Chapter 8

                                    

                                          
Amelia's first week was brutal.
Each day she had a test that would take the whole day. To add to her long days were homework assignments. She wasn't exempt from the courses they had each day. That meant she had to pick up the slack in her own time. Daphne helped with the new lessons they had during the week, which was highly appreciated by Amelia, but it didn't help with the fact that she was dead tired.
What it also caused was that she didn't have the time to find and speak with Hermione. Amelia was running from one part of the castle to the other to take the tests, or any stray lessons she managed to follow. She was rather proud of the fact she managed to stay awake. But Daphne's prodding in the side did help in that regard.
She also finally met Daphne's friend. A shy Slytherin born to Muggle parents. It's mostly the reason why he was on his own. He was also the cause as to why Daphne was alone most of the time. Their friendship lost Daphne the ability to make many other friends. But the three were happy enough, spending time in the common room together as they did homework or relaxed.
Today, Saturday, was the day Amelia would search for her favorite person: Hermione Granger.
Daphne watched as Amelia was smiling to herself, skipping around the room to head off in search of Granger. "You know, I think she means more to you than you let on, Amelia."
"What do you mean?" Amelia asked with a humming voice, pulling a shirt over her head while stuffing her backpack. Her friend raised her eyebrow, unsure whether she was lying or not. But Amelia didn't know what she meant. She was quite clear and never lied to Daphne.
"Ah, that's the way it is," Daphne smiled while stretching in her bed. The girl was beautiful in her own right, Amelia had to admit. Her figure was well-developed, while her hair gave her a charm not many had. "Nothing, Amelia. Tell Granger I said hi."
"Sure thing," Amelia replied easily enough. Yet she was not sure what Daphne was implying. But there's another time and place for such questions. Finding Granger was her first priority.
Amelia went off, exited the Slytherin dungeon, and went toward Gryffindor tower. The weekend came with many students trying to catch up. She saw several of them through the windows in the courtyard, playing a game or just sitting together. It was also then she noticed that Slytherin didn't mingle much with the other houses. There were a few here and there, but very few in number.
One thing she never saw was a Gryffindor and a Slytherin student together, though. Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw students could be seen with a Slytherin at times, but that was it. Apparently, the two houses didn't get along. That made her quite a bit worried as she was now on her way to the heart of Gryffindor. In her Slytherin robes. Perhaps not the best choice.
She raced up the grand staircase, switching a few of the rotating stairs to get to the higher floors. As she did, she passed the many portraits, said good morning to a few who greeted her. But overall, she there wasn't much interest with her single focus on her mind.
Her breath quickened slightly as she finally reached the entrance. The Fat Lady drank a glass of wine when Amelia approached the portrait. She had no intention of entering, just waiting to see who came out, and asking whether the portrait knew where Hermione was. Yet she wasn't prepared to be facing an irritated portrait, almost giving a scolding look.
"You shouldn't be here, Slytherin. Begone!"
Geez, talk about a friendly greeting, Amelia thought.
"I just-"
"No, nothing. You have no business here. Slyther back to your cold dungeon!"
"If I could just-"
"Are you deaf?" The Fat Lady asked irritably, seemingly getting more annoyed by the minute. To be honest, the feeling was becoming mutual. "I said begone!"