Ravenclaw’s Common Room was rather quiet.
Most students have gone home. Virginia was the only first-year who stayed.

  Virginia
has now mastered a good number of spells, but she cannot use them very well.
She knows it’s because of her habits, such as when she scratched herself she
first thought of looking for a woundplast instead of using the Healing Spell.

  As
for self-defense, she believed she has mastered well. This kind of confidence
stems out of her recently mastered Patronus Charm. She thought it would be very
advanced magic but actually it was not more difficult for her than the
Confoundus Charm or the Obliviate Charm. She thought it might be because she
always had such a pair of loving parents, who make her feel happy at the mere
thought of them. Maybe the wish of protecting others is the first step toward
producing a Patronus. She easily summoned her own Partonus.

  The
tip of her wand first manifested silvery smoke, like a mysterous phantom. When
the eagle came out Virginia was shocked. She never thought her Patronus would
be an eagle, even though she is a Ravenclaw.

  She
carefully watched the huge eagle in front of her. Yes, her Patronus eagle was
really large in size, about three or four times as big as the normal eagles. It
spreads out its wings to float above Virginia, covering all above it from her
sight.

  Every
night before sleep she would summon her Patronus and fell asleep with it. It
makes her feel safe. But except for the first summon it never spreads its wind
again. The eagle should naturally be flying in the sky. Virginia cannot stop
her desire of seeing it fly, but in the castle, she keeps being prudent.

  This
day she comes to the Astronomy Tower after dinner. She remembers that
Dumbledore died here, so it is usually deserted, and it’s holiday now. She sent
out her Patronus into the sky.

  In
the sky it flys as though nothing can hinder it. This freedom impacts her and
is what Virginia actually wishes for deep inside her heart. Yes, she desires
freedom. She wishes she can hover around freely in the sky and do not need to
hide or be scrupulous about everything she does.

  At
this moment, she finds herself jealous of her Patronus.

  It
has grown dark now. Not wishing to draw too much attention, she recalled her Patronus.

  Sitting
alone on the Astronomy Tower, her hair immersed in moonlight. The shallow
brown-gray hair seems to be a valuable, emiting a particular light under the
moon, soft and mysterious.

  “You
two are very alike.” A voice suddenly rang behind her.

  Virginia
jumped to her feet. She turned around and nearly crashed her head on the
windowside. She looked at the culprit and saw it was Bloody Baron, the
Slytherin ghost. It hangs in midair. Virginia cursed in her mind. Who is her
alike? She doesn’t consider it an honor at all, having experienced such a huge
shock.

  Bloody
Baron seemed not to have noticed her embarassment. “She was also a Ravenclaw….”
His voice sounds soft and misty. After saying his word he fell into silence.
Virginia found that he never looked at her for once since the beginning.

  Virginia
raised her head and turned away. She has to hurry back, for the curfew has
already passed. She cannot stay here for the entire night, especially when
there’s a quirky ghost beside.

  Then,
a loud crack sounds in the sky. That sound was quite like the outburst of a
balloon. Virginia looked around in curiosity. In the darkness a man in cloak
appeared. He strided toward the door in the silent night. Virginia suddenly
realized that it was Apparation just now.

  You
can apparate into Hogwarts? Virginia felt nonplussed. “That was your
headmaster.” Bloody Baron’s voice came, seeming not to be shocked by that.

  True.
She is convinced about that very quickly. That must have been Severus Snape. Who
else would have such strides and pass like wind? And headmaster can apparate in
Hogwarts, that was indeed a boon.

  He
went out so late this time. The Dark Lord summoned him again, maybe? Virginia
conjectured, but she suddenly realized that what is most important for her now
is to return to her dormitory.

  Walking
so many times in darkness and you can’t avoid meeting a ghost.

  This
sounds unconvincing for Virginia. Judging from her own experience, the first
time she walks in darkness there’s a ghost tailing behind her. Bloody Baron
followed her as though they were just accidentally walking in the same
direction.

  Virginia
didn’t wish to let others know that she has mastered the Disillusionment Charm,
even when in holiday it’s not actually illegal to walk after curfew. So she
still walked her original way back and didn’t perform the charm, though it was
merely a ghost.

  But
a shiny ghost in darkness is certainly very obvious. Those people in the
portraits seemed extremely curious about that. Bloody Baron and a first-year
student.

  A
midnight castle still makes her feel she was stared at by many eyes. Virginia
didn’t know how to deal with this, so she walked faster and faster, and it was
such a rush at last.

  It
had been fortunate for her. She encountered no trouble on her way to the dorm,
not even those normally disturbing ghosts. Bloody Baron also went away
soundlessly. Well, she has to admit that he had been useful behind her.

  Having
answered the cunning question of the door hook, she finally went in the Common
Room and sat down to read for a while beside the warm fireplace. Then she went
upstairs.

  She
thought of her rather monotonous life every day. She does nothing except
reading and learning new spells. The new year is coming soon…. She thought and
then fell asleep.

  Next
morning she opened her eyes and found her room rather bright. Ah! She jumped
off her bed and ran to the window. She knows why that is! It was all silvery
white outside the window. Lakewater and wood are all covered by a layer of
white dressing-growns. Virginia now seems like a true child. She hurried to put
on her clothes and ran out.

  At
the next corner she ran into someone.

  “Oh!
Ms. Winchester! Be careful please!” It was Professor McGonagall. She seemed to
just be back at school. She supported Virginia’s body and said with slight
blame, “Ms. Winchester, you’ve got to be careful. Look around and walk slowly.
Don’t be so reckless.”

  “Snow!
It was snowing, professor!” Virginia was ecstatic. She rushed out again.

  Professor
McGonagall was watching her from behind. Her normally stern expression was now
loosened a little. These Hogwarts students are the true future of the wizarding
world…. She turned back and left.

  Virginia
wasn’t seeing snow for the first time. In fact that had been abnormal for her,
for she was an adult in her born, but if you use that against her, she would
refute by saying that adults can still harbor some playfulness, let alone that
she was actually seeing such spectacular snow for the first time indeed. Before
she was only seeing snow on tall skyscrapers and dirty pitch-covered road. Now
it was the forest, the lake, the castle, all seemed to be an unrealistic fairy
tale, a paradise.

  A
rare beauty in an oppresive fairy tale, can’t she relax a bit in that?

  Virginia
lay down on the ground. She looked at clear sky above her and enjoyed the smelt
of snow, along with the mixed flavor of forest plants. The snow in her hand was
very soft. She took some and let them fall through her fingers. The snow shined
in the sun and was blowed gentally onto her face.

  Alright
it was not that unrealistic. She sat up and thought that she had to strive ever
harder. She has to guard everything she owns now, her life, her family, and the
occasional beauty of nature.

  Hogwarts
becomes crowded a week later, for students gone for holiday are now coming
back. Virginia knows she has to pay more attention to her study, because it is
getting more and more intense around. Everything will pass soon, she consoles
herself.

  Soon
before summer, all will end.

  ‘

  Many
people would die, but more will live on. She thought of their hook-nosed
headmaster, and the evil and malicious Dark Lord. Both will die, and both
deaths lack any value.

  In
the final battle, some people will die of value, at least in the eyes of most
people.

  But
even those valuable deaths are not permittable, thought Virginia, for afterall
they died, and nothing is left after death. She has to live on, she tells
herself. She will live on.

  People’s
mood is such a fantastic being. It will steer you and influence your judgement.
It can both encourage you and crack you down.