Disclaimer: Me owning Harry Potter is about as likely as flying pigs in our (unfortunately) non-magical world. All I own is the characters I create. The rest belongs to the brilliant J.K. Rowling.

Edited 12/26/11

A New Start

Addison Lovella Marie Blaid. Dirty blond hair, dark blue eyes. Thirteen years of age. Bitten at eleven by Fenrir Greyback, the most savage werewolf alive, and his pack. That's my life story. No one really cares about the other details. Not that there's anyone to tell, but you get the point. If there were anyone to tell, they would run away before you could say werewolf, or right after rather. They wouldn't care that I lived in the cellar beneath my mum's house, or that she would never let me out because she was afraid of what people would think of her when they found out about me. They wouldn't care that my mum would rather hold up her reputation than treat her daughter like a human. They wouldn't care that my own mum thinks I'm a monster and that she's kinda the reason I am one in the first place. They wouldn't care that I can't remember what being normal felt like. They would just think monster and run.

I don't blame them though. Why would you want to hang around a person who could kill you if you visited them on the wrong day or worse, make you one of them? Why would anyone in their right mind want to willingly walk up to their own death sentence? Why would a monster, a vile beast, have feelings?

But anyway, I'm starting my first year of magical training at Hogwarts this year. According to the Ministry, I've been home schooled for the last two years. But in reality, I don't know the first thing about magic. I should have started at Hogwarts two years ago, but I couldn't. At least not when I was really supposed to start. Not when the transformation was so new. And mum didn't want me to go. That's why I didn't go last year though I was used to the change by then. This year though I managed to convince her, along with myself, that I could hide my transformation and she wouldn't have to worry about her precious reputation. She didn't agree at first but then told me, to my face, that my cellar would make a nice storage room and she wouldn't have to see my face if I went to a boarding school. Thanks mum. I mean I know I'm not pretty or anything, but coming from her, especially considering that I came from her own DNA, was like a verbal bitch slap. So loving of you mum.

I got my most of my supplies and robes second hand because my mum 'couldn't afford' to buy them new. However she could afford to buy herself three pairs of brand new robes that cost more than everything I got. Each. Thanks mum.

Finally, September 1st came and I eagerly said farewell as I boarded the train. Of course there was still that whole 'I'm a werewolf' problem and how I was supposed to hide that, and the fact that I knew about as much magic as a cow, but for now, I was happy for the first time in a long time.

I found an empty compartment towards the middle of the train and sat watching the station fly past as the train rolled out of the station. Freedom. It felt so good.

A boy with dark hair that stuck out in all directions and round, wire rimmed glasses opened the compartment door followed by another boy with curly dark hair to his shoulders. They were laughing manically about something.

"Did you see his face?" laughed curly.

"Yeah! Snivellus was so mad!" laughed glasses.

They stood there laughing for a few minutes and I was just about to get up to leave before they finally noticed I was there.

"Can we sit here?" curly panted.

"Yeah I guess…" I said glumly while they sat down across from me.

"Aww is someone homesick?" asked glasses in a baby voice.

"No! I couldn't be happier to get out of that hell hole!" I spat with an abrupt change of attitude.

"Amen to that!" curly said.

"What's your name?" asked glasses.

"Addison Blaid. And yours?"

"You don't know?" glasses said acting like he was shocked.

"It's cool Jamie. She will. I'm Sirius Black and that's James Potter," said curly jerking his head at glasses.

"Why haven't we seen you before?" glass- er, James asked.

"I didn't come here last year… or the year before," I said simply trying to avoid details. Particularly the ones that involved …that.

"Why not?" asked Sirius.

"My mum wanted to home school me," I answered a little too quickly. I hate lying, but thanks to a certain group of people, *cough Fenrir Greyback, his pack, and my mum cough* I have to. Just one more thing to hate about lycanthropy. Well I suppose it wasn't entirely a lie, but it also wasn't entirely true. She wanted to 'home school' me out of fear that I might blow my secret and ruin her reputation. Best mum ever.

"Why?" Sirius asked to my great displeasure. They were both staring intently at me.

"Oh, umm…" I was about to start an elaborate (but fake) story I made up in about five seconds (which didn't exactly match my original story on being home schooled by my mum) on how my dad caught dragon pox and my mum was sent off to Bulgaria to exercise a spirit at Durmstrang, while I had to take care of my sick dad but my Grandmother insisted upon taking care of him as well and kept trying to give him a potion that he was allergic to, when the door was flung open again and two more boys came in. The first one had sandy brown hair and wore shabby clothes and the second one was chubby and had thin, mousy brown hair.

"There you guys are!" exclaimed Sirius forgetting that I hadn't answered his question. "We were getting worried you got lost again."

