New Friends, New Relationships

The train had just arrived at Hogwarts for the start of the New Year. All students were anxious to get started. Everyone was moved into the Great Hall to see the sorting; overall Slytherin gained ten new students, Gryffindor gained the most at 15, Ravenclaw gained 12, and Hufflepuff gained only eight new students. Dumbledore stood up to make some announcements.

“Welcome students to another year of Hogwarts Witchcraft and Wizardry. I trust the summer was good to all, now lets move on to some important issues. We feel that student unity is of up most importance, so we have decided that all Quidditch teams will live together in separate dorms, along with all 6th and 7th year Prefects; certain 5th year Prefects will be joining the new living quarters as well. Now let’s introduce the house teams and Prefects. First Gryffindor, please hold your applause until all names have been called. The following 7th years; Angelina Johnson Chaser and Quidditch Captain, Chaser and Prefect Alicia Spinnet, Chaser and Prefect Katie Bell. Also Beater and Prefect Fred Weasley, and last but not least Beater and Prefect George Weasley. The 6th years are as follows. Keeper and Prefect Ronald Weasley, Seeker and Prefect Harry Potter, Prefect Hermione Granger, and Prefect Parvarti Patel. There is two Gryffindor 5th year Prefects that will be living with them also Ginny Weasley and Colin Creevey. Now onto Hufflepuff 7th years. Seeker, Captain, and Prefect Cedric Diggory, Chaser and Prefect Andrew Summerby. The 6th years are Chaser and Prefect Susan Bones, Chaser and Prefect Zachariah Smith, Beater and Prefect Ernie Macmillan, and Hannah Abbott who is a Prefect. Also two 5th years Beater and Prefect Rose Zellar, and Keeper and Prefect Laura Madley. Now onto Raveclaw the 7th years are. Seeker and Captain Cho Chang, Chaser and Prefect Roger Davies, Beater and Prefect Eddie Carmichael, Keeper and Prefect Marietta Edgecombe, and Prefect Terry Boot. Also there is only one 5th year from Ravenclaw Luna Lovegood. Now last but not least Slytherin. The 7th years are; Chaser and Captain Marcus Flint, Beater and Prefect Miles Bletchley, Beater and Prefect Terence Higgs, and Adrian Pucey, Keeper, Co-Captain, and Prefect. 6th years are Draco Malfoy who is Seeker, and Prefect, Blaise Zabini who is a Chaser and Prefect, Theodore Nott who is Chaser and Prefect. Completing the list is Pansy Parkinson who is a Prefect, Daphne Greengrass Prefect, and Millicent Bulstrode who is a Prefect. Please everyone put your hands together.”

Most of the students named in the group were mildly shocked they would be sharing a dorm with students from other houses, the house that hated it the most was Slytherin they were talking about it as everyone was eating their dinner. Pansy and Daphne were talking amongst themselves. “This sucks I don’t want to be in a dorm with anyone else besides my house I mean Pansy me you and Millie have been dorm mates for almost 6 years.” “I know Daph, this just plain out isn’t right we shouldn’t have to sleep by them I mean gross.” Adrian was sitting across from the two girls and was laughing at them. “Please girls it’s not like you are going to die or something you don’t spend a lot of time in your room anyways.”

They both glared at him knowing he was right but not wanting to admit it. Over at the Gryffindor table Ron and Harry were groaning about how it was going to be bad sharing a dorm with Draco. Hermione scolded them. “Boys get over it, this isn’t about feuds you have this is about making us get to know the other students that aren’t in our house it is a great experience.” Ron was about to responded to her when the food disappeared and Dumbledore stood again.

“Students whose names were called please remain in the Hall when the other students leave, the other 5th year Prefects please take the students to their Common Rooms.”
Once the other students left he called all the kids up to the front of the room to tell them their dorms. “This is a great chance for you and you should feel proud to be chosen for this, your Common Room and dorms are across from the Great Hall I shall now tell you your dorm mates for the year. Room one is Adrian Pucey, Terence Higgs, Fred Weasley, and George Weasley. Room two is Marcus Flint, Miles Bletchley, Roger Davies, and Eddie Carmichael. Room Three is Terry Boot, Cedric Diggory, and Andrew Summerby. Room four is Draco Malfoy, Blaise Zabini, Theodore Nott, Harry Potter, and Ron Weasley.” He looked at the boys seeing them glaring at each other. “Please Ron, and Draco stop glaring at each other, now in Room Five there is Michael Corner, Zachariah Smith, Ernie Macmillan, Anthony Goldstein, and Colin Creevey. Boys please go across the hall into your rooms.”

