Heron

The following Monday Caspian woke up at three minutes past seven. He looked around and felt a bit of pride come up as he noticed everyone around him was still asleep. Or at least so he thought. Orion’s bed was neatly done and there was no sign of him. While breakfast was indeed served early, before the first classes started, there was no reason to wake up before seven, the boy thought. He put on his slippers and headed for the dormitory’s bathrooms. He brushed his teeth, washed his face and by the time he had gotten back to the bedrooms, the other boys had also woken up.

“Mo..oo..ning" yawned Silas.

Silas was a slightly larger boy, with a slightly darker complexion and slightly longer hair which he wore in braids.

“Good morning!” returned with a smile Caspian “Did Orion by any chance come while I wasn’t here?”

“No, I don’t think so.” another boy replied, rubbing his green eyes. His name was Terry Boot. He was a rounder boy with a pale complexion and brown hair. “Although I’m pretty sure he woke up at around four thirty – four fourty, maybe even five. I usually sleep a bit lighter at those hours, so I think I heard him leave then.”

“What would he have to do so early? It’s only our first day, too.” Silas now a little more awake. “Whatever the case, breakfast starts at seven. He might still be there, if you want to go talk to him.” he turned to Caspian with a note of question.

“No, there is nothing I have to...uh...talk to him about.” Caspian really couldn’t find a reason why he would look for Orion. Sure, he tried to get close to him, but the pale-eyed boy didn’t seem to want to do the same. In fact, he felt as though he was a bother to him. “Let’s just go and eat, shall we?”

“Sure, just wait while we get ready.”

“Of course.”

Caspian was struggling to recall the way back to the Grand Hall. The many corridors, various types of staircases, even the portraits all seemed to rebel against where they were placed and were doing their best to move every chance they got. Thankfully, they managed to catch an older student who would help them get there.

“C’mon, now. If we hurry, we might get the chance to see him.” the student said.

“I would also like that.” said Silas.

“You shouldn’t treat him like he’s an attraction.” said Caspian. “It’s enough he had to go through something so tragic. I think we shouldn’t make his life any harder than it already must be.”

“But he’s a living legend.” chimed in Terry. “You can’t tell me you didn’t use to dream of meeting him. He’s like our world’s hero and HE’S ALSO OUR AGE.” he continued excitedly.

“I guess...I guess I have.” Caspian did also want to meet Harry Potter, but yesterday’s talks with Orion had made him realize just how important privacy was for some people. Not everyone had led joyous lives up till now, he thought, and he had to be careful not to upset them. He still wanted to befriend both Harry and Orion, but one seemed much easier than the other. The boy was so deep in thought, he didn’t even notice Orion walking past him. Neither did the other boys who were all talking to each other.

The tables were not as full as yesterday, that was for certain. Instead of the night sky and candles, the ceiling was now bright with a few clouds, just like the weather outside.

“It’s a good thing the weather’s so nice today. This time of year, it’s usually cloudy and raining. It always is in Scotland.” said the older student. “Anyways, boys, make sure to remember the way. You definitely have to be careful not to be late for any of your classes. Professor Snape might even take points or even give you detention. I’ll be joining my friends over at the Slytherin table. Bye, bye.”

“Who’s “Professor Snape”?” the boys looked around each other.

“Probably the one with the black greasy hair. He looked like trouble yesterday.” suggested Silas.

“Ugh. I really don’t want to get on any of the teachers’ bad sides” said Terry with a worried voice.

As they sat down, they also joined the already incredible amount of people looking towards the Gryffindor table. They were all waiting for The Boy Who Lived to sit there. And sure enough, after a few minutes, he and a slightly taller boy with flaming red hair sat down. The room got a little quieter. People didn’t stop talking, they just started using whispers to communicate. The boy noticed the gazes of all the students and tried to ignore them but was visibly struggling.

“Do you think he can teach me how to defeat strong wizards like....You-Know-Who?" said Terry, incredibly quiet at the last part.

“Don’t ask him that!” exclaimed Caspian.

