Little Bird

Chapter Fifty-Eight

Eve

            On the day that the world changed, Pansy shook me awake at exactly 11:17 p.m.

            "Eve. Come on, wake up—"

            I blearily opened my eyes and looked up at her through the darkness of the dormitory, my legs twisted in the silver bed sheets. I sleepily tried to sit up, slightly annoyed that Pansy had decided to wake me up at this hour—I'd been having a pleasant yet slightly amusing dream where Draco had snuck into Hogwarts through a secret passageway in the girls' toilets.

            "S'matter?" I asked, my voice thick from sleep. "Is something wrong?"

            The semi-darkness hid her expression well, but I could still make out the fact that Pansy's eyes were impossibly wide. She told me quickly, "I dunno. Snape's called everyone out of bed, we've got to go—"

            I rolled out of bed somewhat unsteadily, sleep still tugging at the corners of my mind as I struggled to disentangle myself from the sheets. I stumbled to the dresser at the end of my bed to find a clean pair of jeans, narrowly avoiding stubbing my toes on the third wooden post that held up the mattress. Millicent was tugging on her boots at the other side of the dormitory, mumbling in annoyance to no one in particular, "This had better be important. I've got a Potions exam first period today."

            I wasn't quite sure why, but I had a sinking feeling that our classes tomorrow would soon be completely insignificant.

            Despite the near pitch-blackness, I managed to change out of my oversized t-shirt—I'd stolen it from Draco's bedroom last August before leaving for Hogwarts—and shorts without breaking anything. I gently tucked my wand and the last letter Draco had sent me against the inner pocket of my robes, stuffing my sneakers on and hurrying out of the room after Pansy.

            The other Slytherins were heading down to the common room as well, their tired expressions matching mine as we made our way toward the portrait exit. The air was filled with annoyed mumbles about being forced out of bed this early in the morning, a few sixth years openly cursing Snape and accusing him of having lost it. But their voices gradually died down as we left the Slytherin common room behind, because the Entrance Hall ahead was filled with students and no one wanted to be caught talking like that by one of the Carrows.

            My heart sank low inside my chest when I followed the rest of the students inside the Great Hall, seeing that the oak wood tables had been pushed to the side of the room and the candles had been dulled down to create a dusky lighting. Snape stood at the front of the dining hall where the professors' table usually was, his hands tucked behind his back as the Carrows ordered everyone into neatly spaced rows. I found myself next to Pansy on the right side of the room more towards the middle, the Slytherins around us either sharing confused glances with each other or just standing sleepily.

            I looked around uneasily and saw the Gryffindors standing on the other side of the room, realizing Ginny was in the front row beside a black-eyed Seamus. Quickly glancing away so I wouldn't be caught staring, I looked up to see that the Carrows had moved to stand behind Snape, and the sound of the Great Hall doors thudding against each other echoed loudly over our heads as they were shut behind us. Silence fell like a thick blanket as the curious whispers and soft questions gradually died down to nothing, everyone's heads turning towards the front of the room in nervous anticipation.

            It was now so quiet that a dropped pin would have sounded much too loud, and Snape swept a pitch black stare over all of us as he took a soft step closer, his expression as neutral and unreadable as it had ever been. When he finally spoke, his low and quiet voice still managed to reach every corner of the entire Great Hall.