Author's Note

Okay. I lied. Chapter Twenty-five is not coming tomorrow...it's now.

Same warnings...no Snape...lots of quoted material.

ETA: I've added about two pages (1,000+ words) to this chapter today (5/2). I hated how short this chapter was and then remembered that I'd forgotten about the kids' pets, so...I added them post posting. Lol. Let's just say the pets were just delivered to the rooms (which is why they didn't make an appearance in the Hufflepuff and Slytherin chapters, but now here in Ravenclaw (and later in Gryffindor). Sorry. Not sure anyone cares...will notice a change...it's not like I have huge numbers of people reading this fic. Lol.

Word Count: 4,635

Common Rooms (Ravenclaw)

Still Monday, 1 September 2008

"This way," said the tall, blond, studious-looking older boy as he took the new first year Ravenclaws out of the Great Hall and up the wide marble staircase that led steeply up out of the Entrance Hall and into the main parts of the castle. Other than that, he didn't say anything until they'd separated from those heading to Gryffindor.

Savvy had cast one last glance in the direction that Hunter had gone—a bit upset that she had no idea where her twin brother would be sleeping that night—then looked at Septimus and gave him a sheepish smile.

"I don't think we've ever been separated," she whispered.

Septimus nodded. "Believe me, I understand. I'm sure he feels the same. I'm worried about Sevaria as well. And, to be honest, Seveena too."

Savvy frowned. "Hunter'll be fine and...I'm sure Seveena's okay too, but...I am glad Sevaria and Evanius have each other."

Septimus nodded. "Me too. Though, I think they're probably a lot stronger than we all give them credit for. Our mum always raised us to be tough. Despite the way Sevaria behaves, she's fairly strong. Evanius...well, we don't really know him well yet, but I suspect he's had to put up with loads from that awful family of his and he too is quite resilient. How about you?"

Savvy shrugged. "I'll be okay. This is just...odd," she said. "Hunter and I have always done everything together. It truly never occurred to me that we wouldn't be in the same House."

Septimus smiled sadly. "We've all pretty much always known that we would be separated. Both my sisters are in the Houses they should be...as am I."

Savvy nodded—then sighed. "I have you though," she said.

Septimus grinned. "And I you," he said, taking up Savvy's hand and squeezing it.

Savvy glanced down at their joined hands. This was sooo weird—having a new brother who looked sooo very much like her twin, but not actually being him—but gripped back and smiled at the boy who was not only her sibling, but who would also be sharing the same home as her for nine out of twelve months for the next seven years.

"All right then..." they heard their House Prefect begin as they headed west in the castle. "I'm Garrett Truman, your sixth-year prefect, and I'm delighted to welcome you to RAVENCLAW HOUSE. Our emblem is the eagle, which soars where others cannot climb; our house colors are blue and bronze, and our common room is found at the top of Ravenclaw Tower, which we will be entering in just a moment. Our common room is at the top of the tower, so we have quite a climb ahead of us...and it's behind a door with an enchanted knocker. But I'll get to that in a bit.

"The arched windows within our circular common room are set into thick stone walls and look down at the school grounds: the lake, the Forbidden Forest, the Quidditch pitch and the Herbology gardens. No other house in the school has such stunning views.

"Isn't Gryffindor at the top of a tower as well?" Savvy whispered to Septimus.

Smiling, he nodded—causing his new sister to snort.

"Without wishing to boast...

"Too late," Septimus mouthed to Savvy—causing her to snicker.

"...this is the house where the cleverest witches and wizards live. Our founder, Rowena Ravenclaw, prized learning above all else – and so do we. Unlike the other houses, who all have concealed entrances to their common rooms, we don't need one. Like I said, the door to our common room lies at the top of a tall, winding staircase. It has no handle, but an enchanted bronze knocker in the shape of an eagle. When you rap on the door, this knocker will ask you a question, and if you can answer it correctly, you are allowed in. This simple barrier has kept out everyone but Ravenclaws for nearly a thousand years.

"So, let's head up," Garrett said with a smile as he turned a corner into a large circular room—and started up the towering spiral staircase.

