Sometimes we can let everyday situations clog our minds, unnecessary worries, and the pervasive anxiety can take hold of us. Destroying our bodies and sanity, letting darkness take control of ourselves. Lashing out, breaking down.

  The need of a feeling of control, corroding the life that we’ve built, the relationships that we have stablished, the projects and dreams in our minds.

  Getting rid of that dreadful situation can be easier said than done, more so when we feel lonely. When we feel that the world is out to get us, to bring us down. But in moments like those, we need to breath, we need to let go, that virtual sense does nothing, just speeds up our downfall, letting go is sometimes the only way out. Getting yourself out of those situations, accepting that you can control what happens around you, realizing that control is nothing more than an illusion. That we are free, and so is the world around us.

  After my private study session with Prof. McGonagall, I went directly to my dormitory, but I was feeling a little peckish, so I made a little detour to the kitchen. Having almost direct access to the kitchen was just one of the perks of being a Hufflepuff.

  Those enthusiastic elves always welcomed us warmly, expecting our visits, they always had some biscuits, warm milk or pumpkin juice ready for our taking. So, I think it isn’t an inconvenience for them, its just a little spicy to their hermit lives.

  I heard Ernie saying that in traditional wizard families, they measured the quality of and house elf by how effective they hid their presence from their masters. He told me about a certain family, that had a particularly “qualified” elf, and never, ever, ever made his presence in the house known, that when the last one of his original masters died, no one ever knew about him, he did his task in complete anonymity and when the poor elf passed away after a long and hidden life of silent servitude, the descendants of his original masters almost died of hunger, never knowing where did food came from.

  But if we think about it, being raised in a house where food just magically appears in your table, going to a school where the same happens, can make you forget how food is prepared, or even where it comes from. Add to that the secluded lives of most wizards, and maybe that family isn’t so unique, and their story is only known cause’ they survived.

  I can’t imagine myself that spoiled and sheltered, but maybe Hogwarts will make me like that. Maybe this weekend I should try to flex my culinary muscles; I don’t want the gossipy wizards and witches talk about a certain little wizard that died of inanition after his graduation. But there will be always restaurants, so I shouldn’t worry that much, and going to new places and enjoying their food is one the finest things in life.

  I certainly envy Bill’s journey around the world, but one day I shall embark in my own journey.

  The next morning, I felt reinvigorated. A good night of sleep makes wonders I tell you. But sometimes I wish to never wake up again, knowing that there’s an entire day ahead can drain what little energy you may have. But I shouldn’t complain, there’s so much to see and learn that fills me up again.

  Today I met Cedric once again, he clearly was a little better, his eyebags were at the very least ten per cent smaller. And that’s something. If you saw him the last time I talked with him you may have thought that the boy had a particular interest in black make up. Although he doesn’t look that bad with that smoky look, like some kind of vampire, super gothic.

  A quick node and he stormed out of the common lounge, a busy man. Meanwhile I just enjoyed today’s breakfast, nothing particularly different from any other day. Maybe the only thing would be that last night’s chat with Prof. McGonagall was still being replayed in the back of my mind.

  What she said to me deeply struck me, adding to that my brief conversation with Prof. Flitwick, about the nature of magic. I am firmer in my belief that magic is magic. And only when we try to categorize, define and examine magic does it present itself in the most appropriate way for our understanding. It is and isn’t, a very magical thing indeed.

  But I didn’t have that much time to think about it, maybe today I could discuss it with Professor Flitwick. But before I can do anything, I need to finish today’s classes.

  After a pleasant nap with the wonderful Prof. Binns, I felt like a new man, maybe eight hours of sleep aren’t really enough for a growing boy like me. I should hit the sack earlier tomorrow, cause’ tonight I’ll have to take and Astronomy lesson with Prof. Sinistra.

  Maybe my worst enemy won’t be the Grand Staircase, but boredom. Just like now, I don’t have anything to do, and my mates really don’t want to waste our precious time reviewing Prof. Binns lullaby, we have an entire morning to do almost nothing, and that really doesn’t sit well with me.

  Normally I wouldn’t feel this anxious, but in my last school we had classes almost back-to-back, with almost no rest. They wouldn’t have tolerated our blatant misbehaviour, sleeping in class was a free pass to detention. And these long periods of idleness don’t really let me relax, cause’ I know that I can’t or at least shouldn’t laze around.

  Hermione was surely right about something; we don’t really have enough time to learn here at Hogwarts. In the muggle world, they cram every single piece of knowledge they can into you or at least they try. I heard from some of my muggle friends that some people put their children into school even before they can talk. And after that they still need to go to college. In the muggle world college isn’t just something to brag about, it’s a place for further study, to specialize your knowledge and break free from the traditional process of learning, instead encouraging you to create. At least that’s what the teachers said, ‘this type of behaviour won’t be allowed in college’, but then again, movies really didn’t show that. Most movies depict college life as a neve ending party, but maybe that’s just American college.

