I nearly over estimated the numbers on the train. After one step into the familiar Great Hall I realised that there was less than twenty percent of the student population only just arriving. The hall was thrumming with energy, chatter and laughter. It was almost as if last year never happened, that the blood spilt on this very stone floor was non-existent.
Fed up of waiting behind the younger students I pushed through the main crowd towards the Slytherin table, sitting at the far right of the hall. My eyes sought out familiar faces, though I began to agree in part with the obnoxious Ravenclaw. Our numbers hard dwindled. The only eyes to meet mine were those of Pansy Parkinson who must have taken it upon herself to scout for any new-comers and verbally tear them to shreds to her core group. The group itself was surprisingly intact, Blaise Zambini and Theodore Nott sat across from her while Draco Malfoy sat on her left – more like she sat on his right considering the hierarchy, I kid you not. Tracey Davis sat on her right and much to my disappointment Daphne Greengrass was seated next to Selina.
I could see more than hear Pansy's pink-painted lips form my name followed by both Daphne and Tracey's eyes meeting mine. Not wanting to embarrass my former ally I turned my head and sat further down the table amongst the fifth years where I was sure not to be noticed. I'd just begun to tune into the conversations around me when I felt a gentle tap on my shoulder. Startled, I turned to see the blonde haired and blue-eyed Slytherin had gotten up to follow me.
"Hey," Daphne Greengrass spoke slightly awkwardly.
"Hi." My response was no more comfortable.
"Why didn't you sit with us?" The question was simple. The answer? Not so much.
"I… honestly didn't think you'd want me to." Her confused frown made me go on. "I've never been one of Pansy Parkinson's favourite people. It's fine, really, go back to your friends. I don't mind."
Her frown changed to something else just before she swung her leg of the bench, shoving a fifth year boy over quite roughly to make space for herself beside me. When I sent her a questioning glance she simply shrugged.
"Pansy isn't the boss of me." Was her only explanation. There was a short pause between us before she spoke again. "How's your Mother holding up?"
I couldn't answer for a moment. Not because I didn't know how to answer but because I was quite touched she remembered. "Better than two months ago, but that really doesn't say much. How about you and Astoria?"
Daphne's blue eyes scanned the table around us before her gaze landed on her sister less than ten seats down. She was laughing something her friend had whispered to her. "We're good actually. Better than we've been in a long time."
"I'm glad." I sighed then, nervously twisting a lock of hair around my index finger. "The place looks great, did you help in the repairing?"
"Yeah… after the funerals we didn't really feel up to sticking around my aunt's place. As bonkers as it sounds our happiest memories are here. It made sense to help rebuild."
I nodded, agreeing with her whole-heartedly. Daphne's parents had decided to remain neutral in the war and Voldemort killed them for it. Luckily, both sisters had been staying in their aunt's at the time and didn't meet the same fate. I went to both of their funerals as the Greengrass and Blackthorne families had an old friendship. Sticking around to watch over her as she drank her weight in fire whiskey and holding her hair as she vomited it back up created a bond between us. Three weeks later she was doing the same for me at my own family funeral.
"It was strangely fun actually," she went on. "It was technically not school time so less of the ground rules were enforced. There were regular parties on where we all piled into each other's common rooms. You would have been right at home, show off that thing you can do with a pint –"
"I thought we agreed never to speak of it."
She laughed and I couldn't help but smile. It felt strange, like my skin was suddenly too tight for my face.
"Hey! Did you have any idea that the Hufflepuff Common Room was near the kitchens?"
I smiled again. Two for two. I'd forgotten how much I actually liked this girl. I was glad to see that our alliance had held so far. "I actually do think I read somewhere –"
There was a light tinkling of silverware on glass as Professor McGonagall stood from her headmistress seat. The dull and patched grey material of the sorting hat sat on its usual stool in front of the staff's desk.
Another year, another sorting ceremony.
As we watched the first terrified first year take her seat – something Abbot I thought it was – Daphne leaned close to whisper in my ear.
"Do you remember your sorting?"
Its raspy voice filled my head, just like it had seven years ago.
"Interesting… it seems here we have a Slytherin legacy but no, no, that's not the right house for you. You have intelligence to rival a fine Ravenclaw but a kindness for a Hufflepuff I even see sparks of great bravery beseeching a Gryffindor!"
"No!" I thought furiously. "You can't! I'm a Slytherin, I swear!" I prayed the panic didn't show on my face.
"My job is to sort, my dear and most allow me to do it but I always say that in the end it's your choice. It's not me that has to live there for the next seven years."
I gritted my teeth, my eyes closing, blocking out all the eyes that stared at me. "The put me in Slytherin. It's where I want to be."
"I don't believe that… there's a gentleness in you that won't be appreciated there, I'm only trying to warn you child –"
"I don't care." My thoughts must have been a hiss. "I need to be in Slytherin, you said it was my choice you said –"
"Slytherin!"
The sorting hat's yell brought me back to the present and I tried to shake off that memory. It hadn't been the first time casting back to that particular moment in my past. I'd always wondered if I'd let the hat sort me. What my life could have turned out like, my school life would have been wonderful I liked to imagine my home-life however, hell.
Well, more hellish than it had been.
"Like yesterday…" I murmured as they got through all the first years.
I barely paid attention then to our new Headmistress' speech. Something about school spirit and sticking together. The same spiel they spew out every year but never really enforce. We all knew that McGonagall had been a Gryffindor and though she may be fare the other teachers weren't. How were the students supposed to get on and respect one another when the bad blood between houses is bred into us even when we've long left the school?
