--CHAPTER FOUR--
"Welcome! Welcome to yet another year at this marvelous school. I would like too make a few brief announcements before we go to dormitories," said Professor McGonagall, after the extensive feast had ended. "And a rather lengthy one."
The full, exhausted students groaned but became silent at once out of respect, as McGonagall raised her hand and smiled apologetically.
"As most of you know, the Forbidden Forest is… well 'forbidden,' to all students" She continued as several students chuckled. "And Mr. Filch insists that you all do your best to keep the castle clean, and I'm sure you all shall oblige. He also wishes me to remind you that no magic should be used in corridors between classes." She paused and looked sternly at her pupils, but then restored a kind smile to her face. "Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of this term. If anyone is interested in playing for there house team, they should contact Madam Hooch. And, last but far from least, we will be having a rather large amount of guests this year." The students, including Ash, seemed confused.
"You see, there had been an… incident at Beauxbaton's Academy of Magic in Southern France. The Palace has been… rendered useless, and students need a safer place to stay. The officials at Durmstrang are much to proud and xenophobic to admit mixed-blood French students into there school, and so we will take them into our castle. They should be arriving tomorr- Oh my!"
A cloud of silvery mist shot right through the right window of the wall opposite the staff table and galloped in between the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff
tables towards the staff table. Though it was moving at such a rapid, blurring pace, Ash could clearly see it was a silvery-white giraffe half gliding, half prancing towards McGonagall. It slowed gracefully to halt and in an echoing feminine whisper said something in a strong French accent.
McGonagall's eyes widened and she thrust her wand out of her robes. She screamed two spells consequently and two things happened at once. The windowed wall opposite the staff table seemed to melt into the ground and disappear. Ash saw that his table and the Hufflepuff table rapidly spread apart as the floor between them broadened, but he didn't feel a thing. It was as if McGonagall stretched the room rather than separated the tables.
"DO NOT LEAVE YOUR SEATS!" McGonagall bellowed, thoroughly flabbergasted.
Ash looked outside the castle and saw something strange come into view. By the time he noticed what it was, it zoomed swiftly onto the grounds of Hogwarts, and sped upon ground to the Great Hall, trying to lose speed. The elaborate powder blue horse-drawn carriage the size of Ash's house skidded to an uneasy halt dangerously close to the staff table were each teacher stood, wands aloft- they clearly contribute to the stop of the ornate, carriage. These dozen horses were very irregular, being gigantic palominos with enormous feathery white wings. Ashton new these beautiful creatures to be 'Abraxans.' The students were fascinated
The small bearded coachman hopped down from his perch, releasing the reins to allow his horses to relax and stretch, and hopped to a large, round door. He straitened his back and opened this door professionally.
An enormous woman stumbled out of the carriage but immediately rediscovered her composure and stood proudly to how her true height. She was almost as tall as Hagrid, and an elderly lady with wispy white hair bobbed short and precise, curling inward were it ended at the level of her jaws. She looked to be as thin and fit as her powerful build would permit, but she was still very wide-framed with enormous hips. She enhanced her elderly beauty with dress-robes of fine silk, with priceless jewels embroidering her neck, ears, hands and arms as necklaces, bracelets, two large earrings and an enormous wedding band.
She walked swiftly to McGonagall crying, "Minerva! Oh Minerva, I ahm so, so sorry! I couldn't- I didn't expect- we had to- I couldn't- I should've- I'm so, so sorry! Thank you so, so much! Oi vei!"
"It's ok, Olympe. There was no other way," Minerva McGonagall consoled.
"Olympe!" cried Hagrid. He gracefully leapt over the table despite his age (although he did knock over a few things) and ran to Olympe.
"Oh 'Agrid!" she said.
A boy's voice came from within the carriage. "Madame? Madame 'Agrid? Is it safe? Are we 'ere?"
"Yes, my children," Olympe replied, "You may come out, we are safe within 'Ogwarts."
