Author's Note: I originally published this story on hpff when I was sixteen or something. It's been a long time since I've really worked on it, but I wanted to put it back up in case anyone was trying to find it. I kind of hated the way the first two chapters were written, so I had to revise them quite a bit.
Content Warning: Strong language.
Chapter 1
Stairs, Stairs, Stairs,
and Slime
(June)
I stood outside the staircase to the headmistress's office, nervously playing with the end of my braid. The carved gargoyle stood ominously before me, and I was at a loss as to what to do or say to the gargoyle to make it reveal the passage it was so clearly obscuring. I was also uncomfortably aware of my heart rattling around in my chest, making it difficult to breathe. The stone walls of the corridor rose impressively high to either side of me, making me feel small and insignificant.
I still wasn't used to the architecture of the ancient structures that had made Europe so appealing. There was something very exhausting about the drab buildings in Canada that I'd grown up with. Soul crushing and boring and plain. It was enough to make anyone depressed, feeling trapped by the box-like cement and glass houses and apartments and office buildings that seemed to suck the life out of everything.
Sure, there were some nice older architecture in Vancouver, where I'd grown up, but they were such rare examples. Most of the stuff you see when walking or driving around seemed to have been just slapped up with no real thought or effort put into them. No sense of craftsmanship or art. I didn't know how anyone could stand it. And I had never traveled outside of North America before, I felt so stuck. I was in such a rut, and feeling so downtrodden. My parents could see it too, which was how I had, miraculously, convinced them that it would be good for my health to do an exchange program. They had agreed on one school year in the UK, but I was hoping, if all went right, that I could manage two. I only had two years left to go until I graduated anyway, it made a lot more sense to me to do the rest of my schooling somewhere that I might actually have a chance. Don't get me started on my dismal track record at school, back at La Corriveau Academy. The school was a prime example of the ugly, awful, uninspired architecture that had so destroyed my enthusiasm for magical education.
And now, wandering through the massive castle of Hogwarts, the Hogwarts, most famous of all wizarding schools, I found myself staring around in awe. I kept stopping and staring, marveling at the tiniest details in walls and the ceilings, and statues and staircases. The occupants of the portraits had stared at me, whispering amongst themselves and occasionally asking if I was lost and needed assistance, or if I needed to find the Hospital Wing.
I wished I hadn't told my father to leave me at the front gate. I had thought it would've drawn all the more attention to myself walking up to the castle with my father in his knit robes and loafers, but it might've been nice to have the comfort of his presence for a little longer. And it had turned out that it might not have turned any heads at all, as I hadn't passed a single person on the way there, other than the portraits of course. As it was, I had been so eager to get to Hogwarts and get the school year underway that I had shooed him away dismissively as he kissed the top of my head and told me to write regularly and let him know how I was doing.
"It's fine, it's fine," I had snapped as he fussed with my new school robes. "I'm already a day late, the headmistress is expecting me!"
"I'll miss you," my father had replied, frowning. I had stopped my fidgeting for a moment and looked at him. After the months of discussions and preparation, I only now realized that attending Hogwarts would mean leaving my family, living in a different country, halfway across the world. I smiled sadly, then wrapped my arms around my father tightly.
"I'll miss you too," I said into the folds of his olive-green robes that smelled faintly of sage and rosemary. "Tell mom I love her," I added as I pulled back.
"Keep us updated," my father had said. "And if it doesn't work out, we'll be back in a heartbeat. You can pick up your studies at La Corriveau again. I know you had your difficulties there, but it's the only magic school in Canada and, well it's nice to have you close to home."
"I know, dad," I said. "But I think Hogwarts will be good for me."
I had continued up the path alone, past the Quidditch pitch, which was much, much larger than the one at my previous school, through the rolling green grounds, turning only once to wave from afar. Even from a distance though, I could see the worry etched into the lines of his face.
Someone had been supposed to meet me at the front of the school to guide me to the headmistress's office. I had waited for ten minutes or so, shuffling my feet impatiently and examining the architecture of the grand stone castle. It was the most magnificent structure I had ever seen up close and I spent quite a while marveling at the stonework.
