"Gryffindor and Slytherin students loathed each other on principle."

- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Serene stood on Platform 9 ¾ with a contemplative expression on her face. The gentle breeze brushed some of her dark brown hair out of her face. With a smile, she put her locks back into a large clip. It was a new year and a new beginning at a new school. Though quite unheard of, Serene had been transferred from Bradbury's School for Young Witches to Hogwarts after her third year. It had been hard to leave behind everything familiar to her, but at the same time, she was looking forward to the change.

Having not yet received a school uniform, Serene was wearing a green sweater over a tie-dye tank top and a blue, flowing skirt. Her right hand clutched a suitcase, while her left rested on her hip. She clutched her wand in her teeth and a grey and white kitten sat loyally at her feet. She was quite a sight and she wasn't completely oblivious to it. She liked the attention.

As the train rolled into the station, Serene could barely contain her excitement. Hurrying for the nearest doors, she roughly made her way through the crowd. With a new bruise on her arm and a contented smile on her face, she clambered onto the train.

"Now for the difficult part," she muttered to herself. Picking a compartment to sit in was a complicated problem with a lot of unknown variables. Not everyone was as completely black and white as they appeared. Some could appear cold and distant when they were really just shy and needed some coaxing to come out of their shell. Others could appear to be quite friendly but quickly turn others away with horribly annoying traits. In the end, it was always a gamble.

Finally, the decision was made for her. As she took a step to turn around, a large 7th year knocked into her and she tumbled into a rather crowded compartment. Cursing profusely, she stood up in quite a huff. She turned to face three very confused wizards and a witch with an irritated expression on her face.

Grinning, Serene straightened her robe and picked up her bag and wand, where they had fallen on the compartment floor. "Quite sorry, friends. I'm afraid I can be a bit clumsy. I mean, I guess it comes from my mother. Jesus, does that woman have two left feet. My dad used to joke that she tripped and I just popped right out. At least, I think he was kidding. You don't think someone can actually be born like that, right?" She laughed as her cat darted between her legs and settled into the lap of one of the boys. "Dumb bloke. That cat would sit in the lap of You-Know-Who if he was the only one in the room. Oh, I'm sorry. My name is Serene McCarthy and that fluff ball in your lap is Oscar."

The other occupants of the compartment seemed at a loss. This strange witch had literally tumbled into their compartment, talked to them like they were old friends, and then introduced herself. If anything, this girl sure made one hell of a first impression.

A boy with black hair and glasses, whose lap was occupied by Serene's cat, finally responded. "Well, my name's Harry, Serene. Nice to meet you." He pointed to the redheaded boy beside him. "That's Ron." Ron offered a friendly hello but he was still giving Serene an odd look. "And that-," he pointed to the girl sitting beside Ron. "is Hermione." Hermione offered a curt welcome that lacked genuine friendliness. Serene could tell that she was still unhappy with Serene's colorful demeanor and loud entrance.

"And my name's Neville." The boy who sat across from the other three held out his hand in greeting. Serene gave it a strange look and slapped it, resulting in an awkward, side-ways high five.

Without an invitation, Serene plopped herself down onto the seat, next to Neville, with an extra flourish. "So, I see you're all in Gryffindor."

Hermione leaned forward, surveying Serene for any signs of what House she was in. "Yes, we are. How about you?" After a few moments of looking Serene up and down, she gave up trying to figure it out, herself.

Serene sighed. "Actually, I haven't been sorted yet." A lock of hair fell out of her clip and she absentmindedly twirled it between her fingers. "I just got transferred from Bradbury's School for Young Witches." As she said this, Harry thought he noticed something flicker across her features but it was gone as quickly as it had appeared. "I know. It's weird. I don't quite understand it myself, but they all assure me it's for the best."

Harry was tempted to ask who "they" were.

For the rest of the trip, the compartment was alive and thriving. Although Serene tended to monopolize the conversation, the others grew to accept her and actually like her a bit. As the train finally came to a stop, Serene was the first to bound happily out of the compartment. As the others watched her disappearing figure, Hermione sighed. "I must say, there's nothing serene about her."


As Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Neville settled into their seats at the Gryffindor table, Ron elbowed Harry and pointed toward Neville. He was craning his neck to see around his fellow classmates, gazing toward the front of the room. They both exchanged knowing smiles. They had seen the way Neville had looked at Serene on the train. No doubt he was anxious to see where she was going to be sorted.

Hermione, on the other hand, was oblivious, for probably the first time in her life. "Neville, what on earth are you doing?"

"Well, isn't it obvious, Hermione?" Ron grinned at Neville. "He's looking for Serene, of course." At this, he and Harry both chuckled.

