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Ali (Guest):Thank you so much for reviewing! (Even if you are a guest) ;) Sorry, but Max, Lydia and Tessa are related to Estelle, but not actually related to Harry. You'll see!

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Disclaimer: I don't [no, I seriously DON'T] own Harry Potter: the plot, the places or the people. I only own Tessa, Maxfield, Lydia, Estelle, Joy, Ariana, Hunter, Rachel, Nicandro, Kendra, Syara, Destiny and Wyatt. (Haha… you only know who four of those people are… and most of them are dead anyway… :P :)

Chapter 2

"Potter?"

"Did she say Potter?"

"As in, like, Harry Potter?"

"Did he have a sister?"

"No, we would've known!"

Whispers and murmurs flew through the hall as I stepped out of the group of first years. I could feel everyone's eyes on me, especially Harry's.

"Would you lot SHUT UP?" Lydia yelled at the top of her lungs as the whispering reached a climax. "She's his cousin, alright?"

She sat down looking very pleased with herself as nearly all the heads in the hall turned to look at her. A few of the knots in my stomach loosened as I smiled. I loved my cousins, Lydia most of all. She had a tendency to take all the attention off of me whenever I needed a bit less attention, especially about my name.

I sat down on the stool, taking a deep breath as the hat slid over my eyes. A quiet voice spoke in my ear and I nearly jumped out of my skin.

"Very interesting…" the hat said softly. "You could be in almost any house…"

Please just sort me and get it over with. I thought desperately. I didn't want to have to sit there any longer than I needed to.

"No need to rush…" It said smoothly. "But if you're sure… no, for you it'll take a bit longer… Quite a longing for knowledge… You are very intelligent…"

Thank you.

"No need to thank me, I only tell the truth… A Parseltongue… interesting… You're loyal, especially to your family, but you do have a bit more self-preservation than I've seen in anyone so devoted to others… You have courage and are not afraid to stand up for what's right, but certain things bring you crashing down… You fear losing more than you have already lost…"

With the hat's last sentence I straightened up, shaken from my thoughts of which house I would be in. Green light seemed to dance before my eyes and I blinked, trying to get rid of the memories.

"Again, you could be in any, but there's only one house for you my dear… GRYFFINDOR!"

All the tension seemed to flow out of my body and I had trouble standing up. Aunt Min took the hat off my black hair, lined with natural brown highlights and I turned toward the Gryffindor table, at which Lydia and Tessa were roaring their approval, along with the help of the red-headed twins. Max was clapping from his place at the Hufflepuff table and sent me a wink as I sat down between Tessa and Hermione, the latter scooting over to make room for me. I looked up toward the teacher's table and caught my great-grandfather's eye. He gave me a small wink and returned his attention to Aunt Min, who was looking severely around the hall, waiting for the noise to fade.

"Potter, Harry!" she called, and my cousin stepped forward nervously. His jet-black hair fell messily over his face and he seemed pale. I could just see his lightning bolt scar from where I was sitting and absentmindedly traced the thin scar that went down the right side of my face.

The usual whispers broke out, but nowhere near the volume that my name had caused.

"Is it really him?"

"The Harry Potter?"

"Seriously?"

I half-expected Lydia to yell out again, but she stayed seated, talking to Tessa in a hushed whisper. I couldn't make out what she was saying.

The whispering died down as the Sorting Hat dropped over Harry's head. Everyone seemed to be perched on the edge of their seats, wondering where the Boy-Who-Lived would be sorted. Personally, I thought it was a bit of a stupid title. Everyone's lived who's alive, so what really makes him special? Oh well, whatever.

"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat shouted, disrupting my thoughts. I clapped and cheered along with all the other Gryffindors while the red-headed twins yelled "We got Potter! We got Potter!" I rolled my eyes at this; I was a Potter too!

Harry came and sat next to me and Tessa. We both moved over to make room for him and he gave me a nervous smile, running his hand through his hair unconsciously.

"So, you're my cousin, huh?" he asked, looking at me curiously, his eyes lingering on the thin scar that ran down the side of my face.

"Yep." I said brightly, clapping along with the rest of the Gryffindors as Dean came to join our table. "And Tessa over there is my cousin, but not related to you; and Lydia (the girl who was yelling) and her brother Max (he's in Hufflepuff) are my second cousins, but are not related to you. Make sense?"

He looked at me blankly. "Ummmm… I suppose…"

I grinned at the look on his face.

"Weasley, Ronald!" Professor McGonagall called, and Harry spun around. I could see he really wanted to see his friend's Sorting. The red-haired boy looked a bit green.

The hat had been on Ronald's head for maybe two seconds before it yelled out "GRYFFINDOR!" The twins sitting across from us broke out into raucous yelling and cheering. Another red-haired boy with horn-rimmed glasses and a highly polished Prefects badge who was sitting on the other side of Hermione was saying "Well done Ron! Excellent!" He seemed a bit strange.

