(AN: I am now searching for a beta-reader or two, willing to preventing me from making horrible and tedious mistakes like the ones I dealt with last time, if you're interested please let me know.)
(Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters in this story, excluding one's not featured in the books)
Killious stood rigid, looking more like a zombie than a student; she was dazed, and frankly scared to death, as she moved closer and closer to the front of the line. This was supposed to be her third year at Hogwarts, but her adoptive parents had fought tooth and nail to keep her out of school this long. She was their pride, advanced beyond most fifth or sixth years in defense against the dark arts as well as the arts themselves, accomplished at difficult and delicate potion construction and the care of plants with magical properties, fluent in English, French, Italian, Latin, Arabic, and Czech, amply prepared for any muggle studies classes, knowledgeable in the history of magic and magicians, able to transfigure almost anything and even working on trying to learn to transfigure herself, certified in astronomy and future prediction, owner of several very rare and difficult to handle pets, and even a brilliant broomsman, and all thanks to her parents "hands on training", some very expensive tutors and her work for Gringott's.
Both of her parents had, at one point, taught at Hogwarts, her mother, who was a ravishing slytherine, had overseen care of magical creatures for one year and potions for a semester when Snape was out, around a year before Killious was born. Her father, who was a chaser for ravenclaw, had taught defense against the dark arts for two years, before deciding they both needed to spend more time in the field studying magical plants, animals, new potions, and anthropology in foreign and historical wizarding cultures. Her parents work had brought Illy to five different continents, and hundreds of countries around the world. While her parents meticulously uncovered artifacts or studied patterns of flora and fauna life she spent her time split between work, lessons with eccentric and cruel, but none the less brilliant teachers, and various escapades that usually ended in more than one broken bone and a night or two in a local detainment facility.
"Damn it, if they could get me out of a year of actual classes at Hogwarts, why couldn't they freaking get me a private sorting?! I mean really this is far worse than being the Gringott's messenger, except maybe for the time I had to deliver the Giant's cheese. For Heaven's sake, who ages cheese for a thousand years? Oh, and the smell, it was so thick, stayed on my robes for six months, I'm still not sure how my broom could hold up ninety pounds of cheese and me so well, but who cares. Actually, now that I think about it...where is my broom? I flew it here and put it somewhere in the forest...but where. I'll ask Hargrid to help me find it I guess..." The more nervous she became the more her thoughts scattered around her mind, randomly jumping from one association to the next. "Caron, Lauren" was called to the front of the room. There were now only two letters until her name was to be called, and she nervously played with her fingers as she lost herself in attempts at self consolation.
She knew almost all the staff at Hogwarts, as she had delivered things to them on a regular basis, excluding Dumbledore who had been over for dinner a few times; which consisted of her parents coming up with some blatant lie as to why she would need to be staying home for another semester, followed shortly by some exotic dessert over which her father, Vladimir, and her mother, Annabelle, would blather on about some new breakthrough they had discovered. Killious would then receive an overly maternal "Off to bed with you muffin, before you're up to late…we'd hate for you to be distracted by exhaustion during your studies!" and her parents would sit with Dumbledore over tea, discussing Killious' attendance date as though they were haggling over fruit at a road-side stall.
Snape loved Illy because in spite of her policy to check every package to ensure proper care, or just take a peak at everyone's business, no delivery made was genuinely tampered with, or reported to the ministry of magic, no matter how illegal the position of said item may have been. Sprout was enchanted by her vast knowledge of plant life and her willingness to ensure that no plant was harmed or lost in transition, even if it meant donating blood to a vampirical, blood iris. McGonagall did not share such a fondness of Illy however, she was convinced that the girls upbringing had not truly taught her anything, and was in fact, a great waste of time, "that has only instructed young Miss Enquirous to be flighty, dangerous, and convinced of her own intellectual brilliance, when in fact she is nothing but a normal student, who will not receive any special treatment in my class!". Flitwick on the other hand, always enjoyed the little cakes that she would sneak him from Honeyduke's and usually thanked her for being so speedy with deliveries, by passing around bits of gossip that everyone was sure he had not even heard. Binns and Hooch both loved how inquisitive she was as to their very different subjects. Thought she first thought Binns would be boring she loved to hear about the history of witches and wizards, even if it took two or three times to get a story down, because she had dozed into a slumber during one part of another. Hooch was even more insistent than Dumbledore on the girl's attendance due to the fact the she was an advanced flyer by occupation, and had sent her a welcoming note and a list of open positions for each house team the day she was notified Illy would be attending.
"Killious Enquirus" The name echoed off the walls as she closed her eyes, took a big breath and stepped forward. She walked slowly up to the platform and, though her palms were now slick with salty nervous sweat, she made it up the steps and under the sorting hat with feigned confidence. So, what shall it be for you?, smart indeed, a head full of questions...perhaps Ravenclaw, but justice does shine, and your loyalty is not to be matched, Hufflepuff could work, you're brave as well though, as you have demonstrated to Gringott's. Gryffindor would be lucky to have you, and yet, I see that your determination in the spite of your past, this is defiantly pushing you towards Slytherin. Killious relaxed a little and talked a bit to the hat in a quiet, yet self-assured voice "Looks like you'll just have to make up a new house for me" The Sorting hat let out a chuckle that resounded through the room, she could feel the eyes of the whole school on her, bearing into her body like bullet holes. That would make this easier, but tell me Illy what house do you desire to be in? "Well I'm not really sure, I'm actually kind of afraid no matter where I go I won't exactly receive a warm welcome, I'm two years late coming hear, and I don't even have the excuse of being a transfer" What house will bring out all of your traits, keep you from being bored, because I know that's a challenge for you, and yet keep the other houses from talking about how late you are?... Do you have any friends you want to be with? "No, I don't really know anyone here, just the teachers, and some of them already hate me..." Well I'm not sure about Slytherin, it might make it hard to be friends, and I think you might scare most of the Hufflepuff students. The Gryffindor's would be upset at how hard you fight against everything, and Ravenclaw would think you should spend more time studying, whether or not you need it. We might really have to make a whole new house for you. Illy and the sorting hat both let out a chuckle at this, but the fact that she must have been on stage for minutes now was worrying her, and she had begun to play with her fingers absent mindedly Oh, don't concern yourself with that, Harry was here for quite a while too. I see that you know much about him; I'll want to know how you get along with him. Tell you what, I'm going to put you in Slytherin, I think it will be best for you, but always make sure that you stretch all of your ability's as though you were in every house, and tell McGonagall that you have been given permission to talk with me whenever you please, even after hours, tell her that I am kept on the fifth floor in the room behind the old bicycle and broom race painting. Now you come visit me often and enjoy Hogwarts! "I know I will, and I promise I'll come see you as often as I can" She smiled softly and the hat leapt off of her head shouting,
"SLYTHERIN!" She stood up and headed for the table. Where applause had broken out for every other student the room was silent for Illy, no set of eyes in the room could be torn away from her, as she swaggered to the Slytherin table and took a seat…
(AN: I hope you enjoyed the prologue, R&R, -Richard S.)