Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out, but it has been a very, very busy summer.

As always I would like to thank those of you who have read and reviewed this story so far! I loved the comments!

I have to admit, though, that I was hoping for a few more reviews...so PLEASE, if you read this story leave a review! I really want to know what you think, and I've found that feedback (particularly the positive feedback) gets the chapters out faster. So please leave a review!

Legal side note: I do not own Harry Potter. I am just playing with it.

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Chapter 4

Erin spent the rest of the afternoon in her room reading the book Dumbledore had given her on the Salem Academy. He planned on introducing her at dinner, and she just knew that the moment she sat down she would be inundated with questions. Thankfully, the history of that school was not terribly extensive as it had only been established in the mid 1600's as opposed to Hogwarts which had been around since the late 900's.

It was an interesting history though, and Erin was glad to have something with which to occupy her mind. If she didn't have this task to help keep her focused her already overburdened brain might have simply fragmented. Even now, if she paused too long in her studying, the plethora of nagging fears, doubts and uncertainties tried to slip into her conscious mind and throw her off balance. What made it worse was the knowledge that soon she was going to have to introduce herself to a whole school of strangers and lie…convincingly.

She had spent some time working over a new back story for herself, which she originally thought to be kind of fun, but which ended up being quite tedious and disappointing. She'd wanted to keep only the most basic information about herself the same, such as her name and birth date. For a while she had been sorely tempted to revert to her maiden name. She chose not to however, as Erin Griever didn't flow nearly as well as Erin Sharp (though it did sum up her life pretty well thus far). She also briefly considered making up a new surname but worried that if called upon she might not respond to it immediately, which would only raise uncomfortable questions.

She had wanted to say that her parents were wealthy muggle socialites, but quickly realized she hadn't the money or clothes to back up that claim. Then she imagined being related to someone historically important, but a simple background check would cut right through that fabrication. She thought up scenario after scenario, but eventually rejected them all for one reason or another. Eventually she gave it up and decided on small half-truths instead.

She would be Erin Sharp: the tragic young orphaned girl who had spent her youth being shuffled from poor relation to poor relation until it was discovered that she possessed the gift of magic. At which time she was approached by a representative of the Salem Academy of Magic who offered her a place at their prestigious school. She had excelled there and as such was chosen to take part in the new foreign exchange program. It seemed plausible enough so long as she could learn magic quickly and proficiently enough as to not make a fool of herself. That worry was just another addition to the growing pile of concerns that nagged at her.

The sun was beginning to dip lower in the sky when Dumbledore finally came for her. The great hall was, to her vast relief, empty as he led her past all of the house tables to one of the antechambers beyond the High table. He walked with purpose giving her very little time to admire the enchanted ceiling, or beautiful architecture of the immense room. As they walked he explained that he would introduce her during his pre-meal announcements, and told her to wait in the room until he called her name. He obviously saw the trepidation and anxiety radiating from her because he gave her a quick pat of encouragement and then hurried away to leave her alone with her mounting doubts and fears.

After only a few minutes of fidgeting she began to pace the floor with the hope of burning off some of her nervous energy. She hadn't yet taken a full turn of the room before a voice rang out making her jump. She thought at first that it was Dumbledore and she had somehow missed her introduction, but she quickly realized that the voice belonged to a female.

"You there!" It called and Erin turned toward the rear of the room. A portrait of a pale, wizened older woman was motioning toward her excitedly, beckoning her closer. "Come here, come here!"

Hesitantly Erin moved forward, but no more than a foot or two. "Yes?" she asked warily.

The woman smiled eagerly and looked Erin over with probing, thoroughly excited eyes. "You must be the mystery girl all the portraits are talking about," She declared happily. "My dear friend who guards Gryffindor tower said she saw you and professor Snape walking down her corridor very late last night. She said that the professor seemed even more surly and suspicious than normal and that he was holding you at wand point! Well, she just loves a bit of intrigue and so she asked around but no one seemed to know who you were. Such a little mystery you are! Anyway, as the news spread many of us spent the day waiting for you to pass by, but you were never alone so no one had the nerve to speak to you. Oh, how jealous they all will be when I tell them that I was the first to talk with you! Now, my dear, will you please tell me who you are, and what you were doing with the professor last night?"

