The sun was nowhere to be found on the ceiling of the Great Hall, which was just as fine since it was nighttime. The sun is reserved for the day, when the world is bright and new with possibilities.
Lani Haluki read a lot about the sun, the stars, and the moon. One day, the sun will die peacefully, eventually cooling off the burning heat it radiates. It won't be exciting, nor would she be alive to witness it. It's death will be slow, not effecting much of the world on planet Earth. No end of the world, no doomsday, no mass destruction. Just the sun and it's slow descent. Like all things, it must die eventually.
Despite the many times she's tried, Lani was never able to count every star, collect every constellation, or capture the vividness of the night sky she saw before her. Everything was real and beautiful, even more so than the outside one.
Every night, she silently thanks the thoughtful wizard who captured the sky and placed it in the Great Hall. Here is where she came nearly every night, just to let herself wash in the pure calmness of it all. Lani found that nighttime was one of her favorite times of all, because no matter what, she knew the stars were there to look down on her, twinkling with purpose. The stars were what led millions of people to their destiny, telling them where they needed to go.
That's what she liked about stars. They showed her the way. The way? She wasn't completely sure where that would be, or when, but she knew she'd find the way sometime.
After a while, she slid off the table, grabbed the blanket she'd been lying on, and exited the Great Hall. Although she always had one of the biggest descents up the stairs, it was never too much a burden to her. She enjoyed looking or sometimes conversing with the paintings on her way to her common room.
A little exhausted by the time she reached her destination, the girl was met with a bronze knocker shaped like an eagle. It's sharp gaze fixed on her's. It had always intimidated her.
"You will always find me in the past. I can be created in the present, But the future can never taint me. What am I?" the eagle said in a voice that showed high intellect.
Lani blinked, trying to will herself to think. Riddles weren't always her strongest suite, but she usually managed to score the right answer.
"History," she finally said.
The eagle said nothing as the door opened wide, allowing her entrance to Ravenclaw tower. Lani rushed up the stairs, silencing her feet with a charm spell so her footsteps wouldn't catch any unwanted attention. When she reached the top, she was greeted with the endless rows of books, couches, and the smell of parchment. She continued up the next set of stairs that led her to her dormitory, which she shared with five other girls.
They were all asleep, so she entered quietly, willing the door not to creak. She was already in her pajamas, so she slipped into bed, pulling the covers over her.
"Goodnight, you dolt," she whispered to her small barn owl, who she'd named Dolt, after her favorite word.
Sleep and dreams of the ocean and the stars came quicker than she expected.
A ways away from the Ravenclaw tower, the Gryffindor tower was abuzz that morning. Groups of friends trickled down the the Great Hall for breakfast. As for Alex Stowe, he was still upright in bed, loosely sketching the star map for Astronomy class. He'd meant to earlier, but it was easy to forget homework when the night before was brutally exhausting. Just coming back from detention in the Forbidden Forest, he was a little frazzled.
Fortunately, he managed to hold it together on his walk through the dark forest, where the trees seemed to close in on him and the sounds were a billion times louder. Along with him, a young Hufflepuff and Slytherin were present, shaking like leaves. It wasn't as hard to be brave when it came to protecting other people.
This morning, however, Alex would pay the consequences. He was fighting the temptation to lay his head down, knowing that he might doze off and end up missing two of his classes. He forced his eyes open wider, pressing his quill harder into the parchment as he drew.
The task took a lot longer than he'd hoped. Could he still make it to breakfast?
"Let's find out," Alex muttered, jumping out of bed and throwing on his robes, not bothering to put on his tie properly or tuck in his shirt. He raced out of the boy's dormitory and nearly banged into Sean Ranger, the brother of his best friend Meghan.
Sean was the head boy of Gryffindor house. A witty and productive boy in his 7th year, he always kept the younger students in order. Also meaning, he often reminded Alex what to do and enforced the school policy when he was doing something wrong.
"What's the big rush, Stowe? Your room exploded again?" he asked, looking amused.
Alex released a breathless laugh, running a hand through his messy hair. "I didn't have time to do my Astronomy homework last night. You know how long that takes. Plus, I'm going to miss breakfast."
Sean rolled his eyes but couldn't stop the smile from forming on his face. He tapped his wrist. "Tick tock. You better get there, then. First class starts in twenty minutes."
