"Is she all right?"
The lights were blinding her eyes. She wished somebody would turn them off.
"I think she might be dead."
She certainly felt dead. She was very familiar with the sensation, by this point.
"Shut up, Ron, she's not dead. Look, she's blinking!"
At least Neville believed in her.
"That could just be a twitch. Dad says that happens sometimes after somebody-"
"She is not dead, Ron!"
Hermione certainly sounded upset.
"Move aside. Hazel, if you can hear me, I'm going to put some chocolate in your mouth. Do your best to chew."
Lily didn't realize her mouth was hanging open until the sweet, melting sensation of chocolate was on her tongue. Immediately, warmth returned to her body, and the light became less blinding. She could make out the faces of those around her in no time. Hermione's eyes looked red, like she might have been crying, but she rubbed at them to hide it. Ron was just smirking at her, as if he found the whole thing very funny. Neville looked relieved. The shabby professor was offering her a kind smile. She felt bad for thinking of him as "the shabby professor."
"What happened?" she asked in a groggy voice. The professor handed her another piece of the chocolate bar he was holding, then passed a piece to the rest of the kids. Lily ate it gratefully.
"A dementor," he said. "It was searching the compartment for Sirius Black. Have another piece, just in case. You fainted. It'll help."
"Who are you?" Lily asked the professor. The man offered her another tired smile.
"Remus Lupin," he said. "Your new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. You lot stay here, I'll speak with the driver. And keep eating that chocolate. It'll help."
Lily took another bite of her large piece as he left. Then Ron finally helped her off the ground, where she'd been sitting this entire time. Her legs were a bit shaky.
"That was awful," she said as she sat on the cushions.
"Had us all worried," Neville said. His voice was still a bit shaky.
"She's been through worse," Ron said with a shrug.
"That doesn't mean this wasn't awful, Ron," Hermione snapped.
"It's fine," Lily said. "Did- did anybody else faint?"
"No," Ron said, "Hermione was close, though. If Professor Lupin hadn't done- well, whatever he did- I think she would have been right there with you."
"What did he do?" Lily asked. She took another bite of her chocolate.
"Dunno," Ron said with a shrug.
"Something white came out of his wand," Neville added, "And then the dementor ran for it."
"Didn't know anything scared them off," Ron said. "I'll write to dad, see what he says. He might know."
"Or we can just ask the professor," Hermione said.
"Or that," Ron agreed with another shrug.
The Hogwarts Express was finally rolling to a stop, the brakes screeching again, sending a bout of anxiety into Lily's chest. She tried to pull off a strong look, though. She didn't want the others worrying about her.
Professor Lupin never came back, although Lily saw him getting off the train. He must have been checking in on the other students. She hoped so, at least. She would have liked to ask him a few more questions.
"Want to grab a carriage together?" Hermione asked. Lily nodded, offering her a quiet smile. She wished she had some more chocolate, even if her appetite had yet to return. Despite the summer heat, she still felt incredibly cold, and the pressure on her chest had yet to move.
Ron and Neville followed behind, catching up with their fellow roommates, Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnegan. Lily hoped they wouldn't follow them into a carriage; there was barely enough room for four people.
Hermione stopped short in front of the carriage, staring at the empty space in the lead. Her eyes seemed to be following some sort of movement back and forth.
"What are you staring at?" Lily asked in what was, hopefully, her normal, confident tone.
"You really don't see them?" Hermione asked quietly.
"See what?" Lily said. She squinted into the distance, but there was nothing there.
"Nothing," Hermione said. She climbed into the carriage, still seeming a bit nervous. It dawned on Lily that she'd mentioned seeing something pulling the carriages at the end of last year. She didn't bring it up as she, too, climbed up. Whatever it was, Hermione would figure it out within a couple of weeks. It was just a matter of tracking down the right book.
"How was France?" She asked instead. The carriage wasn't moving yet.
Hermione's face lit up. "Oh, it was wonderful! We-"
"Lily!" Lavender Brown squealed as she climbed into the carriage. Parvati Patel followed soon after, smiling kindly, but not saying anything.
"Lavender!" Lily said back. The two girls sat across from them.
"How was your holiday?" Parvati asked as the carriage began moving.
"Great!" Hermione said. "I was just telling Lily about it!"
