QL, Round 6, Kestrals, Chaser 3, Webkins.

Optional prompts: [action] tapping a foot impatiently [object] friendship bracelet(s) [location] a dormitory

Betas: Binte, 2D, Piper.

Word Count: 1117

Notes: Padma/Pavati are both in Gryffindor.

The sorting and feast had been exhilarating; Hermione hadn't known what to expect even though she had devoured every book she could get her hands on. From all she had heard throughout her life, she had expected Ravenclaw, but being sorted into Gryffindor just fit.

Her eyes darted around in wonder as she followed their prefect, Percy, to the Gryffindor Common Room. She'd talked to him during the feast, and he sounded brilliant. She hoped he'd be able to give her some tips.

Hermione was so absorbed by the moving and talking portraits that she almost struggled to memorise the route—she listened to Percy's directions to know where to go tomorrow. Before she knew it, they were at the 'fat lady', the portrait that would let them into their common room and where they'd be sleeping for the next seven years.

Hermione was pulled out of her thoughts as she walked into the dormitory. Four beds were set up, with thick red curtains and matching bedding. They looked very different from the plain beds she'd heard about in primary school. She felt like she was in a medieval setting, which excited her to learn what other differences she could experience.

Two girls, the twins, ran forward to choose first and took the beds on the left, grinning.

Hermione turned to the girl next to her. "Which one do you want?"

"The closest to the door, I think."

Hermione nodded and went to the remaining bed, finding her case beside it. She wondered how they knew which bed was hers and if there was anyone she could ask about it. Hermione pulled her case onto her bed and opened it.

"I'm Parvati," one of the girls said.

Hermione smiled at her with uncertainty.

"And I'm Padma," said the other twin.

Hermione opened her mouth to speak, but the third girl got their first.

"I'm Lavender!"

"You've only said that about a million times," said Parvati.

"Not to—" Lavender started but then turned to Hermione. "Oh yeah, what's your name?"

"I'm Hermione Granger."

"Not to Hermione, I haven't," Lavender continued. "I'm Lavender!"

Hermione smiled, glad to be included.

Hermione tuned out the other girls' chatter as she carefully unpacked her clothes to put them in the trunk at the bottom of her bed. She paused as she reached her small collection of Webkins at the bottom, squished between her books. They were all anybody could talk about in her previous school. However, she hadn't seen soft toys from her dormmates' cases and didn't want to stand out.

"You'll join us, won't you, Hermione?" Lavender asked suddenly, bouncing over and onto her bed.

"What?" Hermione asked, stopping herself from closing the lid to hide her plushies, as she knew that would only attract their attention.

"Parvati and Padma made friendship bracelets before they got on the train," Lavender explained.

"Just in case we were sorted into different houses," Parvati added.

"And I think we should make some, too!"

"Oh!" Hermione exclaimed, surprised. She looked at her pile of books, biting her lip. "I‐ I don't kn– Okay. It's just… I've never made one before."

Padma looked shocked. "Never?"

Hermione shook her head.

"Then you have to—" Parvati started.

"Ooh, what's that?" Lavender interrupted, reaching in and pulling out Holstein Cow, one of her Webkins, before Hermione could stop her. "It's cute!"

"They're Webkins. They are plush pets you can collect." Hermione said, relieved to see Lavender smiling.

Again without permission, Lavender pulled another one out—this time, the unicorn. "I've not seen these before. What are they for?"

Hermione smiled. She loved to talk about facts she knew or what she'd learnt. It had been so long since somebody had asked her for something—well, someone other than her teachers. She stood up straighter and brought out the final one from her suitcase. "They are very popular in the normal—uhh—Muggle world. My school was obsessed with them. Webkins are a safe, fun, and magical way to adopt pets!"

"Magical?" Parvati asked.

"Real pets?" Padma asked.

Lavender seemed to be distracted by the actual plushies.

"It's not real magic, of course. Or real pets. It's like adopting your own pet without having a real pet. They can come to life using electricity and do tricks like real animals.

Hermione placed the one she was holding onto the floor, and… nothing.

She laughed awkwardly to herself.

"What's it supposed to do?" Lavender asked.

"Jump," she answered simply, ensuring the battery was in. "Oh, I remember reading in Hogwarts: A History that some muggle things don't work here. They don't support electricity; I should have known that that would include battery-operated things."

"So it doesn't do anything here?" Lavender asked, her foot patting on the floor.

Hermione cleared her throat. Her mother patted her foot when she was impatient with her. She couldn't make it work if Hogwarts didn't allow her to. She licked her lips hesitantly. Her classmates were always impatient with her. They were never happy and always told her she took too long and was too dull. She didn't want that to happen again. She didn't want to be alone.

She looked at the dog in front of her and wished for it to work, so she seemed interested to her new dormmates, but it was useless.

"That's okay, they're still cute," Padma said.

"There are many you can collect, and I have three. I got the Holstein Cow and this Golden Retriever first. And the unicorn was new two weeks ago." She looked at them and started to speak faster. Maybe if she gave them all the information, they would see that these were interesting. "I want the pig next."

"Pig?"

"Landrace pig… It's another one that they do."

She looked between them; Lavender's foot was tapping more quickly, and her eyes were glazed over. Padma and Parvati were polite, but she could tell they were also getting bored; she knew this looked very good.

She put down the one she held, knowing they would never be interested in them. She needed to work out what Wizards like, which differed from muggles. She looked at Pavati's wrist and indicated towards it.

"You said about friendship bracelets?" she prompted in an attempt to stop the staring and foot-tapping.

Parvati perked up instantly. "Yes, I'll go get the string!"

"I'll get the beads."

And with that, all three girls walked off. Hermione put her plush pets back in her case and pulled out a book. She looked over at the girls, but none of them made eye contact, so she just read until it was time to go to sleep.

Hermione liked reading. Books never got impatient and never turned her away.