Cien was bored, as bored as it was possible to be in Hogwarts and she still had Homework to do, which she was hiding from. Which is what Cien did when she was bored, hid from her Homework.

She stretched her arms above her head and walked over to the mirror to check her reflection; her hair was, as usual, perfectly straight. Cien was proud of her hair, it was practically the only thing she didn't have to worry about making look nice.

"Smile, deary, it does a world of good."

Cien looked at the mirror and gave it a half-hearted attempt at a smile. Im too bored to smile...

A wizarding clock somewhere announced it was 14:29 and Cien fell backwards onto an Armani Chair, pulling a book out of the way as she did so.

The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble She read off the perfectly new cover, with gilded writing. She opened the first page of the book to see if there was a name inside. No such luck.

Cien got up and placed the book on the table behind the chair she was sat on as a thought crossed her mind, These DeathEater attacks must be getting to people...

She sat back down on the chair, now bookless and crossed her legs on the small, green and silver footstool. It was still quiet, and it looked like it going to be a long day.

Sariss opened the door to the Common Room, mentally bracing herself for a lot of noise and a horde of little first-years running around, totally enthusiastic and un-Slytherin-like. The last few days had been nothing short of mayhem, and Sariss fully expected it to be like that again when she entered the Common Room.

However, much to her surprise it was almost empty. No loud noises, no chatter, no squealing eleven-year-old girls that jumped on the Armani furniture.

She breathed a sigh of relief, dropped her bag next to the armchair and settled in it, idly wondering when the first-years would manage to ruin it all. As it seemed, the house elves were working overtime already.

Her gaze fell on a first-year boy who actually had the nerve to roast marshmallows in the Common Room as if he were a Hufflepuff or worse yet--a Gryffindor. When he burnt the marshmallow, she sighed and rolled her eyes. Why didn't he just go to the kitchens? The house elves would gladly supply him with enough marshmallows to last him all day--and make him sick.

"Good day, Cien," Sariss greeted her friend. Cien did not look entirely cheerful. She wondered what had happened now. If it was just the usual depression that most of the people who were old enough to have consciously experienced that last war suffered from now and then.

"Sarsi, so wonderful of you to join me." Cien remarked drily as she rested an elbow on the arm of the chair she was sat in and rested her head on it, giving her view of the Common Room a slight odd angle, but managing to calm her headache somewhat.

She had been thinking over last night when she had snapped at that girl, Harding something. Cien frowned, trying to remember the girls name. She knew it, but remembering seemed to be just out of her reach.

It had been a pretty tense night in the whole of Slytherin House for that matter, people were on edge. It didn't necessarily mean anything but usually, when something bad was going to happen, the Slytherin students were the first to know.

Ligeia Harding.

Cien's cloudy expression became more clear somewhat as she remembered the name of the girl whom she must talk to tonight.

I'm on edge, it's nearing that damn point in the month. Cien's expression clouded over again as she thought of the two deadly weapons she had in place of two teeth. It wasn't as easy being a vampire as most people thought, knowing you would live longer than your friends, that you killed ruthlessly to live.

Cien sighed and moved her gaze back to Sariss, pointedly ignoring the First year who hadn't bothered to introduce himself.

"What do you think of the new ickle Firsties, Sar?"

"Sarsi, so wonderful of you to join me," Cien said, thus prompting one of Sariss's eyebrows to shoot an inch higher on her forehead.

Excuse me?

If Sariss had been in a more active mood, she'd have snapped something nasty, jumped up and left. But as it was, her temper was still under control.

The fewer people were around the calmer and more composed she usually was. Crowded places made her aggressive. She hated being on edge all the time. And recently, there had been quite a few reasons for being on edge, the most important one of which were the Death Eaters that had surfaced in the Forbidden Forest. Sariss was more worried and frightened than she could put in words. The memories of the day her mother had been killed were rearing their ugly head again. Her birthday would be when the new year began, and with it, her mother's deathday would recur also.

She looked away from the first-year she'd watched without really seeing him, finding that Cien was gazing at her.

"What do you think of the new ickle Firsties, Sar?"

Sariss shrugged. "Too many of them for my taste. One would think that some wizards must have been very busy some twelve years ago..."

"Sorry to interrupt and be a bother, but I'm new here and I was wondering if you could direct me to the Owlery..." the first-year said shyly, and Sariss looked at him. She opened her mouth to explain, but Cien was quicker.

"Sorry to interrupt and be a bother, but im new here and i was wondering if you could direct me to the Owlery?"

And then, "Umm sorry to interrupt. My name is Sarlon Marcicus and i'm a first year here and i was wondering if you could possibly give me directions to the owlery, i need to send an urgent owl to my parents"

Cien glanced up, she had just been giving up all hope on the First Year, but he had just proved to be something she could talk to.