"Well we all know Peter gets lost all the time! Sorry Peter," he added hastily at a glare from the chubby boy next to him who I assumed to be Peter. "But when have I gotten lost?" the sandy haired one chuckled. He looked over at me. Notably shyer than he was when he came in, sandy asked, "Who's that?"

"That's our new friend Addison!" Sirius said cheerily.

"Hi Addison," sandy said shyly, sitting down next to Sirius. "I'm Remus Lupin and that's Peter Pettigrew,"

"Hi," I smiled faintly. "I wouldn't exactly say we were friends though, maybe just acquaintances," I added slightly snarkily.

"I am offended Addison!" James gasped.

"I thought we meant something to you!" Sirius cried.

"Sorry about them… they can be a bit… over dramatic…" Remus sighed.

"We are not over dramatic!" James cried over dramatically.

"We just get hyper attacks frequently!" Sirius said.

"Did you just say a word that was longer than seven letters Siri? Merlin's beard! It's new record!" James clapped.

"Oh please, I say long words all the time!" Sirius defended.

"You do not!" James shot back.

"I do too!" Sirius cried.

"I don't believe you!" James said.

"What's not to believe?" Sirius asked.

"Everything!" James cried.

"What's a hyper attack?" I asked.

"It's what Sirius and James here call a sugar rush, except minus the sugar. They have them quite often," Remus explained/yelled over the raging argument.

"Do they do this a lot?" I yelled to Remus referring to James and Sirius' argument.

"All the time!" he yelled back and stood between James and Sirius, whose bickering was now a shouting match. "Hey! HEY!" he bellowed.

"WHAT!" Sirius and James yelled in unison.

"Calm down! It's not even been fifteen minutes!"

"Fine…" they sulked quietly for a few seconds then started whispering and laughing with each other almost immediately. I stared at them confusedly.

"Like I said, all the time," Remus repeated sitting back down.

"I've never seen you around. What house are you in?" Peter asked turning to me. He didn't seem like much of a talker though… very out of character of him…

"This is my first year at Hogwarts," I explained again warily. "And what do you mean house?"

"Are you a first year?" Peter squeaked.

"No, third. I was home schooled."

"Oh… Why?" Darn you Peter!

"Yeah you never answered that," James said, rejoining the conversation along with Sirius.

"Right… need to answer that still…" I sighed. The door didn't save me this time. I decided the story about dragon pox was a little far fetched and made up a new one. They were all staring at me with piercing gazes. I felt like they were staring straight into my soul. Or is that just my stage fright giving me paranoia? Darn you stage fright! "Well… my mum got… er, cold feet a week before school was supposed to start first year and she told the ministry she was going to home school me instead and I just convinced her this year to let me come."

"Your mum got cold feet? But didn't you say that you 'couldn't wait to get out of that hell hole'?" Sirius asked. "If she loved you so much, why would you want to leave? And how would that make home a hell hole in the first place?"

"Wow Sirius! A big word and a valid point on the same day! It's another new record!" James exclaimed. Yay James! Perfect time to start an argument, I thought.

"It's not like you're any smarter Jamie!"

"Oh you did not just say that!" Sirius said, snapping.

"Oh yes I did!" James fired back.

"OI!" Remus thundered shutting them up. "Let her explain." Darn you Remus!

They were all staring at me again. Stupid stage fright, I moped in my thoughts. "Er, that's why I wanted to leave! Yeah, she was way too possessive of me. Wouldn't let me do anything."

"Oh I guess that makes sense," Sirius replied.

"Yeah," James chided.

"So houses! What are they? Other than the obvious answer of where you live," I asked.

"There's four houses. Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin," James said.

"Gryffindor's the best!" Sirius yelled proudly.

"So you guys must be in Gryffindor," I observed.

"Yep," James said smugly.

"Your house is where you live, though that's obvious," Remus smirked. "who you live with, who you'll most likely hang out with, and who you'll earn or lose points for."

"Ah," I said.

"If your not a first year how are you going to get placed?" James asked.

"Good question," I said slowly. "I haven't got the slightest clue."

"Maybe Dumbledore will have you sorted with the ickle firsties," Sirius smiled.

"Maybe," I sighed. Just what I needed. To be the only third year sorted with first years. Way to lay low for a while.

"Have you figured out our back to school prank yet?" Peter asked James and Sirius brightly.

"Well we've been giving this quite some thought and we have decided to put confusing concoction in the Slytherin's pumpkin juice," Sirius grinned evilly. "What do you think?"

"That's brilliant!" Peter squeaked from beside me. He was looking at James and Sirius with idol worship. James and Sirius then looked at Remus as if expecting him to approve their idea.

