I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters, only the original ones made up for the benefit of the story. I have also changed the way classes operate - all houses are in the same class so classes are not separated into house groups.
Laya's POV
When dad had first brought the boy into his office I was amazed that we were related. He introduced himself as Harry Potter. I introduced myself as Layla Snape. Then my dad sat Harry down and explained everything to him. About how I was his half sister, I had lived in the Hogwarts castle with him since I was born and how he had waited until now to tell Harry. Being so young I guess Harry just accepted it and went on living normally without giving me another thought. Although I was even younger than him I had my dad and he spoke non-stop about Lily so I had something to really miss. That was what Harry lacked.
One Year Later…
Laya's POV
As I sat on the stool in front of the whole community of Hogwarts the sorting hat was placed on my head. I could feel my fathers eyes spearing into the back of my head and knew what house he wanted me to be in.
I knew what house I wanted to be in. As the magical sorting hat was placed on my head I had so many thoughts going through my mind. I saw my brother, Harry, watching me with such intensity as the hat awoke and sieved through my mind. The voice of it made me jump, making me more aware of what I was thinking. I was wishing to be placed into Slytherin.
'Slytherin, huh? You want to be put in Slytherin?' I tried to wipe the thought and replace it with something different but it kept coming back.
'You would do well in Slytherin but Gryffindor would really bring out the best in you.' I could see Harry with a hint of a smile on his face and he turned to face his friends, chatting amongst them and pretending not to care about me.
The hat drew my attention as everything went quiet and one clear word broke the silence.
'Slytherin!' Mrs McGonagall gently lifted the old hat off my head and I briskly walked over the join my new house. I was smothered by people welcoming me and cheering and my hand being shook by others.
I glanced up at the teachers all sitting behind another year one with the sorting hat upon their head and saw my dad smiling proudly at me.
Harry's POV
As soon as the words Slytherin were spoken my heart squeezed so hard it hurt. My own blood was put in Slytherin, the house that Malfoy is in.
'Harry. Harry! Whats up with you?' Ron shook my thoughts back to reality. She really had been put in Slytherin, my own sister. At least she was in the same house as her father.
When I had been pulled aside first year by the menacing Professor Snape he had told me about Layla. She was my half sister, we shared the same mother. He strictly told me to keep it a secret between the three of us. At first I hadn't even realised what it meant to have a sister. Now though, I felt the pain as she was torn away from me. It doesn't matter that I hardly know her, just her name, I still felt the connection.
'Nothing Ron. Just tired.' My friends looked at me like I had gone loony but as a new member to Gryffindor sat near us I became the second priority.
She had almost been put in Gryffindor but the stupid girl had wanted to be sorted into Slytherin. My empathy melted into anger as I thought about the way her father had poisoned her mind. Brainwashed her into thinking Slytherin was the good side. I would make her see the light, even if it was too late to change her house, I would still stop her making the wrong decisions like being friends with Draco Malfoy.
Six Years Later...
Laya's POV
To think I am the first student to skip a year in over a decade! Severus was beaming at me which was a rare sight to see, even if I had lived with him the first eleven years of my life. Sometimes he would smile wistfully when talking about Lily or when he would put on an old record and dance around the room with me. I admit I miss having moments like that with him but I liked being independent way from him as well.
'We will move you to the sixth floor of the dungeons later tonight. For now you need to get to class before you're late.' Dumbledore handed me parchment with my new timetable written on it and shooed me out of the office. I could feel my father following me out after exchanging brief words with the headmaster. Once in the hall and the staircase had disappeared I turned to hug Snape.
'What if they all hate me? What if I don't fit in?' I wasn't scared of failing classes just that no one would talk to me.
'I've talked to Draco. He will help you around today. You'll be fine.' I smiled at the thought of the blonde boy. I have always found him attractive but he didn't really think half-bloods or mudbloods deserved to own a wand. Being a half-blood myself I hoped there would be no ill comments made or I would have to hex his ass to oblivion.
With my dad being a death eater and Draco's family supporting Voldemort I knew he would most likely treat me as equal. I know you're thinking, don't you hate you're dad for being a death eater, but to tell you the truth it really appeals to me. If dad was alright with it I would be bearing the Dark Mark by now but he refused to let me become someone like that. Why, I had absolutely no idea.
'Thanks dad.' I let go of him and checked which class I had next. I chuckled.
'I have you right now.' My first class would be dark arts. Well, defence against the dark arts but I was fascinated with dark arts in general.
'Then lets not keep the others waiting.' I bounced along behind the professor and checked I had my wand. Even if I didn't have books I always made sure to have my wand on me at all times. When I had bought it it was the fourth wand I tried but as soon as I held it I knew it was the one. When Olllivander handed it to me he explain about it. He had told me it is eight- and-a-half inches long made of white pine with a core of dragon heartstring and basilisk skin but very sturdy. There are hardly ever new basilisk skin wands due to how rare the creatures are but I was amazed to learn that the one Ollivander had recently made chose me. I am its first owner and would apparently bond to it the best over its life.
