Oh, woe, how I've missed you.

The smell of hot spiced cider and freshly baked cookies assaulted the senses of Gracelyn Llewellyn as she wearily trudged from the welcoming feast back down to the Hufflepuff Basement. Her stomach was full to bursting and her eyes were drooping down to meet her lower lids and her body felt this overwhelming sense of fatigue that was induced by the reassurance that she was safe and home, the soporific nature of Hogwarts food and the knowledge that whether she liked it or not, the Full Moon was on its way back.

Bringing a hand up to rub at the back of her neck, Gracelyn stepped through the portrait and smiled as she looked around at her familiar surroundings; the all encompassing buttercup and coal common room that she had come to love very quickly during her early years of Hogwarts. It hadn’t changed much barring the feng shui that the House Elves enjoyed indulging in over the summer and after locating it, Grace slumped down into her favourite arm chair which was, for once, situated right beside the fire which was already crackling merrily in the hearth.

Grace exhaled a breath she hadn’t realised she’d been holding onto and sank further into the soft cushions of the Queen Anne arm chair. She let her head lollop against the wings and closed her eyes for a moment, gathering some semblance of what she felt was strength, before reopening them and casting them around the common room which was quickly filling with Hufflepuffs of all ages. Some of them had brought food with them, either from the Great Hall or from a kitchens-related detour and Grace had to laugh to herself as two second years spilled their spoils onto the coffee table before the fire.

Soon, she was sure, Charlie and Jackson would pick their way back to the common room through the flood of Slytherin students no doubt feeling jovially aggressive at the prospect of yet another new year. Grace could only hope and pray she’d done well enough in her O.W.Ls to merit her to take the classes she wanted; which, for a werewolf, was quite a light thing to be concerned about.

The newspapers in the magazine rack, however, didn’t make her heart feel light and airy. If anything, she was more confronted and concerned and had no idea what the new Headmaster would do to protect ‘her kind’. Werewolf attacks were on the up and the Ministry was calling for werewolves to be branded, tagged and kept tabs upon. Grace didn’t know if Charlie was already aware but had a bad feeling about what would happen when she did find out.

Because, after all, everyone would know, wouldn’t they? There would be no more deception. The Ministry wouldn’t exactly be subtle about it.

They’d all know: they’re werewolves - dangerous.

The feast had been delicious. One of the best that Jackson had ate in all his time at Hogwarts. For some reason those little house elves really did better and better themselves with each and every meal. 

It was exhilarating to be back at Hogwarts, especially for Jackson. Hogwarts was, to him, just as much as home as his home was. Hogwarts was the place that brought Jackson from the darkness and as much as he loved his time at Hogwarts the finish line was gradually drawing nearer. Two more years left of magical education then what? A job. Jackson didn't want to work for the ministry, nor work in a shop. He didn't have an interest in magical creatures either. Potions and Herbology was his forte. 

Brewing potions was refreshing to Jackson. It was relaxing and allowed him to tend to his thoughts whilst he diced dead caterpillars, sizzled bat spleens and inhaled the misty fumes that filled the dungeon.

Then there was Herbology. What Hufflepuff didn't love Herbology? Their common room was full of all different extracts of plants from different places around the globe - there was even talking cacti that danced on Christmas day! Herbology was somewhat homely. They were sheltered from the rain and wind but got the glorious sunshine flooding their study area during the summer. 

Jackson knew what he wanted to do when he graduated from Hogwarts. Become a professor at Hogwarts. Of course he would love to teach potions or Herbology but if needs be the Hufflepuff would be happy to teach charms or history of magic too! It was a shame that Professor Binns was so boring, the subject was terribly unpopular. Given the chance Jackson believes he could revolutionise the subject - not that Binns' methods weren't effective, after all he had been kept on to teach even after his death. 

As usual Jackson was blasted by the scent of freshly baked cookies as he descended down into the basement and walked the portrait-lined passage before arriving at a stack of round barrels hidden in a nook. 

Now was the test to see if he could identify the correct barrel and tap it in the correct rhythm of 'Helga Hufflepuff' without being doused in vinegar. 

Tapping the barrel the Hufflepuff grinned as the lid rotated allowing him entrance to his home. A place where he  had found the greatest of friendships. Hogwarts and Hufflepuff house in particular had taken him out of a dark place. The summer before he had started Hogwarts his Uncle had died in a car crash, which led to him and his Mother finding Jackson's auntie overdosed on the floor - she was now in St Mungo's with irreversible brain damage. Such a sad tale. Yet, coming to Hogwarts brought Jackson out of the light. Sailing across the Black Lake, first entering the Hufflepuff common room and exploring the castle were memories that would stay with Jackson forever.

