And learn until our brains all rot."
This was not music in her opinion. It was a cacophony of infernal proportions, and she noticed none of the Slytherins participated in it, apparently recognising the bad taste of singing this musical atrocity. Everybody finished the song at different times. At last, only the Weasley twins were left singing along to a very slow funeral march, which Alexandra found singularly appropriate. Dumbledore conducted their last few lines with his wand, and when they had finished, he was one of those who clapped loudest.
"Ah, music," he said, wiping his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"
Alexandra stood and then like the other Ravenclaw first-years followed a prefect girl with blond hair through the crowd and out of the Great Hall. As they walked past dozens of portraits and suits of armour, she felt her worries decrease. No one attacked her, no one shouted any more "traitor!" at her again. Perhaps, as they went up another stair, she had been too pessimistic concerning her new housemates.
She was wondering just how much distance was left when after a few minutes of walking they came to a halt in front of a door with no keyhole and no handle. The door had nothing but an eagle-shaped bronze knocker.
The female prefect turned towards them and said, "This is the entrance to the Ravenclaw Tower. You have to knock and the door guardian will ask a question or a riddle, which you will have to answer, otherwise you won't gain entrance. If you don't know the answer, wait for another student to come along or go to our Head of House."
She proceeded to give them a demonstration "What gets wetter and wetter the more it dries?" The answer given was: "A towel." And after giving the right answer, the eagle knocker let them pass.
Alexandra was in the back of the first year group and so got her first glance of the Ravenclaw common room when everyone had already entered. The room could be best described as an "airy" room with many arched windows overlooking the surrounding mountains, all hung with heavy bronze and blue curtains, matching their house colours. The ceiling was domed and painted blue with twinkling stars on it. The floor was covered by midnight-blue carpet. The room was filled with fat and cushy armchairs that looked quite comfortable to just sit in and read a book. The room also seemed to be circular in shape, showing that it was indeed on the inside of the Ravenclaw tower, while there were several stairs leading up to the student dorms. There was a white statue of Rowena Ravenclaw beside the entrance to the dorm, one of the Hogwarts the founder of Ravenclaw house.
The male prefect called for their attention, "Members of Ravenclaw House are famed for our intelligence, and as such we have two students per room, while other houses have to share. This is so you can read and study without troubling all your year mates. As you learn more spells, you will be encouraged to improve and customize your room."
"Each year has its own group study period, along with their own older student, acting as a mentor, who will be tasked with helping you." He gestured to the surrounding Ravens, who were watching their new household mates with interest.
"Now, the girl's dorms are over there," the prefect said, pointing to a set of stairs, then pointing at another set in the other corner, "And those are the guy's dorms. While I remember, I suggest you reread your potion books, because you have potions tomorrow morning and our senior potion master loves to take house points for failing to answer his questions." He then dismissed them to find their own rooms.
Alexandra breathed. Maybe it wasn't going to be too bad, after all. Unfortunately, she had not made three steps in the stair's direction before a large hand held her robe by the back and forced her to stop.
"Where do you think you are going, Potter?" the hateful voice of what looked to be a fourth-year boy asked her.
Turning completely to see the boy, she saw her interlocutor had a face twisted in loathing and anger. It looked like her worst suspicions had been verified. The circle formed by several older Ravenclaws, all having their wands drawn, confirmed she had walked right into an ambush.
"I'm Alex Sykes, Potter." the older boy drawled, drawing his wand at the same time."And I'm going to make you pay for what you did to my father!"
"I'm sorry," Alexandra replied. "But I'm not my father."
She watched the eyes of the boy, full of anger, and realised she had as much chance reasoning with him right now as she had reasoning with Dudley Dursley when he wanted food. None. She saw the blond prefect girl who had led them to the common room running out of the door, perhaps to warn the teachers, but she had the bad feeling they would arrive too late.
"Now, you're going to pay, traitor!" shouted Sykes."REDUC...!"
Alexandra didn't give him the time to finish whatever spell he wanted to hit her with. As he was literally close enough to look her in the blank of the eye, she threw him a punch to the nose, while at the same time grabbing his wand and throwing it away. She gave him a second kick, this time at the place no human being wants to receive a strike, and Sykes fell to the floor, screaming as if she had killed him.
"Well?" she said to the other Ravenclaws, drawing her wand in a defensive posture."Can we discuss, now?"
Apparently, as she saw their faces turn red and their jaws tighten in anger, it had been the wrong thing to say. She had just enough time to launch a quick "FUMOS!" before the avalanche of spells started.