Upon arrival to the class room I saw that everyone was already seated and either talking, casting little spells or sending magical notes. There was an extra seat at the back of the room so I slid into it hoping to not be noticed much. Snape just taught the class like normal and by the end my head was so crammed full of information I thought it impossible to learn anything else. At the end of the class I checked my timetable again and was confused what was on the page. Did I have charms or advanced potions? A hand came around from behind me and pointed to potions.
'I'll show you the way to potions. We have that now.' The hand was attached to a very pale arm and I knew who it was.
Draco Malfoy.
I stood up and stuffed the parchment into my pocket then turned to face the boy. The boy who lived in a house used as Voldemort's headquarters.
'Nice to see you too, Draco.' I hadn't seen him since dad had taken me to Malfoy manner during the school break. I didn't stay for long though, just until he got a hippogriff to come and show me the grounds. I had always been fascinated by them and was quite sad when Hogwarts Buckbeak disappeared. He used to be my companion during the years before I started classes.
'Come on then.' Wow. First minute of meeting him and he hasn't even mentioned my blood status.
Following Draco I walked into a cosy room with benches set with potion making equipment. We made our way to the front of the room where the rest of the students were waiting. After a few minutes of Professor Slughorn talking to the class about some safety thing Harry and Ron Weasley wondered through the doors. After the professor told them that of cause they are welcome they went to get their text books from the cupboard. Everything about Harry and his friends bit into my nerves but seeing Ron's hair from the back, just something compelled me to touch it. It looked so soft and fluffy. Hermione was up the front identifying the potions displayed at the front but in the middle of her sentence Harry and Ron started to fight over, what seemed like, a book.
Someone taping my shoulder distracted me from watching the two boys find their place in the group of students. I spun my head around to be faced with cool grey eyes the same colour as steel. They looked happy but I could see trouble underneath the fake sparkle.
All to soon everyone was walking to a bench and getting out their books.
'Excuse me, professor?' I chased the teacher across the room.
'I don't have any books today. I just changed all my classes.' Slughorn thought for a second.
'Harry took the last one from my collection. Just share with someone.' Wondering back to Draco I took his book and started reading about what potion we were making.
'Living death. Looks complicated.' He flustered about and snatched the book from my fingers, pouring over the instructions and carefully preparing everything.
'Trust me. I can help. My dad is kind of a potions teacher you know.' He turned to catch my eye and directed me so I was in front of the cauldron.
'If you get this right I will do anything to pay you back.' I smiled to myself and began working and work I did. After almost an hour of slaving away I got Slughorn to check the potion. To say the least it didn't go well. The second he dropped a leaf in the potion turned brown and started to give off a strange fume. For the safety of the class we had to dispose of it and we got to leave class early.
'Bloody Harry and his bloody amazing work.' Draco mumbled under his breath. It had ended up that Harry's had been the perfect one of them all and he was getting the liquid luck. I thought I might go and get my books from the common room so we were headed there now.
'You know I worked hard on that potion, right?' I piped up. Draco shrugged back.
'What of it? You didn't get it right.' I kept walking ahead keeping my cool.
'I still think you owe me.' I could basically feel his smirk.
'What do you mean I owe you?'
'I mean you owe me something for my effort. I think I will collect now.' I kept walking to the common room but suddenly remembered I didn't know which room was mine, or if I even had a room at the moment. Groaning I stopped walking and put my face in my hands.
'What's with you?' Draco spat at me. I know he hadn't meant for it to some out so mean but sometimes he did that.
'Would it kill you to be a bit nice?' Draco's lips hardened and his jaw tightened.
'I'm sorry, Draco. I'm just stressed out.' He looked taken aback by my sudden apology.
'Did you just apologise?' I didn't know what to say. No one had ever asked me if I had apologised to them before which was a little strange.
'Yes I did. Why?' His jaw un clenched and his eyes softened a bit. For a moment he looked like a normal person who had the potential to show actual feelings.
'Because no one has ever apologised to me before.' I gasped.
'Draco that's horrible! I'm sure in seventeen years someone has though.' He shook his head.
'Not until now.' I gave him a sad look unsure of what to do. Opening and closing my mouth I tried to will words to come out but they wouldn't.
'Its alright. You don't have to pretend to care.' This boy was seriously starved of anything nice in his life.
'That's it. When we go to Hogsmeade I'm going to show you now to have some fun.' I couldn't bare to see him so depressed although dad had warned me he might be a bit like this. Draco rolled his eyes.
'Fine.' Smiling triumphantly I wondered the rest of the way to the common room with Draco following in annoyance.
'Oh, and I only apologise to people I like.'