Hi everyone! I'm sorry it's been so long since my last update, but honestly I forgot to keep up with it and then time got away from me. I'll try my best to be better. (psst reviews would probably help)
Belatedly, I've realized that in the summary for this story I said I'd write A/N for each chapter, but really I'll only comment if I have something worthy to note. Some examples would be for warnings or if something will go severely off-cannon. Anyways, I hope you like this, and please review (it's appreciated).
Upon arriving to the castle, Silver noticed Professors Flitwick and Snape heading towards the gates, which had just closed behind the entering students. Once inside, she said her goodbyes to Neville and headed to the Slytherin table, where she ended up at the end with Daphne and Pansy. The two of them were amicably talking about their summers, only bringing their conversation down to whispers once Silver approached. As the remainder of the students settled into their seats, Professor Flitwick returned to the table. Snape hadn't reappeared yet and Silver figured that he had been told to hold the boys until McGonagall could take care of their discipline. Shortly after Professor Flitwick returned, McGonagall strode in, followed by the first year students. The sorting hat had a new song, which Silver only half listened to as she took in the new students. As the sorting commenced, Silver played a game of trying to guess which house each of the students would be sorted into. A bit to her surprise, she got a lot of them right and smirked in satisfaction. The feast was wonderful, as usual, and Silver left the Great Hall a little after the rest of the students towards her common room. She spotted Harry and Ron as she exited; they were heading up the stairs and she could hear Ron complaining a bit about their detentions. Making an impulse decision, Silver followed after them. She caught up to them quickly, as she jumped a few of the steps.
"Are you guys all right? I hope you didn't get into too much trouble, even if you did break quite a few rules," she said when she got close enough. The boys pivoted around quickly to the sound of her voice, clearly not hearing her approach. Harry spun so fast he lost his balance and ran into Silver. She stopped his momentum and helped him up with a smile. "All right there, Harry? I didn't mean to startle you."
"I'm all right. We didn't get into as much trouble as expected. Fifty points from each of us, and detention all week with McGonagall; it would have been worse if we broke something in the castle. Professor Snape said someone had sent word that we were coming so we ended up halting in midair as soon as we crossed the gates. A bit frightening, really," Harry replied. He blushed a bit once he realized how much he had said.
"Glad you guys didn't crash into the Whomping Willow. It probably would have made mincemeat out of you," Silver said.
"What's the Whomping Willow?" Ron blurted. His ears turned bright pink as soon as he said it.
"It's a huge tree that hits anything that comes too close. It was planted in the seventies for unknown reasons," she replied promptly, "My guess is that it was planted to protect something, but I'm not sure what. We should go to bed though, since we have classes tomorrow. Have a good night." With that, she turned and descended the stairs, heading to her common room. She heard Harry call good night and Ron muttering under his breath about how suspicious kind Slytherins were.
That night, Silver dreamed of Mrs. Norris hanging upside down above a puddle of water; there was a message in red on the wall, but she couldn't read it. Startled, Silver awoke in a cold sweat with the image burned into her mind.