“What? What did he say?” Silas who had his head turned and wasn’t listening asked.

“He asked whether Harry Potter could teach him how to...how to defeat You-Know-Who" Caspian’s voice also trembled at the end.

“You think he might?” Silas was with Terry on this one.

“No! No, no, no! He was just a baby back then, he wouldn’t have known magic.” protested Caspian.

“So you think there’s something special about him as a person?” Terry was shocked.

“Well, obviously. Some say even Dumbledore couldn’t defeat...him then.” Caspian took a bite out of a cupcake. “Buff, definiffely, don’t afk him that.”

“Definitely don’t chew with your mouth full.” laughed Silas.

While they were enjoying their time at breakfast, Orion had already grabbed his books and made his way towards the greenhouses. Herbology was the first period of the week, and since the classroom wasn’t in the main building of the castle, he had made sure to save enough time to not be late for class. He had spent his morning looking for the “Undercroft” he had read about in his grandpa’s books. He thought he had found a place that looked like a promising entrance, but a teacher had almost spotted him, and with it being forbidden for students to be out so early, he had to leave it for later. Upon opening the door, a squat little witch with a patched hat turned his way.

“Ah, well, look at you bright and early! Ravenclaw, aren't you? Eager for knowledge, I reckon! But don't forget your breakfast now, it's important!” said the lady cheerfully. “My name is Pomona Sprout. Once everyone gathers, I'll reintroduce myself proper. And what’s your name, dear? It's quite the task remembering everyone with all these new faces each year!”

“Orion Hawthorne, Professor.” the boy answered, but did not return the same high energy as the teacher which in turn startled her.

“Ah, well...umm..” she started awkwardly “feel free to choose a spot wherever suits you best. Class begins in 20 minutes. Quite early, aren't you?” she repeated herself.

Orion chose a seat far down the right side of the large rectangular hickory table, but not the end. He wanted to make sure he could remain hidden amongst the other students. He took his copy of One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi and pretended to read the first chapter. His parents had made sure he had memorized all the material the “perfect Hogwarts student” had to know. They had hired the best tutors, even professionals from the Ministry, and had been very unrelenting when he made even a slight mistake. He absolutely despised them both. Just as his face was turning darker, another student walked in.

“Well, well, another eager beaver! My name is Ponoma Sprout. Grab a seat for now, until the rest trickle in.” she said with cheerful voice again.

To distract himself from the dark thoughts, Orion turned to see who else had shown up so early. It was a girl with brown bushy hair and brown eyes. She was wearing Gryffindor robes. Orion had remembered every student who was called the day before during the sorting ceremony. Her name was Hermione Granger.

“My name is Hermione Granger.” the girl told the teacher, confirming to Orion that his memory was the way his parents would have liked.

The girl slightly bowed her head to the teacher and headed for the left side of the table. She looked at all the seats. It seemed that she wanted to sit as close to the teacher as possible, but then she noticed Orion who had still been looking her way. Their eyes met, even if only for a second, as Orion prayed that she wouldn’t say anything to him. The girl seemed a tad disappointed in herself, it looked like she had tried her best to be the earliest student but had failed. Either way, having noticed where he was positioned, she sat slightly further than she would have liked, but still not quite opposite him. She also took out her book, and also pretended to not have read the full thing three times over. She threw a couple of angry glances towards Orion, and while he did notice them with his peripheral vision, he made sure not to throw any back.

Once there were only a few minutes left, the rest of the students, or at least most of them, made their way in. Mrs. Sprout made sure to greet everybody and always introduced herself, which Orion thought would make her “reintroduction” redundant. A boy with a lightning scar entered at the last minute alongside a tall red-haired boy. Both were slightly out of breath.

"Right on time, right on time! Grab yourself a seat, please." Invited the kind teacher. “Let us begin then.” the two boys sat opposite Orion which he thought was quite frustrating.

"Welcome, once more, I'm Ponoma Sprout, your Herbology professor here at Hogwarts. Now, in this class, we'll be diving into the enchanting world of magical plants and their fascinating properties. From Mandrakes to Venomous Tentacula, you'll learn to handle them with care and brew remedies that could make even Madam Pomfrey proud. So, put on your gloves and get ready to dig in the soil of knowledge!

