So Much for No Strings Attached

Chapter 99 A Very Different Hogwarts

Draco smirked reading between the lines what she was saying. She was not saying that they couldn't defend themselves or even that they couldn't defend themselves or even that they couldn't start fights, just as long as there was no evidence. Hell, she wasn't even telling them to change their beliefs - just be smarter about it. If there was any proof that she was a Slytherin it was that!

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Charity led the wide eyed eleven-year-olds up to the third-floor corridor where the entrance to their new common room was located. After, the Board had put forward the motion to trial not separating the houses it was up to the teachers to try and find a place big enough to room sixty eleven-year-olds.

It was Minerva who suggested the dungeons that hadn't been used since Albus' philosopher's stone debacle. Over the last few weeks, it had been converted so that there was now a nice wooden staircase leading down from the trapdoor to the large stone room below that had once been used to store Pomona's Devil's Snare and Filius' enchanted keys.

It been changed into a common room which was decorated mainly in the purple colour of the Hogwarts crest but also had banners from all four houses. The seats were a mishmash or red, yellow, blue and green and there was a thick purple carpet. Aside from the colour scheme, the cosy common room lit by candlelight and magic reminded her of her own Hufflepuff common room.

At the end of the common room was a corridor which led to the dorm rooms. The boys were the on the left and the girls on the right (with both enchanted against the other gender). There were seven girls and eight boys due to their being a handful more boys than girls. Due to their not being perfect numbers there was a couple of girls dorms with two Hufflepuffs and no Gryffindors, and a boys' dorm with an extra Gryffindor.

At the end of the corridor was another door leading to room filled with desks and bookcases which was used to be used as a study room as several students had mentioned in their reviews that they found it difficult to study in the noisy common room (and Charity felt having a Ravenclaw as the Headmaster this was happily remedied). Naturally, this was likely to be underused in their first year; but should this become a permanent thing it would be very useful in years to come.

'Okay, everyone take a seat,' Charity said.

Charity waited as everyone took a chair. Charity was pleased to note that not all of them took a seat of their house colour and they weren't necessarily grouped into their houses. Maybe, this would lead to a decline of the age-old rivalries that both Albus and Severus (amongst others) had done nothing but encourage.

'Okay, first of all, I will reiterate what our headmaster said and welcome you to Hogwarts,' Charity said warmly. 'I am Charity Burbage, Professor of Muggle Studies and your year head, so if any of you need anything at all my office door will be open as long as I am not teaching. My usual office hours are on the notice board behind you. I will also be holding monthly meetings with you all independently to help you settle in - I am sure many of you will find it difficult being away from your homes and family. You will find the time of your first meeting on your timetables which I will be giving out presently.