[I know it's been a while since an update, but I have big ideas for this story, I just needed the time to organize my thoughts. It would be really helpful if anyone could take a minute if their time and throw a review my way. I'd like to know what you think, what you like, or aren't too fond of. Thanks.]
"What a foul loathsome mouth breather."
Ron mumbled as Harry, Corbin and himself walked the length of the Hogwarts Express, towards the castle.
"Who?" Corbin asked.
"That git, Draco." Ron continued, looking very much like he was fighting the urge to spit on the ground as he said the name.
"Malfoy?" Corbin was confused. The boy she had met seemed nice enough, if anything, a little arrogant. Surely, that wasn't enough to condemn a man.
Harry remained quiet as Ron went into violent detail of the past few years with Draco. Corbin politely and discreetly tuned him out, while trying to nod in all the right places. She wanted to find out for herself. She loved people, and after being shut away from them for so long, she was hardly in the position to start declined friends.
Finally, Ron went his own way and it was only Harry and Corbin headed up to the Headmasters' office.
"Harry! Corbin! Ah, yes." Dumbledore said, as they entered his office, "Now, we don't have much time, I am needed down at the feast…the Sorting Hat is needed as well, those first years are a nervous lot this year!" He grinned his usual reassuring know-all grin and fetched the hat off the shelf.
Harry was sure Corbin would be in Gryffindor. He wasn't even sure why they had to go through this process. Remus and Lily had both been Gryffindor, and everyone knew you ended up where your parents had been.
"Harry…if you could give us a moment?" Dumbledore asked.
Harry quietly excused himself and waited outside the door for Corbin.
Professor Snape was on his way to the Great Hall and stopped beside Harry, with a sneer on his face.
"Potter. What are you doing up here? You are not a staff member, and thus should be at the Sorting Ceremony. Or, are you above ceremonies for others at this point in your career?" He sneered.
"I'm just waiting for-"
"No excuses Potter; downstairs, now. Before I get there, or Gryffindor will be in the negatives before term even starts."
Harry didn't bother replying; he just spun and ran down the stairs at top speed to the Great Hall.
Fred & George had saved a seat for Corbin, but after the Sorting and dinner had finished, Harry began to worry. Corbin hadn't joined them yet.
Dumbledore was downstairs now, and was giving his orientation speech.
"…corridor is out of bounds, and our caretaker Filch asks me to remind…." Dumbledore went on.
Finally everyone stood up and began heading towards the common rooms. Harry craned his neck to see if he could pick out Corbin in the crowd.
She came at him at a run.
"Harry, Harry!" She was frantic, and was wearing purple robes.
"Corbin?" Fred and George appeared beside Harry.
"I was sorted into Ravenclaw! Do you think my Dad will be put off?" She panicked.
"Don't worry, love." Fred said.
"Yeah, Ravenclaw's all smarts, he'll be bursting wherever you were sorted." George assured her.
Harry was uneasy. He hadn't expected this.
"It's fine, don't panic." He said as much for her, as himself.
"I have to go!" Corbin said, and went at a run back to her line up.
She had thought she would have at least Fred & George, but now she had no one.
The first day of semester came with a crater full of welcome from Corbin. Her first class was Charms with Slytherin, but then it would be Potions with Gryffindor. Some security at last.
Corbin avoided breakfast in the Great Hall, and instead spent her morning in the owlery, awaiting the return of her tawny Miskey. She had sent an owl to Sirius and her father immediately after being sorted, to share her alarm and seek their guidance. Her owl had been waiting for her when she got there. She gave her a bit of carrot and took the envelope from her.
The letter seemed to have been from both men.
Corie,
Dear, we are so proud of you for getting into Ravenclaw! You are unique and we expected nothing less from you, than to break out of the norm! You must remember not to panic!
We are just an owl away, and Harry is there for you, however reluctant he may seem right now…
Padfoot sends his love, and Molly Weasley wanted to remind you of course that she will still be sending you some nice scarves and mittens for winter, but she will be sure to make them purple!
Let us know how your first classes go.
Love,
Dad
Corie sighed and decided to reply after her Potions class. She headed first to Charms with the Slytherin group. She was taking Charms one year behind, and got lost on her way there. Finally, bounding into the class, all the seats were taken. Professor Flitwick seemed to be jarred awake by her presence, as his own speech was setting him to bed.
"Miss Lupin! I'm ill prepared today, sad to say, but if you could fetch a chair from the next classroom, and just cozy up to a table. Thank you dear." Then he resumed his lesson.