"Nice concept, but when are you going to have the time to brew the potion and slip it into their drinks?" Remus asked.

"We brewed some up before we came here," James said. "You're really rubbing off on us Remy."

"But you two are atrocious at potions!" he cried.

"Atrocious?" Sirius asked with a confused look. James and Peter had the exact same expression on their faces.

Remus sighed. "It means bad, horrible, terrible, awful, horrid, dreadful, appalling, horrendous, abominable, despic-"

"Okay! We get it!" James and Sirius yelled in unison, cutting him off.

"Thanks for supporting us Remus," James said sarcastically.

"And if you must know, we tested it out and it works just fine," Sirius added defensively.

"I am so proud," Remus said as he pretended to wipe away a tear. "And how are you going to get it into their drinks?"

"That's our one problem. But I think we know a certain Remus who can figure it out," Sirius winked, nudging him with his elbow.

"Well, I have two ideas," he replied. "One, we sneak into the kitchens before the feast and pour the potion into the vat of pumpkin juice, or two we put a disillusionment charm on the concoction and levitate it into their cups. I would personally go with the second idea though, because the first would result in everyone being under the confusing concoction."

"Aww Remy, I knew you could figure it out," Sirius said pinching his cheek.

"Geroff!" he mumbled pushing him off.

"Wait, a disillusionment charm and levitating potion into various goblets on the Slytherin table? That's some pretty advanced magic Remy," James noted. "Do you know how to do that?"

"Somewhat. My disillusionment charm is pretty weak and I might need some help with the levitating. Charms was never my strong point," Remus said rubbing his cheek where Sirius pinched it.

"How did you even learn it in the first place?" James asked.

"What do you think I've been studying every time I go to the library? It's not like we have that much homework."

"That's true… You do go to the library a bit more than the average person," Sirius noted.

"But still, to even find a book that contains a disillusionment charm you'd have to go to the restricted section for sure," James commented.

"I got a note," Remus shrugged.

"And you didn't tell us!" they gasped.

"You guys don't read. At all. Didn't really think you'd care."

"But it's the restricted section! Restricted! Have you forgotten who we are?" James looked shocked.

"Do you know how much mayhem we could cause with information in that section! Well aside from the dark arts. That stuff's grody," Sirius blanched.

"Why have you been studying advanced spells in the first place?" James asked.

"Pranking purposes of course," he smiled though his eyes flashed nervously. It seemed I was the only one who caught it though. James and Sirius looked at each other as if determining his excuse valid through eye contact. Finally, James spoke up.

"Remy, we have decided to forgive you on one condition. We get in on this restricted section action."

"Alright," Remus smiled.

"Good. In which case, you are a genius!" James shrieked and patted him on the shoulder from the opposite side of the bench.

"I do believe this years prank will outshine last years… Though turning their hair pink was pretty hilarious," Sirius reminisced with a ridiculous grin.

"One more question," Remus asked. "When do you plan to prank them?"

"I don't know… Breakfast tomorrow would be easier but that would require waking up early and as if we're going to do that. At the feast tonight would definitely have a large impact because no one will be expecting it, though it would be slightly more difficult with everyone there. But who are we to shy away from a difficult prank when the end result will be so fantastic?" Sirius smiled.

"Merlin's beard, he's done it again," James said. "Another, another new record! At this rate, you'll be passing all your classes! Though just barely because this is Sirius we're talking about."

"James," Sirius growled. "Shut it with the dumb jokes."

"Ooh, I'm scared now," James joked.

"I mean it."

"Do you? Do you really?" James smirked. It seemed to me that he was just begging for a fight.

"So tonight at the feast we're going to prank them?" Remus cut in.

"Sure are!" they both cried, smiling at each other as though nothing had happened. I was sort of envious of they're relationship now, to be able to want to murder each other one second and be best mates the next was really something, if not amusing.

"Sweets from the trolley!" cried the witch with the tea trolley from the hall.

"FOOD!" Sirius cried leaping off the bench.

"Does he always do that?" I asked Remus.

"Yeah. I don't think he ever stops eating."

Sirius came back with five bags of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, ten chocolate frogs, two pumpkin pasties, and five cauldron cakes.

"That's a lot of candy for one person, Sirius," I said glancing at his arms full of sweets.

"I'm going to share! And by the way, you all owe me seven sickles."

We all groaned and pulled out the coins. Mum had given me roughly two galleons for the entire year. She gave it to me in knuts and sickles though because she 'didn't want to waste the good coins on worthless trash like me.' I reluctantly passed Sirius the coins and he threw us each a bag of Every Flavor Beans, two chocolate frogs, and a caldron cake.