Already the Hufflepuff common room was occupied by the usual happy-go-lucky characters and GRACE! Jackson had been grateful to find her so soon on the train but during the meal they'd gotten separated when entering the Great Hall and ended up dining nowhere near each other. 

'Grace! isn't it great to be back!' Jackson cried cheerfully as he collapsed onto the squishy besides her armchair around the fireplace. It was their favourite spot, a spot that most people tried to get. After all, what was better that curling up on a comfy seat in front of a warm fire after a hard days works? In Jackson's opinion: nothing! 

There was one thing that Grace knew she could count on and that was Jackson’s overwhelming positivity that was there for her when her optimism was non-existent and lacking where otherwise it shouldn’t been effortless and strong. Yet, Grace couldn’t find it. The warmth of the fire did nothing to coax out of her some happy thoughts and the fullness of her stomach had turned, making her feel ever so slightly nauseous. It wasn’t something that she could help, either. It wasn’t something she could control. It was a fact of life, she supposed, wryly. That didn’t mean she had to accept it though, did it? Rebellion was far too Gryffindor, she felt.

Raising a smile for Jackson, Grace sat forward in her chair a little. They’d claimed the spot by the fire when they were in their second or third year, Grace couldn’t really remember, and since then, the younger years had learnt that it was the spot where Grace and Jackson sat. Charlie and Nathan also had their own seats but were, blessedly, absent for the moment. Grace didn’t know if she could take Charlie’s arrogance - the assurance that everything would be fine and that Grace was just overreacting. Nathan’s cowed, anguished look would also do nothing for Grace’s countenance. Perhaps in the morning she could deal with both but now? No way.

“It’s fantastic!” Grace enthused; and she meant it, too. Hogwarts was more a home to her than her real home ever would be. It just wasn’t the same without her father and with the entrance of her step-father. Nothing would ever quite be the same again there. But even with the shuffle of the cast at Hogwarts, Grace couldn’t help but feel at home. Perhaps, then, the Headmaster when she entered her seventh year, would let her stay on after graduation and allow her to learn the teaching trade or, really, just be a help to the Professors. Grace was sure that she’d even clean out the greenhouses if it meant she could stay.

Nothing had changed ‘on the outside’; it was still nigh impossible for werewolves to get jobs. The idea of turning professional at Quidditch was farfetched and, well, impossible - but she could yet dream.

“Did you try any of the trifle?” She asked gently, her hand falling to her stomach which had swollen with the amount of food she’d ingested - substituting, she was sure, the lack of food she’d consumed during the summer. “I have a sweet tooth but for goodness sake... it’s like one of the House Elves slipped putting the sugar in and the whole bag went in instead of the required amount. There was plenty of sherry in there, too. Yum, yum.”

She smiled and let her hand fall back to the arm of her chair. Her gaze fell to the fire after a moment, relishing the way it heated her cheeks and made her hair look less abnormal against her pallor. It often felt as though her hair was actually made of fire. It was coarse and unpredictable yet soft and inviting at the same time. She didn’t particularly enjoy being her shade of flame ginger and the Slytherins never, ever let her forget about it.

“Do you think I should die my hair, Jack?” She asked offhandedly, while the thought was upon her. “Like...like blonde or brown or something? What do you think?”

Jackson returned a smile upon Grace stating how fantastic it was to be back at Hogwarts. Over the Summer Jackson had really forgotten how much he loved Hogwarts but the atmosphere tonight in the Great Hall and the common room right now reminded him. 

A bunch of first years had been led into the circular earthy room, all of which were wide eyed and friendly looking. They giggled as they ducked under ivy that was loosely draped from the ceiling. The Hufflepuff smiled, thinking back to when he first saw the common room. His feelings were exactly how the first years looked: ecstatic! 

Jackson couldnt help but laugh upon Grace's assumption of the house elves when making the trifle. He loved that about Grace, the little things she said that other probably thought insignificant, mundane, ordinary. No. To Jackson the slight quirks each and everyone of his friends had really made them unique and individual characters to be around. 

