A young girl groaned as she heard the annoying beeping of her alarm clock, slowly sitting up and slamming her hand down on the clock to silence it. She glanced around her messy room, vaguely wondering what day it was, then her eyes lit up as she realised. Finally. Summer was over, and she could go back to the place she belonged. Hogwarts.
Yeah, summer was great, but tensions always seemed to be running high at home and awkward conversations with her parents and siblings made it less favourable than the school where she felt like she was accepted for who she was. She hurried through her shower and quickly dressed, stuffing her wand into her back pocket, before going downstairs and rummaging through the fridge. She assembled a quick breakfast, knowing that she could grab a coffee on her way to the station. As she checked her Tumblr on her phone, a tall man with shoulder-length hair pulled back into a short ponytail and his jeans hanging low on his hips sauntered into the kitchen, grabbing the milk from the fridge and taking a long draught.
"Do you really have to drink it straight from the bottle, Tama?" she asked her brother lightly, knowing that he would just nod his head and take another swig. He did exactly that, lightly pulling himself up to sit on the counter next to her.
"So. Today's it, yeah?" he asked, glancing over at her. "I'm gonna miss you while you're gone, my ayasha. But I'll be glad to have you out of here, what with you causing all your mischief," She smiled at his comment, poking her tongue out at him playfully. She loved the way her brother teased her, especially when he called her his ayasha. It meant little one in their native language, and it made her think of happy times in her childhood.
"Etenia!" her father called from another room, "Are you ready to go? You need to leave soon or you'll be late!" she jabbed her brother in the side once more, hopping down off the kitchen bench and heading up to her room to gather her things. She grabbed her backpack and small handbag, both of them magically light, then stood by her door, looking around the rom that she no longer considered her own. After spending five years at Hogwarts, coming home only over summer, she had grown to love her room in the girls' dormitory, sharing with other girls in her year, and coming here during summer was like going away on holiday.
Checking her room one last time to make sure she hadn't left anything, Etenia bade her brother farewell and left the house. She enjoyed the short walk to the Underground, knowing that soon she would be home. She stopped at her favourite cafe to grab a coffee before catching the Tube to Kings Cross. As she wove through the usual morning bustle, she ducked behind a hidden panel in the wall, taking a lesser known route to get to platform 93/4, stepping through the wall with surety. She loved the quick rush she still got, the second of wondering if the magic still worked, and she took a moment to recover her composure before heading for the train.
She was early, the train didn't depart for another hour, but there were already lots of families and students, all busy catching up with friends or loading their luggage into their compartments. Rather than stopping to find her friends, Etenia quickly climbed into the train and took off down the narrow corridor, reaching the very end compartment, the one she and her friends had claimed as their own in fourth year, as the compartment could seat about fifteen people.
She shoved her backpack into the overhead section, and settled down in a seat, her iPod blasting music in her ears as she read a book. Just as she was getting to the really good part, the door slid open, revealing a group of three of her classmates and friends, Isabella, Victoria and Ari. They exchanged hugs, settling down into their seats, discussing what they had done over the summer.
As they were talking, more of the others trickled in, and soon all ten of them were there. Adrian, sassy, gay, and proud of it; Dimitri, always joking around, but dangerous when pissed off; Erik, Dimitri's twin, responsible and organised; Ari, dark, brooding and dangerous; Kai, quiet and outspoken; Alice, bubbly and always up for a challenge; Natasha, organised and controlling, but very sensitive and easy to upset; Victoria, gorgeous and she knows it; Isabella, Victoria's twin sister, dignified and mysterious. And of course, Etenia, sarcastic and strong willed, easy to joke with and even easier to piss off.
In what seemed like no time, the train was racing past the countryside, the compartment of sixth year Slytherins filled with shrieks of laughter and outbursts of cursing as they played Jungle Speed, a muggle game that Etenia had introduced them to. Laughing as Ari and Dimitri wrestled over the totem, Etenia realised how much she had missed her friends over summer. Her home life was far from amazing, and the regular letters from her friends had been the only communication she had with them. She would have preferred to message them, but most of them were purebloods and had no idea how to use muggle technology. The owl she had borrowed from Dimitri and Erik's family over the summer had been poor company, though he had learned quickly to stay away from Etenia's younger sister, who was less than fond of birds. One of the more harmless incidents was when Mai had come into Etenia's room to find the owl standing directly in front of the door, staring straight at her. Mai was so shocked she had nearly fainted, and then burst into tears. Etenia had found her there, standing in the door to her room, crying, with the bird just watching.
"Earth to Etenia! What's so funny?" Adrian asked, snapping Etenia back to the present. She smiled, telling them the story of what happened with her sister.
They spent the rest of the long journey sharing stories and playing games, and soon enough it was nearly dark. They all pulled on their formal robes over their casual clothes as the train came to a stop. As soon as the train had stopped, Ari, Dimitri, Victoria, Etenia and Alice raced out the door and up the winding path to the carriages, claiming the first one as their own. They all clambered in, Dimitri and Ari arguing over who had gotten there first. As the carriage started its rocky journey up the hill, they settled into a comfortable silence, all of them watching eagerly for that first glimpse of the castle. As they rounded a corner, all of them subconsciously leant forward, and there was Hogwarts, shining in the dark, the lights in every window shimmering as they reflected off the dark waters of the lake, the trees throughout the grounds rustling in the wind. Etenia smiled softly as she remembered how it had felt to see that for the first time as she sat in a little boat, surrounded by people she didn't know, scared and worried about what this school would be like. Now, she sat surrounded by friends, happy to return home.