"That's not completely true," Septimus whispered to Savvy as they started their ascent. "Every House likes to boast that no outsiders have ever been inside, but there has been plenty of mixing over the years. At least since the end of the war."

"I hope we can see inside the other Houses sometime," Savvy said wistfully, her thoughts still on her twin. "I'd like to see where Hunter lives, at least."

His black eyes glittering, Septimus smiled. "Unlike most others, we have an in in every House, so I'd say our chances are fairly decent."

Savvy grinned. "We do, huh? Cool."

"Some first-years are scared by having to answer the eagle's questions," Prefect Garrett went on as they climbed, "but don't worry. Ravenclaws learn quickly, and you'll soon enjoy the challenges the door sets. It's not unusual to find twenty people standing outside the common room door, all trying to work out the answer to the day's question together. This is a great way to meet fellow Ravenclaws from other years, and to learn from them – although it is a bit annoying if you've forgotten your Quidditch robes and need to get in and out in a hurry. In fact, I'd advise you to triple-check your bag for everything you need before leaving Ravenclaw Tower."

Everyone laughed.

"But then, you're now all Ravenclaws, so I bet you would be doing that even without the threat of riddles keeping you on the landing." Garrett grinned. "Just remember, it's all about learning from one another and gaining knowledge.

"Now...another cool thing about Ravenclaw is that our people are the most individual – some might even call them eccentrics. But geniuses are often out of step with ordinary folk, and unlike some other houses we could mention, we think you've got the right to wear what you like, believe what you want, and say what you feel. We aren't put off by people who march to a different tune; on the contrary, we value them!

"Speaking of eccentrics, you'll like our Head of house, Professor Filius Flitwick. People often underestimate him, because he's really tiny (we think he's part elf, but we've never been rude enough to ask) and he's got a squeaky voice, but he's the best and most knowledgeable Charms master alive in the world today. His office door is always open to any Ravenclaw with a problem, and if you're in a real state he'll get out these delicious little cupcakes he keeps in a tin in his desk drawer and make them do a little dance for you. In fact, it's worth pretending you're in a real state just to see them jive.

"Ravenclaw house has an illustrious history. Most of the greatest wizarding inventors and innovators were in our house, including Perpetua Fancourt, the inventor of the lunascope, Laverne de Montmorency, a great pioneer of love potions, and Ignatia Wildsmith, the inventor of Floo powder. Famous Ravenclaw Ministers for Magic include Millicent Bagnold, who was in power on the night that Harry Potter survived the Dark Lord's curse, and defended the wizarding celebrations all over Britain with the words, 'I assert our inalienable right to party.' There was also Minister Lorcan McLaird, who was a quite brilliant wizard, but preferred to communicate by puffing smoke out of the end of his wand.

"How does one communicate like that," the boy called Lance asked.

Garrett chuckled. "Well, I did say we produce eccentrics. In fact, we are also the house that gave the wizarding world Uric the Oddball, who used a jellyfish for a hat. He's the punch line of a lot of wizarding jokes.

"Gross," Savvy said, wrinkling her nose.

Jaylene Turpin nodded. "Right?"

"As for our relationship with the other three houses," Garrett continued, "well, you've probably heard about the Slytherins. They're not all bad, but you'd do well to be on your guard until you know them well. They've got a long house tradition of doing whatever it takes to win – so watch out, especially in Quidditch matches and exams.

"The Gryffindors are OK. If I had a criticism, I'd say Gryffindors tend to be show-offs. They're also much less tolerant than we are of people who are different; in fact, they've been known to make jokes about Ravenclaws who have developed an interest in levitation, or the possible magical uses of troll bogies, or ovomancy, which (as you probably know) is a method of divination using eggs. Gryffindors haven't got our intellectual curiosity, whereas we've got no problem if you want to spend your days and nights cracking eggs in a corner of the common room and writing down your predictions according to the way the yolks fall. In fact, you'll probably find a few people to help you.

"As for the Hufflepuffs, well, nobody could say they're not nice people. In fact, they're some of the nicest people in the school. Let's just say you needn't worry too much about them when it comes to competition at exam time," he said as the stepped up onto the landing in front of Ravenclaw's Common Room door.

