A/N: Uhm… this chapter may be a bit boring…

Chapter 3: The Common Room

Nora and Hermione automatically gasped as Dumbledore led them into their new common room with Terry and Malfoy bringing up the rear. The room was large and circular with a large circular carpet in the middle and across the room on the other side was a large fireplace with a fire crackling merrily inside, casting eerie shadows around them, as it was the only source of light. At both sides of the carpet were two large ruby colored velvet chairs and facing the fireplace was a very comfortable, and large, sofa. At the right and left sides of the room, behind the chairs, were two doors, which had a different house banner each, that led to the Prefect's bedrooms. On the left sides were the Gryffindor and the Ravenclaw banners, on the right side were the Slytherin and Hufflepuff banners. Above the large carpet was a beautiful chandelier though it emitted no light coming at the moment. Large windows went all the way from the floor to the ceiling, about seven meters high, and were hidden behind beautiful satin curtains.

The walls beside the entrance, where the five of them stood, were covered in shelves that carried hundreds and hundreds of books. Hermione immediately went over to them and ran her fingers over the covers of the books trying to decide which one to read first.

Next to the fireplace was a circular stairway that led to a hallway with again two doors on each side. These doors led to the rooms of the Head's. On the left were Nora's and Hermione's rooms and on the right Terry's and Malfoy's. The rooms were all the same: Large with a king-size bed, a large closet and a desk at which they could work. The windows were draped in satin curtains too, just like in the common room. At the end of the Hall were two bathrooms. They were the same and the Heads could use either bathroom, but as there were four heads now, it was decided there would be two, so no one had to wait. Both bathrooms had a large bathtub that was the size of a small swimming pool with golden taps all along it, each containing different types of bath foam. There was a large "counter" with two sinks and a large mirror above each one. Then there was an open closet, which contained the very fluffy, white towels. Both girls had to work very hard to stop themselves from squealing when they entered the bathrooms. Malfoy and Terry, on the other hand, looked like they could've dropped dead out of boredom at any given moment.

"I think it's time for bed now. From the looks of your faces you didn't get too much sleep last night. Classes will start on Monday; you will get your schedules tomorrow morning. Now, the reason that I have made the heads sixth years is because the seventh year students are going to be quite busy studying for their N.E.W.T's. The reason why I have made four Heads, instead of two, is because four can contain better control during chaos, which will be inevitable. I can sense it," Dumbledore said, finishing quietly and attentively. Then he turned around and left, undoubtedly to his office.

"I forgot we still have the weekend before term starts again," Hermione said, "Usually school starts the day after we get back."

"I know. But I'm going to bed now. Goodnight," Nora said lazily, after having yawned a jaw-cracking yawn. Then she headed towards her bedroom.

"Goodnight," Hermione replied and after one last glare at Malfoy she entered her room too. 'Bloody git with his bloody smirks,' she muttered after she closed her door.

The girls changed into their pajamas and got into bed. "Ooooh, soft!" Hermione exclaimed to her dark, and empty, room. But now that there was nothing to take her mind off of things, she remembered her mother and her father and cried herself quietly to sleep.

Malfoy and Terry went downstairs to the common room. They sat down in the chairs before the fireplace and talked a little before they entered their rooms and dozed off, too.

Harry and Ron made their way up the Marble Staircase and through the corridors, heading towards the Gryffindor common room.

"I am exhausted," muttered Ron as they reached the Fat Lady.

"Me too," said Harry. "MimbleWimble," he told the portrait; Nora and Hermione had given them the password before they had left. The Fat Lady smiled down on them before swinging open on her hinges. Harry and Ron climbed through the hole and walked into the common room. It was fairly crowded and they had to weave through the students to get to their favorite seats in front of the joyfully crackling fireplace. They both dropped themselves in the comfy chairs and sat watching the fire burn brightly for a while.

"It's a bit odd, isn't it?" asked Harry after a few minutes of silence. Ron nodded.

"Yeah. We should've heard something about going to bed or asking people to join S.P.E.W. by now, shouldn't we?" He replied.

"Or that we should try and get a head start this year and begin studying some of our school books already," Harry added.

"Good one," said Ron grinning. Then after a while: "I kind of miss them."

"Me too. It's quite boring, isn't it?"

"Yes, this is what it'll be like for the rest of the year, though, won't it? Us just sitting here in silence, wishing the girls were here to ignore."

"I guess…"

"Let's go to bed. I'm bored," said Ron. Harry laughed, but nodded.

"Yeah, all right," he replied. The two got up and made their way through the common room and up the boys' dormitory. When they reached their room they entered and found it empty. They both undressed and got into bed.

"That felt weird, didn't it?" asked Ron.

"I know, usually we're one of the last ones to leave the common room and Seamus, Dean and Neville are always here in bed when we come," said Harry. The two boys lay down in their beds and were left in silence once again.

"Good night, mate," said Ron after a while.

"Good night," replied Harry, unable to think of a time when he and Ron had been so bored and incapable to come up with anything to talk about. Slowly, but very slowly, the two dozed off.

A/N: I know it's a small chapter but the events happen in the next one. Review please? You've come this far…