Filing into the Great Hall, the group claimed a spot at the very end of the Slytherin table and settled back, watching the other students file in. In groups, the other sixth years joined them at the end, and they greeted each other civilly, even though the groups didn't always agree. Soon enough, everyone had taken their seats, and the Sorting ceremony began, and they cheered loudly whenever someone was sorted into Slytherin. When everyone had quietened down and the first years had all taken their seats, Headmistress McGonagall addressed everyone with the start of term notices, reminding everyone that if they had any muggle technology that they wanted to work within the school, they had to bring it to her office the next morning.
"Also, the wifi password is 'Sherbet Lemon'." she added, a twinkle in her eye, before announcing, "Let the feast begin!" Laughing at the astonished reactions of the first years when the food appeared out of nowhere, they dug in, chattering about which subjects they had this year and whether the teachers were any good.
Eventually the feast was over and McGonagall gave her final announcements, and they were off to bed. The group took their time, taking the long way down to their house common room and dormitories. They finally got down to the entrance, a plain section of wall, and Erik said the new password, "Salazar," The wall shifted to reveal a simple door, which slid open, admitting them into the common room. The boys and girls bade each other goodnight, going their separate ways to the girls' and boys' dormitories. Etenia smiled as she entered the room that had become home for her over the past five years. It was elaborate like a five-star hotel and decorated in the green and silver of their house, and each of the five girls had a separate little annex of the room to themselves, with room for a bed, desk and closet. Etenia happily walked over to her bed and collapsed onto it, feeling the familiar crispness of the sheets, the familiar scent, the photos and posters she had tacked up over the years, and the little personal touches. She checked everything had been put away where it belonged, then pulled off her formal robes, leaving her in her causal jeans and top. The girls scattered around the large room to do their own thing, and they fell into a content silence, Etenia simply stared into the fire, soaking in the first-night euphoria they all had. They occasionally spoke, but they always settled back into silence. Alice left for a moment, returning with a tray of everyone's favourite hot drinks from the kitchen, and they sipped appreciatively in content silence, dragging the night out as long as they could. Eventually, one by one, they went to bed, pulling their curtains closed around their sections of the room. It was going to be a big day tomorrow.
Etenia was standing in front of her house, wondering why they had left the door open. Shrugging, she walked inside, and grabbed an apple from the bowl in the kitchen before going up to her room to dump her school bag. As she pulled out her work, she got an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach, but she didn't know why. She got on with her school work, trying to ignore the feeling, until she heard a faint whimper. She looked up, worried now, and got up from her desk. Scared out of her mind, she tried to keep an even head as she cautiously walked out of her room and down the hall. She heard another whimper, coming from her oldest sister Aiyana's room. Terrified, she slowly pushed the door open, and froze. Aiyana was there, lying on the floor, in a pool of something dark. Etenia's brain went into overdrive as she struggled to breathe, her mind running in circles as she tried to comprehend what she was seeing. She collapsed to the floor, grabbing Aiyana's hand, breathing heavily.
"Aiya? Aiya what happened? Aiya talk to me!" she demanded, trying to keep Aiyana awake. Aiyana's eyelids flickered as she struggled to stay conscious, and her breathing got slower and slower.
"Aiya! No, Aiya, stay with me! AIYA!" Etenia started screaming her name, her body shaking with the sobs that ripped from her chest. Aiya reached up slowly, and brushed her hand across Etenia's cheek, smiling weakly as she faded away.
"I love you, my ayasha," she whispered, her heart stuttering in her chest, before finally coming to a halt. Etenia stared at her, tears still streaming down her face.
"No... No. No! NO! AIYA!" Etenia started screaming again, sobbing until her vision went blurry, and she felt someone's arms go around her and start to pull her away.
"NO! NO! AIYA!" She screamed, struggling against the unknown person, reaching for Aiyana's hand. She was pulled from the room, and she continued to struggle, trying to get back to Aiya.
"Etenia! Wake up!" Etenia started, sitting up quickly, her head pounding. She was in her bed, her sheets twisted and soaked with sweat, with Alice sitting beside her, and Isabella and Victoria were standing nearby.
"Wha...what happened?" Etenia asked, her voice croaking, and she realised how sore her throat was.
"You were yelling and moving around in your sleep. How do you feel?" Alice asked gently. Etenia sighed, running her hand through her hair, realising it was damp with sweat.
"Ok, I guess... It was that one again. Gets me every time..." she said softly, and Alice frowned slightly, knowing what she meant by 'that one'. Just then, Natasha entered the room softly, holding a mug and leading a small house-elf who held a pile of fresh sheets. Etenia smiled when she saw what was in the mug- warm milk. Natasha always got warm milk whenever anyone had a bad dream, and it had become a bit of a running joke.
The girls bade her goodnight, and went back to bed, and she sat by the fireplace, watching the dying coals glow and she slowly drank. Eventually she went back to bed, smiling when she saw a little note tucked under her pillow, just a scrap of paper that read "Sweet dreams".