The portrait was talking so fast that it took Erin a moment to catch up to her question. It was blatantly obvious that this gossipy old bitty was Violet, the Fat Lady's confidant and occasional drinking buddy. She also knew that anything said to this particular figure was bound to become widespread chatter amongst the rest of the painted residents and that it would be wise to answer any questions with restraint. Really Erin did not want to respond at all since it sounded like Violet was implying that she had been caught at some outrageous act by the potions master. However, she hated the notion of being the fodder for false gossip and felt a need to confront any rumors head-on.

"Actually, I'm a new transfer student from the Salem Academy," she said, trying to keep the edge of annoyance she felt from showing in her tone. "I arrived very late last night, and professor Snape was kind enough to escort me to Professor Dumbledore's office. Speaking of the headmaster, I really can't chat just now because he's about to announce me and I have to listen for him. Perhaps we can speak later, but for now you'll have to excuse me." With that she turned and walked back to the door which was cracked open just enough for her to peek out into the Great hall.

"Wait!" Violet called, clearly disappointed in the lack of information she had been given, but Erin ignored her and focused her concentration on the large number of students slowly making their way toward their designated tables. There were far more students than she had imagined, and she felt her heart beat faster at the thought of having to stand before them. She had never liked being the center of attention and knew that after tonight she would be a curiosity for more than just a few chattering portraits.

It took several minutes for each of the tables to be filled. From where she was Erin could faintly make out the different color combinations of the four houses, and even the small spattering of blue and red of the Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang students. She had nearly forgotten about those other visiting guests, and fervently hoped that their presence would keep some of the attention off of her. It was unlikely though, as she would probably be an oddity to them as well.

After all of the students were seated she watched with trepidation as Dumbledore approached his podium. A wave of his hand brought silence to the happily rambunctious crowd as everyone focused their attention on him. She felt her blood race as the moment she had been dreading all day finally arrived.

"Good evening to you all!" The headmaster said cheerfully. "Before we partake in another excellent meal, I have a few announcements to make. Firstly, I must again request that the use of any Zonko's or other joke products be kept solely outside the castle walls." He seemed to look directly toward the Gryffindor table as he spoke and she saw two identical red heads give him falsely innocent grins. The Twins, she chuckled to herself.

"Secondly, and more excitedly, we will have another special guest staying with us for the remainder of the year. As some of you may know, for many years Hogwarts has, in the spirit of magical unity, sent an open invitation to other magical institutions to take part in a foreign exchange program. Until now the offer has been politely declined. However, over the Christmas holidays I received word from an American institution, the Salem Academy of Magic, that they would like to participate. After much discussion it was agreed that they would send us one of their students shortly after classes resumed. Unfortunately due to unforeseen complications she did not arrive here until late last night. As it is already mid February, she has missed quite a bit of the excitement currently taking place here and I must ask that you display the same courtesy to her that you have offered to our other foreign guests and help to ease her into life at our fine school. Erin, would you join us please?"

Erin closed her eyes and took a deep, calming breath. She had to summon every ounce of courage to push open the door and force her reluctant feet forward. The moment she was in view the student body seemed to erupt in a flurry of animated activity. The noise level rose as she made her way across the dais toward the smiling headmaster who greeted her congenially. After a moment he held up another calming hand and the students reluctantly began to settle.

"This lovely young woman is Erin Sharp," he said, giving her a gentle pat on the shoulder. "Erin will be joining us as a seventh year student, and as such will complete her education here at our school. To save time we conducted the sorting last night, and I'm happy to announce that she has been placed in Gryffindor house. I ask the students of that house to treat her with the respect and reserve I know you are capable of." Again he leveled his gaze at the twins, who gave him the same innocuous expressions as before.

