Winthrope Abbey

Sophia wishes she could recall what the past hour had been about, but to be quite honest she had only caught the last sentence of the Headmaster.She was still trying to process that she was going to be attending a boarding school; let alone the fact that, until just last month, it was still an all boys school.She didn’t know what to expect, but there was one thing she was certain of, she was going to hate every minute of it.

She couldn’t stand the idea that she was starting a new school; one that was away from family, friends, and most importantly her home in America.Sophia was mad at her father for deciding this for both her and her younger brother, Maddox, without ever asking them how they felt.She couldn’t believe he was doing something so selfish, and also why their mother was agreeing to allow her only children to move across the pond?

“Do you have any questions, Sophie?” her father, Oliver, asked.

“What?” she said, while trying to come out of her angry state of mind.

“Do you have any questions?” repeated her dad.

“Um, where am I living?”

“Well we have 6 houses on the grounds:Kendrick, Winter, Snyder, Bardsley, Monroe, and the Goddard house. For now we will be housing you and the other girls at Winter House.” Said Headmaster Warwick.

“So will I be rooming with one of the other girls?” asked Sophia.

“No, with the new changes happening so fast we only have two open rooms available for the ten of you.”

“You mean to say that I’ll be sharing a room with four other girls?” she gaped.Sophia couldn’t remember a time she ever had to share her room with anyone, let alone four other people.

“Yes, but there is more than enough room for all five of you to room there.Besides you won’t be in your room all the time, so it shouldn’t be that unbearable for you during your time here.” Said the Headmaster.

“This house, Winter, will it still room boys?” asked Sophia’s dad.

“Yes it does, but don’t worry Mr. Allaway the girls will have their rooms on the main floor close to the house parents quarters,” says Warwick, “now if there aren’t any more questions, Sophia would you like to see where you will be living for the next school year?”

“I guess I’ll have to go see it eventually, so we can look at it now.” She replied.
“Alright. If you and your father would follow me, I’ll personally escort the two of you over to Winter House.”

Sophia and her father both rose up out of their seats and followed the Headmaster out of his office.As they were leaving the administration building, Sophia sighed loudly as she realized she was going to have to walk through the rain across campus to get to her new home. As if being forced to go to boarding school wasn’t enough to make her dislike England, knowing that it was going to be raining most of the time she was here wasn’t helping matters.

After what felt like a mile long walk, they finally arrived to Winter House.Though it was far from the Headmaster’s office, it wasn’t too far from the main building where Sophia’s classes would be.

The house its self was made of a stone structure, and had ivy growing up along the left corner of the entrance all the way to the roof.It certainly had an almost dooming presence about it, much like the school itself.

Sophia wondered about its history, and as if reading her mind Headmaster Warwick told her it’s the oldest house on campus.According to Warwick, Winter House was an original building on the former palace grounds.Built in the late 1600s, it has seen quite a bit of history over its last 300 plus years of establishment.Now, of course, it houses 30 boys since being transformed into a boarding school; well that was until today, today it will house its first girl residents.

As they entered through the front door, they immediately entered into the foyer with a grand staircase leading to the upstairs. “This is the main floor where the girls and the housing family, Mr. and Mrs. Jones, will be.And up those stairs are the boys’ quarters.” Said Headmaster Warwick.

“How many rooms are upstairs?” Sophia asked out of curiosity.

“Ten. Each room houses 2 boys.”

“Oh.” Was Sophia’s only reply.

“Now let me lead you to your room.”

As they walked down the hallway to Sophia’s new room, she couldn’t help but notice how quiet the house was for supposedly holding 30 people plus the housing parents.

“Why aren’t there any people around?” She asked.

“That’s because you and the other girls have been sent here a few days before the other pupils return back from summer break.”

“It’s just so you and the other girls can adjust to your new surroundings.” Said Mr. Allaway.
“I wouldn’t have to adjust to new surroundings if you didn’t make me go to school thousands of miles away from home.” Sophia said quite rudely.

“Sophie now is not the time.” Replied her father.How many times had she heard that since he
told her she would be going to Winthrope.She always thought she and her father were so close but now she wasn’t so sure.Sophia had been finding herself distancing herself from her father over the last month.She didn’t like that she wasn’t daddy’s little girl at the moment, but how else could she get her point across about how unhappy she was about this whole thing if he wouldn’t talk to her about it.

“Where are the other girls?”

“I know a few of them are on campus now taking a tour of Winthrope.Some of the others won’t be arriving until tomorrow.” Said the Headmaster.

“Now,” he says approaching a heavy dark wooden door, “this will be your room.”
Once Headmaster Warwick opens the door he steps aside so that Sophia can enter first.

“We’ll just give you a moment to look at your new room.” Says her father.

She steps into the room and is horrified to learn that the Headmasters idea of enough space for 5 girls is a small room with a set of bunk beds on one side and another set of bunk beds on the other, with one single bed pushed over into the corner.Sophia notices that the single bed is already made, and wonders who of her roommates has already made her presence.

Just as she is about to go and ask who has already moved in, a very tall, skinny girl with long dirty blonde hair walks through the door.She is wearing a military jacket, jean shorts and combat boots.Her eyes are lined darkly with black eyeliner and if she hadn’t of smiled when she saw Sophia, she would have come across as very edgy.

“Hi! I’m Charlotte.” She said.

“I’m Sophia, but you can call me Sophie.You must be one of my new roommates.” Sophia replied.

“Nice to finally meet one of you.My mum assured me that I should come here two days earlier than asked so I could claim my space first, but she didn’t account for how boring it would be without anyone here.” Charlotte said.

“Yeah, if I had known I would be sharing a room with four other girls I might have come early too.”

“Well, Sophie, you are only the second one here so the bunk beds are all yours.” Joked Charlotte.

Sophia approached the bunk beds closest to the door. And placed her bag on the bottom bunk.
“Not really one to climb.” She told Charlotte.

“What do you mean I have to share a room with four other girls?!”They heard a girl scream down the hall.

Sophia and Charlotte looked at one another with wide eyes as they heard the girl approaching their room. There was no doubt both girls were silently praying she wouldn’t be one of their other roommates.

Notes

The story will mainly focus on Sophia and her roommates. The main interacts will be between Sophia and Harry. Harry will make an appearance very soon.

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