Professor McGonagall waved her wand and the wall rose from the ground and returned to its rightful position. The carriage doors burst open and slowly over half a thousand students clad in powder blue silk stepped from the carriage and crowded between tables. Once all the Beauxbaton's students and staff were situated in standing position, Professor McGonagall caught everyone's attention.
"Tomorrow there will be no classes. We will be sorting all of the Beauxbaton's students into our four Houses, supervised by the Beauxbaton's staff and myself as the rest of Hogwart's professors and Mr. Filch enlarge classrooms, Halls, corridors, and dormitories. Each Hogwarts student will be paired with a Beauxbaton's student of the same house, year and gender, and will be responsible for 'showing them the ropes of our school,' if you will. We encourage each of you to get to know your partner by the end of tomorrow. If the students of Beauxbaton's Academy of Magic would kindly make way for my pupils, I will wait for them to exit the Hall and we will discuss were you will be sleeping. My first years, follow your seventh year prefects. Fifth year and sixth year prefects should stay, and when the first years are situated, the seventh year prefects should report to this Hall. Oh, and Welcome students and staff of Beauxbatons Academy. Thank you."
A tall curly-haired brunette beckoned the Ravenclaw first years to follow, and so they did, squeezing between the new students as other Hogwarts students did the same. It was quite chaotic, actually.
--xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx--
"So tell me, what am I?" the brass doorknocker concluded.
Ash paused in thought. He and several other first years were standing in middle of Ravenclaw Tower, trying to gain entrance into their common room.
'Hmm…" he mused. He then repeated the riddle in his head,
"I can mend what a shear makes wry,
When you guide some through my eye,
But if turned I can incise,
So tell me, what am I?"
They were all lined up, and it was now Ash's turn. The elder students, except for their seventh year prefect, Penelope Entwhistle, had entered the common room already. You needed to solve a logical riddle correctly to gain admittance. The first-years had watched them as they went in groups, able to exchange ideas if necessary, and solve the riddles at ease. But now, by order of the head of the house, Professor Clearwater, and the enforcement of Prefect Entwhistle, the first-years were to get into the common room one by one. Each student was allowed one guess at the riddle they were to solve. If they were incorrect, they would have to proceed to the end of the line and wait for their next turn, allowing the next person to try to solve the very same riddle. Normally, students are allowed several guesses, but the first years needed practice. Unfortunately, because the first years were new to this, and each was allowed one and only one guess, only one had made it into the room so far- after four consecutive students failed at the same riddle. Ash was the unlucky sixth student. He received a brand new riddle.
Luckily Ash thought of an answer fairly quickly, though he worked it out in his head to make sure he did not waste his only chance.
"A sewing needle!" he thought. "I can mend what a sheer makes wry… A needle can sew up fabric which is cut… when you lead the fabric- the thread- through the eye of the needle. But on the other end, it's pointed…"
"A sewing needle," Ash said.
"Very good," said the eagle-shaped knocker. It opened the door and continued, "A worthy Ravenclaw indeed."
The other first-years were fairly impressed, and congratulated him. Ash merely blushed and smiled back at Nella. She was next. Gingerly, he stepped into the common room and left the door close behind him. Very few people lingered in the common room on the first day, so his attention was drawn completely to the room itself. It was absolutely beautiful, circular with blue and bronze silk wall hangings and a midnight blue star-dazzled floor upon which were many light blue chairs and wooden book cases. The true marvel, however, was the ornate ceiling above. It was made to look as if it were a midnight sky, with shimmering constellations plainly visible. He was gazing at a life-size marble statue of a crowned woman when he heard the door open behind him. Nella walked in beaming and looked around the room curiously after walking to Ash.
"What was your riddle?" Ash asked.
"Touching one, holding two,
This single-linked chain,
Binding those true to their word,
Till death doth make them twain," She answered poetically.
Ash paused. "A wedding ring?"
"Yes," Nella replied. "Where is that other boy who made it in?"
