The Sorting Hat shouted, "Slytherin!" and Severus almost ran to take his place at the table. One of the oldest boys spoke to him, tone welcoming, and Severus nodded, barely taking in the words. His head was reeling with the feeling of triumph: he was actually here, at Hogwarts, in Slytherin House as he had so desperately hoped. He watched as the last few First Years were sorted, most going to either Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff. Finally, one child was left, a girl, very slight and looking absurdly young to be at Hogwarts, apparently no more than nine or ten.

"Solstice Flidae," called Professor McGonagall, and the girl went and took her place on the stool.

The Sorting Hat slipped down, partly covering her eyes, and she said something, although her words were heard by no-one but the Hat itself. For a couple of minutes, there was silence; there almost seemed to be an air of bafflement about the Hat's posture. Then Solstice spoke again, and in a doubtful voice, the Hat said, "Gryffindor...?" Solstice jumped off the stool, and trotted over to the Gryffindor table, scrambling up onto the bench next to Lily.

Professor Dumbledore rose from his place at the High Table, and the Great Hall fell silent. "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts," he began.

Only half-listening, Severus looked over at the distant Gryffindor table, trying to catch Lily's eye, but she was paying attention to Professor Dumbledore, her expression rapt. He watched her as the speech continued, then, as Dumbledore moved back to his chair, the empty dishes on the table were suddenly filled with food. To a child accustomed to meals that were erratic at best, and frequently completely absent, the sight was overwhelming. Severus piled food onto his plate, and began to eat, shoveling it into his mouth with both hands, oblivious to the sudden hush around him.

"You disgusting little pig!" Severus looked up, startled, to find Lucius Malfoy, the 7th year prefect who had spoken to him when he took his place at the Slytherin table, glaring at him. "I don't know what gutter you were dragged up in," Lucius continued, "but here at Hogwarts we expect table manners."

Severus tried to swallow his mouthful, his throat suddenly tight, as if a lump of something was stuck in it. Around him, the other First Year Slytherins snickered. Years of experience had made Severus reasonably adept at ducking his father's heavy hand, but shame dulled his reflexes, and he didn't react as Lucius suddenly leaned over, grabbed his hair, and slammed his face down on his plate. Pain exploded through his nose, and the howl of laughter from his tablemates was momentarily drowned by a loud ringing in his ears. Choking, he lifted his head, lumps of mashed potato falling from his face. The noise was attracting attention from the other tables, and Severus caught sight of those Gryffindor boys, the ones who had jeered on the train, laughing at him. Next to them, Lily was pressing her lips together, and from that distance it looked to Severus as if she was trying not to laugh.

To his horror, he felt tears pricking his eyes. If he cried now, in front of everyone, on his first day... he ducked his head, his dirty black hair falling in curtains, covering his face. He mustn't cry, he mustn't...

Gradually students started whispering to each other, casting sneering glances at Severus. Malfoy, meanwhile, had returned to his conversation with a fellow prefect as if nothing had happened. As the moment passed Severus gulped hard, slowly regaining control then reached for a table napkin and wiped the food from his face. Mortified at having forgotten his table manners like that, he picked up the knife and fork beside his plate. His hands were shaking, and he fumbled with the cutlery at first, but after a couple of tries he managed to get some food into his mouth.

Looking up across the room, he noticed the last child to be sorted – Solstice, he thought her name had been – was staring at the Slytherin table, but not at him. Her eyes were on Malfoy, and there was an expression on her face that reminded Severus of a cat he had once seen, defending her litter of kittens from a large, angry dog. He finally made eye contact with Lily. She looked horrified, and he quickly dropped his gaze back to his plate, concentrating on getting through the rest of the meal.

Magic, it seemed, was not the only subject considered important at Hogwarts.


As the students filed out of the Great Hall, Lily caught up with Severus. "What happened?" she hissed in a whisper.

Not wanting to think about it, Severus shook his head, but a scornful voice said, "Well go on, tell her!" They both looked up at Malfoy, who was grinning unpleasantly. "Tell your... little friend... about your disgusting performance at supper." Severus glanced at Lily, but said nothing. Leaning closer, Malfoy said menacingly, "Apparently your so-called upbringing also neglected the fact that when a prefect gives you an order, you obey it!" He seized Severus by the collar of his robes. "Evidently, it's time you had another lesson in..."

"Leave him alone!" Before either Severus or Malfoy had time to react, Solstice Flidae burst from the crowd of students. In the silence that fell, she shouted, "You big bully!"

For a second or two no-one moved. Then Malfoy spluttered, "You little..." Letting go of Severus, he turned on Solstice and grabbed her shoulder roughly. Instantly her head whipped around, and she sank her teeth into his hand. In the uproar, Malfoy staggered back a couple of steps, clutching the fleshy part at the base of his thumb, blood already running between his fingers. Before anyone else could react, Professor McGonagall strode into their midst.

"What is the meaning of this?" she demanded.

Half a dozen people tried to tell her at once, but Malfoy's voice rose above them as he spat, "She bit me!"

Professor McGonagall stared at Malfoy, then Solstice, in disbelief. "Is this true?" she demanded.

