Days rolled on sluggishly as the Christmas approached from a distance slowly. Ever since the disappearance of Prince, my days were quite lonely and I felt like a ship left caught in a doldrum. Meanwhile, Prince’s diary was my only companion and I not only found it as a companion resembling Prince, I also found it energizing me in a strange way. I was slowly sensing myself to be stronger in many ways. Till now, I had been a loner and I never talked much to my dormitory roommates Michael, Parthiban Patel and Aldous Kingsley. I was very shy to even manage an eye to eye conversation with them. I soon found an opportunity to befriend with them.

October 15, 1974.

I was sitting alone in my room and Michael came in. As usually what happened, he ignored me and continued his work. But this time I want to make friends with him. I tried to say some nice words to him but I'm no talker so I could not. He was looking at some of his scarfs at his cupboard. They were of strange colors you not prefer - black, brown and grey.

'Why can't she sent me some nice colors?' he was muttering to himself.

This was the chance I told myself. well? I was not great at transfiguration, but better than him. I was good at transforming colors which he could not.

'Perhaps I can change the colors for you?'

He looked surprised that I was for the first time offering help to him on my own.

'Oh! sure'

'What colors do you want?'

'Why not try red?'

'Ok'

He looked hesitant, but I got the scarfs from him and changed them into red. There was some difficulty though. The first one changed from black to maroon at the first attempt, blue at the second attempt and finally red. The second one came fine, while it took three attempts to fully change the third to red. Michael exclaimed

'Wonderful!'

I was happy that I had done it. He took out some sort of muggle cookies from his trunk.

'Mum sent me these. Want some?'

Well I was happy to accept it. It tasted fine, but I had never tasted the flavor before.

'What is this flavor anyway?'

'Custard. Quite rare because custard are grown only in the tropical regions'

It took some time, but I managed to make friends with my roommates. Soon life began to start anew for me. Parthiban Patel was from India. His parents are staying in Bristol. He is quite shy, but good natured and always helpful. Aldous Kingsley is quite a lively character who likes to play Quiddich. He cracks jokes with ease and the room is always lively when he is present. Aldous often speaks about his uncle Kingsley Shacklebolt who is an auror.

Aldous Kingsley was quite an enthusiastic Quidditch player. He was a beater in the Quidditch team. I had never played Quidditch before, but I do like seeing it. Ravenclaw was a fairly good team. I has for the past two years finished second. I was a good progress for a team that always stood last before. Griffindor always stood first. Well, Prince was the captain of the team from his fifth year. From his diary, I could make out that he was a very ruthless player, giving away absolutely no room for the opponent to fight. Also I read from his book that he got a fine seeker James Potter who absolutely catches the snitch always. But from his writings I could find that he did not like him very much though.

'Hey, why not try out some Quidditch eh?'

It was a fine evening I and Kingsley and I were having a conversation.

'Well. I have not really played it though.'

'I'll give you a little bit of training though. You seem to have the right balance for a beater.'

'Do I?'

'Yes. Although you do not have a stocky body, you seem to have quite a muscle. My fellow beater has left. Our team is in need of beater.'

That was true. I was not stocky, but I was strong and with quick reflexes. Kingsley was very stocky and last year I saw a Slytherin beater attempting to dismount him by butting to him, bounding off him as though he were a solid rock.

'I'll give it a try, but you need to help me.'

Kingsley taught me on Saturday afternoon. He taught me how exactly the game was played. What are the rules exactly, what are the ways to score, what are the ways to commit foul and so on. Well seekers always held glory in a team, I even had a thought of becoming a seeker.

'No. Definitely not.'

'Why not?'

'Its quite hard and our captain Davies is definitely not in a mood to take a new seeker, as we have a fairly good one.'

So I agreed to practice for a beater. He taught me all the basics- when to hit the bludger, when to avoid and when to cunningly bump at an enemy. He threw some normal balls to practice hitting initially. Flying on my crude comet broom, I hit them with a round club one by one. I thought that I did pickup really well. Aldous Kingsley was pleased and soon he let out a real bludger to practise. The bludger made up its mind to hit me right from the instant it was released from the box. It was quite frightening to see it from outside and facing it was even scarier. I held the club in shivering hands and then as it zoomed nearer, hit it with and almighty force. But the aim wasn't perfect. The bludger which came straight travelled downwards, wandered for a few seconds and then came back for me again.

'Aim and hit. Don't use all your force.'

Following his tip, I aimed and hit. This one was better. Almost at the middle of the bat. The bludger was hit back in the same direction it came from. Overall I had a good practice session, except one bludger blow at my stomach.

'Perfect. I'm sure you will be selected in the selection trials next week.'

'Thanks for your help Kingsley'

I began to see life in a different way now. With new friends, I felt better. Especially to see one of them helping me so greatly. I imagined getting selected at the trials. We were packing off from the ground when four boys in Griffindor robes came up.

'Oi. What do I see? Ravenclaw practicing early?'

It was one among them who had a fairly red hair and was lean.

'Never mind Sirius. We'll beat them pulp this time. Pathetic team they have. Oh! look it is that Kingsley beater.'

It was a tall, skinny boy with jet black hair and glasses. He had a proud demeanor which somehow I felt a deep sense of loathing. Kingsley on the other hand was not a sort of person to take insults lying down.

'We'll see whose head gets hit this year Potter'.

'You dare call me by name? You will pay for this'

That boy Potter raised his wand. Kingsley did the same. I was afraid and did not know what to do. However the third boy in the group intervened.

'Please James, don't. You don't want to get your third detention this week do you?'

Both of them put their wands at the same time exactly. So this was James that seeker Prince was taking about in his diary. We silently passed them. Reaching the main entrance from grounds, I saw Kingsley properly for the first time. He was flushed.

'That swollen head. I'll blow his head away this year'

I didn't know that Quidditch leads to this much hatred between players. Or perhaps an extreme case?

'That is James Potter a fourth year. Seeker of the Griffindor team. Very arrogant down right bad. Plays ugly tricks on you. Last year he blackened Davies face during a match'

Kingsley rattled on.

'I would love to hit is head with a hundred bludgers…. but he always evades me. We lost to Griffindor by a 200 points last year and Davies couldn't quite digest it for long.'

I remembered reading this from Prince's diary: 'We won comprehensively….. Davies was so embarrassed that he did not come out to classes for two days'.

Once back to room, I did some homework. Me and my room mates did it together. I was quite good at charms and Defense against Dark arts. Kingsley was very good at Potions and transfiguration. We helped each other. Dwelling on the days pleasant memories, I slept at 11.

Continued in the next chapter — The Ravenclaw Team