Difficult beginnings
After Dippet's speech, the Ravenclaw Prefect guided us out of the Great Hall and up one of the bazillion staircases. I tried my best to keep up with the pace and remember the way simultaneously, but when I turned around to remember one corner, I realized the way looked nothing alike from the other side. I would never be able to find my way back to the Great Hall tomorrow morning for breakfast.
Anyway, the Prefect seemed to know the way, and with remarkable certainty, he somehow got us to one of the towers I had already seen from the lake. The long row of first-year students made their way to the top along the spiral staircase until we reached a wooden door. I heard someone murmur something, one of the Prefects answered, and then the door swung open. I didn't understand what had just happened, but I gathered it must have been some form of a riddle to be allowed entry into the Common Room.
The room we entered had high ceilings and tall windows. Unfortunately, I could only imagine the fantastic view one would have from up here, as it was already too dark outside to see anything. The room was dominated by dark wood tones and a royal blue, giving it a majestic and timeless elegance. There was a fireplace crackling in one corner with several couches and armchairs arranged in front of it.
Bookshelves, where students were currently sorting the books they had brought from home, filled nearly every free wall spot in the room. There was also a desk in front of every bookshelf, which I guessed served as a spot to do some serious reading or homework. I couldn't help but take a deep breath and relax my shoulders. How could something I've never seen before immediately feel like home?
Also, I seemingly had managed to find some friends, which encouraged me to come out of my shell. I made up my mind to directly look at all the other Ravenclaw students and no longer avoid eye contact with them. After all, what was there to lose if we were so similar in character?
So, during our tour of the Common Room, I looked into more eyes than I had done in the rest of my life. I saw small ones, round, almond-shaped, brown, blue, green, and grey, some with full and luscious lashes and others with short and straight ones. Nothing happened. On the one hand, that was reassuring, as it meant I was still just an ordinary eleven-year-old. On the other hand, it was frightening, as it implied my person might still be somewhere out there and might not be as similar in character to me as I had hoped.
"The girls' dorms are up these stairs and then the second door to the left," one of the Prefects interrupted my thoughts. "The same applies to the boys, but please take the second door to the right."
He gestured first to one side of the room and then to the other.
We trailed along and found our dorm, a room equipped with five massive canopy beds. A chest of drawers was at the foot of each bed, and a bedside table beside each. In the middle of the room, there was a smaller version of the fireplace from the common room, already crackling fiercely. I noticed that our luggage had already made its way to this room; at least my trunk and Sherlock's cage were waiting for me next to one of the beds. I happily claimed this bed as mine and sat down on the cushiony mattress.
Anthony did the same with the bed to my left side, and Jacques was already taking his shoes off two beds to my right. Jacques lounged a boy with extremely long limbs in the bed between me. His legs and arms were so long that I couldn't help but be reminded of a spider. Although he tried to pin his hair out of his face, his dark locks continued to fall before his piercing green eyes. In the bed in a corner, a petite boy with red hair and light blue eyes set about sorting books and pictures on his bedside table. Anthony was the first of us to break the ice.
"I am Anthony Stone, but you can call me Tony."
The spidery boy gave him a wide grin. The redhead spun around, startled as if he didn't expect anyone to say a word.
"Edward King," the spidery boy said and blew another strand of his dark curls out of his face.
"James Ryan MacParkstone," the redhead squeaked. For a moment, it looked like he was covering his face, wishing to disappear from this room.
"Oh, Merlin!" laughed Jacques. "Looks like you'll be having a lot of fun with our crazy long names, Tony."
Tony replied by throwing one of his pillows in Jacques' direction, but Jacques didn't let himself get distracted. "Jacques Patrice St. Courfleur. But Jacques is fine by me."
"That's quite the name indeed," Edward said and then pointed toward me. "What about you?"
"I'm Noel," I mumbled. "Noel Snow."
"That's quite fitting," Edward chuckled.
"Ehm, and why would it be?" I stammered.