  Anyway, I just couldn’t relax. So, my only option was to review Prof. Binns lullabies, History of Magic was a little boring to be honest. Wizards certainly had a very different approach to their history, like they could talk endlessly about the invention of the Self-Stirring Cauldron, but there was almost nothing about other events, more exciting events.

  Like the book Hermione bought about the history of Hogwarts, it had a detailed entry about the magic ceiling of the great hall, but there was almost nothing about our founders. Just their places of origin, a little about their characters, mottos and almost nothing else, just a brief story of the foundation of the school.

  Like how it changed the magic world, how was the magic world in their time, why they thought it was needed to found Hogwarts, we can only make some guesses. Maybe it was because the witch hunts, but there is almost nothing, their history, our history seems more like the summary of a summary.

  Muggles have more detailed records of their history or at least they have made more efforts to preserve or rediscover it.

  Or maybe it is all cause we don’t pay attention to Prof. Binns, who knows maybe when we all succumb to Morpheus arms, he gets to the juicy parts.

  After the hearty and scrummy lunch, we marched into the greenhouse. Having steeled our selves to a day of shovelling dragon dumps.

  Not really, but Herbology certainly had a more hands-on approach, we didn’t talk too much about theory, and our practices were more on the easier side. At least here we didn’t need to grow some beans, that was one of the most boring things I have ever done for school. Sure, it was interesting, but of the ten or twelve seedlings that I started with, maybe only one or two survived.

  The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

  But maybe that would be implemented in the superior grades, herbology can’t be just these. Maybe I should as Prof. Sprout.

  …

  Today’s lesson was good, I don’t have many things to say, sure we dirtied ourselves, but almost everything that we learned was already in the book, I’m still waiting for that something that shows me the magic in herbology, the plants we’ve seen aren’t really that magical, for me, I’m not saying that they aren’t magical, but that don’t wonder me like charms, transfiguration and potions have done.

  But maybe it is because we are just starting, but maybe that’s all there’s to it in herbology, I wont say that it is bad, just a little disappointing. So far our book for herbology looks more like a ingredients catalogue for potions.

  Prof. Sprout, please let me grow some beans. Not really, but I wish to know something more than identification and application.

  After the class ended, I pushed all my concerns to the back of my head, surely this would be only for our first year, and little by little Prof. Sprout will teach us more about herbology when she sees it appropriate.

  So, I shouldn’t worry that much about it, and now we should just finish our brief review of Prof. Lullabies and finish the short essay for today’s herbology class, we are clearly picking up the pace, last week they only gave us homework in the second half of the week. But it is still manageable, our courses focus more on the practical aspects and not so much in the theory.

  With the help of my mates, our homework was done in an instant, nothing too complicated. After that we went to the Hufflepuff basement, I picked up Camille and Biggie, Prof. Flitwick promised me that tonight he will help me enchant Camille, and I can spend a little more time with biggie, before I let him loose.

  I just hope he doesn’t cause too much of a ruckus after he is set free. So, I strolled with him around the ground floor of the castle, my roommates tried riding on Camille, but they weren’t that accustomed to riding a muggle bicycle. So, at first they just sat down and fell to the ground. Biggie’s poor heart almost couldn’t take it, only Justin had experience with bikes, but he wasn’t that good either.

  His mother almost never let him ride around, she took him from extracurricular lessons to extracurricular lessons, preparing him for the elite schools. The poor woman never thought that her son wouldn’t be attending those and instead would turn to magic.

  Her world surely crumbled to pieces when that happened, and even then she let him attend this so-called Hogwarts school of magic, knowing almost nothing about it, just because that was were he belonged. That didn’t mean that she was one hundred percent onboard, but she begrudgingly accepted it.

  Even I didn’t really believe the existence of the school at the beginning, it was Old Bill that told me that it was part of my mother’s arrangements for my education, so I kind of understand her suspicion of the magic world.

  Not everyone is as open minded as Connor, practically abandoning all his life for the unknown and mysterious magic world. One of the many roadblocks in the Muggle and Magic relationships, one of them has to compromise, either the magical partner tones down his magic or the non-magical partner say goodbye to the muggle world.

  I just hope for a future where that isn’t the case anymore, but that is certainly not an easy thing to accomplish. Not when cases like Charlize and Connor are oddities, after all it is more likely that you would form a family with someone of your own circle.

  But that shouldn’t be something I should worry about, I still have many years ahead of me. Maybe someday I can take a little time to ponder about it, but not now. I’m too young to be concerned about that. Maybe I will remain alone for a very long time, and when am old and balding I’ll buy a super broom and try my luck like my last principal.

  Like I was saying, almost all my friends didn’t really know how to ride a bicycle, so we practiced a little until it was time for dinner.

  My belly roaring at that point, so we strode to the great hall, and filled our tums till we felt chuffed.

  “Ahn… this is life mates”

  “You’re right Justin, this is life”

  Wayne just nodded, Ernie wasn’t even able to reply he was at the brink of a food coma, I don’t think this is healthy for us, we should exercise a little more self-control.