Now, it is very important to know how to identify any plant that you might come across. This, in turn, will tell you valuable information such as how to treat it, how to take care of it, and even how to use it. This, my dear students, is a Fanged Geranium.” she put up a plant on her side of the table. “Recognize it by its vibrant red petals and, of course, the fangs on its stem. Approach it cautiously.”

She spent the class making sure that every student understood the plant’s necessities. From how to water it, avoiding its fangs, to what kind of temperature they had to keep it in so it could grow healthy. During the class she walked around the room, instructing every student how to handle the plants. A boy with blonde hair was being very cocky and slightly nicked himself on one of the fangs. Another boy, with a round face and large front teeth seemed to be breezing through the class. Orion also had no trouble with his plant and was finished with whatever Mrs. Sprout told them to do within seconds, so he spent the time between each task looking around. Twice, while the teacher was above the girl named Hermione, she looked towards him and both times he hadn’t been quick enough to look away.

"Now, for your homework," Professor Sprout said when the class was almost over. "I want each of you to observe a plant of your choice in the greenhouse. Note down its characteristics and changes over the week. Treat it as your own and ensure it thrives. I want you to give me a detailed report. Now, an important reminder: steer clear of the more perilous ones. No injuries, please! We don’t want to give Madam Pomfrey students so early in the year. Safety first, always."

Some students sighed in displeasure as they had just received an assignment in their first class.

“Now, now, get used to it.” chuckled Mrs. Sprout as she returned to the same place she was standing before class started.

Students put their books in their bags, while discussing what they had just learned, others talked about next period with excitement. It was Defense Against the Dark Arts. As Orion was heading for the door, he once again felt a quick look being cast his way.

“I was wondering where you were. Didn’t see you at breakfast either. Why’d you get up so early?” Caspian caught up to Orion.

“It’s none of your business.” would have been Orion’s usual response.

“That's when I always wake up.” this wasn’t a lie but would be a bit lower on the list of answers he would go with any other time.

“I see. I guess that’s the reason you also go to bed so early. In bed early, out the bed early.” the other boy smiled. “What did you think of Herbology, though? I don’t think it suits me. Don’t get me wrong, the class was interesting, but I think something with a bit more magic in it like Transfiguration or Charms would be more exciting. Don’t you agree?”

“Sure.”

“Aw, c’mon. Don’t you have a class you’re most excited for?”.

“Potions.” Orion said, hoping the questioning would stop.

Caspian gulped. “Listen, I talked with some of the older students. Apparently, the Potions teacher is quite stern and can easily hand you a detention. You saw how Mrs. Sprout handed a few points during class, right? I’m told he takes them away just as much.” the boy seemed to be in quite distress.

“If you just answer his questions and behave properly, he won’t bother you.” Orion returned matter-of-factly.

“I guess so-”

“Hey, Cas. Want to sit with me? I hear we sit in benches of two for this class.” asked Silas.

“Ummm..” Caspian looked at Orion and seeing his “I don’t care” look - “Sure, sounds like a plan.”

The walk from the Herbology greenhouse to the Defense Against the Dark Arts was by no means short. Students had only six minutes left of their time between classes. Orion again chose to sit a bit further back in the middle. To his demise, the talk of the school sat right in front of him alongside his red-haired friend.

"Ugh, I'm dreading Defense Against the Dark Arts. I just hope they don't decide to bring out spiders or anything that'll give me the creeps." said the taller boy.

“Do you mind, if I sit here?” a voice came from behind Orion while he was taking out his books. “My name’s Terry.”

“Sure.” once again responded the white-haired boy.

“Listen, Cas told us you aren’t really talkative, but I hope we could at least be on friendly terms. Silas, the boy who’s sitting with him, he can be a bit rude, but he means no harm, I hope you understand.” the boy was incredibly thoughtful.

“I don’t care.”

