Imelda Reyes

Sebastian awoke to an increase in the room's temperature. His eyes were barely opened, but the darkness Permeating the room did little to let him see.

"2761, 2762, 2763," William silently whispered. His feet were under the desk stationed beside his bed, and his hands were behind his head. If one could see in the dark, one would see him dressed in only his underwear and lying in a pool of sweat as he did his setups. His whole arm was scared with the burns he collected the day before, and his abs were making audible creeks as he exercised. 

Sebastian could just barely hear William's whispered breaths, but the room was dark, so he whispered. "What are you doing?" Sebastian said in a voice still laced with sleep.

"2764, 2765," William said, stopping his setups and unhooking his toes from beneath the desk. He turned over with a pained expression as he stood up.

"I wish to one day beat the snot out of a dragon with just my physical capabilities," William said as he walked over to Sebastian's bed.

A yawn escaped Sebastian's mouth as he said, "What are you even talking about?" He said in a sleepy voice before he continued, "What time even is it?

"5:40 ish, I've been going at this for a while. Could you clean me up and put some clothes on me? I don't have a wand, and even if I did, my understanding of transfiguration is surface level at best."

Sebastian yawned again as he removed the blankets covering him and reached for his lamp. As the light illuminated the room, Sebastian looked at William's form and the puddle of sweat forming under his feet.

"Bloody hell. OK…" Sebastian paused, looking at William with squinted eyes, "what exactly were you doing? And what do you want me to do?" 

With a sigh, William said, "I was doing physical activity like one would prepare for a Quidditch match. And I want you to clean me up and clothe me."

"There's a washroom down the hall, and you can clothe yourself. Good night." Sebastian said as he turned off his light and covered himself with his blanket.

William stood there momentarily before thinking with a laugh, 'Yeah… that was a perfectly normal reaction. Hehe.'

William then exited their room, in nothing but his boxers, and skipped to the washroom…

Curfew starts at 10 p.m. and ends at 6 a.m. The common room is accessible even during curfew, but leaving it is strictly prohibited. But William, he's a rule breaker. He left the common room at 5:59 on the dot.

"I hope this mildly infuriates someone. Just enough to make them angry, but not angry enough to get onto me." William said aloud as he pushed the doors open and entered Hogwarts's corridors.

He ascended the many stairs until he couldn't go any higher. He reached the astronomy tower with an excited smile covering his face. He was right in time. The sun's light waxed above the mountains. Its beautiful radiance was something William, at times, thought he would never see. Yesterday was dangerous, no matter how much he brushed it off.

William sat on the edge platforms, his feet dangling and his mind devoid of all thought except one… 

"Why am I here," William said aloud. He had faced a dragon and a devil. He was so sure of himself, but as soon as his eyes locked onto the morning sun, he got stuck in his head. 

"Perhaps it's fate," a woman's voice resounded behind William. It was familiar to William, soft and soothing, like a mother's, but he couldn't quite pin it down.

The voice owner started to walk towards William as she continued to talk: " Sometimes life isn't about how we feel, but how we make others around us feel."

William looked to his left to see Imelda sitting down next to him. She put her legs through the barrier, and they dangled like William's. "I'm sorry about the way I acted yesterday…" she said as her voice trailed off, "I've never been beaten before in my life." Her tone was filled with sincerity as she looked into the sunrise. 

"Since we're off tomorrow, how about I take you flying? I can help you learn since it's your first time." She looked at William with a somewhat pleading gaze. Their eyes locked, the blue of his eyes contrasting with the brown of hers. The sun cresting above the mountains created a picture-esque scene As its warm radiance fell on the two students.

"Sure, I need to get my mind off some stuff." He then looked to the lake, which contained the sun's brilliance. "I don't have a broom, though."

"You can borrow my old one; in fact, I'll give you my old one as an apology for yelling at you." Her eyes followed his as they both started toward the lake.

"No, you keep your broom; there's no apology needed. I have to go to Hogsmeade today anyway to get a wand… and probably everything else after the dragon ate all my belongings." William said with a light chuckle. 

"Then let me pay for it. My family is very well off." She looked at William with a pleading gaze.

William then looked back at her, smiling as he said, "Imelda, you're not going to let me turn you down, are you?"

"Nope." She said, her whole face lighting up.

"Awe, tat was nice. Now get down frum here. This is a place of learning, not frolicking." An old woman said as she emerged from the stairs behind them. She had a foreign accent that sounded alien to him. 

"Professor Shah!" Imelda yelled, surprised at her sudden appearance. "We were NOT frolicking; we were just talking."

Both William and Imelda motioned to get up. 

"She just said we were fated to meet." Wiliam teased

"William, stop," Imelda looked at William with pleading eyes. 

"Foreordained duo, Kismet couple." William continued, staring directly into Professor Shah's eyes. He wanted to maximize the anguish Imelda felt.

"William, stop!" her cheeks were now red, and her face appeared flustered.

William wasn't done just yet. He needed to go beyond and push past his limits, so he continued, "Predestined pair, Meant-to- oww!" 

Finally, Imelda had enough; she punched William in the arm as hard as possible, which didn't hurt William, but it was a good try. William looked to Imelda with a smile, but she only turned away with a scoff. 

"Are yu done?" The Professor said in a tired tone.

His smile never faded as he talked, "Yes, ma'am."

"Thin, go to breakfast or the library; just leave my tower," Shah said as she put her hand to her face and rubbed her eyes. The two then started down the stairs.

William turned to Imelda as they walked and asked, "I'm heading to the library. Would you like to join me?"

