Thanks to those who reviewed Chapter One- Lauren Black and LilyoftheValley. I appreciate your comments, guys. *bighugs*
This chapter's considerably longer than the first..but...oh well.
Thanks also to my betas- Neuri and Cara -you guys rock. =)
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There are no strangers- only friends you haven't met yet.
-Dame Edna
=============================================================
In the warmth and familiar surroundings of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the Great Hall was abuzz with chatter from students who hadn't seen each other for two months. The enchanted ceiling glowed with the stars of the night sky. The four house tables stood in their usual positions, this time with extra room at the end for the first-year students who were to be sorted. At the front of the hall, the staff table was fully occupied, save one chair beside Professor Dumbledore which was reserved for Professor McGonagall. It was the same scene that faced the students every start of the term.
At the far end of the hall, the large marble doors slowly opened, and with that the conversation became more subdued until finally the hall was silent. Professor McGonagall walked briskly into the room with a trail of frightened first years following her a bit more slowly. They stopped immediately in front of the staff table. McGonagall placed a tall, battered-looking wizard's hat on a four-legged stool. There was a minute of total silence, all eyes on the hat that was to sort the first years. Then, opening its brim like a mouth, it launched into a song.
Oh, you may not think I'm pretty
But don't judge on what you see
I'll eat myself if you can find
A smarter hat than me...
Five minutes later, the hat was still singing. By that time, most everyone had gotten a tad hungry. Nero sat with his forehead against the Ravenclaw table, sighing with every verse the Sorting Hat launched into. Beside him, Thalia had her head propped up in her hands, and beside her was Knox, who was staring at his goblet as if a drink would magically appear inside. Across from Knox was Marina, who simply watched the group of frightened first years standing before Professor McGonagall, recalling how, three years previous, she had been in the same position.
Marina had been scared to death of Hogwarts, and of being sorted. She hadn't really understood why she was there in the first place, having known nothing of the magical world until her eleventh birthday, when an owl delivered a letter welcoming her to the school. Sitting alone in a compartment on the Hogwarts Express, Marina's fear had lessened slightly after meeting more students her age- Thalia Escalus, Fenton Knox, and Nero Parsequor (who would become her best friends), as well as children who were sorted into other houses, including Fred Weasley and his twin brother George, Angelina Johnson, Alicia Spinnet, and Katie Bell.
Sitting on the four-legged stool in front of the entire school, Marina had donned the Sorting Hat, which took no time in sorting her. "RAVENCLAW!" the hat had shouted, and the table to her far right had erupted in cheers.
The memory of her own sorting was the only thing that kept Marina interested in this year's batch of first years. The Sorting Hat had finally ended its anthem, and Professor McGonagall was beginning to call out names.
"Abbot, Hannah" and "Bones, Susan" were both sorted into Hufflepuff before "Boot, Terry" became the first new Ravenclaw. Marina and Thalia clapped loudly, while Nero's head still lay flat on the table. Knox shook little Terry's hand warmly.
"Brocklehurst, Mandy" was made a Ravenclaw, and the table cheered once more. "Brown, Lavender" became the first new Gryffindor, and "Bulstrode, Millicent" became a Slytherin. Ten more students were sorted before "Patil, Padma" joined Ravenclaw; immediately afterward her twin sister "Patil, Parvati" joined Gryffindor. Marina made space beside her for Padma, who smiled weakly and sat down.
"Potter, Harry!" called McGonagall, and Knox's head whipped around. All over the hall, students began to whisper. Various questions of "Potter? Harry Potter, did she say?" and "The Harry Potter?" could be heard. Nero even looked up, an expression of vague interest on his face. Marina watched as Harry, a thin boy with messy black hair and glasses, slowly sat on the stool and put the hat on.
The Sorting Hat took a while with Harry. A thick silence hung in the air, every house hoping the Boy Who Lived would join them at their table. Marina watched as Knox crossed his fingers on both hands and muttered, "Ravenclaw, Ravenclaw, Ravenclaw..."
