Chapter Text
Alhaitham stared out the window, surveying the people who still dotted Platform 9 ¾. His gaze drifted to the large analog clock on the wall. It was 10:55 am, about ten minutes since he’d bid farewell to his grandmother, and there were only five minutes until the Hogwarts Express was due to depart. And yet, dozens of children and their families were still saying tearful goodbyes as prefects tried to usher them onto the train, panickedly shoving armfuls of luggage into whatever carriages could fit them. The chatter was deafening. Alhaitham spotted his grandmother, seated quietly on a bench against the platform’s wall, waiting patiently for the train to leave. Alhaitham sighed. If only everyone here could behave as well as his grandmother.
The train whistle screeched unpleasantly, warning that it was soon to depart, and Alhaitham pulled out his book, needing a distraction. Magical Hieroglyphs and Logograms. He’d gotten it while shopping for his textbooks at Diagon Alley. Ancient Runes wasn’t introduced until third year, and even then, it was optional, but the subject matter was much more interesting than any of his first year required reading. Alhaitham’s jaw clenched as another blast from the train’s steam whistle sounded out. The Express was vibrating now, about to depart at any second. Footsteps echoed down the aisle as students bounded down the length of the train, hustling to find a seat before the Express lurched forwards. With a final blast of the whistle, the train started pulling out of the station, the platform sliding away. Alhaitham looked back out the window. Families were waving and cheering, tears rolling down their cheeks. Alhaitham’s grandmother was smiling minutely. He offered her a slight wave, and she waved back, her smile growing enough that it was perceptible, despite the distance.
The train had left a few minutes ago, and Alhaitham figured he was safe from anyone trying to barge into his peacefully empty cabin. He was wrong, though, because he suddenly heard his cabin door slide open. The beginnings of a headache pressed against his temples. Before he could look up and tell off whomever had entered, they spoke.
“Do you mind if we sit here? We can’t find anywhere else with two open seats.”
Alhaitham made eye contact with the source of the voice. A boy with long black hair, down to the middle of his back, stared back impassively. For some reason, a chunk in the middle of his bangs as well as the two strands framing his face were bright green. Atop his head were a pair of… ears? They were long, like a rabbit’s, but their anatomy more closely resembled that of a fox. What looked like a fluffy tail, with forest green and black fur, twitched behind him. Peering over his shoulder was another boy, about the same height as him, with shaggy silvery-gray hair that fell just past his shoulders. He wore an expression so unreadable that it almost rivaled Alhaitham’s own.
“What if I do mind?” Alhaitham replied dryly, looking back down at his book.
“Then, my condolences.” In his periphery, Alhaitham saw the boy with the ears slide into the seat across from him, his friend plopping down next to him. Alhaitham said nothing in reply, deciding that the silent treatment was the best way to convey his annoyance.
“So,” the boy with the ears began, “are you a first year too?” Alhaitham’s gaze flicked upwards. The boy was looking at his robes, and had clearly noted the lack of house colours on them. Most people elect to board the train in their casual clothes, as these two had, and then get changed en route. However, Alhaitham disliked the idea of changing on a train, with other people around, so he’d put on his robes before leaving home that morning.
“What do you think?” Alhaitham deadpanned, returning to his book. He despised small talk.
“Would it kill you to be nicer?” A different voice this time. Must be the silver-haired guy.
“Cyno!” the boy with the ears hissed in reprimand.
“It might,” Alhaitham said. “I didn’t ask for you to sit here, much less to speak to me.”
“Well, it’s a long train ride,” the boy with the ears mused, “and I was hoping to be productive and make some friends.”
“Don’t you have him?” Alhaitham gestured towards Cyno with his book.
“Cyno doesn’t count,” he replied brusquely.
A look crossed Cyno’s previously inexpressive face that could be only described as immense anguish. “I count the most,” he said, his tone grave.
Alhaitham sighed. He was always the type to take the path of least resistance, and it was clear that his efforts to stop these two from talking to him were futile. He could, however, encourage them to talk amongst themselves rather than to him. “So,” he began, “have you two known each other long?”
“Tighnari and I met while shopping in Diagon Alley,” Cyno answered.
“Mm, so only about a month.” Tighnari added.
“Only?” Cyno asked, seemingly shocked that a month is not, in fact, very long.
“We have been writing to each other a lot since then,” Tighnari admitted.
“Right, so–”
“Are you reading an Ancient Runes textbook?” Tighnari asked, interrupting Cyno. Alhaitham hummed in assent.
“You are aware that they don’t even teach that for another two years, right?” Tighnari pressed. Alhaitham hummed again.
“I guess he just likes Ancient Runes,” Cyno said with a shrug.
“Any first year classes you’re interested in?” Tighnari asked.
“None of them sound that interesting to me. History of Magic will probably be very informative, though.”
Tighnari’s nose wrinkled with distaste, while Cyno just stared wordlessly at him. Alhaitham got the feeling that that’s Cyno’s look of incredulity.
“What did you say your name was again?” Tighnari asked.
“I didn’t.”
“Okay, then what’s your name?”
“Alhaitham.”
“Alhaitham,” Tighnari began, “you have terrible taste.”
Alhaitham rolled his eyes, snapping his book shut. “Then what, pray tell, are you interested to learn?”
“Herbology, mostly.” Tighnari’s teal eyes gleamed. “I’ve always been fascinated by plants and their properties. Oh, Potions too, then, because that’s when you get to actually use them as ingredients.”
“I’m interested in Potions too,” Cyno added, despite not being asked. “And Defense Against the Dark Arts sounds cool. That’s where they teach you how to enact justice.”
Cyno’s expression clouded over in a way that was mildly alarming, but Tighnari seemed unbothered. “Cyno is pretty serious about becoming an auror. He just describes it in such a way that no human would actually piece together what he means.”
Alhaitham merely made another noise in assent, not especially concerned with the ever-growing list of Cyno’s quirks.
The idle chatter began to die down after about two hours, mostly consisting of Cyno and Tighnari talking amongst themselves and Alhaitham interjecting or non-verbally acknowledging what they were saying when it was clear that an answer was expected of him. The conversation soon turned to family, and he learned that Cyno was an orphan who’d been taken in by Hogwarts’ current Charms professor.
“How does that work?” Alhaitham asked. “If he’s a professor, isn’t he away for most of the year?”
“He wasn’t hired until I was ten. He also came back most weekends, which, considering the distance, was very thoughtful of him. And, he’d taken in another child before me, so she was old enough to help take care of me,” he paused, as though deciding whether to reveal more. “Actually, she was hired by Hogwarts as well, just this year. They’d been trying to get her to join the faculty since she graduated, but she refused until I was old enough to leave for Hogwarts. She’s the new Potions professor.”
“Wow. Impressive pedigree, being raised by two Hogwarts professors.” Alhaitham deadpanned.
Cyno rolled his eyes. “What about you?”
“Nothing special. Both my parents died when I was young. I was raised by my grandmother.”
“Yikes, I can’t believe I’m the only one with living parents.” Realizing what he’d just said, Tighnari grimaced. “That sounded insensitive, sorry.”
“You’re also the only one whose ears look like that, and you have a tail, ” Alhaitham pointed out. “Your lineage is clearly the most interesting.”
“It is more insensitive to just ask Tighnari about his ears like that.” Cyno spoke evenly, but there was a warning glint in his eyes.
“Easy, Cyno. I’m surprised it took him over two hours to say anything. He’s been polite enough.” Tighnari turned to face Alhaitham. “It’s a bloodline curse.”
Oh, a curse. Alhaitham felt the slightest bit like an asshole for asking now.
“Dozens of generations ago, one of my ancestors was cursed to turn into a fennec fox during the day and be human at night. According to legend, that is. He did manage to find a woman who accepted him, and they only met up at night. Long story short, the children on my father’s side have all been born with fennec fox-like traits, and while further generations became more and more human as they had children with normal humans, the curse is stubborn. A few generations ago, we were left with just ears and a tail, but those never went away. It seems that we’re stuck with them. I don’t really mind. I get weird looks, my ears are sensitive, and sometimes people try to touch my tail, but I’ve no issue with the way I look.”
“I like your ears. And your tail.” Cyno added.
“I know, Cyno.”
After another hour or so, the trolley lady came by, and they each bought a couple of snacks. Cyno became shockingly passionate as he discussed the cards that came with the Chocolate Frogs, trying to explain the rules of the card game you could play with them.
“This one is of Headmistress Nahida. Some say that she was cursed to be eternally young, while others say that she exhausted so much magic during an ancient war that her body aged in reverse, until she looked like a child again. She’s actually 500 years old, though, and in Genius Invokation TCG, she’s a Dendro catalyst user who can apply an effect to the opposing player’s cards that will deal additional damage if they’re hit with elemental reaction damage.” Cyno rambled, shoving the card in Alhaitham and Tighnari’s faces. The picture of the young girl with white hair and a white dress bobbed and moved among a sea of vegetation, not unusual for magical cards.
