“Rydel. Get up! We get our new timetables today!”

I’m practically shaken awake. Groggily, I roll over to find
everyone else in the Ravenclaw dormitory already wide awake and getting dressed
in robes for the day. I stare into the face of Adelaide, one of my best
friends.

I’m currently a sixth year Ravenclaw student at Hogwarts. I
share a dormitory with four other girls, all of whom are extremely smart and
diligent, just like me, if not a little over excitable about the start of term.
There’s Adelaide, my gorgeous best friend. She has almost silky like blonde
hair with dark brown and red highlights. Her eyes are a vivid blue and she has
a bit of an accent since she was born in Australia. She just moved to Britain
five years ago.

Then there’s the other three girls: Faye, Jacelyn, and
Marissa. Faye is the quietest out of all of us, but studies diligently,
especially in Ancient Runes, which is her favorite subject. Then there’s
Jacelyn and Marissa, both of whom are on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team in Chaser
positions. Jacelyn is extremely smart, and almost everyone in the school knows
of her ongoing relationship with Corey Hilflinger, who is in Slytherin. Several
times I’ve accidently walked in on them making out in our dorm room. But for
some reason, no one seems to notice or care of Corey’s presence in our
dormitory. Then there’s Marissa. Marissa actually has been using a Time-Turner
to get to all of her classes since her third year at Hogwarts. This is her
first year since then that she’s decided to drop the Time-Turner and take a
normal schedule up to relax some since the stress got to her last year. Many
nights I walked in on her having mental breakdowns because of her extensive
work load. However, she managed to get thirteen outstandings and two exceeds
expectations.

I pull myself out of bed and get dressed. Marissa and
Jacelyn are talking excitedly about Quidditch tryouts tonight. They will, of course,
be trying to regain positions as Chasers.

“You will be coming to tryouts, won’t you?” Jacelyn asks me
excitedly as she tucks her wand into her robes. “I’ll miss you horribly if you
drop Quidditch.”

Last year was my first year on the Ravenclaw house team. I
played as a Beater along with a sixth, now seventh year girl named Cara.

“Of course I’ll be there,” I say smiling. “I wouldn’t miss
it for the world.” And it’s the truth. I enjoyed Quidditch and loved my team
last year. We came in second, only behind Slytherin.

Both girls cheer as everyone finishes getting dressed. As
one, we all exit the dorm at the same time and head across the airy common
room, which seems abuzz with excitement for the new term. That’s what I love
about Ravenclaws. We exit the tower and then head down to the Great Hall for
breakfast.

As soon as we reach the Great Hall, everyone seems to break
off. Faye leaves us with a silent wave to go sit by some younger Ravenclaws I
don’t know well. Jacelyn is immediately met by Corey, and they start a furious
make out session right there in the middle of the crowded Great Hall.
Apparently they were deprived of each other’s tongues last night. Marissa bids
us goodbye and goes to sit with some other students who were on the Quidditch
team last year. Adelaide and I sit at one of the un-crowded ends of the table
and start to eat.

As always, there’s tons of delicious food to choose
from—buttered toast, marmalade, eggs done in several different ways, bacon,
sausage, pancakes, waffles, fifteen different kinds of syrup, pumpkin juice and
butterbeer, different kinds of cereals and milks. I flip an egg on my plate and
grab some toast, spreading some marmalade over it.

The Head Girl of Ravenclaw is making her way down the table,
handing out timetables. She reaches us and gives mine to me, and Adelaide’s to
her. I look at mine eagerly, satisfied with my Monday classes. Right after
breakfast all of the sixth year Ravenclaws have Double Care of Magical
Creatures with the Slytherins (I’m sure Jacelyn will be happy with that.) Then
we have Transfiguration. After Transfiguration we have lunch, and then everyone
splits up to go to different electives. For me, my two electives after lunch
are Arithmancy and Ancient Runes which are two of my favorite classes. Then
dinner. After dinner, we only have one class before the end of the day, and for
me that’s Alchemy.

“You don’t happen to have Arithmancy, Ancient Runes of
Alchemy today, do you?” I ask Adelaide hopefully. She shakes her head sadly.

My schedule for the year is as follows:

After we finish eating, Adelaide and I head down towards
Hagrid’s hut where Care of Magical Creatures is held. A small crowd has already
gathered there, waiting on Hagrid. It’s a grey kind of day, and I can only hope
that the rain will hold off until after Quidditch tryouts tonight, which happen
to be a half hour after my last class of the day, Alchemy. Yes, I’ve got a full
schedule. But I love it that way.

