They few weeks before the start of the school term was very busy for Salem and Jeremiah. They had poured over the book that Salem had brought back and after much persuasion, she had convinced Jeremiah to accept the present. He had been reluctant at first, but now he spent almost every free second reading and rereading its thick pages. They had looked through all the pictures and details the book had to offer. When the day before the train ride to Hogwarts came, they were almost giddy with excitement. Jeremiah had helped Salem pack all her school supplies neatly and organized. He had also formed a bond with the eagle owl. The bird loved being stroked by Jeremiah almost as much as he did by Salem. They were sitting on the floor in Salem's room when Jeremiah jumped up and stepped over to the window where the bird was resting.

"Your owl doesn't have a name yet!" he exclaimed.

"Oh my god! Your right! I totally forgot!" she remarked, astonished that she could forget such a thing. "Got any ideas?" she asked.

"Well, I don't have much experience naming birds." He mused. "What kind of name should he have? Something soft or majestic? Maybe something dark and bold."

"What about majestic but dark at the same time?"

"Yeah! Good idea!"

"What do you think, Nameless?" she asked the owl. Both humans had to stifle their laughter when the owl threw her a indignant look.

"Come on Salem! You can't call him Nameless!"

"Well, I suppose not. Well why don't you come up with something? I can't think of any owl names!"

"What about…." He paused to think. "Lucifer? Or Algernon?" he suggested.

Salem shook her head. Those didn't sound right. Then a thought occurred to her. She went over to where some of her things laid that she hadn't packed yet. She opened a book that she had gotten off of the shelf in the vault at Gringotts and flipped to the page she had last read. It was a potions book and she was reading a potion that would cause a most unpleasant death. She traced her finger down the page until she came to the name of one of the ingredients. A deadly plant. "Nightlock" she whispered. The owl focused on her and gave a small chirping noise.

Jeremiah nodded his head. "Nightlock. Tis a good name indeed." He murmured. "I think he likes It." he said motioning to Nightlock.

"I do too."

After a few more minutes of talking about Hogwarts, flying particularly, they both decided to try and get in a decent amount of sleep before their departure the following day.

Salem tossed and turned until her clock read past 3a.m. she got out of bed and walked over to her window. She sat down on the windowsill and looked up at the moon. It was full and bright. Around her neck she clutched her tigers eye necklace on a silk black string. It brought her comfort having it all the time. It was her mothers. Although clouds fought for the attention of the sky, the moon shined bright. It was then that Salem felt that she would be able to get some sleep and went back to her bed.

It was still early morning when Salem woke up. The sun had yet to rise. Salem got up, got dressed throwing her nightclothes in her trunk and sat down on the windowsill to watch the day begin.

Watching the sunrise was almost routine for Salem. She sat in silent vigil watching the rays of sunlight wash over everything in sight. No matter what happened she would always be eager to watch the sun come over the horizon. It made Salem believe that if the sun could face each new day, then so could she.

After brushing her hair and teeth, Salem put away all the things she would be needing into her trunk and walked down stairs into the kitchen. Ms. MaryAnn gave her a big hug as she came in and took her into the mess hall to a seat that had a plate full of all her favorite breakfast foods. It had honeybread, waffles, pumpkin and blueberry muffins, and bacon and sausage. A huge grin plastered itself onto her face. "Thank you Ms. MaryAnn! Oh thank you so much!" she squealed.

Ms. MaryAnn just smiled and said she would not have Salem go off and not remember her spectacular breakfast send off. Salem just nodded because her mouth was already stuffed with food.

Jeremiah came down a few minutes later and groggily ate his breakfast. After she swallowed her last bite and washed it down with a cup of hot chocolate they got her trunk and headed out to the car.

