Welcome To Hogwarts (OFFICIAL STORY!)

Chapter 7

Holly sat up in the Ravenclaw common room, half reading about owls, half pondering the riddle to the entrance, half thinking how the expression 'half' doesn't always work and mostly thinking of Brin. She couldn't sleep knowing how vulnerable she is at school; if she gets in a panic or is even in a crowd she puts herself in danger. Holly had already thought about ways to help her and Hailey but didn't want to make a big deal about this. After all, she doesn't know how long they've had to deal with their gifts.

She shut her book, memorized the page number 105, and sat for a minute, staring at the welcoming purple furniture and the warm dull fire. She was on her own of course. Ironically, since her favorite hobbies are almost icons in Ravenclaw and should make it easy to meet people, the only person she knew in her house was Cameron, the least Ravenclaw-like pupil in Hogwarts. That's when she realized that she hadn't seen Cameron since lunch and that was from the length of the dining hall. How he got to the Slytherin table she didn't know but she knew he didn't come to the common room since she had been sitting there reading since she arrived. He didn't get there before her because she was sent away early after going with Hailey and CD.

She tiptoed up the stairs to her bed, grabbed a quill and wrote Ella a letter:

'Hi. I know it's late but even you're sleeping, Faith will get this to you somehow. Dawn, if you're there, welcome back! Cameron seemed a lot happier with you. And if he's there, tell him how much trouble he could get in. Seriously, don't let him sneak over or the headmaster will ban him from even sitting at your table at dinner.

'If he's not there, I don't know where he's gone. Don't worry Dawn about it as I'm sure he can cope; he's a surprisingly good wizard. Don't tell him I said that either.

'Holly'

She folded the letter into an envelope and gave it to Faith, who flew off to find a way to deliver it. Chesnut crawled over her shoulder, climbed up her hair and rested on top of her head as she began to read page 106.

When Ella awoke her eyelashes were stuck together, and she felt sticky all over. Cursing, she managed to prise her eyes open enough to see that she was completely coated in what looked like cream. Her hair was tangled in a knot of gooey white foam, and her black PJs where stained with crusty white. Someone must have put cream in her bed later that night, and during one of her mad tossing fits in her sleep she must have spread it all over herself. Whoever did it was going to pay dearly.

She stomped off into the bathroom and returned ten minutes later with her hair plastered to her scalp but mercifully clean. She glared around the room to see Dawn and Cameron chatting on Dawn's bed. They were both laughing hysterically but stopped instantly when they saw Ella. She froze as she saw Cameron, and her eyes narrowed sadistically.

"At the risk of sounding cliché, I should have known it was you, Cameron," she growled, scooping her school clothes out of her trunk and backing towards the bathroom. Cameron stood up as if to leave, but Ella whipped her wand out. "You will stay right here; otherwise we'll continue this in the Great Hall."

Cameron seemed to decide that staying was the wiser option, as he sat down next to Dawn again, who gave him a look that said 'I told you so'.

"She is going to kill you," Dawn told him warningly.

"I can handle Ella," he said confidently, but he looked slightly concerned.

"I doubt it. Your best bet is to run far away and go into hiding, like everyone did when You-Know-Who was alive." Dawn punched him playfully on the arm.

Cameron was about to joke back at her, when the bathroom door burst open and Ella appeared in her Slytherin uniform, hair dry and expression furious. "When did you put cream in my bed?!"