Co-ed Dorms and Familiar Roommates

I peered down at my fairly sparse schedule, glad that I was going to be given plenty of free time. While I had always enjoyed school and studies, I also valued the time to explore and take the time to enjoy myself and my new surroundings.

I glanced down at the instructive paper in my hands to read off my dorm room to locate it on the sloppily drawn map. This was no place like Hogwarts, need I remind you. I remembered having to fill out a multi-page form all about myself and all that good stuff before they could fit me with the 'perfect

Roommate. That thought scared me, not knowing who I would now be sharing the next four years of my life with.

I was going to study chemistry, which is basically the Muggle equivalent of potions, which was my most excelled lesson at Hogwarts through my six years there. While Professor Snape absolutely couldn't stand me or my brother, he couldn't deny that I had a gift when it came to his class.

But anyways, chemistry it was. I had made the decision to go to college on a mere whim, and getting in with marks like mine was effortless, and paved the way for a free education. So my advice to everyone, do well in school.

Finally I had located my large, brick monster of a dorm room with ease and managed to drag my bags up seven flights of stairs all by my lonesome, which I was proud of. As soon as I had reached the landing, I took a breath and straightened my clothes (a pale yellow linen top and a pair of skinny jeans) and glanced down once again at my map, located my room number, and began searching for room 17B in the long tangled mess of hallways.

When I had finally found the room, which was made difficult because the door with the metal room number screwed on was completely open, I threw my things on the open twin sized bed and sat down to take a rest. It was then that I had taken a look at my new roommates choice in decorations and noticed the familiarity to them.

The sheets on their bed were silk and colored with silver and emerald, neatly pressed and made. Looking up to the walls, my heart twinged with a homey sort of feeling when I saw a green and silver crest with a silver snake slithering up the center. The silver letters along the bottom of the banned spelled out the letters that I read out in my mind one by one: S-L-Y-T-H-E-R-I-N.

It was both exciting and nerve racking. I had no idea that I was going to have a roommate who was also from Hogwarts. It didn't matter to me that they were from my rival house, they came from the same place and grew up around the same life. At least I wouldn't have to hide my magic around them, which was another thought that I took comfort in.

Suddenly I had a great urge to hurry and unpack my things, first grabbing out my enchanted photographs of my parents, one of Harry and myself, one of Harry, Ron, and Hermione that was taken on the Quidditch pitch after Harry's first game, and finally one of Harry and Ginny on the day he proposed to her. I smiled when I glanced down and they had all waved back at me cheerily.

Second I dove my hand inside my enchantedly spacy bag and dug out the huge Gryffindor red and gold striped banner that Luna Lovegood and I had made that spelled out in cheering and jiving letters: Weasley is our King. Alongside it I had pulled out my wand and placed a sticking charm on the desired space on my side of the wall and stuck it there proudly.

As I stood back and surveyed it, I couldn't help but picture the red head's beaming face and smile a little to myself. Oh how I was going to miss them. Scratch that, I already did miss them.

With a final flick of my wand, I pointed towards the empty bed sheets and turned them into the familiar bedding that I had always found in Gryffindor tower. A deep crimson bed quilt and some yellow gold sheets, and of course some school pride stripped decorative pillows. Finally, this place felt a little more like home.

A nearly jumped out of my skin when a familiar, too familiar, drawling voice rang out and the door closed. "Well, well, well, if it isn't Miss Sara Potter. Never thought I'd see the likes of you again."

I wheeled around, wide eyed and disbelieving. When my hazel-brown eyes met his steely pale blue ones, I glared hard. "Malfoy. What are you doing here?"

Draco shrugged and glided his way to sit on his bed, collapsing onto his back and staring up at the ceiling. "This is my room."

"But you're a boy," I answered him stupidly.

Malfoy snorted. "Obviously, Potter. Ten points to Gryffindor."

"Then why are we sharing a room?" I asked, once again, stupidly.

Malfoy rolled his eyes and sat up to look at me, amusement dancing all around his pale face. "Because, Potter, according to those roommate forms you filled out over the summer, you're a boy too. It was all pretty funny actually, when I had gotten here. They had told me the name of my roommate and that we probably heard of each other because we attended the same boarding school: Mr. Sara Potter. I nearly split my sides laughing."

I glared at him, snatching away the picture of my parents that he had taken to glance at and placing it back on the side table. "Why didn't you correct them then, ferret?"

Malfoy glared at his teasing nickname that my friends and I had given him at Hogwarts and answered me, "Because. I would rather have you as a roommate than a bloody Muggle where I'd have to watch everything I do."

I raised my eyebrows, "Is that a complement?"

"No." Draco glared defensively. "It is just stating the obvious. I can tell you lightened up, even if it was that silver snake you saw, so I know you agree."

I glared at him silently.

Draco finished, his eyes not leaving my narrowed ones, "And if you happen to disagree with my reasoning," Draco stepped aside so as to leave a pathway towards the door, "feel free to correct the matter with student services."

I was still eyeing the pale pure blood apprehensively. It was no secret that Draco Malfoy and Sara and Harry Potter did not exactly have the best of relationships. And it was just my luck that I would be stuck sharing a room with him for the next four years of my life.

Merlin surely does have a since of humor.

As if he were taking my lack of words for a silent agreement with him, Draco sat back down and pulled out a book, "That's what I thought, Potter."

I, too, sighed and sat down on my bed, pulling my knees up to my chest. And awkward silence was near the top of the list of things I hated, and there was no doubt these next few years were going to be filled with them. I reached into my bag and pulled out a piece of paper and a pen, prepared to write my first letters back to my curious friends, hoping they would take the events well.