“Mm, how interesting.” Alhaitham commented dryly.
“It is,” Cyno agreed, not picking up on the sarcasm. “I’ll have to show you guys how to build your own decks once we’re settled at Hogwarts. Luckily, I packed several Genius Invokation TCG starter packs.”
Tighnari groaned.
——
Alhaitham was roused what must have been a few hours later by someone rapping on the door to their cabin. Looking around, Alhaitham noticed that it was dark outside. The door slid open, and a Hufflepuff prefect, based on the badge and their robes, told them to get dressed if they hadn’t already, as they were nearly at Hogwarts. That managed to wake both Cyno and Tighnari. Cyno had apparently grabbed onto Tighnari’s tail in his sleep, and Tighnari slapped his hands away, though the action seemed to lack any real malice.
Yawning, Tighnari stood up and stretched. “Guess we should get changed into our uniforms, huh, Cyno?”
Cyno merely nodded in response, and Alhaitham jerked his thumb over at the door.
“I’ll wait in the aisle.”
Tighnari looked like he wanted to say something, but decided not to. He seemed smart enough to realize that Alhaitham was doing this for his own comfort, rather than theirs.
Standing out in the Express’ aisle wasn’t much preferable to being inside the cabin. Students were running up and down the train car, and a few too many of them were shrieking for Alhaitham’s liking. He grit his teeth as a fourth student brushed past him, their robes scratching uncomfortably against his. Thankfully, the cabin door opened again, and Tighnari gestured for him to come back inside.
“We’re all done in here. Come look!” Tighnari says, and he joins Cyno, both of them now wearing their robes, at the cabin’s window. Alhaitham cautiously steps forward to stand next to them. Outside, atop a tall cliff, hundreds of warm, rectangular yellow lights shone. It was pretty dark, but he could still make out the outline of a huge castle. Even Alhaitham felt a little impressed, and a little intimidated. They all watched in silence as the Hogwarts Express chugged its way to an old platform, made of rocks that had been cobbled together like an old street. There was a loud screech and grinding of metal against metal as the Express finally came to a halt. Alhaitham felt the train bounce up and down slightly as students bounded their way off the train. Not wanting to get caught up in the wave of students still pouring down the aisle, Alhaitham hung back inside the cabin, somewhat deliberately blocking the door so that neither Tighnari nor Cyno could try and drag him out with them.
Tighnari’s left ear twitched. “Do you think we’re supposed to bring our luggage with us?” He eyed the luggage racks above their heads. As Tighnari’s gaze traced over a cage nestled beside Alhaitham’s trunk, his eyes widened. “Have you had a bird of prey in here the entire time?” He asked, flabbergasted.
Alhaitham rolled his eyes. “He’s a golden eagle. And yes. I would have thought your powers of observation would be better.”
It was Tighnari’s turn to roll his eyes. “I’m plenty perceptive, thanks. It’s just that—” Tighnari paused, gesturing towards his ears. “I would have normally heard a bird by now. But there’s been no cawing, not even any feathers ruffling.”
Alhaitham just shrugged. “Aquila knows that I prefer the quiet.”
“Weird name,” Cyno deadpanned.
“It's Latin,” Alhaitham responded placidly. “The etymology of your name is worse.”
The corners of Cyno’s mouth turned downwards almost imperceptibly, his impassive expression turning into something akin to a pout. “In regards to the luggage,” he began, an attempt at changing the subject. “Cyrus mentioned that we’re to leave it here. It gets brought up to the castle separately and sent to our rooms once we’ve been Sorted.” He turned to face the door that Alhaitham was still blocking. “The train has mostly emptied out. We should get going. The first years arrive separately from the rest of the students, and we don’t want to get left behind.”
Alhaitham begrudgingly stepped aside, though he wouldn’t have if Cyno hadn’t been right about the clamour on the train having nearly died down. They weaved their way down the aisle, navigating around the few stragglers who still lingered in the corridor. The exit door was wide open, and Alhaitham had to peek between Tighnari’s ears to see that the sun had almost set outside. There were only a few rays of orange still peeking over the horizon to the west, and in the east, the crescent moon hung low and large in the sky. Cyno hopped to the ground, followed by Tighnari, with Alhaitham bringing up the rear. If Alhaitham stumbled slightly, nearly rolling his ankle on the cobbled stone, no one noticed. Unfortunately, the platform was much more crowded than the train was, since everyone who had now been on the train had, well, gotten off. Tighnari was covering his ears, flattening them down against his head. Alhaitham shared the sentiment, but refused to show his discomfort externally. As they pushed through the bustling crowd, a loud, but somehow soft voice rang out above the platform.
“First years, please make your way over here! Leave any luggage on the train or on the platform, it will be brought up to your rooms in the castle for you. First years, over here!” The voice continued to call out, so they headed towards it. Alhaitham noticed that everyone else was heading the other direction, before lining up and boarding carriages that were being pulled by empty air. Or, it certainly appeared like nothing was pulling them. Eh, whatever.
A group of what Alhaitham assumed were first years was beginning to gather and grow at the end of the platform that they were headed towards. None of them made an attempt to push through the crowd to see who the speaker was, though Alhaitham did peer over a few rows of heads. He wasn’t tall for his age, by any means, but it wasn’t lost on him that Tighnari was standing on his tiptoes and how Cyno was craning his neck at an impossible angle. In the center of the crowd (which must have numbered a hundred, Alhaitham guessed) was a slender woman with long white hair, worn down, except for a long braid on one side of her face. A few green strands stood out among the pale strands, matching her bright green eyes, and Alhaitham distantly recalled the young girl on the card that Cyno had shown him. She wore a long silvery cloak that hid the entirety of her body from the neck down, and she was not tall, though she stood about a head above the majority of the gaggle of fourteen year-olds that surrounded her. The woman brandished a tall, gnarled wooden staff, slightly taller than she was. It was hooked at the end, curled around on itself, and from that end hung a lantern. Once it was clear that no one was left milling about on the platform, the woman spoke again.
“Hello, first years. I am the Keeper of Keys and Grounds for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. You may simply address me as ‘the gamekeeper’. It is my job to maintain the grounds and keep Hogwarts’ rather notorious Forbidden Forest in check. And, on the first day of school, it is also my job to guide you first years to the school so that you may be Sorted into your Houses. Another professor will give you more information in regards to the Sorting process once you arrive. For now, however, we must begin to make our way to the castle. Please, follow me.” With a great rustling of her cloak, the gamekeeper turned around and began marching down the cobbled pathway that led…directly towards the lake. Hogwarts certainly was across the lake, albeit perched high above it, on a massive cliff face. Surely the method by which all the other students had been taken to the castle was more efficient. The gamekeeper stopped only when she came to the very edge of the water. She tapped her staff on the ground once with a dull thunk, and a fleet of small boats bobbed up from under the water and glided to shore. There must have been at least fifty of them. The gamekeeper turned to face the students once more.
“As you can see, it is tradition that the first years cross the Black Lake by boat before beginning their time at Hogwarts. A boat can fit up to four people, but I would recommend groups of three, so that you have some leg room. However, please do not form groups any smaller than three, as we may run out of boats. And do not worry, the spell that I used to raise the boats also dries out the interior. You will not be sitting in a puddle of water. Students have fallen in, so please keep shenanigans to a minimum. I will lead the way. Please find your groups and begin embarking.” With that, she casually stepped into the nearest boat, fitting her staff into the bow so that the lantern rose high above the water, making her easy to spot in the near-darkness. The boat pushed off from the shore by itself, coming to a stop and floating patiently several metres from shore.
Tighnari turned to Cyno and Alhaitham with a wolfish (or foxish, rather) grin. “So,” he began slyly. “Wanna share a boat?”
“You knew, didn’t you?” Alhaitham asked, rather than answer Tighnari.
“I might have heard from my parents that the ride to Hogwarts is usually three to four people, yes.”
Alhaitham groaned. “Is that why you insisted on bothering me for the entire duration of the trip here?”
Tighnari’s left ear twitched, then the right one. “It isn’t the only reason. But it may have been my motivation for seeking out somebody other than Cyno.”
“If all you wanted was a third person for our boat,” Cyno piped up, “we could have just tracked down my cousin.”
“Your cousin?!” Alhaitham and Tighnari exclaimed simultaneously. Well, Tighnari exclaimed. Alhaitham’s tone was as flat as ever.
“Yes. It’s his first year too. He’s probably around here somewhere.”
