Chapter One
The stairs to the 7th floor are shaking a little bit and it makes me lose my balance. I quickly grab the railing and say a little prayer. I can imagine someone died in the past after falling off the moving staircase; or at least broke a bone.
The castle is huge, probably bigger than anyone has ever seen before. There are so many rooms and hallways. The stairs move, the torches that light up the halls are floating, and sometimes you can see a ghost disappearing through a wall.
With a little boink! the staircase ends its journey. I step off. Only a few more non-moving staircases before I'll stand in front of the Fat Lady. Tonight the Sorting Hat sorted me into the Gryffindor house and it feels weird, because I can still remember the first three years when I'd been sorted into Hufflepuff. None of my memories have faded and there have been only minor personality changes, but I still got sorted into a different house. Yet, I don't feel different.
"Password?" The Fat Lady's high pitched voice brings me back into reality.
"Trying something new?" I say, whilst taking a look at her appearance. Instead of the regular white dress she wore for three continuing years, she now wears a festive, bright-red dress with lace and padded shoulders.
"Ah, yes. How sweet of you to notice. It really brings me the Christmas spirit. Now please give me the password, young lady." The Fat Lady impatiently pats her foot on the floor.
"Christmas balls." Professor McGonagall gave me the password half an hour ago. Thank God it wasn't a hard one to remember. I have heard stories about the passwords the Fat Lady sometimes comes up with. Poor Neville Longbottom can never remember them.
The Fat Lady opens her door. Behind the opening there is a small hallway leading to an open sitting room. On the walls I can see several Gryffindor flags and on the right side, next to the stairs leading to the bedrooms, there is a fireplace with a pile of smoldering ash inside. This is the first time I've ever been in the Gryffindor common room. It's smaller than Hufflepuff's room, much cozier.
The common room is empty. I suppose everyone already went to bed, since it's half past midnight. Following professor McGonagall's instructions "into the sleeping tower, fourth floor, to the right" I get to the bedroom. The door squeaks; even the smallest movement creates a ton of noise. I try to minimize the noise as much as possible so the other girls won't wake up. Everyone stays fast asleep. My bed is on the left, marked with graceful writing: Elizabeth Taylor.
"Hello, you must be Elizabeth. It's so nice to meet you! My name is Lavender." Lavender Brown reaches her hand out to me.
Still sleepy I rub my eyes. "I know who you are, Lavender. This is my fourth Hogwarts year. Now please let me sleep." I fall back into my pillow, determined to get at least half an hour more sleep.
"Jeez, I'm sorry. I was just trying to be nice." I can hear Lavender pack her bag passively aggressive. "You look different, you know."
I roll my eyes and pull my blanket over my head.
"You should get up, Elizabeth. Snape won't like it when you're late to his class." Hermione sounds stressed. It has always baffled me how people can wake up stressed.
With a groan I open my eyes. I already miss Hufflepuff. There nobody would get stressed whenever I decided to stay in bed. Which was very often, to be honest. I wasn't one for perfect attendance.
I quickly dress myself and me and Hermione walk to the Great Hall. I immediately see my friends from Hufflepuff and contemplate whether to sit with them or not. I don't have to think long, because apparently Hermione has already decided I should go sit with her and her friends.
"Come on, Elizabeth. Ron and Harry are sitting over there." She says while gently pushing me to the Gryffindor table.
Not in the mood to argue I let myself be pushed along. Ron and Harry look at me weird. Of course, they don't recognize my new appearance.
"Hi," I say. Still getting weird faces. "Elizabeth Taylor," I clarify.
It takes a few seconds, and then, both at the same time, they understand. Harry and Ron nod. I take a seat in front of them. The first breakfast of the schoolyear has always been the best. Croissants, salads, yoghurt, pancakes. You name it and it's there. I thankfully fill my plate. A new body means a new kind of hunger, and in this case, a worse kind of hunger.
Everyone gets quiet when Dumbledore clears his throat. "Good morning students and a special good morning to the first years. Today will be the first day of the new school year and I hope everyone is just as excited as I am. The first years have had a week to get to know the castle and the rest of the students probably used this past week to talk about their holiday adventures. Now to business. A few weeks back we heard about the death of Elizabeth Taylor. Elizabeth is still here, but with a different face and a different personality. Maybe you would like to clarify it a little, Miss Taylor?" Dumbledore looks at me with his eyebrows raised. His eyes are peering over his glasses.
"No, thank you." I shake my head.
"I wasn't asking, Miss Taylor."
I sigh. I unwillingly stand up and walk toward the headmaster. When I'm next to him I turn around and look at the students. "Hi, I'm Elizabeth Taylor as you know, or not know. Long story short: I died and came back to life, only slightly different than before. Thanks for your attention."
I make my way down to the Gryffindor table, but halfway down the stairs someone raises a finger. It's a first year. "How can you come back to life and why are you different?"
I sigh. Fucking hell. "I'm the daughter of a Timelord. His wife, my mum, is a child of the Tardis which means she's got Timelord DNA and human DNA. Turns out that I've got a bit of both of their DNA. Now I can come back to life, because they can, but I do have to start from zero. So every time I die I've got to get born again. It's basically reincarnation." Nobody else raises their hand, so I walk down and take my seat next to Hermione again.