Before I forget...Hogwarts & Co. belong to J.K. Rowling. The Melancthas are mine! Feel free to read and review but remember, it is a fiction

based off my whims...so I don't care for criticisms.

Chapter 1: Sorting

Alexandria Melanctha looked at the incoming group of students and briefly recalled the day she had been sorted into the Gryffindor house. Her

mother had not been overly surprised considering they never got along well. For generations the women in her family had ended up in Slytherin.

The husbands of said women usually didn't stick around for long enough to even meet their children and the few that did tended to be of

Slytherin as well. However, her mother was not greatly perturbed by this for her older sister was already in Slytherin. She however, had been

greatly perturbed by this because it then meant that she could never again return home. However, she had been lucky in her choice of friends

and by moving around constantly she assured that she was not a burden to anyone. Although her mother's family had given up hope on her,

her father apparently had not. Although she had never met her father, didn't even know his name, actually, he had left quite a sum at his death

to be used by "whichever one of (his) children that is so fortunate as to be cast out of that living hellhole," or at least, that's what Dumbledore

told her. Luckily, her mother had paid for most of her items the first year, assuming naturally that she would be placed in Slytherin as well.

"Oh no!" she was yanked out of her reverie by Lily's mumble.

"What?" she asked, startled. Lily pointed at the opposite end of the table where two boys were walking up.

"Oh, Lily, really, it's just James and Remus. He's not quite so horrible once you get past the fact that you're absolutely in love with him!" she

joked, earning an ill deserved shove from her friend.

"Oh shut it Alex!" she said, pretending to be completely absorbed in the sorting that was still going on. Alex turned when she heard McGonagall

say a familiar name,

"Raven Melanctha!" she shouted. Alex watched as her little brother stepped up to be sorted. She didn't know what to hope. Her brother had a

strong affection for their mother (miraculously) but wasn't quite the typical Melanctha male, at least, judging from the few cousins she knew of.

Her brother walked up to the hat rather nervously and winced as if it were painful to put on. She saw him mumble something and remembered

arguing with the hat herself not too long ago, hoping to be put anywhere but Slytherin. However, she knew full well that was not what her

brother wanted. She winced as the hat shouted, "Slytherin!" and watched as her brother hooted in triumph and went to join her older sister at

the table at the far end. Although she didn't realize it, her body slumped in her seat. Lily reached to put a consoling arm around her but Alex just

shrugged it off. She caught the attention of Professor McGonagall and mimed feeling unwell and going upstairs. McGonagall nodded as if she

understood the real reason and gave her permission to go.

"Lily, do you know the password for the common room, yet?" she asked, getting up. Lily didn't need to ask why she was leaving she simply

nodded and said,

"Dragon scales." Alex nodded and walked away.

She didn't want to admit it to herself, but she had been selfishly hoping that her brother would have joined her as a family outcast. She didn't

want to feel so alone. As much as she despised the majority of her family, they had still been her family. Although her sister Ciera wrote her

occasionally, she had stopped trying to talk to her after hearing the jokes her other Slytherin friends made of her. Just as she came upon the

portrait of the fat lady, she felt a pair of hands slide around her eyes.

"Whoever it is, I don't feel like playing." She said, tugging at the hands. The hands stayed put. "Oh, who is it? Remus? James? No? Well then, it

can't be Peter because he's shorter than me. And I haven't seen…Sirius, is that you?" she said as if she had caught him doing something bad.

He finally let go and grabbed her around the waist, lifting her off the ground.

"Ahh, you took the fun right out of that!" he said, holding her off the ground.

"Sirius, let me go, I'm in no mood for your games right now!" she shouted, trying rather half heartedly to punch him in the stomach.

"Ha! Since when does it matter what mood you're in? Now, why don't you be a sweet little thing and say the password for us?" he said,

laughing.

"Siriuuuus!"

"Alexaaaa!" he said, shaking her for effect.

"Password!" added the fat lady. Alex slumped dismally in his arms.

"Dragon scales." She muttered. The fat lady harrumphed slightly as if their display of friendship was disgusting. Sirius bolted into the common

room and threw her onto the nearest couch.

"Now was that so hard?" he said. Alex didn't move from her dejected slump on the couch.

"Go away Sirius." Sirius raised an eyebrow.

"Oh…" he said. "that time of the month, eh?" he said, nudging her leg with his foot. Alex snapped up,

"NO, Sirius! It is not that time of the month! I'm just bloody tired of your stupid games already! Why won't you just leave me be?" she asked.

She thought she saw a brief look of hurt cross Sirius's features but before she could feel bad he snorted at her.

"What's got you so uptight?" he asked, sitting down next to her. He folded his arms and looked at the roaring fire across from them. Suddenly,

he straightened up and looked at her. "I forgot, your brother was supposed to be sorted this year, right?" he asked, pushing back her hair from

her face. Alex simply groaned and hid her face further in the pillow.

"I don't want to talk about it Sirius. That's why I came here by myself." She mumbled. Sirius gripped her up and pulled her towards him. She

allowed herself to be settled against his shoulder. Before she knew it, silent tears were sliding down her face and her arms had wrapped

themselves about Sirius's lanky frame. "I'm just so tired of being alone Sirius. Aren't you?" she asked, knowing that he was in a similar situation.

"Sometimes. But then I think about all the friends I've made here. In Gryffindor. James, Remus, even Peter. I would say Lily but she fancies me

about as much as she does James." Alex shifted uncomfortably noticing the lack of a certain name.

"And then there's you." He said, quietly, just as she tried to shove herself away from him. "I hate to say it but sometimes it feels good knowing

I'm not the only outcast of their family." She smiled and leaned back against his shoulder.

"I know what you mean. You can't imagine how happy I was when I first met you. I just kept thinking you were just like me. Little did I know."

She said, laughing.

"What?" he asked pretending to be offended.

"Little did I know how annoying you would end up being to me!" She said, poking him for emphasis. She laughed when he jumped,

unsuspecting. She stopped him before he could poke her back, sitting up a little straighter. "Wait," she said, grabbing his hand and holding it.

"Do you hear that?" she asked, getting up and looking at the back of the portrait, "It sounds like everyone's about to come in…"she looked back

at Sirius briefly then smiled. "Thanks Sirius." She only then realized she still held his hand and quickly dropped it. "I've got to go to my room,

now. I told Lily I'd be there."

Sirius watched her as she walked away. She disappeared up the stairs just as the first students began climbing in through the portrait. Sirius

stared at his hand for a minute before a pillow was suddenly lodged at his head. He smiled,

"Hey James!" he said, turning around without missing a beat he threw the pillow right back.