"Right," Alex replied. He exited the common room, yelling goodbye to Sean. It didn't take long to reach the Great Hall when you took the stairs two at a time. He pushed open the large wooden doors and was met with the echoes of hundreds of conversation filling the room with a dull roar. He squared his shoulders as he made his way over to the Gryffindor table. Breathless, he took a seat next to Kaylee, a girl who'd transferred to his school that year.
Kaylee had grown up in America, in a place called Massachusetts. She was also a muggleborn, so the wizarding world took her some getting used to. She spent her first three years of school at IIvermorny, a wizarding school for American wizards and witches. Alex didn't know much about it, but what he did know what IIvermorny had four houses, alike to the ones at Hogwarts. They were Thunderbird, Horned Serpent, Wampus, and Pudwudgie. Kaylee explained the first day she arrived that Thunderbird represents the soul, Horned Serpent represents the mind, Wampus the body and Pudwudgie the heart.
Kaylee was a Thunderbird, which Alex assumed was a lot like Gryffindor. After all, she was sorted into Gryffindor the second the hat touched her head.
"How was detention?" she asked once he began to fill his plate with pancakes and rolls.
"Not so different from my other detentions," Alex said, pouring maple syrup on his pancakes. He proceeded to dish out butter and smother in all over his bread. "The forbidden forest isn't so bad if you aren't scared. You're only there for an hour and with a tour guide the whole time."
Kaylee nodded and took a bite of toast. "Better than cleaning trophies or stamping letters?"
He laughed. "Way better. But of course you wouldn't know, since 'miss America' has never been in trouble."
She rolled her eyes dramatically. "I've been in trouble a few times. Ya know, the usual, like walking around at night."
Alex pointed his fork at her. "That was my first offense. First year, eleven years old."
Kaylee laughed lightly and said nothing after that. They ate the rest of their meal in silence.
"Alex!" a voice called from down the table. "Did you practice for the Transfiguration exam?"
He leaned forward and saw Colleen Waters, a girl who ought to have been in Ravenclaw for the brains she had. Her twin brother, Gavin, had been put in Hufflepuff, which completely devastated her at first. Alex could relate to this, since his own twin brother was put in a different house. She confided in him, and the two had been friends ever since. She was always scoring high points, and often helped Alex with his transfiguration skills.
"Yeah, surprisingly!" Alex yelled back, earning a laugh from the Gryffindors around them.
He took a moment to glance around the Great Hall, looking at all the houses seated. Ravenclaw was quieter than the Gryffindor's, seemingly more tired. Alex recognized a lot of his acquaintances there, but none he'd gotten to know very well.
Beyond that was the Hufflepuff table. He spotted Meghan from the glint her red hair gave and smiled. She was his first friend at Hogwarts. She was always surrounded by a group of friends from her music group.
Last, the Slytherin table. Almost all houses alike, mainly Gryffindors had a long history of hating the Slytherins. Mainly because many villainous people had come out of that house. That house just happened to be his brother's house. Aaron's house.
Alex spotted his twin sitting at the edge of the table. He was eating quietly, but it wasn't unlike him to be quiet. He normally didn't talk to Aaron unless he was forced to, since his brother seemed to avoid him so much. He hoped one day they would be good friends like Colleen and her brother were, but that wouldn't happen for a long time.
He scanned the table until his eyes met Samheed Burkesh's. Samheed and Alex used to have a rocky relationship, showing an intense dislike for each other. A fist fight and walk in the Forbidden Forest later, the two bonded and became close friends. Samheed was generally rude and sarcastic, but Alex didn't mind that much anymore.
He raised his dark eyebrows, a smile on his face as he drank a goblet of milk. Alex only grinned in response.
Once breakfast was over, he and Kaylee stood from their seat and walked out of the Great Hall, side by side. "Ready for some Charms?"
Kaylee flashed him a grin, her eyes crinkling with joy as she did so. "Totally."
"What would you say if we were able to switch houses?" asked Logan Ridell, a boy in his second year.
Samheed scanned his schedule twice, checking over it to make sure he didn't forget. Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts with Ravenclaw, Astronomy and History of Magic with Hufflepuff, and -he winced- Herbology and Potions with Gryffindor. He didn't hate the Gryffindors as much of his fellow Slytherins did, but part of him despised them. His father had a long history of rivalries with Gryffindors, so classes with them were always excruciating.
