Chapter 6: Long Overdue

The first thing I noticed after the hat deemed me as a member of Slytherin was the defining silence. It was as much of the amount of noise as it was the lack of it, as if a death mist had shrouded everyone in its shadowy embrace and refused to let go. The students' eyes were glassy and dead, while the professors weren't faring much better. It was as if I had walked into a graveyard where the monsters of Halloween resided, and Jack Skellington had just dubbed me the heir to his position in front of the entirety of humans the monsters were meant to scare. Shuddering at the rather ominous allusion of death and monsters (had anyone ever noticed the startling resemblance between Jack Skellington and Voldemort?), I chose that time to observe my new housemates and potential friends, allies, and enemies. There was no point in checking the Gryffindor table. I could feel all of their betrayed and accusing stares drilling into my back anyway. Who's ever heard of a Potter in Slytherin? Their thoughts were like projectiles, each aimed to attack my mind. It was like I could read their minds. She's obviously going to be evil. Good thing too, now she can't corrupt the Boy-Who-Lived. Corrupted? The idea was so preposterous I wanted to laugh. Then I wanted to scowl. They seriously thought that of me? Shaking their stinging comments out of my mind, I quickly found Pansy, Draco, Theodore, Daphne, Crabbe, and Goyle huddled in a small group near the edge of the Slytherin table. All of them had huge grins on their faces; the grins were so unnatural on their usually stoic faces that I fought the urge to cringe.

Well then. Genus chose that time to speak. Aren't you going to join your new house? Well, of course I was going to. I just didn't want to. Not then, anyway. However, despite my better judgement, I rose shakily from the three legged stool (how old was it anyway?), most unlike the way I'd arrived, and attempted to walk as gracefully as I could to the Slytherin table. Key word, attempted. More like stumbled. My mind was still reeling from the aftershock of talking to a hat, and basically everything I'd experienced within the past few months. A witch. Me. At that moment, I felt like my mind would explode. It was just too much for me to take. Too much information, too many strange experiences, and all of it was rushing into my conscious at once. My brain was overwhelmed and had had enough. Fortunately, I made it to the huddle of Slytherin first years and collapsing besides Daphne before my mind exploded. The Greengrass heiress patted me comfortingly on the back, as if she actually understood what I was going through. Which I doubted. How could anyone?

I sat through the rest of the Sorting in a daze, only clapping when I noticed the rest of my housemates clapping. It was like I'd eaten a bunch of sugar (which I had), and had just now experienced the effects of a sugar crash (which honestly could have been the case). Every once in a while, I'd get a comforting nudge from Daphne and a concerned glance from Malfoy. Malfoy. Now that boy was an enigma. At least, to me. I couldn't really understand him. On one hand, he was a nice guy. Not only was he handsome, but he was also kind, which greatly surprised me because I'd taken more of Ron's words to heart than I had realized. Until now. Malfoy seemed to always hold an image of arrogance and aloofness, as did most of my other pureblood acquaintances. But around me, and with his friends, I noticed how he always cared for them, and inconspicuously showed his friendship through small gestures of kindness. I'd never noticed until then how much small acts of kindness mattered. However, on the other hand, he was the son of a Death Eater (one who'd cheated justice, I might add), one of those filthy purebloods who'd served the man who killed my parents. That was reason enough to stay away from him. I had to honor my parents in some way, right? But maybe it didn't have to be in that form...?

It was then Gandalf-I mean, Dumbledore (my bad) rose from his extravagant golden throne of a seat and opened his arms wide like he wanted to hug the entire student body. I had a half mind to stand and shout, "No thank you." But I figured I'd probably embarrassed myself enough for that night, so I stayed seated as he welcomed all the students back to Hogwarts. "Welcome to Hogwarts!" said he. "A new year has come blah blah blah." He didn't say much; only some rather offensive words that somehow magiced food.

