You Only Live Once

CHAPTER 4

 Lily and Marlene clearly had a thousand questions burning behind their eyes, but they were surprisingly good at keeping their word to Professor McGonagall. They moved around the dormitory with a practiced, morning efficiency that Mira found fascinating to watch. Lily had rummaged through her trunk and pulled out a pair of black leggings and a simple white t-shirt. They weren't wizarding robes, but they felt familiar and safe, a small piece of the world Mira had left behind.

"Here," Lily said, handing her a sturdy wooden hairbrush. "You look like you've been pulled through a hedge backwards. Not that I can talk—Marlene says I look like a disgruntled lion in the mornings."

"A very pretty lion," Marlene chimed in from across the room, where she was struggling to find two matching socks.

As the sun began to climb higher, casting long streaks of gold across the stone floor, the other girls in the sixth-year dormitory began to stir. Mary Macdonald woke up with a groan, blinking at Mira with sleepy confusion before offering a warm, if somewhat puzzled, hello. Alice, who Mira recognized instantly as the future Alice Longbottom, was the most soft-spoken of the bunch. She introduced herself with a shy smile before disappearing into the washroom to get ready for the day.

Marlene was a godsend. She talked enough for three people, filling the potential silences with complaints about the upcoming NEWT levels and gossip about people Mira only knew as names in a history book. Because Marlene was so chatty, Mira's own quietness didn't seem awkward; it just seemed like she was a good listener. Mira even found herself laughing at Marlene's dramatic retelling of a failed Transfiguration spell from the week before. For a few moments, the heavy weight of knowing the future slipped away, replaced by the simple, bright energy of a girl's dorm.

By eight o'clock, most of the girls had drifted down toward the Great Hall, driven by the promise of sausages and toast. Lily and Mira stayed behind. Lily seemed to sense that Mira needed a moment of quiet before facing the entire school, so she took her time tying her dark red hair into a neat, low ponytail.

"So..." Lily started, checking her reflection in the mirror. "Our group of friends is a little... well, chaotic is the nice word for it. They're good people, truly, but they can be a lot to handle. Don't worry, I won't let them pester you too much. I can't exactly promise they'll be quiet, but I can—"

"I don't mind a little chaos, Lily," Mira interrupted with a soft chuckle. She was currently tugging on a pair of sturdy shoes that Alice had kindly lent her. "Actually, I think I'm used to it. In my head, anyway."

"Oh, trust me, we're talking about a lot of chaos," Lily insisted, her expression turning serious. "The boys... they don't really have a 'low' setting. Honestly, maybe we should just sit at the far end of the table, or even at another table entirely. You just got to Hogwarts, and it's all so much to take in. I don't want you to have a bad first day... even if it ends up being your only day. I just want you to feel comfortable."

Mira stood up and walked over to Lily, placing a hand on her arm. "Lily! I'll be just fine, don't worry. I've spent a long time imagining what this place is like. Trust me, I can handle the chaos, no matter how much of it they throw at me."

Lily looked at her for a moment, searching her face, before giving in with a smile. "Okay, okay. You're braver than I was in my first year, that's for sure. Now let's go get some breakfast. I'm absolutely starving, and if we wait any longer, the boys will have eaten all the good jam."

The walk to the Great Hall was an experience in itself. Mira still couldn't fathom how anyone managed to remember the layout of this place. It wasn't just a building; it was a living, breathing maze. The staircases were the worst part. Just as they would reach a landing, the entire flight of stairs would groan and begin to shift, swinging away to connect to a completely different floor. There were trick steps, too—steps that looked solid but would swallow your leg up to the knee if you weren't careful. Mira felt dizzy and more than a little confused, but Lily was an expert guide. She held Mira's elbow, guiding her through the shifts and pointing out the paintings that liked to give false directions.