Smallwood was beginning to doze off. She had been lounging in a carriage on the Hogwarts Express for hours, staring out at the darkening landscape flashing past her. The sky above the mountains and forest had turned a deep purple colour. Her long, copper hair appeared to glow under the orange carriage lights. The chilling fog was clinging to the window, the only evidence of cold in the otherwise toasty carriage.
On the seat across from Gwen sat a birdcage containing a striking Eagle Owl. Her amber eyes were carefully watching her master, making sure she was safe.
In Gwen's hand was a letter that had clearly been crumpled and then flattened out many times.
Dear Gwen,
If it is convenient to you, I ask that you ride the Hogwarts Express on Saturday instead of Sunday with the other students. This shall allow us time to discuss matters further.
Kindly send your reply by return of this owl.
I am yours most sincerely,
Albus Dumbledore.
A voice echoed through the train, jolting Gwen awake: "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."
Gwen stretched out before jumping up. She took off her jacket and pulled on her long black robes. Her stomach was fluttering with nerves.
She had heard all about Hogwarts from her mother, Selene Smallwood. Since she had grown up in Australia, Selene had homeschooled her daughter rather than sending her to the wizarding school there. Gwen had always dreamed of what attending Hogwarts would be like, but they had stayed in Australia with her muggle father, Todd Smallwood. With the news of You-Know-Who, Selene had decided to grant Gwen's dream of going to Hogwarts. After all, Hogwarts was one of the safest places in the world. Gwen was sure that transferring to Hogwarts during her seventh year was going to be a challenge, but it was one she was willing to take on.
The train slowed right down and finally stopped. Gwen said goodbye to Persephone – her owl – and made her way into the corridor and out the door. She shivered from the crisp night air nipping at her exposed skin. There was only one person on the tiny, dark platform: An extremely large man with a huge, booming voice. The light from his lantern shone on her face, making her squint as her eyes adjusted.
"Gwenevere Smallwood, I presume," The giant of a man said. His shaggy brown mane of hair and a wild, tangled beard covered most of his face, but two eyes stuck out, black, warm and twinkling. Despite his immense and abnormal height, his presence was inviting and warm.
"Yes, Sir," Gwen said, straightening her posture.
A grim-faced witch stepped out of the shadows, wordlessly flanking Gwen.
"No need fer' that. Name's Hagrid," the man replied. "I'll be takin' yeh down ter' Hogwarts. Hope yer don' mind but we'll be goin' by boat. One should be alright fer jus' the two o' us, yeh small enough it shouldn' make a difference. This here Aurora is going ter' search yeh' first."
The grim woman gripped Gwen's arms tightly, lifting them up into the air. Gwen's face burned up as the Aurora patted her down. After a moment the Aurora stepped back and nodded the all clear.
"Come on now, hope yer not nervous," Hagrid said, beginning to take long strides.
"A little, mostly excited. I've never been to a school before," Gwen admitted, struggling to keep up.
"Really? Well, Hogwarts is the bes' school in the whole world, so don' yeh' worry abou' that. Be a big change, though."
"Mind yer step, now!" Hagrid warned as they began to descend a steep, narrow path. It was so dark either side of them that Gwen thought there must be thick trees there. It was hard to keep steady on the path and Gwen slipped and slid several times.
"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid boomed, "jus' round this bend here."
The narrow path had opened suddenly on to the edge of a great black lake. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers. The sight took Gwen's breath away.
The boats were small, with only just enough room for Gwen to squeeze in with Hagrid. As they made their way across the lake, she began to feel excitement bubble up within herself. The castle toward over them as they sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood.
"Even more impressive up close, eh?" Hagrid said, stepping out of the boat before helping Gwen out of it as well.
"It's stunning," she breathed, looking up at the towers. To see right to the top she had to stretch her neck back so far it ached.
"Head down!" warned Hagrid as their boat reached the cliff; Gwen bent her head and the little boat carried them through a curtain of ivy which hid a wide opening in the cliff face. They were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle, until they reached a kind of underground harbor, where they clambered out on to rocks and pebbles.
Then Gwen clambered up a passageway in the rock with the light from Hagrid's lamp, coming out at last on to smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the castle.
They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, oak front door.
Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door. The noise seemed to echo throughout the whole castle. Moments later, the door swung open and a tall, old man stood before them. He was thin, and his hair and beard were silver. Both were long enough to tuck into his belt. He was wearing long robes, a purple cloak which swept the ground and high-heeled, buckled boots. His blue eyes were light, bright and sparkling behind half-moon spectacles and his nose was very long and crooked, as though it had been broken at least twice. Gwen knew exactly who he was.
"Ah, it's lovely to finally meet you, Gwenevere," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling.
"The pleasure's mine, Professor," Gwen said, heart racing. Professor Dumbledore was one of the greatest wizards of all time. Having him right there, speaking so humbly was a surreal experience. As silly as it was, she had almost expected thunder to clap when he opened his mouth. Instead his voice was soft and calm.
"Shall we get going?" Dumbledore asked, nodding down the hallway.
Gwen nodded and turned to Hagrid, "Thank you for escorting me, Sir."
"O' it's nothin'. Don' mention it," he said, his face turning slightly pink.
Dumbledore led Gwen through the castle, and with an overwhelming sense of wonder she realised she was sure to get lost a few times over the next week. Everything seemed to be moving about and changing in some way. Gwen had never seen so many magical things in one place.
"I was delighted to hear from your mother - she was a wonderfully bright student. From what she tells me in her letters, you're quite the powerful witch yourself," Professor Dumbledore said.
"I try my best, Sir," Gwen said, her cheeks burning up.
Dumbledore chuckled softly, "I suppose we shall see quite soon."
Not long after, they stopped in front of a large statue of a gargoyle. "Strawberry sherbet," Dumbledore said, and the gargoyle stepped aside, allowing them access to a set of circular stairs. When they reached the top Gwen found herself in an office that was a large and beautiful circular room, full of funny little noises. A number of curious silver instruments stood on spindle-legged tables, whirring and emitting little puffs of smoke. The walls were covered with portraits of old headmasters and headmistresses, all of whom were snoozing gently in their frames. The first thing that caught Gwen's eye was the large, magnificent bird which sat atop a perch. It had feathers crimson as rubies covering its body and a golden tail as long as a peacock's. It was clearly a phoenix. When their eyes met it tilted its head intelligently.
There was also an enormous, claw-footed desk in the room, and, sitting upon it was a witch's hat. The hat was battered and old; it was patched, frayed, and extremely dirty. Instantly, Gwen knew it was the sorting hat. It had the tear along the brim that opened like a mouth to speak.
They were not alone in the room. The first person she noticed stood the corner of the room, by himself. He was rather taller than Gwen and a curtain of greasy black hair shadowed a hooked nose. His skin was fair and clear but held dark circles as though he hadn't had a good sleep for a great length of time. They locked eyes and Gwen noted the unusual darkness of his. They weren't brown, they were black, like long, endless tunnels. There was something exceptionally intriguing about him. Perhaps it was that he struck an oddly impressive, dark figure.
Movement pulled Gwen's eyes away. Closest to the man was a tall, severe-looking woman with dark hair tied up in a bun. Her appearance alone was enough to demand respect. Beside her was a man so tiny that he clearly wouldn't be able to see over the claw-footed desk. There was a warmth in his eyes that told Gwen he was a kind man. Finally, next to him, was a squat little witch who wore a patched hat over her flyaway hair; there was an unusually a large amount of earth on her clothes and under her fingernails. She seemed to be a slightly odd woman. They all looked much older than the first wizard.
"As I'm sure you are aware, Hogwarts has four houses; Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. I have asked the head of houses to be present, respectively, Professor McGonagall, Professor Sprout, Professor Flitwick and Professor Snape," Dumbledore explained.
Gwen's eyes shifted to each Professor as Dumbledore introduced them, each time receiving a warm, welcoming smile, until Professor Snape. He simply gave a stiff nod, but his face was emotionless.
"It's a pleasure to meet you all," Gwen said, her eyes resting perhaps a second too long on Snape. Slytherin had been her mother's house - although she was clearly several years Snape's senior.
"Alright, let us get the sorting out of the way," said McGonagall, inviting Gwen to take a seat behind the large, claw footed desk. Goosebumps rose up on her skin as she passed the Professors, feeling their eyes on her. She placed herself delicately in the chair feeling rather small behind the desk. Gwen wasn't the tallest of people - definitely below average.
McGonagall lifted the sorting hat from the desk and placed in on Gwen's copper hair, sending a surge of nervous energy through her body.
