You'll Fit Right In [Annika]

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He wasn’t afraid to admit it, he was a Ravenclaw after all so would anyone really be surprised at his admission that he was ecstatic that school was back in? It was only the second day back and he was so glad to be around his friends again and be back in the castle and just be back where he felt like he had more freedom. Not that his mum or Phil were super strict or anything he just felt freer while in the castle. Which was funny because he could definitely admit that the professors were much stricter than his parents had ever been. He was back in the castle for his fourth year at Hogwarts though and he couldn’t be happier. With the new year brought new students, including the introduction of the Ilvermorny students. They’d gotten a bunch of new students into Ravenclaw house with their sorting. Everyone looked so interesting. With the new students, the headmistress and all of the other professors had endorsed a sort of buddy system. They had encouraged the returning Hogwarts students to pair up with a new Ilvermorny student to show them around in a sense. Make them feel more welcome. If anyone could do that, Ryo could. They were paired up and then they were expected to take it from their. He hadn’t met his person yet but he fully intended on doing that today. Now it would have probably been much better if he’d decided to meet with his person earlier in the day to help show them to classes and things like that but he’d thought maybe it would be better they got a small feel for themselves. At the moment, he was sitting in the common room waiting for her to either come back from a class or come down from the dorm. He didn’t even know what she looked like. He just knew that her name was Annika. Shouldn’t be too hard right?

Tag; @annika

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Annika had always loved school, it didn't matter if it was the Magical or Non-Mag kind either. The young red haired girl just loved learning whatever she possibly could. She had loved Ilvermorny, it had been practically her second home and each year she had counted down the days until she'd return - as much as she loved her parents - she adored them immensly! But she did dearly love her school. For three whole years she had thrived at Ilvermorny.

And now, her fourth year was gong to be a lot different. Not only had most of her break been spent moving to London and then getting school things, not to mention a new wand - and okay her new wand might be a little better than her old one, but still it had been a hassle to get it. But now she was going to a different school, in a different country even. All things considered, she was slowly adjusting but she really did feel a little lost. Her first day had been well.. it had been interesting and rather overwhelming for the. redhaired girl. While she had found she did enjoy her classes - finding them had been well.. a little difficult in some places. For the first time since she was a little first year, Annika found herself hurrying up to her dorm and collapsing on her bed in relief that she had a moment to relax and not focus on learning or anything else. She hated not knowing things - and right now she was overwhelmed with all the new things she had to know - she was trying to even remember each of her Professors names and what she had to call them. She had been so relieved when she had learnt that at least a few Professors were going to be familiar this year. Even if she didn't have their classes, at least she knew some of her Professors.

She had been relieved to learn that she'd be assigned a buddy to help her out, some boy named Ryoma was to be her Buddy and help her settle in and find her way around. But she had no idea who he was other than his name and that he would be a Ravenclaw like she was, the fact that the boy would be in her own house  - that was a comfort. She just hoped he was nice, but so far she hadn't met him and it made her a little worried - was he not happy to be a Buddy even? The thought made her a little uncomfortable as she made her way back to the Common Room after managing to calm herself down a little. 

@ryoma

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It took a little while. Even though he'd made the original assumption that the person was a girl he was supposed to meet with, he still asked everyone and anyone who walked by them if they were 'Annika'. Really, depending on the pronunciation of the name it could be the name of any gender. He didn't want to stay with the assumption though. Each time he asked, he got a no or a weird look that said they wanted to be left alone. Probably on some mission for the pursuit of knowledge. Being a Ravenclaw could be exhausting sometimes. Soon he was sitting on the couch again with his arms on his legs and he let out a deep breath. This was going to get tiring if he kept asking and getting a no. It wasn't as if he'd exactly set up a meeting time for the person to meet them. That was his fault. He needed to come up with a better way to figure out who she was. One that didn't require him to go up to the each dorm and yell out the name. As he attempted to think up a better plan, he heard the sound of footsteps entering the common area. Looking up, he noticed a small red-head walking into, and seemingly through, the area. She didn't seem to be paying any particular attention to him, which was okay, but he decided to ask her anyway if she was who he was waiting for. Even if it had proven useless so far, what was the worse that could happen? "You wouldn't happen to be Annika, would you?" his face was scrunched up a bit because he didn't really have any hope of her saying yes. Having so many people say no already, there weren't really any good chances that this girl would be Annika.

