Before she could sit down on her bed, however, an energetic, dirty-blonde girl blocked her path.
"Hi!" she chirped. "I'm Lavender! Lavender Brown!" she stuck out her hand. Bella shook it sleepily.
"Hi, Lavender," Bella yawned. "I'm-"
"Bella Potter, yes, I know," she interrupted. "Anyways, it's nice to meet you. I do hope we become great friends. I can't wait to give you a makeover!"
"Make...over?" Bella said weakly.
"Oh, yes, your hair is a mess! And your clothes are just awful. "
"How do you know what my clothes look like?" Bella asked. She was wearing her robes over anything of Dudley's.
"I looked in your trunk just before I introduced myself," she answered simply. "I wanted to see what kind of people my dormmates are. And your clothes are all muggle boy's clothes! And they're way too big on you!"
"It's not my fault!" Bella huffed. "My Aunt and Uncle don't allow me new clothes. I get hand-me-downs from my stupid fat cousin, Dudley."
"That's horrendous!" an accented voice came from behind Lavender. Bella looked up and saw an Indian girl who looked just as energetic as Lavender, with long, curly, pigtails sitting on a bed. "Do they not understand that clothes are how a girl expresses herself?! They can't deny you that right! I'm Parvati, by the way. Parvati Patil." Parvati held out her hand as well, and Bella noticed, as she shook her hand, that her nails were painted with blue and green polka dots.
"N-nice to meet you," Bella greeted weakly, feeling very overwhelmed.
"If we're on the subject of introductions, I'd like to introduce myself," a calm, dreamy voice said. Standing near the doorway was a pale girl with white hair and breasts bigger than anyone else in the room. Bella wondered if she had albinism. To her left was a shy-looking girl with extremely long black hair who looked much younger than eleven.
"I am Lilly Moon," the white-haired girl said. "And this is Sally-Anne Perks." Sally-Anne Perks waved.
"I-I-I hope we c-can get along!" she stammered in a quiet voice. Bella shook hands with Lilly and Sally-Anne, wondering idly where Hermione Granger was.
"While it is nice to know you all, I'm very sleepy. Let's all go to bed and talk more in the morning," Lilly yawned.
Everyone agreed, and they soon pulled on their
pajamas and fell into bed. When Bella pulled open the curtains of a seemingly unoccupied bed, however, she startled to see Hermione Granger, already in her nightgown, calmly reading a book.
"Give me a moment to finish this page, and I'll be out of your hair," Hermione said, not looking up from her book.
"Hermione Granger?" Bella blinked, sitting down next to the girl. "What are you doing here?"
"While you were the center of attention, I sat down to read." Hermione put a bookmark in her book and closed it. Bella noticed the cover said 'Hogwarts, A History.' "I introduced myself at dinner, and I'm too tired for conversation." Bella nodded understandingly.
"I am, too. If this is what it's like to be famous, I think I'll fall over by the end of the week."
"What do you mean?" Hermione queried. "You've been famous all your life."
"No," Bella shook her head. "I grew up in the muggle world, like you. I only found out about magic on my birthday."
"July 31st," Hermione recited instantly.
"How do you know that?" Bella blinked.
"I've read all about you, remember?" Hermione replied, standing up. "Anyways, I'm off to bed. Busy day tomorrow. You should sleep as well." Bella nodded. Just as Hermione began to walk away, Bella remembered what the Sorting Hat had said. 'You can help them. You can help them overcome their fears and insecurities and be the best friend you can be.'
"Wait, Hermione."
"Hm?" the bushy haired girl turned to face Bella.
"You like books, right?" Bella asked.
"Yeah, why?"
"I do, too. I don't get to read much, because I don't have much access to books, but when I can read, I do. I wish I was able to read a lot, like you. I think you're really smart."
Hermione perked up, her face pink. "Oh. Well...thank you, Bella." Hermione turned around again.
"Oh, and Hermione?"
"Yes?" Hermione asked.
"Do you want to be my friend?" Bella suggested, hoping she wasn't too straightforward. Hermione gasped, looking shocked, though not in the least bit upset. Anyone else might have thought that she was shocked that the Girl-Who-Lived wanted to be friends with her, but Bella guessed that she was probably just happy that someone wanted to be her friend.
"Yes, of course!" Hermione grinned. "I'll be the best friend you can have! Just you wait." And with that, Hermione practically leaped into her bed.
With a smile, Bella snuggled up into the warm, fluffy, blankets, and fell asleep almost at once.