Drawing Down the Moon

After shoving away my embarrassing luggage underneath the bed I was now supposed to call mine, I dimly sighed at the empty, scarlet dormitory. Suddenly missing my parents, I thought about why they would send me to Hogwarts. 4 years of my schooling had already been spent at Salem Witches Institute for girls in America.

My longing for my parents instantly subsided.

A picture of my friends remained folded between the unmade blankets and sheets. I knew I'd have to make my bed eventually, but I just wanted to bury my face in what smelled like home a little longer.

My kitten Jinx seemed to agree as she pounced on the pile of fluff, rolling in a tiny, grey ball, almost transparent against my blanket. She was obviously homesick as well, but at least we had each other.

My private silence was broken by a couple of fellow Gryffindor girls stumbling cheerily through the common room and into our dormitory. They instantly halted as though I were going to bite them.

"Heh, you're Alicia- You're new, right?" one uttered, still laughing.

"Yeah," I admitted, "Word travels fast here, I take it," Her eyebrows furrowed. I assumed because of my accent.

"Uh... Yeah. Where did you say you were from again?"

Definitely because of my accent.

"I didn't. I'm from America. Well, California, actually,"

"Really? I've never been outside the UK. What's it like?"

"Hot, dry, pretty busy behind the skater, surfer, do-nothing-all-day stereotype,"

"Cool. I'm Emma, this is Maggie," As Emma outstretched her hand, I observed her more carefully. She had reddish blonde hair down to her waist, complimenting her petite figure, sharp, cat-like brown eyes, and a broad but flattering nose.

Maggie, on the other hand, smiled, but kept her distance. She sported shoulder-length, matted, black hair, a tall and slender build with wide, haunting green eyes that seemed to penetrate my mind with every flutter of her eyelashes. They both plopped down on what I assumed to be their own beds, which were directly across the room from mine.

Other girls slowly started returning from the feast, filling each bed row-by-row. I managed to put their pointless chatter in the back of my mind before snuggling my face into Jinx's fur and drifting to sleep.

---

I awoke to Maggie and Emma bickering over who got to wear what I saw to be a black v-neck tank top with lace trim.

Why did it matter?

"Don't we have to wear our robes over everything, anyway?" I decided to cut in.

"Yes, but it's the principle," Maggie hissed, "I'm nice enough to share my clothes with her, but if I want to wear one of my own tops, I should be able to!"

Ignoring them, I began to shuffle through my own clothes and came across my favorite black shoes, black yoga pants, and a scarlet tank top. I figured it went quite nicely with my new house robes. Skipping makeup, I swept my hair to the side and began getting my school books ready and organized into my bag.

I picked up a hot chocolate from the Great Hall and arrived to my first class-5th year Transfiguration-about 10 minutes early.

I decided to be brave and sit in a seat next to a blonde-haired girl, the only other person in the room. She gazed up at me through her lashes with grey-blue eyes that were impossible not to love.

"I'm Luna," she announced in an adorable sing-song voice.

"I'm Alicia," I uttered, sounding much more confident than I felt. "I'm new,"

"We were all new once," she smiled, "I could help you get around, if you'd like," My stomach fluttered as I realized what she was suggesting; finally, a friend.

"That would be awesome," I lit up and began to relax.