Chapter Nine~ First Night at Hogwarts
It was Ron who spoke first, saying loudly with a mouthful of chicken,
"Sure!" so that Riley giggled before looking at Harry who told her honestly,
"That would be great, besides, you're right about one thing—I really would have hated to be in Slytherin. That Malfoy kid seems like only trouble." giggling, Riley turned to look back over at the Staff Table and between Professor McGonagall who smiled at her and Professor Dumbledore, she felt glad to be free of the orphanage. All those years of being the outcast, finally understood—she was a witch. And all those years of not having friends—now she had the chance to make them. Just that thought alone was enough to make her smile from ear to ear with relief. Yes—she couldn't wait for this year to begin. As the meal continued First Years were asking others if they were Muggle born or not, confusing Riley as to what they meant. So when one kid asked,
"What about you then?" meaning her, Riley turned to the questioning crowd of expected faces and said honestly,
"I don't know, I never knew my parents. They're dead." she noticed a hush settle over the table as Ron dared to ask,
"Then where do you live?"
"In an orphanage." she felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see it was Harry, who smiled at her in an understanding way making her smile back in thanks. Sometime during the meal, Riley noticed Harry glance over at the Staff Table and wince, reaching for his scar as he asked the tall red haired boy sitting next to him,
"Say, Percy, who's that teacher talking to Professor Quirrell?" the boy turned to Harry and then moved to look up at the Staff Table to say,
"Oh, Professor Snape, head of Slytherin House." intrigued and not to mentioned trying to hold back the painful stabbing on her neck where her scar was, Riley asked the boy Percy,
"What does he teach?" the older boy looked at her in mild shock before shrugging and telling them both,
"Potions. But everyone knows its Dark Arts he fancies, been after Quirrell's job for years." at that both Riley and Harry shared a glance before both noticed the way Professor Snape was glaring at not just Harry—but them both. Suddenly a surprised gasped was heard as they turned to see an off-white see through figure of a man in period clothing with a friendly face who smiled saying,
"Welcome to Gryffindor!" before taking off as others like him began to fill the Great Hall, some laughing others simply floating about the ceiling gracefully. It was Percy who seemed to recognize the ghost, Sir Nicholas he called him and just before the ghost could float away Ron called out,
"I know you! You're Nearly Headless Nick!"
"I prefer Sir Nicholas, if you don't mind." the ghost told them all with a nod of his head so that Hermione, who had remained quiet for the most part had to speak up here asking with a smart tone,
"Nearly headless? How can you be 'nearly headless'?" and with a raised eyebrow the ghost simply pulled on his ear and said,
"Like this." removing his head off his shoulders within an inch from being—removed. Riley stared at where the bones and flesh would connect—but don't anymore and flinched at the mere thought of how badly that must have hurt. As he floated away Professor Dumbledore stood again and as the food disappeared he called out,
"Now the House Prefects will show you all to your House Dormitories and give you all the Password, best not to forget it eh? Off you lot go!" and with that Prefects, Percy being the Gryffindor House Prefect, started calling for the First Years to follow him so Riley and the rest did so coming to a towering seemingly never ending space filled with staircases and hanging portraits.
"This is the most direct route to the dormitories. Oh, and keep an eye on the staircases, they like to change. Keep up please and follow me." he called so that everyone raced to follow though paused when they noticed the portraits beginning to move. Everyone called out and gasped in wonder at this as they came to a long corridor and a picture of a fat lady dressed in pink.
"Password?" she asked casually as Percy told her,
"Caput Draconis." and bowing her head to Riley's amazement the portrait actually swung aside for him allowing him to step through and he waved everyone inside. Once everyone was inside Riley stared at the room she was in. Warm and inviting, the space had a large marble fireplace along one wall, tapestries with one of a unicorn, two stairwells leading up, couches and chairs to lounge in and a few desks even.
"Welcome to the Gryffindor Common Rooms. Boy's dormitories are upstairs and down to your left, the girls same to your right. You'll find all of your belongings have already been brought up. I suggest you get some sleep." then he bowed out letting them explore about before some started to head upstairs. When Ron and Harry started up so did Riley so that she said to each of them,
"See you tomorrow guys."
"You too Riley!" they chimed before disappearing into their dorms as she entered hers to find five beds of rich crimson velvet red with gold trimming in a half circle with a heater in the center of the room. Everyone's trunks had already been moved inside and already Riley could find Ebony who hooted upon seeing his owner. She also spotted Hermione, already changed for bed, reading from one of their school text books while the other girls chatted away.
"Oh! You must be the last girl here!" one of them said before getting off her bed and coming over said,
"I'm Lavender Brown!" Riley smiled and shook the offered hand before another girl came over saying,
"And I'm Parvati Patil. Nice to meet you—you're Riley Warring right?" Riley only nodded as she head over to her owl and loving stroked the feathers saying,
"Yeah, but whatever you heard about me isn't true." the two girls giggled before Parvati said shaking her head,
"No, I was just wondering what type of owl that is. I've never seen a black owl before!"
"Well, the owner of the owl shop said they've had him for several years and I haven't really done any research into what type he is." Riley said honestly before Hermione piped up saying,
"I'm doing that now actually, I was thinking it could be an unknown breed introduced to the Magical world for new purpose but that would make no sense if the Ministry hadn't agreed to it yet." Riley noticed the way the other two girls rolled their eyes and went back to their beds as she got out her pajamas and began to change.
"How do you know Harry Potter?" Lavender suddenly asked making Riley, now changed and getting into bed look up and blink as the room had gotten quiet.
"I met him at the London Zoo before school started. I had no idea he was magical, or that I was even a witch—we also got our wands together in Diagon Alley." Riley said honestly wondering where this was going so that Hermione did have to ad,
"You two seem pretty chummy with one another."
"Well that's because we want to be friends with one another. Is that a crime?" Riley asked feeling her tiredness turning into anger. It was Lavender who smirked at said slyly,
"Do you have a crush on the Famous Harry Potter?"
"Look I just want to sleep ok?" Riley said with a groan flopping onto her bed and turning away from them only to hear Lavender say in a sing-song voice,
"Yup, she has a crush."
"No I don't!" Riley said temper flaring to the point that the embers in the heater, near to the point of dying out—sparked to life with a wave of heat that was so impressive that if was felt from nearly every corner of the room. All four other girls mouths dropped open in shock as they turned to Riley who exhaled deeply muttering out,
"Sorry." and turned over to hide away in her bed—realizing that she'd just probably made the fact of making any female friends impossible. It was sometime into the night she woke up a bit groggy and looking around noticed the girls all asleep and turned to the window to see the sunrise just starting to peek over the horizon. Today would be the first start of the school year—a test to see if she could even handle being a witch let alone handle being around other witches and wizards. Last night she could hardly keep her temper in check—and that had been the easy part! What if something terribly happens? Something she couldn't control? Chewing her lower lip, she stared up at the canopy over her bed before wondering what Harry was thinking. Was he nervous like her of the same things? Did he feel the same worry and concern over the same problems? Time would only tell when the day began—so with that thought in mind she rolled back to try to find a comfortable place in bed and get some more sleep.