Chapter Twelve.

Common Room.

I heard the hat shout the last word to the whole hall. My heart leapt to my throat as a collective gasp echoed throughout the Great Hall. Harry had gone ghostly white, then I realised his tie had turned from the boring black first-years tie to a strong maroon based with golden strips (one thin and two thick) sitting diagonally across the fabric.

Suddenly, I hear the roaring sound of applause burst free from the Slytherin table. McGonagall takes the hat off my head – rather shakily – and allows me to walk over, weak legged to the far left table to join my new house. Professor McGonagall's words echoed in my head, "While you're here, your house will be like your family."

I feel sick, but the Slytherin table continues to roar and clap vigorously. Some yell "We've got Grace! We've got Grace!" almost in mockery of the Weasley Twins celebration beforehand. I sit next to a newly sorted first-year girl, she had shiny black hair with narrow slitted eyes. She quickly introduced herself as Pansy Parkinson. She appeared friendly enough. Opposite me, Draco Malfoy was sat with sly grin tugging at the right-hand corner of his mouth. And just two tables behind him, my brother was staring at me with a blank expression, it was almost like he had been betrayed by me, I didn't choose this.

Lastly, 'Blaise Zabini' was made the final Slytherin member, he was the dark skinned boy stood with me before I had my seating, he had a strange look about him. Anyway, he seated himself next to me with a smile and introduced himself politely. Professor McGonagall rolled up her scroll and took the Sorting Hat and the stool away.

Looking down at my empty plate trying to control my urge to look over to Harry, Hermione and Ron who were sat, no doubt laughing together like best friends, whereas I was trying to avoid awkward eye contact. I manage to have an actual conversation with a dark brown haired girl with light orange eyes. Her name is Mae Diggory. Staring down at my plate makes me realise how hungry I am, the food on train seemed like ages ago.

Albus Dumbledore had now gotten to his feet, a large beaming smile plastered across his face with his arms open wide as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see us all here. "Welcome!" he said, "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our feast, I have a few first-of-term notices I wish to announce; the first-years please note, the dark forest is strictly forbidden to all student. Also, our caretaker, Mr Filch, has asked me to remind you, that the third-floor corridor on the right hand side, is out-of-bounds to anyone who does not wish to die a most painful death." Dumbledore paused for a moment allowing what he had said to sink in but it had made me a little curious, little whispers broke out over the hall but soon the Headmaster speaks again, "Now, let the feast begin!"

The entire group of first-years mouths dropped open as all the golden dishes in front of me were now filled with food. I had never seen so many things I liked to eat on one table: roasted beef and chicken, pork and lamb chops, steaks, sausages and bacon, boiled, roasted and mashed potatoes, yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy and ketchup (for some reason).

Harry looked almost as pleased as I was, the Dursley's had never exactly starved us but we never got to eat as much as we wanted. Dudley had always eaten anything we wanted, even if it made him feel sick. I piled my plate, not caring what anyone thought however no one said anything to me about my plate and it's capacity, hardly anyone gave my plate a second glance. Mae speaks to me thoroughly, with some friendly input from Draco and Blaise.

Suddenly, a blank eyed ghost popped his head out of the middle of my plate making me and Mae screech causing Pansy, Draco and Blaise to laugh sharply. The ghost had a gaunt face and robes stained with silver blood.

"Ah, fresh blood," the ghost muses as he inhales sharply before breathing outwards slowly, "A Potter... that is mighty interesting..."

I furrow my brows, "Why?"

The ghost smirks, but before he could reply, Draco shoo's the ghost away who snarls like a hound before passing through him. Draco shivers violently. "That's Bloody Baron." an elder Slytherin informs me and the other first-years, "Just ignore him."

And I do, Bloody Baron floats around scaring other first-years, soon when everyone has eaten as much as possible, the remains of the food disappear form the dishes to be replaced minutes later by bocks of ice cream in every flavour, apple pies, treacle tarts, jam doughnuts, chocolate éclairs, trifle and black forest gateau. As I turned to help myself to gateau, the talk of our section of the table, turned to families, Mae is a pure-blood as was Pansy, Blaise and Draco.

"What are you?" Pansy asks,

I felt very put on the stop as I had no idea what pure-blood means.

"What is a pure-blood?" I ask.

Blaise huffed, "It means we've got no mudbloods in our families."

"Mudbloods?"

"It means dirty blood, a witch or wizard born into a non-magic family. Their called Muggle-borns, only a few know to exisit and know of our world." Pansy says.

