Reflection
The morning air bit at my face the second I stepped outside the castle. My first night in the Ravenclaw tower had been restless.. The soft snores of strangers, the endless spiral of thoughts about the Sorting Hat’s decision.
Slytherin. I’d wanted it so badly. The ambition, the cunning, the sense of belonging among those who understood what it meant to fight for every scrap of power. Instead the Hat had dropped me among the clever ones, the thinking people. That wasn't me.. or was it?
I still wasn’t sure how I felt about it.
The grounds stretched out before me, mist spiraling over the grass. I pulled my robes tighter and started walking toward the Great Lake. The water looked almost black under the grey sky, cold and still. My boots crunched on the frost-stiffened earth as I made my way down to the lake.
Classes would begin soon. Charms, Transfiguration, Potions… I found myself almost looking forward to them. Maybe in the classroom I’d finally start to understand why the Hat had chosen Ravenclaw. Maybe I’d find people who didn’t look at me like I was still trying to figure out which House I belonged in. Friends. I almost choked on my own thoughts. I hadn't needed many before but now I craved them.
I thought of mum, her tired smile, the way she’d hugged me at the platform and told me to write every week. I missed her already. I could feel it in my chest. And then, for the first time in years, I thought of him. My father. A name without a face. A man I’d never known beyond the stories Mum sometimes refused to tell. I didn’t even know if he was still alive. The thought felt foreign, like touching an old scar I hadn’t noticed in a long time and it brought a surprise tear to my eyes.
I reached the edge of the lake and stopped. The water trickled gently against the stones. I crouched down, the knees of my trousers instantly wet from the cold grass. I run my hand through the icy water, it took my breath away how cold it was.
In the distance, I could hear thunder. Low and slow, "God moving his furniture". That's what mum used to say.
I stayed there a moment longer, staring out across the dark water, wondering what the year ahead would bring. Then the cold began to tingle my face and my feet through my boots. I stood, wiped my wet fingers on my robes, and turned back toward the castle.
Slytherin. I’d wanted it so badly. The ambition, the cunning, the sense of belonging among those who understood what it meant to fight for every scrap of power. Instead the Hat had dropped me among the clever ones, the thinking people. That wasn't me.. or was it?
I still wasn’t sure how I felt about it.
The grounds stretched out before me, mist spiraling over the grass. I pulled my robes tighter and started walking toward the Great Lake. The water looked almost black under the grey sky, cold and still. My boots crunched on the frost-stiffened earth as I made my way down to the lake.
Classes would begin soon. Charms, Transfiguration, Potions… I found myself almost looking forward to them. Maybe in the classroom I’d finally start to understand why the Hat had chosen Ravenclaw. Maybe I’d find people who didn’t look at me like I was still trying to figure out which House I belonged in. Friends. I almost choked on my own thoughts. I hadn't needed many before but now I craved them.
I thought of mum, her tired smile, the way she’d hugged me at the platform and told me to write every week. I missed her already. I could feel it in my chest. And then, for the first time in years, I thought of him. My father. A name without a face. A man I’d never known beyond the stories Mum sometimes refused to tell. I didn’t even know if he was still alive. The thought felt foreign, like touching an old scar I hadn’t noticed in a long time and it brought a surprise tear to my eyes.
I reached the edge of the lake and stopped. The water trickled gently against the stones. I crouched down, the knees of my trousers instantly wet from the cold grass. I run my hand through the icy water, it took my breath away how cold it was.
In the distance, I could hear thunder. Low and slow, "God moving his furniture". That's what mum used to say.
I stayed there a moment longer, staring out across the dark water, wondering what the year ahead would bring. Then the cold began to tingle my face and my feet through my boots. I stood, wiped my wet fingers on my robes, and turned back toward the castle.