(A/n) Yay to new readers!! Thank you for the favorites and alerts!

Disclaimer: See first chapter. Original characters belong to me.

Chapter 7

The Sorting was a Hogwarts tradition that involved the placement of new students into the four Houses of the school: Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, and Slytherin. The Sorting hat was a rather dismal looking wizard's hat that had been enchanted with the duty of placing all new students into one of these four Houses. Lumina had been aware of this particular tradition since she had been younger. Her father had often spoken about her attending Hogwarts and perhaps being Sorted into Ravenclaw, seeing as she had been surprisingly intelligent for her age. Of course, this had been before she was discovered to be a Squib and long before her father went crazy…

While the first year students were being placed into their appropriate Houses, a rather large person had walked in from a door behind the teacher's table and settled themselves in the big chair that was right beside Lumina's. She looked up to find Rubeus Hagrid creaking in his chair as he tried to get more comfortable, water dripping from his thick, tangled mane and beard of dark hair. He looked over at her and gave a broad grin in hello. Lumina returned the smile before turning her attention back to the Sorting.

As each new student tried on the hat and it opened the rip at its brim to call out a House, Lumina felt a twinge envy and sadness. How different her life would have been if she had been a witch… But fate had other plans in store for her the day she had been born. As her green eyes began to wander the sea of faces and black caps that were watching the first years, Lumina had the funniest feeling that she was being watched. She looked over along the table and found the surly, dark haired professor from earlier watching her with a deep frown set on his face.

Why on earth was he glowering at her like that? She returned the stare then raised a slender dark brow in question. He narrowed his dark eyes in response and finally turned his attention back to the Sorting.

"Don' yeh min' him." A deep voice grumbled in her ear and she jumped in surprise to find Hagrid leaning close to her. His beetle black eyes were crinkling from the smile he gave. "Tha's Professor Snape. He's a bit unpleasant with people mos' of the time."

"That's all well and good… but does he have to scowl at me like that?" Lumina whispered in turn as her gaze returned to the professor, who glared at the plate in front of him. She found herself frowning again; she had to admit that he was one of the most unpleasant looking people she had ever laid eyes on. "He doesn't even know me."

Hagrid could only shrug his massive shoulders in answer to her question and turned to watch as the last student was finally placed in their House. The professor who took the hat and stool away was a rather stern looking witch with dark hair kept in a tight bun at the nape of her neck and square-rimmed glasses. She disappeared through another door behind the teacher's table just as Dumbledore rose out of his chair and smiled at the students, his arms open wide in welcome. The students fell silent all at once and kept their eyes on the Headmaster.

"I have only two words to say to you." He said, his deep blue eyes twinkling. "Tuck in."

"Hear, hear!" Two students' voices rose up loudly in response just as food magically appeared on the gold platters and plates that adorned all of the tables. Lumina had glanced over to where those two students sat at the Gryffindor table and recognized the red haired, freckled student and the dark haired one with the glasses as the ones who had been on the train.

"Tha's Ron Weasley," said Hagrid, having noticed that Lumina had been watching the students curiously. He pointed to the red head and then to the one with glasses. "And tha's Harry Potter. Both good kids…" He smiled at her as he reached over to start filling his massive plate with all sorts of food.

"Potter…" Lumina repeated the name and a frown twitched the corners of her lips down. Yes, she, like the rest of the wizarding world, knew the background story to the Boy-Who-Lived. She studied Harry Potter and was surprised to see that he looked genuinely happy and at peace with the world. He was talking with, and at this she paled considerably and felt her heart stop, a ghost who was wearing an over large ruff. Lumina felt a shudder run through her, Dumbledore had warned her that Hogwarts was home to some twenty something ghosts but still… To put it rather delicately, she and ghosts did not mix well, at all.

Meanwhile, Harry Potter seemed to feel as if he were being watched because he had paused in the act of placing a rather sizable chunk of steak into his mouth. His gaze had wandered toward the end of the staff table and locked with hers. They stared at one another for a moment and Lumina had to admit, the sight of his mouth partially open with the steak hovering just above, was too funny. She started to laugh in spite of herself, which quickly turned into a cough to stifle the sound.

He had caught the sight of it though and he flashed a cheesy grin her way. She hesitated for a moment then returned the smile. His red haired friend, Ron Weasley, had leaned over to speak with him. Harry responded in turn and pointed Lumina's way. His friend blinked then looked up at the staff table, spotting her beside Hagrid. He flashed a smile at her and gave a rather enthusiastic wave in hello. She blinked in response, hesitated, and then waggled her fingers in return with an embarrassed smile.

"See? Yer already makin' friends." Hagrid was laughing, having watched the entire exchange between the young woman and his favorite Gryffindor students. He had started piling different foods onto her plate since she had not started to yet. "Yeh'll fit in jus' fine here."

"I only saw them on the train…" Lumina replied; a little stunned as she tried to think of what might have prompted them react that way.

