Sorry, tumblr has consumed my life... And also sorry for the length. It was the best place to cut the chapters.
The sorting and the feast continued on in much the same way as they always did, or at least how Harry assumed they did. Most of the first years sat near him and Luna, mostly because it was the only empty space on the whole table. Out of the first years, four had muggle parents. Seeing their awe and fear, Harry decided to somehow ship some cheap phones over to put in the dorms. Eleven was too young to live without family.
Luna sat silently for most of the meal. The magic-raised first years were confused by her comments, and the muggle raised thought her strange, so they avoided talking to him. Harry, as a transfer and a foreigner, was much more interesting to talk to. She studied Harry intently, her face a blank mask.
Near the end of the feast, Dumbledore stood up yet again. All of the younger crowd looked up at him in awe, but it took a few minutes for the upper years to quiet to the same degree. As soon as the room was silent, Dumbledore started to speak. "Now our bellies are full, and eyes are heavy. I must bid goodnight to all." Eyes twinkling. "But, first, a few announcements. The Forbidden Forest is, as the name suggests, forbidden. An ever-updating list of banned objects has been posted on the door of Mr. Filch's office, and I'm told several items have been added over the summer break. And remember, friends are a valued commodity, to be treasured and kept. However, I'm sure no one wishes to listen to an old man's ramblings anymore. Off to bed!" He waved his arms, and the large doors at the end of the hall swung open.
The volume in the hall escalated until Harry could hardly think. Looking around, he noticed that, while most of the firsties had left, Natalie and a few others were looking around in confusion.
Leaning down towards Natalie's ear, he spoke. "Follow me, I know where to go."
Natalie leaned back and looked at him, brow furrowed in concentration. Determining that he wasn't kidding, she turned and tapped the shoulders of the two boys near her and jerked her her towards Harry. "He knows the way," she explained to the two confused boys, whose eyes brightened in understanding. They looked to Harry, waiting for further instruction.
Seeing their acceptance, Harry followed the sea of blue and bronze out the doors and into the entrance hall. But while the blue and bronze group broke off from the rest and headed up a set of stairs, Harry led his small group down the stairs. When they turned off into an empty hallway, he felt a tug on his robes.
"Er, Luke?" Natalie looked confused. "I don't think we're going the right way."
Harry turned to see the other boys, and surprisingly Luna, behind him. Luna had her head tilted to the side, as if the whole encounter was mildly amusing, while one of the boys (his name was possibly Reed) almost looked angry. Harry laughed. "No, trust me. I know this school like the back of my hand. But you don't have to follow me." He shrugged off her small hand and continued walking down the hallway.
After about two minutes, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his iPhone. "Here. Call your parents. I'm sure they'll be happy to hear from you."
Eyes bright, Natalie took the offered gift and quickly dialed.
"Don't forget to let the others use it," chuckled Harry, still walking down the hall.
"Mummy!" squealed Natalie. "Hello! Yes, its me... No..."
At the end of the hallway, there were two doors. Harry ignored both of them, tapping the wall in between them in a very specific order. The wall creaked outward, revealing a hidden spiral staircase. He turned to look at the four behind him. "This goes up six floors. Speak now or forever hold your peace."
The boy Harry thought was named Jasper slowly raised his hand, but dropped it when Reed elbowed him hard. Natalie simply nodded, still chattering away on the phone.
"I've always enjoyed long walks," commented Luna lightly. "They leave the mind clear, and ready for sleep, you know?" And with that, she skipped over to the stairs and started the trek. Natalie followed right after, Reed behind her.
Seeing the hesitance in the remaining firstie, Harry sighed. "I have to be last to close the door. You go now, or you get left behind." And with that, the boy almost ran to the stairs.
Before long they were at the knocker. They all stared at the wall, and Harry could tell that the younger kids were unimpressed.
"Is this it?" asked Reed, confirming Harry's suspicions.
"Just wait."
Luna reached for the handle, but Harry reached out a hand to stop her. Putting her hand down, Harry touched the handle.
"Oh! Mr. Swan!" exclaimed the handle. All but Harry jumped about a foot in the air. "I'll let you right in." And it began to swing outward.
"Wait a minute, Charlie," replied Harry, pulling out his wand. "I want to key in a few others." Quickly, he tapped his wand on the heads of the others and then onto the knocker. "Done. Now you don't have to answer a ridiculous riddle every time you want to get in. You can, if you want, but this way you aren't locked out." At the stares, Harry smirked. "Just don't tell anyone. Only the prefects are supposed to know that trick."
"Oh!" says Luna brightly. "So thats how they enter so fast... I thought is was the school obeying Cho because she's clearly Headmaster Dippets great granddaughter."
That caught Harry off guard, and he looked at Luna for a few seconds before shaking his head. "Um... Anyway. Welcome to Ravenclaw." And with that, he stepped inside.
Review, it fuels the ever hungry muse. And gives me things to ramble about in A/N's. Also, follow me on tumblr? (wrydera if you're interested.)
~Wryder