Rachel had arrived back at the foreign ministries building in Diagon
Alley. What a year it had been. There had been dangers, and deaths, yet
Rachel couldn't wait to get back to Hogwarts. She had entered an essay
contest, and been admitted as a Jr. Staff Judge for the ministry.
Basically, her job was to research the ways the champions would solve the
challenge. Her and three others. She had desperately wanted to help Harry,
but had been unable to because she had to remain impartial. But that was
behind her.
She opened the door to the suite she and her parents lived in on the American level of the building. Her father, carrying her trunk, followed, then came her mother, who shut the door. David Jacobson, huffing and panting with the work, finally managed to slide her trunk into her room. He came back, wiping his hands on his pants.
"Rachel? We have to talk."
"I don't want to talk about it."
"How can you not want to talk about it? You flew around for over an hour looking for those two boys! You nearly caught your death of cold."
"Well, one of them caught their death."
"And we brought all your friends so they could see you being a junior judge, and then the whole thing is ruined. Aren't you upset?"
"Daddy! Of course I'm upset! Which is exactly the reason why I don't want to talk about it!" Rachel stormed into her room, and shut the door. She heard her parents talking in low tones outside her door, and listened for a while.
"David, let her be. She just got back."
"Rebecca, she could be depressed or something. I don't want to go in there one day and find out she slit her wrists or something."
"David! From your lips to G-d's ears! Don't tempt fate. And just let her rest."
"But I–"
"David, David, just let's walk over here. Maybe you should go work on that case, hmm?" Rachel heard the sound of her mother toiling around. "Here. Have some juice. It's cranberry, your favorite!"
"Rebecca, I am not a child. I'm your husband." But Rachel heard the sound of a glass being lifted. "But it is good."
"Good. Now you just sit there, and I'll talk to Rachel." Rachel heard footsteps and darted away from the door.
"Rachie? Rachie? Can I come in?"
Rachel flopped onto her bed and let out a muffled. "Yes."
"Rachel, I can't get in if the door is locked."
"It isn't locked!"
"Oh..whoops...turned it the wrong way again. I'm just..." Rebecca walked in and sat on Rachel's bed. "Worried about you. You had a very traumatic year."
"Mom, I'm not going to kill myself."
"Alright then dear just promise me not to act too depressed, your scaring your father. It isn't healthy for him."
"Okay Mom." Rachel did act happier. In fact, she had been fine until she was hounded about it. She didn't bother unpacking her trunk, for they were leaving soon for their annual vacation in America. Rachel knew that while her parents stayed in the American Ministry building, in Washington D.C.,she would go back to her old school, the Eastern School of the Magical Arts in Baltimore, where she will partake in their summer camp program, which, because she is in a magical school, will still let her use magic. That little fact always made Rachel very happy. The flight back to BWI was a lot happier. Rachel was taken straight to Eastern from a subway in Washington, not using Grand Central Station as was done for the school year, but this one, because fewer students went to the Summer camp.
"Rachel? Is that you?" Rosemary ran over and gave her a hug. "Ohmygosh! I can't believe it!"
"Rosemary! I come EVERY year!"
"Yeah...but...we went to Hogwarts at the end for that tournament thing–"
"Rosemary, does everyone thing I'm depressed?"
"No! You weren't depressed, but I was just–it was scary!" Rosemary's eyes widened underneath her spectacles. She was always the "innocent bookworm" in the bunch. She knew how it was, Hera was the Quadpot player who had grown up in a Muggle family, and Carley was pretty, a little ditzy, and obsessed with boys. Rachel was the one who already knew a lot of magic, and the Quidditch player. Rachel wished it was still like this, but, unfortunately, once her little posse had flown out to see her in her judging glory at the third task, it had all changed. Her parents had brought them all out to Britain, they had been so excited, so happy, and then...Rachel shuddered. Rosemary wrapped her arm around her.
"C'mon Rach!" Rosemary tried to steer Rachel toward their house, Phoenix. The way Eastern was set up, there were separate buildings for each house. One on each of the corners, with the main building running through the middle, Quidditch and Quadpot fields on the sides.
