Today is the first day of our 6th year at the newly rebuilt Hogwarts Castle. We have all gathered in the Great Hall to welcome our new First Years. Lily will be starting this year. I can see her from where I’m standing. Her robes hang loosely at her feet. Stumpy little thing, she is. Too short to find fitting robes at Madam Malkin’s, and too short to see over the counter when purchasing the closest size for her. Of course they could be shrunken down to fit her with a simple charm but, she wouldn’t be wearing these robes for long. As soon as she was sorted, we would help her adjust her new uniform.

“Rose” someone whispered behind me. I turned to face my cousin James at the nearby gryffindor table, “can you see Lily from here?”

“Yes James, She’s off in the corner to left, just in front of the Hufflepuff table.” I pointed to the young redhead at the far end of the vast room.

“Looks like she’s talking to Hugo and Albus. Does she look nervous? I hope she’s not nervous!” The raven haired boy sighed, and looked hazardously back and forth between his hands and his sister. Despite him being the oldest, James was incredibly protective over his younger siblings. My cousin was distraught over his baby sister, afraid she would be bullied by other students, and taken advantage of because of her small size.

Soon Headmistress McGonagall took her place behind the ornate podium.

“Welcome all Hogwarts students, to a new year! Today we not only welcome former students back, but we welcome new students who will be joining us this year. But before we begin the ceremony, I would like to go over a few ground rules and announcements.”

I rolled my eyes at this. We had the same talk every year. Lysander, a fellow Ravenclaw, noticed my sarcastic remark and snickered quietly.

“First off the Forbidden Forest, as the name suggests, is strictly prohibited, to all Hogwarts students-”

She continued on for another 15 minutes or so, but I had drifted away from her/his lecture. I had now turned my attention to the curious faces of the new students. They mostly appeared a mixture of nervous, excited, or nauseous. Their bewildered eyes stared at the vast night sky floating above their heads. Soon Headmistress McGonagall’s voice interrupted my train of thought.

“Alright, and with that we shall begin the Sorting Ceremony!”

The Hall erupted into cheers and whistles, as the new students began to slowly step up to the stool. Countless names were called out, ever so often hearing a name that sounded familiar. A few from our parents stories;  Patil, Finnigan, Thomas and so forth. Finally, one of the last to go, a Potter. The room grew silent as the small redhead ambled her way to the front. Cheeks as red as her hair. She anxiously approached the stool, and fidgeted as the hat slowly came to rest on her head. The hat was now very worn. Possibly damaged in the war, or simply just faded from all the years. it sat fraily on Lily’s head as she gazed from house to house. I hoped for her sake, she was sorted into anything but Slytherin. Not that there was anything wrong with Slytherin per say. It was just, she didn’t have any family there. At Least in any other house, she had family to help her adjust.

The sorting hat coughed and wheezed between undecipherable mumbles, before finally clearing his ‘throat’ and declaring, “Gotta be...Ravenclaw”

Relief flooded through me as little Lily Luna Potter came galloping towards my table. A look at her brother confirmed his satisfaction as well. Her bright red face beamed as she bounded over to me. We quietly exchanged congratulations with my younger cousin as the sorting ceremony came to an end.

As an appointed Prefect, I escorted all new Ravenclaw’s to their new home. Lily tugged on my hand during the moderate hike, and the 1st years all gasped at the wild staircases and talking paintings, I presumed many of them were muggleborn.

Finally we reached the top of the spiral staircase, and I explained to the students, “As far as a password goes, Ravenclaw doesn’t have just one, we have many. In order to gain entrance to our common room, you must solve a riddle.” I approached the eagle shaped door knock, and it suddenly blinked and came to life.

“Which came first, the Phoenix, or the flame?” the knocker questioned. I thought for a moment before looking triumphantly at the small eagle,

“Neither. A circle has no beginning.” With a steady creek, the door swung open to reveal a large circular room, decorated with different shades of blue, and bronze. “Now they’re all relatively simply riddles, but never the less; Only a true Ravenclaw can answer them. Seeing as you’ve all just been sorted, you should have no problem. Now, on occasion that you do answer incorrectly, you will have to wait for another student to answer correctly.” With that I directed them to the various dormitories, Girls on the left, Boys on the right, bathrooms, etc. Lysander sat quietly in an armchair near the fire pit. His nose buried in an issue of The Quibbler. He seemed utterly content with his reading and hardly glanced at the incoming 1st years. Lysander was an old friend of mine. At least I think he is. I mean we seem to enjoy each other’s mutual company. I’m not sure though. Partly because I’ve never actually heard him talk. At most I’ve heard him snicker or laugh slightly. Yet somehow, he was still good company. He smiled often enough, and acted kindly. I just assume he doesn’t have much to say anyways. He glanced up from his magazine and offered me a friendly smile. I returned the gesture, and introduced the 1st years to Lysander. They collectively said their hello’s and Lysander offered a cordial smile to all of them.

Soon it was time for bed. Thankfully tonight was not my night to patrol the halls, and I went to sleep peacefully that night.