Harry Potter and the Silent Dead: Book 1

Chapter 6: Welcome Home

Harry walked into the Ravenclaw Dormitory exhausted after climbing so many stairs to reach the top of the tower. His exhaustion was swiftly forgotten upon reaching the front door. On it, was a knocker, a brass ravens head seemingly still. Suddenly it animated itself and looked around at the first years. Laura, the Ravenclaw prefect turned towards them smiling slightly. "Each house has its own security. Gryffindor, has a password. Hufflepuff has a secret button, and Slytherin, a hidden entrance. In Ravenclaw, we value knowledge above all else, so we enter by answering a riddle." Harry couldn't help but think that was a little egotistical of them, assuming no other house could be smart enough to guess the riddle. She turned towards the knocker and it spoke, "Some try to hide, some try to cheat, but time will show we always meet." Harry smirked, already knowing the answer to the simple rhyme. He watched as all the Ravenclaws tried to guess it none succeeding. Terry turned to Harry and, seeing his smirk, said "I think Harry knows the answer." Instantly the crowd fell silent, turning towards him. Already, the Boy-Who-Lived was growing tired of his so called fame. One boy, Micheal Corner, scoffed. "And how is the mute boy supposed to answer a riddle? I'm not letting him in if he gets locked out all the time." A few students chuckled, but Lisa instantly bristled in anger, and Terry glared at the boy. Harry, quite calmly, wrote the answer on a peice of parchment, presenting it to the knocker. Death. The knocker tapped against the door three times before swinging open. The head boy and girl looked at him surprised, before gesturing for the students to enter. There, waiting on the sofa, surrounded by older years was Professor Flitwick. The Ravenclaw common room was a wide circular room, airier than any Harry had seen before. Graceful arched windows punctuated the walls, which were hung with blue and bronze silks: by day the Ravenclaws would have a spectacular view of the surrounding mountains. The ceiling was domed and painted with stars, which were echoed in the midnight blue carpet. There were tables chairs and bookcases, and in a niche opposite the door stood a tall statue of white marble. The half-goblin, for that's obviously what he was, almost tumbled off his chair in excitement. The man had a big grin on his face, and Harry instantly decided he liked the Professor. "Welcome, welcome to Ravenclaw. I am so very happy to see so many of you here, in my house. Ravenclaw is the house of nor only knowledge, but wisdom. I'm sure you all know better than to get in trouble, or hurt another Raven. But if any of you do have some quarrel with another, I ask only that you keep it within the dorms, and perhaps come to me for help or advice. We are a united front, all of one nest, learning to fly. Now, the perfects here will lead you to your dormitories, and I'll be seeing you all in Charms class, but remember, my door is always open. If you've any need of help, or simply a chat, you know where to find me. With that, Flitwick tumbled off the sofa, chuckled and walked out of the common room, leaving his students amused and confused. "Well he's certainly a character!" Said Lisa, grinning. Terence simply nodded, as Harry wrote, I like him. The perfects split off, the girls going up one set of stairs and the boys another. Waving goodbye to Lisa, Harry and Terence walked into their room for the next seven years. The floor was dark mahogany, as was their beds, which were draped with light blue silks. They each had a dresser of marble, with bronze inlays. To the center was a large window seat, overlooking the forbidden forest, next to it a door leading to the marble and bronze bathroom. Harry took the bed by the window, keen on the view, with Terence next to him, in the last he'd nearest the door. They would share the bed with three others, Micheal Corner, Kevin Entwhistle and Anthony Goldstein. Micheal and Anthony were both pureblood but, like Terry, Kevin apparantly was a half-blood. Kevin took the bed next to Harry, whilst the others took the last two beds. Harry placed his trunk under his bed, content to leave his things in their, considering it was basically a walk in wardrobe, library, and storage room. Harry had always loved magic, especially Necromancy, but he believed he really could fall in love with charms. Looking around, he saw the other boys changing, so he followed suit and got into bed, ready for the next day. Hopefully, it wouldn't be too bad.

Dumbledore sat back in his chair, watching as his staff walked in to his office, all taking their seats except Severus, who stood by his desk glowering as always. "Lemon drop?" He asked, unsurprised by the usual polite denials. He leaned forward gaining a closer view of each teacher. "Another year, another group of eager students. What do we all think then? Filius?"

Instantly Severus' mood soured further. Usually, Dumbledore asked Minerva first, eager to hear about his favourite house, Gryffindor. The only reason Albus was asking Filius first was because of Potter. Already the best was recieving special treatment! Well not from Severus he wasn't.

Dumbledore found it difficult not to smirk at how easily his spy was manipulated. Just from his frown he could tell what Severus was thinking. Yes, the man would hate Harry Potter, and the boy would grow to despise all Slytherins. This was even more crucial now the boy was in Ravenclaw rather than the expected Gryffindor. Paying attention again, Filius finished his excited rambling, finally talking about what was important. "Of course, we have young Mr.Potter in my house. I wonder if he'll be as adept as his mother at charms?" Severus scowled and said 'I'm sure he'll be as insufferable as his father." Minerva turned and tutted. "Come now Severus, you haven't even met Harry yet. He looks much more like Lily as well, though with pureblood features, probably from the Potter side. You should wait before judging the boy!" Admonished, Severus' frown only deepened as he fell silent again. Struggling not to grin, Albus allowed the teachers to continue discussing their plans for the year before leaving. This would certainly be an interesting year.