Chapter 2: The Owlery
The Great Hall was nearly full as we walked towards the Ravenclaw table. I wanted to find a seat closer to the front so that I could see my sister get sorted. I sat down and turned to my right and asked Ryan, "After we get all of the first-years up to the common room, do you want to come with me to the Owlery? I should probably send Medes to tell my parents what house Libby is in."
"Sure!" he responded.
"Settle down, settle down everybody. I know you are all excited to be back and seeing your friends, and even more excited to have the feast begin, but we must first get started with the Sorting!" announced Professor McGonagall.
With this introduction, the group of first years entered the Great Hall, looking at the enchanted ceiling and all around them. While most of the first years were busy looking up and at the masses of students around them, I could see Teddy elbowing Libby and pointing to the old Sorting hat in front of them. Just as they reached the front of the Hall, Professor McGonagall motioned for them to stay still and for the Hall to be silent. The Sorting hat then burst out in to his yearly poem that differed from year to year:
I have been scorched and scorned and been told I'm wrong, but many years ago I was revered.
I remember the day that Old Godric Gryffindor took me off his head, he placed me down for the others to see. 'And this is how we will sort our pupils when we are gone,' he said. Each of the four houses put in me their thoughts on how to sort you students.
'I value you chivalry, bravery, daring and nerve, and those pupils I shall take,' said Gryffindor
'For my house the wisest, the most creative, the ones of ready mind and willingness to learn,' chimed in Rowena Ravenclaw
'Hard work, dedication and loyalty shall set those in my house apart,' proclaimed Helena Hufflepuff
Salazaar Slytherin sighed, finally lamenting that Gryffindor's idea was good. 'Those cunning folk with ambition and determination will be allowed in to my house,' he demanded.
So now I say to you, try me on. I can see all inside your head, you cannot hide a secret so I will tell you where you ought to be!
This speech wasn't much different than how it had been in the last few years. It seemed as if the hat was running out of things to say. Professor McGonagall unrolled a parchment and began calling up students to be sorted. I zoned out for the first couple, cheering when those in Ravenclaw were called. Soon I heard her call, "Connors, Libby." And became attentive.
Libby sat down on the stool and McGonagall placed the hat on top of her head, sinking almost instantly over her eyes.
"Ah yes, a Connors," cried the hat, to which Libby startled for a mument. "Let's see, different yet from your sisters, let it be HUFFLEPUFF!" Libby smiled and ran towards the Hufflepuff table. I could see my cousin Ellie, a fifth year, scooting over to make room for her younger cousin.
Soon McGonagall said, "Lupin, Ted," her voice rising as if pleasantly surprised. The young boy gleefully bounded up towards the stool and the hat was placed on his head, completely covering his turquoise hair.
"Ah, yes," said the hat, "I remember your parents well. Brave and kind the both of them. Yes, I think it will be in your mother's footsteps, HUFFLEPUFF!" Teddy smiled wide and as the hat was taken from his head, I could see the his once bright blue hair had turned yellow and black to display the pride of his new house. I looked towards the Hufflepuff table to see Libby clapping wildly, making room for Teddy beside her.
Soon "York, Alice" was sorted in to Slytherin and the feast began.
"So…" said Ryan as we piled our plates with chicken sausages and sweet potatoes, "how did you do on your OWLs! No Trolls I hope!" I laughed and told him my scores:
Transfiguration – Exceeds Expectations
Defense Against the Dark Arts – Outstanding
Charms – Outstanding
Potions – Exceeds Expectations
Arithmancy – Outstanding
Herbology – Outstanding
History of Magic – Acceptable
It came as no surprise for me that Ryan had gotten the exact same scores, as we had spent every mument studying together the spring before. Ryan's dream was to become an Auror and mine was to become a Healer, so we would (thankfully) be taking the same classes this year.
"I am SO glad to be dropping History of Magic this year, I'm not sure I could stand another one of Binns' lessons on Troll wars," I exclaimed to Ryan's agreement. In between bites of chocolate pastries and pumpkin cake, we finally managed to talk about our own summers. Ryan told me about the eccentricities of his American relatives, and I told him about my somewhat boring summer, travelling to Diagon Alley and Libby getting her first cat.
Finally our plates were cleared and it was time to escort the first-years up to Ravenclaw Tower. I could tell that Ryan had been planning it all summer by his assertiveness as he jumped up on to one of the benches and yelled,
"Ravenclaw this way! Follow me and this girl up to the common room! But be careful, she is known to trip UP the steps." I laughed and pulled him down off of the table, leading the confused first-years out towards the stairs that would lead us to the winding staircase of Ravenclaw tower.
I managed to stumble only once as I made my way towards the bronze eagle knocker. "Now one thing that you should know about entering the common room, is that you must supply the answer to a riddle. Note that if you get it wrong, that you must wait for somebody to get it right," I explained to the eager-looking eleven-year olds.
I then knocked that knocker, who said, "What is broken, every time it is spoken?"
To this I easily responded, "Silence." The door then swung open and I motioned for the first-years to all enter. Ryan and I followed behind them and once we were all inside that spacious, circular room I said, "Alright, well through that door to the left you will find all of the girls dormitories, and the same for the boys to your right."
"Your belongings are all their, so I suggest that you head to bed, because classes begin promptly tomorrow," Ryan continued. After all the young children had gone to their respective dorms, and the amount of older Ravenclaws hanging out in the common room began to dwindle, Ryan turned to me and said, "How about we head up to the Owlery now? We can be out a little late because we are prefects." I grinned at him and we went to the Owlery.
The Owlery was full of all different types of owls, from barn owls to Snowy Whites. I whistled for my owl Archimedes, Medes for short, and he came right down towards me. Medes spread out her light-brown and white wings as I attached the letter to my parents to her leg. The letter was short and to the point, saying that we had all gotten here safely and that Libby had met a friend (Teddy) and that they were both in Hufflepuff. I told my Saw-whet, beautiful owl to bring the letter to mum and dad and he left without further instruction. Knowing Medes' speed and that fact that my parents would most likely wait-up for his arrival, I had a feeling that he would be back with a return letter in the morning.
I could feel Ryan's eyes on me as I turned around to tell him that we could go now. What he said next, however, was something that I wasn't expecting; "there's something that's different about you," he said. His hand brushed some strays hairs from on my face to behind my ear. I had used a hair-lightening potion that my aunt had given me for my birthday only a week before the start of term.
My heart quickened, as I looked at Ryan. He wasn't the same Ryan that I remembered. He had grown taller over the summer, he had cut his light blonde hair and instead of it being combed over, it had a messy kind of a look about it. Even his blue-green eyes looked like they had more depth to them. Looking at him brought me back to the day when we first met…