"Cien Mashuga, Leave the Common Room and follow the corridor all the way to the end, turn left and climb the stiars to the very top." She answered him, smiling slightly, before turning back to Sariss.

Sariss was looking her usual self, black hair not unlike her own, a slightly pale face and olive-green eyes that were normally quite bright. From a long distance they could be considered sisters, the likeness was there, but the closer you came the more differences you saw.

Cien was startled slightly at this revelation, she hadn't really thought about looking like Sariss before, but she liked it. Sariss was really very pretty in her own way.

"I don't know how to judge First-years at the moment. I guess that'll change after time."

Sariss had trouble to keep herself from rolling her eyes again. Those first-years were really pushy characters. They didn't even allow you to take a breath before you answered. Oh well... After all they were children.

Cien explained the way to the Owlery quite directly and precisely, even giving a small smile. Then she turned to look at Sariss.

Sariss was uncomfortable when Cien looked at her like that. She felt that she was being looked up and down; so scrutinising was Cien's gaze.

She looked away, being unable to bear such a piercing gaze that made Sariss feel as if Cien were her enemy when they were actually friends. She didn't know what to make of this event. So she just decided to ignore that it had happened. Why was Cien looking at her like that anyway?

"I don't know how to judge First-years at the moment," she said all of a sudden. "I guess that'll change after time."

Sariss jumped at the sound of her voice. "There... there are," she stuttered, "a few nice ones. I mean I haven't talked to many of them yet, but the ones I've spoken to seem to be an asset for our house. Like Veneficus Malfoy, for example--even though she's been put in our year... I'm sure she's a very good flyer and Quidditch player. With a background like that, she would be."

Cien shifted in her seat, perfectly at ease and un-aware of Sariss's sudden discomfort at being met with her piercing gaze. Cien had a habit of watching people somtimes, and studying them through their eyes.

As far as she knew she had never once gazed into the olive-green depths that were Sariss's window to her soul. Sariss had a very quiet past, and had not indulged in it as of yet. Cien respected her privacy and turned her gaze to the fire which was crackling softly with green flames.

"Yeah, Veneficus is cool. She'll make a great Seeker." She heard her voice as if it was distant, coming from someone far away.

Her thoughts were once more pulled to the previous night where she had snapped, and then co-inceidentally dragged to the vampire thoughts.

A sigh brought her flying back to reality and she looked around the room, catching glance of a familiar person who she had known perhaps the longest in Slytherin House but was refusing to acknowledge at the moment.

There were too many broken eraltionships flying around at the moment, Cien couldn't bare to see two more people hurt.

"Ever tried Blood Lollies?" She asked Sariss, turning finally from Clow and back to Sariss, but this time her eyes were calm, and not searching.

"Yeah, Veneficus is cool. She'll make a great Seeker," Cien replied, sounding fairly absent-minded as she turned away and looked into the fire.

Sariss nervously fumbled around with her sleeve, watching her own hands as they did so. They were moving as if they had a mind of their own.

"Ever tried Blood Lollies?" Cien asked, once more startling Sariss by a sudden change of topic. She looked at her friend and found her just looking back at her. Quite normal now.

"Um... no..." Sariss said slowly. "After all, I'm not a vampire. Didn't know that your plain ordinary witch can have them too... Don't they taste like blood? I thought they did." For some reason, Sariss felt stupid.

"Don't tell me you have a sudden craving for blood now," she tried to sound light-hearted. "I'm terribly anaemic."

Jasmine wandered down to the Common Room and looked around. She quietly made her way to one of the armani couches. "Morning, all."

Sariss was uncomfortable; she was fumbling over words and fidgeting. Cien would have scolded herself had it been possible, she was making one of her best friends uncomfortable.

"I can control my cravings, Sarsi. Don't worry." She sighed, looking downhearted at having such a creature inside herself. "It would kill me if I didn't."

She was determinded not to drift off again, though when she got like this it was normally hard to pull herself back out of the age-old Vampire inside.

"Have you met Jasmine Snow? She introduced me to the wonderful world of Blood lollies." Cien grinned impishly, hiding the fact that she was visibly cracking inside with the strain.

The Common Room had quietend down somewhat and Cien barely acknowledged Clow leaving, and the first year, Sarlon something re-appear, she was too wrapped up in thoughts too dark to voice aloud.

The previously mentioned Jasmine Snow joined them in the Common Room and Cien attempted a small smile. "Hello, Jasmine."

"I can control my cravings, Sarsi. Don't worry," Cien said. "It would kill me if I didn't."

Sariss gave a feeble smile. She was still a bit uncomfortable. Maybe this was because she hadn't spoken to Cien in a very long time. All the mayhem in the castle had led to Sariss looking for solitude and quietness...

