A/N: Ok, here's the next chapter. Hope you like it. Thanks to Eviltwin2318 for replying! You made my day. This chapter's for you.

Chapter Two: Sorting

The last few weeks of summer passed in a fairly routine fashion. Breakfast in the Hollow, then a trip to the Burrow to visit the others. Mrs. Weasley would try to force feed them more breakfast, then assign them each a chore to complete before lunch and send them on their way. Shannon, Rose, and Albus usually stuck together, unless Albus was trailing after James.

Rose and Shannon would talk about whatever came to mind while they watered the garden, weeded the lawn, or chase the gnomes away. At lunch, everyone would gather in the Burrow, consuming much too much food, and the children would each receive another chore. The afternoon would progress in a similar fashion, with a gathering for dinner. Then the adults would have wine or something called firewhiskey while the children exhausted themselves.

Everything was going great. Shannon loved being around all the kids, and the adults for that matter. There was only one problem with the whole set-up: Ginny.

Ginevra Potter was a thirty-five year old woman who looked about twenty-nine. She was the mother of James, Albus, and Lily. She had grown up with Harry and she was the one he had turned to after the break-up with Michelle. Anyone would have thought that she would have taken Shannon in, tried to get to know her. But that wasn't the way things worked out.

It was obvious from the beginning that Ginny and Michelle didn't get along. They barely ever spoke, and Ginny had taken to clinging to Harry since their arrival. She was perfectly cordial to Shannon when Michelle wasn't around, but it was still clear that she hated the situation.

The Saturday before they were supposed to board the train to go to school, Harry made an announcement at breakfast.

"We're going to Diagon Alley."

At this piece of news, the kids started chattering animatedly.

"Rose, what's Diagon Alley?" Shannon asked.

"Well, it's like a marketplace or a mall, only for magic," Rose replied, grinning.

"Alright, everyone. Grab your cloaks and letters, then gather around the fireplace!"

Everyone started pushing forward, crowding around, but Michelle pulled Shannon back.

"Shannon, I just want to warn you. Don't freak out, ok? Don't be scared," Michelle whispered to her daughter. Shannon smiled and nodded, confused but excited. She squeezed in next to Rose and Albus, listening to her father.

"Molly, Arthur, and Hermione are staying here with Hugo, who's sick. Fleur, Victoire, Dominique, and Louis are going shopping in London with Gabriella and Anne-Laure. Anyone who wants to stay here can, but Teddy, James, Albus, Rose, and Shannon all need new school supplies. Bill is at work, so we'll drop into Gringott's to see him. Lily wants to come along. The Floo-ing order is going to be this: Ron, Michelle, Lily, Rose, Al, Shannon, James, Teddy, Ginny, and then me. Ok? Ok." Harry nodded to himself, grabbing a pot of what looked like ashes. Ron took a handful, stepping into the fireplace. He threw it down.

"Diagon Alley!" he shouted as the green flames leaped up at him. He spun around and disappeared. Then her mother took a handful and did the same thing. Lily and Rose followed, then Albus. Shannon stepped forward. She carefully scooped up ash, stepping into the flames. She threw her handful, yelled "Diagon Alley!" and closed her eyes as the green flames enveloped her. A moment later, she was standing in a different fireplace. Her mother smiled, helping her climb out of the brick fireplace into a large room. The room had a door on one wall, leading out to a busy street, and the rest of the walls were covered with nothing but fireplaces. People were climbing in and out of fireplaces, the green flames appearing and disappearing.

Once everyone else had arrived, they were given a small pouch of gold and silver coins. They exited the room of fireplaces.

Diagon Alley was alive and bustling, with students and parents running around. James, Albus, Rose, and Shannon all took off, running from store to store. Rose gasped, pulling Shannon into a huge bookstore, her eyes alight. Shannon started scanning the titles. Some were obvious titles, like 101 Spells to Clean Your House, but some were more confusing, such as How to Speak Mermish, which appeared to have actually been written in Mermish.

It was there, losing herself in the bookstore, that she met him for the first time.

He was relatively tall for an eleven year old boy, with chalky white skin and white-blonde hair. His eyes were a misty silver-blue. He wore long black robes and an expression of being above such menial tasks as shopping.

It happened like in the movies, with her accidentally bumping into him. The only difference was that when he righted himself, he turned on his heel and began to walk away.

"Hey, Wait a minute!" she called, crossing her arms. He stopped, turned around, and gave her a scathing look.

"If you're waiting for an apology, don't hold your breath," he smirked. She glared at him.

"Well I'm not apologizing," she informed him. His eyes narrowed and he sighed.

"But it was your fault, not mine!"

