Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter and its characters I don't. I do however own everything that you don't see in the books or movies so HA!

Clarissa stood outside the great hall with Professor McGonagall and Severus. Professor McGonagall was holding the sorting hat and smiled at Clarissa kindly before holding the hat out towards her. "Are you ready?" Clarissa smiled and took the hat from Professor McGonagall before handing it to Severus. "Want to do the honors?" He took the hat from her with slight apprehension. Clarissa smiled and closed her eyes waiting while Severus took a deep breath and set the hat atop her head. It sunk down past her eyes and began to talk while deciding where she would go.

"This is…very strange, you're a bit off now aren't you?"

Clarissa laughed and wordlessly agreed with the hat. Ink then decided to poke his head out of the back of her shirt and stared up at the hat. He looked to Flit and Fleta who quietly hooted at him then went back to staring at the hat. He continued to stare at it and flicked it with his tong. Clarissa felt the hat jump in her mind, its mind instantly made up. "Slytherin!" he gasped out and Professor McGonagall plucked the hat off Clarissa's head just as she started to laugh. Severus scolded her lightly and then broke into a smile, he was proud, slightly still angered that she was there, but proud.

The doors to the Great Hall opened and Professor McGonagall entered with Severus who was back to his regular school year scolding self. While the first years were being sorted Clarissa smiled and leaned against the wall across the Great Hall. "Congratulations Mistress." Clarissa jumped and looked down at Granny who was standing there with a needle and tread along with the Slytherin emblem. "Who weren't kidding about sewing that on were you?" Granny laughed and gestured for Clarissa to hand over her school robe. "Really now Mistress why would I kid about such a thing?" Granny said as she settled onto the floor to start sewing on the emblem. Clarissa continued to smile and thanked Granny when she finished. "I guess it's about time I go in…" Clarissa said as she stood straight now wearing her robe.

"Good luck Mistress." Granny said as Clarissa made her way to the doors and looked back at her briefly with a happy smile, "Thanks Granny." Clarissa pushed open one of the doors and entered before making her way over to Slytherin's table and finding an empty seat at the very end. No one seemed to notice her, for which she was happy, because they were all caught up in the feast. However a few did notice her, Griffin was looking mournful as he stared at her, so did Samara. Dominic smiled at her and gave her a thumb up. Then there were the other Griffindors she knew, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred and George…they all looked…different. Fred and George wore the same expression as Griffin and Samara. Harry tried to give her what she thought was a hopeful smile, as did Hermione, Ron however looked…well she wasn't sure what he looked like but happy was clearly off the list. However she also found herself not caring.

She started to place a little of this and a little of that on her plate while Ink once again decided to make himself known and poked his head out of the front of her shirt. Ink looked around at everyone there, which consisted of a slightly startled Slytherins who weren't expecting him, before looking up at Clarissa and letting out a hiss. She smiled at her new classmates, as through to reassure them, while she reached over a bit and picked up a chicken wing. She then held it in front of Ink who shot out, grabbed it, gulped it down, nuzzled Clarissa's hand and then went back into her shirt to sleep. "You…you have a snake?" the young girl in front of her asked. She didn't need to have been in Hogwarts before to tell that the girl was a first year. "Yup, his names Ink, sorry if he startled you, he has horrid manners, but he means well." The girl laughed lightly and then pointed to Flit and Fleta, "What are their names?" Clarissa grinned and went on with the introductions. "This is Fleta on my right and Flit on my left." Flit and Fleta hooted lightly and Clarissa nodded.

The two jumped from her shoulders and hoped across the table to the young girl who smiled at them and patted them when they rubbed their heads on her hands. Clarissa looked over to the high table where the teachers sat when she felt as trough someone was staring at her. Her feeling had been right and she found Severus to be staring at her, she smiled at him and he nodded back. Her eyes moved down the table and came to rest and Lupin who was also staring at her. He gave what she knew was a sort of happy smile and nodded to her. She didn't know what to do in return so she just turned away from him and looked back to Tabitha. The girls head then shot up and gave Clarissa an apologetic look "I'm sorry, my name in Tabitha Clawson, first year, you?" Clarissa waved her hand lightly "Clarissa Brewtrix, first time attending Hogwarts but not a first year, third year, pleasure to meet you." Tabitha and Clarissa smiled at one another when the two small owls hooted at Clarissa again "oh, and Fleta and Flit say that their pleased to meet you as well…" A low hissing noise came from inside Clarissa's shirt and she laughed "So does Ink." Tabitha stared at her in shock "You understand them?" she asked pointing at the Owls and staring where she thought Ink was. Clarissa nodded "Yeah, it's short of a family gift. I understand them and they understand me."

Tabitha stared at her before she leaned in slightly and Clarissa did the same listening to her. "Does this mean you're a…you know…Posil…" Clarissa shushed her before she could go on. "No, I'm not, I can not speak anything an animal, creature or beast can. They just understand me and I just understand them. No more no less." Tabitha nodded and then looked past Clarissa to stare behind her. Clarissa turned as well and stared at the three boys standing there. The one in front with the blonde hair smiled "Hello there, as a third year, not being new to this school as you are, I feel I must introduce myself and offer assistance to you in anyway I can. Draco Malfoy." He said as he held out his hand to Clarissa who looked at it before forcing out a smile and taking it. 'Clarissa…Brewtrix, pleased to meet you." He released her hand, much to her relief before sitting down next to her, the other two boys continued to stand. They were like…bodyguards.

