I sit at the edge of one of the long benches that run the length of the Slytherin table. Above me the dark green banners, complete with the snake emblem of our house, sway back and forth from the spelled wind that flows through the room. The hall is awash with light from the candles that are permanently floating just below the ceiling. Despite the sunny blue sky that the ceiling shows, it's actually quite dark outside.A darkness that is due to a steady rain that's been coming down for the past hour or two. The first years came in sodden with the rain water, the hems of their robes splattered with mud. There was a trail of water and muddy foot prints leading up to the Sorting Hat before Professor Sprout cleaned it up.
After sorting, when the first years were settled in with their respective houses, a meal had appeared on the tables. For the past seven years of my stay at Hogwarts, the first day dinner had always been the same. It never got old, despite the repetition, as it always seemed as though there was so much food that you could have something new every year. As always there was an assortment of sauce covered chicken, white and wheat breads, multiple different kinds of fruit and vegetables, along with chocolate and vanilla puddings for us and the teachers.
Later, after the meal is over, I'm sitting by myself, looking over all of the students. The Slytherin table does not warmly welcome non-pure bloods, and with my father not being a wizard, I fit the non-pure blood status. I inwardly sigh and thank the wizard and witch ancestry on my pure-blood mother's side, so that I wouldn't be treated like the Mudbloods (Muggle-born) that all Slytherin frown and turn their noses up at.
On my first day here, when I was sorted, I made the mistake of answering, what I thought was a non-evasive question about my parents. I had revealed my father's blood line without even realizing what the repercussions that might follow with the almost 100% pure-blood filled Slytherin house would be. From that day on, most of the Slytherin pure-bloods ignored me.
There were the select few that chose to speak with me kindly and then there were the ones who spoke with me only to make stupid comments. I got over it after a while only because I realized that it was going to continue to happen for the next seven years. My only options were to cower at their sneers or tune them out.
I saw our headmaster stand up and walk around the long banquet table that had been reserved for the teachers, in front of the dining room. I assumed he was about to give his rules speech. His rules speech has changed little over the years, the only change being a stern warning that any student who goes into the Shrieking Shack would immediately be expelled.
Two years ago, three students went to the Shrieking Shack on a dare and one fell through the floor boards and broke his ankle. The teachers had found out when the boy was taken to the hospital wing on a floating stretcher.
When he came to stand in front of his podium, the entire hall fell into a silence. He was much younger than Dumbledore, the previous headmaster; his hair was dark brown, curly, and he was wearing, much to my surprise, purple robes with white stripes around the hem. I'd seen him in pink, green, brown, orange, and at least three other colors before. With rapt attention, the first years waited to hear what he had to say. Within a year or two they would lose all enthusiasm they had to hear him speak, as the words were ingrained into your head so you never forgot.
"First," he began in his steady voice, "I would like to welcome all first years to Hogwarts, and I hope you will enjoy your houses." He turned and motioned to the four portraits of the witches and wizards the houses were named after that hung on the wall behind the teachers's table. The house names are Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff.
As he said Gryffindor and Slytherin, their tables erupted in cheers. He held up his hands to silence them and they quieted down. "I would like all first years, and returning students, to know that the forest is forbidden to all students. Detention and possible expulsion are consequences of going into the forest."
Two of the boys that were sitting across from me were whispering excitedly to each other. I could make out a few words, enough to assume they were going to go into the forest sometime. If they were eaten by whatever was out there, let them get eaten. They saw me watching and turned away, quickly shutting up.
The headmaster finished his speech and walked back to his spot in the middle of the table, next to Professor McGonagall, one of the people who had been teaching here the longest.
The professors dismissed us to our houses, and now, despite their statement to stay with the Perfects, I have wandered off, down a separate corridor, not too far from the Slytherin common room. The floors here are solid, smooth stone, with no carpet or wood covering it. Its walls are also stone, but there, hanging, were the signature talking paintings of Hogwarts lining the walls.
So far I've been interrogated as to what I was doing down here by three different painted portraits. It's nice and quiet here (other than the paintings), a big change from the dining hall, and it feels good to finally be alone.
I can still sort of hear the footsteps and voices of the kids walking to the house, but it's more muffled now, in fact everything, even my footsteps, seem to be slightly muffled. I continue to walk down the hall and the paintings on the wall begin to catch my interest. One of them is slashed through, like claw marks, and another few are devoid of all life. Another set of three are also slashed. The air here smells kind of stale, with a hint of something else I can't quite place. The ground is becoming slightly bumpy, with the stones that make it up sticking up or cracking in places. I can no longer hear anyone, and my footsteps are now distant in my ears.
Up ahead, something looked as if it were moving, but I told myself it was probably just one of the ghosts that wander around Hogwarts. I've been wary of the ghosts since my very first day, still not quite sure how they exist. The air is beginning to smell too sweet to be normal and it feels like there's some pressure in this corridor. I know there are passages below the school, but I've never been in one, never really strayed from the main hallways.
Again, it's seems like there's a shadow moving up ahead, almost like a lion, or large cat type animal. I pull my wand out and whisper, "Lumos", causing the tip to glow a bright white light, illuminating the hall. Now I can see the pictures more clearly. They're brighter but my vision is getting blurry, and I'm kind of freaked out about that. The slash marks are becoming more and more frequent on the photos. In one photo, there's a single person huddled in the corner of the frame. He looks like a blob of paint in the corner, but I'm sure he's a person.
"Turn back now! Go!" he hisses at me, shielding his eyes from my light. I want to know what he's hiding from, so I continue on down the passage as my hands shake. There's most definitely something in the tunnel with me. The sweet smell in the air is much more prominent and I'm starting to feel quite tired. I yawn, and the light on my wand flickers.
The thing in the corridor with me suddenly growls and I jump backwards, realizing it's not too far in front of me. With my blurred vision I can almost make out what it looks like. It's got the head of a lion, and a long, barbed tail, with sharp, white teeth protruding from its mouth.
I let out a shriek and stumble backwards throwing my wand up and shouting out the first spell that comes to mind, "Reducto", a spell that should make the beast explode. I'm extremely tired by now and I see that the spell hit my target in the leg. That was clearly unintentional. It lashes out with its tail and I can't move fast enough to get out of its way. It hits me in the stomach, the barbs only scratching my sides, and I'm thrown back against one of the walls. I hear the animal whimper, but another attack does not come.
I can't really see anymore, and my mind is almost completely blank. The sweet smell that was in the air has taken over all of my senses now, and it's the only thing I notice, even the pain in my stomach has ebbed. I close my eyes, feeling in my last moments of consciousness a huge headache coming on.