Necessary Snacking

Hufflepuffs had it pretty easy when they weren't in classes. If they were camped out in the Common Room, they could easily sneak out to grab themselves some snacks in-between meals. Some of the Badgers were able to get down there frequently, and you'd be surprised to know that they were in pretty decent shape with all of those trips back and forth. It wasn't that far of a walk from the kitchens and back, though... Nutritionists everywhere would want to sit down with these people and discuss their binge-eating lifestyles.

But it was only early in the school year, and the prefects of the Hufflepuff house would have to sit down with the First Years and discuss to them that they weren't allowed to just wander in the kitchens for the hell of it. La di da. The same old song and dance: Besides, would anyone listen to it? Anita got the spiel when she was in their shoes, and she was very good about listening to what they had to say early on. But she was seventeen and a Seventh Year. There was a part of her that almost said 'look, are you going to listen to what the older students told you when you a First Year', but she didn't wish to listen to that part of her. She knew she could get caught sneaking around, looking in refrigerators and whatnot. If a Professor saw her, she was going to get "the talk". And it would actually be the first time that they did.

As the faint voices from Prefects past slowly started to exit her mind, she made it into the kitchens. Anita looked around for the closest freezer for some ice pops - one of her favorite treats - with some dirty looks and death glares from a few of the elves who were cleaning up dishes from the previous meal. The Badger had to think it was some kind of ploy; one that would supposedly have her running for the exit before they found a way to get a Professor to sentence her to detention. She shook her head and rolled her eyes, not caring if the closest elf could mutilate her at any moment... Which would have been a shame, considering there could have been some sort of lawsuit between Anita's parents and Hogwarts.

When she reached the freezer to grab some tropical-flavored ice pops, she glanced over to someone sitting at a table by herself. She knew the person as Olivia, who was also a Seventh Year. They were pretty close when it came to a friendly relationship. Why not go over to talk to her? Strike up some 'hey, great to see you again' conversation? Knowing it would be rude if that wasn't what happened, Anita felt obliged to go over to the Gryffindor.

"Hey there," Anita said, trying to get into a comfortable position across from the Wood child. "Great to see you again!"

After that, she took another glance at the elf who was chopping things up for another freezer. Damn, that thing could kill you if it tried...

by sixsmith.

Everyone had different opinions on the kitchen elves. Some people thought they were the friendliest people on earth. Before Anita sat down across from Olivia, she took note of how playful the elves seemed to be around the Gryffindor. This hurt the little Badger's feelings a little bit, considering that those little freaks took a different interest in her. Perhaps it her manner that offended them? Something about her choice in clothing? The fact that they had never seen someone with dyed green hair before? Oh, the possibilities.

After getting a warm welcome back from her Seventh Year counterpart, Anita happily took the chair that was offered to her. Sitting on top of the table was just another reason for the elves to go on an all-out attack on her, probably. So taking a seat on a piece of furniture that was actually designed for sitting was a great idea. It was a good way of getting back on the good side of the line.

"Summer was a little boring," the Hufflepuff said in-between bites of her freezer pops. "Surprisingly, it was completely different than something I would usually do. Kind of charged up the batteries. Nothing special on my end. Kind of weird, really." She rolled her eyes as she finished speaking, almost as if to say that her family decided to do little during the summer. No interesting trips out of country for a change. How strange was that?

In a quick turn-around, Anita knew that it was only right to return the serve. "How about you? Anything special in your summer?" She was talking to a Wood child. Of course, there had to have been something interesting happening in her life. Maybe something cooler than what the Goyle child had supposedly "planned" for herself. Quidditch stuff? That family was big into the sport.

Okay, stop trying to figure out what she was doing. Let her say it herself.

by sixsmith.

You know that patented "deer in the headlights" look that some people recreate when something is going a little over the rails? Anita felt like that when the subject of Quidditch came up. This Quidditch thing... She knew about it, but she wasn't at all interested in getting off the ground and flying around. One of the Hufflepuffs' biggest weaknesses happened to be motion sickness. Being on the ground and watching people spin around a foot above her made her nauseous. There wasn't any rhyme or reasoning behind it. The girl didn't want a piece of anything that went around in circles and traveled fast.

"I think you might have mistaken me for another green-haired girl," Anita said, finishing off part of her snack. "I believe you were part of the Huffies' First Year flying lessons. I didn't fare well after getting down off of the broom." She wasn't sure if Olivia was in that class or not. All she remembered was the sight of everyone standing around her and a pile of her own vomit; some of the classmates having to quickly exit the group upon looking at whatever she had to eat for breakfast.

That was just one of the memories that she had stored in her mind since getting off of the train seven years ago. Anita was a Seventh Year. What the hell was that supposed to mean? Other than NEWT-level classes, there wasn't anything special about her last year. It was just... Classes and free time, as per usual. As she opened up another freezer pop, the Seventh Year spoke up again. "I think that's just what I was thinking. I can't be sitting around here doing nothing. There has to be some sort of thing we can do. Get some of the other Seventh Years together and come up a prank?"

That would just be her luck - not graduating because she messed up school property.

by sixsmith.