Pages of Love

Chapter 3

How wrong I was. It started off fine, then I departed from Ginny and Hermione and followed the crowd of Slytherins back into the common room. It was much different then I had expected- it was dark, and smelt rather wet and damp, like a swamp. It was all the way down in the dungeons, so the lighting was dull and depressing. I tried to start a fire to warm the place up, but the flames just spat green, illuminating strange shadows on the wall, distorted by the gaps in the stone. I tried opening a curtain, before nearly screaming at the sight of a thick black tentacle sticking and brushing past the window. I closed the velvet green curtains miserably. The dorm wasn't much better, especially when Millicent and Pansy were so cold to me. I sat on my four poster, with the curtains around me. I felt like crying. Why? I'm not quite sure. When Millicent and Pansy's talking stopped, I heard them slide under their blankets, and a loud snoring started from Millicent's side of the room. I took this as an opportunity to leave the room, and head down into the common room. I took the stairs down, nearly tripping and falling on the hard floor. I saw that three people were sitting on the couches, sprawled out so that they took up all of the room. I bit my lip, contemplating whether or not to rush up the stairs, and leave the people and the common room behind. Before I could do so, two of them turned around. There was Marcus Flint, a pale and dull looking blond boy, and another boy, one of them who laughed at me at the Slytherin table. The third boy turned around, (the blond boy), and they seemed to stare at me for ages, before smirking. "What do you want?" Asked the blond boy, in a cold drawling voice. "T-to um... study." I lie, as I adjusted my tie. They all burst out in laughter that made me oddly annoyed. "What." I snap at them, angrily. This made them laugh even harder. I turned on my heel hotly and started towards the stairs.

"Wait." One of them says. "Why were you down here?" I whip back around, and start back down the stairs. "I was going to... um- visit someone." I lie, and they laughed again. This made me so angry. "What's so funny?" I asked, trying not to flip out. "You know that there's a curfew right?" Marcus Flint says, then laughing again. "And how is that funny?" I say, ignoring him. "And besides- who would you be visiting?" Said the other boy. "Blaise has a point- who would you be visiting?" Said Flint. I whipped around again. "That's none of your business." I say, before leaving the common room. I could feel them watching me as I left, and I gave them one last cold look before shutting the door. I could hear through the door, that they bursted out with an obnoxious laughter that made my blood boil. I turned around the corner, and started up the stairs, and I started walking through the hallway. Some paintings glared, while others clicked their tongues, or some simply just sat there observing me, or each other. I came across a painting of a lonely looking lady, who was sitting in a field of lilies. I suddenly felt rather interested, so I moved towards her painting. The frame was intricate and gold, and the work was fine and perfectly hand painted. "Hello." I said, barely above a whisper. She looked up, and sadly looked back down at the grass. "Hello." I repeated, nearly snorting at how stupid I'd sounded. "Hello." The lady responded, sounding like a running waterfall. I couldn't describe her voice, but it made me feel oddly calm. "I haven't seen you before. Are you a Slytherin?" She asked me, not making eye contact, although I presume paintings couldn't do that even if they wanted to. "Amber?" I heard someone say. I whipped around, and saw Hermione Granger.

"Oh... um hello." I said, shifting my posture. The moonlight casted beautiful and mysterious shadows on the walls, and over the paintings. "What are you doing here?" She asks me, sounding although she were suspicious. "I couldn't sleep through the snoring. I hate it in there- I just came out to look at the paintings." I say, wrapping my robes tighter around myself. "I see." Said Hermione. "I came out here to find my book that I left in the library. I hate breaking rules, but this book has good information on astronomy." She says, although about to burst into laughter. I do first. Suddenly, we're both in a silent fit of laughter. I had no idea what we were laughing about, but Hermione looked tired, as she stopped laughing. "I have to get going for the first day of class tomorrow." She said, tucking her book back under her robes. "I should do the same." I say, knowing very well that I am not. "Goodnight!" Hermione said, turning around and walking away. I felt suddenly although I hadn't a problem in the world. I turned back to the painting. "Yes. I am a Slytherin but I don't know how." I say, barely above a whisper. The lady in the painting doesn't answer me. I turn around and leave, starting back down the stairs. I check the hand on my watch, and realize that I had to return. It was half past midnight, and the dark circles under my eyes felt heavy as I headed back towards the common room.

I entered the room, the fire flowing and crackling green in the fireplace. I yawn, and notice that the three boys were still there. "Draco, our house is all pure blood." I heard Flint say. Draco. So that was his name. They turned to look at me, and I yawned again. "Oh look. Piers is back." Says Blaise, as he props his feet up on the coffee table. "What brings you here so late?" He asks me. I inhale deeply. "I am not going to sleep outside, so I came back." I said, sounding tired. I rub my eyes, and start up the stairs back into the girls dormitory. I shut the door behind me, and collapse onto the bed, falling asleep the second my head hit the pillow.

The next morning I was woken by Pansy, who was beating my face with a pillow. "Wake up." She said, finally throwing the pillow at me in annoyance. I turned over on my side, and sighed. Then I remembered where I was. My heart sinking slightly, I rolled out of bed and pulled out clean robes and pleated skirt and sweater vest. I sigh, as I look at the silver and green Slytherin tie. Pansy and Millicent left, fully changed for the day. I quickly got ready, and I brushed my hair until it was soft. Had it gotten darker? I looked in the mirror and saw my reflection, which took me aback. I looked so tired, and my dark hair only made me seem paler. My green eyes now looked gray as well, and I swallowed. Ever since Mom and Dad had died, I have looked dull. I don't look like the happy person I used to be. Yawning, I swung my bag over my shoulder, and exited the dorm room, starting to breakfast.