A Web Of Magic

The empty dishes in front of them were now filled with all manner of food. Roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon, roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy and ketchup. Those were the ones that Magnus recognized. For a food lover like Magnus, this was a dream come true and the best of all, he didn't have to cook them!

Conversation flowed around the table with the senior students pointing out who's who around the teaching table. As the seniors regaled them with tales, some informative while the others imaginative, time passed. A group of ghosts came floating at this time and started greeting around the tables. Magnus was fascinated by the concept of the ghosts. They didn't seem much different from the living, except for the floating and the dead part. The ghosts left once the feast came to an end and the dishes in front of them vanished.

The headmaster stood up in his place and cleared his throat as he said," A few words now that we are fed and watered. First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to enter for all students. Mr. Filch our caretaker, asked me to tell you all not to use magic between classes in the corridors. Quidditch trials will begin in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing should contact Madam Hooch. And finally, the school song. Pick your own tune and sing."

The few minutes that followed were the worst Magnus had ever endured. He never heard music so worse and looking at the stiff faces of the professors, they too shared the same opinion.

"Ah music, the magic beyond all that we do. Now, off to bed," Dumbledore gestured them towards the doors with a smile. Ravenclaws followed behind their prefect Gritt as they filed out of the Great Hall. Magnus saw the twins waving hands at him as they followed behind Charlie. He waved back. All the houses split up as they followed their prefects. The Ravenclaws and the Gryffindors went up the stairs while the other two houses went down.

The first time Magnus saw the moving staircases, he didn't know if he should praise or curse the architect. They seemed to move at random and a slip might lead to landing in the darkness that was neither visible or safe. And there were 142 of these in the castle. Magnus doubted his aunt's words that Hogwarts was the safest place for him for the first time. And it likely wouldn't be the last.

They passed moving paintings and staircases and after a few minutes Magnus decided to carefully memorize the route to avoid getting lost. The other first year students already seemed lost. Looking at the students behind him Gritt assured them, "Don't worry, you'll get used to it. Even I get lost sometimes." 'That's not reassuring at all,' Magnus thought wryly.

They moved westward and finally reached a brown wooden door without a doorknob or a keyhole. There was only a bronze knocker in the shape of an eagle on the door.

"We do not have passwords like the other houses here. The door asks you a riddle every time you want to enter. If you answer correctly, it'll open. If not, you'll have to wait for someone else to open the door."

"I am tall when I'm young and I'm short when I'm old. What am I?" the eagle knocker asked in a neutral voice.'

Gritt thought for a while and answered," A candle."

The door swung open and Gritt led them inside. They entered a wide, circular room with arched windows and blue and bronze silks decorating the walls. The blue carpet covered in stars and reflected onto the domed ceiling. There were plenty of tables, cushy chairs and bookshelves dotted throughout the room. There was a life-sized marble statue of, what could possibly be, Rowena Ravenclaw to one end of the room. The theme of the room was blue and bronze just like his robes.

"This is our common room. This is where we hang out and relax in our free time. As you can see, we have our own personal library. Be considerate of the others and don't hog on to all the books."

Gritt pointed towards the door beside the statue of Rowena Ravenclaw and said," That's the way to the dormitories. Girls to the left and boys to the right. Boys cannot enter the girls' dormitory. Your belongings should already be in your rooms. The class schedule will be given tomorrow morning by Professor Flitwick, our Head of the House. Now off to bed."

Magnus went to the boys' side of the dormitories. The first-year dormitory was at the bottom. There was a spiral staircase leading upstairs which he assumed led to the dormitories of the upperclassmen. The first-year dormitory had only three beds. They were four-poster beds covered in sky-blue silk eiderdowns and the sound of the wind against the windows seemed very relaxing. Magnus found his trunk against the foot of his bed. There was a table, a nightstand and an armchair with sky-blue padding near every bed.

Magnus looked towards his roommates and decided get the introductions out of the way. The other two seemed to have the same opinion as they looked towards each other.

"Hey I'm Magnus Webb. Guess we are roommates now," Magnus started the conversation.

"Roger Davies"

"Noah Bradley"

Roger was tallest of three which came as a surprise as Magnus himself was now on the taller end of the spectrum for someone of their age with the Weasley twins being only slightly taller. Roger looked like someone who spent most of his time outdoors and looked very fit. He had black hair and brown eyes. Noah on the other hand was short and looked like the perfect bookworm. He was also pale showing that he never spent much time under the sun. He was blonde with blue eyes.

"Where are you from? I'm from Ireland. I also have an older brother who studied here. He was in the same house too," Roger said sounding proudful.

"I am from Devon, London," Magnus gave a short reply.

"I am from Ireland too, near Cork," Noah meekly said.

The three made some small talk and when the discussion shifted to quidditch, Magnus decided to call it a night. While he liked quidditch, it wasn't to the point of fanaticism that most wizards seem to have.

"Alright guys, I'm calling it a night," Magnus got up and went towards his side of the room. He had the left corner of the room, Roger in the middle and Noah the other end.

"Night mate. If you ever need any advice or help in studies, don't hesitate to ask me. I also know plenty of the older students. Not to brag, but I was always the best in my age and I aim to continue that here too," Roger said confidently.

Noah just sat there not knowing what to say while Magnus turned back and replied with a smile, "I'll keep that in mind then. Congratulations in advance."