Dione led the first-year students to the second floor and down the hallway until she stopped abruptly in front of a portrait of a zombie. The undead portrait turned to look at those who had stopped before him, giving a moan and reaching his arms out as if to try and grab one of them. “This is Gunter. I guess you could call him a guard to the common room. Really, he just moans and blocks the way. All you’ll need to do is say the password.”
Gunter’s moans grew louder as he tried all the harder to reach out of the portrait, with no success. "Tempest fugit.” The zombie looked abashed, then bowed his head as the portrait opened up to reveal the Crotalus common room. The room was ablaze with red and silver, and the lit fireplace only added to the effect, casting its red glow on the surrounding chairs and tables. Dione ushered the students in ahead of her before walking in herself. She gestured for the students to take a seat on the chairs or couches surrounding the fire before starting her speech.
“Welcome. This is the Crotalus Common Room, obviously. You will be staying here during your years at Sonora. I am your Head of House, Professor Dione. The boys’ dorms are to the left, girls’ are to the right. Curfew is strictly at nine in the evening. I will not hesitate to punish any who are out past that time. My office can be reached through this door,” she said, pointing to a door labeled with her name, “I prefer being informed in advance about meetings, unless they are an emergency. If there is sucn an emergency, and I am not in my office, I am most likely in my classroom. I expect you all to get plenty of sleep for class tomorrow. Nothing is worse than a sleep-deprived student. And remember, you are Crotali. You are supposed to be respectable members of society, and I expect you to act like it in and out of class. Now, are there any questions that need answered?”\n\n