Daria Ravenclaw: The Year of the Owl. December at Hogwarts
DISCLAIMER: Daria is the creation of Glen Eichler and is the property of MTV Viacom. Harry Potter is the creation of JK Rowling and is the property of JK Rowling, Wizarding World, and Warner Brothers. I own neither property. I am writing for my own amusement and it is not my intention to profit from this work of fiction.
Daria Ravenclaw: The Year of the Owl*Daria Ravenclaw: The Year of the Owl*Daria Ravenclaw: The Year of the Owl
Daria's feat on the archery range briefly made her a center of attention, something Daria preferred to avoid. The story of the little Ravenclaw witch who'd accepted the centaurs' challenge and hit the targets began to make its rounds around the school even before Monday's dinner. The reaction was mixed but mostly positive, even in her own house. Simone Willoughby used her prefect's status to ask her where she'd learn to shoot. Daria told her the truth: at a day camp back in Highland a couple of years before. Certainly not in DADA class.
Shortly afterwards she was pounced on by a couple of older Hufflepuffs. The first was an older girl Daria now knew was named Tonks, who congratulated her on her good shooting. The other was Liam Coggins, the head of the school archery club, asked her why she hadn't joined. Daria told him the truth: because Archery Club met when she had classes and she couldn't get away for them.
To her embarrassment, her fame spread to her Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Professor McCrae gave her a chance to blush when he announced her feat in class. "Weel, it seems like Miss Morgendorffer has made a name for herself with the centaurs," he said with a grin. "She's a dab hand wi' a bow."
He looked at her blushing. "You'll no be planning to use your archery against dark wizards, now?" he said.
"No, sir," said Daria. "I hope to learn the proper jinxes and counter-spells should I ever find myself in those situations. But I'm still only a First-Year."
"A good attitude," Professor McCrae said with approval.
Daria got some Barksdale feedback after class. As she expected, it was far less positive. "So you're playing with toy bows and arrows," Livia Barksdale said cattily.
"People who know me know that I've been known to dabble," Daria replied. So what's your game, Cousin Livia, she thought. I don't think that you've joined the Archery Club.
"You know that bows and arrows aren't much good against hexes and curses," said Livia.
"Of course I know," Daria replied. "On the other hand, we're both First-years and dead meat if we're facing any dark wizards outside or even older kids inside." Livia attempted to interrupt, but Daria plowed on. "It's nice to have alternatives to throwing rocks and trying to run away."
"Maybe you'd know good shield-charms if you were really a witch," Livia replied. She and her cousin laughed.
Daria glared at her. Later, honey, Daria thought, then thought of a certain word that started with B.
-(((O-O)))-
It wasn't until Potions class that Daria learned that Professor Snape was wasn't impressed with her archery skills either, as he demonstrated after accepting and grading her potion samples.
"Miss Morgendorffer," he said.
"Sir?" said Daria.
"I do not appreciate you manhandling my students," said Professor Snape.
Daria sorted through her memories to recall who she was supposed to have manhandled then remembered that Slytherin idiot who was drifting too close to the targets.
"Sir, I prefer not to manhandle older boys," she said, "but he was too close to the targets and he didn't have the sense to back away."
"Some people need to learn through experience," said Professor Snape.
"Sir, begging your pardon," said Daria, "but it helps to survive the experience to learn from it. He was already too close."
Professor Snape studied her for a moment, trying to decide if she was being excessively sarcastic. After a moment, the edges of his lips went up slightly and he said. "True enough. One point for Ravenclaw."
Daria hoped her notoriety would end. It did: archery wasn't Quidditch, and her brief hour of fame ended, much to her relief.
-(((O-O)))—
Daria wrote a letter to her parents telling them about her situation with Christmas break and about the Warings' invitation to spend her Christmas holiday with them. She sent it off quickly: even with the hybrid letter-forwarding system she and her parents used, turn-around time between Hogwarts and Highland could be just over two weeks, and she wanted her permission to arrive before she had to get on the train. She hoped that her parents would send off a response in time.
In the meantime, she sat down and wrote a letter to Anahita's parents introducing herself. She thanked them for their offer, then said that she would be delighted to visit. She told them that she'd met Anahita at Hogwarts, that she liked her, and considered her to be a friend. She then told them that she was born in Austin, Texas shortly after her mother had graduated from law school, that she had been raised in Texas, and that so far as she knew, she came from a non-magical background. She also told them that she missed being able to speak with her parents and hoped they had a telephone or knew of a public phone nearby. She ended her letter by saying that she looked forward to meeting them.