"Right here," said a rather burly older student. He was clearly not the first year in question but one of his large paws was placed upon a small boys shoulder. This must be he.
The older student then said, "I am the other seventh year prefect, Maël Delaselva. I am also the Captain and a Beater of our quidditch team. Once everyone is inside, I shall take the boys up to their rooms, and Penelope will take the girls to theirs. You are to wait with me until everyone arrives."
Maël had an extremely robust figure with a very long and powerful torso, and a very tan complexion. His sleeves were rolled up just above his elbows to expose thick, powerful forearms covered in thick golden-brown hair. The sleeves were very tight around his biceps- not because the sleeves were small, but because his muscles were so enormous. The robes were also tight around his chest. His hair was long for guy, and was left hanging in a menacing mane. The most formidable aspects of his appearance were his eyes. They were deep brown and somewhat feline, each dark and threatening. He also had a well-shaven beard and mustache. He looked extremely intimidating, and as if he belonged on all fours. Ash made note to himself not to get on Maël's bad side, but allowed himself to follow Nella towards him.
The next to enter was the girl who sat next to Ash during the feast. Within the next five or ten minutes, the remaining six trickled in and Penelope went down another corridor, away from the common room.
"Follow me," Maël grunted.
The first years followed their prefect through a door next to the marble statue and up a flight of navy blue stairs. At the first landing, however, they paused and Maël explained that the girls dorms were the highest room up the staircase to the left, and the boys were the highest up the staircase to their left. He then asked if there were any questions and when there weren't, he turned and went back down the stairs to join Penelope at the Great Hall. Ash said good night to his sister and smiled to the other girls, and followed the boys up many flights of stairs. They were panting by the time they reached their room, and understood why it was the first years who got the highest room in the entire castle.
The boys didn't bother each other and just decided to change silently as they noticed that their luggage appeared in their room. He barely even noticed his surroundings, and merely fell into the comfiest bed he ever fell into and drew the silky blue curtains of his four-poster bed; falling into the deepest sleep he had ever fallen into.s
--xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx--
Unfortunately, this sleep was cut short as he was suddenly was struck with midnight insomnia. He woke with a start, frightened that he was not in his own bed at home. He often suffered momentary amnesia when waking up, but soon remembered that he was finally at Hogwarts causing happiness to swell within him. He was finally there!
But then thoughts began to overwhelm him as he thought about the previous day's events for the first time. He was a Ravenclaw. What would his parents think; his entire family was made up of lion-hearted Gryffindors!
There was also the letter. He would need to ask his parents what that meant. He didn't know if he should be concerned. He didn't need to be concerned for himself- he was of wizard descent- but what about the other students? If the writer of the letter was a witch or wizard of action, and not just of words and empty threats, surely Ash should terrified for the innocent students of mixed-blood. His parents would want to hear about this, but Ash wasn't sure whether he wanted to tell them or not. His mother had the potential to be occasionally overbearing.
This aspect of his mother was always prominent during his childhood. Though she always let her children experiment certain actions and explore their yard and the beach. She let them do anything really, and assumed they would learn whatever they needed to by trial and error. She knew they would not do anything extremely dangerous, and if they did something mildly dangerous and hurt themselves, they would cease to do it, and go strait to their mother to be healed. This allowed Nella and Ashton to develop complex and interesting personalities.
The two rules Roxanne always enforced, however were that the forest was strictly forbidden, and the ocean was as well. Ash didn't have much trouble with keeping out of the forest, like Nella did, and his mother actually took him in there once to gather firewood. He was sworn not to tell his sister. Ash's problem was with keeping out of the ocean. He wanted to plunge into that endless blue so badly at times, he nearly did. Luckily, Nel was able to convince him to hold back every time. Ash would have to spend his time on the beach, as it was as close to the ocean he could get. He loved to breath in the bracing sea air, but its briny content seemed to sting Ash's 'gill' scars. Even so, the beach was his favorite place to be.