It was a bright, clear day, the second of September, and I could see for quite a distance. I shielded my eyes from the sun and gazed out across the grounds towards the greenhouses where I assumed students were attending Herbology classes. Looking in the other direction, I was almost blinded as the sun glinted off the sparkling surface of the large, dark lake. Then I took a step or two backwards and leaned my head back so I could capture the entirety of the castle in my gaze. The sheer number of towers and turrets took my breath away, but what amazed me even more was how high they seemed to stretch. The castle seemed not only to extend upwards forever, but also from side to side. It was way bigger than La Corriveau.
I had dug a little folded-up piece of parchment out of my pocket and referred to it. It was a basic map of the castle and grounds, and would come in handy given the immensity and complexity of the school. I would be able to find my own way to the headmistress's office, I decided, and I was much too excited to keep waiting around anyway.
The halls of the castle were completely empty, for which I was both grateful and a little uneasy. It was mid-morning, and everyone was in class, it seemed. This allowed me to wander around in peaceful solitude, but it would have been nice to get some directions. The castle was not laid out as straightforward as the map would have me believe. Still, I managed to find my way to the staircase that led to the headmistress's office eventually.
So, there I stood, in front of a gargoyle that seemed to snicker at me as I pondered in confusion over what to do. Maybe I should've waited at the front of the castle after all. I was just thinking that it would be best to retrace my footsteps and find the entrance hall again, where I would find somewhere to sit and wait, when I heard a scuffing of footsteps along the stone floor.
"There you are!" a voice cried out in relief. "I was so worried I'd gone and lost you before I even saw you!"
I turned around to see a small girl with bright orange hair tied in a high ponytail on top of her head. She had a set of the largest brown eyes I had ever seen and she grinned widely as she walked down the hall towards me.
"Yeah, sorry, I thought I'd be able to get to the headmistress myself, but I guess not," I replied nervously. "I'm June."
"Rose," the girl said, sticking a hand out for me to shake. "I volunteered to show you around, I make it my business to know everyone and everything here at Hogwarts. Come on, let's get you sorted. Scurrilous serpent."
"What?" I asked, then jumped as the gargoyle stepped aside suddenly, revealing a spiraling stone staircase behind him. It smirked at my open-mouthed expression.
"Come on." Rose beckoned. I followed her through the entrance and up the steps, keeping a safe distance from the gargoyle. I glanced over my shoulder before the first curve in the stairs and watched as the stone creature situated itself in the entrance again. "Now, don't tell Professor Ward I told you this, but Gryffindor is the best house. Just keep that in mind."
"I take it that's your house?" I asked.
"Mhmm." Rose turned slightly and tapped the red and gold crest on the left breast of her robes. "My family's been in Gryffindor for generations! Can't imagine what would happen if one of us ended up in a different house. Well, I guess Albus is a Slytherin, but he's a Potter, not a Weasley, even though we are cousins."
"Wait…" I stopped suddenly, right foot frozen in midair. "Potter? Weasley? You're a Weasley?" I gaped at the redheaded girl who had continued climbing stairs and had to turn around and double back. Rose smiled and nodded.
I had been feeling my nerves lessen as I had been talking with Rose. The girl had an easy way of talking that made me feel like I was more or less unnecessary to the conversation. I got the impression that Rose could keep chatting without any reply indefinitely. I liked people like that, it was always easier for me to warm up to people when I didn't have to worry about sounding stupid whenever I spoke. Now, however, I was beginning to feel nervous again. I felt a little silly at my reaction as well. I became aware of my leg still hanging in the air and I lowered it in embarrassment.
I had heard of the Potters and the Weasleys, of course. Everyone in the wizarding world had. They were wizarding history. I had studied them for Merlin's sake! Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and the Weasley family had been instrumental in defeating the Dark Lord Voldemort. And I had known that their children would be attending Hogwarts too. I just hadn't anticipated meeting them, especially not immediately.
"You okay?" Rose asked. "You look like you've been stupefied!"
"I, uh, yeah," I replied. "I'm sorry, you must get this a lot."
"Not really," Rose replied, waving a hand dismissively. "I mean, everyone here has known me since I was a gawky little eleven-year-old. We don't get many transfer students, either. Every now and then I get an excited first year running up to me. They lose interest fairly quick though. I'm not sure why." She shrugged, let out a sigh, then turned around again and continued up the stairs.
I took a deep breath, then followed Rose the rest of the way to Professor Ward's office. My heart started doing jumping jacks in my chest as I stood outside the impressive wooden door to the office. I found herself playing with the end of my braid again.