Corbin awkwardly dragged the chair to the nearest table, trying to make as little noise as possible. Finally she sat down and looked around. She frowned immediately. She was sitting with the Slytherins. She wanted to bury her head in her robe and cry. But she figured that would attract more unwanted attention. She also didn't want to make a production of standing up again and dragging the chair the few more feet to a Ravenclaw table, so she just sat quietly and acted like she had meant to end up there.
"Corbin, right?" A boy asked.
She looked up quickly. T was the boy from the train, Draco. He was surrounded by a different crowd. The people around him seemed legitimately preoccupied with the Charms lesson, enough so to ignore her presence.
"Yeah, Draco?" She had full well remembered his name, but his ego seemed big enough.
"So Ravenclaw…" he said, seeming to be taking in the situation and analyzing it. "You're too cool to be a Ravenclaw. I think the Hat's gone round the bend." He chuckled.
Corbin wasn't sure if she should laugh or not. They had fun on the train, but now they were labeled, branded…things might be different. She felt like she was treading on broken shards.
"Yeah, the Hat was looking a bit peaky." She smiled.
Flitwick coughed loudly. Apparently, they weren't whispering as expertly as they thought.
They nodded solemnly at the teacher, but the moment he resumed his speech, they broke into a fit of giggles.
Professor Flitwick assigned almost a whole novel worth of summarizing to complete, causing Corbin to groan in annoyance.
"Don't worry about his homework too much, he rarely checks it. Mostly he assigns it to keep the other professors off his back." Draco stated, gathering his books.
Corbin smiled, "Well, that will save me loads of time. I have Potions next, and I'm told Professor Snape is very serious…"
"He's not that bad. Has his favorites, so just stay on his good side and it'll be a smooth ride for you." Draco suggested.
"I'll keep that in mind. See you…" Corbin said, spinning on spot, and on her way out the room, to avoid being confronted by disgruntled Ravenclaws.
Draco put his hand on her shoulder and led her to the side where no one could hear them.
He whispered.
"They announced at breakfast this morning that the first Hogsmeade weekend…is this weekend. You should check out Honeydukes with me, especially if it's your first time." He smiled.
"I'll let you know if I'll be going into the Village." She said, and turned into the crowd, that carried her along to the dungeons, where Potions class took place.
Corbin was conflicted. She hadn't planned that far ahead, as this weekend. If she did go, she would be expected to go with Harry and Ron…and they didn't have much of a taste for Draco Malfoy. 'It must be a macho man thing…' she rationalized.
She entered the Potions class, and felt frozen to the bone right away. She took a seat with the Ravenclaws and glanced over to her left to see Fred & George waving and grinning madly at her. It made her feel a bit warmer. That is, until Professor Snape swooshed in with his incredible black cape, that practically had its own sound effects.
A chill ran down her spine.
She tried to smile, and opened her textbook, had a quill ready and parchment.
"Welcome back class…now, I will be starting us off right away, with something relatively simple…all you need to do is brew 3 potions simultaneously, they must all turn the same shade in order for full potency. They are calming potions. They are only effective if all three are brewed correctly, and then mixed together. You have thirty minutes."
He spun away towards his desk.
Corbin panicked, wishing he had given her some potion to drink first.
She turned to the girl beside her to ask if she knew what page in the text book that the potion was on; when Snape's booming voice interrupted her.
"Miss…Lupin…am I correct?"
Corbin was too scared to move her head in a nodding motion.
"Corbin Lupin….sir." She said meekly.
"Yes…" He glared at her. "Miss Lupin, I require that you don't disrupt Miss Jacoby as she tried to complete the assignment. It is not her fault you are not prepared."
"But I-"
"Five points from Ravenclaw. I will not be spoken back to, Miss Lupin. You may be used to preferential treatment, but let me assure you; you are just like everyone else." He sneered.
She felt like she had been hit by a shovel. Why was he treating her this way? Differently than the whole class…was it something she had done?
His eyes were glowering at her, but his gaze was somehow purposefully avoiding her face. He seemed to know something. She let out a quiet gasp, and stifled the urge to quietly sob…
She spent the rest of the class struggling with her Potions in silence.
When Snape dismissed the class, her potions were all different shades of red and orange. She ran from the class, not looking back.
She ran right passed a bewildered Draco, who had been waiting at the door of the classroom for her.
[Authors note: Please review!]