"It was as much your fault as it was mine, and I'll apologize when you do!" She matched his expression.

"Listen you little brat," he hissed, taking a step towards her, "I'm Scorpius Malfoy, son of Draco Malfoy and Astoria Greengrass. Now, I demand that you apologize or I'll-,"

"You'll what?" James interrupted, walking over and throwing an arm around Shannon. The blonde, Scorpius, sneered.

"Oh, so she's your girlfriend, Potter? Well, maybe you should keep her on a shorter leash. She may get into trouble!" And with that, Scorpius turned and stalked off.

Shannon exhaled sharply, then turned and hugged her older brother.

"Thank you for sticking up for me, James. I would have been fine, though," she added. He chuckled.

"No problem, sis. Just wait until you get to Hogwarts. You can practice hexes on him!" Shannon laughed. Then, her father came into view. "Dad! Over here!" James called. Rose and Al materialized behind Shannon, Rose carrying a stack of books she had apparently purchased.

"Hey, I know how much you love this store, but it's time to head over to Madame Malkin's to get new robes and school uniforms. Come on, guys." Harry led the groaning group of kids with him to the seamstress's shop.

After Madame Malkin's, they visited other stores. They bought cauldrons, scales, potions ingredients, quills, ink, parchment, and other supplies. Then they passed the pet store.

"Dad, can I get an owl?" Albus asked, eyeing a tawny owl in the window. Harry thought about it for a moment before shrugging.

"Sure, Al. I mean, you will be going off to school this year…sure, let's get you an owl!" Harry grinned. They entered the store, Rose whispering to Shannon about how wizards used owls to deliver letters. As Al worked with the shopkeeper, gathering stuff for the owl that Al was naming Alban, Harry bent down to Shannon's level. "Hey, Shannon, you want to get a pet?" he asked. Shannon smiled, looking around. She suddenly noticed a small grey kitten in the corner. The kitten had white and black splotches all over her, and her fur was silky smooth.

"Dad, can I get this kitten?" she asked quietly. He nodded.

"Sure. What are you going to name her?" Harry asked.

"Gypsy," Shannon answered immediately.

Eventually, they had everything they needed. They gathered back in the fireplace room, Flooed back to the Burrow or the Hollow, and spent the rest of the night frantically packing and re-packing. Shannon barely slept that night, she was so excited. Gypsy was curled up next to her head, purring.

The next morning was hectic. Shannon was dressed and fed in record time, focusing instead on getting Gypsy in her pet carrier and getting her trunk packed full of her new stuff. She slipped a black robe on over her jeans, sticking her new wand into her pocket. According to her father, the wand was made of mahogany and the heartstring of the very Hungarian Horntail her father had battled in his fourth year at Hogwarts.

The group finally got their luggage ready to leave and made it to the train station. There was a strange moment when she had to run straight at a wall, but instead of hitting it, she passed through it onto a platform. Her father led her to the

Getting on the train was hectic. The kids wrestled their trunks up the steps, finally getting them up, and started looking for a compartment. Several Third-years, both girls and boys, stopped to say hello to James and invite him to sit with them, but he always declined. He stayed with Shannon, Albus, and Rose. When they finally did find a compartment, the train was starting to get ready to leave the station. The compartment was empty, other than one small blonde.

"Is anyone sitting here?" Shannon asked. The girl looked up, startled, her curls bouncing slightly. Her eyes were a clear blue, and she held a white kitten in her lap. She smiled up at them, shaking her head.

"No, come sit down," she chirped in a high, musical voice. The four of them crowded in, stacking their trunks in corners. Shannon pulled Gypsy out of the carrier, watching as the small feline curled up in the seat next to her.

"I'm James," James said, offering a hand. The girl shook it.

"I'm Adair," she responded.

"That's my sister Shannon, my brother Albus, and my cousin Rose," James pointed at each of them as he said their name.

"Are you all new students?" she asked curiously, mainly directing the question at James. He looked offended.

"Excuse me, but I happen to be a Third Year! The others are First Years, but I am much too mature to be taken as a first year!" he pouted, taking on a whiny tone. She giggled.

"Well, if your tone doesn't prove that, I don't know what will!" she teased. James smiled, a mischievous smile that placed a twinkle in his eye. Shannon watched the whole thing, planning to use the moment against her older brother at the next opportunity.

"So are you a First Year?" Al asked the petite girl.

"Actually, I'm a Second Year. But I'm in the Third Year classes because my grades are so good," Adair replied, looking at James. He raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. Just then, the compartment door opened. Two girls entered.

"Hi, James!" they giggled. "We were wondering if you might want to join us in our compartment."

