked.

Scarlet nodded as she smiled, "Let's hope it stays that way.." She said softly, before looking at Alice, "It was pleasant."

Peter sighed in relief and snuggled into Zuko, smiling at the girls.

Zuko held onto Peter, running a hand through his hair as he nodded and mumbled an apology ot the girls.

Alice smiled at the two boys before turning back to Scarlet. "That's good. Mine was okay.

Jessica arched an eyebrow, always having been slightly wary of the relationship between Peter and Zuko. She had always thought herself so independent that it was almost frightening to see someone so reliant on another. She did not question it, though, and instead returned her attention to the food on the table, wary of eating it though.

The girls had already started a conversation amongst each other, talking about their summer and so Jessica busied herself with staring at Zuko instead, trying to look absorbed in his own affairs at the dinner table. She didn't much like talking about her summer and while Scarlett had proven herself shy, Akasha had proven herself extremely fiery tempered and Jessica was sure she could not handle either extreme right now

Peter sighed, "So....how was everyone's trip?" he asked softly. The question was brought up numerous times, but he couldn't think of anything else to say.

Zuko sighed at seeing Peter so clearly distressed, turning to Jessica he arched an eyebrow "Ahem? >.> Do I have something on my face?" he twitched slightly "And if you make a scar joke I will fry you."

"It's called listening, sometimes it's polite to listen to a person when they're talking," she snapped. "Anyway, I can call you whatever I like, if you can make fun of the face, I can make fun of the scars. It's a two way street."

Jessica felt her temperature rise again and clenched her fists tightly, irritated with the guy already. If it weren't for that little boy Peter- she found his high spirits and childish nature irritating at times but she had never been one for hurting someone who couldn't fight back- she would certainly have sent a hex his way by now.

Peter pouted looking down, "Can both of you please stop...." he begged asking softly.

Zuko glared ready to snap at the girl before sighing, hugging Peter tightly and burying his face into the boy shoulder, nodding silently and tuning the girl out with a slight glare.

Fionn looked up from where he'd been hiding. "is everything calm again?" he noticed Jessica and Anna and grinned. "hey, how are you two?" he looked at his plate and over at Akasha, finding she'd effectively lost him his appetite. Fionn sighed and scratched his head. "how was the trip, Alice? I talked to Aimee on the train ride, she seemed to be doing alright" he glanced over at Jessica again and then focused on Alice.

Jessica could not help but smile at the return of a somewhat normal source of conversation at the table as Fionn returned back from his reclusive moment.

"This is the Gryffindor table, it's never calm. We will fall silent and some first years at the end of the table will start a riot, that's how it works around here."

Zuko seemed thoroughly distracted in Peter's presence, holding the boy as if he were in a moment of distress. She still found it weird that he needed the comfort so early on in the year but did not question it, instead turning her attention towards Anna and waiting for her answer to Fionn's question

Peter cuddled into Zuko, silently nibbling on his food, looking at everyone curiously.

Fionn rolled his eyes. "I know that! but he doesn't almost melt the table so early in the year and I've never seen her freak out. so I mean the normal amount of calm you'd expect here" he shrugged, picking at the uneaten mass on his plate. "I might be you know, someone who makes fun of seemingly obvious things, but even I know better than to question the relationship between them: he shook his head. "I really, for once, just feel like leaving the table and going to the common rooms and avoid people. I'm blaming it on the train ride"

Jessica shrugged, noting that Fionn didn't seem to be eating. Strange, she thought, he was usually the hungriest at the table, especially at the first feast of the year.

"You'll miss something exciting if you left now. So far we've had assumed and refuted love affairs, a few scolded water goblets and some of the most delightful character development I've ever seen. If you left now then you'll miss the inevitable murder and miraculous conception."