"Erin, if you would please join your new house," he motioned her toward the obviously jubilant table of Gryffindors, many of whom were scrambling to make room on the benches so that she would sit by them. She carefully descended the dais and took a seat amongst a group of older looking students who beamed at her as she settled, but before they got out more than a word or two Dumbledore began to speak again.

"To put to rest any concerns our other foreign guests may have, No, the presence of our new student will in no way affect the tournament as it currently stands. She is not here to participate in any events, nor is she allowed to, as the tournament has already begun. She is, along with the rest of the Hogwarts student population, merely an observer and I ask that you too extend her the same respect and courtesy you would any of our students. Now, I believe I can hear the grumbling of many stomachs and so I will not delay the meal any further." With that he clapped his hands and the tables groaned as they were magically loaded with huge portions of steaming food.

Erin didn't realize how hungry she was until the delicious fragrances hit her, but before she could reach out to snag a piece of chicken, several students held out their hands for introduction. She could hear the excited murmurings from nearby and glanced down the table to see every eye on her. Erin swallowed hard and gave a feeble wave before turning back to the food set out before her. It was not to be however, as she was barraged from every side by a never ending volley of questions. She barely had time to answer one before someone asked another.

The interrogation seemed never ending as she answered questions about herself, her school, and her home. They wanted to know all about the differences between magical policy in America and Europe. She could only guess at most of the answers, and prayed that she was right. After what seemed like forever without a single gap in the flow of incoming queries, Erin felt nearly cross-eyed with hunger. She was staring at the food longingly when a strong voice rose up above the din.

"Oi! That's enough!" A female student demanded. "Give the poor girl a few minutes to eat."

The other students reluctantly eased off and Erin flashed her savior an appreciative smile before piling food on her plate and taking several famished bites. It was positively scrumptious and Erin had to force herself to chew slowly so she didn't look as gluttonous as she felt. After several hearty bites she turned back to the girl and offered her hand. "Thanks for that," she smiled shyly. "I was absolutely starving. I'm Erin, by the way."

The girl flashed a bright grin and reached out to shake her hand. "Hello there, Erin. I'm Melody McCarthy, but everyone calls me Mel. I'm a seventh year too, so you'll probably be staying in the empty bed in my dorm. So, what do you think of our school so far?"

Erin shrugged. "I haven't seen all that much of it, but I'm very impressed so far."

"Is it very different from your school?"

"Yes, very," Erin told her, thankful that she had read the book Dumbledore had given her so carefully. "Salem Academy was originally a series of small wooden house-like structures that were built in the middle of a dense forest. As the times changed, and the near-by cities grew bigger they greatly extended it to accommodate the growing population of magic wielders. It is actually very big now because it is the most popular magical school in all of the continental United States and even parts of Canada. Muggles who happen upon it think it's a posh resort."

"Wow! That sounds cool," Melody said thoughtfully. "How many students are there?"

"Nearly ten thousand," Erin said, and when Melody's eyes went wide she added, "But you have to remember that there are a lot more people living in the U.S. and so the odds of having magical offspring is much greater. Also, unlike here where magical families are encouraged to intermarry to continue pure bloodlines, back home there is very little stigma to marrying muggle borns. In fact, finding completely pure blooded families is rather difficult. America is called the melting pot for a reason, you know."

"Ten thousand students," Melody repeated in awe. "What must that be like?"

"Crowded," Erin chuckled.

"Are you divided into houses like we are?" Melody asked, motioning to the students around her, who Erin realized, were captivated by their conversation.

"No, we are divided by age group. Like you, we study magic for seven years. However the ages are generally not mixed. As a seventh year, I shared a dormitory building with about 1300 other seventh years. Our dorms resemble large hotels and there are four people to a room, so mornings can be quite hectic when everyone is trying to use the bathroom, or get down to the dining room to eat. It's always hard to find a seat at meal times. Our classes are held in large, multi-roomed buildings adjoining our dorms. So really, the only time we see the younger students is when we are out on the grounds after classes, on the weekends, or at sporting events." Erin hoped her embellishments were not too far off the mark, but as she had attended college for a short time, she imagined how it might be similar.

