"To our new students, welcome. To our old students, welcome back," Professor Dumbledore announces with a sweep of his arms, indicating the majestic ceiling of the Great Hall. Today it shows a starry night sky, white pinpricks shining against deep blue.
"Focus on your studies, make time for your friends," Professor Dumbledore continues, "but above all else be careful as you journey about the castle. Every year at Hogwarts is an interesting one, but something tells me this year has more surprises than most."
My friends and I know, of course, that at least part of his warning refers to the Cursed Vaults. Whether some other danger will appear, we can't predict.
"Enough of my grand proclamations and ominous warnings." The seriousness has disappeared from Dumbledore's voice. "Please enjoy the feast."
The plates in front of us fill with various types of food. I spoon mashed potatoes onto my plate, listening to the chattering of the new first-years. Those with magical parentage are explaining everything to the Muggleborns.
Here in the crowded Great Hall, Rowan, Alana, and I can't discuss what we really want to, so we spend the feast discussing this year's curriculum with a level of enthusiasm that would make most other students instantly declare us to be huge nerds. Which we are.
We observe this year's Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, a woman who looks like she's only just graduated from Hogwarts. In fact, I think I might have seen her last year as a student.
"Think she'll be any good?" I ask. There's no need to clarify who I'm talking about. There's only one new professor on the staff.
Rowan shrugs. "There's no way to know until we have her. She wasn't a prefect, was she?"
Alana shakes her head. "I don't think so."
When the feast ends, instead of heading straight to the common room, I walk over to the Gryffindor table to find Ben. Rowan and Alana walk to the Hufflepuff table to find Penny and update her on everything she's missed.
Ben is sitting at the end of the Gryffindor table, ignored by those surrounding him. It could be worse. At least they aren't teasing him.
Ben stares down at his plate dejectedly, not looking up when I approach. I say his name, and he finally looks up. "Hey, Celena." He sounds exhausted, and there are dark circles under his eyes.
I frown. "Are you all right?"
"Fine. I just didn't sleep well last night," Brn mumbles, looking down at his plate again. The Great Hall is almost empty now, and I know we don't have much time. "Want to play Gobstones tomorrow? Maybe it will help you relax."
Ben suddenly stands up, but he keeps his head lowered, still refusing to make eye contact. "I-I don't know. I might be busy tomorrow. I don't know." A familiar tremor of fear has entered his voice, but I have no idea what could possibly be making him so afraid.
Ben walks quickly, joining the stream of students leaving the Great Hall. I walk after him, but he ignores me when I ask him to wait.
I give up and return to the Ravenclaw common room. I walk up the stairs to my old dormitory, which is now the second-year girls' dorm.
Rowan and Alana are already there, as is Tulip Karasu. There's no sign of Helena Ross or Badeea Ali. Perhaps they're still in the common room.
I join Rowan and Alana at Rowan's bed. Alana shoots Tulip a nervous look and speaks in a whisper. "We talked to Penny. She agreed to meet us in the courtyard tomorrow, but we didn't have time to tell her anything. Did you talk to Ben?"
I frown, remembering Ben's odd behavior. "Yes, but he was acting really strange. He hadn't slept, and he wouldn't look at me. When I tried to ask him to meet us, he ran off."
"Weird," Alana agrees. "Try talking to him again tomorrow."
"I will," I say.
A few days later, we have our first day of classes. Our first class is Transfiguration, my least favorite.
Today, we're reviewing the un-Transfiguration spell, Reparifarge. We each have a cauldron that was once a cat, and we have to make it a cat again.
This is one of the only Transfigurations that I actually practiced outside of class, so I manage it on the first try. I spend the rest of the class feeding my cat small bits of salmon from the feast yesterday and petting it. My cat purrs, rubbing her head on my hand.
I hear Professor McGonagall's voice nearby and automatically listen, even though she's talking to Alana, not me. Eavesdropping is a bad habit, but one I'm in no hurry to break.
"Your skill in Transfiguration belies your years, Miss Morgan," Professor McGonagall praises Alana. "Would you be interested in private lessons outside of class?"
I never realized that Alana was so good at Transfiguration. I feel ashamed for not noticing. Alana responds, so quietly that I can barely make out the words.
"Yes, professor," she says.
"I will send you an owl, and we can discuss what time will work for you," Professor McGonagall says. I hurriedly pull out the summer homework before she notices me eavesdropping.
Our homework over the summer was to write an essay explaining the Transfiguration formula, a review from the beginning of our first year. Today's homework is to practice some of last year's curriculum. I'll practice some things, but nothing involving an animal.
During lunch, I try to find Ben, but he isn't in the Great Hall. I return to the Ravenclaw table, deciding to talk to him during Charms.