Not a moment after Rose had rapped smartly on the door did it swing inwards to reveal a tall figure, just as impressive as the doors to her office. Professor Ward was about six feet tall with an angular face that conveyed neither warmth nor emotion. She ushered us into her office brusquely and spoke in a quick, business-like tone. She didn't seem to be much of a conversationalist, and she entertained the two of us only as long as it took for the sorting hat to come to a conclusion (a swift and resounding "Gryffindor!" to Rose's delight) and to summon up a timetable for me.
"Well, now that you've been sorted, Miss Weasley may show you to your dormitory and she can fill you in on how we do things around here," Professor Ward said, now sweeping them back out through the doors. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm very busy. Welcome to Hogwarts, Miss…"
"Lorrison?" I supplied.
"Yes, yes," Professor Ward muttered uninterestedly. She cast a cursory glance over me, then waved her wand curtly in my direction. My plain black robes ruffled slightly as if in a draft of wind, and when I looked down at them, I saw they matched Rose's red-accented and lion-crested ones. And with that, Professor Ward turned back to her office and the doors shut themselves behind her.
"Well, that was…efficient," I said. I almost felt my head spinning at how quickly my meeting with the headmistress had gone. We were in and out in only a couple minutes.
"That's just Professor Ward," Rose replied as we began to descend the stairs. "Everything's all business all the time with her. Though I have a sneaking suspicion she never actually has any real business. I think she just really values the time she has with her cat, you know. It's a special cat and she's always in a hurry to get back to it. Like, the thing probably has her under the Imperius curse, right? I've always fancied that Hogwarts has been under the control of this one fluffy cat all along." Rose wore such a pleased smile on her face that I didn't dream of contradicting her. And for all I knew, she was right.
Rose led me around the castle like an excitable tour guide, never really looking ahead. She moved with intent, but sort of sideways as she kept looking back at me, talking her way through hallways, up stairs, and around corners. Mostly up. I noticed that was a trend.
"You get used to the stairs," Rose said, leaning casually against the railing of another flight of stairs as I stood bent over, huffing and puffing. "It's really a great workout. I do have sexy legs," she sighed pleasantly. "We're almost at Gryffindor tower. Then, we can head down to the dungeons for Potions class!"
"What?" I gasped. "We're going up a tower and then all the way to the dungeons? Why didn't we just go to Potions class first?"
"Oh, I guess that makes more sense. We're already pretty late for Potions. I just thought you'd want to see the dorm first."
"Okay, let's go to Potions," I said firmly, still panting a little. "I don't want to get too behind already."
It was almost ten o'clock before we reached the dungeon classroom where our Potions classes were held. I needed a minute to catch my breath outside, so Rose opened the door very slowly. I watched as Rose stuck her head into the classroom.
"Come in, Rose," a woman's voice said warmly. Rose waved for me to follow her, then disappeared into the classroom. When I entered the room, I felt everyone's eyes land on me, and I heard a chorus of whispering erupt from every table. My heart did that all-familiar flip-flop, and I brought my hands up to fiddle with my hair.
"Sorry we're late, Professor Abbascia," Rose said. "This is June Lorrison, she's an exchange student from Canada. She just arrived this morning." The whispers died down a little at this, but the students continued to watch me carefully. I tried not to make eye contact with anyone, and I suddenly felt very conscious of my limbs. I no longer felt very confident in my ability to walk and was overcome by the fear that I would trip and make a fool of myself.
"Nice to meet you, June, I'm Professor Abbascia. You ladies may take a seat at an empty table and copy down the notes that are on the board," Professor Abbascia directed them, leaning against the front of her desk with her ankles crossed.
Rose and I made our way through the desks until we found an empty one. There were several in the classroom, but Rose made a beeline for a particular desk in the righthand corner of the room. When we sat down, the two girls at the next table turned to us and exchanged greetings with Rose.
"June, this is Minty," Rose said quietly, gesturing towards a tall, pale girl with dark hair and thick eyebrows. "She's in our dorm."
"Aminta Urquhart," the girl said.
"And this is Lacey Macmillan," Rose went on, gesturing to the other girl at the table. She wore blue robes with a raven crest and was significantly shorter than Aminta, even sitting. "Ravenclaw."
