CONSIMILIS | s.black

CHAPTER FOUR; THE NEW SEATING ARRANGEMENTS

OTHER THAN HER CLASSES, Cammi didn't have another run in with the Marauders for the rest of the day. Cammi hadn't paid much attention in class as she spent the majority of them watching the boys keep to themselves and cause more mayhem, resulting in detention for James, Sirius and Peter with Remus managing to yet again escape the detention.

Cammi never thought that she would want anything from the boys but as she watched them interact with each other; their smiles wide, their laughs were loud and full with eyes sparkling in happiness, the way they threw their arms around each other's shoulders or chased each other down the hallways between classes. Cammi realised they had something that she wished she had. Friendship.

Cammi did want to have friends, but she knew her father would disapprove or find a problem with anyone she befriended. Growing up as an only child had been lonely for Cammi and she had grown used to it by now. Her parents had felt terrible for not being able to give Cammi a sibling so they had arranged their friends who had children close to Cammi's age to come over and hoped that they would become best of friends. These people included her mother's dearest friends or her father's coworkers from the Ministry. The problem was, they were all children who came from rich Pure-Blood families like Cammi's and Cammi found them insufferable.

Her father would even drag Cammi along to Sacred Twenty-Nine meetings and force her to play with the children, despite how much she begged not to go. Her mother never went to any of these meetings unless there was some formal event when she had to. Cammi had wished back then she would never have to attend any of the meetings again.

And then her wish had come true. After her Sorting the news had spread not just at Hogwarts, but to her father's work. Nero Orrock had been humiliated when co-workers had bombarded him with questions regarding his daughter. Cammi could still feel his tight grip on her forearm from when he forcefully dragged her from Kings Cross Station in first year so that they could avoid the stares of their peers. Nero had forced Cammi to one last Sacred Twenty-Nine meeting  to fix their image, but none of the kids wanted to speak to Cammi, they were whispering that she was a traitor. All the kids in the room were Slytherins, Ravenclaws or even some Hufflepuffs, but there were next to no Gryffindors in the room.

Cammi shook her head, trying not to think of the past as she dipped her quill into her ink and continued her homework. Cammi scribbled the answers but she then felt the deep rumbles in her stomach begging her to eat. Cammi never really ate dinner- or lunch even. She was too busy with homework and studying to preoccupy herself with food. She only ever ate breakfast. Cammi began to ignore the demands of her stomach until she realised she had missed breakfast that morning. Cammi knew it wasn't healthy to not eat anything for the day. Her stomach needed something.

Cammi packed up her things while grumbling under her breath, leaving the library and heading towards the Great Hall. As Cammi walked down the halls she could see students look at her and hear them whisper as she passed them. When she entered the Great Hall it was worse. There were not a lot of people left due to it being towards the end of dinner, but within those that were left, some looked over when she entered.

Cammi hung her head as she darted towards her usual seat and began to fill her plate with whatever food was left from the plates. When she was done with her selection, she stared at the food on her plate. Despite her stomach growling, she couldn't bring herself to eat. All she could think about were the day's events. After a few more minutes, Cammi sighed and pushed her plate away and grabbed her things, heading back up to Gryffindor Tower. Cammi whispered the password to the Fat Lady and she opened the portrait, revealing the common room.

Cammi never really knew how she felt about the Gryffindor Commonroom. It made her feel warm and at home, but also like she didn't belong there. Despite these feelings, she sat down on the lounges with her books and began to do her late night study until she suddenly was surrounded.