Hogwarts, A Story

Lyra- The Common Room

The tall chestnut haired boy that introduced himself as Amos Diggory, the Hufflepuff Prefect, led them through the school to the Hufflepuff common room. The earthy tunnel that gently sloped upwards revealed a cosy, round room. Plants of all sorts hung from the low ceiling and perched on circular wooden shelves. Jasmine, as white as snow, trailed up to the roof. One plant in particular caught Lyra's eye. It was a stunning violet- the exact colour of Jacaranda blossom. It high-fived the first years as they came in.
The entire room was a collage of black, yellow and gold. There was a mantelpiece of honey coloured wood with an intricate design of a badger. Above it was a portrait of a short, curvy woman with auburn hair and twinkling blue eyes, creased with mirth. Helga Hufflepuff. To Lyra's great surprise she moved. In fact, she appeared to be toasting her students, an ornate gold cup in her hand.
The crimson light of the setting sun bled through the windows that were level with the ground. They were small and circular, giving way to a pleasant view of rippling grass- and occasionally feet. A strange feeling descended over Lyra. She felt...at home?

The raven haired girl at her side, Sofia, gasped. Lyra turned to look. A silvery silhouette, almost transparent, floated in through the wall. It - he - was a jaunty looking monk. Or rather, the ghost of one. He flew towards the first years beaming. "Just wanted to say a warm welcome to the first years of the best Hogwarts house," he said winking, "I used to be a Hufflepuff myself. If you ever need help just call me, I'm known as the Fat Friar." A girl with long copper hair stared at him both in awe and fear.
A boy piped from the crowd, "So how did you die?" he asked conversationally. The friar didn't look too impressed and quite frankly, neither did the prefects.
"We're leaving!" exclaimed Sofia, grabbing Lyra's arm firmly and dragging her towards the girls' dormitory. Lyra looked back over her shoulder, barely catching the friar winking at her.
The golden walls of the dormitory shimmered with swirls of ebony paint. The silhouette of a tree was painted in one corner stretching up halfway across the wall. Its branches were also floating shelves, overflowing with books and plants. Two armchairs perpendicular to each other stood nearby. There was a neat row of bunk beds, made of the finest red oak. The bed posts were covered with trailing flowers. Gold and white, yellow and black.
"Shotgun the top bunk!" announced Lyra as fast as she could. The honey haired girl, who Lyra remembered from the sorting as Julie Kingston, looked incredibly confused and concerned, as did Sofia.
"Shot gun? Where?" she exclaimed looking around, worried. Lyra laughed.
"Its what people say when they want something, it gives them priority over other people if they say it first. For example, I called shotgun for the top bunk and therefore I get it!"explained Lyra, smiling at how ridiculous that must sound to the other two girls. Within seconds, the three of them collapsed onto the floor laughing.
"In that case, chica, I'll sleep on the one under," said Sofia, sitting down on the bed with a yawn. "I'm going to get some sleep before midnight."
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Lyra felt a series of taps on her shoulder. Her eyes flickered open to find Sofia Santiago leaning over her.
"The ceremony starts at midnight but I want to go down a little earlier before it gets crowded." she whispered excitedly, tugging on Lyra's hand like a child. Lyra felt a pang at the thought.
"Okay, okay! Give me a second!" she laughed softly. She slid out of bed and followed her dark-haired friend to the common room.
In front of her, Sofia stopped abruptly, barely giving Lyra enough time to react. She searched the room for what had cause Sofia's strange reaction. A handful of first years were already there, bathed in the silvery moonlight which fell through the windows. A tall boy with dark hair sat in one of the armchairs. He was fiddling with his hands nervously, his shoulders tense. The boy looked up and met her gaze for a second before looking away quickly, as if afraid. Lyra decided to keep an eye out for him in the days to come, returning her eyes to her surroundings. Then she saw it. The jasmine that spiralled all the way up to the roof was alight. The iridescent white flowers shone like stars. It looked as if someone had captured a piece of the night sky and pasted it onto the ceiling. It transformed the cosy room, giving it an even more magical and tranquil atmosphere. She turned to Sofia, struck dumb by the sight, to find her still gazing at the bewitching petals that glowed above.

Hey, it's Aelin. Please vote for the chapter if you enjoyed it. Also, if you have any recommendations of books on Wattpad for me, please comment the name, I'd really appreciate it! Don't forget to point out any spelling or grammar mistakes.