A Shallow Grave

Chapter 1

September 1890.

After the events of yesterday afternoon, I had to practically drag myself out of bed. It was almost impossible to leave the comforting confinement of the wool sheets and overhanging drapes that surrounded the wooden pillars on the four corners of the bed's frame. The overbearing scent of lime and vanilla was the first sense that hit me as I looked around the barely lit dorm room.

The Slytherin girls need their perfume bottles regulated.

I stayed in one position, perched on the edge of the bed for what seemed like an eternity. In reality, it had only been a few minutes. My body still ached from all the had transpired on mine and Professor Fig's journey to Hogwarts, all of it seeming unreal. A completely unprovoked dragon attack which lead to the death of a Ministry official. The discovery of a portkey? Whatever that really meant. A wild goose chase through ruins within the Scottish Highlands, a few centuries old vault rooted deep in the infinite underbelly of Gringotts and the sudden revelation of a dormant ancient magic. Which I can see? I wouldn't say that this is a common series of events for new students joining Hogwarts in their fifth year.

Perhaps it had been some kind of odd hallucination within my dreams. Maybe a few Slytherins slipped something into my pumpkin juice at the Sorting Feast last night as some kind of "Welcome to Hogwarts" ritual. That seemed more likely.

My robes and uniform had been folded neatly in an oak coloured chest placed in front of my night-table. A few more minutes of figuring out how to tie a tie without accidentally suffocating myself later, I was dressed. The waistband of the black, knee-length skirt dug slightly into my side causing an uncomfortable stabbing pain. I saw some girls wearing breaches and grey tights at dinner last night. I'll see if there's someone I can talk to about swapping out my skirt for the alternate. A large mirror stood in the corner of the room. It looked old and discoloured, obviously it had watched over the dorm for many years before. I walked over to it and began to slick my hair back into a low bun. A few flyaway strands fell from the left. There are more important things in life to worry about.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" a sudden shrieking voice echoed out.

Stunned, I jumped back and started frantically scanning the room for signs of another student. Nothing.

"I'm right here!" the high-pitched voice cried again.

My instinct was to look to the ceiling. God knows why. Someone could have been testing out those new sticky shoes that allowed you to walk on walls and such. I'd already witnessed that whilst walking through the corridors with Professor Weasley last night as she was showing me to my common room. Once again however, there was no human face peering back at me from the rafters.

"You really MUST be incredibly dense, girl!" that damned voice was frying my last nerve.

Eventually I looked back at the mirror, finally contemplating the possibility that-

"FINALLY!" there was no possible way that the mirror was talking. I really must have been hallucinating.

"Excuse me?" I responded, confused and contemplating psychological help.

"Your HAIR!" the mirror yelped, almost seeming physically wounded and in total pain.

My hair? All of that shrieking and screaming was over my hair? This could not be serious. Surely this was another joke. A charmed mirror designed to freak out unknowing students.

"I simply cannot allow you to leave with your hair looking like THAT! I simply CANNOT!"

I had lost my patience. A mirror was not about to dictate my cosmetic choices. I looked around the room once more searching for a solution to this hellish problem. My eyes fell onto those green drapes once again. I walked back towards my bed, tugged at the fabric until it fell from the pillar. My space felt unsymmetrical now. I would live with it. That rowdy mirror was still lecturing me in the background about my hairstyle whilst I returned to stand in front of it. I spread the drapes over the front of the glass until the hem hit the wooden flooring beneath me.