Chapter 2: "Sorting…the real Lyssa"

The sorting ceremony has started. As she waited her turn she looked up at all the teachers. She knew who most of them were by listening to her brothers.

"Faber Hawthorne" said the person doing the sorting ceremony. Lyssa now turned her attention to her brother. She knew she was next. As the sorting hat was deciding, she heard whispers and murmurs about where he would be ending up. She knew it was because of the last name. She was determined not to let her name control her no matter where she ended up.

"SLYTHERIN!" cried the hat. A cheer rose from the table. She knew that cheer had to be started by her brothers.

"Lyssa Hawthorne" she could hear more whispers and murmurs as she took her seat and the sorting hat on her head. She then heard the sorting had talk to her. Interesting. Another Hawthorne. Interesting. First female one that I have ever had. But where to put you. I know you would excel in whichever house I put you in, but I feel you have the need to prove yourself. You know you are more than just your last name. I think it would be wise to put you in the following house.

"Hufflepuff!" the hat cried. As she went to her table, she heard more whispers, and saw a lot of shocked faces. She knew the shocked faces were forthcoming. Once the ceremony ended, and she was now in her new common room, she wrote a letter to her dad. She told him of her day and what house she and Faban got put in. She kind of knew her dad would know what house her brother got put in, but she wanted to give him some piece of mind. She knew that he wouldn't write. None of her brothers really wrote home. She learned of all the news on the Christmas break.

"Lyssa, right? A girl asked.

"That's correct" said Lyssa

"I'm Angela Barran" she said extending her hand, which Lyssa shook." I know what it's liked to be shunned and looked at with a bit of fear and unknowns because of your name."

"Your name does sound familiar" said Lyssa, trying to remember where she heard it before. Aha, she thought. "Your dad is Liam Barron" the girl nodded "Your family is in the same business as my family"

"You can kind of see why I came to you" said Angela. "We kind of need to stick together, and show people that just because we have our families last name, they shouldn't judge us by that"

"But you know they will" said Lyssa

"Yeah: Angela sighed "Let's go and prove them wrong."

Lyssa' s first class of the day was potions with Professor Snape. She was excited, not for the teacher so much, only because of what her brothers told her, but because she wanted to work with potions as her trade one day. Her mother was extremely good at them, and showed her the finer points of them. Her dad, didn't think it was a good idea of her learning them as such a young age, but her mother thought that since she wasn't allowed to do magic yet, this would satisfy her. Her mother was right. To prepare for the class, she checked over her brothers notes, and learned what potions they were to be doing and spent her summer perfecting them.

This year the Hufflepuffs had potions with the Slytherins'. As usual, an according to her brothers stories, Snape favored the Slytherin house. He assigned the first potion. They were making the potion as he was walking around looking at each potion and making a comment or two, especially towards the Hufflepuffs potions. Surprisingly when he got to hers, he looked at it, and didn't say a word. A lot of people were surprised by this. She was as well, a little. But knew that her hard work during the summer paid off.

As instructed by Snape, she poured some of her potion in a vial and labeled it. As she handed him the potion on her way out, she smiled at him. He just quickly narrowed his eyes a bit and looked away.