Roaming the castle

A/N: We didn't reach the 300 ps but we did enter the top 200 on ps and since I'm happy here is an extra chapter if we reach the top 100 I'll upload another one.

I woke up early, my eyes heavy with that comforting sort of drowsiness that only exists in the quiet dawn hours. I turned to my window, stretching as I took in the view.

The light was still dim, casting a range of orange hues over the Hogwarts grounds—the rolling lawns, the shadowy edge of the Forbidden Forest (which I also wanted to go into), and the mirror-like surface of the Black Lake. Even from up here, I could see the stars from my tower and there reflection on the Great Lake making me want to go for a swim weirdly enough.

I glanced at the clock on my nightstand. 7:12. Almost two hours until my first class—enough time for a little adventure. I quickly threw on a blue shirt and a pair of black trousers, leaving my wizard's robe and hat on the desk. No need to stand out as "the eager first-year" this early in the day.

As I headed down the steps, I noticed a few older Ravenclaws gathered around one of the tables in the common room, already deep into their study session. They were quietly sharing notes, their heads bent close in serious conversation. I admired their dedication, though part of me couldn't imagine being that diligent before breakfast. Still, it was a little inspiring.

I turned my attention to the massive bulletin board nearby. Ravenclaws were nothing if not well-organized. On one side of the board was our timetable for the entire year. Every subject, every time slot, each one mapped out in an exacting schedule. My finger traced along the lines to find my first-year classes:

YEAR 1 TIMETABLE

 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

9:00-10:10 Charms History Charms DADA Potions

Break

10:30-11:40 DADA History Charms DADA Herbology

Lunch

12:40-1:50 Transfig. Herbology Potions Transfig.

Break

2:10-3:20 Transfig Herbology Potions History

3:30-4:40 Flying Flying Flying Flying 

10:30-11:00Astronomy Astronomy Astronomy Astronomy

Ok basically this was gonna be a piece of cake, I didn't have classes on Friday evening and I only had five classes a day when I did have classes in the evening, mom did say that things got considerably harder once you got your third year depending on the amount of electives you got but this seemed easy.

I tapped a nearby Ravenclaw on the shoulder, a boy with his nose buried in a thick book on Charms. He didn't even look at me, he kept his gaze on the book. "What is it?" he asked.

"What time can we leave the common room?"

He didn't even look up. "After seven. You're good."

"Thanks." I took one last look at the timetable before making my way to the door, which shut gently and magically behind me.

The castle was almost empty at this hour. As I descended the winding staircase, the air grew cooler and crisper. I passed through a few corridors, mostly looking for weird stuff which I could find interesting. Hogwarts, so mysterious and enormous—I'm sure I could find a few secret rooms. Lost in thought, I nearly tripped over something warm and fluffy at my feet.

"Oh!" I looked down and saw a dusty-colored cat with piercing yellow eyes, the same shade as mine. She was meowing softly, her gaze fixed on me with an intensity that was oddly human-like.

She was wearing a little collar with the name "Mrs. Norris" inscribed on it. What was a cat doing in the middle of Hogwarts? Was she a pet of a student? I looked down at her as her yellow eyes watched me curiously, I reached down to scratch behind her ears.

"Meow," she purred, rubbing her head against my hand.

"Am I the chosen one?" I whispered dramatically, while staring at my hand.

"Meow," she answered again, her tone super duper adorable.

"I'll take that as a yes," I replied, chuckling. Just as I was about to give her another scratch, a gruff voice echoed from somewhere down the hall.

"Oi! Don't touch her!"

Uh-oh. I did something I wasn't supposed to, I didn't even turn behind to see who had shouted at me, what you think I was gonna show him my face, hah, better luck finding me now, whoever it was that yelled.

Without a second thought, I bolted, my heart hammering as I sprinted down the corridor. I darted up a moving staircase just as it shifted, feeling a thrill of triumph as I escaped his line of sight. Eventually, I found myself somewhere I hadn't planned on—on the seventh floor.

I paused to catch my breath, resting my hands on my knees. "I really need to do some cardio," I panted, I looked out of a window, the Great Lake looking perfectly refreshing right about now. "Maybe Dad was right about swimming being the best exercise."

I stood up and looked around. The corridor here was unfamiliar, so I decided to investigate I mean my original plan was to go from ground floor to the seventh and then the towers but this was also good.

At the end of the corridor, mounted on the wall, was a portrait of a large woman in a pink dress. She seemed to be fast asleep, her eyes shut tight, and her mouth opened just slightly in a gentle snore.

"Is she… asleep?" I muttered, edging closer. The sound of my voice must have woken her, for her eyes snapped open, blinking at me in surprise.

"Oh, who's this poking about so early?" she asked in a groggy, slightly annoyed voice.

"Sorry," I replied, realizing she might not appreciate being woken up, I mean I didn't mind waking up a friend but a stranger that was a bad day to get yourself shanked which I now realized probably wouldn't happen since she was a painting. "Didn't mean to wake you. I'm just… exploring."

"Oh don't worry deary but what are you doing up this early in the morning."

The Lady opened her eyes fully, she seemed about to tell me off but once she looked at my face she calmed down instantly and a smile formed on her face.

"I just wanted to walk around the castle."

"You're a first year then."

I nodded at her words.

"Yes, no one else is as interested in the castle as you first years."

Looking at her talk, curiosity bubbled inside me, before it broke over like a damn.

"Can I ask how you work?"

"How I work?" The Fat Lady asked back, a little annoyed that I had interrupted her.

"Yeah how you work, what are you? I saw a few other moving paintings yesterday and they seemed to be able to move across different paintings, can you do that too?"

"Well of course, deary."

"Can you explain how? Are you like a ghost were you guys are tethered here because of unfinished business or simple want."

The Fat Lady smiled at my questions.

"We paintings are just imitations of who we were depicted on, it's the magic of the painter and how well he captures the person's personality that makes us what we are."

"I get that but what I mean to say is that how does it work? Is it the same principle behind how you can transfigure objects into animals, does your personality change like a normal person's as years go bye or does it stay the same mimicking the original's while you just gain new memories."

The painting began to get flustered the more I asked.

"Uhh I, guys help."

"Guys?"

Before i could question anything else she suddenly left her portrait. I could see her move to a farway portrait. "Well that's disappointing."

Yet just as I said that the frame of the picture swung open revealing two students who looked a little older than me.

I could see inside, a common room of red and gold making me smile.

The students and I stared at each other for a moment in complete and utter silence, the boy quickly grabbed the frame and shut it as fast as he could, slamming it.

"So that's where the Gryffindor common room is, but how do you get in? I'll ask the Fat Lady when she comes back."

With that, I put my arms around the back of my neck like a pillow and whistled as I walked along the corridors of the seventh floor.

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