A/N: Hello, peoples! I know I haven't posted in a while, but I had total writer's block. And guess what? I am now officially a beta-reader! Yay! So if you need any help with your stories, and still need a beta-reader, I'm open!

Chapter 4

I stepped into the Great Hall, taking a deep breath. I tried to put the bad memories into a locked chest in the back of my mind. Ginny took my hand and squeezed. I looked over at her, opening my eyes. She looked back at me and said, "We can do this. Come on."

I nodded, took another deep breath, and opened my eyes to walk to my table. There weren't a lot of people, I guess not many being able to face it. Even the first years, who were usually plentiful by the handful, had less than usual. I did a quick head count and saw that there were about fifteen less than usual.

As I walked to the Gryffindor table, I was lost in thought, trying to push away all of the revolting thoughts that came to my head when I walked past the place where Fred was lied, already gone. Tonks and Remus, right next to each other. Where Pomfrey and some helpers tended to the wounded. Where Colin Creevey layed, his life lost, where his parents and brother sat, crying over his body. I shuddered, a chill going down my back. It was almost all too much for me.

Ginny and I made it to the Gryffindor table and sat next to Harry. He sensed my feelings, and he held Ginny 's hand, and he put his over mine. I looked at him, knowing my face was as white as a piece of brand new parchment. I looked down and started to place food on my plate. After we ate, McGonagall stood. With a solemn expression on her face, she started the welcoming speech.

"Hello, hello, students. Welcome back. This year will be a new one, one that isn't constantly plagued by fear. Now, I hope everybody can just let go of what happened the last time most of us had been here. I am not telling you to forget it. No, no, no. That would be a horrible thing to do. We have to hold on to the last memories of your loved ones, if you lost one, and live up to it. Don't go round, never being happy again, because I am sure that is not what your loved one would want you to do. Please, be happy. Now, on another note, we have decided to take the house unity thought and put it into action. We have decided that there will be two Slytherins and two Gryffindors to share a dorm. This will, hopefully, help the house unity extend. The people sharing a living quarters will be Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley, Blaise Zabini, and Draco Malfoy." McGonagall continued speaking. "We have come to another decision as well. We, as in being the teachers and Mr. Malfoy, have all decided, to put things behind us and hopefully cheer everybody up, that we would be having a ball." There was a slight murmur that traveled around the room, and even Harry, Ginny and I exchanged puzzled looks. "Yes, yes. We will, in fact, be having two balls, one in the winter, and another near the end of the year. The people that will help design it is Draco Malfoy, and if they are okay with it, Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley, and Blaise Zabini. The teachers will help a bit, too. If they need any permission, they will come to me. You are not to interfere with the planning." She stopped for a moment, letting us absorb the news. When I heard my name, my jaw dropped. I looked at Ginny, whose eyes were bulging, Zabini, who looked confused with his eyebrows arched down slightly and a queer look in his eye, and Malfoy. He looked the calmest. He didn't look at all surprised with it either. "Now, you may go. Enjoy your night back. And thank you." That was our permission to go.

We all stood and started to bustle out of the Great Hall. Harry came up to me with Ginny holding his hand and asked, "Hey, Hermione, why was Malfoy sitting with you two during the carriage ride?"

"Oh, yes. He just said something about starting house unity a little early." I rolled my eyes. "He didn't say much afterwards."

Harry nodded his head in understanding, looking around and said, "Do you guys even know where your new dorm is?"

"No. We should wait for McGonagall. She will tell us." Malfoy's voice came from behind me.

"Hey, Malfoy? Why did you want to have a ball? You obviously knew about it, considering your expression."

"Well, what did McGonagall say? House Unity." I rolled my eyes, not believing that that was all there was to it.

When we found McGonagall a few minutes later, the entrance hall was almost empty. There were just Ginny, Harry, Malfoy, Zabini, me and four or five third years. McGonagall was waiting by the staircase, piece of parchment in hand.

"Professor? Can you please shown us where our new dorm is?" I asked McGonagall.

"Of course, Miss. Granger. I am actually surprised you didn't find me earlier."

I blushed and followed the elder professor. She turned and walked up the staircase, then took a left and went straight past four or five right turns. Then she took a right, leading to a narrow corridor. I had never been to this part of the castle before, which was saying something, considering Harry, Ronald, and I used to take all sorts of adventures over the school. At the end of the corridor, there was a winding staircase. "Now, there is a different dorm room each year. Yours, I think personally, is the best so far." McGonagall said this as she walked up the curved stairs, to another corridor. It was dark and dusty, but big. She led us down to the end of it, coming to stop in front of a brick wall. "This works as if you were coming into Diagon Alley from Muggle London. Though it does not have quite the same code. You tap the bottom right corner brick, then over and up six. You double tap the fourth one up from there, and say the password. Make sure you use your wand, or else it won't work. You decide the password." McGonagall said all of this as she did the movements herself, and once she was finished, the wall melted away to a stone wall behind it.

"Can it be Phoenix?"

"I think it should be Slytherins."

"It's going to be Power."

"Can we pick 'daffodils'?"

Ginny wanted Phoenix, Malfoy wanted Slytherins, Zabini wanted Power, and I wanted Daffodils. "Well, since it seems you will not agree easily, Miss. Weasley, why do you want Phoenix?"

"It seems to be powerful. A good meaning. Dumbledore had a Phoenix." She shrugged.

"And Mr. Malfoy, why do you want Slytherins?"

"Because they are absolutely the best."

"Mr. Zabini?"

"I like power."

"Miss. Granger?"