The boys left most of them sticking with their own housemates. Now ladies in Room One there is Angelina Johnson, Alicia Spinnet, Katie Bell, Cho Chang, and Marietta Edgecombe. In Room Two there is Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley, Luna Lovegood, Pansy Parkinson, and Daphne Greengrass. In Room Three there is Padma Patel, Hannah Abbott, Laura Madley, and Millicent Bulstrode. In room Four there is Susan Bones, Parvarti Patel, Lisa Turpin, and Rose Zellar. Please girls go to your dorms now.

They walked away some grumbling some looking excited. When the girls got to the door Professor Snape was there and told them the password was Unity. They walked inside and some of the boys were in the Common Room some were in their rooms, all the girls ran to their rooms to claim there beds. In room one the colors were red and blue for the two houses staying in the room. In room 2 the colors were red, green, and blue for the three houses. Room 3 was also red, green, and blue. In room 4 the colors were all yellow and black because there was four Hufflepuff students staying in the room. The boy’s rooms were done the same way depending on the houses each boy came from. Much to the discomfort of most the students they were able to find a bed they wanted and most of them decided to go to bed.

Draco, Blaise, and Theodore were sitting in their room talking about Quidditch and how they couldn’t wait for the season to start. Ron and Harry were sitting in the room as well silently agreeing with them but not admitting it out loud. All of room three and room five were going to sleep. In room two Terence was in there talking with Marcus and Miles because Adrian wanted to recheck his homework from the summer. Roger and Eddie were sleeping in the room trying to ignore their talking. Back in room one Fred and George were planning their first prank. In the girls rooms the 7th years were all talking with each other they didn’t have any disliking towards one another. In room two Ginny and Luna were talking to themselves, as Pansy and Daphne were talking about boys and dresses, Hermione was down in the Common Room reading a book. Room 3 were talking about boys and make-up all except Millicent who was laying in her bed upset because after five years she was separated from her normal dorm mates. Room 4 they were talking about Quidditch and just normal things in general.

