1.4 Sneers and Jeers
The twenty-eight students stood between the large round table and the two sofas beside the fireplace. The first years didn't hide their bewilderment at their first sight of the common room. The green glow of the windows and large glass globes, emitting a green flame hung from silver fittings, lit the room around them. Prior to Professor Slughorn's departure he gave a word of caution.
"Your return here will not be without some struggles. All I can ask is you uphold the Hogwarts values of unity and try to get along."
Only when Professor Slughorn left did the fourth year students step up. Eight in total, the absence of the older students seemed disheartening. The three girls and five boys spoke amongst themselves before a tall, heavyset girl with mousy brown hair came forward.
"I'm Hilda Bandish. I'll be taking charge of the female students. That there is Roger Rakhorn; he'll be in charge of the boys."
Roger came forward.
"Listen up all of you. My family have been in Slytherin since Salazar Slytherin taught here. I'll be damned if I let this house disappear. It's up to us to ensure the name Slytherin continues so don't think about running home to mommy and daddy when it gets hard. And believe me; it will be hard. You saw the way they looked at us tonight in the great hall. So buckle up and toughen up. We're all in this together."
Not a word was spoken in response. Most eyes were downcast; few watch Roger as he talked.
"Now then," Roger went on, "First year boys follow me. I'll show you to your dormitory."
Roger turned and made his way towards the boy's dormitory. The remainder of the boys followed until they had left the common room.
Hilda looked at the few girls who remained.
"Let's head down to the girls dormitory."
As Lorna turned to followed movement in the nearest window caught her eye. Shadows moved beyond the glass and Lorna caught a glimpse of the image.
"Creatures from the lake." Neema came up behind Lorna and told her.
Lorna stared up at Neema, her expression showing her bewilderment.
"The great lake is beyond this wall. During the day the green glow reflects brighter and you can see the creatures beyond. It's fascinating but frightening at the same time."
Movement once more caught Lorna's eye but the darkness beyond the glass wall only reflected her own reflection, distracting her focus.
Neema moved on and Lorna followed. Down black stone stairs, the green glow of the ceiling lit their path. At the bottom of the stairwell, a narrow, high corridor with doors at different intervals.
"Generally, the older students are located through the other corridor but given there are so few of us will all remain in this one. Bathroom is through the door at the end of the corridor." Hilda told them as they came to a stop several feet from the stairs.
"First years are in this room. Neema, you and Matilda have the room opposite. Third years are down here with the fourth years."
They all moved to their rooms and Lorna enter behind Regina and Bree, Vivian closing the door when she entered. Dark framed four-poster beds stood against black stone floor and walls with emerald green coverings and silk hangings. A bright green glow emanated from silver light fittings in the centre of the room as the windows remained a dark green. Lorna's trunk, now located at the end of the bed, stood closest to the door. Vivian had the bed beside Lorna and unpacked her personal items onto her bedside table. Bree had the bed directly across from Lorna and Regina beside Bree.
Bree and Regina did not dawdle in the room, having confirmed their trucks were there, left the room soon after.
Lorna sat on her bed and surveyed the room. She wasn't accustoming to sharing a bedroom. Her small room above Borgin and Burkes contained an array of trinkets collected over the years including those passed on by her parents. Across for her, Vivian finished arranging her items and now crouched on the floor beside her trunk, rearranging it. Lorna spied the small photo frame on her side table and from where she sat she could see the still image of four people.
Lorna had no photo of her family. It had never occurred to her to bring one. She turned away from Vivian and drew close her satchel. She had not departed with it since boarding the train as this was where she kept all her treasured possessions she brought with her to Hogwarts.
Not one to display her personal items. Lorna rummaged around in her satchel and removed a piece of parchment and quill. A quick glance towards Vivian showed she had the same idea. Lorna tucked her long hair up into a knot near the nape of her neck, settled herself against the bedhead and adjusted the two soft pillows comfortably behind her. With her parchment against her raise knees, Lorna wrote a quick note home to her father. There wasn't much her father had not seen or done that gave him cause for concern. However, Lorna realised with her departure her father would worry. A letter home would offer some comfort.
Once completed, Lorna placed her letter on her bedside table to be posted the following day. She then retrieved her nightgown and toiletries and made her way to the girl's bathroom. As she passed the other bedrooms, she could hear muffled voices of the other female students. A part of Lorna had looked forward to meeting other girls her age; she had not expected it to turn out as it had.
A large wooden door at the end of the corridor stood out, its ornate depiction of females bathing in a forest pool surrounded by wild animals indicated the door to the bathroom. Lorna entered, surprised to find it empty. The grey marble floor and walls reflected light from the many candles hovering around the perimeter of the room. There was no sign of any green glow and the room almost appeared too surreal to be part of the Slytherin house.
Yet, as Lorna readied herself for the bath, she noticed the many images carved into the marble. Stories of dark art history and noble Slytherin's fighting beasts and other wizards. Lorna dawdled in the warm water, moving around the bath to view the stories. The rich history of Slytherin told in images was something Lorna looked forward to telling her father about.
On her return to the bedroom, Lorna came across Neema and Matilda. They stopped in the corridor and Neema introduced them.
"It's nice to meet you Lorna. If there's anything you need; ask."
"Thank you. Your accent is strange." Lorna couldn't help asking.
Matilda laughed. "I'm Australian."
"Oh. How is it you're at Hogwarts?"
"My ancestors migrated to Australia in the 1880s."
"Convicts." Neema coughed behind her hand and Matilda stuck her elbow deep into Neema's side.