"Rose! Chill!" Rachel couldn't follow because she had the large trunk in her arms. It was a sturdy thing, made of some magical material which made it a little lighter, but it was still bulky and heavy from all the clothes. It was covered in patches and stickers. The Hogwarts crest, Eastern's crest, which was a silver five pointed star inside a gold circle, with another circle inside the star separated into four equal sections of red, blue, green and black. There were Gryffindor and Phoenix stickers, for Rachel's house, and blank stickers which her friends had signed. There were American flags, and Ron had tagged on a British one as well. There were silly stickers and badges that said things like:
"QUIDDITCH- NOT FOR ICKLE FIRSTIES"
or
"KEEPER"
or
"AMERICAN WOMAN" That one had been a gift before she left. It had a very prominent place, next to her Star of David. Rosemary had lifted her end of the trunk and was exclaiming over it.
"OOH! Look! This one is new!" Rosemary tried to gesture to the sticker signed by the Champions, but couldn't use her hand so feebly pointed her chin in its general direction. It had Victor's thick scrawl, Fluer's delicate squiggle, Harry's familiar handwriting, and Cedric's square, yet neat, script. Next to it was the one signed by all the judges, Rachel included. Maria St. Croix, one of the Beauxbaton judges had signed her name with a pretty little flourish in purple ink. Gregorian Mulchevski, Durmstrang judge had signed his name in the same heavy handed way as Krum. Christopher Vert, the other Beauxbaton judge, the one Harry and Ron remembered as "the cold git who had trouble opening the stairs that first night", was also Rachel's date for the Yule Ball, and had signed his name neatly and carefully, winking at Rachel as he added a little heart. Then there was Rachel's signature. Bubbly and round, and happy.
They had finally reached Phoenix house. Its name was proclaimed broadly by the banners waving free, and when they reached the door, Rosemary summoned their other friend, Hera.
"HER!" It was pronounced 'hair' much to the dismay of Hera herself. "YO! HER! Get the door before I collapse!" That was very un-Rosemary-ish, but Rachel decided not to comment. Hera reached the door looking breathless and excited, and, forgetting they were holding a heavy trunk, rushed over to give Rachel a hug.
"RACHIE!" She squeezed Rachel so hard Rachel dropped her end of her trunk, rather painfully, on her foot. "I thought you weren't gonna come!"
"I sent you guys a letter–" Rachel said this rather painfully as she tried to slide her foot out from under her trunk.
"Yeah, but you missed the summer sorting. Got your badge?"
"I never take it off." Rachel, trying to ignore the shooting pains in her foot, reached into her robes and felt the necklace around her neck. It was silver circle, with her name and house engraved around the edge, and a silver star in the middle of the circle, surrounded by red. All Eastern students wore these as a way of identification, with differing colors, houses and names, of course.
"So–erm–could you let us in?" Rosemary had managed to keep up her end of the trunk and was trying to back her way in, but was unsuccessful.
"Oh–yeah. Carley's in our room already, just so you know, trying to make herself look 'presentable'. I swear, if she was any more 'presentable' she would drown in that make-up." Hera opened the door and they slid it in. Hera helped them carry it up the stairs to the room that said.
"TENTH YEAR GIRLS–SUMMER" Carley was in there, powdering herself in front of a pink mirror. It was very easy to see where each of their beds were. Carley's was very pink and frilly. Hera's had the quadpot posters, as well as some stationary ones, for the Baltimore Orioles, a baseball team, as well as the Baltimore Ravens. Hera was very into Muggle sports played in Baltimore. Rosemary's was surrounded by books. Piles and piles of books. On all sorts of things. Unlike Hermione, Rosemary also read fiction. Fantasy and realistic fiction, both Muggle and Wizard. History and practical, field guides and manuals. All sorts of things. She was like a mini-library, in fact, some of her books probably belonged to the library and were most likely due back soon. Rachel remembered having to constantly remind Rosemary to return her books. Then there was Rachel's spot. Her bed looked exactly the same, light blue with an airy canopy, but the spaces around her bed were empty. Rachel sat down on the edge.
"If you didn't think I was coming, why is the bed here?"
"The bed has been here forever." Carley says, without looking up. "Without it, the feng shui of our room was disrupted."
"Oh. Ok then." Rachel opened her trunk. "Hello to you too Carley."
"Rachie? That was you?" Carley raced over and gave Rachel a hug. "It is SO great to see you. I want to show you this book–"
"Book?" Rachel didn't know Carley was one for books.
"Yeah. This book about the hottest young wizards in Britain. I want you to look in it, and tell me if you know any of them."