The last person to be sorted (a "Zabini, Blaise") was put into Slytherin and Aunt Min carried the Sorting Hat and the little stool out of the hall. Harry looked expectantly at his plate, as did Ron. I giggled silently and turned to the staff table to see what Granddad would say. He stood up, sweeping his arms out as though to embrace the whole hall.

"Welcome!" he said, smiling broadly, a twinkle shining in his bright blue eyes. "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!

"Thank you!"

The entire hall burst into applause and I laughed, tucking into some shepherd's pie. Harry looked frozen, like he didn't know whether to laugh or not.

"Is he a bit mad?" he asked faintly.

My mouth was full of shepherd's pie, so Tessa answered for me. "He's brilliant, one of the most powerful wizards in the world dare I say. But of course he's a bit mad. Aren't all eccentric people? Do you want some potatoes by the way?"

Harry looked down to see the table full of food and his jaw dropped comically as though he had never seen food before. I swallowed my food and laughed at his expression.

"That does look good." Said Sir Nicholas dolefully as he floated behind us. He looked longingly at the food and I felt a stab of sympathy for the ghost.

"It's alright Nick." I said, patting his ghostly arm. It felt like I was sticking my hand into freezing water.

"Can't you-" Harry started, but Nick interrupted him.

"I haven't eaten for nearly five hundred years." He said sadly. "I don't need to, of course, but one does miss it. I don't think I've introduced myself? Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington at your service. Resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower."

"I know who you are!" said Ronald, the redhead. "My brothers told me about you – you're Nearly Headless Nick!"

I sighed internally. He hated that nickname.

"I would prefer you to call me Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-" he said stiffly, but Seamus interrupted him.

"Nearly Headless? How can you be nearly headless?"

I groaned and turned back to my food. I had asked the same thing when I was younger and had regretted it.

"Like this." I heard him say. Then I heard a few noises of disgust, mainly from Hermione. I chuckled.

"So - new Gryffindors!" he continued. "I hope you're going to help us win the house championship this year? Gryffindors have never gone so long without winning. Slytherins have got the cup six years in a row! The Bloody Baron's becoming almost unbearable – he's the Slytherin ghost."

I glanced over at the blood-stained ghost who was sitting near the Slytherin table. I saw that he was sitting next to Draco Malfoy and grinned when I saw that Malfoy did not look at all happy with where he was sitting.

"How did he get covered in blood?" asked Seamus.

"I've never asked." Nick said delicately. "And I don't plan to."

I silently agreed. The baron's highly depressed expression turned away many of the people who who otherwise have asked about his death. I personally was just creeper out by him. Most ghosts enjoyed sharing their death stories (Sir Nicholas was a prime example of this), but the baron (as far as I knew) had never shared the tale of his death with anyone. The only time I had ever heard him speak was to tell off Peeves for wrecking the Slytherin Common Room when I was at Hogwarts for Christmas when I was 8.

After the main part of the meal the desserts appeared on the golden plates. I quickly grabbed some apple pie (my favorite) and a few strawberries. It was common knowledge to my family that those were my two weaknesses. Apple pie and strawberries.

Harry helped himself to some treacle tart and the talk around me turned to family. My heart sank and I quickly turned to my other side and joined Hermione and Percy's conversation about classes, hearing vaguely a story about when Neville got pushed off a pier.

"I do hope the lessons start right away, there's so much to learn. I' particularly interested in Transfiguration myself, you know, turning something into something else. Of course, it's supposed to be really difficult-"

"Well," Percy interrupted, "you'll be starting small, just matches into needles and that sort of thing."

"I'm looking forward to Charms, actually." I interjected. "How do those classes start out?"

Percy thought for a second before answering.

"Professor Flitwick always wants to make sure that his new students know the basics behind charm work before they begin actually casting spells. After that is done however, the first spell you will learn is a levitating charm. After that it's how to move objects in ways you want them to and a few fun spells every now and then. I remember in my first year when he taught us a fun little charm that made bubbles of every shape, size and color come out of your wand." He grinned.

"Great idea Perce!" said one of the twins. I forgot their names… was it something like Greg and Figaro? "Hey George! What do you think about that as our next prank?"

The other twin, George, turned to join our conversation and by his grin it was obvious he'd already been listening.

"Sounds great Fred! Yeah, thanks Perce!" Oh yeah, they were Fred and George!

Percy groaned and rolled his eyes. A sudden thought struck me.

"Are you guys related?" I asked, directing the question to Percy.

"Unfortunately." He mumbled. "These are two of my brothers."

"You have more?"

"Indeed. Two older brothers, Bill and Charlie, the two buffoons," he motioned to the twins, who looked mock-offended. "And Ron over there. Oh, and our younger sister, Ginny. She'll come to Hogwarts next year."