  We aren’t animals, but the food is just so enticing and when I start eating, I loos all my self-control. My energy infects my mates, and we just gorge down all the food until we can’t take anymore, at least we aren’t getting that chubby. But we will need more physical activities to stay healthy.

  “Guys, I think we need a little more exercise, at this rate we are going to turn into Nifflers.”

  “You’re right J, I didn’t eat this much at home, and the stairs are starting to kill me.”

  “Shut up Solé, you eat the double of what the three of us eat combined or maybe more.”

  “Right James, you’re the only one that needs to exercise.”

  “I was just caring for your health, you don’t have to take it that way, and I eat a perfectly reasonable amount of food, I’m in my growing period.”

  The three of them just roll their eyes, if they weren’t my friends I would have started throwing hands around, how could they insinuate that I was the only one that needed exercise.

  At least the girls and our Gryffindor spies weren’t here today, I had enough with three judgy lads. It was slanderous, they were just envious of my stature, even here at Hogwarts I was the tallest of my Year, a little taller than the two Slytherins that followed the blonde around.

  That was it, it was just envy. I can only pity them, I’ll just pray for their souls, I just hope that their shortsightedness isn’t proportional to their stature.

  After leaving those short-sighted people behind I hurried to Prof. Flitwick’s office, I carried Camille and Biggie with me to his office, hoping that whatever enchantment Professor Flitwick applies to her can let her take the stairs without too much trouble.

  I approached the door of his office and knocked.

  ‘Knock’ ‘knock’ ‘knock’

  The door opened itself automatically after three knocks.

  “Good night Prof. Flitwick, may I enter?”

  “Good night James, you’re right on time, please enter, make yourself comfortable. Give a minute and I’ll finish these papers.”

  “Don’t worry Professor, take your time”

  After some minutes I had scanned the entire office. What can I say, it is very Flitwickly, many, many books some scattered here and there, sheets of parchment pilled up to the roof. I don’t think those are the homework of the students, I’m more inclined to believe those to be his research notes, a Ravenclaw through and through.

  He gave scholarly vibes, but from what little information I’ve heard, he was/is a famous duellist, a sharp and quick mind and quicker hands. But I don’t know why he doesn’t teach us duelling. Cause’ if he goes on like this, there won’t be anyone to carry his legacy. It is like those famous athletes that retire and fade from the public consciousness, never to be heard again. While some find great success in the training of new and younger talents.

  But, he must have his own considerations, there are multiple stories about legendary fighter, gunslingers, knights that tired from meaningless fights abandon those ways in search of a more meaningful life. And maybe, just maybe that’s why he is so enthusiastic about teaching, he is certainly a jolly old man.

  “I didn’t make you wait for too long, did I?”

  “No professor, it was faster than I had thought.”

  “Hoo-hoo-hoo, well James let’s start with today’s lesson”

  The wise and jolly professor went on to explain to me why we needed to practice so much the basics, and why did we learn so few spells in our first years. Just like I had thought, magic is a little too unpredictable, even more for the little wizards whose magic hadn’t really quieted down. Apparently our magic was too volatile at this point in our lives, letting us accomplish things that no other spell could do, just by instinct.

  Some of these volatile expressions of magic could solidify and transform into talents, while others just came and went. He talked me about a certain wizard in Castelobruxo, that had a magic talent to communicate with plants, he could control them just like poison ivy or even better considering that he controlled magic plants.

  He also told me about a certain senior of mine, that just graduated this year, that could alter her appearance at will, a Metamorphmagus, and other talents equally as magic. I certainly didn’t remember having one of these episodes of volatile magic. I honestly felt a little envious of those talents.

  Professor Flitwick was patient and explained that we started this late our magic formation cause’ trying to start sooner was way riskier, and to ensure the safety of the little wizard would need a dedicated adult wizard to watch out for any possible accident, imagine trying to light up your wand and release a solar flare instead, or worse. Maybe not that worse, but certainly a very dangerous endeavour.

  “So, James tell me boy, what do you think about magic.”

  “Well, I still believe what I told you the last time we talked professor, magic is magic. I don’t want to put labels in magic, I just want to experience its wonders, I am not really interested in its power, its meaning or anything along those lines, I just want to experience magic at my own pace, and putting a label, or definition will just cut the wonders I’m going to experience. The Nature of magic, doesn’t really matter, don’t you think so professor?”

  “Certainly James, when it comes to magic, it isn’t so much what we think what really matters, it is what we feel.”

  “Thank you professor, it is a pleasure talking with you.”

  “The pleasure is mine James, Hoo-hoo-hoo.”

  After a while our tutoring time came to an end, and he asked me to go back to the Hufflepuff Basement, after all I still had an Astronomy class to attend to.

  Camille and Biggie were left in his care, he told me that he will drop them tonight before I go to sleep. And with that I ran to the basement.