Ten Questions (Harry Potter x Slytherin reader)

Chapter 42

"You know what? On second thought, I think I'm feeling a little tired-"

"Too late." Harry grins as he drags me through the part of Hogwarts that I am the most unfamiliar with: The Gryffindor Tower.  He leads me through a series of hallways, fingers interlocked with mine and dragging me along the castle against my will. I had spent the last five minutes begging him to spend the night in the kitchens with me instead, but to no avail. As we get closer to the entrance of the Gryffindor common room, which can now be seen as we approach it, I begin to realize what a terrible idea this is, especially as several Gryffindor's walking past us throw us surprised glances and begin to whisper amongst themselves. Even several Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws begin to pass us by, clearly thrilled that Slytherin lost earlier today. 

"Ignore them," Harry murmurs, leaning closer to me. We're both now wearing nearly identical outfits: White dress shirts, black pants, and me in a gray skirt, the only difference between us being the colors on our ties, which become painfully obvious the closer we get. 

I only nod in response. For the first time in a long time, a feeling of serious discomfort seeps into my body. While I normally feel calm and collected in most situations, the thought of spending the entire night in a room full of drunken Gryffindors makes me begin to feel anxious. 

Stop it, I tell myself firmly. Slytherin has common room parties all the time, and they're probably twice as bad as these ones. 

It's true, I realize, thinking back to my third year at Hogwarts when Slytherin had won against Hufflepuff in a quidditch match earlier in the year. Daphne had been in a corner snogging Theodore Nott the whole night, Draco and I spent most of our time dancing together, Blaise downing countless shots, and Adrian, being sober, spending the whole night looking after Terrence Higgs, who was clearly not. While Gryffindor ragers were notorious at Hogwarts for being  the most wild at the school, I was sure that nothing would happen tonight that I hadn't already seen before. 

Finally, we both come to a sudden stop when we reach a large portrait of a woman, clearly guarding the entrance. I think back to the entrance to the Slytherin common room, a bare stretch of stone deep in the dungeons of Hogwarts. It was no wonder that we were so different and could never get along- even our common rooms were polar opposites. 

"Mimbulus mimbletonia," Harry states simply, and the portrait swings open, revealing the Gryffindor common room. 

My jaw nearly drops. The Gryffindor common is packed with dozens of students, filling almost every square inch of the scarlet space. The music is blasting so loud that I wouldn't be surprised if it could be heard from the dungeons. My eyes scan the room, and several tables are placed throughout it, filled with dozens of drinks and loaded with plates of food. To the left is a keg stand, which is currently being used by Seamus Finnigan. I had always wondered what the Gryffindor common room had looked like, and in that moment, I realized how different it was. While Slytherin's was cold, dark, and almost eerie, Gryffindor's was more cozy and warm, with plush furniture and sofas arranged across the room and a large fireplace stationed in the back corner. 

Harry's grip on my hand tightens as he leads me through the crowd of people, where he is met with many claps on the shoulders and cheers from his fellow housemates, congratulating him on the win from earlier today. 

"You're quite popular," I muse, a small smirk on my face as we make our way through. 

"Of course I am," Harry replies with a shrug, grinning. "I'm the chosen one."

I playfully slap his arm. 

"Well, well, what do we have here?" I easily recognize Fred Weasley's voice as he sneaks up on us from behind, accompanied by his brother, George. I eye both of them, and see that they are both already drunk, hardly able to stand up-right as Fred slurrs his words, "A Slytherin at a Gryffindor after-party? This might just be a first."