The sorting and the start of the term feast were both over. Now that
everyone's stomach's were full of delicious food, it was time to head up to
the seperate house dormitories. Standing up, reluctant to leave the table,
Hermione and Ron started ushering the new Gryffindor first years into a
line.
"Why are they doing that?" Galleria asked Harry curiously, watching Ron trying not to get frustrated at a stubborn first year.
"Because they're the new Gryffindor prefects. They have to show the first years where the Gryffindor common room and dormitories are." Harry said, laughing at how frustrated Ron was trying not to get. "Come on, I'll show you to the Gryffindor common room. I got the password off of Ron."
Blinking eagerly, Galleria followed Harry out of the Great Hall. He led her up several flights of stairs, and through quite a few passages that were hidden behind large tapestries. Galleria's head was spinning. 'How on earth am I going to remember how to get here?'
After what seemed like ages, Harry finally stopped in front of a portrait. The portrait was of a rather large woman in a pink silk dress.
"Password?" The woman inquired after them.
"Metromead." Harry said while yawning.
The Fat Lady swung forward on her hinges to reveal a round hole in the wall. Without so much as a glance at Galleria, Harry climbed through the portait hole. Looking around the corridor and seeing that no one was there helped Galleria make up her mind. She scrambled through the portrait hole like Harry had done moments before.
Galleria fell onto the floor. Standing up and brushing herself off, she looked around. The Gryffindor common room was a large circular room filled with squashy armchairs and overstuffed couches. A few people still milled around, getting caught up on what had happened over the summer holiday's. A couple of second years were sitting by the roaring fire and playing a game of exploding snap. 'This is nice,' she thought. 'I wonder if the Hufflepuff and Slytherin common rooms are as nice.' Galleria noticed that a few people were fixing Harry with peculiar stares, and that most everybody else was trying to occupy themselves with something else so that they didn't stare.
Walking over to stand next to Harry, Galleria studied him. He seemed unperturbed by all of the strange stares he was receiving, although he did seem to be holding his head up in a proud sort of way. "Harry," she said quietly. "Do y'think that you could maybe tell me how to get to the girls dormitory? I'm really tired."
Somewhat startled, Harry looked over at her. He looked surprised to see her standing there. "Yeah, sure." He pointed to the far side of the common room where there stood two staircases. "Just take the stairs on the right and keep going up until you reach the door that says '5th Year'-you are a fifth year, aren't you?"
Galleria nodded sleepily. "Unfortunately." She started walking towards the staircase Harry had pointed out to her. "G'night Harry!"
"G'night!" Harry called after her.
************
A few minutes later, Galleria reached the door with the '5th Year' sign on the door. She reached for the handle and pushed it open. It was a circular room with six four poster beds hung with deep red, velvet curtains. Too her surprise, her trunk had already been brought up and was waiting for her at the foot of one of the four poster beds. A girl was already sitting on one of the beds, fiddling with some sort of gadget that Galleria didn't recognize. The girl didn't look up as Galleria plopped, fully clothed, into bed, yanking the curtains closed.
She lie awake for a long time, thinking over everything that had happened during the day. She had finally reached the school she was dreading coming to, and it wasn't what she had expected. The people were actually nice and as far as she could tell, they liked her. A girl by the name of Lavender Brown seemed fascinated with the fact that Galleria and her sisters were from America, and kept asking her questions about the country she grew up in. Ron kept telling Lavender to stop badgering Galleria, but Galleria was more than happy to answer Lavender's questions.
The classes would be the true test; they started in the morning. So far everything-the food, the people, the school itself, the ghosts-were wonderful, but the classes would be the deciding factor on her opinion. Yawning, she rolled onto her stomach and drifted off to sleep. The morning would have to wait.
**************
Meanwhile
In a dark, damp room two wizards and a witch stood waiting for orders. They had been discussing amongst themselves what they wished to do and when, but their master had other ideas.
"What do you say?" Said one wizard in a soft, greasy male voice.
"Can I go to them, my Lord?" Said the witch with an eager purr in her voice.
"No, not just yet, Emmie." A high, cold voice said from a chair in the shadows over on the far side of the room.
"When then, my Lord?" Said the second wizard. "They've reached the school as planned, and-"
"And Dumbledore will be watching them like a hawk. He'll have them under the utmost security like he has Potter." Said the voice from the chair. "No, Lucius, we must wait. During the Christmas holiday's."