“And you didn’t think to mention that?” Tighnari asked, exasperated. Cyno merely shrugged. Tighnari sighed. “Ah, whatever. You’re stuck with us now, Haitham.”
“No nicknames.”
“Fine. The point still stands.” Tighnari flipped his hair over his shoulder and strode over to the nearest unoccupied boat. Cyno followed diligently, while Alhaitham followed more begrudgingly. Tighnari sat in the front, and Cyno took the middle, leaving Alhaitham the stern. Alhaitham did not tip the boat over and end up with a mouthful of sand and rocks, but it was close. The second he was seated, the boat pushed itself off the shore, and Alhaitham held himself perfectly still, as tipping the boat over now would be much, much worse than doing so on land.
Soon, the last of the students had boarded their boats, and the fleet all began to move towards the castle. The boats automatically followed the gamekeeper’s boat, her lantern swaying wildly. Cyno and Tighnari were marvelling aloud, while Alhaitham silently watched the wake left by nearby boats dissipate. The boats were moving faster than Alhaitham would’ve thought advisable for small wooden craft, but who was he to discount centuries of tradition? The boat lurched as the fleet began to arrange itself into two lines, and Alhaitham almost went over the side. Nevermind, centuries of tradition sucks. They should have changed it the same year kids first fell in!
To make things worse, they appeared to be heading right for the cliff face below Hogwarts. Alhaitham hoped it was a Platform 9 ¾ situation where they would pass right through. Surely, that had to be the case. Despite himself, he held his breath as the gamekeeper approached the cliff face, and… the rock parted around her. Not the rock, actually, but rather a thick curtain of ivy that had been imperceptible in the dark, now illuminated by her lantern.
Slowly, the two lines of boats passed under the ivy curtain, where a cave had been repurposed into a docking area. The docks themselves were made of large, rectangular stone blocks, with one dock on each side of the cave. The bottom of a winding staircase sat in between the two docks, directly opposite the entrance to the cave. The boats pulled up to the docks one at a time, with each of the lines using one of the docks. Once the students on a given boat were unloaded, the empty boat would turn around and drive itself back out of the cave, passing through the space left in the middle of the canal by the two lines. Their boat pulled up to the dock on the left, and Alhaitham hurried to get out first before there was no weight holding the boat in place.
The students gathered in front of the staircase, where the gamekeeper waited. Luckily, Hogwarts had had the foresight to include a rather large platform in this area. Once all the students were out of their boats, she gestured with her staff for them to follow her.
One grueling spiral staircase later, the gaggle of first years surfaced on the lawn. The gamekeeper continued to lead them to what was clearly the front door, and Tighnari huffed, slightly winded. “All that, and they can’t even have the stairs lead directly into the school?”
“Poorly designed,” Cyno agreed.
The gamekeeper turned to face them, smiling, but held up a finger to her lips. The idle chatter died down, until all that could be heard was the huffing and puffing of those still recovering from the staircase. Luckily, it was only a short distance to cover, and the massive oaken doors creaked open as the gamekeeper stood before them. She smiled back over the crowd of first years. “This is where I leave you all. Professor Xianyun will brief you all on the Sorting process and bring you to the Great Hall. I wish you all good luck in your studies. I am certain that each of you will become great witches and wizards.”
“Thank you, gamekeeper.” A stern female voice echoed from inside the castle. A tall woman dressed in black robes accented with red and teal stepped into the doorway. Her hair was impractically long, falling below her waist even though it was tied up. Large chunks of her ponytail were a bright turquoise colour, and she wore red rectangular half-frame glasses. The gamekeeper nodded before walking off across campus, her cloak swishing after her. “Come inside now,” the woman, Professor Xianyun, urged, gesturing for them to come in. As the group began to pile inside, Alhaitham cast a glance over the lawn, in the direction where the gamekeeper had been heading, but he saw no one there.
The castle doors creaked shut as the last of the students joined the rest of them in the hall, and Professor Xianyun began leading them up yet more stairs.
“Greetings, all. As the gamekeeper said, I am Professor Xianyun. I will be teaching you all Transfiguration for the next seven years. If you are Sorted into Ravenclaw House, I will also be your Head of House. Speaking of Sorting, as some of you may know, Hogwarts Sorts its students into four Houses: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Your House will be like your family during your time at Hogwarts. You will live together, eat together, and take classes together.” Alhaitham did not love the idea of living with anyone for that long. Other people are noisy and they disrupt his routine. Nevertheless, Professor Xianyun continued.
“No House is better than any other, and the Sorting serves to place like-minded students together, nothing more. Hogwarts also has a House points system. Exceptional achievement and good performance in class will gain you House points, while any rule-breaking will cause you to lose them. At the end of the year, the House with the most points will be awarded the House Cup. As for the Sorting itself, when I call your name in the Great Hall, you are to come forward and sit. I shall place the Sorting Hat on your head, and the Sorting Hat will decide which House you will belong to for your time at Hogwarts. Once you have been Sorted, you are to go sit at your House’s corresponding table for dinner. After that point, your House’s prefects will guide you. Are there any questions?” No one spoke, no one raised their hands.
“Very well.” They had come to their destination, as another set of massive oak doors swung open to reveal what, based on its sheer size alone, had to be the aptly-named Great Hall. The ceilings were impossibly high, seeming to disappear into the skies above. In fact, maybe they did, because a vast starry sky was all that Alhaitham could see where the roof should be. Innumerable candles floated high above the five tables that filled the space. The table at the front was perpendicular to the other four in the Hall, and was elevated a few feet higher than the others. It seemed that the staff sat there, and in the middle of the table was a chair that looked more like a throne than a chair. It looked empty. The other four tables were longer, arranged lengthwise in the Hall. The table closest to them had a gold and red table runner. Gryffindor. It was followed by Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and then on the far side, Slytherin.
Professor Xianyun led them into the middle of the Great Hall, a few metres in front of the High Table. An unsuspecting wooden chair with an incredibly old, beat-up leather witch’s hat on its seat was sat before them.
“When I call your name,” Professor Xianyun said, unfurling a scroll. Her voice projected throughout the Great Hall. “Please come forward.”
Alhaitham braced himself. Her list was likely alphabetical, which meant that he’d be one of the first who’d have to sit on that chair and wear that dusty hat in front of everyone. Professor Xianyun cleared her throat.
“Alhaitham.”
Damn it.
Alhaitham stepped forwards as nonchalantly as possible and sat down on the chair beside Professor Xianyun. She placed the Hat on his head, and a shower of dust tumbled down off the brim and into his eyes. He suppressed a sneeze. Furthering Alhaitham’s displeasure, the Sorting Hat began to speak to him, although it was only in his mind. Even if no one else could hear it, Alhaitham decided he was not a fan of telepathic hats.
Aren’t you a smart cookie, eh? said the Sorting Hat. Alhaitham didn’t bother replying.
Well, well, the first one of the year is easy. I’ll take it. Let’s put you in…
“RAVENCLAW!” the Hat shrieked, this time out loud. Professor Xianyun retrieved the Hat, and Alhaitham stood, taking large strides over to the table with the dark blue and bronze table runner. The applause was thunderous from the Ravenclaw table, and was a polite volume from the other tables. The noise was overwhelming, and Alhaitham ground his teeth as he took a seat. Distantly, he heard Professor Xianyun’s voice calling for “Amber!” as the noise died down. The applause erupted again shortly after, when a bubbly girl with brown hair was placed into Gryffindor. The next few students drifted by in waves of announcement, silence, applause, silence, announcement, silence, applause, silence, until Alhaitham’s now sluggish brain picked up on Cyno’s name being called. The tear in the brim of the Sorting Hat opened wide as it proclaimed that he, too, would go to Gryffindor. He zoned out again until a trembling girl with deep blue hair and large bags under her eyes sat across from him. He hadn’t heard what her name was, but she looked just as uncomfortable as Alhaitham felt, and that was minutely reassuring.
Alhaitham tuned back in when Tighnari’s name was called, and, to his own surprise, he found himself clapping along with everyone else (though perhaps not as enthusiastically) when Tighnari was assigned to Ravenclaw. Tighnari slid into the seat next to Alhaitham.
“Kind of a bummer that Cyno’s in another House, but at least we’re together, right Alhaitham?”
Oddly, Alhaitham felt himself nodding. Tighnari’s name was alphabetically late, so he found some solace in knowing that the Sorting Ceremony was almost over. Professor Xianyun listed off a few more names before rolling her scroll of parchment back up. There was yet another round of applause as she stalked her way over to the High Table, taking her seat. Her chair was two seats to the left of the throne-like center chair, between an elderly woman whose gray hair was pulled into a bun, and a man dressed in green, wearing thick glasses. His hair was cut bluntly at chin length, which was certainly a choice.