"Well, you're quite ... white." Jacques, Tony, and Edward all laughed, and after a few seconds, I couldn't help but join in.
We talked about everything and nothing for a while (in all honesty, I mostly just sat and listened, there was not that much I could contribute in terms of stories from my childhood anyway), and then we all pulled back into our beds and closed the curtains.
My thoughts were racing and showing no signs of slowing down, so I had trouble falling asleep. Only when the sky was already showing a small band of violet was I able to get a few minutes of rest.
The sound of someone getting up then woke me up properly. I felt whacked but decided it was ultimately too late to sleep anymore, and I might as well get up too. The other one who was already up was the lanky redhead - James, I remembered. He looked pale, almost sick.
"James?" I whispered.
He turned around with a frightened expression in his eyes.
"Everything all right?" I asked, whispering again.
With his lips pressed together, he nodded, but something told me he was lying. Before I could respond with anything, he left the room with a stack of clothing under his arm. I tried comprehending his actions when the door to our dorm opened again, just a crack wide.
"If it's alright with you, I would prefer to be called Ryan."
While still thinking about him, I turned toward my clothes. Magically, they had changed colors during the night. My tie was now striped blue and bronze, and the Hogwarts logo on the front of my robe had transformed into that of Ravenclaw. I plucked at the collar of my shirt, dissatisfied with the way I had tied my tie. Although Carl had shown me numerous times, I just couldn't get it right. I wasn't used to wearing such formal attire, and the blond boy who looked back at me in the mirror didn't look like me.
Ryan re-entered our dorm and seemed to be just as unhappy with the way he looked as I was. His robes were far too long for him; they dragged behind him on the floor, and his shirt sleeves slid down over his wrists repeatedly.
"Ryan?" I asked.
He lifted his gaze off the floor and looked at me, the tiniest hint of a smile on his lips when he realized I remembered his preferred name.
"Would you like to join me on my way to breakfast? I feel it will take us quite a while to find our way back down again."
Now the smile on Ryan's lips was genuine, and he nodded.
We entered the Ravenclaw Common Room, which lay, drenched in the early morning sunlight, peaceful and quiet. A small fire was crackling away in the fireplace; otherwise, no signs of life could be seen. The bookshelves that had been filled with books by the older students yesterday were now filled to the brim, with most of the shelves deflecting in the middle under the heavy weight of all the books they were carrying. I stopped in front of one of the bookshelves and viewed the books. Of course, there were famous works of the magical world, such as multiple versions of Hogwarts - A History and some special editions of the Daily Prophet. Still, surprisingly, there was quite a collection of books by muggle authors. I could see Sherlock Holmes (I made a mental note to give kudos to whoever brought it), Romeo and Juliet, and even some books translated into English from other languages.
Although I was captivated by the selection of books brought to Hogwarts by Ravenclaw students, my stomach was now growling so loudly that I could no longer ignore it. I turned to Ryan, who was already waiting next to the door.
No one said a word when we made our way down the long flight of stairs through the Ravenclaw Tower, all the way to the main staircase. With shock, I realized the countless portraits and drawings of wizards on the walls. In fact, it almost looked like there was no wall as if the castle was held up exclusively by magic drawings. They were all either talking to each other or babbling along by themselves, resulting in a soft layer of chatter drifting through the air. By some miracle, we managed to make it to the Great Hall within 20 minutes. It was still almost empty, with only a handful of students sitting at each table. The teacher's table at the other end of the hall was fully occupied.
Ryan and I sat at the Ravenclaw table, filling our glasses with pumpkin juice. While I was still thinking about what I wanted to eat for breakfast, I saw a small wizard approaching - well, to be frank, he was tiny. Even with fully extended arms, he barely reached my shoulders height when I was sitting.
"A wonderful morning to you, Mr. Snow, Mr. MacParkstone. How splendid you're already up for breakfast."
Ryan and I exchanged a few puzzled looks, establishing some understanding that neither of us knew who this man was.
