CH 8

Bella POV

By dinner, I was up and at 'em, like a champ!

Just kidding, I was now breathless after a flight of stairs, but it's cool. It's fine... I'm like Rocky!

Upon rounding the corner leading towards the Great Hall, Forge nearly tackled me in a joint hug, strapped muggle floaties to my arms, and carried me in like I was Rose on the front of the Titanic. I just laughed it off replied with the obligatory "I'm flying, Jack!", and then tipped my imaginary cowboy hat at them as delivered me to my seat at Gryffindor.

Somehow they knew that I would hate the attention of rejoining the table and did their best to make me laugh and make my return less painful. Well, that and I'm sure they calculated the likelihood of me tripping with all eyes on me as quite likely and decided to intervene. Best excess brothers ever.

I was famished and couldn't wait for dinner, the rest of the students filed in and I was soon surrounded by the comforting chaos of the Gryffindor table. I loved every second of it.

Dumbledore made a few announcements before dinner, not unusual per se... but the information was, definitely. We would be hosting American students and they were here tonight! Prefects were called to the quad to introduce ourselves before they were ushered into the Great Hall, like pigs to slaughter. Morbid. Sorry, I'm hungry!

Neville, Alicia Spinnet, Terry Strickland, and I all briskly departed from our table to represent Gryffindor. I'm still shocked that Hermione wasn't assigned the female prefect for our year... it just seemed like something she would be excellent at. Turns out I was terribly wrong in that assumption. She had zero desire to be a prefect and had theorized that her inability to control the boys on her own led McGonagall towards me. I think it is rather silly, honestly, It's not like McGonagall doesn't know that Harry and I get up to all sorts of trouble, maybe she just thinks I can keep him from killing himself accidentally. Sure proved her wrong, can't even keep myself alive most days.

Nevertheless, duty calls, and I must go.

I tried to listen, I really did. But all I could think about were those little mashed potato hats that Dumbledoor brought to the infirmary the other night. They were so good & sooo cute. I think I probably consumed at least a stone's worth of potato hats yesterday. Almost dying makes a girl hungry.

I'm so terribly hungry all I can do is think about sitting down to tonight's mashed potatoes. Mmmmmmm warm, buttery, slightly lumpy, garlicy mash... red potatoes, skins on, parsley, & dare I hope it... graaaaavvvvyyyyy.

I missed it. Damn, I have no idea who these people are, Dumbles said their names, where they were from, & the whole nine yards and the whole time I was thinking about gravy! Double damn.

"Bella, may I have a moment?" Dumbledore requested.

Shit! He knows I was thinking about potatoes and not about these newbies. He knows, he always knows when you're not listening, he's like Santa that way. Ugh, well I guess 'Mione will have to be a prefect after all... I mean there is no way in hell they would give it to Lavender... right?

"Sure professor", I turned back from the crowd of prefects moving towards dinner. I bet those prefects will get potatoes.

"Bella, I'd like you to personally meet the Cullens. This is Healer Carlisle and his wife Esme, who will teach Muggle Studies while Professor Burbage is out on maternity leave. These are their adoptive children: Rosalie and Jasper Hale, Emmett and Alice McCarthy, and Edward Masen. They all go by Cullen, but as you'll be spending an inordinate amount of time with them they thought it best to do a formal introduction."

"It's nice to meet you all..." I began to reply robotically, still thinking of the creamy lovely mashed potatoes I could eat if we moved this little soiree along "Oh, um, Professor- what did you mean by inordinate?"

"Ah Bella, dreaming of potatoes were we?" he chuckled.

Cue my blush and subsequent embarrassment, I mean, these newbies were new and now all they knew about me was that I frequently dream of potatoes, enough for the Headmaster of the school to have taken notice! Ugh!

He continued nonpulsed, "When I introduced the Cullens to all the Prefects I mentioned that they would live in an adjacent tower to Gryffindor Tower and I scheduled their classes around yours, you do have the most well-rounded schedule of all the Gryffindors. They will also join you at your quidditch practices, a very fine way to introduce them to Hogwarts, don't you think so?!" he practically clapped with glee.

Did I think so? No. No, I did not think so. Ugh, that's what I get for being 'well rounded'.

"Th-thank you professor", I wonder if he was thinking about the potatoes too? "apologies for the daydreaming!"

"Not at all my girl, please let's get these students to the Gryffindor table and eat while it's still hot!"

And just like that, I had a posse. A gorgeous posse. It was unreal, they were all ridiculously pretty. But there was something more than that, there was something familiar about them too. The littlest one was practically vibrating with glee, the largest was also barely containing a grin. The two blondes looked fairly calm, cool, & collected, the one that was unnerving was the bronze haired god that wouldn't stop staring at me. He made intense eye contact. Intense, like camping.

