Scars Of White

"Follow me first-years! This way to the Ravenclaw common room." The entire cast of the students which were just allocated into the Ravenclaw followed behind an older student. The prefect of our house. Basically, he was a reliable upperclassman who enforced the rules of the school and ensured the students were on the right path. I imagined his influence was just below the teachers and staff of the school, greater than a standard student anyway.

Corridors upon corridors passed by in my vision as we continued the pathway determined by our guide. Eventually reaching several sets of stairs in a large spacious room, the stairways constantly shifting between branching pathways. How inconvenient.

Our group waited whilst the prefect directed our gazes to the different portraits painted across the walls of the room. Funnily enough each and every one of them was moving as if they were alive. Do ghosts possess them? Are these real people? Or is it just magic?

I had seen similar tricks before in the daily bugle. A newspaper service which covered recent turns of events for the wizarding world. Now and again Mr. Weasley would leave his newspaper on the table after finishing breakfast. However, the pictures in that were short recordings of events, they would replay endlessly. They didn't have a conscience or will to make choices. These pictures are completely the opposite of my previous understanding.

There were people from all different time periods. Yet they even seemed to interact with one another. They talked to the students outside of the frame and also to paintings adjacent from one another. A certain knight had even stepped over into a different painting and begun to fraternise with the inhabitants. Can they come out of the frame altogether? Can I go into the picture frame world? Would I be able to get out if I did?

My mind was hazy with the number of questions currently scrambling inside looking for an answer. Before I could ask anything, our entourage was once again on the move. This time up the stairs, going ever higher, step after step.

Each and every child stuck to the larger prefect's last steps, whether that was to make sure they didn't get lost or because they were trying to avoid me, I wasn't sure. My first meal at this school was a bit of a lonely one. Despite being at the same table I felt as if I were completely isolated, once again. It was a far cry from the hospitality I had become accustomed to at the Weasley household. But there wasn't much I could do about that. My interruption in the ceremony set them on edge, even the older students didn't make much of an effort to get to know me. I can only assume they had observed my actions as impudent or unruly. I can't particularly blame them for those feelings, this was the only way it could be.

I had a hunch about the sorting ceremony. Many things didn't line up and I figured I would get more insight to this retrospectively. Depending on a few factors when I get in the common room, I think they should be all but confirmed.

In a tower of the castle lay a single door with a golden knocker in the shape of an eagle. The prefect knocked thrice on the door. A haggard old voice resounded from within.

"Where is the best place to hide a tree?"

"In the forest." A simple enough riddle. I assume that was just for show with the first years being present. If it were this simple for every student that came by then members of other houses could easily try and infiltrate others. I wonder if each house uses riddles. It's worth looking into, yet another concern…

The door swung open after a small delay. A large open room complete with a fire, several armchairs, sofas and windows to look out from the tower were within the luxuriously clad common room.

"Over there you will see two separate staircases. The left is for the boy's dormitories, the right for the girls'. Curfew is 10 o'clock at night, so long as you're within dorm bounds or, in very peculiar circumstances, with a teacher. Then there will be no problems. Ensure you don't break the curfew rules and keep to school regulation, or we'll lose house points. That's it for my explanation. You're each four to a room, the rooms have already been decided. If there are any problems with the allocation, then bring them to a prefect and we'll try and rectify it. For now, you should go and ensure all of your baggage is in your room. Mistakes are unlikely, but it would be best to be sure." He looked slightly over towards me as he said that. I was glad someone else shared my same scepticism.

Quickly the students my age split apart to find their rooms and no doubt their belongings. Since pets are allowed, most would have them I wager. That was also the thing I was looking forward to for now, seeing Hikari wasn't the only reason though. Leaving the students with a minute or two as a head start, I attempted to follow behind.

"You. Come here, it'll only take a moment." The prefect gestured for me to come closer.

"Yes?" Answering as innocuously as I could.

"What exactly possessed you to do that in the hall?" He asked in a whisper, not wanting to gather the attention of the other students. Unfortunately, being the only first year still around made me stick out like a sore thumb.

"What do you mean?" I wasn't clueless, but I wasn't going to tell him that.

"As far as I'm aware no one has decided to interrupt the sorting hat before." Did he think I was being rude? It wasn't surprising it seemed like that, but it was the only way I could ensure my placement.

"If it was against the school rules, the teachers would've rectified it." My answer lies somewhere within those lines.

"I'm not asking you as a prefect… I ask as another student." So, I wasn't looking at any punishment? That's a relief. Without intimate knowledge of the rules or the authority that prefects hold, I was fighting a blind battle.