“Ahem, excuse me everyone,” a young voice echoed throughout the Hall. Alhaitham’s gaze slid over slightly to the right. The girl with green and white hair from the TCG card was speaking, sitting on the chair. Standing on the chair, actually. Alhaitham hadn’t noticed that she was at the table. She was almost certainly too short for him to have realized she was seated at the table before. A white wand was pressed to her throat, amplifying her voice. The chatter ceased immediately.
“Hello all. I am the Headmistress of this school. Please just call me ‘Headmistress Nahida’. On behalf of myself and all of our faculty, I welcome you all to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. To our returning students, I hope you’re all excited for another fun and educational year,” A raucous cheer erupted from the majority of the student body. “And, to our new students, I am excited to meet you all. You have seven years of wonderful learning ahead of you, and the faculty and I are eager to make these seven years memorable for you all.” There was a quieter, more hesitant round of applause. She laughed good-naturedly. “I can see that some of you are nervous. That’s perfectly normal. If anyone has questions or concerns, the door to my office is always open,” she paused, looking around the room.
“Now, I do have to inform you all of the rules. Firstly, please mind the restrictions regarding your Houses. Students from other Houses are not allowed to enter the dormitories and common rooms of your House. If you are discovered letting someone into your House who does not belong, or if you are the one attempting to enter another House, you will lose House points, and will be given detention. Additionally, please sit at your House’s table for dinner. Some leniency will be afforded for breakfast and lunch seating, but it is mandatory that you obey assigned seating for dinner time.” A few students grumble, but Headmistress Nahida ignores it.
“Next, please be aware that curfew is at ten hours post meridiem. Please be in your common rooms or dorms by this time. Anyone found lingering after hours will lose House points, and may be subject to detention. Lastly, the Forbidden Forest on the school grounds is strictly off-limits. Punishment for entering the Forest will be similar to those listed prior. Please note that this rule is in place for your safety.”
The Hall was eerily silent. Headmistress Nahida cleared her throat again. “Well, with that out of the way, let us eat!” She clapped her hands twice, and dozens of platters of food, along with plates and silverware, materialized, covering each of the tables. Another cheer erupted from the students, before the clinking of dinnerware and chatter filled the room. Headmistress Nahida sat back down, her head barely visible behind the whole roast chicken in the centre of the High Table.
Alhaitham surveyed the options before him. He scowled at the soup dishes, earning a look from Tighnari. Alhaitham piled meat dishes and a reasonable heaping of vegetables on his plate. He was pleased to realize that the food was well-seasoned, or at least, better than he’d expected. Could be a bit spicier. Tighnari did not seem to mind the taste of the food either. Oddly, his plate was full of mostly mushroom dishes. Alhaitham raised an eyebrow, but did not ask. They ate mostly in silence, the ceaseless babble coming from the other students being more than enough noise for the both of them. In fact, their end of the table seemed like the quietest place in the Great Hall, broken only by the occasional anxious whimpers of the blue-haired girl.
Once it was clear that most of the student body had finished eating, Headmistress Nahida stood again to make another announcement.
“Prefects! Please escort the first years to your respective Houses. Everyone else is welcome to linger here for a bit longer, but please mind the curfew!” She took her seat again, and the sound of benches scraping against the floor filled the Hall.
“Alright, Ravenclaw first years! Please come with me!” An older student called from the opposite end of the table. It was a boy with fluffy, whitish-blond hair. He wasn’t tall, by any means, but by virtue of being older, he did stand above most of the first years that began to crowd around him. The girl with the eye bags squeaked in alarm, seemingly roused from being half-asleep, as she stood and scurried over to the prefect. Alhaitham felt the bench beneath him slide back diagonally as Tighnari also stood. He jerked his neck over towards the prefect in an ‘are you coming?’ gesture, and Alhaitham sighed. The oak bench screeched loudly as Alhaitham pushed himself to a standing position, trudging after Tighnari.
“My name is Albedo,” said the prefect, his voice almost eerily soft. His eyes were big and watery blue, and the small smile on his face gave Alhaitham the slightest sense of unease. “I became a Ravenclaw prefect this year,” he continued. “Please follow me to Ravenclaw Tower. Oh, and stick closely behind. The castle is notorious for its 142 moving staircases.”
Moving staircases? Tighnari mouthed to Alhaitham. Alhaitham shrugged. Somewhere to his right, he heard the sleepy girl squeak again. A headache was building behind his temples. The excited chatter from every House’s table as the first years were being assembled was starting to really grate on him. Luckily, Albedo had been the briefest with his introductory speech, and the Ravenclaw first years were the first ones to be led out of the Great Hall.
As they walked through the halls, Alhaitham focused entirely on committing the route to memory, rather than whispering excitedly like the others were doing. Thankfully, Tighnari made no attempt to speak to him either, seemingly too busy marvelling at the high ceilings and the dozens of staircases that were shifting around in the atrium.
After five staircases, seven left turns, and four right turns, they came to a large door at the top of the latest set of stairs. This one didn’t move, as it was the spiral staircase that wound its way up Ravenclaw Tower. Oddly, the door before them had no doorknob, no handle, no keyhole, no nothing. There was only a large bronze knocker in the shape of an eagle, right in the middle of the door.
Albedo, standing in front of the door, turned to face the gaggle of students on the stairs below him. “The other Houses’ common rooms are password-protected. That is, you need to know an ever-changing passphrase to get inside. Actually, that’s not entirely true. I hear Hufflepuff employs a rather strange method of entry, but is still one that relies on memorization. Regardless, Ravenclaw is different.” His lips quirked slightly upwards. “Ravenclaw’s common room is both the easiest and hardest to enter. The method for entry is not a secret kept between the members of the House. Rather, you have to answer the eagle’s riddle.”
He turned back towards the door, rapping the knocker three times. The eagle’s bronze wings shuddered and flapped once, before it cawed out a riddle.
“What is it that defines a human’s humanity?”
Albedo tapped his chin in thought. “Ah. I’d say… their choices.”
The knocker squawked appreciatively. “A good answer.”
The door creaked open, and Albedo stepped inside.
“As you can see, anyone can enter as long as they answer the riddle. The riddles don’t have correct answers, per se, just answers that the eagle deems appropriate. But, as you can also see, the riddles are not necessarily easy to answer. This is to encourage creative thinking, but it also means that it is quite common to get locked out. Not to worry, someone will eventually come by and answer in a manner that is satisfactory.”
Simple enough, Alhaitham supposed. He tried to look around the common room, despite the group of students that had packed themselves inside. The room was wide and circular, with arched windows placed every couple of metres. The windows were all fitted with dark blue and bronze silk curtains, and there was an unreasonably large eagle statue mounted on the back wall. There were two staircases on either side, each one visibly curving inwards. Alhaitham surmised that they must both lead to the same place. There were bookshelves squeezed between every window, and a couple velvet chairs in Ravenclaw blue were placed sparsely around the room. A midnight-coloured carpet dotted with stars covered the floor, and the same image of a night sky was reflected onto the domed ceiling. It wasn’t Alhaitham’s favourite colour, by any means, but it certainly didn’t assault his senses like yellow or red would. Freeing himself from the crowd, Alhaitham walked up to the nearest window. Even though it was dark, he could make out the lake that they’d just sailed across, the Quidditch Pitch, what he assumed to be the Forbidden Forest that the Headmistress had mentioned, and—
“The Herbology gardens!” Tighnari gasped excitedly, having joined Alhaitham at the window without him noticing. “I know where I’m spending my weekends. Do you think the greenhouses are also on this side of the castle?”
“How should I know?”
Behind them, Albedo was leading the students up the staircase on the right. Deciding to test his hypothesis, Alhaitham picked the left staircase.
“Wh— Alhaitham?! Shouldn’t we be following Albedo?” Tighnari asked, a little frazzled.
“You’re welcome to do so. However, it seems obvious to me that the staircases lead to the same place, and I’ve grown tired of being squeezed into narrow passageways with a dozen other students.”
Tighnari appeared to consider this, before sighing and following Alhaitham. Sure enough, they emerged at what looked like the second floor of the common room. It looked more or less the same as the first floor, but with more bookshelves and more sets of dark blue armchairs and mahogany tables grouped around. A large marble statue of a witch stood against the far wall, replacing the eagle statue from the first floor. A bronze plaque on the base read Rowena Ravenclaw. The House’s founder, no doubt. On either side of the statue was yet another pair of staircases. This time, they curved away from each other.
“Boys dorms on the right, girls on the left. The dorms are organized by year, so do take care to enter the one furthest to the left, once you reach the top of the staircase. All your things should already be inside, but do let me know if you discover that anything is missing. Please use this time to unpack and get yourselves ready for bed. I’ll be on the first floor until curfew if you need anything.” With that, Albedo turned away and headed back down the stairs, his robes swishing behind him.