Although he was forced to keep out of the powerful Ocean, Ash did know how to swim- and very well. He had a pool, but as it was chlorinated, steady, and unnatural, it did not even come close to measuring up to the nearby seas. He would resort to pretending to be a fish in the ocean, swimming swiftly through the pool and enacting the adventures he thought a fish might have in such an awesome environment.
Ash thought about the lake. The experience was terrifying and traumatic and yet he remembered it so clearly, maybe even fondly. He had never been in a natural body of water before, and now that he was out of the lake, all he wanted
was to be back in it. Something about being at the mercy of water seemed so right to Ash. He felt like he belonged in a lake like this one, something he didn't always feel on land.
But then Ash thought of the dramatic arrival of the members of Beauxbaton's Academy. He wondered why they had to enter the castle so abruptly and unannounced. What was it that was questioning their safety?
He had also never seen an Abraxan in real life before, and magical creatures always fascinated him. What muggles know as animals also fascinated Ash. Especially fish, and because of this, he had an aquarium in his very room at home; a large fish-tank that covered three of his four walls. The tank was teaming with all sorts of exotic fish, snails, clams, starfish, and crustaceans. The marine life could have easily fit in a much smaller tank, but Ash wanted them to be as free and oceanic as possible. He had his mother charm the tank so that there was even more room in the tanks, even though the space did not permit it, and so that it looked like it extended into the ocean beyond. It was also charmed to be connected to the other fish tank they owned. This one was even bigger, and charmed in the same way, lining the below ground walls of the pool and the floor. This aided Ash's pretending in the pool, for if he looked anywhere from underwater, he would see many fish and aquatic plants, and the image of an underwater ocean beyond. He could see his room through the glass sometimes. The tanks also connected to one more tank: one which opened into both his parents room, and the twin's room. This was also charmed to look it extended into the ocean on the twins' side in the parents' room, and on the parents' side in the twins' room to preserve privacy. This charm was, however, occasionally lifted, so Mr. and Mrs. Wood could see that their daughters had fallen asleep. The fish tanks opened up into a pond beside the pool. Ash would dump various marine foods into this pond and they would magically disperse to each of his pets.
Nella was not shafted however, and she kept a greenhouse with her dad, and although it was a small glass greenhouse on the exterior outside her house, she could see its magically enormous interior through the glass walls in her room and enter it through a door there, due to a charm. It also contained many exotic plants, and several species of butterfly. This greenhouse also opened into the twin's room and the parents' room. It was the closest thing to a forest that Nella could experience.
Ash then realized how much he missed the beach, and the pool, his home his bed, and most of all his family. He missed his mother, his father, his littlest sisters and their sporadic bickering. He missed everything that he had once taken for granted. His missed Peanut and her forked tale, and Rosco, his kneazle-cat cross, and his large ears and mildly spotted fur.
He noticed where the window was in the pitch darkness after he withdrew the curtains on his bed and saw matching curtains dimming a moonlight glow across the room. He stepped out of his bed and walked across the cold floor barefoot to the window and withdrew the blue window curtains. A spectacular view met his eyes and he couldn't breathe for several moments. He quickly unlatched the window and thrust his head out side and choked as his breath was knocked out of him once more as he beheld an amazing view of majestic mountains towering into the dark star-filled heavens lit up slightly by a bright, nearly full moon. As air was restored to his lungs, he looked to his left to see the lake which almost took his life. It looked so placid now that the rain was gone; it was perfectly still and glassy. He had a strange desire to disrupt this calmness and create a ripple by falling into its depths. But then, Ash thought he saw another figure leaning out of a window to his right. He could swear that it was his older sister, but before he could be sure-
"What are you doing?" said a dark haired boy behind him, holding his curtain aside while still in bed.
Ash took one last look at the lake and the girl and shut the window, closing the curtains over.
"Nothing," Ash mumbled as he trudged back to his bed and jumped back into it.
He pulled the blankets over him and drew his curtains once more as the dark-haired boy did the same, and soon both had returned to the same deep sleep; dark and dreamless.