"What in Merlin's name," I muttered as I piled some mashed potatoes and chicken onto my plate. "That guy is crazy. I'm not even surprised anymore." Pansy snorted as she piled some fried chicken onto her plate. "I'm still surprised you haven't figured that out yet," she told me. "But I suppose living with muggles really did something to your brain."

"Thanks, Pansy. I feel so loved" came my sarcastic reply. "'Course, I spent some time with Weasley over there, so excuse me if I'm still a little barmy in the head." The purebloods around me laughed, and some began to taunt the Weasley family. "They used to be respected, you know," Malfoy whispered to me. "The Weasleys. But they chose to shun wizard tradition and began living like muggles. With Arthur Weasley the muggle lover as their head... their family is very poor. They can barely afford new robes." I hummed in agreement as I chewed thoughtfully on a large spoonful of peas. I suppose it made sense. Ron seemed to have been very particular about money on the train.

"What about classes?" I asked. "Of course, I know the basics like Transifguration, Charms, Potions, and that kind of stuff, but others can we learn?"

"Trying to gorge yourself with knowledge, Potter?" a rather large girl sneered. "Maybe you should have been in Ravenclaw. No Potter belongs in Slytherin." Curling my lips in distaste, I turned to glare at the girl who had talked. She was large, extremely buff, and looked like a female version of Crabbe and Goyle. "And you are...?"

"Malificent Bulstrode," she smirked. "From the Noble house of Bulstrode." In truth, I did not understand why Malificent Bulstrode had tagged on "the noble house of Bulstrode" at the end. Was it anything important? Thankfully before I could think of a response, Malfoy stepped in. "The Potters are a Most Ancient and Most Noble House, Bulstrode. Thus, she holds more power than you in the Wizemgamot," he said. "You would do well not to insult your betters." Bulstrode and Malfoy continued to argue, and I decided to ignore them. For once, I was very confused, and I knew it would get me killed someday. I resolved to find out as much as I could about these wizard customs; even though they were probably outdated, it was vital that I knew about my own world. Survival instincts and all that.

"Hello," Daphne smiled kindly. "My name is Daphne Greengrass, heiress of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Greengrass. I see you are a little lost."

"Lost is an understatement," I mumbled through a mouthful of food. Swollowing, I continued, "Everything is so confusing. My whole life I lived in a muggle orphanage. I didn't know anything about magic. Then, Professor Snape and Headmaster Dumbledore came to my room one day and told me I was a witch. It was all so sudden, and I think the adrenaline of the excitement has left. Now I feel tired, and confused, and shocked, and-"

"You're rambling, London," she chuckled quietly. "It is okay to feel the way you do. You are new to this world. If I hadn't grown up in this world, I'm sure I'd feel the same way as you. As such, I probably would feel like you if I entered the muggle world. What is a 'car?' I heard that the new moving transportation is no longer called the horseless carrage." Snorting softly, I proceeded to explain all about technology that muggles had created. In fact, the one thing I missed about the muggle world was the television. And car. And the pen. The muggle world was so much more modern, I told Daphne, and it was like a whole other world.

Dinner turned to dessert, and I started on a piece of treacle tart before telling Daphne about the phone. "It's a little device, like the TV, but it's able to communicate. You can send messages in an instant, and the other person would receive in a second!" I said, waving my hands around. "Compared to owl-post, texting on a phone is much more convenient."

"I can imagine," Daphne said, her eyes wide. I assumed that in all of her life, she had never heard of something like that. Pureblood supremecy sure did cloud a lot of people's judgement. It was at that time that Dumbledore chose to rise. He told us to sing a dreadful song (whose lyrics I will not repeat), which ended with two red haired twins from Gryffindor (Weasley, I guessed), and sent us off to bed. "Come along, follow me!" a tall Slytherin girl shouted over the din of the crowd. "Slytherin first years, follow me to your common room!" Standing up, Daphne and I were joined by another girl ("Tracy Davis"), and we followed the prefect with the pretty badge down into the dungeons. Shivering slightly, I pulled my robes around me tighter and made sure not to stare too much. Getting lost in the dungeons would be horrible; who knows how far the dungeons extended.

