Maggie

Chapter 12 - Breakfast

 I woke up very early the next morning, pulling back the curtains of my four-poster bed. All of my roommates were still in deep sleep, breathing slowly and evenly. All except one.

Gianna was sat bolt upright in one of the chairs near the door, reading by the light of a single, stuttering candle. I watched her turn a slightly torn page, her brows deeply furrowed in concentration. Then, not wanting to be caught staring, swung my legs out of the bed and stood up. The light of the morning was streaming, green and fluid, through the lake and the window.

"Hey." I turned. Gianna was looking up at me over her book.

"Uh, Hi." I coughed slightly, clearing my morning voice. "So you do talk then?"

I was mortified. I hadn't meant to say that out loud. To my great relief, her face broke into a smile. It was a thin smile, granted, and it didn't write reach her eyes. But, it was a smile nonetheless.

In an amusing stage whisper, she spoke to me from behind her hand and nodded towards Honey's bed, where the occupant was still sleeping soundly. "Somebody took it upon herself to speak for everyone in the room. We'll all be 'pretty quiet' with her around."

I smirked at that before starting to get dressed. I pulled on my crisp white shirt, fastening around my neck one of the silver and green ties I had found In my wardrobe. I tucked them both into a neat pair of black jeans and threw one of the long black cloaks over my shoulder. The green and silver crest of the Slytherin House was embroidered over the left breast and the inside was lined with a rich, emerald fabric.

I then threw my hair up into an extremely messy bun, exposing my sharp jaw and thin neck. I looked just as diminished as I always did, but somehow in these swanky robes, it suited me more.

I picked up my latest read (The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble) and tucked my wand safely inside my robes before heading out into the common room. Gianna, who was already dressed, stood up from her chair and followed me out.

The common room was empty apart from a couple of older students. They looked like they could be sixth or seventh years and they were chatting quietly in the corner furthest from the dormitory doors. Gianna and I found an especially plump sofa right in front of the fire and curled up at either end, falling into an extremely comfortable silence.

I already liked this girl very much.

The shifting and swirling light streamed through the tall windows, growing lighter and lighter as the early morning moved onwards. When the time read 8:00, and we could hear movement from the dormitories, I closed my book and looked up at Gianna.

"Breakfast?"

"Sounds good to me." She smiled at me and got to her feet, waiting for me to walk ahead of her through the sliding door in the wall.

We made our way up the narrow stone staircase swiftly and silently, occasionally catching each other's eye and giving a small smile. When we got to the entrance hall, there was hardly any Slytherins there at all. The Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables were fuller, talking happily and yawning into their plates. There was the happy sound of a busy restaurant, lots of different conversations blending together and accompanied by the chink of plated and cutlery.

I looked up. The sky was bright white, clouds covering the sky: a typical autumn day. I reached forward on the table for a toasted bagel and some bacon, feeling a pang for my father tear through my naval. I realised hadn't thought of him at all since I got here. I wondered how he was doing, waking up for the first time without me in the house. My only comforting thought was that he still had mum - though she was so busy at the moment looking after my Grandma and Aunt that dad and I had hardly seen her during the past year or so. If she wasn't at work, she was there. She very often left before I had woken up and came home long after dad and I had cleared away the plates from dinner.