"Miserable," Lily muttered. Nobody heard her, though. They were too busy talking excitedly about Hermione's days abroad. Lavender, especially, was completely enthralled at her every word. She didn't know how wealthy the Browns were, but she had a feeling they'd be taking their own trip in the not-so-distant future.
"Did anybody else have a dementor come into their carriage?" Lavender asked suddenly in a slightly less sweet tone.
"Yes," Hermione said, glancing nervously over at Lily.
"They're terrible, aren't they?" Parvati added. "I thought for sure we were going to-"
"Can we talk about something else?" Lily asked suddenly. The tight feeling was returning to her chest just thinking about it. "How was your Holiday, Parvati?"
"Oh," Parvati said, "It was- it was fine. We didn't really go anywhere. Padma and I got caught up on our studies, though."
"What about you, Lavender?" Lily asked.
Lavender shrugged. "Sat around home, mostly. Got to see you in that cute uniform, though!"
"Uniform?" Parvati asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Didn't you see the interview?" Lavender asked. "She was working at Flourish & Blotts! You should have seen the little apron they had on her, oh, I wish I'd gotten a picture!"
Lily sank into her seat, her face turning a bright pink, wishing she'd just let the girls talk about dementors.
"And they even gave her a little stick!" Lavender said as they all climbed out of the carriage. "What was that for, Lily?"
"For beating the books," Lily grumbled. Her face was still hot.
"Do you still have it?" Lavender asked. "We could ask Colin to take a picture of you!"
That was the last thing Lily wanted to do. Hermione was trying to hide her smile behind her hand. Lily shot her a glare.
"Gave it back when I left," Lily said. "Same for the apron. Wasn't mine."
"Bugger," Lavender said with a pout.
Lily glanced up at the castle waiting before them. It was lit up magnificently, the towers stretching off into some low clouds. Lily liked to imagine Dumbledore conjured them up just to seem impressive. She glanced over at the lake, just to catch the castle's reflection, and she saw, off in the distance, several cloaked figures patrolling in the sky. She looked away, taking a deep breath to calm herself.
"You should come sit with us, Lily!" Lavender said as they climbed up the stairs.
"She can't, Lav," Parvati said. "She has to sit with Slytherin."
"I don't see why she can't still sit with us," Lavender argued. "She was a Gryffindor, first!"
"Don't let Slytherin hear you say that," Lily said. She could already see a few older ones staring off in their direction as they came into the Entrance Hall. Lily felt like there were more suits of armor in the hall than there had been before. She wasn't sure what that was about, but a few of them contained a candle in their helmets, and the shadows issuing through the visors twisted and danced around the hall.
"Potter!" a familiar, deep bark said. Lily glanced over to the dungeon entrance, spotting the hooked nose, greasy hair, and always black robes of Potions Master Severus Snape. Her new Head of House, as it happened.
Lily let out a sigh, waved goodbye to her companions, then dragged her feet over to him, wondering what she'd already done to get into trouble.
"Yes, Professor?" she said innocently.
"Come with me, Potter," Snape said coldly. He swept into the dungeons, his cloak dragging behind him, and Lily followed as quickly as she could. Snape always liked to walk really fast. She glanced behind her just in time to see Malfoy smirking at her before the dungeon doors slammed closed behind them.
"Figures," she grumbled to herself.
Lily followed Snape's steps through the dank, dark dungeon hallways. She pulled her arms to her chest, just to warm up a bit; the Hogwarts dungeons were always cold, even during the summer. She hoped the common room would be better.
Snape led her to his office, just a few halls down from his classroom. He held the door open for her, and she went in first, just a twinge of nervousness flicking through her chest. She was used to being scolded by professors. Just not Snape. She couldn't remember being alone with him a single time before this point. She supposed she better get used to it.
Snape's office was well-organized. It had shelves full of books and jars filled with strange liquids. There was a single candle on his desk, already lit, leaving the space in a dim light. The rest of the desk was uncovered, something Lily wasn't used to. Every other professor had theirs cluttered with papers (especially Flitwick).
Lily took a seat in front of Snape's desk. She heard the door click shut, then Snape sat at his desk, crossing his fingers in front of him.
"So," he said in his dark tone, his yellow teeth showing. "Potter. Do you have any idea what brought you here on this fine evening?"
"No, sir," she lied.
"Really? Not even the slightest indication?"