"Oh. Ok then." Rachel seemed a bit wary, then brightened. "I have more pictures!" Rachel slid a folder out of her trunk and opened it. It was filled with wizard photographs, all years of her life. She waved a wand and they attached themselves to the wall the same way she was used to seeing them, at Hogwarts and during the summer.
"Oooh! Which ones?" Rosemary raced over. Rachel lit the end of her wand, causing it to cast off a pin-prick of blue light.
"Well, I have this one, of the champions, and this one, of all the judges," Rachel pointed them out. "The Yule Ball, all the tasks...the two articles, a short bit in the Daily Prophet, and the one about me in the National Owl, though, why they would bother to write about me is an enigma. And, finally, I have the pictures of you guys at Hogwarts, and this one, from way back last summer, at the Quidditch World Cup."
Carley looked over at the picture of the Yule Ball. "Rachie! You look SO pretty! And who's that guy? He's really hot!"
"That was my date. He's also in this one, and that one there." Rachel pointed, then smiled. And he also signed my trunk." Chris was good looking.
Hera had deeper questions. "You called it a Yule Ball. Didn't that make you feel–erm–uncomfortable?"
"A little...but it was more of a winter ball, I guess. How did you guys hold up?" Rachel knew every little detail, because they had told her at Hogwarts, but she was just making polite conversation.
None of them got to answer, however, as the door swung open.
"RACHIE! YOU BE BACK!" Germany Stevens burst through the door. He was the Phoenix's official stand-up comedian. Searching for entertainment during quiet nights, Phoenixes would often gather in the common room and let him loose. He rushed over to Rachel, even though he shouldn't be in the girl's dorm anyway, and gave her a hug. He had aged well, and was quite handsome.
"GERM!" Rachel ruffled his dark hair. He was called Germ, or Germy not only for his name, but because, when they were much younger, they thought he had some kind of disease, so they had to stay away from him to keep from catching it.
Germany then rushed around, hugging each of the girls as if he had never seen them for years and years.
"CARLEY! OHMYGOSH! LET'S GO LOOK AT PICTURES OF BOYS! THIS ONE IS SOOOOOOO CUTE!" He pointed to himself, and gave her a hug, then turned to Hera.
"HERA! LONG TIME NO SEE! HOW YA' BEEN DOIN'? PLAYING QUADPOT LIKE THERE BE NO TOMORROW BABE! WATCH YA BLACK SELF!" He hugged her then rushed to Rosemary.
"YO! IT BE ROSE-MARIE! WHATCHA UP TO HONEYBUNCH? READING? HOW COULD I HAVE EVER GUESSED?" He gave her a squeeze then turned to the rest of his friends who stood in the doorway.
Peter "Big Pete" Shaw and Charlie Masterson backed away holding their hands up. Peter was a Quadpot champion like Hera, and Carley told Rachel that Charlie was becoming a really good beater.
"You know...you guys...I don't think you should be here..." Rosemary cast a pleading glance to Hera, who walked over to Germy. Carley had confidentially told Rachel that she thought Germy liked Hera, but Rachel wasn't sure if that was what it was, or if she just intimidated him. Hera was tall, dark, and strong. She was a really good Quadpot player, and had a fast mouth, though she didn't speak much. She must have been at the end of her rope, because she was usually very nice, unless someone really did something that angered her. She walked very slowly up to Germany, and said in a low even tone.
"I would leave if I were you. Before we all kick you back to your namesake."
"Whoa girl! Chill out!" Nevertheless, Germany was backing away.
Hera kept staring at him, her dark eyes fiery. She was a head taller then Germany, but then again, most people were. Germany looked at her, gave her a long lingering glance before rushing out the door, tugging his friends behind me.
"I can't stand it when he torments me like that. It infuriates me that he must constantly make references to my race." Hera sighed and flopped on the bed. Hera and Rosemary had always been really good friends, Rosemary helping Hera with her homework, and Hera standing up for her. Rachel was beginning to wonder if the two of them had rubbed off on each other.
"I don't know why it angers you so much, I mean, you two are the same race. It wasn't like Rachel or Rosemary or Me were doing it to you." Carley walked over and sat next to Hera.
"Well, you guys are my friends, and I know you would never be so thoughtless. He just needs a good smack upside the head."
"I second that." Rosemary piped up. She was checking that he hadn't ruined the organization of her books when he hugged her.