The hat opened its brim, and everyone in the hall took a collective breath.
"GRYFFINDOR!" The hat shouted. The Gryffindor table erupted in cheers, while Knox cursed under his breath, having lost another bet to Fred Weasley (who waved and grinned at Knox and Marina from his table). Harry sat down, relieved, with his new house.
The number of first years left to be sorted thinned quickly. Marina watched Fred's younger brother become a Gryffindor, while "Turpin, Lisa" became the last new Ravenclaw for the year. "Zabini, Blaise" was made a Slytherin, and the sorting was finally over.
Professor Dumbledore stood, welcomed everyone to another year at Hogwarts, and promptly said the words everyone was waiting for: "Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!"
A feast- and it was a feast -appeared suddenly on the plates before them. Marina eagerly piled her plate with roast beef, sausage, potatoes, carrots, and peas, adding a thick layer of gravy over it all. The rest of her table did the same, and for a few minutes, there wasn't much talking as everyone dug in to their food. After a while, though, conversation returned.
"My name's Marina Cole," Marina turned to Padma and held out her hand. Padma shook it warmly. "I'm a third year. Welcome to Ravenclaw." She smiled.
"I'm Thalia Escalus," Thalia said. "and these guys are Fenton Knox" -Knox held up a hand in greeting- "and Nero Parsequor." Nero nodded in Padma's direction.
"Hi, everyone," Padma replied shyly, fiddling with the end of her long braid.
The group continued eating at the same rapid rate, but the conversation hadn't slowed.
"Can't believe I lost that bet," Knox was saying to a heavyset boy sitting beside him. "Bloody well thought Potter would be in our house."
"You should know better than to make a bet against one of the Weasley twins," the boy replied. "They have a way of winning."
"Well, you could have reminded me of that beforehand, Demetrius, some help you are."
"Oy, Marina!" A girl with long, curly brown hair stood and waved from further down the table. Marina waved back as the girl sat down.
Padma leaned over and looked at the girl who had stood. "Who's that?"
"Cordelia Weston-Elmhart." Marina replied, smothering her roll with butter. "She's in my year. Most of us call her Corky. She's really nice- you'll like her." She took a bite of her roll, chewing thoughtfully. She swallowed. "So, you and your sister are in separate houses."
"Yeah," Padma said. Her voice was soft. "We're not that much alike."
"I wish I had a sister," Marina said. "I'm an only child."
"It's not all it's cracked up to be."
Marina shrugged. "Oh, well. I feel like Thalia's my sister, anyway."
"Really?"
"Oh, yeah. We first met on the Hogwarts Express. 'Cause, you see, I was raised by Muggles. Didn't know anything about wizards or magic or what have you until I got my Hogwarts letter. I was scared to death when I arrived. I had no idea why I was here. But Thalia, who's a pureblood witch herself, and a very good one at that, helped me out. She was like my big sister. She showed me where to go and helped me in classes. I stayed with her and her family a big part of last summer."
"That's really cool."
"Innit?" Marina looked at Padma and smiled. "McGonagall wasn't kidding when she told you guys that your house becomes your family."
By that time, most everyone had finished with their main meals. The plates were wiped clean before their eyes, and an array of tasty-looking desserts occupied them once more. Marina busied herself with a bowl of chocolate-covered strawberries while Padma reached for the rice pudding.
When all seated had finished their desserts, they, too, disappeared. Professor Dumbledore once again stood, this time to deliver a few start-of-term announcements. Marina only half-listened; these announcements were the same every year.
Then his arm rose. A flick of his wand produced a long, snake-like gold ribbon, which twisted itself into the familar words of the school song.
"Everyone pick their favorite tune," Dumbledore said jovially. "and off we go!"
Marina winked at the fairly confused Padma and dove into her version of the song. She didn't have the greatest of singing voices, but Marina never considered herself to be horrible on the ears, so she sang out loud and proud.
As everyone else's rendition came to a close, Fred and George Weasley, could still be heard singing to the tune of a slow funeral march. Marina rolled her eyes.