"What about the pumpkin pasties?" Peter said, his mouth already stuffed with a cauldron cake.

"Mine!" Sirius growled.

-X-

After a few more hours of listening to various pranks they were going to pull and some very nasty beans, a prefect came in and told us to change into our school robes. I pulled my robes out of my trunk and walked to the bathroom to change rather than in the compartment with four boys I barely know. That would have been slightly awkward.

After pulling on my second hand robes, (the sight of them made me growl lowly in my stall) I walked back to compartment. They were all done changing by now, thank Merlin. I noticed that Remus' robes were second hand too. It was good to know I wasn't the only one.

James and Sirius were talking about quidditch now, along with the occasional prank they would think of, and Remus was reading a book. Peter was watching James and Sirius talk with idol worship. I sat down and stared out the window again watching the landscape roll by.

The last drops of sunlight were dancing on the long sun baked grass, swaying gently in the breeze. A faint outline of my long gone father and me playing in the field painted itself on the rolling hills. It seemed weird to me because I couldn't remember ever doing anything doing anything remotely happy and yet there I was, laughing and smiling and running without a care in the world. I was definitely younger though. My face looked soft and my blue eyes sparkled with delight. I would give anything to feel that way again... It must have been before I was bitten. Everything before that incident I can't remember. I woke up and empty knowledge filled my head but all of it was worthless because I couldn't even remember my name.

I never realized how much I missed seeing the world outside my cellar (even if I couldn't remember it very well which probably explains why I didn't realize I missed it) until I saw it. The trees, the open sky and people. Diagon Alley had been miserable. Mum practically had me on a leash. I wanted to skip and jump in the cheerful sunshine that was so foreign to me, but I was stuck there with perhaps the most aggravating, stuck up, self centered person on the planet.

The sun said a beautiful good bye on the horizon behind a soft hill and moonlight began to shine through the window. When the moon finally came into my view from the window, I recognized it as a waxing crescent. (I memorized all the phases of the moon. I had a lunar calendar in my cellar so I would know when I was going to change. Although it's pretty hard not to recognize the familiar pain that starts a week before the full moon and gradually becomes worse as it gets closer, it's still helpful to know when to expect it.) That meant the full moon would be here in a week and a half. I quickly looked away from it, not wanting to think about the inevitable problem my condition would cause. Remus had put down his book and was looking at the moon too. He looked troubled by it. I wonder why.

James and Sirius were still thinking of pranks they could pull and jokes they could play on the Slytherins and 'Snivellus', whoever that was, when the train finally slowed down and came to a halt at Hogsmeade station. Seriously, it's been at least seven hours, how many times did they think they would be needing to prank them? I didn't see what the Slytherins had ever done wrong, not that I wanted to either. James and Sirius have way too many ideas to prank the Slytherins than should be healthy… Or legal… I just hoped I wouldn't somehow get on their badside… Or end up in Slytherin for that matter…

I pulled down my trunk from the rack above my seat with ease much to the shock of James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter. Slight strength was perhaps the only perk of lycanthropy. Of course my trunk wasn't all that heavy either, Mum only bought me the bare minimal to pack. I then proceeded to leave the compartment as soon as I could.

After successfully tripping over my feet at the exit and discovering that when the large man with the lantern said 'Firs' Years' he meant students that were learning first year magic not students who were coming here for their first year but learning third year magic even though they probably should be learning first year magic, I climbed into an empty carriage drawn by nothing and closed the door. A few minutes later the door was opened again by a red haired girl with bright green eyes and a boy with greasy pitch black hair and eyes with a long hooked nose.

"Is it ok if we sit in here?" the girl asked when she saw me. "All the other carriages are full… Well except Potter's. But I would rather walk than sit with him. I'm Lily Evans by the way."

"Addison Blaid," I answered. "Yeah go ahead, and I know what you mean. They sat in my compartment on the way here. I don't think they ever shut up."

"I am so sorry you had to go through that," Lily said sincerely while the boy closed the door.

"I am too," I groaned. "But it's all good. I just hope I don't have to hear their voices again any time soon."

"That's what we all hope," said the boy next to Lily. "I'm Severus Snape."

"Hi Severus. What house are you guys in?"

"I'm in Gryffindor and Sev's in Slytherin," Lily answered.

The carriage began moving down the rocky path. It felt like it was being drawn by a horse though I knew there was no horse. I figured it was just a charm or something.

"That's nice, how your in different houses but still friends," I said.

"What about you? What house are you in? I've not seen you here before," Severus asked.

"Well… this is my first year here even though I'm a third year. My mum, er, wanted to home school me. Mind you, she was a terrible teacher. So I don't know what house I'm in yet," I lied.