I just nod, not wanting to continue on with the conversation. From my seat I take a long look at the High Table. Hagrid was drinking deeply from his goblet, Professor McGonagall was talking to Professor Dumbledore. In his absurd turban, Professor Quirrell was talking to a teacher with greasy black hair, a hooked nose and shallow skin.

Then it happened suddenly, the hooked nose teacher looked straight past Quirrell and into my eyes – a sharp hot pain shot across my cheek.. I looked over at Harry as we both clamped our hands to our faces. We make eye contact briefly throughout the few people fussing over us.

"What is it?" Mae asks, I shake everyone's hands off me because the pain had gone as quickly as it had came.

Taking a sip of my drink from my goblet, I can feel Draco watching me carefully, "Who's the teacher talking to Quirrell?" I asked.

"That's our Head of House, Professor Snape, he teaches potions but everyone knows its the Dark Arts he fancies, he been after Quirrell's job for years." A older Slytherin girl informs me, she wore a prefects badge and smiled at me kindly, it was a different look than what everyone was giving me, she looked at me like I was any other first-year, not Grace Potter.

A few minutes later, the dinging of glass brings the Great Hall to silence, Professor Dumbledore stands up with a grin, "I do believe it's time for you all to go to bed. First-years go first, please follow your house prefects."

The girl who informed me about Professor Snape stood up and was joined by a boy further down the table. All the Slytherin first-years stood up nervously and followed our prefects down into what I assumed is the dungeons. Mae sticks to my side the entire way which makes me feel not just lonely but safer as well. And soon, after what feels like a maze, we all come together to stand in front of a pale stone wall, there is the outline of a large double door between two flickering green lanterns.

"Wattlebird." the female prefect spoke clearly. The grey bricks began to retract into the frame revealing the Slytherin Common Room door. It was tall and made of black wood, much like the wood my wand is made from.

The prefects pushed the doors open and allowed us to step into our new home for the years we are at Hogwarts. It was strangely beautiful despite it being in the dungeon, but the room was lit with greenish lamps, part of the Common Room extends under the lake we sailed across to reach the school. The room has a lot of low backed and dark green button – tufted, leather sofas and plush green sofas and armchairs. In the center of the far left wall was a huge open fire, flickering lively beneath a carving of a serpent.

The female prefect introduced herself as Nina and the male prefect introduced himself as Omar. They guided us over to the right hand wall where two doorways sit either side of a thin bookshelf. "Girls dormitories are through the right doorway, and boys dormitories are up through the left doorway." Omar informs us. "All of your possessions have already been placed in bedrooms for you."

Mae practically grips my hand in excitement as Pansy pulls us forwards towards the door leading up to the girls dormitories. The stairs were wide and made of black marble with shiny white specks, as the stairs continued to climb upwards, their was doors placed equally and on those doors were names of who lives there, the first door on the stairs was marked with the names:

Diggory

Parkinson

Potter

That makes sense seeing as we were the only girls sorted into the Slytherin house this year, but there wasn't many first-years and when divided between four houses, especially when almost everyone was sorted into Gryffindor. Pansy opened our door revealing the room, there was three four-posted beds hung with deep-green velvet curtains, our trunks had been placed at the end of our beds. The order went from left to right; me, Diggory and Parkinson. Between my bed and Mae's was a large bay window was placed along the back window over looking the lake, We each pulled back the curtains of the beds we had been placed in to see a large, soft mattress with silk covers on plush duvets and pillows.

Milo laid in a ball just below my pillows, Mae and Pansy gush over him for a while but we were all so tired, I look over to see Pansy and Mae's companions they have brought. I see that Pansy also has a cat, she removes the feline from its cage to reveal it to be a hairless Sphynx cat. And Mae had a owl that hooted affectionately at the sight of her.

"This is Horus." Pansy say stroking the wrinkly cat behind the ears, Horus purrs and pushed its head further into his owners hand. Mae didn't introduce her owl because when Pansy and I had turned round to look at her, she had already put on her green silk nightdress and fallen into bed.

Pansy and I laugh before realising we are too tired to talk, we all slipped into silk nightdresses what were provided for us and climbed into bed, and as soon as my head hit the pillow, I fell into a sleep. For once I felt safe and secure, and simply dreamt of what tomorrow would have in store.

A/N: How do you guys think that Harry and Grace being in different houses will effect their bond? I hope you enjoy this chapter, please favourite and follow to get updates and comment on what you really liked or maybe what you didn't like about this chapter!