September 1, the common room of Ravenclaw, after dinner.
The welcoming feast at Hogwarts was not just a meal.
It was also a time for newly arrived students to get to know those already in their House.
First impressions are among the most important for future interactions.
In Hufflepuff, they spent the least amount of time eating.
Perhaps because the kitchens were close to their common room?
It was immediately clear that they were the friendliest house.
All the newly arrived children were happy.
There was no nervousness or fear on their faces, no fear of the unknown.
Only happiness and joy.
Occasionally, some children threw guilty or sad glances at the tables of the other houses.
Perhaps their relatives were there, perhaps their friends, or acquaintances they had met on the train.
But not everything happens the way we want it to.
Gryffindor fully lived up to the word “Chaos.” One look at them, and you risked losing an eye.
The food they were eating flew everywhere but into their mouths.
The noise and commotion created such a cacophony that even the Slytherins, sitting in another part of the hall, winced.
Or was that their eternal enmity?
From the red and gold table came clapping, mini-explosions, and flashes of magic.
All the heads of houses, except the deputy headmistress, looked at this disapprovingly.
The head of Slytherin stood out in particular.
One look at his face and you knew Gryffindor was in for it.
Slytherin was one of the islands of calm, along with us.
Truly the aristocrats’ house.
At their table, dinner and conversation were intertwined.
Everyone ate their food properly while having some kind of discussion.
I also noticed that all the boys were looking after the girls, which was a reflection of etiquette.
The children’s faces showed only polite interest in the conversation.
Were they really like that, or were these masks, put on either voluntarily or by force?
And Ravenclaw, the island of silence and calm.
The students of this house did not have a habit of talking.
Only rare students carried on a leisurely conversation.
There were also those who read books.
The house of loners.
That’s us, and that’s what I needed.
Where better to hide a book than in a library?
The same goes for me, a thirst for knowledge and learning something new, along with detachment.
Perfect.
The dinner itself lasted about an hour.
The abundance of food was pleasing to the eye.
It would be a good source of energy for my body, but for ordinary children, the food was certainly too fatty and heavy.
Meat dishes predominated.
Vegans wouldn’t survive here.
That was the Welcoming Feast at Hogwarts.
*
*
*
Now we, the newly arrived Ravenclaws, were sitting in our common room, waiting for our prefects, accompanied by the head of house.
In general, our house is quite different from the others.
For example, to enter the common room, you have to answer a question from the raven statue.
And the questions are very different.
When we approached the entrance to the common room, the prefect answered the question.
In the future, we will answer for ourselves.
We also, like the Gryffindors, live in a tower.
Slytherin lives in the dungeons, somewhere near the lake.
Hufflepuff lives near the kitchen, which is also in the dungeons.
The common room of our house was done in the traditional house colors: blue and bronze.
But it was done in such a way as not to irritate the children’s eyes.
It was spacious, with a fireplace surrounded by sofas and chairs, and tables at which students were currently sitting.
My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of people entering the common room.
It was the prefects and the professor.
“Children,” said Anthony Goldstein, one of the prefects.
“May I have your attention, please.”
He waited until all the children had turned their gazes to him, then continued.
“Congratulations on your admission to Hogwarts, and congratulations on being sorted into our house, Ravenclaw.”
“The colors of our house are blue and bronze,” said Penelope Clearwater, the female prefect.
“Our emblem is an eagle.”
“Blue, like any other color, has a dual meaning, positive and negative,” Flitwick said.
“The effect it has on a person’s psyche depends largely on the specific shade and degree of saturation.
Light tones, such as sky blue and light blue, carry a positive mood.
Contemplating them brings peace and relaxation, and helps relieve stress.
Sky blue is even considered a bit frivolous and unserious, take the well-known expression ‘blue dream,’ which means something unlikely and impossible to achieve.”
He paused, giving the children time to think about what he had said.
“Blue.
The founder herself gave two meanings to this shade, as well as to our house.
Indigo is a deep, saturated blue.
It is commonly associated with a high level of mental development and higher knowledge.
For example, intellectually gifted children are called ‘indigo children.’ We are all indigo children, aren’t we?” The professor winked at us and smiled broadly.