Tag; @annika

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Annika felt a swift relief as she made her way into the common room, even though she was still new - she found a comfort in the room. A comfort that she usually would feel when she had a book she loved to read or heard a song that brought some happy memory to her - it was far from the comfort of home though, but for now it was close enough to bright a faint smile to the red haired girls face. Her cousins hadn't been all that helpful in helping Annika to adjust, while sure they were doing the same thing - they seemed to already be far more comfortable here than Annika was, she still didn't feel too at home here, not like she did back in the states. At least she had Pippa though, sweet little fluffy Pippa - she wondered where her little kitten had wondered off too. At least her parents had given the cat a collar with Annika's name on it, just in case she wondered off and was found by someone.

As she was about to look around the Common room she heard a question, someone asking if she was Annika. With a confused look she gave a small nod, "Yes. That's me - Annika Mercer." she spoke carefully, looking back at the boy who asked her, "Is something that matter? It wasn't Pippa was it?" Blue eyes widened at the idea - had Pippa caused some trouble?

@ryoma

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One word was all it took for Ryoma's entire disposition to change. Yes! She was Annika Mercer. Wow his luck was already starting the year off right. He hoped up as she was speaking and was rendered momentarily distracted by the words she spoke. "Pippa? Wait who's Pippa?" he pondered out loud, not quite directing the question at her but she'd said it so maybe she would answer it? That wasn't important though. He walked closer to her and noticed then exactly how much smaller than him she was and he found himself grinning. He could be like a big brother to her too! He pushed his hand out in and shake but thought that would probably be a bit weird, pulling it back. Then he rethought it and stuck it out again for her to shake. "I know nothing of a Pippa but Hi. I'm Ryoma. I'm supposed to be your buddy for your beginning Hogwarts experience!" he was rather cheerful when he spoke, still riding off of the high of his luck. It was just rather amazing to him that the last person after he decided to give up would be the person he was looking for. "I'm all ready to show you around Hogwarts or answer any questions that you have or anything. I've gotten to explore the castle pre-tty well if you ask me so I know all about it now. Oh, and welcome to Ravenclaw House!" Of course he had been at the Sorting Ceremony but he hadn't paid any particular attention to the students who were sorted into Ravenclaw. Way to busy laughing with his friends and waving over at his twin brother from across their tables. He had cheered and applauded when a student was announced to be in his house, as well as his brother's house, for their good fortune. He really did love being a Ravenclaw.

Tag; @annika

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Annika was still a little concerned, but she gladly spoke - informing him of who Pippa was, "Pippa's my kitten, she seems to land herself in trouble sometimes." there was  a hint of a smile on her face as she spoke of the fluffy little trouble maker, curiously peering at the taller boy who seemed to have wanted to talk to her, she couldn't recall his name or even why he'd want to talk to her. But yet again she she found herself almost pouting as she saw how much taller than her he was, it seemed everyone in her year was taller than her -or at least those she had met already. Twice today she had been mistaken for a second year even!

"Oh, it's nice to meet you Ryoma." Her face brightened when she learned that he was to be her Buddy. Finally! Finally she found her buddy! "I was a little worried I wouldn't meet you actually." She smiled happier now that she knew why he had been looking and asking for her, "Thank you, I'm so glad to have met you now - I found the library myself, but - maybe you could help me learn where all my classes are sometime - and anything else you think is interesting." Blue eyes lit up as she thought about the castle. She had been facinated with the castle - one reason she had managed to get herself lost earlier in the day.