'No I'm not really a fan of trifle.' Jackson replied, the left side of his lip raised in slight disgust. 'But I did have the ice cream! The fudge was to die for seriously!!' He added, his eyes now as wide as the first years and his mouth open ever so slightly. Realising what he was doing Jackson let out a giggle as he gazed at his Ginger friend.

His Ginger friend who perhaps didn't want to remain that way? 'I wouldn't go for blonde!' He blurted out. 'I don't think it'd go with the freckles but brown would be cool. Oh! A light brown would go well actually!' He announced honestly, hoping not to offend. There was, to Jackson, nothing wrong with having freckles they were simply a feature. A feature that defined them. Jackson wished he had a couple, whenever he looked in the mirror he saw an ordinary, plain looking boy. It's surprising how people view themselves differently to others. 

'How come you are thinking of dying it?' He asked, kicked his shoes off and curling his legs up beneath him as he leant against the arm  towards his fellow Hufflepuff, the sound of the crackling fire and chattering students building a beautiful atmosphere for a cosy catch up.

((BTW He is scottish))
The night had been great he had eaten, then gone to the library and then back to the kitchens to talk to the house elves and to drink something.He was heading back to his common room and he noticed all this first years and he felt nostalgic.But then suddenly worry filled him from head to toe.What if he transformed and and turned them he walked right back to the potions classroom the only place a professor had let him put his punching bag.He became stressed with every minute he didn't pass practicing.With every punch a day of stress had gone away.He had to give the bag at least 95 punches to calm down.

When he did he had gotten back to the common room he was a bit sweaty but much calmer he saw Jackson and Grace talking and hoped that he could join in."Guid day,i've bin doon at th' potions classroom usin' mah punchin' poke. Ah hae bin kinda stressed lately surely is 'at thes year we hae NEWT classes"He of course had lied he was never stressed about school.He was stressed about what had happened during his "beautiful" summer.It actually was pretty fun but the last thing that had happened wasn't nice at all.

"Sae did a' fowk hae a fin summer?"He had wondered if at least their summer had been fun he would be happy for them if they had.He at lease could imagine that he actually had a good summer and he hoped they didn't ask why he had a small bandage around his hand that was surely not for boxing.

((Actually ask him))

It was all quite funny really, to think that once again Hogwarts was upon them. There was only so much privacy to be had in the Hufflepuff common room and with Jackson, Grace was determined to enjoy it for as long as it dared to last. He was terribly sweet and rather a calming influence on her.

There was no helping Charlie in that respect. Only Nate had that effect and even he struggled despite his better attempts at keeping her towing the appropriate line. At least Grace didn’t struggle with that.

But where Charlie’s testiness came into question, it was Grace’s uneven and delicate composition that always proved problematic. That was where Jack’s calming influence, in Grace’s opinion, became utterly priceless.

Grace’s smile widened at the thought of ice cream and knew immediately that she’d have to call upon the House Elves in the night for the fudge chocolate Jack depicted to her.

“Oh, I should hope not!” She giggled. “But you seem alive, Jack, so I suppose you must mean it was lovely!” She laughed again before adding. “We should have some more later. When everyone else is asleep. We could sneak down in our jammies and burst in on the House Elves and tell them we want their sweetest ice cream and lots of caramel sauce!”

Before she could reply to Jack, they were intruded upon, their little bubble bursting, by another sixth year who wasn’t exactly familiar to Grace. There was the belief that all Werewolves knew each other when in reality, they knew who wasn’t a part of their pack and William was it - immediately setting Grace’s teeth on edge.

After he finished speaking, Grace stared befuddled, wondering how the Scottish accent could sound so muddled to her ears when Baldric spoke in a hard brogue much as his father did.

“I’m sorry, William.” Grace shook her head, her own lilting Welsh accent adding a twang of its own to her words. “But I have no idea what you just said. I’m sorry.”

Jackson laughed at Grace's reply to his rather bold statement about the ice cream. 'I'd battle a mountain troll for it again! Or we could just sneak into the kitchens after lights out like you said.' The Hufflepuff replied rather happily. Simply having a conversation about what they could get up to was exciting enough to give Jackson a heart attack let alone battle a mountain troll. He'd missed Hogwarts and his friends and it felt simply wonderful to be back, as though they hadn't had a summer holiday at all.

Before Grace could reply about the hair they were joined by William, a sixth year boy in Jackson's dorm. The pair were friends, naturally, and although Willy wasn't part of the huge group that they had going Jackson always found the time to be there for his friend.