Alhaitham was the first to make a move, immediately climbing the staircase and finding the door to their dormitory. This room was semicircular, with five four-poster beds arranged in an arc against the curved wall. The beds were draped in yet more blue, and the starry carpet and ceiling were here, too. There were windows in between each bed, like the ones in the common room, except these ones had perches coming out of the walls beside them. A dresser was also beside each bed, along with a bedside table. Alhaitham was pleased to see that his luggage was in front of the bed that was the furthest to the left, meaning that he only had to deal with one person having a bed beside his.
The first thing he did was let Aquila out of his cage, setting him on the perch. Alhaitham opened the window, in case Aquila wanted to fly around for a bit, but the eagle didn’t move.
“Suit yourself,” he murmured. Aquila only cocked his head in response.
The sound of a trunk opening to his right shook him out of his thoughts. To his relief, it was Tighnari whose belongings had been set by the bed next to his.
“Oh my, how wonderful. You have an eagle, and we are in Ravenclaw. How poetic it is. I can only imagine that having our House mascot in our dormitory will bring us good fortune during our time here.”
Both Alhaitham and Tighnari whirled towards the door, towards the source of the voice. A boy with white hair and a serene smile stood in the doorway, seemingly awaiting a response.
“Man alive, Kazuha, you can't just enter a room like that.” Another boy, of similar height to the first, popped out from behind him. He had hair the colour of red wine, and apple-green eyes. “Apologies for him, guys. Kazuha is just, like, really passionate about poetry and stuff. I’m surprised he didn’t introduce himself with a haiku.”
“Should I?” mused Kazuha, his crimson eyes glinting at the suggestion.
“Absolutely not,” replied the boy with the currant-coloured hair. “I’m Heizou, by the way. Shikanoin Heizou. Nice to meet ya!”
“Kaedehara Kazuha. It is a pleasure,” added Kazuha.
“Alhaitham,” he said flatly, returning to unpacking his trunk.
“Don’t mind him too much. I’m Tighnari.” In his periphery, Alhaitham saw Tighnari walk over to shake hands with Heizou and Kazuha.
“My, what a beautiful tail you have, Tighnari,” lulled Kazuha’s voice. It had a strange, almost dreamlike quality to it. “If you don’t mind me asking, what is the reason for your, ah, fox-like appearance? You’re not an animagus, are you?”
“Archons, Kazuha, you can’t just ask someone why they’re a fox!”
Tighnari chuckled. “It’s fine. And I’m not an animagus. An animagus would be able to return to a completely human form.”
As Tighnari regaled their roommates with the tale of his lineage that Alhaitham had already heard, Alhaitham unpacked with ruthless efficiency. By the time the chatter from the three others died down, Alhaitham was already lying in bed, reading a book.
“Not much for conversation, huh Alhaitham?” called Heizou, a teasing lilt to his voice.
“Nope,” replied Alhaitham, emphasizing the last syllable.
Heizou folded a set of robes, tucking them in an open dresser drawer. “I can respect that,” he said.
“Indeed. There is a certain beauty in silence, wouldn’t you agree?” Kazuha added, stacking scrolls of parchment on the top of his dresser.
“Whatever.”
“Kazuha, you have got to stop talking like such a freak!” Heizou tugged at his hair, exasperated.
Tighnari, who was also done packing and was lying in bed, rolled over onto his stomach, holding himself up on his elbows. “It doesn’t matter how Kazuha speaks, Alhaitham just prefers to keep to himself. You shouldn’t take it personally.” He let his arms go limp, flopping face down onto the bed. “Or so I think. I only met him this morning.”
“Worry about yourselves. Classes start tomorrow.”
Heizou groaned. “Don’t remind me.”
“It’s not even the first day, and you’re already complaining? That doesn’t bode well.” Tighnari said, raising an eyebrow.
“Ugh, I know. I’m just not looking forward to waking up so early. I might skip breakfast.”
Kazuha clicked his tongue in disapproval. “An extra hour of sleep isn’t worth going hungry. Lunch isn’t until noon.”
“Maybe I’ll sleep in until eight, and eat breakfast really fast, instead of getting up for seven-thirty.”
A loud sigh came from Kazuha’s side of the room. “I suppose that’s better than nothing.” The creak of Kazuha’s bed, on the opposite side of the room from Alhaitham’s, indicated that he too was finished unpacking.
“Am I the only one who hasn’t finished unpacking?” Heizou asked, his voice shrill.
“Better stop talking and hurry up if you want your eight hours.” Alhaitham deadpanned.
This seemed to work, as Heizou began stuffing items into his dresser at lightning speed as everyone else got ready for bed. By the time that they could extinguish the lamps, it was past 11. Not terribly late, but late enough that Alhaitham would rather be asleep by now. Heizou’s hushed apologies as he finally tucked himself into bed were the last things Alhaitham heard before he drifted off.
——
Alhaitham found out the hard way that Hogwarts’ ridiculous number of clocks all chimed extra loudly at seven in the morning. Across the room, there was the telltale sound of Heizou groaning and the fwump of fabric— likely, he’d covered his ears with a pillow. Alhaitham sat up begrudgingly, seeing that Tighnari and Kazuha had done the same, though they both looked more awake than Alhaitham felt. Tighnari was out of bed the fastest, and when he pulled his robes out of his dresser, he gasped.
“These were plain yesterday! Now, they have the Ravenclaw colours and crest on them!” he held the robes up for the others to see.
“Some kind of enchantment, no doubt,” said Kazuha. “They must be enchanted to change colours on the first day of classes.”
“Do you think they get enchanted when they’re made?” Tighnari asked.
Alhaitham let their chatter fade into the background as he dragged himself out of bed and got ready for the day. He tugged on his robes, which were, surely enough, Ravenclaw robes, and ran a hand through his bangs. He checked himself in the dresser mirror. Good enough, he decided.
After brushing his teeth, there were still fifteen minutes until the start of breakfast. As such, Alhaitham decided to wait for Tighnari. Not because he was being nice or because he particularly felt the need to do so, but because it was impractical to arrive at breakfast before the food was even set out.
Or so he told himself.
Tighnari only took a few more minutes to get ready, which was mildly impressive, considering the length of his hair. He’d combed it and braided it straight down his back. It was wise, given that several classes at Hogwarts posed some risk of singeing one’s hair off. Tighnari put his shoes on, and there were five minutes left until the start of breakfast. Kazuha had already left, and Heizou was still in bed. Since Tighnari was ready and it was no longer too early to leave, Alhaitham wordlessly walked out. It took longer than he expected to hear the sound of the door swing shut behind him, so Tighnari must have followed.
The sound of hurried footfalls scuffled across the carpet, slowing as Tighnari appeared in Alhaitham’s periphery. “I hope you know which way you’re going,” said Tighnari, his ears twitching. “Because I think I only remember half of the route we took last night.”
Alhaitham only regarded him silently. “That doesn’t fill me with confidence,” Tighnari muttered.
Alhaitham rolled his eyes. “I know where I’m going.”
“I’ll believe it when I see it.”
In spite of Tighnari’s doubt, they arrive at the Great Hall after making only one wrong turn. It was much emptier than it had been last night at dinner, each of the four House tables being sparsely populated. The High Table was only missing a few of the professors, most of them presumably having better sleep schedules than about half the student body. There was plenty of room at the Ravenclaw table, and Alhaitham picked a spot that was at least three metres away from any other student. Tighnari, of course, plopped down next to him. Either he was ignorant of Alhaitham’s very obvious, very deliberate attempts to avoid socializing, or he just didn’t care. Alhaitham knew that Tighnari was perceptive enough that it had to be the latter.
“Ooh, blueberry pancakes,” said Tighnari, stacking two on his plate. Alhaitham followed suit, but did not verbalize his appreciation. Before he could even take a bite, someone’s hand smacked down on the table in front of them.
“Tighnari,” came a level, slightly stern voice.
“Oh, Cyno. Good morning,” greeted Tighnari.
Cyno slid onto the bench across from them. “Have lunch with me.”
Tighnari raised an eyebrow, his ears flicking inquisitively. “Pardon?”
“At lunchtime, come sit with me at the Gryffindor table,” his gaze shifted slightly to the left. “Alhaitham can come too,” he added, as if he’d just realized that Alhaitham was there. “I want my friends to meet my other friends.”
“Oh wow, replaced me already?” Tighnari joked. Cyno’s gaze darkened.
“Of course not.”
Tighnari chuckled. “I’m messing with you. Lunch sounds good. We’re allowed to sit there, right?”
“I wouldn’t ask you to do something that’s against the rules. Even more so, I’d be breaking the rules right now if that was the case.”
