08/15/04

A/N: Ok, since I've been gone so long, I decided to put seven up a bit early. I've put a lot of interesting things in here, things that I picked up. Some are funny, but I haven't read through the chapter through completely yet. I hope you like it!!!!!!!!!

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Seven

Alex followed Barnaby and Mallory, thinking of his sister.

"Alex?" Mallory asked, tapping him, as the rounded a corner. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah," he replied, staring off into space. "Just thinking of Abi."

"Abi?" Barnaby asked, confused. "Who's Abi?"

Alex laughed. "Abi's my twin sister," he explained. "She's the one who gave that mini-speech before she was sorted. This is actually the first time we've ever spent more than—oh, I don't know—one hundred yards away."

"Really?" Mallory asked.

"Yeah. Back home, my rooms were just down and across the hall from hers. When she had nightmares, I'd go to her room and hug her until everything was all right again. My parents learned to go to the other kid's room if one of us wasn't in our bed the next morning." He blinked. "I was sure that I wouldn't mind, but..." He smiled, a single tear escaped his eye and he brushed it away, and blinked again.

"Oh, is that what you've been worrying on about?" Barnaby asked cheerfully as they went up a flight of stairs. "Well, take heart in that you'll probably have classes together."

"True," Alex said.

By the time they reached this point in the conversation, they had stopped at the top of the staircase, directly in front of a portrait of Caesar Augustus, who was lying on a couch, being fed grapes by a nymph.

"Password?" he asked, taking a grape from a lake-nymph.

The Prefect, and all-important looking girl, drew herself up and sniffed. "Caeurleus uva," she said.

Augustus laughed, and winked at her. "Really?" he said. "Do tell me where to find those." And the portrait swung open.

They went through a winding twenty-yard passageway before coming into a large, rectangular room. The room was decorated in varying shades of blue and silver. There were at least twenty tables—with upholstered chairs at them, of course—where the whole House could sit and study, or write essays, or do assignments. There were even more sofas and chair's by the fireplace, and all were comfortably furnished; with the Ravenclaw motif displayed everywhere.

Alex marveled at this as the male Prefect led him and the other first year boys up some stairs and down a hall. As he went into his dormitory, Alex's eyes lit upon his things, so neatly packed—and unpacked—by House-Elves.

He went over to his bed and almost fainted with relief when he saw his old embroidered quilt resting on top of the sheets. He sat, and fingered the design.

"Hello," said the boy with the bed next to his. "I'm Jerrad Cunnigham. You are?"

"Alex Malfoy," Alex said.

"It's nice to meet you Alex," Jerrad offered. "This," he pointed to the boy on his right, "is Martin Kingsworth. Next to Martin is Bernard Wollcren. Bernard's to your left, actually. So," Jerrad paused, "this is the first year Ravenclaw boy's dorm. Interesting."

"Awkward," commented Bernard, who, Alex could tell, had a sarcastic sense of humor. Bernard had dark brown hair, and eyes. His eyes were intense, but were set softly into his face. "I suppose I'll start with introductions." He coughed for a moment, and then began. "My name's Bernard Wollcren, I'm eleven, as you all know, and I live in Paisley during the holidays. My favorite food is spaghetti, and I adore cinnamon ice cream. Oh," he said, "I'm Muggleborn, as well."

"My turn, then?" Martin grinned. Martin was of middle height, and had copper hair and a smattering of freckles. His eyes were wide and crystal blue, giving him a mischievous look. "I'm Martin, don't call me Marty. My least-favorite cousins call me that. My mum's a Weasley, and Dad's a Muggle, so that's why my hair's red. My grandpa's Alfred Weasley, and he had three brothers: Alan, Arthur, and Arnold. And two sisters, but I forget their names. Me, my parents, and my sister Amele live in London, a bit outside of Notting Hill. I can walk to the Underground to take the train to my old Muggle school. My favorite food's my great-aunt Molly's brownies."

"I'm Jerrad. You spell it J-E-R-R-A-D even though it's pronounced like the J-A-R-E-D spelling." He grinned, a lock of mouse brown hair falling across his face. "I'm from a small town outside of Bath, and no one's ever heard of it, so I won't go into where it is. I'm mad about my older sister's asparagus and my favorite ice cream's chocolate-raspberry-orange."

Alex looked at him and stuck his tongue out. "Gross. My name's Alex, my parent's are Draco and Hermione Malfoy, I have a twin sister named Abi, a younger brother named Ian, and two other sisters' name Gillie and Eliza. I'm from Fystyrt, a small village in Wales." He thought for a moment. "Actually from slightly outside Fystyrt. I love Ducky's—my old House-Elf nanny—cinnamon biscuits and Peking duck."

The guys talked for a while longer about several different things until they changed into their pajamas and went to bed.

Before giving into sleep, Alex felt out in the castle for Abi. Finding her he pulled up a thread of conversation.

Abi? he called.

Yes? What is it, Lex? she answered.

