The Beginning

Hogwarts A Mystery~*Helena*

Hogwarts A Mystery

Helena

Helena was happy to see Caedis storm out of the classroom. Serves her right, thought Helena selfishly.  She wasn’t happy with Caedis right now because for one, she had practically abandoned her for that muggle born Zaelie the second they got to Hogwarts. Furthermore, Caedis had completely ditched her this morning when they were supposed to meet before charms. And of course, she ran in 5 minutes late with Zaelie and left like two seconds later, before Helena could confront her.

“Well, Miss Reyes, let’s see how you’ve been coming along”

Helena blinked at the professor. Professor Flitwick was telling her to do a hover charm now? Well, she was a Ravenclaw, it shouldn’t be that hard, right?

“Wingardium Leviosa!” As she had expected, the feather flew up into the air on her command. And then, it fell. Helena frowned at it.

“Oooh! Very good for your first attempt! Just a little more practice and you’ll get it! 5 points to Ravenclaw!” exclaimed Flitwick.

“How do you do that?” Helena turned her head sideways to look at the person who had asked the question. It was a ginger haired boy, who Helena vaguely remembered from the train, who couldn’t get his feather to do so much as flutter even a little bit. She shrugged her shoulders.

“First, you’re waving your wand all wrong. It’s a swish and flick. You’re doing more a swish and jab. And you’re saying it all wrong as well. It’s LeviOsa, not leviosA. See, this is how it’s supposed to be done.”It was a girl with bushy brown hair and a bossy voice.

“If you know so much, YOU do it!” The red haired boy looked annoyed.

“Wingardium LeviOsa!” she said and executed a perfect wand movement that made her feather lightly float upward.

Flitwick noticed. “Oohh! Wonderful! Look everyone! Miss Granger’s got it! 10 points to Gryffindor!” Helena noticed that the red-haired boy had the look of a five year-old who hadn’t gotten what he wanted he wanted after throwing a tantrum. She smiled.

BOOM! There was an explosion from the back of the classroom. The entire class turned around to see Harry Potter next to a boy whose feather had apparently caught on fire. His face was black with soot and the desk in front of him was badly burned. A worried look came over Professor Flitwick’s face.

“Professor, I think we need a new feather.” Harry remarked as he looked at Seamus Finnigan’s gaping face with wide eyes.

“Mr. Finnigan, perhaps you should go to the hospital wing?” Flitwick suggested, weakly.

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As Helena left Charms that day she saw a shimmering, pale form gliding around a corner at the end of the hall, apparently moving away from the students. Helena followed out of curiosity thinking that it wouldn’t matter because she had lunch next. And she was just too curious!

She followed the form around the castle. She looked around, realizing that they were in the Ravenclaw wing. The form slid right through the knocker. Helena raced up to the door, not wanting to let the ghost-as she now realized was-out of sight.

“What has four legs in the morning, two legs during the day, and three legs during the evening?” The bronze knocker asked.

“A human,” Helena replied quickly knowing the riddle from reading thousands of Greek mythology books. The door swung open, and she raced up the Ravenclaw stairs, assuming that’s where the ghost would end up being. And there it was, shimmering and white, staring out the window out at the grounds.

“Hey,” Helena exclaimed. “You’re the Ravenclaw ghost aren’t you! I saw you at the feast yesterday!”

The ghost merely nodded and slid right through Helena, going back the way it had first come and through the common room door. Helena shivered and couldn’t seem to shake the eerie feeling of coldness until after lunch.

“It’s like she doesn’t want to talk to anyone. You’d think she would, I mean, she chose to be a ghost, shouldn’t she benefit from it?” Helena complained to the rest of the Ravenclaw first years as they walked down to Herbology.  

“It does seem kind of weird. She is our house ghost. You would think she would talk to us,” mused Terry Boot.

The others nodded in agreement. “None of the other ghosts seem to be that way. Even Professor Binns, who has to be the most boring ghost ever, at least talks!” Zaelie commented.

“Agreed,” Helena stated. The conversation carried the Ravenclaws all the way down to the greenhouses.

“Alright then class, today we’ll be picking Dittany,” Professor Sprout said loudly. “Now, who can tell me what dittany is?”

Helena was surprised when Zaelie raised her hand. It must be her memory, she thought.

“Yes, Miss Violet?”

“Dittany is a magical plant with healing powers. It is mostly used for curing wounds.”

“Very good. Five points to Ravenclaw.” Zaelie looked rather pleased with herself while Pansy Parkinson looked sourly at Zaelie, as she had also had her hand raised.

As Professor Sprout explained what they were to do, Helena noticed a pale white form passing the window and wondered if it was the Ravenclaw ghost.