September 1st, 1890 — Hogwarts Corridors

She felt as though she couldn't express how marvelous everything was to anyone without feeling as though she was being repetitive, but the sentiment held true. As the first years were corralled into place alongside the other students in their house, Annie could not help but stay in place, staring at the walls and halls around her with wide, gleaming eyes. It still didn't seem real; one did not simply go to a magical castle after being told she was a witch. It just did not happen.

Except it had to her, and she was here. She would be here for seven whole years (assuming she did not flunk out) and then she would be thrust into the adult magical world. She wondered how large it was, how hidden from the muggle world it had been.

The call of a prefect plucked her from her thoughts, and the young first year turned around to follow her house members—and smacked straight into another student's back. A very familiar student, she noticed, a smile spreading on her face as he turned around with wide eyes.

"Ha! It's you! You're the boy with the weird stick—wait, no! The wand!" she exclaimed, squeezing the tops of his arms with both hands as if she'd happened upon some life-changing revelation.

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Archer Belby

  

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— beautiful set by MJ <3 —

Last year, he had paid the sorting ceremony little attention. He had simply been glad that most of the student body had been distracted, leaving him to quietly quell his anxious thoughts before people started to pelt him with questions about his summer. This year, however, he had observed with rapt attention. He needed to know if that girl would be there.

Just as suspected, Archer saw her climb up to the stool. The seconds ticked by agonizingly slow as he hoped and prayed that she wouldn't be sorted into his house. When the yell of Gryffindor echoed in the hall, he let out an audible sigh of relief and actually clapped. Merlin, why had he clapped? Nobody else around him had done so, and he was left to dwell on the fact throughout the entire feast. As was his way.

Once a suitable opening was found, he fled the Great Hall. He had thought he was in the clear until someone collided with him. Automatically, he started to apologize, even though it wasn't his fault in the slightest.

"I-I'm sorry. A-Are you--"

Oh no.

Suddenly, the tops of his arms were being squeezed, and he altogether looked as if he might either faint or dart for the hills. Merlin, she had a strong grip. What had he done to win this girl's fascination? All he wished to do was fly under the radar, and he was already failing.

"Y-Yes, uh, con...congratulations on Gryffindor, Mi...Miss Moneypenny." He had even remembered her name.

  

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MJ is the best!

Ha! He knew her! Ha ha ha ha ha!

So obviously he knew who she was, which was only slightly a damper because she'd wanted him to be surprised. (Although he did seem a bit surprised—no, shocked—with his wide eyes and panicked features.)

She dropped her grip on his arms, but still stood smiling at him. She didn't remember his name, but she would have to now. He was a wizard, and she was a witch, and they were attending the same magical school! How nice to know she already had a friend!

"Thank you," she said, already prepared to don herself in crimson and gold before the night was out. She hadn't brought many colors in her wardrobe, but she did remember a pair of bright red socks...

"What house are you in? I don't remember seeing you at Gryffindor's table." Did another house share the towers with them? Hufflepuff and Slytherin had already turned towards the dungeons.

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— beautiful set by MJ <3 —

Why was she smiling at him like that? Should he smile back?

Sheepishly, Archer returned her grin with a tentative one of his own. After their meeting, he had been petrified that aurors would show up at his house and accuse him of underage magic. For weeks, he had agonized over how he would explain away that a random, mystery girl had actually caused his wand to go haywire.

Yes, he had remembered her name. He recalled it so he could rat her out, if needed. Also, he wanted to be sure it was her when September 1st rolled around again.

"Ravenclaw," Archer stated, gesturing toward the crest that adorned his robes. He wasn't surprised Annie was sorted into Gryffindor. She had accosted him on the street without even knowing him; there was nothing more Gryffindor than that.

"Did...um...Did you enjoy th-the feast?" Merlin, why was he continuing this small talk?

  

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MJ is the best!

Ravenclaw. So he was a smart one, then. He didn't really look it, with his shyness and his stuttering; she'd imagined Ravenclaws to be more... confident. Bookish-looking. Glasses and whatnot. Maybe she just needed to get to know him better—and she would.

"Ravenclaw seems nice. I don't know anyone from Ravenclaw, of course, because I'm muggle-born." She was still getting used to the lingo. Was she a muggleborn, or was she muggle-born? She still wasn't sure. "But they seem nice, anyways." The Gryffindors at the table had been loud, talkative, and most importantly, more than ready to welcome her. She wondered if the Ravenclaw first years had a similar reception.

"Oh I loved the feast. I've never eaten so much food!" One of the Gryffindors had said they had feasts like this four times a year: at the start of term, on Halloween, before Christmas, and at the end of the term. She couldn't be more excited. "Will we have classes together? What year are you in, anyways? Second? Third?" He obviously wasn't in first, but wouldn't that have been just wonderful?

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— beautiful set by MJ <3 —

"You...you'll soon meet more f-first years in your classes. F...From all houses," he reassured. Archer couldn't imagine starting Hogwarts as a muggleborn. It had already been more than overwhelming for him, and he'd grown up in a magical family. At least she'd be in the same boat as many of the other firsties for a little while--lost, confused, excited.

He allowed a little smile to reach his face. Although he dislike how crowded and loud the feasts were, it couldn't be denied that the food was the best he'd ever tasted. "Just you wait until Halloween!" The sentence popped out without a stutter, joy overruling his nervousness.