The school song finally at an end, Dumbledore wiped a tear from his eye. "Ah, music. A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"
Marina waved goodbye to Padma, who joined the rest of the Ravenclaw first years following Penelope Clearwater, the fifth-year prefect, to their house common room. Slowly, groups of students began to filter out of the Great Hall, tired and content after a long day and a good meal.
"Comin', Mar?" Thalia called back as she, Knox, Nero, and a few other Ravenclaw third years exited the hall.
"I'll be there in a few minutes!" Marina called back. "Gotta talk to Fred about something." Thalia shrugged and nodded, but Knox jogged back to where Marina was standing. He practically shoved a small leather bag into her hands.
"It's the twenty knuts I owe Fred," he said, seeming rather put-off. "Make sure he gets it for me?"
"Of course," Marina grinned.
"Thanks, love." Knox smiled slightly and jogged back after the group. Marina's grin stayed as she watched him go. A contended sigh spread through her. It was wonderful to be back at Hogwarts, back amongst her friends. It felt like forever since she had last seen them, and with good reason- not a word was exchanged between the four since the end of last term. But Marina did not want to dwell on that now. She was back at the place she loved most, amongst the greatest group of people she'd ever known. And this year, there was an added bonus: Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, was attending the same school as Marina was. A celebrity, at Hogwarts! Though she knew little of him, Marina figured he must be a fantastic wizard to have defeated You-Know-Who by himself. When he was a year old, too, lest she forget. But he probably was just a regular kid. I'm sure he has enough people worshipping him, Marina thought to herself with a smile.
A burst of laughter interrupted her thoughts. Turning around, Marina saw that a group of Gryffindor third years still remained at their table, a prefect standing close by, obviously waiting for them to leave. Marina noticed Fred and George entertaining the crowd with their stories of summer holiday. She watched for a few minutes, until the prefect finally checked her watch and demanded they all go to bed. The group straggled off in twos and threes, still laughing and talking loudly. Fred seemed to straggle slower than the rest, as his twin accompanied the ladies out of the hall.
Marina, small bag of change in hand, made her way towards the stocky redhead. Coming up behind him, she poked him in the side, tossing the bag over his head. Caught slightly off-guard, Fred let the bag drop. All the knuts spilled onto the floor, rolling this way and that.
"Blimey, Marina, could give a man more warning than that," he laughed, bending down to pick up the bag.
"Thought you could handle it, Weasley," she responded, a smirk prancing over her sharp features. "Just thought I'd drop by your winnings from today's bet with Knox."
"Ah, yes, I was wondering when he'd cough it up," Fred bent to the ground to pick up the dropped knuts, counting them as he went. "And look! He even threw in an extra knut for good measure."
"I'll take that!" Marina swiped the coin from Fred's hand. He chuckled and stood, linking his arm through hers. They began to walk out of the Great Hall.
"So how are you, Forge?" Marina asked.
"Spiffing, thanks. It's absolutely corking to be at old Hoggys again."
"I'll agree with you there."
"Won a bet on my first day back," Fred continued, "met a celebrity, my brother's a Gryffindor, and the Quidditch season is fast approaching- life is good."
"You'll have to introduce me to him."
"Who? Potter?"
"No, your brother. Don't really care much for meeting Harry Potter."
Fred looked at her with an odd expression on his face- the same look he had given her on the train when she didn't know who Harry was.
"I mean," Marina continued, before Fred could say anything. "he's probably just a regular kid, right? I don't want to act like everyone else." She put both hands on her cheeks in her best imitation of Thalia. "HARRY POTTER IS ON THIS TRAIN! Ye gods! The world is now complete!"
Fred grinned. "Nice. Thalia, right? Well, Harry's a good kid, from what I've seen of him. But he must be mental to hang around with my brother."
"Again, you'll have to introduce me. I don't even know his name."
