A/N: Sorry for the short! I'm trying to get back into the swing of things.
Lisa and I made the long trek back up to the Ravenclaw common room. The two of us stood before the wooden door with the bronze eagle.
You can have me but cannot hold me;
Gain me and quickly lose me.
If treated with care I can be great,
And if betrayed I will break.
What am I?
"Trust," Lisa answered fervently. We stepped into the navy and bronze clad oval room and we sat comfortably in the oversized arm chairs.
"What a long day," I sighed putting my feet up on an ottoman, "Everything is just as rigorous as back home." My hair was frizzy from walking through a student-produced raincloud in the Great Hall and my shoulder throbbed from my overstuffed rucksack.
"I can sure tell you that you're never bored here at Hogwarts," Lisa replied. She reached into her tote bag and pulled out a piece of parchment that read "Ravenclaw Quidditch" with a spiffy snitch drawn in the far right corner.
"Brad and I decided this year to manage the team as co-captains," she told me, "We've been alternating every other year through popular vote per the team."
"That's quite cooperative," I answered, "I was captain at Islewood before I came here."
"Are you really honoring your challenge with James?"
"It'll be some great entertainment for our fellow students," I responded with a grin. I excused myself to take a shower before starting some homework and going to dinner. Once clean I knocked out half a foot of parchment for Arithmancy and met up with Brad, Lisa, Matt, Amy and Kelly. Dinner the second night was of equal caliber to the start of term feast. When we were stuffed we retreated to the Gryffindor common room for games of wizard chess and exploding snap. A few seventh year girls brought some smuggled bottles of firewhiskey to the scarlet and gold quarters. I eyed James as he took plenty to be noticed from the now loud and friendly girls.
"Are you enjoying your time here in our Gryffindor room of awesome," he mumbled taking a seat next to me nursing the bottle he coaxed away from the girls.
"Oh it's quite joyful," I scoffed with my best impression of him.
"You should indulge with us," James slurred. I rolled my eyes and took the bottle out of his hand.
"God that's strong," I choked after taking a swig.
"They don't call if firewhiskey for a quip," he chuckled, "You're not half bad Hetter, I'll give that one to ya." He stumbled away into a pack of Gryffindor boys.
"He's never going to let you live that down, and never going to let you go out at social occasions," Lisa scorned. I realized the action wasn't as looked down upon here across the pond, they'd all be legal sometime in the coming year anyway. My stomach warmed up and I felt my shyness melt way. I promised myself I wouldn't get sloppy my second night at a new place, so I hung back to watch the show before me.
"He has quite the knack of making an ass of himself," a voice murmured. I turned to my left and James' brother Albus sat on the corner of couch with a surly countenance.
"I'm on the same page with you on that one," I answered.
"I'm amused," he chuckled, "I guess it's cool that they let other houses into the common rooms now." I chatted with Albus for the remainder of the night and left with my fellow Ravenclaws once the firewhiskey was drained and one of the girls ran off to the lavatory. Brad answered the riddle and I went to retire before another full day of classes.
Potions the next day was actually enjoyable. The Professor was a kind middle-aged woman who made N.E.W.T level potions approachable; I even looked forward to the foot of parchment of problems and calculations that were ahead of me later in the week. The subsequent days kept me on my toes and it was tough to get ahead on enough work to enjoy myself over the weekend. Fridays ran late, and after 6:30 I made myself presentable before a dinner with friends.
"You're going to have a great time tonight Christine," Lisa told me on our walk back from the Great Hall, "The Hufflepuffs don't have much going for them, but down there in the basement is a great party scene." We followed our hosts, Dan and Maddy, and were greeted by other euphoric Hufflepuffs. Brad and I grabbed some interesting black and yellow smoking beverages. The upperclassmen had darkened the common room and set enchantments that acted as strobe lights and flashing lights.
"Where are the younger students," I asked Dan.
"We've scared them straight to stay in their dormitories," he replied, taking me to the dance floor. I spent the evening dancing with friends continuing to indulge in the intriguing drinks. The best part was an old song from my parents' heyday, one by the old Wiz Khalifa that played quite the homage to Hufflepuff's colors. After the fun winded down and the lower school students got too curious for the party hosts' we retreated back to Ravenclaw tower. I let myself enjoy the beverages a bit too much and elicited Lisa's help to get to bed.
I woke up the next morning with dull headache and kicked myself because Quidditch tryouts were this afternoon.
"Damn," I mumbled as I pulled on my flying robes and hurried down to breakfast.
"Good morning sloppy," Lisa said with a smirk. I rolled my eyes and ate a decent breakfast before sprinting off to the pitch.