To Rey, all the houses were exactly the same. At least in the beginning. She was too busy trying to take in her surroundings to be bothered with the house she was going to be sorted into. The flying candles, the kind woman in the headmistress seat, the promise of a delicious dinner. Just a week earlier she had been in the same orphanage she had grown up in, looking forward to just a quarter of bread, having to give the rest to the older children so they'd leave her alone.

"Rey."

Rey looked up when her name echoed in the Great Hall, the single word seemed to rattle everyone's curiosity, and as she moved Rey could hear the whispers all around her. And her last name? She shrugged them off, she had learned a long time ago that last names were mostly a burden. She didn't need one. The walk to the front was short, but frightening. Only then did she notice the solemn aura that surrounded this strange ritual of placing a talking hat on children's heads.

With every second, Rey became more conscious of the eyes on her. It took her a while to listen to the voice that seemed to ring inside her head.

"Smart one, aren't we?" Rey froze ─ even when she had seen flying candles, weird horses pulling carts, a talking hat, and tried jelly beans that tasted like birthday cake ─ the voice in her thoughts put her on edge.

"Brave too, but mostly… loyal. What are you loyal to, girl?"

Against her better instincts, Rey found herself thinking over the hat's question. To whom did she owe loyalty? To the man that had promised to come back for her and never did? To the nuns that had cared for her through her childhood?

"Myself," she said finally, her small hands clenched into fists.

"Clever, too clever even," the hat finished. Before Rey could ask what it meant the hat roared again, but this time the whole Hall could hear it. "Ravenclaw!"

It was hard to focus on her classes when everything around her was brand new and exciting. How was she supposed to learn spells when she was too busy noticing the way sparks flew out of her wand when she waved it? How was she supposed to focus on History of Magic when there was an actual phoenix flying outside the window? Perhaps the only two classes that could fully grasp her attention were Astronomy (it was something familiar to her, looking up at the stars) and Flying.

The moment the broom had flown into her hand she knew she was meant to hold it. Rey forced herself to listen to the teacher's instructions, but she outgrew them quickly, becoming the first in her class and earning her the respect of the quidditch team captain.

If only making friends came as easy as flying.

Every night, when she went to bed, she wondered if the Sorting Hat had made the right choice by placing her in Ravenclaw. Around her, most of her classmates dived into the textbooks and aced their tests. While she had to stay hours in the library, struggling to understand her homework, her housemates were enjoying the castle after finishing theirs.

She had always been smart, yes. When she was back in the muggle world she had always aced her math exams, and devoured book after book of mechanics. She loved cars, even built a small one herself with junk she found around the orphanage. But wizards didn't seem to value those kinds of knowledge, so she had to stop thinking about cars and science and start focusing on Herbology and Defense Against the Dark Arts.

During the Christmas Break, the castle emptied. Rey had her dorm for herself, with only a few first year Ravenclaws left in the tower and some others from the upper years. It was easier that way, she quickly learned their names and sat with them making small conversation in the Great Hall.

She wondered if those feeble friendships would survive the break, but for the moment she did not worry about it. Instead, she enjoyed it.

Two nights before Christmas, Rey broke the rules for the first time.

She took the few mechanical toys she had brought from the orphanage, her only possessions before coming to Hogwarts, and walked towards the lake. She sat by a tree and started to work on a spell to make them keep going without her having to touch them. The night fell on her and she didn't move. It was past midnight, and she wondered if the door would still be open for her when she decided to go back to her dorm.

"My dad used to have some of those," a voice spoke behind her, making Rey turn around abruptly to find a dark skinned boy staring at her toys.

"Your dad's a muggle?" Rey blurted, still forgetting that sometimes wizards didn't like to be reminded of their muggle ascendance.

"Was," he said simply. "He died."

"I'm sorry," Rey said after a while, looking back to her toys.

Without much ceremony the boy sat down next to her, grabbing her favorite. He moved the crank to watch the carousel move.

"I'm Finn, by the way."

"I'm Rey."

"I know who you are. You are the kid with no last name, the one that flies like a bird."

"That would be me," she said, amused by the fact that people outside her house knew who she was.

Finn placed the toy down, looking up at her. "So, what are you doing out here?"

"What are you doing out here?"

Finn beamed, as if he was waiting for that question. "I'm hiding from Professor Solo," he said proudly.

"Professor Solo? Why are you hiding from him? Did you steal his fire crabs or something?"

"I think he saw me sneaking out. I was going to steal something from the kitchens, but I had to take an exit and here I am."

"You are so getting detention."

"So are you, girl."

"Why me? No one saw me sneaking out, I'm not that stupid."

"No, but I could swear that is Professor Solo," he said pointing towards a figure that seemed to be running in their direction. Rey panicked. "And unless you come with me we are both getting caught."

Without waiting for her answer, Finn grabbed her hand and pulled her up, starting to run.

"Let go of me, Finn!" She squealed, trying to release her hand from his. But his grip proved to be too tight.

"Run, Rey!"

"I can run without you holding my ha- wait, stop!" Finn didn't listen to her, and even when Rey attempted to pull him backwards he managed to half drag her behind him. "Finn it's called the Forbidden Forest for a reason, it's forbidden! Let go off me! I'll stall Solo, you get yourself killed in the forest if you want to."

Rey yanked her hand, trying to have him let go of her. But before either of them could take one step inside the forest, a furry beast jumped forward, making the two children fall backwards. Rey tightened her hand around Finn's for once, unable to do anything else.

Panting, Professor Han Solo arrived to them, glaring at the students before walking to the growling beast, which quieted as soon as the professor stood next to it. "Well done, Chewie. Now get out of here while I handle these two."

What the hell is that?! Rey's mind tried to remember everything she had learned in Professor Solo's class, but she couldn't remember anything about giant dogs that looked like bears. Or maybe it was a bear that looked like a dog? Whatever it was the beast growled in response, turning around to return to the forest. That seemed to wake Finn from his daze.

"You can understand that thing?!"

"And he can understand you, so shut up." Rey took the opportunity to let go of Finn's hand, and the boy glared at her, betrayed.

Professor Solo sighed and rubbed his temples. His cinnamon hair was starting to grey, and his eyes always gave Rey the impression that he had seen far too many things in his life. He was one of her favorite professors. But she wouldn't say that to him, she was sure he'd have a witty comeback for that. "Fifteen points off Ravenclaw andGryffindor. I'll be damned, Finn. If we lose the house cup because of you, you will wish you had detention, I promise. Now move, we're escorting Miss Rey to her dorm so she stays out of trouble."

Christmas in the orphanage only meant they got double dessert. That had been all that Rey had known, she had never been to feast or gotten any presents. So when she woke up to the gifts the house elves had left her, she couldn't help but to tear up.

When she was done sorting her candy, she looked at a small box that had no name tag on it. Curious, she opened it to find her mechanical toys lined carefully. But after she counted them, she realized there were two new ones.

In the box Rey found the best Christmas present of them all, a note scrawled in messy handwriting that read:

Let me know if you ever want to get in trouble again.

Merry Christmas, friend!

-Finn