They had come to the large marble staircase that parted their ways- Marina would turn left and Fred would turn right to get to their respective common rooms. Unlinking arms, the pair turned instead to face each other.
"His name's Ron."
"Well, now I know all your siblings' names."
"Clever girl." He smirked.
Marina just smiled up at him. Her smile widened a bit when she realized that last school year they had been the same height.
"What is it we say every year?" She asked.
"We should have been-"
"-in the same house." She finished for him, chuckling. A sigh escaped her, followed immediately by a yawn. "Blimey, didn't realize I was this tired. Best be heading off to bed."
Fred took her hand in his, and for a while, they just stood there, not saying anything. Finally, Marina squeezed his hand and let go.
"Good night, Frederick James."
"Good night, Marina Rose. I'll see you around."
And they both turned, Fred heading to the right, down the corridor leading to the seventh floor, and Marina to the left, up the set of stairs that would take her to the west tower, to the Ravenclaw common room.
Marina walked quickly past rows and rows of paintings, most of their inhabitants sleeping soundly. Her frizzy, chin-length blonde hair bounced as she walked, and in no time she had reached a second staircase, this one wooden and fairly rickety. At the top of this one was a door, and then another hallway. Finally, at the end of this second hallway, Marina stopped. A tall, rusted coat of armor stood facing her, hands clasped around an ancient-looking sword. Marina stifled another yawn as she placed one hand on the knob of the sword, muttering, "Noustas ayam."
The knob seemed to glow as Marina removed her hand, and slowly, the knight shifted to its right. Now Marina faced a large wooden door, which she pulled open. A large, round, empty room greeted her, filled with tall mahogany bookcases, long blue couches and squishy armchairs. Two hallways stood on either side of a bright fire that crackled from the fireplace underneath a portrait of stern-looking woman, who currently dozed with a book still open in her lap.
Marina's large blue eyes were beginning to blur from yawning so much. Down the hallway on the right of the fireplace, she opened the third of seven doors. Five blue four-poster beds stood in a row, all but one of them occupied. Without bothering to change into her pajamas, Marina collapsed on the empty bed, and within minutes she was asleep.
This chapter's considerably longer than the first..but...oh well.
Thanks also to my betas- Neuri and Cara -you guys rock. =)
=============================================================
There are no strangers- only friends you haven't met yet.
-Dame Edna
=============================================================
In the warmth and familiar surroundings of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the Great Hall was abuzz with chatter from students who hadn't seen each other for two months. The enchanted ceiling glowed with the stars of the night sky. The four house tables stood in their usual positions, this time with extra room at the end for the first-year students who were to be sorted. At the front of the hall, the staff table was fully occupied, save one chair beside Professor Dumbledore which was reserved for Professor McGonagall. It was the same scene that faced the students every start of the term.
At the far end of the hall, the large marble doors slowly opened, and with that the conversation became more subdued until finally the hall was silent. Professor McGonagall walked briskly into the room with a trail of frightened first years following her a bit more slowly. They stopped immediately in front of the staff table. McGonagall placed a tall, battered-looking wizard's hat on a four-legged stool. There was a minute of total silence, all eyes on the hat that was to sort the first years. Then, opening its brim like a mouth, it launched into a song.
Oh, you may not think I'm pretty
But don't judge on what you see
I'll eat myself if you can find
A smarter hat than me...
Five minutes later, the hat was still singing. By that time, most everyone had gotten a tad hungry. Nero sat with his forehead against the Ravenclaw table, sighing with every verse the Sorting Hat launched into. Beside him, Thalia had her head propped up in her hands, and beside her was Knox, who was staring at his goblet as if a drink would magically appear inside. Across from Knox was Marina, who simply watched the group of frightened first years standing before Professor McGonagall, recalling how, three years previous, she had been in the same position.
