There was so much food on the table that Harry couldn't even decide where to begin! There were no fewer than eight kinds of potatoes – not even including a pleasantly-piquant potato salad; not to mention the entrees looked positively delectable: roast duck and quail, honey-glazed ham, prime rib, country-fried steak, teriyaki salmon... Harry thought maybe it would be best to sample a little bit of everything, so he grabbed small pieces of meat from as many plates as he could.
He found all the meats quite satisfying, but the prime rib was exceptionally juicy… he'd have to get more of that the next time they had such a luxurious banquet. He was about to grab a forkful of Caesar salad when he spied a strange pair of eyes, about halfway down the table, just looking him over. A sense of uneasiness hit Harry, and he set down his fork.
"What's the matter, Harry?" Ana asked with a note of concern in her voice.
"Ahh… nothing," answered Harry. "I guess I'm not as hungry as I thought I was…"
Ana's eyebrows furrowed. "Are you sure? You haven't eaten all that much yet… we won't have another feast like this until Halloween!"
Harry sighed, and forced the bit of salad in his mouth. He continued his dinner, though at a slower rate than before. Again, he couldn't shake off the feeling that he was being watched. He again looked down the table, and saw a girl of about thirteen or fourteen just glaring at him. Other than her disapproving expression, she was an otherwise attractive girl, with her dark blonde hair pulled back in a tidy ponytail, and behind a pair of smart, oval spectacles were lovely sky-blue eyes. Well, thought Harry, at least they'd be lovely if she didn't look like she wanted to curse me.
"Harry," Ana prodded again gently. "Something's clearly bothering you. Is it anything I can help you with?"
Harry sighed and pointed down the table with his head. "It's this girl, she's a little older than I am, I think. She keeps giving me these weird looks. She's the one with the dirty blonde ponytail and glasses with oval lenses. Who is she?"
"That's Nova," replied Ana. "She's a third-year. Like you, she's British by birth, but she actually speaks the Queen's English. She was a reserve chaser last year for the Horned Serpent quidditch team."
Harry nodded. "So you know her then. Is she a friend of yours?"
"We're friends of sorts," admitted Ana. "She's cool; we get along fine and everything, though we're not super close."
"Why does she look at me like she hates me? I don't know her; I don't know what I've even done!" Harry grumbled.
Ana giggled. "Don't worry about it too much, Harry. She's not a mean person, honest. But if she really bothers you, I s'pose I can talk to her tonight and see what her deal is."
Harry's face brightened. "You'd do that?"
"Of course I would, silly," replied Ana with a slight shrug. She then burst into giggles. "Your friend Othniel… his table manners are rather gauche, aren't they?" They both saw Othniel shoving spoonful after spoonful of pudding into his mouth, scarcely taking the time to chew or even breathe. His fingers were stained yellow due to the numerous helpings of corn on the cob.
"What?!" Othniel yelped.
At about eight thirty, all students were dismissed from their tables and were instructed to follow their respective houses' trustees to their dormitories. "This way, Horned Serpents," Missy called out as she directed her charges out of the mess hall. "First-years, stay close." Harry, Othniel, Ana and Tallulah followed Missy through several rather claustrophobic corridors, each less brightly lit than the one before it. The last corridor was the eeriest of all, as the oil paintings and sculptures didn't seem to be completely still.
"This place gives me the creeps," Tallulah whispered. She couldn't help but shudder as she traversed the lengthy passageway.
"I know what you mean," Harry said. "I kind of feel like we're being watched."
There was a widening, rather like a cul-de-sac, at the end of the passageway. A huge stone circular platform took up the entirety of the cul-de-sac, with the exception of a very long shaft in the exact center of it.
"Is that some sort of elevator?" Othniel asked Ana, eyes as big as saucers.
Ana nodded. "You'll see."
"I need everybody on the circular platform," Missy said. "Gather close as there isn't a lot of room." Once all the Horned Serpents had clustered together, Missy clicked one of her high heels on the platform twice. A disembodied female voice then asked some sort of a riddle.
"What grows down while it grows up?"
Missy didn't bat an eye. "A bird."
A split second later, there was a deep rumbling, grinding sound, and the platform began to slowly rise. The no-maj born children began to realize that they were on a magical elevator; as there were no pulleys or counterweights, it must have operated strictly by magical means as opposed to mechanical ones. The platform continued to go up, up, and up some more – perhaps a hundred and eighty feet – before they heard the same grinding sound, and the lift came to a complete stop.
"Welcome to the Horned Serpent common room," explained Missy as the gaggle of students disembarked. The common room was surprisingly spacious, as there were dozens of couches and plush armchairs. There were several floor-to-ceiling bookshelves spaced throughout the octangular room, as well as numerous large windows to provide plenty of natural lighting. There was even a stone fireplace in the far corner – certainly a cozy spot to relax on a cold day.
Missy continued her speech. "The west corridor leads to the boys' dormitories, and the east corridor leads to the girls' dormitories. At ten o'clock, students are restricted to their respective dormitory areas, and reveille is at six in the morning. Every weekday, unless stated otherwise, you are to meet on the training grounds at six fifteen for moderate physical exercise – we will be running tomorrow, and we will perform calisthenics the day after. These activities alternate every other day. You have fifteen minutes to be in uniform and be in formation, so I implore you to not dilly-dally. Unexcused tardiness can earn you a demerit. You've been duly warned."
"Training grounds?" Harry asked Ana.
