The Ravenclaw Table 2025-2026

@Kiki Lopez

Aislin knew that she wasn't very practiced in talking to other kids her age. She spent a lot of time around her cousins and a couple of kids in her town she'd been tutored with, but that was about it, and Hogwarts was a whole school full of brand new faces. It hadn't occurred to her to really worry about this, but in the moment of trying to strike up a conversation, she could feel the words she tended to spill at a rapid pace come harder, filtering through something slower and stickier. How did kids usually do this?

But then Kiki asked a follow-up question about dragonflies and her whole expression lit up, what was left of her dinner momentarily forgotten. "It is! They can actually move in any direction, so backwards as well as to the left and right as the kind of unusual ones." She pointed each way with her finger as she said it. "I think that's because they can move the wings at different speeds and angles, but I don't know all of the physics."

She reached for her cup and took another sip of juice. "I could show you if I ever find another one," she added, after a moment. Not everyone liked bugs--she did know this, after discovering that kids who were not her cousins tended to scream or otherwise act grossed out when offered them cute little woodlice--so she was in luck to have sat next to someone who did. Maybe there was even a higher concentration of people who liked bugs in Ravenclaw, coming along with the house's values of open-mindedness and curiosity.

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Tabitha still felt her fingertips buzzing with excitement even after the cheering died down from her sorting. Thankfully, she had found an empty spot without much deliberation and after taking a (slightly shaky) inhale, she took a look around to those she sat beside, offering an excited smile to any she made eye contact with.

Ravenclaw. The word in her head was spoken by the booming voice of the Sorting Hat. Not the gentle voice of Camden recalling their sorting or the excited explanation of the houses by her other aunts and uncles when they gave her their explanation of each of the houses. Instead, the word had been replaced with that announcing voice of the Sorting Hat in her mind.

She didn't think herself to be the book-smart studious sort, as per the stereotype often assigned to those in the blue house. Though she knew from many conversations that people were never exactly any sort of stereotype. Her mother, sorted into Hufflepuff, was a prime example of someone that others thought belonged in Slytherin. But Tabitha knew, all her childhood, that her mothers loyalty did far surpass her desire for success and the cunning she often displayed at work. The Sorting Hat knew each person's buried values, so Tabitha had to fit in somehow.

There would be the rest of her life for Tabitha to discover what traits of wit and wisdom that she possessed, but she managed to draw herself out of her musings without too much resistance. This was a day for celebration and meeting her classmates, after all.

Tabitha took another look around her, blue eyes bright with anticipation to meet her classmates. Her housemates. Her people. Her eyes naturally looked around for anyone she may recognize, those she already met, maybe others from events throughout her childhood. Her expression was making it clear to anyone that she was open for a conversation or even a harmless introduction, if her announced name had already been forgotten with everything else going on.

The noise in the great hall still felt strangely unreal to her and made her head throb. Excitement and defiant rebellion mingled in her heart, forming a wild cocktail of feelings that made the feast pass by her like a dream. The scent of roasted meat, freshly baked bread, and sweet pumpkin juice hung in the air. Older students immediately fell into lively conversations with classmates they hadn’t seen over the summer, while the younger ones, with round, wide eyes, tried to soak up everything magical around them. Almost with a sense of mischief, she replayed the events in her mind.

Ravenclaw.

Olivia imagined her mother’s disapproving eye roll, the sharp hiss at the corner of her mouth that suspiciously sounded like “nerd”, and the mischievous glint in her eyes – the only sign of her suppressed pride in her daughter. Olivia’s grin spread wider across her face.

The voices and conversations around her barely reached her, yet again and again she caught curious glances from her classmates and grinned back like mad. Suddenly, a lock of blond hair caught her eye – belonging to another first-year who was sitting directly across from her. The girl’s blue eyes wandered searchingly through the hall, but a warm, friendly smile rested on her lips.

Driven by the overflowing joy in her chest, Olivia leaned forward and called out cheerfully:
“Hi! Proper mad in here, isn’t it?”

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Interacting With @Olivia O‘Brian

Tabitha was so thankful that she didn't have to hopelessly look around the table for long before she made eye contact with another Ravenclaw. There was something about her overjoyed grin that was infectious and Tabitha felt her smile match it. It was convenient that the girl was just across the table from her, so she got a moment to take in her appearance and hopefully be able to recognize her later.

