The Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff first years had a free period after lunch. Hermione decided they should all study in the Ravenclaw common room. Harry answered the question the eagle posed correctly, the entrance swung open and they went inside. The common room was decorated with silk hangings in the house colors of blue and bronze and a midnight-blue carpet decorated with stars. The room was wide, circular, and very airy, with a domed ceiling painted with stars, and walls with graceful arched windows that provide a spectacular view of the surrounding mountains. There were bookcases, tables, and chairs. Opposite the entrance was another door leading to the dormitories. Beside this door was a platform on which a life-size statue in white marble of Rowena Ravenclaw wearing her diadem stood.
"Wow! This is awesome!" Vince exclaimed looking around him.
"Come over here and see the view," Gregg said motioning to Vince from the window.
Vince went over to the window and stood by Gregg. "Merlin's beard! You can see a lot of stuff from up here!"
"Yeah, you should see it at night when you can see some of the lights from Hogsmeade," Harry said.
As they settled into the comfortable furniture around the common room and opened their books, Dean asked, "So what house table are we sitting at tomorrow?"
"We can sit at Slytherin tomorrow and then sit at Gryffindor the day after tomorrow," Draco suggested. "Although Weasley will probably choke on his pumpkin juice when he sees us sit down."
"And you can bet he'll have something nasty to say," Hermione added."
"Probably," Harry agreed. "But maybe Percy will take points or Fred and George will prank him if he does."
"I was wondering," Dean began. Everybody stopped talking and looked at him. "If I could invite Theo to study with us. He's my partner in Potions and he's really smart, but I don't think he has many friends in Slytherin." He looked at Draco for confirmation.
Draco shook his head. "He doesn't. He's kind of a loner; he is smart and prefers to study rather than jack around like his roommate Blaise Zabini."
"It sounds as if he'd fit right in. Go ahead and invite him, Dean," Harry said.
"Thanks, I will."
When they sat down at the Hufflepuff table that evening, Dean walked over to the Slytherin table and invited Theo to sit with them. Theo smiled, nodded and got up following him to the Hufflepuff table where they sat down. Dean introduced Theo to the ones who didn't already know him.
The next morning they all sat at the Gryffindor table and as predicted Ron choked on his pumpkin juice, spraying it everywhere and Seamus had to pound on his back for several seconds before he could take a deep breath. "Wha …What are they doing sitting at our table," Ron demanded; his face red.
"There's no rule, Ron that says they can't," Percy informed him.
"Did ickle Ronnie choke on his pumpkin juice," George said.
"Does ickle Ronnie want a lolly and a lullaby?" Fred asked.
"Shut up!" Ron snarled at his brothers. He got up and stormed away from the table.
"Pay no attention to our younger brother," Fred advised. "He's a git."
"And he's close to getting a Howler from Mum," Percy muttered.
As September melted into October and the weather began getting colder, the kids continues their practice of sitting at a different table everyday and studying in each other's common rooms even Gryffindor. Percy hovering about insured there would be no problems from Ron.
Monday morning went fast and by lunchtime everyone was hungry as they sat down at the Slytherin table. Harry took a fried egg sandwich and a tuna with mayonnaise sandwich off the platter in front of him along with some crips, pickle slices, and poured himself a glass of pumpkin juice. Everybody was talking about what they had learned in their classes that day. Harry was proud of the fact that he had finally turned his matchstick into an actual needle. Draco was talking about how he had been able to levitate his feather in Charms.
Double Potion's was interesting that day as Severus was having them brew the Forgetfulness Potion. "This potion is very effective so please do not take a sip of your potion," he warned as he waved his wand at the blackboard and the instructions appeared. "You may begin."
Neville went up to the student cupboard to get the ingredients while Harry lit a fire under their cauldrons. When Neville came back, both he and Harry began to chop or dice the ingredients and carefully add them to the cauldrons following the directions on the blackboard.
Severus was very pleased with the quality of the potions he was getting in this class unlike his class with the Gryffindors and his own house. The only successful ones in there were Dean and Theo, Draco and his partner, a boy named Monty Quailroods, and Miss Bulstrode and her partner, Parvati Patil.
"You've all done very well with your assigned potions today," Severus announced after checking the final vial at the end of the period. "Please read the next chapter and write a three-foot essay on the properties and uses of the Chinese Moonglow plant."
Harry waved at his dad as he left the room and then continued on to his next class.
Severus noticed that Mr. Nott was coming out of his shell and Miss Bulstrode had lost weight due to her imitating Miss Granger's healthy eating habits. He had been thinking about his promise to take Harry to visit Lily's and Potter's grave.
He wanted to do it while it was still light because he didn't want to risk running into any Death Eaters who had escaped going to Azkaban.
Severus got up Tuesday morning with a sigh as he recalled it was the first day of the month and that meant he had to spend two hours in a staff meeting listening to the old coot rambling on about his favorite new candy.
He sighed again and tried to recall anything useful that had ever been accomplished at any meeting since he'd joined the staff ten years ago. The staff meetings were always held from 3 to 5 in Dumbledore's office. Severus waylaid Minerva at breakfast. "I think since there's no danger of the stone being stolen anymore, we should petition the headmaster to place it back in Nicolas' vault at Gringotts and have Hagrid take his infernal dog back."