"Oh. We're third years too. Good thing she's not teaching you anymore if she's not a very good teacher." Lily commented.

"Yeah, thank Merlin," I sighed.

"A proper magical education is very important, especially in these times. Right Sev?"

"Yeah," he agreed.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Surely your joking," Lily said. "You can't just ignore that Voldemort's rising in power."

"Who's Voldemort?"

Lily and Severus glanced at each other then back at me. "Voldemort is a very dark wizard and probably the worst we've ever seen other than maybe Grindelwald. I'm surprised you haven't heard of him. He's been in the Daily Prophet tons lately," Severus explained.

"Well that explains why I haven't heard of him," I muttered. They looked at me confused. "Mum would never let me read the prophet. ...Or anything for that matter."

"That's horrible!" screamed Lily.

"But surely you would have at least heard it from someone even just talking about it in the street," Severus said.

"No… I never heard anything," I mumbled. Mum liked to keep me in the dark. Literally and figuratively. When I lived in the cellar, I lived only in the cellar, like an animal in a cage. No sunlight, or word from outside for two entire years. Probably explains why I'm so pale… I guess she figured the less I knew the better.

"That's strange…" Severus murmured.

"Well I, er, live around a lot of muggles," I lied. "They don't talk about wizard news."

"That makes sense," Lily said.

"You can't have been a muggle born if you were home schooled in magic. So what are you?" Severus inquired.

"Half blood," I lied again. My mum was a stuck up pure blood obsessed with money that would never, ever live near muggles or anyone even remotely associated with one, much less marry one.

"Me too," said Severus.

"Do you think the classes are going to be difficult?" I asked to change the subject.

"Only if you've got no clue what you're doing," Lily answered.

Merlin's pants, I'm going to fail.

"Don't worry, we'll help if you really think your that bad off," Lily quickly said. She must have seen my terrified expression.

"Okay. Thanks. I'm going to need all the help I can get in that case."

"Was your mum really that bad a teacher?" Lily asked.

"The worst."

We talked the rest of the trip about this and that until the carriage pulled slowly to a stop and I hopped out followed by Lily and Severus. Well, here goes nothing. I really hope I'm not expelled. Isn't that a nice thought to have the first time you step on campus?

We walked in through the large oak front doors and into the Great Hall. Lily and Severus said bye and each went to their own tables. I just stood there looking awkward. I was about to walk back out when a strange looking old man wearing purple robes stood up and cleared his throat rather noisily.

"Before the first years get sorted, I have a special announcement. Addison Blaid will be joining the third years this year. She has been home schooled prior. If you will please come up here, Addison, we shall see what house you belong in," his voice carried through the hall. Everyone that was previously talking had quieted down to look at me. I stared at my shoelaces in an attempt to hide the deep blush my cheeks had acquired as I walked to where Dumbledore referenced, barely hearing my footsteps on the smooth stone floor.

A ratty old hat was sitting on a stool in front of the staff table. The strange man motioned me over to it and he picked up the hat from the stool. I sat down quietly and the hat was placed on my head.

"Werewolf I see?" the hat said. The hat said. A talking hat! That's brilliant!

"I'm glad you think so…" the hat said. "I do believe I'm rather brilliant myself."

Wait how did it know I was a werewolf? And that I thought what I thought?

"You're quite curious aren't you… That's a good quality for Ravenclaw… I'm a sorting hat. I sort through your thoughts to place you in the best house for you," it explained.

Oh. That makes sense.

"Yes… Hmm… Cunning and insecure with your condition… Slytherin might be good… Or maybe Hufflepuff… You would make good friends there and I sense some fierce loyalty… But no… You're conscience is much to guilty as it is to even last a day in Slytherin, and you seem to lose things more than find them so Hufflepuff isn't for you either… Ah- you're quite courageous I see though you may not think it now… But you also have a thirst for knowledge... Which shall it be? Gryffindor or Ravenclaw? Does your brawn outweigh your brain?"

Well Mum always said I was a stupid mutt...

"But are you?"

I don't think I am but I don't really know a lot so my opinion might not be the best.

"You've told me enough. Don't take this wrongly, but the house for you must be none other than GRYFFINDOR!"

The last word echoed around the hall so it must've been the only word said aloud by the hat. A table in the middle erupted in cheers and the hat was pulled from my head. I walked down to the cheering table grabbing a seat next to Lily. Unfortunately, sitting across from her was James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter. She didn't seem too pleased about it either.

"Potter! How many times do I have to tell you that I will never, ever go out with you!" Lily screeched.

"Many more! As if I'd give up that easy Evans!" James retorted.