Terry was spared having to say anything as a man with a turban came out of a door. The door was at the front of the class, on the right, with a few steps leading towards it. The rest of the room was decorated with jars full of various creatures, cauldrons and there was even a skeleton of a small dragon hanging from the ceiling. Orion noticed Harry scratching his forehead once the professor entered the room.

“G-g-good morning, st-students. M-my name is P-professor Quirrell. I w-will be y-your D-Defense Against th-the Dark Art-t-s teacher.” began the man, his voice incredibly shaky. A bunch of Slytherin students pretended to hold back their laughs but could still be heard. Despite the professor sounding shy, he completely ignored the giggles and continued with his introduction. Just like Mrs. Sprout he made sure to emphasize the importance of knowing how and when to deal with dark magic and creatures. Although his hands were shaky, he would write certain names of famous witches and wizards that had met their demise being too brave at the wrong times and every time he would turn to write, the boy in front of Orion would massage the spot where his scar was in pain. The first chapter of the book was about creatures that seemed harmless but carried a large threat with them. One such creature was the “Glimmerwing Moth”. The species’ wings were translucent and could refract light even during the night when there was barely any. That glow would attract beasts and they would try to eat it, but the moths had a very poisonous dust on their body, and once close, would spread it on the predator and kill it. The dust was so strong it could even kill a small human child.

To some of the students’ relief, the professor said they wouldn’t have an assignment this class but warned them that next time there would be one.

“Bit disappointed, I must say.” Silas began. “I was hoping our DADA teacher would be a bit cooler.”

“Pfft.” Terry let out unexpectedly.

“What? Am I wrong?” Silas looked in confusion.

“No...pffft...no, it was...hahhahaha...DADA” Terry grabbed his stomach.

Caspian also realized how funny it sounded and let out a laugh.

“What?!” Silas turned a little red “I’m not saying “Defense Against the Dark Arts” every time.”

“No....pffft...you’re right. Oh,” Terry finally calmed down “I just didn’t expect it, that’s all. DADA is much quicker though.”

An older student who looked to be in his seventh year burst into laughter as he went past them.

“See? Even they find it funny.” said Terry.

“They weren’t laughing at “DADA”.” to the trio’s surprise Orion joined in.

“Really? What did they laugh about, then?” wondered Caspian.

Orion decided to remain silent.

“And here I thought he would finally start talking to us.” Terry said quietly to Silas.

The large group of first year students who were moving as a pack, so as to make sure they went the right way, entered the Transfiguration room, they noticed that Professor McGonagall was going to be their teacher.

“Oh, boy.” a Hufflepuff student exhaled.

The room was quite large. It was relatively clean and empty, compared to Quirrell’s room, only decorated with several cages with different animals in them. The oval shape of the room helped create a feeling they were outside, which Orion thought was more beneficial for the animals than the students. This time the boy waited for Harry to sit first, hoping to not have to watch him scrub his forehead in pain every few minutes. Thinking that, he remembered Harry did not have any problems during Herbology and seemed relatively fine now. In fact, it was only once Professor Quirrell turned his back towards the class that the miracle child felt anything. This was of no interest to Orion, however, and he quickly let the matter go. The class was starting, and he was still standing.

"Do find yourself a seat, Mr. Hawthorne, please." Orion had blundered as the class was now looking at him. Despite his best efforts people were always staring at him, even if not for long. The only empty space left was next to a Slytherin girl, who was sitting behind the same bushy haired girl from Herbology.

“Now then. Transfiguration, as some of you may know, is a class in which you will learn how to transform one object into another.” She tapped a book in front of her and it suddenly turned into a blue pendant.

Every student was listening very carefully as Professor McGonagall talked about the practical uses of Transfiguration. As a task she even told the students to try and transform a small pebble into a wooden stick. “Petra Lignum” was the spell the first chapter was focused on. Orion waited for someone else to succeed in using the spell before he completed it on his first try. He was already able to turn a small piece of parchment into a most detailed dagger with complex carvings and intricate shapes. One such dagger was a source of a scar on his back. The girl in front managed to complete the task in only six minutes, earning Gryffindor ten points. He gave himself two more minutes before he would cast it, thinking that other students would join the girl, but the closest someone got was turning the pebble into a leaf. At the end of class only around eleven people had managed to transform the pebble properly.