"I think that's nearly everything. Oh yes, our house ghost is the Grey Lady. The rest of the school thinks she never speaks, but she'll talk to Ravenclaws. She's particularly useful if you're lost, or you've mislaid something. Sometimes she's even helpful when a particularly difficult question is posed at the door...if she's around," he said with a smile. "But now that we're here, shall we knock and see if we're deemed worthy to enter?" he asked, hand raised to the knocker.

All the first years nodded—Septimus and Savvy included.

Smiling, Garrett took hold of the eagle knocker and banged it on the door.

"I'M TALL WHEN I'M YOUNG AND I'M SHORT WHEN I'M OLD. WHAT AM I?"

"Ahh, I good one for our new first years," their prefect said, his eyes going to the group before him. "Anyone?"

Immediately the first years looked at each other and started discussing the riddle. After several minutes, they turned and answered, causing Garrett to grin when the door to the Ravenclaw common room swung open.

"Nice job working together, firsties," he said as they walked inside.

"So, this is our home," he continued. "As you can see, it's wide and airy in here, so you never get that closed in, claustrophobic feeling—but warm and inviting as well, with bookcases galore and every book imaginable. And always bright during the day and well lit at night, which is very conducive for studying. I guarantee you'll all be very happy here.

"Now then, I'm sure you'll have a good night. Our dormitories are just through there," he said, gesturing directly across the common room, "next to the statue of Rowen Ravenclaw. The girls are just a half level up, while the boys are a half level down, each year with its own room with our four-poster beds are covered in sky blue silk eiderdowns and the sound of the wind whistling around the windows is very relaxing. On both floors, the first years' room is the first door on your left."

"And once again: well done on becoming a member of the cleverest, quirkiest and most interesting house at Hogwarts."

With that, Garrett smiled, then joined a group of boys who were obviously his friends.

"Well then," Savvy said. "Here we are."

Septimus nodded. "Yep," he agreed as they crossed the Common Room to the alcove that would take them up/down to their rooms.

"I guess this is where we separate too," Savvy said with a sigh as she glanced at the staircase. It had been a long day of discovery...and stress...and she was ready to just close her eyes and stop thinking for a few hours.

"Yeah. I suppose so," he said as he ran a hand through his dark hair. "It won't be so bad, right?"

Savvy shrugged. "'Course not. I mean...I'll be fine."

Septimus nodded. "Me too," he said.

Savvy nodded too—then reached out and awkwardly hugged her half brother.

Septimus instantly brought his arms up and hugged her back. It was only weird for like a second—and then it felt right. She was his sister, after all, even if he'd only just met her.

After they separated, they both noticed a few of their age mates watching them.

"What are you staring at, Ackerley?" Savvy snapped at the boy.

Jarek chuckled. "Nothing, I guess," he said, but just stood there...waiting?

Septimus grinned at his sister, then started down the stairs with the other first year boys—and Savvy did the same, heading up with the girls.

XoXoXoX

"That sister of yours...quite fiesty, yeah?" said a boy with medium brown hair as the five new first year boys stopped in the entrance way of their new home. Where they were standing at the moment showed them a comfortable looking lounge area to their left and a long wide corridor with several doors straight in front of them. The lighting was low, but the space was cozy and warm.

Chuckling, Septimus looked around. "Yes. I'm learning that she can be," he said, then looked at the other boy. He hadn't talked to him after their sorting, because the other boy seemed to know a few of the second years and spent most of their mealtime jovially talking to them, but...he seemed nice.

"And so can my other two sisters," Septimus continued. "Seveena more so than Sevaria, but yeah...feisty. Good word for them. All of them." He chuckled.

The other boy frowned a bit. He had serious eyes, but he looked kind despite his comment. Shrugging, the boy held out his hand and smiled when Septimus immediately took it.

"I'm Demeter Boot. It's nice to meet you." He paused, then turned caramel-colored eyes on the others and said, "All of you."