"No, sir," she repeated. She was getting better at lying. She even managed to meet his eyes this time, even if it did make her uncomfortable.
"You struck Mr. Malfoy," Snape said, just a tad of anger entering his voice. "May I ask why?"
"He was being a git," Lily said matter-of-factly. "I was just-"
"Your reasoning matters not, Potter," Snape said. "Do you have any idea what severity of punishment physically assaulting a student earns?"
"No, sir," Lily said.
"Needless to say, you are lucky term has not yet begun," Snape interrupted. "Be that as it may, you will sit a detention the first weekend after classes. Both days, Miss Potter. They may have tolerated this kind of behaviour in Gryffindor, but I will not be tolerating it in Slytherin."
Lily opened her mouth to argue, but then thought better of it, and closed it shut tight.
"You are not to repeat this behaviour, Miss Potter," Snape said a bit more calmly. "Or the punishment will be more severe the next time. Have I made myself clear?"
"Yes, sir," Lily said, matching the professor's cool tone.
"Do try not to emulate your father's failings," Snape said. "You would be much better suited following in your mother's footsteps, I think. She actually knew how to behave herself."
"My dad wasn't a failure," Lily said before she could stop herself. "And don't-"
"Wasn't he?" Snape interrupted. "I suppose you would know better, then, than those who actually knew him?"
"He was a hero," Lily said, her anger flaring. "You-"
She was saved the detentions she was about to receive by the door opening behind her. Madame Pomfrey came though, pushing a cart along with her, and Lily gave it up as a bad job.
"It would be Miss Potter," Pomfrey said with a sigh.
"I didn't do anything," Lily said.
"I have asked Pomfrey here to check on you, Potter," Snape said, his voice still furious. "I am told you passed out on the train."
"I told Dumbledore having the dementors near the school was a bad idea," Pomfrey said with a tut. She set the tray on Snape's desk, then started fussing over Lily, putting a hand on her forehead. Lily crossed her legs in her impatience.
"I'm fine," she said. "Lupin gave me some chocolate."
"Did he now?" Pomfrey said. "It's about time we have a Defense professor who knows his remedies."
Lily noticed Snape's face briefly flicker in anger. Whatever it was that was on his mind, he didn't voice it.
"What happened to your hand?" Pomfrey said. Lily let out a small tsk, and looked away. Her knuckles were still a bit red, and it hurt just a twinge when Pomfrey poked at them.
"Potter struck another student," Snape said darkly. "I have already administered punishment."
"I'll need to see to the other one, then," Pomfrey said. She tapped Lily's hand with her wand, mumbled a word, and then it was all better, the redness and rawness vanishing. Lily flexed her fingers eagerly. She didn't notice how much it really hurt until it was all gone.
"That will not be necessary," Snape said.
"Right," Pomfrey said, standing up. "You're all set, Potter. Do us both a favour, now, and do try to avoid the Hospital Wing this year, or I'll have to write a sharp word to home."
"I'll try," Lily said. She stood from her own seat. "Can I go now, Professor?"
"Yes," Snape said, waving her away. "I shall see you first thing tomorrow, Potter."
Lily left without another word. She walked back out of the dungeons as quickly as she could, her appetite finally returning to her. The Entrance Hall was crowded with much smaller humans as she pushed her way into it.
"Excuse me," she said as she waded through all the first years. "Pardon me. Potter coming through, excuse me."
There were a few gasps of excitement as people realized who she was. Most seemed to be staring at her, but she was fairly used to it by now. She almost made it to the entryway, when she was stopped by somebody coming through on the other side.
"Miss Potter," Professor McGonagall said sternly as she peered through her spectacles at the younger girl.
"Professor," Lily said with a nod. There was no way to step around the professor.
"You will have to wait until after the Sorting has begun, Miss Potter," McGonagall said. "You are already quite late."
"But that's-" Lily started to argue. She shut up after a sharp glance from the Deputy Headmistress.
"If the rest of you will follow me," McGonagall said to the first years. Lily stepped to the side, grumbling as all the nervous faces stepped past her. A few she glared at, just to put them in their place. She couldn't keep that up for very long, though. She just didn't have it in her to be mean.