Neville, having turned the color of a ripe tomato, turned to face the other two boys with indignation. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Harry and Ron laughed once more and Hermione rolled her eyes at their immaturity. "Look, the Sorting Ceremony is beginning! Be quiet, you two." She shot a reproachful look at Harry and Ron.

As every year before, the students in the Great Hall watched first year after first year get sorted. After Melissa Lancaster got sorted into Ravenclaw, Professor McGonagall called Serene's name. With a solemn expression that Harry believed to be added for dramatic effect, Serene walked to the stool, where Professor McGonagall placed the Sorting Hat on her head.

"Ah yes!" The loud voice of the Sorting Hat boomed through the entire Great Hall. "Serene McCarthy. Oh, I've heard of you but I never expected to see you within these four walls. You're going to be a difficult girl to place." He paused for a moment, as if to think. "I see in you a great contradiction. You wish to belong but you constantly set yourself apart with your mistrustful attitude and, shall we say, interesting quirks."

Harry wondered if he meant more than Serene's odd personality.

"I fear that your fate is to feel torn between the need for acceptance and the freedom of original thought." The Hat seemed to smile at this, pleased that he had pegged Serene for what she was. But suddenly, the smile disappeared. "Oh, this….this is interesting. This certainly changes things." He thought for another few moments. "SLYTHERIN!"

The whole room cheered, as was the custom when a new student had been sorted into House. The only ones not joining in the jubilation were Ron, Harry, Hermione and Neville. They all cast curious glances at each other, searching for an answer. They had spent the entire train ride to Hogwarts with Serene. Not once had they seen anything in her that might set her in with the Slytherins.

Serene's face also told a story. Unlike most after their Sorting, she hopped off of the stool, completely expressionless. This time, she was unable to hide what she was thinking behind elaborate theatrics. She silently walked to the Slytherin table and took a seat beside a blonde second year.

When Hermione dared to glance at Neville, his face had gone from crimson to white. His expression was one of confusion, mixed with utter disappointment. He cast his eyes downward and didn't look up for the rest of Sorting Ceremony. Finally, as Katherine Zimmerman was sorted into Gryffindor, the Sorting ended and Dumbledore stood up. As he spoke about a special TriWizard Tournament, Harry glanced over to see Neville staring intently at the Slytherin table. Even as the Headmaster warned all the students to be on their best behavior for the guest, Neville seemed distracted. Finally, as the feast began, the friends began to discuss their new companion.

"What in the bloody hell was that all about? Ron didn't have to be specific. They all knew what he was talking about. "Did the Sorting Hat just tell everyone in the Great Hall what he thought about a student? I've never seen the Hat act so strangely before. And that really is saying something."

Hermione nodded in agreement. "It was really odd. What did he mean by 'I never expected to see you within these four walls.'?" She stole a glance at the Slytherin table. Serene was already smiling again, taking a sip of pumpkin juice. She couldn't help but notice, however, that her eyes kept flitting over to the Gryffindor table.

Neville finally spoke, after a moment of thoughtful silence. "Why is she in Slytherin at all? She doesn't really seem like a Slytherin. I thought she was kind of…" He let the sentence hang in the air. Everyone nodded, knowingly.

Finally, Hermione cleared her throat to offer her final word on the matter. "Well, if she's kindhearted, it shouldn't matter what house she's in." At this, she picked up her goblet and took a sip of her pumpkin juice.

For the rest of the feast, the friends talked and laughed, temporarily forgetting their new friend. In fact, they didn't say a word about her until they left the Great Hall to make their way to the common room. Right outside the door, Serene was laughing with a third year girl from Hufflepuff. Finally, she bid farewell to the girl and turned to see the four friends leaving the Great Hall.

Instantly, Serene's face began to glow and she waved at them with great enthusiasm. "Oh, hello! Hi!" She darted towards them, still waving, her wand held loosely in her right hand. Suddenly, she tripped and her wand flew out of her hand, making a loud bang and creating colorful sparks. Snatching up the fallen article, she cursed and dusted off her robes. Suddenly, she seemed to remember that her friends were waiting for her as she made eye contact with them.

"Hi, Serene." Harry glanced over Serene's shoulder. "Making new friends, I see. Who was that?" He thought she seemed familiar. He had probably passed her a hundred times in the halls but, for the life of him, he couldn't seem to put a name with her face.

Serene glanced back. "Oh, crap. I think it was…Mindy? Melissa? Mackenzie! That was it! Mackenzie!" A smile spread across her face. "She seems really nice. I think she's from Hufflepuff." With a happy sigh, she twirled her wand between her fingers. "So, bummer I didn't get sorted into Gryffindor with all of you. But I'm sure Slytherin is a nice house, too."