"It's a big field across from the quidditch pitch. It doesn't take too long to get there. Just follow all the other students," Ana clarified. "And fifteen minutes is plenty of time. It doesn't take much more than five or six minutes."
"So, Ana," Othniel asked. "D'you wanna play Egyptian Rat Screw? Harry and I played it on the Zephyr… it's a really fun no-maj game."
Ana giggled. "As luck would have it, I brought some enchanted playing cards with me… they shuffle and deal themselves!" She turned and smiled sweetly at Tallulah. "Would you like to play?"
Tallulah shrugged. "Sure, I guess… I've never really played before… will you teach me?"
Ana's smile broadened. "I'd be happy to… I'll deal you in, and I'll guide you along the way until you're comfortable. How's that sound?"
Tallulah returned the smile. "Brilliant. Thank you, Ana."
It wasn't long before the four children were on the floor, laughing. "I can't believe you slapped a six and a nine, Othniel," howled Harry.
"A six is an upside-down nine, you know," countered Othniel. "So 'scuse me for being a little too trigger happy there."
Suddenly, a tall blonde girl of thirteen or fourteen approached the four children. Harry turned around and realized that it was the same bespectacled girl that gave him the scowl at the dinner table an hour or so earlier; this time, her lips were pursed so tightly that if they could be any tighter, they would create a vacuum. Nova, Harry thought. Now that she was right in front of him, he got a much better view of her features. She had a distinctly-curved nose, and a tiny black mole just above her upper lip. She stood with her arms crossed over her chest, and tapped one of her black Mary Jane shoes on the floor.
She cleared her throat. "You've got some stones to choose the Horned Serpents, Potter," she said in a posh Received Pronunciation accent. Though Harry did detect a note of bitterness in her voice, it wasn't entirely malicious. "You've got a lot to live up to, being the Boy-Who-Lived and all. You better not disappoint." With that, she whirled back just as quickly, before Harry could say a word. He noticed that she had rather unusually-shaped teeth; they only slightly took away from her otherwise lovely features.
"Boy-Who-Lived?" Othniel and Tallulah exclaimed in unison.
Harry sighed. "Back in magical England, I apparently survived some sort of a lethal curse cast by a really dark wizard. Before dying himself, he took my parents with him… I don't really know all the details because the only magical adults I've ever known wouldn't ever tell me the whole story. Shoot, I don't even know the name of the dark sorcerer! All I know is that he left his mark on me…" He brushed a strand of his dark hair back to show his friends the lightning bolt-shaped scar on his forehead.
"Gnarly scar," said Othniel. "I almost wish I had one like that… almost ."
"That's… awful," Tallulah offered. "I'm so sorry he killed your parents."
"That might explain why you were wanted by all four houses," surmised Ana. "You beat the odds and survived something that should have killed you… I'm beginning to think that you aren't just any wizard, Harry."
"There's nothing special about me," Harry insisted. "I'm just Harry. Harry Potter from Surrey."
"And I promise we like you because you're a sweet boy from Surrey," Ana replied with candor. "But what if there is more to this Boy-Who-Lived business besides surviving a horrific curse?"
"I'unno," sighed Harry. "It's… not something I really want to think about right now. I just want to worry about my classes, avoiding demerits, and just spending some time with my friends."
Ana's hazel eyes locked on to Harry's emerald ones. "You're absolutely right, Harry. And for right now, that's all you should worry about."
"So… your friend Nova… that's kind of an unusual name," Harry said, trying to change the subject. "Is that short for something, or a nickname perhaps?"
"It's short for November," replied Ana. "Her birthday is November the first. Her real first name is Anneliese, but she despises being called that."
"What's her last name?" Harry asked.
"Woodward," replied Ana.
Harry suddenly felt a sinking feeling in his stomach.
"What's wrong, Harry? You're kind of spacing out again," Ana said in the same concerned voice she used at dinner earlier that evening.
Harry hung his head. "My aunt and uncle… their last name is Woodward. They aren't my actual aunt and uncle, mind you… they're officially my guardians, but to me they'll always be my aunt and uncle. I think my parents would have approved of the way they raised me… I always felt safe, and I never felt unloved."
Othniel moved his index finger back-and-forth. "Wait… so are you thinking… this Nova girl is related to your aunt and uncle? D'you think you might want to ask her?"
Harry shook his head. "I'm not sure… but I can't help but wonder. I mean, they've never told me they had any other children…" He hung his head. "She's been acting rather standoffish to me all evening, so I don't know how receptive she'll be. I get the feeling she just wants to have her space."
"She's not a mean person, Harry," Ana said. "I promise. She may seem aloof now, but I'm sure she'll warm up to you eventually." She smiled warmly. "Like I said, I can try and talk to her after we head to our respective dorms. She might not be comfortable talking about it, but I can at least try."
Harry nodded. "Thanks, I'd appreciate that."
"So, if she's British, why did she choose Ilvermorny?" Tallulah squeaked. "I thought a student had to live in North America to be accepted here."
Ana shrugged. "She never said exactly why , but I remember her mentioning that she was allowed the choice to attend either Hogwarts or Ilvermorny. It could be that Hogwarts is slightly more expensive, but that's just speculation. The true reason is hers, and hers alone… I don't feel like it's my business to pry."
"I get it," Harry said. "And I really appreciate you going up to bat for me like that, Ana. I just don't like being hated for no reason. I didn't do anything, and I don't even know her!"
Ana smiled sweetly. "You're welcome, Harry. And for what it's worth, I don't think she hates you."
Harry returned the smile.