“As an assignment for the students who managed to perform the task today: you will have to learn the opposite spell and transform a wooden stick into a pebble. You will find the spell on the next page. Please follow the instructions and make sure to read carefully. For the rest, practice what we did today, and I expect you to be able to achieve the transformation by Wednesday. That’s all, you are dismissed.”

“Waaaah. That sure was tough. I’m glad I managed to complete it, though.” said Caspian.

“Still means, you will have to learn a whole new spell.” replied Silas.

“Hey, where are you going, lunch is this way.” Caspian reached out to Orion who was walking in a completely different direction.

“I’m not hungry.” he said and continued without waiting.

“That’s not the way to the common room either, though...” Caspian lowering his voice “...is it?” he lifted it again.

The two other boys just shrugged.

“I wouldn’t know, I’ve been following you guys all day.” said Terry.

Orion was heading for the library. He knew Atticus had spent a good amount of time there and he had a feeling there might be something in the restricted section he had to find, so he decided that to investigate. He knew that the disillusionment charm would work best, as it had for his grandfather, but decided that extra caution was needed. He didn’t want to get thrown out during his first week of school.

He entered the large room, which almost made the library in their common room look like a simple shelf. Immediately, the barricaded section caught his eye. There was only a single door, separating the two parts of the library. The door wasn’t in a tough spot to get to, and unless someone was guarding it, which wouldn’t be a problem even if there was, he could easily get inside without anyone knowing. There was nothing to make him hurry, however. He didn’t even want to try just yet; maybe an opportunity would arise for him to go there without having to sneak in. For now, he just looked through the various shelves and picked a book called Magic You Should Learn After School. He found an isolated spot and sat down. Turning through a few of the book’s pages, he quickly came to the conclusion that there wasn’t anything of value in it, and still going through some pages in hopes of proving himself wrong, stood up. At the same moment, someone bumped into him. It was that Hermione girl. She had dropped a book and once she saw who she had bumped into, she didn’t look particularly happy.

“I'm sorr- oh, it’s you” she said.

Not fully knowing what she meant by that, Orion crouched down to pick up a book she had dropped.

“I apologize.” he said.

Hermione also bent down but couldn’t get to the book before him. He could almost hear her mumble to herself “Do you have to be first in everything”.

“It’s fine, I can do it myself.” she said, still not wanting any assistance from the boy and sounding slightly annoyed.

“Here.” he said ignoring her tone.

She was slightly taken aback by the fact he wasn’t turning hostile, but Orion was wearing an expression that would make most people think he couldn’t do that.

“Thanks.” she muttered through her teeth.

The boy took the book from his table and made way to the shelf he had grabbed it from. Annoyed by his behavior and being frustrated that he was treating her as if she wasn’t there, she impulsively called.

“Wait.”

“...yes?” Orion turned only his head. He feared this would get prolonged.

“Wh-what’s your name?” she asked hesitantly.

“Orion.”

“That’s an odd name.” the girl was slightly taken aback by the answer.

“It’s a name of a constellation.” he said, taking a short step towards the shelf.

“I know!” she seemed insulted that he would even consider she didn’t know that. “What house are you in?”

“Ravenclaw.”

“Of course you are.”

Orion only raised an eyebrow. There was no question, and this seemed like the time to get away.

“My name is Hermione Granger, in case you were wondering” she only grew more annoyed at his disinterest.

“I wasn’t.”

“Obviously.” this time there was more disappointment in her voice than irritation. “I’ve just – I've just been hearing so much of “I thought you were Ravenclaw” that I - forget it.” disappointment turned to sadness.

“But you’re a Gryffindor.” it was confusing for Orion how someone might mistake a student’s house, since their uniforms had the house crests embroidered on them. This also made him wonder why she had asked for his house.