Murmuring their agreement, the two wizards and the witch turned and swept from the room.
"Why are they doing that?" Galleria asked Harry curiously, watching Ron trying not to get frustrated at a stubborn first year.
"Because they're the new Gryffindor prefects. They have to show the first years where the Gryffindor common room and dormitories are." Harry said, laughing at how frustrated Ron was trying not to get. "Come on, I'll show you to the Gryffindor common room. I got the password off of Ron."
Blinking eagerly, Galleria followed Harry out of the Great Hall. He led her up several flights of stairs, and through quite a few passages that were hidden behind large tapestries. Galleria's head was spinning. 'How on earth am I going to remember how to get here?'
After what seemed like ages, Harry finally stopped in front of a portrait. The portrait was of a rather large woman in a pink silk dress.
"Password?" The woman inquired after them.
"Metromead." Harry said while yawning.
The Fat Lady swung forward on her hinges to reveal a round hole in the wall. Without so much as a glance at Galleria, Harry climbed through the portait hole. Looking around the corridor and seeing that no one was there helped Galleria make up her mind. She scrambled through the portrait hole like Harry had done moments before.
Galleria fell onto the floor. Standing up and brushing herself off, she looked around. The Gryffindor common room was a large circular room filled with squashy armchairs and overstuffed couches. A few people still milled around, getting caught up on what had happened over the summer holiday's. A couple of second years were sitting by the roaring fire and playing a game of exploding snap. 'This is nice,' she thought. 'I wonder if the Hufflepuff and Slytherin common rooms are as nice.' Galleria noticed that a few people were fixing Harry with peculiar stares, and that most everybody else was trying to occupy themselves with something else so that they didn't stare.
Walking over to stand next to Harry, Galleria studied him. He seemed unperturbed by all of the strange stares he was receiving, although he did seem to be holding his head up in a proud sort of way. "Harry," she said quietly. "Do y'think that you could maybe tell me how to get to the girls dormitory? I'm really tired."
Somewhat startled, Harry looked over at her. He looked surprised to see her standing there. "Yeah, sure." He pointed to the far side of the common room where there stood two staircases. "Just take the stairs on the right and keep going up until you reach the door that says '5th Year'-you are a fifth year, aren't you?"
Galleria nodded sleepily. "Unfortunately." She started walking towards the staircase Harry had pointed out to her. "G'night Harry!"
"G'night!" Harry called after her.
************
A few minutes later, Galleria reached the door with the '5th Year' sign on the door. She reached for the handle and pushed it open. It was a circular room with six four poster beds hung with deep red, velvet curtains. Too her surprise, her trunk had already been brought up and was waiting for her at the foot of one of the four poster beds. A girl was already sitting on one of the beds, fiddling with some sort of gadget that Galleria didn't recognize. The girl didn't look up as Galleria plopped, fully clothed, into bed, yanking the curtains closed.
She lie awake for a long time, thinking over everything that had happened during the day. She had finally reached the school she was dreading coming to, and it wasn't what she had expected. The people were actually nice and as far as she could tell, they liked her. A girl by the name of Lavender Brown seemed fascinated with the fact that Galleria and her sisters were from America, and kept asking her questions about the country she grew up in. Ron kept telling Lavender to stop badgering Galleria, but Galleria was more than happy to answer Lavender's questions.
The classes would be the true test; they started in the morning. So far everything-the food, the people, the school itself, the ghosts-were wonderful, but the classes would be the deciding factor on her opinion. Yawning, she rolled onto her stomach and drifted off to sleep. The morning would have to wait.
**************
Meanwhile
In a dark, damp room two wizards and a witch stood waiting for orders. They had been discussing amongst themselves what they wished to do and when, but their master had other ideas.
"What do you say?" Said one wizard in a soft, greasy male voice.
"Can I go to them, my Lord?" Said the witch with an eager purr in her voice.
"No, not just yet, Emmie." A high, cold voice said from a chair in the shadows over on the far side of the room.
"When then, my Lord?" Said the second wizard. "They've reached the school as planned, and-"
"And Dumbledore will be watching them like a hawk. He'll have them under the utmost security like he has Potter." Said the voice from the chair. "No, Lucius, we must wait. During the Christmas holiday's."
Murmuring their agreement, the two wizards and the witch turned and swept from the room.