Getting Settled
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"I'm going to need a lot of new stuff..." I mutter. I don't dislike shopping and this will likely be the most interesting shopping trip ever, but I have no idea who I'll be going with and considering I'm in Slytherin, I'll likely have to go shopping with Snape. I'm not going to say I dislike the man, that would be a lie, but I don't imagine he's very fun to shop with. I guess I'll have to figure out some stuff. Then again...
"Actually... I think a list of what I need and... a wand. I need to go shopping for a wand, but I think I can get everything else myself." They all look at me as if I am crazy. Snape is the first to question me.
"How, exactly, do you plan to do that? You have quite a few books and supplies to get. Not to mention robes..." He asks. I smirk.
"I've got a way. If you don't mind me wearing men's robes, that is. They'll likely be the only second-hand robes that will actually fit me..." I trail off. To explain that, I'm 6'4. There aren't going to be many girls that height and even less will leave them behind at Hogwarts.
"I don't believe that will be an issue. If you believe you can get your hands on what you need on your own, Severus will take you to get your wand tomorrow. If you cannot get your supplies for your classes, it is your grades that will suffer." Dumbledore allows. I smile brightly.
"My grades will not suffer from second-hand items. Thank you, sir." I say cheerily.
"You are welcome. Severus, escort Miss Noct to her new dormitories. Everyone else will go explain the situation to the rest of the students or simply go to sleep. It has been a long day. Goodnight." Dumbledore sends all the teachers and staff to do their jobs and Snape motions for me to follow him with a sour look on his face. I follow quickly.
As we move through the halls, I'm quite happy to silently watch his robes act dramatic. I would laugh if I couldn't get detention, but now that I'm technically part of the student population, I decide against annoying him any more tonight. Maybe later. We reach the Slytherin common room quickly and he says the password.
"Lakeshore."
We enter the common room and the chatter suddenly dies down. All eyes are suddenly on me and Snape as I follow him in. I scan the crowd and almost laugh when I see Draco Malfoy stuffing his face very daintily with chocolate frogs. He's not making a mess, but he's eating them so fast he really should be. That takes a hilarious amount of skill.
"The headmaster had decided that our surprise guest is now a surprise new student. This is Valerie Noct, she will be joining the 7th years. I will be in my office if you need anything." Snape introduces me and stalks off. I let out a small chuckle when he's out of hearing range.
"He must practice that. There's no way he just does it." I say, grinning amusedly. A few students look confused while others chuckle with me.
"Does anyone know where the 7th year girls' dorm room is or... actually... I have a better idea." I feel a strange feeling come over me and I turn and look at a wall across the room, I walk up to it and look around, there's a small snake carved into the frame of a painting. I whisper to it.
~Show me your secrets~
I hear several gasps behind me, but I ignore them and step away from the wall. A door appears from nowhere and a responding voice whispers back to me.
~You are accepted, speaker. Next you return, speak "Salazar's Keep" and you may enter~
So there is a secret room in the Slytherin common room. And only I or Harry Potter can access it. I am definitely going to abuse this.
"Useful." I murmur.
"You're a Parselmouth?!" I can't tell if the voice is irritated or scared, but I think I know who it belongs to. I turn around to see a thirteen year old Draco Malfoy looking at me in disbelief.
"Two in two years?! This has to be a joke!" He seems very put off by the whole situation. I chuckle.
"Yes, well... it's the right generation, I suppose. Anyway, I'm going to go ahead and find a very specific room. You all have a good night." I say. Then I turn and hiss at the door.
~Close~
The door disappears and I make my way over to the common room door intending to leave, but I'm blocked by a girl wearing a prefect badge.
"It's past curfew. You can't just go exploring at night." She says.
"Hm. I can. And I will. I'll see you in the morning, Miss Rule-follower." I move around her and run out the door. I sprint up several flights of stairs, nearly dying several times before I finally reach the 7th floor. I scour the place, looking for a tapestry of trolls being taught to dance, then I find it and start pacing.
I need school robes and supplies. I need school robes and supplies. I need school robes and supplies.
After passing three times, the door appears and I get in, closing the door. I enter a room with lots of piles of stuff, but it's all school items and they are all organized into piles. They also all seem to be 7th year items. The room seems to have given me exactly what I need and more. The magic of the Room of Requirement. I look through the robes first and try on most of them. I find several sets of Slytherin school robes that fit and put them aside. Then I look through the books. There are a lot, but I take a good copy of each book. Some have notes on them, in fact I found a potions book that belonged to The Half-Blood Prince, the 7th year edition. I snatched that book up super fast. I gather all these items and see that there is now a very convenient bag that can carry all of it just sitting by my pile of stuff. I love this room. I gather all the supplies I need, like cauldrons and stirring rods for potions, and make sure it can all fit. Magically expanded bag. Huh. Keeping that. I get all my stuff together and get moving. The bag is lightened magically so I can move quickly through the corridors and get back to the Slytherin common room before I'm caught. I get back and hiss at the snake carving again, slipping into Salazar's Keep and closing the door behind me. I settle in and get all my new stuff out, making the place my own and patting out the bed to sleep. It's well kept, probably thanks to house elves. I get undressed and go to sleep in my new-found private room. Tomorrow will be my first day of Hogwarts. How exciting.