"Oh," I said, nodding. "It's nice to meet you," I added to Aminta and Lacey. I glanced around at the rest of the students, noticing eyes being averted as soon as I looked in their direction. I pretended not to notice and instead took out a roll of parchment and my quill and ink and began copying down the notes from the board.
I excused myself to go to the bathroom after a solid forty minutes of notetaking. I walked out into the dungeon hallway, rubbing my sore hand absently, and looked first right, then left, realizing I didn't know where the nearest bathroom was. Which direction to try? Were there even bathrooms in the dungeons, or did I need to get back to the first floor? But there must be bathrooms on every floor. Then which way to go? Back to the first floor or deeper into the dungeons? I could get stuck wandering the hallways of Hogwarts forever and never find a bathroom. Had Rose and I passed a bathroom on the way to the Potions classroom? I couldn't remember.
It seemed logical to assume that we had passed a bathroom on the way and so I decided that the wisest thing must be to retrace my footsteps through familiar hallways until I found my way. This led me back to the entrance hall where I found myself presented with at least four options. Right, left, up the stairs to the right, or up the stairs to the left? I chose to enter the passageway to the right, which led to a narrow hallway that I followed dubiously for a time.
Finally, I rounded a corner and encountered a second or third year girl walking in the other direction. I almost cried out in excitement and asked the girl where the nearest bathroom was. The girl, looking a little frightened at the manic expression in my eyes, pointed back down the hallway where she had come. I almost ran the rest of the way, and threw my hands into the air in triumph when I at last opened the heavy wooden door onto the girls' bathroom.
Then came the challenge of finding my way back to the Potions classroom. I took a few wrong turns and had to turn around and find my way back to my original path more than once. I was just beginning to get frustrated when I burst out into the entrance hall again.
"Oh, thank Archimedes," I muttered to myself in relief. I felt fairly certain I would be able to find my way back to the classroom from here.
"Hey, heads up!" a shout came from above as I crossed the entrance hall. I was just beginning to look up when I felt something thick and sap-like land on my head and begin to ooze its way down my shoulders. I opened my mouth to let out a yelp, then regretted it immediately as the substance found its way into my mouth. I spat and spluttered and wiped at my lips, then I realized that the stuff was on my hands too. I was entirely enveloped in a neon green viscous goo. My hands were slimy and webbed and as I stuck my arms out, I noticed that translucent green flaps clung to the underside of my arms and my sides, all the way down to my feet. From where I was standing, I looked like a frog in a mucus wingsuit.
Laughter echoed through the hall, and I groaned inwardly, feeling my cheeks heating up and my stomach rolling in embarrassment. This was decidedly not the kind of impression I was trying to make on my first day. I looked up at the approaching footsteps and saw a boy in Gryffindor robes stopping halfway down the stairs to grab onto the banister for support as he doubled over in an uncontrollable fit of laughter.
My mind raced through possible scenarios: 1) run and hide and attempt to remove the goop, 2) laugh maniacally as though this were all part of my plan all along and I was just a naturally fun-loving person who doesn't worry about what people think of me at all (possibly the best option, though not entirely doable at the best of times) 3) continue to stand stalk still with a dumb expression on my face and hope the malevolence in my eyes causes boils to erupt on aforementioned boy's face, or 4) let out a terrifying war cry and throw as much of the nasty green goo at the boy as possible.
"What's the big idea?" I said as I waited for him to get within range.
"Hey, what's the big idea?" the boy mimicked in a Humphrey Bogart voice. He continued down the stairs towards me, still chuckling at his own wit. When he reached the foot of the stairs he leaned casually against the banister and ruffled his already messy dark hair. Then he peered at me appraisingly and his expression changed from impishly jovial to curious. "Wait, I've never seen you before, are you—?"
I bent and scooped up a handful of the green slime that had puddled at my feet and threw it in the boy's direction before he could finish his sentence. I had been aiming for his chest, fairly certain that it was a target I would be able to hit. It turned out better than expected though, as it caught him square in the face. He looked surprised, from what little of his face I could see through the slime that was now dripping down it. I wasted no time and launched another handful, this time catching him in the shoulder.
"Whoa, what—?" the boy managed to exclaim before ducking another projectile. He stood half-crouching in an agile stance, watching me as I held another handful at the ready. I faked throwing it and he flinched downwards. I found myself wearing a determined smirk under the layer of slime on my own face. I came to the conclusion that the most effective way to cover my adversary with as much slime as possible would be to tackle him head-on. After all, the majority of the substance was on me. If I wrapped my arms around him, I could completely encompass him with the stuff that was clinging to my arms and sides.
