Lily Potter, at age eleven, climbed the stairs of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Alongside the many other young witches and wizards, she felt the atmosphere gradually getting more tense. She hated what was about to happen. She disagreed with the lot of it. The Sorting Hat was only the beginning of so much intense segregation between houses. She knew all sorts about the trials and tribulations that had gone on when her parents were at school, and she knew that all that had started off due to the dramatic hatred that was encouraged between houses – mainly Gryffindor and Slytherin. Lily had thought they would have learned that it was a bad thing, and chosen to remove the barriers that separated them, but they didn't. After the Second Wizarding War had ended, the segregation only became more intense. Slytherins were now taught a completely different curriculum to the Gryffindors, which Lily saw as being grossly unfair. The school were limiting the knowledge they deemed fit for the Slytherin students to learn, they were only taught the details of pro-Potter side of the war, and the bare minimum about the Death Eaters, in case it gave them any ideas. Lily hated this; it had only made things worse.

Her thoughts were interrupted by her cousin, Hugo, wittering nervously beside her.

'Lily,' He said for what seemed like the hundredth time. 'I just don't know what I'll do if I'm not in Gryffindor! Both my parents were and I'll let them down if I don't make it and-'

'Hugo!' Lily interrupted impatiently. He'd only been talking about this the entire train journey! 'You have to be strong to be a Gryffindor! You're not showing that at the minute.' Lily told him. Hugo gasped and stood up straighter, hoping that maybe if he posed like he was a hero, the Sorting Hat might believe it. Lily rolled her eyes.

Before she had a chance to go back to her thoughts, a Professor stepped out in front of them. She was wearing scarlet robes and her dark hair fell below her elbows under her black pointed hat. She looked down at them all.

'First years,' She addressed them. 'I am Professor Clearwater, and I am head of Ravenclaw house. In a few moments you will pass through this door and be sorted into your houses. Once sorted there is no going back, that house will be like your family for the next seven years. Stay close to each other, and help each other and you'll be fine.' She smiled sweetly. 'I promise.'

Liar Lily thought. Who did she think she was? Making promises like that when she knew that she might not be able to keep it? They could have made that promise when Lily's father started school, and that would have been a lie. They just didn't know! She kept silent.

Professor Longbottom watched as the first years began to enter the Great Hall. He was specifically looking out for Harry Potter's daughter, Lily, and Ron and Hermione's son, Hugo. He knew both families very well and gave a warm smile to both children as he saw them. Hugo's older sister, Rose, didn't have too much skill in Herbology, but Albus Potter, Lily's older brother, was a natural. James would rather prat about, but Professor Longbottom had come to expect nothing less from James.

The Sorting Hat went on with the pointless poetry it sang each and every year, and Professor Amer was taking it all in, like he usually did. He was the headmaster, and usually quite fair. He had an air about him that reminded Professor Longbottom of Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster while he was at Hogwarts.

The Sorting Hat began its sorting. Professor Longbottom tuned out for a while, watching the students as they stepped up one by one. He caught something strange in Lily's eyes. It wasn't the same longing and hope that Hugo had in his blue eyes. Lily's eyes seemed dark and troubled… and hating. There was something wrong here. Professor Longbottom tried to stop looking at her, it was only worrying him. They got to L in the list and a name sent a shiver down Professor Longbottom's spine.

'Annabelle Lestrange.'

Coincidence, Professor Longbottom thought. It has to be. Lestrange never had children. But when Annabelle Lestrange stepped up and sat on the stool, Professor Longbottom was sure. Annabelle had long, curly black hair, and her eyes bore the same menacing glint that Bellatrix Lestrange had. This was not coincidence, this girl was related to Bellatrix Lestrange… somehow.

'I recognise something about you…' The hat stirred, musing over what it had just said. Annabelle smirked. 'Oh yes, you're very similar. Just like she was in her youth… everything could change for you, of course,' The hat paused as Annabelle smiled to herself. 'Slytherin!'

Professor Longbottom was not at all surprised by this. He left himself a mental note to keep a close eye on that girl, to make sure she didn't turn out like Bellatrix Lestrange. But given that look in her eyes, she was well on her way. He cast a glance at Professor Belby, would he see it too? After all, he was head of Slytherin house, and he'd have the most control over her. Professor Longbottom glanced over at the Slytherin table, where Annabelle was now being warmly welcomed. Scorpius Malfoy met the Professor's gaze with an unreadable expression.

