Author's note: Sorry. Please don't hang me. I know it's been like years, but I've finally managed to get off my butt and start this thing up again. So without further ado, let's start where we left off!
"Since you won't be properly sorted until tomorow, you may sleep in whichever dorm you want," McGonagall informed me, leading me down a long stone corridor. "Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin, which would you prefer for the night?"
"Ummm...." I stopped to ponder her question. "Well..."
She peered at me impatiently over her spectacles. "Well? It's not a life or death decision Miss Johanseen, they're all the same."
"Ravenclaw's fine," I said at last.
"This way," she commanded, motioning for me to follow down the left corridor.
She led me to the Ravenclaw common room and showed me up the stairs to the girl's dormitory. The dorm was large, with a low ceiling and a couple dozen four poster beds, all neatly made and untouched since the end of the school year.
"Whichever bed you like," she said, adjusting the curtains.
I choose a bed beside one of the windows, where moonlight filtered through the silk curtains, a stiff wind banging against the window pane. I sat down and bounced the mattress a bit. It was a hell of a lot more comfortable than the lumpy piece of crap I slept in at home that had been handed down for God knows how many generations. I could get used to this.
"This is great. Thank you for everything, Professor."
"My pleasure. I suggest you get some sleep; you have a long day ahead of you tomorrow. You'll need to get up bright and early. If you need to use the bathroom, it's right over there. But you might want to avoid the middle stall for tonight."
"Why?" I asked, picturing some horrible ghost sitting in there, possibly haunting the toilet like Moaning Myrtle.
"Peeves the poltergeist tried to flush an entire roll of toilet paper down the commode this morning." She stopped and shook her head, exasperated. "If he comes back tonight, I suggest you just ignore him. Goodnight, Miss Johanseen."
"Night, Professor."
Eager for the next day, I crawled under the satin sheets and closed my eyes, lulled to sleep by the wind.
"TROOOOLL! In the dungeon! Troll in the dungeon!"
I whirled around from my place on the table, mouth stuffed with cauldron cake. "Thought you ought to know," he whispered before collapsing to the floor. I jumped up from my seat, quickly swallowing the rest of the cake.
"He did it!" I shouted, pointing an accusatory finger at the figure sprawled on the floor of the great hall. "He let the troll in!"
A hush fell over the room and Quirrell looked up, stunned. A pair of aurors entered the double doors that Quirrell had burst through just seconds before and reached down, each grabbing an arm and pulling the flabbergasted professor to his feet. "Come on, let's go, pal," the auror on the left ordered, giving him a hard yank.
"How could you?" Quirrell sputtered as he was dragged out, heels skating across the floor. "How could you?!"
"N-No..." I sputtered. "Wait a minute! Stop!"
The blond girl sitting next to me reached up and pinched me on the arm. Hard.
"Ow, what are doing?!" I demanded, rubbing my arm.
The girl on the other side of me reached up and pinched the same arm.
"Hey! Stop it! Stop it!"
I swung an arm and my hand struck...feathers?
My eyes flew open and I sat up in bed, coming face to face with a large barn owl. I screamed and thrashed wildly, spilling off the side of the bed in a tangle of sheets. The owl screeched and flew out the open door. McGonagall must have sent him to wake me up. Sweating, I scrambled to my feet and looked around in wonder. Realization. It hadn't been a dream. I was really here. In Hogwarts. And that damn thing got me good on the arm. I headed for the bathroom to run some cold water over the bite. I opened the bathroom door and let out a shriek of surprise as cold water hit my ankles and spilled into the dorm. Peeves. So that's why the dormitory door was hanging open when McGonagall had closed it! I stepped inside and rushed into the middle stall where Peeves was giggling amongst himself and reaching out to flush the toilet again.
"No you don't!" I shouted and reached out to yank him by the scruff of the neck. I got nothing but a handful of cold smoke. He laughed and blew a raspberry at me. I whipped out my wand at pointed it at his face. He flinched and then laughed.
"Get out now, or I'll let you have it, I swear," I growled, brushing my sweat-damp hair from my eyes.
"Go ahead," he chuckled. "You've got it pointed the wrong way, ickle firsty!"
I looked down and sure enough, the damned thing was pointed at me. I quickly flipped it around and jabbed it at him threateningly. "Get out now or I'll do it."
"Do what?" he asked in a mocking tone as he reached out to flush the toilet again.
"The cruciatus curse. How would you like that?"
"Silly firsty thinks she's going to do the unforgivable curse, " he cackled, fearless.
"Out. Now, or I will." I demanded. I was blowing smoke of course, but I knew that I could if I wanted to.
"You'd be expelled."
"See if I care," I lied. "Get out now or I'm calling the Bloody Baron."
Pouting, he sullenly floated out, but not before shooting me the middle finger on the way out. Shaking my head, I kicked a piece of soggy toilet paper off my foot and stepped back, wand pointed at the soaked toilet, checking to make sure that it was, indeed, facing the toilet and not me.
"Repairo!" I cried, flicking the wand. It didn't have the intended result. I shrieked and shielded my face as the toilet exploded. The commode literally burst into pieces, showering the bathroom with water, porcelain, and soggy toilet paper. Water instantly shot through the once-connecting pipe.
"Nice job, firsty!" Peeves cackled from the doorway where he was floating upside down.
"Get out!" I shouted, half angry, half panicked.
"What in Merlin's beard is going on in here?" McGonagall suddenly rushed into the room, holding up the hem or her robes to keep them from getting wet.
"I-I tried to fix the toilet!" I sputtered helplessly as the bathroom filled with water, roaring from the pipe. "I'm so sorry, Professor-"
She pushed me out of the way and jabbed her wand at the pipe. "RePARo!" she shouted. The pipe instantly stopped gushing water and the remains of the toilet flew back together and fastened itself to the wall once again. My mouth dropped open in awe.
"I guess I have a lot to learn," I muttered.
"I guess so," she shot back. "I suggest next time you wait until you've learned spells before you attempt to use them, Miss Johanseen."
"Sorry," I murmured, my face burning.
With another flick of the wand she cleared the water from the room and casually stuffed the wand back into the pocket of her emerald robes. "Get dressed and come down to the great hall for breakfast. The students will be arriving soon."
I nodded and turned to the mirror and let out a little yelp.
"What is it now?"
"Uh, ma'am? I, uh, I don't have any make-up. There's no way I'm going down there without make-up. And my hair, I have to iron it. It's an afro without it."
She starred at me over her spectacles, exasperated. "Can't you suppress your vanity while you are here, Miss Johanseen?"
"Um, no, not really," I replied to my feet. "Um, don't you guys have a spell or something like Mascara Onio or something?"
"It's Vanatarius Ossentra," she replied, shaking her head. "But I suggest you let me do it for today lest you blow your head clean off."