We stopped in front of a wall, and just as the first years began to feel restless with uncertainty the prefect turned to face us. "I am Prefect Gemma Farley, and this is the entrance to the common room." Ignoring the scoffs of disbelief, she said, "The password is 'basilisk,' and the password will change every month. Be sure to check the board to see the new password. Anyone who forgets the password will be forced to stand outside until someone feels sympathetic enough to let them in. Let that be a lesson of survival to you, little snakes. Come along." The wall had opened during her short warning, and I followed my fellow Slytherins inside. The common room was an interesting sight. Covered in lavish tapestries and plush couches, large fireplaces and soft carpets, the room, accented in green and silver, seemed to almost... flow. A soft humming could be heard all around, but I could not find the source of the humming. "Before you go upstairs," the prefect told us, "you must wait for Professor Snape, our head of House. He will give you a welcome speech and some important notices."

Seemingly appearing, the black-robed professor who I had called "Batman-gollum" the first time I met him stepped into the common room. Snape seemed to have a presence that demanded attention, his sharp eyes daring anyone to step out of line. I was almost tempted to do it, just to see what would happen, but decided my hide was more important that my curiousity. Stepping in front of the fire, Snape began his speech: "Welcome to Slytherin. This is the house of the cunning and ambitious. Our founder, Salazar Slytherin, was the most cunning of all the founders. We value people who become leaders, people who look for greatness; not Hufflepuff followers. A few rules: first, Slytherins care for their own. Here, you will never find a Slytherin on his or her own. If you have a bone to pick with a Slytherin, keep it within the common room. Outside, you will retain a united front. Anyone caught otherwise will be... severely punished," he said silkily, as if punishment wasn't such a big deal.

"We are not Gryffindor dunderheads who charge into danger and end up getting killed. We are not Hufflepuff humdingers who are content to sit behind someone else's shadow. We are also not Ravenclaw stuckups who spend their entire life wasting away in the library. No, we are Slytherin, the ones who think before they act, push others into their shadows, and spend their lives doing something great. I expect all of you to study hard and make Slytherin house proud. If you need help, ask. I will not allow anyone do disgrace this house. Am I understood?" A chorus of "Yes, Professor Snape"s echoed across the common room. Said professor's dark eyes swept across the room; I thought he seemed to stare at me longer, but he marched out before I could get a proper glance.

"Well, he's cheery," I muttered, thinking back to the first time I met him. Maybe he was a "Batman-gollum" after all; creepy, shrunken skin, large cloak, and all. All eyes turned to look at me; "What? Just trying to pick up the mood." Shaking my head at their obliviousness, I turned and walked into the hallway where the first year dorms were located. On each door was a placard that had the names of the inhabitants inside. I walked to the door that had "London Potter, Daphne Greengrass, Pansy Parkinson" on it and entered.

The theme of the room was pretty much the same, green and silver being the main colors. Looking around, I spotted my trunk at the bottom of the bed closest to the window. Outside, I could see the merky waters of the Black Lake, and started as a flash of silver caught my eyes. "There... doesn't happen to be anything living in the lake, is there?" I asked meekly as I heard the door open.

"Unfortunately, there are," Pansy's amused voice said. "I'm not sure of everything, but I know there are mermen living in the lake, and a giant squid."

"Crap." I could just imagine mermen looking in as I slept, and the Giant Squid wrapping his tentacles around the dungeon and pulling it into the depths of the lake... Shaking my head to rid myself of my over-the-top imagination, I grabbed my clothes and went in search of the bathroom. After taking a nice shower, I felt refreshed and made my way back. Halfway there, I caught sight of Draco Malfoy, who seemed to have just taken a shower as well. He was dressed in silk pajamas and nodded upon spotting me, before entering the door that said "Draco Malfoy, Theodore Nott, Blaise Zabini" on it. I, too, entered my room and found the other girls chatting.

