Chapter 0006 - I would too

"First years, gather around me," I said while raising my hands so they could see where I was calling them from. After waiting for all the first year Ravenclaws to gather, I waited for the other houses to leave before we started to head off. I stood at the head of the group of first-year Ravenclaws. The excited chatter among the students gradually quieted as they turned their attention towards him. Some faces were filled with anticipation, while others bore expressions of nervousness.

"Hello everybody, my name is Percival, and I am the head boy for this academic year. I want to go around and introduce yourselves. Keep it short and brief, as you'll have enough time to get to know each other in the common room before curfew starts," I said.

They all introduced themselves as we made our way to the moving staircase. This year, we had the largest number of male students in the past fifteen years. There were six boys and 13 girls. There were four muggle-born, eight half-bloods, and seven pure-bloods, a much more balanced ratio than in his own year. I was the only boy with four girls in my cohort. 

"Could you all settle down now," I asked politely. I had to wait a few minutes for them to quiet down before I started talking again. "Now, I'll be leading you on a partial tour of Hogwarts today, with the prefects continuing tomorrow. If you have any burning questions, feel free to ask, though I may save some for our discussion back in the common room. Is that okay with you guys?"

A timid voice piped up from the group. "D... d... do we get maps?"

"My friends and I, alongside Professor Flitwick, developed an artefact that can function as a map. You all will be assigned one once we get back to the common room," I said as I came to a stop. "Does anybody else have any questions?"

The silence answered my question. "Good. I'll start our tour with this magnificent piece of architecture behind me." Right on cue, the Moving Staircase started to rearrange themselves before the new students. 

As the group of first-year Ravenclaws gathered closer to the foot of the staircase, their eyes widened with curiosity and wonder. They watched in amazement as the seemingly stationary staircase before them began to stir, the marble steps creaking softly as they shifted position.

At first, there was a collective gasp of surprise, followed by excited murmurs rippling through the group. Some students leaned forward, their expressions a mix of awe and fascination, while others took a cautious step back, unsure of what to make of the magical display unfolding before them.

I stood at the forefront and observed the students' reactions with a sense of pride, knowing that for many of them, this was their first encounter with the enchanting wonders of Hogwarts. I had a similar reaction when I first saw this as well.

"The Grand Staircase is a massive stairway in Hogwarts Castle; the structure is mainly used to access each floor of the castle, including the dungeons. Rowena Ravenclaw was the Hogwarts founder who invented this marvel of architecture and magic. There are a hundred and forty-two staircases at Hogwarts: wide, sweeping ones; narrow, rickety ones; some that lead somewhere different on a Friday; some with a vanishing step halfway up that you have to remember to jump. Follow me."

As I briskly led the group of first-year Ravenclaws up the Grand Staircase, they followed me eagerly, their eyes wide with wonder and amazement. Like lost puppies following their leader, they trailed behind me, marvelling at the shifting steps beneath their feet.

As they ascended, one observant student noticed that the stairs were slowly disappearing behind them. Panic flickered in their eyes as they quickened their pace to keep up with me, but despite their efforts, they couldn't match his brisk stride. I did slow down a little bit so most of them could catch up.

Suddenly, with a yelp of surprise, one of the students fell behind, their foot catching on the edge of a vanishing step. They stumbled and tumbled backward, landing with a thud on the now empty space where the staircase had been just moments before.

The other first-years gasped in horror, their eyes wide with shock as they turned back to look at me, expecting reprimand or concern. Instead, to their surprise, I let out a small chuckle. They looked at me as if I were mad.

Before their eyes, the fallen student began to rise slowly into the air, a set of stairs materialising beneath them as if by magic. With a delighted expression, the student floated gently back up to their feet; his face was full of giddiness as they re-joined the group.

I waited at the top of the stairs, waiting for everyone to regroup. The dim light of the torches flickered against the stone walls as we gathered at the top of the stairs. Once everybody was here, I started moving in the direction of the Ravenclaw common room, with the first years following in suite. 

I turned to face the group, a warm smile spreading across my face as I addressed them. "Wasn't that quite a magical experience?" I asked. Some of the students nodded eagerly in agreement, their eyes wide with wonder at the magical display we had just witnessed. "Now, onto a matter of importance," I continued, my voice taking a more serious tone. "Interhouse relations."

"As most of you know, Gryffindor and Slytherin have a long standing feud. This feud could be traced back to the founders and the first generations of Hogwarts students. During that time, witch hunts were very common, and most of the casualties were purebloods. The reason why the purebloods were targeted was because muggle born students would sell out their fellow witches and wizards for momentary gain in the muggle world and increase status with the churches. Salazar Slytherin thought it would be better if they only taught students descended from magical families, and they would only take muggle born if they would swear oaths to not harm their fellow magicals. The other founder did not agree with this and thought that no student of theirs should be placed under oath in order for them to learn."

A muggle born girl said her hand and said confidently, "If I were alive at that time, I would agree with what Mr. Slytherin was doing. The witch hunts should have never have happened."

"I would be inclined to agree with you," I said. "Now back onto the story. Rowena Ravenclaw, after a few Ravenclaw students were persecuted, started to agree with Salazar. But she wasn't as harsh with the conditions she wanted to set. Then, Godric Gryffindor had his own requirements for teaching students. Helga Hufflepuff was tired and fed up with them and their requirements. She saw that it was negatively affecting the students, so she proposed to create an artefact that would sort students based on what they were looking for: the Sorting Hat. That settled things down for a long time before one of the Gryffindor students that Godric was very fond of sold out Salazar's family due to a petty dispute with one of Salazar's favourite students, which resulted in most of his family dying. Godric wanted to protect his student, while Salazar wanted the student to face punishment so bad that death would be a reprieve."

"Is that why Slytherin left Hogwarts?"

"Yes, that is one of the reasons, but not the main," I said. "We don't know exactly why he left, but we presume that this was one of the main reasons. His journal definitely backs this theory up. He left some safety measures behind and..."

"Was the safety measure the basilisk?"

"I thought the Basilisk was to eradicate all muggle born, not a safety measure."

"Yeah, that's what my sister told me. She also said the chamber of secrets was opened two years ago."

"Is it still alive?"

"How...?"

"Excuse me..."

"Why...?"

The first years started talking over each other. I suddenly halted. Some of them bumped into me, and they started settling down. "The Chamber of Secrets was opened two years ago, and the Basilisk was slayed. I was one of the lucky few who was able to explore the chamber before the ministry and Dumbledore seized everything in the hidden library and the multiple chambers. Salazar wrote in one of his journals that the basilisk was left there by him in case muggles ever managed to take over the castle. It would then go and get rid of the intruders in one of the most brutal ways possible. Why am I telling you this?"

"The feud is still going strong. Gryffindors and Slytherins still hate each other. I would strongly advise you to stay clear of the more zealous students from those houses. Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw are more neutral in this feud. Historically, we get along better with Slytherin than Gryffindor, and we get along with Hufflepuff the best."

"Last year, we had some first-years join in on this conflict. Some supported Gryffindor, while others supported Slytherin. The common room was a mess, and there was some pressure to join one of their sides. Professor Flitwick put a stop to this, and those first years are still dealing with the consequences," I said before I stopped again. "We have arrived at our destination. Welcome to the entrance to the Ravenclaw common room."