"Hmm," said a small voice in her ear. "Difficult. Very difficult. You're older than they usually are. There's bravery here. As intelligent as they come too. There's kindness but there's also ferocity. You're ambitious and you'll do anything to protect whatever or whoever is yours. where shall I put you?"
Gwen's eyes shifted from face to face. From what she could tell, no one but her could hear what the hat was saying.
"Yes," the hat whispered, "It's clear to me that Slytherin is your path to greatness - better be SLYTHERIN!"
Gwen heard the hat shout the last word to the whole room. McGonagall lifted it from her head before joining the other professors in softly clapping. Professor Snape's mouth had curled upwards ever so slightly.
"Well, thank you all for being present for this important moment. You're free to leave, except Professor Snape, of course. I shall see you all in the Great Hall for dinner shortly," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling.
The other professors began to silently exit the room, each of them giving Gwen a look of welcome as they passed. It was still for a moment as the two professors examined her.
"Well, now that we have that out of the way," Dumbledore started, moving towards his desk. Gwen rose immediately, stepping around the desk and out of the way. Dumbledore smiled warmly as he dropped into his chair with some relief. As he placed his hands upon his desk, Gwen saw that his hand was blackened and shriveled; it was as though his flesh had been burnt. Despite her best efforts, her eyes widened.
"Nothing to worry about," Dumbledore said, correctly interpreting her concerned expression and covering his hand with his long, purple sleeve.
"There are a few things that must be discussed," as he spoke, he suddenly became very grim. "As I'm sure you are aware, there are dark forces at work in our world. Hogwarts is, for now at least, safe. That is no doubt why your parents chose to send you here at this time.
"At any moment, those dark forces could be trying to break through to Hogwarts, and at any moment they could succeed. I don't mean to alarm you, but it is something to think about. I'm sure you understand the seriousness of the situation," Dumbledore said.
Gwen nodded, "Of course, Professor."
"Good, then let's not let grim thoughts spoil this wonderful day," he said, the twinkle in his eyes returning. "Tomorrow you will prepare for your classes, but you can take tonight to settle in.
"Severus, would you please show Gwen to the Great Hall, I have some matters to attend too before I dine."
"Of course, Professor," Snape said, turning on his heel without so much as a second glance at Gwen and heading down the stairs. She thanked Dumbledore and hurried to keep up with Snape's long, quick strides.
He said nothing as he led the way. Snape's focus stayed forward, as though he had completely forgotten Gwen's existence.
"Which class do you teach, Professor?" Gwen asked, trying to break the silence.
"Defence Against the Dark Arts," Snape drawled. Despite his apparent disinterest, Gwen was sure the corner of his mouth dared to twitch into a smirk.
"I'll be taking that class," she said.
"I'm aware, Miss Smallwood," Snape said. "I can only hope you won't be as completely ignorant as the rest of the dunderheads I teach."
Gwen shot a sideways glance at the professor. Clearly he wasn't going to be easily impressed and attempting to do so would probably do more harm than good.
"We can only hope, Sir," Gwen said.
"Indeed," Snape drawled, but despite his apparent disinterest, he smirked.
Ahead of them, two large doors were open and warm candle light streamed out of the room Gwen assumed had to be the Great Hall. When they turned the corner, she was filled with awe. There were four long tables that's purpose was clearly to seat the students from each house at mealtimes. At the front of the room, the Professor's Gwen had met earlier, including Hagrid, sat with plates of delicious smelling food in front of them. At the centre of the table was a throne-like chair that Gwen assumed must have belonged to Dumbledore. In front of the chair was a podium carved with an owl. The ceiling of the Great Hall was covered with candles and must have been enchanted to look like the sky above, as there seemed to be no roof between Gwen and the night sky.
"The Slytherin table is on the end, which is where you will sit at mealtimes. However, under the circumstances, you will be dining at the staff table until the others arrive," Snape said.
Gwen nodded, her eyes still flickering around at the wonderous room. She'd travelled the world and Hogwarts was one of the most beautiful places she'd ever been too.
Gwen sat beside Snape at the end of the table, feeling rather out of place. She was somewhat eased by Snape's apparent disinterest in conversation. Instead of joining in with his co-workers, he silently filled his plate. Gwen hadn't realised how hungry she was until that moment and she followed his lead, eagerly collecting roasted potatoes.
"What did you do on your break, Severus?" Professor Flitwick asked.