"Awww! Hera!" Carley gave Hera a hug. Carley may not be very smart, but nicer girls were hard to find anywhere. "Rachie, come here, I want to show you these boys!" Rachel sighed and shook her head. She was definitely back in America, the way she remembered it.
She opened the door to the suite she and her parents lived in on the American level of the building. Her father, carrying her trunk, followed, then came her mother, who shut the door. David Jacobson, huffing and panting with the work, finally managed to slide her trunk into her room. He came back, wiping his hands on his pants.
"Rachel? We have to talk."
"I don't want to talk about it."
"How can you not want to talk about it? You flew around for over an hour looking for those two boys! You nearly caught your death of cold."
"Well, one of them caught their death."
"And we brought all your friends so they could see you being a junior judge, and then the whole thing is ruined. Aren't you upset?"
"Daddy! Of course I'm upset! Which is exactly the reason why I don't want to talk about it!" Rachel stormed into her room, and shut the door. She heard her parents talking in low tones outside her door, and listened for a while.
"David, let her be. She just got back."
"Rebecca, she could be depressed or something. I don't want to go in there one day and find out she slit her wrists or something."
"David! From your lips to G-d's ears! Don't tempt fate. And just let her rest."
"But I–"
"David, David, just let's walk over here. Maybe you should go work on that case, hmm?" Rachel heard the sound of her mother toiling around. "Here. Have some juice. It's cranberry, your favorite!"
"Rebecca, I am not a child. I'm your husband." But Rachel heard the sound of a glass being lifted. "But it is good."
"Good. Now you just sit there, and I'll talk to Rachel." Rachel heard footsteps and darted away from the door.
"Rachie? Rachie? Can I come in?"
Rachel flopped onto her bed and let out a muffled. "Yes."
"Rachel, I can't get in if the door is locked."
"It isn't locked!"
"Oh..whoops...turned it the wrong way again. I'm just..." Rebecca walked in and sat on Rachel's bed. "Worried about you. You had a very traumatic year."
"Mom, I'm not going to kill myself."
"Alright then dear just promise me not to act too depressed, your scaring your father. It isn't healthy for him."
"Okay Mom." Rachel did act happier. In fact, she had been fine until she was hounded about it. She didn't bother unpacking her trunk, for they were leaving soon for their annual vacation in America. Rachel knew that while her parents stayed in the American Ministry building, in Washington D.C.,she would go back to her old school, the Eastern School of the Magical Arts in Baltimore, where she will partake in their summer camp program, which, because she is in a magical school, will still let her use magic. That little fact always made Rachel very happy. The flight back to BWI was a lot happier. Rachel was taken straight to Eastern from a subway in Washington, not using Grand Central Station as was done for the school year, but this one, because fewer students went to the Summer camp.
"Rachel? Is that you?" Rosemary ran over and gave her a hug. "Ohmygosh! I can't believe it!"
"Rosemary! I come EVERY year!"
"Yeah...but...we went to Hogwarts at the end for that tournament thing–"
"Rosemary, does everyone thing I'm depressed?"
"No! You weren't depressed, but I was just–it was scary!" Rosemary's eyes widened underneath her spectacles. She was always the "innocent bookworm" in the bunch. She knew how it was, Hera was the Quadpot player who had grown up in a Muggle family, and Carley was pretty, a little ditzy, and obsessed with boys. Rachel was the one who already knew a lot of magic, and the Quidditch player. Rachel wished it was still like this, but, unfortunately, once her little posse had flown out to see her in her judging glory at the third task, it had all changed. Her parents had brought them all out to Britain, they had been so excited, so happy, and then...Rachel shuddered. Rosemary wrapped her arm around her.
"C'mon Rach!" Rosemary tried to steer Rachel toward their house, Phoenix. The way Eastern was set up, there were separate buildings for each house. One on each of the corners, with the main building running through the middle, Quidditch and Quadpot fields on the sides.
"Rose! Chill!" Rachel couldn't follow because she had the large trunk in her arms. It was a sturdy thing, made of some magical material which made it a little lighter, but it was still bulky and heavy from all the clothes. It was covered in patches and stickers. The Hogwarts crest, Eastern's crest, which was a silver five pointed star inside a gold circle, with another circle inside the star separated into four equal sections of red, blue, green and black. There were Gryffindor and Phoenix stickers, for Rachel's house, and blank stickers which her friends had signed. There were American flags, and Ron had tagged on a British one as well. There were silly stickers and badges that said things like:
"QUIDDITCH- NOT FOR ICKLE FIRSTIES"
or
"KEEPER"
or
"AMERICAN WOMAN" That one had been a gift before she left. It had a very prominent place, next to her Star of David. Rosemary had lifted her end of the trunk and was exclaiming over it.
