It was the first time that Harry, Othniel, and Tallulah headed back to the Horned Serpent common room unescorted – or at least with a sizable group of their housemates – so it took them a little bit to figure out the layout of the castle. Othniel and Tallulah bickered about the location of a shortcut that would have saved them at least a minute or two, which drove Harry to the brink of insanity. He was about to blurt out some… colorful language when he heard a cry of relief from Othniel.
"Finally," he exclaimed. "There's the enchanted lift… I just hope one of us can get it to activate." He waited for Harry and Tallulah to step on the platform first before joining them. Harry remembered that Missy tapped the platform with her foot twice, which would be followed by a riddle of sorts. As soon as Harry double-tapped the platform with his hiking boot, the familiar sound of a disembodied voice greeted the youngsters.
"Firsties!" declared Old Margie. "Care to try your luck this afternoon? Let me see if I can think of a riddle that you might be able to figure out…"
"Excuse me, ma'am," replied Othniel. "Why do they call you 'Old Margie'? You're a voice with no body… do you, erm, haunt this device?"
Old Margie let out a shrill, quick laugh. "Not exactly, young man. I am this device… you see, many many years ago, the architect of the lift you're standing on, Albrecht Pugh-LeFevour, wanted to give me a life of sorts. He wanted to honor the memory of his mother, Marjorie, so the enchantment he placed gave me her voice and personality."
"That was very kind of him," said Tallulah. "So, erm, do you prefer Marjorie, or Old Margie? Marjorie sounds a little more dignified if you ask me."
"I'm inclined to agree, young lady," replied Old Margie. "But over the years I've grown accustomed to the fact that students call me Old Margie out of affection, so I don't mind either way." There was a brief, yet eerie silence that followed. "Now, about that riddle… thirty-two white horses upon a red hill. First they champ, then they stamp, and finally they stand still… what are they?"
Harry, Othniel, and Tallulah stood there for a minute, thinking. "Take your time… after all, it's the one thing that I have in greater quantity than riddles," Old Margie said. "And I'll give each of you one guess apiece, otherwise you'll have to wait for an older student or faculty to bail you out." She chuckled in rather devious manner.
"Something red and white and moves," Harry thought aloud. "I'm not going to lie – I like to think I'm smart, but I've never been the best at riddles. Any ideas?"
Othniel just shrugged, while Tallulah's facial expression looked like she was sucking on a lemon. "Just give me a minute," she squeaked with a touch of annoyance.
Othniel was getting restless, he was ready to try anything to get upstairs. "How about… possums devouring a mountain of apples?" he blurted.
"Strike one," gloated Old Margie. Harry elbowed Othniel in the ribs and gave him a dirty sideways glance, while Tallulah remained exactly as she was, deep in thought. A moment later, her loose auburn curls jiggled as her face suddenly jerked up. Her amber eyes sparkled as an enormous smile crept on her face.
"I think I have it," she chirped. "Othniel – your answer might have seemed ridiculous, but it gave me something to chew on – pun possibly intended."
"All right, young lady," beckoned Old Margie. "What do you think the answer is?"
"Teeth and gums," replied Tallulah with confidence.
"Well done," droned Old Margie. The children suddenly heard the sound of stones grinding against each other, and before they knew it, they were at the top of the tower.
"Thanks, Tallulah," Harry said. "I don't know how long we'd be down there if it weren't for you." Tallulah's cheeks turned a rosy pink.
As Harry and Tallulah placed their belongings on one of the teal-and-gold trimmed plush couches, Othniel stood on the opposite side of the room, reading the contents of a bulletin board. "Hey, you guys might want to check this out," he called out. "There might be some important information here."
"Yeah, Missy mentioned that last night before lights-out," replied Tallulah. "At least to the girls. Anyway, she told us that we should read the bulletin board every day as it tells us of upcoming events and the like. One of the trustees is supposed to update it every weekday morning after our physical training."
"Well none of the male trustees told us anything," grumbled Othniel. "You're lucky you have someone like Missy…"
Tallulah scrunched her nose. "I'm sure one of the male trustees did mention something about it – you probably weren't paying attention is all." Othniel looked at Harry, who cocked his head and shrugged.
"Anyway," continued Tallulah, "it looks like there's tryouts next week – quidditch, quiz bowl, Wizard's Chess Club… oh, bummer."
"What's the 'bummer' for?" Harry asked.
"With the exception of Wizard's Chess, it says that you have to be at least a second-year to try out for school-sanctioned activities," explained Tallulah. "And my guess is that these teams are dominated by upperclassmen so it's probably not likely we'll be representing the Horned Serpents for anything for at least a few years."
"Let's be honest, you probably wouldn't have a prayer to make the quidditch team even as a seventh-year," remarked Othniel.
Tallulah stuck her nose up in the air. "I have very little interest in sports, so I won't even bother trying out for a game I have next to no knowledge of anyway. Next year, I may give the quiz bowl a go, though…"
"I'm sure you'd do very well," Harry told Tallulah. "So… we have some time to kill, would you like to do our homework right here?"
"Works for me," answered Tallulah.
"So, what do you want to go over first? We've got an essay for History that's due in two weeks, and I kind of want to get a head-start on that," said Harry. "Herbology and Defense won't take very… mmph!"
"What was that all about?" Othniel asked.