"Oh!" the man exclaimed. "How rude of me not to introduce myself. I am, of course, Professor Flitwick, Head of Ravenclaw House. How was your first night in the castle?" He held out a hand to us.
I was well aware that I was staring at him. I was aware that that was very rude, but I couldn't help myself. He wasn't just a shrunken version of a human. His proportions were out of balance, and his feet were so long that he was essentially waddling whenever he walked. His hands were small, but his fingers were longer than mine. And his face ... something odd was going on in his face, but I couldn't quite put the finger on it. It almost looked like he ran into a wall when he was a kid.
I felt something hit my leg.
"It was very rejuvenating. Thank you for asking, Professor," Ryan said and painfully reminded me that the Head Teacher had just asked us a question, and the only thing I did so far was to stare at him and meander about how he got his looks.
"Yes, very rejuvenating indeed," I said, feeling the skin of my face heat up.
I took a long sip of my pumpkin juice to distract from my dismal behavior.
Professor Flitwick didn't seem to be bothered about it. Or if he was, he at least didn't show it.
"I am here to bring you your timetables for this school year. Please get in touch with Professor Dumbledore or me if you have any questions about them. I am already looking forward to our Charms lessons."
And with that, he left our table again and went back to the teachers' table, where he jumped on his chair and continued eating his breakfast.
Ryan and I immediately opened the envelopes he had brought us. First on the agenda today, we would have a double period of Potions. Also, I found a small piece of paper in my envelope. I was confused but unfolded it nonetheless. It was filled to the brim with elegant handwriting leaning heavily towards the right.
Good morning, Mr. Snow,
I hope this note finds you well rested after your first night in Hogwarts. Please come to my office after your classes today. Nothing is wrong; I would just like to discuss a few matters with you.
Best regards,
Prof. A. Dippet
I folded the paper back into its smaller shape, furrowing my brows. What could it be that Dippet, the Headmaster of Hogwarts, wanted to discuss with me? Ryan was so focused on his breakfast that he didn't even realize I had received a second piece of paper. He ate his porridge with great pleasure and only lifted his gaze when Anthony and Edward sat down with a loud "Good morning."
Professor Flitwick repeated his little ritual of personally handing over the timetables to each student and left again to go back to the teacher's table. What a strange man...
"Do we all have Potions together?" Tony asked while slurping down the last bit of his porridge.
I nodded. "I don't have a good feeling about this," I said. "I can't imagine being good in this."
"Don't worry too much," Jacques said. "You wouldn't be in Ravenclaw without any magical talent. Just wait and see. It won't be half as bad as you imagine."
After finishing breakfast, we were on our way to the Dungeons. The Hufflepuffs were heading in the same direction, so when I spotted Claire, I went over and tipped on her shoulder.
"Oh," she said, surprised, "I didn't see you coming. Good morning, Noel."
"Good morning," I replied. "Are you also going to Potions class?"
"Indeed I am," she said and rummaged around in her bag for her timetable.
I compared it with my own when she finally found it and showed it to me.
"So, we will have History, Transfiguration, and Astronomy together," I stated.
"Looks like it." She smiled. "At least that means I already know someone in these classes."
Before I knew it, we were standing in front of the Potions classroom, waiting to be let in. More and more students arrived, and I took the time to look at the other first-year students I didn't register properly yesterday. Although she was clearly wearing the Ravenclaw colors, one of the girls kept her distance from the rest of the group. She had long, brown hair, which she wore in a low ponytail. Thick horn-rimmed glasses covered her face shape and features.
The other two girls were talking to Zoe, who was wearing striped tights under her skirt and very obviously enjoying the attention it gave her. One of the girls had blonde hair that reached down to her hips; the other had red, shoulder-length curls and a contagious laugh.
I was thinking about going over to the girl who was waiting all alone, but just then, the door to the Potions classroom was opened by a stout wizard in an ugly brown suit.