They all sat there mouths open staring at Dumbledore. he couldn't force them to live together
could he? Dumbledore seemed oblivious to the silence and started looking for something in his
desk. After a few seconds of serching he seemed to find what he was looking for and gently
placed a blck box on his desk. Carved in to box was the Hogwarts crest and various other symbols
even Hermione couldn't decipher. Jamie however was seemingly reading the symbols, her face
getting more creased as she worked out what it said.
"This box hold one of the many secrets of Hogwarts," he said gently resting his hands on it,
"Inside this box are the keys to you new living quarters."
They all just started as he opened it and smiled to himself. He then looked at draco and said,
"Mr Malfoy, what is your preference in jewewllery?"
Draco looked at him as if he was crazy and turned to Rose.
She sighed at his ignorance and explained, "He means to say what type of jewellery do you wear,
as in rings, bracelets or necklaces."
Realisation dawned on his face and draco turned back to Dumbledore, "Rings." He said simply.
Dumbledore nodded and handed him a silver ring with a black stone in it which seemed to have
swirling traces of silver in it. Draco took it and gently slid it on his right index finger.
Dumbledore then turned his attention to Rose who was sitting next to Draco. She leaned forward
apparently thinking and said, "Braclet." she was then handed a delicate silver braclet with the
same black gem on the clasp. Blaise was next and he too chose a ring. Jamie chose a necklace
and recieved one made of the same material as Rose's ring but with a gem dangling off it. Harry
and Daniel had rings and Ron and hermione braclets.
Once they had all recieved these Dumbledore closed the box and proceeded to explain. "The pieces
of jewellery which you have just recieved are as I said keys. Behind the statue of the first
headmaster on the 5th floor is your new living quarters. The stantue holds a book. If you wish to
enter pull down the book and on the other side you will see spaces where you can insert each of
your gems. This will open the door. You may go there now unless there are any questions?"
Hermione raised her hand and when Dumbledore nodded at her she asked, "Sir, are we allowed to
go to the hospital wing first?"
Dumbledore lightly place his fingertips together and answered, "Since you are all going to be
together for quite a while without magic, i think you should sort yourselves out as none of the
injuries which you have sustained seem particuarly nasty. You will find first aid kits and any
bandages which you need in your rooms. Of course you can leave your rooms for mealtimes, lessons,
quidditch practices and so on but you will be living there and i expct you to be civil to each
other. I will take your wands now and you may collect and hand them in to Professor McGonagall
every morning at breakfast and each evening at Dinner." He held out his hand expectantly.
They all rummanged in there pockets and produced wands except for Jamie. Once they had all
handed them over they turned to Jamie waiting for her to do the same. Jamie went slightly pink.
"I don't have-" she began.
"-Her wand with her." Dumbledore finished for her. The more observant of the group, Hermione,
Draco and Rose, noticed the professor give her a little smile before contining with his speech.
"Now that that is established if you would all like to go to your new living quarters and clean
hose injuries up a little."
The group stood up and, with Harry leading, left the office. No-one spoke until they reached
the 5th floor. Draco reached the statue first and pulled down the book. Ron, Blaise and Daniel
were slowed down by their injuries and so arrived just as Draco walked through the whole in the
wall.
Eventually the group emerged into a large room. It was painted red with black carpeting, silver
tables, black furniture and a roaring fire. This was the common room. As they surveyed their new
accomodations, Jamie spotted five doors, two of which had the words bathroom, written on in white writing.
She walked over and saw that one was for the boys, the other for the girls. The one for the girls
had lilac tiles and for the boys, green tiles. On the counter Jamie spotted two large boxes, which
she then found to be first aid boxes. Awakwardly carrying them because of the pain in the stomach, she managed to take them to the large table in the common room. Draco took the boxes from her and nodded to a chair. She smiled at him and sat down gratefully.
"Do you want to do it or shall i?" Draco questioned holding a bandage and antiseptic in his hands.
"Can you please?" replied Jamie throught gritted teeth, she had just moved into a very uncomfortable position.
Draco nodded and she lifted her top to reveal a hole in her stomach creater by what looked like a pencil.
An hour later after they had all been cleaned up, Hermione and Daniel were sitting at one of the large tables doing their trasfiguration homework. Hermione had grudglingly agree that she was only allowed to do one piece of homework a day, or else she would be working all of the time. Ron and Harry were playing wizard's chess. Ron was winning. Rose and Jamie were unpacking their things in one of the bedrooms. On closer inspectionthe group had discovered that two of the bedrooms had three beds and the other had two. Hermione, Jamie and Rose in one room, Harry, Daniel and Ron in the nexta dn Draco and Blasie in the final one. The girls room was lilac, with white carpeting and a light blue ceiling. Draco and Blaise's room was green with black carpeting and a cream ceiling and the final room was red with a white ceiling and cream carpetting.
It was about midnight and Draco was sitting alone in the common room, staring out of the window at the grounds. It was then that he saw it. A huge snake was slinking its was across the grass. Draco froze, what was he meant to do? Should he tell the others? Should he get the headmaster? Just then he heard the gentle closing of a door, the great hall door. His head whipped back towards the window. But there was no sign of the snake. He sat still as stone and heard very faintly, something moving upwards. Draco slunk as quietly as he could to the girls room, Jamie or Rose would know what to do, and even if they didn't the mudblood surely would. He opened the door and crept to Jamie's bed. He tapped her furiously until her green orbs opened and she sat up. A look of concern on her face as she turned to him and mouthed the words, 'what is it?'
Draco gestured frantically at the door. She took the hint and followed him to the common room.
"Draco, what is it?" she whispered pulling him onto the sofa next to her.
" I...I...I saw this snake thing, it was huge. I looked away for a moment and then i heard the front door shut. It's in the castle, Jamie what the hell do we do?" he said in a scared shuddering voice.
Jamie surveyed him. This was unusual, very unusual. Draco Malfoy afraid of a snake? Oh no, Jamie's mind showed her an image. A large snake, a forest, a hissing voice, slits of red eyes. It couldn't be him, could it? Suddenly Jamie knew why he was afraid. He knew of the snake. Lord Voldermort's snake. He feared it was the same one, coming to kill him. He didn't know that, if it was that snake, he wouldn't die, she would. Jamie quickly ran through her options in her mind. Her left hand subconciously found the small white scars on her right hand and covered them. They were both broken out of their thoughts and the door creaked open.