"I really wish you would!"

"I would never!"

"Ugh!" Lily squealed and turned to me. "Well it's good to have you in Gryffindor, Addison."

I smiled slightly, unsure of how to respond.

"Hi! I'm Dorcas Meadowes," a dark haired girl next to Lily said.

"Hi," I replied quietly.

"I'm Marlene McKinnon," said a very pretty blond girl next to Dorcas who spoke with a very haughty air as if she were higher than everyone around her. It was intimidating.

"Hullo," I said meekly.

"Where's Alice?" Lily asked them.

"She said she was going to sit with Frank," Dorcas said.

"She totally has a crush on him, she just won't admit it," Marlene said.

"Oh I know! But they would be such a cute couple," Lily said.

The gossip continued but I, not knowing either of them, found it boring and zoned out rather quickly. Across the table, I heard James, Sirius, and Remus arguing about something. Peter was staring at them with idol worship as usual.

"When are you going to do it Remus?" James asked.

"Do you want me to do it now?"

"Yes!" James and Sirius said simultaneously.

"But what if they notice something when we send it off?"

"They won't if you cast it now!" Sirius whined.

"Charms isn't my strong subject though. What if it wears off and they see it in their goblets?"

"It will if you keep thinking like that!"

"I'm sorry! I just can't help it!"

"Remy, do it."

He sighed and nodded dispirited then muttered something under his breath that I didn't quite catch. Then he lifted up a foggy looking vial and uncorked it.

"Locomotor confusing concoction," they whispered just loud enough for me to hear. Nothing seemed to happen though aside from a slight rippling in the air and the fog from the vial disappearing. I probably wouldn't have even noticed it though if I didn't know they were up to something.

"Is it in their goblets?" Sirius asked a little later.

"It should be… I was concentrating on them… You all were too weren't you?" They all nodded. "But we'll find out soon enough if it is," he said. James and Sirius smirked mischievously.

"What are you guys planning?" Lily raised her eyebrow finally breaking out of her girl talk.

"You'll see," Sirius grinned.

The first years walked in from the doors in the back of the Great Hall and up to the sorting hat by the staff table. They were all staring nervously at it. Then it opened it's mouth and sang.

Oh you may not think me pretty,

But don't judge on what you see,

I'll eat myself if you can find

A smarter hat than me.

You can keep your bowlers black,

Your top hats sleek and tall,

For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat

And I can cap them all.

There's nothing hidden in your head

The Sorting Hat can't see,

So try me on and I will tell you

Where you ought to be.

You might belong in Gryffindor,

Where dwell the brave at heart,

Their daring, nerve, and chivalry

Set Gryffindors apart;

You might belong in Hufflepuff,

Where they are just and loyal,

Those patient Hufflepuffs are true

And unafraid of toil;

Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,

if you've a ready mind,

Where those of wit and learning,

Will always find their kind;

Or perhaps in Slytherin

You'll make your real friends,

Those cunning folks use any means

To achieve their ends.

So put me on!

Don't be afraid!

And don't get in a flap!

You're in safe hands (though I have none)

For I'm a Thinking Cap!

Everyone cheered heartily when the sorting hat finished its song.

A professor with graying black hair pulled back in a tight bun stood next to the hat and pulled out a large scroll with the names of first years.

"Abbot, Charles," she called in a strict voice.

A boy with short honey brown hair sat down on the stool. The hat was placed on his head, covering his eyes. After a moment or two, the hat yelled, "HUFFLEPUFF!" sending the table to the right of ours into cheers.

"Do they do this for everyone?" I asked Lily.

"Pretty much," she answered. "It's more of a house pride thing than anything."

"Benrich, Avlynn."

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Black, Regulus."

We all stared at Sirius.

"Why didn't you tell us you had a brother?" Peter squeaked.

"I don't know," he shrugged. "Never much liked him."

"So no hope for a junior marauder?" James asked.

"Afraid not."

"SLYTHERIN!" the hat called after a long moment of consideration. It made me wonder if my own sorting had taken this long.

"That's gotta hurt," James said patting Sirius on the back.

"Eh- I saw it coming," he shrugged.

"Boslume, Morgan."

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

I zoned out for a while, standing up and cheering whenever I saw everyone at the Gryffindor table doing so. Eventually 'Westerbough, Lance' was placed into Gryffindor and the sorting was finished. The strange old man in the purple robes stood back up and addressed the school.

