"Well that was really strange," I said to Ginny, smirking slightly while hiding what I was truly feeling in that moment.
She looked back at me for a second before quickly turning her head away from me as she bit her lip. "Yeah... strange." she said quietly, her voice shaking slightly.
I tilted my head slightly, confused by her reaction. "Hey... are you okay?" I asked tentatively, my eyebrows furrowing as I tried to think of what caused this.
Ginny just nodded, still not looking at me, and started to walk into the dormitory. I followed her, not sure what else to do, and stepped into the doorway.
My eyes widened as I took in the sights around me. The room looked incredibly cozy. Warm gold and maroon decor filled the stone walls and wooden floors, and there were four four-poster beds with scarlet hangings and velvety blankets.
Looking back towards Ginny, I found that her eyes were as wide as mine, but as soon as she saw me looking she quickly shifted her expression.
Huh?
Instead of explaining herself or saying anything at all, Ginny just started walking towards the beds. It was then that I realized our trunks were next to the two closest beds.
Is it strange that I forgot I didn't have it with me... and that that's what I started thinking instead of "how did it get here"...
I watched as Ginny sat on the bed with her trunk in front of it and started tracing her finger up and down the fraying seams of her trunk. Walking over to the other bed, I sat down while biting my lip.
"I'm sorry." Ginny suddenly said after a few moments of complete silence. "I don't mean to seem rude or anything. It's just..." she trailed off for a few seconds but seemed to find what she was going to say. "...it's been a long and stressful day."
I nodded, but was a little confused. "Don't apologize, Ginny." I said with a smile, "You're right. It's been really weird and stressful today... but we're here! We didn't get thrown out of school before learning a single spell! Okay... that's a sentence I never thought I'd say..." I said the last part while raising my eyebrows and tilting my head, causing Ginny to try to hold back a laugh.
While I saw some anxiety leave her expression, there was still some perfectly clear. I didn't think this was really about a stressful day... though it had been stressful... but I didn't want to lose the only friend I had by asking probing questions.
"Yeah... well I'm going to get to bed." Ginny said a moment later as opened her trunk and started digging through it.
I nodded and turned to open my own trunk. Unhooking the latches, I opened the lid to reveal all of the strange wizard things I had put there... but there was an added envelope on top. My eyes widened with surprise, but I quickly realized it was probably a note my dad left me to wish me luck at Hogwarts or remind me about something... but a moment later I started to have doubts. I picked up the envelope and stared at it for a second. There was no name on it... no anything.
My dad has always written an A on the front of any letter he's given me... no matter what.
I mean... maybe he just forgot? Or just didn't do that this time?
But I started to get a feeling... similar to the feelings I've gotten before. Somehow I just knew this wasn't from my dad. I knew it was... something else.
I closed my eyes for a second and took a deep breath. Shoving the letter under a blanket on my four-poster bed, I turned back to Ginny who was already climbing into her bed. She tucked something underneath her own sheets and jumped when she saw me looking at her. "Sorry!" I quickly said. "I didn't mean to stare at you."
Ginny shook her head and gave me a half-hearted smile. "No, it's fine..."
She trailed off as she laid her head back, her fingers drumming on the sides of the wooden bed. "G'night, Aelynn."
"Night." I replied quietly as she pulled back the scarlet hangings of her bed. I copied her, reaching for the fabric and pulling it mostly shut, leaving a small space for some light to pass through.
Laying down on my back, I carefully grabbed the letter and held it in front of me. Normally I wouldn't hesitate... normally I'd have just opened a mysterious letter with a second thought...
I mean that's what I did with the letter I got from Hogwarts...
But this time I hesitated. I sat there for a few minutes, just staring the blank parchment while tracing the seal with my finger.
Finally I took a deep breath, pushing whatever feeling inside me away, and tore the envelope open. My hands shaking slightly, I pulled the parchment out. Unfolding it carefully, I took another deep breath before starting to read.
Aelynn Reyner,
I know who you are. I know who you'll become. I've seen your future. I've sensed your power... your strength... and your ambition...
I know what you want more than anything... and I'm willing to grant it to you in time... but first you must prove yourself to me.
I'll be watching you.
I inhaled sharply as I finished. My breathing started to quicken, and my eyes narrowed in confusion.
Who is this... who's watching me...
I felt a shutter roll down my spine as I recalled walking back from the Leaky Cauldron... I had felt as though someone was watching me.
I'll be watching you...
The words echoed through my head over and over, filling my mind and shattering any other thought.
After a few moments I managed to take a deep breath and calm myself down, closing my eyes for a second to trying to think about anything else.
I focused on the sounds around me... the wind howling outside, the faint voices still coming from the Common Room, a faint sound that sounded like a quill on parchment, as well as the door opening and footsteps rushing inside the dorm room with faint girl's whispering something about "the famous Harry Potter crashing a flying car".
I opened my eyes and tried to push any feeling of fear or anxiety away from me, shoving the letter into one of my pockets before lying back down. My fists clenched slightly as I heard the strange words start to echo in my mind again.
I'll be watching you...