Septimus smiled as the small group of boys exchanged greetings and then started down the hallway toward their room—first door on the left, as they'd been told.

Outside their door were a series of cages—some of them empty. Septimus smiled and knelt down beside his cat's carrier. "Well, hello there, Cronus," he said, the picked up the cage and stood up. The other boys smiled and did the same. Most of them had owls—except Lance, he too had a cat—which were in the Owlry, so they only had a cage to bring into their room.

Together, the boys threw the door open and stepped through the threshold.

"Welcome friends," said Lance Bradley as he crossed the room and, after setting his cat free, flopped down onto his bed.

Smiling as he moved into the room, Septimus found his bed—second one on the left. It was easy; his trunk was right in front of it.

Demeter sighed and sat down on the bed next to Septimus'—at the far end of the room. "This is me," he said, to no one in particular.

"Ahh, home sweet home," said the sandy-haired boy called Quinn. His was the first bed on the right, directly across from Jarek Ackerley.

"I am sooo tired!" Lance informed the room. He was lying on his bed, on his back, with his eyes closed. "Lash's shenanigans are...exhausting!"

"Sounds like a bit of a jerk to me," Quinn put in.

Opening his eyes, Lance nodded. "Total jerk," he agreed. "Hey! Maybe your sister can...you know...hex him, for me," he said, turning hopeful green eyes on Septimus. "I mean, I saw her going off on those other older boys."

Septimus shrugged. "Yeah. Maybe. I mean, Seveena will go off on anyone who doesn't agree with her...or do what she wants. So, it's entirely possible. I wouldn't be surprised if all of Slytherin House has to deal with her wrath." He laughed a little. "She's...a bit possessive too. I mean, she can say or do whatever she wants to us...her siblings, but...should anyone else try..." He snorted. "We might have just met Evanius, but clearly she's taken his plight as a personal affront. And, should your brother align himself with any of the Salvatores, he's in for trouble. At least until Seveena gets herself into some trouble."

Lance grinned. "Brilliant!" he said—then jumped up and started stripping down. He draped his robes over his trunk, then shucked his shoes, socks, and trousers, and then crawled into his bed in just his t-shirt and boxers.

The other boys slowly moved to do the same.

XoXoXoX

In the girls' dormitory—one floor above—the five first year girls were all just sort of milling about. Elena Chambers and Camilla Clearwater, who had the two beds on the left, were long-time friends—quite a bit more than even best friends—and were a bit off to the side, talking to each other in hushed tones.

Xanthe Lovegood was busying herself in her area at the far end of the room. She'd opened her trunk and was pulling things out, decorating her corner—with odd things, Savvy noticed—and happily humming something unrecognizable. Mostly, she seemed unaware of the other girls in the room.

Jaylene had rummaged through her trunk, then disappeared into the bathroom. She emerged quickly in her pyjamas, yawning. "Merlin, today's been long."

Feeling awkward—and a little lonely—Savvy did the same, leaving her trunk open when she left the room. When she came back, Elena and Camilla went into the bathroom together, whispering as they went by her, and giggling just a little bit.

Frowning, Savvy watched them go. She'd never understood giggly girls much. Her eyes went to Jaylene—who shrugged.

"They've been friends since...I don't know...as long as I can remember.

Without turning, Xanthe nodded. "A long time," she said, clearly much more focused on her corner of the room. "Cousins though. Their fathers are friends and their mothers are sisters."

Watching the spacey blonde for a moment, Savvy bit her lip—then grinned when she caught the look on Jaylene's face. Her eyes had taken on a vacant look—mirroring Xanthe's expression—then she grinned at Savvy stuck out her tongue teasingly. Jaylene clearly didn't mean it in a cruel way though, because...Jaylene was a nice girl and Xanthe...well, she was a bit odd. Savvy was cool with odd though...some of her best friends back home were weirdos. And...Jaylene was just trying to make her smile.

After a few minutes, there was a light tap on the door and so, being the closest to the door, Jaylene jumped up and opened it. It was an older girl, just letting them know their pets had been delivered.