Having had no siblings ever in my life, the fact that Percy had six was astonishing. A "Wow" was about all I could get out.

I was getting a bit tired and yawned, looking up towards the teachers table. I was hoping to catch my godfather's eye. Many people believed the Potions Master to be stiff and cold, but Tessa, Max, Lydia and I knew better. As my godfather he showed a different, more compassionate side of him whenever I really needed it.

Severus was sitting next to Professor Quirrel, a guy who kind of creeped me out. His gigantic purple turban looked very strange and he had a funny stutter according to what Tessa told me.

I was staring at his turban, wondering why he wore it in the first place, when pain seared across the right side of my face, through my scar. I cried out and held my cheek, when Harry did the same with his forehead.

"What is it?" asked Percy and the twins at the same time.

"Bit my cheek." I said at the same time that Harry said "Nothing."

The pain had disappeared as quickly as it had come and it was unnerving. My scar had never hurt before…

"Who's that teacher talking to Professor Quirrel?" Harry asked, looking up at the teacher's table.

"Oh, you know Quirrell already, do you?" asked Fred.

"No wonder he's looking so nervous," remarked George. "that's Professor Snape. He teaches Potions, but he doesn't want to - everyone knows he's after Quirrell's job. Knows an awful lot about the Dark Arts, Snape."

I frowned at the way my godfather was represented, but let it be. That was how most of the school saw him. He did know a lot about the Dark Arts, but that was before. Besides, he wanted the Defense Against the Dark Arts job. Honestly, I couldn't see where everyone gets it.

Finally all the desserts disappeared off the plates and my great-grandfather got to his feet. All talking ceased, every face looking respectfully toward the headmaster.

"Ahem - just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you.

"First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well."

His twinkling eyes flashed in the direction of the Weasley twins, Tessa and Lydia. They grinned and exchanged looks.

"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors.

"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch.

"And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."

Harry laughed, but he was one of the few who did. I looked at my great-grandfather, surprised.

"He's not serious?" Harry muttered nervously.

"Must be," I said, frowning. "It's odd, because he usually gives a reason why we're not allowed to go somewhere. He didn't even tell us." I looked to Tessa and Lydia to confirm and they nodded, looking confused.

"And why would he tell you?" Harry asked curiously. I looked around, making sure no one was listening. Nobody was really supposed to know.

"He's my great-grandfather." I whispered into his ear. "No one is actually supposed to know…"

He looked surprised, but accepted the information, running his fingers along his mouth and 'locking' it. "I won't tell anyone." He promised seriously. Then he lowered his voice. "Does that mean he's Tessa and Lydia's great-grandfather as well?"

I nodded. "Yeah, along with Lydia's twin brother, Max. Well, his full name's Maxfield, but don't call him that because he'll curse you."

"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" cried great-grandfather. I rolled my eyes and sighed. He had made Tessa, Lydia, Max and I practice with him, Aunt Ariana and Uncle Hunter. It was utterly ridiculous. I chuckled a bit at Aunt Min's and Severus' expressions.
Granddad gave his wand a little flick, as if he was trying to get a fly off the end, and a long golden ribbon flew out of it, which rose high above the tables and twisted itself, snakelike, into words.

"Everyone pick their favorite tune," he said, "and off we go!"

And the school bellowed:

"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,

Teach us something please,

Whether we be old and bald

Or young with scabby knees,

Our heads could do with filling

With some interesting stuff,

For now they're bare and full of air,

Dead flies and bits of fluff,

So teach us things worth knowing,

Bring back what we've forgot, just do your best, we'll do the rest,

And learn until our brains all rot."

Everybody finished the song at different times. At last, only the Weasley twins and my cousins were left singing along to a very slow funeral march. Granddad conducted their last few lines with his wand and when they had finished, he was one of those who clapped loudest, along with Harry and I.

"Ah, music," he said, wiping his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"

There was a great scraping of benches as everyone stood up and Percy was yelling over the crowd "First years to me! Gryffindor first years over here please!"

We finally got out of the hustle and bustle of the Great Hall. We met Peeves and he dropped some walking sticks on Neville's head, but he seemed okay. I yawned as we walked up staircase after staircase. I knew from Tessa and Lydia that the Gryffindor common room was up on the seventh floor, but I didn't know exactly where. Eventually we stopped outside a portrait of a lady with dark brown hair who was painted in a big, poofy pink dress that made her look fatter than she actually was.

"Password?" she asked delicately.

"Caput Draconis." Percy said. And he ushered the first years into Gryffindor tower.

Here's another chapter! Thanks to the two reviewers (even if one was a guest review)! I hope you enjoy this chapter! :D Please Read and Review! And don't forget to check out the other stories on my profile! Have a wonderful evening! (at least if you are in America like I am) ;)

~Megan