Hey again! This chapter is bit less boring now that most of the introductions are over. Enjoy! Again, I don't own J.K. Rowling's work.

"I can already smell the feast!"James said longingly. He stuck his nose in the air and started sniffing around like a dog. He sighed. "Mum can cook, but there's nothing like a house elf cooked meal."

"I second that. The orphanage cooks are horrible." Valerie replied. She too longed for the Hogwarts feast. It was always amazing. They arrived at the doors of the Great Hall. James got off first, followed by Albus, Rose, Valerie, Danny, and finally Melanie.

The Great Hall was decorated with the banners of the four houses. James went to the Gryffindor table. Danny and Melanie went to the Ravenclaw table, sitting on either side of Charles. Valerie went to go sit with her fellow Slytherins, leaving Albus and Rose to sit with the other first years. She spoke with a few of her housemates, but she didn't really have any Slytherin friends. Her friends had always wondered why she was in Slytherin. Valerie wondered sometimes too. She was brave; she was confident. She wasn't sly and clever. She thought she should've been in Gryffindor, like James and Annabella. She looked around for her sister. She was just now taking her place at the Gryffindor table across from James. Annabella seemed like Ravenclaw material from first sight, but she had shown she was a Gryffindor when Valerie was twelve. She had gotten in a fight with big Slytherin and was getting creamed. Annabella stepped in the middle of the fight and knocked the girl out with one punch. Annabella may have seemed like a goody two-shoes nerd, but she was a true Gryffindor. Valerie sometimes wished she were Annabella.

It wasn't long before they started announcing names for sorting. She watched, not really paying attention. She looked for Albus in the group of first years. He looked extremely excited, as if he already knew his fate. Rose, on the other hand, looked quite scared. Valerie had a feeling she would be in Hufflepuff.

"Potter, Albus." McGonagall announced. He hurried up to stool. He sat down and the hat was lowered on his head. He sat there, looking up at the hat. He looked like he was whispering to the hat.

"Hmmm," said the Sorting Hat, "I say… SLYTHERIN!"

The rest of the Slytherin table roared in applause. Everyone knew the Potter name, so every house thought it would be awesome if they got a Potter. Valerie didn't applaud. She looked up at Albus. He looked like he was on the verge of crying. She looked over at James to see him looking at her. The look on his face told her that he was thinking the same thing he was thinking. Albus stepped down and walked, shoulders slumped, to the Slytherin table. He looked around, trying to find a seat. Valerie waved at him, making a place for him. He looked a bit better, but still distressed and sad. He sat down solemnly. McGonagall continued to call out names, but Valerie didn't pay attention.

"You okay?" She asked after a moment of silence.

"Yeah, I'll be okay. I really wanted to be in Gryffindor. It's not fair! Daddy said I could choose my house. I kept telling the hat Gryffindor, but it wouldn't listen!" He said. A tear escaped his eye. She couldn't help but feel sorry for him. She'd felt the same way when she was first put in Slytherin.

"Well, sometimes the hat can be hard headed. Or I guess hard hatted." She joked. He chuckled a little bit. She patted his back. "Don't worry, Albus. You'll be fine. At least you know someone. When I first got put into Slytherin, I was all alone."

"Thanks, Valerie. You're not bad like people say Slytherins are."

"And neither are you. See, Slytherin can't be that bad. You and I are in it." She said. He laughed. "Look, there's Rose." He looked up with her to see Rose sitting very lightly on the stool. The hat swallowed her small head; curly, orange locks escaping from underneath it.

"I say… RAVENCLAW!"

Valerie wasn't surprised. Though she thought Rose would be in Hufflepuff, she remembered how silent and shy Melanie was when she first met her. Inside that barrier, Rose was probably brilliant. Albus smiled, happy to see his cousin in Ravenclaw. He probably knew how smart she was.

"West, Timothy." McGonagall announced. They continued until the last name was called. Then she began her speech.

