Before the Storm

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Harry awoke to the soft pearly green of the morning light through murky water. For several long minutes he simply lay back in the large, warm bed, and watched the lazy undulation of the waves above. The sleepy sounds of his roommates as they awoke was what eventually got him going as well. It was a new day, a new year at Hogwarts. Even Harry himself felt new. No exceptions. No Burdens. He almost didn't know how to handle it.

On the other side of the bed curtains the room was a little cooler, and he was instantly glad he had forgotten to take his stockings off before going to sleep as his feet didn't land directly on the chilled floor. His roommates moved around in a half daze, most seeming to be working on muscle memory alone as they opened wardrobes and shuffled towards the wash room.

He followed a boy with strawberry blond hair into the bathroom, and stopped, staring around agape. Well, really after last night he shouldn't be surprised by how...over the top, everything was here. The Gryffindor bathrooms were simple, utilitarian in nature. There was a wall of stalls for showers, a wall of stalls with toilets, and sinks in between. No fuss, nothing there that didn't need to be. This was....different.

There were shower stalls, but these were bigger, more open. Though the frosted glass of the walls still afforded privacy. Opposite them were large pools cut into the floor, like the bath in the Prefect's bathroom Cedric had him use. These pools were divided by the same glass walls and doors as the showers. There was another door that led into another room full of sinks and stalls with toilets. There were no windows to the lake in either room. Which Harry had to admit was a little comforting.

He shook his head, and set about getting ready. It would take time to get used to all this...but really it wasn't bad. He eyed the baths as he slipped into one of the giant showers, already planning an evening soak.

All of this...well, it wasn't bad at all.

Sometime in the night, perhaps when they were delivering his things to the room, the house elves had affixed the Slytherin crest to his robes. A fine line a silver and green thread wove their way around the hems of his sleeves, collar, and hemline of his robes now. It was a subtle detail, the silver thread gleaming like real metal, the green so bright to be readily noticeable against the black. He liked it. Absently he wondered if there was real gold thread for the Gryffindor robes, if the other two houses also had metallic thread. There was so much new to see here, even when he thought he'd seen it all.

After brushing the hair serum on, and snagging his glasses, wand, and bag, he left the room, lost in a sea of his peers.

There were so many more people here. It was baffling. No year in his time had so many students! But his dorms had never felt too large...not like anything was missing. Did the rooms change to accommodate the number students they were meant to hold? Or just the Gryffindor dorms? He could see Malfoy eating up having all that extra space, for sure.

He shook his head as he followed the crowd to the entry way, exchanged his slippers for his shoes, and headed out the door. He needed to stop analyzing everything, as impossible as it seemed. There were simply going to be questions he'd never get the answers to, and the sooner he made the peace with that the better.

In the Great Hall the table fell into the natural order of sitting with those in your age group. Harry sat down next to Alphard as he had the night before, gaining a large, if sleepy, smile from him. The table was full of the soft, buzzing, chatter of anticipation. They'd get their schedules soon, and before they knew it they would be off to class. The time before that was liminal, breathless as everyone waited for the change.

A portly man with blond hair and a neat mustache entered the hall, and starting with the head of the table, began passing out slips of paper. He must be their head of house. He seemed jovial, stopping to chat with Tom, who Harry was not surprised to see sat at the apex of the table, before making his slow way down the line.