"Here, yer need to eat." Hagrid said with a smile as he set her plate back down and slammed a massive hand against her back. She slumped forward from the sudden weight, which Hagrid quickly apologized while he helped her to sit straighter. "Forge' me own strength sometimes…" He mumbled as his face turned red beneath his beard and he quickly went back to his dinner.

Lumina sighed softly and started to eat, there were different kinds of foods to choose from and she sampled from each of them. Hagrid had started to engage her in conversation about where she was from and what she had been doing before coming to Hogwarts. Lumina was honest with him as she told him and he listened with keen interest as she recounted one of her exploits of a tomb she had found on one of her visits to the continent of South America.

The remains of dinner disappeared from their plates sometime later and had instantly been replaced with dessert, which included a variety of puddings. Lumina had been quick to try the chocolate gateau, chocolate being her very girly weakness, and all the while happily chatting away with Hagrid about his favorite subject: dangerous, magical creatures. She was just getting into the details about how she had obtained the dragon scales for her rather unique trench coat when the desserts finally disappeared, leaving the plates sparkling clean.

Dumbledore got to his feet once more and the buzz of conversation hushed almost at once so that the only sounds were of the wind and the rain outside. The headmaster smiled at all of the students. "So!" He said, his half moon spectacles reflecting the candlelight. "Now that we are all fed and watered, I must once more ask for your attention, while I give out a few notices."

He cleared his throat and clasped his hands behind his back, his blue eyes flicking toward Lumina with that regular twinkle. He smiled and turned his attention back to the students. "Mr. Filch, the caretaker, has asked me to tell you that the list of objects forbidden inside the castle has this year been extended to include Screaming Yoyos, Fanged Frisbees, and Ever-Bashing Boomerangs. The full list comprises some four hundred and thirty seven items, I believe, and can be viewed in Mr. Filch's office, if anybody would like to check it."

At this, the corners of Dumbledore's silvery beard twitched and he continued. "On another note, I would like all of you to extend a very warm welcome to the newest member of our staff. She will be assisting Mr. Filch in the care of our school, seeing as we are housing more students this year." He turned toward where Lumina sat and held a hand out toward her. "Ms. Lumina Peacecraft."

Lumina felt her face grow warm as the sound of polite clapping filled the Great Hall from the students and the staff. She felt a large elbow nudge her arm and heard a gruff whisper. "Go on, stand up!"

She turned a deep shade of red and got to her feet. She looked at the sea of faces that had turned in her direction and gave a weak smile and a small wave. The clapping grew a little louder, particularly from the section of the Gryffindor table where Harry Potter and Ron Weasley sat. She blinked when she heard a wolf whistle from somewhere in the back of the Hall, from what table she couldn't be sure. She blushed even deeper and promptly sat back down, hiding her face behind her hand. She had never felt so embarrassed.

Laughter rose up at this, even Dumbledore was chuckling, and Lumina glanced over at Hagrid and mouthed, "Kill me now." Hagrid was smiling while he clapped and gave her a wink. She groaned and shook her head as the clapping finally died away and Dumbledore turned once more to face the students to finish his announcements. Lumina wasn't paying attention as she tried to relax so that the blush would finally go away.

She released a breath and turned her green gaze back up to Dumbledore's form when she noticed, out of the corner of her eye, that the hook nosed Professor Snape was watching her again. She turned her gaze to him and frowned lightly in confusion. He wasn't scowling at her this time, but had a thoughtful expression on his face. She didn't know why he kept watching her but it was beginning to annoy her.

At that precise moment, there was a loud rumble of thunder overhead and the doors to the Great Hall banged open. Lumina looked, along with everyone else, to see a man leaning on a long staff and covered in a heavy, black cloak. He shook off the hood of the cloak, revealing a mane of grizzled, dark grey hair and a weathered, scarred face. A chunk of his nose was missing and a large, electric blue eye was moving in all directions as he began to walk toward the teacher's table. With every other step he took, a dull clunk could be heard.

He reached Dumbledore and held out a hand that was as weathered and scarred as his face. Dumbledore shook it and leaned forward to mutter something to the other man. He looked as if he had asked something because the stranger shook his head and replied in a muttered growl that was hard to hear. Dumbledore then gave a nod and gestured to the empty seat on his right. The stranger sat down, shook his hair from his face and pulled a plate of food toward him. He pulled out a small knife, stabbed a sausage with it, and proceeded to eat.

"May I introduce our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?" Dumbledore said brightly as he gestured to the man, who was currently taking a swig from a flask he had obtained from his traveling cloak. "Professor Moody."

Lumina had to say, compared to the warm greeting she had received; all that greeted Professor Moody was silence and stares. Dumbledore and Hagrid had applauded but it echoed pitifully through the silence and they stopped rather quickly. All everyone else could do was stare at Moody's bizarre appearance, who seemed rather indifferent to his less-than-warm welcome, and continued to eat.