"To all of our new students, welcome. To all of our returning students, welcome back. For the past hundred years, Hogwarts…" Valerie zoned out. It was the same speech every year. After the first year, there was no need to pay attention anymore. She looked around for something interesting. She saw Danny stacking his silverware together trying to make a tower. She saw Melanie, watching Charles do the same thing with a different design. Valerie had a feeling they were having another one of their competitions. She saw Annabella listening as always. Last, she saw James. He was fiddling with a string on his robe. His brown hair hung in his face, hiding his eyes.

"And now, let the feast begin!" McGonagall finished. Food appeared on the plates and a fragrant aroma filled the air. She grabbed her fork and dug in. Warmth filled her mouth. She loved the food here. She was probably one of the only people, aside from Annabella, at the orphanage that could say she enjoyed school food.

Once she finished, a few people had already started leaving the Great Hall. Albus was still eating when Violet Richardson, a Slytherin prefect, called for the first years. He looked to Valerie before leaving, his face a mask of nervousness and anticipation. She waved goodbye as he walked out, then left for the common room.

James was sitting outside the doors twisting his wand in his hand. He straightened up as Valerie walked by, running to catch up with her.

"Well, that was unexpected." He said right off the bat. Although James teased his brother, she could tell that he was a bit worried about him being in Slytherin. Even after defending Valerie and Slytherin, James still had presumptions about Slytherin and Valerie knew it.

"Yes, but he'll do fine. I wouldn't worry. I didn't turn out so bad." She replied.

"I beg to differ." James said, chuckling at his own joke. She punched him in the arm, also laughing. "Hey, I'm not the one who charmed Professor Longbottom's chair to move every time he tried to sit."

"Yes, but you were an accomplice and therefore are partially responsible." Valerie said in a matter-of-fact tone. James smiled guiltily. His teeth were perfect, Valerie noticed randomly.

"So, where you going?" James asked after a minute.

"Common room. Why?" Valerie replied.

"Just wondering. Danny and I were thinking about setting off some "Weasly Wizard Wheezes" firecrackers off in the library. You sure you don't wanna come?"

"Erm… yeah. I think I'll head to the common room. I can't afford a detention on the first day back. Annabella would kill me."

"Okay, but you're missing out." He said, running towards the library, where Danny was sitting looking over the WWW package. Valerie went down stairs to the Slytherin common room. When she came up to the wall, she tried to remember the password.

"Is it… Oddsbodikins?" The wall didn't budge. "Quid Agis?" Nothing. She dropped her bag, knowing this would take a while. She continued going through the passwords she could think of until she ran out of words. "Erm… is it-"

"Caput Draconis." A voice from behind her said. The wall opened slowly but surely. She turned to see who it was. It was boy, a fourth year, with black hair and brown eyes so dark you had to strain to see the pupil.

"Erm, thanks." Valerie said awkwardly. She picked up her bag. "How come I've never seen you around here before?"

"Are you asking me if I come here often?" He said, a lazy smirk on his face. Of course, she thought, another stereotypical Slytherin guy; a cocky know-it-all. She rolled her eyes and walked into the common room. "Wait!" He said, catching up to her. "Sorry, lame joke. My name is Adrian Reynolds. I'm new here. I'm sort of an exchange student." He said in an earnest tone. She looked over at him and studied his face. She could tell he was being honest. He put out his hand.

"Valerie Reid." She shook his hand. She was still a bit suspicious of "Mr. Nice Guy" because every Slytherin guy she met had been a total jerk. It was people like them that gave Slytherin a bad name.

"Well, it's was a pleasure to meet you." He let go of her hand and walked over to the couch and put down his bag. "Just came to drop that off." He walked to the door and turned around. "I guess I'll see you around, Valerie Reid." And he was gone.

Valerie was left there a bit confused. A new guy in Slytherin who isn't a total jerk? She liked that thought. I guess I will see you around, she thought. She headed to the girls dormitories, taking one last look around the common room. What a great first day back…

Criticism is gladly accepted! More to come soon!