The Boy who died - Ready for Anything

Little Night Walk

POV of Veatrix Lestrange

Finally, the light from Hermione's wand went out. I waited quite a while before getting up and sneaking out of the dormitory. How could someone have read through all the books before the school year even started?! I had overheard this earlier, before the others went to bed, and it was beyond me. I purposefully crossed the common room and exited through the portrait hole, waking the Fat Lady, who looked at me indignantly and was about to lecture me that it was against school rules to wander the castle at night, but I was already gone. 'Lumos,' I whispered to see where I was going. Not that it helped much since I didn't know my way around the castle anyway. So I just kept going up, and after what felt like an eternity, I reached the top of a tower, which I later learned was the West Tower. Here was the Owlery, a round room with windows without glass and a straw-covered floor. I went to one of the windows, looked out, and absentmindedly played with my necklace. It had a locket, which I now opened. I looked at the picture of my parents and wished I could have known them. For as long as I could remember, I had lived with the Malfoys; they were my family, and Draco, my cousin, was like a brother to me. What would they say if they found out that I had ended up in Gryffindor? They had always treated me like a daughter, and I sincerely hoped that wouldn't change. How I wished I had someone to talk to about my worries and fears regarding my future here at Hogwarts. But I didn't even have anyone to write to. I stayed here for half the night, staring through the darkness at the castle grounds.

As dawn slowly broke, I realized I should hurry back to the dormitory before the others woke up. I found my way back surprisingly quickly and soon stood before the Fat Lady again, clearing my throat to get her attention. Grumpily, she let me back into the common room after I gave her the password. As I sneaked back into the dormitory, I saw Parvati awake on the windowsill, giving me a reproachful look. I ignored her; after all, she was the last person I would let make me feel guilty. Since I wouldn't be able to sleep anyway, I went to the bathroom, showered, and got dressed. While drying my hair, I looked at myself in the mirror. The sleepless night had left its mark on me: I had dark circles under my eyes and looked accordingly exhausted. Once my hair was dry, I returned to the dormitory, grabbed my already packed school bag, and left the room decisively, without giving Parvati another glance.