"I knew you had to be new, I don't know how I would forget a face like yours. When were you sorted through, I don't remember you being called with the other first years." He said with a nod in Tabitha's direction. "That would be because I'm not a first year. This is my first year at Hogwarts but I am a third year. I was sorted privately just before the real first years." Clarissa smiled at Tabitha who giggled and pointed to Flit and Fleta who were staring a roll down. Clarissa nodded and Tabitha picked it up to beak off small pieces to feed to the small owls. "Ah, that would explain it." Clarissa felt eyes staring at her and looked past Tabitha to the Griffindor table to meet Griffin's eyes. They had a whole silent conversation while Malfoy went on about…something. Griffin then sighed and nodded his head to the left; Clarissa looked past him to the Ravenclaw table where her and Dominic had the same silent conversation and then once more with Samara. It seemed that all her friends that the same thing about Malfoy, he was trouble.

"So Clarissa do you follow Quiditch?" Clarissa looked at Malfoy and once again forced a smile. "I only started to really follow it recently." He looked at her as through she had grown a second head. "Only recently? And what made you start to follow it only recently?" Clarissa smiled. "When my friends made their house teams." Malfoy looked confused so Clarissa shrugged to herself and went on. "My friends are on their house teams, you know, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff?" Malfoy looked across the great hall at the other tables. "And what do they do exactly?"

"Samara is Hufflepuffs seeker, Dominic is a beater for Ravenclaw and Griffin is a chaser for Gryffindor, and then there are the Wesley twins, their beaters, and I'm sure you know what Harry is, but he doesn't really count since I only met him on the train." Clarissa smirked. Malfoy looked horrified "Your friends with those dunderheads!" Clarissa's face took on a dark look as she now turned her head to stare Malfoy down. "Listen to me you pure blood twit. You have no right to talk about my friends in such a way when your little fat statues here" she jerked a thumb in Crab and Goyle's direction "Are no smarter then a dung bomb." Clarissa stood up then and held her arms down towards Fleta and Flit who hoped on and went up to her shoulders. She smiled down at Tabitha with a kind smile. "It was a pleasure to meet you Tabitha, I hope we can talk again soon." And with that she glared down at Malfoy once more before she looked to the other three tables.

She hadn't even made her decision when the twins jumped up and ran over to her. "Come with us Mud Pie." They both said at once and whisked her away to their table. She laughed as they practically pushed her there and then sat her down where the others were and took a place on either side of her. She smiled at them all and then looked past them to Malfoy who looked beyond enraged. "Looks like you just made your first enemy." Fred said. She waved at Malfoy with a happy smile before shrugging at Fred. "So?" the twins laughed and Griffin reached across the table to pat Clarissa's head. "Good girl." Clarissa playfully snapped her jaws at him. "Be careful I bite." It got quiet once more as everyone went back to catching up, but even as they all talked Clarissa felt many eyes on her from all the tables.

Then Ron spoke "So what happened over there that you came here?" Clarissa shrugged as she fed Flit another piece of bread. "I don't like anyone who makes fun of my friends and I wasn't happy when he called the twins, Griffin, Dominic, Samara and even Harry here a dunderhead. I can already tell he will be nothing but trouble." Hermione nodded "Good, you're defiantly not stupid enough to think he's an ok guy." Clarissa smiled at her. "Thanks, I did manage to maybe make one friend through. She's a first year, her name is Tabitha Clawson." Griffin smiled "That's good; at least you won't be completely alone to fend off the snakes." Ink, having heard this, shot down Clarissa sleeve and hissed at Griffin who held up his hands and pushed himself back. Everyone else at the table jumped and stared at Ink in horror. "Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean any offence to you Ink."

Ink still held his position when Clarissa lightly taped his head and got him to look at her. While Ink was staring at her she stared at Griffin and jerked her head slightly towards the chicken wings. Griffin got the hit and reached over to grab one before he brought Ink's attention back to him. "Friends?" he asked holding the wing out for him. Ink stared at it before nodding and grabbing it, swallowing it down and going back into Clarissa's shirt.

"Bloody hell, who decided to let you bring a snake to school." Ron said as he stared at Clarissa's chest which looked to be moving as Ink got comfy. The twins along with Griffin laughed, while everyone else waited for an answer. "You act as through this is the first time you have seen Ink Ron." Clarissa said with a very very small smile as she looked past Ron to Severus who didn't look very happy. Or at least more unhappy then usual. "Still, last time I checked you could only bring an Owl, cat or toad to school." Clarissa looked back to him. "You're not allowed to comment on Ink when you have an ill mannered rat that acts funny even by my standards, who let you take him to school?" Harry and Hermione looked at one another and laughed. Ron stared at her, she could tell he was thinking hard and then he cracked a smile and began to laugh as well.

Fred and George laughed while Griffin however was looking towards the high table at Snape. "He doesn't look happy…I wonder why?" he said as he looked to Clarissa. Everyone had calmed down by now and caught up with the conversation. "Most likely because one of his snakes is sitting with us lions." George said with a grin. Clarissa stared at Severus along with everyone else; she however could read what the others couldn't. It wasn't just her sitting here, it was something else, but what. "That is not all he's mad about." She muttered looking back to the table. Harry looked at her "What else could he be mad about?" She looked up at him and shook her head. "I don't know…"

The dishes were faded away then and desert took their place. Clarissa automatically jumped on any chocolate that was within her reach. Everyone was talking once more when Clarissa felt the pull again towards Lupin. She couldn't explain it, usually after she figured out what someone was she no longer felt a pull. What the hell was this? She discreetly looked to the high table to Lupin who was talking to the professor next to him. Why did she feel any pull towards him?

"Clarissa" she looked over to Griffin and he pointed to her table where the children were standing getting ready to be lead to their house dormitories. "Oh, time to go then…well goodnight all." She stood and smiled to everyone before looking to Dominic and Samara as well. She nodded to each of them and then moved to follow the other Slytherins out. She stopped at the door briefly to look back at Severus with a smile and then continued on her way.