Autumn
Popcorn Connoisseur
Last Minute Information
Ravenclaw Tower - wide, circular room with midnight blue carpet. The arched windows are decorated with bronze and blue silk curtains. The domed ceiling is painted with stars. A white marble statue of Rowena Ravenclaw stands guard at the door leading up to the dormitories. A bronze knocker in the shape of an eagle hangs on the door to the common room. To gain entrance, one must answer the riddle posed by the knocker.
Gryffindor Tower - a password must be stated to enter the common room through the circular hole hidden behind the portrait of the Fat Lady. The common room is circular and there is a fireplace on one wall. The walls are decorated with scarlet tapestries. The stairs to the boys' and girls' dormitory are separate, each behind two different doors.
Hufflepuff Basement - the entrance to this common room is in a nook on the right hand side of the kitchen corridor. It is concealed behind a stack of barrels. No password is needed, but one must tap the barrel that is two from the bottom in the middle of the second row in the rhythm of "Helga Hufflepuff". The lid will swing open, granting access to the common room when one crawls through. The common room is welcoming and warm and is considered to be the most comfy of all the common rooms. There are many yellow hangings. The doors to the dormitories are perfectly circular. There are many underground passages leading from the common room.
Slytherin Dungeon - the entrance is located behind a stone wall. A password is required to enter. The dungeon extends part way under the lake and gives the room a green tinge. It has a grand but cold atmosphere. There are many low-backed green and black sofas. The password to the common room changes each fortnight and is posted on the bulletin board.
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The night sky was clear and the immaculate full moon eerily illuminated the dark lake and imposing castle that dominated the landscape. There was a chill in the air that whispered the promise of winter. Stars dotted the dark sky above the sudden commotion at the platform. The Hogwarts Express pulled into Hogsmeade Station, smoke billowing from the smoke stack. The train was well known here. It had carried many of the witches and wizards in the world today. Hundreds of years ago, the great Harry Potter had ridden on that same train and walked through those same halls. After the war that tore Hogwarts to pieces, the castle was rebuilt and everything returned to normal in the wizarding world. For hundreds of years, there had been no threats of dark or evil forces. That was how it was supposed to be, though. The horrors that Voldemort had caused were a thing of the past. His deeds had turned into stories told around tables in darkened bars.
As it came to a halt, the doors of the Hogwarts Express slid opened and students poured out, quickly crowding the small area. The excitement in the air was palpable. It was easy to tell which students had been to the great castle before and which students were laying eyes on it for the first time. Friends reunited after the long summer, quickly sharing greetings and stories of their time apart. It seemed that no one ever grew tired of coming to Hogwarts. For many students, it was the chance to live in the magical world for once.
"First years, this way, please!" came the call from Milo Philpot, the groundskeeper. He was a burly man with a deep, reverberating voice that rang clear over the din on the platform. His red, greying beard hung to his chest. Philpot’s skin was freckled from years of working the grounds of Hogwarts. Bright blue eyes shown from under bushy red eyebrows and the lines on his face made him look friendly. People felt safe with him. The older students wandered over to the carriages eventually, grouping up and claiming each of the magical carriages pulled by the creatures that were invisible to most. Not for Keira Greyson, though. Her long brown hair fell in waves over her shoulders and she stood next to a freckled redheaded girl who shared her sparkling blue eyes. Keira put her arm around Aisling’s shoulders and guided her to the boats specifically for the first year students. Aisling was a good head shorter than Keira, but it was evident that the young girl would soon surpass her sister in height. The boats were pulled onto the shore of the great lake that extended to the castle. The surface was as smooth as glass. A slight breeze toyed with Keira’s hair as she stopped her sister, putting her hands on her shoulders and looking her in the eyes.
“Everything will be fine, Aisling. You’ll get in the boat and ride over. Then they’ll walk you to the castle and they’ll sort you. Don’t be nervous,” Keira said, smiling warmly at her younger sister. Aisling rolled her eyes and shrugged out of her sister’s grip.
“I’m not nervous, Keira. Now, go get a carriage,” Aisling instructed, turning on her heels and heading for the beached boats where many of the other first years were already waiting with Philpot. Aisling was a hothead and more stubborn than most. She definitely wasn’t nervous about the ceremony. In fact, she was rather excited. Aisling had been jealous since her sister had gotten her letter from Hogwarts. Both of their parents were magical and it was hard to listen to the three of them prater on about the school. Aisling had nothing to contribute to the conversations around the dinner table during the Christmas break. Now, Aisling was here and she could make her own memories and share them with her parents. Her sister wouldn’t be the special one anymore. Keira, giving Philpot a wide smile, hopped in one of the boats that rested on the bank, waiting to be joined by another.