After about half an hour of driving, they came to a stop at the curb of Kings Cross station. When they got out of the car Ms. MaryAnn handed her an envelope that contained her ticket and Jeremiah handed her a card. Salem took both and stuffed the first envelope into her pocket. She opened the card and read the handwriting. It said 'Good luck Salem! Have fun at Hogwarts!' signed by Jeremiah, Ms. MaryAnn and Mrs. Murry. Also, a picture slid out and fell to the ground. Salem picked it up and recognized the one that Ms. MaryAnn had taken of them on the front steps of the Home. They were holding hands and smiling brightly. Salem thought it was a great picture.

Jeremiah gave Salem a big hug and said brightly ''maybe next year you wont be going alone yeah?" he was smiling and Salem thought about how great it would be if he could be coming with her.

''Yeah. You and me, causing trouble and having a blast!'' she told him.

They nodded and he added "And if not. I will have to make enough trouble for the both of us." She was hugged by Ms. MaryAnn and Jeremiah one last time before she went to get on the platform.

After goodbyes Salem walked towards the large bridge where she could walk over platforms. She was about to open the envelope when she heard a small squeak by the side. She went over to look and was startled by a small rodent. It wasn't a rat, or a mouse, or anything resembling the two. It looked like a mini-squirrel. After a few minutes of thinking, Salem realized it was a small sugar glider. Not commonly found in London. She wondered what it could possibly be doing at Kings Cross Station. But it was so cute and she just couldn't leave him there. So the little sugar glider was hidden inside her sweater pocket and before long it was fast asleep. Not to be disturbed by anything, even the loud train whistles. Salem then walked off the bridge and off to find her train.

Everything had run smoothly until Salem had opened her ticket. She was in between platforms nine and ten when she realized the problem. There was no such thing as the platform on her ticket. According to it, she needed to get to platform 9 ¾ she didn't know if this was some kind of joke or not, but decided to walk down the platform in between nine and ten just incase.

By the time she should have been getting on the train, Salem was completely and utterly lost. She had gone up and down the platform and tried to ask a supervisor but he had just given her a peculiar look and walked off. Salem was about to start panicking when she heard a voice behind her.

"Looking for the Hogwarts Express?" the voice asked.

"Um, yes actually. Do you know where it is?" she turned around to ask.

The boy behind her was tall with dark brown/black hair. He had clear blue eyes and was smiling down at her. "Yeah, its this way." He motioned for her to come with him. "I'm Serious Black by the way." He introduced himself.

"Salem Silverthorn." She said shaking his hand.

"Oh I've heard of you! You're in my year at Hogwarts. We are both first years. My mom made me learn about all pureblood families before I came here" he explained when she looked at him oddly. "My family is obsessed with blood status. They've all been in slytherin for centuries, along with the Malfoys. Be careful not to get in the way of Lucius. He is really crabby. He is a prefect this year so we will have to watch out. What house do you want to be in? Or think you will be in?" he asked.

Wow this boy talks a lot. And to complete strangers too. That's going to come back and haunt him one day I bet. She thought. "Well, I have read a lot about the houses, and if its based on what I have read about I guess I will probably be in Slytherin, but I would rather be in something like Hufflepuff. They sound nice." She said. She hadn't really thought about what house she would be in. but she was cunning and sneaky, not brave or noble. She didn't always play fair, but was loyal to those who she got close to, so she wasn't sure about Hufflepuff and there was no way she would be able to be a Gryffindor. She wasn't the smartest person in the Home, nor did she come close, even though she enjoyed reading. So Ravenclaw was a no. Slytherin sounded awfully depressing. Having to always fight to be accepted. That was why Hufflepuff sounded so great to her. Growing up at the Home, it would be nice to be accepted for once.

Serious looked sorry for her. But he was in a similar situation, so he could relate. "Well, you never know. I want to be in Gryffindor, just to get back at my family. It would be brilliant to see her face when she discovered I was put into a different house. Er, my mother that is." He smirked at the idea. "What about your parents? Are they open to the idea of you not being in slytherin? Where are they anyways? Shouldn't they be showing you where to go?"

