Accio Evans

Chapter 5 - The girl's dormitory

"Welcome home girls!" Jessica declared pushing open the door to their dormitory, the same room they'd all shared since their very first day at Hogwarts, since they were all four foot tall first years about to embark on their Hogwarts journey. The room itself hadn't changed much since the very first time they'd walked into it on this day six years ago, their very first day at Hogwarts. The decoration hadn't changed the same cream walls and swirled plaster on the ceiling, the same deep red curtains around their beds and the bay window as well as the duvet covers. The room was furnished and laid out like any other of the Gryffindor dorms – but none of the other dorms would feel as cosy to them as theirs. The room was well loved, the makeup stains on the curtains and the scorch marks on the floor from Alice's third year Charms experiment were evidence of that, but despite its imperfections, it was theirs and they loved it. The only change to their dorm was the plaque on the outside that now read 'Seventh Year Girls' and its position on the stairs; their doorway started at the bottom of the stairs in their first year and had gradually worked higher up the stairs throughout their years at Hogwarts, finally coming to rest at the top of the staircase where the seventh year dormitories were always found. The room was fairly spacious with room for practical application of spells or as Jessica had found out in second year, enough room to fit in two consecutive cartwheels. Light flooded in through the large bay window at the far end of the room, as the sun began to set behind on the horizon the room was filled with shades of copper and gold from the lowering sun, their shadows creating seven foot tall doppelgangers of themselves across the walls as they unpacked. Jessica couldn't help but smile as she caught sight of the view from the window; she took a moment out of her unpacking to just admire the view. The rolling hills covered in a carpet of green grass surrounding the Hogwarts castle calmed her beating heart, as did the silhouette of the Quidditch stadium in the distance.

Five beds were arranged around the edge of the room, although only four were actually used, Dorcas Meadowes their fifth roommate had left after fifth year to join a Quidditch Academy in the North of Wales, and since then the bed had been left empty, usually a dumping ground for anything the girls didn't feel like keeping in the wardrobes or under their beds.

Giving up on unpacking and kicking her trunk under her bed, Alice flopped in front of the fire that was burning brightly in the hearth. Hestia – having unpacked very quickly – joined her, basking in its warm glow. If asked, Lily would describe the rooms present state as neat, although she knew it wouldn't stay that was for long, Jessica, who had now returned to her unpacking, was throwing her clothes wildly around the room in an attempt to find her quidditch gloves in the never ending region that was her trunk. Alice seemed to have come to the same conclusion as Lily as a pair of jeans and one lone shin guard flew over her head landing the other side of the unoccupied bed; this room was never going to stay tidy....

Lily eventually finished unpacking and flopped down on her bed, the closest to the window on the left side, next to Alice's and opposite Hestia's, a wave of exhaustion threatened to overcome her. Trying to shake the tired feeling from her brain, Lily pulled herself into a sitting position and leant against her headboard, yawning she rubbed her face, then noticed all her friends were staring expectantly at her, all wearing matching cheesy grins.

"What?!" Lily questioned, her voice slightly higher than she expected. Twirling a loose strand of red hair around her finger, she cautiously stared back at her friends, her chipped silver nail varnish glinting somewhat in the now dimming light.

"What's going on with you and Potter?" Hestia interrogated, failing terribly in her attempt to keep her face deadpan. Lily broke into fits of giggles as Jessica shot her an accusatory glance. Lily too began to giggle.

"There's nothing going on between me and Potter." Lily explained. "And there won't ever be!" she added, ignoring the knots her stomach was tying itself in in her stomach at the mention of his name.