Just wanted to say g'night, Alex said back.

Well, g'night then, Lexie Luther, she teased.

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As the Gryffindors went the other way from the Ravenclaws, Abi went to walk with Seb and Ian, who were talking about Quidditch.

"Ugh," she said, making a face, "I still can't believe that the Wasp's won the tourney."

"Not a Wasp's fan?" Ian asked

Seb laughed. "Abi once sent them a nasty-gram. It took three fruit baskets and eight letters of apology from her mother before they stopped threatening legal action."

Ian's lips pursed, trying not to laugh. "Really?"

Abi sniffed. "Well, I'm a fan of the Bristol Barriers, myself, and the Wasp's are notorius for playing dirty because they couldn't win otherwise."

They went through a door behind a tapestry, and rounded three corners—right, left, squiggley—and arrived in front of a portrait of a Fat Lady.

A girl with dyed hair—lime green, as it happens—went to the head of the line, and looked at the Fat Lady.

"Password?" the Fat Lady asked, tatting some lace.

"Crudelis propositum," the green-haired girl said.

"'Cruel intentions'? the Fat lady asked. Some Muggleborns sniggered. The portrait swung open, and the green-haired girl led them through the portrait hole.

When Abi came up to the hole, she jumped in, and crawled swiftly through the hole, managing—unlike the other first years—to not fall when she reached the end.

The older students separated from the group, and went up the stairs in front of them, girls to the left, boys to the right.

"All right," the green-haired girl said, "I'm Alora Reski, and I'm the female freshman Prefect for Gryffindor. Boys, your dormitory is up the stairs to your right, and on the second landing. Girls, your dormitory is up the stairs to your left, on the fifth landing. Now, if you want to ask any questions, feel free to ask any older student. Don't be shy." She turned, and went up the left spiral staircase, and they heard her yawning untol she reached the third landing.

"Night Seb, night Ian," Abi said, following the other four girls up the left staircase.

They walked up five flights of spiral staircase before they reached their new home. Abi was the first, so she tentatively opened the door and stepped into her new room.

It was about the size of her bathroom, she noticed. With a Benjamin Franklin stove in the center, there were five beds. She saw her fawn-colored leather with brass fittings trunk, with her initials—A.R.M.—painted on the side. She walked over and opened the top, making sure that the contents were her things, not Alex's. Satisfied that the House-Elves hadn't made a mistake, she turned to see the other girls looking at her.

"Hello," she said, walking over and introducing herself to everyone but Marie, who she already knew. "I'm Abi Malfoy."

A short girl, with a round face and sweet grayish eyes and honey-blonde hair stepped forward. "Hi. I'm Nathalie Bones. It's nice to meet you, Abi."

"Bones?" Abi asked, knowing the name.

"I'm Susan Bones's older brother's youngest daughter," Nathalie explained.

"Ah."

A tall, black girl, with wide chocolate brown eyes came over next. "I'm Amelia Thomas," she said. "Dean's daughter."

One girl was left. She was sitting on her bed, looking rather shocked. Abi walked over to her. "Hi, I'm Abi." She held her hand out.

The girl turned, and Abi saw her green eyes before anything else. After that, she noticed her wavy red hair. Unlike Weasley red, this red was more auburn than copper. "Hi," she said, shaking Abi's hand. "I'm, um, Astyr Dirkenson."

"It's nice to meet you, Astyr," Abi replied. She walked over to her bed again. Sitting, she untied her shoes and tucked them under the bed. She walked the short distance to her dresser, and pulled out a white tank top, and pajama pants with frogs on them. She climbed on her bed, and closed the drapes for a moment. When she opened them, everyone else was in their nightclothes, and were chatting about where they grew up.

"So, Abi," said Astyer, who seemed to have come out of her shell a bit, "where did you grow up?"

Marie laughed at this comment, and Abi glared at her. "I grew up in a small village in Wales, called Fystyrt," Abi said, smiling.

"Excuse me!" interjected Marie. "But you did not, Ms. Malfoy."

"Marie," Abi said warning her.

Marie waved her off. "Abi grew up outside of Fystyrt, in a manor. Malfoy Manor, to be exact."

"SHUT UP, MARIE!" Abi yelled. Marie frowned, but stopped. Abi looked at the others and shrugged. "I don't like to brag. And I only flaunt things in front of people I don't like. And," she yawned, "I very tired. So, I'm going to bed." She closed the drapes, and started to go to sleep when Alex nudged her.

Abi? he called.

Yes? What is it, Lex? she answered.

Just wanted to say g'night, Alex said back.

Well, g'night then, Lexie Luther, she teased.

Abi rolled over, snapping the connection, and went to sleep.

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A/N: Ok, the phrase "awkward" was transefered from one friend of mine to the rest of my youth group. 'Caeurleus uva' means 'blue grapes'. That's pretty much it, actually. Did you like their roommates? Be honest. REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Break sixty!!!!