"Apparently that entitles me to attend. We have wizard blood somewhere in our family tree. No idea where or who. Had a letter arrive from Hogwarts and let me tell you the whole family freaked out. There were things I could do that I couldn't explain, but I never told anyone about it. Kept it to myself. But had to explain it all and here I am."
"I've never been that far away from home before. Do you miss it?"
"All the time. I hate the cold weather."
"You hate a lot of things." Neema added.
"I hate you." Matilda told her.
"And I hate you."
Lorna wasn't sure if they meant what they said at first but them both smiled.
"Were you surprised to be in Slytherin?" Lorna asked.
"Not at all. There's a lot of dark magic in Australia, most people aren't aware of that. I think it has to do with the wide open spaces and ease to hide your activities."
"Maybe that's where half of the missing Death Eaters have gone to?" Neema suggested.
Matilda shrugged. "Maybe."
"Is the bathroom busy?" Neema asked, changing the topic.
"No. There's no one in there."
"Great. Let's go before anyone else shows." Neema said, pulling Matilda along behind her.
"Man, having the bathroom to ourselves will be great this year." Matilda replied, as they both moved forward forgetting to farewell Lorna.
Back in the bedroom, neither Bree nor Regina had returned from where they had gone. Vivian finished writing her letter and placed several parchments folded neatly together on her bedside table. As Lorna sat on her bed, Vivian left without a word with her own nightgown and toiletries in hand. Alone in the bedroom Lorna braided her hair down one side as she continued to observe her surroundings. The sparseness of the room left Lorna feeling as though she were missing too many items and the size too was something Lorna realised she would need to become accustomed too.
With her hair done, Lorna climbed into bed. Even the size of the bed and the softness of the mattress left Lorna feeling disorientated. She hadn't expected the range of emotions she experienced and the quiet of the room brought a loneliness she had never imagined possible.
Like dinner the evening before, breakfast was a sombre affair. The Slytherin's entered the great hall in silence and none spoke as they ate. Talk among the other students made up for the lack of conversation from the Slytherin table.
At the end of breakfast, the food vanished and Professor Slughorn came forward with their class schedules. The Professor made every attempt to engage conversation with the third and fourth years as he handed them their schedules. Although most politely thanked Professor Slughorn, none facilitated conversation with him. By the time he reached the first and second years the dejected expression across his face was hard to dismiss.
When all but the first years had departed Professor Slughorn once more attempted to put the cheer back into his voice. "No doubt you'll be looking forward to classes."
Professor Slughorn handed out the class schedules.
"If there are any questions or concerns, feel free to call upon me anytime."
Lorna glanced at her schedule and then at Bree's beside her.
"We have the same classes," Lorna noted out loud.
"Of course we do. Don't you know anything?"
Bree's tone was curt and Lorna wondered if she had said or done anything to offend her.
"They'll keep us together because we're so few and want to avoid trouble. If there were more of us, there might have been two classes." Conrad remarked as he stood, tucking his schedule inside his bag.
"I'd like to see any one of them try something. They seem to forget we're Slytherin." Regina spoke, her tone as cutting as Bree's.
They left the great hall and as they came together at the entrance, Vivian turned on them, making them all come to an abrupt stop. It was difficult to see her face under her hair yet her posture looked determined.
"I suggest we keep our mouths shut and work hard. We have something to prove now. In their eyes we're all supporters of you know who, whether we are or not makes no difference."
Regina took immediate offence and puffing her chest out she replied, "Don't tell me what to do. If you're a Slytherin and didn't support the Dark Lord during his reign, then you're a traitor."
Vivian didn't reply. She didn't do anything. Lorna stood awkwardly, as Regina attempted to stare down Vivian. It might have been comical given no one could see Vivian's face if the situation wasn't serious.
"We'll be late for our first class if we don't get going." Lorna led the way grateful the others chose to follow.
The idea of being attacked at Hogwarts and by the students, Lorna decided would have been easier to deal with. It was the whispers, taunts, accidental bumps and flat out insults that prove difficult to ignore. So unaccustomed to such behaviour, Lorna struggle to understand why anyone would behave in such a manner. What made it worse was it being done in a way the teachers were oblivious to.
Conrad had gotten into a scuffle with Michael Green from Gryffindor after their first lesson of Herbology. The walk across the grounds making the Slytherin's easy targets for verbal assaults. Conrad's temper had been the first pushed past self-control, turning on Michael Green as they neared the castle. The swift retribution by the Gryffindor's coming to Michael's aid pushed Conrad to retreat. Conrad understood he was no match for the fifteen Gryffindor's standing ready to fight and made the wise move to turn his back on them. This only led the Gryffindor's taunting Conrad as a coward. It didn't get any better for any of them.
In the corridors, moving between classes, sight of the other Slytherin students showed none had been spared the insults. By evening, the Slytherin's congregated in the common room. The consensus had been to miss dinner in the great hall, opting to eat in their common room instead. However, Headmistress McGonagall with Professor Slughorn appeared in the Slytherin house informing the students they would attend dinner in the great hall with everyone else. This time there were several voices of disapproval at the suggestion, some stating the atrocious treatment they had received by the other students during the day.
This news both shocked and saddened Headmistress McGonagall, and she promised to address the issue but not before they attended dinner. With more grumbling, the Slytherin students followed Headmistress McGonagall and Professor Slughorn to the great hall. The whole time Professor Slughorn said nothing but his concerned glances as the made their way up from the dungeons did not go unnoticed by several of the older students.
Once in the great hall, the Slytherin's sat at their table, resentful at being made to be there. While the other houses sat disgusted they had to wait for their arrival before eating.
.
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Useless end note:
The entire story idea came to me in one day. I wrote the book title and each chapter title and a two line draft for each chapter before I started writing.