"Thanks, but I'm already settled in here. We're having fun, aren't we Adair?" James cocked his head at the blonde, ignoring the other girls.

"Yeah," Adair mumbled, smiling at him. The other girls glared at her, turned on their heels, and left.

The ride to Hogwarts was long but fun. A trolley came around with sweets, and James bought lots of chocolate, sharing most of it with Adair. Shannon and Rose talked about books, Hogwarts, and what classes they were looking forward to. For Rose, it was Astronomy, but for Shannon it was Defense Against the Dark Arts. Al chimed in that he couldn't wait to learn to fly, so that he could be on the Quidditch Team just like Harry. Shannon asked what Quidditch was, and the rest of the trip was spent trying to explain to her how to play. Then they changed into their school robes, stashing their normal, or Muggle, clothes in their trunks.

When they finally got off the train, there was mass chaos. James and Adair disappeared, leaving Rose, Shannon, and Albus to find their own way. They were looking at each other hopelessly when they heard someone calling for all the First Years.

The man calling was impossibly large. He was almost twice the height of a normal man, maybe three or four times wider, and had hands the size of trash can lids and feet the size of baby dolphins. His beard and hair were long, wild, and tangled, but his eyes were kind.

"Hagrid!" Rose and Al greeted the giant. Shannon looked at them, confused.

"Rose, Albus, how're ya doin'?" he growled.

"We're good. Hagrid, did you talk to Dad recently?" Albus replied. Hagrid nodded.

"Aye, I sure did! Is this 'er then? It this yer sister?" Hagrid gestured to Shannon, and she tried not to flinch.

"This is Shannon," Rose introduced. "Shannon, this is Hagrid. He's one of Harry's best friends."

Shannon greeted the man, processing this information. Hagrid gathered all the first years together and led them to boats sitting on a black lake. There were gasps from the students as they all got their first view of Hogwarts. It was more castle than school, with its towers and turrets. They were carried through a tunnel, into an underground harbor, and then led up stone steps to a door. They were met by a woman with graying black hair pulling into a tight bun and a face set with wrinkles. She was standing extraordinarily straight and the students fell silent when they saw her. She led them to a small chamber, explaining that sorting would begin soon.

Rose and Albus grinned, talking quietly about the different houses and the Sorting Hat. Shannon absorbed as much information as she could, decided that she wanted to be a Ravenclaw or maybe a Hufflepuff. She wasn't necessarily brave, so she didn't think the Gryffindors would be the right crowd to hang around. The Slytherins were the pure-bloods and the elite, and even though they were apparently a lot nicer now than before, she still didn't want to be surrounded by them.

When they walked into the Great Hall, the first thing they noticed was the High Table. There were teachers seated there, all looking oddly normal in the strange place. There were also four long tables stretching down the hall, one for each table.

The First Years stopped in front of a stool with a dirty, old hat sitting on it. They watched as the hat moved, a tear opening like a mouth. It sang a song about Hogwarts, and how every year a new crop of students were brought in for its choosing and approval. Everyone applauded at the end, though Rose whispered to Shannon about it being an odd song.

The students were called up one by one alphabetically, sitting on the stool and placing the hat on their heads. The hat would call out a house, and that would be where they would sit. The group thinned out more and more, and finally the list came to the M's. But instead of calling 'Mitchell, Shannon', they went right on to 'Mochrie, Mildred', Shannon turned to Rose. The bushy-haired girl shrugged, looking confused.

They passed through more students. They reached the P's. 'Potter, Albus' was called, and immediately announced as Gryffindor. The table cheered loudly as Al sat down. Then, the woman called 'Potter, Shannon'. Shannon sighed, half relieved and half confused, making her way to the front. The hall fell silent, watching the unknown Potter girl make sit down and place the hat on her head. It seemed like forever before the hat called out her house.

"GRYFFINDOR! Just like her father!" it called. The Gryffindors screamed their approval, but Shannon felt let down or confused. She wasn't sure she liked being in the house of bravery. She contemplated this, waiting for Rose. They finally called 'Weasley, Rose' and put her in Gryffindor almost immediately.

Dinner passed quickly, with lots of talking and laughing. The headmaster, the woman they had been led in by, gave a short speech about this being a new year with new chances. The prefects led them up flights of stairs, through a painting of a knight that required a password into a tower and directed them up the stairs to the dormitories. Rose and Shannon were in a dormitory together, with a small strawberry blonde named Tabitha Garnet and a tall black-haired Gwendolyn Waters. That night, the four girls fell sound asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillows, too excited and nervous for the next day to put into words.

Ok, well, I hope you liked it. If you did, or if you didn't for that matter, please let me know. Just press the review button! Please!