Scorpius was a confused kid. He was never quite sure what to believe. He knew about his dad's role in the war, and he wasn't proud of it, but at the same time, he had a somewhat higher position within the house because of it. It confused him. Was he supposed to respect his father for it? Or pretend it never happened? But when Annabelle Lestrange showed up, everything seemed to shift. Bellatrix Lestrange was someone it was hard not to know about, they were vaguely taught about her in History of Magic, but being Slytherin, they weren't taught very much. His friends in Ravenclaw had told him about her though, and he'd seen photos in old copies of the Daily Prophet. This girl was the spitting image of her. And it scared Scorpius. He was related to this girl, just as much as he was related to Bellatrix Lestrange, which also gained him a lot of respect in the common room. Professor Longbottom was one of his favourite teachers, because he didn't hold a grudge about who Scorpius' father was. Some teachers did. He tried to convey his worry with the teacher then, but he didn't seem to understand.

'Lily Potter.' Was called out after a number of other students. James whistled from the Gryffindor table and some of his mates cheered. Lily rolled her eyes then stepped up to the chair and sat down, feeling the hat gently be placed on her head.

'Ah,' The hat began. 'you're something different… very different. I know where I'm expected to put you… but I also know where I should put you…'

'I swear she'll be in Ravenclaw,' James muttered to his friend. 'she's smart as.'

'Slytherin!' The hat cried out. James stared at the hat, unable to believe what he'd just heard. What? Albus turned to his brother from a few people down, panic all over his face. What would their parents say?

It wasn't such a smooth transition for the Potter family. Even though Al had told Lily so many times that their father had told him it didn't matter if he got into Slytherin, but when they returned home for Christmas it seemed like a whole other story. It was Ginny, their mother who was standing up for her daughter, and Harry who was against it.

It was on Christmas Eve that they sent the kids to bed and continued this much debated issue in the lounge of their Godric's Hollow home.

'Ginny, I don't know what we're supposed to do! She's in Slytherin! How can you be fine with that?' Harry said yet again.

Ginny sighed. She was sick of hearing this.

'It what's happened. There's nothing we can do about that. Wherever the hat puts you, that's where you stay,' Ginny said calmly. 'not everyone can do what you did.' She added bitterly. He stared at her, somewhat acknowledging what she was saying.

'But I still don't understand! How on Earth did she end up in Slytherin? It's impossible!'

'Well clearly not,' Ginny replied quietly. 'look, you know the hat only puts people where it thinks they'll be best suited to, and to help them grow. And so, clearly Lily is best suited to Slytherin, and that's not for us to meddle with.'

Harry rolled his eyes and slumped down onto the sofa, somewhat defeated.

'So we just leave it then?' He asked her, hoping she had some solution that would just make it all better.

'Yes,' She told him, sitting down beside him and taking is hand comfortingly. 'what else is there to do? It happened. That's that.'

'Do you think it's our fault? Did we raise her badly?' He questioned, suddenly blaming himself. His mood-swings did not improve once Voldemort was defeated.

'No,' She told him strongly. 'we raised her exactly the same as James and Al, and she'll leave school the same as them, too. Houses are no boundaries, Harry, she'll be fine.'

'But they are, aren't they? Boundaries, I mean. They teach them differently, don't you remember that board meeting? They decided it was best, and almost everyone went for it.'

'You went for it.' Ginny reminded him dryly.

'I thought it was a good idea! I mean, Voldemort learned about Horcruxes, and that was the start of everything. I just thought I could prevent that happening again…'

'I know, I know,' Ginny sighed. 'you didn't think it would affect you like this. But this is how all the other parents must have felt, whose children are in Slytherin. It's not right, Harry. It only takes one to change the world like Voldemort did, and it'll only take one to happen again. And that one will be determined enough to go and look up the information they want. What they teach them in class won't make any difference,' Ginny looked him in the eyes. 'You have to change the system.'

'Again?'

'It's been fifteen years since you changed it the first time, you can change it again now.'

'Alright.'