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Chapter Six

Yusuke followed the rest of his housemates up staircase after staircase, most of them moving. He didn't approve of this at all, especially after someone named Dean Thomas admitted that he'd fallen off one in first year and broken his leg. His cheerful, "But Madam Pomfrey mended it in no time." wasn't reassuring at all. He was well aware of skele-grow, but he was also aware of its shortcomings.

The real problem was that, if you didn't get enough vitamin D and Calcium, you robbed other bones for materials to mend the broken one. It could leave all your bones fragile. Yusuke wasn't fond of some of the other effects either.

He listened to the short lecture on remembering the password and not counting on someone else to let him in. The fat woman in the portrait nodded her head and said, "And no foolishness with me either. Now, go in." and with that she swung aside to allow everyone to enter.

Yusuke looked around the common room and shuddered. It was very English, decorated in maroon and mustard, chairs, couches and tables of various sizes were scattered around in groupings obviously intended to encourage studying. He thought it would encourage socializing instead. He was glad he'd gotten the trunk he had. He was going to have to have a private place to study, this noisy room was totally unsuitable. However, it did look like a nice place to socialize and make contacts.

The Head of House, Professor McGonagall, gave a short speech then pointed to the stairs off to the right. "There are the boys dormitories. Mr Potter, you will find that it is impossible for boys to enter the girls dorm. However, the girls may enter the boys from 7am to 8pm." Yusuke gave her a disbelieving look. "I know. It's ridiculous. To continue, you will be rooming with Neville Longbottom, Ronald Weasley, Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan. They will be happy to show you how to go on." With that, she turned to the first years and began assigning them to a prefect who was to help them get settled. Yusuke followed his roommates up the stairs.

The room at the top of the circular staircase was not what Yusuke was used to. He was used to his six-tatami room with its wood floors, sliding shoji and clean lines. What was revealed when he entered his new quarters was a circular room crowded with five beds, four trunks and a mess of stove and coal.

Neville glanced around and realized that all the elves had done was push all the old beds over a bit and add one more. He sighed and turned to Harry. "I'll help you, if you want. Um ... that's my bed, there's Ron, Dean and Seamus. That leaves you with the one farthest from the door. We can shift stuff around a bit, if you like."

Yusuke nodded absently while he looked around. His bed was against the far wall and the shape of the room left a perfect place for his trunk behind the head. This would make it possible for him to leave it in place and just shut and lock it. Rather than having to keep it at the foot of his bed in trunk form. He hadn't been looking forward to constantly laying it down and setting it back up again.

He nodded again, this time at Neville. "Thank you, Longbottom-kun. This will be fine." He looked around more carefully, then said, "Although, it is exceptionally dirty." a wave of his hand pulled all the dirt and cobwebs into a compact ball. He looked around then said, "Finnigan-san, please open the window." Seamus, wide-eyed at this display of wandless magic, thrust the window open and got out of the way. The ball of dirt whisked itself out. "Arigato, Finnigan-san."

Seamus didn't recognize the language so he just said, "Excuse me?"

"Ah! Warui. Thank you." Yusuke decided he needed to start trying to think in English again. "Sorry. My English is not as good as you might expect. I had EASL teachers but only for a few hours a month."

Seamus and Dean both just nodded their heads agreeably. Ron Weasley looked a bit indignant then said, "What? You don't speak English? How come? You are English."