A Troubled Time / Sebastian Sallow

Chapter 1

Time seemed to pass rather quickly for Lucy. In the weeks that followed her sudden time change, Professor Fig had given her a spare wand he had and taught her some wand movements and a basic spell. She was astounded the first time she saw the stream of red burst from the tip of her wand and hit the dummy before her.

Lucy remembered how shocked Professor Fig was, the more he learned about the girl. She had told him that she was from a normal family, a muggle one he referred to it as. In her fifteen years of life, she had never produced magic, let alone held a wand and that thought seemed to scare him.

That time felt so long ago compared to the day's events. Lucy felt the tension in her body finally dissipate the moment her back had hit the white comforter below her. In one day, she found out that, in addition to being able to cast magic, she could see a different type of magic many others couldn't see. She witnessed death before her very eyes, fought her first battle, and made her first life-threatening enemy.

After the whirlwind of an adventure that was, she arrived at the magic school. Her face grew red remembering the entire school watching her as she followed the headmaster to the lone stool to be sorted.

Dinner ended an hour ago. The first thing Lucy did after Professor Weasley showed her the common room was run right to her room and get into bed. She sighed still having the school robes that they magically put on her.

Lucy jumped slightly hearing the other 5th year girls giggling and walking into their shared dorm room. Their giggles quickly faded, noticing her presence in the room. The girls didn't even try saying hi, but made their way to their assigned beds, changing to sleep.

Lucy sighed unbuttoning the jacket part of her uniform, loosening the green tie from around her neck, trying her best to get comfortable. She groaned in annoyance, attempting to fluff the pillow behind her head, wishing she could just sleep and get the day over with.

Though it had only been an hour of wrestling to try and sleep, it felt like days. Lucy shook her head, standing up and making her way to the brown wooden door. The metal handle was cold to the touch, despite the crisp summer air. She chalked it down to the Slytherin common room being in the dungeons of this school. She quietly pushed through the door, trying to stay quiet. She didn't want another reason for the girls to send looks her way.

She haphazardly walked the grated hallway, shocked by how quiet her footsteps actually were. As she reached the bottom of the stairs, she peaked out the doorway into the common room. She relaxed seeing it empty as most students went to bed.

Lucy sat on one of the long couches, letting her mind go blank as she stared at the tea pot set sitting on the table. She took this quiet moment to really observe the place she'd be living for the coming months. With the night sky, the lake outside the window seemed extra murky. The common room was beautiful with splashes of a greenish-blue color. The winding staircase with a small waterfall would lead her out of the common room into the maze of a castle this school was.

Finally she turned to the small crackling fire beside her, seeing the snakes coiled above the flame. Between the crackling fire and the waterfall, it made her feel at peace.

Lucy let herself lie on the couch and close her eyes. She desperately hoped tomorrow she would at least be able to make some friends. She loved talking to Professor Fig and all, but she couldn't help but yearn to talk to someone her age, or at least around her age.

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Lucy jumped, feeling someone shaking her lightly. Before she could process what she was doing she had her wand in her hand, pointing at the person who woke her.