And since I had two chapters at the same state of correction, you guys get two for the price of one.
Enjoy!

A prefect calls all the first years at my table, and I obediently follow him. He introduces himself as Carris Johnson. We start walking and a girl slightly younger than him, also wearing a prefect badge on her chest, joins him. We follow them through a labyrinth of stairs and corridors, and I really like the decoration. The speaking paintings are a bit strange, but I find it cool. I try to remember the path we're talking, and I think I'm more or less succeeding. I will know tomorrow morning if I did, I guess. If the answer is no, maybe someone will find my bones somewhere in the castle after I'll have died of hunger…

We finally arrive in front of a big portrait, like in the books. It's the "Fat Lady". The password is "Bravery", and I wonder who is the dumbass who picked it. If it would have been me, I'd have gone for something funny like "Please not school again" or "Chemnashaovirodaintrachivu", or even "Damn, I forgot the password" (that one would have been more risky). But at least not something in the House thematic! Anyway, the portrait lets us all in, but only after carefully looking at us. It felt like a general, or a teacher, trying to guess who will be a nice pupil/soldier and who they will have to discipline.

The common room is similar to what is described in the books. It's decorated in warm reds and gold, with several sofas, a chimney, tall windows and just a few books. Two stairs go up in the tower, one towards the boys' dormitories, one towards the girls'. Me and the other girls my age follow the girl prefect as she leads us to our dormitory. We are eight First Year girls, all supposed to sleep at the same place! I already know I will hate that, but well, as if I was allowed to open my mouth. There's space, that's true, and each of us has a four-poster bed with silencing spells to help us sleep. Our trunks are already there, and I decide to take the bed closest to the window, at the end of the room, but a brat runs past me to throw herself on the bed just as I'm about to sit.

She will never know how bad I wanted to hit her before throwing her to the ground, because I contain myself. I turn away with dignity to see that all the other beds have been taken, except one at the very end of the room, next to the door. At least I won't be totally surrounded by people, it just wouldn't have been possible. I retrieve my trunk and put it next to my bed in order to keep an eye on it and have a kind of nightstand. I then find the toilets, and change clothes fast. I won't survive for long with so little privacy. Did they never hear that it's healthy to have personal space? Oh, I hate it so much. I lie down in my bed to read. At least, it's comfortable. I take out a book that I brought, a fantasy novel, and try to delve into the history, but the kids giggling around me get on my nerves and prevent me from relaxing, since the silencing charm only works with closed curtains.

I close the curtains of my bed in an attempt to get some peace, but they filter the light a bit too well for me to be able to read. I tell myself that at least it gives me an excuse to learn a new spell, even if I'm not really in the mood. I draw my curtains open to retrieve my Daily Life spellbook. I'm sure I've seen something to create a night-light, a small light…

"Yo! Yo! What's her name? Oh yes! Oy, Vivian Eris!"

I raise my head to see who is calling me, even I'm already not motivated. I see that it's a small red haired girl sitting on a bed with half of the girls from our dorm.

"It's Vivian."

"Come on, don't be like that" she says, in a super annoying hitch-pitched voice "Don't you want to join us and talk with us rather than wasting your time in a book? The courses haven't even started yet!"

"No thanks."

If I politely decline, they will leave me in peace, right? No. The red-hair takes an even higher voice, and insists.

"Come on Vivian, tell us about you, what do you enjoy doing beside reading? And more importantly, what do you think of Carris Johnson?"

I put my books back in my trunk, since I'm apparently not allowed to read for now, and sit on my bed, turning towards them.

"The prefect? Not much, I didn't really pay attention to him, why?"

"He's super hot! But he's in sixth year… We were wondering how to make him notice me. Since you're reading a bunch of books, don't you have some ideas?"

"No, it's not my thing."

"Do you mean you're gay?"

"No, I mean that you're all far too young to worry about such things, and that I don't give a fuck. So thank you for you generosity to be willing to integrate me to your group, but I'm not interested, sorry. As for introducing myself, I'm Vivian and I love reading in peace."

xxx

« Haïr les gens est une perte de temps. Il ne méritent pas ça. Les haïr sur le moment, ne pas apprécier leur compagnie, oui. Mais haïr quelqu'un personnellement, c'est usant, et ça demande de l'implication. Ça donne de l'importance à cette personne pour rien. »

x

"Hating people is a waste of time. They don't deserve that. Hating them for the moment, not appreciating their company, sure. But hating someone personally, it's exhausting, it requires involvement. It gives importance to the person for nothing."

-Extract from a SMS sent to Quentin Lemage by Aurore Berger, two months before her death-

And that's it for now, next chapter will come with motivation, I barely started the translation.