“Yes, yes, I am” the poor girl was a mix of emotions. Now she was feeling slightly hopeful that someone had noticed she was from Gryffindor. Throughout all their classes so far, she was always the first and often the only one who answered the teachers’ questions. Most people who didn’t look closely at her uniform must have mistaken her for a Ravenclaw. That was the conclusion Orion reached. Seeing as how there was silence again, he turned his head to face forward and took a few steps.

“Can I ask you something?”

Orion really didn’t want to answer that.

“...yes?”

“Do you-” she began and clutched the books she was carrying. It seemed she was struggling to say something “Do you always act this way or only towards people who aren’t your friends.” she said with a different tone than the one she had begun with.

“I - um, don’t have friends.” this was the first time in a while Orion struggled to answer a question, not because he felt awkward he didn’t have friends, but because he did not want to discuss relationships with anyone.

“What about those three boys? They seemed to want to talk with you.” this was the most annoyed she had been. Friendship was obviously an important topic for her.

“.......friendship is a two-way...um...thing.” he said. “It’s not enough for someone to be your friend, if you aren’t a friend to them” he clarified.

This visibly had an impact on Hermione who tried to say something but remained silent. Making use of this silence, Orion returned the book and exited the library. He set off to the Charms room.

A very short person stood atop a pile of books. He had a funny mustache, and his hair was split down the middle.

“Welcome, welcome, students.” he began “My name is Filius Flitwick, and I will be your guide through the wonderful world of spells and charms. Ah, but before we delve into the secrets of spellcasting, let me share a little secret with you. Some of you may think that all teachers were perfect when we were sitting where you are, but when I was a student here at Hogwarts, I had my fair share of misadventures with spells. One time, I accidentally turned my teacup into a mouse! But don't worry, we'll learn to avoid such mischief together.” he joked, getting a few laughs from the students. Now, magic isn't just about waving a wand and muttering words. It's about focus, precision, and a touch of imagination! Today, we'll begin with something simple, a charm that will make you all sparkle with delight. Watch closely and listen keenly! Scintillara.” he said and tiny sparks came out of the tip of his wand. This amazed a few of the students and some of the ones who were sitting closest flinched back.

“Remember, every great wizard started with their first flick of a wand. Don't be disheartened if it doesn't go perfectly at first. The key is practice, patience, and a dash of confidence. Now, before we start casting, let us practice the wand movement, but not before I make sure I get everyone’s names.” he then quickly took the register. Once he reached Harry Potter’s name, he gave the boy a look over his glasses and continued.

The teacher spent the next fifteen minutes correcting all the students on their swooshing. Once he turned to Orion, he noticed the boy wasn’t even trying.

“Go on, now. What’s your name?” said the teacher from the top of his books.

“Orion.”

“Come now. Let’s see it.” he invited.

The boy took out his wand and flicked it.

“Perfect, you have been paying great attention. Now, how about you try and cast the spell. Remember the words. Scintillara.”

The students were now paying very close attention to Orion. A boy who was sitting on his right with blonde hair was looking at him with a certain expectation. He knew the boy. His name was Draco Malfoy. His parents often came by their house to discuss something with Orion’s parents in private. Malfoy didn’t really bother to ever talk to him, which Orion was grateful for.

“Go on, Hawthorne” he said competitively. The people around him were surprised Draco knew Orion.

“Scintillara” cast Orion and his wand started to emit sparks. They were no less impressive than the ones Flitwick had displayed at the start of the class.

“Wonderful. Very nice. Five points to Ravenclaw” the teacher exclaimed.

Draco was not so happy with the result, he was hoping to see an embarrassment.

“Now, let’s see what you all can do.” encouraged the teacher.

Sparks were coming from multiple directions, some brighter than others. A boy in the back of the class cast the spell, but instead of sparks a small explosion occurred.

“Haha.” chuckled the professor “No need to worry now, Mr. Finnigan. Remember what I said in the beginning, such mishaps are bound to happen. Let’s try again. This time be very careful with your wrist.”