-(((O-O)))—
A week later, Daria was walking up to the Castle. She'd had a class with Megan Leeward and a couple of her friends and the girls had chosen to walk back to the main entrance while catching up with each other. It had snowed again, although the snow in open areas had melted back to the shade. Even so, it was still picturesque but dangerous; Daria had already learned that partially-melted ice and melt-water was particularly slippery.
As they got closer to the entrance, both girls saw that they were walking along a trail littered with pine needles and small branches. By the time they reached the entrance, they saw that the great doors were blocked by a huge fir tree that someone, probably Hagrid, had dragged uphill and was presumably towing into the Great Hall. Daria and the other girls stopped short, waiting for it to move. The tree shook, moved a couple of inches, then stopped.
"I think we might have to use another entrance," said Daria.
"Do you think he needs any help?" asked Megan.
"We ought to," said another Hufflepuff.
Daria was about to say that she was afraid of getting lost in the branches, then it struck her: You're a witch, Morgendorffer, you don't have to pick up the tree. She drew her wand.
"Daria, you know we aren't supposed to use magic outside of class," said one of the other Hufflepuff girls.
"You're right," said Daria. "You didn't see this. This isn't happening. "
"Wingardium Leviosa," she said. Pointing her wand at the tree. The tree rose slightly, Hagrid or somebody gave it another tug, and the tree slid through the door.
"Daria, you're shameless," said Megan.
"I know," said Daria. The girls laughed, then followed the trail of pine needles into the Castle.
-(((O-O)))—
The tree was decorated by dinner. So were a couple of other, slightly smaller ones that Hagrid had dragged in later. Daria got to watch some of it while writing an essay for DADA class and had watched with amusement as Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick made decorations and used magic to set them in place. All three fir trees were taller than any tree Daria had ever seen back in Highland, even the big ones the Catholics set up outside Our Lady of Guadalupe.
The Ravenclaw first-years were impressed, even Daria. But as the girls, Anahita asked the question that had been bothering Daria: "Daria, have you heard from your parents yet?"
-(((O-O)))—
The response came the next morning at breakfast, when a postal owl landed on the Ravenclaw table then hopped over to where Daria was sitting.
Daria recognized the envelope immediately. It was one of the ones from the mail-forwarding service she liked to use when she wrote home. She paid the owl, then offered it a piece of bacon. The owl chirped at her, then flew away.
She then set about opening first the outer envelope, which was charmed against water, then the inner one. She pulled out the letter and began reading it.
"Anahita, my parents wrote back," she said. "They said yes."
-(((O-O)))—
"So Miss Morgendorffer, have you finally decided where you're going to spend your Christmas holidays?" asked Professor McGonagall.
"Yes, Ma'am," said Daria. "My parents gave me permission to stay with Anahita's family."
"That would be Mordred's and Anthea's family, wouldn't it?" said Professor McGonagall.
"Yes, Ma'am," said Daria.
"A good family," said Professor McGonagall. "They're both good people. I taught both of them."
That's a good endorsement, Daria thought.
-(((O-O)))—
Daria soon learned that the weeks before Christmas were a magical time at Hogwarts. The Great Hall had no less than three Christmas Trees, lit in the evening by magical lights that took the place of the electric lights Daria's family was used to. There were also decorations on the High Table where the faculty sat and small wreaths on the students' tables. Ravenclaw had its own tree and other decorations.
Nor were the effects visual. Hogwarts had a choral society, who gave special Christmas performances several evenings before dinner. Listening to them, she had a brief vision of an older version of herself standing next to a taller boy singing carols in some No-Maj setting. Not likely, she thought, and shook her head.
Nor were they the only singers. Daria learned to her amusement that the Far Friar had taken it upon himself to organize a group of ghosts to sing old hymns, some of which Daria found quite moving.
More classes, essay assignments due after their return to Hogwarts in January, a couple of quizzes, and Daria found that it was the day before the start of the Christmas holidays.
Professor Flitwick called a house meeting. It was very brief, with him saying that he was pleased with the house's performance this term, that he was pleased with all of them, and that he wished them a joyful holiday.
Andrew and Simone, the house prefects, reminded them that they needed to have their luggage locked and ready to go by 9:30 AM. The Hogwarts Express would leave at 11:00 AM. Andrew had a wizarding wireless and told them that the weather for the next day was likely to be snowy.