Veiled Hearts

Chapter Eight

Fate must have taken pity on me. By luck, I have been put in Daphne and Pansy's dorm room.

I've trailed behind them since we entered the girls' section of the dorm rooms, they're talking about the Triwizard tournament, but the words are flowing in one ear and out the other.

We stop abruptly in front of a dark oak door with ripples of sliver whorls leading to the handle.

"Only us three can enter. No need to worry about a key, just touch the handle and the magic does the rest" Pansy explains, reaching out for the handle.

Daphne looks back at me, "It does a good job too, coz Pansy here would definitely lose her key"

The three of us chuckle as Pansy pushes the door open, revealing my 'home' for the next 12 months.

I step in and do a full-circle view of the room. I can't quite pinpoint the feeling that prickles my mind, but I could definitely get used to this glorious room.

"Your bed is that one on the far wall. Is that ok, Sloane? Daphne and I don't like being that close to the window" Pansy walks towards her bed, absent-mindedly glancing towards the window.

Right. I can call this room ours.

Sharing a dorm with anyone other than Val tightens my heart. But I know the memories of our time together will make this adjustment easier, seeing as she's only staying somewhere else on the school grounds.

The layout of our dorm looks similar to an eight-pointed Octagon. On each wall, there are tall dark ridged stone arches that join to the ceiling in a dome.

I walk towards the middle of the dorm, running my fingers over the upholstered chaise that is laid out around a freestanding fireplace. The heat emitting off the coals chases away the chill that had settled into my bones the moment we entered the dungeons.

The bed Pansy pointed to is four-poster-styled, decked out with heavy dark oak wood features with a variety of different shades of green making the bedspreads.

But it's the window that catches my eye.

The window looks like a mosaic, a collection of green shades that I had never seen before in my life. Ranging from colours that you could only find deep within a forest to shades that mimic that of jasmine tea.

Past the window, the dark waters of the Black Lake cast a hue of deep blues across the room.

Sure, it's daunting thinking about the vastness that is only separated from us by a window, but the presence is comforting in a way.

The serenity of the view settles me.

Algae climbs up the outside of the windows, its long cords of moss float in the soft current of the lake.

My singular trunk lays at the foot of my bed, serving as a reminder that my entire life fits inside it. The brass locks are cold at my fingertips as I flip the latches open, opening the trunk and finding all my belongings exactly how I packed them.

My tall dresser provided in my room doesn't look as sparse anymore after unpacking my things, the door closing with a soft click. I make sure to put the family photo I have saved on my bedside table. The photo slowly moves as my parents and I laugh at our last Christmas morning together.

Not that we knew it would be our last.

I continue to move past it, not letting memories and grief wash over me.

Walking out of the bathroom after changing into my pyjamas, the smooth stones cold against my feet, a familiar scent encases my body.

It smells of home. Daphne must've lit a candle to freshen up the room. Vanilla and spice, exactly what Mum used back at the manor, but this time it brings me comfort.

The plush mattress of the bed sinks under my weight.

I fight to keep my eyelids open, losing the battle as sleep finally overcomes me.

My mind drifts off, even to the soft voices of Pansy and Daphne.

"I wonder what Matteo thinks of the riots"

"Leave him be, it's got to be hard on him already. Just the thought of him being back is worrying enough. It's going to take a toll on him"

Pansy's last words haunt my dreams.