"They just dropped me off at the front." She said. Why did you lie to him? That was stupid. What if he finds out? But then again… having people not feeling sorry for you? How would that feel? You would know if your friends were really friends with you, not feeling sorry for you and letting you hang around. Oh yeah, what friends?

"Oh, well it's a good thing I found you then. Here we are." He stopped in front of a square brick pillar

"Wha?" she asked before he grabbed her arm and pushed her and the trolley into the wall. She braced herself and clenched her teeth, waiting for the crash. It never came. Instead, she was standing on a new platform. The sign above them said 9 ¾. There was a black and red colored train in front of them.

Serious turned and said, "Well, here we are. Welcome to the Hogwarts Express!" he had a huge grin plastered on his face.

Salem was still gaping at the sight. "Thanks. Well, I guess I'll be going. I hope you get into Gryffindor." She said once she had recovered.

"Same! See you later!" he said and walked to the passenger section of the train.

Salem went to the luggage section and handed the attendant her trunk and owl. With her wand in her pocket and a small leather pouch in her other pocket, Salem boarded the train.

After walking through a few cars, Salem finally gave up on trying to find a secluded compartment and went to look for a semi-empty one. The next one she found had a familiar face in it. She opened the door and asked if she could join them. There was a red haired girl with her nose in a book, a girl with spiky brown hair and the same boy from the Diagon Alley where she had gotten her owl.

"Sure. Have a seat." The red head motioned to the seat across from the other girl and next to the black haired boy. She sat down and looked out the window, they had just started moving. When she returned her attention to the compartment, the red head introduced herself.

"Hi, I'm Lily Evens. This is Alice Bishop," she motioned to the spiky haired girl. "And this is Severus Snape."

"Yeah, we met in Diagon Alley." Severus said. "But I didn't catch your name."

"My name is Salem Silverthorn."

They talked until dark and Salem liked them. They were friendly and funny. Lily had a great sense of humor once you got to know her. Alice was quiet at first, but then let loose and was loud and energetic. Severus remained calm, but often added onto the jokes and made them funnier.

After a while Alice started falling asleep and Lily returned to reading her book. Severus was silent so Salem stared out the window. They all had already changed into their robes and had eaten a few snacks from the trolley. Salem loved the licorice wand and Droobles Best Blowing Gum. She was still chewing when they pulled up at Hogsmead Station but quickly spit it out and got out with Lily, Alice and Severus.

"First years follow me!" a familiar voice bellowed.

"Hagrid! It's so good to see you!" Salem said giving him a hug.

"Great to see you too Salem! Got some new friends I see. Not going to forget to come visit right?" Salem shook her head.

"I will come by as soon as my classes end tomorrow!" she said.

"Wonderful, just wait till you meet Fang! He loves company." He turned and raised his voice. "Alright, all first years follow me to the boats." He announced.

"They all got in small rowboats that magically moved towards a enormous castle. All the students' mouths were hanging open, gasping at the incredible sight before them. It was the most awing sight Salem had ever beheld.

Once they had made it through the entrance of the castle, they were led up a staircase where a stern looking witch awaited them. "Now, you will come with me and be sorted into your houses. The houses are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin. While you are here the houses will be like your family. Good behavior will earn you points, any rule breaking and you will lose points. At the end of the year the house with the most points will be awarded the house cup. Now please follow me to be sorted."

She led them into the great hall, which was filled with students already seated. Salem looked ahead and saw a man with twinkling blue eyes and a long white beard. Once they had reached the front of the hall, an old hat was placed on a stool, and to Salem's amazement, started to sing. She didn't quite catch the whole song, because she was caught up in the fact that it could talk. Once it was over the woman took out a scroll and started calling names. The first name was a girl called Sarah Wicker. The hat was placed upon her head and after a few seconds it called out: "HUFFLEPUFF!" Over the next few minutes many slytherins were announced and quite a few Ravenclaws.

"Potter, James," a skinny boy with wild black hair walked up and took his place on the stool. "GRYFFINDOR!" the hat exclaimed. There was only four first years at the Gryffindor table so James was met with plenty of enthusiasm.