The children heard his words.
Of course, they all felt special.
A good psychological trick.
After all, if you tell children they’re special, without overdoing it, they will try to live up to those words.
Smart.
“But there is also a downside,” the professor continued without smiling.
“Dark blue has a more negative meaning.
In our subconscious, it is associated with turbulent sea waves, fraught with dangers and threats to life.
As they say, let sleeping dogs lie.
So it is with us.
Outwardly, we are harmless, an ordinary house of bookworms, aren’t we?
Don’t be offended by the phrases: bookworm, house of nerds.
That’s what we are,” the professor smiled again.
“But if others cross the line, respond in full measure.
With all your might.”
He fell silent again.
Interesting.
If you are insulted, you endure.
But if they cross the line, hit back with all your might.
Is that the headmaster’s policy, or our professor’s move?
“Bronze,” Flitwick continued.
Why progress?
In the Bronze Age, it was bronze that was the impetus for development.
After all, it’s quite simple to mix two different metals.
And what if you mix not only metals?
What about mana?
Earth.
We owe the earth.
No matter what anyone says, she gave birth to us.
To her we will return.”
Now that’s an interesting question.
Earth, we will all return to her.
Is that not a reference to necromancy?
I once read that Rowena was a necromancer.
I’ll need to look for books on that subject.
“An eagle, what does it symbolize?
Does anyone have any idea?” None of the children wanted to answer, afraid of being wrong.
“No?
Sad.
But I know for sure who can answer, or at least guess.
Kael, would you care to answer?”
Flitwick, smiling, looked at me.
The only thing that gave him away was the mischievous glint in his eyes.
Making a mess of things, are we?
What are you up to, Professor?
“Why not, Professor,” I said.
At his wave, I approached him, turned to face the common room, and began to expound my theory.
“Blue, bronze, and eagle.
I’d put it a little differently.
Sky, earth, and bird.
Why do you think?”
I looked at the first-years and realized I would have to answer for myself.
I wouldn’t be able to pawn it off on someone else.
Damn.
The professor really screwed me over.
And the bastard just stood there, smiling.
“Ah, that didn’t work,” I whispered, barely audibly.
Flitwick’s smile only widened.
“What is a bird to you?
An animal?
A symbol of knowledge?
Or a symbol of something unattainable for us humans?
No.
A bird is a symbol of freedom.
It exists both on the earth and in the sky.
It flies where no other member of the fauna that lives on earth has a path.
So it is with us.
By enrolling in the house of intellectuals, we have a chance to become that bird.
What is it like to fly where no one else is?
To look down on all those who can’t?
Isn’t that wonderful?
And only one thing can give us that: knowledge.
Only knowledge, and nothing else.
Am I right, Professor?”
I fell silent.
All eyes in the common room were on me.
With this mini-lecture, I had partially cut off my path to being an inconspicuous loner.
Now I would have to live up to the speech I had just given.
This had both pros and cons.
But more on that later.
Clap, clap, clap.
“Bravo, Mr.
Massimo.
Bravo,” Flitwick said, clapping his hands.
His serious gaze was focused on me and only me.
“An incredible theory, and I agree with it.
Nothing gives you wings in this world like knowledge.
And you understand that.” Having said this, he looked at me for a few more seconds, then turned to the rest of the common room.
“That’s right, children.
We, perhaps, are the same birds that will fly high.
Or will we become someone’s breakfast?
It all depends on you and your efforts.”
All the children were silent.
Most of them imagined themselves as “birds” flying above the others.
But only a few thought about the second part of the statement.
And the corresponding questions arose.
How not to become breakfast, and whose table could it be?
One phrase, but so many questions arose after it.
“Shall we continue?” the professor asked rhetorically.
“Our house.
Each house has a ghost that is responsible for it.
In our case, it’s the Grey Lady.
If you get lost, you can call her.
As a rule, she always helps students from our house.
You can try to talk to her, but no one has succeeded.
Although there are rumors that some have.
I personally haven’t found confirmation of this.” He paused for a moment, then turned to the prefects.
“Mr.
