The Slytherin common room lies deep within the dungeons with its tall, stony walls bathed in an otherworldly green glow from a combination of the lamps and the lake above. Low-backed black and emerald, button-tufted leather sofas cluster around dark wood tables and cupboards, while skulls and rich tapestries depicting the exploits of medieval Slytherins line the walls. Wizard’s Chess sets wait on a few tables while the air carries a chill that the grand fireplace - which was carved to look like intertwined snakes - cannot entirely dispel. The hearth burns with emerald embers that never fade.

Dim at first entry, the room reveals more details as your eyes adjust. The green-hued lamps hovering along the perimeter, snake-like carvings slithering around the walls, and the watchful portraits of Horace Slughorn and Severus Snape that hung there. Leather chairs and armchairs are arranged in intimate groups near the fires, while dark wooden tables offer space to study, read, or plot your next clever prank. On special occasions, Halloween for example, the room is dressed with pumpkins. Overall, the atmosphere remains one of austere grandeur, touched always with a sense of the deep and secretive.

Bayou was exhausted but so happy to be back in the common room. The day had felt like it dragged on forever. As much as she loved her studies and learning something new, she desperately needed a break after spending hours in the library finishing her homework. On top of that, she’d read a letter from her stepmother her “second mum,” as she liked to call her. The letter had made her smile. She loved hearing the updates about her baby sister, who was somehow already going to be one in March. It warmed her heart but it also softened the quiet ache she felt about making friends with her classmates. Bay didn’t see anything wrong with sticking close to her fellow Slytherins and the Hufflepuffs. Hufflepuffs were trustworthy, and that was something she valued deeply. Still, being a little shy even if she was also confident in her own way (and just a bit clumsy) made things harder than she liked to admit.

She wanted to make friends. She really did. But at the same time, she found comfort in keeping to herself. With a small sigh, Bay sank into one of the comfy green leather couches she loved so much. The green...everything about it was the best vibe in the world to her. It felt grounding. Safe.

She slipped her backpack off her shoulder and rummaged through it until she found her camera. Even though it was already her second year at Hogwarts, she hadn’t taken a single photo of the common room yet, and that surprised her. It was too beautiful not to capture. Carefully, she adjusted the settings to suit the dim, green-lit room. Then she stood, moving closer to the fireplace. The flames flickered against the emerald tones of the room, casting soft shadows along the stone walls. Bay began snapping photos, trying different angles, crouching slightly here, tilting her head there, capturing the warmth and depth of the space.

This...this quiet focus behind the lens,was her peaceful solitude.