Phoenix's P.O.V.
Nikki hopped off the Express, eager to start her fifth year at Hogwarts. Naomi dragged her feat as she stepped out, not so eager to see what kind of trouble Nikki would end up in this year. How the two of them were friends, I'll never know. Nikki's always been a trouble maker. It's not that she searches for it, more so that she has a habit of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Places Naomi knows they shouldn't be. I'm sure Nikki knows it, too, but she's not as worried about getting caught. She knows how to get herself out of tight situations. Not the same way I would, but she can do it. It's no wonder she made it into Gryffindor with her courage and chivalry.
Naomi on the other hand… well, I hope that when I say she's in Hufflepuff you'll know what I mean. She's quite hard-working, and she plays by the rules, although that can't always be considered a strong point of hers. She knows what she's getting into when she starts something, I'll give her that. Sometimes, that's what holds her back though.
Nikki's strawberry-blond hair flew behind her as she skipped around. Naomi leaned against the wall of a building and watched, chuckling a little. A few strands of her light brown hair fell into her eyes. I couldn't help but do so myself. Nikki is one of those people who can lift your spirit just by seeing her, or do just the opposite the same way. She stopped doing her little dance around Hogsmeade Station for a moment. It was very unlike myself to be curious as to what she might be looking at. "Phoenix!!" she screamed before she started sprinting towards me.
Oh, no, I thought. If she's this hyper already, this is going to be a long, long day.
Arms were wrapped around me before I could even think about running away. Nikki's a good friend, but sometimes, she's just got to relax.
"It's so good to see you! How come you weren't on the train?" Nikki asked, as Naomi glided up behind her.
"Hey Phoenix," Naomi smiled.
"Hey Naomi."
"Uh… hello? Question here," Nikki told us.
"Sorry Nikks," I said, "What was it?"
"How come you weren't on the train?" It was only the second time she asked, so I'm not entirely sure why her voice showed a hint of annoyance.
"Because I didn't want to see your ugly face," I laughed. Generally, Nikki would have been fine if I had said that, however she was a bit more hyper than usual, which tends to make her somewhat more sensitive. "I was kidding, Nikks," I told her when the hurt look on her face appeared.
"I know. You're a Ravenclaw. You should be smart enough to realize that if you meant it, you'd be doubled over in pain right about now."
"I'd insult you now, but you wouldn't be smart enough to notice," I came back.
Naomi shook her head. "Always the witty one…."
"Always the Ravenclaw," Nikki corrected.
The train continued to empty of its passengers. First year students stepped out and seemed to be in awe from the beautiful simplicity of Hogsmeade. Robes colored green, scarlet, yellow, and blue poured out and separated into their little cliques.
Although the Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Gryffindor houses mixed, there was only one large group of Slytherins huddled together. Most ears were fixed on a single voice, other than a few side conversations that broke off from the one-sided conversation led by the voice. It was a voice I knew well, because up until I became friends with Nikki, the two of us were almost inseparable.
Bridget Briggins was the Queen Bee in the Slytherin dormitories. Not much could get in her way. Back when we still spoke nice words to one another, I always told her she was quite obnoxious, but I never would have thought she'd turn into this. She's got confidence.
I was unaware of their topic of discussion, but it wasn't a time in which I had a reason to care.
Bridget caught my stare. She stepped off her make-shift pedestal and took her first stride toward me. Our eyes remained locked until she reached Nikki, Naomi and me, when she broke the stare to do a quick scan of my body, as if she was searching for something to insult.
"Well, well, well," Bridget shook her head from side to side on each syllable. "Kirsten Phoenix."
My eyes remained watching her, not to show weakness. "Bridget."
"I see you've had sense enough to bring your own robes this time." The year before, I had forgotten mine. I borrowed some of Nikki's until I'd had my own again, which was only a few hours. The only thing Bridget saw wrong with It was the scarlet and gold colors on it.
"And I see you've had sense enough to wear clothing at all." Bridget was a slut. Self-proclaimed. She was awfully proud of all the boys she could get in bed. By her own choice however, she hasn't once slept with a Gryffindor.
"There's that American sense of humor I haven't missed a bit," she said with a fake-smile on her face. I grew up in a small town in the Philly suburbs. Being so close to the city, though, you learn to think of comebacks pretty fast.
"And there's that oh-so brilliant remark you have a habit of repeating six thousand bloody times a day," I replied with a fake British accent. "Now, find another bloody wanker and go shag him." Bridget scoffed before waving off the approaching group of worker-bees. She turned in the opposite direction and marched away herself.
Naomi, Nikki, and I all pivoted on our feet and headed towards Honeydukes. All passages from Hogsmeade to the school have been open to students between the time the trains arrive and depart again. During the winter holidays, passwords are provided to students who wish to visit Hogsmeade, however the statues, paintings, etcetera, also know who may and may not pass through.
