Chapter Three

"I feel it would be best to put you in Gryffindor house, where professor McGonagall will be able to look out for you if you require guidance at any time." Dumbledore told Ava, who was sitting across from him at his desk. "Furthermore, she and I are the only ones who know of your heritage. I'm sure you're aware that you absolutely must take the uttermost caution around the other students. It could be troublesome if someone were to find out something they shouldn't." The words were bordering severe, but the headmaster's gentle tone lessened the impact somewhat.

"Of course, professor." She mumbled quietly, staring at her fingers tapping on the desk.

"It would be best if you were to assume a more natural eye colour in your time here, I might add. Purple isn't exact common." He gave a quick wink when he finished talking, and her mouth twitched into a small smile. She concentrated for a second, her irises flooding with a soft brown, and her mass of bright silver hair dulling to a pale grey, for good measure. Standing out couldn't be further from what she wanted when she was starting at the school.

She glanced back up at Dumbledore, who stopped watching to nod approvingly. "That truly is a fascinating talent. I'm afraid I really must request that you stay strictly human during your stay on the school grounds, I'm sure you can understand."

Ava nodded slightly, eyes downcast. A knot was twisting in her stomach. Switching between different forms and looks was part of her nature. The thought of trapping herself in one form for so long was enough to make her feel itchy in itself.

She was lost in her thoughts as he spoke about a few more details, largely things that professor McGonagall had already told her. When he started to give her directions to the tower, saying that there was more than enough time for her to settle in somewhat before the other students arrived and the feast would begin, she was out of the door quickly.

"Bumble will be waiting for you in your room." Dumbledore called as the door shut behind her.

Seeing as she didn't want to stop to let her nerves get the better of her, she turned to follow his directions whilst they were still fresh in her mind. After wondering around for what really couldn't have been more than twenty minutes, but felt like hours, she felt very much lost in the labyrinthine mass of corridors that made up the school. Looking both ways down the well-lit corridor she was in, she couldn't even remember which way she had come up it to start with. At the sound of movement past one end of the corridor, she flinched hard. But after a moment it seemed the natural way to go, after all, she hadn't seen a hint of movement from anything other than the paintings up until then, which was odd at first, but not too odd for someone who grew up with her kind of magic.

Further down, the corridor opened into a far bigger room, with a mishmash of staircase overlapping, and more notably, moving. She couldn't help but think she would definitely end up going the wrong way more than once with staircases that didn't even stay in the same place. Leaning over the railing took her breath away for a moment. The drop past all of the staircases to the bottom floor seemed to go on forever.

This is too much, she thought to herself.

Turning to a painting of a woman in a light Victorian-style dress, sitting by a window with just a cup of tea next to her, and a book in hand, Ava braced herself to speak.

"Ex-excuse me? Sorry, I'm lost?" Her voice came out much quieter than intended.

The woman looked up from her book, kind smile playing on her wrinkles. "Oh hello dear, where were you trying to go? We have students get lost here all of the time." The woman's sympathetic tone was a relief.

"The Gryffindor common room? I think there was a painting I was supposed to find." Ava told her.

"Ah, of course, just up that staircase there, lamb" She said, pointing to her right, "the lady singing will let you in."

"Thanks" Ava breaths a sigh of relief, making her way up the staircase swiftly.

Said lady paused in her singing as Ava approached. "Well aren't you rather early. What's the password?"

Ava stuttered, raking her brain. Did the headmaster tell me a password? He must have. What was it? Her throat choked up a bit as she tried hopelessly to think of what she could say and she could feel panicked tears leap to her eyes as the painted lady watched expectantly.

"Oh, well, the password is kneasle. It is early, after all, you must have just not been notified yet, it's alright. Come on in." Ava's faced flushed at the slight tone of concern in the woman's voice.

"Thanks." She mumbled, hurrying through the portrait hole, into the welcoming warmth of what she knew to be the common room. It was slightly bigger than her whole cottage -not that such a thing was difficult- but somehow easily just as comfortable. There were various couches and armchairs around the room, all decked with heavy throws and blankets, with most of the floor covered in thick rugs. Above the fireplace on one of the walls, a deep red tapestry depicting a roaring lion hung. Overlaying the stone and wood of the room itself, warm shades of red and gold filled the area. Gryffindor was a prideful house, that much she could tell.

Looking at the common room and everything it seemed to stand for, she didn't think Gryffindor was really where she belonged, but standing there, anyone would feel at home.

Taking the staircase on the right, how did I remember that but not the password, Ava entered the dorm that she would be staying in. Much alike the common room, it was filled with red and gold, and felt remarkably homely, especially in contrast to what she was expecting. Five heavily curtained four poster beds –like those she had only read about before- sat in the room, hers against a window to the far right, as Dumbledore had mentioned. Indeed, Bumble was curled up at the end of the bed, tail flicking in content. A hint of amusement hit her at how well he matched the décor.

At the sound of the door opening, the cat lifted its head and meowed happily at her, standing to move onto her lap as she sat on the bed to pet him.

"I'm so glad you're here with me." She whispered. Bumble mewled softly in response, rubbing his cheek against hers to comfort her.

She unpacked her trunk, which had been sitting next to her bed when she came in, to fill the corner of the room that was apparently, as insane as it felt, hers. The plant from Diagon Alley had already been placed on her bedside table, and surprisingly, it looked to be watered. It was a small motion, but one she couldn't help but smile at.

The exhaustion of the day took its toll on her as she curled up on the bed, her mass of grey hair spread out to take up almost as much room as her. Bumble curled up again happily by her feet, his tail tickling against her toes as she fell asleep. He had always been protective to the young witch who understood him more than any human should have been able to.

Fyi, I'm taking some liberty with almost-canon stuff. Just a little. Nothing too much. Promise. Also; remarkable as it might seem, there will be other people in the next chapter. I'll get to it. Promise 2.0