Gesturing with his fork, Tighnari nodded. “Right, we just can’t eat dinner together.”
Cyno’s shoulders slumped. “Indeed.”
“Stop looking so bummed. We have Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts together, and lunch in the middle of those. That’s four hours.”
“Yes, but—” Cyno regarded Tighnari rather pathetically. “We don’t have any classes together on Tuesdays and Thursdays. That’s why we need mealtimes.”
“How did you survive only writing to him for a month?” Alhaitham asked dryly.
“Cyno’s just being dramatic–”
“By telling myself I’d get at least seven years to talk to him.” Cyno replied, absolutely serious. And, somehow, not the slightest bit embarrassed. Tighnari, however, was hunched over, head in his hands.
“Ew.” Alhaitham turned back to his pancakes, lest he lose his appetite entirely.
“Regardless,” continued Cyno, utterly oblivious to the damage he’d just caused. “We should have lunch together. Breakfast too, actually. If you end up liking my friends from Gryffindor, we can eat at the Gryffindor table,” he paused thoughtfully. “But if you don’t like them, I’lll come eat here.”
“Ah, sure,” Tighnari said, straightening. “I’m down to meet them.”
Alhaitham thinks he sees Cyno pump his fist in victory, but the motion is minute and Alhaitham is still very focused on his pancakes, so he can’t be sure.
After this, Cyno fills a plate and they finally fall into silence. Ten minutes before the clocks chime for the end of breakfast, Alhaitham catches Heizou out of the corner of his eye, running past them to sit with Kazuha. Cyno and Tighnari have finished eating, and Alhaitham was done a while ago, so he takes this as his cue to leave.
“Hm? Leaving already?” Tighnari asks.
“I figure that it’s the wise thing to do. Unless you know the way to the Transfiguration classroom already,” Alhaitham unfurled the parchment map of Hogwarts that he’d stashed in the pocket of his robes. “I dislike being early, but there is no excuse for tardiness. Ideally, by the time I locate the classroom, I’ll be right on time.”
Tighnari sighs. “That is wise. Mind if I tag along?”
“We have the same classes. It would be stupid if you didn’t.”
“Well, I was trying to be considerate by asking!” Tighnari huffed. “See you in Charms, Cyno.”
“I’ll be waiting. I have History of Magic first.” Cyno grimaced.
—
They made it to Transfiguration with two minutes to spare. The castle truly was difficult to navigate, as forty minutes should have been plenty of time. Alas, they had taken the wrong staircase. Professor Xianyun was there, as expected, standing menacingly at the front of the room. She was watching as students came in the door, though she said nothing. There were a pair of empty seats in the second row, along the left wall, so Alhaitham and Tighnari sat there. The front row had been the emptiest, and while Alhaitham didn’t care about sitting in the back to try and avoid the Professor’s gaze, the front row was a bit much, especially for a class he wasn’t particularly interested in. A few more stragglers, mostly Hufflepuffs, filed in moments after the clocks chimed.
“I am going to begin today’s lesson,” her stern voice echoed through the room. “I shall be lenient on anyone who arrives late this week, as you are all still getting your bearings, but after that, I shall remove House points from the offending party. Do I make myself clear?” Noises of assent piped up throughout the room. Alhaitham nodded.
“Very good. Now, today we will be working with small objects that are already similar in shape.”
The lesson ended up being on turning matchsticks into needles. Annoyingly, Alhaitham actually found this rather difficult. By the end of the class, his matchstick was much the same, except it had gone a tad silvery. Professor Xianyun had explained the essence of Transfiguration, some kind of formula that involved both one’s own power and concentration, as well as the object itself. Alhaitham grasped this concept somewhat, but struggled to put it into practice. Tighnari appeared to be doing only slightly better than he, as the head of his match had started to turn a bit pointy. Professor Xianyun, doing her rounds of the classroom, had smiled at the both of them and told them that it was a good attempt for the first day of classes.
The dismissal chime rang ten minutes before the start of the next period, and Professor Xianyun gave the Ravenclaw students directions to Charms and the Hufflepuff students to Defense Against the Dark Arts. Thankfully, this meant that the small crowd of Ravenclaw first years all made it to Charms class on time. Unlike the Transfiguration classroom, which was simply composed of several rows of desks with a blackboard at the front, the Charms classroom reminded Alhaitham of a miniature amphitheatre. There was a wide central aisle, with the professor’s desk at the far end. On either side, there were several rows of raised bench seating that got higher towards the back, like the seats of a Quidditch stadium. Alhaitham spotted Cyno in the front row on the left, glaring at anybody who tried to sit next to him. He spotted them entering, and he waved enthusiastically at them. Well, at Tighnari, probably. Tighnari waved back and plopped down next to Cyno, and Alhaitham sat at the end of their row.
“Psst, Cyno,” whispered Tighnari. “Didn’t you say this professor is like, your dad?”
“Professor Cyrus is the one that raised me, yes.”
If Alhaitham hadn’t known better, he might have thought the relation was biological. Cyno and Professor Cyrus had the same shaggy silver hair, though Professor Cyrus’ was likely due to his age, and Professor Cyrus had his pulled back in a low ponytail. The clocks chimed, and Professor Cyrus turned to face the room, his eyes lighting up with recognition as he saw Cyno.
Professor Cyrus seemed much more laid back than Professor Xianyun, but still very knowledgeable. Their lesson was on the Levitation Charm, as basic as it could get. Professor Cyrus passed out large, white owl feathers for everyone to try to levitate. Cyno was able to get it on his first try, the swish-and-flick of his wand looked clearly practiced. The classroom applauded, and Cyno flushed slightly, clearly embarrassed.
“Professor Cyrus had already taught me that once we bought my wand,” Cyno admitted. “I still can’t levitate anything heavier than a book, though.”
Thankfully, Alhaitham grasped this lesson much more easily than Transfiguration. The feather fluttered slightly by his third attempt, and he was able to make it levitate freely by the seventh. Tighnari was close behind, having Cyno personally helping him with his wand movement.
“No, you have to flick it more,” Cyno said, holding his own hand atop Tighnari’s wand hand to guide it. “Swish, and then flick.” The feather floated up a dozen centimetres, and Tighnari gasped.
“Oh, I get it now!” Tighnari tried again, and though Alhaitham could tell that his pronunciation was a bit off, he still managed to get the feather a full metre in the air. The class soon devolved into a pseudo-contest between the three of them, competing to see who could get the feather the highest. Or, rather, Tighnari and Cyno were competing, and Alhaitham was acting as if he were above such antics, but was also definitely trying to do better than the both of them.
The class was over in the blink of an eye, the familiar symphony of clocks ringing for lunch time. Cyno practically dragged Tighnari out of his seat, though they were caught by Professor Cyrus.
“Cyno!” he whisper-shouted. “How’s everything so far? Gryffindor, eh? Do you like it?”
“Everything is good, and yes, I like Gryffindor. In fact, I’m on my way to introduce Tighnari to my Housemates. Oh, and Alhaitham too. That’s Alhaitham.” Cyno jerked his head over to where Alhaitham was standing.
Professor Cyrus nodded at Alhaitham, before bombarding Tighnari with similar questions. It took Cyno pointing out that the professors also only had an hour for lunch for them to be able to leave.
“Sorry about that,” mumbled Cyno. “He’s… enthusiastic about me starting school.”
Tighnari patted Cyno’s arm reassuringly. “We still have plenty of time left for lunch. The clocks haven’t chimed for noon yet.”
As if on cue, the clocktower’s bell rang twelve times. Cyno began speed walking towards the Great Hall, Tighnari jogging after him. Sighing, Alhaitham followed.
—
“Cyno! We were starting to worry you’d decided to ditch us,” a muscular woman with dark brown hair called out. There were golden-yellow streaks placed seemingly haphazardly throughout her long locks, and her eyes were a clear blue.
“Dehya, we only arrived five minutes ago. I wasn’t worried.” The speaker this time was another muscular woman. Her hair was dark blue, almost black, cut short everywhere except for two chunks near the front. She had heterochromia, with one eye being a royal blue and the other being golden. Both girls wore Gryffindor robes. These must be Cyno’s friends.
“We got held up in Charms. Anyway, Dehya, Candace, these are my friends, Tighnari and Alhaitham.”
“Hey! Nice ears,” said Dehya, nodding at Tighnari.
“Ha, thanks,” Tighnari replied, clearly waiting for the follow-up question. None came.
“Come on, sit,” Cyno said, gesturing to the spot next to him. Tighnari did, and Alhaitham followed suit. “Candace and Dehya are second years,” he added.
“Yep! Saw this guy moping in the corner with his TCG cards and we decided to intervene. We’ve already heard all about you two,” Dehya paused, blinking. “Well, mostly Tighnari, actually.” Tighnari raised an eyebrow at this, his ears twitching.
