Elizabeth's hope of a quick hot shower before cuddling up in her nice warm bed were thrown into disarray the second her and Hermione walked through the door of the 4th year girls dormitory. Before she was even able to have a look at her new room a pushy blonde dragged her to a bed and forced her to sit as three more joined them. "Hi. I'm Lavender, this is Parvati her twin is in Ravenclaw, this is Kellah and that's Fay. It's so exciting to have a new student and for you to be sorted into our house, though I'm surprised your related to Hermione, I mean you don't seem to be a book worm at all." Lavender just kept going on and on sending Elizabeth's head spinning, until Kellah spoke up,

"I saw you sitting with the Weasley Twins not even here a day and your getting friendly with them? What are they like? They are handsome and rather funny if you like that sort of thing."

Suddenly Elizabeth felt all eyes on her and the room was extremely silent, "I meet them over the summer when Hermione and I were invited to attend the Quidditch World Cup with the Weasley family, as Hermione is good friends with Ron and Ginny." She desperately wanted to get out of there and was hoping that they would get bored of her, but alas they continued to question her until finally Hermione came to her rescue,

"Bathrooms free ladies," this caused the girls to look up and Elizabeth slipped of the bed grabbing a towel off the end of her own and her pj's making a beeline towards the door Hermione had just exited. As she closed one of the two shower doors behind her she could hear Hermione catching up with her roommates.

When Elizabeth finally got to bed that night she realised that the girls in her room might take some time to get use too, but they seemed nice and might help her miss her other friends a little less.

The next morning Elizabeth was grateful for years of early starts and her preference for not wearing makeup just for classes. She managed to sneak out of the dorm room whilst makeup, hair accessories and schoolbooks flew across the room some with and some without magical assistance. Ginny found her hiding down in the Common Room still not sure of exactly where everything was in the giant castle and in need of someone to show her where the Great Hall was. Ginny tried to be helpful and give her tips on where everything was as they went past hallways and corridors, down stairs lots of stairs. Elizabeth could tell that years of early morning and weekend exercise would be helpful in a school made of nothing but stairs. Though she had to admit she wouldn't say no to a map of some kind to help her get around.

Upon reaching the Great Hall the girls made their way over to the Gryffindor table where Professor McGonagall was handing out their timetables. As they received theirs Hermione, Ron and Harry arrived for breakfast, Elizabeth noticed that her cousin had started to eat and was grateful. She did hope that no one mentioned it for fear of finding out just what the girl had in mind now. She looked down at her timetable hoping to start her year off with Potions or Transfiguration her two favourite subjects but her fork hit her plate with a start, Herbology was not her idea of a good start to the year. Thankfully Ginny reassured her that not only would the Huflepuff's be kind if she got something wrong but that it was Neville's best class so stick close and don't worry.

Looking through the rest of her timetable she was happy to be having a double Arithmancy with Hermione instead of Divination with the boys. Whilst she was more logical thinking she understood the desire for a class like Divination and that true seers whilst they can't be taught they can pass on some fascinating idea's and beliefs to those without the inner eye. The last three years had seen Elizabeth learn from Indigenous Elders in the stories of the Dream Time and how the past, present and future are all linked. These classes helped to teach lessons in life, as well as valuable lessons in acceptance and beliefs.

She thought that Hermione's treatment of those who not only studied Divination but also truly believed in the power was unfair and unjust, it also went against everything she was feeling towards the House Elves.

As her thoughts wondered a parcel fell into her lap, showing that the owl post had arrived. To her mothers credit she had only packed a small parcel of homemade items to help her adjust and fit in. But either way it was nice to have a slice of home to help her survive her first day.

Outside was a much better day then she had expected though she could tell that before long she would be feeling the cold and wishing for the Australian sun. She chatted to Hermione on their way down to Greenhouse three trying once more to find out just what might be install for them today. Her worst fears were confirmed when they walked into Greenhouse three to find slugs they were apparently plants but they looked like slugs with welts on them, which looked to be full of liquid.

"Bubotubers," Professor Sprout told them briskly. "They need

squeezing. You will collect the pus —"

"The what?" said Seamus Finnigan, sounding revolted.

"Pus, Finnigan, pus," said Professor Sprout, "and it's extremely

valuable, so don't waste it. You will collect the pus, I say, in these

bottles. Wear your dragon-hide gloves; it can do funny things to

the skin when undiluted, bubotuber pus."

Whilst the mere thought of squeezing pus from these horrible looking plants didn't seem all that appealing it soon turned out to be rather satisfying. It was nice to see that even Neville who was a wonder at Herbology was even scrunching his nose up at the smell of petrol that accompanied the thick yellow liquid that burst from the welts. Thankfully it wasn't all that long before Professor Sprout called an end to the squeezing and whilst she was wrapping up the class Elizabeth managed to get some helpful directions from Hermione to the library as she was not to join the others in Care for Magical Creatures. A bell rung out from the school and she followed the Hufflepuffs back up to the castle before following Hermione's directions to the letter and walking into what she saw would be her second home.

She spent the rest of morning classes reading through the first three years of Herbology texts and asking Madam P_? For any further books she should read to increase her knowledge of local flora. When the bell rung to signal lunch she quietly picked up her books returned those that needed it and borrowed out a few she was still reading. Thankfully it didn't take her long to find the Great Hall as all students were making their way down there.

The afternoon quickly flew by and Elizabeth was grateful that she had no homework that night. With the excitement of Professor Moody turning Malfoy into a weasel and Professor McGonagall yelling at him it was all the school could talk about. It didn't help that most of the school had already enjoyed a class of DADA causing the fourth year Gryffindor's to feel slightly left out.