"But how? We haven't even finished yet," one of the Ravenclaw girls complained.
"Well, he finished before all of you, and every answer he gave was correct. Is there anything more to prove?" Penelope Clearwater replied calmly, unfazed by the accusation. Even though they might seem unified from the outside, Ravenclaws are terribly competitive when it comes to academic matters.
The complaints died down immediately as she presented the paper to the students who were still writing. They inspected it and had varied expressions, but in the end, they accepted it and gave it back to Penelope. However, Penelope was distracted as she watched the only other Ravenclaw still calmly filling out her paper.
'Luna Lovegood, interesting.'
"Well, I suppose the test is over, so I'm going to explain the prize and its tradition. The house dormitories each have different styles, with the only commonality being the separation of boys' and girls' dorms. Gryffindors have towers with four students per room in bunk beds. Hufflepuff houses an entire student year in one large room, with enough beds and space to accommodate all. Slytherin, on the other hand, offers private rooms. All of these arrangements align with the nature of their respective houses.
Gryffindor follows the pattern of adventure and freedom, but also camaraderie. That's why four people share a single room. Hufflepuff, meanwhile, promotes closeness, loyalty, and family above all—so they ensure that students have more chances to interact and are not left alone.
Slytherin may claim to represent pure-blood ideals and therefore are being treated as royalty, but don't misunderstand. The house actually values cunning and ambition. That's the reason for the private rooms—to give students the privacy to plan and pursue their goals."
"What about Ravenclaw?" a girl asked.
"The Ravenclaw house is quite different from the others. We are seekers of truth and knowledge, and above all, we promote competition among our students—at least until they reach their final year," she added as an afterthought and continued.
"We normally divide dorms into boys and girls, with four people in each room. But final-year students are given private rooms, since they need the space and quiet to concentrate on their NEWTs. However, there's another way for younger students to earn a private room.
Among Ravenclaw students of the same year, the one who secures the top position in the year-end exams is awarded a private room for the following year. Since first-years have no exams to determine that, this test is given instead.
Auden H is the winner, and therefore he will have the private room for this entire year."
The others nodded at that, but they didn't seem to take the loss very well. Still, a fire had been lit in their eyes—they weren't going to lose again so easily.
"Well, it's nice to see that spark in your eyes. But for now, you should rest. Tomorrow morning, there will be an announcement in the hall during breakfast. I expect all of you to be present for it," she said as she led them toward the dorm rooms.
As they were guided towards the rooms, the other two boys introduced themselves to Auden.
"My name is Michael Klaus."
"I'm Tori Wiliams"
"Auden H"
"I may have lost this time, but keeps your wits straight, or else you won't get the private room next year" Michael said though the smile he had in the corner told that he was being friendly while saying it.
"Well, I normally don't care about these competitions, but this seems interesting. So I won't mind joining in" Tori replied from the side while pushing his square glasses slightly.
"Well let's see about that gentlemen. But for now, good night" Auden replied with calm smile as he entered his room
Auden greeted the two other boys from his year, who seemed decent enough. Though both told him directly that they wouldn't lose to him again, Auden didn't mind—a little competition was healthy.
As Auden entered the private room, he found his suitcase beside the bed. But what caught his attention more was the shortest professor standing near his desk.
"Good evening, Professor," Auden greeted.
"Oh, good evening indeed—and congratulations on acquiring the private room in your first year itself. Minerva told me about you before the school year began, so I was expecting you," Flitwick replied with a smile.
"About me?" Auden asked curiously.
"Well, it's not every day I hear about a student who mastered all the first-year charm spells at an adult wizard's level. And from what Minerva told me, you also learned all the first-year transfiguration spells perfectly within an hour," Flitwick replied, smiling.
"Thank you for the compliment," Auden said with a smile. Humility might be a good trait, but he also knew that in certain situations, false modesty wasn't appropriate.
Auden knew his skills far exceeded those of other students his age, and his talents were greater than most. So he decided to accept the compliment without denying it.
"Hmm, very good. Being aware of your talent is a good sign. Humility is important, but over-relying on it may invite arrogance from others," Flitwick advised, to which Auden nodded in agreement.
"Now, normally I introduce myself to most students tomorrow morning and offer some advice on what they should aspire to become. But seeing that you're attending this year, I decided to inform you early about a change in curriculum—something Minerva and I have decided upon."
Auden was intrigued. He had planned to use his time to learn new spells, as he had already mastered all the first-year ones. Now, it seemed he might gain access to even deeper knowledge.
"Given your talents, Minerva and I have decided to increase the difficulty of your education significantly. While you'll still attend classes with the others, you'll be allowed to demonstrate your skills just once in class per spell taught that day. After that, a charm will be cast to conceal your seat, and we'll use that opportunity to teach you more advanced concepts and spell theories.
We'll be covering the deeper aspects of each subject—things not typically taught to students due to the limited time available for covering surface-level curriculum.
So tell me—does this arrangement sound agreeable to you?"
A/N- hope you like it.