Awkward silence followed as Neville, Harry, Ron and Hermione all looked each other. No one wanted to tell her the truth about the House of Slytherin and its members. They all exchanged looks, as if silently arguing with each other. Watching all of this, Serene seemed almost amused. She let her periwinkle blue eyes dart from one to the other and so on, her lip curled in a bit of a smirk.

Finally, Hermione turned away from the others to face Serene. "Slytherin is a quite acceptable Sorting. It's a house of ambition and cunning. Slytherins are also usually very resourceful and –,"

"Oh, just stop it, Hermione!" Ron, having cringed at every word Hermione had said, interrupted. "Sure, Slytherins are ambitious. They all crave power. Some may be cunning but only half as much as the Ravenclaws. And they sure are resourceful, but only in the sense that they're completely manipulative. I'm sorry, Serene but the truth is that there isn't a dark wizard or witch who hasn't come out of Slytherin. They're all bullies and ruddy gits." Realizing that his face had become red with passion, Ron stopped and took a deep breath. He bit his lip and cast a sheepish look in the direction of Hermione who was now glaring at him.

Serene looked taken aback, at first. But it didn't take long for her to recover her smile. "Well, thank you for being honest, Ronald, but I think I'm going to change the face of Slytherin." Her smile became a proud grin and she flipped her hair over her shoulder, dramatically. "So, where are you guys off to? Mind if I come?"

"No, we don't mind at all." Neville had been the first to speak up before anyone else could tell her that they were actually planning on spending some time in the Gryffindor common room.

Harry fought off a grin. "Yes, you can join us. Actually, Neville was just about to tell us where we were headed. Where to, chum?" He turned to Neville, ignoring an exasperated glare from Hermione.

"Well, I was thinking that we could – I mean it seemed – Maybe we could - ," Neville's face was starting to gradually turn redder. Serene, however, stared unflinchingly at him, apparently unaware of his discomfort.

"What on earth do you think you're doing with them?" A sharp and accusatory voice rang out in the hallway, making the group jump. Draco Malfoy suddenly appeared to claim the shout, Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy Parkinson close at his heels.

Serene turned and welcomed her unfriendly classmate with a glowing smile. "I don't know. They seem like pretty nice people. Why? Is there a reason I shouldn't be talking to them?" Her smile still seemed genuine but the others noticed a dark gleam in her eyes.

"Slytherins do not associate themselves with other houses. Especially not Gryffindor." He said the word as if it left a bad taste in his mouth. "Pureblooded Slytherins such as ourselves wouldn't dare be seen with lesser wizards." He paused and cast a judgmental look in Hermione's direction. "Or witches."

"You must be Slytherin's finest - Draco Malfoy." Serene's expression was completely unreadable now and the others frowned at each other, confused. She took a step closer towards Draco and slowly fiddled with his collar.

Draco nodded pompously to the grinning Crabbe and Goyle and the scowling Pansy Parkinson. He smirked as he casually tucked a lock of Serene's black hair behind her ear. "I see my reputation precedes me."

Serene giggled flirtatiously. "Well, of course." Her blue eyes looked up at him, piercing and inviting. "Pureblood." She placed a hand on his chest and bit her lip. "A great wizard from a reputable family." She sighed. "But alas, a spineless punk with an arrogant disposition and who's always seen with a group of thugs who can fight his battles for him because he is incapable of doing so. Yes, I've heard all about you." She suddenly pulled back with a wicked gleam in her eyes.

"You inflammatory little-," Unable to come up with a desirable insult, Draco screwed up his face into a scowl and lowered his voice to a hiss. "You'll regret your untamed tongue, Serene. You just wait." With a dramatic flourish, he spun around on his heel and walked away, Crabbe and Goyle closely following.

Pansy Parkinson, however, lingered a bit longer. "You have a bloody cheek! You will be sorry. Draco is quite clever."

"He could've fooled me." It was amazing how Serene could stay cool as a cucumber. Especially as Pansy squealed in contempt and slapped her hard across the face.

"Blood traitor!" Glaring furiously at Harry, Hermione, and Neville she turned around and hurried to catch up with Draco, Crabbe and Goyle.

As Serene watched the retreating figures of her newfound adversaries, Neville exhaled loudly. From the looks of it, he had been holding his breath for almost the entire confrontation. "You're not going to be very popular in Slytherin."

((So, the first chapter isn't that long but it's really just a starting point, right?? Tell me how you feel about it, my loves!))