Chapter 12

The Third Floor

It took quite a while for me to get use to finding my way around in this enchanted castle. For one, the stairs constantly moved all by themselves so we kept on having to find an alternative route to whatever class we were going to. Fortunately, I even my fellow Slytherins from all magical families seemed to be struggling to adjust just as much as I was. Lenora and I were late to almost every one of our classes the first week. Most of the professors were pretty sympathetic. Only Professor McGonagall seemed displeased. At least we were not as late as Potter and Weasley. I found myself fairy interested in most of the classes so far but not all of them.

"Man, Defense Against the Dark Arts sounded like it would be interesting," I commented disappointed as we left Professor Quirrell's classroom, which smelled strongly of garlic. "But I think I paid better attention in History of Magic."

"That class is a joke," Draco added. "In Durmstrang, they actually learn about the dark arts, not just these lame defenses. Not to mention, that school has the sense not to let mudbloods attend."

I starred at the ground quietly with no response to that last statement.

"At least potions should be pretty good," Lenora commented changing the subject. "Especially since Snape's the teacher."

"He seems pretty strict to me," I pointed out remembering his stern gaze in the Great Hall.

"Don't worry, he's only like that to keep appearances from what I heard," Lenora assured. "Besides, he always likes the students in his house and acts more favorably towards them, which is good for uss."

"And he won't give Potter special treatment just because he's famous unlike all the other teachers," Draco added smugly.

I frowned. Professor McGonagall did not seem to treat Potter any differently from the other students in Transfiguration class and she's the head of his house. I decided best not point this out.

"So when do we have Potions?" I asked instead.

"Not till the end of the week," Draco replied sounding disappointed.

xXx

That night I found myself unable to sleep. I guess it must be from all the excitement of this new school. For the past three mornings, I keep thinking that when I wake up I will be back in Little Whinging and Mother would be making me breakfast and lecturing me about my behavior in school. I do sometimes miss home and my parents but I would never in a million years give this up.

With caution, I tiptoed down to the common area, which was completely dark. Even the people in the portraits were asleep.

"Melanie. What are you doing?"

As I heard the whisper from behind me I turned to see Lenora coming down from the stairs.

"I couldn't sleep so I thought I would go for a walk."

She raised her eyebrow. "You know we are not suppose to go out after 11 pm."

"I was planning on being careful. I use to do this kind of thing at home all the time. No one will notice me."

Lenora just laughed. "I didn't say I cared. I was only making sure you knew." She walked up to me. "Since I can't sleep either, I'm coming with you. So where are we going?"

I shrugged as we opened the painting. "I don't know. I just wanted to explore the castle a little."

At that moment, Lenora's eyes lit up. "I have an idea! Do you remember Dumbledore said about the 3rd floor above the corridor?"

"Sure." My heart began to beat faster when I thought of where she was going with this.

"Let's go see it!" Lenora declared eagerly.

"Um, I don't know." As intrigued as I was by this I also recalled something at our welcoming ceremony. "Didn't Dumbledore say it was dangerous there and we could die?"

Lenora rolled her eyes. "Duh, I was there when he said it. I just want to have a peek. We don't actually have to go near whatever it that could supposedly kill us. Come on, Melanie. Where's your sense of adventure?"

I use to think of myself as pretty adventurous and risk-taking. When I was seven, I almost willingly on Dudley's dare to climb into a tank containing an 8-ft snake. I would have done it, except Mother grabbed hold of me before I had the chance. Also, of coarse, there was my eagerness to take on Jordan Scott, a well-known bully at my old school, one on one. Now, however, here stood Lenora Lane, ready to put me to shame. I could not allow that.

Hiding my fear, I nodded. "Let's do it."

It took some time to get to this mysterious room on the third floor. The castle's changing staircases and darkness did not help, but eventually we found it. Lenora held up the lantern, walking straight ahead as I followed. We came across a room filled with trophies.

"I don't see anything scary here," I commented disappointed.

"I don't think this is the area Dumbledore meant," Lenora pointed out as she turned to leave the Trophy room. "Come on. Let's see what's over there."

I followed her into a darker room filled with the sound of deep snoring. Quietly tiptoeing, the two of us crept closer to the sound to see what it was.

"It looks like a just bunch of giant dogs sleeping," Lenora whispered, unimpressed, as she began to turn around.

I froze solid as I got a closer look. "Wait. It's only one giant dog…" I gulped. "With three heads."

Lenora gasped as the lantern fell from her hand, shattering as it hit the ground. Slowly, all six eyes lifted open as each head shot up one by one. As drool fell from each of the three mouths, a raging snarl filled the room.

At first, we both froze our bodies' ice cold. I then grabbed Lenora's hand, shouting 'let's get out of here,' as I dragged us both out of the room, my heart pounding franticly. Fortunately, the dog (or dogs, I don't know; this is my first encounter with a three-headed dog), were chained so it couldn't come after us. We both scurried down the stairs away from the third floor, out of breath.

"I cannot believe they have something like that here!" Lenora panted as we slowed our pace.

"Dumbledore wasn't joking when he said we could die a painful death, was he," I added as I suddenly recalled something I saw in the room. "I wonder what it was sleeping on. It looked like some kind of door. Maybe it leads somewhere they don't want us to go."

Lenora looked at me, raising her eyebrow, "Are you saying you want to try to somehow get through that door?"

Laughing a little, I shook my head. "Of coarse not. I may enjoy taking a few risks every now and then, but I don't have a death wish."

"That was quite an adventure," Lenora reflected grinning. "I can't wait to tell the other Slytherins tomorrow." She then stopped to face me as she asked, "So what's next? Do you want to check out what's in the Dark Forest?"

"Well, umm…"

Before a could finish a soft by stern man's voice interrupted with, "And what do you two think you are doing?"

We turned to see that in front of us stood Professor Snape, head of our house. In his long black robes, he folded his arms, his black, greasy hair, hung above his shoulders.

"We were, umm…" I began desperately trying to think of some excuse.

"We were trying to get to know the castle better," Lenora spoke up more confidently, her head up high. "You see, we've been getting lost trying to find all our classes all week so we thought we'd have a look around so we could become more familiar with the place."

Snape raised his eyebrow. "At 12:30 in the morning?"

Lenora turned her gaze downward as she replied more weekly, "There was no time earlier."

Snape shifted his gaze between both Lenora and me as he spoke sternly, "Here at Hogwarts we have rules that forbid students to roam about the castle after hours. In the past, students have found themselves in serious trouble when caught."

With guilt, both Lenora and I looked down to the ground as we waited to hear our punishment. My heart began to pace rapidly. Sure, I've been in trouble loads of times at my old schools but never this soon in the school year and never at a school I actually liked.

"However," Snape continued in a slightly softer tone. "Seeing as you are both first years I will let this one slide and award you each five points for Slytherin and you promise to go straight back to your dormitories."

To startled for words, we both nodded as we turned to make our way back to the Slytherin common room.

"Guess we'll have to try the Dark Forest another night," Lenora said after she said the password and we entered the Slytherin common room.

"I still can't believe our luck. We get caught sneaking and the next thing I know, we've won our house ten points?"

Lenora smirked. "That's one of the perks of being in Slytherin."

"No kidding," I commented, now even more glad I told the hat I wanted to be in Slytherin. "You know what I can't wait for?"

"What's that?"

I smiled. "Our Potions lesson tomorrow."