Cilwenu Snape: Year One
Summary: One Shot about how she was put into Slytherin, and how she met Harry, Hermione, Ron, despite being such an outcast.
Hogwarts.
It was grand to a wizard, but nothing more than ruins to a muggle.
Cilwenu Eileen Snape, age 11, arrived at Hogwarts with her father, Severus, her eyes wide with wonder, and heart thumping out of anxiousness. She had never seen such a place before, and she never even dreamed of just how extraordinary it would be when she arrived there.
Severus held Cilwenu's hand tightly, almost too tightly. He had told her, upon their departure, that she would have to be in the Slytherin house. He didn't want his only daughter to be in Gryffindor. It had to do with something in her father's past, but, Cilwenu knew not to dilly dally in answerless questions. She knew her father was not the most optimistic person in the world.
Cilwenu thought that might be an understatement.
As they walked into the castle, there were eyes locked onto them immediately. No one knew of Severus Snape having a daughter, and some had never even imagined it. They knew nothing about her mother, and neither did Cilwenu. It was such a troublesome thing to explain to Severus' acquaintances, so he decided he would rather not spend his time explaining Cilwenu.
They just knew he had a daughter, and that she was the spitting image of Severus when he was her age.
There were other first year students, who crowded in front of the Great Hall entrance, where Cilwenu was left behind, unbeknownst to her.
She happened to notice that her father was gone only when she looked around to ask him a question.
The stares became curiouser, colder, and threatening.
"You will walk in an orderly fashion into the Great Hall, where you will be sorted into your Houses. " an old lady, who Severus had told Cilwenu was Professor McGonagall.
Cilwenu kept her eyes forth, and tapped her foot nervously on the stone ground.
Children were breaking into fits of giggles behind her. Mad giggles.
"She's really Professor Snape's daughter?"
"My mumsy told me about him… he is a ghastly man. She doesn't look any better."
"Come on students."
The criticizing stares didn't stop there. When the little group of First Years walked into the Hall, they were made into a line where they lookd straight at the Professors.
Dumbledore announced the Sorting, and McGonagall commenced in calling out the names on her list.
"Harry Potter…"
Cilwenu watched each and every student go up there, waiting in anticipation for her name to be called.
"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat bellowed loudly.
"Draco Malfoy."
McGonagall barely put the hat down on the little blonde boy's head, when the hat shouted out Slytherin, much to his pleasure. His name sounded so familiar to Cilwenu, and she wondered just where she had seen that name before.
It had to do with her father, Cilwenu was certain.
"Cilwenu Snape."
The whole Great Hall broke out in a gasp, their eyes turning to the little girl with the dark brown ponytail. Cilwenu shuddered as she looked back at them. Hesitantly, she went to the front of the Hall, where McGonagall stood, ready for her to sit and be sorted into the proper house.
As she walked, she heard people hiss, she heard them make other obnoxious animal noises, and laugh hysterically. Her eyes locked onto Severus, who neither looked happy, or bothered by how his daughter was already being treated.
Down, she sat, the chair wobbling beneath her. The hat was placed on her head, and she closed her eyes.
"I see you have such bravery in you." the hat told her.
Cilwenu shivered.
"I know the perfect house for you." it said once more, before curling its ends and calling out, "SLYTHERIN!"
Only a few other Slytherin clapped for her, while the others either sneered or glared in her direction. Cilwenu bowed her head, and sat herself next to a girl who was studying heavily in her Potions book. She didn't look up during the whole ceremony, and didn't seem to even notice that Cilwenu had sat down with her.
Cilwenu rest her had on the table, feeling tears sting the insides of her eyes.
They all hate me…
Cilwenu hated walking down the Hogwarts hallways. She hated sitting in the classrooms with all the unforgiving eyes and crude comments made behind her back.
They thought she wasn't listening. They thought she was stupid, but they didn't know that every word muttered cut her deep.
If they knew…. Would they show her mercy?
While in her father's Potion's class, Cilwenu was assigned a seat next to a girl someone referred to as a Mudblood.
The curly-haired girl wasn't bothered at all by Cilwenu, but the sound of that one nickname sent her flying off the roof with anger. She seethed, and threatened the boy who'd uttered such a name. He merely laughed, and stuck out his tongue.
Cilwenu grinned, but it faded when the girl looked at her with angry eyes.
"Is that funny to you?"
"W-well… not what he called you…" Cilwenu said, careful to choose her words.
"You're Cilwenu Snape, right?" she asked.
Cilwenu blushed, and prepared herself for what always came next.
You're stupid. She's infested. Don't talk to her. What a dirty little brat.
"My name is Hermione Granger." she said instead, smiling the most kindest of smiles Cilwenu had ever seen, even when she was growing up. Her father never smiled… he barely even grinned.
"You're so pretty." Cilwenu breathed, still overwhelmed by her kindness.
Hermione blinked. She brushed some strands of hair from her face, giggling. "Rubbish… Have you never had a friend before?"
Cilwenu wasn't about to tell her that the only friend she had was the little mouse she had once found lurking in her attic.
"No one really likes me."
"I like you so far."
Such relief poured into Cilwenu's heart then. There was still a slight problem… Her father. He was staring at Cilwenu, and she knew why.
She wasn't supposed to make friends in the Gryffindor house, or any other house for that matter…
"Stay within your own house, and don't trust anyone. Do you understand me, Cilwenu?" Snape asked his little daughter, ten years old.
Cilwenu played with her spoon, looking at the upside down reflection staring back at her. She nodded her head, still not completely getting why she wouldn't be able to have the friends she wanted to have.
Cilwenu would later meet the other two Hermione said were in her group. They became fast friends, much to Cilwenu's misfortune. There was no way she would be able to get away with spending her time with the three… Her father's eyes were on her almost everywhere she went.
Not to mention the eyes of all the others who still hated her…. And for no reason at all.
Most of her first year at Hogwarts, Cilwenu spent her lunches in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, crying. She had a small group of friends, yes… but it didn't make up for the fact that no one wanted anything to do with her in her own house.
It hurt her, and it didn't help that none of it would stop her second year either.
Note: I hope this clears a little bit up about what happened to Cilwenu in her first year. I'm going to write a few more one shots about her second and third, and the summer she spends at Malfoy Manor. No, I will not turn them into chapter stories D:
*…forgive me for asking, but I think I got them mixed up. Was Draco called before Harry? Because, if so, that was my fault. This isn't going to go with the Harry Potter books though, so… hrmmmm.