Hugo was sitting at supper with the new friends he had made in class that day. Alexander was still enjoying poking fun at him about Quidditch. His new roommates were Ellis, a Korean muggle born boy, who was panicking over the stacks of homework they had been given, and Beckett, a pale freckled boy who looked more Weasley than Hugo did.

Hugo was feeling a little overwhelmed after his first day at Hogwarts. He liked his new friends very much; Alexander was great for joking around, Ellis loved art and had drawn a perfect caricature of their new history teacher, and Beckett and Hugo had bonded over a mutual disdain for potions and love of Quidditch.

It had been drizzling all day so flying lessons were postponed until the field was dry. Hugo had been devastated. More than anything he wanted to prove his family wrong and get Alexander off his back about flying. That had been the thing he most looked forward to, to relive some of the stress of a new school. The day had been a flurry of new people, new classes and lots of homework assigned.

His stomach was suddenly gripped with a deep longing for home. He missed his parents and his muggle friends, his home in Heathrow and the muggle school he had attended. He made a mental note to send his mom an owl and tell her about his first day. He remembered how quiet the house seemed when his sister and their cousins were all gone off to school. Hugo wondered if his grandparent's old clock had the hand with his name on it pointed to "school".

Well of course it does, he scolded himself, unless it's pointed to mortal danger. He smiled to himself. He and Lucy used to sit in front of the clock when the rest of the family was indisposed and watch where everyone traveled. They had intense discussions about what the clock considered "mortal danger".

"When you're about to die? Or when there's a bit of a chance you could? What's dangerous to an old clock? What if you're at home and in mortal danger? Then what does it do?"

Hugo suddenly wished he could talk to Lucy. He poked his head over the crowd of rowdy students to find his cousin. He saw Louis' tall blonde head at the Ravenclaw table and hoped she was near.

Hugo stood up. "Hey guys I'm going to go talk to my cousin for a bit." he told his friends, nodding over to the Ravenclaw table.

They all stopped their conversations to look up at him.

"You mean at a different table?" asked Beckett uncertainly.

"Well yeah, I mean, that's where they sit…" he trailed off seeing the looks on their faces. "What?"

"Is that even allowed? I mean can you just go to a different house's table?" asked Ellis who was unfamiliar with wizard rules.

The three other boys exchanged glances.

"Oi Rose! Quick question."

Rose looked up to see her brother flanked by three other first year boys standing over her.

"What do you need?" she sighed closing her book and turning around. He paused and glanced at his friends.

"What are the rules with the, um, tables? Like the houses I mean. Do you have to sit with your house? Or does it matter? Like can you just move if you want?" Hugo asked, seeming a little unsure about his own question.

Rose wasn't often confronted with questions she didn't know the answer to. But this time she wasn't sure.

"Well I mean…you're supposed to stay with your house I think…"

"Yeah but lets say I just wanted to go hang with Molly for a bit."

Rose exchanged a glance with Molly who was sitting opposite her.

"Prefect? What do you think?"

Lucy rested her cheek in her hand and looked at her cousins thoughtfully.

"I don't remember anything in the rules that specifically says you can't, but I think they just assume you're going to want to sit with you're house?"

Hugo waited for her to continue but she seemed lost in thought. He opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by Molly suddenly standing.

"Hold on just a sec. I'm going to find out." she stepped out of the bench and trotted over to the opposite end of the Gryffindor table. Hugo watched her lean down to speak to a dark skinned boy with a prefect badge on his chest.

They waited patiently for her to return. Beckett decided his hunger overruled his desire to hear the outcome and returned to his seat.

"Oh yeah by the way, Rose, these are my friends Alexander and Ellis, and that was Beck who just left. This is my sister Rose."

"Nice to meet you guys."

They smiled embarrassedly at the older girl.

Molly finally returned to break the awkward silence that followed.

"Okay, so Collin and I think it's probably cool." She informed them.

"Has he asked you out yet?" Rose asked offhandedly.

"Who, Collin?" Molly asked innocently, "Oh c'mon were just friends you know that."

"Nope, don't care." Hugo interjected, "So it's cool if I go see Lucy?"

Molly rolled her eyes, but gave him the thumbs up.

Hugo left his friends back at their seats. Slinging his bag over his shoulder he strode over to the Ravenclaw table. Suddenly shy under the scrutiny of the Ravenclaws. He looked once more for Lucy.

"Hugo?"

He swung around to see Louis standing behind him with another fifth year boy. The boy was a little shorter than Louis and had striking black hair and earrings. Louis had an uncertain smile on his face as he inspected his cousin.

"Hey have you seen Lucy?" Hugo asked, relieved to find someone familiar.

"Oh I love Molly. She's so witty and mature for her age, right?" the other fifth year broke in, looking at Louis expectantly.

"She's a character alright." Louis smiled. He turned back to his cousin, "Yeah she was just here. She went up to bed though."

Hugo face palmed.