"I can come and join you after I eat breakfast if you want. I always get grumpy if I skip breakfast. That's what happened yesterday." 

"That'd be nice." 

As they finished their walk down that flight of stairs, Imelda turned to a wall with a small statue of a woman holding a green flame.

"See you then." Imelda placed her hand over the green flame and called, "The Great Hall."

"Right away, Imelda Reyes!" The statue exclaimed with an air of regality. The green flame engulfed her body, leaving only smoke. 

William looked at the statue with eyes filled with curiosity. "Hello?"

"Hello, William! You passed me by a few times on your journey up here, but I can see why: the view up here is beautiful. In my time at Hogwarts, I also came up here quite frequently. You know I've created, arguably, the most used form of transportation, it-"

William ignored the statue's ramblings and placed his hand over the flame. "The Library," he called out, ignoring the female statue. Green flames engulfed his figure, and he was transported instantly to the library.

"That was rude," the library's statue, stationed before him, said. He just walked away.

The room was massive, with dozens of large bookshelves on just the bottom floor. There were only a few people in the room, primarily Ravenclaw students. William walked past the reading tables scattered throughout the middle of the room. He arrived at a large wooden desk with an old lady sitting behind it.

"Hello, could you please help me find books?" William said with a friendly smile. He wasn't one for giving so many niceties, but treating people well makes them easier to work with. 

"Sure, I'll be happy to help," she said as she stood from her desk. "What books do you wish to acquire?"

"Well, it's my first year here, so I'd like to read about history, the mechanisms of enchantment, and beasts."

"Your first year here?" Her voice trailed off as she thought. "Ahh, you're the new fifth year! I apologize for not recognizing; I deal with hundreds of students daily."

"Not a problem," William said, smiling. 

"Now, what books do you want exactly?"

"Hmm, I'd like to read books pertaining to the Hogwarts founders and their dynasties, the invention of and history of floo floo flames, how enchanting items and possibly bodies work, and a bestiary of the most powerful of magical creatures, living or dead." The friendly old woman held her hand out as William talked, fingers extending for every topic mentioned.

"That's quite the long list. At least four books on four different subjects," she said as she started to walk over to one of the many bookshelves. "Stay here."

William watched as she walked around the library, collecting book after book… until she finally returned. Her hands were full, and her back was slouched. She was a petite woman, so the books weighed on her.

"Here you go, two books about the founders. One book about Ignatia Wildsmith's invention of floo powder and how it affects wizarding society. Two books about the process of creating enchantments and their practical applications, and another on how they have been used over the centuries. Finally, there is a 'study of dragons and Graphorns.' Six books in total. They are due by Friday, October 31, exactly six weeks from now."

The six books she carried with labored steps were then handed to William. "Thank you for your help."

"Not a problem," the woman said with a warm smile.

William walked away to sit at a random table devoid of students. He opened the book that would serve him the most. 'How the Greats of the Wizarding World Left Their Mark.'

William just started reading his book when Imelda pulled a chair out and sat beside him. She looked towards the books scattered across the table with a keen eye.

"History, beasts, and enchantments, pretty basic stuff." Imelda picked a book and thumbed through it.

William put the page he was reading and looked at Imelda. "Professor Fig talked about Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem and how it could make someone smarter, wiser. He also talked about how Gryffindor allegedly enchanted the sorting hat to make his sword appear to a worthy student of his house. Enchanting fascinates me beyond belief, and if I could harness my enthusiasm for the subject, I could maybe even make something that would puzzle Rowena Ravenclaw herself."

A smirk appeared on Imelda's beautiful face, "You want to be smarter than the lady of Ravenclaw herself? You have quite the ambition, William."

"By the end of the year, I'd like to outmatch Slytherin's cunning, Gryffindor's bravery, Hufflepuff's hard work, and Ravenclaw's wisdom," William said with a smile etched across his face. In everything William had ever done, he had aimed for the top, and being a wizard didn't change anything. Being a wizard made him want to strive to be the best he could be.

"I believe in you. You beat me in chess, and no ordinary person could do that; they'd have to be extraordinary." Imelda's brown eyes sparkled as she looked at William, her words genuine.

"And I believe in you as well," a familiar voice called from behind the pair.

"Professor Fig, what brings you here," William said as he turned around.

"I came to give you a pair of things," Fig said as he pulled a book from his satchel. "Professor Weasley asked me to give this tome to you. It's a special tool designed by the ministry; It holds information on various things within the school, the surrounding area, and the valley. It's designed to let you add it as well. It is called a 'field guide.'" The book was large, but as William picked it up, it seemed as light as a father. 

"If you want to add the information from one book to another," Fig continued as he took out his wand, "just point with your wand at the book, then the tome, and say 'Regero,' then voila." A small stream of light emerged from the book William was reading into the tome. When William opened his field guide, he was surprised to see the information from the book he was reading along with the information on the surrounding area, as Fig said.

"The other thing I wanted to give you was my wand." He extended his wand to William.

William looked at Fig confused before Fig elaborated, "I checked your schedule, and you have defense against the dark arts, transfiguration, and charms. You'll need a wand."

"I have D.A.D.A. for first period as well. We could walk there together," Imelda interjected.

"I think I'll take you up on that offer," William said as he turned back to Fig. "But I'm not going to take your wand."

"You need it for class, and you'll get your own this afternoon."

"Yeah, I thought I was going to Hogsmeade today." William then took the wand out of Fig's extended hand, "I'll make sure not to break this one." William said with a slight chuckle.

"Let's get to class," William said as he stood and turned to Imelda.