Soaring bubbles' Note:

As a warning this is a Girl-Who-Lived fic, meaning she was born a girl. No transformations whatsoever.

All right, this chapter has been revised. As you may know I won't be able to update this story regularly, even so I have started to revise the chapters, modifying things here and there.

Enjoy.


Book of the Facts

Chapter 1. Of Squids and Hats


Jaquelle Anemone Bettina Potter was not amused. When the half-giant, Rubeus Hagrid her mind provided, had told them to get on the boats, yes, those flimsy toy-like boats, she had furrowed her brows, foreboding tingling at the back of her mind. Not that she disliked boats, or icing massive lakes. Oh, no, what she loathed is not being warned of the Squid. Who, for the love of Merlin, had put a GIANT SQUID in the lake! Was there a logical reason behind placing the gargantuan animal inside the lake? The blasted thing had just been passing by, as Hagrid had told them later, and a tentacle had accidentally splashed them right. She sighed and glared towards her soaked clothes.

The castle of Hogwarts was quite the sight nonetheless. High towers that reached into the sky as if trying to grasp it. Grandiose gardens that reached as far as the eye could see and a luxurious and dense forest. The garden reminded her of of Aunt Petunia's prized garden that she had, as far as she could remember, always taken care of. Her tulips bloomed beautifully under the midday sun thanks to her. Jaquelle did not mind tending to the garden, she rather enjoyed the feeling of being outside surrounded by nature even if it was under the glaring sun. She mostly enjoyed nightly walks around the nearby park. She couldn't afford to get caught thought. That always ended painfully for her.

She blinked and sighed miserably again. With the high humidity of the place there was no chance that her robes would dry for the Sorting. A soaked Potter was not a good Potter. Fuming in annoyance and anger she stomped towards the queue that had formed outside of the doors of the Great Hall. A brown-eyed boy was gentlemanly enough to give her a napkin to dry her face. She smiled and muttered a silent thank you.

"No worries " The dark-skinned boy stared at her doubtfuly.

"Jaquelle Potter." The short female answered. Brown eyes widening he smiled and shook her hand dutifuly.

"Blaise Zabini. A pleasure, Potter." Smiling, the girl returned to him the napkin with a gentle flick of her wrist.

"Thank you for that and just Jaquelle will do." Nodding, the other boy returned her smile with his, full of white perfect teeth.

"Then you must absolutely call me Blaise, Jaquie." Winking at her she motioned for them to rearrange themselves in alphabetical order. She did not mind being called Jaquie at all. It was the first time someone had given her a name.

Professor McGonagall was a stern woman of pursed lips and vigorous shining blue eyes. Her hair was up in an impeccable bun. Upon her head rested a black pointed hat that just excentuated her stern image and figure. Her robes were mostly dark colours with specks of gold and blood red here and there. McGonagall had ordered them to behave and to not to fear. Fear what? It wasn't like a basilisk would come, fangs bared, to eat the little first years for dinner. The doors to the Great Hall suddenly opened and Professor McGonagall marched in with her head high. Stepping inside the Great Hall Jaquelle slowed her walk and openly stared. Well it was a great hall indeed. Four long tables where on the other side of the hall, and a smaller one at the head of the hall for the Hogwarts staff.

There were ghosts floating around and chatting happily with the already seated older students of the houses. The candles floated in the air, their wax dripping to the floor and creating little mountains of wax. The fire that lit the waxen candles flickered sometimes as if there was some sort of current in the Hall even if Jaquelle didn't notice any. She diverted her gaze to the ceiling and gave a delighted gasp. It was enchanted! It apparently mimicked the weather outside and replayed it inside the castle. Breathtaking was the only word she had for it.

She eventually realised that each table had a different colouring. Red and gold for the pride of lions, black and yellow for the cete of badgers, blue and bronze for the convocation of eagles and, lastly, green and silver for the nest of snakes.

In front of the smaller table a chair was placed, a hat sitting on it. She looked at Professor McGonagall whose voice had just called Hermione Granger to the chair. With a shout of 'GRYFFINDOR!' the girl had almost run to the table. They cheered for the new member of the pride. She had thought that with those bookish looks the girl would surely be placed in Ravenclaw not in Gryffindor.

Jaquie had not thought of in which house she would be placed. Being with Granger and Weasley would not be bad. She had met them at the train, though the freckled boy had been a tad rude to her, demanding her to see the lightning scar and all. McGonagall's voice took her out of her thoughts again as she recognised her own very name.

"Potter, Jaquelle!"

Silence spread through the Hall, and those who didn't cease their excited banter were quickly hushed by their table neighbors. Jaquie gave Blaise a sideways glance and he winked charmingly at her. Feeling better about herself, and with a slight smirk, she walked calmly to the chair and sat down gently. She carefully placed the Sorting Hat on her head, after all it was an ancient thing, she gave a tentative mental greeting to it.

'My, my. What do we have here, famous Jaquelle Potter, the Girl-Who-Lived no less!' said the Hat.

'This popularity thing... I don't quite like it...' she sighed mentally to the old piece of cloth. Unknowingly this feeling sent the Hat glimpses of imaged that had burned into her mind. People staring, people whispering, people trying to see a glimpse of the scar that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named gave her in exchange of her parents.

'Sorry, my dear. Well, well What do you have? Brave, loyal to the death to those who are your friends maybe Gryffindor? Not quite, not quite. Intelligent, but also a hard worker if needed. Oh, cunning, with wit Slytherin would do great things to you, my dear girl what do you think?'

'Good things?' She asked the Hat in silent reverie.

'Great things do not exactly mean they are good. Gellert Grindewald was great but he was not a paragon of all that is good in our world.' He mused in answer.

The girl thought about the houses over, Granger had gone to Gryffindor; Weasley would be going too, all of his brothers were there if all those gingers were any indication. 'If Slytherin will make me great why not?'

There was a great expectation in the Great Hall, all of the present leaning forward to hear the Hat's voice better. The girl had been sitting there for a few minutes, which had sent everyone on their nerves. Everyone gave a gasp when the Hat opened its mouth with a smirk.

"SLYTHERIN!"

The further table to the left cheered so loudly that the echoes expanded trough the Hall. Placing the Sorting Hat on the chair she patted him once and padded calmly to the Slytherin table. There she received pats on the back and even on the head from the older Serpents. A blonde boy with silver eyes moved to make space for her to sit. Sitting down she sighed, too much people staring at her was oppressive.

"We didn't get Potter!" Lamented two loud almost identical voices. Her lips quivered in amusement at the theatrics of the two twin ginger-heads. She supposed they were Weasley's older brothers. Dismissing the wistful thought that maybe Gryffindor would have been a better House for her she turned to her right and met the mercurial stare of the blonde boy.

"The name is Draco Malfoy, pleasure to meet you Potter." The blonde boy introduced himself, offering his hand with a slight holier-than-thou smirk. She smiled at him gently nonetheless, she couldn't afford to make any enemies yet when she had no friends.

"Jaquelle Potter." she placed her hand in his and shook gently. "The pleasure is mine." She turned towards the Sorting Hat and searched for Blaise with her gaze. They landed on the dark boy and she felt some relief wash through her for no apparent reason at all. She never noticed the inquiring gaze of the Malfoy boy.

"Zabini, Blaise!"

The boy walked confidently to the chair and placed the Hat on his head. Jaquelle caught herself wishing for him to be Slytherin. Two seconds passed, or what she thought had been two seconds, and suddenly the Hat perked up and shouted 'SLYTHERIN!' .The whole table cheered for the last Serpent of the year.