Ari was getting annoyed with the constant rain.

"How can we play football with all this rain?" Ari complained to Dean. "What's the point of having no classes on Sunday if we can't even get a game in?"

"We still never explored the third floor corridor," Seamus said.

"That's good," Ari told him. "I'm still not ready to die."

"Come on," Seamus said, "Aren't you curious?"

"Not at all," Ari answered. "I readily bought Michael's explanation and have no more questions."

Having nothing better to do, Ari went back to his common room to do some homework. Michael and Terry taught him how to play exploding snap and wizard's chess, so Ari wasn't bored, but he still missed his sports.

Most Ravenclaws were busy preparing for exams, even though they were still a few months away. Ari never worried about these things. His mother always made him study when she knew about a test, but there were enough times he didn't tell her and still did well. He made sure not to mention tests when he came home for Purim and Pesach.

Purim was always Ari's favorite day of the year, and this year was no different. He still saw all his muggle friends and exchanged shalach manos with them. He ate lots of nosh and wore his uniform as a costume.

Pesach was also fun, but in a different way. Ari didn't learn any divrei torah on the hagaddah this year, so he used last year's material. The only problem was that Ari's mother remembered every single dvar torah and kept interrupting. Ari decided that next year, he will have to somehow prepare new material.

One day after Pesach, everyone was commenting about how Gryffindor lost 150 points, putting Slytherin in the lead. Ari didn't get what the big deal is.

"Does it really matter who wins the house cup?" he challenged his fellow Ravenclaws. "Is someone giving 1000 galleons to every member of the winning house? We get nothing for it. Who cares?"

Nobody accepted his argument.

"Slytherin always wins," complained one of the older students. "I thought Gryffindor would finally beat them. It's good for them to lose sometimes."

"If we're not winning anyway, there's really no reason to care about it," Ari reasoned. "If you want to win this year, this is your chance. Only Slytherin is ahead of us."

"Do you always have to be so logical?" Terry complained. "If we want to be angry at the Gryffindors, let us be angry. Why interfere?"

"It makes no sense," Ari told him. "If you care about who gets the house cup, you should try to beat Slytherin. If you don't want to win, you shouldn't care who wins."

"So if the West Hams beat Liverpool, you wouldn't care either, right?" challenged Kevin, "since it doesn't concern you. You're not on either team."

"Of course I am," Ari said. "I'm the armchair coach of Liverpool. Of course it would concern me if they lose."

"Do you always have an answer for everything?" Kevin complained.

"Usually," Ari said.

"But since you don't really play on Liverpool," Michael tried, "why would you care if they lose?"

"They're my team!" Ari said. "Of course I would care. Just like you care about Ravenclaw."

"Aha!" Michael exclaimed. "But you are not a member of Liverpool."

"Prove it," Ari challenged.

"How old do you have to be to play on a professional team?" asked Michael.

"Can you prove my age?" Ari retorted.

"You're here, aren't you?" Michael said. "If you would be old enough to play, you wouldn't be a first year."

"Okay," Ari agreed, "But you're not a Gryffindor, you're a Ravenclaw. Why do you care if Gryffindor falls behind?"

"If Manchester would be playing the West Hams, who would you want to win?" Kevin asked.

"The West Hams, of course," Ari answered easily.

"Why?" Kevin asked. "You're a Liverpool fan not West Ham."

"Manchester is a bigger threat to Liverpool than West Ham is," Ari explained.

"Exactly," Terry crowed. "Slytherin is a bigger threat to us than Gryffindor is. Thank you Kevin for explaining it in the only language Anthony understands."

"It's still not the same thing," Ari tried again, not willing to admit defeat. "Football players get paid to win. All the winners get here is a cup that stays in the office."

"You're so cynical," Terry complained.

The Ravenclaw quidditch team was busy practicing for their final match, and everyone else was busy studying for exams. The older students were warning the younger ones about the anti-cheating quills. Once exams started, Ari wished that the school was air conditioned. He still didn't understand how wizards lived without electricity. Ari wrote whatever he remembered on the written exams, hoping it would be enough. It usually was in the past; he didn't see why here it should be different. As Ari already practiced having a pineapple tap dance, he did the Charms practical easily. Transfiguration was a little harder, but that was only because they were using a mouse. Once Ari managed to forget it was a mouse and focus on the snuffbox, it was easier, but animals still scared him. The Potions practical was easy. Ari spent so much time over the years doing science experiments that exploded, that making a potion was simple stuff. He only regretted that he couldn't add vinegar or baking soda to watch it explode.

Finally, it was over. There were no more tests; just one more quidditch game and the good-bye feast. Ari didn't know why he had to come back after going home for Shabbos, but he learned not to question the rules. When the quidditch team heard that Harry was in the hospital wing, they were all excited. They finally had a chance to win a quidditch match! There were lots of rumors about what happened. Ari didn't really follow all of them.

Ari sat at the Ravenclaw table for the last dinner of the year. Everyone was complaining that Slytherin won again. Ari still didn't see why that was a big deal. At the same time, he couldn't help feeling sorry for the Slytherins when Dumbledore awarded Gryffindor all the last minute points that put them in first place. The rest of his table cheered enthusiastically for Gryffindor. Ari figured it was like scoring a goal right before the timer buzzed.

The train ride home was uneventful. Ari whined that he lives closer to school than to London, and it's a shame to make him travel all the way to London just to travel back, but others were in the same situation and said it's the norm. When the train finally pulled into the station, Ari quickly grabbed his things and ran to his father who apparated him home. Ari couldn't help feeling pleased that he survived his first year of Hogwarts.