"Slytherin first years!" Alexander shouted, raising his hand high above his head. "Slytherin first years follow me! I'll take you to the common room!"
In the commotion of the Great Hall, a slew of boys and girls tentatively walked up to the tall fifth year. Lily grinned, remembering following Ulysses Ottoman. He had been quite an imposing fellow.
"Slytherin first years!" Lily shouted, joining in with Zabini's chorus. "Follow that kid! He'll take you to our common room!" She went up and down the Slytherin table, making sure all the first years were up, and then followed the troop to the dormitories, ensuring no one got lost on their way.
"Once you get to the common room, the girls will go with Potter back there, and the boys will stay with me. There, we will hand out class schedules and go over Slytherin protocol. Understood?"
All the first years stayed quiet, their heads turning all around to get a good view of the castle. Zabini stopped short, all the first years bumping into each other.
"First lesson of Slytherin!" he shouted. "Always respond to older students. I asked if you understood."
"Yes, yes," they all murmured, their voices quaking in response to his anger.
"Second lesson; if you can't remember directions, take someone with that does at all times. You will get lost in this castle. Lily?"
"You need to go left, Alex," Lily replied, grinning.
"The first few days of classes, the teachers will take you around, but after that, you're on your own. You'd do well to take notes of directions when you can. It does not look good for the house to have lame first years running around like chickens with their heads cut off. For every detention you get for being late, for every house point you lose for being lost, you will be punished by the house. If you genuinely need help understanding the layout of the school, tell either Potter or myself and we'll hook you up with someone who will help you learn the floor plan."
"Slytherin does not tolerate slothfulness," Lily began. "Your dormitories will always be neat, your beds always made, and your clothes always washed. If you do not follow protocol, you will be punished."
"If you forget the password, expect to be caned," Alex said seriously. Lily bit back laughter as some of the first years gasped in horror. They did not actually use the cane; Professor Wolfe had outlawed its use within Slytherin, Lily had been told. Something about it promoting contempt.
"If you get lost in the dungeons, expect a seventh year to find you and prepare for the subsequent beating," Lily chimed.
"If you need help in a subject, let us know and we'll pair you with a tutor. It does not look good for Slytherin students to be failing subjects. We are superior to all houses – never forget it."
"Do not go poking around the dungeons. There tends to be…dangerous…things down there."
"Do not argue with an older student from other houses; if they pick on you, snatch an older Slytherin student, and they'll come and help you. Seventh years are preferential. They will help. It's their duty as a Slytherin."
"It's the motto of Slytherin – better to ask forgiveness than permission, just don't get caught. If you do get caught, expect to be flogged."
"Here we are; Salazar," Zabini said, the common room bursting open.
3
Lily spent two hours lecturing the first and second year girls on protocol. She had practiced the routine since she received the packet with her Hogwarts list, and she thought it went smoothly. At least the girls listened. It took her almost half an hour to hand out schedules and room assignments. She thought it would only take fifteen at the most. Proffessor Wolfe did his usual welcome speech to all of Slytherin, including a brief history of the house and how absolutely glorious it is. Lily could see the familiar pride swelling up in the returning students and the pride begin to blossom in the first years.
She spent another hour ensuring that everyone was in their proper room with their proper stuff and that everything was going smoothly. So far, there had not been any arguments, but she knew that with a bunch of preteen girls, that could change fast. It was the reason that she was only responsible for the two years; they could bicker like no tomorrow. The same with the sixth and seventh years. Once boys were added to the equation, they got worse again. The three years in-between were not so bad, so Tempest got to deal with all of them. If anyone asked, though, why it was like that, she would say it was because fifth years need to worry about O.W.L.s and seventh year the N.E.W.T.s, so they needed more time than the sixth years. In reality, though, all the prefects worked just as hard.
She laid back on her bed in silence. She had the spacious room to herself. It was where she would have meetings, settle conflicts, plan events, and perform in-house detentions. The half she utilized for personal use was blocked by thick green curtains from the rest of the area. The public half held a desk and two chairs. She could get more if she needed them for detentions.
But she did not care about any of it then. All she wanted to do was sprawl on the soft Hogwarts beds and fall asleep. And, after slipping out of her robes and putting on her pajamas, she did exactly that.
3
Lily stared, silent, at her cat sitting docilely in front of her. She should have mastered this spell by now. She should have it under her belt, buried with her second-year stuff. But no, not her. Nope, Lily Potter had to struggle through it again every year. She tapped Aspen the cat three times on the head and muttered the incantation.
She waited, her lip clamped between her teeth. She needed something, a slight change, a small indication of change, anything at all.
"Meow."
"Shit," Lily hissed, slamming her wand down on the table.
"Calm down, Lil," Alexander said harshly. "You're going to make Slytherin look foolish. You know we have doubles with Gryffindor this period. Relax and take it out on an unsuspecting first year later."
"I can't calm down, Zabini," she replied, her tone equally harsh. "You've already transfigured your bloody owl into a goblet and back again five times while I still haven't managed to make the stupid cat go one way even a little bit!"
"Seriously, calm down."
"What's going on?" Kelsie, another Slytherin, asked, turning around in her chair.
"I still can't get it right," Lily muttered, grinding her teeth together.
She could not believe she was admitting this. Neither of her parents had any problems with spell-casting. To James, it came easier than walking, and the only problem Al had was the practical application in Defense Against the Dark Arts. She was the one without any skills. It was like they had taken all the magical ability and all she was left with was a useless piece of wood.
"It's alright, Lil," Kelsie said. "You'll get it eventually."
Ah, Kelsie, the optimist. They had bunked together the previous years, and had grown to be quite good friends. Lily found her undying optimism occasionally annoying, but on most occasions heartening. Now was no exception.
"Maybe you've just had enough. I have a puking pastel, if you want it," Zabini muttered, handing her the purple candy under the table.
"No, I'm fine, thanks."
"Good, because I was going to use it to get out of charms. Nasty fellow, that Flitwick."