The door shut closed behind the last student, and Lily couldn't pull it open. She was in a foul mood, now; she could hear the Sorting Hat singing, but she couldn't make out what he was saying. Finally, the door clicked, and Lily pushed her way inside the magnificent feasting hall. The air was filled with floating candles, the ceiling above enchanted to appear as the starry night sky. She was annoyed to see that Snape was already seated at the staff table, scowling in her direction as she shut the doors behind her.
She started walking towards Hermione, who was sitting with Lavender and Parvati, remembered, and turned towards to the Slytherin table, only feeling slightly embarrassed. She didn't think anybody noticed, though.
She took a seat across from Sae, who was impatiently tapping her fingers on the table. She spared a glance at Lily as she sat, at the very least.
"What did Snape want you for?" she asked.
"Punched Malfoy," she said with a shrug. That got Sae to focus on her.
"You what?" she asked sharply, glancing down the table towards where the blonde boy was talking with his goons. Lily was pretty sure he was avoiding looking in her direction.
"Punched him," Lily repeated, imitating Sae's drumming now that the other girl was done.
Sae looked like she had a million different things she wanted to say that her mouth simply couldn't keep up with. Lily was spared whatever lecture she was about to get by a sudden round of clapping from the Hufflepuff table, who was welcoming in their first new student.
"Were first years always that small?" Lily asked. Sae didn't answer the question.
The first years were all nervous, scared eleven-year olds. Some dared to wave to some of the friendly faces around. Most just stared ahead, watching McGonagall as she glanced at the sprawling list she was holding. The scroll almost reached down to the ground. She remembered standing there herself, just two years ago, worried she'd be sorted into Slytherin, away from Hermione. Now look at her.
"Why are there so many of them?" Lily asked as she pushed that thought away. The new class was over two times larger than her own had been. She felt bad for how overworked the staff was about to be.
"I wonder why, Potter?" Sae said, rolling her eyes.
"You could just tell me, you know," Lily said.
"You ended the war," Sae said. She was staring at her sister, who was in the middle of the pack of new students. Lily didn't know how to feel about being responsible for so many people being born. She chose to shudder.
"You know, I wish people would stop-"
"Shh!" Sae said with a finger placed firmly on her lips. "Ai just got called."
Sure enough, Sae's sister was nervously approaching the Sorting Hat stool. Lily rolled her own eyes, but she fell silent, just as asked.
"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat yelled shortly after. Sae swore loudly, but Lily was pretty sure she was the only one who heard it over the whistles and shouts from the Gryffindor table. Lily gave her a pat on the hand.
"She'll be fine," Lily said. "Gryffindor is very nice. Most of the time."
Sae grumbled something, but clearly lost interest in the rest of the Sorting. Even when Slytherin got their first new student, she only clapped half-heartedly, and didn't even rise with the rest of them.
"Come on, Sae," Lily said after several more minutes of boredom. They were only halfway done, and the Hall's enthusiasm was quickly running out. Even the professors seemed anxious to be done. Flitwick, the diminutive Charms professor, was having issues keeping his eyes open. Lily caught Hagrid's eye, and he offered a friendly wave with those huge hands of his. Lily waved back, then turned to her sulking friend. She hoped the one Slytherin that was friendly wouldn't spend the rest of the night ignoring her. That would be annoying.
Sae shot her a sharp glance, then looked back towards the Gryffindor table. "You wouldn't get it."
"I suppose not," Lily said. "But if you're going to mope all night, I'll find somewhere else to sit."
Sae scoffed, but turned back to Lily, looking miserable. Lily offered her a smile.
"That might be hard," she said. "You punched Malfoy."
"If we're going back to that, I'd rather you sulk."
"Too late, Potter. What were you thinking?"
"I was thinking it was what Gwenog Jones would have done," Lily said with a firm nod.
"The Harpie? I don't know if she's a good role model, Lily, she plays Beater. Most of her solutions involve hitting things."
"I'm going to choose to ignore that," Lily said. "She would never steer me wrong. She gave me her robe, did you know?"
Sae perked up. "She gave you her robe? Really?"
"Taeko didn't mention that?" Lily said in an excited tone. "They all took a photo with me, too, Gwenog sent me a few signed copies. I still have an extra, if you want."
Sae gave a short laugh. "My sister plays with them, Lily. If I wanted to meet them, I could. I'm more of a Tornados fan."
"Say," Lily continued, ignoring the blasphemy, "I don't suppose you could get your sister's autograph for me?"