The class ended with the teacher telling the students that their assignment was mastering the simple spell.

“Can you teach me how to do it? No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get more than a few flickers?” Terry begged Orion.

Orion noticed that the girl he had talked with in the library was looking at them.

“Just practice it and you’ll get there eventually.” Orion replied more coldly than he usually did and sped up ahead of his fellow Ravenclaw mates.

“Did I do something?” Terry asked Caspian worriedly.

“I’m...not sure.” the boy replied.

“Must’ve hit a nerve.” joined in Silas.

“Don’t try to get close to that one. He’s quite repulsive.” called Draco, going past the group. He had two larger boys on both his sides. Caspian looked at him with furrowed eyebrows. Malfoy was happy that he struck a nerve with the boy and made one of his goons demonstratively bump their shoulders against Caspian’s.

“He’s the disgusting one.” a ginger boy said to Harry Potter quietly.

A dark-skinned witch with a large wizard hat welcomed the students into a large circular room with a domed ceiling.

“Reminds me of our common room.” whispered Silas.

“Welcome students, take your seats.” she began with a slight African accent. “My name is Aurora Sinistra. I’ll be your Astronomy teacher.” she looked around the room. “Now, I must begin by reminding you that on Wednesdays our classes will be held at midnight. They will be forty-five minutes long instead of an hour. You will have to bring your telescopes. Make sure to take a nap before them so that you can be well rested for your Thursday classes. We don’t want any tardiness, do we?”

The class continued with the witch explaining how stars affected everyday life and how they could even be used to tell the future of a person. Almost all girls were quite fascinated with that certain remark, while the boys seemed to be uninterested. Terry was one exception.

“Man, I’m so excited. Wednesdays are going to be the best.” he looked towards Caspian and Silas.

“I think you meant Thursdays.” grinned Caspian.

“I can’t wait to fly, too” agreed the other boy.

Seeing as how it was two on one, Terry refrained from continuing the discussion. They had flying lessons on Thursday.

“I am certain that all of you know at least one constellation. Can some of you give me a couple of names.” she invited the students.

“The Plough” called out a Hufflepuff girl.

“Ah, the Plough, an excellent choice! Known also as the Big Dipper in some cultures, it's a part of the larger constellation Ursa Major. Its seven bright stars are easily recognizable and have been a guide for many navigating the night sky. Well done! Now, who else can share a constellation they're familiar with?”

“My mom has told me that there is a constellation for every star sign.” called a different girl from Hufflepuff. She was sitting next to the girl that had answered before her.

“Ah, star signs. I assume your mother is a Muggle?” the teacher asked.

“Oh...uh...yes.” the girl replied ashamed that she probably mentioned something that wizardkind thought to be a joke.

“Well, while we do take into account the constellation that you are related to, you will find later on, in Divination, that the alignment of the planets and stars on your birthday is of much greater importance. Anyone else care to share something they know?”

“Orion.” called two students together, Caspian and a girl who until now was in deep thought. For the first time today, Hermione was not the first to answer a teacher’s question.

“...very good.” congratulated the professor slightly startled at the coincidence. “Orion is a very prevalent constellation in both our world and Muggles’.” she made sure to look at the Hufflepuff girls.

The class continued with the teacher talking about less-known constellations. At the end of the class, she set an assignment.

“For next time, make sure to write at least a page’s worth of facts about the star Sirius. That will be your first grade in this class, so make sure not to slack. You are dismissed.”

“Do you believe in such things?” asked Silas.

“My dad’s a Muggle, but even he doesn’t believe the stars affect us.” replied Terry.

The two boys looked over at Caspian, awaiting his thoughts, but he was too busy looking at the Gryffindor girl who had answered alongside him. Having noticed what he was staring at, the two boys looked at each other and two sly grins emerged on their faces. They had been generously gifted what every boy group enjoyed most. A reason to tease.

“Hohoho, looks like someone’s caught Cas’s eye. Hehe.” joked Silas.

“You gonna ask her for her name?” added Terry.

Caspian looked at them, not one bit embarrassed. The grins faintly melted.