Gasping, Savvy rushed to the door and immediately opened her cat's cage in the hallway. "Freya!" she all but screamed as her snow-white British longhair jumped into her arms. "I'm so glad to see you!"

Freya meowed loudly, then curled her head into Savvy's neck and purred. Grinning, Savvy squeezed her pet and walked back into the dorm room. "This is Freya!" she announced, happily.

"She's quite lovely," Xanthe said. "Like a big fluffy white cloud."

Savvy chuckled as she cuddled her cat. "Um. Thank you, Xanthe," she said.

Xanthe smiled, her eyes dreamy. "I have a cat, but I left her at home. And they don't allow Crups at Hogwarts. Yet."

Savvy frowned. "I'm sorry," she said, having no idea what a Crup was.

Xanthe shrugged. "She's ailing, so it's better for her. I miss her though," she said sadly. "What about you, Jaylene?"

The other blonde smiled. "I brought my Kneazle...well, part-Kneazle," she amended.

Savvy frowned again. So many things to learn, she thought. "What's a...Keneezel?"

"Part-Kneazle," Xanthe corrected, her eyes shining with interest. "They're supposed to be extremely intelligent."

Jaylene nodded at Xanthe. "Oh yes, they are," she agreed, then looked back at Savvy. "Kneazles are...a magical cat-like creature. They're related to cats while not being a cat. She looks like a cat. Sort of. Here, I'll show you," she said. She'd set the large—almost medium dog sized—cat carrier on her bed, then leaned in and opened its door. "I named her Tina...but started calling her Teeny, because she was sooo tiny when she was a kitten," she said as the definitely not tiny Kneazle stepped out of its cage.

Savvy's eyes widened as the feline, that appeared to be either an enormous cat or a very small tiger, gracefully stepped out onto the bed. It was light gray in color, with charcoal gray markings, tall pointed ears with tufts at the tips, blue-green eyes, and a lightly plumed tail that was swishing back and forth as she gazed around the room, then eyed the room's other occupants. Its first interest was Savvy's cat, Freya—who fearfully jumped into Savvy's arms.

"Don't worry," Jaylene said quickly. "She's big, but Kneazles have an uncanny ability to know who can be trusted and who can't. Just stroke her head, she loves that. And let her meet Freya. We have cats at home, so she's already accustomed to them."

Tina had jumped from Jaylene's bed to Savvy's to get a better look at Freya, who was still in Savvy's arms. Nervously, Savvy nodded, but listened to her new friend and reached out to pet Tina's head. Tina instantly pushed her head into Savvy's hand and made a rumbling noise in her throat that sounded like a cat's purr, but also slightly different. Then Tina licked her hand and...her tongue wasn't rough like a cat's tongue.

Savvy grinned. "Cool."

Jaylene grinned. "Smooth, huh? That means she already likes you. She can retract the papillae in her tongue if she wants to. She's learned that humans don't care for scratchy licks. Sometimes though, she still uses them on me. If she does that to you, it means she trusts you enough to groom you."

Savvy smiled again. "Freya does that sometimes."

Obviously hearing her name, Freya then showed some interest, so Savvy put her down on the bed. She looked absolutely tiny compared to Jaylene's Kneazle. But they seemed to like one another, because they instantly pushed their faces into each other's.

"They're cuddling," Savvy said with a grin, causing Jaylene to smile and nod.

"See, I told you," Jaylene said. "Teeny's very sweet with our housecats. Sort of a mother hen."

"You have to have a license to have a Kneazle," Xanthe added.

Jaylene nodded. "True. But not for Kneazles that are mixed. Teeny is licensed though. My grandmother gave her to me when I was seven. She breeds them and she always follows the laws. Teeny was an accident. One of Gran's Kneazles got out and found herself a friend." She laughed. "Gran was not happy."

Both Savvy and Xanthe laughed. They watched the felines play a bit, then turned toward the bathroom door when it opened. It seemed like forever since Elena and Camilla left the room and when they returned, they came out and immediately plopped down on Savvy's bed.

"So. Savannah—" Elena started.

"It's Savvy," the dark haired girl corrected, her black eyes flashing with annoyance.