"Do you have Quidditch?" A nearby boy asked.

"Yes, but it's not quite as popular as it is here," Erin shrugged, vaguely remembering that piece of information from Quidditch through the ages. "We have other sports that are played on brooms as well so students have a few more options on which ones they'd like to participate in." The boy made a disgruntled face as if she'd just personally insulted him, and went back to his meal.

The questions died off as people hurried to finish their dinner before being dismissed. When the empty platters and plates vanished from the table, Melody stood and turned to Erin.

"I can walk you up to the tower if you'd like," she said, motioning for Erin to follow her. Erin cast an uncertain glance toward Dumbledore who appeared in deep conversation with Professor Mcgonagall. She hesitated for a moment, unsure whether or not to ask what she should do next when his eyes shifted to her and he gave a slight nod in Melody's direction. With a shrug Erin got to her feet and slowly followed her new friend past the curiously scrutinizing eyes of the other students and out of the hall.

The corridors were congested with swiftly moving people and Erin had a rather difficult time keeping up with Melody's purposeful gait. Though she knew that way to the tower fairly well, it was still tricky trying to negotiate the large push of bodies and keep pace with someone at the same time and more than once Melody had to pause to allow Erin to catch up.

"Sorry," Erin murmured as she clumsily brushed past the bustling throng of people while hurrying toward Melody who was already waiting for her at the base of the staircase. She was so busy trying not to step on anyone's toes, or fall on her face as she ascended the stairs and stumbled down the corridor that she didn't notice the large queue standing in front of the portrait hole.

With a muffled oath she tried to jerk to a stop just before slamming into the backs of several waiting students. Thankfully she didn't lose her balance as a firm hand suddenly reached out to grab her shoulder, steadying her while she quickly worked to regain her footing. Erin turned to thank her considerate savior but the words died on her lips as, with a shock of recognition, she found herself staring into the bespectacled face of a very familiar character.

"Oh!" she gasped, as she took in his messy dark hair and vivid green eyes. Unintentionally, her gaze shot upward to the lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead. She saw a flash of confusion and exasperation flit across his features as she looked him over and she felt her cheeks redden. Obviously he was used to this sort of reaction from strangers, but he didn't seem to expect it from someone who came from so far away. Worried that she had given something away with her rather obvious display of recognition, Erin dropped her eyes to the floor and quietly thanked him.

Harry shot her an inquisitive look that seemed both bemused and grateful that her reaction toward him hadn't been followed by a barrage of uncomfortable questions. Then he inclined his head slightly and motioned toward the portrait hole, which was now clear. At that moment two more people appeared behind Harry and Erin forced herself to turn and walk away before she openly gawked at the famous trio behind her.

Her mind was marveling at how accurately they had been described in the books. Ron was very tall and gangly with his bright red hair and multitude of freckles. Hermione was pretty, if rather unkempt, with her frizzy brown hair and her arms loaded with books. It appeared as though she had just come from the library, which was likely since the second task was fast approaching and Harry as yet had no idea how to stay underwater for an hour. She considered for an instant just telling him about the gillyweed, but she knew that relaying such crucial information would bring too much suspicion upon her head. After all, she was supposed to be an oblivious foreign exchange student.

"Erin, over here!" Melody called from across the room, effectively pulling her thoughts back to the present.

Erin forced herself to smile at her new companion and began weaving through the mass of lingering students toward her. Melody was sitting in the corner of the room with three other girls who all seemed to be about her age. They each looked her over appraisingly as she approached, and Erin wondered idly what conclusions they had come to when Melody suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her close.

"That was Harry Potter," she said quietly. "Have you heard of him?"

Erin forced herself to shrug indifferently. "The name sounds vaguely familiar," she said with a frown. "Why? Is he famous or something?"

"Yes!" Melody guffawed, and the other three girls snickered openly. "He defeated You-Know-Who when he was just a baby! He's the only person on Earth to ever live through the killing curse."

"You-know-who?" Erin repeated, trying hard to sound oblivious.