"Nothing out of the ordinary, Filius," Snape said, cutting into his steak.
"And what about you, Miss Smallwood?" Flitwick asked, unaffected by Snape's disinterest in small-talk. It must have been normal for him.
"I was living in Australia until a few weeks ago, Sir" Gwen said.
"Oh, you must tell me about it sometime. Will you be taking charms this year?"
"Yes, Sir."
"Ah, good, I'm sure that will provide most interesting," Flitwick said cheerfully, before his attention was drawn away by professor Sprout.
The food tasted just as good as it looked. The potatoes were cooked to perfection, the gravy was flavourful and the salads were dressed excellently. She had to consciously remember her manners to stop herself from inhaling her meal.
Dumbledore wandered into the Great Hall not long after Gwen did. He winked at her before taking his seat at the centre of the table.
When Gwen finished her meal, she sat awkwardly, unsure of what to do with herself. The professors still chattered, despite most of their plates being cleared. Gwen noticed that Snape was far more likely to join in a conversation when it was knowledge or work based and tended to avoid questions of a personal nature. She noted that, among many other small details about the professors which she believed might help her in the next week.
After a while, the excitement the day held combined with a full stomach resulted in Gwenevere beginning to fade. When she yawned, Snape glanced at her momentarily before standing and excusing himself from the table.
"Follow me, Miss Smallwood," he said as he departed from the table.
Gwen excused herself and replied to several bids of goodnight before hurriedly following after Snape.
"You have been sorted into my house and that makes you my responsibility. I do not want any funny business do I make myself clear?" Snape said, his voice firm and his eyes watching her with scrutiny.
"Yes, Professor."
"Good. The Slytherin common room and dormitories are in the dungeon," Snape explained, "along with the potions classroom and my office."
As they descended, the air became significantly colder. That wasn't something that bothered Gwen, she'd always preferred the cold, but she was glad she'd packed warm clothes.
"That door is my office," Snape said, pointing out a door as they passed. "You will meet me there tomorrow at seven thirty and I shall escort you to the Great Hall."
Snape stopped in front what seemed to be an ordinary stone wall and said, "Rattlesnake."
The stone wall separated, allowing the dungeon hall to be flooded with dim green light. The room seemed to be filled with low backed black and dark green button-tufted, leather sofas; skulls; and dark wood cupboards. It was decorated with tapestries featuring the adventures of what Gwen assumed were famous Medieval Slytherins. It had quite a grand atmosphere.
"The password is changed once a fortnight. The new one will be posted on the bulletin board inside," Snape explained, leading the way into the common rooms.
"Is that water?" Gwen asked, looking out of the windows in awe.
"We are underneath the Great Lake," Snape said, opening a door on the right side of the room. "You will share a dorm with the other seventh year girls when they arrive. Your belongings are already waiting for you. It's the last door on the right. You are not to allow anyone from any other house in these common rooms, nor are you allowed to share the password. You are also, obviously, not allowed in the boy's dormitories," Snape glanced to the left of common room to accent his last point. "If, for some reason, you need to speak with me, come to my office."
"Of course, thank you professor," Gwen said.
Without so much as another glance in her direction, Snape turned and headed for the entrance.
"Goodnight, Professor," Gwen called after him.
Snape paused at the doorway, giving a polite nod before exiting the common rooms. The wall closed behind him.
Gwen opened the door on the far right to find that Snape had been correct, her trunk was at the end of the four poster bed closest to the windows. On top of her trunk was Persephone's cage. The bird squawked with delight when she saw Gwen, flapping her wings and causing a ruckus.
"Alright, calm down girl," Gwen said, running her hand over the cage. "I'll take you to the owlery tomorrow, alright. Then you can stretch your wings."
The bird made a soft purr-like-noise noise before settling on her perch.
Gwen pulled on her pyjama's, finding the gentle noise of the lake outside rather relaxing, and climbed into bed. The sheets were emerald green, and from the look and feel of them, made of satin. The moment Gwen's head hit the pillow, she was out cold.
She dreamed she was in Dumbledore's office again, seated in front of his desk beside the hook-nosed teacher. They wanted to know what the sorting hat had said to her. For some reason, she felt a strong sense of self-preservation and lied. Dumbledore leaned forward across his desk, the sparkle gone from his eyes and asked her one more time. She lied again and behind him, the sorting hat began to laugh.