Well, usually. He often sat with his best friend, Alex Stowe. Alex was a Gryffindor, and the perfect definition of one. Recklessness and danger followed him everywhere.
But his thoughts, along with those of his peers were cut off by Logan's question.
"Oh, so you think Slytherin isn't good enough for you?" sneered Will Blair, the head of Slytherin house.
Logan bit his lip. "Not that. A Ravenclaw girl was thinking about it, and I thought it was an interesting idea."
"Then the hat sorted you wrong?" Samheed inquired a bit too loudly. All eyes in the common room snapped to him.
In the corner, Aaron was silently picking up his books, preparing for his first class. He carefully walked to the door, looking as though he was trying not to draw attention to himself.
"Too bad!" Will snapped, his eyes like slits. "You're in Slytherin, so you better start acting like it!"
Logan said nothing, looking ashamed. Samheed noticed he'd always had a very hard time fitting in Slytherin.
Will turned to Aaron, catching his arm before he left the common room. "What do you think, Aaron? Do you think any of us should be in different houses?"
Aaron sucked in a breath, eyes darting around the room, unsure what to say. He straightened his already-perfect posture. He looked like a deer caught in headlights. His eyes flitted to Logan, who was trying not to turn red. "Well, no. Anyone who is in this house needs to accept that. Or they ought to never call themselves a Slytherin."
Will, followed by the rest of the common room, cheered and made hissing noises. He looked at Logan. "See? No one wants to change houses."
Logan's lower lip trembled, but he nodded and proceeded to his first class, his head down. Samheed grabbed his books and headed after the young boy, shaking his head at his fellow Slytherins.
"Hey," Samheed said, catching up to him. "We've got two classes with each house. The Slytherin aren't so bad once you get to know them. We're just prideful of our house."
Logan nodded, but didn't say anything. Samheed fell back uncomfortably and was enveloped by the few friends he'd come to trust in Slytherin.
"Maybe he doesn't belong in Slytherin," said Rodrick, one of his friends.
Samheed glanced at him, frowning a little. "Whatever. He's in Slytherin now, and it's not like he can change houses."
First was Defense Against the Dark Arts with the Ravenclaws. Since inter-house pairings weren't always enforced, he took a seat next to Rodrick as they began the lesson. Defense Against the Dark Arts was one of Samheed's favorite classes. He loved the thrill of it all.
Their teacher, Professor Florence, was seated at her desk, writing some notes with her quill. She was the tallest teacher in the school, nearly towering over even the tallest 7th years. Some said she was half-statue, but no one could ever know for sure.
When she was finished she stood up and addressed the class. There was a gleam in her eyes. "Today, we'll be working on some counter-jinxes. None that was be particularly hurtful."
Her smiled widened and she added, "Depending on how well you take pain."
The class chuckled, the Ravenclaws more nervous than the Slytherins. Professor Florence scanned the room of fourth years, searching for a victim to go first. Samheed hoped he would have to go first. That required casting a jinx that might be horribly wrong and damage his reputa-
"Mr. Burkesh!" she said, crossing her arms. "Will you take the challenge of the heart attack jinx?"
He couldn't say no. He stood up and glared as the Slytherins hooted and chanted his name. He walked to the front of the class and stood next to the professor, taking his wand out of his pocket.
Professor Florence now walked around the Ravenclaws, some worried and others eager to be picked. Finally, she landed on a girl seated in the back. "How about you, Ms. Haluki?"
Lani blinked out of her daze and looked like she was trying hard not to blush. She stood up, took out her wand and strode next to Samheed.
He'd seen her numerous times in his class and around school, but had never truly looked at her. She had a strangely delicate, smaller form. Her long, jet-black hair was as flowy and graceful as her movements, and contrasted perfectly with her olive skin. Her eyes were like the ocean, blue yet somehow entrancing, reminding him of the last time he visited the sea. Unlike the other Ravenclaws, she was utterly calm now.
Professor Florence withdrew her wand, demonstrating for the class what to do. "Point your wand at your opponent, like so, and say 'heart attack!'"