"OOH! Look! This one is new!" Rosemary tried to gesture to the sticker signed by the Champions, but couldn't use her hand so feebly pointed her chin in its general direction. It had Victor's thick scrawl, Fluer's delicate squiggle, Harry's familiar handwriting, and Cedric's square, yet neat, script. Next to it was the one signed by all the judges, Rachel included. Maria St. Croix, one of the Beauxbaton judges had signed her name with a pretty little flourish in purple ink. Gregorian Mulchevski, Durmstrang judge had signed his name in the same heavy handed way as Krum. Christopher Vert, the other Beauxbaton judge, the one Harry and Ron remembered as "the cold git who had trouble opening the stairs that first night", was also Rachel's date for the Yule Ball, and had signed his name neatly and carefully, winking at Rachel as he added a little heart. Then there was Rachel's signature. Bubbly and round, and happy.
They had finally reached Phoenix house. Its name was proclaimed broadly by the banners waving free, and when they reached the door, Rosemary summoned their other friend, Hera.
"HER!" It was pronounced 'hair' much to the dismay of Hera herself. "YO! HER! Get the door before I collapse!" That was very un-Rosemary-ish, but Rachel decided not to comment. Hera reached the door looking breathless and excited, and, forgetting they were holding a heavy trunk, rushed over to give Rachel a hug.
"RACHIE!" She squeezed Rachel so hard Rachel dropped her end of her trunk, rather painfully, on her foot. "I thought you weren't gonna come!"
"I sent you guys a letter–" Rachel said this rather painfully as she tried to slide her foot out from under her trunk.
"Yeah, but you missed the summer sorting. Got your badge?"
"I never take it off." Rachel, trying to ignore the shooting pains in her foot, reached into her robes and felt the necklace around her neck. It was silver circle, with her name and house engraved around the edge, and a silver star in the middle of the circle, surrounded by red. All Eastern students wore these as a way of identification, with differing colors, houses and names, of course.
"So–erm–could you let us in?" Rosemary had managed to keep up her end of the trunk and was trying to back her way in, but was unsuccessful.
"Oh–yeah. Carley's in our room already, just so you know, trying to make herself look 'presentable'. I swear, if she was any more 'presentable' she would drown in that make-up." Hera opened the door and they slid it in. Hera helped them carry it up the stairs to the room that said.
"TENTH YEAR GIRLS–SUMMER" Carley was in there, powdering herself in front of a pink mirror. It was very easy to see where each of their beds were. Carley's was very pink and frilly. Hera's had the quadpot posters, as well as some stationary ones, for the Baltimore Orioles, a baseball team, as well as the Baltimore Ravens. Hera was very into Muggle sports played in Baltimore. Rosemary's was surrounded by books. Piles and piles of books. On all sorts of things. Unlike Hermione, Rosemary also read fiction. Fantasy and realistic fiction, both Muggle and Wizard. History and practical, field guides and manuals. All sorts of things. She was like a mini-library, in fact, some of her books probably belonged to the library and were most likely due back soon. Rachel remembered having to constantly remind Rosemary to return her books. Then there was Rachel's spot. Her bed looked exactly the same, light blue with an airy canopy, but the spaces around her bed were empty. Rachel sat down on the edge.
"If you didn't think I was coming, why is the bed here?"
"The bed has been here forever." Carley says, without looking up. "Without it, the feng shui of our room was disrupted."
"Oh. Ok then." Rachel opened her trunk. "Hello to you too Carley."
"Rachie? That was you?" Carley raced over and gave Rachel a hug. "It is SO great to see you. I want to show you this book–"
"Book?" Rachel didn't know Carley was one for books.
"Yeah. This book about the hottest young wizards in Britain. I want you to look in it, and tell me if you know any of them."
"Oh. Ok then." Rachel seemed a bit wary, then brightened. "I have more pictures!" Rachel slid a folder out of her trunk and opened it. It was filled with wizard photographs, all years of her life. She waved a wand and they attached themselves to the wall the same way she was used to seeing them, at Hogwarts and during the summer.
