The Gryffin is Makin' Magic.

Astrid had seen a bunch of people sat gathered around the fire. She would have sat around there, the light would have been really helpful with the work she was wanting to do, but the number of people would have put her on edge.

Instead, she set up camp around the table holding books, and sort of quietly threw them on the floor out of her way. There were things in her hands a little more profound and important than books.

She was making magic.
Without magic.

Emily had been sitting by the fire when she ntoiced one of her fellow first years whom she hadn't met. Sh wondered what she was doing and as always emily's curiosity got the beter of her and she walke over to spoeak tot he girl, mainly to get to know her.

"hello" sh said to her. "i'm emily do you mind if I join you?" she asked her.

Astrid set her things beside her and folded her arms on the table.
"Hello, Emily," she said with her droll plain voice that showed no personality no matter how much she tried.
"Of course, you can join me. It's a free country, is it not?"

The thing with Astrid was that it was hard. It was hard to speak to people without expecting them to answer back and question her. That had been the life at home, and if she had been confident enough to answer back with the comebacks in her head things would have been a lot easier. But they weren't.

But this girl, just like the one in the Ice-Cream Parlour, had sought her out and said something to her.
Like a friend would.

Slowly bringing her chin up and having eye contact with the girl for the first time, she said, "hello Emily."

Then she smiled.

Emily smiled at the girl, "yes I do believe it is!"

Emily watched the girl she didn't seem rude just quite and a little shy. mily though she must be nervous around people or something. Emily had seen her around she teneded to keep herself to herself. She seemend to like it that way. Emily noticed she didn't introduce herself but she didn't want to make the girl uncomfortable.

She smiled again "emm if you don't mind me asking what are you doing?" Emily was curious but the girl seemend to be up to something. Seh wasn't sure if it was her imagination or what? She didn't want to offend the girl with her curiosity but her curiosity was one thing she defiently couldn't ignore.

"I'm taking apart the components of a simple wind up mouse," she said meekly, pulling her hands away and lowering the cogs onto the table gently so not to cause a loud clatter and so Emily could see a litle clearly.

It had always been in Astrid's mind that the best thing she could ever do was interest someone in mechanics. Muggles really had a way working around things.
"You just wind the small metal loop around in a circular motion and it makes the mouse move like a real mouse almost. I'd show you but i've sort of taken it apart right now." she said, taking a deep breath and feeling a sneeze coming on. She felt her sleeves for a tissue.

Emily was a little surprised at the girls answer. She wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting but it defiantly wasn’t that. Taking apart a clock work mouse? She wondered if the girl was a muggleborn but she didn’t care so she wasn’t going to ask.

“emm again if you don’t mind me asking” she began she didn’t want to offend the girl or anything, or come across as nosey. “But why?” she was a little confused. It occurred to her that she really would have to learn to control her curiosity.

But why?
That struck Astrid as a very odd question. And, yes, in some sort of way she was expecting that. At home, if it wasn't something about supremacy (not neccessarily blood supremacy, but you're on the right lines) then she was frowned upon. Sometimes her parents surprised her, was all she could say on the matter.

"I like taking things apart and seeing how they work," she said simply. So I can fix them or make them better.

"Do you like that?" she said, somewhat lamely, finding the screwdriver and lowering her eyes to meet the metal animal incase she said anything else.

She nodded at the girls answer. It still seemened a little odd to her but she wasn't going to question the girl further.

"i've never really tried it" she said in answer to the girls question. She didn't really want to, but she knew the girl was quite shy and quiet. So she decided not to comment, she didn't want to seem rude to her or anything.

"so how do you like hogwarts so far?" she asked her.