Chapter 3 - A Hard Time Settling In
As the Slytherins made their way down the corridor, Tamara noticed the Gryffindors separating and going the opposite way. She looked over to try and find her friends and saw Harry. He turned to look at the Slytherins to try and find Tamara and he caught her eye. They just looked at each other for a moment and Tamara gave a small wave which he returned.
* * *
The Slytherin party stopped in front of a stretch of bare, damp stone wall. An older boy, ('probably the Slytherin prefect,' Tamara thought), walked in front of the wall and turned to face the group.
"Your password, at this moment in time, is 'Barren's Blood'." As he said this, a stone door, concealed in the wall, slid open. "To all first years, you will need to know this password because it is the only way to get into your common room. You must not forget it for it is very important. The password will be changed when found necessary or on a regular basis." And with that final word all the Slytherins entered.
The common room was a long, low room that seemed quite gloomy. The walls were made of rough stone and from the ceiling chains hung down supporting greenish lamps. There was a mantle piece at the end of the room with a powerful fire that blazed underneath it. The fire may have seemed welcoming to many but to Tamara nothing seemed to welcome her in this dark, underground room. All she wanted was to find the room, where she would spend the rest of her miserable nights at Hogwarts, sleeping in. The prefect began to speak again.
"Boys dormitories are on your left and girls are on your right. You will find all your belongings already in your rooms."
Tamara, right away, turned to her right and marched up the spiral steps to her dormitory. She came across a door that read in bold, black lettering 'First Years' and continued to drag herself up the staircase. She finally came across a door that read 'Sixth Years' and slowly opened it to find five, four-poster beds, one holding all of her belongings. She studied her bed. It was covered in a green comforter with white sheets beneath, moulded to its mattress.
The room seemed cozy and suitable but something in the air around her sent a shiver up her spin. She knew something was not right. She felt she didn't belong here. She slowly walked over to her bed and sat on its cold blankets. Her bed was right next to the window and that pleased her. Tamara always loved to look out her window before bedtime and breathe in the freshness of the night air. Something about it was always comforting and it soothed her. She loved the feeling of the air in her lungs and on her face and she always lost herself in its serenity. It reminded her of home. But she wasn't at home. She loved Canada. It inspired her, for whatever reason, to be creative. She loved it. Canada was home to her and she was far away from it now. Nothing and no one to comfort her except her own thoughts. She felt hope when she met those kids on the train, they reminded of her own friends back home.
She pulled all of her stuff off her bed and fell back onto its sheets letting her whole body relax. She looked up at the ceiling and wondered what would happen in the day to come. She set her head on the freezing pillow and glanced at the window. She got up and opened it, gazing out at the darkness of the Hogwarts grounds. She looked up at the sky and breathed in the air. It was cold and a swift breeze hit her face. A tear left her eye as she thought about her old home and closed the window a bit so a tiny gap was left to let air in. She jumped on her bed, face down on the pillow and let herself weep. As she cried she slowly drifted off into a deep sleep.
* * *
The next day Tamara made her way to breakfast alone. She sat by herself and glanced over at the Gryffindor table. A thought came to her, 'can I sit at the Gryffindor table?' She looked down at her cloak which now bore the snake sign of Slytherin. No one said she couldn't sit with them. She glanced once more over at their table and spotted Hermione. She made up her mind and walked over to their table.
"Hey! How's it going?"
"Oh hi Tamara!" Hermione exclaimed. "How was, uh, your first night here?"
"It was okay." Tamara wanted to tell her the truth and therefore didn't hesitate. "I, I didn't like it. I really didn't. But I guess I need to keep an open mind." She knew it wouldn't happen though. "I wish I was in Gryffindor, with you guys, but there's not much I can do about that." She gave a weak smile.
Hermione looked sad. "I wish you were with us too."
Tamara just shrugged. "Look is it alright if I sit with you guys?"
"Sure, by all means! But the Slytherins-"
"-who cares about them. I don't talk to them any ways." She peered over at her house table to find half the table starring at her. As she looked at them and they stared back, she sat down beside Hermione, flipped her hair and turned around. Hermione giggled and Tamara couldn't help but smile.
"So where's Ron and Harry?"
"They should be on their way. Oh hold on... there they are," Hermione pointed to the two boys heading in their direction.
"Hey Tamara! What are you doing here?" asked Harry.
"Rather sit with friends."
They all began to talk and Tamara wanted to ask Harry something that had been bothering her for a while. She didn't want to hurt him and therefore didn't know how to word it.
"Um, Harry. I have a question I've been meaning to ask you. It's about the night you defeated You-Know-Who. Do you mind me asking?" She looked down at the table afraid of what his facial reaction would be.
"Sure, go ahead," responded Harry.
Tamara looked up into Harry's emerald green eyes. He had his glasses off and was attempting to clean them. A huge leap in her stomach decided to welcome itself into her system making her shift uncomfortably in her seat. It was strange seeing him without any glasses. He was very handsome without them. She knew she was blushing crimson. She couldn't imagine the pain he'd gone through at such a young age. She began having second thoughts about her question but she couldn't back out now...
"Do you, uh, remember anything at all from 'that' particular night? Like how it all happened? You don't have to answer that if you don't want."
"No, no it's alright." Harry looked down at the table then looked up with a completely different expression. It was full of hatred and fear and pain. All the same he couldn't help but notice how pretty Tamara was. She had beautiful aqua eyes that sparkled in the light of the floating candles above their heads. Harry, lost for words, blushed. He finally got a hold of himself and said, "I, well, all I remember is a bright green light." He stopped for a second recalling his mothers shrieks for mercy in his head. He hated that sound. It just made him want to cry out for help. But it was done. I was the past. The past that haunted him so much. He swallowed hard. Tamara could sense something wrong. He was uncomfortable. She felt horrible for bringing up the subject.
"I'm so sorry Harry. I shouldn't of asked." She looked at Ron who sat next to him. He looked worried and she shifted her gaze over to Hermione who showed an equal amount of anxiety as Ron. She felt even worse now. She looked back at Harry who seemed very interested with his fork. She got up from the table. Ron and Hermione looked up, Harry didn't. "I've got to go. I, I'll see you guys later." She looked over at Harry who was now admiring his knife. She turned on her heels and walked out of the Great Hall.