"Oooh! Which ones?" Rosemary raced over. Rachel lit the end of her wand, causing it to cast off a pin-prick of blue light.
"Well, I have this one, of the champions, and this one, of all the judges," Rachel pointed them out. "The Yule Ball, all the tasks...the two articles, a short bit in the Daily Prophet, and the one about me in the National Owl, though, why they would bother to write about me is an enigma. And, finally, I have the pictures of you guys at Hogwarts, and this one, from way back last summer, at the Quidditch World Cup."
Carley looked over at the picture of the Yule Ball. "Rachie! You look SO pretty! And who's that guy? He's really hot!"
"That was my date. He's also in this one, and that one there." Rachel pointed, then smiled. And he also signed my trunk." Chris was good looking.
Hera had deeper questions. "You called it a Yule Ball. Didn't that make you feel–erm–uncomfortable?"
"A little...but it was more of a winter ball, I guess. How did you guys hold up?" Rachel knew every little detail, because they had told her at Hogwarts, but she was just making polite conversation.
None of them got to answer, however, as the door swung open.
"RACHIE! YOU BE BACK!" Germany Stevens burst through the door. He was the Phoenix's official stand-up comedian. Searching for entertainment during quiet nights, Phoenixes would often gather in the common room and let him loose. He rushed over to Rachel, even though he shouldn't be in the girl's dorm anyway, and gave her a hug. He had aged well, and was quite handsome.
"GERM!" Rachel ruffled his dark hair. He was called Germ, or Germy not only for his name, but because, when they were much younger, they thought he had some kind of disease, so they had to stay away from him to keep from catching it.
Germany then rushed around, hugging each of the girls as if he had never seen them for years and years.
"CARLEY! OHMYGOSH! LET'S GO LOOK AT PICTURES OF BOYS! THIS ONE IS SOOOOOOO CUTE!" He pointed to himself, and gave her a hug, then turned to Hera.
"HERA! LONG TIME NO SEE! HOW YA' BEEN DOIN'? PLAYING QUADPOT LIKE THERE BE NO TOMORROW BABE! WATCH YA BLACK SELF!" He hugged her then rushed to Rosemary.
"YO! IT BE ROSE-MARIE! WHATCHA UP TO HONEYBUNCH? READING? HOW COULD I HAVE EVER GUESSED?" He gave her a squeeze then turned to the rest of his friends who stood in the doorway.
Peter "Big Pete" Shaw and Charlie Masterson backed away holding their hands up. Peter was a Quadpot champion like Hera, and Carley told Rachel that Charlie was becoming a really good beater.
"You know...you guys...I don't think you should be here..." Rosemary cast a pleading glance to Hera, who walked over to Germy. Carley had confidentially told Rachel that she thought Germy liked Hera, but Rachel wasn't sure if that was what it was, or if she just intimidated him. Hera was tall, dark, and strong. She was a really good Quadpot player, and had a fast mouth, though she didn't speak much. She must have been at the end of her rope, because she was usually very nice, unless someone really did something that angered her. She walked very slowly up to Germany, and said in a low even tone.
"I would leave if I were you. Before we all kick you back to your namesake."
"Whoa girl! Chill out!" Nevertheless, Germany was backing away.
Hera kept staring at him, her dark eyes fiery. She was a head taller then Germany, but then again, most people were. Germany looked at her, gave her a long lingering glance before rushing out the door, tugging his friends behind me.
"I can't stand it when he torments me like that. It infuriates me that he must constantly make references to my race." Hera sighed and flopped on the bed. Hera and Rosemary had always been really good friends, Rosemary helping Hera with her homework, and Hera standing up for her. Rachel was beginning to wonder if the two of them had rubbed off on each other.
"I don't know why it angers you so much, I mean, you two are the same race. It wasn't like Rachel or Rosemary or Me were doing it to you." Carley walked over and sat next to Hera.
"Well, you guys are my friends, and I know you would never be so thoughtless. He just needs a good smack upside the head."
"I second that." Rosemary piped up. She was checking that he hadn't ruined the organization of her books when he hugged her.
"Awww! Hera!" Carley gave Hera a hug. Carley may not be very smart, but nicer girls were hard to find anywhere. "Rachie, come here, I want to show you these boys!" Rachel sighed and shook her head. She was definitely back in America, the way she remembered it.