"Merlin!" One of the girls gasped, "You've never heard of You-Know-Who?"

Erin rolled her eyes and pulled an ironic face. "Well, with such a memorable and distinct name as You-Know-Who, how could I not?"

"He who must not be named?" One of the other girls prompted.

"The Dark Lord?" Another suggested when Erin shrugged again.

"Oh, come off it!" Melody said in exasperation. "You have to have heard of…" She glanced around and her voice dropped to a nearly inaudible whisper, "…Lord Voldemort?"

"Lord Voldemort?" Erin repeated in her normal tone, making all four girls wince and hush her as several other students jerked around to stare in their direction.

"Shhh!" Melody insisted as she waved both hands in a jerky, suppressing sort of way. "You're not supposed to say it out loud!"

"Why not?" Erin laughed.

"Are you serious?" One of the girls gasped, as she gave Erin a thoroughly disbelieving look. "He was only the most evil Dark wizard of all time."

"Okay, so what?" Erin frowned, and then she snapped her fingers as if in a sudden flash of realization. "Oh, wait. I think I remember reading about him in my World history of magic class. But, I still don't get it. Why don't you say his name?"

"He killed hundreds…maybe thousands of people," Melody told her. "He was a truly terrifying Dark Wizard."

"So? He's dead, right?" Erin said bemused. "Why not say his name?"

"We have all been taught to fear that name," One of the girls said seriously. "Nearly everyone in this room lost a relative or loved one during the war against him. That's why we don't say it."

Erin tilted her head as she observed the gravely solemn expressions on each of the girl's faces as they looked at her and she shook her head sadly. "As horrible as that is, showing such reverence to the name of their killer seems oddly inappropriate. If anything, I would think you should spit his name in defiance of what he did, not fear it. Fearing it means that it still holds some sort of power over you. You should rebel against him and people like him, not bow to them."

"We're not bowing to him!" Melody insisted harshly. "We would never do that!"

"Then why not say the name?" Erin shrugged. "Unless you think he deserves your respect…?"

All four girls stared at her openmouthed. While they mulled her words over, Erin glanced up to see several other students gazing at her oddly. Some looked appalled, while others seemed thoughtful. Then she spotted Harry who gave her one solid nod of approval. She smiled meekly at him and then turned back toward the flabbergasted girls.

"So, we haven't been properly introduced," she nodded toward Melody's companions. "I'm Erin Sharp. What are your names? Or can't you say those out loud either?"

There was a pause while they each appeared to scrutinize her thoroughly, then a lovely blond girl stood up so abruptly that Erin nearly flinched for fear that she was going to take a swing at her.

"I'm Jessica Dandridge," The tallest of the three said as she reached out to shake Erin's hand. Erin could still sense the deep scrutiny and confusion in eyes of the other girls as they made their introductions, but as soon as Jessica released her, another girl slowly stood.

"I'm Moira Hartley," The petite brunette said shyly, and then she hesitantly held out her hand for Erin to take. There was almost no pressure behind the other girl's fingers as they briefly rested in Erin's hand, and she wondered if that was the result of deep personal insecurity or if she was just unsure that she should be making the acquaintance of such a bold and opinionated person.

After the small girl backed away, Erin glanced curiously down at the final girl of the group. She was very beautiful, no doubt about that, with her blue cat-like eyes, and shiny auburn hair, but what drew Erin's attention was the look of unabashed dislike that pinched her mouth and made her glare cold and hard.

"Who do you think you are?" she demanded sharply, as she got to her feet and approached Erin menacingly. "You don't know anything about anything and if I were you, I'd keep my damned mouth shut. How dare you come in here and go on like you have any idea what any of us have gone through? You are nobody, and as far as I'm concerned you can just go back to whatever it is you came from!" She flipped her long hair haughtily so that it swung in Erin face, and then she turned and stomped off in the direction of the dorms.