"I thought Ravenclaw would be a good fit for me. In fact, it was the house I was most interested in. I didn't want the place I'd spend the next seven years to be chosen by a hat of all things…" I wasn't sure exactly how much he'd reveal to others, so I opted for this avenue. I was only a 10-year-old child, he would understand the anxiety and excitement of coming to Hogwarts. My actions could easily be writ off as induced by anxiety.

"I see… In which case welcome to Ravenclaw. I'm glad you chose our house. Just let me know if you need anything." He was very accommodating, which I was grateful for. But it was clear he was on his guard still. I gave a simple bow and made way to the staircase.

Ascending the left staircase and continuing past doors with the occupants beholden on a plaque. I finally came to my own room. Apparently, I was sharing with; "Michael Corner", "Terry Boot" and "Anthony Goldstein". The only one of which that stood out to me was that first name. He was the first Ravenclaw selected, his sorting was almost immediate. The sorting hat had barely sat atop his head before deciding on his allocation. From the words that the hat shared with me I can confirm that it sees something inside the user. Whether they were all their memories or simple statistics of what the person were capable I wasn't sure. If I were to compare the things I know with the only other student who was immediately chosen, Draco Malfoy. It must mean those individuals have such qualities that make it almost impossible to place them in a different house… If I find the absolute characteristics of Ravenclaw then I can gain an understanding of him.

I was contemplating whether I should knock before entering, seeing it as unnecessary I decided to open the door quietly. This was my own room after all, if I acted like I were intruding I'd be even more of an outcast.

Despite my efforts to remain silent, the rustic doors were prone to groaning. My fellow roommates all looked towards the direction of the noise. An awkward silence spread over the room. Looks of apprehension spread over their faces, all but one. The raven black haired student, his face was gaunt, and he was rather slim. Michael Corner. His eyes swam with understanding, he quickly looked away apparently done with his assessment of me.

"…" I don't think they were planning on speaking any time soon. And I wasn't exactly sure how to carry this conversation. Do I just introduce myself? I mean we all just introduced ourselves in the hall, plus the door has a plaque and all the other members are here. Obviously, that would make me Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, add in the fact that I'm probably one of the only Japanese students here, and it'd be stranger not to assume that's who I am… Do I say that I'm excited to live with them? That doesn't feel appropriate either, I don't know any of them after all. Whilst my mind was racing from the social pressure, I noticed my baggage in a corner of the room near what I assume is my own bed. My feet naturally carried me in that direction. Hikari was there, he looked unsettled which was odd. He didn't particularly get bothered being around people, he was a rather unusual dog in that sense. I wondered about the possibility of one of my housemates messing with him, but they instead seemed to be avoiding him.

The Grim… I thought those superstitions weren't as prevalent, given how divination is looked down upon. It could just be because he's a dog in general, I was reminded of the menagerie and its treatment of the canid family. Would that mean they had magical upbringings? Normal people or muggles as they call him, would find it strange to be averse to dogs. Outside of a personal trauma regarding them, I suppose.

Hmm?

The shapes don't match… They haven't moved it have they? Looking back towards the group, my eyes met Michael's. A small smile lit up on his face, followed by a very slight shake of his head. If you blinked, you would've missed it…

Ravenclaw. Bird's eye view… That was an idiom often attributed to those that had a clear view of the situation. It was a perspective which factored in the possible variables and allowed the thinker to take the inside and outside of the box into account. Was that why he was taken into this house? If he noticed some of the same things as I did, then it wouldn't have been an overexaggeration to say he deserved it.

"Hey, you speak English, don't you?" The tall blonde boy in the group decided to initiate conversation with me.

"Yes." Amazing social skills me. Well done.

"Well, nice to meet you. We're roommates so we should all get along, right? I'm Anthony Goldstein." He was a few inches taller than me and seemed relatively approachable. I was glad to have such a convenient person as a roommate. He could carry my metaphorical slack. Conversationally, anyway. Which was my main concern. He nudged his friend beside him slightly with his elbow.

"Uh- Hey, Terry Boot. Nice to meet you." He was timid unlike his friend. Whether that was because he was talking to me specifically or this was his usual attitude, I couldn't discern yet. Terry was a few inches shorter than me and had red hair. Not quite as striking as the blinding ginger, emblematic of the Weasley family, but noticeable.

"Likewise." I looked towards the last person to introduce themselves.

"Michael Corner. Pleasure." He was curt and short. His words were polite enough, but straight and to the point. Was he hiding distaste or was he just disinterested in etiquette? I can't really complain, what with my own lack of manners. But…

"Before I butcher your name, you got a nickname or something? So long as you don't mind us addressing you like that." The charismatic blonde asked.