When we reached the shop, Naomi led us down to the cellar. She recited the password: Babbity Rabity, and Nikki and I followed her through the passage. The three of us crawled out from beneath the one-eyed statue at the stairs of the Defense Against the Dark Arts chambers.
When we reached the Great Hall, the three of us went our separate ways. I took a seat at the Ravenclaw table next to Ariana Jenkins. "Hey," I said.
"Phoenix! It's good to see you."
"Yeah, you too."
I have to say, after your own sorting ceremony, the rest are all boring. The new kids are always amazed by the ceiling. They'll point to a certain point that they think looks cool, but in reality there's no difference from the rest. It's just the sky. When a first year sits down at our table, they always feel the need to make some smart-ass remark about the floating candles or the enchanted ceiling to show off their wit. Being that they're only eleven, generally, wit isn't exactly something they had time to work on their whole life, so they rely on sarcasm. Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit.
If I said I didn't enjoy the first dinner back at Hogwarts, however, I'd be lying. It's nice to see my friends again. Ariana is my closest Ravenclaw friend, but she's not as important to me as Nikki and Naomi are.
Getting the first years into the common room is the most difficult part of the night, but it's often very funny, as well. To get into our common room, you have to solve the riddle given by the eagle knocker on the door. When you get it wrong, you have to wait for someone else to come along and get it right.
As a trick the guys came up with so many years ago, we let the first years keep guessing until either someone finally gets it right or a Professor, prefect, or the Grey Lady comes along to scold us.
"An
orb I may be,
not solid, nor liquid, nor gas,
perhaps a mixture
of all, but don't be sure.
I give you your light; I give you
your life.
Warmth, heat, light, and vitamins are my gifts to
you.
Half of your life you shall not see me;
The other half you
dare not look."
This was the eagles riddle today. You learn the secrets to solving these riddles after a while, although generally, to get into Ravenclaw, you should know already. Somehow, though, the first-years always take a little bit longer to get inside. I was amazed when the third guess was correct. While one kid answered with quite an inappropriate response, and the second seemed to stutter trying to decide what you would call a ball of plasma, a third young blonde girl shouted out the answer from the back.
"The sun!" The door opened for them.
Ravenclaws poured into the common room. As if the ceiling of the Great Hall had not amazed them enough, everyone was in awe of the room. The dome shaped ceiling was painted with stars. Blue tie-back curtains hung around each window and formed a puddle on the floor. There was a view of the mountains outside, which when the lighting was correct, appeared to match the room in its blue and bronze color. Tapestries hung from the walls and oversized armchairs were gathered around the blue and bronze flames that burned logs in the fireplace. An eye-catching statue of Rowena Ravenclaw sat in the corner of the room, her diadem sat upon her head.
Some younger students who had been staring at their cell-phones, trying to discover why it wouldn't work in the castle even looked up to admire the room. The older students invited the first-years to take a seat around the fireplace.
Joey McConnor, a student beginning his seventh year took a seat in the middle of them all. It was tradition that the final year students tell everyone the story they've all heard many times before. The legend of Harry Potter and his gang. The only difference between the stories we tell and the stories they've heard is that ours are generally the epitome of hyperbole. We like to focus on what Rowena Ravenclaw, her diadem, and the Grey Lady had to do with the story. Each year, it changes a little bit. We all know the full true story, but it really is nice to hear something different every once in a while. Something you can relate to more. That's why we like to focus on the diadem.
What makes it even more hilarious, though, is that being first years, they don't know everything you can and cannot do with magic. Joey told them all that Harry had to raise the dead. He had to talk to Rowena Ravenclaw herself, in person, so he did a little charm and there she was, in the flesh. They believe it every year.
One year, the Gray Lady actually showed up in the middle of our little story telling session and corrected all of our little "mistakes." She told everyone what she claims is the "true story," but I doubt she didn't put a little bit more than the truth into when she told about herself as part of the story.
Harry and Ginny s, Ron and Hermione s children all go to this school right now, Joey finished up. James and Albus are in the school, but Lily Potter isn t old enough yet. Rose and Hugo Weasley are the Ron and Hermione s children. You might know some of them. Some of the students seemed extra excited, as if meeting their children was their lifelong wish. I m not even sure they know about their parents greatness. Some of them might.
Circle time was over, and naturally, we were all tired. We showed the students their way to the correct dormitory, girls one way, boys the other.
I took my bed next to Ariana s. My trunk was already set at the end of it, so I pulled out my pajamas (a pair of dark blue silk boxers and a lighter blue tank top) and headed to the bathroom to change. Before long I sunk into my bed and laid my head down on that familiar pillow. I drifted off to sleep the moment my head hit the pillow.
