𝓔𝓓𝓘𝓣𝓔𝓓
A loud audible chime went off throughout the Castle's walls waking everyone up at six o'clock in the morning. One hour till breakfast, an hour to get ready. Ophelia got out of bed and looked around the room as her fellow sixth year Slytherin house mates groaned at the sound of the bell tower.
Ophelia walked towards the door and up the next flight of stairs that took her to the girl's lavatory. She was the only one in the bathroom but she knew that the rest of the fifth, sixth and seventh years would be in there soon.
Ophelia walked towards the nearest stall and went for her morning wee, once she had finished and was washing her hands, she realised that she had left all of her stuff in her bedroom. With a small movement of her hand, her towel, soap, toothbrush and uniform came flying through the door, at sixteen-years-old she was already very skilled in wandless magic, something that Dove and Nicole envied her for.
When everything was sturdily in her hands she walked to the further end of the bathroom where the washrooms were. She walked past the big bathing pool and towards the showers. She opened up the nearest shower and settled everything safely on the back of the door before locking it.
Ophelia opened the curtain to the freshly cleaned shower that hadn't been used in the past couple of months and turned the tap for hot water. Water came shooting out of the shower head just above her and as she waited for the water to warm up, she began to strip herself of her clothes. Just like last night, her usually soft skin was soon covered in goosebumps as the cold morning air and the coldness of the bathroom hit her skin.
When she felt the heat of the shower water hit her she pulled back the curtain and stepped in, closing the curtain all the way and letting the warm water cover her bare body and warming her up. Once she was fully warm she reached for her new bar of soap that her parents had bought her from a small muggle shop the day before she left for Hogwarts.
She carefully wet the soap and once mini bubbles were coming off of it she placed it to her skin gently washing as the soap glided across her skin. As she stayed there under the warm water washing she began to hum a random muggle song that she and Emory had heard on one of their days down Swansea beach.
Her mind raced back to that date that was a muggle bank-holiday Monday at the beginning of August. Ophelia and Emory had woken up early on a Monday morning and went out for breakfast at a small café opposite the beach. They then spent their day on the beach building sandcastles and going swimming as well as doing other muggle things like such as shopping at the little market that was there every summer.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the loud giggles of what Ophelia believed to be first years using the girls' bathroom for the first time.
Ophelia turned off the shower and leaned over to grab her towel from the back of the door. She pulled the towel from under her clothes making sure nothing fell on the floor into the small puddle that dripped from Ophelia's body. She quickly dried herself off and began to put her uniform on. By the time she had finished, there were more girls filling into the bathroom with their towels in hand. Ophelia walked out with her wet towel, soap and night dress along with her dirty underwear.
When Ophelia reached her dormitory two Slytherin girls in her year were already dresses and gossiping about an unknown topic that wouldn't interest Ophelia in the slightest.
Ophelia placed her towel on the chair beside her bed to dry throughout the day and placed her dirty laundry into a small basket on the opposite side of her bed. She then neatly folded her nightgown and placed on her pillow after making her bed.
When she turned around to leave for breakfast the two girls who were gossiping earlier were now, face to face smiling brightly as they stared at her.
The two girls were both sixth years that Ophelia only ever saw during meals and common room times, she never really bothered with the Slytherin girls besides Orion's older sister, Lucretia, as she was always with Tom and his little clang in the main seating area, however this soon stopped after she and Emory began their relationship. The smaller Japanese girl, by the name of Aika Arakawa, smiled brightly at Ophelia whereas the slightly taller girl, Dodie Smith, just gave a small smile and a nod of the head.
"Were you sneaking out with Emory Oliphant last night?" asked Aika, her Japanese accent had mixed with her mother's Northern Irish accent, and you couldn't make out which one was more prominent.
Ophelia laughed not only at her accent but at the way she beamed brightly at her. Ophelia knew that she already knew the answer but from Ophelia about Aika she liked to hear it come from the actual person. "If you must know, then yes, I was." Ophelia gave a then the smallest smile she could possibly give them and the two girls looked at each other a squealed.
"How do you two never get caught? Oh, but, it's so cute the way you two look at each other."
"We don't get caught, we're careful, and technically because Emory's head boy, he can be out after hours."