@ryoma

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Annika gave an explanation about who Pippa was, her kitten apparently, and everything made a lot more sense. It was a little bit funny too because that made him think that the kitten was much more of a trouble maker than she as letting on, which was perfectly okay with him. Question answered, curiosity sated. At the mention of him being her buddy, however, her face lit up with a mixture of excitement and relief and he grinned at the fact that she recognized what that meant. He actually didn't know if Hogwarts had forced the Ilvermorny students into having buddies or not but she didn't seem bothered or annoyed that he was approaching her with this. Things were looking good. Until she mentioned her initial worry of thinking she wouldn't see him. "Yeah sorry about that. That was entirely my doing. I didn't want to crowd you on your first day so I thought I'd let you try and find some things on your own if you wanted," he replied with an apologetic chuckle. She then commented about having found the library by herself and he laughed at that. The Sorting Hat had matched her perfectly, most Ravenclaws found the library without help. The pursuit of knowledge and all of that. The common room had plenty of books stacked around it but it was never enough. Always the library. "I would definitely be happy to, pretty lady. Did you want to do that now?" he began asking her, "We don't have to do everything today, especially if you have other classes to get to. I can show you where your next classes are or really whatever you're wondering about." He smiled happily, naturally flattering, as he spoke without even meaning to be. It was something he did often and he didn't even realize he was doing it. Complimenting people came easy to him though. She was pretty, plain and simple.

Tag; @annika

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Annika adored talking about her kitten, Pippa had been a gift from her parents - something she had wanted for ages, but Pippa had been given to her as a friend to bring to England with her. A companion to help her settle in, a bit of comfort for her as she settled in and adjusted to Hogwarts. Sure she had her cousins around - but it wasn't the same and none of them had landed in Ravenclaw along with her, so far she hadn't seen any of them since the sorting happened. So Pippa was her only real friend - the only familiar face the redhaired girl had at Hogwarts. So she fondly spoke of the furry little trouble maker - learning that Ryoma was her Buddy though was indeed something of a relief. More so as she took note that the boy was actually friendly, she had been a little worried -  concerned really about if her Buddy that she was paired with might not like her.

As he spoke of trying to give her space, a chance to learn and experience things for herself at first she couldn't help but smile, "That was sweet, thank you for thinking of that - but I'm glad I know who you are now at least." she spoke calmly, a small smile still on her face, "That would be great, I don't have anything else planned or any more classes to attend for the day, so I'm free for now." she gave a small giggle, shaking her head as he called her pretty. Ryoma was nice, if a little bit of a flatterer perhaps, but she didn't mind - she was glad to have a Buddy who was nice and welcoming.

@ryoma

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The redhaired girl smiled and called his efforts sweet, which made him feel much better about it. It had been a good idea at the time but he didn't think about the fact that maybe everyone wasn't like him and didn't want to explore everything on their own at first. Maybe they needed a map. She wasn't upset though so he definitely felt better about his choice. With the both of them being done for the day, not having any classes to attend and, maybe just because it was only the second day, no club meetings to attend, he would be able to show her anything she wanted to see. He clasped his hands together, a slightly mischievous smile on his face. "Perfect then. Let's get started shall we. Anything in particular you wanted to see first," he asked her as he walked over to the common room door and pushed it open, holding it so she could exit. "Oh and if you haven't learned by now, make sure you have everything with you because it might not be so easy getting back into the common room. That knocker comes up with some tough ones around this time of the day so we could be waiting to get back in," he laughed, speaking of the eagle knocker for the Ravenclaw common room. It was one of the reasons he hated forgetting things. There had been more times than he could count where he'd had to go to class without all of his supplies because he'd forgotten it, turned back to go to the common room and then had been stuck outside because he couldn't solve the riddle on his own. Holding the door open, he patted himself to make sure he at least had his wand. Tucked safely in his pocket, good. He was ready to go. "All ready?"

Tag; @annika

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It had been a little overwhelming, at least at first - and Annika had ended up wishing several times that she had someone to help her along instead of exploring and learning on her own. But now it was done with and thinking back, she did like the idea that she had managed well on her own - plus now she did have help if she wanted it. And she could gladly say she had started on her own, so that was certainly a plus for her to be content with. The fact that both of them were now free was also a plus, it gave them time to not only see how they got on together, but also for her to start to learn where more things were and see things that she had missed on her adventure on her own. "I'm not really sure, is there anything you want to show me that you think would be interesting?" she grabbed her small bag, patting it lightly as she moved to follow after him, grinning briefly as he held it open. "Not to worry, I kind of well - I usually make sure I have everything - sometimes more than I need actually." Annika's lips pressed together briefly as she admitted this - she was at times a little over prepared if she was honest with herself.