'Uh, oh', Erin thought as she watched her go. It didn't seem wise to have made an enemy so early on, especially when she was supposed to be trying to fit in. A sudden wave of guilt and remorse passed through her as she considered the situation. She honestly hadn't meant to offend anyone, just to help them understand that they were unintentionally showing Voldemort far too much undue respect.

She turned to shoot the other girls an apologetic look, but stopped when she saw the identical expressions of annoyance and exasperation on their faces.

"Don't mind her," Melody said with a scowl. "She's just mad that there's yet another person around to steal her limelight."

"I really didn't mean to offend her," Erin said by way of apology, but Jessica smiled and shook her head.

"It has nothing to do with what you said, and everything to do with the fact that it was you who said it."

"I don't understand," Erin frowned, feeling deeply confused.

All three girls chuckled lightly and then Melody gave a long suffering sigh. "Before Harry Potter started here Brittany was the center of everyone's attention. She was the prettiest most popular person in the whole school. Everyone wanted to be her friend regardless of the fact that she was a huge bitch to most of them. All the boys wanted her and fawned over her. Hell, most still do," She explained lightly, though Erin could detect a trace of jealousy in her tone.

"Then Harry came and her popularity dropped off quite a bit. I mean, he was famous before he ever came here so how could she compete with that? But when it became clear that Harry wasn't trying to usurp her high and mighty position, she decided he wasn't worth her ire, even though she had lost quite a few of her followers. Then the Triwizard tournament began and all of those foreign kids came. You can imagine how much that pissed her off, especially since the Beauxbatons girls are so pretty and mysterious. Her popularity took an even bigger hit then and she's taken it badly, but she figured that they were only a slight annoyance as they spend most of their time with their headmistress in that giant carriage. We really only see them at meals and events, so they aren't that big a worry. You, however, are a real threat to her."

"Why?" Erin asked surprised.

Jessica shot her an incongruous look. "Are you kidding?" She laughed. "Look at you! You are at least as pretty as she is, if not prettier. Plus you're new which means that people are going to be drawn to you like a shiny new toy. Add that to the fact that you are going to be around all the time and share our dorm…well, you can see how she might not take that well. Then, before she can even reassert her place, the first thing you do is show her up with that little speech of yours…you might as well have knocked her out of her chair and declared yourself queen. It was great! I've been waiting ages for someone to take her down a peg or two."

"I-I didn't mean to…" Erin stammered a denial. Crap, she hadn't intended to make waves. What would Dumbledore say when he found out how she had made such a spectacle of herself on her very first day?

Melody made a dismissive gesture. "Unless you bowed down and kissed her ass, there was no chance she was going to like you anyway. My advice is just to ignore her. She certainly won't be pleasant to you, but if you really want to drive her mad, just ignore her attitude. It's what we do."

"But…you're her friends, aren't you?" Erin asked uncertainly. "I don't want to cause trouble between friends."

"We've only ever tolerated her," Jessica shrugged. "It's just been easier to let her think we're part of her clique. Plus, it's been good for our own popularity. But now that you're here, we don't have to pretend anymore."

Erin closed her eyes in horror at what she had done. What if this small incongruity somehow changed the future? It might seem like a small, inconsequential change of events, but she knew that even the smallest interference had the ability alter future things in a big way. Crap. She had to try and find a way to fix this.

"Um, look," she said hesitantly. "I don't want to ruin any friendships, and I'm not out to make enemies. So please, don't stop 'tolerating' her because of me. Also, I have no need or want of an entourage. I would enjoy your friendship if you are willing to give it, but that's all."

"Don't worry," Jessica grinned. "We're not going to start anything with her. We just don't have to put up with her crap anymore."

Erin frowned at the girls. She understood how high-school hierarchy worked having experienced it herself many years before, but even then she thought it was ridiculous. Why would anyone be friends with someone they didn't like all for the residual popularity it brought? She hadn't been part of any one group in school but was one of the lucky few who could flit from one clique to another and be accepted by all. She wasn't the most popular by far, but since everyone liked her, it didn't matter. She had never had to pretend to be something she wasn't and it had been both liberating and empowering.