Hermione was reading her book when a voice interrupted her reading. “Granger do you always have your nose buried in a book?” She looked up to see Adrian. “No I don’t but I don’t want to listen to Parkinson and Greengrass talking about boys and clothing all night.” He let out a loud laugh. “Yeah try living with them for 6 years I think I know more about make-up and dresses then any normal man should.” He sat down next to her. “So Granger tell me something do you ever do anything besides study all the bloody time?” She glared at him before answering him back. “I do things besides studying I go to Quidditch games, I read books for fun, and I hang out with my friends.” He snorted at her. “No I meant fun things sure going to watch the game is fun but you don’t play it at all, so it cannot be classified as fun. What do you do outside of school like during the summer?” She put her head down and shivered. “In my summertime I take care of my father he needs my help.” He looked confused. “What in the world does your father need help with he is a grown man he shouldn’t be asking for the help of his 16 year old daughter?” “He needs my help because my father has problems, well he drinks too much, and well since Mum is dead I have to help take care of him.” He looked sad. “Sorry to hear about your Mum, when did she die?” Hermione rubbed away a tear that was coming down her cheek. “Oh she died a long time ago when I was nine years old, but after that he just lost it I just wish he would die……. I mean stop, yes stop drinking.” He looked at her he was being really serious when he spoke next. “You didn’t say stop you said die, why do you want your father to die?” She stood up and walked around the room before looking back at him. “I didn’t mean to say die I meant to say stop.” He smirked and stood up and walked over to her and got really close and whispered in her ear. “No, I think you made it perfectly clear you said die, Hermione if I may call you that why would you want your father to die?” She looked really nervous and blurted something out before she could stop herself. “Because he is a bastard, and I hate him, I hate him.” She covered her mouth in shock. “I didn’t mean to say that, you didn’t hear that okay?” She ran over and grabbed her book and made to run up the stairs into her room when Adrian’s hand caught her arm, she looked at him in fear and tried to run away. “Please let me go, don’t hurt me please.” He looked shocked at her pleading. "Hermione I'm not going to hurt you I just want to talk to you calm down and come sit by me I need to ask you something." She realized that he wasn't going to hurt her and she went and sat down by him awaiting his question. "Okay Adrian what do you want to know?" He took a deep breath and asked his question. "Okay Hermione why do you hate your father so much?" She gave up and let the tears come down her face. “ My father hates me ever since my Mum died he drinks all night, sure he goes to work in the morning but as soon as he comes home he drinks all night and let’s just say he gets angry and he yells and hits things.” Adrian looked pissed. “Hermione does he hit you?” She put her head down and nodded letting her sobs get louder. Adrian didn’t know what to do he wasn’t good around crying girls he just did what he thought he should do and took her into his arms and let her cry. He finally got up the courage to ask the question he wanted too. “Hermione how long has your father been hitting you?” She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. “Maybe I should tell you the whole story. My father hit my mother for my entire life, well she couldn’t take it anymore and killed herself when I was nine my father for some reason blamed me. So he took out his anger on me it started when I was nine years old.” He looked really angry; Adrian was a firm believer in the fact that he would never hit a girl unless it had to do with Quidditch. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want too but how do you hide the bruises surly someone has figured it out, so how do you hide it from everyone?” “Well I use a concealment charm but before I came to school I would just wear long shirts and never wore shorts, after I started school that’s when he started hitting me on my face.” Adrian looked back at her. “Can I see Hermione?” She nodded and pointed her wand at herself and muttered the charm backwards and slowly bruises, cuts, and welts appeared on her arms and face. Some of the marks looked old but some of them looked fresh. “When is the last time he hit you?” “The last time he hit me was the night before school started again, he started something new that night he whipped me on my back I have big welts I healed them as much as I could but I couldn’t really see my back to take care of all of them. Please Adrian I beg you, please don’t tell anyone I don’t want anyone to find out.” He hugged her lightly. “Don’t worry I won’t tell anyone, you can trust me, I have some healing cream in my room you don’t have to take off your shirt all the way but I can heal the welts on your back if you want me too.” She looked surprised that he offered. “You would do that for me?” He smiled at her. “Of course I would I know it probably hurts really bad, I’ll be right back let me go get the cream.” He walked up the stairs into his room and walked over to his bedside table and got the cream walking back out. When he got down there he went over to Hermione. “Come on let’s go into the bathroom that way if anyone comes down they wont see.” She silently nodded and followed him into the bathroom where he locked both doors so nobody could walk in. He turned around so she could get ready and not have him see anything, she took her shirt off completely and just covered her front. “Okay Adrian you can turn around now.” He turned back and gasped there had to be at least 20 welts on her back, most of them had dried blood around them and the skin was bright red. “Okay Hermione this is going to sting a bit.” “I know, thank you for helping me Adrian.” He said no problem and got to work on her back. By the end of the treatment the welts were slowly disappearing and she was whimpering in pain, the stinging slowly became a soothing and she relaxed. “Wow thank you Adrian it feels so much better.” “Your welcome Hermione now come on you should probably go to bed we have to get up early.” She put her shirt back on and walked back into the Common Room Adrian followed her out neither one seeing Terence Higgs standing on the balcony by the boy’s room. Hermione hugged Adrian and kissed his cheek, before going up the stairs into her room smiling at him one more time before shutting the door.

Adrian was walking up the stairs only to see Terence smirking at him. “Damn Adrian not even the first night and you already got laid, and by Granger no less.” He glared at Terence. “Shut up Terry we didn’t have sex I was helping her.” He looked at Adrian’s hand and noticed the cream. “Why did you need the cream?” Adrian pulled Terence into the corner of the hallway. “You cannot tell anyone I promised her I wouldn’t tell anyone but I trust you the most. I was helping her fix her back, her bastard of a father hits her and before she left for school he whipped her 20 times, man Ter, you should have seen the marks on her back it was horrible. You cannot tell anyone she trusts me and I don’t want to break that trust I am the only person who knows.” Terence looked shocked he felt the same way about hitting girls as Adrian did. “Don’t worry I won’t tell anyone, how long has her father been doing that to her?” “Well he used to do it to her mother and her Mum killed herself because of it. So he started doing it to Hermione after she died it was when she was nine years old.” Terence looked pissed. “What a bastard I swear if I were to ever see him I would probably kill him myself no girl should get hit, well unless its for the game.” Adrian agreed with him as they went upstairs to go to bed.