Marina had been scared to death of Hogwarts, and of being sorted. She hadn't really understood why she was there in the first place, having known nothing of the magical world until her eleventh birthday, when an owl delivered a letter welcoming her to the school. Sitting alone in a compartment on the Hogwarts Express, Marina's fear had lessened slightly after meeting more students her age- Thalia Escalus, Fenton Knox, and Nero Parsequor (who would become her best friends), as well as children who were sorted into other houses, including Fred Weasley and his twin brother George, Angelina Johnson, Alicia Spinnet, and Katie Bell.
Sitting on the four-legged stool in front of the entire school, Marina had donned the Sorting Hat, which took no time in sorting her. "RAVENCLAW!" the hat had shouted, and the table to her far right had erupted in cheers.
The memory of her own sorting was the only thing that kept Marina interested in this year's batch of first years. The Sorting Hat had finally ended its anthem, and Professor McGonagall was beginning to call out names.
"Abbot, Hannah" and "Bones, Susan" were both sorted into Hufflepuff before "Boot, Terry" became the first new Ravenclaw. Marina and Thalia clapped loudly, while Nero's head still lay flat on the table. Knox shook little Terry's hand warmly.
"Brocklehurst, Mandy" was made a Ravenclaw, and the table cheered once more. "Brown, Lavender" became the first new Gryffindor, and "Bulstrode, Millicent" became a Slytherin. Ten more students were sorted before "Patil, Padma" joined Ravenclaw; immediately afterward her twin sister "Patil, Parvati" joined Gryffindor. Marina made space beside her for Padma, who smiled weakly and sat down.
"Potter, Harry!" called McGonagall, and Knox's head whipped around. All over the hall, students began to whisper. Various questions of "Potter? Harry Potter, did she say?" and "The Harry Potter?" could be heard. Nero even looked up, an expression of vague interest on his face. Marina watched as Harry, a thin boy with messy black hair and glasses, slowly sat on the stool and put the hat on.
The Sorting Hat took a while with Harry. A thick silence hung in the air, every house hoping the Boy Who Lived would join them at their table. Marina watched as Knox crossed his fingers on both hands and muttered, "Ravenclaw, Ravenclaw, Ravenclaw..."
The hat opened its brim, and everyone in the hall took a collective breath.
"GRYFFINDOR!" The hat shouted. The Gryffindor table erupted in cheers, while Knox cursed under his breath, having lost another bet to Fred Weasley (who waved and grinned at Knox and Marina from his table). Harry sat down, relieved, with his new house.
The number of first years left to be sorted thinned quickly. Marina watched Fred's younger brother become a Gryffindor, while "Turpin, Lisa" became the last new Ravenclaw for the year. "Zabini, Blaise" was made a Slytherin, and the sorting was finally over.
Professor Dumbledore stood, welcomed everyone to another year at Hogwarts, and promptly said the words everyone was waiting for: "Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!"
A feast- and it was a feast -appeared suddenly on the plates before them. Marina eagerly piled her plate with roast beef, sausage, potatoes, carrots, and peas, adding a thick layer of gravy over it all. The rest of her table did the same, and for a few minutes, there wasn't much talking as everyone dug in to their food. After a while, though, conversation returned.
"My name's Marina Cole," Marina turned to Padma and held out her hand. Padma shook it warmly. "I'm a third year. Welcome to Ravenclaw." She smiled.
"I'm Thalia Escalus," Thalia said. "and these guys are Fenton Knox" -Knox held up a hand in greeting- "and Nero Parsequor." Nero nodded in Padma's direction.
"Hi, everyone," Padma replied shyly, fiddling with the end of her long braid.
The group continued eating at the same rapid rate, but the conversation hadn't slowed.
"Can't believe I lost that bet," Knox was saying to a heavyset boy sitting beside him. "Bloody well thought Potter would be in our house."
"You should know better than to make a bet against one of the Weasley twins," the boy replied. "They have a way of winning."
"Well, you could have reminded me of that beforehand, Demetrius, some help you are."
"Oy, Marina!" A girl with long, curly brown hair stood and waved from further down the table. Marina waved back as the girl sat down.
Padma leaned over and looked at the girl who had stood. "Who's that?"