Harry didn't reply, he merely motioned to the right with his head a few times. In the opposite corner of the common room sat Nova with a textbook in her lap, and a mug of piping hot tea in her hands. She occasionally peered up from her book to look at the younger children.
"Oh relax, Harry," Othniel said. "She's not bothering anybody. She's just… having a cuppa and boning up on how to be a lady!" He pretended to drink from a teacup, pinky finger extended; both boys couldn't help but chuckle. Tallulah, who didn't find Othniel's mimicry all that amusing, chucked him in the elbow and gave him a bit of a glare.
A loud groan came from the opposite side of the room, followed by the loud snap of a book closing shut. Nova stood from her armchair and began making her way to the girls' dormitory area. Harry, in his guilt, stood up and tried to flag her down. "Nova, I'm sorry," he pleaded. "My friend and I were being a little insensitive…"
Nova scarcely stopped to address Harry. "Save your breath, Potter," she whispered, and continued her brisk march to her dorm room.
Dinner was a bit quieter than expected. It was just Harry, Othniel, and Tallulah sitting together. Harry couldn't help but wonder if Ana was upset at them for making fun of Nova. His fears were assuaged when he caught up to her in the hallway after he finished eating.
"Hey there, Ana," he said. "We missed you at dinner… I hope you're not mad at us or anything…"
"Hiya, Harry," squeaked Ana. "No, why would I be mad at you? I just wanted to catch up with some of my other friends is all."
Harry nodded. "Well, that's good… well, I saw Nova in the common room earlier this afternoon, and Othniel kinda-sorta made fun of her." He hung his head in shame. "I laughed a little too, so it's not all his fault."
Ana smiled and shook her head. "What did the little goofball say?"
Harry was able to suppress a laugh, but couldn't fully stop a grin from forming on his face. "Well… he said that she was studying how to be a lady, and he kinda made fun of how she drinks her tea." His smile evaporated. "I tried to apologize, but she didn't want any of it. She just… stormed out."
"I know the two of you don't feel that comfortable around each other," Ana replied in a knowing tone. "You have to bear in mind that her issues are more about herself than they are about you." She let out a small sigh. "She may never tell me the full story, but if I had to guess… she's jealous of you for some reason…"
"And her last name is Woodward," added Harry. "What if she is related to Roger and Rhonda? What if she's… their biological daughter?"
"I can't say one way or the other, Harry," Ana said. "But let's say that your theory is true… subconsciously she may feel rejected by her actual parents, and while she doesn't necessarily mean any ill-will toward you, she could feel a bit of resentment and jealousy because you effectively took her place. I know it's easier said than done, but try not to take it so personally, and if she keeps acting cold toward you, just imagine yourself in her place for a moment to get some perspective."
"I don't even know the full story of my own upbringing," Harry murmured. "I didn't ask to be raised by the Woodwards – it just happened that way. I do want to talk to her… when the time is right."
"Yes, and she'll want to do the same," agreed Ana. "Just leave the ball in her court and let her approach you. It may take a while… weeks, even months… but I guarantee she'll want to sit down and get some things off her chest. At the very least, you'll both gain some understanding…" She smiled broadly. "Maybe you'll both even gain a friend out of it."
Harry retuned the smile and nodded. "I hope you're right." He raised a forefinger, as he suddenly remembered something. "Oh, I'm guessing you've already checked the bulletin earlier today?"
Ana nodded. "I did."
Harry looked away for the briefest of moments. "So, are you going to try out for the quiz bowl team this year? I know you're really, really smart and you're good enough to make the team…"
Ana giggled. "As a matter of fact, I am. It's very rare that a second-year student makes the team, and it's even rarer when they're a starter! Most starters are at least fourth-years, and the few second and third-year students that make the team are usually alternates."
"How many starters are there?" asked Harry. "And what kind of stuff do they, erm, quiz you over?"
"There are five starters, and three alternates," explained Ana. "Seniority is a huge factor when it comes to selecting starters, so you'd have to be otherworldly to hope to crack the starting five as a second-year. You have to maintain excellent marks in all your classes – only O's in core classes, and EE's or O's in electives – and you have to have an exemplary record of conduct." She hummed as she tapped her chin. "As far as subjects go, it's all academic in nature. They're mainly from the core classes, but some questions can come from elective courses too."
Harry nodded. "Well, I think you satisfy all the criteria, except for being an upperclassman." He cocked his head. "Would you be happy making the team as an alternate?"
Ana didn't even blink. "I'd be elated to make the team in any capacity, Harry. The competition is really, really tough… it's stiff enough for the other three houses, but for the Horned Serpents, I'm surrounded by scholars. It's that much harder."
"I think you can do it, Ana," Harry replied with confidence.
Ana flashed a smile. "Thank you. So, how did Defense treat you today?"
"Pretty good, I think," Harry said with a shrug. "Professor Lupin asked me to see him during my free period later in the week. He sure seems to know me… he thought that I might have some questions, y'know, about the magical world. It'd be nice if he could maybe fill in some of those gaps."
"He probably knows a bit of what happened in Magical Britain and may tell you some things that your guardians haven't told you yet," surmised Ana. "He probably won't tell you everything, but from the sounds of it, he wants to guide and mentor you." She bit her lip. "Whether you like to admit it or not, you are a special wizard. I have a feeling that you're going to do some incredible things one day…" She flashed a knowing smile at her friend.
Harry couldn't help but blush. "If I do incredible things, it's because I'll have friends like you at my side."