She wanted to lecture them that it never made sense to pretend to be something you weren't, but she knew how 'mom-ish' it would make her sound. She sighed at the knowledge that she was going to have to be party to all of that ridiculous high-school drama again. It was very disconcerting as she had been happily rid of it more than a decade ago.

"Well, whatever," Erin said a bit edgily. "Do what you want, but don't expect anything extraordinary from me. I've always been happy just being myself."

"That's really cool," Moira giggled. "You are so cool."

She looked at Erin with something akin to awe and Erin sighed even deeper. Obviously her declaration had the opposite effect than she had intended. Ah well, at least she wasn't a pariah. Still, she didn't like this new turn of events and decided that a quick retreat was in order.

"Um…Thanks. Anyway, I'm really tired so I think I'm going to go to bed," She gave an exaggerated stretch and yawned widely. "Could someone show me the way to the dorm?"

"Yeah, I'm a bit knackered too," Melody agreed. "C'mon. I'll walk you up."

Together the two of them marched up the small spiraling stairs to the same door Erin had emerged from only the night before. Once inside the circular dormitory Melody pointed toward the exact same bed where her voyage inside the castle had begun. "That's yours," she said.

The bed was the second to the left of the door and she was grateful to notice that it had the room's one large window seat on its right.

"This is my bed," Melody said, motioning toward the canopy to the left of her own which stood next to the door. "Brittany is to your left. Then Moira and Jessica."

Erin cast a glance at Brittany's bed and noted it's fully closed curtains. Either the other girl was already asleep, or she was purposefully avoiding her. She was actually grateful for this because she had no wish for another confrontation this night.

"Anyway, I really am tired so I'm going to shower, change and collapse," Melody told her on a yawn. "Is there anything more you need to know tonight?"

"Yeah,"Erin said quickly. "Where is the bathroom?"

Melody chuckled and smacked herself on the forehead. "I forgot to show you. It's the first door from the bottom of the stairs. It really sucks having to trudge all the way down there in the middle of the night when you're half asleep, but there it is. Oh, and here's some advice; get up early if you want to shower in the morning, otherwise you'll be waiting in a ridiculously long queue. If you want to have any time for breakfast, you'd be wise to shower before bed."

Erin nodded and watched Melody open the large trunk at the foot of her bed and pull out her pajamas. She glanced at her own bed and noticed for the first time that there was a similar trunk at the foot of her own bed. After waving goodnight to Melody, she opened it and found the uniforms she had ordered that very morning folded neatly at the bottom with her nightgown laying clean and perfect at the top. Her wand box was also in the trunk along with the pouch that held the myriad of books and supplies she had purchased in Diagon Alley. A scroll bearing the words, 'Daily schedule of classes' was sitting on the pouch.

Erin picked up the scroll and unrolled it with a feeling of great trepidation. As expected her days looked to be packed full. On Mondays she had charms, transfiguration, and astronomy. It was the only day where she didn't have tutoring on top of her regular classes.

Tuesday was a bit more hectic with herbology, potions, and defense against the dark arts followed after dinner with her first defense against the dark arts tutoring session. Wednesday was just as busy with muggle studies, double charms, and history of magic then more charms for tutoring. Thursday was all transfiguration with a double class in the afternoon and tutoring in the evening. And finally Friday had defense against the dark arts again, and then double potions followed by potions tutoring. At the bottom of the scroll was a notation that she had another defense tutoring class on Saturday night after dinner and herbology on Sunday just after breakfast.

As she grimaced down at the paper, Erin wondered when she would have time to do the mountain of homework she would be expected to complete. She also wondered when she would have any down time because with the exception of the single free period she had on Thursday morning, nearly every second of her day seemed completely filled with school work.

With a disgruntled grumble she tossed the scroll back into the trunk and grabbed her nightgown. She was so tired and didn't even have the energy to shower. Instead, she changed as quickly as possible and crawled into the soft bed; yanking the curtains closed behind her. It took only moments for her overburdened, purely exhausted brain to shut down. Unfortunately it didn't remain that way for very long.

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