We got to the table to see that it had been modified to accommodate my posse and "YES!" there were still mashed potatoes! Hold yourself together Bella they are just God's starchiest gift to mankind- no need to go cave girl- and with that, I fulfilled my duty to my posse.

I introduced them around and everyone was friendly enough, but just as I sat down after having introduced them to the now extended table, it was cleared in front of my eyes. My dreams vanishing before me only to be replaced with desserts. "Noooooooooo!" I moaned, low and dejected. But Harry, my truest friend, the smartest of them all, a noble gent, brilliant bloke really, the best human I've ever met and he passed a bowl of nectar to me! Complete with a heating charm and a fork! I could've kissed him! I did! Just at that moment, my stomach growled so loudly I felt it in my whole body.

Blushing, I inhaled the potatoes and fell into a food coma for a few moments.

Emmett POV

I cannot believe Eddie growled like that!

It was a peck on the cheek.

IT'S HER BROTHER.

It was a modest 'thank you' peck, it's not like she mauled him.

He has no claim over this Bella, she doesn't even know him & "We don't even go here", the best quote from a movie in the last 20 years.

Eddie is not amused by my logical listing of facts. Oh well.

"So, Bella, what do you do around here for fun?" I asked, picked an easy topic! Go me!

Harry turned as white as a sheet when I asked that, probably not a good sign.

"Well, Emmett, during the school week curfew is fairly strict so we are in our common rooms by ten, each house does their own thing during the week, some play music, others read, draw, talk, play chess, really whatever you do at home you can do here. On the weekends we have Quidditch games and every other month we have a Hogsmead visit." Bella finished in her best prefect's tone and role.

"Interesting," I said, sounding anything but.

Alice tried next, " So, Bella, are there ever parties in the dormitories, or are there ways to sneak out of the castle?"

Bella almost choked on her potatoes, no one had ever asked her that before apparently. "Ummm, Alice, people have gatherings in the common rooms of houses and often they are after a quidditch match so they are legal, umm as far as sneaking out I don't know any reason students might do such a thing."

Oh, this was good, she was turning red, she was getting flustered, this is fun! I'll need to think of another 'innocent' question to fluster her, I missed that Belly-blush.

Edward POV

I'd had enough, Emmett was tormenting her, my lamb.

"I think my brother and sister are attempting to gauge your level of 'prefect'ness, they are not going to cause any problems," I stated softly to her

She looked at me, for the first time since I arrived she actually looked at me... and there was some sort of assessment taking place behind those chocolate eyes. I must have passed because all the sudden she lifted one eyebrow and smirked.

Bella smirked.

At me.

This was new.

"Well if that's all I'm a little disappointed, I thought Americans were supposed to be a rowdy bunch! The trick to sneaking out and throwing parties is to not show anyone your tricks. You all will just have to develop your own." She finished with a little glint in her eye and a flush to her cheeks as she nonchalantly lifted more potato to her mouth.

Gobsmacked. We were gobsmacked.

Harry looked like he was about to murder her. He leaned in so that supposedly only she could hear him, " What are you doing?! We don't know these people! What if they are rule followers? Did your brain freeze when you were in the lake?!" he sniped.

I growled at that. He was too close to her for comfort, well my comfort, and it's too soon to joke about her brush with death!

Apparently, Harry said that last part loudly enough and Ron heard him and I was thankful for that because Ron turned and elbowed him in. A look passed between the two boys and Ron's brain was filled with images of dunking Harry in a pool of what looked to be 'Attack Brains' for lack of a better phrase. Harry begged off of dessert then, stating he needed to study. Quickly he put his arm around Bella and hugged her, whispered a stilted 'Sorry', and headed off.

We all shortly departed from the Great Hall and walked to the towers, our entrance was through their common room, and it was an enjoyable walk. Emmett and Alice kept Bella talking about ridiculous things, Jasper asked historical questions, and Rose was fascinated with the paintings and artistry of the castle. I followed along but hung back. I had no idea how to be around this Bella. She has had such a different life here. She snuck out, threw parties, played sports, and she smirked here! I don't even know if I deserve her or if she will want me.

"Buck up!" came from a pastoral painting, upon closer inspection, there was a small knight riding a too small for him pony up a hill towards a castle.

Bella turned at the painting's advice, "Oh, and that is Sir Caddagon, very friendly, terrible advice- never ask him for directions he's been running towards that castle for years and we haven't the heart to tell him it's the wrong one!" She whispered conspiratorially, winking again and leading us off towards the tower...This was going to be a long year.