Chapter 56: A Watchful Gaze in the Dark

The first puzzle of the school year posed no challenge to the newly arrived first-years, and before long, everyone had entered the common room.

Once inside, the male and female Ravenclaw prefects each gave a short speech to establish their presence. Both spoke skillfully, and the common room soon filled with polite, enthusiastic applause.

Satisfied, they began allocating dormitories to the first-year students. This year, there were only seven new wizard boys in Ravenclaw. Whether it was the prefects' kindness or just luck, they placed four students in one room and three in another—giving Ian a spot in the triple room.

By coincidence, the dark-skinned boy who had made such a lasting impression on Ian during the feast, and a green-haired boy, ended up as Ian's future roommates for the next seven years.

The dorm interior matched the blue-and-bronze color scheme of the common room. Five desks stood in a row beneath the windows, and each bed had a flannel curtain hanging in front for privacy.

"Ian Prince."

After pushing his trunk under his bed, Ian took the lead in introducing himself, while his two roommates rummaged through their own trunks.

"William Smith. I remember you took a good ten minutes at the Sorting."

The green-haired boy's face was speckled with freckles—typical of many European wizards, though his were not especially numerous.

"Ten whole minutes?"

"I only recall chatting casually with the Hat for a bit."

Ian sounded surprised as he shook hands with William.

"Time flew, I guess. The Hat might've stolen some from us. Maybe it's lived so long by taking bits of time."

The dark-skinned wizard chipped in, grinning.

"I'm Michael Jordan," he said by way of introduction.

"Nice name. Bet you're a natural at Quidditch."

Ian bore no resentment over earlier events—until he saw Michael retrieve a huge sack from someplace unknown, stuffed with fried chicken and chips.

"Want some? I stashed these at dinner."

Michael plonked the bag on the desk while tearing voraciously into a chicken leg.

"Wow—you've got a bag with an Extension Charm! I read about them in extracurricular books!"

William gaped at the little cloth pouch on Michael's bed. Meanwhile, Ian focused on the steaming drumstick in Michael's hand, realizing at last why the feast's food had vanished so quickly.

"Yeah, it was a gift from my mum before I came to Hogwarts," Michael said, looking faintly embarrassed even as he chowed down.

"She never let me eat these at home, but they're so tasty…"

He squeezed some ketchup onto the chips—a slightly unusual way to eat them.

"My mother never gave me anything; she's just a normal Muggle—my father's the wizard. But Mum handles everything at home," William remarked. "We don't have much money, so what we do have goes toward raising my little brother and sister."

Hesitating only briefly, he grabbed some chips to nibble slowly.

"Well, I'm pureblood, but I never knew my dad; he died not long after I was born," Michael explained. "They say he fought the Dark Lord and fell just before dawn."

His voice held a certain sadness, but he didn't slow down devouring that chicken.

"I'm sure he loved you," Ian offered sympathetically.

"Yes—he did. He joined that fight for me, hoping to build a safer future."

Michael's throat tightened, and for a moment he stopped eating.

"Better off than me, then—I'm an orphan. Never known my parents," Ian said, participating in the dorm's "who has it worse" contest.

Exactly as expected,

two pairs of sympathetic eyes landed on him.

"You poor thing."

"Here, have some chicken."

Both roommates conceded. Michael tried to hand Ian a chicken leg—though Ian would have rather had a watermelon jelly nightcap.

"No thanks, I'm on a diet," Ian declined, shaking his head. That sack was plainly empty of any watermelon jelly anyway. Presumably, Michael had wolfed it all down during dinner.

"You're so skinny, and you're dieting?" William asked in disbelief.

"In your shoes, I'd eat loads," Michael agreed, nodding as he shoved the rejected chicken leg into his own mouth. "Mum says I'm still growing my brain," he added cheerfully, revealing a huge appetite.

"I want to review the class materials. Don't want to be clueless in tomorrow's lessons," William said, finishing with his trunk and pulling out his textbooks. He switched on a small lamp by the desk and immersed himself in his reading, looking like he was revisiting A History of Magic.

"No need to be so tense. Even pureblood kids don't learn spells beforehand. We'll do fine if we pay attention," Michael pointed out, heading to the washroom after finishing his meal.

"Fair enough." Ian agreed with the logic, though William persisted in his own convictions, burying himself quietly in the textbook.

"Why're you at the desk too?" asked Michael when he returned, noticing Ian sitting at another desk.

"Just writing home so the orphanage folks won't worry. They're wonderful people." Ian showed him the parchment on the desk.

Michael glanced over suspiciously, confirming that Ian wasn't secretly studying while pretending otherwise. Sure enough, he was penning a proper letter:

Dear Madam Ilena,

I've settled in at Hogwarts School for Gifted Youth. Everyone here is quite friendly, and the professors are authorities in their fields…

He hadn't yet finished.

Michael only skimmed it briefly without reading further.

"I should write to Mum tomorrow too," he mused, yawning on the way to his bed, where he promptly collapsed and fell asleep—clearly a talent of its own.

In the midst of Michael's spectacular snoring, William slipped on earplugs and carried on studying, while Ian carefully chose his words for the orphanage letter. Due to Hogwarts' special security and the Confundus Charms placed on certain orphanage staff, Ian had to portray Hogwarts as an elite Muggle institution. That was no easy job; after all, he could hardly claim "the rich here all dine on braised chicken and rice" or any similarly ludicrous scenario.

"Scratch, scratch…"

The quill's gentle rasp continued. The small lamp on William's desk glowed brightly, possibly some illegally modified Muggle artifact. Using its light, Ian finally completed his letter, then washed up and climbed into bed.

William remained diligently at his desk. Outside, a soft rain began to patter against the window. In the quiet of night, faint rumbles of thunder occasionally flickered through the sky. For an instant, a dim flash revealed a pair of strange eyes peering into the dormitory—unseen by anyone within.

They belonged to a bizarre creature clinging upside-down below the eaves, resembling both reptile and giant butterfly, with vivid blue wings. Pressed flush against the roof tiles, it gazed intently through a window into Ravenclaw's dorm, its tiny, peculiar eyes reflecting the image of Ian—already asleep, head resting on his pillow.

 ---------

(A/N: I've launched a Patre0n page where you can get access to 20+ chapters ahead—come check it out! on my PATRE0N.C0M/HP_PS)

(A/N: If you enjoyed the story, please leave a review! Your feedback really helps me keep going and motivates me to write more. Thank you for your support!)