DISCLAIMER! I DON'T OWN ANYTHING! DISCLAIMER!
Xavier Dessen the fourth year prefect led the group of Slytherin first years from the Great Hall. The start of term feast had be been a lively affair, something Draco wasn't too used to. His meals offten consisted of just him and his mother. Blaise had kept all the first years entertained with tales of his trip to Bulgaria to visit his cousin in Durmstrang. Draco was eager to hear what it was like at this other school, one he had come so close to going to. Crabbe and Goyle didn't do much other than stuff their faces with all the good food laid out on the table. Pansy and Millicent hung on Blaise's every word and annoyingly kept asking Draco for his opinion.
Half way through the meal Draco had drfited from the conversation his eyes trained heavily on the Gryffindor girl. She was so different to the prim and proper girls he had grown up with. Pansy Parkinson was a fine example of good breeding and good manners. But this girl, her hair was wild and untamed, her skin slightly browned from the sun and from what Draco could tell quite smart too.
He focused on that memory of the girl as he followed Xavier to the Slytherin common room. They were being shown down to the dungeons, it was bitterly cold and damp as the descended further down into Hogwarts depths. He imagined her sitting infront of a warm fire and the thought kept the heat in his bones.
"Alright. The passageway to the common room is located behind this wall" Xavier said slamming his hand againts the large stone bricks behind him. "To enter you need a password. It changes every two weeks, so keep an eye on the noticeboard. You forget the password, you spend the night out here". That seemed completely fair to Draco. Its the only way people would learn, besides he had no intention of forgetting the password.
Xavier faced the wall and spoke "Dementor!" loud and clearly. Immediantly the wall transformed into passageway to the Slytherin Common room. The room had a grand atmosphere to it, with lots of low backed black and dark green leather sofa's, skulls and dark wood cupboards.
"Slytherin house extends partway under the lake, thats why the light is tinged green" Xavier came to stop directily infront of a massive fireplace, unlit, against the far wall. "You all must want to get settled in. The girls dormitorys are directly to my left, the boys dormitorys to my right. You'll find the first year dormitory clearly marked and your trunks should already be waiting inside"
Draco and Blaise didn't need to wait for any sort of formal dismission, they walked speedily to right and straight into the boys dormitory. Upon entering the first year dormitory they noticed the green lights translucent glow emanating from a window looking directly out into the murky depths of the lake. Xavier wasn't kidding when he said Slytherin house extended into it. Draco found his trunk settled infront of a four poster bed directly next to the window. His new Slytherin robes laid out neatly ontop of his trunk.
"Wow, look at this!" Blaise shouted in wonder. Somehow he had made a small fireplace appear againts the far side of the wall. "I don't know about you lot but i'm not built for cold weather" to which Blaise immediantly lit a fire with his wand. Draco loved magic. The heat emmanated into the room and Draco started to feel a little more at home.
The boys went to bed not long after the fire was lit. Mixed with full stomachs and the warmth, they felt the exhaustion creep up on them. Crabbe and Goyle had picked beds on the far side of the room. But that did nothing to stifle their loud snores combined in a ghastly harmony. As much as Draco tried, he couldnt, he couldnt get to sleep with such a racket. He swore to himself that tomorrow he'd find a silencing spell or so help him he'd murder them in their sleep.
His mind drifted hazily from the two brutes and onto the Gryffindor girl. Would she be asleep now? Was she thinking about him? Was he plaguing her mind, like she was plaguing his? He knew now that she was a Gryffindor there was no hope, he couldn't be her friend. He couldn't get to know her. He'd just have to forget about her. Hopefully they wouldn't have any classes together, it would make things easier. All Draco wanted to focus on was making Harry Perfect Potter pay for his rudeness. He needed to prove to his father that he was better then everyone else. That started tomorrow.
Hermione lay quietly in her four-poster bed, its deep red curtains drawn tight except for a tiny crease allowing her to see the full moon shining. She had chosen the bed directly next to the window, Luna was on the other side. They shared a dormitory with two other girls called Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil. The girls had been far too tired from the day to do much more then change into their pyjammas and get into bed.
The sky looked so beautiful, shimmering moon beames made the stars almost dance. The mornings thick grey blanket of clouds completely dissappeared. The morning. It felt so far away now. So much had happened. She was a Gryffindor. Tommorrow she was going to begin her magical studies! She was going to learn magic! The thought caused her to take a large intake of breath. Excitement running through her like a livewire. She could never fall asleep like this.
She wanted to explore the castle, but it was strictly forbbiden. If she was caught she'd be in big trouble. After about an hour of arguing with herself, Hermione finally settled with 'not tonight'. Instead she peeled off her duvet, slipped on some slippers and gently tiptoed out of her dormitory and down the spiral staircase into the empty common room. Hermione grabbed a seat on the comfy looking sofa's infront of the still burning fireplace. She drew up her knee's to her chest and stared into the flames.
They lept and danced and moved spasmodically until Hermione was sure she could see shapes. In her mind, she saw Draco. She saw his face staring back at her from the flames. She saw him smirking, trying to beckon her closer to the heat. Hermione leant her face deeper into her knee's, pressing them so hard they went ghostly white. Suddnely a firey serpent sprang forwards from the flames and made her heart jump. She quickly blinked her eyes and looked back to the flames, they were back to normal. No shapes, no Draco and no snakes. An odd feeling came with the image of the serpent, she couldn't pinpoint it or describe it. But, that feeling, sent her back to bed.