"Welcome one and all to another great year at Hogwarts!" he smiled. "For those who don't know me, my name is Professor Dumbledore and I am the headmaster. For those who do know me I am still Professor Dumbledore, the headmaster. Before we begin the feast, I have a few words. Tuna! Lollygag! Pickling! Tuck in!" And with a wave of his wand, mounds of food appeared on the platters running down the center of the table and pumpkin juice in the goblets. I wasn't very hungry but I still got a little of everything. I wanted to try it all. I hadn't eaten anything but stale bread for the last two years since today. Everything tasted amazing in comparison. Except maybe some of the Every Flavor Beans…

"Look their drinking it!" James said excitedly nudging Sirius.

"How long does it take to kick in?" Sirius asked. They both looked eagerly at Remus.

"What? You guys are the ones who made the potion!"

"Just tell us Remus!" James whined. "We only read the first sentence of the description in the textbook."

"You actually looked in the textbook?"

"You didn't really think we had the potion memorized did you?" James asked.

"Not really, but it's still surprising."

"Just tell us Remy!" Sirius said impatiently.

"Fine," Remus groaned. "Usually five to ten minutes."

"This is going to be hilarious!" Sirius sang.

I rolled my eyes and tried a bite of what looked like meat pie.

"Do you know what dorm you're going to be in?" Lily asked me. She was clearly ignoring the conversation from across the table judging by the fact that she wasn't screaming at them.

"No, I was just going to wing it," I replied through a bite of some sort of pudding.

"Well you could stay in my dorm with Dorcas, Marlene, and Alice," Lily offered. "We have an extra bed," she added quickly.

"Thanks, Lily," I smiled.

"Any time," she smiled back.

James and Sirius started howling with laughter from the other side of the table and I soon understood why. Their potion had kicked in and the Slytherins were now very confused. Some were staring at their eating utensils with wonder and some were shoving them up their noses. One picked up a bowl of mashed potatoes from the table and turned it upside down to put it on his head like a hat. I couldn't suppress a giggle at that. I recognized Severus Snape from the carriage ride standing up and attempting to walk, but failing miserably, then sitting down on the floor and looking curiously at his hand before sticking it in his mouth. The rest of the tables had noticed by now and were in hysterics. Sirius' brother Regulus was trying to grab one of the floating candles above the table but ended up falling face first in a bowl of pudding. Another actually managed to grab one of the candles and was poking the flame, shrieking every time he burned his finger in it and then sticking it back in a few seconds later.

Everyone was roaring with laughter except for Lily who just shook her head and frowned disapprovingly at the boys aross the table. Not even James seemed to care though because he was so wrapped up in his laughter.

A man with balding light brown hair who looked somewhat like a bloated walrus dressed in green and silver robes ran down from the staff table and out of the Great Hall much faster than you'd expect a fat walrus to move.

Dinner vanished from the table and dessert appeared in its place. I was much less hungry than I was before, which was barely in the first place, but I took some of everything again. Eventually dessert disappeared from the table again but this time nothing replaced it. Professor Dumbledore stood up again and addressed the students for the second time.

"Some more words now that we have all replenished our appetites. The Forbidden Forest is as forbidden as always," my eyes widened at this. Where was I supposed to go when… then! "and Mr. Filch, the care taker, has reminded me yet again to tell you that magic is still forbidden and should not be used in the halls between classes." Sirius and James groaned. "Quidditch try outs will be held for whomever is interested. Talk to your team captain for dates, and team captains talk to Madam Hooch for dates. And now, it is bedtime. First years, follow your prefects to your common rooms and we shall see you tomorrow for breakfast! Good night!"

"Off we go to the common room!" Lily said grabbing my hand and pulling me along with Dorcas and Marlene to Alice to pull her away from Frank and out of the Great Hall before the mob of first years and very confused Slytherins could get in the way.

We walked up countless staircases and through tons of corridors. I tried to keep track of the way we went but quickly gave up. The staircases kept changing on me and I was utterly bamboozled by the time we stopped in front of a portrait of a fat lady in a pink dress. I have very much respect for their sense of direction now.

"Password?" the fat lady asked.

"Well, Arthur told Molly who told Fletcher who told Black who told Potter who told me the password was 'confundus'. I think he was lying though," Lily sighed.

"Ooh… I'm afraid he was. Sorry deary, I'm afraid I can't let you in until tell me the password."

"That's what I thought."

"So I guess we'll be stuck out here until someone who knows the password comes or someone comes out," Dorcas said.

"I'm sorry Addison. Your first time at Hogwarts I got us stuck out in the hall," Lily said to me.

"No don't worry about it. I've had much, much, worse," I said under my breath. Memories of being whipped and starving flooded my brain. Mum always wanted to have me controlled while I was changed. When that failed as usual, she'd hire someone to torture me and refuse to feed me more than once a week. Never tortured me herself, although she did hit me occasionally. And while having someone else torture me was definitely better than her torturing me herself, it was also worse. She would stand in the background and pick at her nails, pretending she didn't see what was happening. I liked it best when she left completely. That was definitely not the high point of my life.