The right response seemed to elude Tabitha so her pleasantries slipped away. There wasn't a 'polite' reply, this was casual, Tabitha could do casual. Or at least she would do casual. She would have to learn quick. Until now, she hadn't had to do much but smile and nod all day and look around and try to remember things.

"It sure is!" Tabitha only had to hope that her reply was good enough. "I'm Tabitha!"

Without thinking, Tabitha raised her hand above the table partially outstretched to offer to shake her hand. Then, she realized that the table was far too wide for that and there was food and dishes between them. So she instead reached to grab some sort of bread-roll shaped thing from a basket to try to save the fumbled interaction.

"Any idea what this is?" In a further attempt to save her botched excuse at a pleasantry, she lifted the roll up so the other girl could see.

After a brief hesitation, Tabitha held a doughy little something under Olivia’s nose. Olivia blinked, slightly puzzled, then ceremoniously dipped her hand into the basket, plucked one of the pastries, and took a decisive bite. She chewed with exaggerated seriousness, nodded mock-gravely, brushed crumbs from her fingers, and exclaimed with satisfaction, “Oh, this is fantastic! You absolutely have to try this!“ She couldn’t tell what it was, but she made a mental note of its appearance as the lingering sweetness on her tongue made her cheeks flush.

Turning back to Tabitha, Olivia offered a more composed smile—quite different from the supernova grin that had lit her face moments before. “I’m Olivia, by the way,“ she said, giving a brief, confident wave. Despite the calm tone, her chest hammered with the familiar jumble of excitement and nerves.

“Don’t you think this feast is even better than one could have imagined? I mean, Hogwarts sounds so huge and intimidating, with all the famous wizards and a headmaster in armor, for heaven’s sake! But sitting here… I almost feel already a little bit at home.“
Olivia opened her mouth again to continue, but quickly bit herself on the tongue.

She absolutely wanted to tell how impressive the castle appeared and how much she looked forward to lessons, that she had never seen a magical creature or sent a letter by owl and that she wanted to do everything right now.
But she knew that she would not stop babbling once she had begun, and she didn’t want to scare off the friendly girl – her new classmate, a Ravenclaw, they were in Ravenclaw! – right in the middle of the feast.

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Interacting With @Olivia O‘Brian

Tabitha observed as the other girl grabbed one of the same pastries she had held up. Thankfully, it seemed as though Tabitha's failed handshake turned food presentation went unnoticed. And, if the other girl's reaction meant anything, it turned out the small treat was delicious. Tabitha took a bite of her own, slightly tentative to try something she never had before. Though, her apprehension melted away as she hummed in appreciation. "You were right. This is incredible,"

With how successful that taste test was, Tabitha turned her attention towards the wide expanse of food scattered along the table. She began grabbing a few small scoops of unfamiliar bowls of varying kinds and setting them on her plate, still keeping her attention on the other girl. With the noise in here, Tabitha was slightly worried she might miss something she said if she wasn't paying attention.

Olivia was the other girls' name. Tabitha smiled back, nodding, making sure to file the name in her mind for later. "It's a pleasure to meet you," Tabitha's returned phrase may have seemed a bit too formal for the occasion, but thankfully there was enough going on that she didn't linger on the words, leaning forward to listen to what Olivia was speaking about.

Tabitha made sure Olivia was done speaking, though she had seemed to bite back words. She nodded in agreement, "I've heard so many stories of this hall but there's something magical about it, for sure," Tabitha looked up at the suspended candles casting light from above. "I almost can't believe we're finally here,"

Tabitha looked along the table at their dormmates, looking towards the upperclassmen, finally. Seeing if she could spot any familiar faces. She would need to figure out who from events she might recognize in her own house. "Ravenclaw," Tabitha muttered the word under her breath, letting the noise of the chatter and clatter of dishes absorb her voice. Just testing out what the word felt like now that it was synonymous with her.

Mika sat silent at the table for a while watching some of the other people getting sorted into their houses. She didnt knew anybody in her house or in any other house, it was a bit lonely to say the least. She observed her own table for a moment. A few of the first years were chatting wildly about how beautiful Hogwarts was and how much they could learn here. Some of the older students seemed to be complaining about the new school year and some others were chatting about their holidays, she guessed that most of them are older years.
She imagined the dissapointed look of her parents when they found out she was in Ravenclaw and not Huffelpuff or even Gryffindor. They had told how sure they were that Mika would be the same house as her family had always been. She felt a bit bad knowing how exited her parents had been about being a Huffelpuff and telling her everything about the house she needed to know. But in the end she also knew that her parents would try to support her even if she was in a house they didnt think suite her at all, but she also knew that there was a bit of dissaprovel in whatever she did from now on.
Eventuelly she grabbed a fruit and some sort of paistry when everything had calmed down a little. It was good food and it tasted alright, but Mika wasnt really hungry after the exhausting day and used the time to observe some of the other tables too and see what their srudents were like.

