Gathering the Snakeling’s

While the Hogwarts student body sang, Rowan and Severus merely mouthed the words to the song but did not sing a single word. They might be Prefects, but they could not be forced to sing a ridiculous song with no clear tune. In other words, it was awful like always.

Dumbledore sighs in pleasure and rather heartfelt says, "Ah music. And now, bedtime, off you all go!"

Rowan and Severus by mutual decision had decided their roles. Severus would make sure all the older students got to the dorms first and Rowan would take the first years and transfer students. Head Boy Travers rather than introducing himself like Malfoy had quickly fled. Apparently, the Bloody Baron had finally got to him during dinner and Travers was fleeing as quickly as he could.

Seeing the confused first years and transfer students, Rowan sighs to herself. Strangely, Slytherin had the greatest influx of transfer students this year. Their second year and third year classes were going to double with their first-year class being the largest in near recorded history. But then again, the main characteristics needed to survive as a werewolf are resourcefulness, cunningness, determination, self-preservation, and cleverness. In other words, the exact criteria that determined if one was a Slytherin.

Clearing her throat, Rowan loudly says, "I am Rowan Prince, I am this year's Slytherin female Prefect. My twin brother is Severus Prince and he is the male Prefect for our house. Either one of us can help you or any of the other Prefect's can as well."

"First year and transfer students, please line up into two neat orderly lines, boys on one side and girls on the others," Rowan promptly instructed. Some of the other Prefects are staring at her in surprise until they understand what she is doing. They quickly copy the idea and do the same.

Making sure that the rest of the Slytherin years were long gone, Rowan finally said, "Now follow me," as the girls and boys in the two lines followed right behind her.

Talking loudly over her shoulder, Rowan continues, "First years, please don't worry about getting lost the first few days. I will personally take you up all up to your classes during the first three days. After that, you should all be able to find your way. This applies to the transfer students as well; your fellow year mates will escort you to your classes. However, if you are all still worried, during breakfast tomorrow, I'll pass out a simple map of the school showing the route to all of your classes."

The first year's and transfer students sigh in relief and seem a lot less afraid as Rowan led them through the cool depths of Hogwarts. "I'd like to warn you now," Rowan said causing a few first years to stiffen.

"We are in the dungeons and it does get cold down here during the winter. Might I recommend asking your parents for a duvet or two or thicker pajamas and robes. It was something that I wish someone would have told me prior to winter's arrival," Rowan explained as the first years and transfer students wisely their heads nodded in understanding at feeling the chill of the dungeons.

Rowan leads them to a bare stone wall and stops before moving to the side. Pointing to the tiny snake symbol engraved on the floor, she says, "This is the symbol for our entrance. Our entrance is not flashy like the rest of the houses as we prefer cunning and hiding in plain sight. Much like our Slytherin house is."

The first years and transfer students nod their heads like cute baby ducklings as Rowan continues, "Now much like anything hidden there is a password. The password is changed every fortnight. But please do to worry, if you ever forget the password, it is always posted on the common room board inside."

Rowan paused and slowly said n emphasis, "You are not to bring friends inside nor ever give your password to another student of another house. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Prefect Prince," the first years and transfer students chimed.

Rowan stifles a smile and says, "The password is Foe-Glass."

The wall silently creaks open to reveal an inner passageway. "Go on inside," Rowan instructed as they marched neatly into the common room.

Rowan waits for the awe to leave the first years as they gape at the Slytherin common room. The first year's and transfer students' glance at the rough stone walls and ceiling that hold elegant green lanterns aglow. For some of them the scene was something out of their wildest dreams. Largely the transfer students as they would have never believed it possible to attend Hogwarts in their lifetime.

A warm fire crackles under an elaborately carved mantelpiece as an elegant area filled with luxury leather chairs and sofas, and luxury carved tables with marble gob stone boards for playing or simply for studying are skillfully placed throughout the common area. Stylish cupboards hold items for common use such as quills and so forth, while grand tapestries hang as decorations demonstrating valiant Medieval Slytherins. Strangely enough there are window-like areas that reveal the outside lake as the occasional fish darts past.

