Puppet Strings (Hogwarts x Reader)

Chapter 2

Applause thundered, which was tumultuous at the Gryffindor table in particular. Y/n leaned forward to see Hagrid, who was ruby-red in the face and staring down at his enormous hands, his wide grin hidden in the tangle of his black beard. She should have known—who else would have assigned them a biting book? She still remembered the way she had to bind the cover together with three thick belts to get it to stop snarling.

"Well, I think that's everything of importance," said Dumbledore. "Let the feast begin!"

The golden plates and goblets before them filled suddenly with food and drink. Y/n, suddenly ravenous, helped herself to everything she could reach and began to eat. It was a delicious feast; the hall echoed with talk, laughter, and the clatter of knives and forks. Y/n wasn't particularly eager to finish—she'd have to talk to Harry, then.

She had one job. One job, and that was to be there for Harry. And she couldn't have even done that. With her being in Slytherin, that was going to be much, much harder. She knew that the Gryffindor and Slytherin rivalries were the worst of the lot. Maybe she should talk to Dumbledore. Ask to transfer back to Ilvermorny....

But no, she couldn't do that. She had promised Harry to stay, and she'd be damned if she broke that promise.

At long last, when the last morsels of pumpkin tart had melted from the golden platters, Dumbledore gave the word that it was time for them all to go to bed.

Y/n stood and rushed over to the Gryffindor table, a dot of emerald green swimming up the river of students towards the cluster of red and gold.

"Y/n," Hermione said as she spotted her. "Well, er, congratulations." Y/n could tell that Hermione was surprised, maybe even a bit uncomfortable, but it was sweet that she tried to be accepting anyways.

She couldn't read Harry's face.

"Harry, I—"

"Dumbledore told us to go to bed," Ron cut in. "We have to go."

Y/n's brow scrunched. Ron? Ron was acting like this? "But—"

"We have to go," Ron said more sharply, taking Harry by the arm and pulling him away. Before Y/n could protest, they were lost in the sea of students heading out of the Great Hall.

She huffed a frustrated sigh, then realized Slytherin was nearly gone. She hurried over to catch up with the rest, not wanting to get left behind. They streamed out of the Great Hall and down a side corridor, where they went down a flight of stairs....and another....and another. With each story descended, the atmosphere grew colder. It was a far cry from the common room Y/n once had in Thunderbird Tower.

We passed through a large door, behind which was a set of steps leading down to....the dungeons? Was Y/n seeing this correctly? Their dormitories were in the dungeons?

Eventually, the students came to a stop in front of a bare stretch of stone.

"Listen, all of you!" a voice called from up front. It was a seventh-year girl with blue streaks in her hair and eyeshadow the color of silt. "I'm Rowen Wayne, Slytherin Prefect. The password to the common room changes every fortnight, and it gets posted on the noticeboard. Now, If you forget the password I'm about to share, I'll hex you at dinner. If you share the password, I'll hex you at breakfast so the effects last all day, then when dinner rolls around I'll let Filch hang you up by your ankles in his office. No outsider has entered the common room for more than seven centuries. Are we clear?"

There were some murmurs of acknowledgement, though they were the most defined in the first year circles. Y/n almost wanted to laugh. They obviously still didn't know about Harry and Ron sneaking their way inside with Polyjuice Potion last year.

Satisfied, Rowen turned back to the stretch of stone. "Carpe Diem."

The stone pulled back, revealing a passage lit by torches. Rowen lead them down it, with the first years huddling together, terrified. Y/n was more annoyed than terrified, but she still felt a kinship towards them. Seriously, who put a common room in the dungeons?

The common room itself had a grand atmosphere, with stone walls and greenish lamps and chairs. There were lots of low backed black and dark green button-tufted, leather sofas and dark wood tables. The walls were decorated with tapestries featuring the adventures of famous Medieval Slytherins, and there was a large fire roaring in the hearth, but that's not what drew Y/n's attention.

Along one wall, there were great big circular windows that let students view the depths of the Lake. Kelp and seaweed danced in the current, and Y/n could have sworn that she saw the curious head of a merperson peek out before quickly retreating. Along the length of the windows ran a long, cushioned bench.

The girls and boys divided to head to their dormitories. Y/n found herself grouped with three others—a thin girl with dark skin and silvery braided hair, a girl with a nasty scar along her collarbone who had slitted eyes, and a girl with the sharpest eyeliner and biggest hoops Y/n had ever seen.

The girl with the scar collapsed tiredly on her bed without saying a word, and the other two laughed.

"Do you know when we'll get our class schedules?" Y/n asked the black girl. She didn't answer, still looking at the girl with the scar.

"She's deaf," the eyelined girl said. "And the answer to your question is tomorrow at breakfast."

"Oh," Y/n said. "Thanks."

"I'm Val," she went on. "That's Solene, and that's Emi," she said, gesturing to the black girl and then the scarred girl.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Y/n."

Solene was now looking at them and she waved, a giant smile lighting up her face. She began to sign something.

"I'm sorry," Y/n said awkwardly. "I don't know sign language."

Val signed Y/n's response and Solene shrugged, still smiling. She didn't seem too put off.

"You'll pick up on it," Val said. "I didn't know it either when I first met Sol, but you learn a thing or two after rooming for two years."

"You guys have all been together that long?"

Val nodded. "Yep. The fourth girl we used to room with was a total arse, so I'm glad you're here now. Got the other Potter, didn't we?"

Y/n smiled a little awkwardly, not sure what to say to that. "Yeah, I suppose you did."

"What did your brother say? About the whole Slytherin-and-not-Gryffindor thing?"

"Um..." Y/n shook her head, remembering Ron's cold front. "We didn't really get a chance to talk.

Val was about to say something else, but Y/n beat her to it. "I'm a little tired, I think I'm gonna head to bed," she said swiftly. "Um, it was nice meeting you."

"Likewise," Val said, climbing into her bed. "Goodnight, roomie."

Y/n bit her and Solene goodnight, then climbed into her bed. She drew the curtains shut, not wanting the others to see her in case any tears appeared on her cheeks.