"Cordelia Weston-Elmhart." Marina replied, smothering her roll with butter. "She's in my year. Most of us call her Corky. She's really nice- you'll like her." She took a bite of her roll, chewing thoughtfully. She swallowed. "So, you and your sister are in separate houses."
"Yeah," Padma said. Her voice was soft. "We're not that much alike."
"I wish I had a sister," Marina said. "I'm an only child."
"It's not all it's cracked up to be."
Marina shrugged. "Oh, well. I feel like Thalia's my sister, anyway."
"Really?"
"Oh, yeah. We first met on the Hogwarts Express. 'Cause, you see, I was raised by Muggles. Didn't know anything about wizards or magic or what have you until I got my Hogwarts letter. I was scared to death when I arrived. I had no idea why I was here. But Thalia, who's a pureblood witch herself, and a very good one at that, helped me out. She was like my big sister. She showed me where to go and helped me in classes. I stayed with her and her family a big part of last summer."
"That's really cool."
"Innit?" Marina looked at Padma and smiled. "McGonagall wasn't kidding when she told you guys that your house becomes your family."
By that time, most everyone had finished with their main meals. The plates were wiped clean before their eyes, and an array of tasty-looking desserts occupied them once more. Marina busied herself with a bowl of chocolate-covered strawberries while Padma reached for the rice pudding.
When all seated had finished their desserts, they, too, disappeared. Professor Dumbledore once again stood, this time to deliver a few start-of-term announcements. Marina only half-listened; these announcements were the same every year.
Then his arm rose. A flick of his wand produced a long, snake-like gold ribbon, which twisted itself into the familar words of the school song.
"Everyone pick their favorite tune," Dumbledore said jovially. "and off we go!"
Marina winked at the fairly confused Padma and dove into her version of the song. She didn't have the greatest of singing voices, but Marina never considered herself to be horrible on the ears, so she sang out loud and proud.
As everyone else's rendition came to a close, Fred and George Weasley, could still be heard singing to the tune of a slow funeral march. Marina rolled her eyes.
The school song finally at an end, Dumbledore wiped a tear from his eye. "Ah, music. A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"
Marina waved goodbye to Padma, who joined the rest of the Ravenclaw first years following Penelope Clearwater, the fifth-year prefect, to their house common room. Slowly, groups of students began to filter out of the Great Hall, tired and content after a long day and a good meal.
"Comin', Mar?" Thalia called back as she, Knox, Nero, and a few other Ravenclaw third years exited the hall.
"I'll be there in a few minutes!" Marina called back. "Gotta talk to Fred about something." Thalia shrugged and nodded, but Knox jogged back to where Marina was standing. He practically shoved a small leather bag into her hands.
"It's the twenty knuts I owe Fred," he said, seeming rather put-off. "Make sure he gets it for me?"
"Of course," Marina grinned.
"Thanks, love." Knox smiled slightly and jogged back after the group. Marina's grin stayed as she watched him go. A contended sigh spread through her. It was wonderful to be back at Hogwarts, back amongst her friends. It felt like forever since she had last seen them, and with good reason- not a word was exchanged between the four since the end of last term. But Marina did not want to dwell on that now. She was back at the place she loved most, amongst the greatest group of people she'd ever known. And this year, there was an added bonus: Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, was attending the same school as Marina was. A celebrity, at Hogwarts! Though she knew little of him, Marina figured he must be a fantastic wizard to have defeated You-Know-Who by himself. When he was a year old, too, lest she forget. But he probably was just a regular kid. I'm sure he has enough people worshipping him, Marina thought to herself with a smile.
A burst of laughter interrupted her thoughts. Turning around, Marina saw that a group of Gryffindor third years still remained at their table, a prefect standing close by, obviously waiting for them to leave. Marina noticed Fred and George entertaining the crowd with their stories of summer holiday. She watched for a few minutes, until the prefect finally checked her watch and demanded they all go to bed. The group straggled off in twos and threes, still laughing and talking loudly. Fred seemed to straggle slower than the rest, as his twin accompanied the ladies out of the hall.
