the end of the day.

Kole wearily entered the common room, just in time to meet the looming curfew. Collapsing onto a chair in front of the crackling fireplace, he let out a contented sigh. Today was another exhilarating day spent with Michelle. The mere thought of her brought a smile to his face, and he couldn't help but reminisce about the precious moments they shared. Kole cherished every second he could spend with her, walking her to the Slytherin common room before reluctantly trudging back up to his own in the Gryffindor tower.

Riley was sort of tired. Her classes that day had been exhausting, and on top of that she had lots of homework- so she had spent most of her day in the library trying to get it all done. She had basically dragged herself up to the Gryffindor tower, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Since arriving at Hogwarts, she had never been through so much activity. She hae never had to get up so early because her old school started later, ended later. And plus, she didn't have to run to class everyday because she got lost.

When she got to the common room, she raced to an armchair close to the fireplace, her curly hair flying behind her. She slung her bag off her shoulder as she sat down and set it down under her legs. She looked over at a boy who was sitting in the armchair next to hers. He looked as tired as she felt.
"Hey, man," she said to him easily, as if they knew each other, "You looked exhausted."

Kole had been lost in his own world of thoughts, contemplating the events of the day when a girl plopped down beside him. "So do you," he chuckled, his fingers running through his tousled hair. "Cutting it a little close to curfew, aren't you?" he asked.

He realized he was in no position to judge, having made it back to the common room only a few minutes before her. He had to make the long trek up from the basement, but it was worth it. He stretched his arms, a yawn escaping his lips as he glanced at the clock.

"It's been a long day," he shrugged, his eyes meeting hers. Despite his exhaustion, he couldn't help but smile at her company.

"It's hard to keep track of the time when your head s stuck in a text book, y'know," Riley replied. It was past curfew? The Gryffindor thought she had made it on time, she wasn't entirely sure though. She wished she had bought a watch. It was her mistake for refusing the offer when Raph wanted to give her his.

After a few moments of silence, the boys' blue eyes met her brown, before he spoke again. And when he did, he smiled at her. It was an easy smile, tired but easy
"You could say that again," Riley agreed, matching his smile with her own. Even though she was just reading and writing, her hand was cramped from scribbling on parchment and constantly crossing out and correcting her work. Her brain was too tired to think, but too active to stay up.
"I'm Riley." She introduced herself and paused before continuing. "What did you spend your day doing?"

Kole understood all too well how easy it was to lose track of time when wandering the castle, especially when in good company. He chuckled at the thought and explained, "Yeah, I just made it up from the basement after walking my girlfriend back to her common room. That is a long walk."

The thought of walking eight flights of stairs down and back up again, at least twice a day, sounded exhausting. But Kole was willing to do anything for Elle, especially with Alex lurking around and acting the way he had been.

As the girl introduced herself, Kole nodded and replied with a friendly smile, "Kole. Nice to meet you. I didn't do too much either, just got lost with Elle."

"Basement, huh?" Riley raised a slight eyebrow to the boy, but she smiled. "Slytherin, is she?" Riley had no judgement on other houses, especially since she was in Gryffindor and was scared of small things like spiders. But spiders creeper her out, so she made absolutely no effort to get over her fear.

"Coal?" Riley giggled like she was ten. Kole. She knew she must've sounded rude laughing like she was But she was amused. "Like the stuff you use for fire? Sorry, I had to." Riley took in a breath before letting out another round of fresh laughs. She didn't know why she was laughing- the self respect in her head was telling her to stop and pact sophisticated, but her humour outweighed her will to act normal.
"Sorry," she apologised again, took in another breath and didn't laugh. "Sorry. I can't help myself, but it's great to meet you too."

Kole chuckled at the mention of his sister's house, "Yeah, Ells is a Slytherin, along with her brother. And then there's his girlfriend, and my sister Maddie is in Hufflepuff. I end up down there a lot."

As he introduced himself to the girl, she broke out laughing, causing him to raise an eyebrow in confusion. "If you find that so funny, wait until you hear my last name," he teased, a playful smile on his face. "Kane. Kole Kane. Both with a K, not a C."

But he knew that his name often elicited reactions from students with muggle families. They made a connection to a street drug they were familiar with, and Kole was used to the occasional snickers and whispers behind his back. It didn't bother him too much, though. He was proud of his family name, even if others didn't understand it.

Kole Kane.

The boy didn't seem as amused as Riley with his name, but he didn't seem too bothered that she acting like an absolute child either. She could argue that she was a child however, only turning thirteen in a few months. Once Riley composed herself, she spoke again.
"You're name is cool," Riley mused, absent mindly running a hand through her curly hair, "Mines boring."

Riley could argue that her middle name was semi interesting, but other than that, she considered her name dull and boring. Although her father would insist Michaels is a powerful surname, since the Michaels family went way back. But Riley didn't think about this being as cool as he thought it was.

"So, Mr Double-K, you're sister's in Hufflepuff, right? Isn't that weird since your a Gryffindor?" Riley asked him curiously a after a moment of silence. She always thought how it worked was siblings would be in the same house. Unfortunately, Raph was pure muggle and hadn't gone to Hogwarts, and Kai was too small to come yet. She needed to wait to test her theory.

Kole chuckled, "Double-K, huh? That is a new one, I like it. As for Maddison, she's a Labrador puppy, so it may seem weird to some, but if you met her, you'd understand." Kole continued on, mentioning his family and their different Hogwarts houses. "Your family plays a significant role in shaping who you are as a person, but ultimately, it doesn't determine the house you'll be sorted into," he explained.

Kole and Matthew were similar in their protective nature, while Maddison was fiercely loyal and always eager to make new friends. Charlie, on the other hand, was the brightest of them all. If he had to guess where his younger sister James would end up, he would say Gryffindor, as she was a fearless little girl. "While siblings may often end up in the same house due to their similar upbringing and personalities, they are still free to carve out their own paths and make their own choices based on their experiences," Kole concluded.

Riley tilted her head slightly as she listened to Kole. Although fascinated by his statement on houses, family and choices or something...she wasn't convinced. As a matter of fact, she was only half listening and all that she could honestly understand by what he said were 'choices'. That was the only word embedded into her brain as he spoke and it kept repeating itself.
Choices.

"So...when my little sister comes here, she'll most likely become a Gryffindor?" Riley asked, trying to summarise what Kole had just said. "Well, if she comes here, anyway." Riley would be delighted for Kai to come to Hogwarts- but at the same time, Riley preffered her at home, although she missed her. Call her selfish, but Riley enjoyed being her father's favourite, as the only magical one, and she'd like to keep that title. Plus, Riley didn't think this place was safe for her little sister, Riley preffered Kai under Raphs protection rather than a school with a bunch of magical strangers.