It slid back into his speech, though, after more questions were asked of him. "N-no," Archer couldn't help but feel slightly relieved. If they were in classes together, he was certain she would talk his ear off and maybe insist on being his partner. "I'm in th-third year. We...we don't share c-classes, but...um...we could be in the s-same clubs, I...I suppoe."

  

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MJ is the best!

So she would meet all the first years—that was a relief. She may have turned her back on the room full of friendly faces during the scenario during the sorting ceremony, but that didn't meant she would turn away the opportunity to make friends if given the chance! She was disappointed that none of her classes would be shared with the Ravenclaw boy, though, because he did seem friendly enough despite his stutter and his seemingly nervous disposition (or maybe that was just the stuttering, she wasn't sure).

"What is Halloween like here? I know there's real ghosts!" One of the older students had told her their house ghost was Nearly-Headless Nick, but she was excited to learn of all the others. "And obviously there's witches and wizards, too. Are there other creatures like the ones from the muggle tales?" she asked, assuming that magical people knew all about the muggle tales.

"And if you're a third year, you must know a lot of magic. You'll help me if I need help, won't you? I bet you're so smart. That's what Ravenclaw is all about, right?" On second thought, she found herself surprised that he was a whole two years older than her when he couldn't be more than two inches taller than her. She'd never been particularly tall, so he must be short!

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— beautiful set by MJ <3 —

"I-It's the best feast there is! There's all sorts of sweets and pastries. Some...Sometimes the ghosts put on a performance, and s-sometimes the professors enchant skeletons and p-pumpkins." The feast had been different both years he had attended Hogwarts, and he was excited to discover what it would be like this year. It was one of the most marvelous things to behold.

"M-most of the ghosts are n-nice. Except the B-Bloody Baron and Peeves. Wa...watch out for them." The former terrified Archer, while the latter was a true nuisance. He was sure Annie would discover the mischief of Peeves for herself one day.

"Y-Yes," Archer said with a nod. He knew of some of the muggle tales from his research. He started to list off what he remembered off the top of his head, "Vampires, werewolves, banshees, hags--a-all of them are real. And just as...as dangerous."

Archer seemed a bit taken aback. Nobody ever asked for his help. While he was very intelligent, his nerves often made him perform in ways that were embarrassing. However, he would never get far in this life if he could only cast spells privately. "I...I can t-try and help you."

  

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MJ is the best!

Performing ghosts, enchanted pumpkins, and pastries? Oh, she wouldn't wait for Halloween, then! She wondered what else Hogwarts would have in store for her, and to think she had seven whole years of experiences ahead of her! Grinning, she nodded at the boy, not too worried about Peeves of the Bloody Baron despite their very telling names. What were the odds of running into them in such a large castle anyways?

"Oh I will, thank you. I do hope that—wait, did you say vampires? And—what—werewolves. You can't be serious." The next thing she knew he'd be telling her that fairies and elves were real, too. "You'll have to tell me all about them. When can we start?" She may not have been to a single class yet, but she was all too eager to learn from a born-wizard. Assuming he was. (Which she did, because he'd had a wand when she hadn't. An obvious indicator.)

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— beautiful set by MJ <3 —

Archer's eyebrows shot up in surprised at all of Annie's questions, and her sheer curiosity about subjects that many people tended to avoid. Many didn't believe it all that proper to speak of vampires and werewolves except out of fear. A grin fought its way onto his face, surprising the timid Ravenclaw. Was he pleased that she was interested?

"I'm very serious," he stated without a hint of teasing. Then again, he was much too anxious to have energy to tease people. Archer was sure that was a fine way to make his classmates despise him more than they did. He was sure he would replay such situations over in his head until he expired from the stress of it all.

"You...you really want to k-know?" Should he say yes? It wasn't often he came across someone so keenly interested, but Annie's exuberance and forward nature terrified him.

Merlin, what had he gotten himself into? He needed to cease wandering around London alone.

  

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MJ is the best!

He was very serious. Too series, almost. Annie giggled and shoved his arm a little, trying to get a smile out of him. How could he not take joy in the existence of vampires and werewolves when to they'd only been the subject of fairy tales in her lifetime?

"Of course I want to! I want to know everything." And she meant it!

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— beautiful set by MJ <3 —

Archer allowed a small smile to sneak onto his face. "Th-then, uh--" He'd never really known anyone to be that interested in speaking to him about anything besides classes. "S-see you at the library some...sometime?" He questioned, watching as the first year Gryffindors started to get further and further away from where they stood. Poor Annie was going to be left behind.

"You...you might want to--" He gestured toward the retreating children with a worried jerk of his head. Although he could help her locate the entrance to Gryffindor tower, he didn't know the password to admit her to the common room.

  

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MJ is the best!

The library. Good. "I'll look for you," she promised cheerfully, returning his smile tenfold. She still had to figure out where the library actually was, but she was sure someone would be willing to point her in the right direction before long.

Her eyes followed the direction of his head and she gasped as the realization that the other Gryffindors were beginning to round the corner. Well, that was her cue!

"Oh, thank you! I'll be off now! I'll see you soon, Mr.... uh... What's your name again?" she asked. Clearly that was a question for the beginning of a conversation; she couldn't believe it slipped her notice!

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— beautiful set by MJ <3 —

"Belby, uh, Archer Belby," he answered with a slight shrug. He wasn't offended in the least that she didn't remember his name. She had been much too distracted by his wand, of course.

"Good...goodnight, Miss Moneypenny. With a timid sort of wave, he watched her go and then scuttled off toward Ravenclaw tower.

  

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MJ is the best!