Slytherin Table<br/><br/>Lucian Goyle<br/><br/>Lucian nodded in affirmation, conceding the point to Nia.<strong>"Yes, yes.  I imagine that she would be quite hurt."</strong>He took a couple of bites as Nia addressed Sam before speaking up again.<strong>"I don't imagine his qualifications will be an issue, personally.  He is taking over for Headmistress McGonagall, and I imagine she would be very thorough when verifying his worth as a wizard and professor.  We've yet to see what manner of House Head he will be, but I trust he is perfectly capable of teaching the course."</strong><br/><br/>Lucian hadn't seen the birds, but he did see Xavril reach for his wand following Lucian's comment.<em>Truly?</em>he thought at the time,<em>Does he actually wish to challenge me amidst the feast?  Quite uncouth, but impressively bold.</em>Lucian had stood and was drawing forth his own wand when Xavril's spell hit.  As the birds burst into confetti, Lucian burst into booming laughs, watching with delight as the birds became a cloud of red, white and pink confetti and fell to the ground in small clumps.<strong>"Ha!  For a moment I had thought us on about to commence a duel, though I can not say I am disappointed.  Where did the birds come from?"</strong><br/><br/>He seemed taken aback by the rather sudden appearance of Charlize, arriving in full lecture mode, something he'd never seen.  Lucian directed his gaze toward her and spoke cooly.<strong>"I would not think overly much of Xavril's little display.  He merely had something to prove."</strong>He paused for dramatic effect, but Nia beat him to what could have been a rather nice rebuke, so he instead settled for an irritated huff and a dismissal of the visiting Gryffindor.<br/><br/>He remained quiet for a few moments afterward as Vidya mentioned her shortcuts and rule-breaking plans.<strong>"I am curious as to what you have uncovered in your excursions, though some of your shortcuts may be no longer available since the renovations.  Have you uncovered any secret chambers?"</strong><br/><br/>Sam Vaisey<br/><br/>Unlike Lucian, Sam had noticed the birds fairly quickly, his awareness having been honed by years of dodging bludgers, something he was among the best at.  He leaned back and watched in minor amazement, such displays being well outside his skill.  He made a mental note to rile Lucian up about that later.  It wasn't often, after all, that someone got everyone's attention with an impressive magical display and it wasn't Lucian.<br/><br/>He maintained a smile for Nia.  "Hey, glad to help out.  As for my summer, nothing special.  Spent some time working on Quidditch, making sure I was ready to be Team Captain this year.  So lucky you, we have access to the same restricted bathroom."  He figured he looked pretty good to her right now, and he shot Vidya a smirk, knowing she had a pretty serious crush on Nia.  She surprised him by throwing a wager at him on finding out his previous profession.<em>Looks like I'll have to send Mum a post</em>he thought.  "All right, then, what's the wager?  Homework?  A snog?"