Breaking the shadows

Eleanora Flower

1996

WednesdaySeptember 1st

After the feast I find Ron and we wait for everyone else has left the great hall. The first years have been lined up by the end of each table, Ron and I approach the first years, and they all look nervous but also exited, I start by saying: "Hello, my name is Harlow and this is Ron"
I point at Ron and he continues: "So we are the prefects, and we are here to help you settle in"
"Yes, so we will start by giving you a tour, so this is the great hall, where we eat all meals"
We continue to the class rooms and then end in the library. I count the first years, and I think that we are missing one, I turn to Ron but he is clearly occupied by a very interesting book so I clear my throt and ask: "Ron, count the kids"
Ron answers a little irritated: "Do it yourself"
"I did, but you do it just to make sure"
Ron groans: "Fine"
He counts them a few times and then he says: "We are missing one, I think it's the black-haired girl, have you seen her?"
"I haven't, but I'll go look for her, you get the first years to their dormitories"
I hear Ron saying something, but I don't care, I have to find Eleanora.
I look in every classroom and every corner of the school, lastly, I look under the stairs where I used to hide. And there she was, curled up in the corner. I breath out relieved not realising that I didn't breathe when I was looking for her. I crawl inside the hiding spot and say softly: "Hi, Eleanora right"
Eleanora nods and says almost inaudible: "My friends call me Nora"
She looks up, and even if it's dark I can see her red eyes as she has been crying
"Why are you hiding?"
Nora sniffles and says: "I was looking for my brother"
"Why?"
Nora: "I missed him"
"Who is your brother Nora"
Nora: "His name is Emery, he's in Hufflepuff"
"Okay, I will help you find him, but right now we need to find your dorm room"
Nora: "Okay"
I take her hand and we leave the hiding spot, we are almost at the Gryffindor common room when the stairs changes and Nora flinches, she squeeze my hand tightly and I say: "It's okay, its normal, come on we will just go down and take the other stairs"
Nora doesn't move so I ask: "Are you scared?"
Nora nods and I say calmly: "Do you want to stay here and wait for the stairs to change back?"
Nora nods again and we sit down on the stairs. And after a little while the stairs change back, and we can head to the common room.
Nora is still holding a tight grip on my hand as I show her to her room, and she asks me: "Where will you be living?"
"Just around the corner"
I point as Hermione is leaving the room: "Do you see the girl with the brown hair that just left that room?"
Nora: "Mhmm"
"That's my sister and I live I that room too"
Nora: "You live with your sister?"
"Yeah, I do"
Nora: "Are you twins?"
"No, uhm she's a year older"
Nora: "Then how are you living in the same dorm"
"There were too many first year girls when I started here, and there was a excess bed in the second year girls dorm, so I moved in with my sister"
Nora: "Lucky"
"Well sometimes I wish she wasn't my roommate"
Nora: "Really?"
"Yeah, I love to have her close, but sometimes she's a bit too close, do you ever feel like that with your brother?"
Nora: "Yes sometimes"
"Okay so it's almost curfew so in your room you go, and we will talk tomorrow alright?"
Nora: "Thank you"
She hugs me before entering her room. 
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Puplished: 17-05-23