Elena huffed at the interruption. "What's that thing?" she asked, pointing into Savvy's trunk.

Blinking her surprise—at the girl's abrupt questioning—Savvy glanced into her own trunk. "Oh. That's my bat," she said, picking it up.

Camilla frowned. "That's the biggest Beater's bat I've ever seen," she said, looking skeptical.

"You know first years can't try out for their House Quidditch teams, right?" Elena said.

"I don't even know what Quidditch is, guys," Savvy informed them. "I was raised in Muggle America. This is a baseball bat," she said, holding up the bat for a second, then putting it back in her trunk and picking up her glove and a ball. "And this," she said, tossing the ball into the air, then catching it in her glove, "is a baseball. Hunter and I were on a team back home. Several teams, actually. I've been playing ball since I was little."

Elena and Camilla glanced at one another, then back at Savvy. "We don't play this...baseball, in the wizarding world, Savannah," they said in unison—like robots.

"She prefers Savvy!" came the voice of Xanthe Lovegood. "And I'm sure you two could be more...friendly."

Camilla scoffed. "We're not Hufflepuffs," she said, quickly standing and moving toward her own bed.

Snorting, Elena did the same. "Certainly not. We are—"

"Hey!" Savvy cut in. "I have a brother and a sister in Hufflepuff, so...maybe you two could just...you know...shut up!"

Camilla huffed and Elena grumbled something that sounded like, "Bloody Americans!"—which caused Savvy to drop her glove and ball and clench her fists at her sides.

"Is this really how it's going to be?" Savannah Snape demanded. "I mean, I'm new around here and I don't know anyone very well yet, but...I won't take shit from you two...or anyone else, so...maybe we could at least try to get to know each other before we fight, because...I will fight, if I have to."

Both Elena and Camilla frowned.

"How...barbaric," said Elena.

Camilla nodded. "Completely."

"Well, you know, Muggle born here. And...let's not forget American," Savvy said, shrugging. "Maybe you could put in a little effort. Give me a chance before you decide I'm not worth your time. Perhaps I'll even surprise you."

"Whatever...Savvy," Camilla said sarcastically.

Savvy watched the two girls turn around and get into their own beds without another glance at her. Her dark eyes went to Jaylene, who'd been nice to her during the feast and totally cool since they'd gotten to their room. Jaylene was clearly embarrassed and mouthed an 'I'm sorry about them.'

Savvy sighed, then gathered up her glove and ball and tossed them into her trunk next to her bat. Hogwarts was going to be tougher than she thought if a couple of her own housemates were going to be such bitches, she thought as she closed her trunk—her dark eyes filling with tears.

Then she felt a hand on her arm. It was Xanthe.

"Don't mind them. The first few nights are tough on everyone. Plus, there are probably Nargles all over the place."

Savvy frowned. "There are...what now?"

"Nargles," Xanthe said. "Here, take this." Immediately she pulled something over her head and held it out to Savvy. To Savvy, it looked like a cork of some kind on a string. "One of my cousins gave this to me. It will help. I promise."

Savvy took the offering and thanked Xanthe—who immediately turned and went back to unpacking—then looked over at Jaylene again. Jaylene just shrugged and smiled.

Okay, so they're not all bitches, Savvy thought. Just two of them. But Jaylene was nice. And Xanthe was... Savvy looked down at the cork thingy she'd been given and smiled through blurry eyes, then swiped at her tears and set the necklace down on her bedside table and closed her trunk. Yeah, Xanthe was nice too, she decided as she too climbed into her bed—smiling when Freya joined her.

"Thank you, Xanthe," she said quietly after getting comfortable. "Good night."

The wacky blonde turned again and smiled at her. "You're welcome, Savvy. You sleep well now. Tomorrow's a new day."

Savvy nodded. "You too," she said, then turned her head to the left and looked at the other blonde. Jaylene was lying on her side looking at her. "Night, Jay," Savvy said.

The pretty girl grinned. "Night Sav."

And, because she was generally a friendly girl, Savvy sighed and said, "Good night Camilla. Good night, Elena."

All she got in return was a barely audible, "Night," spoken in unison.