However last year things had changed. Jackson wasn't sure if it was admiration for William or actual physical attraction, it was something he was still trying to figure out in his head. At night he had lay in the bed besides William wanting to cuddle him, give him a kiss - or so he thought he did, Jackson was still trying to figure that out.

That was Jackson's secret, something he had never voiced to anyone. He felt in a complete pickle at times, on one hand he desired a wife and children, to start a family! Yet on the other side he had this sudden feeling towards William. Fortunately he wouldn't ever have to deal with it with the new marriage law, he'd get his dream and nobody would be non the wiser. Or she he thought. What if he was partnered with a woman who shared no values he did? Then he would much rather announce his confusion to a close friend. Or would he? What if William reacted in a negative way, or he lost his friends?

Jackson was glad that Grace had asked what he'd said. It had been an entire summer and being away from William's heavy Scottish accent had made Jackson somewhat bamboozled by it now, it was as though William was speaking in a foreign Tongue.

((Hey nobody knows that he is a werewolf just Jackson but he doesn't know yet, just so you know because you mentioned that he wasn't a part of the pack.))

"Ah speart if yer summer hud bin fin."He knew it would be hard to get back to his softer accent after having spend weeks with his Uncle and scottish friends.He knew he was the weird one for talking like this he knew that since he had moved to London.He knew he had an accent but he didn't notice."Sorry puckle weeks wi' mah uncle makes mah accent thee times waur."
(Translation:1.I asked if you had a fun summer.2.Sorry a few weeks with my uncle make my accent three times worse.)

He hoped that they didn't ask about his hand but he knew it was coming.This bandage was white and the bandages he used for boxing were dyed blue so the difference was obvious.He had to think of what he would say.He was camping and fell off a tree and he got cut with something on the way down.He wasn't sure what it could be he would say he didn't know with what he had cut himself with.He would later tell Jackson the real story since he actually thought of him a the advice guy because he was positive.Then he would tell Nathan or Grace who also were werewolves.

(I guess, in my head canon, werewolves can tell each other by sniffing them. Yes, it’s weird, I know. Haha! But no worries. I’ll play it off. Should’ve mentioned it. Oops, sorry!)

It wasn’t that Grace wasn’t exactly fond of other Werewolves; it was just a pack thing. It was something they could all sense. She knew about Olivia off the bat and could tell something had changed in Charlie in their second year. Nathan was a no-brainer on that front and many of the other skulking, lurking wolves, lamenting their lycanthropy were equally as easy to pick out. It was all in the smell, the clinging odour of wet dog and the forest.

Of course, as well, it was the way blood smelt, hot and thrumming under her nose but tinged with something sickly and unappealing. It seemed as though even for Werewolves, cannibalism was abhorred. No, their blood wasn’t like human blood - not at all attractive in that sense. Not the slightest bit sweet and it didn’t hold the promise of a good meal or the satisfaction in knowing that the person was healthy and very much alive. But of course, that was the dog in all of them and Grace hated it in her.

It was also the shuffle in her shoulders, the way she felt knowing that someone else was there, rubbing up against her things and on her territory in an almost feline-like manner. The knowledge that something or someone else was there that shouldn’t have been.

However, it wasn’t necessarily William. It could’ve been anyone. Like all internal radars, it can always be a bit off.

Smiling, Grace nodded, understanding William a little bit better but only marginally. Scotland was a little bit too far north for the Caerphilly girl. However, having been at the school for six years, she did mentally concede that she should’ve understood a bit better.

“Yes!” She enthused. “It was fantastic.” She nodded after a moment. “I get like that when I’m home.” She agreed. This summer, however, her accent hadn’t changed at all - not even a light. It was whimsical, easy Welsh - a twang that rolled off of her lips and into the body of her words. It didn’t show any signs of her having been home for any period of time.

“Did you enjoy the feast, Will?” She inquired after a moment.

"Aye, ah actually liked it a lot.when ah hud finished eating ah git stoogied(bored) 'n' gaed(went) tae read something 'n' then ah gaed(went) tae set up mah boxing equipment at th' dungeon neist(next) tae th' potion's class."He explained his journey that actually wasn't needed.He was actually nervous not bored and he was reading about werewolves but he of course wouldn't give all the details.

He had not have as much luck as Grace.His summer was pretty good but the attack had cancelled it all out.He was nervous for the rest of the summer.He was keeping a secret from the one person who he had never lied to.His mother, how would she react if she knew he was a werewolf.

(Sorry it's so short)