After being sorted, Lapiz picked her way down the table that the other Ravenclaw house members sat. She found an open seat and sat herself down in the crowd of fellow students. The table was longer than she had initially thought, and it held its own stories within its worn wood. She idly ran her hand over the grooves and dents, wondering who might’ve sat in this very spot. A great witch or wizard, with a sharp mind and a longing to make the best out of their time here at Hogwarts, perhaps. Lapiz pondered how she would fair in the historic halls she would soon wander. Would she pass through here as a phantom, another face in the sea of faces? Or would she herself become someone that shook the very foundations the school was built on? Would she exceed her teachers’ expectations, or fall short and wonder where it all went wrong? Would she discover secrets that had been hidden away for eons, or would her time spent here be as ordinary as all the others that came before her?
Several students waved and smiled at her, and she would smile and wave in return. Who would become one of her friends? Would those from other houses attempt to interact with her, or were they meant to stay within their own boundaries? She fidgeted with the sleeves of her robe, waiting for some sign that she would find the answers to the questions she had.
As the sorting ceremony continued, she looked down the table, memorizing the nameless faces. She imagined that she could be friends with many of these students, but she would wait for those who would approach her. Lapiz chose to sit quietly, with an open expression and clear mind, waiting for a fellow student to introduce themselves and begin what might be a beautiful friendship.

Sienna fluctuated at the entrance to the Great Hall, her breathing stopped for a moment as she absorbed the view with her eyes. The ceiling was arched almost impossibly high, and it was enchanted to reflect the evening sky—a deep blue dotted with stars. Candles were floating quietly in the air with their golden flames gently swaying, which made ribbons of light dance across the four long tables occupying the hall. The sounds of laughter and talking as well as the clinking of goblets were warm and lively, filling the atmosphere.

Her eyes wandered over to the table that had blue and silver banners hanging over it, where the Ravenclaw crest was shining with pride. She touched her robes—still crisp and new—and walked toward the table with her shoes making soft tapping sounds on the stone floor. The more she approached the table the more the flutter in her chest became intense. She was wondering if she would ever actually belong here among witches and wizards who already looked so self-assured, so sure of themselves.

A bunch of pupils caught sight of her coming. A dark-haired fifth-year boy raised his head from a book called Hogwarts: A History and smiled at her. “You must be Sienna,” he said, giving up a spot next to him. “Welcome to Ravenclaw. The first night is always a bit of a whirlwind.”

“Thank you,” she replied shyly as she took the free spot.

The whole table was buzzing with chat—the two girls were playfully arguing whether it was Transfiguration or Charms that required more accuracy, while a first-year boy sitting opposite Sienna was tracing runes in the moisture on his goblet. Suddenly, platters of roast chicken, hot vegetables, and golden Yorkshire puddings came to their table, and Sienna's stomach produced an impatient growl.

While she was putting food on her plate, she grinned. The smell of food was divine, the candlelight was sparkling like the starlight, and for the first time since she got off the Hogwarts Express, she felt that something steady and sure had taken root in her. It was her luck to be here—among the ravenclaws.

As Rose was walking down the Great Hall alongside the other new first year, her heart was racing. She was feeling several emotions at once: excitement, curiosity, anxiety and even a bit of fear. She was scared to disappoint her parents as well as her brother. Without realising she had reached already the gathering of the other first year students and her name was calling out to get on the stool and be sorted out by the Sorting Hat. It brought her to reality and she went up in front of everyone waiting for the choice to be made. After some times, which felt like ages "Ravenclaw" was screamed out of the sorting hat. She couldn't believe what she has just heard and her face instantly lighted up.

As she stood up from the stool she felt such a relief and was really happy to be now part of the Ravenclaw house. She then quickly went over the Ravenclaw table and sat next to a girl who was wearing glasses and had long wavy brown hair, also a first year.

As shy as Rose were she took her courage, looked at her neighbour and slightly smiled at her while saying "Hi" to her.