Katherine Greenwood: The Hidden World #20

Instructions

Katherine's POV: After the feast, the Ravenclaw students followed an older Ravenclaw student who was wearing a prefect badge. I walked beside Nina and Ella as we made our way through the castle, trying my best to remember all the turns we took. Hogwarts was much bigger than I had imagined, and I was already worried that I would get lost if I ever had to find my way somewhere by myself. Eventually, we reached a tall door with a bronze eagle-shaped knocker on it. I stopped for a moment and looked at it. I had never seen a door like that before. “Is this where we go?” I asked quietly. The prefect nodded. “This is the entrance to the Ravenclaw common room.” I looked at the eagle knocker. “Does it open the door?” Before the prefect could answer, the eagle suddenly spoke. “What is the Ravenclaw artifact?” I jumped slightly. I hadn't expected the knocker to talk. Nina leaned closer to me. “It asks questions before letting us in.” The prefect smiled and answered, “Rowena Ravenclaw’s Diadem.” There was a click, and the door opened. I stepped inside and stopped again. The Ravenclaw common room was nothing like any room I had ever seen before. It was enormous and circular, with a high ceiling and tall, arched windows that stretched almost from the floor to the ceiling. The room was decorated in deep blue and bronze, with elegant columns rising toward the ceiling and intricate designs covering the walls. Large chandeliers hung overhead, filling the room with a warm glow, while the night sky could be seen through the windows. Stars seemed to shine above the castle grounds, and the whole room felt peaceful and grand at the same time. At the center of the common room was a large bronze eagle surrounded by beautiful Ravenclaw decorations. Wooden tables and comfortable blue chairs were arranged around the room, and bookshelves filled several of the walls. I couldn't help looking at the books. There were so many of them. “It's beautiful,” I said quietly. “It really is,” Ella said. Nina nodded. “I think this might be my favorite room in the castle so far.” I smiled as I looked around again. I had never imagined that a school could have a room like this. The prefect led us toward another staircase that took us to the dormitories. When we reached the first-year girls' room, she checked a list before looking up at us. “Katherine Greenwood, Nina Mishra, and Ella Moore,” she said. “You're the only three first-year Ravenclaw girls this year, so you'll have this dormitory to yourselves.” I looked inside. There were three four-poster beds with blue curtains, three desks, and three wardrobes. Our trunks were already sitting beside the beds. “Just us?” Ella asked. The prefect nodded. “Just you three.” I smiled. Having only Nina and Ella in the room somehow made me feel more comfortable. I had been nervous about sharing a dormitory with a lot of people I didn't know, so knowing it would only be the three of us was a relief. The prefect gave us a few final instructions before leaving, and we began unpacking. I placed my clothes in my wardrobe and carefully arranged my books on my desk. I also made sure Hedwig's cage was placed somewhere comfortable near the window. She looked around calmly, as though she already felt at home. “I still can't believe we're actually here,” Nina said as she sat on her bed. “Neither can I,” Ella replied. I sat down on my own bed and looked around the room. “It feels strange,” I said. “A few weeks ago, I didn't even know magic was real.” “I know,” Ella said. “You must have had a lot to take in.” I nodded. “I did.” Nina smiled. “You'll get used to it.” We talked for a while about everything that had happened that day. I told them again about meeting Harry Potter at King's Cross and how he had helped me find the platform. Nina and Ella were both surprised when they realized Harry Potter was the same person I had mentioned earlier. “You really met him before you even knew who he was,” Nina said. “I didn't know he was famous,” I admitted. Ella smiled. “You'll learn a lot here.” I looked around the dormitory at my new friends, my books, and my bed. The day had been confusing and overwhelming, but I didn't feel quite as alone anymore. I had a place to sleep, two new friends, and a whole school full of things I would slowly learn about. I didn't need to understand everything tonight. For the first time since receiving my Hogwarts letter, I felt like maybe I really could belong here.