The two faced each other, each a bit nervous about jinxing the other. Samheed forced himself to push aside his emotions, pointing his wand directly at her.
"On the count of three, you'll release the spell," said the professor. "One, two, three!"
Each spoke the words lightning fast, but Samheed's spell struck her first. He watched in growing horror as the girl tumbled to the floor, gasping and holding her chest. Those in the front leaned foreword, and those who couldn't see ran to observe the cursed girl.
Lani's face was constricted with pain, tears beginning to form in her eyes. She made small inaudible noises as the heart attack hex continued to pound her. Samheed and Professor Florence rushed at her side, the professor more panicked than he'd ever seen her.
The professor murmured a spell to release her, and soon the girl stopped moving, her eyes closed as she breathed slowly. The class gathered around her, all asking questions. Samheed felt his face burning. He wondered if the spell would've been less painful if it was cast on him. He could've killed Lani, and it was all his fault.
It took a few minutes to revive her, but once they did, she sat up, her breathing returning to normal. She looked at Samheed with a bewildered expression and breathed one word. "Wow."
"Is that normal?" asked a Ravenclaw student, pushing up his glasses.
Professor Florence wasn't looking at any of the students. "This spell isn't something to try on other students, do you hear me?"
The shocked students only nodded in response.
"Good."
The bell rang, and everyone ran to get their belongings for the next class. Samheed spotted Lani walking out the door, hugging her books to her chest. He put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry. I didn't know..."
She turned around, meeting his eyes. "It was only practice."
She and the other Ravenclaws walked to their next class, leaving the stunned Slytherin boy in the dust.
It was only practice. The words echoed in Samheed's head throughout the next classes of that day. Yes, it was practice, but it was practice that could've killed her.
What he didn't notice was Aaron Stowe sitting in the corner, taking vividly-detailed notes about the heart attack jinx.
Astronomy class required observing the night sky once per week, from atop the Astronomy Tower. For Gryffindor and Ravenclaw fourth-years, it was every Friday at midnight. Professor Lhasa paced behind the students, checking their star charts as she drew her cloak tighter around herself. She was a middle-aged women with hair that shone like silver and eyes that were always lost in thought.
"Now pair together with a member of the different house. Compare your star charts and correct each other's mistakes by the information you've gathered over our past lessons," said Professor Lhasa in her breathy voice.
Alex, who'd been partners with Kaylee, looked over at the Ravenclaws in their class. His eyes fell on Lani Haluki, a girl who didn't talk much (but then again, he'd only talked to her a few times). Her gaze met his, and in a silent agreement Alex walked over to her.
He placed his star chart next to the telescope on the table and peered over at her's. They looked similar, but her's had a lot more detail on it.
"How does mine look?" he asked, breaking the silence. His fingers twitched nervously as he reached for his quill.
"Good..." Lani trailed off, leaning down and pressing her quill against his paper. "A few of your constellations are missing."
She filled in where they were supposed to go and looked back and forth from her's to his. She tapped her finger against one of the stars Alex had drawn. "And this? Isn't a star. That's a planet."
"Oh," Alex said, flushing red. He felt less intelligent just from being around her.
As if sensing his thoughts, Lani straightened, looked at him and smiled. Up close, her eyes were big and blue, and for a moment Alex wondered how much time and detail it would take to capture the color. "Nearly exactly like mine, other than that."
He let out a breath, stuffing his hands deep into his trouser pockets. He smiled back. "Okay. Thanks."
She placed her eye against the telescope and adjusted it with ease. It seemed to be something she'd done many times before, as proof from her star chart.
"You seem like you like Astronomy," Alex said, a little quieter so Professor Lhasa wouldn't hear.
She continued to look into the telescope. "I do. I enjoy looking at the stars, mostly. The Great Hall is full of them at night."
He nodded, although he realized he had never bothered to look up at the ever-changing sky in the Great Hall. Maybe that was what separated Ravenclaw apart from the other houses. They paid more attention to everything they could not reach.
A hard, cold wind blew through the tower, causing the students to shudder. Alex's robes threatened to blow away if not for his strong hold on it. It wasn't uncommon for the Astronomy tower to be this cold.
By a miracle, the professor clapped her hands, calling the students to her. "That's enough for tonight. To bed, students!"
