Written for the Houses Compatition
House: Ravenclaw
Category: Themed
Prompt: Lost within Hogwarts
WC: 667
This story is dedicated to my sister, who dared me to write something that was all "sunshine and unicorns".
Uric was odd. There was no denying it, that was just who he was. He didn't mind, in fact he thought it was wonderful to stand out. When he turned eleven and went to Hogwarts, the sorting hat put him in Ravenclaw without so much as a second thought. Now, most would remember him as the man who always wore a jellyfish as a hat, or slept in a room with fifty pet Augureys. But, back then, he was just a kid who would charm his robes vibrant blue.
Let me tell you the story of how his strange hat choice began, and some of the chaos that followed.
It was November when Uric was in second year, he was walking back to the castle from Herbology. Because it was cold out, Uric was wearing a wool hat to keep his head warm. It was white, but with a slight hint of blue from when he charmed it the week before. As I'm sure everyone here is aware, some people aren't nice to oddballs like Uric. One of those people was Meg, a Ravenclaw in his year.
"Uric!" Meg called. "I like your hat." Her two sidekicks snickered. "It reminds me of a Jellyfish I once saw," she continued thoughtfully.
"Imagine that, a jellyfish as a hat," one of Meg's sidekicks said. By this time the three girls were only a few feet behind Uric, who was still walking as if they didn't exist.
"That's a wonderful idea Sally," Meg said, in a false tone of wonder. "What was that transfiguration spell? Ah yes, Fieri Jellyfish."
Immediately Uric's hat turned into a Jellyfish. Swiping the tentacles out of his eyes Uric continued walking. Sadly, he didn't look where he was going and by the time he stopped, he realised that he was very lost. So he did the only logical thing to do, he asked directions.
"Excuse me Mr. Portrait, sir. Can you tell me how to get to the Ravenclaw dormitory?" Uric asked.
"I am a Gryffindor. Why would I know how to get to the Ravenclaw dormitory?" the portrait asked. "Ask Meranda in the next portrait."
Uric nodded, seemingly oblivious to the supercilious stare that the portrait was giving him. Meranda was quite obviously a Ravenclaw, Uric noted as he approached the portrait of a woman dressed in blue and reading a bronze book.
"Excuse me Madam, do you know how to get to the Ravenclaw common room?"
"Are you wearing a Jellyfish on your head?" Meranda asked.
"Yes, it's quite comfortable. I like the way it squishes to my head, perhaps you could try one on," Uric responded.
"No thank you, it seems rather undignified."
"Oh well, that's alright. But do you know how to get to the Ravenclaw common room?"
"Well… it might have changed since the last time I checked, but I think you go down two flights of stairs and then up three. From there you go over one, then down seven. Up three more flights, and down one. Up nine, over two, up one and by then you'll have arrived at the foot of the spiral staircase and all you'll have to do is climb." Meranda recited.
"Thank you very much," Uric said, and then he set off.
It took several hours, and quite a bit of puzzling, but eventually Uric arrived at his dorm. He had missed dinner, but that didn't bother him. Uric reached up and took the jellyfish off his head, carefully laying it on his bed and looked at it. After a short moment he decided that he rather liked his hat that way, and moved it to his bedside table casting a charm on it to keep it alive and happy.
Now you might be wondering if this tale is true. I can't promise that it is, after all it was recounted by Uric, and no portrait of any Meranda has ever been found at Hogwarts. But it makes a good story nonetheless.
The End