Charms is our shortest class of the day. Just like last year, we separate into Ravenclaw and Gryffindor, with Rowan and I in the front, closest to Professor Flitwick, and Alana on the other side of me, in the middle of the aisle. Ben is opposite Rowan. I try to catch his eye several times during class, but he's always looking somewhere else.
Like in Transfiguration, we spend the class reviewing last year's curriculum, beginning with Lumos and working our way forwards. When we get to Wingardium Leviosa, I pause in my spellcasting to watch Skye Parkin. I tutored her in this subject last year, and this was her weakest spell.
Skye easily levitates the feather and looks across the aisle at me. I grin and give her a thumbs up. She improved a lot last year.
When the class ends, I try to make my way over to Ben, but Skye cuts me off. I try not to let my frustration show.
I force a smile, hoping that it looks real. It should. I've had plenty of practice. "What time do you want to work on Charms? Same time as last year?"
"I don't know yet. The Quidditch tryouts for the open Chaser position are in two weeks. I have to see if I make the team," Skye says. She's the daughter of a famous Quidditch player. I have a hard time believing she won't make the team.
When I tell her this, Skye smiles gratefully. "Thanks. I also wanted to ask if you would come to the tryouts. For moral support."
"Won't it look weird if I go to another house's Quidditch tryouts?" I ask.
"No. There are always people from other houses who show up. They're scouting out the competition. Bring your friend."
It's obvious which friend Skye means. Penny is completely obsessed with the Parkins.
"We'll be there," I say. I look for Ben when I leave, but of course, he's already gone.
Our last class of the day is Defense Against the Dark Arts, our first class with our new professor. She introduces herself as Professor Jordan. Up close, she looks even younger, young enough to be in her fifth or sixth year. She has wavy brown hair and a round face, and she's only a few inches taller than me.
"Today we will be learning about imps," she says in a trembling voice. "Imps are about six to eight inches tall. They live in deserts, and- Yes?"
Rowan lowers her hand and points to a paragraph in her open textbook. "The textbook says that imps live in wet, marshy areas."
Professor Jordan looks flustered. "Yes, that's correct. My mistake. Ten points to... Ravenclaw, is it?"
Rowan nods. It looks like it's going to be another year of learning straight from the textbook.
After Rowan corrects her again- imps eat insects, not fruit- Professor Jordan abandons her lecture and simply has us take turns reading sections from the textbook. Our homework is to write an essay on imps. I hope Professor Jordan grades it correctly.
Two weeks later, Penny and I go to the Gryffindor tryouts to support Skye. There are lots of people there, far too many for all of them to be Gryffindors.
"Everyone wants to see a Parkin play," Penny whispers when I mention it to her.
Apart from Skye, there are six other people trying out for the open Chaser position, four who look like sixth- or seventh-years and two who look like third- or fourth-years. Skye is the youngest.
The captain, a girl I recognize as Angelica Cole, calls the seven of them to her. I can't hear what she's saying from the stands, but I assume she's explaining how tryouts are going to work.
Three of the Chaser hopefuls mount their brooms, along with three other players. Penny explains that they're the Beaters and Keeper.
The other three players, the two Chasers and Angelica, who must be Seeker, retreat to the stands. They watch with sharp eyes as the Chaser hopefuls try to work together to score goals while the Beaters hit Bludgers at them. Two of the boys are decent. The third nearly falls off his broom several times while trying to avoid the Bludgers. I wonder why he tried out when it's clear that he isn't ready for this.
Angelica calls the players down and tells two more of the Chaser hopefuls to mount their brooms. Skye is not one of them.
I watch as the process is repeated. Both of the Chaser hopefuls seem decent, although I'm no expert.
Skye and another girl, maybe a fourth-year, mount their brooms. Several people cheer. Skye looks up quickly, her face set in an expression of determination.
A Beater hits a Bludger towards Skye. She rolls neatly to avoid it, keeping her grip on the Quaffle. I know from when we learned barrel rolls last year that that's a difficult maneuver to pull off. Skye's an incredible flyer.
Skye throws the Quaffle to the other girl, who narrowly dodges a Bludger. She throws it back to Skye, who tosses it through one of the hoops.
The Keeper throws the Quaffle back to Skye. She catches it easily and throws it to the other girl.
A Bludger goes flying towards the othet girl. She ducks it but drops the Quaffle in the process. Skye goes into a dive, catching the Quaffle and corkscrewing to avoid another Bludger.
After a few more minutes, Angelica calls an end to the tryouts. The six members of the team gather to discuss the results, but their discussion is clear. There's no way they aren't going to choose Skye.
I consider making my way down to the field to congratulate Skye on her impressive flying, but she's already been swarmed by other students. I leave, deciding to congratulate her tomorrow. Hopefully, she'll understand my reluctance to deal with the crowd.
Sure enough, the next day brings news that Skye got the open Chaser position. I offer my congratulations at lunch that day, when people have calmed down a bit.
The day after that, Ben disappears.