Dumbledore turned back to face his students and his bright smile returned as he continued on with the announcements he had been saying before Moody's appearance had interrupted him. Lumina was not listening as she continued to stare at the new professor with faint surprise. She remembered Moody; he was one of the most infamous Aurors that had worked for the Ministry. Her mother had often spoken of him and always in a tone of respect. Lumina studied the man before her eyes were, once again, drawn to that of Professor Snape. The scowl on his face was absolutely murderous as he glared at Moody, who sat beside him. His nose was wrinkled slightly in disgust and when he looked away, his dark eyes caught hers. The scowl eased a bit and a flicker of something crossed his face. Lumina blinked then looked away just as a student proclaimed rather loudly through the silence. "You're JOKING!"

At this nearly everyone laughed, except for Lumina, who had missed the announcement, Snape, who didn't look as if he would be caught dead laughing at anything and Moody, who was currently sniffing at a piece of chicken. Dumbledore began to speak then in detail of the event that would be hosted by Hogwarts, the Triwizard Tournament. Lumina listened with faint interest and noted that this tournament was going to be one of the most exciting things to happen at the school in quite awhile. The two other largest European schools of wizardry, Beaubaxtons and Durmstrang, would be participating in the event and the heads of the schools, with their short listed contenders, would be arriving in October. The three champions would be chosen on Halloween by an impartial judge and there would be an age restriction so that only those who were seventeen and older would be able to place their names.

There was a cry of outrage from the students at this and Lumina smiled, she had to give these kids credit, they were spirited. Dumbledore held up his hands for silence and the roar settled down to a few well placed mutters. "Now it is late and I know how important it is to you all to be alert and rested as you enter your lessons tomorrow morning. Bedtime! Chop Chop!"

Dumbledore sat down again and turned to talk to Moody while there were the sounds of many scrapings and bangings of the students getting to their feet. They were talking in excited voices as they swarmed the double doors to the entrance hall. Some of the teachers were getting to their feet and others remained seated. Lumina wasn't sure what she was supposed to do now.

"Lumina, what are yeh doing tomorrow?" Hagrid was leaning toward her, his beetle black eyes sparkling.

"I have no idea…" She responded in turn, she really didn't. Dumbledore didn't give any details on what exactly her job would entail as an "assistant to the staff."

Hagrid smiled and placed a hand on his knee. "Think yer'd like to help me wit' some of my classes? I have some excitin' stuff in store and figured yeh might like to join in."

She was honestly touched and she smiled and gave a nod. "I'd love to. Just let me know what time I need to be there."

"Tha's great." He smiled and told her the times to three of his classes that were starting tomorrow and where. "I know yer'll have other things to do but I wanted to get yeh before anyone else did." At this, he winked then got to his feet and bade her goodnight. Lumina watched him as he walked off toward the double doors and she smiled, he really was a nice person.

"Are you ready?" A wheezy voice spoke and the smile fell away at once as she turned her green eyes to Filch. He was waiting for her and the look on his face was one of impatience. She got to her feet and told him to wait a moment before she went to say goodnight to Dumbledore.

The headmaster looked up at her with a smile, while Moody's magical eye watched her intently. Lumina smiled and gave a nod. "I just wanted to say goodnight and thank you again."

"It's always a pleasure Lumina. Have a goodnight's sleep. Oh and Lumina," Dumbledore called, because she had turned to follow Filch, who had already walked off to the entrance hall. She paused and looked back at him in question. Dumbledore smiled. "First thing tomorrow morning, will you come to my office? Argus will show you the way."

"Of course." She gave a nod, catching Moody's gaze, and wished both men a goodnight. She turned on her heel then and walked quickly toward the double doors to catch up with the impatient caretaker. She turned the corner of the door at that moment and gasped in surprise when she slammed into something very solid and very warm. Strong hands reached out to grip her shoulders to steady her.

She looked up to find herself staring at the scowling, hook nosed face of none other that of Professor Snape. His scowl deepened slightly as he raised a dark brow in slight annoyance. A faint blush rose up in response as they stared at one another and Lumina hastily looked away as she took a step back. The professor dropped his hands to his sides as he studied the woman with an expression that was hard to read.

"Do watch where you are going Ms. Peacecraft." He said, his voice was surprisingly soft and it sent an unexplained shiver down through her. She cleared her throat as she looked at him. "I'm sorry, I'll be careful next time. If you'll excuse me…"

His scowl eased somewhat and he stepped out of the way and gave a curt nod, his dark hair falling around his face. She bade him goodnight and quickly walked away to where she saw Filch waiting for her, rather impatiently, beside the marble staircase. She risked a glance over her shoulder to find that the professor was still watching her before he turned and disappeared down a staircase that led below the castle, his black robes billowing out behind him. Her heart gave a funny thump and she shook her head; that was strange…

"Well, come on then. I'll show you to your room." Filch grumbled as he turned on the spot and led Lumina further into the enchanted school of witchcraft and wizardry.