Goldstein, Miss Clearwater, I leave the house in your care.
If you have any questions, you know where to find me.
Good night, house.”
With that, he left the common room.
The prefects spoke quietly among themselves for a moment, then continued their lecture.
“Well then,” Anthony said.
“Let’s continue where we left off.
Our head of house, Filius Flitwick, told you about the colors and the emblem.
I’ll tell you right now, don’t bother him with trifles.
As kind as he is, if you make him angry, he’ll be worse than Snape, the head of Slytherin.
It’s better not to mess with him at all.”
“The Ravenclaw house, as we’re called,” Miss Clearwater continued, “is famous for its thirst for knowledge and discovery.” New chapters come out on g.com first.
“Knowledge is the greatest treasure in our world,” Anthony continued.
“As you all know, it is not divided into good and evil.
Knowledge is knowledge.”
“For the first month, you may have questions or problems,” the girl said.
“Feel free to contact the older students.
They will help.”
An interesting clarification.
The first month.
That means after that, you won’t be helped for free.
Apparently, to get help, you either need to interest them or, sadly, pay them.
And I suspect the price is not only money but also knowledge.
“Boys will live in rooms on the right, girls on the left.
In your first year, your rooms will be on the first floor.
Each year, your rooms will move up one floor.
Access to the girls’ side is restricted.”
“For the first two weeks, Miss Clearwater or I will accompany you to your classes.
You won’t get lost.
We’ll show you the library tomorrow.
We know you.
You’ll fly there immediately.
We were the same way.”
Everyone smiled.
Yes, the attitude toward knowledge was the same here.
“Also,” Clearwater said, “our common room has its own mini-library.” She pointed to a row of bookcases.
“I strongly recommend reading the books on these shelves.
I repeat, STRONGLY recommend.
I hope you understand.”
All the children nodded vigorously.
I wondered what was on the shelves.
I’d have to check in the morning.
“House politics, another important detail of our lives,” Anthony said.
“As some of you know, the school has two political fronts.
Gryffindor and Slytherin.
I won’t go into details.
You probably won’t understand much anyway.
But I will say one thing: our house is neutral.
You yourselves are free to be friends with whomever you want and do whatever you want, but that does not apply to the house.
Am I making myself clear?
We are neutral.”
A policy of neutrality?
Interesting.
I thought so.
The house of intellectuals is, for the most part, far from politics.
Another reason I ended up here.
“Any questions?”
There was silence.
I raised my hand.
“Yes, Mr.
Massimo, right?”
“Yes, Miss Clearwater, you’re right.
I have a question.
The schedule.
What is it, or when will it be known?”
“Good question.
It’s not known at the moment.
We’ll give it to you tomorrow before breakfast.
Any more questions?”
“Yes.
First, electives.
Are there any?
If so, what are they?”
“We have electives at our school.
The main, so-called compulsory electives start in the third year.
They include Runes, Arithmancy, Care of Magical Creatures, Muggle Studies, and Divination.
You will have the opportunity to study three of the above subjects.
I repeat, only three.
Otherwise, you won’t be able to attend one of them.”
“You said compulsory, but are there others?”
“Yes, there are.
Each professor has their own personal electives.
For example, our head of house, Filius Flitwick, teaches an advanced charms elective.
And so do the other professors.
But it’s not easy to get into them.
You have to interest the professor, and he will invite you himself.
There’s no other way.
Any more questions?”
“One last one, if you will,” I said.
After an encouraging nod, I continued.
“Independent magical practice, or spell practice, whichever you prefer.
Is it possible?
If so, where?”
“Alas, school rules forbid us from practicing magic in the school corridors,” everyone perked up slightly.
“But we are not forbidden to practice magic in the classrooms.
So you can find an empty classroom and practice there.
No one forbids it, but only until curfew.
After that, you must be in the common room.
Any more questions?
No?
Then off to your dormitories.
Good night.
And congratulations again on your admission.”
Entering my room, which I was genuinely happy about, I quickly undressed and got into bed.
All my things were already in the room.
The house-elves had taken care of it.
Tomorrow, classes awaited me.
We’ll see what they’re like.