What was she going to wear? Rifling desperately through her things, nothing seemed suitable any more. She eventually settled for skinny jeans and a flowy navy top. Safe combination.

Satisfied with her choice, Delia padded out to the bathroom, ready to wash the ickiness of the journey off herself. She sighed deeply, allowing herself to relax as the warm water from the shower eased her tense muscles. She allowed her thoughts to wander to the events of the day as she lazily massaged shampoo into her hair. This was mind-blowing. She was finally here, she would make friendships that would last the rest of her life, this was a totally new phase of her life, it was-

"HELLO? I SAY, I'M FRIGHTFULLY SORRY, BUT WILL YOU BE LONG? I AM IN A SLIGHT PREDICAMENT!"

Delia was snapped from her musings by a loud, rather insistent knock at the door. Cripes. Scrambling to her feet, she hastily wrapped herself and her hair into a towel, and grabbed her things, but in her haste to open the door, slipped on a patch of water and ended up spread-eagled on the ground in front of a very tall, worried looking bespectacled brunette who was clutching a very bloody Kleenex to her nose.

"By George! Are you alright? Do you need a hand up? I don't mean to be rude, but can I step past you? I've run out of tissues and I am in dire need of something to stem this," she babbled, pointing to her profusely bleeding nose.

Delia wanted nothing more but to crawl into a hole and die at this point. She was absolutely beet red. Scrambling to her feet and pushing the other girl past her, she stammered,

"Why, y-yes, of course, I'm so sorry, are you okay? I have some tissues in my room, it's just across the hall, I am so sorry, I'll quickly get dressed and get you some!"

She didn't even give the poor girl time to answer, instead, bolting to her room (and managing to remain upright this time- typical, why did she have to fall over in the presence of others?). Pulling on her clothes as fast as possible, she bolted back to the bathroom, box of tissues in hand, where the girl was clutching a wad of loo roll to her nose and muttering to herself.

"Oh, you absolute angel!" she exclaimed. "I'm frightfully sorry to be such a bally nuisance but I get these simply horrid nosebleeds when I'm nervous. I hope you are okay?"

Delia still felt slightly baffled, handing over the box of tissues. As the girl hastened to take the tissues off Delia with her left hand, as her right was clutching her nose, she managed to knock a bunch of bottles of shower gels and the like off the surface next to her, and watched despairingly as they clattered into the bathtub. Delia smiled inwardly; it appeared that she wasn't the only clumsy one here!

"It's absolutely no problem at all, you poor thing, here, let me get those," she smiled reassuringly at the girl, picking the bottles up and putting them back neatly onto the surface from which they fell.

"I seem to be in a bit of a pickle today, thank you, and sorry again. I'm Camilla Fortescue Cholmondeley-Browne," she grimaced, "a bit of a mouthful I know, but people call me Chummy. I can't stand Camilla. I'd shake your hand but I don't think you would want me to now!" she laughed, gesturing to her nose.

"Oh, that is okay, don't worry," Delia smiled nervously, slightly taken aback by the earnest girl, but she knew that she wanted this Chummy to be one of her friends immediately. "I'm Delia Busby, I don't have any nicknames, I'm just about to start first year astrophysics, and you are right, I will respectfully decline that handshake! What are you studying?"

"I'm just about to start first year chemistry," Chummy smiled.

Holy mother of God, thought Delia. Someone in university admissions thought that it was a clever idea to let this girl loose in a lab.

"How nice! Did you arrive long ago?"

"A couple of hours ago, it was a bit of a struggle, but we got there eventually! We came up from Berkshire, and you from Wales, I presume?"

"Yes, from Pembrokeshire, we took the train, and I think we must've arrived about the same time as you!" said Delia.

She did not say this to Chummy, but she distinctly remembered a girl knocking over three large suitcases in the reception area, when she arrived, then tripping over whilst attempting to put them back upright, much to the dismay of her mother, a severe looking woman in a heavy fur coat. She hadn't seen the girl's face but she'd bet money on it being Chummy. She'd felt a wave of sympathy for the girl, knowing what having a mother who was overbearing at times was like.

Mrs Busby, however, had felt strongly for the mother:

"Oh cariad, can you imagine that poor mother? Poor dear, imagine if you had done that to me! In front of all those people! Not the way you want to start your university career, is it, dear?"

Looking at Chummy now, she felt like they would become firm friends.

"Oh, did the RA come to speak to you? She was terribly kind. Patsy, I think her name was? She said to meet in the common room at 5?" asked Chummy.

Delia coloured slightly, remembering the alluring RA. Get it together, Busby.

"Oh, er, yes, she said there might be cake," replied Delia quickly. "I'm looking forward to meeting the others, though I am glad there will be a familiar face with you there too! Speaking of, I'm going to need to get a move on if I'm ever going to be ready, you can keep the tissues, I have plenty."

"Oh, thanks ever so much, I will see you there, as long as I don't get lost!"

"Bye, Chummy!"

Delia left the girl in the bathroom, closing the door gently and checking her watch. She had half an hour to dry her hair, look half decent, and make her way to the common room. Time was going to be a little tight, it seemed…

A/N: Thank you so much for the lovely reactions so far! Here is a second chapter, with Patsy hopefully reappearing soon ;)

Please do leave reviews, this is my first attempt at writing in ages, and if anyone has any suggestions, please let me know!