The others took note of my pajamas, before Pansy asked, "Why are you wearing pants?"

"It's pajamas," I explained, not sure what was wrong. "You sleep in them."

"Silly," she said. "Where's your nightgown?"

"I've never had any," I admitted, embarrassed. Daphne and Pansy were both dressed in silk nightgowns, similar to Draco's. Daphne's was a soft blue that matched her eyes; it was decorated with small birds and trimmed with lace. Pansy's was a forest green that complimented her hair; it had black flower embroidered onto it and silver trimmings. They wore what only rich purebloods could afford to sleep in. Standing there in my worn pajama top and pants, printed with faded falling leaves, I felt inferior to my friends. It was the first time I felt insecure, other than the time I met Harry, and I didn't like it. "No matter," Pansy sniffed. "I'll just ask Mother to mail me some. You can have some, if you like."

"No, I didn't mean-" I stammered, flushing an ugly red. I had never tried to hint that I wanted something other than my poor, ripped clothes. However, it was true that I did want something nicer than what I had. If I'd been asked to attend a wizarding event, all I would have proper enough to wear was my school robes. But that didn't mean I wanted Pansy's! Or anyone else's, for that matter. "I can just buy my own."

"Nonsense." This was Daphne. "You're our friend. We have plenty of clothes to spare, anyway. I'll ask Mother as well, we can mail it tomorrow, Pansy. I'm sure that should be plenty of time. And perhaps some dress robes, nice, emerald green ones that match her eyes..." Daphne was standing now, and assessing my figure and features. "Perhaps some black ones would be nice, or auburn? What do you think?" My friends had that glint I'd only seen in some of the younger maids when they were about to go shopping. I only stood, helpless and confused, and let them chatter on about what robes would match my eyes, or which would fit me best.

At that moment, Draco decided to make his entrance, and I could tell from his amused yet startled expression that he found the situation strange. "What... are you doing, Greengrass? Pansy?"

"We're doing girl stuff, Draco," Pansy tittered. "Things you wouldn't understand."

"Well..." he seemed at loss of words. "You may want to head to bed soon. Breakfast is at 8:15 tomorrow, and we have class."

"Alright, we'll head off to bed soon," Daphne waved him off. "Go away."

"Fine," he huffed. "Good night."

"Bye," I tried waving, but failed for fear that I would hit Pansy's face.

"Bye," he waved (successfully). "By the way, I like your pajamas." He winked (for the second time that day) and closed the door.

"Oh. My. Gods," I groaned, covering my face. "Why is everyone noticing my pajamas?" It seemed like the day would never end. Pansy snorted gleefully and practically sung, "Potter's got an admirerer!"

"Shut up, Pansy," I hissed, though my face was beet red.

"I've got all the notes down," Daphne interrupted. "We can owl our mothers tomorrow. But Malfoy's right, we have classes tomorrow. Best get to bed."

I quickly flopped onto my bed. Sharo snaked up beside me and curled around my pillow. Ignoring the curious stares of my roommates, now friends, I allowed myself one last thought (Could I charm the leaves on my pjs to move?) before the golden sand of the Sandman knocked me out.

That night, I dreamed of a lone boy in a blue hoodie, ragged deerskin leggings, and a frosted shepherd's crook throwing snowballs and creating sledding hills for children that never spared him a glance. It was only after a cute brunette of about nine walked right through the white haired, blue eyed spirit that I learned that he was invisible; they could not see him.

Yay, I'm done! I know this is really late, and I mean really late. I have no excuse, but I finally got it done. I hoped you liked the little ROTG that I ended at the end. I think I'm going to have her dream about Jack often, and his story (before being discovered by the Guardians and whatnot), but they're never going to meet. At least, in this story. Maybe I'll create a one-shot after this story that shows them meeting, and her becoming his first believer. This would all be before ROTG, so he had no believers at this time. Happy reading!