Sae smiled. "You're a fan now, are you?"
Lily clapped along with the rest of the Slytherins, even giving a high whistle in support.
"She's great!" Lily went on. "You should have seen the way she caught that Snitch, she-"
"I'm sure it was impressive," Sae interrupted. "But I've seen her do it a million times. Sure, Potter, I can write her for one if you want."
"Would you?" Lily said as another round of applause broke out.
"She'd love to," Sae said. "She doesn't have many fans yet. She's just a reserve."
That explains why Lily didn't know her name ahead of time; Ginny hardly ever talked about the reserves. She nodded along with this new information, as if she'd known it all along.
"Well, she has one now," Lily said. "Might even get a poster of her to match my- never mind."
"Match your what?"
"I said never mind," Lily repeated, looking away towards the remainder of the first years. There were still so many of them, and she really needed something to eat.
And then, finally, gracefully, it was over, and Dumbledore was standing up at the staff table, smiling broadly in his bright purple robes, his blue eyes twinkling behind his half-moon spectacles.
"Welcome to Hogwarts!" he said. "I'll not have you wait any longer: let us eat!"
He clapped his hands, Lily picked up her knife and fork, and the plates and platters before them filled with food.
Except not the kind of food Lily had been expecting. She glanced over at the Gryffindor table, where Ron was already piling heaps of chicken and potato onto his plate (ignoring all the greens). There wasn't any of that sitting in front of her, although the Slytherins were still happily piling it all onto their own plates.
Lily poked at the fish sitting before her, wondering what it even was. It was breaded and fried, but it was some sort of funky shape. Lily wasn't even sure it was a real fish. It certainly didn't look like one. And glancing down the table, both ways, only showed more piles of fish and other seafood, as well as assortments of asparagus, sprouts, and other fancy greens.
"What's wrong, Potter?" Sae asked between bites.
"It's Lily," Lily said. "Or Hazel, at least, if you can't manage that. Err- is seafood all we get?"
Sae smiled at her. "Not a fan?"
"It's fine," Lily said, finally taking the chance to pile some food on her plate. "I just wasn't expecting it, is all. I don't think Gryffindor ever got any."
"Well, each table has their own food, don't they?" Sae said. She was piling more fish onto her plate, a different one than what Lily kept glaring at. It looked white and flaky and delicious. Lily grabbed some of her own.
"I suppose," Lily said. She was eyeing the pudding over at the Gryffindor table with envy.
She was still satisfied when it was all said and done, at the least. There were platters of fried squid and octopus, which Lily ended up really liking despite her misgivings. She never found the courage to try the slimy looking clams and mussels, but she was told they were excellent. The desserts were the normal affair she would have gotten at her previous table, and she gorged herself on several slices of delicious, moist cake.
Finally, the platters cleared once more, and Dumbledore stood from his seat, clearing his throat loudly to grab everybody's attention. Lily found it hard to focus her attention; she was very sleepy, now that she was fed.
"If I may have your attention," Dumbledore started, "I need say a few more words before we head off to bed. Firstly, I must remind you all that the Forbidden Forest is off limits to all students. Mr. Filch has asked me to remind you all that there is to be absolutely no spellcasting in the halls between classes. A full list of banned items can be found in his office. There are, thankfully, no changes to the list since the last year."
"Thank Merlin for that," Lily said.
"I would like to take a moment to welcome Professor Lupin, who has graciously agreed to be our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher this year."
Lily clapped happily along with most of the hall. A quarter of Slytherin didn't bother, Malfoy included. Professor Lupin waved happily at them, seeming tired but proud.
"Never seen Snape look at someone like that before," Sae said, pointing at their Head of House. Lily couldn't quite agree; it was the same look he gave most of Gryffindor all the time. The same look he'd given her for the first time moments before. She'd never seen it directed towards a professor before, though. Snape's face was contorted into what Lily could only describe as pure revulsion.
"Next," Dumbledore continued. "I am sad to say that Professor Kettleburn has decided to retire from his post as Professor of Care of Magical Creatures, deciding to spend time with what limbs remain to him. I am pleased, however, to announce that our own Rubeus Hagrid has agreed to take up the position, in addition to his Groundskeeping duties."
