the first night
James
“Mate how did you end up with sirius’s little sister, and how did you manage to survive that long?” Peter asked as they strolled through the familiar corridors on their way to the great hall for dinner after having changed into their uniform.
“Well you guys said go in a random compartment so I did, how was I supposed to know it was Adhara sitting across from me”
“Jamie, honey, I only caught a glimpse of her getting off the train and I knew from that split second who she was” Remus put his hand on James’s shoulder.
“Yeah I was still recovering from the heart attack she gave me so my mind wasn’t working at it’s best”
“Does it ever?” Sirius asked who quickly ducked as James reached to slap him.
“Hello boys, back to terrorise us this soon?” Mary greeted as the four of them took their places at the table.
“Don’t act like you don’t love us” Sirius smirked.
“Hola Lily” James happily smiled at the red haired girl across from him,
“James” Lily greeted shortly but the smile on her lips gave away that she was indeed happy to see her friend again.
They all fell into comfortable conversation, catching up on their summer vacations. James couldn’t help but notice the absent look on sirius’s face as he listened to his friends talk about all the fun things they did last summer. Because while they went swimming with friends or camping, Sirius was stuck at grimmuald place, the black family home.
It hadn’t gone past James’s notice that Sirius had looked thinner then before he left for home, and the dark circles under his eyes hadn’t been there before the summer either.
“How’r you feeling?” James asked him in a whisper.
“better now that I’m back” Sirius had a soft smile on his face as he let out a happy sigh.
“was it like Christmas break?” James carefully asked, bringing up the sensitive topic of Sirius’s Christmas break in which he got relentless scolding for getting sorted into Gryffindor.
“Worse”
Adhara
There were only a few people in the line to get sorted before it was Adhara’s turn. Mcgonegall read up her name and shot her a knowing look, another black, she must’ve thought as Adhara walked up to the small stage where she sat down on the seat.
The hat didn’t even touch her head before it shrieked out “Slytherin”. Her eyes betrayed her as they found her brother, who was looking down at the table with a frown, they had both known Adhara would be placed in Slytherin, but there was a part of Sirius which had hope.
That little spark of hope was now gone as Adhara sat down at the green robed table.
“Hi I’m Dorcas” the girl next to her greeted happily. Her hair was braided and put up into a bun, a golden stud decorating the left side of her nose complimenting her brown skin. Adhara hesitantly shook the girl’s outstretched hand, she dislikes new people.
As the sorting went on a couple more first years joined the Slytherin table all introducing themselves to one another and the older students. “Pandora Lestrange!” Professor mcgonegall called out and Adhara’s head shot up, her eyes following the blonde wavy haired girl take place on the seat.
Her hair had grown a bit longer, and she herself had grown a bit taller since they last saw one another. Adhara’s chest felt tight with nerves, hoping her childhood friend would be sorted into the same house. She met Sirius’s eyes with a knowing look.
The sorting hat took it’s time, it seemed Pandora was not an easy decision. It took the hat a whole five minutes before it called out ‘slytherin’ Adhara let out a sigh of relieve and Pandora made her way over to the table, and more specifically Adhara.
“Dhara! Oh wow, I’m so happy to see you again!” Pandora squealed as she sat herself down next to Adhara.
“Hi Dora” Adhara had a soft smile on her face, she had a soft spot for pandora.
The two girls had met at one of the many family gatherings where they often spent their time hiding from the adults together. The Lestrange and the Black family had the same ideologies which they pushed onto their children, somehow they hadn’t managed to kill Pandora’s lively personality, Adhara was another story.
“Hi, I’m Dorcas, why did the hat take so long?” Dorcas quickly introduced herself before asking the question everyone around them was dying to know the answer to.
“He was debating on either ravenclaw or slytherin he went on and on about family until I mentioned wanting to be with Dhara so he put me in slytherin”
—
The feast was unlike any other dinner Adhara had ever had, the tables were filled with different dishes, there was something for everyone’s liking and if she didn’t like one thing she could just grab something else, back at home she would’ve been forced to eat whatever their house elf Kreacher made.
Everyone was talking happily while Adhara just sat and listened, she had always been more of an observer.
