Swish and Flick

Chapter 3: Ollivanders

Lauren's PoV

"Gago, ang ganda."

I don't even know what that means, but I'm pretty sure that girl is talking about me, considering I'm the only person to pass by her and her friend in the hallway when I see her elbow her friend's rib as they stare at me. I would say ogling because that's pretty much what they're doing right now, but I don't like that word. Ogling is such a vulgar word for me, like, just hearing it makes me feel invaded, and I've had several past experiences when I felt ogled at, and boy did I feel like I was some meat at a deli store, I didn't like the feeling one bit. It's probably why I always bring a book wherever I go, so when I walk along the streets and I feel like someone (or people) ogling me, I quickly flip open my book and just read. It's my way of looking down and drowning out the self-consciousness creeping all over me as people look at me like I'm an object being judged or rated.

Unfortunately, I don't have a book with me because Hogwash: A History of StraightWashing Queerness in Hogwarts (a book Dumbledore insisted I should read to get extra credits) is too heavy to pass for light-reading, and I'm meeting with the gang, so I had to leave the book in the dorm room.

We're all going to Diagon Alley to buy our school things, and Dinah told me we're gonna get our magic wands today, and that's what I'm most excited about.

I hear the leering girls giggling, and I quicken my steps to escape them. They don't look hostile, but they look like they'll eat me alive if they could get away with it. Girls scare me. You never know what they're thinking when they're looking you up and down.

I keep walking, partly unaware of my surroundings, partly amazed by the sheer magic just floating in the air.

Literally floating, as I stare in horror as a school ghost floats melancholically straight into a brick wall in front of me. I don't think it even noticed my presence.

I wonder, since ghosts are past residents of the place they're currently haunting and some of them aren't even aware that they're long dead, if they think humans are the uninvited ones crawling all over their territory just like us humans think ghosts are pests that needed to be exterminated?

It's only been a few days since I got into Hogwarts, and while I'm already getting used to the magical feel of the castle, I still couldn't believe how weird everything is around me. The bigger problem I have encountered so far are the doors with tricky locks and staircases that changes direction the second you get off of it, and several times I had to find another way to go back where I came from.

Living in the Ravenclaw towers is exhilarating, though. It's airy, it's got a nice view of the school grounds, the lake, the Forbidden Forest, and the mountains, and the dormitory itself is quite serene, the sound of the wind whistling against the windows giving off a calming vibe which immediately puts me to sleep.

Ravenclaws are nice to live with, they mostly keep to themselves, usually sitting in a corner reading a book (we have really awesome bookshelves in the common room), but it's not like they're anti-social. No, they do love conversations, and I find it very interesting the way some of them could be deep, while others are interesting in an unconventional way, like, that weird girl, Luna, who looks like her mind is floating in outer space, but she always poses questions which makes me think outside the box.

When I turn towards another corner, an unsurprising realization hits me. I'm lost. For the third time this week.

Were the Hogwarts founders high on acid when they built this damn place? Someone told me this castle has one hundred and forty-two staircases, and that our very own Rowena Ravenclaw, God bless her tricky ass soul, has designed the ever-changing floor plans.