Lily stood and cheered with the Gryffindor students, a wide smile lighting up her face. She was the only Slytherin student to applaud at all, although Sae joined in awkwardly a few seconds later just to humour her. Hagrid's face turned a deep a red, and he nearly pitched the table over when he stood to wave.
"Lastly," Dumbledore continued, voice dropping to a far more serious tone, "I must inform you all that the dementors of Azkaban will be posted around every entrance and exit of the school grounds, until such a time as Sirius Black has been captured. You are not to go anywhere near them, nor to antagonize them in any way. Dementors are not creatures to be reasoned with; they do not feel pity, nor are they likely to take heed of begging."
"Wonderful," Lily grumbled.
"Quidditch tryouts will take place in two weeks time," Dumbledore said. "Seek out your respective House captains should you be interested. With that, we shall sing, and then be on our way!"
"You could have tried to sing with me, at the very least," Lily said as they made their way down into the dungeons. "Even Malfoy sang."
"I don't sing," Sae said with a shrug. They were running a bit late behind the other students; Lily wanted to congratulate Hagrid, and then wound up chatting with him for a few minutes before finally finding a chance to leave. She was just surprised to find Sae waiting for her in the Entrance Hall.
"Where do we go now?" Lily asked as they turned a corner. She had no idea where the common room actually was. She'd seen it vaguely on the Marauder's Map, but she never bothered to check it out.
"This way," Sae said. She led Lily through a series of dark, cold corridors, past empty classrooms and storage closets until, finally, they stopped in front of a blank stretch of wall. Lily glanced back and forth, checking for some sort of marking or sign, but saw nothing.
"Wolfsbane," Sae spoke aloud. Lily was briefly confused, but then the wall swung open, allowing them passage, and she stepped in without another word.
"How often does the password change?" Lily asked as took a glance around the common room. There wasn't a single window down here, and it felt quite chilly.
"Not until the new year," Sae said. "Come on, I'll show you around."
"Thanks," Lily said, following after her.
The immediate entrance opened into a large room shaped like a dome, with intricate carvings and reliefs running along the walls and ceiling. Lily was pretty sure they were supposed to look like snakes, but it was a little hard to tell in the dim lighting with so many shadows cast around. There were two large windows on the back wall, both looking out into the dark, green lake. There were also two large chimneys, one on each side of the entrance, and both had a large, crackling fire. The warmth from either of them hardly reached the center of the room, leaving Lily feeling cold as they walked through. There were far more couches and armchairs than Gryffindor had, though, due to the extra space. Lily was looking forward to not fighting over them.
Sae led her down another hallway, straight ahead from where they came in. There were two more that she didn't mention, one leading to the left and the other to the right. This one went straight into an even larger chamber. Lily's attention was immediately drawn to the large shelves, absolutely filled with thick tomes and dusty volumes, that stretched all the way to the ceiling, which was painted to appear like an underwater civilization, with mermaids swimming and milling about. There were tables lined up all along the shelves, leaving a large open space in the center of the room, upon which were placed several dummies and targets. The room wasn't very well lit, but she could see enough, she felt. Certainly well enough to read.
"This is the training room," Sae said. "It's where we practice spells and such. The books are all available for use, if you want, but they can't be taken out of the room. You won't find any of these in the library. Try not to damage them; you won't like what happens if you do."
"Sounds ominous," Lily said. She played it off as a joke, but she certainly meant it. "You- err- we have our own library?"
"Did Gryffindor not?" Sae asked curiously. "I just assumed we all did. I've heard Ravenclaw has one, too, but nobody would tell what was in it."
"Why do we have practice dummies?" Lily asked, pointing to them all.
"For practice," Sae said plainly. "You- err- didn't have those either?"
Lily shook her head. "Not at all! We had a few couches, but it's much bigger in here."
"Really?"
"Really," Lily confirmed. "It was a lot smaller. It's in a tower." She walked into the center of the room, just to get a better look at the ceiling as she stared up. The mermaids didn't look like she expected; they were a lot more scaley, although the women still had long, flowing, green hair that Lily quite liked.
"That makes sense," Sae said. "Gryffindor probably didn't expect it to be so crowded when he made it."
"I doubt any of them did," Lily said.
Sae scoffed at that. "If that were true, Potter, why is ours so large? Why are there so many empty classrooms all over the school?"
Lily didn't have an answer to that; she'd never thought of it before. It was certainly a question she'd bring up to Hermione as soon as possible. That was the only person she could imagine actually having an answer.
