Chapter 14: Songs Beneath the Stars
The Sorting was complete, and dinner followed like a tidal wave of flavors. Luna nibbled on a roast potato, half-listening to the chatter around her. At the Ravenclaw table, students compared wand woods, guessed professors' personalities, and whispered about the famous Harry Potter seated across the hall. Luna sat quietly, absorbing the details like a sponge—though her thoughts often drifted upward, to the enchanted ceiling filled with stars and cosmic murmurs.
Then Dumbledore stood.
With a twinkle in his eyes and a theatrical gesture, he welcomed the new students with cheer and wisdom. Rules were read aloud—warnings about the Forbidden Forest and reminders about the caretaker's obsession with cleanliness—and then, with mischief curling on his lips, he conjured a long golden ribbon of floating lyrics.
"Now, before we sleep—Hogwarts song!" he announced with delight.
The golden lyrics of the school anthem floated midair:
"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,Teach us something please..."
The hall erupted into a chaotic choir. Each house, each student, chose their own tune. The melody fractured into dozens of directions, ranging from dramatic ballads to humming waltzes.
At the Gryffindor table, the Weasley twins—Fred and George—exchanged glances.
"Ready?" George grinned.
"Born ready," Fred smirked.
Then, in perfect sync, they began to sing in an exaggerated funeral march, painfully slow, dragging out every word with such intensity that nearby students burst into giggles.
"Whether we be old and bald... or young with scabby knees...""Our heads could do with filling... with some interesting stuuuuuff..."
They clasped their hands solemnly, swaying like mourners at a wizarding wake, causing Lee Jordan to collapse into his mashed potatoes in laughter. Even some professors struggled to keep a straight face. Professor McGonagall's lips twitched.
Dumbledore, however, was delighted.
He conducted the invisible orchestra as if the absurd tempo were a masterpiece.
Luna sang in soft, offbeat hums, making up her own tune with pauses and warbles as if speaking directly to the castle itself. She smiled as she watched the twins—chaos wrapped in laughter—and thought they seemed like very necessary people in the world.
When the last exaggerated "pleeeeeeeease..." finally finished from the twins, Dumbledore clapped his hands once. The golden lyrics vanished.
"Ah. Music," he said with joy, "A magic beyond all we do here."
The prefects stood.
"First-years, with me!" called the Ravenclaw prefect, a girl with sleek hair and glasses.
✦ Ravenclaw Tower ✦
They climbed staircases and moved through quiet, moonlit corridors and past living portraits that whispered names and riddles until they reached a tall, spiral staircase ending in a door with an eagle-shaped knocker.
"To enter," said the prefect, "you must answer the question."
The knocker asked in a rich voice: "What comes once in a minute, twice in a moment, but never in a thousand years?"
Several first-years hesitated. Luna tilted her head.
"The letter 'M'," she said softly.
Luna answered the riddle—"The letter M,"—and the eagle-knocker door swung open with a gentle creak.
The Ravenclaw common room unfolded before them like a spell of air and silence.
It was a wide, circular chamber, with tall arched windows that overlooked the vast Scottish mountains. The floor was polished stone, scattered with star-shaped rugs in blues and silvers. Bookshelves lined the curved walls, filled with worn volumes and mysterious tomes. At the center stood a white marble statue of Rowena Ravenclaw, serene and thoughtful, her gaze cast skyward.
Overhead, the domed ceiling was enchanted with a moving tapestry of stars—constellations that shimmered as though plucked from the heavens themselves. The cool breeze from the high windows carried the scent of old parchment, lavender, and mountain wind.
Several delicate armchairs and high-backed sofas stood around small, crystal-globed tables, perfect for late-night reading or philosophical debates.
It was a room meant for thought. For silence. For the echo of distant thunderclouds and the weight of forgotten knowledge.
Their dormitory branched off a quiet corridor. Five other girls shared Luna's room—some polite, some curious. One began snoring almost immediately.
Luna sat by her bed, placing her wand on the side table. It shimmered softly.
She tilted her head.
The wand pulsed once—deliberate, like a heartbeat—and then quieted. A trace of golden mist curled around her fingers and faded.
Then she felt it.
A faint pulse at the base of her spine, flowing to her mind like a whisper in a silent library.
Magical field calibration… complete.
System Sync: Initiated.Location registered: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.Magic Density: High—sanctioned by Ancient Compact.Analyzing Bound Contracts...
There was a pause. Then lines of glowing light traced across her vision, visible only to her.
Detected: Israelite Protective Contract.Status: Active on All First-Year Students.Nature: Magical Oath Circle. Duration: 7 Years.Purpose: Prevent direct magical assault, mind possession, and major curse interference within school bounds.Administered at Arrival. Ritual completed through Sorting Ceremony.
Luna blinked.
So that was the feeling she had—when the Sorting Hat had touched her. A brief hum not from the hat, but from beneath the castle.
System Integration progressing: 52%Dream Stabilization: Active.Emotion Shield: PassiveNote: Hogwarts' Wards suppress external magical surveillance. Internal spiritual anomalies remain detectable to user only.
Her wand pulsed again, as if acknowledging the information.
Luna exhaled. The castle... it was not just ancient, but aware. Alive in a way few might sense.
She slipped under the covers, eyes wandering up to the stone ceiling of the dormitory.
Ravenclaw Tower had no enchanted ceiling like the Great Hall. But Luna didn't need one. The stars were already inside her.