(Author: I created a picture of Mary because, like Evelyn, it is a character that I created. The image will be at the end of the chapter.)

  This first week at school was good. We had Herbology with the Slytherins, and Professor Sprout, who was the head of Hufflepuff House, was our teacher.

  We had Charms with the Gryffindors, taught by our house head, Professor Flitwick. He was a small man but always dressed impeccably, and it’s said that he was a dueling champion in his younger years.

  We also had Transfiguration with Professor McGonagall, the head of Gryffindor House. Our csses were shared with the Hufflepuffs. It was perhaps the most technical subject of all, because even the smallest mistake can be very dangerous at advanced levels.

  We had many csses in common with the Hufflepuffs, including Potions, where we learned that Professor Snape was the head of Slytherin House. When I tried to alter the potion recipe, I lost points for Ravencw, but the professor told me this: "I only accept recipe changes if they make the potion more effective." So I’m allowed to do whatever I want as long as I achieve the expected final result.

  We also had flying lessons with Madam Hooch. Oddly enough, the entire css synchronized in greeting her.

  We also had a css on Defense Against the Dark Arts (DADA) with Professor Adele (the name I got via ChatGPT; if it’s wrong, it’s not a big deal). We only had theory for now, but we could see the potential of this subject.

  There was the History of Magic css with Professor Binns. He was an ancient teacher who died one day and continued to teach without realizing it. If he weren’t a teacher, the course might be interesting for other students, but he speaks in a monotonous tone even worse than Professor Snape.

  Astronomy csses were held with all the houses on Wednesday evenings. If the sky was cloudy, we had to postpone the css for another time.

  That was pretty much all the csses we had in our first year. Marie loved all the csses except History of Magic.

  For the flying course, Marie told me that she felt so comfortable that next year she would apply for a position on the Ravencw Quidditch team.

  My friendship with her was stronger than with the other girls in Ravencw, mainly because she has a lot of magical potential and I have a lot of theoretical knowledge, so we complement each other perfectly.

  Her life before discovering the magical world was not particurly interesting, even though she lived comfortably.

  On Saturday, we decided to take a walk in the castle park.

  In several directions, the view was stunning. Something orange caught my attention, an

  "These are the biggest pumpkins I’ve ever seen."

  "I’ve seen bigger ones, but they’re very well grown. In a few weeks, they’ll be even better."

  "That’s the point of the research, because I’m working on these pumpkins for the Halloween banquet."

  As we turned around, we saw the giant who had taken us to school.

  "You do a wonderful job with these pumpkins; any expert in Herbology could tell."

  He was swollen with pride.

  "It was a task that Mr Dumbledore entrusted to me. He is a great man, this headmaster; he always gives me a job when others would refuse to let me do it."

  There seemed to be a hidden and tragic backstory for the giants.

  "I’m Evelyn Longbottom, and this is Marie Saturn. We’re freshmen in the Ravencw house."

  "Enchanted, I am Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts, also responsible for the maintenance of the grounds and magical creatures around the school. Would you like to come into my cabin and discuss more about growing these pumpkins?"

  "It would be a pleasure."

  I accepted his invitation without asking Marie. This man seems to have a lot of knowledge and could also help me learn more about magical creatures.

  Img Marie