“Dehya,” Candace murmured dangerously. Her tone was one of warning.
“Sorry babe.”
Candace turned back towards them with a warm smile. “Cyno’s only said good things, I promise.”
Tighnari opened his mouth to reply, but another boy practically crashed into the table, dropping harshly into the seat next to Cyno.
“Oh, hello Sethos,” said Candace.
Cyno shot Sethos a look. “Why are you so late? Did you get lost on the way back from Charms?”
“Of course I didn’t! I just went to the washroom.”
“And then you got lost on the way back from the washroom.”
“I did not!”
Cyno turned to Tighnari and Alhaitham. “This is Sethos, my cousin.”
Sethos did resemble Cyno to a degree. They had similar facial structures, and there were silver streaks in Sethos’ fluffy chocolate hair. However, Sethos had startingly green eyes, so much so that Alhaitham felt even less inclined towards eye contact than he normally did.
Sethos nodded at them. “What’s up?”
“I’m Tighnari,” offered Tighnari. A look crossed Sethos’ face that clearly said that he had also already heard about Tighnari.
“Alhaitham.” he said, pulling out a book from his robes.
“Nice to meet you. I hope Cyno hasn’t said too much to disparage my name.”
Tighnari tapped his chin. “Actually, he’s hardly mentioned you.”
“Okay, well, that’s kind of worse. Don’t tell me that.”
Dehya laughed. “We should have more people joining us soon. I have a couple friends from Hufflepuff who sat with us last year.”
“Oh?” Cyno asked. “Is one of them the dancer girl you mentioned?”
“Yeah, Nilou. We got to know her and her friend pretty well in first year.”
Alhaitham turned the page of his book. That would make eight people. It was getting to be too many for his liking.
“Sorry we’re late!” A bright feminine voice echoed through the dull chatter of the Great Hall. A girl with hair so red that it resembled ripe persimmon jogged up to them. A complex hairstyle of braids and buns adorned her head, flowing down her back. It was held in place by small pins with pearls on the ends, and her eyes were the colour of a desert oasis. “Gorou spilled his Fire-Protection Potion, and we stayed back to help him clean it up.”
Dehya raised her hand for a fist bump. “What’s up, ‘Lou? Good to see you.”
Nilou beamed, fist-bumping Dehya. “It’s wonderful to see you all too!”
“I see we have some fresh faces.” Another new voice, this one slightly rough and clearly masculine. As Nilou sat down next to Candace, the person behind her became visible.
What Alhaitham noticed first was that the boy was smiling warmly. His hair was golden like the sun, dusted brown near the ends. It was styled in a thick braid that fell over his left shoulder, just long enough to reach past his chest. His bangs framed his face and curled outwards, with one large chunk falling in between his eyes to tickle his nose. A large teal feather was tucked behind his right ear. Alhaitham couldn’t tell if it was a quill, or just a regular feather, but it was a bizarre choice of accessory all the same. Gold embedded with turquoise and red gems hung from his ears, and his eyes were a deep ruby red. They reminded Alhaitham of pomegranate seeds, looking almost like jewels. He took a seat next to Dehya, across from Alhaitham.
“Kaveh!” Dehya laughed, clapping him on the back. Kaveh let out a strangled cry.
“Be more careful, Dehya! I’m not a Bludger!”
“Ha! The only way you’d ever play Quidditch is as a ball, though.”
Kaveh huffed, the golden strand between his eyes floating up. “Stop making me look bad in front of the first years before I’ve even introduced myself!” Turning to the aforementioned first years, he spoke again. “I’m Kaveh, a second year in Hufflepuff. Though, I’m sure you’ve already heard all that.”
Tighnari spoke first. “I’m Tighnari, a first year in Ravenclaw.”
Putting his book away, Alhaitham met Kaveh’s gaze. “Alhaitham. And I’m the same as Tighnari.”
Kaveh nodded. “Nice to meet you,” he said, focusing that soft smile on him. Alhaitham itched to pull his book back out.
“I’m Sethos.”
“Cyno.”
The cousins spoke simultaneously. Dehya chortled again, and Kaveh just raised an eyebrow. “New Gryffindors, hm? Is Dehya trying to indoctrinate you two into joining the Quidditch team?”
“Wha– of course not!” she dropped her voice a few decibels. “I just want them to try out.”
Kaveh threw his hands up dramatically. “I knew it!”
Dehya grimaced. “You’re still annoyingly smart, I see.”
“Do you have anything nice to say about me?”
Candace smiled, redirecting her attention on the row of first years across the table. “Lots of people in our year say that Kaveh should have gone to Ravenclaw.”
Kaveh scoffed. “Lots of people in our year still can’t distinguish between stirring clockwise or counterclockwise. Who cares what they think?” He began filling his plate with food. Alhaitham wrinkled his nose disapprovingly as Kaveh ladled some soup into his bowl. “Besides, the Hat picks what it picks for a reason. If it were up to me, I would have picked Gryffindor.”
“Aww,” cooed Dehya. “Because you love us?”
“No, because red and gold suit my complexion.” Kaveh gestured to himself with his soup spoon.
“I can somewhat understand that reasoning. I’ve often found myself wishing I were wearing the Ravenclaw robes instead,” supplied Candace.
“You look great in everything, love. Kaveh— well, he’s Kaveh.”
“Archons, Dehya really has it out for me today,” groaned Kaveh.
“Awh, Kaveh, you know she’s just teasing,” Nilou piped up. “You pull off the robes, I promise.”
“So, you play Quidditch, Dehya?” asked Tighnari, sensing the need for a change of topic.
“Yep! You’re looking at the best Beater the Gryffindor team has ever seen. Maybe even the entire school.”
Candace smiled. “She really is quite good. I’m also on the team. I’m the Keeper.”
Kaveh gave her a look. “Wait, do neither of you have to try out again? I thought only the Captain’s position was assured.”
“It is,” Candace said. “But Captain Beidou informed us personally that we’d get to keep our positions.” She regarded Cyno and Sethos. “We are in need of some new talent. So, while I’m sure Dehya only had the purest of intentions when she befriended you both, you should think about it if you like flying.”
Sethos took a swig of his juice. “Don’t first years have to be really good to make the team? Most of us haven’t really flown before.”
Cyno’s gaze steeled. “I’ll do it. I’ll try out. And I’ll make the team.”
Tighnari gaped at him. “But you told me yourself that Professor Cyrus never let you fly!”
“I’ll do it.”
“Well, if Cyno’s doing it, then so will I!” Sethos declared, stabbing his steak forcefully.
Dehya grinned wickedly. “That’s what I like to hear!” For some reason, she clapped Kaveh on the back again, who almost choked on his water.
“How about you two?” Nilou asked. “Are you going to try out for the Ravenclaw team?”
Alhaitham and Tighnari shook their heads in tandem.
“Oh, good. More people to sit with at the games, then,” said Kaveh. “Nilou and I can only do so much on our own.”
“I’m not much of a cheerleader, if that’s what you’re implying.” Alhaitham said, regarding Kaveh warily.
“That’s fine. I’m sure Tighnari will cheer, right, Tighnari?”
“Uh, maybe?”
“Regardless, I’ll enjoy the company.” Kaveh lifted a spoonful of soup to his lips. His hands were very dainty, Alhaitham noticed. He had long, slender fingers, like a musician or an artist. There were a few ink stains on the pads of his fingers.
The conversation drifted to Dehya regaling the table with tales of her Quidditch exploits, with Candace jumping in occasionally to correct Dehya’s exaggerations.
“I remember the first time I saw a Quidditch game,” Kaveh reminisced, his chin in his palm and his elbow braced on the table. “I suppose it makes sense that wizards would have a sport on broomsticks, but four balls? Really? And I still think that Bludgers should be illegal. And that the Snitch awards far too many points. It makes the rest of the game pointless in ninety-nine percent of cases!”
“I’d be out of a job if the Quidditch officials listened to you,” Dehya bemoaned.
“You didn’t know how Quidditch worked?” Tighnari asked. “Are you Muggle-born?”
Kaveh nodded. “Yeah, non-magic parents and whatnot. I’ll say this, Quidditch is a lot more exciting than any Muggle sport, in my opinion. But, I don’t think entertainment value should be derived from the constant threat of being hit in the face with a flying bowling ball.”
“Er, right,” Tighnari scratched his ear in thought. Alhaitham knew what he was thinking about. None of them actually knew what a bowling ball was.
Dehya twirled her fork and pointed it at Kaveh. “Enough Bludger hate! Besides, the Gryffindor team is perfectly safe with me and Captain Beidou as Beaters.”