Pandora was talking with dorcas from next to her “Adhara changed so much I almost didn’t recognise her” Adhara looked up from her plate “the signature black cheekbones are really starting to come in” Pandora poked Adhara’s cheek and if she was anyone else Adhara would’ve drawn her wand.
“Funny, I couldn’t have changed that much since christmas” Adhara muttered rolling her eyes fondly, she had missed pandora more than she would’ve liked to admit.
“How do you two know each other?” Dorcas asked the two.
“both part of pure blood families who get together for these fancy banquets and force us to wear these hideous dresses” Pandora shrugged, Adhara agreed with the dress part, oh how she hated it.
“Reckon you’ll be able to chose your own dress for the ball?” Dorcas asked.
“the ball?” Adhara questioned, she never heard anything about a ball.
“The Yuleball? Every other year hogwarts organises a ball before Christmas holidays called the Yule ball, the great hall gets decorated and we get dance classes the week before, we had one last year it was awesome” Dorcas explained, great, its every other year and they had one last year so this year Adhara wouldn’t have to worry about it yet.
Her mother would probably pick out her dress anyways, like she always did, hoisting her daughter in the most hideous attires trying to make Adhara a mini version of herself.
After dinner the first years were led to the common rooms by the prefects who told them the password to get in, flitterjibs, and then showed each student to their assigned dorm.
“And in this one, Miss lestrange, Miss Black and Miss Greengrass, due to odd numbers you are joined by a second year” the prefect girl explained holding the door to the dorm open for the last three girls. Pandora thanked her before happily skipping into the room, the brown haired girl ‘Greengrass’ followed her with a happy smile as she took in the room.
Adhara quickly found her bed by seeing her black trunk on a stool at the foot of the bed. The four poster bed was made of a dark brown wood and had curtains around it in the signature slytherin green colour. On the left side of the bed sat a nightstand and on the right side a dresser, under the bed there was a space to put her trunk and other loose stuff.
Her bed was placed in the corner with Pandora’s bed next to hers, a window looking into the black lake between the two with enough space to sit in-front of it and watch the fish pass by. Adhara was really fascinated by this.
“Do you know who the second year is?” Pandora asked Adhara who shook her head as she opened her trunk to unpack her stuff.
“I think It’s that girl you were talking to, Dorcas Meadows is her name right?” The other girl whose first name Adhara still didn’t know asked.
“Uhm yeah I think so” Pandora answered.
“it says D.M right here on her trunk” the other girl explained “I’m Cerci by the way, Cerci Greengrass, I don’t think I’ve introduced myself yet” Cerci walked over holding out her hand which pandora shook
“I’m Pandora, it’s nice to meet you” Pandora had a big smile on her face.
Adhara carefully shook her hand “Adhara black” she said shortly.
“Posh” Cerci commented before turning back to her own bed to unpack her stuff.
“Ah so you’re the first years I’m cooped up with” a familiar voice spoke as Adhara was putting her clothes in a drawer. She looked up to find Dorcas standing in the centre of the room with her hands on her hips. Pandora grinned at her and nodded while she was busy detangling a string of fairy lights. “Let me help with that” dorcas said as she noticed what Pandora was doing. She walked over and with one flick of her wand the stringed lights started detangling themselves. “Where do you want them?” She asked, wand still in hand.
“Around my bed please” Pandora answered and Dorcas Directed the lights to magically wrap themselves around the bedframe.
Pandora excitedly clapped her hands at the sight. “Oh I love them” cerci said looking at them as well.
“I have more!” Pandora beamed before pulling another clutch of tangled lights from her trunk “thought it would be nice to give to my dorm mates” she said as she handed cerci the cluster. “I have two more if anyone is interested” Adhara wanted to decline, she wasn’t used to gifts and knew she would feel guilty for not having anything to give back, but the lights looked so pretty that she couldn’t resist.
And so with the help of Dorcas the four beds were all decorated with the lights emitting a golden glow over the room, giving it a warm and welcome feeling.
The four of them got ready for bed while Dorcas told them all about what living at hogwarts is like.
As Adhara laid in bed that night staring up at the lights with her bed curtains drawn, she felt more content than she has felt in a long time. With that feeling she fell asleep.