Clow left, and Sariss noticed with shock that she hadn't even acknowledged her presence properly. She'd been too lost in her thoughts to do that.

"Have you met Jasmine Snow? She introduced me to the wonderful world of Blood lollies," Cien said cheerfully. Maybe she thought that Sariss was uncomfortable because of Cien being a vampire. But that was not so. Sariss didn't know what was the reason. And she didn't care. She just hoped that the feeling would evaporate as quickly as it had appeared.

Sariss shook her head no to indicate that she hadn't really met Jasmine yet. Maybe she'd seen her somewhere though?

A pretty girl entered the Common Room and sat down on the sofa. "Morning all," she said, and Cien smiled and responded "Hello, Jasmine."

"Jasmine Snow?" Sariss asked. "Good day. I am Sariss Ravon."

Making herself comfortable, she heard a familiar voice. "Hello, Jasmine" She looked over to see Cien.

"I see you found love for those blood lollies.." Jasmine grinned and noticed a pretty girl that she have seen before.

"Jasmine Snow? Good day. I am Sariss Ravon." she spoke and Jasmine broke her gaze.

She shifted a little bit, feeling a little odd with her new family members. usually, Jasmine can adapt to this but for some reason, she didn't feel as if she fit in very well yet. "Hello. Yep, Jasmine Snow. Unfortunately, I can't stay for a chat. Have to head down to Three Broomsticks before I fall alseep again."

Jasmine smiled sheepishly and waved goodbye.

Cien waved a hand dismissively as the first year asked if he could sit down, "Go ahead. Just don't get anything on the Armani furniture if you value your life."

She sunk back into the chair she was sat on, relishing the softness in comparison to her thoughts which were chasing each other around her brain, each one more terrifying than the last.

"I see you found love for those blood lollies.."

Cien smiled, they were good, but nothing could compare to the actual taste of... She stopped herself right there and fought to bring herself out of this fuzzy view of the world she was seeing.

Everything seemed so far away, out of reach. But she was immensly aware of the feel of her head on her hand, the softness of the chair on which she was sat, the pillow digging slightly into her back.

She swiftly pulled out the offending item and tucked her legs underneath her in one fluid motion and placed the cushion on her lap.

An unknown wizarding clock struck a time somewhere but the Common Room was still peacefully quiet and serene, it would have looked perfect had it not been for the pictures glaring down at them all as if to remind them that they were Slytherin. And as such had to act properly and hate accordingly.

Cien smiled bitterly, Hate myself?

During this whole episode Cien's mask had not slipped from her face, she was still smiling happily as she usually did and looking content.

"I hear Honeydukes is open, maybe I should buy a life time supply?"

Sariss was lost in her thoughts once more. She was thinking about so many things at once that her head was about to explode.

She hardly registered when Jasmine left, hardly heard the boy asking a question, didn't actually listen to what Cien replied... The boy left soon after, and Sariss was still lost in her thoughts. She steepled her fingers under her chin, thinking...

Somehow, she could not think of anything to say. Quidditch was about to start and she was frightened of it, even though it was only against Hufflepuff. The team was once more relying on her. The thought alone scared her.

A clock struck somewhere, making Sariss wonder where the time had disappeared to.

"I hear Honeydukes is open, maybe I should buy a life time supply?" Cien said cheerfully, smiling at Sariss.

She nodded in response. "Maybe... Cien, I'm going for a walk," she said. "I'm having this trapped feeling in here... Hogsmeade might be a nice destination. Unlikely that any Death Eater would abduct me there, right?" She laughed uneasily, got up and made for the door...

Cien sunk deeper into her chair, suddenly feeling sick in the bottom of her stomach. She felt like she had alienated one of her best friends and angrily tapped her nails on the arm of the chair she was sat in.

Things had always been slightly tense between the two, with Sariss fancying Seb and Seb dating Cien but they had never really approached the fact and merely worked around it, to become friends.

The pillow in her lap fell to the floor unnoticed as she continued to brood. She had lots more thoughts and opinions than she let on at times, normally she would just act on impulse and act how was expected in the conversation.

She noticed an old battered copy of HEx on the chair opposite her own and she got up, walking over to pick it up. She flicked through the very-well worn magazine, to see if there was anything that took her fancy.

Her hand stopped on the page with the horoscopes and she returned to her seat, looking up her own horoscope. Scorpio - Good intentions are more than just enthusiastic promises. Although everyone is talking, someone might actually be listening to you. Your plans turn into action.

She shut the magazine and thought over the words it had said in her mind. It forgot to mention I'll be depressed.

She got up from the chair for the second time in so many minutes and placed the magazine back where it had come from before turning and leaving the room, heading for the Girls Dorms.