"Thats cool though! It's like a challenge, do you know if the other houses have things like that? Or is it just Ravenclaw?" The young red head was a curious little thing, her eyes lit up as she thought about it - wondering what the differences were between the entrances to each Common Room were. "I'm ready when you are Buddy!" she happily spoke, turning back to face Ryoma.

@ryoma

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She asked him about anything interesting he could show her and that got him really thinking. It was Hogwarts, there were plenty of things he could show her about the castle that was interesting. They could be walking around until midnight looking at the 'landmarks', classrooms, hidden passageways, and portraits that Hogwarts had. He was organizing his thoughts and attempting to come up with some form of a plan as she walked out of the portrait in front of him. He let it slide closed behind them, the eagle shaped knocker staring back at him menacingly, almost teasing him and convincing him that he'd left something in the dormitory that he needed. Maybe it would be best to try and make it back around the time that other students were coming back as well so they would have the extra help with solving the riddle. Resolving himself to that plan and getting over the anxiety, he focused on Annika just as she asked about the other houses and their common room entrances. He chose to begin walking away from their entrance before he answered her. "Well all of the other common room entrances are hidden for the most part but if you make enough friends in each house you'll pretty much know the genera area of where to find them. My brother is in Hufflepuff so I know for certain where the entrance is. Still don't know how to get in though," the last part he mumbled to himself, even though he couldn't blame Riku for not telling him how to get in. Those were the rules. "I think Gryffindor and Slytherin are password protected though if what I've been told is the truth." He shrugged and laughed though because he couldn't say for certain. He hadn't tried before, nor would he try to get into a common room that wasn't his. Didn't want to chance getting in trouble and having house points taken away. "How about starting with something practical? I can show you where your classes for tomorrow will be?"

Tag; @annika

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Annika had heard a lot about Hogwarts, even more so since she found out that she'd be transfering to Hogwarts for at least this year. She had like she did with many new things, dove head first into books to find out as much as she could - in doing so she found out many things, both good things and bad things that had happened inside Hogwarts walls. But along with that, she had discovered there were plenty of interesting things that the walls of Hogwarts held, secrets and mysteries - things that made the newly sorted Ravenclaw's mind tick with possibilities. Things that no one had answers to, or things that had been kept hush - were things she wanted to find out more about - perhaps it'd be something she could work on throughout the year.

Her head tilted when she heard Ryoma speaking again, nodding slightly, "I understand, I suppose each house has their own Common room kept a little bit secret in some way or another." she paused before quickly adding, "You have a brother?" she was a little curious about her Buddy - if they'd be spending time together it was probably a good idea to know a little more about him. She gave her own little shrug before brightening again at the mention of her classes, "That sounds like a perfect idea - I really don't want to risk being late to my classes or getting lost trying to get there."

@ryoma

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Ryoma felt his grin root itself in place when redhead questioned him about his brother. "Yup. He’s the best! You’ll know him when you see him because he’s super hard to miss." it was the only thing he would offer up about his twin brother. He liked it when people found out on their own that he had a twin brother. Plus, the more people who hung around him started learning the subtle differences between the two of them and that would make it harder for them to switch places without someone pointing it out too easily. Because he was supposed to be school buddy, he knew that they would be spending a lot more time around each other. She seemed pretty nice anyway; he could see them being friends. She then agreed to him showing her to the classrooms where her other classes would be. With another grin, and after getting her schedule from her, he began walking towards the area where the first classroom could be located. Luckily, they weren’t in any rush so they could still walk and talk. He wanted to know more about her considering she was from the U.S. He’s never actually been there himself but Phil had and the stories he told made him want to go. "So are your parents staying here with you or did they go back to the U.S? Do you have any siblings? What were the common rooms like at Ilvermorny?," he asked her back to back questions out of curiosity. He didn’t think the questions were too hard or required too much thought so he didn’t feel too bad asking them all so close together. He could always think up more.

Tag; @annika