Harry Potter and the Boy Who Lived

Chapter 2: Hogwarts Fall

The Morning After

Ravenclaw Common Room, (Sept. 2 nd )...

"Hey, Potter, wake up."

Harry stirred slightly in his comfortable four-poster bed and opened his eyes. Standing just outside of the curtains was the figure of Terry Boot, his fellow year mate in Ravenclaw. A quick look at his watch told Harry that it was just past seven.

"Potter, Michael and I are going to breakfast, and Anthony and Stephen are already in the shower. You'd better hurry up or you're going to be late," Boot said before walking out of the first year dormitory.

Harry grunted his acknowledgment and slowly got up. After the welcoming feast, the fifth year Ravenclaw prefect, Penelope Clearwater, had taken the first years up to Ravenclaw tower, which was located on the west side of Hogwarts. Once outside the entrance to the Ravenclaw common room, the group of first years had to answer a riddle from a knocker to gain entrance. Prefect Clearwater hadn't bothered to help them, saying that it was better they learn to answer the riddles on their own merit. It had taken a while but eventually Harry and Su Li came to the answer at the same time, and everyone was given access to Ravenclaw tower.

The Ravenclaw common room was in the shape of a gigantic circle and had huge armchairs that looked big enough to seat at least three first-years. The ceiling of the common room was a gigantic dome and had moving constellations painted on it. A passing sixth year said that the constellations always matched the constellations that would be present above Hogwarts every night, and that the common room ceiling was an excellent study aide for Astronomy.

While the common room was truly mesmerizing, Harry thought that the most impressive thing was the replica statue of Rowena Ravenclaw wearing her signature diadem. The statue stood at the head of the common room between the two staircases leading up to the boys' and girls' dormitories, and its placement gave the impression that Lady Ravenclaw was always watching over her students as they studied.

After a very quick shower and change of clothes, Harry managed to find his way to the Great Hall from the Ravenclaw tower without getting lost. At half eight, the Great Hall didn't seem to have many guests, aside from a nearly full Ravenclaw table, and Harry quickly took a seat next to Anthony Goldstein and Michael Corner.

"Where is everyone else?"

"Weren't you paying attention last night when Clearwater told us that most other Houses are lazy and don't come down to nearly half nine on the first day?" Stephen Cornfoot asked.

"No, I guess I missed that," Harry said sheepishly.

"Yeah, I was pretty tired from the feast as well, but you were out like a light the second we got to our dorm," Anthony Goldstein said while placing several pieces of sausage on his plate.

"Well you didn't have to be up at dawn to make sure your brother had his disguise in place and his alternate identity ready so that our family didn't get mobbed trying to get to platform 9 and three-quarters," Harry said jokingly.

The silence that descended around Harry made him pause halfway through eating a piece of ham and look up. He was slightly surprised to see every single one of his year mates gaping stupidly at him.

"So...what's it like, you know, living with the Boy-Who-Lived?" Terry Boot asked reverently.

Harry shook his head ruefully. "He's my brother –"

"I bet he knows tons of magic already of course," Michael Corner interjected.

"Yeah, he stopped You-Know-Who. Was he getting private training from the Headmaster for your entire life?" asked Goldstein.