“I’m not worried about the Gryffindor team,” Kaveh sighed. “I worry for the other teams’ players,” he grimaced. “And the spectators.”
——
They finished lunch with about ten minutes to spare, thanks to the ceaseless chatter.
“We have Defense Against the Dark Arts soon,” Tighnari said, as if he were informing the entire table.
“All of you?” Nilou asked, fixing a pearly hair pin.
“Actually, yeah,” said Sethos, checking the roll of parchment that contained his schedule. “Back-to-back Gryffindor and Ravenclaw classes.”
“Do any of you know where the Defense Against the Dark Arts room is?” queried Kaveh. None of the first years piped up. “We can walk you there, if you want. Nilou and I have History of Magic, which is only one hall over.”
Cyno nodded. “That would be greatly appreciated.”
Candace stood. “Dehya and I have Herbology, which is clear across the grounds. So, we will see you all later.”
Dehya stood up and joined her girlfriend. “See you losers around! Not you, Nilou.”
“Blatant favouritism. I can’t believe it,” huffed Kaveh. “Well, we should get going too.”
Kaveh and Nilou led the four first years to an unassuming classroom that was structured similarly to the Transfiguration classroom. Inside, a tall, intimidating woman waited. She had braided plum-coloured hair that nearly swept the floor, and wore purple robes. Her expression wasn’t so much stern as it was unreadable. She was also incredibly, objectively beautiful, but that only made her more imposing.
“Well, this is the place,” Kaveh said. “Don’t let Professor Raiden scare you. She’s actually pretty nice.”
Kaveh and Nilou waved goodbye before hurrying off to their own class, and the four were left to head inside. Cyno headed straight for the seats at the front, and Tighnari followed. Alhaitham and Sethos sat behind them. Strangely, Alhaitham noticed what looked like a small pink fox curled up on the professor’s desk, napping. Her pet, maybe.
When class started, she addressed the room of students. “Good afternoon. I am Professor Raiden Ei. Professor Raiden will suffice. I am here to teach you both offensive and defensive magic. It is my hope that you will never have to use most of the spells that I teach you over the next seven years, but it is better to be prepared. I will also teach you about hostile magical creatures, and how to deal with them. I would appreciate it if you take my class seriously.”
Professor Raiden then proceeded to demonstrate a very basic spell for producing red sparks. “Very effective for calling for help,” she said. “There are more advanced versions of this spell, but we will stick to the basics for now. It is the first day, after all.”
Once again, Cyno was the first to successfully complete the spell. By the third time he’d uttered ‘ Vermillious’, red sparks pulsed and erupted from his wand. Unlike with the Levitation Charm, this really had been the first he’d heard of this spell.
“Five points to Gryffindor,” said Professor Raiden. “For being a quick study.”
Sethos seemed to take this as a personal challenge, gripping his wand and gritting his teeth so hard that his casting movements and pronunciation were all wrong. Cyno seemed blissfully unaware, as he was once again showing Tighnari what he’d done to succeed. By the end of the class, nearly every student had managed to shoot at least a couple red sparks out of their wands.
As they prepared to leave, Tighnari was practically vibrating with excitement, and Cyno was moping.
“Herbology next, right Alhaitham?” Tighnari asked. Alhaitham nodded. “I’m so excited. I can’t wait to meet the professor. I hope he likes me.”
Cyno hung his head. “But we won’t get to see each other until breakfast tomorrow.”
Sethos rolled his eyes. “That’s not very long.”
“It feels like a long time,” pouted Cyno.
——
The Herbology greenhouses were visible from most of the castle windows, so they were easy enough to find. The Herbology professor, who it turns out was the man with the strange haircut, thick glasses and green robes, met them all outside the rows of greenhouses. When the clock signified the start of class, he began to lead them down the hill.
“I am Professor Naphis. Today, we will be working in Greenhouse Five.” He said nothing else until they arrived and had crowded inside.
“Our lesson will be on the Devil’s Snare. Does anyone know anything about this plant?”
Tighnari’s hand shot up immediately. Nobody else raised theirs, so Professor Naphis called on Tighnari.
“The Devil’s Snare flourishes in dark and damp environments. It will strangle any living being that comes into contact with it. The more you struggle, the faster you will be suffocated. You can escape the clutches of the Devil’s Snare by completely relaxing your body so that it thinks you are dead, or by conjuring fire or light. It especially despises the Sun, but any light source will do in a pinch.”
Professor Naphis grinned. “Excellent. Ten points to Ravenclaw.”
Tighnari was smiling even wider.
Professor Naphis continued the lecture, and Tighnari answered his questions so frequently that Professor Naphis had already memorized Tighnari’s name within the first twenty minutes. Not that it was easy to confuse Tighnari for anyone else, mind you.
——
Dinner was a quiet affair. Tighnari was still riding the high of already becoming Professor Naphis’ favourite pupil, and Alhaitham had little to offer in response.
“Don’t you think his haircut is cool, Alhaitham?”
This gave Alhaitham pause. “Honestly? No.”
Tighnari frowned. “But he pulls it off, right?”
“Somehow, yes.”
Tighnari fidgeted with his braid, which didn’t bode well. “Dinner is kind of boring compared to lunch. I think I’ll eat breakfast and lunch at the Gryffindor table going forward. What about you?”
Alhaitham shrugged. “Maybe. Quiet is good.”
“I get what you mean but…” Tighnari trailed off. “I liked how lively it was. Dehya and Candace seem nice. Nilou and Kaveh too.”
“Dehya and Kaveh were loud.”
“I mean, a little bit. But they seem like good people.” Tighnari poked at his blueberry tart. “No pressure on you, though. Do what you like.”
Soon enough, dinner was over. There were only a couple hours until curfew, but Alhaitham didn’t feel like going back to the common room with Tighnari. Instead, he decided to try and scope out the library. It took him about twenty minutes, but he did manage to find his way there.
He wandered down the aisles. They were sorted alphabetically, so the section on Ancient Runes should be near the front. He peeked around the bookshelf, seeing a label sticking out from the top of it. There was already somebody else in the aisle.
“It’s you.”
“Hm? Oh, hello! It was Alhaitham right?” Kaveh asked pleasantly.
Alhaitham nodded.
“So, what brings you here?”
Alhaitham gave Kaveh a look. “What else would I be doing? Checking out books.”
Kaveh raised his hands in a gesture of mock-surrender. “Hey, I was just wondering if you ended up saddled with some kind of super-difficult homework on the first day and needed help.” He turned his focus back on the shelf in front of him. Removing a book, he trailed a finger along its spine before cracking it open. The cloud of dust that was released made him cough.
Alhaitham glanced at the label above the bookshelf Kaveh was perusing. “Arithmancy? Don’t you have till third year before you can take those classes?”
Kaveh laughed. “The pot’s calling the kettle black, is he? The same applies to Ancient Runes, you know.”
That was true. And it was just Alhaitham’s luck that Kaveh’s subject of interest would fall right next to Alhaitham’s in the alphabetical sorting system. His quiet night of reading at the library had been interrupted by seeing someone that he’d be societally required to at least greet.
Alhaitham took a deep breath to steady himself. “Why do you like Arithmancy?”
“What’s not to like? It’s magic with numbers. I really liked math when I was in elementary school, and when I heard that you can literally predict the future with math and numbers, I just had to look into it!”
“Math?” asked Alhaitham.
Kaveh groaned, bringing his palm to his forehead. “I always forget that you wizards didn’t go to school before this. Not to mention that you don’t learn math. Math is like— it’s the study of how numbers work together and interact and stuff— ugh, it’s kind of hard to describe to someone who’s never done it.”
Alhaitham cocked his head, only sort of understanding.
“Whatever,” sighed Kaveh. “Why do you like Ancient Runes?”
“Languages are fascinating.”
“Is that it?”
Alhaitham just regarded Kaveh silently.
“I see. I guess that’s as good a reason as any.” Kaveh glanced at the large clock in the middle of the library. “Ugh, fifteen minutes until curfew. I’m going to go check this book out,” he wiggled the tome in his hand. “See you at breakfast, Haitham!”
“No nicknames.” Alhaitham stated firmly, but Kaveh had already rounded the corner and had disappeared from sight. From this angle, Alhaitham had noticed that the back of Kaveh’s hair was woven with blocky red hair pins, holding back strands that were too far back to be his bangs but too short to gather into his braid.
He sighed. Clearly, Alhaitham would have to go have breakfast at the Gryffindor table. To see him. To correct him about his usage of nicknames. Alhaitham could survive one more meal with that noisy group. It had to be done, or else Kaveh would go around calling him ‘Haitham’ to everyone, and that would be annoying.
Alhaitham plucked a book from the shelf. “Guess I’ll be going too,” he said, to no one in particular.