“It’s not that. Let’s go, we have History next.” he said quickly.

The boys looked at one another. Surely, there was something going on.

History of Magic was by far the most uneventful class. The highlight was the fact that a ghost was teaching the subject. However, at no point did he ever stop talking and invite the students to participate in any way whatsoever. He didn’t even bother to shush a few Gryffindor boys who were talking between each other. Hermione did, though. As an assignment he told the first-years to write a paragraph about each of the founders of Hogwarts.

“Freedom at last.” said Silas, stretching his arms above his head.

“Not for me. I have to go practice the spell we learned in Charms. Do you think I should ask Orion to help me again.” said Terry sad.

“I’ll help you.” offered Caspian who was no longer in a weird mood. “But let’s first go the library. I want to pick a few books for History.”

They weren’t the only ones who wanted to look at the books that were about the founders. Every book on the topic was already taken and a number of students were diligently doing their homework on the tables.

“I guess we’ll have to wait.” sighed Silas.

“More time to practice the charm.” Terry took out his wand.

“Not in the library!” Caspian gave him a very light smack on the head.

“Relax. I just want to practice the movement.”

“Even so.” argued Caspian “We also have to do our Astronomy homework, remember?”

“No need to rush. It’s not due until Friday, is it?” Silas said placing his hands on his nape. “Let me give you an idea. Let’s try to get close to the forbidden section. There’s probably interesting books there.”

“What’s that?” asked Terry.

“Apparently, there’s a whole section of the library that you can’t enter without a professor’s permission. Even if you’re a seventh-year.” explained Silas.

“Do you have permission?” asked Caspian rhetorically.

“No, obviously. But we might sneak in a peek, if we sit closer to it.”

“Alright, but don’t try to get us in trouble.” Caspian said splitting from the group. “I’m just gonna grab a book on stars.”

Caspian looked around a few Astronomy shelves and managed to find a single book left called Stargazing the Spectacular by Celestia Starbeck. He flipped through it and decided it would suffice. He took a look around and noticed Orion was sitting alone writing something on a piece of parchment. Caspian took a step towards him, then abruptly stopped in hesitation. His white-haired peer had been acting strange after lunch and had been even more distant than the day before. The boy turned around in defeat and just as he was about to head to where Silas and Terry were sitting, a surge of confidence came.

“What are you doing?” he said standing behind Orion.

“Assignments.”

The shorter boy took a look at the table and noticed there was already a page written. Orion’s handwriting was immaculate. The words were perfectly aligned despite the lack of lines, no single ‘a’ looked different than the rest. Every capital letter had elegant strokes to make them look pretty. Caspian quickly scanned the page and realized these were the four paragraphs about the founders. There were no books on the table, however.

“Did you already give the books to a student?”

“No.”

“So you still have them?”

“I don’t.”

“What do you mean?” Caspian was confused.

“I don’t need them.” Orion stood up and started packing his things.

“You mean to tell me you wrote all that by yourself?! How did you know all that already?” the boy was shocked.

“Yes.” Orion wasn’t looking at Caspian.

“Could you help us then? All the books have been taken.” he asked hopingly.

“Just wait for a book and do it yourself.”

“Don’t be like that.” despite his friendly tone Caspian felt a tiny glimmer of irritation rise inside him, but instantly discarded it.

Five tables beside the boys, Hermione was giving them quick looks while also doing her assignments.

“Listen. I don’t really know what made you the way you are, but if you think that talking about it will help....” Caspian continued.

“I don’t.” Orion brushed “Geminio” he cast at his parchment, and it magically duplicated. “Make sure to change it.” he said and handed it to the boy.

“...thanks.” Caspian was bewildered by the fact Orion had just cast such a complex spell and could not thank him in time. The pale-eyed boy had already taken his leave.

Returning to the table, Caspian saw that Terry and Silas were reading a book.

“Hey. Look, we managed to get a book on the history of Hogwarts, a girl gave it to us.” said Terry joyously.

Caspian looked at the copy of Orion’s homework and put it in his pocket.