Alohamora // Mutuals Fanfic

|5| |Em|

I can't help but feel in awe. It's so - beautiful. The dim light of the stars shines through porthole-style windows, but most of the light is from the fireplace. Everywhere there are plants - potted plants, ivy, hanging garlands... the walls are a plain brick above wooden planks, but somehow it just makes the room more homely. It's like a little cottage - visible beams supporting the roof, a small table with chairs and a little pouffe, a coffee table with what seems like a tea towel draped over it... Across from me I see Cassie and Steph, flopped onto a sofa across the room. I step towards them when I hear someone enter the room, urging us to go to bed. Sighing, I follow the crowd.

The doors into the dorms are perfectly round, which is pretty weird but also kinda cool. I flop onto a bed, looking at who I'm with. Cassie, Steph, and someone who I think is called Eva are in here. And any of my friends bc idk if any others of you are hufflepuffs lol. I mean to say more, but I pass out before I can even change.

"Em? Em, wake up!"
I stretch my arms, blinking, to see Cassie bumping my arm.
"Whaaa...."
"Come on! Me and Steph are going down to see Char, you still have some time, but breakfast opens in a bit, you might wanna get over there." I nod blearily, looking at the clock. 7:20. I know breakfast is open from 7:30 to 8:30 on weekdays, and 8:00 to 10:30 on weekends. So I'm not in any hurry as I change and get ready for the day.

By the time I get down there, the hall is fairly empty compared to usual. It seems like it's almost all first years - I recognise some of them from the sorting. It seems like there's just a lone older girl, a Ravenclaw, sat at a table with a book in hand. I see Steph and Cassie sitting near Char and Amna, just on the Hufflepuff table not Gryffindor. I sit opposite them, and voice my thoughts.
"Why is no one here, except first years?"

I hear a snort from behind me, and swing around to see the Ravenclaw girl.
"What?" challenges Char defensively.
"Well only first years get to breakfast this early. Everyone else waits until later and eats all their breakfast in five minutes."
"Wait are you kidding?" Keira shuffles towards us causing Leah and a couple of other Ravenclaws tag yourself lol to look up from their deep conversation.
"What?" Leah looks up in confusion.
"Nope," the Ravenclaw says, grinning.
"Why are you up then?" I ask.
"Are you studying?" Leah asks, edging down the table and looking eagerly at the thick book. The ravenclaw raises her eyebrows.
"It's Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy. It's the first day back, why would I be studying?" Leah blushes and casts a significant look at us. I shrug back and turn to Cassie and Steph.
"I blame you guys if I pass out from exhaustion today."

The moment I finish breakfast I grab Amna, and we find somewhere to sit down. It kind of sucks that we can't go to each other's common rooms, but I guess we'll work it out.
"So, do we have any shared lessons?" Amna asks. I scan my timetable.
"I think so. Herbology... History of Magic... and flying lessons." I still feel slightly disappointed that I'm not in more classes with her, but clearly the school's management mixed things up a little. For example, they clearly worked out that it wasn't a good idea to put Gryffindors and Slytherins in flying lessons together.
"I think we have History of Magic fourth lesson. We need to make sure we get seats next to each other."

We chat for a while longer, keeping an eye out for Karla. Since she's a Ravenclaw, we haven't seen her since we were on the train, apart from a quick glimpse during lunch. We spot her looking slightly lost on her way out of the main hall, and catch up together until the bell rings for first lesson.

History of Magic is just as boring as it is in the books.

Me and Amna are sitting together along with a Gryffindor girl we don't recognise, in front of Steph, Cassie and Char. Me and Amna are just whispering to each other, but it's hard because even as a ghost Professor Binns notices people whispering. It's quite weird, because some of the stuff Binns is saying seems quite interesting, but somehow he makes it so boring I feel like dropping off to sleep. I feel a prod on my back and turn around to see Cassie passing a note to me. I open it.

This is so boring lol. Do you guys want to meet up @ lunch in a bit? We can try and find the other ppl we know :-)
I nod slightly back at her, and she gives a thumbs up.

"It's so nice to see you all," I grin. All of us are gathered together outside under a tree, and it's a huge crowd. All around me are familiar faces. As everyone else gets talking, however, my attention is drawn to the school. My school. This all still feels unreal, like it could slip away in a heartbeat... and yet it also feels so real.

A bell sounds, and I sigh. Closing my eyes for a second, I get up and set off toward the castle with Steph and Cassie.

I collapse into the common room in the evening with a sigh. It looks even better during the day than it did at night. Me, Amna and Karla are going to meet up in half an hour, but I may as well make a start on my homework...

Dinner tonight night isn't as nice as it was yesterday, but it's still pretty good. I keep leaning back to talk to Amna, who is sitting right behind me, and Steph and Cassie are doing the same thing. The separations between houses are starting to get broken up, even after us being here for just a few days. That's what happens when you get a load of internet friends into one place but then try to separate them, I suppose. We'd do anything for just a few extra minutes together: that's just the nature of our friendships.

Haha this ones a filler so's the next one idk man