"Evens, Lily."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Severus looked downcast.

"Bishop, Alice."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Bones, Lucinda."

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Snape, Severus."

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Black, Serious."

Salem didn't know why, but she found herself holding her breath. She remembered how Serious wanted to be in Gryffindor but how his family was always in Slytherin.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

There was no applause this time. The hall was deadly silent. A Black was not placed in Slytherin.

Without thinking about it, Salem started clapping loudly. Soon, the rest of the Gryffindor table followed, then Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. Slytherin stayed silent.

"Silverthorn, Salem."

Salem silently made her way to the stool with the talking hat. The woman placed the hat on her head and was shocked when the hat spoke in her mind.

"hmmm, now her is a tricky one. I see that you are pure of blood. Cunning and sneaky abilities you possess. Loyalty, smart, but not exactly fitting to either of these houses. Bravery. And courage. Yes, lots of courage, and a desire to prove yourself and earn your power."

"Mr. Hat, I think you must be mistaken. I am not brave, and I am afraid. I have no courage. I think I would do well somewhere like Hufflepuff, they sound kind, maybe they would accept me?"

"Hmmm. I see. But you are wrong about that. You do have the qualities I told you. So I will make my decision based on that."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Salem felt her heart sink. There was no way she would fit in with the Gryffindors. She went and sat down next to Serious, who was waving her over to an empty seat. She sat beside him and across from Alice and Lily.

"Thanks for saving me back there." He said.

"No problem. I would have died in your position. At least you got into Gryffindor like you wanted!"

"Yeah, sorry about not getting into Hufflepuff. But hey, they are boring. You will have so much more fun in Gryffindor." He said trying not to sound to excited. "And at least you have friends in your house already!" he looked like he was going to say more but was cut off by the appearance of food. The feast had begun. Salem had never seen so much food in her life. It all looked so delicious and she wondered who made it. She would defiantly be thanking them later.

After the feast ended, a prefect came up and handed them each their class schedule. Serious asked to look at hers as soon as she got it. He handed it back to her saying, "we have Potions, Defense against the Dark Arts, and Astronomy together."

Lily and Alice took it from her before Salem could protest. "We have Charms together and me, you and Alice have Flying, first term together." Lily told her.

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Salem couldn't believe her ears. She had friends. And before term officially started! She looked at her papers and made a mental note to memorize them first thing.

After the feast was over the prefects showed them to the dormitories and told them that the password for the Fat Lady was: Balderdash. Salem thought it was a wonderful sounding word while the boy to her left just snickered. Once they were in the common room, the prefects explained where the dormitories were and how boys could not enter the girl's dorms via magical protection. They announced who was staying in what dorm and Salem almost jumped with joy when she found out that she would be sharing the dorm with Lily, Alice and a girl whose name was Jessica Jasmine. She had curly dirty-blonde hair and was rather timid.

They made their way up to the dorm and found that their trunks and birdcages had already been brought up. Her bed was farthest from the door and next to a large windowsill that could be used as a nightstand or small table for homework. Her bed was a bit farther from the others but Salem didn't mind, she liked her space.

Once she was sure everyone was asleep, Salem brought out the little sugar glider that was hidden in her robes pocket and brought him to the pillow. "Now what am I going to do with you?" she whispered to the little fur ball. "I cant take you to all my classes can I, no, that would never work. And I am not entirely sure that I would be allowed to keep you if you were discovered. Maybe I can ask Hagrid after classes tomorrow! He will know what to do. And maybe he will know where you came from. But for now, you need a name. How about….. Hadley? Like it? Excellent! Since you slept through the whole train ride I am assuming you are nocturnal? Like me. Well, that might be a good thing if I can keep you quiet in my pocket during classes. But just for tomorrow, until I figure out what to do with you! Good night Hadley." Salem said tucking the little creature back under the bit of blanket he had secured by the upper bedpost. Salem looked at the moon one last time and went to sleep.