Aisling watched the lantern on the front of the wooden boat swing back and forth in the gentle breeze as she thought about her impending Sorting. She knew she probably wouldn’t end up in Ravenclaw like her older sister. Keira was the good child of the family; she was the genius and the one that their parents always bragged about. Aisling’s father had been in Ravenclaw and her mother had been in Gryffindor. Maybe she would end up there? The thought excited her. She could find the connection with her mother that she had always longed for.
Keira sighed, watching her sister go. She was used to being the older one that directed her sister and watched over her. At this point, she knew she couldn’t watch over her like she used to. Turning and walking to the carriages, Keira eyed the thestrals. She remembered being scared the first time she had seen them and had been especially frightened when no one else could see them. Why was it just her? Professor Crook had explained it all to her. That had been the start of their unusual friendship. Professor Crook was a friend of her mother’s and it was nice to have a connection with someone at school.
Keira smiled at Aiden Clark, one of her closest friends at school. They were childhood friends and had grown up together, living in the same neighborhood. They had seen each other plenty over the summer and they had celebrated together when Aiden had earned excellent scores on his O.W.L.s. Though they had just seen each other the week before to purchase their schoolbooks, Aiden pulled her into a bear hug, lifting the petite girl off the ground. She laughed and he set her down, helping her into the carriage that was waiting for them. Aiden had always been a bit playful and a troublemaker, but he was smart and no one could deny that. He ran his fingers through his curly hair as he sat opposite Keira in the carriage. She sat with her back turned to the thestrals. It wasn’t fun to be reminded of that night constantly. She tugged on her blue and bronze decorated robes that matched Aiden’s nervously. Keira was always nervous when it came to the start of the term. She was always worried about courses and she planned to try-out for Quidditch this year. Not that she thought she’d be very good at it. Keira wanted to get more involved and enjoy herself this year. Aiden was the Keeper for the Ravenclaw team. She had always been rather jealous. Aiden was popular and tended to make friends really easily. Keira saw herself as shy and awkward, finding it difficult to make friends. Aiden’s own parents were both magical. Really, Aiden’s family was quite similar to Keira’s. Both of their parent’s worked in the Ministry of Magic and it seemed they all enjoyed telling stories of Harry Potter like they had met him.
Edward Martin stood in the long line of students waiting to get into the carriages, hands in the pockets of his robes, looking about dejectedly. He was normally a rather happy guy, but he and his parents had gotten into a fight before he had left. A breeze cut the night air and caused him to shiver, easily penetrating his robes. He kept his eyes turned down, staring at the dusty ground beneath his shoes. His yellow and black robes hung above his ankles, the black pants beneath his robes showing. He bit his lip and moved forward a bit in line, rather impatient to get to the castle. He lived in a suburb, barred from magic for the summer. His father was a wizard; his mother, a Muggle. Ed’s father tended to avoid using magic around the house. He said it was too risky. Ed definitely resented that: he wanted to immerse himself in the magical world like so many of his classmates had. He wasn’t the brightest of the bunch, but he was kind and friendly and did all right in school. Really, he was more interested in Quidditch than anything else. He was a Beater for the Hufflepuff team. At first, Ed had been disappointed to be sorted into Hufflepuff, but he soon realized it was a great place to be. The people were friendly and, though they had a reputation as being one of the weaker houses, Hufflepuffs proved the stereotypes wrong each day.
It was Ed’s fifth year and it would be a difficult one. With O.W.L.s at the end of the spring term, he wasn’t sure how he would be able to handle it all. School in general was a challenge for him. He wasn’t even sure what he was interested in doing as a career yet. The thought of the future scared him and made him a little nauseous.
In the darkness of the evening Hogsmeade, eleven dark figures appeared in a semi-circle, materializing out of thin air in quick secession. They stood as still as statues on the edge of the wizarding town. No words were spoken by the hooded figures that appeared. The bright outline of Hogwarts could be seen against the dark sky. The steam from the Hogwarts Express could be seen wafting through the air above the rooftops. Almost all were in their homes, locked up tight at this hour, which made their meeting go unnoticed. A few moments of silence passed before a tall, slender figure appeared. The hood hid its face. The figure radiated a power that commanded respect. The figures in the semi-circle bowed deeply at the appearance of the taller figure in their midst. “The plan continues,” were the single words spoken by the tall figure. Its voice was rasping and sounded ancient. No one else spoke, silently consenting to whatever the plan was. The slender figure disappeared as quickly as it had come, followed by the others. The streets of Hogsmeade were once again deserted. No trace of the secret meeting was left.