The two girls squealed again and were about to say something before Ophelia interrupted them. "Sorry, do you mind if leave and we continue this conversation later? I need to meet my friends."
The two girls nodded and Ophelia smiled at them and left the room, and began her descend down the two flights of stairs.
Once Ophelia reached the bottom, Tom and his group sat in the seating area. Ophelia tried to avoid their stares but they continued to stare as she walked through the lounge, she was going to walk past them until Tom called out to her.
"Ophelia, you're actually up early?" Tom asked in disbelief.
"Leave her alone, Riddle," Lucretia walked down the steps of the girl's dorms into the seating area, "your petty remarks aren't going to work anymore."
She linked her arm with Ophelia's and led herself and Ophelia away.
Ophelia wore a big grin on her face as she and Lucretia walked out laughing.
The two girls walked up a small set of steps that led to the exit of the common room.
Ophelia let out a low laugh as the doorway revealed itself and she walked out she turned back to see Tom Riddle still watching her with a close eye, their eye contact was dropped when the wall sealed all the way. Tom wanted to know why he was all of a sudden so fixated on her. He didn't understand the whole concept of the situation, he didn't have feelings for her, because a boy without feelings surely would not feel anything towards a girl he had known six years. Tom shook his head and engaged back in the conversation with his followers.
Ophelia and Lucretia walked towards the final set of steps that would take them out of the Dungeons but was stopped by two of Hogwarts permanent residents, Peeves and the Bloody Baron.
"Ah, if it isn't Ophelia-welia and sweet Lucretia Black! Ophelia, are you going to see that handsome young Gryffindor boy again? Like you do every night. Do not act so shocked young witch, I saw you coming back at 12 o'clock last night, however, unlike your usual smiley face, you looked sad. What's wrong, Lia?" Peeves asked, his laugh annoying as ever.
"My, my, Miss Lockwood. Headmaster Dippet would not approve of one of his best students sneaking around, would he now?" Said the Bloody Baron.
"And Headmaster Dippet will not find out will he now, gentlemen? And, Peeves, nothing is wrong at all," Ophelia replied, giving Peeves a fierce glare.
"Okay, Headmaster Dippet will not find out, Ophelia-Welia." Peeves said his laugh now fading as he backed down.
"Very well, no harm has been done here, so if you two fine, ghost and poltergeist do not mind, I have some friends to meet." Ophelia smiled as she and Lucretia walked around the two dead residents and up the stairs laughing quietly to themselves.
"I honestly do not know why you let her get to you, Peeves." The Bloody Baron stated.
"Because she is a powerful and intelligent witch." Peeves laughed.
Ophelia could hear Peeves' laugh when she reached the top of the stairs. When she got to the top as she turned right to go to the Hufflepuff common room, Dove and a seventh year by the name of Rune Lufkin came walking towards her.
"I'll see you later, Lia," Lucretia waved goodbye and smiled to Dove and Rune.
Ophelia waved back and turned her focus on the two Hufflepuff students.
"I was just about to come and get you." Dove laughed.
"I'm sorry I got caught up by Peeves and the Bloody Baron. And well, nice to see you too, Dove. Hello, Rune, besides from our little encounter over summer, how was yours?" Ophelia asked smiling.
Rune returned her smile. "It was great, you know the usual stuff, might be a bit boring for you two, but yeah, went on holiday with me mam and dad."
Although the three students were all Welsh, Rune's accent stood out the most, the Aberystwyth born wizard was a fluent speaker in both Welsh and English, something that both Ophelia and Dove wish they could do.
Rune smiled as Dove nudged him, this showed that Dove was interested in what he had to say. Rune wasn't a tall boy, he was the same height as Ophelia at the height of five foot seven, but they both liked to take the mick out Dove for being six inches smaller than them both.
His black curly hair bounced up and down his head as he laughed when Dove nudged him, and he reached for her head so he could rest his elbow on her. Rune was a very talented young wizard with the power of healing, he works for the school at every Quidditch game, and has been offered a job in the hospital ward after he finished his seventh year.
"Shall we get going to breakfast?" Rune asked.
The two girls nodded their heads and the three of them made their way towards the Great Hall for breakfast.