Kari woke up as the sun poured through the window, opposite his bed. For a moment he was totally disorientated, until chaos jumped on to his bed. “You are an early riser too, are you?” he said pushing the scruffy dog away as it tried to lick Kari’s face. “Get off!”  Kari finding there was no way to get rid of the hairball he got out of the four poster bed and crossed to the window. He watched as the sun came up before turning back to his bed, he gave chaos one of the most withering looks as he realised it had fallen asleep inside his covers. “ You look lost in their little dog!” Kari remarked as the dog dreamed on, it's legs spasming in a scrambling cat chasing run. “I suppose I must have too.”

He sighed and began to draw whorls in the condensation on the windows. He stared at one of them until it slowly began to move, expanding and contracting. He began to draw a line straight through it, so the whorl began to spin on its axis. He sighed and gazed on to the surface of the glass his mind sought his mother. The glass reflected not Kari’s face but showed his mother collecting firewood Kari stood and watched. He didn’t seek his father, as it was obvious he was busy, the snow fell thick and fast, his father’s presence. The ravens flew past his mother, circling her. He knew it was for her protection that they watched. To Kari though he thought it looked more like two buzzards circling a dying horse.

Kari blinked and his mother, snow and the ravens disappeared. He decided to look at the grounds of Hogwarts out of the window, puddles lay everywhere and as the sun was almost up nothing moved. He gazed again at the surface of the glass the lattice on the windows faded out of sight. The grounds of Hogwarts swept before him; rolling beneath him he discerned nothing of interest, just grass, woods and puddles. He caught sight of a hut and slowed the rolling grounds to a halt. There was movement. An old man was ambling around, his clothes flecked with mud; he carried a spade and behind him trailed the giant that had showed the first years in to the hall yesterday.  Kari narrowed his eyes; the face of the giant rushed forward and encompassed the whole window. A boy! The giant was not much older than Kari!

“ Yush trihskjs!!”

Kari whipped round to see who had spoken and came face to face with Erik. The giant disappeared off the window. “Erik?”

“trook pougder unty?” Erik asked with a puzzled expression. Kari looked at Erik.

“ I beg your pardon?”

“ trook?” said Erik. It was then that Kari realised that he wasn’t wearing the medallion his father gave him. He crossed quickly to the chair by his bedside and put the string of the medallion around his neck. “Pardon Erik? What were you saying?”

“ I said what are you talking about?”

“ You did?”

“Of course he did!” Laurie seconded. “What is that round your neck? Ah! Don’t answer that it’s obvious.” Erik had walked to the window, the condensation was evaporating and his whorls were slowly disappearing.

“How did you do that?” Erik asked poking the window with his finger.

“Do what? The whorls? I just drew them, they’re a simple enough geometric shape…” Kari started. Erik and Laurie broke in talking at once.

“No make Hagrid appear in the window”

“ Spy on Hagrid!”

“Hagrid?” asked Kari.

”The games keeper ” seeing Kari’s puzzled look he continued. “The assistant to the groundskeeper? The really big boy carrying the bucket?”

“Oh. That’s his name is it?” Kari said trying to sound disinterested.

“Kari” How did you use the window to see what Hagrid was doing?” Erik said with his back to Kari still looking at the window.

“ I’ve always been able to do it. You just do it. It’s not hard!” Kari exclaimed at Laurie’s look. Erik turned round to look at Kari with an expression of amusement. “ All Snow-walkers can do it. We inherit the gift”

“What’s a snow-walker? Are you a snow-walker Kari?” Kari nodded a reply to Erik but said nothing. His fathers vioce came to him with disapointment colouring it's tone. They don't trust you! Don't tell them anymore then they need to know, keep your distance.

“Well then snow-walker, lets get dressed and go for an early breakfast. Quietly so we don’t wake the others”

Kari sat next to Erik at the table. Erik still thought it humorous to make Kari sit on the left and Laurie on his right. Kari was dressed in the Ravenclaw colours of blue and bronze. The three had eaten their breakfast. Kari was not too sure of the food in front of him and ate only bread whilst waiting for the others in their house to come down. Soon the whole hall was full. A tall lady approached the Ravenclaw table. “That’s Professor Lara Veridian. She is our head of house.” Erik said to Kari. “Hello Professor Veridian. You look well. How were your summer holidays?” then in a loud pantomime whisper he said to Kari “She is the prettiest of all the professors here”

“Hello Erik” The professor smiled and blushed, as she handed the time tables to Ryan. “I see you haven’t lost your cheekiness since being away.” Ryan stood and passed round the timetables. “You must be Kari!” Kari looked up and didn’t answer as he was still chewing on a bit of bread. “Of course you are, oh my your eyes..” She stared for a beat then continued. “We shall have to fill in your timetable. What options will you choose?” Kari swallowed and looked at the list.

“You should do divination” Said Erik “He’s really good at it”

“I will choose ancient runes as well.”

Professor Veridian nodded and filled in Kari’s timetable.

“Well myself and Laurie are also doing ancient runes. But we are not in your divination class.”

“I am though.” Heather smiled. “There wasn’t many of us that chose this subject so we are doubling up with Hufflepuff. Divination is our next lesson.”

“Well Laurie and myself are off to Magical creatures. We’ve got a long walk. Come on Laurie” Erik stood up and left the table shortly after Laurie followed.