Seeing that most of the first years and transfer students are finally paying attention to her again, Rowan says, "Now, I'm sure that all of you will encounter Peeves, the Poltergeist sooner or later. But he largely leaves us alone as he is terrified of the Bloody Baron. But just in case, I'll teach you a handy spell later on to get rid of him."

Seeing them rather sleepy, Rowan eyes Severus who is standing by the Slytherin staircase. "Now the one standing over there is my twin brother, and he'll show the boys to your dorms."

"Yes, Prefect Prince," the boys said, before neatly filing away towards Severus in a line.

Severus just stares at Rowan as if silently asking, "Just what did you do to them? I was only gone fifteen minutes at most!"

Rowan ignores Severus's accusing glare and motions for the girls to follow her up the stairs. "All the first-year dorms are on the lower flight levels. Your names will be written on a sliver plaque. Please carefully read the plaque to find your dorm."

"The first years may go, first," Rowan sternly said. "And I know you're all excited but tomorrow will be a long day. Make sure to get some rest. We will be waiting for you in the common room area no later than seven. I would like to have all of you eat breakfast on time, have time to study your school schedule, and if you forgot anything there is still time to come back to the Slytherin quarters." The girls hastily do as they are told as the last of the dorm room doors close.

Seeing the puzzled expressions of the second- and third-year girls, Rowan slowly said, "As for the second and third years, the same rules are applicable except that you will be sharing with dormmates already settled in. I think you all know exactly what I mean by that. As such, I expect all of you to properly behave. If there is a problem with your new dorm mates please come to me first and I will do my best to offer a solution, before resorting to transferring said individual to another dorm room.

And especially as some of you girls are older than your same year compatriots, I expect you all to properly behave yourselves." The older fourteen-year-old and fifteen-year-old girls blush knowing exactly what she was referring too.

Seeing that the girls knew what she meant, Rowan said, "The second-year dorms are on the lower first levels like the first years, while the third-year dorms are on the next higher floors. I do not mind you chatting for a bit to get to know your new dorm mates, but I expect all of you to be sound asleep within an hour from now. Now off you go." The girls quickly rush off and soon vanish into their dorms.

Glancing at her watch Rowan sees that it is ten till ten. She still had two more hours to go that she still had to stay up for. Yawning, she pulls out a book from her pocket and leans against the wall to read. She would check up on them again in thirty minutes.

The first years were sound asleep passed out in their beds. Slytherins were a lot tougher in that way. However, according to rumors, Hufflepuff tended to have the highest amount of first years feeling homesick. But who knew if that was true?

Rowan paused once or twice to tuck in a foot or an arm, before moving to check on the second year and third year girls. The girls were quietly chatting with their new roommates, the old getting to know the new and vice-a-versa.

The Slytherin, both male and female dorms for the second and third years had been moved around. There was an old pair of roommates in each dorm, but the other pair had been transferred to another dorm room to allow for a pair of new students to be transferred. It was to ensure friendships between the transferring students and the already attending students. There were bound to be problems, but hopefully time would resolve most of them.

Thankfully, when Rowan went to check on the girls again half an hour later, all the younger years were sound asleep. Yawning, she dozed against the wall until the other hour was up. Stumbling she somehow makes it to bed and half-asleep undressed. Tiffany, Silvia, and Bethanie were sound asleep in their beds with the bed curtains pulled all around them that they did not even sense her come in.

Too tired to even think about the events earlier in the day, Rowan falls sound asleep into bed and begins to snore. She had had a long day and was just pooped. She would be lucky if she got any real rest the rest of the week with everything that was going on. And if she ever managed to get her hands on and around Slughorn's neck, she would wring his thick neck until he chocked!