Snape had always favoured the Slytherins, Slughorn will too now in his place. Sprout treated the Hufflepuff's like her children and Flitwick awarded the Ravenclaw's points just for spewing random information to prove that they were studying for the sake of it. Hell, even Madam Pomphrey gets on her high-horse if one of her precious lions are injured.
This type of bad-blood can put the anti-muggleborn movements to shame.
These thoughts kept me subdued for the remainder of the feast. Daphne filled the silence easily with stories of the wild drinking parties that occurred in the months previously. I thought back again to what the hat had said, my eyes finding the other tables in the hall, noticing how despite they'd all come together to rebuild, socialised and drank together now we were all separated once again by the rules of this school.
I turned back to my chocolate tarte thoughtfully.
Live not survive… rules can be broken… enough bad blood…
"Have you been listening to anything I've been telling you?" Daphne seemed to finally catch on that I wasn't entirely concentrating.
"Sure I have: Justin Finch-Fletchly, game of kings and unmentionable deeds in the first floor broom closet."
"Jesus!" She hissed, colour blooming on her cheeks. "Say I a bit louder there, the Gryffindors didn't hear you.
"No one's listening to us," I assured her.
The feast had come to an end and the prefects were beginning to call people into attention. Much to my annoyance both Pansy and Draco stood and the latter's voice echoed down the table.
"First years!" His voice had dropped quite a bit since I'd last heard him speak. Verging on definite man rather than growing boy. "Get you're arses over here so we can show you your rooms. I don't have all day."
Charming, really charming. Who in their right minds picked this bloke?
Daphne and I managed to get ahead of the major crowds, quickly making our way down the grand staircase and into the dungeons. Before we knew it we were back in the cold but beautiful green-lit halls of the Slytherin Common Room.
"It doesn't look even the slightest bit different," I couldn't help but comment as I stared around the main room, emerald and silver tapestries adorned the walls, dark leather couches, glass coffee tables with engraved serpents entwined on the legs.
"That's because it hasn't been touched. It was one of the only places in the castle that hadn't been touched," she was following my gaze, her eyes haunted. "What does that say about us?"
"That we refused to fight our family and friends despite not believing in their cause." The line always came easily to my tongue and it was the utter truth. Yes, my house was popular for dark wizards, yes we had a terrible reputation and yes even that reputation was used to make my life hell. But never will I think less of the students that didn't fight in the final battle.
What people didn't understand – i.e. the Gryffindors – that despite not believing in Voldemort's cause most cold not bare to face the idea that they may have had to murder a cousin or uncle? We were too close and not fighting was the bravest and only was we could participate with our hearts and sanity intact.
After that depressing thought we decided not to stick around in the un-touched lounge area. Instead opting for unpacking in our rooms. It seemed that fate hadn't released its hold on me yet on reaching it when I noticed my usual room had been taken by four third years. Frowning I walked back into Daphne's dorm.
"It appears that I've lost my…" My eyes fell on the familiar trunk and aquarium that lay at the foot of a bed between Daphne and Pansy's.
Oh dear.
"Millicent's parents pulled her out of school." Pansy's bored tone filled the room as she inspected her nails. "Seemingly had a job lined up for her in her dad's supply business."
Of course she knew that, she knew everything about everyone, myself not included.
"Right…" Was all I got to say before she strode forward from her leaning position against the wall. She paused two steps away from me her dark eyes scanning from head to toe. I suddenly felt like I was being poked and probed in a laboratory.
"Seems you finally figured out what frizz-lotion was."
"Seems like you finally got a nose job."
I really don't know what made me say it whether it was the sudden exhaustion, slight headache or severe uncomfortable feeling at being in that current situation. Anyway, the words were blurted out before I could bite them back and then Pansy and I just stared at each other.
After an eternally long moment Pansy's full lips parted, I braced myself for a snarl or a spit but was shocked to see an amused smirk on her features instead.
"Touché Blackthorne," was all she said before returning to her bed and pulling out the latest edition of Witch Weekly.
Internally sighing I went over to my belongings, smiling broadly at the sight of my eastern box turtle Koopa. Moving him to pride of place on my dresser I proceeded to put away my belongings, working in comfortable silence with my two knew roommates. The only sound in the room was the quote rustling of folding clothes and a casual whisper of turning pages.
As we got ready for bed we discussed our various emotions revolving classes starting on Monday. We still had the weekend to get settled which was good and Pansy wanted to spend it lounging in the grounds with the boys. She didn't invite me to join them, not that I was expecting her two. My mind was still spinning about our last exchange.
After returning from a ten-minute bathroom trip the tension in the room had heightened, making me more than grateful to see the other two in bed. Sliding under the familiar green sheets I allowed myself into the soft mattress, feeling a little more positive about the coming year.
Then, there was a loud and irritated sigh from my left.
"Blackthorne?" Pansy's voice held its bored tone once more.
"Uh… yeah?"
"If you want to come and hang this weekend, you can."
Silently, I gave the third bed in the room a significant look despite Daphne never being able to see it. There had obviously been a discussion about me during my short toilet run. I wasn't sure if that was a positive thing or not.
Noting the olive-branch however I couldn't not pick it up.
"That sounds like fun. Thanks Parkinson."
She didn't answer, instead I heard her close the curtains around her four-poster bed. I settled back into a comfortable position, smiling lightly at whatever Greengrass had come up with to make Pansy Parkinson swallow a gram of that pride.
Realising pretty quickly that I hadn't a single theory I simply smirked in the darkness.
"Night, Daphne," I called lightly.
"Night, Alyssa," she answered.
Yup, things were looking up.