Adelaide turns to talk to another Ravenclaw girl about their
shared Divination class later, leaving me all alone. I notice a black haired
grey eyed Slytherin boy who is also in his sixth year watching me. A few
seconds later he comes over to me, smiling quite slyly. I’ve never been
particularly fond of Slytherins.

“Hello,” he says pleasantly. “I don’t think we’ve been
properly introduced before. My name is Max. And you are?”

I eye him apprehensively. “Rydel,” I say slowly. “Nice to
meet you.”

“So,” he says, not leaving me alone, “I heard Ravenclaw
tryouts are later this evening. Would you be happening to try out again? You
were a fabulous Beater last year.”

For some reason, I find this slightly odd that he’s paid
this much attention to some Ravenclaw girl that he should never have concerned
himself with. “Um, yeah, I’m trying out.” I pause, and after a moment
recognition dawns on me. “Hey, you’re the Slytherin Beater, aren’t you? Max
Fawcett?”

He smiles. “The one and only.” I smile back at him, more
warmly this time. He’s actually a pretty good Beater for Slytherin. I remember
playing against him last year.

At that moment, Hagrid comes into the clearing and all chatter
dies down. Even though the class is very interesting since we’re starting the
term learning about centaurs, I can’t help my mind from wandering to the
Quidditch pitch later.

~

“Rydel!”

I jump in my seat at Professor Mcgonagall’s voice. The
raccoon we’re supposed to be turning into a teakettle is pawing anxiously at my
desk. I realize I’ve zoned out. “Sorry Professor,” I say apologetically,
turning my focus to the raccoon. I point my wand at it, focusing hard.
“Apumino!” I say in a clear voice. Blue sparks emit from my wand, and a second
later the raccoon is gone, replaced by a dainty looking white teakettle.
Professor Mcgonagall nods. “Very good Rydel.”

~

“Hey.”

It’s lunch time. I turn in surprise as Jacelyn slides into
the seat next to me, her hair now in a braid. She has a very knowing smile on
her face. I frown. “What?” I ask, laughing a little.

“So I was just talking to Corey,” she says, still smiling in
that sly, knowing way.

I roll my eyes. “That’s surprising. I thought all you two
did was make out.”

She punches my shoulder lightly. “Ha ha very funny. Anyways,
apparently a certain Slytherin Beater is very taken with you and is most likely
going to ask you out tonight after Quidditch tryouts.”

The pumpkin juice I’d been in the process of drinking is
suddenly spewed all over the table in front of me. I mutter hurried apologies
to everyone around me and pull out my wand. “Scurgify,” I say, pointing it at
the mess which then disappears. “You mean Max Fawcett?” I ask Jacelyn in a low
tone as I replace my wand into my pocket.

She grins even wider, nodding. “I saw you talking to him
before Care of Magical Creatures. You two could be a thing, just like Corey and
I.”

I can’t help feeling slightly giddy at this. But I have to
remind myself to focus. After all, it’s just a rumor and I still need to focus
on getting through my classes and Quidditch tryouts.

~

“Hey Rydel, over here.”

I turn to see Aisley, former Ravenclaw Seeker waving to me.
I move across the Arithmancy classroom and take a seat beside her.

“I didn’t think you were going to keep taking this class,” I
say, pulling out my Numerology textbook. It’s by far my favorite class though.

She shrugged. “I had a change of mind.” She grins. “Anyways,
excited for tonight?” Tonight seems to be all anyone who loves Quidditch is
talking about. I smile.

“Of course. Trying out for Seeker again?”

She nods. “And you, Beater?” I return the nod just as
Professor Vector enters the classroom. Everyone falls silent, and for once, I
feel like I can focus on something other than tonight as the class continues.

~

By the time I’m finished with Ancient Runes class, I already
have a nice stack of homework: a two paged essay on centaurs from Hagrid,
reading from the Transfiguration textbook, a big assignment from Arithmancy and
some charts to fill out from Ancient Runes. I enter the dinner hall and
immediately find the former Quidditch team ushering me over. I take my place
between Aisley and Marissa.

The former Quidditch team was this: Aisley as the Seeker,
Marissa, Jacelyn, and a now seventh year girl named Tara, a boy named Heath
played as Keeper and the team captain, but he’s gone now, and Cara and I as
Beaters. Cara is now the team captain as I’m happily informed.

Everyone is excited to get the last class of the day done
with. I find out over a supper of dried beef gravy, ham, turkey, and a number
of other things, that I share Alchemy with Cara and Marissa. So after dinner,
we all head to Alchemy together, talking about Quidditch the whole way there.