Everything about today was truly magical; more so than any storybook she had ever read and it still felt like a dream, though by now she had decided she wasn’t going to pinch herself any longer. From the moment she got onto the platform - though she did have an awkward accident involving another first year - to the train and the weird new sweets she got to try, to the sorting where she was hoping against hope that she would be in Ravenclaw, the same house that Professor Foxwood, the man who told her all about Hogwarts was in charge of. And she had gotten her wish! She felt she’d look awfully silly in the blue ribbon he’d given her, which she wore tied in her braids like a badge of honor, if she had been in any other house, since they each had a different color, not blue, representing them; Hufflepuff was yellow, Gryffindor was red, and Slytherin was green.

Autumn looked around the tower in amazement, she couldn’t imagine how high up they must be but she felt like a princess in a tower, waiting for her knight to rescue her! Though, she had to admit in second hand robes, with ruddy freckles, and bright carrot-shaded hair, she didn’t feel much like a princess. Penelope, the poor girl who had a fit in the Great Hall? She looked like a princess, and Autumn’s heart ached for her; for what were you to do when your most trusted friend was separated from you? She only knew one set of twins - two boys whom she didn’t like very much that lived on the farm adjacent to them - but she figured they must be closer than most as they were the same age and likely would be expected to do everything together.

“Hello, Tony!” she called, waving to the boy she’d accidentally crashed into on the platform back in London when she saw him in the common room, “I hope you’re feeling better.” At the table, she obviously had been aware that he’d been called something not so nice and it made Autumn sad because he seemed like a nice boy, and not one of the kind of boys she wanted to punch. She then turned to Penelope, who’d joined them in the common room, and she took it upon herself to approach her with open arms. “Hello, Penelope, right?” she asked, “I’m Autumn Fairfax, it’s nice to meet you. Do you want to sit with me and Tony?” She supposed she just sort of invited herself to sit with the boy without asking, but she hoped he didn’t mind, “I’ve got some snacks left over from the train, I dunno if you got to eat when you left, but you’re welcome to have some.”