"Other's have been calling me Taka whilst I've been here. You're free to call me that, or anything else if it's easier." I was used to responding to any number of names, so it didn't matter too much.

"Hmm… How about-" Anthony was humming whilst massaging his chin. The action was discordant with his apparent age, so I found it rather bizarre.

"Ayy! Ayyyy! That's his name now." Within reason I should've said. That suggestion came from Michael. I was surprised considering how standoffish he was just a moment ago.

"Denied. Sounds like you're calling a dog." Shouting like that outside would just be confusing. Other people could assume he's calling at them.

"Fine, fine. In Japan they call by last name first, right? Ayanokouji. Kouji… Ji. That's it Jiji!" Is this the fabled banter, I've heard of? Whatever it was I didn't want to be called an old man when I haven't even celebrated my 11th birthday yet.

"Denied." This time I answered in Japanese.

"I don't know what he said, but I'm almost certain that he agrees with the nickname." Try again Michael.

"I'm surprised you know any Japanese, it's not exactly a language that's used commonly here." It was incredibly unlikely he had chosen that name by accident.

"Just from late night anime and stuff. You pick up some words here and there." I guess Japanese media had an audience across the globe as well.

"Fascinating. I'm still not being called an old man." I felt pathetic for arguing this point with a child. Wait, I'm a child as well. Would this be appropriate behaviour then? Filing that thought away for another time.

"Hey, you said we could call you what we want. You aren't showing much gratitude for my amazing nicknames." Michael put on a little pout, pretending to be affected by my disapproval.

"Hahaha! That being the case, we need to find a name. How about Koji? Is that good with you guys?" I didn't quite understand why they hadn't decided to just call me Taka like other people. But it wasn't much of a problem, so I just decided to go with it.

Following that the conversation devolved into smaller, less interesting topics. Slowly I was beginning to understand how other people interacted normally. Whilst I couldn't quite imitate their fascination with mundane topics or intimately understand the point of conversation without a pretence. It was still enjoyable. The four of us continued to talk (myself very little) until it was an appropriate time for bed. Having already stuffed ourselves from the buffet, the natural urge to sleep kicked in.

I was surprised and glad enough to find they did implement infrastructure for modern hygiene. If they had continued to live in the past to conserve the magical character of the school, I would've been exceptionally worried. Floating books and writing with a quill were more than enough for me. Having to use the magical cure for dysentery every week just to feel like a wizard didn't spark much interest in me.

After using the common bathroom, a large space for all the boys in the house to bathe and complete morning and night routines. We had returned to our respective rooms. Like that a few hours passed, the gentle lull of snoring from one side and the resting breaths on the other side complemented the serene atmosphere well. I was slightly too excited to sleep, so I had the urge to read at night. The only problem remaining were the eyes currently resting on me behind a façade of rest. If he wanted to talk, I wasn't against it… But something told me this was a little bit different.

Peering to my immediate left I had seen that Hikari was still awake. Judging that I wouldn't make much progress with the book, I opted to spend some time with Hikari instead. Today had been a day with very little time for the two of us to bond, over time I planned to strengthen the ties between us. Just like a normal relationship.

Resting the fluffy pup in my lap I stroked the soft fur of his head and neck. He yawned happily in my lap.

"Sorry I didn't pay much attention to you today, Hikari. I was busy making my first friends in Ravenclaw." He nuzzled his head into my palm as I spoke.

"I'm just glad they're nice people. After the sorting ceremony everyone wouldn't talk to me around the dinner table. I haven't felt like a ghost in a long time…" Hikari licked my hand and begun to get restless, sensing discomfort in my words.

"No need to get jumpy. It was my own fault. I was so anxious during that time. The hat was talking about Slytherin. I didn't want to be put in there since the train incident happened. But then he said something about Ravenclaw. Even I don't know why he put the idea in my head. But it was like he wanted me to say something, like he'd put me in a bad situation if I didn't." His small body continued to trail in circles around my lap, attempting to find the optimal resting position.

"I got a good room. Would any of the others have tried to involve me in the conversation? I guess I owe Anthony for that. No, I owe all of them… Let's do our best from now, Hikari." A small yip accompanied my vow.

The gaze directed at me, previously unflinching. Finally relented and closed his eyes. I continued petting and exchanging random words with Hikari at irregular intervals. I let an hour pass by until finally leaving my body to the warm embrace of sleep.

Word count: 3033

I hope to have brought an interesting and clear character to each of the roommates. Some will have a greater role than others, evident by the emphasis on certain characters. That being said I still plan on developing them all, over time.

Just to be clear these characters are canon in the HP universe, their characterisation and the events which follow will likely deviate from that, however.

As always let me know your thoughts. Hope you enjoyed.

Until next time.