I hurled the handful at the boy who dodged it, then laughed triumphantly, then froze in surprise as he realized that I was now hurtling directly at him. He didn't have time to react, and I smacked into him, sending bits of goop everywhere, but mostly at the boy. I wrapped my arms around him, bringing a thickly elastic blanket of slime with them. Finally, with the momentum of my running start, we both lost balance and toppled over, each letting out a strangled shout. We landed with a sickening splat and came apart in a violent green puddle of a crime scene, arms splayed and spitting up green.
It was at this time that we noticed that classes had ended, and the halls were filling with students again. And teachers. By the time I had sat up and exchanged a look with the boy, a small crowd had formed around us.
"Bad news, mate," a curly-haired Gryffindor said, helping the dark-haired boy up. Before he could go on, there was a parting in the crowd as an imposing woman strode through. She wore a stony expression on a face that resembled a gargoyle.
"What is the meaning of this?" the woman asked in a loud shriek that sounded more like nails on a chalkboard than a human voice. I winced and tried to get to my feet, only to slip and fall back down. My horror increased as I glanced around at the curious faces, and I found myself wishing I were covered in something less translucent. Something a little more obscuring, like mud. Anything so that I might be able to escape notice just a little longer. I wasn't liking the first impression I was making on the school, not one bit.
"Ah, Professor Jernigan, it's a pleasure to see you again," the slimy creature beside me grinned cheekily, speaking in a smooth voice. He stuck his hand in his hair to mess it up, then found it to be as slimy as the rest of him, and he put his hand back down, grinned again, and winked at the woman. Her face remained as stony as ever. "And, might I say, you're looking very healthy. You must've got a lot of sun on holiday. You're absolutely glowing!" Professor Jernigan did not look impressed. Nor did she look like she was glowing. The woman's grey complexion aroused many snickers in the group of students, all of which were silenced from a single piercing look from said woman.
I hoped if I stayed quiet, I would remain unnoticed. I didn't trust my voice just yet. I feared that I would either sound ridiculous, something like Mickey Mouse, or maybe Porky Pig, or that I would simply burst into tears if I tried to say anything. I felt a catch in my throat, like my air supply was suddenly shutting itself off, and I laboured to keep my breathing under control. There were more eyes now, and, yes, they were looking at me curiously. I heard whispers and mutters and I tried not to listen to them.
"James Potter, I really don't think you want to continue," Professor Jernigan said, arching an eyebrow. I felt my mouth fall open. I slowly and cautiously got to my feet, slipping and sliding a little. I found myself staring at the boy. He noticed it and sent a toothy smile in my direction.
"James Potter?" I breathed.
"That's right," a voice came from behind me and I turned to see Rose. "I see you've met my cousin." She gave me an appraising look from top to bottom. "And I see it was an eventful meeting."
"Who are you?" Professor Jernigan said in an imperious tone. She peered down a long, hooked nose at me, who felt my anxieties come back like a slap to the face. I gulped, then started to laugh despite myself, finding it silly that I had reacted in so cartoonish a manner as gulping audibly. The scalding look on Jernigan's face soon silenced me, and when I glanced at James, whose mouth now resembled an O, I noticed the boy beside him holding his hand firmly over his own mouth, eyes wide. "What, pray tell, is so funny, young lady?" Professor Jernigan asked.
"Nothing, sorry, nothing," I answered quickly. "Lorrison, June Lorrison. Transfer student. Gryffindor Sixth Year, uh, ma'am." I almost saluted. Instead, I found the end of my braid, now caked with slowly drying slime, and toyed with it nervously.
Professor Jernigan's eyes narrowed, and she drew herself up to her fullest height, stretching sturdy shoulders that looked quite capable of supporting a hefty set of stone wings. She considered Rose and I, then eyed over James and his friend, then she cast her gaze over the crowd of students who suddenly seemed to be looking elsewhere.
"A word of advice, Lorrison," she sneered down at me, "if you want to start out on the right foot around here, stay clear of Potter. Thinks he's right special."
"Well, I am," James said, puffing his chest out.