"Addison. Addison!" someone was saying. I looked up to the faces of Lily, Alice, Dorcas, and Marlene. I must have been more wrapped up in those terrible memories than I realized.

"Are you okay?" Alice asked me.

"Yeah… yeah I'm fine…"

The portrait hole opened just then and there stood James himself behind it.

"Figures they would get here first," Alice murmured. I looked at her questioningly. She was about to answer when Lily promptly stepped towards him and slapped him across the face.

"YOU LIED TO ME!" she bellowed. "YOU TOLD ME THE WRONG PASSWORD ON PURPOSE, DIDN'T YOU? DIDN'T YOU!" she screamed when he didn't respond.

"Calm down Evans," he said smoothly even though a red hand shaped mark was appearing on his face.

"CALM DOWN? I WILL NOT BLOODY CALM DOWN! YOU TOLD ME THE PASSWORD WAS CONFUNDUS! I KNOW YOU WERE LYING! HOW ELSE DID YOU GET IN?"

"Did I say confundus? Oh what I meant to say was murlap essence. Must have just gotten them confused."

"HOW THE HELL COULD YOU POSSIBLY CONFUSE CONFUNDUS WITH MURLAP ESSENCE?"

"Lily just drop it," I heard Dorcas say from the other side of Lily. "It doesn't matter. We're getting into the common room anyway and I think you're starting to scare the first years."

"See now, Lily flower? We don't want to go scaring the first years this early on in the school year," James cooed. I wondered what they meant by first years. Sure enough on the staircase behind us was a long line of forty or so nervous and/or excited eleven year olds headed by two prefects.

"Oh shut up," she said crossing her arms.

"Go out with me Evans?" James asked out of the blue.

"NO!" Lily screamed, stalking past him through the portrait hole with her fists balled up at her sides.

"Eh- it was worth a shot," James said turning into the common room after her.

"Well as you've just witnessed, this weeks password is 'murlap essence'," one of the prefects guiding the first years said.

Dorcas, Alice, Marlene, and I just looked at each other and started bursting out laughing before walking into the common room ourselves. I followed them through a door on the right side of the common room and up a spiral staircase to a door with a plaque on the wall next to it that read Third Years.

-X-

A/N: Hello readers! When I first wrote this chapter it was six pages on word. Then me being the perfectionist I am, edited it for at least three weeks. By the time I was finished, my six page chapter was fifteen. Not every chapter will be this long but I can't stand short chapters so you'll most likely never come across one of those. I apologize for using the sorting hat song from Philosophers/Sorcerers Stone, whichever title you fancy, (I obviously do not own either) but I am a terrible poet so perhaps you should be thanking me. No, really, I am. Here's a poem I wrote just the other day. I will warn you ahead of time, its awful.

I love sunshine like bears love honey

And I aint just talking about the money

I find the word blubber to be quite funny

So please don't hide behind the clouds because that makes me sad, sun… ny

See? It's horrendous. I hope you never have to see my poetry again. Although, I do have loads of terrible poetry that's just waiting to be shared with the world… Cue evil laughter.

Just wanted to clear something up. According to Harry Potter wiki, the marauders don't find out Remus is a werewolf until third year. That's why they don't call him Moony. They also don't become illegal animagi until fifth year so that's why they all don't have their nicknames yet. And one more thing, I named the main character Addison Lovella Marie Blaid for a reason. Addison because I liked the name, Lovella because it means wolf and sounded kinda girly. Addison Blaid just sounds a little masculine so I wanted to even it out. Anyway, Marie because I liked the name and it also sounded girly (on a related note, it means bitter ((which may or may not be relevant to the character at some point)) which I didn't find out until I already decided on the name), and Blaid because in Welsh blaidd means wolf.

I lied. This is the last thing. I promise. This fic is going to be pretty slow moving romance-wise for three reasons that I can think of right now. One: I hate those fics where they get together within the first chapter. That's waaaaaaaaaaayyy too fast moving. Two: I believe that Remus is much too awkward/insecure/gentlemanly to allow that to happen. It took months for him to get together with Tonks in DH. Three: they're in third year which means they're thirteen at the moment.

Reviews make Jackie happy just like sunshine! And happy Jackies write chapters faster! Also poetry, but that might not be a good thing… Oh how fun it is to write about yourself in the third person…(: …except in essay format… it's incredibly awkward then… That's why I prefer to write in first person. It's just so much easier. Wow this is a very long authors note. Okay enough with my rambling. So long for now!