The Gryffindors and Ravenclaws trickled out and down the long stairway. Kaylee ran to catch up with Alex, who walked with Lani on their descent downstairs. The Ravenclaw girl rolled up her star chart and the Gryffindor friends did the same.
"Where are you from, Kaylee?" Lani asked, looking at the taller girl. "I mean, your accent..."
Kaylee gave her a smile, as she always got this question, but liked getting it nonetheless. "America. I used to go to Ilvermorny, a wizarding school there."
"I've heard of that," Lani murmured, keeping her eyes glued to the stairs in case she drastically fell off (it used to happen all the time). "It has four houses, similar to Hogwarts?"
The American girl nodded. "Thunderbird, Horned Serpent, Pudwudgie and Wampus. They don't have exactly the same qualities as Hogwarts houses do. Thunderbird represents the soul, Horned Serpent represents the mind, Pudwudgie represents the heart, and Wampus represents the body."
"I wonder what Ilvermorny house my brother would be in..." Alex said aloud, meant for only himself. Lani and Kaylee looked over with slight concern, as nearly everyone knew who the Stowe twins were and their dynamics.
When they reached the bottom of the stairs, the three stayed there, for some reason reluctant to go to their common rooms yet.
Kaylee combed her fingers through her hair absentmindedly, her eyes trailing the numerous grand staircases. She looked back at Lani and Alex. "Are you tired?"
An all-too-familiar mischievous glint twinkled in Alex's eyes. "Not a bit."
Lani looked back and forth from the two and noticed the look in his eyes. She shook her head, her smooth black hair exaggerating her movements. "I've never been caught at night, but I heard being with a Gryffindor heightens my chances of getting detention."
"That makes two of us," Kaylee told her. "I've never gotten detention either."
The two looked at Alex, waiting for a response, one expression baleful and the other curious.
"What?" he exclaimed.
"I'm in," Kaylee responded. They looked at Lani, who's face flushed.
"I...think I'll go to the Great Hall. I like to stop there every night and look at the sky."
"What about some adventure?" Alex said, stepping closer to her. "You can see the stars any night."
Kaylee nodded, looking at her friend pointedly. "True. You get to hang out with us!"
After some coaxing and much complaint, Lani finally agreed to embark on whatever "mission" they were going on. "So, where are we going?"
The three pushed open the double doors leading outside and were greeted by the coldness of the air. They walked to the Quidditch pitch where Alex practiced his broom flying when he wasn't with his team.
The Gryffindor boy took out his wand and pointed, saying "Accio, broom!"
In a whizzing sound, a broom sailed towards Alex's outstretched hand from the locker room. He flashed the girls a grin. "All we're doing is flying around. I need some practice for my game next Monday, anyway."
Kaylee and Lani borrowed brooms from the cupboard in the locker room and joined Alex on the field. The girls didn't know much about flying, but Kaylee figured it was similar so surfing, so compared it with that.
The three mounted their brooms and rose up from the ground, Lani with more difficulty than the others because of her lack of skill. With a bit of coaching from Alex, they were soon soaring along the grounds, Lani too afraid to fly any higher than the treetops.
Feeling the wind blowing through her hair and in her face, Lani felt a feeling of freedom and purpose. Maybe it was a good idea to break the rules a little. She felt as though she could be anything, do anything, even take on the world. The sky was her limit.
Speaking of the sky, she turned her head to it, gasping at the sight of the moon, the REAL moon, shining down on her. The sky was cloudless and filled with stars, making her wonder if the Great Hall wasn't the only place for stargazing after all.
After a while, Alex swooped down and touched the ground with ease, followed by Kaylee who did it with no problem. Lani tried to follow their example but couldn't seem to get the right landing. She panicked as the ground rose to meet her and desperately tried to do anything to make the contraption stop. She landed hard in the grass, rolling over and over until she stopped.
Alex and Kaylee were laughing and clapping, celebrating in her defeat.
"Bravo!" Kaylee said, grinning widely.
Alex helped her stand and picked up her broomstick, which had been only slightly damaged in the crash.
Lani blew her hair out of her face and couldn't help but laugh at her ridiculous attempt. The bruises all over her body were really going to hurt tomorrow, but somehow, that didn't bother her.
Bruises felt better with friends, even the rule-breaking ones.