"Yes." Solstice's tone implied that she was stating the very obvious.

Professor McGonagall was speechless for a moment, then drawing herself up to full height, she pointed at the staircase. "My office, now!" As Solstice turned and headed in the direction indicated, Professor McGonagall added, "You too, Mr. Malfoy."


"I really don't know, Headmaster, neither of them would enlighten me." Professor McGonagall sounded exasperated as she faced Dumbledore in his office later that evening. "All Solstice would say was that Malfoy should apologize. And he swore it was an unprovoked attack." She paused, considering. "I can't help wondering if it's wise to have such a child at Hogwarts, on top of everything else – goodness knows, it's going to be enough of a challenge having the Lupin boy changing into a werewolf every full moon. Taking on a child who has Elemental magic is just asking for trouble – they are known for their impulsiveness! And both in the same house, in the same year!"

"An Elemental witch has as much right to an education as any other child. Elemental magic is poorly understood – there are so few born with it - but there is no doubt that a child who possesses it must be taught control." He smiled. "Not to mention tact!"

Professor McGonagall relaxed enough to return the smile. Thoughtfully, she said, "You know, Headmaster, I could swear the whole thing had something to do with that grubby black-haired Slytherin First Year, but..."

"Ah yes, young Severus. He is another child who, I fear, may have trouble fitting in at first."

Professor McGonagall raised an eyebrow. "And why would that be?"

"A thoroughly chaotic home life. His mother was here at Hogwarts some years ago – Eileen Prince."

"Ah, I see. Hardly the maternal type, if I recall. And the father?"

"A muggle, with no sympathy for the magical world. I suspect that Severus's childhood has been less than harmonious." Seeing McGonagall's grim expression, Dumbledore went on, "Such children frequently blossom once they start Hogwarts, Minerva, we've both seen it on many occasions."

McGonagall rose from her chair. "Let us hope that you're right." She turned towards the door. "I must go and round up the stragglers in the Gryffindor corridors. Goodnight, Headmaster."


SEVERAL WEEKS LATER

The other Slytherins had already gone to bed, but Severus was still sitting in the dilapidated armchair in the common room, poring over the chapter set for Charms homework, and making notes in his cramped, untidy handwriting. He'd been at Hogwarts for a few weeks now, and was finding the schoolwork well within his abilities, even discovering a flair for some subjects. Potions, for example, was like fitting together a jigsaw puzzle, putting all the different pieces together just right. And Defense Against the Dark Arts was fascinating; he hadn't realized before just how many possibilities existed, how many different kinds of magic there were.

To his joy, Lily was in some of the same classes with him. True, so were those boys who had mocked him; they just couldn't resist any chance to taunt him. But Lily seemed to find them just as obnoxious as he did. As long as he had her, he really didn't care if he didn't make any other friends – and that was starting to look like a distinct possibility. A number of his classmates, following Malfoy's example, had started criticizing him at every opportunity, telling him to wash his hair, or brush his teeth more often, or generally commenting on his manners. He made an impatient movement with his shoulders. His mum hadn't bothered much with stuff like that, so why should the other kids care? He shrugged again, dismissing them, and resumed scribbling, so absorbed in his work that he didn't even notice that someone else had come into the common room, until...

"Ah, Severus. Just the boy I was looking for."

Severus jumped, recognizing the voice, and looked up. Lucius Malfoy dropped elegantly into the armchair opposite, shaking his long, silver-blonde hair back from his face. He fixed Severus with a stare, his ice-pale eyes boring into him. "I've been watching you," he said lazily. Severus swallowed nervously, wondering what he'd done now. Malfoy continued to stare at him for a minute or two, then said abruptly, "I think you have potential."

Severus gaped at him, mentally thrown off balance. "I do?" he gulped.

"Oh yes. You're a bright boy; good student or so I hear."

"I – er – I mean..."

Malfoy smiled almost indulgently at Severus's confused stammering. "You also seem to be capable of learning from your mistakes. Your table manners, for example, have really improved. Well done."

Severus squirmed slightly at the reminder of that humiliating first evening of term. Still, Malfoy's condescending approval was definitely better than his contempt, and he managed to reply, "Yes, I – I tried."

"Well don't stop trying. Still plenty of room for improvement, you know." Severus nodded uncertainly, and Malfoy glanced at the clock on the wall. "Time you were in bed. Run along." Severus bundled together his books, parchment and quills, but as he stood up, Malfoy added, "One more thing..."

Severus stopped, his heart beating faster with anxiety. He must have done something wrong after all. "Y-yes?"

"Don't forget, you can always come to me if you have any problems. That's what we prefects are here for, after all. Off you go." This was definitely dismissal, and Severus started for the door, clutching his books. On the threshold, he glanced back. Malfoy was staring into the fire, his expression unreadable.

"Goodnight."

Malfoy inclined his head, but did not reply, and Severus hurried away along the hallway leading to his dormitory.

Alone in the common room now, Lucius continued to watch the dying flames. Absently, he rubbed the inside of his left forearm. "Yes, he has potential," he murmured. "We shall see."