The Grey | Hermione Granger

|09| Chapter Nine

N I N E 

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The Gryffindor first years followed fifth-year Prefects Alannah and Percy through the chattering crowds, out of the Great Hall, and up the marble staircase. Saffron yawned and felt her eyes shut, she rubbed them and told herself to stay awake. She felt like her stomach had been multiplied by ten, and wobbled slightly as a result of her excessive eating. Each staircase felt like climbing a steep hill, and despite the distance not being very far at all, Saffron felt winded as she followed the group of eleven closely.

Excluding the two prefects, it seemed that there were nine Gryffindor first years; five boys and four girls. She would learn all their names tomorrow, as her tiredness was starting to cloud her thoughts, but the small numbers did unnerve her a bit. She felt like she would have been more suited to a bigger group where she could blend in amongst them all, but with nine it seemed as though she'd have no choice but to get to know them all.

At the end of the day, that was a good thing for her. But it was going to test her at the same time, awkwardness at the beginning for friendship at the end, providing it all went well.

After an unfortunate encounter with a Poltergeist called Peeves, and pleading from Alannah and Percy for the small devious man that was Peeves to leave them alone, they finally made it to the place they would start to call home. Once Percy gave a portrait named "The Fat Lady" the password, the entrance to the room swung open and with it came the warmth of a big fire already burning inside.

The common room was a large circular room with a warm fire taking up one of the walls. Around it was dozens of what looked like comfortable armchairs and tables.

Saffron had little time to admire the common room, as Alannah gestured for her and the three other Gryffindor girls to follow her to their dormitory. Alannah started to lead them up a flight of stairs and provided them with insight into the dormitory.

"This is where all us girls stay," Alannah told them conversationally. "And it's so much nicer than what the boys have, trust me. The four of you will be sharing a room and have this really nice bathroom beside it, four is the lowest number of girls we have in the year so you four really have it good," She paused at a door which Saffron assumed was going to lead to their dormitory. "Word of warning, or advice if you don't like one of them, but the stairs leading up here can only be used by girls if a boy even tries to get up them the stairs flatten and turn into a shute, just so you know,"

Alannah swung the door open and Saffron followed her and the other three girls into the room. It contained four four-poster beds equipped with deep red, velvet curtains. A desk and set of shelves were present on either side of each bed. Their trunks with their initials engraved lay at the end of each of the beds, signalling who was to stay in each one. Saffron smiled. Alannah was right, they had gotten it good. She was used to sleeping on a tattered old mattress in Squires and had never slept in anything better. She was in for a treat tonight.

"If any of the four of you need anything, don't hesitate to talk to me," Alannah told them firmly, eyeing each of them individually with sincerity. "I know how daunting it can be coming in here, so just know that my door is always open to the four of you,"

"Thank you," One half of the pair of twins with the skin colour slightly darker than Saffron said, appreciatively. She had a beautiful, sleek black plait that fell to her waist and looked even prettier up close. The other three girls echoed her sentiment.

"No problem," Alannah winked at them. "My last piece of advice is for the four of you to stick together. You have each other for the next seven years and there will be so many up and downs between now and then, so don't squabble amongst yourselves. I've seen too many groups of Gryffindor girls fall out, particularly over boys. Just please promise me that you won't because they're really not worth it,"