Loyalty

The students were already sitting at their House tables when the new first years entered. The sky was dark and clear. Every little star could be seen.

The first years went up to the stool in front of the teacher's table. Most of them were curiously looking around.

Julius was one of them. Unlike the others, he avoided looking around. His eyes were now fixed on the teacher who had just placed the stool with the Sorting Hat in front of them. He already knew her. She had talked to his parents once.

In some minutes, he would know which house he would be in.

"Doesn't this boy just look like...?" Julius did not hear any more. He looked at the girls whispering. One had just pointed at him.

"Julius!"

Julius searched for the origin of the voice and found it at one of the tables. He recognized her. She looked awful, completely pale and a lot thinner than she had been the last time he had seen her.

Her hair was carelessly tied together into a ponytail. But she smiled at him and he returned the smile weakly and lifted an arm to wave at her.

All the time he had continued walking with the others to the end of the room and now he came to stand waiting for their names to be announced.

After some minutes, he heard his, walked up and sat down on the stool. He knew about the houses. It was not much but he knew where he did not want to be sorted into.

"I see you don't want to become a Hufflepuff? Rest assured, I never thought about sorting you into that house. You would best be in RAVENCLAW."

As usual, the only thing the Sorting Hat shouted out loud was the house itself. Nobody knew he did not want to become a Hufflepuff.

He got up and walked to his table. They were applauding like they always did when one of the first years was announced a Ravenclaw. For him, it still seemed as if the clapping was not as cheerful as it had been for the others.

One after another, all the students got sorted and the feast finally began. Julius found himself talking to his new house mates and he even smiled sometimes.

Most of the older students, however, avoided looking at him. He could only sense their gazes on his back.

It was worst when he entered the Great Hall for the meals. It was barely noticeable but the room became more quiet and heads turned towards him as soon as he had passed.

The owl post came directly after breakfast. Julius knew he would not get any. He never did. His parents had not wanted him to come here and did not want him to have anything to do with magic at all.

He still tried to lead a normal life at Hogwarts but felt most comfortable studying on his own in the library. Soon, everybody thought him to be a smart but truly introverted young wizard who would best be left alone.

Julius also tried to avoid the Common Room if it was not for talking to some of his fellow first years.

One day, he had forgotten one of his books and went back to the couch in a corner of the Common Room where he had left it. When he was close enough to take it he saw one of the older Ravenclaw girls lying on the couch. Julius had not seen her before and wanted to leave without getting the book. As soon as he had turned around, she called his name. He stood still for a second and then slowly turned towards her. She had gotten up and held his book in her hand.

For the first time, she looked directly into his eyes and said with a calm voice, "It hurts so much to see you."

With that, she gave Julius the book and walked quietly to her dorm. He was used to all different kinds of behaviour towards him and he knew that most of them felt the same way but she was the first one to articulate it and say it right into his face.

It remained the only time she would ever talk to him. When he met her again the next day both acted as if nothing had ever happened.

If Julius had to choose one thing he had learned at Hogwarts, it would be to act as if nothing had happened.

But he slowly began to feel comfortable. And a few days before Christmas he even got an owl from his parents asking him to come home for the holidays.

He had just come back from erasing his name from the list of the students who would stay at Hogwarts over Christmas when he saw the girl who had shouted his name before the Sorting Ceremony. She looked horrified.

Just around the corner, he almost ran into a friend of his who told him what had just happened.

You-Know-Who had killed Harry Potter - right here in Hogwarts.

He wandered about the hallways without knowing what to do or even where to go. The whole castle seemed to be in panic and although everyone had the order to go back to their Common Rooms - with the exception of the Gryffindors who had to gather in the Great Hall - the hallways were full of students just crying or discussing what had just happened.

Harry Potter! The only one Julius had thought capable of defeating You-Know-Who eventually.

He went to his Common Room and started packing his trunk. At least, he would return home.