"That's right, and I have a very special punishment for you." Professor Jernigan snickered. "Go clean yourselves up. Meet me at my office at 6 o'clock. Don't keep me waiting." She turned to leave, then paused. "Oh, and fifty points from Gryffindor." She let out a low cackle at our groans, then bore her way back through the crowd and marched out of sight.
"Well, that's not ideal," Rose said almost cheerfully from my right side. I turned to her, then jumped back as I almost gouged my own eye out on Rose's extended wand.
"Yo! Dude, why is your wand in my face?" I said. I could hear James laughing at me and I stuck my middle finger at him with a glare. He reacted to this with another laugh as he threw his arm around the other Gryffindor's shoulder.
"I'm just trying to clean you up a bit," Rose said, still pointing her wand at me. It was now producing a stream of tiny bubbles that clung to me on contact and quickly flowed over the entire surface of my robes and onto my skin and hair. It tingled momentarily, then vanished in a million bursting bubbles. "Mm, that got most of it. Your hair's looking a bit, well…"
I examined myself, satisfied, then put my hand to my head and felt my hair; crusty. My braid felt almost petrified. It looked a little green still too. Not the best look, I thought. Not really my colour. I was at least pleased to find that James's hair was in a similar condition.
"Hey, sorry about that," James's friend said after he'd cleaned James off. "We didn't mean to hit you, I swear. Just wrong place, wrong time. I'm Riley, by the way."
"No worries, man," I said, sticking my hands in my pockets. "Hasn't really been my day."
"Well, it's not gonna be your night either," James said cheekily. "I'll meet you tonight for our special punishment. Wonder what it'll be this time." He slapped Riley on the arm, then the two of them headed up the stairs.
"Please tell me this place has coffee," I said, turning to Rose. "I'm mad tired."
We made for Gryffindor tower so I could take a shower, as we had enough time before lunch was served. I was once again faced with a seemingly endless amount of stairs and passages and more stairs and more passages. I wasn't sure whether I was glad for the zig-zagging, or whether I would've preferred a straight vertical climb just to get to the tower faster. We made it eventually, and Rose stopped short at the end of a corridor.
Throughout the journey, she had kept reminding me to keep track of the path, take note of all the landmarks and stairs and halls, so that I wouldn't get lost. As if. Then she told me that she'd just try to help me out everywhere, at least for the first two weeks or so. And she didn't even seem winded.
"This is the doorway to the common room," she said, and I looked up to behold a large round oil portrait of a portly lady in a pink silk dress.
"Password?" the lady in pink prodded.
"Glittering Gizby," Rose answered, and the portrait swung open to reveal a round hole beyond which was a very short passageway which led to...
"Wow," I breathed as we stepped into the common room. I found myself standing in a large, round room decked out in regal decorations of gold and red. On one side was a large, ornate fireplace where bright flames crackled joyfully. Situated across from the fireplace were a few elegant armchairs, a matching sofa and a shiny coffee table. There were more chairs at strategic points in the room, accompanied by tables and bookcases. At the opposite curve of the room (it could not quite be referred to as a wall, or a corner) was a polished grand piano, standing impressively alone. All along that same curve were exceedingly tall, majestic windows set into the stone. Directly across from the portrait hole was an actual straight half-wall with two wooden doors set into each side. A small balcony above the doors gave a view of the common room from the mezzanine landing, "This is...just...wow." There were many students lazing about in the common room, though none of them took much notice of me, and Rose tugged on my arm.
"Come on, I'll show you to our dorm." She hurried me through the indifferent Gryffindors and into the left-most door in the opposite wall. She led me up a staircase that spiraled around and around, with a doorway leading off into dorms for the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth years, then finally the door to our dorms. I groaned at each successive floor that wasn't ours, realizing that I would not be catching any breaks today, and that my legs would certainly be killing me tomorrow.
The dormitory contained large four-poster beds draped with scarlet hangings, ranging around the circular room. There was a large carpet on the stone floor, and each bed was flanked by wooden nightstands. Each of the beds had a solid trunk at its foot which stored the possessions of each student. There was a door leading off to the adjoining bathroom. Sunlight streamed in through the mullioned windows that ran along the curved walls.
"That one's yours," Rose said, pointing to one of the beds, and flopping down on the one next to it. I walked over and opened the chest at the foot, finding all my stuff inside. I grabbed some things and headed gratefully into the bathroom where I proceeded to scrub furiously at my hair and skin to remove all traces of the vile green goop that still clung to me.
