"Alright, boys, follow me."
The male prefect clapped his hands, signaling the new students to come along.
"This door here leads to the restroom, and the stairs take you up to the upper-class dorms."
As he walked, he explained the layout floor by floor.
"Okay, this doorway is the entrance to your first-year dorms. Your names are posted on each door."
"And just a friendly reminder—your first class tomorrow is with your Head of House, so get some rest~"
With a casual wave, the prefect headed upstairs toward the upper-year dormitories.
The first-year Ravenclaws exchanged looks and reluctantly split up to find their rooms.
"Huh? This one's actually a triple?"
One of the boys stared at the names posted on the door, clearly surprised.
Rock stepped over, lifting a brow. Looks like his luck wasn't bad—his name was right there.
Click—
He turned the doorknob, and the door slid open smoothly.
Inside was a blue carpet, several large bronze pillars, and three enormous arched windows. In front of the windows were three beds arranged in a curved, quadrant-shaped room.
Rock nodded at the boy beside him and stepped inside with light, soundless steps—the carpet was thick enough to swallow even the heaviest footfall.
His small trunk sat neatly at the bed closest to the wall.
He walked over, patted the trunk, and—seeing not a single scratch—nodded in satisfaction.
The Hogwarts house-elves really did good work.
Students were still hurrying back and forth in the hallway, searching for their assigned rooms.
Rock lifted his wand; with a soft pop, his trunk sprang open. He immediately started organizing his robes for the next day and checking the list of required books and supplies pinned to the small desk beside his bed.
After a good while of sorting, he stretched his neck—and finally noticed the other two boys already sitting quietly on their beds.
The atmosphere felt… frozen.
"Hey. I'm Rock. Looks like we'll be roommates from here on."
That single line thawed the room instantly.
"Hi, I'm Adam."
The skinny boy in the center bed pushed up his glasses and introduced himself.
"I'm Theo. I like stargazing!"
The other boy walked over enthusiastically, proudly lifting the new model of magical telescope he'd brought—an expensive one, if rumors were true.
Rock glanced at it. Yep, brand-new release, definitely not cheap.
"I think you guys should probably check your desks. There might be things you need to prepare for tomorrow."
He pointed at the other two desks. It was clear they hadn't yet wrapped their heads around what they were supposed to do as new students.
Thanks to Rock's reminder, Adam and Theo quickly got up and went to their own desks.
"Merlin's beard! We're starting class this early tomorrow?!"
Theo clutched his head dramatically.
So much for staying up all night stargazing and sleeping in afterward—his whole lifestyle dream died right there on the timetable.
Adam didn't complain, but he lowered his head and read carefully. Their first class tomorrow morning was Charms—with their Ravenclaw Head of House.
Rock smiled slightly. Then he remembered—he still needed to write a letter to his grandparents.
Except… it was too late to send one out tonight.
He hadn't bought his own owl this year. After seeing so many magical creatures, ordinary owls just felt a little too normal to him.
And besides, Hogwarts had plenty of school owls for mailing letters.
He could just write the letter now and mail it first thing in the morning.
He sat at his desk, pulled out parchment and a quill, and got to work.
"Hmm… how am I supposed to start this?"
Rock scratched his head. He'd never written a letter before, so he had no idea how to begin.
In the end, he simply wrote honestly—he'd arrived safely, he was settling in, and he hoped everyone back home was doing well.
...
Late that night, Dumbledore stood by the window of his office, gazing at the stars.
Most of the portraits of former headmasters were already dozing off.
Suddenly, someone knocked on the door. The portraits jerked awake.
"Come in," Dumbledore said.
The door swung open and Hagrid squeezed through sideways—his massive frame barely fitting.
"Professor Dumbledore, I've got Fluffy settled."
Hagrid's booming voice echoed through the room, earning irritated groans from several portraits.
Realizing how loud he was, Hagrid quickly gave an apologetic nod toward the angriest ones.
Dumbledore waved a hand dismissively.
"Thank you, Hagrid. And remember—absolute secrecy."
"Don't worry, Professor! My lips are sealed!"
Hagrid thumped his chest proudly.
After a bit of small talk, Hagrid excused himself—he still had his weekly patrol of the Forbidden Forest to complete.
Once he left, Dumbledore didn't show the slightest intention of going to bed. He sat at his desk, tapping his fingers thoughtfully, his gaze distant as though he were staring straight through the walls.
The portraits, recognizing that Dumbledore was in one of those moods again, quietly left their frames to sleep elsewhere.
...
At dawn, the first streak of sunlight slipped into the room.
Rock stirred awake the moment the light hit him.
Since he hadn't closed the curtains last night, morning sunlight spilled across his bed.
He pulled open his canopy and stepped down as quietly as possible.
His two roommates had stayed up late and were still fast asleep. Rock checked his magical alarm clock.
Five o'clock?
First class wasn't until eight-thirty.
Perfect. Enough time to send his letter… and maybe enjoy a morning run around Hogwarts.
He grabbed his clothes and the envelope, slipped quietly out of the dorm, and stepped into the fresh morning air.