"It'll be a lot brighter in here during the day," Sae said. "The lights grow dim after eight, and are completely out after eleven. Same for the dorm lights."
"And the common room?" Lily asked as Sae led her back out.
"It's always dim," Sae admitted. "But we are technically underwater."
Sae led her down the right hallway, this time. It curved slightly into a different direction as they walked, cutting off visibility of the common room. They walked for a couple of minutes before it opened up into another large room, this one with a series of bunk beds spread around them. Far too many beds, Lily noted. The room was shaped like a circle, with a much lower ceiling, and the beds were all lined up against the walls. There were four exits, one being where they just came from, and three more in each other cardinal direction that led to a bathroom. The ceiling itself was made entirely of glass, allowing the inhabitants to stare up into the watery depths. It bathed the entire room in a dull green.
A large number of girls were crowded into the bathrooms, brushing their teeth, changing into pajamas, and washing their faces. Lily considered hurrying up and joining, but she couldn't spot her trunk a top any of the beds.
"This is the girl's dorm," Sae said. "We better pick one before the good ones are all gone."
"We all have to sleep in one room?" Lily asked incredulously. She just followed Sae around, not sure where else to go. Most of the beds were already taken, Slytherin girls chatting with each other as they caught up.
"Of course we do," Sae said. She stopped in front of a set of free beds and tapped her wand three times in quick succession on the little platform at the end of it. In the blink of an eye, a large, brown trunk appeared on it, as well as an empty owl cage.
"I should have asked if you wanted the bottom one first," Sae said as she sat down on the bottom mattress. "Older girls are supposed to get them. Did you- err- want to switch?"
"No," Lily said, pointing up. "I wanted the top. Better view."
Sae laughed. "Suit yourself, Potter. Top's absolutely freezing.
"Really?" Lily asked. She had her wand pulled out, ready to tap the top cropping, but hesitated.
"Really," Sae said, pointing to a few places around the room. "That's why you see all the seventh years taking the bottom ones and all the first years on top. They make them do it. A little rite of passage."
"That doesn't seem very nice," Lily said, finally tapping on the dark wood. Her trunk appeared a second later, along with Weasley's cage. She heard him meowing from within. It seemed sturdy enough to hold it all, even without any obvious support holding it up.
"Don't worry about anybody getting into your trunk," Sae said. "That's what the tapping is for. as long as it's up there, nobody else can open it, so long as you keep it closed while you're out."
"Good to know," Lily said as she climbed up the left side of the bedframe. There were little boards on that side of it, giving her a makeshift ladder to use. She threw herself eagerly into the mattress, feeling how soft and luxurious it was. A little too soft, to be honest; she was used to a firmer one. There was a little shelf, too, on the right side of the mattress, just for her to lay some things on. She put her wand on it while she saw to Weasley. There were a few other cats wandering around the room, at this point, and she wanted to give him a chance to say hello. He hopped down from her bed eagerly the second she opened the cage, and ran off to go swat at a fat black cat. Seconds later, he was getting chased over to another bed by a total of three cats.
"How's it feel?" Sae asked. Lily could hear her yawn.
"Freezing," Lily said. She could already feel her teeth clattering. She just hoped it'd be warmer once she was under the covers.
She washed up in the nice, hot shower, first, and changed into her pajamas. Pansy Parkinson was directly across the room from their bed, bunking with a nervous looking first year she'd bullied into the top bunk. Lily danced her way across the cold stone floor, cursing herself for not bringing a pair of slippers to the bathroom with her. She wouldn't make that mistake again.
Lily laid under her thick blankets for an hour, trying to will sleep to come to her, when the lights finally blinked out, leaving them only with the green emanating from the large dome above. Lily pulled her cat a little closer to her chest. She could hear Sae already snoring softly beneath her, as well as at least one girl crying in the dark. She hoped they'd get over that, soon. If she could figure out who it was, she'd talk to them the next morning, make them feel better.
It took her three hours to fall asleep, despite how tired she was. As the night dragged on, her bed only got colder, and it was hard to drift off when you kept shivering so much. She wasn't convinced she wouldn't freeze to death in the middle of the night, but, if she did, at least she wouldn't have to share every class with Malfoy. That thought brought a smile to her face as she rolled over to get more comfortable.