Marina, small bag of change in hand, made her way towards the stocky redhead. Coming up behind him, she poked him in the side, tossing the bag over his head. Caught slightly off-guard, Fred let the bag drop. All the knuts spilled onto the floor, rolling this way and that.
"Blimey, Marina, could give a man more warning than that," he laughed, bending down to pick up the bag.
"Thought you could handle it, Weasley," she responded, a smirk prancing over her sharp features. "Just thought I'd drop by your winnings from today's bet with Knox."
"Ah, yes, I was wondering when he'd cough it up," Fred bent to the ground to pick up the dropped knuts, counting them as he went. "And look! He even threw in an extra knut for good measure."
"I'll take that!" Marina swiped the coin from Fred's hand. He chuckled and stood, linking his arm through hers. They began to walk out of the Great Hall.
"So how are you, Forge?" Marina asked.
"Spiffing, thanks. It's absolutely corking to be at old Hoggys again."
"I'll agree with you there."
"Won a bet on my first day back," Fred continued, "met a celebrity, my brother's a Gryffindor, and the Quidditch season is fast approaching- life is good."
"You'll have to introduce me to him."
"Who? Potter?"
"No, your brother. Don't really care much for meeting Harry Potter."
Fred looked at her with an odd expression on his face- the same look he had given her on the train when she didn't know who Harry was.
"I mean," Marina continued, before Fred could say anything. "he's probably just a regular kid, right? I don't want to act like everyone else." She put both hands on her cheeks in her best imitation of Thalia. "HARRY POTTER IS ON THIS TRAIN! Ye gods! The world is now complete!"
Fred grinned. "Nice. Thalia, right? Well, Harry's a good kid, from what I've seen of him. But he must be mental to hang around with my brother."
"Again, you'll have to introduce me. I don't even know his name."
They had come to the large marble staircase that parted their ways- Marina would turn left and Fred would turn right to get to their respective common rooms. Unlinking arms, the pair turned instead to face each other.
"His name's Ron."
"Well, now I know all your siblings' names."
"Clever girl." He smirked.
Marina just smiled up at him. Her smile widened a bit when she realized that last school year they had been the same height.
"What is it we say every year?" She asked.
"We should have been-"
"-in the same house." She finished for him, chuckling. A sigh escaped her, followed immediately by a yawn. "Blimey, didn't realize I was this tired. Best be heading off to bed."
Fred took her hand in his, and for a while, they just stood there, not saying anything. Finally, Marina squeezed his hand and let go.
"Good night, Frederick James."
"Good night, Marina Rose. I'll see you around."
And they both turned, Fred heading to the right, down the corridor leading to the seventh floor, and Marina to the left, up the set of stairs that would take her to the west tower, to the Ravenclaw common room.
Marina walked quickly past rows and rows of paintings, most of their inhabitants sleeping soundly. Her frizzy, chin-length blonde hair bounced as she walked, and in no time she had reached a second staircase, this one wooden and fairly rickety. At the top of this one was a door, and then another hallway. Finally, at the end of this second hallway, Marina stopped. A tall, rusted coat of armor stood facing her, hands clasped around an ancient-looking sword. Marina stifled another yawn as she placed one hand on the knob of the sword, muttering, "Noustas ayam."
The knob seemed to glow as Marina removed her hand, and slowly, the knight shifted to its right. Now Marina faced a large wooden door, which she pulled open. A large, round, empty room greeted her, filled with tall mahogany bookcases, long blue couches and squishy armchairs. Two hallways stood on either side of a bright fire that crackled from the fireplace underneath a portrait of stern-looking woman, who currently dozed with a book still open in her lap.
Marina's large blue eyes were beginning to blur from yawning so much. Down the hallway on the right of the fireplace, she opened the third of seven doors. Five blue four-poster beds stood in a row, all but one of them occupied. Without bothering to change into her pajamas, Marina collapsed on the empty bed, and within minutes she was asleep.