"Doffodil flowers have the meaning of new begginnings. Since the war is over, and some people may be changing their ways, or are relieved that they don't have to go to sleep wondering if they would be the next to die, or if they know somebody to die the next day. It really describes what is going on right now."

"I like Hermione's the best." Ginny said immediately.

"Me too," Harry chimed in.

"I have to agree with Mr. Potter and Miss. Weasley."

"Yeah, I guess Granger's suggestion is okay." Zabini joined the conversation somewhat reluctantly.

"Mr. Malfoy?"

"I think Granger's is the best. Besides my suggestion, of course." Malfoy smirked as he said the last part.

I rolled my eyes and said, "Of course." I said it with mock kindness, smirking a bit. "But that isn't exactly a surprise, considering you are Malfoy, selfish, ferret-like Malfoy. But, beside your vote, everybody else likes mine more, so daffodils it is." I turned to McGonagall as I said the last part, and she smiled, turning back to the wall.

After she whispered the password and tapped the stone wall three times, all in different places. The wall fell back as if a door and revealed what was inside.

I was the first to step into the dorm and gasped at what I saw. There was a huge roaring fire sitting in a fireplace. The fireplace was made from brown brick with a mantle on top. The Hogwarts emblem was hanging above the mantle, framed by an oak wood frame. In front of the fireplace, there were three sofas, two armchairs, and about ten beaniebags. The couches were black and chocolate brown. The armchairs were green with silver tassels hanging off the bottom and red with gold tassels brimming the bottom. The beaniebags were green, red, gold, silver and black. Two couches were facing each other, about five feet between them, where about five beaniebags were placed. The other sofa was set a bit back, facing the fireplace. The armchairs were in the corners of the sofas. I looked around and saw three pairs of double doors set upon the wall along the floor. There were four sets of stairs leading up to a balcony of a sort, where six doors were set upon the wall. The balcony went around the whole room, set about seven feet into the air, against the walls. The walls were white. The light came from several candlesticks on holders around the room, and the ceiling, what held strings that seemed to be like tassels, but were lit to give off a goldish and silverish glow.

I squealed in excitement and turned to McGonagall. Answering my unasked question, she said, "Yes, Mrs. Granger, you can look in the doors. Except for that one." McGonagall laughed and gestured to one pair of the double doors. "It's a surprise."

I payed no attention to what she said, other than to acknowledge it with a nod. Excitedly, like a young child, I ran to the other pair of double doors and opened them. A rush of cold air burst in, surprising myself. I walked out onto the real balcony, facing the sunset. It was past seven o'clock, and it was warm. I looked around the balcony, finding a few fold-up lounge chairs. There were also two hammocks on the large terrace, along with a small table and love seat. I smiled, then came back inside and closed the doors. I headed to the other pair of double doors, the ones that McGonagall said we could go in. I opened the doors and found a kitchen. I jumped up and down, Ginny coming in behind me and laughing.

"Hermione, why are you so excited?"

"It's just so beautiful! Plus, they have Muggle appliances!"

We laughed and headed back out. I ran to the stairs and walked upon the balcony. The first door I came to had Malfoy engraved in gold lettering. The next said Zabini, also in gold lettering. I walked round the terrace, passing the other door which had loo engraved in black lettering. The door I came to first on the other side of the balcony, across from Zabini's, said Weasley in silver lettering. The door next to Ginny's, across from Malfoy's said my last name in silver lettering. I turned the knob and walked into my dorm.

It was not all red and gold, like I had first suspected it would be. Rather, it was a theme made of silver, purple, and blue. The bed had silver curtains and oak windowpanes. The bed had purple sheets and pillows, while there was a blue heavy comforter. The floor was covered in a grayish carpet. There was an oak bedside table. Across from the bed, there were some small bookcases. There was a huge walk-in closet, one that I was surely never to fill. The closet had a purple door with silver handle. There was also a small garbage can, and next to it, a desk. The desk was piled with parchment, quills and ink. There was a drawer and a side compartment that slid out to place books upon. In itself, the room was perfect for me.

I walked out of the room with a smile, closing the door behind me. I strolled over to McGonagall said, "These rooms are wonderful. Thank you so much."

She smiled response and we waited a few moments until everybody else was gathered round, Harry having already said his goodbyes and retiring off to the Gryffindor common room. "Now, Mr. Malfoy already knows what is behind the mystery doo over there. I know you will enjoy it. It has almost every book the Hogwarts' library has." As she said the last few words, my excitement grew. We had our own, personal library! The doors opened, revealing the inside, the bookcases reaching the ceilngs and covering the whole wall space. My eyes filled with wonder and excitement, and I almost ran into my haven, but Ginny caught my arm and laughed.

"Not so fast. We all know that if you start now, you won't stop until you've finished the whole library. And we have classes tomorrow." The Gryffindors and former Gryffindor laughed, while the Slytherins rolled their eyes.

"I have no doubt you will finish that library by the end of the year." Malfoy stated, his voice not carrying one ounce if doubt. I shook my head and smirked.

"Well, we all know you are repulsed by books, so I might have to go in there just to avoid you." Ginny laughed while Malfoy scowled. Zabini merely smiled in amusement.

"Oh, and do make sure you get along well, Slytherins and Gryffindors. This is for house unity, you know. Good night and see you tomorrow."

McGonagall walked out of the room. I smiled and said good night to everyone and then bolted back up to my sleeping quarters. Almost as soon as I layed my head down on the pillow, I was asleep, dreaming about new dorms and how hard it would be to show house unity with Malfoy and Zabini.